Ash
“Venus and Adonis”
In which Venus is a thirsty cougar who pursues a young boy. Adonis would rather die than be anywhere near her, so he runs off in the dead of night on a hunt, and ends up getting killed by a boar.
“The Rape of Lucrece”
In which Tarquin spends half the poem rationalizing his decision to rape his friend's wife, and Lucrece spends the other half plotting her own death and linking her misery to the fall of Troy.
“The Phoenix and the Turtle”
In which two birds, a phoenix and a turtle (dove), fall in love and die.
“The Passionate Pilgrim”
In which Shakespeare rewrites a few sonnets, summarizes “Venus and Adonis,” and talks about an English lady.
“A Lover's Complaint”
In which a lover complains a lot, using ‘O's to convey his feelings.
Tl;dr
-Henry is just a kid, he can't make his own decisions, so he relies on his uncles Gloucester and Winchester to guide him.
-Joan Pucelle (Arc) is a witch, but not really, kinda unclear. She has familiars/spirits she can call on...it's all very strange.
-Talbot, the undefeatable warlord, basically runs the show; his death is the most tragic thing in the play.
-Meanwhile, Plantagenet (York) and Somerset (Lancaster) duke it out for the right of succession. The famed “war of the roses” is the backdrop for Henry VI and Charles le Dauphin's fights.
If you thought “Alice in Wonderland” was a psychedelic trip, wait till you see what “Vassa in The Night” has in store.
You can read my full review on my blog: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2018/01/13/vassa-in-the-night/
Vassa In The Night is a retelling of the Russian fairy tale Vasilisa The Beautiful. The main characters are pulled out straight from the original fairy tale but, the world behind the story couldn't be any different.
This book is so weird. Not a little bit weird, but like, genuinely and truly weird.
Weird can be good, but it can be terribly bad and hard to digest too. For me, Vassa In The Night sits right on the edge of those two outcomes. It's basically yet another Wonderland-esque world where really strange and nonsensical things keep happening to the heroine. My problem with it is that there were so many dense nonsense/dreamlike sequences that, if I had to interrupt my reading of it, whenever I started reading again, I was completely and utterly confused as to what was happening. If you read it in one continuous swoop, the nonsense makes sense; but stopping to breathe between chapters is not recommended.
Spoilers ahead! Proceed with caution.
An Ember in the Ashes has more flaws than I can count. Oh, where do I even begin, there's so much to say...
CHARACTERS
Laia (pronounced LAH-I-A or LEI-A or LA-I-YA or LEI-YA... you pick) is a Scholar (not in the literal sense because if she were, this book would be totally different) who lives with her brother and grandparents. One night, their house is raided by Martials (another faction of people in this non-descriptive part of the world) and her grandparents are killed while her brother gets shipped off to prison.
Here, our wonderful protagonist sets off on an adventure (le gasp!) to rescue her brother. She (attempts) to do that by begging them joining forces with the resistance leaders and ends up going on a mission of UTMOST IMPORTANCE in the heart of the empire. Yes folks, you read that right. They're not sending an experienced fighter on this mission, no, they're sending our sPeAcIaL girl because she's so... sPeAcIaL (there's seriously no logical reason for this... it makes no sense but hey, plot!)
Let me tell you, our female lead is no dumb blonde, no sir! She's a dumb brunette instead. She somehow escapes all the wonderful things reserved for slaves (like torture, maiming, rape, etc.) AND stays incognito right under the Commandant's nose (even though the Commandant is Satan herself, and that she has historically caught and killed most resistance leaders and spies). But great things await our precious little Laia; there's NO WAY that an expert army general will EVER find out that Laia is a spy. Nope. Not gonna happen. She's sPeAcIaL, and god knows that sPeAcIaL girls like her can outwit experienced generals because they're SMORT and STRONK GURLS.
Elias is a Martial and a Mask (a term used to distinguish fighters from normal folks). He's tall, handsome, intelligent, etc. Of course he is. He has been training all his life at Blackcliff academy to become a Mask with some of his BFFs, including Helene, THE ONLY GIRL IN THE ACADEMY. Helene is seriously a badass; she's the only reason I read this book till the end. BUT THEN, she falls for Elias because, of course, but guess who Elias has his sights on? Not our own little slave girl?!? NEVER SAW THAT COMING. But Laia, being “such a pretty thing,” has more than one suitor (of course she does), including a handsome and rugged member of the resistance! Oh, whatever shall she do now? Wait. Aren't we forgetting.... oh yeah! Darin (the missing brother)!
Darin is Laia's older brother of whom we hear about in the first few pages of the book and who then gets whisked away to prison to be tortured and/or killed. His survival is dependent on his little sister finding a way to save him. Yikes. RIP Darin. For the rest of the book, the only time we hear about Darin is when Laia conjures him up in her mind as her voice of reason.... which translates into more woe-is-me whining. Can we just take a moment here to remind ourselves why Laia infiltrated the resistance in the first place? To find her brother, you say? WELL NOW. Seems like she's completely forgotten that little fact. Must be because of all the swooning (and whining) over boys. eye roll
PLOT (or lack thereof)
Each chapter swaps perspectives between Laia and Elias, offering a stunningly unreliable first-person narrator throughout the book. The Elias-POV chapters were better, if only for the presence of Helene and some actual plot development (the trials to decide the new Emperor, for example, are actually interesting). The whole world within Blackcliff is well developed and interesting. If the whole book had been about Elias trying to break free from his destiny as a mask, it would have been a whole lot better.
The other half of the book is seen through Laia's eyes, which equates to a whole bunch of whining, pining, and feeling sorry for herself. Even though she's a slave, and slaves are supposed to be beaten into submission and under complete control of their masters (the book's opinion, not mine ofc), Laia somehow gets to roam the academy at night, escape to festivals and meet with the resistance regularly, WHILE NEVER BEING CAUGHT. This means that either a) Laia is uber clever (nope, that's definitely not it) or b) the Commandant is not as good at keeping track of her slaves as she pretends to be (which seems to be the logical answer, and yet makes no sense at all. SHE'S A SEASONED ARMY GENERAL. #logic).
Along with glaring plot holes, contrived story line and more editing mistakes that I can shake a stick at, An Ember in the Ashes gets a huge 1-star rating. The only thing that gave it more than zero in my rating is Helene, Elias (most of the time) and the whole story behind Blackcliff.
If you like good, thought-out writing, this one's not for you.
If you enjoy an engaging plot with endearing characters that pull you into their universe, this book is definitely not for you.
If you like dumb characters with no depth and simple linear plots then, by all means, READ IT.
Format read: digitalReading time: 1h Tags: vampires, shonen, adventure, mysteryOwn a copy: noReread likelihood: 6/10You might also like: [b:Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Vol. 1 18774919 Seraph of the End Vampire Reign, Vol. 1 Takaya Kagami https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448681178l/18774919.SY75.jpg 26679990], [b:Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 263145 Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 (Vampire Knight, #1) Matsuri Hino https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329232329l/263145.SY75.jpg 255083]Ok, now I'm really invested. Vol. 3 goes into a lot of the backstory, which is really essential at this point. We see that Bloody and an unknown person briefly met Yzak 400 years ago when he was still a young priest starting out in his exorcism business. Turns out that Yzak needs Bloody to kill him since he is the only vampire who has that ability. The di Maria blood is incredibly strong, and vampires typically can't hurt them. Yzak has been immortal for far too long, and since the death of his wife, he has been looking for ways to die, too. Yzak attempts to torture Bloody to force him into killing him, but what it does instead is to draw out another personality, that of Mary. Mary, unlike Bloody, is mean-spirited and hell-bent on killing humans. In fact, it's said that he killed Ichiro's father, Yuusei (although the how and why is all very nebulous for now).So to recap, 1. Bloody is immortal and wants to die, but only Ichiro has the power to kill him.2. Ichiro can't kill him until he gets his exorcism power back.3. Yzak is also immortal and also wants to die. Mary is the only who can kill him.4. To get to Mary, you have to supress Bloody, but that can't be done so easily because of his bond with Ichiro and his promise to protect him.5. Mary can't kill Yzak because Bloody won't let him. This is because Yzak is the only one who can awaken Ichiro's powers.In a nutshell, we've reached an impasse. Something obviously has to give, but for now, the three characters are locked in a stalemate.Meanwhile, a new character appears at the end of the last chapter. He seems to know Ichiro, but we don't know yet in what capacity or if he's one of the good guys or a new antagonist.The plot thickens!
This is book 2 of 3 in the series Captive Prince and wow, I loved it infinitely more than the first one. While the first book was exceptionally crude and violent, this was mostly warm and fuzzy with a slow burn to end all slow burns at its core. Book 2 picks up where book 1 left off: Damen and Laurent are sent to defend the border on the regent's orders, despite the obvious danger to Laurent's life. We continue with the same crew of soldiers in book 1, but are introduced to a few new ones, namely Aimeric (who will become very important later in the story). Damen and Laurent still hate each other at the beginning, up until the halfway point of the book when things start to shift a little bit. The two go on a few secret missions on their own, and this draws them closer to one another in unexpected ways. I was reminded of [b:Luck in the Shadows 74270 Luck in the Shadows (Nightrunner, #1) Lynn Flewelling https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1531049892l/74270.SY75.jpg 2495] during some of the adventure scenes (which was a nice comparison in my mind).The crudeness and violence was considerably toned down in this one, though it had its moments. This time, the violence was much more balanced and less gratuitous, which was definitely an upgrade from the last book.The politics were still present in this book, but a little less than in the first. While book 1 dealt a lot with court intrigue, book 2 was more war-focused, which was a good progression of events in my opinion. I'm curious to see where book 3 takes us!
REad my full review on my blog: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2018/01/10/the-cruel-prince-folk-of-the-air-1/
First off, I found that the Fairy kingdom is very much a grim Wonderland-esque place. Interestingly enough, at some point Jude finds a copy of Alice in Wonderland tucked away in Cardan's room. Everyone is stark mad in this book. The fairies are (for the most part) very mean and vindictive creatures but at the same time, they are beautiful beyond words and are unable to lie.
The author builds her world by using the fairy lore from Celts. She integrates into her story the Seelie Court, the Unseelie Court and the solitary fey. I thought that the world she built is spectacular and magical. The descriptions of the land and the Folk are enchanting and remind me of the fairies in Shadowhunters. My favourite part of Shadowhunters was the Seelie Court (well, that, and Magnus/Alec subplot, but I digress). Also, it's fun to note that The Cruel Prince was dedicated to Clare.
The best part of this book was the lack of romance. I was so happy to read a fantasy book that wasn't dripping in sappy romance. The plot was focused on action and one really kick-ass heroine. For once, I was given a female lead who 1) doesn't whine, 2) doesn't rely on male characters, 3) takes matters into her own hands, 4) isn't afraid to fight for herself. YES! GOOD JOB JUDE!
Format read: digitalReading time: 1h Tags: vampires, shonen, adventure, mysteryOwn a copy: noReread likelihood: 8/10You might also like: [b:Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Vol. 1 18774919 Seraph of the End Vampire Reign, Vol. 1 Takaya Kagami https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448681178l/18774919.SY75.jpg 26679990], [b:Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 263145 Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 (Vampire Knight, #1) Matsuri Hino https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329232329l/263145.SY75.jpg 255083]Vol. 2 picks up with Takumi, Ichiro's childhood friend and protector (?), meeting Ichiro's grandfather, Yzak. Grandpa is creepy as hell, locked away in his basement, but the best part is that he's somehow immortal. He convinces (hypnotises??) Takumi to help him capture Bloody and to bring him to his lair for... nefarious reasons undoubtedly. Meanwhile, Ichiro continues with his research, looking for information on how to unlock his exorcism ability, only to find strange pictures of himself as a child, hooked up to machines and vats.We also meet another new character, Hydra (a vampire), who seems to know a lot about Bloody's past but who also wants him dead. She promises Ichiro to help him with his quest if he agrees to help her kill Bloody. Seeing as how Bloody wants to die anyway, it's an easy arrangement. Vol. 2 picked up considerably from vol. 1 and added lots of plot points and mystery to the story. The new characters are interesting, and Yzak in particular is one to watch for. He knows way more than he lets on.
2 1/2 stars for something that I really wanted to love, but it sadly fell short of my expectations.What happens when you mash together the whimsy of the coming-of-age theme in [b:Peter Pan 34268 Peter Pan J.M. Barrie https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1337714526l/34268.SX50.jpg 1358908], the magical world of Narnia in [b:The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 100915 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia, #1) C.S. Lewis https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1353029077l/100915.SY75.jpg 4790821], and the nonsense-filled Wonderland of [b:Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass 24213 Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass Lewis Carroll https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327872220l/24213.SY75.jpg 2375385]? Well, you get this diluted, rehashing of beloved classics that don't hit home in quite the same way. The author's strange way of alluding to these classics by bashing them, especially when it comes to C.S. Lewis, was unnerving to say the least, and disappointing. It is a bit of an unspoken rule that one should not refer to a work in the same genre, especially not a defining one, in a negative, satirical way. While the idea of portals to other worlds in the fantasy genre is nothing new, to deny the influence of C.S. Lewis is just downright insulting, regardless if you agree or disagree with this Christian views. That would be like denying the fact that Tolkien is the father of high fantasy... plain ridiculous.I had wanted to read this book for the longest time, but I never seemed to be able to get to it. When I saw that it was finally available at my public library, I jumped on it and read voraciously, but I ended up being disappointed by my earlier high expectations. The premise sounded like a bit of a prequel (or maybe an alternate world) to [b:Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 9460487 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1) Ransom Riggs https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546430481l/9460487.SY75.jpg 14345371] (which I also wasn't a huge fan of), so maybe I should have expected things to be a bit lackluster. There's no denying that McGuire writes really well and effortlessly paints vivid scenes of faraway worlds, but the narrative itself is where this story suffered for me. I would have liked for Nancy (or any other child) to return to ‘their world' and get a better understanding of how the portals work, but instead I was given a slow slice-of-life story of a handful of jaded teens who complain about clothes or food. Typical. [note: maybe this happens in another book, I have no idea since I haven't read the rest of the series, but it doesn't happen in this one.]The attempt at diversity here was, whilst honourable, token at best. It felt like the characters had labels slapped onto them just for the sake of it without actually diving into what makes them stand apart, their difficulties, etc. This is something that seems to be recurring in lots of post-2010 publications wherein authors attempt to divesify without fully exploring these topics. Perhaps it is due to the current social climate we live in that authors feel the need to prove themselves as open and ‘woke' as possible, but it comes across as fake if the diverse characters are simply used as placeholders for diversity.Overall, while I did enjoy many aspects of the worldbuilding and the writing, this novella had too many pitfalls for my taste that discourage me from reading the next book in the series.
Rating: 2.5 ⭐This keeps happening to me... I'm doomed to dislike award-winning books. Whenever a book receives high praise and tons of media and literary attention, I always find it falls short of the hype and expectations. I know myself as a highly critical reader of anything that presents itself as high literature, so take my analysis with a grain of salt.SummaryBored and restless gods Apollo and Hermes decide to place a wager on whether or not dogs can die happy if given human consciousness. The brothers decide to test out their theory by giving fifteen dogs in a kennel the gift of human thinking, but it soon becomes clear that humanity is a burden on the animals, and so Apollo and Hermes watch as the dogs attempt to navigate life with their newfound sense of self.ReviewMy biggest gripe with Fifteen Dogs is that it is a very dry and uninteresting prose. The writing reminds me a lot of [b:Normal People 41057294 Normal People Sally Rooney https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1571423190l/41057294.SY75.jpg 59141209], which I also disliked, so maybe that explains things. Fifteen Dogs drags in many places, and the pacing is inconsistent. I found myself bored more often than not, and, surprisingly despite the themes of the book, I felt zero emotional attachement to the characters. The dogs lead horrible lives and die in horrible ways thanks to humans, gods, and fellow dogs, too. However, the emotional impact was not as strong as what was intended. The author's extended moralistic allegory is repetitive and dull. Moreover, there were quite a number of plot holes that required a higher level of suspension of disbelief to get over them.For example, Majnoun and Nira have a conversation about god during which Nira asks if he believes in a higher power. Majnoun explains that the concept is completely foreign to dogs, and so it is difficult for him to form a definitive opinion about the topic. However, some 20-30 pages later, Atticus builds an altar in the park and sacrifices to god (Zeus) because he believes in a “master of all master.” How can one dog have no concept of religion, yet another not only knows of the idea, but even understands ancient rituals to appease his god of choice? Speaking of gods, Zeus is sorely misrepresented as a benevolent and caring god. Anyone who knows Greek mythology knows he is anything but kind to mortals. By contrast, Apollo and Hermes are made more cruel than what they already are in mythos. Another thing that is never explained nor revisited is the idea that the dogs have a different clock and calendar system than humans. Why was this detail included if it wasn't relevant to the story?One of the strong points of the book, however, was the inclusion of poems that, once recited out loud, contain the name of a dog in the story. This was a clever mechanism that ensures that 1) the book is revisited after it's over and 2) that the dogs are remembered for their lives and sacrifices.Overall, Fifteen Dogs was a miss for me. I would have DNFed it save for the fact that I had to read it for work. I don't regret giving it a shot, but I know that I will not be rereading it any time soon.
Format read: digitalReading time: 1h Tags: vampires, shonen, adventure, mysteryOwn a copy: noReread likelihood: 6/10You might also like: [b:Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign, Vol. 1 18774919 Seraph of the End Vampire Reign, Vol. 1 Takaya Kagami https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1448681178l/18774919.SY75.jpg 26679990], [b:Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 263145 Vampire Knight, Vol. 1 (Vampire Knight, #1) Matsuri Hino https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1329232329l/263145.SY75.jpg 255083]I read this on a whim, and even though the first volume was kind of ordinary, I decided to keep reading and now I'm actually invested in the plot.Vol. 1 covers the background/set up for the story. Ichirou Rosario di Maria (aka “Maria”) is a priest who wields a special cross that can defeat vampires. One day, he meets a red-haired vampire called Bloody who cannot be killed no matter through which method. Bloody desperately wants to die and enlists Maria's help, the only person who can kill him, but Maria finds out that his true exorcism powers have been supressed and he can't wield his cross to its full extent. The two decide to work together to get Maria's powers back so that he can kill Bloody as per his wish. As an exchange, Bloody protects Maria from other vampires since he is vulnerable without his powers.The two form an odd pair; Maria is cold and cynical, while Bloody is a goof with a good heart. Vol. 1 shows they start off as enemies with a common cause, which makes for an interesting premise. I'm not one to usually fall for the trap of “it gets better in the next book,” but in this case, it's true! I recommend reading on for more plot development.
My expectations for this world-renowned classic of modern literature was so damn high that the reality of what it truly is was almost devastating. I've been wanting to read The Alchemist ever since I can remember because of everyone's high praises of the book, but I had never gotten around to it until today because I was ostensibly forced to read it for work. This book is continously labelled as “life changing,” but I found it to be nothing but a rehashing of old-fashioned Christian values, clichés, and truisms. Let's dive into a more complete review of this story, shall we?
Part I: In Which a Shepherd Meets Strangers
Our tale begins with our protagonist, a shepherd boy named Santiago but that's not important because we will never refer to him by name ever again after the opening line, and only ever call him “the boy” or “the shepherd” from now on despite the fact that he has stopped being a shepherd for years. He is content with his little life of sheep herding and whatnot, and obsesses over a cute girl in a neighbouring town seriously, he won't shut up about her. He never stops to consider that maybe, just maybe, she has zero interest in him. Fastforward 20-odd pages, he meets a gypsy woman of whom he is terrified because gypsies “steal children and are devil worshippers” (no, I'm not joking. It's in the book) who tells him that he must go on a journey to Egypt as per his twice-occured dream. Cool. Then, he meets some crackpot who thinks he's a king an old man who basically tells him the same thing so nothing really, because the kid already knew this but stealsobtains a tenth of his flock of sheep in exchange for the “"”information.””“
Enter a whole lot of repetitive woke dialogue about the universe wanting the boy to succeed blah blah, the shepherd (who is not a shepherd anymore) gets on a boat and sails 2 hours to Tangier to start his quest for his Personal Legend (a new-age way of saying his fate/destiny). The boy is in Tangier for about 5 minutes before he a) goes into an inner monologue of how scary and evil the Arabs are, and b) his sheep just wanted water and food. 6 minutes in, he gets robbed (to reinforce the idea of the Evil Arab TM) and then wallows in self-pity for a few pages. Our boy then comes to the Major Realization TM that he has to work if he wants to achieve his dream, so he decides to annoy help a merchant by tending to his shop of crystalware.
FASCINATING.
Part II: In Which the Boy Becomes an Entrepeneur and then Travels to Egypt
After a year or so of working for the Evil (but not really because his employer is super nice and generous) Arab TM, the boy decides he's going to give up on Egypt, buy some sheep, and go back to Spain. But wait! The omens! In reality, the boy chooses to forgo his comfortable life for more palpitating adventures across the desert! Our precious, Very Smart boy then goes to book himself a passage with a caravan and meets a jaded atheist an Englishman who is on a quest to find a real bonafide alchemist somewhere out in Egypt. Nice! The pair (along with a hoard of other travellers and camels) set out to cross the desert and... nothing of consequence happens. The boy and the Englishman have very long and boring conversations that are just cyclical and repetitive as hell, and once in a while, the boy remembers his poor old sheep back in Spain, as well as the “raven-haired Moorish girl” he still obsesses over. sigh
Rince and repeat this formula until the end until you get the Great Revelation TM at the end that, wait for it, his happiness and self-realization was always at home! Travelling all the way out to Egypt was just a means for him to realize that, like any good Bible parable, the good shepherd boy will find comfort and true happiness in amongst the sheep in a sleepy little village.
FANTASTIC!
Now, in case you didn't pick up on my sarcasm throughout, here's a breakdown of problems in this book:
1) Racism! (the boy is full of preconceived ideas about gypsies and Arabs.
2) Bigotry! (the boy mocks and/or likens religions other than his own to devilry.)
3)Mysogyny! (the boy at one point says that the girl he likes doesn't know anything because she can't read, and that she wouldn't understand stuff like him, because he's so damn woke and deep).
4) Animals are dumb! (Seriously, on every other page the boy reiterates in one way or another how his sheep are just mindless creatures who trust him implicitly (do I see an analogy here between God/people??))
How wonderful, a “"”philosophical””” piece that perpetuates 1) Christian values and 2) societal stereotypes and misconceptions. I have been enlightened.
Before anyone jumps at my throat to say that I “didn't get it” or “read to literally” my answer is: no, I did not. I can very clearly “see” the message here; it's just that it's not a very good one (nor is it presented in a stimulating and engaging way). The pseudo-philosophical treaty doesn't tackle any new and fascinating concepts about the self. If you want to be truly enlightened by abstract concepts, go read real philosophers and learn from them instead.
Find this review and others on my blog here: Victorian Sensibilities
Summary
After the showdown between Maven, Cal and Mare, the latter two are on the run from the new Silver King and on a mission to find other Newbloods to help overthrow the government. Without knowing who she can truly trust, Mare finds herself shifting allegiances and allies to ensure her win against Maven, once her friend but now a crazed king.
Review
I tried. I tried really hard, but I just couldn't keep going with this book. I made it to the half-way mark before it slowly drifted out of my mind and got replaced with way more interesting books from other authors. As much as I loved the first book, I absolutely hated the second one.
Mare is the most obnoxious, self-righteous, self-obsessed, self-absorbed little twat I have EVER encountered. She was already pretty obnoxious in the first book, but she really let herself go and showed her true colours in the second one. She suddenly became this selfish monster who doesn't think twice about killing and using innocents as collateral. Her ongoing martyring attitude was so off-putting, I could only roll my eyes at every other sentence. On top of her horrible attitude, she continuously pines after Cal yet blames him for everything (which in his defense, he hasn't done anything to deserve her constant moody backlash). She has such beautiful empty and weightless declarations like this:
“No matter how much I might want to feel him, I cannot. I must keep my eyes ahead, and away from the fire of a fallen prince. I must freeze my heart to the one person who insists on setting it ablaze.”
Get. The. Violins. Out.
What a bleeding heart she is. I'm touched (NOT). Then she says things that prove how much of a tortured character she is:
“But I can't shake the feeling that, while they stand with me, there's no one beside me. Even with an army at my back, I am still alone.”
Poor sweetie, I wish I could do something to help -wait- no I don't.
I could keep going and keep complaining about Mare and her stupidity (and my deep hatred of her), but I've got better things to do, like reading good books.
Cara is a young woman who has returned to London after 7 years of exile, upon the death of her abusive father. As a child, Cara was given to a lord who beat and raped her,until she managed to escape his grasp. Cara returns with the intention of selling off her father's priceless artifacts, forcing her to enter into a business contract with Nathaniel, a rich and handsome underworld lord. In exchange for his help, she gives him the right to touch her ((wtf tho....? Really??)). In he meantime, gruesome murders shake the capital, sending Cara on a hunt for a missing artifact, and a killer.
Well now, this wasn't what I expected. At all. The premise said this would be a steampunk murder-mystery adventure.... and I got a vaguely steampunk romance/erotica with a tiny mystery in the background. I think the author was a little bit confused as to what the subject of her book was.
STEAMPUNK?
The steampunk elements were overused and unoriginal and didn't add to the story. I think it's rather unfair to put this book in the steampunk category. Also, can I take a moment to comment on how every new scene featuring Cara, described her clothing for the day? These descriptions weren't even clear early woven in the story, nope. The author just straight out wrote “today, she wore a corset that accentuated all of her curves” ((well yes, that's what corsets tend to do... just sayin')).
STRONG FEMALE COUGH
Apparently our protagonist is a “strong woman” and “kick-ass”, when in fact the only thing our young lady does is carry guns and knives, without ever using them (granted, she does once in the opening chapter). Oh and, she likes to box, and beats up a guy in a fight. I'm sorry, that doesn't make her a strong female character.
UNREALISTIC RECOVERY?
I'm sorry, I didn't believe Cara's emotional/physical recovery. I honestly don't believe that a woman, who spent her childhood being beaten and raped, would barter her body in a business proposition. Nate's stalking and physical advances would be too much to bear for an abused woman.
MURDER-MYSTERY
Predictable, mildly interesting. It could have been much better if it had been the central point in the story (rather than Cara's sex life). I liked the inspector, he was promising but sadly, didn't have much ‘screen time', in favour of our swoon pirate/lord/mobster male lead.
All in all, the premise was really interesting and promising but the book fell short. There were too many elements in the story that didn't blend in well together. The different elements weren't cohesive and had me wondering what the actual plot was. The relationship between Nate and Cara was weird and unrealistic, I didn't believe their (mostly Cara's) evolution.
2 stars, given for the few good moments in the story.
Read my full review here: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2017/02/13/red-queen-red-queen-1/
There were quite a few obvious plot holes throughout the book. The most glaring one in my opinion, is the fact that Mare goes from being ‘ordinary' to having superpowers and , overnight, she seemingly gains perfect control of these new powers without much difficulty. There's no sense of hardship in learning to control her new ability, she seems to just suddenly be able to wield her powers without a second thought.
The most unlikely thing in my opinion is Mare's ability to plan a whole revolution right under the nose of the Queen (who has the ability to read minds), and never once stops to think “hey, it's really strange that the Queen isn't doing anything to stop my plans”. The final battle is so contrived, it was almost painful to read through it. Mare, who has spent the whole book being protected by the princes, suddenly has this incredible power to her disposition, turning the tide of the battle and saving Cal's life. Very unlikely. The resistance members seem to have survived death so many times, including the last ambush where Cal's 5000 soldiers stormed their hiding place...and yet every one survived. This is completely unbelievable and shows exactly where this series is going. The plot twist was clear as day, and so is the future of the revolution.
Very clever and interesting answers to hypothetical (and sometimes improbable) scientific questions! Munroe does a great job of explaining complex ideas in layman's terms, adding a twist of comedy along the way with his stick figures and mini comics.
I want to love this book. It has everything that I typically like to read: an adventure, fantastical creatures, a historical setting, and yet, I'm on my second try of trying to read it, but I just can't. I lose interest despite the pretty artwork and themes I usually enjoy.
DNF at 20%, for good this time. I don't think I'll try to read it a 3rd time.
for my full review, check out my blog: https://vicsense.wordpress.com/2018/07/01/starry-night/
This book sounded so promising. At first, I was drawn in by the teenage love story, that sounded so relatable and brought back memories of my own teenage years. However, the initially cutesy narrative soon took a backseat to a very annoying, boring, and drawn-out plot. I'm not kidding, the middle of the book was so long and boring, I stopped reading and put the book aside for–wait for it– 8 MONTHS. I only just pushed through the last 100 pages, just to say I'd have something solid to review. Yes, it was that painful.
Somewhere around the middle mark, the characters became increasingly more and more juvenile. As in, acting like ten year olds rather than fifteen year olds. I'm sorry but, I was 15 once too, and I definitely wasn't as air-headed as these characters.
The language was beyond annoying with all of the “oh my gosh!!1!1!!” and “... like...” in every two sentences. I was especially offended when Wren meets a French lady at the museum and, in true stereotypical fashion, the lady's dialogue is written like this:
“Zis is one of ze great paintings in all of time, in all of ze world. It's Ze Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, a genius” (Starry Night, p.312).
I mean come on, really?? French people don't speak like that. As a native French speaker, I am legit insulted.
My other problem with this book was the side story of one of her friends, Farah. This girl (read: child) of only 15 years, is dating a 30 year old man, who encourages her to snort cocaine (?!?!?), have sex with him, and dress like a 40 year old. As much as Wren's story of abandoning her dream was frustrating, Farah's story was downright sickening. I can't believe that the author thought this would be a good idea to incorporate in her book, which is targeted at (emotionally vulnerable and impressionable) teenagers. PEDOPHILIA IS NOT OKAY. FORCING A MINOR TO TAKE DRUGS IS NOT OKAY. What the hell was she thinking, turning this into a weird side-romance to go along with the main love story. EWW. Yes, the other characters constantly point out that Farah's relationship to this man is twisted, BUT NONE OF THEM DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. How come these so-called best friends can't find the courage to tell an adult about this?!? This is ILLEGAL for crying out loud.
I just want to erase this whole book from my memories. It's going straight into my goodwill pile (although, I do feel sorry for the next person who'll pick it up... but honestly, I can't stand having it on my shelf any longer).
2 STARS OF SHAME FOR THIS VAN GOGH INSPIRED FAILURE.
This review will look at each story individually.————The Judgment (pp.77-88)★★[read: 12/12/21] This one was definitely strange, even for Kafka. It read as a disjointed dream that left me scratching my head as to it's meaning. The protagonist of the short story, Georg, starts off the narration by writing a letter to his childhood friend who lives in St-Petersburg, Russia (we assume that Georg is somewhere in Germanic Europe). One day, Georg is engaged to be married and decides to write to his friend to let him know. However, before mailing the letter, he talks with his father and ‘warns' him about his intent to inform his friend. This is where the story takes a strange turn: the father, who is old and seems a bit demented, begins to rail on his son and tells him that he doesn't have a friend in Russia, because he, the father, has been secretly communicating with him all these years and pushed him away from Georg. At the very end, Georg's father tells him that he should drown himself, which is exactly what Georg does: he runs out of the house and jumps into the river. Georg's last actions are very nonsensical, and the ‘message' of this story is unclear. The judgment from the title happens in two fold: 1) Georg judges his friend in Russia for his lifestyle and assumes things about him, and 2) Georg's father judges him on his ability to run the family company, to honour his deceased mother, and to take care of his ailing father.The Metamorphosis (pp.89-139)★★★★★[read: 12/12/21]The Metamorphosis is the first Kafka story I ever read, and I have reread it a number of times over the year because it is my absolute favourite of his. Truth be told, I have a bad phobia of cockroaches, and the idea of being transformed into one is beyond terrifying to me. However, this novella is so unique and intriguing, I can't help myself from loving it. Gregor Samsa is an ordinary man who works as a travelling salesman and who wakes up one morning transformed into a giant bug (technically, the type of insect is not specified, but historically we have often associated it to cockroaches because they are disgusting). The whole narrative follows Gregor's train of thoughts as he processes what happened to him and wonders about what will happen to his job, his family, etc. The transformation that takes place is in allegory of how society alienates its individuals. Furthermore, the story comments heavily on family dynamics, with Gregor's austere father and sister being the antitheses to his more liberal self.In The Penal Colony (pp.140-168)★★★★★[read: 09/12/21]I chose to read this short story first out of the collection because of current work I'm doing on law in literature. I'm used to Kafka's nightmarish stories, but this one in particular is very chilling and disturbing. the story features four characters: The Condemned, the Soldier, The Explorer, and the Officer. The Explorer is asked to assist the execution of the Condemned, and is told about the method of execution: a machine, the Harrow, that engraves the literal sentence of the prisoner into his skin until he dies of his wounds (which can take up to 12 hours). The Explorer quickly realizes how inhumane and cruel this method is, especially because there is no chance for the Condemned to defend himself. Much like the witch trials of old, the Condemned is put to death based on hearsay and is denied the right to know what his sentence is (as well as the reason for it). The Officer complains that the New Commandant of the penal colony does his utmost to have this tradition fall out of favour by denying him funds to repair/upkeep the machine, having lowered attendance to the executions, and inviting foreigners like the Explorer to come and witness the executions (and hopefully stand up against the injustice of it). The Officer wishes for the Explorer to be on his side, but the latter refuses. In the end, the machine breaks down when the Officer feeds it the “be just!” verdict and lays himself beneath the apparatus to receive his punishment. The Officer, who cherished and respected the machine, and who believed in this system wholeheartedly, is violently murdered by his own contraption. The allusions here to Dostoevsky's [b:Crime and Punishment 7144 Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoevsky https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382846449l/7144.SY75.jpg 3393917] are clear as day, and the allegorical representation of WWI is embodied in the Officer and the Old Commandant.
There's a sequel??!!??? I may die omg. Arthuuuuuuuur I'm so ready to see you again, my favourite phoenix ❤️❤️❤️
DNF at 33%
You know what? I'm sad. I really liked the whole concept, the execution, the characters, the plot, ... but something happened 1/3 of the way in that completely lost my interest. I gave up when Arthur's backstory became the focus and just couldn't get past it, even though my friend told me to keep going because the next part would be great.
I'm legit bummed by it, the start was so strong and got me hooked instantly. It's a shame that I couldn't finish it, everything was right up my alley until the narrative started droning on about some washed-up movie star. Bleh.
Ah, good old Hobbit! One those not simply review this novel without mentioning the movies that were fashioned after it. Love them or hate them, the movies are still (mostly) based on this story, and the characters really come to life in this prologue to The Lord Of The Rings. I was extremely long overdue for a reread + review of this classic tale, so behold my (elf-related) ramblings as follows.
Far over the misty mountains coldTo dungeons deep and caverns oldWe must away ere break of dayTo seek the pale enchanted gold.
-Thorin & Company
Movie/book comparative review below!
I never thought much of Bilbo Baggins in the LOTR movies, but Bilbo in the book is really marvellous and wonderful. The little hobbit proved himself brave and useful beyond what anyone expected (Gandalf excluded), and his courage protected his friends so many times!
My favourite ‘fight' scene was when Bilbo faced the spiders all on his own in Mirkwood and saved his friends from death by being clever and swift. It's funny how the One Ring has no evil intent nor will in The Hobbit, whereas it is clearly a central character in The Lord of the Rings. Instead, Bilbo often makes use of the Ring without there being any consequences to it. Also, the ‘Easter eggs' so to speak throughout the novel were so much fun to find/read about, like how the 3 trolls are later found in LOTR, or Gollum's role in both tales. It really shows Tolkien's genius at world building.
As always, the elves are my absolute favourite in this book too. It's too bad that Tolkien didn't include Legolas in his book (unlike in the movie which is sacrilegious to mention, I know), but at least Thranduil was present in the novel and was a major player (although he was never named once! He was only ever refered to as the Elvenking). I love the movie version of Thranduil, so it was a bit disappointing to see his role in The Hobbit novel much more diminished, but I loved the chapters that took place in Mirkwood the most.
Thorin, Fili, and Kili's deaths were very anticlimactic in the novel compared to in the movies, which again was a bit underwhelming and disappointing (I guess that shows Peter Jackson's genius instead), but the Battle of the Five Armies was still really cool and full of action.
Finally, Tolkien's narrative voice was very strong in this book, which I guess is because it's technically a middle-grade book. The narration style was very cute and fairytale-like. I expect that this is why the deaths of some of the major characters were toned down which, again, diminished the impact of the story and its moral teachings. Nevertheless, The Hobbit is uncontestedly a literary masterpiece if only for its width and breadth in the world of high fantasy writing.
There is more in you of good than you know, child of the kindly West. Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.
-Lord Elrond
Format read: ebook (Libby)
Reading time: 7h
Tags: literary fiction, lgbt (m/m), romance, forbidden love
Own a copy: no
Reread likelihood: 7/10
This book was turned into a movie! What the trailer here.
My heart is kind of in pieces. I'll be back later for a proper review.
*Edit: ok, here we go :')
Summary:
Brighton, 1950s. Marion meets Tom while visiting his sister, Sylvie, and falls in love with him as first sight. Tall, blonde, and muscular, Tom is a veteran sea swimmer who sets off for the army just as Marion tries to get close to him. Fast forward a few years, Marion has become a (passable) schoolteacher, and Tom has become a policeman after coming back from the army. The two become friends, and Marion convinces Tom to teach her how to swim. Despite Sylvie's warning that “Tom isn't like that,” Marion presses on with her plan to marry Tom.
One day, Tom introduces her to a mysterious and charming man who works at the local museum. Tom declares that he has “met someone,” yet Marion ignores the signs and clings to her dream of becoming his wife. Tom, on the other hand, feels the social pressure of marrying at every turn, and decides to propose to Marion despite his heart.
When the truth about Tom and Patrick finally comes out, Marion is bent on saving her marriage by destroying her enemy. Little does she know, her actions not only destroy Patrick, but also the man she loves so much.
Review:
Told from a double POV, that of Marion's and Patrick's, the story shifts between the present time and the 1950s. Marion's letters tell the story from her point of view and focus a lot on herself and her feelings, while Patrick's focus is solely about Tom. Patrick rarely comments on other people, except Marion when he first meets her, and writes mostly “purple” observations about ‘his policeman.'
From the get go, Marion is unsympathetic and unlikeable. The section where she writes about her first day as a teacher is red flag city and really sets her into a firmly dislikeable character. Marion is said to have a wicked temper, which is shown a few times in the book. Though her fears about Patrick and Tom are founded, her reactions are often overdramatic and theatrical.
‘For a policeman, you're very romantic.' ‘For an artist, you're very afraid.'
Patrick, Marion, and Tom
“I hope that he will come and at least look at you–really look at you–and see what I see: that despite everything, you still love him. I hope this will break his silence.”
“You see, yet you do not observe” is a phrase to live by. Holmes and Watson encounter the mysterious Irene Adler in this short story, which then puts into question everything that Holmes is and represents. For one, he is often thought of as being a misogynist and/or gynophobic (something that I do not entirely agree with), but his meeting with “The Woman” changes that perception very quickly. While Irene Adler is an interesting character inasmuch as she helps the reader to see a different side of the detective-hero, she is not as spectacular as what a lot of critics make her out to be. The BBC TV series really expanded on her character and made her a true force to be reckoned with, but the original Irene is rather dull by comparison and does very little in ways of outwitting the great Sherlock Holmes. Overall, this little story is enjoyable just as much as the others, but it is not the most interesting of cases in the canon.