Lisa!

The winner has been contacted and has responded accordingly and with that concludes this blog’s first giveaway! Before we part, I’d like to leave you all with something more… A movie trailer!!! Leave your thoughts in the comment section please. Have a good night everyone!

Kris.

I was reading a paranormal, young adult novel recently and these are ripe with suspense, cliff hangers, and edge-of-your-seat moments, which are all things I love about paranormal young adult. The problem with this particular book was that the author was eluding to some big event that had happened in the protagonist’s recent past that was affecting her drastically, both emotionally and psychologically, as well as affecting how people treated her. This was all well and good because it piqued my curiosity and I kept reading. But instead of me finding out anything helpful in the next two chapters, the author kept alluding to this event while introducing me to other characters. This kept happening until I started to get frustrated.

Don’t get me wrong. This has probably happened time and time again in many of the stories I’ve read and loved but I hardly noticed because I felt like I was being given tidbits along the way to finding out the Big Thing. I really didn’t feel like this book was giving me anything to stave off my hunger for its Big Thing. When I finally found out what happened I felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I hadn’t consciously realised how frustrated I was until I reached that point but once I finally knew what had happened, my enthusiasm for the story started to pick up again.

What I’m really trying to say is that suspense keeps us reading but if an author drags it out too long without throwing us some proverbial bones once in a while readers’ enthusiasm and interest in the book will tend to take a nosedive, at least as far as I’m concerned.

What do you guys think? Do you agree or disagree? Have you had similar experiences or experienced something quite opposite? I’d love to hear from you guys.

Have a great day.

Kris.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbours. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths—until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

General Comments

Legend was one of those books that just picks you up and whisks you off and you don’t realise how long you’ve been gone because you’ve been lost in the story. Filled with vibrant, three-dimensional characters, intrigue, and a world shattering mystery, Legend is a book that I’ll go back to time and time again.

Critical Review

The story in Legend is not that easily summarised, at least, not by me. It’s not enough to talk about the world they live in, the government that rules them, or the rigid divisions in society. Legend is ultimately a story about love, not love between June and Day, but rather the love they feel for others. It is that love that makes them go the unbelievable lengths detailed in this book, it is that love that leads them to uncover a truth so sinister it shatters June’s beliefs and strengthens Day’s convictions. Ultimately, it is that love that makes this book and its story so absolutely riveting because each of us has someone for whom we’d do the impossible and that makes us root for June and Day and wish for their ultimate success.

Legend would not have been as good as book if not for the beautiful writing, the easy flow, and the effortless use of two distinct perspectives, those of Day and June, both written from the first person POV. These all combined to weave a tale that was actually a pleasure to read.

The characters also played a huge role in making Legend all that it was. Day and June felt real to me from the first words of their narrative. They were like open books to the reader, their thoughts, their feelings, their motivations all made clear to us from the get go. I loved Day for how much he loved his family. For his principles. And for being so adorable. I loved June because of her enthusiasm, her drive, and for her unbreakable determination. The author created more than just characters in these two, she built personas, people, that most would be glad to know and even happier to call friends.

Something that especially struck me was how realistic the world they inhabited was. It was extremely well thought out and thus a prime example of exceptional world building. I loved how seamlessly the political system, the social classes, and thus the people and their differing outlooks and reaction worked together to make something believable and extremely real. Overall, Marie Lu was able to create the perfect setting for her story.

Rating Conclusion

Legend was such a whirlwind of beautiful writing, believable characters, and an eerily realistic world, that I can give it no less than five out of five stars. And I simply can’t wait for the next book in the series.

I hope you guys enjoyed today’s review! Have a great day!

Kris.

Hey guys! Trying a new feature. It’s called: “It’s Monday! What are you reading?” It’s hosted by Sheila over at Book Journey. This meme is a great way to show what you’ve read, plan out your reading week, and see what others are currently reading as well! So here goes!

CURRENTLY READING

So I’ve been reading this for the last week but I haven’t been in a ‘reading’ mood. It really sucks when you want to read but just don’t feel to especially when the book seems to be a pretty good one. Hopefully, things will get better this week and I’ll be able to finish and review this book. Keep your fingers crossed.

NEXT ON MY READING LIST

These are both books I’ve had for a while and have been really excited about reading. Click the images to go to the Goodreads page to check them out. They both sound so awesome.

What have you guys read recently? What are you reading now? And what do you plan to read next? Hit me up in the comments guys! Happy Monday!

Kris.

Take Beth Revis and Meg Cabot. If I were to give you ‘Across The Universe’ by Beth Revis and ‘How To Be Popular’ By Meg Cabot and ordered you to read them, you’d unconciously pick up the differences in voice. Beth Revis’ writing has a flowing beauty to it that I liken to music, which features tons of character development. Meg Cabot’s is good in it’s own way but it’s aimed at effectively conveying the emotions of its teenaged protagonist, a character development exercise on its own but in a less subtle manner. If I were then to hand you ‘A Million Suns’ and ‘Pants on Fire’ with no covers etc, just the stories, you’d be able to figure out they were written by two very different authors and might even be able to figure out who those authors are. This is not to say one author can’t have a different voice for different types of books, author’s voice does help set a ton for the story being told. Rather the point is that each voice is distinctly that author’s and can be distinguished.

Now point-of-view, or POV, refers to the type of narration or where narration comes from in the story. Both Beth Revis and Meg Cabot use first person in the writing, though Meg Cabot is also known for writing third person. The difference between first and third person is that in the first person POV, the narration comes from a character in the story, usually the protagonist and thus you see the use of the word ‘I’ and a limited view of the events of the story. Third person POV means simply that narration comes from a source outside the characters. You’ll recognise it when the story refers to each character by name etc. Authors prefer different POVs in their writing, they may use first person when they want the reader to feel like they’re in their characters head or are feeling their character’s feelings. Third person may make readers a little more detached from the emotions of the characters so they can pay equal attention to the story or maybe even be overwhelmed by the story rather than the character’s emotions.

Voice and POV come together in a dynamic way. Authors can use ‘voice’ to compliment POV, or to fill in gaps it might leave. In Freshman Year & Other Unnatural Disasters, first person is used and thus the voice used becomes Kelsey’s voice. The author, Meredith Zeitlin, was able to create an ‘author’s voice’ for this book that also served as her character’s voice, a typical manoeuvre when using first person. Through use of specific words, grammar, etc, writers are able to develop characters with each word they right by having readers feel like they are hearing directly from the characters themselves. It allows them to get to know the character in a way that feels effortless. This is not to say that the third person POV falters in this aspect, the author’s voice in third person books  can also be manipulated to set a tone, give readers a setting, and help them to settle into to the story and get used to the characters.

No one POV is better than the other, rather one might suit one author’s purposes more than another at a particular point of time. Knowing which to use and knowing how to adapt one’s ‘voice’ are among the key components of weaving a great story. And there is an art to it that some can master and others might not.

Have you ever read a book that felt seamless in the way it was written? As if the use of the POV and author’s voice helped make that story the best it could be? Have you ever read a book where the POV or the voice used seemed to detract from the story written?

Take some time to think about it. I’d love if you’d share your thoughts in the comment section. Happy Friday, everyone!

Kris.