The Almond Tree Review (Novel)

Title: The Almond Tree

Genre: Adult Fiction

Put on the song: Heal the World

Rating:




This is a Good Reads First Reads review.

Blurb:

Gifted with a mind that continues to impress the elders in his village, Ichmad Hamid struggles with the knowledge that he can do nothing to save his Palestinian friends and family. Ruled by the Israeli military government, the entire village operates in fear of losing homes, jobs, and belongings. But more importantly, they fear losing each other. On Ichmad's twelfth birthday, that fear becomes a reality. With his father imprisoned, his family's home and possessions confiscated, and his siblings quickly succumbing to the dangers of war, Ichmad begins the endless struggle to use his intellect to save his poor and dying family and reclaim a love for others that was lost when the bombs first hit."The Almond Tree" capitalizes on the reader's desire to be picked up and dropped off in another part of the world. It tackles issues that many Americans only hear about on World News or read about at The Huffington Post, such as the Israeli Palestinian conflict, the scholasticide that is being imposed upon the Palestinians in Gaza and the current Gaza blockade. But even more, it offers hope.

Review:

I went into THE ALMOND TREE with an open mind really. It isn't exactly my type of book. Nonetheless, I enjoy most, if not all, types of fiction. I must say, though, when I was trying to pin down the precise genre for this book, I found it rather difficult. It's not exactly commercial, but neither is it literature. THE ALMOND TREE is one of those in-between books, that's a little difficult to pigeon-hole.

PROS	CONS
Interesting protagonist Incredibly simple writing style Easy-to-read Fast Paced	Predictable plot (The entire plot's in the blurb, really) Optimism vs Realism (Personal Opinion) Fast Paced

Honestly, it's a passably good book. For a debut, it really isn't too shabby. You can check out all the raving reviews it has on Good Reads too, but for me, it didn't pass into the realm of good-good, it as more of an averagely good book. I'd read it for the fun of it, but I might not be enticed to buy it.

The characterization's executed well, for the most part. Our protagonist, Ichmad Hamid, is flawed in a very real way. We see him grow from a scared, petulant little boy, to a man who makes difficult choices. Some choices might annoy you, especially the ones he make as a boy, because we know they'd lead to bad things. But that's all right, because that makes him real. Kids don't always make good decisions. It's through making the wrong ones that we grow and learn. Ichmad learnt things the hard way.

Of course, for all those Mary-Sue haters out there, be warned. Ichmad is the male counterpart of a Mary Sue, he's a Gary Stu. Frankly, that's all right for me. If he wasn't, there wouldn't be much of a story to tell, would there? The entire premise of the story is that he's special, he's smart, mathematically gifted, and wise beyond his years. If he wasn't all those things, he wouldn't have been able to accomplish all those things he had in the book. (Ahem, winning a noble prize for one.)

The side-characters are multi-faceted as well, and that's a very good sign. His brother, Abbas, his mother, his professor, who later becomes his friend. They think like human beings, not story book characters, it makes things more realistic, perhaps. His father, Ichmad's role model, is something of the kind and wise one. He's a very, very likable character, but in my opinion, that likability lost him some points on the reality scale. Call me jaded and weary, but purely good, open-minded, forgiving human beings are a dang rare find.

Setting-wise, it was crafted quite nicely. War-torn poverty, hatred, fear, muddy tents, scavenging in rubbish heaps, mockery, triumph, school-life, clean apartments and everything money can buy. It progresses roughly in that manner. The story spans almost the whole Ichmad's life, and really, he's been to a lot of places, experienced a lot of things, in his entire life. The simplistic writing style somehow does manage to capture the essence of each setting in a very personable way, and this heightens the enjoyment of the story.

Now the pacing, might be where I'll quibble, just a little. At the start, Ichmad's pretty young, roughly ten, I believe, and at the end of the book, he's well over sixty. That's fifty years worth. In between, I lost track of his age. So all of a sudden, he's thirty odd, and I'm like, 'What? When did he hit thirty?' It's a fairly action (I use this term loosely, so don't expect him to go off gunning down people) packed story, and it starts off with a bang too. Literally. (His younger sister got blown up in a mine field.)

What I couldn't wrap my head around, is how Abbas does a hundred and eighty degree turn about at the last parts. (I mean, sure, his son died.) Maybe it was glossed over a little, which made it less convincing for me, but someone who had been wrapped up in hatred all his life wouldn't let go of it over one (It isn't trivial, mind you, but I just didn't think it significant enough) such incident. In any case, I would've thought that he'd just hate more, not less. I thought the 'happy ending' was somewhat overdone. You don't need to give me happy-happy endings in books like this. A conclusive ending's good enough.

That wraps up my feelings for THE ALMOND TREE. Personally, I wouldn't call it an amazing, spectacular, wonderful read. But it was enjoyable, it took me all of two hours to complete, and that gives it brownie points. It does say a lot about humanity, and hope, and while I'm not quite as optimistic as the author might be, it didn't come off to me as saccharine. Rose tinted, probably, but hell, it's fiction, I guess anything goes in fiction.

(One other minor point: Chapter 33 to 35 was printed twice in the copy I'd received, while Chapter 36 and 37 were noticeably absent. Nonetheless, I could piece the story together, and it didn't affect my reading. Much.)

Double Crossed Review (Novel)

Title: Double Crossed
(Gallagher Girls #5.5; Heist Society #2.5) 

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance

Put on the Song: If we ever Meet Again by Katy Perry

Rating: 



This book is downloadable free on Ally Carter's website.






Blurb:

Macey McHenry—Glamorous society girl or spy-in-training?

W.W. Hale V—Heir to an American dynasty or master thief?

There are two sides to every coin. Whether these two can work together is a tossup.

Born into privilege, Macey and Hale are experts at mingling with the upper class. But even if they’ve never raised an eyebrow at the glitz, neither teenager has ever felt at home with the glamour.

When Macey and Hale meet at a society gala, the party takes a dangerous turn. Suddenly they’re at the center of a hostage situation, and it’s up to them to stop the thugs from becoming hostile. Will Macey’s spy skills and Hale’s con-man ways be enough to outsmart a ruthless gang? Or will they have to seek out the ultimate inside girl to help?

The worlds of Heist Society and the Gallagher Girls collide in Ally Carter’s fast-paced, high-stakes and tantalizing new story. Get a behind the scenes glimpse as Ally delivers an irresistible thriller that is full of her signature style and savvy twists.

Review:

DOUBLE CROSSED (gosh, the title is such a pun) is a cross-over between Carter's two ongoing (or so, I'd assume) series. Gallagher Girls and Heist Society. And in my not-so-humble opinion, it really was Bloody. Brilliant.

PROS	CONS
Wonderfully executed characterization Action-packed Witty dialogue Smart, upbeat writing	Too damned short

Synthesis: Read this. And it's free.

I think I've only read one book of Ally Carter's and that's CHEATING AT SOLITAIRE. That was three, four(?) years ago. Can't quite remember what I thought about it then. I've not read either the Gallagher series or the Heist Society series. Although, I've now a good mind to start on them. Well, clearly this book has fulfilled its purpose. I started off the book a little confused. With all the talk about counting exits and blocking cameras, I was thinking, 'Uhmmm... Is she five and playing pretend?' Sorry, my brain wasn't quite working yet.

Well, that was cleared up fast enough. And we get introduced to Hale. Who's cute and charming in his own way. He's the thief. But I must say, I like Macey better. She's so bad-ass, and she's a spy. I've liked stories about spies since I was eight and I watched Spy Kids. (I think it was the second movie, Spy Kids: The Island of Lost Dreams).

Yeah, this movie. Still remember it? Not to say that DOUBLE CROSSED is anything like Spy Kids, no freaky spy gadgets for one. We've got guns and explosives and crawling through vents. In a red, strapless dress, with a slit right up her thigh. When I read that, I had an immediate visual of:

Ada Wong. And I love Ada, she's definitely bad-ass  I'm not going to say much more about the book, because really, it's a dang short read. And it's free, so really, you could just download it and read it yourself. All I can say is that DOUBLE CROSSED comes highly recommended. If you like witty, smart-ass protagonists with a penchant for wisecracks. If you like spies and thieves and action. This book's (Okay, it isn't really a book, it's more of a novella) for you.

Entangled Review (Novel)

Title: Entangled

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Romance

Put on the Song: What the Hell by Avril Lavigne

Rating:




This book was given to me via Netgalley for an honest review.

Blurb:

Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body.

Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death and resurrection and disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

Review:

(WARNING: This review is absolutely riddled with Spoilers.)

Paranormal check, romance check, this book is so my genre. And for something that is so me, it is soooooo... Hmm... Not-uh, me. The premise is certainly rather, well, interesting. Not really refreshing or unique perhaps, there's been plenty of body-switching books out there, just take a peek at AIRHEAD by Meg Cabot, that was pretty fun. And well... ENTANGLED didn't measure up in quite a few ways.

PROS	CONS
Pleasant-ish protagonist Generally amusing writing style Easy-to-read Well-paced	Terribly annoying side-characters Nonsensical plot (To me)

Synthesis: More pros than cons, but the cons add up to something disastrous.

The story starts of nicely enough, Gray was coaxing her sister from apparent suicide. Not really doing a stellar job of it, I might add. Well, Charlene wasn't really intending on 'suiciding' either, so that's all peachy. We get to see Gray interacting with a number of people. Her sister, Charlene, her best friend, Thea- both of which, were the typical, mass-produced YA models. You know, the flighty, boy-crazy sort. Are all girls supposed to be like that? Sheesh, it's like this recurring theme.

We also get to see Raj and Nolan, the cute boys in Gray's court. You know, the suitors for her hand in marriage. Not that marriage's in the question. More like coitus, or copulation. Well. What's a romance without action? Sorry for the bad pun. I need better restraint.

All right, so Gray doesn't 'die' till Page 41, and that's about a third into the book, which is fine. Really, it is. So maybe I'm the sort of person who likes being dropped into the drama, the action. Sort of like a Transformers movie.

Gosh, I just love all those cool visuals. Okay, but enough of that. The body switching doesn't happen early in the book, pfft, so what? That's no big problem. It gives Ms Jefford time to set up the characters,   gives us time to get to know them better, to grow to... l- li- like, well, 'like' is too strong a word, understand, them better. Although, I must say, the body-switching was pretty abrupt. It was like ladee-dah dee-dah everything's fine and dandy. Falls asleep, wakes up and bam.

SHE'S IN HER TWIN SISTER'S BODY! TWIN. SISTER'S. TWIN. HUHHHHH... AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN REALIZE IT HERSELF. WELL.

It was rather novel actually, the part about her inhibiting her sister's body. The 50/50 thing, so she gets the body every alternate day, and remains in limbo in between. I haven't seen that before. So like I said, it was unique. The problem lies therein when the bulk of the book goes to detailing how Grey fits into her sister's life. I mean, yeah, it's a bag of laughs, but there's the garnish, so where's the meat?

This is not going to fill my stomach. I'm not like Charlene (Oh and yes, she's obsessive about her figure too- salads and diet shakes and everything. Sorry, I'm just not on the thinspiration bandwagon). This is not real food.

Gray is very, very concerned about getting back into her own body. No shit. I'd be concerned about getting back my body too. But honestly, I'd be more concerned about why I died.Sudden Unexpected Death Syndrome? Try repeating them five times over. If someone told me I died of SUDS, I'd tell them very graphically what they could do to themselves, even if it's anatomically, physically impossible.

Well anyway, Gray doesn't care about her death. That's fine. She goes around hunting for ways to split herself from her sister with said boys, Nolan and Raj. And honestly, I did feel that she was two-timing them. A little. You know, the Chinese have a saying that goes something like, 'Stepping on two boats with a single foot'. Alright, it doesn't translate very well. But it basically means that she was jerking them around.

So Nolan goes from nice guy to angry asshole.

Yeah, like that. After he witnessed Gray's and Raj's kiss. The turn-about was a little startling. More like a lot. And he's not the only character that changes in the blink of an eye. Charlene does it too. She seemed to be rather sisterly, not really loving and affectionate, but sisterly, with Gray and then the next moment, she wants Gray dead. I mean, purged. But really, dead and gone.

The cause of Grey's death was handled pretty badly too, and it was figured out in five sentences. Not particularly long ones either. It was just like, 'Oh. So that's why I died.' And then the next second, 'Oh. So that's how I'm going to get back at my sister who killed me.' And then, 'Oh. So now I'm gone.' And 'Oh. I woke up in the some girl's body.' The last one was pretty predictable. I figured that out waaaayyyy before it happened.

For a paranormal, murder-ish plot, I'm thinking 142 pages is far too short. When we're nearing the ending, there were so many, many moments, I went like:

WHATTT??? THAT'S IT??? YOU'RE TELLING ME THAT'S IT???

Okay, to sum it up, I felt cheated. There's a voice in my head going, YOU'RE RESOLVING IT LIKE THIS??? WHY YOU... ... I'M GONNA... ...

Oh boy, I gave this three notes for the first half of the book, but now that I'm done reading it, I'm putting it down to two notes. Read this if you're not that much of a stickler for rational, probable plots. Read it for the romance, oh heck, there isn't even much of that. Read it for... I've no idea what. For Gray then, she wasn't a pathetic protagonist at the very least. I actually did like her. She acknowledged it when she started being an ass, and she even made conscious effort to rein in her temper.

So now, the things I'm going to quibble about:

Page 14: "Fat chance. Emphasis on fat." Oh Raj, talking about girls like that is not going to earn you brownie points. Or Scout badges. No self-respecting male protagonist should ever make a derogatory remark about a girl based on her weight or physical appearance. I thought that was like one of those unbreakable rules for romance novelists.

Page 39: ...if you didn't speak Chinese how could you translate the symbols... Well, you can speak Cantonese and read Chinese no problem. You can even speak Hakka or Teochew, or Hokkien, and still 'translate the symbols'. Okay, I know I'm quibbling, but really. There is a difference between speak and read.

Page 59: "Jenna Hawkins? But she's ugly!" I thought Gray was supposed to be the nice one. Really, I don't think truly nice people would think that way. But who am I to quibble? Since I'm not very nice myself.

There's a good bit more than that. But I'll leave it at here. ENTANGLED started off pretty well, but somewhere nearing the end, it became an impeding train wreck. Well, at the very least, the pretty cover gives it a visual flavor that might compliment the aesthetics of a book shelf.

Heart of Palm Review (Novel)

Title: Heart of Palm

Genre: Literature, Adult Fiction

Put on the Song: My Love by Westlife

Rating:

This ARC was given to me by Grove Press via Netgalley for an honest review.

Let me start this off by saying, literature isn't quite my genre. I don't typically read this sort of fiction, really. I'm more of an action, fantasy, romance person, you know. The sort of books with loads of crazy out-of-the-world stuff happening. Fiction being so very fictitious. Yes,well, HEART OF PALM is a little more down-to-Earth compared to my usual reads.

PROS	CONS
Flowing, lyrical prose Interesting, fully dimensional cast of characters ‘Real-life’ issues A meaningful read	Overly descriptive (To me) Sporadic pacing

Synthesis: Well, there are more pros than cons, so it goes to show that what I think of this book is mainly positive.

All right, I'll start off by talking about the cast. Ms Smith constructed a wonderful cast of very flawed people. There's no big fight of Good vs Evil in this book, there's no specific line that separates the characters. They're all very, very human. They're people with their own agendas, their own issues, their own faults. And yes, their saving grace. They're everyday people, like the rest of us. So here's a rundown of our ensemble of characters:

Mother: Arla- Despite Frank featuring more prominently in the blurb, I'm actually more inclined to think of Arla as the protagonist. Arla's wonderful, she's stubborn and she's afraid of change, but she's strong. She's the backbone of the family (as much as she claims Frank to be her 'rock'). She's been dealt several tough blows in life, but she held it together. In the prologue, we see her young and naive. Frankly, we started off on the wrong foot, Arla and I. I thought she was just willful, really. But I fell in love with her as the novel progressed.

Father: Dean- Dean was difficult to like, but in the end, he more than made up for his short-comings. He doesn't appear till the second half of the book, and the other characters didn't quite like him, so we're looking at him from their eyes at first. But when we get to really know him, when find out he isn't all that bad.

Second Son: Frank- Saint Frank. That's what his brother calls him. We start off this novel by thinking of Frank as the good guy, the filial son, the responsible one. But along the way, we find out he isn't all that perfect. And that's a good thing. He gets annoyed, he gets frustrated, he second-guesses himself, because really, he's only human. Frank didn't really speak to me as a character, honestly. But he was... human.

First Son: Carson- If Frank plays the good guy, Carson's introduced as the bad. He's very driven to succeed in life, then again, who isn't? Carson is a very real person, with very real money problems. He's screwed up royally when we're introduced to him, if you'll pardon the phrase, but the thing is, Carson knows he's screwed up, and he's looking to fix things. He was a character I couldn't like most of the time, but he had his redeeming moments.

Eldest Daughter: Sophia- She's the sister who's supposedly 'crazy' and she's dealing with her problems her way. I don't have much to say about her. It's either because she wasn't a large part of the book, which I suspect, or because I skimmed through her parts. Which is probably likely too.

Daughter-in-law: Elizabeth- She's Carson's wife and Frank's crush. I don't really know if she's weak or she's strong. Over the course of the book, she makes a few... difficult choices. And personally, I haven't the faintest idea if she's made the right or the wrong ones. What I like about her though, is the fact that she's level-headed, and also, she's a very nice mother.

There's plenty happening in the book, but it really doesn't pick up the pace until you hit roughly Page 190, and that's more than one-third way into the book. The first few pages were almost excruciatingly slow for me. The writing was wonderfully gorgeous, at least, I thought it was. The words brought images to mind, it brought the place to life. The book breathed life into Utina, everything was vivid and alive. When I was reading Heart of Palm, I was in Utina myself.

After we've hit Page 190, the book gets pretty emotionally charged. Also, plenty of questions raised before were answered. Questions about Will, the youngest son (who died), questions about Dean's desertion, almost-betrayal. It really tugged on my heartstrings. It was a story about family and life, love and change. It was about finding out about yourself and about the people you've known all your life, and it was real and surreal altogether. And nearing the end of the book, the scenes were real tearjerkers.

The ending, well, I won't spoil it for anyone, but it's a full circle. I really loved the character arc in this novel. We do see the characters change, whether they like it or not, and it's the sort of character development that makes a story, well, worth reading. Really, it's a nice story. It isn't my sort of story per say, but if you like the sort of meaningful, emotional books, I think Heart of Palm would be right up your alley.

And because I like putting pictures in my post, here's one that gives the right... feels for the story:

A Shimmer of Angel Review (Novel)

Title: A Shimmer of Angels

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal Fiction, Angels

Put on the Song: Fall for You by Secondhand Serenade

Rating:




This ARC was given to me by Month6Books via Netgalley for an honest review.



A SHIMMER OF ANGELS is a strictly mediocre book. And I mean that in the nicest of ways. Okay, so maybe 'mediocre' doesn't have many positive connotations to the word, but it aptly describes this book for what it is: mediocre.

To make things easy for all of us, I'll put things in a nice, succinct table. It'll make this review easier to read, hopefully.

PROS	CONS
Very simple use of language Simple-minded character Easy, uncomplicated plot Formulaic YA novel	Very simple use of language Simple-minded character Easy, uncomplicated plot Formulaic YA novel (‘You idiot! It is a YA novel!’ Yes, well, I’m pretty nit-picky.)

Synthesis: What makes a book, apparently does break a book.

This book is an incredibly simple read. It took myself under two and a half hours to complete it, maybe under two hours even, I'm not too sure. I didn't exactly time myself. That said, it was not a particularly gripping read. Yes, I finished it in record time, but it was perhaps due to the pure simplicity of this novel. I should probably vary my adjectives in describing the book, but really, there's a reason I'm using 'simple' so many times. It's that simple. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Rayna, she likes Ray, is a formulaic YA heroine, oozing goodwill and selflessness and all. All right, I'll say it, she's a Mary Sue, she's the epitome of Mary Sue-ness. I don't mean that in a bad way, really. There's a reason why Mary Sues are Mary Sues, the way cliches are cliches. They appeal to the masses, they work, they rake in cash. I don't mind a Mary Sue honestly speaking, but Ray fell a little flat to me.

I think it's due to her tendency to freak out. She freaks out at everything, I know she's just out of a mental hospital, and she's understandably jumpy, but it was written in a way that didn't allow me to empathize with her. Or maybe that's because I'm a cold-hearted b*tch. Well, yes. There's that. The thing is, when I (as the reader) know that she's not crazy and that the angels are real, while she doesn't, it just makes me want to do this.

Really, it does. Okay, honestly, I did that. More like, I used my pillow as a punching bag. And I'm just screaming, literally, at the computer screen, WHY U SO SLOW?????????

Then comes the part with Ray's awesome conspiracy theories, and my reaction to that was really:

I am every bit sympathetic towards people are truly diagnosed with disorders and psychological illnesses. but Rayna is well... the average person (with wings). What happened to rationality and logical reasoning? Most people would have at least some instincts. If Rayna's supposedly special, sensitive to angelic beings and whatnot, shouldn't she be able to reason better? Instead of reacting every. Single. Damned. Time.

Oh goodness. I'm going off track here. Let me put myself back on track.

Rayna as a protagonist is neither appealing nor unappealing, in all honesty. She's just very, very mediocre. I get annoyed at times, but overall, I'm not emotionally invested either way. Of course, some people might relate to her, she's just not for me.

The plot generally follows the YA formula of Girl-meets-Boy, Boy-turns-out-to-be-a-supernatural being, but Girl-still-falls-for-Boy. There wasn't anything particularly noteworthy, the murders weren't very significant, the interaction between Rayna and the angels took a larger chunk of the book. I've a feeling that I might have liked it better if there was more focus on the murders, but it's all about preferences really. And considering the intended audience, teenage girls with romantic notions, well... I think Ms Basso might have made the right call. It'll sell with that audience.

And since I'm going to be a little nitpicky, I'll include in this review the few things that jumped out at me over the course of the novel:

Page 17: 'Lee checked his watch. It was his father's watch and hung so loose on his wrist I was constantly worried he'd lose it.' I don't know about you, but I don't constantly worry about losing my own watch, much less worry about my friend's. Maybe it's done to emphasize how nice she is, but really? Really?

Page 68: 'The boy smelled like a damned lawnmower - which I loved - but was that his wings or just him?'

He smells like this, I'm thinking gasoline and metal. That isn't a good smell by any measure.

Page 75: Rayna almost gets run over by a van, and then she asks Cam why he didn't let the van hit her, because then it'd be easier for him. Huhhh... Familiar much?

Aside from those things, I didn't spot anything else that really hit my reader's radar as weird. Well yes, there's the fact that one of her love interests dated her mom, but still... Really, it wasn't a horrible book, it was a light, and simple read. I would read it to pass my time, but ultimately, I don't think it's a book I'll pick up to re-read again. At least, not anytime soon.

Finder Review (Manga)

Target in the Finder, Book One of the Finder Series

All right, I found this when I was manga-surfing, the equivalent of channel-surfing, through a whole list of Yaoi, and I wasn't really looking for much, basically, smut, eye candy and pretty drawing. I'm not particularly picky about the plot as long as the drawing's good, if I wanted a stunning plot, I'd go hunting down a thriller novel, so essentially I was looking for something frivolous.

But then I came upon this, and my pal, who shares similar tastes as me, had recomended this sometime ago, and I remembered when I saw it. So I thought to myself, 'Cool, why not?' and I clicked the button that said Start Reading. The first chapter was exactly what I was looking for, intense and beautiful in a purely simplistic way, I liked it, in an 'I'll just read this cause my brain's dead and I like looking at pretty pictures when I'm brain dead' kind of way. So I continued.

What I didn't expect was character development, the kind that smacks you in the face and says this isn't just another smutty yaoi, it literally hauled me by the throat and forced me to give my attention. Personally, I like Akihito best, and that's rather strange, since I've always leaned towards the ruthless characters, like Asami.

But in some fundamental way, I believe Akihito's pretty ruthless himself, in the sense that he'd do anything to protect what he places importance on, his friends for one. And he doesn't seem to shy away from the blood and darkness in life, he doesn't quite like it, no one would, but he's able to see reason where all those righteous idiots often don't.

Akihito in essence is, I quote Harry Potter, 'a very good person who bad things have happened to'. And Asami is, in all accounts, ruthless and practical and real. He's flawed in a very perfect way, which inspires a lot of respect on a purely idealogical level. Capable, pragmatic and determined, it's the basic things that'd pull one all the way to the top of the food chain, and ficitonal he may be, Asami's definitely at the top of this food chain.

What really strikes me as simply amazing, is how this author is able to twist cliches and cliffhangers to something actually believable. We have the jaded badass businessman, and the idealistic photographer, they're very sexually compatible and after a series of events, they find trust and on some underlying level, yes, the L-word, love. Frankly, that doesn't seem quite possible if one puts it that way, but Yamane Ayano has managed to make this utterly real.

And in one of the latest chapters, Akihito gets shot, major cliffhanger, of course we find in the next chapter, that the bullet simply grazed him, and it's all really fine and dandy, now that seems like a cliche but it wasn't phrased as a cliche, rather, I'd say it's an extremely telling moment where we scratch the suface of what may be the depth of Asami's feelings for Akihito, and Akihito, clearly vulnerable here, after being kidnapped twice and almost killed a couple of times, also chooses to show the extent of his feelings towards Asami, whom he originally detests.

Also, as a response to the recurring theme of certain reviews: Rape, cliched plot, et cetera. I feel compelled to defend the manga, as a loyal fan.

That said, I do not condone rape in the true sense. Rape as a fantasy, on the other hand, is a completely different thing. The line that separates one from the other is something Laurell K Hamilton deals with plenty in her novels. (The fact that I started on her books at the age of thirteen says something about my views on several controversial subjects.) Rape as a fantasy is certainly distinct in Viewfinder, I will, however, concede, that there are some instances where the line is crossed.

Mainly in the Naked Truth Arc, and probably, in the first chapter of the series (a helluva way to start the series with a bang, isn't it?). And in those instances, I believe it was dealt with as rape, Akihito did feel an emotional, partly psychological, impact. Of course, certain readers may feel that the issue was glossed over too easily, Akihito should be traumatized for life, if not for life, for a longer span of time surely... Personally, I've no problem with Yamane Ayano's plot, Akihito, I would peg, as the type to mentally shy away from the bad things in life.

It's not weak, it's a way of survival.

As I've mentioned in my review previously, I believe Akihito an incredibly strong character, with iron-clad faith in what he believes in. What I fail to find any sense in, is the claims of an overused cliche. Firstly, (I believe I've said this in a review somewhere, so if it's a little familiar, bear with me please) I see no reason why people cry foul at a plot supposedly cliched. There's a reason why certain story lines come off as overused, they work.

Why would authors use it repeatedly, if the plot had been proven a failure to gain a good audience. It's not shallow, it's purely economics. Think comparative advantage. If I've a comparative advantage in this line, clearly I'd direct my resources to it. Opportunity Cost: The opportunity cost of not following the conventional (going unconventional, while heralded as brave by some, and it is brave, I will concede) could mean larger losses if the manga doesn't sell.

And now that I'm done defending all things labelled with 'The Cliched Plot' out there, (Yes, Harlequin, your books are probably it, but I still love them to bits.) Viewfinder is hardly overused. Yes, we have the possessive, sadistic seme, and we have the cheerful, and sometimes a little dense, uke. But Viewfinder's got a gorgeous character arc. No, I didn't mis-type. Character arc. Not art. (Yes, we have gorgeous art too, but that's been mentioned hundreds of times.)

If it was like every other cliche, and I don't use cliche as an insult, mind you, they would have continued to stay as they are, Akihito wouldn't have been tested to his limits, he wouldn't have shown potential to be a tragic hero as much as he's an idiotic one. Asami would have simply remained a thorn in Akihito's side, he wouldn't show so much affection, (I see affection, maybe you don't. Call me shallow and romantic.) or concern over Akihito's well-being. He's got a soft spot somewhere.

Bottom line: I love Viewfinder regardless. I acknowledge the views of others, but ultimately, it's still my drug isn't it?

Review was originally published on: Baka-Updates