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Saturday, October 5, 2013
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Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer
Vicious by Victoria Schwab
Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton
The Waking Dark By Robin Wasserman
I'm about halfway through the first two books, I've been jumping between the books because lately I have a goldfish attention span.
Trick or Treat is fascinating, apparently a lot of what is common knowledge about Halloween is based on mistranslations. For example "Samhain" was a New Year's festival, and not a Celtic god or "lord of the dead".
I'm hoping to participate in at least one challenge, and will definitely be visiting blogs to cheer people on :).
Update & Wrap-up:
I visited a couple of blogs but not as many as I hoped, and participated in a couple of the challenges. Reading goal-wise I finished Vicious and read a large chunk of The Waking Dark but I'm still only halfway through Delia's Shadow and a quarter into Trick or Treat.
What really put me off track was during a recent bout of insomnia I picked up The Monstrumologist and did a re-read, following it with its The Curse of the Wendigo the next day which I also completed. Around 3 1/2 books read overall, not bad.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Feature & Follow Friday is a social blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
Q: What book (or TV show or movie) have you not read that seemingly everyone else has?
Book: Guys, I have a confession to make, I have not read:
Maybe I'll get to it some time before the film release.
TV Show:
I like to be up on my pop culture, but I never got into this show while it aired and now I'm intimated by the all the hours I'd spend catching up.
Movie:
I saw the first two in theaters but never got there for this one. At this point all the plot details have been spoiled by cultural osmosis so I may never bother to see it. Would it be worth it?
If you'd like, let me know in the comments what TV shows you're watching right now. I could use some recs, and I also love talking about shows on twitter if anyone's interested.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Published by Dial
You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…
Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.
Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?
Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.
Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.
Review: (Warning: I tend to avoid spoilers, but this review contains some in order to state my case)
This book did not work for me at all. First, a lot of details in this that novel are prime examples of what is considered "gothic": an old mansion, mysterious hauntings, cemeteries, the specter of the devil, and family secrets. Sounds good right? The problem is that all of this is so much meaningless set dressing having very little to do with the actual plot. In gothic stories the setting is an integral part of the action. You could transport this story to any setting and have it be the same.
The plot? Basically mysterious hot boy comes to town, girl is smitten, hot boy torments neighbor, children, girl's brother, and kills a guy. Hot boy's hot brother arrives to tell the girl: "Hey, my brother's just misunderstood. P.S. he's mind controlling you". Girl is surprisingly cool with this. Girl is almost set on fire by assailant with mind control powers. Girl is nearly sexually assaulted by hot guy and feels instant forgiveness. Mind control? Who cares! He's hot. Some family secrets come out that have very little to do with present day events and nothing to do with any kind of devil, even on a symbolic level. Some more deaths and attacks occur. A twist! Apparently hot guy only committed some murders, not all of them. What a guy.
Despite all the events listed above, the novel manages to be boring. Much page time is devoted to activities such as nap-taking and food preparation. There's not much to be said for the characters either. River is our resident hot guy. He can speak for himself:
"Some people don't deserve to live. And, to go a step further, some people need to die" Loc. 1784 of e-book
Violet, our heroine, likes wearing her grandmother's clothes, old movies, reading Faulkner, and painting. This gives her a sense of superiority. She spends much of the novel being angry with River then giving up on that anger (mind control) and enjoying naps/meals with him. She's surprisingly comfortable with losing her free will, even once it's been regained. Violet has a neighbor named Sunshine whose hobbies include drinking ice tea, flirting with Violet's brother, Luke, and being slut-shamed by Violet. I absolutely hate what happens to Sunshine. Luke's hobbies are painting and making sexist comments.
I always get lured in to novels like these in the hopes that they will commit to the premise: either have the love interest be evil and the protagonist makes the choice to stop him, or have her embrace it with full awareness. This wishy-washy he's not so bad nonsense is maddening, especially when the narrative seems to condone the murders and assaults committed by the "hero".
1 lonely star.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
My selection for this week is:
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Release date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
I love a good fairytale retelling and the summary plus the comparison to Graceling is really making me excited for this release.
Welcome to Henrietta,
a small town in Virginia where Blue Sargent lives with her extended
family of psychics. Blue’s not psychic herself and spends her time doing
part-time jobs and avoiding the rich boys who attend the private Aglionby
school.Oh, and also she lives with a prophecy that her first love will die after she kisses him. Her life changes one night when her and a mother have a vision of a
Aglionby boy who’s time is running out. Soon Blue meets that boy, Gansey, in the
flesh. Blue gets to know Gansey and his
fellow “Raven Boys”: Adam, Ronan, and Noah and finds all of them have their
secrets. Drawn deeper into Gansey’s
orbit, Blue will find herself on a quest
more magical that even she could have imagined, and more dangerous as well.
Review: Maggie Stiefvater's novel is a refreshingly original magical tale with a well-developed setting and a large cast of intriguing, multi-faceted characters. From Blue and the members of her sprawling psychic family to each individual "Raven boy" all have fully-fleshed out personalities and backstories. As interesting as Gansey's crew are, my personal favorite characters are Blue's mother Maura and her two partners in clairvoyance: Calla and Persephone. They add a nice touch of humor to the adventures.
The plot may move at a slightly slower pace than some may be used to, but there are plenty of mysteries to be investigated once Blue finds her place with the Aglionby boys and the quest begins in earnest. The subject of the search undertaken by Gansey's crew is one that I personally have never read about before, adding to the book's appeal. Furthermore the mystical aspects of the novel are grounded by mundane problems: issues of class are touched on, adding to the story's depth. The book ends with satisfying plot resolution but with leaving the overarching quest open-ended. There are plenty of mysteries for the sequel.
As far as romance goes, there are complications even without the prophecy of Blue's doomed love. I'll be cryptic and say it's very interesting and things played out in what I felt was a realistic way, with the possibility the things may be different in the future.
4.5 Camaros
The plot may move at a slightly slower pace than some may be used to, but there are plenty of mysteries to be investigated once Blue finds her place with the Aglionby boys and the quest begins in earnest. The subject of the search undertaken by Gansey's crew is one that I personally have never read about before, adding to the book's appeal. Furthermore the mystical aspects of the novel are grounded by mundane problems: issues of class are touched on, adding to the story's depth. The book ends with satisfying plot resolution but with leaving the overarching quest open-ended. There are plenty of mysteries for the sequel.
As far as romance goes, there are complications even without the prophecy of Blue's doomed love. I'll be cryptic and say it's very interesting and things played out in what I felt was a realistic way, with the possibility the things may be different in the future.
4.5 Camaros
The Dream Thieves
Ronan's the focus of this second book in the series, as he gains more understanding of his dream powers and finds answers regarding his father's murder. Meanwhile Gansey, with Blue, Noah, Adam, and Ronan, continues his search for Glendower, with the stakes rising as they find they are not the only ones in pursuit of the magic. Adam must deal with the consequences of the choice he made at Cabeswater, affecting his relationship with Blue. All of them must work together to protect their friend and the town of Henrietta itself.
Review: In this novel Ronan takes center stage as he explores his dream powers and finds some answers regarding his father's murder. Adam also has some choices to make as he is dealing with some side effects from Cabeswater. Gansey and Blue are not as prominently featured as in the first novel but Blue makes an important decision of her own and Gansey is still the heart of the group. Noah acts as support for his friends and has a sweet moment with Blue. Some new antagonists make themselves known, including a Aglionby classmate with a particular interest in Ronan.
One of my favorite aspect's of Stiefvater's writing, particularly in this novel, is her capacity for subtlety. Many details in this novel are not stated outright but are still conveyed effectively and the story is the richer for it. The plot is as fresh as in the first novel and allows the characters to shine. My impression was that the pace of this novel is more consistent than the first, as all character introductions have already been made. As previously stated, this is Ronan's book and it goes a long way towards fleshing out the moody and aggressive teen from the first novel, showing a person who is tormented but cares deeply for his loved ones. The plots of this novel are wrapped up but for one dangling plot thread.
4.8 Camaros
Recommended for: People who like a selection of great characters, quests, and interesting love stories.
One of my favorite aspect's of Stiefvater's writing, particularly in this novel, is her capacity for subtlety. Many details in this novel are not stated outright but are still conveyed effectively and the story is the richer for it. The plot is as fresh as in the first novel and allows the characters to shine. My impression was that the pace of this novel is more consistent than the first, as all character introductions have already been made. As previously stated, this is Ronan's book and it goes a long way towards fleshing out the moody and aggressive teen from the first novel, showing a person who is tormented but cares deeply for his loved ones. The plots of this novel are wrapped up but for one dangling plot thread.
4.8 Camaros
Recommended for: People who like a selection of great characters, quests, and interesting love stories.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
With thanks to The Broke and the Bookish.
Oh boy, I have some serious business book turn offs and then some weirdly specific bookish pet peeves:
1. Stereotyped characters - Racial or ethnic stereotypes. Stereotyped depiction of homosexuals. Write well-rounded characters. Be better than this.
2. Slut shaming - Once again, be better than this.
3. Poor depiction of a mental illness - I hate this, if you're writing about a mental illness, do the research. See also: mental illness = evil, no matter the illness.
4. Magically Healing Disability - I can't think of an example for this off the top of my head, which is a good thing.
The Sillier Ones Or Writing Pitfalls to Avoid
5. Contrived Suspense or Nyah Nyah Nyah Syndrome - A character has vital information that they are withholding from the protagonist for no real reason other than to build suspense. See Meridian, where the grandmother who could die at any moment chose to have the heroine rest, bake cookies, wander around etc. before telling her what her death powers are about and providing training that could save her life. See also the beginning of The Maze Runner. Also known as "I want the truth/You can't handle the truth".
6. Willful Ignorance or But Why Can't I Make Out With You, Zombie Infected Boyfriend? - A character that should know better makes choices that are clearly terrible and is infuriatingly TSTL. I have a particular example in mind and this book will forever fill me with rage. (The Dead Tossed Waves)
7. Redeemed by Hotness - Good-looking character (always a guy) commits atrocities such as stalking, assault, perhaps some mind control, even as far as murder, shows absolutely no remorse, and never faces any consequences. Heroine still loves him. His hotness burns away all misdeeds. He has been Redeemed By Hotness.
8. Nothing Compares To You - Protagonist is completely obsessed with love interest to the exclusion of all else. I like characters that care about other things aside from their potential significant other: friends, family members, leading the rebellion, saving the world, basketball, their fanfiction, they have to have something. (I'm not putting an example, think of a terrible Twilight ripoff)
9. Deus Ex Machina - It's lazy and it bugs me. Mainly the kind that is completely out of left field, at least have some set up or foreshadowing.
I was reminded of my distaste by a recent example:
10. Angels or Mermaids - I tend to steer clear of books that feature these particular beings and I stand by this decision. Not for a specific reason, more lack of interest. There are always exceptions though.
They all will negatively affect my opinion, even if there are other aspects of a book I liked.
Luckily I've gotten better at guessing when a book will feature one of the above, in order to avoid them. I want to like every book I read. Still, sometimes I get an unpleasant surprise. I can never tell when Nyah Nyah Nyah Syndrome will strike.
Edited to remove examples and prevent endless scrolling.
Edited to remove examples and prevent endless scrolling.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
This past week was light on reviews, so expect a review heavy October going forward.
On a personal note I'm kind of saddened by the Goodreads drama. I'm not directly affected, but no book exists in a vacuum and it is an insidious form of censorship to not allow mention of the author in a review. Particularly as there seems to be cherry-picking as to what is considered a policy violation. On a practical note, I had liked having a resource to learn the authors likely to harass me about an unfavorable review, in order to steer clear. I've always used LibraryThing and I may start directing links there, but that site does not have summaries. I've looked into BookLikes and personally I'm not a fan.
Here's my book haul for the past couple of weeks:
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman
Slimed! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age by Mathew Klickstein
The Never List by Koethi Zan
Shadows by Robin McKinley
Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Also, now that I have some time this week and my TBR is almost as tall as my night stand, I'll be participating in Fraterfest 2013 Oct 3 - Oct 8 to try and get some more books finished.
Have a great week everyone!
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Saturday, October 5, 2013
Fraterfest Readathon Goals and Progress Report
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Delia's Shadow by Jaime Lee Moyer
Vicious by Victoria Schwab
Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween by Lisa Morton
The Waking Dark By Robin Wasserman
I'm about halfway through the first two books, I've been jumping between the books because lately I have a goldfish attention span.
Trick or Treat is fascinating, apparently a lot of what is common knowledge about Halloween is based on mistranslations. For example "Samhain" was a New Year's festival, and not a Celtic god or "lord of the dead".
I'm hoping to participate in at least one challenge, and will definitely be visiting blogs to cheer people on :).
Update & Wrap-up:
I visited a couple of blogs but not as many as I hoped, and participated in a couple of the challenges. Reading goal-wise I finished Vicious and read a large chunk of The Waking Dark but I'm still only halfway through Delia's Shadow and a quarter into Trick or Treat.
What really put me off track was during a recent bout of insomnia I picked up The Monstrumologist and did a re-read, following it with its The Curse of the Wendigo the next day which I also completed. Around 3 1/2 books read overall, not bad.
Friday, October 4, 2013
Feature and Follow Friday
Feature & Follow Friday is a social blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.
Q: What book (or TV show or movie) have you not read that seemingly everyone else has?
Book: Guys, I have a confession to make, I have not read:
Maybe I'll get to it some time before the film release.
TV Show:
I like to be up on my pop culture, but I never got into this show while it aired and now I'm intimated by the all the hours I'd spend catching up.
Movie:
I saw the first two in theaters but never got there for this one. At this point all the plot details have been spoiled by cultural osmosis so I may never bother to see it. Would it be worth it?
If you'd like, let me know in the comments what TV shows you're watching right now. I could use some recs, and I also love talking about shows on twitter if anyone's interested.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Review: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea
Published by Dial
You stop fearing the devil when you’re holding his hand…
Nothing much exciting rolls through Violet White’s sleepy, seaside town… until River West comes along. River rents the guest house behind Violet’s crumbling estate, and as eerie, grim things start to happen, Violet begins to wonder about the boy living in her backyard.
Is River just a crooked-smiling liar with pretty eyes and a mysterious past? Or could he be something more?
Violet’s grandmother always warned her about the Devil, but she never said he could be a dark-haired boy who takes naps in the sun, who likes coffee, who kisses you in a cemetery... who makes you want to kiss back.
Violet’s already so knee-deep in love, she can’t see straight. And that’s just how River likes it.
Review: (Warning: I tend to avoid spoilers, but this review contains some in order to state my case)
This book did not work for me at all. First, a lot of details in this that novel are prime examples of what is considered "gothic": an old mansion, mysterious hauntings, cemeteries, the specter of the devil, and family secrets. Sounds good right? The problem is that all of this is so much meaningless set dressing having very little to do with the actual plot. In gothic stories the setting is an integral part of the action. You could transport this story to any setting and have it be the same.
The plot? Basically mysterious hot boy comes to town, girl is smitten, hot boy torments neighbor, children, girl's brother, and kills a guy. Hot boy's hot brother arrives to tell the girl: "Hey, my brother's just misunderstood. P.S. he's mind controlling you". Girl is surprisingly cool with this. Girl is almost set on fire by assailant with mind control powers. Girl is nearly sexually assaulted by hot guy and feels instant forgiveness. Mind control? Who cares! He's hot. Some family secrets come out that have very little to do with present day events and nothing to do with any kind of devil, even on a symbolic level. Some more deaths and attacks occur. A twist! Apparently hot guy only committed some murders, not all of them. What a guy.
Despite all the events listed above, the novel manages to be boring. Much page time is devoted to activities such as nap-taking and food preparation. There's not much to be said for the characters either. River is our resident hot guy. He can speak for himself:
"Some people don't deserve to live. And, to go a step further, some people need to die" Loc. 1784 of e-book
Violet, our heroine, likes wearing her grandmother's clothes, old movies, reading Faulkner, and painting. This gives her a sense of superiority. She spends much of the novel being angry with River then giving up on that anger (mind control) and enjoying naps/meals with him. She's surprisingly comfortable with losing her free will, even once it's been regained. Violet has a neighbor named Sunshine whose hobbies include drinking ice tea, flirting with Violet's brother, Luke, and being slut-shamed by Violet. I absolutely hate what happens to Sunshine. Luke's hobbies are painting and making sexist comments.
I always get lured in to novels like these in the hopes that they will commit to the premise: either have the love interest be evil and the protagonist makes the choice to stop him, or have her embrace it with full awareness. This wishy-washy he's not so bad nonsense is maddening, especially when the narrative seems to condone the murders and assaults committed by the "hero".
1 lonely star.
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Waiting on Wednesday: Waiting On Cruel Beauty
My selection for this week is:
Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge
Release date: January 28, 2014
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Graceling meets Beauty and the Beast in this sweeping fantasy about one girl's journey to fulfill her destiny and the monster who gets in her way-by stealing her heart.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny.
Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him.
With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents her family for never trying to save her and hates herself for wanting to escape her fate. Still, on her seventeenth birthday, Nyx abandons everything she's ever known to marry the all-powerful, immortal Ignifex. Her plan? Seduce him, destroy his enchanted castle, and break the nine-hundred-year-old curse he put on her people.
But Ignifex is not at all what Nyx expected. The strangely charming lord beguiles her, and his castle-a shifting maze of magical rooms-enthralls her.
As Nyx searches for a way to free her homeland by uncovering Ignifex's secrets, she finds herself unwillingly drawn to him. Even if she could bring herself to love her sworn enemy, how can she refuse her duty to kill him? With time running out, Nyx must decide what is more important: the future of her kingdom, or the man she was never supposed to love.
I love a good fairytale retelling and the summary plus the comparison to Graceling is really making me excited for this release.
Double Feature Review: The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves By Maggie Stiefvater
Welcome to Henrietta,
a small town in Virginia where Blue Sargent lives with her extended
family of psychics. Blue’s not psychic herself and spends her time doing
part-time jobs and avoiding the rich boys who attend the private Aglionby
school.Oh, and also she lives with a prophecy that her first love will die after she kisses him. Her life changes one night when her and a mother have a vision of a
Aglionby boy who’s time is running out. Soon Blue meets that boy, Gansey, in the
flesh. Blue gets to know Gansey and his
fellow “Raven Boys”: Adam, Ronan, and Noah and finds all of them have their
secrets. Drawn deeper into Gansey’s
orbit, Blue will find herself on a quest
more magical that even she could have imagined, and more dangerous as well.
Review: Maggie Stiefvater's novel is a refreshingly original magical tale with a well-developed setting and a large cast of intriguing, multi-faceted characters. From Blue and the members of her sprawling psychic family to each individual "Raven boy" all have fully-fleshed out personalities and backstories. As interesting as Gansey's crew are, my personal favorite characters are Blue's mother Maura and her two partners in clairvoyance: Calla and Persephone. They add a nice touch of humor to the adventures.
The plot may move at a slightly slower pace than some may be used to, but there are plenty of mysteries to be investigated once Blue finds her place with the Aglionby boys and the quest begins in earnest. The subject of the search undertaken by Gansey's crew is one that I personally have never read about before, adding to the book's appeal. Furthermore the mystical aspects of the novel are grounded by mundane problems: issues of class are touched on, adding to the story's depth. The book ends with satisfying plot resolution but with leaving the overarching quest open-ended. There are plenty of mysteries for the sequel.
As far as romance goes, there are complications even without the prophecy of Blue's doomed love. I'll be cryptic and say it's very interesting and things played out in what I felt was a realistic way, with the possibility the things may be different in the future.
4.5 Camaros
The plot may move at a slightly slower pace than some may be used to, but there are plenty of mysteries to be investigated once Blue finds her place with the Aglionby boys and the quest begins in earnest. The subject of the search undertaken by Gansey's crew is one that I personally have never read about before, adding to the book's appeal. Furthermore the mystical aspects of the novel are grounded by mundane problems: issues of class are touched on, adding to the story's depth. The book ends with satisfying plot resolution but with leaving the overarching quest open-ended. There are plenty of mysteries for the sequel.
As far as romance goes, there are complications even without the prophecy of Blue's doomed love. I'll be cryptic and say it's very interesting and things played out in what I felt was a realistic way, with the possibility the things may be different in the future.
4.5 Camaros
The Dream Thieves
Ronan's the focus of this second book in the series, as he gains more understanding of his dream powers and finds answers regarding his father's murder. Meanwhile Gansey, with Blue, Noah, Adam, and Ronan, continues his search for Glendower, with the stakes rising as they find they are not the only ones in pursuit of the magic. Adam must deal with the consequences of the choice he made at Cabeswater, affecting his relationship with Blue. All of them must work together to protect their friend and the town of Henrietta itself.
Review: In this novel Ronan takes center stage as he explores his dream powers and finds some answers regarding his father's murder. Adam also has some choices to make as he is dealing with some side effects from Cabeswater. Gansey and Blue are not as prominently featured as in the first novel but Blue makes an important decision of her own and Gansey is still the heart of the group. Noah acts as support for his friends and has a sweet moment with Blue. Some new antagonists make themselves known, including a Aglionby classmate with a particular interest in Ronan.
One of my favorite aspect's of Stiefvater's writing, particularly in this novel, is her capacity for subtlety. Many details in this novel are not stated outright but are still conveyed effectively and the story is the richer for it. The plot is as fresh as in the first novel and allows the characters to shine. My impression was that the pace of this novel is more consistent than the first, as all character introductions have already been made. As previously stated, this is Ronan's book and it goes a long way towards fleshing out the moody and aggressive teen from the first novel, showing a person who is tormented but cares deeply for his loved ones. The plots of this novel are wrapped up but for one dangling plot thread.
4.8 Camaros
Recommended for: People who like a selection of great characters, quests, and interesting love stories.
One of my favorite aspect's of Stiefvater's writing, particularly in this novel, is her capacity for subtlety. Many details in this novel are not stated outright but are still conveyed effectively and the story is the richer for it. The plot is as fresh as in the first novel and allows the characters to shine. My impression was that the pace of this novel is more consistent than the first, as all character introductions have already been made. As previously stated, this is Ronan's book and it goes a long way towards fleshing out the moody and aggressive teen from the first novel, showing a person who is tormented but cares deeply for his loved ones. The plots of this novel are wrapped up but for one dangling plot thread.
4.8 Camaros
Recommended for: People who like a selection of great characters, quests, and interesting love stories.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Bookish Turn-offs
With thanks to The Broke and the Bookish.
Oh boy, I have some serious business book turn offs and then some weirdly specific bookish pet peeves:
1. Stereotyped characters - Racial or ethnic stereotypes. Stereotyped depiction of homosexuals. Write well-rounded characters. Be better than this.
2. Slut shaming - Once again, be better than this.
3. Poor depiction of a mental illness - I hate this, if you're writing about a mental illness, do the research. See also: mental illness = evil, no matter the illness.
4. Magically Healing Disability - I can't think of an example for this off the top of my head, which is a good thing.
The Sillier Ones Or Writing Pitfalls to Avoid
5. Contrived Suspense or Nyah Nyah Nyah Syndrome - A character has vital information that they are withholding from the protagonist for no real reason other than to build suspense. See Meridian, where the grandmother who could die at any moment chose to have the heroine rest, bake cookies, wander around etc. before telling her what her death powers are about and providing training that could save her life. See also the beginning of The Maze Runner. Also known as "I want the truth/You can't handle the truth".
6. Willful Ignorance or But Why Can't I Make Out With You, Zombie Infected Boyfriend? - A character that should know better makes choices that are clearly terrible and is infuriatingly TSTL. I have a particular example in mind and this book will forever fill me with rage. (The Dead Tossed Waves)
7. Redeemed by Hotness - Good-looking character (always a guy) commits atrocities such as stalking, assault, perhaps some mind control, even as far as murder, shows absolutely no remorse, and never faces any consequences. Heroine still loves him. His hotness burns away all misdeeds. He has been Redeemed By Hotness.
8. Nothing Compares To You - Protagonist is completely obsessed with love interest to the exclusion of all else. I like characters that care about other things aside from their potential significant other: friends, family members, leading the rebellion, saving the world, basketball, their fanfiction, they have to have something. (I'm not putting an example, think of a terrible Twilight ripoff)
9. Deus Ex Machina - It's lazy and it bugs me. Mainly the kind that is completely out of left field, at least have some set up or foreshadowing.
I was reminded of my distaste by a recent example:
10. Angels or Mermaids - I tend to steer clear of books that feature these particular beings and I stand by this decision. Not for a specific reason, more lack of interest. There are always exceptions though.
They all will negatively affect my opinion, even if there are other aspects of a book I liked.
Luckily I've gotten better at guessing when a book will feature one of the above, in order to avoid them. I want to like every book I read. Still, sometimes I get an unpleasant surprise. I can never tell when Nyah Nyah Nyah Syndrome will strike.
Edited to remove examples and prevent endless scrolling.
Edited to remove examples and prevent endless scrolling.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday Post # 2
This past week was light on reviews, so expect a review heavy October going forward.
On a personal note I'm kind of saddened by the Goodreads drama. I'm not directly affected, but no book exists in a vacuum and it is an insidious form of censorship to not allow mention of the author in a review. Particularly as there seems to be cherry-picking as to what is considered a policy violation. On a practical note, I had liked having a resource to learn the authors likely to harass me about an unfavorable review, in order to steer clear. I've always used LibraryThing and I may start directing links there, but that site does not have summaries. I've looked into BookLikes and personally I'm not a fan.
Here's my book haul for the past couple of weeks:
Eighty Days: Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland's History-Making Race Around the World by Matthew Goodman
Slimed! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age by Mathew Klickstein
The Never List by Koethi Zan
Shadows by Robin McKinley
Untold by Sarah Rees Brennan
Vicious by V.E. Schwab
Also, now that I have some time this week and my TBR is almost as tall as my night stand, I'll be participating in Fraterfest 2013 Oct 3 - Oct 8 to try and get some more books finished.
Have a great week everyone!
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