The Night Circus was such a lovely book to read. I am not terribly fond of circuses, at least not the type of circuses we have today, so I was very hesitant to read a book set within a circus.
The circus in this novel is unlike any that you could ever imagine. It is entirely black and white, with black and white striped tents, black hot chocolate being sold at the black and white concession stand and performers dressed lavishly in the monochrome colors.
The story takes place over many years and follows two magicians that have been chosen for a duel. They are not told where or when the duel is, the rules of the duel, or how a victor is decided. All they know is that they must use magic, which they have both been taught since childhood from their extremely vigilant mentors.
The two magicians, Celia and Marco soon fall in love which only makes the competition more complex as it involves not just them but everyone else who works at and attends the circus.
I really loved this book. It follows a few different story lines that eventually mesh together for a very well connected ending. I highly recommend the Night Circus for some enjoyable reading. It has garnered rave reviews from USA Today, Newsday, L.A. Times, and Huffington Post. Summit Entertainment, famous for the Twilight Series, has also bought the rights to make The Night Circus a reality on film.
To purchase The Night Circus click HERE.
I have just finished this book and am still in the limbo period of not knowing whether I liked it or not.
The first half to two-thirds of the book are dense. There is a lot of information and complaining as Quentin is unsatisfied with much of his life. Even Brakebills starts to lose its appeal to him. I grew to dislike every time Quentin discussed the plot lines to the Fillory series, it seemed out of place much of the time. It also started to aggravate me how similar Fillory was to Narnia. It was like Grossman recreated Narnia and slapped another name to it adding a few bits and pieces here and there to prove it was different. Instead of Aslan it was two rams called Ember and Umber. It was changes like that, that came to bother me making it hard to read. There were a few other issues I had with this novel, including the time lapse. Time changed so fast that you barely had a chance to adjust. All of sudden you'd be six months to a year ahead of the last paragraph you read. The author, Lev Grossman, seemed to be rushing through Quentin's school years to get to the climax. If you read the book, you'll also find that some parts are just beyond the world of understandable (even in a fantasy novel) to the point of totally bizarre. You're left shaking your head going, "oh my god, what is this?"
With all that said, and I'm sure it sounds pretty terrible, I must admit the last hundred pages are incredibly addictive. All the strangeness and bizarre quality to the novel end up making perfect sense. All the stories of Fillory that I thought were boring, became very important and crucial to the overarching story line. Those last hundred or so pages become so overwhelming and page turning that you'll read it in one sitting. Everything up to the climax now fits into some part of the larger puzzle. You learn to appreciate and understand why Grossman put some of the denser material in; he had to. It was the only way to reach the surprising and gut-wrenching finale.
As you can now see, this is why I'm in a dilemma on whether to say I liked the novel or not. The beginning and middle felt like you were going through the motions of following the character. You're not attached to him but you're not totally unattached. It isn't until the end that you find the novel so enrapturing and a perfect whole.
Many reviews will tell you this is an adult Harry Potter, it's the reason I picked up the book in the first place. Do not be fooled, this book is nowhere near being like Harry Potter. The differences stop at a boy going to magic school.
If you've read The Magicians, please let me know if you felt the same.
If you haven't HERE is a link to purchase the novel. I would recommend to give it a try because the ending is just magnificent and tragic. It really saves the novel. The sequel to The Magicians has also been released, you can purchase The Magician King HERE.
Wow, what a completely strange book. This book was nothing that I expected, and nothing that you could even predict while reading. I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
The book is about Karou, a seventeen year old art student in Prague who works for a mysterious man and his most unusual cohorts (she considers her family). This demon father figure has her collect teeth from around the world through use of magic portal doors. The purpose of the teeth is unbeknownst to Karou. As I said, this book is strange. One day while she is collecting teeth, she meets an angel and her life's mysteries begin to unravel.
What I liked about the book was that it really was a book that you couldn't predict how it would end. Often books are given too much foreshadowing that the climax is ruined. The Daughter of Smoke and Bone was so unique that it was a definite page turner.
I really don't want to give anything else away because its something you must read on your own and experience for yourself. I will say that Laini Taylor, the author, did a superb job of setting up the book for a sequel.
If you would like more information click HERE. You can also purchase the book HERE for about $10.50.
I don't often feel so strongly attached to a book series as I do with the Vampire Academy Series. I have been devouring these books over the last couple weeks. Going into the series I was rather dismissive, thinking it would be on the Twilight level of vampires going to high school. I couldn't have been more wrong. Granted the series starts at a boarding school but it in no way compares to the recent vampire novels as of late.
The protagonist of the series is a brash, tough as nails, smart, hilarious young girl named Rose. She is a Dhampir which means that she is half-human half-vampire. As a dhampir it is her duty to be trained and ultimately become a Guardian. She often breaks the rules and acts before thinking, making it all the more fun for the reader.
I started the Hunger Games thinking, how in the world could I ever relate to this narrator Katniss Everdeen?
She is the daughter of a miner who lost his life in a tragic accident leaving her to her constantly grieving incapable mother and her innocent wide eyed younger sister Prim. As the self administered head of household she must support herself in a dystopian society. In other words the government sees all, knows all, and you cannot by any means disobey the rules or face a most imminent and deadly punishment. But inevitably Katniss does disobey the rules by going to hunt with life long friend Gale (who was also left to support his large family). Hunting is a risk they must take in order to feed both their starving families. Luckily, Katniss and Gale are not caught due to the Capitol's ignorance toward District 12 over the past few decades. District 12 is Katniss' home and it makes up one of 12 districts the Capitol controls. Each district has different purposes; some provide coal (like District 12) others agriculture, fish, weaponry, you get the idea. It's basically a machine that needs all of its parts to run. However, there was a time when things went awry. District 13 revolted 74 years ago and the Capitol made sure to destroy it. To remember this event and remind the people of Panem (the nation that makes up the districts) to never disobey the government, a televised Hunger Games is broadcast every year as a sort of twisted anniversary.
The Hunger Games features twenty four tributes; a boy and girl from each of the 12 districts who are chosen in a biased lottery system and must compete in a specially designed arena. It is a televised fight to the death and the last person standing wins.
This trilogy will surprise you. I struggled through the first few chapters of the first novel as they are dense with information about this society. But those chapters really set the stage for everything to come. The trilogy is beautifully woven together and plays well on understanding human emotions and logic. After starting the second book Catching Fire, I became engulfed in the story reading straight through to the end of Mockingjay, the third book.
When thinking about this trilogy, the world is not that unrealistic. The government is not unlike many governments that have been in place over history **cough cough** Hitler's Germany or even some of the widely controversial governments in place today.
Most of the novels are built around the human spirit and will to survive. What and how much you will give up to save yourself and others, despite the costs. It also challenges the ideas of what's right and wrong when morality is part of the equation. The best part to me is the questioning of whether something is justified because it has been previously allowed to happen. Throughout these books you realize, you can very easily connect to Katniss. On the most primitive level she is struggling to survive all the while trying to help her family and friends in whatever way possible.
I highly recommend The Hunger Games. You will be surprised by how much you can relate and how much it will give you to think about. I'm in no way saying you will love the series as it can be brutally tough at times. But it is well worth the read and you will be glad you did.
The film of the first book is scheduled for release March 23, 2012. It stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth.
Today I finished the novel One Day by David Nicholls. It was one of the most refreshing books that I've read in awhile. The novel covers the lives of two friends following the night of their graduation from college, where they originally meet. The story is about Dexter Mayhew a rather confident young man with no plan for his life, and Emma Morley whose only real plan is to make sure she changes the world, somehow. Their relationship is featured through snapshots on the same day each year for twenty years. The novel is hilarious, frustrating, enthralling, and tragic at moments.
I definitely give this book a very high review. Nicholls has rounded out his characters so well that as a reader you have a perfect understanding of them. You may not always agree with their decisions but you understand their personalities well enough to know why they make them.
Sometimes books take the liberty to say everything is perfect so that you feel a sense of comfort. This book isn't that way. It takes a realistic look at a modern day relationship, where life doesn't go always as expected. There are triumphs as well as great losses and many missed opportunities.
Part of the reason I loved this book was because it was very believable of a relationship today. Though it starts in 1988, not much has changed in terms of human compassion. Another reason I loved this book is because I recently graduated from college. Like the young and optimistic Dexter and Emma, I am starting to think what I would like to do in the future. This novel forces you to reflect on your own life and the relationships you already have and where if anyplace you would like to take them.
I highly enjoyed this book and hope you do too! (Plus for the lazy, the film starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess opens today 4.19 so there is no reason to miss this decades long story.)
Purchase the book: HERE
Watch the trailer to the film: HERE
