UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

That is how I felt about this book. I just did not like it. At all. I mean, there was a good twist, but come on. I get it, she's a poet, but does the entire last quarter of the book have to be in slam poetry-esque fragmented thoughts? (and that is coming from someone who has competed in slam poetry) I just wanted to know what happened. That is the reason I finished this book. I tried to like it, I really did, but it just was too discombobulated for me.

Definitely not a fan of this one. I could not get through it. As I was listening to the audio version, that's saying a lot, since I can usually hang on to at least find out what happens in the end. The writing at times seemed kind of lyrical, but at other times painfully repetitive. I simply found that I did not care in the least what happened to any of the characters in this novel.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am Margaret Moore is an experience that I can't really explain as I don't fully understand it. I cannot give an accurate summary for you as it would give too much away (though you will find it obvious).

I very rarely ever give books a one star rating. I practically have to loathe everything about it as many books may fail on one level but shine on another. I Am Margaret Moore does not shine at all. It is written in some kind of poetic verse where the flow of words means more than what is actually being said. You have to wade through all that nonsense to try and pick out the plot. That opens a whole other list of problems. There are so many characters and time jumps that I found myself begging for it to amount to something and end. The attempt at a massive reveal falls flat and you begin to wonder if you've read it before due to similar plot points to other novels. I feel so bad for the narrator and applaud her for trying to make this story work.

I cannot, in my right mind, recommend this novel to anyone. This choppy attempt at art missed the mark and did not find it's audience with this reviewer. Read at your own risk, and we'll be here when you're frustrated beyond belief.

#IAmMargaretMoore

“I am a poet and a dreamer and a girl who sees the good in everyone. But now I am a girl who sees the dark, too”.

This book isn’t going to be for everyone, and that’s okay. It was made for me, and I’m glad I was the reader for it.

This honestly kind of reminds me of Motherland: Fort Salem. There’s this unbrekabale bond between the girls and they have a duty to uphold the lessons they’ve learned from the Naval school. They fight, they argue, and some say it’s one of their faults (Margaret) and it reminds me so much of the show.

The style is listed as lyrical, and I will go with it. When I was listening, I was kind of confused about the titles/headers. Thankfully, I had a physical copy and I realized, it’s not chapters, but titles. They start and stop in the middle of pages. The words just cry off the pages “There is rot in my heart, and hope that taunts and swells the floorboards shut”. You get a bit confused, because frankly, our narrator is unreliable and she’s terribly confused as well. Once it all clicks, it alllllll clicks and it’s a beautiful tragedy.

This book is like a hurricane on the horizon. It starts with the clouds and a warning, but you doubt it may be as strong as others say it is. Then, when it makes landfall, the powerful storm comes in, destroys your livelihood and makes sure it leaves its lasting impact.

Honestly, this was kind of what I wished for when I read Wilder Girls. (In regard to secrets and a friendship of a group of teens in a similar setting)

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and very rarely is the story hard to follow. I Am Margaret Moore is not one of those stories. This books reads like garbled a stream-of-consciousness narrative, and I had no idea what was going on. Because I was so confused, I had a real hard time caring about any of the characters. It sounds to me like someone dictating a shopping list rather than an actual story. Unfortunately, this is not one I enjoyed.