Week 21- Awkward....

I'm honestly surprised I haven't finished this book yet, since I'm super into it. It's pretty long, though. I only have about 100 pages left, So hopefully I can finish it soon. I really want to read Simon VS. the Homo Sapiens agenda before the movie comes out.
Anyways, a lot of adult tuff has been coming up, by which I mean a lot of characters are talking about sex. I'm cool with it, but it's not what I was expecting out of a murder mystery centered on the moms of kindergarteners...
Also, Madeline's daughter is absolutely insane and tried to sell her virginity to stop sex trafficing, which is a nice cause and all but not super well thought-out. But then this guy messaged her and said he'd donate if she took down the website, just when her parents had found out and she had been too stubborn to listen to them. Madeline is skeptical, and so am I.
My guess is someone in the neighborhood found out and made up the email to stop her. It would probably be Celeste's husband, Perry, who is, besides abusive, filthy rich, and would be perfectly capable of donating to the cause. Or maybe Celeste herself, who Madeline told about the ordeal and has used Perry's money without him noticing in the past. The other possibility is that Abigail (Madeline's daughter) set everything up so that she could pretend to want to go through with it and have this guy ready to conveniently call it off. That seems less likely, though, since Abigail seemed to genuinely start regretting the website.
Meanwhile, Jane revealed that the father of her kid is Celeste's husband's cousin, and he physically and verbally abused her when they were... making Ziggy. And now she's finally gotten over the trauma and has been checking out the hot barista who she thought was gay but is actually straight and maybe into her? Pretty random, but I ship it, I guess.
Celeste is being a strong woman and seeing a therapist, and she rented an apartment in case she needs to leave, but it's pretty obvious she's not ready to leave, except apparently she told him she was leaving? But now they're going to the trivia night, which is when someone's gonna die, so maybe not? She'll probably be the one to die, since she's been hinting at it (if you can call directly stating it hinting) that Perry is going to kill her with his abuse sooner or later, and she just told him she was leaving him, and everyone is super drunk at the party. Also, someone in the transcript part said a little boy put a note on the casket, which rules out Renata. It could be Jane or Madeline, but Madeline is usually interacting with one of her gitls, not her boy Fred. Maybe Ziggy, though.
And as if Celeste's life didn't suck enough, Max is the one who was bullying Amabella. Did I tell you about that? Well, everyone thought Ziggy was hurting a girl in his class, but actually they're friends and no one knows because she didn't want Max, one of Celeste's twins, to hurt her more. It seems like everyone in Perry's family is violent, since he abuses his wife, his cousin abused Jane, and his son abused one of his classmates. And all of it sucks. I'll most likely finish the book over the break, so I'll update you then on what happens and who dies.

Week 20- I really need to stop doing this

I'll admit it, I've finally fallen back on old habits. I haven't done this all school year, but it was going to happen at some point.
The thing is, I tend to read more than one book at a time. Right now, I have four books checked out, and I managed to rush through one of the books I've already started. And by one of, I mean that I didn't read any of Big Little Lies this week. Instead, I started a book about cannibalism! Yay! I have weird tastes for a person my age. Or any person. Coincidentally, the other book I got at the school library was about combining human and animal DNA. Meanwhile, all the girls were getting romance books. I felt a little weird, but I don't care what they think, and I honestly kind of hate unironic romance books, so who cares?
So, I read The Ravenous by Amy Lukavics, which is a creepy title just on its own. Like I said when I checked it out, it's giving me serious Tokyo Ghoul vibes.
Essentially, Tokyo Ghoul is an anime set in an alternate reality in which a humanoid species, known as ghouls, exists alongside humans. They usually look like anyone else, but they have some extra abilities. The thing that sets them apart is that they can only eat humans or other ghouls (or coffee for some reason). The protagonist of the anime is a normal high schooler, but he almost dies in an accident alongside a ghoul who was about to eat him. The ghoul dies, but he survives with damaged organs, so the doctors unknowingly replace his organs with the ghoul's organs. When he wakes up, he has the instincts and appetite of a ghoul, causing him to feel psychological stress over the prospect of becoming a cannibal.
The reason this reminds me of the book is because it's literally exactly the same premise. This girl dies in an accident (this time caused by her drunk mom) and is brought back to life by some crazy (probably satanic) ritual, so that now she has to eat humans. Naturally, her sisters decide the best way to handle this once their mom disappears is to become serial killers.
I didn't get to say this before I finished it because I read it all in one week, but I totally predicted that at least one of the sisters would get eaten. Take that, Juliet! I didn't like you anyways, and you turned out to be a psychopath, so... yeah! Although getting eaten alive doesn't sound like a fun way to go. Better than getting a surprise hammer to the back of the head like her victims? Maybe?
Anyways, I didn't really like the ending. It was like the author tried to tie everything together, but still have a creepy ending, and it didn't really work for me.
There were some cool psychological horror elements, though, and also a lot of "is it possible dying sucks a lot more than religion makes us think it does?" So that was fun.
One of the parts that had a huge buildup was Rose, the girl who got brought back to life, finding out that her sisters killed two people and had... you know... fed them to her. Naturally, she had a breakdown, but the scene wasn't written that well for me. It was kind of anticlimactic. Like, she was upset, but it was written awkwardly.
Can I just say that there was a lot of blood? Lots of blood. And graphic deaths with descriptions of people gurgling and moaning but not dying. Ew.
It was kind of like a zombie book, but she still had her own personality and stuff (at least until the end when she lost her mind and ate her sister, then she was a total braindead zombie). It gave me more demon vibes than zombie, though.
I know this is getting long, but usually I have two blogs to talk about a book, and I finished this one in a week, so I just wanted to say one more thing. I get that it's supposed to be creepy and gross, but in Tokyo Ghoul, the main character is able to survive without actually killing anyone. He survives off of people who were in accidents or commited suicide. So technically speaking, Rose could have done the same thing instead of her sisters having to become serial killers. In the notes at the end, though, the author said the story was inspired by a family of serial killers, so I guess that was the point of the book.
Sorry for talking for so long!

Week 19- Renata can go die in a hole (and probably will)

Last week I started reading “Big Little Lies” by Liane Moriarty. So far I'm really enjoying it, even if I've never experienced a lot of the stuff talked about in the book. I actually like how it's told from the point of view of moms. They're all in different situations, but all of them have some kind of flaw in their family. I'm not sure if you read this book, but basically this new mom, Jane, shows up and gets taken in by two of the other moms when she gets bullied by Renata, who is the holier-than-thou quote-unquote career mom who thinks she's better than everyone.
Jane is sweet, but there's definitely something going on that isn't explicitly said, and it fits right in with the rest of the book, since lots of things are hinted at without being said. I especially like how there are bits of transcripts thrown into the narrative talking about the death of a parent, but it's unclear who died or who killed them, if anyone. The thing I really want to know is what's going on with Jane and her son, Ziggy. She's clearly worried that he'll turn out like his father, but she won't say who the father is or what trait she thinks he'll have, but it seems to have something to do with violence, judging by her reactions after a girl accused him of choking her.
As for Madeline, she's hilarious, but her ex-husband kind of sucks. Not that she's handling it super well by being all passive aggressive in front of his kids from his new marriage, but he really had no reason to walk out on her, so maybe he deserves it.
But Celeste is really tugging at my heartstrings, because her situation is so real that it's sad. She loves her husband, but she's a victim of physical domestic abuse. It's sad because she knows it's wrong, but she loves him so much that she keeps making up excuses for him instead of leaving. You want to say that she's stupid for staying, but it's difficult for people to get out of that kind of relationship, because they usually just want to believe that people can change and get better. What's worse is that she knows he can’t, but she stays.
Mostly I just really hate Renata and want to know what she's doing to make her daughter lie about Ziggy choking her and why. Like, why do you hate the world so much, lady? Just chill. If you weren't so stuck up, maybe people wouldn't be mean back.
My guess as to who died is either a) one of Jane, Madeline, or Celeste or b) Renata, who sucks. As for who killed her, if you go with ‘a' died, then ‘b' killed her, and vice versa. I just don't know how it escalated into murder.
The one thing that throws me off is that it's set in Australia, but that it's never stated, so you have to pick up all of the little things and piece it together. I guess the author must be Australian, so she didn't feel the need to clarify. But it's super good regardless! I'll probably finish it soon, so be ready.

Week 18- Fierrochase is my downfall

Just know that I am internally screaming as I write this and will be for the rest of eternity.
Magnus. And Alex. Kissed. Twice. Once in each gender. And are now dating. *Inhale* *the screams of a thousand tortured souls escape from me*
I have shipped this from the beginning and it makes me so happy that they're together and now I can die happy and oh my gods they are so perfect for each other and oh my god pan representation not just gay or straight and wow Alex is pretty much perfect in every way.
Sorry. Anyways...
Before I continue, can I just say that Magnus is now a Disney princess. No joke. He can talk to animals. I don't get why it was necessary, but trust me when I say I am not complaining. I am seriously contemplating drawing Magnus as Snow White. The urge is strong, but so far I have fought it. He talks to animals, his books are published by Disney-Hyperion, and Alex is basically his Prince/ss Charming. I rest my case.
So, now that we've got that out of the way, can I just say RICK RIORDAN IS GOD-SENT. This man flawlessly represented so many ethnicities, cultures, time periods, sexual orientations and identities. Alex Fierro is pretty awesome as a whole, being both genderfluid and trans when teens and young adults really need someone like that in popular media. But then there's Samirah. Sam is so amazing and strong and beautiful and ACCURATE. Not only does she go on this crazy quest, she literally does all of it WHILE FASTING. YES. Not to mention the thoughtful explanation of "Allahu akbar" on her behalf to Magnus. There is so much Muslim representation in this book and I feel like this is something I didn't realize I needed. I learned so many things from Sam that I otherwise wouldn't have known. It's awesome and I praise you for taking the time to research all of this and make sure you don't offend anyone, Uncle Rick.
And can I say that Magnus is such a precious baby. So many people freaked when he said he didn't care if Alex was kissing him as a guy or a girl, and with good reason. People know what being gay is, most know what being bi is, but pansexuality is something that doesn't really get representation, and it honestly fits Magnus perfectly considering how sweet he is despite their differences, gender or otherwise.
Oh, and also the flyting with Loki was gold. A little cheesy, but still gold, just... cheese-covered gold.
So yeah, I really enjoyed Ship of the Dead and am super sad that it's the last book in the series, but judging by the ending I'm guessing the characters will be included in the Trials of Apollo. I guess that means I'll have to keep reading TOA in hopes of more Fierrochase.

Week 17- Magnus' Gun

So last week I said I wanted to talk about Chekov's Gun, and I’m actually glad I didn't, because I got another example to use that I wouldn't have gotten to discuss. Basically, what this means is that Uncle Rick is a phenomenal writer, and he's giving me yet another reason to believe that Magnus Chase is his best book series yet.

You might be confused. Or maybe you know exactly what I’m talking about. I'm going to explain just in case you don't. So, a long time ago (I don't know when, so don't ask me) this guy with the last name Chekov said that if you put a gun on the wall in Act 1, someone has to shoot it in Act 2. (Side note: some people say ‘chapter 1' and ‘chapter 2' instead of act, but act makes a lot more sense. Acts don't always refer to a play, but rather to sections of the story. Having this principle executed from one chapter to another kind of defeats the purpose of Chekov's Gun.) What Chekov was trying to say is that, if you introduce a detail as specific as that there is a gun present, rather than just saying something like “it was clear by the decorations that he hunted often” that it should be there for a reason, and there should be a clear, plot-driven reason for it. It doesn't have to be a gun, obviously. But if there's something this specific, the reader should get a reason for it, assuming it somehow furthers the plot. On the other hand, if this is done wrong, extremely miniscule details turn into Deus Ex Machinas.

So, now that we’re all on the same page and understand the principle of Chekov's Gun, let's see how this relates to Magnus Chase. I haven't finished The Ship of the Dead, but I've already seen two very distinct but very successful uses of Chekov's Gun.

Firstly, in one of the previous books, Magnus fought a sea goddess named Ran. He ultimately defeated her, but she mentioned something about her hipster husband who's into microbrews. This was quickly dismissed as yet another quirky piece of Norse mythology, used for comedic relief. In fact, I didn't remember this comment at all until Magnus met Aegir and remembered what Ran had said. Turns out it wasn't just comedic relief: it was foreshadowing. What this means is that not only did Rick know how he wanted the series to go, but he had the specific details worked out enough that he could slip in a Gun in the form of what seemed to be a throwaway line that would lead to something that wouldn't even happen until the next book. It reminds me of the Harry Potter series, and how Rowling had the entire story planned out, with events in the first book directly affecting events in the last book and vice versa.

The second Gun, which I only read about after writing last week's entry, is similar, but not entirely the same. Previously, Magnus, Blitzen, and Hearthstone went to Alfheim, where Hearth grew up, to search for the Skofnung stone. In the process, Hearth's frankly abusive father gets cursed into becoming even more evil (and possibly having multiple personality disorder, but that's a different story) before they leave. Now, Hearth and Blitz go to look for this whetstone that will somehow help them. The whole time, Magnus is thinking about how it's similar to the Skofnung stone, and hopes they don't have to go back to Alfheim and see Hearth's father again. Not only this, but Magnus has a nightmare where he sees a monster he's never seen before. And these two things, of course (Magnus feeling like this is similar to the previous quest and having a nightmare about a scary monster) combine into intertwined Guns, as the three of them do exactly what Magnus was hoping they wouldn't, and see that Hearth's father has been turned into a dragon, the one he saw in his dream. And you can also consider the curse a Gun if you want, since it's never said how exactly it will affect him.

So it turns out that, despite the quality of the Trials of Apollo not being quite up to my standards, it seems like the creativity and writing ability Rick does have is all being poured into what is easily one of my favorite book series. And we haven't even talked about the level of diversity in this series! I don't think I've mentioned Alex once, which is a shame, since they're one of my favorite characters. But I guess I'll save that for next week.

Week 16- Lemon son

I said I wouldn't be able to get my hands on it, but thank the gods because it was staring me in the face on your bookshelf! So I started Magnus Chase: The Ship of The Dead by our good friend Uncle Rick. I have been excited to read this for so long, mostly because I’ve seen a few spoilers online. I'm going to try not to let that keep me from enjoying it, though.

Out of all the main characters we've heard from in the Riordanverse, I think Magnus is honestly my favorite. Sure, Percy is great and funny, but Magnus is kind of like… I don't know if you've heard about this, but there's this meme going around calling Percy “Persassy”. Basically, it just turns him into a diva, and it's hilarious, because it fits his personality. But he doesn't actually act that way in the books (most of the time). Magnus, for me, is like the canon equivalent of Persassy. He's funny, he doesn't care what you think, and he will tell you that you look terrible today, even in the heat of battle. He's funny and relatable, like most Riordan characters are, but, somehow even better. I think part of the reason I love Magnus so much is the fact that he's more realistic than other characters have been. At first, I just said, “oh yeah, he's realistic ” but I couldn't put my finger on why. But when I woke up today, I figured it out.

So, as you know, most of the Riordanverse deals with demigods. One of their parents was never there in their childhood (because they're gods or goddesses) and they were stuck with one parent. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, but consider this: a lot, and I mean a lot, of those single parents die. Magnus’ did, but think about his other series. Nico's mom died. Leo's mom died. Hazel's mom died. Frank's mom died (although he did still have his grandmother to stay with). Jason's mom didn't die, but she did ABANDON HIM and leave him to literally be RAISED BY WOLVES. Now look at all of these examples. Nico came to America with his sister even though they had no legal guardian with them because… plot. Leo did get put into foster homes, but once he heads to Camp Half-Blood that's pretty much ignored, and he turns into an independent woman who don't need no legal guardian. Frank, like I said, had his grandmother. Hazel got brought back to life and, while she does seem to have PTSD or flashbacks of some kind every once in a while, isn't much worse for wear. And then there's Jason… sigh. Jason was raised by actual wolves. And despite this, people say multiple times that he is perfect, that he's their golden boy. What the actual heck. These characters went through loss and hardship and seemingly have nothing to show for it.

And then there's precious Magnus, my salty lemon son. When his mom died, his only living relative didn't take him in for multiple reasons, despite basically owning a mansion, and rather than going into the foster system like Leo, he became HOMELESS. As in, living on the streets without knowing when he'd get his next meal homeless.  And even though he's not homeless anymore, that’s only because he is a) dead and b) living in a hotel. Out of context, it doesn't sound that great, I'll admit, but it's something. But the thing is, he may not be homeless anymore, but it is still a part of him and his personality and his childhood. And as a result, Magnus often talks about his experiences being homeless, whether because something happening reminds him of something specific from his homelessness or because something makes him remember how lucky he is not to be on the streets, despite it meaning he has to fight all manner of monsters and gods, etc. His situation was somewhat similar to Leo's, where they were both affected in some way by the loss of their mothers. Leo, however, never mentions or even seems to remember it much based on the chapters from his point of view. It's no big deal. Magnus, however, is a real character with real feelings and memories and morals created by living in constant fear and hunger. So yeah, when a character is consistent (*cough* ese *cough*) and has realistic feelings and experiences, I tend to like them more. And don't get me started on how Smelly Gabe was abusive to Percy but he doesn't ever mention him or get triggered or anything. An abused kid who then has to go fight monsters? Not a good combo.

I was going to mention Chekov's gun, but this is already super long. I'll try to remember to talk about it next week.

Sorry about how long this was! I hope it wasn't boring or repetitive. Here's the art I did:

Week 15- Apollo Ex Machina

So I finished The Dark Prophecy yesterday. I have to say, I was genuinely surprised by how dark the final battle ended up compared to other Riordan books. I mean, it wasn't super dark, but the precious fluffy griffin mom died!

Plus, Apollo kept bringing up the fact that she'd left behind a dad and unhatched egg.

I know that in The Last Olympian a bunch of people died, but most of them were unnamed, and for the ones who Percy knew, Rick actually described how and when they heroically died. Somehow I feel like that gave me closure. In griffin mom's case, Lester just finds her dead. It seems more sad when you don't know how she died except that Apollo wasn't there to help her.

Which, by the way, was very strange to me. I didn't understand why Apollo and Meg had to go off on their own mini-adventure (~ADVENTURE~) while everyone else was fighting Commode Man. I guess for tension? It just seemed odd to me how that worked time-wise. Maybe it would have been too long of a book otherwise.
By the way, I'm sorry if I switch between “Apollo” and “Lester”. Throughout the book, he seems to be having a serious identity issue, and other characters don't know what to call him either. It actually got worse as the book progressed, with the two personalities merging slowly. At the end of the battle, he even somehow showed his true godly formed. It was literally a Deus Ex Machina.
I'm still not sure how he did it, since he lost all of his powers, including archery and singing. It just seemed so out of place, like Rick went “well, this battle needs to end now, so I guess I'll just randomly give Lester his most godly power possible even though he couldn't even shoot straight in the last book!”

And that goes for Calypso, too. She randomly got magic powers again. The whole point was that the gods removed her powers. She didn't just get weaker and could build them up again; they were supposed to be gone forever. Uncle Rick, do you know what “consistent” means? Because with Calypso and Apollo's powers and Leo calling everyone “ese” and-- *dry heaves* “mAMaCIta”, I'm not sure you do.
Love you, Uncle Rick, but I feel like your books are slowly losing the charm they originally had for me. You're still hilarious, though.
Oh! I drew Lester, by the way. Just a simple one. Ta-da!

I guess I'll start a new book next week. I'd love to read the new Magnus Chase book, but I don't think I'll be able to get my hands on it.

See you on Tuesday~