I am a monster. The worst kind of monster. The kind that people have told stories about for thousands of years. The kind that daredevils like poor
I am a monster. The worst kind of monster. The kind that people have told stories about for thousands of years. The kind that daredevils like poor Walt seek out, even though many believe I'm nothing more than a myth. I am the Gorgon Medusa. And my eyes can turn anything living to stone.
So you thought Medusa was evil and horrendous and the stuff of living nightmares? YOU THOUGHT WRONG!
If you're a fan of semi-contemporary retellings of Greek mythology (or mythology in general), The Deep End of the Sea will please you to the depths of the sea. We all know the tale of Medusa, but as old as her story is, it tells an extremely timeless one as well.
There's no easy way to go about it: rape is a primary issue in this book. Poisedon is a total dickhead who fancies himself in love with Medusa and can't see past that he robbed her of her body. Athena is a huge bitch who curses Medusa with snakes on her head and eyes that literally kill, and sentences her to a deserted island with barely anyone for company. Your heart can't help breaking over the unfairness of it all.
It's easy to see how this might scar a person (or a Gorgon (view spoiler)[or even a goddess (hide spoiler)], rather) for life. Medusa is prone to crying a lot, but who wouldn't when you've lived 2,000 years as the incarnate of children's horror tales?
She truly grows throughout the book. She learns to stand up for herself, confront her feelings, and adapt to her new surroundings, even if she's terrified out of her mind half the time. She thinks of herself as a monster and can't see past the fact that maybe, just maybe, she really isn't one.
Then there's the romance. Oh, the romance.
He kisses me again, hot and slow. "I want to spend my life with you, if you'll let me." His tongue traces my jaw line; passion stirs in my belly once more, "I want to spend forever with you." He gently bites my earlobe; I moan softly. "I don't care if you are mortal, immortal, or a so-called ex-monster. I just want you.
Hermes is such a god. A god with his mouth. ;)
But all jokes aside, he's an incredibly wonderful male protagonist. Hermes loves Medusa for who she is, not what she looks like. For someone so defined by her beauty or ugliness, I honestly think it's one of the healthiest relationships I've read about recently, just because Hermes cares for her in all the ways that matter.
Sure, he's high-handed at times (especially with Karo). But you can't fault him for waiting 2,000 years for her. Watching their friendship blossom into love was just so satisfying. Doesn't hurt than he's ethereally handsome. *__*
Some minor quibbles:
-Perhaps if Athena and Poseidon were drawn in more shades of grey than black and white, this would've warranted five stars. -There are a couple of syntax usages I'm particularly nitpicky about that show up every now and again. -Sometimes Medusa veered into the region of special snowflake, but it never got that far, so it wasn't a big problem for me. And some people found her angst a little too much to handle. What I can say is, I understand the reasons behind it, and the book keeps to a decent length. It didn't overwhelm or annoy me. Personal issue, IMO.
Either way, I'm glad I got this in paperback. I'm definitely lending this to my friends first chance I get. More people should read this, please???...more
LOL-on-public-transport funny! I read the Hindu bits to my Indian best friend while a bunch of us were at a bar and the beer/daiquiris/general alcoholLOL-on-public-transport funny! I read the Hindu bits to my Indian best friend while a bunch of us were at a bar and the beer/daiquiris/general alcohol we were having only made the reading aloud funnier. Review to come when I'm not insanely busy with uni (and it's winter break, WTF)....more
This was 644 pages long and I finished it in, like, one and a half days. I don't think I need to say anything more. Besides that it was OH MY GOD MUCHThis was 644 pages long and I finished it in, like, one and a half days. I don't think I need to say anything more. Besides that it was OH MY GOD MUCH EXCELLENT SO CHARACTERS VERY FANTASTIC and I cannot believe how much love I have for a golem and a djinni!!!
Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?
It seems only fitting that I read A Monst
Stories are wild creatures, the monster said. When you let them loose, who knows what havoc they might wreak?
It seems only fitting that I read A Monster Calls this month. It isn't a scary book, per se, despite the title. It's a story about loss, grief, being invisible, a boy's love for his mother, and most importantly about the power of hope. The Guardian called this "brilliant and elegant" and I can't help but agree. I really wish I'd read this at a younger age. I'd have learned a lot.
Conor is a thirteen-year-old boy bullied at school and enduring his mum's persistent illness, while his dad has left them to make a new family in America. His classmates and teachers pity him, and he doesn't get along with his grandma. He has a recurring nightmare he never dares to dwell on. One night, a monster visits him in the form of the yew tree on the hill at the back of his house. The monster wants to tell Conor three stories - in exchange for Conor speaking the truth of his nightmare.
I don't think A Monster Calls will necessarily resonate with everyone, but it's a quiet, loaded sort of novel that defines the grey area of human beings. Like the monster says:
There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between.
The stories the monster tells are clever in their simplicity, as is the metaphor behind the book. The writing is powerful in its poignancy. Patrick Ness adapted an idea from Siobhan Dowd, who died of cancer in 2007 before she could write it. He did it plenty of justice - this is one for the times. I should probably dust off The Knife of Never Letting Go and seriously sit down to read it now.
I kept a rigorous set of journals from the ages of 12 to 15. I wrote in them almost every day - I even got my friends to contribute little conversatioI kept a rigorous set of journals from the ages of 12 to 15. I wrote in them almost every day - I even got my friends to contribute little conversations when we sat together in class or hung out together. I tried going through them one day sometime last year, only to discover how terribly juvenile they all were, but hey, I was a tween!
Reading The Chaos of Stars felt somewhat like rereading those old diaries. Difference is, Isadora was a full 5 years my senior at the time of writing those diaries. She still acts like a complete brat. Her voice is barely tolerable. I could give so many examples of her punch-in-the-face-worthy behaviour, but this one struck me as just completely ignorant:
I’m glad to be here. Thrilled. America has no culture. There’s no weight of history, barely even centuries to pull on people. You can be whoever and whatever you want, genealogy and history and religion as fleeting and unimportant as the latest trend in style that’ll be gone as quickly as it came.
America has no roots. Nothing here lasts forever. I’ll fit right in.
WOW. Yeah, this was excruciating to finish. At least it didn't take long. Isadora has got to be one of the worst YA female protagonists I've encountered in a while. Then of course she falls for an amazingly gorgeous Greek boy with the bluest blue eyes one can blue in a blue moon... guess who (or what) he really is? Hint: he's Greek. *facepalms*
The use of Egyptian mythology didn't wow me. Kendare Blake's Antigoddess (same release day, ho ho) is a much better representation of interesting application of mythology to YA. All in all, just strike this off your TBR list. I quite liked Paranormalcy, thought the next two books were pretty crap, and haven't made it through 5 pages of Mind Games. Maybe Kiersten White just isn't for me anymore.
And yet another gorgeous cover ruins my expectations!...more
Pales in comparison to the Anna Dressed in Blood duology. Kendare Blake definitely knows her Greek mythology - I know next to nothing about it and undPales in comparison to the Anna Dressed in Blood duology. Kendare Blake definitely knows her Greek mythology - I know next to nothing about it and understood everything without having to incessantly Google everything, which happens to be a godsend, no pun intended - but the first half or so was, well, kind of boring. I found myself much more interested in Athena and Odysseus's relationship than Cassandra and Aidan's.
That said, I'm damn well picking up the sequel... more gods and goddesses tearing each other apart? Aw yes....more
Solid premise, intriguing setting (booyah Norway!), not-so-solid protagonist. I didn't dislike Elsa, per se; I just found he(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
Solid premise, intriguing setting (booyah Norway!), not-so-solid protagonist. I didn't dislike Elsa, per se; I just found her somewhat one-dimensional and unfocused at the wrong times. Sure, she's a badass newbie Valkyrie protected most of her life by her perfect older brother. I would have liked to see her breaking out more of that mold. It felt like the book never quite lived up to its potential, but for a debut it was a more than decent effort. Please let there be a sequel. There has to be one. Please? More Astrid and Loki/Odin being bitchy gods?
Sorry, that person's shelf is private.
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