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I want to try something and I need your help!

Hello everyone! So I’m here to pitch you an idea that might be crazy but also fun. In order to execute this idea I need your help. Now, let me give you my elevator pitch.

Pretty much all of us have read fan fiction at one point and maybe some you still read it. We all have to admit, though, that we’ve read some pretty bad fan fiction in the past. I want to review it. Here’s where I need your help. I want you to send me bad fan fiction and, on Fridays, I will post a review/analysis of the fan fiction that you send me. I will obviously only doing one per week but I will keep a stock pile of the other ones I don’t choose. I don’t even care which fandom it’s from. If it’s bad, I will read and review it. In order to give a proper review, I have devised a point system that I will use to score those fan fictions.

  • Bad Grammar/Poor Sentence Structure/Bad Spelling
  • Really Awful or Prolonged Scene Description
  • A Mary Sue Protagonist (or a self-insertion of the author) ‘
  • Bad and/or Convenient Plot Twist
  • Inconsistent Character Personalities
  • Cringey Romance
  • Awkward Dialogue
  • Bizarre Pairing/Ship (By this, I mean the pairing has to be two characters who have never interacted or have no logical reason to be together. My example for this would be, like, Voldemort and Hagrid. The ship just has to be as far from logical as possible and not solely based on your opinion of a ship you may not like)
  • Overall Believability (even if it’s far-fetched, does the plot still follow some kind of logical progression or all come together in the end?)
  • Melodramatic Emotions

I will be accepting fan fictions from any fandom, even if it is one that I am not familiar with. I am not here to shame any author but, you have to admit, sometimes their writing isn’t that good. I would really love to get this going and I would love if my followers were to join me on this. You can leave me a link to a bad fan fiction you find in this post or you can send it to me via email. The email should be on my contact page. If it is not, I will fix that.

Note: I’m looking for unintentionally bad fan fiction. I will not be accepting parodies or spoofs of bad fan fiction.

I hope all of you are as excited for this as I am because I think this could be so much fun. I’m really looking forward to your responses.

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Counting Stars, Cars,and Prime Numbers: Reviewing The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon

Since Thanksgiving is approaching soon, I decided that I wanted to tell you all something I’m thankful for. I’m thankful that we live in a world where more and more people are getting the representation that they deserve in the media. Mark Haddon’s novel is one example. This is the last book I have to read for my YA Literature class and I was surprised by how much this novel sucked me in. I will now tell you my thoughts about The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. 

Christopher John Francis Boone sees the world differently than everyone else. He can count all the prime numbers, he knows all the capitals of every country, and he wants to be an astronaut. He has a hard time connecting to people but loves dogs. When his neighbor’s dog is found dead, Christopher decides to take the case into his own hands like his favorite detective, Sherlock Holmes. Soon, Christopher finds more secrets than he bargained for as he explores the world in his own unique way.

What I really enjoyed in particular about this novel is the authentic voice. The narrator, Christopher, has Asperger’s and has a particular way of viewing the world that makes you, as the reader, think more about how other people see things. I can’t speak for everyone but, in my experience, I have known people on the autism spectrum who are a lot like Christopher. Haddon creates a moving and heart-wrenching story that has poignancy and warmth. I found that I couldn’t put this book down. The voice feels so authentic in this day where things like autism are easily misunderstood. I recommend this book for anyone looking for such a unique narration and I hope it gives you some understanding of what the world is like for those whose minds work differently.

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Dead Men Tell Tales: Reviewing Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice

Hi everyone. First of all, I’m really proud of doing two reviews in one weekend. Since Thanksgiving break is coming up for me, I’ve had a little bit of time to catch up on my reading. This book stood out to me in particular because I remember watching the movie adaptation when I was pretty young. It was the first R-rated movie I had ever seen. It’s certainly not the most intense movie but, for an 11-year-old, it was wild. We can all just admit that we went through a vampire phase in the early to mid – 2000s. I remember being obsessed with Twilight for a time. Dracula is still one of my favorite novels.I decided I wanted to read something in between Dracula and Twilight so I will now tell you what I thought about Interview with the Vampire. 

A young man named Louis was riddled with guilt over his brother’s death when the mysterious Lestat appeared in his life. Louis soon falls victim to Lestat’s charms and finds himself transformed into a vampire. He is pulled down into a dark world of the undead and must navigate the dangerous society with the young Claudia by his side. After hundreds of years, Louis decides it is finally time to reveal his secrets to a young man and hold back nothing.

Like I said above, It’s been a while since I’ve read a vampire book and decided to give this one a shot. Anne Rice has written some of the most popular vampire novels. After reading this novel, I can see why. Louis makes for a great narrator as he is sympathetic and a bit of an underdog. He’s the closest thing to a protagonist in a book where there are little to no “good” characters. Normally, a book with one character talking would be boring to me but I found myself enjoying it more than I thought. Lestat is one of the more intriguing antagonists with his charismatic and intense nature. Claudia was even creepier in the novel than she is in the movie but it makes for a good horror element. While the book isn’t super violent or graphic outside of what you might expect with all of the blood drinking, it has enough to make it intense. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in a supernatural novel, specifically a vampire one. I enjoyed it more than I thought I would and I would read it again.

Note: Anne Rice is a bit of a controversial figure but her life is pretty interesting so I’m going to leave a link to her wikipedia page if you’re interested in reading more about her.

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In Space, No One Can Hear You Steal: Reviewing Artemis by Andy Weir

You don’t even know how excited I was to finally get this book. I had been patiently waiting for the longest time for the release date. I don’t know how a bunch of you got a copy ahead of time but I’m glad that I can finally enjoy this novel with the rest of you. I’ve gushed over The Martian enough so it’s time to gush about another book. I will now give you my review of Artemis, Andy Weir’s second ever novel.

Life on the moon is great if you’re rich. If you’re not rich, then it sucks. Jazz Bashara has spent most of her life on Artemis, the first and only city on the moon, making a living meager living as a porter for the wealthy eccentric businesspeople. When one eccentric businessman offers her an opportunity to get rich quick, Jazz decides to take matters into her own hands in order to escape her crappy life. Soon, Jazz realizes that she is caught up in a much larger conspiracy that puts the entirety of Artemis at risk. Jazz must use her quick wit and tech knowledge in order to save her city and defeat the criminals who seek to control it.

Like I said before, I was so excited to finally read this novel and I was happy with what I had read. Weir incorporates his signature wit and humor into each character he created. It is not a fantastically futuristic book but it is founded in real science, much like The Martian was. I think what makes the setting more interesting is that it does have real science. I’m not a science person by any manes but I was fascinated with Weir’s realistic world he created. Jazz is a funny, sarcastic, and realistic heroine who definitely stands apart. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and highly recommend it for any of you sci-fi lovers out there. Andy Weir’s second novel is a fantastic and hilarious space thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

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Double Mini-Reviews: Go Ask Alice by Anonymous and Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Hi everyone! While I wait patiently for Artemis by Andy Weir to be released on Amazon, I decided I’m going to review the two latest books I have read for my YA Lit class. They are both fairly short novels and are very popular as well so I wanted to share my thoughts about them with you. I hope you enjoy.

Go Ask Alice by Anonymous

Allegedly taken from the real diary of a teen girl, Go Ask Alice follows the harrowing journey of an unnamed girl who falls into drug use after trying LSD at a house party. Soon, she spirals out of control and struggles to return to her normal life but she must fight her addictions first.

I wasn’t particularly impressed with this novel. Now, it’s been disputed who was really the author but, regardless, the writing didn’t sound like a teen girl, even if she did live in the 1970s. While I didn’t like the writing, I still have to admit that there are valuable things to be taken from this short novel. This was one of the first novels to talk about drug abuse among teens and it still holds up in that aspect. If you are interested in examining YA literature from the past, then I recommend Go Ask Alice. If you are looking for some “fun” YA literature, then I suggest you look elsewhere.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Melinda Sordino is off to an awful start in high school. She is abandoned by her former friends and outed by the rest of the school after she called the cops on a party. Melinda hides the truth for months and months until she decides to speak. She will change everything.

This novel is more recent and I definitely preferred the writing in this one, as it sounded more authentic. I found Melinda to be very relatable and I sympathized with her strongly. Speak definitely illustrates the viciousness of high school with accuracy. It is certainly a heart-wrenching novel that holds up more in this day and age. Again, if you are looking for a “fun” read, then go look elsewhere but if you are looking for a short but emotionally powerful novel then I recommend Speak. Anderson eloquently and painfully depicts the struggles of hiding your struggles from the world out of fear, even on a small scale.

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After The World Ended…: Reviewing World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks

There was a point when I didn’t really care about the zombie genre. My interest was peaked when I saw Zombieland and Shaun of the Dead. Soon, I was hooked on The Walking Dead and I now have a better appreciation for the zombie genre as a whole. Most of these stories but you in the center of the action but they rarely discuss what happened afterwards. That is what makes Max Brooks’ novel so unique and I will now review World War Z for you.

It’s been years since the world was taken over by zombies. Humans managed to come out victorious, but at what price? One brave (but unnamed) journalist decides to travel the world to explore the aftermath of the Zombie War in order to uncover what truly happened during the zombie apocalypse and if the world will ever be the same again.

World War Z is certainly a unique take on the classic zombie apocalypse story. The novel is told through interviews with everyone from average citizens to prominent politicians. The format can come across as boring if you go into the novel without knowing how the story is told. If you are looking for a new idea in the zombie genre, then I definitely recommend this novel. Brooks provides a fascinating and in-depth look at a probable situation. It almost makes you feel as though you’ve lived through the Zombie War as well. Note: The movie adaptation of World War Z starring Brad Pitt is really good though it doesn’t follow the novel exactly. I still recommend it, regardless.

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Human Places Make Inhuman Monsters: Reviewing The Shining by Stephen King

Happy Halloween everyone! In honor of today, I decided I’m going to review one of the most classic horror novels from the master of horror novels himself. Despite the novel not being long, it took me a while to get through it but I survived the Overlook and I’m here to tell you about it so sit back and enjoy my review of Stephen King’s The Shining. 

Jack Torrance is troubled man struggling to overcome his personal demons. When he is given an offer to be a seasonal caretaker at the famous Overlook Hotel, he seizes the opportunity to offer a better life for his young family and to work on his writing. As a terrible winter creeps in, the Overlook begins to a reveal a darker side that brings about the worst in the Torrance family. Soon, Danny – the gifted child, Wendy – the caring wife, and Jack – the struggling writer must fight for survival against the long-buried ghosts lurking in the Overlook Hotel.

I have to admit that I have only recently seen the movie, along with finishing the novel. I must say that I was surprised by some of the drastic differences in the plot that were not shown in the movie. That, however, is a different tangent for a different time. The Shining is a brilliantly frightening novel that puts the reader into the isolation that the Torrance family faces. King’s narrative is a perfect balance of suspense, shock, and gore all wrapped up into one haunting novel. Surprisingly, this one of the shorter Stephen King novels so, if you don’t want to commit to one of his longer novels, then I recommend this one. Any horror fan is guaranteed to love this book as (in my opinion) it provides more shock and thrills than the Kubrick movie. Note: I’m not saying the movie is bad but, compared to the book, you would be surprised by how much Kubrick left out.

 

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Spiraling Out of Control: Reviewing Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

So I’ve pretty much recovered from my cold just in time to run through a gauntlet of midterms starting on Monday. I decided to finish the book so I wouldn’t have any distractions while studying. I mean, I’ll find distraction anyway but my urge to finish this book will not be one of them. Just a note for all of you have not finished the book, I promise to not spoil it. In fact, all of my reviews have been spoiler free but I can happily do some spoiler discussions on my blog if you are interested. For now, I will give you my review of Turtles All the Way Down, John Green’s latest literary venture.

Aza Holmes is trapped in her own mind with her recurring thoughts of bacterial microbes. When a local billionaire, Russell Pickett, goes missing, she finds herself thrust into a world outside of her worries. Along with her best friend and famous Star Wars fan-fiction author, Daisy Ramirez, Aza sets out to find out what happened to Pickett and bring his son, Davis, closure. Green’s latest novel is a journey of self-relization, over-thinking, and coming to terms with the world on a micro and macro scale.

I’m a bit biased because I’ve been a John Green fan since high school but I have to say that this book struck a cord with me that the other books have not. Aza is a chronic over thinker and so am I. Though she deals with OCD whereas I deal with anxiety, I still understood where she was coming from. Green uses his signature wit and philosophy to create a narrative about dealing with the uncontrollable. He isn’t afraid to tackle any kind of illness, mental or physical, and how it affects teens. The plot summary on the book makes it sound like a road trip kind of story but it’s more of an internal journey about finding how to cope with your problems, knowing that they may never leave you. That may sound depressing but I promise that the novel is way more hopeful than that. John Green fans will certainly not be disappointed by his latest endeavors and new readers will understand Green more through this novel. Turtles All the Way Down is a step forward in teen literature in its own honest and remarkable way.

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Monsters, Fathoms, and Witchcraft: Reviewing The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

I’m surprised it took me as long as I did to get to reading this book. In a moment of weakness that I experience whenever I am in a bookstore, I decided to add yet another Neil Gaiman book to my growing collections. What can I say? I’m guilty of being a Neil Gaiman fan. I will now tell you about The Ocean at the End of the Lane. 

When a middle aged man returns to his childhood home for a funeral, he finds himself drawn back to an old farm where his friend, Lettie Hempstock, lived. As he stands by Lettie’s “ocean” (that was really a pond) behind her farmhouse, he remembers a frightening, magical, and fantastical time in his life that no small boy could have even imagined. The Ocean at the End of Lane follows the journey of children trying to make sense of a strange world where adults aren’t always right and magic inhabits the forest.

You are all aware of my bias as I am a Neil Gaiman fan but, regardless, this novel is a delicate and dark look at childhood and the struggles that come with it. Gaiman takes his signature dark storytelling and turns it into a fairy tale that is surprisingly relatable. It’s a quick read too, at only 273 pages but Gaiman makes every last page count. This coming-of-age story presents the reader with a new outlook on adulthood, humanity, bravery, and kindness. The Ocean at the End of the Lane takes you a whirlwind journey through the magic world that we grow out of.

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As Above, So Below: Reviewing Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

I bet that you’ve been waiting for me to talk about how much I love Neil Gaiman’s novels. Well, I’m back to tell you about another one of his novels. I meant to write about this one a while ago but I forgot. I have since re-read the book and will now share with you my thoughts on the strange world of Neverwhere. 

Richard Mayhew was doing pretty well for himself with a nice job and wonderful fiancee  in London. All of that changed when he stumbled across a dying girl on the sidewalk. Soon, Richard finds himself trapped in the bizarre and macabre world of London Below where he must fight to get his life back and reach the surface against all odds.

Neil Gaiman is the master of creating vivid settings and characters with just his words. Neverwhere is a wild and wonderful take on the classic “Alice in Wonderland”-type story. Gaiman’s wicked sense of humor shines through in this whimsical novel. Neverwhere is a testament to Gaiman’s world-building abilities. If you are looking for a thrilling and special tale, then I recommend Neverwhere in order to escape from this world to one below.