Not Alice In Wonderland

“What about Alice? Did she have a happy ending?”

It’s no secret that I love Christina Henry’s take on Alice and have been eagerly anticipating to read its sequel, Red Queen. Being a lover of the darker arts (I hope this does not change your sunnier opinion of me) (I am no sunny person in any way), Henry’s dark and grotesque version of wonderland hyped me up to read more from her. Yet, as all sequels are, there are bigger things to expect and my high expectations for Red Queen left me enjoying the novel less than its predecessor. 

Gods Bless (and Curse) America!

“Look, I didn’t want to be a half-blood.

If you’re reading this because you think you might be one, my advice is: close this book right now.  Believe whatever lie your mom or dad told you about your birth, and try to lead a normal life. 

Being a half-blood is dangerous.  It’s scary.  Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.”

Unless you live inside a cave or something, I don’t think anyone here does NOT know Rick Riordan’s beloved Percy Jackson, a series of adventures by the titular character himself that takes place in the modern world where Greek gods, heroes and monsters exist. The final months of the last year had left me book-less, in which during this phase I absolutely lose my reading appetite. It is during this time when I choose books at random, mostly ones I have no intention of reading ever, and as the Fates had decided, the wheel pointed to Rick Riordan, whose books are displayed in every bookstore that you couldn’t possibly miss it on a reading slump phase. As it seems, Percy Jackson has always been a fly hovering at the corner of my sight. It is constantly everywhere, from bookstores to Facebook posts, and never did I had the desire to follow-up its hype or simply put, read the books. Until now.

Now, what is it in this book that appealed to so many? If you have not read it, why should you read it? What should you expect from it? Why is that person hushing me when I mention the name Zeus in public? Why do girls and boys like Nico so much? Why did Luke deserve better (no really, he deserves better)? All these, I won’t answer, unfortunately, but there are more than enough reasons to start reading the series. 

Walking Teenagers… Again

“But right now I can’t help thinking this universe is a mystery that wants to be solved; a mystery trapped inside each and every one of us.”

I’ve been thinking for a long time what to say about this novel. I have finished Beneath Wandering Stars months ago and I have so much to tell you guys about it but whenever I face  computer screen or paper, I am at loss of words. This wasn’t any other YA novel I have ever read and at the same time, this was everything a YA novel should be. Sure, this novel doesn’t have handsome fairies, vengeful queens, witches or wizards. It’s no fairytale retelling or dystopian fiction. It is about a girl and a boy walking a pilgrim, as simple as that. And yet, it extends even further into something complex and deep and wonderful at the same time. I also read a similar book long ago which features walking teenagers as well. No one dies horribly in this book, though.

Beneath Wandering Stars approaches spirituality and philosophy that I don’t get to see enough in recent YA fiction, not unless we’re talking about the angst-driven coming-of-age novel which main philosophy is to hate the world and all those living in it. Beneath Wandering Stars isn’t written with hate and despair, it’s written with longing.

Top Ten Reasons Why I Hate and Love ACOTAR and Sequel

I have kept my feelings welled up inside me– I have many times considered tearing the book apart were it not for my parent’s peaceful upbringing. So, I had to settle on tearing potato chips with my teeth as I scan the book and write my review.

Because I HATE A Court of Thorn and Roses yet, at the same time, I LOVE it.

Damn you Sarah J. Maas. Damn you.

I intended this as a different post but when I saw that TTT is having a freebie week, I decided to put the two together since I was having a hard time organizing my thoughts. The post shall contain rants and praises and god knows what else. Maybe profanity unless my zen upbringing proves stronger than I thought. At the moment, I’m listening to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack, thinking of the time when fairytales were simpler but memorable; ACOTAR is anything but simple and its impact to me is as powerful as an ant crawling inside my ear. I think it is a brilliant book that subverts common fairytale cliches such as Instaromance and Happily Ever Afters into realistic affairs and turns innocent kisses to hot, steamy sex scenes. At the same time, it is a flawed book, which makes it more or less an interesting book to discuss. I’ll be talking about BOTH novels so there are spoilers of course. 

Dear You,

“You’re different. And I’m different too. Different is good. But different is hard. Believe me, I know.”

Among the stack of fairytale retellings, contemporary romance, and dystopian YA fiction, nothing fascinates me more than ever as the bittersweet coming-of-age novel. We’re talking about Catcher in the Rye where profanity is spoken with passion and angst is character. We’re talking about the alienated boy with issues, the misunderstood and ignored, the hopelessness of adulthood and the harsh reality that the world does not give a damn whether you slash your wrists or not. This sort of novel, perhaps, did not blow away our world or made it any better but it did something that you probably wanted to do for a long time– it cried, it wailed, it cursed the world and all of humanity– it’s like having a friend who could understand you. 

Where I Try My Best Reviewing This Book

Synopsis

When Cora’s mother whisks the family away for the summer, Cora must decide between forging her future in the glimmering world of second homes where her parents belong, or getting lost in the bewitching world of the locals and the mystery surrounding a lonely old woman who claims to be a selkie creature—and who probably needs Cora more than anyone else.

Through the fantastical tales and anguished stories of the batty Mrs. O’Leary, as well as the company of a particularly gorgeous local boy called Ronan, Cora finds an escape from the reality of planning her life after high school. But will it come at the cost of alienating Cora’s mother, who struggles with her own tragic memories?

As the summer wanes, it becomes apparent that Ronan just may hold the answer to Mrs. O’Leary’s tragic past—and Cora’s future. (Goodreads)

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The opening lines:

“Oh my,” Dad said.

“This has to be a joke,” I announced.

“It’s perfect!” Mom clapped her hands happily.

I proceeded to put down the book, followed by my forehead, and prayed for hope and patience because I was already quickly running out of those by page one. These first three lines scream the plot and the kind of characters I’m going to look forward to, and while it isn’t a bad way to open a book, it sets a humorous tone that doesn’t quite fit to the serious vibe the novel is implying in the synopsis. Or the angst that followed in the next 200 pages.

Cora, the Teenager of Angst and whose cheeks seem to have a life of its own (it blushes on its own and she talks to it), finds herself in a completely new neighborhood which gives her reason to angst more. In between her surly walks, she meets a strange old lady who tells her Irish folklore and an average, hot, sparkly brown-eyed, potential love interest swimmer who changes her life. We also have a few characters that makes Cora’s life relatively harder, like her Mother and her Father, the Third-Wheel, the Bestfriend, the Bimbo and Blondie (no really, she calls some people like that) and the ocean. Her only real friend is a dog.

Let’s get this on shall we? A warning guys. There shall be spoilers, rants, and blood.

In Which I Give You Reasons Why To Read Anansi Boys

SYNOPSIS

Fat Charlie Nancy’s normal life ended the moment his father dropped dead on a Florida karaoke stage. Charlie didn’t know his dad was a god. And he never knew he had a brother.

Now brother Spider’s on his doorstep — about to make Fat Charlie’s life more interesting… and a lot more dangerous. (Goodreads)

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It is hilarious. Pretty much the main reason why you should check out the novel. It’ll have you chuckling, giggling, chortling and everything as the story goes on. Neil Gaiman nails the humour on this one and it was a nice, pleasant change from his darker novels. If you want a warm, funny read, then this is the book to savor. I read this one during my trips to work and found how difficult it is to pretend to cough for long, several minutes just to hide the guffaws stuck at my throat.

“There are three things, and three things only, that can lift the pain of mortality and ease the ravages of life,” said Spider. “These things are wine, women and song”…

“Curry’s nice too” pointed out Fat Charlie.

It came from the woods. Most strange things do.

SYNOPSIS

Five mysterious, spine-tingling stories follow journeys into (and out of?) the eerie abyss.

These chilling tales spring from the macabre imagination of acclaimed and award-winning comic creator Emily Carroll.

Come take a walk in the woods and see what awaits you there… (Goodreads)

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Oh, but you must travel through those woods again and again… said a shadow at the window… and you must be lucky to avoid the wolf every time…

But the wolf… the wolf only needs enough luck to find you once.”

Through the Woods is a series of short stories written and illustrated by Emily Carroll. The graphic novel touches horror shorts that brings to mind Grimm’s fairytales for their simple yet fun, twisted stories. With illustrations, each page is always a delight to turn.

The Fun and Happy Adventures of Geralt

SYNOPSIS

Geralt of Rivia is a witcher. A cunning sorcerer. A merciless assassin.

And a cold-blooded killer.

His sole purpose: to destroy the monsters that plague the world.

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good. . . and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

The international hit that inspired the video game: The Witcher. (Goodreads)

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The Last Wish is the first book of The Witcher series, more popularly known as a video game with the same title and praised by critiques due to its immersive world, rich characters, dark story, and impressive pornography. The novel is written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski and was first released as a series of short stories in the 90s. It was not until 2007 when the novel was translated into English and recently, this February, Orbit Books revealed the cover of the fourth novel, The Tower of Swallows. A good time to be fan and for me, who couldn’t finish a single video game without screaming, it is an opportunity to explore the franchise without raging in front of a screen.

We’re All Gonna Die

Synopsis

Through the story of an ordinary man unwittingly drawn into a senseless murder on an Algerian beach, Camus explored what he termed “the nakedness of man faced with the absurd.” First published in English in 1946; now in a new translation by Matthew Ward. (Goodreads)

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Review contains spoilers. Like, huge ones.

Camus dedicated a partial of his life to absurdism, which says that life isn’t worth of any sort of dedication. The other partial, he dedicated to living the hell out of life. He loved sport, alcohol,  women, and wrote essays and books contemplating suicide, but philosophically (there’s a difference). The Stranger is the first book of his to be published and it rather makes you question the author’s state of mind. It details the life of a man before and after he shot a person. Remember those times when you’re in the shower and you suddenly reflect that life is trivial and everything in this world is meaningless? Well, Albert Camus wrote a whole book about it, and he didn’t have to get into the shower to come up with it.