Mini Reviews and a Coding Fix

IMPORTANT NOTE: Blogger has recently done something tricksy with its template, and it appears a lot of Blogger blogs won’t let you center your images anymore. But there’s a really simple fix. If you’re not familiar with coding and have been wracking your brains trying to make your blog look all pristine again, just scroll to the bottom of this post and I’ll walk you through it. 

A DROP OF NIGHT

Click the cover for the Goodreads description 

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

I’ve been a fan of Stefan Bachmann’s writing ever since I stumbled on his blog several months before his first book, THE PECULIAR, hit the shelves. Needless to say, I have not been disappointed with any of his work. While A DROP OF NIGHT features somewhat different subject matter than his previous books, it still has his distinctively intricate and creepy style. 

While I love all the main characters, Anouk is my favorite. She not especially likable, but I love her sass, and I love her unique way of explaining her world. She is her own, distinctive person, and she has had to figure out how to cope in the face of emotional negligence, guilt, and all that fun stuff. (It may be apparent to you, if you’ve followed this blog long enough, that I have something of a soft spot for unlikable characters.) As for the other characters, I love how different they all are—how some are outgoing and feelings-oriented while others are sullen or silent or secretive or selfish. I love the glimpses we get of their backstories and their driving motivations for joining this expedition into the depths of an underground palace. I also love the dual storylines—one in the present, one in the past—and the slow, frightening way they converge. 

As for the writing, it is as gorgeous as ever. Bachmann uses words like splashes of color on the dark canvas of his stories. A DROP OF NIGHT is atmospheric, strange, and magical, and if you haven’t read it already, you’re missing out. Just saying. 

CHIME

Click the cover for the Goodreads description

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

CHIME is another book written in a very distinctive tone. I’ll admit, the style in this one was so odd it threw me off for a bit (I was also not a huge fan of the audiobook’s narrator at first, although she really grew on me). But the strangeness quickly became a selling point for me, and I’m confident that the book just wouldn’t be as good were it written in a different style. 

I love the themes this story deals with—themes of self-discovery, false guilt, real guilt, and abuse, among others. I also love the romance (which is out of the ordinary for me). So often I find that the romance in YA literature hogs the stage at the expense of everything else, but in CHIME, the romance is very sweet and well-balanced with the rest of the story. On top of that, the magic in this book is creepy and atmospheric and just a little bit melancholy. 

JELLICOE ROAD

Click the cover for the Goodreads description 

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

This. Book. Is. So. Good. It is one of the rare books that has succeeded in almost making me cry. I could count on one hand the number of books that have had that effect on me, so when I say JELLICOE ROAD is special, I am not exaggerating. 

JELLICOE ROAD follows the events of two successive generations and shows the effects of the past on the present. It shows hope and brokenness and the sort of pain I don’t typically come across in YA (I would be more specific, but I really don’t want to spoil it for you). Although JELLICOE ROAD is not lacking in plot or action, it focuses more on the people, the relationships, the tangible history, and the atmosphere of the setting, and it reads like poetry. Also, it's set in Australia and there’s a minor plot thread that involves a serial killer, so now you definitely have to read it. 

Grandmotherly Warning: There is some slight sexual content, so be forewarned. 

IMPORTANT NOTE ON CODING CONTINUED: Okay, still with me? Still need to fix your image alignment on your blog? This is really easy and will take about two minutes, so no sweat. I would recommend backing up your Blogger template first to be on the safe side, but you don’t have to be too concerned since you’re not editing the HTML or doing anything that could cause irreversible confusion/damage. Just go to your Blogger dashboard, click on Template, then Customize, then Advanced, then Add CSS. In the white box, on a new line beneath any code you already have in there, paste this: 

.post-body img {display: inline-block !important;}

That should clear it up for you, but if it doesn’t, just let me know. (And if my instructions are too confusing, please don’t hesitate to ask for clarification. Also, this doesn’t apply to Wordpress, to my knowledge, so if you have a problem with Wordpress coding, you’ll have to find someone more qualified. Sorry.) 

What about you, my little coffee beans? Have you read any of these books? What are some books you’ve especially enjoyed this year? Has your blog had the same random formatting issue? 

ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD // Who Needs Sleep?

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

I finished Kendare Blake's ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD way back in January, on the same day I finished ILLUMINAE, and now I’m finally getting around to reviewing it. Hold the applause, please. 

Admittedly, I was a little less sure what I was going to rate ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD. As stories go, it was a bit simpler, and a bit more predictable. Yet it was nonetheless beautiful, engaging, and atmospheric. (In fact, the eerie, brooding mood of ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD reminded me somewhat of IMAGINARY GIRLS, which is never a bad thing.) So, in the end, I decided to give it five stars because four stars felt too low and I do feel a little awkward about giving half stars, even though I do from time to time. Another bonus is that ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD has grown on me even more in retrospect, and that's always a good sign. 

The Story. Like his father before him, Cas is a ghost hunter, and he has never forgotten his ultimate mission: to kill the spirit who murdered his father. But when a violent ghost known as Anna Dressed in Blood spares Cas’s life, he is forced to revisit his understanding of the spirit world. 

As a general rule, I don’t read books like this, but I had heard a lot of good things about ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD from readers I trust, so I decided to give it a go. (I can’t lie, the cover drew me in as well.) Obviously, I’m glad I read it. 

The Characters. While I loved all the characters, for various reasons, these four are my favorites: 

Cas. On Goodreads, I noticed several reviewers mentioning that they found Cas annoying, which surprised me. I really liked Cas. Yes, he sometimes comes across as arrogant, but only because he knows what he’s doing when it comes to killing ghosts and because he has learned to focus on his goals at all costs. In fact, that’s one of the aspects I liked most about his character. Granted, I’ve never been a ghost hunter myself (just haven’t had the time, really), but even when I was his age, I was super focused on writing. So I could relate to his willingness to enjoy a social life in small amounts while still remembering what his higher priorities are. He is incredibly driven and incredibly talented, and his voice was a refreshing break from what I normally find in YA. 

Thomas. I love Thomas so much. In many ways, his friendship with Cas reminds me a bit of Four and Sam’s relationship in I AM NUMBER FOUR, which I think is one of the most adorable friendships ever. He reminds me of a little puppy, wanting to follow his beloved person everywhere he goes. Ultimately, he is brave and caring and one of the best sidekicks to be found. Now the question is, where can I find somebody like him in real life? 

Anna. While Anna is super scary and mysterious, she is also extremely tragic, and I empathized with her. Though she is, in many respects, one of the main antagonists, she is also one of the main protagonists. And I’d tell you more about how amazing she is, but I don’t want to ruin the story for you. 

Carmel. Honestly, I was so impressed with Carmel. On the one hand, she’s popular and pretty and all that fun stuff, but on the other hand, she’s down-to-earth, brave, and kind. She’s in no way your stereotypical queen bee, so that was exciting. Hopefully the sequel will feature her just as much, if not more. 

The Ending. After shoving this book in your faces, I feel it’s only fair to warn you that it ends with a pretty bad cliffhanger. ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD is the first in a duology, and I have yet to get my hands on the conclusion, GIRL OF NIGHTMARES. On a completely unrelated note, I also have yet to sleep at night. 

Content Warning. Overall, the story is fairly clean, but there is some strong language and graphic violence. There is also some thematic material (ie. Voodoo). 

In Conclusion. I very much enjoyed ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD, and I am hoping to get my hands on the sequel within the next few months. I highly recommend it, especially for those who like moody, atmospheric stories. 

What about you, my little coffee beans? Have you read ANNA DRESSED IN BLOOD? What are your thoughts? What is your favorite scary story?

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE // Excuse Me while I Die of Happiness

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

Oh my goodness, I can’t tell you how happy I am to have finally read ACROSS THE UNIVERSE by Beth Revis. It had been on my wish list for a couple years, but I had always ended up not having the money to buy it, or not remembering it when I did have the money, or not finding it in bookstores. (I know, I have a really hard life.) But, at long last, my sister bought me the entire trilogy for Christmas! So I am one happy little astronaut. 

The Premise. The idea of people cryogenically freezing themselves in order to travel across the universe (in this case, a 300-year trip) just to colonize another planet is spectacular. I don’t know about you, but I grew up thinking about this sort of concept a lot. What would it be like to leave Earth behind forever? What would it be like to set out for a new and unchartered planet in hopes of finding a better life? What would it be like to be frozen that long? Obviously ACROSS THE UNIVERSE was written just for me. (But you may also read it and love it, because I am generous like that.) 

The story gets better, though, because of course things don’t go according to plan. Fifty years before the ship is supposed to make landfall (planetfall?), someone pulls Amy from her cryo chamber, nearly killing her. Unable to return to stasis, Amy must face the bitter knowledge that she is stuck aboard a ship run by a tyrant and, worse, that when they do reach the planet and wake her parents and the rest of the frozen crew, she will be an old woman. She has given up everything—her home, her possessions, her friends—in exchange for this, and now someone is set on murdering the frozens and destroying all that they’ve sacrificed their previous lives for. Her only hope is that she and her new friend, Elder, will be able to stop the killer before it’s too late. Naturally, I love everything about this—the juxtaposition of the wonder of space travel and the loneliness and separation that come with, the cozy safety of the spaceship and the horror at being stuck inside with a killer. 

Godspeed. I love Godspeed and I love that the ship has such a palpable presence in the book. Despite all that’s going on, Beth Revis never forgets to keep us grounded in the setting, almost as if Godspeed itself is a character. As I was reading, I got such a clear picture of the cultural and physical landscape inside the ship—the sad, metal, pseudo sky; the fields with the genetically modified plants and animals; the weirdly complacent, mindless ship dwellers; the cryo level with its window into space, and everything else. I felt I could close my eyes and live inside that ship. 

Racism and Monoethnicity. While ACROSS THE UNIVERSE deals with a different sort of racism than we usually face in the real world, it is nonetheless effective at pointing out one of the core problems of racism. On Godspeed, all the shipborn people (descended from those who volunteered to run the ship so the frozen crew would be ready for landfall) have, essentially, been bred to manifest similar physical characteristics. This means they all share the same skin tones, the same hair colors, the same eyes, etc. While part of this homogenization is unavoidable, since the number of humans is too low to avoid inbreeding, it has also been further implemented to prevent any sort of discord caused by differences. So, when Amy shows up, freshly awake from her popsicle slumber, with her red hair, green eyes, and pale skin, she is instantly labeled a freak and treated like a non-person. 

The issue is not that she is different but that the people around her struggle to accept differences. In their minds, it would be much easier if she looked like them. And the fact that she doesn’t means there must be something wrong with her. At heart, we humans tend to want everyone to be the same as us—to look the same way, to think the same thoughts, to enjoy the same experiences. And, even with exposure, we tend to have trouble accepting those who don’t fit our criteria. If people like the shipborns have never been taught to understand and value the differences in others, it is unsurprising that they would dislike or be frightened by those differences. I love that this aspect of the book highlights how important it is to appreciate the way cultural and ethnical diversity makes the world a more vibrant, textured place to live. 

Amy and Elder. I love their voices. They both have so much to add to the story, and I never found myself getting bored with either of them. Typically, I don’t get too excited about dual narratives because I usually up preferring one narrator over the other. I also tend to forget which person’s head I’m in if the characters’ voices sound too similar (and they often do), which can be frustrating. But that never happened with ACROSS THE UNIVERSE. Amy and Elder are distinct and interesting in their own ways, and I enjoyed their chapters equally. Also, to give you a little perspective, I read most of this book while I was functioning on one-and-a-half hours of sleep. So the fact that the story could hold my attention and keep me from being confused is saying a lot. 

The Ending. No spoilers, don’t worry! Usually I find predictable stories a tiny bit disappointing, since I would like to be at least a tad surprised by the outcome. But while the ending to ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is rather predictable, it isn’t sloppy or weak. It just (at least to me) feels like the natural conclusion to the story, and any other ending wouldn’t seem right. So, while it’s possible Beth Revis could have maintained the mystery a little better, I was nonetheless satisfied with the novel’s conclusion. 

Sensitive Elements. While I am giving this book five glowing stars, I do want to warn you that ACROSS THE UNIVERSE contains some mature content. A good portion of this book is set during the ship’s mating period, and I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it makes for a fascinating anthropological study, and it adds very well to the dystopian vibe. But, on the other hand, some of the scenes do get a little bit more descriptive than I would have liked, so be advised. 

Also, just as a warning, if you have suffered as the victim of sexual assault, or you simply don’t like reading about that sort of thing, this book might not be for you. But, as I recently talked about how much I dislike the way rape/attempted rape is often used in certain stories, I did want to mention that Beth Revis handles these elements rather well, and I would like to applaud her for that. 

All in all, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is a gorgeous book. It is both cozy and scary, and it contains many of the elements I look for in Science Fiction. It also reminds me a bit of THE GIVER (but only in the best ways). Basically, I love it to pieces, and you should go read it or we can’t be friends anymore. 

What about you, my little coffee beans? Have you read this one? If so, what are your thoughts? What are some of your favorite Science Fiction novels/stories, if you have any?

THE GIVER // Nostalgia Tour #1

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

Years and years ago, when I read THE GIVER (click the link for a summary) as a tiny, young person, I didn’t catch much of the detail and depth. Granted, I knew that it was good, and I could sense that it was deep, but my small mind wasn’t large enough to go beyond that. So this time around, I was really excited to delve into the story and figure out why it stuck with me. 

The Symbolism. Oh my goodness, there’s so much I could talk about under this category, but I’ll limit myself to a couple points. For one thing, Jonas’ job and his subsequent isolation from his peers quite accurately depicts the way many children feel growing up. After all, it is a common mark of childhood to feel lonely and separated from the rest of the herd, whether for reasons real or perceived. Alongside this, the pain Jonas must experience in his job mirrors the pain of growing up and losing innocence—the pain of seeing the world for what it really is. Like Jonas, as we become adults, we often learn a great deal of stuff we wish we didn’t have to know, and it weighs on us in much the same way that the Giver’s memories weigh on him. 

Emotions. With their feelings-sharing exercises, the people in THE GIVER seem rather focused on emotions. But for such emotions-oriented folk, they are rather callous and unfeeling. In the same way, they maintain strict rules about avoiding rudeness but do not hesitate to be insensitive. Asher gets laughed at for his inability, as a three-year-old, to differentiate between the words “snack” and “smack”, and while that may not seem like such a big deal, the circumstances around that resulted in a painful period of his life—not something that should be joked about. If these people were truly feeling and truly considerate, they would care about details like that. 

Harshness. Beneath the polite surface, these people offer very little mercy and very little true kindness. Back to the unfortunate trouble with Asher—as a three-year-old, he was punished rather severely for innocent linguistic mistakes that are natural to young children. A society that would put so much pressure on its toddlers is twisted, regardless of how squeaky clean it appears from the outside. This overboard punishment extends to the elderly as well—people who should be afforded leniency and respect at their time of life. It’s quite evident that the government requires perfect behavior, even when that expectation is unreasonable. 

Death. In a community that suffers few accidental or unplanned deaths, you would think this would mean they value life more. After all, they have figured out how to keep people ticking. But this is not the case. It’s quite evident they value life even less now. I won’t expand on the major details, in case you haven’t read the book, but their most unsettling problem is hard to miss, even in some of the smaller circumstances. Take the reference to the little boy, Caleb, who once fell into the river and drowned and was then replaced by another little boy with the same name, as though humans are just interchangeable parts of machinery. 

The System. Their system does work—to a point. They have less crime. The streets are safer. People are more polite and more careful with their language. Everyone makes sure to be politically correct. But all of these “improvements” have come at great cost. In order to achieve this level of peacefulness, humans have had to surrender their humanity—their free will, their emotions, and their thoughts. They have had to remove all the spice of life—sunlight, weather, heat, cold, different skin tones, different features, history, everything. They have become mindless cattle that embrace their oblivion as they calmly wait for the slaughterhouse at the end of the road. And all of this begs the question—is the commonly idealized Utopia just another from of dystopia in the end? 

What about you, my little coffee beans? Have you read THE GIVER? What are your thoughts on the story? Do you agree/disagree with me? What are some points I missed?

ILLUMINAE // Hold Me, I'm in Love

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution. 

Rating: Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

Okay, okay, I think I’m in love. This book was AMAZING. And I don’t say that lightly. I know that, as far as book bloggers go, I am very easy to please and I probably give out way more five-star ratings than I should if I want people to take my judgment on bookish matters seriously. But I would give this book eleven stars if I could. 

In a nutshell, ILLUMINAE follows Kady and Ezra as they escape the destruction of an illegal mining colony by hitching a ride with the Alexander and her fleet. However, the company that attacked the mining colony, unwilling to let any witnesses survive, pursues the fleeing ships for months. Matters worsen when a strange illness breaks out on one of the ships and the malfunctioning Artificial Intelligence takes drastic measures to prevent its spread. 

But the story is much much more than that, so obviously I need to explain to you why I love this book so much I would pry it out of the hands of a crying baby if I had to (haha, ahem, just kidding—I would never be that mean to a baby…probably). 

AIDEN. I. Am. In. Love. With. AIDEN. Although he is a computer (AIDEN stands for Artificial Intelligence Defense Analytics Network), he is more than just an amalgamation of algorithms and code. Whether it is his programing or his damaged hardware, his thought processes transcend binary into poetry. There is something so tragic and pathetic about the way he falls for Kady. Actually, there’s something so tragic and pathetic about the way he processes the world in general. (And when I say pathetic, I’m speaking in terms of pathos rather than ridiculousness.) He may be one of the main antagonists, but he does not see himself as an aggressor. Always he tries to act in the best interests of the majority, and he constantly justifies and evaluates his decisions. His programing may be cold and sterile, supposedly devoid of human feeling, but there is still something so distinctly moving when he asks himself, “Am I not merciful?” 

His thoughts, both in wording and presentation, are works of art, and I daresay he is more human in the end than most of the humans on the Alexander. I think he is, hands down, one of my favorite characters of ever, and I will probably talk about him so much over the coming year that you will want to duct tape my mouth shut and throw me out the airlock before the end of it. Sorry, not sorry. 

Phobos. I actually felt a little misled here because one of the blurbs on the jacket mentioned zombies and I was like, “Ooh, yay, zombies.” Except they aren’t zombies, not really. Granted, the people effected by the virus behave a bit like the zombies in The Walking Dead in that they are attracted by sound. But Phobos victims are basically just uber psychotic people. Extremely terrifying, extremely violent, extremely psychotic people. And they are far scarier and far more dangerous than mere zombies. So I’m totally not disappointed. 

As Phobos progresses through their systems, they become increasingly unreasonable, paranoid, and violent. But they retain enough of their intelligence and enough of their humanity to make them far worse—more awful and more tragic. And if you've read the book, you’ll understand why I will always fight panic every time I hear someone say, “Don’t look at me.” There is probably something really deep and symbolic about the Phobos victims’ behavior, but I’m far too busy donning my hazmat suit and barricading myself in my closet to analyze this aspect of the book any further. 

Kady and Ezra. The story literally begins on the day Kady and Ezra break up. (Talk about poor timing.) And it’s fascinating to see where they go from there—how the tumultuous circumstances affect their strained relationship, and how the big, awful things around them help the two to see the small, awful things they have done to each other along the way. Normally I’m not a huge fan of romance, but when it comes to Kady and Ezra—yeah, I ship it. 

Also, Kady is a skilled hacker with more than her fair share of sass, and I want to be her when I grow up. 

Unique Format. As much as I was excited about the formatting of the novel, I was a little dubious for first the first two hundred pages or so. Maybe I was reading too quickly. Maybe it was that the narrative just felt a little different, like I was on the outside looking in. But I struggled to ground myself in the characters’ heads, and there were times I felt a little vague on the technicalities of the action, like maybe I had missed something important. (I sometimes feel this way when I’m reading books in French—I understand French, but it’s also not my mother tongue, so there’s a bit of a mental lag.) 

Despite my initial mild confusion, I did find myself getting more and more and MORE invested as the story progressed. Now, having finished the book, I can tell you I am entirely sold on this form of storytelling. It’s not something I would read all the time because I’m fairly certain most authors couldn’t pull it off. It’s also a style that doesn’t lend itself to every story idea out there. But in this case, I don’t think any other method would have fit ILLUMINAE quite so well—any other form of narration would have robbed the climax of its power. 

Woes and Whatnot. Nevertheless, I did have some qualms about ILLUMINAE. 

First of all, this book is censored. All the major swear words are blacked out as a part of the story. And I like what that says about the culture in ILLUMINAE, that awful things can happen and violence can be presented, but God forbid we cuss. On top of that, it’s also an excellent example of the way censorship backfires. Blacking out or not, there was never a moment where I was unclear what the intended swear word was. Blacking out the vulgar words only draws the eye and the mind to them, thus completely defeating the point. 

Or maybe that was the point. 

That being said, there was a good deal of swearing in ILLUMINAE, and while strong swearing doesn’t generally bother me enough to make me stop reading, it does make me a little more squeamish about recommending the book to just anyone and everyone. I would rather not sully the virgin minds of innocent younglings. ILLUMINAE also packs a significant amount of innuendo and general crassness. To be perfectly honest, I was planning to give this book a lower star rating for that very purpose because I think the story could have been told just as effectively with significantly less swearing and innuendo. When I give a book five stars, I see it as my giant stamp of approval—that I will shove this book in the face of anyone who listens. But I also want to be responsible about the books I shove into people’s faces. Which explains why I was initially hesitant. 

The Ending. "So, why did you give ILLUMINAE five stars if you're such a grandma about the language?" 

I’m glad you asked that question. 

I loved the ending. I loved the ending so much I almost cried because it was so beautiful. And I am not the type of person to get emotional over beauty, at all. I just don’t. But there are no words for how wonderful the ending was. I know that people often say something like, “This story took my breath away,” and they generally mean that as a figure of speech. So let me clarify. I literally had to keep reminding myself to breathe for the last two hundred pages or so. This book was so good I could have asphyxiated. It was perfect and intense and mind-boggling, and I haven’t felt so completely blown away by or invested in an ending since I read Ender’s Game. I cannot stress enough how well-written and unique ILLUMINAE is, how authentic it feels, how it carries such a big punch my poor little heart is still bruised. Both in formatting and in story, ILLUMINAE is a work of art. If I could, I would buy fifty million copies to line my walls as decoration. Obviously the sequel, GEMINA, cannot come out quickly enough. 

What about you, little coffee beans? Have you read ILLUMINAE? What are your thoughts? Have you ever read any books like it?

Book Review: WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution.

Rating:  Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

 

Well, it’s certainly been a while since I last wrote a book review, and it feels like way longer because—in my mind at least—NaNoWriMo lasted about a century or two. But anyway, I’m back to reviews, and today I’m going to cover one of my many all-time favorites—the book that kept JAWS from claiming the much-coveted #1 slot on the New York Times Bestseller List: WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams.

I’ve talked a bit about this book before, but I’ve been wanting to discuss it in more detail. So here we go.

The Main Rabbits. Okay, a lot of fiction I’ve read starring animals as main characters turns out a bit goofy (with the exception of books like CHARLOTTE’S WEB). While the stories are cute and the critters are charming, they’re not real and you know it. With WATERSHIP DOWN, we enter a much different playing field. Here we have rabbits who feel like rabbits, who act like rabbits, who communicate like rabbits. In fact, most of what I learned about rabbits and their behavioral patterns as a child came from this book.

Instead of giving us furry human-like creatures wearing clothes and going on quests, Richard Adams gives us creatures who follow the rules of nature, who fail to understand the human world, and who might even make you wonder what is going on in the minds of all the rabbits ever (or, maybe that’s just me). Sure, these rabbits are super clever, but they don’t rely on human-based smarts. And they always, always process information the way a rabbit would, rather than the way a human would. (For instance, to them, a train is a giant, fiery messenger from their god.)

Above all, they show themselves to be resourceful, daring, mischievous, and more. They have their own rabbit culture with folklore and legend detailing the harrowing exploits of their original rabbit ancestor. In general, they’re just the best rabbits ever, and they’re the type to be taken seriously, not the type to be cuddled.

The Symbolism. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m pretty sure this book is somewhat of a metaphor for the human existence. As humans, there are many things that we understand about our world, and many things that we don’t. Similarly, the rabbits understand all the details on their level, yet the world is so much bigger and stranger and harder to comprehend than they could ever dream. Like us, they are trying to survive, trying to find a place where they will be safe and well-fed, trying to build good lives for themselves. Along the way, they run into corrupt governments and individuals who are willing to survive at the expense of others. They encounter the caste system, corruption, and lies.

While, like I said, these rabbits are in no way humanized, their struggles resonate with us because they share the same basis, and though they aren’t meant to be us, I think in some way they’re meant to represent us. They are a small part in a bigger world, and we are a small part in a bigger universe. In being their little rabbit selves, they clarify what it means to be human.

Hazel. True, Hazel may not initially seem the most obvious choice for chief rabbit, but despite what he considers to be his lack of qualifications, he does what is necessary to keep his band of followers together and safe. Through it all, he remains humble and gentle, never demanding power and never treating his fellows as though they are less important than him. Instead, he recognizes each individual’s unique value, he helps his friends work together as efficiently and effectively as possible, and he never forgets what the others have done to help him out along the way.

Fiver. Here is where Richard Adams strays a little from established zoological facts by making Fiver something of a psychic or a mystic. But while Fiver’s visions are scientifically improbable, they do make for good storytelling, and the inclusion of rabbits who can glimpse the future and sense hidden sinister motives helps make the book what it is—beautiful and sad and dark and wonderful. Also, Fiver is just plain adorable.

On top of that, Fiver balances out Hazel remarkably well. While it’s true that Hazel is a talented leader, if it weren’t for Fiver, there would be no group of rabbits to begin with. Ultimately, Hazel would not be nearly as effective without Fiver at his side, helping him out, and Hazel makes his biggest mistakes when he ignores Fiver’s advice.

Bigwig (Thlayli). Bigwig is a former member of the Owsla, which is essentially the rabbit form of military/police. (Come to think of it, I’m not actually sure if that’s a thing in real life rabbit warrens, but oh well, it’s cool so we’re just going to go with it.) Hot-tempered and powerful, he is a force to be reckoned with, and yet, once Hazel earns his loyalty, there is nothing Bigwig wouldn’t do for the physically-unimpressive rabbit he has chosen to follow. Despite his occasional surliness and poor judgment, he remains an invaluable member of the team.

All in all, WATERSHIP DOWN is one of the most atmospheric and captivating books I’ve ever encountered. I’ve read it about nine thousand and twenty-three times (numbers not accurate), but it never gets old—it’s still just as suspenseful, just as powerful, and just as incredible as it was the first time I entered the story. And if I had the money, I would buy copies for everyone ever because it would totally be worth it.

Have you read WATERSHIP DOWN, my little coffee beans? If not, what are you still doing here, not reading it? If you have, what do you think about it? Which character is your favorite? Have you read anything else by Richard Adams? Do you think Owl City’s reference to “the crow and the bean field” is a tip of the hat to this book?

Book Review: RUTHLESS by Carolyn Lee Adams

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution.

Rating:  Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is)

 

I won a free copy of RUTHLESS from the author, Carolyn Lee Adams, on Literary Rambles. (Thanks, Carolyn and Natalie!) And I think I can safely say I haven’t read a book like this in a long while.

I was going to write a brief description, but the Goodreads summary is far superior to my efforts, so I’ll just give you the link instead.

Okay, let’s talk about this.

Ruth. As our main character, Ruth is technically the hero (heroine) of the story, but she has more than a smidge of the villain in her. The harder her kidnapper, Wolfman, pushes her, the harder she pushes back. I love that she’s not your average, unintelligent thriller heroine, who makes all sorts of stupid decisions and should, by all rights, get killed by the tenth page. Instead, she’s tough and competitive, smart and clear-headed. She wastes no time whining about her predicament or cowering in fear. Instead, she forces herself to keep going, always thinking on her feet, always sizing up her opposition and strategizing her best move.

On the one hand, we have Ruthless, the girl who bosses around the other girls in the stable, the girl who gets her way and always wins, the girl who enjoys inflicting pain on her kidnapper. But we also have Ruth, the girl who cares about Caleb—even if she can’t seem to overlook his hick exterior—the girl who almost cried at some of the things her parents said about her, the girl who had to grow up listening to those parents fight all the time. She might not be a huggable duckling, but she’s loyal to those she loves, and she might be cold and calculating, but she’s also a very sympathetic character.

Wolfman. I like that we get to see a little bit of what goes on inside Wolfman’s head, because I think it’s important that we understand what drives him. With his belief that all girls with red hair are bad and that he must punish and purify them, it’s clear that he’s more than just a little bit off. Since I was given a window into his childhood life, I could still feel somewhat sorry for him, even if I couldn’t cheer him on. But I also like that Ruth doesn’t simply try to label him as a product of poor parenting (although that would definitely play a part). Instead, she recognizes that it’s possible he was born with this inclination toward violence, that sometimes the fault lies deeper than a missing father and a drunken mother, that there might actually be something fundamentally wrong with the human heart itself.

Another great thing about Wolfman is that he doesn’t talk much, so when he does speak, what he says matters. He’s no moustache-twirling villain with long monologues about his superiority or anything like that. His speech about Ruth’s sins is well-worded and sprinkled with truth that cuts to the heart. Clearly this guy is very observant, someone who can read people well and hit the points where it will hurt the most. He also doesn’t take up a lot of narrative space, because most of the story follows Ruth as she tries to avoid him, but because he’s often not physically there, his presence is all the more palpable.

The Narrative Structure. Ordinarily, I’m not a big fan of flashbacks, because they often are placed as memories designed to deliver exposition. But Carolyn Adams does remarkably well in this case. By inserting glimpses from both Ruth’s and Wolfman’s pasts at just the right points, she helps mix up the pace and avoid monotony while providing tasty little chunks of backstory. Another benefit to these is that they really help flesh out the characters—their motivations and driving forces—in a short space of time, without making it feel forced.

Dominance vs. Submission. The story doesn’t dwell on this issue, but it does raise some discussion-worthy points. On the one hand, we have Ruth, whose overbearing nature allows her to make monetary decisions about her father’s business. And on the other hand, we have Wolfman, who believes that all women need a man to keep them in line. While the story doesn’t make any judgments or final statements on the subject, it does show some of the consequences of both ideologies.

With Ruth, she may be intuitive and hard-headed and efficient, but her parents also know they can’t approach her about any of her faults or any issues they may have with her because she will argue them down—a skill that may work well in business but doesn’t necessarily fly in family or social life. With Wolfman, we get to see how he came by his ideology that the only good woman is a perfectly submissive one. We get to witness his pain and shame at how his mother beat him. When his uncle tells him that Wolfman’s mother is bad because she’s a woman and women are like that without a man to keep them in line, we know that this hits on a sensitive, vulnerable point. But we also get to see, with the killing of the piglets, what might be a sadistic, unstable side of this uncle.

Psychology. Aside from glimpses we get into the inner workings of Ruth’s and Wolfman’s minds and hearts, we also get to see the way fear can make people selfish and uncaring. Also, as we follow Ruth through the woods, we witness the effects of hunger, dehydration, and sleeplessness, and I love what happens when Adams pushes Ruth to the breaking point.

Issues. While I highly recommend this book, I do want to warn you that there is some strong language and thematic material, as is to be expected. Coming into the story, I was a little worried that the premise might lead to a lot of needlessly inappropriate content, but I feel that Adams skillfully presents an honest portrayal of the sick things humans can do, without dwelling on the less savory bits. (I like it when authors do this, when they show us mud but don’t force us to wallow in it.)

 

All in all, RUTHLESS is a deep and gripping book with tight pacing and a stream-lined plot. I would definitely recommend it, especially to fans of Steven James.

 

What about you, my little coffee beans? Have any of you read this novel? If so, what are your thoughts?

Book Review: MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution. (Also, if you haven’t read THE HUNGER GAMES or CATCHING FIRE yet, you’re welcome to skip this, as it will pretty much give both endings away.)

 

Rating:  Five Stars—ajklsdflk (when words fail to describe how wonderful a book is) 

 

I’ll admit, the first time I read Suzanne Collins’s MOCKINGJAY, right after it came out, I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the way Katniss is broken and her country is fractured and nothing is as it should be. But I think, deep down, I didn’t like it because it struck so close to home, because it told the truth about Katniss’s psychological state and her world when I wanted it to present a rose-tinted version for my sake.

So, when I finally worked up the courage to reread it a while ago, I realized just how much my view point has changed. This time through, I crazy loved MOCKINGJAY. It’s one of those few novels capable of wringing a few (measly) tears from my cold, Vulcan eyes. And I’m sure—at least, I’m pretty sure—that this one might be my favorite book out of the trilogy. At least it’s the most powerful.

That said, let’s talk about why I loved it.  

District 13. Without giving too much away, I love that District 13 doesn’t turn out to be a perfect save haven—it isn’t some utopian otherworld, set apart from the shambles of the rest of Panem. (I mean, otherwise, the story would have such an anticlimactic end.) In many ways, District 13 is even more broken, because at least the people in the other districts know they are oppressed—at least the government of Panem doesn’t hide its cruelty. Elsewhere, the ideologies that trap the people are obvious and undeniable—not so in District 13.

The Capitol. We get to see more of the Capitol and its citizens, and I might have accidently fallen in love with the poor, messed-up darlings. All the civilians are so shallow and pampered—I doubt they’ve ever had a true taste of life. And while Panem is all one country, the Capitol has its own culture entirely, built on the shoulders of the districts and yet somehow separate.

Plutarch and the Rebels. I’m still not sure what to think of Plutarch. On the one hand, I want to like him, since he is technically on Katniss’s side. But he also is on his own side, and that’s why I love, if not him specifically, at least his presence in the novel. Unlike so many others, he doesn’t worry as much about reform and freedom—before all this, he already had a certain measure of liberty and wealth (if you ignore the fact that no one is really free, no matter how rich, when they live under a tyrant). Despite the fact that he classifies as one of the good guys, you could argue Plutarch is only in this because he sees it as just another arena and just another Games. His cold mind doesn’t care about the body count so long as the action is amusing and flashy and television-worthy.

Johanna. I hands-down love her. She’s snarky and slightly mental and very difficult to like. She’s lost everything she’s ever cared about, but she survived. And despite her fragility, she’s still so strong, even though she no longer has the capacity, at least for the moment, to taken an interest in others. Actually, though, that is what I love the most about her, because it’s believable. Once you’ve lost almost everyone you ever loved, you reach a point where you no longer care because it isn’t worth it, because it hurts too much—and if you’re going to survive, you have to cut out that part of you that feels, at least for the time being.

The Way Suzanne Collins Breaks Peeta. I love Peeta. He has always been one of my favorite characters in the series because he loves Katniss’s unconditionally, because he bears with her so patiently, and just because. And I don’t think I ever appreciated him as much as I did in this book, since (like Katniss) I only realized how special he is when Collins breaks him and forces him to remake himself.

Prim. Just, Prim. Read the book, and you’ll understand.

Cressida and the Rest of the Propaganda Team. Cressida is basically a rock star. She might be just a director for propaganda clips, but I’m pretty sure she’d win her own Games if she ever found herself as a tribute in the Arena. And even though she’s a citizen of the Capitol, that doesn’t make her a product of their values and their ideals.

Along with Cressida, we have the rest of the propo team, and while none of them become hugely fleshed out, they all form a single entity—a valuable presence in the novel. I’m pretty sure, whether she recognizes this or not, Katniss would be a hopeless wreck without them.

The Propaganda. Because why fight a war with weapons and bloodshed when you can strike the first blow with propaganda? Seriously, though, never underestimate this tactic.

Katniss (Again). Suzanne Collins has it in for Katniss, I think. Maybe someone should take away her writing privileges until she can be nicer to her characters.

Moving on.

As I’ve said before, Katniss’s emotional/psychological state is quite believable. Having seen the start of a war (twice), and losing my home, my possessions, my friends, and my country (twice), I think watching Katniss work through some of the same things was a little too hard for me at first. I wanted her to be okay, because I needed to be okay. Now, with a few more years and a little more distance under my belt, I’m glad that Collins was honest and believable, that she didn’t just reach down with her magical authorial hand and fix everything for her.

That Epilogue. It’s the perfect bittersweet ending to a traumatic series. It balances the long-lasting scars with the promise of renewal, and it doesn’t leave its readers with the lie that life will turn to cotton candy when the battle is over. Instead, it leaves us with the reality that life is rough but we can survive.

 

Okay, enough with the inspirational stuff. Now I’d love to know if you’ve read the series, what you thought of it, and which book was your favorite. Also, what was your opinion on the love triangle, and are you happy with how Collins resolved it? Have you read any Hunger Games-like books you felt were better/worse?

Book Review: LIFE AS WE KNEW IT by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Warning: As always, I try to stay relatively spoiler free. But it doesn’t hurt to proceed with caution.  

Rating: Four Stars—Great

 

Okay, can we just pause for a moment to admire that gorgeous cover? When I first picked up LIFE AS WE KNEW IT in the library eons and eons ago, the cover was what initially drew me in. I imagine this is what love feels like.

Like I said, I first read this ages ago, probably pretty soon after it came out, and it was only in recent times that I remembered the title. Thanks to my scatterbrainedness (yes, that is totally a word), I wasted years trying to figure out what this glorious book was called and who the author was and how I could get my greedy hands on a copy of my own. Imagine my triumph, then, when I found this in Barnes & Noble. (I bought it and devoured it within moments.)

So enough about me—let’s talk about LIFE AS WE KNEW IT.

The Premise. When astronomers predict that an asteroid will hit the moon, most everyone is excited to witness the event. However, what astronomers fail to predict is that the asteroid will knock the moon much closer to earth, thus drastically altering life all over the globe. Tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions—caused by the increased gravitational pull—scar the earth. And as winter begins to fall, Miranda and her family struggle to survive in the face of starvation. (In other words, you need to read this book. You know, if you want.)

Now for the good stuff. The juicy details. The reasons why I would steal this book from a baby if I had to (aside from that fact that it features the moon, which is reason enough on its own, let me tell you).

The characters. Hmm, I had mixed feelings about them, but the fact that I didn’t like them all the time made them feel more real.

First off, we have sixteen-year-old Miranda who records the story through a series of diary entries, which makes the book feel homey and cozy. (Mainly I just like the thought of reading someone’s journal, even if it is made up. But I digress.)

My favorite character, Matt, is soft-spoken and kind (for the most part), and Miranda thinks of him as her hero. How sweet is that? (They’re siblings, in case you were wondering.) But even though I really liked him, sometimes I also hated him a little, which is great because I don’t like it when authors create cotton-candy characters.

We don’t get to know Miranda’s younger brother, Jonny, very well, but we do get to watch him grow both emotionally and physically. And while he doesn’t have a huge part, he still feels like one of the highlights of the story.

Kooky and loveable, Mrs. Nesbitt lives next door to Miranda’s family. With her dry sense of humor and her slightly morbid outlook, she adds the perfect touch of semi-crazy. I mean, it’s the end of the world, so she buys a bunch of gourmet food.

And then we have Miranda’s mom. I’ll admit, I don’t like her nearly as much, and I’ll explain why later.

Despite their flaws, the family behaves in a believable way. They don’t spend all their time moping around, neither do they pass their days singing Kumbaya and painting flowers. Though they clearly love each other, they also fight like cats and dogs, and they struggle with very natural, very understandable emotions—fear at their prospects, anger at their loss, annoyance at being cooped up in close quarters for so long. Honestly, I felt like the fifth member of the family, silent but present, and I cared about what happened to them.

The atmosphere. Some books are easy to put down. I’ll read bits and pieces when I can find the time, but I can shut the cover on the story and leave it behind without a fuss. But LIFE AS WE KNEW IT had staying power. Even when I set it aside to do other things, it hung over my mind like a heavy fog, and I couldn’t shake it off. I had to keep reminding myself that the moon was in its proper spot and that I didn’t need to worry about starving to death.

Also, more specifically, I loved the grocery shopping scene near the beginning of the book where Miranda and the others are stocking up so they can hunker down. As they stuffed their carts with various essentials, running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to figure out what they’d need, I felt that tingling in my spine I get when I’m battening down the hatches and preparing for a thunderstorm. Which happens to be one of the coziest, most delicious feelings ever. Even if the rest of the book were awful, which it isn’t, I would buy it just for that scene.

But I did have a few issues with this book.

Running Water. Okay, maybe I overlooked something, but Miranda’s family has running water long after the electricity has gone out. Now, maybe it’s not this way for everyone, but I know in my house, we don’t have running water without power.  

Miranda’s Mother. Ughhh, Laura got on my nerves. Sure, she was realistic and believable and I liked that. But sometimes I felt she was over the top. Often her arguments with Miranda turn into screaming matches, and on several occasions Laura tells Miranda to get out of her sight, or something along those lines. Um, not okay. I would have appreciated it if Laura had owned up to at least some of the times she acted like she hated her daughter, but aside from a few symptoms of remorse, she never out and out apologizes.

The Reverend. When we meet the Reverend, it becomes pretty clear that he’s been eating plenty because starving members of his congregation have given him food. Furthermore, when a woman hangs herself, he refuses to bury her next to her daughter because he doesn’t want to soil the daughter’s grave with the mother’s “impure remains”. Humph. Suicide is unfortunate, but I don’t think it’s anyone’s place to condemn those who take such drastic measures.

Megan. Megan, who is a little bit better than the Reverend, is still frustrating. She spends too much time trying to be a goody-two-shoes and too little time admitting that, like it or not, she is an imperfect human being just like everyone else.

The Chocolate Chip Scene. Grrr, this scene. So Miranda comes into the pantry and sees all the food they have stockpiled. Right away she gets angry because her mother has had them all on starvation diets (to conserve food, of course, but Miranda isn’t thinking straight), so she breaks into the bag of chocolate chips. When her mother catches her, she orders Miranda to eat the entire bag and then screams at her that she had been saving those chocolate chips for Matt’s birthday and now he won’t get to enjoy his favorite cookies. *sad face* But you only need about half a standard bag of chocolate chips to make a decent-sized batch of cookies, and Miranda had only eaten about a third before her mother caught her. Instead of making Miranda eat the rest, and thus depriving Matt even more, Laura could have saved the remainder and still made plenty of cookies. Problem solved.

In Conclusion. There were bits that annoyed me, but I am still very glad I found this book again, and I’ll probably reread it a bunch of times before I’m dead and gone.