The ratings will also be out of ten rather than five stars, so I can be a little more exact.
Update 9-27-14: Introducing The ScoreCard
The ratings will also be out of ten rather than five stars, so I can be a little more exact.
Book Review: In The End by Demitria Lunetta
For those who don’t know, I thought very highly of the first book in this apparent duo of novels, In The After. In fact, I still stand by the fact that it is one of the best apocalypse stories I’ve ever read, even if the second half was slightly generic. When the sequel In The End was announced, I was hyped. I was really ecstatic to learn how everything would tie together in the end (hehe, that’s a terrible yet unavoidable pun by this point). Once the book was downloaded I ditched whatever book I was reading at the time and completed In The End in around two days, despite my schoolwork. So, how does it hold up in the end (I need to stop…)? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review In The End, the sequel to In The After. Keep in mind that I will be spoiling some major events and discoveries within the first book to talk about this one, so if you want to read the series please do not proceed. If you’ve already read the book or just don’t care, please continue.
Summary of In The After/The Setup:
For those who don’t remember, In The After is a book that takes place after the apocalypse caused by “Them”, creatures with a craving for human flesh. Our main character is Amy, a teenager whose parents were safety and environmental freaks. Due to this, her house is run by solar electricity, has a powerful electric fence, and well water. Once everything went to hell, she was able to survive thanks to these commodities. She inhabits her house for three years. During that time period finds a young child she names “Baby”, and the two form a strong sisterly bond with each other. Then, due to unforeseen circumstances, their house gets overrun by a gang, and then they’re picked up by a society called “New Hope”. New Hope is, well, exactly what its title suggests: offering humanity a new hope in the aftermath (sorry) of the apocalypse. There, Amy finds her mother, but then uncovers the truth about the origins of “Them”: They are actually called “Florae”, and are humans infected with a deadly virus. So basically, it’s a zombie apocalypse. And her mother was the developer of that virus. The discovery of this information puts Amy in a lot of trouble, and is quarantined in “The Ward” by Dr. Reynolds, the lead researcher of New Hope. Amy eventually escapes thanks to the help of her guardian friends, and the book ends with Amy heading to Fort Black, another citadel for humans. In The End takes place around a month or so afterwards, with Amy avoiding Fort Black. The plot takes off when her friend manages to communicate, saying that Baby was in danger and the only way to free her was to find her friend’s brother in Fort Black. The story takes off from there.
The Characters:
The characters in this book are pretty much the same as the previous book, though there are quite a few new additions. Amy is still as fantastic as ever, and there was never a moment where I wasn’t routing for her. The new characters are not as memorable, but there were a few standouts. Firstly, Jacks, the new love interest. I did think it was slightly unnecessary for a second love interest to exist within these books, especially considering how much I despise love triangles, but I did like the relationship between Jacks and Amy much more than that of Amy and Rice, probably because the former had a lot more time to develop. Needless to say, though, he was fairly generic except for his tragic backstory, which was well integrated into the story. Then there’s Brenna, who is pure awesomeness; unfortunately, I can’t say much about her without spoiling anything, but let’s just say that she’s a vital asset to the story and on top of that is the most enjoyable character in the entire series. Everyone else was fairly generic; there’s the corrupt leader of Fort Black, and there are the dangerous inhabitants of Fort Black. That’s kind of it, except for one person: Doc. Doc is one of the only characters I’ve seen whom I pitied yet wanted to die at the same time, with the only other character I can think of being the character William H. Macy played in Fargo (which, by the way, is a phenomenal movie that you should watch at some point). In other words, he committed some terrible crimes, yet he was so pathetic and desperate that I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him, which is a feat by itself. It’s a weird combination, but a great one, and I’m glad this book was able to make it work.
The Story:
I can’t find much to fault the story for except for one aspect that continually bugged me. The pacing was great; the book was fast paced enough so that it wasn’t boring but wasn’t too fast, allowing me to actually comprehend what was going on. I also give the story props for having me guess at what was going to happen multiple times, and for steering away from clichés…for the most part. This one aspect that bothered me was this character who lived in Fort Black. Basically, he’s a psychopath who enjoys killing teenaged girls for whatever reason (power over the weak, misogyny, take your pick). Granted, Fort Black used to be a prison (a prison for particularly deadly criminals at that), so I guess it shouldn’t be a surprise that a character like him exists, but…was he truly necessary? Fort Black is scary enough as it is, with its desperate citizens and anarchy. Oh, and if Fort Black is breached in any way, the Floare, the most savage and thoughtless threat to humanity, will eat everyone! Let’s also not forget that Baby is in danger, due to being experimented on by Dr. Reynolds, and the fact that humanity is on the verge of extinction! Is a psychopath intent on murdering Amy really needed when these other more interesting plot points completely overshadow it? All it boils down to is a complete cliché and a total waste of time. Well, except for one plot point which I won’t spoil, but let’s just say that it felt completely unnecessary too, like the book was trying too hard to make you hate the guy on top of the fact that he’s a blood hungry psychopath. Oh sure, let’s just make it personal, it’s not like we have any reason to despise this dude! I don’t even remember his name, that’s how unoriginal he is! Now, I’m not saying that people like him don’t exist, because sadly I’m sure they do, but this character just felt tacked on to try and add more tension to a story that was already tense and suspenseful without him. He could’ve been cut from the book entirely and it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Finally, there’s the ending. What happens in the end of In The End? Well…let’s just say it’s not the most satisfying. It kind of just ends. Sure, there’s the promise of a better future, but that’s all the book leaves you with. There’s not even an epilogue to make up for it. Thanks.
The Writing Style/Grammatical Errors:
The writing style and grammatical errors are the same as the last book; close to perfect. Nothing much has changed in this section.
Final Judgment:
So, while it had its faults, I still highly recommend In The End. In some ways, it improved upon the first book, and in others it fell slightly short. It’s definitely an entertaining book, and should be able to satisfy your need for a good apocalypse novel. I give In The End a 3.5 out of 5, with an overall score of the series being a 3.75 out of 5 and a recommendation to read it. But, like always, it is up to you to decide your own opinions.
ScoreCard (note: because this is a review of the sequel, this scorecard represents the scores of In The End):
ScoreCard (note: because this is a review of the sequel, this scorecard represents the scores of In The End):
There are no further recommendations due to this being a sequel. The same recommendations from the first book apply.
The next review will be on an action anime. Here’s the hint: RAGE!
See you then!
Update 9-18-14: Horror Month 2014
Hello, and wow has it been a while since I've given you guys an update! Sorry about that, I've had a lot of schoolwork and I've barely had any time to do anything extraneous, so bear with me. Anyway, it's going to be October soon! Heck yeah, time to be scared and get free candy for no reason! Halloween is one of my favorite holidays ever, and this year I'm going to celebrate it by reviewing 4 pieces of horror fiction! And no, before any of you ask, I will not review Higurashi. I'm too scared of that show.
Here are the planned reviews:
October 5th: (the entire series)
October 11th:
October 18th:
October 25th:
Anime Review: My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU
The Setup:
SNAFU takes place in, where else, a high school. It follows a student named Hachiman Hikigaya, an outcast who absolutely revels in the fact. One day, his teacher has had enough of his friendlessness and forces him to join the Service Club. The club’s only member is the beautiful ice queen Yukino, and her job is to help students solve their problems. Eventually, the kindhearted Yui joins them, and the three Service Club members help out their fellow classmates with social issues. First impression: generic. Yeah, there’s nothing really all that special about this premise. In fact, here’s a game: name a high school anime that’s not a harem that doesn’t involve joining some sort of club. So, my first impressions weren’t the greatest, but they could’ve been worse.
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| The anime follows the Service Club as they go around helping students |
The Characters:
For this section, I’m going to do something a little different this time around and talk about the main character last. With that in mind, let’s talk about the side characters. They’re not all that original, but not really bad by any stretch. Yukino and Yui do their jobs. Yukino is practically the female counterpart of Hachiman, being cold, distant, and unwilling to make friends. Though, her snark and sarcasm is probably the reasoning for that, making for some pretty hilarious comedy. Yui is the typical “nice girl” archetype; not to say that she’s not likable, but I feel like I’ve seen her character ten million times before. I will say that she’s probably one of the better ones I’ve seen, and I do like the dilemma she goes through in the first arch of the show, so kudos to that. I literally don’t remember the names of anyone else, but this is a strange case where I wonder whether or not it was intentional. This leads us to the discussion of the main character, Hachiman Hikigaya. He is my favorite anime character of all time, even more so than Edward Elric or Kurisu Makise. I found him to be truly fascinating and relatable, with his pessimistic monologues concerning high school life and his ideologies towards human interactions. He’s also someone who’s brutally honest, because he doesn’t believe sugarcoating someone’s problem will get him or her anywhere. He’s almost like a psychologist, noticing all the clichés in life and how everything seems to be run by a system. There’s a lot more to him than I’m mentioning here, but his state of mind is so relatable and makes so much sense despite its pessimism that I just can’t help but name him as my favorite character period. This is why I think the clichéd nature of the characters works in the show’s favor; it’s all to prove Hachiman’s points towards how he thinks of high school. Regardless, while that is a creative twist, the characters are average. Click here for a character analysis and better explanation of why I like him so much (with spoilers) of Hachiman Hikigaya.
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| From left to right: Hachiman, Yui, Yukino |
The Story:
Being a school anime, there isn’t so much of a plot as much as there is a premise that the show builds off of in various ways. As I mentioned before, the story follows Hachiman, Yui, and Yukino as they help the other students with their problems. The anime is split into arcs, with each arc focusing on one student, person, or group of people. This leads to a lot of various themes and ideas concerning communities and the internal motivations of others, which I found to be very interesting. Also, for a show called My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU, there isn’t all that much comedy orromance in this show! Granted, I have yet to read the light novels and a second season has been announced, so I could be proven wrong, but this season doesn’t. Sure, the exchanges between Hachiman and Yukino are pretty funny at times, but the show focuses a lot more on human drama. This focus on drama and not on the romance also eliminates the melodrama that seems to hover over every single school anime coming out nowadays, which was refreshing. The drama can also be rather harsh. As mentioned earlier, Hachiman doesn’t like to sugarcoat anything, so whenever he’s trying to help a student he can be almost unbearably brutal to them, even if it is for the best. This does make for some uncomfortable scenes, but at the same time, I applaud the anime for it, especially since I haven’t really seen an anime tackle any of the issues within SNAFU before.
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| The story is split into arcs, each focusing on the problems of a different person |
The Animation/Sound:
I will summarily abridge this section by saying that everything within this section is painfully average, which is disappointing considering the production company behind this. I mean, come on Brain’s Base, you can do better than this! The animation, while it has some nice designs, isn’t really that good and looks kind of plain. The only character design that felt new was Hachiman’s, whose “fish-eyes” stole the show every time he was on screen. The soundtrack is also nothing to write home about, but the opening is pretty good, so check that out. There is no English dub (thankfully, because I dislike Sentai Filmworks dubs), and the Japanese dub is average except for Hachiman (jeez, it’s becoming a theme), whose voice actor nailed him to a T.
Opening:
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| Animation is average, and so is sound |
Final Judgment:
So, after all this, is SNAFU generic or is it groundbreaking? I’d say both, in a strange way. It provides an experience by including clichés to further its themes, but the clichés are still there. The characters are pretty generic, but likable, and Hachiman is my favorite character of all time. This is where this review will get slightly biased. I related a lot to this anime, especially Hachiman. It is almost scary how these situations resemble parts of my life, whether they’re good or bad. The entire point of SNAFU is to show that humans are essentially, well, human; we repeat ourselves, we’re not perfect no matter how much we try to prove ourselves wrong, we are, in actuality, a cliché. So, in the end, this makes SNAFU a favorite of mine. It’s definitely not perfect, and I can see why someone would dislike it, but I have a personal attachment to this show that I don’t think can be replicated. I give My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU a 3.75 out of 5. A lot of people might think that I inflated this score, but let me assure you that you have to watch this show at some point. It’s clichéd, yet knows what it’s talking about and exactly how to execute it. Well, like always, it’s up to you to decide your own opinions.
ScoreCard:
ScoreCard:
Further Recommendations:
Anohana: That Flower We Saw That Day
While slightly emotionally manipulative, that doesn’t change the fact that this anime is a fantastic drama that deals with similar themes as SNAFU, even if it’s a little more optimistic in its pursuit.
Barakamon
Yes, I know that this anime hasn’t finished airing yet, but Barakamon, while more light-hearted, is a lot more serious about its ideas and messages than most slice-of-life anime, and is executed brilliantly.
The next review will be on In The End, the sequel to In The After. See you then!
Book Review: Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie
I haven’t really reviewed any historical fiction books on this blog, have I? Well, news flash: historical fiction and biographies are actually some of my favorite genres. I’m someone who loves history, learning about past events and synthesizing ways they relate with the current world. Sure, I don’t like reading straight-up historical books, but I like reading books that showcase themes in a historical manner that relate to today. Reservation Blues is one such book. I had to read it for my American Literature class, and I thought it would make a nice review. Sit back, relax, and read on as I review Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie.
The Setup:
The book mostly takes place on the Spokane Indian Reservation, beginning with an African American man named Robert Johnson. He wandered onto the reservation with nothing but the clothes on his back and a guitar. A native Spokane named Thomas comes across him and takes him into the reservation, but kept Robert’s guitar. From there, the man and guitar take a journey with others into the land of potential fame and sacrifice. The setup is…modest, to say the least. It does introduce a lot of development of possible themes and ideas, as well as the setting. The reservation does well to create an unforgettable atmosphere of lost hope and despair, as the reservation is not the most ideal place to live and lacks opportunities for its inhabitants.
The Characters:
The best aspect about the characters of Reservation Blues is their realism. These characters don’t feel like your typical book characters, they feel like real people with relevant thoughts and ideas. Thomas, while not the most interesting character on paper, becomes fully fleshed-out throughout the course of the story. The same can be said for Victor, Junior, Chess and Checkers, the other main characters. They may not be the most vibrant or likable characters, but they all feel like real people. The cast is very natural, all contributing to the story and completing their roles in the story. At times, though, the characters did feel like typical stereotypes that can be found in these books, but that didn’t hinder the experience for me. I also liked the relationships established between the Natives and the Caucasians. By relationships I don’t necessarily mean romantic ones, but more like how each party feels about the other, which made perfect sense given the circumstances.
The Story:
This is a tale about the destitution of Native Americans, and how far they have sunk due to their lack of opportunity. The story ties this theme in very well, making it feel natural and relevant to the overall structure, as well as remaining consistent throughout. The pacing can be a bit on the slow side, especially near the beginning, but it’s not supposed to be a fast-paced book. The only real problem I see with the story is that it’s slightly generic for this genre, although the ending makes up for everything. As for the ending, it’s not a happy one, but it’s conclusive and ties everything together. I actually liked it a lot, and found the conclusion satisfying.
The Writing Style/Grammatical Errors:
The writing style of this book is rather simple, but nice. It’s told from a third person point of view, being able to jump ceaselessly from backstories to the present day. The descriptions were nice, and the writing smooth. No grammatical errors were found.
Final Judgment:
Overall, I enjoyed Reservation Blues. It’s a tragic tale about the state of Native Americans and their lack of opportunities, as well as emphasizing the power and hardships of fame. The characters were well written, and the story, while slow, was very effective. I give Reservation Blues a 3.75 out of 5, and a recommendation to read it. But, like always, it is up to you to decide your own opinions.
ScoreCard:
ScoreCard:
Further Recommendations:
Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
It’s another novel that focuses on the hardships of Native Americans from a white child’s point of view. The book is very powerful and addresses many of the issues without making them feel forced, and isn’t afraid of shying away from the less-than-favorable actions due to racism. This is a must-read in my opinion, so give it a shot.
The next review will be on a school anime because…I’m…back…at…school. Darn it! Here’s the hint: Pessimism to the max. See you then!