3.5 stars. Well, now, these dark vampires were pretty fun to follow!
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۰•● Julie Kagawa is such a master in world-building. Indeed after h[image]
3.5 stars. Well, now, these dark vampires were pretty fun to follow!
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۰•● Julie Kagawa is such a master in world-building. Indeed after having loved her fairy land in The Iron King (which is much-hated by many of my friends, but what can I say, I loved it and I'm not even ashamed), again I felt myself completely immerged and eager to learn more about the violent and merciless world we discover here.
See, to me a great world-building isn't necessarily complex. No. Of course it mustn't be overly simplistic, but above all that, in my opinion, a well-done world-building is coherent, without 'holes' in it, and let us immerge into it straight away. That was the case here.
"Always leave yourself an out ; that was the first rule of the Unregistered. Do whatever you want - hate the vamps, curse the pets - but never get caught."
۩۩ Welcome to New Covington, city ruled by Vampires, where humans are either pets (understand : minions) and food or unregistered and then surviving by stealing and scavenging.
You want to escape?
*shakes head*
Now, that's what I call a bad idea. Outdoors you will find hybrid creatures who will most likely rip you apart. Literally. Oh, and we're in a post-apocalyptic area, where everything kind of fall apart, so be careful when you find a house, the roof could be destroyed rather easily. You've been warned.
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۰•● Let's talk about the characters, shall we?
▩ Allison is badass. Fierce, sarcastic, brave, loyal. She's the heroine of her own story, stands for herself and doesn't let other bring her down. High-five, girl, I like you already.
➸ Tired of these heroines who always need saving? Allison is the one who saves others.
➸ Annoyed by overlong inner whiny monologues? Allison is sharp, strong-minded, confident in her choices, even if what she has to do to respect them isn't the easier path to follow - far from it.
"I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to control myself, and I would end up killing someone. And, deep down, a part of me didn’t care. That was the scariest thing of all."
And cherry on top, the girl uses a katana. A fucking katana. Well, that's pretty obvious that she's my favorite, isn't it?
▩ As for Zeke, I need to point out that even if it took me longer to be truly interested in him, his hopeful personality won me in the end. You know, he's the kind of character whose comments can bring a real smile on your face, who we can't help but want to both hug and shake a little ➸ And that's what Allison felt, and if I wasn't already a fan of her, I would have loved her for that. No blind admiration from her, but recognition of something as rare as hope - trust. Yes it can be annoying but do you want to get my opinion just say yes already, you'll have it anyway? In a world as dark and twisted as that one, an hopeful and fundamentally kind character is such a breath of fresh air. So, what? He could be sexier? More smart-ass? Hell yes, but then, we have Jackal and Allison for that.
Now, the guy is blond. Not that I have a problem with that or anything but seriously. The guy is blond. Sorry, I might have some weird preferences when it comes to my male-leads fantasies. Fortunately he doesn't have long hair. Yes, Ethan Sullivan, I'm looking right at you.
▩ And there're the Vampires. Monstrous, heartless, selfish, who need to bury themselves underground to avoid the sun - finally, YA vampires who don't own big cars and sparkle.
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No, thank you. Really, I'd prefer not.
In The Immortal Rulesthere's no good vampires, but only different shades of Evil. Allison included. But then, are there such things as Evil and Good out there? I'm not really sure, and that's for the best.
"We are vampires, Kanin had told me, on one of our last nights together.It makes no difference who we are, where we came from. Princes, Masters and rabids alike, we are monsters, cut off from humanity. They will never trust us. They will never accept us. We hide in their midst and walk among them, but we are forever separate. Damned. Alone. You don't understand now, but you will."
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۰•● Overall, the plot kept me interested but even if I never was bored to death, I must admit that the pacing was uneven : indeed after a strong beginning that captivated me, I found the middle a tad weak but absolutely adored the last 30%.
۰•● Apart from that, my main complain is the unnecessary and childish girl's hate. Oh, how it annoyed me! I mean, I'm trying to be kind here, but why create such insta-hate from Ruth toward Allison? There's no reason to explain it at first. Absolutely no. reason. Look, back when I was a teenager I always had more guys friends than girls, but I would have never hated a girl on sight just for having made an apparition. Note that I wasn't struggling to survive in a rude world in the middle of a mainly male group. So, this bitchy hate? In my opinion, it was completely unnecessary.
In a nutshell : Here's a really good first book of a trilogy I'm eager to continue, as I'm sure there're more to know about this dark and twisted world.
PS : No, my friends, you're not delusional. I did post parts of this review last year. Then I did delete it when reshelving today, because somehow, I'm a moron like that. Just like that. I guess I should be grateful to be an organized kind of moron. Oh well. It reminded me that I should read the sequel soon^^
Wow, I *almost* bought this book before remembering that technically, I dnfed it at 50% when I read the serial. I needed to do something about my lackWow, I *almost* bought this book before remembering that technically, I dnfed it at 50% when I read the serial. I needed to do something about my lack of memories, or I'd have ended buying this without intending to.
#Won't Bother Now #Girl Fight Nightmare
► My review of part 1 : ★★★ ► My review of part 2 : ★★★ ► My review of part 3 : ★
YES. That’s better - by the way, I really like[image]
...Close your eyes.
► Picture the woods.
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UGH, NO. NOT THOSE WOODS. DAMMIT. MY EYES.
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YES. That’s better - by the way, I really like the overprint technique used by the colorist - it helps to convey an otherworldly atmosphere so of course I love it.
► Think creepy town where your trust is definitely NOT to be freely given. Oh, you want to give it anyway. Okay, okay, don’t come and whine after.
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.” – Ethan Burkes, Pines. Now here’s someone who can talk about poor choices. But moving on.
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► Add deadly creatures who live in the trees (how’s that for creeping me out in the no man’s land I’m living in?! I’m not thanking you) and whose big skulls remind me of Blake Crouch’s abbies – oh, or aliens. Definitely aliens. All of that is to say that you do not want to meet them in the woods. Or anywhere else, for that matter.
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What you need to know is that your safety depends on whether or not people around you are selfish. Icky feeling in your stomach already? You should (says Anna the pessimistic). I won’t say more, but if the story doesn’t always spread original vibes (but I do admit that the way everything is mixed up is pretty new), it stays interesting and I’m eager for more (because I’m masochistic or something). This being said, I have to admit that some of the characters’ reactions made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief (view spoiler)[the mother abandonment in the end seemed really far-stretched to me. I mean, perhaps I’m delusional but I can’t imagine a mother deciding to sacrifice her daughter(hide spoiler)].
► Now, remove all your feelings. Yes. All of them. Because, trust me, I felt nothing, and my heart might be the big absent of the story. To my astonishment, at no moment did I care, and given what Sailor and her family go through, I should have. I should have felt my heartbeat increase. I didn’t. I should have felt anger and sadness and fuck, worry at least. I didn’t.
I just … went with the flow. Disappointing.
► Finally, sprinkle with likeable enough main characters. I know, I know, “likeable enough” isn’t the praise of the month. What can I say? Sailor and her father were brave but … let me completely cold. Sorry. Perhaps it’s just me.
To sum-up, here's a creepy story I enjoyed reading, yet it won't stand out in my head. Oh, well.
See, it seems to me lately that everyone around me has some variation of "You are an adult, you must-" sentence ready to throw it on me.
Real adults don’t read that much because when are you going to take time for making babies? (really) Real women know how to cook/clean up everything without complaining (you don’t say) Real women want kids, too (back off) Real adults always wake up early (as if) Real – *internal screaming*
*INTERLUDE* [image] */INTERLUDE*
The truth is, I respect all the checklists of my definition of adulthood and it’s enough for me : I take care of my loved ones, pay my bills, work my best for my pupils, respect the law, assume myself, as in, I am independent. Being an adult isn’t about fulfilling some aged fantasies in which women are sort of superheroes who raise kids, are sexy, work like hell and fucking smile all the time because HEY! LIFE’S AWESOME! Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that nobody can be happy like this - It's not me is all.
I don’t feel less adult because no, I don’t spend my Sundays cleaning the house like crazy (and somehow it's still clean, mind you) I don’t feel less adult because yes sometimes I play videogames *GASP* I sure don't feel less adult because I don't have kids.
I am an adult, but perhaps my definition isn’t the same as yours. Who cares? I'm sure not here to judge. Everybody needs to find his own happy place in my opinion, and I found mine, as you found yours.
This book explores what adulthood is about and how frightening and confusing it can be, with all the expectations and other stereotypes which can be motivating but also so very stressful. Although I didn’t relate to every anecdote (I’ve been in a loving relationship for 7 years and am lucky enough to have a stable job), Sarah Andersen managed to capture perfectly what it means to be an “adult” nowadays while making me laugh – not to mention all these OMG I AM NOT ALONE! moments I lived along the way (I won’t say which ones. Because of reasons).
As for the art, I’m not sure I like it but it definitely helps staying focused on the story related and never diminished my enjoyment during my read.
► Recommended for every lover of pajamas out there. *winks*
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*arc kindly provided by Andrews McMeel Publishing through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
► Ô, Patroclus, what did you do to me? After having hesitated for a long time, I decided to give 4 stars to The Song of Achilles, no matter how[image]
► Ô, Patroclus, what did you do to me? After having hesitated for a long time, I decided to give 4 stars to The Song of Achilles, no matter how flawed I thought it was. The reason for this is that I know that this book will linger, and that I treasure this kind of feelings above everything. This being said, it does not mean that I'm able to overlook what annoyed me, and I will try to give it the fairest review possible - if such thing really exists, which I doubt.
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Look, I'm not going to argue over details and trying to decipher if Madeline Miller stays true to the original(s) because for me there is no such thing as a perfect retelling, but I'll say this : she manages to mix the greatest events of the Iliad with crediting other opinions, as Eschyle's, and fills in the blanks, creating this way a believable and captivating story with them. What more would we ask for? If reading this book can convince people to have a look at classics, I'd say that The Song of Achilles is without any doubt a success, and I immensely enjoyed every one of the references.
Madeline Miller's writing, if not exempt of purple prose sometimes (I'll come back to that), stays compelling and flows smoothly, capturing these Great characters in a simple light that I found really enjoyable. One might say that most of the story is rather dull, and I sure cannot disagree with them. Yet even if I wanted more, I do understand the path Miller chose : this is not the story of great battles and honors. This is the story of the men behind them. Stripped of the sparkling lights of fame, they remain flawed men whose lives also know their fair share of boredom and everyday events. Oh, and they made me laugh, too. I swear!
Along the way The Song of Achilles brings an interesting thinking about what it means to be famous and the dangers of losing who we are to fulfill our pride's needs. In that, she nails her subject in my opinion, as well as the evolution of Patroclus' love for Achilles. See, if you take an unflinching look at all these Greek Heroes and Gods, they've really nothing to be proud of, to be honest. Parricides. Fratricides. Rapists. Liars. Self-absorbed. Mad. So very stupid, really. I loved that she didn't try to make us love them but offered some pieces of understanding - yes, I'm talking about Achilles.
"Who was he if not miraculous and radiant? Who was he if not destined for fame?"
Unfortunately the pacing was uneven and the second half didn't work for me as much as the beginning. Bored, I grew restless, my inner devil urging me to skim (I didn't), especially between 60 and 75%. The ending makes it worth it, though. I'm not one for changing my rating because of the way a book ends but I can't deny that the way Madeline Miller splendidly wrapped her plot impressed me so much that I know it influenced my rating a little.
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"This feeling was different. I found myself grinning until my cheeks hurt, my scalp prickling till I thought it might lift off my head. My tongue ran away from me, giddy with freedom. This and this and this, I said to him. I did not have to fear that I spoke too much. I did not have to worry that I was too slender or too slow. This and this and this!"
I know that many readers didn't like that aspect, but one of my favorite part was the romance, especially because it was flawed. Beware, the first half is mostly focused on Patroclus and Achilles' growing relationship, so if you can't stand romance it could be hard to handle (just thought I'd warn you :P)
In my opinion the way Patroclus went from a blind - and, really, obsessed - love for Achilles to the lucid acceptation of his flaws was wonderfully handled. It didn't start promisingly, though. I mean, in the beginning Patroclus worships Achilles way too much, nurtures some weird fixation on his feet (I swear! He can't stop mentioning them!) and can't keep his mouth shut about how fucking beautiful Achilles is. So as a reviewer the only thing I can say is - it is there. If you're put off by somewhat unrealistic and purple descriptions of love from a young teenager it will upset you. But as a reviewer I must also say that for someone who can't stand purple prose 9 times out of 10, I still loved it, because I understood Patroclus need to be accepted and how he transferred it to his princely companion. Not to mention that his love evolves along with him, and more we progress through the story, more it appears that his puppy love morphs into something way more mature and realistic.
"I know, now, how I would answer Chiron. I would say : there is no answer. Whichever you choose, you are wrong."
But let's talk about Patroclus, okay? I adored him and the way his character grew through the story. From a shy and rejected child to a fierce and compassionate man, he is complex and cannot be limited to his relationship with Achilles. Loyal, he's still able to see the mistakes his lover does and always tries his best to find the best way to handle things. He's not perfect, but really, nobody is, and that's for the best. In a world where warriors are put on pedestals, how to survive when you prefer healing than killing? He made me care so, so much.
"My stomach feels burned to cinders; my palms ache where my nails have cut into them. I do not know this man, I think. He is no one I have ever seen before"
My feelings towards Achilles are way more complicated, but I don't think we're meant to love him. See, I always pictured Achilles as this bragging proud hulk - and there are hints of this part of him still, yes. But there's more. He doesn't know how to be himself in a different way, and if his young self is pretty likeable, he grows more and more indifferent to everything but Patroclus and himself. His conscience seems to go MIA several times and I sure can't forgive some of the decisions he took (especially toward women), but again, I'm not supposed to.
"He is a weapon, a killer. Do not forget it. You can use a spear as a walking stick, but that will not change its nature."
Yet his love for Patroclus was so big, I couldn't help but feel, if not sorry, but sad for him and for the path his life took. However, I never fully connected with him and I regret that his character wasn't as true-to-life than Patroclus, especially as an adult (I really liked his teen self full of mischief, though).
If I'm being honest, at first I had a hard time understanding why Patroclus loved him so much - except because he was handsome and skilled, it goes without saying. But as I stated earlier, I genuinely think that Achilles fulfilled Patroclus fierce need to be accepted, to be taken care of - and I can't argue with that.
As for the other characters, I applaud Madeline Miller for making them feel so real, even if I would have wanted better roles for the women, who either stay overshadowed and grandly mistreated and abused (I know that this world was harsh and unforgiving towards women, but still, I was furious) or are pictured as greedy bitches. They are the big absent of this story, and that's a shame - but this is the case in the original(s), therefore I'm not sure I can hold a grudge against Miller for this. I did appreciate how Patroclus tried to make things better in the end, even if it wasn't enough.
A special award for Chiron - God, this sarcastic Centaur is perhaps my favorite character in the whole book. Well, except Patroclus.
"He paused. "You have been taught to ride, I suppose?" We nodded, quickly. "That is unfortunate. Forget what you learned. I do not like to be quizzed by legs or tugged at."
► To sum-up, if you have an interest in Greek Mythology and don't shy away from romance, I think you should give this book a chance. This book made me feel so much. This book made me cry and laugh. I can't wait to hear your thoughts.
"Then she turned to me and said, "Just promise me, if she sees us, just promise me you'll try and be normal." I didn
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Actual rating : 2.5 stars
"Then she turned to me and said, "Just promise me, if she sees us, just promise me you'll try and be normal." I didn't reply to that because I didn't know how to reply. I didn't know how I could promise something I had failed to do my whole life."
Once again, I find myself wondering why so many books lose their rhythm around 50%. I swear, book, could you not be crappy from the beginning? To let me dnf the fuck out of you and call it a day? No. You have to be really good at first. To excite my expectations. To give me hope. And then BIM. BORING.
I’m not thanking you, book.
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Let me say something first: when I met him I loved Greg’s voice, which I found so refreshing and funny in its matter-of-fact way. Indeed Greg shows us the world with a completely different insight, sometimes harsh, sometimes a little heartbreaking. I must admit that every time he related a moment he was bullied my heart broke a little more, especially because no matter how detached he seemed to be, the emotions, the humiliation stayed painfully clear.
Do not think that Greg’s perfect, though. Indeed he is a little creeper and judgmental at times, there’s no hiding around it. I won’t say much, but … Let’s say that questions about who he is arise pretty fast. Is he reliable? No.
Little by little, we peek through the veil and realize that we have to pay attention to the contradictions and distance between the events he relates and his interpretation of them. You'll have to weigh everything Greg tells you. Take nothing for granted. Because everything can change in a heartbeat.
How well do we know people around us? On the bus? At work? We often forget that every single person we talk to has thoughts, too. All the time. We forget because it's all very overwhelming, but trust me, Greg is going to make you think twice and reevaluate your perception of people around you.
During the first 35%, Greg fascinated me, letting me wide eyed. He goes out of every boxes, can't be limited, the boundaries between good and evil are blurred, and we only… follow him in his delusions.
A little word about the way schizophrenia is pictured, though. Is it accurate? I have no idea. There, I said it. Should I stay clear from everything mental illness related because my knowledge of them is closed to none? I don't think so. I won't accept romanticization of it if it’s painfully obvious, but is it accurate? Fuck if I know. I'm sure you'll find a review more interesting in that regard and I thank in advance all the reviewers who’ll share their knowledge.
Unfortunately every character except Greg was too stereotypical for my taste - perhaps it is due to Greg’s narration, but I admit that I had a hard time suspending my disbelief many times. Not to mention that every female teenager is called a vulture – which is a little unsettling, don’t you think? As for Alice, well, let’s be clear one second: I have no idea who she is. But the way I see it, that's the point. Despite his obsession, Greg never really gets to know Alice contrary to what he thinks.
As I said earlier, some reactions were a little hard to buy.
- Trust me, I don't want to believe that parents who decide to bury their heads in the sand are believable, but okay, let's say they are. Now, how can Greg be medicated without a proper diagnostic? How can a doctor prescribe him medications for YEARS without never making another test or checked-up? In case it was done, how can his parents leave him like this? With his half-mad grandma? I mean, this is pretty TERRIBLE. You realize that your son suffers from a mental illness therefore you just... send him away. Okay.
- About the teacher, am I the only one to find it weird that she decides on her own to counsel Greg despite the fact that - oh, she is not a psychologist. She never studied psychology except in high school. Look, I studied a curse in children psychology in College, yet by no means do I consider myself able to counsel a teenager suffering from a mental illness, especially if I am the only one doing it.
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At first I thought that it was an interesting and thought-provoking little book – but that was before everything turned out… almost generic in its originality and failed to keep me engrossed. Suffering from its uneven pacing, my interest wavered.
Indeed it became pretty predictable in the second half. I mean, from the cops interviews we know something bad is coming and somehow guessing the truth isn't that hard. That's why the ending felt anticlimactic to me... and the way everything was wrapped up a little too convenient.
Can we talk about the boredom? Yeah? Let me state this first: I was hooked from page one until... around 35%. It was refreshing, intriguing, and I really thought that this book would be a winner. No such luck. Greg started to ramble way too much and the action just never kicked in - it seems that I waited forever to get somewhere and I lost sight of what I loved in the beginning, sadly.
My last complaint lies in the fact that Greg failed to move me once the second half was started - and that's a shame really because given his condition I SHOULD have felt something. Anger. Sadness. Despair. I don't fucking know. But something. I did at first - how couldn't I, while he is so lonely? But my heart dried out, unfortunately.
Before I let you go, I wanted to talk about a scene that I'm not sure I read correctly - because it's difficult to know with Greg's POV sometimes - but if it is what I think, it was poorly handled. There is a girl - Angela - in a bed with 2 guys who are pouring beer on her while she is almost unconscious and full of vomit and from what Greg says, they might be (sexually) abusing her. I didn't like the fact that I'm not sure. I didn't like the fact that I had to rely on Greg's POV on this because if she was abused I WOULD WANT FOR THE AUTHOR TO DEAL WITH IT, not only mention it in passing. Perhaps I'm imagining things, but the truth is, I have no way of knowing. It was useless in my opinion to include such a scene.
Sigh. Perhaps I'm being unfair, but really, I just want to forget it. Clear enough, right?
2015. That bitch. And yet things had started so well for me : the first months were incredible and I discovered several gems that became instan[image]
2015. That bitch. And yet things had started so well for me : the first months were incredible and I discovered several gems that became instant favorites... But then came May. Fucking May. Since then it seems that my reading time goes like this : DNF-DNF-DNF-DNF-Oh! That's good!-DNF-DNF-DNF ... ad vitam eternam. My attention span lies somewhere around 5% and my reader is full of books I'll never read I'll probably read someday.
But 2015 is also my first full year here on Goodreads, and most of all I wanted to thank you. Thank you for writing reviews that make me laugh, that move me, that help me find wonderful books and stay clear of awful ones. Thank you for taking the time to read mines, to interact with me. Thank you for being amazing people.
► Note that I'll probably edit this review before the end of the year, change my mind, realize that I forgot books, decide to remove others... Don't mind me. I'm an indecisive person sometimes. *shrugs*
We have a winner!Call Me Mrs. Miracle is the most stupid, sexist and annoying "romance" (I'm putting par[image]
DNF @21% : Please tell me it's a joke.
We have a winner!Call Me Mrs. Miracle is the most stupid, sexist and annoying "romance" (I'm putting parenthesis at this point) I've attempted to read for months, and that's saying something.
1) You're not sure you're able to understand sentences? Don't worry! Debbie Macomber translates them for you! Twice!
"If the toy department doesn't show a profit because you went over Mike Scott's head, then you'll have a lot to answer for." He locked eyes with Jake. "Do I make myself clear?" Jake nodded. If the toy department reported a loss as a result of his judgment, his father would question Jake's readiness to take over the company."
NO SHIT SHERLOCK.
"He cleared his throat, intending to catch J.R.'s attention"
NO SHIT SHERLOCK.
"Jake raised his hand and mouthed, "I'll catch you later."
(...) 2 lines after... Can you guess what's coming?
"Jake would seek her out later this afternoon"
Really, I feel insulted. There's no need to repeat the same sentences over and over again, thank you.
2) You want to know how to deal with a little boy's comments in the most terrible way possible? Don't worry! Holly is here to show you! I swear, I was about to throw my reader on the floor. See, I have pupils of 8 and I can assure you that they're completely able to understand the concept of equality between boys and girls. Yet you have to tell them when what they say is wrong. They're children.
Gabe to his father : "Doesn't she know I'm a BOY? Boys don't bake cookies. It's bad enough that I have to put the toilet seat down for her. I hope you get home soon because I'm afraid she's going to turn me into a girl!"
Holly tried to conceal her smile."
I mean, that's just so cute, isn't it?
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When baking : "Gabe frowned. "I could help with cutting them out and stuff. You won't tell anyone, will you?" "Not if you don't want me too." "I don't want any of my friends to think I'm a sissy."
She's going to explain to him that baking is okay for boys too, surely? That many men are cooks too?
"She crossed her heart. "I promise not to say a word."
Huh, no.
A little while after, still cooking : He pointed at her apron. "I don't have to put on one of those, do I?" "You don't like my apron?" "They're okay for girls, but not boys." "You don't have to wear one if you'd rather not." He shook his head adamantly. "But you might get flour on your clothes, and your friends would guess you were baking." This was a clever argument, if she did say so herself. Gabe nibbled on his lower lip, apparently undecided. "Then I'll change clothes. I'm not wearing any girlie apron." "That's fine, " Holly said, grinning."
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I'm sorry but this is a TERRIBLE way to deal with this kind of comments and I can't even understand that so few reviews notice it. It's NOT endearing. It's NOT cute. It's telling this boy of 8 that it's okay to think that men can't cook and wear aprons. You stupid.
3) I won't talk about the godly quotes because even though I didn't know before starting, it's a Christian romance so it wouldn't be fair to attack those BUT can we talk a second about the "philosophical" stuff? When I write philosophical I think utter crap in that case of course. I mean,
"People are like tea bags - you have to drop them in hot water before you know how strong they are."
What does that even mean? Really?
"Forbidden fruit creates many jams"
*GAG*
To conclude, I will never ever read a book written by Debbie Macomber again. Her characters aren't interesting in the slightest, share no chemistry whatsoever, and the whole story is filled with latent sexism that makes me want to throw up.
YOU! YES, YOU! HOLD ON A SECOND. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME. I SWEAR THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Look, I know that Stardust Valley is the ninth book of the Firefly[image]
YOU! YES, YOU! HOLD ON A SECOND. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME. I SWEAR THIS IS IMPORTANT.
Look, I know that Stardust Valley is the ninth book of the Firefly Hollow series and if you've never met them, you probably think that this review isn't for you.
YOU ARE WRONG.
As far as series are concerned, I definitely suffer from a very short attention span, and I can't count how many series were thrown into my graveyard, no matter how much the first books interested me : there is such thing as lassitude, in my opinion anyway. Yet I come back to the Campbells, every fucking time. Yet they manage to make me smile, every fucking time.
Are these books perfect? By all means, no. They dangerously venture into cheesy territory sometimes, and are not free of clichés. If I'm being fair, I would probably mind in any other book. Know that you walk in a big, sweet bubble. Now, everybody has its perfect books to lift their mood on cloudy and exhausting days : They're mine, and I can't help but forgive them for the few times they make me roll my eyes. There. I did warn you. It remains that I spent two evening in front of my stove, buried under the covers, eating caramel chocolate and reading Noah's story and you know what? It was fabulous.
This being said, let's be honest one second : I don't really want to review this book, because it seems wrong somehow. Don't make that perplexed face, I'm going to explain : truth is, each time I come back to the Campbells, I feel as if I'm catching up with friends or even family. My stubborn, adorable and crazy friends.
Would you relate your friends' lives on the internet?
Huh? That's what I thought.
Alright, let's do this anyway. Who is this story about? I'm about to say : Does that matter? Every character found its way to my heart - well, if I'm playing favorites I'd say that Amelia and Logan own the special place for me but Noah and Sophie? They are very very close. Dangerously so. See, they were high-school sweethearts before drama entered their life and shattered their relationship.
Noah, who always suffered from the loneliness his ability brought (he's a medium, and communicates with the deads) ; Sophie, who lived in the shadow of her bitch of her cousin (I'm weighing my words here, trust me) almost all her life. They both endured so much that the possibility of trusting each others' again freak them out immensely, and it's so, so understandable. Little by little, they'll learn to open up and it's wonderful. This is again proof that we don't need a ridiculous amount of deaths to care and ache for a character. Real life will always manage to pull me in quicker than any NA drama would.
And then, there's the family. Always the family. What I adore above anything else is the fact that every member of this family stay true to character through the series. How many times do we read series where after some books we wonder what the fuck this character is doing? None of this here. Take Logan, for example : his appearance was wonderful (I stood up. And clapped. And squealed - shut up, he's my fave, okay?) because even though he's been absent from the previous books, as soon as he opened his mouth to half heartedly scowl at a kitten I recognized him. He stayed the same man I loved in Cricket Cove (if you haven't read his story already, what the hell are you waiting for? I'm looking at you, Shelby :p). That's why I trust T.L. Haddix : besides being an adorable woman, I know that no matter how many books she'll write, she won't betray us (sorry for the pressure :P)
Thank you. With all my heart, thank you.
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* See, when I state that there is women hating in a book (you know how much I hate that shit), it doesn't mean that I'm blind and that I can't handle fights and arguments between women. No. What infuriates me is the way some authors only picture women hating each other's without never a hint of an explanation and even less a resolution of the issues if issues there are. Here we have real life, and a woman who reacts in an impulsive way towards Sophie because she's jealous - and I get that. She has her reasons, and she calls herself on her shit after. I'm not going to say that it never happens, and T.L. Haddix pictures TONS of amazing relationships between women.
IMPORTANT NOTE. Every book can be read separately, but I don't recommend you doing it, because you'd miss tons of winks and family knowledge, and I'm pretty sure it would spoil the fun a little. I'm not saying that you have to read all the books, but before giving into this one I'd say that you at least need to read some of the "first generation" books (I'd say 1, 3 and 5, but they're my fave, so...)
*This book was given to me by the author in exchange for an honest review (thank you!). It did not, in any case, influence my opinion*
From the moment I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a year ago, I've been regularly baffled to see that readers with whom I usually agree des[image]
From the moment I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl a year ago, I've been regularly baffled to see that readers with whom I usually agree described it as annoying and not in the slightest funny. I mean, I shipped this book like crazy, as I tend to do with favorites, but I know that humor is personal, therefore I came to the conclusion that Jesse Andrews = Laughing Anna. You can't imagine how stunned I am to find The Haters... annoying.... and not in the slightest funny. Karma is such a bitch, I'm telling you.
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► Even though I felt more and more detached from the story during my read, there is no denying the fact that Jesse Andrewsnails his atmospheres and knows how to quickly involve his readers. Jazz? I'm pulling a Jon Snow on this. I know nothing. Yet I was seeing myself in that rehearsal room, nodding along Don the drummer. It's almost magical how quickly his characters capture me and make me feel as if they were real.
► In my opinion he pictures accurately how teenagers want to fit in and are, in that sense, desperately impressionable. Note that I'm not saying that I enjoyed them, but I can acknowledge that they were fleshed-out and not one-dimensional.
► When he's not writing gross jokes or never-ending convos (more on that later), Jesse Andrews's writing stays pretty compelling.
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► These characters annoyed the fuck out of me : see, I wrote earlier that they were multi-layered, and they are, but I never felt any dynamics between them. Are they supposed to be friends? Lovers? Band mates? Honestly, I reached a point where I couldn't handle the shitty way they treated each others anymore. Call me judgmental, maybe you're right, but for me Wes and Corey never acted like years long friends. This book is supposed to deal with friendship, love and freedom. Except the latter, I felt none.
► I never laughed. I mean, there's only so many dick jokes I can take, and frankly, I only wanted to rinse my eyes at some point. DUDE, YOU ARE JUST GROSS. I don't want to know that your jizz wasn't well rinsed in the sink. I'm sorry but
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I don't care, I don't want to know that, please shut up. I can't even count the times when I saw a joke, thought that I was supposed to laugh, to realize that it couldn't even bring a smile on my face. And this leads me to my next point...
► I'm pretty sure that I am not the target audience for this book, and it makes me sad, because I loved Me and Earl and the Dying Girl. And it's not even enough of an explanation for not loving this book, because I regularly enjoy YA and even some Middle Grade. Therefore, to me it's not a good thing if a book's target is too tight. What would that be? 13-18 boys? I don't think it's enough, and you may not agree with me, but here again, it's my review.
► If the digressions made me smile in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, here they just bored me, to be honest. I smiled sometimes, but more often than not I struggled to get going, and I'm pretty sure that of all my reasons for not liking it, it’s the most important. Nobody wants to read a book if it's painful to turn its pages. Not to mention that the plot never engrossed me. It just ventured .... somewhere.... for reasons? Please don't ask me. I have no idea. Okay, now I know that it's not a good idea to try to have sex stoned, I know details about sink cleaning, and as I said, I had the pleasure to read pages and pages of convos about things I didn't care about. Like in what occasions you can use the harming dick joke.
Woot. Thank YOU for that. I needed it.
Not.
*arc kindly provided by Amulet books through Netgalley. It (obviously) didn't influence my opinion.*
Edit : Here's my romance scale, with the points that interest me (tell me if you think of something else^^)
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Warning : This is a [image]
Edit : Here's my romance scale, with the points that interest me (tell me if you think of something else^^)
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Warning : This is a DNF review of a book I pretty much hated. As much as I would have wanted to finish it, I reached 34% and there's no redeeming this book.
Just a little over a year ago, I started reviewing books on Goodreads. I gave up on New Adult at roughly the same time. Well, more or less, and this is why : - They often romanticize unhealthy/abusive relationships and are full of sexist tropes. - Honestly, most of them aren't well-written. - They rely on unrealistic and over the top drama.
So, yes. A few of them are good, and when I stumbled across The Air He Breathes, I decided to try it because a) Did you see the ridiculously high rating? b) It was part of the Romance Finalists in the Goodreads Choice Awards and c) It was a freebie. That blurb, though. I'm not gonna lie, it screamed cheap NA to me, but I know I can be judgmental towards blurbs so I didn't listen to my instincts.
Verdict : I should have trusted my guts, because this book is TERRIBLE, and if I usually understand why people love books I personally hate, I just can't here. Poorly written, following a ridiculous storyline filled with clichés and stereotypes & punctuated by cringing dialogues.
This leads me to : WHAT THE FUCK DID I JUST READ?
The story starts with the two main characters relating the deaths of their loved-ones. Four, to be exact, because life is a bitch in NA, you know. What better way to picture characters who are BROKEN than let them shattered by the deaths of their respective significant others? Oh, I know : add a child's death (because tears. Tears are always good for sells) and a father's death, too, just for the sake of having the female-lead say things like,
"Mama became a whore after Dad died. (...) There weren't many other ways to put it other than that."
I personally could find other ways to say that your mother dates a lot, but hey, maybe that's just me. Don't be too worried though! She's sure her mum never cheated on her father before his death, because "when he'd go off to work at the crack of dawn, she would have his breakfast and lunch packed with snacks".
So, just tell me if I misunderstood, girl, but you're either a whore or a housewife. Nice. (3%, and I already knew our relationship wouldn't be easy, UGH)
But moving on.
Because with four deaths we didn't reach the end of our NA drama feast (WOOT!), Liz hits a dog with her car. And then you think, she is a decent human being, I guess? She's going to take care of him, surely? Yes she does, but before checking on the poor dog LYING ON THE GROUND, she takes the time to a) stare fixedly into the eyes of the owner that "match the shadows of the sky right before a thunderstorm" (whatever that means), b) notice his clothes, his headphones, his muscular arms, his fucking (absence of) SHOES, all of this before looking at the poor dog LYING ON THE GROUND. I mean, okay. Psycho much? Unsurprisingly Tristan (of course he's our love interest!) is pretty pissed and sort of yell at her right away.
About this : the only criticism I've read about this book is the way Tristan acts when they meet. Let me get this straight : I don't condone any kind of violence, even verbal, BUT SHE JUST HIT HIS DOG WITH HER CAR AND IS STARING AT HIM LIKE A DROOLING FANGIRL. Trust me, I would be beyond pissed if someone hit my dog, and I'm not a yelling kind of person.
But moving on.
That's when I realized that this kind of book turned me into a psycho : they're at the vet, and kind of bicker all the way - not in a love/hate banter fashion, mind you, but more like this :
"Are you always... always..." "Always what? Spit it out! Use words!" he ordered.
So charming, right?
So, they're at the vet. Poor dog is healed. And then, there's this (Liz is describing):
"He lost himself in his emotions, and when he exhaled, he began to sob uncontrollably. He wailed, his tears harsh, raw, and painful."
I laughed at that. I'm a terrible human being.
But moving on.
Because a NA wouldn't be a NA without some kind of woman hating, Liz encounters her old neighbors who - OF COURSE - are the perfect stereotypes of noisy, mean and gossip women. Of course Liz hates every second of their conversation. They complain about the poor state of her yard and say stuff like this : "After Stephen died, you left so fast that I wasn't able to make you any comfort food, so now I was finally able to make you this meatloaf to help you mourn" or this : "But, just to be clear, Emma [her little daughter] is not suffering from depression, is she? I hear that can be quite contagious with other kids." Because women are all kinds of stupid aren't they? ARGG.
Oh, by the way, thanks for the *discreet* info-dumping beautifully hidden in the dialogues. *snorts*
Speaking of women, let's talk about her best friend, okay? See, I'm always happy when authors picture women who have an active sex-life without slut-shaming them, so at first I thought, hey, good. I was a fool. There's a stereotype I hate almost as much : the crazy, over-the-top best-friend whose sex-life is never directly condemned but discreetly mocked.
Meet Faye. Faye is happy.
"[she] snuggled her head against my breasts, as if they were her pillow."
Faye is 27.
Faye doesn't know that a (bad) joke is always better told only once.
"Or, you could fire Sam," Faye offered. "He already has another part-time job! Plus, he's kind of creepy." "I can hear you," Sam said, shyly." (she's going to make that joke third times)
Faye has no filters.
"What do you mean you're trying to get laid?" I gasped. "Faye, are you having sex right now?" (...) "Well, if you mean is there a penis currently sitting in my vagina, then yes. I guess you could semi call that sex." "Oh my God, Faye! Why the hell would you answer the phone?!" "Um, because chicks before dicks? Like, literally." She laughed. I gagged."
Let's pay a little attention at what we're being sold, okay? Faye, the sexually active best-friend, is annoying and unbearable. She talks (loudly) about Liz's "aging" vagina while Liz is serving customers at the restaurant. She visits at night with friends after Liz explicitly texted her that she was fine (don't mind me on this, apparently that's okay - I'm certainly awkward to find that annoying). Truth is, it's sneaky, but I felt as if this ridiculous stereotype of a woman's purpose was to make us despise her, and with her, women who date (the mother is a whore, remember?).
This is what the book is telling us (in my opinion) : So, women, you want to have a sex-life? Don't you see how ridiculous you would be?
Fuck you, book.
But moving on.
I'm sure that by this point you're dying to know how the romance between our two *insert gagging emoji* broken souls will unfold.
Well, you know, the usual :
fighting ► forced kiss ► OMG this is HAWT! ► pushing away.
DISCLAIMER : Don't seek scientific accuracy because there's none, and, really, that's not the point. You don't believe me? Just imagine I'd[image]
DISCLAIMER : Don't seek scientific accuracy because there's none, and, really, that's not the point. You don't believe me? Just imagine I'd ask John Corey Whaley if he wanted to tell a realistic story, scientifically wise.
"Yeah. Sure. That's exactly why I chose to talk about a guy whose head is cut off then frozen THEN attached to someone else's body. Sure." *side glances* - who is this crazy chick?
There's this weird thing we often use when reading scifi, called suspension of disbelief. That sums it up. *blows kiss*
▶ That does not mean that I enjoyed Noggin. Hell, by the end I pretty much hated it. I just thought I'd point that scientific inaccuracy was by no means what bothered me.
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Say, you are a 16 years old guy dying from cancer. You want to come back from the dead years after with a new body? You think that's a good idea? That it must be fun to discover a whole new self?
Well, think again.
✘ First it's so fucking gross. There are whole parts of yourself you have to make acquaintance with *cough* your new penis *cough*.
✘ Your friends have moved on in their lives and frankly? The whole "I return from the dead" trip is freaking them out something fierce... or so you suppose, because that's not as if they would welcome you anyway, let alone talk to you (they'll get over it, but still). Basically you took the longest nap of your life. 5 years. Except that wasn't a nap for people who loved you. They missed you. They mourned you. Then they went through the 7 phases of grief and created a new life without you. Yeah, that sucks, but hey! We can't blame them. But you, YOU. Think about you. You didn't miss them. You didn't move on, because HELLO, 5 min nap! You are stuck in a 16 years old body while they're 5 years older now.
✘ Oh, and you're a miracle (or an abomination, depending on who's talking to you). Three blessings and 24/7 covering, here's the new guy everyone is gossiping about! Just smile already.
You don't? Awwww. What an ungrateful little jerk you are, really. Just be happy already.
We can't blame Travis for being confused, messed-up, and a little angry. His behavior is pretty realistic. I know that. BUT the delusion, man. This is too-much.
*Delusion is a belief held with strong conviction despite superior evidence to the contrary. OR :
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Albeit well-written, funny and moving at times, Travis' mess story was incredibly frustrating : after having (really) enjoyed the beginning, I wanted to submit him to an intervention pretty fast, to be honest.
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TRAVIS, JUST MOVE THE FUCK ON. Cate is 21. She has lived without you for 5 years. And that doesn't mean that she didn't love you before but she is engaged now, buddy. I'd hate for you to do something embarrass-
Oh, never mind. Of course you're RIGHT. Of course EVERYBODY is wrong. GD.
I can't help but HATE when characters say things like "I'm gonna make her change her mind. I'm gonna go all sneaky and tell her that's okay to be just friends but in fact I'll plot the end of her (happy) relationship". I CAN'T. Past is in the past. I'm sorry, but that's how I feel it. That's why even though I felt bad for him, even though I could understand why he felt that way, I couldn't get past his absolute denial of everyone else's feelings, especially Cate, his former girlfriend, and Kyle, his best-friend.
By the end I couldn't stand him, and his burgeoning self-loathing didn't help either. Perhaps I'm being unfair, but really, what can I say about a book where the male-lead, if not a complete asshole, is making me cringe so bad that I struggle to finish his story?
▶ I'll give it a 2, no matter how much I enjoyed the first 20 percents, no matter how original the concept is, no matter how many tears threatened to fall from my eyes in the beginning. Because, really, who enjoys a book where we only want for the MC to shut the fuck up?
Seven Ways We Lie took me by surprise, because if I'm being completely honest, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. 7 POVs?[image]
✨ AVAILABLE NOW! ✨
Seven Ways We Lie took me by surprise, because if I'm being completely honest, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. 7 POVs? So many issues dealt with? I was so ready for the train wreck. It didn't happen.
I'm not gonna lie, arcs can be so stressful. There's just something inherently intimidating in being one of the first to review a book : what if I missed something? What if my rating make people want to read this story only to be disappointed? But then I remember what every reader knows : no matter how hard we try, a review is only the reflect of an opinion. Here's mine.
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As I said, usually I can't stand multiple POVs (except in Fantasy), but here I was never confused and Riley Redgate managed to create an original voice for every one of them. This is huge. Each and every one of them is fucked-up in some way or another. Their flaws make them all unlikeable at times, but above that, realistic, genuine and yes, strangely endearing.
► Olivia who has to face tons of shitty comments because of her sexual choices. I can't deny that she was my favorite and I really, really liked her. I don't know, the way she wore her loneliness and how strongly she cared about her sister got to me.
► Matt who's been trying to numb himself for years and nurtures a crush on Olivia without even having talked to her : if you think that's not believable, well, you didn't spend the same adolescence as me >.<
► Juniper whose perfect life is slowly eating at her.
► Claire who endlessly needs to compare, compare, compare herself to others. Oh, Claire, you make it so hard to love you. Jealous. Anxious. But so realistic as a teenager whose self-esteem is always challenged and lowered by people around her : her friends, boys. Yet she rambles a lot about her achievements and we get the impression pretty fast that she thinks her treatment/image is unfair. Frankly, she made me feel... uneasy more often than not.
► Lucas whose smile hides so many fears. Lucas who needs to collect both friends and things.
► Kat who doesn't know how to let her anger go. I feel as if I should have been annoyed by her, but I can't. I know how it is to spend whole days gaming to forget real life.
They all have something to add to the story, whether their role is predominant, as Olivia, or mostly used to move the plot. To be honest, I thought I would be annoyed by this convenient way to handle twists but weirdly I wasn't : their apparition did serve a purpose and were short enough to avoid breaking the flow of the story, and in the end, I cared for every one of them, even if I didn't agree with all their choices, by far.
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Indeed I really appreciated the different voices and in that sense I was pleased by the writing : nothing spectacular, yet it has this compelling quality I often fail to find in high school stories because they're so cliché. However, I didn't quite understand the need for Juniper's POV to be written in a poetry fashion (it wasn't annoying per se, but so random, now who am I to judge?) and Riley Redgate's writing sometimes felt contrived (not necessarily in a bad way - I enjoyed most of these sayings - but I did notice it). Anyway, I was hooked from the beginning, so what more could I want?
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There's no denying that Riley Redgate tried to deal with so many issues that it was a little overwhelming at times and that fatally some of them were not completely tackled. This being said, isn't it how life works? When judging whether the number of issues is believable or not, we have to take into account that we follow seven characters. Do I think that seven teenagers can know each other's, every one of them having to face different problems in life is realistic? Definitely. Of course I do. I genuinely wonder how readers will welcome this, though. So many issues blended together that I can clearly see how it could be seen as weak and poorly treated. Yet it worked surprisingly well for me. Some parts were predictable, others made me grind my teeth, and I had to suspend my disbelief a few times. I still really liked my read, and that's something I'm not willing to dismiss.
Before I let you go, I have to talk about the student-teacher relationship.
1) First of all, I read somewhere that people were baffled by the fact that the teacher in question isn't suspended right away but I'm not sure I understand what's the deal. Nobody knows who did what during most of the book, therefore indeed the teacher in question is not suspended. Which seems pretty understandable to me. Because. Nobody knows it's him/her. So. Obviously.
2) To be completely honest, I'm not sure of what I think about the way it's treated. While the way the head of school is announcing the rumor to the students appeared really unbelievable to me, I never lived that kind of situation so I can't really judge.
3) As for the relationship in itself, do I think it's unhealthy? Yes, but especially because of the way they NEED each other. Need isn't love. This being said, I can't ignore the big elephant hiding in the room and you're probably thinking WTF, ANNA? ISN'T THE TEACHER STATUS THE MOST DISTURBING THING? And yes, of course it is. Though from the way the story unfolds, it's pretty clear there's no abuse of a teacher position towards a student at first, but... See, when you are a teacher you become so accurate in a Guess the age of this child! game. As an elementary teacher I'm rarely wrong with 4-10 yrs old I meet. You are around children so much, you notice the subtle differences. That's why I have a hard time believing that the teacher in question didn't guess that the teenager was under 18 and then possibly his/her student. I can't deny that I felt manipulated into rooting for the teacher at times, and perhaps I'm judgmental, but I don't want to. Whatever happened before, you're the responsible adult and in my book, you'll always be guilty.
Anyway, all of that is to say that I wasn't really convinced on that particular aspect and that I wasn't sold on the ending, which was generally way to positive to be completely believable and acceptable.
► I would still recommend this book to every reader who wants to think about what it is to be a teenager these days. On that note, I'll leave the last word to Matt (I have a soft spot for him, I have to admit) :
"Sometimes you go a long time having fooled yourself into thinking that you're as grown-up as you'll ever be, or that you're more mature than the rest of the world thinks you are, and you live in this state of constant self-assurance, and for a while nothing can upset your pedestal you've built for yourself, because you imagine yourself to be so capable. And then somebody does something that takes a golf club to your ego, and suddenly you're nine years old again, pieced together from humiliation and gawky youthfulness and childlike ideas like, Somebody please tell me what to do, nobody taught me how to handle this, God, just look at all the things I still don't understand, and you can't muster up the presence of mind to do anything but stand there, stare, silent, sorry."
Aw, Matt. That never stops, even when you're a grown-up. Life never stops challenging us and the most important knowledge is the fact that we can't know everything. But we have to try anyway.
*arc kindly provided by Amulet books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
You don't understand this review? Check this. You're welcome.
All in all, an hilarious and original book. It gave b[image]
Hey!French fellows!
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You don't understand this review? Check this. You're welcome.
All in all, an hilarious and original book. It gave bad ideas to my pupils though. Oh, well. Better now than never. We must preserve our reputation after all.
PS. I always knew ducks weren't worthy of trust. Just saying....more
This book won't certainly appeal to everyone. It's not free of flaws, and I wasn't completely satisfied. And yet... As I sai[image]
✨ AVAILABLE NOW! ✨
This book won't certainly appeal to everyone. It's not free of flaws, and I wasn't completely satisfied. And yet... As I said in my review of In the Shadow of Blackbirds, any book that tackles important and horrifying issues in such sensitive way, compelling the reader to do some researches about them deserves attention.
In this original retelling of the much beloved Hamlet, Cat Winters takes us into the xenophobic 1920s Oregon, where we follow Hanalee, a teenager whose father, African-American, died under strange circumstances. Eager to shed lights on this awful event, she soon realizes that each discovery proves to be more and more unsettling and excruciating.
Who is to be believed when the general atmosphere is one of distrust and rejection?
"Because we're living in corrupt times, Hanalee. Even the best intentions can sound cruel when spoken aloud."
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First of all, Cat Winters shows again a real talent to convey an atmosphere and to write in a compelling and engrossing way. Indeed as it was the case with In the Shadow of Blackbirds, I was immersed in the world right away : the hopeless atmosphere is perfectly pictured, the desperation transpiring through every page, letting the reader feel all the anger, sadness and indignation Hanalee faces every day. It always appalls me to see such a racist world unfolded before my eyes (that's why I never read comments under YouTube videos, otherwise my pessimism would know no limits) : in these times, to be half African-American was a fault in itself, and if people stay relatively "nice" to her (think : hypocrites), it remains that Hanalee suffers daily from different kinds of negative comments about her hair, her skin, her future.
Think peril. Life threatening peril. Fear.
What do you picture?
A dystopian apocalyptic world? Dictators? Serial killers? Creepy aliens? Clowns? (okay, "clowns" is on me)
Say, you see this little quiet town in the middle of nowhere/Oregon. Not frightening? Aww, you're so sweet. We need some villains? Let's take people. Regular people. You know, the selfish, indifferent and stupid widespread kind.
Why create an awful fantasy world when we can have history? When we can have our world?
Because, really, what can we say about a world where a teenager is in peril if she enters a restaurant? It's so sneaky really - one second you're scared to death for her and thinking no noo don't go there! And suddenly you realize - but wait, it is a RESTAURANT. Why on earth should she be careful? Why on earth are you accepting it by thinking that she's acting wildly and dangerously by coming there? It's a RESTAURANT. Of course she can go. Oh, wait, no.
Again, welcome to 1920s Oregon, where biracial marriages are forbidden and eugenics laws allow authorities to castrate people because they're homosexuals.
This book made me so, so angry. This book made me furious. For that, I'm grateful. I never want to feel indifferent. Not ever. We need such books to remind us that we are not so far from these dark days and that stereotypes and barbarism are to be fought on a daily basis.
"Hate doesn't even begin to describe what's happening. (...) People in this state are controlling who can and can't breed, Hanalee. They're eradicating those of us who aren't white, Protestant, American-born, or sexually normal in their eyes. They're 'purifying' Oregon."
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Lost in Cat Winters' words, I couldn't help but feel the hate and fear eating at them, this sickening atmosphere that can change a childhood sweetheart into an enemy. It was truly terrifying to see how peer pressure can morph someone into a completely different person. So, so sad.
Hanalee is a strong and likeable heroine whom I'm glad to have met here. One can argue that she takes some stupid or, let's say, rushed decisions, especially in regards of who to trust but I understood her. She reacts. She is young. Who wouldn't make mistakes now tell me?
Mostly the twists and turns managed to surprise me, even though I guess some parts, I have to admit. Yet in my opinion, it's not even the point : I was hooked from the beginning in any case, and I really appreciated that the story didn't fall into the stereotypical traps (there's no romance, for example).
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As a retelling of Hamlet, I expected some kind of ghost apparitions and indeed her father's ghost has a critical role to play in the investigations of his death. Quite eerie, but I found the whole ghost giving answers a little too convenient... I didn't care much for these parts, I have to admit : not that they didn't convey emotion in me, because they did, but there was always an undercurrent of falsity that prevented me from completely buying it.
Unfortunately, I did find that, Hanalee excepted, the characterization could have shown more depth : indeed I never really got the sense that I knew any of them, including Joe, which does not mean that they weren't interesting characters to read about, though. This being said, the mystery unraveling before our eyes must be taken into account : perhaps the fog mustn't be lifted, after all. I'll let you judge.
Moreover, as much as I love Cat Winters's beautiful writing, the dialogues were a little too formulaic for my taste : sometimes they sounded fake to me, especially during the highly tensed parts.
Finally, the ending felt a little rushed. Yet it's hopeful, and it makes sense, as the journey we followed is coming to a end.
► Again, I feel the need to remind everyone that 3.5 stars isn't a bad rating in the slightest. Give this book a chance. Give this author a chance. They deserve it.
"Hate is a powerful demon that worms its way into the hearts of fearful men"
I will never let hate win. Please don't.
*arc kindly provided by Amulet Books. Thanks so much!*
Despite a promising premise, The Unquiet failed in its execution and left me literally unable to finish i[image]
Actual rating : 1.5 stars (DNF at 46%)
Despite a promising premise, The Unquiet failed in its execution and left me literally unable to finish it. Trust me, that is not for a lack of trying.
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► Am I bloody stupid?! That's what I asked myself countless times. There's only one thing I can say : YAY FOR THE BLURB! What? It did save me from understanding nothing during a long, long period of time. Indeed the elements of science fiction are barely explained at first, and each time I started to wrap my head around this world something else would throw me off, including : ✘ Weird jumps in time. Sometimes I ask my students to do this little exercise : put back the paragraphs of a text in order. Remember? Well. The book felt like that sometimes, except nobody's gonna give me a good mark because I did it well. ✘ Nonsensical passages where the characters dynamic sounds pretty fake to me (her baby sister of 6 talks like she's at least 12, her 'friendship' with Edith...)
As far as I'm concerned, it needs a good polish and a great deal of editing.
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► Nothing happens. I swear, most of the book looks like filler to me. They arrive at the cottage. Filler filler filler. FLASHBACKS! They pass their exam. Filler. Filler. FLASHBACKS! They are sleepers. Fillers. Fillers. Fillers. FLASHBACKS! That's so boring! The plot is.... streeeeeeeeeched for so long on nothing random anecdotes (let's go fishing! Baking bread! Going in town! Selling fruits! Killing someone with a syringe! WOOT!)
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► First but not least : except from the very beginning (which was surprisingly good) the story is related in a all tell not show fashion that as usual makes me cringe. Every freaking action seems emotionless and disconnected because crafted like a mission report - Not only it prevents me from caring for the characters, but it is so DULL. Even if I must admit that some parts are beautifully written, it's not free from purple prose and sentences that made me roll my eyes.
► The MC is both flat and thoroughly unlikeable, which is far from a good mix in my opinion : to put it simply, I was either indifferent or angry at her during the 46 percents I read. ✘ First we have the detached way the killings (of innocent people) are handled : I swear, she could have baked a cake for all I know. ✘ Then the fakeness of every relationship, if somehow explainable by her upbringing in the cottages, still annoyed me a great deal. I mean, I get it, they're all going to be killers but why not be a little nice to each other? For example, her hate toward her fellow sleepers in the cottage felt unnecessary and really didn't make any sense to me. ✘ Moreover, the way Lira keeps repeating that she is a BAD person and that she doesn't love ANYONE grew old pretty fast : I get it, you're baaaad. Stop shoving your inner thoughts down my throat, ugh. This being said, I might have forgiven her if she wasn't so one-dimensional : trust me, I'm all for unlikeable characters, but you have to give me SOMETHING to work with for me to care. I didn't.
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► WHAT WORLD-BUILDING? There's nearly nothing. You would think that a book dealing with parallel universes would contain at least a few fun additions, but nah. The only descriptions we get are so random and uninteresting because everything is every bit as normal as it would in a contemporary novel. Oh, and please tell me in which area of time we're in, because there are new technologies mixed with last century ways of life and I can't wrap my head around this O_o.
► Why choose to set a story in France if the world building is so generic that it could be everywhere? ✘ First, except one or two exceptions, the names aren't French : Cecily, Philip, Imogen, GRAY (really?!)... ✘ Secondly, the settings : so we are 1 hour far from Paris by train. Where?
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The fuck if I know. Maybe that's just me, but describing the city as 'the town' screams lazy writing to me. There are vines so I guess in Bourgogne maybe? Frankly, it's as if the author ticked little cases in a "How To Live In France" fantasy list : French grow vines ✔ Paris must be mentioned at least once ✔ A character must be named Madame ✔ ... Oh, okay. That was a short list. Frankly? Why fucking bother? It may come as a shock, but French towns, landscapes and vinegars aren't the same in the whole country : we need details please.
Now, as I said, I 'only' read 200 pages, so perhaps it gets better after... I just won't be there to see it, sadly.
Plot : To be honest, my pupils weren't completely engrossed by the story : Jasper the rabbit, who looooves eating carrots, starts noticing that[image]
Plot : To be honest, my pupils weren't completely engrossed by the story : Jasper the rabbit, who looooves eating carrots, starts noticing that he is stalked by... creepy carrots. Of course as usual with this kind of storyline, nobody believes him and his stalkers disappear as soon as he turns...
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MWAHAHAHAHAHA. Quite fun, but not that original. This being said, the twist in the end is really funny^^
Art : I have to agree with my pupils on this : the pictures are wonderful and earn some good points. More of this, please!
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PS. Apparently, to repeat CREEPY CARROTS! CREEPY CARROTS! is something children loves doing. *shrugs*...more
► I won't go below 3.5, because I ate it up in one day the very same way I did the first time (about that, can I just [image]
Actual rating : 3.5 stars
► I won't go below 3.5, because I ate it up in one day the very same way I did the first time (about that, can I just apologize to my fellow buddy readers? I'm the worst. Really). Overall, I'm glad how things turned out in the end, but I would be lying if I said that I loved this novel.
WARNING : I'll try to keep my thoughts free of spoilers, but if you never read it perhaps it's safer if we go on separate ways here. Bye! And may the odds be ever in your favor! *blows kisses*
I won't stress enough how huge my love for the first two books is, and I genuinely think that's why I had a hard time with this one.
✘ First of all, my favorite character is going MIA during most of the book, and when he finally makes an appearance, his speaking time is near non-existent. I'm sorry, but THE WHOLE BOOK ISN'T FAIR TO HIM. Therefore, I was bored, not to mention that for me the other main male-lead always was uninteresting and I couldn't care less for him. (view spoiler)[I get it, you hunted squirrels together. GET OVER IT. Their relationship always sounded too brotherly for me. (hide spoiler)]
✘ I am all for killing off important characters, because I'm a psycho or something, but please give them the time of a day. Do not make characters I care about disappear in one sentence. That's just mean and lazy.
✘ If you're going to please me with the ending, take the time to actually picture it because as it is, I feel cheated. (view spoiler)[Peeta deserves so much better than that ending, frankly. SO FUCKING MORE. (hide spoiler)] Truth being told, I nurture the hope that the movie will deal with it in a better and more fair way. Isn't it sad?
Now, Mockingjay is far from a bad novel as far as I'm concerned.
✔ Yes Katniss can seem selfish but for me here lies the beauty of her character : who wants to read about a total goody-goody anyway? Certainly not me, and I thought that Suzanne Collins pictured the manner everyone tries to use her in a believable way. Do you really think that leaders would completely submit themselves to a teenager? I don't, that's why I appreciated the manner Collins dealt with it.
✔ All in all, even if the resolution isn't flawless, the plot stays well-wrapped and delivers a satisfying conclusion in my opinion.
✔ As I said earlier, even though it dragged a little at times, I couldn't help but go on reading, even that second time.
► What can I say apart from that? Oh, yes, DANDELION TEAM ALL THE WAY. Who else? That guy's owned my heart since the beginning.
(click on the names to read their reviews - I'll update each time they show up)
★ As The absolute fanatic :[image]
✬✬✬ EPIC BUDDY READ/REREAD ✬✬✬
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(click on the names to read their reviews - I'll update each time they show up)
★ As The absolute fanatic : Chelsea (4th!) ★ As the determined movie-whore : Harriet (1st!) ★ As The deadly shot new recruit : Jen (1st!) ★ As the enthusiastic newbie : Jenny (1st!) ★ As The foxface unknown : Kat (2nd!) ★ As The die-hard fan : Laura (3rd!)
... As the useless chick who wouldn't survive a round : oh, crap, that would be me! (2nd)
So much for my silly worries. I realize now that the concerns I nurtured before this reread were completely unfounded : every feel, every smile, every laugh stand untouched, and dare I suggest it, even more powerful, leaving me breathless again, eager to read the sequel again, completely lost for my boy again (you know who I mean. Cakes for Pete sake. I know that many loved both. I just didn't), in total admiration and understanding of Katniss again.
For my first time in English, I'm pleasantly surprised by the writing : I hear you I hear you, it's not the better book ever written by far, but that's not what I expected. While quite simple, it stays to the point, and in my opinion perfect to convey the sense of urgency the Games create.
Seven years later, I still think that many authors could learn a lot from this novel.
1) First to not let the story revolve around eight-packs and smirks. PLEASE DO THAT.
2) Then to create a world-building that actually makes sense with believable threats : do I think that people would love watching teenagers fighting to death? Sadly, yes, I do, and I have History on my side (Rome, anyone?). Feel free to disagree with the pessimistic sides of me on this. Nobody wants to hear about a world where the reasons behind the oppression are never explained, yet unfortunately too many dystopian out there introduce the WHAT without never getting to the WHY and sometimes barely the HOW. Some issues are left unanswered at the end of this first book, but overall I think that it's pretty consistant for a YA dystopian.
3) Finally (because I want to keep my review to a minimum), to picture a female lead who is strong but relatable, who focuses on her goals but is also able to care for others - yet not for everyone, which is great, because it wouldn't be believable now would it?
(view spoiler)[Also, other dystopians don't have a Peeta who doesn't know how to walk quietly. *HUGE SMILE* (hide spoiler)]
► For all these reasons, even though The Hunger Games aren't flawless, they deserve all the stars in my book.
The Mockingjay used to make my picture can be found here ...more
Alienor ✘ French Frowner ✘
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