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la-knight · 6 years ago

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BOOKS I (RE)READ IN 2018: FURTHERMORE BY TAHEREH MAFI

"Alice Alexis Queensmeadow, 12, rates three things most important: Mother, who wouldn’t miss her; magic and color, which seem to elude her; and Father, who always loved her. Father disappeared from Ferenwood with only a ruler, almost three years ago. But she will have to travel through the mythical, dangerous land of Furthermore, where down can be up, paper is alive, and left can be both right and very, very wrong. Her only companion is Oliver whose own magic is based in lies and deceit. Alice must first find herself—and hold fast to the magic of love in the face of loss." "Red was ruby, green was fluorescent, yellow was simply incandescent. Color was life. Color was everything. Color, you see, was the universal sign of magic." "Love, it turned out, could both hurt and heal." "Narrow-mindedness will only get you as far as Nowhere, and once you're there, you're lost forever.” "Alice was an odd girl, even for Ferenwood, where the sun occasionally rained and the colors were brighter than usual and magic was as common as a frowning parent." "Making magic is far more interesting than making sense." So I actually read this book a few months ago and then recently reread it via audio so I could remember all the details for this review. I was first introduced to Tahereh Mafi’s work through her book Shatter Me, her debut novel. Ironically, it wasn’t through any of the ways I normally hear about books - Booktube, Goodreads, my best friend, Booklr - but from my husband’s aunt. She runs - or used to run, not sure if she’s still doing it - a book review blog. And she posted a review of Shatter Me and I was like, “What a weird, interesting writing style, lemme check this out.” At this point the entire Shatter Me Trilogy plus novellas had been published and I devoured all of them (still need to review those, too). So when I heard Tahereh Mafi was writing a middle grade book, I got super excited! Especially because this was during a time when I was too stressed out to read any YA, since most of the YA I like involves having to save the world and all the stress that entails. I need to lay out some trigger warnings real quick: the main character, Alice? Her mom is incredibly abusive, both emotionally and physically. It’s treated as not such a big deal in the book, which is honestly the story’s only real flaw, but it’s bad. It took me seven tries and resorting to an audiobook (and even with a fantastic narrator, that short audiobook took me almost a month to get through) because the abuse was so bad. So:

TRIGGER WARNING: THIS BOOK CONTAINS EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL ABUSE OF A CHILD BY THEIR PARENT

Let’s get started, yo! First of all, the setting. OMG. See, I love tthis thing called Victorian fairy tales, which is something you can find in books like Mary Poppins - these super fantastical bits of whimsy that just warm your heart and make you grin because they’re so creative and fun. In the Mary Poppins books, you can jump into chalk drawings and go to a circus amidst the stars and make friends with a woman who sells living candy-cane horses. In Catherynne Valente’s Fairyland series, there are shadow balls and talking phonographs. And in Furthermore, there’s light raining down from the sky in literal drops, sticks of magic you use like money, and forests full of invisible berries. The way the world is put together and described, so full of color and imagination, is awesome and beautiful and I could picture it perfectly. It reminded me in all the best ways of books like The Phantom Tollbooth (one of my favorites). But I wouldn’t want to live there, because Ferenwood is full of colorism and ick. Alice, the female lead, is an albino in a world where color is important and the darker you are, the more magical you’re considered to be. So Alice gets treated like garbage.

Also I think Alice may be autistic, but I don’t know if she’s deliberately coded autistic or if Tahereh Mafi did it by accident while trying to make Alice eccentric, but she comes across as autistic. I’ve actually begun to pay more attention to that sort of the thing in recent years, being autistic myself, and I see it a lot - authors giving their characters autistic characteristics, often without meaning to. I just touch on it here because Alice is already treated badly for being albino, but she’s also considered a freak because of the way she behaves - like an autistic preteen. And I wonder if Tahereh Mafi did that on purpose as a sort of commentary or not, because while Alice is treated badly by the people of Ferenwood for her behavior, the Narrator (who is an actual character in the story; love when that happens) always sides with Alice in this regard. The storyline is sweet and I love it. Alice tries to compete in the magical testing all the preteens do on their twelfth birthday, and so she dances. And her dancing is magical but it’s not Magical, you know? So she fails the test. Well, turns out a boy who passed the test the year before, Oliver (the brat), needs Alice’s help fulfilling a quest - rescuing Alice’s missing dad. So they go on a quest together, although Alice hates Oliver (and rightly so, he’s rude). They go to a dozen different and cool places, all of which are dangerous and all of which are different. I wish we could’ve spent more time in those places but I understand why we didn’t. The only annoying thing is there’s an origami fox on the cover but it only pops up in one of the worlds for like two pages and then it’s gone and I thought we could spend more time both in that world and with that creature since it ended up on the cover. But alas, not. I understand why - middle grade is often cursed to be short, especially if it’s the author’s first MG novel ever. Once you get big and bad like Rick Riordan you can start tossing out gihugic tomes like Son of Neptune or Blood of Olympus on the regular. Oliver’s reason for needing Alice was one I didn’t see coming, nor was her magical talent - a talent they hint at throughout the book but never explain until near the end, at the perfect moment. I thought it was an interesting commentary on how young girls perceive themselves, that Alice hates this marvelous, amazing talent she has of bringing color into the world from nothing...because she can’t use it to change how she looks. Society has trained her already, by the age of twelve, to discount something incredible about herself because she can’t use it to make herself into what society wants her to be. That’s pretty impressive for a book this short. I loved some of the more deliberate messages in the work - the thing I mentioned about society’s pressures on young girls, and also that it’s okay to tell boys to screw off if they’re mean to you, and to have hope and to look for second chances (Alice thinks she only has one chance to pass the test and believes her life is over when she fails, only to find out she can try again the next year). I love all of that, and the lyrical and whimsical quality of the prose, and the world building is so creative and also makes me a bit hungry (people eat magic in this book, among other things; I wonder what it tastes like). Now...let’s talk about the abuse. That’s my biggest issue with the book. Alice’s mother is a total bitch. And not in a cool, kickass way like the lady in the show Empire. She’s vicious, she’s cruel, and she’s abusive. Alice knows - and the Narrator confirms - that she turned bad when her husband went missing, and apparently the worry for him and the strain of raising four kids on her own is making her hard and sad, but I don’t give a shit. I was hoping Tahereh Mafi would’ve gone all Hansel and Gretel on this lady and when Alice comes home with her dad, the wife’s dead or something. She beats Alice (at one point she beat Alice for chasing a boy out of the place where she was sleeping, even though he kept staring at her in her sleeping clothes, because apparently the boy - Oliver - had the right to break into their barn at 3AM and ogle Alice???), she verbally abuses Alice, she sends her to bed regularly without dinner, is constantly criticizing, won’t hug her or kiss her, and - this one really got me, for some reason - forces her to do illegal things. Those invisible berries I mentioned? Alice can find them and bring back whole baskets because of her magical gift, and so her mom sends her out to pick them all the time. If she brings home enough, her mom smiles. If she doesn’t, her mom yells and calls her names and sometimes beats her. Guess what? Picking those berries is illegal. We don’t find this out until much later in the book, but it is. The thing I didn’t like about the berries is that Oliver, who’s thirteen, is less concerned about Alice’s mother beating her for not picking enough contraband berries and instead focuses on how her ability to find the berries in the first place means Alice has really impressive magic. NOBODY seems to care how much Alice is being abused, not even the Narrator. The Narrator sympathizes with Alice’s hurt feelings and despair over her missing Father, but it’s never objectively stated that her mom is abusing her AND SHE IS. Yeah, her mom is sooo glad to have her back after Alice almost dies on her trip with Oliver, but so what? My roommate’s mom is so abusive that my roommate’s clergy leaders, doctors, and psychological therapist all said my roommate needed to cut ties with said mom, even though my roommate’s mom has also exhibited the same kind of “oh baby I’m so sorry, I love you so much” bullshit. That’s what abusers do. So I hate Alice’s mom. She literally makes her daughter feel like if she doesn’t risk her life numerous times AND bring her father back, there is no chance her mother will ever love her. And if she pulls that stuff off (which she does), then MAYBE her mother will love her. Nuh-uh. Nope. Hate that bitch. Other than that, I really loved this book. The characters felt real (Alice is me, but without my anger), Even the ones I didn’t like were still REAL, and well-drawn. The world building and word choice is fantastic. Basically, if you can get past the evil mom, read this book. World Building: 1 star Realism: 1 star Word Choice: 1 star Plot: 1 star Characterization: 1 star - ¼ star because Oliver Newbanks is an obnoxious little creep - 1 star because the mom is AN ABUSIVE EVIL BITCH - ¼ star because NOBODY DOES ANYTHING ABOUT THAT +½ star because Alice is amazing and has a genius brain and I love her Total score: 4/5 stars Would I Buy It: Yes! I own it and loved it enough I got the sequel for Christmas (in...2017...I've been sitting on this review for months...)! Would I Recommend: yes, but with trigger warnings. Again, highly abusive evil bitch mom who somehow doesn’t die.

#books of 2018 #book review #aesthetic #Furthermore #Tahereh Mafi

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sophoreads · 6 years ago

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Annotation notes for Wicked Saints

Attached under the cut are my word-for-word annotation notes pulled straight from my copy of Wicked Saints. Check out my previous post and goodreads review before reading the annotation notes.

I only decided to start annotating this book 115 pages in, because I realized that there were so many problems I was complaining about to my friend Sophie over text that I thought “Hey, I’d better write this shit down so I have receipts/can easily reference my thoughts.” I’d never really done annotations before, so I pulled out a new pack of sticky notes and color tabs that someone gave to me for free when I was in college and got to work. I ran out of sticky notes (started a new pad) and yellow tabs (borrowed last few from a weird tab/highlighter I found at the bottom of my college study stuff bin). I also got so frustrated I had to put the book down several times, because I’d paid eighteen dollars to pre-order this fucking garbage.

Pg 115 Pink tab – Character note --Bitch do you want to kill him or not? This is like bad Reylo fic— (Nadya being ~~inexplicably~~ held back from killing Mal, because she really wants to kill Mal, but just CANT for SOME REASON)

pg 123 Yellow tab – writing/literacy/grammar note --no note written— “He braced himself for the inevitable summons from his father. It arrived immediately by way of servant wearing a plain brown mask that left only his eyes visible. One of his father’s personal servants.”

Pg 137 Yellow tab – writing/literacy/grammar note --WTF is “it commanded attention”?! This whole throne bit is needlessly over-explanatory and could be fixed by adhering to golden rule “show, don’t tell”—

pg 139 Yellow tab --you don’t have to repeat the same thing twice!— “…Serefin paused, swallowing down the anxiety threatening to choke him. He was suddenly unspeakably nervous.”

Pg 140 Yellow tab --you just said they didn’t know who it was and now, not even a page later, you’re literally describing Mal and saying you DO know who it was?! WHO TF EDITED THIS SHIT— (Izak telling Serefin that they don’t know the vulture who escaped, then the vulture lurking behind him describing the backstory of the vulture who escaped)

pg 145 pink tab --what, is she Canadian now?— “You’ve realized your father isn’t so good a father to you, eh?” she [Pelayega] asked.

Pg 146 Yellow tab --For all that Duncan over-explains things in this story I still don’t fucking understand the High/Low prince thing??? Not once has she gone into it. And what the fuck is a slavhka?— (in reference to the first mention of there being “low princes”)

pg 148 Blue tab – Plot note --Why is the church still standing they LITERALLY TORE IT DOWN! THIS PART OF IT COLLAPSED!!!— (in reference to parijahan lying on top of pillows in the church Mal and Nadya just destroyed to get rid of the Vultures)

pg 153 Yellow tab --Are we really still saying “invalid” in the year of our unbridled insanity 2019?— “…Your mother, Estera, is an invalid…” (Mal making up a fake background for Nadya)

pg 153 Blue tab --SINCE WHEN DOES HE HAVE TATTOOS ON HIS HANDS— (in reference to the very first mention of Mal having tattoos on his hands, 153 pages into the story)

pg 155 Pink tab --Anna is so flat a character she could be removed from the whole book and not one thing would change— (in reference to Anna deciding to leave the group to re-join Kalyazi forces. I hold by this statement because Anna had no fucking role in the end of the book, and was therefore a useless character throughout)

pg 157 Pink tab --I’m sorry are we ETHNIC CLEANSING?! IS THIS WHAT WE ARE ENDORSING?! WTF?— “…then we can cleanse Kalyazin of the heretics entirely”

pg 163 Blue tab --this is the first we are hearing about any hierarchy in the vultures, which we should have read many chapters ago, not just when convenient for the author/plot— (in reference to first mention of Crimson Vulture)

pg 164 Yellow tab/Blue tab (overlapping domains) --Inches? FRACTIONS? IN THIS ECONOMY?!— (what is math in medieval Poland)

pg 167 Yellow tab --Still have not defined nobility and what makes a family “noble” or slavhka or whatever “low prince/royalty” or some shit— (In reference to yet another mention of low princes/royalty and somehow differentiating them from slavhka)

pg 168 Blue tab --I am more interested in gay Romeo/Juliet in a blood mage society than I am the entire plot of Wicked Saints— --Also this interaction feels cringey and thrown in for…no real reason?— “You’ve missed so much! Did you know that Nikodem Stachowicz was caught in the palace archives with the youngest Osadik boy?” (Zaneta)

pg 170 Yellow tab --FIRE YOUR COPY EDITOR— He shrugged, burying his tattooed hands in his pockets. “It binds over time, magic does. Especially blood magic. It’s so accessible. You don’t have to have a true affinity for it…” (Mostly I got furious over the fact that we’re only just getting Mal’s tattoo hands, which was obviously written in as an afterthought for his character partway through the writing process and not retconned into the story. I also just hate the sentence “it binds over time, magic does.”)

Pg 170 Yellow tab --Page 170: “walked on” Page 177: on horseback. WHAT IS THE TRUTH?— “Malachiasz stopped to wait for Nadya while the others walked on ahead” (this note coincides with a future note)

pg 173 Orange tab – blatant parallels to and lifts from Dragon Age franchise --you get a special shame-color for copying Dragon Age (also WHAT IS YOUR MAGIC STRUCTURE HOW IS THIS EVEN POSSIBLE) (it’s just bad writing)— “He was referring to witches—apostate magic users outside the gods’ approval—but there had been no witches in Kalyazin for decades. Their route of magic was considered just as heretical as blood magic…”

pg 176 yellow tab --Emily A Duncan focuses [more] on the little actions of Malacheezit than she does for any other character and it hurts the story— (specific reference to line “He fidgeted, fingers picking at a hang nail” interjected in dialogue. This action-dialogue tag does no service to the story at all.)

Pg 177 Pink tab --What the fuck? Is this about Holy War or is this a romance fantasy? (note the order: not “fantasy romance”)— “In a flash, his hand was underneath her chin, thumb brushing against her jaw…If Nadya hadn’t been sitting down she suspected her knees would have given out on her.”

Pg 177 Yellow tab --SINCE WHEN DO THEY HAVE FUCKING HORSES?! FIRE ALL YOUR EDITORS FIRE THE PUBLISHER— “Nadya let her horse wander instead of tying it up, sending a short prayer up to Vaclav to keep an eye on the animal so it didn’t stray too far.” (These horses were never mentioned before (note connects to a prev. note) and were never mentioned again after this. I literally cannot fathom how or why this book made it to final printing in this state.)

Pg 183 Pink tab --All this romance shit seems so forced for both Nadya and mal. I see no actual attraction on either party?— (I’m not recording the second note as it is a crude remark against the author, a remark of which I still stand by, but would be damaging to both her and myself. However, the emotion of the second note follows the concept of “anyone who knew what they were talking about wouldn’t write this kind of bullshit.”)

Pg 185 Yellow tab --“Per se”? I’m sorry is there LATIN in this world? (it’s bad writing)— “He wasn’t putting it off per se, he…”

pg 186 yellow tab --“It was fitting THAT assassins…” ugh— “It was fitting assassins chose to strike that same evening” (Doesn’t the author have a masters degree? And works in a library? How is her writing this chopped and sloppy, omitting crucial subject/action markers?)

Pg 198 Blue tab --Jesus, are prostitutes of war a NORMAL THING? WE SHOULD BE SAVING THESE POOR WOMEN— “The girl is…” He faltered, convincingly. “Well, you understand.” He winked at the soldier. (the soldier doesn’t even remark on Nadya’s sex slave status) (Also I realize that “prostitutes of war” is not the correct vernacular, however I’m committed to giving you my direct and exact notes. I know that they are slaves of war, sex slaves specifically, and do not receive true compensation or reparation for their suffering.)

Pg 201 Pink tab --HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT NOBLES? YOU LIVED YOUR WHOLE LIFE IN A MONASTERY!— “Nobles are nobles,” she [Nadya] said waving a hand. “Regardless of where they come from. The pettiness of court transcends all cultural boundaries.”

Pg 202 Blue tab --WHAT THE FUCK? EXPLAIN YOUR MAGIC/MYTHS— (referencing the blasé and brief mention of Wolf Changers, which we never hear about again)

pg 203 blue tab --WHAT NECKLACE? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?— --Oh, that necklace, that was mentioned in the first chapter, forgotten, reintroduced the following chapter, then COMPLETELY forgotten again! Bad writing. Bad props.— “Her prayer beads were safely in her pocket, so she clutched at the necklace Kostya had given her.”

Pg 205 Blue tab --Is her accent suddenly better?— (reference to previous statements of Nadya having a terrible travanian accent, hence the sex slave thing to the border guard so she doesn’t have to talk, but now she’s talking and there was no reference to her improving her accent at all or even working on it.)

pg 207 yellow tab --I can see Emily has a kink for masks + chin grabbing— “He [Serefin] reached out and took her chin in his hand, lifting her face up to his” (Mal has also done this to Nadya countless times and she orgasms almost every time.)

Pg 209 Orange tab --The veil, yet another stolen Dragon Age concept!— “…closed her eyes, letting herself feel the invisible wall separating gods from men. She felt it the moment they had stepped into Tranavia, the weight of the veil pressing down against her, choking off her only access to the divine.” (This is also the very first reference to any such veil being in place. It took 209 pages for this to be mentioned, in a book chock full of a girl talking to gods in her head. Also, they’ve been in Tranavia for awhile. Why wasn’t this mentioned when they first stepped foot inside? (because it’s bad writing))

Pg 209 Pink tab --Nadya’s powers seem almost limitless at this point— “Holy speech whispered through her head and she moved to disassemble the spells woven through the walls. She couldn’t take them apart completely— someone would notice, precautions in place—she was just making them fuzzy, bleeding them out. She dulled them so any information imparted back to the mages who set them would appear mundane.” (If Nadya’s powers (at this point in the book) are tied to the gods, there is no mention of which god provides these powers. If this is meant to foreshadow that Nadya has her own powers, it’s a lazy job. It’s simply overpowered and oversimplified. )

Pg 210 [no tab just a sticky] --oh FINALLY we hear how they met!— “I’ve known him [Rashid] my whole life. And we crashed into Malachiasz about six months ago after getting into trouble with some off-duty Kalyazi soldiers.”

Pg 214 [no tab just a sticky] --also can we acknowledge the whole “brown girl serves a white girl” thing because WOW— (in reference to Parijahan playing handmaiden to Nadya at the palace)

pg 215 Pink tab --“Couldn’t worry about the prince”? wasn’t HE the one she wanted to kill in revenge for Kostya? (IS THAT ALL FORGOTTEN NOW?)

pg 216 Pink tab --First Zaneta is Indian [coded] and now she’s black [coded]? WHAT?— “…a tall girl with luminous skin like onyx threaded with gold…her spiral curls fanned out around her head like a halo.”

Pg 217 Orange tab --The game? Court intrigue? Masks? This all reeks of Orlais and direct theft from Dragon Age— (in reference to basically the whole castle competition, masks, etc)

pg 217 Yellow tab --And now we’re switching perspectives mid-chapter? Just start a new chapter!— (in reference to the very first mid-chapter perspective switch, which will occur more from here on out)

pg 232 yellow tab --I am so sick of these italicized words without any translation or description— (in reference to szitelka which I still DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS)

pg 233 pink tab --what the fuck is Nadya’s perspective? Does she want to kill all Tranavians or not? Emily make up your fucking mind— (in reference to Nadya getting pissed at Mal for killing the other blood mage girl in Nadya’s duel, so that Nadya wouldn’t die and the duel would end)

pg 234 pink tab --literally when has Nadya worried about his safety, esp. when she’s the one always threatening to kill him?— “She hadn’t forgotten, not even while she found herself worrying about his safety and wanting him by her side.”

Pg 235 Pink tab --oh FINALLY we get a description of his tattoos! 235 PAGES IN!!!! BULLSHIT YOU HACK WRITER!— “She found her eyes drawn to the tattoos on his long, elegant fingers. They were simple, straight lines: two on either side of each finger and one down the back that started at the bed of each fingernail and ended at his wrist in a single black bar.” (I literally vomited in my mouth when I read this)

Pg 238 Pink tab --Oh so Mal can’t murder to save you but you can murder Tranavians and its fucking justified? Nadya is such a bad Nazi char.— “It’s not an apology for murdering that girl, she noted. But it was a start. It was something from this boy who obviously had no morals and no regard for anything that didn’t serve his own interests.” (Nadya is the worst hypocrite and I want to punch her in the face)

Pg 239 Yellow tab --Hanged? Since when? Has hanging? Been a threat? Ever? In this world?— “…or else this whole mess of a plan will go up in smoke and we’ll all be hanged for it.”

Pg 240 Pink tab (this is another omitted note because it is a crude comment in part against the author, but the other half does say that Nadya is such a virgin and that I am second-hand embarrassed because this book and the “romance” scenes are so bad)

pg 242 blue tab --If Nadya used blood magic, why don’t the gods cut off her powers for her heresy? It would only make sense— (this is just a general comment on the chapter and how, after the duel and Nadya used blood magic, her gods were still talking to her. This is also before we find out that Nadya has her own powers)

pg 247 yellow tab --the way this is lazily written we’re supposed to assume it’s Ostiya at the door. Could be written much better (all of this could be written much better)— “Serefin hastily wrapped his still-bleeding hand with cloth while Kacper got the door. Ostiya blinked her single eye at the sight of both of them.”

Pg 248 Blue tab --“delicate gov[ernmen]t? we don’t even know how the gov’t is even structured!— “This was too far. It would crumble Travania’s already delicate government.”

Pg 259 Blue tab --Oh good, a love triangle. Good to know Nadya’s type is “blood mage tortured/charming boy” that grabs chin + kisses hands— “…and wasn’t sure what to do with this charmingly awkward boy. That he was one of the most powerful blood mages in Tranavia...She wavered too much already; she couldn’t allow herself to feel any more.”

Pg 260 Pink tab --Literally all that Parijahan does is be soft + comforting? That is literally all she does to Mal + Nadya + Rashid?— “Nadya usually didn’t see this side of Parijahan. It relieved her to see there was a warm softness to Parijahan’s flinty gaze.”

Pg 270 Blue tab --What do you mean? When did you mention that the gods had withdrawn their power from Nadya?— “She had no magic. She had nothing. She had no hope without her gods.”

Pg 275 Blue tab --But they would abandon her for using blood magic you dumbass— “The gods wouldn’t have abandoned her. Not for a few doubts, not for kissing a heretic—not even that.”

Pg 278 Blue tab --Okay this is actually a really cool scene— (when Nadya is first using blood with the pendant to see her way out of the room the rogue Vultures locked her in)

pg 280 blue tab --Calls her “little bird” is this Mal?— (referencing this unnamed god that Nadya is talking to via Kostya’s necklace)

pg 287 yellow tab --sloppy transition makes it seem as though a new person is talking— (Basically for the next two pages Emily incorrectly punctuates her paragraph breaks while Pelayega is talking.)

Pg 294 Orange tab --Velyos=Solas=Mal? Oh my god is this whole plot a regurgitation of DA:Inquisition/Trespasser?— “Have you heard of him? I suppose not. The veil went up, Velyos broke away. Your gods were probably relieved, but here he is once more...”

pg 298 blue tab --fucking called it (“acted like he was dead”? Literally said before that he was “sent to the country”)— (in reference to Serefin seeing Mal and discovering that his cousin is the Black Vulture. Previously, a not so subtle mention of a nameless male cousin of Serefin’s was “sent to the country” when he was young. I immediately pegged it as being Mal. But now it is written that Serefin was led to believe that his cousin died? The inconsistencies are rife.)

pg 308 pink tab --Does Nadya literally have no self control or sense of morality (for her own morals)? What the fuck is this?— “Then her traitorous, heretical hands betrayed her as she reached up and wove them into his hair, pulling his face down to hers and kissing him. Because she was angry with him, furious with his lies, but not even her anger was enough to cool the burning she felt when he was near; the heat that spread through her nerves when he touched her.”

Pg 308 Pink tab --ooh power shift, she’s doing the chin-grabbing now!— “She took his chin in her hand, directing his gaze down to hers.”

Pg 309 Blue tab --except for the vultures that kidnapped her? What about them?!— “Go to the cathedral when you’re finished here,” he said. “None of the Vultures will give you any trouble.”

Pg 313 Pink tab --Didn’t want the fate of nations? She LITERALLY came here to topple the monarchy and uproot Tranavia and start a mass ethinic cleansing— “She was only one girl; she didn’t want the fate of nations resting on her decisions.”

Pg 314 Pink tab --YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS YOU DUMB BITCH— [the dumb bitch being Nadya] “The war took something important to me,” she said, fingering Kostya’s necklace unconsciously. She couldn’t think about how it had been Serefin who had led that attack. (Nadya literally forgets and completely forgives Serefin for what she believes is Kostya’s murder (we know that Kostya wasn’t killed by Serefin but his BABY BRO WAS). Like, wasn’t Kostya super important to her? And she tried to kill Serefin in revenge but Mal stopped her? And in literally less than a week she totally forgets about it?)

Pg 318 Pink tab --Honestly, Mal deserves better than Nadya. He’s clearly doing his best and she’s just being racist and unwavering.— He opened his mouth, at a loss for words. Finally, he asked, “Will it always be like this?” Would it? She couldn’t say. Would she ever be comfortable with what he was? Or would it always be this constant hot and cold, friends one second and enemies the next? “I don’t know.” (Nadya is so abusive in this whole relationship I feel bad for Mal)

pg 321 yellow tab --He literally said he only told her the truth?! Mal has literally not told one lie?— “He was a liar and she wanted his truths”

pg 322 yellow tab --The whole order of this scene description + the characters is clunky and wrong— (no further comment really, that pretty much explains it)

pg 326 pink tab --Did she literally forget about Kostya? Did Nadya literally just forgive Serefin b/c she thinks he’s cute and tortured? LITERALLY? WHY?— “Serefin. He’s good,” She nuzzled his chest. “I like him. He should live.”

Pg 327 Blue tab --Can Serefin suddenly write his own spells now?! I thought only Mal could do that— “As he sat down at his desk with spells sprawled out in front of him, blood still drying on the pages, he couldn’t shake the feeling…”

pg 335 pink tab --That’s right, bitch! You’re damn nigh abusive to him and for some reason he keeps coming back! I don’t know why since you have the personality of a Nazi but for some reason Mal just really wants to fuck you!— “How could she be the only good thing to happen to him? She had almost slit his throat, had hung him off a railing. She didn’t even trust him, not really.”

Pg 351 Blue tab --since when have we seen a fucking calendar system?— “…turned the tide of a battle in 625 when…” (this is a “Vasiliev’s Book of Saints” entry for chapter 33. There is one more reference to a year in an earlier codex entry (tsk another Dragon Age ripoff) for something like 15XX. We don’t know what year it is, nor do we know when/why they started counting. Maybe it’s not critical for the story but it IS critical if you’re bringing it up.)

pg 357 orange tab --Literally Solas’s plot in Trespasser— “She bit back a cry of pain and shoved her magic harder up at the veil. If this was when she died, then fine. Fine. She would tear this veil down first and bring the gods back to Tranavia with her dying breath.”

Pg 360 Blue tab --How did she get here? Already? These scenes are so lazy, show me Nadya scrambling up the dais to Mal’s waiting neck— “He idly spun a chalice on the armrest and Serefin watched as the cleric stood and darted for a dagger that reseted a few steps away. It was time to test just what he could do with this power. (now it’s Nadya’s POV) Malachiasz’s eyes closed. He tilted his head back, baring his throat to Nadya’s blade.”

Pg 363 Yellow tab --Did we just miss Serefin fighting his father for Nadya’s sexy threatening? Was that really a real choice the author made?— (Nadya looks over at Serefin) “Serefin was on his knees, hunched over in pain, blood oozing from his head, one hand white-knuckled on the ground holding him up. Dead moths littered the floor around him. The stars around his head began to flicker out.”

Pg 368 Yellow tab --you CANNOT call it an “Adam’s apple” when there is no “Adam” or Christianity in this fantasy world! Lazy writing indeed!— “His head tilted back, Adam’s apple bobbing, as he swallowed hard.”

Pg 376 Yellow tab --this line is so cliché and fucking bad why the fuck is it even in here?— “The king is dead, long live the king,” she said, handing it [the crown] to him [Serefin].

Pg 376 Yellow tab --And why didn’t you write that the other vultures disappeared? There is so much missing here— “Where are all the Vultures?” Ostiya asked “Most probably fled with their king,” Serefin said.

Pg 378 Yellow tab --Is what enough? Power? Crown? What the fuck? This is so sloppy— “Will this be enough?” she asked him [Serefin]. “To stop the war?” … [Serefin:] “It will”

pg 380 yellow tab --No clear description of where Mal is. Is this physical or ethereal? What the fuck is happening?— (Mal’s whole epilogue)

#review #wicked saints spoilers #spoilers

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work-hard-pray-harder · 7 years ago

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92 Questions Tag

First, I wanted to thank @muskankela for tagging me in this! Sorry for taking so long to actually do this! I’ve been so busy recently!

Rules: Answer these 92 questions and then tag 20 people

Last

Drink : Water.. Trying to make that a habit

Phone call : My sister Naseebah

Text message : ‘Uni tmrw’ From my best friend

song you listened : Gibberish by Max Schneider

time you cried : Beginning of December

Have You…

dated someone twice : Nope

kissed someone and regretted it : naah

being cheated on : Yeah, Kind of

lost someone special : yes

been depressed : Yeah

gotten drunk and thrown up : Nope, I don’t drink

Three favorite colors :

Blue, purple, and pink

In the last year , have you :

made new friends : yes , Some really good ones

fallen out of love : Nope, haven’t loved anyone like that before

laughed until you cried : Not that I can remember, but probably

found out someone was talking about you : No, actually I’ve realised less people are talking about me than I thought

meet someone who changed you : Yeah, in a way

found out who your friends are : Yes, it’s amazing who still wants to make an effort when you’re not thrown together because of school

kissed someone on your Facebook list : Nope.

General :

how many of your Facebook friends do you know in your real life : Probably 70% So much are family I’ve never met and fandom friends

any pets : Not right now. I’ve had so many in my life though. Birds, guinea fouls, cats, rabbits, chickens and more

do you want to change your name : Ask me this even three years ago and the answer would have been yes, but not now. I’ve grown to really be proud of my name and my heritage

what did you do for your last birthday : Nothing really. Was a around a week ago and we were tight on money so a takeaway and cake while my parents worked. I did go to the movies the other day to meet up with friends

what time do you wake up : Between 8.30 and 10.30 usually unless I had a really late night. Want to wake up much earlier though

what were you doing at midnight last night : Watching Youtube

Something you cant wait for : To be able to get the finance to go to uni

last time you saw your mom : Couple hours ago, just before I came upstairs

what is one thing you wish you could change in your life : My own thoughts about myself. There’s so much I want to change with myself and I want to be at a stage where I’m happy about myself whether or not I change how I look

what are you listening to right now : Issues by Julia Micheals, I think that’s her name. My sister’s got control of the music

have you ever talked to a person named tom : I have actually! My sister used to be good friends with a boy called Tom

something that is getting on your nerves : The racism and sexism and the overall disgusting way people see others in this world

most visited websites : YouTube , Duolingo, Tinycards, Goodreads, Tumblr

Other info about myself ….

mole/s : 1 on my cheek that I hate

mark/s : Plenty, burn scar on my foot is the biggest

childhood dream : Teacher, Doctor, probably plenty more

hair color : Dark Brown, pretty boring

long or short hair : Pretty short to most standards, but for me it’s getting long

do you have a crush on someone : Not at the moment, but there’s pretty much always someone new

what do you like about yourself : I’d like to think that I’m a nice person. I think in general I am and I’m glad

piercings : None, I got my ears peirced when I was a baby but the holes closed up

blood type : No idea

nickname : Ruqs, Ruqiee cookie

relationship status : Single, as always. And I’m glad

zodiac : Capricorn

pronouns : she/her

favorite TV show : Suits, PLL, One Day At A time, Blackish, Dear White People

tattoos : Nope, way too scared of the pain

right or left hand : Right handed

surgery : Never had one

hair dyed in different color : Not at the moment, but I have. Started light brown, but when I began wearing the hijab I went blue, purple, until I really killed my hair and had to shave it off

sport : Does running away from my problems count?

vacation : I’ve never actually left England, and my first real vacation was last year after my A levels, where I went to blackpool

sneakers : Whatever is cheap to be honest

More General ….

eating : Whatever my mum puts on the plate

drinking : Water, or hot chocolate

i’m about to : Go to bed... gotta be up early tomorrow

waiting for : A miracle

want : To graduate and get a good job, have a good family

get married : Not too soon, but not too far, maybe in the next 5-10 years Inshallah. Whatever is meant for me

career : Hopefully counselling/psychotherapy

hugs or kisses : Hugs... Am I the only one that really doesn’t like kisses? Never really kissed anyone, but it just seems weird even on tv and stuff

lips or eyes : Eyes

shorter or taller : Taller

older or younger : Older

nice arms or nice stomach : Nice arms

sensitive or loud : Sensitive

hook up or relationship : Relatationship... can we just skip to the nikkah?

troublemaker or hesitant : Hesitant

Have You Ever….

kissed a Stranger : Nope

drank hard liquor : Naah

lost glasses/contact lenses : I lost my glasses, and then when I went to the opticians they said I didn’t need them anymore

turned someone down : Yes, but I’m pretty sure they were trolling

sex on the first date : Nope

broken someone’s heart : Or so they said

had your heart broken : Yeah, but in a dumb teen way

been arrested : Never, I would be so scared

cried when someone died : Only twice

fallen for a friend : Yes, although I’d say more crushing

Do You Believe In ….

yourself : I’m trying to

miracles : Yeah... Well, I don’t know if it’s called miracle, but there is definitely someone up there granting prayers every day

love at first sight : No. Love isn’t as superficial as looks, and you can’t get to know someone at first sight

santa claus : Nope. Never really celebrated Christmas

kiss on the first date : I personally wouldn’t, but I believe if you and your date both want to, that’s very cool

Other.…

current best friend name : Hanifa

eye color : Dark brown

favorite movie: Good Will Hunting

Answering these questions, I’ve realised how alike I am to the girl who tagged me! I’m really glad I did this now. And by the way, you should definitely send me a message

20 People I Tag …..

@shannonsstudy @studying-pterosaur @goodgrades-goodcoffee @studyspiration @coffeeandcommerce @coffeeforcollege @happilystudy @joolshallie @equaticns @hufflepuffsstudies @theorganisedstudent @books-tea-and-magic @nerdinaomi @georgestudies @studie-s @kates-study @zakiya-studies @academla @problematicprocrastinator @pianoandstudy @peachsstudy

#tag #tagging game #mine #personal #work-hard-pray-harder

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beyondforks · 6 years ago

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Book Review: Legendary by Stephanie Garber

Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber Genre: Young Adult (Fantasy/Romance)

Date Published: May 29, 2018 Publisher: Flatiron Books

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister's. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever...

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.

Legendary is the second book in the Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber. This time we get Tella's point of view. I was expecting Scarlet, so it took me a minute to adjust, but I enjoyed Tella just as much. Caraval is different this time. It maybe more than a game.. or is it? I'm not saying. Quite honestly, I'm still not sure! I'm not sure about many things actually. Like, I always thought "one true love" meant you're supposed to.. you know... love the person. Isn't it? Scarlet behaved out of character too. Was she playing the game? I didn't expect certain behaviors from her, and there are so many things I have to say about Legend!

But, I cant. They would include spoilers.

So, basically, the only thing you can expect from this trilogy so far is for something unexpected to happen or be revealed. Sometimes, I knew what was coming, but there were definitely some unexpected moments. I really need the next book to be released now. I need my questions answered!

LEGENDARY PLAYLIST Legendary by Welshly Arms Sail by AWOLNATION Violet City by Mansionair (confession—I didn’t hear this song until after I finished the book, but I thought it totally fit the scene where Tella first rode in a carriage above Valenda. Wow by Beck Nothing Personal by Night Riots In Cold Blood by alt-J (if you’ve read the book I’m hoping this song will need no explanation) Way Down We Go by Kaleo Sorry by Nothing But Thieves (as soon as I heard this song I knew it would go in this book–at first I wasn’t sure where, but I knew it would fit in Legendary somewhere) Breaking Free by Night Riots (I love this band so I had to put them on here twice) In A Black Out by Hamilton Leithauser & Rostam (this song could fit so many scenes in the book—I listened to it a lot as I wrote) Dream by Bishop Briggs Dangerous Night by Thirty Seconds to Mars Miracle by CHVRCHES Never Say Die also by CHVRCHES (another favorite band—so I almost put three songs by them on the list) White Flag by Bishop Briggs (I had to put Bisho Briggs on here twice because if Tella’s life had a sound track It would be sung by Bishop Briggs)

Check out my review of the first book in this trilogy!

My favorite place in the world is Disneyland because it’s the one place on earth where I feel as if the fantastical stories I love to write about could actually come to life.

When I’m not writing, I teach creative writing at a private college in Northern California, where I’ve been known to turn assignments into games and take students on field trips that involve book signings. I’m also a blogger on PUB(LISHING) CRAWL. But I probably spend most of my time on Twitter where I tend to overuse exclamation points and emojis.

To help pay my bills during college, grad school, and the breaks in between, I worked as a barista, a waitress, a bartender, a customer service representative for an energy consulting company, and as a sales girl at Bath and Bodyworks. I also spent years working with youth; I worked as a counselor at space themed summer camp, volunteered at a school for deaf children in Mexico, and I took multiple groups of college students overseas to spend their winter vacations serving at youth hostels in Amsterdam. But out of everything that I’ve done, writing young adult novels has been my favorite job.

My debut YA fantasy novel, Caraval will be published January 2017 (Flatiron Books/Macmillan—US and Hodder & Stoughton—UK). Caraval has sold in twenty-five foriegn territories and the movie rights were pre-empted by Twentieth Century Fox.

To learn more about Stephanie Garber and her books, visit her website.You can also find her on Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.

#Original Teaser #teaser #caraval #stephanie garber #legendary #book review #young adult #Fantasy Romance #romance #fantasy fiction

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buttermybooks · 8 years ago

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GUYS!!! I have the BEST post for you today! Natalie C. Anderson, Author of City of Saints and Theives, is stopping by to give us a playlist inspired by her book! Natalie is an absolute DOLL and reading through her song list is just.. so fun! Not only am I completely smitten with CoSaT but Natalie is a new favorite author!

Make sure to pick up City of Saints and Theives, which released last Tuesday! This book was amazing and I cant wait for you all to experience it! Ill leave buy links below! Also make sure to follow the tour and stop in at the other blogs participating for a chance to win a copy of CoSaT!!!

buy on amazon

add on goodreads

Natalie’s Playlist:

I had so much fun putting this playlist together! (Warning - all original versions, so some are explicit) I grew up in the era of the mixed tape, which is so much different than making a play-list. You couldn't just move stuff around when you had all the songs you wanted. You had to figure out exactly which songs, in what order (very important!) and then listen to each one as it was recorded. Pressing play, record, stop at exactly the right moments. I still have some of the tapes my best friends gave me as a teenager. I just can't part with them. They're like little love letters.

This playlist is old classics and new stuff, and a mix of artists from all over the world, but mostly Africa, or diaspora artists. It's not something I could write to, but boy can I dance to it! :) I think it pretty well captures Tina's badass personality, and the modern African feel of Sangui City, the fictional city where City of Saints and Thieves is set.

Here's the Spotify Link

Petit Noir - Down - Both danceable and deep, this is just a great start to a playlist. It feels like setting off on an adventure. Petit Noir is Angolan/Congolese/Brussels-born/Cape Town raised, and has a voice like warm honey.

Batuk - Puta - this song feels like something you'd listen and shake to with your girlfriends while getting ready to go out. (And in fact, it's actually all about not putting up with cat-callers and chauvinists. hells yeah.) Batuk is a collective of several artists from all over - South Africa, Mozambique, Germany, etc.

Sikane - U'Huh - I love this, because while Sikane is a new artist, U'Huh feels old-school, like some of the great Ethiopian funk/jazz classics or Fela Kuti. He's Sudanese, but has lived in the US since he was six.

Miriam Makeba - Pata Pata - Miriam Makeba is the grand dame of African music. Her beats are infectious, her singing is soulful, and she is rightly revered. This is one of her most well-known songs, a universal favorite across Africa. Still dancing? Yeah, thought so.

Brenda Fassie - Vul'indela - If Makeba is the grand dame, Brenda Fassie is the original bad girl. This song is a classic dance tune. Fassie was a huge voice in South African anti-apartheid music, but also had a complex personal life and struggled tragically with fame. Her life should be a movie.

Mafikizolo - Kucheza - I've loved South Africans Mafikizolo since I was a studying in Capetown back in 2002. They're just so cool. This song slows things down a bit, and gets a little romantic.

Laura Mvula - Phenomenal Woman Afro-Caribbean British artist Laura Mvula is getting some well-deserved attention for this song, which is a great girl-anthem.

M.I.A. - Bad Girls M.I.A needs no introduction, and this song is just so her. Tough girls, "bad" girls, doing what they want, having fun and not apologizing for it all over a poppin beat.

Little Simz with The Hics - Gratitude Don't be fooled by her small stature. The UK's Little Simz is a phenomenal rapper and singer. And actress. She reminds me the most of Tina. This song slows things down a little, and I think the instrumentals on this track especially are just so gorgeous.

FKA twigs - Two Weeks Tough and dreamy, I love FKA twigs. She packs a punch for a tiny girl and always manages to look crazy-beautiful doing it. Tina (and Boyboy) would approve.

Baloji - Entre Les Lignes We're still in a contemplative mood here. Baloji feels a little bit like a Congolese Tupac. His rapping is so smooth, but intense and politically charged. He's one of the new Congolese artists who feels both African and universal. Watch the video for this one, if you can - incredible shots of Eastern Congo.

Santigold - Disparate Youth Okay, we're waking up a bit now. This song feels like something you'd listen to with your crew with the windows rolled down, riding into the sunset.

T.I. feat. Rihanna - Live Your Life This song just always reminds me of dance-parties in Kenya. American music is huge there, so I really feel like I didn't miss out on an era of great pop music. I love Rihanna's vocals on this, and the sentiment behind the words. I think of this, in fact, as a Rihanna song, not T.I. (sorry, T.I.)

KRS-One - A Friend Okay, this is one of my favorites from way back when. KRS-One is such a tough guy, but this song has the line "all I really need is a friend." Friendship is a big part of this book, and I think the song just fits. Bring it in for a hug, K.

M83 - Midnight City Taking it out on one of my new favorite songs ever. It doesn't really have much to do with Africa, but I listened to it a LOT while working on City. It also feels like a bursting through the gates, triumphant outro. Like the ending of a great 80's movie.

Follow the tour below!

Week One:

1/16 – Margie’s Must Reads – Review

1/17 – Children’s Book Review – Guest Post

1/18 – YA Wednesdays – Favorite Quotes

1/19 – Here’s to Happy Endings – Interview

1/20 – The Moral of our Stories – Review

Week Two:

1/23 – Oh the Book Feels – Review

1/24 – Bibliophile Gathering –Guest Post

1/25 – A Page with a View – Interview

1/26 – Icey Books – Quote Candy

1/27 – Reading Nook Reviews – Review

Week Three:

1/30 – Twinning for Books – Review and Pinterest Board

1/31 – Dark Faerie Tales – Interview

2/1 – Reading is Better with Cupcakes – Review

2/2 – ButterMyBooks – Guest Post

2/3 – Folded Pages Distillery – Review

#AUTHOR TAKEOVER #city of saints and thieves #natalie c anderson #penguinteen

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christinaengela · 7 years ago

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Hello friends and fans!

Welcome to my 14th newsletter: February 2018 – jam-packed with tidbits and information about new releases and projects I’m currently busy with!

Coming up in this edition of Another Round @ The Crow Bar:

Regular updates, new releases, and a monthly spotlight on one of my books, this time “Panic! Horror In Space #1“, book 1 in Panic! Horror In Space Series.

Hello!

February is always a busy and eventful month for me, being my birthday month. I had a nice long holiday from December, and towards the end of January I went back to work – and I had to get back into my routine again.

For the past several weeks, I’ve been working on “African Assignment” and “Bugspray“, two books that were both published and available until November. To give you a little background, both books were published through LightBearer during 2016, which was a mutual project of mine together with a friend, but due to various considerations, including the unsuitability of CreateSpace as a publishing platform regarding payment options for the publisher and author, we agreed that the best thing to do was to take both books down and re-release them through Lulu. We also agreed that this was better under my own brand, as it seems likely that LightBearer isn’t going to be active again anytime soon. This came about at the end of November, and I’ve been working on both titles since. It’s not just a matter of taking the manuscripts down and putting them up on another service; it’s more complicated than that – different POD sites use different software and have different formatting requirements. Also, in our opinion, CreateSpace’s materials and printing quality is inferior to Lulu’s. In the meantime, I’ve been reformatting, and have modified cover details and made some content changes, all in preparation to put them up again via Lulu alongside the rest of my books.

In the meantime, my fiance’e and I are also in the thick of making preparations for our hand-fasting in March this year. It’s been in the workings since last year, when we got engaged on the 9th – and the date is set for the 10th! Some pictures will be included in an article on my website and later, in one of the next newsletters – so stay tuned!

In the meantime, I’m also working on another of my dad’s books, getting it ready for publication. My dad, Theo Engela, died in 1985. “Shakandazu Valley” was the last book he finished, in the year before his death. He tried unsuccessfully to get it published up to the time of his death, sending typed copies to publishers who weren’t interested in anything from South Africa due to the political climate etc – that’s right, politicians have a long, long history of shattering dreams and screwing things up for us ordinary folk!

So, I’ve been editing it for him, which has been quite a mission since it was typed on paper old-school, with a manual typewriter that imprinted slightly smudged letters on the paper. The only way I could do this, was to scan the pages into digital images and run them through a text-bridge application – which provided me with a Word document with a truckload of errors! Aside from that, I think the lady who typed the manuscript for dad altered the text in typing from the handwritten manuscript by replacing contractions (i.e. “can’t”) with full words (i.e. “cannot”), and so this makes for a rather plodding text, especially in dialog, so I’ve had to modify it to make it easier to read. That’s just what I’m up to with the first edit which is still in progress – during the next edit, I’ll be working on the flow of the story telling, the dialog, and any other errors I find.

The book should go out soon after I’ve put the other two back up again. “African Assignment” is a collection of my dad’s short stories, and there’s an interesting difference in his style in writing short stories as opposed to his novel-writing – add to that, his two earlier novels are written in a style more like his short stories than “Shakandazu Valley”. There’s an almost 20 year gap between them. Nevertheless, it’s an exercise in getting to know my dad, and it’s a pretty deep experience for me, one I’m enjoying a lot.

But before I waffle on too much, let’s get on with the newsletter! 🙂

New Releases

The Galaxii Series

Blachart by Christina Engela

Demonspawn by Christina Engela

Dead Man’s Hammer by Christina Engela

Galaxii – Into The Abyss by Christina Engela

“Galaxii – Into The Abyss” – a special omnibus of all three already released titles in the Galaxii Series, was released on 23 June and is only available in paperback 6″ x 9″ format. Work on book 4, “Where Darkness Softly Treads” is still pending due to other projects at this time.

The Quantum Series

Black Sunrise by Christina Engela

The Time Saving Agency by Christina Engela

Dead Man’s Hammer by Christina Engela

Loderunner by Christina Engela

Prodigal Sun by Christina Engela

High Steaks by Christina Engela

The Quantum Series – Keep Off The Crabbygrass by Christina Engela

“The Quantum Series – Keep Off The Crabbygrass”, an omnibus of The Quantum Series titles 1, 2, 3 and 4 (“Black Sunrise”, “The Time Saving Agency”, “Dead Man’s Hammer” and “Loderunner”) was released in July 2017.

About The Quantum Series will give you more background about the series, its settings and characters. To get a better idea of what the latest two titles are about, read What Readers Can Expect In “Prodigal Sun”, “High Steaks”, “Fortitude” & “The Last Hurrah”.

Panic! Horror In Space

Panic! Horror In Space #1 by Christina Engela

Panic! Horror In Space #2 by Christina Engela

Panic! Horror In Space #3 by Christina Engela

Panic! is a sci-fi/horror series, which will have some decidedly sci-fi characters encountering some decidedly horror entities – ghosts, haunted objects, zombies, etc. along with my usual twisted brand of humor! The first two titles are available in paperback and ebook versions on various distribution platforms including Amazon and Lulu. “Panic! Horror In Space #1” and “Panic! Horror In Space #2” were released earlier this year and “Panic! Horror In Space #3” was released on 18 November 2017.

Non-Fiction

Bugspray by Christina Engela

The Pink Community – The Facts by Christina Engela

The Peed Off Peasant’s Collection of Awesome Parking Memes

On A Personal Note

Fan Mail & Honorable Mentions

Noticed in the past month by my long-suffering PA and fiance’e, Wendy K. Gloss, were the following honorable mentions:

Nothing this month – sorry!

I display my Fan Mail & Compliments with pride, gratitude and humility. You are always welcome to have a look.

Hate Mail & Horrible Mentions

I’m almost sad to say I have nothing new to show you this time! (I may have something to show you next time though!)

(I’m rather proud of my hate mail, and you can review it here – but be forewarned, don’t do it while eating or drinking or you might choke while laughing!)

Interviews

Nothing new during this past month! If you would like to do an interview with me about my works, please do get in touch!

New Videos

Nothing new at the moment, but in the meantime, here is the book trailer video for “High Steaks”!

New Listings

Nothing new for 2018 just yet! All my already published books now seem to be listed just about everywhere! Amazon, Anobii, Barnes & Noble, Bol (NL), Book Depository, eBookMall, FictionDB, Fnac (FR), Foyles (UK), Goodreads, Indigo, iTunes, Kobo (prices in ZAR ), Lybrary, Nook, Takealot (prices in ZAR ) and 24 Symbols. I recommend readers make their purchases via Lulu.

Monthly Book Spotlight [Spoiler Alert]: “Panic! Horror In Space #1”

This is the sixth title in The Quantum Series. To read more about the settings and characters of this series, visit About The Quantum Series and Characters & Plot Devices. To find out about Christina Engela’s main writing focus, read No LGBT Stereotypes Here!

Back Cover:

“Panic! Horror In Space” is a series of science-fiction-horror stories in the same setting featuring mostly the same regular characters, with the occasional introduction of new characters or settings.

The premise for this concept was to create a horror-sci-fi story in a series of connected short fiction installments. For more detail about this series, visit About Panic! Horror In Space.

While on an otherwise routine deep-space mission to chart new territory on the frontier of unknown space, the Pioneer Fleet starship Mercury is probably the unluckiest ship in history. Not once, not twice, but many times over, the same hapless crew – give or take a few dozen casualties – on a supposed voyage of deep space exploration, stumble into the weird, wake the creepy and trip over the downright terrifying and possibly even supernatural…

Synopsis:

“While on a routine deep-space mission to chart new territory on the frontier of unknown space, the Pioneer Fleet starship Mercury stumbles across an apparent shipwreck in deep-space that opens a whole new can of worms for her crew.

How had a ship last seen near a Terran colony light years away forty years ago got here before the Mercury? Why couldn’t the cause of death of the crew be determined – what was in the deleted log entry of the Kilgary – and why had it been deleted?

The last thing Stuart Flane, captain of the Mercury, expected while he and five members of his crew worked to discover the answer to the enigma, was a day-long running battle inside the bowels of the moldering corpse of a long-vanished loderunner. Their troubles don’t end there, because Mercury – their only ride home – is also in trouble…”

The lost loderunner “Kilgary” (front view)

The lost loderunner Kilgary (rear view)

Buy Now: Paperback / Ebook

Details:

Edition: First Edition Published: April 06, 2017 Pages: 182 Dimensions (inches): 4.25 wide x 6.88 tall

In Closing

Well, that’s it, folks! 🙂

Stay tuned for more news as things progress!

Thanks again for all your support, friendship and interaction! Until next time,

Cheers! 🙂

If you would like to know more about Christina Engela and her writing, please feel free to browse her website. If you want to know what Christina Engela’s focus group or target market is, please read here. If you would like to read more about Christina’s life and experiences, please go to her Biography and the article “Timeline of Milestones, Awards & Achievements“. To leave her a message, please use the Contact form. Visit her Shop. ‘Add’ Christina Engela on Facebook (Profile). ‘Like’ Christina Engela on Facebook (Page). All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2018.

Another Round @ The Crow Bar #14 – February 2018 Hello friends and fans! Welcome to my 14th newsletter: February 2018 - jam-packed with tidbits and information about new releases and projects I'm currently busy with!

#art #author #christina engela #drawings #fantasy #female #Galaxii Series #horror #Illustrations #Images #LGBT #newsletter #Panic - Horror In Space #quantum series #sci-fi #science fiction #sketches #South African #transgender

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