Jo Walton's Thessaly trilogy is so damn underated, please go read The Just City now, the ending to this series is downright transcendent and I cried lJo Walton's Thessaly trilogy is so damn underated, please go read The Just City now, the ending to this series is downright transcendent and I cried like a bitch...more
Fascinating. Written with all the clarity of a Greek myth. I loved Simmea.. and Apollo, and I couldn't make myself stop reading; it was all so intriguFascinating. Written with all the clarity of a Greek myth. I loved Simmea.. and Apollo, and I couldn't make myself stop reading; it was all so intriguing....more
starts off a bit slow but once the rest of the cast fell into place I was in love. Thaniel is a bit of a dull character (I guess that's the point.. bustarts off a bit slow but once the rest of the cast fell into place I was in love. Thaniel is a bit of a dull character (I guess that's the point.. but I was never a fan of mundane male protagonists), but the others (and the relationship dynamics between them) are EXCELLENT. I finished it within a day. I think Mori was the standout character for me; this gentle yet terrifying enigma whose slow buildup of trust with Thaniel killed me. The playful tension between Grace and Matsumoto is what made me sit up and keep reading in the first place too. add a dose of magical-ish sci-fi elements involving time and possibilities (reminiscient of His Dark Materials) and you really have something special....more
This is the kind of book that I wish I had written. It's really clever, unique, funny and charming in a british way. And always unexpected. I love thaThis is the kind of book that I wish I had written. It's really clever, unique, funny and charming in a british way. And always unexpected. I love that! I love reading something that experiments with form so much that I never know how things will turn out - or when there's a moment that I can sense coming because of the patterns repeating themselves, but when it does happen it's still a joy to reach it all the same.
The one constant in all the variations of Ursula's life is her family, which of course just kind of hits me right in the heart.
Most of the writing is pretty emotionally... understated? so when you hit those passages that really let it all out, with so much power, emotion and beauty-- (there's one paragraph in particular, you'll know when you reach it)-- it really stands out. And then there are scenes that are so mysterious that I still wonder about them sometimes. There's lingering questions by the end, but they're intentional and really make you wonder. I'm completely satisfied. It was a brilliant ride....more
This is probably one of the most dark and twisted books you'll find in paranormal YA, but I fell for the main characters so much. Rudy is such an angsThis is probably one of the most dark and twisted books you'll find in paranormal YA, but I fell for the main characters so much. Rudy is such an angsty teen but his relationship with his little brother (predictably) destroyed me, and his relationship with the strangely child-like and equally lonely Teeth wrecked my heart EVEN MORE. Moskowitz builds these characters so carefully that the rest of the cast never goes past being flat caricatures, but I'm okay with that because the slow build of their relationship from impossibly lonely, isolated strangers to "best friends" (hint hint) and the inevitable bittersweet ending was great. Even though it took many turns into messed up weird-ass stuff. And also heartbreaking stuff.
Given the amount of Really Strange moments in this book I'm kind of amazed it got published and the result is as raw and unfiltered as it is. It's definitely not for everyone but there are some quiet, beautiful moments here. I thought that the conflict that was set-up had a lot of potential, but ultimately the way things were resolved didn't do it much justice - the ending felt abrupt, but I feel inclined to forgive it because the last paragraph was gorgeous. I also really love this review, which puts things way better than I can....more
There were a lot of things I liked about this book, but only a few things that I loved. In the end I somehow got bored despite the fact that the worldThere were a lot of things I liked about this book, but only a few things that I loved. In the end I somehow got bored despite the fact that the world was being taken over by gigantic praying mantis creatures...more
Having reread this 6 years later, my opinion has changed, and I can't scrounge up any sympathy for Leonard.
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Equal parts strange, suspenseful, poignHaving reread this 6 years later, my opinion has changed, and I can't scrounge up any sympathy for Leonard.
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Equal parts strange, suspenseful, poignant and sad. Well, okay, mostly strange, but the poignant moments are spectacular. Quick has a way of making every line of dialogue matter, and all of his characters have so much personality right off the bat; each one is memorable enough to make me wonder about what makes them tick, and it feels like I can imagine them living their lives even though the story's over. Not bad for a book that is so fundamentally wrapped up in the protagonist's worldview.
I needed something a pick-up-and-stay-up-until-2am read (I've been giving up on so many books lately) and this definitely delivered....more
Completely brilliant from start to finish, but it's not like I expected any less
The plot is a real mindbender (/understatement), and it's really imporCompletely brilliant from start to finish, but it's not like I expected any less
The plot is a real mindbender (/understatement), and it's really important that you go in without knowing anything. I didn't find Seth as compelling of a character in comparison to the absolutely wonderful (view spoiler)[Regine and Tomasz, you don't how much I loved those two, YOU DON'T KNOW (hide spoiler)]. It could also do a little less with those instances where you think (view spoiler)[the threat is dead and he pops up again at just the right moment (Aaron the preacher all over again) (hide spoiler)], but you know what? 400+ pages just flew by, and it made me think and even laugh quite a bit. The characters/plot/writing are so, so good. ...more
Well, that last line makes a lot more sense now that we know what the second book's called. This is another case where I'm way more interested in the Well, that last line makes a lot more sense now that we know what the second book's called. This is another case where I'm way more interested in the non-Main Couple characters (Gansey and Blue just seem so much more boring compared to Adam and Ronan imo)* but I have to give Stiefvater credit for not pushing it into our faces so much, or at least trying to make it seem less predictable.
While it's hard to put down once you start reading, I think this book is too bloated and drags on too much, and it's obvious that most of the mysteries are introduced for later installments to explore. There's a lot more setting up and exploring character relationships then there is advancing a plot, which is something I don't mind too much, actually - the cast is really great, distinct, has good chemistry, and you want to more about them. But the stuff that actually happens, when you look back on it, is buried under a lot of meandering. It lacks some urgency and I put it down for several months (ack, more than a year actually!) when it started lagging. The climax and resolution felt really rushed compared to the rest of the 400-some pages of relaxed pacing. The direction the romance is heading in doesn't interest me at all but I do like the characters, so I might get around to reading more books in the series later on.
*just like in Shiver! Isabel and Cole >>>>> Grace and Sam. the same pattern in also: every John Green book I have ever read...more
"All I have done is buy myself time, the time to write this. I haven't really told anyone anything of use. I've only told a story. But I have told the "All I have done is buy myself time, the time to write this. I haven't really told anyone anything of use. I've only told a story. But I have told the truth. Isn't that ironic? The sent me because I am so good at telling lies. But I have told the truth."
My time with Code Name Verity reminds me of that day I read The Book Thief, but not because they both took place during WWII. It's that when I first started reading them I was bored and frustrated-- the narration was too rambly and vague, the plot was confusing and disjointed-- but somewhere that frustration fades away as the characters defy expectations, and before I know it I've become glued to the pages until the last, heartbreaking, soul-destroying page. You're supposed to wonder why Verity is recounting the story of how her best friend Maddie became a pilot, when her current situation is so dire. But the genius of it is that that's also what's making you read on; it's the story of how she ended up here, and it's also so much more than that. Yes, this is the kind of book that's so much better when you don't know what to expect, so I'll leave my attempt at explaining the ingenious plot at that. I will tell you that it's full of my favorite things--unreliable narrators, fantastic plot twists, suspense and foreshadowing (that you'll only catch the second time around), friendship, characters that are far more complex than they seem, and above all, just a really fantastic story. There are so many books that you can predict the entire plot just by looking at the cover and reading the synopsis, but Code Name Verity is something else, something that messes with everything you thought you knew, everything that you think will happen, in an intelligently written (and occasionally sob-inducing) package. ...more
That was really, really good. Sorrow's Knot is part coming of age tale, the best kind, about facing what scares us and changes us, but growing up throThat was really, really good. Sorrow's Knot is part coming of age tale, the best kind, about facing what scares us and changes us, but growing up through it all. So here there are echoes of Plain Kate, in what we may fear the most-- losing someone you love. Wanting to have them back. Struggling to let them go.
I'm let down by some things that happened in the end, but overall I loved the plot and structure of the book; it never let up the suspense and I nearly finished it all in one sitting because I wanted to know what was going to happen to the characters, and I always wanted to know more about the secrets behind this mysterious, eerie, world. It's disappointing that we didn't get much background around how the main trio became friends in the first place, or more time spent on Otter's relationships with her mother and the other women living there. Some of these critical, emotional scenes are written so beautifully, but they don't quite resonate as much as they could. But the writing is still so impossibly good.
Also, the entire idea of the dead lurking around in the shadows terrified to me no end that is some truly scary stuff...more
I am a huge fan of Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy (it’s absolutely BRILLIANT, go read it if you haven’t already!) but part of the fun was being surprisedI am a huge fan of Ness’ Chaos Walking trilogy (it’s absolutely BRILLIANT, go read it if you haven’t already!) but part of the fun was being surprised by a series that I had always overlooked. When I read A MONSTER CALLS, however, I had expectations of epic proportions. It does make for a different reading experience, but by the end all my doubts were completely gone. You might be lulled by its simplicity, but the emotions bleed through the pages and the illustrations are breathtaking. Although there aren’t many details about the various characters that are a part of Conor’s life, the monster itself is so fascinating and perplexing that you have to keep reading to see what’ll happen next.
A MONSTER CALLS is beautifully written, with humor and haunting descriptions throughout; the illustrations are spectacular as well. But what really hits you in the end is how powerful it is. Ness isn't afraid to expose the tough truths in life. As Conor faces them, you do as well. The ending is gut-wrenching (I don’t know many people who made it through dry-eyed) and–even if you wanted to– it’s impossible to forget....more
This is such a strange book. Strange in a way that I can't place as 'good' or 'bad', just different. It's pretty ho-hum a lot of the time, but it makeThis is such a strange book. Strange in a way that I can't place as 'good' or 'bad', just different. It's pretty ho-hum a lot of the time, but it makes sense because this read exactly like the journal of a girl-- despite dealing with magical realism, not all lives are filled with adventure and drama.
So it's about a girl, who's been through a lot: a wicked mother, losing her twin sister, being sent away from home. But despite all that, those events take place before the book even starts, and other dramatic moments are off-screen as well. The majority of the book is her thoughts on the books she's read (with LOTS of references to sci-fi classics, expect at least a few per page), or her somewhat friendless day-to-day life at a boarding school. More than magic or fantasy or tragedy, this book is about finding people who understand you, who are like you, who you can talk to, overcoming loneliness, and the joy of reading (and interlibrary loans). It may not be as interesting, exactly, but the moments where Mori realizes that she is a person worth listening to, or when she worries about talking too much about books with people who've read the same, you can't help but feel happy for her.
To get there, though, you're going to have to wade through some not-so-interesting parts. Not every page of an ordinary teenage girl's journal is going to be beautifully written, but when that ordinary-ness is an essential part of Among Others. And when the ordinary-ness subsides, even if it's only for a brief moment, it's really something. I mean, here I was, reading about buying buns and going to libraries, when the next journal entry is something like this.
Then I saw Mor. I hadn’t been expecting it at all. She was walking along quite unconcerned, a leaf in her hand as if she was playing some serious part in a game. I shouted her name, and she turned and saw me and smiled, with such gladness that it broke my heart. I reached out for her, and she for me, but she wasn’t really there, like a fairy, worse than a fairy. She looked afraid, and she looked from side to side, seeing the fairies, of course, lining the path.
“Let go,” Glorfindel said, almost in my ear, a whisper so warm it moved my hair.
I wasn’t holding her, except that I was. Our hands reached out and did not touch, but the connection between us was tangible. It glowed violet. It was the only thing with colour. It wasn’t visible normally, but if it had been for the last year it would have been trailing around me like a broken bridge. Now it was whole again, I was whole again, we were together. “Holding or dying,” he said in my ear, and I understood, he meant that I could hold her here and that would be bad, and I trusted him about that although I didn’t understand it, or I could go with her through that door to death. That would be suicide. But I couldn’t let her go. It had been so very hard without her all that time, such a rotten year. I’d always meant to die too, if dying was necessary.
“Half way,” Glorfindel said, and he didn’t mean I was half dead without her or that she was halfway through or any of that, he meant that I was halfway through Babel 17, and if I went on I would never find out how it came out.
There may be stranger reasons for being alive.
There are books. There’s Auntie Teg and Grampar. There’s Sam, and Gill. There’s interlibrary loan. There are books you can fall into and pull up over your head. There’s the distant hope of a karass sometime in the future. There’s Glorfindel who really cares about me as much as a fairy can care about anything.
I let go. Reluctantly, but I let go. She clung. She held on, so that letting go wasn’t enough. If I wanted to live, I had to push her away, through the connection that bound us, though she was crying and calling to me and holding on as hard as she could. It is the hardest thing I have ever done, worse than when she died. Worse than when they dragged me off her and the ambulance took her away and let my mother go with her, smiling, but not me. Worse than when Auntie Teg told me she was dead.
Mor was always braver than I was, more practical, nicer, just generally a better person. She was the better half of us.
But she was afraid now, and lonely and bereft, and dead, and I had to push her away. She changed as she clung, so she was like ivy, all over me, and seaweed, tendrils clutching, and slime, impossible to shake off. Now I wanted to get her off I couldn’t, and even though she was changing I knew she was still Mor all the time. I could feel that she was. I was afraid. I didn’t want to hurt her. In the end, I put my weight down on my leg. The pain broke the bond, the same way it frightens the fairies. The pain was something my living body could do, the same as picking up oak leaves and bringing them up a mountain.
She went on, then, or tried to but the twilight had became darkness, and couldn’t go through the door, it wasn’t there any more. She stood by the trees looking like herself again, and very young and lost, and I almost reached out for her again. Then she was gone, in an eyeblink, the way fairies go.
Mori mentions magic and fairies as if they're as mundane as anything in the world, and we can't really be sure if she's making it all up or not; maybe it's just her way of coping with everything she's been through; maybe her mother's just a cruel parent, maybe she really does use magic for evil. Maybe a sci-fi book club was created because Mori used magic selfishly to make it so, because she wanted it so badly; or maybe magic had nothing to do with it. But that's not what matters, not really....more