It took me a while to read this but I did really enjoy it. Compared to the tv series, which I watched before reading this (big mistake) it is much sloIt took me a while to read this but I did really enjoy it. Compared to the tv series, which I watched before reading this (big mistake) it is much slower to develop at some points, and there were significant differences. Some of which I preferred, others I didn't. The main difference I found was the character of the China man, Mr Willoughby. I found him in the TV series to be engaging, warm, interesting and funny. In the book he was reduced to something savage and odd that had little endearing qualities. He was a drunk, which wouldn't be so bad if he had something good going for him, but he seemed to be the cause of so many problems for Claire and Jamie. It saddened me to find him to be this way, and I'm not surprised they changed his character to something more favourable for onscreen.
The writing however, as always, is sound, enjoyable and engaging. I love this series and want to see what happens next! I'll be taking a break, however, from carrying this on because there are other books I want to get through first.
A decent read, not my favourite of the series so far, but there were some epic moments in this book that are undoubtably my favourite! (The print room scene, anybody?)
My God the feels. I can't. I just can't talk about it right now. To review later.My God the feels. I can't. I just can't talk about it right now. To review later....more
This book was recommended to me by my friend Ellers and I'm so glad I read it.
Fiona from the start, is represented as a sassy, slightly mad, five-foot ball of laughs. She is what makes this novel so damn hilarious and wonderful. The opening lines draw you right in and don't let go. I was instantly in love with the narrative and only started reading it in the first place thanks to Hellvis quoting from the book.
I ask her, 'What book is this?' 'James Games,' says she. 'I have to read it,' says I. And I did.
Fiona is a runaway Amish lass, who after years of being repressed in so many ways, wants to make up for lost time and bang whoever she wants, whenever she wants. She enjoys being loud and having fun and getting with the next hottie. We find that those actions hold consequences.
Before the book begins, Fiona has become unlikely friends with her roommate Iris, who I absolutely agree, is Ell's kindred spirit. Her sense of humour is so much like her, though I did see bits of Ell in Fiona. I think that's why I loved the book so much. It had my best friend written all over it.
Anyhoo, after a lot of fun, Fiona goes to a rock concert where the popular local band is playing. Squeezing her way through the mosh pit, she eyes a spot at the front and lunges for it, but it's taken by an annoying masked stranger. Who turns out to be a very hot masked stranger, who—after several minutes of eye-f*cking—drags her to a closet (hmmm, classy) and shags her through a wall.
Yep, you heard. THROUGH A WALL. Leaves a big hole in there. Har har.
So, as you can imagine, she can't forget about him. Rumours of an actor going to the same university has spread, but she pays no mind to the pining women. Even 'I don't give a shit about anything' Iris wants a piece of him.
Fiona discovers that to stay in that Phi Delta Chii, she has to participate in the James Games, where the ladies of Phi Delta Chii must battle to win a date with James, the hot actor. But, the rules are that they can't do any funny business with him, or they lose. Life done shit on Fiona, because it turns out, she HAS banged this actor. The masked stranger who shags through walls = James the hot actor. Oops. She has a Phi Delta troll on her tail who would just love to eat her for breakfast, so the last thing she wants is for people to know about her and James Reid. She vows to stay away, but it isn't that easy. I just adore the narrative. Me and Ell giggled like school girls on crack and rainbow dust. It was so funny. The blurb proves that much. But it also has hearts, and guts, and a bit of spleen. The characters are well done and individual. There's some underlying morals involved, but it's mostly a lot of fun. If you want a good laugh after a not so good week, this is it.
Just make sure you don't read it in public. Might find the commuters around you edging away. But who cares, right? 5/5 ...more
It truly says something about a book when, despite all the hectic things going oReviewed for Bit'N Book Promoters. Full review can be found at link.
It truly says something about a book when, despite all the hectic things going on in your life -your busy schedule, work, kids, writing, whatever it may be – you make time for the novel. You invest in it, and savour it.
I read this in less than three days, which always means I enjoyed the book. A book that is read in that time for me, is good. And not just good, but addictive. I want to know more. I can't leave it alone.
I even read this book while I was eating dinner.
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That's how much it hooked me.
The concept of Blackout isn't really new, but the details were unique. The whole dystopia, end of the world, YA type novel isn't anything we haven't seen before. But I'm a sucker for a good one. And this book is like the Hunger Games meets a very soft non-alien-infested Pitch Black. It has hints of other stories I've read, and films I've seen that focus on the post-apocalyptic society: the injustice, the conspiracies, the dictatorship that is only just hidden by a 'we're in this together' bullsh*t smoke-screen. This novel is no different. And yet, it is.
I loved it.
The characters were undeniably some of the best I've read in a while. And to make a change, the POV was in the head of a male, named Phoenix. Now when I first read the description I nearly scoffed. “Phoenix Troublefield? Are you kidding me?” But in the first few chapters I began to understand the odd names. Star, Phoenix, Blaze, Wick. All the names of the DZ's (a.k.a the Dead Zone inhabitants who are on the other side of the enormous wall known as the Frontier that separates them from the 'easies' who have all the power) are names that represent light, warmth. Everything they don't have. Which is kind of sad in a way. And it made me appreciate their names and meanings even more.
Phoenix is tough, strong and very male. I liked how he was portrayed. But his weakness was Star, and that just made him more admirable and likeable. He has a strong sense of family, though he questions his place as a Troublefield until he eventually leaves to go to the US on the other side of the Frontier. I liked how he did it for Star. For love. She wanted to get electricity so her brother Wick would have heat and hopefully recover from his illness. The Easies offer electricity for one young DZ in the home to come across the Frontier and join 'the Carnival'. It isn't clear what 'the Carnival' is until they go to the other side. Worst part is, they're separated when this happens so you truly feel the anxiety of Phoenix's mental state as he fears for her and wonders where she is and if she's okay.
Then they get to the other side and discover that the Carnival is like some kind of twisted dating game show where they, the DZ's, have to win the 'hearts' of four spoiled a-hole kids from prominent United States' families. Two boys, two girls. It shattered my heart as both Phoenix and Star sat side-by-side painfully absorbing this sh*tbomb the b*stards have just dropped on them.
From then on it's like The Hunger Games with all the schedules and faking things, pretending to be happy and smiling for the camera. But with a twist. Phoenix plays the bad boy and their profile pages are online, and they update for all the internet users to see. Like a social network. A TV dating game show on the web. It's clever. I also loved the idea of the phones they all had with the pop-up schedules. It just felt so realistic. I could imagine the future being like that.
As for characters besides Phoenix, there were many to like. Elektra being one of them. She's a shadow: DZ's that keeps to themselves, are basically the strong elite of the DZ's and are feared by those who aren't them. She turns out to be a complex character. She's tough but not confrontational and doesn't try to make a point of her strength or abilities. You just know it and you know not to mess with her. The scene where they get a medical exam and Phoenix says that she has several hairline fractures on her legs and severe burns on her back, and he tries to ask her about it, she just brushes it off. I like that about her and admired her after that. She doesn't want people feeling sorry for her, despite her tough life. She's worked hard and earned it and that's all she sees about it. Good for her.
Tinder is a cute kid, and a softie. Phoenix abhors his weakness at first but then you see him start to treat Tinder like a little brother. It's a nice, subtle relationship they have. I love the contrast and their banter was always funny to read.
Blaze is supposed to be the bad guy, but I didn't see him that way. He and Phoenix end up being rivals which wasn't a surprise, but they're both doing it for similar reasons. They want people they love to have electricity. To have power and live in warmth. Blaze is tough and strong but his fear of losing out on the prize (a.k.a the girl called Hazel who they're both playing to win the heart of) causes him to act irrationally and that doesn't end well for him. I felt a little sad for him.
Star. She's Star. Not my favourite character. Oddly, my least favourite. She has a loving heart and warmth about her but she seemed easily swayed and didn't hold a strong sense of who she is, of who she and Phoenix are to each other. I understood her jealousy at times but I just thought she reacted like an idiot. She was unfair to him and the way she hid so much from him (pretending to play Wesley when instead she goes for Bing the pervy dufus, without telling Phoenix) just annoyed me. I like a girl who tells the truth because it's right. Not hide it because she thinks she's protecting him. He's a grown man, and a tough one at that, he can handle it. Phoenix may have been just as jealous but he was mentally strong enough to know that the Carnival was just a game. A dangerous one. And he knew they needed to win, no matter the cost. Otherwise bad sh*t would happen. Though we don't know what exactly that means until the end. And it's horrible.
They use the rejects, those that don't win the competition, as guinea pigs to try to find a cure for this epidemic that is turning the infected blind. It was an unpleasant discovery to say the least. But I'm so intrigued to know more. The ending left it with many questions unanswered and I'm desperate to read book two. I'm sure it will be even better than this one.
I rate this book 5 out of 5, simply because I couldn't find fault with it. Love the writing, loved the characters, the scenery, the plot. Everything.
Thank you for letting me read this. Awesomesauce!...more
The Casquette Girls is a work of art. Yup. Nice and simple. I could leave it at that if I wanted to and it would encompass everything I feel about thiThe Casquette Girls is a work of art. Yup. Nice and simple. I could leave it at that if I wanted to and it would encompass everything I feel about this novel, but that a review would not make. So here we go.
What makes this book so special? It's ability to suck you in? It's colourful collection of characters? The richness of architecture, history and urban legends? It's intelligent, mature and enticing narrative? All of those things and so much more.
The novel is so well written and full of intelligent vocabulary, yet I didn't feel like the words were too flowery or big for me to stomach. The author has a way of drawing you in and not letting you go. I read this novel very quickly considering I didn't have enough hours in the day. I read it in three. But I could have easily read it in one had I just locked myself in my room and shunned all worldly responsibilities.
The characters in the novel are diverse and interesting. Each one of them has an individual voice which I applaud any author that can achieve because it isn't easy to write a novel with a big number of characters and to keep the reader intrigued by each of them and to remember each of them. That's hard. But Miss Arden makes it look like child's play. She does it so well. And one of the things that I really was surprised at was that the diary entries by Adeline were keeping my attention so much I didn't want to go back to Adele's narrative because I was so glued to Adeline and her story. Diary entries tend to be a break from the narrative that we're more interested in. The narrative that covers the main plot of the novel. A diary usually just helps to explain the situation in the present. But the diary entries in The Casquette Girls held their own, and were a strong presence in the novel. I loved the unearthing of secrets, the historical scenery and the suspense and possible chance of a romance. I want to know more about Adeline and Gabriel and what happened to them that turned them from a possible relationship to mortal enemies. It is basically touched upon and you can fill in the blanks yourself, but I didn't want to. I wanted to savour each moment, each bite (pun most definitely intended).
That's not to say I didn't absolute * heart * Adele's narrative. She's funny, mature, conflicted and strong. She's likable straight away and her inner dialogue is fun to be around. I enjoyed her growth in character from this lost little girl in Paris pining for her Emile * retches * (more on him later) to a young woman with telekinetic abilities alongside the power to create and control fire, who stands up to dangerous, unnerving vampires (who long to be free and want to use her) and stubborn, bitchy witches (who turn out to be not so bitchy but give her a hard time realizing it). Oh and then there's the pesky crow who mashes up her face on her first night in New Orleans and seems to have a creepy habit of stalking her.
I liked how this all unfolded and how we learnt who was who and their secrets. The first time we meet Isaac, he's like this grumpy, opinionated pain in the ass (kinda like me :D ) who sits in the cafe Adele works at. I didn't expect anything to happen when we were first introduced to him. I just thought Miss Arden was painting a picture of the characters in the city. It then slowly came to light that this guy would play a big part in the book. I did realize early on he was SPOILER ALERT......
The crow. And I liked how Adele gave as good as she got. He deserved to be given a taste of his own obnoxious, grumpy medicine.
Then Adele bumps into Niccolo and Gabriel, the two gorgeous, Italian brothers who claim to be searching for their family. Well, that's kind of true. And she does kind of bump into them as well. She finds them in a store, lifting a fridge for the old owner. I liked the owner despite him having a small part. Miss Arden's magical prose helps to make us like a guy we meet for two seconds. Anyhoo, I digress. These two brothers introduce themselves. Gabe, the dramatic, flirtatious fella with the blond hair. And Nicco the dark, quiter, serious and observant type, who I can imagine if I was in Adele's shoes, would just look at me and I'd melt into a puddle on the spot. So these two hotties clearly are not all they seem and I said to the author very early on that though readers are usually Team Nicco or Team Isaac, I was wondering where all the Team Gabe fans were at. And I was routing more for him in the beginning, but I held back because I knew there was something fishy about him. No guy can be that charming and not have this Mr Hyde, psycho side to them. Not in a paranormal novel. Where they are probably vampires. And I was right. :D Just read it to see.
But none of Nicco's or Gabe's faults come close to the nasty pr*ck that is their other brother, Emilio a.k.a Emile. This guy is a douche. And yet, Miss Arden still manages to give him layers by making him care about someone. That someone would be giving too much away. I'll leave that spoiler for you guys to read. And I guessed about his love interest's secret too, but that's not to say Miss Arden's twists didn't keep me guessing. They most certainly did. And I loved every minute of it: not knowing what was going to happen next. It made a change from the predictable plots in YA fiction.
So the modern and historical plot lines were fabulously delicious and filled to the brim with urban legend and lore. The plot was also woven with true historical events and rumours. Les filles a la cassette being one of them. There truly were girls with caskets who sailed over to La Nouvelle-Orléans to marry the not so pleasant locals who mainly consisted of lawless thugs. And it turned out that they did have caskets that were meant to be filled with their dowries such as gowns and household items but when they were opened, they discovered the caskets were empty. Now either the king screwed them over, or they were robbed at some point during their journey, or there really were vampires who used them to travel overseas. Now I know which one I'd prefer to believe, just for the awesomeness of it.
Miss Arden cleverly used true events to create a supernatural world. The Storm that devastated New Orleans, the caskets, the attic in the convent that truly was nailed shut by nails blessed by the Pope. And the author just let her imagination wonder and create a beautiful piece of literature. This should be famous, and making movies. Twilight ain't got sh*t on this.
I'd also like to add that despite the magical, supernatural plot of this novel woven meticulously into historical events and modern events, this book is a beautiful tribute to the events that unfolded during and after the Storm a.k.a Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans. The author clearly loves her home town and this novel is a work of love. I've read previous reviews about The Casquette Girls that made a similar point. The Casquette Girls is for the people of New Orleans. But to add to that, I'd say this novel is meant to be for everyone outside of New Orleans as well, so we can get a glimpse of just what it was like. I didn't know much about the Storm, or how life was for those left behind. I could only imagine. But Miss Arden allowed me to see, and whether what she narrates as Adele is something she has experienced personally, I felt honoured to be privy to her experiences (Adele's and/or the author's). It cut straight through my heart, and the whole way through this novel you couldn't stop yourself from being emotionally invested in it. Now when I see a picture like this:
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I understand its meaning and it breaks my heart. It's so poignant and yet, for the ignorant it just looks like graffiti on a door. To understand the code, read this article: http://www.southernspaces.org/2010/ka...
I rate The Casquette Girls 5 out of 5. I'd give it more if I could. It was that wonderful. And I can't wait for the sequel The Romeo Catchers, to come out.
Oh and, in case you were wondering... (Alys certainly was, seeing as I've been teasing her about it)... Guess whose Team I'm on...
I had loads of favourite quotes which I'll probably add more when I read the book again. Yes, I'm definitely planning a date with it again. So for now, I've got a few that I remember solely because I laughed so hard I had to stop reading.
“One Hurricane Es-pec-i-al,” Blanche said, dropping a single plate with a mound of eggs dripping in gooey cheese, and a mysterious powdered-sugar-dusted log. “Bon appetite.” He placed a fork next to each of us, not knowing we only needed on. “Wow, Blanche, you really outdid yourself.” “This really is... special,” said Nicco. “Always, baby.” “What is this?” I poked the long lump of fried dough. “A Twinkie?” Blanche opened his mouth - “No Twinkie jokes!” I yelled. He mimed zipping his lips. “Yeah, baby, that's a fried Twinkie. You know that shit'll survive the apocalypse.”
“This way!” He walked us around the church. Where an illuminated statue of Jesus cast a fifty-foot shadow on the back of the Cathedral. I guess the Church thought Jesus deserved a generator? I tried to gauge Isaac's interest. Like everyone else, he was hanging onto Ren's every word. I had to force back a smile as I watched his fully engrossed profile. “Psst. Adele, come take a picture of me in front of the statue, but wait until some other people are behind me so it proves I was on the tour.” “Come on, Desiree, it's rude. I don't want to distract Ren.” “Oh, please, that statue of Jesus could start twerkin' and Ren wouldn't break character.” ...more
As always Angie doesn't disappoint. This book was fun, entertaining and scarier than the first book. I love how Lizzie grows and her powers increase. As always Angie doesn't disappoint. This book was fun, entertaining and scarier than the first book. I love how Lizzie grows and her powers increase.
I love the endless list of paranormal creatures and how anything is possible. There's no end to the possibilities. Lizzie could be faced with anything!
Dimitri is as hot and delicious as ever, especially with his need for self-sacrifice all in the name of love. Pirate is just too cute and Angie is marvelous at writing how a dog would speak. It's so believable.
One downside was I did spot several grammatical errors. Nothing that another proofread couldn't fix.
The succubi were intriguing and sinister. Just what we needed. And the exam at the beginning had me laughing. There were some brilliant quotes and when I get time, I'll add my favourites.
For now, short and sweet, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars. I've just started book three so will see what I make of that. So far, so damn good.
I'm writing this on my tablet so forgive my bad typing skills. :-)
Well what can I say? She's done it again. I've fallen in love with her writing, herI'm writing this on my tablet so forgive my bad typing skills. :-)
Well what can I say? She's done it again. I've fallen in love with her writing, her attention to detail, her sickly sweet romance, her historical research and her character developing. Despite the fact it was clear where this would end up, I enjoyed the ride and was constantly rooting for Lord Hamlin and Rose to be together. The fact is, she is an author who likes a happy ending and because this book and the Merchant's daughter are based on fairy tales you know she won't disappoint in making everything fall happily and perfectly in to place. The only difference is she constantly reminds the reader that it is because of God that it all works out great. This will put some people off but not me. I enjoyed it and I liked that she wasn't afraid to express her faith in her writing, though sometimes I found the constant reminder of faith a little grating, it was sometimes unnecessary to put in and didn't work at certain moments.
I've also noticed with both the novels I've read of hers is that the villain is repulsive and ugly physically as well as mentally. To always view the villain as an ugly person is a bit cliched to me and her representation for the characters a little lacking in substance.
Overall though the writing is always a delight to read and her description never fails to impress me, creating a clear and beautiful picture of the world she has created.
It's one of those books you'll read again just because it makes you feel good.
So for me because of the minor criticisms above mentioned she gets four stars for this.
I read this book a few years ago and forgot to add it on here giving it the credit it deserves.
A beautiful, haunting, dramatic, soul-ripping, creepy, I read this book a few years ago and forgot to add it on here giving it the credit it deserves.
A beautiful, haunting, dramatic, soul-ripping, creepy, mysterious, yet lovable book that has so many dark corners you just want to stay in the middle of the room where the comforting light is. But because of the current Mrs DeWinter who I wished I knew her real name soooo badly, you feel compelled to follow her into those dark corners and discover what's lurking in them.
The housekeeper is a creepy, unnerving character but I really liked her because of her strength and her obviously twisted, sad mind that is made very clear near the end of this book. She like all the other people who knew Rebecca, was captured in her merciless net and pulled under the water with her, even in her death. It's a haunting story that is made to appear so against Mrs DeWinter that you cry and scream in frustration for her, when she cannot. And when Maxim DeWinter reveals his true feelings you are giggling with giddy happiness and joy and then wanting to smack the pillock over the head for not confiding in her sooner.
The writing is in my opinion flawless and top class. The character building and description is wonderful. I love all the characters even the ones you hate, because you love to hate them. They are multi-dimensional with many layers of good and bad qualities between them like true people tend to have. The plot is well-paced and keeps you intrigued, to such an extent your tearing your hair out.
I didn't guess what had happened, not completely, though I did suspect foulplay in Rebecca's death. I did always believe that he had very much loved Rebecca. I'll say no more about that.
So thanks to this book, I believe in love more than ever, I praise men everywhere -though want to kick them up the butt to get them to speak up more to women and save us all a great deal of pain- and thanks to this book, I have bald patches haha. Totally worth it though :D Don't be put off.
Okay so a few things you need to bear in mind before embarking on this very soppy but beautifully written novel.
One, don't expect originality because Okay so a few things you need to bear in mind before embarking on this very soppy but beautifully written novel.
One, don't expect originality because it isn't. It's regurgitated romance at its finest. Think Beauty and the Beast meets Jane Eyre, add a bit of plot alterations and WHAM you have The Merchant's Daughter.
I read this in less than a day it was that good, I just couldn't put it down. And that is only because I like both the above mentioned stories, so if you don't, this might not be for you.
Firstly, bear with me because I read this a few weeks ago so the names are a bit fuzzy, but the MC Annabel was once a Merchant's daughter who then by cruel circumstance and a bit of clever plot twisting to spark the inevitable romance, ends up working for the feared and deformed Lord Ranulf. She is at first terrified by the prospect but after he does his (surprise surprise) knight in shining armor impersonation, she starts to consider that her working under him would be better than marrying the disgusting, slimy Bailiff Tom.
Her family are a bunch of idiots who you instantly despise and continue to the more indifferent and unfeeling and plain selfish they are towards Annabel. A bit of Cinderella mixed in there I think.
And Bailiff Tom is in my opinion a bit of a cardboard cut out for a villain but he certainly gave me the creeps and I understood why he was the way he was. The anger and annoyance at being rejected by her, thinking she's lucky to have him and believing she fancies herself superior to him.
This book is cliche and it is unoriginal but it has a magical element about it that just lets you get swept away in all its gooey loveliness that you can't help but fall for its farfetched, OTT designs. I loved it.
Annabel is a sweet and wonderfully written character. I loved her innocence and then her determination. I liked how she was humble about Lord Ranulf's feelings for her (Jane Eyre copycat) and how she was sweet to everyone. But also fought back too when the occasion called for it.
Lord Ranulf was my favourite character by far. He did remind me a lot of Mr Rochester but he was even more harsher and haunted if that's even possible. Because you had moments where it was from his POV you truly saw his self-loathing and how tortured this man was. How rejected he felt by his deceased wife. How angry he was, and how he hated himself in and out. How his soul and heart had been blackened. He saved a servant from being killed by a wolf only to get mauled himself. His scars show his goodness yet people reject him, judging him as something beastly and something to invoke terror, though if you really knew him, you'd know his disfigurement proved the exact opposite. Which is what Annabel discovers the more she learns about him and spends time with him.
And here is my major annoyance. I'm a religious person. I believe in God so at first I thought the mention of God and the Bible and her desire to go to a nunnery was interesting and quite fresh. In those times it was quite an openly discussed and expressed belief. To believe in God. And the way Melanie Dickerson wrote this made me feel like I was really there in that century. Something historical fiction writers don't quite do for me. Not as much as she did. So to begin with I liked it.
But then after several scenes it just became a bit grating. I liked how they both found peace through her reading the Bible. How she found a sense of calm being beside him and reading, and how he found his soul lifting with the words. How it brought back his faith in himself, in God and in life. And as his love for her grew so did his spirit.
They both found their own salvation through reading it together, and being near each other. And I understood why it was done and the Bible and belief in God was emphasized, but just every now and again I thought maybe she could have toned it down. And that's saying a lot when coming from me.
I think it bothered me when she still wanted to go to the nunnery even after it was plain for all to see EXCEPT HERSELF that she loved Lord Ranulf. It was as if she knew but she just didn't want to see it. Oh he doesn't love me, what's the point? HE DOES. IT'S SOOOOO OBVIOUS HE DOES. HE TOLD YOU HE DID. Read between the lines, girl!
So then when she began talking about her duty to God and questioning her calling, asking herself all these inward questions about the roles of a woman, and believing that being a nun is higher in God's eyes than being a married woman, I was like, why can't she keep her faith AND be married?? Surely it's good to do both?? Why does she have to suppress her happiness and live a life of solitude to be closer to God when every inch of her being is telling her not to? I just got to a point where I wanted to shake her.
Then things looked up. She realized at the very last second when she thought she was going to lose Lord Ranulf that she couldn't imagine life without him and that swayed her decision to stay. Took you long enough, I say.
Overall I loved this book and it was only after I read it that I thought of what annoyed me or what its faults were, in MY opinion. And now I'm reading The Healer's Apprentice and I'm seeing almost the same plotline, just with different characters with a slightly different background but the main points are pretty much the same. I don't mind but as soon as I read the part where Lord Hamlin was pleasantly surprised by Rose owning a Bible and being able to read Latin I just thought, er... MEGA deja vu.
Hope the plot changes so I don't feel like I've read the same book twice. But if you like that sort of thing, then you shouldn't mind that too much and just enjoy the ride.
Luckily for me, I do.
4 out of 5 stars for this.
Melanie Dickerson has won me over as a talented writer. I'll be looking out for her from now on. ...more
It was real and genuine and didn't promote the same regurgitated twaddle a lot of YA novels tend to do. What I I loved, loved, loved this book.
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It was real and genuine and didn't promote the same regurgitated twaddle a lot of YA novels tend to do. What I mean to say is, you could believe what was happening and yet still live in the fantasy. It didn't need mythical, unearthly, blood-lusting creatures in it. It was just too good for that- no disrespect to one of my fave genres (vamps and weres).
Jaqueline was an awesome character with depth, humour and a down-to-earth way about her. She wasn't over the top in her deepness, she didn't make you constantly question her actions because they weren't realistic. She made mistakes, and yet you understood why she made them.
She wasn't in the two main sterotypes of YA fiction. She was more, with many dimensions. She was a teenager and had a little bit of that serious, Twilightyness in her character but she was so much more than that. I think it's safe to say Tammara Webber scores high on the heroine.
The hero, Lucas, was also a believable character. He was funny, deep, interesting, mysterious, smart and loving, affectionate and sexy. But he was broken and far from perfect. He drove people (Jaqueline of course) away because of his own personal demons. His whole life since he was a young man has been consumed by guilt. Unwarranted guilt. And again you understand him and his reasons for being the way he is.
By the way I did know who Landon was the moment he was mentioned. But it made sense that Jaqueline wouldn't know because in real life, how could you when (view spoiler)[ Lucas and Landon are two completely different people in personality? (hide spoiler)] Until you start connecting the dots. So I wasn't screaming at her for not being smarter.
The storyline was interesting, focusing on the empowerment of women after being raped/attempted rape and the inner fears and demons of the characters.
I loved Erin because she stood by her friend, even choosing her over her boyfriend because of his 'bros before hos' complex. She made me giggle a lot and though she was the rowdy character, she wasn't labelled a slut at all. She was just a teenager, having fun, living life and full of bubbly energy. That was nice to see.
I also liked Katie, though her part was small. The way she defended Jaqueline and Mindi because she had also suffered at the hands of rapist and spoke out against all the guys and girls on campus who thought Buck didn't deserve to be sent to jail for his crimes. And the fact they didn't even believe he'd committed them anyway. I mentally patted her on the back for her speech and wanted to laugh in all those b**ches faces.
The writing was sharp, articulate, and well-paced. It didn't drag on and it gave the right amount of information with a balanced mix of dialogue, feelings and description.
I will read this again and again just because I enjoyed it so much.
My only criticism right now is that it did feel a little longer than necessary after (view spoiler)[ Buck attacked her outside Lucas's house (hide spoiler)] because I expected it to end not long after that. But after reading it I realized that actually, those extra pages were needed to make it a truly sweet feel good ending. The kind that makes you smile long after you've finished it.
This book is a work of art. Everything about it is wonderful. It has everything in it that makes a great story. Even if the romance between the two maThis book is a work of art. Everything about it is wonderful. It has everything in it that makes a great story. Even if the romance between the two main characters had been the only focus of the book it would still have been a brilliant story. I watched the film before I read the book and hoped that it wouldn't spoil it and it didn't. Despite the little differences - and Nicholas Cage's dodgy Italian accent ;)- the film, I feel, does the book justice. If you've read the book and not watched the film, watch it! And vise versa. Beautiful story that makes you feel good. ...more
A very heart-warming story of sisterly love, bad and good men, annoying reality of class in those times and discovering true love from infactuation. OA very heart-warming story of sisterly love, bad and good men, annoying reality of class in those times and discovering true love from infactuation. One of the things I love about Jane Austen is her titles completely sum up the stories without giving anything anyway. Although this isn't as famous as Pride and Prejudice, it is its equal and you can't read one without the other....more
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