Analyzing Books

Tag: Supernatural

  • Fallen Angel

    Fallen Angel

    Rating: 4 Stars

    Age Recommendation: Upper Young Adult, New Adult +

    Warnings: Mention of and Attempted Rape, Character Death, Violence, Slight Language

    Genres: Fantasy (Supernatural), Romance, Action and Adventure

    Pages: 344 (EPUB version, provided in exchange for an honest review)

    “I had been unsure about the future, tossed into the rapids by things beyond my control, but I had never been so befuddled about what I was going to do to get myself where I wanted to go. Home was New York, I tried to remind myself. Or was it?”

    Evelynn is not an average student. She used to be a swimmer at a school in New York before she had to move up to live with her Aunt and Uncle in Montana after the death of her parents. She isn’t thrilled about getting involved in things like the cheer team or dating a boy on the football team, but those aren’t exactly the biggest of her problems. Referencing the fall of Satan in a novel that is something of a mix between Paradise Lost and the “Hush, Hush” series by Becca Fitzpatrick, Fallen Angel, by David Lamour, tells Evelynn’s story of love, fear, and angels versus demons.

    I wasn’t sure what to expect upon starting my read of this story, though I knew that Fallen Angel had received high ratings on Goodreads and similar sites. Once I hit chapter three or so, I was stuck. I stayed up past three in the morning to continue, despite having work that would need to be done the next afternoon. In truth, the story was pretty addicting.

    The descriptions in Fallen Angel are beautiful. I noted that from the very beginning, and any author who can make a world feel real and who can allow me to visualize what is happening automatically gets points in my book. Equally, it took me a little while to realize that this is being partly written in Evelynn’s diary, which actually makes it more interesting, in my opinion. Typically, diary-style writing is overly detailed. Things that people shouldn’t be able to recall later on. But that isn’t the case here, and I appreciate that greatly. I do wish that there had been some sort of italics or indication of what had been written by Evelynn and what hadn’t been, though. There were a few typos, grammar issues and spelling changes in the Epub I was sent in exchange for a review, but they didn’t really distract me very much from the story itself.

    One thing that threw me off, though, was the way Evelynn’s thoughts sometimes seemed a little too self-aware. Sometimes the comments seemed to come from Lamour and not from the character herself – for example, several comments are made early on about authors and writing style and even “instant-love.” I found it a little funny at first, but it did pull me out of the story a bit, as it didn’t seem to match the rest of the text.

    Evelynn as a character is mischievous, rather funny, and although she is hung up on her past, she of all people has a right to be. She is a reader with a good heart, making her easy to like. There are a few things in the first couple of chapters that seem to be included specifically to set her apart from “normal” girls or the “popular” group, which I feel is a bit of a YA habit at this point. It didn’t really bother me too much, but I did notice and feel that it was a little forced.

    The romantic interests in this story were portrayed in a different way than most love triangle-style characters and relationships are. In this case, it was clear who the “winner” of sorts would be, but neither really struck me as the ‘bad boy’ trope that so many are tired of.

    Overall, I found the text to be very funny, and the epilogue was a brilliant set-up for the next book. I am very glad I’ve had the chance to start the Fallen Angel series and I can’t wait for the sequel!

    Views: 47

  • Glass Sword

    Glass Sword

    Glass Sword was an amazing sequel to an equally amazing book called Red Queen. I found Red Queen at a local bookstore and decided to give it a try. I don’t have a copy of Glass Sword, but my fellow book-lover and friend lent me her (signed) copy to read. Needless to say, It was superb. Not only fast-paced from the first chapter, Glass Sword also introduced more character development (yay!) and the end was a plot twist that made me ready for the next book! All of the characters were uniquely written, and the author had me cringing, gasping, laughing, sighing, blushing, and grabbing for the next few words all throughout the book.

    Though Mare was definitely not my favorite character for the vast majority of the book because she was cruel and ruthless, I do appreciate flawed characters (Dumbledore and Snape, anyone?) and think that characters without flaws are flat and rather stock. Cal was, as usual, amazing (kind, intelligent, and, well, attractive) and definitely a new fictional boyfriend for me. Farley was amazing; a truly brave, strong young girl that today’s normalized society lacks in. I think all of the characters have matured greatly from Red Queen, especially Mare, who went from a little girl afraid and angry at the world to a mature young woman who understands the world (but is still afraid and angry).

    The only aspect of Glass Sword that I feel could be improved is rather small, but still worth mentioning. I personally think that some of the action in the opening chapter could have been held back until a little later in the book. There should be a balance between the first few chapters of a book filled with rather boring plot and jumping straight into the action, and I feel like Mare, Cal, and the Red Guard should have been given more time to adjust from the events concluding Red Queen before running into battle.  However, the rest of the book was brilliantly written, and I give kudos to Victoria Aveyard. Looking forward to the next book!

    Rating: 4.75 out of 5 stars.

    Views: 6

  • A Whisper of Leaves

    A Whisper of Leaves

    A Whisper of Leaves was given to me by Full of Books to review a week or so ago, and I must admit that I was hesitant to read it at first. A small book at only 146 pages, I was worried that the resolution would be quick and the story too short to be interesting. Though I still hold that the book would be improved by adding more plot and, therefore, length, I was pleasantly surprised. I tore through the story, finishing it in a little over an hour, and found myself eager to read more when I finished a chapter. The ghost/thriller theme gave me chills, and I found my eyes darting around me as if the death spirit Shinigami itself were peering over me.

    A ghost story set in Japan, A Whisper of Leaves was written by Ashley Capes. Riko, and ESL teacher finds an old journal in the forest beneath Mt. Fuji and decides to take it home. As she begins to read through the journal, Riko begins to be threatened by a mysterious and angry force everywhere she turns and finds out more than she bargained for about the author. As strange events turn to dangerous (i.e. being held a gunpoint by your possessed ex-boss) and nobody seems to believe her, Riko must discover what happened to the author of this strange journal – and why a strange old man raking leaves in the forest seems to be connected.

    I enjoyed this book more than I first thought, but there were still some flaws. The grammar was slightly better than mediocre, as there were too many simple sentences for my taste, and using a semicolon five times per page gets annoying after a while. As I mentioned earlier, the book could have been longer – I felt that the story was good and complete, but I definitely would have read more if it was available and I felt that there was just something that was missing. Overall, a recommended read for anyone who likes ghost stories, or anyone who wants to dip their toes into the genre.

    Rating: 3.25 of 5 stars

    Views: 2

  • Welcome to Night Vale

    Welcome to Night Vale

    Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffery Cranor

    Rating: 4 stars

    Age recommendation: Young Adult and up

    Genre: Adventure, Dark, Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Sci-Fi, Supernatural

    Opening excerpt: “Pawnshops in Night Vale work like this. First you need an item to pawn. To get this, you need a lot of time behind you, years spent living and existing, until you’ve reached a point where you believe that you exist, and that a physical item exists, and that, improbable as all those are, these absurd beliefs line up in a way that results in you owning an item.”

    Favorite excerpt: “Something in me says that this is only the start. The moment after which all other moments will come. And looking back at the point we are at now, we will know that this was before and that all of our nows from here on out will be after. This is the only way we know time works.” (Chapter 49, pg. 393)

    There are two women. Not dissimilar to any pair of women you’ve seen walking down the street, thoughts filled with love, hate, ignorance to the cameras and surveyors watching their every move. Yet completely different. Utterly and totally different. You’ve never seen these women before. You’ve never imagined them. (Well, now you have. Good job.) You don’t know these women. And they don’t know you. They don’t know a lot of things. They don’t know why the sun rises or why the planets orbit or why the sky turns green every other Tuesday. They just don’t. Neither do you. But that’s not the point. The point is about the fact that there are two women. Driving down a dusty road, towards something terrifying, new, unknown. They’re going somewhere, somewhere you’ve never been and never will go. They’re going somewhere not knowing what will happen. Will they find what’s lost? Will they return the unwanted? Will they answer the question that’s banging inside their head like an angry warthogs nest? I don’t know. I don’t know, dear listeners. I don’t even know why you’re asking me. Please stop asking me. Please stop.

    Welcome to Night Vale follows the emotional and physical journey of two women, who live in a very abnormal town in the desert. One only worries about her growing teen son and the other leads a literal monotonous life running a pawn shop. Their lives cross in pursuit of a common irritant, them first meeting with great distaste, but as their goal appears both closer yet so inescapably far, they work together and forge an incredible admiration and support for one another, resulting in the answer to all their questions.

    The novel follows the style of the bi-monthly podcast called, Welcome to Night Vale, focusing on two new main characters, Diane Crayton and Jackie Fierro, with features of the admired Cecil Palmer and Carlos the Scientist, alongside other favored characters. One can expect the same antics from the podcast, voids, time traveling flamingos and bleeding to open doors, to be pervasive throughout the novel.

    Now for my take on the book. Personally, I am a fan of the podcast, so I may be swayed in my review, but I think Welcome to Night Vale was a really good read. There are so many themes and aspects of this novel that many people can relate to. Jackie, a teenager, is stuck in a world where she is both an adult and a child. After her world is shaken, she really begins to feel this, as she’s adept and lauded in some areas, while confused and castigated in others. Diane is a biracial single mother, taking care of a teenager by herself. She feels the pressures from society to look and act a certain way, to be a mother and a woman in the way society deems okay. There’s also the very powerful theme of female friendship towards the end of the novel that is beautifully healthy and well written.

    I will admit, the resolution to their problems, in the end, was a bit weak, but it really doesn’t take away from the book. There are far too many astounding lines and themes to let that damage it as a whole.

    Is the novel weird? Yes. But does it captivate you, make you laugh, wonder, and smile? Yes. For people unfamiliar with the podcast, it may be hard to follow, but the plot and storytelling are phenomenally done and something you wouldn’t want to miss out on. It will be a read different from any other book you’ve read and hopefully quite memorable. For me, it’s a thumbs up.

    Views: 5