Kyle
Read this because I heard you should read this before the first book, which I'm reading right now. It's better than most short story prequels because it actually has a story and isn't just some random scene that shouldn't even have been written and adds absolutely nothing to the plot/characters.
It's also reasonably funny too, which always helps.
Read this and other strange reviews at Living Is Reading!
2.5
THE REVISED AND NEW REVIEW NOW THAT I'VE FINALLY FINISHED:
(Please disregard the original review saying I stopped at page 385. I have since gone back and finished those last 90 or so pages I had left, so this review is a review of the entire book.)
Graceling by Kristin Cashore is a novel that is quite infamous for the debate and discussion that occurs once people start talking about it. It's a book that it appears you either love or hate, with a few people that feel in the middle about it. I tried reading Graceling back in February of this year (2012), and got over ¾ of the way through before I just threw in the towel and wrote a 2 star DNF review. Over the summer however, I made a promise to myself that I would force myself through City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, the first book I ever DNF'ed in my entire life.
At that point, I figured, why not finish more books that I had originally given up on. A lot of the books I do give up on, I get pretty far into them. One book I was 85% done with and I still gave up! So, I knew that at some point during the autumn months I would sit down and finish this book. Yesterday afternoon, I got this out of the library, and have now done just that.
So, I want to get this part out of the way since it'll be something I want to get out there now so nobody will try to troll this review using this: I do not think this book is a misandrist book. I do not think Kristin Cashore is a misandrist. I just take issue with a lot of parts about the main character, and how she treats her love interest.
Let's just jump straight into their relationship, yes? So, Katsa and Po are a decent couple I suppose. I mean, Po doesn't follow Katsa around, want to kill her, or watch her sleep, which is already an improvement over a lot of YA male love interests. No, the problem in their relationship that I have isn't Po, it's far from it.
It's HER.
Just to prove my point, here is an excerpt from Graceling, page 120-121 in the US hardcover for those that want to follow along:
“Isn't it in your power to refuse?” Po asked. “How can anyone force you to do anything?”The fire burst into her throat and choked her. “He is the king. And you're a fool, too, if you think I have a choice in the matter.”“But you do have a choice. He's not the one who makes you savage. You make yourself savage, when you bend yourself to his will.”She sprang to her feet and swung at his jaw with the side of her hand. She lessened the force of the blow only at the last instant, when she realized he hadn't raised his arm to block her. Her hand hit his face with a sickening crack. She watched, horrified, as his chair toppled backward and his head slammed against the floor. She'd hit him hard. She knew she'd hit him hard. And he hadn't defended himself.She ran to him. He lay on his side, both hands over his jaw. A tear trickled from his eyes, over his fingers, and onto the floor.
- Graceling
How lovely.
Now, I know a lot of people are shippers of the Katsa-Po relationship, despite all these things, because Katsa tried to stop the blow. SHE SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED TO HIT HIM IN THE FIRST PLACE. Sure, Katsa was sorry. Don't abusers always say they're sorry and they'll never do it again? Now, Katsa never does do it again, but that doesn't erase what she did.
I don't give a shit if he said something she didn't like. The truth fucking hurts, so get over yourself and move on, and don't attack the person that's telling you a fact. You're Graced with the ability to kill anything - how does some man sitting on a throne control you?
Now, let's change that passage up a little bit, and every time it says She or Katsa we'll write He or Po and Po will become Katsa:
“Isn't it in your power to refuse?” Katsa asked. “How can anyone force you to do anything?”The fire burst into his throat and choked him. “He is the king. And you're a fool, too, if you think I have a choice in the matter.”“But you do have a choice. He's not the one who makes you savage. You make yourself savage, when you bend yourself to his will.”He sprang to his feet and swung at her jaw with the side of his hand. He lessened the force of the blow only at the last instant, when he realized she hadn't raised her arm to block him. His hand hit her face with a sickening crack. He watched, horrified, as her chair toppled backward and her head slammed against the floor. He'd hit her hard. He knew he'd hit her hard. And she hadn't defended herself.He ran to her. She lay on her side, both hands over her jaw. A tear trickled from his eyes, over his fingers, and onto the floor.
Now, do you want to know what the reaction would be to Po's character if it had been this way?
OMG PO IS AN ABUSING ASSHOLE!
Now, here is my response:
WHY IS IT ANY DIFFERENT BECAUSE A WOMAN DOES IT?
Abuse is abuse. A man can abuse a woman, and a woman can abuse a man. It's a complete double standard that only a man can physically abuse a woman, and it is real amongst a lot of the people I have to be around in everyday life. This is what a lot of girls I know say as an excuse to hit a boy:
Boys can't hit girls, but girls can hit boys!
No, you stupid idiot. The saying goes both ways. Boys shouldn't hit girls, and girls shouldn't hit boys. Just keep your fucking hands to yourself!
So, I cannot possibly back the Katsa-Po pairing with this kind of bullshit happening. I wouldn't accept it if a male did it to a female, I won't accept it when a female does it to a male.
Now, I didn't like other parts of Katsa either. Aside from lashing out when she hears something she doesn't like, she is also inconsiderate of animals, and she's even called out for it towards the end of the book, but she just brushes it off.
Listen you selfish little jerk (see, I can be nice sometimes), that horse can throw you onto your ass in two seconds. Maybe you should treat it with more respect, as well as other people in your life.
Now, there are some admirable traits about Katsa that I do like. She has a non-traditional approach to romance, won't ever marry or have children. I have no problem with that, and I think it's kind of brave for Cashore to take that approach for a female heroine. However I feel like she brought it up too much. I think she should've just said it one time and it would've been effective enough, but it almost felt like she was making it a point that Katsa would never marry by having her tell people over and over again, almost as if she wanted it to be more scandalous than it really was.
Plus, she is a kick-ass killer warrior, and that's always nice.
I would've appreciated more than just three strong female characters considering the fact that there are seven kingdoms in this universe, and there are more than three strong females in the seven continents in our world, so I'm not buying this whole “the men own the women” bullcrap.
I do like Po and Bitterblue and Skye. More like loved them, and would've preferred the book be about them instead of Katsa. I liked their personalities and their will to fight, and I was so upset by what happened to Po at the end. Completely unfair.
I love Cashore's writing, and her world-building. Feel like I understand this world pretty well, even if I have read more complex fantasy worlds (I would direct you to The Queen's Thief series). I was really starting to get into the book towards its climax, but at least I got into it at all.
Pacing was too sluggish. At times it would pick up, but then it would slow down . . . a lot.
Overall I didn't really connect to well to our main lead character or the romance, and the pacing was too all over the place. I do like it a bit better now that I've finished it, and will at least read Fire, and probably Bitterblue since I loved her so much in this book.
——-
(Earlier this year, when I originally DNF'ed this):Now, before I start this review, I must admit: I did not finish this book. I read up to page 385, and then quit. This was seriously not the kind of book for me.I don't even feel like summarizing this book, since I believe many people do know the basics of what this book is about. Katsa is Graced with the ability to kill, her uncle uses her as a sort of enforcer, and he is also a tyrannical king, she meets this prince named Po who is the prince to some little island nation, his uncle is kidnapped, they save him, and they're trying to find out who did it. Now, a lot of this review will be a rant. No, it will not involve Katsa and her being aginst children and marriage. I have no issues with that. It's her personal life, and her body, so she can do whatever she wants with it, and I admire her for sticking to her morales. I also appreciate that Kristin Cashore created a kick-ass female warrior. However, part of this warrior status bothered me. There is no other strong female character to be found in this book. Bitterblue could be viewed as semi-strong, but not to the same degree as Katsa. So, in all these seven kingdoms, you expect me to believe that there is not one more female character who doesn't need to be saved or protected by a man? Yeah, no.Also, as many other people feel, I don't enjoy how Kristin Cashore portrays feminism. I don't believe that in order for a woman to be a feminist, she needs to reject everything feminine in her life, and frown down upon any other woman who doesn't. Now, maybe that's how Ms. Cashore honestly feels. If so, okay. Don't even get me started on the whole, "If I have sex with him, he'll own me and control me!"Now, dear Katsa, has Po ever tried to be a dominant control freak before? If the answer had been yes, then your concerns would have been valid. Since the answer is no, your overreacting.Also, don't treat Po like a doormat. You have sex with him, but you make a point to mention that you will never really be his, and he'll only ever have you to an extent. I'm not saying you should be his little love slave or anything, but give the guy a break!Now, as far as a review, I guess I could also comment on a few other things:-I was bored . . . a lot of the time-I enjoyed Cashore's writing-The world-building was pretty good (better than some new YA dystopians at least)-Po was a decent character-I didn't like anybody else-I didn't like it enough to finish it-I did however, skim the end, so I do know what happens to Po (not at all happy)-I might read Fire and Bitterblue . . . maybe
Definite review to come. Okay, since I tried writing a review for this one and couldn't quite find the proper words to describe it, I'll just give this to you in a nutshell: in a world where people like Jerry Sandusky prey on us children in a place that some of us once viewed as a safe place: school , this is an extremely important and relevant novel to read.
It is a little on the gross side, since they dedicate a whole 115 pages to describe the grooming process, but I think it would've been a much weaker book without. The only reason I'm not giving it a 4.5 or even a full 5 is because the majority of the second half, while good, seems to mundane for the beginning, although it does redeem itself towards the end.
Whether you're a parent or a kid (who can handle this kind of material) I think you need to read this to understand the mindset of somebody like this and to catch the warning signs so that people like this cannot continue to exploit and manipulate children.
Read this review and more over at Living Is Reading!
1.5 stars
Jay Kristoff's 2012 debut came with bucketfuls of hype. His promise of a Japanese dystopian steampunk immediately caught the blogosphere and Goodreads attention, and it didn't hurt that the author also happens to be a pretty cool guy. Unfortunately, I cannot be as complementary about his novel as I was about his person, because this book is one of my biggest disappointments of the year. I mean, I knew that it was going to be, once the DNF and negative reviews started pouring in, but it still hurt to have to read this knowing that another book that should've been excellent . . . wasn't.
Let's start off with numero uno on my problem list. This is a pretty widespread complaint, even amongst people that loved the book: the first 100 pages people. How did some of you even make it through? I don't know how I did it. It took me 2 weeks to get through, and that was because I told myself I wasn't going to even be allowed to read a page of anything else until I finished this book (and apparently that was a good enough incentive). The writing was way too dense and over descriptive, giving you details that you don't want, nor do you need.
At the same time though, the writing was beautiful. There were some truly great, breathtaking passages, and while I may not have the actual text in front of me, some of just these random one-liners are still in my head. All Kristoff needed to do was just tone it down a lot in the beginning, and I might have been willing to give this 2 stars.
However, this book seemed to go on and on and on and on with the endless descriptions, and the scenes that continued to bore me, and I remained unconnected and distant. This book is only 313 pages, and it took me a little over 15 days to read. That should be a perfect indication to tell you how interested I was in this book.
Yukiko is a pretty stereotypical strong female heroine from my perspective. She knows how to use weapons (check), she's independent (check), she doesn't let silly things like samurai with sea green eyes get in the way of the bigger picture (most of the time – check), she's motivated to protect her family and the people that she loves (check), but I still wasn't feeling her. That could've had to do with the complete lack of connection I had to her, but I think she was just too one dimensional for me to love her.
She also drove me so fucking crazy whenever she would begin to talk about her dislike of Kasumi. Listen, I (eventually) get why you hate her so much. Yes, I can understand why you two aren't the best of friends. Yet if there's something you are angry about, direct it towards your father. I get that it could be difficult, but at least try and see it from somebody else's perspective. That doesn't mean you have to understand/accept something, but really: stop acting like it was some sort of personal attack against you. The only person that has a real right to be pissed off is your mother.
Didn't even find Buruu very interesting, and he felt like some sort of environmental spokesperson half the time. Also, I don't find it cute when ALL OF A CHARACTER'S DIALOGUE IS IN CAPS LOCK. WHAT IS THE POINT OF THAT? DOES IT MEAN THEY'RE YELLING EVEN WHEN THEY'RE JUST ASKING YOU HOW YOUR PANCAKES WERE? And no, it was not fucking endearing or humorous, it was just annoying.
Do not get me started on the idiotic romance, because I will rant. Yes, sex is actually portrayed in a reasonably positive light in this book, and while that is good, if you're trying to have your characters be in “love” then you need to have more than random hookups in the dark, having more than two deep conversations, and it needs to be built on SOMETHING. The actual love interest(s) themselves (yes, there was a kind of-sort of love triangle going on . . . kind of) are very flat, very bland, completely one dimensional, just like the girl whose pants (or uwagi or kimono) they want to get in.
Seriously, what is it with these Japanese fantasy-inspired books that I've been picking up (okay, so maybe I've only read a handful of two, but I read them back-to-back)? They all seemed to be centrally focused on revenge and war, and nightingale floors and borderline love at first sight, and I don't feel like I ever get a sense of Japan now or Japan before. It's always been a lifelong dream of mine to visit the Far East, and so I always get excited whenever I see that a book is creating a world, fantasy or alternate history, based on that particular culture.
TEACH ME SOMETHING I DIDN'T ALREADY FREAKING KNOW. I know little to nothing about ancient China and Japan, yet I feel like this book taught me next to nothing. Aside from some of the weapons mentioned early on in the book, I actually didn't need to use the glossary, which I was quite surprised by, since in the beginning of the book I had to use it FIVE TIMES in the first 7 pages. So unreal.
I know that a lot of people said that the ending was spectacular and heart wrenching and made all the slogging through of the beginning and middle worth it. Why? I knew that Kasumi and Masaru would die. I knew that Yukiko would triumph over Yoritomo and that she'd have to get rid of the samurai guy whose name I've already forgotten even though I just finished the book last night.
The world building is quite an impressive feat, I won't lie. The world here, while rooted in fantasy elements like god and goddesses, demons and other mythical creatures, has some rather startling connections to our own world in a time of a beginning environmental issue arising. So, it definitely rises far above most novels even remotely related to the dystopian genre after The Hunger Games came out in that department (not that most novels even try in this part).
I know that Kristoff has a lot of original and cool ideas in here. The lotus, chainkatanas, and all the technological advancements of this world, but I felt like I could see too many inspirations from other pieces of literature. The one that stood out to me the most, since it was one of the highlights of the book, was from The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, especially the first book Eragon. There's so many similar elements here: the idea of Stormdancers reminds me too much of Dragon Riders, and the whole thing about thunder tigers reminded me too much of dragons, and there's an evil empire/emperor, and the bond that Yukiko and Buruu form is too similar to Eragon and Saphira for me.
Now, I hate that series that I just mentioned before, and some of you know how unoriginal those books are, so seeing these similarities is not a good sign.
Overall, the good just didn't outweigh the bad, and I couldn't connect to anything about this book. I don't like giving books such low ratings, but when a book is this boring, and this unlikeable, and I don't care this much, I can't gave it anything higher than this. Trust me, I'm being very generous because of the writing with this rating.
And I mean the writing after the first 100 pages, because before that I wanted to just take a nap it was so dull and uninspired.
Can also be found on The YA Addict!
Yes, yes, I have my own blog now. You can bask in it's glorious glory as much as you please. In more serious terms, this is my second blog post ever, and this is my first blog website ever, so I apologize that the quality of it may not be the best ever on the web.
Going into Across the Nightingale Floor, I expected some pretty great things. I expected a fully realized, well developed Japanese-inspired fantasy world, great writing, compelling characters, a compelling story, and emotions so pure I could feel myself beginning to want to go into the book to avenge the injustice done against Takeo.
While I did get my fully realized fantasy world and pretty great writing, I didn't find emotions so palpable that I was compelled by either the story or the characters, and those three things were probably the most important things for me.
The pacing is quite sluggish at points, and while I did expect that since I find that to occur quite often in fantasy novels, there wasn't any intensity at any point. You're just reading a very slow, very uninspired novel with pretty scenery. There wasn't any sense of excitement or danger that I should've been feeling considering the assassination attempts, constant backstabbing and as death seemed to be closing in on our protagonists.
Takeo's rage and fury felt very lackluster and one-dimensional. He didn't even seem to be mad that his entire family that he knew and loved had been slaughtered brutally and mercilessly, but more mad that somebody threatened the life of Shigeru, his adopted father that he'd only known for about a year. Yes, I get the whole thing about honor and loyalty, but what about honor and loyalty to the family that raised and loved you for sixteen years?
Kaede, the main female protagonist, didn't do anything for me. Her story was rather sad, yes, and showed how misogynistic, sexist, and unfair life was like for woman in a more medieval age similar to this. It didn't make me really feel though, other than the sympathy that these terrible things happened to her. Just don't feel like she moved me in any signifigant way, nor had me mentally cheering her on.
The “intensity of first love” that Takeo has going on with Kaede (trust me, that isn't a spoiler - you should know they were going to be attracted to each other as soon as Kaede was introduced) was nothing more than insta-love/lust (take your pick). Seriously, I kid you absolutely, 100% not, the word “love” was used to describe this “connection” Takeo and Kaede have the first time they meet. They've never spoken to one another in their entire lives, and have never even seen each other before, yet they're automatically in love.
Because they makes total sense.
I'm serious. The word love was used. If you don't believe me, read the book and you will see the world love used. Perhaps 30-40 pages after meeting each other and talking perhaps two or three times, Takeo and Kaede are thinking about marriage because they're so in love. Mind you, these two or three conversations are only a few words in passing.
I also didn't care for the side characters either, even when some of them came to a rather brutal death, so you know then that I couldn't have been too enraptued in this.
Found the entire ending rather anticlimatic, with so much build-up that when the scene we've been waiting for during the last 250-260 pages is done without any intensity. The whole resolution to the conflict seemed almost effortless, when it was made out to be seemingly impossible when they're all preparing for it. There's more I want to discuss about it, but I'll save it for the end of the review so as to not spoil it for anyone else.
Still, these book isn't all bad, like I said. I thoroughly enjoyed it actually for the first 175-200 pages. Wasn't a book I loved or anything, but I liked it, and I still do actually. Like I mentioned before, the world presented within this is fairly plausible and well-thought out, and there truly is some magical imagery to be found within. The fantasy elements incorporated into this are great as well.
I have every intention of reading at least the next installment, which is always something nice to feel when I finish the first novel in a series. So, do with that what you will.
The remainder of this review will have spoilers for the ending of the novel. Read on at your own risk.
Was I the only person that found the sex scene between Takeo and Kaede disturbing? I mean, they're having sexytimes in the same room as a dead body and Takeo was on some sort of time-sensitive mission or whatever for honor?
I don't have a problem with Kaede having killed Iida, but it felt so damn easy! I mean, why did the Tribe even bother kidnapping Takeo in the first place if some fifteen year old without any fighting experience could take this guy out?
Overall, good but definitely a bit of a dissapointment considering all the positive reviews I'd seen of this.
I think it's just that I've grown out of this series. :( When I read the first one back in November of ‘11 I absolutely loved it, but back in May when I read the second I just . . . well, I couldn't stand it really. I didn't like novella #1.5 either, and this one did nothing for me either.
I have the third one checked out from the library (I put it on hold immediately when I saw they had ordered it, since I still want to know how O'Brien ends it all, even if I don't think I'll like it), so I sort of felt obliged to read this.
For those of you who are interested in reading this, you can use the link on the GoodReads page, or just click here.
4.5 stars
Wow - wow! I absolutely could not stand the first installment of this series. I thought it was one of the slowest, most boring novel I'd ever read, and the only saving grace of the book was the use of the unreliable narrator towards the end, even though I'd already been spoiled for the big twist. The 3 stars I gave it was really only there because objectively wasn't a terrible book, but I had a horrific reading experience with it.
I didn't even want to read on despite all the rave reviews for books 2-4. However, on an impulse buy since my local library/bookstore didn't have a copy, I ended up buying an e-book copy and read the first chapter.
It was very difficult to put it back down for a month and a half again before picking it back up.
Everything about this book is far better than the first. The writing, the worldbuilding, the action (which was nonexistent in book 1), the characters, the political intrigue, the use of the unreliable narrator, the plots and counterplots, and it was all just AH!
Surprisingly, the 3rd person omniprescent narration works far better than the 1st person narration from Gen. We get to see all the major players - Gen, Irene of Attolia, Helen of Eddis, NA (I can't spell his name from memory, so those are his first two letters in his name) the Mede ambassador.
The only thing that didn't work for me was the romance between Gen and Attolia. Couldn't buy into the attraction, so obviously couldn't buy into the emotions they feel for one another. Especially after she chopped off his right hand.
Because that's attractive.
I think I finally have figured out what was so jarring about Bloodlines compared to Vampire Academy. Whereas VA had an equal balance of characterization and plot, Bloodlines decides to focus heavily on characterization and then occasionally remember to bring it's plot back into the picture. Perhaps it's because I was expecting the lack of plot that I'm rating this so highly, but I truly did enjoy this read.
Won't go into too much detail about the plot. All I'll be saying is that things are afoot now that Dimitri and Sonya have arrived in Palm Springs and experiments are underway to find a possible way to prevent Strigoi from being made anymore (or at least slow down production of them). Romantic tension is still occuring between the characters, and Sydney finally gets her first boyfriend, etc. etc.
Yeah, that ending sort of demonstrates the lack of plot in this series, but I still think this is a pretty big improvement. I think Sydney is slowly coming into her own now, and that she is slowly becoming a more interesting heroine to read about. Her interactions with Adrian are still highly enjoyable, and I love this pairing, even if I am still a little bitter at the way how Rose decided to end things in Last Sacrifice (and I have no intentions of ever forgetting it, but I'll someday get over it once Sydney and Adrian are together).
Seriously people - THE LAST SCENE. Really? You give me that little tease and then decide to end it there?! I have to wait until FEBRUARY to find out what happens between these two?!
I also think that the plot that did develop in this book is stronger and more interesting than the first book, even if it isn't any more prevelenat than the first. I'm still finding myself not very surprised by many of the twists in these books, since the foreshadowing is becoming a little too heavy-handed to remain quiet.
I'm not a fan of the romantic sub-plots involving Eddie, Jill, and Angeline. Feels melodramatic and unnessecary filler. I also wish some of Sydney's mundane comings and goings would lessen (except those with Adrian).
While it may not even come close to comparing to the VA books, this is a stronger installment than it's predecessor, and I have very high hopes for the third book from the sounds of the plot.
Actually, it sounds like there will be a plot in that one, and a highly interesting one at that!
I've known of this book for a few years now ever since I saw Rick Riordan mention it somewhere, and since I was just hanging around the library, I knew they had it in stock, so I just picked it up off the shelf and sat down and started reading it from cover to cover. It's a graphic novel with no words, just pictures, so I read it in under 10 minutes. Nice read, nothing extraordinary, but now I can say I read it.
You know what? I'm giving this book 5 stars anyway. It's just that good. Amber Appleton is one of the most peculiar YA narrators I've ever come across. She is an extreme optimist, no matter what direction life takes her. When the story opens, life has taken her mother and her to live on the school bus her mom drives after being kicked out of her mom's ex-boyfriend Oliver's apartment. However, Amber soon suffers a tragedy so great that now even she can't see a bright side.I was afraid of giving this book an immediate 5 star rating because I tend to do that with books I love, and then later have to drop them down to 4.5 stars. This book was well written, great characters, real emotions, engaging, impossible to put down, is a stand-out in the crowded genre of contemporary YA, and is a book that I still think about and will probably return to read it again in the future.Shortly after I started this book I briefly participated in a discussion about how a lot of voices in contemporary fiction tend to sound the same, and it seems like the author is more focused on making the voice of the narrator sound like the right gender instead of trying to make them stand out and linger with us. Well, [a:Matthew Quick 1251730 Matthew Quick http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1336832384p2/1251730.jpg] clearly has a gift, because Amber Appleton has probably the most unique voice I've ever read in realistic YA. Not only does he almost effortlessly create a realistic voice of a teenage girl, he also makes her a distinct voice, that if you randomly read a paragraph in her voice, I'd be able to know who is narrating the piece. I am simply far too inadequate to properly describe it to you, so I will simply say: you have to read it to understand. Trust me, after one page you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.One of the strongest elements in the novel is Amber's depression. Now, before I jump into that I'll need to explain the format of the book.So, if a chapter ends on an odd-numbered page (1, 3, 5, 7, 177, 277, etc.) then the next page is blank and the page after that is when the next chapter begins. Amber's depression is actually only about 20% of the novel. It doesn't really surface until you're about halfway in, although that's not to say it takes forever to get interesting. In about 70 pages and many one-paged chapters, Quick was able to do what [a:Melina Marchetta 47104 Melina Marchetta http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1277655889p2/47104.jpg] couldn't quite do for me in 243 pages. And since a lot of these one-paged chapters ended on the right/odd-numbered page, about half of those pages were blank. So, 35 pages. That's talent if I ever saw it.I adored the side characters! Franks, Robbie, Tyler, Bobby Big Boy (Amber's dog), Private Jackson, the KDFC, Joan of Old, DONNA (who is possibly the coolest fictional mom character ever)!Amber herself is one of the most loveable characters in the world, and I just wanted to give her a big ol' hug by the end. She is a very religious person, however I wouldn't say she's so religious that the whole book is one big preaching session. There isn't really anything surprising about this book though. I knew that Amber's mom would get killed, and I knew that the rapist-murderer would be the one to do it, I knew that BBB wouldn't die of his cancer, etc. however this isn't meant to be a surprising book.It just is what it is, and what it is is awesome. Awesome that you must read.This is an underappreciated, underhyped book if there ever was one.So, what I'm basically trying to say is: READ IT!
Sophie Quinn (sometimes called Q) was caught on camera half-naked with somebody that wasn't her Marine boyfriend, Carey - while Carey was still in town, just days before his deployment to Afghanistan. Now, Quinn has become an outcast, the town slut, in her small military town. But what if Quinn didn't really cheat? Q now must take a secret that Carey gave her, a secret that could clear her name, to the grave. And then Carey suddenly goes MIA, and Quinn must now choose between herself and Carey's secret.
Going into If I Lie , I expected a dull, predictable, cheesy contemporary romance hiding behind a facade of complexity and possible depth. Turns out it was exactly what I thought it was only pretending to be! If I Lie is a complex book about loyalty, secrets, love, friendship, forgiveness, acceptance, lies, death.
This is exactly what I want in contemporary YA! It handles the contemporary aspects of life (school, friendships, family) while still dealing with a realistic subject matter that interests me (lies, secrets, loyalty). For a long time throughout the book, I jumped between 3-5 stars. There were times were I liked it, loved it, and thought it was okay. I wasn't really sure why I was jumping around so much, unsure of where my feelings were going to fall, but by about the 150 page mark, I looked back and saw how much there was to appreciate about this book, and how much I was enjoying it!
Those last 120 pages were exciting to read, I couldn't stop reading, emotional investment, and all that good stuff 5 star books should have you doing when you read them.
The characters and the relationships they have and their emotions are choices are all very complicated. Nobody in this book has just one side to them. We have Quinn's mom, who left her and her dad because she couldn't handle the stress of being a Marine's wife - and also left to be with Quinn's uncle (don't worry, it isn't as melodramatic as it sounds), Quinn's strict father who has also turned against her in the wake of the town backlash, Blake, the boy in the photo and Carey's best friend, Carey himself, and then Quinn.
Funniest, and my favorite character, is hands-down, George. How could you not love the old geezer? He's rude, sarcastic, funny, and doesn't take BS from anybody.
I loved all the relationships between these characters, and the themes, and the writing also had some very nice tings to it. Overall, I just loved the entire book, and it's definitely one that I would whole-heartedly reccomend. However, if you are looking for a contemporary romance, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Melina Marchetta is basically GoodReads royalty. Seeing anything less than 5 stars for any of her books is rare, and this seems to be a particular favorite among a few people. This was my first foray into the world of Marchetta, and while I will read more from her, I can't say my expectations were met entirely.
Francesca Spinelli has just started school at St. Sebastian's, which has finally gone co-ed and allowed girls to learn there. However, in a school of 750 guys and only 30 girls, sexism runs rampant, and Francesca's only friends are super-feminist Tara, rumored slut Sibohan, and band geek Justine. When her mom Mia, the person that ultimately kept her family together, falls into a deep depression, Francesca's entire life begins to spin out of control.
The only reason I read this when I did was because I purchased The Piper's Son by accident. I thought that it was a novel that I could read separate from this, however as soon as I got home, I read a review on the back claiming it to be a good sequel to SF. Coincedentally enough, this is the only Marchetta book my library has, so I was able to just put this on hold.
The first 100 pages were very sub-par to what I expected from the book that everybody was raving about. It was very mediocre, not very engaging, and nothing spectacular, and I'd read so many more contemporary books that were stronger. It was looking at a very low, very unpleasant 3 star rating, with the potential to drop to 2.5 if I was in a bad mood.
However, somewhere just before the halfway mark, something between me and this book clicked. I don't mean to say that I started loving it, but it was a lot more interesting, and I was able to read it with more enjoyment than I was before. I was finding certain dialogue between the characters funny, the depression Mia deals with more palpable, and was able to appreciate some of the characters more.
I still didn't find Mia's depression quite as complex as it could've been, and it had the potential to go in a very emotional path that it didn't even seem interested in testing out, and you can read Kelly Leigh's review to get a better understanding of what I'm trying to say.
While the characters were enjoyable, I did have a problem with how the male characters are portrayed. I felt like very few of them were ever given much depth, and they all followed in a very piggish stereotype, and even the ones that were given depth still remained like this. I find it hard to believe that out of 750 people, none of them were different than the stereotypical male.
I'm not saying that these types of people don't exist, because they do, but there are always people that don't fit into the norm. Just saying.
I didn't find anybody to be as complex as people like Finnikin, Isaboe, Froi and Quintana seem to be praised as, so maybe it's just that her work becomes stronger.
Lastly, I took issue with the romance. I do prefer it when the romance does take a back seat to the main story arc, especially if the story is supposed to be about some teen love story. However, there is a difference between being of a lower priority, and then barely showing up and therefore not having enough realism. The only thing between Francesca and Will didn't have enough build-up, and even then I didn't find Will's character to be as in-depth as I wanted him to be.
I'm willing to cut Melina some slack since this is pretty impressive for a second novel, although I want her to step it up when I read The Piper's Son.
And so my dystopian/apocalyptic/postapocalyptic marathon has to end on a horrible, off-pitch, just plain bad note.
Synopsis
Three years ago, the War ended. Don't ask what this War was about. It just happened, and it was big enough to need a capitalization. Major cities are abandoned, and the Bill of Rights has been revoked and replaced with the Moral Statues. Ember Miller fell in love with her next door neighbor named Chase, but then he joined the army or whatever, and now he's arrested Ember's mother for violation of Article 5, and Ember has been sent to a reformatory nightmare.
World-Building
I feel like we were playing a game of hide and seek and this book was too good at the game. I never found it. There was no logic behind this book. How did America go from the land of the free to a country of bigotry, misogyny, and some sort of war-torn hellhole? I forget how long this War lasted, but I doubt America would go this far because of just one war.
Also, more questions about the War:
-Was it a civil war?
-Did somebody invade us? If so, who? America hasn't been outright invaded since the War of 1812. Hasn't been attacked in a signifigant magnitude since 9/11.
-When does this take place?
-How does stopping the War have to do with throwing away everything our country stands for?
Many questions, which must have been hiding too.
Characters
Didn't care about them. Didn't care what they were doing, nor what they wanted to do. I didn't feel Ember's motivation to save her mother the way how I felt Katniss's determination to protect Prim, or Saba's somewhat stalkerish desperation to save her twin Lugh. Nothing about the characters and their relationships stood out to me in any way.
Romance
For such a heavy element of the book, it was pretty lackluster and weak. Didn't feel this “connection” Ember and Chase were supposed to have. Didn't feel very developed considering they'd had feelings for each other for so long.
I think the romance ultimately ruined Ember's motivation. Too many wonderings of, “Does he still love me?” and “Oh, no, of course he doesn't love me!” that I began to wonder if Ember still realized that people were hunting them down and that her and her mother's lives were at stake.
Story
Probably the strongest point of the story, but it didn't last. The first 100 pages were really good, even though the world-building left much to be desired, yet as soon as the roadtrip begins, my interest drove away with it.
Writing
Had some nice parts to it, but nothing special, or extraordinary for a YA novel.
Conclusion
I don't think I want to read the next book in this series.
Actual rating: 2.5 stars Considering I went into this expecting to give this book 1 star, I'm pretty surprised to be giving this the rating I am giving it. Especially for the first 100 pages, when I felt like I must be reading a different book than so many people, since I was really enjoying myself with this one despite the onpour of mixed/negative reviews. Mia Price is a lightning addict. In an attempt to run away from her past, and the thing that has now marked her body permenantly, her family was stuck in LA when a devastating earthquake hit, killing many and leaving everybody else devastated. Mia's own mother was trapped under a building for 3 days before being rescued. However, two fanatical cults have now risen to power, one of them predicting the end of the world to occur in 3 days time. Both of the groups need Mia.So, for the past few days, I've been devouring a ton of dystopia/apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic fiction like there's no tomorrow (no lame “end of times” pun intended). I don't know what inspired this marathon, but I'm almost finished and just need to read the last 2/3 of my current read ([b:Article 5 10677277 Article 5 (Article 5, #1) Kristen Simmons http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1306520962s/10677277.jpg 15586973]). This wasn't the best of my marathon ([b:Monument 14 12753231 Monument 14 Emmy Laybourne http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1337779838s/12753231.jpg 17894351], surprisingly), but it wasn't the worst ([b:Hollowland 8951449 Hollowland (The Hollows, #1) Amanda Hocking http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1299468023s/8951449.jpg 13828200]). Maybe the most dissapointing (or that could be [b:V for Vendetta 5805 V for Vendetta Alan Moore http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1343668985s/5805.jpg 392838])?Those first 100 pages I would give a really enjoyable 3.5 stars to, and I would've given the whole thing 4 stars if the last 270 pages were even better. However, instead of improving, it slowly digressed. I can attribute this drop of a star for a few reasons. 1. Jeremy, the main love interest, is a stereotype. He has “tortured blue eyes”, he's mysterious, he's got a secret, he's a flipping stalker. He's everything you don't want in a typical YA love interest. Not to mention the fact that he lacks any real complexity/development.2. So many predictable twists, the biggest one being that Jeremy was the 12th Apostle. Well, I didn't know he was the 12th, but I knew that it would be somebody Mia knew, and I knew that Jeremy would end up working for Prophet somehow. By the time I had 100 pages left to go, I had the whole thing basically figured out.3. For a fight to the death regarding the potential annihilation of the world, that climax wasn't as exciting as it could've been. Perhaps if Mia had been more proactive during that time, it could've been stronger, but I do understand why she couldn't fight.4. The relationship between Mia and Jeremy is underdeveloped, and I have no idea why it started in the first place. Like really? Who wants to make out with the person that broke into their house and watched them sleep with the intention of stabbing you to death with a knife? What?! Just me? Oh, and Mia I guess. Also, big use of insta-love. The book takes place over the course of three days, and yet by the end of those three days they've already jumped into some relationship that felt like it was one the verge of using The “L” Word when it was just lust.5. The last 10% of the book, the part that should've been the most exciting, was a big bore for me, and I had difficulty pushing through it, for virtually no reason other than perhaps the book could've chopped off 30-40 pages at various points throughout the book. However for the most part I did find myself enjoying myself in reading about these characters and this story (except for Jeremy. Dude was a creeper the whole way through IMO). I mean, characters didn't have as much depth/complexity as I wanted, and the writing, while not being bad, isn't anything special, and I probably won't remember this book in a few months time. However, I did enjoy my stay in this book for the most part.I don't know if this is a series or not, but since it says Struck #1 on the GR page for this (I don't know if that's just because of the #0.5 short story, or more full length novels are coming out), but if the author writes a sequel, I'll definitely be coming back for more.
Hmm, I'm a little conflicted on this one. While I liked it at parts, there were also a lot of aspects I wasn't a big fan of. I think I'm just going to do a pro/con list for this one.PRO:-Originality: I haven't quite read anything like this in YA, although I suppose it does have some similarities to [b:Unwind 764347 Unwind (Unwind, #1) Neal Shusterman http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297677706s/764347.jpg 750423], but nothing signifigant-Writing: Pretty well written, and it was easy to read while also giving you enough to visualize the scene in your head-Pacing: The pacing is pretty consistent the whole way through, and there isn't a lot of downtime the whole way. Plenty of action as well in the last 100 pages, which is always a good thing-Certain Characters: I did enjoy reading about our MC Callie, and Michael, Helena, Sara, and a few others, but none of them were given the best of character development/depth, yet they're still enjoyable to read about for the most part-Final 1/3 of the Book: The last 112 pages of the book were fast-paced, action packed, and held a lot of twists that definitely held my attention, and was my favorite part of the book-The Old Man: I really loved reading about him and I hope we get to learn more about him in the final book, and I loved the twist introduced about him towards the end of the book-Extremely Readable: It was difficult to put down for sureCONS:-Blake: He really annoyed me since he was the stereotypical love interest and was just as flat as the love interests in [a:Julie Kagawa 2995873 Julie Kagawa http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1257816454p2/2995873.jpg]'s books (which is pretty flat)-Love Triangle: Had no depth, cliche, random, did not like-World-Building: One of the weakest elements of the novel, and the world itself is not a very plausible one, and not enough explanation is given to explain certain aspects of it that make no sense whatsoever (people living to the age 200? Really?)-Romance: It's very typical of what you would expect to encounter in a YA dystopian/sci-fi, and was nothing special. Plenty of insta-love/love without any substance, and neither relationship that Callie is involved in was given developmentOverall though it was a pretty decent read. Nothing spectacular, and although I do have more pros than cons, the four cons I did have were huge, and ultimately left me with mixed feelings about the whole thing, although I will be coming back for the final book.Also: DUOLOGY! Finally, an author who isn't expanding their series longer than it should to make more money!
I won't deny that V for Vendetta is a good book - or comic/graphic novel. It's very intelligent, the world-building is well done, the characters definitely go through some pretty tremendous development, yet it lacks this spark. The spark that makes you feel something towards the characters, towards the story, to feel compelled to read on. While it is good, I can't say I really enjoyed reading it, nor do I ever see myself reading it again.
The last 100 pages I also felt myself constantly getting lost, since my interest was waning so much and I really just wanted to move onto something different that I could enjoy more.
Although I am definitely going to see the film on Netflix.
Oh, and in case you were wondering, I found V to ultimately be a hero, but that dude is a fucking psychopath. Whether or not it was a product of the concentration camps doesn't matter. He's still fucked up.
I woke up this morning wondering if my 2 stars was too low. However when I sat down to write my review and couldn't even remember what was the name of the main character, I knew that it was pretty accurate. [b:Shadow and Bone 10194157 Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy, #1) Leigh Bardugo http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1339533695s/10194157.jpg 15093325] is, objectively, a good book. It's pretty well written, the world is different, it has a nice plot twist, it has a “strong” heroine, the romance is (kind of) in the background. However what it lacks is emotion/depth, follows too many cliched tropes not only in fantasy but also in YA as a whole, complexity, and offers nothing new to the genre. Alina Starkov is a mapmaker in the First (or Second?) Army of Ravka, alongside her childhood best friend Mal, whom she lived in an orphanage with when her parents were killed in the Border Wars. When crossing the Shadow Fold, Alina saves both their lives and reveals a power she never knew she had, making her a Grisha, which is basically a wizard or witch. She is sent by the Darkling, the most powerful Grisha in the kingdom, to the “Little” Palace, to harness her power since she could be the key to destroying the Shadow Fold and freeing her kingdom.For the first 100 pages, I was really, really into this. It was a little bit different, there was a good amount of action, the writing was easy to read, and I thought maybe 3.5 or 4 stars. Well, once Alina gets to this “Little” Palace (which is not “little” by any means), my interest also went to little. Let me just list to you all the things that you will encounter in this book that you could also find in a ton of other YA books, fantasy or otherwise:-Girl in love with her best friend (or vice versa)-Dark, brooding, mysterious love interest-Pretty mean girl rivalry for no reason whatsoever-Girl immediately makes best friend with somebody at new school/location-Girl has super-special power, yet has hard time using it-A big dance (in this case a ball)-“Strong heroine” that rarely ever does anything to prove strength physically or emotionally until the end- Potential love triangle between MC, best friend, and mysterious guy -Oh yeah, and the MC is very plain/ugly, nothing special about herSome of these you cannot find in every genre (the super power for example) but you can most certainly find a lot of it. I didn't care for Alina, Mal, the Darkling, Genya, Zoya (or whatever her name was), or any character introduced. They were all stock characters, given the same role while adding nothing to it. The childhood love interest has of course harbored hidden feelings just like MC, the mysterious guy of course could have anyone, but he chooses the MC. This book is definitely forgettable, and by the time the sequel comes out, I don't know if I'll even remember about 2/3 of this book, since very little material of actual importance ever occurs. The only character I'd have any interest in seeing more of is Baghra or whatever her name was (the old woman who was helping Alina with her power). Also, basic Russian is not handled well, and if you need proof, you can see in Tatiana's review. There is some pretty basic stuff being messed up. Since I am half Puerto-Rican, and I'm “supposed” to know Spanish, I do know the very basics of which also have to do with Alina's very last name. Since she is female she needs it to be Starkova, just like in Spanish the word muchacha needs an “a” at the end to make it female, not an “o” to make it muchacho, making it male. Pretty basic stuff people.I'll probably read the sequel, but I hope that the plot takes an interesting turn at least, since this one really did nothing for me.
Pretty much everybody has heard of Beautiful Disaster. More often than not, the things they here aren't very good. I'm afraid to say it, but I simply have more negativity to spread for this book. Now, let me get this out of the way: My rating is not at all influenced by the drama that ensued regarding the author. I don't even know what happened. I paid $3.20 for this, even after that drama. Why would I bother giving it a rating that doesn't reflect my own personal opinion?
Also: I read the self-published edition of this book. I believe Beautiful Disaster has since then become tradionally published, considering I saw paperback copies at Barnes & Noble just a week ago, and has probably seen another editor. I'm reviewing MY edition of this book. Everything I say, happened in MY edition of this book. So, if something I say was editied out of the final copy, don't tell me my review is wrong. I read it, so I reviewed it.
Abby Abernathy is eighteen at the start of the story. She is attending Eastern Univeristy with her best friend America, and one night, America and her boyfriend Shepley convince Abby to come to The Circle with them, which is the school's underground fighting arena, where Shepley's cousin is the unbeatable fighter. Abby catches the attention of said fighter, Travis Maddox, the guy. He sleeps with just about any girl, tosses them aside, and then moves on to the next conquest. Through events and circumstances, he befriends Abby, and then through more events and circumstances, Abby looses a bet and is forced to stay at Travis's apartment for a month.
I've come to accept in real life that there are girls that seem to prefer dating a guy that will cheat on them and treat them like crap. The media definitely doesn't help that, and this book doesn't help that either. Yet this, THIS people, is something entirely different. The following spoiler alert button will reveal some of the MANY things Travis does to Abby that are possessive and the signs of a stalker/somebody who isn't mentally stable, even when they weren't dating!
1. Abby is dating Parker Hayes, and when they get back to Travis's apartment, they proceed to make-out in his car, quite sexy, the windows fogged up and everything. Travis storms out of the apartment, and forces Abby out of the car. WHAT THE FUCK. She is not your property. She can make out with anybody she wants to, doesn't matter what you think!2. Travis forces Abby to change into less revealing clothes because he can't stand the idea of somebody else looking at Abby. Once again, they are not dating.3. When somebody named Chris tries to dance with Abby at a party, Travis grabs them by the back of the shirt, pulls them away from Abby and shakes his head no. 4. Travis almost throws a violent temper tantrum when a guy gives Abby a drink at a bar and she accepts.5. After Abby has sex with Travis WHEN SHE IS STILL DATING PARKER, she leaves his apartment and decides she can't stay with him anymore, and he proceeds to violently trash his apartment, and punches Shepley in the face when he finds out he and America helped her get her bags back home. 6. Travis KIDNAPS ABBY FROM A PARTY when they break up, throws her over his shoulder in public against her will, forces her into a car against her will, threatens the person driving the car to take them back to his apartment or he'll "put my fist through the back of your head!", and then tells Abby she isn't allowed to leave the apartment.7. Another instance at a club is when Abby and America are dancing, America and Abby having recently dumped Shepley and Travis, and whenever guys try to grind up behind them, Travis and Shepley pull them away threatening them to stay away from them. THEY AREN'T YOUR FUCKING PERSONAL PROPERTY.8. When somebody says something to Abby that Travis doesn't like, he violently beats the person to a bloody pulp, in a manner that would require somebody to call the cops had he done that at my school.9. When Abby breaks up with Travis one time (they break-up multiple times in the book), he chases her back to her dorm room on his motorcycle (America is driving Abby's getaway car), and Abby hides in America's dorm room but watches Travis go to her dorm and harass her roommate Kara and FORCES THE DOOR OPEN, looking for Abby, and then proceeds to throw a massive temper tantrum when he can't find her.10. That same time that Abby breaks up with Travis, she hides and doesn't go to the class they share together, where he throws ANOTHER temper tantrum and throws two desks over and gets kicked out of the class. 11. Travis is constantly grabbing Abby and drags her into rooms12. Travis guilts Abby go going to his house for Thanksgiving when she breaks up with him again, by forcing her into a corner basically
Now that's just 12 points of Travis being a possessive douchebag to Abby, but there were many more. This is all I can stand to write.
Abby herself is an emotional manipulator, and uses Parker and Travis like yo-yos. For one, why do people just act like she's an idiot annoying and not this? She is also quite the cheater as well. She has almost-sex with Travis once, and then has sex with Travis shortly after, WHILE SHE IS DATING PARKER. She then proceeds to break up with Parker BY PHONE, admitting she loves Travis, USING TRAVIS'S PHONE, and then hops on his motorcycle where they drive home and have sex again.
Of course, she is also an idiot and has no self-respect, but I cannot continue to rant about this anymore.
All other characters are horrificly 1 dimensional it's laughable, and the only characters I liked where Abby's roommate Kara, and Abby's friend Finch. I felt bad for Kara simply because America and Abby frequently appear to bully her for no apparent reason. Why isn't she allowed to be annoyed when people are forcing themselves into her room because they're on a manhunt for Abby? I'd be a little pissy too. Plus, Jamie McGuire never gives her any kind of depth to speak of, and is just characterized as an annoying fly in Abby's life.
The book doesn't exactly have much of a plot to speak of either aside from Abby and Travis breaking up, having sex, getting back together, fighting, breaking up, Travis being possessive of Abby, wash and repeat.
Don't even get me started on the ending. I JUST CANNOT.
So yeah. Beautiful Disaster is a somewhat accurate title. Just take out Beautiful and you have it right.
The slang definitely turned me off during the initial 10% of the book, but by the end I got use to it, and it wasn't an issue. I don't agree with cutting out the last chapter from the book, but I don't like it. I don't think Alex is the kind of person to recognize the error in his ways enough to completely change a part of his life that he's had for years, even if he does see one of his droogs do that same thing. Plus, it seems rather unrealistic IMO.
Still, a great exploration of human free will, and a great book overall.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
Hmm, not sure about this one. I really enjoyed the first half, despite the fact that the plot didn't take off until about 150 pages in. The second half I found okay, well plotted and no plot holes regarding the time travel, but I lost my interest until about the last 10% when everything started coming together again. I'll still read the other two books, but I just feel a little let down by parts of the latter half.