What Tanya Wants: May 2017
Tag Archives: patrick ness
What Tanya Wants: August 2015
Book Review: Nightmares! (Nightmares! #1) by Jason Segel & Kirsten Miller
Published Sept 9, 2014
368 Pages
Charlie Laird is having a rough time. His dad married a woman Charlie believes to be a witch, they moved into the scary purple mansion at the top of the hill and finally Charlie is having nightmares causing him to dread going to sleep.
But when Charlie’s nightmares begin to become reality, he needs to find the courage against the things he fears the most.
Charlie was a jerk. I didn’t like him in the least. He wasn’t the best friend a person can have (and he knew it), he was so rude to his stepmother, his father and his brother. He is justified at being angry but he is not justified in being a doucebag to his family or his friends.
There were moments when he would go out on the limb for his friends (pretty much too up the entire book) but it was hard to say if he was doing it more for himself and the glory or if he was doing to truly help those that he love. I did not like Charlie in the least bit and after reading the summary of book two, I still will not like Charlie.
Two other issues I have with this book are Charlie’s biggest fear was predictable and the way the story is told is predictable. However, the story was written well. You can see talent in the writers and see some creativity but I feel that they were playing it safe. There were some points in which I kept comparing it to A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness. They are two different stories but the similarities if you read that book are there.
What I really liked about Nightmares! regardless of everything else going on was the fact that it was a nice story. Who isn’t scared of having their nightmares coming into real life? I felt that they (the authors) were creative enough to build off this idea but overall the story was lacking.
2.5 Pickles
Book Review: The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness
Published April 4, 2013
320 Pages
George Duncan is a lonely 48 year old divorced American living in London and owns a small print shop. One night a Crane appears in his backyard with an arrow in its wing. Capture by its beauty, George takes the arrow out ultimately saving the Crane’s life and watches it fly away.
The next day he meets the most beautiful woman he has ever met named Kumiko, who asks George to help her with her artwork. Dumbfounded he agrees and falls completely in love with her but struggles with finding out who she truly is.
Before anything take a moment to enjoy that beautiful cover. One more moment. . . . . . . okay.
I like Patrick Ness. I think he can tell a beautiful story and make it into something greater, however he fell short with this one.
The Crane wife is a play on a Japanese folklore. The foundation of this book is the folklore however Ness tries to make it modern by telling the story through three characters; the Crane, Duncan and his daughter Amanda. My issue with this was Amanda. I don’t see her important in the story. For a 25 year old woman, she was annoying and rude as all crap. I understand why Ness factored her into the story but it was unnecessary and it made me dislike Duncan.
He was a weak man. There is a difference between being a really nice guy and being the guy that everyone walks over. Duncan was weak and succumbed to anything and for what he did I can’t say that he really loved Kumiko. He’s a grown as man allowing people to walk over him and then feeling horrible about the consequences of his actions. I pitied him.
Another issue, probably the biggest, was the fact that the book was boring. So so so so so boring. The ending was boring and the “magic” was boring. This book died down fast even with Amanda’s useless drama.
As beautiful as the cover is the book was a disappointment. 2 Pickles.
Book Review: More Than This by Patrick Ness
Seth is drowning. However, instead of meeting his maker, Seth ends up on a beach shore at his former England home naked, hungry, and
Published Sept 10, 2013
480 Pages
thirsty. Not expecting to be here Seth must now not only face the tragedy that forced his family to leave for America but also find out if he is truly alone on this land.
I love the concept of this book. Waking up to find out that you’re not as dead as you think you are is pretty interesting. But as interesting as that was the book lacked luster and did nothing to keep me going. Seth was a dull dull boy who died very graphically even though he was drowning. After he is awaken on the beach he goes through the motion of trying to find food, clothes and most important where is he.
What I liked about the book was the care of details Ness put into the book. You felt the love and time he put into this book. The suspense was great almost unbearable because you want to know what truly happened to Seth before and after he drowned. You want to know what happened in the house he use to call home and most importantly you want to know where the heck was everyone when he was drowning/why was he alone.
When things begin to pick up it was a bit too late for me to truly enjoy it not because Seth spent more than a quarter of the book reminiscing and I just couldn’t get into it. Yes, it did make me (the reader) understand Seth more (Kinda sorta) but it didn’t grab me.
Overall the book was a decent read when it picked up it picked up you just have to follow through with it. The book gets 7 out of 10.
Motif by Tanya 