#i really hope we get a novella or graphic novel of his backstory

[lightleapfan]

shocking that i also like some characters other than lightleap

[everybody-loves-purdy]

I hope we don’t ever get a Snowtuft Super Edition, he’s one of my faves but I have a feeling that they’d ruin him. His mysteriousness is a big part of what makes him interesting. Silverhawk, on the other hand, we already have a general idea of what he did in life - tried to kill his leader so that his son (who was deputy) could become leader instead. That’s pretty Interesting, I think that’s a good plot for a book.

To add to this - I don’t think the Erins should even write super editions anymore. What happened to the novellas? Those are so much better than the recent super editions. Blackfoot’s Reckoning is a major example of this - that was a great book, I loved it a lot, but I have a feeling they would’ve butchered his character had it been in the format of a super edition. Novellas are short enough that they don’t have time for filler or rehashes of the main arc, and instead have to focus on the actual plot: Leopardstar, Onestar, and River Ripple would have been SO much better off had they been given novellas instead. I think some good candidates for novellas would be Redwillow, Harestar, Cloverfoot, Fidgetflake, Juniperclaw, Antpelt, Icewing, Dawnpelt, Flywhisker, and Boulder.

I would also love a Silverhawk book

I would personally like a Snowtuft book myself because I really want to know what he did, but I also get your point of view where the mystery of it all is probably better than what the Erins could come up with, if it’s just left to the reader’s imagination.

I do think also it may be time to start retiring super editions, or at least use them sparingly only when the Erins have something to say. It’s not like this team can’t do super editions, they are responsible for Hawkwing’s Journey and Crowfeather’s Trial after all and I love those books. But they seem to be running out of steam. Leopardstar’s Honor and Riverstar’s Home were picked by polls rather than a genuine need or want to tell a particular story, and I fully believe Onestar’s confession was slapped out as they already had a rough idea of what they wanted to do for that for the previous year’s poll, and hadn’t expected Riverstar to win the one they had just ran.

I totally agree with you about Blackfoot’s Reckoning! I love that novella but I think if they tried to put Blackstar into a super edition they could easily have ruined him. The same goes for honestly all of the post-Vicky novella cats (Thunderstar’s Echo onwards). And yes I agree all the recent SE cats would have been better off with novellas too!

Those are some excellent novella picks, I would also like to propose Sleekwhisker (post-avos), Fernsong, and Gorsestar (dealing with Windstar’s death and beyond).

I think maybe villain backstories such as Darktail, Snowtuft, Silverhawk etc would probably benefit most from graphic novel format

[mediaevalmusereads]

The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh. By KJ Charles. Loveswept, 2014.

Rating: 4/5 stars

Genre: historical romance, short story, lgbtqia+ romance

Part of a Series? Yes, Society of Gentlemen #0.5

Summary: The youngest son and the blackest sheep in his family, Lord Gabriel Ashleigh never imagined he could sink so low. Though he’s a notoriously bad gambler, he takes on the formidable but strangely alluring Francis Webster, only to lose everything: all his money, the lovely estate he inherited from his aunt, and any hope of future happiness. So it’s a shock when Webster summons him to a private game for a chance to win back his possessions. The stake? If he fails, Ash must surrender his body.

Francis has been waiting years for this moment. At Eton, Ash’s elder brother harassed him relentlessly. Now, consumed by lust and rage, Francis is only too happy to exploit Ash’s foolish indiscretions. But as Francis strips the magnificently built youth—first of his family assets, then his clothes—he begins to wonder whether he’s been plotting revenge . . . or exquisite seduction.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: graphic sexual content

Overview: I'm quite in the mood for a full length novel, so for the past few days, I've been reading novellas, graphic narratives, and short stories. I picked this one up because I don't think I've ever read a short story that was also a queer historical romance, and I was curious as to how it would unfold. Fortunately, it worked out; Charles is very careful to keep the scope reasonable and does a good job laying groundwork before the romance begins. The only reason this story gets 4 stars from me, however, is because I think Charles could have injected more sensuality into the build up to the intimate scene and held back a little more on the info dumping after. But other than those things, this is a nice, quick read that will surely delight lovers of queer (especially mlm) romance.

Writing: Charles's prose is very quick, clear, and well-balanced, without rhetorical flourishes that take up space or make the pace drag. However, it doesn't feel sparse either; especially towards the beginning, I never felt as if Charles was breezing through things, but took care to devote time and attention to the context and backstory that would inform the character dynamics moving forward. I also really liked that Charles moved back and forth between past and present, using flashbacks to show the reader where certain feelings come from rather than telling us that Ash and Frances had history. It made the story feel more "literary" and therefore more engrossing.

Plot: The plot of this short story follows Gabriel "Ash" Ashleigh, the youngest son of a prominent family who bets his entire inheritance on a game of cards. To his horror, Ash loses, and the short story begins in medias res the day after, when Ash realizes what he's done. After turning to his brother for help (which is denied), Ash receives a note from Francis Webster, the man who now holds all of Ash's gambling debt. Francis invites Ash to his house and offers to allow him to win it all back, but because Ash no longer has anything to wager, Francis proposes a solution: Ash's body.

I personally found the plot to be appropriate in scope, which meant that the story didn't feel as though Charles was trying to stuff a novel-length plot into a scant 44 pages. Because Charles also inserts some flashbacks, the plot felt richer than if background information has merely been told to us and we were left to absorb its significance on our own.

The only thing I didn't like about this plot is the falling action, after Ash and Francis are physically intimate. After they sleep together, Francis explains how long he's wanted Ash, how he knew he was queer, etc. and it felt like such a departure from the literary way Charles related backstory in the beginning. I think I would have liked it better if some of this info was relayed earlier, such as more sensuality in the card games that built up to their encounter, or more revelations in the throes of passion. As it stands, there seems to be a lot of telling at the end, and the tone shifts from dark and potentially dangerous to bright and hopeful. If more seeds had been sown earlier, the shift might have been more gradual and, at least for me, more enjoyable.

Characters: Ash, our main protagonist, is something of a Rake in that he is characterized by his pursuit of pleasure. He is frequently drunk and plays all sorts of impulsive card games, which makes him the black sheep of his family. However, Ash is more complicated than a straight forward stock libertine because he seems to have a sense of honor, yet is always afraid to show it. For example, he remembers seeing his older brother bully Francis at Eton, and though he took his brother's side, he secretly hated all the things that they were doing. Giving Ash such conflicting feelings made him interesting because as a reader, I didn't quite know for sure how he would respond to certain things, and I appreciated the character growth that happened when Ash decided to do the right thing and apologize.

Francis, the love interest, is less complex, but that didn't bother me because this short story is told in third person from Ash's POV. Most of what we know about Francis is given to us through Ash's perception of him, so Francis comes across as dark, ruthless, calculating, and potentially dangerous. I would have liked him better as a character if he didn't infodump so much at the end, but as a love interest bound by the limits of this story, he was fine.

Romance: I wouldn't quite call this story a proper romance because we don't see a complete love story, just an act of ohysical intimacy which promises to turn into a long-lasting relationship. I can't really comment, then, on the arc of the relationship, though I think it's fair to say that I wish Charles had done more to build up the sensuality and hint that there was something more than lust going on a bit earlier. As it stands, the physical scene feels like a moment of sudden passion until after it ends, when Francis reveals his true feelings. Personally, I dislike it when reveals like this are too sudden and shift the way I conceptualize the relationship too suddenly, but because of the length of this story, I kind of understand why it was done. Basically, what I wanted was for Charles to *show* us more longing rather than *telling* us about it after.

Ash's older brother, Mal, makes a brief appearance, but his main way of being present is through Ash's memory. Because Mal and Francis have an antagonistic relationship, it would have been easy for Mal to distract from the bond between Francis and Ash, but I think Charles did well. Mal is neither presented as an incidental character nor one that dominates the story, and I appreciated that he was kept in his place, so to speak.

TL;DR: The Ruin of Gabriel Ashleigh is a fun, quick, erotic short story that feels both rich and complex and appropriate in scope. Though I personally would have liked the ending to play out differently, this story is a good intro to mlm historical romance and a good example of how to write a short story that don't feel rushed or over-full.

[mattskitchen67]

OK! I read Arcanum Unbounded (a.k.a. Only Brandon would call that a novella, & other stories) and I have thoughts. Lots of thoughts. Pretty sure that while I’m obviously not done with The Cosmere, I’ve been thoroughly indoctrinated.

So too much to briefly sum it up ,so I’ll give my reaction to each story:

The Emperor’s Soul--Fantastic opening to the collection. I think this novella is going to be my go-to recommendation to anyone thinking about checking out Sanderson’s work before committing to an entire book. Loved the story and how it explored the magic-system and its implications. Really relevant to my own interests as a writer as well.

The Hope of Elantris--Confession time: I only got a third of the way through Elantris before dropping it. I just didn’t vibe with it tbh. So I’m not the audience for this short story. The story behind why he wrote it is really cute, but I’m surprised I powered through as much as I did. Elantris fans would probably like it though.

The Eleventh Metal--Nice little additional backstory for Kelsier. Nothing really more than that. Neat and enjoyable though if you like that character (which I very much do, so I did).

Allomancer Jak and the Pits of Eltania, episodes 28 through 30--I liked the Allomancer Jak bits in the Era 2 books, so this was also fun. Weird that this is where the explanation for Era 2 Koloss ended up, but at least I finally got it since I was really curious about that sense Alloy of Law. Fun, but not really a selling point of the collection.

Mistborn: Secret History--OOOOOOOOKAY! This is A LOT. Major spoilers for Era 2 of Mistborn. I’ll use [Redacted] because... yeah... but even then if you read this you’ll definitely piece it together, so if you’re not caught up on Era 2, don’t do that.

You know what? I really missed [Redacted]. I missed him so much. That being said! I am very glad this story was on the side and not crammed into the original books somehow. In hindsight, I can see how it was foreshadowed, even in Era 1, but I’m glad as far as the original trilogy was concerned, [Redacted] was permanently gone. Secret History got a little too “Look what was really going on just behind the scenes, lol” at times, but considering the premise, that’s to be expected and most of the time it felt earned.

I like that we get an explanation about [Redacted]’s resurrection right after The Bands of Mourning (the book had a great cliffhanger/reveal ending) but the whole thing still feels kinda weird. Let me explain. To me, [Redacted]’s role as a living character ended in The Final Empire, so the fact that he’s back and has grown beyond his previous role, is just kinda weird. Not necessarily unwelcome, but weird.

It’s interesting that he’s back, and I really liked his character arc and all the character interactions in this story, but I just don’t know where this is going. If he shows up in the final Era 2 book, and/or whatever he’ll do in future Mistborn eras, I can easily see myself looking back on Secret history a lot more fondly. We have the set up for [Redacted]’s future role in this world and series, but we don’t know what it actually is yet, and until then I can’t say how I feel. But i assume and trust it will build to something really cool (hopefully).

I have so much more to say about this (everything with Fuzz and the reveal of the larger cosmere, GAH!) but I’ll leave it off here. Really dug this.

White Sand Excerpt--The graphic novel trilogy is on my tbr list, and I’ll probably get to it once I’m caught up with Stormlight/after the new Stormlight comes out and I read it. The setting is cool, and the magic system of controlling sand by using your body water as fuel is really good for a desert world. But there weren’t any character or story hooks that personally hastened my interest in the graphic novels. Knowing that Khriss is in them is really the one thing that has my interest, so far.

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell--Maybe my favorite story in the collection. Fantastic. Great characters, characters, setting, story, horror, just all around great. No words, it speaks for itself, just read it.

Sixth of the Dusk--I made the mistake of starting this right after reading Shadows, so i initially was unfair to this one because I don’t like it as much and it has a much slower pace. But by the end it held its own. I especially liked how the ending tied everything together. Really well done.

Edgedancer--Wow people weren’t kidding that the in-between novellas were mandatory reading (maybe, I haven’t read Oathbringer yet). It’s a real good time. Lift is great. I loved her in her Words of Radiance interlude, and i was really happy to see that this would focus on her. I’m really interested in how she’ll get tied up in the main plot of the books (I assume it hasn’t happened yet, but maybe I’m wrong).

[phoenix43song]

Little Women [2019] Film Review and Analysis

I have been reading the Little Women series since I was a child and I grew up on the 1994 film version that stars Winona Ryder. I have also watched the 1933, 1949, 2017 (mini series), and the 2018 modern film adaptation. I have watched and enjoyed the web series The March Family Letters on youTube, which is another modern adaptation take on the story, though unfinished. I have a graphic novel and a novel called Meg and Jo that are also modern adaptations. I love the songs from the musical, and I wish to play Jo one day (after I get my singing voice back). You can say I am a bit obsessed, though it has been quite awhile since I last read Little Women and did research on Louisa May Alcott. When I heard Greta Gerwig was going to be making another adapation I reread the whole series. The research I have done on Louisa, and the research that I have read from other fans and scholars has made reading Little Women all the more interesting. I try to be a writer, though I've only ever written novella's and short stories and short films. I love the theatre, acting, and now I am directing for the first time. I have so many story ideas for novels, series, and for feature films (maybe even TV). I've also always loved art, though without praticing much since adulthood my skills have dwindled. I identify with Jo and with Amy and I am really glad that this version of the book did these character justice...well Greta went wayland on Jo a bit.

The character of Jo in this adaptation is fully realized, three dimentional, however she is made to be have way more of a temper when she's an adult, unlike the book. Jo has this Peter Pan mentality where she wants to keep living in childhood and never grow up. She is in denial of her feelings, and she doesn't understand romantic love fully until the end. Greta decided to really incorporate Louisa herself into Jo. Louisa wrote the book loosely based on herself and her sisters growing up because she was pressured in writing a children's novel. She didn't want Jo to get married: she wanted Jo to remain a spinster like herself. Louisa was pressured to marry Jo off so she did. And then she continued to write two more novels after Little Women (technically Good Wives): Little Men and Jo's Boys. She created Friedrich Bhaer for Jo, who was the perfect choice for her...and most readers can't seem to see why Jo fell in love with him when, based on the research that I did and others did, Louisa created him off of men she had crushes on. Yes Louisa had crushes; she most likely had a few short lived romances, but we'll never know because if she wrote any of this down in her diary or in letters they have been destroyed.

Friedrich Bhaer in Greta's Little Women is not Friedrich Bhaer. He shares but a few qualities. Louis Garrel did an amazing job with what material he was given and he understands his characters and Frieidrich's relationship with Jo far better than Greta does. Based off of interviews and other comments that Greta has mentioned Greta hates Friedrich and can't stand that Jo married in the end. She doesn't understand him nor their relationship. She took away everything that Friedrich is, how Jo became friends with him, the courting he does, and one of the most romantic proposals in classic literature. Greta decided on an ambiguous ending for her movie and I absolutely hate it. The umbrella scene is rushed, hurried, and not romantic at all and it's edited in a way that this only happens in the novel that Jo writes because she is pressured, or somewhat forced, to marry off her heroine. Then there are cuts where we see Jo at her school for boys and girls, where her family presents a cake for Marmee's 60thbirthday and we see that Friedrich is there. This is cut where Jo is watching her book being made and she hugs it to herself: I really enjoyed this part of the ending, but the ending could have still followed the book more and not edited and written in a way where Jo's love for Friedrich and marriage isn't fiction. I mean Greta even had Amy and Meg drag Jo to go after him when Friedrich leaves and claim that Jo loves him. This is a change that...it destroys the characters in a huge way.

Friedrich isn't German in this film, though we do see him go into a German Beer Hall with his friends. I did love the dance scene in the Beer Hall and him dancing with Jo. He's French because Louis is French. Part of me wishes Greta would've gotten a German actor because Germany in it's people and culture was a huge part of Louisa's life and German is scattered all over the book. But I love Louis Garrel so this aspect of Friedrich didn't bother me that much. However...we don't get to know him and we don't get his backstory in this film. He doesn't play with the children, his immigration and carring for his orphaned nephews isn't mentioned, and him bringing Jo to intelletual gatherings isn't seen. Him giving Jo Shakespeare is in the film, but it's not done in person. He helps Jo with giving honest feedback on her stories and Jo doesn't take constructive critism well at all and yells at him. Friedrich likes Jo and you can tell. It's even shown that Jo likes him as well, but we sadly don't get to see their friendship: hell they don't really have much of a relationship in this movie. When Friedrich comes to visit Jo at the March house, we can see that Jo is surprised but pleased. I really do love how the family really likes him and gets to know him, and that they can see that the two love each other but that Jo is in denial. Except...Jo isn't really in denial in the book. She blushes when she realizes that Friedrich has come to court her. Jo in the book feels more mature by this point then she does in the movie.

Jo also tries to make herself love Laurie by writing him a letter because she's lonely. She never does this in the book. She does have one mention of a what if scenario but she stands by what she always thought: that she only loved Laurie like a brother. I really loved the scene where Jo rejects Laurie when he proposes because she's telling the truth and we even see in the movie that that have this special commarderie that's close but platonic, and not romantic. I do love how Greta explains and shows different kinds of love and growth in the sisters. But this seemed to degrade Jo a bit when it comes to actual full realized growth. I just don't understand where Greta was going with this and why she doesn't seem to understand Jo and Jo and Friedrich together. She put way too much of Louisa into Jo when Jo is a fictional character and not 100% Louisa. It's made to look like the umbrella propsal is fiction and that Jo did end a spinster. I am so upset right now at this that I will talk about what I did love and more of my analysis from a filmmaking aspect. (I doubled majored in theatre and in film in college and I do know that there will be changes in adaptations. However this doesn't mean that you can change characters and relationships to fit your own idea of how they should act and how they should end up. When you adapt a story you have to keep who the characters are and Greta doesn't do this with Friedrich nor with Jo in the end with her as a character and the relationship between the two).

So. This film is gorgeous. Beautiful cinematography, direction, costumes, acting, score, and editing. The only thing that I didn't like was how the characters read their letters to the camera. It took me out of the story and didn't fit in at all. The editing of present to past was well done, and I loved how it went with parallel themes. Each sister is three dimentional and real, and the different takes on money and love was really interesting. Beth's sickness and death was well done and so heartbreaking poignant. I loved how she got Jo to write again, and I loved the montage of Jo writing her novel. Mr. Dashwood was hilarious, and Meryl Streep had a blast playing Aunt March. Laura Dern made a capible Marmee but she didn't feel like Marmee to me sadly. Mr. March was barely in the film, but he's barely in the book so that was ok. The scenes between Mr. Lawerence and Beth were beautiful, and the scenes between Mr. Lawernce and Jo were good as well. I liked seeing Meg wanting riches, her feelings about being poor, but her love for John was a lot stronger and she made sacrifices. Amy was great, espeacially as an adult in Paris.

Laurie...I have a lot of thoughts on how Laurie was protrayed. I liked how his Italian ancestry was mentioned a lot and that Laurie could never sit still. I liked how he was represented as a drunk and ladies man until Amy talked sense into him. I like how we got to see how Amy and Laurie fell in love, and how Laurie realized that his love for Jo wasn't of the romantic nature either. He does love Jo and you can diffinitely see that, but at the same time they're best friends. Yes it's good to want to marry your best friend but at the same time you need more than just physical attraction ( and that's where Friedrich comes into the pitcuture). But there was something off about how he was represented. I honestly think it's because that Tim looks way too young for the adult version (even though he is an adult in real life), and that he's too skinny. Sorry I said it: Tim needs to put some meat on his bones.

This film does deserve awards and it bothers me that the film wasn't nominated for a Golden Globe (though Saoirse being nominated for Best Actress was a choice well deserved) or for an SAG awards. I hope the film is nominated a lot at the Oscar's at least. I would give this film somewhere between a 2.5 to a 3 out of 4 stars. This would've been a perfect 4/4...I know a lot of critics and fans love the ending, and that's there's only a minority of us that understand and love Friedrich, and Jo/Fritz together. At least we have other film adaptations and the musical – love the musical! - and I am really tempted to write my own version of a Little Women feature or mini series. I want to do more research on Louisa and write a biopic. I even have my own modern adapation ideas. This is a beloved book and I wish more people will read it, along with the rest of the series. To understand Jo/Fritz you have to read the last two books. This isn't really an essay or full on anaylsis, but more of me rambling, but let me know your thoughts in the comments. I would love to discuss Little Women and hear your thoughts and opinions. (Also sorry for spelling and grammar errors: I wrote this up really fast and didn’t bother to edit as I’m rather busy). 

[casscutting]

Best and Worst Reads of 2019

Let’s talk about books baby…

Before I get into my favorite and least favorite reads of 2019 I want to talk about the rating system that I adopted halfway through the year. I now use the CAWPILE method which I got from G. over at Book Roast on Youtube though I’ve changed it some.

CAWPILE breaks down a book into 7 different categories:

C = Characters Backstory Growth Arc Did you feel like you knew them? Were you invested? A = Atmosphere World Building W = Writing Style Did you like the Writing Style? P = Plot Did you like the plot? Were you able to follow it? I = Immersion Did the book keep your attention? Did you want to keep reading? L = Logic Did things make sense to you in the context of the story? E = Enjoyment Did you enjoy this book?

Now here’s where I made changes G. rates each section out of 10 then does some math to make it fit into the Goodreads 0-5 start scale. I, on the other hand, wanted something more simple so I rate my categories out of 5 stars then add each section up then divide by 7 (because there are 7 categories) For example:

Here is my break down of The Young Queens by Kendare Blake, which I loved but wasn’t one of my fav’s of the year.

C = Characters 3 Stars A = Atmosphere 5 Stars W = Writing Style 5 Stars P = Plot 5 Stars I = Immersion  5 Stars L = Logic  5 Stars E = Enjoyment  5 Stars = 33 out of 35 33 devided by 7 is 4.712% which makes my raiting for the book a 4.75 out of 5 stars.

I wanted to start off this post by going over my favorite and least books of 2019, let’s start chronologically with my favorites:

In an Absent Dream by Seanan McGuire 5 out of 5 stars

This is the fourth installment in the Wayward Children series or novellas. For those that don’t know these books follow children that have made their way into portal worlds like Oz and Wonderland but have for one reason or another been spit back out into our world. The kids usually cant readjust so they are sent to special boarding schools. The one school, in particular, is Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children. The first three played off each other whereas this one we follow a child we haven’t met in other books. If fact this book takes place years before the first three books in the series.

In an Absent Dream follows Lundy, a very serious young girl who would rather study and dream than become a respectable housewife and live up to the expectations of the world around her. As well she should.

When she finds a doorway to a world founded on logic and reason, riddles and lies, she thinks she's found her paradise. Alas, everything costs at the goblin market, and when her time there is drawing to a close, she makes the kind of bargain that never plays out well.

NOTE* I read this book prior to adopting my new rating system but I think my rating would be somewhere between 4.5-5 stars with my new system.

The Savior's Champion by Jenna Moreci 5 out of 5 stars both times with a CAWPILE rating of 35

This is a self-published book that in my opinion would rival any traditionally published work. The Savior's Champion is the first in a series of which I can’t wait for more to come out... This story had me hooked from the first chapter which I read before it came out in 2018. I got this book on Audio and the narrator Nick Denton, who is a sweetheart by the way, is amazing.

This book follows Tobias Kaya doesn't care about The Savior. He doesn't care that She's the Ruler of the realm or that She purified the land, and he certainly doesn't care that She's of age to be married. But when competing for Her hand proves to be his last chance to save his family, he's forced to make The Savior his priority.

Now Tobias is thrown into the Sovereign's Tournament with nineteen other men, and each of them is fighting -- and killing -- for the chance to rule at The Savior's side. Instantly his world is plagued with violence, treachery, and manipulation, revealing the hidden ugliness of his proud realm. And when his circumstances seem especially dire, he stumbles into an unexpected romance, one that opens him up to unimaginable dangers and darkness.

Trigger warning: this novel contains graphic violence, adult language, and sexual situations.

The Ruin of Kings by Jenn Lyons 5 out of 5 stars both times with a CAWPILE rating of 35

This is the first book in a high fantasy series (or trilogy I don’t really know which lol) The story grabbed me right away but it did take a second to get used to because you are following Kihrin through two parts of his life and the story jumps from the past to the present throughout the book. I listened to this book on audio and it was amazing. The THREE narrators (Vikas Adam (Kihrin), Feodor Chin (Thurvishar), and Soneela Nankani (Talon)) were amazing and I only hope book 2 and eventually book 3 will have the same VOA’s

Kihrin grew up in the slums of Quur, a thief and a minstrel's son raised on tales of long-lost princes and magnificent quests. When he is claimed against his will as the missing son of a treasonous prince, Kihrin finds himself at the mercy of his new family's ruthless power plays and political ambitions.

Practically a prisoner, Kihrin discovers that being a long-lost prince is nothing like what the storybooks promised. The storybooks have lied about a lot of other things, too: dragons, demons, gods, prophecies, and how the hero always wins.

Then again, maybe he isn't the hero after all. For Kihrin is not destined to save the world.

He's destined to destroy it.

Now on to the ones you really care about, I know you just skipped to this part…

I only had three disappointing reads this year and one of them was a re-try that I had DNFed when I got the ARC.

Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart DNFed AGAIN

Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat. Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete. An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two. A bad romance, or maybe three. Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains. A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her. A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.

I first got this book as an ARC back before it came out (obviously)  I got 50 pages in and I wanted to rip my hair out that’s how much I was disliking it. So I thought that maybe Mystery-Thrillers weren’t for me. But now having a few under my belt and I’m liking these genres I’d give it another go especially since some of my favorite book bloggers and booktubers really enjoyed it.

Oh boy was I WRONG. I made it to that same spot and wanted to rip my hair out but I thought no keep going maybe it will get better. Wrong again, the MC was bland and boring and found myself wishing she would adopt a good personality or really any personality at all would be a vast improvement over who she was portraying at any given time. I didn’t care about the plot or her backstory or why she was hiding.

So I DNFed this book for a second time at around 100 pages.

The Umbrella Academy, Vol. 1: The Apocalypse Suite by Gerard Way 1 out of 5 stars

In an inexplicable worldwide event, forty-seven extraordinary children were spontaneously born to women who'd previously shown no signs of pregnancy. Millionaire inventor Reginald Hargreeves adopted seven of the children; when asked why, his only explanation was, "To save the world."

These seven children form the Umbrella Academy, a dysfunctional family of superheroes with bizarre powers. Their first adventure at the age of ten pits them against an erratic and deadly Eiffel Tower, piloted by the fearsome zombie-robot Gustave Eiffel. Nearly a decade later, the team disbands, but when Hargreeves unexpectedly dies, these disgruntled siblings reunite just in time to save the world once again.

This may have been partly my fault because I watched the Netflix adaptation before I knew the source material existed. I LOVED the show, it is hands down one of my new favorites but the graphic novel wasn’t well put together. I have been reading graphic novels and comics my whole life and I know you’re not getting a novel with dialogue and story spelled out for you. I know that there is a harmony between what is written and the art but the artist had to work twice as hard to convey the story. What little written word was there wasn’t the best.

I did like the art style it was fun and really the only thing that kept me going thought out this volume. I won’t continue in the series as far as the graphic novel is concerned but I am highly anticipating the next season of the show.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum 2 out of 5 stars

When Dorothy and her little dog Toto are caught in a tornado, they and their Kansas farmhouse are suddenly transported to Oz, where Munchkins live, monkeys fly and Wicked Witches rule. Desperate to return home, and with the Wicked Witch of the West on their trail, Dorothy and Toto - together with new friends the Tin Woodsman, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion - embark on a fantastic quest along the Yellow Brick Road in search of the Emerald City. There they hope to meet the legendary, all-powerful Wizard of Oz, who alone may hold the power to grant their every wish.

I grew up with both the movies and had been a huge fan since childhood. The filmmakers took a lot of successful liberties with this story and were able to convey everything so much better than Baum. My least favorite part was the Witches of Oz, the Wicked Witch of the West she seemed more like a stern grandmother than an evil witch, though she had her moments with the Tin Man, Lion, and the Scarecrow.

But I will continue in the series because it is a goal of mine to read them all.