Three Book Reports

I've been meaning to do this sooner... but I've been in the middle of two other projects. One is related to EP, which I'll probably reveal sooner or later. The other one is a personal project for a friend that I can't say too much about.

Anyways. To make up for the lack of books I've read during the last school year, I've been devouring books this summer as I sit on the train to work in the morning. Though I keep up with blogs about YA, it's been awhile since I've actually read any YA books -- both because I have no time and because I feel somewhat embarrassed about reading those books. But I still consider myself a young adult, so whatever.

And now, allow me to present three books I've read in the last week -- and my thoughts about them.

1. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks

Basic Premise: A girl named Frankie enters her sophomore year at one of those prestigious boarding schools known to funnel students into the Ivy Leagues, and it seems like she's starting to catch the attention of guys. Now she's snagged the senior guy she's had a crush on for a long time, she's a part of his rowdy group of friends, and life is all fine and dandy, right?

BUZZ. Turns out there's an all-boys secret society on campus -- one that her father used to be a member of -- and now Frankie's annoyed because she's tired of being treated like a helpless girl by her boyfriend and his friends, and because she'd never be allowed to join the secret society she's discovered just because she didn't come with a male package.

Thus, Frankie orchestrates a series of events that prove just how much everyone has underestimated her.

My Thoughts: If there's a dictionary definition for "kickass", there needs to be a footnote that says "See FRANKIE LANDAU-BANKS." Kudos to Lockhart for creating a character who stands up for herself and still shows the same vulnerability you'd expect from a girl her age. Frankie is very unique in her own way (e.g. her fascination with neglected positives) with a refreshing self-confidence, but at the same time she's normal enough that you can relate to her. For instance, it'd be easy to characterize her simply as being bitter about her boyfriend's inherent misogyny, but Lockhart doesn't brush past the fact that all in all, Frankie is infatuated with him just like any other girl dating the guy of her dreams would be.

What drives me nuts (in a good way) about this book is the relationship between Frankie and Alpha, her boyfriend's good friend and the leader of the secret society. They would have been a MUCH better match than Frankie and Matthew. I don't want to give anything away, but AUGHHHHHH. I think life always has those what-if questions, so I guess kudos to the book for being realistic.

Verdict: Highly recommended for those who like their female protagonists with a backbone and a brain.

2. Fairest

Basic Premise: From the same world as Ella Enchanted, Fairest is a Snow White retelling that follows the story of Aza, Areida's sister who is considered ugly by Ayorthian standards but possesses one of the most beautiful voices in the kingdom. The daughter of an innkeeper, Aza soon finds herself coerced into obeying the demands of the new Ayorthian queen, who is determined to be the fairest one of all. Aza soon learns that the queen possesses an enchanted mirror from the fairy Lucinda that is the key to her power, and it is soon up to Aza to save the kingdom.

My thoughts: It is no secret that Ella Enchanted is one of my favorite books of all time, nor should it be a surprise that I love fairy tale retellings. Therefore, I snatched up this book immediately when I saw it in the library the other day.

To be fair, this book was inevitably compared in my mind to Ella Enchanted, so perhaps it would fare better with someone who had never read Ella Enchanted before. However, it was way too easy to compare this book to Ella Enchanted. Aza was sweet, but not as engaging as Ella, whose humor and spunk made her easy to love. As for Aza's prince, I couldn't make up my mind whether Ijori was too one-dimensional (unlike Char), or too much like Char. Both are kind princes with a gentle sense of humor -- but I don't know if it's because I've read Ella Enchanted at least fifty times, but Char is so much more real to me. Maybe Ella Enchanted was more focused on the love story between Char and Ella, but Fairest didn't seem to have as developed of a love story with Ijori and Aza.

What I did like was how Gail Carson Levine incorporated the enchanted mirror into her story about beauty. It's a great idea, but I wonder if it could have been executed more cleanly. While Ella's Cinderella story of obedience is so intricately linked with her love for Char, Aza's Snow White story wasn't as tightly wound.

Verdict: Summer fling -- for a long term romance, read Ella Enchanted instead.

3. Pretty Dead
Basic Premise: Charlotte is a vampire -- beautiful body, beautiful house, beautiful clothes, beautiful things -- but she's lonely and she's been undead for almost a century. After her human friend Emily commits suicide, Charlotte finds herself drawn to the boy Emily had been dating, Jared. To make things more complicated, Charlotte's first love -- the one who turned her into a vampire in the first place -- reappears in her life once again. Charlotte becomes entangled in a dark bargain that may give her what she's wanted for so long -- a chance to be human again.

My Thoughts: I've made it well-known that my writing is heavily influenced by Francesca Lia Block. That said, I am not fond of all of her books -- in fact, there are some that I do not particularly like at all. While I am very fond of Wasteland, The Rose and the Beast, Ecstasia, and Missing Angel Juan, I could never reread some of the other novels, like the rest of the Weetzie Bat series. (Actually, after rereading White Oleander this summer, I've realized that my writing is heavily influenced by Janet Fitch as well -- so it was quite strange when I reread the book for the first time in years and realized, "Damn. How could you forget?")

Anyways. Regardless, I still try to read all of Francesca Lia Block's books when I can, because usually the imagery is still beautifully poetic -- it's usually the storyline I have an issue with.

In the case of Pretty Dead, I was already skeptical of the "vampire" aspect -- ever since Twilight, I've been extremely cynical of vampire stories. Turns out Charlotte didn't bother me as much as I expected. After all, it's from the vampire's perspective -- and SHE wants to be a HUMAN, not like Bella and her desire to be a vampire.

I think what's preventing me from "favoriting" this Francesca Lia Block book, however, goes back to my personal tastes regarding her books. While my Block favorites have an underlying theme retold in a uniquely dark way, many of other ones may have lots of flowery imagery but no real sense of a moving theme. Ecstasia, for example, describes a world where beauty is absolutely desired, to the point that the ugly and aging are hidden underground as they wait to die. What does this say about our own society? Missing Angel Juan is at its heart a story about a girl who clings too closely to her boyfriend that she's suffocating his freedom. While Pretty Dead touched on human life and what we really need versus what we want, the story was too predictable and felt like insubstantial fluff to me afterward.

Verdict: There are both better vampire stories and better Francesca Lia Block novels out there. But it's a good, short read for an hour's train ride if you're up for it.

Next on my reading list: a shift towards the literary classics -- Love in the Time of Cholera and Rebbecca. We'll see how far I get this week.