Location: Croatia
Member Since: July 02, 2011
Ivana Maric
Books
This member has not published any books.Smashwords book reviews by Ivana Maric
- In Blackness Book 1
on Aug. 02, 2011
I absolutely loved The Flesh Statue so I set out with high hopes for In Blackness.I wasn't disappointed-on the contrary, I'd rather say I was...shocked. That's the word. What I love most about Harper's novels is his writing. It has a sharp edge to it, a bitter aftertaste and a dark foreboding in every word. I loved the almost claustrophobic atmosphere; something dark and dangerous is in the air, literally for years. For 70 or so pages, that is, and that is one thing I didn't really like. There's not much going on in the first half of the book. While it did do a lot for the character build-up and projected the author's ability to write great literary fiction, many times I put it down wondering what this is really all about. There is a lot of reminiscing about what happened that prompted them to move away from Lowery, but for deep into the novel, I didn't find out much, and it was slightly frustrating. I felt that some things were a bit overstretched and too long, not adding much to the main plotline. But once the action kicked in...holy shit (pardon my French). It was intense, scary, it was mortifying. I caught myself skipping sentences to find out what happens next. A book hasn't scared me like that in ages. There's slaughtering and palpable terror and helplessness. It gave me nightmares for several nights in a row. I kept turning around, half-expecting to see one of those creatures coming to get me. There seem to be certain recurring motifs in both The Flesh Statue and in Blackness. The social issue, the frustration towards the authorities, the rebellion and resistance after tearing down an old library and building a jail/slaughterhouse instead, and also the doubtful fatherly figure, Busek. Without giving away too much, the main question is how many human lives are you willing to sacrifice to save your own life. Apparently, the majority of the society and those in charge don't really care. Saline, who is searching for God, gets the answer to the question she asks--there is a God--but it's a God of sold souls, a God that works through bloodthirsty mind-controlling monsters. Apparently, the only God a society like this is able to be subjected to. In Blackness is a very intelligent book aimed to show the downfall of the human society not just because of extraterrestrial extermination. It already reflects Harper's talent, but I believe that a little editorial work would bring forward the huge potential of this great story.
- Cicada
on Nov. 01, 2011
Some books just feel like they were written for you only. That's how Cicada felt for me. When I was 13, I was obsessed with the TV show Roswell. The dormant UFO-freak in me rejoiced when I learned that Cicada featured a different kind of paranormal, my kind of paranormal (that sounds weird...) Cicada is a wonderfully constructed story about changes and the end of childhood. After summer ends, four out of five characters are going to college, but a different kind of "change" will send them on different paths. Cicada is quite a short read, but by the end, it feels like you're reading a completely different book. Everything and everyone has changed. As summer moves on, secrets and mysteries come up one after another, and the tone grows darker and heavy with the looming danger and unanswered questions. Characters unfold and grow until you barely recognize them anymore. The superstar of Cicada is Everett, the "bug-boy". Going into details would spoil most of the book, but in short, he's the hottest nerdy ever! As for reasons why it's not a shiny five stars...The beginning of the story seemed a bit forced, I couldn't "feel" it and the first encounter with the characters was not impressionable. It takes a few chapters, some build-up and action to start seeing them as individuals and the purpose each of them fulfills. I loved how the romance between Everett and Blair developed. It grows out of true, lifelong friendship. It shows in face of adversity and grows stronger in hard times. That's true love. I all but exploded with joy when I saw the songs Belle mentions in Cicada. Muse and Fireflies by Owl City. My music. My book. My precious! Anyway. I hereby pledge my undying love for Belle for not only contacting me and letting me read the book, but also for having written it in first place. I'm really fed up with vampires and werewolves, and I can't even tell you how happy I am that I've come across a few YA novels about the extraterrestrial lately. Hooray for new horizons, new ideas, new worlds, new creatures, new books to pine for.