Broken: a mini-review

I read Broken by Elizabeth Pulford in December of last year. It was a remarkably unforgettable book.

About the book:
Running Press Kids // 8.27.13
Zara has one immediate and urgent goal, and it is to find her brother, Jem. She faces a few complications, though, not the least of which is searching for him in her subconscious while she is in a coma.
Zara’s coma has pulled her into the world of Jem’s favorite comic-book hero. But no matter how quickly Zara literally draws her own escape, she is taunted deeper into the fantastical darkness by the comic’s villain, Morven. All the while she is caught between the present with visits from friends and family in the hospital and the past by flashbacks of a traumatic event long ago forgotten.
The search for her brother may help Zara see the light, but in order to find him, she must face her innermost secrets first. In a multi-layered tale that intertwines comic-book/graphic novel elements with first-person narration, Elizabeth Pulford explores the dimensions of hope, love, loyalty, denial, and truth.

My thoughts:
The concept of the book is quite interesting. When it was originally pitched to me, I was excited to get it. Once the book came, I loved on the cover for a bit (it is irresdescent and shiny in person) then put it aside and kind of forgot about it. When I did pick it back up in December, I was quite unimpressed. Seems the idea and the cover were about all that struck me as good. The story didn't keep my attention and the characters feel flat. The redeeming quality was that the graphic novel / novel mash-up was neat. I liked the pictures and graphic novel aspects sprinkled into the novel. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to make this a book I'd recommend.

write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow

FTC: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. Image and book synopsis from Amazon.com