summer reading

[tempestsarekind]

I decided that yesterday was a no-internet day, which was rather pleasant. Instead I tried to move as little as possible (as it was pretty hot), and finally read Sarah Rees Brennan's The Demon's Covenant. (I'd been inadvertently putting it off, because I kept getting home late, and learned my lesson with the first book--where I'd thought I might

Comments

[katesutton]

Honestly, I do like all of the characters from those books. Alan and Nick, though, I am torn between because...Nick is completely without artifice. He doesn't feel some things and won't pretend, but he wants to try. In his own way, he does love Alan or at least he's trying to figure out what that means. Alan can be sweet and loving, but I think the Demon's Covenant really demonstrated that he's not any more well off than Nick is, in the emotional department. He's quite the manipulator and liar. I don't think he can trust other people to do the right thing, which is very off-putting.

[tempestsarekind]

Oh, I'm not saying I don't like Nick, although he's very much not my "type." And absolutely--neither of the Ryves boys is well-adjusted in any way!

(Also, I had "manipulative" in my initial description of Alan, but then I took it out in case it implied more than I wanted to about the second book--although that was silly, as it's perfectly evident from the first book as well. Apparently the combination works for me: I don't think I'd like Alan if he were only manipulative, but I have the sense that he is kind and well-meaning, but also knows precisely how to use that, too.)

I see what you mean about Alan--but I liked that, too, because he's just emotionally broken, despite his kindness. At first he looks like the "normal" one, but he's not (which even Nick picks up on, which is why he goes to Mae for "human lessons"). Near the end of the book, Jamie says that Alan is always trying to do nice things for people because he's convinced he isn't good, and I'm very interested in that.

[katesutton]

I don't know, Alan does tug at my heart-strings more than a fair bit and I do understand why his head is screwed up, but honestly. I do want to shake him a little at the thought that he just believes he isn't a good person. Okay. Well then, stop doing not-good-person things like lying to your brother and manipulating Mae when you would actually really make a good team. Although that may not be what he thinks of when he labels himself 'not good.'

[tempestsarekind]

Yes--it may be the killing and torture he means. :)

When it comes to Alan, I just think, where would he have learned to trust people and not manipulate them? His whole childhood is predicated on his being the "perfect" child so his dad doesn't have to worry about him on top of Olivia and Nick, and then he's doing stuff like barricading his room and sleeping with knives in case his dad tries to take Nick away...it doesn't leave him with a ton of space in which to learn how to have functional human relationships. So yes, he could stop lying to his brother and manipulating Mae, in that it's a thing that is technically possible--but I think he doesn't know how.

[viomisehunt]

If I could hold my head up long enough, I would get something to read. Between work and trying to keep my finances above water, my head is simply "too busy" right now to really enjoy a good book, or a really deep, engrossing film. It's like I've developed late onset ADD. So I envy you, because there is nothing like a quiet room and a good book.

[tempestsarekind]

I definitely don't get to do it as often as I'd like--and probably wasn't supposed to do it then, since I do have a dissertation which is supposed to consume most of my waking moments, but I think it's a necessary thing, every now and again.(Plus the book needed to go back to the library.)

[faeriemaiden]

Oh, yes yes yes yes. Fortunately my copy of Covenant (finally!) came in the morning, so I didn't have to worry about staying up late reading. (I, um, kind of ordered a copy from Ireland? Because I love the British copy so much, and it was ten dollars with free shipping, which is cheap for new books anyway...)

ALAN YES ALAN. If somebody does not get together with Alan -- at this point I barely care who -- in the next book I will cry, because he is so lonely and sad and always having to be the one to do the horrible, scheming things that he does so that NOBODY ELSE HAS TO. And he is utterly and thoroughly my type (starting with the spectacles and going all the way down to the dysfunction and tragedy and loneliness), and he thought Mae reading was hot omg. Anyway somebody needs to love him very thoroughly and kindly, because as much as I would like to give him snuggles I actually cannot. (Mostly I ship Alan/me. I think we are close to the same age? IT WORKS OKAY.)

But yes: I keep being surprised at how ridiculously good these books

[tempestsarekind]

If somebody does not get together with Alan -- at this point I barely care who -- in the next book I will cry, because he is so lonely and sad and always having to be the one to do the horrible, scheming things that he does so that NOBODY ELSE HAS TO.

Basically--yes, this. He takes so much onto himself, and he doesn't even know how to stop. The poor darling. I just want someone to make him happy.

I tend to like it best when tragedy is narrowly averted after a struggle, but funny tragic stories are good too!

(Also, the British cover is so much better than the US cover! And why is Sin on the US cover, anyway? It perplexes me.)