Book Review Tuesday (8/13/19)-Spare and Found Parts

Hey, everyone, and welcome to this week’s Book Review Tuesday!

Remember how I said in my last post that I was REALLY wowed by Other Words for Smoke (you can read my review here), and I was really excited to read some other works by Sarah Maria Griffin? Namely, Spare and Found Parts? 

Well, I got around to reading it a few days after I wrote that post, and I must say, it was incredible! 

A richly developed, futuristic world, with lush and atmospheric writing and a chilling story, reminiscient of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. And…dare I say…even better than Other Words for Smoke. And I ADORED that one.

Enjoy this week’s review!

Spare and Found Parts

In an isolated town in the near future, the townspeople have all been devastated by an epidemic. Now, they all bear scars–metal limbs, eyes, hands, and feet, all created by Julian Crane, the now world-renowned scientist who revolutionized the world of prosthetics.

For as long as she can remember, Nell Crane has lived in the shadow of her father. Her epidemic scars aren’t as visible as others–instead of an appendage, her heart is made of metal, ticking like a time bomb inside her chest. Her father is always too engrossed in his work to pay her any mind, and to much of the town, she’s a freak, the girl with the metal heart who’ll never live up to her father. But after Nell discovers an abandoned, artifical hand on the beach, an idea comes to her–maybe she, with the right parts, can build a companion, a friend who truly understands her and doesn’t care about her inorganic heart and her legacy. Nell is determined to make her wish come true at any cost–but what will it mean for a world that fears computers more than anything else?

Spare and Found Parts was a success in all respects.

With a determined and strong-willed heroine, immersive and chilling prose, and a plot that was simultaneously poignant and enchanting, Spare and Found Parts is a truly unforgettable novel. 9.5/10 on my rating scale, 4.75/5 on Goodreads, and lots of love from the bottom of my heart.

On that note, this book is seriously underrated. I mean…it’s got a 3.53 average on Goodreads. I’m not saying that 3.53 is a bad rating, per se, but Spare and Found Parts does not, by any means, deserve a rating like that. It’s a little sad. I don’t know.

Like Other Words for Smoke, Spare and Found Parts is a standalone. These seem to be the two major YA books that Griffin has written, and I have no idea if she’s working on/will work on anything more in that vein. Fingers crossed that she is, because this world needs more of her brilliant storytelling.

Thank you so much for reading this review! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and enjoy summer while it lasts! (I start school again tomorrow… “Hello, darkness, my old friend…”)