#i-cried-okay

[waitingonthesidelines]

The Iron Queen- Julie Kagawa

Read on August 31, 2012

This probably is my favorite book in the series. The first half was plain boring and insufferable because of Meghan's never-ending breath-hitching, shivering and tingling in Ash's presence which drove me up the wall. However, the second half [right from the moment they left Leanansidhe's vacation cabin to when Meghan is crowned Iron Queen] was full of action and entertaining drama. I admit the ending was as melodramatic as you'd expect a movie to be, but I enjoyed every bit of it. Julie Kagawa's writing style and description, as I've repeated in my previous review, are simply amazing. It's hard not to imagine all the characters as they are portrayed and watch the scenes unfurl in a movie-like daze inside your head. After the initial skimming (which saved maybe an extra hour) of the first half, I was riveted to all the fighting scenes.  Meghan, as irritating as I find her at times, left me teary-eyed during the end. It does say a lot about my feelings towards a book. When she made Ash her[Knight], I applauded her on her stupidity. On a side note, Ash's real name! [ “My name is Ashallyn’darkmyr Tallyn, third son of the Unseelie Court.” ] I don't think I'm pronouncing it correctly but what a sexy name! Meghan's shivering took hold of me as well during that scene!  If she hadn't made that decision, they wouldn't have been left at an impasse! On second thought though, I think it was done so to make another sequel which will mostly be covering Ash and Meghan's bonding. Oh the joy! *rolls eyes* Happy thoughts? Hm. Okay. Soo.. I'd like to give a big shout-out to Grimkalin, because if not for him, all of Nevernever would be dead and trampled by the False King. Speaking of, big shocker on the identity of the False King! Hadn't seen that coming. Uh, where was I? Yes, shout-outs. Ahemm..another shout-out to my charming Robin Goodfellow! Puck, you keep the sass and zazz up babe! I don't know what I'd do without your witty comebacks and sarcastic remarks. Also, Ironhorse, I miss you. You'll always hold a special place in my heart. :( As for the new characters, can I own Razor? He's adorable. I like Glitch, what with his violet eyes and electric hairstyle. I was hoping for more of Leanansidhe's involvement but she just made one appearance. Paul was okay and I'm glad he's out, even if I couldn't really care much for his presence. I was expecting something more monumental on Rowan's demise. It went down really quick and he didn't get his share of evil show-down. Pity.  As for the predictability of this book, things weren't hard to figure out; even if I was glad to be proved a little wrong at places. The theatrics during the end scenes made up for most of everything. It was cheesy and I knew things would be fine in the end, but Kagawa pulled out my heart strings and I loved it. I've been juggling between 3.5 and a 4, but I think I'll settle with a 4.

[waitingonthesidelines]

Between Shades of Gray- Ruta Sepetys

Krasivaya. “It means beautiful, but with strength,” he slurred. “Unique.”

Now that I’m done sobbing and burying my face under covers, I just want to say that I loved it. Don’t get me wrong; there are mostly sufferings, deaths, cold, diseases, hunger, and cruelty in this book but along with that there is a message of compassion, love, gratitude and survival. The fact that the author spent her time researching before writing the horrors that the people of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and many other states had to go through, by meeting returning deportees, has made this story an even more unforgettable, touching, truly shaking and remarkable read. Respect to the author, Ruta E. Sepetys. My favorite character has to be Elena. She was such a compassionate woman and I cried the most when she died. None of those people deserved what they had to go through. Elena was such a lovely person with a heart made of gold. She tried to see the best in even the worst situations and helped anyone and everyone not caring what she would get in return. She helped boost people’s spirits who would have surrendered if not for her. Lina was a great protagonist for the story. Despite everything, she believed and in the end she made it. Jonas was so young and had to grow up to feed his mother and sister. He was softer than Lina but I am grateful that he at least didn’t die.  Every character in this book had a message to convey. The bald man was grouchy and cranky all the time and thought he deserved to die because of how he was responsible for not saving lives when he could have. He tried to hide his guilt by being sour and not letting anyone get close to him. Elena was the only person who could tolerate him and he made that really hard on her too. However, I couldn’t bring myself to dislike his character. He was a survivor, even if he claimed he wanted to die with everyone around him. I wonder if he died during the twelve years of slavery in Siberia. Mr. Lucas was a wise man and really helpful. Mrs. Rimas was a likable woman who could make people laugh with her humor but was generally very emotional. I wonder if she met her husband after all. The grouchy woman or Ulyushka seemed to be mean but when asked for help they did all they could and I can say with certainty that it was because of Lina’s mother. Elena inspired the others around her to be more compassionate and she never thought less of anyone. God, I need to stop thinking of her or I’ll tear up again. 

Mrs. Arvydas’ character showed to what length a mother can go to save her child. There would have been hundreds of woman like her who would have done the same thing to keep their families alive. I admit that I had reached to the same conclusion as Lina when Andrius brought them food supplies. I wish there was more of him. He was brave, reserved yet noble and compassionate. I wonder how he and his mother got out of the camp. I cried really hard when Andrius said goodbye to Lina.  Nikolai Kretzsky was also one of the characters I liked. He was rude and tough but beneath all that he actually wanted to help. I really liked how the story unfurled. I liked how there were little snippets of Lina’s old life written all over the book. I can’t help but imagine how different their life would’ve been if her parents hadn’t helped her aunt and uncle, or if her father was alive, or if her mother finally made it home with her nice dresses packed safely in the suitcase, or if the bald man hadn’t confirmed the professions of the people on the list, or if Kretzsky hadn’t helped lead Dr. Samodurov to the camps.  Gah! It was such a sad book. The only bright ending was that all of Lina’s sketches and letters weren’t left to rot. I can’t believe that they had to survive in Arctic for 12 years. The fact that it actually happened and isn’t just a tale makes it so much more horrifying and I can’t stop wondering, what if I was one of those prisoners?  It’s a good thing that no one was around me while I was crying myself out. I can imagine my dad shaking his head and wondering what weirdo he has for a daughter and my sister looking at me and laughing. I wouldn’t hear the end of it.  Anyways, it's more like a 4.5 stars for me.

[waitingonthesidelines]

Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta

This is how you write a book. Hands down. I feel overwhelmed. I’m sad and I’m happy. You know, after reading a book you sometimes wonder how it would’ve been different if something changed about it, or how you would have wanted it to be some other way. This is the story where I want nothing to change. I love it how it is. It’s a story I’ll never forget. When I started Jellicoe Road, it took me some time to get into the story. I was confused as to how the two stories were supposed to be related and it was mainly because I couldn’t read more than a few pages at a time. When I finally got into the story, I admit I had predicted some things but I don’t mind it at all because it felt like the author wanted me to know. Taylor had it figured out herself so it’s not as if she was some dumb, stubborn, moody protagonist. She did get on my nerves in the beginning. She pushed everyone away and had so many issues that I got angry on her at times but later, reading the story, I sat there feeling choked up with my eyes burning and trying to push back the tears because I was sitting around everyone reading the book and I didn’t want to draw attention to myself.  Marchetta has such a beautiful way of writing a story. She is really a great author and I’m kinda shocked that it took me so long to discover her work. I felt everything that Taylor felt. It’s been sometime since I fell in love with the characters of a story. I adore everyone in this book. I love Webb, Narnie, Tate, Fitz, Jude, Taylor, Jonah, Raf, Chaz, Ben, and almost everyone else. Marchetta so beautifully manages to make every character she has mentioned in the story involved. Everyone is part of the story, unlike some authors who manage to bring up so many unimportant characters that are not even related to the story and are just made up and just as suddenly, simply gone.  I can’t even imagine how it would’ve been for kids who became orphans in just a matter of minutes and how it became the turning event in all their lives. How that one accident took everything away from them and then gave them so much in return. To even imagine what Narnie, Webb or Tate had to go through, is like feeling someone crushing something inside me. I get very emotional when any character’s parent dies and in this story there is so much loss that I kept staring at a wall, blocking my thoughts listening to other’s talk around me, so that I don’t lose it infront of everyone. Every character in this story is significant and everyone is so different and each one of them has to face their own personal demons but when they are together, they simply enjoy each other’s company. And to have a relationship like those guys is something that can make anyone envious.  Figuring out everything with Taylor and being with her on the roller-coaster ride of emotions was such a journey! I love her character. Truly. She had been through so much and she tried so hard to never get attached to anyone and tried so hard to hide emotions when she could hardly keep them in. She was so strong and even in her vulnerability, she did not fail to amaze me. She was broken but she held herself for everyone. I loved her relationship with Raf and Ben and Chaz and most importantly Jonah. Jonah and Taylor were perfect for each other and it’s been so long since I’ve loved two characters in a relationship together. Jonah knew how to act around her when she lost her temper. He didn’t sugar-coat anything and he was on her face and wasn’t scared of her like the others. He knew how to deal with her mood tantrums and in the same way Taylor was everything for him. She gave him a reason to survive and she understood him just as he understood her. *squeeeeeeeee* I feel giddy thinking about them together. Gee, I feel so girly.  Anyways, if I start writing about the things that made me depressed or that I particularly liked, I would end up writing everything. So, I’m going to keep it short and say that it’s a story to know, a story to read, a story to remember, and a story that will make you cry with sadness as well as happiness. I loved the pacing, I loved how there were two stories and how those two stories were related together. I think I deserve a pat on the back for not bawling my eyes out and believe me there were moments when I would have just done that if not for the company. I have an urge to re-read it all over again and I will. Soon. The starting was shaky and the war seemed to be a frivolous issue but when I was in high school I remember having the same kind of rivalry with girls and guys of other schools for no reason..only cause it was. So, I guess I can see that. Also, Jesse knowing about where the tunnel was to save her life and Chloe's seemed unlikely. But overall, this book left an impression.