It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
I just finished reading The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary last night and I absolutely LOVED IT. Reading this book was like receiving all the warm hugs. I honestly loved Tiffy and Leon so much and I really enjoyed the way their relationship grew. Tiffy’s character went through a significantly bigger development/change in the story, but I liked how Leon’s character opened up too, yet still remained true to himself. I still have to write my review for this book, which I thought I could squeeze in today, but no. Why is it always so hard to write reviews? I also finished I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young last night. Read my mini-review!
What are you currently reading?
IT’S HAPPENING, FOLKS. Yes, I know I’ve said it one or twice before, but this time, it’s really happening. I’m finally picking up Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff! I started reading at the tail end of my lunch break and I’ve already laughed out loud several times, enjoyed imagining the first cheeky character we’re introduced to and I can’t wait to find out what else is in store! Is it too soon to claim that I’m invested after only reading the first chapter? I’ve still going with The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel by Kurt Brindley. Really hoping to finish it soon! 🤞🏽
What will you read next?
Next up are three books that I’ve been looking forward to reading with some buddies over on bookstagram. I might actually pick up Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston before the other two, seeing as I know I will speed through this one. I think I’ve only read one not-so-shining review of RW&RB, but all the others have been positively glowing, so I’m excited to see if this lives up to the hype! I’m looking forward to reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. This’ll be my second book by her, but if it’s anything like The Nightingale, it’s going to slaughter me 😂 I haven’t heard that much about A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult, but Picoult has been a long time favorite of mine since high school. She has a wonderful way of telling stories that always immediately sucks me in. The topic she covers in the book is also very relevant to today’s sociopolitical climate too, so it should be an interesting read!
What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂
Simon was a heartwarming, LGBT romance and I feel like the whole book was the epitome of the high school experience. This story was full of great friendships, hilarious and very quirky family relationships, as well as awkward and sometimes cruel high school experiences. I think Albertalli did a really great job of capturing the mind of a closeted gay teen and his struggles with coming out. Simon’s character was so endearing. He was sweet, caring, a bit of an oddball and actually pretty wholesome. I loved that everyone was so supportive of him! His exchanges with Blue were adorable and I really enjoyed how their relationship transformed from flirty friends to love as they opened up to each other. They were so pure and I wanted to give them all the hugs! That said, parts of this story really bothered me, and it specifically related to the friendship between Simon and Leah, who was his supposed ‘best friend’, but was almost wholly absent in his story. Having already read Leah’s book, I have my issues with her character as well, but for claiming that they’re so close, they’re not really? For some reason this really bothered me a lot 🙂 In the end, everything (obviously) sorted itself out and it was an uplifting story that left me feeling happy and content.
“I try not to change, but I keep changing, in all these tiny ways… And every freaking time, I have to reintroduce myself to the universe all over again.”
Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith Genre: Young Adult Contemporary, Romance
Field Notes on Love is everything I thought it would be and then some. I loved the idea of a book being set on a train, two strangers coming together, and with ‘love’ in the title of the book, you know romance plays a big part of this story. Surprisingly, this was more than just a fluffy love story; it was about family, friendship, vulnerability and ultimately finding out who you are, what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it. The story was told in alternating perspectives. I liked that both Hugo and Mae were such down-to-earth characters, who were enjoyable as individuals as much as together. The almost instant connection between Hugo and Mae, which I would normally find cheesy and annoying, didn’t feel at all contrived. The family relationships were proper #familygoals. All their interactions were full of kindness, understanding, support and encouragement, plus I found Hugo being one of sextuplets very interesting. The siblings only make minor appearances throughout, but you can feel the love and connection between them, and their individual personalities shone. The banter within both families made me laugh out loud multiple times! Although the plot was fairly predictable, sometimes you just need a happy and fluffy read that leaves you feeling good after you finish the last page. The characters really won this book for me. If you’re looking for a good quick summer read, I’d highly recommend it!
“They could be anywhere and nowhere, but they’ve somehow found themselves here, and she’s suddenly grateful for it, all of it, for the extra ticket and the way it brought them together despite everything, the bigness of the world and the unlikeliness of a moment like this.”
The thing that drew me to this graphic novel was the artwork. The level of detail, the vibrant rainbow colors, and the cute characters that inhabit fairyland all made me want to pick up this comic! I loved how the bright colorful artwork juxtaposed with the very gore-filled story as we followed Gertrude’s bitter journey through fairyland to find the key to take her home. I guess I’d be bitter too after so long. Her tirades and deft “dispatching” of basically every character she crosses in fairyland, while admirable if you like that sort of thing, does get old after a while though. The storyline didn’t reveal anything new about why she’s still there after all these years, and I kind of wish we got to see more of the start to her journey, before she completely lost her mind, and became a bitter young woman trapped in a child’s body. I also wished we learned more about how and why children get abducted to fairyland in the first place! But maybe that’s too logical and serious for a graphic novel such as this? While I did enjoy it, Gertrude’s trajectory was basically the same through all scenes, so I’m not sure if I’d continue on with the series. I will say I’m curious to see what happens next, although considering it’s Gertrude fairyland may end up looking like a killing field sooner rather than later!, I just don’t know if I’m curious enough. The art work is definitely amazing though—I’m always attracted to bright splashy colors and the various inhabitants of fairyland!
Have you read any of these? Would love to know your thoughts on them if you have! Leave a comment below and let’s chat books 🙂
It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a Character Freebie and since I’ve just finished reading a book that reminded me why I love reading about books in books and characters who are passionate about books, I thought I’d do my post today on bookish characters that I’d like to befriend. Most of these characters might be from my more recent reads, since they’re fresher in my mind. Either way, I’d love to be friends with these fellow book lovers–I think we’d have so much fun reading?! Without further ado, here we go!
Elisabeth Scrivener from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson. This book and this lady is my inspo for choosing today’s topic. I would probably feel safe being Elisabeth’s friend in a library because I know she’s bad ass enough to protect me, if I can’t protect myself 🙃 She just seems like a really cool girl. Also, Sorcery has fast become one of my favorite reads this year so all I’m going to say is (please) READ IT!
Kya Clark aka Marsh Girl from Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Kya is… one of the strongest characters I’ve read in recent years. Her development and growth blew me away and I would love to hang with her in the marsh, exploring the beauty of nature that she captures through her books. I think she’d be an amazing friend to have, which is one of the reasons my heart broke so much when reading this book.
Tanner Scott from Autoboyography by Christina Lauren. It’s pretty obvious Tanner is a bookish character, especially since the book revolves around him writing a book within four months. Tanner sounds like he’d be so much fun to hang out with and his heart is so pure, I’d love to have him as a friend (so we can talk about books, boys and everything else).
Cath from Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. I think the title of this book pretty much sums it up. Cath is a super relatable character (book nerd and fangirl) and I’d love to have met someone like her at uni (or even now, really). I feel your thoughts, girl.
Elizabeth Bennet from Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen. Although this book appears so often on my blog, I would be remiss to not include both the character and book in this list because Elizabeth is a classic bookworm. I love this book, and her character and I love that she values books and reading so much! I don’t know what it’d be like to befriend her, but I really want to be 😂
Penny Lee from Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi. She’s awkward, full of anxiety and totally absorbed in her make believe worlds, but I’d absolutely love to be Penny’s friend. I think she’d definitely make you work to be her friend, but it would be 100% rewarding. Buried deep under all that outer awkwardness, I think she just wants to be a cinnamon roll.
Matilda Wormwood from Matilda by Roald Dahl. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be friends with this adorable, witchy little bookworm? It’d be so much fun! Would avoid diabolical Trunchbull and her weirdo “parents” at all costs though!
Belle from In Bed with the Beast (Naughty Princess Club #2) by Tara Sivec. If you can’t tell, this is a retelling of Beauty & the Beast. This Belle works at a library and as the title suggests, gets to share a bed with a very sexy beast. I loved Belle’s nerdiness and all the facts she would spew at very inappropriate moments! If we were friends, I reckon I’d be laughing and reading 24/7, not to mention I’d learn so much!
Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) by Laini Taylor. So at the end of this book, Lazlo becomes something more than just a Junior Librarian, so it’d be amazing to have a friend with such powers. But on the real, Lazlo is such a genuinely sweet, good guy who loves books and the stories as much as all of us book lovers (if not more)!
Honorary Mentions: (The OG) Belle and Hermione Granger. Obviously these two have to make it onto this list because they’re classics just as much as Elizabeth Bennett is and I’d love to be both their friends. Hermione would teach me so much magic (and just knowledge in general lol) and I would get lost in Belle’s (and Beast’s) library and basically end up living in that grand place.
Would you want to befriend any of these bookish characters? What character freebie have you done for today’s Top Ten Tuesday? Leave your link in the comments and let’s chat characters!
Goodreads: Sorcery of Thorns Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books Publication Date: 04 June 2019 Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Panda Rating: (4.5 pandas)
All sorcerers are evil. Elisabeth has known that as long as she has known anything. Raised as a foundling in one of Austermeer’s Great Libraries, Elisabeth has grown up among the tools of sorcery—magical grimoires that whisper on shelves and rattle beneath iron chains. If provoked, they transform into grotesque monsters of ink and leather. She hopes to become a warden, charged with protecting the kingdom from their power.
Then an act of sabotage releases the library’s most dangerous grimoire. Elisabeth’s desperate intervention implicates her in the crime, and she is torn from her home to face justice in the capital. With no one to turn to but her sworn enemy, the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn, and his mysterious demonic servant, she finds herself entangled in a centuries-old conspiracy. Not only could the Great Libraries go up in flames, but the world along with them.
As her alliance with Nathaniel grows stronger, Elisabeth starts to question everything she’s been taught—about sorcerers, about the libraries she loves, even about herself. For Elisabeth has a power she has never guessed, and a future she could never have imagined.
Have you ever experienced the struggle of writing a review because you loved a book so much? That’s happening to me right now. I think Sorcery of Thorns might be one of the best YA fantasies I’ve read in a long time and I loved it so much that all I can think about saying is: ALL THE STARS. READ IT NOW! I honestly don’t think I disliked anything in this book, and as book lovers and readers, I think we can all agree on how rare it is to say something like that. TL;DR: The story, the characters, the world building and magic, and THE BOOKS IN THE BOOK made for an incredibly fun and magical adventure that everyone should read!
Y’all, this story was about libraries and books–but not just any old books–but magical books (grimoires) that have thoughts and feelings and are alive. Books that have been made of the most gruesome of things (eyes, faces, teeth), full of dark and evil. Books that need to be stored in Great Libraries so that they can be protected from the world, but also so that the world can be protected from them. Books that, if damaged, can turn transform into frightening and unstoppable monsters that ravage towns and steal lives. But there was also so much adventure, magic, sorcerers, demons, mystery, murder, plotting, friendship and romance in the story.
Books, too, had hearts, though they were not the same as people’s, and a book’s heart could be broken; she had seen it happen before. Grimoires that refused to open, their voices gone silent, or whose ink faded and bled across the pages like tears.
I was blown away by the worldbuilding and magical system that Rogerson developed in Sorcery. Her writing was spellbinding (yes) and the towns and winding paths of the library floors full of thousands of grimoires, came so much to life that I felt like I was there, surrounded by the intoxicating smells of ink, paper, and aetherial combustion. I loved that not everyone had magic in this world and the ones who did had to give a piece of themselves away for it. All sorcerers are bound to high-born demons from who they draw their powers from. No demon, no magic. The demons were sufficiently creepy and forming a bond with a demon would obviously result in some not-so-good stuff happening (duh). I should note here that there is an element of predictability in the mystery of the story, and it wasn’t surprising at all when you find out who the evil characters are, but that didn’t make me enjoy it any less.
“Ink and parchment flowed through her veins. The magic of the Great Libraries lived in her very bones. They were a part of her, and she a part of them.”
The characters were also just as amazing as the world and magic. Elisabeth was such a wonderful lead character. She was fierce, strong and determined, intelligent, open-minded and compassionate. Having (literally) been raised as an orphan in one of the Great Libraries, she has a strong affinity and connection with grimoires. The love and respect she had for them, and the sense of belonging she felt when surrounded by books was so relatable, and the relationship she had with them felt incredibly special. She wasn’t a perfect character but she was very real. Prior to the events of the book, she had never experienced the ‘outside world’, and didn’t know any different from what she was taught by the people who raised her, and those she looked up to at the library. Was her attitude and prejudice frustrating? Sometimes, yes. But her behaviour was so normal for someone with her background.
“Of course .” A wicked gleam entered his eyes. “But I only turn girls into salamanders on Tuesdays. Luckily for you, it’s a Wednesday, which is the day I drink a goblet of orphan’s blood for supper.”
Then we have Nathaniel and Silas, who were also fantastic characters that brought so much to the story. Nathaniel’s laidback attitude towards basically everything that came his way, even the situations Elisabeth ropes him into, made for some comedic interactions. He might be seen as typically fulfilling the trope of “warm-hearted character acting cold to protect others” but I was all for Nathaniel being that character trope! His sassy streak was strong and it provided some great levity to situations; not to mention how he so casually reveals that he’s queer! Pretty sure I fell in love with Nathaniel too. Plus, his relationship with Silas defies the odds of who they both are, and that made it so much more heartwarming. When it comes to Silas, I don’t know how anybody couldn’t love him by the end of this story! UGH.THAT ENDING. So. Much. Love. For. It!!!
Perhaps the only thing that I didn’t like about this book is the fact that it ended. I’m so glad but at the same time so sad that this was a standalone–there’s relief from not having to wait ages for a sequel, but regret that the story has ended and I have to leave this world behind. I really hope that Rogerson revisits this beautiful world she has created in Sorcery so we can come back for a new story!
Have you read Sorcery of Thorns or is it on your TBR?
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 favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: Books about Rebellion/Freedom. I almost didn’t write this post because I (somehow) missed this week’s prompt and only realized when I got a notification for Kibby’s post. Oops! So now it’s late, I’ve had a hellishly late night working up until 30 minutes ago (it’s now 11PM), so I’m gonna keep this short and sweet. I’m also going to not list the Lunar Chronicles for this post because I think that (and Illuminae) are my two most mentioned series for when I answer all these prompts 😂
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins. I decided to read these books with some friends before the second movie came out and it was wow. The world, the game, the rebellion. It was definitely crazy times but I loved every minute of it!
Divergent (Divergent #1)by Veronica Roth. After bingeing on the Hunger Games a few years ago, I had a hankering to keep on reading dystopian YA books, so I picked up Divergent and I honestly loved it? I didn’t enjoy all the books in this series the same, but they weren’t the worst books I’ve ever read (don’t @ me).
An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir. So much rebellion. So much chaos and fighting for freedom. So much suffering and loss. But also SO MUCH FUN?! Does that make me sound awful? I’m sorry but this series is amazing! I can’t wait for the final book in this quartet to come out in 2020.
The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renée Ahdieh. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, which I haven’t actually read (it’s on my hugemongous TBR). The fantasy and adventure is built around a romance, but it’s also about rebellion and fighting for freedom from an absolute snake of a man.
The Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson. This series was the first Sanderson I read and it solidified him in my list of favorite authors. This is truly epic fantasy full of strong, rebellious characters.
What are your favorite books about rebellion/freedom? I’d love to hear recommendations if you have them to give. Let’s chat in the comments!
It’s time for another WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be talking about:
What did you read last?
What are you currently reading?
What will you read next?
What did you read last?
I recently finished Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith and I really enjoyed it. I loved the idea of a book set on a train, two strangers coming together, and with ‘love’ in `the title of the book, you know romance plays a big part of this story. Sure, it sounded cheesy and maybe improbable in real life (kids, don’t try this at home), but it was enough to get my hopeless romantic heart thumping in excitement at the thought. What are books for if not to let your imagination run a little free? Surprisingly, this was more than just a fluffy love story; it was about family, friendship, vulnerability and ultimately finding out who you are, what you want and what you’re willing to do to get it. You can read my review up on Goodreads and I’ll be posting it up on my blog with a few other mini-reviews later this week!
What are you currently reading?
Oops, I did it again… I’ve currently got four reads going! I’ve gotten through big chunks on three of them: Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, I Hate Fairyland, Vol. 1: Madly Ever After by Skottie Young, and Fix Her Up (Hot & Hammered #1) by Tessa Bailey. I couldn’t wait to pick up Sorcery because I’ve heard lots of great things (what’s not to love about magical libraries and books that come to life?!) and I’m 1,000% loving it so far. Fairyland is absolutely bizarre and the contrast between the gorey content and the bright colors and mostly innocent characters oddly really works? I’ve heard a lot about Fix Her Up–both the problematic things but also about the steamy scenes that are apparently really… steamy? Haven’t come up to those scenes yet, but I’m not sure I’m loving any of the men in this book. I’ve just started reading The Good Kill: A Killian Lebon Novel by Kurt Brindley just the other day. This was an ARC that released 01 July, but due to life in June being completely insane that slipped through the cracks but I’m hoping to finish reading it by this weekend! 🤞🏽
What will you read next?
So these have been on my list since the previous WWW because I’ve pushed them back (SORRY AURORA RISING) but I really want to get to them after I finish my current reads. I’m enjoying mixing up graphic novels with my other reads and I want to continue doing that! The graphic novels are Sparrowhawk (Sparrowhawk #1) by Delilah S. Dawson and The Magicians: Alice’s Story by Lev Grossman & Lilah Sturges. I’m really going to prioritize reading Aurora Rising (Aurora Cycle #1) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff soon too!
What are you currently reading? Have you read any of these books? Leave me a comment and let’s chat 🙂
It’s that time of the week again, friends! We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is: Childhood Favorites. Wowow. Did I love this walk down memory lane or did I love it? Writing this post was so much fun! Honestly, with my very terrible memory, I’ve pretty much forgotten the majority of what I used to read as a kid. But yay for Goodreads and Google because it really helped to jolt my memory. As a kid I would spend hours in the library; during play breaks and over lunch mostly to avoid bullies, and I’d beg mum to let me stay late after school so I could spend more time in there. It was my refuge and for always books have given me a sense of comfort and protection from the outside world. Here are some of the favorites that used to line my bookshelf at home.
Little Critter Series by Mercer Mayer. I loved this little guy. The stories were so sweet and cute and just looking at these covers makes me wish that I still had copies of these books. I read all of them multiple times!
Arthur Adventure Series by Marc Brown. Who doesn’t love Arthur, his friends, family and daily adventures?! I loved the TV series just as much as I did reading the books.
The Magic School Bus Series by Joanna Cole. The magic school bus was magical and I learned so much through this series. I always wished science was as fun as this in real life and that my teacher would be as cool as Ms. Frizzle. On the Ocean Floor was absolutely my favorite. I had a real thing for the ocean when I was a kid. At one point one of my childhood dreams was to become a marine biologist.
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Do you remember the first book to ever make you cry? I’m pretty sure this book was the first one to make me bawl so hard. This was also the book that taught me that having dogs in books is not always a good thing because more often than not, your heart breaks at the end. I still remember how excited I was when I came home with this book–it was my treasure! Oh, the memories 🥰
A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. Oh my goodness, Silverstein’s books were my absolute favorite. These were the books that made me love poetry and the magic of playing around with words and rhyming. I’m pretty sure I checked out this book and Where the Sidewalks Ends from the library dozens of times. I definitely want to add all of Shel Silverstein’s books to my shelves!
Goosebumps Seriesby R.L. Stine. Anyone who knows me now would never believe that there was once a time I’d voluntarily read scary books. I’m pretty sure it was reading Goosebumps that turned me into the ultimate chicken because now I can’t stand the stuff—I’m just not made for it (sorry 🤷🏻♀️)! That said, my younger self used to love scaring the bejeezus out of myself because I had a whole load of these books. My favorites were the ones where you could “pick your own adventure” (basically a nightmare) and I’d go through the books again and again to read all the different endings. Fun times!
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Charlie Bucket #1) by Roald Dahl. My love for this book will never die. I remember being so blown away with the idea of this book — that there could be such magic in a factory full of choccies, sweets and all the wonderfully sweet (and unfairly forbidden) treats that I loved as a kid. This book and Charlie’s adventures in Willy Wonka’s factor was absolute magic to me and to this day, thinking about it still reminds me of how happy reading this story made me as a kid!
Animorphs Series by K.A. Applegate. OK, seriously, who remembers this crazy cool series!?Because I was legit obsessed with the Animorphs when I was in middle school. I loved the idea of shape shifting and generally kicking ass. I guess you could say this was my first foray into Sci-Fi. They were the best.
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. Looking back now I realize how strong a character Karana is. I loved this story of survival and it was just a bonus that it was a story with the ocean and dolphins. I 100% would have perished on that island lol
A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle. I think this was the first book that I read in my early teens where I fell in love with romance in books. I was obviously already into boys and had loads of crushes, but this book made me want that summer love so bad! I was also part of the marine biology club in school at the time, so the fact that this story involves the ocean was even better. Funnily enough, every time I think about books I loved when I was younger, this cover is the first one that comes to mind, though I could (sadly) never remember the title, but bless Google. It’s amazing what you can find!
Did you read any of these as a child? What are some of your favorite childhood books? If you’ve done a Top Ten Tuesday post for today’s prompt, leave your link in the comments below and let’s chat 🙂
So… June was a month and I’m so glad that it’s over! I was plagued by intense work stress and anxiety for the majority of the month and it greatly impacted my reading. I couldn’t focus on anything for extended periods of time unless it was more visual than text, so I ended up reading a lot of graphic novels. Which was fine, and I enjoyed the ones I read, but I missed out on two buddy reads that I planned to join and I barely scratched the surface of my pride month book list–even though the majority were still LGBTQ reads. In the end I read 21 books:
★★★★★
★★★★½☆
Overall: ★★★★☆
★★★☆☆
★★★★½☆
★★★★☆
★★★½☆☆
★★★★★
★★★★½☆
★★★☆☆
★★★★☆
★★★★☆
★★★★½☆
Of these reads, four were physical books, and the rest were Kindle books and e-ARCs. I’ve really slowed down with requesting ARCs and I’m so glad because with the month I had, I would’ve fallen even more behind and felt awful about it! There are a few that I still need to catch up on that I’ve been requested to read by the author, so I’m putting that as a priority in July! As for which one was my favorite book, I honestly can’t decide between The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah or Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Both books have been massively hyped and to me, they were worth ALL of it. Seriously, they were so good, and I’m sad that it took me so long to pick up The Nightingale because it did all the things to my feelings. I haven’t cried so hard reading a book in a long time and I’m a bit of a crier, friends!
With all the graphic novels I’ve read this month, I’ve surpassed my Goodreads goal of 90 books and I’m now sitting at 104. Although I know it’s not about the number of books I read, it’s still exciting to think that i’ve already read over 100 books and we’re only half-way through the year! I wonder how many I’ll end up reading this year?
I’ve written reviews for most of these so if you want to see what I thought of these books, you can follow the links below! That’s all for now though, folks. I hope everyone’s reading month was fab!
His name is Farden. They whisper that he’s dangerous. Dangerous is only the half of it. A spellbook has gone missing from the libraries of Arfell – a very old and extremely powerful spellbook from the time of dark elves and demons. Five scholars are dead, the magick council is running out of time and options, and the Arka is once again on the brink of war with the Siren dragon-riders. It falls to Farden the Written mage to keep the world from falling into chaos. Entangled in a web of lies and politics, Farden must recover the spellbook before an ancient enemy rises, even if it takes journeying halfway across icy Emaneska and back. In his fight for answers, Farden will unearth a secret that not only shakes the foundations of his world, but threaten the entire future of Emaneska. Sorcery, death, drugs and the deepest of betrayals await. Welcome to Emaneska.
Earlier this year, Noly @The Artsy Reader asked me if I wanted to join the biggest ever blog tour organized by Dave @TheWriteReads for the author Ben Galley, and I got so excited because I’ve never participated in one before so of course, I said YES and I’m so glad I did! There were four books to choose from and they all sounded great, but I decided to go with Galley’s debut: The Written. I haven’t read a fantasy yet in 2019, so I wasn’t really sure if I was in the right mood to read this or if I’d enjoy it, but holy wow, I loved this book! This book has everything that makes fantasy fun: adventure, raging asshole bad guys, magic, vampires, werewolves, elves, gods and daemons, mythical creatures, and best of all: DRAGONS. It reminded me of all the reasons why I love fantasy so much and diving back into the fantasy world felt a bit like coming home.
As this is the first book of the Emaneska series, there’s obviously plenty of worldbuilding. I thought Galley did a great job at describing the different regions of Emaneska, the cities/villages, the magick, and the creatures, and I felt myself becoming fully immersed in all the scenes. We also get to learn a bit more of Emaneska’s history through epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter, which I really enjoyed. I did find though that the pace tended to dip a little at times because it could get very descriptive. The story itself was pretty fast paced, especially the last 50% of the book, and a lot happens in a very short amount of time.
You know that moment you think you know who the bad guy is, but then you think that’s too obvious, so then you become suspicious of someone else, and then everything starts playing out how you think it will, but in an even more epic way? That’s what happened with this book. The twists were so good and still shocking, and the fact that my suspicions were proven right didn’t make it less of an enjoyable reveal. There’s also some good humor thrown in the text that had me laughing out loud a few times, so that as a nice surprise I wasn’t expecting!
I was honestly a little ‘meh’ about Farden’s character when he first appears, but the more I read, the more I loved him. He’s kinda the typical fantasy novel hero–big, strong, gruff on the surface but caring deep down, but he’s also got a short fuse, is often reckless, and has a seriously bad and dangerous habit that I was worried would plague his character throughout the book. He’s also a bit of a loner and mostly doesn’t prefer the company of people, which I can relate to, but he has a few close friends who he greatly appreciates and respects. He’s really just a good guy battling his own demons, and the latter half of this book had me really emotional for him. I loved many of the others we’re introduced to in the story–Durnus, Eyrum, Lazy–but I have to say that my favorite were THE DRAGONS (Farfallen and Brightshow especially). The dragons could talk. They were magical, wise, and kind. Overall, they were just very awesome and I wanted to be their friend.
The only thing I can think of that really bothered me when I encountered it while reading were the various typos (once there was a chunk of text that didn’t belong in the middle of a paragraph). Confusing at times, but for the most part okay, I’m just a bit of a stickler for these things!
The Written was a great fast-paced adventure and it excites me that this is just the beginning. I think I’ll continue on with this series right now, as I don’t feel like I’m ready to leave Farden and Emaneska just yet. At least, not before finding out more about what happens next!
About the Author
Ben Galley is an author of dark and epic fantasy books who currently hails from Victoria, Canada. Since publishing his debut The Written in 2010, Ben has released a range of award-winning fantasy novels, including the weird western Bloodrush and the epic standalone The Heart of Stone. He is also the author of the brand new Chasing Graves Trilogy.
Thanks to Ben Galley for giving me a digital copy of the book as part of this Ultimate Blog Tour!
Special thanks to Dave for the tremendous effort of organizing this tour of 100+ bloggers?! Amazing! 🙌🏽 Be sure to check out the other bloggers who’ve participated in the #UltimateBlogTour coz there are loads of great posts out there! You can find their posts on Twitter @TheWriteReads OnTour. Happy reading, friends!
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 favorites based on the list of prompts on Kibby’s page. Sounds fun, right? This week’s prompt is: Books set in Space. So I feel like this one should be relatively easy, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that I actually haven’t read that many books set in space? I have quite a few books set in space that are sitting on my physical / kindle shelves, but I really do acquire books faster than I can read them (#bookwormproblems)! One day though, I will get to them. For now, here are my favorite books set in space (and yes, I’m counting that last one!):
The Illuminae Files by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Hands down one of the best sci-fi series that I’ve ever read. The humor, the romance, the creepiness, the battle for survival, AIDAN. I mean, it’s got everything and it’s set in space. It’s pretty stellar (pun intended)!
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples. Do I even need to mention how much I love Saga? I probably don’t, but I will anyway. Saga is probably my all time favorite graphic novel–granted I don’t have the widest repertoire–but it’s true. The ending of the last volume KILLED ME, and I can’t wait for Vaughan and Staples to bring it back to life already (pretty please?)!
The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer. I think this series is honestly one of the best re-tellings I’ve ever read. It’s so unique and jam packed full of action. I loved how Meyer brought together all the stories, how strong the female characters are in their own ways, and of course, it’s set in space (the majority of it anyway)!
Ender’s Gameby Scott Orson Card. I think this was the first sci-fi book I read as an adult and I have to admit it was after watching the movie. While the movie was interesting, I enjoyed the depth we got in the book a lot more! It’s an oldie but a goodie that I (surprisingly?) don’t see getting a lot of attention in the book world.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Does this book count? I guess I’m making it count! I mean, the little prince’s home is a planet, he also travels from planet to planet, so technically it’s set in space, right? That has to count for something! It’s one of those childhood books that still have the ability to touch my heart when I read it as an adult. This is one of the books I’m hoping gets passed down the line for generations!
What are your favorite books set in space? I’d love to hear some recommendations if you have them to give. Let’s chat in the comments!
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