Book Review: Before I Fall

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is another book I've had my eye on for a while. The idea that you can come back and live your last day alive over and over until you get it right is intriguing. But it's also one of those ideas that can go very wrong if you don't do it right. Ms. Oliver did it right. (I also love the cover!)

According to the book's blurb:

What if you had only one day to live? What would you do? Who would you kiss? And how far would you go to save your own life?
Samantha Kingston has it all: the world's most crush-worthy boyfriend, three amazing best friends, and first pick of everything at Thomas Jefferson High--from the best table in the cafeteria to the choicest parking spot. Friday, February 12, should be just another day in her charmed life.
Instead, it turns out to be her last.
Then she gets a second chance. Seven chances, in fact. Reliving her last day during one miraculous week, she will untangle the mystery surrounding her death--and discover the true value of everything she is in danger of losing.

First off, Ms. Oliver can WRITE. Lordy, can she write. Everything felt fresh, and so true to a self-concerned high school girl's perspective. The shallowness of the MC wasn't overdone to the point where I wanted to smack her (or myself) but had just the right tone. In fact, Samantha seems very aware of how mean-girlish she can be and, for some reason, I liked that better than an MC who was completely clueless or even an MC who was on the other end of the spectrum (being the object of the cruelty). This was an MC with the potential to change. But would she?

I read this book in one day. Yep. That's how much I loved it. How much it absorbed me. I kept hoping that Sam would find a way to make everything right. I winced at her almost successes and understood the times when she just let it all go and did something crazy. This felt real to me, true to me, and something that I, if given the chance, could see myself doing.

I don't want to ruin the experience of discovering this story for yourself, but I will say that the end...shocked me. Made me cry. Not a happy ending, but not necessarily a sad one. If anything, a very, very fitting one. The ONLY one, I think. This is a book I not only recommend, but believe MUST be read.

Rating (out of five stars): 5 stars (amazing!)

Monday Madness: We Cannot Escape Our Genre

If I had to define what type of writer I am, my first label would be fantasy, closely followed by romance. That's just what I like to write. It's what I like to read as well.

FURY I considered romantic fantasy. DRAGON QUEEN was fantasy, with touches of YA and romance. MORGUE TREE is YA fantasy. ONE THOUSAND is historical fantasy (also with romance). And LAST OF THE ELVES is romantic fantasy.

All of these are novels or WIPs. Big projects, as it were. However, while my short stories have similar elements of fantasy and love, they also tend to branch away and take other routes.

I recently wrote a short story for a for-fun contest on the WD Sci-Fi/Fantasy Forum. We had to take two eerie pictures (one of a misty castle and dragon and the other of a skull-mountain oozing blood) and write a horror story. I've never considered horror one of my strong suits, but I had a lot of fun exploring the genre. Making it eerie and creepy and giving it a not too happy ending.

But it still ended up being fantasy. And it still ended up having romance.

WTF?

So I looked at other stories. "For the Love of a Zombie" is about a vampire turning his beloved into a zombie, a bit of dark humor. But still, there was fantasy and there was romance.

"Eater of Worlds" is about a man returning to his homeland to destroy it and finds out it's his sister's fault that he has to do so. Fantasy, check. But romance? No. Yet there is still love there. Between siblings.

"Faceless" was a play into sci-fi. As a short story, it's possible that escapes my niche of fantasy and romance, but as I've thought about expanding it into a novel, what has it become? You guessed it. A romance.

"The Vulture and the Dove", about two clashing winged beings in a future Tokyo, also had the fantasy and romance.

It's like I can't escape it.

So, tell me, when you've branched out from your typical genre, have you noticed familiar things slipping in? Or can you completely break away from your usual writing style?

Assuage my curiosity. :)

Book Review: Graceling

I've had Graceling by Kristin Cashore on my to-read list for some time. I heard really excellent things about it and the blurb was really intriguing. And the cover? OMG, so wonderful! I'm happy to say that Graceling lived up to my expectations.

From the book's blurb:

In a world where people born with an extreme skill--called a Grace--are feared and exploited, Katsa carries the burden of a skill even she despises: the Grace of killing. She lives under the command of her uncle Randa, King of the Middluns, and is expected to execute his dirty work, punishing and torturing anyone who displease him.
When she first meets Prince Po, who is Graced with combat skills, Katsa has no hint of how her life is about to change.
She never expects to become Po's friend. 
She never expects to learn a new truth about her own Grace--or about a terrible secret that lies hidden far away...a secret that could destroy all seven kingdoms with words alone.

Graceling was a little hard to get into at first, mainly because it was difficult to work my way inside Katsa's head. I think this was more of a personal preference, however, than any flaw in the narration. Also, I think it had to do with me in the YA reading mode, and this...yes, it's labeled YA, but it felt more like strictly fantasy to me. It didn't have that YA feel. First off, the age of the character (if mentioned) isn't all that relevant to the story. It's not a coming of age story, though the MC does grow into her power and gain confidence as the story progresses. The romance is a little more...mature. (No, not in sex scenes, but in the way it is viewed by the MC. No straightforward love story here.) I think the only thing, in my mind, that qualifies this as YA, is the unadorned style of the narrative. It's simple, it's straightforward. And it works.

The more I read, the more I had to read. The pace picks up significantly after Po comes to Randa's court and the plot just gets better and better. The ending was satisfying, leaving me with that ah-that's-a-good-book glow. However, while I liked Katsa as a character and enjoyed watching her grow into herself, it was Po who captured my heart.

Rating (out of 5 stars): 4.5

Recommended: Yes, for fantasy buffs and readers thirsting for a strong, dynamic female MC.

Monday Madness: The Invisible Post

That's right. It's invisible. Too bad. It's chock full of useful information that would probably land you an agent faster than you can snap your fingers. And it has a handy dandy spell that turns poorly written novels to solid gold (get cash for gold now!).

And, yes, I'm totally lying.

The truth is, I'm so far behind on NaNoWriMo, I can't think of anything useful or clever to share with you. So here is my not-so-cleverness. If you'd like, feel free to rub my face in your own NaNoWriMo success. I have 7,000 words to write.

Toodles!

Book Review: Paranormalcy

Continuing my YA streak, I read Paranormalcy by Kiersten White over the weekend. Coming off of The Sky is Everywhere, it took me a while to get accustomed to this new MC, who was so different from Lennie that it was like crossing into a different universe (which is probably true, since there is an element of fantasy in Paranormalcy that was never in The Sky is Everywhere).

Evie, a sixteen-year-old operative of the International Paranormal Containment Agreement (IPCA), has the gift of seeing through paranormals' glamour, whether they be vampires, werewolves or faeries. At the beginning of the book, she comes across as a flippant, pop culture-obsessed teen...and a bit annoying. Thankfully, she's a dynamic character and doesn't remain so shallow throughout the story (whew). I actually liked her at the end of the book, which I wasn't so sure about in the beginning.

According to the book's blurb:

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.
Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures. 
So much for normal.

Keeping with the light, airy quality of the MC, the story is pretty, well, optimistic. Bad things are happening, but they always felt a little distant, and they always had that edge of happy-go-lucky the MC brings along. Not sure why, but the dark aspect of this story felt more gray than black. Every character seemed redeemable, every prophecy taken not too seriously, which is remarkable in this type of story. This story was an easy, enjoyable read, but lacked the urgency I would have liked. Sure, you know a happy ending is going to happen, but I like having moments throughout the story where you second-guess that. Not so much here.

What I really liked about the book was the MC. Sure, I found her annoying in the beginning of the book, but annoying in the realistic way all teenage girls can be. A little shallow. A little too full of herself. A little too obsessed with TV shows and stars. Unlike Beautiful Creatures and The Sky is Everywhere, Paranormalcy showed the other side of the teenage girl spectrum: the silly, cheery girl who likes pink, fashion, shopping and boys...rather than the tormented artist whom no one understands. A refreshing MC.

And kudos to Ms. White for the creepiest "good guy" ever.CREEPY, I'm telling you!

Rating (out of five stars): 3.5

Recommended: Yes, for those looking for an easy, light-hearted read (overall).

Sharing the Inspiration

I thought I would share some of the things that have inspired me on my NaNoWriMo journey with The Morgue Tree. Enjoy!


"Shadows" by RED

My character sketch of Morgan the MC

"Whispers in the Dark" by Skillet

The Dark Tree by x horizon (DeviantArt)

"Breath" by Breaking Benjamin


What are some of your inspirations?

Monday Madness: Tips for Tackling NaNoWriMo

So, fellow NaNo-ers, how's it coming? Are you staying on top of your goals? Flagging behind? Have you suddenly sprouted extra fingers and are simultaneously banging out two separate scenes in your novel? (If so, can I borrow a pair?)

I'll admit, I'm behind. Because, well, I'm not the best at sitting in front a computer on the weekends so, yeah...

BUT, I will catch up. All I have to do is write 5,000 words and I'll be good. Think I can't do it? Think again!

I have some secrets up my sleeve. Okay, not secrets, but some nifty tools that help me out. And, because I'm feeling generous today (and riding a sugar high brought on by a powdered donut), here are some of the things I use to keep me on track.

Write or Die. I'm usually pressed for time and always easily distracted, so Write or Die by Dr. Wicked is a great tool to keep me on track. I usually write about 1,000 words at a time (to keep it down to manageable chunks) but you can set it for as many as you want (I think up to 50,000).

Pandora. I like to use music to get me in the mood to write, and nothing is better for that than a personalized radio station. If I have a certain theme in mind for a story, then I can enter a similar music style and create a station. For The Morgue Tree, I'm going with a lot of Breaking Benjamin, Fireflight and Paramore. Yep, it's emo.

Revising. This might sound a little counterproductive, but it helps me narrow the focus of the story. While using Write or Die, the things I write can be either raw genius or pure garbage. I do a lot of pruning and polishing, and, by doing this, usually have a stronger hold on the story. I usually add words, too. And, since I'm a perfectionist, I can feel more comfortable about moving on with the story, knowing that it's not a lot of crap just taking up space.

How about you? Have any tips that keep you on track? And are you on track?