The Leninist Lemon

A book review blog focusing on young adult fiction.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Goddess of the Night by Lynne Ewing

This is one of my more embarrassing picks for sure. And it just so begs to be made fun of, in so many different ways. Mainly, cause it's just so teen-girly and so appeals to that crowd. But, despite that nagging feeling that I'm just reading another version of a Sweet Valley Twins book, or something, it was actually pretty good. By that I mean strickingly easy to read, and the book just kinda moved along and before you knew it you were done, kinda thing.

I picked this book out cause I was looking for something witchy, interesting, that I hadn't read yet, and this seemed to fit the bill pretty. Whatever, it's hardly literary meritable, but Lynne Ewing knows how to hook you in in that sort of soap-opera-ish way, so that's good enough for me. It's really not a book to be analyzed to anything, let's just put it at that.

Anyway, some good things: the lore, of being a goddess and what it means and how it fits in, and the followers and a couple other terms I forget, was pretty well thought out, by which I mean it didn't make me cringe. In the vampire books, Cirque du Freak, it's this weird convoluted stuff but in this book the lore was integrated pretty seamlessly.

Omg, really liked the character of Stanton. He's the "dark mysterious man" of stereotype except add in the mystical, for this series. Apparently he has a book all his own that Lynne Ewing, so I'll read that eventually. But the whole "I lost all hope and became a follower, except it was because of circumstances I couldn't control, and I seem totally evil except deep down I'm not exactly and I'm betraying and helping both sides and also kinda trying to save my own skin" thing was just nicely integrated. He's a character you for sure want to revisit.

One lame thing: this is soooo stereotypical of these sorts of "I'm normal and then suddenly my world is turned upside down and it turns out I'm a _____" books that I love to read so much, the whole thing where Vanessa "just can't believe" that she's a goddess and what's-her-name Maggie or something must be lying and I must be hallucinating. So that's dumb and stereotypical and drawn out too much in itself. But dude. Vanessa has been aware that she can become invisible for awhile. That's kind of paranormal don't you think? So, why is all this stuff, and quite frankly anything, so hard to believe? I'd be happy, relieved to finally know why I can become invisible. I'd expect it to come with a lot of baggage. Come on, Vanessa. You know it isn't just a genetic trait.

Oh, and P.S.: the amount Vanessa uses the word "molecules" is starting to seriously get in the way. When you're talking about being invisible, don't be too sciency about it, okay, You don't needed to talk about molecules reforming. It's paranormal. Say "her body began to disappear," or something.

Ships: Almost not worth analyzing or looking into since this is a teen book and not a ya book (and teen books cater to an audience that likes to see a lot of romance stuff.) But since this is what I'm here for, we have Vanessa/Michael, mainly. which is omg so soap opera/ trashy romance novel-ish, and would be totally unbearable if it weren't for all the supernatural elements of the book. But the whole "he made her feel like she had never felt before." Yeah, okay. Showing, not telling, where are we? But that's typical trashy romance novel, and so. And I don't mean to keep dissing on it, really it wasn't that bad. But Michael so has no personality. He's just a random "sweet" guy. A character foil, and nothing more, unless it changes in the next book. That's not interesting shippy. That's boring shippy. I think I may add this to my long list of why I like slash so much. But well, teen books are hard pressed to have actual romance, I think.

Okay I am terrible. I swear I actually liked this book. Remember, if I have stuff to rat on the book for, then it means the book was worth talking about. Just remember that, any passing Lynne Ewing fan. Some books I don't have a thing to say, and they simply pass through my mind. I am intensely cynical, can't help it.

Kid's Books are Dirtier Than You Think; Again, not really worth it because this is a teen book, and anything that's not explicit goes. In fact, I can't even think of anything to point out for this section. Because well, it's more like the opposite. Like the book tried to be passively "dirty" (probably wrong word here even) but like totally failed.

This post on a full page. Spoilers if I mention it.