Careview: A Review of Caraval

Caraval is the debut novel from Stephanie Garber. It is a novel with incredible flair, especially for a debut. The protagonist, Scarlett Dragna, has always dreamed of going to Caraval (sort of a cross between a fair and an escape room-style game on a massive scale) along with her sister, Tella. Once they get there, Tella is taken, to be what the other participants must find before the end of Caraval.

Scarlett will stop at nothing to find her younger sister, who she's been protecting her entire life. Is it me, or has this plot been altogether too common in YA as of late? Both sisters are very different people - Scarlett is cautious, almost fearful, and Tella is flighty, almost reckless. What I like most about this is that we're not just told the sisters are like that - it effects every choice they both make and everything they do throughout the book. Julian, who first leads the sisters to Caraval, is the source of much of the mystery for the book, as Scarlett, and the reader, tries to learn who he really is.

One thing this book does well is setting the scene early. Within the first few pages, the reader will have a pretty good idea of what Caraval is. The reader also has glimpsed the sisters' personalities, and how horrible their father can be. This is neatly shown in one scene where the sisters are trying to convince their father they were the one who was with Julian - at first, the reader might think it's just standard sisterly behaviour, trying blame it on the other. But it becomes clear that they were trying to protect the other - if one of them misbehaves, their father punishes the other sister. This shows why Scarlett feels it's so important to go through with her marriage as their only way out, and why Tella is so desperate to get them to Caraval. A lot of things make sense after that.

The descriptions are enchanting, utilising even purple prose well, to really bring the reader into the world. You'll feel like you're actually there, at Caraval, where everything is magic (or is it)? The air even has a certain scent, the colours feel brighter, and everything feels more alive. The author uses similes like they're going out a fashion - "sand so fluffy and white, it looked like the icing on a cake" - to give one example. Scarlett's emotions are described by colour - periwinkle curiosity, ashy shades of anxiety- but it's inconsistent, not done every time she feels something. It may have become annoying if it was more common, but it feels underdeveloped as it. The book also seems to have a slight aversion to the word said, but it's not bad enough to ruin it.

It's a very fast-paced read, I read it in literally a day. Pages fly by before you even notice they've gone. Since it's such an easy read, I feel it's one I'm going to enjoy even on rereads, too. Something new happens on almost every page. There are many twists and turns that while you may figure out some of them, you'll never figure out all of them.

Perfect for any fan of fantasy, mystery and adventure, this story is one that will pick you up and sweep you away.

Turning Twenty-five

Today is my 25th birthday.

Something in my head has marked 25 as the last year you can be young, and be forgiven for it. I'm still living with my parents, and I'm studying something where the majority of my classmates are 16. Sometimes, I feel like a failure compared to others my age. But then I think about what I do that others don't, and I feel a little better. I know it's not like I'm the only 25-year-old who's still living at home, but many of the ones I know have moved out. Still, that's the sort of thing that different people manage in their own time.

25 is halfway to fifty, and I can't deny I'm getting older, but I'm also feeling better and better as I get older. I'm more accepting of things now, then when I was young. I would berate myself for every minor mistake, and stress over every tiny thing I didn't like about my body. Now, I go "oh well" and get over it. I no longer take what others say about me to heart. I became good at believing if people didn't like me for who I am, they weren't worth impressing.

I guess what I'm saying is there's no reason to fear getting older, I no longer do. My life is getting better with each year. Getting older is only giving me more things to look forward to. More places to travel, books to read, people to meet.

An Abundance of Reviews: A Review of An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines is a book by John Green, who also wrote Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns. It follows Colin Singleton, who has just been dumped by a girl named Katherine for the 19^th time, and so gets dragged along on a road trip by his best friend. I found it hard to believe that someone like Colin would have had 19 girlfriends at his age, let alone them all having the same name, but it’s a fun if implausible premise to get the characters into the story.

It is my least favourite John Green book, and I think it’s because the characters don’t stick in your mind as well. They aren’t as memorable or interesting as some of his others. It’s told in third person, so we don’t know exactly what’s going on in Colin’s mind at any one time. Colin has a talent for anagrams, which I highly dislike. Anagrams themselves, I mean, I can never work them out. His best friend’s personality revolves around being a Muslim and liking Judge Judy. This actually isn’t a bad thing, since John Green did his research, and it’s rare to see this sort of book deal with Islam. His new love interest changes her personality depending on what group of people she’s with. There’s nothing wrong with doing that – I personally find I do it myself – but it makes her hard to pin down as a character.

That may sound like I dislike this book, but that’s not true at all. It’s a fun and enjoyable read, like all John Green books. I just don’t like it as much as his other books, but a not-as-good John Green book is still better than many other books out there. Not to mention that not as good is highly subjective here, and others may rank this one higher with his other books.

It is actually a great book for improving vocabulary. Since Colin is highly intelligent, well-read, and fluent in a few languages, he uses a very wide variety of words. One example – sillage, French word, for the smell that perfume leaves behind. There’s a word that needs to be in common vernacular English. Unlike most books, it actually focuses on some of the difficulties he has from being highly intelligent. He struggles to make friends, can be judgemental, and tends to go off on random tangents.

This book also uses several footnotes. Do you like it when footnotes are used in fiction? For me, they just break up the flow of the story, making me lose my place on the page. But again, subjectivity, someone else might have a different opinion on them.

I feel like people who were called prodigies when they were younger, only to find others catching them up as they got older, would enjoy this book, since Colin is dealing with a very similar situation. 

How to Get on Well With Children

"I don't like children!" some people say. "I don't get on well with them!" or "I never know what to say!" It's something that has always came naturally to me, talking to children, and children seem to like me better now then they did when I was their age. Not everyone needs to deal with children on a daily basis, but we all will at some point. Whether a friend has come around with their kid or a child has wandered up to your table at a restaurant, there's no reason why you shouldn't try and converse with someone younger. Bear in mind that these tips are only if you want to, no-one has to interact with children if they don't want to, but it's nice to be nice.

1. Relax your body: if you're standing closed off, arms folded with an unfriendly expression on your face, children will respond to that. Place your arms at your sides and try to smile slightly. You might find that children naturally gravitate towards you.
2. Say please, thank you and sorry: asking them to give you something? Say please, and thank you if they pass it over. Say thank you if they share sweets with you, and share your own with them. Accidentally bumped their arm on the way past? Say sorry. Model the good behaviour you'd wish to see from them, since it's important to show them that manners carry over into adulthood.
3. Answer their questions: if an adult asked you something, you wouldn't ignore them. Well, in certain situations, maybe, but as a general rule, you wouldn't. So, if a child goes "Hello, what's your name?" answer, and ask them what their name is. Always see if you can ask a question back is a very good rule to follow.
4. High fives: high fives are my secret weapon. They work as a reward when a child has done something especially nicely, and are a nice alternative to a hug at the end of a visit from an adult they don't know well.
5. Talk about Disney movies: even if you don't watch them so much now, your favourite popular one from childhood is a good starting point. They're all still so well known that most children will have heard of them if they haven't watched them. If you do know some of the more recent ones, that's even better. I've had some very nice conversations with children discussing our favourite parts of Finding Dory.

Honestly, I've always thought children respond to me well because I am pretty much still a child in some ways. I think the most important rule is treat them like they are smaller people, with their own likes and dislikes, rather then children as a monolithic block.

Reviews of Alaska: A Review of Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska was the debut novel by John Green. Since then, he's done a few other books for young adults. It follows a teenage called Miles "Pudge" Halter, as he moves away for boarding school in Alabama. While there, he meets several people, including the titular Alaska. Alaska is beautiful, interesting and dangerous. The book is sectioned into days before and after. When you first read, you are going to be thinking to yourself "before what?" It's a fun way to get the reader hooked early. Genre savvy readers may figure out what's going to happen, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable to read.

John Green's talent for characters is less pronounced here - the only one who really stands out is Alaska. For the others, he gives them each One Small Quirk - Pudge knows famous last words, the Colonel is good at pranks, Takumi can rap. Between what we learn about her through the eyes of Pudge, who is infatuated with her, Alaska gets the most character development of anyone in the book. In Paper Towns, everyone comes out of their journey having developed a bit as a character. The Colonel is probably the second-most interesting character, being very clever from a poor family and not always feeling like he fits in. However, none of them really develop so much over the course of the book.

Alaska is often described outside of the novel as a manic pixie dream girl. While she does fit some of the traits - she pulls Miles into her world and makes his life better for a time - she certainly doesn't set out to improve his life. To quote from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - "Too many guys think I'm a concept or I complete them or I'm going to make them alive, but I'm just a fucked up girl who is looking for my own peace of mind."

It actually manages the impossible - a sex scene I don't mind? I think this is because it is as realistically awkward as first-time sex between two teenagers is likely to be. It serves to develop the personalities of the characters and their relationship.

It also has one of John Green's best quotes - "If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane." Which is fitting, since Pudge can quote a lot of people's last words. While most of his books have their good quotes - "My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations," or "Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl," the drizzle and hurricane quote has stuck in my mind since I read it.

I feel like I've spent most of this review comparing Looking for Alaska to John Green's other books, but I will mention it definitely stands out on its own merits. I can't think of a specific sort of person who might enjoy this book, but it's one that everyone who enjoys Young Adult should enjoy.

The Review in Our Stars: A Review of The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars is a book by John Green, who also wrote Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. The protagonist is a teenage girl called Hazel Grace Lancaster, who has terminal lung/thyroid cancer. She meets a boy at a cancer Support Group called Augustus Waters, and shares with him her favourite book, about a girl similarly suffering from cancer. However, that book ends in the middle of a sentence, and trying to find out what happens next takes Hazel and Augustus to Amsterdam.

One of the things I like about John Green books is the theme of "is someone's first impression of a person correct?" More often then not, the answer is no. Augustus comes across as pretentious at first, but as we get to know him, the more we (and Hazel) like him. Also, Peter Van Houten turns out to be totally different to the impression Hazel got of him through her book. The other big theme is "who decides what happens in stories?" John Green has been honest about how he feels that "books belong to their readers." And while I agree with this, since every reader is going to come away with a book with a different interpretation and writers can't control what a reader thinks, I still believe a writer can go back and add more to their books over time. However, it is wrong of a reader to demand more from a writer then they are willing to give, as Hazel and Gus do find out.

John Green's talent for characterisation comes through again, but in a more subtle way this time. Sometimes, his characters appear larger then life, almost unrealistic. However, both Hazel and Gus are very down to earth, with relatable flaws and misconceptions someone there age might have. "Some infinities are bigger then other infinities," for example. Hazel's narration is relentlessly sarcastic, full of witty observations. She talks about death in a way that only someone who is dying can get away with. Both of them jump off the page and embed themselves in your mind. Hazel at one point categorises a movie as a "boy movie" but I believe this is indicative of what Hazel thinks, not what John Green thinks. A complaint I have heard people say about John Green is that his characters talk too perfectly, that they always know what to say. In some books, realistic "um, uh," stuttering diction works. However, the two leads play off each other so well that here, it calls for that sort of too-perfect dialogue.

It is a book about cancer, but it's not a Cancer Book. That said, if you are averse to Cancer Books in general, there is nothing here that will change your mind. However, if you are indifferent to Cancer Books but like Young Adult/Romance/good stories in general, you might get something out of it.

The movie adaptation is very well done, as I'm guessing most people might know. A stellar performance from the two leads, some wonderful shots of Amsterdam and the adorable story makes for a very memorable movie. Definitely one to watch if you enjoyed the book, and of course if you enjoyed the film, you should read the book!

I recommend this book especially for people struggling with long term illnesses or disabilities. It is good for people to read about others in a similar situation (which is why diversity is important!) and I can't think of many other well-known YA books with protagonists with disabilities.

It's Okay To Say No!

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