Latest NetGalley Acquisition...

Huzzah! Finally, after stalking NetGalley for what seems like years, I was approved for Justin Cronin's final book in his bestselling trilogy, The Passage.  I will admit that I did cheer when I saw the book on my shelf on NetGalley.  I couldn't help it! I recently reread the first two books in preparation for reading this newest one and now I can dive in and find out what happens to Peter, Lish, and Amy.  I'm so excited!!  Of course, I can't wait to get my hands on a physical come May 24th - then my set will be complete!  And now, I'm off to pick up where Cronin last left us in The Twelve.  Happy reading!!

P.S. Thank you NetGalley!!!

The Twelve: A Novel by Justin Cronin

What the frack did I just read?  Because it certainly could not have been Cronin's follow up to The Passage.  My real copy of The Twelve must have gotten lost in the mail and somehow I got stuck with what I can only describe as an "overwhelmingly, overworked story riddled with too many characters that commit some atrocious acts that I believe were just thrown in for shock value - basically, a must NOT read."  Seriously, what happened to The Twelve? 

I'm not even going to write a full post on this book, because I'm just too disappointed with it.  I think I'm going to just share what my cons were with The Twelve.  Here goes:

Writing:  Where did all the good writing go?  Did Cronin put too much pressure on himself to produce another bestseller, that he forgot how to simply tell a good tale?  He must have, because the book I just finished reading lacked a feeling of cohesion to his previous novel; it lacked depth and complexity; it was overly written and filled with horrible characters and shock-value story lines; it made me wish I hadn't been so excited for its release, because then I wouldn't have been so disappointed.  The writing was just not good.  I felt it lacked the suspense and anticipatory sense that something exciting/dangerous was about to happen, that the first novel displayed perfectly throughout.  This story felt rather thrown together - like, Cronin had so many ideas that he just wanted to smash them all together, regardless of how well they went together.  The way one story line would begin and then the next moment another one would begin, made for rather disruptive reading.  I found the whole book to feel rather chaotic, and truthfully, I felt rather lost at times when I was reading it.

Characters:  I have to admit that one of the reasons I loved The Passage, was due to the fact that I loved the characters.  They were memorable and very relatable. They were characters you rooted for.  I was eager to find out what had happened to Sarah, Peter, Amy and Alicia; and even though I did find out what had happened to them, I found out that I really didn't care (that's how bad the writing was).  As for the new characters - ugh! They were just awful.  There were ones you were supposed to care about, but they died too quickly or their stories ended too abruptly; and then the ones that you were supposed to hate, well, you disliked them so much that you didn't want to read about them at all.  They were just too despicable and I felt that that Cronin went a bit over the top with them.  I realize every book needs its villain, but isn't that why we had the remaining eleven of the twelve for?

Story:  Where was the story?  What happened to the fascinating, adventure story Cronin created in The Passage?  Why didn't he bring that feeling of suspense/thriller back?  What was he thinking about when he came up with some of these story lines?  Did there have to be sanctioned rape?  Did April and Bernard have to share that night together (that scene skeeved me out - isn't she really only 17? )  Why did it seem like is was mainly the female characters who had to endure the short end of the stick all the time?  What about the male characters? And, seriously, what was up with all the melodrama and predictability?  Tifty was Nina's dad - really?  Lila's daughter was really Sarah's?  And, Peter and Amy are supposed to be together - what about Lish?  I don't know, it all seemed a bit convoluted at times to me.  Not sure, that Cronin realized how scatterbrained the story lines were once they were all put together.  I actually found myself skipping ahead at times, just so I could get to the end already. 

Overall, The Twelve was not what I had hoped it would be - another great read like, The Passage.  I was left disappointed and wishing I had just watched Downton Abbey or Homeland instead. Ugh! What a bummer! Oh well, the only positive is that I can now cross off one more book off my list for RIP VII - which means, I am done! Hurrah!

The Passage by Justin Cronin

Alright, so my next read was going to be something French for the Paris in July challenge, but I got sidetracked.  On Friday, my Amazon order came in and well I couldn't help but look over my new book purchases - one of those being The Passage. I had barely read the first few sentences when I knew that I was not going to be reading anything French this weekend. 

From the book flap:

IT HAPPENED FAST.

THIRTY-TWO MINUTES FOR ONE WORLD TO DIE, ANOTHER TO BE BORN.

First, the unthinkable: a security breach at a secret U.S. government facility unleashes the monstrous product of a chilling military experiment.  Then, the unspeakable: a night of chaos and carnage gives way to a sunrise on a nation, and ultimately a world, forever altered.  All that remains for the stunned survivors is the long fight ahead and a future ruled by fear - of darkness, of death, of a fate far worse.

As civilization swiftly crumbles into a primal landscape of predators and prey, two people flee in search of sanctuary.  FBI agent Brad Wolgast is a good man haunted by what he's done in the line of duty.  Six-year-old orphan Amy Harper Bellafonte is a refugee from the doomed scientific project that has triggered apocalypse.  Wolgast is determined to protect her from the horror set loose by her captors, but for Amy, escaping the bloody fallout is only the beginning of a much longer odyssey - spanning miles and decades - toward the time and place where she must finish what should never have begun. 

My thoughts: WOW!!!

What a gripping and fantastic read! I just could not put this book down at all! The Passage is a must read book that tells the story of a group of people journeying towards survival and answers.  You have a world that is no more because of a military experiment gone awry - the virals (vampires) they created have gotten loose and have destroyed the world.  People are scarce and therefore history, culture, society, laws, etc. have pretty much been forgotten.  The Colony we happen upon has their own governmental system that consists of a hierarchy and lineage based on who was here first.  As for the virals that are roaming the earth, well they all follow their thirst.  I don't really want to write much about the plot, because there is just so much that happens and its better for you to read it yourself to fully get the picture of all the events that lead to 'the passage'.  Plus, it has been noted that Cronin will be writing 2 more books to follow The Passage - thereby making it a series. I cannot wait to find out what happens next to Peter and Amy and everyone in the book. Will they survive? Will they succeed?  What happened to The Colony?  Where is everyone? Hmmm.

As for the writing - excellent!  And by excellent, I mean the kind where you refuse to sleep, eat, leave the house, etc. because you are so involved in the book that aside from breathing, everything else can fall to the wayside.  Yes, I was that consumed by my book!  It was just so easy to fall in step with the writing and follow along on this journey being taken by a group of characters that are so engaging , you can't help but cheer them on when they succeed and shed a tear when they don't.  I found myself completely immersed in this world of virals, corrupt government officials, The Colony, nuns, and the Girl from Nowhere.  I also found myself wondering where Cronin got the idea for this book, because, though it is a vampire book, it really isn't.  There's more to it then just virals that need to be killed - its a book about humanity, love, hope and despair.  Its a book about a world that can be mended.  

And I would most definitely recommend The Passage. Even if you aren't into vampire books, it is a fun book to read - it has action, suspense, thrills and love. Definitely one of my favorite books of 2010.