Recent Reads (8.12.18)

I've realized that for someone who does as much reading as I do I sure don't talk about what I'm reading that often. I've also realized that as a writer, and English major, and a blogger, the fact that I have neglected to do this is entirely unacceptable. So let this post mark what I'm hoping will become a bit of a series where I'll share the books I'm reading or have recently finished and my opinions on them. 90% of my education is literary analysis, afterall.

The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

I don't usually read graphic novels, but the story concept of The Prince and the Dressmaker was far too interesting for my queer self to ignore. While it only took me about an hour to complete the whole book (speed reader club, anyone?), it felt whole and didn't leave me mopey about story length and depth of content. If there's one thing I hate, its a book that leave a little too much to be desired at the end. There's a certain level of 'leaving the reader wanting more' that I have respect for, but there are some books that leave just a little too much want at the end. This book felt complete. I wanted to read so much more into this story after I completed the book, but only because I am so in love with the whole thing. The characters, the plot, the twists, the art work, it was all impeccable.

This book feels like it's perfect for a massive age range. I have an 11 year old cousin who would absolutely love this (and being a fellow bookworm, I will absolutely be lending it to her). However I feel like I could loan this book to my equally bookworm-ish mother (an english major herself) and she'd eat it up. There's something to be said for a story that can do that. It's not so innocent and childlike that adults would find it campy, but it's not too intense for younger audiences. I applaud Wang for managing to find that perfect balance.

Then there's the whole story idea itself. I'm not going to bring in any plot points that you couldn't read on the inner flap, so don't worry about spoilers in this next part. I mentioned earlier that my queer self couldn't pass it up, and here's why I made that kind of comment. The Prince and the Dressmaker is a story about a friendship and kind of business partnership between 16 year old Prince Sebastian and a young seamstress named Frances. Sebastian is living the most fabulous double life I've ever had the pleasure of reading; by day he's a handsome prince whose parents are trying desperately to find a bride for, but by night he takes the world by storm as the fashionable Lady Crystallia. That's right, he spends his nights owning the fashion world in extravagant dresses made by the incredibly talented Frances, taking the whole world by storm. I'm always here for a story that demolishes the gender binary.

I'll leave you at that folks.

Replica by Lauren Oliver

This was a book I was excited to read, but left me wanting more than I'm usually okay with wanting. I mentioned earlier that I like to be left with a certain level of desire at the end of a book. I want to want more, but not because the story was lacking.

Replica is bit different than most books I've read. It's a two in one style novel, one side is Lyra's side of the story, and the other side is Gemma's. I loved the characters, and I loved seeing two sides of two intersecting stories. However it felt like it stopped in the middle of it all. There were too many unresolved aspects for my taste. There is a sequel, laid out in the same dual fashion, and I understand that when you're writing a series it means you're splitting the whole story up over multiple books. However, I feel like there's a certain level of resolve you need to have within each book- even if it is a series. The Hunger Games, for example (the books, not the movies people): Suzanne Collins did us right with those books. The first in the series could stand on its own. You didn't have to read Catching Fire to know how The Hunger Games ended. It continued the story, but it didn't finish it. Can you see what I mean? Then Catching Fire left us with a bit of a cliff hanger at the end, in a sense. However the story was mostly resolved by that point.

When it comes to a series, each book is it's own story within the overarching story that is the series. With Replica, it felt like the story was incomplete. I thought that with two perspectives I was going to get more content, but I feel like I got far less than I do with most single perspective books. It was interesting, I will say. I liked the duality. What story I did get was rich with detail by the time I had read both sides, it had answered a few minor questions regarding what happened to who. There was almost no resolution, though. It was upsetting, I really enjoyed the story and I wanted to see how most of it ended. Lauren Oliver is more than capable of this when writing series. I read her book Delirium a few years back, and while I never read the rest of the series (books cost money and I'm broke) I still felt like I got a whole story. I just didn't get that with this book, unfortunately.

All in all, both books had serious potential, but it felt like only one delivered. Let me know if you all like posts like these, and if there are any books you think I just have to read (maybe I'll write some opinion pieces on them!)