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Featured Reviews

Frankenstein
Reviewed by: Mulk

Frankenstein is about Victor Frankenstein who becomes obsessed with science and with his excessive ambition of bringing a creature to life through scientific experiments. After minutes of creating the creature, the creature is suddenly abandoned to cope alone. The creature longs for company but he gets rejected by the society as he reveals himself to people one at a time. The creature finally then decides to confront his creator. It leads to much destruction in everyone’s lives around Victor. The themes of responsibility and excessive ambition have been explored throughout the novel.

I like how the monster figure is shown as a devastating figure instead of villain. It highlights how the monster's actions were because of rejection, abandonment, and isolation that he faced. In the novel, it really makes you question who the real villain is. Mary Shelley shows deep emotions to better help the reader understand the monster's sufferings. Most importantly, this novel teaches the readers about being able to take accountability and responsibility for your own actions and the dangers of unchecked ambition. I didn’t really like how deaths have been caused in the book. It feels like every character died because of Victor’s neglection of taking responsibility for his creation and all the destruction could have been reduced. Some parts of the novel most of the description is unnecessary, long and boring. For some of the chapters it was difficult to stay focused with what was going on in the scene. I would not recommend it as it was not the best book I’ve read. Even though Frankenstein explores important themes, the novel itself can be boring at some points and hard to focus as it paces slow. Also, the description and language makes it a little confusing and not engaging as for someone who likes to read fast-paced stories to stay engaged. The amount of deaths that have been caused because of Victor makes it really frustrating and tragic, which I believe not everyone prefers. I feel like it’s more from those people who like to read classic literature.

The Outsiders
Reviewed by: Mulk

The Outsiders is about two groups of teenage boys who are always in conflict with each other because of their statuses. One group is poor known as the “Greasers” and the other group is rich known as the “Socs”. They are trying to understand themselves and each other in a type of society where it labels them before they even get a chance to define who they truly are. As conflict between the two groups continue to build, they are forced to face obstacles challenging their friendship. Ponyboy realizes how they are more alike than different excluding social class. It helps him in understanding empathy and looking at others past the labels given to them by society.

I enjoy how The Outsiders shows emotions that teenagers go through in their life. I feel like the characters felt real and somewhat relatable. Moreover, I enjoyed the story because it gave friendship and loyalty importance between the Greasers. Also the development of the characters shows an example of how people can change over time. Lastly, the delivery of the message of not judging anyone based on their social status. I didn’t like how some of the characters were killed as it was really upsetting. Some of the events that took place were very emotional. Additionally, the constant fights between the groups were frustrating as it kept on appearing. I would recommend this book to other readers. The story is easy to understand and surprisingly not long. It includes interesting and meaningful events which people would learn about such as empathy and understanding others. I feel like it leaves a lasting impression on readers.

The Odyssey
Reviewed by: S.S. 

The epic poem Odyssey is about Odysseus, who, after the war ends, tries to get back home to Ithaca. However, the people of his land think he is dead and try to conquer his throne and take over his family. The story takes a turn as he ends up trapped with a one eyed-cyclops, then a witch, and many other mythological creatures. He spends the majority of the story trying to escape, and finally, he returns home with a plan. The story has many plot twists and explores the cleverness and knowledge of Odysseus.

This is one of those ancient Greek stories that is just very interesting due to the setting of the story, the characters, and the significance of the situation. A person reading this book may learn many lessons they can apply to their lives today, just the fact that when the world throws everything at you, there is still hope that remains within you. It reminds me of the poem “Invictus” that Nelson Mandela read to himself while in jail. If you look deeper, you also learn about why you have to swallow your pride and how sacrificing for the greater good can benefit you in the long run.

I wanted to finish off by recommending this book to people who like action and fantasy, so that they can also learn from it. There is a movie of the Odyssey coming out soon, so it would be a good book to start reading right away. Overall, I think many people would enjoy reading this unique book, as it has influenced many sequels.