Weird is Good {Book List}

(This post contains affiliate links.)

Starting today, I'm going to be highlighting some of my favorite books, both those I read as a kid, and those I currently read and love. I'm going to be dividing them into categories, and we're going to start today with the category I don't have a name for. If you've read all the books on this list, you can probably figure out what I'm talking about.

I call these "weird books" for lack of a better term. They all have a fantasy aspect, and also a real life slant. They are probably my favorite books ever. They combine fantastic writing with unique characters and crazy worlds and plots. They are each unique in themselves, and that is really the main thing that ties them together.

1. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. This is probably my very favorite kids book of all time.



 2. The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. While I loved the whole series, I'm thinking more about the first book here, and not the whole thing.



3. The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.



5. The Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix



7. His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman





These are some of my all time favorite books. As I look back on the list, I realize they are all kids books. There are some books by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett that probably belong on this list too (Good Omens, anyone?), since I really do love both of them, but I'm leaving them off for now.

So, looking at this list, what do you think the unifying themes are? What is it about these books that make me group them together? I'm honestly not completely sure myself, though I do see some themes of magic, fantasy, and dark themes. What do you think? Have you read these books? Do you like them?

Over the next month or two, I'm going to do a bunch more of these lists on different topics. Let me know if you have any I should cover. Some I'm planning on are:

History and Historical Fiction (this will be a long one!)
Classics
Sci-fi and Fantasy
Realistic Fiction

Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser

 (This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through them, I will earn a small commission.)

Today, I'm reviewing Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser .

Summary (from Amazon.com)
An 18-year-old girl without money or connections ventures forth from her small town in search of a better life in Theodore Dreiser's revolutionary first novel. The chronicle of Carrie Meeber's rise from obscurity to fame — and the effects of her progress on the men who use her and are used in turn — aroused a storm of controversy and debate upon its debut in 1900. The author's nonjudgmental portrait of a heroine who violates the contemporary moral code outraged some critics and elated others. A century later, Dreiser's compelling plot and realistic characters continue to fascinate readers.

Review
I'm going to start out by saying that I really liked this book, though it doesn't really seem like the kind of thing I would expect myself to like.

The writing was fantastic, but took some getting used to. I'm used to reading books where the underlying messages are just that: underlying. Not so here. He regularly pauses the story to give commentary, which sometimes appears unrelated to the story, but in the end ties in somehow. He has strong opinions, and he's not afraid to tell them to you. A lot. That does mean that this book in incredibly quotable though, which makes for a different kind of reading experience. There is a lot of foreshadowing and references to later plot events in the writing, and it almost makes me want to just start at the beginning again to catch it all.

The characters in this book are what make it so great. Despite Carrie being the title character, I would argue that she doesn't feel much like the main character. Really, none of them do, but if I had to pick one person to be the official "main character," it would be Hurstwood, even though he isn't even in the first portion of the book.Carrie is young and naive, but Dreiser doesn't use her to make it look bad. In fact, she is the character with, in some ways, the best ending. That of course, it a topic that could be hotly debated (and has caused some family discussions at my house). Drouet is a very realistic character who floats along in his own little bubble. Though he is a good deal smarter than Carrie, he still underestimates her.

The plot was rather unlike most modern books I'm used to reading. While it had the major elements of a story, the pacing felt a little strange. At some times near the end, I felt like I was reading a whole different book than I had been at the beginning. Carrie's life takes  very major turn about half way through the book and at that point the whole focus changes. While the plot was good, the characters and writing take the stage here.

There was one point in the story when Hurstwood is about to make a major decision that will completely alter the course of his life. As he wavers between two options, his thoughts and emotions become more and more conflicted. What Dreiser managed to do in that scene was make Hurstwood a real person. In that scene, Hurstwood goes through a process of thoughts and emotions that was intensely relate-able. Everyone, at some point in their life, has had a moment when they debated doing something that they were not sure was right or moral.

I really love this book, if you can't tell, and I didn't even really notice that it was depressing (though other people have said it was). To me, it is a story of life, of the natural rise and fall of people, and while that certainly can be depressing, it can also be fascinating.

Who Should Read This Book
 I recommend this book to people who enjoy classic literature (this doesn't read like a modern novel). I also think that people who like Edith Wharton (a favorite author of mine) who like this too. It shows a very different perspective on the same time and place.

A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin {Book Review}

(This post contains affiliate links, and I may make a small commission if you purchase and item through them.)

12/20/13 Edit: After talking to some friends, I realized that Arya should really be added to the list of characters I liked the whole way through in addition to Jon, Ned, and Bran. The post has been duly updated.

Today I'm finally getting around to reviewing A Game of Thrones, a book I finished about two months ago. I just started book two (finally!), and I thought it was well past time I post my thoughts on this one. I think this pretty much goes without saying, but there will be spoilers. I'll avoid the ending, and that sort of thing, but if you haven't read the books (and intend to read them at some point), you should probably stop reading now.

Before I begin, if you've read the book, definitely go read this review by Forever Young Adult. It's hilarious. If you haven't read the book, and go read that review, just know that it is not at all representative of the book. It's just meant to be funny.

Summary from Amazon.com

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.


My Review

As usual, I am going to start out by talking about the characters. This book has absolutely fantastic characters. There are many of them, and most of them felt very well developed. While there were some that were not as fleshed out, they also never narrated, which I think makes a difference. Despite having so many great characters, I think that there were very few that I truly liked. I liked Daenerys at times, but by the end of the book, I can't say I was too fond of her. The characters who I really did like, all the way through, were Ned Stark, Bran Stark, Arya Stark, and Jon Snow. All in the family there. :) There were characters I enjoyed reading, like Tyrion Lannister and Catelyn Stark, who I didn't really like that much.

I also really liked the writing. There were times when it felt like it was just going on and on describing one scene, but most of the time, I thought it was terrific. I was very impressed with how he switched the POV between chapters seamlessly. There were probably seven or eight characters who narrated, and they all felt unique and well developed. The writing was such that the 800 page book felt much shorter while I read it.

The plot was also good. It was complicated, with plots and sub plots galore, including several which I am sure were just a set up for upcoming books in the series. George R. R. Martin is obviously an author who cares deeply about the story, and is perfectly willing to sacrifice characters for it. He used surprise wonderfully, and there was a point at which I suddenly realized that no character was safe.

Who Should Read It?

This book is one I highly recommend, but there is quite a bit of sex and swearing, and this is (despite the FYA review) NOT a kids or YA book.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell {book review}

Today I am reviewing Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. This book is by the same author as the rather controversial Eleanor and Park (read my review here, and my discussion of it's censorship here), but is, in my opinion, even better.

Summary
In Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life--and she's really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it's what got them through their mother leaving.

Reading. Rereading. Hanging out in Simon Snow forums, writing Simon Snow fan fiction, dressing up like the characters for every movie premiere.

Cath's sister has mostly grown away from fandom, but Cath can't let go. She doesn't want to.
Now that they're going to college, Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words . . . And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone.

For Cath, the question is: Can she do this? Can she make it without Wren holding her hand? Is she ready to start living her own life? Writing her own stories? And does she even want to move on if it means leaving Simon Snow behind?

My Review
Wow, that was a really long plot summary (I just grabbed it off of the amazon page)! Let's start with the characters. This book had some really good, really complicated characters. Cath, Reagen, Levi, and eventually Wren, are all characters with multiple layers. You think you know them, and what they would do, and then you suddenly realize you don't. These characters were all great, and very human.

The plot was enjoyable. For a lot of the book I wasn't sure what direction it was heading. Was it going to be an Eleanor and Park like romance, an Ellen Hopkins like book about dealing with mental illness (I know that Rainbow Rowell and Ellen Hopkins aren't even slightly comparable, but I was thinking that it would end up being about how she gives up everything to take care of her dad and sister)? In the end, it didn't really fit any of the stereotypes. It made a new catergory, one without a name. One with fanfiction (an almost taboo topic in most teen lit), romance, difficult parental and sibling relationships, and other very real issues being dealt with be a very real teenage girl.

The writing was fantastic. I love Rainbow Rowell's writing. This was where I thought this book really surpassed Eleanor and Park. While the 1st person naration switching between characters is popular, and works fine, I liked that this book didn't do that. Having a third person book with is all on one character was a bit refreshing. It makes the book feel more personal. Also, one thing that people complain a lot about with Eleanor and Park is the swearing. There is a lot. While it didn't really bother me, I did sometimes feel that it was overused. I have no problem with well placed swear words intended to make a point, but an f-bomb every few lines can get annoying. This book really used swearing in a believable, efficient manner.

I think the reason I liked this book so much was because I related to Cath right off the bat, which rarely happens to me with teen books. While I don't have her family situation, I do have one that can feel very tricky to navigate at times. While I don't write fanfiction, I do read it (I used to read it all the time, but now I just read the one my friend writes, which I am in), and I understand the culture around it pretty well. Her fears, concerns, and anxiety about college, and relationships is something I can directly relate to. In some ways, I see my future self when I read this book.

Who Should Read It?
I'm going to give this book a very high recommendation. If you are into fanfiction, you should really read this book. There is mild swearing, some drinking, and some sex, so if that bothers you, be warned. It is all quite mild though, especially compared to several of the books I have reviewed on here recently, including other books by the same author.

I'm almost done with A Game of Thrones (finally!), so expect a review soon. I also just got Smoke, the new Ellen Hopkins book, from the library, and I am super excited. I first started reading her books right before Fallout came out, and since then, I am always looking forward to her next one! This is the sequel to Burned, which honestly I never expected to happen, so expect a review of that in the next few weeks. Also, I'll be posting a final NaNoprep post this weekend.

Sorry for the crazy long post! If you made it all this way, give me some book suggestions in the comments! What would you like me to review? If I've read it, I'll write something up, if I haven't, I'll put it on hold at the library.

*This post contains affiliate links.

The Spectacular Now - Tim Tharp {Book Review}

Today, I am reviewing The Spectacular Now by Tim Tharp. I really liked this book, and I am excited to share my thoughts with you. If you have read this book, I would love to know what you thought of it!

Amazon Description

SUTTER KEELY. HE’S the guy you want at your party. He’ll get everyone dancing. He'll get everyone in your parents’ pool. Okay, so he’s not exactly a shining academic star. He has no plans for college and will probably end up folding men’s shirts for a living. But there are plenty of ladies in town, and with the help of Dean Martin and Seagram’s V.O., life’s pretty fabuloso, actually.

Until the morning he wakes up on a random front lawn, and he meets Aimee. Aimee’s clueless. Aimee is a social disaster. Aimee needs help, and it’s up to the Sutterman to show Aimee a splendiferous time and then let her go forth and prosper. But Aimee’s not like other girls, and before long he’s in way over his head. For the first time in his life, he has the power to make a difference in someone else’s life—or ruin it forever.

My Review

I thought the writing in this book was completely amazing. Sutter's voice felt so authentic, and real. I honestly believed at times that I could be inside his head. It was written in such a way that even though you experience everything directly from Sutter's experience.

The plot of this book was almost painful at times.  It was good, it was real, but was hard to read at times, especially as it gone on towards the end. The number one thing I have to say about this book is that when you finish it, you will feel a little empty, and a little (or maybe a lot) sad, and realize that whatever else this book was, it was 100% honest. I never felt that any character did anything out of character. They were real, and honest, even when it hurt.

The characters were really good as well. Sutter was a train wreck you just can't look away from. Aimee was so sweet, all the way to the end. You just can't help but hope for all her dreams to come true. Cassidy was a very three dimensional character who really made me pause and think a few times. I don't have a lot more to say here.

I feel like I should touch briefly on the ending, though, don't worry, no big spoilers here. If you are really worried, skip to the next section. The ending reminded me a lot of Eleanor and Park's ending. I hoped it wouldn't happen, but I kind of secretly always knew it would. Beyond that part of the ending though, I can't help but feel that it could not have been more true to real life, as hard as that can be to accept at times. I think the end of this book could be used in an ad to keep kids from drinking. To me, it was that kind of sadness that I felt. The inevitable, yet still painful kind. It was almost like Sutter was my best friend who's choices I had been trying to ignore, trusting that everything would work out fine, until suddenly I was forced to realize that it had gone too far, and it couldn't turn out fine. Okay, the next paragraph will have major spoilers, but I will put it in white, so you will have to select it to read it.

I really held out hope for Sutter and Aimee up until the very last page. It wasn't until then that I realized exactly what was going on. I think that maybe the author intended to make it feel ambiguous, but to me it did not. To me, it meant that Aimee had moved on (or been forced to), and Sutter was continuing down the path he had started down years before. I saw no hope for them as a couple, and honestly no hope for Sutter as a person. Aimee now had a whole life ahead of her she wouldn't have had without Sutter, so their time together wasn't for nothing, but at the same time, maybe it was best for her that it ended when it did. I don't think she had the ability to do for him what he had done for her.

Who Should Read This Book?

I would recommend this book to just about anyone, since I loved it so much. If you liked Eleanor and Park, by Rainbow Rowell, this has some similarities (and a lot of differences). If you are really sensitive about drinking, this is not the book for you, since that is really a main theme. In fact, I might even go so far as to call Sutter's alcohol problem a character that develops throughout the book. There is some sex and swearing, but not to what I would consider an abnormal amount for a book like this.

Parnucklians for Chocolate by B. H. James

Today I'm reviewing Parnucklian for Chocolate by B. H. James . This book is one of the most wonderful, yet strangest books I've read in a long time. I'd like to credit Forever Young Adult for this review. With out their review, I'd never have heard about it in the first place! While FYA is obviously written primarily for adults who enjoy YA books, I have found to be an invaluable resource for all YA book and movie related everything as a 15 year old.

Amazon.com Plot Summary

As a small child, Josiah believed that his father’s absence could be explained by the simple fact that he was a high ranking alien official on the planet Parnuckle. It explained so much else, too, like why Josiah should eat nothing but chocolate (Parnucklians eat nothing but chocolate), and why he should be proud of and idolize his father, the Keymaster of Gozer, even though they’d never met.

But as time goes on and the gaps in this mythology widen, Josiah is faced with two possibilities: either it’s all very real or it’s all very pretend. This betrayal comes into sharper focus when, three weeks before his sixteenth birthday, Josiah is released back into his mother’s care after two years in a group home. His mother is about to marry Johnson Davis, and when Josiah, his mother, Johnson Davis, and his daughter Bree Davis—a prematurely mature girl with her own history of parental betrayal—attempt to live together as an all-American nuclear family, the myths underpinning all of their lives come chaotically and absurdly unspooled.
My Review

The characters are fantastic, but very strange. Some characters, like Josiah, we know a lot about, while others, like his mother, we know very little about. We never even learn her name. What is so unique about the characters in this book is that you know about them only what Josiah knows. Our experience of any of them is entirely his. We have little to no extra knowledge.

The plot is good. I would say that of my triad (characters, plot, writing) this one will have to be my least favorite, though it is in no way bad. That's how good this book is! The book is less of a story, and more of a journey. Through out it, questions will continually come in to your mind, and they will very slowly start to be answered. Questions like: Is this scifi, or is Josiah just crazy. Is Josiah crazy, or his mother, or both? Later it will simply be: Is every character in this book TOTALLY INSANE?! Then it will calm down, and you will ask yourself: Why? Why did all of that happen?

The writing is by far the best part of this book. Some parts of it are arguablly incorrect grammatically, but I didn't care. This is a first for me. I get annoyed at the absence of the Oxford comma! A sentence (this is not actually from the book, it is just a sentence that could have been in the book), such as this one would normally drive me crazy: Johnson Davis and Josiah's mother took Johnson Davis' car to the store while Bree and Josiah stayed behind in Johnson Davis' house. But instead, it was a big part of what I loved about the book. It gave it a voice that was incredibly unique, and it made the characters different. Josiah's mother is only ever refered to as Josiah's mother, and Johnson Davis is always Johnson Davis.

Who Should Read It?

I'd recommend this book to teens or adults who enjoy a well written coming of age story. Or those who have a thing for really, really weird books. There is definitely swearing and sex, so if that's an issue for you, be warned. I'd give this book five stars!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Pt. 2

Today, I'm going to start up where I left off yesterday.

Season Four

Season four was definitely not a favorite of mine. It had it's good parts (such as Spike coming back, and the introduction of Tara, and Anya becoming a main character), but I didn't like Riley, and much of the situation at the University was a bit weird. I disliked the Initiative, and Adam was just plain weird. I did like the cross overs with Angel. After this season, they seem to completely forget about each other. Oz leaving was sad. He was a favorite of mine.

One of my favorite Buffy episodes ever!

Season Five

Season five was weird. We have the introduction of Dawn and the death of Joyce right off the bat. Luckily, the Magic Box finally gives them a home base again, which they were really missing after the school blew up, and the graduated. I was quite glad when Riley left at the beginning of the season, leaving the Scooby gang in a far more stable state. At this point, the gang is Giles, Buffy, Willow, Zander, Anya, Tara, and sort of Spike

Probably my favorite couple on this show.

The best part about Season five in my mind was how well they set up Season six. There were lots of story lines all set up at the end of the season. For example, Warren is introduced, Zander proposes to Anya, and Tara and Willow begin to argue about magic. Buffy's death was done quite nicely.

Season Six

Season six I really liked. There were no major upheavals in the Scooby Gang (well, until the end), and there were more demons then Season five, but still plenty of main story lines. You can see dark Willow starting to come out in the beginning, but of course it doesn't get truly bad until the end. What with Willow's addiction, Spike and Buffy's relationship, Dawn's kleptomaniac tendencies, and Xander and Anya's issues, this is the season in which all the characters felt incredibally human to me. Even though half of them aren't. :) Really, though, they all are flawed, and they all have issues to get past. Part way through season six comes my very favorite Buffy episode ever:

The Season Six ending was pretty incredible. After Xander manages to keep Willow from destroying the world, Spike goes through hell to get his soul.


Season Seven

From the series finale.

Season Seven is something in and of itself. The Magic Box is no more, after the Season Six finale, so the Summers house is now the home base for the Scoobies. Who exactly that is is a bit of a confusing question. We've got the usuals (Buffy, Willow, Xander, and sometimes Giles), plus Spike. Then there is everyone else. Anya drifts in and out, Faith shows up near the end, Wood is there in some capacity, Dawn is Dawn, Andrew is... something, and then there are all the potentials (particularly Kennedy).

Andrew.

Season Seven is the end, and you can feel it all the way through. Some of the best parts of the season included Nathan Fillion as the villain, and the scene where Spike dies.


So, there you go. My Buffy the Vampire experience. This was really fun. Maybe I'll do it with some other shows...

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Pt 1

Last night, I watched the final episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After nine months of watching 7 seasons of Buffy (and 4 seasons of Angel), it's finally over. I think it's time to over analyze it. :) While I generally am pretty careful to keep my reviews spoiler free, this one will have tons of spoilers, so beware. I'm going to go over it season by season, so if you've only watched through Season 3, don't read the section for Season 4 (unless you really don't care). This post will cover the first 3 seasons. Four through seven are coming tomorrow.

I'm sure this will go totally overboard and ridiculous, but it'll be a ton of fun. Let's get started with...


Season One

I wasn't a huge fan of the first season. It was pretty cheesy, and it lacked the story lines that are so great in the later seasons. Yeah, there was the Master, but he wasn't all that bad of a Big Bad compared to later seasons.

Some good things about Season One were Cordelia (even though she is incredibally shallow, she was pretty awesome), mysterious Angel (remember, we don't even know who or what he is until half way through the season), and the Good Ol' Scooby Gang. Only in Seasons 1 and 2 do we really have the traditional gang (Giles, Buffy, Zander, Willow, Cordy, and sometimes Angel) meeting in the library.

Season Two

Season two was much better than Season 1 in my opinion.  We have Kendra, and we first meet Spike and Drusilla. Oz shows up for the first time, and Giles (sort of) dates Jenny Calender. The story lines got much better, and the show began the switch away from it's monster of the week format. Angel's death at the end was very dramatic.


Season Three

Poor, poor Amy.

This season is probably my favorite. We still have the classic Scooby Gang (Giles, Buffy, Cordy, Buffy, Willow, Zander, and Angel) plus we have some other great characters joining in such as Oz. Plus, Faith, Wesley, and Anya all find their beginnings in this Season. The Mayor may be my favorite Big Bad of the show, particularly after he pulls in Faith. Angel's leaving is sad. Here are some extra pictures to commemorate a great season:

One of the best Cordy-Buffy moments.

This was Jonathon's 1st episdode!

 

 

 

The Books that Made Me a Reader

I have read many, many books, but there are only a few that I can really say have made a big impact on me as a person, or as a reader, or even as a writer.

The first author I want to mention is Tamora Pierce. I distinctly remember being eight years old, and picking up Lady Knight from the paperback section of the Bellingham Public Library's children's section. While I didn't love that book (and it's the only book of her's I've never read since), I was interested enough to pick up Alanna: The First Adventure a week later. I was suddenly in love in a way I had never been before, and have rarely been since. Tamora Pierce's books (particularly the Alanna books, but her other ones too) had characters I could identify with. These books, unlike most books written for kids my age, were interesting. They had mystery, and danger. They had romance and death. Suddenly, reading wasn't a boring chore my mom made me do each day. It was suddenly my favorite part of each day.

Before long, I had read every book Tamora Pierce had ever written, so I started over again at the beginning. This was about the point at which I starting getting braver at the library and reading other books, but it was the start of a pattern for me. That was seven years ago now, and I've read hundreds and hundreds of books, but I always go back to Alanna. I've probably read Alanna: The First Adventure, and In The Hands of The Goddess a good twenty times a piece, and the rest her books (excluding Lady Knight, which I have only read that one time) at lease seven or eight times.

Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I had never found that book that Saturday afternoon at the library. Would I still be a big reader? So much good in my life comes from reading. Would any of that exist? Because of my love of reading and the library, I have a great volunteer position in that same children's library, and I have terrific relationships with many of the librarians who work there. My love of reading has also lead to a love of writing, which has lead me to participate in NaNoWriMo twice, and eventually start this blog. Where would I be without Tamora Pierce and the Bellingham Public Library?

Erebos - Ursula Poznanski

The book I am reviewing today is Erebos by Ursula Poznanski. I'm sorry if the link is a little odd. I recently joined the Amazon affiliate program (where I get a small cut if you buy something after clicking through from one of my posts), and I'm still getting the hang of it. While I usually do not give plot outlines of the books I review, this one is going to be an exception. Don't worry, there should not be any major spoilers, nothing more then you would find in the Amazon description. However, as usual, if you particularly hate spoilers, you should proceed with caution. 

This book is about a boy named Nick, who receives a copy of "Erebos," the video game that has been making the rounds at his school. He begins playing, and discovers a terrifying new world, governed by many strict rules. As time goes on, it becomes clear that the game is watching them. It begins manipulating their lives out side of the game, and eventually, things get dangerous.

Now, let's move on to the characters. I think the characters are the weak link here. Many of them were pretty one sided, with a few exceptions. While this is obviously not a great thing, I do not really count this as a big mark against the book.

Next, we are going to talk about the writing. I am not sure if it's really fair to say too much about this, since the copy I read was in English, not the original German. I know that a lot can be lost in translation, so I am not going to consider this part very strongly in my final rating. I would say that the writing was quite good, though it could have been better. What I am especially impressed by is the way she balances the two worlds of the game, and real life. Even without really being a gamer, I loved the parts in Erebos as much, or better, then I liked the real life sections. At some point about a third of the way through, I hardly noticed the difference between one and the other, which is terrific, because that was the same blurriness that Nick, the main character was beginning to experience.

Last is the plot. I LOVED IT. This is by far what is selling this book, as it rightly should. The story starts strong, and gets stronger. The ending is surprising, and satisfying. This book has action, and suspense, and a little romance (though this part was not very well developed, and did not make a lot of sense to me). It is scifi, fantasy (in that Erebos is a fantasy role playing game), and in the end, a bit of mainstream geek fiction. This book is something that I am sure all the gamers out there would love, but I did too. I am not a gamer, but I love scifi, nerdy stuff , and just the book in general. There is something that gets you creepily addicted to it, and when you get pulled away, you fell like you were just playing the game yourself and will lose a level if you don't get back in immediately!

The reason I did a little plot outline at the top of this post is to get you engaged. I really want people to read this book, and I am hoping that that will help. Read this book! It is fantastic! I don't think it has as much attention as it deserves, and I am doing what I can to resolve that.

Just so you know, when I rated this book on Shelfari, I gave it a full five stars. For reference, the only other books I have rated that highly are Paper Towns, East of Eden , and The Fault in Our Stars .