Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
26 January 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Beautiful Darkness, Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl
Beautiful Darkness continues the story from Beautiful Creatures of Lena Duchannes and Ethan Wates. Beautiful Creatures brought to us the world of Casters, set in the deep South, and the love story between Lena and Ethan. At the end of BC Lena makes a difficult choice which has a major impact on her emotionally and which will have a major effect on her choices in BD.
I actually preferred this book to the first. Perhaps that is because the first book was laying down a lot of the groundwork for the rest of the series and also it could be a bit repetitive in certain parts. That aside I really enjoyed the setting – and I loved the Caster Library – which is creepy and fascinating and so I was still keen to read the second one and I’m glad I did.
This is another fairly lengthy book and does take a little while to get into although I like the style of writing which is easy to read and quite evocative. The story this time revolves much more around Ethan but I quite enjoyed that aspect, I like Ethan’s character and I like his friends and family. I love his 100 year old aunts, I thought (believe it or not) that the cat was great and had real attitude, Link is just funny and chilled out but a really good friend and always there for Ethan and Amma is brilliant – not to mention her cooking – which just reading about is playing havoc with my supposed diet!! Plus, there is a couple of new additions in this book with the introduction of the dark and mysterious (not to mention bad boy) John and the good and rather lovely Liv.
I thought there was more going on in this book – a few new twists to discover and a gradual build up to the grand finale.
I also liked the ending to this book – particularly in relation to developments around Link and Ridley who I think may potentially play a bigger role in the next book (but that’s just my guess!)
In terms of criticisms – I’m not sure that the voice of Ethan always comes across as a boy of his age (or at least he is very sensitive – but that’s not unheard of I suppose). Also, I think Lena needs more character development as she doesn’t feel, to me, to have come on very much since the first book. Plus, in a way, there are contradictions. First, the sixteenth birthday was a major life changing event – but then it wasn’t, then the seventeenth birthday was equally dreaded but things didn’t work out that way…
Criticisms apart – I did like this book and thought it superior to the first book.
Rating -A
Beautiful Darkness (Beautiful Creatures)
Sister by Rosamund Lupton
23 January 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Rosamund Lupton, Sister
Sister is the story of Beatrice and, unsurprisingly, her younger sister Tess. Beatrice and Tess, although a little like chalk and cheese and in spite of living a great distance apart, have a very strong and caring relationship so when Tess takes a phone call from her mother to say her sister has gone missing she immediately returns to London.
I really liked this book, I thought the relationship between the two sisters was wonderfully portrayed and emotional. And, I liked Beatrice. It was really great watching her suddenly unfold. She started the story as the more sensible, high flying, corporately successful but emotionally stunted of the two. As the story progresses Beatrice loses her inhibition (and snobbery) and begins a bit of a voyage of discovery about herself and her relationships. What was really good about Beatrice was her dogged determination to keep on searching for answers about Tess – even though everybody else had given up – and her own conviction that she knows Tess and the way she would act.
In terms of the plot of the book and the way it was constructed I thought it was really well done and I liked the idea of Beatrice writing the story to her sister Tess in the form of a letter. I wouldn’t advise you to pick this book up if you’re thinking along the lines of a pacy crime/thriller because this isn’t that sort of novel. There is a lot of detail and emotion and really the ‘plot’ was for me personally almost like a secondary element. Don’t get me wrong – I REALLY wanted to know what was going on, and, a bit like Beatrice I suspected absolutely everyone and was jumping about all over the place. Plus I was also totally intrigued about what was wrong with Beatrice. The ending completely surprised me, I didn’t see it coming at all. I had to stop in my tracks and rethink it but once I did I thought it was amazing. And refreshing. It did put me in mind of a couple of things but I can’t put anything more because it will give too much away and I hate plot spoilers.
Criticisms – on reflection a lot of the male characters in the book are really flawed – in fact if you really think about it there is only one character who was consistently kind, thoughtful and decent all the way through – and the ending totally turns that on it’s head – I would love to be able to say more but just cant! I would also love to be able to ask for an opinion on one particular element of the book towards the end which I really don’t understand but, again, I can’t (stamps feet childishly).
Also, I wouldn’t particularly compare Rosamund to Daphne du Maurier. I love DdM and in making this comparison you’re already holding the book up in a critical light before you even start – that being said, to be totally honest that’s probably the reason why I bought the book – out of curiosity – I don’t feel disappointed though. This was a really good read and I would recommend it.
Rating A
Sister
Room by Emma Donoghue
Well, this is a tough one to write a review for. It’s difficult to write too much without giving anything away – although if you’re interested in reading this book you probably already have a pretty good idea of what it’s about. I think this book could turn out to be Marmite for some people who will either love it or hate it. Although I didn’t particularly love or hate it. The book is basically told in two halves and is told in the voice of Jack, a five year old boy. It tells the tale of Jack and his Ma who live in a room, 11 ft sq, with no windows except a skylight.
I didn’t think I was going to like the book when I first started. It begins with Jack giving a narrative of each day and how he and his ma spend their day together filling up time. But, eventually the story starts to unfold and the true reality of the situation becomes apparent. The story then builds up to a fairly gripping sequence of events which conclude the first half of the book. The second half of the book is really about a voyage of discovery for Jack and I enjoyed this in so far as there were so many things that had never occured to me – however it did start to drag a little bit during the last few chapters.
Personally, I think this book may have benefitted if the mother had also told some of the story – especially in the second half. I think the mother’s POV told during the first half of the book would probably have been too harrowing but during the second half I would have liked to hear about some of the experiences she was having. Telling the whole book in the voice of a five year old, even an articulate one, does lend it a bit of a childishness that I would have liked to have seen balanced out more by an adult perspective. Also, Jack telling the tale does exclude you from certain points of the story as he is protected from the reality of the situation. That being said it is a very clever book with genuine moments of humour usually when Jack misinterprets something.
What this book does manage to do is tell a tale of the powerful love between the mother and son and the lengths the mother goes to to protect him and give him as normal a childhood as she can given the constraints. It’s an emotional book and definitely makes you feel a bit uncomfortable in parts as the full horror of the situation unfolds.
Whilst I might not ‘love’ this book I think it’s definitely worth reading, it’s a compelling read (even though for me a few chapters ebbed a bit) and has certainly provoked a lot of debate so give it a go and join in the discussion!
Rating B
Room
The Pi**ed-Off Parents Club by Mink Elliott
18 January 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Mink Elliott, The Pi**ed Off Parents' Club
This book centres around Roxy, a new mother who has recently moved from London to the countryside to live in the village of Riverside with her Partner Jack. Jack and Roxy are finding parenthood a struggle, money is tight, their house is in the process of being renovated, but money has run out, Jack works long hours and has a tiring commute on top and the move to the countryside has left Roxy with none of her friends or family to turn to for help.
This is really a very nice light hearted read which I don’t think you could find much wrong with – providing this is the sort of read you’re after. It’s not a particularly new theme but it’s nicely written and does have some genuinley funny moments although I would say that personally I found the first half of the book much more enjoyable than the latter half. I think that a lot of the anecdotes will feel familiar to anyone with children – either young or not and there are a few messages in here about the ‘joys of parenthood’ and the fact that it’s not all fun and games.
I did really like Roxy and Jack – they seemed a bit more like real people. I liked the fact that Roxy hadn’t lost all her pregnancy fat yet and wasn’t a perfect mum and Jack could come across as a bit selfish sometimes. Basically I think you got a little bit of both sides of the story.
In terms of criticisms I would say that in spite of the fact that Roxy and Jack always seemed to be falling out their arguments didn’t really carry any substance in fact they were ususally over and forgotten after a couple of sentences. The only other thing I would say is that everything does seem to fall in place very easily for all concerned – but I won’t go into any more on that.
I don’t think this book will appeal to everybody but I do think that new mums will find a lot to identify with and would probably find it amusing and possibly reassuring in that not everyone finds first time parenthood a doddle.
Rating C+
The Pissed-off Parents Club
Matched by Ally Condie
16 January 2011
Filed under Book Reviews, Challenges for 2011
Tags: Ally Condie, matched
Matched is a book set in the future. A perfect society where everything is arranged for the citizens and nothing is left to chance. It starts with Cassia attending her matching ceremony on her seventeenth birthday where she will find out who her future partner for life is. At the ceremony Cassia is matched with a childhood friend Xander. Xander is almost everything you could hope for, he’s good looking, reliable and thoughtful and is also Cassia’s best friend. However, the following day when Cassia looks at her microchip card that contains all the information about her match a different name and picture are revealed and Ky Markham is shown as her perfect match. This error is of course quickly rectified by the Officials but the first seeds of doubt have already been sewn and Cassia starts to become more intrigued by Ky and more desperate to find out his story.
In this novel AC reveals to us what is, on the face of it, a perfect world. Everything is regulated, there is no longer disease or crime, or want. Everybody is seemingly equal and will eventually be allocated his or her place in society and everybody accepts this. But is it really a perfect world? Of course not. Everybody is controlled, there is no real emotion and if anybody becomes emotional they permanently carry around green, blue and red pills which control their feelings of anxiety and eliminate stress. The society is completely stilted, they are dissuaded from any real thought and to that end all material is controlled. There are only 100 poems, 100 pictures, 100 books -omg – imagine only 100 books (give me a green pill right now)!! On top of this people live to the age of 80 when they spend their final day with their family and then pass away quietly. All very suspicious! Food is regulated, free time is controlled, even leisure activities are restricted and a strict curfew is in place. Basically, in this new world, people have become almost like little robots just programmed to go about their every day business to a very strict schedule. Nobody ever questions anything – their own knowledge is too restricted and they are all dependent on each other. For example, you may be able to grow food but you don’t know how to prepare it. Also, even though the Officials don’t come across as particularly threatening they are constantly around, monitoring people and controlling the environment. Basically, peoples’ own fear of losing their status is what ultimately keeps them in check.
I think Cassia started to question the society even before the mistake with her matched partner. I felt that when Cassia was matched with her childhood friend this, in some way, took away her anticipation for something new and unexpected and although she knew she should be happy really she was experiencing doubt and even jealousy of her friend Em who had been matched with someone unknown.
I really enjoyed this book – it isn’t an action packed book but more a slow burner and definitely the sort of book that makes you think when you put it down. I know that comparisons have been made to other novels such as the Hunger Games but to be honest I wouldn’t suggest you read this book with any such expectations. There isn’t really any action although the final chapters are quite gripping. I think this book has very nicely set the stage for the next two books – in Matched we have been shown this sterile world with bland people, living bland lives. But we see that everything isn’t as it first seems, people do whisper behind closed doors and not everybody is as happy as they first seem. The suspense gradually builds as Cassia steers from her chosen path and becomes more and more interested in Ky – and the Officials become more interested in her!
My criticisms for the book would be that in spite of the fact that Xander is Cassia’s best friend he plays quite a small part in the book – in fact I was surprised at how very little time they actually did spend together – but I suppose I’m basing this on ‘best friend relationships’ and how they work in my world and not this one. Again, we had a bit of a love triangle going on which I’m not overly fond of as they seem to have become a prerequisite but that being said I think there is never any real doubt who Cassia wants to be with.
I would recommend reading Matched as I really enjoyed it – but I didn’t have any expectations of it being the next ‘Twilight’ or ‘Hunger Games’. I don’t think these comparisons are necessarily helpful – they give you an idea of what to expect that isn’t always accurate and then instead of reading the story as a new novel you are constantly holding it up for examination with something else. Read this book for what it is – one girl’s story about the life she is leading and her slow realisation that everything she believes in may not be quite as perfect as it seems – with a little romance thrown in for good measure!
Rating A
Matched
