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Zuky the BookBum (15 KP) rated All the Ugly and Wonderful Things in Books
Mar 15, 2018
Firstly, I'd like to thank Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
Full review here too: http://bit.ly/1qZtGhP
<i><b>Right up until that moment it was sweet and funny. Odd couple that they were, they had a real connection. Then he tugged her boot off and kissed the bottom of her bare foot. I could see him doing that kind of thing to his own kid, but she wasnt. She was somebody elses little girl.</i></b>
I am an <b>emotional wreck.</b> How has this book set my moral compass so askew? How could I have possibly been crying over a relationship between a grown man and a minor? I was distraught kinda crying, not a horrified or disgusted kinda crying either! I know Im being a sheep when I say this but <b>wow, this is amazing!</b> I was so worried I'd dislike this book because it was so hyped up but it did not disappoint, not even a little bit.
Youll be amazed at how well Greenwood has reinvented the adult-male-child-female relationship that we see all too often in novels and films. Shes managed to completely turn the disgusting, abusive image on its head. The love between Kellen and Wavy is the truest and realist love I've seen in a book for a seriously long time. There is absolutely <i>no</i> comparison between Kellen and Wavy with Humbert and Lolita, its not that sort of book. There are some people who, undoubtedly, are not going to like this book or the message its putting across, but you have to know that there is nothing evil in this age gap relationship as you would first guess there to be.
I can almost understand why Kellen and Wavy fall in love so quickly and so passionately. Wavy has had such a horrible existence, with her abusive, drug addicted father and her horrible mother who doesnt care for anyone but herself. Wavy is her own person, even from the beginning of this story, she may only be 8 years old but shes already a woman, shes had to live her life looking after herself and her baby brother, she already knows what it is to be an adult, so its no surprise she springs into adulthood at such a full force. And then there is Kellen, hes lonely and undesirable <i>(apparently)</i> and hes also bullied by the people around him he calls friends. So when Wavy comes along and looks at him and treats him like hes the most wonderful person in the world, its not really a surprise that a strong bond grows between them almost instantly.
I believe that at the beginning of their relationship there is no sexual desire, I honestly think their relationship is one of friendship and love in a more uncle and niece kind of way, but soon enough these feelings become something more. Kellen, although he does desire sexual gratification, knows his feelings are misplaced and so there is nothing dark and evil about his feeling towards Wavy, and for me, this makes him one of the best male character Ive read about in a long time, no matter if hes a paedophile or not. He's an incredible man and I absolutely loved him.
This book is a serious roller coaster of emotions and had me blubbering like a baby for the last 10%, or more, of the book. I am in love with this book, so thank you <i>very</i> much Bryn Greenwood for this amazing novel and giving me the chance to read it before publication! Ive already recommended this to friends and family and I cant wait to read more of Greenwoods writing.
<spoiler>I am over the moon with how this ended, I was rooting for their relationship to last throughout the whole thing, as sick as that makes me sound. Thank you Greenwood for the happy ending!</spoiler>
NOW AVAILABLE IN THE UK!
Full review here too: http://bit.ly/1qZtGhP
<i><b>Right up until that moment it was sweet and funny. Odd couple that they were, they had a real connection. Then he tugged her boot off and kissed the bottom of her bare foot. I could see him doing that kind of thing to his own kid, but she wasnt. She was somebody elses little girl.</i></b>
I am an <b>emotional wreck.</b> How has this book set my moral compass so askew? How could I have possibly been crying over a relationship between a grown man and a minor? I was distraught kinda crying, not a horrified or disgusted kinda crying either! I know Im being a sheep when I say this but <b>wow, this is amazing!</b> I was so worried I'd dislike this book because it was so hyped up but it did not disappoint, not even a little bit.
Youll be amazed at how well Greenwood has reinvented the adult-male-child-female relationship that we see all too often in novels and films. Shes managed to completely turn the disgusting, abusive image on its head. The love between Kellen and Wavy is the truest and realist love I've seen in a book for a seriously long time. There is absolutely <i>no</i> comparison between Kellen and Wavy with Humbert and Lolita, its not that sort of book. There are some people who, undoubtedly, are not going to like this book or the message its putting across, but you have to know that there is nothing evil in this age gap relationship as you would first guess there to be.
I can almost understand why Kellen and Wavy fall in love so quickly and so passionately. Wavy has had such a horrible existence, with her abusive, drug addicted father and her horrible mother who doesnt care for anyone but herself. Wavy is her own person, even from the beginning of this story, she may only be 8 years old but shes already a woman, shes had to live her life looking after herself and her baby brother, she already knows what it is to be an adult, so its no surprise she springs into adulthood at such a full force. And then there is Kellen, hes lonely and undesirable <i>(apparently)</i> and hes also bullied by the people around him he calls friends. So when Wavy comes along and looks at him and treats him like hes the most wonderful person in the world, its not really a surprise that a strong bond grows between them almost instantly.
I believe that at the beginning of their relationship there is no sexual desire, I honestly think their relationship is one of friendship and love in a more uncle and niece kind of way, but soon enough these feelings become something more. Kellen, although he does desire sexual gratification, knows his feelings are misplaced and so there is nothing dark and evil about his feeling towards Wavy, and for me, this makes him one of the best male character Ive read about in a long time, no matter if hes a paedophile or not. He's an incredible man and I absolutely loved him.
This book is a serious roller coaster of emotions and had me blubbering like a baby for the last 10%, or more, of the book. I am in love with this book, so thank you <i>very</i> much Bryn Greenwood for this amazing novel and giving me the chance to read it before publication! Ive already recommended this to friends and family and I cant wait to read more of Greenwoods writing.
<spoiler>I am over the moon with how this ended, I was rooting for their relationship to last throughout the whole thing, as sick as that makes me sound. Thank you Greenwood for the happy ending!</spoiler>
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated We Are the Goldens in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
There was something about this book that intrigued me. Maybe it was the forbidden romance between a student and her teacher. I decided to give this book a try. Although it wasn't as great as I thought it would be, it was still an alright read.
I love the title, and I feel that it fits in really well with the book. These two sisters have always had each other's back and have done nearly everything together.
The cover is okay. I think it looks a bit too cavemanish though instead of two beautiful girls as what is described in the book. Maybe if both girls were looking up and the lighting was different, the cover photo wouldn't look like I was looking at two cavemen.
I enjoyed the world building. We learn about the world through Nell's letters to her sister Layla. (At least it sounded like she was writing a letter(s) to her sister. The author made it easy to understand Nell's and Layla's relationship from the beginning through her fantastic prose.
I thought the pacing held up rather well. There were times when I thought I'd be able to put the book down so I could go to bed or do something else, but I'd always end up reading a few more chapters. It thoroughly held my attention. Plus, I enjoyed the back story leading up to everything immensely.
The plot of the whole teacher-student relationship has been done before. However, Reinhardt makes her story interesting and unlike the other stories. I liked the close relationship that Nell and Layla used to have before Layla started dating her teacher. I was saddened to see it start to unravel over a forbidden romance. There's no plot twists that I read about, but that doesn't hurt the book any. The only thing that annoyed me was the ending. I would've liked to know a bit more such as what happened to Mr. Barr and Layla. That's all I'm saying because I don't want to give away anything that could be deemed as a spoiler.
Nell was instantly likable. There was a certain innocence and vulnerability with her. It was easy to empathize with what she was going through, and I felt like her struggle with keeping her sister's secret was my own as well. I also thought Layla was a fantastic character as well. We get to know her through Nell's letters, and we learn that she too is also very vulnerable and just wants to find her one true love. I loved the character of Felix except that I had a hard time believing that he was into girls as it said in the book. I found his speech to be very effeminate. He reminded me of Damian from the film Mean Girls. Every time Felix was in a scene, I always was picturing Damian. We don't really learn too much about Mr. Barr (the teacher in a relationship with Layla) other that his students all think he's the coolest teacher and the best looking. We also learn that there's rumors about him being with other students previously.
The dialogue flows very smoothly and is never awkward. The speech fits my perception of how teenagers speak. It suits a young adult book. There is some swearing and some sexual references although none that are graphic. There is no violence in this book.
Overall, We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt is an enjoyable read save for the ending. The characters are well written as is the whole entire book. This book deals with subject matter that happens at every school.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who enjoy realistic fiction and characters that are easy to relate to.
<b>I'd give We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt a 3.5 out of 5.</b>
(I was provided with a free ebook of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
There was something about this book that intrigued me. Maybe it was the forbidden romance between a student and her teacher. I decided to give this book a try. Although it wasn't as great as I thought it would be, it was still an alright read.
I love the title, and I feel that it fits in really well with the book. These two sisters have always had each other's back and have done nearly everything together.
The cover is okay. I think it looks a bit too cavemanish though instead of two beautiful girls as what is described in the book. Maybe if both girls were looking up and the lighting was different, the cover photo wouldn't look like I was looking at two cavemen.
I enjoyed the world building. We learn about the world through Nell's letters to her sister Layla. (At least it sounded like she was writing a letter(s) to her sister. The author made it easy to understand Nell's and Layla's relationship from the beginning through her fantastic prose.
I thought the pacing held up rather well. There were times when I thought I'd be able to put the book down so I could go to bed or do something else, but I'd always end up reading a few more chapters. It thoroughly held my attention. Plus, I enjoyed the back story leading up to everything immensely.
The plot of the whole teacher-student relationship has been done before. However, Reinhardt makes her story interesting and unlike the other stories. I liked the close relationship that Nell and Layla used to have before Layla started dating her teacher. I was saddened to see it start to unravel over a forbidden romance. There's no plot twists that I read about, but that doesn't hurt the book any. The only thing that annoyed me was the ending. I would've liked to know a bit more such as what happened to Mr. Barr and Layla. That's all I'm saying because I don't want to give away anything that could be deemed as a spoiler.
Nell was instantly likable. There was a certain innocence and vulnerability with her. It was easy to empathize with what she was going through, and I felt like her struggle with keeping her sister's secret was my own as well. I also thought Layla was a fantastic character as well. We get to know her through Nell's letters, and we learn that she too is also very vulnerable and just wants to find her one true love. I loved the character of Felix except that I had a hard time believing that he was into girls as it said in the book. I found his speech to be very effeminate. He reminded me of Damian from the film Mean Girls. Every time Felix was in a scene, I always was picturing Damian. We don't really learn too much about Mr. Barr (the teacher in a relationship with Layla) other that his students all think he's the coolest teacher and the best looking. We also learn that there's rumors about him being with other students previously.
The dialogue flows very smoothly and is never awkward. The speech fits my perception of how teenagers speak. It suits a young adult book. There is some swearing and some sexual references although none that are graphic. There is no violence in this book.
Overall, We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt is an enjoyable read save for the ending. The characters are well written as is the whole entire book. This book deals with subject matter that happens at every school.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who enjoy realistic fiction and characters that are easy to relate to.
<b>I'd give We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt a 3.5 out of 5.</b>
(I was provided with a free ebook of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated King of Bad (Super Villain Academy #1) in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
This book has been on my TBR (to be read) list for awhile. It sounded very intriguing, so when I was offered the chance to review it, I automatically said yes. Luckily, the book didn't disappoint.
I think the title is an excellent fit for this book. Even Jeff's sister refers to him as the king of bad at one point. It's also an ironic fit for Jeff as we soon discover. (And don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler).
The cover is alright. I like the whole fire and ice thing going on with the cover which fits nicely with the book. I just wish there was less person and more scenery in the forefront.
I loved the world building! It made me wish I was part of it. Strand does a fantastic job of making the world of King of Bad seem like it's a real thing. The setting takes place in the United States although there are super villain and super hero academies all around the world. I like that Strand kept her novel set in the real world instead of some made up fantasy world. It makes it feel more real. The only thing I found confusing was the end. To me, it just felt a bit rushed, and just left me scratching my head wondering what had just happened.
The pacing is very enjoyable, and I found myself becoming more and more immersed with what was and what would happen to Jeff. Like the world building, the pacing does speed up a bit too much towards the end for my liking. Personally, I felt that things should've been better explained.
I loved the plot! It's about time we see the perspective of the world from a super villain! All too often, books tend to focus on the super hero. I liked the idea of a Super Villain Academy and seeing how the children were all trained to be bad. When a super hero academy attacks Jeff's school, I was actually rooting for the bad guys although it didn't feel wrong. There is a plot twist which I really enjoyed. There's no cliff hangers in this book that I noticed, so it can be read as a stand alone.
The characters were fantastic. It was hard not to love Jeff. He had fantastic manners for a baddie, and he was also very sarcastic which was my favorite thing about him. Source was probably my favorite character. I loved his nerdiness, and I could totally relate to him feeling that he didn't really fit in although Jeff felt that way as well. Oceanus came across as conflicted which I believe was intentional. She didn't want Jeff to think of her as a nice girl because she was supposed to be a villain. However, I did like Oceanus very much, and I kept rooting for her and Jeff to get together. Mystic is a fantastic character, and I never really trusted her. The author does a fantastic job in making the reader feel conflicted about Mystic which is also intentional. She had the power of suave which I thought was a fantastic ability. She also comes across as a caring and sweet girl for the most part.
The dialogue and character interactions flow very smoothly. Nothing ever felt forced or awkward writing wise. There is some swearing in this book as well as some sexual references and violence in case that isn't your thing.
Overall, King of Bad is an enjoyable and original read. My favorite thing about this book were the characters and reading about super villains as opposed to super heroes.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are feeling a little bit bad although they're really good. If you enjoy great characters and a fantastic plot, then this is the book for you!
(I received this ebook for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
This book has been on my TBR (to be read) list for awhile. It sounded very intriguing, so when I was offered the chance to review it, I automatically said yes. Luckily, the book didn't disappoint.
I think the title is an excellent fit for this book. Even Jeff's sister refers to him as the king of bad at one point. It's also an ironic fit for Jeff as we soon discover. (And don't worry, that wasn't a spoiler).
The cover is alright. I like the whole fire and ice thing going on with the cover which fits nicely with the book. I just wish there was less person and more scenery in the forefront.
I loved the world building! It made me wish I was part of it. Strand does a fantastic job of making the world of King of Bad seem like it's a real thing. The setting takes place in the United States although there are super villain and super hero academies all around the world. I like that Strand kept her novel set in the real world instead of some made up fantasy world. It makes it feel more real. The only thing I found confusing was the end. To me, it just felt a bit rushed, and just left me scratching my head wondering what had just happened.
The pacing is very enjoyable, and I found myself becoming more and more immersed with what was and what would happen to Jeff. Like the world building, the pacing does speed up a bit too much towards the end for my liking. Personally, I felt that things should've been better explained.
I loved the plot! It's about time we see the perspective of the world from a super villain! All too often, books tend to focus on the super hero. I liked the idea of a Super Villain Academy and seeing how the children were all trained to be bad. When a super hero academy attacks Jeff's school, I was actually rooting for the bad guys although it didn't feel wrong. There is a plot twist which I really enjoyed. There's no cliff hangers in this book that I noticed, so it can be read as a stand alone.
The characters were fantastic. It was hard not to love Jeff. He had fantastic manners for a baddie, and he was also very sarcastic which was my favorite thing about him. Source was probably my favorite character. I loved his nerdiness, and I could totally relate to him feeling that he didn't really fit in although Jeff felt that way as well. Oceanus came across as conflicted which I believe was intentional. She didn't want Jeff to think of her as a nice girl because she was supposed to be a villain. However, I did like Oceanus very much, and I kept rooting for her and Jeff to get together. Mystic is a fantastic character, and I never really trusted her. The author does a fantastic job in making the reader feel conflicted about Mystic which is also intentional. She had the power of suave which I thought was a fantastic ability. She also comes across as a caring and sweet girl for the most part.
The dialogue and character interactions flow very smoothly. Nothing ever felt forced or awkward writing wise. There is some swearing in this book as well as some sexual references and violence in case that isn't your thing.
Overall, King of Bad is an enjoyable and original read. My favorite thing about this book were the characters and reading about super villains as opposed to super heroes.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 15+ who are feeling a little bit bad although they're really good. If you enjoy great characters and a fantastic plot, then this is the book for you!
(I received this ebook for free from the tour host in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated The Uninvited in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can also be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.co.uk">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
When I saw that Liz Jensen had written a new book, I knew I wanted to read it. I loved her book The Rapture and was hoping The Uninvited would be just as good. However, I was disappointed with this book.
Hesketh is a man who has Asperger's Syndrome. He is sent by his company to investigate cases of whistle blowers and sabotage within companies. When Hesketh goes to investigate his first case in Taiwan, he gets more than he bargained for. The supposed whistle blower seems to be talking non-sense. The next day, the whistle blower commits suicide. Soon, this is happening all over the world. Not only that, but it children all over the world are attacking adults. What's going on? Will Hesketh be able to find the answer before it's too late?
The title of The Uninvited suits the book. Like most of my reviews, I don't want to go into too much detail as to why the title fits because I don't want to give away any spoilers.
I found this particular cover to be a bit plain for my liking. The cover didn't catch my attention. (It was the synopsis that did). This cover doesn't really give too much away about what the story is going to be about. To me, the cover just looks like some spoilt child hiding in her room trying to spy on what's going on which has nothing to do with the actual story of the book!!
The world building is very believable. I could actually imagine everything written in the book happening as the author was writing about it. I had no qualms about the world building. The author brings this dystopian world to life beautifully and scarily so!
Unfortunately, the pacing was horrible in this book. I had to force myself to read it and finish it which is a shame because I really wanted to love The Uninvited. The story just went on too slowly for my liking. A lot of the time, I was contemplating giving up on this book, but I've read a lot of books that get better towards the end. However, this wasn't the case with this book. It never got any better. It was a slow read throughout.
The dialogue, to me, confused me. It featured a lot of science jargon that I didn't understand. I found myself completely lost through most of this book. The ending, especially, left me the most confused. I didn't understand why or how. I just felt it was never fully explained which left me feeling rather annoyed.
The characters just felt too one dimensional. I couldn't relate to any of them, and I didn't care what happened to them. The character of Hesketh just came across really annoying. Yes, I understand he has Asperger's but so does my son, and he's no where as annoying as Hesketh. (And I'm not just saying that because he's my son). Throughout the book, Hesketh repeats things to himself three times, and he's constantly talking about his origami. I realise that he has his little quirks, but I felt as if Hesketh's origami was being shoved down my throat. If I had to pick a favourite character, it was be Professor Whybray. He just had that lovely old man quality and came across feeling grandfatherly.
All in all, I think the idea of this story is a great one, but it was just poorly executed. The pacing was too slow, the characters were too dull, and the dialogue was just too confusing. Like I said, I really wanted to enjoy this book as Liz Jenson has written some wonderful books before this one.
I really wouldn't recommend this book, but if you'd like to give it a try, I'd say ages 16+ would be the best ages to try to enjoy it.
I'd give The Uninvited by Liz Jensen a 1.5 out of 5.
(A special thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
When I came across this book on Goodreads, there was something about the blurb that made me want to read it, so when I got asked if I'd like to review it, I said yes instantly. While the first half of the book was a bit hit and miss, the second half really became interesting!
The title is a bit of a mouthful although interesting. I had a hard time remembering what the book was called due to the long name. Eventually, I memorized it, but I would still double check just to make sure I was right.
The cover might be a bit plain, but I think it suits this book perfectly! After the terrible incident that happens to Wendy, she kind of goes inside herself. I think this cover definitely captures that.
What bothered me a bit with the world building was I just felt like the school Wendy attended was racism central. I know that racism is a huge problem is some places, but it just felt a bit over the top in the beginning of the book. Luckily, about a third of the book in, the over the top racism thing stops, and the world building becomes more believable.
The pacing is fairly slow to begin with. However, about a little before halfway in, the pacing speeds up, and it quickly held my attention for the rest of the book. In fact, I couldn't put the book done after that! So if you start off a bit bored with the book, please do continue reading or you'll out miss out on a really good story.
The plot is interesting enough. It deals with racism, being an outcast, sexual abuse, and an emotionally distant mother as well as some other issues. I thought it was an original idea to use Michael Jackson as a teen girl's saint. I love the references to some artists of old.
The characters were written really well. Wendy, aside from her obsession with the king of pop, is just your average teenage girl. Her goal is to see Michael Jackson in concert in London. Wendy is definitely easy to relate to. Shaye comes across as being very cool and charismatic. He's instantly likable. I felt bad that I had ever liked him though after what he did to Wendy. My favorite character was Tanay though. I loved her attitude as well as her sass. She's super funny, yet she's a friend who's got your back. I think teenage girls will have an easy time relating to Wendy and/or Tanay.
The dialogue, for the most part, runs smoothly. However, at the beginning of the book, it does feel a little bit forced especially when it focuses on racism a little too heavily, at least I thought so. Some may get offended with the racism being used, but I didn't feel like the book itself was racist. I just felt that there was too much focus on how segregated Wendy's school is and how much racism (against all colors) there is in that school. Other than that, everything is smooth sailing. The character interactions feel normal, and the dialogue goes well with what a teen book should read like. There is some cussing in this book as well as some sexual situations, so I wouldn't recommend this book to younger teens.
Overall, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought is a very intriguing book. The issues it deals with are issues that have plagued teens as well as adults for awhile. Hawks does a fantastic job of writing about this issues.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to read something a little more realistic than normal fiction with characters of whom are easy to relate to.
I'd give How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks a 3.75 out of 5.
(I received a free paperback of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
When I came across this book on Goodreads, there was something about the blurb that made me want to read it, so when I got asked if I'd like to review it, I said yes instantly. While the first half of the book was a bit hit and miss, the second half really became interesting!
The title is a bit of a mouthful although interesting. I had a hard time remembering what the book was called due to the long name. Eventually, I memorized it, but I would still double check just to make sure I was right.
The cover might be a bit plain, but I think it suits this book perfectly! After the terrible incident that happens to Wendy, she kind of goes inside herself. I think this cover definitely captures that.
What bothered me a bit with the world building was I just felt like the school Wendy attended was racism central. I know that racism is a huge problem is some places, but it just felt a bit over the top in the beginning of the book. Luckily, about a third of the book in, the over the top racism thing stops, and the world building becomes more believable.
The pacing is fairly slow to begin with. However, about a little before halfway in, the pacing speeds up, and it quickly held my attention for the rest of the book. In fact, I couldn't put the book done after that! So if you start off a bit bored with the book, please do continue reading or you'll out miss out on a really good story.
The plot is interesting enough. It deals with racism, being an outcast, sexual abuse, and an emotionally distant mother as well as some other issues. I thought it was an original idea to use Michael Jackson as a teen girl's saint. I love the references to some artists of old.
The characters were written really well. Wendy, aside from her obsession with the king of pop, is just your average teenage girl. Her goal is to see Michael Jackson in concert in London. Wendy is definitely easy to relate to. Shaye comes across as being very cool and charismatic. He's instantly likable. I felt bad that I had ever liked him though after what he did to Wendy. My favorite character was Tanay though. I loved her attitude as well as her sass. She's super funny, yet she's a friend who's got your back. I think teenage girls will have an easy time relating to Wendy and/or Tanay.
The dialogue, for the most part, runs smoothly. However, at the beginning of the book, it does feel a little bit forced especially when it focuses on racism a little too heavily, at least I thought so. Some may get offended with the racism being used, but I didn't feel like the book itself was racist. I just felt that there was too much focus on how segregated Wendy's school is and how much racism (against all colors) there is in that school. Other than that, everything is smooth sailing. The character interactions feel normal, and the dialogue goes well with what a teen book should read like. There is some cussing in this book as well as some sexual situations, so I wouldn't recommend this book to younger teens.
Overall, How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought is a very intriguing book. The issues it deals with are issues that have plagued teens as well as adults for awhile. Hawks does a fantastic job of writing about this issues.
I'd recommend this book to those aged 16+ who want to read something a little more realistic than normal fiction with characters of whom are easy to relate to.
I'd give How Wendy Redbird Dancing Survived the Dark Ages of Nought by Lyn Fairchild Hawks a 3.75 out of 5.
(I received a free paperback of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Prodigal in Books
Jun 7, 2018
(This review can be found on my blog <a href="http://themisadventuresofatwentysomething.blogspot.com/">The (Mis)Adventures of a Twenty-Something Year Old Girl</a>).
Wow...just wow! The feels in this book were just wow! Prodigal by Rektok Ross has definitely become my favorite book this year. In fact, it may've become my favorite book ever, seriously. I had my reservations about this book being as it is Christian fiction. Although I am Christian, I don't like books that are too preachy because it's like they are preachy to the choir. However, this book was not preachy but helped get the message across. It is just amazing!
The title didn't really give me much to go on. In fact, if I'm being honest, when I first heard of the book, the title didn't catch my attention at all.
The cover is definitely original; I'll give it that that. However, like the title it's a bit plain. However, the sheep can be a symbolism in Christianity. Prodigal also touches on the story of the Prodigal Son which is another reason I believe the sheep is on the cover.
The world building was fantastically done! Ross does a great job of portraying a non-believing teen. Ross also portrays the high school relationship drama very well. I actually felt like I was back in high school while reading this book.
The pacing was set superbly! This was one of those books that I didn't want to put down because I had to know what would happen next. Unfortunately, life got in the way sometimes, and I did have to put the book down, but I would pick it up as soon as I got a chance.
The plot was so sweet! Lexy moves to a new state which means a new school her senior year, meets the uber hot quarterback, and they fall in love. However, there's some problems which means their relationship does suffer. Along the way, Lexy finds God. As I've said before, this book isn't over the top preachy. It's not subtle when it comes to God, but it's not in your face either. Oh, there weren't any plot twists that I noticed, but that didn't affect the book.
The characters all felt very realistic to me. I started out not liking Lexy because I didn't like the way she treated and spoke to her mother. However, Lexy began to grow on me, and I soon felt what Lexy felt when it came to what all was going on around her. I also liked Ash. I like how Ross portrayed him as a typical Christian teen and not one who was overly religious. Ash also had his demons so to speak. I even liked Blythe even though she was the resident mean girl. There's no excuse as to why Blythe behaved the way she did, but towards the ending of the book, it's easier to understand why she's the way she is.
I enjoyed the dialogue and the writing in this book. Again, I want to stress that this book doesn't just focus on God and Christianity. If anything, that's more of a minor subplot. There's no real violence in this book and only one swear word (the word ass).
If there's only one book you'll ever pick up, I'd highly suggest Prodigal by Rektok Ross. This book was so much more than I was expecting and left me with so many feels! If I had enough money, I'd buy this book for friends, family, strangers, readers of my blog, and well, everyone really! This book has it all - a great cast of characters, a world that pulls the reader right in, a fantastic story line, and a great message!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who are believers of God, non-believers, those struggling with their faith, those that are new believers, and just everyone in general.
(I received a free paperback copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Wow...just wow! The feels in this book were just wow! Prodigal by Rektok Ross has definitely become my favorite book this year. In fact, it may've become my favorite book ever, seriously. I had my reservations about this book being as it is Christian fiction. Although I am Christian, I don't like books that are too preachy because it's like they are preachy to the choir. However, this book was not preachy but helped get the message across. It is just amazing!
The title didn't really give me much to go on. In fact, if I'm being honest, when I first heard of the book, the title didn't catch my attention at all.
The cover is definitely original; I'll give it that that. However, like the title it's a bit plain. However, the sheep can be a symbolism in Christianity. Prodigal also touches on the story of the Prodigal Son which is another reason I believe the sheep is on the cover.
The world building was fantastically done! Ross does a great job of portraying a non-believing teen. Ross also portrays the high school relationship drama very well. I actually felt like I was back in high school while reading this book.
The pacing was set superbly! This was one of those books that I didn't want to put down because I had to know what would happen next. Unfortunately, life got in the way sometimes, and I did have to put the book down, but I would pick it up as soon as I got a chance.
The plot was so sweet! Lexy moves to a new state which means a new school her senior year, meets the uber hot quarterback, and they fall in love. However, there's some problems which means their relationship does suffer. Along the way, Lexy finds God. As I've said before, this book isn't over the top preachy. It's not subtle when it comes to God, but it's not in your face either. Oh, there weren't any plot twists that I noticed, but that didn't affect the book.
The characters all felt very realistic to me. I started out not liking Lexy because I didn't like the way she treated and spoke to her mother. However, Lexy began to grow on me, and I soon felt what Lexy felt when it came to what all was going on around her. I also liked Ash. I like how Ross portrayed him as a typical Christian teen and not one who was overly religious. Ash also had his demons so to speak. I even liked Blythe even though she was the resident mean girl. There's no excuse as to why Blythe behaved the way she did, but towards the ending of the book, it's easier to understand why she's the way she is.
I enjoyed the dialogue and the writing in this book. Again, I want to stress that this book doesn't just focus on God and Christianity. If anything, that's more of a minor subplot. There's no real violence in this book and only one swear word (the word ass).
If there's only one book you'll ever pick up, I'd highly suggest Prodigal by Rektok Ross. This book was so much more than I was expecting and left me with so many feels! If I had enough money, I'd buy this book for friends, family, strangers, readers of my blog, and well, everyone really! This book has it all - a great cast of characters, a world that pulls the reader right in, a fantastic story line, and a great message!
I'd recommend this book to those aged 14+ who are believers of God, non-believers, those struggling with their faith, those that are new believers, and just everyone in general.
(I received a free paperback copy from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review).
Lilyn G - Sci-Fi & Scary (91 KP) rated Terror is Our Business in Books
May 30, 2018
Terror is Our Business is the first time I’ve ever read Joe or Kasey Lansdale. I love horror, but by all accounts I’m not nearly as wide read in it as I should be. (At least not when it comes to the more well-known names.) I was a bit nervous about accepting a free copy of the book for review consideration because of that. However, I figured this might give me a taste of Lansdale’s writing to see if I wanted to pursue other works from him.
This was a set of seven stories, six having been previously printed. There are four stories from Joe R. Lansdale alone, and then Kasey’s character, Jana, gets introduced and the rest of the stories are dual-written. It also contains an introduction from Joe Lansdale talking about the formation of the Dana Roberts’ series, and how it has changed. There’s a similar introduction from Kasey’s point of view when the Jana-inclusive stories are getting ready to be told.
Dana and Jana are a good contrast to each other. Dana is rich, well-educated, and a bit of a snob. I initially liked her quite a bit, but over time she started to annoy me a tad. I did appreciate the fact that she was a self-professed atheist, though (who wasn’t evil! Imagine that!) She’s very good at what she does, but she’s not exactly the type of person I want to spend any considerable amount of time around. Jana, on the other hand, is more down to earth. She’s a bit crude, has no filter, and isn’t exactly the picture of grace that Dana is. Needless to say, I liked Jana a whole lot more. I think Dana and Jana have the potential to develop a rapport as a team that will be consistently engaging. However, to be quite honest, I don’t think they’re there yet. There are enough hints of a relationship forming that I would definitely pick up more, but at this point it’s on potential rather than true enjoyment of the series. I hope Nora and Gary aren’t completely written out of the series, either. I liked them both, what little we got to see, and would love to see them on page a bit more.
Anyways, here’s my breakdown.
*The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler and The Case of the Creeping Shadow were the least liked ones from the book. The format is okay, but the way Dana relays things is so stiff and formal that it’s hard to get into. I liked the edge of horror they had, but couldn’t connect.
*The Case of the 4 Acre Haunt got my attention. I had never heard of that type of tree, but the way Joe Landsdale described it, and what happened in the woods was definitely creepy!
*The Case of the Angry Traveler was my favorite of the solely Dana cases. This one was a sci-fi horror, and even though it wasn’t really ever scary, it was interesting, and I liked the ending.
*Blind Love, the story following Angry Traveler was lovely. It disgusted me, but it also delighted me. I almost instantly felt a lot more connected to the stories when the humorous element was introduced.
*The Case of the Bleeding Wall made me like Dana a little bit more. It showed that yes, even though she’s stiff and formal, she’s definitely human, and what she experienced truly bothered her.
*The Case of the Ragman’s Anguish wasn’t as good as The Case of the Bleeding Wall, but I still enjoyed it, and the scene in the car made my skin prickle a bit.
My favorite case in the book was Blind Love, with The Case of the Angry Traveler being a close second.
Joe and Kasey Lansdale are a wonderful team and Terror is Our Business is a solid collection of stories with a supernormal (sometimes Lovecraftian) bent to them. For those of you that read J.D. Robb’s In Death series, I think you’ll recognize a bit of the Eve and Peabody relationship with Dana and Jana. I hope to see more works from the father-daughter team in the future.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
This was a set of seven stories, six having been previously printed. There are four stories from Joe R. Lansdale alone, and then Kasey’s character, Jana, gets introduced and the rest of the stories are dual-written. It also contains an introduction from Joe Lansdale talking about the formation of the Dana Roberts’ series, and how it has changed. There’s a similar introduction from Kasey’s point of view when the Jana-inclusive stories are getting ready to be told.
Dana and Jana are a good contrast to each other. Dana is rich, well-educated, and a bit of a snob. I initially liked her quite a bit, but over time she started to annoy me a tad. I did appreciate the fact that she was a self-professed atheist, though (who wasn’t evil! Imagine that!) She’s very good at what she does, but she’s not exactly the type of person I want to spend any considerable amount of time around. Jana, on the other hand, is more down to earth. She’s a bit crude, has no filter, and isn’t exactly the picture of grace that Dana is. Needless to say, I liked Jana a whole lot more. I think Dana and Jana have the potential to develop a rapport as a team that will be consistently engaging. However, to be quite honest, I don’t think they’re there yet. There are enough hints of a relationship forming that I would definitely pick up more, but at this point it’s on potential rather than true enjoyment of the series. I hope Nora and Gary aren’t completely written out of the series, either. I liked them both, what little we got to see, and would love to see them on page a bit more.
Anyways, here’s my breakdown.
*The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler and The Case of the Creeping Shadow were the least liked ones from the book. The format is okay, but the way Dana relays things is so stiff and formal that it’s hard to get into. I liked the edge of horror they had, but couldn’t connect.
*The Case of the 4 Acre Haunt got my attention. I had never heard of that type of tree, but the way Joe Landsdale described it, and what happened in the woods was definitely creepy!
*The Case of the Angry Traveler was my favorite of the solely Dana cases. This one was a sci-fi horror, and even though it wasn’t really ever scary, it was interesting, and I liked the ending.
*Blind Love, the story following Angry Traveler was lovely. It disgusted me, but it also delighted me. I almost instantly felt a lot more connected to the stories when the humorous element was introduced.
*The Case of the Bleeding Wall made me like Dana a little bit more. It showed that yes, even though she’s stiff and formal, she’s definitely human, and what she experienced truly bothered her.
*The Case of the Ragman’s Anguish wasn’t as good as The Case of the Bleeding Wall, but I still enjoyed it, and the scene in the car made my skin prickle a bit.
My favorite case in the book was Blind Love, with The Case of the Angry Traveler being a close second.
Joe and Kasey Lansdale are a wonderful team and Terror is Our Business is a solid collection of stories with a supernormal (sometimes Lovecraftian) bent to them. For those of you that read J.D. Robb’s In Death series, I think you’ll recognize a bit of the Eve and Peabody relationship with Dana and Jana. I hope to see more works from the father-daughter team in the future.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review consideration.
Inky Books (3 KP) rated The Queen of the Tearling in Books
Jun 21, 2018
Here’s the book I’ve been looking for! I’ve been waiting and searching and looking for a book that would hold my interest long enough to get through it. While I listened to the book instead of reading it because of the little time I have because of school and work (six classes plus 20 hours a week, why do I do this to myself?) plus trying to train my new puppy, I just haven’t had enough time to sleep, let alone read a book. So listening to books on my 1 hour + commute to and from school and work six days a week was the only option.
I’m so glad I found this book because I could borrow it right away from the library. I had seen it, decided a few times not to buy the book because of the books I still haven’t read, so I just jumped at the chance.
So, let us start at the beginning. It was slow to start. I wasn’t connected to any of the characters, I didn’t have much of an interest other than just entertainment. There were a lot of people introduced at once and I had a hard time keeping them straight at first. Over time the characters got sorted out and each had their own personality.
This book was told from a few different perspectives, but for the most part it added important details to the story. It was interesting to see the thoughts of some people other than Kelsea, and it rounded out the story better than if it would have been just her perspective.
However, with the change in perspectives I found that I had a few issues with one character in particular. Javel is a complicated character, and not in the way most people like. His inner monologue has him come off as a strong character, one that doesn’t take crap. His actions and words tell a completely different story. Javel is a weak man. I was very unimpressed with his character and his story until the very, very end. He only had that one redeeming quality, but it paled against everything else about him.
Kelsea is a character I can defiantly stand behind, though there are two things that irked me. This is more about the writing of the book than it is about Kelsea herself, but that fact that she’s plain, not beautiful, was mentioned so often that I got very annoyed. She’s not as beautiful as her mother was, so what? She looked plain standing next to this woman. Yeah, so what’s your point? I get that she is plain but it doesn’t need to be mentioned multiple times in the first chapter and at least once in all the other chapters. The second was that she sees beauty as vanity. Just because a women is beautiful doesn’t mean she’s automatically a rival or that she’s worthless. It annoyed me that every woman was more beautiful than Kelsea could have imagined. Yeah, well get used to it. You’re the queen now, you’re going to be surrounded by beautiful people.
The one other issue I had was with the timing of everything. I can’t get a sense of how long it was from the begging of the book to the end, and it jumps forward weeks ahead with little explanation.
Despite those problems that I have with the book I really enjoyed it. Very rarely do I get to read about queens taking their keep by storm and upturning everything in her wake. Usually Princesses or other random girls are the main character, and this made me happy. It gave me an insight to what her life was like as queen without boring me.
The plot twist was rather predictable, I had it figured out from halfway through the book, but the way it was handled in the end was interesting.
This author isn’t afraid of killing her characters or going into details most would just briefly skim over. It was refreshing. I can’t wait to listen to or read the next book to see what happens from here!
I’m so glad I found this book because I could borrow it right away from the library. I had seen it, decided a few times not to buy the book because of the books I still haven’t read, so I just jumped at the chance.
So, let us start at the beginning. It was slow to start. I wasn’t connected to any of the characters, I didn’t have much of an interest other than just entertainment. There were a lot of people introduced at once and I had a hard time keeping them straight at first. Over time the characters got sorted out and each had their own personality.
This book was told from a few different perspectives, but for the most part it added important details to the story. It was interesting to see the thoughts of some people other than Kelsea, and it rounded out the story better than if it would have been just her perspective.
However, with the change in perspectives I found that I had a few issues with one character in particular. Javel is a complicated character, and not in the way most people like. His inner monologue has him come off as a strong character, one that doesn’t take crap. His actions and words tell a completely different story. Javel is a weak man. I was very unimpressed with his character and his story until the very, very end. He only had that one redeeming quality, but it paled against everything else about him.
Kelsea is a character I can defiantly stand behind, though there are two things that irked me. This is more about the writing of the book than it is about Kelsea herself, but that fact that she’s plain, not beautiful, was mentioned so often that I got very annoyed. She’s not as beautiful as her mother was, so what? She looked plain standing next to this woman. Yeah, so what’s your point? I get that she is plain but it doesn’t need to be mentioned multiple times in the first chapter and at least once in all the other chapters. The second was that she sees beauty as vanity. Just because a women is beautiful doesn’t mean she’s automatically a rival or that she’s worthless. It annoyed me that every woman was more beautiful than Kelsea could have imagined. Yeah, well get used to it. You’re the queen now, you’re going to be surrounded by beautiful people.
The one other issue I had was with the timing of everything. I can’t get a sense of how long it was from the begging of the book to the end, and it jumps forward weeks ahead with little explanation.
Despite those problems that I have with the book I really enjoyed it. Very rarely do I get to read about queens taking their keep by storm and upturning everything in her wake. Usually Princesses or other random girls are the main character, and this made me happy. It gave me an insight to what her life was like as queen without boring me.
The plot twist was rather predictable, I had it figured out from halfway through the book, but the way it was handled in the end was interesting.
This author isn’t afraid of killing her characters or going into details most would just briefly skim over. It was refreshing. I can’t wait to listen to or read the next book to see what happens from here!
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Red Rising in Books
Dec 7, 2018
<i>This eBook was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review</i>
<i>Red Rising</i> by debut author Pierce Brown is a very difficult book to review. It is clear that Brown is an excellent writer with amazing ideas, but at the same time it does not feel possible to rate the book any higher that two or three stars. This first book of three is somewhat alike <i>The Hunger Games Trilogy</i> by Suzanne Collins and has some very exciting themes. However at other times it provoked a range of emotions from disgust to almost verging on boredom.
Set thousands of years in the future, the world has become colour coded. Gold are the elite, the ruling colour, and at the bottom of the pile are the Reds. Darrow is a Red and lives below the surface of the planet Mars in the mines with the responsibility of helping to make the planet’s surface habitable for humans in the future. He soon discovers that the ruling societies have been lying to him all his life, and to the many generations before him. But there is an uprising brewing and Darrow has been chosen to play a vital role in it, even though that means pretending to be the enemy.
Although it was difficult to get into the novel it appeared to be clear what the plot would be about. Wrong! Once Darrow has been trained to behave like a Gold the storyline changes completely. It is almost as though it is a different book altogether. <i>Red Rising</i> suddenly becomes <i>Hunger Games-esque</i> and the situations with the Reds, while being referred to once or twice, was all but forgotten. Presumably those original themes will continue within the final books of the trilogy.
Living under the surface of Mars with no sunlight speeds up the aging process of the inhabitants. People in the thirties are considered old; therefore even though Darrow is a teenager in Earth years, he is portrayed as a man – an image that is difficult to shake off throughout the entire book. Once Darrow is living with the Golds and, supposedly, resembling his true age, it is still easy to forget that he is young. This may change the way the reader pictures the scenes compared with how the author intended them to be imagined. The characters are still only children but may be mistaken for adults due Darrow’s opening scenes.
It cannot be denied that Brown is a very knowledgeable writer. As well as writing in an exceptionally well-structured way, he incorporates a vast amount of high culture into his story. A lot of the novel is influenced by Greek and Roman mythology and he also quotes famous philosophers such as Cicero and Plato. So despite its science fiction genre it also has a slight educational nature.
Something interesting about <i>Red Rising</i> was the character development of Darrow. At the beginning he was rather naïve, believing everything he was told, following orders etc. But soon he becomes more confident, clever, Gold-like. However he then becomes like a wild beast, killing to survive, to win. Thankfully his cleverness takes control and he realizes that he needs to become a leader and not a tyrant. Towards the end he even becomes messiah-like. As Darrow progresses through these changes he becomes a more likable character.
I am not sure whether I want to read the next installment of <i>Red Rising</i>. For the beginning storyline to continue and become the main focus, the book would need to be completely different. This could be a good thing because, as mentioned, there were times when it was a little boring, however there’s the risk that it will not feel like a follow on from the first book. I do not want to put anyone off from reading it, but I will honestly say that it was not really what I was expecting.
<i>Red Rising</i> by debut author Pierce Brown is a very difficult book to review. It is clear that Brown is an excellent writer with amazing ideas, but at the same time it does not feel possible to rate the book any higher that two or three stars. This first book of three is somewhat alike <i>The Hunger Games Trilogy</i> by Suzanne Collins and has some very exciting themes. However at other times it provoked a range of emotions from disgust to almost verging on boredom.
Set thousands of years in the future, the world has become colour coded. Gold are the elite, the ruling colour, and at the bottom of the pile are the Reds. Darrow is a Red and lives below the surface of the planet Mars in the mines with the responsibility of helping to make the planet’s surface habitable for humans in the future. He soon discovers that the ruling societies have been lying to him all his life, and to the many generations before him. But there is an uprising brewing and Darrow has been chosen to play a vital role in it, even though that means pretending to be the enemy.
Although it was difficult to get into the novel it appeared to be clear what the plot would be about. Wrong! Once Darrow has been trained to behave like a Gold the storyline changes completely. It is almost as though it is a different book altogether. <i>Red Rising</i> suddenly becomes <i>Hunger Games-esque</i> and the situations with the Reds, while being referred to once or twice, was all but forgotten. Presumably those original themes will continue within the final books of the trilogy.
Living under the surface of Mars with no sunlight speeds up the aging process of the inhabitants. People in the thirties are considered old; therefore even though Darrow is a teenager in Earth years, he is portrayed as a man – an image that is difficult to shake off throughout the entire book. Once Darrow is living with the Golds and, supposedly, resembling his true age, it is still easy to forget that he is young. This may change the way the reader pictures the scenes compared with how the author intended them to be imagined. The characters are still only children but may be mistaken for adults due Darrow’s opening scenes.
It cannot be denied that Brown is a very knowledgeable writer. As well as writing in an exceptionally well-structured way, he incorporates a vast amount of high culture into his story. A lot of the novel is influenced by Greek and Roman mythology and he also quotes famous philosophers such as Cicero and Plato. So despite its science fiction genre it also has a slight educational nature.
Something interesting about <i>Red Rising</i> was the character development of Darrow. At the beginning he was rather naïve, believing everything he was told, following orders etc. But soon he becomes more confident, clever, Gold-like. However he then becomes like a wild beast, killing to survive, to win. Thankfully his cleverness takes control and he realizes that he needs to become a leader and not a tyrant. Towards the end he even becomes messiah-like. As Darrow progresses through these changes he becomes a more likable character.
I am not sure whether I want to read the next installment of <i>Red Rising</i>. For the beginning storyline to continue and become the main focus, the book would need to be completely different. This could be a good thing because, as mentioned, there were times when it was a little boring, however there’s the risk that it will not feel like a follow on from the first book. I do not want to put anyone off from reading it, but I will honestly say that it was not really what I was expecting.
Hazel (1853 KP) rated Paper Towns in Books
Dec 7, 2018
This was my book of the month for March 2014. You can view and reblog my Tumblr post here: http://fuzzysparrow.tumblr.com/post/81305903630/x
<i>Paper Towns</i> is a brilliantly written novel by John Green. Having only previously read <i>The Fault in our Stars</i> I have little to compare it to and cannot say whether it is his best. I am writing this less that half an hour after finishing <i>Paper Towns</i> therefore it is still fresh in my mind, which may explain my slight preference over <i>TFIOS</i>. However the story lines are so different that it is not really fair to compare them.
Set in Orlando, Florida, <i>Paper Towns</i> is narrated by eighteen-year-old Quentin Jacobson (often referred to as Q). It begins with a flash back to when he and next door neighbour, Margo Roth Spiegelman, were nine and discovered a dead body in the park. It is here that the differences in character are pointed out: “As I took those two steps back, Margo took two equally small and quiet steps forward.” Q is an anxious boy, whereas Margo comes across as very confident.
Despite their childhood relationship, for the main bulk of the story Q and Margo have grown apart. They belong to different social circles: Margo to the popular crowd and Q with the gamers, band members and social outcasts. But things take a turn when one night Margo climbs through Q’s bedroom window and insists he accompany her on a nighttime adventure, going around righting wrongs and wronging rights.
But the next day Margo runs away telling no one where she is going, except it appears that she has left clues to her whereabouts. Clues only intended for Q to discover. With the help of his prom-obsessed friend, Ben; Radar, the guy whose parents own the world’s largest collection of black Santas (seriously, where does Green come up with this stuff?); and Lacey, Margo’s best friend and Ben’s soon to be girlfriend; Q struggles to understand the clues and uncover Margo’s hiding place.
To begin with it is exciting to read about Q and his friends unscrambling the hidden messages but as the story goes on and Margo is yet to be found a sense of dread creeps up on us and Q begins to think the worst.
The final section, however, is fast past and thrilling to read as the characters travel across states, with a rather short time limit, in Q’s mini van in a final attempt to find Margo. What will they find when they arrive? Will Margo still be there?
At first I was not sure that I would like this book. Chapter one is mostly about Quentin, Ben and Radar fooling around as boys do, but once everything kicks off with Margo it is really exciting. Similarly to <i>The Fault in our Stars</i>, Green has filled <i>Paper Towns</i> with clever metaphors with paper, string, balloons and grass being used to represent life. It is a very witty narrative containing lots of humour, yet also manages to convey important ideas about the way we see the world, and the people in it.
<i>Paper Towns</i> can be described as a contemporary, coming-of-age story. As mentioned already, Margo was portrayed as a confident girl whereas Quentin was the opposite. Despite Q stating “I wanted Margo’s disappearance to change me; but it hasn’t, not really” I think Green has shown major character developments, and possibly even role reversals. Q may never completely get rid of his anxieties and does not totally become a different person, but he does gain more confidence as he is forced out of his comfort zone, and his perception of other people also begins to alter. Margo on the other hand may not be all that she seems. The real Margo may in fact be a quiet, rather lost teen in a world she feels trapped in. I think this story and Q’s development has the potential to inspire others of similar ages and make all readers question things about themselves.
Overall, an exceptionally good read.
<i>Paper Towns</i> is a brilliantly written novel by John Green. Having only previously read <i>The Fault in our Stars</i> I have little to compare it to and cannot say whether it is his best. I am writing this less that half an hour after finishing <i>Paper Towns</i> therefore it is still fresh in my mind, which may explain my slight preference over <i>TFIOS</i>. However the story lines are so different that it is not really fair to compare them.
Set in Orlando, Florida, <i>Paper Towns</i> is narrated by eighteen-year-old Quentin Jacobson (often referred to as Q). It begins with a flash back to when he and next door neighbour, Margo Roth Spiegelman, were nine and discovered a dead body in the park. It is here that the differences in character are pointed out: “As I took those two steps back, Margo took two equally small and quiet steps forward.” Q is an anxious boy, whereas Margo comes across as very confident.
Despite their childhood relationship, for the main bulk of the story Q and Margo have grown apart. They belong to different social circles: Margo to the popular crowd and Q with the gamers, band members and social outcasts. But things take a turn when one night Margo climbs through Q’s bedroom window and insists he accompany her on a nighttime adventure, going around righting wrongs and wronging rights.
But the next day Margo runs away telling no one where she is going, except it appears that she has left clues to her whereabouts. Clues only intended for Q to discover. With the help of his prom-obsessed friend, Ben; Radar, the guy whose parents own the world’s largest collection of black Santas (seriously, where does Green come up with this stuff?); and Lacey, Margo’s best friend and Ben’s soon to be girlfriend; Q struggles to understand the clues and uncover Margo’s hiding place.
To begin with it is exciting to read about Q and his friends unscrambling the hidden messages but as the story goes on and Margo is yet to be found a sense of dread creeps up on us and Q begins to think the worst.
The final section, however, is fast past and thrilling to read as the characters travel across states, with a rather short time limit, in Q’s mini van in a final attempt to find Margo. What will they find when they arrive? Will Margo still be there?
At first I was not sure that I would like this book. Chapter one is mostly about Quentin, Ben and Radar fooling around as boys do, but once everything kicks off with Margo it is really exciting. Similarly to <i>The Fault in our Stars</i>, Green has filled <i>Paper Towns</i> with clever metaphors with paper, string, balloons and grass being used to represent life. It is a very witty narrative containing lots of humour, yet also manages to convey important ideas about the way we see the world, and the people in it.
<i>Paper Towns</i> can be described as a contemporary, coming-of-age story. As mentioned already, Margo was portrayed as a confident girl whereas Quentin was the opposite. Despite Q stating “I wanted Margo’s disappearance to change me; but it hasn’t, not really” I think Green has shown major character developments, and possibly even role reversals. Q may never completely get rid of his anxieties and does not totally become a different person, but he does gain more confidence as he is forced out of his comfort zone, and his perception of other people also begins to alter. Margo on the other hand may not be all that she seems. The real Margo may in fact be a quiet, rather lost teen in a world she feels trapped in. I think this story and Q’s development has the potential to inspire others of similar ages and make all readers question things about themselves.
Overall, an exceptionally good read.