R.J. Anderson
R.J. (Rebecca) Anderson was born in Uganda, raised in Ontario, and has spent much of her life dreaming of other worlds entirely. She is the author of ten traditionally published fantasy/SF books for children and teens, including the UK-bestselling faery romance KNIFE. Her latest published book is TORCH (Book 3 of the Flight and Flame trilogy, which began with SWIFT and NOMAD).
* * * REVIEW POLICY * * *
I review books that I enjoyed reading and think other readers may enjoy as well, but that doesn't mean I agree with or endorse those books in every respect. If you're concerned about content, please check out other reviewers or sites that provide detailed warnings.
I'm no longer giving star ratings as I don't find them nuanced enough, but for books I've already rated, see below:
5 stars: I loved this book so much that I expect to read it again and again -- I reserve this rating for beloved classics and books that knocked my socks off.
4 stars: I really enjoyed the book and/or thought it was excellently done -- there is a good possibility that I'll re-read it.
3 stars: I enjoyed the book and thought it was well done. Should not be taken as belittling the book or its author -- it really does mean "I liked it".
2 stars: I didn't connect to this book as I'd hoped. This category includes books by authors whose other works I truly love, so it's not a dealbreaker. Just found this particular book wasn't for me.
1 star/DNF: Definitely not for me. But I won't be reviewing it because I choose to focus on books I enjoy.
“I sensed that not only the grand movements of the cosmos, but everything that had happened in my life, was a part of that song. Even the hurts that seemed most senseless, the mistakes I would have done anything to erase—nothing could make those things good, but good could still come out of them all the same, and in the end the oratorio would be no less beautiful for it.I realized then that even though I was a tiny speck in an infinite cosmos, a blip on the timeline of eternity, I was not without purpose. And as long as I had a part in the music of the spheres, even if it was only a single grace note, I was not worthless. Nor was I alone.”
“Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her.”
“I saw the whole universe laid out before me, a vast shining machine of indescribable beauty and complexity. Its design was too intricate for me to understand, and I knew I could never begin to grasp more than the smallest idea of its purpose. But I sensed that every part of it, from quark to quasar, was unique and - in some mysterious way - significant.”
“What would happen if you stopped fighting, and gave yourself permission to feel? Not just the good things, but everything?”
“Every time you show your feelings, you apologize. Have you ever had an emotion in your life that you weren't ashamed of?”
“I caught Faraday's face between my hands and broke off the kiss, breathless. "I've just thought of something," I said."Something we haven't tried.""There's a lot of things we haven't tried," he said, "but I'm going to refrain from the obvious, and assume you're talking about the wormhole. What is it?”
“Dark chocolate, poured over velvet: that was how his voice tasted. I wanted him to follow me around and narrate the rest of my life.”
“Everybody has a story, Alison," he said. "Everybody has things they need to hide--sometimes even from themselves.”
“I realized then that even though I was a tiny speck in an infinite cosmos, a blip on the timeline of eternity, I was not without purpose.”
“I heard the universe as an oratorio sung by a master choir of stars, accompanied by the orchestra of the planets and the percussion of satellites and moons. The aria they performed was a song to break the heart, full of tragic dissonance and deferred hope, and yet somewhere beneath it all was a piercing refrain of glory, glory, glory. And I sensed that not only the grand movements of the cosmos, but everything that had happened in my life, was a part of that song. Even the hurts that seemed most senseless, the mistakes I would have done anything to erase--nothing could make those things good, but good could still come out of them all the same, and in the end the oratorio would be no less beautiful for it.”
“But there were worse things than disappointment, and I'd lived through several of them already.”
“I might not be ready to pour out my feelings to the world, but I’d had enough of trying to ignore them.”
“I found her lying naked on the lawn at midnight, can I keep her?”
“I disliked numbers, and they didn't think much of me either.”
“I'm just a little cold," said Knife, pulling the blanket closer about her shoulders.Paul wrapped his free arm around her. "It's all right," he said. "I've got you.""Yes," said Knife, smiling up at him. "You have.”
“Reluctantly she lifted her eyes to his, and he went on: "I want you to understand this as though I were one of your own people." He drew in a deep breath. "Thank you. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for my life.”