Tag: Book Blogger

#TopTenTuesday: Things to Eat/Drink/Listen to While Reading/Blogging!

Dini @ dinipandareads52 Comments

It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt is: favorite things to eat/drink while reading (submitted by Jana’s mom). As you can tell by the title of my blog, I’ve changed the original prompt up a little bit by adding music and blogging! I don’t generally eat/drink a lot while reading or blogging, but I do put on some tunes, especially while blogging, so I thought I’d share some choons (also, I obviously like to make quick/easy posts more work for myself 🙄LOL)!

Venti Iced Caramel Macchiato
This is my go to coffee drink. I must consume it at least three times per week? It’s a hefty habit but it’s just too hard to resist. I LOVE iced caramel macchiatos. That’s defo one way to my heart! 😍

Ferrero Rocher
Ferrero has been my favorite chocolate ever since I was a kid. Once I start it’s so hard to stop eating!

This song is just so chill and so beautiful. I could have it on repeat in the background all day.

Peach Iced Tea
For some reason I always have peach tea bags stored away in my cupboard, so I frequently have a bottle of this sweet deliciousness sitting in my fridge. Perfect for those hot afternoons!

Thick cut chips
By chips here I mean fries. And not the shoe string kind. I’m a fan of the thick cut chips COZ MORE CARBS IN ONE BITE lol so good (but obviously eaten with one hand so the other is grease free!)

I shared this song on Sunday but I can listen to it forever. HER VOICE and the vibe. It’s SO CHILL.

English Breakfast Tea (with milk) + Custard Creams
I’m more of a coffee girl, but there’s just something so comforting about having a nice warm cuppa with CUSTARD CREAMS the best biccies! Everything about the combo screams cozy comfort!

I love this song and how it makes me feel. It’s like I need to go dancing down the street, and people will dance with me, offer me food and drinks, as we all sing and laugh… It’s a montage in my head LOL but also surprisingly great to have playing in the background while writing and reading 😂

Oreos (with milk obvi)
Another comforting snack that gives me throwback vibes to my middle school days when I would obsessively eat Oreos every chance I got. I don’t indulge in these all that often now but still good!

What do you like to eat/drink/listen to while reading/blogging?
If you’ve done a TTT for today, please leave your links in the comments so I can mosey over to your blog and check it out! 🙂

Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2) by Jay Kristoff – #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads10 Comments

Goodreads: Godsgrave (The Nevernight Chronicle #2)
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating:

Conquer your fear, conquer the world.
Mia Corvere, destroyer of empires, has found her place among the Blades of Our Lady of Blessed Murder, but many in the Red Church ministry do not believe she has earned it. Her position is precarious, and she’s still no closer to exacting revenge for the brutal death of her family. But after a deadly confrontation with an old enemy, Mia begins to suspect the motives of the Red Church itself.
When it is announced that Consul Scaeva and Cardinal Duomo will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the grand games in Godsgrave, Mia defies the Church and sells herself into slavery for a chance to fulfill the promise she made on the day she lost everything. Upon the sands of the arena, Mia finds new allies, bitter rivals, and more questions about her strange affinity for the shadows. But as conspiracies unfold, secrets are revealed and the body count rises within the collegium walls, Mia will be forced to choose between her loyalties and her revenge.

CW: Gore, Murder, Abuse (Physical)

When I started Godsgrave two days ago, the first thing I told myself was: DO NOT GET ATTACHED. I mean, this was my mantra and I was ready. Kristoff could bring all the emotional fckery to the table and hit me with it because I WAS NOT GOING TO GET ATTACHED. He can absolutely take his torture elsewhere! I see you, Kristoff. I know better after Nevernight!

O, gentlefriends the lies we tell ourselves, neh?

it me

If I wasn’t 100% convinced after Nevernight that Kristoff takes absolute pleasure in making his readers writhe in agony as he slays off one character after another, it’s safe to say that I don’t need convincing now because I have zero doubts about it. Kristoff is eerily like George R.R. Martin. If you like a character in this book, chances are they’re going to get fcked over at some point, and hard! And yet, I still can’t get enough of this series (and what does that say about me exactly?). When I wrote this review my thoughts and emotions were still all over the place, so fair warning, this review might be as much a hot hot mess.

Audiobook

I followed along to the audiobook again because it played such a big part in my enjoyment of the story of Nevernight. The audio started off a bit shaky and I felt it wasn’t as strong as Nevernight, but I still enjoyed the narrator, Holter Graham, and thought he did a great job with voicing the cast. I did notice there were a lot of errors in wording and sometimes voicing but it wasn’t a very big deal. I’d give this performance 4★s!

The Writing

Kristoff’s writing has really grown on me a lot since Nevernight. I enjoy the OTT metaphors and similes, as well as the dry and often crass humor that’s interjected and brings much needed levity to such a dark story. I found that I still loved the footnotes because you learn so much about the republic through them, and I find that the text is often hilarious. If there’s one thing I’m dying to know is who the narrator is! Does anyone have any guesses?

“If Vengeance has a mother, her name is Patience.”

The Plot

Godsgrave moved at a fast pace that didn’t let up until the end. The world building continued to be fantastic, and I especially enjoyed the horrific and jaw dropping arenas where the gladiatii battled. These arenas were mind-blowing and like an insanely “pimped up” and magical Gladiator. Unsurprisingly, there’s even more blood and gore as Mia joins a collegium of gladiatii as part of her plan to avenge her familia. There are also a few well-written sexy scenes! The plot gets more complex as conspiracies and ugly truths come to light. There are plenty of twists, revelations, lies and heartbreak, but also some great, heartwarming friendships too. There’s a romance storyline that I didn’t love but I’m sure many will enjoy–I just don’t trust the character at all! Some of the revelations I saw coming but the very last one had me shook. I was definitely over here screaming like a banshee as I read it! I’m STILL shaking and hella curious to see how these elements will come together in Darkdawn. There’s so much anticipation!

The Characters

There’s a completely new cast that appear in Godsgrave. Few characters from the first book reappear, but they don’t play big roles in the story, except for one/two.

Mia Corvere continues to be an incredibly complex character. She has become an even more proficient killer and although her lack of fear has made her a bit colder, she still retains her conscience; I love those two sides to her character. Towards the end of the book, I ended up shouting at and hating her for what she was doing, but I should’ve known better. Tricksy little Kristoff! We get to see a bit more of Mercurio in Godsgrave, and I really love his paternal relationship with Mia. I love a gruff character with heart!

“When you take a person out of the world, you don’t just take them, do you? You take everything they were, too.”

We’re introduced to many characters in Godsgrave, especially when Mia joins the collegium. We have Leona, the Domina of the collegium. Arkades, a former gladiatii and now Executus of the collegium. Maggot, the young girl who was the collegium’s healer, absolutely stole my heart with her sweetness and curiosity! Then there are the other gladiatii and although most of them remain minor characters, I couldn’t help loving what I learned of Sidonius, Bryn and Byern, Bladesinger, and Wavebreaker! I thought for sure there would be one asshole that makes life at the collegium unbearable for Mia, but for the most part they treated each other like family. I loved the camaraderie between them, and the banter like that between siblings. I wanted to spend more time with them and learn more of their interesting backstories. This is obviously where I also got attached to characters that I should not have done and the big event at the end seriously broke my heart. I was railing so hard at both Kristoff and Mia!

AND THEN OF COURSE

There’s the big twist and reveal of characters and their relationships in the last few pages of the book! WHAAAT?! Kristoff is so cruel to end this on such a note, but I’m so glad that I decided to start this series when Darkdawn came out because now I don’t have to wait years to know what happens. I’m honestly a little scared but also very excited to see how this story wraps up. There’s no doubt in my mind that it’s going to be terrifying, horrifying and heartbreaking. Will I be ready for the feels?!

Have you read Godsgrave? What’d you think of it? Also, have you read Darkdawn? Are my feelings going to be absolutely destroyed?!
Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

Goodreads Monday – 16 September

Dini @ dinipandareads8 Comments

It’s the first Monday of a new month and we’re back with another Goodreads Monday, a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. This meme invites you to pick a book from your TBR and explain why you want to read it. Easy enough, right? Feel free to join in if you want to! I’ll be using a random number generator to pick my books from my insanely long GR Want-to-read list.

This week’s book is The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. It’s been on my TBR for almost two years now (w0w, time flies). Junot Diaz is an author that I’ve heard really great things about and I think Oscar Wao is one of his most famous/popular books. It has a rating of 3.90 stars with about 214,000 ratings, so that’s quite great.

I’m very keen to try following along with the audiobook because it’s read by Lin-Manual Miranda and I’m a huge fan of his, so naturally I had to get it on Audible! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Things have never been easy for Oscar. A ghetto nerd living with his Dominican-American family in New Jersey, he’s disastrously overweight, keeps falling hopelessly in love and dreams of becoming the next Tolkien. Meanwhile his punk sister Lola wants to run away, and his resolute mother Beli can’t seem to let either of them go.
Moving across generations and continents, from Beli’s tragic past in the Dominican Republic to struggles and dreams in suburban America, this is the wondrous story of Oscar, his family and their search for love and belonging.

Why do I want to read it?

While the blurb did pull me in, I think I’ve honestly wanted to read this mostly because of the hype around it. FOMO gets me almost every time? Lol so many friends on Goodreads, and even friends who only pick up a book every now and again, have claimed to really enjoy this book, so that definitely keeps my interest piqued too! Some time last year I discovered that Lin-Manuel, who I love and adore, narrates the audiobook so you know I had to go out and pick that up to. Needless to say it’s been sitting on my Audible shelf for a while now… I’ve only ever read one of Diaz’s books, and I think I overhyped it for myself because I ended up being fairly disappointed. It was a character driven novel and I couldn’t stand the MC at all. No matter how hard I tried I just couldn’t develop any kind of connection or bring myself to care about any of the characters introduced. I will say though that Diaz’s writing is simply beautiful. It’s poetic and moving and that’s what I enjoyed most. I’m worried that I might feel the same about Oscar Wao, but I’m still willing to give it a go. Maybe listening to Lin-Manuel read it will make it a better experience for me 😏

Have you read The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao? Or is it on your TBR too? Leave me a comment and let’s chat!

Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp [22]

Dini @ dinipandareads15 Comments

We’re back with another Sundays in Bed With… meme! This meme dares to ask you what book has been in your bed this morning and is hosted by Midnight Book Girl. Come share what book you’ve been you’ve spent time curled up reading in bed with, or which book you wish you had time to read today!

Today finally saw me leaving the house after not even unlocking my front door yesterday? Yes, it was that kind of Saturday. BUT today I was really thinking about the book that I should be reading because I need to stop putting it off for my group read: The Orange of the Priory Tree by Samantha Shannon. Honestly? I think I’m really letting the INSANE thickness of the book get to me because every time I look at it, I am filled with dread at the thought of picking it up? I’ll be taking it to bed with me tonight though, after I write this post. I will. Really. I promise!

A world divided.
A queendom without an heir.
An ancient enemy awakens.
The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction—but assassins are getting closer to her door. Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic. Across the dark sea, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel. Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

What are you currently reading?

How is it already Sunday evening?! I’m really gutted the weekend is already over and I dread the thought of going back to work tomorrow. I think that might be a sign that it’s time to look for something different soon? I know a lot of my dread has to do with my mental health and how I just feel consistently drained every day, even if I don’t do much, and it’s such a struggle to get out of bed every morning… But this weekend has been pretty low-key. I literally spent Saturday inside and sprawled on my couch. I finished Godsgrave on Saturday morning (5:30am to be exact!) and ugh, this series has absolutely SLAIN me. I am equal parts terrified and excited to pick up Darkdawn. How will this series end and most importantly: will my feels be ready for even MORE slaying!? Stay tuned, folks. I decided I needed a palate cleanser before starting on Priory, so…I ended up finishing two contemporary romances 😬 Despite the extremely minimal movement, my Saturday was pretty productive?

Sunday saw me spending the whole day outside. I helped my friend set up her ‘stall’ at a pop-up art market (check out her work because she’s amazing)! After working hard hammering tacks into a board and setting up, it was a pretty chill day full of coffee, people watching, smiling at strangers (lol not creepily), watching artists paint, and listening to some fantastic chilled tunes. It’s days like today that make me glad I push myself out of my ‘comfort zone’ of staying home all day. Even though I didn’t talk to a lot of people, it was still me getting out of the house!

Reading & Blogging Recap

I think I had a decent good reading and blogging week? I managed to finish five books this week, although one was a very short graphic novel, but I think five is pretty much be average for me! Obviously my favorite read this week was Godsgrave, and I’ll be posting my review tomorrow, so stay tuned 😍I’m really hoping to get into Priory when I pick it up in bed tonight. I am already falling behind on the group read, I’m just very intimidated by this book and I’m quite worried I won’t like it. BUT I don’t want to psyche myself out of reading it before I even properly try, so I’ll just say that I hope to be pleasantly surprised! On that note, check out a recap of my posts this week, in case you missed any:

Top 5 Saturday: Books Set in Space
Friday Favorites: Unfinished Series! (I felt so attacked… lol)
First Lines Friday: 13 September
Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
ARC Graphic Novel Review: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do… But You Could’ve Done Better by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell
‘Lover’ Book Tag!
Review: The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan
#WWWWednesday: 11 September
ARC Review: The Love Solution by Ashley Croft
#TopTenTuesday: Avoiding Books On My TBR!
Graphic Novel Review: Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell & Faith Erin Hicks (Illustrator)
Goodreads Monday: 09 September

Also, I leave you with this gem of a song that I can’t get out of my head. Sabrina Claudio’s voice is luscious. I feel like I could drown in it. Her music is so chilled and a little sensual (her voice tho), but so so nice to relax to. It was definitely my vibe today. Have a fabulous and relaxed Sunday, friends!

How has your week been? Hope everyone has/had a great weekend and I hope your week ahead is WONDERFUL! Let me know how you’re doing in the comments and let’s chat, friends 🙂

Top 5 Saturday: Books Set in Space!

Dini @ dinipandareads20 Comments

It’s time for another Top 5 Saturday, a weekly meme created by Mandy @ Devouring Books and this week’s topic is: books set in space. You know, this prompt has made me realise that I really haven’t read many books set in space. I’ve got a lot that I want to read but I still haven’t managed to tick them off my TBR yet. I’m excited to get to them eventually 😂 (this feels like déjà vu)! I find space settings can be really creepy, but I’m mostly always in awe by the descriptions of the vast nothingness; the silence. Who knows what’s out there?

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James
I had no expectations going into this book but I loved it. It was intensely atmospheric and I left was questioning if what was happening was real or if it was the imagination of a lonely girl, stuck lightyears from Earth, with no one to talk to. Space has never been creepier! Check out my review.

The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Not only is this series told in the most creative way, it was heartbreaking, full of snark and such an incredible adventure. I mean, never have I loved and hated an AI more than I did AIDAN. This is one of my all time favorites!

Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
I feel like you either really love or hate Aurora Rising and there’s very little in between. It’s definitely not Illuminae, but many of the elements that I loved in that story were present in this, so I loved it. The best part of the series so far are the characters. I love the found family trope and I think this band of misfits fit the bill perfectly. I can’t wait to see what happens next! Check out my review.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
I’m sure it’ll be no surprise to hear that I love the Lunar Chronicles. I love retellings and this is probably one of the most unique retellings I’ve read. I mean, sci-fi retellings set in space? Very cool!

Skyward (Skyward #1) by Brandon Sanderson
I was so excited to get my hands on this book when it came out, but until now I still haven’t read it yet. I’m really the worst! I’m very excited for it though since I’ve heard some pretty amazing things! Maybe it’ll be good for me to pick it up closer to the release date of the second book!

What are your favorite books set in space? Any of these?
Please leave me some recommendations in the comments below!

Friday Favorites: Unfinished Series!

Dini @ dinipandareads24 Comments

It’s time for another Friday Favorites hosted by Kibby @ Something of the Book! This weekly meme is where you get to share a list of all your favourites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: unfinished series (either you haven’t read all the books or the series is still incomplete)! So after talking about books I’ve been avoiding for this week’s TTT, we’re now going into unfinished series territory, eh? I feel slightly attacked at having to confront the series I’ve left hanging! 😅 For many of the same reasons I’ve been avoiding books on my shelves, I’ve left these books unfinished not because I don’t want to read them but because I’m scared I won’t be satisfied with the ending or because I don’t want this series to end or because… Well, too many books to read, too little time, right? 😬I do feel guilty about leaving these series unfinished, especially since I keep starting new ones, but I’m determined to catch up with as many of them as possible for #SequelSeptember!

Villains: Vengeful by V.E. Schwab
I loved Vicious and was so excited to get my hands on Vengeful (so excited in fact that I now have two copies of the book!) but still it sits untouched. I’ve heard that it’s not as amazing as the first, although still good. I haven’t been disappointed by Schwab yet, so I really hope I enjoy it!

The Nevernight Chronicle: Godsgrave and Darkdawn by Jay Kristoff
To be fair, I only started this series two weeks ago. I’m listening to Godsgrave right now and I’m speeding through it like a demon assassin! I’m hoping to read Darkdawn before September ends. Kristoff’s writing style has grown on me and I’m absolutely loving this gorey and humorous series.

Folk of the Air: The Wicked King and Queen of Nothing by Holly Black
The release date for QoN is quickly creeping up (seriously, where does the time fly?!) and I’m kind of tempted to read TWK closer to its release date. I re-read The Cruel Prince just two weeks ago, so it’s still fresh in my mind, but… If TWK ends in a cliffhanger, doesn’t it make sense to wait until I’ve got the QoN in hand so I don’t have to torture myself with waiting? 🙂

Caraval: Finale by Stephanie Garber
I feel like you either really love or hate Caraval and I fell in love with it. There are tons of negative reviews, but I really enjoyed getting lost in the games and the characters; and actually I liked it much better than the famed Night Circus (don’t come for me)! But I’ve heard so many mixed reviews, even from people who’ve loved the series, about Finale that I’m TORN! I don’t want to hate it because it’s the last book but also, what if I end up loving it? Do I pick it up already?! Torn, I tell you!

Throne of Glass: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
I started ToG long before I joined the book community so I really had no idea how popular Maas and her novels were. I LOVED it and it quickly became one of my favorites. When I finished Tower of Dawn I immediately pre-ordered KoA and I even counted down the days until it arrived! But then it came, I put off reading it, and the longer I put it off, the less I remembered about the series. Oops? Now I feel like I need to re-read the whole series before touching this one? Am I crazy? Maybe 🙃

Strange the Dreamer: Muse of Nightmares by Laini Taylor
I love Strange the Dreamer. Taylor’s prose is a mildly purple but it was beautiful and swept me away! I got lost in Lazlo’s dreams and the City of Weep. As much as I loved Strange, the ending CRUSHED me. I’m pretty sure I howled into my pillow in anger. So I’m kinda scared to read Muse. What happens next? I’m dying to now but also… Call me a coward coz I might let it sit for a while more?

Arc of a Scythe: The Toll by Neal Shusterman
THE TOLL IS COMING but not nearly soon enough! I’m aching to get my hands on the third book of this series. I didn’t expect to love this dystopian series as much as I did but wow, it was intense and so, so good. I love the Thunderhead and I can’t wait to find out what happens next. Will we pick up where we left off? Will years have passed by? What is going to happen!? Eeee… I hope I don’t put off reading this once it comes out. I’ll kick myself if I do 😂

The Kingkiller Chronicle: The Wise Man’s Fear, The Slow Regard of Silent Things and Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss
Doors of Stone still has no release date. I raced through The Name of the Wind and tale as old as time, I couldn’t wait to read Wise Man’s Fear but it’s been sitting, waiting for me. I started a re-read of TNotW last week, in prep to reading TWMF but I’ve put it on hold since WHO KNOWS WHEN book three will come out. Rothfuss, how long are you gonna keep your fans waiting, mate?

The Dark Artifices: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
I hadn’t read any of the Shadowhunter books and hardly knew anything about this world that Clare built before picking up The Dark Artifices. Honestly, the cover drew me in and continues to draw me in! I surprised myself by how much I’ve really enjoyed this series. It’s full of teenage angst but I’m still hooked on the mystery. I haven’t picked it up yet because have you seen it? It’s chunky AF. Is scared.

The Oremere Chronicles: Heart of Mist, Reign of Mist and War of Mist by Helen Scheuerer
I actually can’t remember when I read the Oremere Chronicles. It must have been soon after the first book came out, so probably 2017? But I remember loving it, though this was before I started writing reviews, so with my memory as bad as it is, I actually can’t remember any of it 😅 Yet I continued to buy the two other books in the series because of the covers, but also because I want to see this series through. So, I’ll start from the top again!

And that’s it friends! There are 10 unfinished series on my list today, but there’s probably more that I can’t actually remember. Hah. Do you have any unfinished series to get to? What are your favorites?
Leave me a comment below and let’s chat!

First Lines Friday – 13 September

Dini @ dinipandareads12 Comments

Yayaya, HAPPY FRIYAY, book lovers and friends 😍 I’m including a new meme to my Friday post line-up today with First Lines Friday! This is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are THE RULES:

  • Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
  • Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
  • Finally… reveal the book!

First lines:

There’s something haunting about a body touched by magic. Most people first noticed the smell: not the rot of decay, but a cloying sweetness in their noses, a sharp taste on their tongues.

Do you recognize the book these first lines come from?

Okay, okay, calm yourself Loki, mate...

*drumroll please!*

The book is: Serpent & Dove (Serpent & Dove #1) by Shelby Mahurin!

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.
Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou’s, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.
The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou’s most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.
And love makes fools of us all.

Have you read Serpent & Dove or is it on your TBR? I’m sooo excited to read this book. WBU? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys – #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads19 Comments

Goodreads: Between Shades of Gray
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Panda Rating:

One night fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother and young brother are hauled from their home by Soviet guards, thrown into cattle cars and sent away. They are being deported to Siberia. An unimaginable and harrowing journey has begun. Lina doesn’t know if she’ll ever see her father or her friends again. But she refuses to give up hope. Lina hopes for her family. For her country. For her future. For love – first love, with the boy she barely knows but knows she does not want to lose… Will hope keep Lina alive?

Late one evening in 1941, 15-year-old Lina is dragged out of her home by Soviet soldiers, alongside her mother and brother. She’s confused, scared, worried for her father and most of all wondering, why them? This story chronicles their journey to and their experience in Siberia where Lina and hundreds of thousands of Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians identified as criminals against Soviet rule were deported to slave in labour camps or outright exterminated. With her world torn apart and having to deal with trauma, loss, grief and despair, Lina keeps a tight hold to the hope of survival through her memories and love of art.

“Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”

This was a harrowing and heartbreaking novel full of enduring hope in the face of absolute brutality and injustice. It was a testament to hope and love and kindness. I have always been gripped by historical fictions ever since I read books like Anne Frank’s Diary, the Devil’s Arithmetic, Night, and others in school. I admit though, that I didn’t have any prior knowledge about the same horrors happening in other countries and to other peoples during that same period. This was a very educational read, as much as it was a poignant account of those who suffered under Soviet rule.

“Was it harder to die or harder to be the one who survived? I was sixteen, an orphan in Siberia, but I knew. It was the one thing I never questioned. I wanted to live.”

Sepetys writes in a simple, yet powerful and compelling way that made it difficult to put this book down. I dreaded having to leave for work in the morning because I knew I had to put it to the back of mind and I couldn’t wait to race home and pick it up again at days end. I thought that all the characters in the book were well written and many of them had believably mature personas that I oftentimes forgot that Lina was only a teenager and her brother Jonas, only a boy.

I greatly admired Lina’s strength of character throughout her story and her ability to keep hanging on to hope even in the most dire of circumstances and through the most debilitating of losses. Her strength and even youthful optimism in the face of adversity lent a lightness and much needed hopefulness to the situation that reminded me in ways of Anne Frank and her perception of her situation. Just as Anne did, I liked that rebellious Lina recorded events through her art and writing, despite the dangers of being discovered. Maybe it was selfish at times but it was also her way of ensuring that nothing was ever forgotten. What I also found very inspiring was that despite the amount of suffering that was inflicted upon Lina, her family and those around her, there was so much forgiveness and even kindness given to the enemy. All the characters felt so very much like family at the end and even the most frustrating/maddening characters managed to redeem themselves too.

Although I felt the ending came quite abruptly, I can see why it was done that way, and I thought it wrapped the story up on a positive note, giving readers hope that there will be a somewhat happy ending to this story after all.

“…evil will rule until good men or women choose to act. It is my greatest hope that the pages…stir your deepest well of human compassion. I hope they prompt you to do something, to tell someone. Only then can we ensure that this kind of evil is never allowed to repeat itself.”

This book made me think a lot about how despite having learned something from our history, it seems that we haven’t learned enough from it. There is still so much fear in people—fear of differences and of things that they don’t understand. It’s disheartening to know that there are still so many greedy, selfish and egotistical people in positions of power who use their words and actions to rouse hatred towards and stoke fear of others. But still, I believe in the power of human compassion and I stand with those who find the strength to step up against these types of people and their abhorrent actions. In her authors note at the end, Sepetys gave more background information to the Soviet massacre of over three million citizens of the Baltic states. I think the greatest lesson to be taken from this novel was beautifully summarized by her:

“Some wars are about bombings. For the people of the Baltics, this was was about believing. In 1991, after fifty years of brutal occupation, the three Baltic countries regained their independence, peacefully and with dignity. They chose hope over hate and showed the world that even through the darkest night, there is light… These three tiny nations have taught us that love is the most powerful army… —love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.”

This was a fast and beautifully written read. I definitely look forward to reading more books written by Ruta Sepetys!

Have you read The Astonishing Color of After? What’d you think of it? Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do… But You Could’ve Done Better by Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell – #ARC #GraphicNovel #BookReview

Dini @ dinipandareads6 Comments

Goodreads: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do… But You Could’ve Done Better
Publish Date: 10 January 2017
Publisher: Animal Media Group LLC
Genre: Nonfiction, Humor, Graphic Novel
Panda Rating:

Anonymous break up stories from men and women, old and young, serious and silly and the cartoons that inspired them. Author and artist Hilary Campbell turns the painful into the hilarious, validating emotions from forgotten middle school tragedies to relationships that ended only hours ago.
Hilary Fitzgerald Campbell is an award-winning documentary filmmaker and cartoonist. Her films have won top prizes at Slamdance, SF IndieFest, and more. She was the co-illustrator of Jessica Bennett’s critically acclaimed Feminist Fight Club.Breaking Up Is Hard To Do, But You Could’ve Done Better is her first book of cartoons.

As the author states repeatedly in her introduction (and also at the end) of the book, people can be pretty terrible. Some of these had me cracking up (mostly in shock) at how awkward and terrible a break up went. Some had me exclaiming out loud at how awful people could be. I’ve had my fair share of awful relationships and break ups and so many of these instances and feelings were absolutely relatable (as cringeworthy as many of them are). Reading these stories and having that peek into other peoples’ lives brings me a weird kind of satisfaction. Lol not that I take pleasure in other people’s unfortunate situations, but it’s honestly comforting to know that you’re not the only one who goes through some crazy heartbreaking things, and also crazy awful things you never want to repeat. Some people are seriously twisted though. Yikes!

I enjoyed most of the graphics that illustrated and complemented all the stories but I also thought that they weren’t anything spectacular. Some did make me chuckle. I guess I misunderstood the blurb and thought that the stories would be illustrated in comic format, but it was still enjoyable the way it was. Needless to say, this was a very fast, mostly fun read! The author ends the book with a note saying that she’s still accepting these break up stories over on her website, but as I just realized this book was published two years ago, I don’t know if she’s still taking any. If she is, I might go ahead and share some stories myself! Lol

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! Have you read Breaking Up Is Hard…But You Could’ve Done Better? What did you think?

‘Lover’ Book Tag!

Dini @ dinipandareads21 Comments

After Taylor Swift launched her latest album Lover, Sara @ The Bibliophagist decided to create her very first tag for the songs on the album. I don’t know much about TS outside of her music and what I learn about her through the songs, but I’ve really enjoyed her last three albums. Since this one released I’ve been listening to it on repeat and you can bet that as I answer this tag, I’m listening to it yet again. Thanks for the tag, Sara! 💞

The Rules

  • Link back to the creator, Sara @ The Bibliophagist!
  • Answer the questions!
  • Tag whoever you want and link back to the person who tagged you!

I FORGOT THAT YOU EXISTED: A book from your childhood that you don’t remember anything about

♪ it isn’t love, it isn’t hate, it’s just indifference ♪

There are tons of books that I remember reading and loving as a kid but don’t remember anything about now. The covers will look familiar but that’s about it! Julie of the Wolves is one.

CRUEL SUMMER: The worst book you’ve read this summer

♪ it’s blue, the feeling I’ve got and it’s… it’s a cruel summer ♪

It sounded cute and mysterious. It was giving me all the summer vibes, but I just couldn’t with this.
I Spy the Boy Next Door was not only disappointing but creepy AF. Just read my ranting review.

LOVER: A bookish relationship that’s perfect exactly the way it is

♪ can we always be this close forever and ever ♪

JOSH AND HAZEL. They’re still one of my favourite couples and I love their hilarious & awkward banter. I’m sure there are also some other great couples out there, but I always think of them first!

THE MAN: A book with a badass female main character

♪ if I was a man, then I’d be the man ♪

I honestly don’t think I can think of a more badass female MC than Mia Corvere in Nevernight. She’s flawed, to be sure, but she’s also a super skilled, sleuth, and badass assassin with a not-cat and not-wolf as shadowy fear-eating companions. I mean…

THE ARCHER: A book with great character development

♪ I see right through me ♪

Isabelle and Vianne went through so much in The Nightingale, it was inevitable they would go through major character development. They learn so much about themselves, what they’re willing to give and how far they’re willing to go for those they love. I thought it was so well done!

I THINK HE KNOWS: Your fictional crush

♪ he got my heartbeat skipping down 16th Avenue ♪

Is it really fair to have me choose only ONE fictional crush? I mean… There are so many? I really live vicariously through my books 😂I’m going to choose the sky cowboy, Jonah, from The Simple Wild.

MISS AMERICANA & THE HEARTBREAK PRINCE: A book set in high school

♪ waving homecoming queens, marching band playing, I’m lost in the lights ♪

I’ve come to realise that I really don’t read a lot of books set in high school. But in Autoboyography, Tanner and Sebastian meet in Seminar (a high school class), and it obviously sets the ball rolling for their complicated, heartbreaking and hopeful relationship. So, that definitely counts, right?

PAPER RINGS: A book with a happy ending

♪ I like shiny things, but I’d marry you with paper rings ♪

So many books to fill this prompt but Leon and Tiffy absolutely deserved that sweet and heartwarming happy ending in The Flatshare. They deserve everything!

CORNELIA STREET: A setting you’ll never forget

♪ “I rent a place on Cornelia Street,” I say casually in the car ♪

There are just way too many settings to choose from but I think I’m going to go with one from our real life: Alaska. The brutal, breathtaking and unforgiving landscape of Alaska was so incredibly brought to life in The Great Alone. It’s actually one of my favourite book settings.

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CUTS: A book that broke your heart

♪ I can’t pretend that it’s okay when it’s not ♪

Daisy Jones seriously broke my heart. There was so much heartache, longing and hurt. Even in the format the story is told, which you’d think would make it feel impersonal, I felt everything. I was so damn torn up about the characters–I hated and loved them and it was a rollercoaster!

LONDON BOY: A setting that plays a big role in the story

♪ show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride ♪

The space and space ship setting in The Loneliest Girl in the Universe played a huge role in the story. The book wouldn’t have been half as psychologically creepy/eerie if the setting had been different!

SOON YOU’LL GET BETTER: A book that made you cry

♪ what am I supposed to do if there’s no you? ♪

I’m a weepy reader. It doesn’t take much for me to cry! Even though I really didn’t expect it, The Grace Year had me proper crying at the end. It wasn’t all sad tears though!

FALSE GOD: A book with a well-written sexy scene

♪ I know heaven’s a thing, I go there when you touch me, honey ♪

After the intense build up of chemistry between Jack and Rose (yes, I know), the sexy scene that *finally* happened in Marriage for One was ALL FIRE (seriously, wooh 🔥)!

YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN: A book featuring an LGBT romance

♪ shade never made anybody less gay ♪

Adam Silvera has become a favorite when it comes to LGBT romance. If you can’t tell from the title, They Both Die At the End kinda shreds your feels (just a little bit)! It’s not a happily ever after ending but I loved the romance. But I especially loved Mateo’s character, as he was honestly just too pure!

AFTERGLOW: A great second chance romance

♪ why’d I have to break what I love so much? ♪

I honestly can’t remember the last time I read a second-chance romance until That Forever Girl at the end of August. Their chemistry was waiting patiently bubbling under the surface!

ME!: Your All-time favourite book

♪ I promise that you’ll never find another like me ♪

Ugh, it’s so hard to answer this question. I really don’t have one? But if I’m really being forced to choose, I’ll say Pride and Prejudice because duh.

IT’S NICE TO HAVE A FRIEND: Your favourite friends-to-lovers book

♪ something gave you the nerve to touch my hand ♪

Love and Other Words is a great friends-to-lovers story but it’s also a great second-chance romance. This was my first CLo book and ugh, my feels! I was really not expecting it.

DAYLIGHT: A book with a positive message

♪ you gotta step into the daylight and let it go ♪

Everyone’s a Aliebn When Ur a Aliebn Too it a short and sweet graphic novel with a positive message that will almost certainly put a smile on your face.

I’m tagging: Rissi | Leelynn | Nen & Jen | Veronika | Alys | YOU!
No pressure to do this tag if you don’t want to, but if you do, I’d love to see your answers!