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Excellent coming of age story! Overall, I really enjoyed it, even though I did have some issues with it. Everyone one was kind of realistically screwed up, weren't they? Cath, Wren, their father and "mother," Levi, Reagan, and even Courtney all felt very real and relatable; I could appreciate their struggles. Though, if I was forced to vote for a favorite character, Levi would easily win my vote because in comparison to Cath and Wren he is a breath of fresh air.
Cath takes comfort and pride in the Simon Snow series, and the fanfiction she writes about the World of Mages. Her life is completely uprooted when she and her twin sister, Wren, go to college. She is forced to face all kinds of new challenges and situations that she typically would have avoided at all costs. The emotional and physical separation from her twin and her previous lifestyle/writing style is difficult for her to adjust to while at school. I loved being able to watch her grow as a person, both through her writing and her interactions with other characters.
When I said I had issues with some aspects of the story, primarily it is with character behavior. Sometimes I just wanted to reach through the pages and slap someone...usually that someone was Wren (and Courtney), and even Cath (she did get kind of annoying, didn't she?), and especially the twins' mother. After that hospital scene, I agree with Cath on her character and personality. I'm also glad the father stepped up or I may have wanted to slap him, too. Another issue I had was in the way some points and characters in the story would seemingly disappear in the story only to come back later - like Nick and Cath's finals. Such a big deal was made of the Fiction Writing final that I really expected we would end up seeing much more than we actually did, but what we got was good and reflected her personal growth. I know Professor Piper saw something special in Cath, but I'm really surprised Piper kept her grade as incomplete for as long as she did; Cath got darn lucky there since most college professors wouldn't be so generous!
The last thing I want to say is that I would really like to read more of Magicath's (and Wrenegade's) fanfiction because what we got to see was actually pretty good. On top of that I really wish Gemma T. Leslie's Simon Snow books (and possibly the movies, too) were real, even though it is a parallel Harry Potter series. I'm always on the lookout for a good fantasy world to get lost in! I fully expected Harry Potter not to exist in this alternate Simon Snow obsessed world, so imagine my surprise when Levi actually mentioned Harry!
Usually, I'm not much for contemporary YA romance novels but Fangirl is just great. I highly recommend it if you are interested in the genre, or, like me would be much more likely to delve into the World of Mages right along with Cath. I am thoroughly looking forward to Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park!
I read this from February 11 - 16, 2014 and my review is also on Goodreads.
I admit, I disagree on some points of your review, but it also opened my eyes a lot to some things I didn't notice in the book! I also ADORE Levi. He's a lot like my husband, which I think is why I liked him so much. I find Cath really relatable, so maybe her insecurities didn't bother me as much because I do identify with her so much. Great review! Your blog is so extensive it's #goals.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, Cath is relatable and I do kind of identify with her. :)
DeleteThanks for coming over, Kaeley, and saying such nice things! I've put a lot of hard work into this.