The Mortal Instruments: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

predictable.
yet entertaining.
but anticlimactic.


I felt like the end was anticlimactic, but I still anticipated great things leading up to the conclusion, so I still think it was a good read.  If you've read the Twilight series, I'd say it's comparable to Breaking Dawn in that way.

All in all, I think it was worth the read, and it is rumored to be made into a movie in the future.  Pick it up!

4 out of 5 stars


Also noteworthy is the fact that the prequel is coming out August 31st of 2010.

The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter

poignant.

vivid.
lacking.

 

The first chapter of this book, highly recommended by a friend, hooked me, narrated by a half-Native American child whose mother dies and is sent to live with his almost aboriginal grandparents in the backwoods of 1930s America. The conflict between mountain-dwelling "pure" Native Americans and "civilized" city-dwellers is apparent within the first few pages, when the grandfather is publicly mocked by a bus driver, but after that, the promising plot dwindles. Yes, the descriptions of the land and country are vivid, and the innocence and docility of the narrator are sweet. But while a series of events that make up the coming of age of a child caught between two clashing civilizations is certainly a great basis, there is nary a plot to be enjoyed and struggled through. The tragedy is that with the writer's undeniable talent, this book could have been great. Instead, it left me wanting.

2 out of 5 stars

Family by Pa Chin

revolution.
tragic.
enlightening.

I read this book for my world lit class. It was really difficult for me to get into it, I think because of the names; they were hard for me to pronounce and I kept confusing them in my mind because they were similar to each other.

I was downtrodden by much of the deep sadness in this book. The only good thing, for me that came out of it was to gain a better understanding of the lives of people in China before modernization finally occurred. I'm not sure who had it worse--the wealthy women, or the servant women. And the men were just that--men--trying to make good choices according to culture and the knowledge they possessed but making a mess of everything in the process. In the end there was hope but only after wading through much tragedy.

That being said, I know this piece of work was warmly embraced by the new generations in China during Pa Chin's time and I commend him for breaking the mold and shedding light on this difficult topic. I think he did a great job poetically portraying both the good and bad. It certainly isn't because of his writing that I give this book only two stars, but because of the content.  It is definitely out of my comfort zone of good ole pop fiction (;

2 out of 5 stars

The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

static.
dark.
enlightening.

I am currently reviewing fiction from my World Literature class I am currently taking, since I don't have a lot of extra time for recreational reading this quarter. The selected literature is in stark contrast to the pop fiction I normally indulge myself with, and it has been a breath of fresh air.

My first descriptive word is "static" which means a character who is unchanging. After reading the first few chapters, I was thinking it has to get better, right?! To my dismay it got worse--much worse. I can tell you because it is stated in the first chapter of the book that Ivan dies a man satisfied with his amends.

The book is pretty dark, but if you know Tolstoy, you know both his parents died when he was a child...he never even knew his mother or even saw pics of her. He had several of 13 children die, as well as a grandmother and two aunts that had a great effect on him.  Pondering his mortality was not something Tolstoy was a stranger to. Contrastly, the main character in the book, Ivan doesn't even take a single thought of death until it is staring him in the face.

I found this book ultimately enlightening and it has a depth to it, as does an exceptional work of art.

4 of 5 stars because it's depressing to an extent.

My Name is Asher Lev

coming of age.moving.
controversial.It seems only fitting that my first review on Fiction Convert be by my favorite author, even though the book is definitely not new. Chaim Potok, as I mentioned in my "conversion" story, became my obsession in middle school. Potok, a Jewish Rabbi, didn't waste time explaining every Yiddish term or Jewish custom, he simply wove them into the story. His audience reached much farther than his own religious circles. Instead, he is considered one of the great American authors of our time, rather than one of the great Jewish authors.


I now recognize that I was drawn to the Jewish author's stories of Hasidic Jews living in urban America because of my own orthodox Mormon (LDS) background. Here was an incredibly gifted author making no apologies for his faith. He seemed to have the gift of pride in his faith, while simultaneously admitting the shortcomings and almost sinister side of its members, if not the orthodoxy itself. Could it be possible for me, then, to write a story with LDS characters and backdrop, that would be considered not just a Mormon story, but a human story? And one that didn't betray the religion I hold so dear and continue to practice faithfully? The rhetorical question seemed always in the back of my mind, and I loved Potok for his boldness and his insight into the human experience.


My Name is Asher Lev was Potok's third novel (after The Chosen and its sequel, The Promise), but it was my introduction to Potok. Like The Chosen, Asher Lev is a coming of age story, following the title character from early childhood through early adulthood and exploring his artistic inclinations in a time when such pursuits were frowned upon by his fellow Hasidic Jews. Lev must choose between his relationship with those he loves and indulging his compulsion to create art, culminating in a climactic and controversial ending. The book's ending is somewhat of a cliffhanger; luckily it's followed by a sequel, The Gift of Asher Lev.


5 of 5 stars

The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes, by Cassandra Clare

unexpected.
enchanted.
suspenseful.


This second book in the series was more action-filled than the last. More characters are added to the plot, if you can imagine. There were moments when I felt Clare was either spoon-feeding, or withholding info a bit, yet I continued to be intrigued due to unexpected turns of events and emerging romances. I definitely wanted to know how those were gonna work out...or not.

Magnus Bane has been a favorite of mine, and Simon has raised the bar with his maturing throughout the series. There isn't much of a dull moment in this book. I still don't love Clare's writing style but I can certainly appreciate the intricacy that has gone into writing this book...almost makes me want to read the series again so I can remember all the hints and foreshadowing that occurred in previous books.
Keep reading and you won't be disappointed!

4 of 5 stars

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, by Cassandra Clare

characters.
youthful.
other-worldly.

My initial problem with this book is that the narration is in third person, which unfortunately tended to take me out of the story at times. Another writing technique I disliked,was the way the author would start a dialogue, interrupt it by explaining what the character(s) were doing, then continue with the end of the quote. I found this to be extremely distracting throughout the first half of the book. But I eventually got used to Clare's writing style until it wasn't foreign to me anymore and I can honestly say that I can appreciate the reason that she wrote it that way, in the end.

Once I put my pettiness aside, the story and several of the characters started to grow on me. By the end of the first book, I was excited to start the second. And after that one, I couldn't wait to start the third and it got better from there.

This is definitely one of those books that gets progressively better as you go along. The main characters are in their mid teens; the age that is awkward and confusing for us all. Add to the chaos: demons, vampires, werewolves, angels in the city that never sleeps, and things start to get interesting.

My advice would be, if you liked The Twilight Saga, give this series a chance...it pays off in the end.

3.5 of 5 stars
(keep in mind that the ratings go up with each of the following books  in the series :D)

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

intelligent.
captivating.
passionate.

Once again, I had no idea this story could be pulled off, while still maintaining intrigue and mystery, but Suzanne has done it again! What a cliff hanger. Ugh! I'm pretty much crazy about Suzanne Collins' writing...she's onto something here and I hope she keeps rolling with it because I can't get enough.

5 of 5 stars

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[SPOILER ALERT!]

Nikki's Conversion Story

It all started with Green Eggs and Ham. My name is Nikki, and I'm a reading addict.

Books have always provided me more entertainment than a movie could ever hope to. In middle school, my best friend Becky and I became obsessed with Jack Weyland, to the point of writing him a letter, to which he replied! (Side note: years later, as an adult, Weyland's grown son moved to my hometown. I happened to be at a friend's house when the son stopped by. When they told me who he was, you'd have thought I was meeting Brad Pitt, I was so star-struck. And this was just his son!) From Weyland, Becky and I moved on to much deeper and darker material, mostly Chaim Potok novels. I also devoured Edgar Allan Poe and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Potok remains my favorite author to this day.

My love of fiction continued through high school where I ate up even assigned books like Lord of the Flies. (Don't get me wrong, though, I hated my share of assigned material just like the rest of the kids. To this day, I have no clue what Beowulf or Heart of Darkness were about.)

After high school, as a young married adult, I read Anna and the King, Les Miserables, and Little Women as I walked to and from work and school every day. Les Miserables was the first non-religious book to make me cry. In a way, it was a turning point in my reading "career." Books could really move me and maybe even change my life. I would later be so moved by books like The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and These is My Words.

Then my beloved babies were born. Between the diaper changes, the lack of sleep, and generally getting the hang of motherhood, I was lucky to get in a book every 6 months (compared to my current 1-2 books per week). My love of fiction, like my love of alternative music, was put on the back burner. Until Twilight. Reading Meyer's heart-wrenching saga awakened my love of fiction and I've been a relapsed addict ever since!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

colorful.
humanity.
hope.

Where to begin? This book was everything I could hope for and more. My only thought when I finished the first book, was that I needed to start the second book, Catching Fire immediately...and I did. The only pity is that the third book doesn't come out until August!

I had my doubts when I read the summary of the book, I mean how could an entire book be written about children fighting to the death for food? Sounded like a serious downer to me. I was pleasantly surprised to find the overall plot to be hopeful and heart-warming.

Lionsgate is making a movie and I just hope it will do the book justice because the book, is amazing.

5 of 5 stars

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[SPOILER ALERT!]