Based on all the independent reading books/titles  you have read this year, if you were to chose one to write your end of year essay on, which one would it be, and why? Explain in details why this book stands out the most. What themes does it highlight? what moral lesson(s) does it give the reader?

If I were to chose a title to write and essay about, it would have to be Prodigy by Marie Lu, I think that this book stands out to me simply because of its application to the world we live in now. Conflict is something that we see more and more in our society, as people get more and more comfortable disputes over small things become more and more common. It’s important to keep the right people close through these conflicts, with the right people, hardships and conflict aren’t nearly as bad. I think this is the overall theme of the story, the main characters go through no shortage of torment from the world which they live in. The conflicts and tensions for both of the main characters are extremely threatening, and they almost never have the luxury of relaxing and not worrying about the future, through this they try their best to maintain a relationship with each-other. Furthermore another theme which is explored which greatly applies to our current world is the dispute, and the huge difference between advantaged and disadvantaged people. In the hyper-capitalist country where the characters live, these disputes are very exaggerated, however this shows the readers what the future could look like, if conflicts and disputes aren’t resolved. Movies like Joker and Parasite have similar themes in this relation. This is a huge conflict within society and it is portrayed nicely in this book. Overall its the relation to the status quo, and the impending problems which we face as a society that make this book interesting and unfortunately, a  loose  reminder for what the future may hold.

On your current reading book. What strikes you the most about the story? How does the author use language to make meaning of his/her message?

Currently I’m reading a book by Rick Riordan, while I’ve read most of the series when I was younger. I thought since I had enjoyed it so much then, I would have a reread with a more mature and less naive eye. Reading this book now, it still feels very fresh, only now do I realize all of the references and  and small details which I wasn’t to find or understand as a elementary school kid reading simply for enjoyment, and the thrill of seeing my favorite characters in the climax of a long journey.

In terms of what strikes me in the story, I think the biggest thing which really makes this story special is the sense of belonging which Rick Riordan creates. The book is centered around 7 main characters and their journey in saving the world, but for every single duo or trio within those 7 characters there is a special connection that the reader knows about. For example Leo, Jason, and Piper are a trio. Although they spend time in the book with a whole multitude of characters, every time the three of them interact the reader knows how their relationships work. And this isn’t the only examples, groups like Hazel Frank and Jason have a similar effect. This is further perpetuated in two ways, firstly the effects of the reader feeling and recognizing a connection goes outside of just the 7 main characters. there are about a dozen or more other characters which readers can still be invested in, and their relationships are seen through the lens of the main characters. The second thing which really makes the reader invested and intrigued by the characters, is this notion of different matchups.  For a reader like myself who has followed much of the stories which Rick Riordan wrote (Which are all in the same universe mostly) by the time we get to the fifth book in the series (and presumably the tenth for readers who’ve read Percy Jackson), there is some understanding of the Greek and Roman gods which Rick Riordan subtly teaches throughout the series. We know how Zeus acts when other characters disobey him, we know that Poseidon is relaxed until distressed when he becomes just as ruthless as his brother. From this, Riordan makes what is almost like a matchup system. Many traits and characteristics of the demigods the story follows are derived from the real personalities directly from Greek Mythology, the many contrasts which the readers can draw are pivotal in making the characters relationships interesting, for example if we see Piper (The daughter of Aphrodite) Interact with another character, we as the readers already have some general idea of how that relationship will work, and continuing to read to see if we are right or not is something that keep us invested, and keeps us reading. Just like Greek Pantheon, the demigods and many characters in the story are just a messy mix and match of different huge personalities and egos, there is always interest in reading about them.

In terms of language, Rick Riordan is excellent with his diction, as well as imagery. I think these two overall contribute to the story the most, the diction always gives a good idea of what that character is thinking, and the way he speaks through the lenses of different characters varies depending on who is talking. When reading dialogue it never feels like the same author wrote all of it, readers are able to associate diction and speaking through the lens of tone and attitude. For example when hearing a phrase in dialogue, a reader would be able to say

“Oh, that sounds like something character x would say”

Secondly, in terms of imagery, the challenge when writing a fantasy story in the modern age, is putting into illustrations how these huge entities would look like in the status quo. Rick Riordan pulls this off amazingly, and I think its one of the best things about his mythological series as a whole. Portraying them in the world we live in today, not 3 thousand years ago. The gods have lived a long time, and they adapt with the culture of society. One may ask, if the gods are so powerful why do they have to be in line with what humans are doing. Riordan explains in his world building setup that the gods derive power from humans, and that humans are necessary in keeping the gods alive. The mechanism here is key, it keeps these entities we are led to believe to be “Larger than life” to be inevitably tied to us in some way,  through the lightning bolts and giant monsters, all of these divine and seemingly immortal entities are kept grounded by Riordan throughout the series.

I’d have to say that my favorite book of 2020 would have to be Prodigy by Marie Lu, during the semester I finished Prodigy relatively slowly, I wasn’t doing all that much reading. But during the times which I was, I thoroughly enjoyed the book. There is a lot of suspense and action, and the story is full of turns and fast pace sequences. But the pacing never feels too fast. There are often scenes which contribute very little to the overall story/plot of the book, but focus more on fleshing out the characters. These scenes help to pace the overall story which can feel rushed at times, by toning down the severity of the problems they face, simultaneously distracting the characters and the readers from the huge over-arching problems and themes which the book covers, with scenes which deal with characters themselves, and their relationship with each-other.  In my opinion if you are able to be entertained by scenes which only involve characters and dont include overarching contributions to the plot, it means the author has done a fantastic job in fleshing out the characters.

Whats Happened Since the Last Reflection?

The main characters (Day and June) find themselves helping the Patriots (A group of rebels hiding in the ranks of the republic military)  without much choice. June is headed to the capital to get an audience with the elector so she can assassinate him, Day is on another mission. The reader learns more about the world-building in the universe through Day’s perspective when finding out that there are many more states in the world, many of which have better living conditions than the United States which is going through civil war.

Title: There hasn’t been anything new which has changed my mind about what the title may be referring to, I still think that it is just a reference to June’s old reputation as being a Prodigy in the republic ranks. There hasn’t been new evidence to support another prediction outright.

Likes

I like the way the author explains what has happened to the world, its quite clever for her to illustrate the lengths of the Republic’s censorship by telling the reader that there are other states that have simply been kept from the readers/characters knowledge. This is done so well to the point that I didn’t think that was going to be the case when i first started reading, I thought it was likely that the entire world was essentially in a bad state. Finding out thats not the truth is as much a surprise for Day as it is for me. I also like how she is subtly incorporating many details which are quite realistic in terms of consequences of current day issues particularly climate change. Theres no saying what could happen in the future and her exploration of the dystopian possibility is very interesting to say the least

• What have you learned or discovered while reading the first section of your book?

In the opening pages of the book, the author (Marie Lu) does an extremely good job of summarizing the world building which would have been part of the first installment of the series ( I skipped it) She does this through illustrating the dystopian world in which the characters live in, describing the country of America, where the book takes place. As a country that is deep in a civil war crisis between a seemingly more conservative Republic, who are actively engaged in war with colonies. We also learn about the two main characters, Day and June, We learn about the struggles that they have been through, and also the trauma that has come along with those struggles, and we see that this trauma which is presumably going to be ongoing, greatly affects they way they interact with each-other, and the way in which they make important decisions.

• Explain the title

The title of the book is Prodigy, this is because one of the main characters – June, is a prodigy in the place which she grows up. Based on the world building that has been done up until this point, my knowledge about the context of being a prodigy in the republic where June grows up, seems to be heavily centered around competency (She appears to be quite skilled at basically everything) as well as wealth.

• What category or genre does the book fit under?

The genre of the book is dystopian fiction

• Who is your favorite character up to now? why?

Up until now my favorite character is June, as I like the contrast with the her being wealthy formally, but then giving up that wealth when she becomes a criminal, and then having to learn how to adapt/cope with the consequences of being wanted.