Just Ella Sacrifices Magic and Wonder for "Empowerment"

      

    Just Ella is a retelling/sequel to the Cinderella fairytale. It follows our heroine Ella after the ball when she is getting ready to marry her prince, and her happily ever after is right on schedule. However, she quickly realizes that life at court as a future princess may not be what she wants out of life. A story about Cinderella not being completely happy with her life after the ball is a very creative setting for a fairytale retelling. However, I don’t feel it was executed all that well here. 

 Before picking up Just Ella I heard it was praised as a feminist retelling of Cinderella that was a more grounded and realistic take on the tale. I did not find it to be feminist as (although the line itself is never spoken in the book) Ella has the attitude that she is not like other woman and is very much the exception rather than the rule. This retelling also removes all the magic from the fairy tale (the carriage, fairy godmother etc.,) but it keeps other equally unbelievable elements. 

         Some of the elements I found unbelievable was the world building. They live in a fictional kingdom, but they speak languages like French, Latin, Greek, which would imply that they lived in our real world. Their religion is literally just Christianity with a different name. So this story is fantasy because it is most certainly not historical fiction. I have nothing against fantasy stories with little to no magic, but I don’t really like it when the magic is removed and the setting is said to be more realistic and/or historical because of it. 

The noble women only sit and do needlework all day which Ella scoffs at. Except noble women in medieval Europe had many responsibilities, one of the most significant being running the finances of the estate. Other un-official duties of noble women included hosting and receiving guests (who may or may not be foreign diplomats) and planning events such as parades, tourneys, etc. The Queen is never shown to partake in these activities nor does she try to teach these to Ella which if this was a more “realistic” setting she would most certainly be doing.  I was also confused why sewing was treated as being so useless because in pre-industrial times, sewing was an essential task because people kind of needed to wear clothes for warmth and protection.  

         Ella constantly berates he lady’s-in-waiting for being stupid and most of the humor stems from just how air-headed all the other ladies at court are. Actually pretty much everyone, but Ella and her love interest are so incredibly stupid its infuriating. There is a lot of conflict between Ella and these rich boneheads, but there is not really any tension from these conflicts because the courtiers are so wrong there is no possible way Ella could get them to listen to her, and because they are so wrong it also doesn’t make Ella seem all that clever herself. I don’t need to be exceptionally smart to tell someone not to drink gasoline. Ella is not that level-headed to think spilling a few drops of soup on a table cloth is nothing to lose one’s head over. 

There is also this one incident that probably bothered me way more than it should have. Ella is attending a tourney with her ladies and she is excited to finally have a break from all the gossiping and sewing. However as soon as they arrive outside the ladies sit in a pavilion that is closed shut and Ella is understandably angered by this because she came to watch a tourney and now they are shut inside a tent and cannot see anything. Ella is told that the curtains are drawn because women are forbidden from watching tourneys as they are to delicate for such action. Women regularly attended tourneys throughout history.

Ella snaps at this and during her rant over this matter, she asks her ladies-in-waiting what they are waiting for. A lady-in-waiting tells Ella that they wait for the men to get home. This irked me because a lady-in-waiting at least historically was more like a retainer and a secretary to a noble woman who she waited on. Hence the name.

Now without magic, how did Ella get to the ball? Throughout this story other characters discuss rumors that Ella received help from a fairy-godmother, but Ella makes it clear this was not the case. Towards the end of the story she explains how she gathered everything she needed for the ball. She, a peasant who is little more than a servant to her step-family, got them herself, the dress, the carriage, and even the glass slippers which she won from a bet she made with the glass blower.  I don’t really mind this per se, but when she is explaining this to her love-interest, the only other character in this book who has at least two working brain cells, comments. “People would rather believe in fairy godmothers and divine intervention than to think that you took charge of your own destiny.” I might be reading way too much into this, but I felt this line was meant as a “take that” towards the original story and people who like fairy godmothers and magic. 

This story assumes that Cinderella in the fairytale is a passive character who gets lucky, and this is true that she is lucky, but I wouldn’t say she is passive. In most versions of the story and the Disney movie, Cinderella tries her hardest to be allowed to attend the ball and in many versions completes impossible tasks that her step-mother sets up for her only for everything to go wrong. In most stories she receives assistance whether through a fairy godmother or in most cases the spirit of her late mother, but this doesn’t just happen. 

Ella is written as an antithesis to what readers expect a Cinderella character to be by being far more active. However, she isn’t any more active than other characters, she just doesn’t have things go wrong for her just before the ball. 

 I pushed through this book because, due to the praise it received for being a feminist retelling, I expected that Ella would have to check her internalized misogyny at the end, but she does not.  Ella begins and ends this book believing she is “not like other girls”.         

Do I recommend this book? Not really. It feels like a parody that, in some ways, disrespects people who enjoy fairytales and magic. More affectionate parodies/reconstructions of Cinderella that gives the original Cinderella credit where credit is due is My Fair Godmother by Janet Rallison and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.

        

        

The Black Swan Might Go a Little To Far

(Warning, this review contains mention of Sexual Assault)

Black Swan is a retelling of the ballet Swan Lake that is unique by being written from Odile's point of view.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first hundred pages or so of the book. I especially loved Odile and her never ending quest to earn the approval of her father who does not deserve a child like her, Odile’s relationship with the flock (the woman cursed to take the forms of swans) and her practicing with magic. The chapters that were written from Queen Cothilde’s (The Prince's mother) point of view and her set up as a major and scheming villain were also intriguing. However, for a book titled The Black Swan she is not the focus as much as I feel she should have been with the narration focused a little too often on other characters, particularly Siegfried, who ruined the story for me.

We all love a good redemption arc, following an individual as they change their deep seated ideals. However, the thing about redemption is that someone needs to be in a bad place before it happens, otherwise there is nothing to redeem and atone for. I do believe that a character with past sins can still maintain readers’ sympathy, but there is  a point where only God can judge someone. If this is acknowledged in the texts I can move on. That is not at all that happened here in the Black Swan. 

Siegfried starts out as an obnoxious womanizer, and I heard he gets better going into the book so I was looking forward to this little turd getting called out on his bad habits. Then he rapes someone. He has a nightmare about the victim commiting suicide and then seeks to turn over a new leaf, and meets the love of his life and with help from Odile saves everyone from the curse, and everyone lives happily ever after. Unless you are the minority girl who was raped by a river side and probably driven to suicide with crime committed against you unpunished. At least you can find solace in the fact that the rapist was able to save other people and marry the woman of his dreams. 

This is enraging because they literally could have had Siegfried realize the way he talks to and about women is disgusting and try to change from that. A rape is too far and I really cannot enjoy the rest of the story.

The Black Swan is a good idea with some flawed, but human characters to follow in the story, except for the “redemption” arc that I feel went too far and sloppily wrapped up did not leave a good taste in my mouth.  

Empress of all Seasons: Review

     In some ways, I feel as if I read two different books. The first one being an intriguing story where characters navigate a world where human and yōkai most definitely do not live in harmony. The other being a short action/adventure that skims over to many details. 

     The characters are enjoyable, but certain point of views felt unnecessary, but not at the beginning. The beginning felt like more time was put into it. It seems to me, my reaction towards Empress of all Seasons is the opposite of my reaction towards The Kiss of Deception. I found the latter to be a painfully slow written book with unnecessary point of views. I found the former to be a well-paced read with each point of view adding more depth to the plot and the world it occurs in only to be flung into river-rapids two-thirds of the way through. 

     The book has three narrators and each one adds a unique perspective to the story with Mari being a yōkai, Taro a human, and Akira something in between. I enjoyed seeing Taro navigating the palace, Akira’s adventures with the Yōkai revolution, and Mari’s journey in the seasonal rooms. Goodness, the seasonal challenges were my favorite part of Empress of all Seasons. However, it didn’t take up as much of the story as it could’ve.

      I am now entering into spoilers so if you want to read the book, I recommend skipping the last paragraph. 

*Spoilers*Mari wins the Winter Room, which is the last seasonal room, when the book isn’t even two-thirds through. The last third of the book involves a twist villain who was barely in the plot at all. (Honestly, I forgot he was a character) This twist villain then assassinates the emperor and blames it one Mari. The plot drops off from there. This newly revealed villain then persuades Taro to turn on Mari and Akira.  It continues to sprint downhill until the last page which reads more like Cliff notes than the final page of a novel. It is a shame because I loved the first half of this book. *End of Spoilers* If the story interests me, I probably will read more books written by Emiko Jean because I know she can write well. I saw it at the beginning of Empress of all Seasons. 

Chum's Moving Review

      I shall say it now. I have never seen the movie of the same name. Although I do wish to see the film more than ever now, I am afraid I won’t like it simply because it was different from the book. 

      The plot of this book is amazing and it is best experienced blind. I don’t want to spoil it at all. However, pay attention to everything as this is a great book to revisit and realize, “Why didn’t I notice this the first time?” It follows a girl named Sophie Hatter who was cursed by a witch to take the form of a very old woman. This drastically reduces her life expectancy so Sophie sees a wizard, Howl, as a way to free herself. 

      Sophie and Howl are great. Sophie is a very strong character and is very much the protagonist of the book. I personally like how she is a very old woman for most of it as I find this perspective lacking in literature. We get to see the effects the curse has on Sophie both mentally and physically. However, Sophie thinking of her situation and trying to find her way out of it doesn’t exactly take up the bulk of the novel. She finds out how to break the curse, but she doesn’t exactly know how to do the task required to break the spell. 

      Howl, the great slitherer-outer, was actually the most relatable character in the book. He is a very talented wizard and has many people wanting his help. However, this stresses Howl out and he is afraid certain people will ask too big of a task of him. What does he do? Howl has his friends blacken his name so people are too afraid to approach him. He doesn’t get along with Sophie who continues to snoop around his castle as she’s looking for a way to free herself from a curse. 

    The humor of the story is spot on. Not only from the wit of many of the characters (particularly Calcifer) and the shenanigans the protagonist get themselves into because of magic (Seven league boots just aren’t very practical), but the chapter titles really add to the story. Rick Riordan’s chapter titles pale in comparison to gems like “In Which Howl Expresses his Feelings with Green Slime” and others.  

     For a book I read recently, Howl’s Moving Castle gave me nostalgia for when I was younger and most of the stories I read were fairytale related. This book is a must-read for fairytale/ fantasy fans or anyone in a need of a good laugh.  

Fractured Fairytale Cliches

 
     As a folklore enthusiast and a kid who grew up with the Disney Princesses, I enjoy fairy tale retellings. I’m familiar with the original stories and reading the beloved tales with a fresh twist is a simple joy. However, the key word here is “fresh”. Lately, I’ve noticed some fairytale retellings are rehashing the same creative “twist” over and over. Not all the tropes I discuss here are “bad”. All but one I do enjoy reading. However, everything in moderation. I can have too much coffee even though I love it. The same I can go for a trope. 

The Retelling is Based on the Disney Version 

     As I mentioned in the introduction, I grew up with Disney. I don’t have any ill feelings towards the movies of my childhood. I’ve noticed many people have only been exposed to fairytales through the animated-musical versions. Consequently, when a creator goes about playing with common fairytale themes, he/she ends up parodying the Disney version rather than the folklore. In short, the writers are adapting an adaptation. 

The Princess “saves herself”

     There is actually nothing wrong with this trope in of itself. I don’t see anything wrong with more active female characters. My gripe is that every time an author uses this trope he/she is hailed for being so original and creative. However, almost every single fairytale retelling published in the past fifteen years, has a feisty and royal heroine. Again, I don’t mind this, but it’s not revolutionary anymore. That said, I think it is a good thing this isn’t “fresh” anymore. Why? Because it means independent princesses are now the “norm” for fiction. 

Modern Versions

Bonus points if it takes place in high school. Enchanted, Ever-after high, Decedents, A Cinderella Story, Once Upon a Time, Tell me a Story. I don’t know how to feel about these. On one hand, I think it is kind of cool to see how a fairytale would look in our society. On the other hand, one of the most intriguing features of a fairytale is the sense timelessness the stories own. Setting a fairytale in the modern world soils the wonder and magic the original tale holds. 

Prince Charming is a Jerk

      When I’m told someone is supposed to be charming I don’t picture that individual as a jerk. However, from my view the majority of modern fairytale retellings portray prince charming is a complete idiot and at worse the big evil of the story. I get the idea of trying to switch what is good and evil, but don’t call the character “charming”. I don’t see anything charming about taking over the world and enslaving millions. In The Sister’s Grimm Prince Charming is rather rude, in Just Ella the prince isn’t great, in Shrek Prince Charming is also a jerk. I’m not saying there can’t be nasty or outright evil princes, but don’t call the character “Charming”. 

The Big Bad Wolf is a Werewolf

     And, often has the hots for Red Riding Hood. The first time I saw this trope was in The Sisters Grimm with Mr. Canis. I didn’t see anything wrong with Mr. Canis. He’s one of my favorite characters. However, in Scarlett Moon the big bad wolf is a werewolf and also has weird uncomfortable affection for Red Riding Hood. Scarlet by Marisa Meyer has a romantic pairing between red and the wolf characters as does Ever After High. The only situation where this doesn't make me uncomfortable is in Scarlet. I don't understand why someone would want to do this. In the fairytale the wolf eats the grandmother and the little-girl. Why give the wolf a (ripped) human form and make it the romantic partner of the little-girl who is now suddenly aged into an adult? I may be a grump, but this tope grosses me out. 

Top 5 Fantasy Creatures

*Note* Top 5 Wednesdayis a Goodreads group where blogger/vloggers post about a bookish topic every Wednesday. You can check it out right here. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday

     Although this week’s topic is monsters, I decided not to feature spooky or scary creatures. Why? Because I am a skittish young woman who still can’t even read the synopsis of a horror novel without getting nightmares. However, that isn’t to say I don’t like any fictional creatures at all, just the ones that keep me up at night. As a self-proclaimed folklore expert* I enjoy looking into fantasy creatures and the culture that imagined them.

 Centaurs

  I find the concept of a centaur as something so ridiculous I have to like it. It’s a man with horse legs! Also, centaurs have two ribcages. Which would mean centaurs have two hearts. Therefore, centaurs are time lords. 

Wild Haggis

     A creature living in the highlands of Scotland. Satirically it is referred as the source of haggis a traditional dish in Scotland that I have no intention of trying any time soon. However, the wild haggis is just too cute for me not to love. They either have a longer set of right legs or a longer set of left legs so that they can walk perfectly balanced on the uneven hills in which they live.   

Mermaids 

     What I love about mermaids is that they appear in the folklore of almost every continent. Mermaids are also associated with peril at seas, flood, and pretty much every other disaster that resulted in water going out of control. Other traditions present mermaids as the bringers of good fortune.

 Unicorns 

     In medieval-European folklore, a unicorn wasn’t strictly a horse with a horn. According to tradition, a unicorn was a wild, often white, four-legged creature that looked kind of like a cross between a goat and a horse. Describing unicorns like that make them sound goofy, but unicorns were symbols of grace and purity. Their horns were said to be capable of healing sickness and removing impurities from water! 

                                                                                           Phoenix 

     Not the X-man or the capital of Arizona. A phoenix is a bird that dies in a burst of roaring fire and returns from the ashes. If that isn’t hardcore then I don’t know what is. In traditional art, the Phoenix is often depicted with a halo as the bird is associated with the sun. However, there is no consensus on what color a phoenix should be, but many speculations say the phoenix’s coloring makes it stand out from other birds. Given its ability to regenerate, the phoenix is a symbol of renewal, resurrection, and even Christ. 

*Note* I do not have a bachelor’s degree nor have I ever taken a class on folklore. All my knowledge of oral traditions is based on my own imperfect research. 

The Gimmick of Deception

*Warning: Due to the nature of this book, I found it impossible to review it without discussing important plot points that occur late in the story. I have tried my best to mark all major spoilers, but there are still some minor (When plot twist happen) unmarked spoilers in this review. * 

        Some ideas sound amazing on paper, but after it is executed all my expectations fall as flat as the results. The Kiss of Deception revolves around this gimmick. We don’t know who the prince or the assassin is, and that’s really cool. I don’t doubt this was hard to write and I applauded the author for her efforts. However, there are two major problems with this gimmick. The story could’ve been told just fine without it. If the chapters written without the possible prince’s and assassins’ narrations (Which were often very vague and I felt described more of what the character was feeling than an event), their identities would still be a secret. They still would have been two mysterious travelers our heroine, Lia, doesn’t know. 

      Good narration is sacrificed in the name utilizing the gimmick. I’m getting into spoilers so if you haven’t read this book please skip over the next paragraph. *Spoilers* I disliked the part where Lia told Pauline what happened to her lover. Not because of the decision Lia made, but how this scene was executed. It started out strong. Lia doesn’t know what to tell Pauline and is really dealing with a moral dilemma. This was actually a high point as I felt Lia's confusion as she agonized over what to do. The chapter ends with Lia telling Pauline they need to talk. The next chapter shifts to Rafe’s (The prince’s) point of view where he ends up eavesdropping on Lia and Pauline because he cannot leave the barn they are in without them noticing him, and then the next chapter is Rafe helping Lia carry Pauline, who passed out from shock. We didn't get to see how Lia broke the news to Pauline or how she felt as she was telling her friend which I found to be very disappointing because the build up to this point.  *End of Spoilers*

     Another instance of good writing being sacrificed, is the plot and writing becoming tedious as most of the chapters are spent on Lia interacting with the two mysterious men and her rising suspicions about them. 

     The world building is painfully slow. I’m not a fan of info dumps, but this world is revealed to us so slowly some things seem very out of place by the time they are revealed. *Spoilers* After the 70% point it is revealed that there is a prophecy. I am not a prophecy hater and sometimes I enjoy them. However, the only clue something like this existed in this world were the little snippets of poetry at the start of every other chapter. *End of Spoilers* The first part of the book wouldn’t be so long if there wasn’t so much focus on the would-be prince’s or assassin’s true identity. In fact, the pacing may have been better if there wasn’t a chapter from Lia’s point of view and then another from either Rafe’s and/or Kaden’s perspective that was often exactly the same as the first scene only with a different narrator. 

      I suppose it is unfair for me to say how the story would’ve been better without the aforementioned gimmick. After all, I don't know what the book would be like without it, except for one factor: once it is revealed who is the prince and who is the assassin the story becomes ridiculously better. *Spoilers* I would guess this is because the plot doesn’t actually begin until the festival. Here we learn a huge amount about Morrighan’s culture and why the first daughters are so important. We learn what the gift of the first daughters' is like. There are also some consequences for Lia’s actions that do more than only affect her. Some of the more minor characters get moments to shine, like Gretchen and Berdi. We also finally get to know why there were all those cryptic poems at the beginning of every other chapter. 

     However, the latter half of this book isn’t without its faults. When Lia finds out the men she had been traveling with are responsible for her sister-in-law’s death, she has one moment of seething anger and then kind of accepts it when Kaden tells her all innocents die in war. I don’t disagree with what Kaden said, innocents dying is one of the infinite reasons war is bad. However, Lia kind of becomes more sympathetic towards Kaden and thinks he probably doesn’t find it easy to kill, and I don’t recall her ever holding her sister-in-law’s death against him for the rest of the book. If I was traveling with a party who was directly responsible for a relative of mine’s death I would not just go “Oh, innocents die in war, and these guys didn’t exactly like killing the person I love so it’s all good.” This didn’t ruin the story for me, but it was still annoying. *End of Spoilers*

      If you have patience or don’t mind slooow beginnings, I would say it is worth it to get through the first half of the book to find the good stuff. However, this still isn’t my absolute favorite book or the best one ever written so if you aren’t a fan of slow moving plots then I would say this book might not be the best pick for you. 

Top 5 Books I Devoured

*Note* Top 5 Wednesday is a Goodreads group where blogger/vloggers post about a bookish topic every Wednesday. You can check it out here. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday
     This is a fun topic because I can rank these books in order of how quickly I finished them. However, I must admit, when I was reading many of the books on this list, the biggest lie I told myself was “one more chapter.” In my defense, once I got to the last chapter of each book I was honest when I told myself “One more chapter.” That is until I ran to my library to borrow the sequel if it existed. 

                                                             5.    Chosen by Ted Decker 

     In book club, it seems for every book we read there is one person who finishes it way faster than everyone else. Almost everyone got through  Chosen relatively quickly, but I was well ahead, and literally finished it in half the time as everyone else. It took everything I had not to spoil what I had read during our meetings. It actually took me about a week to get through this and although that isn’t the quickest I have read a book, this is the fastest I was able to get through a book since I began  college. 

3.    The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien

     It actually took me two days to finish this one which again, I have finished books in much less time. However, given the size of this one I have to say, I impressed myself. I was sick during the summer and I didn’t have anything better to do so I just kept reading and reading until the story was over, and then I went into the appendix. I remember my sisters face when I told her I finished Return of the King. She thought I was joking until I started telling her what happened in exact detail.   

1.    The False Prince by Jennifer Neilson

     I don’t remember how long it took me to finish this one, but I recall carrying it with me wherever I went. I also stayed up reading this book by flashlight until eleven pm. (Which was a huge act of rebellion for fifteen-year-old me) The moment I woke up I started reading this book until I finished it, and after that was achieved I begged my mother to let me take the car out so that I could go to the library and borrow the next book in the trilogy. 

1.    Cinder by Marissa Meyer

     The day before I read this book I had gone on a hike, which was very difficult and the trail was about eight hours long. It was a beautiful hike and I had a great time, but the next day my legs were very sore and stiff. I couldn’t go anywhere without my gate resembling that of a penguin. To pass the time, and to keep my mind off the AGONYof my legs, I raided my sister’s most recent library haul and found Cinder. The cover looked cool so I read it. I started reading around seven in the morning and I was done around supper time. This was the first time I have read a novel of that size in one day. I have no clue how I managed though. I tried to get through Cinder just as quickly last summer, but I couldn’t do it. 

1.    A Lady at Willowgrove Hall by Sarah E. Ladd 

     I have the ability to read in a moving car without getting motion sickness. I’m not sure how, but some of my friends have treated this like some kind of superpower. I’m sure there are lots of other people out there who can do this to. Anyway, I finished this book during the course of a nine-hour car trip, not counting stops for food and bathroom breaks. Would I have finished this book quickly if I didn’t have to sit in the same spot for most of the day? Absolutely, but I wouldn’t have don’t so in one sitting because if I were home I couldn’t just read all day. There’s these things called chores and Homework that often get in the way of reading. *sigh*

Review in the Mist

     *note* I apologize for the bad pun for the title. My last final was yesterday and my brain is still recovering.

     Have you ever had a friend who started telling you about something that happened to him/her and he/she spends a little too much time on some details that aren’t relevant to the story? More often than I would have liked, I felt Flames in the Mist was similar to that friend’s story. There were chunks that could’ve been left out and nothing would have changed. It’s not like the book needs the length either; it’s almost 400 pages long. 

       There is this one chapter written from the Emperor’s (who are heroine, Mariko, has yet to meet) point of view and all the information I learned in that chapter was explained again in another chapter where Mariko was the focus. I honestly feel this story could’ve been told better if we don’t know what is happening outside of Mariko’s world. Several other chapters are written from the point of view of even more characters Mariko hasn’t met yet either and something Mariko doesn’t know about happens, but then a few chapters later Mariko learns about what happened to the other character and it doesn’t feel we needed the other point of view in the first place. 

       However, despite me thinking some chapters only dragged the plot on longer than necessary, I still really liked this book. It’s not one of my favorites, but it is worth a re-read and I do like Mariko as a character. I don’t think she’s super original fitting an archetype of a rebellious princess and all (I know her father is a samurai, but a character doesn’t exactly need to be a princess to be a rebellious princess). Mariko has a history as a character and she does think about events that happened to her before the story took place and I think this did good to flesh her out. I also enjoyed how the black clan felt like Robin Hood and the Merry Men in Japan, they even have a camp set up in the woods. 

      Spoiler Warning Major Spoilers ahead if you haven’t read Flames in the Mist yet I recommend skipping the next paragraph. 

       The romance. Oh boy, …where do I begin? The synopsis of this book says that Mariko “finds herself falling in love – a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.” I went into the story knowing Mariko would fall in love at some point. However, I didn’t get a hint of sexual tension until more than halfway through the book, but Mariko met the object of her affection, Okami, at the beginning of the story. I didn’t think Mariko was going to fall for him until a while after he was introduced. A very good thing in my opinion, but I still think their romance developed a little too quickly, and a few more scenes with the two of them alone may have been nice.  

      As much as I feel Mariko and Okami didn’t make the best decisions, and maybe some aspects of their relationship happened too quickly, I can’t help, but want them to be together. Maybe it was because the two didn’t instantly decide to spend the rest of their lives together, or maybe it was because they developed a sense of respect for each other before they fell in love. I think a huge factor was how Okami was a character first and a love interest second. As I stated before, when the character Okami was introduced I didn’t think Mariko was going to fall for him. 

Why Chosen Would Make a Better Video Game than Book

A few weeks ago, I posted my first book review on this blog, The Breeziest Epic I Have Ever Read,where I focused on what I took away from Decker’s YA Fantasy Epic. It wasn’t the worst book ever, but it wasn’t the greatest book ever either. I found it to be very disappointing and making itself appear to be stronger than it actually is. I don’t want to go into so much detail here because I would end up repeating the review. If you want a more in-depth view of what I think of this novel you can read my review here: http://charmingchum.blogspot.com/2018/03/the-breeziest-epic-i-have-ever-read.html, but finish this post first of course. Please, don’t go.

      Anyway, Chosen simply wasn’t working well for me as a novel, but when I was halfway through the book I realized: this story would make an awesome video game. It does sound strange, but I am sure I would’ve enjoyed Chosen much better if it were some form of open-world RPG. 

       Imagine a game where the world from The Lost Books is rendered in 3D and you could explore it.  Perhaps finding and carrying water to keep from getting the horde disease could be a mechanic in the game. Before going off and searching for the books the player would have to make sure he/she brought enough water to last until he/she reaches the destination. 

      The beginning of the story with the vague prologue reminds be a great deal of the ones I have seen in other RPG’s Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia andThe Legend of Zelda: The Wind Wakerare the first two that come to my mind. The first few chapters were the slowest part of the book with the elite kids searching around for the ball while Thomas yells at them to think, for the love of all that is pure and lovely just think!!! However, this could be the first tutorial in the game where the play is introduced to the early game mechanics, and Tomas explaining everything would be much more welcomed.  When the four new leaders are sent out to retrieve the cactus, would be where the majority of the gameplay begins. *Spoiler Warning* When the two main Roush show up they tell the new recruits what to do and how to do certain things, like how to defeat the evil black bats. As a reader, I was slightly bothered by this info dump, but this would be a good way to teach the player new skills in a video game. *End of Spoilers*

      Although the book is an easy read, I didn’t feel like it was a strong story on its own. However, the more I thought about itChosen could make a better video game. I know standards are changing, but for the most part, I have noticed many video games have shallow plots that can be partly forgiven with good gameplay. I think if Chosen were and RPG I may have enjoyed the story much more.