The final installment of Sarah J. Maas’s Throne of Glass series is Kingdom of Ash. At 980 pages, this is an epic book. To be honest, it was a little bit too long. But it was a fitting end to a great series.
Because this is a review of the last book of a series, there are spoilers for the first six books.
At the beginning of the book, things look hopeless. Aelin is in an iron box trapped by Maeve (whom we now know is Valg), all of our protagonists are separated, and the forces of evil have their armies everywhere. How are they going to find Aelin and fight off all these forces? I don’t think I’m really spoiling much to say that they’re going to eventually win. An ending where Maeve and Erawan win and everyone dies would have everybody shaking their fists, vowing to never read another Sarah J. Maas book again.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. It was interesting to see the twists and turns, and find out how Ms. Maas was going to pull the characters out of all the messes they got themselves into. There were several situations where things looked really bleak. Sadly, not everybody will survive. In the end, there was no irrational “oh the gods came down and saved everyone” end either. The way the conflict was resolved was quite satisfying.
A Really Long Book
I like big books as well as the next person, but Kingdom of Ash might have been a little bit too long. There were too many long, detailed battle scenes. While I enjoy history, I don’t particularly care for reading a lot of battle scenes. They can easily become too much for me. I gave this book four stars on Goodreads – pretty much the reason it lost a star was the length. Partly due to the battle scenes.
Kingdom of Ash is very detailed. I found myself referring to the map several times while reading this book. There were characters that show up in this book that we haven’t seen since Throne of Glass. There is so much going on in this book that someday I may have to binge-read this series again just to remember everything that happened.
To give an example of how long this book is, there’s about 100 pages of this book where stuff happens after the climax of the book: coronations, wedding talk, that sort of thing. Yes, I want to find out what happens to the characters afterwards, but for 100 pages? After already reading nearly 900 pages? It was a little bit much.
Conclusion
I liked this book. There were a lot of great characters and subplots, but the length was just a bit too much, even for someone that reads a lot of long books. If you’re going to make your fiction book nearly 1000 pages, make sure they’re all necessary.
Hi! Welcome to another episode of Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl). Today we’re going to talk about my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2019. I had to list one book that comes out in 2020, because I could only think of nine that come out between July and December (although I’m sure to find some new anticipated releases this week). I won’t be including books I’ve already read.
You don’t have to be a mind reader to figure out that my most anticipated release this year is Rebel by Marie Lu. I pre-ordered this book within an hour of the cover reveal. Legend is my favorite book series and is by far the series I’ve written the most fanfiction about (I recently started a fanfic that’s been going through my mind since last summer with mostly original characters that takes place between Wildcard and Legend). This book comes out on October 1st, and is competing with two other books I’ve pre-ordered for that day.
Since we’re talking about October 1st releases, another anticipated release is The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth. Ms. Roth is my other autobuy author. This book features two short stories from the Carve the Mark universe, as well as the short story “Inertia” which was published earlier in Summer Days and Summer Nights and is a story I love. They’re making “Inertia” into a movie!
The final October 1st release I have pre-ordered is Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. Her Grisha Verse books and Six of Crows duology, which I read earlier this year, were amazing! I can’t believe that there are three amazing books coming out on the same day. Although I won’t be able to read them all the day they come out, I’ll be pretty busy that week. I might need to forego my usual Monday ARC review on October 6th because I’ll be busy reading these (unless I can read ahead).
I’m surprised that I haven’t posted a picture of The Queen of Nothing on this blog before, since I’ve been talking about it all year. At any rate, Matthew the Book Snake will appear on two books on my shelves this year. In addition to Leigh Bardugo’s book, he also appears on Holly Black’s The Queen of Nothing. This was originally supposed to come out in 2020 but was moved up. On the other hand, Cassandra Clare’s Chain of Gold was moved from November of this year until next March.
I just recently posted my review of Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (I loved that book!). Shortly after that, I saw that she was publishing The Lady Rogue later this year. It’s coming out in September, but Netgalley was kind enough to approve me for an ARC, so I’ll probably read this in August (unless I get ahead in my ARC reading). This book has Vlad the Impaler’s magical ring in it!
Are dystopian books making a comeback? Let’s hope so! Joelle Charbonneau’s Verify is a story about a civilization where nobody can lie. It sounds interesting.
I’m going to really have to learn how to spell Guinevere, because I really want to read Kiersten White’s The Guinevere Deception, which comes out on November 5th! Let’s not pay attention to the fact that I’ve already bought two of her books that I haven’t read yet, I want this one too! One of her books is on my summer TBR, so I will be reading one of her books soon though.
When I saw Renée Ahdieh’s announcement that she was writing a book about vampires, I wasn’t really all that excited, even though I love the three books I’ve read from her already. But I had the chance to read the beginning of The Beautiful on Bookish first. I really liked what I read. Maybe I should add her to my autobuy author list?
The last late 2019 release that I’m really looking forward to is Color Outside the Lines. I was fortunate enough to have Edelweiss approve me to read a review copy (although it’s missing a couple of the stories).
The one 2020 release I’m including on this list is Cassandra Clare’s Chain of Gold, the first book in The Last Hours trilogy. It was originally supposed to be released this November, but it got pushed back to next March. I pre-ordered this on December 26th last year; right now that’s a record for me: I pre-ordered this book 14 months in advance. I know it’s going to be good though.
So those are my most anticipated releases for the second half of 2019 (and one for early 2020). I can’t wait to see all the books you’re looking forward to (as if my TBR needs help). Next week, we’re going to talk about books on my summer 2019 TBR.
Most of us readers know that books can take us to different places and help us to see the world in different ways. I had heard about the Read Around The World Challenge that someone had done on Pinterest about a year ago, and I thought it sounded interesting. After reading Wicked Fox, and going through my Memrize course where I’m trying to recognize all the locations on the world by looking at a map, I thought I’d actually try it.
Read Around The World
There are 196 places where I’d like to read books from. If you’d like to read books from all around the world too, you can use this list from A Year of Reading the World as a guide. I plan on taking more than a year to do this challenge. I don’t know how long it will take me, but I’m not concerned.
Many of us want to read diversely, what’s more diverse than reading books from all around the world? For the purposes of my challenge, I’m not going to count historical books from a long time ago (so Enchantée, set during the French Revolution, won’t count). I’m also not going to include books set in the future (so I can’t use Warcross for Japan). I might make an exception if there are some really difficult countries to find books for.
I’ve found some books that I’ve already read for this challenge (I won’t count books that I read prior to starting this blog either).
If you decide to do this challenge too, Australia should be easy to knock off your list. Paper Fury’s A Thousand Perfect Notes is set in Australia, written by an Australian! There are plenty of other books set in this country, and if you don’t want to read this book (but why wouldn’t you) then there are plenty of Australian book bloggers you can get recommendations from. My Review
For Brazil, I read Never Stop Walking by Christina Rickardsson. Yes, part of this book does cover what happened after she was adopted and moved away from Brazil, but a good portion of this story takes place there, so I’m going to count it. This was a really eye-opening story. Wow. If you’re interested in a book that covers how things are not-so-nice in some places, you might be interested. My Review
I’ve read a couple of books set in Ireland, including Brenna Morgan & The Iron Key by Katie Masters. I believe The Wren Hunt is also set here. If you decide to do this challenge, there are plenty of books set in Ireland. This is a fantasy book, but for me, I’m going to count fantasy books (as long as they’re set in fairly modernish times in that country). My Review
I just read this book last week, and I mentioned earlier that this was partly why I was inspired to do this challenge. This is another story with fantasy elements in it, but it’s set in Seoul, South Korea. I loved how the setting played a huge part in this story (even in the lore). I’m not sure if I’ve read any other books set here before, but this one worked. My Review
For most people, The United States of America will be one of the easiest countries to check off your list. There was no particular reason why I put this book here, except they travel through different states, so it doesn’t really fit in a particular location in the US for the 50 State Challenge I also want to do. My Review
Read Around the United States
In addition to challenging myself to read books from every country, I’m also going to challenge myself to read books set in all 50 states.
California was really easy to check off my 50 States list. There are a lot of books set here, including When Dimple Met Rishi and a lot of The Dark Artifices. I picked Alex, Approximately because it has surfing, and reading it reminded me of a camping trip I took with my friends to the Redwood Forest. My Review
I don’t read a lot of books set in Nebraska, but fortunately, Fangirl is. So I got to check that one off my list. The setting doesn’t play a huge part in this story, but Rainbow Rowell lives in Nebraska, so I’m guessing that when she talks about the setting, she’s pretty accurate. I know when I write about places I’ve lived, it’s so much easier for me to describe what’s going on because I can picture everything in my head as I’m writing it. My Review
A lot of The Mortal Instruments takes place in New York City, so I’m including it here. Like the Reading the World Challenge I’m doing, I’m willing to count fantasy books that are set in fairly recent times. There are a ton of books that are set in New York State, so these should be pretty easy to find, but this is the one I picked for this slot. My Review
I don’t read many books set in West Virginia, which is why I thought Into the Hollow was so interesting when I read it. I’ve been to 43 states, but West Virginia is one of them. Except now, I’ve taken a book there. The setting is well-described in this book, and also plays a pretty big role in the story itself. My Review
So there are my initial entries for my Read Around the World and Read Around the United States book challenges. I don’t know how long it will take, but I think this would be fun. If you decide to do something like this too, let me know!
I first heard about Wicked Fox by Kat Cho this spring. From the title, I thought “meh” but then I saw that cover. Then I knew I had to read that book. I was fortunate enough to get an Advanced Reader Copy through Bookish First — I’ve had a lot of good luck with them recently and have started to love them. The book was amazing! I’ll be sharing this book with my daughter.
Jihoon is a teenage slacker in the equivalent of his junior year of high school (I’m just going to dispense with last names and name suffixes for purposes of this review, even though they’re in the book). Miyoung is also a teenager, but she has a secret: she’s half gumiho, which is like a Japanese kitsune or a Ninetails in Pokémon. This story takes place in modern-day Seoul, Korea, so the mythology is a little different.
We discover early on that Miyoung is not your average gumiho: these creatures are immortal, but they have to feed off of the gi, or energy, of unsuspecting humans once a month in order to live. Miyoung always tries to find the dregs of society to feed off of; she doesn’t want to harm the innocent. When Jihoon discovers her secret, she doesn’t destroy him; she asks him to keep her dangerous secret. When she shows up at his school, things could get a little bit awkward. Jihoon tries to strike up a friendship with her, but she tries to push him away.
Like any good story, that isn’t the end. Miyoung’s life is in danger, and Jihoon might become collateral damage. Dun dun dun! You’ll have to read the book to find out what happens.
What I Liked
I liked a lot of things about this book. One of the things I love about it is the setting. I’ve read several books in the last year that take place in a fantastic place inspired by medieval Japan or China, but nothing that took place in Korea. The book immersed me in this world: the food, the clothes, the way people address each other. I’m a student of history and a little bit of archaeology, so I appreciated some of the details that matched up with some of the history books and archaological magazines that addressed this culture.
The characters were great too. Jihoon didn’t live in this bubble where he finally popped into life when he met Miyoung. He has friends and family members, and not all of it is good. Miyoung also has a family history, and you can’t help but dislike her mother. Towards the end of the book, you discover that not everything is as it seems.
The book also has a great theme of abandonment by family members, and how it can affect you. Both Jihoon and Miyoung have complicated histories with their families, and it affects how they relate to the people around them. I thought it was well done.
What I Liked Less
I loved almost everything about Wicked Fox, but if I’m going to get nitpicky, there’s a part towards the end of the book where Jihoon has health problems and he has to pay the rent from his own labor and go to school… it seems a little unrealistic. But this is really nitpicky; I loved the writing style and I just saw this as a minor plot hole.
Conclusion
Should you read Wicked Fox? Absolutely! This book is great if you like contemporary fantasies, enjoy books set in Asia, and like books that are light in the romance department. There really aren’t any scenes that are objectionable for younger YA readers.
The book winds up nicely, but there is room for another book in the series. A second book is planned, and I already added it to my TBR.
Wicked Fox will be released on June 25th, but you can pre-order it now.
I’ve been having fun recently doing book tags, and I recently found the Quick Fire Fantasy Book Tag over at The Bookworm Dreamer and I decided to do it!
Rules:
Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
Link to the creator’s blog (thebookwormdreamer.wordpress.com) in your post
Answer the prompts below – all fantasy books!
Tag 5 others to take part
Enjoy!
5 Star Book
I loved this book! I read it on my breaks (and before/after work) while I was still working at my old job, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it!
After reading this, I just had to pre-order the sequel, Smoke in the Sun. It wasn’t quite as good as the first book, but it was still pretty good! Her new book, The Beautiful, comes out this fall, and although I don’t really care for vampires, I’ve had the opportunity to read a preview and it looks good too.
Always Going to Recommend
Another book I loved was An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir! I’m patiently waiting for the fourth and final book in the series to come out, but the first three have been outstanding.
I love how these books (and Flame in the Mist) have such unique settings. There are plenty of amazing fantasy books set in a Renaissance Europe-ish place, but it’s pretty fun to see fantasy settings set somewhere else too.
Own it But Haven’t Read it Yet
Pretty much every week I visit web sites on Top Ten Tuesday and I say to myself “I really need to read one of V.E. Schwab’s books”. I own multiple books written by her. Despite saying this every week, have I read any of her books? Sadly, the answer is still no.
Someday. Soon (I think). I’ve said that about other authors and eventually started reading their books, so Ms. Schwab’s time will come as well.
Would Read Again
I hope to read the Carve the Mark duology sometime soon. Ms. Roth is coming out with a new book, The End and Other Beginnings, on October 1st, and it has two short stories from this universe in it. Besides, even though I’ve read the first book from this duology four times (once in Spanish), I’ve only read the sequel, The Fates Divide, once. It was a great book and I’d like to read it again. Sometimes books are better the second time around because you see more.
In Another World
Strange the Dreamer was set in such a unique world with unique people. Lazlo and Sarai’s relationship was sweet, and it had great villains too.
Muse of Nightmares had some surprises to it, and although I don’t think we’ll see any new books from this series come out (maybe a novella though), this story left the door open for some great fanfiction. I’m not inspired to write any at the moment, but maybe someone else has written some?
Back on Earth
The Clockwork series is another trilogy I would like to reread at some point. If they didn’t keep coming out with amazing new books!
At any rate, the Shadowhunter’s books are an excellent example of fantasy books set in the real world. They’re all connected to a specific time period (which I’m sure is a challenge because they have to be somewhat historically accurate as well) and yet, they’re full of magic and otherworldly creatures.
So that’s the Quick Fire Fantasy Book Tag! I have to admit, even though I like doing tags, I never know who to tag (I don’t know who would be interested; I don’t want to leave anybody out, etc.) so I’m just going to say, if you want to do it, then consider yourself tagged! If you decide to do this one, please tag me so I can go see what you came up with.
It’s Friday again, so you know what that means: it’s time to fangirl! Fangirling on Friday is hosted by Books in the Skye! Today we’re going to talk about best friends in books.
The first pair of best friends that I thought of when doing this prompt was Clary and Simon from The Mortal Instruments. Even though their relationship is strained once Clary finds out she’s a Shadowhunter, they remain friends. That whole Shadowhunter thing eventually works out, too.
A more controversial best friend pair would be Alina and Mal from the Grisha Verse books. I happen to be someone that roots for them, although some people don’t agree with me (that’s okay). I love how they were two orphans that grew up together and still stick by each other’s sides, even though they end up going through a lot.
I don’t get to talk about Elise and Mariko from The Last Year of the War a lot, but these two are an amazing best friend pair. They both meet in a concentration camp during World War II, and are forced apart by their parents, never to see each other again. Until the end. This book put me in tears multiple times.
Another book that I don’t get to talk about a lot is When Elephants Fly, but it does have a good best-friend dynamic. Lily is so concerned about her mental health and all the drama going on in her life that she doesn’t see the stress that her best friend Sawyer is under. Their friendship isn’t the focus of this story, but it is an important subplot.
What best friend relationships do you like in books? There don’t seem to be that many of them, even though they add color to a story.
Next week, in honor of Father’s Day, we’re going to talk about favorite fathers. Fortunately, there are more fathers in YA books than mothers.
Alex, Approximately is a sweet, enemies-to-lovers story where the characters unknowingly already care for each other.
At the beginning of the summer, Bailey moves across the country to a small town in Northern California. Her online friend Alex lives here, but because of a tragic event that happened in her past, she’s afraid of telling him that she moved into town. Instead, she tries to find him first; if he seems like a cool guy in real life, she’ll reveal herself to him.
After starting a summer job that her dad makes her get, she begins to be tormented by Porter, one of the security guards there. He’s probably tormenting her because he’s attracted to her. At the same time, Bailey finds that she can’t act normal around him because she’s attracted to him as well. Over the summer, she finds herself drawing closer to Porter and drifting away from her online friend Alex. Although if you read the synopsis, you know that Alex and Porter are the same person. Eventually, they find out the truth.
What I Loved
I loved Alex, Approximately and devoured it in two days. When I couldn’t read the book, I kept thinking about the characters. Both Bailey and Porter had previous hurt in their lives (which we do find out about) and it affects their relationship in a realistic way. They’re three-dimensional characters who have a variety of interests, friends, and family relationships. Bailey (oh my) acts like a teenager sometimes, getting upset and doing stupid things. I love how she develops as a person.
The setting was great as well. I’ve been to Northern California a few times before, and I could just picture this little town near the redwoods and the ocean. The museum where they worked at was another setting that stood out in my mind.
What Could Have Been Better
Bailey doesn’t hear from her mom the whole summer. She lives with her dad, but wouldn’t a teenager at least want to hear from her mom every once in a while? Other than this, there wasn’t really anything I could think of.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a cute contemporary romance to read this summer, Alex, Approximately would be a good choice. It has beaches, summer jobs, great characters, and a sunny (well, sometimes foggy, this is Northern California) setting. I’m glad that I read it and definitely recommend it to others.
Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, where we book lovers make lists about a different topic every week! Every week, it’s hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl! Today’s topic is Unpopular Bookish Opinions. Ouch. I hope I don’t make too many unfriends today, but I’m going to tell you what I think? So here goes:
1. I’m Not a Fan of Katniss and Peeta
So I’m starting off with an easy one. I don’t really ship Katniss and Peeta. I thought Peeta was too weak for her. I would have preferred that she ended up with Gale. I’m not of the opinion that she should have ended up alone, but maybe she could have found someone else? Maybe she could have met someone after the games?
2. I Like Alina and Mal
So right now you’re thinking that I probably have , the Darkling was hot, but he was evil. and Alina and Mal were best friends since they were children. I just think with that backstory, they were really sweet together.
3. I Think People Should Be Able to Write What They Want
Now I suppose I’m really showing myself for the monster that I am. Ouch. But I think people should be able to write about the things they love without being shamed for it. If you’re white and have always been fascinated by the tale of Mulan… okay. If you’re black and want to write about mostly white people (like my husband) that should be okay too.
I get the #OwnVoices thing (and feel we need those too) and realize that publishers can only publish so many books per season. Historically, there has been bias against people of color and publishing can do better in that area. But I don’t think we should put people into boxes. Black people shouldn’t be told that their stories “aren’t black enough.” We don’t know how a person grew up. My (black) husband likes to listen to Disney and Amy Grant.
That being said, if a book is disrespectful to people or has bad representation, by all means, book bloggers and Goodreads reviewers should let people know that. But judge a story on its own merits, not by who wrote it (unless the author is a complete ass or something like that, but that’s a different topic).
4. People Should Be Able to Read Whatever Book They Want
I don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion or not? At any rate, by this I’m not talking about piracy (bad) or selling ARCs (also bad). I’m talking about how countries license their content in certain countries, and it’s almost impossible to get them in other countries.
The world has become a much smaller place, and people are in contact from people that live in other countries every day. Perhaps books should be more portable too? I realize that there are translation/country rights and it’s convoluted, but I think publishers can do better here. It shouldn’t cost me $60 to buy a used copy of the Russian edition of Insurgent (or $582 if I want a new copy).
5. I’m not a big fan of Illuminae
I know lots of people love this book, but although there were things that I really loved about this book, I’m not a big fan. Part of it might have been that I read it on the Kindle (it was so hard to read!). However, the book really annoyed me in the middle when the computer was lying. It really pissed me off and I almost put down the book in frustration. I googled the ending to see if it would be worth finishing, and even then, I went to bed and didn’t finish it until the next day.
6. I Think It’s Okay to Assign Kids Books to Read
It seems to be popular right now to just let kids read whatever they want, and while I think that the majority of what a kid reads should be up to them, I also think it’s okay to assign kids to read a book. There are plenty of reasons why you might want to assign a book: perhaps the class is studying a related historical subject, or maybe they need something to challenge them. I used to tell my boy that he could check out so many Minecraft books, as long as he got another kind of book too.
7. I Don’t Like the Covers to Most Romance Books
I guess this would be an unpopular opinion, because if people didn’t like the covers, they’d do something else? They just seem to be so generic to me most of the time. They usually have some sort of theme of 1) a guy without his shirt on, 2) a couple making out, 3) a girl in a bonnet, or 4) a girl in a fancy dress. It doesn’t really tell me much about the story.
8. YA Books Aren’t Exactly Children’s Books
It’s right there in the category. Young adult. Certainly Sarah J. Maas books aren’t children’s books? I don’t think so. Teens are the main demographic for YA books (again, perhaps Sarah J. Maas books shouldn’t be here) but I wouldn’t exactly classify them as children either.
9. There Should be Younger and Older YA Categories
YA in general spans a pretty broad range of life experiences. My boy is right at the edge of Middle Grade and YA. He loves Lauren Magaziner (MG) but at the same time he also loved the Warcross duology (YA) and the Legend Graphic Novels (YA). Would he enjoy A Court of Mist and Fury? I don’t particularly think that book would be appropriate for him.
I’m reminded of a review I saw once of A Weight of Feathers. The boy writing the review thought it was inappropriate for the female MC to swim in front of her love interest without a top on, and thought her excuse that she didn’t have anything to match the mermaid bottoms was a flimsy excuse. There’s a lot of YA books that would be too mature for a young teen like this, yet they’re all lumped into the same broad YA umbrella.
The solution was supposed to be New Adult, but that ended up with a terrible reputation. I hope things change in this area, because as it stands, we seem to have a lot of edgier YA books at the moment that are appropriate for older teens and adults, and fewer books that are appropriate for younger teens that might want something beyond middle grade.
10. I Hate Most Prologues
Maybe this isn’t an unpopular opinion, but I had trouble coming up with a tenth item. I don’t like most prologues. They’re usually unnecessary and add little to the story. I read them, but if I’m not enjoying a story and I’m still on the prologue, I figure the book will get better once I get the prologue over with. Usually I’m right.
So there’s ten items for this week! Do you agree with any of the above, or disagree? Next week, we’re going to focus on what I’m looking forward to at the end of the year!
I recently finished reading Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim (thank you Netgalley, for providing me with an Advanced Reader Copy) and I loved it! Just look at that gorgeous cover! And there’s magic! After reading this book, I definitely plan on reading the second book in this series.
I have to admit though, for a while I wondered “why did I request to read a book about sewing?” Because as much as I love the cover and the whole magic thing is great, there was a part of me that started thinking what can be interesting about sewing? As it turns out, there’s way more to this story than a girl making clothes.
Maia has always wanted to be a tailor. I love her. She has three brothers, but loses two of them in the war. Her father isn’t the same as he used to be, debilitated by a broken heart. And when her other brother comes back from the war, he has a bad leg. And he’s never been able to sew. So when the emperor sends envoys planning to take a family member to become the emperor’s tailor, Maia decides she needs to impersonate her brother and go in his place. She can’t go herself because girls can’t be tailors. It’s either that, or she’ll have to marry the baker’s son. Eew.
When she gets there, things aren’t as easy as they seem. She has to compete for this position. And the other tailors play dirty. But even after the competition, that’s not the end of the story. There’s way more to it. So much more, that there’s another book (which I definitely plan to read). But I can’t say much more because spoilers.
Not only are there evil villains, magic, and political intrigue in this story, there is also a love interest. I really like them together. But I can’t say any more about that either.
Can I think of anything I didn’t like? Not really. It’s a beautiful book and I highly recommend it for people that enjoy fantasy. The book isn’t out until July 9th, but you can pre-order it now.
Scotland: Land of Magic, Castles, and will-o’-the-wisps
Name a Magical Book Setting
For this prompt, I’d have to go for the world of Caraval by Stephanie Garber! The whole premise of the world of Caraval is that everything is magical and you don’t know what is real.
There’s magical dresses, time that seems to slip away, people that end up trapped in playing cards, and villains who can end your life with just a kiss. What could be more magical than that?
Clan Dunbroch: Merida’s family clan
Name Your Favorite Bookish Family/Gang
For this prompt, I’d have to go with Kaz Brekker and his literal gang in Six of Crows. While they don’t all choose to be part of the group at first (Matthias certainly wouldn’t have chosen to begin this adventure with the rest of them) they all seem to belong together by the end. They all have faced hardship in their lives, and with the help of their friends, they become better people. I just love this group together.
Merida: princess, brilliant archer, and doesn’t need any man
Name a Heroine Who Doesn’t Accept Her Fate
Do evil people count as heroines? I don’t know, but I’m gonna go for it anyway. Adelina Amouteru of The Young Elites certainly doesn’t accept what fate was going to throw her way.
Her dad was going to sell her to a guy who was going to use her as a mistress and then probably throw her away, she runs away and is almost burnt at the stake, and then she ends up becoming one of the most powerful people in the world… I would call that not accepting your fate.
The Highland Games: Eligible Fight for Merida’s Hand in Marriage
Name a Book Where the Stakes are High
Literally, the fate of the world is at stake in City of Heavenly Fire. I can’t think of any higher stakes than that. We learn later, when reading Queen of Air and Darkness, just how high the stakes in this book really were. Thule (the world where they don’t win during this time period) is a complete nightmare. Good luck to these people, because I don’t want to live in the nightmare world where they lose.
Elinor: Mama Turned Mama Bear
Name a Character that Goes Through a Big Transformation
This particular prompt doesn’t say that it has to be a good transformation, so I’m gonna go with Catherine from Heartless. She goes from this sweet girl that just wants to bake to the ruthless Queen of Hearts. Is there any bigger transformation than that?
You have to feel sorry for her. And a little angry with her parents. But ultimately, we choose our own fates.
Bear Brothers: Adorable, Mischievous Baby Bears
Name Some of Your Favorite Scene-Stealing Characters
For this prompt, I’m going to have to go way back. I’ll nominate Tasslehoff Burrfoot from the Dragonlance Chronicles. He’s a mischievious kender who is innocent like a child, but at the same time, always manages to rob you blind (although he’d say he was just borrowing things).
While he’s not the star of this show, he’s definitely an important part of the story and these books just wouldn’t be the same without him.
Mor’du: Demon Bear, Secret Prince
A Villain with a Complex Backstory
There are actually multiple villains in Muse of Nightmares, and quite a few of them have complex backstories. One of the villain characters is Minya. She’s angry about what happened, and from her perspective, she has a right to be. But she also doesn’t see the full story.
One of the things I like about this story (in addition to the gorgeous writing) is that as readers, we see that both sides are harboring unnecessary grudges and have misunderstandings about the other side. And fortunately, it all works out.
So that’s the Brave Book Tag. If you’d like to do this tag, I pick you! If you decide to do this one, please let me know so I can see what you came up with!