Prophecy of the Sisters | by: Michelle Zink

After a tragedy strikes the family, Lia Milthorpe discovers a peculiar mark on her wrist. Even so, that is not the only strange thing happening within her wealthy home. Her twin sister, Alice, has already grown distant, but the discovery of a mysterious book may explain it all as well as raise more questions.

Odd as it seems, she and her sister are part of an ancient prophecy. Though the parts they are to play within it are quite potent, it seems that their sisterhood will be torn apart as their individual free will turns them against another. Their opposing desires will have them working in opposition of the other as Lia begins to find allies she can trust in this unique and eerie Victorian-based story.

Though this is the second time I've read Prophecy of the Sisters, I may have actually enjoyed it more than the first, which is quite a compliment since I already really loved it.

One of the first things that caught my attention while reading this book was Michelle Zink's writing. It's fantastic! And the characters she created were so natural. Oftentimes, different characters of a novel tend to have rather extreme characteristics that make them stick out in a more forced way, but Michelle Zink is better than this. Prophecy of the Sisters had characters that were well-defined without extreme qualities. Because of this, I loved reading about these characters - even Alice, who creeped me out at times.

Since this is a Victorian novel, I would have expected it to fall under a certain mental catagory I have made when reading books that take place in older periods of history. It's not that I have anything against books that take place further back in time, because I actually love that - especiallly the Victorian era in which Prophecy of the Sisters was written for. My problem is the way that some authors handle it. They really want to make sure that the reader gets the correct feel of the time period by babbling nonstop about the time period. It comes to a certain point where I don't want to read about wagons anymore; I want plot. Michelle Zink did not do this. The 1800's felt so natural in this book, and I praise Michelle Zink for this in addition to her other great writing skills.

Prophecy of the Sisters has a generally creepy/mysterious vibe to it, but it isn't generally gloomy either. It's actually quite adventurous and fun as it is evenly paced. That's not to say that there are no dark matters in this book, because their are plenty. The paranormal elements are hair-rising and the times of tragedy are filled with sorrow. Throughout the entire reading experience, something is always happening as Lia tries to solve the mysteries of the prophecy. But, the climax is still ever-present despite the consistent pace.

I was really intrigued by the general concept of this book, with twin sisters battling against the other as well as the prophecy being a mythological version of the Bible's apocalypse. The times of darkness readers will encounter within the plot is kind of scary, and I liked that. Besides, the bits of magic, like all magic, made me happy. But more than anything, I loved the eerie elements, especially the freaky medallion. I can't say much about this without spoiling anything; I'll just tell you it's cool.

Really... there's not much left to say. No complaints whatsoever. Prophecy of the Sisters is an impeccable novel and I will definitely read the next two books in this trilogy, as this first novel has proved to be greatly written and one-of-a-kind.

4.5/5 Stars


Zink, Michelle. Prophecy of the Sisters
New York: Little, Brown and Company
2009

Dark Adrenaline | Lacuna Coil

Last January, Lacuna Coil released their sixth studio album, Dark Adrenaline. Though I adore many bands associated with this band, Lacuna Coil's work has been a bit hit-and-miss for me, but I was still curious to see what they had in store (especially considering how cool the album's title sounds).

"Trip the Darkness" is the first track as well as the first single, and I loved it. Though it starts out almost electronically, the sound doesn't take long to explode into your ears. Both of their singers take important parts within the song. In this track, Andrea takes the verses but Cristina takes the chorus, nearly chanting, "Follow me, follow me..." At this point, I like the direction the band has taken.

The second song is called "Against Me," and the eerie intro leads into heavy guitar riffs. Cristina's voice is colder in the verses, reminding me a bit of Aya from the band Unsun. Unlike the last track, Andrea sings the chorus, and he's at his best. Though the verses are dark, the chorus feels lighter, like rocking out in the summer. For this reason, this part of the song feels nostalgic to me. But, it's followed by an epic bridge that features a cool guitar solo; completely fresh to my ears. Despite the guitars start to lead the song to a strong end, the song includes a string part in its last seconds. A very worthy listen.

Next comes "Kill the Light," a song that's sure to get a live crowd jumping as it is both relatively catchy and heavy. It's not what I would consider a masterpiece or anything, but it's not bad. "Give Me Something More" follows, and it's much more mellow than the rest of the album at first, but the guitars and memorable drums kick in once the chorus comes and don't go away. Cristina's vowels are a bit wide in the bridge, but, it still isn't a bad song since that's my only complaint.

"Upsidedown" begins with guitar bits that will shuffle from one speaker to the other - an effect I've always loved. Andrea's vocals in the verses aren't the best sounding since they're completely frantic, and they're blown away by Cristina's amazing chorus. The bridge has a guitar solo before it leads into the final section, where Andrea and Cristina seem to unite. I liked this one much more than the previous two.

Just when you think the tempo slows down in "End of Time," guitars come pounding shortly before Cristina's first verse. Still, it's practically a ballad in comparison to the other songs, with sweeter melodies and lyrics that are most raw. This being said, it's probably the most powerful of the album, even as the strings fade at the very end. The seventh track is "I Don't Believe in Tomorrow," and once again the guitars shuffle in and out of each speaker, making my ears more than happy. Though the verses are catchy, the chorus doens't do the most for me. The best part of the song is the bridge, where the guitar riffs explode into something unexpectedly heavier for this song. Again, this song isn't bad, but it's not a masterpiece.

"Intoxicated," on the other hand, is one of the few songs on this album that is an immediate standout, primarily because of Cristina's vocals (especially in the chorus as it overlays the guitars yet blends all the same). However, I must mention that Andrea did his part very well, too, and together they made for a very awesome and memorable track. It isn't as jumpy as a lot of the other songs on this album, but it's still something you can bob your head to since it's a far cry from a slow song. But, the next track, entitled "The Army Inside" brings the return of the norm for this album. It's more upbeat but still meaningful, yet not a standout track.

Like many, I discovered Lacuna Coil from their cover of Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" on their 2006 album, Karmacode. Though Lacuna Coil's original songs are hit-and-miss for me and tend to blurr together, their covers are exactly the opposite. The tenth song on Dark Adrenaline is "Losing My Religion," originally by REM. I loved REM's original of this fantastic love song, but I may actually like Lacuna Coil's version better. Both Andrea and Cristina convey each lyric so well, but Cristina really sounds like she's believing what she's singing as I hear the emotion in her voice. Plus, I love the instrumentation of this revamped classic. Honestly, I think this is my favorite from the album.

"Fire" comes next, and the guitar riffs remind me a lot of "I Won't Tell You," a song from their previous album, Shallow Life. This short song is possibly my least favorite from Dark Adrenaline. But the opening riffs of the final song, "My Spirit," grabbed my attention. Andrea's verses definitely aren't the best part of the song, and Cristina steals the show again in the chorus. The bridge is most unique with its narration in a language I do not know (it's probably Itallian, considering Lacuna Coil is from Italy). After that point, the song began to give me chills with its dark harmonies. The album closes with a final guitar solo, finally leaving us with a choral synth that's bound to leave an impact.

Dark Adrenaline is a pretty decent album. None of these songs bother me in any way, and there were a few excellent tracks that came from it, such as "Trip the Darkness," "Against You," "Upsidedown," "End of Time," "Intoxicated," "Losing My Religion," and "My Spirit." But, my only problem with it has been my only complaint with this band in general: Some songs will leave an impact on me, but many do not. As I mentioned, too many of their songs often blurr together and remain unmemorable to my taste.

Fans that loved Karmacode and Shallow Life entirely will likely enjoy this new release, too. As for me, I liked this album better than those previous two releases; I think Lacuna Coil is headed in a positive direction. This album is dark but it'll get you pumped, and though some tracks may blurr together in your memory, the ones that stick out will be in your head for a long time.

3.5/5 Stars

Classics: Dracula by Bram Stoker

As a fan of nearly all variations of vampires in fiction, I definitely wanted to read Bram Stoker's Dracula, which was the spark of it all. This novel has had a major impact on the world, even on those who do not dwell within the fictional realm. When people hear the name Dracula, they do not think of Vlad the Impaler. Instead, they think of this intriguing, dark vampire who's story has been alive for over a century.

When one of my friends got a copy of Dracula before me, she said that the writing was "too old-fashioned" and she gave up. I think I laughed a little on the inside due to her ridiculous complaint. Since I usually love older works due to their general style, I knew I'd love this book... But I didn't. Not because it is "old" or anything like that (if I had a problem with that sort of thing, I wouldn't have created a meme where I talk about classic novels), but because it was poorly written. Even for the time period it was wirtten in, it wasn't very good. Edgar Allan Poe's time came before Dracula (though within the same centruy) so Stoker had no excuse. Really, Bram Stoker seemed to set himself up by writing a novel full of diary entries and friendly letters, for they made the story so passive. Rarely did anything exciting ever happen in these entries, but when something did occur, it felt more like a distant dream, as if none of it was happening.

However, the very beginning was sort of interesting. I actually enjoyed hearing about Jonathon Harker's story at first because of the eerie events that took place, but that writing style just can't pull off an entire book. After a while, I just didn't care about Miss Lucy's letters and the headache became too sharp.

Fellow readers, I have a confession to make: I simply could not finish this book. The fact that I couldn't do it angered me, so I tried reading it again. Still, the second time proved no better than the first. For the second time, I gave up. Maybe someday I'll get around to reading the entire thing, but I highly doubt it. This book just didn't work for me.

Though I did not get an enjoyable reading experience from Dracula, I know that many did. I even wish I could have found some way to appreciate it; that's why I tried reading it again. After all, this story has had such an influence. People wouldn't think of vampires the same way without it, and they wouldn't have their favorite nightmarish tale. Obviously, this book is far from my favorite, but I know a lot of the movies and books I like probably wouldn't exist without it.

I don't have to cherish what I don't like, but I'll try to see the good in it, especially considering it's an unforgettable classic of its time.

Book-to-Film Adaptations

Sometimes, books become utterly phenomenal - so phenomenal that they get their own film adaptations. Of course, those who read a certain book and go see its film adaptation have specific expectations and are sometimes let down. This is natural; it has been occurring over and over again for years.

As a reader, I understand. Ever since Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire hit the box office, I have seen each and every Harry Potter film on opening day. That, my friends, is a commitment. It is a marriage. Plus, I've seen numerous other book-to-film adaptations in between Harry Potter films, making me unable to go see much other movies since movie theatres overcharge their candy and popcorn. (Now that I think about it... the last time I saw a movie that wasn't based on a book at the cinema was in January of 2011...) Anyway, the bottom line is that I've seen a lot of book-to-film adaptations and I've also seen a lot of really strong reactions towards them. Unfortunately, people experience everything from their "favorite part" to "that thing" being excluded, and I'm here to address that.

First of all, let me offer some advice. If you want to be satisfied with a book-to-film adaptation of a novel you read, treat the book and the film as two entirely different matters. Judge the books as a book as a book and the movie as a movie in itself. Do not reread the book the night before you see the movie, you're just setting yourself up to be disappointed, because no adaptation will ever be perfect in comparison to the book. Books are always better, and everyone knows that, so why expect anything else? Am I saying that your disappointment is all your fault? No, I'm saying it might be partially your fault, but on a more indirect level.

Not only will this help you feel better about the adaptation, but it will also help you see the movie for itself. For example, some people were irritated that some good parts of The Help were not included in its film adaptation. This is understandable, but some said that this movie was awful because of that. Not to burst anyone's bubble, but that's not how you're supposed to judge a movie. Obviously, you can take that into consideration, but you can't just lable a movie "bad" just because it was different than the book. You can say it was a bad adaptation if you really believe so, but a film must be taken for itself. Talk about the acting, the visual effects, or the film score when you talk about a movie; leave your comparisons for discussions about how well it adapted the novel.

Since I'm in the book-to-movie spirit, here's a list of some of the film adaptations I've seen of books I read, accompanied by my thoughts about them as far as being good adaptations as well as taking the movie for itself. And believe it or not, it is possible to like a movie that didn't do the book justice.

Lord of the Rings, based on the trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien - I thought these film adaptations were as perfect as could be. Who cares that the beginning of The Two Towers was included at the end of The Fellowship of the Ring's adaptation? Who cares that the end of The Two Towers was featured at the beginning of The Return of the King's adaptation? At least it was accurate! Even the romance that was added in from Tolkien's other work seemed to benefit these films! These movies were amazing in that sense as well as the great acting, breathtaking film score, and award-winning special effects.

Harry Potter, based on the series by J.K. Rowling - Is it possible not to love these movies? I'll admit I was disappointed in the adaptations for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but even then nothing about the movies themselves were bad. Other than that, these adaptations definitely did the books justice.

The Hunger Games, based on the book by Suzanne Collins - Of course, the book was better, but I loved this film adaptation! Not only was it accurate, but the wonderful performance by Jennifer Lawrence made it even more intense. To be honest, I didn't even think that was possible, but it was. Really, all of the actors did a superb job, so if you were one of those people spreading racist slurs about the actor choices of Rue and Cinna, not only are you being exponentially rude, you are also completely missing the point. These actors were chosen because they are amazing and brought these characters to life the best. Color doesn't matter.

The Help, based on the book by Kathryn Stockett - Both the book and the film made me cry, and I think I actually cried more during the movie. Although some parts of the book that I deemed important were left out, everything else was so good I didn't care. All of the characters were so vividly portrayed... It's really no wonder Octavia Spencer won Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars.

To Kill a Mockingbird, based on the book by Harper Lee - This is where my attitude seems to drop off. Though it was a good movie, the book blows it away. I got so much more emotion out of my reading experience, but this movie wasn't bad in itself. I just think that the feel of the book wasn't converted to script quite as easily. Even taking the movie for itself, I got a good moral out of it, but it wasn't the most interesting film ever. However, I LOVE Gregory Peck. He became Atticus Finch, I couldn't picture anyone better. In fact, I say this movie can never be redone because no one will ever play his part as well.

The Shining, based on the book by Stephen King - This movie is a classic and one of my personal favorites. Eeriness and suspense themed the film very well, and Jack Nicholson made people fear him forever. No one will ever successfully look as crazy as him - ever. In his case, he's the Gregory Peck of this film; he owned it. And yet, this adaptation was a flop. I saw a mini series adaptation of this book that actually did the plot justice, but I still didn't like it as much as Jack Nicholson's masterpiece. Sometimes, it doesn't matter if it's a good adaptation, being a good movie is enough.

Twilight, based on the series by Stephenie Meyer - The adaptations of these books are suitable, give and take parts that are more potent in writing that simply could not be made in film. Though these books get a lot of harsh remarks, I can say much worse things about the films. My problem with them? They're so corny. If you've read the books, they're cute little additions to enjoy alongside them, but I don't really see how they can be likeable otherwise. Sure, they're kind of fun, and they don't stray too far from the books... But so corny.

Blood and Chocolate, based on the book by Annette Curtis Klause - Just about every werewolf fan knows this book, and anyone who expected a good adaptation was disappointed instantaneously. This movie is absolutely nothing like the book. The plot is different, the outcome is different, characters' last names are different, characters are different, relations are different... This movie was really just based on the concept of the book. But honestly, I don't care. I love this movie even though it didn't do the book justice at all. The differences were likeable to me, and its film score remains one of my personal favorites.

So, there's my two-cents on this matter. Many many more film adaptations are to be released quite soon, of which I am anticipating:

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith)
Catching Fire (based on the novel by Suzanne Collins)
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (based on the novel by J.R.R. Tolkien)
Breaking Dawn Part 2 (based on Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer)
The Host (based on the novel by Stephenie Meyer)

Shiver | by: Maggie Stiefvater

Grace has been observing the wolves in her very backyard for the longest time in fascination, even after a dangerous encounter years ago. Her friends may not understand her obsession with them, but they don't realize her connection with one wolf in particular, one who comes each winter. Written in dual-narration, that very wolf has observed Grace as well over the years. In a moment of terror for both Grace and her wolf, she discovers that he is more than just a wolf. He's also Sam. And their time together as the same species is limited.

It's absolutely pathetic that I've just now read Shiver despite I've wanted to read it since it first came out and just about everyone else in the world has read it in the downtime. Thank goodness I finally got around to picking it up after nearly three years!

Shiver moves right into the plot quickly, almost too quickly. There's always a huge, predictable, and not to mention boring section in paranormal romance novels where the main character sits around denying whatever paranormal idea she has come across. This section doesn't exist in Shiver. Although it caught me off guard, I was happy that the story didn't flow in that way. The beginning was extremely captivating, quite frankly.

From the start of the story, I felt bad for Grace. Her parents are so uncaring and ridiculous, and her friends reminded me why all of my friends are guys. Since I knew where the story was going to go (in general), hearing about 'her wolf' felt a little weird to me in the beginning, kind of like bestiality. However, I don't feel like this vibe was from the what was written, I think it was just my mind anticipating the love interest a little too early, making it seem weird to me.

Shiver may be the sweetest story of its genre, and part of that is because of Sam. He's so incredibly likable and his back story made me feel awful for him. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen so much tragedy within a love interest of this genre. Without him, I wouldn't have liked this book as much since Grace didn't do much for me as a character. I couldn't relate to her much at all, so I usually liked Sam's chapters better. Besides, dual narrations are always a positive thing! But, with sweetness comes cuteness, and cuteness in novels tend to bring corniness. As I've mentioned in multiple other reviews, I don't have much tolerance for corny elements in novels. This one brought a bit of eye-rolling, but not too much. I still enjoyed the book and found that the other darker, more serious elements seemed to weigh it out.

The ending really struck a chord with me. I must say, I got a little bit teary-eyed. Everything felt so sweet and sad all at once, even though I sort of anticipated it since Sam and Grace's situation is so bittersweet to begin with. Plus, the writing really affected the way emotions were carried out, and it was done very well throughout, even though I was a little surprised that the ending triggered my emotions the way it did.

Shiver ended up being enjoyable the whole way through, with its light and dark moments in the midst of a sweetly-crafted plot. I'm a bit intrigued by this story and am curious to see how it continues.

4/5 Stars

Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver
New York: Scholastic Press
2009

Two Years of Blogging

April 6th marks The Critiquing Critica's birthday, and today, this blog is two years old. I'm quite happy with where this blog is today, and I feel as though it can only grow from here. I love what I have built here and am so happy to have fifteen followers! Seriously - thank you all so much for taking the time out of your day to read my blog!

First of all, this blog has gotten quite a few make-overs, especially within this year. Thanks to my best friend Nickster, I think I've found the perfect look for my blog. With this new look, The Critiquing Critica is available to be viewed from mobile phones without looking too enlarged. Plus, I've added some different pages to my blog, including 'Critica's Picks,' which gives a list of my favorite books, music, film scores, and movies. To the right of my blog, underneath the About Me blurb, archive, and the Currently Reading blurb, lies a list of my newest favorite songs.

In the past year, I have started to find myself as a reviewer and a blogger. Although I care so much about my readers, this blog must be done in my own way for me to be happy as well. I plan posts all the time, I constantly write down blog ideas, and even strategically plan when they'll be posted so they're spread out nicely. Personally, I think consistence is somewhat important. I know I'd rather read a blog that posts once every couple of weeks rather that see fifty posts in one week without anymore posts within the month. Of course, everyone's different. I know that a lot of people would rather see more posts per month, even per week. But, I will not make a commitment to post every day or every week. Once a month or so makes me happy, primarily because I don't see this blog as a job. It seems that other people see blogging as a job, but I beg to differ. I see it as a hobby. However, there are a lot of job-blogs that are probably much better than mine, but that's not really a priority. As long as someone out there reads something I write here, I'm happy, and I hope that my dear readers can be happy with that, too. I honestly care so much about my readers, but like I said, I need to do this my way. That's what makes it my blog.

From the beginning, I saw myself as a book blogger since I reviewed more books than anything. But let's face it: I'm not a book blogger. The only thing book blogger-ish about this blog is the fact that it's in the YA Book Blog Directory because books happen to be reviewed here. Other than that, The Critiquing Critica doesn't seem to fit in with that blog genre, if you will. From this day forward, it is to be simply called a review blog, because that's what it really is. My reviews extended to music and movies as well, and according to my stats, more people look at my music reviews than anything else. This is somewhat evident in my top ten popular post list, as six of the ten are music related:

1. Favorite Voices
2. House of Night, Books 1-6 by: P.C. Cast + Kristin Cast
3. 'Salem's Lot | by: Stephen King
4. Look what I made!
5. End of 2010 Book Survey
6. Fallen | Evanescence
7. Best Books I Read: 2011
8. Artist Evolution
9. The Unforgiving | Within Temptation
10. The Fame Monster | Lady Gaga

(Even so, the best way to see exactly how much more popular my music reviews are, one would have to look at my entire post list, and I really don't think it's necessary for me to post that.)

According to my Flag Counter, this site has been visited 8,595 times by 118 different countries.

Thank you so much for visiting, and I hope that you all continue to stop by in the future!