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faeonyx's reviews
63 reviews
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
3.0
After having attempted to read this trilogy once before and failing miserably, I finally decided to sit down and finish it. Much of the story left me feeling indifferent to it. This is one of those books that I did not love, but also did not hate. There wasn't a strong draw of emotion until about the last 200 pages or so.
The story follows Lyra and her daemon through different dangerous adventures. First to save the children that are disappearing and then later to discover more about the mysterious Dust. The story, at the heart, was interesting enough with a pull to get to the end, but I found the main character (Lyra) to be fairly unlikable through much of the book. She changes, and improves, as readers move through the entirety of the trilogy, but it was difficult to move beyond the selfish, base characterization of her in the beginning.
What this story did well was to bring the discoveries, theories, and questions of scientific experimentation into the minds of readers, especially younger readers. It deals with fantastical ideas and something that could be considered magic, but gives it a basis in scientific discovery instead of grounding it firmly in unexplained myth and magic. The interesting part about this is that even when scientists are introduced from a world very much like our own, there is still an element of magical wonder to these discoveries. I believe that the story itself explores the importance of experimentation, or even play, in the scientific fields and explains these things in terms that nearly anyone can understand and identify with. Instead of taking place in a laboratory with strict rules and expensive machinery, much of the discovery takes place by the characters interacting with the open world.
His Dark Materials leaves us with an interesting realm in which science and magic exist beside each other, but it also warns against the dangerous power of a hive-mind like religious faith. Many others have claimed that the books are a decisive push against religion altogether, but it seems to comment far less on individual, personal religious faith and pushes against the sort of institutionalized conglomeration of organized, commercialized religion instead. It comments, primarily, on the state of things when the church as an infallible organization, steps in to guide and dictate scientific and philosophical discovery. However, the other themes in the books could suggest that there is a way in which these very different systems can exist peacefully together. After all, there are magical beings such as witches and angels, and even talking bears lurking just around the corner.
Another enjoyable theme in the book seems to be commenting on the fact that it is quite likely that humans as we know them are not existing entirely on their own in the world. In fact, there could be many worlds, which was a theory the church strove to cover up as heresy in Lyra's world specifically. It comments on the advances that can be made when different groups of people, sometimes even from different worlds, set aside these differences and work together for a common goal. The idea is that instead of letting the group be ruled by religious belief and superstition, let the group be ruled by reason and imagination.
Overall, there were parts of the series that evoked strong emotion, but I was left wishing that the intensity of those moments had been carried through the entire book. The use of the Church as the villain became a little tiresome in some places. Just when the story seemed to move in an interesting direction, the reader was always guided back to Church as an organization is bad. There are lessons to be taken away from the series, and I would recommend it in the future, but I was left with few strong feelings about the story and the message in the end. In short, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.
The story follows Lyra and her daemon through different dangerous adventures. First to save the children that are disappearing and then later to discover more about the mysterious Dust. The story, at the heart, was interesting enough with a pull to get to the end, but I found the main character (Lyra) to be fairly unlikable through much of the book. She changes, and improves, as readers move through the entirety of the trilogy, but it was difficult to move beyond the selfish, base characterization of her in the beginning.
What this story did well was to bring the discoveries, theories, and questions of scientific experimentation into the minds of readers, especially younger readers. It deals with fantastical ideas and something that could be considered magic, but gives it a basis in scientific discovery instead of grounding it firmly in unexplained myth and magic. The interesting part about this is that even when scientists are introduced from a world very much like our own, there is still an element of magical wonder to these discoveries. I believe that the story itself explores the importance of experimentation, or even play, in the scientific fields and explains these things in terms that nearly anyone can understand and identify with. Instead of taking place in a laboratory with strict rules and expensive machinery, much of the discovery takes place by the characters interacting with the open world.
His Dark Materials leaves us with an interesting realm in which science and magic exist beside each other, but it also warns against the dangerous power of a hive-mind like religious faith. Many others have claimed that the books are a decisive push against religion altogether, but it seems to comment far less on individual, personal religious faith and pushes against the sort of institutionalized conglomeration of organized, commercialized religion instead. It comments, primarily, on the state of things when the church as an infallible organization, steps in to guide and dictate scientific and philosophical discovery. However, the other themes in the books could suggest that there is a way in which these very different systems can exist peacefully together. After all, there are magical beings such as witches and angels, and even talking bears lurking just around the corner.
Another enjoyable theme in the book seems to be commenting on the fact that it is quite likely that humans as we know them are not existing entirely on their own in the world. In fact, there could be many worlds, which was a theory the church strove to cover up as heresy in Lyra's world specifically. It comments on the advances that can be made when different groups of people, sometimes even from different worlds, set aside these differences and work together for a common goal. The idea is that instead of letting the group be ruled by religious belief and superstition, let the group be ruled by reason and imagination.
Overall, there were parts of the series that evoked strong emotion, but I was left wishing that the intensity of those moments had been carried through the entire book. The use of the Church as the villain became a little tiresome in some places. Just when the story seemed to move in an interesting direction, the reader was always guided back to Church as an organization is bad. There are lessons to be taken away from the series, and I would recommend it in the future, but I was left with few strong feelings about the story and the message in the end. In short, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.
Disney at Dawn by Ridley Pearson
4.0
As the second book in the series, Disney at Dawn was able to start in the middle of heightened action. Though the first book left readers with a sense that something had been accomplished, the setting in the first pages of the second book assure readers that the situation has only gotten worse since the last time they were in the park. We learn that the program has been patched so the Keepers can no longer cross over at night. This was seen as a glitch in the programming by those that were not in the know about the threat to Disney World and the rest of the world.
The book is still a little dialog heavy, but there seems to be an improvement in the way this dialog is utilized. In the first book, it seemed that parts contained heavy dialog simply for the sake of dialog, but most of the information passed between characters in this second book helped move the plot forward or reveal important characteristics of each character. It felt much more story driven than the first book, and the action was heightened in an entertaining and enjoyable way as well.
It seems that the sense of danger was much more real for everyone involved in this book. The first book treated the threat more like a video game that could be escaped from by the simple press of a button. Though there were times when the threat was vividly real, there was always an escape only moments around the corner. In this second book, the villains are learning and seem to be adapting to the environment they find themselves in. They are experimenting with the technology available and have figured out ways to work around the programming and the organizations that are after them. Tricky.
There is a strong sense of foreboding throughout the book. The urgency is clear through much of the story, which creates a much nicer and more dynamic setting than the tone of the first book. The pacing seems to be a little on edge, quick and choppy, but it fits with the urgency of the Keepers and the story. Overall, I felt much more grounded in this book and less like I needed an intimate knowledge of the park to really understand the setting.
Once again, overall, Pearson has been able to deliver a thrilling and intriguing story that will make me look at the parks around me in a very different light.
The book is still a little dialog heavy, but there seems to be an improvement in the way this dialog is utilized. In the first book, it seemed that parts contained heavy dialog simply for the sake of dialog, but most of the information passed between characters in this second book helped move the plot forward or reveal important characteristics of each character. It felt much more story driven than the first book, and the action was heightened in an entertaining and enjoyable way as well.
It seems that the sense of danger was much more real for everyone involved in this book. The first book treated the threat more like a video game that could be escaped from by the simple press of a button. Though there were times when the threat was vividly real, there was always an escape only moments around the corner. In this second book, the villains are learning and seem to be adapting to the environment they find themselves in. They are experimenting with the technology available and have figured out ways to work around the programming and the organizations that are after them. Tricky.
There is a strong sense of foreboding throughout the book. The urgency is clear through much of the story, which creates a much nicer and more dynamic setting than the tone of the first book. The pacing seems to be a little on edge, quick and choppy, but it fits with the urgency of the Keepers and the story. Overall, I felt much more grounded in this book and less like I needed an intimate knowledge of the park to really understand the setting.
Once again, overall, Pearson has been able to deliver a thrilling and intriguing story that will make me look at the parks around me in a very different light.
Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson
4.0
Going into this book, I actually had relatively low expectations. It is the tale of a group of kids that offer their likenesses as Disney hosts in the form of holograms. It is stressed that the technology is very new and their work as the hosts leads to some very unexpected consequences. The story starts with this premise, which offers up enough for some mild intrigue, but it was the familiarity of the locations in the Disney parks that offer the real draw to finish the story. Common locations, favorite attractions, and even some of the food court locations are explored in conjunction with the ultimate goal of the story.
Though the story itself is enjoyable and intriguing, the writing falls short on occasion. Much of the dialog and description is a little juvenile, lending the book toward a much younger audience than I would have expected considering the length and age of the main characters. The story is presented in a way that places the conversations above the action and the description, which I found to be off-putting at times. There would often be a short paragraph describing the surroundings or the actions taken followed by pages of dialog. The story seems as though it would be lacking in grounding features for the setting and scene for those who have never actually been to the Disney World parks, where the bulk of the action takes place.
Having said that, I do feel that readers are given a very solid understanding of the characters they are following, particularly the leader of the group, Finn. The dialog is not always exceptionally written, nor is it used for the purpose of advancing the plot, but it does offer a stronger grasp of the characters being introduced when used. They each have very defined manners of speaking and different talents that lend to a stronger characterization. It is easy to identify with one or all of the characters throughout the story, even if much of it left me wishing for more description or a stronger basis in the scene.
The first book in this series seems to teeter dangerously between pacing that is too quick in some parts and too slow in others. I believe this is due to the vast amount of dialog versus descriptive storytelling. All in all, it is a great book for younger readers and still offered an interesting tale to an older base, though some may find the pacing and portions of the writing to be a little tedious or that it slips away a little too quickly. Disney After Dark was an interesting read. I will never look at the Disney World parks quite the same way again, that much is for sure.
Though the story itself is enjoyable and intriguing, the writing falls short on occasion. Much of the dialog and description is a little juvenile, lending the book toward a much younger audience than I would have expected considering the length and age of the main characters. The story is presented in a way that places the conversations above the action and the description, which I found to be off-putting at times. There would often be a short paragraph describing the surroundings or the actions taken followed by pages of dialog. The story seems as though it would be lacking in grounding features for the setting and scene for those who have never actually been to the Disney World parks, where the bulk of the action takes place.
Having said that, I do feel that readers are given a very solid understanding of the characters they are following, particularly the leader of the group, Finn. The dialog is not always exceptionally written, nor is it used for the purpose of advancing the plot, but it does offer a stronger grasp of the characters being introduced when used. They each have very defined manners of speaking and different talents that lend to a stronger characterization. It is easy to identify with one or all of the characters throughout the story, even if much of it left me wishing for more description or a stronger basis in the scene.
The first book in this series seems to teeter dangerously between pacing that is too quick in some parts and too slow in others. I believe this is due to the vast amount of dialog versus descriptive storytelling. All in all, it is a great book for younger readers and still offered an interesting tale to an older base, though some may find the pacing and portions of the writing to be a little tedious or that it slips away a little too quickly. Disney After Dark was an interesting read. I will never look at the Disney World parks quite the same way again, that much is for sure.
Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige
2.0
I will admit that I had high hopes going into this book, but those were quickly dashed once I started getting into the "meat" of it. Unfortunately, I found it to be lacking in substance and couldn't find any of the characters to be likable enough to warrant my interest. I finished reading it out of a need to simply finish it and call it done. The climax was quite anti-climactic and the ending left a lot to be desired.
I really liked the idea of revisiting a very different, warped Oz, but this book seems to only scratch the surface. I understand that there are more books in the series, but it seemed that this one wanted to touch on more and fell just short of that. It explained some things that seem not to matter all that much and left others to be questioned. I was left frustrated and confused in the end.
The characters were not particularly memorable either. Maybe Pete was okay, but the Ozma reveal at the end should have been held off to another book when it could have been dealt with in a more detailed way without leaving the reader hanging so much on that particular aspect. The Wizard is clearly untrustworthy, and the only character from the Order that I liked is dead. Well, assumed dead. If this book taught me anything it's that things are not quite what they seem.
Unfortunately, the main character that showed so much promise in the beginning fell flat pretty quickly. She clearly cares about certain things, but typically realizes that when it is too late to do anything about it. She is consistently falling short of everyone's expectations, even her own, and the only actual good thing she did throughout the book was rescue Maude for Ollie. Of course, in the process she exposed the only person that actually had her back in the castle and got her killed. Surprise, surprise.
On the other hand, I now feel as though I have to finish the other books, so I suppose this story succeeded in one goal, but I am not overly eager to go out and buy the remaining books in the series and it will become one of those back shelf readers for a while.
I really liked the idea of revisiting a very different, warped Oz, but this book seems to only scratch the surface. I understand that there are more books in the series, but it seemed that this one wanted to touch on more and fell just short of that. It explained some things that seem not to matter all that much and left others to be questioned. I was left frustrated and confused in the end.
The characters were not particularly memorable either. Maybe Pete was okay, but the Ozma reveal at the end should have been held off to another book when it could have been dealt with in a more detailed way without leaving the reader hanging so much on that particular aspect. The Wizard is clearly untrustworthy, and the only character from the Order that I liked is dead. Well, assumed dead. If this book taught me anything it's that things are not quite what they seem.
Unfortunately, the main character that showed so much promise in the beginning fell flat pretty quickly. She clearly cares about certain things, but typically realizes that when it is too late to do anything about it. She is consistently falling short of everyone's expectations, even her own, and the only actual good thing she did throughout the book was rescue Maude for Ollie. Of course, in the process she exposed the only person that actually had her back in the castle and got her killed. Surprise, surprise.
On the other hand, I now feel as though I have to finish the other books, so I suppose this story succeeded in one goal, but I am not overly eager to go out and buy the remaining books in the series and it will become one of those back shelf readers for a while.
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
1.0
Reading this book qualifies as one of the longest and most painful experiences of my life. I did not read it voluntarily. In fact, I was in the camp of people that had read reviews and online discussions and used those things to back up my own view of the book. One of my friends eventually asked me if I had ever actually read it myself and I was, of course, forced to say no out of honesty. She informed me that I didn't really have a right to comment on it if I hadn't read it, and I had to agree. After all, no one likes it when you talk about things without having all the facts.
I now have all the facts and I can say without a doubt that this is one of the worst books I've ever read. I even did a chapter-by-chapter blog series as I read it because I wanted to be able to comment on it in an informed manner.
The book wasn't as bad as I had been led to believe by others that read and hated it. I think that the online discussions and the community fire was internally fueled and blew some things significantly out of proportion. Having said that, I can see exactly how those conversations happened. The book reads like fanfiction, and parts of it are actually not that bad when you compare it to other popular works of fanfiction. I discovered that I don't have a problem with the bulk of the story, but what I do take issue with is the use of the BDSM lifestyle. Christian is terrible at it.
The main issue is that he constantly demands honesty from Anastasia, but he doesn't reciprocate. The rules apply to her, but not him (of course) because he is the Dominant. There is never a time when the agreement is mutually beneficial, even though there are certain aspects that Ana seems to enjoy on occasion. It's clear from the beginning that their relationship won't work and yet it's still forced through 514 pages of this book, ending in heartbreak ultimately because Ana finally realizes that this isn't what she wants out of a relationship.
I'm really not sure why the BDSM element had to be included at all, to be perfectly honest. The story would have made the same impact, and I would have liked it better, if Christian was just some douche with a chip on his shoulder and commitment issues. Using BDSM as a character flaw rubs me in entirely the wrong way and left a nasty taste in my mouth. Things would have been much better without those instances in here at all. I don't like that the lifestyle is represented as something that Ana needs to save him from. I don't like that he's not entirely honest about his desires and feelings. I don't like that Ana seems to be the one to be making all the sacrifices.
As for the writing, it's mediocre. There are times where James gives over to some really nice description, and you don't have to like the book to be able to admit that. She fell into a flow occasionally where you could almost smell the room or the field or even a particularly nice meal or wine, but she quickly loses that momentum in other places. It flitters from really strong, solid description to almost being lost in the moment because she glosses over other things too quickly. The heavy-handed use of a thesaurus is extremely obvious and very out of place with the rest of the tone of the book. I think it was meant to be cute? I'm not sure.
Overall, not as terrible as I thought, but it gets one star because there are so many things that could have been easily researched that are just flat out wrong. The internet has information about everything you could possibly want, and the entire BDSM community takes issue with this book. I'm sure there are outliers. There always are. The point is that this could have been done much better, and that maybe James should have done more extensive edits before publishing fanfiction, because it still reads like it should be on fanfiction.net.
Word of advice, don't waste your time on this one.
I now have all the facts and I can say without a doubt that this is one of the worst books I've ever read. I even did a chapter-by-chapter blog series as I read it because I wanted to be able to comment on it in an informed manner.
The book wasn't as bad as I had been led to believe by others that read and hated it. I think that the online discussions and the community fire was internally fueled and blew some things significantly out of proportion. Having said that, I can see exactly how those conversations happened. The book reads like fanfiction, and parts of it are actually not that bad when you compare it to other popular works of fanfiction. I discovered that I don't have a problem with the bulk of the story, but what I do take issue with is the use of the BDSM lifestyle. Christian is terrible at it.
The main issue is that he constantly demands honesty from Anastasia, but he doesn't reciprocate. The rules apply to her, but not him (of course) because he is the Dominant. There is never a time when the agreement is mutually beneficial, even though there are certain aspects that Ana seems to enjoy on occasion. It's clear from the beginning that their relationship won't work and yet it's still forced through 514 pages of this book, ending in heartbreak ultimately because Ana finally realizes that this isn't what she wants out of a relationship.
I'm really not sure why the BDSM element had to be included at all, to be perfectly honest. The story would have made the same impact, and I would have liked it better, if Christian was just some douche with a chip on his shoulder and commitment issues. Using BDSM as a character flaw rubs me in entirely the wrong way and left a nasty taste in my mouth. Things would have been much better without those instances in here at all. I don't like that the lifestyle is represented as something that Ana needs to save him from. I don't like that he's not entirely honest about his desires and feelings. I don't like that Ana seems to be the one to be making all the sacrifices.
As for the writing, it's mediocre. There are times where James gives over to some really nice description, and you don't have to like the book to be able to admit that. She fell into a flow occasionally where you could almost smell the room or the field or even a particularly nice meal or wine, but she quickly loses that momentum in other places. It flitters from really strong, solid description to almost being lost in the moment because she glosses over other things too quickly. The heavy-handed use of a thesaurus is extremely obvious and very out of place with the rest of the tone of the book. I think it was meant to be cute? I'm not sure.
Overall, not as terrible as I thought, but it gets one star because there are so many things that could have been easily researched that are just flat out wrong. The internet has information about everything you could possibly want, and the entire BDSM community takes issue with this book. I'm sure there are outliers. There always are. The point is that this could have been done much better, and that maybe James should have done more extensive edits before publishing fanfiction, because it still reads like it should be on fanfiction.net.
Word of advice, don't waste your time on this one.
Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James
1.0
The third book in the Fifty Shades trilogy seems to have had a much heavier hand editing it than the other two did. The pacing was much better and that made the book a lot easier to read. The story was also a little more interesting, even if it was overblown with drama. A lot of stuff happened in the third book and there were a lot of branching, disconnected stories that didn't get enough face time to be truly developed. It honestly might have been better as a series of novellas or even if it was split up even further into more books (though I can't imagine there being more than three). It's not hard to follow by any means, but it is jarring in certain places because of the amount of drama the author felt necessary to press into such a small space/amount of time.
The bdsm elements weren't as glaringly incorrect in this book, but I am pretty sure that's just because there are honestly so few of them now because Ana has put a stop to a lot of what Christian was doing so incredibly wrong. Their relationship as a whole, however, is extremely childish. Christian is, yes, very abusive and selfish, and Anastasia responds the way a teenage girl might, instead of someone fresh out of college. Instead of talking things through, they scream at each other or ignore each other until something dramatic happens and they get to cry and promise each other it will never happen again. Ew.
Anastasia has her own problems with reacting in an extremely childish manner, but Christian's abuse is the really disturbing element in the story. There are massive arguments on the internet about his behavior, and there are thousands of people every day defending him. "Well, if you read the books you'll understand what motivates that." No. His troubled past doesn't make his abuse okay, and it becomes even clearer throughout the third book that he is a scary, controlling, jealous abuser. His reactions to Anastasia's actions do not constitute anything about the safe, sane, consensual code that thrives within bdsm relationships. His reactions are straight out abuse, and there is no other way to argue it.
Whenever Anastasia does something he doesn't approve of, he dramatically flies cross country to chastise her. Whenever Anastasia speaks out of turn or says something he doesn't like, he shuts down and she is forced to modify her behavior to please him again. It is worth pointing out that there is no contract at this point and they are not operating under discussed and agreed-upon terms of a bdsm relationship. This is flat out abuse. Christian manipulates and bullies Anastasia into acting how he wants throughout the entire story, but it is especially bad after they get married.
He bullies her into changing her name at work, which was something she did not want to do. He came to her place of work, barged into her office, and demanded her attention when he didn't get his way. When Anastasia changes her mind and decides to go out with her friend instead of staying in, he flies all the way back across the country to chastise her. When she tells him she is pregnant, he freaks out and screams at her, calls her stupid, and then accuses her of doing it on purpose. Following that outburst, he leaves to see the ONE woman that Anastasia has requested he not see (which is a problem in its own right). Following all of this, in every one of these instances, Christian apologizes, and then places the blame squarely on Ana for not acting the way he wants her to. Classic signs of emotional abuse.
In addition to the problems with the characterization, the plot takes an insane turn in this book. There are so many different story lines that I am honestly not sure which story was trying to be told here. The drama is so overblown that all the threads detract from the other story threads and it just creates unbelievable chaos. It was more interesting, but it wasn't necessary at all, and coupled with Christian's behavior, it just made the entire thing worse.
The characters were also not allowed to speak for themselves or develop outside of what they were destined to be. As fanfiction. Christian and Ana had to fit certain roles and fall into certain characterizations. Unfortunately, this means that as novels there are times when there seems to be an interesting character development that gets shut down immediately because it's not something Edward or Bella would do. The editing there could have been better to allow the characters to break free from their fanfiction forms, and I do think that would have made the books better by a large margin. The development is never there because there was a formula to follow. Had the characters spoken for themselves, they might have taken the story in a more interesting direction.
Decent as fanfiction, but terrible as a series of novels. The problems in these books are just too large to garner any true appreciation from me.
The bdsm elements weren't as glaringly incorrect in this book, but I am pretty sure that's just because there are honestly so few of them now because Ana has put a stop to a lot of what Christian was doing so incredibly wrong. Their relationship as a whole, however, is extremely childish. Christian is, yes, very abusive and selfish, and Anastasia responds the way a teenage girl might, instead of someone fresh out of college. Instead of talking things through, they scream at each other or ignore each other until something dramatic happens and they get to cry and promise each other it will never happen again. Ew.
Anastasia has her own problems with reacting in an extremely childish manner, but Christian's abuse is the really disturbing element in the story. There are massive arguments on the internet about his behavior, and there are thousands of people every day defending him. "Well, if you read the books you'll understand what motivates that." No. His troubled past doesn't make his abuse okay, and it becomes even clearer throughout the third book that he is a scary, controlling, jealous abuser. His reactions to Anastasia's actions do not constitute anything about the safe, sane, consensual code that thrives within bdsm relationships. His reactions are straight out abuse, and there is no other way to argue it.
Whenever Anastasia does something he doesn't approve of, he dramatically flies cross country to chastise her. Whenever Anastasia speaks out of turn or says something he doesn't like, he shuts down and she is forced to modify her behavior to please him again. It is worth pointing out that there is no contract at this point and they are not operating under discussed and agreed-upon terms of a bdsm relationship. This is flat out abuse. Christian manipulates and bullies Anastasia into acting how he wants throughout the entire story, but it is especially bad after they get married.
He bullies her into changing her name at work, which was something she did not want to do. He came to her place of work, barged into her office, and demanded her attention when he didn't get his way. When Anastasia changes her mind and decides to go out with her friend instead of staying in, he flies all the way back across the country to chastise her. When she tells him she is pregnant, he freaks out and screams at her, calls her stupid, and then accuses her of doing it on purpose. Following that outburst, he leaves to see the ONE woman that Anastasia has requested he not see (which is a problem in its own right). Following all of this, in every one of these instances, Christian apologizes, and then places the blame squarely on Ana for not acting the way he wants her to. Classic signs of emotional abuse.
In addition to the problems with the characterization, the plot takes an insane turn in this book. There are so many different story lines that I am honestly not sure which story was trying to be told here. The drama is so overblown that all the threads detract from the other story threads and it just creates unbelievable chaos. It was more interesting, but it wasn't necessary at all, and coupled with Christian's behavior, it just made the entire thing worse.
The characters were also not allowed to speak for themselves or develop outside of what they were destined to be. As fanfiction. Christian and Ana had to fit certain roles and fall into certain characterizations. Unfortunately, this means that as novels there are times when there seems to be an interesting character development that gets shut down immediately because it's not something Edward or Bella would do. The editing there could have been better to allow the characters to break free from their fanfiction forms, and I do think that would have made the books better by a large margin. The development is never there because there was a formula to follow. Had the characters spoken for themselves, they might have taken the story in a more interesting direction.
Decent as fanfiction, but terrible as a series of novels. The problems in these books are just too large to garner any true appreciation from me.
Fifty Shades Darker by E.L. James
1.0
A year after beginning this book, and quite some time after beginning the series, I finally managed to finish it. I wish I could say that the writing style, the characters, and the story itself improved in the second book, but I can't. Again, I read this trilogy because I was told that I couldn't comment on it if I hadn't. I thought I might quit after the first book, but decided to continue on. That has been a mistake.
The story itself is still as stale as it was in the first book, and every time a little drama gets stirred up or something interesting seems to happen, it gets shut down only a couple of pages later. For example, Bella... sorry, Ana's best friend discovers an email about the original contract. This email had been left in the pocket of one of Christian's jackets (I believe, sometimes things aren't clear) which had been left at the apartment Ana was decidedly not sharing with Kate anymore. What could have led to a really interesting exploration of characterization and an interesting turn in character development for Kate, Christian, AND Ana, turned out to be little more than a false flag at heightened drama. Two pages later and Kate forgets about the entire thing, but chapters later (and in fact into the next book) Christian is still hesitant to trust Kate and distant and cold to her, even though she is clearly 100% over it.
Another example is the issue with Charlie Tango going down and everyone thinking that Christian was dead or severely injured and missing. Conveniently, he couldn't/wouldn't call because of his jealousy over the fact that Ana was home alone with Jacob, sorry... Jose. Then, shock and horror, when he did arrive home and everyone was so worried about him, he was surprised that his family cared. This trope had gotten old in the first book, and reinforcing it over and over again is simply annoying.
Book two is also where the author really tried to stage Christian as a delicate, wounded bird. She is still using the BDSM lifestyle as a character flaw, which speaks volumes about how the author herself must view the community. The entire scene with Ana speaking to Christian's therapist had me rolling my eyes. It was not believable by any stretch of the imagination and seemed to be put in for the author to say "SEE! THE THERAPIST SAYS IT'S NORMAL SO YOU CAN'T ATTACK MY REPRESENTATION!" Well, do I have news for you... The representation of Christian's attitude in relation to BDSM as well as the way he feels about it is enough of a statement to turn me away from this book. I soldiered through because, damn it, my friend was right and I can't comment on something I haven't read. This is the first and last time I will make that mistake.
I was not endeared to any of the characters and found myself laughing at how quickly the relationship developed. I love you. I hate you. I don't do hearts and flowers, oh wait yes I do. MARRY ME ANA! YES, CHRISTIAN! YES! and it's all peppered with some of the worst porn/smut/whatever you want to call it that I have ever, EVER read. I've gotten to the point where I skip over the sex scenes because there are SO many of them it's exhausting and the description is flat and lackluster at best. Other times, it is downright cheesy and laughable.
If you soldiered through the first book, congratulations. If you made it through this one, I truly, truly feel for you. If you haven't started yet - STOP YOURSELF before it's too late. Do not let this drag you down.
The story itself is still as stale as it was in the first book, and every time a little drama gets stirred up or something interesting seems to happen, it gets shut down only a couple of pages later. For example, Bella... sorry, Ana's best friend discovers an email about the original contract. This email had been left in the pocket of one of Christian's jackets (I believe, sometimes things aren't clear) which had been left at the apartment Ana was decidedly not sharing with Kate anymore. What could have led to a really interesting exploration of characterization and an interesting turn in character development for Kate, Christian, AND Ana, turned out to be little more than a false flag at heightened drama. Two pages later and Kate forgets about the entire thing, but chapters later (and in fact into the next book) Christian is still hesitant to trust Kate and distant and cold to her, even though she is clearly 100% over it.
Another example is the issue with Charlie Tango going down and everyone thinking that Christian was dead or severely injured and missing. Conveniently, he couldn't/wouldn't call because of his jealousy over the fact that Ana was home alone with Jacob, sorry... Jose. Then, shock and horror, when he did arrive home and everyone was so worried about him, he was surprised that his family cared. This trope had gotten old in the first book, and reinforcing it over and over again is simply annoying.
Book two is also where the author really tried to stage Christian as a delicate, wounded bird. She is still using the BDSM lifestyle as a character flaw, which speaks volumes about how the author herself must view the community. The entire scene with Ana speaking to Christian's therapist had me rolling my eyes. It was not believable by any stretch of the imagination and seemed to be put in for the author to say "SEE! THE THERAPIST SAYS IT'S NORMAL SO YOU CAN'T ATTACK MY REPRESENTATION!" Well, do I have news for you... The representation of Christian's attitude in relation to BDSM as well as the way he feels about it is enough of a statement to turn me away from this book. I soldiered through because, damn it, my friend was right and I can't comment on something I haven't read. This is the first and last time I will make that mistake.
I was not endeared to any of the characters and found myself laughing at how quickly the relationship developed. I love you. I hate you. I don't do hearts and flowers, oh wait yes I do. MARRY ME ANA! YES, CHRISTIAN! YES! and it's all peppered with some of the worst porn/smut/whatever you want to call it that I have ever, EVER read. I've gotten to the point where I skip over the sex scenes because there are SO many of them it's exhausting and the description is flat and lackluster at best. Other times, it is downright cheesy and laughable.
If you soldiered through the first book, congratulations. If you made it through this one, I truly, truly feel for you. If you haven't started yet - STOP YOURSELF before it's too late. Do not let this drag you down.
The Dragonet Prophecy by Tui T. Sutherland
5.0
I thought that the writing style would be a little too simplistic for me when I first picked up this book, but that hasn't stopped me in reading other titles that I ended up enjoying. I am glad that I decided to read this one instead of shelving it. I was worried the beginning would be too slow, but it jumps into action right away and raises enough questions to keep turning the pages. I didn't sympathize with any of the earliest characters, but I found a lot that I liked very early on about the dragonets.
The personalities represented with the dragonets are vastly different from each other, and even more different from those of their caretakers. I think it is that difference that really drew me in. Everyone has felt like they are fighting against everything at one point or another, and that sort of struggle was set up here from the start. The dragonets are, for me, very easy to relate to because I came from an area where questioning authority was one of the worst things you could do, and everyone assumed "the kids" never knew what was best for them or what they should do in their lives.
The first book does have some instances where I wondered what the point of a certain explanation was or if the information given to me was going to be used later. I haven't finished the series yet, so that is to be seen. There are also instances where you learn a bit more about dragon culture, and it isn't always a satisfying resolution. Having said that, it is still interesting to see how each of the tribes function and how that brings the dragonets together while still setting their tribes apart. The little dragons have a massive task set in front of them, but they don't fully understand that yet, and the way the entire story is presented primarily through their eyes makes it difficult for the reader to understand the enormity of that task. Meeting the different dragon tribes and the introduction of characters that have been moving within these tribes makes that a little easier, however. The size of the task ahead of them unfolds as more information is presented.
The style of writing, which had me a little concerned at first, actually sets a wonderful pace for these books. I would call these easy reads because of the way it is presented and the language used, which is awesome. There is a huge amount of story inside each book and I've found it difficult to put them down. Even from the beginning, each character speaks with a strong personality and a detailed voice. It made it very easy for me to get lost within the pages. This has been an excellent start to the journey and I am very glad to have picked this series up.
The personalities represented with the dragonets are vastly different from each other, and even more different from those of their caretakers. I think it is that difference that really drew me in. Everyone has felt like they are fighting against everything at one point or another, and that sort of struggle was set up here from the start. The dragonets are, for me, very easy to relate to because I came from an area where questioning authority was one of the worst things you could do, and everyone assumed "the kids" never knew what was best for them or what they should do in their lives.
The first book does have some instances where I wondered what the point of a certain explanation was or if the information given to me was going to be used later. I haven't finished the series yet, so that is to be seen. There are also instances where you learn a bit more about dragon culture, and it isn't always a satisfying resolution. Having said that, it is still interesting to see how each of the tribes function and how that brings the dragonets together while still setting their tribes apart. The little dragons have a massive task set in front of them, but they don't fully understand that yet, and the way the entire story is presented primarily through their eyes makes it difficult for the reader to understand the enormity of that task. Meeting the different dragon tribes and the introduction of characters that have been moving within these tribes makes that a little easier, however. The size of the task ahead of them unfolds as more information is presented.
The style of writing, which had me a little concerned at first, actually sets a wonderful pace for these books. I would call these easy reads because of the way it is presented and the language used, which is awesome. There is a huge amount of story inside each book and I've found it difficult to put them down. Even from the beginning, each character speaks with a strong personality and a detailed voice. It made it very easy for me to get lost within the pages. This has been an excellent start to the journey and I am very glad to have picked this series up.