Rambled & Reviewed: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

All the boys love Mare, and all of the girls hate her. Hello, needs-to-be-dead literary trope!

This is a world divided by blood - red or silver.

Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

Of course it will!

That is, until a twist of fate brings her before the Silver court. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly ability of her own.

Fearful of Mare's potential, the king hides her in plain view: betrothed to his youngest son. Trapped, Mare decides to use her new position to bring down the regime - from the inside.

But this is a game of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance - Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart...

Red Queen was published this very 2015 by Harper Teen (or Orion Books here in the UK), and is the debut novel of Victoria Aveyard and the first in what I am guessing is a trilogy, because nowadays, every book is a trilogy, and can't stand by itself. Taking place in a what I am guessing is a dystopian world, the God-like beings that are Silvers have taken over the Earth, and those born with Red blood are the commoners, workers of society who burden the labour that the Silvers thrust upon them. This is the story about how on Red Girl becomes their Mockingjay a motivation for change, because she is not like the other Reds at all. She is both Red and Silver, and she will become a force to be reckoned with...

This book is like the Hunger Games meets Percy Jackson-esque God-like powers meets the Hogwarts Houses meets Roman Gladiators fighting, all with a Love Square thrown into the ring to complete it all! (An extract from my Goodreads Review)

Rating: ☆ ☆ ☆

This book has a really pretty cover, I won't lie, and it is the reason I bought it. The synopsis was catchy as heck too, but in reality, we all I know that I bought this book for the cover, and I do not regret that at all!
 The story doesn't always look as good as the cover, however. Let's just get that one out there, shall we?

Anyway, first off; how do I pronounce this chicks name? Is it Mare as in the female horse mare, or is it supposed to be said like 'Marie' or 'Mary'... What? I don't have a clue, so when reading this, I just read it as it looked; like the 'mare' that is a female horse. Neigh!
 Seriously though, isn't this a stupid name for a character, at least spelling wise? It's pretty dumb.

Also..

Whhhhhy is this not a stand-alone book!? WHY!?

Okay, so confusions and partial-whining out of the way, let's tackle this review and try and get some things said and out in the open, shall we? Yes, let's!

Set in a dystopian land, we are introduced to the Stilts, a rather poor district where those born with blood that is red live. Introduced to us is Mare Barrow, seventeen years old and our lead character of this story. She has no particular talent, aside from being pretty damn good at petty theft, and of course she loathes the Silver's, a bunch of elite, God-like beings that overrule them all and basically treat the Red's like slaves and use them as their little pawns in the war. They suck, basically, and Mare is a little pissed off with them, but what can she do? This is life, and life's a bitch.

Of course, life takes a turn suddenly when Mare discovers that she herself has a power within her, making her an anomaly in this world of Red and Silver; she is both, somehow, and that's something that the Silver's cannot ignore, yet something that they want to hide to the best of their abilities. So, Mare is paraded around as a Silver, but this an unfair world that Mare wants to change, and she wants to change it from her new vantage point: the inside.

Now I won't lie, I did enjoy this book. There is a lot about it that I don't like, I admit that, but overall I do enjoy what the book has to offer. Red Queen has a good idea, and it is a great reading experience if you ever decide to pick it up for the hell of it, because the writing is solid and Aveyard has a great sense of atmospheric writing. But... it really isn't all that, okay?

I get why people like it, it's entertaining and at points it is gripping. When I was reading the last five or six chapters, the most exciting chapters of the book might I add, I felt sick with anticipation. I was hooked, and it was fun to read! I love that, with each page, I wanted to get to the end to find out what had happened, who had died, what was to be... yaddy yada yada, I wanted to continue, and that earns brownie points for me, because I do love a book that can make me feel sick to the stomach with the want and need to know more.
 Aveyard has some serious talent here, and as I said, she really knows how to write with atmosphere. This is one of her strongest points for me as a reader.

She also has one really solid character in this book that I absolutely adore no matter what, and that is Maven. Prince Maven is a good character, one of my favourites from this entire book (and let me tell you, there aren't many characters that I like here, hahaha!), and whilst what happens to him in the last few chapters of the book is stupidly obvious (foreshadowing; Aveyard knows this not), I still think he is freakin' awesome! He had a good personality written for him, and at the end I was definitely feeling a lot of emotions for him, due to what happens. If you've read it, you may understand, but lots of anger and rage and disgust went through me, and yet, I still liked him as a character. Powerfully written characters, man!

Also, the ending. Whilst I don't like where the ending went (in fact, it annoyed me a heck of a lot), I liked that Aveyard led me astray for a few pages. I really thought that this ending would be different for a while, and even though it didn't go the way it could should have, I am really happy that Aveyard's writing made me think otherwise, leading me to a scenario that was different and alternative. The potential for that ending was there, and it had me hooked.
 Again though, it sadly never happened. Damnit!

Now, whilst I do like the book, there is a lot about it that pisses me off too, and it's these things that will stop me from buying the sequel (urrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh) when it eventually comes out. That is if I remember what pissed me off about this book. I might forget, okay?

Firstly, I want to note that this book, whilst it is gripping and entertaining, can also get really slow and dull. Around the middle of the book, I almost stopped reading. It had slowed down, it became a little boring, and there was nothing to note during that portion of the book, really. In fact, I can't even remember what happened, it was that... well, bland. I didn't read Red Queen for a few days because the story dragged, making it feel like needless fodder to feed us so many pages to get it to the 300+ mark. They were unnecessary pages in my opinion, and they just made me want to fall asleep.

Secondly, this book, in all of it's loveliness, has this really glaring issue that is in quite a few YA novels, depending what you pick up: Bitches. Bitches everywhere. That girl isn't Mare? Oh, she's a bitch. She isn't a friend of Mare's? Then she's a bitch, she hates Mare, or Mare is jealous of her. Mare's little sister, Gise? She's perfect, more perfect than Mare, meaning that Mare's mother likes her more, so we need to hate Gise. When Mare meets her sister again later on in the book? Gise's clearly jealous of her.
 If she isn't Mare, then we gotta hate her! Sorry, girls, but we can only like Mare, and the hoard of boys after her. It is how is in YA land.

This trope pisses me off a lot, because it's unnecessary, and it's only there to make the lead look like a martyr, a saint, which Mare isn't (though the giant Mare-fest and how even she sees herself as a martyr shows us how much Aveyard wants us to view her as such) because honestly, Mare herself is a bitch, and I don't like her character. She annoys me, she whines, and I kind of want to hit her.
 Oh, and she's compared to the late Queen, Cal's mother (Cal is a love interest, for those who may not know!) who was apparently wonderful as well. So, yeah. Mare is supposed to be great, lovely, perfect, the girl all guys want... she's a Mary-Sue.

There is also a lot of obvious foreshadowing in this novel, and quite a few cop outs, too. Honestly, Aveyard, regarding your really poor foreshadowing; there are only so many times that you can say 'electricity', mention the death of one character many times throughout or notify us of an impending betrayal by using the line "Anyone can betray anyone" frequently before I get it into my head that you're pushing us towards whatever you're wanting to take us to. If you're gonna foreshadow, please do so discreetly, because it was pretty damn obvious after the third time these things were mentioned that I knew what was going to happen. Be subtle, 'cause it's annoying when someone spells the entire plot out to me before I can even get excited as to how the story will pan out.

My biggest pet-peeve throughout this book, though? The chemistry, or lack of, if you will. Oh, there is no chemistry, unless you count Mare and Maven (my OTP), the pairing that is apparently not meant to be.

There is a Love Square in this book; Mare likes Kilorn, she likes Cal, and she likes Maven (she likes the bush on the roadside too, I bet), but of the three potential love interests that Aveyard wants to push us towards, it is Cal and Mare, and they have no chemistry whatsoever. They don't feel like they want each other, they don't feel like a couple. They just seem like two random people, awkwardly shoved together to try and make a whole.
 It's badly written, their scenes together, and it just feels so tense and terrible, and I laughed at the embarrassing attempt Aveyard pursued to make me believe that this couple could actually happen. No... just no!

I said that Aveyard is good at atmosphere, and she is remarkable at it, she really can write a good scene, but romance? Nope.
 Regarding the Love Square though, was it necessary? Doubtful, because it just felt like an awkward 'Mare hates any girl who likes the guys she likes only because the writer wants us to believe that' kind of thing. It didn't feel real, there was little to no feeling, and Mare just... please don't get with anyone aside from Maven, Mare. He's the only one you actually work with!

As I said in the beginning of this review though, I do like this book, but there are a lot of issues with it as well. It's a good idea, but its own underlying problems are pretty big in comparison, and also, it just feels like another YA novel that I've read before. It reminds me of Hunger Games and Mockingjay quite a lot, and I can't shake that similarity when reading Red Queen. It's a fun read, but would I read it again? Maybe not, because it isn't the best book I've read, but it isn't the worst.

Victoria Aveyard can write, and she writes bloody well, but she needs to work on writing chemistry for her characters, and she needs to world build a little more, rather than focusing on Mare and her parade of love interests, or her power or how much of a martyr she (apparently) is. It is a good book, but it could have been better, and if Aveyard killed off the two chemistry-inept lovers Cal and Mare at the end? Damn, that would have been an awesome way to end it all!

It's good, but it's not great. I just hope that Aveyard continues writing, and hey, maybe one day I'll find something new by her, and I'll enjoy that even more than I did this. I look forward to her future writing.

If you wish to read a more condensed version (not really XD) of this review, or just want to see me use some gifs in a post, please read my Goodreads Review HERE!

Until next time! May the Reading and Writing Gods be with you! Peace, yo!
 ~Kelly

Awkward Hauls: Where I Have No Clue in how to Write a Haul Post, But I Tried, So Gold Stars for EVERYONE!!!!

My bed is chaotic, a little like my life. Oy, vey OTL

Hi, my name is Kelly, and I'm a book-Journal-notepad-holic. No, I don't need help, I assure you.

So today was a scorcher; it was extremely hot outside, with barely any breeze to assist myself, my sister and one of my many nephews in keeping somewhat cool, and yet we managed to make our way through the big bad town that was blazing because of the supreme heat we are having right now.

I love Summer, though, so please don't think this sweltering heat that almost knocked me over was a bad thing. The sunshine made me happy. Dehydrated and a bit delirious, but happy.
 And as one can see, I spent this day spending some moolahs on the things I love most - Harry Potter merchandise, books, moleskin notebooks and a random box that I will probably store paper and stationary in, because it's PRETTEH and my other box is tiny and already full. Oops.

Actually, the books show in this (plus the blue and pink notebooks) were bought the day before this - I went on a mini-spree in the smaller town and decided to take a trip to the second-hand bookstore I adore, and picked up a copy of Mockingjay, which I had yet to buy after purchasing both Hunger Games and Catching Fire about three years or so ago, and found Star Dancer and Fire Dreamer by Beth Webb by chance, as well as the Secret of Sirens by Julia Golding book to add to my collection.
 I won't lie, I bought those three books based purely on the fact that they have maps in them. After realising my nephew likes maps in his books, I've started to seek them out, too, though I always did find maps pretty if present in a book. All of these, the books I mean, were only £1 each, so there's a bargain for yer!

I also bought the notebooks the day before, too, because... well, because they're pretty, and they werew there - and cheap, too, at on £2 for the bigger notebook, and 69p for the baby one. I like cheap things. Then again, I'm a stingy bugger.
 Really, I am.

And then I went to town today, and decided to unleash my inner Harry Potter fangirl, and buy the shirt present in the picture from Primark, for £6. I like my random Harry Potter crap, I swear! I also picked up a small notebook thing that has sticky notes of varying sizes in it, except these are really pretty sticky notes, and have designs on them.
 I'm gettin' fancy!

And then I bought the box, because again, my other stationary / paper box is diddy and running out of room. So, there we go, the end, hasta la vista baby.

... Wow, this post has no coherency XD Then again, I never make sense, so...~ -patters off to Wonderland-

Anywhoo, yeah, I bought a bunch of stuff, and some of it I forgot to include, but really, who wants to see sun lotion in a blarg post anyhow? That said, I did forget the important items... my Hufflepuff cup necklace, and my kinda-not-a-replica-but-who-cares Gaunt ring that I bought off ebay.
 Then again, I may just leave that to another awkward Haul post, because damn, I am awkward.

Until next time - where I hope to make more sense and possibly talk about a book I am reading - take care, and have fun Reading and Writing the days away!

Ciao!
~ Kelly

Read & Reviewed: Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Let's talk about Fairest, shall we?

Mirror, mirror, on the wall.

Who is the Fairest of them all?

Because Fairest is such a small book, one I pretty much steamed through it once I had finished Cress, I didn't get a chance to try and write up a 'Currently Reading...' post for it. That said, if I had tried to write up a post about what I was currently reading for it, there wouldn't be much to say in the Review itself. So, good thing I skipped out on that, aye?

 

So, first and foremost, Fairest: Levana's Story is all about the evil Queen of the Lunar Chronicles, Levana herself. This is an origins story, if anything, and focuses on the characteristics and development of Levana, and how she came to be the person that she was, and why. It looks more into her personality than anything, much like the first three books of the series; the Lunar Chronicles are, first and foremost, character-driven books, so of course this one would be character-driven, too.

After reading a few reviews of this book before even reading it myself, it seems that a lot of fans of the Lunar Chronicles really enjoyed the book, understood why Levana is the way she became, however still heavily dislike her no matter what. Of course, I do agree with them - we come to an understanding with Levana here, and I like that this little prequel was included to better our understanding as readers as to why Levana is such a royal bitch (pun intended), but honestly, this story only leads me to pitying Levana's character, more than anything.

In Fairest, we are introduced to Levana who is, at first, an innocent but selfish princess who has been overshadowed by her cruel and stupid, yet beautiful and beloved sister Channary, who is to become the Queen of Luna after the sudden death of their parents. Levana, as the youngest, is seen as more of a nuisance than anything by the court even though she is smart, resourceful and political, everything that her sister isn't. Due to birthright however, Levana is simply the younger princess and nothing more.

Now, I flew through Fairest, but despite how small the book is compared to Cinder, Scarlet and Cress, you get to watch and learn more about Levana, to experience her growth from a young and innocent princess, selfish due to her upbringing, and watch her turn into what I can only describe as a psychopath for a Queen who will do anything she can, as unjustifiable and despicable as it is, to get what she wants, to basically attain the crown that she has craved since she was a 15 year old girl who lived beneath her sister's perfect shadow.

Levana, you learn, really does not start out as this devious, cruel and dislike-able person, but turns into who she has become progressively; she has ambition and desires, a love that she craves that she never before had from her sister nor her parents, however her views are distorted, twisted even... but you want to pity her, because she craves affection that she never experienced before hand. Even though you hate her for basically forcing someone to love her falsely, you still pity her because she is someone who is seemingly unloved, who people shun because she is the second-born and the ugly sister.

Still, her actions are unacceptable and, whilst I pity the character herself, I still dislike her greatly and find her despicable - but, to her, she is doing what is necessary, to keep her crown and protect her country. I don't doubt that, as a Queen, Levana is a good one - Meyer makes her a great Queen in fact, however as a person, you just want to hate her, much like her subjects do. You fear what she can do, the power she has over others, and the lengths that she goes to simply achieve what she wants. She has horrible thoughts, and she doesn't really feel much guilt for what she has ever done, because it's allowed her to progress and become a ruler.
 But, no matter what, she never gets the love that she craves, and when I remember that after reading Fairest and thinking it over, I still can't help but feel sorry for Levana, because throughout the book, it's the one thing she wants the most, and yet she never really did get it.

From her subjects, her family, the man she had loved dearly, it's the one thing Levana never got, even though she manipulated and killed to get everything else she wanted. It is sad to think about that, but still, it does not justify this characters actions, and does not make me dislike her any less. As I've said plenty already, I simply pity her.

I may have run around here a bit and repeated myself, but yeah, I did enjoy Fairest, even if it was a very light read. It allowed us to see a bit more into one more character in the Lunar Universe, and showed us how she became what she is in the present of the books. If anything, this book just makes me anticipate Winter further, and also has me hoping for a few more prequels, possibly sequels, if Meyer ever decides to write them! May I vote for a Carswell Thorne story, plox? ;)

Now though, I suppose I'll read the small chaptered stories on Wattpad that Meyer has for everyone to read concerning the Lunar Universe!

Until next time! Please keep Reading and Writing happily, peoples!
 ~ Kelly

Read & Reviewed: Cress by Marissa Meyer

mrow mrow mrow~

Incarcerated in a Satellite, and expert Hacker and out to save the World -

Cress isn't your usual Damsel in Distress

Cress grew up as a prisoner. With only netscreens for company, she's forced to do the bidding of the evil Queen Levana. Now that means tracking down Cinder and her handsome accomplice Emperor Kai. But little does Queen Levana know that those she seeks, and the man she loves, are plotting her downfall...

As paths cross and the price of freedom rises, happily ever after has never seemed further away for Cress, Scarlet and Cinder.

This is not the Fairy Tale you remember.

But it's one You won't Forget.

Holy heck isn't this a big improvement from Scarlet?

So, what to say that hasn't already been said about Marissa Meyer's Cress? I covered a lot of how I felt about the book in my Currently Reading... post on it, and since finishing the book some days ago, my feelings for the book are still pretty solid. I think it's great, I really like how it's developed, and now, I'm pissed off that Winter isn't out already so that I can finish this series and feel content that I have successfully read all four books.
 Woe is me, what is life?

Honestly though, Cress is a very engrossing, thrilling book, and it really had me on edge from beginning until end. You could really see how the characters had, over the course of these three books, grown and come together as a team, and how they have matured in their own ways. Because the character of Cress is the newest here, her development is still underway, however you do see her mature throughout the book - she goes from this shy, reluctant damsel in distress to someone who becomes a little braver, and starts to believe in herself and fight for what she desires and deserves after years of imprisonment and labour for Queen Levana and Sybil Mira.  Thankfully, the progressing of her personality and maturity is actually pretty slow, so her character isn't thrown right under the bus and turned into a hero straight away, which I am thankful for as a reader.
 In fact, of all three main female characters, Cress is my favourite, mostly because she's the one character who seems to be somewhat vulnerable in how she acts, as well as being rather honest in how she feels. Not to say that Cinder or Scarlet aren't, but Cress is simply a little girl, she's innocent and sweet, a stark contrast to both Cinder and Scarlet.She's the weakest, the most vulnerable, probably the most real of them all, too. She's a bit of a fangirl (aren't we all?), she has fantasies and dreams, and she is is openly scared, but she still does what she can, because she wants her freedom and wants to actually have a life.

In terms of vulnerability though, you do see Cinder break in this a little and show just how vulnerable she can be, how her resolve quickly crumbles under pressure - with all that has been put on her shoulders since the start of the book, there's no way that couldn't have happened. You see her slowly but surely try and come to terms with her heritage, the power she wields, and how she tries to fight it whilst trying to use it, too. At points, she loses her own control of this power because it simply engulfs her, and you can feel how hard she is battling with herself to try and not lose who she is and what she stands for, even though she can so easily slip into this sense of power. I admit, I found this annoying sometimes, how she would constantly chastise herself and compare herself to Levana if she used her power, however it is pivotal to her development as a character, and you see the struggle that she has and how she is trying to still be a good person.

A lot of things happened in this book actually, not just the character development; the threat of war eventually becomes one, and yes, there is romance, even though I had heavily hoped there wouldn't be in this book. Still, for what it's worth, the romance was very much one-sided for a good chunk of it, and well played out. It was different to the romance in both Cinder and Scarlet, and quite possibly brings together my favourite couple so far, comprised of my two favourite characters! Seriously, Carswell Thorne and Cress are too cute, and I ship them. Hard.

Also, in Cress, we were finally introduced to Winter, who will be the star of the next book, I hope. Her presence was rather brief here, but from the snippets we were given of her character, I'm already in love with this girl - she's a bit nuts, but holy heck I love it, and if Winter as a book is just as good as Cress is, then my love for Cress may wane in favour of Winter, because she's a bit of a nutty sweetie pie so far, and I am all for that!

There was laughter (courtesy of Carswell Thorne, my comic relief), tears and happiness, dread and relief, and a lot of gasping. Cress is definitely not disappointing, only furthering my intrigue in the Lunar Universe, as well as upping my anticipation for the up-coming Winter, which I now impatiently await thanks to finishing Cress. It is a delightful read, it keeps you on edge and has you guessing, crying or grasping the book in anticipation and longing, but above all, it only leaves you wanting more.

Cress is the best of the three books, and so far my favourite in this series of the Lunar world, but now I can't help but wonder just what will happen next and how it will all pan out?

Impatiently awaiting for Winter's release, I just hope I don't go nuts with excitement and a slight dread.

Until next time, Happy Reading and Writing everyone!
~ Kelly

Currently Reading: Cress by Marissa Meyer (of Foreshadowing and Plot Developments, Oh My!)

Soooooo I kind of stayed awake until 7am for the past couple of days, reading Cress in the wee hours of the morning whilst struggling to put the damn book down and go to sleep, like a normal human being. This means that, for the past few days (even when reading Scarlet) I have been waking up in the afternoon. Oh dear...

Yeah, I ain't no good role model for my little niece right now!

Throws on some tunes, stops watching Buffy and actually continues writing this piece.

I'm not even kidding, I have been hooked on Cress since I started reading it. Already I'm up to Chapter 41, and with only 60 or so chapters in this book, I've pretty much sped through this in just two days. Two. Days. I'm beyond halfway through, and if I'm not careful with how much I read tonight, I could have it finished by dawn, because I literally can't put this bloody thing down. I really like it.

I really enjoy where Cress is going and with how the plot is developing thus far. I find that some of the developments have happened at a pace that was achingly slow for me, however no matter what, this book has had me on edge since I began it. It's taken a different turn to both Cinder and Scarlet, and whilst a romance does indeed blossom here (which I had hoped would not happen, I do admit) the focus is more-so on the characters coming together, their growth as people, and discoveries as well as the rise of a war.

It's gripping, there have been unexpected advancements in the novel and, clearly, maturity - you can sense Meyer's maturity as a writer in Cress, and how we have almost broken away from the Fairy Tales, but not completely. There was one especially shocking plot point in the book that really set me on edge as a reader that I had in no way anticipated, but found me in a fit of discomfort and rage for one of the characters. It was a powerful and rather emotional point in the book, reading the turmoil of this character. I was a tad distraught.

There are still elements of it that can be seen as a little clichéd or obvious in ways, and as I read Cress in the early hours of the morrow, I definitely picked up on the inspiration from Sailor Moon - I've noticed it in smatterings between all three books, actually, however it's most prevalent here, almost glaringly obvious (especially Artemisia; I snorted at that, I won't lie) but it's elements like this, the familiarity of something like Sailor Moon, which I watched during my own childhood, that is nice about the book. It does not borrow from this so heavily however, that it loses its true identity. Throughout, the Lunar World is still the Lunar World, and it is completely its own - Meyer doesn't engulf it in fanfiction fantasies or pre-existing characters. Really, there are only small parallels between the Lunar World and Sailor Moon that I can see in the books, but not so many that it becomes a problem or a headache as a reader.

Also, when reading Cress - and this is no issue, more a discovery - I finally seemed to latch on to some foreshadowing that, stupidly so, I did not see in Scarlet, where said foreshadowing began. The Rampion. For crying out loud, the bloody ship Carswell Thorne loves so damn much is a bloody foreshadowing device for the character Cress and himself, and how they are tied together in a way.
 Took me long enough, aye?

Getting back on track...

Cress is, by far, the best of the three books that have come out already - Cinder of course started it all, and Scarlet continued with the threat and beginnings of a war, however Cress is the story that brings forth the edge and emotion, I believe. It doesn't follow a similar pattern to its predecessors at all, and whilst it does hold that familiar romantic story we've come to know in the past two books, Cress truly comes into its own as a novel. It's gripping, leaves you on edge and begs that you read more. It's a book that I have had a difficult time putting down, and you can be sure that tonight, when I get ready for bed and sit down to read, I will have a hard time falling asleep once again.

I may rub my eyes as the light of a new morning drizzles through my curtains, and I may ache with want of sleep, but I know that no matter what, I won't put this story down until I am satisfied, and honestly? I won't be completely sated until it has all finished, and even then, I will be left wanting more.

Really, I worry for those long months when I have to wait for Winter to come out. That will truly ache...

Until next time, Happy Reading and Writing!

Be sure to sleep, because I won't with all this anticipation building up...
~ Kelly

Read & Reviewed: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

mrow mrow mrow mrow

This is not the Fairy Tale You Remember.
But it's one You won't Forget.

Scarlet Benoit's grandmother is missing. The police have closed her case.
The only person Scarlet can turn to is Wolf, a street fighter she does not trust, but they are drawn to each other.

Meanwhile, in New Beijing, Cinder will become the Commonwealth's most wanted fugitive - when she breaks out of prison to stay one step ahead of vicious Queen Levana.

As Scarlet and Wolf expose one mystery, they encounter Cinder and a new one unravels. Together they must challenge the evil queen, who will stop at nothing to make Prince Kai her husband, her king, her prisoner...

Marissa Meyer's Scarlet took me back a bit - as a child, I would actively read books until the break of dawn, sitting by my bedroom door with only a small filter of light that poured through my barely-open door, pretending that I was asleep, when really, I was flying through the pages of the book I was reading at the time. Now though, whilst I was instead sitting in bed, my light fully blaring above me as I read on and on, I was much like that little girl who read her books until she heard the birds chirping outside, 6am already and the sun coming up.

I haven't read for so long in a while, I thought to myself. I felt happy to realise that my love for reading could still take me away from the night, and escape me to the morning.

I finished Scarlet in about three to four days I believe, and I only really read when I went off to bed - this is mostly because, during the day, I try and write and interact with friends online, and also because I spend a good chunk of my time with my niece. I barely get peace during the day, so reading is best done during the evening or at bed time.

Since finishing Scarlet, I have already moved on to Cress and have already flown through Part One of the book, but that isn't the book we're talking about today, is it? So before I go off on a tangent, let's talk about the book I'm supposed to be focusing on, rather than the one I'm currently delving into, shall we?

Now I did enjoy Scarlet when reading, though not as much as I had enjoyed Cinder or as much as I am Cress right now, I admit - it's a well written book, and I am pleased to see that Meyer's passion never once leaves, nor does the progression of the characters and their development, or the world that she has created. I enjoy that each person or creature she creates is full of personality and flaws, and that none suffer from perfection in any way possible. I especially loved the addition of Carswlel Thorne, who has quickly become one of my favourite characters, thanks to his comical but friendly approach. Certainly, he is the comic relief character, but he does it so well, and it suits him.
 Actually, I laughed quite a bit with this novel, and it is this humor that endeared Carswell to me, I admit.

The story for me, however, felt a little more obvious than what Cinder did. With the character Wolf especially, I felt as if who he truly was was not as masked as it could have been. I knew right away who and what he was from the get-go, after what you find out in the first novel, and when the big reveal came, it didn't come as much of a shock - of course, it still hurt, because the character hurts too and Meyer really brought those feelings across, but even then... well, it feels very romance-movie in how some of the dialogue goes. Generic, a little embarrassing to read, and all too fabricated.
 Still, at that moment I did feel for Scarlet and just wanted to hold her.

The one thing that disappointed me the most with this book, however, was the direction that it chose to take. When reading, I couldn't help but feel like the narrative had the exact same pace and tone as Cinder did, with a similar romance storyline, but instead with the roles reversed in who was the one hiding their true identity. Essentially, Scarlet's plot was more of a role-reversal, but with different characters and vastly different personalities.
 It was a big disappointment for me as a reader, and I'm still quite sad that the book was as disappointing as it was, but I do still think it's a good read, no matter what.

Though I do find that this book, of the three, is currently the weakest because of the repetitive feel it has (and I'm saying this only thirteen chapters in with Cress) I do like what Scarlet provides in further continuing the story, and further developing and introducing the characters of the Lunar World. It's not a bad book by any means, in fact it does have its share of surprises and some great anticipatory moments, but the real greatness of this book lies at Part Four of the book - the end almost, if you will. At this point, everything becomes exciting, and you're left wanting more, and I appreciated how great the ending was as it makes up for how similar the first three parts of the book are to the original, Cinder.

It has its flaws, but overall, Scarlet is a good book and provides us with the continuation we all needed. It's not the best of the bunch, but it introduces to us all key characters and progresses what we already know, as well as begins the war we had been waiting to begin, and certainly sets the tone for Book Three, Cress. No, Scarlet is not a favourite, but what it provides is invaluable to the central story.

If you still have not read either Cinder or Scarlet, then be sure to find a copy when you can and indulge in the world of Lunar. It is a great series to get invested in, and it doesn't take too long to read, either, so be sure to check the books out when you have time, and if you have interest.

Until we meet again, Happy Reading and Writing!
~ Kelly

Currently Reading: Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

Listening to: Beauty and the Beast by Q; indivi


Around 5:00pm today:

I'm currently going through a bout of not wanting to see people, to just sit all on my own doing nothing. So I thought, as I'm not really doing anything of worth, why not finally get to doing that Currently Reading post I was meant to start writing a few days ago? You know, just to seem productive and to show that I am still interested in this blog, and that, HEY! I'm reading as well? So yeah, we're gonna get into it, and I'm going to finally get this post rollin'!

12:07am:

... And yet, many hours later, I have only the opening title, and the rest is blank... -sigh-

I'm a terrible blogger, just sayin' XD

After finishing Marissa Meyer's Cinder some days ago, it was of course inevitable that I would eventually begin to read its sequel, titled Scarlet, and return to the world of The Lunar Chronicles. Since beginning the book, which I am trying to read every night right now, I have reached Part Two of the book, which begins with Chapter 11. So far, I am really enjoying Scarlet, though I do admit that I am not flying through it like I did Cinder as of yet.

The beginning of Scarlet feels a little slower than Cinder did in its beginning, though I don't mind that so much; it's setting the tone of the story more than anything, plus, this book is a little bigger, so I anticipate the middle and end to be a lot more thrilling - still, the opening chapters are anything but boring, allowing us to see just who the character of Scarlet is and just what makes her tick.
 It's an enjoyable opening, and Part One is a great opener for introducing our titular character as well as her companion, the mysterious and handsome Wolf.

Much like Cinder before this, the chapters will often switch between characters and continue the story from their perspectives, though with Scarlet, we read from the perspectives of Scarlet herself, Cinder from where she left off in the first book, Prince Kai from the first book, as well as a new character. By doing this, Meyer offers the readers a broader look into the characters of The Lunar Chronicles, creating eyes and ears almost everywhere, and allowing us to delve into various thoughts and feelings. It is this aspect that I am enjoying greatly from Scarlet, as I am able to see the story from all sides, and to see various events develop. It's actually quite exciting!

I'm looking forward to what both Part Two and Part Three have in store for me in this book, because whilst Part One has been more about setting the scene for Scarlet and continuing from where Cinder was left in the first book, I really look forward to how Meyer will develop the story further and how she will create even more chaos for these characters, as well as the possibility of eventually bringing them together. It's turning out to be a great book, one that is extremely atmospheric, and I do anticipate how the story will unfold.

Until next time, when I will have hopefully finished the book and reviewed it, take care!

Happy reading and writing!
~ Kelly

Read & Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer

A Forbidden Romance.
A Deadly Plague.

Earth's Fate Hinges On One Girl...

Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She's reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister's sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai's she finds herself at the center of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen - and a dangerous temptation.

Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth's future.

This is not the Fairy Tale You Remember.

But it's one You won't Forget.

As a lover of all things fairy tale, I of course have a deep love for the many adaptations that we have of these childhood stories too. So of course, upon finding out one day that a new adaptation of Cinderella had come out in the form of a book, I had to read it! It didn't matter when, it didn't matter how, but by Joe, I would have this book and see how it fared to my tastes!

I eventually bought Marissa Meyer's Cinder on Amazon, and soon after, I added Scarlett, Cress and then Fairest to my collection so that I could one day read them all when I had the time. Sadly, it took me a few months to finally open up Cinder and invest myself in its story, but once I started reading... well, I was there.

Cinder is, first and foremost, a wonderfully original adaptation of the classic Cinderella tale - there have been many versions of Cinderella before this one in film, book and song; Disney's Cinderella (1950), Ever After (Flower Films, 1998), Rags (Nickelodeon, 2012), Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (Harper Collins, 1998), Ash by Malinda Lo (Little Brown and company, 2009) and even a manga adaptation titled Cinderalla by Junko Mizuno (Viz Media, 2000) where the characters are, in fact, zombies... well, except for Cinderalla herself, of course.

 Anyway, you get the gist; there are plenty of adaptations out there, more than I've given, and all are different and unique in their own way, but we're here to talk about Cinder, not the other millions of Cinderella adaptations.

So let's get crackin'!

In total, this book took me four days to complete I'd say - it would have been four days straight of worthy reading, if it hadn't been for the fact that for a week, I didn't open the book and finish off the last four chapters because I was a tad busy. Still... I should have finished it earlier! What is life?

Regardless, when I did eventually get around to finishing Cinder, I was left a very happy camper. I mean, it's not everyday that I actually thoroughly enjoy something to the point where I find the parts that I did nit-pick at irrelevant, so for that, I give it props.

Also, Marissa Meyer is a fantastic writer. Just throwin' that out there!

I love everything about Cinder; it's written incredibly well, and Meyer's way of writing completely drags you in as a reader. Not only is she creating a piece that is easy to read, but a piece that is also incredibly easy to fall into and feel like you are there. She knows how to create atmosphere, her characters are balanced, and in the form of Cinder and Prince Kai, complex at times, and she knows how to make you thoroughly hate someone, too - that's true writing talent, right there. Meyer engrosses the reader, and she brings you into this incredible world that she has created. She pours her heart into it, she creates History, brings us grief and humor, joy and heartache... she does so much, but never does the novel read like its trying too hard.

Not like one novel I know HelloCityofBonesofwhichIwillneverfinish

Though Cinder does suffer from a few predictable moments at times, it doesn't overwhelm the reader, nor are there too many clichéd or predictable points within the storyline. In fact, I feel like the book is well-balanced in its predictable moments and the unforeseen circumstances that happen. There were a lot of times where I was shocked by what happened in the story, things that I did not expect to happen at all if you will, and that allowed me to forgive the little cliché's and predictable plot points that I felt were far too obvious when I was reading Cinder.

 That said, all books with have a cliché or two in it, especially fairy tales. Still, I'm fussy, but at least Meyer didn't abuse it like other writers do.

Aside from the great writing, I do love this world that Cinder is set in; I loved the world of Ash a great deal when I read it, but what I enjoy most about Cinder is that it's set in the future during a time where Cyborgs are a reality, where androids roam and where a race beyond our own is alive and thriving. It's more of a dystopian setting, if anything, with the world hurt by a terrible plague. There is more to like beyond its setting or how our main character, Cinder, is a cyborg though, because though Meyer has created a new world, she's still created a world that is lead by hostility, prejudice and discrimination in humans towards the Cyborgs and Lunar race from the Moon. Here, Meyer keeps the deeper evil of the human heart in tact. She keeps it real and true, and it is this bitter emotion of dislike that really creates the emotion of the novel and makes it so wholesome.

It's not all about love and acceptance - it's about how people can perceive others, and how others treat someone different to them, based on their race or how they were created.

Cinder is a wonderful debut novel for Marissa Meyer, and a wonderful adaptation of the classic tale Cinderella. She is truly wonderful at writing and creating a world that is not only a fantasy in its scientific theme, but also scary in its setting and how certain characters are driven by their desires or dislike of the cyborgs in this world. Cinder is, to me, fantastic, and I honestly can't wait to read Scarlett when I can!

If you have yet to read Cinder by Marissa Meyer, be sure to pick up a copy when you can! Amazon tend to do good deals, so grab it, especially all you lovers of Fairy Tales and adaptations alike!

Happy Reading and Merry days!

T'rah!

~ Kelly

Currently Reading: Cinder by Marissa Meyer (Originally posted on 5/25/2015)

This post was originally on the Wordpress version of my blog, Shambles to Rambles in Wonderland, however that blog is no longer active. I have migrated the post here because I did not want to lose it. Thank you.

Sometimes reading for pleasure can be a struggle, especially when you've become a tad too judgmental for your own liking. I admit, I've been this way for a few years now when it comes to the books that I read, so finding a disappointing book is nothing new to me now. It's when I find a genuinely good book, one that makes me feel excited and gives me that much desired rush of adrenaline, that I am reminded of how amazing these little gems can be.

For the past two days I've been reading Cinder, the first in a series of four from the Lunar Chronicle series by Marissa Meyer, and though I am only just a quarter of a way through it, I'm really enjoying what has happened thus far. It has a great storyline from what I have read so far, and already I am absolutely in love and engrossed in the futuristic setting of this modern Cinderella adaptation. It's fun to imagine, but the story already seems quite dark and is filled with anticipation and keeps me on edge.

When I stop reading it, I want to continue the story because I'm already anticipating what happens next. I really haven't felt such a strong desire to read since I started reading the earlier books in The Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, or The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, and those were read quite a while back. So yes, I rather like this book.

Does it matter that I have about five other books on the go right now, as well as this one? Oops!

It's honestly nice to finally be reading a book that I am actually invested in, I have to say; I have always loved fairy tales and their adaptations, whether it is a book or film variant of the tale, and I'm glad that I finally decided to open Cinder and delve into this new world, to take me away and allow my imagination to fly.

I'm only on Chapter Fifteen right now, but hopefully by the end of the night I will be halfway through the book, because I really do like it. It's gripping, the writing is well done, and I am completely in love with the characters and the plot line. Yes, some things were extremely obvious after reading a few chapters, however I do look forward to where this story will go, and how the characters will develop.

... That is, if they develop at all. Here's to hoping they do!

Happy reading!
~ Kelly