Reading!

[changeling]

OK, so my housemate has loaned me Cassie Claire's City of Bones. I'm not minding the plot so far – she keeps surprising me with lack of suck. And the reason I keep expecting suck is the names. Oh, god, THE NAMES.

The heroine is Clary Fray. This is just too close to "Cassie Claire" in my head for it to jangle really badly. (Also, Cassandra is too close to Clarissa for my liking.) This one is probably just me. And the heroine's best friend is called Simon. I've been reading thegraybook (and her previous LJ cassieclaire that got taken over by the LOTR diaries) for long enough that 1) I remember when it was called epicyclical, and 2) I know one of her close friends is called Simon.

Ten pages in and Clary suggests Simon asks out Jaida Jones (who, come to think of it, also has a YA book published. Least I think it was a YA. I wonder if she likes Gaiman? Gaiman could become the new Beatles for a whole generation of YA authors. Anyway, I will finish mine after NaNo, get it published, and no longer feel so inadequate).

I swear, if Rhysenn, or, I dunno, Holly Black, or Heidi turn up, I may throw the book at the wall in frustration.

Otherwise, I'm enjoying it a fair bit. I think it was a mistake to start it so soon after having finished Holly Black's Valiant, though.

Comments

[youraugustine.livejournal.com]

From what I've heard, anything negative/derivative/mary-sueish you might notice?

It's so not just you. (I got disgusted with Ms CC ages ago, and refuse to get it on principle.)

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

I get to win because my housemate bought it. So if i don't like it, it doesn't matter.

[mawaridi.livejournal.com]

I found the friend name-dropping really jarring, too, especially Jaida. Using the first name of a friend in your book is probably not that unusual, and Simon is a pretty normal name, but Jaida Jones is...a real person. Okay, a pseudonym for a real person, but still.

That said, I enjoyed the the book as a whole, and there's less of the friend names as it goes on. I want to read the next one, anyway :)

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

I only really got annoyed about Simon because the main character's name was so similar (to my internal ear) to Cassie's. But yeah. Jaida is such a distinctive name you don't get to drop it the way you might, say, Heidi. Or Sam.

*nods* I'm going to have to see how I go. I just noticed a line that's very nearly word-for-word the same as something in Black's Valiant, which also annoyed me. But the underlying plot is thus far still interesting.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

Also, who says "Go out with Jaida Jones"?? There isn't likely to be more than one Jaida! You just say "Go out with Jaida".

There were a couple of things in the first chapter that sucked like that. Like she was afraid of describing things, so she just gave the characters unlikely dialogue.

"Hi Janice, who is my mother. Gosh, it's been quiet around here since we moved into this apartment six years ago after Dad had his car crash."

I'm exaggerating, but you know what I mean. I have noticed the writing style improve since, so I think she just sucks slightly at setup. And hey, if I wasn't a writer AND an editor, I may not have noticed.

[shinyandnat.livejournal.com]

Aha, I didn't even notice the name thing. >.>

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

*pets* Probably improved your reading experience. ;)

[smuu.livejournal.com]

The "manly male chest radiating beams of manly light" cover cracks me up every time I see it.

[delirieuse.livejournal.com]

It's pretty funny. Though I am sick of book covers that cut off the top of people's heads, or sometimes, the whole head. It's just a bit ... creepy.

Unless there's zombies or vampires or something. Then it's cool.