Corinne Morier's Blog, page 7
April 28, 2019
Book Review: Shade’s Children
Shade’s Children by Garth Nix
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’ve been in such a sci-fi/dystopian mood lately. Hence, I commenced yet another rereading of this one, which I’ve already read about 5,000 times… lol.
Shade’s Children is a sci-fi/dystopian novel by Garth Nix (and you guys already know I love shoving Nix’s works in the faces of everyone I meet lol) that is well-deserving of its five-star rating. In an urban wasteland, all young people are kept enslaved by the Overlords and killed at fourteen, so that their body parts can be used in creating monsters. These monsters act as game pieces for the Overlords as they enact their own twisted version of what could be called Capture the Flag.
The only adult left on Earth is Shade, the personality remnants of a professor who guides his Children in the fight to reclaim the Earth. Many of them are born with ESP-like abilities that result from them being born right around the time of the Change–the day when all adults on Earth vanished and all the children were shepherded into their prison-like Dormitories to be materials for the monsters. Among his Children are four youngsters with peculiar talents–Gold-eye, Ninde, Ella, and Drum. Together, they set out to take back what was once theirs: the Earth, their friends in the Dorms, and the rest of their lives.
All four of our protagonists were so believable, so likeable, and so realistic. I really enjoyed reading this book; we get chapters from all four of their POVs and oftentimes in multi-POV novels, I will have favorite and least favorite narrators, but all of their POVs were pleasurable to read and all four were sympathetic, interesting characters.
Speaking of the writing style, there’s also the mini-chapters to consider. In between each longer chapter that tells the next part of the story, we get a mini-chapter, no more than a page or two, often a transcript of a video recording that reveals some important details that we need to know for later on in the story. These smaller chapters don’t feel at all like filler, instead providing the reader with vital plot information in an interesting and easily-digestible way.
The plot twist near the end that concerns Shade was AMAZING. That was my favorite part of the book, and frankly, looking back on it now as both a reader and a fellow author, I’m so glad Nix decided to take that route with Shade’s character. It was pretty much a given as to what path his character arc would take, so it’s not technically a “surprise,” but OH MY GOD DOES IT EVER RAMP UP THE DRAMA. Things get 12,000 times worse for the four heroes after that bit.
I didn’t as much enjoy the “twist” about the Overlords’ origins. Yes, I do think it was interesting to have made them (spoiler redacted), and yes, how they were (spoiler redacted) was believable, but really, the reason for how they (spoiler redacted) in the first place was just kinda silly. Leading to the denoument also being kinda silly… I mean, they just (spoiler redacted) and then that’s it? It just kinda fell flat after everything that happened up to that point.
The worldbuilding in this book is amazing. It’s so easy to see in your mind’s eye the urban wasteland that is the Earth, and the setup that Shade has going on in the submarine is very sensible. Everything has a purpose, there’s no time wasted, and Shade has thought of every possible thing that could go wrong and has countermeasures against it. Ex. if you put a bunch of horny teenagers together in one place, there’s going to be some hot steamy action, so he’s instituted a Lottery where the teenagers can enter their names and be allowed to do the nasty together in a safe environment with access to birth control, but only after they’ve undertaken the sex education courses.
This is a great standalone novel that would be a good one for anyone who enjoyed books such as The Giver or City of Ember and are looking for another fun dystopian to read. It does contain some scenes of blood and gore, and Nix does not shy away from killing off his characters, so be forewarned. Other than that, there is the occasional mention of sex, but nothing explicit (the raunchiest it gets is a scene where two characters make out and realize they can’t have sex because they don’t have a condom so they reluctantly put their clothes back on).
In conclusion, if you’re a fan of dystopian stories, or of soft sci-fi novels, this is one you can’t afford to miss. Also if you’re a fan of Garth Nix and haven’t read this one, 1) have you been living under a rock? and 2) go read this book!
If you’d like to pick up a copy for yourself, you can buy Shade’s Children on Amazon, add Shade’s Children to your Goodreads, and follow Garth Nix on Twitter!
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Make it a good week, everyone, and I’ll see you next Sunday!
Corinne 乙女
April 21, 2019
Book Review: With the Light
With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child by Keiko Tobe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recently I’ve been really into rereading a lot of my favorite graphic novels, so today let’s talk about another one! With the Light by Keiko Tobe.
Sachiko Azuma has always wanted to be a mother. Now, married to the love of her life and with a newborn son, her dream has come true. She names her son Hikaru, in the hopes that he’ll be bright like the meaning of his name. But she soon comes to discover that Hikaru is not like other children. When at an otherwise typical checkup, Hikaru is diagnosed as deaf, but a specialist reaches a different conclusion: autism. This heartwarming story details a young mother’s struggles to raise her child and come to terms with the increasingly common affliction that is autism.
Okay, can we just talk about the design of these books for a second? The English editions of these books combine volumes one and two of the Japanese editions, so you’re essentially getting two books for $14.99. Already we’ve got a book that’s a really great value–you get over 500 pages of content for the price of a single book.
Then we have to discuss those covers. HOLY HELL IS THIS SERIES SO PRETTY. Each book is a solid pastel color and looks sooo good sitting on a bookshelf.
Okay, on to the content. THIS BOOK IS SO HEARTWARMING AND AMAZING AND SHOWCASES AUTISM IN A POSITIVE LIGHT INSTEAD OF JUST TAKING ADVANTAGE OF SOMETHING FOR MARKETABILITY LIKE THE BIG BANG THEORY.
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SHUT UP SHELDON WE ALL KNOW YOU’RE JUST PERPETRATING STEREOTYPES.
The first volume covers everything from the day Hikaru is born to just after he enters elementary school. The artwork is beautiful and all the characters just jump off the page. We see how Sachiko comes to realize her new dream of helping Hikaru grow into a “cheerful, working adult” and how she takes steps to ensure that his autism won’t be a barrier to him achieving anything he wants to do.
Though there’s over 500 pages of content in each volume, it never feels forced or rushed, nor is there anything that feels like it was stuck in there to generate more pages. And with a glossary of Japanese terms provided at the back, there’s very little issues with accessibility when reading.
I don’t think there’s really anything else I could say about this book. I could spend 2,000 words raving about this or that in the book I enjoyed, but this is just a really enjoyable story. Sachiko’s struggles to ensure that Hikaru will have a place in a world where autism is shunned are so real, Hikaru is endearing and adorable, and Masato (Sachiko’s husband and Hikaru’s father) earns the respect of the reader after his (spoiler redacted) upon Hikaru’s diagnosis.
I’d recommend this series to fans of graphic novels, or to fans of contemporary family stories, or to anyone who either has been diagnosed with autism or has a loved one on the autism spectrum.
If you’d like to pick up a copy for yourself, you can buy With the Light on Amazon, add With the Light to your Goodreads, and follow Yen Press on Twitter!
If you liked this post and want to support my content:
Follow me on Twitter, where I’m most active
Subscribe to my Youtube channel, where I talk about more books than just one per week!
Follow my blog (click on that little blue box to the right that says “Follow The Discerning Reader”) to get updates in your inbox every time I post!
Make it a good week, everyone, and I’ll see you next Sunday!
Corinne 乙女
April 14, 2019
Book Review: Sorcerers and Secretaries
[image error]Sorcerers & Secretaries, Vol. 1 by Amy Kim Kibuishi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a cute little graphic novel duology that I happened upon at the library… way back in 2011. And then checked out every single time I got a chance, all the way up until 2015 when I left the country for two years and some jerk checked out the library copies and never returned them! Having recently rediscovered this series, I can say with confidence that it stands the test of “Nearly a decade has passed and Corinne’s reading tastes have changed quite a bit but she still adores this book.”
Nicole Hayes likes to daydream about her created fantasy world and lets her imagination run wild in her beloved dream journal. Especially since her day job as a receptionist doesn’t provide much mental stimulation. Meanwhile, her former neighbor Josh can’t forget about Nicole and desperately wants to get her to notice him. If only he could see what she daydreams about, maybe he could win her over!
This is a fantastic little fantasy rom-com that I would recommend for fans of books such as American Panda by Gloria Chao, or of the Disney movie Mulan, as it has many of the same themes and messages.
In this two-volume graphic novel series, we follow Nicole Hayes, and we see how she struggles with wanting to help her mom in the family business by going to business school and working as a receptionist at a rival fashion design company and wanting to spend all her time crafting the story of the sorcerer Ellon in his quest to reclaim his magic. Along comes Josh, her former neighbor who had a thing for her, and whaddya know it, Ellon becomes the Cupid for the two of them to get together!
Josh finds out about Nicole’s dream journal and convinces her to let him be her editor so they can submit it to a magazine and publish it. As they work together on the story, they grow close, until Nicole finds out about a secret Josh has been keeping from her. Suddenly all the dreams Josh has painted for her of being a successful author, finishing her story, and dropping out of business school and standing up to her mom once and for all go out the window.
It started with a pen, and it ends with a pen… Like all authors, Nicole has a favorite pen she likes to use to write, and when Josh finds it for her again after it’s been lost, well… you’ll just have to read the book and find out for yourself, won’t you? 
April 7, 2019
The Little Broomstick: The Movie Wasn’t Faithful, and That’s a Good Thing
The Little Broomstick by Mary Stewart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I kept trying to write a review of this book as a book by itself, but my feelings for the movie kept interfering with my opinions for the book, so I’m going to instead do a comparison of book to movie.
Oh, and, uh… SPOILERS FOR BOTH BOOK AND MOVIE.
You have been warned.
How did I first decide to read this book?
Well, that is because I first watched the movie that was inspired by this book: Mary and the Witch’s Flower.
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And the reason I watched that movie is because I am a longtime fan of Studio Ghibli (yes, that Ghibli!) and Mary and the Witch’s Flower was produced by Studio Ponoc, which is kind of the baby of Studio Ghibli–a lot of Ghibli alumnae went and formed Ponoc as their own thing. Apparently Mary and the Witch’s Flower even received Miyazaki’s personal seal of approval!
Video credit Tokyosaurus
Okay, okay. I’ll stop babbling about the background behind how the movie got made and instead do a direct comparison. Let’s start at
THE BEGINNING!
The beginning of Mary and the Witch’s Flower gives us a thrilling action scene of a girl we assume is Mary (spoiler alert: it’s not Mary) running away on her broom, and we assume she’s a thief:
In contrast, The Little Broomstick starts as all other classics do: infodumping who the main character is, why she’s staying at her great-aunt’s house, etc. Definitely not as exciting.
The movie definitely makes a bigger deal out of the flowers (after all, it is called “the witch’s flower”) but even though the book is called “the little broomstick,” the little broomstick gets way more attention in the movie. Poor broomstick. In contrast, Mary’s family and reason for staying with her great-aunt is given a lot more attention in the book.
After that, the story proceeds pretty much identically in both mediums: Mary is bored, wants to do something to help around the house, gets in the way, meets Tib the cat, finds the flower and the broomstick, and gets kidnapped by said broomstick to Endor College, a magical academy accessible only through magical means.
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Then we hit the part of the book I really liked more than the movie. In both book and movie, Mary meets Mr. Flanagan, the broomkeeper, meets Ms. Mumblechook, the headmistress, and passes herself off as a new student.
Watching the movie, however, little old Aspie me didn’t understand the unspoken bit where Mary heard about the rule that dictated trespassers on college property would be transformed. Whereas in the book, this is made quite clear by Mary’s internal monologue: Mary pretends to be a new student so that she’s not a “trespasser.” Similarly, when Ms. Mumblechook is giving her the tour of the school, I much preferred the book version. In the movie, Mary is a “prodigy” because she’s got red hair. That’s it. In the book, Mary isn’t treated like a prodigy, but rather Ms. Mumblechook is trying to figure out what classes Mary should be enrolled in and misunderstands pretty much everything Mary tells her so that in her eyes, Mary is a great witch. Which I much preferred, because that was one of those moments where you’d need to have read the book to understand that otherwise glaring plot hole.
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Then Mary gets the grand tour, steals a spellbook of master spells, and gets on her broomstick to go home. Here’s another point where the book did much better. In the movie, Ms. Mumblechook learns about the flower, and Mary claims that it belongs to Peter, the vicar’s son, to whom she delivered a jar of raspberry jam that morning. Ms. Mumblechook then learns Peter’s address from a note that Mary unwillingly gives her. But in the book, Mary hasn’t even met Peter yet, and Ms. Mumblechook tells Mary that most students make donations to the school, and in time, Mary will also understand and make a donation, as well. When Mary is taken into the invisibility class, Tib is included in the invisibility spell, and even after the spell is dissolved, Tib is still invisible. Then she sets off to go home, and only after she gets home does she discover that Ms. Mumblechook has kidnapped Tib.
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At this point in the book, I wondered if Peter was just a film-only character who didn’t have any sort of part in the book, only to find a few pages later that oh, here’s Peter! He apparently wandered through the mist looking for Gib (the other cat who hangs out with Tib) and ended up at Dr. Dee’s mansion.
Now here’s where things got a bit confusing for me. In the movie, Mary tells her broomstick to “go back” and it takes her to a little house a ways away from the College. There, she discovers that the broomstick belonged to none other than her own Great-Aunt Charlotte, who, out of all the book characters, encountered the most changes between book and screen. In the book, Great-Aunt Charlotte was an elderly deaf lady who is barely developed enough to serve as a plot device: nothing more than a reason for Mary to interact with a new town and go on her adventure. In the movie, Great-Aunt Charlotte is a more developed character, taking part in various plot events and coming into play as to the reason why (spoiler redacted).
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Then Mary and Peter return to the stronghold, free the other animals using the spell book, and Peter volunteers to stay behind, etc. The movie was definitely more action-packed, with an epic conclusion featuring a blue slime monster reminiscent of those found in the Haruhi franchise.
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Spoiler alert: there’s no blue monster in the book, and Peter isn’t put through a horrendous experiment to try and fuse his DNA with that of the flower. In the book, the conclusion is more of a chase scene between Mary and Peter and Madam Mumblechook and Dr. Dee.
I much preferred the movie ending over the book. The book ending felt too rushed; the first half was a very slow build-up, but then the second half was “The cat’s been kidnapped! Mary goes off to save him. Mary found Peter at Dr. Dee’s cottage! They rescued the animals from the stronghold and now are heading home together on the broomstick. But Madam Mumblechook is chasing after them! Oh, look, they’ve found a way to escape!”
(spoiler alert) It’s not stated outright that Peter and Mary killed her, but in the book, Madam Mumblechook crashes into a lake and doesn’t resurface. The kids essentially killed an ancient witch and are totally blase about it. Yeah, that’ll cause no psychological harm in the future to remember how you killed an older lady! xD
In the movie, Madam Mumblechook lives, but she just recognizes the error of her ways after her entire plan is foiled and it’s implied that she’ll be better from this point on.
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I must say that subtlety went directly out the window with Studio Ponoc. They made a film with a clear plot, a clear character arc for Mary, and a clear message inspired by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: if humans rely too much on technology and nuclear power, it will backfire on them. But the movie also had its flaws that didn’t exist in the book (for example, the broomstick not obeying Mary occasionally even when she was under the effects of the fly-by-nights)
I can’t even think of what the theme of the book would have been. After returning from their grand adventure, Mary and Peter just sort of forget it ever happened. Or at least that’s what’s implied. What did they learn? What did we learn? What did Stewart want to say with her book? True, TLB is a fun read, especially if you’re looking for something a bit whimsical in the style of Peter Pan, but I like books that leave you with some sort of statement after the fact. I’d put it on my bookshelf right next to books like The Hobbit, (ironically, since I organize my bookshelf by author last name, The Little Broomstick and The Hobbit are essentially right next to each other anyway xD) but I much preferred the movie, which knew what it wanted to do and what kind of message it wanted to send, and did just that, even if it was a bit overstated by the end. The Little Broomstick is a fun, whimsical read that does what it wants to do but yet leaves you wanting more. If I were to have told this story, I would have combined a few choice elements of the book (ex. the reason Madam Mumblechook misunderstood everything Mary said) with the general idea of how the movie went about it. I much prefer the movie in this sense, but there are too many plot holes in the movie for me to completely disregard the book, which was a great story in its own way.
Anyway, I recommend both book and movie in this case, as long as you understand that this story is essentially “in name only.” MatWF takes the basic premise of the book–girl moves to the countryside with her great-aunt, finds a magic broomstick that whisks her off to Endor College, and sets out on an adventure to save a cat, and tells it in a different format with a different message. If you want a whimsical adventure reminiscent of The Hobbit, pick up the book. If you want an action-packed more serious tale akin to Lord of the Rings (Actually, Lord of the Rings and MatWF have the same theme!) watch the movie. But definitely read the source material if you watch the movie, and definitely watch the movie if you read the book!
If you’d like to pick up a copy for yourself, you can buy The Little Broomstick on Amazon, grab Mary and the Witch’s Flower on Blu-ray and DVD, and follow Mary Stewart on Goodreads!
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Make it a good week, everyone, and I’ll see you next Sunday!
Corinne 乙女
March 31, 2019
Book Review: The Travelling Cat Chronicles
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Snarky cat narrator with the greatest interspecies friendship! This is an excellent book!
Why I read this book: It was set in Japan and narrated by a cat. Two things I love.
As always when I review books, I’d like to share three good things and three bad things about this book. No book is perfect, and this book certainly isn’t (I did find some things that didn’t sit well with me) but despite that, it is still deserving of its five-star rating.
The good bits
Voice
The majority of this book is narrated by Nana the cat, who is a bit snarky and brutally honest and drags you into his world, and he doesn’t easily let you go.
A good story all around
This was just an enjoyable read start to finish. I never got bored while reading, I couldn’t stop reading, and to this book’s credit, I originally borrowed it from the library and read it, but now I want my own copy of it.
The friendship
The friendship between Satoru and Nana is just so wonderful and amazing and real–being a pet owner myself, it hits so close to home. I don’t want to say any more than that because that’s encroaching on spoiler territory, so instead, here’s a picture of my doggo watching Lord of the Rings.
Bonus because I just enjoyed this book so much: Noriko, who is Satoru’s aunt, is very blunt in her words and very socially awkward. As a girl with Asperger’s, I could really relate to her, especially as it came to her worrying about how her texts come off to other people and not having any tact when she refuses help from guests.
The not so good parts
The plot twist
Near the end of the book, we get a plot twist about Satoru’s true relationship with his parents, and it felt really unnecessary and kind of came out of nowhere. It would be one thing if it had been hinted at earlier in the book, but we got absolutely no setup for it before it happened. And the reason it was unnecessary is that we spent a few pages talking about it, but then the conclusion had nothing at all to do with that and went in a completely different direction. (I’m speaking generally here to avoid spoilers) By the time this plot twist was introduced, we already had plenty to carry the story forward into the denouement, so we really didn’t need this–it just felt like it was bogging down the story and making it more bloated than necessary.
Some of the characters didn’t have enough of a presence
Some characters, such as Kosuke and Sugi or Chikako and Noriko didn’t really get enough characterization for me to be able to differentiate between them, and as a result, they all just sort of blended together.
An editing mistake?
Going into nitpick territory here (because I honestly was having trouble thinking of a third thing). A small pet peeve of mine is when the author doesn’t trust me as a reader to understand and remember certain bits of information. This book commits that sin: on page 215, Noriko tells us
Her sister had always done her best for Noriko, and Noriko had tried to do the same for the son.
Then on page 218, we get almost the exact same piece of information presented pretty much verbatim to the first time:
At the very least, she wanted to do her very best for the son they (Satoru’s parents) had left behind, Satoru.
I don’t know if the author did this on purpose to try and convey Noriko’s scatterbrained way of thinking, but it didn’t work for me; it only drew me out of the story and made me flip back a few pages to check if I had maybe doubled back in the story without realizing it.
Despite that, I’d go so far as to say that this book gets five stars from me. It takes risks, it defies conventions previously set by similar books in the genre, and is one I’d want to read and reread again and again and shove in all my friends’ faces.
In conclusion, I’d recommend this book to fans of books set in foreign locales, books with unusual narrators, and books featuring strong friendships. The scenery descriptions as Nana and Satoru travel together are amazing, Nana’s voice is hilarious and snarky, and Satoru and Nana have the best animal-human friendship I’ve ever seen. I’d also venture that this book would be good for fans of the Warriors series by Erin Hunter who feel like they’re maybe outgrowing those books and want a more mature version of a cat story.
If you liked this post and want to support my content:
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Make it a good week, everyone, and I’ll see you next Sunday!
Corinne 乙女
March 24, 2019
Character Interview: Cyril the Wizard
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Happy Sunday, everyone! Today I’m joining the lovely Savannah Jezowski in the blog tour for her upcoming novel The Witching Hour.
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Do you love cats? Do you enjoy frolicking fantasy, sweet romance, good versus evil, and stories with a good redemption angle? If so, you’re sure to fall in love with The Witching Hour, a fantasy with fairy tale themes and lots of giggles.
About the Book –
Part One: As shadows encroach on the city of Lite, one cat stands between humanity and the hounds of darkness. Romeo takes it upon himself to find a suitor for his human Isabel in order to save the city and sets his sights on the unlikeliest of candidates. Can true love really save the day?
Part Two: When Isabel disappears in the middle of the night, matters take a turn for the worst. Romeo finds himself trekking through the dangerous wildlands to rescue the young queen with a clownish wizard, a sassy she-cat, a pretty healer, and a mysterious solider. However, their only hope may be the very thing Romeo fears most. Can Romeo and his friends save the day before the shadows consume them?
The Witching Hour is a frolicking fantasy adventure with fairy tale themes and clean romance. Perfect for fans of Diana Wynne Jones and Lloyd Alexander.
Rated: PG for thematic elements and mild battle sequences
Savannah Jezowski lives in Amish country with her Knight in Shining Armor and a wee warrior princess. She is the founder of Dragonpen Designs and Dragonpen Press, which offers author services such as cover design, developmental edits, and interior formatting. Her debut novella “Wither” is featured in Five Enchanted Roses, an anthology of Beauty and the Beast, and is a prequel to The Neverway Chronicles, a Christian fantasy series filled with tragic heroes and the living dead. She is also the author of When Ravens Fall, a Norse Beauty and the Beast retelling. She is featured in several Fellowship of Fantasy anthologies, including Mythical Doorways, Tales of Ever After, and Paws, Claws, and Magic Tales. When she isn’t writing, Savannah likes to read books, watch BBC miniseries, and play with cover design. She also enjoys having tea with her imaginary friends.
Today I’ll be interviewing one of the characters from the book: Cyril the Wizard! Let’s get started!
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(Nerdy Nummies fans, anyone? xD)
Tell us a little about yourself. What is your name and age, and what do you do for a living?
Hello there! My name is Cyril. I’m in my early twenties, and I am a wizard!
Where do you live? Recommend us something to do if we were to visit there.
I live in a city called Lite. Our world is a bit different than what you’re used to. Here, the cities are protected by magical lights powered by the king and queen. Without them, we’d be overrun by shadows and hounds of darkness. It’s a bleak world at times, but also filled with amazing people and creatures. We have magical cats. Did you know that?
No, I didn’t! *squees at kitty-cats*
Ahem. Tell us about a specialty food of your hometown.
We eat pretty much the same thing you do in your world, I think. I’m rather fond of bacon myself. Do you like bacon? I like mine burnt. Literally extra, extra crispy. I get that from my author. She likes to burn her bacon too.
Do you speak any languages aside from English? If so, what is a word in that language that can’t be translated into English without losing meaning?
I’m afraid I only speak English. Most of my studies at the Royal College related to magic and history. Because it isn’t safe to leave the city, we don’t travel often, which makes learning languages of little importance.
Tell us about a typical day in your life.
Oh, I get up before sunrise and eat in the wizards’ mess hall. Then I take my shift on the city wall, making sure the watchtower lights stay lit and unpleasant things like hounds and shadows stay OUT. After work, I like to play cards and snooze by the fire with my wizarding friends. On my days off I go visit my family. It’s always fun to see my brother Ives, even if he is a bit on the grouchy side most days.
Are you currently in love with anyone? Tell us about that special person.
March 17, 2019
Book Review–The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Apparently I like dystopians now question mark question mark. City of Ember, Shade’s Children, Hunger Games… GIVE ME ALL THE SCI-FI SLASH DYSTOPIAN THINGS.
Also HOLY CRAP ANOTHER FIVE-STAR REVIEW?? Part of me feels like people won’t take me seriously anymore if I’m just handing out five stars left and right, but this is very much deserving of a five-star rating.
So everyone knows the basics of the story, right?
In a not-so-distant future, modern society as we know it has crumbled and North America is now a thirteen-region country known as Panem, ruled by the Capitol. Ever since a rebellion 74 years ago, District Thirteen has been obliterated and the other twelve districts have been subjugated into a tradition known as “The Hunger Games.” Two teenagers from each district, one boy, one girl, are chosen to go to the Capitol and fight in a gladiator-style tournament known as The Hunger Games. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen is chosen as the girl to represent her district, and she unexpectedly becomes a contender.
Some people give this book a lot of crap because it’s been hyped so much that it’s got the image of being overrated, but I really enjoyed it!
I will admit, I did see the movie first before reading the book. I was not at all interested in reading these books back when they first came out–back then, if a book wasn’t written by a few select authors in my library: Garth Nix, JRR Tolkien, Christopher Paolini, JK Rowling, or Erin Hunter–then forget it; I wasn’t reading it. It took a lot to even get me to watch the movie, mainly because I felt obligated to at least educate myself on a franchise that had become as mainstream as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Oh, man, this book does not disappoint. I will say, too, that the movie stays incredibly faithful to the book; linked below you can watch a Youtube video entitled “The Hunger Games: Lost in Adaptation” that discusses the few changes the filmmakers actually made when adapting this (awesome) book to the big screen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uodHH…
What I liked about this story was pretty much the same thing as what I liked about my last read: it’s not too tropey, you can’t really predict the ending (even though spoilers for this trilogy are everywhere on the Internet and you literally cannot escape them) and twists and turns and characterization that would put even George RR Martin to shame.
This series gets a bit of hate for the love triangle, but considering the circumstances in that Katniss is not at all charismatic and pretending to be in love with Peeta is pretty much the only way she can ensure their survival, and oh yeah she’s a fricking HORMONAL TEENAGER AND IS ALLOWED TO NOT KNOW WHAT SHE WANTS. Though it does get a little annoying after a point…
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The only other thing that got annoying was the use of “muttations” as a word. Like, “mutation” was too mainstream of a word so we had to add an extra “t”?
But other than that, I really did enjoy the book as a whole. I started reading it while walking home from the thrift store where I bought it, I sacrificed anime-watching time to read it, I stayed up late to read it until my eyes would literally not stay open anymore, and then read it the next morning and stayed in bed until I’d finished it. ALSO THE MOCKINGJAY ON THE COVER IS SHINY AND PRETTY.
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I’d say that if you were a fan of dystopians in general, this is one that’s a must-read. It’s definitely not overrated, and it’s got its merits. Also if you’re looking for a good book that has a teenage girl protagonist who has an actual personality and flaws as opposed to being a total Mary Sue, Katniss is quite interesting as teenage girls go.
I feel like there’s nothing much else I can say about this book that hasn’t already been said before. I really do recommend it and I don’t think it deserves all the hate it gets for being so hyped all the time.
*wanders off to stare at the shiny Mockingjay on the cover*
If you want to give this book a try for yourself, you can buy The Hunger Games on Amazon and visit Suzanne Collins’ website to learn more about her work!
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Corinne 乙女
March 11, 2019
Sixteen Minutes–A Short Story to Remember 3/11
(CW: Earthquakes, March 11th disaster, death. Anyone who is sensitive to these topics should proceed with caution.)
I spent too much time at school hanging out with Oyamada, and now I’m late picking up my sister from kindergarten. My school got out early today because of a faculty meeting, and both my parents are working late tonight, so I’m in charge of getting her to her dance class. The class is twenty minutes away by bus. It sucks that I have to babysit my little sister on my birthday, but my parents gave me some extra spending money to make up for it. While she’s in her class, I’m going to kill some time at the mall nearby.
I stride quickly through the familiar neighborhood. When I was little, my parents used to take me on picnics here. Good old Hanazawa Park. On sunny days after school, the park would be full of little kids and their parents. Now it’s silent. The rain from this morning chased away the crowds.
On the balcony of the apartment building, a housewife stands on the porch hanging laundry. My stomach growls as I approach the bakery. Sometimes on the way home I stop and pick up a treat. Once I get Maemi, we could get a snack before her dance class.
I pick up my pace. Only a bit more to go.
The high school is in sight when the ground beneath my feet begins to shake. There was a small earthquake only a few days ago; surely this one will also pass in a moment. I stop and stand with my feet shoulder-width apart, waiting for the world to be still again.
But the shaking continues. Glass crashes nearby. The shaking gets stronger. I grit my teeth; the only control I have in an uncontrollable situation. Maybe this is the end of the world, and the earth will swallow everyone and everything into its gaping maw.
When will it stop? Time seems endless. Across the street, a vacant house collapses, the shoji paper screens cracking under the weight of the roof. How close are we to the epicenter? What magnitude was it?
The shaking lessens, slowing to a quiet rumble. I glance at my watch – the earthquake only lasted for six minutes. It sure felt longer than that. I wonder if Mom and Dad are okay. And Maemi.
I leap to my feet. Sprinting down the street towards the high school, I see that it’s mostly intact, but there are cracks in the brick wall, and one window is broken. The kindergarten has to be okay… Maemi…
What god has the power to restore this devastation? Which deity am I supposed to pray to? Buddha? Amaterasu?
I stop in my tracks, barely noticing my heaving breaths as I stare at the scene before me.
Spectators have started to gather, and a nearby police officer ushers everyone away from the damage. Someone is saying something to me, but the words don’t register in my ears. It’s like I’m watching a movie in slow motion and out of order.
Paramedics arrive. The wailing sound of the ambulance siren registers faintly as if in the background of a scene in the scariest movie of my life. Firemen file into the ruins of what once was my sister’s kindergarten.
I can only stand and watch as the rubble is slowly cleared away. One by one, the firemen bring out the bodies of the teachers and students. I want to dash forward to help, to rush in and find my sister, but someone is holding my arm, keeping me back.
As each body is brought out, I feel my heart tighten a bit in my chest. So many children… but my sister isn’t dead. She’s got to be okay.
“Poor things. It’s so sad.”
People around me are whispering, and I recognize the words. It’s as if all other sounds have vanished. I can’t hear anything else. The minutes tick by endlessly. And then she’s carried out, in the arms of a fireman with a gentle face.
“NO!”
The scream bursts from me, primal and raw. I run forward; I do not know when, but the hold on my arm has been released. I dash across the street, dodging around curious spectators.
“Hold it, son.” The policeman blocks my way with an outstretched arm. “You can’t go in. It’s dangerous.”
“That’s my sister in there! Let me go!” I fight against him, but his arm is like a wall.
The fireman lays my sister beside the others. She wears her favorite Little Mermaid sweater, and a look of pure terror is frozen on her face. She must have been so scared. Surely she can’t be dead. If only I’d gotten here sooner. If only I hadn’t stopped to talk to Oyamada. If only, if only… These thoughts keep tumbling through my head while one floats to the front of my mind, a constant, pulsing regret.
My middle school is only sixteen minutes away by foot. Why hadn’t I left school earlier?
My sister needed me, and I wasn’t there for her. Her blood is on my hands.
What can you do to help recovery efforts?
Click here to search 3.11 on Yahoo Japan
(Yahoo! Japan will donate 10yen for everyone who searches 3.11)
March 10, 2019
Book Review–Peter Pan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fun fantasy adventure that would be a good start if you’re new to classics and weren’t sure which one to read first!
My first reaction upon finishing this book was threefold. “Wow, this book is so racist and just brushes off mass killings by a literal child!” “Kids are forced to read boring, long classics by old dead white guys, but this is a classic I would’ve liked to read in school!” and “Peter’s kind of a d*ck 
March 3, 2019
Book Review–The Butterfly Garden
The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
HOLY SHIT THIS BOOK WAS AWESOME.
I think the best thing about this book was all the twists and turns the plot took.
I hate predictable, tropey books where you read the blurb and then are able to predict the ending based on the genre. Maybe that’s why I’ve been so into thrillers and mystery lately; the entire point of a thriller/mystery is you don’t know whodunnit or what will happen next. And OH MY GOD THIS BOOK DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. I literally skipped my Master’s swim practice (my favorite thing in the world) because I just NEEDED to finish this book.
First I was like
The FBI has just rescued a group of women from their captor, known only as the Gardener. He kidnaps sixteen-year-old girls, tattoos their backs with enormous butterfly wings, calling them his Butterflies in his Garden, then kills them when they hit their 21st birthday. Most of them are in the hospital, too weak to give any sort of statement, except for one. She only gives them the investigators the name “Maya” and isn’t very straightforward with her answers.
I was confused because I wanted to know how these women escaped, and how the FBI agents found them. It took me a hot minute to get into the story because I kept backtracking, thinking I’d missed some explanation about how they were found. Turns out that comes near the end, so when you read, you just kinda have to roll with what you’re being told and trust that all will be revealed to you in time. (I hope that wasn’t too much of a spoiler)
Then I was like
The concept of this book is just so amazing. This sounds like such a cliche, but I got chills down my spine as I read, because it’s just so easy to think that somewhere in the world, there is someone like the Gardener kidnapping and enslaving young girls before killing them and preserving them in resin. It’s both disgusting and revolting and also yet oddly captivating, almost like watching an episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
Then I was like
The way the Gardener treats these girls is both endearing and absolutely pathological. He kidnaps them (mostly focusing on girls who have no family or anyone who will look for them–in fact, this backfires later when a girl who does have a family is brought to the Garden, but I don’t want to spoil anything), tattoos them, then rapes them for five years until their twenty-first birthday, at which point he murders them and preserves them in resin. Ew. And yet at times, he’s also protective of them, particularly when it comes to his pathologically-abusive son Avery. Admittedly, there are a few plot holes in that, like why does he keep allowing Avery to come into the Garden if Avery is just going to defile and abuse his Butterflies? Maybe the Gardener both abhors Avery harming them and also gets off on being fatherly to them after the fact?
And now having finished I’m just like
THE ENDING WAS SO F***KING AMAZINGLY PERFECT. Aside from one useless, come-out-of-nowhere “plot twist” that really didn’t need to be there and didn’t add anything to the story (we all know what plot twist I’m talking about–yes, I adhere to the popular opinion that (spoiler) did not need to have been a (spoiler)), the ending just suited every bit of what I was expecting from this story. There were no “loose ends” left dangling, we finally learned how they escaped the Garden and how the FBI rescued the girls (and why there were twenty-some women in the Garden but only a dozen or so escapees), and I just felt so satisfied and emotionally drained and all bits of “OMG THIS BOOK IS AMAZING AND EVERYONE MUST KNOW ABOUT IT.”
And yet, and yet… No book is perfect, and this one certainly had its flaws.
The descriptions of the Garden were sparse, so at times when the scene relied on you knowing the exact layout of a room or the setting itself, we didn’t get a clear image in our heads. Some scenes kind of lost their impact because how the characters were positioned, where things were located, etc. was important to the scene yet not properly set up.
As I mentioned above, the “twist” at the end was incredibly pointless and added nothing to the story. Why did (spoiler) have to be a (spoiler) just to explain how Maya wasn’t freaking out upon being taken to the Garden for the first time? We could have just assumed it to be because of her personality or whatever, or maybe she realized the best way to survive was to remain calm, not piss off her captor, and just do what he says. Stockholm Syndrome. She didn’t have the necessary resources to escape, so she did what she had to do to survive.
In summary: A gripping suspense novel that had me literally on the edge of my seat the entire time which both solved a current reading slump and put me into a new one. xD
If you want to give this book a try for yourself, you can buy The Butterfly Garden on Amazon and follow Dot Hutchison on Twitter!
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“Like” this review, reblog it, and share it on your social media so more people know about this great book!
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Corinne 乙女
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