Book Review: Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffery Cranor

Author: Joseph Fink & Jeffery Cranor

Series: Yes - Book #1 in the Welcome to Night Vale series.

Cover: I would say this eccentric cover matches perfectly with the book. Also find it eerie that light is radiating out from the eye.

Rating: 3/5 I think... this book may be the weirdest book I have ever read. So many things to say, but I don't know how to formulate them all correctly LOL.

 

Review: This review will be a bit different than my previous reviews. For this book, there will be no spoiler section!! I don't think this book has much to spoil anyway. Just for the record, I have never listened to the podcast that this book is based off on. I decided to read this book because my best friend gave it to me. 

So, Welcome to Night Vale is a narration of Jackie Fierro and Diane Crayton struggles. Think of this book being read as a Planet Earth narration. Jackie Fierro has lived the same exact style of life for many years. She has always been 19, sold things for 11 dollars, and runs her pawn shop. Things changed when a man in a tan jacket gave her a note. She can NOT get rid of this note. Diane Crayton's world is her son, Josh. Josh wants to know who his father is. Diane would rather prefer if Josh didn't. Welcome to Night Vale.

So, what is Night Vale? It is pretty freaking weird. How weird? Well... There are angels, but no one should know that they exist even though everyone does? They're all named Erica by the way and have no gender. This city doesn't believe in mountains. The best dessert is invisible pie. The scariest creature in the world is a librarian. Plastic flamingos can teleport you to different dimensions. The list goes on. Honestly, anything you can imagine, I guarantee you it exists in Night Vale. 

As for the characters, they're all so weird. You're going to see me using the word "weird" a lot. I have no other way to describe them. Josh can shape shift. Jackie is always 19 years old. There are waitresses that are part tree. Men that have multiple clones of themselves. Bosses that wear tarantulas as hair ornaments. Honestly, this world is endless with character customization.

Now, even though I gave this book a 3/5, it does not mean I hate it. I really did enjoy the book at the beginning, but the quirkiness of the book dragged on a bit too much for me. I love how weird the city is. I enjoy how they interact with each other. I love the way this narration was made for this book, but it was a bit too much for me. 

I understand that if I listened to this podcast, I may have been able to enjoy the book more. Should I? Honestly, I probably should to enjoy this series to the fullest, but I won't. As much as I like how weird this book is, it is a bit too weird for my taste. I think I just enjoy a "simple" world and story line. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but if you jump into this boo blind like I did, you'll understand what I mean.

Overall, would I recommend this book? Yes, if you want to experience a different style of writing and world than the majority of YA books out there. A 100% yes, if you love the podcast. No, to anyone that wants a solid plot without 11+ different things being thrown at you while you're reading. Welcome to Night Vale was not my cup of tea, but it may be yours.

Audiobook Rating:

This audiobook has a whole cast narrating it. The wonderful narrators are, Cecil Baldwin, Dylan Marron, Retta, Therese Plummer, and Dan Bittner. I believe that every single one of them made this audiobook amazing. I enjoyed listening to every single one of them and the way they took on their characters and roles. For that, I give the audiobook a rating of 5/5.

Top 3 Favorite Characters

My top three favorites for this book are pretty predictable. There weren't a whole lot of options to choose from.

Jackie - I enjoy how she doesn't give two cents about anything that doesn't pertain to her. She does what she wants to do.

Diane - She can be considered Mom of the Month. Very loving, but sometimes clueless.

Josh - He can shape shift into whatever he wants. He also believes in mountains.

Overall, this book was a refresher from the previous book I read. I know on my The Next Five (#4) I said I'll read It Devours! next, but I am going to postpone it. I think my brain needs a break from Night Vale LOL. I haven't decided on what book to read next. I'll keep you all posted, until then, enjoy your weekend!