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Blue Marble Review

Literary Journal for Young Writers

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Book Review

The Cruel Prince, by Holly Black

By Gabriella Montez

Before anything else, I promise, this isn’t a story about a weirdly beautiful “evil” prince whose heart suddenly aches and then everyone realizes he’s actually just misunderstood. At first glance, The Cruel Prince is easily presumed to be an amateur story of young fairies, mortals, and typical YA fantasy fiction. Nonetheless, it becomes a triumph of political court, backstabbing, and sensational betrayal. The Cruel Prince is just the kind of book you pick up, read a couple chapters of, and put down, though only so you can immediately search online to see if there’s a sequel. In a phenomenal manner, Holly Black creates a complex mythical world which only glues a reader’s hands to the binding.

The Cruel Prince follows seventeen year old Jude Duarte, who witnessed her parents’ murder as a child. Taken by their killer to an opposite world, mortal Jude and her sisters enter Elfhame, a High Court of Faeries and mythical creatures. Jude, raised among fey, is desperate to prove herself in a society despising humans. The youngest prince of the court, Cardan, is determined to make Jude’s life a living hell, —though Jude becomes wrapped in much deeper than the surface. Between deceptions, scandals, and bloodshed, Jude slowly becomes a phenomenon in the High Court of Faerie, and is tasked with a life-threatening alliance to save not only her sisters, but the High Court.

For starters, Holly Black’s creation of the beautiful world of Elfhame is absolutely magnificent. Where magic hides the horrors inside, Black’s very own Elfhame is jam packed with intricate details, various structures, creatures, and rules. With so much to unpack, Black manages to give just enough to the reader without being too heavy with exposition. It’s extraordinary. Not to mention, the aerial writing and realistic dialogue make for the most entertaining action sequences. There is never a dull moment in the entire novel; even in the smallest moments, Black’s prose is flowy and spectacular, constantly bringing vivacity to the darkness in the story itself.

The epic plot of The Cruel Prince is simply undeniable. Halfway through the novel, it’s impossible to trust any character. With constant twists, if you think you know something is going to happen, I promise you, it’s not (though something even crazier will). Between betrayal and surprises, The Cruel Prince keeps your nails short and your palms sweaty. There truly is not a single scheme you can predict, or say you saw coming.

With beautiful writing and an epic plot, the characters really put the cherry on top of The Cruel Prince. Jude is a striking character to have as a protagonist. With her incentives constantly battling between good and selfish, it’s nearly impossible not to like Jude. In one of her best quotes she declares, “If I cannot be better than them, I will become so much worse.” (Black 210) She absolutely empowers her mortal self and never lets her guard down.

Jude’s family dynamic is intriguing, particularly with her father figure,—otherwise the man who killed her biological parents. His role is fascinating, and easy to learn to love. Nonetheless, it becomes inevitable to not adore the young prince, Cardan. With a devious and cruel attitude, Cardan’s character development and backstory is majestically unfolded throughout the novel.

The Cruel Prince will leave you admiring cunning and heinous characters that you swore you’d never even think of liking.

In short, a marvelous fantasy fiction crafted with both intrigue and deception, The Cruel Prince conveys the terrible faults of magic, while yet still making you wish for it. Unpacking a dark fantasy can be heavy, but Holly Black makes it feel effortless.

 

 

 

Gabriella is a rising writer who loves all things written, from fantasy fiction to poetry. When she’s not writing or reading, Gabriella spends her spare time drawing, running and playing soccer. She’s a part of her high school’s independent newspaper, The Spectrum. With passion for all literary involvement, Gabriella’s work is eye-catching for all young readers.

Flowers for Algernon: A Cruel Metaphor

By Boyun Liu

 “Had I not seen the Sun, I could have borne the shade; but light a newer wilderness, my wilderness has made.”

–Emily Dickinson

 Have you ever thought about the question “Which is worse: not knowing who you are and being happy, or becoming the person who you always wanted to be and feeling alone?” If you’re hesitant to make a decision and want to find an answer, “Flowers for Algernon” might be the book that can give you some inspiration.

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction written by Daniel Keyes in 1966. It differs from many other science fictions in that it doesn’t have heavily featured elements of technology. The book is written from a first-person perspective. In the beginning, two researchers, Dr. Strauss and professor Nemur, perform an operation on a mouse named Algernon to make it smart. They want to test the procedure on human, and the protagonist, a mentally disabled man named Charlie, wants to become smart so much that he agrees to undergo the risky operation and records the his progress in reports, which documents how the operation initially makes him smart, but ultimately results in his regression to his previous state of mental disbility.

The way the author shows the change in Charlie’s intelligence is novel and surprising, through word spelling. Before Progress Report 8, Charlie made spelling mistakes in almost all the words he wrote, but after the operation, he gradually learned to read and write. As a result, the spelling mistakes began to decrease, and eventually, he could write like a normal person. Unfortunately, in the end, Charlie realized that his memory was fading, and he began to lose the ability to read and write. When I saw him return to a state where he misspelled almost all the words and didn’t know about punctuation, I could feel the desperation and pain he felt. This reminds me of a short poem written by Emily Dickinson: “Had I not seen the Sun, I could have borne the shade; but light a newer wilderness, my wilderness has made.” If Charlie hadn’t had the chance to become intelligent, he could have endured his disability. But when he tasted the ability to read and write like a normal person, and even surpass them, he became afraid of being a stupid person again. The strong emotional impact results from the special way the author displays the change in Charlie’s IQ. The story is simple yet intriguing and thought-provoking. It is a cruel metaphor that reveals the sad and grief-stricken parts of our lives.

Charlie always wanted to be smart because he wanted to have friends and to be liked by others, and he hoped his mother would be proud. But the reality was just the opposite. Although he became a genius as he had always wanted, people began to distance themselves from him. Sometimes it is just hard to have things both ways.

The old Charlie always smiled and remained positive all the time. Everyone at the bakery liked him because he didn’t understand what teasing was. He laughed along with others and never got angry, just like a naive and innocent child. However, after he became intelligent, he started to realize that the people he used to consider good friends were making fun of him all the time. They liked to keep him around just to tease him. He became angry every time they teased him and started to talk down to others and make them feel dumb sometimes. His emotions became more and more unstable, and he shouted to vent his anger more frequently. He was struggling and angry with himself. He thought that it was he who made the people at the bakery hate him, feel like idiots, and caused himself to be fired.

The operation not only made Charlie smart but also allowed him to experience emotions he had never felt before. He learned the feeling of love and fell in love with his teacher, Alice. However, every time he tried to approach love, memories of his disastrous childhood would come flooding back, clearer than ever before. He remembered how his mother hated him and always wanted him away, how his sister didn’t want others to know he was her brother, and how other children made fun of him. These recollections were like nightmares that overwhelmed Charlie, making him suffer from the pain. But as Charlie’s intelligence surpassed that of most people, Alice began to feel duller every day compared to him. It was hard for them to find common ground to discuss, so she decided to leave, and Charlie became alone again.

However, just when everyone believed that the operation was a success and Charlie would be a genius forever, something went wrong. One day, Dr. Strauss discovered that Algernon’s intelligence had begun to fade, and the mouse was acting strangely. Algernon couldn’t bear the thought of losing his intelligence and refused to live as he had before. He stopped eating and waited for death to come. When Charlie saw Algernon die in his hands, it was like seeing his own fate. Although Algernon was just a mouse in others’ eyes, Charlie felt a deep connection with him, a feeling of sympathy, since he wasn’t different in essence from Algernon. He, too, was an experimental subject, a sacrifice of the experiment.

At first, Charlie exerted all his efforts in trying to figure out why it was happening and how to stop it. But he eventually realized that the old Charlie Gordon loved people with all his heart, whereas now his heart was overwhelmed with his intellect. So he decided to be the old Charlie Gordon again, warm-hearted, kind, and positive, but dull and simple. Maybe that was his best destiny. Sometimes, only people with a heart full of love can have the key to happiness, not those with high intelligence.

Charlie is the epitome of all human beings. He went through the entire life of a normal person in just several months. The old Charlie represents the time when we are still naive children, without worries and understanding of the world around us. The smart Charlie represents the time when we grow into teenagers and adults, absorb knowledge, have more things to worry about, and begin to struggle with our feelings. The cruel metaphor is that we are all going to go through the process of growing up, facing emotional struggles, and feeling lonely.

 

 

Boyun(Iris) Liu,  is an eleventh grader who is a passionate reader and reviewer. She hopes that her reviews can ignite people’s curiosity towards those books. She invites you to join in the literature adventure — and hopes you can have a great time!

 

They Both Die at the End

By William Wijaya

 

What would you do if you were told that you only had twenty-four hours to live? Will you spend the rest of your time with your family and loved ones, or will you enjoy all the food and good things in life while you still can? In his novel “They Both Die at the End,” Adam Silvera takes the reader on a journey of two strangers, Mateo and Rufus, through the last twenty-four hours of their lives.

The main plot revolves around two characters, Mateo and Rufus, who receive a phone call from “Death Cast” informing them that today is their last day on Earth. They are matched by the “Last Friend” app, and they spend the day together navigating the challenges and joys of their last twenty-four hours. Mateo and Rufus are both looking for meaning in their final hours, trying to overcome their flaws and find purpose.

Reading about their journey inspires us to be courageous rather than allowing our regrets and guilt to keep us from taking risks and making the most of every moment. Their experience in the last hours of their lives also teaches us to never take anything for granted, and to find joy in the most insignificant details.

Silvera’s writing is beautifully evocative, painting vivid pictures of a world that is both familiar and unique. The alternating perspectives of Mateo and Rufus adds depth to the story and allows the reader to fully understand each character’s motivations and emotions. Their perspectives differ from each other due to their backgrounds, personalities, and life experiences. Mateo is a reserved, introverted young man who has always lived a sheltered life, while Rufus is more outgoing and has a troubled past. The themes of life, love, friendship, and mortality are explored in a way that is both thought-provoking and relatable.

Adam Silvera invites the reader on a powerful journey of self-discovery and introspection. This novel is not just a story about death, but a celebration of life, love, and the human spirit, leaving the reader with a lasting impression and the urge to live each day to the fullest.

 

 

 

William Wijaya is an undergraduate student from Indonesia pursuing a bachelor’s degree in psychology, English Literature, and Journalism. He’s taken advantage of the opportunity to study in India, immersing himself in a new culture and academic environment. His varied fields of study demonstrate his intellectual curiosity and desire to understand the human experience through various lenses.

Willa of the Wood

By Julia McCarthy

Robert Beatty fans will not be disappointed in his new novel Willa of the Wood. He sticks to his themes about the importance of having family and friends as he writes about Willa, who has neither.

Willa finds herself alone with a clan that doesn’t care about her and humans who try to kill her, but just when she feels the most alone, the forest helps Willa, and she ponders one kindness that contradicts everything she’s learned. All the events steadily build to the climax where choices are harder than ever, and Willa has to decide if she should do what’s right even if it will hurt her in the process.

Beatty’s writing is rich with sensory details about the Great Smoky Mountains, Willa’s home, with its gigantic mountains, flowing rivers, still lakes, and lush forests. Beatty also compares nature to people and man-made tools, like when he writes that people are alike to wolves because they both hunt and kill what they need to survive. Willa also idolized the wolves because of the way they work together. She longs to be part of their pack and hunt alongside the wolves.

There are many secondary characters who shape Willa’s life. Willa learned the most from her grandmother who taught her the old ways of their people and how to use her powers in good ways. The leader of Willa’s clan, the padaran, taught Willa a lot, too. Most of his teachings were wrong, but they influenced Willa’s decisions since she trusts him.

The plausible dialogue between Willa and those characters shows Willa’s age and curiosity as she asks many questions and wonders about her place in the world around her.

Beatty writes about so many themes as Willa wanders the woods, but the most important one is about having a family and friends to guide you and support your decisions. Each time reading Willa of the Wood reveals more of Beatty’s themes.

Beatty’s usual magic is included which means Willa of the Wood is a fantasy book. Much like the Serafina series Beatty wrote, myths become reality, and Willa has some magic of her own.

The beautiful scenery mixed with brilliant themes make this novel one of the best. Lovers of the Serafina series will appreciate and enjoy Willa of the Wood because of the main characters’ many similarities, like their love of nature and forests and their longing for adventure. Serafina even makes an appearance in the novel, so if you like Serafina or if you want to disappear into a twelve-year-old girl’s mind with the beautiful scenery of the Great Smoky Mountains, then read Willa of the Wood.

 

 

Julia is a high school student in Missouri, — and wrote this book review while in Mrs. Meusch’s English class at St. Patrick School. She enjoys reading fiction and writing about the nature in her backyard.

Colors of Crime

By Maria Polizzi

Imagine this, crime is not punished by prison, but by changing the color of the prisoner’s skin, and public shame. This is what Hannah faces in When She Woke by Hillary Jordan. Hannah had been changed to the worst color imaginable. A color representing murder. She is red.

Hannah finds herself in a difficult situation in When She Woke. Love has driven her to change the course of her life. Maybe forever. Worst of all, she is caught. Now she has to live her life as a red.

Hillary Jordan tackles themes of love, loss, and the weight of your choices in When She Woke by using colors to represent crime and discrimination. Some of the best things about this novel are its sensory details, such as describing what skin changing feels like. It is paced very fast, and the characters all go through changes in the book as they face different problems.

The genre of this book is science fiction and is set in a futuristic United States. Hannah is from a small town in Texas, a very Christian community.

Readers will be taken on a journey of self discovery with Hannah as she grows and matures. This is a story that any teen will enjoy, If you wants a story that creeps you out, and makes you think, pick up When She Woke at the nearest library.

 

Maria Polizzi is a high school student, and this is her third publication. She found she enjoyed writing two years ago, and it is something she plans to continue doing as she moves forward in her education.

Rash

By Michael McLaughlin

Rash

You all have read some amazing books but, I bet you haven’t read the book Rash by Pete Hautman. It’s an outstanding book. This book has a New York Times Notable Book of the Year Award. It has some great details and that is why I love this book. It’s  also quite fast paced, and it’s a great book for kids older than nine years old.

This book starts off with the main character, Bo Marsten talking to his grandfather about track and field, and how the USSA (United Safer States of America), is because students have to wear padding and helmets for track, as the USSA is making everything safe.

Hautman’s, Rash is about how to control your anger. It’s about self identity— finding how you really are.

Bo Marstens’ family is really crazy because in this year, 2074 almost everything is illegal and the Marsten family has some serious anger issues. Bo’s dad and brother are both in jail for ten years and are picking shrimp shells as their punishment.

There were many major characters in Rash, including Bo, like Rhino, Bork, and Hammer. The antagonist, the character that provides a contrast to the major character, is Karlohs. Anything he did annoyed Bo a lot.

Bo’s character  developed as time passed, and I liked the message and that we shouldn’t have to get angry all the time. So the next time you’re in your local library or the one closest one to you check out Rash by Pete Hautman. You’ll be glad you did.

 

Michael McLaughlin is fourteen years old and going into eighth grade at St. Patrick’s School in Rolla Missouri. His favorite genre of food is seafood.  He loves to watch or play baseball,  and since he’s from Missouri his favorite team is the STL Cardinals.  In Michael’s words; “A cool thing about me is that I’m actually adopted, and I’ve been adopted for about eight years now, and it gave me the chance to be writing this auto-biography and I’m so grateful for what this family has done for me.”

 

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