25 March 2009

The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray by Chris Wooding

Thaniel, just seventeen, is a wych-hunter. Together, he and Cathaline--his friend and mentor--track down the fearful creatures that lurk in the Old Quarter of London. It is on one of these hunts that he first encounters Alaizabel Cray. Alaizabel is half-crazed, lovely, and possessed. Whatever dreadful entity has entered her soul has turned her into a strange and unearthly magnet--attracting evil and drawing horrors from every dark corner. Cathaline and Thaniel must discover its cause--and defend humanity at all costs.

(Book synopsis taken from Barnes & Noble website @ www.bn.com.)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

I choose this book because i remember seeing my brother reading it and he told me it was a really good book. ive always have had some intrest in books like this one. when i read the first chapter i already thought it was a really interesting book.
-Brad Snider

Anonymous said...

I chose this book for 2 reasons. I looked at the covers of other books and thought that this one looked like it would be a good book. Also like Brad said like books that are like suspence books. Im about half way through the book and I am enjoying it.
-ChRiS sEnIcKa

AlexBrand/SaunderP1 said...

I choose this book because i love book on monsters, this book kept me from dieing of boredom in ISS and took me to a whole new world. I also liked this book because it was set in Londen England were i was born so it made me want to read more. It was a great book and in a way reminded me of Jack the Ripper.

peter west/timmons p4/5 said...

I choose this book because i thought that it looked like a good book. The cover got me intrested and then when i read the inside jacket i decided to get it. I also like books like this that have monsters and dont get boring.
peter West

Nelson Mrs.C #3 said...

There are many reasons why I choose this book among the others. For one I found the title of the book confusing and mysterious. I was woundering who this Alaizabel Crey girl is and why she is haunted. I also liked the cover art work, for it looked like nothing from a quick glance but when studied, shows vague characteristics of london, were the story takes place. All in all, I felt this book would be more enjoyable than the others due to its unique name and strange, yet inticing cover art.

Nelson Mrs.C #3 said...

The characters in this book are strange and casted out of any physical connection by their fictional based roles and appearances, mostly due to the fact that they cast rites on mythical creatures and run around gothic London in black coats talking to possessed girls. However, the reader is found having a slight correlation with them because they are around the same age as the intended audience, but this connection is almost completely phantasmal. There is no way that a sixteen year old boy, in our world, could obtain and hold his occupation or lifestyle that is displayed in the book. The connection is pure fantasy. Having no parents and killing things in a crazy town would be flipping' sweet, but is no way possible in actuality however is associated with many dreaminess ambitions. The stretch is to show a comparison between daily teenage lives and the lives of Thaniel and Alaizabel's (main characters in the book). Sure there is drama and some romance, but it is between a possessed stow away and an orphaned demon slayer who just happens to be sixteen. They have like a 3 minute conversation before she turns all freaka'. When recommending this novel to those who enjoy deep personal reflection and immediate connection with the script, move on. But for those fictional go getters, it is a nonstop ride on the illusory self-disposition train. Choo-Choo

Anonymous said...

Blog #2:
I can relate Thaniel to my brother. I can relate it because he is really brave and outgoing. My brother does a lot of stuff for the community and for other people
-Chris Senicka

Anonymous said...

Bill Monat 6/8 Timmons

1. I chose to read the book The Haunting of Alaizabel Cray because it looked like an interesting book when I saw it on the ABE stand in the library. I also thought that it had the best reviews, summary, and an intriguing cover. Also, I do not think that I have ever read a book like it so I will have to find out by reading it.

2. No, except for the fact that I am seventeen and Thaniel is also seventeen, I think that it is pretty safe to say that I have little to nothing in common with this character. Thaniel is a skilled swordsman and I have never fought with a sword that was not plastic and hollow. Also, Thaniel has the special power of Wych-sense so that he can detect Wych-kin creatures. In addition to this Thaniel is trained in Wychcraft. I however do not possess any supernatural powers that I know of and cannot imagine what it would be like to have these powers and live in the environment that Thaniel does.

Anonymous said...

I do not relate to the main character in this novel at all. We are not similar in any ways. He has to live a completely different lifestyle because of his environment. Other then that where the same age i can find nothing else that i am similar with to the character.
Peter West/timmonsP4/5

Nelson Mrs.C #3 said...

"The Abraham Lincoln Readers' Choice Award is awarded annually to the author of the book voted as most outstanding by participating students..." This is the definition given to what an Abe award winning novel should look like. This book, however, can hardly be described as "most oustanding" when read as a teen literature. Sure it has its moments and highlights but at the end of the book, the reader is found being more entrigued with the fictional adventure that just occured and less about their emotional affiliation with the characters and daily teenage drama. All in all, this book is defenatly worth nomination but to take the whole cake would be a preety big stretch, likewise, theres nothing like a surprise.

BradSnider/SaunderP2 said...

I probably could not relete to Thaniel because for one I would not be out there fighting monsters and everything he does. It would take a tremondous amount of bravery to do what he did everyday. I could see my dad being releated to Thaniel because my dad is a person that is always looking for adventures and never scared to do anything.

BradSnider/SaundersP2 said...

I think that this book should be on the Abe list for many reasons. One its all around interesting. i did not find a boring spot in the book. Each chapter served a purpose and always kept you on your toes. And for the people that love to read about mythical creatures and monsters, then this is the book for them. It has that eerie sense to it because it is very dark and ominous. I overall enjoyed this book and it is definantly worthy of being on this list.

Anonymous said...

Bill Monat 6/8 Timmons

3. I do not think that this book should have been on the ABE awards list because it was long and hard to read. A lot of this is my personal opinion because I did not like the plot of the book and could not relate to the characters. Some people may like this book but I would not recommend for the reasons above and because I do not believe the author did a very good job of captivating the reader.

Chris Senicka said...

I think that this book was a great pick for the ABE Awards list. It was interesting the whole way through, it did not get boring and unreadable halfway through. There was little to no filler in the book, all of it was nessesary for the book to make sense. This was a great fictional book that always kept you on the edge of your seat. In general, I enjoyed reading the book and it is worthy being on the ABE Awards list.

Anonymous said...

I think that this book is worthy of being on the abe award list. i thought that the book was intresting. I was almost never bored while reading it. It is a book that many people would enjoy reading. this book is perfect for the list and im sure many teenagers would enjoy it.
Peter West/Timmonsp4/5