Book

I felt like I already knew these characters to a certain extent because we’d reviewed City of Ashes for the Burn Bright Book Club previously. I was pleased to see where their character arcs originated.

City of Bones is essentially about Jace and Clary finding one another and realising that you may not be able to pick your family, but you can certainly pick your friends. 

Cassandra Clare has me enchanted with her use of landmarks around New York, Brooklyn, and the surrounding areas. The unknown has always held some sort of magic to me and to have these places glorified in an enjoyable book makes both things more special.

The interesting bits will be to see how much the film, which is ‘based on’ this book, will be able to bring the chemistry between characters, the plausibility of the supernatural aspects, and the way the setting is allowed to speak for itself and isn’t just left as decoration.

I honestly hope Harald Zwart tries to keep the film as close to the book as he possibly can, though 500 plus pages will be difficult to contain within a standard film-length adventure.

Bring it on!

Paperback, Movie Tie-In, 506 pages

Published July 9th 2013 by Walker Books Ltd (first published 2007)

original title

City of Bones

ISBN13

9781406346428

Film

Consider me blown away. The casting was spot on, the CGI and special effects department were well on top of things, and the fact that Cassandra Clare was part of the script writing process helped beyond measure.

The key plot points were dead on target and the slight changes were forgivable as long as you went into it knowing it’s a film ‘based on’ the book, not a close adaptation. If you are expecting a word for word recreation, you will not enjoy it, though many of the memorable quotes remain in the script.

Elise Bianchi, our site editor, reviews the most famous big monster film.

There are certain expectations when you watch a Godzilla movie. There must be giant monster battles that bring down the city around them. And that’s about it. In this latest instalment in the Western kaijuu canon, the king of all monsters steals the show, though he has a close contender in Ken Watanabe’s furrowed brow. He certainly isn’t shown up by the main character. What was his name again? I honestly can’t remember. I think he had a wife and child who I also didn’t care about.

There are two giant parasitic monsters threatening the earth and it’s up to the nondescript military-something protagonist to blow them up. Ken Watanabe plays a Godzilla scientist with a single facial expression and a big schoolgirl crush on the giant lizard creature. He also has a strong aversion to nuclear weapons. America wants to blow up the giant monsters with nuclear weapons, despite the fact that they feed on nuclear power. What is Ken’s complaint about the plan? His father died in Hiroshima. Does he give any alternate plans? No. But it doesn’t even matter because Godzilla arrives to take on the monsters in a city-smashing two-on-one battle.

This movie has been criticised for leaving the monster reveal for too late in the film. I would almost agree, as the human element is cripplingly dull, but the suspense builds in a joyous manner. We get to play an hour of ‘Where’s the monster? There’s the monster!’ with the U.S. military. You are the parent/monster covering your face, and the military is the burbling child, waving its arms excitedly and ineffectually in the air when you reveal that the monster was behind your hands, or the nuclear facility, or the giant submarine, the whole time!

After the embarrassment that was Pacific Rim, I’m glad to see some joy in a western kaijuu film. (Or was Pacific Rim actually a giant self-referential joke? Hard to tell.) There are some moments of real poignancy, such as when Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston watches his wife die. Actually heart-rending. And the moment when the two giant monsters reunite and get all puppy-dog affectionate? Deeply touching. Ken Watanabe finally smoothing his ever-furrowed brow once he discovers that Godzilla survived the battle? The greatest romance of modern cinema.

Don’t watch Godzilla for good acting and a thought-provoking plot. Watch it for the joy of seeing Godzilla rip the head off a giant monster and breathe atomic breath down its neck, before tossing it into the ocean. That’s just about as good as a kaijuu fight scene can get.

Recently, my niece turned one. Miss Alice is the only girl-child of her generation in our family (I have 3 boys, my only sister has a son as well as Alice), so this pink stuff is a big novelty for us. I have to admit, I was ridiculously excited at the thought of helping out with some goodies for her Alice in Wonderland themed birthday party. My sister Nicole was expecting a fairly large number of people at her home, so I went with a couple of recipes that while simple, looked really effective.

To start with, I went with homemade marshmallow. It’s fluffier than the commercial stuff, while at the same time silky smooth. You can flavour it however you like and it’s easy, easy, easy.

What You Need:

2 tablespoons of gelatine. Use the powdered stuff rather than leaves.

1 ½ cups of boiling water.

3 cups of sugar.

Food colouring. I used yellow, pink and blue.

Flavourings. I used pineapple, raspberry and blueberry.

Spray oil.

½ cup icing sugar.

½ cup of corn flour.

Edible corn starch butterflies, to serve.

How it’s Done:

Unless you have arms to rival Wonder Woman’s, I’d definitely recommend using an electric mixer for this recipe. I made three separate batches of this – one for each flavour / colour.

Grease a large roasting pan with spray oil. In a small bowl, add the gelatine to the boiling water. Stir until combined, using the back of a spoon to help squish out any lumps. Then, place the sugar into a large bowl and add the gelatine mix. Mix with your electric beaters until light and fluffy. This will take anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. For this batch, I actually mixed for 20 minutes, because I wanted to make an extra fluffy mixture. Just before you finish mixing, add colour and plenty of flavouring. I went with fruity flavours – they not only tasted amazing, but the smell was to die for. Spoon mixture into pan and smooth the top. You need to work pretty quickly at this point because the marshmallow stiffens fast. Pop into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. Remove from fridge and using a sharp knife, cut to size. You could also use cookie cutters for interesting shapes. Combine cornflour and icing sugar in a shallow dish, and toss marshmallow shapes.

Can be stored in air tight container for 4 to 5 days.

*As you can see, I made 3 batches. I found it easier to do it that way, rather than dividing the mix into thirds. The butterflies were purchased from my local cake decorating store, and while they weren’t very tasty, they looked pretty cute!

Bec Stafford interviews Kate Gordon on the release of her new book.

Clementine Darcy, the central character of your new book, Writing Clementine, is experiencing a range of problems that teens tend to face: winning the acceptance of peers, a tricky home life, needing someone to talk to in the midst of people who seem too busy to listen. Where did the inspiration for Clem come from initially, and what was being a teenager like for you?

Being a teenager was a world of extremes, as it is for most people, as it is for Clementine! I had beautiful friends – friends who are still my best mates today. We had sleepovers, watched trashy rom coms, ate Top Deck chocolate, danced to bad nineties pop and laughed until we cried. I’ll always look back on those times with extreme fondness. On the other hand, I suffered from shocking body image, had rotten health at times, went through some pretty bad bullying experiences and some nasty experiences with boys, like the ones Clementine experiences. I also never felt like I fit in anywhere. I always felt awkward and uncomfortable and shy and wrong. All. The. Time. All of this was my inspiration for Clem. She is more me than any other character in any of my books. So it’s a bit terrifying releasing her into the world and hoping people like her!

2. In the book, Clem’s philosophy teacher, Ms Hiller, sets the class an intriguing writing task that seems uninteresting at first, but which Clem really begins to embrace. Through Clem’s entries, she is able to explore her own identity; and, at the same time, your readers gain insight into her motivations and concerns. What are some of your favourite epistolary novels, and has writing always been in your blood?

Oh gosh, too many! I love The Perks of Being a Wallflower so much it hurts. I also love Jaclyn Moriarty’s novels in The Ashbury/Brookfield series. JD Salinger had some great epistolary stories too, which I loved growing up, and I’m an enormous fan of Nick Earls and Rebecca Sparrow’s Joel and Cat Set the Story Straight. And Bridget Jones. Always and forever Bridget Jones. Writing is as much a part of me as reading is. I’m ninety percent human, ten percent book, I think. And I’ve always thought of writing as penning letters to myself, so it’s interesting you put these two questions together!

3. Kate, since we caught up, you’ve welcomed a little bundle of joy into the world, in the form of your lovely little daughter. (Congrats!) How has being a mum changed your writing activity, if at all, and which books and stories from your own childhood are you looking forward to sharing with your little girl?

I’ve always had to write around other commitments. I worked full-time writing my first novels and had to squeeze in bursts of creativity between hours behind the counter. It’s no different now, other than, while I could shut my mind off from work, I’m never not thinking about Tiger. It also means I take it all a bit less seriously, because she is my focus. That said, I am desperate to keep doing it because I want to show Tiges that you can do anything you dream of, if you work hard enough. I can’t wait to read Roald Dahl with her, and Tamora Pierce, and Thomas Hardy, when she’s older. There is not one book I don’t want to share with her.

4. Which of your fictional characters Burns Brightest in your mind and why?

They’re all my favourites. I’ve heard writers say that their characters are their babies or their friends. Mine are all pieces of me – like the Horcruxes in Harry Potter! They’re all fragments of my soul. But I always love the most recent one the best. And Clementine does hold a special place in my heart, for her bravery, her fragility, her wisdom, and her humour. She is the best parts of me!

In only a few months the entire world, or at least most of it, will be able to witness The Maze Runner in theatres! Having read The Death Cure weeks ago, I finally decided it was time to collect my thoughts and write some reviews.

I loved The Maze Runner so much that I forced my boyfriend, who never reads and would rather work on his car, to read it! The Scorch Trials was absolutely AHH-mazing as well, and I just couldn’t get enough of the story and its characters. But when it came to the third and final book in this trilogy, The Death Cure, I was a bit nervous. I had heard rumors going around that people weren’t finding themselves enjoying it.

After reading The Death Cure and understanding what those reviews were talking about, I see where they were coming from, but I also see why people (like myself) love it so much!

There’s no hesitation at the beginning of The Death Cure and it takes right off where The Scorch Trials ended; the Gladers have been captured and trapped in the WICKED facility. They are offered their fully restored memories with only a small surgical procedure, but many are unsure. After coming to a decision, all the Gladers decide to go through with the procedure, except for three of them: Thomas, Mino, and Newt.

The next morning, the three boys are roughly awakened to find that the offer isn’t an offer anymore, but is instead being forced upon them. They are strapped to chairs and completely surrounded by armed guards, but they know way they can get themselves out of this mess. Even Brenda and Jose, who Thomas relied on, are actually working for WICKED. But before this can even register, Brenda has a plan to get him and the other two out.

The five of them escape, coming to the conclusion that Teresa and all the other Gladers have already done the same. They leave the WICKED facility with a few weapons in hand and they stumble upon Gally, a Glader we lost in the second book (I believe. Don’t quote me on this!). He informs the group that he now works for a rebel group known as the Right Arm, which is planning to take down WICKED, and Thomas plays a huge role in their plan.

Thomas goes back to the WICKED compound and to sacrifice himself for science and discovers that more munies (people who are immune to the flare) have been captured and sent into the maze. The Right Arm wants to blow the whole place up, and even after being offered a train ride to safety, Thomas knows he has to save his friends, and the people in the maze.

There was so much happening so fast in this book. Where do I even start?

I’ve created a list of my likes and dislikes, because I feel like it will just be easier to get my point across without this review being miles long.

Likes:

• Thomas. As always, he was amazing! In The Death Cure, Thomas did have a few tough things to do and watch. He had to witness his best friend, Newt, turn into a Crank and shoot him in the head, and he watched the girl he was crushing on in the first two books die. He was so strong and brave in both The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials, but it’s still amazing how much he has grown and developed as the main character.
• Brenda and Jose. They were actually working for WICKED?! WHAT? I had absolutely no idea! It makes me want to re-read the second book, to see if I can find any clues! This was such a good twist in this final instalment, right at the beginning of the story.
• Gally. He came back! I know, mind blown!
• Outside world and its chaos. When reading books like this, where the world is ending, I’m always curious to find out what is happening outside the story limits in different parts of the world. I didn’t expect to see much of that in The Death Cure, but I’m glad I did!

Dislikes:

• Gladers and their memories. I understand that no one would want to get surgery on their brain from the enemy, but isn’t there even a little bit of curiosity to know what your thoughts were before you went into the Glade? I was just a little thrown off by the quick and easy way that Thomas, Newt, and Mino said no to the offer.
• Thomas and his two ‘girl friends’. In the first two books, Thomas is practically in love with Teresa, but in the last two books he starts to have these indescribable feelings towards Brenda. This doesn’t bother me, but when Teresa made this huge sacrifice towards the end of The Death Cure, Thomas practically brushed it off, took Brenda’s hand, and skipped away into the sunset. It was just a bit weird.
• The Governments and its dumb choices. Who in the world would release the Flare without even once thinking to test it. Just to–I don’t know–maybe see if it has any negative effects?

I want to read The Kill Order!! This story revolves around two different main characters from when the Flare first started to spread! I’m dying to see how the world came to such a horrible state! 

AND is it September yet? I can’t wait to see The Maze Runner in theatres!