The Fault In Our Stars Review

Book Review #6: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Overall Rating: 9.75/10

Plot: 10/10

Writing: 9/10

Characters: 10/10

Originality:10/10

Sample Passage: So here’s how it went in God’s heart: The six or seven or ten of us walked/wheeled in, grazed at a decrepit selection of cookies and lemonade, sate down in the Circle of Trust, and listened to Patrick recount for the thousandth time his depressingly miserable life story-how he had cancer in his balls and they thought he was going to die but he didn’t die and now here he is, a full-grown adult in a church basement in the 137th nicest city in America, divorced, addicted to video games, mostly friendless, eking out a meager living by exploiting his cancertastic past, slowly working his way toward a master’s degree that will not improve his career  prospects, waiting, as we al do, for the sword of Damocles to give him the relief that he escaped lo those many years ago when cancer took both of his nuts but spared what only the most generous soul would call his life. AND YOU TOO MIGHT BE SO LUCKY!

Genre: Young Adult Realistic Fiction

Number of Pages: 313 | Hardcover Edition
Published: By the Penguin Group in 2012

Summary: Hazel has definitely excepted that fact that, though an experimental medicine has bought her more time, she will undoubtedly die very young.  Unfortunately, her mother hasn’t, leading her to Cancer Kid Support Group, a place that makes her already bad life seem so much worse.  But the Support Group might not be a bad thing when Augustus Waters shows up, and gives Hazel a medicine no doctor can prescribe, and making her realize what life-and death- is truly all about.

In my last review I stated that The Maze Runner was probably the best book I’ve read in 2012 so far.  I am so happy to say that this book has made me reconsider!  When you look at the summary I wrote, and even the one on the inside cover, you might think that it is a cliche book about a teen with cancer having one big pity party, but it’s not. It really isn’t.

The plot was absolutely original, just because of the characters.  Honestly, if you just took a look at the summary, it is completely unoriginal.  But the unique style of writing Green has provided and the characters that go along with it make you step back and say. “Woah, dude. No way.” (If you talk like that)  It’s definitely not your action-packed book but it has enough plot twists to surprise you here and there, and it is not a pity party or sappy romance story like almost every other young adult book out there. But it’s not so far out of the small range of books most teenage girls read to make it have a low audience.  Basically the best thing about this plot is that it’s balanced. 

The characters were just awesome! This may seem offensive to people, but it amazes me when a guy author can not only write a girl as a main character, but make her the narrator in first person too, better then some girls can! I can’t believe that a guy can understand a girl’s feelings like that, especially one who has death over her head, and, guy or girl, those people can be very hard to understand.  

I loved Augustus, except sometimes he would be hypocritical.  He is sort of a male hero type like you would see in romance novels, but Hazel is not the damsel in distress that you would see in those novels, so they have a good balanced relationship, and it’s not annoying to read about.  Peter Van Houten for those of you who haven’t read the book is the author of Hazel’s favorite book.  Of course he is such an annoying character to read, but I sort of get what he’s saying about things. Hazel’s parents really bothered me.  They were trying to make her live her life, but at the same time they were suffocating her in the process. But you can’t have a really good book and like all the characters. 

The only reason why this book got a lower rating then 10/10 was because it was written so well that I don’t think the younger young-adult audiences (12-14) would quite understand the whole book, and the points that the author was trying to get across. Even though I understood it, and most of YOU guys would understand it, I have to write the reviews to fit everyone.  I, for one, thought it was really refreshing and I LOVED the language, it was beautiful and absolutely breathtaking.

In short this whole book was fantastic and amazing. I would recommend it to pretty much anyone, especially those girls who looooovvveee the sappy romance novels and that’s all they read.  It’s like reading the same book over and over again, so wake up if the former statement applies to you, something different comes your way!

Coming up Next: I’d Tell You I Love You, But Then I’d Have To Kill You by Ally Carter and Divergent by Veronica Roth