Killing Two Crows With One Stone

Yes, I made a pun concerning Six of Crows, a book I will be reviewing momentarily. In addition to finishing Six of Crows, I also added The Stranger by Albert Camus to my read shelf. That's where the second crow comes into my pun. Ha ha, I'm so funny.

First, The Stranger. I didn't know what to expect from this short novel since it was required for my English class. Most of the time, school reading is horrendous, the only exception before this year being To Kill a Mockingbird, which I loved. However, The Stranger can add itself to my blunt list of books I read in school and actually enjoyed. A lot. This book was weird, mainly because the main character is bizarre. Camus wrote this through an existential viewpoint, and that's probably why I liked it. Meursault, the protagonist, can be called a sociopath or a monster or even Monsieur Antichrist, but I found myself relating to several of his points/perspectives. Existentialism strikes a chord with me to a certain extent, so I feel like that lead me to like more than some of my fellow students.

Now, the real crows I'm talking about: Six of Crows.

 

"The autumn leaf might cling to its branch, but it was already dead. The only question was when it would fall."
-Leigh Bardugo, Six of Crows 

I loved, loved this book, and I don't even think it was for the plot line. Yes, heist stories are great, but what really got me about Bardugo's new series? The characters. Six is a lot of people to keep up with, albeit Wylan didn't get his own narrative (which made me very sad, but Bardugo has said that he will have one next novel). However, the overwhelming amount of characters and backgrounds weren't annoying for two reasons.

1. I have read Game of Thrones. Once you read that, no other book has too many characters

2. The characters' strong personalities

Each of them was firmly distinguished from one another. They all had distinct traits that made them unique and lovable. There was one character I started off not liking but by the end I had grown to care for him as much as the others. My favorite character at the conclusion of the novel is Inej. That girl is amazing and lovely and I adore her and what she stands for.
The couples are also well-matched and very interesting. There was no kissing though. I'm sad about that. Leigh, please give me proof that these couples are going to happen!
I'm upset that I'll have to wait a year until the next book comes out. Let the anticipation build now.

Both the books above get a rating of...
5/5 stars!

Follow me on Goodreads to keep up with what I'm reading (Catcher in the Rye currently): Alyssa Skvarla

Photocreds:
The Stranger mock cover artwork- Lise Sasaki
Inej and Kaz fan art- fictograph
Nina and Matthias fan art- nilaffle.tumblr.com

FRAN'S THOUGHTS: Pan Movie Review

It sucked.

Recap of the week

I know so many of you care, so here's an update on what all went down in the last week for me. I'll start from the most recent event...

Carry On is out!! I didn't realize it until it came in the mail but this book is the one I most anticipated to come out. It's like a gay version of Harry Potter- how can I not be pumped? However, due to school reading and school in general this fella won't be cracked open until later this month, maybe even early November :(


So now jumping backwards to Saturday. I was up in Portland for a very random family vacation this past weekend. I love the city and its greenery and the people, but what made the trip especially awesome was that I got to meet one of my favorite YA authors: Leigh Bardugo! She was so sweet and funny, and her conversation with Laini Taylor was amazing. Both of their insights regarding writing, editing, and life were not only humorous but informative. I actually got a lot of writing tips out of this, my favorite being Leigh's idea of the 'slutty idea.' (Most of her writing analogies link to sex or love, and it's amazing and very easy to relate to surprisingly) I got three of my books from her signed, and Siege and Storm featured a quote from #1 babe of the series, Nikolai (see first picture on the right). I also got to talk to her for a bit and snatched a free pin. In summary, it was great.

And finally, a short book review on one of now favorite books of the year. It is also the book that I cried on an airplane for. May I present to you, Eleanor and Park.
Rainbow Rowell, you destroyed me but in every single way that I want to be destroyed. Both of the protagonists are unconventional and unique, which makes them and their love story unforgettable. Park is the epitome of my ideal boy: half-Asian, kind yet punk rock, WEARS EYELINER. God, I love him so much. And Eleanor, poor, dear Eleanor. You have my respect and love as well.
This is probably the best romance I've ever read, even with that ending. I swear I cried through the last twenty pages and I was sitting on the aisle seat of an airplane and I hate shedding so much as a tear in front of my closest friends. Albeit it was 11:30 PM, so hopefully no one noticed the girl silently crying one seat over.

This book is easily 5/5 stars, no doubt about it. It's most likely tied for my best book of 2015 with Tell the Wolves I'm Home. 

So that's been my life for the past week or so! Stay tuned for more review, news, and (eventually) something from Fran (I miss her and her blog entries)

ALL PICTURES BELONG TO ME (I SHOULD TOTALLY BE A PHOTOGRAPHER, RIGHT?)