Hello, My Name is...

Hey world! So I've come to a very hard decision. Actually it wasn't that hard. I realized that I...have become bored with this blog. I mean, all my posts are the same! I always end up liking everything that I read - sometimes not until after page 200, but still. Maybe there's just nothing more I can give you.

Well, maybe there's a few things: The Hunger Games does not live up to the hype, but does live up to itself. Divergent is really worth it if you're willing to slog through the repetitive relationship drama. No one likes reactive protagonists - we want decisive character action in a clear direction, not just whiny people forced into things. Archetypes good, clichés bad; true skill is finding the difference. Focal characters using phrases like "I saw" or "I heard" is distracting. Whatever is written, the narrator or POV character obviously saw or heard. There are no bad stories, only incompatible readers and writers...Just some stuff to help your reading and appreciation of "good" and "bad" books alike. 

So, to part ways, I've decided I'm finally going to tell you. I am going to reveal to you who I am - my name. The only reason this was ever anonymous to begin with was because I was paranoid about my name being on the Internet. But now, I'm actually a YouTuber, so it doesn't matter anymore.

My name is....

Unnecessary drum roll since this isn't news to most people...

Olivia Gordon
Juggler and Origami Extraordinaire.

It's been a blast. Thanks for the memories. Take care of the fish for me.

Keep in touch via:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN3f1SCT8QZzh7u72_x2mqA

The Similarities Are Amazing.

Hey world! Me again! Wow, this is almost like a marathon, but in just one day. Since the blog became a Wednesday thing, we haven't had any marathons. Kind of sad. Oh well, no one reads this anyway, so it's not that big a deal. It's funny how we say "big a deal" when we mean "big of a deal." Poor of, always being ignored and omitted. 

So, I can't remember when I finished Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi, whose name is so conveniently close to Veronica Roth. I'm sure she got a lot of accidental fans over that. So far, her library includes only books and novellas from this trilogy, also like Veronica Roth. I'm sure they're both on the road to branching out, though. I had heard of this book, which isn't saying much because I hear about every book - I'm signed up for, like, two or three different book enewsletter thingies. But yeah, I've heard of it without being interested, it looked like one of those romances with a Sci-fi subplot, but I found it and I got it anyway. 

Summaryish: After Aria is kicked out of her Pod, she is sent out into the wild world people call the Death Shop, which is full of savages and cannibals and dangerous Aether storms. There she is forced to team up with one of the Savages if she wants to live, and make it to Bliss, a different Pod where her mother may or may not be dead. Perry, the aforementioned Savage, has troubles of his own - namely his nephew being kidnapped and his brother wanting to kill him. Fun times, yes?

Review: At first, I wasn't impressed. I felt no connections to these characters, and I didn't care about them at all. But, that sentence was in past tense, because like a lot of the books I don't like at first, it starts getting good after page 200. The story is fast from start to finish, so nothing to worry about there - the story is intriguing and well plotted and paced, it's just that pesky character connection, perhaps the most important part of a reading experience! No connection, no emotions, no happiness. So that's my only complaint about this book - it must have an earlier connection.

Words to the Characters:

Aria: I can't think

Perry: of anything to say.

-Xxxxxx

The Word is Fun to Say, but Has Bad Connotations.

Hey world! I'm pretty sure I forgot all about you last week, but that means there's like, four posts today. I might not even get to them all because I'm so easily distracted, and I have an appointment. But now that I've checked my reading log to see which books I'm reviewing, I'm ready to begin. 

So, a little while ago (a week or so) I finished this book called Xenocide by Orson Scott Card. This is part of the Ender series - which has like, 8 books or something. I've been waiting so long to read this, but my library never seemed to have it! Finally it did, though, and I got it. I can't remember if I reviewed Ender's Game, the first one (which I read before it was even cool - ha), but I do remember beyond a shadow of a doubt that I reviewed the second one, which was actually a Wow. Just Wow. This one, obviously, is not. Anyways...

Summaryish: This is going to be hard to type, since I'm rocking out to Beatles' songs. But here we go - Ender has been living on Lusitania for quite a while now, while his new family attempt to cure the ravaging descolada disease, while keeping the pequininos who depend on it alive. Meanwhile, on a different planet called Path, a "godspoken" young girl named Gloriously Bright, but in a different language of course, is given the job of discovering where the Lusitania fleet, which was sent to destroy Ender's planet, has vanished too. She learns secrets that are best kept secrets, and the fate of two species rests in her hands.

Review: So, if you'll notice from the multi-paragraphs of this post, this is not a Wow. Just Wow like this book's siblings were. But that doesn't mean I didn't thoroughly enjoy this book, and in fact tear through the pages without actually tearing them. I was totally involved in the story, and the characters and themes and questions and answers were all beautiful, but it was just missing that special something that the others had the sticks with you, that thing that makes you stare at the cover for a few seconds after you've finished only able to think "wow" over and over again. But it was still great, I still love this series. And, hey, it's not surprising that by book three you've lost a little something. These  stories are worth reading, and I don't regret staying up until 1:30 AM to finish it. 

To the author:

First off, your website is disappointing. It's not pretty, and it's difficult to navigate. A little organization and a few graphics can go a long way. Second of all, my goodness, have you written a lot of books. The rest of my life is going to be very busy isn't it? Because, despite your website, I've officially decided to be a fan.

-Xxxxxx