I'm back, with a New Sensation

Reading. I'm always doing it, and I'm always thinking about it. If I had a book I could eat when I was done reading it, I think I'd be set for life. No matter how many books I have waiting to be read, I can't seem to keep myself from obsessing over Amazon and Goodreads, browsing and researching things to read in the future until I have a list I'll never get through. It's like the song that never ends and that creepy lamb puppet. Except with books.

Though I've dedicated this blog to (mostly) young adult books, I do read other genres. I think I would have given up on reading if I didn't. Which brings me to my point. I've been inspired by all the gawd awful young adult books I've read over the past year to start up my blog again. It's probably my own fault for putting my faith in a 99 cent book from a new author, but I like to give people a chance. Yet time and time again, I'm left disappointed by lack of story or overall crappiness of the writing. I know most of these books are aimed at 13-year-old girls (which I most definitely am not), but does that mean a story can't be written well or be thought-provoking? Does that mean a story can automatically be predictable? Do we really want to teach young people that it's okay to publish crap just because you finished writing a story, or do we want to show them that it's okay to raise the bar? I admit I'm a critical reader (Maybe because I studied literature for 4 years? I don't know, just a hunch). It's not enough to have a decent story and okay writing skills. I want to read something entertaining that I won't want to put down -- because I actually like the story, not because it's a train wreck and I can't look away. I understand the writing world is a hard, cruel place, which is way I've decided I won't bog down Amazon and Goodreads reviews by venting my frustration (unless the book is full of review liars). That's what I'll use my blog for -- my own personal venting space.

So get ready, people. I'm going to be honest. And I'm not going to hold back.

Stay tuned.

The Girl of Fire and Thorns

This one was published awhile ago, but in case you haven't gotten a chance to check it out, I present The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. I decided to read this book because it had a slew of good reviews and seemed unlike any other YA book I'd been reading. What I liked most was how Elisa was not the usual main character. She's not thin and people don't lay down and grovel over her beauty like so many other books. What she is, though, is a princess. And the "chosen" one.

This is not-so-typical coming of age story. It's about a girl who's destined for greatness, but doesn't realize it. She lives in her older sister's shadow and fears she'll never measure up. Even with the godstone in her belly, she doesn't have faith in herself. But she does have faith in food.

Her life changes when she finds out she's to be secretly married to a king who's country needs the support of her homeland. She's reluctant, but has no choice in the matter. And just as she's settling into her new life as a secret queen, she's kidnapped. And is forever changed.

This book is a hard one for me to review. I didn't hate it, but I didn't really like it, either. Sure, I enjoyed watching Elisa's transformation from unsure girl who finds comfort in food to a confident woman with the ability to lead. And like I expected, it wasn't like other YA books I've read and wasn't centered around some stupid, unbelievable love story. There were even a few plot twists that I didn't see coming. One of the biggest perks for me was that even though this is the first in a series, there was no annoying cliffhanger.

So what was my problem? I'm not sure. Even though so much happened, I still found the story boring. It took me forever to read, which is unusual. I tend to read fast, even when I hate things. I just didn't really care what happened to some of the characters. Even when there was a scene full of action, I felt myself skimming. And okay, the ending with the godstones was kind of lackluster.

The religious references didn't bother me. The writing style was fine. It just wasn't for me. But with that said, if you're looking for something a little different and enjoy reading about royalty, kidnappings, and touches of magic, this one might be for you.