weave my words into worlds

Flip. Flip. Flip. Fetch. Deuce. Schnikees. Flip. Flip. Freaking. Flip.

And those are my thoughts on The Knife of Never Letting Go.

In the first fifty pages, I had trouble getting used to the stream-of-consciousness sort of narrative, so I began the journey with some peeves about the storytelling and whatnot. Now, 427 pages later, I'm so flabberghasted that I don't even care about those minor issues. I loved this. I loved this.

Let me get one thing straight: I never cry in books. I've had two or three times where my eyes watered, but tears have never actually streaked down my face. This book changed that. I let a few tears go while I was actually reading, and during an emotional breakdown I had earlier today, I sobbed because I realized how much I felt like Todd. The only time I've connected with a character even close to this much was in The Fablehaven Series.

Patrick Ness has it all. One-liners, realistic dialogue, good descriptions, originality... You get the idea. I read the last 300 pages of this book in a matter of hours today.

My thoughts are still extremely jumbled from the exhausting reading experience I had, so I'm afraid this is the closest thing to a review you'll get.

...For Those of You Wondering About Content...

Violence: intense ideas; the descriptions aren't horribly gorey in detail, however
Language: one f-bomb; several other cuss words throughout
Other: deals with heavy--and I mean heavy--subject matter

If made into a movie, it would probably receive a PG-13 rating for violence, language, and thematic elements.

My only real problem with this book is that I probably can't write one of my own stories after reading it. I found too many similarities, and if I ever did manage to finish the story and try to get published, (ha!) there would be no way for me to prove that I didn't just copy. *frowns* But that's another matter.

I am particularly impressed with Scott Westerfeld's descriptions. They are quite vivid, lyrical, and create distinctive images, but it's never purple prose or out of character. He seems to know so many different words and the perfect way to use them in this or that situation. There were a few times when I wasn't sure of the surroundings, but I was trying to finish at two in the morning, so it was at least partially my fault.

I also thought the bit of romance in Uglies was refreshing. (I don't think this will spoil anything, for those of you who haven't read it.) The relationship does move a bit fast, but it comes naturally from a friendship, not obsession or stalking. It is clear that the characters don't like being away from each other when they have to, but they deal with it maturely. I've tried to find a realistic, enjoyable relationship in a novel for some time, and this is one of the few that fits the standard.
her mistakes fairly well. I liked her most of the time. The other characters--even those that don't do much--have distinct personalities.

As I've said many times before, it's difficult for me to review books I like, so I'm sure I'll end up adding to this later...

I'm already overwhelmed with jealousy towards Bethany Huang--ten years old and a published author, while fifteen-year-old me can hardly get past chapter three...

Note: I don't think I'm giving anything important away, but tread carefully just in case.

I was so glad when I found out Rick Riordan was writing this. I had a feeling he would do a spin-off type thing of the Percy Jackson series.

I had three problems with the book that kept it from getting five stars. (If it was an option, I'd give the book 3.75 or something.)

First: I missed my snarky little Percy! Jason, Piper and Leo weren't flat characters, but their narration just wasn't quite as entertaining as Percy's.

Second: I had issues with the story being told in third person. Of course, I understand why Rick Riordan did this, since it's much easier to change perspectives in third person without confusing the reader. However, his writing style didn't quite mesh with third person. He has a habit of addressing the reader with "you" and a lot of his jokes are told in the narrator's thoughts. That's fine, but it doesn't flow in third person. I feel like that works best with first because first is more personal, less formal.

Third: As a reader, I felt that I was launched too quickly into the "weird" stuff--Tia Callida, the "Dirt Woman", things like that. It seemed a little random and stretched. My brain had trouble wrapping around it until Riordan explained it towards the middle of a book. That's a long time to keep a reader confused like that.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the book. I don't think I'll ever like it quite as much as Percy Jackson, though.

I need this to come out. I miss Abby and Dante and Zo and Valerie and Natalie and Leo and Jason and... and everybody.

I wonder if The Forgotten Locket will also start with "Is this a joke?" as the first sentence. Did anyone else notice that it was the first line for books one and two?

Enough rambling. Here are my predictions, which I will probably update frequently:

- Leo will elaborate on who "Sofia" is.
- Abby will meet Leonardo da Vinci.
- Valerie will get her sanity back.
- I want to say we'll get V and Tony back, but I'm not so sure...
- Hannah and Abby's dad will be part of the family again.
- Dante will recover his sight. I won't mind if he doesn't, though.
- Leo will be restored to his younger state as Dante's older brother.
- Abby will be able to go to Emery.
- Will Richard (Jason's friend) have a major role in the final installment, or is he just a side character so Jason can have a guy friend?
- Melissa Cooper will come into the spotlight.

I bet most of those will be wrong. Oh well. Hurry, Lisa Mangum! *squeals in excitement*

I heard this woman speak at a university by my home. She's more adventurous than I will ever be.

I swear, East of the Sun and West of the Moon contains my childhood in it.

I fantasized about this story endlessly as a child. The lovely illustrations had me completely convinced that this world existed. However, because I was so young when I read the book, the words didn't stick in my head as well and I eventually forgot what the book was called. I'm so glad I remember it now.

See, you know a book is good when it renders me speechless. If I can't speak a lot about a book, it's because I got very emotionally involved, and I have serious troubles in voicing my emotions. Sadly, this means I'm not capable of giving wonderful books the reviews they deserve. The only way I can think to express my love for this book is to say that it changed my childhood, and I hope it will do the same for my children, as I will most definitely be reading it to them.

I know I've pretty much said I don't like this series... and I don't. I just feel obligated to follow through with it, so I'll probably end up reading Mockingjay, regardless of what my opinion on the other two books may be. I'm not going to be waiting in line for sixteen hours to get the first copy, but I'm sure I'll get around to reading it eventually.

Since most others are making predictions, maybe I'll do the same. (I won't be all that surprised if this isn't how it turns out... I'm sort of doing this for my own enjoyment.)

1. I almost want to say that Katniss ends up with Gale and breaks Peeta's heart for the 123483204392nd time. HOWEVER, I also think she could pull a Steven Spielberg* and not choose either. Maybe Peeta will end up with Madge or something.

2. Haymitch will die.

3. Katniss will kiss both Peeta and Gale in an oh-so-desperate attempt to find out who she loves.

4. Yet another boy will be attracted to Katniss.

5. Effie will have a green wig. Perhaps purple.

I also have to wonder what's going to happen in nine months. Katniss said she was pregnant, so... Peeta and Katniss obviously can't take it back without repercussions. I think people would notice if she's supposed to be 8 months pregnant and she hasn't gained a single pound. Maybe Cinna could start a maternity line of clothing in her honor. I'm out of theories for that little dilemma.

Okay, I don't actually dislike the books that much. I just enjoy making fun of stuff. Pardon me.

*That's what my drama teacher calls it. I'm not trying to insult Spielberg.

I'm tired at the moment, so please forgive anything that doesn't make sense. I'll come back and edit later.

I read this book in about a fifteen hour time period. Eight of those hours were spent sleeping, and around four of them were spent preparing for a road trip. To state the obvious, this book was a quick read.

I was a little worried about starting this book, to be completely honest. I read Wintergirls before this, and I wasn't a huge fan, so I had to wonder if Speak was going to be any better. I was fairly pleased with what I discovered. I know that the two books are compared so constantly, but let me just say the reasons why Speak got a better rating than Wintergirls:

1. Melinda was much rounder (in terms of characterization) than Lia, not to mention more likable. Lia was so detatched and she never seemed to care about the people surrounding her, but Melinda... Yeah, you get the point.

2. The plot had a bit more substance. Although both novels had their shares of clichés, as almost every novel does, the clichés were more realistic in Speak and they had a more positive effect on the storyline. There was more conflict in Speak, so the story moved in a more readable way.

3. The writing style was actually enjoyable, for the most part. This book's metaphors were more simple and not so high in number. Metaphors are great things, but when they're used too often, I get tired of them fairly quickly. Speak felt more real to me. Anderson spent less time--not no time, just less time--trying to come up with creative ways of formatting and told the story. I felt like Melinda was telling me her secrets for a reason, whereas with Lia, it seemed like she was just whining. I'm not saying the writing was flawless; I'm saying it was better than Wintergirls.

I wouldn't say Speak dramatically changed my life, but it did alter the way I think. I have a new perspective on high school and I feel much more ready for my sophomore year.

Now for a couple of things that irritated me while I read:

1. Despite my earlier comment that the writing style was better, Speak had its share of issues. Anderson is obviously a fan of using fragment sentences on a regular basis, which happens to be one of my pet peeves. Many sentences were phrased so awkwardly that I had to read them six or seven times, and I still couldn't figure out why they were there or what they meant. I respect that Anderson doesn't conform to every single writing rule, because I don't think many people do, but...

2. I would have loved a stronger ending. It just went from this dramatic moment to a calm scene in the art room... which would have been fine, except that the "dramatic moment" felt cut off too abruptly and there was no true conclusion to it. I wish more loose ends had been tied, I suppose.

That being said, I still enjoyed Speak. I think a lot of high school students can relate to it, and it might be healthy for adults to read so they can enter the mind of a teenager in need of help.

**EDIT**

After going through a few months of sophomore year, I've had a change of heart about this book. My high school experience hasn't been similar to Melinda's in terms of her specific situation, but I can truly sympathize with how she feels. As a result, I'm giving Speak another star.

My sister read a little of this aloud in the car. The plot sounds hilarious.

I think Wintergirls deserves a new review. After what I've learned this year, it just isn't fair to keep the review the way it was when I first wrote it. I'll leave some material from the original review, though.

*****************

Wintergirls gets you thinking. It disturbed me, but in an almost desirable, necessary way. This is the kind of book that you wonder about for a while after you put it down and it kind of stays in the back of your mind for hours. I also thought the crossed-out words and calorie-counting were very interesting ideas, and they achieved the desired effect for me.

My main peeve with the book was the imagery. Anderson had this thing for very odd metaphors. They were often random and almost too deeply thought out - it got to the point where I didn't understand the majority of them. There were a few times where I had absolutely no idea what was real and what wasn't, due to the formatting and unusual writing style.

There were a few clichés that irritated me as well: the father never being around, having to put Cassie's ghost "to rest", always fighting with Mom, having issues calling the stepmom "mother", etc. I understand that clichés can add to a storyline, but these were just a little too overdone for me.

Needless to say, it was difficult to read. I can get a little squeamish when people discuss internal organs and injuries in detail... I had to skim a few parts. This wasn't the fault of the author, though, so I don't know why I'm saying this.

Previously, I said that Lia bothered me. This is the main thing that has changed. She isn't likable as a character, but that's because her depression and anorexia are so realistic. Anderson took a serious risk with a character like Lia, because it's nearly impossible to find a balance between a likable, relatable one and a truly realistic one. Laurie Halse Anderson obviously chose the realistic end of the spectrum. Self-hatred completely alters a person and often results in a less-than-enjoyable personality--it took a good portion of sophomore year for me to understand this.

I'm still a little confused about my feelings toward Wintergirls, despite having plenty of time to think about it. Would I recommend it? To certain people, maybe. Did I enjoy it? Maybe. I'll just shut up and leave others to decide what they think.

I had to skim a lot of this because we read it in a very short period of time. Add in the fact that I'm a procrastinator, and... yeah.

Ulysses is easy to read in terms of vocabulary and comprehension and whatnot. At the same time, it's very difficult to read because it's so horribly written. The writing style is basically as follows:

"Ulysses did this. Then he did this. He felt like this. Then he did this again."

There is absolutely no excitement whatsoever. I'm not motivated to keep reading. I don't really understand why Evslin retold the story of The Odyssey, because I'm sure the original in poem form is much easier to like and put up with. Why retell a story when you can't do it well?

This book is also horribly redundant. The author added in some obstacles that weren't necessary and only added to the cycle Ulysses and his men are stuck in. The gods tell them to do something, they don't obey, a few men are lost, Ulysses is seduced by some woman, repeat. It's just conflict after conflict. The characters don't make up for it, either. All Ulysses' men are curious idiots who can't get themselves out of trouble no matter what, and the majority of the females in this book are hopelessly smitten with Ulysses. I don't get that, because he's flat as a pancake. He shows no emotion... ever. Ever heard of "show, not tell", Evslin?

If you're considering reading this book, I hate to be harsh, but go pick up the real Odyssey instead. And if that's not as enjoyable as I would think it is, at least you've spent your time on classic literature rather than a poorly-written retelling.

This was my first Peg Kehret book.

I'd be completely happy in the forest all by myself. Therefore, this book was automatically awesome. XD

This book is one of the best things I remember about my early childhood. I absolutely adore it. The illustrations are amazing, and the stories are as well. Mothers: Buy this for your children. Now. No, seriously, why are you still reading this?

At the risk of sounding redundant, I'd just like to say that Brandon Mull is my hero.

This book was very intense, and I loved every minute of it. I cried a few times, and I'm not at all ashamed of that. I still can't get over how thought-through everything was. Fablehaven inspires my dreams of being a great writer, yet crushes them at the same time... If I can write a book like this, I can die in complete bliss. Or something like that.

Know what? I think I'll write a review later. This book deserves to be praised while I'm actually coherent.

*EDIT*

I realize the Fablehaven series has its flaws. For example, I would have appreciated a stronger ending, and the dialogue is not always realistic for the age of the person speaking. However, I'm still giving the final installment five stars. Why? It's good enough that I can all but ignore those flaws and truly enjoy the story. This series makes me feel something that other books can't; flaws in the writing don't matter so much when that happens.

I still don't feel like I can do the book justice with this review. Maybe I won't ever be able to, but I think I'll come back to it again. I'm just horribly sad that the series is over. Hurry up and come out, Beyonders!