Thursday, March 10, 2011

DEMONGLASS by Rachel Hawkins

All righty, people. This week's recommendation is DEMONGLASS by Rachel Hawkins, and it's an important one because...

1. I don't normally like sequels/series. I know, I know, some of you are dumbfounded. See, I like new characters and new worlds, and it takes a lot to convince me to spend some of my valuable reading time on characters I already know and love.

But DEMONGLASS? Dude, it's what every sequel should aspire to be. It's a novel all it's own. It has a real story. Not what I call a "bridge story" = one that gets me from what started in book 1 to the end in book 3.

And I liked that. I liked that I didn't have to remember a whole bunch of stuff from the first book (HEX HALL--well worth your valuable reading time) in order to understand what was going on in DEMONGLASS. I liked that the story grew and changed and expanded into something promising for book 3.

2. It's funny. And holy Jerry Seinfeld, people. Funny is HARD. I've tried to write funny. I can't. It takes a real witty writing bone I just don't have. So while DEMONGLASS is funny, it's also emotional and angsty. The combination of the two is a real win for me, because that's how my life it.

Rollercoaster of angst + joy + laughter + loss + happiness + smiling + grief + crying + elation = Elana's life.

And that's mirrored in DEMONGLASS, so I really felt a connection to the main character, Sophie.

I'm glad I spent some time with a sequel. If you've read HEX HALL, you should definitely make sure to get DEMONGLASS. And if you haven't read either? Dude, fix that. They're both fantastic.

How do you feel about sequels? Read any you've really loved lately?

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Thursday, March 10, 2011

DEMONGLASS by Rachel Hawkins

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