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: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Oh Anne with an e! How I love you and your passionate, quirky, dreamy ways!

Sometimes it comes as a complete surprise to me when I realize that there are books I know all about, but have never actually read. This was one of them. I am very familiar with Anne of Green Gables. We had recordings of the TV mini-series at home that we would watch when I was younger; in college, there was a family who opened their doors to students nearly every weekend, beginning in October, to watch the mini-series and subsequent movie(s?); my mother had a box set of the first 3 books of the series that I always thought was so neat and liked to play with, even though I wasn't supposed to; I have been to PEI and to Avonlea village and the Green Gables house... I'm kind of a fan... but I had never actually read the books!

Then in the fall, when I made this realization, I came across the books at the thrift store for $1 (for the entire series, in box set!), and then a few weeks later, I found an online book club that planned to read the whole series in 2017 and I decided to join in! My mom is joining me on this adventure as well, or attempting to. She doesn't read nearly as much or as fast as I do, but even at her current pace, she should be able to finish the series this year if she wants to.

Illustration by Gaia Bordicchia

I remembered and anticipated most of the happenings in this first book from the TV show. Oh, how well Megan Follows played that spirited little redhead! I had not realized how many years were spanned in that first book - about six, I think! And, to be honest, I didn't really know that there were more books. At the end of my copy of Anne of Green Gables there is a little blurb about each of the next books and I really had no idea! It basically covers most of Anne's life!

Anyway, I don't really feel the need to say much more, except perhaps to recap some of Anne's more notorious antics: falling off the roof, smashing her slate over Gilbert's head, the hair dye incident, getting Diana drunk, nearly drowning in the river, and winning the award at Queen's but giving it up to be able to help out with the farm. 💚

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.

Q&A: Flawed featuring Paige From Book Club

Hello again friends! Today we're doing things a bit differently. My best friend Paige (Paige From Book Club) and I decided way back in April that we would read Flawed (by Cecelia Ahern) together, and possibly do something together with our blogs. It took us until the end of December until we were both in a position to read it, and then a couple weeks to come up with a plan & question set for our blogs, so this has been a long time coming. What we finally decided on was to each answer the same 12 questions on the other's blog. So, below you will find Paige's answers, and you can find mine on her blog, right over here. Please also check out my full review of Flawed, which I posted last week.

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How did you experience the book? Were you engaged immediately, or did it take you a while to get into it? It did take me a while to get into this book actually.  The whole “Perfect” system really bothered me, and I found myself putting the book down in frustration a lot.  I was about two thirds through before I found myself truly getting into the story.
How did you feel reading it - amused, sad, disturbed, confused, bored? This book made me so angry and frustrated.  The injustices and unfairness of the whole story really affected me.  There were only rare moments where I could settle and simply read.  The majority of the time, the themes of the book would not let me rest.  Each time I picked up the book the frustration came back with a vengeance.  It was a continuing feeling, right up to the end.
What are your feelings regarding Celestine, the main character? Do you admire her? Disapprove of her? She never intended to take a stand.  She just reacted out of basic human decency and compassion, and for that I admire her.  Beyond that I didn’t have much respect for her character or her way of thinking.  She was narrow minded and naive and arrogant, even as the story progressed.  I did like that she didn’t have a complete change of character just because this big event happened.  It was realistic in that her base character remained the same, even as her world views shifted. Over all though, I didn’t care for her too much, except for in those few moments that she chose the right thing.  In those moments she endeared herself to me.
What did you think of her family’s reactions to her stand, and then her sentencing?

When something is happening to my family, it is happening to me.  We tend to stick together and stand together.  We are always on each other’s side.  So for her strong-willed outspoken sister to remain silent?  I felt utterly betrayed for Celestine.  I appreciated her father’s blustering and yelling on her behalf, as he showed his love in his own way.  It bothered me that she dismissed her grandfather so easily at first, and I was glad when they came to an understanding and she grew to respect him.  Her mother’s quiet defiances were sweet, and while in keeping with her character, I did wish she’d done more.

The part that bothered me the most, however, was her younger brother’s reaction to her.  The disgust and fear he suddenly showed toward her was heartbreaking.  He was so brainwashed into society’s thinking that he couldn’t form a thought for himself. I wanted to shake some sense into him, and make him understand!  Show him why it was society that was wrong, not his sister.  And the fact that there was nothing his family could really do to teach him otherwise, without being seen as “aiding a Flawed” was beyond devastating.  I do wonder how that storyline will develop in the next book.

What are your thoughts on the romance aspect? Did the potential romance take away from the story or add to it? When I thought that Carrick was going to be a solid part of this first book, I was all for the romance.  I am a sucker for romance, no matter the genre I find it in.  When Carrick was absent for most of the book, I was confused.  Why introduce a character that is obviously meant to be a love interest, when he’s not even going to be present?  Why was Celestine suddenly putting so much emphasis on this character that disappeared when she needed him the most?  I would have liked to see him introduced as a comrade and friend first with no hint of deeper feelings on Celestine’s part.  Then perhaps in the next book - when he is actually present - the author could work on developing the romance.  There was a lot of implication, and not a lot of follow through in that particular part of the story.  It was unnecessary in this first installment.
What passages stood out to you? Did anything strike you as particularly profound or insightful? No particular passage stood out to me.  However, the theme of discrimination and prejudice really affected me.  The story makes you reevaluate how you react to our present day discriminations - the ones we don’t always see because we’re right in the middle of it.  Do I sit quietly and watch the injustices happening around me?  Or do I take a stand for what’s right, no matter what others think?  Things to consider, and carry forward in our every day life.
Did you find the plot predictable or formulaic? Yes.  It completely followed a formula, and was absolutely cliché is parts.  It varied enough to keep it interesting, but I was at no point surprised by anything that happened.  I don’t mind predictable or formulaic, most times.  I would have liked to see a little more out of the box thinking for this one though.  The prank played by the classmates for example.  I could have done without that particular cliché.
Is the ending satisfying? It was abrupt.  I would have liked another chapter or two to give our main character better direction and purpose.  We were almost there, but not quite close enough.  This is what makes me think the duology was originally meant to be a stand alone.  It was like someone suddenly chopped it off at the halfway point and said, “We could make more money if we turned this into two books.”
If you could ask the author a question, what would you ask? Have you read other books by the same author, and how does this compare?

The author states that she wrote this story in six weeks.  So my question would be ‘What suddenly inspired you to write this story?’  For it to be written so quickly and passionately, there had to be a trigger, right?

I haven’t read any of her other books.  Mainly because I watched the movie version of “P.S. I Love You” and cried so hard I vowed never to read the book. I’ve been a little afraid to read any of her subsequent books as a result.

Has this novel changed you - broadened your perspective? 
It’s definitely made me think harder about taking a stand for what’s right.  No new ideas, per se.  But definitely a reminder that it is not okay to sit idly by while injustices take place around you.
There is going to be a sequel. Will you continue reading the series? From what I can tell, the sequel “Perfect” is the second half of a duology.  Because it is only two books, I will definitely read the second one.  However, if it had been a trilogy or more, I probably wouldn’t continue.  I do think this story should have been told in one longer book, instead of dividing it in two.  But I will finish it, if only to know what happens next.
Would you recommend the book to other people? For as thought provoking as this book is, it’s not one I would recommend to others.  I suppose if someone came to me looking for another dystopian YA novel, I may mention it.  For a book that deals with the topics of social injustice and prejudice, however; I have a few others I may recommend before this one.

***

We were both quite amused by how different our answers were to the first few questions, but then became nearly identical answers for the last questions.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this little experiment as much as we did! Hopefully we will be able to do a few more of these posts in the future.

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.