DISCLAIMER: These reviews contain personal opinions and spoilers.
Written by: Delaney Norris, Staff Writer
“A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara
I remember scrolling under the review of “A Little Life” shortly after finishing it (with difficulty) and hearing it described as “misery porn”. I couldn’t have described it better myself. This book was no short of heartbreaking and hard to read scenes, but that doesn’t stop it from also being worthwhile and engaging. Yanagihara does a fantastic job portraying each of the four main characters, Jude, Willem, JB, and Malcolm as they go through their lives in New York City in search of fame and fortune. The four college classmates are held together through the years by talented but deeply scarred and depressed Jude, who suffered through immense childhood trauma, which has left him crippled in the leg and untrusting. As the reader progresses through the book, they are swept into the boy’s individual miseries, more so centered on Jude’s life as a whole, and Willems’ feelings as he deals with the loss of his parents and autistic brother. But the reader is also present for the successes of the men, with Jude becoming a lawyer, Willem an actor, JB an artist, and Malcolm an architect. While many people find that having all of the boys become so successful is unrealistic, I find it comforting that each character has given at least some positive storylines. “A Little Life” is a tale of friendship and loss, triumph and misery, and overall a satisfying read if you can get through its gut wrenching pages.
“Throne of Glass” by Sarah J. Maas
A fantasy novel with all the cliches-a corrupt king, a young girl-boss assassin, a contest to fight for freedom, and of course the inevitable love triangle that the girl-boss assassin will be a part of because she just has to have a love interest (not to mention its 8 predecessors, it’s not a fantasy series if it’s not unnecessarily long!!!). I’m not saying that this book was bad, but I don’t consider it anything groundbreaking. The story begins after a competition is announced in the kingdom of Adarlan. The king intends to find a champion to carry out tasks for him and allows nobles, including his son, to choose various assassins and criminals to fight for the title. The king’s son selects 18-year old assassin Celaena Sardothien, who is released from the prison camp she is being held in to participate. She is promised that if she wins, she will only have to remain the king’s champion/super soldier for three years and then she will be freed. Obviously Celaena is intrigued by this offer and is set on winning. The reader is presented with unique fight scenes and mystery (if they are blind to all the context clues). I would recommend this book if the fantasy genre is up your alley, but best of luck on your journey, this series is stacked.
“The Invisible Life of Addie Larue” by V.E. Schwab
Although I have heard a lot of praise for this book, personally I believe this is something I could have read on wattpad in 2014. A 14 year old could have been given this prompt and come out with something similar. I believe that this book has a lot of potential. Loosely based of the 2015 movie “The Age of Adeline” it follows a young girl named Addie Larue who makes a deal with the devil to live untethered and exactly how she wants. The devil takes this literally and essentially wipes her from the face of the Earth, never to impact society or individuals, as they will forget about her as soon as she is out of their sight. The story is set over a course of over 300 years as Addie navigates an invisible life. While it was slightly corny. I’ll give it credit for the plot and the writing style.
“The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt
If you choose to read this book, please don’t watch the movie first or even read the movie reviews (it’s not pretty). This book will not disappoint you. Although it is a lengthy 770 pages, I was able to get through it in about a week. I can always count on the lovely Donna Tartt to keep me engaged in her entertaining storylines. The story follows Theo Decker after the death of his mother during a terrorist attack at an art mueseum they were visiting in his youth. Theo is greatly distressed by this and carries it throughout the rest of his hectic life, which is surrounded by death and drugs. Theo clings to a famous painting, The Goldfinch, which he stole from the art museum the day of the attack. This book entices you and makes you want to get up and never come back again, but honestly, that’s what I like about it.