Book Reviews by Sheila
The Adventures of Pinocchio (Le Avventure Di Pinocchio) By Carlo Collodi The Adventures of Pinocchio, originally titled Le Avventure Di Pinocchio was written by Carlo Lorenzini, better known by his pen name of Carlo Collodi. Carlo was an Italian author, who liked writing about characters […]
Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault Publisher: Parliament House Press Some see it… Some don’t… People in the town of Deer Park, Texas are vanishing. There is a strange museum, known as Quinsey Wolfe’s Glass Vault, that appears overnight. Perrie Madeline’s best friend and ex-boyfriend are among […]
I can honestly say that I haven’t read many books that actually have made me feel much towards the characters. I’ve read a decent number of books, but perhaps not enough to have a wide enough variety to pick and choose from. However, out of the books that I have read, there have been a few friendships that I really admired, for varying reasons.
This is a difficult topic for me to discuss because I’m very picky when it comes to this! Quality always trumps quantity for me. I feel like characters who are able to obtain that sort of relationship really need to be something special. Each of these examples are definitely special in their own way, and have been inspiring for me throughout my reading journey, as well as in everyday life.
I won’t be putting these in any particular order, because they each hold about the same amount of importance in my eyes.
Freshly coming off from this read, I absolutely adored the bond that developed between Joey and Albert. Even though Joey is a horse, there’s something to say about the ties we create with our animal companions.
Albert and Joey are similar in many ways. Both having suffered poor treatment by Albert’s father, they are able to grow to trust one another from that common ground. Not only that, they are able to replace fear with hope, anger with love, and abandonment with belonging through the bond that they have. The story these two have is just beautiful!
This may be an obvious pick, but this timeless friendship is, and always will be one of my favorites. While Frodo has his (several) moments were he doesn’t deserve Sam’s friendship, Sam doesn’t even consider abandoning his dearest friend. In the midst of utter chaos, Sam is the steadfast character that never falters. He puts Frodo before himself, and sacrifices his own needs in order to keep a close eye on Frodo who is heavily burdened with the ring. This friendship is build around utmost sacrifice, loyalty, and pureness of intent, and Frodo becomes all-the-better because of Sam.
While this friendship doesn’t last long, it is one to cherish. Jane and Helen both attend Lowood Academy when they are young girls. The conditions at the school, and treatment from the teachers to the students are ghastly. It isn’t an inviting atmosphere to consider making friends in, yet, Jane and Helen are drawn to one another.
Several times, the two take punishment for the other. Having a deep understanding of suffering in their young ages, Jane and Helen are able to grow close to one another, and support each other until Helen’s tragic death. This friendship may be brief, but the amount of time cannot account for the depth of empathy these two had for one another.
Jules and Arsinoe have an enticing friendship. I find it so refreshing that a character can simply be happy for another without envy! Arsinoe, who is supposed to be the Naturalist Queen, has little-to-no ability with her gift. Yet, her best friend Jules is the most powerful Naturalist in generations. Time and again, Arsinoe shows her disinterest in coveting Jules’ ability, and is content with her own person. She does try some tactics to obtain some form of ability, but her endeavors do not cause a rift between herself and Jules. There are other factors in their friendship that cause some tension, but for the most part, they are not impacted by them.
Corona and Mora’s friendship is yet another example of unconditional love. Similar to that of Frodo and Sam’s friendship, Corona cares immensely for her sister Mora. She too, goes to the ends of the earth in order to save her sister’s beloved. While Corona’s intentions may be slightly jaded initially, she gives up her own desires in order for her sister’s to be fulfilled.
The Lily of Life: a Fairy Tale written by The Crown Princess of Romania, aka Carmen Sylva The Lily of Life: A Fairy Tale is a children’s story that was originally published in 1913. Written by the Crown Princess of Romania, Pauline Elisabeth Ottilie Luise zu […]
Happy Friday, everyone! There’s something truly magical about Friday. (It probably has more to do with the fact that the weekend in around the corner.) That’s a bit creepy, isn’t it? Because of the lightheartedness Friday brings around, I thought I’d add a new series […]
Partial synopsis provided by Goodreads.
Book: The Hazel Wood
Series: The Hazel Wood #1
Author: Melissa Albert
Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Publisher: Macmillan USA
Page Count: 368
Format: Paperback
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror, Fairy Tale, Mystery
Cover Artist: Anna Gorovoy
My Rating: No Rating – DNF
The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert
I received an ARC of this book via Goodreads giveaway. Thank you!
DNFing at page 185.
Hold on to your hats, kitties, because this review is about to get strange. Stranger than this book? Probably not.
What I mean is, the reason why I DNF’d this book is because…I get creeped out too easily.
It’s not that this book is horrendously terrifying. It’s because this book is such a slow burn with plot revelation that it allows time for your mind to wander. I think this is my main problem. Key points aren’t revealed fast enough, so my brain thinks up numerous alternatives…which end up being way worse than the actual ending! This is why I can’t handle horror anything. My mind is overactive enough on a daily basis–I don’t need anything creepy to prompt that type of thinking at all.
This is a perfect case of, “it’s me, not you, book with a beautiful cover and fantastic plot.” Seriously though, if it wasn’t for my ineptness with reading scary stories, this would probably be one of my favorites for this year.
I know, I’m screaming inside too.
The writing is matter-of-fact, with creativity scoring off the charts! Melissa Albert’s writing style may not be for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed how she depicted her characters, and slowly introduced the secrets of the Hazel Wood, also commonly known as the Hinterland.
This tale is unlike anything I’ve picked up before, to the point of where the possibilities feel endless. However, I must listen to my conscious as well, because, I have to live with it. I don’t want to be jumpy for the next few weeks (or more) because I’m always thinking about how this book creeped me out.
To be honest, some people may find this to not be creepy at all. Good for you! I’m not saying it is the creepiest book in the world–I had a similar reaction (for different reasons) when I tried to read The Raven Boys. Despite the fact that it was such a thorough piece of literature, I couldn’t stick with it.
I’m really hoping I’ll be able to change my mind and complete this book at some point. Alas, for now, I must put it down and move on to something less stimulating.
NOTE: These were my accounts up until the point of where I abandoned the book. This is not observing the entire book.
Vulgarity: There were 85 words counted up until about the halfway mark. My assumption is that there would be a lot more in the second half of the book.
Sexual content: Minimal, if any.
Violence: Moderate to prevalent. The fairy tales being told are often gruesome and without cause. They make for a twisted read.
