Review: William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

The title alone was enough to make my reading list come to a grinding halt. I had to have this book. I don't consider myself a big Star Wars fan, but throw William Shakespeare into the mix, and this book becomes a must-read. And no surprise, I loved it! 

Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope is reimagined in the language of the bard, incorporating key passages from some of Shakespeare's most well-known plays including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet, Henry V, As You Like It, Richard III, Julius Caesar, and various sonnets.

Summary: Return once more to a galaxy far, far away with this sublime retelling of George Lucas’s epic Star Wars in the style of the immortal Bard of Avon. The saga of a wise (Jedi) knight and an evil (Sith) lord, of a beautiful princess held captive and a young hero coming of age, Star Wars abounds with all the valor and villainy of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. ’Tis a tale told by fretful droids, full of faithful Wookiees and fearstome stormtroopers, signifying...pretty much everything.

What I love most about this book is its potential to help young adult readers with Shakespeare. The Shakespearean unit has garnered a reputation as being extremely difficult, so much so that it's become a type of mental block for students; I was the same way! Even the name Shakespeare was intimidating at that age.

But most kids have seen, or at least heard of, Star Wars. They know about the Force. They know Darth Vader. Heck, they may have even heard iconic lines such as "These aren't the droids you're looking for" and "Han shot first!" If kids understand, are amused by, and are interested in the plot, they aren't held back by language. This novel is an extraordinary tool for teachers and parents to help students with the Shakespearean unit by providing a fun and well-written introduction to the language, iambic pentameter, and to several plays and sonnets! 

Star Wars in Shakespearean language is witty, fun, and fantastic. Elizabethan-style drawings of key scenes are an added bonus throughout the text. My favourite moment was a little joke for Star Wars fans after Han shoots Greedo: "[Aside] And whether I shot first, I'll ne'er confess!"

William Shakespeare's Star Wars is a must-have for home and classroom libraries! Ian Doescher has done something extraordinary and his bridging of two timeless properties is certainly something to be celebrated!

This book was published by Quirk Books in July 2013, and is available wherever books are sold. You can check out the hilarious book trailer below!

Review: The Fault in our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars is a heartbreakingly beautiful story.

It is a YA novel about two teenagers who both have been diagnosed with fatal illnesses. This is a love story, a story of survival, and a story of pursuing moments that make life worth it.

I was reminded of Jodi Piccoult's heart-wrenching My Sister's Keeper in the way that we see the world-altering importance of having people who love us stick by us no matter what.

It's not a happy read, as books about kids with cancer cannot be, but it is enlightening. Everyone knows someone who has been diagnosed with cancer, but unless you've had the illness, you can never REALLY understand. Having cancer and knowing someone with cancer is very different. Green allows us a glimpse into that experience. The sympathy, the hopelessness, the struggle, and the disdain for the world and the unfairness of it all is very moving. It was nice to understand just a little bit better and be able to better appreciate what people go through.

The book ends all too abruptly for me, but I have no other complaints. John Green is an amazing writer and he's written a sweet, but tragic tale with room for smiles, for tears, and for catharsis in seeing these brave teens rise above something awful and unstoppable. This is a novel that all young people should read. It's a wonderful piece of fiction and soon to be yet another YA page to screen adaption.

After reading this book, I DESPISE the tagline for the movie poster, but that's just my opinion. Here's to hoping the movie doesn't destroy the power of the book, as My Sister's Keeper did.

4 stars. A YA must-read.

Review: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

"I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me."

I had high hopes for the final book of the Divergent series. I loved Divergent, enjoyed Insurgent, but Allegiant was only good, not great.

Normally, the history of the characters/ the world occurs early in the series, but we get most of it in Allegiant. As I waited three books for the dramatic conclusion to the series, the informational part of the narrative bored me to the point of annoyance.

With a pub. date in 2013, Roth cannot claim The Hunger Games had no influence whatsoever in Allegiant. I found this book to be very similar to Mockingjay in both the state of the heroine and in the rebellion against the corrupted government (with the opposing power not looking so competent either). If you want an exciting, fast-paced, flowing narrative, read Mockingjay instead. Essentially, Allegiant could have used an editor with a stronger hand. I would made many cuts to the editorial to make this book more concise. The tendency toward unnecessary detail in the mundane affected the book's overall impact.

Then again, Allegiant does go to darker places than Mockingjay. There is more vivid detail in the horror and there's more BANG in the violence. There's more death and far more tragedy. This book has no short of injections, guns, explosions, betrayals, suspense, and tragedy.

My biggest complaint is the fact that there were too many enemies! I was getting whiplash as Roth makes you hate and distrust one person after another. It made the narrative seem a little aimless and not as effective as it could have been. For example, the ending sees a reunion between Four and his mother--after we're made to dislike her for a book and a half. Let's pick a villain and build on him or her. The multiple villains makes for too many flat characters.

I won't spoil the ending. Allegiant might have bored me for most of the book, but around page 280, shit really hits the fan. Excuse the language (but there's no other way to describe it). More than the heart-pounding conclusion, Roth makes a very bold choice in her story arc that I did not see coming. When Roth is writing action, she's a powerhouse author. Bold, breathless, and brilliant.

Regardless of the fact that Allegiant was a little dry to start, it is the final book in a popular series. You, like me, NEED to finish the series. It might not be AS good as the first two books, but it's still definitely worth your time! Allegiant is dark and violent. It's filled with twists and turns, and the ending will leave you with a hole in your chest--and not just because the series is over.

Fortunately, the movie is coming... and with the competition of Catching Fire (click to see the trailer!), I think there is a VERY good chance that Divergent (the movie) will not let fans down.

Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

A touching, memorable, and gripping story about finding hope, happiness and power in a seemingly hopeless world.

Markus Zusak writes a tragic, yet wonderful, and heartfelt story about a little girl growing up in World War II, Germany. As many books on this tragic moment in our history, Zusak's story stands out from the crowd. This is a must-read book for young adults and adults alike.

The Book Thief is narrated by Death and follows the life and struggles of nine-year-old girl Liesel. Death is neither evil or good, but simply someone fulfilling his role in the world. Death makes a point in revealing important events to come, but never the manner in which they will occur. I think this narrative style is fitting for the time period, because we all know the devastation that is coming, we just don't know when or where or how it will strike. If anything, this technique built more suspense as I dreaded the inevitable as I fell in love with the characters.

Zusak shows the other side of Germany--the people who protected their Jewish friends and risked everything to do so. It shows the German people who didn't agree with the Nazis, who wanted no part in the war, and the effect of the war on these innocent German people (hunger, bombings, and death), and it shows how people express their refusal to give into despair.

Liesel's theft and reading of stolen books is representative of the power of words in Nazi Germany. Words can destroy a country, but they can also provide hope and relief from despair. For all the terrible words that Hitler puts out in the world, Liesel steals some of them back. Reading bonds her with her foster father and it allows Liesel to bring comfort to crowds of people waiting in the bomb shelters. Zusak shows that the power of words is endless.

Although the book is slightly long, everything about the book makes the length justifiable. The writing is accessible for the younger audience, the characters are interesting and well-rounded, and the story is hard to put down. The writing is vivid, without delving into the gory details as Zusak gives the reader just enough to be able to construct the horrors on your own.

I have not seen the movie yet, but I do hope it will encourage people to read the book. It might taken readers a little longer to get through, but it's definitely worth it. I hope that the film is a faithful adaption. Catching Fire certainly set the page-to-screen adaption bar extraordinarily high.

5 stars