YA Book Review: Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma

Imaginary Girls by Nova Ren Suma
© June 2011 by Dutton Juvenille

Goodreads description:

Chloe's older sister, Ruby, is the girl everyone looks to and longs for, who can't be captured or caged. When a night with Ruby's friends goes horribly wrong and Chloe discovers the dead body of her classmate London Hayes left floating in the reservoir, Chloe is sent away from town and away from Ruby.

But Ruby will do anything to get her sister back, and when Chloe returns to town two years later, deadly surprises await. As Chloe flirts with the truth that Ruby has hidden deeply away, the fragile line between life and death is redrawn by the complex bonds of sisterhood.

My Thoughts...

Okay, we'll start with a confession here: the first time I saw the cover for this book I immediately knew I had to read it.  When I saw it in person, I was in love. Like, seriously, this cover is captivating. Now that's out of the way, I'll give you a some brief thoughts on the story.  And, when I say brief, I really do mean it this time because I'm still not really sure what I thought/felt about this story.

First, not everyone is going to enjoy this book.  It looks and sounds like a contemporary--I thought it was going to be a contemporary.  It's not really.  There's a paranormal element that comes in, mostly toward the end but you get weird hints throughout, that you don't really see coming...actually you never really find out what it is. (Which I'll admit, was a little annoying). 

The prose is beautiful.  For me, Nova's writing really flowed from page to page and despite confusion about what was going on (which, I think I was *supposed* to be at least a little confused?), I found myself turning page after page to read more about these sisters and the strange events that were happening.  Throughout the story, I had really vivid images of what was going on, but the entire time I also felt a little like I had entered this alternate dream universe.  It had that feeling that I think dreams sometimes give you--the uncertainty, the "haze" surrounding events, the haunting feeling later when you feel like you can't quite remember everything that happened.

In conclusion, the writing is beautiful, and the story is unique/interesting, I felt a little dissatisfied at the end because I still didn't really know what was up with Ruby. I do know, however, that I definitely hope to read more from Nova in the future!

Some other reviews (b/c like I said...not everyone will like this):

• The Bookish Brunette
• Chick Loves Lit
• Pure Imagination
• I Read Banned Books

I chose this post for Review Appreciation Day (7/7/11) @ The Cait Files!