I've heard the name Neil Gaiman a lot over the past year or so and I had no idea what he wrote or what kind of author he was. All I pretty much knew was that he was the one that had written Stardust. And that's not saying much because I've only seen the movie, not read the book. But the movie was alright, I enjoyed it because of it's magical elements, so I set out this summer to read one of Gaiman's novels (including one of his graphic novels). Miraculously, in my university's library I found The Ocean at the End of the Lane and managed to snatch it before anyone else. I had previously seen the book at Target but it was $12, and for an about 170 page book I could not bring myself to buy it at the moment, especially because like I already mentioned I had no idea what Gaiman's literary style was and if I was going to like it or not.

But let me tell you, I was completely blown away with The Ocean at the End of the Lane. It is completely worth the buy. I would definitely recommend having it on your bookshelf, as it's that type of novel that completely absorbs you and teleports you to this strange and mystical older world, a place that seems familiar in dreams and in childhood. I saw Gaiman's Google Talk on Youtube where he read an excerpt from the novel and discussed it. In the video he mentioned how the novel as a whole was not intended to be autobiographical except for the seven-year old boy's persona that was very resonant of a young Gaiman and his personality, the rest was storytelling and make-believe. It's interesting also on that note, that throughout the story we get the names of all the main characters except for the small boy, who is the main protagonist. I'm not sure if this was intentionally done, but looking back it makes sense for him to be nameless as Gaiman said he connected with him more personally.

If you have no clue what the novel is about (like I did) then let me go ahead and explain. The story takes place in Sussex, England in a remote village where a small, seven year-old boy lives. His family is initially described as being moderately well-off but then his parents unfortunately face a financial struggle, where the whole family is forced to sacrifice their old lifestyle to pay the bills. The little boys is forced to give up his room at the top of the stairs in order for it to be rented and move in with his sister. He's described as having no friends, except his kitty, and being an introvert; one of my favorite quotes in the book by him is, "Books were safer than other people anyway." He keeps to himself and spends all his time getting lost in the pages of his adventure or mystery books, while exploring the lands outside his doorstep. Various people come and go from his room, but the arrival of a South African man is one that changes everything. From there on, I can't reveal much except that you get magic and mysticism- and not necessarily the Harry Potter kind but the old-fashioned one. It's borderline mythological, reminding me of stories that adults tell one another and are then passed down to the children. And the best part is, that it's very much adult-based, as several scenes are a bit graphic and almost frightening. It's a goosebumps kind-of tale that will probably remain in your head for a long time.

I would highly recommend picking this up and reading it, I'm upset that I didn't get it sooner. This was the type of book that I love having on my bookshelf and would not be upset to spend money on. I finished it in a day, because it is a short read, but it left me with so many questions! I don't want to give anything away so if you haven't read the book, do NOT read on.
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My biggest question now as I'm writing this review is the fact that we never find out the little boy's name. Why is that? I think perhaps that because Gaiman said he was pretty much writing him from the perspective of himself as a young boy, he didn't necessarily need a name. He's almost directly connected to Gaiman, hence we can imagine that to be him, but not quite. For a seven year-old boy, he was pretty smart and I loved that he loved books; his nose was always stuck in the pages of books and he went along with that magical other world that the Hempstock's were a part of without questioning too much. It's easy to go along with things when you're a child, as he keeps pointing out, because children are so much more carefree and full of imagination. I miss that sometimes because you grow up and become full of responsibilities, stress and worriment- and you can't go back, but you can always try to remain as childish as you can.

I loved this book (if I haven't said that already) and if you have read it, let me know what you thought or maybe some of your favorite quotes! I got a few written down. If you haven't read it, then make sure to go and pick it up, I promise you will not regret it!

-Alex

It's so refreshing to switch to a different genre (well, sort of, because it's still YA) and get lost in a whole new world *cue Aladdin song*
...and with that I'm here to write about The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.

I picked this book out because I saw some other readers I follow on Goodreads rate and review it, and I thought "Why not?" It's got all the themes I love, well honestly I only knew it was fantasy-related and probably edging somewhere near The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones but for YA. And I was right! I thought this was a great, light read that had a really strong and empowering female protagonist- which come on, all the themes I love again.

With that, I'll introduce Lucero-Elisa who is the second (and therefore youngest) daughter of King Orovalle. She's described in the beginning chapters as a stout young woman, just turning 16 on the very day of her marriage to King Alejandro de Vega. All her life she's seen herself as being insufficient and lowly to her older sister, Juana-Alodia, who is the opposite image of her; having a slim figure, high cheekbones and a charming personality Elisa sees everything in her sister that she is not and doesn't foresee herself to be. But what makes Elisa special is a unique blue stone that's embedded to her at birth; referred to as a Godstone, this divine gift is believed to be sent from God to a chosen human to mark them as a special bearer- someone who will prove to be most powerful. But Elisa feels anything but that, as her life's consolation has plainly been to "eat her feelings" alongside her strict devotion to religious texts.

Being married offers her no further support as she doesn't know why she's been matched with King Alejandro and whisked away so quickly from her home. Elisa's low expectations of herself and the Godly power that lies within her make her an unlikely heroine, but then again that's how all great stories start! The Girl of Fire and Thornes is exactly what the title says it is, it's a story following a young woman that is learning to grow into herself and make the decisions that transition you from an adolescent to an adult, with a few mishaps along the way. With so many expecting nothing out of her, or anything highly, Elisa transforms right before your eyes and takes you with her all across the country- through hot, sweltering deserts and steep, rough mountains. Oh, and don't forget to add in all the fantasy elements of this mysterious Godstone and the creatures you encounter later on. Guess you'll have to read to found out...and now on to my thoughts, meaning spoilers so do NOT read on if you have not read the book yet!
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The book I ordered off Amazon came with "extras" at the end of the story, including an interview with Rae Carson and a short excerpt that Carson wrote herself on misogyny in the workforce. I loved that I got to read it because it offered a lot more insight into how Carson wanted to form Elisa's character and how she wanted readers to perceive her; not as just some plump princess who miraculously loses weight and then gets admired for it at the end. On the contrary, quoting directly from Carson's short passage Weighing In On Weight, she said "A woman has a right to have and enjoy whatever body her choices of circumstances give her...So, to my fellow women I make this resolution: I will commit to seeing beyond your breasts or fat or beauty to the essence of who you are. And I will vociferously defend your right to have your accomplishments acknowledged and lauded- no matter what you look like."

That is what I got out of Elisa and the whole essence of The Girl of Fire and Thorns. I didn't really understand why the author chose to make a princess a bit on the heavier side when I first began reading, but I honestly didn't care and applauded it even when I didn't know the change that was coming. Even though Elisa was seen and even publicly called "fat" at one point, she was so smart and kindhearted that those who looked beyond her outer appearance could really admire her true persona. And even when Elisa loses the weight, those who loved and appreciated her from the beginning (or not quite, aka Cosme) still remained by her side because of her admirable qualities.

Apart from this empowering image of a princess, I liked the incorporation of religion. I think it's definitely different to incorporate so much it in a YA book, but like Carson said, "It seemed to me that deciding what one believes about religion in the face of so many conflicting messages is a much more important part of the coming-of-age experience than is necessarily represented in current teen lit." Even now as I'm getting to turn 23, I still have questions about what I do or don't believe in my religious doctrines. I had them when I was 15 and they never really went away, just grew in terms of being more aware of my surroundings and all the major "worldly" questions; moving away from home for college also didn't help, but made this awkward gap in my religious circle. And this isn't just me, I find that all my other friends and colleagues have gone or are going through the same thing- there's this questioning and a search for this higher power to seek for comfort even with the confusion by everything that's going on around us. So, Elisa trying to discover these things for herself but still holding true to her faith connected with me.

I'm sure these "spoilers" are more like analyzes of the novel, but hey, this girl right here appreciates critical thinking and thank goodness for writing as a medium to get it out of her system. Anyways, enough of my rambling. If any of you have read The Girl of Fire and Thorns or any of these extras by Rae Carson, let me know and maybe if you're feeling up to it discuss with me! I gave the book a 4/5 on Goodreads, as I felt that the ending was a bit rushed and tied up rather well. I mean I got the gist of the Godstone, sure there are questions, but now what? The Invierne seem to be fought off for the moment, so what other imminent threat is out there for Elisa? Also, can we talk about Humberto for a minute? (Humberto's post-death I also thought was a bit rushed and not really given enough thought to) Who is going to be Elisa's true love now?! I guess I'll have to continue on to the second book in the trilogy, The Crown of Embers, to find out.

-Alex