Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
36 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A Study In Contrasts, 18 Aug 2007
This is a strange book, a study in contrasts. And it's one I've been thinking a lot about how I'll write this review.
It's clearly aimed at mid-teen age, mostly girls. I believe the author started out in fan-fiction, but this is her first published novel, and is set to be one of three in a trilogy. It is very much a cross between Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl, with a pinch of Buffy The Vampire Slayer thrown in for good measure.
I have good and bad things to say about this book. I think I'll start with the bad and get it out the way.
My first comment is that the book is not very well written in parts, although it gets a bit better as it progresses. The first thing that jumped out at me was the use (particularly early in the book) of very cheesy and/or odd metaphors and similes, which reminded me of something one would write in English at school where the teacher has tried to get you to use various similes and metaphors just for the sake of it. They jarred every time, which was unfortunate. For example:
"He turned to follow her, tasting the phantom sizzle of her death on his lips." [pg. 11]
"A small flower of apprehension began to open inside her chest." [pg. 13]
These sort of things crop up not infrequently, more so in the earlier sections of the book.
My second negative point is that there are occasionally inconsistencies from one paragraph to the next, things I would have expected an editor to pick up right away. For example, there's one instance where the sound of someone's heels are described as clacking on a polished wooden floor, but in the next paragraph the person is described as wearing old hiking boots. In another situation, a knife is held to someone's back where it can easily piece their heart, but in the next paragraph it is described how the blade nicks the skin on their throat. These small continuity errors crop up not infrequently.
My third and final negative point is the derivative nature of certain plot and background elements. To my mind, there are some striking similarities to Harry Potter (I won't go into detail here, to avoid spoilers).
But enough of the negative. I have some positive comments too.
Firstly, the book is very addictive. I don't know how or why, but it's something I've noticed with fanfic writing as well (although I admit I've read very little), and perhaps this is not coincidental, since I hear the author comes from a strong fanfic background. I wish I could put my finger on what causes this addictiveness. It's very easy reading - perhaps that's part of it. It requires little or not mental effort, much like a "disengage brain" blockbuster film. The characters and story were bouncing off the inside of my head for about an hour after I went to bed every time I read it last thing at night, wanting to know what happened next, thinking over what had passed. Very annoying, actually, when I'm trying to sleep!
Secondly, the author writes romantic scenes very well, another trait I believe is particularly noticeable in fanfic (perhaps because that is the point of a lot of it...)
Thirdly, there are quite a few decent plot twists that I didn't see coming. It was not a straightforward story in that respect I enjoyed that aspect of it. It is well rounded off, but also well set up for the following two books in the series.
So overall, I'd say with this book you get the good with the bad. The writing quality is not in the same league as most published novels I've read, but it does improve throughout the book. Aspects of the plot are derivative of already existing material, but it is very enjoyable nonetheless, and quite addictive. The world the author has created is interesting and fun to explore.
I don't know if I'll read later books in the series. I won't buy them, but I may borrow them if someone offers.
|
|
|
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Seen it all before, 26 May 2007
It's not as horrible as some would suggest, but neither is it as great as others would have you believe. The simple truth is that it's a book that needed more time to develop to make the story and characters more cohesive and for Cassandra Clare to try and work out her own style and story. Teenagers will probably buy it for the action and pretty boys, but they'll end up thinking that they've seen it all before.
|
|
|
9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
As disappointing as expected, 27 Aug 2007
I will be the first to admit that I am not impartial in judging Ms. Clare's prose. I know her fandom reputation, and while not in the fandom myself, I have read and ejoyed the Potter books. At the time when the plagiarism scandal blew out, I tried to read the Draco Trilogy, only to give up about half into the fist chapter with the comment 'interesting premises, style needs a lot of work'. So you could say that I was dreading the arrival of that particular book on shelves.
I must also mention that I am a bookseller. As such, I wanted to read the story to give it impartial judgement, as I know that what one wrote in fandom might not be an accurate reflection of one's original writing, although it is often true. I got aproof copy from the editor so I could read it before release date. I am sad to say that I unfortunately didn't manage to go past chapter 5 as of now, for one simple reason : the heroine has to be one of the most unlikeable character I have ever seen. I simply do not care about her. I don't want to know the rest of her story. She's boring, simply put.
Now the first four chapters I read in depth, and with a pencil in my hand so I could jot down comments. Unfortunately, Ms. Clare's writing style retains most of her fanfiction syle's flaws, which is heavy, clumsy writing, sentences that run on and are littered with too much flowery language and unnecessary adjectives that distract the reader rather than engage him. Most remarkable are the use of weird color adjectives for the description of eye and hair color, which have alwayse been seen as a sign of bad writing in fanfiction, and do not look any better in published fiction. The use of italics almost once a page for no discernable reason is hard on the eyes.
Also, many concepts, like a place that ordinary people can't see and that is protected by spells that prevent them from seeing it and/or getting in are clearly ripped off Harry Potter.
All in all, this was about as bad as I expected it to be, if not worse. I will try, for the sake of fair judgement, ti finish the book, but I do not see it as a pleasant reading experience.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Cassandra Clare
by Cassandra Clare
by Melissa Marr
by P.C. Cast
by Alyson Noel
With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is). 
Amazon Home