Maura Patrick

I've had this one for a while and finally got around to reading it. After a three day stay in the hospital for a nasty infection in my hand (kinda ironic huh?) and seeing a story in the news about how ICU patients will have long term dementia from their stay in the ICU (in fact around 75% of patients leave with cognizant impairment and 1 in 3 of them have such severe cognizant impairment that it rivals Alzheimer's) it just felt like the proper time to read this book.

While out jogging Macy trips in a pothole and lands in some debris: sticks, leaves, etc and ends up getting a splinter in her leg. She tries to pull it out but it breaks off so no big deal she'll just get it with some tweezers when she gets home. Once home she gets really sick, apparently a nasty flu bug was spread at their last school dance and everyone she knows has caught it. So she ends up sick and forgetting all about that little splinter in her leg. As her temperature skyrockets and she later accidently bangs her leg causing immense pain she notices a lot of red lines running up her leg from the wound and her family rushes home to take her to the Hospital where she ends up on death's door in the ICU from a really nasty infection (see the ironic part now? I just got out of the hospital for a nasty bacterial infection in my hand - red lines included although it was nowhere near as bad as Macy's but still). After Macy becomes a bit of a nuisance at the ICU due to severe delirium the doctors decide to sedate her and put her into a forced coma so her body can conserve it's strength to help fight off the infection and what follows is her strange and amazing journey.

Macy wakes up in Chanticleer where she learns that she and other young people like her are there for a reason which is to work on their fears which are stifling them and preventing from living a full life. At first she is a bit put off by everything and doesn't want to cooperate but once she learns a horrible secret: the secret of the shells of Chanticleer she puts her best effort into the program and tries her best to conquer her fears but the more she learns about Chanticleer and especially the shells the more afraid she becomes until she meets a young man named Sebastian. Sebastian is fearless and when she is with him she forgets all about her fears and truly for the first time since coming to Chanticleer she starts to make real progress but as the two of them become closer she comes to realize that one day she'll have to leave Chanticleer behind, forgetting everything she learned there but most importantly she'd have to leave Sebastian behind and she isn't ready for that.

I have to say this was such an odd but wonderful story. I kinda wish there was a Chanticleer although I'd hate to have to go because of the way that you get there but it'd be nice to have a helpful staff to help you work through all of your fears so that you can go back home and live life the way you were meant to live it. Macy's journey from being afraid of strangers and other people to being a strong young lady was really amazing to behold. All of the characters had their own distinct personalities and I enjoyed reading about so many people's fears. One girl is afraid of standing up straight. She's too tall she insists, another boy is afraid of many things, especially heights. Other girls are afraid of getting dirty and the list just goes on and on. The way the staff deals with everyone's fears is pretty creative and a huge source of entertainment. The book does a very good job of showing you how your own fears can stifle you as a person and that it's okay to be afraid but you have to learn to not let that fear rule you and control your life. All in all it was a fascinating journey that Macy took all while she was in a coma, hooked up to monitors in an ICU somewhere. I think I saw that the author is writing a sequel and I have absolutely no idea how she's going to do it after reading this one but I definitely cannot wait to find out. This book was full of fun surprises and if you're looking for something a bit different then this is the story for you. It's very much deserving of 5 stars, it's just a shame I can't give it more.… (meer)

I absolutely loved the Shells of Chanticleer so when I saw this book was out I bought it right away and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much as the first book it was still a great read. I think my biggest problem with it was that the first book was just so unique, so magical with so much going on that it was just impossible to capture the same sense of wonder that the original contained. Nevertheless I had a fun time reading it and the nostalgic factor was off the charts. The first third of the book is just full of so many moments that triggered my memory and truly made me feel like I was coming home. This was a very nice book to read during Christmas and the Holiday's. In it's own way it's kind of a Christmas book even though it has nothing to do with Christmas.

The Good Things:
1. Nostalgic factor: During the first part of the book on while Macy is on Earth there's just so many little things that reminded me of the first book. When she walks by Balthazar, the diamond earrings, her being comforted by warm caramel ever since waking up from her coma, little things here and there like a picture, her being fascinated by older times and the list just goes on and on.
2. Getting to see Chanticleer again. Since the first book I've been fascinated by the concept of Chanticleer and have fond memories of reading Macy's journey to face her fears. I just love the setting.
3. The characters - For the most part. I enjoyed all of the characters immensely especially Bing

The Not So Good Things:
1. Chanticleer was just different this time. It wasn't that it was bad but I think a big part was that it was impossible to capture the same sense of magic and wonder that I felt reading the first one. It's kind of like The Wizard of Oz or Star Wars. The first time is just simply magical and while each subsequent trip is always fun, it's just impossible to capture that same sense of magic and wonder of seeing it the first time.
2. The Story just wasn't as good as the first one for me. There were just a few little things here and there that just felt, I don't know, different? I can't really put my finger on it and I think it's probably just me. Like I said it didn't have the same type of magic, it had it's own magic but I was so looking forward to another trip down the same Chanticleer road although I should have realized things couldn't be the same this time.

Did I enjoy the book? Yes very much so.
Would I gladly recommend this book?: You betcha!
Was it as good as the first? That's a hard question to answer. I didn't think so but you might feel otherwise so give it a try if you want. If you haven't read the Shells of Chanticleer yet I highly recommend that you do so. It is a great book that has an extremely unique ideas and is sort of mysterious, hazy, trippy even and was a fun adventure that's still stuck in my head to this day. I really wish I had liked this one as much but I just didn't. I am very glad I read it. Parts of it were as good if not better than the first but there were some parts that just didn't sit so well with me. Still a fun journey full of nostalgia and that feeling of having "finally coming home" was worth the price of the book alone. I eagerly look forward to reading more from this author.… (meer)