Mask of Shadows is the story about a genderfluid main character, Sal, who enters an audition to become part of the Queen's Left Hand. The Left Hand is a team of assassins whose identities are secret. Going in, I was excited to read a new fantasy with a diverse main character. But it just did not live up to my expectations. ⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Comes out August 29th. I wanted it to blow my mind, but it's nothing new or groundbreaking. To me, it is a very average young adult fantasy. The fact that it follows a genderfluid thief is what drew me in, but Sal is boring and unlikeable. Sometimes unlikeable characters are great, but in this case because of the utter lack of character development … [Read more...]
The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
The Glittering Court is the first instalment in a trilogy of companion novels. In each book we follow the story from the perspective of each girl individually. The first book follows Adelaide, the second follows Mira and the third and last book follows Tamsin. At the time of writing the first two books are out, while the conclusion to the trilogy has yet to have a release date. ⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. To be honest, I had a hard time deciding what to rate this book. The reason is that I enjoyed it immensely, even though the pacing is weird. It's both very fast and slow at the same time, which I believe is because it's a long and expansive story crammed into 400 pages. Some parts are great and I … [Read more...]
Road Trip & Vacation tbr
So far I've read three of the books on my June TBR. The ones I haven't gotten to yet are still on my list, which I hope to finish before the end of the month. This is going to be a short list of books I want to enjoy while on vacation. I am pretty sure I won't be able to get to all of them, but you've got to be optimistic right? I basically just want to read all the books. I'm going on a Road Trip with a friend down the west coast starting in Portland, going all the way down to San Diego and then back to Portland. From there I'm flying to Los Angeles and staying with family for a couple of days before I go to Boston to visit another good friend. I'm so excited I can't wait. Hopefully I'll … [Read more...]
Books That Would Make Great TV Shows
Despite what I wrote in this post. I actually do enjoy watching TV. Reading is like watching a show in your head, it's the best thing ever. But sometimes I just really want to see some of those books adapted to the small screen. In recent years there has been a boom in the popularity of TV shows over movies and I am all for it. The Diviners by Libba Bray would be awesome as a TV show. New York City in the roaring twenties with a dash of supernatural. Sign me up. The museum of the creepy crawlies that the main character's uncle runs is a perfect buffyesque gathering place. I can draw more parallels between Buffy and The Diviners. The cast of characters is reminiscent of the scooby gang. … [Read more...]
And I Darken by Kiersten White
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars. Lada is brutal and sometimes downright cruel. She's a complex character, because she is also capable of love. As much as she picks on her 'weak' younger brother, Radu, when push comes to shove, she loves him like nothing else. The story is never black and white. The most important parts are in the nuances, which makes the story come to life and makes it able to impact the reader with honest emotion and unavoidable facts of life. Like the story, the characters are outlined with ink-black broad hard strokes and slowly layered with color and nuance of strengths and weaknesses. Vlad the Impaler reimagined as Lada is one hundred percent human, which is more … [Read more...]
Top Five: Least Favorite Romance Tropes in YA
FIVE Love triangles. Now this is one that can be done right, but is mostly done wrong. It's simply unrealistic, at least for most people. I can't recall ever reading about a love triangle with two girls fighting over a guy, but the other way around is so common in young adult. A series that does it right is Cassandra Clare's Infernal Devices. I'm team Will, but both Will and Jem are just so great. Tessa is lucky to have been loved by two such lovable characters. I loved reading about the three of them fighting demons and sharing a strong bond of friendship and love. I can only think of a few examples where I enjoyed reading about a love triangle, the rest fall … [Read more...]
