#the couple of books i've reread have me more interested in her writing as writing
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In my continuing quest to learn more about Laura Ingalls Wilder as a writer beyond the Little House books, one of the most surprising things I've learned is that apparently she wrote a small collection of cutesy poems about nature fairies.
They were originally published in a children's column in the San Francisco Bulletin in 1915, and are apparently about a couple of fairy characters who paint flowers and bring dewdrops and bring about other natural phenomena. This post goes into more detail about the poems, and the interesting blend of practicality and whimsy that goes into her presentation of fairies.
It also provides one of the poems.
And this quote about the importance of giving children fairy tales that's almost Chestertonian.
Wilder explained why she preferred such magical images of natural processes in a column for the Missouri Ruralist called “Look for Fairies Now.” She argued that children needed tales of fairies to help them see beyond the surface and to use their imaginations. In the olden days, she explained, farmers left some of their harvest for the Little People who “worked hard in the ground to help the farmer grow his crops.” Perhaps this idea was just superstition, she continued, “but I leave it to you if it has not been proved true that where the ‘Little People’ of the soil are not fed the crops are poor. We call them different names now, nitrogen and humus and all the rest of it, but I always have preferred to think of them as fairy folk who must be treated right.
On the one hand, this feels like just another example of how it was apparently a requirement for female authors of a certain era to write cute nature fairy poems. But with the context of the quote, it's also surprisingly fitting for who she is as an author.
#books#poetry#laura ingalls wilder#the couple of books i've reread have me more interested in her writing as writing#her style her storytelling structure her outlook#most of the discussion of her i've seen rarely goes beyond 'this is how the books match/differ from her life'#or 'let's talk about the indians'#at most you might get 'she learned description by being mary's eyes'#(which is really just another facet of the biography obsession)#yes she drew those books from her life but let's examine *how* she wrote about it#even rose's dismissive 'her books read like a grandma telling stories until i got my hands on them' overlooks her very real prose styling#there's this ongoing campaign to present laura as just 'a sweet old lady writing down her memories'#but she had years of writing experience!#even if she wrote her best work in collaboration she brought a lot of talent to that collaboration!#let's examine the style! the choices about how to tell the story!#there's a lot here that's not just biography--it's art! let's talk about it!#and apparently the only way to do that is to look at her writing beyond little house
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okay wait actually now that we're on the book-series-strengths-and-shortcomings-train what do you love most about tlt and tlc? (multiple answers bonus)
HOHO A COMBO
TLC: 1) Friendship not being secondary to romance!! The series' main theme is love. In the grand finale the big bad taunts the MC about love... but she doesn't use her boyfriend, no, she uses her best friend. This is made even more powerful because by all means, the best friend was meant to be the secondary love interest by all rules of 2012 YA, but NO he is JUST A FRIEND and it is not treated as "something less". 2) Team building!!!! Oh my god!!!! Building onto point 1, but it needs its own point. Rarely does a fictional team of main characters feel as natural as the Rampion Crew. This is even more impressive because the 9 of them don't appear in the same room until the end of the series. Even though the team consists of 4 couples and 1 single, everyone has a dynamic with everyone, they have arcs that aren't tied exclusively to their partner but also someone else on the team, they interact with each other freely. 3) The wide range of characters! I am a sucker for a "team of girls totally different from each other saves the world" setup, and TLC does it perfectly. I think this is one of the best YA series out there because of how much it empowers different kinds of girls. The guys are also easy to tell apart even at first read, and I sooo appreciate that at least one of them isn't conventionally attractive (anymore). 4) It's so funny. I love these books and how funny they are. They hit the perfect balance between a fun teen adventure and a heartfelt emotional story. 5) This is one of the least "Here's what REALLY happened" series I've read. A bunch of times major things influence characters' thoughts and opinions, but those things are fake and never revealed as fake, OR the characters never learn some big things that could change their opinions at all. Seeing how impacted Winter was when she realized Levana truly loved her father, when I KNOW what really happened, always shakes me to my core - and Winter never learns the truth!!! Everyone who could explain what really happened is dead!! Winter will forever go on thinking at least her father had a marriage of love!!! And why should she learn the truth, really, it would only serve as yet another sad plot twist that traumatizes her even deeper. 6) Levana. I am not usually a villain girlie, but Levana absolutely slaps. She is simultaneously disgusting, horrible, and pitiful. Usually if I like the villain it's because he has something smart to say, but Levana doesn't, I can't relate to her or see things from her perspective... But the leads can! Levana seems to carry all the trauma and complexes of our leads, but she crumbled under them, showing Cinder what she might have become if not for her loved ones.
TLT: 1) Isn't afraid of people not getting it!! Do you understand how refreshing this is to see in a mainstream popular series??? The book doesn't act like you are an idiot, it acts like you are some sort of a genius, and you feel illiterate until you realize NO ONE got it the first time around and you're gonna have to do lots of rereading and thinking to get it. This makes it impossible to get into for some people, but so what. So what!!! What matters is that it rewards those who stay and put in the work!! 2) Absolutely bonkers insane relationships. No one can be "just a friend" in these, we need 1000 different layers of trauma and tenderness surrounding everyone. 3) Pathetic women. These books are the epitome of all the worst parts of yourself laid bare. These characters act out the most shameful, horrible memories and impulses of your heart, all the while spouting poetics about the entire situation. And it is pure catharsis!! It is so rare to see female characters depicted this pathetic without it being torture porn. 4) Writing style. It's the perfect example of how realism doesn't matter if you're good with your words. No one in these books talks like a real life person, but they are all distinct from each other and filled with personality. Every book has several lines that have the power to reduce me a to a sobbing mess just from hearing them. Just. The writing style is so good that I even enjoy reading INTERVIEWS with the author, she has a way of speaking that keeps you engaged and makes her sound so smart. 5) Each book is its own thing, keeping you on your toes, but they all still feel cohesive. It also means that even if the final book sucks, I won't have any hangups about it, since I will just be able to reread the first 3. Honestly even if AtN never comes out, I won't feel like I wasted any time, because the books are so fantastic and so worth reading that the end of the journey doesn't even matter to me that much - and if you've been here a while, you'll know what a radical statement that is for me. It is so nice to relax and enjoy the ride instead of stressing over my thoughts and opinions aging badly.
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As you might know if you saw my review the other day, my December felt very slumpy even though I read a lot of good books. I suspect this is because of book hangovers and working a busy Christmas retail season. (I also didn't write much because I kept coming home too wiped to think.)
But it was a good month! I managed to get to a couple new releases that I really wanted to, and I knocked a lot of books off my physical TBR because none of my ARCs looking interesting. I did have a DNF again, though, of a book that I was really hoping would be great. Isn't that always the way?
I also had two rereads! One because sometimes when you're at a loss to read, you pick up Pratchett, and one because I'd promised myself I'd get to it this year and dash it, I was going to! Weirdos of the Universe, Unite! was one of the most seminal books of my childhood, and it wasn't until I reread it that I realized just how much it was. I saw a lot of my personal attitude to life in Maddy, it was probably my first true urban fantasy even though there's a whole act on a spaceship, Baba Yaga is there as a very cranky but practical sort of witch…
As for my book haul, I just want to say that it was Christmas and I didn't actually buy anything? My parents came through with some really oddball picks, as I'd expected, my sister gifted me one of her favourite reads of the year, and friends helped feed my T. Kingfisher addiction. (More on that in my yearly wrap-up.)
But the book I'm most excited to have gotten is Hogfather, and not because of the pretty cover though that's a bonus. It is, in fact, the most astounding misprint I've ever seen and I couldn't pass up a chance at a free copy. I mean, how many times do you find a beloved book in which the entire thing is bound backwards?! Thank goodness the publisher didn't want it back, is all I'm saying.
And that's probably about it! I have no idea what book I'm going to start 2024 with, because I sort of read 200+ pages of Persepolis Rising last night so I could knock it off my list and now I'm recovering from the binge.
And now without further ado, in order of enjoyment…
A Power Unbound - Freya Marske
Jack, Alan, and their friends must find a hidden artifact and foil a plot. This would go better if Jack and Alan got along.
8/10
🏳️🌈 main characters (gay, bi man), 🏳️🌈 secondary characters (gay, bi woman, lesbian, genderfluid) 🏳️🌈 author
All the Hidden Paths - Foz Meadows
Velasin and Caethari are still feeling out their relationship when they’re summoned to the capital and almost immediately find themselves targeted again..
7.5/10
🏳️🌈 main characters (mlm), 🏳️🌈 secondary characters (mlm), mute secondary character, cast of colour, 🏳️🌈 author
warning: anxiety, aftermath of trauma, dubious consent
Last Chance to See - Douglas Adams with Mark Carwadine
A bumbling science fiction author travels the world in search of endangered animals.
7/10
Illuminations - T. Kingfisher
Rosa wants to help her artist-magician family, but instead she accidentally releases a creature bent on destroying them!
8/10
Lovecraft Country - Matt Ruff
Two Chicago families in the 1950s become caught up in a world of cults, ghosts, monsters, and magical danger. Fortunately, they’ve had lots of practice at mistrusting white folks.
7.5/10
primarily Black cast
warning: depicts Jim Crow-era racism, including slurs; also abusive family dynamics
Persepolis Rising - James S.A. Corey
Thirty years on, the system has achieved a new normal. So of course one of the colony planets decides it’s time to shake things up.
7.5/10
very racially diverse cast
Remarkably Bright Creatures - Shelby Van Pelt
A cleaner at an aquarium mourns her losses. A young California man seeks his absentee father. The resident octopus tries to bring them together.
7.5/10
Jamaican secondary character, Korean-American secondary character
Ragnarok - A.S. Byatt
A child in wartime discovers Norse mythology, and the ways myths and the world reflect each other.
7.5/10
warning: animal cruelty and injury
While Idaho Slept - J. Reuben Appelman
Four students are murdered in a single night, and what came before and after.
7/10
warning: violent murders
Monstress, Volume 3 - Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (illustrator)
Maika finds temporary refuge from the people chasing her, but the local leaders want a favour in return.
7/10
one-armed protagonist, cast of colour, 🏳️🌈 secondary characters (sapphic), Taiwanese-American author and Japanese-American illustrator
Reread
Weirdos of the Universe, Unite! - Pamela F. Service
Mandy and Owen get assigned a mythology paper, but then the characters they pick start coming to life and insisting they have a great purpose.
Black secondary character, Indigenous secondary character, Chinese secondary character
warning: somewhat lazy depictions of Indigenous and Chinese people
The Unadulterated Cat - Terry Pratchett with Gray Jolliffe (illustrator)
A humourous celebration of all things cat.
DNF
The Undetectables - Courtney Smyth
Someone’s committing Occult murders and a crack team of Occult investigators has been called in. Or, they’re totally going to be the crack team someday, at least.
main character with fibromyalgia, 🏳️🌈 secondary characters (lesbian), fat secondary character, Chinese-British secondary character, 🏳️🌈 author
Currently reading:
Music from the Earliest Notations to the Sixteenth Century - Richard Taruskin
A history of early written European music, in its social and political contexts.
The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Victorian detective stories
major disabled character
warning: racism, colonialism
Stats
Monthly total: 11+1
Yearly total: 128/140
Queer books: 2
Authors of colour: 1
Books by women: 6
Authors outside the binary: 0
Canadian authors: 0
Off the TBR shelves: 7
Rereads: 2
Books hauled: 8
ARCs acquired: 2
ARCs unhauled: 2
DNFs: 1
January February March April May June July August September October November
#books#book reviews#reading wrap-ups#stacks of books#read in 2023#book recommendations#rec lists#my photos
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Books of January
I've really enjoyed reading more this month! I always read a lot over the holidays and then fall out of the habit but ended up doing more this time around.
Wild: from Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail - Cheryl Strayed (reread)
I liked this when I first read it, and liked it even more this time. The sense of the outdoors and the personal journeys within feel incredibly real to me. It inspired me to get out and about more: I always feel better when I take some time outdoors. I didn't really get on with her other books, but this one remains a favourite.
Dancing on Eggshells: Kitchen, Ballroom, & The Messy Inbetween - John Whaite
Every so often I read a celebrity memoir and usually it falls a little flat - often too obviously ghostwritten/over-edited or glib or twee. This one is less over-polished which is to its benefit, includes a bunch of lovely recipes, and explores growing up gay in England during Section 28 (at the same time I was growing up). Whaite comes across as very sincere in this, and since publication has said he's quitting TV which is probably a good thing. It was interesting reading the Strictly parts having read Craig Revel Horwood's memoir last year - Revel Horwood is very blithe about how lovely it all is whereas Whaite gives a more complicated perspective.
Maw - Jude Ellison S. Doyle
This horror graphic novel is gripping in places but it didn't pull me in as much as I'd hoped having read Doyle's discussions about the writing process and inspirations. It was over a little fast, characters appeared and were killed off a little too speedily for it to have much impact, and the ending felt a little abrupt. I liked the characters and the general idea but would have liked more breathing room to get to know them. I've got The Neighbors on pre-order and hope to get into that one more.
The Easternmost Sky - Juliet Blaxland
I could write an essay about what was frustrating about this book - the lack of class-consciousness from someone who casually mentions going to visit cousins for Christmas at the local manor, the (wilfully?) ignorant comments about rewilding, the unexamined pro-hunting commentary - but parts of it are quite good and evocative. Having grown up in rural England where neither I nor my peers were involved with the hunting-and-shooting manor-house culture, it's irritating to read a book which cheerfully conflates "country life" with being someone who loves running to hounds and thinks hunting is great, but some of the descriptions were lovely. Still, I'd recommend other nature writers like Robert MacFarlane or Helen Macdonald (who engages with falconry, but in a much more thoughtful way) over this one.
The Lives of Christopher Chant - Diana Wynne Jones (reread)
This was a beloved book from my teenage years and I shared it with my child after there was a lot of enjoyment of Howl's Moving Castle and Charmed Life last year. This one was a harder sell, it turned out: it's slower-paced than I remember, and bleaker, and there's very DWJ-esque penultimate chapter where a lot of stuff suddenly happens and is revealed and resolved very fast. I do love Christopher and his friends, though, and as with many of DWJ's books, it does betrayal and sudden self-awareness heartbreakingly well.
Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
I. Loved. This. I loved it! I'd read a couple of Moreno-Garcia's books before and enjoyed them reasonably but this was the first one where it really grabbed me and wouldn't let go. A post-colonial Mexican gothic horror in which the heroine probes into an English family's business when her cousin, who's married into this family, sends a disturbed message begging for help... it's so good. I don't want to say anything more about it but I enjoyed it immensely and it solidified Moreno-Garcia as a favourite author.
Toto the Ninja Cat and the Legend of the Wildcat - Dermot O'Leary
This was really cute. My child and I ended up losing track of some of the plot, which became slightly complex, but it was generally adorable. There's not a ton else to say other than it's a nice story with a few jokes for adults that are good sensible-chuckle material.
Untamed Shore - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
This was so good. It's a noir thriller without the supernatural elements I'd encountered in the author's other work, but it gripped me excellently. I really enjoyed the unfolding dangerousness of all the characters, including the protagonist, and I was genuinely uncertain about what would happen towards the end - it had me really tense! I enjoyed it greatly.
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April 2023 Books
Moongarden by Michelle A. Barry (reread)
The character arcs and themes are so drastically different from those in TSG that I'm inclined to call this one a retelling only in the basic premise of there being a secret garden. That's not necessarily a criticism; just go into this one managing expectations accordingly. The second time around I found this one a bit of a slog for me. There were a couple of interesting supporting characters, but I didn't really connect with the protagonist or even the plot in general. The worldbuilding is interesting, but it wasn't enough to make me want to seek the sequel which is coming out later this year.
The Runaway Robot by Lester del Rey
I forget which one of you recommended this one, but it was delightful. The robot narrator was endearing, and for a book its length and intended audience, it had quite a thought-provoking examination of the nature of humanity and a society that treats sentient beings as less than human because they're robots.
Disenchanted and Transformed by Megan Morrison
Morrison's worldbuilding is striking, and her retellings of fairy tales inventive (to the point that the Cinderella retelling is practically unrecognizable thematically). I didn't find the more political plotlines very interesting, but the characters were more complex than those of a typical middle-grade book.
When the War Came Home by Lesley Parr
I enjoyed Parr's first book, but this one was less interesting to me personally.
Lost and Found by Sarah Prineas
Sequels to The Magic Thief. I liked them well enough but am not especially invested.
The Beatrice Letters by Lemony Snicket
This one isn't very long and is more of a contribution to the Lore than furthering of the plot, but the love letter ("I will love you if I never see you again, and I will love you if I see you every Tuesday...") is the highlight, both darkly humorous and rather poignant.
The Painted Garden by Noel Streatfeild (reread)
Maybe this isn't Streatfeild's best children's book from a technical perspective, and it is definitely flawed, but the way the narrative interacts with TSG is quite thoughtful. You can tell that Streatfeild loved and understood the book. The story is also fascinating culturally and historically: a glimpse of late 1940s California from the perspective of British children. Streatfeild is fascinated by every detail of daily life, and it makes the world of the narrative quite rich. (This is downplayed quite a lot in abridged versions, such as the American edition titled Movie Shoes, but the abridgment does have the advantage of eliminating a lot of the material that didn't age well.)
The Whispering Skull by Jonathan Stroud
I liked this one, but it somehow wasn't as much of a page-turner for me as the first book. I am looking forward to reading the next one. Stroud's style is a thing of beauty.
The Crystal Snowstorm by Meriol Trevor (reread)
The premise of this one is fascinating, but I wish Trevor had developed her young protagonist more! I got the sense that who she really wanted to write about were the adults.
This was an interlibrary loan from the Library of Congress (these books are so hard to find that that's what I had to resort to), and I meant to finish the series but am opting not to after finding that the beginning of the second book wasn't to my taste.
Gravebooks by J. A. White
Refreshingly did not suffer from Middle-Grade Sequel Syndrome (i.e. the first book was charming and original and the second is somehow a lifeless slog). It was a worthy successor thematically to the first book.
The Mystery of the Gulls by Phyllis A. Whitney
Not one of Whitney's stronger mysteries but had an interesting setting.
As for comics, I haven't been reading anything new steadily since I was concentrating on screenshotting a series I've already read (so I don't have to put myself through scouring the entire thing whenever I need a panel for reference), but now I'm moving on (slowly) to screenshotting early Tim Drake material, including some issues that were new to me. You guys might get some of those panels inflicted on you at some point.
#random personal stuff#@lady-merian I read another of those books feel free to ignore#it was a difficult month for reading since I was traveling and got sick and didn't feel like doing much of anything#but I'm hoping this month will be better and that there will be more books that I am actually excited about
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I borrowed this from someone at dreamwidth and I thought I'd post it over here too: behold, my (completed*) January reading! feel free to borrow the meme yourself.
(list & some thoughts under the cut)
NOVELS
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This was, technically, a reread. I say technically because I don't remember the last part of the book and now I'm wondering if I DNFed it over a decade ago and completely forgot LMAO. I... could see why. While it's A Classic, and there's plenty to like in the novel, especially in the sisters, the moralising really got to me at some points. The biggest was the one where Jo attends this meeting full of artists and geniuses and political giants ~behaving just like people~~ and this is DEVASTATING to her (and then Bhaer peddles some chrisitanism). Gurl, I would have loved that LOL. But all in all I mostly enjoyed the read. I did it bit by bit, subscribed to The Public Domain Book Club in substack; each month (or, in LW's case, each couple of months) they go through a book. I've kept the subscription for February, where it'll post "Sense and Sensibility", another Jane Austen novel I haven't read.
Lud-in-the-Mist by Hope Mirlees. I fucking ADORED this novel. I've mentioned it in this blog before but I just found it such a treat to read. Mirlees' prose is enticing and enchanting and everything I want mine to be. If you're someone that enjoys a good descriptive, florid style of narration, give this one a shot.
SHORT STORIES
I read three short stories by Angel Carter. The first three in "Burning Your Boats", apparently her earliest work: "The Man Who Loved a Double Bass", "A Very, Very Great Lady and Her Son at Home", and "A Victorian Fable (with Glossary)". They're not nearly as good as the handful of later ones I've read, but I enjoyed seeing some signs of her future style. "A Victorian Fable" was also really interesting in a technical sense.
*I put the cover of the whole book, although those three only form a section of it, just to make this more manageable.
COMICS COMICS COMICS
I'll just list here runs I set out to start and finished. Sometimes that means "reading every appearance of character X", sometimes "reading everything author Y did in this volume", sometimes "this one specific issue-long plot", sometimes it's a run properly speaking.
DC Speechless. Really cute run. Just some popcorn to the brain that you can chill with.
Robin: Year One. A re-read. Sometimes Chuck Dixon writes well. I absolutely don't have to hand it to him though.
The Judas Contract. A staple and a must-read if you're interested in these characters. Tara Markov's characterisation is sure. Something that happened. But unintentionally on the part of the writers, very, very interesting. And I loved reading Joey's introduction! Ngl, I lowkey ship him with Dick. I lowkey ship Dick with a lot of people lol.
Superman: Lost. This run is more interesting in a meta sense than a properly narrative one. I'll have to mull over it.
Oracle: Year One (The Batman Chronicles #5). Another re-read. BTW, it's already suspect that Robin: Year One has FOUR issues (and Nightwing: Year One SIX), AND JOKER IS GOING TO HAVE THREE, but Oracle: Year One is like, 18 pages within a random issue of a Batman-adjacent comic ñlaksdjf. She deserved something longer and plottier. BUT. Those 18 pages are near perfect and a must-read to all DC fans.
The Next Batman: Second Son. About Timothy "Jace" Fox, who was Batman for a little while. I was curious, and it's a really short read (the issues are more webtoon-length than usual comics length). It was fine, but I had set out to read it before I was like, 99% done with Prime Earth lol. I wouldn't read it now and I doubt I'll continue his journey. Sorry Jace, you were alright.
Nightwing/Huntress. Loved it. Gave me a new ship. A bit heavy-handed at times (Devin Grayson's writing gains a lot more subtlety later on), but I still loved it. And the art is gorgeous.
Batman & Son (Batman #655-658). AKA a reread of Damian's introductory arc. Morrison will have to answer for their crimes against Talia lol, but I wanted a refresher.
JLA/Titans. I'd say the same re: Devin's writing (and I'd say the same about the next in the list), but it was also a really enjoyable read. Very long, lots of characters and moving parts, lots of POWER OF FRIENDSHIP Titans stuff but they're messy as fuck (as proved by the continuation of this plot in...).
Titans #1-20, aka Devin's run. LOVED IT. They are SO messy, SO interesting, SO fun to read. The exact opposite of the current Titans run, if you ask me lmao. The character concepts alone... *chef's kiss*.
Devin Grayson's Nightwing run. Oh, this is a controversial one (yes, this one includes the infamous #93, but you have to analyse it in context)... but I adored it. Grayson's writing matured for this one, it's a lot more nuanced, it doesn't lead you by the hand. It was extremely compelling, maybe one of the most compelling storyarcs I've read in DC comics. And ofc, it was cut short and interrupted in an abrupt way by editorial meddling smh. @ dc, fight me.
Far From the Tree (Batman: Gotham Knights #15). I read this one because I wanted a taste for Tim's characterisation under certain circumstances. It's good. Bruce is an ass during it xD
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i'm rereading all the time before i knew you because i'm planning to work on the final chapter and i need to get myself back in it and just all around refresh my memory. and i thought i'd share some little fun facts!
elora is a shameless self-insert. i am a pastry chef and at one point dreamed of opening my own bakery/cafe. i'd even written up a business plan. the name of said bakery/cafe? black treacle. elora is the name i'd planned to give my first daughter, should i have had a daughter, back when i still thought i wanted to have children.
harry's (and eventually niall's) cat butterscotch was a copy-and-paste of my cat. butterscotch sadly passed this past october but she was a beautiful tortoiseshell calico.
elora's sister abby is just my sister. my sister abby is not a baker so that's been tweaked. their cousins kate and mack are my real-life cousins kate and mackenzie. i mention their grandmother patty who acts as a surrogate grandmother to "the lads." my grandma's name is pat and will be anyone's grandma.
although a full layout of harry and niall's apartment is never given in complete detail, i based it entirely on the apartment where my sister lived for a couple years before she and her now-husband moved in together.
i have so many others but i don't want this post to be wicked long. if anyone out there is interested in hearing more, send me a message! it's kind of a fun way to get me back into this!
(i've decided to cut back on my phone screen time and have set limits. since doing that, i've found i have a lot more free time. i'm on my usual two month winter break from work and even with reading two 400 page books a week, planning my dessert menus for the upcoming year, reading multiple cookbooks, and doing a deep clean on my apartment, i still find myself with lots of free time. that says a lot about how much time i waste on my phone... it has also inspired me to start writing this last chapter. i'm a little scared if i'm being 100% honest.)
#all the time before i knew you#meggie talks#narry fanfiction#narry fic#narry#harry styles#niall horan
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Book Review: The Soul Mirror by Carol Berg
Quote that should have been on the back of the book:
"Do not breathe a word about these books! For your life, Ani! Do not trust ANYONE. I've set events in motion. Heed both mind and heart to understand."
Or maybe: "I wished I had more faith in saints and angels. The daemons I already knew."
Not for the back of the book, but a quote I really liked: "Ilario's moment of grace was but a single treasure in a chest of worries."
Premise:
After her father was exposed as a traitor to the crown through his involvement in a heinous ritual of sorcery, Anne de Vernase thought she would live out her days in seclusion on her family's estate, alone but for two loyal servants. Her father is in hiding. Her mother has gone mad. Her brother is imprisoned by the king, and her sister has just died in a mysterious accident at the school of magic where she was studying. before she can even begin to grieve this latest in a long series of misfortunes, Anne is summoned to the capital city, Merona, to serve as a lady-in-waiting to the queen. Her life of solitude and peace is shattered, as she is soon embroiled in a sinister plot that threatens the kingdom--or even the world.
Thoughts:
This is the second book in Carol Berg's Collegia Magica trilogy, and as I thoroughly enjoyed The Spirit Lens, I wasn't at all surprised that the sequel was engaging from the beginning. What did surprise me (in a most pleasant way!) was that the main character is actually the daughter of the villain from the first book. It was really interesting to see the protagonist of the first book (and a couple of his allies and friends) instantly painted as cold and suspicious people that this new protagonist doesn't trust or like--at least at first. That being said, Anne herself was a very sympathetic and likable protagonist; she's smart and strong-willed, and it's so understandable that she doesn't like these people, because they put her father on trial in the last book and ruined her life!
The setting is one of my favorite things about this trilogy. It's set in a country loosely based on Renaissance Italy/France/Spain(?). So you've got all the lovely trappings of royal castles and palaces, rife with court intrigue, but there are advances in science and technology that herald changes in the near future. Add to all of that some magic that is real but not everyone believes in, and you've got all the setup you need for a fascinating story.
The mystery that unfolds in this story was engaging and excellently paced--the perfect kind of mystery, where all of the clues are given, and most of the revelations I figured out just before Anne did. That meant I got the double benefit of feeling a rush of triumph while simultaneously ramping up the tension when it hadn't clicked for the characters yet, with no frustration at characters being too stupid or the clues not making any sense. I really ought to study how she did that, because I thought it was brilliantly done.
But, as with most stories, the characters made this story for me. As a sequel, The Soul Mirror got to benefit from the reader already knowing some of the characters from the first book. Portier was just as interesting and reliable of a character from the outside, despite not being present for a lot of Anne's exploits and not being someone whose motives she trusts for quite a while. My favorite character from the first book, Ilario de Sylvae, was as wonderful and fun as ever--someday (maybe when I reread this trilogy) I need to write up a post about how Ilario healed a fresh book-wound in me--and I was so glad he got such a big part to play in this one. And really, all of the side characters, old and new, were so vibrant--from the conniving Lady Antonia to the earnest and helpful Ella, from the gallant and stammering doctor Roussel to the vile and disgusting Lord Gurmeddion. I was never bored for a single page, with this cast of characters.
If any of this sounds interesting--if you like court intrigue, intricate magical rituals, creepy night-time explorations of castles, and enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes till the end--then consider picking up this book! You could actually probably read this on its own without The Spirit Lens, since everything you need to know gets explained in this book...but why would you? The Spirit Lens is also an excellent book.
#book thoughts#the soul mirror#carol berg#my only disappointment is that i wanted to know what happened to ella after the climax :(#would have been a nice touch if she'd gone with anne in the end or something#i just really liked her and want her to have a happy and fulfilling life
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Taking into account that we have two more books (acotar 5 and acotar6). What plot do you think each will be focused on? couple + romance + background plot
I'm sorry it took me over a day to respond, yesterday was CRAZY for me. I can't remember the last time I moved nonstop all day long.
I know what I'm about to write doesn't line up with other Eluciens and Gwynriels or even what SJM herself said recently about CC3 being the next release but in my mind, and considering the crossover having now been introduced, this is where I see the next two books going:
I know most think Gwynriel is next but for some reason I still struggle seeing it.
There's a back of the book interview being shared which tells us where SJM was at with this series a few years ago:
At one point SJM had no clue who the third book would be about. She knew the first was Nessian's, she knew who the second was about, but not the final one. In ACOMAF, Elucien became Mates then we were left with a will they / won't they in ACOWAR. ACOFAS set up for the upcoming spinoffs and in it we have many hints as to Elain's developing powers (her stealth like behavior) and Feyre encouraging Elain to get to know Lucien though she claims she has no interest in a Mate or a Male. Mor also talks about Elain and Lucien needing time to figure themselves out before they'll be ready to deal with the bond. In the back of the book interview we see that SJM did a bunch of research for Elain’s book. If she knew Nessian was first, and always knew an Az book was second, why would she claim she had no idea who the third would be about while doing research for Elains book? In my opinion, Az had not had the same build up and as many unresolved storylines as Lucien and Elain so again, it seems like she wasn't always 100% certain Az would be getting his own story until closer to when she wrote SF.
I also think it makes more sense for an Elucien story to come after Nessian because theirs will probably involve less of the IC than we're used to seeing. If you think of TOD, it took us to new parts of the TOG world and only had mentions of Aelin and the gang. Chaol and Nesryns journey's were still important because the relationships they made were vital to the war in the final book which is when we returned to the others. Elucien feels similar to me. That the ties Lucien has to other Courts and the relationships they build on their travels will be necessary to the war in the final book. And an Az book being the last book will bring it back full circle, back to the IC. Gwynriel will be the main characters of that one but it can't be denied that you can't have a final battle without Feyre and Rhys being heavily involved (and Nessian). Gwyn and Az will have the closest relationship to these characters. And a final battle would make sense from a warriors POV rather than Eluciens.
As far as plot, I think Eluciens book will be next. Not only from what I've stated above but also the fact that the Feysand Bonus Chapter says "let's help one sister before we help the next" and Nesta places Elain's rose carving on her father's headstone "as the marker of beauty and good he tried to bring into this world". Tell me the fact that this being on the last page of SF doesn't seem like foreshadowing that her book is coming up?
Quick takes for plot as I've written longer posts on this and don't want to bore you with having to reread through it all:
I think Lucien will still be stationed in Spring and Elain will either felt drawn there by the Mothers voice, the drums of Fire Night or Rhys will figure out a reason to send her that way. I think Elain will not only be an owl shifter but have healing powers which will be important in helping her heal the lands of Spring and restore the faith to its people. I'm seeing a Great Rite scene with Elucien and I also see them traveling to the continent with Jurian to defeat Koschei and free Vassa. I see Lucien discovering that Helion is his father and everything that goes along with that (his relationship with Eris, his mother, Beron). I'm sure Elain will have some minor confrontation with her sisters though I don't imagine anything dramatic because she doesn't seem to hold major grudges with them and she has already apologized to Feyre for the past. And I see both Lucien and Elain overcoming any past feelings for their lost loves.
Then I see Gwynriel being the final book. I think Gwyn will discover she is a Siren of some sort and that will initially upset her because she'd worry that having a power like could be too tempting. For me, canonically sweet Gwyn needs a touch of darkness to really be an equal match for the darkness in Az so maybe she's bothered by the fact that she wants to use her power for revenge and that won't seem priestess like to her. I think Az will show her that it doesn't matter if you have darkness inside of you, that you are still "good" as long as you're making the choice to only use it against those who harm your loved ones. I think his helping Gwyn realize that will also help Az understand the same about himself. I think his journey will involve his past issues with the Illyrians and I think their story will also involve Eris taking over Autumn, Az and Eris's past with Mor, and I think Gwyn will find Narben. And of course, the final battle against the Asteri who will make their way through the portals and land in Prythian.
#pro elucien#elucien#elain archeron#pro gwynriel#gwynriel#azriel acotar#gwyn acotar#acotar lucien#acotar elain#acotar theory#sarah j maas
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I've finished Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm for @novelmonger's book rec exchange!! I finished the book quite a bit ago but just got around to writing up my thoughts, and I thought it would be neat to post my pages on it from my book journal I'm trying to keep this year:
To expand on this a little bit:
I went in having no idea that Anne of Green Gables was heavily inspired by this book, so I got several chapters in and was going "hold on....wait a minute....what's going on?" Quite a delightful surprise! While Rebecca reminds me of Anne, and their circumstances are very similar, she also reminds me quite a lot of one of Montgomery's other protagonists, Emily, from Emily of New Moon. (That reminds me, I'm definitely due for a reread on that one...)
I loved/hated/loved Aunt Jane's story. So sad...
Aunt Miranda was probably the most interesting character to read about. While I definitely prefer Marilla when it comes to this character archetype, Aunt Miranda was very interesting to me because while she does have a "redemption," so to speak, it's a bit more subtle. Yes, she leaves everything to Rebecca, and its lovely to see her respect for her grow, it never actually change how generally grumpy/unapproachable/rigid she is, even on her deathbed. It felt very realistic and I really appreciated it.
My favorite part was the bit where Rebecca accidentally invites over the missionary family--so hilarious and wholesome!
Generally, just some pretty good takes on faith throughout the novel.
So...yeah. Let's talk about that Adam Ladd situation. Normally, I'm a bit more forgiving of age-gaps in fiction--I usually take them on a case-by-case basis, as I think the time and context of every relationship needs to be taken into account. (For example--Emma and Mr. Knightley? One of my favorites! They are sixteen years apart! And I know happy, healthy married couples in real life with pretty large age gaps.) But this was a bit much for me. I have no idea if they actually end up together in the sequel--I could find very little information about it--but I really hope not. I don't have anything against Adam as a character otherwise, but this whole thing rubbed me the wrong way. But didn't ruin the novel for me!
Anyway, that's all I've got--thank you so much for the rec, I really enjoyed it!
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anonymintea said: @cbk1000 what other historical lesbian books would you recommend?👀 a restless truth by freya marske comes to mind, though that’s the second in her series, and pull of the stars which is also by emma donoghue!
Sadly Sarah Waters is mostly it so far as my experiences in historical lesbian fiction go. I think mostly because this is a severely overlooked genre that more writers need to get writing for stat. I will have to check out the ones you've mentioned, though!
mcchickenbetch said: I’m reading the LOTR novels for the first time and have very mixed feelings about them. On the one hand, the sheer scale of STUFF Tolkien came up with?? Incredible. Blows every other fantasy “writer” out of the water. It’s like if I asked someone about the history of continental Europe and they gave me an extremely detailed history beginning with the Roman Empire, except they also have to make literally the entire thing up. It’s crazy.
mcchickenbetch said: On the other hand, is Tolkien a good storyteller? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I’ve read much better storytelling than this. I think you get more depth from the characters in the movies, although maybe my opinion will change by the time I’m finished with the last book. And, as many others have said before me, world building (even at the impressive scale of Tolkien) is not the same as storytelling.
I have complicated feelings about these books. I was that one nerdy fantasy reader who as a kid somehow never got round to reading Harry Potter or LOTR; I still don't have any interest in Harry Potter, but I've been trying to make my way through LOTR again recently. I did finish the first and second book a few years ago, but it was kind of a limping progress. Then because it had been a while, I decided to give the whole trilogy another go before trying to read the last book, and that's what I've been doing for the last couple of months in between reading other books. The problem is that I DO find parts legitimately fascinating, and Tolkien was drawing on inspiration from various sagas as a framework for his storytelling (apparently he's popular amongst a lot of medievalists) to give it the scope and grandeur of those works. All of these things should appeal to me. But what happens is I do get sucked in for a bit, then I get bogged down, have to force myself through, hit another patch where I'm enjoying myself, and then it's back to feeling that I'm slogging through. I've read lots of Victorian literature and have a high tolerance for dense prose, so it's not that. It should appeal to the language nerd and the medieval history nerd in me, and I do find part appealing or beautifully-written, but I keep getting stuck and then wandering away from it. My sister loves the trilogy and rereads it every year, but I am fighting for my life with it.
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Chatting about Trigun
(Both the manga and the new anime)
A couple of my mutuals have asked me about my thoughts, and if yall wanna dm me and keep talking I LOVE chatting, but I also thought it would be fun to write down some of my thoughts for everyone. For reference, I have finished watching Stampede and I'm a little less than halfway through TriMax. There isn't really a 'point' to all of this, just some misc thoughts :3
So first of all really loved Stampede. I read the first manga and got like 12 chapters into Max before giving in to watch the anime, both because I was excited to watch it, and also because the manga is... a little rough to read? I don't watch or read a ton of anime or manga these days, working on art and full-time school and my job make it hard to pick what to do in my little free time. The manga that I've read recently has been Yokohama Shopping Log, Dungeon Meshi, and Witch Hat Atelier. While Trigun is fun paneling and storytelling wise it isn't as easy to read as any of the manga listed. I found myself having to reread some pages a few times because between the words, the paneling, and the art I couldn't tell what it was trying to get across. It is also heavy on the action and fights scenes (much like some manga I read in the early days like Bleach or Naruto) and I'm not about long fight scenes, especially when it's hard for me to tell what's going on. The story that the manga has going on is very interesting, however, it reminds me incredibly of Katekyo Hitman Reborn (or tbh even D. Gray Man) in that the early portion of it really feels like the Mangaka wasn't sure what the entire plot was and kind of made it up as it went, especially leaning into funny tropes quite early on. The manga reads like the mangaka realized that they needed to focus up and iron out the story idea when they ended the original Trigun, and had a better idea of what they were going for when they wrote Trigun Maximum (obv idk if that's true, that's just the vibe)
Stampede feels like they're trying to write the story of Trigun but more focused, if the story had been more put together from the beginning, which I really like. A few of the changes I struggle with, but I'm trying to be optimistic to how these changes can be remedied in season 2. Season 1 of Stampede was both the original Trigun books AND the backstory of the books in a way, which I really like I feel like having the destruction of July being the incident before the two year gap actually works really well, as well as letting us see how some of the characters develop. Meryl in season 1 has been much more naive and soft than I felt like she was in manga, but I think you do get the vibe that in season 2 after the developments of the finale and the two year gap she will be more like the Meryl from the manga, which actually if it is true sets up her character pretty well!
I like the designs for a lot for the characters in Stampede too, although I am a little sad that they leaned more into the generic white futuristic clothing for the people on board the ship. I really like that in the manga, even though they're all like astronauts and stuff they're seen wearing t-shirts and jeans. Also I think Rem has more of the milf vibes like that (someone said that she looks more like a big sister like that and if so I think I like it even more haha, since she was thrust into the position of mom really suddenly). The many wrappings/belts of Vash are also missed, but I also like his new design so they're both good lol.
The last thing I wish that they included or that I really wish they'll add into season two is how Vash when he was still with Nai and Rem was less optimistic. In the manga I just got to the part where Vash acts out after seeing the previous Independent, going as far as hurting Rem. The idea that he became so steadfastly optimistic after his world falls apart is so good. Not that he was pessimistic before, but that he was just a kid that was still figuring things out, and scared.
Haha, it's also a small thing, but in the manga when the ships go down, Nai specifically says that Rem thwarted his plans, but in the anime I feel like it just kind of vaguely says she might have or might not have helped.
Uhhhh if you have any questions though about any other thoughts I might have about things let me know! It was a fun watch and I'm excited to finish reading the manga, even if I do have my critiques lmao.
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Fave fics rn go 🔫
thanks anon! going to split this into two sections (f1fic and everything else) and limit them to just a couple. Under the cut!
f1fic
provenance by ecorone, seb/lewis, 18.9k, au
this is an au about a lot of things but also about the apocalypse. it's genuinely some of the best writing I've ever read in fic. it explores themes I love - life, legacy loss - in ways that feel so thoughtful. the fic is interconnected with culture and with f1 history in just a phenomenal way. definitely my fav fic rn.
leave it all behind in your lifetime by @misonikomi, charles/pierre, 19.6k, college au
read this and then read EVERYTHING by misonikomi. i love her writing and i love the questions this fic explores about choices and losing a future that was once everything you wanted. she's got wonderful oc's, a setting that feels so real, and writes the stupid mess of your early twenties in a beautiful, aching way.
hard feelings by @geluksalig, pierre/esteban, 2.9k, au
another author i absolutely love! THEE pierresteban master. this fic strikes some miserable chord in me about breaking up. this fic makes me feel sad without fail. it's just the perfect encapsulation of a certain head's pace. i also think fernando in it is hilarious. (honorary mention to I'll be the sky you be the bird, max/daniel, 24.7k for the incredible structure and the line "I'll think that gets me what I want.")
perfect pretenders by @wdcseb, mick/esteban, 19.8k, au
is this a cheater pick because it was written for me? no!!! this fic is AMAZING and marthe is so fun and clever and helped send me down the esteban spiral. the writing is super funny and it plays with classic romcom tropes in a very fun way. first time I've ever had to split a comment in TWO. i especially love the ending!!
i could genuinely put a dozen more fics on this list, but these are some of my favorites that I've read more than once and really enjoyed reading and i remember what happened (and enough to think of right now) and i had some emotional reaction. #critera. definitely missing some stellar fics I really enjoyed!! also genuinely surprised these are all AUs lol but I suppose it is what it is.
Non-f1fic
All the angels and the saints by speranza, captain America, Steve/bucky, 48.7k
formative fic for me. probably reread it once a year. just a genius job of weaving together a broad swathe of real texts and work with the story of steve that's really stuck with me. it has early 20th c socialism and interesting takes on religiosity and of course. captain america. so I really like this one.
Asynchronous circuit by jessepinwheel, star wars, obi-wan kenobi centric, 117.5k
This is a very clever fic. Obi-wan is a noir-style detective and i love how the author weaves together the star wars world and the tropes of detective noir writing. it's a very interesting take on an alternate version of obi-wan who doesn't stay with the order, and I love all of the side characters. again, good writing and an interesting concept does a lot for me
okay i actually have a horrible memory for things i read and don't really bookmark much (these are both from my bookmarks) but everything there i liked enough to do so and have read at least twice. tbh I've read a lot of fic but most of it doesn't really stand out, especially once i stop being interested in the source material. stop by in a month to get my 2022 book report lmao!
#There's also obv a lot of great pwp but idk that I'd call any of it my fav fic but just. Excellent writing and character work#A little surprised Charles only features in one of these but I think that tracks with my general fic tastes#Like genuinely went through sooo many sewis fics in my head thinking about my fav... Yale au... That ski resort one...#I also like. Really like long fics lmao#Idk my fic reading memory is. Bad.#Ask#Rec list#I guess#Fic rec
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I just read the last chapter and it seems surreal. I mean these past weeks I reread the whole series just because I am still not ready to say goodbye. I mean I know it’s not goodbye to our beautiful Dixon fam but I am surely going to miss them.
I mean I need more of daddy Daryl and baby Wes together, like uh, they are so cute. And can I be honest here? I want to see Reader and Daryl fight like a real couple just to make up afterwards. And Robin, our sweet little girl.
Do you know that feeling after you finished reading your favorite book? That bittersweet feeling .. well I surely felt that reading the last part.
I have so manyyy fave parts but my top three would be:
- the whole prison chapter that wasn’t in the series
- Reader’s pregnancy and her giving birth to Robin
- the accident in the cave and everything that happened after like Daryl talking to Robin abt her momma (that part really made me cry) and Daryl’s reunion w his wife!
Thank you for writing this series Abbi, for bringing into life our Reader and Daryl’s story and their little family. Idk for the others but I really felt like I’m a part of this story. <3
So with all my heart — thank you aand I hope you don’t stop or get tired of writing no matter what, whether it’s abt Daryl or Norman Reedus’ package and characters, because you are REALLY good at this.
Love u. 🤍
Hi bestie! Sorry it took me a minute to reply, I wanted to make sure I had the time to reply as in-depth as possible!
Wow thank you so much for rereading! I always find it so sweet when people say they reread my series. It's such amazing dedication and kindness. Makes me realize that my writing does mean something to people, which is awesome!
Ikr, Wes is so cute. His little cowboy boots pLEASE. And yes I agree! Definitely need to write a oneshot where they have a big fight and make up afterwards.
And awww please stop you're gonna make me cry saying that it feels like finishing your favorite book. That's so sweet.
Oh cool, I don't think I've heard anyone say that the chapters with Jerome were among their favorites! I must say that I really loved those chapters, even though they were really angsty and traumatic for the reader character. I thought they were good for adding more to her story and her growth as a character in this crazy apocalyptic world. And yes, a lot of people really like where she gives birth to Robin and when she gets trapped in the cave! It's interesting to see the patterns and to see what most people like.
You're welcome! I loved writing it, and I will love writing more for it in the future, I'm sure. That's awesome that you feel apart of the story. I truly feel like that was one of my goals when I first started writing it.
Thank you again, I promise I won't get tired of writing (or talking about Daryl's package). <3
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Hiii, could i get a match up for Wednesday please? My name is Layla/leyla and im 5'4 Appearance: my height is pretty average, hourglass figure sort of. Im quite pale and i have brown curly hair to a little lower then my collarbone. I have brown eyes, i have chubby cheeks which i love, my cheeka are usually slightly blushed necause i get cold alot. I wear mostly neutral colors such as black, grey, white and brown/beigh. I'm half swedish and half algerian. I have long eyelashes :)
Hobbies: my biggest interested/hobby is definetly art. I absolutely love drawing and creating stuff. I usually draw stuff that ive seen irl or in my dreams because i have quite vivid dreams. I love music aswell, I've been singing my whole life and writing songs is something i love, the art is my main hobby though. I also like going for walks, i live in a small village so going out and sitting somewhere quiet whole drawing is amazing. I listen alot to arctic monkeys, David bowie, david kushner, The Neighbourhood, the cramps, the Smiths, one direction. I also love reading, i read about 2-3 books a month, after ive finished a book i write about it to remember it later, i often reread boos multiple times
Personality: i am an INTP-T, i like being alone. I have very few friends, i only ever hang out with one of them, ahes my best friend and i love her more then life. Im verg, very protective over my family. I dont let anyone say shit about them. I have anxiety and daddy issue(not trying to be quirky or sum shit i just have a shitty relationship w my dad) I'm usually very quiet. I'm a leo.
Other informationsss: My favorite colors are pink, beigh, grey and black. I've been told that im hard to approach? My love language is quality time and physical touch. I love getting hugged if its from someone im comfortble with, i love sitting in silence while drawing with my friend ani(my bsf). I live analyzing different things, everything from art pieces to human behavior. I have an intrest for psychology.
Soo, this is me, oh also im bi but with a strong male lean! So yea, thank you byee!
Hi there, Layla! I really hope you like this a lot!
Wednesday (Netflix) Matchup
Your Wednesday (Netflix) soulmate is...
XAVIER THORPE!!
The two of you would love to draw something together as a couple and a fun thing to do together individually and as a couple as well.
He would definitely be hugging you when you are sad or just needs a hug from him after a bad day indeed.
The two of you would to go to the art museum for your date night to analyze the art pieces together and also looking for some inspiration in the museum.
ISFP x INTP soulmates!
Aquarius x Leo sweethearts!
#oceanblueeyesoul#matchups#wednesday netflix#wednesday netflix matchups#xavier thorpe x reader#xavier thorpe
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i would love to hear a rant from you about maximum ride's ending. i always saw it around and never picked it up, but from the little i saw of it, it kinda seemed to be all over the place. i'd love the inside scoop from an old fan
Under the cut because I went off. Fair warning, it's a little scattered. But the thoughts are there ✌️
This is a rant I have held within me since I was in elementary school. This is a rant that is over a decade old, eternally-contained, only given in small pieces to a couple folks over the course of my life. Because i've never known someone else to be aware of Maximum Ride, let alone want a single-digits child's take on the series end. I have not reread any of the Maximum Ride books, but I did read them all. The Angel Experiment all the way to Nevermore. If for some reason there were MORE after Nevermore,,,,,,,,,,, really, really clearly a beat the dead horse until there's no horse left situation. Sometimes, ending a series before you have too many books to carry is the smart and credible choice. I'm absolutely being petty rn. This is a disdain i've held for a long time.
In my opinion, the story lost the plot / got too big for its breeches right around either Angel or Fang (I forget which book comes first. Whichever one has Angel going lowkey godmode crazy). The ending of Nevermore, however, was the WORST way to end the series.
Why?
Everyone dies.
No seriously. The entire end plot is everyone except 1% of the population dies to a genetic virus designed to kill everyone except the chosen genetically superior 1% (most of whom are experiments like Max, or people who bought their way into the saved 1%. Yeah no really. Really actually.). Max is trying to stop that from happening the entire book. She fails. And she fails because the adults in her life (iirc she was like 16 or 17 at that point?? I forget. Remember these are over a decade old thoughts) (JEB. FUCKING. J E B. HISSSSSSS) actively sabotage her and her ragtag gang. And because James Patterson decided to write Max failing to stop a Secret Conspiracy Eugenics World Takeover Plot.
Oh yeah, and she's kept alive so she can repopulate the new earth with her genetically-engineered to be her perfect mate Dylan - WHO SHE DOESN'T WANT TO HOOK UP WITH. She 'surrenders to her fate' at the end, after almost two books' worth of the adults in her life pressuring her and telling her she cannot change her destiny to have a bunch of babies with the guy she doesn't want babies with, when everyone else on earth fucking DIES.
Not to mention, making Angel into this weird I Am The New God type character SO LATE INTO THE SERIES seemed like such a Ah Fuck I'm Out Of Ideas And My Manuscript Is Due thing. At first i was cautiously interested, and then ANGEL. The ACTUAL CHILD. Starts telling Max the voices in her head are saying 'Max you will have a mate perfect in every way and you have to bone him, there's no other future for you except your fate to bone your newcoming perfect match!!' and then I decided I HATED what Angel was now written as.
And here's the thing. I don't hate Dylan! I don't really feel anything towards Dylan one way or another, except that he seemed really immature (probably because, as it says in the book, he's only three years old, just with a teen's body. Like, when Dylan is first introduced, the book makes a REALLY big deal about that. Brings up REPEATEDLY that Dylan is 3 years old in a teenage body). And I don't hate Max's clone Maya either!! She has an interesting side thing going where she's trying to be her own person instead of Max's clone, after being sicced on Max to kill and replace Max in the gang and then failing to do that. And good for her!! A little weird that Fang left Max for her, but Fang's choices aren't a reflection of her!! Fang was super wishy-washy on which girl he was going to be loyal to that entire time. Which wasn't cool of him!! Max was his ride or die!! Ride or die my ass by the end of the series, apparently!!
But like, the early books were so good! (To elementary school age me. I cannot speak to how they hold up now, because I have not and will not reread them) Max was such a badass and she had the support of her found family! And her struggles and her flock's struggles were real! They were a group of outcasts who just wanted to live normal lives in everyday human society. And there was so much joy from them doing everyday people things, like going to school and trying makeup and making friends. And the longer the series went on, the more and more it seemed like it curved waaaaay off-field and out into the parking lot. Down the road and then off a fucking cliff.
Like, i'm sure there's stuff wrong with the book politically. Remembering how Iggy's blindness suddenly Disappeared Under Certain Conditions felt really, really questionable even at childhood age. And I never liked the makeover scene with Nudge, where she gets her hair straightened and her makeup done, but I will be honest. It was because I didn't like tomboy makeover scene type stuff. I wasn't yet aware of how icky it is to write a black character hiding their natural curls and calling them more beautiful for straightening their hair. I know now!! Yet another reason I really don't like Nudge's whole makeover scene. I forget what book that happens in. Pretty sure it's either The Angel Experiment or School's Out Forever. (This dislike of Nudge's makeover scene is also influenced by the manga, which I read volumes 1-3 of)
The long and short of it is, the ending of Nevermore felt really cheap. 'Oh everyone dies and that's a good thing because now the earth will be repopulated by Max's coercion-born animal-human hybrid babies and none of those genetically defective regular humans'. >:( I was so mad and felt so cheated by the ending that I stopped reading James Patterson's works entirely (which honestly wasn't that hard. I had been reading Witch & Wizard at the time too, and stopped halfway through The Fire. Which was not hard to do. The characters who were once interesting became utterly insufferable)
Okay while looking up how to spell character names, I found out two things. One, Nevermore had a sequel and the Wikipedia plot summary is just as nonsensical as I expected. No interest in reading it, as far as I am concerned literally nothing can come back from And Everyone Died The End ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ there's no saving it at that point. Write a new series. You've shot the old series between the eyes with an ending like that.
And two, apparently Nevermore was astronomically received NEGATIVELY by literary reviews / critics. Which. VINDICATIONNNNN. Baby me knew what was up!! Baby me knew a shit ending when they saw one!!!
Anyway. Immediately after reading Nevermore, I walked away from Patterson books, was convinced that I in my wee ripe age could write better stories than him, and proceeded to First Draft an actual novel and a half of Human Experiment Teens Save The World. It's been a side project of mine to revamp it every time I notice a sharp increase in my writing skills (it's actually due for a revamp again, but I haven't finished the rewrite of the Second Draft, so really want I want to do is reevaluate the plot using the knowledge I know now. Gotta dust away all the unknowing child ignorances and biases and really make it a story worth telling.) And for the record, it will NOT be ending with goddamn Everyone Died The End.
But anyway. That's my rant against the ending of the Maximum Ride series. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk ravings on this corner of the bar counter.
#pyro speaks#tepperz#pyro does book reviews from like 15 or something years ago??#thanks for letting me go off tepperz i had forgotten just how much of the series i had opinions on until you sent the ask#pyro speaks in the tags#ask#answered ask
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