Review: The Casual Vacany

Yesterday night I finished The Casual Vacancy by J.K Rowling.

I bought it on the release day and started to read in it the next day. I wasn't sure if I was going to like it because it wasn't a thriller, nor a detective,  nor Fantasy, nor romance. So I only wanted to read it because it is written by one of my favourite writers and I was curious how she would write adults.

This is the summary of the book:

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

I am not going to give anything away from the plot. I'm just going to write down my personal opinion about it. 

After the first few pages I was immediately drawn into the story. It reads very fluently and the characters are great. There are a lot of descriptions in the book; both about characters and environment but it doesn't get boring at all. The book is clearly character driven and I was really curious what was going to happen with each of the characters. The only thing that bothered me slightly was that there wasn't a normal family in the book. Every family had a secret and their problem. But what is normal? It think it's for a lot of people different.


In an interview I read that Rowling cried during this book. I couldn't understand why until I finished it yesterday. I never thought it would and like that. It was very tragic but in a way also very beautiful. 

 I really enjoyed it and if I could, I would give it 4.5/5 but Goodreads won't let me give a half start. 


 

Book: Inheritance Cycle

I'm writing this on December 27, without knowing when I will be able to post is, since the internet at home decided to stop working. I do think I will be able to post it Friday, when I'm going back to my BF, but hopefully it will be sooner.

Now, on with the actual blog. I want to write a review about t the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini. For those who do not know the cycle, I will write down a very brief summary.

The Inheritance Cycle consists of four books: Eragon (there is a film based on this book, with the same title, but the film doesn't follow the book entirely and loads of (important) things have been cut out), Eldest, Briningr and Inheritance. The Cycle follow a young boy who because a Dragon Rider after he found a dragon egg while hunting. From a farm boy he grows into a representative of hope, for he is the only free Dragon Rider and he assumed to be the only person who has a change of besting the current power hunger king, Galbatorix. Together with a band of rebels, Eragon tries to become powerful enough to have a chance against Galbatorix, but his journey isn't an easy one.

While I read the books, I can't help but notice that the setting is a bit cliché, but that doesn't make the books less fun to read, since Paolini put a lot of effort in creating the world and making it feel real. There is no prefect race, for everyone of them has flaws, nor is there a flawless character. I love the way we see a lot of the character develop throughout the cycle and how we slowly get to know the world better and it's mysteries. I also like that there is a lot of variation in the books. We see grand and smaller battles, sieges, politics, friendship, a little bit of romance, loads of magic, travelling, etc...

While Paolini isn't the best writer I know, he is a very good storyteller. While I read the books, I was travelling with Eragon and his friends instead of just reading about it. I fought the battles side by side with Eragon and killed as many enemies as he did. I fell in love with the characters and the world and especially the magic. The magic system is so complicated, but not difficult to understand and I love that. I hate simplistic things, but I hate bad explained things even more. That's what so cool about Paolini. He manages to describer complicated things in such a manner, they are easy to understand, if you are willing to use your brains a bit while reading.

This review is getting long! I'm just going to add one more thing. There is still so much we don't know. I am not going to say what, for it will be spoilers. And I am so curious about certain things, that I hope that some time, we will get the answers. In April I am going to meet Paolini (if everything goes as planned) and I have a few question I am going to ask and I hope he will write more books soon, because I really like his writing style.

These four books have enchanted me from the first letter till the very last. At one point, I even had to blink away a tear and I don't cry fast while reading. I'm happy I finished them, because it was such a wonderful journey, but I am sad that I have to wait to read more and I have no idea how long the wait will be.

So if you are looking for a book or a series to read and you like fantasy, especially dragons and magic, I really recommend the Inheritance Cycle.

PS: From now on I'm going to try to write a small review from every book I have read, while I am not a journalist, nor skilled at reviewing, I'll try to make it as interesting as possible. Tips and tricks are always welcome!  At the moment I am reading Dracula by Bram Stooker!