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lunaajade · 4 years ago

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Everything You Need to Know about “Shadow and Bone” on Netflix (*UPDATED: POSSIBLE LANGUAGE OF THORNS ADAPTATION INFO)

Since it’s recently been confirmed that we’d be getting S&B content in a few days (finally!), I thought I’d compile and summarize as much info as I could to refresh everyone’s memories! Please spread the word/share this post to those who aren’t up to date! (I’ve seen some people online who are worried about how it’s going to turn out, and I’d like to be able to hopefully reassure those people)

Now, there’s a LOT of stuff, so there’s always the chance I missed/forgot something. This post will be split up into categories based on type of info, so here we go! I went back and listened to/watched both of the big live streams (NYCC and the S&B Charity Competition), went on the Grishaverse Reddit, etc. to find as much (extra/bonus) stuff as I could. (If I missed anything/got something wrong, please feel free to leave a comment!)

Update: A lot of people have been asking where it was confirmed we were getting content soon. I found out from one of the update accounts I follow.

Thanks for reading, everyone!

General/Key Info About the Show

-This first season will be adapting both “Shadow and Bone” and what has been dubbed a “Book 0″ (most likely meaning prequel/backstory/set-up) for “Six of Crows” -In relation to the above point, the timelines are being brought together for the show. (Normally in the books, the two series are set two years apart)(We don’t know how exactly or what this means for the story, but I have a really interesting theory that I thought up in relation to this, message me if you’d like to hear it.) -Leigh acknowledges and understands that some of us have doubts and are worried about the show, but she has publicly assured us (numerous times) of how much she loves the show and cast, how well she thinks the crew/writers did in bringing the Grishaverse to life, etc. See a later point below in the Facts/Tidbits section -The first season will have 8, one-hour long episodes -Alina has been made half Shu (half Asian) for the show! Leigh stated that was decided on after she and Eric had a lengthy discussion on Alina’s character. -The main cast (as in confirmed to be in all episodes) is comprised of Jessie Mei Li (as Alina), Archie Renaux (as Mal), Ben Barnes (as the Darkling), Freddy Carter (as Kaz), Amita Suman (as Inej), and Kit Young (as Jesper) -Wylan and Nikolai are NOT in the first season. (Nikolai didn’t appear until the second book, and Leigh confirmed that at this point in the story, the Crows had not met Wylan yet.) -Other cast members include Danielle Galligan (as Nina), Calahan Skogman (as Matthias), Daisy Head (as Genya), Sujaya Dasgupta (as Zoya), Luke Pasqualino (as David), Julian Kostov (as Fedyor), Simon Sears (as Ivan), Zoe Wanamaker (as Baghra), and more! -The Darkling will also be called “General Kirigan” in the show. From what we know, The Darkling will be the “enemy” to Ravka (so in essence, General Kirigan is his alias/fake persona (what he’ll most likely be referred to for most of the show), and no one knows that he’s actually their enemy. (Meaning it’ll most likely a super big moment when they learn their general was actually the Darkling in disguise)). -The show was shot on location in Budapest, Hungary. (And additional filming took place this past fall in Vancouver) -In order, the 8 episodes are titled the following: “A Searing Burst of Light”, “We’re All Someone’s Monster”, “The Making at the Heart of the World”, “Otkazat’sya”, “Show Me Who You Are”, “The Heart is An Arrow”, “The Unsea”, & “No Mourners”.

Other (Fun) Facts/Tidbits About the Show

-Upon seeing Jessie’s audition, Leigh loved her audition/portrayal of Alina so much that she apparently stated that she wanted her to play Alina or she’d be out of the project. She was sent five auditions to watch, Jessie’s was the third, and she said she didn’t bother watching the rest of them. -Leigh stated that she and Eric Heisserer (the creator of the show) said they were on the same page from the first meeting. All other past meetings with producers and companies about possible adaptations had left her with a bad feeling, but she said they’d had the same ideas about inclusion, story, staff, etc. She said she’s loved the respect he’s shown towards the work (and, in a way, to us the fans) -Netflix apparently also has the rights to adapt “The Language of Thorns” , though we’ve gotten no info on that adaptation yet. (UPDATE: I just watched a Leigh Bardugo event from Feb 2019 (a few weeks after the show was first announced, I think): As of that day, she said that she thought that they were going to use LoT more for "texture” (IMO that might mean worldbuilding?) in the show. And I don’t know if she was talking about LoT specifically because she was very vague, but she said that there were certain things in the show that she thinks readers will be really excited about. Again, this was over a year ago, back when they were still in pre-production and stuff, so don’t take my word for it. Besides this, I couldn’t find anything else relating to a possible LoT adaptation. Maybe they’ll have the stories from LoT appear as actual folk tales told in the show, and that’s the “adaptation”? IDK. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpHnw8Ygw5c&t=1906s)) -Leigh is an exec. producer on the show! I’m no expert, so I don’t know how much say/power she had in the process, but she definitely had some. -There is a RAVKAN edition of the “Shadow and Bone” book that Leigh says makes a cameo in the show! -Jesper’s guns had custom etchings done on them by a Hungarian antique gunsmith! (And they were so good that Leigh and Eric said that it looked like it belonged in a museum--they were also described to be quite heavy!) -Eric Heisserer is the creator of the show, he is an award-winning writer, well known for “Arrival”, “Bird Box”, and more. (If I remember correctly, Leigh said that he’d reached out to her about making the show!) -A DeKappel painting (maybe the one owned by Van Eck?) was confirmed to be in the pilot episode. -Pekka Rollins and Tante Heleen have been confirmed to be in the first season, but their casting has (up to this point) not yet been revealed. -Bo Yul-Bayur is confirmed to be in the show! (Though Kuwei has not) -Leigh will have a cameo in (I think) Episode 5! She will be wearing a Materialki kefta and will be opening a door, if I remember correctly. -A lot of the crew was also extremely passionate about the project and fans of the books -The “Lives of Saints” book that was published in October is an actual book/prop that is appearing in the show! -I’m personally fine with Mal, but Leigh says that Archie is going to change everyone’s minds with his portrayal! -The costume designer for the show is Wendy Partridge, known for her work on “Thor: The Dark World”, “Pompeii”, and more! -The composer for the show is Joe Trapanese, known for composing for “The Greatest Showman”, “Straight Outta Compton”, “Lady and the Tramp”, and more! At the NYCC Grishaverse panel, they revealed a little bit of the score (”Grisha Theme”): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFxIEbsHKJA

Fun Cast/On Set Stories/Facts

-The cast all loves each other, and are all extremely passionate about this show, which is great! (Leigh said that on her second visit to the set, she heard them singing together) -Leigh says that Ben Barnes once snuck up behind her on her first day on set and scared her by whispering “Fine, make me your villain” -Freddy’s favorite Grishaverse book is “Six of Crows”, but most specifically the first line of chapter 2 (”Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason.”) -Jessie would apparently come to set on some of her days off to support the cast and crew! -Sujaya has stated that her favorite Grishaverse character is Nikolai! (#Zoyalai) -Freddy has become famous/popular with the fandom, one of the reasons being because he often comments on posts/live streams asking something along the lines of “What was it like working with Freddy Carter? xoxo” -Danielle loves Nina and her journey in “King of Scars” -According to a Tweet, Freddy and Leigh said that there had been a scene with “a very pesky gate”--Freddy said that it “wouldn’t be proper to tweet the expletives [he] used that day” and that he thinks he “scarred” Amita and Eric. -Amita’s favorite thing about Inej is her silence, and her favorite Grishaverse book is “Six of Crows” (as of May, where we learned this during a live-stream, she said she’s read it three times and listened to the audiobook twice.) -There was a waffle truck on set on the last day of shooting! -Calahan says that if he could play any other Grishaverse character, he’d want to play Nikolai! -While she did work with the trainer to get more physically fit, Amita learned most of her knife techniques by herself! -Leigh said she cried a lot while on set! (She said there was one scene they were shooting that she has a very clear, vivid memory of writing many years back--based on the context of which she was talking about it, if I had to guess, I’d guess she’s describing the Winter Fete.) -Leigh also said that on one of her first days on set, it was funny/weird to see all the extras in First Army uniforms chilling on their phones, drinking coffee, etc. -One of Calahan’s favorite character dynamics in the books is the dynamic between Kaz and Matthias -There was a moment where Amita was fully in costume and doing amazing, graceful knife work, only to trip and fall when she’d finished. -Amita and Jessie and Sujaya were best friends on set. -Sujaya loved everything about playing Zoya. (Especially her confidence) -Leigh says one of her favorite props was Kaz’s cane, especially because of what it meant to her and the story. -If he could be any Grisha order, Calahan says he’d want to be a Corporalki -Calahan loves Matthias’s journey/arc. -Kit’s favorite Grishaverse book is “Crooked Kingdom”!

Links

-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X65iI1YXrbU (NYCC Grishaverse Panel) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHou5rVs6o0 (S&B Talent Show Charity Live Stream ft. the S&B Cast!--the IG video got taken down because Archie deleted his IG account and switched to a new one) -https://www.netflix.com/title/80236319 (”Shadow and Bone” on Netflix!) -https://twitter.com/shadowandbone_ (Official “Shadow and Bone” Twitter!) -https://www.instagram.com/shadowandbone/?hl=en (Official “Shadow and Bone” Instagram!) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRh-Pmbynww (Annoucement made by cast when filming wrapped! (can be found on the social media accounts, but here’s a link to YT)) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bpY8uLtyB4 (A S&B Cast Crack video by HeartPhantom--it highlights a lot of the inside jokes and memes that we’ve gotten to witness among the cast, and also just generally shows off how hilariously chaotic everyone is (this cast is the definition of chaotic good, lol))

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willowdove · 3 years ago

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Matthais Helvar Meta

I just got done with the Six of Crows duology (Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom) and I feel like I have to get my thoughts all out on a page. SPOILERS AHEAD, do not read if you don't want to be spoiled. Also apologies for misspellings, I listened to the audiobook.

Oh Matthais. I have a lot of feelings about Matthais. On the one hand, "'My ghost won't associate with your ghost,' Matthias said primly" is the funniest line in both books.

But, speaking as a woman of Jewish heritage, his Nazi analogue diatribes could be very difficult to get through. Even though I liked his voice actor the most out of the bunch, I didn't always feel comfortable with what he as a character had to say. I do appreciate that it takes time for people who have fallen into hateful ideologies to unlearn them, but it got to be overwhelming and exhausting to be in his head. Especially after he had fully changed sides and embraced his love for Nina. I didn't need him to constantly push down his bigoted opinions every other page.

Also, in the beginning, the way he talked about his dreams of Nina? How he thought about hunting and killing her, or kissing and bedding her, and either way she was docile and subservient and let him do it, wanted him to do it? Made my skin crawl. It felt incredibly fetishistic and gross and I did NOT want to root for the romance that was clearly brewing. (Also, why was Nina always mooning over him in the beginning? I know they had a history, but. Him returning to loathing her and other Grisha with his entire being should really have been an instant turn off.)

Still, in the end there were enough good moments between him and Nina, and enough change in Matthais's internal monologue, that I warmed up to him as a character and to the pairing. I am generally a sucker for an enemies to lovers trope, and even though this particular one was a hard ask, it did get to me. He and the crew had such great banter; he was such a pillar of strength to them. And he adored everything about Nina. He was always looking out for her, always there for her when she needed him. They ended up so soft with each other, so openly affectionate, and that was refreshing to see in a genre where the romance usually only gets as far as the first kiss. The way he helped Nina through her Perem addiction, and comforted her with his new understanding of his faith was beautiful. “Perhaps Jel extinguished one flame and lit another” nearly ended me, because here he was offering back the understanding and acceptance she had first given to him in a moment where she could no longer understand and accept herself. I had been so devastated in Six of Crows when it seemed like he had turned cloak and given her up to the Druskelle. Speaking of...

WHY DID BARDUGO GIVE MATTHAIS A REAL GRUDGE AGAINST GRISHA?! When you are talking about genocide, the framing should never include a "but they had it coming actually for this reason". I frankly don't care if it makes Matthais more sympathetic that Inferni burned down his farm, if it gives the conflict between Ravka and Fjerda more complexity- this part of it was not a war story where we should see that there was a human cost to both sides. It was a genocide story, and genocides are not caused by real grievances perpetuated by the victimized groups, they are caused by irrational fear and scapegoating. It should have been respected as such.

Now, with all that said, you might think that I am glad that in the end, Matthias died. NO! I am blindingly angry that Matthais died. First of all, he didn't have to. I didn't add anything to the story. I've seen a lot of meta discussing that oh, well, out of everyone, he had to die because he's not a minority. And yes I can agree, we are glad that bury your gays and fridge your women was not happening here. But why did ANYONE have to die? For realism? While the crew pulled off some ridiculous stunts, I think Inej getting knifed and Nina suffering with Perem addiction and altered powers, and Kuwei needing to have his heart restarted with LIGHTNING was enough to prove that it wasn't without risk. So no, I don't think it was needed for realism. Therefore, it had to have been included to serve the end of his character arc. But second of all, he made Nina promise to f8$()Q@&% go to Fjerda and de-radicalize his old comrades. And that is so beyond the pale I can barely even. Coherently say that IT IS NOT THE JOB OF A VICTIMIZED GROUP TO DE-RADICALIZE THE PEOPLE COMMITTING GENOCIDE AGAINST THEM. IT IS NOT THE JOB OF A VICTIMIZED GROUP TO PROVE THAT THEY DESERVE TO LIVE. That was f3&8@#&*^ Matthias's job, and he got to take the easy way out of doing it.

He should have been able to keep calling Nina endearments and holding her close. He should have been able to go to Ravka and really get to know and respect HER culture the way she did his. He should have been able to show Druskelle another path simply by being, but perhaps also by marching back to Fjerda and DEMANDING a new path. He should have had a future where he had to live with his sins, like Pekka Rollins got to. Matthais could have done so much more, and I wish we could have seen it.

#six of crows #crooked kingdom #soc #leigh bardugo #matthais helvar #meta #six of crows meta #matthais helvar meta #shadow and bone

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rachaelslibrary · 4 years ago

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March Wrap-Up and April TBR

I am so happy to say that I had a second strong reading month, reading seven books back to back. I really thought it was going to be a slower month since my mom was in town for two weeks and I was doing a lot with her, but I guess I found time. It also helps that some of these were audiobooks that I could listen to on the way to work and while I crochet.

Anyway, in the order that I read them, here are the seven books I read in March.

1. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen

I have a whole post about how much I hated this book and the relationship in it. I’ve never enjoyed contemporary romance, but I thought I’d give this one a try and I ended up regretting it. Here are my thoughts if you want to dive deeper

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/644767685050286080/trigger-warning-for-abuse-and-domestic-violence

1/5 stars

2. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro

Murder mystery at a boarding school? Check. Romantic tension between two leads? Check. Narrator who is sometimes annoying as hell? Check. Read this post for all my feels.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/645067224940429312/lets-talk-books-a-study-in-charlotte-by

3/5 stars

3. Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

I have a full post about this book, so check it out if you want to know my in depth thoughts and feelings about this book, but regardless I liked it a lot. It had everything you could want from a Shadowhunters book, and Cassandra Clare's writing seems to get better and better each time.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/645433280331759616/lets-talk-books-chain-of-iron-by-cassandra

5/5 stars

4. The Duke and I by Julia Quinn

Again, I have another full post about this book, so go read that, but I was not the biggest fan of this book. I'm not sure if it was a bad romance, or I didn't like it just because I don't typically like romance, but the show, Bridgerton, is sooo much better in my humble opinion.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/646152797812932608/lets-talk-books-the-duke-and-i-by-julia-quinn

2/5 stars

5. Red Rising by Pierce Brown

There will never not be a time when I say that this is one of my favorite series of all times. I have a post about the whole series already, but also just know these characters will always have a place in my heart.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/617204666435076096/lets-talk-books-the-red-rising-trilogy-by

5/5 stars

6. Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Again I have a whole post about it if you want to check it out, but this book made Robin Hobb one of my new favorite authors, easily. Despite being a little on the slow side, I truly grew so attached to Fitz, the main character, and I seriously can't wait to pick up the next book.

https://rachaelslibrary.tumblr.com/post/647076966094209024/lets-talk-books-assassins-apprentice-by-robin

5/5 stars

7. Admission by Julie Buxbaum

This last one was a random read for me, and I truly was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. Admission follows 17-year-old Chloe Berringer as she navigates through senior year of high school and applies for colleges, only to discover that her parents have paid someone to fake her applications so she could get in. Now, her actress mother faces jail time, and she is left with the realizations that her parents have no faith in her, and her life might just be ruined. This is definitely inspired by the Lori Laughlin, Felicity Huffman, USC scandal, but it also has a uniqueness to it of the main character having to come to terms with the fact that she has been born into privilege and really struggling with how to make that right. It's also told in two timelines, a "then" that shows her in the beginning of the school year forming her applications and taking the SAT's, and a "now" that shows her mother being arrested and paparazzi stalking her house. I found the whole story just really intriguing from the very beginning, and I did feel a real sympathy for the main character and what she was going through.

4/5 stars

Now that the wrap-up is done, let's chat about the books I want to read for April.

For starters, my English lit class is going HARD this month. I have to have Beowulf entirely read by tomorrow night, in two weeks I have to read Dante's The Inferno, and then at the end of the month is the entirety of Hamlet, which I already know is going to suck. I hate Shakespeare. So that is at least three books.

For my audiobooks this month, I just started Jade City by Fonda Lee which is another one of my favorite series, and I have the audiobook of Golden Son by Pierce Brown to finish up when I'm done. Both of these are rereads but the audiobooks seem to really enhance it, so I'm excited to get into those.

In the physical book category, I'm currently reading From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout that I've checked out from the library. I'm about halfway through because I couldn't finish it the first time I had it. I almost DNF'd it the first time but I know that so many people like it, so I've been trying to give it another chance. I also have Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo which is the final book of the Grisha trilogy that I want to have read by the time the show comes out this month. If I can finish all of those, then I also want to reread Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo because I LOVE those books, but also because the show is coming out. And FINALLY, if I can somehow finish all of those first, my hold for Majesty by Katharine McGee should be ready. That's the sequel to American Royals that I somewhat enjoyed, but I'm really just curious to find out if everything ends how I predicted

I just counted and realized that there are 10 books on my TBR somehow. I mean, I'll do my best to try to get through them. I also have a school project due in a few weeks that I have to try to finish so we shall see what happens.

Until next time :)

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wasithard · 4 years ago

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I was tagged by @rosesau and @pjo (sorry allison it wont let me tag you ;() to do this! Thank you <3 <3

📣 Rules: answer the questions and tag 9 people you want to get to know better or catch up with

❤ Three ships: Percabeth (obviously). Joe/Nicky from The Old Guard have been ruling my heart for the past week and a bit though. I’ve started reading fanfic for them which is when you know a ship will be sticking around for a while and is not just a passing phase. And yesterday I got back on my Kala/Wolfgang (Sense8) shit somehow.......god the YEARNING.

🎶 Last song: Ring by Selena Gomez!!!! What a groove. Also if anyone has any song recs for songs that are drum heavy with great lyrics hmu.

📺 Last movie: THE OLD GUARD 💖💖💖💖💖💖💖. I’m obsessed. I adore it. I think about it all the time. I was going to watch Enola Holmes yesterday but I took a nap instead. Might watch it today.

📚 Currently reading: I’m about halfway into Brisingr from The Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini, which I’m reading for my cousin and am not entirely attached to but I WILL finish. I also started rereading Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo a couple of weeks ago so I’m alternating between them depending on my mood but holy shit.....Six of Crows really owns my entire heart what an incredible two books. I also love audiobooks and am currently listening to a recorded dramatisation of Maya Angelou’s autobiographies - I’m up to her 2nd one: Gather Together in My Name.

I’m tagging: @simpercy (when u come back i miss u), @calamitous-love, @hoarderoffandoms, @skatersokka, @nerdylizj, @bipercabeth, @amyscascadingtabs, @judoflipped and @kelseykreppels.

#tagged #thank you seed & allison! <3 #teriza tag

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lantur · 4 years ago

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notes for today, the last day of July:

Is it even a Friday if I don’t feel exhausted af by everything that happened over the course of the week?? The answer: NO it is not. 4 meetings this week + caregiver class on Wednesday evening + lunch with a friend on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon + writing chapter five of “delicate” has me wiped out.

I finished King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo earlier this week and I cannot WAIT for the sequel/the next book in her Grisha series! This series just got better and better with every book in the sequence. I started listening to Six of Crows in March, and then moved through Crooked Kingdom, Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising continuously, so the Grishaverse has been my life for about four months. I already miss the world of Ravka and Fjerda and Kerch and the Shu Han. :( Leigh’s worldbuilding is fantastic, as are the characters she creates.

I’ve started The Diviners, by Libba Bray. I read it when it first came out, but I barely remember it, and listening to the audiobook is such a different experience. I’m excited to work through The Diviners books - there are four in the series, so I bet it’ll take me through the end of September. I think this was the perfect series to transition into. It has the supernatural/horror element that I love so much, and the setting of NYC in the 1920s is a good contrast to the fantasy worldbuilding in my last series.

I got the job I interviewed for last Tuesday!!!! It’s work from home/virtual, and it’s part time, so it rounds out my current part-time job into almost full-time hours. :’) Start date is late August. I’m excited! I interviewed with the executive director and a couple of other program coordinators on the team and they all seem very nice.

I hope you all have a good weekend!!

#lanturing

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blurrypetals · 4 years ago

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Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - blurrypetals review

originally posted feb. 9, 2018 - ★★★★★

[read for my book club, My Idea of Therapy] It's difficult to write a review for this that's in my usual overview sort of a way, so I'm going to try to take the same approach to reviewing this book as the book did to its plot: character by character. First, to get this in before I begin the character by character here's this: I recommend this book overall and it was definitely good enough to still sit beside The Grisha Trilogy on my favorite books shelf, but it was easy to pick favorite characters and thus, favorite parts of the story. Part of it is due to the fact that this audiobook has seven narrators; I think it would have benefitted the overall feel and structure of the book if it had either been narrated only by Lauren Fortgang and whoever the fuck narrated Kaz's chapters (I listened to quick samples from each guy; I can't tell for certain, but I THINK it's Fred Berman) or if it had been written in the first person. I still generally liked the book, but it basically became a waiting game for Kaz and Inej chapters for me because I preferred their narrative voices as well as the actors who, well, gave them audible voices. So here are my thoughts on each character, from my least favorite to my most favorite(s). It's a tie for first. 5. Matthias - even though he was my least favorite, his arc was still really great. The actor they chose for him sounded so *MANLY* and that, paired with the character's rigid personality made his head the least fun to be in...or near? I still don't get why this book is in the third person. 4. Nina - she's further down mostly because her arc is tied to Matthias who is, as I've established, not the most fun, but I felt like most of her character development was tied to Matthias's arc or it didn't exist at all until the VERY END of the book. She was narrated by Elizabeth Evans, who is certainly a fantastic narrator, but her voice belongs to the Throne of Glass series in my head. Every time I heard her (very lovely) voice I started to have war flashbacks to Empire of Storms, which would sour my mood, which is obviously not Leigh Bardugo's, Elizabeth Evans's, or anyone else's fault (except maybe Sarah J. Maas's?) it's just one of those things. Hopefully it's a hurdle Crooked Kingdom will help me get over. 3. Jesper and, by proxy, Wylan - I don't have much else to say other than the fact that they're adorable and I ship it like FedEx. (view spoiler) 1. and 2. Kaz and Inej - the two biggest reasons this book has a 5 star rating from me. Their relationship is so intricately written with fathomless depths, so much mutual respect I think I got diabetes from how sweet it was, and, of course, it's a cagey bad boy with a troubled past that's affecting his future, paired up with a badass girl with her own mess of past traumas...what's not to absolutely love? Not only are they great together, but they're amazing on their own, too. As I said earlier, I looked forward to their chapters nearly from the word go because their voices were both so unique, intriguing, and enrapturing. This is the Leigh Bardugo I signed up for, the one who wrote one of the best villains (and honestly, one of the best characters, period) I've ever read in The Grisha Trilogy. Kaz and Inej are perfectly imperfect and I can't wait to find out what happens to them and their comrades in arms. The heist they have to pull of was all really fun, well-paced, and unpredictable, too, from getting the party together, to leaving Ketterdam, to crossing the ocean, on and on and on until the very last twists and turns, even in the very last minutes, when I certainly thought things were wrapping up (view spoiler). I'm glad I read The Grisha Trilogy before reading this, too, because a lot of people have said you can just read this without reading The Grisha Trilogy, which you can but it does spoil who survives certain things and it drops certain contextual spoilers that aren't HUGE but anyone who reads this and THEN goes back to read the original trilogy might have some lightbulb moments and it could drain the tension out of certain things that happen there. Onward to the finale!

#six of crows #grishaverse #leigh bardugo #2018 #goodreads mirror #blurrypetals

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theastrophilearchitect · 4 years ago

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Every book on my TBR.

So. Every single book on my TBR (to-be-read). It’s not as dramatically long as most you’ll see - but then most BookTubers and Bookstagrammers are basically book hoarders. I started properly reading about three and a half years ago, August of 2017, and, at the time, I definitely wanted to eventually build a book collection so big I could line an entire wall with custom bookshelves, fill those bookshelves with my sixteen copies of every one of my favourite books and still have stacks and stacks either side of my desk. Then I came to the realisation than that’s insane. Books are expensive. So are bookshelves. And no-one wants to have to pack up boxes and boxes of books and set up new shelves when you move. So, now, I try to get most of my books from the library or BorrowBox, which always has a better selection, or I buy the eBook - it’s usually cheaper and means I don’t end up with a physical object to carry from place to place, all in my phone (though I usually read eBooks on my iPad).

Anyway, I have only about 30 books on my Goodreads want-to-read, 8 of which are on my physical TBR, which is what I’m going over today.

The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

This is the first book in Rick Riordan’s third Percy Jackson (I guess?) series, The Trials of Apollo. I don’t know too much about what this book’s about, and I’m going to keep it that way - I loved Percy Jackson and the Olympians, and I loved Heroes of Olympus, so I’m not really concerned. I do know, however, that the god Apollo gets put into the body of a demigod named Lester (I thought as I was writing this that Lester was just the name he took as a mortal, but now I’m worrying that maybe Lester is a demigod whose body Apollo gets put into, which would be weird, but we’ll see) and its main characters are the lovely Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, and Will Solace, son of Apollo.

I can’t wait to get to this, but I did just finish Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, so I’m pacing myself. I don’t want to burn out on Riordan.

Evenfall by Gaja J Kos & Boris Kos

Honestly, the description for this book is quite vague. Nope, incredibly vague. I could’ve sworn it wasn’t this vague when I put it on my TBR. I’m not sure how to summarise it, so here’s the Goodreads description:

A monster does not deserve the intimacy of a name As if waking up in an unfamiliar world isn’t enough of a surprise, Ember gains a new title to her name. Saviour. Hunted by the Crescent Prince and his lethal shadows, she accepts a young Mage’s help to navigate the land of blood magic and its many illusions. But where Ada sees the good in her power, Ember discovers something else. An icy darkness, designed to take lives, not save them. The only thing worse than not being able to rely on her senses—or the reality she had once believed to be true—is knowing that she cannot trust her heart. Especially as it seems to draw her to the one person in whose hands she can never fall… Will Ember escape the thrall of darkness or will she reign in it?

This is currently the oldest book on my TBR, which, were I anyone else, could mean it’s been on my TBR for literal years, which it technically has been, but only two.

12/02/2021 Note: I started reading this book on the 11th, and just couldn’t get into it. It felt like the world had just spawned into existence when Ember arrived in it. I tried to push myself to at least 50 pages, but I just couldn’t do it, so I DNF-ed it. Putting this note here because I wrote this post a while before it’s actually going up, and I don’t want to include a DNF in my wrap-up.

The Diviners by Libba Bray

I own this book in a really uncommon cover; I got it on amazon a couple years ago, and this just happened to be the one available at the time. Irrelevant. This is one of those books everyone has read, and I’m looking forward to eventually getting into it.

This book is set in a paranormal 1926 New York City, and a girl named Evie O’Neill has to live with her occult-obsessed uncle. When a girl turns up dead with some kind of cryptic branding, Evie’s uncle is called to the scene and she realises her power could help catch the murderer. That’s as simply as it can be put, but I get the impression there’s a lot more to this book, and despite the fact I’ve been desperate to read this book since I heard of it, I somehow still haven’t read it.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

I love Leigh Bardugo. In truth, I didn’t particularly enjoy the Grisha trilogy, but I loved both Six of Crows and King of Scars, and am currently rereading Crooked Kingdom on audiobook. This is her first take at an adult book, and follows Alex Stern, the only survivor of an unsolved multiple homicide who was offered a place at Yale by a mysterious benefactor, with the catch of monitoring the university’s secret societies, whose occult activities turn out to be more sinister than she could have expected.

This is a book that went onto my TBR immediately after I heard about it, and I’ve been waiting to read it for the last year and a half.

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson

I tried to read Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy a couple years ago, and failed to get into it, partly because it didn’t interest me that much, but I love the idea of Skyward, and it’s gone down so well in the book community.

It’s set in a future where the human race is on the verge of extinction, trapped on a planet constantly attacked by alien warriors. Spensa, a teenage girl stuck on the planet, wants to be a pilot, but it seems far-off. Then, she finds the wreckage of a ship that appears to have a soul, and she must figure out how to repair it, and persuade it to help her navigate flight school. Again, I get the impression there’s much more to this story, especially since it’s planned to be part of a four-book series.

Catwoman: Soulstealer by Sarah J Maas

Honestly, the reason I bought this book was that I had a £10 reward on my Waterstones card, and I didn’t, at the time, have any books on my Goodreads want-to-read I hadn’t already bought, so, having recently become interested in the Avengers movies, I figured, why not? (Even though this is DC, not marvel, but not the point.)

This is book 3 in the DC Icons companion series, where every book is by a different author - I’m also panning to read Wonderwoman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo, and probably some of the others in the series, but for now, this is the one I own.

Selina Kyle returns to Gotham City under a new alias, and, with Batman off on a mission, only Batwing is left to defend the city from notorious criminals. Meanwhile, Batwing, trying to prove himself, targets Selina under her alias, who has teamed up with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn.

Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia

This is the only regular, probably-sane contemporary novel on my TBR - I tend to lean towards escapism, but this caught my interest.

This follows Eliza Mirk, who, online, is LadyConstellation, anonymous creator of popular webcomic Monstrous Sea. She’s your typical outcast, and isn’t interested in trying to live in the real world. Wallace Warland, the comic’s biggest fanfiction writer then transfers to Eliza’s school, and, believing her to be a fan, begins to draw her out of shell, until her secret is revealed.

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

Let’s be honest, everyone just knows this book as Crescent City. This is Maas’s first proper-adult series - I say that because A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) is technically new adult, though it’s marketed as young adult. I loved both Throne of Glass and ACOTAR the first time I read them, and am honestly now more slightly apprehensive at how seriously Maas’s books take themselves - I also just finished listening to all the Throne of Glass audiobooks. Unlike her previous fantasy books, this is a sci-fi.

Bryce Quinlan finds herself investigating her friends’ deaths in an attempt to avenge them after they were taken from her by a demon. Hunt Athalar is a Fallen angel, enslaved by Archangels, forced to assassinate their enemies, when he’s offered a deal to assist Bryce in exchange for his freedom.

And that, is every book currently on my TBR.

(12/02/2021)

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lady-adventuress · 7 years ago

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Books I Read in 2017

Alphabetical list here, reviews under the cut in chronological order:

Almond, David: A Song for Ella Gray

Bardugo, Leigh: The Grisha Trilogy, Six of Crows, Crooked Kingdom

Cline, Ernest: Ready Player One

Cloonan, Becky, Brendan Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl: Gotham Academy Vol. 1-2

Cluess, Jessica: A Shadow Bright and Burning

Coulthurt, Audrey: Of Fire and Stars

del Duca, Leila and Kit Seaton: Afar

Dragoon, Leigh and Jessie Sheron: Ever After High: Class of Classics

Flores, Chynna Clugston, et al.: Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy

Gaiman, Neil: American Gods

Gaiman, Neil and Chris Riddell: The Sleeper and the Spindle

George, Madeleine: The Difference Between You and Me

Gilmour, H.B. and Randi Reisfeld: T*Witches #1-10

Hale, Shannon: Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World

Hicks, Faith Erin: The Nameless City, The Stone Heart

Jensen, Michael and David Powers King: Woven

LaCour, Nina: We Are Okay

Larson, Hope: Chiggers, Mercury

Lubar, David: Sophomores and Other Oxymorons

Riordan, Rick: The Trials of Apollo #1-2, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #2-3

Shea, Lisa: Ever After High: Once Upon a Twist: Cerise and the Beast

Stewart, Cameron, Brendan Fletcher, and Babs Tarr: Batgirl Vol. 1

Stoker, Bram: Dracula

Sugiura, Misa: It’s Not Like It’s a Secret

Turtschaninoff, Maria: Maresi

Weir, Andy: The Martian

West, Hannah: Kingdom of Ash and Briars

I also listened to a lot of audiobooks as I was working this year, but since I have terrible audio comprehension, I stuck to books I’ve already read and know I like:

From Tamora Pierce, Alanna: The First Adventure and the Trickster series, read by Trini Alvarado. The Protector of the Small series, read by Bernadette Dunne. The Immortals Quartet, Sandry’s Book, and The Will of the Empress, Full Cast Audio narrated by Tamora Pierce. All of them were good, but I especially loved hearing the Trickster series and all of the Full Cast books. I absolutely recommend them. Immortals was my favorite.

From Eoin Colfer, the Artemis Fowl series, read by Nathaniel Parker. I liked it a lot. It’s nice being able to hear the accents and remember that Artemis is actually Irish.

T*Witches #1-10, by H.B. Gilmour and Randi Reisfeld. Twin witches who were separated at birth meet at age fourteen and must learn magic to protect themselves from their evil uncle. This is a series from my childhood that still holds up in a cheesy nostalgic way. I always found the attempt at teen slang baffling, but at its core the story is still about family and girls supporting each other and trying to do the right thing. Excellent and complicated relationships between both biological and adopted families, excellent and complicated supporting characters.

Dracula, by Bram Stoker. An ancient vampire brings death and evil to England while a group of mostly-bumbling protagonists try to stop him. It’s hard to read a book like this without being influenced by the cultural interpretation, but one thing that really threw me off is the importance of characters that seem to get really downplayed in adaptations. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed the book, but I did enjoy how ridiculous parts of it was.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World, by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale. A fourteen-year-old girl tries to make new friends while keeping her squirrel tail and superpowers a secret. I love Shannon Hale’s children’s books. Squirrel Girl had the charm of her Ever After High work, surprisingly without being as over-the-top. Doreen isn’t the type of protagonist I tend to relate to and I always get a little weirded out with anthropomorphized animals, but the book was fun and funny with distinct voices and an appropriate amount of camp. Also, footnotes.

The Difference Between You and Me, by Madeleine George. The closeted popular girl and school outcast are on opposite sides of school politics, which causes problems in their secret relationship. I feel like there are tons of fanfictions like this, so I was glad when this book didn’t run into the overused tropes. Unfortunately, it didn’t really have much in the way of conflict at all, which was surprising when it seemed like every single character’s opinions were meant to be deliberately polarizing. I thought that situations and characters were set up really well, but none of it really came together in a satisfying way.

Chiggers, by Hope Larson. Graphic novel. A girl navigates summer camp drama and befriends the girl no one else likes. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Hope Larson, but I couldn’t like this book even though I was trying to. It felt like nothing was happening for most of the story, and I’m not sure what was accomplished in telling it. The elements of magical realism were interesting, but it wasn’t enough to carry the story, and neither was the mundane drama. There wasn’t enough time to invest in the characters.

Mercury, by Hope Larson. Graphic novel. A girl’s experience with a mysterious gold prospector affects the life of her modern-day descendant. The story was thought-provoking, even if it took me a while to get into it, and the magical realism was well-integrated. I don’t love Larson’s cartooning style, but I thought it was much more readable than Chiggers without sacrificing its uniqueness.

The Nameless City, by Faith Erin Hicks. Graphic novel. A boy befriends a native girl in the city his people conquered. Hicks’ visual storytelling skills are excellent, and I love how her characters and expression can be both subtle and cartoony. The story was thoughtful and deals with political realities in a way that doesn’t demonize or alienate anyone. Jordie Bellaire’s color palettes are beautiful.

Unfortunately, the sequel The Stone Heart doesn’t quite live up to the first book. The art is still excellent, but the pacing and plot seemed less well-planned, especially since the story now seems to be heading in a more predictable direction. There’s a third book forthcoming, so maybe that opinion will change.

Batgirl Vol. 1: Batgirl of Burnside, by Cameron Stewart, Brendan Fletcher, and Babs Tarr. Trade paperback. A college student tries to reinvent her vigilante identity while dealing with being the personal target of a mysterious villain. This was definitely not a bad book, but it also didn’t feel like a Barbara Gordon book. If you’re writing for characters with decades of history, that legacy deserves to be respected, and I’m not sure Stewart and Fletcher accomplished that in the writing. Separate from preconceptions, the plot was solidly set up with good dialogue and distinct characterization, although I thought Barbara’s arc had a weak resolution. Tarr’s art is great, though, and I can definitely see why this series is so popular.

Gotham Academy Vol. 1-2, by Becky Cloonan, Brendan Fletcher, and Karl Kerschl. Trade paperbacks. A girl investigates a haunting at her school, which is connected to a mysterious summer experience she can’t remember. Kerschl’s character acting is excellent, and the relationship between the protagonist Olive and her ex-boyfriend’s sister Maps is immediately compelling. The cast is well-rounded and interesting, and I enjoyed reading a comic set in a superhero world without being a superhero book. Plot elements are set up from the first issue, and the story is a lot of fun overall.

A Song for Ella Grey, by David Almond. A modern version of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth is told from the perspective of Eurydice’s best friend. Almond is an excellent writer, but I felt like this was a story that didn’t need to be retold, especially with his addition of a tragic unrequited queer romance. The protagonist doesn’t have any agency within the storyline so it felt like a series of events happening in sequence rather than a narrative. I did think the formatting shift at the turning point was interesting, but the myth dragged unnecessarily in order to fill the length of the novel.

The Trials of Apollo #1: The Hidden Oracle, by Rick Riordan. The Greek god Apollo is sent to earth as a teenager as punishment for his arrogance and is bound to the service of a young girl. It’s hard to enter into the Trials of Apollo series without prior knowledge of Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Heroes of Olympus, and even as a fan of the other books in the universe, I had a hard time engaging with Apollo as a protagonist. The narration fit the character well, though, and Riordan deals with serious subjects without resolving anything prematurely. I liked that each chapter was introduced with a haiku rather than a title.

The second book in the series, The Dark Prophecy, is similar in tone to the first. I would say the biggest change is the addition of Leo and Calypso from the prequel series to finish off the classic trio of heroes. That dynamic was interesting, and I also really enjoyed the appearance of my favorite Percy Jackson character.

We Are Okay, by Nina LaCour. A girl deals with grief over her grandfather’s death and reconnects with her best friend during winter break of her first year of college. It was a slow start and I had some trouble keeping up with shifts in the narration, but I ended up liking this book a lot. The writing is atmospheric and captures the protagonist’s thoughts well. The setup for the mystery is subtle and doesn’t take focus from the characters.

American Gods, by Neil Gaiman. After three years in jail and his wife’s death, a man takes a job that involves him in a war between old and new gods. I really like Gaiman’s writing, and Shadow is a protagonist that is engaging despite his relative passiveness. Even so, I wouldn’t say this was a book I actually enjoyed all that much, and plot twists were well-developed to the point that they weren’t particularly surprising or satisfying. I’ve seen a lot of stories modernize gods, so Gaiman’s treatment didn’t seem as unique as I’d been led to believe. That being said, maybe I would have enjoyed this more if I’d read it earlier.

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Hammer of Thor, by Rick Riordan. A teenager resurrected as a Viking warrior goes on a quest to retrieve Thor’s hammer. This series in particular seems to depend on pop culture references, so while I liked the writing, I wonder if it will stay as relevant as Riordan’s other books. I did really enjoy the cast and the expansion of their backstories, and this book sets up what seems to be more of a crossover with the Percy Jackson series.

Book three, The Ship of the Dead, was also really fun. The closing of The Hammer of Thor was a little misleading in that the crossover elements were limited to the beginning and end of the story as usual, but by this time the characters are more than capable of standing on their own. It seems like this book is the last of the series, and it managed to close out the plot pretty well.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo. Six teenagers are hired to break a political prisoner out of a foreign country. Not only is this an excellent heist story with a really detailed plot, but each of the characters are fully developed and they all have their own arcs throughout the books. Bardugo’s cast is inclusive and intersectional without feeling like she’s checking off a list and the writing is witty with clear voices. Both the characters and plot drive the story. I can’t say enough good things about this duology.

The Grisha Trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo. A teenage soldier discovers an elemental power and becomes part of a plan to overthrow a corrupt monarchy. This trilogy takes place before Bardugo’s Six of Crows books, but it was disappointing in comparison. I really disliked the protagonist, and there was a lot of focus on a frustrating romance, to the point that it overshadows the interesting worldbuilding. The plot dragged in places, despite being too thin to fill three books. Even so, there are a few really great supporting characters that almost made it worth it.

Sophomores and Other Oxymorons, by David Lubar. After a successful freshman year, a teenager’s overconfidence causes problems at his high school. This is the belated sequel to Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, which is one of my favorite books. Sophomores seems more self-referential and has a subplot that doesn’t seem to fit the tone as well, but for the most part it had the same witty charm that I loved about the first book. Of course, the best part of the series is still Lee, the female lead.

Maresi, by Maria Turtschaninoff. An abbey novice discovers her calling when a new girl with a troubled past arrives. This book was originally published in Finnish, I believe, but I think it must have lost something in the translation. The narration is distant, and even though parts of the world are described, it was hard to picture any of the setting. Overall it didn’t really hold my interest.

Kingdom of Ash and Briars, by Hannah West. After gaining magic powers and immortality, a girl becomes responsible for ensuring peace throughout three kingdoms. I really didn’t like this book. It treats the female characters poorly, especially the antagonist, and although the plot is ostensibly about duty, it’s heavy-handed, relies too much on tropes, and is really obviously motivated by romance. A lot of this can be overlooked if it’s ironic or just done well, but it never came together and ended up being very frustrating.

Of Fire and Stars, by Audrey Coulthurst. As she enters an arranged marriage, a princess has to hide her magic and her attraction to the prince’s sister. Even though the two protagonists are supposed to have equal weight, I ended up almost actively disliking one of them. The plot isn’t terribly engaging, but because I couldn’t get behind one of the characters, the romance couldn’t carry the novel for me. It wasn’t bad, but I wish it was better.

Princess Academy: The Forgotten Sisters, by Shannon Hale. A commoner-turned-princess takes an unattractive job to teach court manners to three royal sisters. This book is the third in Hale’s Princess Academy series and it is just as excellent as the first two. The plot is set up well across multiple books, and Miri is an excellent and flawed protagonist who is capable without overshadowing the other characters. The romantic plots don’t feel forced and the narration accomplishes a lot of interesting worldbuilding. Another book with girls supporting one another despite not necessarily understanding each other.

The Martian, by Andy Weir. An astronaut is stranded on Mars after an early mission evacuation and must survive until he can be rescued. I was skeptical about the premise, but everything is well thought out and clearly explained, without sacrificing either reader engagement or scientific accuracy. The protagonist has a great voice, but as soon as the perspective shifts away from his first-person mission logs, it’s easy to tell that Weir isn’t a very experienced writer, since the other characters and third-person narration are not nearly as well-defined. Overall, though, it was still a good book.

Ready Player One, by Ernest Cline. A high-schooler who is desperate to escape a dystopian future dedicates his life to solving a virtual reality puzzle and becoming the heir to a video game empire. There were two things that I really disliked about this book, the first being the protagonist, who seemed like a terrible person for most of the book. The second is that, despite being ostensibly a celebration of pop culture (and especially 80s pop culture), the overall viewpoint seemed really rigid and judgemental. The writing was fine, and there were some really interesting puzzles, but in the end I felt like it was male nerd entitlement in novel form.

Ever After High: Once Upon a Twist: Cerise and the Beast, by Lisa Shea. The daughter of Red Riding Hood and the son of King Charming are forced into the roles of Beauty and the Beast in order to escape their midterm exam. Cerise and Dexter seem like an odd pair, which sometimes works in the Ever After High universe, but didn’t really here. Part of this I think is because this book is written for an even younger audience than the original so the characters lost a lot of their nuance. The only part of the story that surprised me was almost immediately negated by a soap opera-worthy plot device to prevent the status quo from changing.

Afar, by Leila del Duca and Kit Seaton. Graphic novel. A girl tries to fix problems caused by her newfound ability to project herself into different worlds, while keeping her younger brother out of trouble. There is a lot of visual worldbuilding here, which I thought was very well done. Plot wise, it felt like the protagonist’s arc was maybe just the first act of a much longer book, but the characters were solid all around.

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy, by Chynna Clugston Flores, Rosemary Velero-O’Connell, Kelly Matthews, and Nichole Matthews. Graphic novel. The ensemble casts of Lumberjanes and Gotham Academy work together to free their teachers from a girl’s attempt to relive a disastrous birthday. I think this book is set up more for fans of both series, and since I’ve only read a little of Lumberjanes, I felt like I was playing catch-up for some parts. I did really like the parts that showcased the Gotham Academy characters, though. I felt like the art was missing the lushness and texture of what I remember of the regular series, which was disappointing.

Ever After High: The Class of Classics, by Leigh Dragoon and Jessi Sheron. Graphic novel. The children of popular fairy tales learn more about their parents by using magic to relive parts of their high school experience. This book was very disappointing compared to other parts of the franchise. The art is minimal and flat compared to the webseries, and all but one of the anthology-esque stories felt like retreading old ground. I also really disliked the narrative hoops the audience was expected to jump through just to keep anything significant from changing.

It’s Not Like It’s a Secret, by Misa Sugiura. After moving from Wisconsin to California, a Japanese-American girl struggles to build a life she is happy with while keeping secrets that could ruin her family. This book was a bit surreal to read because specific parts of it were identical to my high school experience, while other parts were completely foreign. Still, the writing is solid and thought-provoking, and I liked that there is no easy answer to the protagonist’s problems.

A Shadow Bright and Burning, by Jessica Cluess. A newly-discovered sorceress takes on the role of a prophecized savior in a fight against enormous apocalyptic monsters. I found it a little difficult to get into the characters, especially since there is only one girl in a large group of boys and the gender difference is a large part of their interactions. I disliked the romantic subplots, which seemed to take over the narrative, even though the worldbuilding and political aspects of the plot were really interesting.

The Sleeper and the Spindle, by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell. A queen postpones her wedding to deal with the sleeping curse that threatens to spread from the kingdom next door. The story begins as a mix of archetypes from Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, but Gaiman’s atmospheric writing elevate it even before the surprising finale. Riddell’s illustrations and other visual choices for the physical book are beautiful and tell the story meaningfully. Highly recommended.

Woven, by Michael Jensen and David Powers King. After his murder, an aspiring knight goes on a quest with a spoiled princess to stop the universe from unraveling. This book had an interesting premise, but its execution filled me with rage. Although it pretends to have dual protagonists, the princess is treated horribly by the narration without any kind of self-awareness. She is given a thin veneer of fighting ability but no agency in the story and is constantly being rescued without payoff. The writing and pacing also seemed flat. Overall extremely frustrating, especially because of the hints of interest.

#literature #book review #tamora pierce #immortals quartet #artemis fowl #grisha trilogy #six of crows #gotham academy #ever after high #percy jackson #magnus chase #twitches #dracula #neil gaiman #the sleeper and the spindle

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thewraith-inejisasaint · 5 years ago

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My collector’s edition of Six of Crows came in the mail yesterday!! So exciting!! I’ve been wanting to get it for a while and now it’s finally here. The design is just so beautiful and simplistic. I want to get the collector’s edition of Crooked Kingdom but I’m probably going to ask for that for Christmas!!

My CD Walkman came in the mail over the weekend too. Now I can listen to the audiobook for Ninth House when I’m out and about!!

I bought both of these on eBay

#walkman #cd walkman #six of crows #grishaverse #collector’s edition #books #beautiful #the cover is so pretty #bought on ebay

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bookcasedoors · 8 years ago

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Top 7 Books that I read in 2016 (sort of)

I say sort of because some books I’m counting as one whole because they all go together, so here they are in no particular order:

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

This was probably the most intriguing of fantasies I read this year, the premise is very different to most fantasy stories. It’s about a land where the queen always gives birth to triplet girls and when these girls are old enough one of them becomes queen. They each develop a certain power and are raised separately, and the way they choose the queen is that the sisters have to kill each other until one remains and she is crowned queen. It’s a very different concept and I thought I’d give it a read. At the beginning it’s quite slow working out how things work in this world and learning the names and culture of these people, but then when the story really gets going it’s very different from any other story I’ve read. It’s quite dark and some of the turns the story took was really interesting, one in particular blew my mind. I’m more interested in where the story is going rather than the characters, but the characters are actually very complex too I just don’t feel a connection to them. They’re all very fascinating but not very likeable, which could be the point, either way I’m still going to continue with the story and I’m very curious to see what happens next.

Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Six of crows was probably my favourite book of the year, these books are about six people attempting an impossible heist, and that was all I needed. I love bank heist movies so this was right up my alley. It was intense, emotional, heart and gut wrenching all at the same time. Every single character was fantastic with their back stories woven so artfully throughout both books, you cannot help but love them all. I did try to pick a favourite but honestly they are all so amazing, but the reason for that is because they are all so wonderfully written, every one of them is flawed and perfect simultaneously. The story is also impeccable it takes twists that you don’t expect and you end up somewhere you never thought it would go. It was an adventure to read and I wish there was more, I’d love to see more from these character but also I think it ended very nicely. I would strongly recommend this duology with all my heart.

Illuminae and Gemina by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

When I first saw Illuminae I thought it looked beautiful, but looking stunning is usually corresponded with having a weak story. The illuminae files is a sci-fi space adventure told by reports, messaging programmes and some glorious typography. So when I first saw it I though it looked cool but I shouldn’t really expect much from the story but I was so very wrong. The story is so detailed, which I was shocked about, it’s amazing that they can convey all these emotions without writing it in the traditional way. It’s the first time I’ve been genuinely terrified reading a book, it’s so tense and because of the way it’s told it increases the pressure as you’re withheld from some of the information that would be available had it been told in the traditional way. Both the book so far have been amazing but I have a slight preference for Illuminae, however Gemina has some gorgeous illustrations. It’s really opened me up to the sci-fi genre, which I didn’t really like up until these books. It’s a truly amazing idea that is told in a fascinating way.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

Second book in the ACOTAR series (this series really needs a catchy name) I wasn’t that much of a fan of ACOTAR like it was okay and nice but I felt like I didn’t really connect, little did I know Sarah J Maas was saving the amazing characters for the second book. The basic premise of the first book is a beauty and the beast retelling but with fairies, and that’s pretty much what is was. It’s was good but it went where I thought It would go and although the writing and story was good it didn’t really blow me away so I put off the sequel for quite a while, but I am so glad I did actually read it. It was PHENOMENALLY better than the first one but the second book wouldn’t have been as good without the first one being like it was. The characters are amazing, the story is amazing, I have no idea where it’s currently going and that is amazing. It’s like the first book set out the ma of the world and the second filled it to the brim with a twisty turning story and some fantastic characters. I love the night court with all my heart, some truly great characters. I cannot wait for the third one.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Nice little contemporary about friendship and finding yourself and all that good stuff a contemporary should have. it was just so nice and relaxing to read, it had its moments of drama and emotion but I’m a massive fantasy fan so usually real life stories kind of bore me or they stress me out because I think of real life scenarios that could actually happen. This was just nice and sweet, it felt refreshing and the characters were great. Nice little story of part of a characters life instead of life and death situations. I read it during the summer so it felt like a hot lazy day kind of book, all about the development of the characters and growing to love them.

The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater

Great story about basically a group of friends doing the weird stuff everyone does but somehow there’s even more weird stuff involved. Things like psychics are real and magic and 1000 year old welsh kings. It’s as strange as it sounds and there’s really no way to summarize it. Just five strange people dealing with life, coming together and hijinks ensues.

This series just gets weirder and weirder as you read it, like half of the time I don’t even understand it but it’s written so beautifully I don’t even care. There’s no way to put this book into a genre, like is it fantasy? Urban fantasy? Magical realism? I don’t even know. I listened to them on audiobook back to back over the summer and it was the perfect time to read it. You really grow to love the characters and their journey, same as with six of crows I could not pick a favourite I love them all. Was I horrendously confused as to what was happening? Yes. Was I also intensely absorbed and ready to enjoy the ride? Hell yeah I was. I also hear there’s going to be a Ronan Lynch trilogy and I am SUPER excited about it.

Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

Another cute little story, about a girl who is allergic to pretty much everything, and then one day she meets the boy next door. Seems pretty mundane however it is not what I thought it would be. Going into it I felt like I’d heard this story before and it was a little cliché, however I stuck with it and I am so glad I did. It’s definitely not what it seems. I’m all about books that change my opinion by the end and this definitely did, and it was still a cute contemporary story overall and I’m looking forward to reading her latest book.

#books of 2016 #finally trying to review stuff #go new years resolutions

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curlyhairbibliophile · 4 years ago

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Wow, we are officially half way through 2020 (thank god)! My reading this year hasn’t been too bad because I am officially half way through my Goodreads goal! I’ve read a total of 21 books this year, and I’m hoping to keep this energy up through the rest of the summer and the fall. Today, I’m going to be doing the Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag to talk about some of my book-related opinions of the year!

Best Book You’ve Read So Far in 2020?

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Is anyone truly surprised by this answer? It took me so long to read Six of Crows, and I am SO GLAD I finally did! Six of Crows was the first fantasy I’ve read in a long while, and I totally fell in love with Leigh Bardugo’s world building abilities and characters. I can’t stop gushing about this one. The second one is everyone’s old favorite: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. I actually had not read this book until this year, and it’s really surprising that it took me THIS LONG to read it.

Best Sequel You’ve Read So Far in 2020?

I actually haven’t read any sequels yet this year! I will be reading Crooked Kingdom in the next few weeks, and I have a feeling that that will be the best sequel of the reading year.

New Release You Haven’t Read Yet, But Want To?

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There are SO many new releases I’m excited to read, but I would say that All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson and You Should See Me In A Crown by Leah Johnson are the two I am THE most pumped for! I already own You Should See Me In A Crown, so I really have no excuse not to pick it up soon! Sadly, I’m waiting on my audiobook copy of All Boys Aren’t Blue to come in from the library so I hope it comes in soon!

Most Anticipated Release For Second Half of 2020?

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I decided to break the mold a little for this one and do FOUR books I am pumped for. After reading Daris The Great Is Not Okay earlier this year (which I’ll talk about in a bit), I can’t wait for the next book Darius The Great Deserves Better by Adib Khorram! I also can’t wait for Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas because everyone and their mothers have not stopped RAVING about this book! Also, I talked about why I’m hyped about Never Look Back and Every Body Looking in a recent post if you want to check it out!

Biggest Disappointment?

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I picked up an ARC of The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys last year at ALA, and I was so excited for this one because I’ve only loved all of Ruta’s previous books. However, this one fell a little flat for me. It was a slow read until about half way through, and then it picked up a bit. I still rated it three stars because I loved the history behind it, but the characters and plot felt too jumbled for me.

The Names They Gave Us by Emery Lord was personally my BIGGEST disappointment. I have had this book on my shelf since 2017, and I finally picked it up this year after drawing it from my TBR jar. It was really cringey for me, especially after only reading diverse contemporaries with strong characters. I DNFed about 70 pages into it.

Biggest Surprise?

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I wouldn’t say these two were exactly surprises, but I would say I went into both of these with ‘meh’ expectations only for them to BLOW ME AWAY! Darius The Great Is Not Okay is a quiet contemporary that made me absolutely fall in love with the characters. Adib Khorram definitely became an auto-buy author for me after this.

I read Dear Martin by Nic Stone forever ago, so I wasn’t totally sure what to expect with Jackpot. However, I thoroughly enjoyed Jackpot! It was a lot more fun than I expected it to be, but it was also one of the first books I read with a main character who wasn’t affluent/middle class. It fully reminded me how much I loved Nic Stone and how I need to pick up her other books in the future!

Favorite New Author?

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Well, y’all could probably guess by what I’ve said so far that Leigh Bardugo would be one of the answers for this one! My other answer for this one would have to be Brandy Colbert, author of Little & Lion! I recently finished this one as an audiobook, and I genuinely enjoyed Brandy’s writing style and characterization. I’m super excited to dive in more to her other books (especially The Voting Booth)!

Newest Fictional Crush

This should go without saying, but I’d say my newest fictional crush is Kaz Brekker. There are SO MANY reasons why I’ve fallen in love with him, but I’m sure if you’ve been anywhere in the online book community you already know all about him.

Newest Favorite Character

Much like the one above, this is also Six of Crows related. The ENTIRE Six of Crows crew is what I’m going to count as my new favorite character. Again, you probably know why, but I talk about them more in my Six of Crows post.

Book That Made You Cry?

I haven’t actually cried in a book yet this year! However, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagiharais on my TBR in the future so we’ll see what happens!

Book That Made You Happy?

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I read Yes No Maybe So in late February right before the pandemic hit and I had to leave college, so reflecting on my reading so far I just remember how genuinely happy it made me. I love Becky Albertalli so much, so I was also super happy to finally be reading a new book of hers. I also listened to the audio book of George by Alex Gino recently, and it made me SO HAPPY. It’s a middle grade novel about a trans main character, and it dealt with super important while still being super light-hearted. I fell in love!

Most Beautiful Book You Bought So Far This Year?

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Would it truly be a Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag without talking about Elizabeth Acevedo? I purchased With The Fire On High and Clap When You Land this year, and these are arguably the most beautiful books (both on the inside and the outside). If you have not read Elizabeth Acevedo, you are missing out.

What Books Do You Need To Read By The End of The Year?

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SO MANY BOOKS! Here are a few of the ones I’m hoping to read by the end of 2020:

Who Do I Tag?

Zoe @ SunnyChapterone

Shelby @ ShelbyCReads

Claire @ Clairefy

Kayla @ BooksAndFirstLooks

Marie @ snarkandsquee

Jackie @ BookishCoffeeBlog

Lelia @ A Page Out of My Book

Victoria @ V.E. Reads

Rc @ Nekuthebooklock

And YOU! If you have not done it yet, I officially tag you!

Welp, those are all the questions! I’ve had a pretty good reading year so far, and I can’t wait to see what new favorites emerge in the next few months! Do we have any books in common? What was your favorite book I’ve listed? If you’ve already done the tag, drop the link! I’d love to read/watch.

Mid Year Book Freak Out Tag Wow, we are officially half way through 2020 (thank god)! My reading this year hasn't been too bad because I am officially half way through my Goodreads goal!

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whoslaurapalmer · 7 years ago

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favorite books?

oh no, this is liketrying to pick a favorite child or something, and of course I have tosay WHY for each one even though I really did try to keep it short,oops

-asoue/atwq arealways going to be towards the top of the list. asoue isheartbreaking and hilarious and a thing of beauty (vile village,slippery slope, and penultimate peril are my favs, ersatzelevator is also really up there too). atwq is great, great series,everything I ever wanted out of a series about young lemony snicket,and it honestly got me through college (shouldn’t you be in school ismy fav from that one).on a related note,why we broke up. i’ve loaned out very few books in my time but ITHREW that book at people in high school. I am always. so envious. ofdanhan’s ability to describe emotions with such gut-wrenchingpower. (also adverbs, which I will one day finally fucking finish.)

-harry potter andthe order of the phoenix. it’s my favorite hp book. I have a lot ofFeelings about this book and I like, regularly listen to theaudiobook, all the time. some of my hp friends hate this book andhate harry’s anger in it and that. really upsets me. because I getharry’s anger in this book somuch and it’s. important to me. also I love all the subplots!!!! Ilove rita skeeter showing up again!! I love harry’s inability totalk to cho!!! I love love love the grimmauld place chapters!!! Ilove luna!!!!!!

-saffy’sangel/indigo’s star/permanent rose by hilary mckay. they alwaysstick out to me as books that really made me think about writing andbuilding marvelous, funny,heartwarming slice of lifebooks about very distinct characters. like, what even happens inthose books??? I don’t know. butthey’re about family andtrying to find that family and your place in it and the world aroundyou, and I always really liked that.

-six ofcrows/crooked kingdom by leigh bardugo. I read those books over like,five days back in april 2017 and I have not stopped thinking aboutthem since. ragtag group of misfits gets roped into hardcoreshenanigans all in the pursuit of freedom! and cold, hard cash!! withlots of character development along the way!!! what’s not to love!!!!! what I really enjoyed,though, was how each character’s backstory was revealed over time,and it was never out of place when it showed up, it always addeddepth to the characters and the scene. kaz’sbackstory in particular is something I will. never be able to forget.the dialogue was top notch, the characters are super distinct, andthe plot was super intense.

-good omens, by neilgaiman and terry pratchett. come on. who does not love this book. Ihonestly need a new copy of this book cause I have jammed this oneinto bags and purses for like eight years and it’s. really chewedup. I love the characters, the genuine humor, how all thesestorylines weave together, THAT MAILMAN, how the end of the world isstopped by just. this kid’s love forhis town.

Idon’t read as much as I used to (I devoured. books. when I was akid. and a teenager.most of my time as an adult is really spent trying to write instead (or reading fanfic),and only occasionally devouring.) and right now i’m rereadingasoue, mostly, but I do have a bookcase crammed full of new things toread, so this year i’d. really like to get on that. and really addmore favorites. most of these have been my favorites for ages and Ihaven’t reread somein a WHILE, so although I have afew other books I’d put onthis list I don’t know about putting them on now because it’sbeen so long. (andthe new things I haveread have been like, good, butnot alwaysI Love It With All My Soul, IWill Never Forget This good,and that’s my criteria for being on this list.)(or i’ve read booksrecently that I have straight-up hated. i’ve read quite a few ofthose.)

#Anonymous

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cover2covermom · 7 years ago

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Hello bookworms!

How the heck is everyone?! When I last posted I was wrapping up my reading & blogging month of September in my September Wrap-Up. I mentioned in my wrap-up that I was going to be scarce in the month of October, but I never anticipated I would be completely absent for the entire month of October, and a good chunk of November as well. I apologize for my absence, but know that I miss the book blogging world so much…

What have I been up to?

Update:

Since I last posted ((which feels like forever ago)) things have been moving along with our new home renovations. We are about 3 weeks out from moving in. We’ve had some set backs from our original plan to move in by the first two weeks of November, but I guess that’s how life goes. Things are really starting to move along, and the house is finally starting to look like a house, and not a war zone. Paint is almost complete, my kitchen cabinets are in, and the flooring is being installed this week. At this point, we are hoping to move the first weekend of December. While our new home renovations have been going on, we were in the process of getting our current home ready to list on the market to sell. After some paint, minor updating, and lots of de-cluttering, we were able to list our house at the end of October. I am happy to report that after 5 days on the market (and many showings), we received a full asking price offer on our home! We are under contract and are scheduled to close right after Christmas… it feels as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders!

Never in my wildest dreams did I anticipate how busy all of this would keep me. At the end of the day, I am lucky to get 30 minutes of reading in before falling asleep. My saving grace has definitely been listening to audiobooks while I’ve been working. I wish I could say that I am back, but I have a feeling that I will be just as busy during & after the big move. If I am being honest, it will probably be January before I am back to posting regularly & being active in the bookish community again. It breaks my heart to admit that, but until things are more settled in my personal life, this blog has to take a back seat.

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*Book titles link to Goodreads

» Anne’s House of Dreams (Anne of Green Gables #5) by L.M. Montgomery

Feelings in a few thoughts: FINALLY the moment I’ve been waiting for: the wedding ¤ Adored the new characters: Leslie, Cornelia, and Captain Jim ¤ wish we got more of the Green Gables crew ¤ a little disappointed that Anne no longer seems to write… ¤ heartwarming & cozy

» Raymie Nightingale by Kate DiCamillio

Feelings in a few thoughts: my first DiCamillo book ¤ really enjoy DiCamillo’s dry sense of humor – this book made me laugh often ¤ focus on friendship – loved the trio of friends in this one

» Risuko: A Kunoichi Tale (Seasons of the Sword #1) by David Kudler

*2.5 Stars*

Feelings in a few thoughts: I would classify this one more MG than YA ¤ really appreciated the Japanese culture – felt it was well researched and well done ¤ Never felt connection to the characters or the plot ¤ I wasn’t really sure where the author was going at times – a few of the plot points were unclear to me

» Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows #2) by Leigh Bardugo

*4.5 Stars*

Feelings in a few thoughts: I enjoyed this book better than Six of Crows – was invested from start to finish ¤ you really have to pay attention while reading this one because of the intricate plot ¤ felt that some of the characterization suffered because of the complex plot – certain characters were on the back burner in this book ¤ liked how everything panned out in the end ¤ so many emotions

» The Orphan’s Tale by Pam Jenoff

Feelings in a few thoughts: found the parts about the circus & the trapeze fascinating ¤ really enjoyed the history – how the circus hid Jews as performer during WWII ¤ was not able to connect to Astrid or Noa – didn’t feel emotionally invested in their outcomes ¤ this type of book should evoke more of an emotional response from the reader, but failed to in my case

» All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater

Feelings in a few thoughts: this book is NOT going to be for everyone ¤ happy to see a book with Latinx characters & culture – cannot speak for the representation but didn’t see anything blatantly obvious, but then again I am fairly inexperienced with Latin American culture ¤ really enjoyed that radio & music was such a huge part of this book ¤ plot felt odd at times & a little random – if you don’t like “weird” you won’t like this book ¤ lots of eccentric characters – which I liked, but you never really get to know any one character really well

» The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillio

Feelings in a few thoughts: for a book titled “The Tale of Despereaux“, Despereaux wasn’t as big of a part of the book as you’d imagine ¤ I was anticipating action-packed MG, but there wasn’t much “action” ¤ narration style didn’t feel right ¤ really didn’t like how Miggery Sow was victimized throughout the book – a little dark for a children’s book ¤ anticlimactic

» Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillio

Feelings in a few thoughts: heartwarming & sweet ¤ who doesn’t love a book that evolves around a child & their pet? ¤ themes: friendship, coming of age, & fitting in ¤ I have a soft spot for a book with eccentric characters who all come together

Which books did you read in October?

Have you read any of the books I read this past month? If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books? If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

I give a hiatus update & wrap up my #reading month of October on the blog today! #BookBlogger Hello bookworms! How the heck is everyone?! When I last posted I was wrapping up my reading & blogging month of September in my…

#Am Reading #Bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Book Nerd #Book Worm #Bookish #Books #Bookworm #Reading #Wrap Up

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