Review | 'Beautiful Redemption'

Beautiful Redemption by Kami Garcia
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh my Gosh. I cannot believe this. I just finished the final novel in the Beautiful Creatures series.

Let me just set that up for you guys.

I first heard of Beautiful Creatures in Spring 2010. I checked the book out from my public library a few times before actually buckling down and reading it in October 2010, mainly because I thought, "Hey, this fits in with the whole Halloween feel of the month!" and not knowing that this series was soon to become one of my favorites--if not my FAVORITE--of all time.

Quickly after finishing Beautiful Creatures in a weekend, I waited a few days until Beautiful Darkness was released, borrowed it from my school's librarian, and finished it, emotionally stricken by all the heartbreak emitting from the sequel. Not to mention that I had to wait a full year for the third book.

By the time October 2011 rolled around, I was more than ready to settle into the third book in The Caster Chronicles. I performed my usual ritual for reading this series--that is, sitting locked (no joke) in my bedroom, a blanket around my shoulders, and not resurfacing until I was done. The ending of Chaos was...different, though, than the others. Ethan had *gulp* jumped off of a--oh, did I mention this review will contain spoilers?--water tower, and I just didn't know how to cope.

And so another year's wait happened.

Finally, almost a month after its release, I got my hands on a copy of Beautiful Redemption. I started it on Tuesday, November 20, and finished it on Wednesday, November 21, and that was only because I wasn't ready to say good-bye.

And I still don't think I am.

Usually, I'll provide a list of both pros and cons to any book that I read, but it's very rare that I'll award a book five stars out of five, and seeing as this is my tentative favorite series, there are no cons to be analyzed. This book is perfect.

So I guess now is the time to dive right in to what made this book, what made Beautiful Redemption, so beautiful.

BEAUTIES:
>Oh, hello Lila, didn't expect to have you show up and crush my heart 100 pages later. I mean, what the hell. Yeah, sure, Ethan jumped off a water tower, but I wasn't for sure that he was dead. I thought there would be a catch. BUT NO, Garcia and Stohl just haphazardly reach down my throat and rip my heart out. We see Ethan's chemistry with his mother, and it feels like he's been with her all along; there's no awkwardness. Aunt Prudence also makes a triumphant, hilarious return, and I just wanted to hug the wrinkles right off of her.

>The characters. The characters. THE CHARACTERS. I don't just mean the presence of the characters, but their choices, their doings, their steps, their breaths. Every single thing a character did in this book had some effect. It was, and is, insane. For those who don't know, Ridley Duchannes is my favorite character of the series (although she's tied with Lena), and I was so relieved to see her make a return. I didn't expect our Sexy Siren not to make a come-back, but I didn't know how she would be worked into the story. She sure as hell wouldn't have come back if it weren't for Lena's perspective--but I'll get to that.
>>So let's narrow in some characters now. We'll start off with Ethan Wate, our protagonist. Ethan is so messed-up; he's secretive, he's ignorant, he's indecisive, he's angst-ridden. That's Ethan Wate from book one, and that's Ethan Wate from book four. He doesn't become this godly hero, and I love that. He does make a lot of significant changes, as any GOOD character does, but he's still Ethan Wate. He handles situations the way Ethan Wate would, and I'm so happy for that.
>>Lena Duchannes. For once, and for the last time, we get to see into Lena's mind, for she becomes a narrator for a large portion of the book. Lena is persistent and bold, yet defiant, short-fused, and a bit oblivious to some things. I wouldn't have her any other way, and Lena took a step up in this book, never shedding her true self, but only adding a new layer. Props to you, Lena Duchannes.
>>Ridley Duchannes. My girl. I made the weirdest noise to myself when Lena finds Ridley trapped in Abraham's freaking basement or what-the-hell-ever. But, out of any and all characters, Ridley has definitely had the biggest arc. Book one, she's this evidently dark/Dark, arrogant, proud, malicious vixen mixed up with the wrong people, and in book two, we see the weaker, more vulnerable side to Ridley. By the time the third book came around, she was building herself back up again, and ultimately chose to return to her dark/Dark ways. But in this book, despite her constant arguments stating otherwise, Ridley's heart shone through, and she proved herself to be a fantastic character, and never let her love for Lena, Ethan, or Link waver.
>>Amma. Yeah, we'll get to her...

>The plot was such a fantastic way to conclude the story. From the whole Obidias Trueblood deal, all the way to the book(s), the key(s), the Cast(s), and the battle(s), everything was written and structured so beautifully, and everything came together. And holy crap, what about Sarafine Duchannes sitting on a throne fashioned from bones? I just about had a heart attack. Each character got their own shining moment, and I love how Link got to kill Abraham, and I love how John's pride got in his own way, but Liv was there to hold him down, and I love--no, I freaking love--Reece Duchannes. She's so perfect. She and Ryan and Del and Emmaline and Barclay. I mean, they're all back, and they're all wonderful.
>>The absolute, definite theme of the book is choice--well, it's the theme of the whole series, truthfully. In the final novel, it all boils down to Ethan changing his fate, rather than Lena choosing her own in book one. It has all come full-circle. And instead of bringing up entirely new plot devices like many others do, and fail to emphasize, Garcia and Stohl form this fantastic climax from characterization, rather than plot. I don't care if we just find out that Obidias Trueblood rewrote Ethan's page in The Caster Chronicles; it makes sense. Everything in this book, introduced or recycled, makes absolute sense. Angelus's prominence and motivations and emphasis as a villain make sense. I'm so glad that Garcia and Stohl were successfully able to change focus from Abraham to Angelus so smoothly and incorporate him into the story so heavily. Twilight, for example, failed to do so. For three books, Victoria is the primary antagonist, and then all of a sudden, for about a third of the final book, it's the Volturi. Stephenie Meyer could really take a hint from this dynamic duo. It's so hard for me to articulate how perfect it all worked, but it was, truly, perfection.
>>Now for the ending-ending. I suppose I'll start from Ethan's battle with Angelus. I mean, how clever was it of Ethan to use the eye of the river? Freaking clever. And then he's able to get rid of his page, and it's fantastic, and then he's back on the water tower, and you're just like, "Okay, he's back. Oh hey, Amma's there. Everything will be fine." EVERYTHING WILL NOT BE FINE, GURL, WHATCHU TALKIN' 'BOUT?! Amarie Treadeau proceeds to jump off of the water tower, into a crack in the universe, and become one of the Greats. When you actually read the scene, it provides so much closure, and it makes sense, but it was sudden. So beautifully sudden. Oh yeah, and Ethan and Lena can actually kiss without threatening to bring on the apocalypse. Then we have one final, magnificently-written scene with our main group: Ethan, Lena, Link, and Ridley. John and Liv are there, too, and I got a little emotional reading their little lovey-dovey scene, but it really sunk in that this was the last time we'd read of Ethan sitting next to Lena, and Link next to Ridley, at the Dar-ee Keen. So as I read about Link's little childhood mishap as Ridley refuses to move to New York City with him in the Beater, I begin to tell these guys good-bye. Then the epilogue hits. And oh, did it hit. I'm so glad we went from having a scene with the main six, to the main four, and then topping it all off with the main two. Ethan and Lena are the main components of this series, and I'm so glad to see them still strong, although I would have enjoyed some confirmation of their marriage. I mean, come on, they can't have gone through all this and not get married.

So congratulations Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, and thank you. Thank you for making such a beautiful, beautiful series.

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Review | 'For Darkness Shows the Stars'

For Darkness Shows the Stars by Diana Peterfreund
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS is the post-apocalyptic (of sorts) dystopian story of Elliot North, a Luddite, and her relationship with Kai Wentworth, a Post. Luddites and Posts compose the population in this society; a split that occurred after The Reduction, an occurrence resulting from technological revolution reaching an unpreventable state. The book is a tale of choice and temptation, developed at a disappointingly lukewarm pace.

Just a reminder, this review WILL contain spoilers pertaining to this novel, and although they are mild, I would not recommend reading this review to anyone who has not read FOR DARKNESS SHOWS THE STARS.

Let's analyze the pros and cons of Diana Peterfreund's novel, shall we?

CONS:
>There were points in the story where I thought "Oh, we're getting somewhere here!" and were just ultimately left alone. This story could have gone so many places, but it...didn't.

>There were so many unnecessary scenes of pointless dialogue and plot exposition placed haphazardly, to the point where it got a bit annoying.

>There's a lot of confusion and ambiguity surrounding The Reduction. I'm not sure whether or not that confusion was intended, but it definitely didn't work well with the plot.

>The motivations of some characters were so misguided and messed up. I think Elliot's constant attraction to Kai grew to be annoying, and I honestly began to ship Elliot/Horatio, and hoped they would end up together. Kai was never, and never would be, a good fit for Elliot, but she just fell back in love with him all over again multiple times. I could see where her reactions to Kai/Olivia's relationship came from, but there was not a lot of realism to the concept further than her initial, petty reactions.

PROS:
>The essence of Elliot's choice was very realistic, and it was supported with the letters that provided intermission to the story. In most YA novels, romance is centered solely around mystery or physical attraction, but this book has a much more understandable internal conflict; deriving from Elliot's early friendship with Kai, their separation as friends, and his return to her life. Elliot is then faced with the conflict of choosing whether or not to rebuild her relationship with Kai.

>Character development was mediocre in the book, but I wouldn't file that under my con list, so I suppose it belongs here. There were many characters to keep track of in this book--Elliot, Kai, Ro, Dee, Horatio, Olivia, Tatiana, among others--and they all seemed to get there own little spotlight, which was nice. There weren't any characters who played no significance whatsoever, so I'm glad Peterfreund paid attention to all of them.

>I touched on this a bit earlier, but I really loved the use of Elliot and Kai's letters. It help build the story, which was good.

>Peterfreund has a very fresh, open writing style. I feel like she has a lot of untapped potential.

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Review | 'Tiger Lily'

Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was fantastic. But it was so, so depressing.

Just a disclaimer, this review WILL contain spoilers pertaining to the book, but I really don't want to hide the WHOLE review because of spoilers, because I just--I just--blech. No. Enjoy, and beware of spoilers!

I used to absolutely love the relationship between Wendy Darling and Peter Pan, but this book totally changed my outlook on the whole ordeal, and made me become so interested in the character of Tiger Lily, a character who--prior to reading this book--I'd never put much stock into. From the moment the relationship between Tiger Lily and Peter Pan was built, I knew there would be all these FEELS.

Okay, so let's analyze/examine some pros and cons from the story.

CONS:
>The beginning is a VERY slow start. I "started" the book in October, read the first chapter, and didn't pick it up again until November. I definitely think the author could have done a better job at catching the reader's attention. But once you get to Tiger Lily's first confrontation with Peter, things start to pick up a bit.

PROS:
>At first, I was going to put this as a con, but then I reconsidered. The amount of time we spend with Wendy is satisfactorily short. I was initially surprised at how late she entered the story, and how short her stay was, but looking back, I think it's a good thing. It provides this sense of realistic heartbreak for Tiger Lily; this English girl slipping in, attracting the likes of Peter and the lost boys, and then essentially ripping him right out of her life.

>Tiger Lily's character. Oh my gosh, Tiger Lily was fantastic. I love how quiet yet strong she is. She's got this brutality and innocence to her that is often hard to portray in YA fiction, but Jodi Lynn Anderson does a fantastic job of illustrating it in this book. I really loved Tiger Lily, and rooted for her the entire book through. My heart broke when hers did, which is a sign of a fantastic character.

>Tinker Bell's narration. I went into this book thinking that it would be narrated from Tiger Lily's perspective, but I was proven wrong right off the bat. At first, I didn't know how I would react to Tinker Bell creepily following Tiger Lily and Peter around, but I grew to like--and appreciate--it. She definitely provides this objective, unbiased, yet sensitive, look into their relationship. I love how she confesses to falling in love with Peter, and admitting to nothing ever happening between the two of them. I love her commentary on every person; her contempt for Wendy, and her eventual disappointment towards Tiger Lily's character change, especially.

>Peter's letter to Tiger Lily. This was just so--ugh. This letter seriously made me say, "THEN WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU STAY WITH TIGER LILY, YOU DOUCHE?" The letter made sense, though, and it provided some more sadness to Tinker Bell's visit to England and running into an aged version of Peter Pan (which was so depressing).

>The realism. Especially for a book of such crazy scenarios, Tiger Lily hits home in a way most YA fantasies don't do. So many authors could take a hint from Anderson.

Overall, Tiger Lily has a fantastic plot with groundbreaking characters, and I definitely recommend it to anyone and everyone.

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