tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85131401084856490212024-03-19T13:08:08.483+00:00Jessticulatesthe rantings, ravings and ramblings of a book unicornJess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.comBlogger705125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-49288141908041519152018-08-17T20:44:00.000+01:002018-08-17T20:44:25.041+01:00I'M MOVING | Goodbye Jessticulates, hello Jessticulates.com!<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Hi!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So something I've been thinking of doing for a while is moving my blog from Blogger to WordPress, and today I finally took the leap with not only moving to WordPress but in buying my domain name and become <a href="http://jessticulates.com/">Jessticulates.com</a>!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thank you so much to everyone who has read, followed and commented on this blog over the years, I really appreciate it, and if you're still interested in following me please on head over to my new blog. I'll be posting the same kind of things - I'm still a book nerd, I'm just moving house - with perhaps some extra posts about travel and working in the publishing industry and general life stuff, as I'm hoping my new home will give me the kick up the butt I need to get back into the swing of blogging regularly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm never going to turn blogging into a chore. It's a hobby and I do it for fun when I can, and I'm not going to kick myself if I don't update my new blog every week because there are bigger things to worry about, but I love being part of the book blogging community and I feel like WordPress is the better site for where I'd like my blog to go. It's much easier to follow and leave comments, particularly for fellow WordPress users, and I'm really excited to blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So thank you again for reading and following this blog, and I hope you'll join me over on <a href="http://jessticulates.com/">Jessticulates.com</a>!</span>Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-84415122997504060282018-08-15T13:59:00.002+01:002018-08-15T13:59:37.551+01:00N.E.W.Ts Readathon | Week #2 Update<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Has it really been a week already? I managed to read three books for the N.E.W.Ts Readathon in the first week, something I haven't quite managed this week, so this past week feels as though it's flown by!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Like <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/08/newts-readathon-week-1-update.html" target="_blank">last week</a> I'm going to list my progress below and then briefly chat about my past week of reading. If you're unfamiliar with this readathon, which is running throughout August, you can check out Book Roast's introduction video <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIe9VCBNAg0" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strike>Read a book set in the past</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38324464-riddle-of-the-runes" target="_blank">Riddle of the Runes</a></i> by Janina Ramirez</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read an ancient book on your shelves that you haven't yet read</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a translated book</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Arithmancy</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strike>Read a book of at least 300 pages</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33574143-the-beautiful-ones" target="_blank">The Beautiful Ones</a></i> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strike>Read a book that ends on an even numbered page</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36426005-heart-of-thorns" target="_blank">Heart of Thorns</a></i> by Bree Barton</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a book that's not a first in a series</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><strike>Read a book with magic in it</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29508057-the-obelisk-gate" target="_blank">The Obelisk Gate</a></i> by N.K. Jemisin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a book with a cover that charmed you</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a book that you think will leave a mark</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>History of Magic</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a book that you think would fit right in at Hogwarts Library</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a book that was published at least 5 years ago</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Read a book that's at least 400 pages long</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Last week I mentioned that I was struggling to start History of Magic and, as you can see, I still haven't - oops! I've read Bree Barton's <i>Heart of Thorns</i> since last week which I mentioned in my previous post, I was thinking of using it for my A in History of Magic because the cover reminded me of Devil's Snare, and unfortunately I didn't like it as much as I hoped to. I've reviewed it <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/08/review-heart-of-thorns-by-bree-barton.html" target="_blank">here</a> if you're interested!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the end, as it ended on an even numbered page, I decided to put it towards my E in Arithmancy rather than my A in History of Magic. After</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> finishing <i>The Obelisk Gate</i> I really wanted to carry on with the series and read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33314081-the-stone-sky" target="_blank">The Stone Sky</a></i> which I can put towards my O in Arithmancy, so I needed to get my E in the subject, and once I get my O in Arithmancy I've 'passed' - the main goal of the readathon is to get at least one O and one A in two separate subjects.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Like I said last week I know it's just a readathon and it's just a bit of fun, but it'll genuinely ease things up for me if I can get an O under my belt and then I can take my time with all the other books I'd like to try and read before the end of the month. I'm about a third of the way through <i>The Stone Sky</i> now, and really enjoying it, so I'm hoping to have that one finished soon and then Arithmancy is done!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">My goals for the rest of the month are to get an O in Charms, reading <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i> by Tomi Adeyemi and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38606192-spinning-silver" target="_blank">Spinning Silver</a></i> by Naomi Novik, and to get Es in Ancient Runes and History of Magic. In a perfect world I'd get Os in all four subjects, but I don't think I'm going to have the time and I'm planning to buddy read <i>Spinning Silver</i> with my friend <a href="https://orchestratingaseachange.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Natalie @ A Sea Change</a> this month so I need to get to it soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">To get my E in Ancient Runes I'm planning to read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38447.The_Handmaid_s_Tale" target="_blank">The Handmaid's Tale</a></i> by Margaret Atwood, which I've been meaning to read for <i>years</i>, and for History of Magic I still need to choose a book to get my A. At the moment I think I might go for <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35959740-circe" target="_blank">Circe</a></i> by Madeline Miller, which funnily enough I mentioned I wasn't in the mood for last week as it was originally on my Charms TBR, but as Circe is considered one of fiction's first witches I think it's only fitting that a book about her would be in the Hogwarts library and considering its Ancient Greek setting, I'd like to try and read <i>Circe</i> before the autumn comes around.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">With any luck I'll get a good way through <i>The Stone Sky</i> tonight and I'll be back next week with another update! How's your reading going?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-32012523411620298172018-08-13T13:29:00.002+01:002018-08-13T13:29:43.601+01:00Review | Riddle of the Runes by Janina Ramirez<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38324464-riddle-of-the-runes" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Riddle of the Runes</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">by Janina Ramirez</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Alva rushes through the trees in the dead of night with her sniffer wolf, Fen. Being out alone when there's a kidnapper on the loose is reckless, but if she ever wants to be an investigator like her Uncle Magnus, she'll need to be first to the crime scene. But what Alva discovers raises more questions than it answers, drawing her into a dangerous search for truth, and for treasure.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Riddle-Runes-Viking-Mystery-1-ebook/dp/B07FMYFQXS" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Riddle-of-the-Runes/9780192766335/?a_aid=JGofton" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/riddle-of-the-runes/janina-ramirez/david-wyatt/9780192766335" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/riddle-of-the-runes-janina-ramirez-9780192766335" target="_blank">Wordery</a> | <a href="https://global.oup.com/education/product/9780192766335/?region=uk" target="_blank">Oxford University Press</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>I received a copy of <i>Riddle of the Runes</i> from Oxford University Press in exchange for an honest review.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm a big fan of Janina Ramirez, she's such an enthusiastic historian and her documentaries are always excellent, so when I heard she'd turned her hand to fiction to take the fun and fascination of history to a younger audience I knew I had to see for myself what it was like. I got in touch with Oxford University Press and they very kindly sent a copy out to me to review.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Riddle of the Runes</i> is set in the 8th century, I believe in Denmark, and follows twelve year old Alva who longs to solve mysteries like her Uncle Magnus. In her Viking community justice can be brutal, but Alva's uncle preaches a justice system that involves seeking clues and proof, even if it goes against what appears to be a sign from one of the Norse gods, and Alva is eager to learn from her uncle in her beloved father's absence. When some mysterious Englishmen appear, claiming to have lost precious treasure that seems to have ties to Alva's missing father, only to then go missing themselves, it's up to Alva and her uncle to solve the mystery.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">More than anything this book is a fantastic introduction to the Viking era, particularly for children (though I imagine a lot of adults could learn a thing or two, too) and I appreciated that while Ramirez didn't shy away from how brutal these communities could be, she didn't look at them through the eyes of someone from the 21st century who would consider them brutal. We see this community and culture through Alva's eyes, it's <i>her</i> community and <i>her</i> culture, so while it's very different to how we live now it's never treated as wrong or degraded in any way. I could see this book sparking a real interest in this era of history for a lot of children, and I hope schools up and down the country put it in their libraries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having said that I do think Ramirez is still finding her feet as a novelist, which is to be expected when this is her debut. Teaching children a lesson or encouraging their interest in history is brilliant, but I think there were times when the writing and the story suffered so Ramirez could fit in a fact; she's still learning how to balance the fact with the fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My only real complaint would be that I would have liked more of Alva's mother, Brianna. I thought it was strange that she was referred to as Brianna throughout the novel when, though it is in third person, the story is from Alva's point of view. She referred to her as 'mother' when she spoke, so why not refer to her as 'mother' in the description, too? Children aren't idiots, they'd be able to figure out who she was - especially as there's a character list with accompanying illustrations at the beginning of the book, so they wouldn't be confused if Alva referred to her as 'mother' while Magnus called her by her name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was also surprised to discover that Alva's mother was Irish, thus Alva's red hair, and that she was once an Irish princess who left Ireland to be with Alva's father. I understand this is a children's book and I'm probably just being a history snob, but I guess we're just going to gloss over the fact that many Irish princesses were taken as slaves against their will during this era? Alva's mother and father clearly love each other so there doesn't seem to be anything sinister going on, but I'm surprised this was a choice Ramirez chose to make to perhaps bring up the Vikings' ties to Ireland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All that aside, this is a very sweet debut with a lot of heart. Ramirez is clearly passionate about her subject and I look forward to seeing what Alva does next.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-2357641372186283482018-08-11T18:43:00.000+01:002018-08-11T18:47:45.337+01:00Review | Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36426005-heart-of-thorns" target="_blank">Heart of Thorns</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Bree Barton</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Mia Rose wants only one thing: revenge against the Gwyrach—feared, reviled, and magical women—who killed her mother. After years training under her father’s infamous Hunters, Mia is ready. She will scour the four kingdoms, find her mother’s murderer, and enact the Hunters’ Creed: heart for a heart, life for a life.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>But when Mia is thrust into the last role she ever wanted—promised wife to the future king—she plots a daring escape. On her wedding night, Mia discovers something she never imagined: She may be a Huntress, but she’s also a Gwyrach. As the truth comes to light, Mia must untangle the secrets of her own past. Now if she wants to survive, Mia must learn to trust her heart . . . even if it kills her.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heart-Thorns-Bree-Barton-ebook/dp/B073ZBNF3H" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Heart-Thorns-Bree-Barton/9780062447685/?a_aid=JGofton" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/heart-of-thorns/bree-barton/9780062447685" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/heart-of-thorns-bree-barton-9780062447685" target="_blank">Wordery</a> | <a href="http://www.harpercollins.com/9780062447685/" target="_blank">Katherine Tegen Books</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>WARNING: This review will contain some mild spoilers, so if you haven't read this yet and you want to read it knowing absolutely nothing, it's best to come back to this review later.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll be honest and say <i>Heart of Thorns</i> isn't usually the kind of book I'd go for. This might sound strange; fair enough it's only just this year in particular that I've been rediscovering my love for high fantasy and, let's be honest, who am I to say no to a book that's basically about witches and empowering women? And yet, for the most part, I can usually tell from a book's blurb whether I'm going to like it or not, and if I'd read this book's blurb in a shop I probably wouldn't have picked it up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is a very long-winded way of me saying that I received this in a <a href="https://www.fairyloot.com/" target="_blank">Fairyloot</a> box (guiltily, I'm usually way more interested in the stuff in those boxes rather than the book), and I took it as a sign to step out of my comfort zone and read the kind of YA I've been avoiding for a while because I usually don't like it. And, as you can probably tell from my rating, I didn't love this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The thing is I didn't hate it by any means either, and I think with a bit more editing and a few changes here and there I would have liked it, but as it wore on there were things that just grated on me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Glas Ddir is one of four kingdoms in this world, a kingdom that has shut itself off from the other three and is ruled by an evil king who loves the power he has over women in particular. That's pretty much all we know about him, he's your generic evil king and he's there to do his job. Mia Rose is the daughter of the leader of the king's Hunters, a group of men (and one woman) who hunt Gwyrach. Essentially, Gwyrach are witches and in this kingdom all women could potentially be one, so they're forced to wear gloves at all times so they can't use their power.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Three years previously Mia's beloved mother was killed by a Gwyrach and she dreams of finding the woman who killed her and seeking her revenge; she longs to be a Huntress more than anything else. Her father has other plans, and the story opens with Mia preparing to marry the heir to Glas Ddir, Prince Quin. Soon enough, though, Mia discovers that she's a Gwyrach herself and she and Quin are forced to flee Glas Ddir. From then on Mia struggles with her feelings of being the kind of person she hates, and also discovers her mother wasn't exactly who she thought she was either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Now there are some great things in this book. Firstly, the king is very proud of his 'Hall of Hands', a room in the palace full of the left hands of women he has captured accused of being a Gwyrach. Before he kills them he saws off their left hand, and there are some genuinely gut-wrenching moments of Mia realising just how small some of those hands are, and that a lot of the people her father and the king have killed were just children.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also loved that Mia's mother was a complex woman, and I loved that Mia had to come to terms with the fact that her mother was her own person - she wasn't just 'mother' - and as such there were many parts of her that Mia knew nothing about. I think at some point growing up we all have that moment of 'oh, you're also a flawed human being' when we look at our parents.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's also a feminist streak to this book; women being persecuted for using magic (something that has actually happened in our history) is always going to have something of a feminist vibe and I did like some of the discussions of how a partiarchy had made Mia believe that women with power were evil. That being said, sometimes I felt like I was getting beaten about the head a bit with the whole 'women have it rough' thing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I mean, I feel you, I'm also a woman and I know firsthand just how important feminism is, but I just wasn't always a fan of how it was handled here. Particularly as one character claims women were first able to do magic because of some trauma they experienced, such as sexual assault, but I'm not sure how I feel about the idea of a woman having to go through such a horrific ordeal to become powerful. I dunno, I'm sure that's not what the book or the author was saying but I think there was some clumsy wording throughout the novel that would have been so much better with a bit of editing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(Also, fantasy worlds are whole new <i>worlds</i> - why do they all have to be run by a partiarchy?)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found Mia herself pretty annoying throughout the novel, and while I really appreciate that Barton wrote this flawed heroine who has to unlearn what she's been told, she still just got on my nerves. Beyond her I didn't find any of the characters particularly memorable - in fact I had to look up Quin's name earlier because I realised I remembered him best as 'the prince' in my head, and even now that I've reminded myself that he was called Quin it somehow doesn't seem right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Quin himself was fairly interesting. Yet again, he's the generic 'prince who disagrees with his evil father but is powerless to stop him', but he's also bisexual, and it's always nice to see more bisexuals in YA, but there were a few times I couldn't help rolling my eyes whenever Mia described his 'sculpted muscles' or 'golden curls' or the various ways she described his eyes. I can always tell I'm reading YA by how many descriptions of eyes I've been given. It was especially strange to have this much description when there was zero chemistry between him and Mia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The big problem I had with him, and this is where that spoiler comes in, is we're told Quin's father discovered he was bisexual when he discovered him secretly meeting his music teacher after dark. As punishment, the king mutilated this poor boy and made Quin watch and then kicked him out of the palace to beg on the streets. Mia later discovers that a beggar the two of them meet when they escape the castle, who Quin pauses to take food from (which he later criticises for being mouldy - how ungrateful) was Quin's music teacher and Quin knew this. Now I understand that seeing him being hurt like that would make Quin terrified of his father and make him not want to meet with his lover anymore for fear of being the reason he was hurt even more, but something in me was really annoyed that while Quin got to move on with Mia this poor boy was left with nothing, living on mouldy bread.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In fact this is one of two LGBT+ romances in this book that have a tragic ending, and I'm really bored of LGBT+ romances with tragic endings. Trust me. There are plenty of them out there already.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There was also an infuriating scene in which Mia and Quin walked into a trap that was CLEARLY A TRAP. Mia even thought it herself and then still did nothing about it. I understand they were exhausted and starving at this point, but it was so obviously a trap and the way they ended up escaping it felt like a scene from an episode of Looney Tunes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All in all <i>Heart of Thorns</i> just wasn't for me. I hoped to like it a lot more, and there were aspects of it that I really did like, but it didn't float my boat and I think it could have with a few tweaks here or there. If you love your YA fantasy then give this one a try, but I can't say I'd personally recommend it and I won't be continuing with this series, but as this is Barton's debut I may check out some of her other work separate from this series in the future as and when it appears.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-31576173297385904312018-08-10T11:00:00.000+01:002018-08-10T11:00:04.646+01:00Review | The Beautiful Ones by Silvia Moreno-Garcia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33574143-the-beautiful-ones" target="_blank">The Beautiful Ones</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Silvia Moreno-Garcia</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Antonina Beaulieu is in the glittering city of Loisail for her first Grand Season, where she will attend balls and mingle among high society in hopes of landing a suitable husband. But Antonina is telekinetic, and strange events in her past have made her the subject of malicious gossip and hardly a sought-after bride. Now, under the tutelage of her cousin’s wife, she is finally ready to shed the past and learn the proper ways of society.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Antonina, who prefers her family's country home to the glamorous ballrooms of the wealthy, finds it increasingly difficult to conform to society’s ideals for women, especially when she falls under the spell of the dazzling telekinetic performer Hector Auvray. As their romance blossoms, and he teaches her how to hone and control her telekinetic gift, she can't help but feel a marriage proposal is imminent.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Little does Antonina know that Hector and those closest to her are hiding a devastating secret that will crush her world and force her to confront who she really is and what she's willing to sacrifice.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beautiful-Ones-Silvia-Moreno-Garcia/dp/1250099064">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Beautiful-Ones-Silvi-Moreno-Garci/9781250099068/?a_aid=JGofton">The Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/the-beautiful-ones-silvia-moreno-garcia-9781250099068">Wordery</a> | <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250099068">Thomas Dunne Books</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I received an eARC of <i>The Beautiful Ones</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Check out my reviews of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22609306-signal-to-noise" target="_blank">Signal to Noise</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28220785-certain-dark-things" target="_blank">Certain Dark Things</a></i> <a href="http://themoormaiden.blogspot.co.uk/2015/03/review-signal-to-noise-by-silvia-moreno.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://themoormaiden.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/review-certain-dark-things-by-silvia.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Those of you who've been following my blog for a while know by now that I will read anything Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes after her debut novel, <i>Signal to Noise</i>, became one of my favourite novels of all time. The big lover of historical fiction that I am, you can imagine my excitement when I realised Moreno-Garcia's latest novel would be returning to a time of calling cards and ballgowns.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll admit that it took me a while to get into this one, and I think that's because this isn't quite the book I was expecting it to be. With the mention of our heroine's telekinetic powers and her being taught to hone them by a man who also has this skill, I thought more of the novel was going to be taken up by lessons and that Nina was going to end up assisting Hector with his performances. Instead this Fantasy of Manners has more to do with the manners than the fantasy, like a Georgette Heyer or Jane Austen novel with a splash of telekinesis thrown in, which isn't a bad thing at all, it just wasn't what I expected when I read the blurb.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was also a little unsure of the setting. I couldn't work out if this was France with a dash of magic thrown in, or if this was an alternate France in an alternate world a little different from ours. It didn't throw me too much, and in all honesty this isn't the kind of book that needed a lore dump, but I would have liked to know a little more about the world and more about how society functioned outside of these wealthy families.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ultimately this was more of a character-driven novel than anything else, and while I always choose character over plot I would have liked a wider plot outside of these characters that I could sink my teeth into. Having said that, the characters and the character development were fantastic. Perhaps it says something about me that my favourite character in this book was the villainous Valérie, who was so deliciously messed up. I'm not the biggest fan of villain stories because I don't like it when authors try to excuse villainy with a tragic past, but what I loved about Valérie is that while Moreno-Garcia tells us why she is the way she is, she never uses it to excuse her actions which, by the end of the book, are downright evil.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's also a testament to Moreno-Garcia's skill as an author that I initially disliked Hector and the way he used Nina, only to later root for him once we'd learned more about him. He's a character that grew on me, much like Nina grew on him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you're in the mood for a Fantasy of Manners/Romance novel, then this is the novel you should pick up. It's a story written with such affection and while it isn't my favourite of Moreno-Garcia's, I still think it's worth checking out.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-65746966359264084552018-08-08T09:56:00.000+01:002018-08-08T09:56:58.704+01:00N.E.W.Ts Readathon | Week #1 Update<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you saw my TBR at the end of last month then you know I'm taking part in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIe9VCBNAg0" target="_blank">Book Roast's N.E.W.Ts Readathon</a> this month, with the subjects Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms and History of Magic. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I've never done update posts on my blog for readathons before, although I am tweeting regularly <a href="https://twitter.com/JGofton/status/1024396165947772932" target="_blank">here</a> if you're interested, but I thought it would be fun to do for this one because it's such a great idea for a readathon and my TBR has already changed quite a bit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My challenges (and the books I've read so far) are:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Ancient Runes</b></span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>Read a book set in the past</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38324464-riddle-of-the-runes" target="_blank">Riddle of the Runes</a></i> by Janina Ramirez</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read an ancient book on your shelves that you've not yet read</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book translated from another language</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Arithmancy</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>Read a book of at least 300 pages</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33574143-the-beautiful-ones" target="_blank">The Beautiful Ones</a></i> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book that ends on an even-numbered page</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book that isn't a first in a series</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Charms</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><strike>Read a book with magic in it</strike> <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29508057-the-obelisk-gate" target="_blank">The Obelisk Gate</a></i> by N.K. Jemisin</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book with a cover that charmed you</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book that you think will leave a mark</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>History of Magic</b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book that looks as though it would fit in at Hogwarts Library</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book published at least five years ago</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Read a book over 400 pages long</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As you can probably tell if you saw my TBR, I've been tweaking it a little.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Originally I planned to read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38352645-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow" target="_blank">Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow</a></i> by Jessica Townsend, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36114451-on-the-front-line-with-the-women-who-fight-back" target="_blank">On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back</a></i> by Stacey Dooley and <i>The Obelisk Gate</i> by N.K. Jemisin for Arithmancy. However, right at the beginning of the month I finished <i>The Beautiful Ones</i>, which I thought I'd finish in July, and because I finished it in August (and it was one of the books on my big <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/huge-second-half-of-2018-tbr.html" target="_blank">End of the Year TBR</a>) I decided to count it towards this readathon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It easily could have been my A in Charms, but because I'm on such a fantasy kick I wanted to save the 'book with magic in it' challenge for more of a high fantasy read than a fantasy of manners, and as the first challenge for Arithmancy was simply to read a book at least 300 pages long then I thought I might as well count it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then recently I had such a craving to return to the <i>Broken Earth</i> trilogy that I couldn't wait. Luckily <i>The Obelisk Gate</i> has magic in it, so it could go towards my A in Charms!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Originally I was planning to read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36859561-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i> by Tomi Adeyemi, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32993458-circe" target="_blank">Circe</a></i> by Madeline Miller and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38606192-spinning-silver" target="_blank">Spinning Silver</a></i> by Naomi Novik for Charms, but right now I'm not quite in the mood for <i>Circe</i>, despite it being one of <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/02/my-top-3-anticipated-releases-of-2018.html" target="_blank">my most anticipated books of the year</a>, and I'm worried I won't like it if I make myself read it just so I can read <i>Spinning Silver</i> which I'm very in the mood for right now. I'm also planning to buddy read <i>Spinning Silver</i> with <a href="https://orchestratingaseachange.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Natalie @ A Sea Change</a> this month, so the sooner I can get to it the better and now I can move on towards my O in Charms.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I was planning to read <i>The Obelisk Gate</i> for the final Arithmancy challenge, now I can simple pick any book off my shelves that ends in an even number and then read the final book in the trilogy, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31817749-the-stone-sky" target="_blank">The Stone Sky</a></i>, to get my O in the subject.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm also planning to rejig my TBR for History of Magic, as it's proving a little trickier; particularly the first challenge which involves reading a book that looks as though it would fit in at Hogwarts Library. The only one I could initially think of is my copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956219-assassin-s-apprentice" target="_blank">Assassin's Apprentice</a></i> by Robin Hobb, which has a very medieval parchment look about it, but I don't know if I'm in the mood for <i>Assassin's Apprentice</i> right now and if you hadn't already guessed I am very much a mood reader. This is particularly a problem when the second two books on my TBR for History of Magic, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865293.The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora" target="_blank">The Lies of Locke Lamora</a></i> by Scott Lynch and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30255854-the-grace-of-kings" target="_blank">The Grace of Kings</a></i> by Ken Liu, are both books I'm really looking forward to and I can't read them and get an O unless I've read something to fulfill the first challenge.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know many of you are probably thinking 'Jess, just read the damn books - it's only a readathon!' and part of me thinks that too, but as I said before it's such a fun idea for a readathon and I'd love to complete as many challenges as I can just to prove to myself that I can.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, instead of <i>Assassin's Apprentice</i> I'm now leaning towards <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36426005-heart-of-thorns" target="_blank">Heart of Thorns</a></i> by Bree Barton. </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I hadn't even heard of <i>Heart of Thorns</i> until I received it in a <a href="https://www.fairyloot.com/" target="_blank">Fairyloot</a> box, but it feels like the kind of fantasy story I would have loved when I was a teenager - there are dark elements to the story, but more than anything it feels like an adventure and I love that - and because fantasy is where I'm at right now I'm excited for it. Plus it has thorns on the cover that immediately made me think of Devil's Snare, so I think it's a cover that would definitely fit in at the Hogwarts Library!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are you taking part in this readathon? How's your progress going and what are you reading at the moment? Let me know down below and I'll be back next week with another update!</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-50954930830677282272018-08-03T10:00:00.001+01:002018-08-03T10:00:03.383+01:00Review | Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36531619-leah-on-the-offbeat" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Leah on the Offbeat</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Becky Albertalli</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat - but real life isn't always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she's the only child of a young, single mum, and her life is decidedly less privileged. And even though her mom knows she's bisexual, she hasn't mustered the courage to tell her friends - not even her openly gay BFF, Simon.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>So Leah really doesn't know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It's hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting-especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leah-Offbeat-Becky-Albertalli-ebook/dp/B0775R5CPV" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Leah-on-the-Offbeat/9780241331057/?a_aid=JGofton" target="_blank">Book Despository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/leah-on-the-offbeat/becky-albertalli/9780241331057" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/leah-on-the-offbeat-becky-albertalli-9780241331057" target="_blank">Wordery</a> | <a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/307169/leah-on-the-offbeat/" target="_blank">Penguin Books</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Check out my reviews of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda" target="_blank">Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653853-the-upside-of-unrequited" target="_blank">The Upside of Unrequited</a></i> <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2015/09/review-simon-vs-homo-sapiens-agenda-by.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2017/03/review-upside-of-unrequited-by-becky.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I don't read much Contemporary at all, but I always make an exception for Becky Albertalli since I read and loved her debut back in 2015. Then her second novel was released and I managed to love that one even more, so it was only natural that I was excited to pick up her third novel - especially as it was returning to a character from her debut who I wanted to know more about.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">High school is coming to an end and college is approaching, and Leah Burke is starting to think that maybe it's time she lets someone other than her mother know that she's bisexual, something she's known about herself since she was eleven years old. After Simon came out as gay it seems like now is the best time to do it, but she can't shake the feeling that things will change, and not for the better, if she's honest with her friends, and when she starts to realise she has feelings for her friend's girlfriend life gets even more complicated.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wasn't the biggest fan of Leah in <i>Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</i>, there were times when she seemed quite nasty and I have a hard time warming to nasty characters, but reading from her point of view was such a breath of fresh air and I began to realise that perhaps part of the reason I didn't like her was because I saw some of my own weaknesses in her. She doesn't try to be likeable and yet those who know her know that she's a good friend, particularly Simon, and I loved her unlikeability - particularly because she becomes more and more aware of it as the novel wares on, and when she does anything or says anything particularly unkind she does try to atone for it in her own way.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My sexuality isn't something I've discussed much but it was so refreshing to read a book from the point of view of a bisexual girl who acknowledged feelings for other girls and for boys. Leah isn't defined by her bisexuality but it's still a big part of who she is, mainly because she feels like she can't tell anyone about it, and that's something that really resonated with me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My favourite aspect of the novel, though, had to be Leah's relationship with her mom. Leah is from a single parent family and her mom was pregnant with Leah when she attended her own high school prom, but there's none of the prejudices about teenage mothers in the book and their relationship is just lovely. I'd love to read a story about Leah's mom and her boyfriend to be honest, they were adorable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is the first novel of Albertalli's I haven't given five stars to and that does make me a little sad considering the bisexual and women-loving-women rep, but as much as I enjoyed the relationship that developed between Leah and Abby in the book I couldn't help thinking that Nick and Abby both became kind of shitty people in this novel. There is an instance where Leah judges Abby for not understanding her own sexuality, which is not okay considering everyone discovers these things differently and this is a big change for Abby when she's always identified as straight, and to be fair to Abby she always apologises when she does something wrong. However, I couldn't help feeling that Leah deserved better throughout the novel. Whether she meant to or not Abby does play with her feelings a little and Nick became such a different character that I was struggling to understand why Simon and Leah were friends with him in the first place - I couldn't remember any of his good qualities from the first book.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Not only that, but I'm still not sure how I feel about Leah and Abby pursuing a relationship so soon after Abby ended a relationship with one of Leah's best friends - as annoying as Nick was in this book, this still felt strange - and there was a lot of convenient pairing off at the end that I didn't quite believe, which is a shame when one of the reasons I love Albertalli's books so much is that she portrays teenagers as actual teenagers and she paints a picture of high school the way I remember it. It's something I've noticed in YA Contemporary in general, which I think is another reason I don't read much of it - why can't people just be single? It's okay not to go to the same college as your high school girlfriend/boyfriend, something, to be fair, Albertalli does explore with Simon and Bram's relationship.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All that aside, I loved the humour, I loved Albertalli's writing, I loved Leah and I'm glad this novel exists and I'll read whatever Albertalli does next. She's still a firm favourite author and I'm so glad that, with this book, Leah finally got her own happy ending.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-86424212846951440922018-07-31T21:45:00.001+01:002018-07-31T21:51:03.718+01:00N.E.W.Ts Readathon TBR!<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Earlier this year I took part in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIe9VCBNAg0" target="_blank">Book Roast</a>'s O.W.Ls Readathon, a readathon inspired by the exams fifth year students take at Hogwarts, and this August it's time to take our N.E.W.Ts! There are a number of challenges, N.E.W.Ts are more difficult than O.W.Ls after all, and you can only take N.E.W.Ts for the subjects you 'passed' at O.W.L level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For my O.W.Ls I completed Ancient Runes (<i>Alice's Adventures in Wonderland </i>by Lewis Carroll), Arithmancy (<i>Six of Crows </i>by Leigh Bardugo), Charms (<i>The Two Princesses of Bamarre </i>by Gail Carson Levine) and History of Magic (<i>Blood Water Paint </i>by Joy McCullough), so those are the subjects I'll be tackling throughout August with a TBR of 12 books. Will I read all 12 of these in August? I'll be very impressed with myself if I do, but I've chosen all but three of them from <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/huge-second-half-of-2018-tbr.html" target="_blank">my huge end-of-the-year TBR</a> so I'm hoping I'll be able to get a good chunk of them under my belt. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, as tomorrow is the start of the readathon and today is Harry's birthday, I thought I'd share my Fantasy-heavy TBR with you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>Ancient Runes</u></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book set in the past - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38324464-riddle-of-the-runes" target="_blank">Riddle of the Runes</a></i> by Janina Ramirez</b><br />This is historian Janina Ramirez's first foray into fiction with the start of a Middle Grade series set during the Viking era, and I was sent a review copy by Oxford University Press. It looks so fun and I couldn't resist the opportunity to read a book with 'runes' in the title.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read one of the most ancient books on your shelves that you haven't yet read - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8366074-the-handmaid-s-tale" target="_blank">The Handmaid's Tale</a></i> by Margaret Atwood</b><br />I've been meaning to read this book for years and years and now that there's a new adaptation on television more of my friends want me to watch it so they have someone to talk to about it, but I can't watch it until I read it and I want to read it soon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book translated from another language - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33952851-macbeth" target="_blank">Macbeth</a></i> by Jo Nesbø</b><br />I don't know yet if I'll get to this one because it's quite chunky and I haven't been a big fan of the <i>Hogarth Shakespeare</i> series so far, but <i>Macbeth</i> is my favourite Shakespeare play so I'm not going to say no to a crime fiction retelling. I've yet to read any Nesbø so this should be an interesting introduction to his work.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>Arithmancy</u></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book of at least 300 pages - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38352645-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow" target="_blank">Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow</a></i> by Jessica Townsend</b><br />I haven't seen a single bad review for this one yet and, as well as Fantasy and YA, I've rediscovered a love for Middle Grade this year too. I think this will be a fun one to blast through if I feel myself getting a bit bogged down during the readathon.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book that ends on an even numbered page - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36114451-on-the-front-line-with-the-women-who-fight-back" target="_blank">On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back</a></i> by Stacey Dooley</b><br />I haven't read any non-fiction yet this year but I keep eyeing up Stacey Dooley's first book because I love her documentaries. This one's actually less than 300 pages and is written in Dooley's conversational style so this is another one that I think will be fairly quick to blast through.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book that's not a first in a series - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26228034-the-obelisk-gate" target="_blank">The Obelisk Gate</a></i> by N.K. Jemisin</b><br />It's about time I returned to this trilogy! I really enjoyed <i>The Fifth Season</i> and I've actually started <i>The Obelisk Gate</i> and got about a quarter of the way through it, so it's about time I got back to it so I can try and finish this trilogy this year.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>Charms</u></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book with magic in it - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36859561-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i> by Tomi Adeyemi</b><br />This is another one I've heard nothing but good things about and I've been craving some African-inspired fantasy, so I can't wait to get to this one.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book with a cover that charmed you - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32993458-circe" target="_blank">Circe</a></i> by Madeline Miller</b><br />Admittedly this wasn't really a cover buy because I would have bought it anyway having loved <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11250317-the-song-of-achilles" target="_blank">The Song of Achilles</a></i> so much last year, but the cover is absolutely gorgeous, even more so in person, and I can't wait to read this one.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book that you think will leave a mark - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38606192-spinning-silver" target="_blank">Spinning Silver</a></i> by Naomi Novik</b><br />I'm nervous about this one because I didn't enjoy <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25068467-uprooted" target="_blank">Uprooted</a></i> as much as I hoped to, but I've been longing for a novel-length retelling of <i>Rumpelstiltskin</i> for a long time now and I've seen so many amazing reviews that I'm hoping this will become a new favourite. I'll be buddy reading this one with the lovely <a href="https://orchestratingaseachange.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Natalie @ A Sea Change</a>!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><u>History of Magic</u></b></span></div>
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book that you think would fit right in at the Hogwarts Library - <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21956219-assassin-s-apprentice" target="_blank"><i>Assassin's Apprentice</i></a> by Robin Hobb</b><br />That cover looks exactly like the kind of cover I'd expect to see in Hogwarts. I'm ashamed to say I've yet to read any Robin Hobb but she's an author I desperately want to try and, I hope, love.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book published at least 5 years ago - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865293.The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora" target="_blank">The Lies of Locke Lamora</a></i> by Scott Lynch</b><br />This is another modern classic of Fantasy that I've been meaning to get to for years and ever since I read and adored <i>Six of Crows</i> I've been craving more Fantasy about thieves. I believe this one also has a setting inspired by Venice and I love Italy so I'm very excited about this one.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Read a book that's at least 400 pages long - <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30255854-the-grace-of-kings" target="_blank">The Grace of Kings</a></i> by Ken Liu</b><br />This is another one I've started but put aside to try and get through some review books and to read some more YA which I've been rediscovering my love for this year. I've enjoyed what I've read so far so I'd be very proud if I could finish it in August!</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Are you taking part in the N.E.W.Ts Readathon? What are your reading plans for August?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-61440788699926566012018-07-25T13:02:00.000+01:002018-07-25T13:02:20.356+01:00This Week in Books | 25/07/18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week I'm joining in with <a href="https://lipsyy.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found</a> to talk about the books I've been reading recently!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/international-giveaway-blood-water.html" target="_blank">Have you seen my INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY?</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, times new roman, serif;">Last weekend I gave myself a whole day to chill out and do nothing but read, and that day I finished the book I was reading and then read two more, both in one sitting, so right now my reading buzz is back. I recently made myself <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/huge-second-half-of-2018-tbr.html" target="_blank">a TBR for the rest of the year</a> - nothing strict, but a bunch of books, including 20 review copies, that I'd like to try and read by the end of this year - so I've been working my way through it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Now:</b> I've recently started <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36215220-the-city-of-brass" target="_blank">The City of Brass</a></i> and I like what I've read so far. It's really refreshing to read a book set in 18th century Cairo; whenever Egypt pops up in books it tends to be Ancient Egypt, so to have a book acknowledging another period of the country's history is great. I love books about con artists and all I know about this book is that it's going to involve djinn/genies at some point and I am so here for that.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Then:</b> I was sent a copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39919068-west" target="_blank">West</a></i> to review via NetGalley and it was a really quick, beautifully written read. I didn't like it as much as I'd hoped but Carys Davies is definitely an author I'd like to read more of - check out my review <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/review-west-by-carys-davies.html" target="_blank">here</a>!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Next:</b> Even though I want to focus on the TBR I set for myself, these past couple of days I've been yearning for the rest of N.K. Jemisin's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/112296-the-broken-earth" target="_blank">Broken Earth</a></i> trilogy. I loved <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19161852-the-fifth-season" target="_blank">The Fifth Season</a></i> and I actually started <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26228034-the-obelisk-gate" target="_blank">The Obelisk Gate</a></i>, so I'd like to continue with it and maybe try and finish the trilogy this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What are you reading?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-45510857320143912572018-07-23T13:23:00.001+01:002018-07-23T13:23:24.299+01:00Review | The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31682109-the-abyss-surrounds-us" target="_blank">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Emily Skrutskie</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>For Cassandra Leung, bossing around sea monsters is just the family business. She’s been a Reckoner trainer-in-training ever since she could walk, raising the giant, genetically engineered beasts to defend ships as they cross the pirate-infested NeoPacific. But when the pirate queen Santa Elena swoops in on Cas’s first solo mission and snatches her from the bloodstained decks, Cas’s dream of being a full-time trainer seems dead in the water. Waiting for her on the pirate ship is an unhatched Reckoner pup. Santa Elena wants to take back the seas with a monster of her own, and she needs a proper trainer to do it. She orders Cas to raise the pup and teach him to fight for the pirates. If Cas fails, her blood will be the next to paint the sea.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Abyss-Surrounds-Us-Emily-Skrutskie-ebook/dp/B01KOYWD9C" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Abyss-Surrounds-Us/9780738746913/?a_aid=JGofton" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-abyss-surrounds-us/emily-skrutskie/9780738746913" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/the-abyss-surrounds-us-emily-skrutskie-9780738746913" target="_blank">Wordery</a> | <a href="https://www.northstareditions.com/product/the-abyss-surrounds-us/" target="_blank">North Star Editions</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lesbians, pirates and sea monsters - how could I say no to this novel?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Set in a future where the United States are no longer united and so much of what happens in the world is ruled by what happens on the sea, <i>The Abyss Surrounds Us</i> follows reckoner trainer Cassandra Leung on her first job as a fully-fledged trainer. In this future piracy has become a real problem again, so families like Cassandra's breed and train reckoners: sea monsters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The reckoners come in various breeds and imprint on ships, such as cruiser ships, and accompany them on voyages to protect them from pirates should any kind of attack occur. Reckoner training is all Cassandra has ever wanted to do, it's what she's been raised to do, and at the beginning of the novel she's finally ready to go on her first solo mission. And it's a disaster. Her reckoner is killed and Cas is taken hostage by the vicious pirate queen Santa Elena, who has somehow got her hands on a reckoner pup of her own, to even the playing field on the seven seas, and she wants Cas to train it to attack the very people Cas has spent her entire life training to protect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is one of those books that got better as I was reading it. This is something we hope happens with most books, but with this book in particular I started it a little unsure that I would like it while desperately hoping that I would because we need more leading f/f romances in SFF. Initially Cas seemed to get over being kidnapped a lot quicker than I thought she would - we don't learn that much about her individual family members, or even much about her family as a whole - and Santa Elena wasn't quite the fearsome villain I was expecting her to be at the beginning of the novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Soon enough, though, the novel evened out into a fun, fast-paced and at times a rather sinister read. Cas adapts to life aboard Santa Elena's ship rather quickly because she needs to adapt to survive, and her relationship with the pirate queen was an interesting one; there's a begrudging respect there between the two of them that makes the scenes they share tense but intriguing. Even Santa Elena herself went from the one-dimensional villain I was initially afraid she would be to a fleshed out and incredibly compelling character. In a way she evolved as a villain the more Cas got to know her, helping Cas to realise that while she's been raised to believe her family are doing the right thing they still train their sea monsters to mount vicious attacks on many people who've turned to piracy because it's their only option - and if this society has forced them into piracy, is it really moral at all to punish them for it?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">By far my favourite character, though, was Cas's love interest Swift. Again she was another character I wasn't sure I was going to get along with at first, but I adored that Skrutskie played around with the typical YA male love interest - the brooding bad boy with a secret heart of gold - and translated it into a woman. Swift and Cas both misunderstand one another, they both have pre-conceived prejudices about each other because of their upbringings, but there's genuine growth in their relationship. What I loved most, though, was how healthy their relationship was considering Cas is a captive and Swift is one of her captors. Cas is adamant (and rightly so) that however she might feel about Swift, while she's a captive on Santa Elena's ship the two of them can never be on equal footing, and they can't pursue a romantic relationship when they're not on equal footing. I loved Cas's insistence on this matter as well Swift's complete understanding.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was also refreshing to read a story about two LGBT+ girls whose story didn't revolve around them being LGBT+. Those stories are still relevant and they're still stories I love to read, but it was a real joy to read a book about two girls who like girls and nobody thinks anything of it - it's treated just like any other relationship, because it is. Minus the kidnapping and the piracy the sea monsters...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The future Skrutskie has imagined is a brutal but undoubtedly fun one. It's impossible not to feel like you're off on an adventure when you're reading a story about pirates, and her worldbuilding is excellent. So much of the book focuses on Cas training Santa Elena's reckoner pup - another favourite character, he's adorable and Skrutskie writes animals so well - and what goes into training a creature like that for these pirate-infested waters, and I enjoyed learning about what Cas's job entailed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So if you're in the mood for a pirate book, and even if you're not, I recommend picking this one up! I had a great time reading it, and I'd love to see it being widely read by YA and sci-fi fans alike - especially as f/f SFF simply isn't talked about enough.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-1983208749570075672018-07-22T12:00:00.000+01:002018-07-22T12:00:11.869+01:00Review | West by Carys Davies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37768070-west" target="_blank">West</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Carys Davies</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>When Cy Bellman, American settler and widowed father of Bess, reads in the newspaper that huge ancient bones have been discovered in a Kentucky swamp, he leaves his small Pennsylvania farm and young daughter to find out if the rumours are true: that the giant monsters are still alive, and roam the uncharted wilderness beyond the Mississippi River.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>West is the story of Bellman's journey and of Bess, waiting at home for her father to return. Written with compassionate tenderness and magical thinking, it explores the courage of conviction, the transformative power of grief, the desire for knowledge and the pull of home, from an exceptionally talented and original British writer. It is a radiant and timeless epic-in-miniature, an eerie, electric monument to possibility.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/West-Carys-Davies-ebook/dp/B07C8M5P9W" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/West-Carys-Davies/9781925603538/?a_aid=JGofton" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/west/carys-davies/9781783784226" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/west-carys-davies-9781501179341" target="_blank">Wordery</a> | <a href="http://grantabooks.com/west" target="_blank">Granta Books</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I received an eARC of <i>West</i> from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>West</i> is the debut novella from an established short story writer, and it feels like a debut novella from an established short story writer. Carys Davies' writing is stunning, and I love how sparse her writing is; each word she chooses is there to serve a purpose but she chooses each one with such skill that, although her style isn't flowery it is lyrical in its simplicity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That being said, I finished this story wishing I'd gotten a little more from it. <i>West</i> is set in 19th century Pennsylvania, where widower Cy Bellman reads an article describing the large bones that have been found out west. Though there are no pictures in the article, Cy is so taken with the idea of creatures so big that he simply has to see them, so he leaves his ten year old daughter, Bess, with his sister and sets out on his quest, and while he deals with the dangers of his journey it appears that Bess isn't entirely safe without her father's protection, either.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">There's a lot about this novella that I really liked. Cy's obsession with these bones and the descriptions of his fascination with them set <i>West</i> up to feel like a kind of 'fool's journey' story, in fact when Cy eventually finds himself being assisted on his quest by a First Nations boy <i>West</i> started giving me <i>Don Quixote</i> vibes. There's something about these bones, about these creatures no one's seen, that fills Cy with the most feeling he's had since the passing of his wife years before, and I loved how his behaviour could be read also as a man still dealing with grief and loss and perhaps even mental illness. There are mentions of him keeping everyone, including his daughter, at a distance for days at a time following his wife's death, which read to me like a man struggling through clinical depression in a time when no one understood what that was.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Having said that, I loved Bess and the sections of the novella about her a lot more. Cy and Bess were both well realised characters, but there was something about Bess that made her feel more substantial to me as a character. As her story went on she started to grow into a little human while Cy seemed to become less of a person and more of a parable of foolishness. That being said, Davies never mocks Cy or his desperation to see these creatures and know what they are. Other people he meets along the way might think he's crazy but Davies never does, and I appreciated that while his journey does become rather foolish Cy himself can never be completely described as a fool because so much of what he's doing is wrapped up in grief and a longing for something beyond himself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While I loved Bess, though, there were aspects of her story that frustated me a little. I really liked the juxtaposition of her father facing the wilderness and Bess growing into womanhood in a world where men might try and take advantage of her with no father to keep her safe, but it feels like a story I've seen before and I didn't think Davies was really saying anything new. I don't want every story I read to be a lesson - stories can just be stories and be enjoyed as such - but this story is so short already that I thought it was a shame that so many of Bess's sections were taken up with scenarios I've seen before, particularly in historical fiction. There are two men in particular who have horrid intentions and, to Davies' credit, she never writes gratuitously about their desires, but she does write in a way that's unnerving and makes us genuinely worry for Bess's safety. Even so, the young girl without parents being pursued by bad men is something I've seen too many times before, and I thought it was frustrating that the aunt she's been left with is useless in this regard. I would have thought that Bess's aunt, more than anyone, would have been aware of the kind of things that might happen to Bess without her father there to protect her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All that aside, this is a beautifully written piece of literary fiction and a melancholic exploration of the fool's journey and the consequences of that journey for 'the fool' himself and those around him. I look forward to seeing how Davies continues to develop as a writer, and if you're in the mood for something short and sweet with a Western Frontier vibe, I'd recommend giving <i>West</i> a go!</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-5239667407177209392018-07-20T22:23:00.004+01:002018-07-20T22:36:54.679+01:00HUGE second half of 2018 TBR!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm hoping to finish Emily Skrutskie's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34844689-the-edge-of-the-abyss" target="_blank">The Edge of the Abyss</a></i> tonight which will mean I'll have read 17 books so far this year. That's definitely less than I was hoping by July - although three of those books have been 5 star reads that I've been raving about since finishing them - but this year I've been writing a lot more than I've been reading, which has been wonderful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That being said, 2018 has also become the year that I've rediscovered my love for High/Epic Fantasy, not that it ever completely went away, and also the year that I've rediscovered my love for YA Fantasy in particular and I'd like to be reading more. The main reason I haven't been is because I haven't been making time for it, which is my own fault, so something I'd like to try and do the rest of this year is make more time for reading. I don't want to be super strict with myself because I don't want reading to turn into homework, but I am giving myself a TBR (an incredibly unrealistic one) for the rest of this year full of books that I'd like to try and have under my belt.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Will I get to all of these? Probably not, but I'd like to try and get to some of them and I'm creating this list today so I can keep track of my progress. The first 20 of these books are books I've been sent for review, mostly via NetGalley, and I want to get on top of my NetGalley reads - especially as I've had a lot of these for a while now! The others are a mix of 2018 releases that I'd like to read this year and some other books that I simply should have read by now and I'm annoyed that I still haven't.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">So, grab yourself a drink and a snack, and on with my list!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37768070-west" target="_blank">West</a></i> by Carys Davies:</b> A few years ago I organised a book launch that Carys Davies read at and her writing was beautiful. I've been meaning to read her short stories since then but still haven't, story of my life, but <i>West</i> is her first novel - more of a novella, really, at around 160 pages - set in 19th century America. As it's so short I'm hoping to read and review this one soon!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38922230-ghost-wall" target="_blank">Ghost Wall</a></i> by Sarah Moss:</b> Another very short one, Sarah Moss is another author I've been meaning to read for a while now and <i>Ghost Wall</i> sounds amazing. I believe it follows a young girl taking part in an archaeological experiment with her mother and her abusive father who has an obsession with the brutal lifestyle lived by Britain's Iron Age people.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33356835-see-what-i-have-done" target="_blank">See What I Have Done</a></i> by Sarah Schmidt:</b> I know <a href="https://itstartsatmidnight.com/2017/11/bookish-bummers-2017/" target="_blank">Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight</a> wasn't the biggest fan of this one and I've been curious to see what I think of it ever since, especially as it's a fictional account of the murders of Lizzie Borden's father and stepmother - murders Lizzie was suspected of committing herself.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31398420-the-good-people" target="_blank">The Good People</a></i> by Hannah Kent:</b> I adored Kent's debut, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17333319-burial-rites" target="_blank">Burial Rites</a></i>, so it's about time I read this one, too. I just haven't been in the mood for it yet!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39866035-the-silence-of-the-girls" target="_blank">The Silence of the Girls</a></i> by Pat Barker:</b> My only experience with Pat Barker is her WWI era novel <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22877077-regeneration" target="_blank">Regeneration</a></i> which I had to read during sixth form, but her latest novel, about the women of Troy after the Trojan War, sounds brilliant. It follows Briseis who is awarded to Achilles as a prize of war, and after I read and adored <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11250317-the-song-of-achilles" target="_blank">The Song of Achilles</a></i> last year it'll be interesting to read a book set during the same conflict from the women's point of view.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36510459-the-mermaid-and-mrs-hancock" target="_blank">The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock</a></i> by Imogen Hermes Gowar:</b> This book has been everywhere this year and I've actually already read a bit of it, but it didn't grip me like I hoped it would. I do want to finish it, though, because the writing is beautiful and I think there's the potential for it to be a real fun romp of a novel.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37560363-the-cursed-wife" target="_blank">The Cursed Wife</a></i> by Pamela Hartshorne:</b> This novel is described as a psychological thriller set in Elizabethan London. That's all I need to know.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38480475-the-king-s-witch" target="_blank">The King's Witch</a></i> by Tracy Borman:</b> There have been a lot of historians turning to historical fiction lately, in fact there are two more on this list, and Tracy Borman is a Tudor and Stuart historian whose documentaries I've always enjoyed so I'm intrigued by her first foray into fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39721927-lady-mary" target="_blank">Lady Mary</a></i> by Lucy Worsley:</b> Unlike Borman, Worsley, another historian who makes fantastic documentaries, has turned to writing fiction for younger readers to spark their interest in history, and I believe <i>Lady Mary</i> is her third novel. I'm really interested in reading a novel from the point of view of the young Mary I during the dramatic break-up of her parents' marriage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38324464-riddle-of-the-runes" target="_blank">Riddle of the Runes</a></i> by Janina Ramirez:</b> Once again, Ramirez is another historian whose recently turned to writing fiction with the first in a children's series about a young viking detective. This one sounds really fun and I'm looking forward to reading some more Middle Grade!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38078222-sea-witch" target="_blank">Sea Witch</a></i> by Sarah Henning:</b> Put witches in a story and I'm 1000% more likely to pick it up. I'm not usually a big fan of villain origin stories, mainly because they always seem to be tragic love stories and I find a broken heart as an excuse for villainy pretty boring, but what I love about the sound of this one is that Henning has combined <i>The Little Mermaid</i> with Denmark's long history of witch hunts and I'm looking forward to reading it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35277877-spoonbenders" target="_blank">Spoonbenders</a></i> by Daryl Gregory:</b> This one sounds absolutely bizarre and I'm ashamed to say I've had it for a year and still haven't read it, mainly because when I started reading it I fell pretty ill - I ended up in hospital overnight - and now I can't stop thinking of how lousy I felt the first time I started reading it. I'd still like to read it, though!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33574143-the-beautiful-ones" target="_blank">The Beautiful Ones</a></i> by Silvia Moreno-Garcia:</b> If you've been following my blog for a while you'll know I'm a huge fan of Moreno-Garcia's work so I'm annoyed I still haven't got to this one yet, but I'm hoping to read it soon!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31344916-the-bear-and-the-nightingale" target="_blank">The Bear and the Nightingale</a></i> by Katherine Arden:</b> I'm determined to read this one this winter, it's been on my TBR too long!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21881793-the-vanishing-throne" target="_blank">The Vanishing Throne</a></i> by Elizabeth May:</b> ... I don't even want to admit how long this one's been on my TBR, but hopefully I'll finally read and review it this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34802471-gone" target="_blank">Gone</a></i> by Min Kym:</b> I haven't read much non-fiction lately but this memoir sounds fascinating so I'm hoping to get to it this year. Perhaps I'll read it for Non-Fiction November!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35081541-under-the-pendulum-sun" target="_blank">Under the Pendulum Sun</a></i> by Jeannette Ng:</b> This historical fantasy follows a woman who must travel to the land of the Fae to find her brother, a missionary, who's gone missing there. It sounds amazing so it's about time I got to it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37913584-the-poppy-war" target="_blank">The Poppy War</a></i> by R.F. Kuang:</b> I've been eager for some Asian and African-inspired high fantasy this year and I keep seeing this novel everywhere. It's giving me <i>Mulan</i> vibes, so I'm hoping to love it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25150798-the-tea-girl-of-hummingbird-lane" target="_blank">The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane</a></i> by Lisa See:</b> As much as I love historical fiction I've been on such a fantasy kick this year that it's a genre I haven't been gravitating towards as much, so novels like this one keep getting left behind. It sounds really interesting, though, so I'd like to get to it at some point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40730474-pachinko" target="_blank">Pachinko</a></i> by Min Jin Lee:</b> I'm really interested in the history between Japan and South Korea, something this novel covers, but I've also seen so many mixed reviews of this one that it's made me a little hesitant to pick it up. I'm hoping to get to it sooner rather than later, though!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36859561-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i> by Tomi Adeyemi:</b> This novel has been EVERYWHERE this year and I still haven't read it even though I haven't seen a single bad review yet. This is one I'm hoping to read very, very soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30255854-the-grace-of-kings" target="_blank">The Grace of Kings</a></i> by Ken Liu:</b> More Asian-inspired fantasy! This is another novel I've already started and have enjoyed so far. I'm on a bit of a YA kick at the moment, but I'm planning to return to it soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30223025-dread-nation" target="_blank">Dread Nation</a></i> by Justina Ireland:</b> The American Civil War and zombies? Yes please. This one sounds really fun and I've seen some great reviews. As it has zombies in it I think I might save this one for Halloween unless the mood takes me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34198648-the-brilliant-death" target="_blank">The Brilliant Death</a></i> by Amy Rose Capetta:</b> This is one of the few books on this list that isn't out yet, but it's Italian-inspired fantasy with an LGBT+ romance. I'm all for LGBT+ fantasy and I love Italy so I can't wait to read a setting inspired by it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35702180-red-sister" target="_blank">Red Sister</a></i> by Mark Lawrence:</b> Assassins and nuns. Yes. I couldn't get on with this the first time I tried to read it but as I'm now completely back in a fantasy frame of mind I want to give it another try and I'm hoping to love it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35154014-the-queens-of-innis-lear" target="_blank">The Queens of Innis Lear</a></i> by Tessa Gratton:</b> This is a fantasy retelling of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25853023-king-lear" target="_blank">King Lear</a></i> in which three sisters vie for their father's throne. It sounds excellent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38606192-spinning-silver" target="_blank">Spinning Silver</a></i> by Naomi Novik:</b> I'm planning to buddy read this one with <a href="https://orchestratingaseachange.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Natalie @ A Sea Change</a>, which should be interesting considering she adored <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25068467-uprooted" target="_blank">Uprooted</a></i> and I thought it was okay. As this is a retelling of my favourite fairy tale, <i>Rumpelstiltskin</i>, however, I'm hoping I'll love it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32993458-circe" target="_blank">Circe</a></i> by Madeline Miller:</b> I fell in love with <i>The Song of Achilles</i> last year so I can't wait to read Miller's second novel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36215220-the-city-of-brass" target="_blank">The City of Brass</a></i> by S.A. Chakraborty:</b> This novel features a heroine who is a con artist in 18th century Cairo and includes a genie. That's all I need to know to want to read it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34070439-flame-in-the-mist" target="_blank">Flame in the Mist</a></i> by Renee Ahdieh:</b> Since reading <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23437156-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24790901-the-abyss-surrounds-us" target="_blank">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></i> this year I've developed a love for duologies, so I'd like to start this one set in Feudal Japan and featuring a girl who poses as a boy - one of my favourite tropes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36114451-on-the-front-line-with-the-women-who-fight-back" target="_blank">On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back</a></i> by Stacey Dooley:</b> The only other piece of non-fiction on this list, this is Dooley's first book. I love her documentaries so I'm hoping I'll really enjoy this, too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36531619-leah-on-the-offbeat" target="_blank">Leah on the Offbeat</a></i> by Becky Albertalli:</b> I haven't really been in the mood for Contemporary this year but I'm planning to read this one soon because I always enjoy Albertalli's novels.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35430702-the-lady-s-guide-to-petticoats-and-piracy" target="_blank">The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy</a></i> by Mackenzi Lee:</b> I really enjoyed <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue" target="_blank">The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue</a></i> last year so I can't wait to get my hands on this one!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39314467-my-mum-tracy-beaker" target="_blank">My Mum Tracy Beaker</a></i> by Jacqueline Wilson:</b> I haven't read any Wilson in years but she was my favourite author for the longest time during my childhood and I can't resist her new book in which a character I grew up with, Tracy Beaker, has become a mother herself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35563331-the-trials-of-morrigan-crow" target="_blank">Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow</a></i> by Jessica Townsend:</b> This is another book I haven't seen a single bad review for so I'm hoping to get to it soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865293.The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora" target="_blank">The Lies of Locke Lamora</a></i> by Scott Lynch:</b> I recently read the first page of this and could feel myself getting sucked in, but I wanted to finish <i>The Edge of the Abyss</i> before I let myself get pulled into another series. I've heard great things about this one and I believe this has a setting inspired by Venice, and I will take all the Italian-inspired fantasy I can get.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35890397-it" target="_blank">IT</a></i> by Stephen King:</b> I'm slowly making my way through this one and I'd like to finish it this year, especially as I loved the new film adaptation last year.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8366074-the-handmaid-s-tale" target="_blank">The Handmaid's Tale</a></i> by Margaret Atwood:</b> I still haven't read this one and I need to rectify that asap.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32802595-record-of-a-spaceborn-few" target="_blank">Record of a Spaceborn Few</a></i> by Becky Chambers:</b> I love Chambers' sci-fi so I can't wait for the latest addition to her series.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36426163-toil-trouble" target="_blank">Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft</a></i> ed. by Jessica Spotswood and Tess Sharpe:</b> An entire anthology of stories about witches? Yes please, give it to me now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/69714-the-grisha-trilogy" target="_blank">The Grisha Trilogy</a></i> by Leigh Bardugo:</b> And lastly, as I'm sure you all know by now I adored Bardugo's <i>Six of Crows</i> duology earlier this year and with the news that one of the main characters from that duology is going to make an appearance in her new book being released in January, I think it's about time I read the trilogy that introduced the Grishaverse. I've actually already started <i>Shadow and Bone</i> and I can already tell I'm not going to love it anywhere near as much as I loved <i>Six of Crows</i>, but I still want to read it and appreciate it for what it is so I completely understand this fantasy world by the time her new book comes out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you read all of this, I salute you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Also if you haven't seen it already I'm currently hosting a giveaway for one of my favourite reads of 2018, so head on over <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/international-giveaway-blood-water.html" target="_blank">here</a> to enter!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have you read any of these? Do you want to read any of these? And are there any books you really want to cross off your TBR by the end of the year?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-58175864645420588152018-07-13T12:06:00.001+01:002018-07-13T12:12:41.422+01:00Review | Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29975820-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Leigh Bardugo</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Break into the notorious Ice Court</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(a military stronghold that has never been breached)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Retrieve a hostage</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Survive long enough to collect his reward</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>(and spend it)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Six-Crows-Book-Leigh-Bardugo-ebook/dp/B01175KE0M" target="_blank">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Six-of-Crows/9781780622286/?a_aid=JGofton" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/six-of-crows/leigh-bardugo/9781780622286" target="_blank">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/six-of-crows-leigh-bardugo-9781780622286" target="_blank">Wordery</a> | <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250076960">Macmillan Publishers</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can't remember the last time I read a book and fell so head-over-heels in love with an entire group of characters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">People have been recommending <i>Six of Crows</i> to me for a long time now. Not only have I seen so many other readers bursting with love about this book, and its sequel <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35116827-crooked-kingdom" target="_blank">Crooked Kingdom</a></i>, but friends of mine such as the lovely <a href="https://orchestratingaseachange.wordpress.com/2016/05/24/six-of-crows-by-leigh-bardugo/" target="_blank">Natalie @ A Sea Change</a> have been singing its praises for what must be an age. It's a book I've always meant to get to - who doesn't love a heist story? - but this year I finally sat back, opened it up and was sucked into the seedy underbelly of Leigh Bardugo's fantasy world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As someone who hasn't read Bardugo's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/69714-the-grisha-trilogy" target="_blank">Grisha Trilogy</a></i> this world was entirely new to me, and I loved it. 2018 feels like the year in which I'm rediscovering my first love, fantasy, after several years of being intimidated by it for a reason I still can't quite put my finger on, and Ketterdam has to be one of my favourite fantastical places now purely because Bardugo brings it to life so vividly.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">While Ravka, which we hear of but don't go to in this book, seems to be a Russian-inspired country, there's no doubt in my mind that Ketterdam is a fantastical version of Amsterdam, with its waterways, merchant-run economy, and the entire districts whose cogs are kept whirring by a constant stream of gambling and prostitution. The Barrel, not at all dissimilar from Amsterdam's Red Light District, is ruled by gangs, and one gangster in particular has Ketterdam in his pocket.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kaz Brekker is one of the most compelling protagonists I have come across in a fantasy novel in a long time. From the blurb I thought he would be very different to the kind of boy he is, but I love how Bardugo has imagined him; she straddles the line between 'criminal prodigy' and 'only a 17 year old' beautifully, creating a character who's had to grow up far too fast and has the dirt of the worst and best of humanity wedged under his fingernails. He's like that first sip of a bitter coffee in human form. It was also so refreshing to read about a protagonist who needs the assistance of a cane to walk and I'd like more protagonists like this please!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What makes <i>Six of Crows</i> really sing is its characters. The setting is brilliant and the plot is wonderful, but the characters are what make this book - dare I say it - perfect. Alongside Kaz we have his right-hand woman Inej Ghafa, who was stolen from her home and her family as a child and sold into human trafficking before she began working for the Dregs. Known as the Wraith, she's an expert at going undetected and is yet another example of Bardugo's wonderfully complex characters. Inej's faith is important to her and her morality is something she struggles with when she has essentially become Kaz's personal assassin, but how else is she supposed to survive in a land that sees her as a commodity that can be sold for profit?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I loved Bardugo's exploration of religion through Inej and through Matthias, another protagonist from Fjerda, the country next to Ravka, who has essentially been raised in a cult of witch hunters whose own religion teaches that Grisha aren't human. Like all six of the protagonists in <i>Six of Crows</i>, Matthias has found himself washed up in Ketterdam by accident, beginning the novel in prison thanks to a Grisha, Nina, who serves as another protagonist. I'll be saying this for all of them, but I loved Nina, too. A child soldier from Ravka, she was forced to work with Matthias, a boy trained to kill her, after the ship they were on sank and they found their way to Ketterdam. Nina is bubbly and vivacious and loves food - who doesn't? - and I particularly loved her friendship with Inej. There's no competition between them, just the utmost affection and respect and when I say I want more female friendships this is what I mean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then we have Jesper Fahey, another member of the Dregs who loves gambling and guns a little too much, but another character who is complex and, though flawed, incredibly loyal to Kaz. I adored his sense of humour and his shameless bisexuality. Finally there's Wylan, a boy with a knack for explosives and keeping secrets. He's the kind of character that grows on you as the story progresses, and once you get to know him you can't help but love him.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Six of Crows</i> works because each of its protagonists are fleshed out and such fun to follow separately, but they also have brilliant chemistry as a group, too, which is for the best considering they have to rely on each other to pull off a heist that's believed to be impossible. Kaz makes a deal with one of Ketterdam's merchants to break into the Fjerdan Ice Court - a place that has never been breached - and smuggle out a prisoner associated with a drug that, when used on Grisha, turns them into unstoppable weapons who crave the drug more and more and eventually die as nothing more than husks of their previous selves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Kaz doesn't take on this mission out of the goodness of his heart to liberate the Grisha who are being mistreated or to bring order back to the world of the merchants, he takes on the mission because each of them will be rewarded with an inordinate amount of money that will pay off their individual debts and set them up comfortably for life. What ensues is a twisty, turny heist story that keeps you guessing at every turn and makes you genuinely worry for the characters' safety. I love that Bardugo doesn't make this story safe. Kaz has a plan and his plan has a plan, but when things go wrong - and they really do - these kids are forced to improvise if they're going to live to claim their reward.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's been a few months now since I finished this book and I'm still thinking about it. The plotting and character development is exquisite. I fell for this book and these characters and this world so hard, and it's safe to say that this duology is now one of my all-time favourite series and this book has definitely earned a spot on my favourite books of all-time list. It was such fun to read, and it reignited not only my love for fantasy but also my love for YA done well. I escaped into a different world where all the threats and the tears and the love and the smiles felt real, and I will be gushing about it for a long time. And I'm not sorry.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-42750754767719003992018-07-04T09:00:00.000+01:002018-07-04T09:00:06.005+01:00This Week in Books | 04/07/2018<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week I'm joining in with <a href="https://lipsyy.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found</a> to talk about the books I've been reading recently!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/international-giveaway-blood-water.html" target="_blank"><b>Have you seen my INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY?</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Now:</b> Ever since I read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/131836-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i> (yes I will mention it at every chance I get) I've been on a duology kick, so right now I'm half way through the second book in Emily Skrutskie's duology about pirates, sea monsters and girls kissing girls. I'm enjoying <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34844689-the-edge-of-the-abyss" target="_blank">The Edge of the Abyss</a></i> a lot so far and I'm looking forward to seeing how this series wraps up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Then:</b> I finished <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31682109-the-abyss-surrounds-us" target="_blank">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></i> at the weekend and really enjoyed it. I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do separate reviews or a series review, but look out for a review of some kind at some point!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Next:</b> I first read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17910048-the-goblin-emperor" target="_blank">The Goblin Emperor</a></i> in the summer of 2015 and, if someone put a gun to my head and made me choose, this is the novel I'd say is my all-time favourite novel. I've re-read or re-listened to it every year since I first read it, and I feel myself craving it during the summer because of my first memories of it so I think I'm going to re-read it again next.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What are you reading?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-21233750773166084422018-07-03T07:00:00.000+01:002018-07-03T11:31:09.784+01:00Top Ten Tuesday | USA TBR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">here</a>!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week's theme is ' Books with Red, White, & Blue Covers (In honor of the 4th of July in the USA. Choose covers with your own country’s colors if you prefer!)', but I decided to do something a little different and talk about some books on my TBR that are set in the USA instead! Oddly I've noticed that a lot of these would be good books to read near Halloween...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/07/international-giveaway-blood-water.html" target="_blank"><b>If you're interested, I'm currently hosting an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY</b></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17899351-the-diviners" target="_blank">The Diviners</a></i> by Libba Bray:</b> I've been meaning to read some Libba Bray for years and still haven't, and this series set in 1920s New York sounds so fun.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34697399-devils-unto-dust" target="_blank">Devils Unto Dust</a></i> by Emma Berquist:</b> The first of two novels on this list to feature zombies, this book is giving me serious <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13064072-blood-red-road" target="_blank">Blood Red Road</a></i> vibes, which I loved, and I have a soft spot for characters called Daisy and Ben so I really should get this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30223025-dread-nation" target="_blank">Dread Nation</a></i> by Justina Ireland:</b> More zombies but this time on the battleground of the American Civil War in this YA alternate history novel. This is another one that sounds really fun!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31180248-leah-on-the-offbeat" target="_blank">Leah On the Offbeat</a></i> by Becky Albertalli:</b> Can't wait to get to this one - huzzah for bisexual representation!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31560400-hex" target="_blank">Hex</a></i> by Thomas Olde Heuvelt:</b> I love books about witches and witch trials but I don't read much horror at all. <i>Hex</i> sounds so creepy and cool, though, so I'd like to get to it at some point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36626748-the-last-time-i-lied" target="_blank">The Last Time I Lied</a></i> by Riley Sager:</b> I read and enjoyed <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32796253-final-girls" target="_blank">Final Girls</a></i> last year and this one sounds like it'd be a fast-paced thriller to read over the summer!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21412507-things-half-in-shadow" target="_blank">Things Half in Shadow</a></i> by Alan Finn:</b> This one's been on my TBR for years and every Halloween I mean to pick it only to get distracted by something else.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33080122-the-calculating-stars" target="_blank">The Calculating Stars</a></i> by Mary Robinette Kowal:</b> This is a new release that's giving me <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30840370-hidden-figures" target="_blank">Hidden Figures</a></i> vibes, something of a sci-fi alternate history novel about women wanting to get involved with the colonisation of Mars.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30288282-the-immortalists" target="_blank">The Immortalists</a></i> by Chloe Benjamin:</b> I've heard great things about this novel so far, about a group of siblings who learn when they're going to die and how it effects the rest of their lives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35274560-unbury-carol" target="_blank">Unbury Carol</a></i> by Josh Malerman:</b> This one sounds like <i>Sleeping Beauty</i> gone wrong meets a western, which is a story I didn't know I needed until now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which books made your list this week?</span></div>
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Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-84479941048306625582018-07-02T11:01:00.001+01:002018-07-02T11:01:50.137+01:00International Giveaway | Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I recently had a wonderful spurt of five star reads when I finally got around to reading Leigh Bardugo's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/131836-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i> duology and, just before that, Joy McCullough's wonderful novel in verse, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35540804-blood-water-paint" target="_blank">Blood Water Paint</a></i> which I reviewed <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/05/review-blood-water-paint-by-joy.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Combining historical fiction with poetry, Joy McCullough has brought the story of 17th century Italian artist Artemisia Gentileschi to life. Artemisia Gentileschi is my favourite artist; a woman who took revenge with paint after she was sexually assaulted by a man her father hired to tutor her and, remarkably for her time, chose to press charges against him.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I devoured this book in one sitting and absolutely adored it, I'm confident it's going to remain one of my favourite books of 2018 and beyond, so I'm going to give a copy away! I'd love to see more people reading this book, so if you'd like to win a copy take a look at the giveaway information and leave a comment below telling me what your favourite read of 2018 has been so far!</span><br />
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<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This giveaway is open internationally to anywhere that the <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/" target="_blank">Book Depository</a> delivers to</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you're under 18, please make sure you have your parent/guardian's permission to give me your address which I'll need to send the book to you (I can promise you I won't share such personal information with anyone)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'll be getting in touch with the winner on the 1st August, so make sure you check your emails if you enter!</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Good luck!</span></li>
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<a class="rcptr" data-raflid="3e6bd5282" data-template="" data-theme="classic" href="http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/3e6bd5282/" id="rcwidget_be0rolv7" rel="nofollow">a Rafflecopter giveaway</a><br />
<script src="https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js"></script>Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-54986147196374479242018-06-29T09:00:00.000+01:002018-06-29T09:00:13.604+01:00Review | The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/183656.The_Two_Princesses_of_Bamarre"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The Two Princesses of Bamarre</span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Gail Carson Levine</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>When plague strikes Bamarre, Princess Addie must fulfill an ancient prophecy.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Brave and adventurous, Princess Meryl dreams of fighting dragons and protecting the kingdom of Bamarre. Shy and fearful, Princess Addie is content to stay within the safety of the castle walls. The one thing that the sisters share is their unwavering love for each other.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The tables are turned, however, when the Gray Death leaves Meryl fatally ill. To save her sister, meek Princess Addie must find the courage to set out on a dangerous quest filled with dragons, unknown magic, and death itself. Time is running out, and the sisters' lives—and the future of the kingdom of Bamarre—hang in the balance.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Princesses-Bamarre-Gail-Carson-Levine/dp/0007117787">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Two-Princesses-of-Bamarre--Rpkg-/9780064409667/?a_aid=JGofton">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-two-princesses-of-bamarre/gail-carson-levine/9780007117789">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/the-two-princesses-of-bamarre-rpkg-gail-carson-levine-9780064409667">Wordery</a> | <a href="https://www.harpercollins.co.uk/9780007117789/the-two-princesses-of-bamarre/">HarperCollins</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The Two Princesses of Bamarre</i> is one of those books I've seen so many people rave about as a childhood favourite, but it's one I never came across as a child. My earliest taste of Gail Carson Levine's work was in my last year of primary school when I came across a copy of <i>Ella Enchanted</i> in the library, but even though I liked it I never sought out any of her other books. Recently I was in the mood to dive back into Middle Grade, so I figured it was about time I picked up a copy of this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Had I read this when I was little I would have absolutely loved it and I'm pretty sure I'd still be looking back on it fondly now as a must-read fantasy novel for younger readers. As an adult reader, though, I didn't love this one as much as I was hoping. Obviously I'm not the target audience for this book but I do believe that a good Middle Grade novel should be able to be enjoyed by children <i>and</i> adults because children deserve books that don't talk down to them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That's not to say I didn't like this book, because I did, but so I can end this review on a high I'm going to talk about what I didn't like first. One of my biggest issues with the novel was that it seemed to drag on for a long time for a novel that's really quite short, and I think this is a case where the blurb contributed to that feeling for me. We know from the blurb that Meryl is brave and Addie is not, but that ultimately it's Addie who's going to have to go on an adventure to save Meryl and all of Bamarre when Meryl falls sick, and I felt like quite a large amount of the book had passed before Addie had even come to the realisation that this task was going to be hers. I appreciated that we weren't thrown immediately into the action and we had a chance to learn about the sisters and their kingdom, but when Meryl fell sick the plot seemed to stagnate for me before Addie finally set off on her quest.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A lot of that probably also has to do with the part of the novel that most surprised me, and that's that Meryl and Addie don't remain children. We're introduced to them as children, but if I remember correctly it's not until Addie turns 16 and the Gray Death has already killed a lot of people in Bamarre that she leaves home. I love well-written child narrators, either in MG or adult fiction, and because this is a novel aimed at younger readers all about being brave and how being brave isn't the same as not being scared, I thought it was a shame they were given a 16 year old heroine rather than a heroine closer to their own age. Particularly because Addie and Meryl continued to sound a lot younger than 16 to me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I can understand the logic behind Addie being a little older so that it's feasible that she would be allowed to go on her quest alone, except it makes no sense to me that a kingdom with one heir to the kingdom on her deathbed would allow their only other heir, who has no experience outside of the castle walls, to go on such a dangerous quest alone. I know it's a fantasy novel and we have to suspend our disbelief, but for me there's a difference between suspending disbelief and disregarding belief altogether. What baffles me is that Addie gets permission from her father to leave - I honestly don't understand how that man is still king, he's useless - when I would have found the whole scenario far more believable if she'd just snuck out instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">All that aside, there's so much more I liked about this book. Firstly, any book that focuses on the love between sisters is a winner in my eyes, and I loved that even though she's a princess and heir to Bamarre Meryl starts out as more of a 'Prince Charming' in training with her love for knights, heroism and violence, but she's ultimately the princess confined to her bed while her cowardly sister is forced into that 'Prince Charming' role to save her.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Coward seems like such a cruel word, but it's the best way to describe Addie and that's no bad thing. Addie is terrified of everything, especially of not having Meryl around anymore to help her feel safe, so it's far more satisfying to see her face her fears as it would have been to watch Meryl. Addie has to learn to be Addie, and not just Meryl's sister. I personally loved that Addie was genuinely cowardly so, when she was brave, it was a very different kind of bravery to what Meryl's would be. Her friends give her various magical objects before she leaves so that she has some kind of assistance when facing all of the dangerous creatures that roam the wilds of Bamarre, all of which were so fun and imaginative, and I loved how Addie used them to both help herself and to fight and outwit her enemies.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Her greatest enemy in the book is a dragon who takes her captive, and while Meryl probably would have slain it at first sight (or tried to) Addie learns its weaknesses and eventually escapes the creature with her brains rather than her fists. There's a whole pantheon of dragons in fantasy literature, but this one is probably one of the most sinister ones I've come across and definitely one I'll remember!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I think what I enjoyed most about this book, though, was the ending. There's very little I can say without spoiling it completely but I think it would have been easy for Levine to give us a perfect, sunshine and daisies ending even though this is a story about a kingdom that has been suffering at the hands of a dreadful disease for years. Instead I thought she made some very brave choices and I really admire her for making them, and it's because of the ending that I understand why this MG novel is a favourite of so many people, particularly people who read it during their childhood.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Did I love it? No. Would I recommend it? Definitely.</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-7501973789988255632018-06-27T13:03:00.002+01:002018-07-04T00:02:07.888+01:00This Week in Books | 27/06/18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week I'm joining in with <a href="https://lipsyy.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found</a> to talk about the books I've been reading recently!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Now:</b> As always I haven't done as much reading so far this month as I'd hoped, but I've started a few books that I'd like to finish soon and to be honest part of the reason I haven't been reading much is because I've been writing my own stuff a lot more which has been so much fun. I feel like I've rediscovered my love for storytelling. Right now I'm making my way through <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31682109-the-abyss-surrounds-us" target="_blank">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></i> by Emily Skrutskie which has pirates, sea monsters and an LGBT+ romance so I'm here for it. I'm enjoying it so far, look out for my review once I finish it!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Then:</b> The last book I completed is still <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35116827-crooked-kingdom" target="_blank">Crooked Kingdom</a></i> which is also probably why I haven't finished anything else yet; I loved that duology so much that I had to wait a couple of weeks before I could pick anything else up and not try and compare it to how much I loved <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/131836-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Next:</b> I'm not sure! If I really enjoy the rest of <i>The Abyss Surrounds Us</i> then I might jump straight into the sequel, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34844689-the-edge-of-the-abyss" target="_blank">The Edge of the Abyss</a></i> - especially as I'm definitely into duologies right now! But at this moment in time I'd really like to read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36660443-the-burning-chambers" target="_blank">The Burning Chambers</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25895524-red-sister" target="_blank">Red Sister</a></i> so I might end up picking one of those next, or I might continue with <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18952341-the-grace-of-kings" target="_blank">The Grace of Kings</a></i> which I also started this month and am enjoying so far. Which one would you recommend?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What have you been reading recently?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-68419247740336001392018-06-26T07:00:00.000+01:002018-06-26T07:00:16.967+01:00Top Ten Tuesday | Series I'd like to finish<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">here</a>!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week's theme is 'Series I’ve Given Up On/Don’t Plan to Finish', but I feel like I've talked about this fairly recently or at least recently enough that my answers won't be any different, so I decided to talk about the series I'd like to finish instead!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm a terrible finisher, but since devouring the <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/131836-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i> duology earlier this year I've rediscovered my love for reading whole series so I'd like to finish some more series this year if I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/112296-the-broken-earth" target="_blank">Broken Earth</a></i> trilogy by N. K. Jemisin:</b> I read and really enjoyed <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19161852-the-fifth-season" target="_blank">The Fifth Season</a></i> and started reading <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26228034-the-obelisk-gate" target="_blank">The Obelisk Gate</a></i> and then just got distracted by other things. I'd really like to return to this series, though, because it's one of the most original fantasy stories I've come across and I love the way it straddles fantasy and science fiction.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/107373-the-memoirs-of-lady-trent" target="_blank">The Memoirs of Lady Trent</a></i> by Marie Brennan:</b> I tried reading <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22313683-a-natural-history-of-dragons" target="_blank">A Natural History of Dragons</a></i> a few years ago and couldn't get into it, but earlier this year I ended up listening to the audiobook during my commute to work and enjoyed it. I'm not desperate to continue this series, but I'd definitely like to try the other books via audiobook at some point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/46888-parasol-protectorate" target="_blank">Parasol Protectorate</a></i> series by Gail Carriger:</b> So far I've read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6381205-soulless" target="_blank">Soulless</a></i>, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6933876-changeless" target="_blank">Changeless</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7719355-blameless" target="_blank">Blameless</a></i> and this series is one I turn to when I'm in the mood for something quick and fun - I'm hoping to finish this series this year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/68417-glamourist-histories" target="_blank">Glamourist Histories</a></i> series by Mary Robinette Kowal:</b> Another series that's light, fun and easy to read. I've only read the first two books so far but I've liked them enough to want to finish the rest of the series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/44043-mistress-of-the-art-of-death" target="_blank">Mistress of the Art of Death</a></i> series by Ariana Franklin:</b> This series is unusual in that it never got to end properly because the author sadly passed away after completing only four books, and I've seen from reviews that the fourth book actually ends with a cliffhanger. I don't actually love this series, but like the above series I find it really easy to read and I like the characters enough to want to know what happens to them. I've read three books so far so, even though I know it doesn't have an ending, I'd like get to the fourth book at some point.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/57803-his-fair-assassin" target="_blank">His Fair Assassin</a></i> trilogy by Robin LaFevers:</b> I really enjoyed <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9565548-grave-mercy" target="_blank">Grave Mercy</a></i> and I loved <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9943270-dark-triumph" target="_blank">Dark Triumph</a></i>, and yet for some reason I still haven't read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20522640-mortal-heart" target="_blank">Mortal Heart</a></i>. LaFevers is bringing out some more books following these characters next year, though, so I definitely need to get to it soon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/52811-fruits-basket" target="_blank">Fruits Basket</a></i> series by Natsuki Takaya:</b> <i>Fruits Basket</i> is one of my favourite animes and I started reading the manga but still haven't finished reading the series - I'd like to, though!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>The <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/47749-newsflesh" target="_blank">Newsflesh</a></i> trilogy by Mira Grant: </b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10813144-feed" target="_blank">Feed</a></i> is one of my favourite novels of all time and I loved <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10246718-deadline" target="_blank">Deadine</a></i>, too, but I'm ashamed to say I still haven't read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13135026-blackout" target="_blank">Blackout</a></i>. Oops.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/161533-the-girl-from-everywhere" target="_blank">The Girl From Everywhere</a></i> duology by Heidi Heilig:</b> I thought <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25950053-the-girl-from-everywhere" target="_blank">The Girl From Everywhere</a></i> was so fun with such a unique take on time travel, so I'd like to try and get to <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33195435-the-ship-beyond-time" target="_blank">The Ship Beyond Time</a></i> this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/44888-abhorsen" target="_blank">The Old Kingdom</a></i> series by Garth Nix:</b> I adored <i>The Old Kingdom</i> series when I was younger, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21882134-sabriel" target="_blank">Sabriel</a></i> remains one of my favourite books from my childhood/early teens, but I haven't read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7489530-clariel" target="_blank">Clariel</a></i> or <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30327443-goldenhand" target="_blank">Goldenhand</a></i> yet and, to be honest, I think I might have to re-read the earlier books before I do.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which books made your list this week?</span></div>
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Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-62335677079315949932018-06-25T09:00:00.000+01:002018-06-25T09:00:06.673+01:00Review | Gaslight by Eloise Williams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33836634-gaslight" target="_blank">Gaslight</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">by Eloise Williams</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My Rating: </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>1899. All Nansi knows is that her mother disappeared on the day she was fished out of Cardiff docks. She can't remember anything else. Now, with no other family to turn to, she works for Sid at the Empire Theatre, sometimes legally, sometimes thieving, trying to earn enough money to hire a detective to find her mother.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Everything changes when Constance and Violet join the theatre, both with their own dark secrets. Nansi is forced to be part of Violet's crooked psychic act. But it's when Constance recognises her, and realises who her mother must be, that Nansi's world is turned upside down forever. She is soon on the run for her life and she will have to risk everything if she's going to find the truth. </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>In Eloise Williams' wild, desperate world, with its unforgettable cast of characters, Nansi is a brave, complex heroine who will break your heart and make you cheer.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gaslight-Eloise-Williams-ebook/dp/B071LMBJD4">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Gaslight-Eloise-Williams/9781910080542/?a_aid=JGofton">Book Depository</a> | <a href="https://www.waterstones.com/book/gaslight/eloise-williams/9781910080542">Waterstones</a> | <a href="https://wordery.com/gaslight-eloise-williams-9781910080542">Wordery</a> | <a href="http://fireflypress.co.uk/node/301">Firefly Press</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's been the longest time since I read any Middle Grade and <i>Gaslight</i> has been on my radar for a while now after I kept seeing it everywhere last year. Firefly Press is a Cardiff-based publisher of MG and YA fiction, set up by a lovely lady I worked with during my first job in publishing, so I'm really pleased I finally picked up one of the Press's books and <i>Gaslight</i> has definitely reawakened my love for MG and made me want to pick up more from Firefly Press in future.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As you all know I love my historical fiction and, when it comes to MG historical fiction, the Victorian era is such a wonderful introduction to historical fiction and to history - especially as, in the UK at least, the Victorian era is usually touched upon in primary school. What I particularly enjoyed about <i>Gaslight</i>, though, is that it's set in Victorian Cardiff rather than London or even Edinburgh, which are both cities far more commonly explored in Victorian era novels. I lived in Wales for a few years and worked in Cardiff for two of those years, so I found it really immersive to be pulled into a story that mentioned landmarks I'm familiar with in a more personal way than the typical mentions of Big Ben or Buckingham Palace.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Our heroine Nansi lives and works for Sid in Cardiff's Empire Theatre, unable to remember anything about her early childhood or what happened to her beloved mother before she was pulled out of Cardiff docks. She's not the only one who's found herself working for Sid with nowhere else to go; Sid is something of a Fagin-esque character, but personally I find Fagin far more likeable. Nansi is a lot of fun to follow around, her character really jumps off the page, and <i>Gaslight</i> feels like a tip of the hat to Dickensian novels such as <i>Oliver Twist</i> and <i>David Copperfield</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">But because we have a leading lady rather than a young boy, there were elements of <i>Gaslight</i> that reminded me of Sarah Waters' <i>Fingersmith</i>, particularly as Nansi is privy to the darker underbelly of Victorian society. Sid isn't always sinister, there are times when he seems like something of a pantomime villain, but Eloise Williams isn't afraid to go to some dark places and there was one scene in particular where Sid was genuinely frightening and he felt like a real threat. His relationship with Nansi was written really well, too; she read like a young girl who'd grown up learning how to handle him depending on his various moods, meaning Nansi is a survivor in every sense of the word.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What I was most pleasantly surprised by was that Nansi's search for her missing mother didn't irritate me. That makes me sound like a stone-hearted trout, I know, but often when a character <i>really wants something</i>, particularly in fiction aimed at younger readers, we hear about that desire and nothing else and the story soon grows boring and repetitive. I thought Williams balanced Nansi's search for her mother really well with the rest of the novel, so it kept moving forward and I felt as though we learned something new every time Nansi mentioned her mother.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That being said, it was the pacing in the end that prevented me from giving <i>Gaslight</i> more than three stars. That's not a bad rating - I liked this novel a lot and whether you're a child or an older reader who enjoys MG I'd definitely recommend this novel (as long as, if you're a younger reader, you're comfortable with the darker elements) - but it definitely could have been higher if I hadn't felt as though the second half of the novel was a lot more rushed than the first half. Everything was solved a little too easily for my liking, and considering the risks Williams took earlier in the novel the ending lacked the same grit that the beginning had. And considering everything he does, I don't think Sid really got his comeuppance in the end.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If you're in the mood for some MG then <i>Gaslight</i> is definitely one I'd recommend, especially if you'd like to try some UK-based MG that isn't set in England!</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-63157916602617711012018-06-19T07:00:00.000+01:002018-06-19T07:00:01.024+01:00Top Ten Tuesday | My 2018 Summer TBR!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">here</a>!</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This year I've been letting myself get back into reading for the pure, unadulterated fun of it, and after reading and absolutely adoring <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29975820-six-of-crows">Six of Crows</a></i> earlier this year my love for fantasy is back with a vengeance and I'm craving it like mad. As well as high fantasy, lately I've really been in the mood to blast through some urban fantasy reads, the warm weather and my love of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36174638-the-song-of-achilles">The Song of Achilles</a></i> last year has put me in the mood for Ancient Greece, and I've been craving non-fiction, too, after barely reading any in 2017.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Essentially my summer TBR is brimming with fantasy and non-fiction, and I'm excited for all of it! So without further ado, here are the <strike>ten</strike> sixteen books I've got my eye on this summer:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294549-rosemary-and-rue">Rosemary and Rue</a></i> by Seanan McGuire:</b> I've seen <a href="https://bookshelffantasies.com/">Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies</a> sing this series' praises for so long and it's a series I've been meaning to get to for the longest time. Seanan McGuire also writes under Mira Grant, and is therefore the author of my beloved <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/47749-newsflesh">Newsflesh</a></i> trilogy, and I'm looking forward to reading her take on faeries - especially as someone who isn't usually drawn to faerie books.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19486406-how-the-white-trash-zombie-got-her-groove-back">How the White Trash Zombie Got Her Groove Back</a></i> by Diana Rowland:</b> I powered through the first three books in this series a few years ago and had a great time, but haven't read any more of them despite owning books four and five. It's about time I rectified that!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71811.Moon_Called">Moon Called</a></i> by Patricia Briggs:</b> This is another urban fantasy series I've heard great things about and I've had a copy of <i>Moon Called</i> on my kindle for almost three years so it's about time I read it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30316130-djinn-city">Djinn City</a></i> by Saad Z. Hossain:</b> This one is giving me <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/849119.Haroun_and_the_Sea_of_Stories">Haroun and the Sea of Stories</a></i> vibes and, when it comes to mythology/folklore, genies aren't a creature I come across very frequently so I'd like to try something a little different this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25244111-a-thousand-nights">A Thousand Nights</a></i> by E. K. Johnston:</b> I can't believe I still haven't read this one even though I own a copy of the gorgeous UK hardback, thanks to the lovely <a href="http://mikaylasbookshelf.blogspot.co.uk/">Mikayla @ Mikayla's Bookshelf</a>, so I think it's about time I crossed it off my TBR. Plus when I think of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6913918-the-arabian-nights"><i>The</i> <i>Arabian Nights</i></a>, I can't help but think of the summer, warm weather and desert nights.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38606192-spinning-silver">Spinning Silver</a></i> by Naomi Novik:</b> Another retelling from the same author who brought us <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25068467-uprooted">Uprooted</a></i> which, to be honest, I didn't love, but as this is a retelling of my favourite fairy tale, <i>Rumpelstiltskin</i>, I have to pick it up when it's released this July.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/32993458-circe">Circe</a></i> by Madeline Miller: </b>I finally read and adored <i>The Song of Achilles</i> last year, so I can't wait to get to Miller's second novel this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33195435-the-ship-beyond-time">The Ship Beyond Time</a></i> by Heidi Heilig:</b> I read and really enjoyed <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28450893-the-girl-from-everywhere">The Girl From Everywhere</a></i> a couple of years ago and still haven't read the sequel. I don't tend to read many books set on ships, but when I do it's usually during the summer; there's something so summery about the sea.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36859561-children-of-blood-and-bone">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i> by Tomi Adeyemi:</b> I've heard nothing but great things about this African-inspired high fantasy so far, so I need to get to it this year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25413631-headscarves-and-hymens">Headscarves and Hymens: Why the Middle East Needs a Sexual Revolution</a></i> by Mona Eltahawy:</b> This is another one I've had on my TBR for the longest time and, as I'm in the mood for non-fiction this year, I'd like to get around to it this summer if I can.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7620761-the-butterfly-mosque">The Butterfly Mosque: A Young American Woman's Journey to Love and Islam</a></i> by G. Willow Wilson:</b> In the past year or so I've become really interested in Islam. Unfortunately it's a religion that, in the UK at least, has been tainted by its association with terrorism and often the media wants us to believe that Islam = evil because it helps them sell newspapers. If Islam is going to be talked about so much then I want to learn more about it so I'm not another ignorant butthole leaving ignorant comments on the internet, and I'm fascinated by what it was that encouraged G. Willow Wilson to convert to the faith. If you're wondering where you recognise her name from, she's the author of the <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/124376-ms-marvel-collected-editions">Ms. Marvel</a></i> graphic novels!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36114451-on-the-front-line-with-the-women-who-fight-back">On the Front Line with the Women Who Fight Back</a></i> by Stacey Dooley:</b> I've been a big fan of Stacey Dooley's work for almost ten years now, her documentaries are always excellent, so I'm looking forward to reading her very first book.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39926903-fire-from-heaven">Fire from Heaven</a></i> by Mary Renault:</b> One of my friends adores Alexander the Great and has been recommending Mary Renault's fiction to me for a few years now, so when I saw this beautiful new Virago Modern Classics edition I couldn't resist it. I know very little about Alexander the Great apart from that he died very young and yet accomplished so much in those few years, so I'm looking forward to learning more about him through Renault's fiction.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16071704-the-sweet-girl">The Sweet Girl</a></i> by Annabel Lyon:</b> I read Lyon's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12928257-imagining-ancient-women">Imagining Ancient Women</a></i> a couple of years ago in which she talked about her research for this novel, so I thought it'd be fun to read this one. I know very little about this one other than it's about Aristotle's daughter after the death of Aristotle and Alexander the Great (there he is again) and the tumultuous turn her life takes.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36524694-the-children-of-jocasta">The Children of Jocasta</a></i> by Natalie Haynes:</b> We've all heard of the Oedipus complex, but I know very little about the Oedipus myth other than that Oedipus was a prince who was raised by the enemy kingdom and, when he defeated the man he didn't know was his birth father, ended up taking his birth mother as his wife. Here classicist Natalie Haynes has chosen to retell the story from the point of his mother, Jocasta, and I've heard brilliant things about it so far.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/290090.Troy">Troy</a></i> by Adèle Geras:</b> I've owned this one for a while now and I was very lucky to meet </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Adèle Geras at an event at Litfest several years ago now and she was wonderfully eccentric. As much as I adored <i>The Song of Achilles</i> last year I do feel like the Trojan War has been rather overdone in the realm of Ancient Greek books and movies, but I like the sound of this one because it's the story of two Trojan sisters trying to survive amidst the war rather than following the well-known names such as Achilles, Hector or Paris.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which books made your list this week?</span></div>
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Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-12079076799748759712018-06-16T11:43:00.000+01:002018-06-16T15:49:17.926+01:00Seven series to start this summer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Series were something I fell out of love with for a little while. When I was younger I adored series! I loved spending a long time with the same set of characters, watching them grow and change and waiting to see if all of the characters I loved would still be there when the adventure eventually came to an end. I don't think I'm being melodramatic when I say my teen years were defined by the release of the next <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/45175-harry-potter" target="_blank">Harry Potter</a></i> book and film; the books I adored, but the films went from fun Christmas treats at the cinema to, from the fourth film onwards, the summer blockbusters my friends and I looked forward to when school came to an end for the year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then, thanks to the <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41865.Twilight" target="_blank">Twilight</a></i> franchise, publishers started to take YA publishing seriously and YA series became the new thing. Unfortunately, while I think YA publishing has done far, far more good than bad, it's actually YA I have to thank for my falling out of love with series. When YA first started out there were trends (there still are, but I don't think they have quite as much of an impact on the kind of stories that get published as they used to) from vampires to dystopian fiction that turned every YA trilogy into exactly the same story. There were the same tropes, the same love interests, the same basic story arc to the point where I could guess what was going to happen in a sequel before it even came out, and it turned series into something I loved to immerse myself in to something I was bored of.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This wasn't entirely a bad thing. Over the past few years I've developed such a love and appreciation for well-told standalone novels and, nine times out of ten, I'd much rather read a standalone to a series now. This year, though, thanks to the fantastic <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/131836-six-of-crows" target="_blank">Six of Crows</a></i> duology, I've rediscovered my love for a truly good series.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's something of a running joke with me that my entire reading life is defined by series I either haven't started or haven't finished, but that's something I'd like to get better at, so today I thought I'd talk about seven series I'd like to start this summer! Some are long, some are short, some are new, some are old, and they're all books I'm excited to read.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This is one I've <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/06/pride-month-reading-challenge-tbr.html" target="_blank">already mentioned this month</a> and one I'm hoping to get to very soon! The first half of a duology, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24790901-the-abyss-surrounds-us" target="_blank">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></i> features pirates and sea monsters and a sapphic romance which I am so here for. Frankly I'm surprised we don't have more LGBT+ pirate stories, particularly stories featuring women, considering Mary Read and Anne Bonny were rumoured to be lovers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I keep seeing <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34728667-children-of-blood-and-bone" target="_blank">Children of Blood and Bone</a></i> everywhere - not that I'm surprised; that cover is gorgeous - and friends of mine who've read it have nothing but brilliant things to say about it. I've mentioned several times this year that I've rediscovered my love for high fantasy and I'm keen to read more African and Asian-inspired high fantasy. Not only is this fantasy world African-inspired, but it also includes one of my favourite fantasy tropes: magic banned by those in power. I can't wait for this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I had no real intention of getting this one when it came out; I've tried reading Kate Mosse's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14975.Labyrinth" target="_blank">Labyrinth</a></i> before and ended up DNFing it because it was so long and nothing happened for what felt like an eternity. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36660443-the-burning-chambers" target="_blank">The Burning Chambers</a></i> is another beast, but it's historical fiction set during one of my favourite periods of history - the 1500s - featuring the religious turmoil at this time that I have always found fascinating. More than anything this story sounds like an adventure and I'm hoping to get lost in it this summer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Robin Hobb has been on my TBR for far too long, so it's about time I read <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/77197.Assassin_s_Apprentice" target="_blank">Assassin's Apprentice</a></i>. I've heard so many wonderful things about this series and this world and, if I fall in love with it like I'm hoping to, there are so many more books for me to enjoy!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fun fact: Set a story in a nunnery and I'm 100000000% more likely to read it. Turn the nuns who inhabit (get it?) that nunnery into assassins and I am THERE. Still haven't started this series, though. Oops. I actually tried reading <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25895524-red-sister" target="_blank">Red Sister</a></i> when it first came out after receiving a copy through NetGalley but I couldn't get into it despite seeing so many rave reviews, so I decided to put it down and I recently bought myself my own copy to give it another try.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I'm going to be completely honest and say I had no desire to read this until very recently. I remember it coming out and not paying much attention to it, but I recently received a bookmark promoting the sequel in a <a href="https://www.fairyloot.com/" target="_blank">FairyLoot</a> box and decided to look into <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35738753-flame-in-the-mist" target="_blank">Flame in the Mist</a></i> again and realised that, actually, it sounds like something I'd really enjoy. I'm trying to read more books set in Asia, I feel like it's a continent that's been neglected in my reading, and another of my favourite tropes is girls posing as boys so I am ready to dive into this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Seanan McGuire is one of my faves - I'm still not over <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7094569-feed" target="_blank">Feed</a></i> and never will be, so thanks for that Seanan - and I've been meaning to read her <i>October Daye</i> series for years. Urban fantasy isn't something I read often but, when I do, I devour it in humungous gulps until I'm stuffed on it. I'm also not a big fan of faerie books, not sure why, but I'm looking forward to seeing McGuire's take on the fae in <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6294549-rosemary-and-rue" target="_blank">Rosemary and Rue</a></i> and, if I enjoy it, devouring the rest of the enormous series. I know <a href="https://bookshelffantasies.com/" target="_blank">Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies</a> loves this series so I'm hoping I will, too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Do you read a lot of series, or are you more of a standalone reader? What are some of your favourite series? And are there any series you're planning to start or finish this summer?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-26854820466108652852018-06-05T07:00:00.000+01:002018-06-24T01:14:19.307+01:00Top Ten Tuesday | Pride Month Reading Recommendations!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNbRNgBJ-jP_JY4VM3rHm2rB0c5KjLgbI0kJ_pcmUl2995xjNRO6mEtysX5I29vbX_ILVx7AFDQevaXODEFvZMXjfy5GKbhrZGeqNCyrh_PS8NeEd1rtwdjT9eVooTCkaThzUUG5sRC2y/s1600/TTT-Big2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="203" data-original-width="500" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeNbRNgBJ-jP_JY4VM3rHm2rB0c5KjLgbI0kJ_pcmUl2995xjNRO6mEtysX5I29vbX_ILVx7AFDQevaXODEFvZMXjfy5GKbhrZGeqNCyrh_PS8NeEd1rtwdjT9eVooTCkaThzUUG5sRC2y/s640/TTT-Big2.png" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted at <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/">That Artsy Reader Girl</a>. Each week you compile a list of ten books which coincide with that week's theme. You can find everything you need to know about joining in <a href="http://www.thatartsyreadergirl.com/top-ten-tuesday/" target="_blank">here</a>!</i></span><br />
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<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week's theme is 'Books I Decided to DNF (did not finish) too Quickly', but as someone who's a big fan of DNFing books that just aren't working for me, I decided to talk about my LGBT+ recommendations for Pride instead - Happy Pride Month!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">(I'm also hoping to read at least one LGBT+ novel this month - you can take a look at my TBR <a href="http://jessticulates.blogspot.com/2018/06/pride-month-reading-challenge-tbr.html" target="_blank">here</a>, if you like.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25526296-every-heart-a-doorway" target="_blank">Every Heart a Doorway</a></i> by Seanan McGuire:</b> We're starting off with a strange recommendation because I didn't actually enjoy this one very much; I liked the concept far more than its execution, but this is the only book I've come across (so far) in which the protagonist identifies as asexual, and describes herself as such, and we need far more asexual representation in fiction.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20579291-lies-we-tell-ourselves" target="_blank">Lies We Tell Ourselves</a></i> by Robin Talley:</b> Set in America in 1959 when black students were first admitted to previously all-white high schools, this powerful debut follows two teenage girls, Sarah and Linda, as they battle racism, both outwardly and inwardly, and their growing feelings for each other.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda" target="_blank">Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</a></i> by Becky Albertalli:</b> Another fantastic voice in the world of YA, Becky Albertalli's debut follows Simon as he tries to find the courage to tell his friends and family that he's gay, only to be blackmailed by a fellow student who wants his help winning the affection of a girl at school. This is fun, funny and heart-warming, and has some brilliant things to say about the process of coming out.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29283884-the-gentleman-s-guide-to-vice-and-virtue" target="_blank">The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue</a></i> by Mackenzi Lee:</b> A spoiled, wealthy, bisexual boy from an aristocratic family is given the opportunity to take a tour of Europe before he must resolve himself to the family business in this incredibly fun novel. Add to the mix the best friend he's fallen in love with, a sister with no intention of going to finishing school and a theft that sees them being pursued across Europe and you have a wild ride of a novel.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17187000-fingersmith" target="_blank">Fingersmith</a></i> by Sarah Waters:</b> Quite possibly the twistiest, turniest book I've ever read, <i>Fingersmith</i> is considered Sarah Waters' masterpiece and reads like a Dickensian thriller - only this time, the women have agency. Because of the Victorian setting this one is a great book to read in the autumn, but if you're looking for something to sink your teeth into for Pride this month I'd definitely recommend this one.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
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</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25786523-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet" target="_blank">The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet</a></i> by Becky Chambers: </b>This is one of my favourite science fiction novels. While its focus is far more on character than plot, the universe Chambers has created is such a beautiful, hopeful vision of the future. She explores sexuality, gender, family units, war, peace and what it means to be human, and if you haven't read this one yet then I can't recommend it enough.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28501515-a-portable-shelter" target="_blank">A Portable Shelter</a></i> by Kirsty Logan:</b> The stories in this collection, inspired by Scottish folklore, are told to an unborn child by its mothers, who are eagerly awaiting its birth. It's a lovely, melancholic collection and definitely one to read for anyone interested in folklore and fairy tales.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36174638-the-song-of-achilles" target="_blank">The Song of Achilles</a></i> by Madeline Miller:</b> One of my favourite novels of all time, this stunning novel tells the story of Patroclus and Achilles, from their childhood together up to their roles in the Trojan War, and their relationship as it grows from friendship, to companionship to love. Definitely one to read if you haven't already!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17738894-carmilla" target="_blank">Carmilla</a></i> by J. Sheridan Le Fanu: </b>Given that this is a Victorian novella I can't imagine Le Fanu would have described this as a lesbian story but, like most early vampire stories, <i>Carmilla</i> is awash with homoeroticism. This novella was released about 25 years before <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/588495.Dracula" target="_blank">Dracula</a></i> and, in my opinion, is the far better work. One to read if you'd like something short this month!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28433627-the-one-hundred-nights-of-hero" target="_blank">The One Hundred Nights of Hero</a></i> by Isabel Greenberg:</b> This beautiful graphic novel has stories within stories as two women in love tell tales to a friend of the husband of one of the women who has made a bet that he can seduce her while her husband is away. Inspired by <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6913918-the-arabian-nights" target="_blank">The Arabian Nights</a></i>, it features stories about and for women in a fantasy world where women are second-class citizens.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Which books made your list this week?</span></div></div>Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-38791646321832098552018-06-03T23:59:00.000+01:002018-06-03T23:59:08.669+01:00Pride Month Reading Challenge | TBR<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><span style="color: red;">H</span><span style="color: orange;">a</span><span style="color: yellow;">p</span><span style="color: lime;">p</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">y</span></span> <span style="color: purple;">P</span><span style="color: red;">r</span><span style="color: orange;">i</span><span style="color: yellow;">d</span><span style="color: lime;">e</span> <span style="color: blue;">M</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: purple;">o</span></span><span style="color: red;">n</span><span style="color: orange;">t</span><span style="color: yellow;">h</span><span style="color: lime;">!</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This month <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS1LqPXS_Tc">Simon @ Savidge Reads</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/GesterG91">George at @ The George Lester</a> are hosting a reading challenge to celebrate Pride, and as someone who doesn't identify with any kind of label but definitely doesn't consider herself 'straight', I couldn't resist joining in.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">They're hosting some <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjjzK1BlHuI/">fun challenges on Instagram</a> that you can take part in, so today I thought I'd share my very tentative TBR for the month. Now as many of you know already I don't do well with TBRs, but it's my goal to read at least one LGBT+ book this month and there are several I can choose from, so today I thought I'd share them with you!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25584847-the-night-watch">The Night Watch</a></i> is the only one of Sarah Waters' novels I've yet to read. I've actually started it a couple of times and haven't been able to get into it, but as she's one of my favourite authors I'd really like to have all of her novels under my belt until she releases her next one, whenever that may be. <i>The Night Watch</i> is set during the Second World War and is told backwards, following a group of characters in London during The Blitz. As with all but one of her novels, <i>The Night Watch</i> is a book with at least one queer protagonist - although her non-queer novel, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7234875-the-little-stranger">The Little Stranger</a></i>, has a side character who it's fairly heavily implied is not heterosexual - and I'm looking forward to reading another novel from one of my favourite storytellers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Yet another favourite author of mine, I've adored both <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19547856-simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda">Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653853-the-upside-of-unrequited">The Upside of Unrequited</a></i> by Becky Albertalli, who is now my go-to author for YA contemporary fiction. Now her latest novel, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31180248-leah-on-the-offbeat">Leah On the Offbeat</a></i>, follows one of the side characters from <i>Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda</i> who just so happens to be bisexual. It's very rare to come across bisexuality in fiction, especially a bisexual main character, so I can't wait to read this one.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One of my friends is a big Alexander the Great fan and she's been recommending Mary Renault's novels to me for a while now, so really it's about time I picked up a copy of <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39926903-fire-from-heaven">Fire From Heaven</a></i> and I now have a copy of this gorgeous new Virago 40th anniversary edition. It's so warm in the UK right now that I've been craving some fiction set in Ancient Greece and this novel is the perfect opportunity for me to merge that desire with Pride!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">All I know about Emily Skrutskie's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31682109-the-abyss-surrounds-us">The Abyss Surrounds Us</a></i> is that it's the first book in a duology, something I'm very into right now, and it's a book about lesbians, pirates and sea monsters. What more could a girl want? If I enjoy this one it'd be nice to to read the whole duology this month but we'll see how my reading goes as I recently started Ken Liu's <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18952341-the-grace-of-kings">The Grace of Kings</a></i>, which is quite a beast.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Gail Carriger has become one of those authors I turn to when I'm in the mood for something comforting and fun, but whether or not I read her two novellas, <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30731095-romancing-the-inventor">Romancing the Inventor</a></i> and <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31287528-romancing-the-werewolf">Romancing the Werewolf</a></i>, depends entirely on whether or not I finish her <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/46888-parasol-protectorate">Parasol Protectorate</a></i> series this month. To be honest I might just read <i>Romancing the Inventor</i> as I'm fairly sure <i>Romancing the Werewolf</i> is set over Christmas, so it'd be nice to save it for December, but if I feel like I need some gay werewolves in my life this June - and when don't I, let's be honest - I'll be picking this one up too.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Have you got any reading plans this Pride Month?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8513140108485649021.post-36159972667003373512018-05-30T12:48:00.001+01:002018-05-30T12:48:13.994+01:00This Week in Books | 30/05/18<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This week I'm joining in with <a href="https://lipsyy.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Lipsy @ Lipsyy Lost & Found</a> to talk about the books I've been reading recently!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Now:</b> I've been bitten by the Bardugo bug. This year I finally read and ADORED the <i>Six of Crows</i> duology, it's now easily one of my favourite series of all time, and even though I'm still not as interested in the <i>Grisha</i> trilogy I think Bardugo's world-building is superb and I'd like to read the trilogy so I have all the background information when the first book in her next duology is released next year.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Then:</b> <i>Crooked Kingdom</i> made me laugh and it made me cry. I didn't love it as much as I loved <i>Six of Crows</i>, because <i>Six of Crows</i> is such a fun heist story, but the entire duology is masterfully done in terms of the world-bulding, the characters (and their development), and the fantastic, intricate plotting. It's been so long since I've finished a series I'd forgotten how bereft I can feel when I don't have a new adventure waiting for me with characters I love, so I'm feeling a bit lost right now. I know I'm not going to love the <i>Grisha</i> trilogy as much as I loved this duology, but I'll gobble up anything else I can set in this world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Next:</b> I'm hoping I'll be able to power through the whole trilogy once I start it. This year feels like the year I'm returning to fantasy and <i>Six of Crows</i> has cemented my love of the genre. I want to consume all the fantasy I can. Because of when it was published I have a feeling this trilogy is going to fall into some of the tropes that a lot of YA trilogies fell into a few years ago, but as I've mentioned I'm fascinated by Bardugo's world-building and I'd like to explore Ravka.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">What have you been reading recently?</span></div>
Jess @ Jessticulateshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03081569733749956845noreply@blogger.com0