Between The Lines

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

WorDissection: Another Faust by Daniel and Dina Nayeri

Did I like it? Yes!
You'll love it if you liked: Anything supernatural
Aura: Eerie, Haunting
Read If: You're looking for something that is supernatural yet stays true to reality
Narration: Third person
Main Characters: Victoria, Belle, Bice, Christian and Valentin Faust, all 15 year old
Themes: Faustian Bargain, Redemption, Ambition
Plot: 9.8/10
Narration: 8.9/10
Characterization: 9.75/10
Overall: 9.5/10
Did I get bored anywhere? Nope. It was captivating.
Did any part confuse me? Just a few parts, but they got cleared up later.
Line/ Page Skippability: 0.15/5. I devoured every word.
Writing Style: Average Sentences, Formal, Descriptive.
Uniqueness: 9.25/10
Predictability: 0.5/10
Imagery: 9/10
Song(s) to go with book (Authors' choices):
Daniel Nayeri:

•Nicola Vileroy – Welcome Home by Coheed and Cambria
•Victoria – Skullcrusher Mountain by Jonathan Mountain
•Valentin – The Feel Good Drag by Anberlin
•Christian – All that I’ve Got by The Used
•Bice – Heaven Forbid by The Fray
•Belle – Flashing Lights by Kanye West

Dina Nayeri:

•Nicola Vileroy – O Fortuna by Carl Orff
•Victoria – Shove it by Santogold
•Valentin - Gives you Hell by Great American Rejects
•Christian - All Apologies by Nirvana or Nothing Like You and I by Perishers
•Bice - Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley
•Belle – Love Game by Lady Gaga
Favourite Quotes: "Someone once said that 'French is the language that turns dirt into romance.' Valentin knew this to be true because he lived in Paris, and when he wasn't feeling romantic, he was feeling like dirt."
"I think the biggest lie the devil ever told was that beauty and goodness are the same."
Cover: 9.25/10
Ending: Hopeful, Realistic Closure. Leaves readers to contemplate their own endings in a way.
Reading Priority: Must Read
Reading duration: Fast readers-Approx. 7.5 hours, Slow readers- Approx 12 days.
Synopsis:
One night, in cities all across Europe, five children vanish — only to appear, years later, at an exclusive New York party with a strange and elegant governess. Rumor and mystery follow the Faust teenagers to the city’s most prestigious high school, where they soar to suspicious heights with the help of their benefactor’s extraordinary "gifts." But as the students claw their way up — reading minds, erasing scenes, stopping time, stealing power, seducing with artificial beauty — they start to suffer the sideeffects of their own addictions. And as they make further deals with the devil, they uncover secrets more shocking than their most unforgivable sins. At once chilling and wickedly satirical, this contemporary reimagining of the Faustian bargain is a compelling tale of ambition, consequences, and ultimate redemption.

WordVore Prod's Review:

Another Faust was majestic.
Yes, that’s the first word that pops into my head when I think of the book.
Let’s start with the best part of the book: the concept. The whole idea behind the story was captivating. After all, we had yet to see a YA novel on the Faustian Bargain. The implementation was absolutely impeccable as well; however, I would have liked just a little more information on the bargain in the book itself. That was not exactly a drawback; I suppose too much information would have turned the tone of the book into droning. In the beginning I felt the writing style would not pull me in, but boy oh boy was I proven wrong. By the last page I think I sold my soul to the book! Character development was so smooth and polished that I believed each and every character and felt emotions along with them. Funny thing was, despite the book’s very interesting twist of all flawed characters, I didn’t hate any of them. Even Victoria, who was portrayed as so despicable gained my sympathy at times. No action or behaviour was left unexplained; and there was depth to each and every character, which is a commendable feat to accomplish in a book with a third person narrative and five main characters. The importance of the characters was also at equilibrium which made my respect for the book go up a few notches higher. The overall feel or aura of the book was set extremely well—it was able to permeate through the skin. The theme of redemption was beautifully addressed and realistically developed. Near the end I was slightly confused about the way Madame Vileroy was dodged, but then there was an “eureka” moment—which felt pretty awesome!
My only complaint: at times, certain parts lacked lucidity. But nothing serious enough to make anyone blunder in a daze, so it’s totally offset by the overall awesomeness of the book. Read…NOW!

Here's a sweet trailer for the book:

Labels: Ambition, Another Faust, Dina and Daniel Nayeri, Faustian Bargain, Redemption, WorDissection

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Monday, July 27, 2009

WorDissection: Give Up the Ghost by Megan Crewe

Did I like it? Yeah.
You'll love it if you liked: Stories with ghost characters, or stories about the backstabbing of friends.
Aura: Slightly Intense
Read If: You're looking for a fresh read with literary and entertainment value.
Narration: First Person
Main Character: Cass McKenna, high school junior.
Themes: Social outcast, revenge, breaking of trust, trust issues, healing, redemption, friendship, support.
Plot: 9/10
Narration: 8.5/10
Characterization: 8/10
Overall: 8.5/10
Did I get bored anywhere? Slightly when character development seemed a tad bit stagnant.
Did any part confuse me? Nope. it's a neat story with no scope for confusion.
Line/ Page Skippability: 1/5. Not much.
Writing Style: Average sentences, Informal, Self-discovering.
Uniqueness: 8.5/10
Predictability: 1.75/10
Favourite Quote: "I have friends, I wanted to tell her. You just wouldn't believe they exist."
Cover: 9.5/10. You gotta love the cover.
Song(s) to go with book (from author website, click here for source):
1. Trouble By Lisa Germano Ringtone | Buy Song 2. How Soon Is Now- Love Spit Love Ringtone | Buy Song 3. Geek The Girl By Lisa Germano Ringtone | Buy Song 4. Texarkana By R.E.M. Ringtone | Buy Song 5. Smoke By Natalie Imbruglia Ringtone | Buy Song 6. Understand The Dream Is Over By The Juliana Theory Ringtone | Buy Song 7. Country Feedback By R.E.M. Ringtone | Buy Song 8. Displaced By Azure Ray Ringtone | Buy Song 9. Elsewhere By Sarah McLachlan Ringtone | Buy Song 10. Wise Up By Aimee Mann Ringtone | Buy Song 11. How To Save A Life By The Fray Ringtone | Buy Song 12. Into The Dark By The Juliana Theory
Ending: Hopeful, satisfying, very realistic.
Reading priority: Should Read
Reading duration: Fast readers-Approx. 5 hours, Slow readers- Approx 7 days.
Synopsis:
Cass McKenna much prefers ghosts over “breathers.” Ghosts are uncomplicated and dependable, and they know the dirt on everybody…and Cass loves dirt. She’s on a mission to expose the dirty secrets of the poseurs in her school.

But when the vice president of the student council discovers her secret, Cass’s whole scheme hangs in the balance. Tim wants her to help him contact his recently deceased mother, and Cass reluctantly agrees.

As Cass becomes increasingly entwined in Tim’s life, she’s surprised to realize he’s not so bad—and he needs help more desperately than anyone else suspects. Maybe it’s time to give the living another chance….

WordVore Prod's Review:
I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t anticipated this book much—I was dying for it! So when it first landed on my lap, I literally squealed. So naturally, I had a lot to expect from this book. And believe me, I wasn’t disappointed.
Cass McKenna is a social pariah, made so by the overreaction and revenge taken by her ex-best friend just because Cass got a place in the debate team that she wanted by chance, and got to be around the guy that she liked. Now, this idea may seem inflated at first look, but it wasn’t. It was made to be a story that could happen to anyone and everyone. Neither is this book a typical “ghost story”. Even the ghosts have well-crafted characters, which serves as a fresh breath of air. Cass’ desire for revenge is human and not something that turns her into an abominable character. But we can’t help but notice how she also realizes that it wasn’t worth it after all. The trust issues that hold Cass back are very neatly justified, not like an essay in itself but gradually as the story progresses. That is exactly why when she hesitates from being a friend to Tim, her defiance does not annoy us—rather it makes us empathize with her. Tim is one heck of an adorable character. The death of his mother along with his realization that his “friends” aren’t exactly his true friends makes him miserable at best. He feels utterly lonely at this point, and the emotions that he feels are amazingly communicates with the reader. You can’t help but feel like going over and giving him a tight bear hug. I was really glad that Cass came around and offered her friendship and support—and the way their relationship wasn’t all mushy and all-over-the-place. The way Cass takes baby steps towards giving people a chance and not be so stereotyping and opinionated made me admire her. None of the characters are too clichéd or exaggerated. She also gradually but awkwardly comes to terms with the fact that she genuinely cares about Tim. Danielle, Cass’ ex-best friend, showed hopes of redemption near the ending and the fact that she was worried about Tim shows us that she’s not completely disloyal or uncompassionate. Imagery is very well done, as it succeeds in pulling the reader into the book’s own world.
The best parts of the book were the fresh outlook, the hope of redemption and healing that each and every character showed and the well-drawn reasoning behind the characters’ actions. The book certainly had a neat quality about it. What I felt could have been better were: 1.) the character development felt a little stagnant at times—however, all the characters did end up in their proper positions by the end of the book; 2.) The characters could have used a little more depth—especially Cass. I would’ve loved to know more about her. Same goes with Tim.
Everything put together and weighed out against each other, I would recommend this book as a good reader to any reader looking for a spanking new plotline and outlook. The book also has high entertainment value and should keep you occupied throughout the entire read.

Labels: Acceptance, Breaking of Trust, Friendship, Ghosts, Give Up the Ghost, Healing, Megan Crewe, Redemption, Revenge, WorDissection

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