Two Book Reviews Before the Year Ends!
Dec. 31st, 2011 07:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
geekapocalypsaI have finished two more books just in time for the new year! This brings my total books read since around December 25th to five! :D I guess it's a good thing I don't have a real big social life! XD
Anyhoo, to the reviews!
Title: Avalon High
Author: Meg Cabot
Page Count: 288
Date Started: Dec 29, 2011
Date Finished: Dec. 31, 2011
Read On: Hardback
Summary: Avalon High seems like a typical high school, attended by typical students: There's Lance, the jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy. But not everybody at Avalon High is who they appear to be... not even, as new student Ellie is about to discover, herself. What part does she play in the drama that is unfolding? What if the bizarre chain of event and coincidences she has pieced together means - as with the court of King Arthur - tragedy is fast approaching Avalon High? Worst of all, what if there's nothing she can do about it?
Review: So what we can basically get from the summary is that this is King Arthur in high school. While the premise sounds cheesy, by the end it isn't so. This book begins in a boring, slow pace, but picks up in the later third or so. It ties in nicely with the old stories of King Arthur, what with the betrayal of Guinevere and Lancelot and the danger Mordred possesses. But I can't delve too much into that without giving away spoilers. All in all, it's a good book with a cheesy but good story. It is definitely a book I plan on reading again, but not one I think is AHMAHGAWD amazing.
Now the characters. They seem a tad bland. Even Elaine (or Ellie) our main character is a bit bland. You can't really feel much for the characters and that for this book is its achilles heel (other than its slow start). They're just...there...to help the plot move along. Even when Will is in danger later on and Ellie is rushing to his aid, you don't feel much of anything... Your blood doesn't pump and you're not flipping the pages frantically to find out what is going to happen. You're just sitting and reading, left with a sort of 'meh' feeling. If the characters had a bit more, I think that this book would hold more of a 'I really liked it' or 'AHMAHGAWD' amazing feeling to it.
But as it sits right now, 3/5 stars, mostly because of the ending which helped to give it a little oomph. Recommended to those who like Authurian legend and/or Meg Cabot. If neither interests you, I wouldn't recommend it to you.
and
Title: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Page Count: 304
Date Started: Dec 29, 2011
Date Finished: Dec. 31, 2011
Read On: Hardback
Summary: Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone... because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him the most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the once place she most fears: the Underworld.
Review: This book is supposed to be the myth of Persephone re-imagined. And it sort of is. Overall I think the premise and plot are good. And in this book the main female character, Pierce, is a bit more fleshed out. You feel a bit more for her, but not so much for anyone else. The plot jumps around a lot, which can tend to get a little bit confusing. And again this book like the last one by Meg Cabot that I reviewed, doesn't really get going until way later in the book. I don't know if the intent of this was to flesh out the characters, but it tended to make the book crawl at an insanely slow pace. If it wasn't so short, I most likely would have not finished it for this reason. But the ending is satisfying enough that you don't feel too angry about the pace. However the jumping around with the timeline with no real warning except maybe a chapter change is a bit disorientating and doesn't help this book out at all.
Overall, 3/5. A slow pace and lack of empathy for anyone who isn't Pierce (this lack of empathy includes her love interest John) hurt this book. But the last few chapters make up for it in a way that make you want to read the next book to see what happens. I don't envision myself reading this again though. Recommended for those who like Meg Cabot and don't mind a slower paced book.
Anyhoo, to the reviews!
Title: Avalon High
Author: Meg Cabot
Page Count: 288
Date Started: Dec 29, 2011
Date Finished: Dec. 31, 2011
Read On: Hardback
Summary: Avalon High seems like a typical high school, attended by typical students: There's Lance, the jock. Jennifer, the cheerleader. And Will, senior class president, quarterback, and all-around good guy. But not everybody at Avalon High is who they appear to be... not even, as new student Ellie is about to discover, herself. What part does she play in the drama that is unfolding? What if the bizarre chain of event and coincidences she has pieced together means - as with the court of King Arthur - tragedy is fast approaching Avalon High? Worst of all, what if there's nothing she can do about it?
Review: So what we can basically get from the summary is that this is King Arthur in high school. While the premise sounds cheesy, by the end it isn't so. This book begins in a boring, slow pace, but picks up in the later third or so. It ties in nicely with the old stories of King Arthur, what with the betrayal of Guinevere and Lancelot and the danger Mordred possesses. But I can't delve too much into that without giving away spoilers. All in all, it's a good book with a cheesy but good story. It is definitely a book I plan on reading again, but not one I think is AHMAHGAWD amazing.
Now the characters. They seem a tad bland. Even Elaine (or Ellie) our main character is a bit bland. You can't really feel much for the characters and that for this book is its achilles heel (other than its slow start). They're just...there...to help the plot move along. Even when Will is in danger later on and Ellie is rushing to his aid, you don't feel much of anything... Your blood doesn't pump and you're not flipping the pages frantically to find out what is going to happen. You're just sitting and reading, left with a sort of 'meh' feeling. If the characters had a bit more, I think that this book would hold more of a 'I really liked it' or 'AHMAHGAWD' amazing feeling to it.
But as it sits right now, 3/5 stars, mostly because of the ending which helped to give it a little oomph. Recommended to those who like Authurian legend and/or Meg Cabot. If neither interests you, I wouldn't recommend it to you.
and
Title: Abandon
Author: Meg Cabot
Page Count: 304
Date Started: Dec 29, 2011
Date Finished: Dec. 31, 2011
Read On: Hardback
Summary: Though she tries returning to the life she knew before the accident, Pierce can't help but feel at once a part of this world, and apart from it. Yet she's never alone... because someone is always watching her. Escape from the realm of the dead is impossible when someone there wants you back. But now she's moved to a new town. Maybe at her new school, she can start fresh. Maybe she can stop feeling so afraid. Only she can't. Because even here, he finds her. That's how desperately he wants her back. She knows he's no guardian angel, and his dark world isn't exactly heaven, yet she can't stay away... especially since he always appears when she least expects it, but exactly when she needs him the most. But if she lets herself fall any further, she may just find herself back in the once place she most fears: the Underworld.
Review: This book is supposed to be the myth of Persephone re-imagined. And it sort of is. Overall I think the premise and plot are good. And in this book the main female character, Pierce, is a bit more fleshed out. You feel a bit more for her, but not so much for anyone else. The plot jumps around a lot, which can tend to get a little bit confusing. And again this book like the last one by Meg Cabot that I reviewed, doesn't really get going until way later in the book. I don't know if the intent of this was to flesh out the characters, but it tended to make the book crawl at an insanely slow pace. If it wasn't so short, I most likely would have not finished it for this reason. But the ending is satisfying enough that you don't feel too angry about the pace. However the jumping around with the timeline with no real warning except maybe a chapter change is a bit disorientating and doesn't help this book out at all.
Overall, 3/5. A slow pace and lack of empathy for anyone who isn't Pierce (this lack of empathy includes her love interest John) hurt this book. But the last few chapters make up for it in a way that make you want to read the next book to see what happens. I don't envision myself reading this again though. Recommended for those who like Meg Cabot and don't mind a slower paced book.
