Book: Fear

“Despite the hunger, despite the lies, even despite the plague, the kids of Perdido Beach are determined to survive. Creeping into the tenuous new world they’ve built, though, is perhaps the worst incarnation yet of the enemy known as the Darkness: fear.

Within the FAYZ, life breaks down while the Darkness takes over, literally–turning the dome-world of the FAYZ entirely black. A will to survive and a desire to take care of those they love endures in this ravage band, even in the bleakest moments. But in darkness, the worst fears of all emerge, and the cruelest of intentions are carried out. After so many months, is all about to be lost in the FAYZ?“

To be quite honest, the only reason I’m even finishing this series is because I’ve already invested in it. That said, I do think Fear is better than the last three books. Which would make Gone (the first book) and Fear, the only decent ones in the series.

Not that any of my previous problems with the series actually goes away. I’m still annoyed that we keep getting introduced to new characters who ups and dies anyway. I get that there’s a need for death, because it’s dystopian on speed. But it doesn’t really have much of an emotional impact if the characters that get killed off are characters you’ve only just met.

The ensemble cast still doesn’t gel. And by that, I mean we’re still following way too many stories–even though it’s the second the last book and things need to get tidied up soon.

And the characters still flip flop from between being a good guy and a bad guy. Which is really frustrating. You can’t even trust your heroes to do what you expect them to do. Every book, they do something so out of character that it’s actually starting to become a trait now.

What worked for the book though was the new elements: the countdown made sense again, as by the end of the book, a major thing does happen to the world our characters inhabit. and then, there’s the outside world where we finally see what happened to all the other people who were ejected by the FAYZ.

It really helps the book that the end game is upon it. There’s really no need to stretch storyline anymore.

Little Pete is still being an annoying jackass, more so now that he’s an omniscient presence. And I still don’t get, three days in, what his deal is with the avatars and his meddling with people’s DNA. It doesn’t move the story along, aside from add to the fear factor, and after the couple of victims die, you don’t even fear for any of the main characters’ life as they’re obviously safe from whatever the author would think of next.

Which brings me to a point of consternation.

Does Michael Grant love his characters too much? Because there are times when a writer really should learn to let go. And really, if he’s going for emotional deaths, nothings crushes a heart more than a beloved character dying.

Just ask Joss Whedon.

Having said all that, let’s go ’round the ‘net to find out what other people have said about this book:
The Book Smugglers
Realm of Fiction
Cuddlebuggery

Book: Ender’s Game

“Once again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens.

But who?

Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.

Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. In simulated war games he excels. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game.

Right?“

I didn’t like how it began, but by Chapter Three, I didn’t want to put the book down.

Ender’s Game is a brilliant book. Simply brilliant. There’s no other word for it, and I’m babbling because I don’t know how to start talking about the book without just gushing throughout.

If it isn’t obvious yet–I liked the book. Very much. And I am definitely recommending this book to anyone who is looking for a young adult dystopian fiction novel that they’d want to read.

Ender as a main character is amazing: he’s a great mix of protagonist, antagonist, with a healthy dose of childish angst. And you don’t get annoyed with his angst because he deserves to whine–especially since we are also privy to the decision-making of the adults who put him in Battle School to begin with.

Now, if there’s anything readers need to be warned about with regards to this book, it’s that it likes to jump points-of-view. Most of the time, I’m not a fan when authors do this, but in the case of Ender’s Game, getting a view different from our protagonist’s actually helps develop the characters. And I am very much a fan of character development.

Ender’s struggles in Battle School is also handled with a lot of realism. Sure, Ender does end up getting the upper hand even when he loses (by taking the higher ground), but what do you expect from a genius? He knows how to pick his fights. But yeah, that’s not the realism I’m talking about.

What I’m actually referring to is the subject of bullying. The whole book, in a way, is about bullying. And power. One person has it, the other doesn’t.

Throughout the book, just when Ender is starting to learn to cope with one kind of bully, situations will be manipulated that the power shifts again to put Ender in a place where he can and will be helpless. And every time, it is made sure that he doesn’t get any adult help.

In a way, that’s exactly what happens with real-life bullying, doesn’t it? In my experience, anyway. Just when you think you have one bully in control, another one arises. Just when you think you have power over those who don’t understand you, they use that power to undermine you instead. And make you feel worthless. And then it’s up to you whether you will let them do that to you.

Ender’s Game, as I said, is a brilliant book. And it’s one that, I think, should be read by kids in today’s generation; because it shows the many ways of dealing with power and with bullies, and how violence might sometimes be the answer–but it is never the right one. Of course, due to the violent nature of the book, some parental guidance might be needed.

Now let’s see what other people have already said about the book:
English Major versus the World
The Spotted Mushroom
the Ink Slinger

Book: Beyonders, Chasing the Prophecy

“When Jason and Rachel first arrived in Lyrian, all they wanted was to find their way home. Now they know that the roles they must play are essential to the final effort in the crusade against the evil emperor, Maldor–though the cost could be their lives.

In her final prophecy the Orcale of Mianmon saw many possible futures for the people of Lyrian. But among all of those futures, she glimpsed only one unlikely course that might allow Jason, Rachel, and the heroes at their sides to defeat Maldor and restore peace to Lyiran. Her vision calls for Jason’s and Rachel’s paths to diverge as they embark on their most perilous adventures yet. Will their journeys lead them home at last, or somewhere neither could have ever imagined?“

And so ends another trilogy.

I must say, I really liked how Brandon Mull tied everything together. And how realistic his characters approached their problems, how they presented them to one another and how they dealt with them with each other. Well, except Rachel. Which is probably why I was most annoyed with her in this book.

My favorite character, now that the series has ended, is probably Ferrin. The displacer really shows all the colors of a real human being–even if he’s not. We all have a choice to be good and to be bad, and I like that author Mull gives us the realities of decisions–that we can choose to be bad, and that it will be good for us, but it might not be as good to other people–including the ones we call friends.

Fantasy works best when reality is embedded in it. And I don’t mean reality as in our real world, but rather the reality of how our minds think, of how we act around other people–and how our actions have bigger repercussions than we think.

Chasing the Prophecy is a most satisfying read not only because it’s well-paced, but also because it gives us a sense of closure. For almost all the characters.

And, as a bit of fan service, almost everyone gets a heroic moment.

Well, almost all of the heroes anyway.

Closing the last book on the Beyonders trilogy, I must say that I am glad I took the journey to Lyrian. And this might actually push me to go ahead and buy and read the Fablehaven series finally. I’ll just have to check my finances first.

Book: The Cardturner

“The summer is looking bleak for Alton Richards. His girlfriend has dumped him to go out with his best friend, he has no money and no job. And then his parents insist that he drives Uncle Lester to his bridge tournaments four times a week.

Uncle Lester is old, blind, very sick…and very rich. Which is why his parents are desperate for Alton to worm his way into his good books. But they’re in competition with other distant relatives.

Not expecting much from the outings, Alton soon finds himself getting to know a lot about his uncle, his family’s history, and pretty Toni Castaneda, another contender for Uncle Lester’s inheritance.“

It’s good, but… I don’t know. I was expecting more from the author of Holes, I guess. I really liked Holes. The Cardturner–not so much. I mean it’s good, but… What do you mean I already said that?

Here’s the deal: the story itself is interesting enough. Alton Richards, our main character, gets to know the eccentric uncle he’s had to pretend to like his whole life–and finds out that he might actually like the guy genuinely. And it’s all thanks to the card game bridge. Okay, so that part wasn’t as interesting.

The author tried really hard to make the card game more teen-friendly, but at the end of the day, it’s either you like the game or you don’t. Nothing anyone says will get you to change your mind. Not even Louis Sachar.

But what really made me give up on suspending my disbelief was when–spoiler alert–Alton started hearing his uncle’s voice in his head. Which really made me cringe. And I do mean in real life. Come on, imagine a grown man cringing while reading a book called The Cardturner. That was me.

Thing is; I can forgive the really unnecessary forays into the rules and game play of bridge. I can look at them as something educational even. But I really don’t know what came over the author for him to think that giving Alton voices in his head a good plot twist. To tell you honestly, it felt like a cheap ploy to get the plot moving again. Or, at the least, to give it an ending he wanted to give.

Of course, the author did try to plant it ahead of time, with talk about ideas and how it can exist beyond the body fo a person. Which I would’ve accepted. But it wasn’t. For all intents and purposes, our two characters (Alton and Toni) were just hearing voices in their head and, to an extent, possessed by their relatives.

And then we hear nothing more of it. Sort of. We get a wrap up of where the characters are, with no mention of any more voices in heads, and then the book cuts off to give way to an article about bridge.

Again, the book’s good, but it could’ve been so much better.

Of course, this could just be me. Other people might have loved the book way more than I did. So, why don’t we see what other people have written about the book?
Daisy Chain Book Reviews
Rhapsody in Books
Story Snoops

Book: Be More Chill

“Jeremy Heere is your average high-school dork. Day after day, he stares at beautiful Christine, the girl he can never have, and dryly notes the small humiliations that comes his way… Until the day he is told about the ‘SQUIP.’ A pill-sized supercomputer that you swallow, the SQUIP is guaranteed to bring you whatever you most desire in life. By instructing him on everything from what to wear to how to talk and walk, the SQUIP transforms Jeremy from complete geek into the coolest guy in class. Soon he is friends with his former tormentors and has the attention of the hottest girls in school.

But Jeremy discovers that there is a dark side to handing over control of your life — and it can have disastrous consequences.“

I was initially hesitant to read this novel because I thought it’s one of those books where you’d need time to take it in while reading. You know the type? The books that have really great stories, but makes you plod through its narrative?

Well, Be More Chill doesn’t make you plod as it’s a very easy read. Which I’m still surprised with.

Now, I really like the idea behind the book. For the most part, I liked the story too. I just… I really don’t like the resolution. Instead of feeling smart, unique, and a little out of the box–it mostly felt lazy. And the very abrupt ending detracted from my experience of reading–a lot–as I came to the book’s close. With just a few pages left and a very big mess to unravel, I already knew we were getting a deus ex machina sort of wrap-up.

I hoped I was wrong as the pages counted down to the end. But I wasn’t wrong. And I really, really, really didn’t like the ending. And, as I’m starting to discover, I’m an endings person. I don’t really care if it’s happy or tragic, so long as the ending fits. And that it exists.

Had there been a different ending–scratch that; had there been an actual ending, I might be harping a different tune. But as it is, while I was ready to give the book a glowing recommendation, I now go to a cautious one.

Be More Chill has a great premise, and it has all sorts of grand ideas, but it fails at giving resolution. In doing so, I feel as if the author’s thought and message became incomplete. And I advise anyone who wants to pick up this book to lower their expectations.

Of course, other people might be saying something entirely different. So why don’t we check out said other people?
In the Middle (of a Good Book)
Panther Paw
Birds of a Writer
YouTube Review: RoomFullofGeeks