Review : Andromeda Klein by Frank Portman

Title : Andromeda Klein
Author : Frank Portman
Publisher : Delacorte Books for Young Readers
Genre : Young Adult
ISBN  : 978-0385735254
Series : Stand Alone
Release Date : August 25, 2009
Rating : 3/5 Stars - Good

Description from Amazon : 

Andromeda Klein has a few problems.

Her hair is kind of horrible.

Her partner-in-occultism, Daisy, is dead.

Her secret, estranged, much older and forbidden boyfriend-in-theory, has gone AWOL.

And her mother has learned how to text.

In short, things couldn't get much worse. Until they do. Daisy seems to be attempting to make contact from beyond, books are starting to disappear from the library, and then, strangely and suddenly, Andromeda's tarot readings are beginning to predict events with bizarrely literal accuracy.

Omens are everywhere. Dreams; swords; fires; hidden cards; lost, broken, and dead cell phones . . . and what is Daisy trying to tell her?

In the ensuing struggle of neutral versus evil, it's Andromeda Klein against the world, modern society, demonic forces, and the "friends" of the library.

From Frank Portman, author of King Dork, comes another unique literary experience. Andromeda Klein is dark, funny, smart, and entirely unforgettable.  

Review :

Andromeda Klein can likely be described as one of those weird chicks that you went to school with that you were either friends with, or you simply made fun of.  To tell you the truth, even if you were friends with her you probably made fun of her as well.  She's tall and skinny with no curves, and a non-existent bottom.  Her hair never seems to do what she wants it to, and it tends to get worse throughout the day.

Despite all of Andromeda's problems with her appearance, her life as started to slowly go downhill. Her best friend and fellow occultist, Daisy, is dead.  Her boyfriend has gone missing, and her if things could possibly get even worse, her mother has learned to text.  It's safe to say that the only thing in Andromeda's life that she has left is her love of the occult, and her books, but even those seem to be disappearing!

When I first read the blurb to this novel, I just had to read it, not to mention I absolutely love that cover.  I personally felt like this book dragged on a bit though, and at times I was wondering why it wasn't shorter than it truly is at 432 pages (410 according to the ARC I read).  It started off quickly, and I soon learned that Andromeda would most definitely be one of those girls that I would end up hanging out with.  I was always known to hang out with the strange people in school, because honestly, they were always more interesting.

I have to say, I never knew so much about the occult before this book.  I'd almost have to say you'd need a little bit of a background on it to understand all the lingo, but I was able to figure it out.  I have a knack for strange words, and their meanings, so I was excited to learn all of this new stuff.   For someone who isn't into receiving a lesson while reading their fictional novels, and just wants the story, they had better skip this one, because honestly your going to learn something new.  Frank Portman must have done a lot of research to be able to write an entire novel focused around the occult, and he did a very good job.

The middle of this novel was a little boring for me, but I pushed through and thankfully it got really good at the end.  I don't want to give anything away, but if your planning on picking up a copy of Andromeda Klein, don't let that slow center turn you away, the real prize only awaits on the next page.

Where did I get this book? : 

I received this ARC from Random House Children's Books.

Amazon Affiliates : 

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