Top Ten Tuesday: Character Driven Novels

Hosted By: The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish, where we list our top ten according to a topic of the week. Check out future topics here.


Top Ten Reads for Readers Who Like Character Driven Novels

1. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
A touching story about an 11 year old boy who loses his father in 9/11 and must find his own way to deal with his grief. I absolutely loved this and would recommend it even if you didn't like character driven novels.

2. Matilda by Roald Dahl
This is a pretty obvious choice but it's such an amazing story that deserves a shout-out anytime.

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
There's a reason why the novel is named after the character - Jane Eyre is probably the original "bad-ass" heroine, in her own way, and I loved her journey from child to adulthood.

4. This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff
Not entirely fiction, Tobias Wolff relays his childhood in this memoir, delivering a passionate and haunting tale.

5. The White Queen (The Cousins War #1) by Philippa Gregory
Elizabeth Woodville is the star of this historical novel, and by far my favourite female character of all time!

6. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Whilst I've noticed that everyone had Eleanor and Park, I felt like I really connected with Cath in this more and her progression was engaging and relatable.

7. Wonder by R. J Palacio
This was both sad and awe-inspiring.

8. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
You get two for the price of one in this, and it depends on whether you want to choose or love both the female characters.

9. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by David Levithan and John Green
Surprisingly, I feel like the character that really delivered this story was a side character by the name of Tiny. He is the epitome of positivity and kindness.

10. Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas
Ok, this series is hands down one of the best ongoing series right now and I'm sneaking it in because I think everyone needs to read it. Now!

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Masquerade - Kylie Fornasier

Title: Masquerade
Author: Kylie Fornasier
Publication Date: July 23rd, 2014
Disclaimer: I won this copy in a Giveaway hosted by Happy Indulgence
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The glamorous lives of the elite in Venice 1750 reaches a scandalous point during the Carnevale that Orelia arrives. Along with 6 other teenagers, Orelia is swept away by the desirable yet, secretive lifestyle that threatens to expose their vulnerabilities and bring them down forever.

Review

I'm glad I held out on reviewing this until I had time to really think about it. Masquerade carries a different tone to the usual Young Adult novels of glitz and glam, and romance. It's written as a novel but sectioned into Acts like a play. As every Act takes place, it progressively grows more suspenseful building into a climax before the final scene. Both the set up of the novel and the language really reflects the period of the novel and the characters within. I actually found that to be quite creative. It also meant I was immersed in the story a lot more and I found it to be really easy to read.

The story itself wasn't anything spectacular. It's a mix between Gossip Girl-esque and the movie Cruel Intentions (and every other adaption plus the original that it was adapted from). What makes it similar to the well known TV show is the groups dynamics and the social hierarchy played out. It wasn't as entertaining as the TV show, nor did I grow to like any of the characters properly but the bare bones of it was there. I hope mentioning the movie Cruel Intentions isn't a spoiler, but it's not that the plot is identical to the movie but rather it has certain elements that are alike. I didn't particularly like that addition to the story but it helped move along the story and the relationship progress so I guess it was okay.

Both the story and the characters were quite shallow, skimming the surface and being just purely entertaining. There were definitely moments of predictability and just cheesiness. The ending was quite shocking and I was so confused as to why it occurred. Thinking about it now though, I can sir tot understand the underlying message, but I also think it worked to mirror most of Shakespeare's tragedies. I finished the book and was left thinking "did I really waste my time reading this", because I felt like there literally was no point in the end. Yet, I do have to see it as another writing technique aimed to have the novel work as play overall (at least I hope so).

Masquerade had its good and bad, but generally it was entertaining; perfect for when you're in a reading slump or just want something light and easy to read.

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Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) - Sarah J. Maas

Title: Heir of Fire
Series: Throne of Glass #3
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: September 2nd, 2014
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Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien's only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Ardalan's Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Calaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King's Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan's biggest threat - and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

Review

I knew there was a reason I kept persevering with this series, and now I have found it. I wasn't a massive fan of the first two novels - Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight - though the last of of CoM did persuade me to stick it out. Heir of Fire is, by far, the best of the three. 

The size of Heir of Fire is definitely an indication to how much takes place in this part of the series. The story is set over a number of different places and narrated by various characters, both old and new. I actually really liked how it played out and Maas did it so effortlessly that I wasn't left confused or annoyed at the different jumps. The new characters were actually really interesting and I enjoyed the depth and complexity they added to the plot. Out of the four new main characters though, only two really grabbed my interest and I wasn't too sure what purpose the third one really had in this story. More on that in my discussion part! You also get to know a lot more about Celanea and her past, which I found fascinating.

There was a lot more suspense and action, paced perfectly so I flew right through it. It felt like the series was coming together and had more of a direction, instead of flitting between romance and fantasy. Heir of Fire is definitely my favourite of three that have been released and if you think the first two was meh, just keep preserving because I did and am so glad that I have!

Discussion

(SPOILERS BELOW)
This was definitely one hell of a ride. I loved how the story progressed, slow to start but hitting the action just as quick. It really reflected Celaena's thought process, being sluggish and unmotivated only to have her ass picked up once she met Rowan and travelled to Mistward. Speaking of Rowan, I absolutely fell in love with him. I'm not sure why but the whole badass warrior image is pretty compelling, but there's still a vulnerability about him that it's too hard to really hate him. Contrary to what people think, I don't see his and Celaena's relationship as romantic but more like comrades. They gave each other something positive and really helped heal each other. It was such an inspiring platonic relationship and I loved that they could share a bed but not in a sexual way. I'm just sad that Celaena wants to separate with Rowan at the end, after having him swear an oath to here. Like come on! Hopefully there'll be more Rowan in the next book. 

Manon was a great character as well, edgy and exciting. Whilst I did like seeing the more human side of her, I really did prefer her as the cold and calculative killer she is. The same can't be said for Sorscha who I found did really have a purpose besides being a new romance interest for Dorian and the final push for him to stand up against his father. I couldn't care less about their scenes, and I was slightly annoyed cause I've always been a Dorian and Celaena shipper. Which is why I liked this book more than the others because I didn't have to read about Chaol and Celaena so often. I'm not even going to talk about Chaol because he annoyed me from Crown of Midnight and it translated into Heir of Fire as well.

Maas does an epic job in broadening the world and strengthening the use of magic with the addition of witches and Fae people. The expansion of the world really opened up to the different possibilities and  I could really envision the different settings. It also made sense because of the wakening of magic, which basically means the wakening of the entire world and every other element. 

My favourite perspectives to read from were probably Manon's because I liked the whole different side of things, and Celaena's just to see her character development and rebuilding herself. I am so excited to see her unleash her magical powers and burn everybody down (how insane am I?). The training process for Celaena really has me super, super excited! The entire book was written so perfectly I really can't get over it. I don't even think that this review has made any sense, but seriously I could not get over it. The final moment when she accepts her own self and her role really has me excited for the next sequel and cannot wait to see how far the battle will go! The same can't be said for Dorian though, who's now under his dad's control and I am freaking out because I do not want anything bad to happen to him. Praying he can survive this. 

Let me know what you thought about this because seriously this entire thing was insane!

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September Wrap Up

On The Blog

I'm pretty sure you guys have noticed but I've been absent for most part of September on my blog. I have written two posts about it, and my "Talking Personal" post definitely details it more. Still, I did manage to cover a few reviews and actually wrote a post about fashion, which is way out of my comfort zone. 

Check out my favourite WAGs on the Brownlow Blue Carpet, along with those that raised my eyebrows - not in a good way.

Posts For Thought

• The Book Addict narrows down the best Male POV novels in different genres for your reference
• I love organising, and Kory Woodard's article on "5 Reasons Why You Need An Editorial Calendar" really caught my attention in how to manage my time. 
• While you're at it, why not check out her "Productivity While Working From Home" as well.
• The Literary Oracle speaks up on what every YA reader is probably thinking - "Over-Used Features in the YA World" - and it's definitely something I agree on.

Reading Time

September was a pretty bad month for me, at least for the first half. I fell into a reading slump and barely made it through 3 books after two weeks. Still, I picked things up and managed to read 6 books altogether!

Favourites

Reviews

        

How did September go for you?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Hard To Read Books

Hosted By: The Broke and The Bookish

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and The Bookish, where we list our top ten according to a topic of the week. I'm actually not participating in this weekly, only because I know that for some of the topics I really can't come up with a list of ten. For future topics though, check them out here.

Top Ten Books I Found Hard To Read

1. A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire #1) by George R. R Martin 

2. The Hobbit by J R. R Tolkein 

These two were more because they were dense and required a lot more concentration. I'm not a massive fantasy reader so it really did take some time to get use to. 

3. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

I had some expectations for this because I really liked the movie, but I found the novel to be a bit slow.

4. Dead Lovely by Helen Fitzgerald 

This started off really well but all of a sudden it changed pace and the plot twist was absolutely ridiculous and freaky. I was so creeped out by the end and I literally kept asking "what is going on?"

5. Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L James 

Two things - 1) the content (which has forever scarred me) and 2) the writing; I could not stop laughing at it.

6. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

I found this dry and bit of a bore after awhile, but it's more because I couldn't connect with the meaning of the story and the characters.

7. Broken by Shy Keenan

This is an exceptional true story of child abuse but it's contents really made me uncomfortable. 

8. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

The first half was a drag, I really had to push through to get to the second half. I feel like I'm the only person who found this hard to read though. 

9. Passion by Lauren Kate

10. Burial by Neil Cross 

Both of these are actually DNFs with the first just being utterly cheesy and the second really, really disturbing.

What's Your Top Ten?

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