{Book Review/Movie Adaptation Comparison} Coraline: Neil Gaiman

Rating: 79%
Series: Standalone
Genre: Middle Grade, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Horror,
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: August 4, 2002
Page Count: 162
Format: Hardcover
Source: Library

Barnes & Nobles ~ Goodreads ~ Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis: Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.

Gaiman has delivered a wonderfully chilling novel, subtle yet intense on many levels. The line between pleasant and horrible is often blurred until what's what becomes suddenly clear, and like Coraline, we resist leaving this strange world until we're hooked. Unnerving drawings also cast a dark shadow over the book's eerie atmosphere, which is only heightened by simple, hair-raising text. Coraline is otherworldly storytelling at its best.

Would I Buy It?

40%
None of the book covers give me the urge to die unless I got the book in gorgeous, hardcover form. While scrolling through the various covers, none stood out particularly to me, so much so that I didn't even insert a book cover (found it off of google images). This story deserves something spine-chilling and striking, something to depict the darkness in this seemingly innocent Middle Grade novel. Basically something that I would be terrified to have on my shelves and would deter every little prospective 10 year-old out there.

Background & Backstory
Grab a seat. This backstory could take a while. My memory is horrible, I don't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, let alone movies/books from the Summer of 2010. Yet, the cartoon version of Coraline (made by Tim Burton) defied the clutches of forgetfulness, and to this day, I still remember a TON of main plot points, characterization, and absolute terror I felt.

That alone should tell you something. When I was little, I liked terrifying myself, which means that I watched Coraline nearly every chance I got. I expected myself to get less afraid because of the repetition, but that didn't happen. I would climb into my mom's bed because I was so scared after watching this movie.

Fast-Forward more than four years and I STILL like giving myself goosebumps. AT this moment, I am the sole patron of every YA novel in my local libraries that hadn't already been checked out. Of course, a book that took primary real estate on that was Coraline.I had had the opportunity to read this book around two years ago, but the memories of the movie still haunted me, and I hadn't dared.  

What Was My Reaction After I Finished This Book?

I'm glad I read that.

Middle Gradenesss: Over the past six months, I have developed a rather unsavory (what the heck does that mean?) prejudice for Middle Grade. I hate those feelings, especially when I get so defensive about everyone being able to read YA. Coraline was a classic Middle Grade book, but I was okay with that. Aspects of the novel could be considered somewhat juvenile, but when Neil Gaiman is the author.... you can easily look past the fact.

Spookiness: I'm not sure if the book wasn't as creepy because I knew what would happen, but the book DEFINITELY did not creep me out and make me want to sleep with the lights on. This might be because Neil Gaiman didn't want to scare off his target audience? Despite me not feeling creeped out,      I believe the reason I was so scared when I was little was because of how expertly the movie was adapted. This is also not to say the adaptation was unfaithful (there was some word-for-word dialogue), it was just the WAY it was adapted that made the movie so terrifying versus the book.

Premise: Something about a book that will immediately draw me in is the premise and proper of execution of it. And let me tell you, Neil Gaiman follows up with it BE-YOU-TI-FULLY. I never once felt like I was promised something and not delivered (a feeling uncannily common with adaptations as well as movies in general). Just the concept of parallel universes is one I have always been intrigued with (*hint hint* NaNoWriMo novel), and the way Gaiman twists it so artfully, making it that the evil "Other Mother" would suck Coraline's soul *shivers get sent down spine* with those godawful button eyes which were petrifying in the movie.

Concise: Coraline was my VERY first Neil Gaiman book ever. Since then, I have read (and flipped out over how much I loved) The Ocean at the End of the Lane and am currently reading The Graveyard Book. And I might (just might *winks*) have put every Neil Gaiman book on hold at my local library. Something I commend Gaiman for with the highest respect is with how many few words he can develop the richest, most detailed, most abstract stories I have ever read. I never once felt like the novel was incomplete or that I wanted more (of the novel, not his writing). There was a distinct and satisfying beginning, middle, and end. And the book was only 162 pages. Beat that! 

How Likely Is It That I Will Re-Read This Book?

90%
Because of its lack of length, I am considering making Coraline an annual re-read accompanied by watching the movie. So (for once) it is very likely I will be re-reading this book.

Conclusion: Spooky, Eery, Conceptual with a terrifying premise. Perfect for Halloween time and sleeping with the lights on.

{Spoiler Alert} Dead Silence (The Body Finder #4): Kimberly Derting

Rating: 6/10
Series: The Body Finder #4
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Murder Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction
Recommended For Fans of The Dark Divine Trilogy and Pretty Little Liars
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: April 16, 2013
Page Count: 389
Format: eBook
Source: My Local Library

Synopsis: Violet thought she’d made peace with her unique ability to sense the echoes of the dead and the imprints that cling to their killers…that is until she acquired an imprint of her own. Forced to carry a reminder of the horrible events of her kidnapping, Violet is more determined than ever to lead a normal life. However, the people who run the special investigative team Violet works for have no intention of letting her go.

When someone close to Violet becomes a suspect in a horrific murder, she finds herself pulled into a deadly hunt for a madman with an army of devoted followers. Violet has survived dangerous situations before, but she quickly discovers that protecting those closest to her is far more difficult than protecting herself.

***I would normally write a spoiler free and spoiler filled version of this review, but that is nearly impossible since this is the finale of a series, and you would be spoiled about all previous novels in the series. So if you haven't read the book or series, you have been warned that this is just FULL of SPOILERS***

In my experience, after book finales, you are either "WTF" and speechless, or "WTF" and have so much to say you don't even know where to begin. For Dead Silence, its the latter. I've never reviewed another Kimberly Derting book on Loving the Language of Literacy before, but what I will say is that Kimberly Derting taught me that I do enjoy some paranormal romance novels, such as this series. But, with The Body Finder Quartet, I felt like everything good that happened, happened in The Body Finder. I don't know if this is because I expected more with each book, or if my standards became higher. Whatever the reason, I did not enjoy Desires of the Dead as much as The Body Finder and  I did not enjoy The Last Echo as much as Desires of the Dead and I did not enjoy Dead Silence as much as The Last Echo. I know I should have gone back and reread the whole series, but "Aint nobody got time for that." Besides the relationship progression and broad story arc, you can almost read every novel on its own.... so I don't think that was the problem. 

My overall critique is that I expected Derting to want to go out with a bang, which means heart-stopping romance and a breathtaking ride of thrills and chills. I know it will seem like a lot of critique, but what I want you to know is that I enjoyed Dead Silence.... just not as much as I thought I would and that's where most of the criticism comes in.

If you had just given Rafe happiness

Romance: I feel so bad for Rafe. I was totally Team Jay.... when he was the only contender for Violet's heart (Grady just doesn't count). I'm not saying that I'm a total turncoat, but I loved the idea of them in The Last Echo. I just hate that he was there to temper with one of my first OTPs, and that Violet had lingering feelings for him as well. Basically, we know Jaylet (Jay and Violet) is set, but I just wanted happiness for Rafe. It was vaguely hinted that Chelsea had met her match, and they could possibly be "a thing." Yet everyone knew he liked Violet. Somebody just please give that boy a big bowl of happiness soup! 

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Congratulations. Violet had stood there staring at the cake Chelsea had thrust out to her, wondering what she was being congratulated for exactly. Congratulations on being the long survivor of a serial killer? Or just your average, everyday, congratulations-for-killing-a-guy?

My I just say that I freaking LOVE this quote? This phrase is just one of many examples of Kimberly Derting's writing style and her talent for sneaking in humor even when the situation is a very serious one - such as your best friend buying you a "Congratulations" cake and bringing it to you so the two of you can enjoy, on the first occasion seeing each other after you were kidnapped. And just for the record, I still want to know which congratulations Chelsea intended the cake for.

"You were the White River student who found the bodies. And now you're here, watching their funeral." She frowned, confused all over again. Why? Why would you come here?"

This is a kind of ish spoiler (you know how those are), but this quote is said just before Violet finally tells Chelsea about her ability to find dead bodies. Chelsea, knowing Violet was acting weird, followed her to the funeral (I won't spoil who it's for), and is finally getting angry and confronting her best friend. I just think that this quote was plain annoying and Chelsea acted so clueless and flabbergasted when in my humble opinion, I don't think she should have been. Violet has been finding dead bodies for over a DECADE and you're so surprised that she is the unnamed White River student?

Why? Just Why?

WHY HADN'T VIOLET TOLD CHELSEA -HER BEST GIRL FRIEND (I only say that because Jay is her best friend)- ABOUT HER ABILITIES? I just don't understand why Violet hadn't told her or why Chelsea hadn't pursued the subject. I mean they had been friends since they were little girls. Why hadn't one of them felt guilty enough (Violet), or suspicious enough (Chelsea) to ask about the body finding thing? In this book especially, because of what happened with Chelsea's kidnapping and the foreshadowing leading up to it, we get told that Chelsea is an "I don't give a f*** if it's not my problem," no-nonsense person. So why hadn't she gotten it out of Violet sooner? I mean, I know she asked before. But WHHHHY did it take until book FOUR for it to be revealed? #itdoesntmakesense

And suddenly they were no longer standing apart; they were no longer separated by the breadth of their heartbeats. Jay was squeezing her against him, crushing her. Not hugging or stroking her, but crushing her. She felt his fingers clawing at the back of her shirt, balling the thin fabric in his fists as he clutched her to him, and she could feel the days and weeks and months of frustration and dear and whatever else he'd being holding back some pouring out of him as he groaned achingly into her curls....

Okay, so I have issues with this entire quote.... several issues. My first issue was the whole "crushing" ordeal. I GET that they have had their relationship problems -almost all revolving around trust- but the crushing thing is a bit of an overkill. On the other hand, I see how this is an extremely endearing moment for the two of them, and the final *crosses fingers that it's final* makeup between the two of them so that they could end the series on a good note relationship wise.

This is Taylor Swift just telling you to be a couple and stay a couple

This just segways into me being able to talk about some of my other issues with Dead Silence and the series as a whole. In the beginning of the series, Jay plays the role of "possessive boyfriend" and won't let her out of his freaking sight for a moment (it even gets to a point where he wants to stand outside her bathroom door). I remember thinking over a year ago that I like Violet, but I almost wish she would get into danger or get injured because of how often Jay had to save her. Then in Dead Silence, I stop feeling like they're madly in love anymore. This is for many reasons, mostly because Violet is still trying to recover from being kidnapped. She is a damaged person that basically has a serious case of PTSD now. So she withdraws into herself and shuts out the people she loves like her parents, friends, and especially Jay. I JUST DON'T GET IT! See, I even broke grammar rules because of this book. I don't get it why their relationship is so rocky when the events should have made them stronger. I'm just gonna go pout in a corner.... M'kay?

Ending: No! Just no. The ending to Dead Silence needed to be the part where Kimberly Derting dug out the firearms out of her arsenal and floored everyone with the ending. Why didn't that happen?!? WHHHHY?

Conclusion: While I enjoyed Dead Silence as a novel, I was disappointed that this was all that was left as the conclusion to The Body Finder Quartet, and believed that it could have been much better.