Bliss

WAITING FOR THE SEQUEL!!!

I will be brief, this was a fascinating book, there was definitely a lot of suspense as well as a few plot twists I wasn't expecting. I was a great read, except for its conclusion. The way the book ends make me feel as if there must be a sequel in the works, either that or there has got to be a chapter missing. It ended very strangely, cruelly, abruptly, and without resolving any conflicts or giving anything positive to `the good guys', leaving me confused and wondering if there was something big I had missed. Maybe there's some deep philosophical theme I was too obtuse to notice. Long story short, this is a wonderful novel dampened by a frayed, painful, barely-there ending that left me wishing Bliss had never come to town in the first place. If there is indeed a sequel, I'll be the first to edit my review. Overall, good writing, interesting read.

10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.

Different

I found myself interested in this book when I saw how the author incorporated quotes from the time period. The style is interesting, and the story is indeed thrilling. I simply adored how she used the Charles Manson murder trials in the novel. I had trouble putting it down, even when I really wanted to. While it was a good book with a different story, I found the ending somewhat dissapointing. Still, if you enjoy highly strange and beyond creepy stories, this book is definitly worth the read.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

WOW!

I purchased this book simply because I thought it looked interesting. The cover was intriguing and I only skimmed the summary. I'm very glad that I had the chance to read it. It's very rare, especially for teenagers, to become engrossed in a book that takes place in another time, a time they weren't even a thought in their parents' heads. I found myself pulled into the late 1960's and actually went online afterward to read up on some facts that the book brought up. I actually used my free time to research HISTORY!!!!! I really enjoyed reading this and I look forward to the Ms. Myracle's next book!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Do Not Read!

This book was one of the most boring books i have ever read...The only reason i couldn't put it down was because i was anxious to see what would happen in the end...and when i finally finished it I was really dissapointed...In fact i found this book so boring it kind of scared me...some of the parts were unrealistic...and i hated the end. I do not recommend this book to anyone...

1 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

ULIKABLE!!!!

I have never read such a horrible book that had no meaning and no ending...It was just plain stupid!!! I wouldn't advise anyone to read this book...not even as a cruel joke...It left me aggrevated!!!

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

GREAT BOOK!

This book is very different from any book that I have ever read before. Its emotional, mysteries, thrilling, suspenseful, and it even has romance. This book keeps you thinking the whole way through. Also there are some very unexspecting events. Its not your average every day life. Bliss, didn't know what she was in for coming to her new school. Then the ending is very shocking, I recommend reading it to find out.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Out of this world!

This is the book I am currently reading and so far.... its awesome! It really makes you think about how hard life can be for shy teenagers. Bliss is an eye opening novel that leaves you hanging by your feet.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A Blissful book

Bliss by Lauren Myracle is a great, suspenseful novel. Bliss Inthemorningdew is quite a unique and kind person. She befriends Sandy, who seems like a good person, but really can have an evil side. I almost cried when Sarah Lynn Lancaster died. I couldn't put the book down. It made me want to keep reading on and on. Mitchell is the perfect guy for Bliss. This book is great for teens. It is suspenseful, entertaining, and emotional. It has the whole package.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Reviewed by Steph for TeensReadToo.com

Bliss is different from the rest of the students at her new school. For one, they didn't grow up on a commune with hippie parents. They didn't have a last name of 'in the Morning Dew'. They didn't hear the voice of a girl who killed herself years ago in one of the old halls on the school grounds.

While Bliss may be different, she quickly learns that she likes the kind of life her fellow students lead, the kind of life she never had the opportunity to have. She wears make-up for the first time. She attends classes with other kids her age. She makes friends. She gets a boyfriend. She attends a school dance.

Everything would be perfect if it weren't for Sandy, the misfit of the school who Bliss befriends because she knows what it's like to not fit in. Unfortunately, Bliss quickly finds out that Sandy isn't completely sane. Sandy wants people to worship her, to understand her. She'd go all the way to the point of bringing alive someone from the past -- Lillian, the girl who jumped out of a third-story window all those years ago -- to achieve her goal.

And Bliss finds herself in the middle of this bloodlust.

Myracle writes an interesting story that links to the American events of 1969-70. Her writing is amazing; the reader feels happy and terrified right along with the protagonist. This story is sure to capture readers, although the ending does not have quite the touch of finality that most stories do.

1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

from missprint.wordpress.com

When her parents decide they can no longer live in Nixon's US, Bliss is shipped off to Atlanta to live with her grandmother while her parents flee to Canada in Bliss (2008) by Lauren Myracle. The year is 1969 and after spending most of her life living on a commune, or wherever else her parents decided to hang their hats, Bliss is ill-prepared for conventional life in a big city.

Bliss isn't too worried when she starts at the prestigious Crestview High School though because she's spent a lot of time watching TV. Surely The Andy Griffith Show will tell her everything she needs to know about life in the "civilized" world of non-hippies, right?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Real life in Atlanta is nothing life fake life in Mayberry. The slang is different, unspoken rules make no sense, and the de facto racism is painful to watch--even as a bystander. Then there's the mysterious voice Bliss hears whenever she walks by Hamilton Hall. Is it a ghost? Can anyone else hear it? And, most troubling of all, why does the voice seem to be dripping blood with its every inflection?

Bliss tries to set these troubling thoughts aside as she focuses on making new friends. But the closer Bliss gets to her new classmates the more entangled she becomes in both the politics ofCrestview and a more sinister campaign centered around the sinister voice from long ago.

Bliss is a prequel to Myracle's earlier novel Rhymes With Witches which, I am told, ties back to the events related here. It is also one of the suspected reasons behind the rather open-ended conclusion of Bliss. (It was one of those "That's it?" moments.)

Right until the ending Bliss was fraught with tension. The title on the cover is written in blood over a seemingly innocent picture made sinister through the contrast. The interior design of the book is equally fright-inducing. Chapters are separated with white-on-black text quotations from a variety of sources including The Andy Griffith Show and transcripts from the Charles Manson trials used to set the backdrop for the story. Excerpts from a mysterious journal whose pages are covered with blood up the sinister factor even more.

This is an interesting book in that it can appeal to a lot of people. There's a bit of history, a bit of the supernatural, a little romance, some suspense, and even some mystery and horror. If that appeals, or if you just want to see how a book can drip blood, Bliss might be worth a gander.

For younger teens looking for a horror tale

A quick read, this supernatural thriller never really caught my complete interest. Written by Lauren Myracle, author of several other YA novels, this story seemed leaving something to be desired in character development as well as plot. I enjoyed the read but left feeling...Huh?...what happened to? etc. Young Bliss, fresh off the commune, goes to live with her grandmother in Atlanta, when her parents decide to avoid the draft during the Vietnam War. Feeling totally out of her element, she tries to strike up friendships among the students at exclusive Crestview Academy. Snubbed by those assigned to show her around, she finds Sandy,who after helping a fellow student who fell down the stairs, seems like the kind of person she'd want for a friend. Set in the late 1960's using both the Charles Manson killing and subsequent trial AND the Andy Griffith Show (Mayberry?) as touchstones throughout was interesting, not to mention the mysterious diary entries that help keep you guessing. Mysterious voices, darkened hallways, relics of a prior gruesome accident and other similar plot twists lead the reader to a climax that I did find surprising, but the journey felt incomplete. The many parts all fit together quite neatly but left me with many unanswered questions. Not bad overall, but I'd definitely recommend it to younger teens with an interest in horror.

A Good Book, but. . .

This was a very interesting book. It took me only 3 days to finish. This probably tells you it must have been so good, I couldn't stop reading it. Most of the action didn't happen till the end of the book. Other costumers would say it was scary and that they threw it away after they read it. The book is not that scary! The only thing wrong about it is the ending. It happens to have the worst ending ever. Other than that, a good book!

LOVE this book!

This is one of my favorite books of all time.This book is very long but is a fast read.Definetly a must read!

Great Book!

When I got this book, I wasn't sure about it. But when I read the whole thing, I loved it! Some parts were kinda... gross and demented. But I thought it had a good plot. I wish there really was a sequel.

OMG!!!!

Talk about unforgettable! this book is freaky in a never want to read this book again! this is normal what kinda person would write this?? im into the whole super natural thriller scary stuff but this isnt even close to sane. was she insane at one point? im throwing this book away right after i rip each page. its creepy and gross. im done with this book and never getting near it again. people shouldnt read it. Throw it on the ground and stomp on it! BURN BURN BURN BURRRRRNNN

okay...i think....oh my god...

talk about a messed up book...but in a good-wanna-throw-it-to-the-wall-freak-out sort of way...cats...that's all I can say about this book...it's sick and twisted and about cats...I won't ever see a cat the same way again. This author, she needs to see a doctor, because: ARE YOU SERIOUS? THIS BOOK IS SICK AND DEMENTED AND TWSISTED! FORGET THE GOOD! IT's DOWNRIGHT TERRIBLE! BLEH BLEH BLEH I WANT TO BURN THE BOOK! IN OTHER WORDS:









DO NOT READ IT!!!!!!

WEIRD!

Never have i ever read a book like this... and i hope i never ever will again! it was creepy but not in the like stalker killer thriller sort of way.. like in the that's totally gross and i wouldn't want to be in the same room with that creeper sort of way! i really liked the quotes and stuff in the beginning of each chapter but other than that it was weird..

Not a good book!

I did not like this book! It seemed like it was stuck in two time different periods. If I had stopped in the middle of the book I wouldn't have missed anything because the ending was clear by that time. If you like to feel happy after reading a book, this is not the book for you!

really good

i thought this book was really good. it had a very creepy feeling to it and was really thrilling. it was a really quick read that i would reccomend.

Loved It!

I thought this was a great book. A lot of people didn't seem to, but it's just not what you'd expect. Very thilling! This book could be a movie.