As already mentioned, I am hitting paranormal burn out at this point, so I might be getting hard to please by now. However, I don't think that is solely responsible for my feelings on this next series. It just plain didn't float. Let's see why:
Title: Blue Bloods
Author: Melissa de la Cruz
My start date: 11/26/10
My finish date: 11/28/10
Book count: 77
On a completely unrelated note, for those of you still paying attention, my original goal this year was to hit 100 books, without counting the novels and works I have to read for my lit classes at the university. However, if I were to count those required readings, this book would be book 99, which means that, technically, I am one book away (not even, since I am actually in the process of reading the next book at the moment) from hitting 100 books this year. And when you remember that those required readings included such hefty titles as Richardson's Clarissa... that is a heck of a lot of page turning done already in 2010.
Back to the task at hand. I really didn't like this book. Remember what I said in the last blog about believability in paranormal fiction? Obviously the paranormal stuff does not need to be necessarily realistic, however the surrounding story should be sufficiently believable. In the case of this book, either she completely missed the mark here, or NYC is a worse off place than I ever want to think about.
First of all, the main characters are as young as 15. That is on the young side, even for strong YA fiction, in which the characters generally range from 16-18. Further, what these tender little 15 year olds are doing was just too much for me. I am not so naive as to think that teens, even that young of teens, drink, smoke and follow their hormones. But usually they try to be a little discreet about it. This book has little 15 year olds partying every night in dance clubs, in which they would walk unconcerned up to the bar and order drinks and then stand out on the balcony smoking. Ok, fine, fake IDs, but then when you get to the scenes in which the school dance has a smoking area?? What?? I know NYC is its own universe, but last I checked, schools being non-smoking areas is pretty well a national thing.
Moving beyond that, the characters weren't likeable. Nor again were they very realistic. This series combines both the vampire angle and the fallen angel angle, indicating that vampires are in fact just fallen angels. Different, but hey, let's roll with it. However, the teens react unrealistically well to the news that they will shortly begin transitioning and want to start drinking blood. In fact, none of the startling revelations about various plot twists seem to illicit much in the way of real emotion from these characters, not even the mandate to two twins that they are romantically destined. I don't know how many teens de la Cruz has been around, but I know that if I told any of my former high school students that they were destined to hook up with their brother or sister, I would meet a little more resistance...
Conclusion: utter flop. But I must be wrong, because apparently this series too has been snatched up for big screen rights. Are they starting to get desperate??
Grade: D, maybe C-
Would adults enjoy this book? I hope responsible adults would be horrified by this book.
Ugh, fighting the burn out... One, perhaps two final books in the genre remain, both have more promise than the above.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
The coolest paranormal school since Hogwarts
Now this was a series for which I admit I honestly didn't have a lot of hope. At this point I am honestly starting to burn out on the genre and they titles were all starting to blur together. Further, I was becoming increasingly glad that I am no longer a teen. So I was pleasantly surprised when a series in which I was not expecting to find much value turned out to be pretty good! Let's see what it is:
Title: Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Author: Richelle Mead
Respective start/finish dates: 11/23/10-11/25/10
11/25/10-11/26/10
Book counts: 75, 76
I started this series rather disinterested and the first chapter didn't really warm me up. It was a little confusing and I actually thought briefly that I must have accidently purchased the wrong book and was reading a later book in the series rather than the first. However, once I pushed past that first chapter, the series really picks up.
The premise of this series has a little more in common with Harry Potter than with Twilight. Actually, perhaps it is more of a nice fusion of the two. The romance angle is not as central to this series as is the theme of coming of age, discovering who you are and what you can do, and so on. It even takes place in a magical school, rather similar to Hogwarts. There is romance, of course, but not necessarily the life altering, all-consuming passion seen in some of the others. At least not yet. The idea is that there are three kinds of vampires, all existing in a world of which humans are utterly unaware. There are the good, living vampires, called Moroi, who rule the vampire world and who feed on human blood, but must never kill. Then there are the evil, undead vampires, called Strigoi, who are a constant threat to the Moroi. Finally, there are the dhampirs, half human and half Moroi, who don't need blood, but have enhanced senses and who serve as guardians to the Moroi. The series follows Rose, a dhampir determined to guard and save her best friend, the Moroi, Lissa. The both attend a school for vampires and the plot follows both the everyday aspects of being a teenage vampire and, of course, the action that occurs when some not-so-nice vampires come around.
This series is pretty decidedly teenager oriented. However, I really liked it. It stood out from the long list of other books in this genre which have been filling my last several weeks and, once again, despite not initially intending to read beyond the first book, I was compelled to immediately download the second book in the series. And I loved that one too. Although I am too burned out on paranormal YA fiction for now to read beyond thos two, I am sufficiently drawn to find out what happed next to Lissa, Rose, and Rose's love, Dimitri, that I will almost assuredly be reading the remainder of the series in the new year. It is believable in ways that the others often are not. Of course, when I say believable, I don't mean in the sense that I believe there are vampires in schools in Montana, but rather that Mead successfully weaves the paranormal aspects into an approach that isn't so over-the-top outragious that it is all I can focus on and also, the lives of the main characters are completely accessible beyond their fantasy status. That is to say, yes, they are vampires in a vampire school, but beyond that, what they do each day in school isn't so far from the real teen experience that readers wouldn't identify. The romance between Rose and Dimitri is completely realistic. The friendships, and frenemy-ships (is that a word??) are similar to what a reader would really experience. It takes the real and adds a twist of fantasy, which I think is a great combination.
Whew, what a relief to find something good, just when I was about to hit burn out. I will look forward to finishing the six part series in a few months, once I have gotten out of the paranormal funk that is starting to set in. If I am not careful here, I might actually start to believe vampires and werewolves are real with all this stuff!
Grade: solid A
Would adults enjoy it: well, only if they are still teens at heart, like I am. The target audience is teens and it plays well to that audience.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Vampire Academy
Frostbite
Author: Richelle Mead
Respective start/finish dates: 11/23/10-11/25/10
11/25/10-11/26/10
Book counts: 75, 76
I started this series rather disinterested and the first chapter didn't really warm me up. It was a little confusing and I actually thought briefly that I must have accidently purchased the wrong book and was reading a later book in the series rather than the first. However, once I pushed past that first chapter, the series really picks up.
The premise of this series has a little more in common with Harry Potter than with Twilight. Actually, perhaps it is more of a nice fusion of the two. The romance angle is not as central to this series as is the theme of coming of age, discovering who you are and what you can do, and so on. It even takes place in a magical school, rather similar to Hogwarts. There is romance, of course, but not necessarily the life altering, all-consuming passion seen in some of the others. At least not yet. The idea is that there are three kinds of vampires, all existing in a world of which humans are utterly unaware. There are the good, living vampires, called Moroi, who rule the vampire world and who feed on human blood, but must never kill. Then there are the evil, undead vampires, called Strigoi, who are a constant threat to the Moroi. Finally, there are the dhampirs, half human and half Moroi, who don't need blood, but have enhanced senses and who serve as guardians to the Moroi. The series follows Rose, a dhampir determined to guard and save her best friend, the Moroi, Lissa. The both attend a school for vampires and the plot follows both the everyday aspects of being a teenage vampire and, of course, the action that occurs when some not-so-nice vampires come around.
This series is pretty decidedly teenager oriented. However, I really liked it. It stood out from the long list of other books in this genre which have been filling my last several weeks and, once again, despite not initially intending to read beyond the first book, I was compelled to immediately download the second book in the series. And I loved that one too. Although I am too burned out on paranormal YA fiction for now to read beyond thos two, I am sufficiently drawn to find out what happed next to Lissa, Rose, and Rose's love, Dimitri, that I will almost assuredly be reading the remainder of the series in the new year. It is believable in ways that the others often are not. Of course, when I say believable, I don't mean in the sense that I believe there are vampires in schools in Montana, but rather that Mead successfully weaves the paranormal aspects into an approach that isn't so over-the-top outragious that it is all I can focus on and also, the lives of the main characters are completely accessible beyond their fantasy status. That is to say, yes, they are vampires in a vampire school, but beyond that, what they do each day in school isn't so far from the real teen experience that readers wouldn't identify. The romance between Rose and Dimitri is completely realistic. The friendships, and frenemy-ships (is that a word??) are similar to what a reader would really experience. It takes the real and adds a twist of fantasy, which I think is a great combination.
Whew, what a relief to find something good, just when I was about to hit burn out. I will look forward to finishing the six part series in a few months, once I have gotten out of the paranormal funk that is starting to set in. If I am not careful here, I might actually start to believe vampires and werewolves are real with all this stuff!
Grade: solid A
Would adults enjoy it: well, only if they are still teens at heart, like I am. The target audience is teens and it plays well to that audience.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Rising to a Crescendo of Teen Angst
So, back to the fallen angel angle for another try. This series leans more on the ever-popular teen romance approach, so perhaps that livens it up a bit? At least there will be no body snatching monsters, I hope...
Titles: Hush, Hush
Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Respective start/finish dates: 11/19/10-11/21/10
11/22/10-11/23/10
Book counts: 73,74
I liked this series much more than our last encounter with fallen angels. However, it still has some issues. As mentioned, this series is more focused on a romance again. Teen girl meets bad boy. Boy is rude, but she falls for him nonetheless. Bad boy turns out to be really bad boy when she discovers he is a fallen angel. Nope, not Nephilim this time, our hero is a full on archangel who lost his wings. Tsk, tsk. The basic plot is, of course, a little stale. They meet when they are assigned to be biology labs partners. (Look out, all you bio teachers out there, little did you know that your tables are the hottest hookup place in your teenage students world) He feels drawn to kill her. He changes his mind. However, unlike many of the other books in which this formula is followed, Fitzpatrick carries the fear factor out a lot longer. In both books, the heroine fears that the hero might kill her (or in the case of the second, has killed her father) almost to the end. This makes the romance between the two of them somewhat less believable. Lust and attraction, sure, but deep, passionate love? Hmm...
That being said, these books worked for me on the mystery level much better than the romance level. Yes, it is cheesy YA fiction, but I must admit that the "who dunnit" aspect kept me turning the pages. I hate spoilers and try to avoid them, but I really don't think it ruins the book if I say, obviously the bad guy isn't the hero figure, despite the fears of the heroine. We already know that, right? But who IS doing the deeds in questions? What is actually happening to cause all of the action in the plot? It was enough that I wanted to keep turning the pages. Moreover, I hadn't initially intended to read the second book of this series. It is newly out and I figured I would just stop after the one. Yet I was so intrigued that I immediately downloaded the second onto my eReader when I finished the first. That says something!
Finally, it turns out this author grew up in North Platte, NE, one of the many places of my childhood! Shout out for that! Not much older than me, perhaps I knew her in days gone by??
Anyway, how does this series stack up in the end?
Grade: B.
Would adults enjoy this book? Hmm, some might, if they are able to not worry about the unlikelihood of such a romance ever working out and just enjoy the light mystery aspects, this could be a fun read.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Titles: Hush, Hush
Crescendo
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Respective start/finish dates: 11/19/10-11/21/10
11/22/10-11/23/10
Book counts: 73,74
I liked this series much more than our last encounter with fallen angels. However, it still has some issues. As mentioned, this series is more focused on a romance again. Teen girl meets bad boy. Boy is rude, but she falls for him nonetheless. Bad boy turns out to be really bad boy when she discovers he is a fallen angel. Nope, not Nephilim this time, our hero is a full on archangel who lost his wings. Tsk, tsk. The basic plot is, of course, a little stale. They meet when they are assigned to be biology labs partners. (Look out, all you bio teachers out there, little did you know that your tables are the hottest hookup place in your teenage students world) He feels drawn to kill her. He changes his mind. However, unlike many of the other books in which this formula is followed, Fitzpatrick carries the fear factor out a lot longer. In both books, the heroine fears that the hero might kill her (or in the case of the second, has killed her father) almost to the end. This makes the romance between the two of them somewhat less believable. Lust and attraction, sure, but deep, passionate love? Hmm...
That being said, these books worked for me on the mystery level much better than the romance level. Yes, it is cheesy YA fiction, but I must admit that the "who dunnit" aspect kept me turning the pages. I hate spoilers and try to avoid them, but I really don't think it ruins the book if I say, obviously the bad guy isn't the hero figure, despite the fears of the heroine. We already know that, right? But who IS doing the deeds in questions? What is actually happening to cause all of the action in the plot? It was enough that I wanted to keep turning the pages. Moreover, I hadn't initially intended to read the second book of this series. It is newly out and I figured I would just stop after the one. Yet I was so intrigued that I immediately downloaded the second onto my eReader when I finished the first. That says something!
Finally, it turns out this author grew up in North Platte, NE, one of the many places of my childhood! Shout out for that! Not much older than me, perhaps I knew her in days gone by??
Anyway, how does this series stack up in the end?
Grade: B.
Would adults enjoy this book? Hmm, some might, if they are able to not worry about the unlikelihood of such a romance ever working out and just enjoy the light mystery aspects, this could be a fun read.
Keep reading!
Sarah
A dark twist on an already dark classic
I had mentioned that as part of this project I wanted to examine some of the spillovers of this genre into adult fiction. I haven't gotten to cover that aspect nearly as much as I would have liked. However, I did want to make it a priority to check out the trend of redesigning classics with a paranormal twist. This trend is EVERYWHERE! I can't even begin to list all of the classics I have seen in this fashion. All of Jane Austen. Much of Shakespeare. Even good old Louisa May Alcott has been introduced to the paranormal. So many choices, so little time. So I choose to review one which I had recently read in the original, thus making the comparison more clear. Here it is:
Title: Wuthering Bites
Author: Sarah Gray
My start date: 11/12/10
My finish date: 11/19/10
Book count: 72
Ok, so it should be obvious from the title, that this work was meant to emulate Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights. And seriously, if you didn't get that just from the title, go back to the beginning of the blog and start again. However, I don't think I was quite prepared for just how closely this work planned to follow the original. I think what I anticipated from this trend is something more akin to Gregory Maguire's sensational series of twists on fairy tales, such as Wicked. In those, you know the basic story, but the content is completely reworked to come at it from a different direction. That is not quite what happened here. Instead, it was almost verbatim Bronte's original, with a thread of vampire themes woven much more subtly into the existing material. In fact, it was so verbatim, that although it wasn't what I expected, I almost have to give Gray good credit for being able to embed her changes into the text so delicately that it changes very little, and yet changes everything. If you like the classics, it is worth reading just to see how she does it. I am not sure how many of the others of this type are following the same model, or if some others are coming closer to the Wicked approach, but this one at least might be worth visiting.
Now, that being said, it is a good thing I really like Bronte's original, because what this essentially meant was that I read the (almost) exact same text twice within a matter of months. And Wuthering Heights isn't exactly a one sitting kind of read in the first place. For that reason, I would have liked the story line to vary a little more, simply to prevent boredom from setting in on my part. But that has less to do with the writing and more to do with the potential insanity of the reading schedule I keep. Bottom line, I won't be reading Wuthering anything again for a little while.
Conclusion, if you are interested in reading the classics but like a little variety and spice in life, this could be a fun approach!
Grade: B
Adult readable: yep, fun for all ages!
Ok, back to the YA series stuff.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Wuthering Bites
Author: Sarah Gray
My start date: 11/12/10
My finish date: 11/19/10
Book count: 72
Ok, so it should be obvious from the title, that this work was meant to emulate Bronte's classic Wuthering Heights. And seriously, if you didn't get that just from the title, go back to the beginning of the blog and start again. However, I don't think I was quite prepared for just how closely this work planned to follow the original. I think what I anticipated from this trend is something more akin to Gregory Maguire's sensational series of twists on fairy tales, such as Wicked. In those, you know the basic story, but the content is completely reworked to come at it from a different direction. That is not quite what happened here. Instead, it was almost verbatim Bronte's original, with a thread of vampire themes woven much more subtly into the existing material. In fact, it was so verbatim, that although it wasn't what I expected, I almost have to give Gray good credit for being able to embed her changes into the text so delicately that it changes very little, and yet changes everything. If you like the classics, it is worth reading just to see how she does it. I am not sure how many of the others of this type are following the same model, or if some others are coming closer to the Wicked approach, but this one at least might be worth visiting.
Now, that being said, it is a good thing I really like Bronte's original, because what this essentially meant was that I read the (almost) exact same text twice within a matter of months. And Wuthering Heights isn't exactly a one sitting kind of read in the first place. For that reason, I would have liked the story line to vary a little more, simply to prevent boredom from setting in on my part. But that has less to do with the writing and more to do with the potential insanity of the reading schedule I keep. Bottom line, I won't be reading Wuthering anything again for a little while.
Conclusion, if you are interested in reading the classics but like a little variety and spice in life, this could be a fun approach!
Grade: B
Adult readable: yep, fun for all ages!
Ok, back to the YA series stuff.
Keep reading!
Sarah
Into the Fallen
So we are all at this point pretty familiar with the witches, vampires and werewolves variety of this particular theme. However, a new spin on this genre of which I became aware when I began this project was the fallen angel category. My first instinct was to be a little wary of this kind. We can all see the appeal of the others. Dark, brooding monster-like figures who are really good at heart and are simply misunderstood. Right? But when you are dealing with fallen angels, doesn't that imply a willingness to be dark? How can these figures be redeemed? That is what I wanted to know when beginning to explore these types, and I started by reading the first two books in a series by Thomas Sniegoski. Here is what I found:
Title: Fallen
Leviathan
Author: Thomas Sniegoski
My reading dates, respectively: 11/8/10-11/10/10
11/11/10-11/11/10
Book counts: 70, 71
So, in this particular case, the answer to how these characters can be redeemable lies in the fact that they are not actually full fallen angels. The main character is half human, half (fallen) angel, representing a biblical race called the Nephilim. Yep, they are in there, you can check. Genesis 6 amoung other places. And I believe I referenced this particular mystery when reviewing some of the other biblical fiction works in the past. They are referenced, but debate rages on today about exactly who the Nephilim are supposed to be, or what they are supposed to be, perhaps. Which is convenient for fiction because it allows some room to maneuver, which is what Sniegoski did when he made them his central theme.
The hero of our story discovers on his 18th birthday that he suddenly has a lot of cool new talents, including the spontaneous ability to understand and speak any language. Man, I wish I had that talent! Anyway, it follows that he is tracked down by other fallen angels and they explain who he is. However, to make life a little more troublesome for our hero, it turns out that another group of very angry angels has been tasked with the job of killing off these undesirable products of the angels' sins, and thus he must flee, or occasionally try to fight, some pretty powerful heavenly hosts. Meanwhile, the most popular girl in school suddenly loves him and what should a boy do in all of this chaos?
The first book in the series was fine. It would find a better audience amoung teenage boys than twenty-something females. This is in itself a good thing, as there just doesn't seem to be as much out there to get teenage guys reading, so even if it is somewhat weak, I will take it. But the fact remains that it is a little weak. The hero is likeable enough, but the peripheral characters are pretty basic. The best redeeming feature is the talking dog. The dog kept me going through the pages, I'm not going to lie. But then, talking dogs will only get you so far.
The series really starts to fall apart already in the second novel. While the first had some undeveloped potential, the second goes off in a very bizarre direction involving weird little body snatching monsters and other science fiction-y type things that were just not my style. But again, if you are a teenage boy, maybe....? They really lost me when they revealed that one of the most powerful archangels has been trapped in a monster's stomach for centuries and the hero had to save him. Seriously??
I will note that my research dug up the fact that this series was briefly a television series. And I was almost lured to try to find it when I found that the lead was played by Paul Wesley, more recently famous as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries. TVD has been perhaps one of the best things that has come of this little reading project of mine. However, the mini-series inspired by Sniegowski's "The Fallen" was cancelled after only a few episodes, which left me wondering...
(UPDATE: Ok, ok, so ended up buying it. All of it. And I have to admit that, while the books were pretty mediocre, the screed adaptation was actually pretty fun to watch. This stems from a combination of some good rewriting in cleaning up the plotlines and the fact that Paul Wesley just really is a truly talented actor. Also, if you watch it, tell me I am not crazy and that the background music in the little opening slides in which they explain the Fallen ones sounds at least a LITTLE like the song "Black and Yellow". Now everytime I hear that song I can't help but think of "Fallen")
Anyway, so far the fallen angel angle of this genre is not so much winning me over. Hmmm. Continuing on...
Grade for this series: C, it was just average.
Would adults be interested? Probably not.
Ok, and now for something completely different...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Fallen
Leviathan
Author: Thomas Sniegoski
My reading dates, respectively: 11/8/10-11/10/10
11/11/10-11/11/10
Book counts: 70, 71
So, in this particular case, the answer to how these characters can be redeemable lies in the fact that they are not actually full fallen angels. The main character is half human, half (fallen) angel, representing a biblical race called the Nephilim. Yep, they are in there, you can check. Genesis 6 amoung other places. And I believe I referenced this particular mystery when reviewing some of the other biblical fiction works in the past. They are referenced, but debate rages on today about exactly who the Nephilim are supposed to be, or what they are supposed to be, perhaps. Which is convenient for fiction because it allows some room to maneuver, which is what Sniegoski did when he made them his central theme.
The hero of our story discovers on his 18th birthday that he suddenly has a lot of cool new talents, including the spontaneous ability to understand and speak any language. Man, I wish I had that talent! Anyway, it follows that he is tracked down by other fallen angels and they explain who he is. However, to make life a little more troublesome for our hero, it turns out that another group of very angry angels has been tasked with the job of killing off these undesirable products of the angels' sins, and thus he must flee, or occasionally try to fight, some pretty powerful heavenly hosts. Meanwhile, the most popular girl in school suddenly loves him and what should a boy do in all of this chaos?
The first book in the series was fine. It would find a better audience amoung teenage boys than twenty-something females. This is in itself a good thing, as there just doesn't seem to be as much out there to get teenage guys reading, so even if it is somewhat weak, I will take it. But the fact remains that it is a little weak. The hero is likeable enough, but the peripheral characters are pretty basic. The best redeeming feature is the talking dog. The dog kept me going through the pages, I'm not going to lie. But then, talking dogs will only get you so far.
The series really starts to fall apart already in the second novel. While the first had some undeveloped potential, the second goes off in a very bizarre direction involving weird little body snatching monsters and other science fiction-y type things that were just not my style. But again, if you are a teenage boy, maybe....? They really lost me when they revealed that one of the most powerful archangels has been trapped in a monster's stomach for centuries and the hero had to save him. Seriously??
I will note that my research dug up the fact that this series was briefly a television series. And I was almost lured to try to find it when I found that the lead was played by Paul Wesley, more recently famous as Stefan Salvatore on The Vampire Diaries. TVD has been perhaps one of the best things that has come of this little reading project of mine. However, the mini-series inspired by Sniegowski's "The Fallen" was cancelled after only a few episodes, which left me wondering...
(UPDATE: Ok, ok, so ended up buying it. All of it. And I have to admit that, while the books were pretty mediocre, the screed adaptation was actually pretty fun to watch. This stems from a combination of some good rewriting in cleaning up the plotlines and the fact that Paul Wesley just really is a truly talented actor. Also, if you watch it, tell me I am not crazy and that the background music in the little opening slides in which they explain the Fallen ones sounds at least a LITTLE like the song "Black and Yellow". Now everytime I hear that song I can't help but think of "Fallen")
Anyway, so far the fallen angel angle of this genre is not so much winning me over. Hmmm. Continuing on...
Grade for this series: C, it was just average.
Would adults be interested? Probably not.
Ok, and now for something completely different...
Keep reading!
Sarah
Friday, November 26, 2010
Marked, but not remarkable
My next read was a bit of a let-down, which was even more frustrating since I spent my birthday reading it! Argh! Let's see what went wrong:
Title: Marked
Authors: P.C. & Kristen Cast
My start date: 11/5/10
My finish date: 11/7/10
Book Count: 69
Something about this book just didn't work for me. It is part of a series, and you might have noticed that, where I have been enjoying the first one in the series, I have continued on to the second to see if the vibe lasts. This one did not inspire me to pick up the second. Why?
One of my problems with this book was the way in which it tried way too hard. As a hopeful novelist myself, I have always wanted to explore ways in which I might instill positive lessons into my YA stories and write strong role models out of my characters. This novel showed how NOT to do that. They pushed several messages, but in a way that was way too abrassive and unappealing, but also unbelievable. It was like a permanent running public service message. The plot would be broken in order to plug in an awkward statement by the main character about how she knew was above sex, drug, alcohol, and so on. It was obnoxious and rather than making a reader want to emulate those admirable qualities, it made the character annoying and could even turn a reader away from wanting to be like her. At the same time that these service plugs were being shoved into the text, the authors included some very graphic and unnecessary things that almost suggested that the were ok with the opposite actions. For example, there were some very explicit sexual references that were simply gross and unnecessary. The plot could have been worked without them. So even though the character is saying, "Eww, I know better than to ever do that" as she witnesses the act, you are left wondering why the authors wrote it in the first place. It just didn't work and the overall feel of the novel is compromised through it.
My other big problem with this series lies with the characters. The lead is just plain annoying. Her bestfriend/roommate is an annoying cartoon of a "stereotypical" Oklahoman. Their other friends are equally designed as cartoons of stereotypes, i.e. "the gay male best friend", "the shallow-trendy girls", and so on. For that matter, every single character is a cartoon stereotype, including the popular but secretly great boy interest, and the evil female rival.
I think, bottem line, this book just tries WAY too hard. It wants to sound cool and teen, but in trying so hard it falls short. Better luck next time, but I doubt I will read it if there is a next time.
Grade: C/C-
Would adults enjoy reading this? I doubt it. Maybe if they wanted a laugh.
Onward, keep reading!
Sarah
Title: Marked
Authors: P.C. & Kristen Cast
My start date: 11/5/10
My finish date: 11/7/10
Book Count: 69
Something about this book just didn't work for me. It is part of a series, and you might have noticed that, where I have been enjoying the first one in the series, I have continued on to the second to see if the vibe lasts. This one did not inspire me to pick up the second. Why?
One of my problems with this book was the way in which it tried way too hard. As a hopeful novelist myself, I have always wanted to explore ways in which I might instill positive lessons into my YA stories and write strong role models out of my characters. This novel showed how NOT to do that. They pushed several messages, but in a way that was way too abrassive and unappealing, but also unbelievable. It was like a permanent running public service message. The plot would be broken in order to plug in an awkward statement by the main character about how she knew was above sex, drug, alcohol, and so on. It was obnoxious and rather than making a reader want to emulate those admirable qualities, it made the character annoying and could even turn a reader away from wanting to be like her. At the same time that these service plugs were being shoved into the text, the authors included some very graphic and unnecessary things that almost suggested that the were ok with the opposite actions. For example, there were some very explicit sexual references that were simply gross and unnecessary. The plot could have been worked without them. So even though the character is saying, "Eww, I know better than to ever do that" as she witnesses the act, you are left wondering why the authors wrote it in the first place. It just didn't work and the overall feel of the novel is compromised through it.
My other big problem with this series lies with the characters. The lead is just plain annoying. Her bestfriend/roommate is an annoying cartoon of a "stereotypical" Oklahoman. Their other friends are equally designed as cartoons of stereotypes, i.e. "the gay male best friend", "the shallow-trendy girls", and so on. For that matter, every single character is a cartoon stereotype, including the popular but secretly great boy interest, and the evil female rival.
I think, bottem line, this book just tries WAY too hard. It wants to sound cool and teen, but in trying so hard it falls short. Better luck next time, but I doubt I will read it if there is a next time.
Grade: C/C-
Would adults enjoy reading this? I doubt it. Maybe if they wanted a laugh.
Onward, keep reading!
Sarah
A Sensational Shiver
This particular book caught my eye in the grocery store and after my cousin highly recommended it, I had to check it out. In fact, my curiousity for this book, and wanting a good excuse to read it, was part of my motivation to review this particular genre. Fortunately, I was in no way let down and happily this book had a sequel as well! Here is what I read:
Titles: Shiver and Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
My start and finish dates: 10/30/10-11-3/10
11/3/10-11/5/10
Book counts: 67, 68
This book is another that is widely being held up in comparison to Twilight. I think this particular comparison is more apt that many of the others. Previously when we have seen novels in the paranormal romance genre compared back to that touchstone work, it has mostly related to similarities in character or plot structures. These are everyone at this point. Frankly, it is hard to get too creative when trying to create an appealing, brooding, vampire. You have certain myth conventions in which you pretty well have to work. So it is no surprise if half of the male leads in these books look and sound an awful lot like Edward Cullen. I don't count that. Similarly, it is amusing just how many of these books have their meet cute at the biology lab table these days, but, again, when writing YA fiction, you only have so many places at which teens can meet. They spend their lives in a high school after all. So, again, I don't count that. What I do look for in a comparison goes a lot deeper. It lies in the feel of the writing. I know, that is irritatingly vague, especially for someone intending to make their life using words, but I really can't put too much finer of a point on it. But regardless, Shiver, and its sequel have that same feel.
Part of the similarity is undoubtably in the nature of the relationship between the two lead characters, Grace and Sam. Much like Edward and Bella, this connection reads with the same powerful almost Shakespeare-esque quality and exudes a maturity beyond what the average YA fiction relationship usually has. Of course, on the flip side this also means that at time it feels a little more adult that can and perhaps should be realistic in teens, but it is nonetheless a pleasure to read. No one can resist the appeal of reading true love. And similarly to Edward and Bella, (and Romeo & Juliet, or any of the other classic loves on which these are based) Grace and Sam's love is riddled with obstacles. Sam is a werewolf, rather than a vampire, but the concept is the same. He can't always be with Grace and his life could put hers in danger. Delicious intrigue.
Another similarity is the decidedly more mature feeling to this series as opposed to others in YA fiction. Of course, it is standard in writing for this audience that parents are absent. It is almost a given that the main character's parents will be either gone on business, or the character will be orphaned or living in a boarding school, or some other similar device by which the parents are not on the scene. No offense to parents, but this audience wants to read about the character making adult decisions on their own and resolving problems independently. Don't be upset, it helps them mature, I promise. So there is a certain adult attitude in most of these novels. However, in Shiver, like in Twilight, this feeling is amplified. The plot revolves a lot less around high school and the attached activities and more around outside issues. I have heard rumors the Meyer initially wrote her characters as older and had to change it to make them high schoolers in order to sell in the more likely YA genre and thus the older feel to her works. I have no idea if that is true. Either way, I don't think that was what happened in Stiefvater's series, but regardless of the cause, the effect is there. They are a lot less teen than others in the genre.
As far as characters go, Stiefvater writes some pretty strong ones. Twi-hard that I am, I like Grace's character a lot more than Bella's. Grace is stronger and more rational. You won't find as much of Bella's melodrama here. I will still give my greater loyalty to Edward over Sam, however, although Sam is almost as loveable of a character and, honestly, somewhat less menacingly protective. In a good way. Steifvater's supporting characters are quality stuff as well. Particularly in the second novel, in which she promotes two of them almost to lead status. Where in my last review I was cautious in regards to Patterson's tendancy to flip character perspective chapter to chapter, Stiefvater does this with much greater success. In the first novel she only alternates between Grace and Sam's perspectives, but in the second she is flipping between Grace and Sam, but now adding the perspectives of Isabel and Cole as well, all very effectively. She has a talent for writing in voice that allows the reader to much more easily recognize when they are in another character's head. This adds great depth.
The only thing that I hesitated on in this series was the very beginning. I was admittedly a little weirded out by the way in which Grace seemed to have downright romantic feelings for the wolf Sam, even before she could have had any real notion that it was anything more than a furry dog. That struck me as uncomfortable at first. But plow through that and allow yourself to suspend disbelief for awhile, the rest is so very worth it.
Ok, the questions:
Grade for this series: A, solidly. And there is a third coming out, which I expect to also award an A. Oh, and don't forget the movies. The rights have already been sold.
Would an adult enjoy this book? I think they just might. If you are an adult and you enjoyed Twilight, give this one a try.
That's it for this one!
Keep reading!
Sarah
Titles: Shiver and Linger
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
My start and finish dates: 10/30/10-11-3/10
11/3/10-11/5/10
Book counts: 67, 68
This book is another that is widely being held up in comparison to Twilight. I think this particular comparison is more apt that many of the others. Previously when we have seen novels in the paranormal romance genre compared back to that touchstone work, it has mostly related to similarities in character or plot structures. These are everyone at this point. Frankly, it is hard to get too creative when trying to create an appealing, brooding, vampire. You have certain myth conventions in which you pretty well have to work. So it is no surprise if half of the male leads in these books look and sound an awful lot like Edward Cullen. I don't count that. Similarly, it is amusing just how many of these books have their meet cute at the biology lab table these days, but, again, when writing YA fiction, you only have so many places at which teens can meet. They spend their lives in a high school after all. So, again, I don't count that. What I do look for in a comparison goes a lot deeper. It lies in the feel of the writing. I know, that is irritatingly vague, especially for someone intending to make their life using words, but I really can't put too much finer of a point on it. But regardless, Shiver, and its sequel have that same feel.
Part of the similarity is undoubtably in the nature of the relationship between the two lead characters, Grace and Sam. Much like Edward and Bella, this connection reads with the same powerful almost Shakespeare-esque quality and exudes a maturity beyond what the average YA fiction relationship usually has. Of course, on the flip side this also means that at time it feels a little more adult that can and perhaps should be realistic in teens, but it is nonetheless a pleasure to read. No one can resist the appeal of reading true love. And similarly to Edward and Bella, (and Romeo & Juliet, or any of the other classic loves on which these are based) Grace and Sam's love is riddled with obstacles. Sam is a werewolf, rather than a vampire, but the concept is the same. He can't always be with Grace and his life could put hers in danger. Delicious intrigue.
Another similarity is the decidedly more mature feeling to this series as opposed to others in YA fiction. Of course, it is standard in writing for this audience that parents are absent. It is almost a given that the main character's parents will be either gone on business, or the character will be orphaned or living in a boarding school, or some other similar device by which the parents are not on the scene. No offense to parents, but this audience wants to read about the character making adult decisions on their own and resolving problems independently. Don't be upset, it helps them mature, I promise. So there is a certain adult attitude in most of these novels. However, in Shiver, like in Twilight, this feeling is amplified. The plot revolves a lot less around high school and the attached activities and more around outside issues. I have heard rumors the Meyer initially wrote her characters as older and had to change it to make them high schoolers in order to sell in the more likely YA genre and thus the older feel to her works. I have no idea if that is true. Either way, I don't think that was what happened in Stiefvater's series, but regardless of the cause, the effect is there. They are a lot less teen than others in the genre.
As far as characters go, Stiefvater writes some pretty strong ones. Twi-hard that I am, I like Grace's character a lot more than Bella's. Grace is stronger and more rational. You won't find as much of Bella's melodrama here. I will still give my greater loyalty to Edward over Sam, however, although Sam is almost as loveable of a character and, honestly, somewhat less menacingly protective. In a good way. Steifvater's supporting characters are quality stuff as well. Particularly in the second novel, in which she promotes two of them almost to lead status. Where in my last review I was cautious in regards to Patterson's tendancy to flip character perspective chapter to chapter, Stiefvater does this with much greater success. In the first novel she only alternates between Grace and Sam's perspectives, but in the second she is flipping between Grace and Sam, but now adding the perspectives of Isabel and Cole as well, all very effectively. She has a talent for writing in voice that allows the reader to much more easily recognize when they are in another character's head. This adds great depth.
The only thing that I hesitated on in this series was the very beginning. I was admittedly a little weirded out by the way in which Grace seemed to have downright romantic feelings for the wolf Sam, even before she could have had any real notion that it was anything more than a furry dog. That struck me as uncomfortable at first. But plow through that and allow yourself to suspend disbelief for awhile, the rest is so very worth it.
Ok, the questions:
Grade for this series: A, solidly. And there is a third coming out, which I expect to also award an A. Oh, and don't forget the movies. The rights have already been sold.
Would an adult enjoy this book? I think they just might. If you are an adult and you enjoyed Twilight, give this one a try.
That's it for this one!
Keep reading!
Sarah
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