Quick Thank You!

Readers,

I just wanted to thank anyone who has read my blog. Honestly, I really don't expect it to become anything that many people would check; it began as a way for my to catalog books I have read, but it slowly evolved into wanting to share the ideas in books with everyone. I wanted to start discussions on the wonderful literature that exists in the world, it is such a beautiful thing to me. My favorite thing.

So thank you for taking part in my world. Thank you for taking one moment to peer into someone else's mind and maybe see things a bit different than before. And, once again, thank you for reading and cultivating knowledge.

As always, with love,

K.

Book Review: Wizard and Glass (The Dark Tower IV)

Hello readers~

** Warning: This is a review series for The Dark Tower and contains spoilers about the series. Please do not continue if you do not want the plot/surprises undone for you. Can't say I didn't warn you, thanks! ** 

Continuing the journey into the world of The Dark Tower! Completed Wizard and Glass by Stephen King (1997, Western/Horror Fiction) is very quickly rising to the top of my favorite series' list. Before I start rambling and give away any good parts, I'll go ahead with my pros and cons.

Im going to go ahead and add my personal opinion of the book: I had mixed feelings favoring the positive. This book hit a lot of things for me, and missed some things. More details below.

Pros:

• This book was a whirlwind of backstory. During the first four, Roland only hints at his long lost love Susan. He meets memories of her several times throughout The Dark Tower. Wizard and Glass gives us the entire story of their love; how they meet, how their love ends, Roland's entire purpose for being in Mejis. This book has it all, and if you're a fan of character development you'll very much enjoy the narrative in this book. 
• Along those same lines, you are introduced to more characters in Roland's life and how they were (before the world moved on, of course); from Cuthbert to Alain, Susan and a magic glass ball that can do incredible things. All of these tie into the story where it picks up. 
• I have to say this book had pretty much everything: love, revenge, suspense, humor, horror. It was a rollercoaster but one minute I was laughing, the next crying. Intense. 

Cons: 

• I mentioned this as a pro, but it can be flipped around. Wizard and Glass does not further the story of Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy along with Roland (until the end that is). This strictly details a piece of Roland's backstory. In fact, the story begins around 30 pages of the book and continues until almost 30 pages are left. If you love character development, you'll love it. If not (I prefer it to a point. Too much character development can be a bad thing), it can get tough to finish. This is just my personal opinion. 
• I don't know if it's just me, but I felt a twinge of regret at the ending of Roland's tale. I didn't exactly like Susan but I don't think she deserved the fate the got. The only reason I include this if because I know some enjoy endings wrapping up, and this could be a downfall. 
• After Roland tells his tale, there is a funny little bit at the end of Wizard and Glass. Roland, Eddie, Susannah, Jake, and Oy find what is supposedly a strange rip off of The City of Oz. They also happen upon "The Wizard of Oz" and what was left of the Tick Tock Man after The Waste Lands. The ending is strange, and can throw people off. 

Overall, this was one of the weirder books in The Dark Tower series. I'm not saying by any means that I didn't enjoy it. I have loved every new installment of this series. I highly, and will always highly, recommend this series to anyone who loves science-fiction, Stephen King, and an amazing story. 

As always, keep reading. 

Katie 

Book Review - The Waste Lands (The Dark Tower III)

Lovely readers,

** Warning: This is a review series for The Dark Tower and contains spoilers about the series. Please do not continue if you do not want the plot/surprises undone for you. Can't say I didn't warn you, thanks! ** 

I'm slowly but surely moving along in my quest to finish The Dark Tower. Just this morning I completed The Waste Lands (1991, Fantasy/Western/Horror Fiction) by Stephen King, the next installment of the life of Roland, Eddie, Susannah, and Jake. Honestly, I've found myself getting more and more attached to this series each time I pick up the book. King naturally has a way of drawing you in, but this series in particular... it's so vivid and heart-wrenching. It's hard to ignore, hard to put down. (It helps that most printed versions of this series have gorgeous artwork included)
But anyway, I'll go ahead and begin with my pros and cons list!

Pros:

• Naturally this book is an incredible continuation of The Dark Tower series. The story lines doesn't get stale, and it constantly amazed me. Sometimes books like this can drag on but King does an awesome job of keeping the reader engaged. 
• This can be classified as a pro and a con, but this book (like the other three works in this series) mixes genres so well. I was a bit surprised after The Gunslinger honestly. The Drawing of the Three totally took me out of the comfort zone, as did The Waste Lands. The way that King blends fantasy, western, horror, and science fiction genres is very impressive. 
• My next pro is character development. Any true King fans know that he does an excellent job of attaching his readers to the characters. This book is no except. The Waste Lands makes the strings attached from your heart to the character 100 time stronger. You really feel their emotions, and understand their fears. 

Cons: 

• Like I've said throughout my books reviews of this series, The Dark Tower is not young adult, nor is it anything children should be reading. King lets horror seep into a lot of his works, especially this one. The Dark Tower can be truly disturbing. (I don't think children could really decipher what was being said anyway... nod to the High Speech) 
• The Waste Lands gives a truly horrific look at what the world could look like in a thousand years. In the same vein as Brave New World, King gives The Dark Tower a light dusting of apocalyptic fury. It's a startling look at where the world is headed. (Not to say that this puts a damper on this series at all for me, I'm still head over heels for it. But it does in a way limit the reading base. People with weak stomachs should be careful.) 
• I'm just throwing this con in here because I could see where it could discourage people from starting this book. The Waste Lands is not a short work. I very much enjoyed the length simply because it helps carry you through the story. However it does get confusing a little at moments. 

Overall, I can't wait to keep going with The Dark Tower. I've just recently obtained The Wizard Glass, so I'm jumping right in to the next book. Of course I'll be uploading a review of the next one once I've conquered it. 

And as always, 

Keep reading and with love. 

Katie