Still Waters by Ash Parsons

I have a bad habit of choosing books based on their jackets. I know, I know, you can really miss out on some gems by doing that. So, I decided on my most recent trip to the library to check out a book that was missing its jacket. And I did precisely that. Still Waters was the only book by Ash Parsons on the shelf, and its jet black binding and simple white title was nothing special. However, I stayed true to the promise I made myself and picked it up. I started it this morning while laying in bed, being completely blind to what it was about. After reading the first twenty pages or so, I was hooked.

Still Waters is about a high-schooler named Jason, who has a little sister named Janie that he adores and an extremely abusive father he can't wait to get away from. His upbringing has bred a fight-or-flight attitude, so his first instinct when popular-prom-king Michael approaches him with a wad of cash to hang out with him and his friends is to fight. While Jason understands that his reputation is that of a tough guy, he doesn't understand why this crowd wants him to hang around--however, as the plot unravels, things become more and more clear to Jason, and his internal struggle to become more than a victim becomes a struggle to survive and keep his sister, his best friend, and any he loves out of danger's path.

This book is an absolute roller-coaster ride. I was physically tensed the entire time I was reading it, and that doesn't happen often when I'm not reading a horror novel. The plot was so intricate and well-written that I not only didn't have a clue what would happen next, I literally could not find the strength to stop reading until I reached the end, the resolution. Parsons did an excellent job with every bit of dialogue, plot line, and character development in this novel.

Another aspect of Still Waters that I absolutely loved is the character of the nameless abusive father. I think this character could be representative of an evil in families that not only is the father, but the mother, husband, child, etc. that is abusive. The character being a drunk father fit well for Jason and Janie's situation, but readers could interpret this character and Jason's constant struggle to be victorious and lose his "victim" status over this character in their own way, making it an extremely relatable plot for millions of readers.

One thing that a lot of writers seem to struggle with is making their characters relatable/real enough for their audience to identify with and feel for them. I can tell you that throughout this novel, I felt real, emotional pain for several characters, and fear/loathing towards others. I was anxious and emotionally charged throughout this entire novel, and that made the sensory reading experience that I had so much more. Just more.

After reading Still Waters, I broke down and looked up the cover of the jacket. It's not a remarkable cover (or the one I saw wasn't) and didn't really portray anything about the context or content of the plot. However, on the back of the jacket, there are four words that really sum up this entire novel for me, and that is more indicative of how I feel about this book than anything I could ever write above:

Intense. Gritty. Chilling. Powerful.

I recommend Still Waters 10/10.

My Favorites From This Month: November

Hello all! It's time again for "My Favorites From This Month"! It's November, the month of Thanksgiving, and I can tell you, I am very thankful to have read the following books!

1. Emma by Jane Austen: classic literature, coming-of-age, romance
2. Speak Softly, She Can Hear by Pam Lewis: suspense, horror, fiction
3. Oil on Water by Helon Habila: historical fiction, African fiction
4. A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams: play, drama
5. The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes: horror, fiction
6. Gerald's Game by Stephen King: horror, fiction
7. A World Without You by Beth Revis: fiction, mental illness, loss
8. Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery: fiction, coming-of-age, 2nd in "Anne of Green Gables"
9. King Lear by Shakespeare: play, tragedy, family
10. Long Division by Kiese Laymon: African American fiction, coming-of-age

I seriously recommend all of these very strongly. They are all good reads that will really make you think, and will allow you to reflect on your life and be thankful for what you have in this month of thanksgiving. Happy reading!

xoxo

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

So, I've heard A LOT about Cassandra Clare and her "Mortal Instruments" series. However, when browsing at the library, I saw this book, Clockwork Angel, that looked different from the other six books on the shelf. When reading the synopsis, I saw that CA as well as another book called Clockwork Prince were the prequel series to the "Mortal Instruments" series. Personally, I like to read the prequel(s) to series AFTER reading the original series, just because I think it really adds to the reading experience. It gives you new insight to the series you've already read, and I think it's just cool to look back and find reasons and history behind a story.

Anyways, I checked the book out from the library and brought it home to read during my recovery from surgery and over the Thanksgiving break. (Yes, I had surgery. All is well, and I am recovering surrounded by mounds of books! :) ) It took me four hours to finish this 476 page book. Let me tell you, I could NOT put it down. Clare is an exceedingly talented storyteller, and I cannot wait to finish this series as well as the "Mortal Instruments" series.

When beginning this post, I was trying to find the best way to summarize this plot without giving anything away. I couldn't think of one, so I have decided to post the synopsis provided by Clare herself here: When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray crosses the ocean from New York to find her brother, her destination is London, the time is the reign of Queen Victoria, and something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Only the Shadowhunters, Nephilim warriors dedicated to keeping the world free from demons, keep order amidst the chaos. Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, members of a secret organization called The Pandemonium Club, the shadowy figure who runs the Club will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters of the London Institute, who swear to find her brother if she will use her power to help them. As their search draws them deep into the heart of an arcane plot that threatens to destroy all Shadowhunters, Tessa realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping the Nephilim save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

Sounds interesting, right? Well, it is. My favorite part about this book was the way Clare created a world that, while the idea is not a new one, is unique in its own way. Fantasy young adult novels all tend to have very similar characteristics, whether shown in the characters, settings, or plot points. And while Clockwork Angel does share all these similarities, Clare somehow differentiates this world of Nephilim and mundanes from all others, making it a unique, attention-keeping story that I simply couldn't put down.

The character development Clare uses is also interesting and unique. A lot of times, authors will give characters a shady past in order to not have to make up stories about their past or to divert attention from them. However, Clare uses the pasts of her characters in order to develop them in a way that is both mysterious as well as enlightening. It left me wanting so much more, but not in a bad way. (Really, it functioned to make me want to immediately drive back to the library and pick up the second book.)

While I loved this book, I did find a few flaws that are worth mentioning. There always seem to be background characters in books--it is a common thread that works to flesh out major characters as well as provide substance to a story. However, in my opinion, there really were no minor characters in this novel. It seemed as though every single character was extremely important, and all were given pretty extensive background. This didn't serve to make the book more interesting, but actually became confusing on a couple of occasions, and it didn't add much in the way of fleshing out the story. It became cluttered, distracting, and the fluidity of the story was interrupted.

A second flaw, while not completely ruinous, was the actions of a certain character that didn't really line up with his development in the beginning of the story. It seemed as though Clare was going forward really quickly with a plot line for this character, but towards the end, she wrote in some dialogue/situations that really seemed to contradict his previous development. I think she was attempting to make his past seem shady in the mind of the main character, and to make him seem deeper and more troubled than the main character originally thought he was, but it just served to confuse me.

All in all, Clockwork Angel is a unique, fun, thirst-quenching reading experience for anyone who likes a good, well-written (for the most part) fantasy novel. A few flaws here and there, but overall a really advanced, different version of a story you may or may not have heard before.

I recommend Clockwork Angel 8/10.

NOTE: for a young-adult fantasy, this novel is dark. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone under 15/16 or so.. it took some dark turns emotionally, and while that made the book better for me, I feel as if it might confuse or scare younger children/adolescents.

Survival in Auschwitz by Primo Levi

Memoirs are a favorite of mine, simply because they not only tell the story of an individual, but often tell the story of many individuals. In Levi's memoir Survival in Auschwitz, he tells a chilling tale about his time in this concentration camp, and the moral/psychological/physiological struggles that he and many of the people he met there were facing. He not only gives an account of the way he and others were treated in Auschwitz, but he also gives his readers a look into the mind of someone facing systematic dehumanization, and what it takes to keep what makes you human alive.

Every facet of this book is wonderful. I drank up his words and his anecdotes. His strong spirit, and the spirits of many others, was so evident in every word of this memoir. Many memoirs about the Holocaust and other genocides are heavily focused on the inhuman behavior of the "bad guys", but Levi focused more on the psychological effect that the Nazi's system of dehumanization had on human beings. He connects the problems that the prisoners in concentration camps were facing to broader, common problems that are faced by humans every day; those of relationships, maintaining morality, and keeping up the human side of oneself. It was a new interpretation of the Holocaust that was really insightful. (Note: I am in no way downplaying the inhumanity and horrors of the Holocaust, nor was Levi. That isn't at all what I'm saying!)

I observed while reading this memoir that Levi never disguised the feelings of despair and lost hope that he and other prisoners felt. He never claimed that hope was what got him through his time there; in fact, he wrote often about how there was no hope, and that feeling any kind of hope was a death sentence. This was interesting to me, as I had never heard this perspective before. He claimed that remaining human, resisting the Nazi's efforts to strip them of their humanity, and retaining morality was much, much more important than hope.

A good example of the interesting way in which Levi writes is that he describes using a classic literary passage in order to teach someone Italian. He writes that he was so, so angry with himself when he couldn't remember every word exactly from this passage, because it felt as though this connection to an art form (literature) was a piece of his humanity that he just could not lose. This really touched me, because as you probably already know, literature is near and dear to my heart. This memoir is full of moments like this, and it will bring tears to your eyes as he describes the struggle to remain a human being.

Overall, Survival in Auschwitz gives its readers a very different perspective on the Holocaust. I liked Levi's subtle cuts at the Nazi's dehumanization tactics, his heart-warming anecdotes, and the way he described the relationships he formed in Auschwitz. His spirit shines through, and you can really tell that he wrote this memoir in order to keep the memory of everyone who suffered this atrocity alive. He told the stories of those who were not able to tell their own, and that is a beautiful, incredible, human thing. I highly recommend this memoir to everyone. Not just history buffs, not just lovers-of-memoirs, but everyone.

I recommend Survival in Auschwitz 10/10.

The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

If you've read any of my previous reviews, you probably came across one about the book "I'll Give You the Sun". After reading it, I fell in love with the quirkiness and brilliance that is Jandy Nelson. She writes in a way that is appealing to both young adults and grown-ups alike. I had previously thought that she had only written the one book. But, to my surprise, this gem is also in her bibliography. As I was browsing in Barnes & Noble, I saw it, and I had to get it. (Yes, HAD to.)

NOTE: I try to read and review books as objectively as possible. Therefore, I will not write this review comparing TSIE to IGYT :)

I'll start with a brief synopsis. "The Sky is Everywhere" is a novel about a girl named Lennie (Lennon) who has lost her sister, Bailey. She is lost without her, and so are her relatives Uncle Big and Gram, whom she lives with. As life without Bailey goes on, Lennie is torn between her grief and two beautiful guys. As the tagline of the book states, "One helps her to remember. One helps her to forget." Lennie discovers things about herself, her mother, her sister, and the rest of her family that she never knew, all in an attempt to celebrate her sister's life in the best way she knows how.

My favorite thing about this book is the subject matter and how it is approached. There are countless novels about grieving and losing someone that you love, but never one (that I've read) that has described it so beautifully. The way Nelson personifies Lennie's grief is so skillfully crafted that you can't help but feel her emotions yourself. (I cried several times.)

Nelson also addresses the idea of a nuclear family, and how one is not always necessary to be "normal" and loved. Gram and Big have their very own personalities and quirks, so not only do you feel close to Lennie, but you also begin to sympathize and feel the things that Gram and Big feel. Not to mention, Bailey is a character that, while not present throughout the novel, is developed so well that even without dialogue or an inner monologue, you feel as though you know what she would say or think at times throughout the novel.

As for negatives in "The Sky is Everywhere", it definitely feels a lot like a young-adult novel. There are some really cheesy, questionable dialogue choices a few times throughout the story, and the teenage characters (besides the main characters) are extremely stereotypical, which got annoying at certain points. There are two characters that lack development, and that I would have really liked to have read more about.

If you're looking for a novel that paints grief from the standpoint of a quirky, lovable teenage girl, then this one's for you. Also, if you live in a home without a nuclear family, or even if your family members are a little "out of their trees" (strange), then this book will be relatable and fun for you.

I recommend "The Sky is Everywhere" 7/10.

Owning Up to my Shortcomings

Hello! This post is just an explanation as to why I haven't posted a review in FOREVER. Recently I have been really cracking down on my schoolwork, and work has been really busy. All that plus trying to maintain a normal sleeping schedule and social life, and I have had zero time to read for pleasure OR blog on this blog or my personal blog. I'm also taking several English classes, therefore my readings in those have taken up a lot of my attention and time.

Excuses, excuses. I know, they're all excuses. BUT, I am going to try and be better about posting reviews, even if it's classic literature like Dostoyevsky and Voltaire, because HEY, they deserve love too. Thanks for your patience and understanding!

xoxo
Sydney

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor

Lord have MERCY. I knew just from the cover of this book that it was going to be a reading adventure, but I had no idea what a wild ride I was about to be taken on. I'll start this post by giving you a little background on how this book became to be, well, a book.

I'm pretty sure there's no way I can explain this book better than the synopsis on the inside cover, so I'm going to put that here just so you can get a feel for what the book is actually about. However, this book is actually based on a popular podcast about a strange town called Night Vale, created by the glorious minds of Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor, who also wrote the book. Below is the synopsis given by the authors.

"The Man in the Tan Jacket is back in Night Vale and he has been leaving strange pieces of paper with people, all of which say "King City". While Night Vale is used to the strange and bizarre, the Man in the Tan Jacket's arrival puts the town at odds. Jackie Fierro, the owner of the town pawn shop, is determined to figure out the mystery behind both the man and the paper. Meanwhile, Diane Crayton has her own issues: her son has been changing and while this is average for most teenage boys, her son is literally a shape shifter and looks different each time she sees him. When she begins to see her son's father around town and Josh begins to show new interest in the man, Diane knows that this cannot end well." 

As you can tell, this book seems strange and odd and completely radical. I was very excited to read it. My favorite part of the book was the satire used throughout, or maybe it would be better explained as symbolism. For example, the "city council" of Night Vale is a group of terrifying, hideous creatures that eat anyone who appears before them. I think this is a nod to the power and attitude of many in the real world that hold a position of authority. Another symbol is the helicopters that fly over Night Vale day and night, and the "vague yet menacing government agencies (Welcome to Night Vale p. 37)" that are always around, always watching the towns' citizens. This, to me, seemed like another nod to the omnipresent "big brother" ideology we as Americans have towards organizations like the NSA. 

Another extremely powerful point in this novel was the idea of interconnecting lives. I know you've read stories before where the characters throughout all end up being connected in some way, but Welcome to Night Vale does an excellent job connecting its characters without being too abrupt or in-your-face. The subtleties of the connections are so light and transparent that unless you're paying attention, you might miss them. 

The only problem that I had with this book was some of the dialogue choices. While Fink and Cranor aren't renowned authors, the dialogue still could have been written in a more fluid, cohesive way. Instead, many times it was jumbled, forced, and didn't fit with the flow of the other narratives (which were very well written, so I was surprised..) 

All in all, this book is extremely interesting, funny to those who have a dry, strange sense of humor, and a great debut novel for Fink and Cranor. I'm definitely going to be giving their podcast a listen, because the way they created an entire place that holds so much weirdness and oddities really intrigues me. 

I recommend 9.5/10! (only because of the dialogue)

P.S. I am posting here the link to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast site. It is updated twice monthly, and is complete fantasy. I will be giving it a listen ASAP, and you should, too! 

Welcome To Night Vale Podcast Main Site

Edit: not sure why all of this text is highlighted in white, but I'm on a Mac that doesn't belong to me, so fixing it at this time isn't an option.. sorry for any inconvenience or displeasing aesthetic energy! :)

The Fireman by Joe Hill

If you've read pretty much any of my previous posts, you know that my favorite author is Joe Hill. With that being said, I'm so, so excited about writing this review, and if you only read one book for the rest of your life, you should pick The Fireman.

I'll start by saying that I'm going to be as unbiased as possible when reviewing this novel, because as I've already stated, my favorite author wrote it. But I'll go ahead and warn you, the review is extremely positive, because this is in the running for the most structurally beautiful novel I've ever read, and I'm calling it my favorite I've ever read, as well.

The Fireman is Hill's fourth full-length novel. It's a post-apocalyptic horror/fantasy novel about a spore that causes humans that are infected to spontaneously combust...literally. That's the only plot information I'm going to give, because I want you to read this book.

As always, the character development is phenomenal. Hill has a habit of lengthy descriptions, which usually bothers me, but he executes them in a way that is beneficial to the story as a whole, and really makes you feel more for the characters/places/things he is describing. There is a certain character present throughout the novel that has become one of my favorite literary characters of all time. From main characters to background characters, the way they are developed by Hill is beautiful and deep and I really felt as if I had developed a relationship with each one.

Another characteristic of this book that I really admired is that Hill took a really overdone concept (post apocalyptic worlds) and made it completely original. From the way the "world" seemingly "ends", to the societies created within the story, everything is new and fresh, steering away from the world ending to a brighter, more subtle existence. All the components of a post-apocalyptic story are present, but there are fresh twists that make them feel brand new. It's hard to decide who to side with in this story, the infected or the healthy, and that made the reading experience, for me, much more interesting and involved.

I don't use the word perfect often, but I would say that the way Hill ends The Fireman is almost perfect, if not completely. It is surprising and unexpected, and it fits perfectly with the entire mood of the story.

The last thing I'll say about The Fireman (because if I don't stop now, I never will..) is that it isn't at all like Hill's other works, which was also refreshing and showcased his ability to write something other than horror really well. It is more of a fantasy/sci-fi novel than a horror, and while he brings a new definition to the word "horror" for our generation, he has also shown that he is extremely gifted at writing a variety of different genres.

As you can probably tell, I loved this book, and I think that anyone who likes a good fantasy novel should definitely read it. The only suggestion I have is not to let a younger audience read--it is definitely geared towards adults, and the language/some of the plot points are more mature than a younger person should be exposed to. If you want to read a thrilling, beautiful story, pick up The Fireman as soon as possible.

I recommend 10/10 (as if I even needed to clarify that..)

 

My Favorites From This Month

I know this is a book reviewing blog, but I figured I would try and post a list of reads every once in a while that I've recently read that I may/may not have reviewed, but thoroughly enjoyed and recommend from 7 to 10 on a scale of 1-10. I will list the genres beside them so that you can choose from the list and decide what you might be interested in picking up. These are all MY OPINIONS, so you may/may not enjoy them, but I think they're well written, fun to read, and just all around good books.

Pick Em' Up:

1. The Beautiful American by Jeanne Mackin: historical fiction
2. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler: psychology, family, relationships
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte: classic, gothic fiction
4. The Fireman by Joe Hill: fantasy, horror
5. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey: young adult fiction, sci-fi, fantasy
6. Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon: detective fiction
7. The Host by Stephanie Meyer: young adult fiction, fantasy
8. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell: young adult romance
9. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven: mental illness, romance
10. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn: mystery, suspense, fiction
11. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins: psychological thriller
12. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah: historical fiction
13. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: young adult, fantasy
14. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman: war fiction
15. Night by Elie Wiesel (Rest in Peace): historical fiction, Holocaust fiction, memoir

I really hope you will check out some of these, because I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. Happy reading!

xoxo

She Came From Beyond! by Nadine Darling

I'm usually a fan of books that have fun, exciting plots, or just plots in general. I mean, what's a book without a plot? Note: when I say "plot", I mean some kind of fluent story line where things actually happen. Sadly, She Came From Beyond!, Nadine Darling's debut novel, in my opinion, lacked any semblance of a plot.

The book is about an affair between sci-fi TV star Easy Hardwick, a rough-around-the-edges girl who lacks poise, and a man she meets on a message board named Harrison. Harrison is married with children, and Easy ends up pregnant by him WITH TWINS, and also inherits the two kids and a crazy ex-wife. You may think, "Oh! You're spoiling it!" but trust me, I'm not. I read all of that from the get-go on the dust jacket.

Now, a crazy affair and some kids caught in the middle may seem like a plot, but in reality, it felt as though I was reading a really wordy autobiography. Let's start with the one high point of the novel:

Harrison. The main male character was the high point, and this is because he was developed really well. It surprised me that the other characters lacked such development, making them extremely one dimensional and boring.

Now comes the bad: the most shining error Darling made was the corny, cliché dialogue that riddled this book. Every other line I had heard before, and every situation the characters were caught in has been done before--maybe even overdone. There was nothing "funny" about Easy's humor, lifestyle, or quips--it was all just really trashy and uninteresting. The children were stereotypical, as well. The young teenage girl was a stereotypical goth/emo teen, with black fingernails and dyed hair who hated authority and everyone else. The younger kid was a stereotypical little boy with grimy hands and cheap, overdone lines.

Darling did a fantastic job of making something as disgusting as adultery even more sleazy. The language was crude and over-used, the characters were cheap stereotypes, and the plot was, as I mentioned before, nonexistent.

If you want to trudge through a boring, crude book, then this one's for you. But, if you enjoy a good read, then I suggest staying far BEYOND this shelf in the library. (See what I did there? Hehe)

I recommend 1/10.

Penpal by Dathan Auerbach

Short, but scary. That's the best way to describe this book. It's not a short story, but it's not really a long one, either. Penpal was actually started as a thread on the popular website Reddit.com as an installment of short stories by Auerbach, a Reddit user. With the help of friends and a publishing company, he turned it into a book.

Penpal follows a young man who, as a young boy, comes into contact with a stranger, who quickly becomes a stalker that follows him throughout childhood. While it's short, the story is extremely creepy and almost made it hard for me to sleep!

This review, will be short, because there's only a few things I have to say. The major critique I have of this book is that the sentence structure and wording is very askew at times, and it seems as though the author could've spent more time arranging sentences, dialogue, etc. more carefully. Some parts of the book do not flow well at all, and it is also confusing at times because the story is told in a strange order, one chapter coming before the next chapter, but after the chapter after that? Confusing, I know. That's another problem I had with the entire structure of the work. It was a jumble.

The character development was almost nonexistent. The author spent a lot of time introducing characters, but never really giving them any significance in the overall plot line. I can think of three characters off the top of my head that were mentioned once and never heard of again. The development of the antagonist was the only highlight in the way of character development--he did a good, albeit obscure, job of making you terrified of that creepy stalking person that can really exist.

The highlight of the work was the absolute reality of it--while it had my skin crawling with the creepiness of the stalking, the whole situation is plausible, and could really happen to anyone. I think he did well by using that element, because knowing something could really occur is a lot scarier than say zombies or aliens. There is no monster with four heads, no ghost that kills, no strange creature from out of this world that takes over earth--there is just the average Joe, the strange, unidentifiable stalker that embodies people in the real world.

All in all, if you want to be scared witless, then this is the book for you. A suspenseful horror, it will make you lock your doors at night and check under your bed. (And no, I'm not giving hints that the stalker hides under your bed... that's just TOO creepy, am I right?!)

I recommend 6/10.

Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee

Most people would think that my favorite school subject is English/Literature, but they would be very, very wrong. My favorite subject is actually history, and historical fiction is one of my favorite genres to read! With that, I'll introduce Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee.

Samantha, a young Chinese-American girl, loves music, her father, and the city of New York. Set in 1840s Missouri, young Samantha wants with all her heart for her and her father to move back to that magical city to open a conservatory, her on the violin and him on the banjo/piano. A tragedy strikes, and instead of having her dreams come true, her worst nightmare does, and she is forced to flee the small Missouri town and hit the Oregon Trail with runaway slave Annamae. Posing as boys so as to not be noticed or captured, their experiences along the trail change both of the young women in ways they never thought possible.

This is a YA novel, so it is very simplistic and easily understandable. However, Lee tackles the subject matter in a grown up way that makes it feel as though you're reading a Louis L'Amour Western! In school, I've studied a lot about the Oregon Trail, and I also have read many historical fiction novels about it, including The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. While not going into the gory details as Steinbeck and L'Amour do, Lee outlines the challenges and hardships faced by the Argonauts setting out West for gold very well, and in a way that is more appropriate for younger audiences.

Lee's character development was great with the main character Samantha, but I was often left wanting to know more about the not-so-major characters, such as her companion Annamae, and several other acquaintances she makes along the way. This, to me, is an easy mistake for authors to make, especially when narrating the story in first-person from just one main character. Also, the fact that this is Lee's debut novel makes me a lot more forgiving.

My favorite part of the book was the descriptive nature of the story. Every single description was both historically accurate and pleasing to the mind. Whether it was the fur of a horse, the color of a friend's eyes, or the texture of the camp food, every sense was pleased. The descriptions of wagons, the trail itself, the people, and their possessions were also historically accurate, which I was not expecting from a YA novel.

I loved the themes used in this novel, as well. There are a lot of hidden themes that are really beautiful, such as gender equality, the importance of relationships in a family, life not always going as planned, but working out in the end, etc. The messages portrayed by Lee through her storytelling were very inspiring and beautiful.

All in all, this book is great for all ages. It's historical fiction, so I think you will really enjoy it if you love history like I do! Some of the character development was weak, but the way she tells the story is its most redeeming quality, and for that..

I recommend 7/10.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

HEY. So tonight I'll probably be posting several posts, simply because I've been reading more than I've been reviewing lately. I'm also going to do an overhaul of the design of the blog, so yay for new things! :) Anyways, I'll start on this one now.

I honestly can't remember if I've ever reviewed a S.K. book for you guys, so I'll go ahead and state (maybe restate) that I absolutely love King, and even though he isn't my favorite author (his son is, Joe Hill), I respect him more than I respect any author. If I could sit down with one person to eat dinner with, it would be him. Picking his brain would be one of the greatest experiences of my life, because I have no doubt it would be bizarre.

Doctor Sleep can be called a sequel to The Shining, one of King's most renowned works. It follows a grown-up Dan Torrance, who developed a nasty drinking problem, probably taking after his father Jack, whose demise was brought on by the poison of the drink (and the fact that The Overlook Hotel was haunted..). Dan is called, just like his "mentor" Dick Hallorann was, to help a young girl with a shining even bigger and brighter than his. There's a group of antagonists called the True Knot who are a huge threat in Dan's life, and his, along with the other main character, Abra, battle with them is an epic stand-off that will forever stand out in my mind.

Now, everyone who loves horror loved The Shining, whether you read the book or watched the movie, or both. I'm a big believer in books always being better than their movie adaptations, but it's a really close race with that one. So we're all (hopefully) familiar with the premise of the novel, and one of the things I really liked about Doctor Sleep was that it really did continue in the way its predecessor did. There were familiar characters, but new characters were introduced that I really developed strong feelings for. That was important for me, because I didn't want the entire book to rest on the laurels of the old characters.

This is probably an unnecessary statement considering how original King is, but the plot line is so devious and new while still retaining elements of The Shining, and that was interesting to me, how he could so easily write a sequel that was nothing like but everything like its predecessor and still make it completely its own story--even if you haven't read The Shining or seen the movie, you could pick up Doctor Sleep and never miss a beat.

The symbolism in this novel is incredible. Whether he uses flies, cats (a theme he seems to enjoy), alcohol, red pickups, or even the infamous "REDRUM" line, the symbolism, while subtle, is always clear and easy to pick up on if you know what author you're reading. I won't go into the various meanings, simply because it would ruin the book, but you'll know em' when you read em'.

While I enjoyed the novel and the experience I had reading it, there were two big issues that I had that really interfered with the way I read.

The first extremely noticeable one is a problem that I have with most of King's works (and that isn't saying much, because he really is an incredible writer, but it's just a pet peeve of mine that I take issue with in any work). I don't feel like he needs to use as much description in his works, especially this one. There are things that he uses several paragraphs to describe/explain, when one or two sentences would have sufficed. But, I also tend to enjoy more minimalist novels, so it may not be a big problem for you when reading.

The second is the strain to connect two characters--I won't tell you which two, simply because you may not notice if I don't say, and that's what I want--in any personal way. It's almost as if he wanted the reader to emotionally connect these two characters so badly that he overwrote the entire relationship. It felt awkward and strained and in no way fluent to me. Sometimes two characters just don't have enough in common, or don't have enough story importance, to be connected and thought of more than in passing, and that's okay. I just don't think there should have been so much focus on the two, because in my opinion, their relationship in no way impacted the story at all.

Doctor Sleep is a twisted, sick, wonderful novel that is everything KING. Like I said, if you liked The Shining, you'll most likely love this novel, but even if you didn't read/see it, you can pick it up and be fully educated on the plotlines of both.

I recommend 6/10.

The Hanging Woods by Scott Loring-Sanders

Woah. I haven't read a book this twisted in a very long time. I picked this up from the YA section of my local library, and I didn't realize what a treat I was in for. The Hanging Woods is set in rural Alabama, in a mill town just outside of Lafayette. The main character is a young boy named Walter, and he has two very close friends, Jimmy and Mothball, who hang out every day and go on adventures. Their adventures eventually get them into trouble, and their polar opposite personalities begin to conflict--all the while, they are discovering things about their own families, their friends' families, and themselves that they never thought could be possible. Horrible, terrible things.

This plot line was completely original, and it kept me on edge the entire time. I wouldn't call it a fast read, but I read it really quickly simply because it was so interesting and I didn't want to put it down. The way the plot develops, with all its twists and turns, is so captivating. I couldn't predict what would happen next even once.

Sanders really did a fantastic job of inciting a relationship between you and the characters. I can promise you that you will love and hate and fear these characters, but all at different times of the book. Who turns out to be good? Who turns out to be insane? You'll only know if you read! Hehe. The way the characters are developed is very simple and easy to follow, but it's also complex enough to give you insight as to why they feel the way they do and do the things they do.

THE ENDING. OH MY GRACIOUS. The ending is the highlight of the book. It is one of the bigger plot twists I've read this year. Everything about it is completely and totally sensible, but you never guess it throughout the reading experience. It really is the climax of the book, and while I usually don't like it when the ending is the most exciting part, it works really well here. You'll never guess what happens.

The only fault I found in this book was the vernacular and the way it was adopted. Coming from a town about thirty, forty five minutes from Lafayette, I know how us Southerners speak, and the vernacular used throughout the book is exaggerated and almost comical. It portrayed the characters as "hillbilly", and I didn't like the way it was used, NOR DID I APPRECIATE IT. HMPH.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I wouldn't call it a murder-mystery, but I would definitely say that it was a thriller. It starts off slow with development, but if you give it a chance to fully develop and just let the story roll, you will not be disappointed!

I recommend 8/10.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

A short review for a short book. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a good book, but it's not one of my favorites I've ever read. It tackles a difficult subject matter in a way that is easy to understand for young adults, but it has some flaws that I found impossible to get over. While it was flawed, I will start with what I did like about the book.

I would mostly call this book "cute". There are a number of relationships explored that develop between the main character, Charlie, and some of the other characters. These relationships are nicely developed, while being only slightly cliché, and they really allow you to connect with the characters and what they may be going through--especially Charlie and his issues.

The character development was also nicely done--you learned everything you needed to know about the characters and their backstories without being bored to death by endless details and meaningless dialogue.

This book was written in the form of letters from Charlie to "a dear friend" who is never identified--I'm assuming that the reader is supposed to take the form of the "friend". While this is a turn off of mine, so I may be biased, I hated this part of the book. It was almost too informal to be a story. The subject matter and the letter format didn't fit well together.

I am also not a fan of the way mental illness was portrayed in this book. It was almost as if the mental illness could be cured by a good group of friends and having fun, which is in no way the way it works in real life. That was probably the biggest turn-off for me, and the main reason I didn't love this book.

All in all, it's a cute, fast read (I read it in 2 hours). The subject matter, although simplistic and understandably put, was grossly mishandled and the format just wasn't my cup of tea.

I recommend 4/10.

May We Be Forgiven by A.M. Holmes

I have a bad habit of going into bookstores and buying things at random without researching the content and/or author's bibliography, especially when the words "bargain" are involved. This is how I came to acquire May We Be Forgiven. As we drove home that day, I finally looked at the synopsis the author provided on the worn sleeve of the book, and it seemed interesting enough--a family ripped apart, a man struggling with existence and his past, and family secrets revealed throughout that made him question everything he ever thought he knew. I was intrigued, so as soon as we got home, I began to read.

I was so surprised when I finished the book about four hours later--it was one of the most captivating reading experiences I've ever had. I won't say it's the best book I've ever read, but it was extremely interesting and the story was one I had never heard before.

While this book had its flaws, my favorite part was the development of the main character. He was your average Joe, a man who did bad things but also did good things that he thought balanced out all the bad. He had an odd nuclear family, sure, but most of his life he dealt with it well and seemed pretty happy with how things were going. Then, tragedy strikes, and his brother becomes a nuisance that he just can't seem to shake. Throughout, Holmes does a great job of expressing the character's emotions and thoughts about everything going on without making the novel expressly about him. He is the main character, and you learn about him and his experiences, but the novel isn't consumed with him.

The other element of this novel I really liked was the way the author didn't leave you guessing, which, in a novel like this, is a good thing. You got all the details you needed without having to wonder about having missed anything important--it was not, in any way, ambiguous or left to the imagination. I usually like to be able to put the story together or finish it with my own interpretations, but with this one, it worked really well that the author was very detailed in all descriptions and all monologues/dialogues.

The one thing I really didn't LOVE about this novel was the unholy amount of profanity used--at times it was overwhelming and made parts of the story crude and almost cheap. There was a lack of grace in some of the passages that really didn't sit well with me. But, it didn't really ruin my reading experience, it just really made me stop and think about the abundance of profanity more than I should have. While it fits well in some parts, as some of the story points are really, erm, messed up, some parts lacked fluidity simply because of an obscenity stuck where it didn't belong.

All in all, this was a really good book, and I give major props to Holmes for tackling tough, unclean subject matter as well as was done. I was very pleased with the ending, and while it was more of an awakening experience for the main character, with no real climax or turning point, there were plenty of plot twists and interesting, albeit naaassstyyy, plot points that made it interesting and a real page turner. (I finished it in 4 hours, so..)

If you're a legal adult, this book is readable for you--don't let your preteens and immature counterparts NEAR it, simply because of the subject matter-- and did I mention the language? Hehe.
Read it though, it's really eye-opening, especially if your family is a little stranger than normal.

7/10 recommend.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Wow. This is probably one of the best books I've read in a while. Gone Girl is a novel about a strange husband and a wife who's... gone. She's literally gone. Disappeared. No one can find any trace of her, but evidence leads everyone--the police, the family members, and the media-- to believe that charming but reclusive Nick Dunne murdered his wife Amy. Will the evidence prove to be true? Will Amy ever be found? Did something else happen that can't be explained? Hmm. Guess you'll have to read it and find out!

The plot line of this story is so suspenseful. I mean every single page keeps you wondering and guessing at what actually happened to Amy. Full of plot twists and surprising turns, Flynn really kept you wondering and gave no hints as to how the book would end. I was shocked, speechless, and to be frank, pissed off! (Read and you'll see why. Muahaha.)

I'm usually not a huge fan of books that switch POV's, especially when every other chapter is narrated by a different person, but it's almost like the two main characters are bantering the whole time. I really liked how she used this literary device to create a contrast in the plot line and to keep the story interesting. It gives the reader the opportunity to see things through two different character's eyes, and it makes the reading experience that much more substantial.

Flynn knew what she was doing when taking on a murder-mystery. So many works in this genre end up flopping due to unoriginal characters and plot lines, but I have truly never read a book so different and.. not cliché.

The character development is phenomenal. Flynn really uses the character's back-stories to put an emphasis on how their past affected them as individuals, a couple, and as a part of their subsequent families. Not only is there a main story-line, but there are also interwoven stories that really make you aware of who the characters are as people and why they are how they are.

Overall, I loved this book, and Flynn as an author. Read every single thing she has ever written, because you will NOT be disappointed. If you're looking for an original, new take on murder-mysteries, then I strongly suggest reading Gone Girl. An incredible reading experience all the way through.

I recommend Gone Girl 10/10.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

If you are a living, breathing human being, you've probably heard of The Hobbit, or maybe you've heard of its counterpart, The Lord of the Rings. No, you don't have to be familiar with either, but I can almost guarantee you've heard of it, and I recommend becoming familiar with both. After being forced by my boyfriend to watch all three Hobbit and all three Lord of the Rings movies, I was dead set on reading the book (simply because I am a literature lover, and I rarely see a movie without first reading the book. I am ashamed).

So, because I am sure you've at-least heard of it, I'm not going to bore you with the synopsis of the story--I am simply going to let you read it, because it's a treat.

The Hobbit was originally written by Tolkien, like so many of his other works, for his children. He was influenced by English adventure stories and European mythology, as you can see in almost all of his works. He loved writing stories for his children. The Hobbit just so happened to be one of the few that were published. You can clearly tell his intended audience throughout the story--it is full of magic and funnies that children would appreciate more than adults. However, don't let that fool you or discourage you from reading--adults enjoy this work almost as much, if not more than, children.

My favorite part about this book was the bright descriptions Tolkien offered of all the characters and places that were visited. Word painting comes into play here--you can almost perfectly visualize each and every character, whether it be the hobbits, the wise old wizard Gandolf, or the ghastly goblins that serve as one of the main antagonists in the story.

Another one of the pleasantries Tolkien included was an Olde-English inspired vernacular adopted by all of the characters. It is very interesting to read some of the dialogue and imagine it being said aloud in your head by a majestic Elf King or a dwarf.

Overall, the story is incredibly fun to read, and it took me about two hours to finish it. It is easy to understand and an enjoyable reading experience. However, if you aren't into fantasy or stories of that sort, then you probably would not enjoy it as much as I did.

It isn't a brain teaser, or a mystery, or a complex novel about the history of Middle Earth (hehe), but it is a beautifully imaginative, child-like reading experience that will force you into nostalgia and have you rooting extremely hard for the dwarves and the hobbits. Children would love it, adults would think it quirky and fun, so overall, I think anyone who has an interest in fantasy should pick up this quick read and give it a go.

I recommend The Hobbit 7/10.

No Easy Way Out by Dayna Lorentz

There are some books that you read, and you really just don't want to finish them, but because you are a dedicated human being, you force yourself to trek through the awful grammar and the cringe-worthy dialogue and finish. This was one of those books.

No Easy Way Out is a YA novel about a group of citizens who get trapped in a mall when a new strain of the flu gets them quarantined. HAVEN'T HEARD THIS STORY BEFORE HAVE YOU? Yes, you have. But I bet you haven't heard it told so horribly. There are factions of the mall who want to cooperate, who want to save their loved ones, who want to get drunk and kill all their enemies (no, I'm not joking--it's a thing), and then there are those who are going to "save the world and expose what their government forced on them". Ick.

Let me start by saying that I really wanted this book to be good. It looked like a fun, easy read, so I picked it up. But, I was unpleasantly surprised.

First of all, THE GRAMMAR. It literally looks as though a kindergarten student wrote this rough draft and sent it to the publisher, and the editor was hungover, so they just pushed it on through, and it got published, so now the rest of the world is forced to be sucked in to a book with a kindergartener's grammar skills. UGH. Frustrating.

Secondly, the dialogue is absolutely cringe-worthy. It is cheesy, uninteresting, and almost unbearable. The characters use words like "douche" and "bro" and "sup", and that is pretty much the extent of their vocabulary. The conversations are so underdeveloped that often times I had no idea how a single conversation was relevant to the plot line.

Third, the character development is awful. All of the characters were transparent and overused stereotypes. That's all I'll say about THAT.

And finally, the plot line is overused, and done very poorly. We all know the story, some kind of catastrophe occurs, and the citizens are forced to form a utopian society in order to survive. You know, The Hunger Games, The MazeRunner, Divergent? Yeah, same plot line, just with atrocious writing and editing. I kind of wish I WAS a kindergartener so I wouldn't have had to suffer through reading this horribly overdone plot.

So, as you can tell, I hated this book. And you know that I'm not going to recommend it.

xoxo

The Forgotten Girl by David Bell

Ah, mystery: the perfect genre for escaping from reality for a while and letting your imagination roam free. I was in for a huge treat when I picked this novel out of the bargain bin at Books-A-Million (and it had no business being in there, in my opinion!) But, I'm really, really glad that I did, because I am usually hesistant about YA mysteries, simply because they've become so very cliché, and one can almost predict the ending. But this book? No way.

The Forgotten Girl is a YA mystery about a man and his wife who were reunited with some family that they hadn't seen in a very long time, and for good reason. This couple, by welcoming family into their home as everyone would, become a part of a huge missing persons case, and they are tasked with solving the biggest mystery their tiny town has ever seen. High school haunts, childhood bullies, and troubling memories from their past are all revisited, and you won't ever guess the culprit in their case.

I'll start by saying that this is probably one of the better mysteries I've ever read, YA or not. And on that note, I'll also say that I personally think that this novel could be better classified as an adult novel, simply because some of the plot points and relationships examined are unfamiliar to general teenagers. That was one of my only problems with the book as a whole.

Bell does an incredible job developing his characters. Everyone has a back-story, and while sometimes that can be time-consuming and seem irrelevant to the plot, the way Bell develops them is crucial while being very interesting at the same time. There is also a lot of differentiation and variety in the character pool--some are young, some are old, and each has their own set of quirks, thoughts, and attitudes.

While the plot developed a little more slowly than I usually like, it really ended up being for the best. The drawing out of the story really helped build necessary suspense, and I was kept guessing until the very last couple of pages. There is a resolution, but it isn't customary or ordinary by any means. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and there was no predictability whatsoever. That may be unappealing to some, so if you prefer to know where the plot is going (and if you do I'm concerned for your sanity.. just kidding), I wouldn't recommend this page-turner to you.

Overall, this book really gave me an enjoyable reading experience. It took me about three days, but not because I wanted to put it down. College can interfere with a person's reading-for-pleasure schedule, ya know. Bell isn't a well renowned author, but I think he should be, because he is a very good writer and storyteller. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a crime or mystery story, young adult to senior citizen.

I recommend The Forgotten Girl 8/10.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

I won't lie, this author is very unfamiliar to me. He is a French author, therefore I am not well versed in any of his other works, if any exist. But, they should, because I absolutely loved this story. This book was given to me for Christmas by my younger cousin who loves to read as much as I do. We often swap books, and I was lucky enough to get her favorite (this one) as a gift. She ensured me that my soul would be torn apart and I would sob until I couldn't breathe, but that I would enjoy every single minute of it. And boy, did I.

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a story about a man with a rare condition nicknamed Locked-In Syndrome-- I am unfamiliar with this condition, but the best way to explain it is that your mind is fully functional, but your body is not. In the story, the man suffering with Locked-In Syndrome finds a way to dictate his thoughts and feelings to an orderly who takes care of him in his room at a hospital in France. These writings are almost autobiographical, considering each chapter is in the form of the orderly's portrayal of his dictations. He relives past memories, spills his guts about his frustrations and longings, and sends messages to his family and friends through his dictations.

My cousin was right. I sobbed, but not because the story was particularly gut-wrenching. I sobbed mainly because of the nonchalant and direct way Bauby portrays the main character's thoughts. It really made me appreciate my ability to interact with others and the use of my body. The main character is a brilliant man, with many thoughts and feelings that are bursting to get out of his head.

The writing is simple, but it really evoked emotion in me that I haven't felt in a while. Bauby really gets you to sympathize with the main character and feel his frustrations as deeply as he does. That was one of my favorite parts of this reading experience--I got to feel what it's like to be trapped inside your own head.

The symbolism in this work is incredible. There are symbols that I never would have thought to use in a story like this that really make much more sense than at first glance. He uses a diving bell (an old device that I was unfamiliar with--look it up before reading) as a symbol of oppression, and butterflies as a symbol of freedom and love. These two symbols wouldn't fit together in the ordinary person's mind, but I think Bauby has established through this work that his mind does not work in an ordinary way.

I would strongly suggest picking this book up. It's a very quick read and it will make you appreciate things you usually wouldn't give a second thought to.

10/10 recommend.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Aaaahhhhh, short stories. My favorite, because most of the time they give you the full pleasure of a novel in under an hour of reading. I think I reviewed Gone Girl a while back, and if I didn't, let it be known that it was COMPLETELY AMAZING IMO. Gillian Flynn is one of my modern favorite authors. So, this short story was snagged off the shelf IMMEDIATELY at Books-A-Million. I've decided to stop doing The Big Five and just give my opinions in a paragraph-form (pls don't hate me).

The Grownup is a short story about a woman who lived a rough life, begging on the streets and living life as a con-artist. She has a less than respectable profession, so when she gets offered an opportunity to become a "psychic" of sorts, she takes it, putting her con-skills to good use. She comes into contact with a woman who really stands out to her, and she embarks on a "journey" with this woman, exploring her family life and the dark past behind some of her relatives and her new home.

First of all, the story kept me guessing until the very last page--this is one of my favorite qualities in any work that I read. It's a ghost story of sorts, and I always admire a good, well written ghost story.

The writing was simple and easy to comprehend, but at the same time, there were complex, hidden meanings that were hard to miss. I love Gillian Flynn, and I think this short work really conveyed her style just as well as some of her longer works.

The characters in this story were so well developed. I felt genuine emotions for all the characters, and that's hard for authors to do in long works, so the fact that Flynn accomplished this in such a short work really speaks volumes about the work and the author. I was empathetic, scared for, and intrigued by almost every character that was introduced. Not only are the characters well developed, but the plot is, as well. It takes a lot to confuse me or keep me guessing, and this story did just that. There's so many twists and turns that your head will spin--and in this case, it's a good thing.

I really, really loved this work. It took me all of an hour to read (maybe not even that long), so I would suggest this to anyone who

A) Wants a quick and intriguing read.
B) Loves ghost stories, or anything with a hint of mystery.
C) Likes Flynn's other works.

10/10 would read again and recommend.