Book Review: The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano

 

The Glass Spare

by Lauren DeStefano

Source: The November "Castles. Courts and Kingdoms" box from OwlCrate

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic

Plot:

Wilhelmina "Wil" Heidle is a princess, the apple of her mother's eye, and one of her father's best-kept secret weapons as a potential spy. Wil is the youngest of four, the beloved daughter after three sons, a spare who will never see the throne. Wil is close to two of her brothers: Owen (the heir), and Gerdie (the second youngest, and alchemist). Baron (second oldest, the first spare) is a despicable character, only loved by his mother, and even she fears him.

 

The story of Wil's birth is quite special. By all accounts she appeared to be cursed and should not have lived, but did. She looks nothing like the rest of her family, which makes her excellent spy material. She has a knack for fighting and undercover work (she often escapes the palace to find special ingredients for Gerdie's alchemy). Wil wants nothing more than to travel the world, and if being her father's spy (and thereby earning his approval) is the only way to do it, so be it.

 

But soon everything changes. Wil's life is threatened, and in her fight for her life, something inside her awakens. She suddenly has the ability to turn living things to "stone" when she is upset. Actually, gemstones. Emeralds, diamonds, rubies, etc.

 

After a series of unfortunate events, Wil's family now believes that she is dead, and she is on the run, trying to find a way to cure the curse, and save her kingdom.

Review:

I found this book to have a bit of a slow start. I mean, I was interested from the beginning, because, what a great premise!, but it wasn't quite able to hold my attention. This may have been due  to my own mindset at the time, as I was trying to finish the book in December as part of the Facebook group Life and Lit's Bingo reading challenge, which I guess was a bit too much stress. I decided to set it aside for a couple of weeks, and when I came back to it, things seemed to be a bit more interesting, and by the halfway point I was hooked.

I seem to have a real problem with fantasy world-building. It doesn't seem to matter what the world is, if it isn't the here and now, I tend to have a hard time picturing it. I found the world in this book to be rather confusing. On the one hand, it sounded medieval to me, King Arthur-esque. However, upon further research, I suppose it's meant to be more like King Midas' time period, which would be Ancient Greece (I honestly didn't remember this from history?). But the presence of modern technology (electricity, elevators...) really threw me off.

 

Aside from that, I really enjoyed the adventure, and the sort-of romance. I really like this idea of a cursed princess, I love the "Midas touch" aspect, and I appreciated that it wasn't all about the romance. I was really frustrated with the ending because it's what I consider a bit of a cliffhanger; Wil still hasn't found the cure for her curse, she has to go back to her kingdom to save someone's life, something tragic may have happened back in her kingdom but we don't know for sure, and we don't know what kind of deal she made with the Marveler, or what will be expected of her in the future after she returns... *sigh* I guess I'll just have to wait for the sequel!

Overall, I found it an interesting read, and I think I would recommend it to someone who likes fantasy. :)

 

 

My Goodreads rating:

 

Book Review: Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore

Wild Beauty

by Anna-Marie McLemore

Source: Received in an OwlCrate box (October "Find Me In The Forest")

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magical Realism

Synopsis:

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family

Review:

I'm not sure if it's the magical realism, or the author's writing style, or what exactly it was that I didn't like about this book, but I was disappointed. We received it in the October OwlCrate box, which I was soooo excited about! I had added this one to my Goodreads To Read list ages ago, because it was so gorgeous. Then when we got it in the box, with the exclusive cover, I was just over the moon. So I read it fairly soon after, and, well... Not what I was expecting or hoping for from this book.

I have a huge tendency to not really read too much about a book before I pick it up. Very generally speaking, if somebody posts a picture of a book cover on Instagram with a little blurb (ex: it's about this family of women who live in a beautiful garden and grow flowers from their hands), that's usually enough for me. Sometimes I will read the full synopsis on Goodreads, or if I'm holding the physical book I might read the flyleaf, but I really truly unapologetically judge books by their covers and the recommendations of my peers. Not reviews - I never read reviews before I read a book - but if someone I know says "I loved this book!" and it's a genre I enjoy, and it has a pretty cover, to boot... good enough!

All that to say that I honestly hadn't read what the book was about before it came in the OwlCrate box. The synopsis is intriguing, so I was anxious to read it, but, I had a really hard time enjoying it.

The imagery is absolutely beautiful, there is no denying that. The author's description of flowers and colours is exceptional. The story itself, I felt a bit lost in. I see how everything tied together in the end, but getting there... there were many things that just felt like distractions from the main story, or unnecessary embellishments, or I don't know... I really wasn't sure where things were going or what the purpose of all these characters was, or anything until probably 2/3 into the book. The characters also weren't all that special to me. I liked them, but didn't feel there was much to connect to, and there were so many!

I may give the author's other books a chance, should I ever come across them, but I wouldn't go out of my way to find her books, based on how I felt about Wild Beauty. They all have great synopses, but so did this one, so...

In the end, it was an ok read for me. It only has a 3.73 star rating on Goodreads so I obviously am not the only one who feels it may have missed the mark. Not sure I would recommend it, but I know that a lot of people on the Life & Lit and OwlCrate Society groups loved it, so... Read at your own risk, I guess! :)

My Goodreads rating:

It's Monday! What Are YOU Reading? #7

So I will be writing a Year in Review type post next week, most likely, but I just felt like I haven't been super active in the last couple weeks, so I thought I would write a quick Monday post!

One of the Facebook groups I'm in, called Life & Lit, has been doing different challenges and activities all month long, under the theme of Yule Ball (from the Harry Potter books/movies). One of the biggest challenges is the Yule Bingo. The bingo card is divided into 16 squares, with one column for each of the four houses (Griffindor, Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff), and each square is a character or major element from the Harry Potter stories, which represents a theme of a possible book (ex: Butterbeer is a for a sweet book, and Harry is for a book with the "chosen one" trope). You get one point for your house per square you block off, and if you block off the whole column for your house, you get a bingo, which means 5 points! It's a lot of fun!

So, I've been working away at the Yule Bingo. I have read five books so far this month for that. I need to read two more from the Ravenclaw column to get bingo, and then if I read just one more book after that, I will have reached my unofficial goal of 75 books! I think it's totally achievable! At the end of November I wasn't so sure I'd be able to make it, but I've been doing really well. Admittedly, a couple of the books I've read this month were shorter/kids' stories, but still!

I got into a bit of a slump over the weekend, but my current read is The Glass Spare by Lauren Destefano, which came in the November OwlCrate box. It sounds good, and what I've read so far has been good, but I just haven't felt like reading that much lately, and I had other stuff going on this weekend.

After I finish The Glass Spare, I intend to read Matchless: A Christmas Story by Gregory Maguire. It's a shorter one, so I should be able to finish it in a day, depending on what else is going on. And then I think I'd like to try to read Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, before I give it to my nephew for his birthday on January first!

What are you guys reading this week? How have you done with your reading goals this year?

Book Review: The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

The Upside of Unrequited

by Becky Albertalli

Source: Came in the April "Head Over Heels" OwlCrate box

Genre: Young adult, Romance, Contemporary, LGBTQ+

Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back.

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Review:

I was on the fence about reading this book. But, I am a sucker for anything to do with twins - I've always had a real fascination for multiples and especially identicals - so it didn't take much convincing. The fact that others said it was a really fast read made it more interesting too, and I did end up reading it in one day, which is quite rare for me.

As you can see from the synopsis, the story is about Molly and her twin Cassie. Cassie suddenly falls head-over-heels for her new girlfriend, and Molly feels totally left behind because she's never had a boyfriend and she feels like her twin isn't hers anymore, and the only way to fix it will be for her to find herself a boyfriend. But how can she find a boyfriend when she's so insecure, feeling fat and ugly and like nobody could ever love her more than as a friend...?!

It was super cute, as most YA romances tend to be. I loved the twin element, of course, and I just really felt like I could relate to Molly, so much. From her self-image to her feelings about Cassie's new relationship, I often feel the same way, even now (maybe even more now) about my friends and peers: that they are succeeding and achieving and drifting away, but I'm still here, not moving... not achieving or changing or succeeding... I can only imagine what it must be like with a twin. Especially when they went from being best friends who told each other everything, to keeping secrets and developing new interests.

The writing style wasn't necessarily something I enjoyed in this book. It is definitely written for its audience (teens and young adults), and so I can see how the witty banter and blatant sex talk would appeal to rebellious teenagers, but I just didn't enjoy that aspect so much. I was raised very conservatively, so I would even venture to say that I found it a bit scandalous for a YA book. I understand how it can be perceived as "realistic" to have teenagers and their parents talking about these topics so openly, I'm just saying that I myself would probably not have enjoyed this book as a teenager. I don't know. But as an adult, it was an ok read. It entertained, it was cute, and it was fast, so it's a 3.5 stars for me.

My Goodreads rating:

Book Review: Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

 

 

Of Fire and Stars

by Audrey Coulthurst

Source:  Subscription box (OwlCrate's "Epic" box, December 2016)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, LGBT

Synopsis:

Betrothed since childhood to the prince of Mynaria, Princess Dennaleia has always known what her future holds. Her marriage will seal the alliance between Mynaria and her homeland, protecting her people from other hostile lands. But Denna has a secret. She possesses an Affinity for fire—a dangerous gift for the future queen of a kingdom where magic is forbidden.

Now, Denna must learn the ways of her new home while trying to hide her growing magic. To make matters worse, she must learn to ride Mynaria’s formidable warhorses—and her teacher is the person who intimidates her most, the prickly and unconventional Princess Amaranthine—called Mare—the sister of her betrothed.

When a shocking assassination leaves the kingdom reeling, Mare and Denna reluctantly join forces to search for the culprit. As the two become closer, Mare is surprised by Denna’s intelligence and bravery, while Denna is drawn to Mare’s independent streak. And soon their friendship is threatening to blossom into something more.

But with dangerous conflict brewing that makes the alliance more important than ever, acting on their feelings could be deadly. Forced to choose between their duty and their hearts, Mare and Denna must find a way to save their kingdoms—and each other.

Review:

Sadly, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. My copy came in last December's OwlCrate box, and I had *almost* bought it for myself days before the box arrived, so this was definitely one I was excited about and interested in. It intrigued me, because princesses and magic, duh. But it wasn't as well executed as I had hoped it would be, so I was a bit disappointed. I liked the premise of the story: a princess with an Affinity, betrothed to the prince of a kingdom totally against ma Sadly, I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. My best friend, Paige, and I decided to read this one together. I ended up finishing it a few weeks before her, but we did have a discussion to compare notes once she had finished it. So, we got this book in last December's OwlCrate box. I had almost bought it for myself days before the box arrived, so this was one of the few OwlCrate picks that I actually knew about beforehand, that I was excited about/interested in. It intrigued me, of course, because of the princesses and magic, but it wasn't as well executed as I had hoped it would be, so I was a bit disappointed. I liked the premise of the story: a princess with an Affinity, betrothed to the prince of a kingdom totally against magic, who ends up falling for the prince's sister. I mean... that's a pretty good plot! That has some real potential! But I just didn't like how that played out, and I didn't particularly care for the characters.   I probably shouldn't have (I like to try to formulate my own opinions before reading others), but I just read a bunch of Goodreads reviews on this book. The more I read, the more I agree, and the more I think I've been really generous with my 3 stars...   Please allow me to just paraphrase a few things other reviewers/bloggers have said that I completely agree with: The world-building sucked. There was information given, but I still didn't feel like I knew where I was. Granted, I have a hard time imagining well-developed worlds, so you can take that with a grain of salt. What's going on? We were kind of thrown into the middle of a conflict, without much history to understand why there was such animosity between Mynaria and their neighbours, why they hate magic so much, and by the way, do we know what happened to the Queen...? The story was flat and uninteresting. There's not much more to add to this. Enough with the horses! I am by no means a horsey girl, but I can appreciate a good horse story. Horses paid a strangely large role in this book, but it didn't feel right. By the end, I was just annoyed with all the horse talk. The names. I just... can't. If you must give your fantasy characters weird names, at least provide a pronunciation guide at the front of the book to help your readers out. The worst ones, for me, were Dennaleia (which I was just calling Daniella in my head) and Thandilimon/Thandi (which just sounds like a stupid lisping version of Sandy). I didn't have such a hard time with Amaranthine, except that the way I was pronouncing it in my head made her nickname of Mare seem awkward (although, it does make sense with the author & character's apparent obsession with horses).  The "adults." A lot of reviewers mentioned the "adults" of this world being clueless and obtuse, and it's true. There were several scenes with conversations revolving around politics which I really couldn't care less about. And, as one other reviewer pointed out, why is it that all of these Council members automatically assume that attacks are from this specific country, without investigating at all? Conveniently stupid.

I really couldn't tell if homosexuality was supposed to be  acceptable in this world, or not. I think that prevalence shouldn't be confused with acceptance. It was brought up a lot, mostly by Mare (who we understand to be bisexual), in the context of the liegemen's activities and her own trysts, yet it didn't seem to be acceptable, at least not for royals and noblemen. Denna's noblewoman friend's lover was not accepted by her family (I can't remember her name, but she was from a different country). Mare was the proverbial "black sheep," which I can't help but connect to her sexual orientation. Politics aside, the relationship between Denna and Mare felt forbidden. If homosexuality is so acceptable in this world, why would that be? While many other reviewers felt that this lesbian romance was the one redeeming element of this book, I would have to disagree. It's still the most interesting part, but I couldn't love their relationship. If you look at the overview of how things happened, it would appear to be a natural progression from dislike to friendship to more, but in the actual text and dialogue... It just felt kind of forced.

 

I didn't hate the story, and I wasn't exactly bored, but it definitely wasn't the most interesting book I have ever read. I wanted to like it. I had heard good reviews from other OwlCrate subscribers at the time we got the book. That, along with the fact that it had such potential and sounded so interesting makes it a real disappointment that it fell so flat. I think I will still hold firm to my 3 stars... for now.

My Goodreads Rating:

Fall TBR List

This was yesterday's Top Ten Tuesday theme, which I missed. Again. Every time I miss a theme that I wanted to participate in, I feel really annoyed with myself. Anyway...

 

I'm going to write the post anyway, because, there's really no reason not to! So, without further ado, I present to you my fall TBR list, which does not include books that I am currently reading, because it's not fall yet. So there. :P And I could only come up with 9 books anyway.

 

1. One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake - Got this one in the mail last week, and I'm super pumped to read it. The first book left us all in such a state, I'm really anxious to find out what happens to the sisters. Who will win the crown?
2. Eliza and Her Monsters by Francesca Zappia - This was an OwlCrate book from a few months back. I've heard some really good things about it, so I'd like to give it a try.
3. The Sandcastle Empire by Kayla Olson - Another OwlCrate book. This one actually piqued my interest because it is dystopian, and sounded like something I might have bought had I known anything about it prior to its release (which I did not). So I think I'd like to try this one.
4. Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco - I've finally got my hands on this one! I got the e-version on sale through Google Play for, I think, $1.99 USD. I was stoked. Definitely want to dive into this one.
5. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - I bought this one while on vacation! I had been lusting over it for ages, and while on vacation my bestie and I went to the bookstore, and it was on sale, so you know I couldn't leave without it! :)
6. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - People were raving about this one a while ago, and I found it at a big second-hand book sale (almost year ago!). I believe it was on my TBR for June or July, but I never got around to it. So I would definitely like to try to get to it this fall.
7. The Last Star  by Rick Yancey - I just really need to finish this series...
8. To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han - Another one that I've heard lots of good things about, and I bought it a while back, and they're making it into a movie, so I need to get on to reading this and her other books!
9. Heartless by Marissa Meyer - This is another OwlCrate book. In all honesty, I should probably finish the Lunar Chronicles before reading this one, but maybe I don't care. We'll see... I just feel like I should finish up some more OwlCrate books.

So there you have it! We'll see how many of these I actually get through over the next couple of months. Reading is a very emotional thing for me, so it will totally depend on my mood, how tired I am, etc, which books I end up picking up. Hopefully at least a few of these, though!

Book Review: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Source: OwlCrate sub box (July 2016 "Good vs. Evil")

Synopsis:

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

Review:
I wasn't too sure about this book in the beginning. The setting was a bit strange, and I just wasn't sure if I was on board with the whole monster thing. But I had heard some really amazing things about this book, and Victoria Schwab practically has a cult following among OwlCrate subscribers, so I persisted.

I ended up really liking this book. Usually in art, music is portrayed as a healing power. In this book, music is the weapon the monsters use to kill their victims (but generally, the "victims" are bad people who are in need of punishment), which was a refreshing difference.

It had a bit of a Romeo & Juliet vibe to it: forbidden love between two warring houses... I very much enjoyed the romance between Kate and August, their flight for their lives, and the unexpected twists. It was somewhat of a disappointment for me to discover that it is the first in a series, simply because this book was newly released in July 2016, so the second book won't be released until this summer (June 2017).

I hate waiting.

But I will be very anxious to get my hands on the next book, Our Dark Duet, to know where Kate and August end up, how the consequences of Kate's actions will follow up with her, etc.

Goodreads rating:

Book Review: P.S. I Like You by Kasie West

Source: OwlCrate sub box (August 2016)

Synopsis:

Signed, sealed, delivered…

While spacing out in chemistry class, Lily scribbles some of her favorite song lyrics onto her desk. The next day, she finds that someone has continued the lyrics on the desk and added a message to her. Intrigue!

Soon, Lily and her anonymous pen pal are exchanging full-on letters—sharing secrets, recommending bands, and opening up to each other. Lily realizes she’s kind of falling for this letter writer. Only, who is he? As Lily attempts to unravel the mystery and juggle school, friends, crushes, and her crazy family, she discovers that matters of the heart can’t always be spelled out…

Review:

I read this book as part of the OwlCrate-A-Thon reading challenge in February. I gave it a bit of a lower rating on Goodreads because it felt a bit juvenile, a bit more junior high than high school.

I liked this little romance, don't get me wrong. It was cute. Like, super cute. Too cute.

I liked our main character, Lily. She's funny and sweet, and super loyal - all qualities I like to think that I possess. I did not like Cade, and to be honest, I wasn't super fond of her friend Isabel. She's sweet and all, but... I don't know. Something about her I didn't like.

I adore writing letters, it is one of my favourite past-times apart from reading and binge-watching Netflix... So the fact that this story revolves around passing notes in class (uh, yeah, I did that!) and writing love letters, I was into it. I had fantasies in high school of a story like this playing out for real in my life: me writing notes on a desk and somebody answering, and we fall madly in love... *stares dreamily into space* 

So, aside from the fact that the main element of the story is something I love, and the fact that I like and relate to the main character, and dreamt of something similar happening to myself in high school... despite all of this, I couldn't give the book more than three stars, because I didn't like who Lily's secret letter writer was. It was predictable, I saw it coming (I mean, who else could it have been, really?), and I didn't like it. I mean yes, he was a different person in his letters, and yes it was sweet how they seemed perfect for each other on paper, but... I just didn't ship it, ok guys?! 

Like I said, it was super cute. I would highly recommend it to a high school student who loves romance (or an adult who loves high school romance...), but I didn't completely love it.

Goodreads rating:

Book Review: The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry

 

 

Source: OwlCrate sub box (February 2016)

 

Synopsis:

Natalie’s last summer in her small Kentucky hometown is off to a magical start…until she starts seeing the “wrong things.” At first, they’re just momentary glimpses—her front door is red instead of its usual green, there’s a pre-school where the garden store should be. But then her whole town disappears for hours, fading away into rolling hills and grazing buffalo, and Nat knows something isn’t right.

That’s when she gets a visit from the kind but mysterious apparition she calls “Grandmother,” who tells her: “You have three months to save him.” The next night, under the stadium lights of the high school football field, she meets a beautiful boy named Beau, and it’s as if time just stops and nothing exists. Nothing, except Natalie and Beau.

 

Review:

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It came in my OwlCrate subscription box in February 2016, and I was not immediately interested in it. In fact, the only reason I read it when I did was because I used it for part of the OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge in February (2017). I was convinced that this would be a weird book, and, in truth, it is. But not creepy weird, just blow-your-mind kind of weird!

I don't know why, exactly, but I've kind of made a habit of not doing any research into the books that come in my OwlCrate box before I read them. I guess I feel like the fact that somebody read it and recommended it is enough. They are a bit hit-and-miss with their books, for me, however. For the most part, they include books & authors that I have never heard of, and the covers don't typically draw me in (admittedly a pretty big factor for me). Some of them have been good, others have not. But I continue to give them the benefit of the doubt!

 

This is not a book I would have picked out for myself, based on both the cover art and the synopsis, but it was actually quite good. It is a bit of a thought-provoking book, and I like when a book forces me to think - not necessarily about hot, current issues, but just thinking in general. Why this book makes you think is because it raises questions regarding the space-time-continuum, and the whole story/situation revolves around an incident that caused a tear in said continuum which needs to be addressed if "he" is to live.

 

Certain aspects of the book were predictable (I totally called Grandmother's identity!), while others were not (did not see that ending coming). I like that type of story: I like not being able to tell what the ending will be right away, but I also want to be able to say, "I knew it!" sometimes.

 

The romance was sweet, the Native American stories were informative and interesting, and while I didn't understand a lot of the scientific parts I definitely appreciated the weird sci-fi elements. I also think that the ending, while unexpected and a bit shocking, is vague enough to be open to interpretation, and that both frustrates and satisfies me. :)

Goodreads rating:

 

Book Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Source: I had pre-ordered a copy, and then received one in the February OwlCrate box.

Synopsis:

Whatever you've heard about Caraval, it doesn't compare to the reality. It's more than just a game or a performance. It's the closest you'll ever find to magic in this world . . .

Welcome, welcome to Caraval―Stephanie Garber’s sweeping tale of two sisters who escape their ruthless father when they enter the dangerous intrigue of a legendary game.

Scarlett has never left the tiny island where she and her beloved sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval, the far-away, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show, are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But she nevertheless becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic with the other players in the game. And whether Caraval is real or not, she must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over, a dangerous domino effect of consequences is set off, and her sister disappears forever.  

Review:

I fully expected to love this book from the moment I first heard of it, and I was not disappointed! I have read a few reviews of people saying they found the first half of the book really slow and uninteresting... I can maybe admit that the first 1/3 of the book is a bit slow. Mostly, though, I feel like the slow beginning was necessary to show us where Scarlett and Donatella were coming from, what brought them to Caraval. And I guess I could just appreciate the slow burn, because I knew this book was going to be amazing. It made sense for things to start out slow and gradually pick up pace as the game progressed. (But it's true that things really start to pick up and get interesting once Scarlett goes to the dress shop...). A book doesn't get that much hype, and get featured in several sub boxes, and pique my interest enough for me to pre-order, and not be worth every penny!

 

I loved how strange and quirky the world of Caraval was. The descriptions of the little shops and hidden passages and people, etc. reminded me very much of Alice in Wonderland/ Wizard of Oz, for some reason. I can't pinpoint exactly what it is about it that reminds me of The Night Circus, but there are definitely elements of that here as well. I was also strongly reminded of the old TV show Fantasy Island, because of the magical island owned/run by the mysterious Legend (Hello, Mr. Roarke!).

 

The characters were interesting. A lot of people complained about how annoying Scarlett was because she's always talking and complaining about the same things, but I really didn't see it that way. I liked Scarlett for her sense of loyalty and honour, and responsibility. I also enjoyed seeing her loosen up over the course of the story, fall in love, be more daring, and become her own person.

 

I enjoyed the evolution of the romance, and while the ending confused me, it certainly made me want to read the second book (next year!!). I think this would be an amazing movie or TV show someday, by the way. Just saying. Somebody should make that happen. As soon as possible.

 

Goodreads rating:

Progress Report - February 2017

A couple weeks ago I participated in the weekly meme called It's Monday! What are YOU reading? (read my post here) and mentioned that I would be publishing this post last week, but I didn't get around to it. Whoops! I am going to try to make a habit of posting updates every month to summarize my reading progress.

 

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, I've set myself a Goodreads goal of 35, but am unofficially aiming to reach 40.

 

In January I read six books and had aimed, for February, to finish The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George, a few OwlCrate books, and some of my more recent acquisitions. It wasn't noted, but understood, that I also intended to read Anne of Avonlea, for my online book club reading challenge. Partway through the month, OwlCrate introduced their first annual OwlCrate-a-Thon reading challenge, which was to help us get through some of our unread OwlCrate books, and I decided to participate. The requirements for the challenge were 1) to read at least three books, 2) read one fantasy and one contemporary, 3) the one you've had the longest. The challenge ran from March 11-25.

 

So, in February I ended up reading five books: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth, The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (finally!), This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab (OwlCrate 1: fantasy), P.S. I Like You by Kasie West (OwlCRate 2: contemporary), and The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry (OwlCrate 3: longest owned). I also listened to  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. I didn't mention in my January post that I had also listened to The Woman Next Door by Barbara Delinsky.

 

I barely read any of Anne of Avonlea, which I felt pretty bad about, so in March I am hoping to burn through both that and Anne of the Island. I am currently reading Ever the Hunted, I would like to read Caraval and a few others, but I'm kind of leaving it open. There are always books I'd like to read, but then when it comes time to pick up a new book, I'm not in the mood for those. So, we shall see!


So, my total books read in 2017 at this point is 13 out of 35, which is 37% complete - 8 books ahead of schedule! At this rate, I could potentially read over 70 books by the end of the year. That would be awesome! Especially if I could come to terms with getting rid of the ones I didn't love out of those I've read... *wink, wink*

Book Review: Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott

I received my copy of this book in my second OwlCrate box, in December 2015. I started my subscription the month before and wasn't sure if I would continue because November's box didn't interest me that much. December's box was once again somewhat disappointing to me - while I appreciated some of the items, this book did not interest me in the least. I had not touched it for nearly a year, but I decided I needed to give it a chance, especially considering that the other OwlCrate books I've read have not necessarily been favourites, but certainly weren't disappointments. So, even though I still didn't really want to read it, I picked it up because I wanted to get it over with, and I had a certain amount of faith that OwlCrate would not let me down.

 

***WARNING: Spoilers ahead!***

 

Da Vinci's Tiger

by L.M. Elliott

For fans of rich and complex historical novels like Girl with a Pearl Earring or Code Name Verity, Laura Malone Elliott delivers the stunning tale of real-life Renaissance woman Ginevra de' Benci, the inspiration for one of Leonardo da Vinci's earliest masterpieces.

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men. The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand. In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

I might have found the story more interesting if there had been an actual romance between Ginevra and Leonardo, not just her feelings and imaginings and his more-or-less rejection of her.

 

This one ended up being a quick read for me, it only took me a few days, but that was largely due to an unexpected snow day and me wanting to cross it off my list, and not so much a reflection of the book's intrigue.

 

While I was invested enough to continue reading, I was not terribly interested in the story. I do sometimes enjoy historical fiction, but it is definitely not my go-to genre. This particular time period/location (Florence, Italy in the 1400's) does not interest me, nor do I have any particular interest in classical art or poetry. The last 5 pages of the Afterword detailing the historical facts leading to the story's concept, were much more interesting and educational than the story itself. Perhaps it should have been a Foreword... maybe knowing the facts ahead would have made the fiction more interesting to me.

 

In any case, I did not hate the book, but I certainly wouldn't re-read it, nor do I think I would recommend it. I gave it 2 stars on Goodreads (which is an "it was ok").

Book Review: Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake

 Three Dark Crowns

by Kendare Blake

When kingdom come, there will be one.

In every generation on the island of Fennbirn, a set of triplets is born—three queens, all equal heirs to the crown and each possessor of a coveted magic. Mirabella is a fierce elemental, able to spark hungry flames or vicious storms at the snap of her fingers. Katharine is a poisoner, one who can ingest the deadliest poisons without so much as a stomachache. Arsinoe, a naturalist, is said to have the ability to bloom the reddest rose and control the fiercest of lions.

But becoming the Queen Crowned isn’t solely a matter of royal birth. Each sister has to fight for it. And it’s not just a game of win or lose…it’s life or death. The night the sisters turn sixteen, the battle begins.

The last queen standing gets the crown.

How to introduce this book? I'll admit, when I first got it in my September 2016 OwlCrate box, I wasn't that interested in it. The synopsis really just didn't grab me. The cover is simple and lovely, but doesn't appeal to my personal tastes. But out of the 3 other OwlCrate books I've read, I haven't yet been too disappointed, so I figured I would like it if I could get past my mental block, just go in blind.

Anyway, as part of my goal to read the rest of the 2016 OwlCrate books this year, I decided to pick another OC book to read after Flawed (I was still working on Anne of Green Gables at the time, as well), and settled on this one. I was going to try to read the books in the chronological order I received them in, but the mental block is much stronger for some of those first books...

Once I got through the first few chapters of Three Dark Queens, after we meet the three sisters and get a sense of what the world is like, I was definitely into it. I wouldn't say I was hooked, but definitely intrigued enough to keep going. About halfway through, a romantic twist happened that really piqued my interest, and then I really was hooked. By the time I got to the twist ending, I was just incredibly disappointed about this being the first of a series and that I would have to wait to find out what happens next.

I did find the world/timeline a bit confusing, so I hope there is a more extensive explanation of this in future books. Obviously, the island where the sisters live is hidden from normal mortals, except for those potential king-consorts and their families. Based on what Junior tells Arsinoe about "the mainland," my imagination tells me that the island is probably close to England, and that the story takes place several hundred years ago, perhaps about the time of the witch hunts, so sometime in the 1600's?

I liked that we saw each sister's village/house and how they were treated in those houses; whether they were loved or hated, raised with words or hands, and how their powers/abilities (or lack thereof) were dealt with.

I liked the other characters as well: friends and love interests. Although Katherine's love interest's actions near the end of the book really confused me. If I may speculate, I think (hope?) that one of the friends may end up as Queen, rather than one of the sisters.

Progress Report - January 2017

I just felt like doing a little update on my reading progress, seeing as January has now come and gone.

As I mentioned at the beginning of the year, I've set myself a Goodreads goal of 35, but will aim to reach 40.

So far, I have finished six books: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern (review here), The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister (the book I got for Christmas!), Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery (which is part of an online book club reading challenge), Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (review here), Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott (review here), and Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (review here).

For February, I'd like to finally finish The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George - the book is nothing like what I imagined it would be, and I've had such a hard time getting over that. If I can't finish it in February, I think I will officially DNF that sucker and get it out of my life!

Aside from that, I will most likely tackle another OwlCrate book or two, as well as some of my more recent acquisitions, because there have been so many lately!! I'm almost embarrassed, but then I remember that I am far from the only one!

I do have quite a collection of books that I, honestly, will probably never read. I tend to pick up interesting looking/sounding used books everywhere (yard sales, rummage sales, used bookstores, thrift stores, hand-me-downs from relatives, dollar stores, etc. The supply is nearly endless!). However, the books I tend to pick up in loads like that tend not to be books that I will read. If I had nothing else to read, I suspect they would fit the bill and could be quite captivating, but there are just so many books, and not enough time! In my reading, I tend to lean more towards books that are more popular/well-known, or classical novels (to say I did), etc. In my foraging, I do occasionally find books that are on my wishlist, or by authors I recognize, but for the most part, those thrifty finds are usually just random books that have either a charming cover/title or a very intriguing synopsis. It seems that the prettier the cover and longer the title, the more likely I will be to buy the book; but the more well-known it is, the likelier I am of reading it.

Anyway, all that to say that I think I may need to attempt another purge of my book collection. The last time I tried I went through 3 bins and got rid of maybe 5 books. I am a collector by nature, it's difficult for me to leave interesting things behind at a store (I want it, therefore I need it!), and often even more difficult to let go of said things once they are in my possession. It probably comes from some underlying need/desire, but that's far too deep and philosophical for this post.

Suffice it to say that I will try again soon to purge my book collection, and I may be giving away (used) books on my bookstagram account or in the OwlCrate Society Facebook group, so keep an eye out!

Book Review: Vassa in the Night by Sarah Porter

I'm not sure how I let this one slip by un-reviewed, seeing as it was one of my more recent reads, and I was sure I had written one...

Anyway, since I didn't, here I am. But since it has also been a while since I read it, things are not as clear in my mind and I may make some erroneous remarks about plot/characters.

Ok, so I received this book in the October "Once Upon a Dream" OwlCrate box. Overall, this was a pretty dark book. I kind of liked it, but I know a lot of people who didn't and who were completely turned off by the weirdness, to the point of not finishing the book, and I can totally understand that. Here's the synopsis:

In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood.

In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling away again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission.

But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg's help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch's curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won't be playing fair...

The story is the retelling of Russian folklore about Vassilisa (which would be strange enough), and takes place in modern-day Brooklyn, but with weird, magical twists. It almost felt like a Cinderella retelling in the beginning, as Vassa lives with her stepmother and two stepsisters (one nice, one mean). But then the weird things start. To begin with, the nights in Brooklyn seem to last forever and keep getting longer. People can't explain it, but one hour of night seems like 2 or 3, so people don't really sleep because it's too long.

Most of the story and it's action takes place inside Brooklyn's BY store, which is a magical convenience store on dancing chicken legs. Yes, you read that right, dancing chicken legs. Honestly, that's only the beginning of the weirdness.

Nobody really shops at BY's: everyone is afraid of the store because (if you actually manage to get inside) shoplifters are beheaded, and their heads posted on stakes around the perimeter of the parking lot. Oh yes, we're talking gruesome. And the thing is, barely anybody makes it out alive because nearly everyone is accused of shoplifting. How is that possible, you may ask? Well that would be thanks to Babs' henchmen, two animated severed hands called Sinister and Dexter. They don't talk, obviously, because that would be too weird (yes, that was sarcasm). They do, however, communicate with Babs and with one another, and they work together to plant incriminating evidence on unsuspecting shoppers.

Vassa was encouraged by her mean stepsister to go to BY's to get lightbulbs because all of the lightbulbs in the apartment are missing/burned out. Knowing it is basically a death sentence, Vassa goes to BY's. She is caught supposedly shoplifting, but makes a deal with Babs to work at the store for three nights to work off her debt. Thus ensues the story and adventure to save her friends.

There's a lot of metaphors and hidden meanings that I'm sure I didn't even catch. There is a "motorcyclist" being held captive by Babs, who represents Night, one of the friends that Vassa tries to save, along with her doll Erg. But in order to save her human friend, Vassa has to learn some difficult truths and make a sacrifice to lose one of her other friends.

As I said, it's been a while, so I probably messed some of that up, but that's the overall gist of the story. I don't think that I would recommend the book to others, unless they were specifically looking for a weird, dark read.

Review: Flawed by Cecelia Ahern

Without the vellum dust jacket

Hey guys! So this was my very first read of 2017! I received Flawed in the April 2016 OwlCrate box, and I was sooo excited about it! So excited, in fact, that my best friend and I (she also got the box) decided that we would read it at the same time when we were both at a point to be able to do that, and crazy enough, that took until December/January! We also discussed sharing our reviews on each others' blogs, so stay tuned for a possible future post with her review/answers to book club questions. :)

This book was definitely very reminiscent of The Uglies, Divergent, Hunger Games, etc. and I think anyone who read and enjoyed those books will appreciate this one. I had a hard time determining when the story takes places, it sounds/feels like it could be anywhere between 1 and 10 years from now. There is no mention of a year, which I guess is smart in that it can kind of be a timeless book for future generations, until technology changes enough to be out of date (it mentions cell phones with cameras, tablets, social media, etc). So, not having taken place after some third world war or major upheaval of "the system," it's hard to really classify it (in my mind) as "dystopian." There is, however, a relatively new accepted ideal which turns out to be less-than-ideal, and there's a poster girl who is the face of the revolution. So, I guess those points make it dystopian, and I'll accept that.

Cecelia Ahern is an author I've come to love. P.S. I Love You, The Book of Tomorrow, The Gift, and Love, Rosie (previously published as Where Rainbows End) are just a few of her numerous titles that I have read and enjoyed. To learn that she was branching out into YA dystopian was really exciting for me. One of my favourite authors debuting in one of my favourite genres?! This had the potential for something truly magical!

For her debut YA novel (which also happens to be dystopian), I think Cecelia Ahern did a pretty good job. It's not on point, but it's pretty good.

I wasn't sure I liked it when I got started. As I mentioned, it was hard to determine when it was taking place, I felt like there could have been a bit more information given about the world setting, the history that led to the current world situation, etc. It was pretty vague in that respect.

The character development was pretty good, as far as the main character goes. Celestine is a convincing teenager who suddenly becomes the figurehead of this revolution she had no idea was forming. I found the other characters odd and perhaps a bit two-dimensional? I also didn't really like the ending, it just seemed like a quick wrap up to me. And Carrick's role in the ending seems a bit odd. He either should have stayed with her to the end of the book, or not been re-introduced at all, in my opinion.

Overall I enjoyed the story and I'll be looking forward to the sequel, Perfect, when it is released this spring. I think if someone likes YA, dystopian, and is looking for a quick read, Flawed will certainly fit the bill.

Unboxing: December "Epic" OwlCrate

Hey again! Time for another OwlCrate unboxing! The theme for this month's box (December 2016) was EPIC. Thanks to OwlCrate's spoiler hints throughout the month, we knew that there would be items inspired by various "fandoms" (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, Chronicles of Narnia, and Lord of the Rings), that the book was a new read featuring an LGBTQ+ character/theme, that one of the items in the box would be from Dark Horse Comics, and that one of the items was a Funko Mystery Mini.

I wasn't sure whether or not to get this box. The theme didn't particularly appeal to me, and the only fandom I'm into is Harry Potter, so I felt that there was a pretty big potential for there to be things I wouldn't like/relate to in the box. But in the end, my curiosity and (recent) love for all things Harry Potter won, so I got the box. I had hoped it would arrive before Christmas, but it didn't - only a few days later, though. :) And I nearly bought the book the day before it arrived, but then I thought I remembered seeing it in one of the spoiler photos I had seen on Instagram, so I left it there. Good thing!

So, what's in the box? I'll list each fandom's item, and then the book at the end (always save the best for last).

December 2016 OwlCrate "Epic": reveal postcard & collectible pin

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter item represented in the box was the Funko Mystery Mini. I didn't get the previous OwlCrate box that included a Mystery Mini, but I wasn't that disappointed because I don't really care for the Mystery Mini figures (at least as far as the Harry Potter collection goes). Anyway, after considering the options, I had hoped that my Mystery Mini would be one of the animals from the collection, preferable Hedwig or one of the cats. I ended up with Dobby. It's not the worst, but it's not the best. I had, however, just a day or two before been reading that part in The Deathly Hallows (you know the one I'm talking about!), and I was still reeling from that. So Dobby's definitely not the worst I could have gotten, at this time.

Game of Thrones

I really don't know anything about this series at all except that apparently everyone dies? Anyway, the Game of Thrones item was a set of 4 coasters from Dark Horse Comics representing the four houses in the series? I didn't open the package because I know for sure that I won't be keeping these. From the package and other photos I've seen, they are really nice, but the series just doesn't appeal to me.

Chronicles of Narnia

We read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in school, but I've never had an interest in reading the books. Anyway, the item representing the Chronicles of Narnia in this box is a greeting card featuring a beautiful scene from the series, by @susanne_draws. It's definitely frame-worthy, but I haven't decided yet what I will be doing with it.

The Lord of the Rings

I am by no means a big fan, but I have read The Hobbit and have seen some of the movies, and I do like Lord of the Rings merch. This Lord of the Rings lapel pin by @jane_mount is pretty flippin' awesome.

A Darker Shade of Magic
I don't think this is such a well-known fandom, except among YA book-lovers (it's a book series by V.E. Schwab that hasn't got a movie/TV show to it's name yet), but since I've joined the OwlCrate Society, I have learned of and been intrigued by these books. It's definitely on my To Buy list. Anyway, the Darker Shade of Magic item in this box is a sticker by Miss Phi with the quote "I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still." I appreciate the sentiment, but can't wholeheartedly agree right now - one of my brother's friends recently tragically passed away while adventuring abroad, so it's a little too soon. :/

The Book

The December "Epic" OwlCrate book is *drum roll* Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst. The cover is gorgeous, and the synopsis is intriguing. It's definitely being added to my TBR pile, and will probably be tackled pretty soon. Also included is a promotional bookmark, and (as always) a letter from the author.

Brief overview: it's about a magical princess who is betrothed to the prince of a neighouring kingdom that forbids magic, so she has to learn to keep her magic under wraps, and ends up working with (and falling for) her future sister-in-law.

So, there it is! I like the box overall. There are things that I won't be keeping, simply because I am not into those fandoms, and I may eventually sell/trade the Dobby, but that's another story!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this unboxing post. Someday I'd like to feel comfortable enough to actually film myself doing an unboxing, and share it publicly... but for now, photos and written descriptions will remain my platform.