Review: Above by Leah Bobet

Genre: Paranormal
Pages: 207
Format: e-book
Published April 1, 2012 by Scholastic
Goodreads // Amazon UK

Matthew has loved Ariel from the moment he found her in the tunnels, her bee’s wings falling away. They live in Safe, an underground refuge for those fleeing the city Above—like Whisper, who speaks to ghosts, and Jack Flash, who can shoot lightning from his fingers.
But one terrifying night, an old enemy invades Safe with an army of shadows, and only Matthew, Ariel, and a few friends escape Above. As Matthew unravels the mystery of Safe’s history and the shadows’ attack, he realizes he must find a way to remake his home—not just for himself, but for Ariel, who needs him more than ever before.

I was expecting something different from this book. I didn't have a problem with it being told from Matthew's perspective, I think I had an issue with the style and dialogue of this book. I also had a bit of an issue with how this book connected to the summary. The characters weren't doing much running from the whitecoats, they all had a history of run-ins with them that led to each and every one's mental break. Yes, everyone except perhaps the main character is a little bit wonky and much of the book is dedicated to their biographies since Matthew is a Teller (which I still don't quite get). It just wasn't what I was expecting.

First of all, let it be known that I cannot ignore Leah Bobet's beautiful writing. She is indeed a very talented writer. I just had a problem with the narrator's words. Since it's told through his perspective and he doesn't speak English as properly as I'd hoped, it can get very frustrating. Lots of double negatives and weird slang.

Halfway through this book I felt like giving up. I seriously did not understand what's going on (I still don't think I understand the antagonist or the 'shadows'). All I'd gotten out of it was that Matthew was obsessed with a girl with some serious baggage and who kept running away from everything. I never came to terms with his weird love and responsibility for her. I did, however, finish because I began to understand what was actually going on! Many people came to terms with their mental issues and regained Safe.

I won't go into it much more. This book simply wasn't for me. It wasn't really what I was expecting from the cover or summary at all.