Review: The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8.5/10

Quick Snippet (no spoilers): Set in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye focuses on a seventeen year old boy, Holden Caulfield, and his hatred toward the world and everything around him. After being kicked out of his boarding school, Pencey, Holden tries to bide his time in New York before he has to return home to his parents' disappointment.

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to any angsty or nonangsty teen out there, or fans of The Perks of Being a Wallflower and A Separate Peace.

Review: From what I have read of other reviews on the internet, The Catcher in the Rye is either a much-loved book, or a thoroughly-despised book-- no inbetween. I can say with great certainty that I associate myself with the former group, for multiple reasons.

1. J.D. Salinger wrote The Catcher in the Rye when he was 32, and still, somehow, he is able to capture the mind of an angsty teenager perfectly, so much so that Holden's attitude is still relevant to this day. I found multiple places in this brilliant novel in which I could relate to Holden perfectly, despite that the book was written over sixty years ago. 
2. Detail, detail, detail. The passage of time in The Catcher in the Rye is just a few days, but Salinger still manages to fill over 200 pages with Holden's captivating, albeit nonsensical, thoughts. There are no boring passages and no pages I wish I could have skipped. 
3. Description. With only a few words of description, Salinger is able to create a vivid mental picture of whatever Holden is looking at/thinking of. Example: "The minute I went in, I was sort of sorry I'd come. He was reading The Atlantic Monthly, and there were pills and medicine all over the place, and everything smelled like Vicks Nose Drops."

-----------SPOILERS FROM HERE DOWN-------------------------

I can definitely see, however, why many readers view this novel poorly. For starters, Holden Caulfield is very whiny. The book is littered with swear words at every paragraph as a way to describe Holden's disapproval of the world, he has something bad to say about every person he meets (except maybe the nuns and Allie?), and he says about a million times throughout the book how depressed he feels. 

However, I do not blame Holden for any of his ill actions and thoughts, because he is obviously mentally unstable. He talks about committing suicide a couple times in the novel, he speaks without thinking and then regrets what he says (often times noting how crazy he is), and he periodically cries for seemingly no reason. Most importantly, in the very last chapter of the novel, Holden alludes to the fact that he is in some sort of mental institute and that he has seen more than one psychoanalyst. 

Even though Holden seems like a whiny little kid, he has a perfectly good reason for why he acts in such a way. I view the novel as more of a 'day in the life of a mentally unstable teen' rather than a 'day in the life of randomly chosen Holden Caulfield'. Granted, for most of the novel, Holden acts perfectly normal, which is why the book is so relatable to teens. 

Overall, The Catcher in the Rye is just one of those books you have to read for yourself in order to determine how likeable it is. If you love it, like me, it can become a worthy addition to your bookshelf, but if you hate it, at least you won't be alone. 

~Alli

Review: Into the Still Blue by Veronica Rossi

Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ 8/10

This review contains spoilers for Under the Never Sky and Through the Ever Night

Quick Snippet (no spoilers): The race to the Still Blue is on as the Aether storms become more and more frequent (and more and more powerful). Perry bands up with Aria and a few others to storm the Komodo, the snake-liked mobile buildings housing Hess and Sable, to rescue Cinder and hopefully find out more about the Still Blue. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this to fans of the Divergent and Across the Universe trilogies, as well as fans of young adult science fiction, romance, and any similar-sounding books. 

-------------SPOILERS FROM HERE DOWN---------------------------

Review: What a great way to end a trilogy! What I hate is when an author feels the need to end a book/series with a mass murder of half the main characters, so I'm immensely glad Rossi ignored those urges and only killed off a couple. 

Well, ignoring all of the random soldiers/opposers whom Perry, Roar, and Aria were against shooting, but had absolutely no trouble causing serious brain damage to.

Seriously, Veronica Rossi! It is not okay to kill everyone in your way. If Aria were killed by a stray bullet from a soldier or someone trying to get around her, it would be seen as a terrible crime in which the main characters would seek revenge for in the rest of the book. 

It just really bothered me how many people were killed just because they were in the way. I hate war.

Anyway, the journey to the Komodo and the action there added some good substance to the book. I'm glad the gang didn't get away Scott-free, like they almost did, when they visited the Komodo and took Cinder. That would have been way too simple. 

Wow, how convenient it is that Aria's father shows up! I'm still not sure how Loran knew she was his daughter, but he seems like a likeable guy, at least. I kind of picture him as Sharlto Copley,




from Maleficent. I don't know why. He just seems like such a sweet guy, minus the fact that he's Sable's right-hand-man, and Aria maybe could have cut him some slack. He tries to reach out to her multiple times! 

Cinder's death: Ouch. I really liked Cinder. What an awful situation he had to be in! I can't even imagine what I would do. To know that you are the key for all of your loved ones to live a happy, semi-danger-free life, and that there's a huge chance you won't even get to spend it with them., would be just terrible. He's a brave little guy, though, and without him they would have probably all burnt up out in the real world from the Aether. 

Speaking of the Aether, that whole situation was never really solved. Sure, all the main characters are saved from it by living in the Still Blue, but what about the rest of the world? Will life, from then on, have to spend its time in a little bubble of happiness, while everything else is burnt to smithereens? It's an interesting concept, to say the least. 

The end of the book felt a little bit corny.

Roar sat beside her. "So you want to just wait for them here?"

"Sure." She bumped his shoulder with her own and smiled. "It's a good place to wait. This is home." 

Even so, I'm glad everything worked out. I got a little bit too attached to Aria, Perry, and Roar throughout the trilogy, and it's nice to imagine they'll live a happy little life inside the Still Blue. What I would have really liked to see is an Epilogue from like a year later in which Perry and Aria get married and Aria walks down the aisle with Loran. And maybe Talon is the ring-bearer, with Flea at his side wagging his tail happily. Is that too much to ask for?

Overall, I'm glad I read this trilogy. It is by far not the best trilogy I have ever read, but I enjoyed it while it lasted, and I think that you will, too. 

~Alli

Review: Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi

Rating: ★★★★★★☆☆☆☆ 6/10

This review contains spoilers for Under the Never Sky

Quick snippet (no spoilers): The story picks up exactly where it left off in the first book. Aria and Perry's search for the Still Blue continues at an ever-slowing pace, while Aria moves in with Perry back at the Tides. There's just one problem: everyone knows she's a Dweller from her accent, and of course Dwellers and Outsiders don't mix.

Recommendation: I would recommend this to fans of the Divergent and Across the Universe trilogies, as well as fans of young adult science fiction, romance, and any similar-sounding books. 

Review: 
The second installment to the Under the Never Sky trilogy left me feeling quite satisfied. The story moved at a very smooth pace right up to the end, with little bits of excitement splayed here and there to keep things interesting. Coming from other trilogies I've read, the second book is where story lines start to drastically fall, but Through the Ever Night really held up to the standard's I had set for it. 

I have to say, Roar is definitely my favorite character, and I'm glad this second book included a lot more about him. I still don't like the fact that he can hear people's thoughts (see my review of Under the Never Sky), but it seemed to have come in handy a couple times throughout the book. One thing that irked me just a little bit is how close Aria and Roar were sometimes. Aria seems to rest her head against Roar's shoulder a lot. However, Rossi does a great job differentiating Aria and Perry's relationship from Aria and Roar's relationship, and it never actually felt like they had deeper feelings, it just, well, looked like it.

One aspect that I really can't get over is how incredibly dedicated to Aria Perry is. I mean, come on man. You're Blood Lord of the Tides! Aria cannot be the most important thing in your life. It seemed like a lot of times Perry was making stupid decisions just to be with Aria/ make Aria happy. I realize that love is an unstoppable force, but I think it was a little too unstoppable for Perry.

----------------SPOILERS FROM HERE DOWN----------------------------

Ah, Liv's death. That really struck me like a blow from a hatchet. Well, maybe not like that, but it was really painful to read. The buildup of Liv's character made her sound like such a cool girl, and then when we finally meet her and realize how jerky she is, it made the fact that she left Sable for Roar even more, erm, romantic. Why did she have to die? I really wanted to see Roar happy and in love, because aside from Aria and Perry, he kind of seems like a loner. Poor Roar. I hope you find love in the next book, but then again I hope you don't, because you aren't aloud to get over Liv that quickly.

I love how Hess forces Aria to find out information about the Still Blue, and don't really understand why it makes her so unhappy. This is exactly what you need to be doing! I think the conversation should have gone something like this:

Hess: Aria, I want you to find me the Still Blue.

Aria: Uh...really?

Hess: Yes. Even though I exiled you and basically think you're dirt, I'm sending you on one of the most important missions ever, because I trust you that much.

Aria: Sweet! I was going to do that anyway.

That situation worked out perfectly for all parties involved. Go, Veronica Rossi!

Also, Perry, it was completely unnecessary for you to falcon punch Roar just because you thought he and Aria were together. Again, one of those weak moments from Perry that makes him seem like he's a little bit too in love.

Overall, this book kept my interest peaked, brought forth likeable (and completely despise able characters cough, Sable) and wrapped it all up into a nice little romance that I couldn't put down. 


x Alli

Review: Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Rating: ★★★★★★★☆☆☆ 7/10

Quick Snippet (no spoilers): Under the Never Sky, the first book in the Under the Never Sky trilogy, takes place in a futuristic world in which the population is divided into those living under the nice, protective walls of government housing, entertaining themselves in an incredibly high-tech virtual reality via "Smarteyes", and those who have to fend for themselves in the wild. Aria, a member of the former group, finds herself chucked out into nature as a result of a quest for her lost mother. She meets Peregrine, "Perry", a member of the latter group, and the two become fast enemies as they search together for their respective missing pieces from their lives. Oh, did I mention that the sky has been overrun by deathly energy storms, called "Aether"? Yeah.

Recommendation: I would recommend this to fans of the Divergent and Across the Universe trilogies, as well as fans of young adult science fiction, romance, and any similar-sounding books. 

Review:

This book had caught my eye several times during my biweekly browse at the library, and I was lucky enough to find all three books to the trilogy on the shelf in my most recent visit. Really, this book wasn't that bad. There resides a place in my heart for dual-perspective novels, which is how the whole Under the Never Sky trilogy is written, and I especially like how the story is told in third-person throughout. Did anyone else find themselves happily reading along as Tris in the Allegiant, only to realize you're in Four's perspective? That's for a whole different post.


The first chapter of this book did not impress me. Maybe it was too sciencey or something, and with Rossi throwing around all of these futuristic terms known only to the trilogy (Smarteye, Aether, Ag 6), I found myself thoroughly confused and a bit uninterested. However, the book really picked up with the second chapter, told from Perry's perspective, and from there, I was hooked.

------------------SPOILERS FROM HERE DOWN------------------------

Perry and Aria's relationship blossoms in a very, very cool way. In the beginning of the novel, the two are as different as night and day, but slowly their thoughts and feelings intertwine so that it really feels like they're made for each other. I love how Rossi brings them closer and closer, with very small steps and a few setbacks, until their first conversation held without arguing, the first time they hold hands, the first time they kiss, and all the intimate moments in between. With each minor step, the reader is wanting them to be together even more, and I think Rossi set the perfect pace for their romance to grow. 

Onto the Aether. It took me a good thirty or forty pages to really understand what the Aether actually is. From Wikipedia, 

According to ancient and medieval science, aether (Greek αἰθήρ aithēr^[1]), also spelled æther or ether, also called quintessence, is the material that fills the region of the universe above the terrestrial sphere. The concept of aether was used in several theories to explain several natural phenomena, such as the traveling of light and gravity.

In the book, the Aether is portrayed as evil bands of energy that fill the sky and come striking down at seemingly random intervals, always a lurking threat. I think Aether adds an element of terror to the book, you know, apart from the groups of cannibals that can pop out at any time, and the freaky super-human powers that belong to all of the important Outsider characters. 

Speaking of the super-human powers, I feel like the novel would have survived without that addition. With the Auds, Seers, and Scires, brings forth the idea that this society is not something foreseeable in our future. I mean, come on. Having such good hearing that you can hear someone's thoughts when you touch them? Everything else in the novel is believable, but the addition of the powers kind of breaks down that idea.

Overall, this book brings up a lot of interesting ideas for the future of the world, as well as staying close to the minds of teen readers. I found it intriguing and hard to put down at times, and the ending is both satisfying and an introduction to what is to come with the rest of the trilogy.

~Alli