Tag Archives: sarah rees brennan

Beth’s Favorite Books of 2024!!!

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I read a lot of good books this year. Like many of us, books were a much-needed respite from all the things going on in the world. So, I am forever grateful to all the authors who created the amazing worlds I visited this year.

In no particular order. Here are the books that I loved the most in 2024!

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang – This was such an excellent book. It was a tough read, I am not going to lie because I saw a little bit more of myself in the main character than I would care to admit but that’s a good thing. It’s good to be uncomfortable from time to time because that’s how you learn and ultimately grow. So yes, read this book. Especially if you are a liberally leaning white woman.

What the River Knows and Where the Library Hides by Isabel Ibanez – These were a fun series. It really is a mix of The Mummy (1999 version) and Death of the Nile. I loved the dynamic between the main character and her love interest. It was a mix of adventure, romance and mystery. What the River Knows was so much fun, I had to immediately read the sequel Where the Library Hides. It just hit all the right notes for me.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan – What if you could become a character in your favorite story? Sounds like fun, right? It is, at least to me. Rae may disagree as to where she ends up at the end of the book, but it is so much fun. A lot of humor and all the fantasy tropes that readers expect. I can’t wait for the sequel to come out.

Assistant to the Villain and Apprentice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer – Both of these books were so funny. I think I picked this up on a whim because it sounded interesting, and I am so glad that I did. It is just the right kind of humor I like. It is so ridiculous I love it.

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy – The only non-fiction title on my list. Okay, it might have been the only non-fiction book I read this year, but I digress. Jennette’s story is heartbreaking because so much of the pain in her life was caused by her mother. How she handling it all now is admirable. I only wish the best for her.

The Familiar – Leigh Bardugo – Magic, mystery, betrayal. It is all here. I loved the atmosphere of the story. Leigh Bardugo is such a great writer. She paints such great portraits in her books. If you are looking for a standalone fantasy novel, You can’t go wrong with this one.

Spoiler Alert, All the Feels and Ship wrecked by Olivia Dade – I love them all. The Spoiler Alert trilogy follows three different couples from a TV show. All of them are relatable and easy to cheer for. I also love the fan fiction part of the stories.

Starter Villain by John Scalzi – Another hilarious book. I have never read John Scalzi before but I might have to after this. The absurdity of the books is amazing. Like I need this to be a movie or TV show because it would be awesome.

A Fire in the Sky by Sophie Jordan – I was introduced to Sophie Jordan from her first dragon books, so I was happy she’s back to writing dragons. There are some similarities to the last series, but I am not mad about it. It was a very fast read, and I didn’t want it to end. It’s a good thing the sequel is coming out next year.

Those were my favorite books of this year. After going through my list, I see a theme of comedic books. I obviously needed the laughs, and I am probably going to need the laughs next year. What were your favorite books of this year?

Review: Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan

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What would you do if you were offered a chance to be a character in your favorite book series? What would you do if you were one of the story’s villains? That’s what happened to Rae. Rae is in her early 20s and has been fighting cancer since she was in high school. She and her younger sister have a favorite series, The Time of Iron written by Anonymous. Her sister would come to her hospital room and re-read the books to Rae and they would discuss each scene in character. Rae is very sick and one night, she gets a visit by a stranger who gives Rae an offer. Play a role of one of the characters in the Time of Iron Retrieve a flower before it blooms and she will cured. Fail and she would be forever in a coma. Rae doesn’t believe her but then she finds herself playing Lady Rahela, who is about to be executed in the first book. Rae is not as devoted to the books as her sister but she knows the story and she knows what comes next for her character and the other characters and uses that to her advantage. Leaning into her character’s villainous nature, she sets plans in motion to find the flower. She recruits the other villains of the story and gets to work She convinces the King that she is a prophet, saves the heroine, and befriends the leaders of thieves. This is such a fun book. All the characters fly off the page and you can tell that the author had a blast writing it. It is full of all the fantasy romance tropes that we become accustomed to and use it to tell a compelling story. It definitely plays on the whole, who really is a villain and who is a hero? Who decides? I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves fantasy books and is looking for a fun and entertaining read.

You Like Us, Really Really Like Us!

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It’s that time of year where we take a look back at the last 12 months. 2018 was by far our best year we have ever had here at Stacks.  Thank you for all spent their time reading our little blog here.  Here are the top ten posts that you all really really liked.

  1. Review: Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart – I’m surprised by all the traffic from this post but hey I’m glad you came. 
  2. Quick Review: Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han – Thanks to the success of the movie for the first book, which I loved.  I can’t wait for the sequel.
  3. Quick Review: Intensity by Sherrilyn Kenyon – Another surprise but maybe you are like me and miss Nick so much.
  4. Review: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee – Such a great book.
  5. Review: One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake – Another really great book.
  6. Review: Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray – For a series set in the 20’s, it could not be more relevant for today.
  7. A Wizard of Earthsea: Chapter 2: The Shadow – Interesting that our read along to A Wizard of Earthsea that Chapter 2 was the one that to the most views.  Also this is the only post in the top 10 that is from 2018.
  8. Review: The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare – Another surprised entry.
  9. Quick Review: The Becoming of Noah Shaw by Michelle Hodkin – Noah Shaw has some issues he has to work out.
  10. Some of my favorite Quotes from In Other Lands – OMG!  So many great quotes in this book.

Top 10 Posts of 2017

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top posts

2017 is almost at an end.  It was quite a challenging year but at least it was filled with a lot of great books.  Here are the Top 10 posts that got the most views on Stacks this year.  Thank you for all of you stopped by and took a glance at our little corner of the internet.

  1. Quick Review: Always and Forever, Lara Jean by Jenny Han I’m pleasantly surprised this one came out on top.  It got over twice many views as #2 of this list so you all must have loved it.  I’ll admit, I had mixed feelings about this novel because as much as I loved Lara Jean and glad I got to spend more time with her, I’m not sure it was really needed another book.
  2. Sending Love to Sarah Rees Brennan This is another surprise since it was originally posted in 2016 but I hope the continue views have sent Sarah more healing vibes because I do love reading her books.
  3. Quick Review: Intensity by Sherrilyn Kenyon I just adore this series and even though I’m unsure if this is the last book in the series or just shift in the series focus.  Either way, I can’t wait to read more about Nick.
  4. Some of My Favorite Quotes from In Other Lands Another post about Sarah Rees Brennan.  This one got a boost from the author herself!
  5. Rick Riordan Presents I was excited to read about Rick’s new imprint featuring authors of color writing about myths and stories about their cultures.  It’s great seeing Rick use his power to feature new voices and help diversify our stories.
  6. Review: Before the Devil Breaks You by Libba Bray One of my favorite books of the year from one of the best series I have read in a long time.  Here’s hoping she doesn’t take another two years to finish the series finale.
  7. Highs and Lows of Fandoms by Cassandra Clare and Maggie Stiefvater Another post from 2016 that was big in 2017 probably because many of the issues still exist.
  8. Review: Endure by Sara B. Larson Another surprise.  This review made the 2016 list of Top posts too.
  9. Review: Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare Cassandra Clare knows how to bring the drama.  I’m happy that she’s decided to publish the finale of this trilogy before starting her next Shadowhunter trilogy.
  10. Review: Half Lost by Sally Green In 2016, this was the top post and in 2017 it’s still in the Top 10 and I’m still surprise.  I guess not though because the book still haunts with it’s powerful ending.

Some of My Favorite Quotes from In Other Lands

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in other landsThere are so many great quotes from Sarah Rees Brennan’s In Other Lands that it needed a post of it’s own.  Serene-Heart-in the-Chaos-of-Battle has the best quotes. In Other Lands takes many tropes and turns them on their head.  One is gender roles.  In Serene’s Elven culture, women Elves take on more of what we in the human world would consider male roles.  This often brings up hilarious misunderstandings and some hard truths.  Here are just a couple

“Of course it is,” said Serene. “The woman goes through the physically taxing and bloody experience of childbirth. A woman’s experience of blood and pain is, naturally, what makes women-kind particularly suited for the battlefield.  Whereas, men are the softer sex, squeamish about blood in the main.  I know it’s the same for human men, Luke was extremely disinclined to discuss my first experience of a woman’s menses.”

Another gem by Serene.

“Come now. It’s natural for a young pure gentleman to be abashed by such discussions,” said Serene. “Forgive me for being so frank with you and puttin you to the blush, Luke.”

Another good one.  This from Serene’s cousin, Swift-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle to Elliot.

“No doubt you tempted her. Ah, a man’s morals are frail as they are, sweet silly creatures,” Swift said. “I do think it was up to Serene to control herself, though. She must have known I was considering you as a bride.  Your humanity would not have mattered so very much, up in the wild north where I am stationed, but now you have been sullied, of course it is out of the question.”

The hard truth.  Elliot to Swift.

“Um.” said Elliot. “Maybe both our societies are messed up, and they each only think one type of person is really a person. And the type they think is really a person is allowed to show imperfections and age…whereas the type of person they think is an object should show no signs of being a person. We’re socialized to see the imperfections in those objects.”

And there’s plenty more where that came from.  You should read the rest of the book.

Quick Review: In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

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in other lands Is this Sarah’s best book?  No but it was fun and enjoyable so I’ll let it slide.  Elliot is one of the most obnoxious people you will ever meet but he’s also kind of charming.  One day, he is picked to go on a field trip where he is asked if he can see the wall in front of him.  He says of course he can, he’s not blind.  He’s taken over the wall and into the Borderlands.  A magical land that has humans, Elves, Dwarfs, Trolls, Harpies, Dryads and Mermaids.  Elliot is in enrolled in the Border camp that trains young soldiers to be in the Border patrol, to keep peace in the Borderlands.  On his first day there he meets the golden boy, Luke Sunborn and the Elven hottie, Serene-Heart-in-the-Chaos-of-Battle.  He is immediately in love with Serene and so he chooses to stay beyond the wall.  He thinks that war is stupid and doesn’t understand how this society is made around war and does everything he can to stop fighting.  He manages to make friends with Serene and begrudgingly makes friend with Luke.  Throughout the years, the three of them go through so many ups and down.  They all find themselves and each other.  They rely on each other to get through the years of training but navigate around the camp.  Elliot comes from a very unhappy home.  His mother left when he was a baby and his father is incapable of love.  Elliot tries to make up for it by searching for love though he has no idea how to do it.  The best thing about this book is the positive portrayal of a bisexuality teen and turning gender roles on their heads.  Elliot is in love with Serene and there truly is no question of his feelings or is there any questions of his feelings for Luke either.  Love is love and doesn’t really care if that person is a girl or a guy.  Of course, his success with people depends on whether or not they want to slap him or not.  Like I said he’s very obnoxious.  He thinks he smarter then everyone, he has little patience.  It’s amazing he lasts as long as he has considering that everyone around him are heavily armed and trained on how to use multiple weapons.  It’s kinda unfair that a male character can be so rude but still come off as charming.  Then you have Serene who comes from a matriarhily society that sees women as the warriors and the men as the innocent.  Basically, in Elves society the genders are reversed and it’s hilarious.  I doubt we would have the same reaction for a female character but that’s an argument for another day.  It wasn’t the best book I’ve read this year but it was fun and a quick read.