Read for All Us Bookworms Bookclub Pick for January!

TLDR
- Military Fantasy with Hierarchical and Patriarchal Society
- Immaculate Character Study: A Mother with a hidden past and her Son, the eldest, who struggles growing up and learning more about his society.
- Topics: Traditional vs Modernity; Generational Trauma; Family Dynamics; Colonization; the effects of War; and so much more.

This is a slow paced fantasy that'll hit you in the gut by the end. This was so good and I feel like I should have picked it up sooner, but I'm glad I picked it up this month. The character work is the thing that shines in this fantasy, not to say I don't love the world and the power of god like humans. But for me, Misaki and Mamoru shined in this. You get to see Misaki (the mother of Mamoru and wife of second eldest Takeru Matsuda) both present day and past pov from her, you learn about her past, what she's been through with her marriage, & how it's led to the present day. Then you see from Mamoru (the eldest of the 4 sons of Takeru and Misaki) and his struggle growing up, meeting Kwang, and learning that the empire may not be what it seems. The story is dark and the characters are dark and complex. I think the biggest take away from TSOK is to live, learn from the past, and try to create/do something better.

Absolutely loved this one and I totally recommend it <3 

Book 4 of 2024
January Bookish Besties Bookclub Pick

I haven't read a dark academia book in a while and I think this one was a solid one to listen to!

Felicity Morrow comes back to Dalloway (a high society boarding school) after a break due to seemingly losing her mind and grieving the loss of her best-friend Alex. She then meets and is instantly obsessed with a new student, Ellis - who's a child prodigy when it comes to writing.

This book mostly focuses on Felicity and Ellis, a couple of morally-grey, rich girls. They both have secrets held close and both twisted in their own right. The atmosphere is very dark, but overall the magic is there to be mocked really. This is mostly character work at play rather than the backstory of the school, magic, background characters, etc.

I enjoyed it for what it was and would recommend to those that like a slow, atmospheric dark academia that mostly focuses on it's main characters!

Book 3 of 2024

I think this book would benefit those new to learning about world history and the evolution of the silk road and trade in general. I was hoping to get something new out of this, but unfortunately did not. I was hoping to read/listen to more about how ideas/religions/ and cultures were passed during the time of the Silk Road, it did briefly but not as much as I hoped.

By the end of the book, the main focus was on trade and material goods overall and how the UK and US became involved in early 1900s in the middle east and onwards into the aftermath of 9/11 and the policies surrounding that.

Overall, I think it's a good (but considerably long) read/listen for those who aren't familiar with trade in the east from early civilization to modern era. I also think this could be good for both history majors to study and those in the general public to read since it is written concisely and it's easy to read. 

Book 1 of 2024

I really enjoyed this one and can see why a lot of people recommend it! Absolutely love the art in this and I think the story is simple but interesting enough to continue!! <3 

Book 2 of 2024
Read for Diverse Baseline Challenge: January Prompt 1 - Collection of Poetry

I'm not an expert on poetry, but I can appreciate a poem when I read them. This was at times hard to read for me because I'm not used to poetry and different styles of poems. But, it was an okay read and most of the poems are beautifully written. I do know this is more of a memoir in the style of poetry and I think that's cool.

I'd recommend to those that already enjoy poetry or want a different way of experiencing a non-fic memoir. 

 ~ Read For Bookish Besties November BOTM ~

I have to say, I had a fun time reading this one. It was simple, yet really good. I flew through this book in a day. It's told from a third person pov and the writing + story flowed pretty well.

Graceling is set in the world of the Royal Continent that is divided into seven kingdoms. As the name suggests, there are "Gracelings" or those that have a very particular talent that they excel at. Although these people have these talents, graces are often frowned upon and feared.

Katsa, our main protagonist, is graced with killing. She's able to take down a man with a single blow. She's infamous for her actions in all the kingdoms of this world. Though she begins to struggle with that fact and how she is used by the king, her uncle.

You find Katsa in the Middluns on a rescue mission of somebody imprisoned in another court. She encounters a stranger along this mission and determines they may or may not be a threat, but she'll cross that bridge when she gets to it. She soon finds out that this stranger she encountered is Po, the Grandson of the man she had just rescued, and he is also graced.

This story takes Katsa and Po across the Middluns into Sunder and beyond to "find info" as to why Po's grandfather was kidnapped in the first place. They find themselves growing close and learn things about themselves they wouldn't have otherwise. 

I'm beginning to think Madeline Miller may be an auto buy author from now on for me. I'm amazed at how she can take minor characters of ancient greek mythology and make a great story that follow relatively close to the events that are known of them.

I absolutely love the character driven story of Circe. This book spans the many years of Circe, an immortal Titan goddess, that was cast out for her practice of magic. The author did so well creating a morally grey character, where at times you want to root for her and other times, she seems overbearing and cruel. She's a immortal god, that fears and loves, that's ruthless and patient. You can see all sides of this character throughout the story and I think that's what I loved about this book.

The writing is absolutely gorgeous and it's something I loved in her other book Song of Achilles. I think she does well with greek retellings and it feels well researched with what little is known of the characters she chooses to write.

Definitely recommend to those that enjoy a book that focuses mainly on the actions, thoughts and reflections of characters, as well as those that love mythology. 

The Only Good Indians was an up and down hill for me to get through. I enjoyed it enough to finish, but wouldn't necessarily call it a fave.

Things I liked about the book: 
- the atmosphere is absolutely phenomenal, it really does give a haunting and eery vibe throughout the book up until the very end
- the themes of tradition, violation, revenge, justification, & cyclical trauma are well done
- the decisions of characters permeate the entire story 

 

Things I'm iffy on:
- the only character you spend the most time with is Lewis, most other characters are very rushed through making it very hard to care about the others..
- however, the book is told from the person who is haunting Lewis and his buddies, so yes there is an unreliable narrator but you get to ponder whether their actions is justified or not and contributes to the cyclical trauma at hand
- the descent into madness Lewis has is okay, knowing the narrator is the elk, but i'd much more prefer having Lewis from the first person going through the thoughts in his head and the decisions he makes and the slow creep of madness that way.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this book, and I think its worth the read. But, it's not a favorite of mine. 

Read for MM Summer Pride Challenge 2023 and August BOTM Pick

This was a quick read and fun to get through. I do have issues with the fact that it was super fast paced and insta lovey, but I think that's part of the appeal too in some ways if you go in knowing its a smutty novella with a trans masc MC and his body guards he acquires after reaching his name day.

I enjoyed it enough to finish tho and I'd be into seeing how the characters go in a sequel.