Tag Archives: bethylou reads

Review: Winter by Marissa Meyer

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Featured image*Beware of Spoilers*

This was everything that I wanted it to be.  It was thrilling, romantic, action packed and yes it had some happy endings.  It is a fairy tale after all.  Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter, Kai, Wolf, Throne and Jacin go through quite a lot in this but I think even they would say it was worth it.  As a whole this has been a very satisfying.  I don’t think you can say one book was weaker then the other.  They were all pretty solid.  All the heroines were strong in their own way and can I give props to Marissa Meyer for giving them all jobs commonly associated with men.  Cinder is a mechanic.  Scarlet is a farmer and pilot and Cress is a computer programmer.  Winter is the only one that follows the stereotypical fairy tale occupation of Princess but it doesn’t diminish her in any way.  While they do have the help of their male love interests, the girls are not damsels in distress and in Winter they prove it.   Continue reading →

Quick Review: The Rose Society by Marie Lu

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Featured imageI know that Adelina is supposed to be the villain of this story.  The entire marketing campaign has been how this is from the villainess point of view instead of the usual heroine. I agree that’s unique but I’m having hard time seeing Adelina as a villain or “the villain” of this novel.  If anything she is just one of many bad guys in the story.  Teren is out right terrifying.  His obsession and religious furor makes him so certain that his work camps and plans of eradicating all malfettos from Kennetra is the true villain of the story.  I think we are supposed to see the Daggers led by Enzo and Raffaelle as the heroes but they are committing treason by allying themselves to Queen Maeve of Beldain. Maeve is also an elite with the power to bring back the dead.  For this reason she obviously takes much better care of malfettos or survivors of the blood fever but she is also planning on taking over another sovereign nation.  Queen Guiletta is not exactly a saint either but now that she has ascended to the thrown she is making in effort.  She sees how Teren is treating the malfettos and orders they be treated better.  She wants obedience, not revolution.  She knows that the children of many influential people are malfettos and they would not like to see their children poorly treated.  Unfortunately, Teren sees things differently and by the time she realizes how much power she has given him it’s too late.  Could she have been a more effective leader if it wasn’t for Teren?  Most likely.  But back to Adelina.  She was caste out from the Daggers for betraying them, killing Dante and making the mistake that lead to Enzo’s death.  She and her sister Violetta seek out new allies to help her in her revenge against Teren and his inquisitors.  Throughout the book, Adelina experience illusions of people she has killed that and they get worse as the story goes on. She also hears voices and becomes more and more paranoid.  *Spoiler* We learn in the end that the elites powers are turning against them.  They were given powers of the Gods but their human bodies can’t handle it.  Adelina has the power of illusions. Creating images to make people think, see and feel things that are not there.  For her it makes her see her dead father and hear voices and be paranoid.  I couldn’t help but think this sounds like schizophrenia or another mental illness.  Having your villain show signs of mental illness is a little problematic to me.  I’m pretty sure that is not the author’s intent.  As I said, the elites powers are turning against them.  If Adelina had different powers her side effects would be different but her powers and her dark feelings are what makes her a threat.  Also a little problematic is that Adelina is a victim of domestic abuse.  Since she was a child she was beaten and abused by her father.  She lived her life trying to gain the love of a man who hurt her.  When she kills him and finds the Daggers she does what she can to make them like her and to fit in and they turn on her too.  This is an emotionally scarred woman. I’m not saying that what she has done in the last two books are excusable but I also don’t think that labeling her as a villain is accurate either.  If anything, I find myself rooting for her to succeed then any other character in the book.

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

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Featured imageWhen I Rainbow Rowell announced that her next book would be Carry On the entire internet let out a huge SQUEEEE!! For those who may not be familiar with her work (which really you should) in her 2013 novel, Fangirl, she introduced us to Simon Snow, a Harry Potteresque “chosen one” and his nemesis/roommate Baz.  In Fangirl, Simon and Baz are characters in a beloved fantasy series that Cath was writing a fan-fiction for.  We got a few snippets of Simon and Baz through Cath’s writing, in which she took the characters from enemies to lovers.  Cath spends Fangirl trying onto finish her fan-fiction before the author of Simon Snow series, Gemma T. Leslie publishes the final book.  Carry On is the final book of the Simon Snow series but it’s not Cath’s story or Gemma T. Leslie’s story it’s Rainbow’s story.  I guess that’s sort of meta.  Rainbow isn’t really writing her own fan-fiction.  How can an author write a fan-fiction of her own work? I guess this is more canon then anything else since she is the original creator.  Cath and Gemma, don’t actually exist. I would say it’s in it’s own unique category.  The other thing that makes this different from Rainbow’s other book is that it’s a full fledged fantasy novel.  Her other books have all been contemporary novels though Landline does have the fantastical element of having a magical phone that allows Georgie to talk to her husband Neal from the past.  So this is new territory for her but she passes with flying colors.  In a way, Carry On is much a love letter to the fantasy novels of her life.  Obviously, Harry Potter is a huge influence but so is Chronicles of Narnia and a little Twilight among others.  She’s able to give little winks and even a little commentary on other franchises while still remaining it’s own thing.

Simon Snow is the most powerful mage of all time.  He is the Chosen one.  The one who is has come when the world of the Mages need them the most.  The Insidious Humdrum is draining the world of magic and only Simon can stop him.  Unfortunately, Simon can’t control his own magic and is beyond obsessed with his roommate Baz, who is a vampire!  When Simon comes back to school for his final year, Baz is not there and is missing for weeks.  Simon tries everything to track him down and figure out what evil plan Baz is concocting now.  Unfortunately his best friend Penelope and his girlfriend Agatha are not really all that interested.  Now when I say he is obsessed with Baz, he really is.  He spends the first part of the book doing nothing but thinking about him.  Describing him in such a detailed manner that only someone who pays attention or cares for notices.  He may not see his attraction to Baz but as readers we can see it.  When Baz finally returns we learn that he also in love with Simon but at least he knows it.  It excites him but also scares him because he knows that they can never be together. Most likely they will end up killing each other since they are on opposite sides of the war and yeah, he’s a vampire.  He’s cruel and mean to Simon because he loves him and tries to push him away.

When in Baz’s dead mother appears to Simon and tells him to search for Nicodemus and avenge her death, he and Baz team up to find out what really happened the night she died and Baz was turned.  They soon realize that they have more in common but they truly feel for each other.  It’s a gradual process but when it happens it’s breathtaking.  There was nothing strange or unusual about Simon and Baz falling in love except that they are two boys.  You could changed the gender of one of them and it would still work as a love story.  I think that’s important.  We’ve talked before on how important representation is important in books, especially in kids and teen literature.  Here we get two boys falling in love. One knows he’s gay and the other still figuring out his own sexuality but it’s still beautiful.  It’s wonderful to have this positive relationship out there.  Not just for LGBTQ teens but for straight ones too.  Love is love.

Now let’s talk about the girls.  Penelope is Simon’s best friend.  She’s smart and no nonsense.  She knows who she is and not afraid to stand up for herself.  She’s also Indian descent.  She is always there to help Simon and helps him out of some really scary situations.  She also willing to roll with anything that Simon does or feels.  She doesn’t trust Baz at first but sees that Simon is set on helping him so she goes all in.  Agatha is a little more complicated.  She is Simon’s estranged girlfriend. She loves Simon but not in love with him.  She’s struggling with the expectations of what others expect from her and what she wants.  She has friends outside the Mages world.  She knows there is more to life outside her closed circle.  She’s also tired of being just the girlfriend who Simon has to come and rescue.  She doesn’t really know what she wants but she knows it’s not that.

I truly enjoyed this book and I do hope that Rainbow writes more fantasy but I don’t care what she writes because I will read and love it anyway

Review: Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

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Featured image**May Contain Spoilers**

Okay, this isn’t really a review.  More of an appreciation post.  An appreciation for Rick Riordan and his books.  There are many things I love about his writings.  I love his characters, especially since many of them are quite sarcastic and sassy.  I love how he writes characters with diverse backgrounds.  I love the imagination of them.  Taking stories that we are familiar with and some we are not and updating them or making them new but also staying true to the myths. I can tell that he has done his research on these myths and stories, whether they were well known or obscure.  I think the most impressive thing is connecting these old stories with todays world and not making them seem outdated.  He’s had some mix results.  The Kane Chronicles is based on Egyptian mythology.  I know next to nothing about Egyptian Mythology and if I were to guess most of his readers didn’t know much too.  For that reason, this series was a little harder to get through.  The first book, The Red Pyramid, spent almost more time trying to explain who the major Gods and Goddess of Egypt were and how they are relate to each other.  That the story sorta came second but as the trilogy progressed it got better.   The humor of his books.  Again, I love the sassiness of his characters.  He gets my humor.

But really, it’s his diverse characters are what I love the most of his books.  With the exception of The Kane Chronicles, his other series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Heroes of Olympus and now Magnus Chase and Gods of Asgard take from Western Europe.  I think we all have an idea what they would or should look like.  White.  Yes, Percy, Jason, Annabeth and Chase are all white.  Piper is native American.  Leo is latino. Hazel is Black. Frank is Chinese Canadian. Sadie and Carter are biracial.  Sam is Muslim.  It’s not just racial diversity either.  In House of Hades, Nico is outed as gay.  That tsurprised me.  Not because I didn’t see it coming or that I was upset but because this is a children’s book after all and I was afraid of how it would be received.  Even more surprisingly, it seems it was received pretty well or with little to no controversary.  At least not that I read about.  And that is awesome!  We have mention before on this blog about the movement to have more diverse books and characters in Kids and Teens books and why this is important.  Mr. Riordan could have played it save.  He could have all his characters be white and say well they are demigods based on Greek and Roman and Norse myths who were also white but he didn’t.  These Empires and traders may have started in Europe but they didn’t stay there.  Rome stretched into African and Asia and the Vikings also traveled as far south as the Middle East and west as North America.  And these books take place (mostly) in the US.  The idea behind these books is the Gods follows power.  So whatever country that is the Superpower in the world, that’s where they set up shop.  (At least true for the Greek and Roman Gods) So it would make sense that the Gods and Goddess would interact and mate with people from all backgrounds as we in the US are from all different backgrounds.  So the demigods needed to reflect that.  The Gods didn’t really have a type.  I mean, Posiden is also the father to Pegasus after all.  Loki has a horse, a wolf and a snake as his children.  So what would they care if their current human paramour is Black, White or Asian? All of his characters are strong and brave.  For his readers, they can find at least one demigod or magician to relate to and say I can be as strong and brave as.  That’s important and shouldn’t be overlooked.  So for that I love his books.

As for Sword of Summer, fans of his other books are going to love it.  I’m not as familiar with Norse Mythology as I am with Greek but I know enough to know the major players.  Magnus is in the mold of Percy as he is definitely a smart ass and I love it.  He is also the cousin to Annabeth.  The poor Chase family.  You have one brother who had a child with a Greek Goddess and one sister who had a child with a Norse God.  Both of kids were runaways.  The Chase family knows drama.  One can only hope that after all this they Chases’ have an easier time. Anyway, Magnus is joined by Sam, a Valkiyre and daughter of Loki. Blitz the Dwarf and Hearth the Elf.  Another thing that the Chase cousins have in common is they both have been to the afterlife, though Magnus actually died.  Magnus and friends must find the Sword of Summer, aka Jack and delay Raganok from happening.  No pressure.  Like his other books, our Heroes have to go through many trials, have run in with other Gods and Goddesses and other demigods and deal with a short window to complete their mission.  You would think that it would get predictable but it doesn’t.  I think a new set of Gods helps.  Riordan also is not afraid to kill off characters either so don’t get used to some of them.  I’m liking this series and I can’t wait to read more.

Cover Reveal: The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

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The final book in Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle, The Raven King was supposed to be released later this month.  Unfortunately, Maggie said that she needed more time for editing so it has been pushed back until April.  Gah!  Five more months!  What are we going to do?  Well for now we are going to have to console ourselves with gazing at the gorgeous cover of The Raven King, revealed yesterday.

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Like the covers of the previous books it’s beautiful but doesn’t give much of way of plot or clues besides a deer will somehow play a part in the story.  In the meantime, we all can spend time theorizing over what is going to happen.  Are Blue and Gansey finally going to kiss and be the doom Gansey?  Are Ronan and Adam going to get together? What about Maura and Butterscotch?  Will they find Glendower? And what is up with Henry and what role does he have in all of this?  Stay Strong.  April will be here before we know it.

It’s the first of November, and so today someone will die

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Since it’s the November 1 I thought we would take a moment and look at Maggie Stiefvater’s best book, The Scorpio Races.  I mean all of her books are good but this one is the best.  It’s filled with so much atmospheric goodness that’s it’s just luscious.  Every year they race on the sea horses. Some live and some die.  Sean is the defending champion.  The youngest ever but much older then his years.  Puck is the first girl to compete but circumstances make her take the chance.  I can’t speak highly of this book and I’m sure that Kate would agree with me.  If you are looking for a good book to read by the fire with some warm apple cider then you really can’t do any better then this.

Quick Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

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six of crowsIf you loved Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha series and you love crime capers then you are going to love Six of Crows.  Set after the events of her last series but this time in Kerch, a country not far from Ravka, six criminals are tasked with a suicide mission that has little to no chance of being accomplished but the pay out is good.  Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias and Wylan are all flawed and interesting characters with varying degrees of criminal presents or pasts.  Each bring their own set of skills that are vital to the mission.  Inej, aka the Wraith, is a trained trapeze artist who can scale walls and quietly gather information. Jesper is a sharpshooter with a gambling problem, Nina is a Heartrender, who can kill you without even touching you.  Matthias is a convict who is part of a religious society that hunts down Grisha.  Wylan is the son of a rich merchant who likes to blow things up and Kaz is their mysterious leader.  He worked his way up in the Barrel to rule but it’s all to get revenge on the man he blames for the death of his brother.

A new drug called Jurda Panem has been developed and it strenghtens Grisha powers to impossible powers.  This could change the whole balance of the world.  How can people defend against the Grisha if they have unchecked powers? Kaz is hired by the Merchant Councils to rescue the man who created it from a Fjerdian prison that is inescapable.  Kaz goes about to assemble his team who don’t exactly get along but must work together if they are going to succeed or just survive.  This story has so many plot twists and misdirections it’s like Oceans 11.  You have to question everything you read because what you think is happening is not all that is really happening. It’s not just all the action that makes this book a good read.  It’s the characters.  They are all compelling and interesting with full backstories.  All with the exception of Wylan who is the only one not to have a chapter written from his point of view.  Probably because out of all them he’s the outsider of the group.  He’s not a criminal and he’s not from the barrel.  Kaz says he’s only there as leverage against the council and he knows how to blow things up but I think it’s more than that.  I look forward to knowing more about him. 

Matthias is a warrior who’s goal is eradicate the Grisha as he feels they are unnatural.  It’s one thing to arrest and execute Grisha in one’s own country but it takes balls to go other countries, tracking down Grisha, capturing them and bringing them back to Fjerdia and then putting them on trial and executing them.  He captured Nina but thanks to a storm she rescued him.  In attempt to save his life again, she accuses him of slave trading but things go south when he is actually thrown in jail for it.  Nina befriends some people (for lack of better term) to help get him out as she feels responsible.  Inej was captured and sold to a pleasure house until Kaz came and made her apart of his gang.  Now she’s his spy, the Wraith, but all she wants to do is go home and find her family. Jesper, a former farm boy who came to Kerch as a student and found gambling instead.  He’s also hiding things, one being that he is also Grisha.  I’m pretty sure I know another one of his secrets too.  Let’s just say, I ship Jesper and Wylan, if you get my gist.  Kaz is the most intriguing.  Coming out of nowhere to being a major player in the Barrel.  He’s smart and ruthless and more of a mystery than everyone.  He’s hellbent on revenge against the man he believes is responsible to the death of his brother but he’s  also a 17 year old boy so well, he has those annoying feelings to deal with.

So for fans of the Grisha series and Oceans 11 type movies this is the book for you. It’s fun, lots of action, lots of double dealings, backstabbing, mystery and potential romance.