Ya Fiction - Blog Posts

I am once again calling for book rants. It was so much fun the last time, and I crave more.

Do you have a long standing grudge against a book you read in middle school? Have you gotten swept up by hype only to find that everyone lied to you and the book is trash? Do you burn with rage over the way an author portrayed your favorite mythology or folklore? Is there a book or series that you once loved, but now makes you cringe every time you think about it?

Do you want to vent all of it out to someone who won't judge you, or argue with you, but will simply accept all your feelings as their own?

Hi, that person is me. Send me an ask, anonymous or not, and tell me everything you've wanted to say. Offer me your anger, your frustration, your hatred. I will hold it for you. I will take it into my heart and make it my own.

It can be any genre you want, any demographic. I will accept it all. Even if James Patterson gets involved again. (I'm not scared of you, James!!)

This is the dawn of my Chloe Gong Era

I really want people to flood my inbox with their rants about authors and books they just can't stand, especially YA because it's so gloriously and passionately unhinged and I love it. But I am aware that I'm a tiny little blog that no one knows or interacts with. And despite being on this site for over a decade, I still don't understand the dark alchemy that drives this place.

But, hey, if you do see this, feed me your hatred. Be as vitriolic as your heart desires. Be unreasonable, be irrational. I won't judge you. I won't argue with you. I will accept your rage as my own.

Hmm...maybe this will help: Sarah J. Maas Antis, come to me and offer me your hatred

You know what, I'm about to go somewhere without internet access for a few days, so I'm going to blaze this and see what happens when I come back. For fun.

Book Review 2: Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Being a wolf lover, I devour YA novels with wolves in it. I’ve done my research and watched documentaries (no one would be able to tell they’re my favorite animals. All the books, movies, and stuffed animals don’t give that away) so my expectations are high. Some authors like Tamora Pierce and Maggie Stiefvater make me very happy with how they write them, it’s clear they actually read up on things. With that rant over, authors like Andrea Cremer have much potential, but the execution makes me want to burn books (which I have sworn against).

Basically, it’s the usual plot of people who can turn into animals. A young girl is the “alpha” of her own pack and is supposed to marry another “alpha” to combine their packs. Naturally, she falls in love with a human boy and has to fight against her desire and duty.

Perhaps my dislike of this book is showing through, but I couldn’t take it seriously and only made it through because I wanted to see how much worse it could get. If Cremer made it clear that these were kids that could change to wolves but were still human, I could forgive it much more and lump it in with the mediocre of the YA genre. But I can’t do that.

Her writing, overall, is forgivable. It isn’t anything special but is bearable and probably the best thing about this novel. The plot is honestly not great, there are many plot holes, the main character is a cardboard cutout (cute, popular, the best in her “pack”, smart) and everyone else is nearly forgettable. I mean I couldn’t even find this book on wikipedia (no lie I spent an hour trying to find it, it’s not there).

Here’s where my rant really begins. It could be a good premise, wolves given powers to change by witches to serve as their protectors (or at least what I can remember of it) and they try to blend into the human world. Sadly, it doesn’t get close to that, and her “wolves” aren’t wolves at all. They’re hormonal teenagers that want to do everyone and have very little in common with a pack. Sure they change, but that’s the end of the similarities. I expected so much more on the wolf end. Like the concept of the alphas mating, fine I can handle it, but not when one of the two has been sleeping with human girls for years and his other members are coerced or genuinely love sleeping around. In a real pack, only the alphas mate in a pack, and only with each other. It’s for life Ms. Cremer!

That’s not even the end of my frustration with her “wolves”. But for some reason they can turn other people into wolves with a bite… Completely out of nowhere, and doesn’t make a lick of sense. Again another plot hole that I couldn’t look past.

I know these books are rather popular, but I loathe them. I see where it could be good; I tried looking at these books less criticality (hard to tell I know) as I know more in the writing world, but that just makes the writer in me more frustrated. It really had the potential to do well and fails in everything other than the writing itself. So I’m sorry if I’ve torn this apart or seem to not be giving it a fair review, but this really did come from a writer/editorial view point.

Perhaps they get better, but I don’t really have a care to give the series a second chance. If you feel differently, then please leave me a note with a fair argument and not looking for a fight.

You know what I’d like?

I’d like more ya fantasy genre fiction that features homeless kids where they aren’t homeless due to the consequences of the fantasy universe...

Like- Growing up it was just cool to see kids in books I liked who had similar experiences to me

But I’m tired of the only examples being things like

“My super powers got out of control and now I’m forced to live on my own on the run”

“I’m the solitary leader of a child rebellion due to the circumstances of my dystopian society”

And even

“You aren’t able to tell what the normal age to move out is in my universe- but there are just plenty of teenagers living on their own or living on the run- and no one ever fucking questions it”

One the one hand- it was cool seeing characters like me with these cool destinies and powers

But at the end of the day it made it that much harder to have to go- “I’m not in this situation because I’m important, I’m here because my mother’s a deadbeat”

I wanna see more homeless kids in ya fantasies that live that way cause sometimes shit happens- not because they’re special- but cause that’s life...

An Eternal Hope: Summary

The world had ended once in Ragnarok, and was reborn into a beautiful paradise. But peace did not last long, and Vandr, Lord of All Evil, rose with his army of undead and set out to annihilate the lands. Were it not for the nine renowned heroes, the Drakahalr, Naernin would have fallen to darkness and chaos. The heroes lost their lives, and Vandr was prophesied to one day return…

But none of that is Valdyrbjalla’s problem.

At 16, she’s finally reached adulthood alongside her brother and sister, Jarl and Alfhildr, and the triplets long for glory; except, they only recently escaped from a hard life of thralldom and are now pirates, living in the dingy Black Markets of the searing deserts. Their entire life consists of only their small ship, cramped living quarters, and monotonous jobs. But Jarl wants to become an einherjar, and defend his country from orcish invaders. Alfhildr wishes to be a traveling bard, sharing her beautiful tunes in the halls of nobles. And Bjalla, however foolish it may sound, longs to become a dragonrider more than anything in the world.

And finally, their chance has come. The ancient light elf Keifdel Drakonsson and his dragon Vedthrelta, the leaders of the most elite force of warriors in the Æsír’s arsenal, the Drekivorðr, have just announced that they’re hosting a gladiatorial competition, the very first which allows the inclusion of criminals like herself– and the reward is fully-paid acceptance into the prestigious Hyveldirin Academy, plus a full pardon and a grand sum of coin. Elated but terrified to leave the relative safety of the Black Markets, she follows her siblings on an epic quest for freedom– which is where her problems start.

She’s constantly fearful of being taken by einherjerii, plagued with nightmares and reminders of the duke who was her owner. She’s small. She’s clumsy. She’s weak. She can barely lift her sword, let alone swing it. Walking for too long leaves her winded and dazed. And yet, she promised her mother that they wouldn’t compete unless they did it together. Now she’s going to be the end of her familys’ freedom if she doesn’t shape up.

But that’s not all. Her new teammates– Asbjorn and Mufnir (siblings), Reiyr and Ylette (twin elves), Zazyr (Keifdel’s own niece), and especially the rogue daemish dragonrider Hráfnfär make her nervous. Will they betray them? Will they leave them for dead in the arena fights? And gods, does the daemond have to be so interesting? Overcoming her trust issues is her second biggest problem.

The first is that there is required six month training before they can even start the arenas– and despite being stubborn enough to keep going until she drops, a little voice in her head (that sounds suspiciously like the duke’s) keeps insisting that no matter what she does, she will never be strong enough.

If anyone would like to be added, please let me know!