Review of "Dearly Devoted Dexter (Dexter #2)" by Jeff Lindsay

DEARLY DEVOTED DEXTER (DEXTER #2)

by Jeff Lindsay 

A man who discovers his pants are on fire tends to have very little time to worry about somebody else's box of matches.

I thought I was going to like this better than the first installment, but I turned out to be wrong. There were a couple of things that made me like this, of course. First, I appreciated the effort that Dexter was trying to be normal; and it certainly was interesting to watch and see him try. Second, someone was finally becoming suspicious of our good old serial killer.

But I have a few issues too. 

The Dark Passenger seemed to be tugging on his sleeves to much, wanting to be the driver. How was Dexter actually able to resist this temptation? Again, he seemed too good to be true. Or indeed, maybe this was just the effect of trying to act "human" long enough. That being the case, one wouldn't really be able to expect too much slashing for Dexter's part here in Dearly Devoted Dexter. Speaking of which, Jeff Lindsay couldn't seem to think of new cases aside from cutting off body parts. But at least this time there was a twist.

Sure, Dexter was becoming more human, and yet he had shrugged his shoulders at Sergeant Doakes coldly. But sometimes, he would be narrating how happy he was, etcetera. I'm just saying that Lindsay should be clear about this "feelings" thing because it was inconsistent throughout the story.

There were more things I was quite comfortable about. Particularly, the thing between Debs and Kyle. Like what our now Sergeant Morgan always say, "What the fuck that does mean?" Seriously, when did that idea even emerge out of thin air, and dear Lindsay, we'd appreciate some help, you know. You could at least have given us some explanation. And, more importantly, is this problem that was also present in the first book and I had hoped would disappear: like other authors, Dexter was favored too much by his creator. He was always safe. And although there was certainly some suspense leading to his capture, in the end the readers would feel okay since we all knew deep inside that there was no way he would die, after all. True enough, look at what happened at the last chapter. Our dear boy was saved at the nick of time, while poor Doakes had to suffer too much. Okay, I don't really like the guy, but you'd have to feel bad for him. Lindsay treated him too badly and unfairly, like what he did to La Guetta at the first book. I'm seeing a pattern here. Hmm. Sounds suspicious.

Some tidbits were predictable (such as the thing about Cody), but most of them weren't, so I guess that's a plus point.

Maybe I'm being quite unfair to Lindsay too. But hey, don't take it the wrong way. I love Dexter to death and that's enough reason for me to go on reading to the end of the series.

Review of "Venus in Furs" by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

VENUS IN FURS ★☆☆☆☆

by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch

Love knows no virtue, no profit; it loves and forgives and suffers everything, because it must.

The first part of the book was quite sufficient and interesting enough. The haunting visions of the beautiful Venus wrapped in her furs dominated the beginning of the story. As Severin's tale was unfurled, it became a curious thing to see how far Wanda would go to feed his insane dreams and fancy, which primarily involves whipping him and completely dominating him. Basically, what Severin wanted was to be wholly under the power of a dazzling woman - who Wanda seemed to qualify - or so he thought. At first, Wanda was reluctant to abide by his wishes; she was experimenting. More often than not her compassion for the man would dominate and she would feel remorse for him, enveloping him in tender kisses to assuage the pain she inflicted. But Severin insisted that it was suffering he wanted. And that he was prepared to become a slave to the beautiful Wanda if thatwas the only way he could stay with her.

My love seems to me like a deep, bottomless abyss, into which I subside deeper and deeper. There is nothing now which could save me from it.

Before the contract between the two was signed, Severin has already performed his duties as a servant faithfully, much to the pleasure of Wanda, who was becoming pleased with her new power and position. As the story progressed, Wanda became even crueler and crueler, until a point that Severin began to think that he was beginning to despise her. However, one kiss or one embrace from her would immediately vanquish such thoughts. This became Severin's weakness and was a crucial thing that led him to his sad fate.

Well, perhaps BDSM just isn't my thing, but I found it rather strenuous to read through the passages of torture and Wanda's harsh laughter resonating in the air. At the beginning, I didn't feel the pain much, because Severin actually enjoyed the pain, I too wasn't burdened with the whips and lashes. But as the time passed by, his masochism would sometimes wear off and I'd cringe slightly whenever he received his blows.

The characters are twisted and mad, especially Severin. Even Wanda too goes beyond the boundaries of normal. But then, perhaps the main reason why I decided to pick this up is because I've grown tired of reading about stories where men beat up the women violently. I want a change of scene. And, obviously, I didn't like it either. BDSM really is just not my thing.

Review of "I'm the King of the Castle" by Susan Hill

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I'M THE KING OF THE CASTLE ★★★★★

by Susan Hill

Creepy. Disturbing. Emotionally exhausting. 

But in my opinion, I'm the King of the Castle is one of the most well-written novels out there. It seems wrong to say that this is one of my favorite without me appearing to be someone twisted and all that, but let me tell you: this is probably one of the most interesting books that I've read for ages.

This should be more popular, and this definitely shouldn't be priced at 10 pesos (though of course I am not complaining about that part). I will admit, I bought this because of two reasons: (1) the unbelievably cheap price, and (2) because of the cover. I'm a huge fan of impressionist/ post-impressionist art, in case you don't know. And indeed, the painting turned out to be a work of Van Gogh. Anyway, if there's one thing I'm certain of, it's that I'm thankful I bought this one.

It sure as hell was creepy. At first I thought it was a bit boring. Plus, the writing style of Susan Hill was simple and direct; she didn't bother with the flower descriptions (which was a drastic change from the novel I read previously, Paradise County). But soon, I was introduced to the character of Edward Hooper, shocked at his bluntness, shocked at the way his mind worked, given his age. In the beginning I could almost sympathize with him, I sort of understood his sentiments, and the fact that hereally didn't want anyone to come to Warings. 

However, when Kingshaw's point-of-view was shown, it became different. Kingshaw's fears were too real, too tangible, that I could feel everything that he was feeling--especially the way he was frightened about Hooper. The thing is, Kingshaw wasn't necessarily a coward; in fact, he was smart, and he didn't simply let Hooper have his own way. But heck, there was really something about Hooper.

The whole time, I was so tense and my heart was beating loudly, it was as though I were Kingshaw. Before I knew it, I had read at least 50 pages already without me noticing; that is how engrossed I was. I'm the King of the Castle is very hard to put down, once you've started to arrive at the suspenseful part. 

But, I suppose, that's the weird thing. This isn't really a thriller, and the things that Hooper did to Kingshaw weren't really as violent as I was expecting, but they were undoubtedly very frightening. It's the simple things that made everything so creepy. Those seemingly trivial things were the objects of terror during our childhood. God. I could feel Kingshaw's fear reverberating through the pages. And I couldn't believe the thoughts running in my head while I was reading this: "I want Hooper to die," and "If I were you, Kingshaw, I'd just run away and starve myself until I die" and stuff like that.

The characters? They're so difficult to wield into words. But hell, they're realistic. I'm so amazed Susan Hill was able to weave her characters like this. Although I'd say this book isn't really for someone young, I'm the King of the Castle shows that there are some things that adults will never understand. This as exemplified in the way that Mr. Hooper and Mrs. Kingshaw didn't even have the slightest notion as to what was happening between the two children. The kind of fear Kingshaw felt, not everyone could fathom that.

Several instances I found it so strenuous to go on, knowing that Kingshaw would have to suffer again sooner or later. But it's the idea of "not knowing" that made me continue, urging me to read forward because I was desperate to know what would happen next. Who would triumph in the end? 

Oh. And the ending. It was so tragic and sad, but I know that Susan Hill had no choice but to conclude the book that way. In the end, it would inevitably come to that, anyway. But goodness, I wasn't actually expecting her to actually to do it. It really makes me wonder how and why someone would make a novel like this--one that uses isolation as a central theme, one that uses children to symbolize several things, especially our fear.

It's hard to write a review for a book such as this one.

You really need to read it to understand.

Review of "Paradise County" by Karen Robards

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PARADISE COUNTY ★★★☆☆

by Karen Robards

I bought this for merely 25 pesos, and for its price, this surely was a very decent read. I wanted to read some romance and perhaps a bit of a thrill, and apparently Paradise County is the only romantic suspense that I have left. (I do need to start buying new books.)

Let's start with the romance. The tension at the beginning was nice, and as a reader, it really made you want to go on reading to see how things would end up. With the way Joe and Alex disliked each other when they first met (or technically, their second meeting), you'd think they wouldn't plausibly have fallen in love with one another anytime soon. But somehow or another they did, and it was interesting to read about the things that happened in between that gap. 

Indeed, the tension was too thick, especially in that shower scene. Alex's sexual awakening and the way her thoughts went were suspenseful, since it made me curious the entire time whether she'd actually act out on her impulses. The way her desires and thoughts were presented then was quite realistic and forceful, and I really could feel what she was feeling. And, days later, when she actually walked to Joe and kissed him, I was shocked and at the same time impressed with her courage. 

However, when the two finally began to be aware of each other (primarily after the scene mentioned above), the tension had dropped immensely, and I didn't find the romance between them as interesting as before. This continued until the end of the novel.

Now let's move to the suspense. Well, I was disappointed. Apart from the occasional scenes from the killer's point-of-view, there was hardly any thrill at all. I didn't get the sensation that I was seeking--that fingers-ramming-on-the-table and heart-hammering-against-the-chest kind of suspense. Too bad. It was mainly about Alex and her attraction to Joe, her paranoia in Whistledown, and so on. I was thoroughly disappointed that the romance and the suspense wasn't balanced, which should have been the case.

The characters? I didn't like Alex most of the time. I think she was a bit dull in the head, especially in times of distress. Neely could be very annoying, definitely not the kind of person I wish I knew. Eli and Josh were too 2-dimensional for my taste, and there was little development on their part. I think I like Joe best.

I have a few other comments. It was very predictable when Paul called her that the reason had something to do with their break-up. Or maybe that's just me, but I was able to guess it outright. Oh, and the way the universe just seems to favor Alex? It was plain annoying (as I've said, the break-up; and then the fact that they suddenly had to stay to the country for at least three weeks to develop her chemistry with Joe). I had some trouble with her prose, too. It was too flowery, and I believe Karen Robards could have done a great job eliminating those unnecessary description and adjectives. Which brings me, she has this tendency to spend a very lengthyparagraph just to describe the physical appearance of her characters. Okay. How many times did you think you have to mention about Alex being so gorgeous, beautiful, sexy, and Joe being so "mouthwateringly handsome," and "sex on a stick", before we understood? We got the gist already.

But despite that, I think Paradise County is okay because in some instances it got me hooked, and perhaps a bit excited about the romance too. I just thought that the conclusion messed up the whole thing. Sure, it was nice that Neely had a time to prove herself and to showcase her courage,but...the ending could have been better. 

It was very anti-climactic, especially when the killer just suddenly decided to set his lair on fire and escape (which was pretty stupid for him, too, if he really were as evil and cunning as he appeared to be). Then, in the next chapter, everything was okay. All of a sudden, things were already back in place. I could do with more suspense, I suppose. And the ending was just too abrupt. I was expecting more, I was wishing she'd tie the loose knots in the conclusion, but Karen Robards didn't. Anyway, I think I've been torturing this little paperback way more than I should have, but well, I was just hoping that I would really, really like this one.

Review of "Prey" by Michael Crichton

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PREY ★★★★★

by Michael Crichton

"If they were all concerned, why didn't they do something about it? But of course that's human nature. Nobody does anything until its too late."

Whoa. That was such an incredibly amazing read, I don't know what to say. Trust Crichton to make you read a book in one sitting. The longest will most probably take you two days. Most of his books (and I've read quite a lot of him already) I read in only a span of less than a day because it was just so damn hard to put them down.

For the first ten pages, Michael Crichton already got me hooked. He had this amazing skill of being able to transport you at once to the world of his characters, and this being a first-person narration, it made everything all the more powerful. As far as I know, he had never employed family ties as an important element in a story; at least, not like in Prey. It started out as a seemingly trivial episode of Jack's life as he tried to perform his daily activities as a "househusband". Then there was the usual dilemmas family encountered - siblings quarreling, misunderstanding between the couple, and so on. It was a nice change, since Crichton usually made his introduction dramatic and climactic. This time, he was trying to make everything mundane and let us have a feel first of the world the narrator lived in. And the thing is, it was very realistically portrayed, so much so that you'd think only someone who had firsthand experience of familial problems would manage to pull off something like that.

You couldn't complain about the suspense, either, because you'll be getting all the thrill you can possibly want. The whole time I had a difficult time forcing myself not to look at the bottom of the page to know what would happen to the characters.

"We looked at the world around us as a snapshot when it was really a movie, constantly changing. If course we knew it was changing, but we behaved as if it wasn't. We denied the reality of change. So change always surprised us."

I consider Michael Crichton at his best when he wrote about science, especially biology, his expertise. In fact, I'd admit he was one of my inspirations because he proved that science and creative writing could come together. Anyway, usually, I preferred it when he wrote in third-person limited, but I suppose Prey is an exception. The fact that the events could only be seen through the eyes of one person made everything more thrilling; and in the context of this story, it worked well.

Honestly, I can't find anything wrong with this novel. It wasn't too technical, as compared to the others. The details were being discussed in a conversational way that I didn't feel bored. And trust me when I say I really learned a lot of stuff while I was reading this.

I liked the characters because they were believable (not necessarily because they were likable), and I had witnessed their development, despite the short span of time. Although I'd admit, Jack also has one of the faults I found in Crichton's other characters: he was too heroic and brave, to the point of stupidity. But maybe that's what made him human.

Another comment is that some things were predictable. The moment Ricky appeared, I immediately knew that he might be the guy Jack's wife was having an affair with. And although it seemed to be true, Crichton used that seemingly disadvantage to weave something that was entirely unexpected. And because he still managed to impress me, I maintained the five-stars I was intending to give.

Classic Crichton. What more could I say? Definitely something I'd recommend to someone who hadn't read anything yet from this author. It really isn't surprising why this guy is one of my favorite writers of all time.

Review of "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens

A TALE OF TWO CITIES  ★★★★☆

by Charles Dickens

What an unexpected ride that was.

This is definitely not my first Dickens book; I've already read several others before, and thus far, I considered Great Expectations as my favorite. I was expecting that A Tale of Two Cities would change that opinion, this being primarily a love story and all (I am a sucker for romance, just so you know), but while I was reading, I wasn't too impressed.

When I was about halfway the third book, I told myself that Great Expectations still held the dearest place in my heart. I didn't find the romance in this novel sufficient for my liking; after Lucie and Charles had married, I thought that no other predicament could be encountered in their relationship anymore, thus I supposed I wouldn't have a touch for romance any longer. After all, Sidney Carton didn't seem like someone who'd suddenly interfere in their love for each other. I was disappointed with Dickens; for a novel so famously branded as "romance," it wasn't enough. Sadly, I didn't get what I was hoping for.

But then again, perhaps that's what made everything stand out. A good romance isn't merely about love triangles and such. Sometimes, one has to break the conventions and shine on its own right.

I'll talk more about that later. For now, I'll devote a few paragraphs for the characters in the story. I find some flaws in the way Dickens wove some of his characters; in this case, the problem is Lucie. She was just too perfect, too nice, too caring - she didn't seem to embody any fault; there basically wasn't anything disagreeable about her. The whole time I was reading, I found her character very suffocating, and it was a bit of a struggle to read her flowery and polished statements. But if her person wasn't too pleasing, the other women were commendable. The intimidating and domineering figure of Madame Defarge is an exemplary example. You could almost feel her coldness and apathy oozing out from the pages. And, of course, there was Miss Pross. That amazing, brave, and devoted woman - who wouldn't admire her?

For the other characters, I initially liked Charles Darnay, perhaps because of his rather rebellious air. I considered Sidney Carton too insignificant to garner my attention, and how very wrong I was. Anyway, as the novel progress, my admiration for Darnay began to dwindle; he too was becoming perfect. On the other hand, I suddenly became to notice Carton. When he headed to Lucie to confess his love, I was thoroughly irked. I liked Darnay to end up with Lucie then, I wanted the former to be happy after his struggle...but then again, after that chapter, my attention has wholly focused to Carton.

I think, I just found my favorite character so far in Dickens's books. His faults, his flaws, they all made him so human. Toward the end of the novel, when he visited Darnay in his cell, and when the enormity of what he was intending to do finally struck me, I was rendered speechless. Goosebumps dotted my arms, I was too stunned to go on, so much so that I closed the book and paused for a few minutes. He was ready to sacrifice his life, for someone he loved whom he knew he could never have. If thatwasn't enough romance, then I don't know what is. It's the very existence of Sidney Carton that made this novel very gripping and very powerful.

About majority of the time while I was reading, I was already ready to give this three stars, but as already mentioned, the conclusion changed that for me. Although it ended very tragically (as compared to his other works), it was the best choice for a conclusion. I didn't like the second book; I was confused on some parts and the other didn't make much sense. Of course, the third book was my favorite. It made me question humanity, too, especially in that instance when Darnay was freed because of the Doctor's influence - suddenly I felt Lucie's doubts and found logic in Madame Defarge's reasoning. Indeed, what about the others who weren't as lucky, but were as innocent as Darnay? 

But I didn't agree in most of Madame Defarge's point-of-view, of course. She was the embodiment of the crowd surrounding the La Guillotine - although it was wrong to kill the innocent, they'd agree to it, primarily to satiate their intense hunger for blood. It was the exact case with Madame Defarge, she had been too much blinded by her need for revenge, by her grim past, that she failed to distinguish the right and the wrong. A Tale of Two Cities was a powerful novel, perfectly showcasing how the society, how the human mind, works in the midst of a great distress. If there's one thing this novel taught me, it's never to give up on a book. Who knows, a gem might be hiding underneath, waiting to discovered. And the gem that I stumbled upon in the midst of all those mess is something that I will forever cherish.

Review of "A Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd

A SECRET LIFE OF BEES ★★★★☆

by Sue Monk Kidd

"If you need something from somebody always give that person a way to hand it to you."

This book is a gem. I read this as a late commemoration for the women's month, and it certainly was a fitting choice. It was very beautifully written too, not so artsy, not too simply: just right for a fourteen-year-old narrator. I can't point out what exactly it is that I like about A Secret Life of Bees. Was it the plot, the characters, or the symbolism? I found the constant appearance of quite endearing, it was as if I could hear the buzzing sound and see the whirring motion myself.

I can't say that I like Lily, sometimes I found her too unpredictable. But then again, I commend Sue Monk Kidd for being able to depict her accurately, based from her age. But certainly, I'd admit that she wasn't the most amazing heroine out there. If there's a character that I like, it must be August, or even more so, the calendar sisters in their entirety. I think I need not elaborate more on why I love those women. 

Perhaps, it was the story itself that got me going. While I was still at the beginning of the novel and still had about more than a hundred pages left to read, I was wondering, what more could happen in the span of those pages? After reaching Tiburon, South Carolina, what interesting thing could take place? The normalcy of the events was beautiful in itself; I was being exposed to a different time and a different culture. It was a wonderful reading experience.

Indeed, right after I read this, I felt so empowered as a young woman.

Review of "Fight Club" by Chuck Palahniuk

FIGHT CLUB ★★★☆☆

by Chuck Palahniuk

All right. I don't know what to feel about this one. Did I like it? Was it amazing? Did it annoy me? I certainly don't know how to answer these questions. It took me a long time to read this because of college stuff, but I would admit: several instances I didn't feel like picking this up and read it for leisure. I don't know. The gist of the novel just wasn't fit for relaxation, as you might well know.

Why did I give it three stars then?

The conclusion of the novel decided that for me. And, of course, the fact that Fight Club is unlike other stories that I've encountered before. The narrator was a bundle of contradictions, which is shown in the style with which he told the story. Gritty, crisp; sometimes harboring innocence. Sometimes mischief. All I'm certain of is that the whole thing was very confusing indeed.

Fight Club started out very quickly. As a reader, you'd feel the tension as the narrator neared toward his destruction. And then, all of a sudden, you are grabbed back and forth through time and through different places. Most of the time what happened in between didn't make sense. But I read on, hoping to scavenge something extraordinary in this roller coaster ride of a novel, only to find violence, violence, bad ass characters, and more chaotic adventures. I felt like everything was simply turning round and round and that the plot wasn't going anywhere.

As I've mentioned, I was only starting to like it when I was nearing the end. By then it wasn't just about violence and Marla and Tyler - other people were starting to be a part of the scenario. It wasn't merely revolving on Joe mumbling about Tyler and his escapades - they were actually doing things together (like that thing at the hotel). Especially at the part when people were starting to call the narrator Tyler and he didn't have the faintest idea why. I would commend Chuck Palahniuk for the way he decided to weave the conclusion of the novel. Most of the things mentioned at the beginning of the novel were starting to make sense. 

Apparently, though, it didn't make the novel less confusing. Admittedly, I would say I have more questions than answers after reading Fight Club.

Selected Tales by Edgar Allan Poe

SELECTED TALES ★★★☆☆

by EDGAR ALLAN POE 

"I blush, I burn, I shudder, while I pen the damnable atrocity."

I bought this book more than four years ago, but it is only a few days ago that I decided to read it completely. Sure, I've read some of the stories, but only about five or so. I have always loved The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart, the latter I read for at least five times. I will first present my individual ratings of the stories (the rating three stars for the book would be the average):

The Duc De L'Omelette ★☆☆☆☆
MS. Found in a Bottle ★★☆☆☆
The Assignation ★★★☆☆
Ligeia ★★★★☆
How to Write a Blackwood Article ★★★☆☆
The Fall of the House of Usher ★★★★☆
William Wilson ★★★★★
The Murders in the Rue Morgue ★★★★★
A Descent into the Maelstrom ★☆☆☆☆
The Island of the Fay ★☆☆☆☆
The Colloquy of Monos and Una ★★☆☆☆
The Oval Portrait ★★★★★
The Masque of the Red Death ★★★☆☆
The Mystery of Marie Roget ★★☆☆☆
The Pit and the Pendulum ★★★★☆
The Tell-Tale Heart ★★★★★
The Gold-Bug ★★★☆☆
The Black Cat ★★★★★
The Premature Burial ★★★★☆
The Purloined Letter ★★★★★
The Imp of the Perverse ★★☆☆☆
The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar ★★★★☆
The Cask of Amontillado ★★★★☆
The Domain of Arnheim ★☆☆☆☆
Von Kempelen and His Discovery ★★★☆☆

I really like the way Poe wrote - it was almost like poetry, especially the way he manipulated the words and juxtaposed them. His style was very lyrical and personal, and as a reader, I felt really drawn to the minds of the characters, as though I could see the workings of their minds through the writing. In a way, it was also reminiscent of the "stream-of-consciousness" style. That being said, I preferred it when he wrote in the first-person, so much so that in Ligeia, although it was primarily narration, I wasn't bored. His protagonists' voice were distinct as well.

He had this annoying habit though of lapsing into rantings and ramblings, as was seen in A Descent into the Maelstrom, The Island of the Fay, and The Imp of the Perverse. Furthermore, I struggled in some of the stories (including the three mentioned) because I was confused the entire time. It was greatly exemplified in The Duc De L'Omelette. I didn't know which was which, and who was talking to who. In my opinion, it was a terrible decision to place it at the very beginning.

I like Poe best as a horror writer, then detective, and least would be as a science-fiction writer. The MS. in a Bottle wasn't really that bad, but as a piece of science-fiction, it didn't stand out. However, The Murders in the Rue Morgue was absolutely amazing. His fictional detective, Dupin, was a genius and was quite memorable.

Need I say more about him as a horror writer? I found Ligeia to be predictable, but still, the amount of terror in the story still managed to make my hair rise at the end, especially because of the last sentence. As I've mentioned, I've read The Tell-Tale Heart numerous times before, and whenever I did, it always chilled me to the bone. The narrator's voice was so memorable, and it gave an accurate picture of the protagonist's character. He claimed that he wasn't a madman, but through the writing, every inch portrayed his insanity. The tone was darkly sarcastic, another indication of his madness. I admire Poe's usage of clear and specific imagery to draw in the readers to the scene.

I wouldn't say that reading Poe is an enjoyable experience. It isn't. His stories are disturbing, haunting, and frightening. It makes you wonder about how the human minds work, and how the author could capture the madness of his protagonists so accurately if he weren't mad himself. Read at least The Black Cat and The Tell-Tale Heart - if those aren't enough to make your hair rise in terror, I don't know what would.

Review of "City of Bones" by Cassandra Clare

WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD

Note: I have read the City of Bones a couple of years ago. However, I failed to write a review at the time. Having been fuzzy on some of the details (but of course I remember the ones that are very significant), I decided read the book again; and now I can finally make a review.

A word of caution before I start: I don't think I can make good reviews. This is pretty much more of a reflection of what I have read than the real kind of critique Literature professors produce. Generally, this is just me ranting and rambling. You have been warned.

Immediately after having read the City of Bones some years back, Cassandra Clare became one of my favorite authors. I couldn't get over the book and I read it afterwards for what seemed like endless times. I love her writing style SO MUCH. It's very vivid, plus her descriptions are so detailed, but not to the point of being wordy and tight to read. She inspired me to improve my own writing - I can say that she's one of my ideal writers. We should admit it - these days it's quite difficult to stumble upon a writer who doesn't only have amazing stories, but also have the skill to narrate it perfectly. (That is why most of my favorite authors are Classic writers; they wrote stunningly well.) But Cassandra Clare is different from writers in this age: she is the epitome of what a great story-teller should be (Isn't it still obvious how much I love her?).

The book is thick but I managed to read it in less than a day. One sitting if I didn't have other things to attend to. It is surprising how the whole story occurred only in a span of two weeks. So many events have happened; and yes, some might seem pretty mundane but they actually contributed to making this story more readable and realistic. It isn't like other books which would skip for a succession of days, and then afterwards so many things have happened and you would be left wondering: "How did it become like this?" In the City of Bones you would never ask that question. You would witness how the events unfurl yourself. You would see the process of how things came to be.

Jace swiftly became my fictional crush, that need not be said. But thinking deeply, he isn't really what you would call the kind of guy girls would usually dream for. Sure enough, he's gorgeous, dangerous and hot and goodness knew what else, but he had another side. Sarcastic and witty and talkative? Where do you see those in a girl's fantasy? He is very charming, but his personality at times seems off and undesirable to me for a guy. But then again, that's where the wonder lies. He's different. He doesn't only portray perfection, but he has a "not-quite-hot" side too that makes him realistic.

The romance between Jace and Clary? At the very beginning of the book, it was obvious there would be something between them and they would eventually fall for one another. It was expected, but still, the chapter The Midnight Flower (which is my favorite, by the way) still impressed me a lot. The romance was amazing in the sense that even though you expected it, it still managed to become unexpected. And fortunately, it is not love at first sight or Clary thinking that Jace is so damn sexy she wants him. That would be annoying. The two of them are often together and we readers have seen how they interacted with each other - just normal, with its ups and downs. We wouldn't know when exactly the romance started. It just didn't happen and emerge all of a sudden. It came about gradually, when we are too busy reading through their adventures that we wouldn't be bothering to think how they suit each other very well.

And now.

The revelations.

In some books the authors make a revelation in a really overly dramatic manner, but then the revelation doesn't seem so surprising, thus only rendering me infuriated. Why make a big deal when it's not so unexpected and startling anyway? But again, Cassandra Clare turned the tables. Even if this isn't the first time that I read this, I still have goosebumps while reading those one-sentence revelations usually located at the end of the chapter. I can't imagine how I must felt the first time I read this. It would be superbly astonishing.

Let me cite some for purposes of example:

• Jocelyn Fray is Valentine's wife.
• Hodge is a traitor.
• Luke is a werewolf.
• Clary is Valentine's daughter.
• Valentine is Jace's father.

All right. I was already expecting Valentine to be Clary's father, and while I read, I was feeling so mighty of myself, saying: "Hah! I managed to see through what you're thinking, Cassandra Clare."

But boy was I wrong. I wasn't expecting there to be more surprises. Like, VALENTINE IS ACTUALLY JACE'S FATHER? So they are siblings? (But of course, I know they're not. I feel it. Then it is confirmed after I stumbled upon some spoilers.)

I was like: "CASSANDRA CLARE YOU ARE AMAZING!"

And when Valentine was manipulating their emotions because they loved each other? It was so disturbing and yet very well executed. I might as well say, since in every book there will be one character or so who would strike me as interesting, I'd say Valentine topped the list. (I know it's incorrect for me to think this, but he seems rather hot to me. Badass. But evil, of course.)

I think Magnus Bane is so cool as well. And when I learned that Godfrey Gao would play him in the movie, and when I saw this picture:

I would tell you, I almost fainted. He is perfect to play Magnus Bane and that shot is just so hot!

(All right, I think I'm straying away from my original intention already.)

Aside from those two, Simon is also pretty interesting. He's the kind of person that could be my friend. His sense of humor is epic. He and Jace together will start a war of words. I felt bad for him as well, because it hurt me that he was wounded when he discovered there's a thing between Jace and Clary in The Midnight Flower . . . and yet he is still such a true friend. He's just so amazing.

Some concepts in the book are cliche or are becoming too overused (vampires, werewolves, fallen angels, witches, etc) but Cassandra Clare, being a spectacular author, managed to pull it off. Even though some ideas are not new, she was able to present them in a way that made them seem fresh.

I think this review-slash-rant will never come to an end, so I might as well try to refrain myself from rambling further. For a final word, let us hear a few words from Lucian Graymark:

"Disappointed you didn't get to marry him yourself, Blackwell?"

That, Luke, is amazing. Despite the tension, I found myself laughing at your wit.

Review of the "Beautiful Creatures"

I had so much expectation for this book. I really was hoping that I would like it. The cover was fantastic. There are two authors who worked hard for it, so surely it must be something.

Unfortunately, though, it disappointed me. It was a bit okay, but not enough to make me want to read the next book immediately. I don't know whether I'll read the rest still. I might give Beautiful Darkness a try, but the chances are slim.

The main problem? There were lots of cliches. It wouldn't take a genius to figure that one out. Sure enough, there were a few things that I liked - how it mentioned To Kill a Mockingbird, one of my favorite books, how the narrator is a male, which is quite rare in YA books . . . etc. However, the negatives outweighed the positive sides. Forbidden romance has been done multitudes of times; and needless to say, with its prevalence, only very few can pull it off. Sadly, these two authors didn't manage to do it.

A lot of the parts bored me. There was hardly any excitement or tension that would make you want to flip to the next page at once. The narration seemed to make a big deal out of the problem of the story, but certainly, the conclusion was very obvious. How very ironic, it's just like the way Ethan Wate can swiftly decipher the ending of a movie at the very beginning. It's similar to that. Except for the fact that you don't need to have a special thinking ability or something to figure out how the book would turn out.

Ethan Wate, of courses, had touches of the usual male narrators and protagonists. But despite that, I liked him in a way. He's the sort of person that could be my friend. Macon Ravenwood is rather interesting, but not necessarily original. Perhaps it's just me being impressed by characters who possessed that kind of enigmatic personality.

Overall, I don't really like this book. I am very disappointed. But as I've said, I might give it a try. Who knows? Perhaps the second book or the succeeding installments would be much better. I'm not getting my hopes high though.

Review of "The Serpent's Shadow" by Rick Riordan

NOTE: I don't think I can make good reviews. This is pretty much more of a reflection of what I have read than the real kind of critique Literature professors produce. And I would suggest you continue reading this (assuming you'd actually bother to do so) if you're finished will all the other books of Rick Riordan, because I will make some references. If not, then back off, because I don't suppose you'd want to be spoiled about Percy Jackson and the Olympians or The Heroes of Olympus series. Generally, this is just me ranting and rambling. You have been warned.
 

So. Here goes nothing.

As mentioned earlier, I have read ALL of Rick Riordan's books, except for those under the 39 clues series. His writing style improved tremendously compared to The Lightning Thief. Before, I would honestly say that I was purely driven to continue reading because of the plot and the characters, but his writing? Not so much. But as the Kane Chronicles progressed, I would give him a thumbs-up for his great improvement.

Reading the first page of the Serpent’s Shadow quite surprised me. I couldn’t believe it was only a trilogy. We all know that Riordan’s other series are definitely more than three books. But then again, with his knack of surprises, I won’t be surprise if another book comes out. Though it may not be officially a part of the Kane Chronicles, then perhaps it could be something like The Heroes of Olympus. Or, of course, a crossover between the two worlds.

One of the things that I like about Riordan is his ability to make interesting characters. In this installment, I would say that I have found Setne interesting. The same way Set has managed to amuse me. Admittedly, though, a lot of his characters have striking similarities with his previous ones, but still, he managed to still make them appealing and have their own charms. For instance, Anubis is like a replica of Nico di Angelo. But of course, they also have several differences – Nico di Angelo more immature and more driven by revenge, etc etc. I could go on and on. (But it doesn’t change the fact that I am ALWAYS fangirling for these two gorgeous characters. You should see me squeal with delight and make weird faces while reading. Yep, I just love them both to the deepest pits of Tartarus, or to the deepest layer of Duat.)

In that note, I would like to briefly say something about the romance in this book. This is what is appealing about adventure and fantasy – there’s always a fair dose of romance involved. The Sadie-Walt-Anubis thing is relatively quite complex, especially since I am a girl and I can understand how Sadie feels. Here is where the fandom would ship either Walt and Sadie or Anubis and Sadie. Rick Riordan might not have focused on this aspect, but I would most certainly say that he managed to baffle me with decisions as if I were Sadie Kane myself. Boy, that would require some serious decision-making skills. I love Anubis, of course, but poor Walt is also amazing. (Honestly, I was decided that Anubis and Sadie would be perfect. After all, Anubis had left me starstruck at book 1. I'm pretty sure, though, that Anubis isn't as extraordinary and all that . . . rather, it is Sadie Kane who was able to let me see him in that light because of her internal monologue and beautiful descriptions of him.)

I don't know if this is good news or bad news for me, but I wholly realized what was about to happen to Walt on chapter 14. Suddenly, an "Aha!" moment occurred to me and I knew what Rick Riordan was intending to do. That is, make Walt the host of the gorgeous death god. I would have enjoyed that shocking revelation if I weren't able to see through the author's plans. It was quite obvious, if you ask me. With the growing impossibility of Sadie's relationships, it was not unexpected something like that would happen. After all, as I have mentioned, romance is not clearly Riordan's thing. He wouldn't dare fiddle with it too intricately, such as making a tragic end to the relationship. There has to be a way. There has to be a safer option.

But despite that expected "happy ending" theme, somehow this book managed to be realistic. (Of course, there's magic all over and that's definitely not a sign of realistic , but let me explain first.) It's realistic in a sense that it managed to surpass expectations from the cliche events that happened in epic stories. For one, the battle of Carter and Bloodstained Blood was not on the side of our protagonist, and he surely suffered a lot from that encounter. Normally, what would happen was Carter would amazingly defeat the enemy almost unscathed. Also, the fact that he has been tempted several times by the Chaos god Apophis illustrated that Carter is human.

The other seemingly realistic event is the betrayal of Setne. Of course, this is quite expected, him being a treacherous magician and all that. But with the most interesting nature of Setne, it was hard to say. Even Carter thought a lot of times that the ghost was quite harmless. The reader would be inclined to believe so too. I don't like betrayals, of course, but it fitted very well in the story. Because if everything went well from there, then there won't be much of a thrill.

The trick that Sadie pulled off with Neith reminded me of The Mark of Athena when Annabeth Chase intelligently tricked Arachne. Aside from that particular one, several other instances in this book reminded me of Riordan's other works. Towards the end, the romance between Carter and Zia resembled that of Percy and Annabeth. And needless to say, Carter is quite similar to Percy in some ways as well.

Let us wrap things up.

In a way, I think this is even better than The Throne of Fire, but it is really hard to declare that. They are remarkable in their own ways. This book had less drama than the second installment. The tear-jerking kind of drama, if I may correct myself. But other than that, this has enough internal turmoil to confuse and baffle you as if you were the one making the decisions rather than Carter or Sadie. I would also like to commend Rick Riordan for effectively making this a page-turner. Most of the chapters ended in a cliff hanger, urging the readers to go on or else they would be torturing themselves in imagining what could plausibly happen next.

I rate this five stars. And I think Rick Riordan was right in making this a trilogy. It already stands amazingly well in its own shadow.