My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one3.5 stars.
My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars.
Writing 1 Oliver is one of those rare writers gifted with the ability to make her prose sing. It鈥檚 not flowery or any shade of purple, but the metaphors used evoke images that complement the story. I found the back and forth nature of the narrative a little annoying, because I recognised the trick: instead of making this book completely a romance, we鈥檙e teased with flashbacks of how it came to be. I know this trick, and I鈥檓 not amused. The story would be a lot more boring if it were told linearly 鈥 instead, we鈥檙e teased chapter by chapter by a master storyteller who knows how to make you want to rush on to find out more 鈥 even if that more isn鈥檛 that interesting.
Plot .5 Plot. Well. What can I say? Lena is rescued by a bunch of rebels, moves to New York and falls in love with some other guy. That鈥檚 basically it. Boring, right?
Not the way Oliver tells it. See what I said about writing above.
Characters 1 Julian can go fuck himself. I鈥檓 not interested in him at all. The whole point of Lena spending time with him and developing feelings for him is to show how someone free from the cure can fall in love with anyone 鈥 even some guy who鈥檚 not the one you expect her to be in love with forever. Just because Lena鈥檚 uncured doesn鈥檛 necessarily mean that she鈥檚 going to find monogamous love with Alex with no other hurdles.
Raven on the other hand 鈥 may I have more? She was all kinds of awesome 鈥 a tough mother figure who鈥檚 only a few years older than Lena. She tells it like it is and won鈥檛 bullshit anyone 鈥 she鈥檒l tell you what you don鈥檛 want to hear because she knows the truth can hurt, but the hurting truth is better than sweet lies. I appreciated this trait.
But Lena! Lena has grown and changed into someone I can admire. She鈥檚 smart and plans well, and overcomes many hurdles that get in her way. When she recovers from a near dead experience she works hard to regain her strength. When left with no other option, she will lash out. I like her.
World building .5 Not much more of this world is built on than in the first novel, but the Wilds is explored more. There鈥檚 more of the Wilds than anyone living in the cities realised. The tension is increased by introducing another faction to fight the cured 鈥 Scavengers, the bad version of the Invalids.
X Factor .5 Oliver鈥檚 got a musical quality to her prose that makes it easy and a joy to read.
Overall I love Oliver鈥檚 writing, but not her plot. That is all....more
This review doesn鈥檛 follow my five basic points of writing, plot, character, worldbuilding and X Factor for two reasons. The first reason is because t This review doesn鈥檛 follow my five basic points of writing, plot, character, worldbuilding and X Factor for two reasons. The first reason is because this is my first graphic novel and it鈥檚 different to reviewing books. You take into account more than just those points: there鈥檚 also the illustration, the colouring, the flow of action on the page and how it leaps to life in your head.
The second reason is because this is an adaptation of novel by the same name, and even though it鈥檚 adapted and written by one person and illustrated and drawn by others, my five points relate to the imagination and talent of the writer. When you adapt an idea that belongs to someone else I can鈥檛 judge the writing, the plot, the characters, and the worldbuilding. Those things all relate to the original writer, not the adapter and the illustrator. It鈥檇 be different if it was an original comic, like Kick-Ass or V for Vendetta. Those points would all belong to the writer, or the team of writers.
Instead, here I am reviewing a graphic novel based on a novel I already loved.
So how did it perform?
I thought it was wonderful. I really loved seeing the characters from a novel I loved come to life like that. I still have issues with Rose: I think she鈥檚 vain and too self-important, but her dedication to Lissa (lol) is really sweet. I love their friendship.
For the most part I loved how the characters were drawn. The illustration by Emma Vieceli was really beautiful. She鈥檚 a very talented artist. I鈥檝e wanted these graphic novels since I saw teasers posted on the internet way back in 2010. I think Rose is pretty with just the right amount of sass. I finally see how Dimitri is hot (more on that below).
The problems I do have are with the vampires. Like the covers to the Bloodlines series, I think the problem with representing something so unearthly and perfect is actually representing it 鈥 by that specifically I mean on Bloodlines they clearly use human models (because you know, vampires don鈥檛 exist) to represent vampires and they just don鈥檛 look as good as they do in my head. I think Lissa was drawn too plain to be the beautiful Moroi princess I read about. I think something was off about Christian, too. He didn鈥檛 seem as edgy as he was in my head.
But that moment when Rose goes to Dimitri about Lissa and he鈥檚 just stepped out of the shower?
WHOM!
That was the noise of my jaw dropping.
(sorry baby, I do love you, you know that.)
But seriously girls, my imagination is not as good as Vieceli鈥檚 drawing. He was HOT.
I like them tall, you know.
Unlike the novel, I didn鈥檛 get the romantic aspect between Rose and Dimitri. There鈥檚 too much of it going on in Rose鈥檚 head. It needs more text to convey her feelings, those glances, the heat. It didn鈥檛 translate too well to the page. So when they finally succumb to the charm, I thought that is was way too fast and unexpected.
It was much the same about Lissa and Christian鈥檚 relationship. A few panels can鈥檛 convey a relationship it takes and entire book to develop. Good thing I鈥檝e already read the novels.
The other thing I didn鈥檛 like was Lissa鈥檚 rescue. The action was all over in a single page. That included summaries from Rose鈥檚 narration and the action. It was over too quick. It could have been drawn out over another page. But hey, I don鈥檛 know anything about writing graphic novels and maybe there was limited room. Whatever.
Other than that, the action flowed well for the most part. I was pretty into reading it and skimmed over a few parts, forcing myself to go back and read it more carefully. It absorbed me and it was pretty thrilling to see someone else鈥檚 interpretation on the page like that.
I think this graphic novel is an enhancement for readers who have already enjoyed (or not enjoyed, but read) the novel by Richelle Mead....more
My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, excMy review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars.
For anyone who is confused as to why I would read a book by an author I didn鈥檛 particularly trust and whose other books I鈥檇 hated with a loathing passion 鈥 suck on my 4 star rating! You can NEVER know if you鈥檒l enjoy a book before reading it.
Writing .5 The writing overall was pretty decent. I can鈥檛 help but compare to Kate鈥檚 later books Fallen and Torment, which I loathed so violently I was almost reduced to tears upon finishing, and have not yet had the courage to continue Daniel and Luce鈥檚 story in passion or Rapture. The writing was only at times juvenile, rather than scattered through the whole book. Occasionally there was a missing word or some WTF-ery moments FOR EXAMPLE Nat and Mike managed to stop in a graveyard yet Nat follows Mike into a mausoleum at the same time (P120).
I personally prefer first person narration and I think it worked really well, even in the last chapter. It makes me wonder why Kate switched to third person for her fail of a fallen angel series. I didn鈥檛 feel the prologue and epilogue were necessary, as I don鈥檛 feel they add anything to the narrative.
Plot 1 It鈥檚 not exactly original, but I freaking love plots like this. I love Mean Girl Gets Her Comeuppance. This is the third book I鈥檝e read in recent times that revolves around this theme and I鈥檝e realised that I WANT MORE. I absolutely love it when an author writes a character we鈥檙e supposed to loathe like Natalie, Becca from New Girl and Samantha from Before I Fall.
Characters 1 Natalie was awesome. She was manipulative and conniving and ambitious and thought way, way too much of herself. She had a humungous sense of entitlement to rival any other character I鈥檝e ever read. I thought she was great fun to read about and I especially loved reading about her demise.
Mike seemed really sweet and put together. He wasn鈥檛 awesome enough to go onto my Great YA Boys shelf, but I did like him. He was painted very realistically 鈥 he was interested in sex and knew Natalie was using it as a weapon against him. I also liked how they鈥檇 already been a couple for three years. Nice touch.
World building 1 Natalie鈥檚 insanity was the most fun to read. This book was set in the real world so it didn鈥檛 take much world building 鈥 but the weaving of the backstory sure was interesting. Part of me wishes that Kate had done the big reveal somewhat earlier, but I suppose that鈥檚 part of the intrigue of reading on 鈥 because we鈥檙e desperate to know what really happened to turn Natalie the way she is. I found this book much like New Girl in that respect.
X Factor .5 This book is a very short read, clocking in at only 235 pages 鈥 but it had something about it that I just wanted to keep reading and devouring Natalie鈥檚 story.
Overall WHY HAVEN鈥橳 MORE PEOPLE READ THIS BOOK?!...more
Wonder has a snip on her nose, not a blaze! This cover is wrong. Minutely, but wrong. LOL!
I think I would have enjoyed this bIndulging my inner child.
Wonder has a snip on her nose, not a blaze! This cover is wrong. Minutely, but wrong. LOL!
I think I would have enjoyed this book a lot more when I was a child. Because, obviously, that's the age range it's appealing to. I was horse mad and devoured everything with a pony on the cover.
The best thing about this book is probably the wish fulfilment angle. I reckon a lot of young horse-crazy girls would love the idea of living in Ashleigh's shoes and raising their very own filly.
I love Wonder. I've always loved the way Joanna Campbell writes about horses. Sometimes it's not very realistic - the horses understand things way too much - but it's a nice story to read because you want to believe that horses are smarter than they really are. They're not anthropomorphised, but they're given way too much credit. It's a fantasy that I welcome.
Ashleigh's a realistic character as well. She's not perfect. She struggles to balance her school life with her horsey responsibilities. Her grades fall and her health suffers as she concentrated more on Wonder.
I'd almost go so far as to say that I wish this book was longer, but it's a children's book so I won't.
I want to track down all the books in the series up to number 23 (afterwards it's a whole cast change). Wish me luck!...more
This short comic is packed full of action and adventure as it continues on the tale of what happens directly after Aang defeats Fire Lord Ozai at the This short comic is packed full of action and adventure as it continues on the tale of what happens directly after Aang defeats Fire Lord Ozai at the end of the animated series.
I found the dialogue kind of clunky and inorganic sometimes. It seemed to me more like fanfiction.
However the artwork was amazing, especially during the fight scenes. It was incredible to see fight scenes move to a flat page and work so well.
I think most of the reason I liked this so much is because I've always wanted to know what happened after - especially Aang and Katara's relationship. Their commitment to each other and their emotional connection is still strong and wonderful and beautiful to look at.
If you're a fan of the Avatar television show - not the film - then you should enjoy this little snippet of post-TV show adventures. I sure did, and I'd recommend it to any Avatar fan....more
I really wanted to like this book. A LOT. I wanted to like it so much that I got its two sequels, Lovesick and Homecoming out of the library at the saI really wanted to like this book. A LOT. I wanted to like it so much that I got its two sequels, Lovesick and Homecoming out of the library at the same time.
But I can鈥檛 even finish it. I put the book down at page 227.
The characters are boring and literally make no sense. The writing is worse than juvenile. And there are errors in it that just make me want to tear my hair out: at one point, a character called Scarlet turns up the volume on her iPod to maximum, then calmly has a conversation with another character 鈥 without taking her earphones out or turning the iPod off. I was reading their interaction as if music was still screaming in her ears. If that鈥檚 not bad enough, the section ends with Scarlet putting a CD into her 鈥渕usic player鈥 and heading to class.
That鈥檚 the point where I gave up.
There were a 鈥渟urprising鈥 amount of 鈥渦nnecessary鈥 air quotes in the 鈥渢ext鈥 as well 鈥 several on one page that were completely arbitrary. It did not endear to me. It wasn鈥檛 funny and it was completely superfluous, as well as serving no purpose.
The book tried too hard to be funny. The funniest thing was Charlotte鈥檚 death 鈥 choking to death on a gummy bear (which isn鈥檛 a spoiler, btw) 鈥 and even then it teetered between funny, sad, and downright morbid.
And I don鈥檛 know about anyone else, but it really annoys me when characters are having a calm conversation and then all of a sudden they scream.
I don鈥檛 even know what target audience this is aiming for. I鈥檇 hazard a guess at middle grade because of the juvenile writing, but there are mentions of erections, virginity, menstrual cycles, planned parenthood, casual sex and the occasional curse word. I haven鈥檛 read much middle grade stuff but I thought it was supposed to be safe and clean. My bad if it鈥檚 not.
I鈥檓 used to heroines getting unnatural obsessions, so the part where Charlotte never gave two seconds鈥 worth of thought to her parents didn鈥檛 actually bother me that much. What bothered me was that she decided to keep living her old life before she had any idea of how to do it. It was ungraceful and unflattering. Charlotte was also an unlikeable character. Not just because she鈥檚 written that way, but because there鈥檚 no explanation given as to why, if she鈥檚 so 鈥渋nvisible鈥 (there I go with the quotes again) people like Petuna bullied her so harshly.
It鈥檚 a pity I put this book down because I was getting interested in Scarlet and the boy. Whatever his name was. I鈥檝e literally just put the book down and I can鈥檛 remember 鈥 he鈥檚 that forgettable. He鈥檚 your typical YA hot guy, let鈥檚 suffice. But there鈥檚 absolutely no sense behind any of the character鈥檚 motivations. Petuna鈥檚 just a bitch. Scarlet鈥檚 just an outcast. Charlotte鈥檚 invisible. Heaven forbid if any of us ask why. Why are the cheerleaders so mean to Charlotte? Why does Prue hate her so much, seeing as how she鈥檚 supposed to be 鈥榠nvisible鈥? Why is that stupid house so important and why the crap do the ghost kids still go to the living school, side by side their fleshy counterparts?
Sorry. But even an awesome Ace of Cakes Ghostgirl cake couldn鈥檛 make me like this. [image] ghostgirl book launch, 2009.
That鈥檚 right, biatches! I rated this book FOUR STARS!
Why? Because I really liked it. That鈥檚 all that鈥檚 required by 老虎机稳赢方法.
However, I am going to That鈥檚 right, biatches! I rated this book FOUR STARS!
Why? Because I really liked it. That鈥檚 all that鈥檚 required by 老虎机稳赢方法.
However, I am going to tell you WHY I liked it, and why it was such a dramatic improvement over the other previous novels.
~SPOILERS AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.~
Laurel doesn鈥檛 cry. Not once. WAY TO GO, LAUREL!
When the two boys involved in the love triangle keep fighting over her, Laurel DUMPS THEIR ASSES. WAY TO GO, LAUREL!
Although I have to admit, I鈥檇 either completely forgotten Tamani had a Scottish accent, or it wasn鈥檛 actually explained in the previous novels. Because I found it surprising. It was referred to a few times and I tried to remember if we鈥檇 been told earlier, but I couldn鈥檛. When he returns ready to fight for Laurel, I inwardly groaned. Laurel has rejected him so many times, I think he鈥檚 pretty stupid for not getting the picture. I suppose he鈥檚 convinced he and Laurel are supposed to be together, which is why, for a long time, I liked Laurel and David.
Newcomer Yuki was a welcome breath of fresh air. Mostly because it really makes the audience aware of how much of a bitch Laurel is. She gets maddeningly jealous when Tamani has to pretend to be interested in Yuki. In fact, the love triangle between Laurel, David and Tamani takes centre stage in this novel. Not to say that it annoyed me: Laurel was awesomely cool and after she had a predictable conversation with her mother, where the older woman convinced her daughter that not all love is equal and that staying with someone from loyalty is not the same as love, Laurel dumps David鈥檚 ass. David is being a dick in this novel, anyway. I feel ambivalent about him, but I鈥檓 glad Laurel did what she did.
But even then, Tamani doesn鈥檛 鈥榳in鈥. Sure, he kind of 鈥榞ets鈥 Laurel, but she won鈥檛 make it official. I don鈥檛 even really mind if Laurel is torn between the two boys, because at least if she鈥檚 not dating either of them she鈥檚 not being a total bitch by leading one on *cough*BELLA*cough* *cough*NORA*cough* *cough*LUCE*cough*
Pardon me while I go get a glass of water to combat this toad in my throat.
I suppose one thing I was disappointed about in this novel is that Laurel鈥檚 Avalon adventures aren鈥檛 chronicled. I can understand why Pike didn鈥檛 add it in: we got a glimpse of Avalon in Spells. But still, it was a little annoying that Laurel is suddenly a decent Mixer when in Spells she kind of sucked at it.
And I might be stupid, but why does Yuki have perfectly accented American English when she鈥檚 born and raised in Japan? Not even a trace of an accent? It鈥檚 her second language, surely.
And once again, Laurel doesn鈥檛 save the day. She stands aside and lets the boys do the work, conveniently fainting when fighting is required.
However, she gets so many bonus points for dumping the boys. It鈥檚 like鈥 I can鈥檛 even鈥 I NEED DESTINED LIKE NOW!...more
My name is Laurel and I鈥檓 the most perfect creature to ever walk the earth. That鈥檚 because I鈥檓 a faerie, and every autumn a beaut**spoiler alert** Hi.
My name is Laurel and I鈥檓 the most perfect creature to ever walk the earth. That鈥檚 because I鈥檓 a faerie, and every autumn a beautiful flower grows out of my back. That makes me special, because I鈥檓 not human. But when I go and live with the faeries, I鈥檓 not faerie either, because I was adopted by humans. So I can lord around the intricately built faerie culture and tell them how stupid their caste system is, and break all the rules with no repercussions. Because did I mention I鈥檓 special?
I also cry at everything. I cry when people are nice to me (because that NEVER happens), I cry when people are angry at me, I cry when I鈥檓 talking to someone and I cry when I can鈥檛 do something right. I鈥檓 a big fat crybaby. But it鈥檚 okay, because even though I鈥檓 a plant, I do still have tear ducts. But they probably don鈥檛 cry saltwater, because saltwater is icky on my plant pores and saps my strength.
Anyway, I鈥檝e just spent my summer at the faerie Academy, where of course I couldn鈥檛 do anything right for no specified reason. It makes me cry! I鈥檓 probably too human, but that鈥檚 okay, because I鈥檓 really a faerie, remember. Faeries are totally awesome because despite being plants they are graceful and in school everyone pays attention all the time and no one gets laughed at when they fail. Did I mention faeries are totally superior to humans? Because they are.
Anyway I went to the Academy to learn how to protect my adopted family from the trolls that are bound to attack me because I鈥檓 just that special. But even though I learnt a lot and then some other irrelevant stuff happened, al that I really remember is dating two boys 鈥 one a human and the other the hottest fairy EVER OMG did I mention I have two boyfriends? I should cry about this.
In the end, I didn鈥檛 even manage to protect my loved ones and needed rescuing AGAIN! Sigh. What鈥檚 a perfect flower girl to do? Maybe I鈥檒l go off and cry for a bit. ...more
This review contains photos of mentioned locations as a gift to international readers.
My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, WorldbuilThis review contains photos of mentioned locations as a gift to international readers.
My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars.
I鈥檝e read some other reviews of this book, and like my friend Shirley Marr, I agree this book should probably be rated in two separate halves . The first half is pretty damned awesome: Tessa has amnesia, and the things she does remember suggests she鈥檚 from another time. The second half is much less awesome, where Tessa finally figures out what she is and embraces her true nature.
Writing 1 The writing in this is pretty good. It鈥檚 second person point of view, for the most part, although because it鈥檚 Tessa writing down her story the second often drifts away into first person. It鈥檚 not technically, purely second person because of this. It鈥檚 more like first person with references to a second person. I also really enjoyed Tessa鈥檚 鈥榓wakening鈥, I suppose. Her re-learning little things that she鈥檚 forgotten such as OMG WAFFLES ARE AMAZEBALLS. That was fun. Overall the writing was clean and elegant, with recurring motifs such as I am Tessa. I am brave. I do not cry. It鈥檚 a powerful message that recurs in the book as Tessa tries to gather her lost memories.
Editing errors: Call me pedantic, call me what you will, I really don鈥檛 give a flying. This is a book about my city with local characters written by a semi-local. I don鈥檛 know Gordon鈥檚 background, only that she grew up on the north-west coast and now lives on the east coast, but if she went to university she probably 鈥 like the majority of Tasmanians who stay in the state of a tertiary education 鈥 went to the south for her further education. There aren鈥檛 really many reasons why these errors should be in the book. The only reason I can think is that it was either changed to appeal to an American audience, or the editor made some changes that Gordon missed because I can鈥檛 imagine a local referring to the Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens as the 鈥榖otanic gardens鈥.
[image] See? It says it right there in the name, and I have never ever heard of them referred to as simply 鈥榖otanic鈥. I may be obsessing over a tiny little 鈥榓l鈥 but really, locals would never make that mistake.
The other error is one of the other students calling Scottsdale High School 鈥楽cottsdale Public鈥 like an American school. That鈥檚 not how we refer to our schools. This grated on me as well, as if it was trying to appeal to an American audience but the book鈥檚 not even for sale in America, so I couldn鈥檛 figure out WHY.
The final error is one of the students referring to her education achievement certificate as a 鈥榙iploma鈥. In Tasmania, you don鈥檛 get diplomas at high school, you get them at University (they鈥檙e less intense than degrees). We get a Tasmanian Certificate of Education at the completion of college (two seniors years before university) and a Higher School Certificate at the completion of high school, which is four years previous to the college years. A diploma is a foreign concept. It shouldn鈥檛 be in this book.
The magical hat incident: Page 116:
鈥淚 pulled the hat out now and pushed it roughly on to my head, then strode towards the door.鈥
Page 131:
鈥淚 reached in my bag and pulled out Laurel鈥檚 woollen beanie, the beanie I never got to wear.鈥
I don鈥檛 even need to make a comment about that.
Plot .5 First half 1 Second half 0 The plot was decent and quite strong in the first half of the book. It followed the mystery of Tessa trying to figure out who she is and remember things after her 鈥榠ncident鈥 鈥 her being found in the bush, unconscious, dirty, with hair in rat鈥檚 tails and mysterious stripey scars on her back.
In the second half, once Tessa figured out her secret (LONG after I had) I didn鈥檛 enjoy the story very much. Tessa turns into another character, not like the amnesia girl at all. She blurts her secret to her friend, whom she thinks might be an enemy, but does it anyway because she thinks her friend-maybe-enemy is 鈥榙ifferent鈥, like her. I didn鈥檛 like Tessa鈥檚 incessant need to eavesdrop info-dumping sessions and then not be able to put one and one together. I didn鈥檛 really like how her random memories would pop into her head and play back like a film, taking over her whole life at that point in time, because that鈥檚 not how memories actually work. Then the end was all kinds of cliffhangery which I didn鈥檛 like. I didn鈥檛 feel satisfied about the conclusion.
The blurb promised more of a mystery to do with Cat as well, which totally didn鈥檛 happen.
Worldbuilding 1 I loved the worldbuilding. It almost made perfect sense. Of course the Diemens would follow convict women halfway across the globe to a small town hardly anyone has heard of. The world was injected with enough real-life landmarks to make it almost believable. I didn鈥檛 like the idea of an all-girls鈥 school built next to the brewery, but I liked the idea of the school. I quite liked Tessa鈥檚 backstory, just not how it was revealed.
Characters .5 Overall, I generally liked Tessa, even when she exhibited very typical YA heroine empty-headed 鈥榮ense鈥. She was curious, and although I think her actions pushed by patience I understand the need for her to react the way she did. The story needed conflict, and that was the best way to inject it. It doesn鈥檛 endear me to Tessa, but it does push the story along.
And also鈥 Tessa does cry. On more than one occasion, tears come to her eyes. She just pushes it away. She鈥檚 not an unfeeling robot who never has tears come to her eyes. So the whole 鈥業 am Tessa, I am brave, I do not cry鈥 was weird. All the same, I liked the way Tessa was built and for the most part I enjoyed reading about her.
X Factor 0 This book should be getting at least one star for X Factor because it鈥檚 set in my home state with landmarks I totally squeed over. I dragged my photographer partner out to take photos for this review, to demonstrate some of the real landmarks mentioned:
Taroona High School [image] Yep, that鈥檚 ocean right outside the back door (well technically a river), and I fondly recall the time we convinced our maths teacher to let us go down to the beach to watch the dolphins and humpback whales swim up the river.
Mures Seafood Restaurant [image]
Cascade Brewery, where the school is supposed to be built next to... but um鈥 who would build a school next to a brewery? [image]
The Female Factory [image]
Also bonus! This is a we found while exploring the Female Factory site. It鈥檚 used to grind grain. Isn鈥檛 that awesome? [image]
Mount Wellington [image] Note 鈥 this photo was taken a few years ago when I lived at the base of the mountain, literally a two minute walk from the Female Factory. That鈥檚 snow, which is a rare occurrence in the city but quite common on the mountain from about May-September, although it has been known to snow in March (end of summer) and October (spring). I鈥檓 pretty sure it even freak snowed in December once.
The Cenotaph [image]
This book didn鈥檛 have an X Factor for me. The emotional response was purely because I grew up in the same city as Tessa, and that鈥檚 extremely rare in not only YA literature but also literature of Australia. The second half of the book let me down too much for me to recall anything I may have been excited over in the first half.
Overall This is a strong paranormal novel consisting of several familiar tropes. Its strength is its location and the unique take on not only Australian wildlife but particularly those extinct or near extinct Tasmanian animals. Gordon is a clear and concise writer who utilises familiar themes and motifs to continue the narrative thread. The failure of the second half of this novel will not detract from readers who enjoy a good paranormal story utilising an amnesiac heroine.
Hmmm鈥 location photos probably won鈥檛 come for a while because that would require an actual road trip and I have to, you know, work and stuff.
My reviewHmmm鈥 location photos probably won鈥檛 come for a while because that would require an actual road trip and I have to, you know, work and stuff.
My review is split in to five sections: Writing, Plot, Worldbuilding, Characters, and X-Factor. Each section comprises of either half or one star, except X-Factor which can utilise two whole stars.
Writing 0 I hate to do this. I really do. Where has Gordon鈥檚 decent prose gone? I didn鈥檛 have a problem with the actual technique in Thyla: the second person narration was interesting and fairly innovative, but the info-dumping through eavesdropping was way too convenient. The writing was smooth and well-structured, for the most part, until Tessa figured out her secret.
I didn鈥檛 love Thyla, but Vulpi was a chore to read and I was thoroughly tempted not to finish. The biggest thing that kept me going was the fact that I didn鈥檛 want to be the first person to give Vulpi one star on 老虎机稳赢方法. Because I mean, who am I? Some uppity self-published nobody 鈥 Gordon鈥檚 been traditionally published. She鈥檚 actually had editors and presumably the experience to back up her publishing deal and grants.
Which is why the following writing really jars me so much: (The spoiling parts are hidden by spoilers. If you don鈥檛 mind spoilers, then by all means feel free to read them. Also please note 鈥 if you find absolutely nothing wrong with the following excerpts, then you will probably enjoy the book. Also note I only started taking notes after page 100.)
P117
There was a Diemen in front of me. 鈥楬ello, sleepyhead,鈥 the Diemen hissed. 鈥楶iss off,鈥 I said and clawed him in the neck. I never was a morning person. As the Diemen slumped to the deck I looked around me. I coughed as smoke flowed into my throat and nose. 鈥楧elphi!鈥 I yelled. I couldn鈥檛 see anything through the dust and grit. 鈥楾essa!鈥 鈥楥at!鈥 Help!鈥 It was Delphi. She was about ten metres away, towards the front of the boat. It wasn鈥檛 far but I could hear fighting all around me, even if I couldn鈥檛 see it. I could run straight into a Deimen. I could be killed. But Delphi was in danger. I steeled myself. I breathed out steadily. And then I bolted.
P174
鈥楻颈驳丑迟!鈥 Archie pulled up suddenly. I kept running. 鈥極of!鈥 Archie complained, jerking forwards. 鈥楽orry!鈥 I cried. 鈥榊ou just-鈥 鈥楽topped awfully suddenly. Yes, I know.鈥 鈥榃hy?鈥 I asked, rubbing the elbow that had collided with Archie鈥檚 ribs.
P177
鈥楢re you all right, Cat?鈥 Archie said. 鈥業 can feel you鈥檙e afraid.鈥 I nodded. 鈥業 am, a bit,鈥 I said. He reached out and took my hand again. It felt like electricity was pulsing through it. 鈥榊ou鈥檙e afraid of what we are about to do,鈥 he said, nodding. I nodded back, even though it wasn鈥檛 entirely true. I was a bit apprehensive about what would happen next 鈥 whether we鈥檇 have to fight Diemens or even Vulpis, whether we鈥檇 find Isaac and Tessa alive 鈥 but what I was really afraid of was how my heart raced when I look at his face and how my body shivered when he touched me. 鈥楥at, I believe you can do this,鈥 Archie said. 鈥楾ake a leap. I think you鈥檒l find you鈥檒l fly.鈥 Archie squeezed my hand. 鈥極f course, I could be completely wrong. You might fail spectacularly. But that鈥檚 all part of the adventure, isn鈥檛 it?鈥 And with that thought to comfort me, Archie dragged me out of the shadows, and into the light.
P202
(view spoiler)[Archie pulled his hand away from Tessa and held it out to me. He hoisted me up. Tessa moved slowly forward, pointing the knife at him鈥 鈥極h, I think you鈥檒l find we did that all by ourselves,鈥 Tessa said, pressing the knife against his throat. 鈥楾essa, don鈥檛!鈥 I cried. We can trust him. Believe me.鈥 Tessa looked at me through narrowed eyes. 鈥榊ou trust him?鈥 鈥榊别蝉,鈥 I insisted. Tessa nodded curtly and lowered the knife. 鈥楾he other Diemens are still upstairs,鈥 she said tensely. (hide spoiler)]
P 232
鈥楾rue love, I suppose, looks past the colour of one鈥檚 fur,鈥 Archie replied. 鈥楥at?鈥 I turned around. Isaac was standing behind us.
P264
鈥楢nd I haven鈥檛!鈥 Charlotte cried. 鈥業 haven鈥檛 told a soul. I鈥檝e held up my side of the bargain. Now you need to tell me what鈥檚 going on. And don鈥檛 bullshit me!鈥 Charlotte cried. 鈥榃hat happened? What鈥檚 happening now? I deserve to know.鈥
P280
(view spoiler)[鈥楨rin! Ah, yes, I remember. You鈥檙e the friend of that young ginger girl, aren鈥檛 you? I remember her screaming your name as we cut her little white belly open!鈥 Erin roared and launched herself at Lord. 鈥楢s you wish,鈥 he said unemotionally. He reached out and grabbed Erin by the throat. He raised her into the air as if she was as light as a kitten. Erin dropped her gun as she struggled and gagged. She tried to scream but Lord was holding her throat too tightly. 鈥榃hat鈥檚 wrong, little native? I thought this was what you wanted?鈥 Lord cocked his head to one side. 鈥業t鈥檚 been a long time,鈥 he said menacingly. 鈥業鈥檝e almost forgotten what black girl tastes like. Oooh, yes鈥 I remember. I used to have quite an appetite for your kind, back in the day.鈥 He cocked his head to one side. 鈥楾here is something rather familiar about those dark eyes of yours. So pretty鈥 Tell me, do you have any sisters?鈥 Lord licked his lips. 鈥業f you鈥檙e as delicious as you look I could have a new favourite meal.鈥 (hide spoiler)]
P298
(view spoiler)[Rhiannah raced over and pushed the catch on the handcuffs with the hand of her good arm, freeing me. 鈥楧on鈥檛 worry,鈥 she said. 鈥業 think it鈥檚 just a sprain. The crack was just me falling on some glass. I鈥檒l be fine.鈥 鈥楢re you sure?鈥 Rhiannah nodded. I looked from her to Charlotte to Hatch鈥檚 crumpled body, still leaking blood on Charlotte鈥檚 plush white carpet. 鈥楢re you okay?鈥 I asked Charlotte. (hide spoiler)]
Before we move on, I just want to add that there was one small section of descriptive writing of a particularly gruesome nature that I did thoroughly enjoy reading. (view spoiler)[It was when Cat and Archie discover the girls strung up and drained of blood in the Diemen鈥檚 lair. (hide spoiler)] It added a touch of the macabre and horror to the novel, which I appreciated. No shying away from stuff there. Awesome
Plot .5 First half 0 Second half 1
There was no plot in the first half of the book. The characters spent entirely too much time naval gazing. 鈥淥h no, they鈥檝e kidnapped Rhiannah! We鈥檝e got to do something!鈥 Cue no characters actually doing anything. Cue offpage action. Cue Cat being so fucking boring I wanted to tear my hair out. The introduction of Archie is when I actually started enjoying reading this. He doesn鈥檛 speak like an English person at all 鈥 LOL I should know, I dragged one here 鈥 but he鈥檚 funny and brave, if a little freakishly psychotic. (view spoiler)[Who the hell would leave dead bodies as signs pointing to the bad guys then introduce yourself to the people you鈥檙e supposedly hiding from anyway? Weird. (hide spoiler)]
Also? Picked the traitor from the first 鈥榟int鈥. I was surprised Cat didn鈥檛. She reminded me too much of Tessa in her blind trusting nature. 鈥淥h, maybe I have enemies, I鈥檒l just blurt my secret to this girl because she鈥檚 different but she might be my enemy OH WELL!鈥 Tessa asked the right questions, but didn鈥檛 put two and two together in her head. I know it was for the benefit of the reader to make the connections first, but with someone writing book 1 from second person point of view I would have thought there was more bravery and daring to be different in book 2 as well. Ah well, the tropes return.
Worldbuilding 1 I liked the addition of the Vulpis. It鈥檚 clever. It鈥檚 especially clever because I freaking LOVE foxes. Tasmania is the only place in the entire world bar Antarctica where you will not find foxes. That鈥檚 arguable I know, because in recent years people seem to think they鈥檝e seen foxes jumping off shipping crates from Victoria and people claim to have found fox scats or DNA in the far south of the state鈥 but I don鈥檛 think it鈥檚 true.
Anyway, I really liked how the shapeshifter myth was built. It鈥檚 not exactly original (view spoiler)[Doctor Who is not the only one to mix English royals and shapeshifters together (hide spoiler)], and it鈥檚 far from believable, but it鈥檚 acceptable, and that鈥檚 all I ask for. Also, the Diemens aren鈥檛 as scary as I wanted them to be. (view spoiler)[Why go to all the bother of taking away a shapeshifter鈥檚 powers just to turn them into Diemens? Especially when you don鈥檛 have to take away their powers as proven by Delphi, and especially when the Diemens are also perfectly happy to also turn non-shifters, as evidence by their mass kidnappings. (hide spoiler)]
Characters 0 I don鈥檛 like Cat. I don鈥檛 care about her. It was a huge risk taking the story from Tessa鈥檚 point of view to Cat鈥檚 point of view, and I don鈥檛 feel that it paid off. Cat is annoying and boring, part time damsel in distress and part time ass-kicker. Inconsistently. And the most annoying thing? That鈥檚 she鈥檚 a poseur who really had no reason to run away from home except that she didn鈥檛 want to be her mother鈥檚 daughter any more. That鈥檇 be cool, if say her mother was the mayor or the prime minister or a movie star. But Cat鈥檚 mum is a nobody police officer. Cat is an incredibly selfish character, and I can鈥檛 for the life of me figure out why two characters fall in love with her and a third makes sexual advances. I don鈥檛 find anything about her redeeming.
I also think she鈥檚 in love with Tessa. Tessa鈥檚 all she can think about. Tessa鈥檚 name revolves in her thoughts. You know how in Thyla Tessa鈥檚 mantra was woven throughout the novel? 鈥業 am Tessa, I am brave, I do not cry鈥? Well, Tessa鈥檚 name is woven through this narrative as well, except that it鈥檚 Cat thinking about Tessa and worrying about Tessa and obsessing about Tessa 鈥 and not in a 鈥榖est friend鈥 kind of way. I mean something deeper than that. I also think that she鈥檚 in love with Tessa because she so firmly pushed Delphi away and tried to make it clear to the reading audience that she was straight. Well, I don鈥檛 buy it. Denial, much? Actions speak louder than words.
As for the wonderfully perfect Tessa: well, she was inconsistently written. She spoke quite strangely. I suspect it was an attempt to make her seem old-timey in comparison to Cat鈥檚 more modern headspace, but it just failed. It failed because she didn鈥檛 speak like that in Thyla.
Archie was a good addition, but not for the 鈥榬omance鈥. He could answer a lot of questions, even if it did seem rather like an info dump most of the time.
and X-Factor .5 I didn鈥檛 find very much about this book redeeming. Archie gets half a star for humour and dedication to a dislikeable character.
Overall I didn鈥檛 like Vulpi. That upsets me. It was extraordinarily close to being 1 star, but I only rate books I don鈥檛 finish 1 star. I pushed through this book because of my loyalty to Tasmania and I was rewarded with Archie, which was pretty cool. And I genuinely believe that if you don鈥檛 see the problems with the excerpted material I posted above, then you鈥檒l probably enjoy this novel, too, once you get past the extraordinarily non-eventful first half.
I wish Gordon all the best for book 3 and 4 (if there is one). I would really like to see one of the books from Charlotte Lord鈥檚 point of view, and I doubt very much I will pick up book 3/4 unless that comes to pass. I can鈥檛 say I trust Gordon yet 鈥 she sucker-punched me with Thyla and left me disappointed with Vulpi. It鈥檚 totally awesome to see Tasmania get its own paranormal history but I鈥檓 in no rush whatsoever to read the next book....more
There are a few parallels with Forever, and in fact this book even references Forever, but unlikeAlso appears on
I really liked this book.
There are a few parallels with Forever, and in fact this book even references Forever, but unlike Forever I wasn't reminded of the awkwardness and quite frankly horrible memories of my ex-boyfriend, but instead I was actually reminded of my fianc茅e.
So, win for this book already.
When someone takes a photo of Audrey, the school's resident 'good girl' - otherwise known as a spock, swot, or general nerd - in a compromising position with a boy at a party and spreads it around her school, Audrey has to deal with the fallout of a tarnished reputation, a broken relationship with the boy in question, the friendships of other 'good' and 'bad' girls, and her parents.
And the biggest question is, who took the photo and destroyed her reputation? Was is a friend of the boy? Was it Audrey's ex-boyfriend, the guy who couldn't handle being dumped? Was it another girl jealous that Audrey was casually 'hooking up' with the hottest guy in the school?
It doesn't shy away from uncomfortable issues. The scene with the doctor had me cringing. The reactions of almost everyone in the novel is completely horrible - most of the boys decide Audrey's easy and will want to have sex with them, the teachers who found out disapprove and think they're 'warning' her the behaviour wasn't 'appropriate' for a girl of her intellect, and the girls of the school turn into complete bitches. This is slut shaming from the point of view of the slut. And we all know that slut shaming in YA books is wrong and quite often misjudged.
Which is why I think a few specific people will like this book, because Audrey's still a good girl. She still goes to church (and to all honesty, normally I'm against using religion in YA novels but in this instance it works), she still studies hard, and she still works on her relationship with her parents. She also has hobbies - notably the school plays where she's in charge of the stage design.
But of course nothing is ever black and white. This novels explores the shades of grey of sluts and slut shaming and good girls. And I use the term slut ironically. Why do girls get called sluts and boys get called players? Why is a girl having sex a slut and a boy having sex a god? Why is a bad boy really a good boy, and a good boy is a pansy or a mama's boy?
Audrey's a realistic portrayal of a teenager, even if she's a little too perfect. I knew a girl like her at my high school who changed schools when something like this happened over the summer holidays. And the teenage voice in this book is spot on.
I think it'd be an accessible read for adults who enjoy reading YA books as well as a great book for the YA crowd. My version of the book had a parental advisory warning on it for mature content, so if a mother is thinking of giving this to her daughter, maybe she should read it first. I'd be more than happy to give this to a fourteen year old....more
In this dystopia future, everyone is made equal by handicapping natural advantages such as beauty or intelligence.
One intelligent behemoth of a man daIn this dystopia future, everyone is made equal by handicapping natural advantages such as beauty or intelligence.
One intelligent behemoth of a man dares to break out of his handicaps.
It sure makes you think about the nature of equality and if this future is possible with the way we're heading.
It's a short story - five minutes maximum - so you won't lose anything by reading this. At most it will make you think. And even in this story, that's a good thing....more
Fever takes up where Wither left off, with the escape of Rhine and Gabriel from the opulent mansion where she was a Gothic-Also appears on
Fever takes up where Wither left off, with the escape of Rhine and Gabriel from the opulent mansion where she was a Gothic-style prisoner and he was a servant.
And it never bloody slows down.
From the new capture of the couple to their daring escape, to their lonely trek to Manhatten and Rhine鈥檚 subsequent recapture, the book 鈥 despite about half of it being flashback, pondering, and the delirium of the 鈥榝ever鈥 the book is named after 鈥 the story moves at a breakneck speed that left me breathless. After the first book, Wither, took place over nearly ten months, it was a shock to live so briefly in Rhine鈥檚 head again.
I鈥檓 pleased to announce I had another big emotional response as well. (view spoiler)[During the part early-ish on when Rhine, Gabriel, Lilac and Maddie are hiding in the long grass from Madame (view spoiler)[and Vaughn (hide spoiler)], (hide spoiler)] I swear I felt Rhine鈥檚 terror. I鈥檝e never been so scared reading a book in all my life, except when I first read Black Beauty and was convinced the titular character was going to die several times. But hey, I was seven. Cut me some slack.
I loved the way this book developed. This is a sequel to rival its first book. Not exactly better 鈥 I still had an issue with the plot. (view spoiler)[This time it was because Rhine was oh-so-special because she 鈥榟appened鈥 to look like Madame鈥檚 dead daughter, so she got preferential treatment and despite living with prostitutes, was not expected to service customers of her own. I mean, yeah sure, I get that Rhine has to have interesting stuff happen to her but I kept thinking, 鈥極h God, I hope the whole book isn鈥檛 about living with Madame, otherwise it鈥檒l be just like the first book.鈥 Rhine鈥檚 special, again, because she looks like the deceased loved one of the most powerful person. (hide spoiler)] That鈥檚 why it loses half a star. Luckily, this didn鈥檛 last as long as I thought it would.
The only other issue I had is completely out of DeStefano鈥檚 hands. I don鈥檛 like how damn big my version of the book is. It鈥檚 hard to hold in one hand and read. I love the cover 鈥 except for those stupid circles again! It鈥檚 making the subtleties of the cover way too obvious, and it annoys me. Kudos to whoever read the book and said, 鈥榃e need the following details,鈥 but really. I can figure out what the points of interest are just by looking and reading the book. Those circles are stupid and pointlss if you鈥檝e not read it, and redundant if you have.
I loved the development of Rhine and Gabriel鈥檚 relationship. They鈥檙e so realistic to me. They have issues and communication problems just like everyone else. They aren鈥檛 perfect: they鈥檙e simply two people, bound by a love they haven鈥檛 even voiced yet. And Rhine's got goals beyond just being with Gabriel.
The development of the plot outside of Rhine and Gabriel's journey was handled pretty subtly. It's all coming together for a huge climax in Book 3.
What else can I say about this? I love Lauren鈥檚 prose so much that I was swept into the narrative. She has a magical way with words. It鈥檚 her literary background, I believe. Everything about the technique is perfect.
I for one am terribly anticipating Book 3. Please, please don鈥檛 call it 鈥楨ver鈥....more
The False Princess is a reverse Cinderella story, or, if you like, a Cinderella story. It can work both ways. Sinda鈥檚 nobility and heritage, her rank,The False Princess is a reverse Cinderella story, or, if you like, a Cinderella story. It can work both ways. Sinda鈥檚 nobility and heritage, her rank, wealth, and everything she identifies with is stripped from her and she must start from absolutely nothing and work her way back up to prestige and respect. This is because she鈥檚 cast out of royalty after spending sixteen years as a stand-in princess while the real girl was in hiding, to save her from a horrific prophesised death.
I liked Sinda, for the most part. I found her easy acceptance understandable, if a little disparaging. She is not, at first, a strong character. But that鈥檚 okay, because on her journey, she learns and adapts and changes. It also made sense for her to have the big stranglehold over her magic, and I was always hoping she might improve just a little bit faster 鈥 but that鈥檚 not the point. I also liked her rare slow-burning romance with Kiernan.
Kiernan is a sweet enough guy, but at first I鈥檇 hoped he and Sinda would remain plutonic. Yet slowly, as the friendship developed, and things that had been an obstacle before no longer mattered, I became a fan of their relationship. Sinda鈥檚 need to still feel important led to many mistakes and problems with her communication with Kiernan, and she made some pretty bad choices: but this is a good thing! Bad choices are awesome: they create conflict. I don鈥檛 mean stupid choices, I simply mean bad judgement. Sinda wasn鈥檛 stupid, and neither was Kiernan. They were simply two teenagers learning how to communicate in a relationship. I quite liked their slow-bloom.
Mika and Orianne were also two pretty awesome characters. I loved Mika鈥檚 constant comparison to a fox: she was also quite abrasive, and not easily trusting. I really liked this about her 鈥 it lent a very nice difference to Oriannce, who seemed like the sweetest, most innocent thing. Of course, the stark differences to the girls was important to the plot, as were Kiernan鈥檚 feelings towards them.
Aunt Varil and Philantha seemed to both fill the same role, but in vastly different ways. Whereas Varil was unfriendly and unwelcoming, and thought Sinda was useless, Philantha saw the real Sinda, and loved her for it in her own peculiar way. I loved reading Philantha scenes 鈥 I was always looking forward to the next one. She was so funny in her oddness, and her speech was unique within the novel. I鈥檇 love to meet someone like Philantha in real life.
As for the magic in the world: it was quite simple to understand. Either you鈥檙e born with the gift, or you鈥檙e not. You can be trained either way, but there is only so far one can progress 鈥 like singing. I liked that comparison, because I鈥檓 a singer. The luck of the draw did annoy me a little, because Sinda had already been a speshul snow flake by being a princess for sixteen years, and then all of a sudden when the identity spell is lifted there鈥檚 all this magic in her as well. I loved the reason of the magic exposing itself as well: it just needs to get out and be used.
I think the only issue I really had with the book was the choice of narration. There were a few times later in the novel where we got stuck in Sinda鈥檚 head as she considered all her options for quite a few pages. It didn鈥檛 quite gel with me, but I鈥檓 sure some other people would like that. There were also some cases where interesting events were summarised, but I think that was done for the sake of word count. It wasn鈥檛 a case of 鈥榖uild up the next scene to make it so totally awesome then make all the action offstage鈥 a la Linger鈥
I really loved the plot. Once the mystery was revealed, I was racing along with Sinda to try and figure out the answer. However, I got there a lot earlier than Sinda did, and spent the rest of my time second-guessing myself. It became obvious to me after a few references of the same thing. I suppose that鈥檚 foreshadowing, and it can鈥檛 be helped. And I really loved the villain鈥檚 motivation! I totally could not see logic in it at all (view spoiler)[I mean, it鈥檚 a succession thing, right? So the elder female of the twins inherits the crown, not the younger male (in this world). If it were passed over an elder female for a male monarch it鈥檇 make more sense for the war, but that鈥檚 not the way royalty works in this world (hide spoiler)], but that鈥檚 the way I am with a few real life people, too!
It was still pretty damn good. It鈥檚 a really great court intrigue high fantasy novel and I really enjoyed it. I鈥檒l be looking for Ms O鈥橬eal鈥檚 future books as well....more
I can't for the life of me come up with any good reason for why this book is 4 stars and not 5 stars. Normally five stars Also appears on
I can't for the life of me come up with any good reason for why this book is 4 stars and not 5 stars. Normally five stars for me are rated for books that have a huge emotional impact or connection, or challenge me (or are just plain and simply awesome, or I read in my childhood and I'm totally nostalgic for). I didn't really have an emotional connection but this book did have an emotional impact on me, because I cried in one particular part near the climax. Still, if you ask me what you could change about this book to make it 5 stars, I wouldn't be able to tell you. I really liked it, to me it just wasn't amazing. However, I would recommend it to romance readers and people who love contemporary YA.
And I think it's a really beautiful novel about two damaged people learning to love and overcome their fears. The romance developed nicely and despite Meg's age (17) it was totally believable.
And I totally love Meg's attitude. She's not a bitch, just a rebel with no cause and no fear. John was a giant sweetheart and a total hottie (I don't often find literary characters hot but Echols' descriptions were really great, and I got sucked in to Meg's head to see the attraction) but there was something about him that made me feel that he was a tiny bit manipulative. Maybe it was his protectiveness and his need to CONTROL ALL THE SITUATIONS but he seemed to manipulate Meg a bit, especially physically which is so NOT okay especially as he's this huge cop and she's this tiny teenager.
Well sure, the entire plot revolves around John's decision to make Meg ride along with him. And I secretly have a thing for Gothic novels, which abhors the feminist side of me, because the I'd hate to be in the same position myself but there's a reason Belle from Beauty and the Beast was my favourite Disney princess for many years. I like reading about strong girls trapped in an environment with an older dude who has a position of power over her. Don't do that to me in real life, but I kind of like it in my entertainment. It's my guilty pleasure. That's why I liked The Castle of Otranto, Northanger Abbey, and Jane Eyre.
Going Too Far isn't a Gothic novel, but it does have the basics of one. Meg often wonders if she's suffering from Stockholm Syndrome because she's being forced to spend time with Officer Hottie.
The novel was written okay. I had some issues with the text, mostly because I think they might have been speaking in slang sometimes and I'm not from America, and sometimes the dialogue was ambiguous and vague so it took me a few pages to realise what they were talking about (view spoiler)[especially when Meg and John made a date to have sex and kept referring to it as 6:01AM Thursday, which was the time Meg's ride along would be over (hide spoiler)]. But I'm clever enough to work it out in the end, and maybe that's what matters.
Pretty much the only problem I had with the book was at the end (view spoiler)[when Meg decided to dye her blue hair back to brunette. I understand why she did it - because the blue dye represented her fight with cancer, and accepting that it was over meant going back to a normal colour. But to me it looks like the shrew has been tamed - that the wild child has settled down. I know characters have to change over the course of novels but I would have liked it if she dyed it a colour that wasn't her natural colour: blonde, or auburn, or even green. The dye represents a change in her attitude but the colour delivers the message to the reader. (hide spoiler)]
If you like contemporary YA romances you'll probably love this....more
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