Joint Review - Perfect Ruin by Lauren DeStefano

Join Book Review

Perfect Ruin

by Lauren DeStefano

1) Easy to read?

Amber: I say yes. I know Kam is gonna say no, at least not at first. But for me, Lauren Destefano has a way with words that just touches me. She could be writing about poop on a stick and it would enthrall me. I just think she’s that good. (No, she wasn’t talking about poop on a stick in this book. Don’t worry.) It does start off a little slow, and a little confusing, but things clear up the further you go. So, I wouldn’t say it’s hard to get through. At all. There are points where you really can’t put the book down. EASY TO READ? YES. Okay. Sorry for the ramble.

Kam: Contrary to popular belief, I did find this book easy to read. Lauren's writing is very poetic, and I feel the same way about her previous trilogy. She has a way of explaining how I feel in ways I never could. But something the two don't share is their interesting plot progression. (Next topic)

2) Good Plot Progression?

Amber: Yeah, I think so. The story starts off like I said earlier, kinda slow and you kinda ask a couple of questions like “why is he like that?” or “why is it this happening” (I’m trying to be general so I don’t spoil anything) and personally, what I love about it is that you get that anticipation and build up, you get to say “I bet he’s….” or “I bet it’s because…” and then when you least expect it, Lauren explains it. WIN.

Kam: There was some progression. SOME. Which is so frustrating. All of the issues I have with this book is centered right here, in the plot. It was so slow; crawling, even. And I know this is intentional on Lauren's part, since her first series didn't suffer from this at all. It was just so repetitive and lackadaisical that I found myself having to read the same page over and over again.

Photo: A couple of years ago, after I'd finished the first draft of Sever, I went into a kind of depression/panic. I'd spent three years working on that story; what was I supposed to do next? After a few weeks of fretting, I bought myself this set of bookends. I told myself that I WOULD write another series, and when it went to print, this is where I'd put my copies. That fall, I started working on a story about a girl who lived in a floating city...

Source

3) Believable Characters?

Amber: Yes. Pen is quite witty and hilarious, though I don’t think she tries to be. I think she just is. Morgan is smarter than she gives herself credit for, and her brother Lex is just a strong human being. Basil is a rock. Supportive, always there. These are the characters that stuck with me the most, and I feel like I could know any one of them.

Kam: Absolutely! Probably the best part about Lauren's writing, apart from the beautiful, flow-y sentences, is the amazingly interesting and believable characters. This book was full of characters that I emotionally invested myself in.

4) Grammar Issues?

Amber: It’s Lauren Destefano. Negative on anything grammar related.

Kam: Agreed.

5) Would you recommend it to someone?

Amber: I have, and I will continue to do so along with her Chemical Garden Trilogy. She is one of the TOP authors around and is WAY underrated. READ LAUREN DESTEFANO!

Kam: Already have, mainly as a way of solidifying putting faith in the sequel.

6) Did you like the ending?

Amber: I’ll just say the ending left me wanting more. But… I guess that’s why there’s a sequel. ;)

Kam: I liked the fact that it makes me want to read the next one, to see what happens. But as far as where it ended or what happened, I thought it was kind of cheesy.

Source

7) Do you see yourself re-reading this book?

Amber: Yep, I would re-read it. Those characters up there are my friends now. I’d love to visit them again.

Kam: Possibly. If not for the story, for the morally beautiful thoughts.

8) Favorite Quotes?

Amber:

“He has a face like composted Broccoli”

“His nose looks like a broken bridge”

“And I've always known it, the way I love a song I hear for the first time, even before I know all the words, the way I love my favorite color, and the way that the train would speed past my bedroom when it was very quiet and I'd feel it in my stomach rushing through me. I love you in a way that I've never felt needed to be said.”

“Maybe what frightens us about the edge isn't our fear of morality, but the thoughts it leads us to have.”

Kam: “He knows that I'm not like the other girls--the normal ones--that a part of me is slipping off this floating city, and he doesn't care. He doesn't care.

Maybe we're both beyond saving.”

Amber: 5/5 stars. Buy the book. Read the Book. Love the Book

Kam: 3.5/5. I'll read the next one.

-Grownup Fangirl