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The Island of Excess Love Christy Ottaviano Books Francesca Lia Block Books

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The Island of Excess Love Christy Ottaviano Books Francesca Lia Block Books

Didn't like this one as much as the first book. I don't think I like newer FLB nearly as much as I like 90s FLB.


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The Island of Excess Love Christy Ottaviano Books Francesca Lia Block Books Reviews

Much in the same vein as Block's "Ecstasia" and "Primavera," this continuation of "Love in the Time of Global Warming" is an honest and fantastical addition to a story that has already been beautifully established. The characters grow and add to one another, and the new characters are just a vivid. Chapters are a bit longer than in "Global Warming," but the entire book felt like how different Homer is from Virgil. And although I felt a little let down by how "rushed" this book and "Global Warming" came across, it is still filled with the pure magic that Block creates with her words and characters. But I'm a sucker for any ancient Greek/Roman re-imagining/retelling, too.
This book, which is based very loosely on Virgil's "Aeneid" is a superior literary odyssey than the previous book in this series, "Love in the Time of Global Warming, " (which was actually based on Homer's "Odyssey").

It takes all the wonderful parts of a retelling of a myth and makes the juicy and sensuous and magical--but also real and human.

The beginning of the story is a hectic and jumpy, like a dream where your mind has forgotten parts. This was frustrating for me to read, but the story begins to even out once the troop of characters arrives on the Island of Excess Love.

*There is a pretty graphic sex scene. It's a bit shocking for a YA book, but honestly FLB has had sex in every one of her stories and the sex scenes get better every time she writes one.

Anyone who enjoys this series should read "Ecstasia" and "Primavera" which are similar, but in my opinion superior.
Review The Island Of Excess Love by Francesca Lia Block

Pen loses everything in Francesca Lia Block's luminous Love In The Time Of Global Warming. Her family, friends, and the peaceful existence she knows are ripped away in one terrifying moment. The cataclysmic Earth Shaker propels her into a dangerous realm filled with looters, psychotic hungry giants, hedonistic flower eaters, a treacherous sorceress, and a maniacal scientist. A battered copy of Homer's Odyssey and mysterious orange butterflies guide Pen as she searches for her missing loved ones. Appearing like a dark angel throughout is Merk, the home invader who gifts our heroine with supplies and a vehicle. On her journey Pen gains brave companions the mysterious Hex, talented artist Ez, and angelic voiced Ash. Though scarred from the trauma they have survived, love blossoms to divide the four into two couples. Love also seems to be the key to unlocking the mystery of the strange new powers discovered during the Earth Shaker. The travelers are blessed by former girl turned goddess, Tara, in her oasis where they hone their gifts and learn to fight. Soon Pen confronts the evil Kronos to save her younger brother, Venice. She pays dearly with her eye, her innocence, and the loss of her mother. Nonetheless, Pen emerges heroic. The five weary travelers return to discover Pen and Venice's pink house standing miraculously intact despite the tidal wave that destroyed nearly everything else. Their brave little dog Argos is now with them as they struggle to survive this harsh new world in which they have found themselves.

The Island Of Excess Love opens a few months later. Together these young survivors have created a meager safe haven. Venice grows vegetables in the magical garden surrounding the pink house. The others make art, music, and stories to replace the beauty missing from their current reality. When Hex begins reading to them from Virgil's Aeneid, it too begins to mirror their lives. A mysterious ship appears moored near the pink house. The dark dreams and restlessness it brings threatens their hard won, fragile peace. When Merk (revealed previously to be Pen's biological father) arrives, he is convinced the answers they seek will be found aboard ship. Nevertheless it is merely the gateway to madness as all but Venice battle terrifying visions, tied up by Merk for their own safety. A storm that tears the ship apart ironically saves its passengers from losing their minds and from the misplaced wrath of one another.

Having barely survived these recent trials Pen discovers herself alone. Washed ashore on the black sand beach of a strange island, she encounters the heart rending sight of her lover Hex's dead body. Yet as she cries out, Hex is discovered standing behind her miraculously, mysteriously alive. Hex shows Pen her own corpse that he has just found. Together they bury these disturbing unexplained doubles. A vision of Venice, Argos, Ez, and Ash safe with the handsome, mysterious, antler crowned young man Pen has seen before through her clairvoyance reassures the couple that their loved ones are still alive. Exhausted, Pen and Hex sleep readying themselves to search for them tomorrow.

They are woken by three beautiful feathered Sirens who escort them to the king of "The Island Of Love." He has, they are informed, been waiting for them in his crystal palace. The antlered man welcomes Pen as his long awaited queen. Escorted to their rooms, Hex and Pen are promised they will reunite with their party soon. However, Hex is uneasy; he does not trust this strange, overly familiar man. Meanwhile, Pen bathes and dresses in a room graced with an uncanny portrait of herself as a queen. There, she discovers what she dreams of most sitting in a crystal dish a magical eye to replace the sight lost to Kronos. Thanks to this sorcerer king, she can see once more. That evening the king explains that he sent the ship but not the hallucinations, corpses, or other upsetting elements of their journey to him. He explains that he merely wishes for Pen to be happy at his side. Reunited with loved ones, sated upon delicious food, and gifted with beautiful clothes to Pen and the others life with the king seems like a miracle. As all but Hex celebrate their good fortune, Pen is increasingly drawn to the enigmatic young ruler. While the group grows increasingly entangled in this paradise in which they have found themselves, the foundations of the life they built together begin to crumble. Darker things are afoot. Is this new life real or merely illusion? On the Island Of Love is anything truly what it seems?

Once again Block delivers a story as stirring as it is beautiful. This sequel, a satisfying continuation to Love In The Time Of Global Warming, is well written enough to stand alone. The author's distinctive prose paints the conflicting bleakness and enchantment of her characters' world in a way imminently accessible to her readers. In this series Ms. Block creates a beautiful homage to classical works, The Aeneid and The Odyssey, without becoming derivative or losing the attention of modern booklovers. Her words are as ever sensually dark yet lyrical and filled with light. It is her ever-present hopefulness coupled with her unique perspective that makes Block's work truly enchanting. This novel will not disappoint those hoping to continue Pen's tale or reading it as a standalone work. The conclusion of Island Of Excess Love left me equally satisfied yet looking forward to the third and final installment of this beautifully crafted series.
This was an okay sequel to Love in the Time of Global Warming. I didn't like it nearly as much as the original book, although there was some beautiful imagery throughout.

Pen and her friends are making a life for themselves in the pink house on the beach. The world has ended but they are still surviving. Then a mysterious boat shows up on the shore and this boat brings up all the bad in our characters’ pasts and makes them relive it. Our characters end up heading out on yet another adventure to the Island of Excess Love. The story was written to loosely follow Virgil’s Aeneid.

The plot is very straight-forward and predictable, not nearly as dreamy and ambiguous as Love in the Time of Global Warming. I always enjoy Block’s beautiful sparkle in her writing, but that just wasn’t present in this book. The beautiful description is there, but our character feel downtrodden and tired...they aren’t finding beauty in this desolate world like they did in the first book.

The characters are not nearly as easy to engage with as they were in the first book either. In fact I flat out disliked them throughout much of the story. They make very poor decisions and treat each other poorly, there isn’t much heroic about this story.

Overall this was an okay read but a disappointing follow up to Love in the Time of Global Warming. Everything about this story felt tired. I would only recommend reading if you really loved Love in the Time of Global Warming and are dying to find out what happened to Pen and crew after that book.
I cannot out into words how amazing this serious is
Magical
Didn't like this one as much as the first book. I don't think I like newer FLB nearly as much as I like 90s FLB.