Book Review: THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER

Source Photo and Cover Art: http://www.heatherlandis.com/

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer: the beautifully-covered, hauntingly-mysterious cliché-parody. Michelle Hodkin's bestselling primary novel of the Mara Dyer series tells the story of young sixteen-year-old Mara, whose friends' untimely deaths shock her into psychological trauma, forcing herself and her family into a new life. Once they all settle into a new place, Mara cannot shake the doubt, guilt and uncertainty that plagues her daily. Now nothing is certain; everything a question.

Book Review: WE WERE LIARS by E. Lockhart

(This review contains spoilers throughout.)

I like to think that books can transport a person, not just into a different world, but into a different person. Books are their strongest when you can feel yourself become the protagonist, become the narrator and essentially adopt every facet of their life. That is exactly what We Were Liars did. E. Lockhart shapes an extraordinary novel amalgamated from pure mystery and frustration as Cadence Sinclair, our narrator , attempts to finally unearth the secrets of the forgotten summer when she was fifteen years old. Spending year after year on the private Beechwood Island with the extended Sinclair family, Cadence is now seventeen and has forgotten all the details of that summer. She knows something important, something crucial, is missing. And yet her entire family refuse to tell her the truth. This novel excels at showing her journey of self-discovery as she speculates, realises and is forced to survive with the stark horror of that truth.

We Were Liars at its simplest, is about family. In this case, it is the abundant, wealthy and beautiful Sinclairs who are established as significant right from page one, where an ornate family tree outlines three generations of them. Immediately the book installs the themes of aristocracy and lineage. Chapter One is dedicated entirely to describing this family, seeming to be of nothing bad, a family bred out of perfection and success. The unadulterated nature of this family is too sinister and slowly, the imperfections leak out at turbulent speeds. One of my favourite aspects of this novel was Lockhart's effortless way of portraying family dynamics. It is complicated, it is hopelessly frustrating and it is undeniably realistic. A family of that stature would have constant idealisations of inheritance and appearances which seep through every pore of the Sinclairs. It was so interesting to read the three main sisters argue endlessly over seemingly pointless paradoxes of who would inherit the biggest house on their private island, and who would get to keep the ivory ornaments once their parents died. It was so dark and so materialistic to read. Another interesting element of the family dynamic were how the mothers would scheme and perform constant passive aggressive acts of declaring their worth by using their children. The children became puppets to goad and beg to their grandfather for money without knowing why they were doing it. Even from personal experience, parents can mould you into something that looks shiny and kind just so other parents and other people can be jealous of your obedience. But with the Sinclairs, this was amplified to the maximum. Family became so much more powerful.

Book Review: GONE SERIES by Michael Grant

Michael Grant's six-part Young Adult series follows a beach-side community that find themselves in an impossible situation. Everyone aged fifteen and over simply disappear. No spectacular disappearance, no poof. Just gone. Perdido Beach and the surrounding area is now a strange town stuck in a large sphere where only the young roam, looking for food, looking for attention and looking for answers. The six novels follow the array of problems these children eventually face. The initial disruption; the hunger that eventually follows their limited supply of food; conflict and political strife that falls upon the children; illness and plagues; and eventually what happens when the barrier comes down. And if there weren't enough problems, their community is evolving in a rapid way. Animals and nature are changing. Humans are developing paranormal abilities. Nothing is the same. In particular, Grant explores the dynamics between and within these youths on the cusp of adolescence as they try to make sense of a world without adults, and more importantly, without rules.

I picked up the first book on a whim. I saw these books around my local library for ages, with the first instalment having been published in 2008 and I recently heard a bit of a buzz around them so I finally decided to give this series a go. I am so glad that I did. Grant has entertained me, moved me and captivated me throughout the journey that is this series and there was such a large spectrum of wonderful elements to delve into.

Film Review: DIVERGENT

(This review contains a few spoilers and direct references to scenes in the film)

I went into Divergent feeling relatively neutral, not particularly excited, and not expecting anything that great. The trailers were interesting, and I liked what I had seen so far cinematography-wise, but I didn't really know what to expect and how the director, Neil Burger, was going to interpret and develop his impression of Veronica Roth's fantastically fast-paced novel.

Even when the title sequence began rolling, I knew that there was going to be something a little special about this film. I couldn't have been more accurate. Divergent was unique in its stance on the YA novel turned film adaptation as it didn't compromise the visuals or screenplay and yet maintained a good, gripping pace. Although there were a few differences between book and movie, there were also a lot of positives about this adaptation. 

Let's start with what I liked about the film:

The cinematography and appearance of the film was stunning. The attention to detail was fantastic and I really liked their artistic representation of this crumbling but surviving futuristic Chicago. There was a good combination of futurism and technology intermixed with the more simple and mechanical appearance I imagined from the book: for example, whilst the Erudite and Dauntless compounds had a very stylised newness about them, the trains that ran through the city still looked old and weathered. It was this juxtaposition alongside the eroding skyscrapers scattered through the city that really created an exciting visual effect.

The film was also shot in a very intimate manner in which the viewer feels very close to the main characters during the action. Specifically, I really enjoyed the visual choice to make frequent close-ups of Tris whilst the film progressed which allowed us to really notice the small changes in her disposition. My favourite element was the reoccurring motif of her reflection. After the viewer becomes familiar with the Abnegations' uneasiness with mirrors, the simulation where Tris becomes multiplied again and again into infinite copies of herself is a beautiful symbolic representation of her choice. Tris' reflection then follows her throughout the remainder of the film in moments of novelty or excitement, such as the zip-wire scene and the fear landscapes. She is forced to connect with herself.

One of the changes that, in my opinion, really benefited the plot of the film was the construction of Tris as a character. In the book, she does gain bravery and confidence immensely, but still holds something childlike and naive in her demeanour. However, Shailene Woodley's portrayal of Tris was more mature, hard hitting and wittier. Contrary to the dystopian genre, the film was full of light-hearted humorous lines which were timed effectively and because of this, I found it a lot easier to warm to Tris. I ended up preferring film-Tris to book-Tris just because I feel like the journey from girl to woman is a lot clearer in the film and there's something a lot harsher and more determined in Woodley's Tris. 

Furthermore, I enjoyed the beginning of the film a lot where we were able to get a sound and thorough introduction of all the factions and how they fit within the structures of the society. Moreover, it was interesting to see Tris slowly noticing more and more of the Dauntless until she becomes one. The scene where she climbs the bridge amongst the running Dauntless with music pounding and smile spreading across her face is magical: the viewer really experiences a certain exhilaration with her.

As for other changes that worked really well; I liked how the action was more serious, for example, the paintball activity in the novel changes to war games with fake bullets that feel like real ones. Suddenly, that omnipresent danger becomes all the more clearer even in the activities they consider "fun". The fighting, battle and action scenes were also very extensive and the stunts were very well crafted. I really valued this choreography and that they didn't minimise the action as Divergent is characteristically fast-paced and tense.

Similarly, I like how the fear landscapes were interpreted. Unlike the book, the Dauntless can only escape their fears by solving how to stop and escape it, much like a logic puzzle. This made the viewing experience a lot more satisfying and exciting however it didn't really make sense to show bravery by using puzzle solving skills which seem more suited to Erudite. I especially liked Tris and Four's journey into his landscape where he taught her the difference between Divergent actions and Dauntless actions. I felt this made more sense within the context of the tests as well as allowing a more plausible reason for Four to allow Tris into his mind.

Talking of Four, Theo James presented a version of him that was completely different to anything I had imagined, but worked surprisingly well. Theo's Four had such an intense masculinity about him whilst still retaining the tenderness and honesty so integral to his personality. Other characters which exceeded my expectations in a good way were Tori (Maggie Q), Christina (Zoe Kravitz) and Eric (Jai Courtney).

"I don't want to be just one thing. I can't be. I want to be brave, and I want to be selfless, intelligent, and honest and kind."

As for elements that didn't work as well: I really wanted more from the secondary characters. The movie was very focused on the main story-arc as I mentioned before, following Tris very closely. However, in choosing to do this, a lot of the thorough and rich subplots with the secondary characters were lost. The viewer wasn't able to see the romance blooming between Christina and Will; we weren't able to see the true extent of Peter's maliciousness; and we were unable to get introduced to any of the Dauntless-born initiates. It is fully understandable as to why these small details were cut, but the real appeal of Divergent was its set of characters, and it was a real shame that we couldn't get to know them all as well as we did in the book. This also meant that when certain characters did die, the impact was cushioned by the fact that we didn't get that intense connection.

The pacing also felt extremely rushed due to the fact that they were trying to maintain most of the plot points. A lot of scenes were included, but they all seemed to happen briefly, especially during the Dauntless initiation which loses some of its apprehension and fatality. Again this lowered the viewer's investment in the plot and characters and I struggle to think what non-readers of the book would think of this film.

Overall, Divergent was a nice accompaniment to the book. I appreciated the artistic interpretation and creation of this wonderfully corrupt future. The visual design was fantastic and the acting very good although the rushed pacing made it quite difficult to grasp the scientific side of the narrative. A great, cinematic experience but not mind-blowing.

p.s. The actor who played Will (Ben Lloyd-Hughes) looked so much like Ezra Koenig from Vampire Weekend in this film. Scary.

(Screencaps from http://www.divergentlife.com/)

Book Review: THE 5TH WAVE by Rick Yancey

This brutal alien invasion novel shows Earth in true apocalyptic hysteria. Foreign species are invading the planet. But not without destroying and annihilating the entire human race first. Filled with countless psychological plot twists and a clever interpretation of human extinction, Rick Yancey excels in 'The 5th Wave'. 

The novel initially follows heroine Cassie Sullivan, a sixteen-year-old survivor of the apocalypse, whilst she recalls the destruction that followed the first four waves: a worldwide powercut; devastating tidal waves, a deathly plague which causes bleeding from every orfice; and disguised killers that look just like humans which destroys the very concept of trust. These methods have killed all but several hundred thousand humans. The population is rapidly decreasing and it is becoming more and more likely that Cassie will be the last of humanity. The reader follows her journey alongside a parallel narrator as they try to make sense of how, why and what is exactly going on. However, the 5th wave is approaching and they are running out of time.

"Cruelty isn't a personality trait. Cruelty is a habit."

I have to congratulate Yancey here for orchestrating a well-paced and engaging action novel which kept me constantly guessing by maintaining high levels of paranoia. The most effective result of this technique was the inability to deduct who the real enemy was. With the characters, you are never certain who to trust and who is telling the truth. The uncertainty that underlies every page is therefore a captivating way of keeping the story fresh and interesting the whole way through. I found 'The 5th Wave' had a similar reading experience to Divergent where the gripping plot-driven narrative encouraged me to pick this book up at any given opportunity just so I could find out what was happening next.

(This review will contain spoilers from this point onward.)

The narrative style was also very effective and the choice of narrators were also very well considered. I have to admit that after reading the first chapter through Cassie's perspective, I did get a little irritated with her voice and wondered whether I could have read a whole book in that way. However, as soon as the perspective swapped to Ben Parish, I was immediately engaged. Getting a drastically opposing focalisation  to Cassie added insight as well as heightened the aforementioned uncertainty. Once the reader begins to familiarise themselves with Ben and view the events through his indoctrinated point of view, the aliens' manipulation feels that much more realistic. 

The dichotomy between Cassie and Ben was also so clever. At the beginning of the novel when Cassie spends many pages describing her obsession with her high-school crush, I sighed and wondered why there was such an emphasis on this frivolous and admittingly irritating detail. I was so relieved to discover his greater involvement in the novel. There is such a great presence of dramatic irony where Ben's bland and cliché high school jock archetype is both fuelled and subverted by his development into a soldier. He becomes a similarly faceless person in a completely different way - and yet through his narration - the reader gets to learn so much more about his background, adding layers and texture to his characterisation. It was so entertaining to read the climax where Ben's and Cassie's story lines collide and the two meet in this unbelievable, almost hyperbolic situation where the coincidence of them meeting again makes the ending so much more enjoyable to read. It also effectively emphasises the personal journeys the two have gone on:  from one high school student sought after another, to two emotionally broken survivors who have been to hell and back. The fact that Sammy is there as a conduit to link the two together even further is brilliant and their maternal/paternal instincts demonstrate how quickly they've had to grow up. 

In my opinion, I found Ben's character arc and journey more interesting to read and I think it was also written better. The tone was more psychologically thrilling to read I really liked the dynamic between all the other child-soldiers within his army squad. I found it important that Yancey wasn't afraid to use very young children and I subsequently found Teacup to be a very interesting character. Additionally, I think the romance between Ben and Ringer was done well as it never felt artificial or forced and didn't interrupt the high pressured plot. 

On the other hand, I didn't really warm to the relationship between Cassie and Evan. I found the first scene of their initial interaction unbelievable as there was that element of insta-love. I'm not sure whether it was just Evan who I never really connected with, or whether it was Cassie's presentation of Evan that didn't sit well. However, as the novel progressed, it got easier to accept the credibility of their relationship, especially when considering Evan's literal and mental division which would lead to foreign feelings and confusion.

I'm intrigued to read the sequel: The Infinite Sea and I cannot fathom what kind of mind-blowing events Yancey will bring to the story next. So watch this space.

Teaser Trailer Review: DIVERGENT

Summit gives fans a first glimpse of the upcoming film adaptation of the popular and well-loved YA novel, Divergent (written by Veronica Roth) in a thirteen second teaser trailer. However, unlike plenty of teaser trailers I've seen in the past, this preview of Divergent doesn't disappoint. Filled with a rapid succession of the main characters in action, fighting and the titular line, these thirteen seconds are packed with small details to tame expectant fans until the theatrical trailer is released. Let's break it down:

First and foremost, it begins with the first moving shot of main character Beatrice (Shailene Woodley) in Abnegation uniform. Hair tied back and insecurity in her eyes, Woodley's performance seems promising. When I first heard of Tris's casting, I had unsure first impressions. Although I haven't seen much of Woodley's prior acting bar The Descendants, I'm keeping an open mind until I see more.

Cut to Divergent's antagonist Jeanine Matthews clothed in Erudite navy blue portrayed by elegant Kate Winslet. This too, seemed like an interesting casting choice as I'm intrigued to see Winslet in a film targeted towards a younger audience.  Nevertheless, the quick one second shot exudes sternness from her expression as she glances at now Dauntless Beatrice as they pass each other. Beatrice is now Tris, in black attire instead of grey and decorated with her notorious raven tattoo. In short, looking very kick-ass. The next cameo we see is of tattoo artist Tori (Maggie Q), warning Tris of her Divergence.  Next we see a series of quick snapshots: Tris in the Dauntless compound perhaps; Four wielding a gun; kicks, punches and dodges as Dauntless initiation plays out; Capture The Flag; and finally ending with a slow-motion jump of Tris taking Christina's hand as they leap out of a moving train onto a rooftop.

Short but sweet, hopes are high for Divergent: release date 21 March 2014.

(Watch here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agWN5gkiOls)