Weetzie Bat is given three a genie in a bottle by a friend's grandmother and makes 3 wishes: for her friend to find his Duck, for her to find her Secret Agent Lover Man, and for them to all have a house to live in. She gets exactly what she wishes for, but finds even wishes fulfilled have obstacles to overcome on the way to Happily Ever After.
Impression: This first book of Dangerous Angels was a quick and satisfying read. And I do mean quick: 45 minutes. Even so, Weetzie Bat was not what I expected. These books were recommended by a friend, but I wasn't expecting a y. a. book - not to say y. a. books are bad since I do read others, just that it wasn't what I expected. And while I call it a y. a. book, it has the sense of being more between y. a. and adult as it explores issues that some parents may not want the lower end of the y. a. audience exposed to (though I'll more than likely either get my 15 year old a copy or let her read this one when I'm done).
Block writes in a light, quick voice, but uses language in unexpected ways. Her description fell just a little short for me, though this wasn't that much of a problem since the book is set in contemporary L.A., but her other imagery is wonderful and evocative. It'll be interesting to follow Weetzie and her family - Dirk, Duck, My Secret Agent Lover Man, Witch Baby, and Cherokee Bat through the remaining 4 books in this omnibus. The books are definitely unique: growing up L.A. in a series of modern day fables with magical genies and contemporary issues. I probably never could have written anything like this, but it does make me wish I had thought of it. ;)
Unless otherwise noted, all books reviewed have been purchased by me.
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I will no longer be linking to Amazon and no longer recommending Amazon as a place to purchase books I review. Amazon has repeatedly used bully tactics to reinforce its policies, even if those tactics cause harm to authors or limit customer choices. Amazon usually apologizes for the events after the fact, but that they continue to use the same methods makes those apologies hollow. I will not purchase from or encourage others to purchase from a business that chooses to take from the pockets of authors (who as a whole earn a lot less than general public realizes) and decide what the public should and should not read.
