Soothingly Pensive, A Gothic Inspiration and The Worst Sequel | Review

Soothingly Pensive

This is the best book I read in 2014. And I knew this was something special while reading Jeevan's first chapter as he strolls through the snow-covered park. It was absolutely beautiful. Each point of view felt like I was comfortably sitting inside the mind of each character as their thoughts, anxieties, and dreams passed by. The book was so soothingly pensive despite its apocalyptic circumstances.

Usually, post-apocalyptic and dystopian novels dwell on violence, destruction, and the fall of morality. But what's remarkable about Station Eleven is that it doesn't do that. There's endurance which is shown as each character is somehow connected with each other, bringing forth one of the purest form of hope I've seen in a novel.

 A Gothic Inspiration

This book is such an inspiration. In many YA books, I notice historical events are a backdrop to support the romance, paranormal, fantasy, and or supernatural elements of the book. However, The Cure for Dreaming most definitely does not do that. Cat Winters constantly reminds her readers that this book is predominantly a novel about women's suffrage and rights in America and how one girl reflects many others who have had to overcome their limitations during a time fraught with sexism.

It's also amazing how she captures the cusp of this historical movement, while seeping in the creep factors so appropriate for Halloween. I love how she brings the supernatural and paranormal, genres specific to Europe and the east coast, to the Pacific north west. Such transformations are refreshing.

This is one of the best YA books out there and I recommend it to historical and paranormal/supernatural lovers alike. After reading the last page, I was filled with so much promise!

The Worst Sequel to a Trilogy

This is by far the worst sequel to a series I've ever read. Usually, when forbidden lovers finally come together, there is a sigh of relief. I let out a breath of exasperation. Kaidan and Anna's relationship is full of flaws like any other normal relationship. I have no issue with that. What bothers me is the pretense of resolution when there was none, as seen in the chapter when both arrive at Kaidan's bachelor pad and begin cleaning the place up as if they were cleaning up all the problems in their relationship. It was horrible. The imbalance of their relationship is horrible. I'm sure I wasn't the only one ripping my hair out whilst reading Anna's sheer neediness and Kaidan's stupidity. There is a point when a story veers from angsty romance to petty drama.

There was also no character development from anyone. Most of Anna's prophet work was done by her father and friends. And we as readers didn't get any insight on this big strategy. All of Anna's friends were one-dimensional and rotated around for character exposure, rather than significance.

There was so much promise for this series! I loved the paranormal concept, but it really fell apart in Sweet Peril. I actually had to stop reading the book for a week after Anna and Kaidan reunited because I was so frustrated. But I'm going to give this series another chance by reading Sweet Reckoning. 

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton | Review

Discovered: Goodreads

Status: Read

Purchased: Barnes & Noble

Mode: Hardcover

Goodreads Rating: ***

Summary: 

"On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office-leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella's world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist-an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . ." -Goodreads

In-Depth:
I picked up the book thinking it was a historical drama, yet I was pleasantly surprised with the suspense. It was addicting and the buildup was refreshing. Jessie Burton perfectly captured the emotion and chaos of pure shock. I literally dropped the book on one occasion.

Unfortunately, I was left hanging at the end with no closure involving the Miniaturist and her figurines. The revelation of the Miniaturist was definitely a surprise, despite the lack of the fantastical I had presumed. I can see how the Miniaturist was kind of a mirror-figure, rather than a prophetess, who provided a reflection on the lives of women. However, the book's tackle on one-too-many subjects muddied the subject of the Miniaturist herself. Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoyed the family drama and Burton's touch on gender, sexuality, race, social classes, religion, and economy. But I picked up the book based on the premise of the title itself and I was left hanging.  

The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld | Review

Discovered: Barnes & Noble

Status: Read

Purchased: Kobo

Mode: Kobo Glo

The Enchanted by Rene Denfeld was published on March 4, 2014 by Harper Collins. I first noticed it on the front shelves at my local Barnes & Noble retailer. I picked it up thinking it was a fantasy because of its title and grim cover. I initially thought the three horses to be unicorns (haha). After reading the synopsis, I set the book aside because I was intimidated of reading a story about prison. I admit, I tend to read books about friends, love, and happy endings because I want the lingering emotions of a finished book to be happy not grim. But after much consideration, I quickly purchased The Enchanted on my Kobo Glo before I changed my mind. And let me say, The Enchanted is one of the most enthralling novels I read this year. 

The book takes place at an old unnamed prison. Most of the story is narrated by one of  the inmates on death row. Our narrator has been stuck in his cell for quite some time, separated from general population inmates due to the horrors of his crime. Yet his mind goes beyond the boundaries of his solitary confinement as we learn about the prison and its inhabitants through his point of view. The story is mainly driven by "the lady" as she attempts to save York, a fellow inmate, from death row. As an investigator, she is hired by attorneys to build cases in defense of death row inmates. It is a unique career that questions her own sense of morality and humanity. You ask, why defend and sympathize with murderers? And then you ask, what is this lady's history and what has she gone through? She decides to accept York's case because, unlike previous death row inmates, he has chosen death over life in prison. 

The Enchanted is chiefly enthralling due to its magical realist narrative. It was this element of the novel that propelled me to continue reading despite raw issues of prison corruption, death row, rape, and murder. Our narrator, whose name we later find out to be Arden, sounds surprisingly innocent and childish as he weaves his magic. There are the men between the walls, the flibber-gibbets in the crematorium, and the golden horses underground. The prison seems really enchanted!

Yet despite the magical elements of the novel and prison, Rene Denfeld does not undermine the horrors of humanity. We see it in the prison among the more villainous inmates and their cronies. We see it among the guards who protect the thieves, rapists, and murders rather than protect the victims. But how could there be victims in prison? Are they not all criminals, whose crimes effect the good and innocent? The Enchanted tackles these questions, which stem from our tendencies of clumping evil from the good. 

Also, The Enchanted brings up an enlightening question: Are the inmates cold-blooded murderers or are they also victims of a much larger and broken system? Rene Denfeld suggests that there is always a story beyond the crime. While criminals are cold-blooded killers, they are also products of their own tragic and abusive upbringings. York and the lady are both victims of early childhood sexual abuse, yet the former is behind bars while the latter is free. Again, the strong division we place between good and evil is not so clear.  

The Enchanted truly drew me into the magical and frightening world of prison. At times, I couldn't believe what was happening because the voice seemed so guileless, almost childlike. Yet, the magical realism does not deter the novel from delving into human nature and the complicated divide between good and evil. It also approaches complicated processes of forgiveness and healing among victims and criminals.