Hey guys!
It has been a while--which is funny, because I have actually been reading a LOT of books, and listening to a lot of audiobooks while I have been working.
However, before I talk about any of the cool, new things I have been reading, I need to talk about this trilogy that I haven't been able to get out of my head, which has been really frustrating, because there was SO much about this trilogy that I didn't like. However, I heard once that flawed novels make for the best discussions. Let's test this theory, shall we?
So, since this is a trilogy, I will give you a brief run-down of the first book, and try not to provide any major spoilers, because, well, as much as there was to dislike about this book, there was also a lot that I really LIKED about this book, and it has given way to a lot of interesting thoughts and conversations so far. (If you aren't opposed to audiobooks, listen to it. If you have a kindle, you can go onto Amazon.com, and get each of the kindle books and add the Audible narration for a total of about $6 per book/audio. I LOVED the narrator).
WARNING: There is a LOT of language in the beginning of this book. It kind of tapers off after the first few chapters of the first book and isn't such a problem during the later books, but in the beginning there is a lot you kind of have to trudge through.
So, the story begins with Lela Santos, a teenage girl with a (very) troubled past. She has been in and out of foster homes her entire life, and most of those homes are memories Lela would rather forget. On her first day at Warwick High, she meets the most popular girl in school (Nadia) and helps her out of a tricky situation. The girls become best friends, and Nadia helps Lela to see that she can have a future, and to not let the past ruin that future.
Fast forward a year. The girls are about to graduate, and are planning to attend college together. Lela is excited to have a life, and excited to be sharing it with her best friend. Unfortunately, all is not well with Nadia. Nadia has a sort of perfection complex, and has been digging herself deeper into a drug problem. Just a few months prior to graduation, Nadia commits suicide.
It should be noted here that Lela is not stranger to suicide. Once, in her most abusive foster home, she felt like she had no other options, and tried to commit suicide herself, before being resuscitated by her foster father. She has had nightmares ever since about what she saw at that time; instead of the peace and tranquility she expected from death, she had been dropped in front of an enormous city, around which was a massive wall, and a "suicide gate" that let--and kept-- people in the city. Basically, what she saw was Hell.
Anyway, back to the story. After Nadia dies, Lela begins having horribly realistic dreams where she is seeing what Nadia is seeing as Nadia wanders through Hell, lost, confused, and scared, and all the while still wanting nothing but for it all to "end." Lela, trying to clear her head, tries several times in various ways to let go of Nadia and move forward, but none of her methods seem to work. One night, about a week after Nadia kills herself, Lela decides to go to Nadia's favorite place--a seaside cliff walk near their home in Rhode Island. One of Lela's "visions" comes on her again while she is on the trail, and she ends up falling off the cliff walk, into the ocean.
When Lela next wakes up, she is in a beautiful meadow. All her cares are gone, and she realizes that she, too, has died. Everything feels wonderful, until she remembers Nadia. All of a sudden, she can see beyond the gorgeous meadow and into the Dark City (another term for Hell). Lela then makes her decision; she decides to give up paradise in order to go rescue her friend.
She sneaks past the guards at the suicide gate and into the dark city, where she immediately realizes that--besides being dark, smelly, slimy, and filled with people who are unaware of the city around them--the city has some terrifying secrets.
All Lela wants to do is get Nadia and leave the city. She manages to make some friends along the way, who are willing to help her. But her journey through the Dark City is even more difficult than she had imagined it would be, and Lela isn't sure she can find Nadia within this city of millions.
Sounds like an intriguing plot, right? I thought so, too, which is why I picked it up. But like I said, this novel has a lot of flaws. So let's talk about those first.
As I mentioned, there is sooooo much language. Jeremy and I were listening to this in our car recently, and I realized that after a time, I must have started blocking out the cussing. The "F" bomb is a particular favorite of the author's, and I didn't see the necessity of that.
Another thing I disliked was the weird... I guess symbolism. Yeah, I suppose it was an attempt at symbolism. In the city there is a place called the Sanctum. In order for anyone to get out of the city, you have to go to the Sanctum and arrange to meet with the Judge, who tells you if you are ready to leave. Being a religious sort of person, I imagine you can guess how I equated that in my mind. Everyone throughout the novel refers to him (the Judge) as completely just, so imagine my surprise as Lela steps in front of the Judge and the Judge decides to appear as a woman "Because I felt like wearing heels today." That was a little bizarre to me. Not to mention that as the books progress, you get the feeling that the Judge is more like a Greek god. It seems that the characters are the chess pieces, and the judge moves them at will. That was a bit rough for me.
And--oh my goodness--you have never experienced teenage angst like you will in this book. I mean, I had my fair share of crushes and heartbreaks, but not like Lela experiences in the pages of this series. I am trying to think of an accurate description, but my mind is drawing a blank. Just know, that if you invest yourself in this book, there is a soap opera waiting in its pages. No, it isn't quite that bad. But there are a lot of eye-rolling "I leaned into him and breathed deep, taking in his smell. He smelled of earth, and salt..." moments. So, uh... sweat? On the upside, it DID lead to a great conversation that indeed, girls do NOT actually think this way, so that was nice.
All that being said, there was a LOT I loved about this book. First and foremost--as I mentioned before--this book has sparked a TON of interesting conversations between Jeremy and myself. We have talked about the attitude of the people in the Dark City, and how interesting it is to us that they fail to connect with the world around them. That has led to talks about our world today, and how we sometimes act like the people in the dark city. We have talked about the Tower, which is a place in the Dark City that makes people re-live and see their greatest fears. It is extremely difficult to pass through, but as people pass through it offers them the chance to give up the fight and instead lay down in the tower for eternity, at "peace." The world building is amazing, and the concept of the afterlife was illustrated in an incredibly intriguing way. We have talked about the whole premise of the story--the idea of a friend sacrificing everything to rescue another friend, and what that entails. Really, there is so much to talk about, it would take a long time for me to detail it all. But I can't tell you how many times we have tied our conversations back to this series, referencing some obscure scene.
I absolutely loved the characters in this book. They are all so vastly different, yet each one felt so human I could relate to them all at certain times. I could relate to Lela. She loves her friends, but also has some very real feelings of frustration towards them At the same time, I can relate to Nadia, because it is hard for me to give up fundamental personal beliefs, especially when it comes to being perceived by others. I can understand Malachi, who wants to be strong, and wants to protect those he loves, and Ana, who is graceful and deadly, and distances herself from everyone she meets because she has lost someone in the past. The portrayal of people in this book is very real, and I found myself seeing people I know in the characters.
I have thought about this book for days, and weeks. I devoured the series, and can't seem to get it out of my head. If you are okay with some language, some angst, and some really strange symbolism, you should pick up this book, because what it lacked in those areas it definitely made up for elsewhere. Read this book!!
