#ojka deserves it

[sharry-arry-odd]

How was she supposed to fight a woman whose knives didn't even stay in her hands? The answer, of course, was simple: the same way she fought anyone else. Quick and dirty. After all, the point wasn't to look good. It was to stay alive.

A Conjuring of Light, by V.E. Schwab

[itsjustlikefallingsnow]

Hogwarts Houses au with the adsom gang

Kell: Ravenclaw. Definitely. All those trinkets he collected for no other reason than he wanted to have them? Literally going against direct orders to get all of them? Always trying to think rationally and logically? Learning so much about magic? Being pessimistic? Ravenclaw.

Lila: Slytherin- my girl is the DEFINITION of ambition, like she followed a guy who had every reason to intensely dislike her on a trip she isn't sure she'll survive, entered the Essen Tasch, a whole ass tournament for the best magicians IN THE WORLD just to test her strength, holds grudges, planned to kill a ship's captain to take it as her own and overall was a Slytherin.

Rhy: Hufflepuff. Do I have to elaborate? No. Am I going to? Yes. This is the person who got kidnapped and nearly killed, and his first concern when he woke up was that his brother was hurt, AND THEN literally pardoned the people who were planning to kill him. He is explicitly stated to be extremely trusting and fully loyal to Kell, and stayed with Alucard on that ship even though he had no actual reason too. Also just generally how much he cares for his people, the b e a u t i f u l scene where he goes around with blankets, and how the trait he values in himself the most is how lovable and approachable the people see him as, all just make him the most Hufflepuffy Hufflepuff ever.

Alucard: Gryffindor, but I can't really explain it. I guess it's just how much of a natural leader he seems to be, but how much he tries to seem like part of the crew, laughing at all the jokes, teasing his crew mates, ect.. Also his reaction when Rhy stopped breathing just seems like A Gryffindor Thing.

Holland: Slytherin. So I'm gonna try to keep this unbiased even though i hate this guy with a passion (don't attack me ok i can see why you would like him but i just don't). Anyways I think Slytherin because of how intent he was on helping his city. He was willing to do just about anything for his city to prosper, and this lead eventually to him being reckless. He also held a grudge against Red London his whole life, and was actually willing to give up his body and will a SECOND time for the sake of his London, that's how ambitious he was.

Also the dynamics? I mean sorry if this is just me but I've always thought that Gryffindors and Ravenclaws would get along the worst out of all the possible combinations, while Ravenclaws and Slytherins, and Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs would get along well because they are the pessimistic and optimistic houses respectively.

EXTRA MENTIONS

Tieren: Ravenclaw

Ned: Ravenclaw, he was so eager to learn

Maxim: Gryffindor

Emira: Hufflepuff but this one is the hardest

Ojka: Gryffindor, she's loyal to Holland

Calla: Hufflepuff, she deserved so much better

Astrid/Athos: Slytherin, just like anyone on that throne

Hastra: Hufflepuff, I will never forgive V.E.Schwab

[ashintheairlikesnow]

Also for the fandom meme: Ojka, Ros Vortalis, Talya. These people deserve some love

Ros Vortalis: Fake Dating AU. I just like fake dating royalty, okay? It’s fake and they buy me fancy things. I’m a strong independent woman, but you know, I could stand to have more fancy things.

Ojka: Enemies to Lovers. I bet she’s spicy.

Talya: Slow burn - I kind of feel like she would mine it for drama and storytelling and hey, I’m here for that

[maren-reads-books]

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Four months after the fateful night when two princes lives were tethered together, a blood magician was killed and a thief disappeared to become a pirate our story picks back up. Lila makes her way back to Red London for the Essen Tasch as she bonds with her captain and crew and learners to harness the magic inside herself. Kell and Rhy try their best to come to terms with their newly tethered life forces and their duties to their kingdom. And in a different London, one that was once cold and dying, holland sits upon the throne of a thriving kingdom with the help of a mysterious force from the black wasteland that is Black London. As we follow out characters through games, magical twists and turns, and cliffhangers we will learn things we couldn't have seen coming and fall even further in love with this world full of magic.

—SPOILERS—

Oh boy, this book hit me hard, from the moment I picked up the first book I knew that I would fall in love with this series and the second bok only proved that even more true. Holland is going to mess with all the good things I want from this book and I don't like this Ojka chick, she seems too dark and angry. Also, the fact that this Osaron is controlling Holland, I’m not mad at Holland, I feel sad for him, he deserves to be happy, not constantly under someone's spell, but let's try and focus on the good for now. First off I love Lila, she is my badass pirate thief and I love her so much despite how much I hate how reckless she tends to be. I also love that she can now do magic, I’m so proud. And thanks to Alucard for being willing to teach the stubborn girl. I love Alucard, he's a mysterious man I cant wait to learn more about him. And then we move to Rhy, his point of view during this story is so drastically different from his POV in the first book. Even though he didn't pop up a whole lot in the first book you can see the shift so clearly its crazy. The way he was talking about life and death, it was scary I was worried for him, and for Kell too, the shift in Kell was almost as intense. I love Kell and it was so hard to see him go through everything he went through in this book. I love the idea of the Essen Tasch, its very interesting, a little reminiscent of the Hunger Games but so much better in so many ways. But when Lila decided that she was going to compete my heart dropped, like honey, you just learned what magic was like a couple of months ago and now you want to compete with the best of the best? And if you get found out you will be charged with treason and might start a war? Same thing with Kell and Rhy, what were those boys thinking? Why are all my favorite characters trying to get themselves in irreversible trouble? But I do love the fact that Lila was so determined to prove to herself that she is powerful, I also love that her and Kell for the entire time they were apart from each other they were thinking of each other, they're so good together and I love them. But when Alucard showed up in Rhy’s room? Like I did not see that coming. I do love Alucard and Kell’s rivalry though, Kell is so fiercely protective of his little brother it's adorable. I also love that although Lila and Kell didn't know that they were both playing in the games they recognized each other through their movements and voice, like wow. But then things started to go downhill really fast. I was so upset for like the last third of the book. First, Lila realizing that the power is taking over her, it was so scary seeing her blatantly disregard the fact that she was losing control. Then the king started to treat Kell like a traitor, how dare he, I was so upset. But then Lila and Kell see each other at the ball, my heart did multiple flips, I was so happy when they kissed! I squealed I was so happy, I’d been waiting and hoping. Also, his reaction to finding out she part of Alucard's crew is the funniest thing, I love that he was upset with her for not killing him, it was just pure comedic gold right there. But then things go down and Kell runs away and from that point on I knew things were going to be really really bad, but I don't know why I expected anything else. Then he comes back and the king has him arrested, like what the hell, he's your son. I was so upset with the king at that moment, I can’t believe how hypocritical he was being. And then he lets him go only for Kell to be abducted and have his magic taken away. When Rhy started collapsing I was so worried, I can't imagine how painful that must be, maybe not physically but mentally to have a pace of yourself taken away like that. Then Lila was just like, well better hope im an Antari and just goes for it and then the book ends?! I was not a happy camper but thankfully I already have A Conjuring of Light so I will be picking that up as soon as this review is posted, but overall this book and this series is just magical (wink wink) and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

-maren

[tcplnyteens]

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Four months after the fateful night when two princes lives were tethered together, a blood magician was killed and a thief disappeared to become a pirate our story picks back up. Lila makes her way back to Red London for the Essen Tasch as she bonds with her captain and crew and learners to harness the magic inside herself. Kell and Rhy try their best to come to terms with their newly tethered life forces and their duties to their kingdom. And in a different London, one that was once cold and dying, holland sits upon the throne of a thriving kingdom with the help of a mysterious force from the black wasteland that is Black London. As we follow out characters through games, magical twists and turns, and cliffhangers we will learn things we couldn't have seen coming and fall even further in love with this world full of magic.

—SPOILERS—

Oh boy, this book hit me hard, from the moment I picked up the first book I knew that I would fall in love with this series and the second bok only proved that even more true. Holland is going to mess with all the good things I want from this book and I don't like this Ojka chick, she seems too dark and angry. Also, the fact that this Osaron is controlling Holland, I’m not mad at Holland, I feel sad for him, he deserves to be happy, not constantly under someone's spell, but let's try and focus on the good for now. First off I love Lila, she is my badass pirate thief and I love her so much despite how much I hate how reckless she tends to be. I also love that she can now do magic, I’m so proud. And thanks to Alucard for being willing to teach the stubborn girl. I love Alucard, he's a mysterious man I cant wait to learn more about him. And then we move to Rhy, his point of view during this story is so drastically different from his POV in the first book. Even though he didn't pop up a whole lot in the first book you can see the shift so clearly its crazy. The way he was talking about life and death, it was scary I was worried for him, and for Kell too, the shift in Kell was almost as intense. I love Kell and it was so hard to see him go though everything he went through in this book. I love the idea of the Essen Tasch, its very interesting, a little reminiscent of the Hunger Games but so much better in so many ways. But when Lila decided that she was going to compete my heart dropped, like honey, you just learned what magic was like a couple of months ago and now you want to compete with the best of the best? And if you get found out you will be charged with treason and might start a war? Same thing with Kell and Rhy, what were those boys thinking? Why are all my favoirte characters trying to get themselves in irreversable trouble? But I do love the fact that Lila was so determined to prove to herself that she is powerful, I also love that her and Kell for the entire time they were apart from each other they were thinking of each other, they're so good together and I love them. But when Alucard showed up in Rhy’s room? Like I did not see that coming. I do love Alucard and Kell’s rivalry though, Kell is so fiercely protective of his little brother it's adorable. I also love that although Lila and Kell didn't know that they were both playing in the games they recognized each other through their movements and voice, like wow. But then things started to go downhill really fast. I was so upset for like the last third of the book. First, Lila realizing that the power is taking over her, it was so scary seeing her blatantly disregard the fact that she was losing control. Then the king started to treat Kell like a traitor, how dare he, I was so upset. But then Lila and Kell see each other at the ball, my heart did multiple flips, I was so happy when they kissed! I squealed I was so happy, I’d been waiting and hoping. Also, his reaction to finding out she part of Alucard's crew is the funniest thing, I love that he was upset with her for not killing him, it was just pure comedic gold right there. But then things go down and Kell runs away and from that point on I knew things were going to be really really bad, but I don't know why I expected anything else. Then he comes back and the king has him arrested, like what the hell, he's your son. I was so upset with the king at that moment, I can’t believe how hypocritical he was being. And then he lets him go only for Kell to be abducted and have his magic taken away. When Rhy started collapsing I was so worried, I can't imagine how painful that must be, maybe not physically but mentally to have a pace of yourself taken away like that. Then Lila was just like, well better hope im an Antari and just goes for it and then the book ends?! I was not a happy camper but thankfully I already have A Conjuring of Light so I will be picking that up as soon as this review is posted, but overall this book and this series is just magical (wink wink) and I would highly recommend it to everyone.

-maren

[unlikely-allies]

****WARNING CONTAINS SPOILERS***

4.5/5

“In myth, the hero survives. The evil is vanquished. The world is set right. Sometimes there are celebrations, and sometimes there are funerals. The dead are buried. The living move on. Nothing changes. Everything changes. This is a myth. This is not a myth.”

A Conjuring of light by V.E. Schwab picks up immediately after the events of A Gathering of Shadows. Kell is collared and held prisoner in White London. Rhy is dying as a result of the stifle on Kell’s magic, with Alucard at his side. Lila is poised to travel to White London, the success of which would confirm her as an Antari.

Lila successfully travels to White London, kills Ojka, and un-collars Kell. Meanwhile, in Red London trouble breaks out at the Winner’s Ball. Osaron kills one of the Arnesian magicians and is separated from Holland’s body before plummeting into the Isle River, tainting the source and turning it black. Black fog is emitted throughout the city. Citizens succumb to the fog in one of three ways: accepting its possession, fighting and thus burning from the inside out, and those who succeed in fighting off the fog only to be permanently inlaid with silver scars. In a blink, the city of Red London has fallen.

The royals of Arnes, Vesk, and Faro, as well as various magicians and priests remain inside the palace, which has been warded against the fog. In the despair Kell wonders whether the mess with Osaron had begun with Holland or with Kell himself and the Black London artifact. Kell is also plagued with worry about his bond with Rhy. Hastra, Kell’s young guard and aspiring priest, tells Kell the story of Man and Magic: “Magic and Man were brothers, you see, only they had nothing in common, for each’s strength was the other’s weakness. And so one day, Magic made a blessed thread, and tied itself to Man, so tightly that the thread cut into their skin… and from that day, they shared their best and worst, their strength and weakness.” Hastra states that separated, the two would unravel, a bond mirroring that of Rhy and Kell.

The fog seems to fear the Antari, and by extension Rhy. Alucard meets the fog in an attempt to save his sister, surviving with the only evidence of the interaction being his silver scars and grief for the loss of his sister. Rhy recovers Alucard, and makes a point to ride through the city to collect the other “Silvers” and reassure his people that he is there for them. While Rhy remains at the palace with his family, Kell, Lila, Alucard, Holland as prisoner, and several others set off to travel to a mysterious black market to obtain a device they hope to use to beat Osaron. The object, an Inheritor, is rare because it should not exist. The device collects the magic from one individual and stores it so that it may be transferred to another. Their plan is to have Osaron return to Holland’s body and then trap him using the Inheritor. A feat that will prove much more difficult in practice than in theory.

In the journey to collect the Inheritor and return to London, Kell and the others face an almost-death, several very real deaths, a betrayal, and find what they believe to be the key to their success in trapping Osaron. Back in London, the royals face a betrayal of their own when the royals from Vesk attempt to assassinate King Maxim and succeed in killing Queen Emira. The citizens under Osaron’s control are placed under a sleeping spell when they try to take the palace.  Frustrated by the hiccup in his plans, Osaron travels to the palace and faces King Maxim and twelve of the King’s steel soldiers. Maxim’s sacrifice is in vain, doing little except temporarily slowing Osaron down.

In the final battle between Lila, Holland, Kell and Osaron, Holland uses the Inheritor to trap Osaron. In doing so, Holland is stripped of his magic, taking a piece of Kell’s as well. The dismissal of Osaron lifts the fog from London. The damage that was done remains, but those who were possessed awake unharmed. Rhy is now King, and with Alucard at his side he has given Kell leave to travel. Prior to departing, Kell returns Holland to White London so that he may spend his last breaths in his own city. With the knowledge that he will return to stand beside Rhy, Kell takes off for an adventure at sea with Lila who is now captain of the Night Spire.

A Conjuring of Light takes place over a series of several days, but those few days are filled with action and drama. The versions of Kell and Lila that we see are more similar to those in A Darker Shade of Magic, a welcome transition after dealing with their angst and hot-headedness respectively in A Gathering of Shadows. It was not until this book that I realized how attached I had become to Rhy. After his mother is killed I found myself very angry at Maxim for even considering sacrificing himself and leaving Rhy alone. And then when Alucard has his self-sacrificng moment, that doesn’t actually happen, I wanted to scream. Everyone cannot just abandon my poor baby Rhy. He deserves some happiness. Thankfully Alucard ends up staying with Rhy and I like to believe that they live happily ever after.

We were provided with a lot of back-stories in A Conjuring of Light. We learned of Maxim’s reputation as the Steel Prince and of Emira’s fear and resilience. We also had a glimpse of the events the lead up to Holland’s service to the Dane twins and the disturbing events that lead him to becoming the Holland we know and don’t necessarily know how to feel about. His tragic back-story wasn’t enough to make me like him, but it did serve to round out his character and make me hate him a little bit less. While we did get more background about the relationship between Rhy and Alucard, I feel as though there were a lot of missed opportunities for Alucard’s character in this story. He was one of my favorite characters in A Gathering of Shadows, but I could’ve used more of Alucard’s wit and charm in A Conjuring of Light. I love Kell and Lila as a romantic pairing, but Lila and Alucard’s friendship is my favorite relationship in the trilogy.  

While the series is limited to a trilogy, I feel like there were openings left for subsequent novels, which I would definitely love to read. Specifically, I would love a book about Lila and Kell’s adventures at sea. V.E Schwab also has several graphic novels out that focus on Maxim during his time as the Steel Prince. I am waiting for the paperback version to be published in March before I read them, but I am excited to learn more about Maxim and hopefully see some appearances from Emira. A Conjuring of Light was an enjoyable and satisfying end to a great trilogy. It served to wrap up the story line, but not so completely that subsequent stories wouldn’t be an option. I recommend this trilogy and this particular novel for anyone looking for a different kind of fantasy novel that is both action-packed and well written.

[themasturcait]

That epiphany moment.

Throughout my life I’ve always changed my diet up a little bit here and there. I was heavily influenced by my Auntie at the age of 10 to start being a vegetarian, however over the years I took breaks and went back and forth between being omnivorous and vego. I felt like I needed these breaks because my body was telling me to do so. My iron was low and my energy levels were way down, and as soon as I started consuming meat again I instantly felt better so soon just correlated the two.

Over the weekend I watched a movie called Okja (don’t even try to pronounce it, not worth the embarrassment). You can find it on Netflix, if you’re privileged enough to have it (if you haven’t got it, sort your life out).

It’s a tear-jerker of a movie based around a young girl and a huge genetically engineered piggy. Ojka was created to fulfil humans undying appetite for meat. She’s made to consume and excrete less, and to BLOODY QUOTE: “taste fucking good”.

You follow Mija and Okja for a while, watching their bond grow, until finally Okja is taken back to NY to be “shown off” and eventually… turned into bacon. Now, I won’t give the whole plot away. You will cry. It gets you in the feels. But it’s a real awakening to what’s actually going on in the world.

Although I was brought up in a very old school Australian “eat ya fkn meat” household, I do not believe that we as a species need meat to sustain life ANYMORE. Sure, once upon a time perhaps… but now I feel we are only consuming it for our own selfish reasons, and we’re just too used to it and ignorant to even try giving it up. Yes, I myself have eaten meat for a number of years. And yes I admit to scrolling past animal cruelty videos on Facebook because I’m an ignorant bitch who would just “rather not see it”. Doesn’t matter if you don’t see that shit, its still happening.

I feel in life, when it comes to consuming meat or purchasing cruelty free makeup products, often you will need a “lightbulb” moment to give you that push in that direction. I think it can be SO hard to become vegan or vegetarian in this society, and that’s not due to a lack of options on the menu anymore. Its due to our peers around us. Our parents. What we see on TV.

As nasty and heartbreaking as it can be to watch movies like Okja or Cowspiracy, if you’re doubting whether to change your diet or not, give them a watch. If, after watching and educating yourself as much as you can you STILL wish to consume meat, that is totally fine, its up to you. I’m not gonna judge or preach to you that you’re a cheeseburger lovin’ motherfucker. You can make changes elsewhere. And it did take me up until watching this movie to really feel that “GET THAT MEAT AWAY FROM ME, NOT EATING IT AGAIN” feel.

On the other side of things, I also believe in ethical farming. WAIT WAIT LEMME FINISH- MEANING, if you were solely consuming your OWN meats or animal bi-product, as sad as it may be, killing them in THE most humane way, then I don’t think there’s much wrong with that. I still don’t believe innocent animals deserve to die because we feel like bacon chicken carbonara, but if there is absolutely no cruelty involved (yes I know killing is still FUCKIN cruel) but its better than these poor creatures being lined up next to their loved ones waiting to be murdered brutally. And unfortunately regardless right now, animals are still going to die.

I don’t think I COULD have my own farm and kill my own animals, purely because I could never take another life and YES I DO value animal life to be up there with humans. I find it VERY odd when people don’t, and when they see animals as much lesser than us…

I HIGHLY doubt our meat eating society will drastically change anytime soon, but the small changes by the individual is still somethin’, right? Anyways, I don’t want to rant on too much for I’m neither a devout vegan/animal activist, nor a trained nutritionist so I don’t wanna spit shit out in case its incorrect. LEMME KNOW HOW YOU ALL FEEL OR WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO BE VEGO OR TO CONTINUE EATIN MEATZ?? XOXO