Chronicles of a Book Nerd: Paranormal Romance

Showing posts with label Paranormal Romance. Show all posts

2/27/2016

Life and Death: Twilight Reimagined by Stephenie Meyer

Even though the original story has some plot issues, even though the character development is lacking, and despite it being a little “soft” when it comes to vampire lore, I love Twilight. There, I've said it and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I can't believe it's been ten years since the story was first published. Like other fans, I had hoped that the tenth anniversary would mean that we would finally get what we have long been waiting for, a completed Midnight Sun (Twilight retold through Edward’s eyes, which Meyers began but stopped working on when it was leaked to the Internet). What we got instead was a gender bending reimagining.

I didn't like it. I felt that several of the characters lost some of their appeal and essence by having their genders switched. For example, Emmet, who for me is the lovable, protective big brother, just didn't translate as well as a female and everything I loved about the character was stripped away. Beau was even more bland than Bella’s character, and lacked a strong male voice. I think Charlie, one of two characters whose gender was not altered, is probably the only character that was recognizable.

Readers should also be prepared for some serious plot changes. Life and Death is definitely a reimagining and not a retelling. I'm glad Meyers made the changes she did because it ensures that there will be no continuations of this story line, which I wouldn't read even if there were.

This reimagining certainly didn't diminish my love for the original, but I'm hoping that when Twilight turns 20 that Meyers will give her fans what we really want...Midnight Sun.

12/30/2015

Unforgiven (Fallen #5) by Lauren Kate

High school can be hell.

Cam knows what it’s like to be haunted. He’s spent more time in Hell than any angel ever should. And his freshest Hell is high school, where Lilith, the girl he can’t stop loving, is serving out a punishment for his crimes.

Cam made a bet with Lucifer: he has fifteen days to convince the only girl who really matters to him to love him again. If he succeeds, Lilith will be allowed back into the world, and they can live their lives together. But if he fails…there’s a special place in Hell just for him.

Tick-tock.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this addition to the Fallen series. I always liked Cam, even though he was the “bad guy.” I always thought there was something more to him and it turns out I was right. There is something quite romantic about the idea of a man willing to make a deal with the Devil and risk his immortal soul to save the woman he loves. Of course, that is so easy task, and I rather enjoyed having to watch Cam work to regain Lilith’s trust, forgiveness, and love. If you are a fan of this series, than you will enjoy this one. I would recommend reading the other books in Fallen series before picking this one up as it makes reference to characters and events from the previous books that would serve as spoilers, but in the end I think by doing so you will end up with a richer reading experience because you will be able to fully appreciate Cam’s transformation and redemption.

1/11/2014

The Mortal Instruments Series (Books IV & V) by Cassandra Clare

Book IV: City of Fallen Angels
Now that the Mortal War is over, Clary returns to her life in New York and all the new possibilities before her. Her mother and Luke are engaged. She is training to be a Shadowhunter and use her new found power. The accords have brought peace to the Shadowhunters and Downworlders. Most importantly, she is free to be with her one true love, Jace.

Her moment of peace seems fleeting as once again strange things begin to happen around her. The bodies of Shadowhunters are turning up in Downwolder territories, threatening the fragile peace between races. Simon is facing his own challenges when his mother discovers that he is a vampire and his love life becomes a little complicated. Worst of all, Jace begins to pull away from her without explanation.

As Clary searches for answers for all mysterious happenings, she discovers that she is the one who set these terrible events in motion. Choices have consequences, and Clary finds herself facing the ultimate consequence of her choice - the loss of those most dear to her.

I love Cassandra Clare's writing. The worlds that she creates are so entrancing, but what I love the most are her characters. The relationships she creates between her characters makes them so special, so endearing, that you become lost in their stories. When I pick up one of Cassandra's books, I get so lost in them that hours can go by in the blink of an eye. I have to admit, I had a hard time getting into this book at first. Not because there is anything wrong with the book, in fact, it is just as well written as all the others, but because I knew that Clary and Jace's happy ending was fleeting and I was reluctant to watch it fall apart. Of course, I wasn't expecting what happened at all. Cassandra has an amazing ability to fool her readers, but in a good way. Just when I think I know where the story is going, it veers off in a direction I never saw coming. It makes for fantastic storytelling and only makes it easier to get lost in her words. Of course, it won't be a Cassandra Clare novel without a torturous cliffhanger, and while this one isn't torturous, it certainly is ominous.

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Book V: City of Lost Souls
When Jace goes missing, Clary must ask herself what she is willing to do to find him. The Clave's mission is to track down Sebastian and destroy him, but destroying him would mean destroying Jace. Jace and Sebastian are now linked by Lilith's magic. What happens to one, happens to the other.

Alec, Magnus, Simon, and Isabelle search for a way to kill Sebastian without harming Jace, seeking answers from anyone - evil and good alike. Meanwhile, Clary follows Jace and Sebastian into an unknown dimension, hoping to protect Jace while discovering Sebastian's plan. Clary quickly realizes that the Jace in front of her, while appearing to be the one she loves, is not entirely himself. She will have to walk a fine line as she tries to get Sebastian to trust her enough to reveal his plans.

What she will discover is that Sebastian plans to burn the world to the ground. A war is coming. He is raising an army of dark Shadowhunters. The fate of Jace's soul is not the only thing on the line. The fate of the Shadowhunters, the fate of the whole world, hangs in the balance...

WOW! That's all I can say after finishing this book. What an ending! Bittersweet. That is how I would describe it. While there are pockets of happiness, there are far more loose ends and uncertainty. I cannot wait for the last book in this series. If we are to judge what is to come by this book, then we are all in store for an epic, apocalyptic ending to this series. I have no doubt that Cassandra will be able to deliver an ending to this series that will meet every one of (and probably exceed) my expectations.

She is amazing and I am in awe of her talent. I know I have said it before, but her ability to create these worlds and characters is just amazing. I love them all. I get so lost in their stories. The journey (emotional and otherwise) that Cassandra's writing takes me on is the perfect escape from reality. As a reader, this is what I ask of an author. To create a world where I can get lost, that transports me to another time and place. It is true that a reader lives a thousand lives within the pages of books, and this is the perfect description of what it is like to experience a Cassandra Clare novel.

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Coming in May, 2014:

Book VI: City of Heavenly Fire

ΕRCHOMAI, SEBASTIAN HAD SAID.

I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Nothing in the world can defeat him — must they journey to another world to find the chance? Lives will be lost, love sacrificed, and the whole world changed in the sixth and last installment of the Mortal Instruments series!

8/23/2013

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones the Movie

So let me start by saying that I am not a movie critic, but I was so excited to see this movie that I just had to share my thoughts. I will admit that while I was super excited, I was also nervous as I always am when they make one of my favorite books into a movie. I'm always afraid that they will change too much or that they won't cast the right people and the image that I created in my head won't be what I see on the screen. The movie always falls short in some way, which I think is inevitable when you translate a book onto the screen. Reading is such an incredibly intimate thing. When you read a book, it's your imagination that is creating the images in your head and because we don't all see things the same way, it is natural for some disappointments.

I was worried about how they would handle the whole "brother thing" in the movie. It is such a pivotal plot point (how's that for alliteration!) in the book that it can't really be ignored, but I was worried about how people who hadn't read the books would respond to it. Americans are notorious for loving and demanding happily-ever-afters in our movies, and I worried that people would be turned off by this aspect of the film. I mean, I found myself trying to justify insest while I was reading the books! I feel that they handled it well in the movie, but it's the one thing that really bothered me.

In the book you have no idea that Jace isn't really Clary's brother. In fact, you don't find out until book three that he isn't, but in the meantime you are subjected to this torment of emotion because you believe it's true just like Jace and Clary. These two characters love each other, but can't be together because the obstacle keeping them apart is largely insurmountable, and it rips your heart to pieces to watch them both suffer.Part of this element is missing from the film because it is made clear to the audience that while Jace and Clary think that they are siblings, it is not in fact true. I can understand why they made this change, but for me it removes some of the angst. However, I do feel that Jamie Campbell Bower and Lily Collins are strong enough actors to pull off the emotion.

Overall, I was very pleased with the film. The cast was fantastic, the sets were amazing, there was plenty of action, and I liked the comedic element to the film. It was darker than I thought it would be and I think this added a new layer of drama which I loved. I heard that the sequel is already in the works and I'm excited to see what's next. If you are a fan of the franchise, I don't think that you will be disappointed by this film. It was very faithful to the books, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that Cassandra Clare was so involved with the project and had a director that was mindful of and respectful to the fanbase. Now I just have to find someone to go see it with me again :)

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This collection of GIFs perfectly sums up my City of Bones experience....
(borrowed from http://www.buzzfeed.com/simonschuster/13-gifs-that-perfectly-describe-watching-the-morta-cpw7)