Books, Taylor Swift, and other hyperfixations
The premise: It's been 6 years since the last Princess Diaries was published. Forever Princess ended the series on a good note, wrapping up every plot thread and relationship while hinting at future possibilities. Royal Wedding picks up 8 years after Forever Princess. Mia is living in the Genovian consulate, plagued by paparazzi. Her father is (once again) losing the race for Genovian… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot
I was the type of teenager who read nothing but corny chick lit and snickered all the while. Feel free to call me a hypocrite. Today's Terrible Prose Tuesday features another letter from a YA book called "Love Undercover" by Jo Edwards. The book is about--I kid you not--a girl named Kaitlyn who falls in… Continue reading TERRIBLE PROSE TUESDAY: 50 Shades of Red
Today's passage doesn't qualify as terrible prose. Mostly. It's from a book I really enjoying. It's kind of corny--there's a love triangle and this guy has a bodyguard crush on this Russian princess--but the premise is intriguing and I love it. Then, out of nowhere, comes this letter. I'm a fan of epistolary novels; I can… Continue reading TERRIBLE PROSE TUESDAY: Well played, Meg. Well played.
Let's talk about book characters, shall we. I'm going to straight up spoil all of Maggie Stiefvater's Raven Cycle, so ye be warned. Ronan Lynch is hands down my favorite Raven boy. Here are some of the things Ronan has to worry about: His father was murdered and Ronan was the one to find the… Continue reading MAKE-YOU-CRY MONDAY: Ronan Lynch
The premise: Marguerite Caine's father, a promising physicist, has just been murdered by Paul Markov, one of his students. Using her mother's invention, called the Firebird, Marguerite chases Paul across alternate dimensions, hoping to obtain justice. As Marguerite jumps between dimensions, she finds her mission compromised by her confusing feelings for Paul. Similar to: Cloud Atlas, My… Continue reading BOOK REVIEW: A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
Fantasy novels have foreign, ancient languages. Tolkien INVENTED an entire language to write The Lord of the Rings. I can't begrudge fantasy for occasionally hard-to-pronounce words based on medieval culture(s). Eyes of War takes it a step too far. I have never tripped over so many words in my life. I should probably pick a new book to… Continue reading TERRIBLE PROSE TUESDAY: Pronunciation was not a consideration
I'm fairly certain my parents wanted to burn my Fruits Basket collection after they found me sobbing over it multiple times last summer. Fruits Basket is a massively popular shoujo manga that was later adapted into a successful but unsatisfactory anime that left out many of the manga's darker plotlines and themes. Here's what you need… Continue reading MAKE-YOU-CRY MONDAY: Fruits Basket
Three common failings in bad writing, and in this passage in particular: Rushing your main love story. At this point in Eyes of War, Mat and Janevra have known each other for a day. A DAY. They keep talking about feelings they don't actually have. Isn't Mat the first guy you've ever met, Janevra? Cool your jets.… Continue reading TERRIBLE PROSE TUESDAY: All they did was hug
Strong female protagonists are great. Sometimes. There is a glut of female protagonists who are skilled in the fighting arts. On one hand, great; you go, girls, proving those fools who think women are weak wrong. On the other hand, this characterization limits "strength" to physical strength. The "strong" in "strong female character" doesn't have to be… Continue reading TERRIBLE PROSE TUESDAY: “You’re lucky you didn’t try to kiss me.”
There's nothing I love more than a good romance. If done right, I even like belligerent sexual tension. I repeat: if done right. Having two characters fight all the time isn't cute or romantic by itself. If two people are awful to each other, that doesn't make me root for their happiness. I think you know where… Continue reading TERRIBLE PROSE TUESDAY: “I’ll have what she’s having.”
Narrative Paradise 