Book Review: Fault Line by C. Desir

Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Romance
Published: October 15th, 2013 by SimonPulse
Purchase: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

Ben could date anyone he wants, but he only has eyes for the new girl — sarcastic free-spirit, Ani. Luckily for Ben, Ani wants him too. She’s everything Ben could ever imagine. Everything he could ever want.

But that all changes after the party. The one Ben misses. The one Ani goes to alone.

Now Ani isn’t the girl she used to be, and Ben can’t sort out the truth from the lies. What really happened, and who is to blame?

Ben wants to help her, but she refuses to be helped. The more she pushes Ben away, the more he wonders if there’s anything he can do to save the girl he loves.

I seriously have never rated a book this low. It's very rare that I dislike a book this much. I'm not harsh on judging books. I don't know whether to rate this a two or lower.

I understand that rape is a very serious topic. No one should have to experience any of it. This story deals with the rape and the aftereffects of it. It has done a horrible thing and drastically forever changed the victim. This isn't a book for everyone. I personally dislike it very much. This wasn't my cup of tea. The reason to why I didn't like it very much was because of the characters. Ani was such a frustrating character. This did not have a happy ending like I thought it would have.

Spoilers Ahead

This is told from the victim's boyfriend's perspective. Fault Line begins with one event after six months of meeting each other. I'm not going to say what that event was. Uh, yeah. Let me tell you it wasn't so great. And then the real beginning takes six months before that. It's where Ben first meets Ani. In the beginning when they were dating, I thought they were cute. I had no clue about what happened to her at that party until I read it. Ben decides to stay home instead of going to the party. Ani goes with her friend instead.  Ben is crazy about Ani and would do anything to for her. Things go haywire. She becomes a rape victim. I seriously thought she was a strong character. She becomes, well to say, a slut in the end. I really thought she could be better. But I know it sticks to you. It's traumatizing. But she was just so frustrating and I was disgusted by the way she was acting afterwards. Come on, try to make it better for yourself, not worse. 

I really hated the fact that she didn't tell her mom that she was raped. Like, seriously? I understand that she would kill you for drinking or something but I'm sure she would look more at the fact that you got RAPED. 

I was frustrated about how they were handling the relationship. She didn't want to go any programs that would help. She was doing all this shiz that Ben didn't deserve. I was just a tiny bit satisfied about what Ben had decided to do in the end. It wasn't a good ending but hey, it was better than nothing. BUT HE DIDN'T CALL OUT THE TEACHER. 

Who is to blame? Himself, for not being there?
Ani, for allowing herself to be vulnerable?
Or her friend, for seeing  the warning signs?

I don't even know anymore. 

Book Review: Room by Emma Donoghue

Series: Standalone
Genres: Young Adult, Adult Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction
Published: September 13, 2010
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Review ~

I couldn't read from a smart 5 year old perspective. He changes, a lot, I mean, by intelligence. One moment, he's how a five year old should act, the next, he describes and says words too complicated for a five year old who's spent his life in a room, thinking that's the whole world. I would always usually think this is being told from an adult's point of view while reading for a moment or two, and then he starts using toddler language, and it really just ruins the whole thing.

“Scared is what you're feeling. Brave is what you're doing.”

When reading Room though, a smart five year old's perspective is a benefit, because you felt like you were there, not just reading some lousy old kid's limited words, there were details, not complicated or bizarre, but enough so that you could imagine what kind of life they were living in. Emma Donoghue had done an amazing job writing details so vividly clear that you could be scared out of your mind at on point while reading, or you could be jumping up and down out of happiness. It's simply amazing.

“Everybody's damaged by something.”

Here's the thing though. I liked reading when they were in the room and when they were doing something amazing, but I kind of sped through the second half of the book, which is the part where J___ Sa__ Ma and Es____. Yea, you get it right? Sorry, no spoilers, fill in the blank. :) Jack's mother was definitely my favorite character out of all. I saw her develop and change if you compare the first half and the second half of the book. She's brave and loving for a woman who's been kidnapped and trapped for seven/eight years of her life, and when a miracle happens, you could definitely see the change!

“Stories are a different kind of true.”

And the ending? Sure, it wasn't one of those books with a sad ending, it's one of those with a happy ending, and you're so filled with joy about the joys that occurred in this books that you don't even care this book is over! It's a compelling story, one that will captivate your mind until you're done with it.

Instead of my usual signature, I've decided to add a trailer for the book. Enjoy!