No matter how celestial, no matter how powerful they are, this is our home and we will fight to keep it.
This is the beginning of something epic, I can feel it.
When it comes to this you really can't judge a book by its cover, or blurb. You may think you know what this is about but You. Have. No. Idea. Sure, it has biblical mythology, angels falling and all. But what I didn't expect was a psychological thriller, science fiction, horror film and Great Gatsby all rolled into one. Like I said, EPIC.
There are so many things I want to say, so many things that I'm just dying to spill but I can't. Because the best part of this book is the unexpected. The moments of W.T.F. The pure confusion and the...
No seriously. That's practically the entire last quarter of the book.
Before reading you may need to keep in mind that there are things you can't un-see...read...imagine...whatever you get the point. My mind has officially been blown and you have been warned.
P.S. Raffe is f'ing hot. Snarky, freshly showered or taking his rage out on inanimate objects in a room...I'd take it all. Even after digging out a latrine. Yeah, I like him that much.
Caution...Major Book-Gushing Ahead
Don’t compare yourself to Reagan, it’s like comparing apples and…grapefruits.
9/10 girls will relate to this book. Odds are, that one hold out does but just might not want to admit it. Hell, there are things I relate to and don't want to cop to.
I'm a Cath. Maybe you're a Wren. Maybe you're a Reagan. (God, I wish I was a Reagan) Maybe you're a Courtney. Maybe you're even a Levi or Nick. The point is, this book hits on practically every fear, every problem, every scary joy that is Freshman Year of college.
Months are different in college, especially freshman year. Too much happens. Every freshman month equals six regular months-they're like dog months.
So, here are my confessions, my Cath-isms:
1. My first semester of college was rough. Sometimes you can go too far too soon and that's when you realize you aren't the badass young adult you thought you were. I didn't think I would be the type of person who would let social anxiety hide out in a dorm room, even avoid the cafeteria, but I was. At on point, my father even drove from Virginia to Indiana to pick me up. The only good thing that came out of that was instead of gaining those horrible Freshman Fifteen, I lost it.
2. Boys scared the shit out of me. (I'm sure everyone will agree on this one) I can vividly remember jumping away from my first serious boyfriend Just. Like. Cath. It was startling, the similarities.
3. I have written fanfictions. Not the sort Cath and Wren have, no slash or Harry Potter-esque. They were for a band I very much enjoyed, who am I kidding...I still love them. For me fanfictions were about letting some creativity out. I have so much shit up in my head, I fall asleep making up stories, that I had to let it out somehow. Were they good? Some people told me they were. Were they great? Probably not. But I envy Cath for even taking a Fiction-Writing class. I still wish I had taken Creative Writing when I was in school because maybe, but probably not, I'd have a book to review here. Bring on the one stars people.
Why would I admit these things? For one, if Cath can than so can I. But also to explain why I loved this one so much. Practically every time I turned a page I was thinking, Yes! I did that! or OMG, thank God I'm not the only one. I still set my phone to my son's father's number when walking somewhere that makes me nervous, ready to hit call if I need to. Fangirl has tapped into every one of my awkward thoughts and habits and made me feel okay about them.
I'm the Cool One. Somebody give me some tequila cause I totally drink it. There's no way later you're going to find me having a panic attack in your parents' bathroom. Who wants to French-kiss?
Who hasn't said something similar to themselves in the mirror? Don't lie.
There was also a love story. It wasn't focal but it was there. It was cute and it was incredibly innocent. There were times I thought that he might have said too many of the right things, but I'm not going to complain because I'm probably just jealous. I wish my first love would have waited in line for hours in the middle of the night wearing one of my t-shirts that I currently have hidden in the back of my closet.
This book has jumped right out of those secrets hidden in my closet and has found its way to my favorites shelf. And I will read anything Rainbow Rowell has to give, even if just to see if she throws a comment about Wyoming in to every single one.
Once upon a time, there was a girl named Grace Brisbane. There was nothing particularly special about her, except that she was good with numbers, and very good at lying, and she made her home in between the pages of books. She loved all the wolves behind her house, but she love one of them most of all.
I find it hard to describe why I like this book so much. I could probably break it down by each character, what I thought of them, why I cared about what happened to them. But that wouldn't really explain my feelings. And I can't really say it was the plot because, to be honest, I didn't have moments like I normally do with my favorite books where I was on the edge of my seat, gasping an O.M.G. It's not a thriller, there's no epic battles. Again, no Lion King moment I secretly wished for. But I'm actually okay with that.
Basically, I think it comes down to this. The book is easy. Not easy in a lower reading level sort of way. But easy to fall into the world. Easy to enjoy. Easy to connect with the characters. All of them were so believable even with their extraordinary pasts, their unordinary lives. If Sam were to say to me, "This isn't fiction Bailey, this is a true story." I'd probably nod casually and go with it. And that is all in the writing. Maggie Stiefvater has a beautiful way with words, plain and simple.
"I'm standing here in the shed, and I'm waiting to see if my seeds are going to poke out of the dirt. I don't know if its too early to look for signs of life or if, this time, winter has claimed my family for good."
I could go on and on about how much I loved Sam and Grace's relationship or how annoyed I was with Grace's parents sudden decision be finally actually be parents. But that would be gushing or just ranting and the words always sound better in my head anyways, so I won't.
I do, however, feel the need to mention how much I loved the newest addition, Cole. He was selfish, gorgeous, snarky, and damaged just enough for me to fall for him. Throw in Isabel and this is a beautiful disaster just waiting to happen and I can't wait to see more of them. Cole's arrival made the second book better than the first. He has fulfilled the bad boy quota that I didn't realize was missing with just Sam.
Sam + Cole = A hard freakin' decision if I were stuck in a love triangle.