Review: ON THE ISLAND by Tracey Garvis Graves

A horny teenager and a woman whose biological clock is ticking are stranded on a deserted tropical island. Nature takes its course.

When I first heard about On the Island at A Buckeye Girl Reads, Colette described it as the type of book that makes you forget to sleep and eat until you finish it, and she was absolutely right. As soon as I started On the Island, I was completely sucked into TJ and Anna's story. I stayed up until 6 a.m. for two nights reading it, which hardly ever happens to me anymore. It is definitely unputdownable!

That being said, I'm not going stand (or sit, as the case may be) here and tell you On the Island is super-deep and meaningful, or that the writing is great. It's pretty shallow--there's not a lot of thought going on here, and most of what there is seems devoted to hygiene--and I found the interactions between the main characters to be a bit unrealistic. If you were trapped on a island with only one other person, wouldn't they start to annoy you after a few hours days weeks months years? Especially when they offer such scintillating conversational gambits as, "Oh," "Yeah," and, "That's [insert mild adjective here]." Also, it seems like TJ and Anna say each others' names a lot for no reason. Like, "Do you want some breadfruit, Anna?" "Thank you, TJ." "I know you like it, the only other person who lives on this island so who else could I possibly be talking to." After reading some of this dialog I was ready to hit both of them in the head with a coconut. Yet they only fight twice on the island, about things like, "Hey, don't go in the water while there's a shark there." You'd think there'd be at least one instance of, "If you don't stop making that whistling sound with your teeth, I am going to scream my bloody head off!"

As for the characters, I loved TJ. He really grows into a man during the course of the novel, what with catching fish, starting the fire, and building a fort house. Meanwhile, Anna washes clothes, cooks, and watches TJ watching her while he does manly things. Could these tasks be any more divided along gender lines??? Anna also has the personality of a Brawny paper towel mother. Oh, you spilled juice on the counter? That's okay, baby! Oh, you were smelling my underwear? No problem, you funny teenager, you! And if you need to punch a tree so hard you break your hand, I am not going to criticize you for it, sweetie. To quote Anachronist from Books as Portable Pieces of Thought:

No. Just no.

STILL. I'm not one to differentiate books per season, but if there's any such thing as a perfect summer read, I think On the Island would be it. I gasped aloud several times (especially during the rat scene), honestly did not know--though I hoped--TJ and Anna would wind up together, and the conclusion was really sweet and satisfying. If you want a book that will grab you from the first page and have you saying to yourself, "One more chapter... One more chapter..." until the end, On the Island is your book.

This review is based on an eGalley provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley.

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TSS: Two Sides to the Same Story

It's Sunday! How did that happen again? And this Sunday the Olympics finally closes! I don't know if it's because I'm from Colorado or not, but I have a hard time getting into the summer Olympics to the same level I do the winter Olympics (except for BMX racing, that's awesome). In any case, I was planning on writing a post about spoilers, but then I realized: I really don't care about spoilers AT ALL. So instead let's talk about The Book That Must Not Be Named. Yes, it will probably be difficult to talk about it when we can't name it, but I'm game for trying.



There have been great posts about TBTMNBN--all right, yes, it's Fifty Shades of Grey--recently from Jenn at Picky Girl and Jane at Dear Author. Both posts try to explain the popularity of Fifty Shades, which is indeed curious. I think at some point a really popular book expands beyond its audience and pretty soon everyone feels like they have to read it, whether they have any initial interest in it or not. The same thing happened with The Da Vinci Code, Harry Potter, and Fifty Shades' progenitor, Twilight.

The more I think on it, the more I believe Twilight may be one of the defining American novels of our generation, which is really odd. I truly enjoy Twilight and its various sequels, and I don't think Meyer is a bad writer; but would I say Twilight is generation-defining material? Mrm, no. Yet when I look at all the things that have sprung up out of Twilight in the last few years--not just the movies, but tourism to Forks, obsession with RPatt, the popularity of paranormal romance in numerous literary genres, as well as on TV; and several, highly derivative spin-offs, one of which is now among the best-selling books of all time--it seems like Twilight hasn't just started its own industry but its own school.

The most interesting thing to me about Fifty Shades--actually the only interesting thing--is how the series is so obviously based on Twilight, yet at the same time is almost anti-Twilight. Twilight is romantic, in the literary sense of the word. As I argued in my post about New Moon (review here), the series is about Bella following her dreams and remaining true to herself. It emphasizes her isolation, both emotionally and physically, and her struggle to find her place in the world.

Nearly the exact opposite can be said of Fifty Shades. One of the things that really perturbed me while reading it was that it seemed to almost be mocking Twilight; or if not mocking it, taking the story and twisting it into something that, from a philosophical standpoint, was contradictory to everything in the original text. Ana is compelled to do things she doesn't want to do, to suppress her emotions, and both she and Christian subvert their ideals to physical reality (i.e. their physical desire for one another)--as opposed to creating their reality out of their ideals and an emotional and intellectual connection, which was underscored in the relationship between Edward and Bella.

This is true of other elements in the books, too, not just the romance. Take, for example, José in Fifty Shades versus Jacob in Twilight. One is an "ethnic friend," the other is a noble savage straight out of Rousseau.

Fifty Shades and Twilight are like two sides to the same coin--one is about romanticism and idealism, the other is about repressed emotions and physicality. Because of that I would theorize people who like one wouldn't like the other, despite the fact that they have nearly identical plots. So, informal poll: if you have read the books, do you like both of them or just one? Or neither?

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Guest Post by SIBELLE STONE

Today I'm happy to be hosting Sibelle Stone, who also writes under the name Deborah Schneider. In her latest novel, Whistle Down the Wind, a 17th-century witch travels from England to Virginia. I asked Sibelle to tell us a little about the historical facts that inspired her book.

I’m delighted to be here to talk about writing romance and history—several of my favorite subjects. Thank you, Tasha, for the kind invitation.

When people ask me why I choose to write historical romance instead of contemporary, the answer is usually simple. As a former American History teacher, with a degree in Secondary Education Social Studies, I’ve long been drawn to the stories of people, places and events that helped to shape this country. My favorite time periods are from the Colonial era to just after the American Civil War. They are years that shaped our nation, helped the United States forge a world identity, and were filled with leaders like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Abraham Lincoln, (prior to his re-invention as a vampire slayer).

But, as much as I love writing stories set in America, the sad truth is that these are not the books that traditional publishers want to buy. When I shopped my recent release, “Whistle Down the Wind” around to agents and editors, I was told repeatedly that “colonial” stories and witches in America would not sell.

It was suggested several times that I reconsider my destination setting. If the couple had to sail off someplace, “why not make it Scotland?” But, in my heart I knew what needed to happen in the story, how long Catlin and Griffin needed to be on board ship, and that Jamestown, Virginia as a setting was important.

I had put this book away, sad that I’d never have the opportunity to write about Catlin’s sisters, all elemental witches just like her. I had such wonderful plans for those sisters, and incredible heroes for them to meet and fall in love with. But, you can’t fight the trends.

Or can you? When I successfully released a backlist title as an eBook last fall, it was just to learn about the process of digital publishing. I was pleasantly surprised when I starting seeing statements from distributers that showed the books was selling. Then it hit the Amazon Top 100 Westerns list, and stayed there for several months.

When I attended the Romantic Times Book Lovers Convention in April, I had the opportunity to listen to panel after panel of “Indie Publishing” experts. I was sold, and came home, dusted off that manuscript, revised it and sent it to my editor.

I’m pleased that I have been able to release a book I loved writing for other people to read. That’s the purpose of becoming a writer, to share your world, your characters and your story. I can honestly say that Indie publishing has been an exciting venture for me. But, it isn’t for everyone. You must enjoy the business side of writing as much as the creative side.

But for those who love adventure, it could be an interesting journey.

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Review: RADIANT SHADOWS by Melissa Marr

Devlin is the faerie High Court assassin. He has only ever disobeyed his queen once: when he spared the life of a halfling named Ani. Now Ani is all grown up, and Devlin likes what he sees. Boom chicka wow-wow!

I have to be honest here and say I really didn't like Radiant Shadows. At all. Actually, I couldn't even finish it--I got about halfway through and decided life was too short to waste on this book.

My main problem with Radiant Shadows is that it seems like a novella artificially stretched out into a novel. There simply is not enough material here for a full novel. The conversations run in pointless circles that lead nowhere, and events and information are very repetitive. How many times do I need to be told Ani's been threatened and is completely capable of killing? Or that Devlin saved her life? Once is enough, thanks.

In addition, there are a lot of continuity issues, and things happen randomly with no explanation. In one scene, Ani asks her brother to make dessert, then calls Irial to tell him she's making dinner. Then she asks him to come over a protect her from Bananach and immediately packs a bag and leaves the house. Um, wut? I have no idea what Rae, Devlin's dead mortal friend who can walk in people's dreams, has to do with anything in this story, or why she's in this novel; and ditto with Ani's steed, which just appears with no explanation. You're not going to wonder where that came from, Ani?

The strength of Melissa Marr's novels are that she takes the tropes of a typical YA romance and really thinks about how they would apply to her characters, twisting the story in unexpected ways--that's what I loved about both Wicked Lovely (review here) and Ink Exchange (review here). I didn't get any sense of characters or thought in Radiant Shadows, though. It felt like Marr was making the novel up as she went along.

To me Radiant Shadows was nothing but filler in between Fragile Eternity (review here) and Darkest Mercy. Not that anything I say is going to stop a fan of the series from reading it--nor should it, since you probably don't want to be lost when you start the final book in the series--but personally I was pretty disappointed.

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Review: BITING COLD by Chloe Neill

<<This review may does contain some spoilers, especially for the previous books in the Chicagoland Vampires books.>>

Merit--a grad student in English lit who was turned into a vampire against her will and now wields a katana--and Ethan, her sexy and doubly-undead sire, are on the trail of the Maleficium, an evil book of evilness whose powers Merit's former bestie wants to unleash on the world. But Malory isn't the only person who wants to use the Maleficium; so does former Chicago mayor and crazy person Seth Tate. But for what?

The only reason I wanted to read Biting Cold after Drink Deep (review here) was because I wanted to find out if Ethan was a zombie. I was totally rooting for Zombie Ethan. Unfortunately, he's NOT a zombie. WTF? Total wasted opportunity there. I'm still watching him though. You never know.



Now that we have that linchpin issue out of the way, let's move on the actual book. Overall, Biting Cold is actually better than Chloe Neill's last few books in the Chicagoland Vampires series. The beginning, where Ethan and Merit are traveling together to Nebraska, is pretty strong--Merit and Ethan have great chemistry, and Neill really sucks you straight into the story. That being said, even in this part of the book, there are so many things that are just too convenient for belief. Why are Tate and Mallory waiting until after sunset to look for the Maleficium? Considering Merit and Ethan are dead to the world (har har) during the day, wouldn't it make more tactical sense to try to take the Maleficium while they're asleep? And why does Tate announce to them that he's going for the book--just so they have more time to prepare for fighting two sups instead of one? Awfully nice of him.

Also, giant gumby gnomes? Really cheesy.

Then they go BACK to Chicago, and it's kind of like in Pirates of the Caribbean when the pirates go back to the island and you're like, "Uhg, really? You couldn't have just wrapped up this movie the first time you were on the island?" It feels liked the story takes a gigantic step backward, and as if my time has just been completely wasted. Why didn't Ethan and Merit stay in Chicago and phone the fight in? It would have ended exactly the same way if they had.

As I said, Biting Cold is better than the previous two books in the Chicagoland Vampires series--the food mentions are kept under control, there's more of a plot, and the conversations don't run in circles--but I think this might be my last read in the series. It seems as if there is absolutely no character consistency anymore, and they do whatever is convenient for story. As a result, I don't really care what happens to them (except for Morgan, of course). Oh well.

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TSS: Story vs Writing

Good very early morning, Sunday Saloners. This last week I've read several books that have really great stories, but there are things about the writing style that just didn't work. Maybe it was more like ALL of the writing style didn't work. And it makes me wonder, are these two things--story and writing--mutually exclusive? Have I ever read a novel that tells a story in a completely gripping way AND has a fabulous writing style? Or am I just a sucker for bad books?

Hmm, I don't know. Maybe Harry Potter? I think writing style is one of those things that I tend to take for granted. When it's good, I accept it as part of the book and pay attention to other things. Whereas if it's bad, it's like a sore tooth: I can't ignore it. That's why I don't generally discuss writing style on this here blog.

Honestly, I'll take a good story over "good writing"--whatever that means--any day, but the two should work in tandem, no? If a writer tells a story in a way that keeps me reading and reading and reading, isn't that part of being a good writer?


Would you rather have a good story or good writing? And have you ever read a book with a great writing and a great story?

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Review: SPELL BOUND by Rachel Hawkins

The last book in the Hex Hall trilogy starts pretty much where Demonglass (review here) left off: Sophie coming out of the Itineris in search of her mom and the Brannicks, a group of Amazonian-esque redheads who want to destroy people like Sophie--i.e., demons, witches, werewolves, fairies, etc. With her best friend, dad, fiance, and boyfriend all possibly dead, Sophie has to figure out a way to stop the Casnoffs from turning the rest of her high school into a demon army.

That plot sounds like bit of a potboiler, doesn't it? Actually, Spell Bound is a very light, fun read with a lot of humor. I think it's a successful conclusion to the Hex Hall series, although not as good as Demonglass. Sophie is always quick with the one-liners, and that gives Spell Bound some much-needed humor (my personal favorite was, "Jackass, jackass on the wall, where's the info on Hex Hall?").

That being said, it doesn't feel like a lot goes on in Spell Bound. For most of the book Sophie is recovering from her adventures in Demonglass and trying to figure out how to defeat the Casnoffs. There is a lot of build-up to the final battle, but the solution feels too easy and pat. I also have issues with the events that happened in the last fifty pages--again, it was all just too convenient. There wasn't really a sense of emotional resonance at the conclusion of the series that I would have liked.

Overall, though, I think Hex Hall has been a pretty successful YA trilogy. I had some doubts when I read the first book (review here), and there are things in the plot that are very cheesy and predictable; but Rachel Hawkins manages to pull it off with great writing that makes the novels fun and enjoyable.

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