Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor: A Review

15Dec11

What makes a good novel?

Usually there are a few of the following: Compelling and distinctive characters. A thought-provoking world. Evocative writing. A gripping storyline and a skillfully woven plot. A challenging subtext. Or that X factor that latches onto your heartstrings and guarantees that 10% of you is off dreaming, and only 90% of your attention is devoted to everything else in your life.

In Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor gets all of these and so much more. It’s simply a fantastic read that is miles ahead of its competition. As I read, I kept thinking that it’s got to start sucking soon, because it couldn’t possibly be that awesome all the way through.

(Warning: THAR BE SPOILERS)

However, I hit on a nasty surprise when I turned the last page. The novel ends on a cliffhanger. The main plotline was left fluttering in the gust of wind created by the story’s abrupt departure.

It might be argued that this otherwise charming book isn’t a self-contained story in itself; it felt more like a tragic backstory that ended right after the big reveal in the main plot. I had no closure, and if I were the vulgar sort, I’d compare it to… well, but I’m not.

Even so, this wrenching backstory was beautiful and tragic enough to warrant five stars. It begins like this:

Once upon a time
An angel and a devil fell in love.
It did not end well.

… setting an otherworldly stage for something of an epic Greek tragedy. Like another reviewer said, it made my heart ache. And perhaps that’s the best recommendation I can give for this one-of-a-kind story.

I am waiting avidly for book two.

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Clues on the ending of Forever, by Maggie Stiefvater

11Oct11

Before I begin, let me say that I’ve chosen to address only the ending of this book, so this isn’t exactly a review in the traditional sense. The rest was what you’d expect from Stiefvater – lyrical, evocative and character-driven. Of course I loved it; the characters could be sitting around evocatively eating sandwiches and I’d love it. I’m biased.

But The Ending (stop now if you wish to avoid SPOILERS) – which is not really an ending. I’d been waiting for it since Shiver was first released, so I was expecting closure sufficient to justify years of angst. But it didn’t come.

I mean, I kind of got it. The whole point is that the characters emerge from adolescence and learn to brave the real world, where everybody lives life with uncertainties hanging over them. But would it have killed Stiefvater to give us rabid readers a bit of closure?

That night, as I lay in bed stewing, I realised Stiefvater left many clues. And because the first thing I did after I closed the book was to check if anyone else had any insight, I’ll give mine here. Let me say this though: the journey is more satisfying when you arrive at it yourself, so you should stop reading here. That said, here we go.

My first argument is probably my weakest, and it’s this: Against all odds, Sam didn’t die. Cole didn’t die. It’s entirely likely the Grace won’t die. If she breaks the pattern, it would have made quite the story. And since Stiefvater didn’t tell it, you’ve got to assume it’s because there isn’t a story to tell. Because Grace doesn’t die.

My second: Cole says Grace won’t die, and Cole has never once been wrong. Stiefvater stresses that again and again. It’s as straightforward an answer as you’re going to get from her.

My third: Grace’s story mirrors Sam’s. The poetry of Stiefvater’s writing demands that she not break the pattern. Sam survives. Ergo, Grace will survive.

In the end, I think this is the best ending for the book, because happily ever after is usually boring. By ending the novel this way, Stiefvater forces you to think about what you’ve read and what she wants you to take away – something I rarely do these days – which is a testament to her skill as a storyteller. Besides, uncertainty is what makes life exciting, and perhaps that’s the way I’d prefer for Sam and Grace’s story to end. Because it doesn’t. End, that is.

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It’s not a shameless plug if it’s on my own blog, right?

22Aug11

A couple weeks ago I started a Tumblr account to follow several blogs I love, and the whole Tumblr thing grew on me. I guess something about these big buttons appeals to the kindergartener in me.

Find or follow it here: http://fireberry.tumblr.com. It’s mostly a collection of photos that I either took or found online. I’ll also be keeping this blog, since I’ve grown rather attached to it.

And yes, I’m aware that it’s a bit silly to keep two blogs.

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My Five Favourite Books of 2010

16Jan11

I love yearly top five lists; they’re the lazy man’s way of keeping up to date. This year, I thought I’d make my own. But what about? How would I sum up my year? I could list the top five ridiculous things my clients have said (I’m an editor). Or the top five ridiculous judicial decisions (I’m a law student). But since I’d get fired for the first and no one cares about the second, how about this: top five books I read this year (I’m a long-distance commuter).

A final disclaimer: these are not book reviews; they are my reasons for including the book in the list. As such, they are subjective, and you will probably feel differently about them. In fact, I hope you do, and that you tell me about it.

1. The Hunger Games Trilogy (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay)
Suzanne Collins

To subjugate the masses, a tyrannical Capitol district chooses 24 teens by lottery and tosses them into a booby-trapped arena, where they fight to the death for entertainment. And then – rebellion. The basic premise is Battle Royale meets Gladiator meets Survivor. But it goes on to transcend all of those.

What begins as fanciful nonsense transforms into something else – a commentary on class systems, on the many faces of tyranny, on the lifelong price each individual pays for war and the heavy cost of freedom. But you won’t find rambling discourses anywhere. Everything is subtly delivered on a bed of non-stop action with a dash of romance on the side. Make no mistake though; the action and romance are not the point of the book, but rather vehicles that carry a message.

2. Shiver
Maggie Stiefvater

Ah, where do I begin with this book? Suspend your disbelief as I try to explain how a story about a werewolf still manages to be one of the most haunting and quietly beautiful books I’ve read all year. Maybe it’s because the story isn’t really about a werewolf, but about a boy who’s losing the fight against a disability, and the girl who’s forced to watch.

This book moves along slower than the others on the list. That’s not to say that nothing happens; it’s just that everything that does happen differs little from what you or I experienced as a teenager. However, in describing simple pleasures through the eyes of a boy who’s about to lose it all, the author celebrates everything that is precious and fleeting – a kiss in a bookstore, running to secret hideaways, or falling in love wholeheartedly, as only the blessedly innocent can. With a poetic touch she creates powerful pictures that stay with you for a long time to come.

3. Outlander
Diana Gabaldon

It’s a basic premise: a woman accidentally goes back in time. Trying to return, she meets a strapping young Scot on the run from the law. This was set in the… I don’t know when, because my history is awful. Suffice it to say, the Scottish are about to be annihilated by the English. Think Mel Gibson in a skirt. Think Braveheart.

It is at its core a romance, yet it achieves a gritty realism that far surpasses the genre. You taste the sweat, hear the whistling whip, see the spray of blood and flesh. She pulls no punches with the violence and sex, unapologetically delivering a story that’s unwashed and shocking and utterly poignant. And searingly romantic. It grabs you hard and then drops you in a heap at the end. And yes, that’s a good thing.

4. I Heart You, You Haunt Me
Lisa Schroeder

When I put this book down, I sobbed for a good ten minutes. On the bus. Next to a frightened middle-aged man in a windbreaker. Not since I read Bridge to Terabithia at age nine did I cry so hard over a book. Written in simple verse throughout, it tells the story of a girl whose dead boyfriend comes back to haunt her. Despite its (hokey) supernatural themes however, it is, above all, a love story, and the unique method of delivery lends it an ethereal poignancy that simple prose could never have achieved.

Middle school gave me a fear of poetry – no offense to my English teacher, bless his soul. But this little book changed my mind. This is no Iliad; each verse is simple and spare, yet they come together to evoke feelings of loss that are somehow more realistic in the brevity, leaving plenty of room for you to fill in the gaps. It’s an easy read, so it’s tempting to zoom through and take the admittedly silly story at face value. But slow down and let each verse sink in, and you’ll see beyond the surface to the very real grief underneath.

5. Lord of Scoundrels
Loretta Chase

It was hard to decide on this last book because there were so many great ones to choose from. However, given that the other books in the top five veer towards the melodramatic, I decided to end things on a lighter note. For your ultimate guilty pleasure read, look no further than Loretta Chase’s Lord of Scoundrels.

The story’s nothing you haven’t heard before. Ugly/flawed rake meets beautiful woman; antics ensue; she cripples him; he marries her; more antics. However, what makes this book stand out is – like with all the other entries on this list – the method of delivery. You’d never guess from the saucy cover, but this book is hilarious. The author strikes the perfect tone with just the right balance of dry humour and throwback Regency English, taking the piss out of each situation with a deft touch and having fun doing it. She flits from one scene to the next with impeccable pacing, flirting with the ridiculous but never overdoing it. It’s that bag of chips you ate that you just can’t feel guilty about, because it tasted so good going down.

As for what I’m reading this year? I think I’ll keep that to myself, because once I told my brother that I was going to watch Pearl Harbor, and he said, “Oh, did you know that Josh Hartnett dies at the end?” DOH!

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From Macau with Love

13Jan10

You may have heard that Macau is boring. It is. But it’s a magical place for pictures if you’re so inclined.

Come down the rabbit hole with me.

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Dear Pompous Corporate Bigwigs

07Sep09

I wonder if you’re aware of the douchebaggery you emanate when you make your laughable demands. Is your sense of self-importance so grotesquely bloated? Or has your understanding of reality become skewed by the long years spent with your head shoved up your arse? Here’s a suggestion: get out of your office more. And stop putting things on the company tab.

Well. I’ve decided that today, you can wait on my convenience. Suck on that.

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Mid-afternoon fantasy

24Jun09

It’s 3:13pm. I flip my laptop out the window like a frisbee. Then I toss my phone into the microwave and set it for 30 minutes.

And then I buy a pair of Manolos at Harvey Nick’s.

Just kidding.

Especially if you’re reading this, boss. Haha.

Okay, back to work.

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Things I’ve wondered about

19Jun09

1. What happens on a molecular level when you thermally heat water that’s already been microwaved? Or vice versa?
2. How would a monkey react to seeing a dead monkey? Would it get emotional?
3. Why is Violet Affleck blonde, given her parents are both brunette?
4. If a person could hear all my thoughts, would that person like me more, or less?
5. Why is Twilight so good even though it’s so badly written?

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To Kindle or not to Kindle?

05Jun09

As part of my bid to act like the responsible adult that I am, I’m weighing the pros and cons of buying a Kindle 2, even though I’m chomping at the bit.

Pros

• I’m an avid reader, and I’m having daydreams about taking it to the beach. I WANT.
• A Kindle can go in itty bitty purses, unlike a dead-tree book. And Kindles hold a whole library.
• Here in Hong Kong dead-tree books are expensive and limited in selection, so I buy them off Amazon. Shipping is killer, and the wait’s no fun.
• I hate waiting a year or more for mass market paperbacks. Esp for sequels.
• E-books are environmentally friendly.
• The Kindle is all shades of awesome and seems to have gotten positive reviews.

Cons

• US$359 + shipping (that’s HK$2,800 + shipping). That’s a lot of money.
• Need a US credit card and billing address. There are (non-validated) ways around that, but it’s a real pain.
• No Whispernet outside the States. Need to transfer via USB like a caveman.
• Need to charge via USB, since the charger can’t be used in Hong Kong.
• Some of the newer books on my to-read list aren’t available for the Kindle.
• I’ve never actually tested or even seen one in the flesh, so to speak.

So. To Kindle or not to Kindle?

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To whom it may concern

14May09

Dear fellow citizens of Hong Kong,

You’ve got a neat place here, I like it. But let me introduce you to something called pedestrian etiquette. It’s a lot like driving. I know most of you don’t drive, so I won’t bitch you out. But since we’re packed like tinned sardines here, allow me to do a crash course on road safety:

Don’t cut someone off when you veer in another direction. Check your blind spot to make sure you won’t walk into someone, particularly pregnant women. There’s a special punishment for people who knock over pregnant women.

Don’t block the escalator when you get off in order to figure out directions. Keep moving, or else people coming off behind you will ram into your ass and insult your mother.

Don’t stop walking all of a sudden, because you don’t have brake lights on the back of your head, and people will walk into you. We call it a multiple pile-up, where I come from.

Don’t U-turn without warning, because the person behind you will walk right into your gob. And that’s a bit more intimate than most people are prepared to get with a stranger.

Refrain from blocking the sidewalk if you’re popular and you have a lot of friends. We know you’re hot stuff and we envy you. Just don’t bottleneck the sidewalk. And keep the screaming down please.

Walk at the same pace as everyone else. I lost points for driving at speed limit during my first driving test because I was “holding up traffic”. Which I still think is unfair, but that’s beside the point.

That about covers it really. Let’s keep pedestrian traffic smooth and make life easier for everyone. Oh, I almost forgot. Use deodorant. It’s not really walking etiquette, but it’s appreciated.

Thanks and regards,

Jenny

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