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Monday, January 25, 2016

Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi ARC Review + Giveaway!



Futhermore by Tahereh Mafi
Paperback ARC, 403 pages
Published by Dutton Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: August 30th, 2016
Pre-Order it: Amazon | B&N | Book Depository
The bestselling author of the Shatter Me series takes readers beyond the limits of their imagination in this captivating new middle grade adventure where color is currency, adventure is inevitable, and friendship is found in the most unexpected places.

There are only three things that matter to twelve-year-old Alice Alexis Queensmeadow: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. The day Father disappears from Ferenwood he takes nothing but a ruler with him. But it’s been almost three years since then, and Alice is determined to find him. She loves her father even more than she loves adventure, and she’s about to embark on one to find the other.

But bringing Father home is no small matter. In order to find him she’ll have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is a boy named Oliver whose own magical ability is based in lies and deceit—and with a liar by her side in land where nothing is as it seems, it will take all of Alice's wits (and every limb she's got) to find Father and return home to Ferenwood in one piece. On her quest to find Father Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss.



Furthermore kept me on the edge of my seat and unable to stop reading! It's a book I immensely enjoyed, even with it's minor flaws. Every part of it was engaging and well-written, and I fell in love with the characters in a heartbeat. Alice is a truly unique character, and her perspective on the world is refreshing and immersive. Oliver also grew on me quickly, and I rooted for the two of them as they made their way through the dangerous villages of Furthermore, hoping they would succeed in finding Alice's father.



Alice and Oliver's daunting task seemed impossible, and watching them overcome their struggles felt like I was there right beside them! There were villages that turned them to paper, places where movement wasn't allowed, and many other astonishingly unique settings where it seemed like the characters had truly hit their limit. And yet, it was these obstacles that added to the mysticism of the worldI had no guess as to what was coming next!



My main issue with this book was how everything within it jumbled together and was confusing to sort through at times. The narrator frequently inserted comments from an outside perspective, and while at certain moments this was hilarious, it also confused which parts of the book were truly happening and lessened my connection with the characters for those moments. Of course, this incredibly distinctive, peculiar, and lawless world didn't help the situation, and villages seemed to blend together without any apparent connection. Overall, even with these problems, I still couldn't be happier that I picked this baby up! 




1) Both of the main charactersOliver and Alicehad such well-developed and unique personalities, and yet they somehow managed to be the perfect pair. They each went through a lot of realistic and well-executed character development, all the while remaining the characters I fell in-love with at the start of the novel.

2) The story was whimsical and truly drew me in, keeping me turning the pages faster and faster as I wished to know what would happen next! Tahereh Mafi wrote Furthermore beautifully, and her writing style is unlike anything I've ever read before.

3) The magical world of Furthermore was one without rules, and every ‘town’ the characters entered was completely different and insanely unique. I was pleasantly surprised and enamored by Mafi's originality and creativity.

4) The character’s emotions and responses were so well-written that I felt like I was inside the book myself! I was instantly rooting for Alice and Oliver, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them grow, struggle, and overcome obstacles together.


1) Although it was engaging for a middle-grade book, some parts of the book were made confusing by the narrator speaking and inserting personal opinions. For example, in the middle of certain moments, the author would insert a comment as an onlooker from the outside, which jumbled a lot of the plot together and often left me feeling like I wasn’t sure which parts of the book were truly happening, and at what time.

34 comments:

  1. Thanks SO SO SO much for this giveaway! I am so freaking excited for this book!!!!!

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  2. This book has been on my radar for a while. It has such an exciting and entrancing premise.

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    1. You're right, I haven't heard of other books that sound similar

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  3. I'd no idea that there's an ARC of this book haha xD I'm so excited for this one, since I really love her Shatter Me series. While I know that it's pretty different from Shatter Me, I still have a good feeling for it :D

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    1. I've never read the Shatter Me series, but I definitely enjoyed this one XD, and I thought the writing was great

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  4. Like Tiffany, I'm just excited for this because it's Tahereh Mafi, even though this is nothing like Shatter Me. I imagine that her lyrical writing still shines through!

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    1. This is the first Tahereh Mafi book I've ever read, but the writing style WAS very lyrical!

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  5. I love Tahereh! I can't wait for this book!

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  6. Love the quotes! I'd love to read this book, it sounds so unique! :) Thanks for the giveaway!

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    1. The quotes throughout the entire book was hilarious and great :D! I agree completely, it has a very unique concept and writing

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  7. Cannot wait to read this book!!!! I loved The Shatter Me trilogy so I already now I'm going to love this book.

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    1. Although I never read the Shatter Me trilogy, I really loved this book!

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  8. I have not read it but I'm really excited for it. I'm a big fan of Tahereh's. Thank you so much.

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    1. It was a very funny and enjoyable read, though it was the first of Tahereh's books I've read!

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  9. HOLY SHIT! I'll be honest, I would read this woman's shopping list if she slapped on a cover and I'm almost peeing with excitement just to get my hands on a copy. I love Tahereh Mafi. I love the way she can twist her words into a lyrically vivid world that draws you in and holds you captive.

    I'd sell my mother for a copy of this.

    Thank you for the giveaway <3 No one else enter please :D

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    1. XD She is a great author, but I haven't read her other books! Her writing is definitely lyrical, and her world is completely unique

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  10. OMGGGGG!!!! I'm so excited for this book. I feel like we've been waiting FOREVER for it to come out. I loved the Shatter Me series so much and I'm looking forward to this new story. Thanks so much!

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    1. Yeah, it was a great book and such a unique story that I really enjoyed!

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  11. Absolutely excited for this book!!! I cannot wait to get the cover for it either. Only Tahereh has white ARC covers!!!!

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    1. I'm also so curious to find out what the cover reveal for this book is!

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  12. I NEED THIS BOOK, loved Mafi's previous books!!

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    1. I haven't read her other books, but I did think this one was great!

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  13. I'm so excited for so many releases this year, and this is one of them! I seriously hope I'll win, so I can read it.

    Also, thank you so much for the opportunity! You truly are an amazing person. I wish everyone who's entering the best of luck 💕

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    1. Yeah, I really enjoyed this book! :D There are also a lot of upcoming exciting releases

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  14. I love Tahereh Mafi andam so excited for this book her and Megan Shephards MG fantasy are my two have to read MG this year!

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    1. I haven't read any of Megan Shephard's books, although they seem interesting! XD

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  15. Gorgeous post Brittany :D I love your review of this one. <3 I'm curious about it. Not sure I would love it.. but I would love to read it :D I adore middle grade books. So glad you liked this one sweetie :) Despite not loving it. And ahhh, thank you so so much for that aaamazing giveaway. <3 You are the best. Fingers crossed :)

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment! This is actually not my review, it's my co-blogger (and sister) Nikki's review =)

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  16. This is my most anticipated read of this year!! Thank you so so SO much for the chance at the giveaway!!! :)

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  17. So excited for this! Never read any of Tahereh Mafi's books before but this sounds sooooo good.

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  18. I'm beyond excited for this book! I was a huge fan of the Shatter Me series so yay! :D

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  19. I had no idea that there were ARC's of this book, really excited to read it, sounds really interesting.
    Thanks for a chance to win it! :)

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