Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Book review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Book review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

This is really more of an overview/my final thoughts about the entire Hunger Games trilogy, so please be aware that it may contain spoilers, just in case you’re anything like me. (I HATE being spoiled; I even refused to read the synopses on the covers of the second two books because I wanted to be surprised.)

While I felt that Mockingjay was an adequate and over-all enthralling final installment in the series, for reasons that I can’t accurately convey, I mostly felt…dissatisfaction as I was reading the novel. I believe that feeling mostly stemmed from my longing for some real interaction between Katniss and Peeta (the precedence set in the first two novels), yet I can’t deny that the fact that the author kept dangling that in my face is what kept me reading at a feverish pace - but that craving ultimately wasn’t satisfied until the very end of the novel. (And yes, I’m totally aware that I was reading from a romantic rather than literate standpoint. I can’t seem to help myself.)

Katniss: I’ve gotta admit that I often found the heroine difficult to relate to and her behavior baffling. One minute she’s arguing with Gale over the necessity of taking an offensive strike in war or attempting to sacrifice herself for others, and the next she’s shooting unarmed citizens or agreeing to a Hunger Games to be held for the children of Capitol officials. And the Gale/Katniss/Peeta triangle reminded me a bit too much of the Edward/Bella/Jacob triangle from Twilight. (I was totally Team Peeta, obviously.)

Having said that, I also appreciated the refreshing complexity of the character: Human beings are a jumble of conflicting and confusing thoughts and emotions, and given the turmoil/tragedy that Katniss was put through again and again, I believe that someone not as strong might have truly been driven insane. While there were moments where Katniss was on the brink of madness, she always bounced back and proved herself the consummate survivor - and my ’shipper heart loved that she ultimately needed her dandelion in the spring to survive.

Although the books were often brutal and unapologetic (which I actually appreciated), the last lines before the epilogue made my heart melt: “You love me. Real or not real.” “Real.” Just the right touch of fluff to balance things out, rather than an overdose of cheesiness that made me want to vomit on my shoes. Although, I’ll definitely be seeking out some well-written fanfiction of the more adult nature, so if you have any recommendations, please send them my way. ;)

Final thoughts about the trilogy as a whole: Simple yet lovely writing, intricate characterizations, infinitely creative, with edge-of-your-seat twists at every turn. The newest Harry Potter? I don’t know about that. To me, that’s like comparing apples and oranges: Both have their individual qualities that make them special.

Happy reading!

-Kari

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

KariAnn1222's (Rather Obvious) Guide to Fanfic-Diving/Reading That Doesn't Make You Wanna Pull Your Hair Out

So, you finally finished the last novel in that series or watched the latest episode of that TV series you love, and now you're ready to find some entertaining but well-written fanfic. Great! That is, until you get to, say, FanFiction.net, perform a search for, say, Hunger Games fanfiction under “books,” and you find that you're a bit staggered by the results. “Where to begin?” you may be thinking right about now.

Well, let's start with the obvious: First you might want to pick a genre or two. What sort of story are you looking for? Romance, drama, adventure, angst? Personally, I always leave this field blank for the sake of finding more potential gems in a genre I'm not expecting.

Next, to narrow down your choices, you might want to select the two characters you’re interested in reading about most. However, keep in mind that just because you run a search for stories featuring Peeta and Katniss, for example, it does NOT guarantee that every story listed pairs them romantically; it simply means that those two characters are the most prominently featured. To get an idea of the romantic pairings, scan the summary and the author’s notes. Also, glancing at the genre might help give you an indication of whether there’s romance: If a story is labeled “friendship, drama,” there’s no guarantee.

Also, you might want to select a rating. I personally prefer stories with an “M” rating because I enjoy edgier writing (and, okay, the occasional well-written smut scene), but I’ve discovered gems suited for younger audiences as well.

In keeping with the theme of the obvious, once you’ve performed your search for your preferred pairing, rating, and genres, a quick scan of the titles and summaries will tell experienced readers whether or not the story was written by a 13-year-old first-time writer or someone a bit more seasoned: Are the words and names spelled correctly? Did the author bother with capitalization and punctuation? If not, then that’s a fair indication that the story is just as sloppily written, and you can just skip right on over it. And if something looks promising, scan the first chapter to get a feel for the writing style and to see if it’s something you might enjoy. Personally, I’m so distracted by improperly punctuated dialogue that I won’t give it a chance if I look at the first chapter and see that. (The occasional typo is forgivable and easy to overlook, but consistently punctuating dialogue incorrectly says to me, “I didn’t bother. I don’t really care.” And if I don’t think the author cares, I’m not going to give his/her fic a chance.)

Perhaps most importantly, always check the “updated” and “published” dates before beginning a multi-chaptered story not yet marked as “complete.” That will give you an indication of whether it's abandoned and, if not, how often the author updates. For example, if a story was first published in 2009 but only has ten chapters - even if the most current was posted recently - chances are good that the author is too busy to actively work on it, so you may be waiting...well, indefinitely for the next update.

On a similar note, to further help avoid disappointment, check the author's profile page: Does he/she have multiple incomplete stories? Does it seem that he/she has a tendency to start a story, get bored with it, and start a new one? If so, I'd hesitate before getting into one of his/her fics, since the chances are good that the author will eventually lose interest. In other words, look at an author’s track record: If the author has more multi-chaptered stories marked as “complete” than “incomplete,” chances are good that you can count on him/her to finish what he/she starts.

Lastly, seek out recommendations through Twitter, message boards, fandom friends whose opinions you trust, et cetera.  You may not always agree with everyone's taste, but it tends to make the weeding process a helluva lot easier.

So, once you’ve gone through the sometimes rather daunting process of finding a story and/or author that’s to your liking, please be aware that the large majority of multi-chaptered fics eventually DO get abandoned for whatever reason, since this is all done on a voluntary basis and fanfic writers aren't getting paid to do what they do. Sometimes real-life obligations take precedence, or their circumstances change and they don't have as much time to write as they previously did. If you're not prepared to accept that, then my advice to you would be to stick to performing searches for completed fics only.

Happy fic-hunting!

-Kari

Sunday, February 19, 2012

Book review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Book review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

I’ll keep this short and sweet: I found the second installment in the Hunger Games trilogy to be, quite simply, just as enthralling as the first novel—possibly even more so since I was already invested in the characters and cared about their fates. I also found it to be just as intense as the first novel, with a twist at the end that I totally didn’t see coming—but then, I’m not always that great at guessing endings.

Overall, I found it to be a worthy successor to the first novel, and I was left itching to read the next—which I will do as soon as I have the chance!

-Kari

The Waiting Place Chapter Sixteen: Jagged Pieces, a harry potter fanfic - FanFiction.Net

Finally updated! The Waiting Place Chapter Sixteen: Jagged Pieces, a harry potter fanfic - FanFiction.Net

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Teaser: The Waiting Place, Chapter 16

Okay, so I'm not nearly through with this chapter, but I plan on hashing out the majority of it in the next few days.  In the meantime, I hope you'll enjoy this small excerpt:

Harry froze as he stared back at him, unblinking, in an expression that would’ve been a bloody riot if Ron hadn’t felt like his insides were being chewed up by a flock of angry Cornish Pixies.

In the meantime, the locker room was so damned silent that it was as if the world around them had ceased to be; time itself had stopped, this very moment ballooning and swelling until nothing else mattered. Well, at least that’s how it would’ve seemed if it hadn’t been for the steady pattering of the rain on the rooftop and the distant howling of the wind, a reminder that the world went on as usual. Why would the cosmos care if Ron Weasley’s heart was slowly but painfully fragmenting into tiny, jagged pieces?

A ricocheting thunderclap broke the spell, and Harry blinked at him behind his rain-smeared spectacles. “Wh-what?” he finally managed to stammer out. “She’s…what? Are—are you sure? Why—I mean, who—how d’you know?”

“’Cause I’m the one who bloody did it,” Ron declared miserably, unable to hold his friend’s gaze any longer.

Book review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Book review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

I’ve gotta admit that when I first started seeing the name “The Hunger Games” in people’s profiles, I was hesitant to try it, assuming it to be yet ANOTHER young adult series. After reading The Twilight Saga I’d actually sworn off YA for reasons that I don’t care to get into, instead choosing to delve into my new guilty pleasure, the very adult “paranormal romance” genre. (Think J.R. Ward’s The Black Dagger Brotherhood.)

However, after The Hunger Games was personally recommended to me first by a friend in the Twilight fandom and subsequently by a friend in the Harry Potter fandom, I decided to give it a go—and I wasn’t disappointed.

The only thing “young adult” about the novel is the fact that the protagonists and the majority of antagonists are teenagers (aside from the main antagonist, which, of course, is the Capitol). The novel is actually shockingly, brutally violent, and it’s not exactly something I’d recommend to the kiddies. Beyond that, though, it is elegantly written, creatively conceived in a sci-fi-ish, futuristic world (as a science fiction nerd at heart, I loved that about the book), and the lead protagonist, a 16-year-old girl named Katniss, is fully-fleshed-out, heroic, smart, yet just flawed enough not to be an annoyingly perfect “Mary Sue.”

I won’t get into the details of the plot (you can Google it or look it up on Amazon), but I would definitely recommend this edge-of-your-seat thriller to anyone who’s looking for a good quick-paced, unable-to-put-down read.

Look for my review of the second novel, Catching Fire, to be posted soon.

-Kari
 

Monday, February 6, 2012

"fanfic pet peeves" removed from my FFn profile

FFn profile updates for the month of 1/12

1/30/12 - I'm nowhere near finished writing TWP chapter 15 (chapter 16 counting the prologue), but I posted a little excerpt on my blog: http://musingsofafictionfanatic.blogspot.com/

FYI, I always tweet links to my teasers, so following me on Twitter would be the best way to keep up with the status of my chapters as I'm writing them: @Kari_FicFanatic. I don't auto-follow, but I do always respond when I notice people mention me.

1/23/12 - Wrote most of Ch.14 (Ch.15 including the prologue) of The Waiting Place today & posted a little teaser on my blog.

1/15/12 - Got a start on The Waiting Place, Chapter 13 (Chapter 14 including the prologue) & posted a teaser on my blog.

1/8/12 - An AMAZING story just came to a close. You have to check out Dirty Little Secret by JustAudrey07, a Draco/Astoria fic with a strong dose of Romione & a subplot involving Snape. It's listed under my faves. Actually, while you're at it, you should also read her completed Percy/Audrey fic, The Unwinding of Percy Weasley.

1/5/12 - Wrote a public service announcement on plagiarism: Plagiarism: Just...Don't

1/1/12 - Happy New Year! :) Moved my profile's updates for the month of December to my blog, where I also post fanfic recs, book recs, the occasional movie rec, and other randomness: Musings of a Fiction Fanatic

Gah, I might be a little obsessed with this video: Weep, little lion man. Weasley is our king.

Got Twitter? Follow me: @Kari_FicFanatic