Fallen and Torment by Lauren Kate

Have you ever put off reading a book series because you were intimidated by , or embarrased by, or just uncomfortable with the cover art? I bought these books more than a month ago and I just mustered the courage to read them, because the gothic-emo-girl supernatural cover art just really makes me cringe and go back to a time when I was that gothic-emo girl. Not pretty memories, okay? But I was really pleasantly surprised by Fallen.

The setting is wild and fantastically gothic and ridiculously kitsch, don't get me wrong. The characters range from "I hate myself" to "I hate you" to "I hate everything". Nothing much happens, plot-wise, until half way through the book, when you begin to realize that the people around Luce are not the people she, (and you, by proxy), thought that they were. It is far from boring, however. I think that it is painfully realistic the way Luce's situation is portrayed and the confusions and emotions she is dealing with are easily relatable. The flashes of humor and the small bits of light-heartedness that can be glimpsed through the otherwise heavy and gloomy atmosphere of the book are well-placed and not overworked. The big reveals at the end don't answer every question, and plot holes that you may be questioning feel like they will, at some point, be revealed. I was honestly reminded of Harry Potter- Dumbledore tells Harry and his friends only the bit that they absolutely need to know, and waits for them to figure out the majority of the answers themselves. I really despise YA fantasy novels that leave no mystery or room for growth for their world to take shape in the rest of the novels in the series, so I really appreciated that Luce is on a need-to-know basis and there is a huge promise of more secrets to be revealed- and even more questions, as well.

So I tore through Fallen and immediately started Torment. I was hooked right away, especially since there is a very distinct timeline given for Luce to get her act together and figure things out, and for her friends to prepare themselves for some major stuff. 18 days! That is all that happens in this whole novel- the agonizingly slow "torment" of waiting 18 days for the pot to boil over. Of course, there is still the torment of Luce's uncomprehending stupor to enjoy (sarcasm, sarcasm, sarcasm). She meets so many new complex and achingly REAL characters in this episode, and each of those characters go through a lot of identity searching. Luce is trying to find her identity, but it is sort of impossible for her to really find who she is while allowing the boy she loves to tell her who she is instead. I'm not implying anything here, I just found it annoying that she was so complacent after getting so angry at Daniel for telling her what she can and can't do. The love story feels real, although I will admit that at times it is kind of forced. A new love interest is introduced (because of course!), and Luce has to decide between the cycle of arguing/fighting and kissing/loving relationship of passionate love, and the easy-going, dependable, unfaltering faith of sweet love. Not really fair, given the inability of ANYONE to tell her what is going on- although it's clear just about everyone understands the big issues. I was so sad and a little disappointed that not much more of the lore of this world is embellished, and of course, because the novel is just a maddeningly devout effort to keep any answers away from Luce, it is hard for the reader to get any real substance out of the book besides straight character development. I was a bit disappointed that the answers never came to the questions that feel very urgent to everyone in the story and that more questions were added on, but I STILL want to know what happens, so I'm going to be starting Passion right about... MEOW. Anyway, 4 1/2 stars for Fallen for being a great introduction to a paranormal romance series, but only 3 1/2 stars for Torment, because I was hoping that the teasing agony of not knowing information that all of the characters but Luce have access to would lead to some answers, but it never did.

May To- Read

May To-Read List 

(Forgot to picture Clockwork Prince)

Black Heart by Holly Black - (Curseworkers #3)

The rare and highly sought-after spectacular finale to a spectacular series. Holly Black has totally encapsulated what it means to love, what it means to be a good or bad person, and what it means to be a friend and brother/son/grandson. Cassel is wonderfully and beautifully "flawed". This series is absolutely fantastic. My only complaint with this book is that it was too short, I wish that there was much more for me to read about Cassel, Lila, Barron, Daneca, and Sam. And also, WHERE IS THE FREAKING MOVIE FOR THIS SERIES?!?!

Paradise by Toni Morrison

I didn't exactly enjoy the process of reading the novel, because the writing is hard to follow and demands full attention of the reader. Overall, I think this is a great read for literature students, African studies, gender studies, etc. The novel was difficult for me to wade through, but the unique fluidity of the timeline and the events and character developments are very gripping and provide a driving force that makes the less interesting parts bearable. I think this novel has added to my knowledge of literature, and women, and just the psychology and social interactions of people as a whole. There is a lot contained here: some things expected and over-worked, many surprising elements and ideas, enough mystery to keep you hooked, enough detail to keep you analyzing, and enough action to provide an interesting plot in a genre typified by plot-less, character-intensive styles of writing. Overall, a great novel to read and be able to discuss with someone else in the context of critically thinking about lit, sociology, and psychology (a book club, a close friend, a high school or college class, etc), but probably not a leisurely read for pleasure. The genealogies and painfully detailed histories add depth and give the town a basis in reality, but they subtract from the pure enjoyment of reading.

April Book Haul

The Devil Wears Prada -- Lauren Weisberger
amsterdam -- Ian McEwan
From Dead to Worse --Charlaine Harris
Dead and Gone -- Charlaine Harris
Dead Reckoning --Charlaine Harris
Deadlocked -- Charlaine Harris
Black Heart -- Holly Black
Fight Club -- Chuck Palahnuik
Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun-- J.R.R. Tolkien *
Artemis Fowl- #1 Eoin Colfer
The Arctic Incident -#2  Eoin Colfer
The Eternity Code- #3  Eoin Colfer
The Opal Deception- #4  Eoin Colfer
The Lost Colony- #5  Eoin Colfer
The Time Paradox- #6  Eoin Colfer
The Atlantis Complex- #7  Eoin Colfer
The Last Guardian- #8  Eoin Colfer

Book Challenge (April)

Another monthly update! I read 13 books this month, which brings my total for the challenge up to 35.

1. White Cat- Holly Black (Curse Workers #1)
     -young adult, fantasy, suspense
2. Monsters and Critics- J.R.R. Tolkien*
     -nonfiction, essays, tolkien-universe, medieval scholarship
3.Red Glove- Holly Black (Curse Workers #2)
     -young adult, fantasy, suspense
4. The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrun- JRR Tolkien *
     -mythology, fantasy, saga, epic
5. The Devil Wears Prada- Lauren Weisberger
    -young adult, romance, narrative
6. Black Heart- Holly Black (Curse Workers #3)
     -young adult, fantasy, suspense
7. Delirium- Lauren Oliver (Delirium, #1)
      -young adult, fantasy, romance
8. Housekeeping- Marilynn Robinson*
     -coming of age, fringe, regionalist
9. The House on Mango Street- Sandra Cisneros *
     -coming of age, fringe, regionalist
10. Artemis Fowl- Eoin Colfer
     -young adult, fantasy, adventure
11. Monsters and Critics (and other Essays)- J.R.R. Tolkien *
     -nonfiction, literary criticism, medieval literature
12. The Silmarillion -J.R.R. Tolkien *
     -fantasy, adventure, epic
13. The Arctic Incident- Eoin Colfer (Artemis Fowl #2)
     -young adult, fantasy, adventure