For the first fifty pages of this book, I wasn't quite sold on Monument 14. Difficult-to-believe natural disaster! Dead children! Fourteen kids, rangi...moreFor the first fifty pages of this book, I wasn't quite sold on Monument 14. Difficult-to-believe natural disaster! Dead children! Fourteen kids, ranging in age from five to seventeen, trapped in a mega-Walmart-type place!
Then I started to get to know the characters. Particularly Ulysses. The characters kind of creep up on you amidst the drama of various disastrous events, but they are what makes the book. Dean, the narrator, is a typical teenage boy: kind of confused, funny, awkward, but basically a good kid. Ulysses (can you tell he's my favorite of the little guys?) is a Spanish-speaking first-grader who is OVERWHELMINGLY CUTE. The five-year-old twins, Henry and Caroline, are pretty flippin' adorable too. Then there's Max, who has seen way more than a little kid should, and Batiste, who continues to stick to his religious guns throughout the book.
I thought I would hate that there were so many little dudes in this scary situation, but I ended up loving that part of the book. Maybe it's the elementary school teacher in me.
Something else I liked was the thorough-but-not-boring description of the ways the kids change the store around to make it their own. At first they just grab whatever they want off the shelves, knowing they might end up having to pay for the stuff but (in true teenager fashion) not really caring. Then, when it starts looking like they might be in the Greenway for a while, they get smart about using what they have and making the store a home for the little kids.
Yes, the premise is a little ridiculous, especially what comes after the hailstorm. But I think that middle school-aged kids are going to love it--fans of The Maze Runner in particular.(less)
First off, I want to give a shout-out to Miriam Debbage, the translator of the English edition of this book. Having studied ten languages, I understan...moreFirst off, I want to give a shout-out to Miriam Debbage, the translator of the English edition of this book. Having studied ten languages, I understand the utter impossiblity of translating someone else's novel into an entirely different (BUT THE SAME) set of words. Especially when the main characters are teenagers, who talk in very different ways from one country to the next. Debbage did the best translation I've read in a long, long time. It almost makes me want to learn German so I can appreciate the English version that much more. (But that would be crazy...right?)
As for THE STORYTELLER itself, I need some time to gather my thoughts. It's hard to talk about this book without spoiling the ending. (Definitely do not read the Kirkus review. It's one giant spoiler.) So much of the power comes from truths that creep up on you, or smack you over the head.
There are two things I loved most about this book. First, the voices. Anna's is the strongest. She is calm, steady, sheltered. Over the course of the novel she becomes less so, but those central qualities strengthen her and grow rather than transforming. She doesn't always do the right thing. In fact, at times she does the mindblowingly wrong thing, and you have to wonder how someone so smart can be such a fool--but that's why you love her.
Abel's voice is the opposite. He is raw anguish. Where Anna's words are careful and quiet, Abel's are big, beautiful, fast, and full of feeling. They come to life with color, scent, and sound.
Even Gitta's voice is distinct. We don't hear much from her, but the things we hear are so typically Gitta that we believe in her as much as we believe in Anna.
Secondly, I loved the imagery. Michaelis paints pictures with her words. The setting of this story is Germany in winter, and I was cold the whole time I was reading it. She is that convincing.
Plot-wise, I'm still not sure where I stand. I'll update if I ever come to a conclusion. I'm curious to see what other Americans think of this one.(less)
I give the first half of this book three stars, and the second half five stars. Even the writing improved in the second part of the book.
J...moreI give the first half of this book three stars, and the second half five stars. Even the writing improved in the second part of the book.
Jenny is not a normal girl. Seven years ago, she watched as her brother was swallowed by the forest. In the years since Tom's disappearance, she's learned to pretend: that she's not terrified of the trees, that her mom isn't broken by Tom's absence. And then one evening, she hears her brother's music coming from the forest. Without a backward glance, she goes to him. Instead of Tom, she finds Jack-of-the-Forest.
And thus begins a hundred and fifty pages of old-school Irish storytelling: a cold, confusing fever dream in which even the beautiful creatures are dangerous. Jenny bounces from one menace to the next, making poor decisions and not asking any of the right questions.
Then Jenny realizes that no one is going to save her. She finds her backbone, asks the right questions, and starts making decisions.
Honestly, despite being Irish and growing up amidst the creepy folklore, this isn't my favorite kind of book. The thing that kept me going was the beautiful narration in Jack's sections, and later, Jenny's. Fans of modern faerie tales will love this, as will aficionados of Shakespeare. The cover and the title appeal to exactly the right people.(less)
I'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, but this isn't your typical fare. Linh Cinder is cyborg, property owned by her legal guardian. She has no memo...moreI'm a sucker for fairy tale retellings, but this isn't your typical fare. Linh Cinder is cyborg, property owned by her legal guardian. She has no memories of her life before the operation that saved her. For as long as she can remember, she's been a mechanic in New Beijing, owned by Linh Adri and her two daughters.
There are a few things I look for in a fairy tale retelling. First, the author has to make the story her own, which Marissa Meyer has done beautifully. The story diverges from the classic tale in a few major ways. The one I appreciated most was the role of the fairy godmother. While the godmother character is helpful, and swoops down in Cinder's time of need, that time isn't the royal ball. Cinder gets herself to the ball under her own steam, which is one point for girl power. Cinder isn't a wilting flower. She's a kickass grease-stained cyborg mechanic who can drive her own self to the ball, thank you very much.
I also appreciated the hints that other fairy tales might exist within the world Marissa Meyer has created. I hope that we'll see more of them in subsequent books.
Second, the story has to live up to the classic in the romance category. This one came close--the romance definitely has potential, but it wasn't seen through. I had an issue with the way the book ended--it's less cliffhanger and more abrupt ending. Nothing was really resolved...I could have used fifty more pages. Hopefully my questions will be answered in the next book.(less)
I give this book 5 stars for the story and 1 star for the writing. I really wish that someone else had written the book, because the premise and the p...moreI give this book 5 stars for the story and 1 star for the writing. I really wish that someone else had written the book, because the premise and the plot are so good. Normally I won't finish a book that is almost physically painful to read, but the story kept me coming back for more...so I guess there's something to be said for that. (less)
There are some books that I don't want to review because my grasp of language doesn't seem adequate. After reading a book like Bitterblue, in which ev...moreThere are some books that I don't want to review because my grasp of language doesn't seem adequate. After reading a book like Bitterblue, in which every sentence is constructed so beautifully, I don't feel like I can do the story justice. But I'll try.
I went into Bitterblue with some anxiety: what if Katsa and Po weren't in it enough? What if they'd broken up, or gotten married, or some other unexpected turn of events? What if Bitterblue turned evil in the eight years since we saw her last? Or, perhaps worse, what if she was an implausibly perfect queen after everything that had happened?
Once I started reading, though, my anxieties didn't matter because I remembered how much I trust Kristin Cashore to deliver exactly the story I want to read. I was transported. I wish I was still in Monsea right now.
I won't post any spoilers, but know that fans of Kristin Cashore won't be disappointed. Her prose is still lyrical, lush, and sad. You will laugh out loud (more so than in the previous volumes) and you will probably also cry. You will shake your head and wonder why you thought that, maybe, this time the heroine would get a normal romance. You will fall in love with a grumpy librarian and his mangy, grouchy cat. You will want to start reading it again as soon as you finish.(less)
I give this book 4.5 stars. It lost the half point because the third person present tense narration really bothered me for some reason. I kept getting...moreI give this book 4.5 stars. It lost the half point because the third person present tense narration really bothered me for some reason. I kept getting pulled out of the narrative because it didn't feel right to me. But the story and the characters are very charming. :)(less)
A little background: I like to have a few novels in reserve in case of emergency. These novels are ones I'm almost guaranteed to like--each one is cho...moreA little background: I like to have a few novels in reserve in case of emergency. These novels are ones I'm almost guaranteed to like--each one is chosen because it's by an author I trust implicitly, or because every bookseller I know has raved about it, or because it belongs to a series that I love. I save my Emergency Reserve books for times when I'm down and need a pick-me-up. Or, because I have the best life ever and I'm rarely down, times when I just read an INCREDIBLY AMAZING book and I need something strong to follow it with.
Going Bovine is one of these.
Normally, a Libba Bray novel would be eagerly awaited and consumed the day of its release. On the day Going Bovine was released, however, I was in my third week of student teaching AND THE TEACHER HAD DISAPPEARED AND LEFT ME IN CHARGE OF 20 KINDERGARTENERS. For several weeks. And then, when I left school at the end of the day, I went to a different elementary school and sat through three hours of evening classes. So I didn't quite have time to BUY a book, much less read it. And that's how Going Bovine ended up in my Emergency Reserves.
[review TK...after I've started the book haha](less)
**spoiler alert** You know, the more I think about this book, the less I like it. I was bored for the first 400 pages, then it got good for about 100,...more**spoiler alert** You know, the more I think about this book, the less I like it. I was bored for the first 400 pages, then it got good for about 100, then it got horrifically bad, then it ended, then there was a stupid epilogue.
I don't usually post negative reviews, especially of authors who had a major role in shaping me as a reader and writer. Tamora Pierce's Tortall books--the first two quartets, at least--singlehandedly turned me into a lifelong reader. Maybe that's why I was so disappointed in MASTIFF.
My biggest complaint, obviously, was the Tunstall betrayal. I didn't buy it. I still don't. The character at the end of this book is not the same character we've loved for 1200 pages. You can't just take a shining upstanding character and turn him into a traitor. You have to lay groundwork. You have to explain the betrayal before the reader realizes it's happening, otherwise it's just going to come off as a cheap, desperate plot device.
Secondly, this ENTIRE SERIES, including the beginning of MASTIFF, has been leading up to some sort of resolution between Rosto and Beka. We're cheated out of it. Rosto appears on maybe three pages, and instead we're given a relationship that is satisfying but WAY too fast and, again, not really authentic.
I could go on--about the mediocre pacing, the occasional anachronistic language, and the general lack of energy--but honestly, I think my time is better spent finding something better to read.(less)
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