Tuesday 24 June 2014

Ruin and Rising

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Book Title: Ruin and Rising
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Series: The Grisha Trilogy #3
Date Started: June 19th 2014
Date Completed: June 24th 2014
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
Rating: Five stars
Review:


Ruin and Rising was a very good conclusion to the Grisha Trilogy. The biggest problem for me was that the book itself wasn't big enough, but what was written was amazing and everything finished in a way that I wasn't expecting.


Stuck underground and struggling with her powers, Alina still has yet to face The Darkling and liberate Ravka from his rule. But with only a rough idea of where the third amplifier is, and few allies at her back, her chances of escaping the White Cathedral, finding the Fire Bird and defeating her enemy are slim. But the fate of the world lies in The Sun Summoner's hands, and she's ready to use it.

I really love Bardugo's writing style: the description and flow of the narrative especially. I can fall so easily into Alina's world and its vivid collection of magic and mystery. My only criticism would be that I wish the narrative held some sort of implication to Alina's feelings and emotions without having to say it straightforwardly.
The overall atmosphere is also amazing in these books. The build-up to climaxes or action scenes particularly - there's definitely a feel of 'calm before the storm' - but even the more subdued scenes hold a certain weight to them that really help the threat become real.

Ruin and Rising had even more twists than the first two books, and a few of them I didn't see coming at all. Each these made me pause and consider the greater impact it had on the overall story; they weren't little details, they were game-changers.
I was also impressed by the mature reactions the characters had to these situations. Namely the relationship issues: I'm used to Young Adult fiction having stroppy teenagers that overreact when they're circumstances change away from their preference. However, I felt Bardugo maturely handled what Alina and the others felt like when they were pushed towards people they didn't necessarily want to be with.
The conclusion to the book was definitely bittersweet, and not for obvious reasons. I do wish there had been more to read, and possibly more peril during the final showdown, but I still think it concluded in a way that ticked all the boxes.

Although I really enjoy reading about the main characters, the secondary ones blur into each other for me, and generally aren't very likeable characters anyway (barring Toyla, Misha and Harshaw). I kept getting confused between who was who and which person I thought was the most vain etc.
Alina was a very strong protagonist. I loved the balance Bardugo got between her vulnerable side and times when she rightly didn't know what to do, and the times when she was independent and took control and led the others. This could quite easily have fallen to one side, but instead was perfectly equal the whole way through.
Mal grew on me through the course of the book, as he did in the previous novels. I always find it hard to get on with him at the start of the stories, but then I like him more and more as it goes on.
I forgot how much I adore Nikolai, but I was really disappointed that he wasn't in it as much as I'd have liked.
Finally, The Darkling had a very good ending, in my opinion. Like Nikolai, he wasn't featured as much as I'd expected, yet his inclusions were well orchestrated. His send-off was particularly good, as I was worried Alina wouldn't react realistically. But she did.

The pacing was very good in this novel. The plot progression is steady throughout the whole book, even though I felt everything was over too quickly. I do, however, understand that if the book had been longer, the pacing may not have been quite as solid.

I think Ruin and Rising was a very good ending to the Grisha trilogy, and the series is definitely in my favourites. If you like fantasy, adventure and romance in a completely unique and intriguing world, then try this trilogy.


Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22535408-ruin-and-rising

Wednesday 18 June 2014

Fangirl

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Book Title: Fangirl
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Date Started: June 11th 2014
Date Completed: June 18th 2014
Genres: Contemporary, Romance
Rating: Four stars
Review:


Fangirl is a heartwarming, light and fluffy read with that relatable side for teenagers, but specifically writers. Unfortunately I'm not a huge fan of light and fluffy, which became evident when I read this book, but I still think Fangirl is a nice new contemporary worth reading.


Cath has always had her twin sister Wren with her. But when they move into college, it seems that Wren wants her own space to become her own person, leaving Cath, and her stacks of fanfiction, to fend for themselves in this new situation. But with a seemingly moody roommate and her quirky boyfriend, Cath will find her feet again and possibly even fall in love.

The writing was good, though I can't say anything jumped out at me as amazing. The sentences had a nice flow and the dialogue fitted it well. The narrative also communicated the atmospheres of the scenes very well.

Like I've said, I wasn't thrilled by Fangirl, just because it's wasn't my type of story or genre. So, for me I was pretty neutral the whole way through. However, the one parts that did get me interested were the short excerpts from the Simon Snow books or fanfiction (probably because it was fantasy). I thought they tied in really well with the story and helped tell it, even though the two weren't directly related. It was also nice see in the very subtle style differences between Cath and the actual author's writing.
Another thing I feel Rowell did very well was the balance between the fanfiction culture and the day-to-day life of a teenage college student. Though I can't say I know in detail what either of these are like, I felt they were portrayed in a way people could relate to. I also think it was really important to keep the two balanced in order to make sure the story remained realistic. However, I did think this started to crumble towards the end of the book, and things started to get a little fantastical.

The characters in Fangirl all fitted into their places in the story, so I feel some developed more than others.
Cath is a very nice person, and she has a way of making the reader want things to work out for her, even if she can get a little irritating at times.
I didn't like Wren very much from the start, and I felt her behaviour wasn't really explained as well as it could have been, but she still turned out okay.
Again, Levi seems like a really nice guy, and he definitely fitted into the adorable, geeky but cool boyfriend. I did have a bit of trouble feeling a different chemistry between him and Cath to the chemistry that everyone had around him, but the story allowed other things to be more important than this.
Reagan is probably the best character since she does the typical comic relief, but in a quirky, funny yet kind of scary way.
Finally, I really liked Nick, and I thought his change of heart was a little out of character if I'm honest.

I can't say there were any pace issues because the novel itself didn't have a pace as such. Like in a lot of contemporary novels, it's more a string of consciousness than of events.

Even though I wasn't too thrilled with Fangirl, that's just because it wasn't really my thing. It's a nice, enjoyable read that is extremely relatable for the teenage generation right now, and it incorporates a variety of issues into the story, as well as making sure there's plenty of funny and adorable bits.

Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19174917-fangirl

Wednesday 11 June 2014

Fire & Flood

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Book Title: Fire & Flood
Author: Victoria Scott
Series: Fire & Flood #1
Date Started: June 7th 2014
Date Completed: June 11th 2014
Genres: Dystopian, Romance, Adventure, Action
Rating: Two stars
Review:


I really didn't like Fire & Flood. Maybe that's just me, but there were just too many faults that hit the story too hard too many times. It was a clumsy version of too-well-known story.


Tella's brother is sick. So when a mysterious package appears on her bed with the promise of a cure, she doesn't stop to think until she's run away from home and become a Contender in the game. But before she knows it, Tella's in the middle of something she never could have imagined as she fights to win the game and leave with her life.

The writing, for me, was far too simplistic to catch my interest and didn't have any sort of depth in it. I feel like Scott just wrote down her first thoughts and never decided to develop it. This also carries on, since the continuity in the book is quite frankly ridiculous. At one point it feels like we're in a modern world, and next it's a dystopian apocalypse; sometimes Tella's aware she's fighting for her life, and the next second she can't understand why people are trying to beat her to the finish.
Furthermore, the writing just seemed three steps ahead of itself in a rather basic plot line. Tella started making assumptions with no evidence whatsoever, just so the story could keep going. It's fair enough to want a fast pace, but you can't just keep running forward when you haven't even taken the first steps.

I could rant about how Fire & Flood is a bad copy of a story we all know, but that wouldn't be constructive. Instead I'll complain about almost the same thing.
In dystopian novels (which I assume this is, though I'm not entirely sure as you'll find out) it's quite important to explain the situation the world is in. The main premise of dystopia is that it's a world that perhaps used to be our own, but is now twisted and wrecked. In this novel, there is virtually no world-building at all. We're never told what condition society is in or anything. In fact, it's implied that Tella's world is very similar to ours: she speaks in stereotypical slang a lot of the time, and has a phone; dresses the way a popular queen-bee might; and seems to have no qualms about what's happening outside of her little bubble. We even get to go out into the world and nothing is described at all. That then raises the question as to why it's being advertised to all ages that theres a race that you might die in to get a cure only lasts a few years.
The other vital flaw in the story was that there was no threat. It's important to make the reader feel tense in an action adventure like this, but the biggest danger to the characters felt like their pets having a disagreement. And, of course, the genetically engineered 'Pandoras' weren't really used for anything but being commanded around by their owners.

The characters were the lowest point of the book for me, which is a shame. Firstly, I couldn't even tell them apart - barring Tella and Guy. This is a really annoying aspect, but was actually extremely damaging to the story since this death game - where everyone seems awfully friendly and helpful - is fought by a mix of ages. Firstly, I'm convinced we weren't even told the ages of the characters to start with, so when people start talking about having older children it's a bit of a shock. But the biggest issue with this was that the characters were all written so immaturely, I couldn't tell some of them were adults. And this is very, very bad.
Generally, I find irritating protagonists bearable since they are the driving force of the story; and because of this you see the story through their eyes and somehow feel a little sorry for them when, even though they're annoying, bad things happen to them. This is not the case with Tella Holloway. From the very start I found her vain, stupid, bratty, arrogant and ignorant. She honestly shouldn't have lasted five minutes in the game, but then she did, and I was willing to let that slide - until she couldn't look after herself later and had to have her boyfriend step in and save her every three pages.
Guy a character that - whilst overused in Young Adult fiction - could've been good and had room for development. Instead he makes no progress as a person for the whole book, is only seen as the good-looking leader, and have absolutely no chemistry with Tella whatsoever.
Harper, I feel, was supposed to be important to the story. I literally didn't notice her existence out of the mush of secondary characters until the last few chapters.

This was obviously intended to be a fast paced book, but ended up tripping over itself after a short time, because it wasn't thought-through enough to start with. I did try and read the whole thing fairly, but I started to skim read half way through because I just wanted it to be over.

I honestly wouldn't recommend Fire & Flood to anyone. Usually, I'd say that my personal opinion was low, but some people might enjoy it. However, due to the overwhelming amount of YA dystopians out there with similar stories, I don't feel any particular need to sugarcoat the fact I felt it just wasn't worth reading.


Image Source: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18667210-fire-flood