I'm not even sure how to approach this book. On the one hand, Cassandra Clare has made some awesome side characters that I have come to adore, as well as some amazingly hilarious and witty one-liners (which I have mentally noted down in hopes of using it one day). On the other hand, I felt as if the actual main characters and the plot and just everything was, well, meh. I found out there were three more books. Easter eggs rule. I've read Cassandra Clare's works before- I read The Infernal Devices (a prequel series) before I even touched these books and they were pretty good. Not amazing or anything, but good. So, since this was the 'origin' of the whole franchise, I decided I had to try it. People had been screaming in my face (in the nonliteral sense you get on the internet where they use caps locks and talk about it all the time) about it, so there must have been something that made it click. So I read. And got bored. And finished the novel. Then I read the rest of the trilogy for the sake of it.And then Now, I've heard a lot of speculation about the whole 'Cassandra Clare uses other stories as a basis' theory. Yes, I've heard about it. No, I don't want to talk about it because this is a book review. End of story. Let's talk about the things I liked first- the side characters. From Alec Wayland, best friend and parabasal (which is basically like having a best friend be your warrior soul mate) to Jace and Simon Lewis, Clary's so-called best friend, Cassandra Clare has managed to make some pretty awesome side characters. They had their own backstories, weren't cardboard plot pieces and to be frank, any of them would have made better main characters than the actual main characters. We'll get back to that later. What I really, really loved about this book though- was the dialogue. The dialogue was amazing- and I felt that it showcased Cassandra's writing skills more than her flowery descriptions ever did. I'd seen some of it before in a Victorian time period with Infernal Devices, but the dialogue was really something that I enjoyed. Cassie was just really in touch with her characters- she knew how they spoke and none of the dialogue was awkward. Take a passage from my favorite character, Simon: “That's why when major badasses greet each other in movies, they don't say anything, they just nod. The nod means, 'I' am a badass, and I recognize that you, too, are a badass,' but they don't say anything because they're Wolverine and Magneto and it would mess up their vibe to explain.” The awkwardness is so beautiful. Now, talking about beautiful, let's mention some people who were somewhat less beautiful in my eyes as they graced the pages. Clary Fray and Jace Wayland, our two main characters. What can I say about them? They're just very standard YA characters in today's world- especially in the paranormal world, it seems. Clary is whiny and isn't very interesting but boys adore her. Jace is a bit of a prick (and has a dark, dark past), but girls adore him. Don't defend Jace here- he admits it right here (as a shameless way for me to show you more pretty dialogue): “The meek may inherit the earth, but at the moment it belongs to the conceited. Like me.” It was the dialogue and the fact that Jace knew he was being mean that saved him just a little bit, but he was just very standard and I didn't have a huge swoon fest as I did with the boys in Infernal Devices. I mean, I got the appeal- I just didn't like it as much as others did. The plot was pretty much the same as Jace and Clary- not particularly interesting, nor amazingly spectacular. It was passable, and while there were some areas where I was vaguely interested, it wasn't the most exciting read, plot wise. The world building was decent- maybe it's just the whole paranormal thing that put me off. Speaking of things that put me off- the writing. It was just so flowery and over similised (which is not a word,but it refers to the overuse of similes) and it was just so unnecessary at times. A small description would have been fine, and I felt that some areas were just overstated. It would have been nice to keep it simple. Overall, City of Bones was a pretty unremarkable read. It wasn't terrible, but I wouldn't say it was anywhere near my favorites. The dialogue and side characters were a saving grace, but I never really connected with the story. 2.5 stars. Everything has its introduction, from the day-to-day conversation and text messages to book reviews and essays. It is impossible to avoid writing book reviews and essays as a student and the chances are high you’ll have to write a few if you decide to have a career as a freelance essay writer.
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FUNNY ORIGINAL WAR OF THE ROSES WITH HUMOR AND STEAMY LOVE SCENES!! My book review is about the first book that I've read where the main character speaks directly to the reader. It was the perfect route to take for this story. Drew is our narrator and tells us his tale of woe. He tells us that he has the flu which is why he is surrounded in his usually immaculate apartment by empty pizza boxes and beer bottles. Then, he admits that he did the unthinkable - he fell in love with Kate. Only, she's engaged to someone else. “I’ve never seduced a woman before. Shocking, I know. Let me clarify. I’ve never had to seduce a woman before, not in the typical sense. Usually it just takes a look, a wink, a smile. A friendly greeting, maybe a drink or two. After that, the only verbal exchange involves short, one-word phrases… You get the point.” Drew is an absolute bad boy and he readily admits that to us. He plays hard at everything - work and relationships. Drew doesn't do relationships and he doesn't have to work at getting women. Hell admit this, too. Life is easy and smooth, until he meets Kate. Then, its game on. This turns into an enemies turned lovers story. I really liked Kate. She is feisty and goes toe to toe with Drew. Yes, Drew has met his match. His heart is finally working when a woman is involved and he tries to untangle his feelings and his notorious reputation to win Kate. Will their hearts become tangled with one another, along with their legs, arms and the sheets? Read this hilarious book told from the male view-point, but written by a woman ( I love it!) and find out. :) “It makes me want to kiss her and strangle her at the same time. I’ve never been into S&M. But I’m beginning to see its benefits.” “You know on TV when there’s one of those awkward, shocking moments and all you hear are the crickets in the background? Well this is one of those moments.” As I Lay Dying – The Morbid Funniness of Life written by: simonodhiambo66
As I Lay Dying – The Morbid Funniness of Life As I Lay Dying is innovative and powerful in structure. The alternating narrators are fifteen in number, The narrative is set in the imaginary rural county of Yoknapatawpha in Mississippi. The Bundren family lives here on their farm. They are very poor, with Addie Bundren – their matriarch – on her death bed. The eldest son Cash is a carpenter. He thinks of a last gift to give his mother and makes her a coffin outside the window of her room. The weak and stupid father of the family, Anse, sends Jewel and Darl – two sons – to make a few extra dollars on a lumbar shipping job. Darl knows that this means they will not be able to say a final goodbye to their mother. But they set off anyway. In the middle of their journey, they meet with an accident and have to return, but their mother is already dead. The coffin built by Cash has done its job. The family is holding a funeral service. Jewel and Darl set off again. Vardaman is the youngest child in the family. His mother’s death has traumatized him. Earlier that morning he had caught a fish and killed it. He keeps confusing his mother with that fish. The only girl in the family is Dewey Dell. He has her own terrible secret. She is pregnant and wants to have an abortion. For that she would have to go to the town. The family starts out with the body for Jefferson. Addie had long wished to be buried there with other members of her family. However, their journey is made difficult by nature’s disasters. It is stormy, and the bridges have been washed away. After they spend a night at Samson’s farm, the family has to come back part of the way they had gone, so they can find an easier part of the river. The dead body is starting to rot, and the stench slowly becomes unbearable. Gradually buzzards collect over the wagon and start following it. They cannot cross the river, but the attempt ends in a disaster. Cash breaks his leg and almost is drowned. Their mules are killed. The coffin almost floats away downstream but Jewel somehow manages to save it. Anse buys new mules by selling off Jewel’s horse without Jewel’s knowledge. The smell from the dead body is getting worse and stronger, so the family has to start off again hurriedly. When they reach Mottson Dewel tries but fails to locate a medicine man to help her with treatment for an abortion. The Sheriff tries to heckle the family because of the terrible smell from the dead body and tries to arrest them. Cash has to plaster his broken leg and the family buys cement for that purpose. Darl sets ablaze the barn in which the coffin was placed, because he could no longer bear the stench. The barn burns down to ashes, but Jewel manages to save the coffin. As for Cash’s leg, the cement has clearly been a bad decision and it has made matters worse because his leg is now seriously injured. Addie is buried in Jefferson the next day The family arranges to have Darn taken away and locked in a mental institution. A shop assistant fools Dewey and tricks her into exchanging sex for what she thinks is an abortion treatment. But it is not, and she has been fooled. Peabody, the doctor, helps Cash to make the best of his injured leg. Anse finds a new bride and introduces her to the family just as they start on their way back home. |
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