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NerdyBirdCA
Posted November 19, 2012
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book for an honest review. I was not compensated and no promise of a positive review was made or expected.
"X-It" smacked me with the blunt trauma of "Looking for Alaska" by John Green and the uplifting power of Dicey Tillerman's fight for survival in The Tillerman Series by Cynthia Voight. "X-It" is well written, edgy-- visceral at times. I felt so much empathy for J.J., the main character, that I was hooked though I was certain she wasn't going to make it through the story alive. I am a fantasy fan because I don't like the unhappy endings many "literary" authors favor. There were so many reasons for J.J. to lose her way and she did a good job trying to. J.J. is a fighter and as each layer of her story was revealed I wanted to stay at her side until the end. I couldn't guess where we were going but I knew it would be somewhere I needed to end up. I'm glad I made the journey.
Ms. George evokes the retro scene of New York in the 70s and 80s, skillfully dropping the reader into chaos and giving him/her a life-line at just the right moments. All the un-usual suspects from that era are represented: Warhol, the super models, the ultra-chic trendiness of the In-crowd, the hangers on and the wannabes. It all rings true. While I don't usually like books set during that time frame I found this story and its setting intriguing.
I started "X-It" once before and put it down because I expected it to be a window into a different version but the same type of parallel reality that I loved in the author's first book, "Mumbo Jumbo Circus". Not so. These two stories are totally different kinds of reads and the two books show a range that is only found with writers of significant vision. Reading "Mumbo Jumbo Circus" left me unprepared for the darker tone and subject matter of "X-It". Luckily, I was able to reboot my expectations and start again.
Prepare yourself: "Mumbo Jumbo Circus" is as addictive as the best kind of fantasy where the reader can go along for the ride yet remain cushioned in the power of magic. And I always need a little magic. "X-It" is a door into the black closets of the soul--with a key to the way out hidden in the shadows.
Coming of age and taking responsibility for one's choices is a theme in both books. "X-It" has a literary feel but the author never overplays style at the expense of the story, delivering a book that is a joy to read. "X-It" gave me a poke in the brain and a nudge in the spirit. I want to read everything this woman writes.
Anonymous
Posted July 6, 2012
X-it for me was a nice fast paced book that I read in one sitting. I really liked how J.J. tried and did what she needed to do to better her life. She had her setbacks like everyone but in the end did what was best for her. I did enjoy this book but was a little hard reading the drug addiction struggles. I know someone who is going through almost the same situation. Hopefully she can recover as well as J.J.
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Overview
In 1980 NYC, eighteen-year-old J.J. Buckingham is an uptight trendoid. Working as a mannequin painter and a counter girl, she moonlights as a creature of the nightclubs. J.J. falls for aloof, crazy-talented artist and bicycle messenger X-It. In order to win his love, she succumbs to the dark machinations of drug dealer Marko Voodoo. X-It will love her if she’s the queen of underground Manhattan, right? Her plan backfires with ...