The Anatomy of Curiosity review by Star360
The Anatomy of Curiosity
by Brenna Yovanoff, Tessa Gratton, Maggie Stiefvater
Age Range - 12 and up
Genre - Fiction
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 16
Reviewer's Location - Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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What makes successful writers tick? How do they transfer the ideas floating around their heads onto the New York Times bestselling list? Popular YA authors Maggie Steifvater (The Wolves of Mercy Falls, The Raven Boys), Tessa Gratton (Blood Magic, The United States of Asgard), and Brenna Yovanoff (The Replacement, The Space Between) share their unique tips and tricks of the trade! 

 

The three women all write about love, teenagers, and magic, but they have very different ways of getting to that elusive final draft. In The Anatomy of Curiosity, each author contributes a fantastic novella containing side notes. Some notes are explantations of character development; others highlight themes; a few comment on how to get world-building just right. The three short stories are strong by themselves, but those notes make the book a remarkable read.

 

Whether you are an aspiring author or just a fan of YA fiction, The Anatomy of Curiosity will provide hours of smart, creative entertainment.

Opinion: 

Many readers have wondered how their favorite YA authors go about writing a novel. With The Anatomy of Curiosity, their questions can be answered in a clever, unforgettable way.

 

The beauty of this book was how fun it was to read it! I’ve read articles about how to write a book and seen videos of authors talking about their journey to publication. Those are good resources, but this book took it a step up and showed readers how it’s done. Fantasy authors Steifvater, Gratton, and Yovanoff each wrote a novella and explained to readers how they decided on the climax, the setting, a certain phrase, and all the other fidgety little details that make up a fine story.

 

Reading those notes is like watching a movie with the director’s comments on – you’re enjoying the plot, but you also get valuable insight into the making of the work. People can choose to ignore the notes completely and simply enjoy the story, which is a good idea for those who don’t want even the slightest hint of a spoiler. But I highly recommend that readers at least skim the notes, because there’s a lot to learn from the three talented women.

 

The novellas themselves were each unique and memorable. Steifvater’s was about a shy girl who reads poems for an elegant yet strange old lady; Gratton’s was about a boy at war whose love hides a great secret; Yovanoff’s was about the haunting qualities of drowning. My personal favorite was Steifvater’s ‘Ladylike,’ but all three will have an appeal for a diverse audience.

 

The Anatomy of Curiosity should be on the to-read list of anyone who wants a behind-the-scenes look at the making of a novel.

Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - mature content

Explain your content rating: 

Teenage romance, death, themes of gender identification

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