Top Ten Tuesday | Sequels I Want to Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature created at The Broke and the Bookish. 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 here!

This week's theme is 'Top Ten Sequels I Can't Wait To Get'. This year I've been reading more standalones than series, and although I love a good series I can be pretty picky about them; I'll read some of the first book, and if I don't like it then I won't make myself read the rest of the series. There are a few books on this list I really can't wait to get my hands on - particularly the books by Robin LaFevers, C. J. Sansom and Marissa Meyer - but there definitely aren't ten series I can't wait to get the next installment of. As I said, I'm pretty picky with my series.

So instead, here are ten sequels I'd definitely like to read at some point!

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers: The third and final installment in the His Fair Assassin trilogy, one of those trilogies I didn't expect to like as much as I do. I read Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph back to back in the spring, and I've been looking forward to the release of Mortal Heart since then. I can't wait to see how this story ends, and to see poor Annith finally get a chance to speak!

Lamentation by C.J. Sansom: I've mentioned the Shardlake series countless times on my blog. I love historical fiction - did I not mention that? - and historical crime is so much fun, and when it comes to historical crime the Shardlake series is the series I love the most. I've been looking forward to the release of Lamentation since I finished Heartstone around this time last year, and it's one of my most anticipated releases of 2015. It actually recently came out, but all of my Shardlake books are in paperback and it's currently only available in hardback; I like my series to match and look pretty on my shelves!

Winter by Marissa Meyer: Probably my most anticipated read of 2015. The Lunar Chronicles has quickly become one of my all time favourite series, up there with Harry Potter, and after reading Cress this February I can't wait to see what's going to happen next and how this series is going to end. I love fairy tale retellings, and Meyer's series is just so original and imaginative, and I also have it to thank for my newfound interest in science fiction. I can't wait!

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion: I read The Rosie Project at the start of this year, and while I didn't love it as much as a lot of other people seemed to I did enjoy it, and I'd like to read the sequel purely because I have a weakness for contemporary reads about people having babies. I just hope Simsion hasn't jumped on the popularity of The Rosie Project and written a poor sequel.

Clariel by Garth Nix: The Old Kingdom is one of my favourite series; I read Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen during my teens and adored them, and I've been waiting for the release of Clariel for years. Like Lamentation, I'm waiting until I come across a paperback edition that matches my other Old Kingdom books.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer: Technically this is a prequel rather than a sequel, but it still counts right? I was gutted when I heard Winter's release had been postponed to November 2015, but the upcoming release of Fairest certainly makes up for it; I'm really looking forward to reading Levana's story, because that bitch is crazy.

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop by Jenny Colgan: I actually recently picked up a copy of this when I found it for just £3.85. This book is the sequel to Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweet Shop of Dreams which I read only recently and really enjoyed; I'm planning on reading this next month for some shameless Christmas reading!

The Mirk and Midnight Hour by Jane Nickerson: While The Mirk and Midnight Hour is the second book in a trilogy, it's not the kind of trilogy that carries on from the previous book. Each of the books in this trilogy are completely different stories with completely different characters, but they're linked by the fact that all three of them are fairy/folk tale retellings set in 18th/19th century America. What I love about this series is not only the setting - again, I'm all over historical fiction - but also that Nickerson has chosen to retell fairy/folk tales which aren't as well known. The first book, Strands of Bronze and Gold, was a retelling of the Bluebeard story, and The Mirk and Midnight Hour is a retelling of Tam Lin. I'd really like to get my hands on a copy soon!

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman: American Gods was the first book I read this year and I absolutely loved it. Anansi Boys isn't quite a sequel, but it's set in the same world as American Gods and appears to feature some of the same characters. Until Gaiman writes an actual sequel to American Gods, which he's talked about before, I'll have to make do with Anansi Boys!

American Vampire: Volume 2 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque: I only read Volume 1 of American Vampire last month and I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. I'm oddly attracted to Skinner Sweet and I loved Pearl, too, so I'd love to see what the two of them get up to next.

Which books made your list?

Review | Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson

Strands of Bronze and Gold

by Jane Nickerson

My Rating: 

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

Jane Nickerson's Strands of Bronze and Gold falls into several categories: it's a piece of YA, a piece of Historical Fiction, and a fairy tale retelling all rolled into one.

It was an interesting take on the Bluebeard myth; I haven't read any other retellings of that particular story, nor do I think I've ever read anything set in the "Deep South", so that's something I'll have to change!

In this retelling, seventeen year old Sophia "Sophie" Petheram travels to live with her godfather, the wealthy Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, after the death of her father. All her life he has sent her lavish gifts, and when she arrives at his estate he spoils her. Soon, however, Sophie realises there is a much more sinister side to her godfather than she ever could have imagined.

Before I say anything else, there will be spoilers in this review, so please don't read on if you haven't read this book yet - I don't want to be responsible for ruining it for you!

Personally I felt as though de Cressac, our Bluebeard, was too obviously dodgy from the start. Perhaps it's because I'm familiar with the Bluebeard myth (though I believe many people are) but I just couldn't understand how Sophie wasn't more suspicious of him sooner. After all, when she arrives she discovers that not only has he failed to mention that his wife has died, but that he's managed to get through four wives, all with red hair like her own.

Having said that, when Sophie did finally come to the conclusion that de Cressac had murdered his previous wives she came to it far too quickly. I'm not trying to say that finding six human teeth in your godfather's bedroom is normal, but in reality they could have been anyone's! I was hoping the book would build up with a slow, sizzling tension before Sophie finally found the bodies of the previous wives in de Cressac's chapel. In the original myth I'm fairly certain the heroine doesn't know for certain that her husband is a murderer until she finds the bodies.

Sophie herself I found a little boring at first, but as the novel wore on she developed much more of a personality of her own. One thing I really loved about her, though, was that Nickerson didn't try and make her 'bad ass' to pass as a YA heroine. She's very feminine and 'girly', but that doesn't mean she doesn't possess a different kind of strength to the strength of, say, Katniss Everdeen. Personally I think we need more feminine heroines in YA - a heroine shouldn't have to adopt stereotypical masculine traits to be taken seriously as a protagonist!

Sophie is also one of the few, if only, YA heroines I've read who's openly acknowledged a faith of some kind. I'd describe myself as agnostic, but I love that Sophie isn't apologetic for her belief in God, in the same way that she isn't apologetic for being feminine. I can understand why there isn't a huge amount of religion in YA - at least not that I've come across - because it can alienate some readers from the book, but personally I find religion fascinating; if it's used tastefully, and not as a way to try and convert readers, then there's no reason why we shouldn't see more of it in YA.

In fact religion is such a big part of Sophie's life that her love interest is a preacher! I quite liked Gideon; he was the complete opposite of de Cressac, and sweet in a dorky, 'boy next door' kind of way, which was a refreshing change for me. Lately all of the YA I've come across has involved love interests who are dark and/or brooding in one way or another. 

However, at times he and Sophie almost felt too good. I expected the retelling as a whole to be quite a bit darker than it was given its original source material; I honestly expected Sophie to marry de Cressac a little earlier in the novel and then discover his awful secret. This would have been a nice change from all of the YA in which the heroine meets her 'true love' when she's still innocent and virginal and all those things which, sadly, we associate with young women.

I did love, however, that Nickerson chose not to have Gideon or one of Sophie's siblings save her from de Cressac; instead he ultimately got caught in one of his own traps. A small part of me wanted Sophie to kill him herself, but if we're being honest she doesn't seem like the kind of heroine who could kill anyone, and there's nothing wrong with that! I'd rather have an ending where the protagonist's actions were believable than sit back and watch them do something I couldn't imagine them doing.

Though I enjoyed the book on the whole I was still left with some unanswered questions at the end. For example we never really found out how de Cressac came to be Sophie's godfather in the first place; a few times it's mentioned that he had a fondness for her mother, whom Sophie takes after, but his relationship with her parents is never really expanded upon.

I also would have liked to see more of Odette, Sophie's handmaid and eventual friend. I guessed quite early on in the book that she was some sort of relation to one of de Cressac's previous wives, and I wanted to know more about this woman who'd had the guts to enter this dangerous man's house and investigate for herself. In fact I was rather disappointed that Nickerson chose to kill her; I think she had a lot of potential as a character.

The issues concerning slavery also seemed a little too ghosted over for my liking. I appreciated that Nickerson chose to include it in the novel, especially as it is a piece of Historical Fiction, but sometimes it felt as though she'd put it there as an afterthought; as though she'd just remembered that black people were enslaved in the South of America at this time.

There were a few times in which Sophie even compared herself to the slaves who worked for de Cressac, and while I certainly felt sorry for Sophie and the dire situation she was in, I'm fairly sure de Cressac's slaves suffered more than she did.

That being said, the end of the novel was full of hope for the future. I loved that Sophie inherited her godfather's wealth and that she intended to use it to free and help de Cressac's slaves, and I appreciated that, though she agreed to marry Gideon, she would do so in a year or so after she'd had more of a chance to enjoy her independence. 

All in all it was an interesting retelling. I liked it enough to read all of it; it's not the best writing I've ever come across, some sections were a little melodramatic, but I recommend it to anyone who likes retellings. I'll definitely pick up Nickerson's next retelling, The Mirk and Midnight Hour, some time in the future.

J.

Reading Wrap Up | March 2014

It's the end of another month and time for another Reading Wrap Up! I didn't get anywhere near as much reading done this month as I had hoped, and what's worse aside from Dark Triumph, which I was already half way through, I didn't read a single book from the pile I'd hoped to read in March. Oops!

(I did try and carry on with A Discovery of Witches, but I just couldn't get into it - I'll have to try again later!)

I wrote a lot more than I read this month, which isn't a bad thing at all, I'd just hoped to do some more reading before the start of Camp NaNoWriMo tomorrow!

Anyway, here are the books I read this month:

Dark Triumph

by Robin LaFevers

My Rating: 

When Sybella arrived at the doorstep of St Mortain half mad with grief and despair the convent were only too happy to offer her refuge - but at a price. The sisters of this convent serve Death, and with Sybella naturally skilled in both the arts of death and seduction, she could become one of their most dangerous weapons.

But her assassin's skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to the life that nearly drove her mad. Her father's rage and brutality are terrifying, and her brother's love is equally monstrous. But when Sybella discovers an unexpected ally she discovers that a daughter of Death may find something other than vengeance to live for...

After I finished Grave Mercy last month I jumped straight into the sequel, and I loved it! Dark Triumph felt a lot more sinister than Grave Mercy did, which I think is why I enjoyed it a little more; as much as I enjoyed Grave Mercy, there were places in which it felt a little too fluffy for a book about assassins.

If you haven't checked out this series yet and you're a lover of YA, Historical Fiction or assassins then I highly recommend it! I can't wait for the release of Mortal Heart later this year.

Year of Wonders

by Geraldine Brooks

My Rating: 

Spring 1666: when the Great Plague reaches the quiet Derbyshire village of Eyam, the villagers make an extraordinary decision. They elect to isolate themselves in a fateful quarantine. So begins the Year of Wonders, seen through eighteen-year-old Anna Frith’s eyes as she confronts the loss of her family, the disintegration of her community, and the lure of a dangerous and illicit love. Based on a true story, this novel explores love and learning, fear and fanaticism, and the struggles of seventeenth-century science and religion to interpret the world at the cusp of the modern era.

Once I was done with Dark Triumph I finally continued reading Year of Wonders, which I actually started back in February. This is the perfect read for people who like a slow-burning novel. Personally I thought this novel was gorgeous, and that's all I'm going to say about it. As I mentioned on Friday I'm going to be posting a lot of book reviews during April, and this is one of the books I'll be reviewing, so check back for that if you're interested in hearing my thoughts on it!

Strands of Bronze and Gold

by Jane Nickerson

My Rating: 

When seventeen-year-old Sophia Petheram’s beloved father dies, she receives an unexpected letter. An invitation—on fine ivory paper, in bold black handwriting—from the mysterious Monsieur Bernard de Cressac, her godfather. With no money and fewer options, Sophie accepts, leaving her humble childhood home for the astonishingly lavish Wyndriven Abbey, in the heart of Mississippi.

Sophie has always longed for a comfortable life, and she finds herself both attracted to and shocked by the charm and easy manners of her overgenerous guardian. But as she begins to piece together the mystery of his past, it’s as if, thread by thread, a silken net is tightening around her. And as she gathers stories and catches whispers of his former wives—all with hair as red as her own—in the forgotten corners of the abbey, Sophie knows she’s trapped in the passion and danger of de Cressac’s intoxicating world.

This book was actually one of the books I'd hoped to read in February, but I didn't get around to it until this month. I love a good retelling so I was looking forward to this read, and I liked it! Like Year of Wonders, however, I'm not going to say too much about it because I'll be reviewing it next month!

And now I leave you for a month with my scheduled reviews, though I will be checking in every Wednesday for a What's Up Wednesday post. Best of luck to anyone else who is taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo from tomorrow!

J.

What's Up Wednesday! | 26/03/13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

Sadly I've been in a bit of a slump since finishing Strands of Bronze and Gold, not because of that book at all, I just haven't been able to get into anything. I'm not quite sure what I'm in the mood for. I love my Historical Fiction, but I've read quite a lot of it recently and now I'm in the mood to take a little break and ready something a little fluffier, like a light-hearted Contemporary. Sadly, all of my Contemporary reads aren't at university with me.

I'm thinking about picking up Maria V. Snyder's Magic Study at some point this week if I'm in the mood for a bit of Fantasy.

What I'm Writing

I introduced the next big plot point in my current WIP in my seminar yesterday, and I got a lot of positive responses so I'm pleased. Other than writing that scene (which needs a lot of editing) I've mostly been planning this past week.

I've been planning future scenes in my WIP, planning the novella I want to work on over Camp NaNoWriMo and doing a teeny, weeny bit of planning for the Fantasy novel I'd like to work on once I'm done with Bloodroot and Bracken.

What Inspires Me Right Now

For so long writing a novel was something I so wanted to do, but something that terrified me; I was never sure I could stretch an idea to fill an entire book. Over the past week I have begun to feel the most content with my writing I have ever felt, and that in itself is inspiring.

My current WIP started out as a short story almost two years ago, and I was so afraid I wouldn't be able to stretch it out into a novel, but the more I write the more I realise I need to write, and the story just keeps growing. It's a great feeling!

What Else I've Been Up To

Other than uni stuff, I've been watching Hannibal (Beverly, NOOOOO!), preparing for the new series of Game of Thrones (I'm so excited!) and getting ready to go home for my Easter holiday this weekend. This term has been fun but it feels like it's really dragged, and I'm ready to go home and just relax for a bit. I'm taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo obviously, but because I'm aiming for 20,000 words rather than 50,000 I'm not going to let it take over April.

What's especially nice is that my parents are picking me up this Sunday, so I'll be able to see my Mum on Mother's Day for the first time in about four years!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 19/03/13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!

What I'm Reading

On Monday I finished Jane Nickerson's Strands of Bronze and Gold, which is a retelling of the Bluebeard myth set in 19th century Mississippi. I enjoyed it, but I found quite a few flaws in it. I'm planning on writing up a review of it soon, so keep an eye out for that if you're interested in hearing my thoughts on it!

Right now I'm making my way through Ian Mortimer's The Time Traveller's Guide to Medieval England and I'm liking it so far - it's very conversational, which is always a plus when it comes to non-fiction! I'm also making my way through Deborah Harkness's A Discovery of Witches, the first book in the All Souls trilogy, and Susan Ee's World After, the second book in the Penryn and the End of Days series. I'm not quite sure how I feel about them yet, but they're definitely both series with a lot of potential.

What I'm Writing

I'm still working away on my WIP, and I have to submit an extract on Friday for my first seminar with one of our new tutors next week. I'm working on a pretty important scene that a lot of my seminar group have been waiting to see for a while, so I just hope I can do it justice! That being said we usually submit pretty rough drafts to our workshops, so I'm not letting myself stress out over it too much. 

I've recently started planning a novella I'd like to write for Camp NaNoWriMo in April, too, and by recently I mean really recently. It's going okay so far - I'm waiting until I finish the scene for Friday before I start planning it in more detail.

Outside of story writing I've been writing a bunch of reviews for throughout April (I'll be talking about this in more detail at the end of next week!) and the other day I finished writing a post about why we still read and write about witches, which I suppose is kind of a companion post to my post from last week about Historical Fiction. 

I mentioned last week that I had to do a presentation. I had to talk about my current WIP and how it relates to the wider world, so I ended up doing a lot of thinking about why people write Historical Fiction and why witches still fascinate us. It seemed a shame to let that research go to waste!

What Inspires Me Right Now

March is Women's History Month in the UK, US and Australia, so this month I've been learning about some pretty amazing women that I'd never heard about before.

One woman I had heard about before is Ching Shih, the Cantonese pirate who terrorised the China sea in the early 19th century. I haven't delved into poetry in a while, but I'd love to try and write a sea shanty about her!

What Else I've Been Up To

Somehow last week I completely forgot to mention that I'm a Book Depository Affiliate! There's now a snazzy little link on the right that you can click if you want to buy yourself a book from The Book Depository, and I'll get a small commission. I'm still a student, so every little helps!

I've been a little unwell the past few days so I haven't been up to that much outside of reading and writing, but this weekend I'm off to my friend's birthday party. She's having a 1920's themed cocktail party so I get to dress up as a flapper - needless to say, I'm excited!

What's new with you?

What's Up Wednesday! | 12/03/13

What's Up Wednesday is a weekly blog hop created by Jaime Morrow and Erin L. Funk as a way for writers and readers to stay in touch!








What I'm Reading

Right now I'm working my way through Strands of Bronze and Gold by Jane Nickerson, which is a YA retelling of the Bluebeard myth set in 19th century Mississippi. I'm not quite sure how I feel about it yet; I'm enjoying it enough to carry on reading, but I feel as though the Bluebeard figure in the story is so obviously dodgy that the heroine should be pretty suspicious of him from the get-go.

What I'm Writing

This week I've done very little work on my WIP, aside from editing the very first scene (which I'm still not 100% happy with), because both of my seminars this week have been focused on presentation.

Yesterday I had to read aloud an extract from my WIP as though it were a performance, so I spent all of Monday editing my prologue, and tomorrow I have to give a 10-15 minute presentation about the inspiration behind my WIP, its influences and how it fits into the wider world, so today I'm busy working on that!

What Inspires Me Right Now

History and Historical Fiction as a whole. Pretty broad, I know, but I'm talking a lot about the role of history and Historical Fiction in my presentation, and this Friday I'll be talking about why writers write Historical Fiction in a blog post.

What Else I've Been Up To

A couple of days ago I confirmed my second publishing internship for over the summer - in late July I'll be joining the lovely people at Parthian in their Editorial and Marketing office, so that's exciting!