Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Everyone Brave is Forgiven

by Chris Cleave

Read: January 13-24, 2019

Publication date: May 3, 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction

It's 1939 and Mary, a young socialite, is determined to shock her blueblood political family by volunteering for the war effort. She is assigned as a teacher to children who were evacuated from London and have been rejected by the countryside because they are infirm, mentally disabled, or—like Mary's favorite student, Zachary—have colored skin.

Tom, an education administrator, is distraught when his best friend, Alastair, enlists. Alastair, an art restorer, has always seemed far removed from the violent life to which he has now condemned himself. But Tom finds distraction in Mary, first as her employer and then as their relationship quickly develops in the emotionally charged times. When Mary meets Alastair, the three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and—while war escalates and bombs begin falling around them—further into a new world unlike any they've ever known  

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Why did you read this book?

The first thing that really drew me in was the title of this book: “Everyone Brave is Forgiven”. I just loved it. I am also very interested in WWII era novels, so this book quickly made it to my to-read list.

What did you like about this book?

One unexpected thing about this book was the humor in it. There were several moments that a character would say or do something that made me start to giggle out loud. I am thinking specifically of the double date that the four main characters go on. Most of these moments I would then read aloud to my roommate. It is rare that a book makes me laugh, even intentionally comedic books, so the fact that this one did was pretty impressive. This book also managed to capture some of the worst parts of war in such a nonchalant way that left me in shock after it happened. I’d have to go back and reread several paragraphs just to make sure I read it right. Important moments happened so abruptly and the characters were left to deal with the aftermath. I think that is one area where this book shined — capturing the desolation and helplessness that comes after the characters go through what they do.

What didn’t you like about this book?

The pacing of this book fluctuated in a way that made it difficult for me to get through the book. It started slow, picked up a little, slowed back down, sped up, crawled, etc. The book felt like it went on for ages without anything happening. I have read books like this before and enjoyed them, but in those cases I felt very connected to the characters. I didn’t find that in these characters. Most of them I felt indifferent towards at best. Alistair was the one character I remotely liked and even then, he was just the best out of a handful of bland options. The main thing that really turned me off to this book was the unsatisfying conclusion. I can put up with a slow-paced book if the end is good. The ending to this book just...ended. The storylines that had been slowly building throughout the whole book were not resolved. I was very unsatisfied.

Bottom-Line:

I’m glad I read the book. It was worth reading at least once. I may even read it twice. However, this is not going to be a book that I pick up year after year, excited to reunite with the setting and the characters. I would recommend this only to lovers of books and lovers of history.

Favorite Quotes:

“The worst thing would be to decide that it was love, and then to discover - after one was taken - that it hadn't been. No: the worst thing would be to decide that it wasn't love, and then to discover years later - old and unconsoled - that it had been. No: the worst thing - the worst, worst thing - was this having to decide.”

“This was how a kind heart broke, after all: inward, making no shrapnel.”

“But what good is it to teach a child to count, if you don't show him that he counts for something?”

“To be in love was to understand how alone one had been before. It was to know that if one were ever alone again, there would be no exemption from the agony of it. It wasn’t the happiest feeling.”

“Stupid is you can’t learn, ignorant is you haven’t learned yet.”

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Read: January 31-March 6, 2018
Published: September 26, 2006
Genre: Science Fiction

A father and his son walk through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.






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Why did you read this book?
I thought this book was on one of my 'to-read' lists, but after searching all of them (so I could check it off) it apparently wasn't. Also, my roommate and I have decided to start our own book club and this was the first book on our list, per the recommendation of our neighbor.

What did you like about this book?
The first thing I'll mention is the style of the writing. It's unlike most books, with short paragraphs, short sentences, and very little dialogue. It was very choppy and I think it was written like that for a reason. The writing style seemed to reflect the state of living for the man and the boy. Nothing was easy or smooth and words, like food and water, were used sparingly. The writing and the world was harsh and unforgiving. McCarthy built a world that was easy for the reader to step into. First, he didn't give the two characters names, just referred to them as the man and the boy, and played one of humankind's biggest fears: to lose everything they have built and become powerless and irrelevant. This book almost made me cry, which as you know, I love those books.

What didn't you like about this book?
The book itself, though well-written, was actually really repetitive and kind of boring. I didn't actually enjoy this book at all. It was just very depressing. There was no payoff to reading the book. After I finished it, I felt so empty. Not that good empty feeling when you finish a really good book, but the bad empty feeling where you feel like there is no hope for the world. After I finished it, I just had one thought: what was the point? Both for the story and for the book itself...what was the point of the story of the man and the boy's survival if it was all for nothing in the end? It was a well-written story about the inevitability of death and a world with no hope.

Bottom-Line:
I really didn't like this book at all. I liked the writing style, but that was about it. I read books for an enjoyment and for an escape, but this book was not enjoyable and it was just so sad. I don't think I would recommend it to any of my friends.


"People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I didn't believe in that. Tomorrow wasn't getting ready for them. It didn't even know they were there." -The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

*spoilers*

Read: February 18-21, 2018
Published: August 31, 2010
Genre: Fantasy

When Tessa Gray crosses the ocean to find her brother in Victorian England, something terrifying is waiting for her in London's Downworld. Kidnapped by the mysterious Dark Sisters, who are members of a secret organization called the Pandemonium Club, Tessa soon learns that she has the power to transform into another person. The Magister, the shadowy figure who runs the club, will stop at nothing to claim Tessa's power for his own. Friendless and hunted, Tessa takes refuge with the Shadowhunters, warriors dedicated to ridding the world of demons. She soon finds herself fascinated--and torn between--two best friends: James and Will. As Tessa is drawn deep into a plot that threatens to destroy the Shadowhunters, she realizes that she may need to choose between saving her brother and helping her new friends save the world...and that love may be the most dangerous magic of all.

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Why did you read this book?
Honestly, I've been avoiding this series and all other works written by Cassandra Clare. I enjoyed The Mortal Instruments series, but after the travesty that was the decision to not leave it at a trilogy, I could find it in myself to delve back into the Shadowhunter world. It had all seemed a little overdone after six books. However, my coworker recommended it to me nearly a year ago and I finally decided to give The Infernal Devices a shot.

What did you like about this book?
I ended up liking this book so much more than I thought I would. Even though this is still the world of Shadowhunters, the world I had thought I'd seen enough off, I got sucked in just like I did the first time around with City of Bones. Cassandra Clare's writing style has definitely matured since the Mortal Instruments series. This book felt well thought out and less like a stream of consciousness (which is how I tend to write). I also loved the time period and setting. I've always been fond of Victorian era novels (Charlotte Bronte and Jane Austen), so to combine that with Shadowhunters and Downworlders was a really cool experience. I feel like they belong in that era over modern day. And I like that it takes place at the London institute over the New York one, especially for this era.  Above all, I love the characters. They feel more fleshed out and I understand the reasoning behind most of their decisions. I like to understand their thought processes because then I can put myself in their shoes. I wasn't able to do this very often in The Mortal Instruments series. I'll talk more about the characters in another section. Lastly, and true to Cassandra Clare form, this book had some seriously dramatic plot twists that just sucked me in. I had to start the second book immediately after finishing this one.

What didn't you like about this book?
This book's beginning was just kind of...meh. It was mediocre and slow and a little bit boring. It took me awhile to actually want to read the book. It's hard when a book starts in media res to truly care about the characters and what's happening to them, but it can be done if done right. Unfortunately, it was not done right in this case, for me anyway. It's a good thing I'm a stubborn reader and refuse to quit on a book after only a few chapters. I also am sensing a love triangle. I should have known, it says right in the description, but I just was not mentally prepared for another love triangle. I'll give Cassandra Clare credit, it's a well-written love triangle, but it's the sort of triangle I don't like in my books regardless. As with the Mortal Instruments series, adults seem to be mostly nonexistent in this book and the adults that are present either do nothing or don't have the power to do anything. This was a problem with the Mortal Instruments and I had hoped that Clare would have addressed that problem in this trilogy. I understand that this is a series targeted towards young adults, but that doesn't mean adults aren't needed, especially in the world of Shadowhunters. I did have some issue with the characters, but I'll save that for the next paragraph.

Characters:
I love a lot of the characters in this book, but I feel like Cassandra Clare took the characters from Mortal Instruments and changed them just enough to pretend they are original characters. We'll start with Tessa, who is the Clary of this series. She is thrown into the Shadowhunter world with no previous knowledge of it, she's beautiful and doesn't know it, extraordinary literary genius (to rival Clary's artistry). I like Tessa much more than I liked Clary, who threw herself headlong into danger without considering consequences. Tessa is much more mature and I can relate to her more than I could with Clary. The Jace of the series is Will. Will is arrogant and pretends like nothing bothers him. The only person he seems to care for his Jem. Honestly, haven't many redeeming characteristics in him so far. He's basically just an unpleasant person, but I know that he's hiding something, something that explains his behavior. So far, I prefer Jace. Jem is the Alec of the series and I absolutely adore Jem. He quiet, soft spoken, brave, and is foolishly loyal to Will. The two are parabatai, just like Jace and Alec. I could go one with the other characters, but if you've read both series, it's very easy to see the similarities in the other characters as well. They are more well written in this series, but I can't help but feel that they are recycled characters.

Bottom-line:
I really enjoyed this book. Depending on how the rest of this series goes, I might have to buy them. So far I think The Infernal Devices is better than the Mortal Instruments, but I'll hold out my judgement until I finish it. I highly recommend this to young adult fantasy readers. Onto the second book!


"Whatever you are physically...male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside." -Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

*Spoilers*

Read: May 30-June 6, 2017
Published: February 9, 2016
Genre: Fantasy

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the color of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control. The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: she is not the only one of her kind.
Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors. But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?


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Why did you read this book?
I read the first one at the request of my sister and had to read the next one. I know, I know, I didn't do a review of the first book, but I'll do a summary in this review.

Super Quick Summary of Red Queen:
Mare is a Red because she has red blood and no powers. The Reds are peasants and live under the rule of Silvers (who have silver blood and powers). Mare is later discovered as a Newblood (a person who has red blood and powers...a combination of a Red and a Silver). The Silver Queen tries to hide this from the people and pass her off as a Silver. They say she is some long lost Silver princess or something and she becomes engaged to the younger prince, Maven. The elder, Cal, is her pal, too, but she doesn't trust him as much. Mare and Maven work with the Red revolutionary group, the Scarlet Guard. However, Maven betrays Mare and Cal and was working against them with the queen the whole time. Cal and Mare have their issues but they escape together and join up with the Scarlet Guard.

What did you like about this book?
In the first book, I really liked Maven, but Cal really grew on me in this one. I enjoyed his character development more than any of the other characters. He went from an almost-king with everything to a Silver, surrounded by Reds, with nothing. And yet, he carried himself with strength and dignity. He was easily my favorite character in this book. I also liked that the characters were on the move, searching for Newbloods. It reminded me of Charles and Erik searching for young mutants in X-Men: First Class. The strange thing about this book is that I didn't really like that much about it, but I needed to know what was going to happen. I enjoyed it overall and had a hard time putting it down, but it's difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was that I enjoyed. I think it was just the way that Victoria Aveyard wrote it. She has done some fantastic world building and created a place that I would love to stay in for another book.

What didn't you like about this book?
The biggest drawback to this book was the characters. There were too many of them all introduced at the same time and I had difficulty remembering who was who outside of the core group (Mare, Cal, Kilorn, Shade, and Farley). I didn't care if any of them died in the missions because I didn't know them. Also, my opinion of Mare dropped dramatically in this book. It dropped right off a cliff. I really liked her in the first book, but she just turned into an awful person throughout Glass Sword, and not even in a way where she could be a good anti-hero. She was selfish and cruel to the people she cared about and she blatantly used them. On top of that she was whiny and stupid, making the same mistakes and not thinking about consequences. It's really hard to read a book when you can hardly stand the voice of it.

Bottom-Line:
I did enjoy it, despite my dislike of the main character. I have high hopes for the third book and I'd recommend the first two to people interested in the young adult dystopia genre.



"No one is born evil, just like no one is born alone. They become that way, through choice and circumstance." -Victoria Aveyard, Glass Sword

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

*spoilers*

Read: May 21-27, 2017
Published: January 3, 2017
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction


       Etta Spencer didn't know she was a traveler until the day she emerged both miles and years from her home. Now, robbed of the powerful object that was her only hope of saving her mother, Etta finds herself stranded once more, cut off from Nicholas—the eighteenth-century privateer she loves—and and her natural time.
       When Etta inadvertently stumbles into the heart of the Thorns, the renegade travelers who stole the astrolabe from her, she vows to finish what she started and destroy the astrolabe once and for all. Instead, she's blindsided by a bombshell revelation from their leader, Henry Hemlock: he is her father. Suddenly questioning everything she's been fighting for, Etta must choose a path—one that could transform her future.
       Still devastated by Etta's disappearance, Nicholas has enlisted the unlikely help of Sophia Ironwood and a cheeky mercenary-for-hire to track her down. But after a deadly mistake derails their search, they discover an ancient power far more frightening than the rival travelers currently locked in a battle for control—a power that threatens to eradicate the timeline as they know it.

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Why did you read this book?
I finished reading Passenger a week ago and I adored it. Naturally, I made a trip to the library the same day to get Wayfarer. (I actually sprinted into the library because I made it there with five minutes to spare before it closed.)

What did you like about this book?
I liked Passenger better than Wayfarer, but it was still very good. All of the things I loved about the first book, I loved about this one. I really liked every interaction between Etta and Nicholas, especially since they are confident in their love for each other and have already gone through all of their angst in the previous book (and there wasn't much to begin with). The end of this book was so satisfying and exciting to read. The last quarter of the book, everything just came together and all the story lines converged to one moment, which, considering all of the time traveling, had such a small chance of happening. The sense of adventure was still here and this book satisfied (or fed) my yearning to travel again. Although, this adventure was more urgent, with more on the line. The stakes were definitely raised in this book. Nicholas and Etta were still great characters, but I loved the introduction of Henry Hemlock and Li Min. I didn't trust Henry at first. I kept waiting for him to betray Etta, and then, even as I was waiting for it to happen, I was desperately hoping it wouldn't happen. Henry and Etta's growing relationship was beautiful to watch. I just loved all of their interactions. And Li Min was fantastic. She was tough and razor sharp, but somehow managed to soften Sophia's hard edges. She was a great asset and friend to Nicholas and really came in clutch on multiple occasions.

What didn't you like about this book?
I was pretty disappointed that Etta and Nicholas were separated for the majority of the book. Their relationship was my favorite part of the first book and I was really looking forward to more of that. This book also felt much slower to me than the first one. It wasn't as exciting (except for the end) and it did lose my interest a lot in the beginning. I was still not a fan of Sophia, even though I'm pretty sure she is meant to grow on the reader in this book. And she did grow on me, despite the fact that I still didn't like her. Julian was another character that I wasn't too fond of. I honestly think he was a character better left dead. Speaking of characters being left dead, I also think that Rose should have actually died, rather than there being the 'surprise, she's alive!' at the end. As much as I did love the end of the book, it was a little too peachy. After everything that happened, it's hard to believe that it could all end perfectly. I'm a bit biased I guess, because I think Rose deserved to received consequences for her actions (particularly and especially after what she did to Alice), and she was taken back into the folds of her family without so much as a good smack to the head. While she was doing what she did for the greater good, I don't believe good intentions excuse terrible actions.

Bottom-Line:
I loved this book. I loved Passenger. I've come to realize that I love duologies. I definitely recommend reading both of these books and I am most definitely going to buy them (I can't help it, I have a problem). If you're stuck where you are, you will find adventure in these pages.



"'Imagine that you could accomplish with your life,' she said, 'if you weren't so damn afraid all the time.'" -Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

Passenger
by Alexandra Bracken

Read: May 3-20, 2017
Published: December 6, 2016
Genre: Fantasy/Science Fiction
     
   

         In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles, but years from home. And she's inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she's never heard of. Until now.
          Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he's known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can't escape and the family that won't let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas's passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them—whether she wants to or not.

          Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods' grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are playing, treacherous forces threaten to separate Etta not only from Nicholas, but from her path home...forever.
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Why did you read this book?
          I was very intrigued by the cover of this book. There was a ship and a bottle on the front, so I assumed it had something to do with the sea and hopefully pirates. I have a fascination with pirates, so naturally I want to read about them. Also, after reading the back, I had a good feeling that Nicholas was a pirate, so...yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!

What did you like about this book?
          I definitely love the feeling of adventure in this book. The combination of time travel and geographical travel, racing against time and a tyrannical family, a little bit of piracy, and some forbidden romance is just killer. This book makes me want to go on an adventure (which isn't that difficult, if we're being honest). So the tone is great, but let's talk about the protagonists, shall we. Etta is a freaking role model. She is the strong, independent female character that I like to see in books. She is strong and fierce, but not unfeminine. She is courageous, but not fearless. I feel like when most of the 'strong, independent' female protagonists in young adult literature are thrust into a life or death situation, they fight it. It is constantly brought up that they don't want to be in the situation they're in. Which is fine, I wouldn't want to be in that situation either, but I really admire how Etta accepts that she can't change what's happened to her and embraces it, blazing forward to do what she can despite the circumstances. Now that I've gushed about Etta, I need to gush about Nicholas. I adore him and I absolutely love how Alexandra Bracken wrote his character. He is clearly strong and capable and someone you would want on your side, but she also shows how vulnerable he is. She shows how panic can grip him in a moment and he can be paralyzed with fear. She shows how his past haunts him every day and how he can't escape it. As someone who has had a panic attack, it is so refreshing to see something similar in a book and not have the book be a 'mental illness' book. It's just a part of the story because that's just how life is and I so appreciated that. Hands down, my favorite part about this characters is that Nicholas is vulnerable while still being a very masculine character and Etta is feminine, but she's definitely not weak. I also have to bring up the fact that there was a small opportunity for a love triangle right at the start of the book and Bracken didn't take it. *Applause*

What didn't you like about this book?
          Okay, as much as I do really like this book, it took me a long time to read it. The first third of the book really didn't catch my interest. Neither Etta nor Nicholas had really shown their true colors yet and they were kind of bland. I also am not a fan of Sophia, who features mostly in the beginning of the book. It just didn't hook me in (pirate joke?) like I wanted it to. If I were anyone else, I might have stopped reading, but I can't just not finish a book, especially one with as much promise as this one. I also didn't really understand the time traveling. There were passages for the travelers, I get that, but I didn't understand how they worked (which is really just me being nitpicky). Were they powered by magic? Is this a world where magic exists, and if it does can it only be used for time travelling? Or was this a creation of science? That's where I struggled with figuring out the genre of this book. Is it fantasy or science fiction? Generally, time travel is science fiction, but the way it's used here feels more like fantasy—however, there are no other elements of fantasy (other uses of magic, magical creatures, etc.) The other thing that bothered me was Nicholas's choice to keep Etta in the dark. It is obvious that he cares about her and clear that he recognizes her value and capability to handle herself, but he doesn't consider the possibility that they could work together to achieve both of their goals. I understand that this creates conflict in the story, which is its purpose, but it's a cheap conflict that would be rendered unnecessary simply by communicating with each other, which is just the worst kind of cheap conflict.

Bottom-Line:
          I really did adore this book. I'm definitely going to buy it because I can't resist reliving an adventure like this one (I mean...rereading an adventure...) I would definitely recommend it to any of my friends. I just hope the second one is as good!




"Free the fire fluttering inside her rib cage. Work her muscles, the bow, the violin, until she played herself to ash and embers and left the rest of the world behind to smolder." -Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

10 Quotes from The Wrath and the Dawn

1. "What are you doing to me, you plague of a girl?" he whispered.
      "If I'm a plague, then you should keep your distance, unless you plan on being destroyed." The weapons still in her grasp, she shoved against his chest.
      "No." His hands dropped to her waist. "Destroy me."

2. "The more a person pushes others away, the clearer it becomes he is in need of love the most."

3. "When you meet the one who makes you smile as you've never smiled before, cry as you've never cried before...there is nothing to do but fall."

4. "She was a dangerous, dangerous girl. A plague. A Mountain of Adamant who tore the iron from ships, sinking them to their watery graves without a second thought. With a mere smile and a wrinkle of her nose."

5. "Love is a force unto itself, sayyidi. For love, people consider the unthinkable...and often achieve the impossible. I would not sneer at its power."

6. "A shared history does not entitle you to a future, my friend."

7. "I know love is fragile. And loving someone like you is near impossible. Like holding something shattered through a raging sandstorm. If you want her to love you, shelter her from that storm...and make certain that storm isn't you."

8. "Tonight is a night to turn heads. Make them remember you. Make sure they never forget. You are the Calipha of Khorasan, and you have the ear of a king." Despina put her hand on Shahrzad's shoulder and grinned at their shared reflection. "More important, you have his heart." She bent forward and lowered her voice. "And most important, you are a fearsome thing to behold in your own right."

9. "The worst kind of lie—the kind shrouded in good intentions. The kind cowards use to justify their weakness."

10. "And how will you know when you've found the elusive someone?"
    "I suspect she will be like air. Like knowing how to breathe."