schlanz's review against another edition
3.0
I'm going to begin by saying that I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in miracles, the fantastical, and Stiefvater's storytelling (check out that alliteration). Below is a more critical review of the book.
ONLY READ IF YOU DON'T MIND SPOILERS
1. Style
As a writing major, something that always strikes me is the use of powerful verbs. Verbs are incredibly underrated. If sentences are the bodies of stories, nouns are the skeletons and verbs are the muscles, full of adrenaline that pushes the stories forward. And Maggie's verbage is impeccable. Also, let's take a moment to appreciate the metaphors. Her writing is poetry, especially when describing the desert in this particular story. During the dialogue, though, there were more sentences than usual that tripped me up. I don't know if that was just a me thing, but sometimes I had trouble understanding. It's only a small thing though. Overall, the writing style was great, as per usual. I will forever hope to write deep, philosophical passages as gorgeously as Maggie does.
2. Characters
There is a section of the novel that talks about how Joaquin's voice as Diablo Diablo can't properly be captured on the page, but let me tell you, I could practically hear his voice coming through some staticky radio with that odd sixties American accent that mostly doesn't exist anymore. One of my favorite things about Maggie is that she presents unique characters and captures their voices incredibly well. They never feel like just slight alterations of the author's voice, as some writers are prone to do. I very much enjoyed the variety of personalities in this novel, although I did want to see some more fleshed out. Daniel seemed like, well, a saint, and maybe that was the point, but he fell a little flat for me, as did some other characters. I felt like they had potential that was never reached because you can only do so much within one novel, and this novel has quite a few characters.
3. Pacing
The beginning of the book was slow for me. I always enjoy reading Stiefvater's writing, but I felt like I was waiting for something more to happen during the first half of the book. I understand that complex world-building takes time, especially in fantasy/pseudo-fantasy, but I'm wondering if we could've jumped into the action sooner. I know it's a standalone, but while I was reading, I kept wondering how the story could possibly end by the time the pages did. Which brings me to my next point:
4. Love Stories
I'm a sucker for a good love story, but I'm also a bit of a cynic, so the love story has to be believable. Pete and Beatrix's love seemed...forced, like fate was pushing them together instead of their own compatibility. I felt like I didn't have time to see their relationship grow. Instead, they just avoided each other for a while, danced, fought, and BAM. They were in love the whole time. Normally Maggie writes some of my favorite love stories, but this one just felt awk. Also, Daniel and Marisita. I was skeptical of their love for most of the book because we didn't get to see their relationship until the very end. I can appreciate that because it puts us in the same position as the characters, but I also had trouble related to either of the characters because I didn't understand their sacrifices. HOWEVER, the love stories that I found most compelling were the background ones. Francisco and Antonia, particularly, were my favorites. The little details about their love felt the most real and the most refreshing. I know this seems like a big hooplah to be making about love, but there was a lot of it in this novel. I did appreciate the other forms of love, though, like family, friendship, etc. Kudos to Maggie for always remembering that romance is not always (or even often) the most important love in life.
5. The Bigger Meanings
Maggie grapples with several difficult ideas within this novel, including as I mentioned before, the amorphous, multifaceted crystal of intangibility that is love. Even though the romantic notions of love fell a little flat, I still applaud her for tackling such a difficult topic and doing it with success, especially in regard to familial love.
Also, as someone who grew up in a Catholic household but now has lukewarm opinions toward institutionalized religion, I appreciate how she handled religion as something present in the novel but neither promoted nor condemned it. Like Beatriz, she handles topics like this with seeming neutrality, but there is clearly great care and thoughtfulness about the idea of religion and god/God.
Finally, there's the message that miracles come from facing one's own darkness. As humans, we are prone to avoid both of these things, but this novel shows the benefits of going through difficulties. Granted, most people's darkness doesn't manifest as a coyote head or perpetual rain, but the real, more subtle darknesses can be just as difficult to live with. Stiefvater explores darkness beautifully through some particularly ugly miracles, and she shows that no one is beyond forgiveness if they have the strength to forgive themselves first.
So, in conclusion, I would give this book a 3.5-star rating, but alas, Goodreads doesn't allow half-star ratings. It's not my favorite Stiefvater book, nor (in my opinion) her most well-crafted, but it certainly is a rewarding read.
ONLY READ IF YOU DON'T MIND SPOILERS
1. Style
As a writing major, something that always strikes me is the use of powerful verbs. Verbs are incredibly underrated. If sentences are the bodies of stories, nouns are the skeletons and verbs are the muscles, full of adrenaline that pushes the stories forward. And Maggie's verbage is impeccable. Also, let's take a moment to appreciate the metaphors. Her writing is poetry, especially when describing the desert in this particular story. During the dialogue, though, there were more sentences than usual that tripped me up. I don't know if that was just a me thing, but sometimes I had trouble understanding. It's only a small thing though. Overall, the writing style was great, as per usual. I will forever hope to write deep, philosophical passages as gorgeously as Maggie does.
2. Characters
There is a section of the novel that talks about how Joaquin's voice as Diablo Diablo can't properly be captured on the page, but let me tell you, I could practically hear his voice coming through some staticky radio with that odd sixties American accent that mostly doesn't exist anymore. One of my favorite things about Maggie is that she presents unique characters and captures their voices incredibly well. They never feel like just slight alterations of the author's voice, as some writers are prone to do. I very much enjoyed the variety of personalities in this novel, although I did want to see some more fleshed out. Daniel seemed like, well, a saint, and maybe that was the point, but he fell a little flat for me, as did some other characters. I felt like they had potential that was never reached because you can only do so much within one novel, and this novel has quite a few characters.
3. Pacing
The beginning of the book was slow for me. I always enjoy reading Stiefvater's writing, but I felt like I was waiting for something more to happen during the first half of the book. I understand that complex world-building takes time, especially in fantasy/pseudo-fantasy, but I'm wondering if we could've jumped into the action sooner. I know it's a standalone, but while I was reading, I kept wondering how the story could possibly end by the time the pages did. Which brings me to my next point:
4. Love Stories
I'm a sucker for a good love story, but I'm also a bit of a cynic, so the love story has to be believable. Pete and Beatrix's love seemed...forced, like fate was pushing them together instead of their own compatibility. I felt like I didn't have time to see their relationship grow. Instead, they just avoided each other for a while, danced, fought, and BAM. They were in love the whole time. Normally Maggie writes some of my favorite love stories, but this one just felt awk. Also, Daniel and Marisita. I was skeptical of their love for most of the book because we didn't get to see their relationship until the very end. I can appreciate that because it puts us in the same position as the characters, but I also had trouble related to either of the characters because I didn't understand their sacrifices. HOWEVER, the love stories that I found most compelling were the background ones. Francisco and Antonia, particularly, were my favorites. The little details about their love felt the most real and the most refreshing. I know this seems like a big hooplah to be making about love, but there was a lot of it in this novel. I did appreciate the other forms of love, though, like family, friendship, etc. Kudos to Maggie for always remembering that romance is not always (or even often) the most important love in life.
5. The Bigger Meanings
Maggie grapples with several difficult ideas within this novel, including as I mentioned before, the amorphous, multifaceted crystal of intangibility that is love. Even though the romantic notions of love fell a little flat, I still applaud her for tackling such a difficult topic and doing it with success, especially in regard to familial love.
Also, as someone who grew up in a Catholic household but now has lukewarm opinions toward institutionalized religion, I appreciate how she handled religion as something present in the novel but neither promoted nor condemned it. Like Beatriz, she handles topics like this with seeming neutrality, but there is clearly great care and thoughtfulness about the idea of religion and god/God.
Finally, there's the message that miracles come from facing one's own darkness. As humans, we are prone to avoid both of these things, but this novel shows the benefits of going through difficulties. Granted, most people's darkness doesn't manifest as a coyote head or perpetual rain, but the real, more subtle darknesses can be just as difficult to live with. Stiefvater explores darkness beautifully through some particularly ugly miracles, and she shows that no one is beyond forgiveness if they have the strength to forgive themselves first.
So, in conclusion, I would give this book a 3.5-star rating, but alas, Goodreads doesn't allow half-star ratings. It's not my favorite Stiefvater book, nor (in my opinion) her most well-crafted, but it certainly is a rewarding read.
bookishchef's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
amberlea_s's review against another edition
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
japhyryder's review against another edition
5.0
I admit, I am biased because I love Maggie Stiefvater so much in general, but I absolutely devoured this book and cried at the end. The prose, from page one, is beautiful and enthralling, before you ever get to the meat of this genuinely beautiful story. It will renew your faith in magic, in love, and in the unproven things in life. The elements of music, of setting, of emotion, and of character combined to create such an atmosphere in this book. I'm leaving all the controversy out of this review - It's sort of irrelevant to how I felt about the book, which is pretty amazing. I genuinely liked this book even more than Scorpio Races (but less than The Raven Cycle.)
vandadora's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
asheepinajeep's review against another edition
5.0
here is a thing i want: to be able to experience this book for the first time again
here is a thing i fear: the fact that i will never be able to experience this book for the first time again unless i get amnesia
here is a thing i fear: the fact that i will never be able to experience this book for the first time again unless i get amnesia
exlibriscass's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0