Finished Tomorrow, When the War Began, on to Jenny Valentine's The Double Life of Cassiel Roadnight next.
About to start Across the Universe by Beth Revis. Read a rave review about it from someone who's taste I really trust. I'm very excited about this one.
And I wonder how much of this was, "Oh, I have to set it up for a series, and I can't let her figure things out/change too fast"?
Finished MATCHED today. The plot finally showed up about 95% of the way into the book. Pretty frustrated.
Finished MATCHED today. The plot finally showed up about 95% of the way into the book. Pretty frustrated.
I think you had to accept that the plot was about the romance, not about the dystopia.
I'm sorry but this made me laugh. Because you're right. But I still loved it.
The reason I got so caught up in it, though, was because of the romantic tension, not necessarily the dystopian setting or even the plot. I think I was just in the mood for that type of focus when I happened to read it. *shrugs* But I also think you and I have very different tastes. I've noticed that you usually don't care for the books I rave about. Not that I'm stalking you or anything... I just, erm... noticed. That's all...
You're creeping me out.
I guess I find it difficult to empathise with characters who are single-mindedly obsessed with romance to the point of ignoring the wider world around them. Even in genre romances, which by definition are focused on romance, the characters have goals, they have lives, they drive the plot forward. Their romance arises naturally as the plot develops. MATCHED didn't have that framework - it was just 90,000 words of hand-holding and portentous questions.
Just finished Other Words For Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal
How was it? I've been looking forward to it. The blurb and the summary gives it this quaint feel, which is attractive. To me.
I hear what you are saying, but some teens/people are really like this. I for one was one of those girls in my teens and early 20's that would become obsessed with my relationships (the guys I was dating) to the point I would focus everything on them and nothing on the world or people around me. Of course, it wasn't healthy and I know that now, but it stemmed from my childhood experiences (being abandoned repeatedly by an alcoholic parent and that kind of crap). So, I guess my point is that I would probably relate strongly to that type of character/situation. Not knocking you for your opinion, at all. Just sharing mine
I hear you, and I completely appreciate that this phenomenon does exist in real life. But I'm having difficulty believing that a character would maintain this incredibly narrow obsession during, say, a nuclear apocalypse. And if they really are that obsessed, why would the author waste a nuclear apocalypse on a character who barely notices it? And if the author did waste a nuclear apocalypse on a character who barely notices it, why, for the love of God, would the novel be marketed as a nuclear apocalypse drama?
So then I read The Duff by Kody Keplinger - completely awesome! I read some negative reviews on goodreads about how the situation between Wesley and Biance was unrealistic...seriously, is it that hard to consider the possibility that this situation is a reality for some people? I loved it and I completely adore the way "The Duff" was treated in the novel and how the concept evolved. Fantastic!
Because I'm always the last to know, I just finished WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED. I was impressed by the authentic detail and voice.
Re-reading Justine Larbalestier's LIAR. Because sometimes life requires re-reads.