Slowly but surely, I will catch up on my reviews. Unfortunately, I don't think I will complete 52 books by next Tuesday. I'm reading the 50th now. But I'm not crushed-- I fulfilled the spirit of my goal and read a LOT this year.
Book 48 was Graceling by Kristen Cashore. I give it 4.5 stars.
In the world of Graceling, some individuals are born with two different colored eyes. This is the mark of a Graceling, one who has a gift or special ability, also known as a Grace. Graces can be anything from mind reading, to being exceptionally good at climbing trees, to being an excellent swimmer, to being a super human fighter. Gracelings usually aren't born with two different colored eyes-- this happens sometime after birth and reveals the Graceling, but sometimes it takes even longer for the Grace to make itself known. Parents and others must be watchful to discover the nature of the Grace. In some areas, Gracelings are feared or shunned; in others, revered.
Katsa, our main character, is believed to have the Grace of killing. In other words, don't mess with her. She is the niece of a king and has been essentially taken as his property, to do his dirty work throughout his and other kingdoms. If the king wants someone punished, he sends Katsa. She comes to a deeper understanding of what her Grace actually is part way through the book, and I'm glad the author chose to clarify/modify it. I wasn't altogether satisfied with the idea of her Grace simply being a superhuman ability to kill.
The main story of the book involves Katsa and her newfound friend and fellow Graceling Po, as they work together to save Po's niece from the clutches of a very bad man. There is much action, intrigue, and yes, some love.
It took me a bit, but I really liked the world Cashore created. I dove into the story and couldn't wait to find out how it would resolve. The one thing I am slightly disappointed about, after finishing, is that it appears the second book in the Graceling Ream series has nothing to do with Katsa and Po. I really grew to like those two and I was eager to read a sequel that continued their adventures together. Oh well.
The strongest criticism I have read in regards to this book deals with what some perceive as Katsa's anti-man/anti-marriage attitude. I can understand where these readers are coming from, but I don't agree whole-heartedly. In this book, Katsa has spent most of her life at the mercy and whims of her uncle, the king. She is, for all practical purposes, his property, and believes she must do as he bids. This means using her Grace to punish people with whom the king disagrees, whether they are in the wrong or not.
Part way through the book, with the help of Po, Katsa comes to realize that, in part because of her powerful Grace, she doesn't have to submit herself to the king. I don't think it is a spoiler to say that she decides to leave the king's service. She finally, for the first time in her life, feels like she is in control of herself. She begins to learn who she really is and make her own choices. This freedom strengthens her resolve, which she apparently has held since she was young, to never marry. Even after falling in love, Katsa refuses to agree to marriage. She ends up in what could probably be called an open relationship, and I think these plot choices are what angered some readers.
I disagree with the criticism for a few reasons. First, while the book doesn't exactly spell it out, it seems that the society Cashore created is meant to be similar to a medieval society, at least as far as the standing of women goes. They are more property than anything else. Because of the way Katsa has lived under the thumb of her uncle, she has never wanted to deliberately give herself as property to another man, even as a wife. This attitude is prevalent throughout the book and forms a pretty big part of Katsa's personaity, but I wouldn't characterize it as anti-marriage. I would say it is anti-subjugation of women. If Katsa didn't have to worry about being used and controlled, she wouldn't have the aversion to marriage that she has. It's not that she hates men, after all, she does fall in love. It's that she wants to be in control of herself and her Grace. Who can blame her for that? I don't think Cashore was trying to make a statement about modern day marriage at all, as some readers have inferred.
I'd definitely recommend this if you enjoy YA fantasy fiction. I plan to read the next two books.
Showing posts with label 4.5 stars. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 4.5 stars. Show all posts
Thursday, December 27, 2012
Thursday, December 6, 2012
47: Divergent
Divergent
Veronica Roth
4.5 stars
This is a YA book that I've heard a lot of hype about, but hadn't gotten around to reading. A friend in the ward so highly praised it that I finally went and placed a hold on it at the library. My number came up a lot sooner than expected and I picked it up and read it in about 2 days. It's not a short book, but it is a quick read.
Divergent belongs in the category of dystopian fiction-- the world, or perhaps only the U.S., or perhaps only Chicago, IL, has presumably been through some sort of catastrophe or breaking of society as we now know it. I say this because the setting is a future Chicago and references are made to Chicago landmarks, but there's isn't mention of anywhere else or whether the same social structure exists elsewhere.
This is one of the only issues I had with the book, but it's a fairly prominent issue and one that keep the book from being, for me, fantastic. I think books in this category need to have a solid foundation. For one, I want to know more of the why and how and when and, in this case, the what, that caused the societal breakdown and eventual rebuilding. Here, there is literally nothing. Perhaps these details are addressed in the other books, but if that is so I would have liked Roth to at least hint of that. As is, it's way too conspicuously absent for my taste.
To continue with the set-up, in this future Chicago, society is divided into factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, Amity, and Dauntless. After the breaking of whatever sort occurred, people divided up into these factions based on which human flaw they believed led to the downfall. E.g., members of Abnegation believe that selfishness was at the root of the downfall of society, and thus the faction now holds selflessness above all. Erudite believes that ignorance was the problem, so they value knowledge. Candor-- honesty. Amity-- peace. Dauntless-- bravery.
Each faction is responsible for certain jobs in the city, but this isn't explained super well. Most important to this discussion are Abnegation and Dauntless, which take care of volunteer work/cleaning and rebuilding, and security/protection, respectively. Truth be told, it seems that Dauntless are more or less the goths you remember from high school, mixed with some UFC and Evil Knievel. (No, really.)
Our main character is Beatrice Prior, a 16 year old girl born and raised Abnegation. The coming-of-age ceremony in this Chicago takes place at 16, when youth take an aptitude test designed to tell them which faction they truly belong in, and then make their choice of which faction they want to join. The test doesn't dictate your choice; it is merely supposed to reveal your true self. Beatrice's aptitude test yields surprising and mysterious results and for several reasons she ends up choosing to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless.
Most of the book deals with the fierce initiation process Beatrice-- now going by Tris-- goes through in the Dauntless compound. Along the way she learns more about herself, her test results, and the true inner workings of society. Things are definitely not what they seem, and it becomes clear that Tris may be one of the few who can make a difference.
I give this book 4.5 stars. I was uncertain through most of it whether I'd really love it or not, but the ending was well done and it came together for me. Although there are some glaring problems for me, I am not letting those affect my rating much because a) it was really fun to read, and b) as I said, the holes may be addressed/explained later. I'll give it a fair shake.
Some of the story was kind of predictable, but I was also taken by surprise more than once. There are some questions I have about Tris' family-- her mom especially-- that I'd really like to be answered in the following books.
The love story involving Tris is not overwhelming-- definitely not the focus of the book-- which I really appreciated, but it also wasn't as well developed as I'd have liked. I get kind of annoyed when two characters are suddenly smitten with each other and the author hasn't really given a lot of foundation. (At least in Twilight you know exactly why Edward is obsessed with Bella-- after all, she's like his own personal brand of heroin.)
This is Roth's first novel and I'm excited to read the second installment, Insurgent, as well as the third that is supposed to come out next fall.
Veronica Roth
4.5 stars
This is a YA book that I've heard a lot of hype about, but hadn't gotten around to reading. A friend in the ward so highly praised it that I finally went and placed a hold on it at the library. My number came up a lot sooner than expected and I picked it up and read it in about 2 days. It's not a short book, but it is a quick read.
Divergent belongs in the category of dystopian fiction-- the world, or perhaps only the U.S., or perhaps only Chicago, IL, has presumably been through some sort of catastrophe or breaking of society as we now know it. I say this because the setting is a future Chicago and references are made to Chicago landmarks, but there's isn't mention of anywhere else or whether the same social structure exists elsewhere.
This is one of the only issues I had with the book, but it's a fairly prominent issue and one that keep the book from being, for me, fantastic. I think books in this category need to have a solid foundation. For one, I want to know more of the why and how and when and, in this case, the what, that caused the societal breakdown and eventual rebuilding. Here, there is literally nothing. Perhaps these details are addressed in the other books, but if that is so I would have liked Roth to at least hint of that. As is, it's way too conspicuously absent for my taste.
To continue with the set-up, in this future Chicago, society is divided into factions: Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, Amity, and Dauntless. After the breaking of whatever sort occurred, people divided up into these factions based on which human flaw they believed led to the downfall. E.g., members of Abnegation believe that selfishness was at the root of the downfall of society, and thus the faction now holds selflessness above all. Erudite believes that ignorance was the problem, so they value knowledge. Candor-- honesty. Amity-- peace. Dauntless-- bravery.
Each faction is responsible for certain jobs in the city, but this isn't explained super well. Most important to this discussion are Abnegation and Dauntless, which take care of volunteer work/cleaning and rebuilding, and security/protection, respectively. Truth be told, it seems that Dauntless are more or less the goths you remember from high school, mixed with some UFC and Evil Knievel. (No, really.)
Our main character is Beatrice Prior, a 16 year old girl born and raised Abnegation. The coming-of-age ceremony in this Chicago takes place at 16, when youth take an aptitude test designed to tell them which faction they truly belong in, and then make their choice of which faction they want to join. The test doesn't dictate your choice; it is merely supposed to reveal your true self. Beatrice's aptitude test yields surprising and mysterious results and for several reasons she ends up choosing to leave Abnegation and join Dauntless.
Most of the book deals with the fierce initiation process Beatrice-- now going by Tris-- goes through in the Dauntless compound. Along the way she learns more about herself, her test results, and the true inner workings of society. Things are definitely not what they seem, and it becomes clear that Tris may be one of the few who can make a difference.
I give this book 4.5 stars. I was uncertain through most of it whether I'd really love it or not, but the ending was well done and it came together for me. Although there are some glaring problems for me, I am not letting those affect my rating much because a) it was really fun to read, and b) as I said, the holes may be addressed/explained later. I'll give it a fair shake.
Some of the story was kind of predictable, but I was also taken by surprise more than once. There are some questions I have about Tris' family-- her mom especially-- that I'd really like to be answered in the following books.
The love story involving Tris is not overwhelming-- definitely not the focus of the book-- which I really appreciated, but it also wasn't as well developed as I'd have liked. I get kind of annoyed when two characters are suddenly smitten with each other and the author hasn't really given a lot of foundation. (At least in Twilight you know exactly why Edward is obsessed with Bella-- after all, she's like his own personal brand of heroin.)
This is Roth's first novel and I'm excited to read the second installment, Insurgent, as well as the third that is supposed to come out next fall.
Friday, November 30, 2012
43, 44, & 45
So, I am trying to get caught up on my reading as well as my reviewing-- obviously. With just 4.5 weeks to go in 2012, I need to go pretty quickly if I'm to accomplish my goal.
Books 43 and 44 were Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the Half Blood Prince. As I've said before, I've really gotten into this re-reading of the HP books. I like to call OOTP the book of Harry's angst, and HBP is a punch in the gut. Both excellent. I may change my mind at some point, but I'm pretty sure HBP is my favorite of the series. I love seeing all the scenes in the Penseive of Tom Riddle's past. I love that Harry and Ginny finally find each other. I never get used to Dumbledore's fate. Well done, JKR. 4.5 and 5 stars.
Book 45 is Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris, quite a departure from most of the books I've been reading lately. This book was recommended to me by a woman in my RS book club, after I mentioned that I'd read and loved The Kite Runner. We were discussing how that book had helped us to learn more of a region of the world that is pretty foreign to most Americans, and she said she'd recently read several books by Ferraris and had really enjoyed the setting of Saudi Arabia.
Zoe Ferraris moved to Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War with her then-husband, a Saudi-Palestinian Bedouin. She lived in a very conservative Muslim community with his family, experiencing a side of the world that is totally unfamiliar to my American mind. The same area she lived in is the setting for Finding Nouf, which is a murder mystery/detective novel. The main character is a very devout Muslim man, and most of the book is told from his perspective-- which I found very enlightening. I obviously don't share his beliefs, but it was very interesting to me to get a glimpse into his thoughts and views, particularly on the very strict rules and laws regarding the conduct of women in that society and male-female interaction.
This book was rewarding for me as I am constantly on the lookout for ways to expand my understanding of the world and viewpoints that differ from mine. I want to know how and why other people believe things and live in ways that I can't fathom. I don't expect to be persuaded, I just want to understand. A lot of the things I learned from the book about how women are required to live over there made me sad, but I'm grateful to have a better understanding nonetheless.
I give the book 3.5 stars. While fairly well-written with some interesting plot twists, it is Ferraris' first novel and it shows. She has written two other novels in the same setting, both in the same genre as this one, and I would like to read at least one of them.
I'd sure love to read some more reviews, contributors. What have you been reading?
Books 43 and 44 were Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the Half Blood Prince. As I've said before, I've really gotten into this re-reading of the HP books. I like to call OOTP the book of Harry's angst, and HBP is a punch in the gut. Both excellent. I may change my mind at some point, but I'm pretty sure HBP is my favorite of the series. I love seeing all the scenes in the Penseive of Tom Riddle's past. I love that Harry and Ginny finally find each other. I never get used to Dumbledore's fate. Well done, JKR. 4.5 and 5 stars.
Book 45 is Finding Nouf by Zoe Ferraris, quite a departure from most of the books I've been reading lately. This book was recommended to me by a woman in my RS book club, after I mentioned that I'd read and loved The Kite Runner. We were discussing how that book had helped us to learn more of a region of the world that is pretty foreign to most Americans, and she said she'd recently read several books by Ferraris and had really enjoyed the setting of Saudi Arabia.
Zoe Ferraris moved to Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War with her then-husband, a Saudi-Palestinian Bedouin. She lived in a very conservative Muslim community with his family, experiencing a side of the world that is totally unfamiliar to my American mind. The same area she lived in is the setting for Finding Nouf, which is a murder mystery/detective novel. The main character is a very devout Muslim man, and most of the book is told from his perspective-- which I found very enlightening. I obviously don't share his beliefs, but it was very interesting to me to get a glimpse into his thoughts and views, particularly on the very strict rules and laws regarding the conduct of women in that society and male-female interaction.
This book was rewarding for me as I am constantly on the lookout for ways to expand my understanding of the world and viewpoints that differ from mine. I want to know how and why other people believe things and live in ways that I can't fathom. I don't expect to be persuaded, I just want to understand. A lot of the things I learned from the book about how women are required to live over there made me sad, but I'm grateful to have a better understanding nonetheless.
I give the book 3.5 stars. While fairly well-written with some interesting plot twists, it is Ferraris' first novel and it shows. She has written two other novels in the same setting, both in the same genre as this one, and I would like to read at least one of them.
I'd sure love to read some more reviews, contributors. What have you been reading?
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