Review: Pathfinder by Orson Scott Card

I had to distance myself away from this book before I wrote this review. If I did not, I would have just hit the caps lock and type, THIS IS THE COOLEST YA BOOK EVER!! Shift 1. Shift 1. I just did exactly that, didn’t I? Oops. After being blown away by Ender’s Game last year, you think I’ve learned my lesson and expect nothing less from Orson Scott Card? I didn’t, but I know a lot better now.

Rigg can see path human and animals made whether it’s from the distance past or the near present. He has been living most of his life isolated in the woods with only Father as his companion. Father taught him a lot things, most of which Rigg believes he will never need. That changed when Father suddenly died leaving him a task to find his sister, 19 jewels and his name. A name that could also be his death sentence. Rigg soon realized that Father prepared him for something bigger than what he can ever fathom and there’s more to his ability than just seeing people’s path. At the beginning of each chapter, we follow the character of young Ram as he command a ship journeying from Earth to a distant planet for human to colonize. It will only take you half-way through the book before you can put two and two together and see the larger picture.

Orson Scott Card combines tropes commonly found from young adult fantasy and science-fiction and produced a book that proves his mastery of both genre. Although marketed as a young adult novel, Pathfinder possess a very complex and sophisticated narrative involving space and time-travel and filled with secrets and intrigues that will keep the reader turning the pages. At the acknowledgement page, the author stated that he started writing the book knowing that he’ll challenge common rules of time travel, and he did. I don’t consider myself an expert on time-travel but neither am I a novice. I started reading Pathfinder with my preconceptions on how time-travel works. I had a hard time wrapping my head around the rules Card set for this novel. But after I suspend my preconceptions, everything made sense and needless to say, I love every bit of it. I guess it would not be an empty statement if I say that Pathfinder has a very intelligent plot the we rarely get to see in young adult novels. Pathfinder doesn’t force you to think so you can follow the narrative or else you’ll get left behind. It dares you to and that’s one of the many the beauties of it.

Space time travel plays a huge part in this book but it is not the only thing this book can offer. The main storyline(Rigg’s) was set in a land called Aressa Sessamo. This land was previously ruled by a monarchy that was decreed to be ruled only by the females until an uprising came that turned the government into People’s Revolution. Fast forward to present time, there are factions who want to maintain the Revolution but there are some that wants the female-ruling monarchy back and a few in favor for a male-ruling monarchy. The political intrigue in this novel is very complicated and for an unfortunate reason, Rigg is in the centre of all of it. For some this could mean that Card has got into his political babble once again. Not for me. The political situation of Aressa Sessamo is a consequence of what happened in the land’s past therefore will play a vital part on our heroes future.(Excuse the vagueness of that statement. I am carefully treading on a spoiler-mined land here.) And I’ll be honest, it was really fun figuring out whose on which side of the fence.

Genius is what Pathfinder is. The only reason I can think of for you not to enjoy this is if you hold bias over the author’s opinion on certain topics before reading the book. I am also in opposition with some of the author’s perspectives. He can have his opinion and I can have mine, but this won’t stop me from enjoying his books. It’s not like he is exploiting his fans like other fan-fiction writer authors do. Having an opinion is not a crime, is it? A great storyteller is a great storyteller no matter what. There’s a reason why Orson Scott Card has been in this business for a very long time and Pathfinder is definitely one of those. If you haven’t tried any Orson Scott Card novel yet(my god, what’s wrong with you?), this is a good place to start.

Rating: ★★★★★

Other Reviews to Consider:
King of the Nerds | Good Books and Good Wine | Dreams Stuff Books

Review: Grip of the Shadow Plague(Fablehaven #3) by Brandon Mull

The middle part of fantasy series are always the trickiest. The world is already established in the first book(s) and information about the series-long plot are held back for the finale. Middle part books are always the one that is the most forgettable and there are cases when these books are just fodders. Such is the case in Michael Scott’s Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel and even Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson. I love both of these series but if you ask me what happened in The Necromancer or Battle of the Labyrinth, I will likely just give you a two-sentence long summary or worse, a blank stare. But if you ask me about the first book or the finale, I would tell you everything in detail and with vigor your ears might bleed.

It is one of the most common writing traps. Authors tends to play some of their aces in the first book to hook you in and the rest of their remaining aces in the finale to blow your mind and make a lasting impression. Now, it’s either Brandon Mull is a cheater or a magician that he has endless supply of aces or he is just skillful on distributing fair amounts of it in his books. I personally prefer the former for it is way more wicked.

Grip of the Shadow Plague starts several weeks after the events of Rise of the Evening Star with Kendra being invited to join the Knights of Dawn, a secret society which function is to protect all the magical preserves across the globe. Right after joining the society, she was assigned to retrieve another secret artifact hidden at a preserve in Arizona, The Lost Mesa. Meanwhile at Fablehaven, Seth is not missing out any actions as the creatures – even those without fallen states – are turning into creatures of darkness. Creatures known to be gentle and nurturing are transformed into wild and savage beasts. The Shadow Plague is spreading fast and they must find a way to stop it before in consumes the entire magical preserve making Fablehaven just a part of history.

Brandon Mull continues to impress me by writing the third book in this ever-imaginative series in dual narratives. The transitions were not seamless but both were engaging and very exciting. The Lost Mesa is a very interesting preserve. Creatures that inhabits this preserve are different from Fablehaven(there are zombies!), albeit much more dangerous. It also follows an entirely different set of rules and hides its own secrets. Fablehaven itself has its own deep dark secrets and a grim history that were exposed in this book.  This is what makes this series truly, well, magical – the preserves are characters of its own.

Grip of the Shadow Plague, literally and figuratively, took a much darker turn compared to its predecessors. There were lives sacrificed, and the characters’ motives lies within the thin line that separates good and evil. There was also a time travel subplot that ended with a tragic and heartbreaking conclusion. Our heroes were more matured – Kendra has less doubt in herself than before and there were lesser amount of times I wanted to scream at Seth – but nothing prepared them for the dire events happened in this book. The only flaw I can complain about in this installment is how Mull kept his characters clueless about a certain conflict even if the answer was staring at their faces, or Kendra’s face at least. This isn’t enough to topple one star, though, cause this particular conflict is not really the focus of this book and there were too much going on for me to be distracted and forget about it at the most crucial points of the story. I think its part of Kendra’s characterization, anyway. She’s too trusting to suspect anyone. These things I’m sure will happen in the next book, Secrets of the Dragon Sanctuary: enemies will be unmasked, hearts will be broken, Brandon Mull will continue to show off his storytelling prowess and Aaron, once again, will be left breathless.

Review of Rise of The Evening Star(Fablehaven Book 2)

Rating: ★★★★★

Other Reviews to Consider:
Becky’s Book Reviews| BSC Reviews| My Literary Quest

Review: Going Bovine by Libba Bray

So after about three-week long blogging hiatus, I’m back to share with you all what I’ve read since the start of the year starting with Libba Bray’s Printz award-winning book, Going Bovine. I heard nothing but praises for this book and when I added it on my wishlist at goodreads, my friends went gaga and told me to read the book immediately. This set my expectations really high that I planned it to be my first read for the new year. Some expectations were met, some were not. It is, nevertheless, a very entertaining read.

Life is something Cameron Smith can’t be bothered to take part in. He’s satisfied with just staying in the fringes, watch everything unfold, and not bothering to make choices that will give direction to his life. This monotonous existence was finally shaken when he was diagnosed to have a rare terminal disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob, which is basically mad cow disease but for humans. Aside from this, Cameron also begins to see strange creatures such as fire giants, armored wizards, buddha cows, and an odd punk-rock angel named Dulcie. Dulcie tells him that the world is on the brink of devastation from the hands of the Wizard of Reckoning, and the only way to stop him is for Cameron to find a certain Dr. X who may also has the cure for Cameron’s disease. Together with a hypochondriac dwarf, Cameron sets off on a roadtrip across America to find Dr. X. A roadtrip that lead him to some strange place, meet strange people, and most importantly, the discovery of the true meaning of living.

No sober author would dare to write something like Going Bovine. It’s jam-packed with random things you will never expect to find in a single book: dying teenager, world destruction, missing legendary bands, a garden gnome who claims to be the Norse god Balder, coyote and roadrunner, evil snow globe companies, time travels, etc. The book is unarguably hysterical. This makes me wonder if the scenes set in 3rd floor bathroom wherein Cameron go to get stoned were based from the author’s first-hand experience. Only a talented writer can pull off something like this successfully. Imagination, Libba Bray definitely has it.

I was even more impressed when I came to the point in the plot when the narrative diverges into two realities: one where Cameron slowly dying in a hospital bed and one where the eccentric road trip progress. The transitions of these two realities was seamless. It perfectly captured the idea of Schrödinger’s Cat that was introduced at the beginning of the book. Of course, one can believe that one is reality and one is just hallucination, but just like the idea of the Schrödinger’s Cat, you are free to believe that both are true.

However, Going Bovine is a book not without flaws. The start of the book was rather filled with foreshadowings that lacked subtlety. You can already tell what is going to happen just from the get go. The middle part, too, dragged on a bit too long for my liking. I know that road trip books are about the journey and not the destination, but there were just times in the middle part when I feel that I can close the book and leave it at that for a while.  Thankfully, the last 1/3 part saved the book for me. I love how the two realities reached their conclusions. Going Bovine, for me, was unlike any other road trip novels as I find the destination part better than the journey.

Don’t get discouraged by these flaws I stated, though. It was not a bad book at all. Most people who read it loved it, and some even thought that it was worthy of a gold medal and gave it one. The concept was really clever and gave the book the air of “coolness”. It was hilarious book, and you’ll find yourself chuckling at Cameron and the gang’s misadventures. But it is those quiet moments that will struck you the most because it is those moments that really delivers the underlying central themes of the book: the difference of simply existing and living — and ultimately, hope.

Rating: ★★★★★

Other Reviews to Consider:
The Book Smugglers| The Little Reader | Out There: The Book Review Club

2010 Books A-List

Late list is late, I know, but it’s my blog. I run this shit so I can post whatever I want whenever I want. And that’s me defending my laziness and procrastination. I feel kind of bad that I wasn’t able to post this on the planned date. It’s as if there’s a part of me that wasn’t able to face the new reading year yet because of this. There is an unfinished business that needs closure. So here I am, your proven top-class procrastinator, finishing something I should have finished 2 weeks ago.

This list is quite a no-brainer for those people who had the misfortune of interacting with me this past year. Whenever I read something I really liked, I just wouldn’t shut up. I don’t think it’s an unhealthy habit, though. More often than not, they also end up liking the books I raved about non-stop. To you guys I say, You’re Welcome! Before I gloat too much you’d hit that little X button, let’s head on already to my carefully analyzed, calculated, double-checked(, procrastinated) best books of the year list.

Honorable Mentions:

• Tomorrow Series by John Marsden
• Scott Pilgrim The Comic Series by Brian O’Malley
• Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by David Levithan and Rachel Cohn
• Gatekeepers Series by Anthony Horowitz
• Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

10. Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey
This gruesome Gothic novel set in Victorian London took me by surprise. I had zero expectation before reading it so it was a complete shock to me when I’m beginning to realized that what I was reading is a brilliant one. Rick Yancey’s superb writing requires a little getting use to, but once you get familiar with the writing style, it is such a rewarding experience.

“Several  times I caught myself looking away from the text as if I was watching it instead, and such cowardly actions such as looking away will make me miss those violent and gory scenes.” [Reviewed here.]

9. Fablehaven:Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
Rise of the Evening Star transported me back to the simple yet fantastic wonders of Fablehaven. It was a perfect combination of awe-inspiring fantasy and a mystery that will keep you guessing until the end. The ending was totally unexpected, and it really did turned the entire story upside-down.

“The surprises hidding on Brandon Mull’s sleeves is seemingly infinite and he just keeps pulling one until the very last page.” [Reviewed here.]

8. The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
Oh man, Red Pyramid really got me worried sick that Rick Riordan might had lost his magic already. Either that, or I already outgrew his style. You probably can’t imagine what relief it was when I found myself enjoying The Lost Hero. It was a great introduction to the new Percy Jackson’s spin-off series, Heroes of Olympus. I cannot wait for the clash of the Greek camp and the Roman camp. (Oh, come off it! It’s released for about 3 months already! A real fan of the series would have already know about the existence of the Roman gods and demigods in the new series.) (And it’s bound to have a clash between camp, right? It will be a capital L for lame if the two camps agreed to help each other right away.)

“I still think that The Lost Hero is the best from Rick Riordan so far” [Reviewed here.]

7. The Enemy by Charles Higson
The first dystopian novel in the list. Big cast of characters, relentless dialogue, and gruesome deaths here, there and everywhere — this zombie novel is really made of pure awesome. There’s nothing cooler than calling the brain-dead, brain-hungry zombies as Mothers and Fathers. It is often compared to Michael Grant’s GONE novels as both series shares some elements, but I’m totally okay with it. I love them both and they can exist side-by-side peacefully.

“He’s[Charlie Higson] a psychopath. He will let you get attached to a certain character first, then he will kill it. He’s like, ‘You’re liking this character, eh? What would you feel if I do this’, then he’ll kill that character in the most brutal way possible.” [Reviewed here.]

6. GONE novels by Michael Grant [GONE, HUNGER, LIES]
I told you they can exist side-by-side peacefully. And yes, I’m cheating as I placed three books in the series in one number. It’s one series I’m really invested into. I might end up writing a 1000-word review so just let me express my initial reactions after finishing each books:
GONE: The story is freaking on steroids! [Reviewed here.]
HUNGER: Boy oh boy! Chips, pizza, and burgers tasted even better after finishing this. [Reviewed here.]
LIES: Mind-fuck! Paranoia! You just don’t know what to believe. [Reviewed here.]

5. Unwind by Neal Shusterman
The dystopian novels goodness continues! This is one of those books wherein you have to remind yourself to stop and breath. You will not be granted the time to rest while reading this book. It always shifts from intense action sequence to tear-jerking moments, then back to intense action sequences, and so forth. Every single character has their own bleak and heartbreaking stories to tell. It was a complete roller-coaster ride of emotions.

“For Unwind, I’m willing to bet myself to be unwounded if someone I know will not like it.” [Reviewed here.]

4.Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
To My Dearest Battered Copy of Ender’s Game,

I’m really sorry if I threw you to the wall several times while reading you. It just so happens that you have one of the most mind-blowing twists ever. I couldn’t help it. I feel nauseous after you told me that, and I blacked out. I didn’t know what I am doing after that. The next thing I knew, you were lying there on the floor, battered. I’m afraid I’ve been a little bit of a sadist towards you. Forgive me.

Regretfully Yours,
Aaron Vincent

“Every scene in the battleroom will fill your hearts with desire and envy that you wish you can play in there too. This is not an exaggeration or whatever, I actually had a dream that I was playing inside the battleroom the night I am halfway through the book.” [Reviewed here.]

3. Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness [The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and The Answer]
This is I Am Cheating (Cause I Can) 2.0. I don’t even know where to start praising this awesome series. It’s breathtaking, mind-blowing, and poignant. It filled with characters you will sympathize with, villains to loath, and plots that will make you gasp. I didn’t dare to read the final book yet because Book #2 on this list left me with lots of wounds. I was afraid that if I read Monsters of Men, I’ll die(shut up!). What a wuss I am. I swear that when I muster all the courage I need, I’ll finish reading this series. Watch this space. I am.

“This is the king of kings, the Mick Jagger of YA Dystopia” [Reviewed here.]
“You will feel short out of breath as momentum increases and gravity pulls you down as you plunges down deep into the water. And as you try to swim towards the surface of the water you’ll discover that it was now suddenly covered with glass.” [Reviewed here.]

2. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
Haters gonna hate, but that won’t stop me from adoring this wonderful and satisfactory finale of Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games series. If only this list is based on the number of tears shed because of the book, this one’s right there at the top. That little episode in my room when I finished reading this at 4 in the morning, crying while 30 Seconds to Mars’ This is War album is playing on the background must be the weirdest episode in a life of a teenage boy you will ever see. This book left a permanent mark on me.

“I dare say, the odds have been in my favor.” [Reviewed here.]

And the Book of the Year is…

1. Paper Towns by John Green
As this very moment, I have 10 Filipino friends in Goodreads that’s either read this book or currently reading it. I’d love to think that I’m part of the reason for this status. John Green was never a big thing here in my country, and I may not have the capability to turn this land to a full-pledged Nerdfighteria, but I am extremely happy that I was able to spread the awesomeness. Paper Towns was an entertaining and a beautiful read. Everyone gets a miracle. My miracle was this: I came across this wonderful book and it changed me and my perspective.

“It made me laugh, cry, and at the same time it made me think and feel and feel infinite.” [Reviewed here.]

There you go, folks, my ten best reads for last year: 1 Gothic Fiction, 2 Fantasies, 6 Dystopia, and 1 Contemporary YA. These are the books that made my 2010 reading year extremely awesome. Now I can officially start a new reading year. I have a feeling this year is going to be as great as the last one.

Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull

My first venture to the magical world of Fablehaven was truly an unforgettable one. I just couldn’t stop raving about it to every bookish person I know. Truth be told, I read Harry Potter series because a number of critics and authors compared Fablehaven to it(and yes, I just read Harry Potter this year. Please, don’t kill me.) I wanted to prolong the pleasure in reading the entire Fablehaven series so I didn’t read the 2^nd book immediately after the 1^st one. I finally decided to revisit Fablehaven because I wanted to read something magical, just in time for the holiday season.

The Sorenson sibling are on their last days of the the school year, but for Kendra it isn’t as easy as she thought it would be. There’s suddenly a new guy in her class and every girl thinks that he’s uber hot. Kendra thought the joke’s on her because what she sees is a boy with hideous features, someone comparable to a goblin. She realized that it was indeed a goblin and of course, she’s the only one who can see it as she’s the only one who has the ability to see past through the magical veil that deceives the normal human eye, an ability she received from the fairies on her first visit to the Fablehaven.

Kendra, knowing that the goblin is up to something mischivous, seeked the help of her smart-mouthed, drastic younger brother, Seth. As she expected, Seth can offer nothing other than his sarcastic remarks. When a mysterious man named Errol shows up, offering his help to eliminate the goblin, they reluctantly accepts it. Kendra and Seth didn’t know that the eliminating the goblin is only the first in the chain of events that will lead them to spending another summer at Fablehaven. Another summer filled with magic, schemes, betrayals, and Seth messing up with the creatures mainly setting up a C-size battery-to-gold exchange business with the satyrs.

What I love the most about Fablehaven is how easy it is for Brandon Mull to break, crumble, and pound the wall that separates reality and fantasy. Before I know it, I was completely suckied into the land of Fablehaven filled with both colorful and sinister creatures. The rules he set on his fictional land are just wickedly cool. Fablehaven, a magical creatures preserv e, is certainly one of those fictional places – along  with Hogwarts, Camp-Half Blood, etc., –  that will make you wish that they really exists. Brandon Mull really do tests and expands the boundaries of the reader’s imagination.

Seth and Kendra is a very powerful tandem, too. I know we’ve already seen a lot of siblings whose hobby is to bicker in fiction, but Seth and Kendra by far is my favorite. They just compliment each other perfectly. Seth’s naughtiness and immaturity balances well Kendra’s goody good attitude, while Kendra’s doubts and uncertainties balances well Seth’s admirable, daredevilish bravery.

The plot are no less superb. It was a tad bit darker than the first one but definitely more engrossing. The solution to the whoddunit mystery going on isn’t a giveaway. We’re at the same pace on unveiling the culprit as the characters in the book, unlike other fantasy novels in which we’re always two-steps ahead. The surprises hidden on Brandon Mull’s sleeve is seemingly infinite and he just keeps pulling one until the very last page. This careful plotting of the mystery produced a solidly characterized culprit. The culprit was three-dimensional, and being a huge sucker for well-characterized ‘villains’, I am satisfied.

Fablehaven:  Rise of the Evening Star is another highly imaginatve book with the perfect balance of magic, sweetness, innocence, and danger. If you love watching Disney Pixar movies, then this book is for you. I love visiting the magical creatures preserve that is Fablehaven, and I’m already looking forward to my next one.

Rating: ★★★★★★

Other Reviews to Consider:
My Literary Quest| SciFiChic| BSC Reviews