Customer Reviews

Gamer Girl

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is not a book as much as it is a collection of clichéd plot devices and character stereotypes that are more two-dimensional than those found in after-school specials.

It has everything which makes a teen book amount to nothing. A main character named "Maddy Starr" (an obvious author-insert for Mari Mancusi) who constantly bitches about how "nobody gets her, and nobody ever will," and how she's repulsed that no one at her new school is a "mop headed emo boy" or an "Edward Cullen worshiping goth-girl". Rather, they're all "AberZOMBIES" and "Haters." Please note the capital "H," as Maddy expresses such disgust for anyone who is different from herself that she needs to emphasize it with a proper noun. All in all, the result is a grotesque caricature of a gothic teenage girl. She constantly talks about Twilight and My Chemical Romance, at one point even going as far as to complain that the lead singer from My Chemical Romance does not attend her school, because if he did, they would sooo totally be soul-mates.

The reader quickly begins to wonder whether the author truly writes at a middle-school level, or whether this is a devious marketing ploy created to pump the teen demographic for every last one of their parents' dollars. Either way, there is no literary merit to this book. Despite failed attempts at profundity, there's no message deeper than "love is good, follow your dreams, cliques are bad." But even the intended anti-clique message is overshadowed by the fact that all the cliques in the book are so incredibly stereotyped. In the end, they're really more of a straw man to make the main character seem superior than anything more meaningful.

All teenage girls, especially those who self-identify with alternative subcultures, should be insulted at this patronizing blackface show, reducing them to Hot Topic-obsessed, whining cardboard cutouts. I know teenage girls are better than this. The teen market deserves better than what Mari Mancusi has to offer.

I am a high school teacher and one of my students insisted that I read this book. Initially I was only going to start reading this book to please the student but once I began reading I could not put it down.

I'm sure many teens could relate to this book especially those with interest in amine or manga or computer games. The book also deals with real life issues like dealing with issues surrounding divorced parents.

This was a very...ok book. The plot is your normal teen read, girl is an outcast, girl meets guy, blah blah blah, embarrament blah blah blah romantic kiss and victory at the end. This girl is also a gamer PLUS a artist PLUS your tipical whiny teenager. The book is more focused on younger audiences, giving kids what they actually like, a 'fairy-tale' with a romantic 'heroic' ending. Yes it was very perdictable, full of cliques, drama, and outcast gamers, but it was a litte cute. Alot of teenagers are like that, even though we always say it's sterotypic. So in a way, this does suite teens, but I would end with 9th grade. I give it three stars because it wasn't over the top amazing, but it also wasn't that bad.

This book literally felt like I was reading a fanfiction; the only difference was that I was actually reading a book instead of reading it online. I just don't think it was developed well enough to be published. The story line is horribly clichéd. This honestly just felt like a fangirl trying to write a fanfiction about herself--a self insert. I thought that I would enjoy this novel because I like games and manga/anime myself, but I was horribly horribly wrong. This story might be good for a young 10 year old (except for all the cursing), but this book is definitely not a good story for an intelligent person to read if they want to pass the time. I am ashamed that there are still authors out there that still use this typical clichéd and stereotypical storyline. It's about time to come up with something new. Nothing was new material.
The characters aren't really developed and the main character's personality traits contradict a lot. One moment the main character considers herself shy and says she is too scared to talk to anyone in real life, but the next moment she punches a guy in the face. No.

I absolutely loved this book. The game within the book (Fields of Fantasy) is a spin off of WoW (in case you didn't know this is World of Warcraft). It was nice to see something I knew a lot about inside of a book.

Maddy's parents have divorced, forcing her along with her mom and her sister to move outside of Boston. They're now going to live with their grandmother in New Hampshire. Not only will Maddy miss her friends, but she's also missing her school and her old life. Especially after the first day of school. Her mother leaves for work, leaving her to take the bus. Only her grandmother doesn't approve of her outfit. She makes Maddy change into her own clothes (old lady pants and a unicorn sweatshirt) and her grandmother insists on walking Maddy into school.

Horribly embarrassed, Maddy just wants to disappear. However, things get drastically worse when her grandmother humiliates the most popular boy in school in front of everyone. Billy - not a nice guy- goes out of his way to make Maddy's life miserable.

The only thing going for Maddy right now is playing an online fantasy game her dad bought for her birthday. Instead of playing with her dad (like she hoped) she's now playing with a boy who may or may not go to her school. More importantly, she's loving the computer game and loving the alternative life it brings her. Can she ever make friends at her new school or will she always be labeled Freak Girl?

I LOVED this book. Mari Mancusi (Boys that Bite) first caught my attention with her vampire series and I was eager to read this new book. Plus the cover is gorgeous. I like computer games (I'm really bad at video games because I haven't played them much, but controlling the computer game is easier for me - still frustrating at times, but easier) and I wasn't disappointed with the . Gamer Girl had the angst I like, dealing with a new setting, a little bit of fantasy element with the game, plus a little romance.

Okay, first of all, it's true that this book has some flaws.
{spoiler alert}
First of all, not many people would just punch someone squarely in the face at school. It's just not done. Second of all, it's pretty obvious who was SirLeo the entire time. Chad was just too sugary sweet for the length of the book.
{end spoilers}

But the character development is so good! Not to mention, the book is hilarious. I enjoyed it very much, despite its "Cinderella sucked into a computer game" theme, and I will definitely read it again. I liked the focus on manga in this book, being an fan myself, and working on my own graphic novel. But, like I said, very good book, excellent for teens and girls my age. :)

I enjoyed this book, probably because I enjoy drawing and manga though. I am a 14 year old girl (this is my mom's account) This book was very predictable, I knew almost from the beginning what was going to happen, but there were many surprises, especially almost at the end. I recommend this book for people that know what it's like to move to a new school, or are interested in Japanese/American manga or anime characters.

This book is one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen. However, this is not due to any legitimate humor. No, this is due to the inadvertent and awkward situations that abound in this pitiful excuse for a novel. All of the characters, without exception, are flatter than anything Stephenie Meyer could ever write. This "ubergoff" girl (who isn't any less commercial than her classmates the "aberzombies" and haters) decides that she wants to be counterculture, yet simply comes off of as petty and pitiful compared to everyone else. Although it is not alluded to early in the book, the main character is actually a very big fangirl, feeling the need to indiscriminately pepper her speech with internet terms and otakuspeak. Her condition only worsens after that, with her falling into an MMO addiction (and even falling in love with a faceless player!) and becoming increasingly withdrawn so that she could draw her manga. This is supposed to be a story of how gamers should be accepted as normal people and other related issues, but instead comes off as a descent into madness not unlike the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

I saw many of the low scores for this book and felt obligated to defend it. I'm a 19 year old male college student with an affinity for romance fiction. Yes, many facets of this novel seem cliche, but having recently graduated from high school I can attest to its accuracy in portraying my experience. No, the book is not a deep character analysis. It fills a role, a romance that is relatable and contemporary. What is to be expected? That Maddy loves Velvet Underground, makes experimental artwork, and has zero self esteem issues? That simply wouldn't be realistic. Don't expect amazing revelatory prose and you won't be disappointed. Maddy is a believable character and this novel fills its role reasonably well.