Thomas's love of his life, Keziah, is bitten by a vampire. Because this is a short story, it's really hard to write anything about it without giving the whole plot away, but I will attempt to do so (that is, not give anything away). Gemma Farrow has a style that draws you in, not allowing your eyes to leave the words despite the fact that you know what this is about, what's happening, that this is all about one thing only. We see love at its best, and love is what cost Thomas his sanity, his beliefs, and his humanity. But geez, that under-the-bed scene made me freak a little! And I enjoyed seeing a story deviate from the normal scheme of vampire/zombie clichés (and boy have I been seeing a lot of them), playing with the emotions of our torn protagonist. That being said, Beneath the Willow imparts a psychological bang rather than a scare/shock/gore tactic which I appreciated. I'm not a fan of short stories in general, but I was intrigued that this was a horror, and I was in need of some scary creepiness. I have to say, this was a very good short story. A well written, intense, psychological short story
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I totally supported that in the Mortal Instruments (yes I've read all the books) because they didn't grow up together but when they grew up together. well I had trouble liking him because he 1. I find Lucia to be a spoiled, annoying brat and Magnus. One of the problems I've had reading this story was I only actually like two of the main characters- Cleo and Jonas. I wasn't too interested for the most part while reading Falling Kingdoms, it wasn't until towards the end of the story that I got interested. This book series is said to be the 'young adult' version of Game of Thrones / A Song of Ice and Fire since I haven't read those books, I can't exactly say I know whether or not they actually are but I am in the middle of binge watching the show, and I can see how they're kind of similar. It was interesting because the first pages had a cast of characters. Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. I read Falling Kingdoms a couple months ago or so. Could we just sit here and enjoy the covers for a bit? Please? They're gorgeous. He did a lot with the information he had on hand-that is to say, not much-and this book has a fascinating time capsule feel to it, and is prophetic to some degree. Much of the science didn't turn out like del Rey envisioned-the reactors are for making "super-heavy isotopes" for medicinal uses, with power as a secondary output, and the main way to remove "radioactives" from injured workers is curare treatment.īut it's interesting to see what he got right-such as a Chernobyl-style cleanup attempt, and several aspects of how the nuclear plant operates-as del Rey first wrote this three years before Hiroshima, and then revised it the year the first civilian nuclear power plant entered operation (1956). Interesting Golden Age science fiction tale of a meltdown at a nuclear reactor. Plus, if you like it, there are two more books that come after- Things Hoped For and Things That Are. Which makes this book pretty unusual in its own right. And did we mention that he runs around town naked for much of the book? Because he does. It's not easy being fifteen and invisible, but Bobby Phillips rises to the occasion spectacularly. He's able to gain his parents' respect and is way more attractive to the ladies-or at least one lady in particular. Back in his old life, his parents didn't listen to him and girls treated him like he was invisible (yep-it's true), but now that he's invisible, he learns more about himself. Interestingly, Bobby learns that he feels more seen when he's invisible than he ever did while leading a visible life. And Andrew Clements, who has written a whole slew of well-known young adult novels, certainly knows how to explore the pangs of growing up. Though the book starts off on a nightmarish foot, it's ultimately a coming-of-age story geared toward adolescents. And by everything, we mean that he is officially invisible. Things Not Seen (the first book in the Things Not Seen series) opens with a pretty unforgettable scenario: Fifteen-year-old Bobby Phillips wakes up on a seemingly normal day, only to quickly realize that everything has changed. What's the worst thing that you could wake up with as a teenager? A stubborn cowlick? A giant pimple in the middle of your forehead? Um… how about an invisible body? |