The Fandom - Book Review

The Fandom
by Anna Day

What is it about:
Violet's in her element - cosplay at the ready, she can't wait to feel part of her favourite fandom: The Gallow's Dance, a mega-story and movie franchise.

But at Comic Con, a freak accident transports Violet and her friends into the The Gallows Dance for real - and in the first five minutes, they've caused the death of the heroine. It's up to Violet to take her place, and play out the plot the way it was written.

But stories have a life of their own ...

What did I think of it:
If you have listened to my Pet Peeve ;odcast, you've heard me rant about this book, but I'll try to be fair as I mostly loved this book.

So Violet, her brother, and her friends get transported to the world of her favorite book. A Dystopian world divided between a beautiful elite and the downtrodden masses. They accidentally cause the death of the lead heroine and decide that they have to make sure to play out the plot so they can hopefully get back to their own world.

I loved the concept, and I really liked how it was worked out. Violet and her brother both are huge fans of characters who fight for the rebellion, while Violet's best friend is in love with the glamour of the elite. And the third friend has never read the book, so is clueless. I thought this worked really well and it created tension between the friends that wad used to its advantage.

As they try to find a way back to their own world, Violet learns new things about her favorite fandom, while also struggling with getting the story back on track. But does she want to? And is the hero from the book actually the hero, or might there be other characters who finally can get a chance to shine?

Even as I was totally engrossed by the story, there were some hints to how this story would end that made me wary. I have a few Pet Peeves when it comes to endings, and this one seemed to be steering to one of them. Still the story was so enjoyable I kept reading. Then the ending came and...

It wasn't the Pet Peeve I feared, but I can tell you that I totally hated the ending. It is a credit to the rest of the book that I didn't throw it in the paper bin. Maybe others will like the ending, but I wish the author had gone another way. With just a few small changes I might have been ok with the ending, but alas...

Why should you read it:
It's a fun and enjoyable YA read apart from the ending.


buy at bookdepository