Book Reviews

Pandemonium - Lauren Oliver

Have you ever had a love-hate relationship with a story? I've had that experience with several books in the past (The Host by Stephenie Meyer and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold to name a couple), and, unfortunately, this book falls into that category for me. Pandemonium is the second book in the "Delirium" trilogy by Lauren Oliver. I was so blown away by the first book (as you can read in my previous blog post here) that I was both excited and worried about reading this one - excited to continue along in the heart-in-your-throat, gut-wrenching story that was presented in the first book, but worried that it would never measure up. Well, the tally is in...and here's how it looks.

Aesthetics
The cover art is beautiful, hands down. I would argue, though, whether or not it actually communicates anything about the plot of the story. The title is perfect for the overall tone of the book and carries over nicely from the ending of the first installment in this trilogy, reminding the reader with a simple word of all the emotions evoked by the Delirium experience.

Plot
Amazon's description of Lauren Oliver's Pandemonium:

"I’m pushing aside
the memory of my nightmare, pushing aside thoughts of Alex,
pushing aside thoughts of Hana
and my old school,
push,
push,
push,
like Raven taught me to do.
The old life is dead.
But the old Lena is dead too.
I buried her.
I left her beyond a fence,
behind a wall of smoke and flame."

Sometimes, as readers, we want the story to go the way we expect. Some of us even feel a need for the story to go that way, as if during the course of the book we've formed relationships with the characters and want to see them prosper, triumph, achieve a form of happiness no matter how dire the situation...etc. Other times, however, I find myself wishing that I hadn't come up with the ending, or at least, in this case, the next path that the author would take. I wanted Oliver to wow me with this book, to take her characters to a level I'd never imagined, to blow my mind as she did in the first book. Hell, I would've been okay with the extreme disappointment that I felt after reading Mockingjay (the last in trilogy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins), just so that the experience would have been raw and new. I'm sorry to say that it didn't happen - no sorrow, no shock, not even disappointment. If I had to describe this book in one word, I would use predictable, and I'm so sad about that fact that I don't know if I'll read the third book. There's a large part of me that wishes that I'd stuck to the gut feeling that I should have stopped with book one. When I say I have a love-hate relationship with this book...you guessed it. It's (very unfortunately) the plot that I "hate." Don't get me wrong, though...I enjoyed the read. I think my expectations were extraordinarily high because the first book moved me so much. I'm hoping that this book suffers from "middle book" syndrome, and that the last installment will wrap things up for me in a way that makes me fall in love with the story all over again.

Overall Readability
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Oliver is a master of words. Despite the predictability of plot, I loved the writing. It's truly beautiful. I wish it was enough to save the story. However, the book is written in a series of "then" and "now" chapters, and I wish it had just been written as a sequential series of events. The flashbacks made the story seem choppy, and since the first book wasn't written this way, it serves to further break apart the two instead of allowing them to flow nicely together.


Recommendation
If you read Delirium and loved it, you're going to be very tempted to read this book. At the end of the day, I know I'll read the entire trilogy, if not for any other reason but that I simply have to finish, to allow the author to play out the story and to give her one last chance to wow me again like she did in book one. That being said, my recommendation on this one will be "give it a chance," because there is still great potential in the trilogy as a whole.

If you do decide to read, be sure to pick up Hana - A Delirium Story and read that first. This is a super short, easy read written from Hana's (the main character's best friend) perspective. I mentioned before that Oliver has not just created a story but an entire world, and this novella only serves to expand that world for the reader. I love when authors do this, and I think you'll find that it will enrich the reading experience of this trilogy as a whole if you take part in this "bridge" story, too.
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Warm Bodies - Isaac Marion

I'll admit it: I hate horror movies. When I say I hate them, I really and truly mean that I hate them, so much so that I will literally walk out of a room if one is on TV, or opt out of a night with friends if watching one is on the itinerary. I don't find them entertaining, and I've always been that way. So, honestly, I find myself wondering why in the world I read the description to this book and thought to myself "Hmm. This actually sounds like it could be interesting. Why not? I'll give it a try." That being said, here are my thoughts...

Aesthetics
The cover and title for this book get two thumbs up from me. There's no question that this is a zombie novel. The Kindle version of this book, however, bothered me a bit - there are a lot of breaks in the book (it's written in three parts), and the blank pages between each break were a bit of a distraction from reading. I'll explain more below, but the story isn't broken up enough between the three parts to truly warrant an entire blank page between each one.

Plot
Amazon's description of Isaac Marion's Warm Bodies:

"R is a young man with an existential crisis--he is a zombie. He shuffles through an America destroyed by war, social collapse, and the mindless hunger of his undead comrades, but he craves something more than blood and brains. He can speak just a few grunted syllables, but his inner life is deep, full of wonder and longing. He has no memories, no identity, and no pulse, but he has dreams.

After experiencing a teenage boy's memories while consuming his brain, R makes an unexpected choice that begins a tense, awkward, and strangely sweet relationship with the victim's human girlfriend. Julie is a blast of color in the otherwise dreary and gray landscape that surrounds R. His decision to protect her will transform not only R, but his fellow Dead, and perhaps their whole lifeless world.

Scary, funny, and surprisingly poignant, Warm Bodies is about being alive, being dead, and the blurry line in between."

I spent a large portion of this book feeling extremely disgusted, to the point that I had to put the book down and do something else to get my mind off of it. Oddly enough, the prose is not overly descriptive; I'm just that kind of reader. There's something about a first person narrative that describes consuming a "pink" and "warm" brain that just makes me squeamish. For those of you who have stronger stomachs than I have, this might not bother you. For those of you who love zombie movies, this might intrigue you. And I will say that the story itself is interesting. I'll give it that much. But it's entirely unbelievable, and a little cliche. If you've seen a zombie movie (let's say 28 Days Later, which is actually the only "zombie" flick I've ever seen that I even somewhat liked), you've pretty much read this book; the only real difference between the two is that instead of spending most of your time with the still-living humans, you're experiencing everything through the mind of the Dead. Character-wise, though, you've got a Dead narrator who can't remember his past, which unfortunately (for me anyway) made it a little harder to truly connect with and care about, a damsel in distress who is not entirely weak (but also clearly has issues), and supporting characters who seem expendable at best. I know I'm being a little harsh here; however, all of this being said, the book gets a 4 1/2 star rating (out of a possible 5) on Amazon. It seems that I'm very clearly in the minority when it comes to my opinion on this story.

Overall Readability
This is Mr. Marion's first novel, and while I'm not wild about the subject matter, there are glimpses (however brief) of great potential in his work. If he strays from the zombie theme in his next book, I'd love to read another one of his stories. As mentioned above, the story is broken into three parts, and while these steps do progress in a way that makes sense (and honestly, I do like the titles of these pieces as they have potential to impact the story and aid the reader in a more substantial progression of plot), I just don't know that it works as well as it should. It is my opinion that, if a book is broken up into "parts," then each of those parts should stand on its own in some way; these parts don't ever wrap themselves up in a manner that feels as if you have closed one chapter and are starting another, with the exception of the odd placement of third person prose in the paragraphs directly following each break.

All in all, I have to wonder if I was so distracted by my disgust over the whole brain-eating thing that I just couldn't see past it to appreciate the story. I honestly don't know.

Recommendation
I wanted to like this book. I really, really did. I just...didn't. The story wasn't powerful enough to overcome my disgust, in the end. I was looking for something truly different, and I wanted this book to be it, for it to cure my hatred of the zombie "genre" forever. I think I may have expected too much.

Still, if you think you might like it (I know there are plenty of people who did!), here's the link - if you read it, let me know what you think.

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Delirium - Lauren Oliver

After reading The Hunger Games, I was on the hunt for another dystopian story to dig into (glutton for punishment, I know!) when I came across Delirium. I was intrigued by the idea of the book, so I figured I'd give it a shot - and wow, I'm really glad I did.

Aesthetics
Hardback and Kindle covers for this book leave something to be desired; that being said, the paperback copy of this book will be released in February 2012, and the cover art for this version is beautiful. One of my favorite elements of this story is that Oliver is not just telling you a tale - she's creating an entire world for you. Each chapter begins with an excerpt from "educational textbooks" and "required readings" that the society has been built around (and, if you visit the author's website, you can learn even more about this literature). This really makes it feel that this society, while not necessarily real, is at least possible. For me, this added a new and interesting level to the reading experience.

Plot
Amazon's description of Lauren Oliver's Delirium:

"They say that the cure for Love will make me happy and safe forever. And I’ve always believed them. Until now. Now everything has changed. Now, I’d rather be infected with love for the tiniest sliver of a second than live a hundred years smothered by a lie"

This book is relatively long, in YA terms (it's a whopping 480 pages - and, unlike Twilight, NOT printed in super large font), and there's a lot going on. I, for one, devoured this novel the first go around, before I even knew that it was the first of a trilogy. The explanations and details of the everyday life of the characters draw a connection not only to the narrator but to her friends and family. Because of this, I found myself caring not only about the decisions made by the main character but by her supporting cast as well. The romance is sweet without being cheesy, and I loved watching the main character grow as she steadily learned the truth about her life.

I will say that I was slightly disappointed when I found out that this was the first of a trilogy and not a stand-alone novel. The story has so much power on its own that when I finished it I was just - in awe. Speechless - which, for me, says a lot (at least when it comes to books!). I truly hope that the other two books are just as wonderful as this one.

Overall Readability
Wow. WOW. Oliver was born to write. She weaves words together lyrically, as if writing a song that you could listen to over and over again. I love the metaphors and anecdotes that she includes within her prose. I felt like I could highlight the whole book with quotes that I loved.
That being said, I have recommended this book to a couple people who just couldn't get into it. The story starts somewhat slowly, and really stays relatively sluggish until the halfway point - some readers will find themselves wishing that they could fast forward past the details and get to the point. I, however, was sold by the first chapter.

Recommendation
This book ranks up there as one of my favorites. I've read this book twice (so far), and I loved it even more the second time. Even though I knew what was coming, the ending still knocked me off my feet and brought tears to my eyes. I hope that you all pick it up and give it a chance - and are as strongly affected as I was. What a journey!
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The Scorpio Races - Maggie Stiefvater

Some people say that the first line of a book defines the entire story. This is one of those cases.

"It is the first day of November and so, today, someone will die."

The book starts dark and tragic, and the story is no different. That being said, it is also one that gripped my heart. Here are my thoughts:

Aesthetics
The cover art for this book is beautiful, dark and mysterious, conveying the theme and overall feel of the story itself beautifully. The title is simple and functional, with no hidden meanings or metaphors.

Plot
Amazon's description of Maggie Stiefvater's The Scorpio Races:

"Some race to win. Others race to survive.

It happens at the start of every November: the Scorpio Races. Riders attempt to keep hold of their water horses long enough to make it to the finish line.

Some riders live.
Others die.

At age nineteen, Sean Kendrick is the returning champion. He is a young man of few words, and if he has any fears, he keeps them buried deep, where no one else can see them.

Puck Connolly is different. She never meant to ride in the Scorpio Races. But fate hasn't given her much of a choice. So she enters the competition - the first girl ever to do so. She is in no way prepared for what is going to happen."

Honestly, this book will not speak to everyone in the way it spoke to me. I happen to love horses. Even though the animals in this book are supernatural, the story spends a good deal of time discussing the relationships between humans and horses as well as the every day chores that are related to the care of the animals. People who are familiar with this may appreciate it, while others may not. The story itself is strong enough to surpass this aspect, however, and there are many levels of the plot to appreciate. Poverty, duty, strength, loss, love...all are prevalent in this book, and all are handled in different ways (particularly by the two main characters). This book isn't about circumstance; it's about doing what you must to change a situation, and the truth that "fate" rarely deals out easy hands. One of my favorite aspects about this story is that it blends fantasy with realistic fiction in a way that makes it easily accessible to readers. Lovers of Stiefvater's fae fiction and her Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy will gobble up the lore and fantasy elements of the water horses, while those new to fantasy won't feel too forwardly thrust into that world.

Overall Readability
Even though the first sentence is a doozie, the book itself moves rather slowly. I wouldn't qualify this as an "easy read," simply because of the pace. The story isn't just about the action, though there are certainly moments that will bring your heart to your throat. The book is beautifully written, the descriptions taking the reader straight to the setting and allowing them to experience life on the island as if they too lived there. Relationships are built with care, which in turn builds anticipation for how the characters are affected by the ultimate outcome of the story. Chapters alternate between the perspectives of the two main characters, which, while functional, doesn't truly add anything to the telling of the tale.

Recommendation
Do I recommend this one? Yes. Absolutely yes. It's a beautiful, dark tale that will move you in ways you don't expect. Get it now!