The Cost of All Things audiobook

I received a free copy via edelweiss for review purposes.First Impression:I'm not entirely sure what to rate this, so for now it's remaining blank. I'll have to have a long think about it. I've decided, when writing down some of my thoughts, that I actually really enjoyed this. I do think it was perhaps a bit too long, and that's why it dragged a bit. A great contemporary though. Review: The Cost of All Things has one thing different than our world, and that is hekame -- magic. This hekame is used for all sorts of things: beauty touch ups, memory, friendship, talent, brains, gracefulness...but all these spells have consequences, some insubstantial, some huge and burdening. It's these consequences, or 'side-effects' that the protagonists have to deal with. The Cost of All Things is very much a cautionary tale.The Cost of All Things is very much a character driven novel, and I have a lot of thoughts on the characters. Firstly, Kay. Kay is best friends with Ari and Diana, and her spell has serious repercussions but is also unnecessarily cruel -- something that Kay doesn't realise until later. She continuously defends the spell (I don't want to say what it is for fear of spoiling) and its consequences and it's very morally ambiguous, bordering on disturbing. Not even bordering - it is disturbing. Nevertheless, she is a complex and interesting character that I enjoyed reading about. I think it was this sort of 'but at least they're still with me' type of mentality that made Kay should an interesting protagonist. Secondly, there's Ari who is deeply hurting after the death of her boyfriend Win, but her spell has unimaginable consequences and she ends up losing both things that mean the world to her (or supposedly, as we come to learn) and she cannot understand the decision she made. I really enjoyed Ari's character development and it was one of the highlights of The Cost of All Things. Markos was not a character I particularly enjoyed (I rather disliked him, actually) but his interaction with both Win and Ari was interesting enough. Echo was a great addition to the story, and I loved the mystery she brought to it. Overall, I think The Cost of All Things was a surprisingly engaging read that really adds something to the contemporary genre, but I think perhaps it was a hundred pages too long and that's why it dragged a bit. But then I wonder if the characters would have suffered had it been shorter, so it's a bit of a dilemma. A book that, personally, I would say it's on par with We Were Liars (the book it's compared to in the blurb.)

"to fear change is the most hopeless fear someone can harbor. Change will happen. Injuries. Love. Death. There's never a moment where you're finished, that's it, all change is over. Change is forever."ugh, I typed up a whole review and Goodreads lost it. Maybe I'll write it all again, but I doubt it.This one was good. I love the idea of consequences of getting what you wish for. Or that maybe what you wish for isn't what you'd really waned.

Cand Win, prietenul lui Ari, moare, ea isi cumpara o vraja care ii sterge amintirile despre el. Dar vrajile au pretul lor. Uneori se dezlantuie un adevarat vartej de conexiuni ascunse si primejdioase. Asa se intampla cu Ari si prietenii ei. Spusa din patru perspective diferite, povestea din romanul acesta tulburator impleteste trecutul si prezentul intr-un suspans narativ care dezvaluie adevarul din spatele unei teribile tragedii.Cand m-am apucat să citesc "Orice lucru are pretul lui", nu stiam la ce sa ma astept. Nu am citit nicio recenzie, nicio parere, nimic, mi-a atras atenția coperta si atât... dar ce mi-a fost dat să descopăr... este, cum sa ma exprim, greu de scris in cateva cuvinte. Nici nu stiu cu ce sa incep. Sa va explic... Cartea pare banala in primele pagini... Incepe cu relatarea unor lucruri din perspectiva unor adolescenți, ce traiesc intr-o lume unde vrăjitoarele pot face diferite vrăji pentru a le schimba viata... Una cere o vraja pentru a deveni mai frumoasă, alta care o vraja pentru a uita o tragedie, alta cere o vraja pentru a-și face prietenele sa nu o părăsească niciodată, altul cere o vraja pentru a scăpa de depresie... etc... Toate aceste lucruri sunt posibile... dar nu fara un pret. Plecând de la aceste premise, cartea este oricum dar nu banala. Toți cei care primesc ceea ce-si doresc, pierd altceva in schimb, iar asta pune cititorul pe ganduri... Acel altceva, câteodată ii defineste ca persoane, iar acum ca nu-l mai au... nu mai stiu cine sunt. Nu stiu cum sa ma exprim mai bine ca sa înțelegeți, însă cartea asta este ca o palma data peste ochi... "Ai grijă de ce iti doresti, ca s-ar putea îndeplini, dar fii pregatit pentru ceea ce trebuie sa dai in schimb." În primele pagini, neînțelegand exact ce dorește autoarea sa transmită, eram in ceata total. Nu prindeam legăturile (acțiunea alternand din perspectiva diferite), oricât incercam eu sa fac niste asocieri. Spre final însă, când acțiunile personajelor capătă contur si chiar prind forma, e mai mult decât simplu.Cartea asta este despre plata si răsplata, despre faptul ca, asa cum o spune și titlul, orice lucru are pretul lui... dar oare merita să-l plătești?Mi se pare o poveste bunicică, scrisă nepretentios, cu mesaj, dar foarte trista. Chiar si asa pe cât de tristă e povestea, pe atât de plăcută e lectura.Autoarea a știut sigur ce semnale vrea sa tragă si i-a reușit. Nu pot sa spun ca am avut vreun personaj preferat, pentru că atât Ari, Diane, Kay, Win, Echo, Cal, etc. au avut lucruri bune si mai putin bune care i-au definit ca oameni. Nu exista oameni răi... ci doar oameni buni care câteodată, fac rau. Asa i-am privit pe fiecare in parte si am luat lucrurile ca atare.Este o carte de 4 stele dupa mintea mea si nu pt ca e una wow, ci pentru ca are un mesaj puternic si bine așezat în pagina.

Both a sharply-drawn fantasy strikingly close to our own world, and a poignant examination of our responsibility to others--the way that selfish decisions ripple out to impact the people we love.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: An evocative, intriguing debut about how one mistake can lead to a chain of reactions.Opening Sentence: There’s a hemakist who lives in the run-down cluster of houses behind the high school.The Review:Ari’s boyfriend Win died. So she does what many do in hard times – she takes a spell from a Hemakist. She forgets him, she forgets her pain, but it sets off a chain reaction that changes the lives of everyone she knows. Suddenly, her friendships are unraveling, she can no longer dance, and her life seems to be falling apart. Revelations and romances bloom in this twisty, evocative novel.Each one of the five points of views played a large part in this story. That was part of why I liked it so much – the characters were all unique, and showed a lot of complexity under their public facade. There was depth to each of them from the start, and part of what made this novel so interesting is watching as they evolve. We saw them at their best. But we also saw them at their worst – they were flawed, they were imperfect – that was what made them so realistic and relatable. The writing had a flowing, evocative, almost melodic quality to it that made reading from these five points of view (Echo, Ari, Markos, Diana, and Kay) a breeze.There were plenty of different characters to talk about, but let’s go with Kay first. She was probably the character that made me feel the most, ironically – her name is Katelyn. Mine is Kaitlin. Anyway, she had spelled her two friends with a hook, which made it impossible for them to ditch her. While this is a horrible thing to do, it also proved the fragility of her self-esteem, and how deeply she was imprinted by her sister leaving without her to vacation the globe. She was my favorite character to watch develop, because she definitely had her ups and downs, and her emotions were so vivid. I think, in the end, she made sacrifices that overcame the other girls, even though she had made some of the worst mistakes.Markos was our one male perspective in this novel and I think he stood out. On the outside, he’s a player, and he’s a party boy. But on the inside there is so much more going on. He feels that he has failed to reach his family’s expectations for him, which makes me sad and angry. To add to that, he’s having increasing feelings for a girl that he never wanted to fall in love with. It’s a relationship that he knows he’ll end up screwing up, which, of course, makes the fallout happen so much quicker. Adding to that, his mother is hiding something that will have repercussions. Watching him navigate the precarious situations he was in was really interesting, and his character was one of my favorites.The other three characters were just as great, each of them a different story and with different issues. This was a really character-driven novel, and I loved the message that there is more to anyone that meets the eye. There were plenty of other messages, too – my English teacher would have a field day on this one. I think that the writing style was really gorgeous, and the plotline traveled really nicely. This was my first magical realism novel, having just discovered that this was a separate genre from fantasy (thanks, Mrs. Cullen!). The magical elements add to the plotline without overcoming it. I think that it’s worth a read and would recommend it for sure!Notable Scene:So much for making things right. So much for spells.They couldn’t be counted on when it mattered. Spells would always find a way to trick you, to use your weaknesses against you, to come up with the ugliest possible solution to your problem. They were blunt instruments – but then again so were planks and flames. Fists and hammers. So were words and kisses.FTC Advisory: Balzar + Bray/HarperTeen provided me with a copy of The Cost of All Things. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

https://toallthebooksivelovedbefore.w...I requested this book because I liked the sound of it and because I hoped it would be like We Were Liars, which is one of my favorite books.And even though it wasn’t as great as We Were Liars I still enjoyed The Cost of All Things because it was mysterious and suspenseful.The whole idea of the dangerous spells that come with side effects was very intriguing and I loved reading about them. I wanted to know more about them, how they come about, how they actually work, but unfortunately, the author doesn’t explain them 100% and that’s really a pity.The novel is told from different perspectives and while I am not a big fan of such books, I must admit that this concept worked very well in The Cost of All Things. That way, we learned a lot about the friendships in this novel, about the inner thoughts of the main characters and about Win himself, even though he died.If you’re looking for romance, then you’ll probably be disappointed because this novel doesn’t concentrate on romance, but more on friendships and other things. But I didn’t really mind because while I was reading The Cost of All Things I didn’t really miss the romance since I was interested in finding out how the friendships will develop.All in all I really enjoyed The Cost of All Things because it was definitely suspenseful, mysterious and the plot was really intriguing, with the whole concept of different spells and their consequences. Unfortunately, the spells weren’t really explained and that’s why I didn’t give this novel a higher rating.Rating:3.5 – 4 out of 5 stars

The Cost of All Things is a quick read with the feel of a YA contemporary and a healthy dose of magic thrown in to stir up themes of friendship, love, memory, and the consequences of human interference in natural laws. Reminiscent of Holly Black's Curse Workers, magic workers, called hekamists, accept money to ply their illegal spell-casting trade. The story is told in alternating POV chapters of four high school age friends: Win, Ari, Kay, and Markos. It's clear from the beginning--from the title even--that bad things will occur. Tragedy and mystery abound as several of the characters seek easy solutions through magic and, of course, suffer magic's backlash. That's what this story is all about. The writing is strong. My two favorite lines are from Win's POV:“Our relationship balanced on a seesaw. If I put my full weight into it, I’d go crashing down and she’d fly away.”“I saw their faces and felt their love like a burden.”The last act went on longer than it needed to but, overall, I enjoyed the book.

This review can also be found on A Thousand Lives Lived, check it out for more!I finally took the time to read this pretty. The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman is a book I have been wanting to read since getting it autographed at BEA last year, and I never expected it to head in this kind of direction. What a twist! I would definitely call this a part love story, part mystery, and I love the themes that Lehrman presented out to us readers. Mixed with different perspectives, that of our protagonist, Ari, her boyfriend who passed away, Win and their friends, Markos and Kay, who are all affected by the same thing in different ways, this is the perfect summer read that heads in a different direction than what we initially suspect will occur. Now I am suspecting that everyone around me is a hekamist, which, in this setting of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, they exist, and each character undergoes some kind of spell.The Cost of All Things makes you want to rethink every single action you perform. You wake up, you have to rethink that. You take a step, you have to rethink that. It's so interesting how Maggie Lehrman mixes in different themes, such as death and grief, into multiple perspectives that all revolve in this plot. There's a lot of magical realism and fantasy here, too, but as I just mentioned the word "realism," it feels real. Sometimes, contemporary + magic do not flow together well, but in this case, I couldn't have asked for a better combination. A big motif here is being careful for what you wish for. I read this two weeks ago, and I am still in awe. This was just a great story that is captivating, intriguing, and I found myself unable to stop reading once I began. I actually read this while on a road trip, and it went really well for the seven hours that I was stuck in a car, driving through the middle of nowhere I like to call Canada. While reading, I felt like I just wanted to transport to the summer town of Cape Cod and be friends with all of the characters. This was a summer read, but I honestly feel like anyone could pick it up at any time of the year to just jump into that summer mood and feel."We swayed back and forth. Dancing. In the dark and wet, the two of us together. It's my favorite memory of Ari out of a thousand memories. It's the one I keep on hand, the talisman. That was the girl I loved" (34). The main character here is Ari, who just lost her boyfriend, Win, in a freak accident that she cannot even describe or believe. She heads to a hekamist to forget about all that happened, to forget Win. She is warned to not take the spell if having already been affected by another in the past, and she has, in the past, been affected by a memory spell already: to forget about the death of her parents. We learn about Win's side of the story, the side of the story of his best friend, Markos, who is undergoing his own personal demons, and the perspective of Ari's best friend, Kay. Each have taken a spell (kind of) to forget or change something in their lives. The most prominent thing, though, is the death of Win, and how each character chooses to move on.The main issue I had here was that I was unable to sympathize, emphasize or relate to any of the characters. Yes, they are teenagers as I am, but the fact that this was a novel based on some aspects of fantasy seemed to stir these characters away from seeming normal to readers who are learning about them. I would have liked that more down-to-earth feel, you know? I did like each of the characters, all in all, it's just that the realism did not affect their actions or words. I can just squeal about the cover of this all day long, and how much I loved the romance of this novel. It wasn't heavy, of course, because at the time where these characters are speaking, Win is already dead and it's the aftermath of all events, but Ari and Win seem to go back in time frequently and speak of events that they had with each other. It's heart-warming, knowing that there are two fictional characters who have had such a connection. Ari and Win seemed to intertwine in a way that many fictional couples don't get a chance to... even in a trilogy. I would not be able to state that their relationship was fast-paced, because it was over—agh, I'm just simply out of words.This is a book that many would enjoy because it is so original and brilliant. I just would want everyone to give it a go and see how fantasy could mix with a real story so well.The Cost of All Things contains so many themes that makes our emotions fall in a waterfall. I laughed, cheered, and felt my heart drop when the worst things occurred. The characters aren't relatable, but for me in this case, I paid attention to the fact that the book wasn't boring at all. I am seriously looking forward to more Maggie Lehrman, more poetic, lyrical writing and more good books like this. I know so many people who would need a book like this in their life. Three cheers for twisty, suspenseful mysteries that make you smile! *A review copy was provided by the publisher via BookExpo America in exchange for a honest review. Thank you so much!*

4.1/5Yorumu için: http://kronikokur.blogspot.com.tr/201...

This story was told from the viewpoints of four troubled teens. In this world, there are hekamists who can create spells to solve problems. When Ari's parents died in a house fire, Ari's aunt had her visit a hekamist who erased her memory of the incident. Every spell has side effects though and Ari was left with a constant sore wrist. She replaced her grief with ballet and now she is poised to move to New York City to dance.When Ari's boyfriend dies in a car accident just after their junior year, Ari knows that a hekamist can take away the memories and end her horrible sadness. But this time she has more problems. The side effect this time takes away her ability to dance and distances her from her friends since she hasn't told anyone that she doesn't remember her boyfriend Win.Win's best friend Markos is also dealing with his grief and a family in which he feels like an outsider. Ari's best friend Diana is also grieving and crushing on Markos. Then there is Kay who has used a couple of spells - one to make her beautiful and one to make it so that Ari and Diana will always be her friends.These spells and the hekamist and her daughter Echo are all tangled together in a series of spells and connections that influence all their lives and choices. This was a sad and twisted story about people who believe that magic can solve all sorts of problems.I thought that the story was very well written. I did wonder how it was that hekamists could operate so openly despite being illegal. This provides lots of food for thought about the whole idea of grief and loss and what a person would do to end them.

Upon reading the first few pages of this book, I was immediately hooked. I’ve been craving for books with witches in them but for this one, hekamists worked.The book was told in four different perspectives: Ari, Markos, Kay and Win. All of whom are connected to each other. Kay and Diana are friends with Ari. Ari’s boyfriend is Win, whose bestfriend is Markos.In a society where hekamists exists, people subjecting themselves into spells to make their lives more convenient, aren’t a big deal. In exchange of a large sum of a money, people can ask hekamists for different spells. This is another thing that connects the four characters.Among all four, I think Markos’ POV stood out pretty well. I wasn’t really sympathizing with the other characters but they kept me pretty interested in their personalities.I think that the book was really well-written. It did remind me of We Were Liars. The Cost of All Things kept me awake all night long. I can’t seem to put it down because I was always craving for more. Although, I think this one is one of those books that you need to read when you’re in the right mood or the “right-book-for-the-right-reader” thing. Despite that, I was really impressed by Maggie’s writing and I’m definitely be looking forward to her future works.

The Cost of All Things has a very interesting idea at the center of the story: what would you be willing to give in order to make your wishes come true? The hekamist angle was original and the story felt fresh, especially since I don’t read a lot of books about magical realism.I liked the main character Ari and I wish the story was told in only her point of view. The multiple POVs felt like overkill and I think after learning the fate of one of the characters, one of the POVs could be left out. Also, I thought the wishes would be more intriguing, but they seemed mostly superficial.The setting was well done and the magical parts were probably my favorite sections. I thought the rules regarding how magic could be used and what to do if you wanted the spell reversed was thought provoking. The ending was just okay for me and I did feel like the author rushed to conclude all of the characters’ storylines. The writing was good and I do look forward to see what else books she’ll release in the future.Rating: 3.5/5 StarsThanks to the publisher for a copy for review!

** spoiler alert ** The plot and world of this story are very well thought out and excellently executed. I loved the story line and how it tied back together in the end, and I thought it was a very original take on magic that I thoroughly enjoyed. It took me so long to read because I put it down about halfway through (when I met Maggie Lehrman, and it took a while to be feeling this story.What is keeping it from being a five star book is only a few minor things:-I didn't notice a huge difference in the writing style between each character, but I almost always knew who the current narrator was-Win's spell being about depression wasn't really well fleshed out and it was a little disappointing to read-The burning of the Water's hardware store seemed a little over the top.Some things that really stood out to me:-Echo became a very fleshed out character-Everything really connects-Although the characters weren't "unlikable" I'd say that they definitely weren't "likable," and it was pulled off very wellI did really like this book, and I would definitely recommend, if not push it, onto my friends.

** spoiler alert ** Read this entire review and others at The Silver Petticoat Review: YA REVIEW: THE COST OF ALL THINGS – WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR LOVE?Review by Clarissa HadgeOverall Rating = 4.5; Romance Rating = 4Minor spoilers!The Cost of All Things follows four friends: Ari, Kay, Markos, and Win. The narration switches between their points of view in both the present and in the past. These friends are reeling from the death of Win, who passed tragically in a car accident. The characters all have secrets, things that they don’t reveal to each other, and things that they would rather forget.Ari was Win’s girlfriend, Kay is one of her best friends, and Markos was Win’s best friend. Ari was on track to go to New York to study dance and escape her quiet life on Cape Cod. Kay is part of a trio with Ari and Diana, and the three girls are inseparable until Win’s death, which is a catalyst to their friendship to start unreeling. Markos is dealing with Win’s death in a different way than Ari and is set on making her feel hurt in the same way that he is.These friends have an advantage for dealing with their problems.In their world, hekamists are healers that can mix up a spell for all sorts of things, but at a price and with certain consequences.Ari’s parents died when she was young, and in her best interest, her aunt got her a spell to forget the night when they passed. Ari is contemplating getting another spell to forget about Win but knows that if she gets the spell, there might be dire effects that could potentially jeopardize her future.Kay had a spell to make her more pretty and feels the backlash from her peers for doing so. She knows that Ari and Diana don’t quite understand why she took the spell, but even more, she doesn’t want to lose her friends. Kay makes the decision to ask the local hekamist for a spell to keep her friends nearby so that they can never truly leave her alone. Her decision will have consequences not just for her, but for Ari and Diana as well.Win’s points of view are all flashbacks since he’s dead at the start of the story. He was struggling with depression, but kept it well hidden, even from Ari. He wanted to make Ari happy, and not have her worry about him, but his depression was deepening even before his death. Most of his story is his back-and-forth between getting a spell to battle his depression, or to try and find his own way.Markos is like a loose cannon; in contrast to Win, who is reliable and steadfast, Markos’s life is a juggling act that threatens to come crashing down all around him, and that fall begins when Win dies. Markos’s home life is his complicated — he’s stealing money from his family’s hardware business — and knows that he could get caught any day. His pain in losing Win is coming out in violent outbursts that hurt only him; he ripped apart the treehouse he and Win played in as kids, but the community thinks that he will act out in even worse ways.As the threads of the narration trace the events that lead up to Win’s death, and the aftermath, each of the characters find themselves isolated.This is in part because of their own actions, but also due to the fact that everyone is casting spells that no one else knows about!Kay’s spell to keep Ari and Diana close by affects her friends, and when Diana does try to leave (without knowing about Kay’s spell) and gets hurt, Kay wonders if her decision was worth it. SPOILER! When Ari, in so much pain from losing Win, makes the decision to take a spell to have her forget about him, she realizes that she has also lost the ability to dance. Her movements are clumsy, and she is in danger of never dancing in the same way again. Coupled with everything else, a secret about the night Ari’s parents died and the circumstances behind it, begins to rear its ugly head, making the situation infinitely more complicated.The plot comes to a climax when the friends start to see the error in their ways, and that perhaps they can help support each other during their sadness over losing Win. In the end, the novel is a love story – there is the love that can come from romantic relationships, but also the love that friends can have for each other, and the love that people can have for things that make them happy. Ultimately, the decision is what to do with that love. Toss it away, or keep it?Maggie Lehrman does a fantastic job with keeping each of the character voices distinct, which can be tricky. The emotional pull of how much Win loves Ari really solidifies why he ultimately makes his choice (which you will have to read the book to find out what that is!). The misery that Markos experiences and why he chooses to unleash his hurt in the way that he does will make the reader feel very empathetic towards him. Ari’s character has so many layers that peel back as her narration reveals her love of dance and the sorrow that she feels when she loses her ability to do so. When she questions how much she loved Win — and whether she loved dance more — it creates a great dichotomy. Kay’s choice to keep her friends close is a decision most readers will have had to face previously, or will have to face in the future. It is heart-wrenching to read about the lengths that Kay goes to, even after her friends have taken the spell.

Magic always has a price attached, but the way these characters' various spells and decisions collide really makes you wonder who is in control. I was hesitant to read a dead-boyfriend story because I didn't want a depressing read, but I found myself wrapped up in the lives of these characters and the spells they're entangled in, and the story was more intriguing than depressing.

I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this book. I went into it not knowing much at all, and was immediately swept up in the story. Fantastic, real characters, four different POVs that actually are distinct and captivating, and impossible situations for them to deal with. The writing is impeccable, and the plot will keep you going. Highly recommend!

4.5 starsWhat an outstanding and thought-provoking read. Yes, it has characters you may not like, but who here doesn't see themselves in at least one (or more) of these guys? This is a book that successfully answers some of the hardest "what ifs?" in life, questioning what it means to simply be human.Full review coming soon.