If you've ever been a The Vampire Diaries fan, then it's very likely that you'll like this book.
The story is ostensibly about 15-year-old Schuyler Van Alen and the secrets she uncovers about herself and her family, plus a gorgeous boy - the most popular one in their school - Jack Force who she starts to fall in love with. But it's an ensemble story, and the various characters' points of view push the story forward.
The book creates a pretty interesting set-up, with enough blank spaces around in book one to build the world further and elaborate on the story... as I found out when I checked the Wikipedia entry for the series. Melissa de la Cruz gives you enough of the popular YA tropes nowadays: vampires, angels, nephilim, past lives, past loves, unrequited love, love triangles, coming-of-age problems, childhood friend turned sweetheart, reincarnation, forbidden and twisted ties, history, mystery, magic, popular girls and jocks versus outcasts, and copious references to fashion styles and icons. I was hoping to see a reference to Filipino mythology, even a little, given Melissa de la Cruz's heritage (and it did say she spent part of her life in Manila), but I guess kapres and manananggals (types of ghouls) haven't found their way yet in YA fiction. The book teases you enough so that you'd like to go on to the next book to see what happens.
My biggest turn-off, though, with this book, is not the predictability and the stereotypes, but the writing. It's not at the level of The Tiger's Curse but I think Melissa should have gotten a better editor. The structure of the narration needs work, and the changes in the points of view in one scene could be smoother. I really do think this material would work better as a screenplay. In fact, I am convinced it would be gorgeous as a movie.
But hey, if you're 15 years old and looking for a book to sink your teeth into one boring night, this is a good enough place to start. Just be sure to check out Robin McKinley, Maggie Stiefvater, Laini Taylor, and Kristin Cashore when you're a bit older if you want stories that not only grab you but feel like honey in your mouth when you read the words, even if it's just in your head.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Saturday, June 20, 2015
P.S. I Still Love You
To All the Boys I've Loved Before was a charming read, not to mention that this is one of the few YA books that (1) has an Asian protagonist with no hang-ups about her roots (2) the family is not excluded/ expunged to start a story (3) has an ending that is true to the heart of the story, if not a bit of a cliffhanger. Plus, the premise itself is a cool hook. I mean, really, wouldn't you like to find out what happens next if a girl's secret pile of goodbye letters to all her past (and one present) crushes got mailed out and received by all those boys?
P.S. I Still Love You continues immediately where its predecessor ends. And I mean, immediately.
This book has heart, plenty of it, and this is where it draws it strength. Here we have a girl, Lara Jean who finally takes the brave step to love for real. But she and ***SPOILER ALERT*** Peter are in the middle of a very ugly and malicious scandal that tests their resolve to be together. They find that love is not all hearts and roses, but needs hard work and hard decisions. It's a surprisingly mature take for what's supposedly a bubblegum tale meant for high school readers.
The chapters go by very fast. And with such odds stacked against them, you start thinking that maybe it's better for the two to just make a clean break with each other and start anew.
As in the previous book, their families are a considerable part of their story, and it's a good thing because it not only fleshes out the and drives the plot; it also brings home the point that there are people who have your back, even when others betray you, and it's ok to rely on people who cherish you. It's also good to see much more of the Song sisters' mom here.
The ending is clear, but not set, just like in real life. There are foreshadowings to other (very far-off future) possibilities in the plot, and here I tip my hat off to Jenny Han. Because while her story makes it clear that you need to work hard for what you want, it also says that life unfolds in ways you never expect it to, and so, you have the choice at a new path if that is what you decide on. You have as many chances to love and be loved, but whatever choice you make needs your commitment to buckle down and work with your partner.
On a lighter note, this book also made me realize that a lot of things are just as applicable in high school life as in adult life. Which made me think that (to paraphrase another writer), heck, everything I need to learn, I learned -- or not learned -- in high school.
Since I've started reading a great deal of shoujo manga last year, I also realized that a lot of the plot devices and settings that Jenny used in the book are similar to manga. I think that this is why there's a different feel to this book. If you're interested, check out Kyo, Koi o Hajimamesu by Minami Kanan (completed) which I liked because the story covered the protagonists' post-high school life. And also Kimi no Todoke by Karuho Shiina, which is still ongoing.
P.S. I Still Love You continues immediately where its predecessor ends. And I mean, immediately.
This book has heart, plenty of it, and this is where it draws it strength. Here we have a girl, Lara Jean who finally takes the brave step to love for real. But she and ***SPOILER ALERT*** Peter are in the middle of a very ugly and malicious scandal that tests their resolve to be together. They find that love is not all hearts and roses, but needs hard work and hard decisions. It's a surprisingly mature take for what's supposedly a bubblegum tale meant for high school readers.
The chapters go by very fast. And with such odds stacked against them, you start thinking that maybe it's better for the two to just make a clean break with each other and start anew.
As in the previous book, their families are a considerable part of their story, and it's a good thing because it not only fleshes out the and drives the plot; it also brings home the point that there are people who have your back, even when others betray you, and it's ok to rely on people who cherish you. It's also good to see much more of the Song sisters' mom here.
The ending is clear, but not set, just like in real life. There are foreshadowings to other (very far-off future) possibilities in the plot, and here I tip my hat off to Jenny Han. Because while her story makes it clear that you need to work hard for what you want, it also says that life unfolds in ways you never expect it to, and so, you have the choice at a new path if that is what you decide on. You have as many chances to love and be loved, but whatever choice you make needs your commitment to buckle down and work with your partner.
On a lighter note, this book also made me realize that a lot of things are just as applicable in high school life as in adult life. Which made me think that (to paraphrase another writer), heck, everything I need to learn, I learned -- or not learned -- in high school.
Since I've started reading a great deal of shoujo manga last year, I also realized that a lot of the plot devices and settings that Jenny used in the book are similar to manga. I think that this is why there's a different feel to this book. If you're interested, check out Kyo, Koi o Hajimamesu by Minami Kanan (completed) which I liked because the story covered the protagonists' post-high school life. And also Kimi no Todoke by Karuho Shiina, which is still ongoing.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Before Ever After
My beautiful Christmas gift on our New Year's day jaunt to Tagaytay. Do you believe in serendipity? I do. Because what should I stumble upon while roaming around this lovely garden but a rooster? Before Ever After abounds with chickens and eggs. On this particular day, I was reading the chapter on growing old, the importance of the present, and how an old rooster would taste great in a soup. Yes, universe, I hear you loud and clear. You're telling me that I'm in the right place, at the right time, with the right book.It also helps a lot that there's a bakery fragrant with freshly baked goodies just a few steps away.
***More to come***
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Now reading: Song of Ice and Fire
Have been indefinitely sidetracked by George R.R. Martin...
Third book lined up already...all neatly wrapped still. But won't be for long :-)
Third book lined up already...all neatly wrapped still. But won't be for long :-)
Friday, April 15, 2011
Now reading: Ash
I typically use awards that books have received as a gauge to decide whether I would buy and read a book, or not.
So saying, Malinda Lo's Ash was a shoo-in for my book pile.
I soon realized that it was a completely different configuration of the Cinderella trope. I have always loved the re-telling of fairy tales. This is why Robin McKinley's Beauty and Rose Daughter are among my best-loved stories of all time. When I picked up Ash, I loved the idea of introducing the element of a fairy, that is, a sidhe, into the story of Cinderella.
The book had a fresh take on the development of the heroine. Simply put, the love interest is another girl. In stories of this genre, the author has a very challenging task, indeed, to walk that fine line between revelation and critique, on the one hand, and repackaging something and calling it new. I was interested to see how the character playing the love interest in the story re-structures questions of power, strength, weakness, love, and identity. I mean, is she an actual female character, or will her gender formulation in the story, when unravelled to the core, would simply reveal a man?
If you're reading Ash for the first time, know that you are entering a lyric, mesmerizing landscape. However, the story would require more soul-searching and insight in terms of what it means to be a woman. It's a different kind of soul work and recasts questions about identity and sexuality than what Graceling posed, or even The Blue Sword.
On another matter, I have just discovered a new book by one of my favorite authors, Franny Billingsley. The title is Chime , and I am curious to see if it truly lives up to the glowing reviews I've read about it. I've waited for her to write another book after falling in love with her The Folk Keeper years ago. And with a long vacation coming up, I'm excited to have found what promises to be a delicious book to fall headlong into.
I soon realized that it was a completely different configuration of the Cinderella trope. I have always loved the re-telling of fairy tales. This is why Robin McKinley's Beauty and Rose Daughter are among my best-loved stories of all time. When I picked up Ash, I loved the idea of introducing the element of a fairy, that is, a sidhe, into the story of Cinderella.
The book had a fresh take on the development of the heroine. Simply put, the love interest is another girl. In stories of this genre, the author has a very challenging task, indeed, to walk that fine line between revelation and critique, on the one hand, and repackaging something and calling it new. I was interested to see how the character playing the love interest in the story re-structures questions of power, strength, weakness, love, and identity. I mean, is she an actual female character, or will her gender formulation in the story, when unravelled to the core, would simply reveal a man?
If you're reading Ash for the first time, know that you are entering a lyric, mesmerizing landscape. However, the story would require more soul-searching and insight in terms of what it means to be a woman. It's a different kind of soul work and recasts questions about identity and sexuality than what Graceling posed, or even The Blue Sword.
On another matter, I have just discovered a new book by one of my favorite authors, Franny Billingsley. The title is Chime , and I am curious to see if it truly lives up to the glowing reviews I've read about it. I've waited for her to write another book after falling in love with her The Folk Keeper years ago. And with a long vacation coming up, I'm excited to have found what promises to be a delicious book to fall headlong into.
Well hello Lord Sunday!
What do you know? I bumped into Garth Nix's Lord Sunday (2010) so unexpectedly today. This book concludes the Keys to the Kingdom series which began with Mr. Monday.
The series is the story of 12-year-old Arthur Penhaligon and his adventures in saving the House and his own world. At the beginning of the story, he was pulled into the Kingdom at a critical point in his life. Arthur was asthmatic and frail and he was about to die. One could say that his being pulled into the Kingdom was godsend: he became stronger physically. Also, as the Heir, he became the wielder of powers via the different Keys. Of course, the downside was that he became less human and more of a Denizen with each use of his power. Indeed, by the time the story reached the end of Superior Saturday, Arthur has become too far gone to return to being just a mortal.
The books in the series are named after days because these represent the seven Trustees assigned by the Architect to do her Will. They are collectively known as the Morrow Days. Each has been assigned a Key which has unique powers. When the Morrow days rebelled against the Architect, it was revealed that each has taken on anaspect of the seven Mortal Sins, i.e. greed, pride, envy, etc. Each Trustee rules on the day that bears his or her name, and so the start of the books usually begins on the midnight when the power of the next Trustee takes effect. So to my mind, Arthur has to be one of the most hard-pressed and hard-working heroes ever because his headaches have barely passed when the next set appears.
Naughty me has actually read the resolution of the series in Wikipedia. But that will not stop me from reading the book from start to finish. Good thing, too, that my memory tends to conveniently forget key parts of the plot which means that I'll be able to thoroughly enjoy this last book.
*****
(2 days after inhaling the book, and after our internet connection was restored, AND when B. finally relinquished his spot in front of my laptop...)
And enjoy it I did. Unlike the previous books when a lot of things seem to be happening at once, and when the sub-plots were distracting (and frustrating me) me from the main storyline, Lord Sunday was an easy straightforward read. I also loved the way Garth Nix concluded Arthur's story. He is one of those authors who just knows how tie up loose ends. Still, I could see some possibilities of a sequel.
Keys to the Kingdom is on a different level from The Abhorsen series in terms of character development, but it is no less rich and thought-provoking. I wouldn't mind re-reading the entire series over again. I give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars, and the series 4 out of 5 stars.
The books in the series are named after days because these represent the seven Trustees assigned by the Architect to do her Will. They are collectively known as the Morrow Days. Each has been assigned a Key which has unique powers. When the Morrow days rebelled against the Architect, it was revealed that each has taken on anaspect of the seven Mortal Sins, i.e. greed, pride, envy, etc. Each Trustee rules on the day that bears his or her name, and so the start of the books usually begins on the midnight when the power of the next Trustee takes effect. So to my mind, Arthur has to be one of the most hard-pressed and hard-working heroes ever because his headaches have barely passed when the next set appears.
Naughty me has actually read the resolution of the series in Wikipedia. But that will not stop me from reading the book from start to finish. Good thing, too, that my memory tends to conveniently forget key parts of the plot which means that I'll be able to thoroughly enjoy this last book.
*****
(2 days after inhaling the book, and after our internet connection was restored, AND when B. finally relinquished his spot in front of my laptop...)
And enjoy it I did. Unlike the previous books when a lot of things seem to be happening at once, and when the sub-plots were distracting (and frustrating me) me from the main storyline, Lord Sunday was an easy straightforward read. I also loved the way Garth Nix concluded Arthur's story. He is one of those authors who just knows how tie up loose ends. Still, I could see some possibilities of a sequel.
Keys to the Kingdom is on a different level from The Abhorsen series in terms of character development, but it is no less rich and thought-provoking. I wouldn't mind re-reading the entire series over again. I give the book 3.5 out of 5 stars, and the series 4 out of 5 stars.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Forever
I must have been seriously under a rock. How could I have missed this?
http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/shiver/forever.php
http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/shiver/forever.php
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