The Bird and the Blade

DNF ~ 30%

this wasn't boring, it was just... bleh? if that's the right word? too much gore, too many plot points that made me uncomfy ehhhh sorry

An easy read. I liked the ending more than anything else–the reveal of the secret that she's a princess-turned-slave who was promised power and a good position if she killed the prince. I liked the diversity and the setting with the Mongol empire and the descendants of Genghis Khan.

Seems like a standard YA romance book with the star-crossed lovers trope.

This was beautiful, it really was. A love story set on a adventure through the Mongol empire, based on an old tale.

I didn't realize this wasn't a fantasy, so I kept waiting for a twist that never came. (Almost like the first Game of Thrones.) Despite my disappointment that no one turned into dragons, this was a well put together historical romance.

That was a fabulous book. Cringingly real angst over a crush that took me right back to Middle and High School. I love that it's based on an opera. That makes me want to watch it now, and I hope it'll do that for all the young adults who read it and bother to read the end pages.