Book Review: The Golden Enclaves by Naomi Novik

 

Goodreads Summary: Saving the world is a test no school of magic can prepare you for in the triumphant conclusion to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with A Deadly Education and The Last Graduate.
The one thing you never talk about while you're in the Scholomance is what you'll do when you get out. Not even the richest enclaver would tempt fate that way. But it's all we dream about, the hideously slim chance we'll survive to make it out the gates and improbably find ourselves with a life ahead of us, a life outside the Scholomance halls.

And now, the impossible dream has come true. I'm out, we're all out—and I didn't even have to turn into a monstrous dark witch to make it happen. So much for my great-grandmother's prophecy of doom and destruction. I didn't kill enclaves; I saved them—me, Orion, and our allies. Our graduation plan worked to perfection: we saved everyone, made the world safe for all wizards, and brought peace and harmony to all the enclaves of the world.

Ha, only joking! Actually, it's gone all wrong. Someone else has picked up the project of destroying enclaves in my stead, and probably everyone we saved is about to get killed in the brewing enclave war on the horizon. And the first thing I've got to do now, having miraculously got out of the Scholomance, is turn straight around and find a way back in.

Goodreads Rating: 4.14 stars with over 75,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Romance

Goodreads and StoryGraph Challenges: 13/60 (I'm back on StoryGraph! Follow me here)

2024 Reading Challenge: #9 Read a book with a color in the title (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review: 

Hello, readers! As always, I hope that everyone is doing well. I'm on the mend from COVID-19, which I caught while at the convention (or traveling to/from). I'd probably feel 100% better already, but I'm also allergic to the state I live in. Ah well, at least this second time around wasn't nearly as bad as the first time. Anyway, on to important things like my thoughts on books. 

I started The Golden Enclaves in April, but I feel like I have been reading it forever. I don't know if it was all the stuff I had going on or something else, but I couldn't get interested in the book and stay interested. It just didn't have the sense of danger the first two books had, where Mals were lurking around every corner. The first part of the book was about El mostly feeling sorry for herself. I understand why she felt this way, but it made for a very dull start to the book. I finally started to get interested around 140 pages, but it didn't hold my interest.

There were pockets where I was fascinated, but overall, I just wanted to be done with the book. The last 60 pages or so had a lot of interesting turns, but I was still ready to be finished. I was considering not finishing it with 40 pages left to go. 

The book was all right; it just didn't capture me like the others did. I don't know if it's the book or my headspace. I liked that the story finished in a way that indicated there wouldn't be additional books. The ending seemed well-rounded. I may eventually reread the trilogy and see if I like The Golden Enclaves more, but for now, I'm pretty indifferent to it. I don't feel strongly about the book one way or another.

Book Review: Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

 

Goodreads Summary: Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord's daughter with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life.

Against her stern father's wishes and society's expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle's laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.

The story's shocking twists and turns, augmented with real, sinister period photos, will make this #1 New York Times bestselling debut from author Kerri Maniscalco impossible to forget.

An instant #1 New York Times Bestseller in its very first week! Presented by James Patterson's children's imprint, this deliciously creepy horror novel has a storyline inspired by the Ripper murders and an unexpected, blood-chilling conclusion...

Goodreads Ratings: 3.97 stars with over 127,000 ratings

Genre Listings: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult, Romance, Horror

Goodreads Challenge: 14/30

2023 Reading Challenge: #32 Read a book about a famous criminal(s) (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, readers! As always, I hope everyone is doing well. Not much of note has been happening that requires any personal updates, so let's jump into my thoughts on Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco. I picked this up with one of the gift cards I got for Christmas. A Historical Fiction novel about a serial killer seemed right up my alley. For whatever reason, I've been obsessed with death, the paranormal, and murder since I was a kid. I don't really know why. But this seemed like a great book selection for the famous criminal prompt.

I expected it to be cheesy and was skeptical. However, I loved it from the very first sentence. I got a gruesome tale with an exciting twist to the brutal story of Jack the Ripper. Kerri Maniscalco kept pretty close to the known facts of the Ripper murders. Because it's one of the biggest (if not the biggest) unsolved mysteries gives authors much free range to create their own ending. There were some fabrications because it's Fiction, but after the story ends, the author provides an excellent description of what she changed and why. I always appreciate this with Historical Fiction because I'm a giant nerd who likes to do a high-level skim of articles to see how much was accurate. 

I really liked Aubrey Rose a lot. I felt like she became a champion for Jack the Ripper's victims. She was brilliant, stayed true to herself, and didn't cave to the restrictive societal standards of her time. She showed some of the different layers that a person can have. She liked girly things like getting dressed up and going to tea, but she was also intelligent and interested in science. I also really liked Thomas as a character. He was arrogant and full of himself, but I found it charming. I also really liked how he encouraged Aubrey to think for herself, use her brain, and not conform to society's expectations. They tempered each other well. Also, his flirting for the time was super inappropriate, and it just made me laugh.

I really like the literary nods in Stalking Jack the Ripper. The way Aubrey Rose and Thomas worked together made me think of  Sherlock Holmes and Watson. I don't know if that was intentional, and admittedly this one for me is more of a film reference as I haven't read Sherlock Holmes yet. There are also a lot of mentions of Frankenstein in this book. Those combined with the titles of the rest of the series make my brain think of the series as a Female-led YA version of The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. So I'm here for it. 

Overall, I loved this book. I told a friend I was discussing it with that it was trying hard to replace my favorite book. It has yet to, but we'll see how long I dwell on it or if I end up rereading it. I recommend it if you like Historical Fiction, YA, Mystery, and are intrigued by Jack The Ripper. 

Book Review: Lore by Alexandra Bracken

 

Goodreads Summary: Every seven years, the Agon begins. As punishment for a past rebellion, nine Greek gods are forced to walk the earth as mortals, hunted by the descendants of ancient bloodlines, all eager to kill a god and seize their divine power and immortality. Long ago, Lore Perseous fled that brutal world in the wake of her family's sadistic murder by a rival line, turning her back on the hunt's promises of eternal glory. For years she's pushed away any thought of revenge against the man--now a god--responsible for their deaths.

Yet as the next hunt dawns over New York City, two participants seek out her help: Castor, a childhood friend of Lore believed long dead, and a gravely wounded Athena, among the last of the original gods.

The goddess offers an alliance against their mutual enemy and, at last, a way for Lore to leave the Agon behind forever. But Lore's decision to bind her fate to Athena's and rejoin the hunt will come at a deadly cost--and still may not be enough to stop the rise of a new god with the power to bring humanity to its knees.

Goodreads Rating: 3.81 stars with over 54,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Mythology, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal

Goodreads Challenge: 12/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #18 Read a book by an author named Alex, Alexander, Alexandra (or variant) (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review: 

Hello, Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm finally back to do a book review. I feel like 2022 has been non-stop, and I've definitely not been able to dedicate nearly as much time to reading or blogging as I'd like. Hopefully, all shenanigans are coming to a close, though. The husband and I have been fighting off Covid for the past week, so here's to hoping no more of that. He brought it home from work and decided to share the wealth. Luckily he's feeling much better. I've been having a more challenging time with it because I have a shitty immune system anyways, and well turns out that severe upper respiratory infections plus asthma is not a fun time. I was able to get a prescription for some meds and am back on an inhaler, so I'm starting to feel better. I'm mostly just exhausted. I'll attempt to do a recap of the year so far later this week or next weekend, but I'm not going to make any promises. 

I finished Lore a few days ago, but I was not really feeling like doing a blog post because of the nonsense with my health. There's a lot I can't really remember, so I'll just give a quick rundown of my thoughts, and then hopefully, with the following posts, I'll start getting back to the more detailed thoughts. 

Overall, I really liked Lore. It felt like The Percy Jackson books and The Hunger Games books had a book offspring, which was the result. I thought the premise was engaging with the various houses of heroes hunting multiple gods. I did think it was a little confusing to remember the houses and who was a god and who wasn't. 

I liked the relationship between Lore and Castor. I liked how she was kind of feral and just in survival mode and how he was a beacon of goodness for her. That, combined with being a friends-to-lovers trope, really resonated with me. There wasn't a love triangle or any unnecessary drama between them. There were some really sweet and romantic comments that I liked. There were also some moments from some of their friends who ended up in a relationship that was pretty great. (Trying to not give out spoilers.)

It was definitely not all romance. There's a lot of action, and it can get pretty gory in places. The mythology incorporated into the story was fun, and I like how Lore had to interact with the different Gods/Goddesses. At the center of the story is Lore, the crappy things she had to deal with growing up, and how she got past them to fulfill her destiny. I had planned to try and type out a little bit more about Lore, but my energy is waning. So, I'll leave it at if you like YA and are fans of Percy Jackson and Hunger Games; definitely give this a shot. 

Book Review: The Octunnumi Fosbit Files Prologue by Trevor Alan Foris

 

Goodreads Summary: The Octunnumi does not exist.
Fosbit and any files relating to a Fosbit do not exist.

The Tarelen peoples that protect and provide sanctuary for the Avitens of Fethrist are not real.

The abilities of the Tarelen peoples with their heightened skills, living in their Utopian world are myth, their purpose here mere tales; rumours of their reincarnations enabling them to live many lives… ridiculous!

And there is definitely no magic.

None at all.

No, really, there isn’t.

Magic is not a thing.

There are also no hidden worlds or mythical beings coexisting just out of sight.

Equally, there are no secret access points to these hidden worlds that don’t exist, and there is no, 'unfinished business from the past' that is set to destroy, well, anything.

There is no disaster looming.

Anyway, regardless of any potential threat that may or may not be present, this publication, The Octunnumi and any reference to any other beings is a work of fiction.

And for the record, Scariodintts, should they exist, are perfectly lovely beings whose purpose in life is grossly misunderstood.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.08 stars with over 8,000 reviews

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Adventure, New Adult, Science Fiction

Goodreads Challenge: 9/48 (Oh hey. I'm behind, shocker)

2022 Reading Challenge: #20 Read a book with a black cover (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

I would normally use this section to tell you about a book I read, but I can't do that because this book doesn't exist and it most definitely does not contain magic. So instead, for this review, I'm going to type in hypothetical thoughts. Because as the description said, it's all just rumors. I most certainly did not order a book that can only be obtained from the author's website that I knew nothing about. It was most certainly not shipped from Europe at the cost of $60. All of this would imply that it existed... 

Okay, that is really hard and I can't do that for the full review. Props to Trevor Alan Foris for being able to write out a description like that. 

Anyways, the whole thing with this book is that as far as I can tell it's only sold on the website, which can be found here. It ships from the UK, I believe so it does take a while if you're in the US. Not including textbooks, it is the most expensive book I have ever bought. It's also the most beautiful. The book it's self is black with a gold title. Every page in the book has decorative steampunk borders, and it's lovely. The appeal for me was purely astethic and the fact that it was a total mystery as to what it was about. Another great feature is that the dictionary is an actual bookmark. Genius.

Here's a look at the prettiness.

I honestly don't want to really talk about the story. Well, I take that back. I do want to talk about it, but I want to help preserve the mystery more. I find that just to be such a cool concept and really as much of the story as the actual story and experience.

What I liked about the story is the uniqueness and cleverness of it. There were a lot of moments that I really had to think about and take it in. I've never ready anything like it. The hardest part for me was that a lot of the time I felt like I was getting half of the story. I don't know if that was because it was a prologue or because it took me so long to read. I just felt like so often I didn't understand what was going on or how the world or magic worked. The only way I can think to explain it is like I was on the outside looking in and everything was fuzzy. Given the secrecy, maybe that was intended. 

I think I'd like to read this again sometime and try to get a better understanding of what happened. I liked the story, and there were parts that I found funny. I just was also really confused a lot. Given that it cost me $60, it's unlikely that I'll acquire the rest of the series when it comes out. Which is unfortunate because I do want to read more. Now that the mystery is gone, I just can't bring myself to spend that much on one book again. I'm hoping that it will come out on kindle at some point. Overall, reading it felt like an actual experience and I'd recommend it or someone who is looking for a book outside of the norm.

Book Review: The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty

 

Goodreads Summary: Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she's a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills, a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.
But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she's forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

Goodreads Ratings: 4.13 Stars with over 71,000 reviews

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Magic, Mythology, Romance

Goodreads/ StoryGraph Challenge: 3/48

2022 Reading Challenge: #10 Read a book from NPR's The 50 Best Science Fiction Books of the Past Decade https://www.npr.org/2021/08/18/1027159166/best-books-science-fiction-fantasy-past-decade (find the entire challenge here)

Life Updates and Book Review:

Hello readers! It's been a long time since I've been able to post, which is unfortunate. I've been unable to do much since around the start of January. We traveled back to Indiana to spend time with the family for Christmas, and then a couple days after we got home, I fell down the stairs and broke my arm. Except, I didn't know I had broken my arm until two weeks later. I just knew that I was in pain and something wasn't right, but I was too stubborn to have it looked at. My right arm was already in a brace for a torn tendon, and because of the fall, my left arm ended up in a splint and sling temporarily. On top of that, I still had to focus on finishing up Grad School. Needless to say, January was ROUGH. 

I ended up reading two books in January but really couldn't handle doing a blog post. I had started the City of Brass during that time but had to put reading it on hold because  I couldn't really hold a physical book and could only hold the Kindle for a limited time. I'll quickly update the other two books I read and then get on with The City of Brass

The Egyptian Mystery by Emily Organ- Read a newly published book (within a year). I think this was the first book I read this year. I liked it, as I always like Penny Green books; however, I didn't have anything insightful to say about it. It's the 11th book in a series, and they tend to follow a bit of a pattern. Enjoyable, but not really anything new to say about the series that I haven't already said ten other times.

The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett- A book by an author whose first or last name has five letters. I love the Disc World. I randomly started a long time ago with The Hogfather and followed the books about Death. However, I was not in the right headspace for Disc World when I read this. Parts made me laugh, but I rarely knew what was going on because I was so stressed and tired. There were many times when I thought about not finishing it and trying again later. But it's relatively short, so I stuck with it. 

Okay, now this brings us to my actual review of The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. The husband got me this book for Christmas, and I must say he did a good job picking it out. I fell in love with this story on page one. I don't know exactly what it was, but Nahri just drew me in immediately. The imagery that S.A. Chakraborty provided was beautiful, and I felt like I was taken to an entirely new world. I found Dara incredibly interesting and wanted to know more about his back story. The magic and mythology involved were also really fascinating. I wasn't as excited to read Ali's part of the story. He just came across as a whiney spoiled brat most of the time. He wasn't terrible; I just wanted to read more of Nahri's story and would have liked seeing things from Dara's perspective. There was also this whole Aladdin vibe, including some genie magic.

What kept this from being a five for me was that there were different tribes, and they each had their own words for things. Culturally, I get the reasoning behind it. However, it took me a little out of the story as a reader because it required me to think about the connections between what one tribe called something and what another tribe called it and why. It was just a lot of history to remember when I wanted to read what happened next. 

I was completely surprised by the ending. I always try to predict what will happen, and I was not even close with this one. I might have audibly gasped at some point during the final chapter or two. I nearly forgot to discuss what I loved the most about this story. It is heavy with sarcasm. It makes me happy. I'm pretty sure if I was reading it on Kindle, most of the pages would be yellow with highlights. I've definitely got to get the next book and read it at some point. If you are looking for a YA Fantasy/Romance, I highly recommend this one. 

Book Review: The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

 

Goodreads Summary: He holds the secret that can end the world.
The truth: Nicholas Flamel was born in Paris on September 28, 1330. Nearly 700 years later, he is acknowledged as the greatest Alchemyst of his day. It is said that he discovered the secret of eternal life.

The records show that he died in 1418.

But his tomb is empty.

The legend: Nicholas Flamel lives. But only because he has been making the elixir of life for centuries. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book he protects—the Book of Abraham the Mage. It's the most powerful book that has ever existed. In the wrong hands, it will destroy the world. That's exactly what Dr. John Dee plans to do when he steals it. Humankind won't know what's happening until it's too late. And if the prophecy is right, Sophie and Josh Newman are the only ones with the power to save the world as we know it.

Sometimes legends are true.

And Sophie and Josh Newman are about to find themselves in the middle of the greatest legend of all time.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.84 stars with over 155,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic, Mythology, Urban Fantasy, Middle Grade

Goodreads Challenge: 42/50 books (Ahh, I'm so close!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #9 Read a book by an author Mike/Michael/Michelle or variant (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hello, Readers! We are fast approaching the end of 2021, which means Tress and I will be launching the 2022 challenge later this month! Stay tuned. I hope you all will join us again. I'm so close to hitting my goal of 50 books for 2021. I don't think I'll get eight more books in this month, but I'm going to try. I'll be pretty happy if I get 45 books. 

I've been reading the Memoirs of Cleopatra since what feels like she walked the Earth, so I decided to try and supplement my reading with a book on Kindle since that one is a physical book. I wanted something light and fun that would be easy to get through. The Alchemyst by Michael Scott definitely fits that requirement.

I really enjoyed the story. I thought it was a lot of fun, and I wanted to keep reading it. I really liked the fantasy aspect, and the world was created. I thought having the gods of various mythologies as an elder race of humans was interesting. I felt that Michael Scott did a great job including all five senses in the story. I feel like smell tends to get forgotten about sometimes, so I really liked that all of the magic had its own unique scent. Having the magic have a color attached with the auras also helped bring in the visual effects. 

The characters were likable. I liked the dynamic between John Dee and Nicholas Flamel and how it pits their motives against one another. The twins were alright. I didn't really have any overwhelming positives or negatives for them. I did appreciate that there wasn't any romance in this book or swooning over crushes. I feel like many YA fantasy tends to focus on some teenage love triangle, and this didn't (Yay).  I liked Scatty and her Grandmother quite a bit. As usual, Sassy Grandma stole the show. 

I think my biggest issue with this book is that it moved really fast in a way that came across as "I've got this thing to tell you, but I'll tell you later." The background story ends up getting told after a bunch of other stuff happens, so I kind of forgot why it was pertinent information. It just didn't really feel like a natural story flow to me. When it came to the actual Alchemy, I thought it was more tell than show. We got told Nicholas was an Alchemyst, but I didn't really feel like it was ever shown, or if it was, it blended in with the other magic in the story. 

Overall, I enjoyed it. I'll probably get around to reading others in the series, but I probably won't make some significant effort to do so. I think it'd be a fun read for younger teenagers who like fantasy. It's listed as a YA, and the twins are 15; however, I feel like it'd be incredibly appropriate for younger like 10 or 11. I'm not a parent, though, so take that recommendation with a grain of salt. 

Book Review: The Legacy Human by Susan Kaye Quinn

 

Goodreads Summary: What would you give to live forever?
Seventeen-year-old Elijah Brighton wants to become an ascender--a post-Singularity human/machine hybrid--after all, they're smarter, more enlightened, more compassionate, and above all, achingly beautiful. But Eli is a legacy human, preserved and cherished for his unaltered genetic code, just like the rainforest he paints. When a fugue state possesses him and creates great art, Eli miraculously lands a sponsor for the creative Olympics. If he could just master the fugue, he could take the gold and win the right to ascend, bringing everything he's yearned for within reach... including his beautiful ascender patron. But once Eli arrives at the Games, he finds the ascenders are playing games of their own. Everything he knows about the ascenders and the legacies they keep starts to unravel... until he's running for his life and wondering who he truly is.

The Legacy Human is the first in Susan Kaye Quinn's new young adult science fiction series that explores the intersection of mind, body, and soul in a post-Singularity world... and how technology will challenge us to remember what it means to be human.

Goodreads Ratings: 3.93 stars with over 1,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Dystopian, Fantasy, Apocalyptic

Goodreads Challenge: 38/50   

2021 Reading Challenge:  #23 Read a book with Human, People, or Person in the title (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Hi Readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I can't believe it's already October. I feel like this year has flown by. That means the 2022 challenge will be launching in just a few months! The lovely  Co-conspirator, Tress, and I already have a list started with goodies for next year. 

I initially put The Legacy Human on the Science Fiction prompt, but I realized that we had #23 for Human. It also dawned on me that I probably intended to read this book for that one initially. I expected this to be a lot shorter of a read than it actually was. I'm not sure if it was just a glitch in the matrix, but the book made it seem like page 408 was the last page; however, that was at around 80%.  There ended up being quite a bit of story left. There is not really a point to me mentioning this.

I'm still trying to piece my thoughts on The Legacy Human together. The more I over-analyze it, the less I'm going to like the book. For most of the story, I thought the concept was interesting. Humans figured out how to combine AI technology with Genetics and live forever. The Ascenders, as they're called, run the world and basically control how the Legacy Humans (non-AI population) live. I was entertained while reading it, but there were a lot of issues I had with it. I'm making no promises about keeping spoilers out of this review. Sorry.

For the vast majority of reading this book, I felt like I was reading a weird Hunger Games or Divergent knock-off. In Legacy Human, the ordinary people are all mainly creative people like artists or writers. Every year there's the Creative Olympics, which have replaced the regular Olympics. Teenagers can compete in their chosen art, and the winners of each group get to ascend. This is the only way to Ascend. There's this whole political aspect behind the games where Sponsors are getting to use their Legacy as a bragging right and maybe some nefarious activities to tip the scales. There's also a group of the resistance trying to fight the AI overlords and some big reveal about Elijah's lineage. The big secret made zero sense to me. I understood what was being said, even expected it. However, I just felt like the Science made little to no sense. 

I never really felt like any of the book's Science was actually explained. I felt like I was just supposed to know and understand it without an explanation. For example, Elijah kept referencing being in a "Fugue State." This is supposed to be a YA Science Fiction, so I would expect the Science wouldn't be highly complicated. I'd expect it to at least be summarized enough to where the average teenager or young college student can understand. Most days, I consider myself to be reasonably intelligent and have a vast understanding of things. I had no idea what a fugue state was. The whole time I thought it was some word the author made up that was slang for the story. I googled it after I finished reading the book. Per Britannica, "Dissociative fugue (psychogenic fugue, or fugue state) presents as sudden, unexpected travel away from one's home with an inability to recall some or all of one's past. Onset is sudden, usually following severe psychosocial stressors." Now that I know what it is, it makes sense, but I don't feel like the context was there for the average reader. This is just one example where I think the vocabulary needed to be better tailored to the audience. 

I felt like the most developed character was Cyrus. Everyone else fell a little flat and started to blend together. I didn't really feel like anyone had their own individual voice. I had to scroll back up to the summary to even remember Elijah's name. Everyone else has kind of escaped me. I think this is a case of an interesting concept and not great execution. I didn't hate the book (despite how this review probably seems), but I didn't really love it either. At best, I can describe it as ok but fell flat in a lot of aspects. I sort of enjoyed it while I was reading it, but I think I've talked myself down from 3 stars to 2 stars after writing this review. 

Book Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

 

Goodreads Summary: Meet Celaena Sardothien.Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.
In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

Goodreads Ratings: 4.18 stars with over 700,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Magic, New Adult, Adventure

Goodreads Challenge: 37/50

2021 Reading Challenge: Read a book for under $5 (find the complete challenge here) 

Book Review:

Happy Saturday, Readers! I finished Throne of Glass late last night and thought I'd go ahead and get this post out of the way before I have to be productive. Apparently, I've had this book on my kindle since 2019. I got it on sale at the time, so it felt like a good fit for the Under $5 prompt.

Part of me was a little hesitant to read this. I recently joined a book recommendation group on Facebook, and Sarah J Maas's books are getting major hype. More so her other series, but this one as well. I went in this preparing to be let down because of all the attention her work was getting. I must say, I'm glad I didn't let the popularity sway me. 

First, let's get the things I didn't like out of the way. It's a YA Fantasy/Romance, so of course, there's a love triangle and swooning where it just seems ridiculous. There's also a lot of needless mention of how attractive someone is, including Celaena. Everyone in a YA Fantasy must be a model; it's an unwritten rule. No one wants to read about ordinary people that you can't even see. I thought the plot was pretty predictable, but it made sense. I didn't feel like any big plot twists just blew my mind. All that being said, I really did enjoy Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas.

The story kept me entertained. At first, Celaena came across as extremely arrogant, but I think the trials put her in her place a bit and made her grow. By the end, she seemed more like just an eighteen-year-old girl who has had to do terrible things to survive. I do feel that there was more telling that she was an assassin than showing, however. What I mean by this is because we meet Celaena after she's arrested and been enslaved. We just get told she's an assassin. It's reinforced by the number of times she's just referred to as "The Assassin." Sure, she can fight and threatens death a lot, but that's about all that gets shown. 

The love triangle wasn't anything to write home about, but I feel like most love triangles in books. It's not that I'm against romance in books. I feel like I read a ton of it. I just want it to make sense and not be there for the sake of being there. I feel like the only purpose it served was to create a little drama and break down some of Celaena's walls. This could have been just as easily accomplished with friendships, as seen with her relationship with the Princess (the likelihood I'm going to pell her name right is slim.) Anyways, I was neutral towards the slight romance, but it went just about how I expected it to go.

I'm inquisitive to see more of Celaena's backstory and how the banned magic will come into play more in future books. I think there was just enough of it in this first book to get me curious and wanting more. It will be interesting to see how the story progresses. Overall, I enjoyed the story. I wasn't obsessed with it, but it was entertaining. I needed something light and uncomplicated to cleanse my mind from how confused I was from my last book, so Throne of Glass fit that need pretty well. I'll probably read the other books eventually, but it's not anything I'm making a point to do right away.

Book Review: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

 

Goodreads Summary: 

Enter a fantastical world of dangerous fairies, wicked princes, and one half-human girl who discovers her entire life is a lie. This special edition of The Iron Daughter includes the bonus Guide to the Iron Fey and an exclusive excerpt from the new Iron Fey book, The Iron Raven.
Half Summer faery princess, half-human, Meghan Chase has never fit in anywhere. Deserted by the Winter faery prince she thought loved her, she is a prisoner to the Winter Queen, Mab. As war looms between Summer and Winter, Meghan knows that the real threat is the Iron fey--ironbound faeries that only she and her absent prince have seen. But no one believes her.

Worse, Meghan's own fey powers have been cut off. She's stuck in Faery with only her wits for help. Trusting anyone would be foolish. Trusting a seeming traitor could be deadly. But even as she grows a backbone of iron, Meghan can't help but hear the whispers of longing in her all-too-human heart.

Goodreads Rating: 4 stars with over 127,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, Fairies, Magic, Urban Fantasy, Adventure

Previous review on the series: The Iron King

Goodreads Challenge: 33/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #36 Free Space Pick any book! (Find the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Saturday readers! I hope everyone is doing well. I basically burned through two books back to back, as you can see. In case anyone is wondering, I don't sleep and it's usually because of books. Especially fantasy books that catch my interest right away. This is one of those books.

The Iron Fey is a series that's been on my to-be-read list for a while. I read the Iron King earlier this year and really liked it, so when I saw the Iron Daughter on sale, I picked it up. I really like the world that Julie Kagawa has created where the old legends of fairy realms mix with a new modern age of fairies. The idea of there being a group of iron fey because of how the human world has advanced is really fascinating. 

In a way, I'm kind of annoyed at myself for liking this series as much as I do. The fantasy and adventure are interesting. In the Iron Daughter, there was a little bit of espionage and some unexpected alliances. All of this I love. However, at its core, it's a typical YA fantasy where the Teen girl needs to save the world, but she's too busy focusing on the two boys trying to win her affections. One of which is outright trying to kill her. It plays really hard on the Romeo/Juliet star-crossed lovers trope. I want to hate it because it's cheesy and overdone. The entire time I'm screaming at Meghan in my head to get over Ash and fall for Puck. Yet, I'm so entertained that I don't care how stupid the romance aspect is. 

One thing I do like about Meghan is she's willing to fight for herself. The boys kind of seem to start the process of saving her, but something ends up happening that gets her to save herself. She's got some emerging powers that I'm really excited to get explored.  I'm excited to see where the story goes.

The Iron Daughter is a quick read and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes YA fantasy/romance. There are some aspects that frustrate me, but I love the story so much that they seem minor at best. I'm definitely going to continue on with the series. 

Blog Post: A Dream So Dark by L.L. McKinney

 

Goodreads Summary: Still reeling from her recent battle (and grounded until she graduates), Alice must abandon her friends to complete her mission: find The Heart and prevent the Red Lady's rise. But the deeper she ventures into Wonderland, the more topsy-turvy everything becomes. It’s not until she’s at her wit's end that she realizes—Wonderland is trying to save her.
There’s a new player on the board; a poet capable of using Nightmares to not only influence the living but raise the dead. This Poet is looking to claim the Black Queen’s power—and Alice's budding abilities—as their own.

Dreams have never been so dark in Wonderland, and if there is any hope of defeating this mystery poet’s magic, Alice must confront the worst in herself, in the people she loves, and in the very nature of fear itself.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.07 stars with over 1600 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Retellings, LGBT, Urban Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction

Previous Review on the series: A Blade So Black

Goodreads Challenge: 32/50 (woohoo, back on track!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #8 Read a book where the main character is a High School or College student  (Find the entire series here)

Book Review:

Hello readers! I burned through another book. Let's all just accept this is who I am as a person, shall we? Anyways I picked up A Dream So Dark when it was on sale recently. I read A Blade So Black last year and LOVED it. I was super excited to dive back into L.L. McKinney's version of Alice in Wonderland.

A Dream so Dark picks up immediately where A Blade so Black left off, which was nice because it quickly got through the first book's recap. The story moves fast because there are nightmares for Alice and her friends to fight. I was instantly drawn back into Wonderland, and in one night, I read 40% of the book. I really like L.L. McKinney's version of Alice. I feel like she'd be someone I'd be friends with. 

There were parts of A Dream so Dark that hit home really hard for me. In some of the story, we meet Alice's grandmother Nana K, who at times suffers from Memory loss. Having watched both my grandmother and grandfather going through Dementia, this really just hurt my heart. Mostly  Nana K seemed pretty lucid, and I adored her. Sassy Grandma's are my favorite characters. Not only was she sassy, but I feel like she may have some secrets that end up playing out. This is just a hunch I have; we'll see if I'm right. I don't really have much to say about the new situation with Alice's mom. I liked it; anything I can say beyond that will give all kinds of spoilers.

I really liked how we got to see more of Wonderland. And we got to learn more about the connection between the various knights. Again, trying to not give out spoilers, but I suspect drama in the next book. We did get to meet a new gatekeeper and dream walker. I think Romi, the dream-keeper was a nod to the caterpillar. She was kind of grumpy, but I liked her and her pet dragon. While in Wonderland, Alice finds more of her "muchness". How she finds it almost had me in tears. It was somehow sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. 

The biggest disappointment in this book is that I have to wait until 2023 to read the third book. I absolutely adored it and am eager to read more. I highly recommend this series if you love fantasy, Alice in Wonderland, and retellings of classics. It's so good. 

Book Review: Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

 

Goodreads Summary: In the powerful conclusion to Robin LaFever's New York Times bestselling His Fair Assassins trilogy, Annith has watched her gifted sisters at the convent come and go, carrying out their dark dealings in the name of St. Mortain, patiently awaiting her own turn to serve Death. But her worst fears are realized when she discovers she is being groomed by the abbess as a Seeress, to be forever sequestered in the rock and stone womb of the convent. Feeling sorely betrayed, Annith decides to strike out on her own.
She has spent her whole life training to be an assassin. Just because the convent has changed its mind doesn’t mean she has.

Goodreads Ratings: 4.11 stars with over 22,000 reviews

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Mythology

Previous Reviews on the Series: Grave Mercy, Dark Triumph (As a warning, both of these reviews are several years old. I don't really go back in and update posts very often.)

Goodreads Challenge: 24/50

2021 Reading Challenge: #42 Read a book with the letter V in the title or Author's name (find the entire challenge here) 

Book Review:

Happy Fourth of July to all of my American readers! Happy Belated Canada Day to my neighbors to the North. I am so delighted it's Friday and that it's a long weekend. I somehow want to be really lazy all weekend, but also really productive. We'll see which one wins out. 

A bit of background story is necessary before I get into the review for Mortal Heart. I initially read the first two books of the trilogy back in 2014 or 2015. At the time, I either read them on Kindle Unlimited or from the library, but I can't remember which. I absolutely loved them and read through them pretty fast, but I wasn't willing to spend $10 on Mortal Heart just yet. I ended up breaking down and buying all three books not that long ago and reread Grave Mercy for #3 for this year's challenge. I was reminded of why I loved the book so much that I declared it my favorite book. I have a tough time declaring things my favorite, so this is a pretty big compliment from me. After that, I went on to read other things. A week or two ago, I was at a dentist appointment and got talking books with the Dental Assistant while waiting on the Doctor to see me. The books she recommended to me were all Assassin-based, so I recommended this series to her. After recommending it, I had it on my brain, so I reread Dark Triumph.

I actually think I liked Dark Triumph more than the first time I read it. I think I was able to appreciate her dark past a lot more this time around. There were also a lot of details I completely missed the first time around. As soon as I finished Dark Triumph, I had to dive into Mortal Heart. It was late, and I got very little sleep that night.  Such is my life.

I wasn't sure I'd like Mortal Heart nearly as much as I did the other two books in the His Fair Assassin series, but I really enjoyed this book by Robin LaFevers. I haven't been feeling very well and haven't been sleeping because of it. So Tuesday night, I ended up being up until 3am reading this book because I felt worse when I tried to sleep, and the book was too good to put down. I took a half-day Wednesday to rest and sleep in (this is all relevant, I swear.) When I woke up in the morning, I had like an hour and a half before I had to sign on to my computer for work (yay working from home!). Yeah, This book is so good that I was reading it before work, which is a thing that never happens. 

I really expected Annith to be unlikable as the main character. She came across as snooty in the previous books, and I felt like she was a showoff. I ended up really liking her. She was really guarded in the first two books, and not a lot was known about her background story. There ends up being a lot of abuse and secrets that she hid from Ismae and Sybella. This results in a lot of plot twists. Some of them were pretty predictable, but there were a couple that ended up being pretty shocking.

I think out of the three primary relationships in the trilogy, Annith's ended up being my favorite. It gave a unique spin on the series that I wasn't expecting. I won't give too many details about her lover, but he has definitely more of the broody bad boy type than the other girls' love interests. In addition to the romance, we also got a peek into other followers of the various Gods of Breton. There was a lot more background into the mythology, which I found really interesting. 

Mortal Heart gave a really fascinating look at Mortain's other followers called the Hellequin. This group of undead is painted as this fearsome delinquents, but one of the main messages of this book is that nothing is as it seems, first impressions can be wrong, and dark doesn't mean bad tropes. 

In addition to all of the mythology, assassins, and romance, there's also some history thrown in for fun! The historical period covered is during Anne of Brittany's reign as Duchess and how she becomes the French Queen Consort. Of course, author liberties were taken, but Robin LaFevers' does a great job after each book explaining where she took these and provides some truth to the history. It's incredibly well researched, from what I can tell, but I'm no expert. I really can't say enough good things about this book or the trilogy. Overall, this was an excellent conclusion to the series. I did learn, there is a duology as well. I think it follows Sybella's story more, but I'm not sure if Ismae and Annith make appearances.

Book Review: The Fever Code by James Dashner

Goodreads Summary: Once there was a world’s end.
The forests burned, the lakes and rivers dried up, and the oceans swelled.
Then came a plague, and fever spread across the globe. Families died, violence reigned, and man killed man.
Next came WICKED, who were looking for an answer. And then they found the perfect boy.
The boy’s name was Thomas, and Thomas built a maze.
Now there are secrets.
There are lies.
And there are loyalties history could never have foreseen.
This is the story of that boy, Thomas, and how he built a maze that only he could tear down.
All will be revealed.

Goodreads Rating: 4.09 stars with over 39,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Post Apocalyptic. Adventure, Teen

Goodreads Challenge: 22/60

2021 Reading Challenge: #20 Read a book you meant to read on last year's challenge (find the entire reading challenge here)

Previous reviews on the series: Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order

Book Review:

Happy Saturday, readers! I'm excited to announce that I finally finished the Maze Runner series. It only took me a year and some change. One of my friends loaned me the entire series, and I had intended on reading it all the way through last year so that I wasn't holding on to her books for eternity. With the pandemic, however, Disease heavy dystopian did not feel like an appealing read. I've had about ten books lined up for this spot because I never complete challenges and get sidetracked.

This is going to be a relatively short review today. Most of what I'd talk about would be spoilers for not only this book but the whole series, and most of the time, I try really hard not to spoil anything. For those of you who don't know, The Fever Code is a prequel in the series. The events that happen are before the first book, Maze Runner. So chronologically, it would go The Kill Order, The Fever Code, The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure. However, if you've never read any of the series and aren't familiar with the story, I would definitely read Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, Death Cure, Kill Order, and Fever Code.  Reading it Chronologically would really take the fun out of the story and provide so many spoilers, in my opinion. That being said, now that I've read the whole thing, I kind of want to reread it starting with The Kill Order. It could be interesting, but that's a challenge for another day (or year).

I enjoyed The Fever Code by James Dashner, but I don't know if I was as into it as the other books in the series.  The entire time I was reading Maze Runner, Scorch Trials, and Death Cure, I really wanted the background story of before the kids got in the maze and how that came about. The Fever Code definitely provides that. We get a little background into Chancellor Paige, Newt, Chuck, Brenda, Jorge, and obviously Thomas and Theresa. The Glades makes an appearance once the Maze is complete. From there, we get a look at how the Gladers start to find their place in their new home. 

While there was some action in the story, I don't feel like there was as much in this book as in the others. It mostly just goes through the day-to-day of the WICKED organization and how the maze came to be. There were some twists and turns, but overall, everything felt more level than the other books. I don't know if that makes any sense. Hopefully, it does. One of the things that bothered me the most with The Fever Code is a lot of it Thomas and Theresa are pretty young. Really until they hit their teenage years, the age the story said they were didn't really feel like it corresponded to how they acted or talked. I know, obviously, they're supposed to be prodigy geniuses, but it just didn't seem consistent to me and took me out of the story a bit.

Overall, I enjoyed the book, but I think I would have liked a little more action and maybe Thomas and Theresa to seem a little more like the age they were supposed to be. I never really felt like the age they acted and the age they were ever lined up. I did enjoy that I felt like a lot of the unanswered questions got closure, however. There's apparently a couple of short stories about Thomas's memories and Newt's experience from his account in The Death Cure. I think it'd be interesting to see a story from post-Death Cure. I think a lot of skills they learned in Maze Runner would come into play for that. It could be interesting. 

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne, and John Tiffany

 

Goodreads Summary: The official playscript of the original West End production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter, and it isn't much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places.

The playscript for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was originally released as a 'special rehearsal edition' alongside the opening of Jack Thorne's play in London's West End in summer 2016. Based on an original story by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne, the play opened to rapturous reviews from theatergoers and critics alike, while the official playscript became an immediate global bestseller.

This definitive and final playscript updates the 'special rehearsal edition' with the conclusive and final dialogue from the play, which has subtly changed since its rehearsals, as well as a conversation piece between director John Tiffany and writer Jack Thorne, who share stories and insights about reading playscripts. This edition also includes useful background information, including the Potter family tree and a timeline of events from the Wizarding World prior to the beginning of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Goodreads Rating: 3.58 stars with over 767,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Fiction, Young Adult, Plays, Magic, Adventure, Middle Grade, Time Travel

Goodreads Challenge: 18/50 (Almost caught up, woohoo!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #59 Read a book that has unfavorable reviews, but you're still curious about it. (Get the full challenge here)

Book Review:

Happy Sunday, Readers! I've been completely burning through books, and it makes me happy. Though, I should probably be using this time to work on a paper for my ethics class. Sometimes when Tress and I come up with our challenge prompts, I think we have specific books in mind for it. At least, I do from time to time. This is one of those times and one of the even rarer times when I read the book I wanted the prompt for. Often, I end up reading something else or not getting to it at all. On Goodreads, The Cursed Child has pretty average reviews; however, I had it in mind for this prompt because I have heard absolutely nothing good about it from my group of friends. I was curious to see if it was bad as everyone had said.

I was torn on reading this for multiple reasons. First, I was hesitant because of the bad feedback I had heard about the book. I was also unsure if I would read it because of the current hate that J.K. Rowling has been putting into the universe. I feel like in the past six months, or so, I've had to touch on a lot more current events than I'd like to, which was never the intention of this blog. I wanted it to be a safe place to just discuss books and escape whatever's going on in the world. However, I think that with how divisive things are becoming, I also need to make my stances on things known. Reading this makes me feel like a giant hypocrite and like I'm supporting her hateful views, and I don't at all. I want people to live their lives and be comfortable as their authentic selves without the fear of someone cruel treating them like they aren't people. This is a hard one because I absolutely love the Wizarding World, but I also despise the author's views.

Anyways, on with the review. I actually enjoyed the Cursed Child quite a bit. I thought it gave an exciting glimpse into life after a hero's work is done in stories that we don't often get. I think to really get into it I had to remind myself that it's a play, and as a result, it's not going to be able to have the same detail as a 500+ page book. I've never really had an issue with reading plays, but I can see why having the notation of what the authors are doing would take some out of the story.

I thought that even though characters many of us grew up with were adults, there was a glimpse of who they were in the original books. There was also a serious nostalgia factor as the story explored the possibility of what would have happened in the original books if the events of the Tri-Wizard Tournament had gone differently. It gave a fascinating take on events. I also like that these events brought some beloved characters back to life, at least briefly. 

I enjoyed the irony of Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy's sons being best friends and all of the drama that ensues because of it. It also amuses me that Draco's kid is basically a Slytherin Hermoine. I liked that it shows what Harry Potter would be as a parent and trying to figure it out, especially given that many of us who grew up when the books and movies were first replaced are parents now (not me, but most of my friends are). I think it was a good way for my generation to further grow with a character they love.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book, and I had been thinking about rereading HP. This was a good way to reconnect with the story but also read something new. I think to enjoy it, there's definitely some level of having to remove oneself from what should happen or what already happened in the stories, and understand that it's a play, so it's not going to have the same level of detail that a regular book would.

Book Review: The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

 

Goodreads Summary: MEGHAN CHASE HAS A SECRET DESTINY�ONE SHE COULD NEVER HAVE IMAGINED…

Something had always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school…or at home.

When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change. But she could never have guessed the truth.

Meghan is the daughter of a mythical faery king…and a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, stop a mysterious evil no faery creature dare face…and find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.

Goodreads rating: 3.89 stars with over 204,000 ratings

Genre listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, Paranormal, Fae, Faeries, Magic

Goodreads Challenge: 15/30 (only 3 books behind now!)

2021 Reading Challenge: #19 Read a book with a form of royalty in the title (see the entire challenge here)

Book Review:

This book was kind of a blast from the past. Once upon a time, I used to go to the half-priced book fair in Indiana and load up on tons and tons of books. Afterward, I'd do a book haul for the books and talk about whether or not I'd want to read it. I bought this on kindle, and I kept thinking this seemed familiar. I'd usually do this with my friend Leslie and her family. Sometimes she'd give me books to clean up her own bookshelf. This was one of them, and it was featured on a book haul all the way back in 2015 when the blog was only a year old. If you're curious, you can find the haul post here. It's interesting (and a bit cringy) to see how much my writing has changed over the years. I never got around to reading it because, at some point, we moved, and I sold the majority of my physical books to make moving easier. 

I was really excited for this book in the haul post because of the cover, though I did think it was probably going to be a cheesy YA Romance that was going to be a guilty pleasure for me. Past me called it. I should probably just go ahead and stop saying that I hate romance books because I end up reading a lot of them and liking them. With The Iron King, I was instantly drawn into the world and the details. I think a lot of it was kind of cheesy and cliche, but it was still a fun read that I enjoyed quite a bit.

The things I found cliche were that Meghan was such a loner and outcast in her own world, with only Robbie as her friend. Then once she gets to Faeryland, she finds herself in the middle of a love triangle. It can't be a YA fantasy without the heroine having two boys fight over her while the world needs saving. WHO WILL TAKE ME TO PROM AFTER THE FOUL BEAST IS SLAIN? At the sound of the bell, the teenage suitors will fight. Keep it clean, gents, and no facial wounds. I don't want the pictures to be ruined.

Okay, sorry. I'm done making fun of YA heroines now. Back to why I liked the book because the above statement is what I didn't like. Meghan was bullied quite a bit, which made me feel sorry for her. Even though there was a love triangle, I liked that the book's whole premise was that she had to go on a quest to save her little brother. This is a little bit of a spoiler, but I feel that it's essential. I really appreciated that she was the one to beat the bad guy, if you will. Meghan kind of came across as whiny, but she also seemed really resourceful and determined to do things on her own. Because of this, she ended up growing on me quite a bit. 

I really liked the fairy lore that was included in this story. There's a lot of references to Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. I realized while reading it that I've never read that particular play. I tried to after finishing The Iron King, but my brain blatantly refused. I don't do well with classics. As intelligent as I am, just old styles of English make my brain cry. I can get through some Shakespeare plays, but it's rough. Anyway... What little knowledge I had of fairy myths made the world Julie Kagawa created fascinating. It also dawned on me that the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina  Robin was a nod to the same character that Robbie was supposed to be. 

I didn't feel overly connected to the characters. For me, the enjoying part of this story was the quest itself and the details of Faeryland. The dialogue had a healthy dose of Sarcasm from most of the characters, however. I immensely enjoyed that. I thought Grim might have been a nod to the Chesire Cat in Alice in Wonderland, which was also mentioned in the book a few times. As I said before, I'm not super versed in fairy lore or A Midsummer Night's Dream, so if the original Chesire Cat was a nod to those, I'd have no idea. Grim was probably my favorite character. Sassy Cat, that's helpful because it's amusing to him? Yes, please. 

Overall, I really enjoyed The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. I added the other books to my Amazon wishlist. I could have easily bought the next book in the series, but I'm trying really hard to be good and not go into a series binge. I feel like I've already done that a ton this year. If you are a fan of YA Fantasy/Romance, I recommend this. It's not like some excellent work of literature, but it's short and entertaining with an exciting world.

Book Review: Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi

 

Goodreads Summary: 

They killed my mother. 
They took our magic. They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl, and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet, the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

Goodreads Rating: 4.10 stars with over 178,000 ratings

Genre Listing: Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction, Magic, Romance, High Fantasy, African Culture

Goodreads Challenge: 12/60 (Forever four books behind.)

2021 Reading Challenge: #35 Read a book by an author of a different ethnicity than you (find the entire challenge here)

Book Review: 

Well. I have a new series that I'm obsessed with. I originally wanted to read this series because I find the cover art for this and the second book absolutely stunning. Turns out it's also a really cool fantasy story too. I thought that Children of Blood and Bone would be really fitting for authors of different ethnicity. I was reading up on Tomi Adeyemi, and she's Nigerian-American, and the book seems to touch on African Culture. Tress and I decided to include the ethnicity categories to broaden our own horizons and as a way to celebrate other cultures.

I don't usually feel an instant connection to the main characters. It's weird, but I usually find myself liking the secondary characters more. With Children of Blood and Bone, I was drawn to Zelie within the first chapter. The first thought I had while reading her introduction was, "Oh, I like her. She's feisty." Through the rest of the story, we really got to see different sides of Zelie. We got to see her determined, happy, powerful, insecure, broken. It was really refreshing to have a character with a lot of different emotions. 

I liked Amari quite a bit as well, though she took a bit longer to grow on me than Zelie. I think the build-up for Amari was intentional. When she first comes into the story, Amari doesn't even really know who she is. Throughout her story, she goes from being a scared and sheltered princess to a warrior. It was a great transition to read. I thought the evolution of her friendship with Zelie was fascinating as well. For many of their interactions, they had to figure out themselves before they could really open up to being friends.

I'm not going to really dive into anything with Inan. Anything I have to say will just be laced with spoilers, and I don't currently have the brainpower to work around the spoilers. There is literally nothing I can say that won't reveal some significant plot aspect. 

I had a hard time picturing the scenery and the mythical animals that were described. It's entirely possible that it was well explained, and I missed it. But any time a leoponaire or something else was mentioned, I couldn't really visualize what it was. The book is getting a movie, so I'm looking forward to the world-building details that come to life. I really liked the mythology and how each God related to a different type of magic. I thought that was a really cool world-building detail. It actually put me in a mythology mood after I finished the book, so I started Circe.

I'm not sure how to adequately describe the next portion of my thoughts on Children of Blood and Bone, so please be patient while trying to get my words to convey what I want, as this next piece is a difficult subject. When Children and Bone concludes, there's a note from Tomi Adeyemi detailing how the current events surrounding the police-caused deaths of black men and women inspired the story. No part of that subject is palpable to discuss; however, Tomi brings the conversation to light in a really unique way. In Children of Blood and Bone, those who rule don't have magical power, and they fear the Maji who do. In this story, there's this whole underlying plot of fear, oppression, and killing people because they are different than the perceived normal. A lot of it is really uncomfortable to read because it has to be. Children of Blood and Bone has its own slur for those who have magic. I won't type it here. My heart hurt every time this word was used. My heart broke every time one of the characters was beaten down, killed, or tortured because of their magic.  It was hard to read, I'm sure it was hard to write, and I've no doubt in my mind that even without experiencing it myself, it's hard to endure the real-life versions of it. However, I applaud Tomi Adeyemi for using her creativity to discuss what's going on in the US and invoke empathy. Don't worry. I won't get on any kind of keyboard warrior soapbox about what's right or wrong in our society. I don't think the world needs another 30-something white woman telling everyone how to handle a situation she's never been in. What I can and will do, however, is continue to try and educate myself more, continue to listen, and continue to be kind. 

My favorite part of the book isn't technically part of the story. There's an after-credits scene, if you will, once the book and acknowledgments are finished. In it, Tomi Adeyemi gives us a look at one of her favorite chapters and gives us fun little notes about her thoughts on it. I thought this was really fun and adorable at how she kind of fangirled over her own story. It was a really nice bonus to read about why an author loved something they wrote so much. More of this, please. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Children of Blood and Bone. I can't wait to get my hands on the next book and read it. I thought it was a good YA Fantasy with two powerful female characters. I really liked both the mythology and magic aspects of the story. I've already recommended it to a ton of people who I know like YA Fantasy.