Splinters

Dasha yr 8 St Paul’s

I honestly don’t know what to include in this review. I think that the book “Splinters” was my favourite read so far. I finished it 5 minutes ago and was sobbing for another 10. Some of the reviews I read didn’t really mention how heart-wrenching this book was. This book is for strong minded people. I think I realised I’m not one of them yet because this book broke me. The fact that the author made it to see all our what ifs and get to answer them, then realise that you like your own life, and someone saved you from ruining it, made me reflect on my choices, my life and I realised I wouldn’t change it, but I can change how I live it. This book is for readers who are capable of reading such emotional things. I also think that the author wrote/explored the mind of a teenager and analysed how to present it in this book was quite extraordinary because I find myself thinking some of these things sometimes.
This book was something out of this world!
I don’t know if I would read it again but I know that it is my favourite book so far.
100/10

Max

I really enjoyed reading Splinters. Originally I found it hard to stick with but once I got stuck in I loved it. It is about a girl named Jean who goes through something traumatic and then starts seeing different versions of her life in a mirror that shows what if paths. it was a bit confusing sometimes especially the parallel worlds, but it was also cool and made me think a lot about how small choices can change everything. I liked how there were different versions of her and I liked the end when Jean realizes she got tricked by one of the splinters and then goes on to realize that somethings just can’t be changed. I loved the use of imagery, like when the mirror is described as spooky and mysterious that really gave me an image . Overall I really enjoyed the book.

Javier

SPOILER ALERT!

“Splinters” was an incredibly gripping and unpredictable book. I loved the idea of all the little problems building up on Jean, and the viewpoints on parallel universes and the magnitude of our decisions. The way the author didn´t answer questions to get us to read further was something I noticed and loved. The main downside to this book was the predictable ending. Alice dying was a key point in the story, but 4 chapters were entirely dedicated to sadness and funerals. There was no need for such a dramatic event so near the end of the book. Death in books is always a major downside for me, unless executed perfectly. The final chapter was incredibly graphic and almost chaotic, for better or worse.

Sophie Y8

When I first heard the blurb of the story, I knew I would enjoy the book. I really enjoyed going through Jean’s journey and reading about her character development. I was hooked on the plot through out the whole of the story, however I wasn’t very satisfied with the ending. I think it would have been better if they somehow found a way to get Leon back. I think this because I think the romance between Jean and Leon was really good and definitely worth saving and I feel like there is not much point in the rest of the story if Leon isn’t saved in the end. Despite this, I absolutely loved reading about how Jean slowly uncovers the mysteries about the mirror. I also found Jean and Leon’s banter very funny too and it added a nice amount of romance to the story. My favourite version of Jean was the one who pretended that she had a similar life to the normal Jean and convinced her to almost switch realities. This is because, when normal Jean was transferring into to the other Jean’s world, she was alarmed to see the state of that Jean’s room. This made normal Jean realise that she did have a privileged life, with a loving and close family and a safe environment to live in compared to many other versions of herself in different realities. I think this was a very key part of the story because it gave Jean a much needed realisation. Through out the book, I experienced a wide range of emotions, some parts made me want to cry, but at other times I was very angry with choices many characters made. This made for a very entertaining and exhilarating story.

Gabriella Ardingly College Y9

I really enjoyed reading “Splinters”, because the whole way through the book was captivating and emotional. At the start, when Jean’s best friend, Jodie was leaving, I thought the book would be boring because it would just be about Jean making new friends, but then Leon came along and proved me wrong. When Leon came back from America and got angry with Jean, went quiet and just stood there, then just left and ignored her for the rest of the holidays and at school, it made me really confused and I felt empathy towards Jean, and I was interested into finding why that happened. I liked the idea of having splinters, because Jean could see the other versions of herself and how things could have turned out. I felt quite sorry for Jean throughout the book, especially near the end, when her dad was forcing her to keep his secret, and then what happened with Alice, because nothing was really her fault but to the other characters it looked like it was. Inconclusion, I loved reading splinters because of the moving plot and how emotional and gripping it was.

Tommy

While I wouldn’t say it was perfect, ‘Splinters’ is a book I massively enjoyed, and it really expanded the sub genre as a whole. The first part in particular is brilliant, because, while it takes a while to get going, it uses its time to set a great stage for what’s to come, especially with fleshing out the characters of Leon and Jean. I really liked it when Jean first looks into the mirror, and the reflection’s reply is very slightly late. It really raised a lot of very thought provoking questions, and I definitely think this book could do with a sequel, not only to tie up a few loose ends, but because there’s certainly a huge amount of potential in this idea. It wasn’t all great, for instance I feel as though the ending was a tad rushed, as well there being not enough closure on a few plot points, such as Jean’s father’ gambling problem. However, on the whole a thoroughly enjoyable read and I would love to see more.

Alie year 8 St Paul’s

Splinters was a very engaging read. I enjoyed the emotional rollercoaster Jean went through, but also the rollercoaster I went through reading it. I liked the fact it showcased even the parts of being a normal teen like her friendship, relationship and family struggles. In some parts it really got me to reflect on myself and the decisions I was making everyday in my life. Definitely a book to read if you want to reflect on yourself or if you enjoy reading about paranormal experiences. Would 100% recommend!

Kasia Yr 9-St Paul’s

Splinters has been my favourite book I have read for the Southern Schools Book Award so far! Some parts I found to be quite entertaining whereas other parts of the book (particularly near the end) bought me to tears. The drama of Jean’s life mixed in with the mirror which showed other versions of her life got me hooked right away and made me not want to stop reading! Seeing how Jean’s character developed and adapted to the twists and turns of her life was interesting to read but also made me feel sympathy for her because of how much she was dealing with. However some of Jean’s actions and choices did make me a bit angry, especially before the accident. Splinters left me with lots of questions about alternative ways the story could have ended but overall I would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys the dystopian and real life genres!

Alexandra Year 8

Splinters was a super engaging book. I feel like it really had what you need when you want a sci-fi, dystopian, and darkly delicious book. My favourite part is when Jean streamed, and arrived in a world where she felt wanted. The prologue gives you a glimpse of how it’s going to turn out, but with every page you turn, your need for wanting to know “how?” grows. Splinters is an emotional rollercoaster, it compels you into wondering how life would be like for you if you had the mirror.

Aya Yr9

I enjoyed this book as I really liked the idea, plot and concept behind it. I think the plot really shows how much one choice can affect your life and I found that very interesting and insightful. The small plot twist at the end was exciting and surprising. Personally, while the book was amazing, I found that the plot took a while to develop and the book was quite a slow read. However, this book is still worth reading as it explores dystopian elements and is very engaging. I would recommend this book to ages 11-15 as I think it fits very nicely in this age category.

Tabitha year 9

Splinters is a book that I really enjoyed while I was reading it. However, it’s unfair to all of my other favourite books to say it made an impact on my life. If I’m going to be completely honest, I forgot all about the plot and the characters as soon as I finished it. It’s a great read but just not my sort of book and I can’t really decide why. The plot was okay but I just sat through it waiting for it to get better and really hook me; the characters were good but I couldn’t really say which was my favourite because they sort of remained unmemorable. This isn’t to say it’s a bad book, it’s just not my cup of tea. I can tell Delahaye is going to have an incredible writing career but I probably won’t be picking up another one of her books. Again, I think it’s just the writing style and if I sat down and really tried to process each page then maybe I would change my mind but my opinion is just that it’s a book that if I was reading for pleasure, I wouldn’t have continued past the first couple of chapters. It’s really just the fact that that sort of fantasy vibe I get from a book and I can tell I’m not going to enjoy it.

Aurelie Yr 8

My thoughts on Splinters is complicated, lots of mixed thoughts. I quite liked at the beginning when Jean Sylvester moved into a new house and she showed Leon the house but Leon just stood in shock the whole time and it’s sort of a cliff hanger, and the part where Leon is speechless for a whole week, doesn’t talk or message his friend Guppy, or Jean and doesn’t say a word about the house either and he just gets so mad, and back at school he sort of.. ‘forgets?’ Jean and blocks out everyone around him. This lured me in and got me really excited to find out why he was acting this way but then the end of the book kind of spoilt it for me as my thoughts were; ‘what’s the point of the story if they don’t bring Leon back?’. So the beginning was exiting but the end kind of ruined it for me.

Quinn – Park Community School

This book was certainly a whirlwind to read. At first, the book presents a story about a teen girls’ drama, but by the end I could feel all the emotions and feelings that Jean is having and living with. I also thought the supernatural aspects of the mirror was an amazing touch to the story and made it become so much more than just a girl’s ordinary life drama. Overall, a great book and I would surely recommend it to those who want to read an exploration of what it takes to find someone’s identity.

Bella yr 10 St Paul’s

This book was an awful lot better than I thought it would be and has definitely made me rethink my views on the dystopian genre as a whole. Splinters really, emotionally, threw me around. At parts near the end I was on the verge of tears, others I was so mad at the characters (mainly Jean) and their choices and at some bits it made me genuinely smile. I enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot and thought the idea of a mirror which shows you other versions of yourself was really unique. The character development of Jean was really well written I found, as at the beginning she was shy and kept to herself and best friend whereas by the end she was quite frankly mean, whether she meant to be or not. I don’t like how she turned cruel but also felt bad for her due to the sheer amount of bad things that she had to or still was dealing with. I loved seeing the relationships build and fall between Jean and her family and friends and it was shown perfectly and realistically. On the whole this book was amazingly written and makes you really feel like you are in the story itself!

Josh

I really enjoyed readying Splinters, usually I struggle to get engaged with books but I really got stuck in with this book. Splinters is a fantasy/thriller novel, with lots of drama and many plot twists throughout the book – it was a very fun read. I loved the character development in this book, the way you could see the characters changing from chapter to chapter was very interesting. The comedy in this book was not really my type though, in some ways I considered it quite cringy and it made me feel a bit awkward. I really enjoyed Jean exploring laughing Jeans life and seeing how different the characters were for her instead of how we thought of them. The magic mirror mixed in with the drama of her normal life made for an amazing read. Overall a really great book and would definitely recommend to someone else.

Norah Yr8

I really enjoyed this book. The way Jean was mixed up with her own life and others was truly captivating, as well as her splintering love life with Leon. I felt like the author was able to show the real life drama of school break through this book. My favourite version of Jean had to be the one with the jungles on her walls, she kind of reminded me of Jodie in a way, with her colourful personality and room. Not only did it make me stay up all night, it also changed my view on the whole dystopian genre.