Category: 2018 Books

Outpost (2012)

By: Anne Aguire

This sequel was just as great as the first. This time, Deuce and Fade find themselves in a small town of sorts. However, they’re faced with the fact that in this society, neither are considered adults, and the majority of people are painfully sexist. Plus, the zombies are getting worse. They’re evolving in a way no one thought possible, and Deuce may just be able to force her way onto the male-only warrior squad.

As with the first book, I loved the writing, the world, the characters, everything. I highly recommend this book if you’re good with gore and violence.

Paper Towns (2008)

By: John Green

So, I started this novel after a friend of mine told me it was incredible. To be fair, I saw the movie first. But I really tried to distance the two, so I could get an unbiased read. This story follows Q in his (misguided) attempt to find the mysterious Margo Roth Spiegelman after she goes missing. He believes her to be leaving him clues as to her whereabouts, so he can come find her and bring her home.

Q was obsessive in the book. And at times, a horrible friend. He isn’t the most sympathetic character, and yet, you want to empathize with him because he’s the protagonist. While the mystery was entertaining, I felt that the ending was incredibly frustrating. I won’t spoil it, but what’s the point of having a novel—an entire novel—dedicated to this mystery and then just end it the way it does. I understand the chase is part of the fun, but I couldn’t connect.


The Keeper’s Tattoo (2010)

By: Gill Arbuthnott

A young woman discovers she has three lines of a sacred text tattooed on her scalp, and the Big Bad is after her to get it. Fearing for her life, the young woman flees her small town, discovering truths about her family along the way.

Honestly, I almost didn’t finish this book. The writing was so long-winded and yet stilted. There were too many things going on that didn’t pertain to the plot, and too many things that were convenient plot devices. That being said, I did enjoy the world. I thought the characters were pretty cool, too.

Phantom of the Opera (1910)

By: Gaston Leroux

The story is very similar to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage adaptation, following the mysterious Phantom and his plight to win opera singer Christine Daae’s heart. This version of the novel delves deeper into the Phantom’s torture of people, as well as the Managers’ roles in irking the Phantom, and pushes Christine’s damsel in distress-ness. However, Leroux does an exceptional job describing the Phantom’s grotesque features, as well as the mystery of it all. As he was a lawyer and crime writer before publishing Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, it’s safe to say he used real life to influence his creativity.

This book is a great example of an omniscient narrator. That being said, though this is an interesting supplement to both the musical and movie, the writing is dated. If you have an interest in the story of the Phantom, it’s a good read. Otherwise, go get yourself some Emmy Rossum and enjoy.