Review: 3 can't stop thinking about yet don't know what to think stars!
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 6, 2014
I don’t usually pay attention to other reviews, but I’ve noticed with Number Thirteen people are either loving or hating it. Me? I’m kind of in the middle. What I will say however, is even though I had my issues that stopped me completely loving it, I haven’t stopped thinking about it and discussing it with others. So as an author, that’s a job well done in my opinion!So, the book starts with William as a thirteen year old boy. He is attacked by bullies who do something to him that severely disfigures one side of his face, but also changes who he is as a person. In his words, he was turned into a monster that day.We are then brought to the present and the book flips between William’s and Number Thirteen’s perspective all the way through. I liked that. I needed William’s point of view because if I didn’t see what was going on inside his head I wouldn’t have understood him at all. The story really begins with thirteen girls waking up in a basement. They don’t know who they are or why they’re there, but they know they have a master they are not allowed to see. The girls are effectively kept as slaves. They are given basic clothes and food, and are separated into groups which must carry out different chores. If they are good and obey, they get rewarded. They might earn some free time to wander the grounds, or read a book for example. If they are bad however, they are punished. Badly.This is the main part of the book that didn’t sit well with me, and also the reason why the ending made me want to scream in frustration. Personally, it just didn’t make any sense to me. In William’s mind he was helping these girls… yet to me he was brutal and terrifying. I have read my share of ‘dark’ books, and so naturally I can’t help comparing. I wouldn’t class this as a ‘dark’ read as such, because there aren’t any vivid descriptions of the punishments etc. But this didn’t take away from the story, I was happy to use my imagination.It was clear from the start that Number Thirteen was the strongest of the group of girls. She seemed like a natural fighter. She obeyed Master William not because she was weak, but because she knew it was the only way to survive. She led the girls, she comforted them, she took punishments for them, and she stood up for herself when some of them were quick to turn on her.Number Thirteen is the first of the girls to ‘see’ William for who he really is. She of course isn’t disgusted by him like William assumed she would be, she looks past his disfigurement and reaches into his soul, instantly sparking a connection between the two. Thankfully she makes him rethink who he is, and the way he’s ‘helping’ these girls. But is it too late?I can’t really go any further because I won’t be able to shut up and I’ll spoil it for you! But the ending…gah! I still don’t know how I feel about it! I have spoken to people who thought it was perfect, and people who thought it was ridiculous. Again, I’m in the middle. Sometimes I thought I was starting to figure William out, and then he would do something which made absolutely no sense to me again. This has been such a hard review to write because I know it hasn’t exactly been glowing with positives. BUT… I still recommend this book, if for no other reason than I can’t get it out of my head and you should read it and see which side of the fence you find yourself on. There is no doubt Bella Jewel is an excellent writer, I loved her style and will definitely be reading more from her. I think regardless of how I feel about certain parts of this story, the most important thing was that I literally couldn’t stop turning the pages!3.5 can’t stop thinking about yet don’t know what to think stars!(Copy received from author in exchange for an honest review)