What Power Could Have Cursed It?

Good morning/afternoon/night, friends!
For my book report, I decided to read the book Elantris by Brandon Sanderson. Brandon Sanderson is one of my favorite authors, and I was planning on reading this anyways, so it worked perfectly for this report. Elantris revolves around three main characters, Raoden, Sarene, and Hrathen. It takes place in the country of Arelon, ten years after the collapse of Elantris, city of the gods. Elantris was once beautiful and mighty, until a strange power cursed all those who lived there to damnation. The city fell into disarray, and the kingdom soon left it to rot, pretending it no longer existed.
Prince Raoden of Arelon wakes one morning to find that he, too, has been cursed. He is taken from civilization and shoved into the filth of Elantris, where he finds a disgusting cesspool of Elantrians. Many have gone insane, while others maintain enough sense to try to steal Raoden's few scraps of food. Raoden refuses to succumb to the pain, however, and sets to work trying to bring order to the city, all while hoping to find what mysterious power brought the city to its knees.
Sarene is a princess from the country of Teod, far across the ocean. She was set to be married to the Prince of Arelon, but when she arrives, she finds he has disappeared, and people refuse to talk about him. Intent on discovering what plot is unfolding, she finds herself pulled into the political turmoil of Arelon. Putting her original thoughts away, she decides to do what she must to help the struggling country.
Hrathen is the Head Gyorn of Shu-Dereth, the main religion of neighboring country Fjordell. He is told by his master, Wyrn, that he has three months to convert all of Arelon to Shu-Dereth, or the country will be destroyed. He is confident, for he has done the same in Duladel, to the south, but he soon finds the task will be harder than he thought. The people of Arelon are afraid of any theologies, after Elantris collapsed. Hrathen must find a way to remove the people's fear if he is to save them from holy destruction.
Though originally separate, these three characters find their destinies are intertwined from to beginning, as they must do what is possible to save Arelon, stop Fjordell's power, and learn what power cursed Elantris.

At first, this book was surprisingly boring, but now that I'm deep in the story, it's hard to put the book down. Brandon Sanderson effortlessly combines the complex politics and debates of Arelon and Elantris with the action of Hrathen's story. It's interesting to see the stories combine. I'm excited to see how this book turns out!

Family Values? What Family Values?

Hi, everyone!
I finally got off my lazy, tired rear and went to post on my blog. Spring Break's been hard on me, if that's even possible.

This week, we had to compare Tillie's dysfunctional family and the strict, traditional Capulets. I went back and reread The Effect of Gamma Rays Etc. Etc. so I was refreshed on Tillie's family. At first, I thought her family was completely different than the Capulets. After all, they were from two completely different time periods. However, after I thought about it, I realized they were surprisingly alike.
In both families, the daughter (Tillie/Juliet) often had different ideals from their mother (Beatrice/Lady Capulet.) Though the mother tried her best to connect with her daughter, it never really worked out. Also, both Juliet and Tillie loved something/someone that their mother didn't approve of. Juliet loved Romeo (blech) and Tillie loved science. They also both had someone who tried to help them achieve their goals, despite it being unapproved of. Tillie had her sister, Ruth, and Juliet had the Nurse.
The families also had their differences. Beatrice didn't necessarily approve of the whole Science Fair, but she did eventually let Tillie go. Contrasting to this, Lady Capulet never relented and let Juliet marry Romeo. She argued right to the bitter end. Another difference is why both mothers disapproved in the first place. Lady Capulet wasn't willing to let her daughter marry a Montague, due to a (quite silly) house rivalry. Her reasons were selfish, and somewhat immature. On the other end, Beatrice just seemed to want a a simple, easy daughter that she could truly love. She tried her hardest to care for and understand Tillie, unlike Lady Capulet.

So, ultimately, both families kind of screwed everything up. Hooray for a complete lack of family values! And before I forget, R.I.P The Rabbit. That was depressing.
Well, hope everyone had a good Spring Break (even though I didn't.) Relax a little more, and see you all next week!