Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

 

 

Review:

“A postmodern visionary who is also a master of styles and genres, David Mitchell combines flat-out adventure, a Nabokovian love of puzzles, a keen eye fro character, and a taste for mind-bending philosophical and scientific speculation in the tradition of Haruki Murakami, Umberto Eco, and Philip K. Dick. The result is brilliantly original fiction that reveals how disparate people connect, how their fates intertwine, and how their souls drift across time like clouds across the sky.”

 

I wasn’t completely convinced about this book when I first started reading it. Probably because I had no idea what the connection between the characters was and where the story was going.

Imagine my surprise when one of the stories ended in the word ‘might’. I frantically searched through the book to see whether that was it, which it wasn’t. Once you start making the connections and begin to understand the complexity of the situations each of the characters is going through (plus delightful writing style) you realize this is one of the best novels you’ll ever read.

The stories start in the past, into the present and well into future. It’s something like a domino effect, one thing leads to another and makes really remote occurrences have an effect on each other.

There are five stories that get cut in the middle (everything happens for a reason) and one story that happens in the distant future that kinda glues all the other stories together. They are told from past to future in the first part of the book and from future to past in the other.

THE PACIFIC JOURNAL OF ADAM EWING

This is the very first story in the book. Not being a native speaker of English, the sailing vocabulary was a bit hard for me, but I kept going nonetheless (I’m one of those people who will finish a book no matter what). It gets a bit difficult to understand for a while, because we don’t know what’s going on with this rare disease that the main character gets and the strange methods the ship doctor uses to ‘cure’ him. To be honest, this was my least favourite story, not that I didn’t like it, I did, just not as much as the others.

 

LETTERS FROM ZEDELGHEM

This is where I started feeling the ‘I-can’t-put-this-book-down’ syndrome. It’s the much gripping tale of an aspiring composer who meets his celebrity crush. He starts helping old Ayrs compose an Aria, but in the meantime the muses inspire him and he creates the Cloud Atlas (yup… just like the title) which Ayrs then tries to claim as his own work. It’s a tale of discovery, and a kind of cautionary tale to all those who may idolize a certain celebrity, telling us that no one’s perfect. (Things get steamy with Ayrs’ wife and all hell breaks loose)

 

HALF-LIVES – THE FIRST LUISA REY MYSTERY

Luisa Rey is a reporter who tries to uncover the truth about a company. We get to see how she narrowly escapes death and this really sneaky organization that has set its murderous sight on her. She basically lives with a target on her back. I really enjoyed reading this section, Luisa is a complex character that is also likeable and sometimes even witty. She’s very smart, which is something that I found lacking in other novels’ female characters. The first part ends with a cliffhanger… a really HUGE cliffhanger…

 

THE GHASTLY ORDEAL OF TIMOTHY CAVENDISH

This is about a man who gets tricked into a retirement home by his bitter brother. Now, Timothy is not just any grumpy old man, he is escaping from some thugs that want a cut from a recently murdered author’s work. He’s my favourite character by far because he’s very clever and not afraid to send as many people to hell as he can. I found myself laughing out loud on the subway while I read (something that doesn’t happen that often). This is also my favourite section, it was very fun and enjoyable to read.

 

AN ORISON OF SONMI-451

This is a kind interrogation by a futuristic government to a ‘servant’. Sonmi-451 belongs to a society where social classes are carefully divided into fabricants and purebloods. Sonmi is a fabricant, and she is destined to serve purebloods until the day she is freed (or so she thought). She is being interrogated because she was actually freed and joined a revolutionary group. Sonmi is a rarity, because she can actually think for herself, which is something fabricants can’t and are not allowed to do. It’s a very exciting tale to read, with some action here and there and the story of a girl who dared to dream of something beyond her already written destiny.

 

SLOOSHA’S CROSSIN’ AN’ EV’RYTHIN’ AFTER

This is the only story that is not ‘interrupted’ and glues all the other tales together. All I will say about this one is that it’s in the distant future and has to do with fear of the unknown (I don’t want to spoil it for you… it’s great!). It brings all the facts we’ve been collecting throughout the story together nicely and wraps them up in a great way.

 

I had my doubts about this book, I’d been told it was really good but it was not what I’m used to reading. Overall a great experience, great character development and amazing settings and descriptions. It’s a must-read in my opinion.

 

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.

It’s kind of a funny story by Ned Vizzini

 

 

Review:

“Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan's Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life-which means getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job-Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That's when things start to get crazy.
At his new school, Craig realizes that he isn't brilliant compared to the other kids; he's just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping-until, one night, he nearly kills himself.
Craig's suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.
Ned Vizzini, who himself spent time in a psychiatric hospital, has created a remarkably moving tale about the sometimes unexpected road to happiness. For a novel about depression, it's definitely a funny story”

I have no idea why I bought this novel… seriously I don’t know, but I’m so glad I did. It starts off as most novels told from a teenager’s point of view, guiding us through the anxieties and insecurities that adapting to a new school can bring. But Craig is special, or so he thought, until he actually gets what he wants, which is enter this ‘elite’ school. We all kind of know that feeling that comes with getting what you’ve been working for for a really long time. First, it’s all bliss, then you don’t know what to do to fill that void. You got what you wanted, now what? In Craig’s case, the WHAT was a school that demanded all his free time and effort. He had just succeeded in getting what he wanted and thought he was the brightest kid ever… but he wasn’t, he was just average and the workload was getting to him.

Everything starts going downhill until one night he calls the suicide hotline. They ask him to go to the nearest hospital to get admitted. Craig thought they’d just keep him for a bit and then he’d go home, but that’s not the case. They admitted him and this is where we get to meet characters that are so different and interesting they’ll keep you glued to this book.

These people teach Craig valuable lessons in life, and make him feel at home with their comments and personalities. His parents come visit and support him throughout the story, which is nice to see.

Overall, this is a very funny story, with characters that will guide you through it and engage you until you couldn’t put the book down even if you wanted to.

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.

 

Angela

Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking

Rating:
“When Wendy Everly was six years old, her mother was convinced she was a monster and tried to kill her. Eleven years later, Wendy discovers her mother might have been right. She’s not the person she’s always believed herself to be, and her whole life begins to unravel—all because of Finn Holmes.
Finn is a mysterious guy who always seems to be watching her. Every encounter leaves her deeply shaken…though it has more to do with her fierce attraction to him than she’d ever admit. But it isn’t long before he reveals the truth: Wendy is a changeling who was switched at birth—and he’s come to take her home.
Now Wendy’s about to journey to a magical world she never knew existed, one that’s both beautiful and frightening. And where she must leave her old life behind to discover who she’s meant to become…”
I basically got this book because someone posted a picture of the trilogy and found the plot original (i.e. no vampires). I’d never come across a fantasy novel about trolls. One always tends to imagine them as big hairy greenish beings that cannot string a four-word sentence that made sense for the life of them.
We meet Wendy, a teenager who has a family past which is kind of horrible. She lives with her brother, who loves her to bits. At school she meets mysterious Finn, who turns her world upside down. He introduces her to the truth, she is actually a member of the Trylle.
The relationship with her real mother is nothing but troublesome. This woman, Elora, is very strict and quite a bit nasty from time to time, but we soon learn that she has her reasons, and beyond all that facade there is actually a woman who has been through hell and back.
We get to meet other equally interesting characters, remember these are kids who were placed in other kids’ places. So there are both sides of the story, the replacement and the replaced. The replaced children are banned from leaving the trylle community until the real Trylle come back to it. Then they have a choice, so some stay and some leave.
I was a bit bored at first, to be honest. I didn’t understand where the story was going and I didn’t find the action super interesting. UNTIL I GOT TO THE SECOND BOOK where we meet Loki. That name means sexy trouble… He has all the right amounts of sexy, witty, sensitive and crazy. From then on the action picks up and it’s almost impossible to put the books down.
The struggle this girl goes through trying to come to grips with everything that has happened and is going to happen to her in her life is at times heart-breaking. It’s like she’s constantly discovering new things and seeing the events in her past in a new light.
There  is also the fact that she is some sort of princess, which means that one day she will rule over the Trylle, much to the Vittra king’s dismay and rage. War breaks out and the lines dividing right and wrong get blurred. The social and power struggles are very present throughout the novels, which makes all the romance in the novels not seem overdone, because there is the same amout of action and suspence in them.
This is one of those stories for which I took a leap of faith, and it was totally worth it!

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.

Angela.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

 

Rating:

“Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.”

I really enjoyed this book. I had been warned to read it with a box of tissues next to me, as it was a really sad book. Yes, I got teary eyed for a bit, but it was all justified, I mean, the sad scenes were there for a reason, not just to make readers cry.

Hazel is a girl who refuses to mope. Just like that. She refuses to be labeled as ‘depressed’. She’s like: I’m basically dying, I have a right to feel down sometimes. This disease might kill her in the end, but it sure as hell wouldn’t prevent her from living her life. She doesn’t feel really comfortable during the support group meetings until Augustus appears.

Augustus is in remission, which as far as I understood means that for now he is cancer-free. He drives like a maniac. I loved this character. He is funny and puts others before himself. Hazel is wary of him at first, but when she gets to know him she falls for him hard and fast.

Hazel has this  book she has read thousands of times and finishes in an open ending. With the help of Augustus she flies to Amsterdam, but what she finds is not what she was expecting. I won’t tell you guys any more so I don’t spoil the ending for you, but believe me, you should really read it.

 

The characters are lovable, strong, and don’t demand your pity as a reader. I really enjoyed reading this book.

 

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

 

Rating:

“BEFORE. Miles ‘Pudge’ Halter’s whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. she pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.”

Honestly, I don’t know how I feel about this book. I bought it because I had liked TFIOS (next review, btw) by the same author. The first part deals with the crazy Alaska Young and a prank, she, Pudge and their friends are going to pull on the other students. It’s some kind of tradition apparently. I liked the characters, but I sometimes couldn’t help wondering how they got away with the things they did.

Alaska seems very carefree and lacking in limits. I ended up feeling really sorry for her. SPOILERRRRSSS –she dies-. It’s sad when this happens. She was a fun character and for her to go in such a horrible unfair way was just heartbreaking.

After she is out of the picture, her friends embark on a quest to find out about the events that lead to her untimely death, which is quite confusing.

When I got to the ending I was kinda mad… All this build-up to the ending where I expected they’d discover some kind of indication as to why she ended up the way she did, and NOTHING. You get some kind of clue, but nothing concrete… so I liked it but it’s not a book I’d read  again.

However, I’d recommend it. I really enjoyed the book, it was the ending that bothered me.

 

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.

Hush, Hush Saga by Becca Fitzpatrick

 

Review:

“A sacred Oath, a fallen angel, a forbidden love When Nora and Patch are forced together as lab partners, Nora would rather fall to her death than put up with his elusive answers to her questions, his teasing, and his infuriatingly handsome face and hypnotizing eyes. It seems Patch was put on earth just to drive her crazy. But before long, Nora's defenses start to break down as her curiosity about Patch heats up. Why does he always seem to be wherever she is and know exactly what she's thinking? How does he know what to say to both attract and repulse her? And what is up with those V-shaped scars on his chiseled back? As their connection grows stronger, Nora's own life becomes increasingly fragile. Nora needs to decide: Is Patch the one who wants to do her harm or the one who will keep her safe? Has she fallen for one of the fallen? Becca Fitzpatrick's New York Times bestselling debut is a page-turning leap into the unknown world of fallen angels. Do you have someone to catch you?”

 

The story starts with Nora (a fatherless teen with red hair) being paired up with Patch, a good-looking albeit really mysterious classmate she doesn’t like at all… for now.

At first it’s kinda confusing because he’s all sexy and trying to kiss her one minute and grabbing a knife the next. But then again, he has his reasons, weird supernatural ones, yes, but reasons all the same.

As you might have guessed from the blurb and the cover, yes, he’s a fallen angel. The author managed to explain little by little the complicated rules that these creatures have to follow and all the hierarchies there are. Patch is… well… Patch. He’s a very strong, very conflicted character. It’s like he’s being pulled from two opposite sides at the same time. He’s not just the hot guy who thinks he’s dangerous and is trying to show everyone he’s walking away from the girl in order to do the right thing. He’s really dangerous, but he uses this to protect Nora. That’s all I can say about him without spoilers.

Nora is not your typical teen who falls in love and just wants to be with the guy. She doesn’t just fight ‘for her man’, she fights against evil, and what she thinks should be punished. I liked her, but sometimes I was like: guuurlll! Don’t go in there! What were you thinking?!

The secondary characters are great. I loved Vee, Scott and even Marcie, yes, even her.

I found myself hooked on these books without being able to stop reading. So if you like fantasy and romance these books are right up your alley.

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.

The Infernal Devices Series by Cassandra Clare

 

 

Rating:

“When sixteen-year-old Tessa Gray arrives in England during the reign of Queen Victoria, something terrifying is waiting for her in London’s Downworld, where vampires, warlocks and other supernatural folk stalk the gaslit streets. Friendless and hunted, Tessa seeks refuge with the Shadowhunters, a band of warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. Drawn ever deeper into their world, she finds herself fascinated by – and torn between – two best friends and quickly realizes that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.”

 

The first thing you should know about these books is that you should probably buy the three of them in one go. I found myself asking my favourite bookstore every day for a month and a half whether the final book, Clockwork Princess had finally arrived.

Now, about the books. The story starts with Tessa being kidnapped by two sisters who are really mean and torture her. Tessa has no idea why this is happening to her, as she had left New York because her brother had sent her a letter asking her to begin a new life in London. She tries escaping a few times with no success.

One day a guy storms into her bedroom and she hits him on the head… with a jug. Really funny scene. They escape from the house and she sees other people also fighting to free her. These people are Shadowhunters, they basically fight demons and other evil creatures so we mundanes (i.e. humans whose blood isn’t mixed with that of angels) don’t get killed by them (there’s also a nasty thing called demon pox.)

The guy that had barged into Tessa’s room is called William ‘Will’ Herondale. Black hair, blue eyes, bad-boy-who’s-actually-softer-on-the-inside kind of character. He is one of those characters who is really mean, but then is really caring but tries to hide it. He has his reasons, that’s all I’m saying. He’s really witty and he speaks fluent sarcasm.

Will’s best friend is James ‘Jem’ Carstairs. He’s a kind-hearted guy who will always think of others before himself. He suffers from a disease I will not tell you the reasons for because that’d be spoiling your book, and I won’t do that ;) .

Tessa finds herself being the key element in a battle where she kind of has no say. At first everyone tells her she should do this or that, and she mostly follows because she has no idea what’s going on. Until she finds her voice and that’s when things get ineresting. She shows how strong she can be and doesn’t let herself be controlled by anything or anyone.

Vampires, demons, werewolves and warlocks (Magnus, oh Magnus :) My favourite character) make an appearance in the story, and all of them are justified. All the different creatures have a purpose and add to the story, they’re not simply thrown in the mix for the sake of fantasy.

What’s really interesting about these books is that they are closely connected to The Mortal Instruments series. Many of the characters we see in these books appear on the Mortal Instruments books. There are also things that are explained in these books which refer to things that were taken for granted in the other books.

 

Why four stars? Well… I felt like the ending was intended to keep everyone happy, which felt a bit too perfect for me. However, I still loved the books and would definitely read them again.

 

Disclaimer: the only things that belong to me are my own opinions, the books and images are owned by their respective authors.