Crazy Beautiful

Reader: Briana G
Age: 16
Title: Crazy Beautiful
Author: Lauren Baratz-Logsten
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Children's Book Group
Pub Date: 09/00/09
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Compelling Aspect of the Book: The characters were crafted wonderfully. I got both perspectives without them feeling fake, which can sometimes happen. The plot wasn't original, but since the book was well written, it wasn't cliche either. It was a classic. The characters were believable, and I could just imagine Aurora and Lucius from their minds, observing the world. The little quirks added in were done elegantly, and there weren't too many as to take away from the story, but rather they enhanced the telling of the story a thousand fold. Because this was a classic plot, I don't believe it is a bad thing that more attention wasn't focused on the plot, though in an original storyline, there would have to be. Overall it was just a pleasure to read, and it’s a book I would keep on reading over again.
Did the cover reflect the contents: The font of the title, while appropriate, seemed to distract from the image, which I thought would be more the focus. I loved the picture, and the smoke trails leave you wondering just what they are...is one of them a smoker? Does something get set on fire in a major part of the book? You get the idea. The quote, in my opinion, is unnecessary. In my opinion it makes it seem like the book has to PROVE that it's good because someone else said it, and not leaving it up to the reader for it to prove itself. It just makes it seem like it isn't as good as it is. I might recommend that two different fonts are used for the title, because my assumption about the title is that even though its one title, it's describing the two different characters. Also, this may just be my opinion, but I'd either find a way to make the picture more of a focus and the smoke more prominent, or take away the red outline on the font, making it a completely black and white cover.
Did you finish: Yes
Quality: 5Q Hard to imagine a better book
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal