Review: The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
Series: N/A
Genre: Psychology, Adult, Mental Health
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Authoritarian
On Goodreads

I'm reading a lot of books before I finish the War of The Fae series. Woops!

This won't be my last word on Slyvia Plath's only novel. This isn't my first word. This is my initial reaction.

First, I'm miffed I haven't read this before. It's incredible. There is almost too much to write.

Brief context: Plath killed herself a few days after the novel's publication. This is a novel about a woman who nearly kills herself but doesn't. It's almost impossible to detach the author from the work (as some of us would like to do with Ender's Game and Orson Scott Card or Star Wars and George Lucas; these are terrible examples for the expense of petty humor but you get the point). One can't help but conflate Ester, our protag, with her author. And even if that wasn't the case, it speaks to the work's most defining quality: it's drowning in Sylvia Plath. She is indeed 'silver and exact' in this novel.

Which brings the first of my main points: holy hell that word choice. She takes the English language and just snaps it in half and builds it again from the ground up. It's absolutely gorgeous. This is exemplified in just the first and second page: there are five paragraphs that start with 'I' . . . in a row. And they're all one sentence. This is personal and intimate and conversational, but also completely challenging the aesthetics and formality of varied language, of 'proper' English.

And let's not forget the poetry either, all of the "being burned alive along all of your nerves", all of the "cindery dust" (Plath, 2 (ebook)). . . and:

"I felt very still and very empty, the way the eye of the tornado must feel . . . "  (2)

This isn't even three pages in. This is still the introduction. I love it. This is 1963 and yet it has all of the trappings of a current YA novel.

I might return to word choice another day, but just be assured that it only gets better as the novel intensifies.

What struck me most, however, and really defines why this is a five star novel for me, is the way that depression and mental health are portrayed. It's acutely difficult to pinpoint what faculties should be explicitly stated or implied when writing about mental illnesses, it's horribly hard to say what depression is like or how to describe it. Everything is just muddled in our heads. But The Bell Jar, for a hell of a lot of people, it seems, honestly portrays the descent of the mind, the confusing nature of it all. There is so much fragility in being human and Sylvia Plath is deadly honest about it and it shows.

"In the afternoon we went to see a baby born." (53, ebook. A page or two in from chapter six, whatever).

Over and over and over again, Ester describes her actions in this detached, passive fashion, as if she isn't experiencing them at all. It's happening to someone else. She explicitly states on the first page that she should be happy. But she isn't, but we don't realize what her statement means until later on.

It's so flipping subtle, isn't it!? It's so subtle that you won't even realize what it's about until it just jumps at you. Depression plays with you, life feels detached, Holy Poseidon this book is so amazing.

You can't begin to discuss depression with anyone who has been brainwashed into thinking it isn't a serious issue, that it's just being sad, that you can simply take pills to cure it. It's huge and explainable and in the exact same way that you feel happiness (with your entire body, literally your entire body heats up and your nerves are so much more active) you feel this horrible feeling that she describes as a Bell Jar. But you can discuss it with this book.

I'm going to shut up now, or I'll just ramble. Read this book. Do it.

- Marlon

How would you describe depression?

Let us know in the comments!

Review: Deuce - Janine Caldwell

Deuce
Janine Caldwell
Series: Vortex Series, #3
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Science Fiction
Rating: 2.75 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: This had so much more potential
On Goodreads

And here comes my review of the final book in the Vortex series, the first two of which I have put reviews up for in the last few weeks.

I wanted to like this book so much. I really wanted it to be exactly what was missing from the other two. I tried so hard to love it.

I couldn't do it.

Okay, I didn't hate it. It fell very short but it was bearable and I could deal with it. I feel like this is just going to be a repeat of what I essentially said in the last two reviews, so it'll probably be short because most of my complaints are just continuations from what I didn't like about the rest of the series.

While the characters are certainly more fleshed out than they were previously, I feel like that has less with the audience getting to know them and more with the fact that I just got so used to them making the same choices and decisions that I started to just see them coming. Also, I still can't deal with some of the narration and how, three books it, they narrate the exact same way. That bothers me a lot because multiple narrations is often tricky and if the narrators are going to sound the same, it might just be easier to keep it as either one first person narrator or just do it in the third person, the latter of which would have worked excellently for this series.

Also, I felt like there was too much going on and it didn't all make sense, and honestly, if the second book had a few slight changes, the whole series could have ended there. This book felt like it was just tacked on and an awkward addition that didn't really belong.

The storyline was interesting enough that I kept reading until the end, but I didn't feel the satisfaction/agony/emotion that comes with finishing a good book, especially the end of the series.

I know most of what I'm saying sounds negative, and I may not have liked the series, but I really think Janine Caldwell can do more with her writing and if she publishes anything in the future, I will definitely be open to reading it and see how she has grown as an author. She had good ideas and hopefully next time her execution will be more on point.

- Noor

Have you ever felt like the last book in a series was unnecessary?
Let us know in the comments!

Cover Cosmetics - Percy Jackson and the Olympians series - Rick Riordan

If you have yet to see the stunning new covers of the Percy Jackson series, you're about to. As the covers were revealed one by one, I fell in love with all of them - they are simply gorgeous and I love how they all connect together. Seeing the color scheme on the covers, I knew I had to do a cover cosmetics for it.

The covers:

The makeup:

For this look, I focused on the colors that really popped out to me when I was looking at the covers - the yellow cloud in the center, the orange cyclops, and the green and blues of the ocean and labyrinth. I also incorporated a little bit of purple from the ocean and clouds on the first cover. The colors don't show up quite as vibrant in this photo as they were in person, but the yellow and orange are on the lid with the blue in the outer crease, green in the inner crease, and purple on the inside of the blue in the outer corner. I also did a green, blue, and purple gradient on the lower lash line.

Although I didn't have time to do so before making this post, I'm planning on doing another more neutral look inspired by the spines that go with these new covers. Hopefully soon, so stay tuned!

- Kiersten

What do you think of the new covers?

Let us know in the comments!

Book Tour Review: Of Stardust - February Grace

Of Stardust
February Grace
Series: N/A
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Brilliant
On Goodreads

About the book:

“Dreams are sacred…”

At the age of twenty-six single, geeky bookseller Till Nesbitt inherits the shock of a lifetime: a huge Victorian farmhouse filled with unique tenants, and the knowledge that there is a reason she’s always been different. She’s destined to become a Fairy Godmother, because the skills are written into her DNA.

Till embarks on her fairy education at Dreams Come True University with much trepidation, guided on her journey by a unique mentor: a Celtic hybrid with a secret by the name of Gus.

When Till falls head over heels for Gus, will she break the most serious law in the Fairy Code, or will the truth of what really happened to Gus’s parents keep them from repeating history?

Review:

I'm not sure what you are doing right now, dear reader, but whatever it is, it is not as important as this book is. February Grace wrote one of the most charming modern fairy tale dramas I have read in a long time, and I strongly suggest you read it.

The story follows Till Nesbitt, who is adorkable and completely easy to empathize with. She handles juggling her new-found life as a fairy godmother with her regular, human life with the assistance of the one and only, Gus, whom I will get to later on. Till, who has magic in her genes, is a little boring before the magic part of her life comes along. She is without quirks, but that can be forgiven, because after she enters the Fairy Godmother realm and goes to Dreams Come True University, that all changes.

The bulk of this novel consists of the construction of the FG realm, where there is teleportation, rules against Gus and Till's love, and of course, mystical magic. Other than the construction of the university and the setting's back story, this book is filled with a slow-building romance. While these slowly simmering romances are hard to find, they are almost unheard of in fairy tale style books. Gus (who is totally swoon worthy, by the way) and Till are adorable together, and the forbidden love kindles this really great spark between these two characters.

I think what I really enjoyed most about the book was the way the author teased a bit with the romance, rather than having it be an over powering lust-at-first-sight type of romance. This author did it tastefully while still leaving me holding on to the edge of my seat. The ending of the book tugged and pushed and pulled at my heartstrings, and believe me when I say I am desperately awaiting a sequel. Honestly, my need for a sequel is the only reason this book didn't get a 5/5 star rating - it was not cool to leave me hanging with a lack of Gus and Till, as it was a bit choppy towards the end.

Although the ending wasn't as stellar as the rest of the book, I would also like to compliment the humor in the novel - Dreams Come True University references other fairy tales, has sassy teachers, and has classes on designing the perfect fairy godmother costume. The book is honestly giggle worthy and cute, and despite the absolute need for a concrete ending to this story, it was phenomenal.

- Amrutha

Purchase links:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBookstore

About the author:

February Grace is a writer, artist and poet who lives somewhere that is much colder than she would like most of the time. She sings on key, plays by ear, and is more than mildly obsessed with music, clocks, colors, and meteor showers. Her poetry, prose, and/or flash fiction have appeared in The Rusty Nail Literary Magazine, Vine Leaves Literary Journal, and Rose and Thorn Journal. Her work can also be found in the following anthologies: Poetry Pact Volume One, Anything Prose...And Poetry, Too! and Orange Karen, Tribute To A Warrior. GODSPEED, her debut novel, is a labor of love she refers to as "Literary romance with steampunk embellishments." Her second novel, OF STARDUST, is a modern, romantic fantasy tale.

Author links:

Blog | Goodreads | Twitter

Giveaway:

PRIZES:
2 print books of Of Stardust (US)
7 ebooks of Of Stardust (INT)

RULES AND RESTRICTIONS: Contest is void where prohibited. Entrants must be 13 or else have parent or guardian’s permission to enter. Winners will be notified via email and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner’s name will be selected. Winning entries will be verified for authenticity.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour hosted by:

Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time
Mark Haddon
Series: N/A
Genre: Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Word Rating: Breathtakingly Simple and Realistic
On Goodreads

I first read The Curious Incident for AP Lang way back in the high school days (last year) and I loved it. I was recently gifted another copy as a birthday present (she was mad I read it and thereby would understand her clever inscription, you know how it goes). And so came this review (it will be brief). Of this book (that is indeed brief). That only ever gets better.

The very first association I have when this novel crosses my mind is the voice of the main character, Christopher. I don't know what kind of sorcery or in depth study Mark Haddon had to do to delve into Christopher's alternate vantage point (namely Asperger's Syndrome) and write this book. Actually, I do. He works with autistic children, and it bloody pays off.

It's absolutely fascinating not only to have the raw clarity of Christopher's thoughts and actions, completely devoid of figurative stretching, but to constantly forget that Christopher is not real. I am reminded of the honesty and simplicity of Ocean at the End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman and Mortality by Christopher Hitchens.

'And this is why I like timetables because they make sure you don't get lost in time.' (Haddon, 195)

Honestly, you could crack open the book to any page and in it you will find something striking that gives you insight into Christopher, because first and foremost, this is a book about Christopher, about how he sees the world. And it's fascinating, there is such a wealth of information in this novel to be explored and though it's written simplistically, it's hard to grasp all at once. Getting into Christopher's head is incredibly difficult, as in the beginning he demonstrates that he recognizes and understands emotions differently than other people. But there's a bit of Christopher in everyone and it comes out.

Who doesn't appreciate the relateability of:

'On the fifth day, which was a Sunday, it rained very hard, I like when it rains hard. It sounds like white noise everywhere, which is like silence but not empty.' (103)

Or the depth behind:

'And when I am in a new place, because I see everything, it is like when a computer is doing too many things at the same time and the central processor unit is blocked up and there isn’t any space left to think about other things. And when I am in a new place and there are lots of people there it is even harder because people are not like cows and flowers and grass and they can talk to you and do things that you don’t expect, so you have to notice everything that is in the place . . . ' (143-144)

I just love love love Christopher and the dynamic that occurs with his character. If only slight, Christopher does shift and it's a hard change and it displaces something within any reader who can empathize with him and heck, what else is writing about?

Of course, there is the clever construction of the book. The chapters are in prime numbers, the bolding of terms and the listing and the graphs make the math come to life. The plot is just gorgeous.

I've heard people complain about the simplicity and predictability of the plot and that 'it's not even a mystery it's just a bunch of maths' I'm like

If you want that kind of book go read friggin Sherlock Holmes. The Curious Incident is not unique (see Virgina Woolf) in making its plot incidental, but it is rare in that everything seems to be centered around Christopher's analysis of the world. Why? Because it's so damn cool it makes a mystery out of a dead dog, it makes walking past the end of the road a bloody war, it makes math simple and people complex, all for people who might not think this way, the 'normals'. And you know what? Christopher does it. He makes the journey, and he wins.

Why are we not preaching this book from rooftops?

As a wise Mr. Gump once said, 'And that's all I have to say about that.'

- Marlon

Tell me how much you love maths!

Let us know in the comments!