This week's topic:
If you could be reincarnated as any fictional character, which would it be?
Oh bother. My head hurts just thinking about this question. As others have mentioned, being a major fan of dystopian fiction doesn't give you much to work with here. Who the heck would want to be a Katniss or a Tris, Peeta and Four aside? Thanks, I think I'll pass on the severe PTSD and life-threatening situations. And then I thought about Katsa and Fire, but the degrees of Kevin Bacon to that creepster Leck kind of ruined that notion. Where there's Hermione, there's Voldy, Umbridge, and Bellatrix. Cinder—cyborg parts and a plague. (I kind of want to keep my parts. I'm weird that way.)
And then I had it:
I'd be Karou from Daughter of Smoke & Bone.
Prague, blue hair, really unique family/friends, and then there's Akiva. I'm pretty sure that 'smokin' hot angel boyfriend' is a list-topper. Karou's not without (more than) her fair share of struggles and sadness, but I think other aspects of her strange and fantastical life trump that for me. She's a talented artist, she's kickass, she's snarcastic and feisty—a multitude of things that I am not but wish I was. And seriously, doesn't this choice seem awfully appropriate given this particular topic of reincarnation? I'd love to be Karou.♥
I could get used to views like this:
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| All pictures are from Creative Commons: 1) Place Straromestske Namesti (vue sur Notre Dame du Tyn) - photo by Nicolas Esposito, 2) Charles Bridge over the Vltava - photo by Fred Hsu, and 3) Notre Dame de Tyn - photo by Dario Garavini |
Then again, maybe not. I'm fairly certain it would never stop taking my breath away.
"snarcastic" You have just created my new favourite word!
ReplyDeleteI've been looking forward to reading this book for a while, and Karou sounds like an awesome character!
"Snarcastic" is a great word, but I can't take credit for it. :) I'm not sure where I first heard it, but I've loved it ever since. And Karou is one of my favourites, as is this book!
DeleteI LOVE KAROU! (yes all in caps, that's how much I loved that book!) So basically, I think I should dare you to dye your hair blue for the release of your book :D
ReplyDeleteShe is certainly a very unique and compelling character. I'm not so sure about the blue hair on me though. I'd have to bleach my hair first to get the blue to take, and I'm fairly certain that would fry the heck out of my hair. It would be cool, though. :)
DeleteDoS&B did well on my what-book-to-buy-next poll last week, so while it might not be the next book I buy (THE BOOK THIEF is currently top of the list), it's close to it.
ReplyDeleteDo you wonder if this question works in reverse? Would Karou like to be a witty, soon-to-be-published-if-the-publishing-world-has-any-sense Canadian girl? You never know... what seems to us to be a great life might be sucky from her side of the fence. She might like a change of pace, and some different challenges. :)
Yes, you really should read it. Knowing what you believe spiritually (and my own beliefs), I would approach it like mythology. That's what I did, and it allowed me not to get hung up on any theological questions. Does that make sense? Wow, I'm not really selling this book, am I? It's fantastic, though, I promise. :)
DeleteAnd as for Karou: I doubt very highly that she'd find Red Deer, Alberta to be overly enticing. Trust me on that one. :) As for yours and Elodie's confidence in my ability to get published, I have only two things to say: 1) Awww, thanks! and 2) Man, I only wish.
Awesome choice, Jaime! Karou would definitely be high on my list, though I think I'd chose to be reincarnated as Taylor from JELLICOE ROAD (only so I could kiss Jonah Griggs, though!).
ReplyDeleteStill haven't read JELLICOE ROAD or met Jonah Griggs yet. Probably should, right? :) And I think maybe we're all a little envious of Karou's blue hair and her angel friend. Or maybe that's just me... :D
DeleteI really need to read that book! Despite everything that happened in HP, I did choose Hermione as one of my characters. I just love her too much.
ReplyDeleteIt's a really great book. So well-written and compelling. Seriously, Laini Taylor single-handedly puts me to shame and inspires me while doing it. :)
DeleteOh my goodness, I need to check out this book! And I LOVE the pictures!!!!!! <3
ReplyDeleteLaini Taylor's writing is beyond beautiful--you'll love it. :)
DeleteGreat choice!!! Karou is sooo bad@$$ :-) Love the pictures of Prague. Now that is one place I really want to go to. I chose a funny, literary character for my Road Trip.
ReplyDeleteKarou is pretty great, as is Laini Taylor's writing. :) And Prague is such a great setting for this story. I haven't been since 1995, so I think I might have to remedy that sometime in the near future.
DeleteI almost picked Karou too! All win-win there! Great pics ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree! There's much to love about Karou and about this book. :)
DeleteAw, I like Karou! Though I didn't pick her, I admired her as a character in the book. Plus, choosing her makes a lot of sense in the reincarnation department. *wink*
ReplyDelete*nudge nudge* :) She was pretty fantastic as a character, but it's probably because the great Laini Taylor wrote her. If it was me writing Karou, she'd end up looking like a stick figure or a blue-haired good luck troll. :)
DeleteI LOVE Karou! That book was so special. I felt immediately sucked into her world and loved all the imagery of Prague; my husband has been there so I asked him questions about some of the places which are real, like the bridge and that little cafe she goes to with her friend. I'm so glad that book is a series, I can't wait for the next one.
ReplyDelete(And way to go using creative commons pics and all your photographer references. It's a lot of work but worth it to keep a legal blog :) Nice going)
I think the reason Karou and her world are so compelling is because Laini Taylor is just that awesome as a writer. I'm so envious. I was in Prague in high school, and the descriptions of the city brought it all back.
DeleteAs for creative commons pics: It does take a little longer, but I think it's worth it in the end. :)
So I'm pretty sure I'm the last person in the world that hasn't read this book. Can't wait to read it though.
ReplyDeleteThere are others, I promise. :) The sequel comes out in November, so if you read it closer to the fall then you won't have long to wait for Book 2!
DeleteThe more I read these post the more I wish I would have read these books. Karou sounds awesome. I love feisty kickass characters. Great post. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE is definitely one of my favourites. Laini Taylor is an amazing author. It's one of those books where you'll re-read sentences just because they're so profound and well-written. A must-read. :)
DeleteI've been to Prague, it really is a gorgeous city! Oh, and her being snarctastic if of course the best ;)
ReplyDeleteI was in Prague during a summer in high school, and I feel like Laini Taylor really captured the beauty and mystery of this city. But then Laini Taylor could write the ingredients on a Cheerios box and make it sound fantastic. :)
DeleteI thought of Karou as well but decided against her in the end. If you get reincarnated to Karou, I expect an invite to Prague. :D
ReplyDeleteThere were just too many options. Fortunately, all of the dystopian characters got cancelled out right away, narrowing my list quite a bit. I think there should be a writer's conference in Prague. Just sayin'... :D
DeleteSo many great answers today! Y'all obviously put more thought into it than I did--I got too hung up on Writer's Hell. But yes, Karou, would be a great choice
ReplyDeleteI just stared at my bookcases, ruling out books as I went (for the reasons I mentioned above). This was a lot tougher than I thought in the end. :)
DeleteWhat a great choice! I loved Karou from page 1, she's such a complete badass. :) Can't wait for Days of Blood & Starlight!
ReplyDeleteShe totally is! Laini Taylor really makes Karou and her world come alive. And DAYS OF BLOOD & STARLIGHT can't get here fast enough! :)
DeleteGreat choice, Jaime! Oh to live in PRAGUE!
ReplyDeleteAh! I know, right? Such a beautiful city, described so well by such an amazing author. :)
DeleteI keep hearing so many good things about this book! I'm going to have to read it soon because it's been on my tbr-list for a long long time. Great post and I didn't have Prague on my list of places I wanted to visit, but I'm definitely adding it now. Those pictures are GORGEOUS.
ReplyDeleteDAUGHTER OF SMOKE & BONE is so well-written and just such a good story. Just think, the closer to November you read it, the less time you'll have to wait for the sequel if you love it. :)
DeleteAck, my computer ate so many of my comments today! Anyway, this is a fabulous choice--the rare book that combines fantastical elements with a world that's relatively livable! (And I like what you said about thinking about it as mythology--I don't really know what to make of the angels/fallen angels as paranormal characters in general, not because I have strong beliefs about them one way or another but because I have studied some of the traditional ideas about them and I find myself getting hung up trying to gel whatever happens in the book with, like, church or Milton. But it's a good story, and that's a great perspective on it.)
ReplyDeleteOh, and I also pointed out that you could get blue hair the Karou way--or the Lola Nolan way! I vote for wigs, every time!
DeleteYou're so right. This book can be classified as so many different things, which I love about it. That and the amazing writing, of course. :) Even aside from any faith-based considerations, this book totally felt mythological to me. I think it's because of the chimera and the angels as well as the latter chunk of the book. That makes it even more unique in my mind. :)
DeleteAs for the blue hair→ Lola Nolan FTW! Great idea with the wig thing (though, I'm not sure if I could pull that off). :)
I love Karou! Excellent choice, Jaime!
ReplyDeleteI think I'd have to go with Fire. I'd deal with Leck if that meant I got to have my hands on Prince Brigan. :) I think my second choice would be Katsa. Super badass, full of flaws and opinions, and of course, has Po. (Plus, she's the one to bring down Leck, so that's a plus!).