It's Been A While

Welp, I failed in all endeavors to update this blog while I was away at college. There were many times I felt the need to post something, but these actually take a lot of time and thought from me, and in the grind of school, those things aren't expendable, not like they were in high school and over break.

Now that I'm on winter break and don't have to think about school for a whole month, I figured I'd start these reviews (more like rants) again.

Being an English major and taking all humanities courses this past semester I had to do A LOT of reading. But here I will be focusing on my leisurely reading done over college, which wasn't a lot. I may eventually do a review on the Iliad or other words I thoroughly enjoyed during this semester, but the focus is on the three books I read during the past four months for nothing more than pure enjoyment:

1. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
2. A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab
3. A Gathering of Shadows by VE Schwab

(I actually just finished another one of Schwab's works, Vicious, but that was finished over break so it doesn't count here; review to come independently later)

I've been on the hunt for Song of Achilles since this summer but was only able to obtain the book just before I left for college. I brought it with me on my cross-country journey to a new state and new school but didn't start it until I got into the groove of college-level education, which was around mid-September, also coincidentally around the same time I finished the Iliad for my Greek and Roman Mythology class. 

The Song of Achilles was a beautifully written novel, unique despite its classic basis. I was actually able to write about the novel in my final paper for the course since the topic was on a modern retelling of myth. Here's a little excerpt: "While the entire plot of the Iliad can be traced back to the theme of its opening line, Achilles’s rage, the true meaning of Homer’s song is debated in modern times by Madeline Miller, author of Orange Prize-winning 2012 novel, The Song of Achilles. With the title itself being a clear parallel to the Iliad’s opening lines, it may come as a surprise that the novel is, first and foremost, a love story" 

And a love story it is--a tragic one. Even if a reader does know the outcome of Achilles and Patroclus (like me), the book is still an emotional rollercoaster, following events even after main characters' deaths. I was sobbing in my dorm through the last 60 pages, and then had to leave for a date party like 30 minutes later. I was a mess, and this book gave me the biggest book hangover I've felt probably since All for the Game trilogy from summer break. The love between Achilles and Patroclus was so raw yet soft and endearing, and its ultimate doom was a tragic arc to follow but mesmerizing all the same. I'm a masochist and would often pick the book off my shelf just to read through the scene of Achilles's reaction to Patroclus's death, a horrible event in both the Iliad and The Song of Achilles. Of course, I had some issues over how some heroes of the Trojan War were portrayed, but each retelling of mythology is entitled to its unique interpretation, and overall, I appreciated Miller's. 5/5

The next book I read for leisure didn't come until November. Until then, I'd spent my reading time on An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir, an author I wholly appreciate as a person and as an activist in many issues, but for some reason, I could not for the life of me get into her acclaimed novel. Perhaps I'll try again later, but as of now I'm stuck at 60% and feel little inclination to finish the last 40.

Anyway, I finally finished another fun book in November, and that book was A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. This book was absolute magic. I can find no better word to embody this novel. I'd had on my Kindle since the first book went on sale for ~$2 on Amazon. I've been eyeing this book for a while, but I only started reading for the sake to get away from An Ember in the Ashes, which I was also reading on my Kindle. Soon, I found that this was the book I'd been looking for all semester, something wonderful and imaginative and magical. The characters are vivid and enjoyable and really come off the page, but I am personally partial to Lila Bard, the female lead of the series. Her quotes, such as "I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still", stuck with me, and I adored her as a person. I mean, it's pretty hard for me to not fall in love with a cross-dressing thief-pirate with a knack for making the worst decision and pulling them off. Also her thing for knives and magic is pleasant. I could go on forever and ever about Lila Bard and Kell and Rhy and the rest of this book with its beautiful and diverse worldbuilding, but I will keep this short and say that this was one of my favorite books of 2016, as was its sequel, A Gathering of Shadows. There is one scene in this that I pretty much have memorized, along with other scenes that were equally wonderful.I hungrily anticipate the third and final book, A Conjuring of Light!

5/5: A Darker Shade of Magic

5/5: A Gathering of Shadows

Pride Month and Literature

June is almost over, which puts me closer to going away for college, aka not having all the time in the world to read and write. But I'm excited for college!

This month has been...tumultuous. From Orlando, to Brexit, to every tragedy in between, this month hasn't been the kindest to the world. I'm not a very emotional person, but there have been moments during this month where I just want to fall on the floor and cry for every hurt people have felt and continue to endure for the sake of love. I support the LGBTQ+ community, I support the starry-eyed and hopeful youth, I support tolerant and loving people, I support love. Love is love, and if you don't believe that the rest of this post probably isn't for you (the blog probably isn't for you) 

With that said, this month I immersed myself in literature featuring LGBTQ+ leads. It started unintentionally, but when I did notice the trend, I carried it through the month.

It doesn't count but I read The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater back in May, and yeah...Pynch is the shit.

June reads:

1. King's Rising by CS Pacat

2. The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic 

3. The Raven King by Nora Sakavic

4. The King's Men by Nora Sakavic

5. Check, Please! updates by Ngozi (this is a webcomic, not a book but fuck it)

6. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

And what do you know, every single one of these books features a main couple that is gay. 

In Pacat's trilogy, you have a slow burn between Prince Damianos/Damen (bi) and Prince Laurent (gay). What I really enjoyed about Pacat's fantasy world was how normalized the LGBTQ+  features of the story were. In Vere, it's typical to be in same-sex relationship, and in Akielos it's up to your taste from what I can tell. And no one judged Laurent for sleeping with Damen because it was gay, but because he killed his brother, which is honestly such a better reason to question someone's relationship. But no matter their pasts, these two murdered me with the conclusion of the Captive Prince trilogy. Thinking over it now, I'm totally going to properly review King's Rising as the book deserves.

My last post was about All for the Games trilogy, so I won't go into too much detail. All I have to say is that the main relationship isn't all fluff and nice, but rarely are the best relationships. Both of these guys have their problems, but it's in the way they support and understand each other that makes them such a good fit. Neil and Andrew are both forces of nature, and sometimes it's a surprise one hasn't killed the other. Then you have to remember that Andrew only wants to commit murder 90% of the time he's with Neil (inside joke to the book, I'm sorry). Andrew has touching issues, which totally makes sense considering the sexual abuse he endured as a child, and Neil respects his boundaries fully, and it's so nice to see two people understand and accept each other. This couple took a long time to get together, but the building relationship between them in TFC and TRK are just as intriguing to follow and watch develop.

As alluded Check, Please! isn't a book, but a webcomic by super talented artist Ngozi. The webcomic is accessible via tumblr for free and please do yourselves a favor and READ IT. I got into this thanks to a stray post by someone I follow on tumblr. It spoiled the end of Year 2 for me but I didn't care because the whole story is amazing (and barely halfway over). There's still so much time for shit to go down, which makes me terrified because the main couple is so perfect and adorable and healthy. Like, if you compare Year 1 Jack Zimmermann to Year 3 Jack Zimmermann, you can see the change. Jack is currently engulfed in the glow of love, and he needs that more than anything as he starts his NHL career. There is underlying angst in this couple/story because they both have to keep the relationship a secret from everyone, including their best friends, for the sake of Jack's career. But man, cute as shit, and if you don't want to read this for the couple, read it for the characters!! The SMH team is full of hilarious and unique characters, and this comic is a national treasure. 

Finally, the book I got from Barnes and Noble yesterday at ~4 PM and finished just before midnight that same day...Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Now, let me tell you the feature of this book that really got me: identity. Chicano identity, sexual identity, just pure 'who am I' identity. As a Chicana, there was one word in this whole book that really got to me: pocho. In Spanish, it means half-assed Mexican. And never have I felt a single word hit me harder. I'm not going to talk about my struggles with cultural identity, but this book hit me hard. It probably would've hit me harder if I had read it a few years back, when I knew less about who I truly am. Now that I have a clue of what kind of person I am, the story didn't rip me to shreds as much as it once could've. That doesn't mean the story didn't kill me. Sáenz's writing style is short and seemingly simplistic, but with his words he carries depth and emotion. I would be smiling down at this book, then rubbing my eyebrows because 'holy hell did that just happen?', then on the verge of tears because this book got me in places not many other book have. Ari and Dante are totally different people that mesh together perfectly. From Dante's first words to Ari to the last damn chapter, I was routing for them. I am kind of upset I read this book so fast because it was totally unintentional. I got it at Barnes because I felt the need to go out and do something, and then next thing I know I'm in a severe book hangover in the dead of night, listening to Radiohead. But I was revived at the news that there will be sequel to this, and you can bet your ass that I am going to pre-order it and read it all in one day and probably turn into a pile of tears. I'm excited to see where Ari and Dante's journey and relationship goes in the sequel, and I'm sure I will be re-reading snippets of this book for a while.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe: 5/5 stars

All for the Game Trilogy

You know, I truly consider myself an avid reader. There are definitely people who run book blogs who read a lot faster than me (and put up better reviews) but I still think I'm a well-paced reader. That said I can't remember the last time I read a book in 24 hours...let alone for 3 days in a row.

Meet the series that changed that: All for the Game trilogy by Nora Sakavic
Book I. The Foxhole Court, finished 6.20
Book II. The Raven King, finished 6.21
Book III. The King's Men, finished 6.22

Spoilers to follow...

I picked up this series upon recommendations after completing the Captive Prince trilogy (I will maybe do a full review for King's Rising later, but to skip to the end I gave it 5/5 stars). I didn't know what to expect but it sure as hell wasn't this. It sounds typical, yes, but it's the truth. Part of me was prepared for a story taken over by 'the college experience' aka drinking, partying, hooking up. And while there were those elements in the book, it didn't consume the story. Another piece of me was expecting lighthearted tones despite the premise of the book. I laugh thinking about that expectation now because it was CRUSHED.

Pictured right: Foxhole fanart by squidwithelbows.tumblr.com. She's great check her out!! (Top to bottom: Neil Josten, Kevin Day, Andrew Minyard)

Every character in this series is a mess, which is exactly why they're brought together at Palmetto State to play Exy. I will not attempt to explain Exy to you but it is violent (like ice hockey violent) which makes it very exciting for a person like me. Contact sports are my shit to play and watch and now read about lol.
Back to characters. The team has a natural rift between them. There's the upperclassmen: Dan, Matt, Allison, and Renee. These guys have their own layers of problems (not with each other but themselves) but they have nothing on the other half of their team: the monsters, as the upperclassmen refer to them as.
Kevin, Andrew, Aaron, and Nicky. All of them have their shitty problems, probably with Nicky getting it off easiest with his homophobic and hyper-religious parents who think he is pure sin. Sounds pretty lame, but just read about everyone else's situations. But I love Nicky as the only open gay character in the first book. He's flirty despite having a boyfriend back in Germany but also the safest out of the monsters to approach. Out of the four I think he is the only one that would say hi to me. But that doesn't keep me from loving the monsters, especially Andrew!!
Andrew and Aaron are twin brothers, though they didn't know each other for most of their lives. If there wasn't the reminder that they are brothers, you would think they hate each other (and maybe they kind of do. Like I said, everyone is messed up). Andrew is dubbed a sociopath by even his own group and fits the part with his violent spells, calloused personality, and psychotic smile, as caused by his meds. I do not have the heart to spoil or talk about what happens to Andrew in TRK but to summarize: it crushed my spirit and this boy will always be very important to me as a character.

The protagonist of the series is Neil Josten. Just another boy with a messed up past and uncertain future? Yes! But while he has a screwed up past like his new teammates, his is a lot more lethal and deadly. As the only son of the Butcher, a notorious mobster who loves his cleaver and carved up bodies, Neil has been on the run for the last eight years. He was raised in a horrendous way that causes him to react differently to what seems to normal to us. He has a mental breakdown over getting a phone, guys. This boy is precious to me I mean just look at him (once again amazing art by squidwithelbows.tumblr.com)

I don't really know what made me so addicted to this book. Some of my favorite things to see and write about in stories is a group dynamic, and All for the Game nails this. The rift between the Foxes seems impossible to mend at the beginning of the series but by the last game of their season you see that they're a family. They may not all get along but that doesn't matter. They are jagged pieces that fit together to make a whole, beautiful family. Even before their win over the Ravens, Neil can see that his team is a home like he's never had before, and he's willing to fight for it, no matter how much it will hurt him. He went to Evermore Castle, literally the hellhole that is their enemy's lair, just to make sure Andrew got out of the hospital fine and the Foxes were safe over winter break. TRK destroyed me, from Neil turning himself over to the biggest demonic asshole to exist, Riko Moriyama, to Andrew in general. I think it might be my favorite book in the trilogy but that is very hard to say.

This series was suspenseful, wonderfully written by Sakavic, and composed of some of the best characters I've ever read. As I write this review, I realize that I can't embody the pure emotion I have for this series. I laid on the floor, blasting music and staring at the wall, after finishing TKM because it was over. This trilogy I sold my time and heart to for 3 days had met THE END. I haven't dared to open another book because this book hangover is severe. It is even affecting my writing, which is not appreciated but I would never have missed out on the opportunity to read this. I can genuinely say that this book series has impacted me as a person, reader, and writer.

The Foxhole Court- 5/5
The Raven King- 5/5
The King's Men- 5/5

Bring on the Night Court

Some books you know you love from page one. Some books you know you love only when you reach THE END. A Court of Mist and Fury was somewhere in between (actually more like page 400 out of 600), but the fact remains the same: I love it. I'd go as far to say it's the best book Sarah J Maas has published.

This book is unique for a fantasy novel. While there is the prevalent banter, hot characters, and action that composes a Maas novel, there's more in this. There's Feyre healing. There's Rhys healing. And there's the former love interest being an asshole.

ACOMAF SPOILERS TO FOLLOW
you have been warned...

Let the record show that I was skeptical of Feyre and Tamlin's falling out prior to reading ACOMAF. I didn't doubt for a second that Feyre/Tamlin wasn't going to be endgame after this book. Have you seen Sarah J Maas's Pinterest board for ACOTAR. It's all Feyre/Rhysand as far as main couples are shown. 
In Queen of Shadows, I personally felt as though Chaol, the protagonist's former love interest, was entirely ruined as a character for the sake of the new love interest, Rowan Whitehorn, a character I do not adore. I like him enough, but he's an ember compared to the characters, both male and female, of ACOMAF.
So I went into ACOMAF terrified that Maas would sacrifice a character she spent a whole book building up just to pair her protagonist with a new love interest. Such is not that case!
After skimming through ACOMAF's predecessor, A Court of Thorns and Roses, I found that hints to Tamlin's true nature, as revealed by ACOMAF, were woven into Feyre's narrative. Especially in the case of Under the Mountain. It seems like everyone did something to help Feyre through her trials--everyone except for Tamlin. Well, okay, maybe Amarantha and her cohorts, too.
But it's one thing to not help the proclaimed love of your life when she is being chased by a giant, toothed worm, or when she gets an infection from the bone impaled in her arm, or when Amarantha goes to snap her damn neck because in helping her, you risk her life, your life, and your people's lives. It's another thing entirely to trap said love of your life (who has some PTSD/depression issues following her traumatic experiences TO SAVE YOUR ASS) inside your home when all she wanted was to keep helping you.
Tamlin was doing nothing to help Feyre heal. If anything, he and Ianthe made everything worse. This noted, I'm not one of the fans who aggressively wants Tamlin dead. Yeah, he sucks, he was stupid for going to the King of Hybern for help, but this guy has his problems, too. I am NOT condoning his actions, but I feel like there can be room for redemption in the next and final book in the trilogy, so long as Feyre allows it. 
Onto better things than the Spring Court, the Night Court. Each member is unique and witty. All of them have their tragic pasts which they've overcome to stand at their High Lord's side. And their High Lord endured a hell of a lot to return to his court and people in Velaris. Out of the bunch of them, I think I have an odd appeal for Amren. Quiet, lethal and short hair. I dig it.
But, as typical for me, my favorite new character from this book doesn't originate in the Night Court...but the Summer Court.
Tarquin, High Lord of the Summer Court. The unsung character of this novel who was around for 50 pages --if that. I'm upset that no one ever talks about him. Guess it's my fault for always liking the secondary male characters best (@ Lucien in ACOTAR).
From the Summer Court to the Night Court, the new lands explored in ACOMAF were all well-developed and creative. Velaris's beauty was told magically, and the edgy horror of the Hewn City helped establish why everyone thinks the Night Court is awful. Any court in Prythian would be deemed terrible if they had a Court of Nightmares. 
While the book was long, the prose and story was captivating throughout. The slow development of Rhys and Feyre's relationship was nice to read across the majority of the novel. Some chapters between them made me very emotional, especially Rhys's story concerning his long-term bond to Feyre, a bond that existed well before ACOTAR began. This story is about Feyre, but it's also about her and her mate recovering from Amarantha's reign of terror with each other's help and love. I think that's part of the reason why their relationship is so lovely to read and experience. Or it can be that they both are snarky, strong characters.
This book dealt with healing after traumatic experiences. Not just for a female lead but her male counterpart, too. But for Feyre, I think she finally understood what she is capable of in this book. She is a powerful Fae Made by the seven High Lords, and now she gets to be a badass High Lady disguised as Tamlin's little doll in the Spring Court.
The end of ACOMAF saw several questions unanswered, but I'm really excited for the third book in this trilogy to come out next spring. As of now, it's my most anticipated book for 2017.

You guys should check out jp-designs.tumblr.com for the beautiful artwork shown in this review. She does an amazing job of portraying Feyre and Rhys in two scenes from the book.


Also check out Sarah J Maas's playlist for ACOMAF. I personally love it.

Catching a Raven

Hey! It's been a month since my last post, and that may originate in the fact that I haven't been doing that much reading in the past few weeks.

So, since I last posted on here, I decided to end the month of March by finally picking a book off my shelf that's been sitting there for years: The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. I tried reading her other series--Shiver--but didn't really enjoy it enough to continue. Even this book, I tried a couple times but could never get into it. But third time is truly a charm--I got dragged into the world of Glendower and Henrietta, Virginia, a world that is beautiful, magical, and sometimes terrifying. Where there is Nino's and Monmouth Manufacturing.

What really got me is Stiefvater's writing style and how realistic her characters are. All of them are flawed, sometimes so much so that I get angry with them. In the case of Ronan, I range from being agitated with him to wanting to give him a hug (he'd probably shove me off). The same situation applies to Adam. Then there's Gansey. Oh Gansey, never has there been a rich boy like you in literature. He knows he's entitled and blessed with his life and his wealth, and he struggles to be appropriate to those that don't come from his world. He commonly makes offensive remarks to Adam and Blue without intending it, and I think that is what's so great about his character. He tries to be the kind guy, but it can come off as condescending. He struggles to find a middle ground, which is a nice approach for a teenage millionaire. Blue is a special entity upon herself. I want her to be happy and feel like more.

Of course I got into this series with the dawn of its conclusion in the near horizon (my copy of The Raven King was shipped out yesterday!) and I've been rushing to catch up. Unfortunately, after blasting through The Raven Boys I couldn't find the sequel, The Dream Thieves, at any local bookstores. I had to order it online and wait for it to come in the mail, and by the time it did, school had engulfed me again. I wasn't able to finish the sequel until today which gives me only six or so days to get through Blue Lily, Lily Blue, the third book in this series. Usually that wouldn't be much of a challenge, but AP testing is soon upon us, along with several finals and projects. I'm really hoping I can steal some time to fit in this beautiful book!

The Raven Boys: 5/5 stars
The Dream Thieves: 4/5 stars

Hitchhikers and Hamilton

YO. So I finished 2 books this month--I think? Maybe 3? In all honesty this month has been a bit of a blur. Between college decisions (a new form of misery and elation bundled together) and a strenuous senior year and soccer season back in motion, time is just...not there. At least not there for me to read, write, or update this blog.
But here I am. Finished gov reading, finished psych homework, and it's time to update my life.

For starters, I finished reading Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams this past weekend on my camping trip (in which Fran was in attendance of). The book had some amazing elements to it, such as it's satirical wit and SPACE. Conversely, sometimes the sci-fi sections were too much and confusing, and this is coming from a girl trying to write a space opera. Either way, this story was full of a lot of humor and great quotes and interesting characters. My attraction to the book was solidified by it's first page alone. With its laughable criticisms of humankind, I knew I'd discovered a book that fulfills one of my criteria: poking fun at human nature.
I'm excited to read more of Adams' works within the Hitchhiker's galaxy, but with how much I have to read, I don't know how soon that will be.
4/5 stars

"Arthur blinked at the screens and felt he was missing something important. Suddenly he realized what it was.
"Is there any tea on this spaceship?" he asked.” ― Douglas Adams, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Now, to the latter of this entry's title, something that is totally unrelated to my reading: Hamilton. GUYS if you haven't listened to the Hamilton soundtrack yet...please, listen. From a girl who spent several years of her youth listening to Wicked on repeat, this musical is amazing. Like, history with rap and pop and a diverse cast that doesn't care about what race the Founding Fathers were? Where can you possibly go wrong, especially when Lin Manuel Miranda is at the forefront.

Thus, to lead you in your listening of Hamilton here is a list (what a surprise) of my top 10 songs:

1. Washington On Your Side 
2.  Right Hand Man
3. Satisfied
4. Alexander Hamilton
5. Take A Break
6. What’d I Miss
7. Wait For It
8. My Shot
9. Your Obedient Servant
10. Non-Stop

Do note that this is an extremely loose list. Like my Star Wars score list, it's fluctuating constantly. Also, if you really are reading this and thinking about listening to Hamilton, please do so in order of the actual album, not this list. You get the story (and the emotions!!) by listening in order.

So yeah, there's March. Binge-listening to Hamilton, suffering under school's reign, and occasionally reading and writing. Big emphasis on occasionally.

Currently reading: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Book Thief by Mark Zusak (both for school)

Leap Day Shenanigans

Leap Day has extended the pleasures of February while also prolonging high school seniors' sickening anticipation in regard to college acceptances that come with March. I'll be ignoring my own unease (I got into two of my dream schools this month though!!) in favor of recapping the month.

I've only read one book since my last post: Nine Stories by JD Salinger. Salinger has yet again reaffirmed my love for him and his writing style. His short stories are all unique but in that same tone that is undeniably Salinger-y. His characters are some of the most realistic ones in literature, the stories are raw, and his dialogue flows so smoothly. I admire him, so much so that I purchased his other collection of short stories, Franny and Zooey, today.

Talking about my book splurge, here are the reads I snatched today (when I ditched school lol)

1. Franny and Zooey
2. The Sirens of Titan
3. Tao Te Ching

Funny enough, I was borrowing the Tao from my friend but decided to buy my own, Barnes and Noble Classics copy. It has some really good life advice, and the excerpts relate to some bits of my current WIP. 

Reviews of each of these books will come one day, but I'm currently back on the Captive Prince series with it's sequel, which FINALLY came in the mail. Have to admit, I'm kind of irritated that the dialogue uses ' rather than the classic " but we'll see if I adjust to it later in the book.

While my reading hasn't been the most productive, my writing has! From January 31st-February 28th, I wrote 20,778 words with my WIP's total word count being 48,931 currently. Hopefully the trend will continue into March and I can wrap up this novel before senior year is over! And shout out to Fran, the best beta-reader-editor ever. 

Ratings--

Nine Stories: 5/5 stars

Currently reading: Prince's Gambit by CS Pacat

Currently listening to: The Clone Wars Score

Currently watching: The Clone Wars, The 100

Reading and Writing

Hello!
While February is a month defined by love (thanks Hallmark), for me, it's been filled with reading and writing. On the last day of January, I started tracking how much I write a day and honestly I've been doing pretty well. From the 31st-12th, I wrote a total of 12,921 words, which averages close to 1000 words a day so woo! Hopefully I can wrap up the first draft of my current work in a few more months.
With the writing aspect out of the way, we get to the main part: reading. I finished two books this past week, and while neither were blow-outs/five stars, they were better than anything I read in January. My books of choice were Lost Stars by Claudia Gray and Captive Prince by C.S. Pacat. Both earned a 4 star rating but for entirely different reasons.


Lost Stars is a part of the new canon Star Wars universe. It covers everything from A New Hope to the Battle of Jakku that followed the end of Return of the Jedi. But instead of through the eyes of the main cast, we're given protagonists Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree. Through the story, the pair goes from best friends to lovers to enemies (based on their status, not on their hearts). While the story was a better take of the Star Wars universe compared to episode VII's novelization, it still wasn't amazing. The characters were just okay, though the romance was real. There were some moments I loved, some lines I loved, but nothing made it extraordinary.

Captive Prince is the first book of a trilogy I've seen all of my favorite authors rant about. I decided to pick it up for their sake and wow. This book is sensual and enrapturing. It has a very unique and diverse setting, and the manipulation and deceit of Vere's court is compelling. This book was in no way intended for young readers. It has some very graphic scenes, including mentions of rape. That said, I found it a captivating read and finished it in only a couple days. It wasn't given a full 5/5 due to overflow of information thrown into your face that could become hard to take apart. Also it's anti-climatic end. Still a great read and can't wait to read the sequel, Prince's Gambit (which I can't find ANYWHERE)

Other notes to my life in February--
Currently reading: Nine Stories by JD Salinger and Hamlet by Shakespeare (school)
Currently listening to: Jupiter Ascending score by Michael Giacchino (especially the First and Fourth Movement)
Currently watching: trying to catch up with season 3 of The 100 and Boys Over Flowers, marathoning Lord of the Rings trilogy, and American Crime Story: The People v. OJ Simpson

Happy Valentine's Day!

2016, starting with a flop

 Happy New Year! 


With the new year, I created a new list of books I've read in the course of 2016 (which is currently at two). While adding these two books to the list, I looked over my 2015 books. I immediately noticed a trend between the two: both years I started off with books I was very 'eh' about. All of my favorite books from 2015 were read in between July-December. Anything before was mediocre, maybe a few good ones here and there. Though I am only two books into 2016, the trend seems to be reoccurring. First, I should say what books I've already read this year.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens by Alan Dean Foster 3/5 stars (got an extra star for my sympathy towards anything Star Wars-related)
2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 2/5 stars

Both books were bleh, especially Frankenstein. This book was required for my AP Lit class and managed to be a painful read throughout. I could not handle Victor as a narrator. The writing style is also too old and bland for me. I don't think I gave two stars to any book last year, so woo Frankenstein you've won my worst rating since 2014--congrats!

Star Wars:TFA is the novelization of the movie, which I loved. The book fell short in several areas: dialogue, character descriptions, depth. It was very superficial and a big disappointment. I'm still going to read another Star Wars novel, Lost Stars by Claudia Gray, because it has been getting much better ratings than Foster's contribution to the Star Wars literary world. 

So yes, 2016 has commenced with beyond mediocre reads. I can only hope that the trend continues with amazing books later into the year!

I'm currently reading several books at once, but The Road by Cormac McCarthy requires my most immediate attention (school reading for AP Lit woo). I'm only twenty pages in and I feel another eh book coming along.

I'm also reading Maus Volume II by Art Spiegelman and Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

So it goes

HAPPY NEW YEARS


Well, we're less than 12 hours away from the New Year, and a lot has occurred in the past 365 days. I'm not going to recite my whole year but it contained some of the best moments but plenty of bad ones, but that's life and I love it. This time next year everything's going to be different, and I'm excited.


While I won't talk about my entire year, I'll list all the books I read this year and talk about some highlight scenes/characters/etc (because, after all, this is a leisurely book blog)


(in order in which they were read)

1. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas
2. Box 21 by Anders Roslund
3. Thr3e by Ted Dekker
4. Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
5. Midnight for Charlie Bone by Jenny Nimmo
6. Charlie Bone and the Time Twister by Jenny Nimmo
7. Anthem by Ayn Rand
8. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
9. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
10. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
11. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas
12. Coraline by Neil Gaiman
13. The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas
14. Heir of Fire by Sarah J Maas
15. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas
16. The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey
17. Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
18. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
19. The Stranger by Albert Camus
20. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
21. Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
22. Watchmen by Alan Moore
23. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
24. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
25. Maus: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman

Instead of making another list, my top five, in no particular order, are bolded. This was a really hard top five to compose because most of the books I read this year were wonderful. However there were a few exceptions, namely three: Red Queen, Crown of Midnight, and Queen of Shadows. (Sorry for calling these out but really if I could've avoided these and switched them out for something better I would've)


Statistics:
The author I read most of was Sarah J. Maas (though out of the five I read I enjoyed only three, and that's being generous since I'm still mixed about Heir of Fire)
Compared to previous years, I read a lot more realistic stuff than usual, but all were a great read
I exceeded my Goodreads goal of 21 books. woo!
Three books on this list were required readings for AP Lit. This said, I didn't hate any of them, though Siddhartha was only eh. Catcher in the Rye is by far the best
I read more graphic novels than usual (just see my previous post)


Favorite Characters from five books (not necessarily top five)
Catcher in the Rye- Holden Caulfield
Eleanor and Park- Park
Six of Crows- Inej
The 5th Wave- Cassie
Tell the Wolves I'm Home-June Elbus


I was about to do favorite couples but not a lot of the books I read had romance or good couples. But I will make a shoutout to Rainbow Rowell for some of the best couples ever: Eleanor/Park and Simon/Baz. Her romance is the best, but so is her humor and story. If I had to pick a favorite author of the year it's her.


So there's a summary of my year in literature! What's yours?

2015, a year of graphic novels

And by a year of graphic novels, I mean I read two, which is more than usual (unless we're including manga though I don't read much of that anymore)

So in this fine year of 2015, I read Watchmen by Alan Moore and Maus: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman. Two very different graphic novels but both were deep and invoked a variation of emotions in me.

Quis custodiet
ipsos custodes
Who watches the watchmen?

Watchmen, which I read the majority of while in Colorado to visit my brother, wasn't what I expected. I thought it'd be an easy, enjoyable read about superheroes doing superhero things: fighting an archetype villain, falling in love with a Mary Sue, blah, blah. I've never read a graphic novel about superheroes before, just saw the movies, so my predispositions were trampled almost on the first page.

This isn't a story about superheroes. It's the story of the ghosts, the remains, of what once were superheroes. In Watchmen, heroes are labeled as vigilantes and are forbidden from causing their heroic discourse. And while good can't fight evil in its usual tropes, we do have looming doom throughout the story. The Cold War is running its course, and America isn't reacting well to Russia's indirect threats. Tensions plague the citizens, whether they have a history with hero-dom or not.

All of the characters are real in the fact that all of them are flawed. Dr. Manhattan is calloused and apathetic. Rorschach is a blatant sociopath. No one is perfect in Watchmen, not even if you're a superhero.

What I think lead me to my realization of the raw power of this graphic novel is Chapter IV. Here is Dr. Manhattan's narrative, from his days when he was still human to when he suffered the accident that forever changed his life to his isolation on Mars. Dr. Manhattan pushes the idea that time is nonexistent in the same manner Kurt Vonnegut does in Slaughterhouse-Five. We jump from 1966 to 1959 to 1985. And while both distorted and odd, the formatting of this chapter laid down the basis of Dr. Manhattan's approach to life. We get closer to understanding why Dr. Manhattan is so unaffected by humanity and its emotions. It is probably one of the most beautiful chapters I've ever read.

Through amazing characters and a powerful story, Watchmen instantly raised the bar for all graphic novels. A bar Maus was close to meeting.

I found Maus on my friend's bookshelf and she immediately encouraged me to read it, and I did. All in one day. Which isn't much because it isn't as nearly as long as Watchmen and I only read the first volume. Maus, plain and simple, is a story about the Holocaust and its lasting effects on those who did or did not first handedly suffer its tragedies. Its drawings portray Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, but the fun nature of this graphic novel ends there. This book is serious and dark but it makes sense because the Holocaust was. It's well-written, the dialogue is extremely realistic and so are the relationships between the characters (which makes sense since I believe this is somewhat a biography within an autobiography). I'm eager to read the second volume, but while this graphic novel was impressive, Watchmen triumphs as the better of the two graphic novels I read this year.

Watchmen 5/5
Maus 4/5

Three things I love about THE FORCE AWAKENS

I know this is a book blog, but just go with my movie hype.

WARNING: THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION



So with the warning out of the way, I would just like to say this movie was amazing. Like wow I can't believe I have to wait until I'm a sophomore in college to watch the next movie! It did so many things right (though not everything, but what movie does?) Following a discussion with my cousin we agreed it was A New Hope 2.0--new and definitely improved. And while there were nods and parallels to the original trilogy, this movie was unique in its own sense and displayed a new generation of characters that I wholly love.

Onto the three things I love:

#1: The score. John Williams has outdone himself again. With songs like "Rey's Theme" and "Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle" and "Torn Apart" John Williams has reintroduced Star Wars fans to classic tunes with new revisions. I am listening to the score as I write this, and to prove my point of my ever changing Top Ten Star Wars songs from my previous post, here is the list as of 12/19/15:

1. Torn Apart
2. The Abduction
3. Rey's Theme
4. Star Wars Theme
5. Forest Battle
6. Duel of the Fates
7. Clash of Lightsabers
8. The Scavenger
9. Kylo Ren Arrives at the Battle
10. The Hologram/Binary Sunset

Different, right? Probably because over half of the list is from the most recent movie's score.

#2: I got what I've always wanted out of a Star Wars movie: a female protagonist wielding a lightsaber. And hot damn did this movie deliver. Rey (last name still ambiguous, though I hope she isn't a Skywalker) is everything I want and need. I loved how the trailers and advertising of this movie never showed Rey using the Force or Luke's/Anakin's lightsaber. It was just Finn with the lightsaber on posters and in TV spots. So I spent the whole movie wanting Rey to be the Jedi, not Finn (though I do love him), but not expecting her to. But when she touched Luke's lightsaber DAMN, and when she summoned it with the Force in her fight against Kylo Ren...that scene was amazing. So yeah I've fallen in love with Rey and several other characters which leads me to the next thing...

#3: The new characters, namely Rey, Finn, and Poe (and Kylo Ren). There was definitely not enough Poe in this movie, but the time he was on screen, he established himself as both lovable and awesome. I love this guy and he is such a badass pilot. Finn was interesting with his background as a Stormtrooper. It was cool getting a glimpse into the world of an average Stormtrooper and how they're not all bad. He's a sick shot but when he was using the lightsaber it never felt right, both to viewers and him. He rocks it with a blaster, not much with the Force. That belongs to Rey, who I have ranted about already (but I love her). Poe and Finn's friendship is so genuine and sweet, I wish they'd interacted more. I hope these three get all the glory they deserve. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren...I still don't know what to make of you. You are such a unique antagonist that I wasn't sold on being fully evil until YOU KILLED YOUR FATHER RIP Han Solo. Despite the fact that you killed a beloved character from the original trilogy, you remain to be an interesting villain. I look forward to the new Kylo Ren we're sure to see in the second movie following his training with Sith Lord Snoke. I also hope he and Rey duel it out again because that was awesome.


So yup there's three things I love about Star Wars Episode VII. Go watch it and love yourself and cry like I did. Or not...just know that you're missing out on awesome, unique characters and an amazing score.

I'm probably going to make another post concerning my 'fucking awesome sword fights in snow' theory because there was one in this movie and it was awesome but in a different sense than the other movies that fall in this category.

STAR WARS

There is one thing getting me through this school week (hello, 3 tests, 2 projects, and a crap ton of assignments) and that is (you guessed it) Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

I am so excited I can hardly put it into words. So instead of sounding like an idiot, I'll talk about other Star Wars related things in the form of lists. Such as...

The Star Wars movies in order from favorite to eh:

1. The Empire Strikes Back: do I even need to explain? (you probably don't want me to anyway)
2. Return of the Jedi: I rewatched this for the first time in a while this past weekend and got anxiety throughout it. I know how it ends but it still makes me physically sick. I was sweating when the Emperor was electrocuting Luke and screaming at Vader to save his son omg.
3. A New Hope: a true childhood classic.
4. Revenge of the Sith: best of the prequels.
5. The Phantom Menace: the main thing that redeemed this movie for me is freaking Darth Maul and his awesome lightsaber. RIP bro. And Duel of the Fates. Bless John Williams.
6. The Attack of the Clones: LOL

And another list...

Top Ten Star Wars Songs:

1. Star Wars Main Theme
2. Duel of the Fates
3. Battle of the Heroes
4. The Forest Battle (Concert Suite)
5. Tales of a Jedi Knight
6. Cantina Band
7. The Clash of Lightsabers
8. The Imperial March
9. The Emperor Arrives
10. Emperor's Throne Room

Do Note: I could write this list every day for the rest of my life and it would never be the same. John Williams is a genius and the whole soundtrack (of every single movie) is brilliant. This list is today's opinion, and I was in pain when I realized I reached number 10 but still had 3 songs ready to put down. 

And okay I was lying I'm going to mention one thing about The Force Awakens, and it's not going to be a list. Just a mini rant:

  

IM SO PUMPED FOR THIS SCENE. I have a theory (which I may one day address in a blog entry) that the best sword fight scenes happen in the snow. And what do we have in this frame? Kylo Ren (I love his name so much) with his fucking awesome lightsaber in the snow. According to the trailer, he'll be fighting Finn here (and there's bits with Rey) so I'm hoping that this lives up to my theory.

So overall, I'm so excited I can cry but I won't but I probably will when I see it after my stats test on Friday :,)