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September 28
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Lindsey
gave
 
to:
Animus (Hardcover)
by Seonna Hong
bookshelves:
pretty-pictures
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Lindsey said:
"Very cute. The writing was kind of goofy but the pictures were just too freaking adorable.
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September 18
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New comment on Lindsey's review of
The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite
(see all 2 comments)
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September 17
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Lindsey
gave
to:
Catwoman: Selina's Big Score (Paperback)
by Darwyn Cooke
bookshelves:
08-only-not,
comics,
pretty-pictures
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Lindsey said:
"It was okay. However I really liked the way he drew her eyes. They sure were purdy.
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September 15
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Lindsey
read and liked
Annalisa's
review of Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4):
"I was so disenchanted with Eclipse I wasn't excited for this read, but I had to know how it ends. I held off judgment in hopes that the conclusion would redeem the series. The verdict? Hard-to-swallow soap opera. A car crash you can't stop staring at...more
I was so disenchanted with Eclipse I wasn't excited for this read, but I had to know how it ends. I held off judgment in hopes that the conclusion would redeem the series. The verdict? Hard-to-swallow soap opera. A car crash you can't stop staring at in hopes that something salvageable comes out of the wreckage. But nothing does. So bad I started taking notes on all the plot holes because I couldn't keep track.
You can't fall in love with your characters so much you save them from the dilemma you created: the impossibilities of vampire and human love, the instinctual need to destroy between vampires and werewolves, the girl who has to choose between two boys in opposing worlds, the boy who gets left out, the girl who has to make massive sacrifices for her choice. You can't save them from the plot by taking it all back and saying "never mind the rules I created, you can all have it all without giving anything up for it." When you do that, you take an exciting premise, take all the fire and excitement out, and ruin the story. As an author, you have a responsibility to your story, your characters, your fans, even yourself as a creator, to let the story be.
I recommend you write your own fan fiction. Or better yet, take your book back and get your money back. If everyone does, maybe Meyer will pretend it was a big joke and rewrite a plausible ending to the saga. Maybe this time her editor will actually read it. By the double-digit errors I found not even looking I doubt he/she did.
Here's my advice for the rewrite or fan fiction:
1. The big dilemma. In Eclipse Meyer finally showed the downfall of vampire life. Bella has to give up her family, the potential of her own family, her friendship with Jacob, and the ease of human life out in the open. Most importantly she takes on the internal moral struggle of an instinct to kill, of being a monster. This is serious sacrifice and I want to see some soul searching, some grieving, some preparation for death from Bella.
2. Vampire sex. Vampire trying not to kill human sex. Newborn vampire with unquenchable passion sex. No harlequin romance graphic, but like Twilight explored kissing, explore how they can possibly do that.
3. One scary newborn vampire. Murderous screaming during the transition after a bite from Edward to save her from death. The rage, passion, strength, and most importantly thirst that overpowers all that is human. I want to see Bella going after a human, preferably someone she knows, and have to be restrained. I want to see the true monster that is vampire take shape before learning to control the beast.
4. A good showdown. Eclipse robbed us of the vampire battle. I don't care if it's the Volturi coming after Bella or the werewolves after Edward. I want a good fight and I want people to die, maybe even Jacob sacrificing for Bella. Isn't killing the vein of their existence? Let's see some death.
But alas that is not the story. I think I may have to start denying I've ever read the Twilight saga. I was going to buy the boxed set if for nothing else for a pretty addition to my bookshelf, but now I'm truly embarrassed to have heard of Stephenie Meyer.
(Spoilers to follow)
I know I've cried wolf before, but this time I really am calling wolf. This is not Jacob's story. This is Bella and Edward's story and Jacob is a distraction. I'm sorry that you like him too much to hurt him, but that doesn't mean you have to ruin the story for him, much less give him half the book. Making Bella still love him hurts them all, makes her self-centered and Edward seem an indulgent parent with a screaming brat he can't say no to. It diminishes their love to volley back and forth. Everyone I love together? I don't buy it. Bella said goodbye to Jacob in Eclipse; leave it at that. Sacrifice for Edward. That's love.
Bella's treatment Edward (and Jacob) is only as infuriating as his indulgence of it. His idea for resolution of her nudger (gag!) is ghastly. For a second I thought Meyer was going to go down that road and I was sickened. And how is insemination gross or worse that pimping her out? How can Bella never consider Edward's worry for her? She knows how she'd feel if he died. Bella seemed more like Wanda in The Host: trying to portray her as too kind which is just blindly selfish. She should have written The Host after and not confused the stories or writing style.
The way Meyer transfers Jacob from one obsession to another while not extreme to be pedophile is still creepy, much worse considering Jacob's comment about seeing Bella naked or Bella's eyes caused the imprint. This is not a southern joke where your father is your uncle and your grandpa too. It doesn't excuse Bella's unhealthy possession of him and it doesn't smooth over the hatred with Edward. My brother, my son? Gag. His intrusion in the happy family of three was annoying. He doesn't get a say in how she's raised. It doesn't sit right.
As much as I didn't like the extent Jacob was in the book, the other vampires were more disappointing. All the old albeit shallow side characters were replaced with a freak show. I thought this was a book about vampires not superheros? The abundant "rare" gifts got more ridiculous from one to the next--at least the original gifts connected to human traits. And the flaws. Alice's ineptitude at her visions was not consistent. Bella? Willpower? Bella's "holes" didn't make sense. How could Jasper affect her? Why couldn't Edward hear her inside her bubble? Hundreds of vampires on a feeding frenzy without the Volturi reducing numbers didn't make sense. She should have stuck to developing the Cullens. And Bella. The second half was so out of character I couldn't take that disjointed leap with her.
I was so disappointed with the lengthy Volturi scene, the only thing with any hope of excitement that only built and tiringly built and then fizzled. These were the only vampires sold as creepy monsters and while their mafia-type support didn't make sense, they didn't deliver. I half expected the spawn of Satan to destroy the Volturi alone. It seemed more "The Incredibles" than Bella and Edward at that point so why not a Jack-Jack ending? It didn't resolve anything and only put them in graver danger but she still shoved a happily ever after down our throats.
Vampires (dead humans with extra chromosomes?) don't have blood; they don't drink, pee, sweat, or have liquid in their bodies. Beyond the complications of sex for those reasons (which I wouldn't have questioned if that's as far as it went) or the likelihood of Rosemary's baby, don't turn the monster into an angel more werewolf than vampire. It's a confusing stretch. You know in soap operas where babies get in the way of the storyline so they magically grow up so the parents don't have to deal with childhood? Sacrifice is what gives you undying love for children; they are not convenient plot ideas. Nothing about that child made sense and I thought Nessie, considering its monster ties, was a vast improvement on a ridiculous name. And Edward Jacob is not sweet. It's obscenely selfish.
Not being a newborn vampire is not a gift, particularly for a vampire who needs a myriad of other gifts to save the story. It's an excuse to not have your characters suffer. But instead of making characters stronger, it weakens them. It robs them. You can't soften that blow. Hiding the pain of the bite from Edward robbed him of a chance for compassion--something dependent Bella would not do. Turning to the person you love most in your worst hour is love, is what strengthens relationships.
Being a "soulless" newborn vampire isn't all Meyer cracked it up to be. If it were, they never would have let a strong newborn go hunting with only one guardian. Since Bella was so easily distracted from a thirst that didn't seem all that powerful, there should have been some good loving in that forest. Having the thirst that drives the series not phase her, diminishes its power and intrigue for all vampires. Being a vampire isn't torture; it's fun. I want to be a superhero vampire.
Sacrifice is what Bella knew she was undertaking when she picked Edward. But she gave up nothing. Everything is twisted for the sake of convenience: children, newborn desire, imprinting, human family, death, special gifts, a cast of new vampires, everything. Would a cop who detaches his daughter's battery so she doesn't sneak out plead "don't ask, don't tell" with the scary supernatural threatening his community and daughter? The only reason this bogus aspect is even in the story is because Meyer couldn't bare for Bella to lose anything. But if Edward, Bella, and Jacob are unrecognizable characters, why not Charlie?
Meyer tried to add plot twists, but couldn't commit to the consequences of them. With all the conflict removed for Bella, there is no drama; Meyer tries to create it with ill-placed childish mood swings. There are no monsters in the book. Vampires are sparkly happy supermodels. Werewolves are snuggly tame pets. Even the werewolf-vampire antagonism seems to have dissipated. The head-butting between Rosalie and Jacob seems more personality conflict than the innate drive to destroy each other. Werewolf imprint on vampire hybrid? That makes no sense. They all want to sit around the campfire and sing. Couldn't at least some Volturi sinister be burning in that fire?
There is more to complain about, but I am out of room. In a nutshell: part one: strange, part two: disgusting, part three: dull. I'm appalled it has more stars than New Moon. I guess some girls care more about a happy story than a good one. I didn't buy the book and I still want my money back. I feel robbed. Not having the guts to finish what you started not only ruins this book, but previous installments too. I will give her this: she used a dictionary to add a few big words and she kept it clean. But I can't read her books anymore....less
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Lindsey
marked as to-read:
The Shining (Paperback)
by Stephen King
bookshelves:
to-read
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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New comment on Margaret's review of
Running with Scissors: A Memoir
reply to this comment
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Lindsey
gave
to:
The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: Apocalypse Suite (Paperback)
by Gerard Way
bookshelves:
2008,
pretty-pictures
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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recommended to Lindsey by:
Jamil
recommended for: John
Lindsey said:
"I really liked this! It was weird but awesome, so definitely my kind of story. Plus I liked the random use of primate.
Also, I'm nooooooot oooooookaaaaay, I'm nooooot okaaaaaaayaaaaaayaaaaa.
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Lindsey
gave
to:
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Series, Book 4)
by Stephenie Meyer
bookshelves:
2008,
addictive,
teen
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Lindsey said:
"I had to finish this! While the power went out during that freaky wind storm, I sat and read this book with a flashlight feeling like a super sleuth.
I know this is like a love or hate book. People are super divided on how they feel about it. I s...more
I had to finish this! While the power went out during that freaky wind storm, I sat and read this book with a flashlight feeling like a super sleuth.
I know this is like a love or hate book. People are super divided on how they feel about it. I still think Meyer is a terrible writer and there were some parts that I really had a hard time with... (smart ass vampires who don't think, oh hey, maybe this vampire hybrid needs blood to live... let's wait until the comedic relief shows up to suggest it and then we're like of course!- what??)(vampire making sweet sweet lovin' to a human lady?)
However, there was a crazy twist that I was like, sweet! The big scene was kind of anticlimactic. I had a hard time with the flimsy, sort of tacked on pretense that 'saved the day'. However I felt like it was a good end to a pretty mediocre series.
It kind of felt like the Matrix trilogy, you know? The first movie should have just stopped there. They didn't need the second or third... but you know, if you HAVE to have a third, or a fourth in this instance, why not? At least there wasn't a giant glowing Neo crucifix at the end of this book. Just old ass vampires who needed to get smacked. Good times!...less
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September 10
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New comment on Nicole's review of
New Moon (Twilight Series, Book 2)
(see all 2 comments)
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Lindsey
read and liked
Nicole's
review of New Moon (Twilight Series, Book 2):
"Uhg. I read Twilight and was sorely disappointed in it, but I had heard through a series of acquaintances that this one was better--that it introduced werewolves and slightly healthier relationships.
I was deceived.
It was awful--not as bad as...more
Uhg. I read Twilight and was sorely disappointed in it, but I had heard through a series of acquaintances that this one was better--that it introduced werewolves and slightly healthier relationships.
I was deceived.
It was awful--not as bad as its predecessor, but still pretty bad. Right off the bat Bella is crying about how she hates her birthday and dreads aging and wants little to do with her birthday. This was a annoying to read through because I kept thinking to myself, "What teenage girl thinks this way?" Perhaps they do, but when I was a teen, I could only think of how awesome I was going to be when I got older and had more experiences.
Skip to the party. She cuts herself and a unicorn cries, she is suddenly alone on the forest floor. Her life is over now that Edward gone. For the next hundred pages or so we enter DIARY MODE, complete with day-to-day updates on how she is truly dead inside. I found myself skimming though this sickeningly pitiful section like it was a high school biology book till I got to some substance.
ENTER: JACOB (STAGE RIGHT)
A more interesting character with [short term:] goals and a little bit more of a personality. Still devoid of any mannerisms, as are ALL the personnel of this series, but he's at least more dynamic. I liked him, but it was painful to see that Bella really only used him for her next "hallucination" fix. She rambles on and on for hundreds of pages talking so much about the "hole in her chest" and how it burned and itched and stung and pussed and--well, showed all the good symptoms of a bad STD--that the plot seemed to vanish beneath her pained musings and constant reminders of Edward.
The story continues along at the pace of a bike going uphill with square tires till--BAM--werewolves. This was nifty to me, having always liked werewolves with self-control and a purpose, but Meyer had no better way to describe them then "exploding." Every werewolf exploded, all the time, over nothing. It was boring at best, and even though this is painted on the walls from the first book, and used as a tool to beat you with during the introduction of Sam and his "cult," Bella is still oblivious. Once she finally realizes what’s going on, she is unphased (I guess we should have expected as much) and uninterested.
An interesting aside to this "section" of the book: They actually introduce a character that is NOT beautiful, godlike, stunning or otherwise perfect. Emily, the wife of Sam, has a horrific scar pattern stretching across her face and down her arm. "Sucks to be her," we are left to assume because she is immediately dismissed as an unimportant character and forgot about; which leads me to the last "section" of the book.
Here is where I got angry at the book. I'm not sure I've ever felt angry at a book before I read this last part. Bella is tired of waiting for her wolf-protector and decides to go cliff diving (as previously mentioned in the beginning of the book). As you might have guessed, she yet again fails miserably and nearly drowns, only to be saved yet again, but not before seeing VICTORIA--the shadowy plot device that has been loosely keeping this story together.
At this time I was thinking, "Ooooh! Finally! No more diary! We might actually have some conflict to gnaw on!"
::anger flares::
Like a stereotypical sad-teenage-boy-that-needs-to-cut-himself-for-attention, Edward runs off to Italy to kill himself. This is where I imagine Meyer had hit writers block, and decided to get her computer chair wet again by gushing over the painfully gross relationship that Bella and Edward share. She kicks Jacob and her father aside like used rags, and jet-sets out to Italy (to an airport where apparently there is no immigrations office to herd you along for a few hours getting injected, inspected, detected, infected, neglected, selected and all kinds of crazy stuff), to save Edward.
One hundred pages of overdramatic swooning and crashing and hissing leads to Bella being exposed to the ugly side of vampire-lifestyle and the ultimatum that she has to become one or die. This was boring at best, with four chapters of frustrating mushy googly eyes and epiphanies that the condescending git, Edward, loves the paper-thin floozy Bella and she settles in for a marriage and a blood stained picket fence in Meyer's dress-up-game of angles and demons....less
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