Book Review: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin

There are so many books that have already been printed in the world with many more being printed as you read this! So of course it's not uncommon for people to not have read "classics" in any genre. I for one, have tended to read more modern literature rather than the classics, but there is one classic that I have always wanted to read: A Wizard of Earthsea. 

A Wizard of Earthsea is fantasy at its best. Written for a juvenile audience, it nonetheless contains rich language and world building the likes of which can be compared to the Lord of the Rings. I picked up a copy at my local library that was added to our collection in 2004. The picture to the right is of the library book I checked out and you can see how its cover is very traditional, immediately marking it as an older release. I loved this book though because when you hold it in your hands you still get that "new book" smell and as a hardcover that was the size of a paperback, it was not only easy to carry, but still made a loud "thud" noise when I closed it. Yeah, yeah, I know, typical book geek details, but I couldn't help but point it out :p

A Wizard of Earthsea follows our hero Sparrowhawk, a young magician-in-training that has little patience with the finer details of the art. Rather than learn as much as he can, he's more concerned with learning greater and better things. His ambition eventually leads him to recklessly call upon a soul from the dead and unleash a terrible shadow in the world. Sparrowhawk must now learn all he can in order to defeat the shadow and prevent it from wrecking havoc in Earthsea.

Book Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

In 2017, the live-action Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson will (finally) be released. In the meantime, I sat down and read this little gem right here which turned out to be a retelling of Beauty and the Beast! I honestly picked it up because it was recommended to me, but I never even bothered to read what it was about. Imagine my surprise when I started reading it and began to make all of the connections between this story and that of Beauty (and imagine how silly I felt afterward when I learned it was literally pegged as a retelling. My bad.)

A Court of Thorns and Roses centers around Feyre, a 19 year old girl who is out hunting in the woods for food for herself, her two sisters and her father. When she was about to bring down a deer, a large wolf enters, also hoping to bring down the doe. Feyre is aware that the wolf could be a faerie and out of hatred for faeries, who mistreated humans for generations, she shoots the wolf and skins him. Her actions set off a sequence of events, starting with the arrival of Tamil, the high lord of the Spring Court, arriving at her door to demand payment for the death of his sentinel Andras. As payment, Feyre is taken to the land of Faeries, named Prythian where she will learn that the events she has set in motion extend farther than she ever imagined.

A Court of Thorn and Roses was a roller coaster ride. I thought that I kind of knew where the story was going and then had to quickly readjust. I remember originally thinking that it was so weird that a loss of magic would mean that members of the Spring Court couldn't remove their masquerade masks when magic was affected at a ball. I let its shaky premise go however, since this was a world of faeries and magic and where magic is concerned, much of it can be explained just with, "That's the way the magic worked." So I was quite happy when we finally (it took a while to get to this point in the story. I didn't mind it though), learned the entire truth of everything that had happened and was happening in the Spring Court.

Book Review: Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

You know what's weird? I've had Shadow and Bone on my to-read list for about 3 years but I still read Six of Crows, which is set in the same universe but was released much later, first. Anyways, Shadow and Bone was a book that originally caught my attention as it was listed as a recommendation at my local library. It took me forever to actually pick it up and read it though. After reading Six of Crows (you can check out my review here) I decided that I really wanted to learn more about the Grisha and dive back into the world that Leigh Bardugo created. Luckily Shadow and Bone is the first book of the original trilogy so I settled down to read it as soon as I could.

The country of Ravka was divided many years ago when the Dark Heretic created the Shadow Fold, an area of impenetrable darkness that separates West Ravka from the rest of the country. Within the fold, live creatures that were once human known as Volcra. Corrupted by darkness, they feed on the human flesh of travelers and soldiers that make the dangerous trip into the Fold. Enter Alina Starkov and Malyen "Mal" Oretsev. Both orphans due to the Border Wars that Ravka raged against its neighboring countries, Mal is a tracker with the First Army of Ravka while Alina is a mapmaker. During their first trip into the void, they are attacked by Volcra and it's during this attack that everyone witnesses a display of Alina's powers. Deemed a Grisha, practitioners of the "Small Science" and akin to sorcerers, Alina is whisked away into a world of politics and power.

Ok, that was a pretty lame summary but really, I can't tell you much without giving it all away! Shadow and Bone was a book that I read in approximately three hours. I was actually completely ignoring my schoolwork and just devouring this book! It's an easy read and fast paced so that every time I stopped, I did so begrudgingly because something was always going on. I liked its fast pace and I especially liked the realistic way in which Alina was portrayed. She went from, "Idk what I'm doing, I'm going to fail so horribly at this" to "Come at me bruh." Mal was difficult to figure out, and while he had some character development, I felt like I wasn't 100% sold on this character even at the end. Other characters were similar in that I felt like I had only skimmed the surface with them. And that's actually ok, because as the first part of a trilogy, I think it's acceptable to do so. While the books get reviewed as separate entities, they're all telling a part of one overarching story, so I hope that I see more of the supporting characters and more character development in the following books.

Book Review: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Following on my last post that reviewed the show, "Shadowhunters" based on The Mortal Instruments series, I decided to finally write up a review of the first book in Cassandra Clare's new series taking place in the Shadow World, The Dark Artifices. This new trilogy takes place five years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire, the final book in the Mortal Instruments series. The first book of this new trilogy is Lady Midnight, and it introduces a new crew of Shadowhunters, fighting new forces of evil and with copious mentions and cameos of characters from both The Infernal Devices and The Mortal Instruments.

Lady Midnight primarily follows Emma Carstairs, the last surviving Carstairs family member (yes, she's a descendant of Jem Carstairs from the Infernal Devices, although not directly), after her mother and father were murdered. Emma actually makes her first appearance in the series during City of Heavenly Fire, along with her dear friend and now parabatai Julian Blackthorn. Parabatai, in case you weren't aware, are a pair of Shadowhunters that have chosen to be bounded to each other; they move in battle as one and can often feel each other's pain as well as know instinctively when his/her parabatai is in trouble. Among Shadowhunters, it's considered to be a very special bond and a duty that should not be taken lightly.

The plot of Lady Midnight is two-fold: first, there's Emma's thirst for revenge. She is positive that her parents were not casualties of the war incited by Sebastian Morgenstern and when she gets a lead, she pursues it relentlessly, placing herself, Julian, and the other members of the Blackthorn family in danger. The second part of the plot is in regards to Emma and Julian's feelings for one another. As parabati, they're forbidden from falling in love with one another, a rule that is set because of the consequences that can result. The details of what happens when two parabatai fall in love is, for some unfathomable reason, never shared with anyone. Emma is able to learn what it's and she has to struggle with the fact that she shouldn't reciprocate Julian's feelings despite her urge to do so. It's romance and action tangled into one complicated web against the backdrop of Los Angeles and the Shadow World.

Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

You know when you finish a book and berate your friend for recommending it because it's the first book in a series and you have to wait FOREVER for the second book? Well, what started with Truthwitch, continued when Katsyxo recommend Six of Crows to me. I had no idea what I was getting into when I opened this book. Now I can't stop thinking about it because it was so freaking awesome! 

Kaz. Inej. Nina. Jesper. Wylan. Matthias. 

Each and every one of these characters (and criminals!) completely stole my heart. Six of Crows follows the story of Kaz and his gang of carefully chosen criminals who are about to take on an impossible job - break out a prized prisoner from the most fortified jail in Fjerda. 

There is so much to gush over - the world building, the character development, the awesome diversity in characters, the sarcastic jokes thrown left and right (I love characters that are sarcastic, I relate to them on a very personal level), and of course, all of the anticipation and action that comes with such an impossible heist. 

Book Review: Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

Katsyxo, who is a good friend IRL, is always posting reviews for some of the latest YA releases on her website (which you should definitely check out~). One of the books she reviewed, was Truthwitch. After I read her review, I immediately tried to locate a copy at the library where I work. To my surprise, it hadn't been bought - or even ordered for that matter. So, I submitted a "Suggest a Title" form and within a few weeks, two copies of Truthwitch were added to the collection and I started my journey into the world of the Witchlands.

Truthwitch follows the story and friendship of Safiya von Hasstrel and Iseult det Midenzi who start out the book running away from guards and facing off against the Bloodwitch Aeduan, who would hunt them throughout the duration of the book. Wait, wait, hold up - Bloodwitch? Yep, you read it right, this book has a unique system of magic in which certain individuals are born with magical powers. The Bloodwitch Aeduan, is able to smell a person's blood and use it to track down anyone. Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to determine if a person is saying the truth or lying. And Iseult is a threadwitch, able to see see the invisible ties that bind individuals, although she is not able to see her own.

An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography

"You cannot understand the magnitude. Just try! Eight hundred thousand lives snuffed out in one hundred days. That's eight thousand lives a day. More than five lives per minute. [...] At the end, the best you can say is that my hotel saved about four hours worth of people. Take four hours away from one hundred days and you have an idea of just how little I was able to accomplish against the grand design." - p. xi

There are times when I read a book and it scares me. It honestly really scares me. If you've watched the movie Hotel Rwanda, you will know all about Paul Rusesabagina's story. You will know that during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Rusesabagina kept the doors to the Mille Collins open to refugees, ultimately saving over 1,000 lives. As of late, the accuracy of his story has been questioned, but I think it's important to note that Rusesabagina himself states many times throughout the book that in order to save lives, he worked with the enemy. He offered them gifts, drank with them, made deals and worked the international connections he had in order to save his family and the lives of all those within the Mille Collins. Ultimately, this story is one of survive, not heroism - survival in the face of one the most terrible recorded genocides in history.

Book Review: Destria Waves

*Full disclaimer*: The author Lily Raine is a personal friend of mine. She has asked me for an honest review of her first book.

Anastasia's life has been marred by the memories of the brutal murder of several of her family members while she visited Russia as a child. She is haunted by the image of the murderer who calls her "Aria" and worse yet, she has instances where she disconnects with reality and sees a woman in a white dress who tries to feed her blue flowers. But when she's lured to the woods by a man in a mask who refers to her as Aria, warning of danger coming, Anastasia discovers there's something far greater than visions and the memory of a murder that make her different. 

Destria Waves (the first book of the Anastasia series) is a book that I mulled over long after completing it. There is a lot that happens in the first book, so much that at times I had to go back and reread certain sections to make sure I didn't miss something. Details that might seem insignificant in one part of the book come back in full force later in the book (like the chocolate! Read this book and then dare to tell me that the chocolate wasn't a freakin' awesome detail). The plot and pace was clearly planned out significantly which for me, instantly places this book at a higher calibre than many YA fiction series currently out there. 

Graphic Novel Review: Pride of Baghdad

 

Pride of Baghdad is one of those graphic novels that I just "stumbled across" for lack of a better combination of words. Pride of Baghdad is based on the true events of a pride of lions that were released into the city from the Baghdad Zoo during the attack and subsequent invasion of U.S. forces. The graphic novel explains how the pride lived, how they escaped during the bombings and how they tried to survive on the streets of the city. 

While the graphic novel is a fictionalized account of the events that occurred, the dynamic between the members of the pride is not only very real but very interesting. Zill is the lion of the pride that has grown comfortable living a life in which everything is provided to him. For this reason, the old lioness, Safa, taunts him for being an incompetent protector. Safa has an ear that's missing a chunk and an eye that is scratched out, both of which occurred, because the male of her pride when she lived in the wild, was unable to protect her. Therefore, Safa likes the safety of the zoo and would never dream of leaving it. The third adult member of the pride is Noor, Zill's current mate and the mother of their cub, Ali. Noor is always trying to find ways to escape from the zoo, believing that the wild is where they belong. Due to her constant schemings, Safa strongly dislikes Noor and argues that Noor would never know how to survive in the wild after such a long time in a cage.

Book Review: Shanghai Girls

Shanghai Girls is one of those books that I added to my to-read list on Goodreads and then promptly forgot about it (probably because I have 300+ books on my to-read list. I work at a library ok? New books are always being added to the shelves and older books pass through my hands and I just can't help myself xD). Anyways, lucky for me, my older sister bought a copy of the book at a used book sale and told me that I should definitely read it. She dropped it off at my apartment and then proceeded to ask me everyday if I had started reading it yet. I had a stack of books from the library that I was trying to finish so it took me two weeks to get to it, but once I started reading, I flew through the book.

Shanghai Girls follows the story of Pearl and her younger sister May, two women living in 1930's Shanghai. As the daughters of the owner of a rickshaw business, they consider themselves to be very Westernized and well off. Ignoring the threats of an impending Japanese invasion, the girls continue to live their daily lives as if nothing could ever go wrong. All of this changes when their father admits that he lost his fortune and in order to keep their home, he has arranged marriages for both of them. These are not an ordinary arranged marriages as their father has decided to marry them to two American citizens. However, before all is said and done, Japanese troops begin to attack the outskirts of the city and both Pearl and May's worlds are further turned upside down with the start of the second Sino-Japanese war.

Book Review: The Clockwork Three

Back when I reviewed Time Snatchers and The Forbidden Library, I mentioned that there were a few titles on the jfiction shelf of the library where I work that had caught my attention. The Clockwork Three is the third and last book that I checked out after a quick glance through the jfiction shelf.

The Clockwork Three takes place in the late 19th century, in a fictional coastal town in America. The story follows three young kids, each facing their own difficult situations. The first person you meet is Giuseppe, a young Italian kid who was sold off by his uncle to a patron in America after the death of his parents. He works on the corners of the city, playing an old fiddle in order to make enough to eat for the day. On one fateful day, he finds a green violin and it changes his luck forever.

Frederick is an apprentice clockmaker who was bought by his master from an orphanage where he was abandoned by his mother. Frederick has always had a knack for fixing things and he really wants to earn the title of journeyman, which will mean that he will be recognized as a clockmaker by the guild and he can open his own shop. In his ambition, he has decided to start making a clockwork man and it's as he is making this that he meets Giuseppe and Hannah. Hannah of course, is the third main character in the book. She is a maid in a hotel and serves as the main provider for her family after her father had a stroke leaving him unable to speak or walk. Hannah is a very smart girl and loves to learn but must work at the hotel to make sure her family has enough to buy food and pay rent. One day, she overhears her boss and the head maid speaking about a treasure hidden in the hotel. When her father takes a turn for the worse, Hannah determines that she must find the treasure to help pay for the medical costs no matter what.

Book Review: The Forbidden Library

Y'know those times when you're passing by the stacks in a library and you notice one particular spine - almost as if the book is calling out to you? Yeah, in the last 3 or so months, this has happened to me exactly 3 times. The first book that caught my eye was Time Snatchers and the second book is the one I will review today.

The Forbidden Library by Django Wexler is the first book in a planned series of 5. To my knowledge only the first two books have been published. I'll admit it, I was tempted to put the book back when I read it was the first book of a series. For the last few years I have mostly read YA books and that means series after series after series. There are some I didn't mind very much at all. Series like The Hunger Games and The Infernal Devices work well as series. But, there were some series that could have been much shorter (e.g. The Crossed trilogy, the Mortal Instruments series, etc.) So, being tired of series, I wasn't sure I wanted to pick up a jfiction series. But then I realized that I would probably finish reading the first book in like 2 days and thought, why not?

Well, it took me longer than 2 days to read the book, but that was due to a wide array of factors. But none of those factors includes disinterest. In fact, within the first 2 chapters, the book had caught my wholehearted attention. One day Alice stumbles upon a conversation her father is having in secret with what seems to be - a fairy? A few days later, her father sets of on a voyage at sea and is tragically killed when the ship sinks. Alice is shipped off to her uncle Geryon - a distant relation she didn't even know existed. A nighttime expedition into Geryon's fascinating library and a chance meeting with Ashes, a talking cat and a boy named Issac reveals to Alice that she is a Reader; she has the power to enter the world in books and in order to leave the book, she must defeat the creature inside. This realization brings forth many questions for Alice, especially when she finds out that the fairy that she saw that night speaking to her father is within the library as well.

Book Review: Time Snatchers

Back again! This time I will be reviewing Time Snatchers by Richard Ungar, a sci-fi book aimed at middle schoolers. Like many of the books I've read lately, this was a book that caught my eye at my library. To be quite honest, I was searching for a book for a patron in the jfiction section and noticed this book while searching.  I eventually checked it out because it sounded so interesting.

Caleb is living in the year 2061, where he works as a time snatcher. His boss is a man he names, "Uncle." This man took him and all the other orphaned young kids that also work for the organization in as children and took care of them. Caleb mentioned that when he was younger, Uncle was very kind to him but as the kids grew, he became much more harsh and now deals terrible punishments to those that disappoint or cross him. Anyways, under Uncle's orders, Caleb and his teammate Abbie time travel to various different times in history in order to steal precious artifacts and replace them with carefully created fakes. Despite being the best snatcher, not all of Caleb's successful snatches are counted to his total as Frank, another member of the organization, likes to steal his snatches. Often times, Frank will lie and tell Uncle that Caleb would not have been able to complete the snatch had it not been for his interference. Caleb doesn't think much of it until Uncle reveals that he wants to expand the organization, training new recruits and he isn't sure whether he wants Frank or Caleb to lead the new organization with him. However, while Caleb doesn't want Frank to lead, he also doesn't want to lead himself because it turns out that the kids that Uncle is using for his new organization are being snatched from their parents from across different cultures and different time periods in history!

Book Review: Amulet Series

Lately, I've really gotten into trying to pick up a few graphic novels here and there. One of the ones that caught my eye was the Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi. These graphic novels circulate a lot at the library where I work and I constantly found myself staring at the beautiful covers. I eventually decided to read the first volume and now I'm here, reviewing the series~ The entire Amulet series will actually be composed of 9 volumes, however only 6 have been published with the next volume slated for a 2016 release. Amulet is a series aimed mostly as young children, ages 8-12 but it's definitely a series that all age groups can enjoy. 

Emily loses her father in a terrible car accident while on their way to pick up her younger brother Navin. Some time after, her mother decides to move the family to a home that was owned by their great-grandfather and that by inheritance, belongs to her mother now. It is inside this home that Emily  finds a strange amulet and soon is pulled into a fantastical world full of mystery, political intrigue, magic and most importantly - adventure. 

Book Review: Before I Fall

Earlier this year, I read a list created by my good friend Katie over at Paperback Planes that details the 10 books she believes everyone must read at least once. Luckily for me, I have read the majority of books on the list, save for two, one of which was Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver. I decided to pick this book up first namely because 1. the premise sounded really interesting and 2. Katie strongly recommended it to me and Katie's recommendations have always been spot on.

I'll admit that it took me a while to get really far into the book, but that was largely due to work and other real life obligations. But, once I got past the first 100 or so pages, I couldn't put it down (regardless of whether or not I should have really been heading to the bank...). Samantha Kingston is part of the most popular group of girls at her high school. She's also a mean girl that laughs at and torments others with her friends, actions they believe don't cause much harm. On a Friday night, Sam and her friends go to Kent Mc Fuller's party and the night ends with a car accident that leaves Sam dead. Sam is then forced to relive her final day a total of 7 times, each time changing certain aspects in order to try to save herself. It's only until she reaches the seventh time, does she come to realize that the point of reliving her final day was not what she believed it to be at all.

Book Review: Keepsake

Trish isn't perfect. She's divorced and raising two kids—so of course her house isn't pristine. But she's got all the important things right and she's convinced herself that she has it all under control. That is, until the day her youngest son gets hurt and Child Protective Services comes calling. It's at that moment when Trish is forced to consider the one thing she's always hoped wasn't true: that she's living out her mother's life as a compulsive hoarder.The last person Trish ever wanted to turn to for help is her sister, Mary—meticulous, perfect Mary, whose house is always spotless . . . and who moved away from their mother to live somewhere else, just like Trish's oldest child has. But now, working together to get Trish's disaster of a home into livable shape, two very different sisters are about to uncover more than just piles of junk, as years of secrets, resentments, obsessions, and pain are finally brought into the light.- Keepsake, Back Cover

Book Review: The Iron Trial

Look at that cover - isn't it pretty cool?! I picked The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare off a shelf in the new jfiction area at one of the libraries where I work. I've read many YA books by Clare and liked them so I decided to go ahead and read the start to this new series. The Iron Trail follows Callum "Call" Hunt who is determined to fail the exam that will allow him to enter the Magisterium and become an apprentice of a mage. However, things don't go as he planned. This book was overall a quick read and definitely brought forth an entire new fantasy universe.  Now, let's get to it, shall we? 

Book Review: Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers

Throughout the various history classes I have taken over the years, the role of the Kamikaze during WWII was largely explained in the same way: Japanese culture dictated that soldiers should give their lives for their empire and that is why pilots were so willing to give their lives to bring down enemy planes and ships. However, in Kamikaze Diaries: Reflections of Japanese Student Soldiers, the author, Emiko Ohnuki-Tierney, seeks to deconstruct this belief. By first pointing out that the majority of soldiers, particularly the student soldiers, did not willingly become Kamikaze pilots, Ohnuki-Tierney provides a fresh perspective into the minds of Kamikaze pilots. Drawing on their personal diaries and correspondence with family members, she provides a haunting look into the way these young men struggled to remain loyal to their country and accept their fate.

Book Review: The Lovely Bones

In 1973, Susie Salmon was raped and killed in a cornfield. And while police do everything they can, they cannot find the body, save for an elbow. 

When we meet Susie, she is already in heaven, looking down on her family and watching as it slowly unravels. Her mother cannot cope with the loss of a child, particularly since she never wanted to have children in the first place. Meanwhile, her father is sure that he knows who the killer is. In his search for the truth, he is both physically and emotionally damaged, as no one but his second daughter Lindsey, believes him. 

Through Susie's eyes, we watch the effects that time has on her family and after many years, we watch as they all finally come to terms with her death. We witness the lasting effects she had on a girl named Ruth, who was touched by Susie's spirit when she ascended to heaven. And we also follow Susie's killer with her, learning grisly details of what occurred in the hours after her murder and where he is as time passes. 

When I picked up this book, I was so sure I would be reading about an investigation on the rape and murder of a young girl. I believed the main focus of the story would be finding clues to link to the killer. And while that certainly encompasses a part of the story, the main focus of the story is on Susie Salmon's heaven and how she comes to terms with the effects that her life and death have had on the living. I truly loved this book because it portrayed the different effects grief can have on an individual, through the thoughts and actions of each one of Susie's family members. The writing style worked great and flowed nicely and never once was I bored. All in all, I throughly enjoyed this story. 

Rating: ★★★★

Book Review: The Bane Chronicles

“Sincerity and gravity, in Magnus's opinion, were highly overrated, as was being forced to relive unpleasant memories. He would much rather be amused and amusing.” 

                                                         -Cassandra Clare, The Bane Chronicles 

Let's be clear about something before I start this review: I have read the entire Mortal Instruments series and the Infernal Devices trilogy. I did enjoy the Infernal Devices much more than the Mortal Instruments, but, that is a story for another time. The reason I am making this clear is because The Bane Chronicles is a book that takes one of the most popular supporting characters from both series, Magnus Bane, and allows the reader to delve into his past. Many of the characters from both series make an appearance in The Bane Chronicles and unless you have read the other series, you won't get quite the same reaction I did when reading this book. 

The Bane Chronicles follows the the adventures of warlock Magnus Bane, who, by the time The Mortal Instruments series was released (whose events take place in 2008 New York), has become the High Warlock of Brooklyn. He is extremely powerful and of course, immortal. This is the reason why he is present in the Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices (which takes place in 1800's London). Throughout both book series, he consistently refers to incidents that occurred to him in the past, but he never really bothers to elaborate on them. This book seeks to provide the reader with some of Bane's more illustrious adventures and also to help strengthen the link that Bane has with many of the ancestors of the characters in the Mortal Instruments series.