I received this book for free from Library, Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman Narrator: Sharmila Devar, Shannon McManus, Jesse Bernstein, Nicholas Dressel
Length: 9 Hours 30 Minutes
Also by this author: The Cost of All Things
Published by HarperCollins on May 12th 2015
Genres: Young Adult Fiction, Social Themes, Emotions & Feelings, Death & Dying, Law & Crime
Pages: 416
Format: Audiobook, ARC
Source: Library, Publisher
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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind meets We Were Liars in this thought-provoking and brilliantly written debut that is part love story, part mystery, part high-stakes drama.
What would you pay to cure your heartbreak? Banish your sadness? Transform your looks? The right spell can fix anything…. When Ari's boyfriend Win dies, she gets a spell to erase all memory of him. But spells come at a cost, and this one sets off a chain of events that reveal the hidden—and sometimes dangerous—connections between Ari, her friends, and the boyfriend she can no longer remember.
Told from four different points of view, this original and affecting novel weaves past and present in a suspenseful narrative that unveils the truth behind a terrible tragedy.
Why Did I Listen To The Cost Of All Things by Maggie Lehrman?
The Cost Of All Things by Maggie Lehrman was a book that I sort of automatically assumed was a contemporary book just by looking at the cover. I associated this book as being similar to a Melissa Kantor book, again based on the cover. So, because I was in the mood for a contemporary book, I downloaded this one via Hoopla and began to listen. Alas, I learned an important lesson. Read the summary before automatically making assumptions about a book and its genre. As it turns out, The Cost Of All Things is a blend of contemporary with some magical elements.
What’s The Story Here?
The official summary describes The Cost Of All Things as being kind of similar to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. That kind of makes a little bit of sense. Basically, it follows Ari, Kay, Win, and Markos. Ari is a ballet dancer whose boyfriend, Win, has died. Ari goes to what’s called a hekamist for a spell to forget Win because she just can’t deal with the pain. Kay is a former ugly duckling who gets a spell to become beautiful and falls in with a popular crowd. Kay becomes enamored with her best friends and gets another spell so that they can never leave her. Markos was best friends with Win. And Win is the dead guy whom Ari tries to forget. Each character has threads that weave together that help us, the readers, figure out exactly how Win died.
What Did I Think Of The Cost Of All Things?
Ultimately, I could take or leave Maggie Lehrman’s The Cost Of All Things. A lot of it is my fault though, I went in expecting contemporary and was a bit disappointed by the magical spells. I really should have been better prepared before listening to this book. However, I also was not really a huge fan of the four different points of views. I never really gelled with any of the characters or cared about them all that much. Apathy was really my main feeling while listening to The Cost Of All Things.
How’s The Narration?
The Cost Of All Things is narrated by four different narrators. They are Sharmila Devar, Shannon McManus, Jesse Bernstein, and Nicholas Dressel. The only narrator I recognized was Jesse Bernstein. I’ve listened to a lot of his middle grade narrations. Anyways, I feel bad for saying this but a lot of the narrations just all blurred together. In all, this was an okay listen but definitely not the book for me.
Other reviews of The Cost Of All Things by Maggie Lehrman:
- Unbound Pages – “I had so many issues with this book“
- Dark Faerie Tales – “the writing style was really gorgeous“
- Allison the most wonderful co-blogger reviewed it here
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Thanks for featuring my review! It’s funny…I read this so long ago that I barely remember it. I just remember not liking it. Doesn’t sound like you fared much better. If I remember correctly I think the magical element threw me off as well. The cover is so misleading!!