Mike > Recent Status Updates

I don't like that Lo used the exact same plot device she did last time for her ending. But other than that, it was interesting.

Romeo is a sexist, romance-obsessed, perverted idiot. I find him to be a very realistic teenager.

Plot twist! It actually doesn't make much sense when it comes to science, but I'll forgive it, because it's so interesting.

After discussing this with my class, I think the problem is Netzer is trying too hard to be unique, to write about unusual things. It's really falling flat, because of that.

If someone wants to rewrite this from Amber's point of view, I will pay that person lots and lots of money.

Every surprise except one so far was based on something we never could've seen coming - it came from information we didn't have yet. Which is really not very good writing.

Diversity! Malinda Lo is very good at this.

Here's a good rule of thumb: if an author feels the need to go on and on about how smart a character is, she's probably not actually all that smart. Prime example: if Ruby was as educated as Child insists she is, she would never wear a shirt misquoting Marie Antoinette (who never said "Let them eat cake".) Also, Ruby completely missed the significance of the phone left behind. And I think I figured out the culprit

You know what's really underrated, for a lot of people? Indie bookstores. I just went to one that seems to get a lot of author visits, and it had signed copies of Laurie Halse Anderson and David Levithan just sitting on the shelves, not even marked up. Also, Terra Elan McVoy works there, and it turns out, she's very helpful in searching for books. So basically, I think indie bookstores are kind of awesome.

People have been saying that this is kind of like a modern X-Files, but I'm not sure I agree. I think it's a modern X-Files, only about ten times more realistic. That's what stands out to me here.

So it appears that understanding of homosexuality in the forties was even worse than I thought. I assumed they at least had a clear definition of what it was.

Say what you want about Lo's pacing, but allow her this: she really does know what it's like to be in the internet.

This is fascinating. It almost makes me sad that I'm coming to the end. But it's required reading, so I'm still at the 'almost' stage.

Not exactly the most original premise, but already, I think Child is a talented enough writer to pull it off. Great writing on display.

Okay, so you know how when you read a fantasy or sci-fi book when you're young, and when it's done well, there's this huge rush involved because of the feeling that it might possibly be real?

I get that feeling when I real this series. Nothing else does that to me anymore, but I just got it for the first time in years reading this book.

Thank you, Malinda Lo.

We have a guy who thought he was the Chosen One but turned out to have been in the Army of Darkness against his wishes... and a magical ring that can identify good people and the Chosen One... I, for one, have no idea where this is going. Anyone else got any guesses?

I'm not sure who's in the wrong here - Maya or Dolores. They both should've done things differently, I think.

Plothole time! The leader of the Dark Army, or whatever, wants to kill Nameless, but he can't because Death is temporarily on strike, so he... lets Nameless go. Wow. He handles deviants with all the skill that Bujor writes.

I am bad at formulating opinions on nonfiction. There is nothing for me to say that is both insightful and relevant.

SPOILERS:

You mean The Nameless One, who has a conveniently unknown past and strange powers, is the Chosen One who's needed to save Fairytale? Wow. I mean, just wow. Show of hands: who didn't see that one coming?

You know, other planets may have weirder geography, they might have bigger and more powerful aliens, and they might be able to more effectively ask questions of what gives a group its identity and when it's okay to give that up than we are. But at least Earth has the best books.

Three quarters of the way done! Yay! Oh, yeah, and also, this is really interesting, and whatnot. Yeah. Three quarters!

I don't care what people say about this series being kiddie commercial-lit; this is fine literature, close to the best that books can come.

This one really flew by. Most of the required reading I do seems to take forever, but I actually got through this one really quickly. Which is always nice.

I think Ruby's primary motivation changed about five times in fifty pages. That was... bizarre.

Sixty pages, and the exposition is just now ending. That was mind-numbingly dull.

And now we're back to the interesting stuff. I'm really enjoying this.

I'm going to dislike this. I CAN SENSE IT. Already, we have infodumps and somewhat consistent awkwardness in the writing.

IS this going anywhere? Because it doesn't seem to be.

This doesn't quite have the same sense of direction that the earlier pages had, although it's far from unbearably bad, like a lot of required reading. Yes, it could be much worse.