Friday, June 20, 2014

Unexpected Applause: The Faerie Guardian (a book review post)

Before I get into the review for this book, I'm going to call your attention back to a post I did dealing with objectivity and subjectivity in responding to books. I'm having a very divergent reaction to this one, so I want to make sure I am qualifying it ahead of time. Remember these:
  1. This is good, and I like it.
  2. This is good, but I don't like it.
  3. This is bad, and I don't like it.
  4. This is bad, but I do like it.

"The Faerie Guardian" started off on the wrong foot with me. It's not really the fault of the book or the author. I mean, I'm the one with the thing against first person/present tense presentation. But it is first/present, and I couldn't stop myself from groaning inwardly when I started reading it. And this example is pretty typical of the stuff I've read using first/present, so it did nothing to distinguish itself for me. But, you know, I get that that style is popular, right now, so I can hardly fault the author for choosing the style. I'm just not into it.

So the main character is a "fairie" girl, and I say "fairie" because she's just like a human teenager down to the pop culture references that, as far as I can tell, she shouldn't have knowledge of. In fact, she seems more conversant in pop culture than she does in the culture of her own people. In fact, in her narration she refers to other fairies as "fairies," as in "the fairie stood there," which would be like me saying, "the human stood there," which is not a thing I would ever say nor have I ever heard any human say. Awkward. All of that to say that I had a hard time buying the protagonist as anything more than a human teenager with some convenient magic. And that doesn't even touch that the purple-haired fairie is named Violet.

The other main issue I had with the story also started right up front along with the first/present stuff. Violet is in a boy's room to guard him from a snake fairie thing, and, of course, she sees him sleeping. And, of course, she is smitten by him just from watching him sleeping. Maybe this is just a disconnect because I'm a guy, but the whole romance angle seemed more contrived than realistic to me. There was just no reason for it and it felt out-of-character to for Violet to react that way. I mean, there's no indication that she has a habit of instantly falling in love with sleeping boys, so I need something more from the story than that she arbitrarily had feelings for this one boy because she saw him asleep.

From a technical standpoint, the book was fine, and I can see why people like it (and based on the other reviews, I see that most people do like it); it just didn't appeal to me. The writing is fine. It's well edited. But it's not my story. This is one of those where I can see that it's (probably) good, but I don't like it. For this one, I'm being that guy at the party that goes over and gets a helping of whatever it is everyone is raving over, I put it in my mouth, make the yucky face, and spit it out. Everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. Eventually, like, one other person comes over and pats my arm and whispers, "I didn't like it either."

15 comments:

  1. I'm not a fan of first person (I think it's childish and unprofessional) or of fantasy with elves, fairies, etc. (including LoTR), so I'd feel the same way you do about this one. YOu made a lot of good points, and I'm glad I didn't have to read it. ;)

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  2. At least you can admit it's just not for you, which is probably the reason you didn't like it. Some people just can't pony up and say that. Not a fan of first person either, but Rachel has done well with this series. She's certainly sold a ton of books.

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  3. I'm surprised you can read to the end if you don't like the book. I certainly couldn't.

    Doesn't sound like it would appeal to me but then I am not into teenage books, faeries or otherwise.

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  4. I've never really liked first-person narration at all, but that's just me :)

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  5. Lexa: I think first person has appropriate uses; it's just that the current fad of first person has more to do with it being easier.

    Alex: She seems to have based on the number of reviews she has.

    Jo: Well, it's short, so that helped. However, the real thing is that I don't feel that I can give a review based on part of a book.

    OE: Like I said to Lexa, I think it has it uses.

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  6. I don't think it's a guy thing, because those kinds of romances don't work for me either. Seeing someone sleep seems like a weird way to fall in love.

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  7. Jeanne: I'd actually like to see some data on this kind of thing.

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  8. I think that's a solid review: most critics won't admit they don't like a given genre, etc., and will just rag on the book.

    The "fell in love instantly" trope is another lame one that people should avoid.

    First person present tense bugs you? OH, man. I like to use that and I think you are the one that got me started experimenting with it.

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  9. I think that's a solid review: most critics won't admit they don't like a given genre, etc., and will just rag on the book.

    The "fell in love instantly" trope is another lame one that people should avoid.

    First person present tense bugs you? OH, man. I like to use that and I think you are the one that got me started experimenting with it.

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  10. I write in past tense, 1st or 3rd, but never present. I don't like reading present either. But I do enjoy past 1st.

    Other than that, the issues you've raised would bother me too. But it's like the insta-love of many teen romances I'm afraid. It's questionable, but I do remember my own version of teen insta-love to completely vile male specimens, so I have no room to talk. :P

    shahwharton.com

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  11. Briane: I think there needs to be a good reason to go first/present. I mean beyond the stated reason of "it's put the reader right in the action so they don't know if the character will live or not," because that's just not true. It's an artificial trick and, for the moment, readers have "fallen" for it, but I think it's more because it's novel rather than because they're fooled. Generally speaking, the style seems forced to me.

    Shah: I get crushes and how quick they are, but even a crush generally has some kind of inciting action. Not seeing someone asleep. Hmm... Maybe this is a post?

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  12. Believable love is clearly very difficult to write as most stories don't do it convincingly. Love-at-first-sight, in particular, is too much of an idealization to be believable for most thoughtful readers.

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  13. TAS: Love-at-first-sight where you're instantly willing to do incredibly stupid things because this is the "love of your life" just doesn't exist, and I can't deal with it, I suppose. Wait till the book I have coming up next month. Assuming I finish it.

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  14. Wow, you've been busy writing reviews, haven't you?

    This book sounds like a "miss" for me. I'm not into fairies or love at first sight (While he's sleeping for goodness sake? Snoring and slobbering all over his pillow...?) kinda stories. Even in a fantasy, I want something to fall into the realm of possibility.

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  15. Susan: Well, getting a Kindle has increased my reading time frame by a lot.

    And, yeah, that's how I felt, too.

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