Short Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Who is the real Margo?

Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life—dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge—he follows. After their all-nighter ends, and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues—and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew...


This is only the second John Green book I've read, mostly because I was always distracted by other books or school, but also because I don't love contemporary. 

In the past, contemporary was always sort of... boring. It seemed to have a lot of romance and not much else. It was two teenagers in the modern world, falling in love. That's not to say it's not enjoyable-- love is great! It's just that I am a huge fan of action so I need stuff to always be happening.

John Green changed my mind. 

Also, real quick so I don't forget-- spoilers are in these babies: [   ] Highlight to read.

First things first-- the characters.

I related a lot to Quentin, actually. (Although I doubt I would get out of bed and have adventures until five in the morning for anyone. When I get in bed, I'm staying there for as long as possible, thank you very much.) However, even though I related, I didn't get why he was so in love with Margo. 

I get that they knew each other since childhood, but really. Did he fall in love with her recklessness? Her bluntness? The way she saw life as an opportunity to change the world, not disappear into it? 

I dunno. I feel like Quentin never really touches up on why he loves her so deeply. The entire time, I was thinking: Quentin, you don't know this girl. Not really. Why are you doing this?

On the other hand, I sort of got it. I mean, for Pete's sake [Margo left SUICIDE NOTES. I'd want to try my hardest to save someone from killing themselves, too.].

Q's friends were wonderful. In the dark, depressedness (that is a word now) of Paper Towns, they added a lot of humor. I didn't laugh, because I'm soulless, but I came pretty close. Yay humor! Every book needs it at some point.

And Margo. Margo was... well... I'm not entirely sure how to put this without sounding entirely rude. I thought Margo was incredibly selfish. And she wasn't even there for most of the book. Pushing someone way beyond their boundaries when they've told you multiple times that they're uncomfortable with the situation should not be praised. That doesn't make you bold and passionate. It makes you a jerk.

I understand that some people need that extra push to free themselves from the boundaries they've created, but as someone who has severe anxiety, forcing them into the situation is not the way to go. [Quentin said that his college wouldn't accept him if he was arrested. His future was on the line]. But in the end, I suppose it was Quentin's decision, even though he never really puts his foot down throughout the entire book.

And hey, shocker! [No one died. I really expected someone to die. Margo, to be exact. I was a little disappointed when I found out she was alive and incredibly mean.]

While I didn't fully understand the Why of the decisions made, I did love the writing style. It was depressing and sad and I adore writing that makes me feel. Plus, I wanted to know where Margo was. I wanted to know why she did the things she did, why she was so... unattached from everything. I wanted to see the real her. [However, Green never really does tell us who the "real" her is. Maybe that's just it. Maybe the real Margo is a mystery.] That's another thing. Everyone in this book is three-dimensional. No one falls flat. Not one is just a nerd or just a popular girl. I loved that.

Reviewing: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.

Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.

Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.

About the Characters

I felt like the characters in Shadow and Bone really hit home. Alina was a strong character even with her faults and insecurities. She's filled with insults and sass and is incredibly stubborn-- and you'd think that those traits would make her unlikable, but she's also loyal and compassionate. There were times when I thought a change in her character came too suddenly and wasn't realistic, or that she would do something entirely out of character for seemingly no reason, but none of these really made me dislike her or feel bothered about her.

Mal, her childhood best friend, started out as pretty bland for me. I didn't really start to like him until at least halfway through the book, since he isn't present for a huge chunk. One of the big things that I disliked was that although he was missing for so much of the book, I barely noted his absence. Yeah, Alina was always talking about him and how much she missed him, but we don't really get to know him at all until near the end of the book. Once I started to learn more about him, I found him a lot more likable, but it kind of felt like he didn't have enough layers to his character. Like... "what you see is what you get". In a word, Mal was sweet.

The Darkling was, well... have you heard "Blank Space" by Taylor Swift? Yeah. I've got a quote from there that describes him perfectly.

I've noticed that a lot of people found him the main attraction in Shadow and Bone, and I'd be lying if I said I hadn't wanted him and Alina together at first. It was kind of hard to root for Mal, who was never there. (I did like Mal towards the end, though.)

I'm not entirely sure how to describe the Darkling without giving away spoilers. Yes, he is powerful. Yes, he has magic. Yes, he could be classified as the "bad boy" -- but there is a ton more to him.

He was incredibly well written and fantastic in the role he played. That is all.

Of course, I can't forget about Genya. She was awesome. Sassy and brilliant.

About the Setting & World-Building

(This includes the food. I liked the food.)

Okay, so, the names really confused me. I got the part that Grisha's can use magic but, um... how many different types of Grisha are there??? And do they all have confusing names? (Tailor & Summoner = the two simplest Grisha-Group names you will find in this book. It felt like there were at least ten but I have no idea. There might be only three.)

I wanted to know more about how the Grisha's magic worked. I didn't want to listen to Alina feel bad. I wanted to know why only certain people were born with magic, why it came along late for others, what made the Darkling so much more powerful, etc. In short, I just wanted to know more about the magic.

And what is the Shadow Fold? This big area of total blackness with lots of monsters flying around?

I did like how things were described in Alina's daily life. I got the whole "Russian" feel with some of the names. I feel like the author did an awesome job with the food. (I just can't get over the food, sorry.)

Rating