This review originally appeared on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

This story is so necessary and timely. With slight shades of science fiction and Gulliver's travels, very reminiscent of another recent, and similarly important and poignant, release, The Underground Railroad. With each of the "doors" Saeed and Nadia travel through, we are shown a different part of the struggle, the journey that all immigrants and refugees faced. And parallel to their story, some are able to get through each door, to make it to the next stage, and in every case, there are those that get stuck at certain points and never find that next escape. We are able to experience all these stages through the eyes of Saeed and Nadia: the physical, emotional, and philosophical challenges of leaving your home country, living in refugee camps, adjusting to a new culture in a land that doesn't want you there, learning to create a new space for yourself, and fighting to both remember and forget when you came from. And we also see what each step does to them, to their relationship with each other, as they learn to adjust and cope in their own ways, to figure out how to both lose and hold onto what they share and what they've lost together, to know what role they have for each other as they build their new lives. It is an exploration of the bonds forged in peace and strengthened under fear and pressure, the changes in those connections after so much stress, and the knowledge of how to grow apart comfortably after sharing so much.

In addition to the main story, that of Saeed and Nadia, we get a snippet, once per chapter, of random and worldwide experiences with the door. These represent a great variety of situations, both positive and negative - families reuniting, new lovers meeting, militants creating surprise havoc and death, and visits to those who refuse to use them. And overall, the intermingling on a worldwide scale - inhabitants of this world escaping to/from different places for as many reasons as there are people - to create an international community that must learn to transcend borders and insulation. There is commentary on and suggestions for the many ways that such intermingling can happen, the ways it can go wrong and, if we can find the bravery, "for courage is demanded not to attack when afraid" (p.166), the ways we can cooperative and move forward to safer solutions.

Hamid's language is beyond gorgeous. Although at times his sentences go for so long you can get lost in them if you aren't careful, they also pull you along with them almost without you realizing it. It's a reading experience different from any other I've ever had. The vocabulary he uses, like "native" and "migrant" are both incredibly neutral and strongly evocative. As a reader, you really need to think about and unpack what they mean to you and what associations you are [automatically] making. I thought it was interesting that, though many of the destinations Saeed and Nadia travel to through the doors are specified, their original home, their city of birth, is never named. They seem to have similarities to a number of, for lack of a better way to describe it, troubled homelands, that make it hard to tell for sure where their journey began. And you have to wonder if that wasn't an incredibly purposeful commentary on the part of the author - that the place or point of origin should not (and does not) matter, but that all those final destination points, the lands "on the other side" of the doors (read: Greece, the UK, America), should absolutely be called out for their less than welcoming reactions to those truly in need. For if a person leaves everything behind except for their hope that there's something better through that door, the natives should have the courage to face any fear of change and help provide that better, safer, future each migrant dreams of and deserves. And in the end, "we are all migrants through time" (p.209).

As examples of the insight, the illustrative language, and the beauty of Hamid's unique style, here are some of my favorite quotes:
"...for when we migrate, we murder from our lives those we leave behind." (p.98)
"The island was pretty safe, they were told, except when it was not, which made it like most places." (p.107)
"...and when the tension receded there was calm, the calm that is called the calm before the storm, but is in reality the foundation of a human life, waiting there for us between the steps of our march to our mortality, when we are compelled to pause and not act but be." (p.138)
"...love is to enter into the inevitability of one day not being able to protect what is most valuable to you." (p.165)
"Every time a couple moves they begin, if their attention is still drawn to one another, to see each other differently, for personalities are not a single immutable color, like white or blue, but rather illuminated screens, and the shades we reflect depend much on what is around us." (p.186)

This review was originally published on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

This was my first book by Colleen Hoover. I've seen her name around, but before this book it was just in passing. And then, essentially, this book blew up bookstagram. So I naturally had to see what everyone was talking about. Based on her other books and the description of this one, I was expecting a basic, if slightly more compelling than normal (based on the rave reviews) love story. And while there were definitely some elements of that, this was also much more.

To start, the romance elements. There were many things about this book that really made me want to give it 3 stars. They are the types of things that are often part of romance novels that I respect are part of the genre for a reason, but are partially why I don't read it widely, as a rule. Primarily, things are just too easy: Lily (the girl) meets homeless guy that actually turns out to be amazing and in the end (no spoilers) very successful/conveniently there when he's needed, girl meets gorgeous/rich/talented random guy, girl ends up magically (in a city as big as Boston) "hiring" his sister and they all become best friends (like convenient and, potentially to an unrealistic extreme, supportive friends), SO many rich people (and successful people - even Lily herself) that it pushes the imagination that it all happened organically. Just, those pieces of the plot, the first section of the book, are predictable and too easy. Also, the writing itself nothing special. There are parts where the dialogue falls flat and the inner thoughts Lily has are a too easy way to "tell" instead of "show," used to the extent that it's a bit of a crutch. Similarly, the "diary" entries to Ellen Degeneres become a story telling crutch as well. However, there are some cute elements from them, related to Ellen, like Dory and "just keep swimming," that make it a bit easier to swallow. And in general, throughout the book, after their first interactions (which, in my opinion, are still not necessarily realistic) I think the entire story line between Lily and Atlas is a bit overdone, a too happy counteraction to the tougher parts. But even though it's not all that realistic, I think I'm happy it was there because this isn't real life, it's a book, and I'm glad I had access to those positives in the end. Overall, the first parts were pretty normal and while it was a fast paced read and I was interested in seeing where it went (and I went in thinking it was mostly a love story, so I was expecting that and more or less ok with it - I needed a "lighter"/"quicker" read in my life right now), I wasn't overly impressed by anything.

Then the second section hit and things got real. I mean, the writing stayed meh, so things that may have actually been nearly impossible to read in other literary circumstances were only pretty difficult, if that makes sense. I feel like I was separated a little bit from what was happening by the less than perfect wordsmith-ing. However, the topics still hit like a ton of bricks. The trauma that Lily had experienced as a child was now coming back again, in full force, but this time (in the circular fashion that life follows) against her instead of her mother. And this part is what the description on the back totally doesn't hint at, which I find to be both sneaky and well done. The book hits harder because you don't know it's coming. Not to give too much away (since the author clearly didn't want that), but as vaguely as possible I'd like to commend the author for the way she handles writing about relationship abuse. Honestly, that part is gorgeously done, and it's what jumped this book to a 4 star read for me. It came on slowly, subtly, and you can see (just as Lily's mom describes to her) how with each little event, your limits are pushed just a little farther and a little farther, until you get to a place where you don't understand how you let it get so far. That conversation was a beautiful moment of understanding and bonding for the relationship between Lily and her mom, even in the midst of everything else. (In fact, that's the one time I cried.) In any case, the limits pushed happened to me, to us as readers, that same way. And that's the beauty, because it makes you re-think and better empathize with those for whom it happens to in real life. As Lily thinks/writes her justification, you find yourself kind of agreeing with her. What's she's saying does make sense. You, like her, have fallen in love with Ryle and just want to give him another chance. And these people aren't even real, they are characters, so it really makes you think how much harder this is in real life. How do you separate who/what you love from the parts that are getting out of control and starting to scare you? When do you become too afraid to be alone with someone, but at the same time not want to live your life without them? How do you make the decision to break everyone's heart, including your own? Where has person who always thought that "there's never a justification for that kind of behavior" gone? So many people struggle with this, and reasonably so. And so many others judge them for that. But putting myself in those shoes, imagining it's me and my partner, thinking about what I would forgive because I love him, it's definitely not as black and white as outsiders think. And the author did a beautiful job recreating that pain and indecision and justification and heartbreak for the reader to experience with Lily.

I read the afterward by the author: what this book meant to her personally, who she honored by writing it, the message she wanted to send. And I am impressed. She did exactly what she set out to do. And she created the right set of circumstances to do it in. She said at times she had trouble writing Ryle's reactions, that she had fallen in love with him, just like Lily, and wanted to rewrite everything. And that's the crux of it I think - that's what we all want. And Hoover wrote it well enough to make us all want that. But we all needed to go through the pain to see that's sometimes it's better after that pain. I'm so glad she didn't change anything, that she powered through and wrote what she did. And I'm grateful to the author and her parents, all of them, for allowing her to write and share this story. The title is perfect - it only takes one person with the courage to break the cycle, one person to say "it ends with us" - to make the future better for everyone that follows.

This review was originally published on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

This was the January book from Muse Monthly. And while the tea that month (an orange blossom green tea) has probably been my favorite so far, the book wasn't quite as good.

This book tells the story of Jialing, zazhong (Eurasian or mixed race), and the daughter of a prostitute. Abandoned by her mother at age 7, she relies on the charity of another family to keep her clothed/fed and, for luck, prays to and befriends an animal spirit, Fox. The novel follows her through her life in early 1900s China, as she grows into a young adult, has a chance to attend school and learn English, experiences many forms of alienation and disgust, and navigates her way through various challenges and life changes.

The writing was really well done overall - there was a beautiful flow and style to Chang's language that just drew the reader along. And the overall pacing and feel of the story was lyrical and atmospheric. I really enjoyed the creation of the time period and the location, both of which I have very little experience with. And the portrayal of the prejudices against mixed race people, from both Europeans and Asians, as well as the compounded shame of being born to a prostitute and having no family connections to help you move forward, on top of all the "normal" limitations placed on women in general at that time, was moving and heartbreaking. The social barriers and taboos that were nigh on impossible to overcome meant that so many women lived lives full of sorrow and suffering without any hope of a way out. Relatedly, the seemingly at odds view of prostitutes, the low end ones that work in brothels vs the high end ones kept by rich men alongside their wife/wives, was so interesting to me. That women who survive by the same means can be viewed separately and simultaneously as disgusting and revered is an intriguing look into the mindset of the culture and, as always, the importance of money and status. As I said, this is a time period and population that I have read little about previously and so those pieces of it were interesting and eye-opening. Additional tidbits, like the traditional roles of women in the home (like, Anjuin, Jialing's friend, and oldest daughter in the home that took her in) versus the role of women in missionary schools (like Miss Morris), and the slow move towards acceptance of more freedom and responsibility outside the home for women in general, were explored nicely as well. Honestly, for all the difficult situations faced by women at the time, I'd say this book is fairly feminist in it's portrayal of intelligent, capable women interacting and helping each other achieve a better "happy ending" by whatever means they have access to under their circumstances. A very different, but well done, historical feminist perspective, I think.

The inclusion of Fox as a main character was interesting for me. I am normally a big fan of magical realism and I love reading about the gods and spirits of other cultures. So I definitely enjoyed it in that respect. But at the same time, you could read the book in a completely different way - one in which Fox, and Fox's role, were not necessarily real and just played out in Jialing's head. I mean, everything that happened could also have happened/been explained without Fox being a real, active character and just as a figment of Jialing's imagination, one that began as a coping mechanism in her childhood and carried over into her adult life when she faced particularly difficult situations. This is especially possible since, over and over, we hear Jialing complain about all the things happening in her life around her that determine her path and fate without her say - she feels like a life blown through the wind with no control over her motion or direction. This was a common theme/concern explored throughout the book, in many ways and from many perspectives, for each of the female characters - not a single woman, no matter her status, was free from it in this time/culture so dominated by men. So Jialing's circumstances could easily have been due to either Fox's machinations or just the time period itself. In any case, it was difficult for me to categorize this book and I waffled between contemporary lit and magical realism for some time. I'm still not sure what I actually think, which is an interesting effect and I credit the author with the ability to create it.

However, while I enjoyed all those aspects, there was something about the novel overall that kept me from completely engrossing myself in the story. I felt like there was a lot that happened that was maybe too convenient. I understand that Fox is the explanation for this, her watching over Jialing and creating the luck to make things fall in her favor, but all in all, it may have happened just one too many times for me to believe. I particularly felt this way about some of the more fantastic plot points and, in particular, the ending. And overall, those situations just built up to a point where the book wasn't quite as compelling as I felt it could be. I'm not sure that's all there was, but that's the only thing I can think of to put my finger on in regards to why I came away from this having enjoyed it and feeling like I learned a lot about the time period, but not totally in love with it.

This review originally appeared on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

Well, after listening to Mindy Kaling's "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me (And Other Concerns)" I realized that I liked audiobooks of this type - ones that are not necessarily a story with a plot, where I need to follow characters and developments (please note, I am so not an audio learner, I'm visual all the way), where there are insights and stories that can be broken up as necessary (which is what happens naturally, listening to books only while driving...), and [bonus] when read by the author themselves. It's really cool to hear these actors/comedians reading things they wrote, about themselves, in their own voice - the extra dimension adds something. However, as this is only my second experience with audiobooks, I'm still learning about how best to listen. And I do find that I like grabbing the book afterwards and flipping through to find some of my favorites passages or refresh myself on certain parts, or just see what I missed as far as layout (which in this case was a lot).

Here are some of my thoughts on this audiobook (vs the written version and my one other audio experience to date):

- Amy Poehler's reading voice was spot on. Her inflections were great and really helped set the atmosphere and the feel of her words. I feel like I originally thought this would be a given, but Mindy's reading of her book was pretty monotone and I was less than impressed. Amy brought the intonation and I loved it.
- Her guest readers were a great way to break up the story. Seth Myers' chapter was a fun perspective (though his intonation lacked a little too, I thought) and Mike Schur's injections (when read by him, rather than as side-notes on a page) were fantastic. That chapter/section, in which Mike Schur was featured, was probably my favorite. This was not only due to him, but also the fact that the insights into the cast and filming and backstory for Parks and Rec were some of the most fun tidbits to to hear. It was really cool to hear her parents read certain parts, like their own advice to Amy, as well.
- The audiobook was way better for certain parts, like hearing the intro "song" to the UCB tv show (I know the book shows a screenshot from their opening credits, but hearing the whole thing was awesome). Similarly, the sections of script from Parks and Rec that are written out and printed in the book were actually played in the audio version, which was really cool as well. On the flip side, there were some pages of notes and letters and the section headers that were much better in print than in the audio version, no matter whose voice *cough Patrick Stewart* was reading them.
-I loved that the last chapter was read loud in front of UCB members/staff, etc. Their laughing and clapping throughout created an interactive experience that I enjoyed immensely.

As far as the content itself, I have some pretty mixed feelings. Amy's discussion of her youth and growing up outside Boston, how she got into improv, and her early experiences in theater and moving up in that world...all insight was fascinating and I enjoyed listening to it. I also liked the starting sections about her giving birth (though I know a lot of people were less than impressed with that part) because I work in childbirth ed and all the different experiences women have is super interesting to me. Though starting there and then ending with her kids again - it was a lot about kids for someone who doesn't have any. I liked that she told some stories where she doesn't look quite as good - not everyone is perfect and it's great to see her own up to that, talk about how hard it is to do the right thing sometimes, and her personal growth on that front (apologizing about offensive skits and getting over being upset at not winning awards, for example). I thought the background on the book's title, and why she called it that, was great. And one of my favorite sections was her sex advice. Honestly, it was just spot on - to both men and women - and made me laugh out loud a couple times (stop being so goal oriented about sex, ladies don't need it to last as long as men think, work on dirty talk, etc.).

On the other hand, it seemed like she sounded pretty self satisfied a lot, with a lot of extra name dropping and self congratulation than felt necessary - I mean, I get that, I totally would do that too if I were her, she's awesome, but it just didn't come across as well when this "normal" person read it. I wish there had been a little more about her Smart Girls campaign and how she started that and where it's going. I'm a public health person, I can't help it, I want to know. And lastly, she starts the book with a whole long thing about how writing is hard and she didn't really want to write it. And then it doesn't end there, she sprinkles it throughout the book a lot. I mean, I'm sure it's hard, and I know she has to make a living, and I know she's busy - it was just a lot of complaining over something that (as I was reading it) had already happened and made me feel guilty, like somehow my interest in reading this book was what "made" her write it in the first place. And I feel like she could have written it as a cathartic thing, but then not actually included it in the book, and that would have been fine. All in all, she did a good job adding in humor throughout, no matter what the section was actually about, but there as a lot more serious in this book. Her advice seemed more like she was trying to give real advice, instead of a more joking/low key attempt (like Mindy's was), which came out a little supercilious at times.

I'm not sure what it was, but the overall feel to this book was not as appealing to me as maybe it could have been, though that's vague and I don't really have concrete feedback for how that could have been done (or if it was due in part to the way I "read" it), so that's not something I can really blame her for. Maybe just, everything seemed reluctant after the introduction about her not wanting to write it, and that colored the whole thing. But I have to be honest, it was a very entertaining "listen" that was well worth my time and attention.

This review originally appeared on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

I mean with a rating as high as this on Goodreads and the most pervasive bookstagram presence of almost any YA other than Sarah J. Maas' books, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but still. Wow. The hype for this is real and it holds up. I mean, I loved the original Grisha trilogy a lot. The world-building and characters were great and they were just so well written and super fun to read. If anything, this was even better. I'm sure you could read this on it's own and it would have been fine, but having already spent wonderful hours in the Grishaverse, the extension to the world that we get here...moving out of Ravka (though I loved all the hints and references to the civil war there and some of the "famous" characters from The Grisha) and into Kerch and Fjerda we get to see this world in a much broader sense. The way the countries feel about each other, interact, etc. that we get to see more of here is truly impressive in scale. The alliances, stereotypes, and power plays Bardugo writes and creates are perfectly rendered and feel so real.

The characters, our group of thieves and misfits and lost souls, play perfectly for and against one another. Kaz, Inej, Nina, Matthias, Jesper and Wylan are one of the best crews I've ever adventured with. Their relationships with each other, and the growth and changes that happen over time on this journey (both for us as readers, as we learn about their pasts and how they all came to be where they are now, and for them), are developed at a reasonable, believable pace. I really enjoyed the experience getting to know them all as they get to know themselves. I saw it written somewhere that this crew really is #friendshipgoals, and honestly, even though I'm only halfway through the duology, I really agree. I cannot wait to see where their relationships go next.

While their story does end up having some far reaching implications, I enjoyed that that's not how it started. It's not a group of people setting out on a hopeless quest to save their world, etc. It's a group that, each for their own personal reasons, really need/could use the promised rewards. They aren't setting out thinking about anything other than their payday at the end. Watching their development to see it in a bigger way (for some it happens sooner, for others, they still are looking at it as revenge/a payday at the end) is fun. But overall it's refreshing to see a tale told of a group that's just really good at what they do and they are in it for that alone. And if there are wider reaching implications of their actions, so be it, but that's not their issue. Super refreshing. And definitely part of what makes this story so special and gives it such charm.

This is a book you just cannot put down. The overall writing in on point, with new and exciting plan reveals and unexpected twists (in equal measure) with almost every chapter. And it's all done with a wonderful mix of traditional ambiances, the fun caper and the serious "job," to create a mood all it's own. The cover advertises "Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist." ...for all that that premise sounds incredibly overdone, it's a promise that is absolutely fulfilled.

This book was superb!The characters were fantastic, well developed and really believable. The land and magic and people are awesome, the concept of the Grisha are a wonderful new spin on magic and "magicians". The Fold is a really different sort of evil that I really haven't ever read before and the idea of a Sun Summoner is just so cool! Also, the Darkling is an interesting concept of evil...he wants something good but is really going about it the wrong way. So he's the bad guy, but there are some things that you want to give him credit for... I love the love story between Mal and Alina and then way it played out was wonderful. I was completely emotionally involved. The plot was amazing and the pacing was good too...I couldn't put the book down. Read it all in one day. And, the best part, the writing was perfect! The one thing that always kills young adult fantasy is terrible writing, stilted dialogue. But the author nailed it with this book. SO excited to read the next one!

This was a really good second novel. It had your normal "romance" part that I have always found gets draggy in the second of a trilogy due to the need for building strife/conflict, etc. and the inability to resolve it yet because there needs to be something for the third book. However, barring that, the magic and development of the story was well done (particularly with the Darkling's new magic and also I particularly liked the sun summoner religious cult aspect)...and I did enjoy the addition of the younger prince as a character. I think he's my favorite of all the possible love options for Alina. Also, the Genya story line is heartbreaking and real. But in any case, all in all positive thoughts and a fun reading experience.

Well, that was awesome. I am not sure I've ever read a final book I enjoyed so much and was so happy with. I was nervous when the second book wasn't as good as the first, but this one blew them both away. So much happened here and it was so real. Plans went awry, people died, others overcame, and through it all, the writing was so solid. I loved how things wrapped up for everyone, for the Darkling, for Baghra, for Nikolai and, especially, for Mal and Alina. This may one of the only young adult wrap ups where the love stories weren't explained or fabricated too easily, where tough choices had to be made (and were), and still the reader could be happy that with all the interweaving relationships, nothing felt fake. I enjoyed that even with the DArkling as a "bad guy," the themes from the beginning and his ultimate downfall of going the wrong way to achieve a right end were not lost. He was more realistic, in his sorrow over Baghra and his yearning for an inclusive world - harder to hate and a better character to read. Nikolai (and his trauma, the changes the experience had on him), David and Genya and Zoya's new roles, the beginnings of a new country - it all happened in a way that seemed right and real and did not stretch the imagination too far. And Mal's sacrifice, the explanation for his recovery, the loss of power for both him and Alina, and the creativity that allowed for her "martyrdom" and their ending...I won't lie, I cried. It was beautiful - perfect in it's simplicity and it's full circle (both as a plot line and with the language about "a boy and a girl"). For anyone wishing she ended up with the Darkling or that they didn't lose their powers, well, that's not real. Their simple joy and happiness to just be with each other, that's real. "They had an ordinary life, full of ordinary things - if love can ever be called that."

This originally appeared on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

Well, I loved the original Grisha trilogy and, I have to be honest, this duology managed to surpass it. This was a non-stop follow-up/wrap-up full of action and drama and adventure and love and sorrow and the perfect amount of swashbuckling (both serious and otherwise) on every page. Absolutely a worthy follow up to Six of Crows - it stands up to it as far as the plot, pacing, and creativity of the "heist"/use of available resources and manages to even add a little more to the odds stacked against the team and the lengths they need to go to/the lines they need walk, in a way that is both reasonable and fantastic - exactly what you want out of a book like this.

After book 1, I liked Inej and Jesper the most, and that didn't change, but Wylan really came into this own in this book and carved a much bigger place for himself in my heart. The character development, which was already beautifully done in the first book, continued to be phenomenal - realistically paced and unbelievably complex. Each character grew as individuals, grew in their relationships to each other, and with more and more information revealed about their backgrounds, just kept growing in general. I feel like after finishing I was left with 6 larger than life, in many different ways, friends. My one critique is that outside of the main six, I felt that the rest of the characters were fairly flat/too easy (Jesper's dad, Kuwei - though he did grow a little more than the rest with time, Alys, even Pekka Rollins - I liked that it ended with his perspective and the quick visit of Inej [always looking out for Kaz] though, and especially Dunyasha - like she came out of nowhere with a crazy backstory and was gone just as fast...she just felt incomplete to me). But honestly, that's a small complaint and didn't effect my overall experience much at all. I loved the cameos from some of my favorites from the Grisha Trilogy - Genya and Sturmhond - it was a fantastic bonus. And the continued growth in complexity of the Grishaverse, the inter-country relations and the treatment of/response to Grisha in different countries, etc. is spectacular.

Though I am incredibly happy with the caper (everyone kept to their individual morals, goals, and end games within the bigger picture, as their characters really would have, and I really respect that), the ending, and where each character ends with their foil (Inej/Kaz, Nina/Matthias, Wylan/Jesper) - honestly especially that, those particular relationships were closed out perfectly, I thought - I am having a hard time abiding by the code "no mourners, no funerals." I am TOTALLY mourning the end of this adventure. "[Jesper's] guns, Kaz's brains, Nina's wit, Inej's talent, Wylan's ingenuity, and Matthias' strength" I will miss you.

SPOILERS: My mini eulogies

- Inej, good luck to you in your quest to end slavery - it is a good goal, one worthy of you. And as you work alongside K, give him time, give yourself time, but never give up on what you mean to each other. And happy family reunion!
- Kaz, you may not be a good man, but you are a better one that you thought. Keep trying. You are worth it, Inej is worth it. And good luck running the Barrel - it's your destiny, fill it well.
- Jesper, embrace yourself for everything you are: Grisha, gambler, lover, son. Forgive your father and forgive yourself. Take the time to master your skills so they become the gifts they always could have been, instead of the curse you thought they were.
- Wylan, no shame! You are smart and will do and become so much more than you ever would have if you had been able to read and your father had accepted you. Enjoy your happiness with your mother and J, you deserve it. Be bold.
- Nina, though you profess no mourning, you can give into it a little. But then let M live on in your quest to reach your dual goals. Break down those inter-country barriers and make everyone see in you what he saw. And never stop seeing in others what you saw in him. And embrace your new powers - different is hard, but you were made to handle it.
- Matthias, you can rest easily knowing you did everything you could, everything you needed to, and more. N is strong - she'll follow through and you'll both still change the world. And you will live on within her forever, where you belong.

This review originally appeared on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

This is the adult answer to the YA trend of magical romance stories. And really, don't get me wrong, I love those and read them as well. A lot. But I definitely enjoyed this more mature approach to that popular story line that we get here.

This book was great, on so many levels. First, I loved the title - like I said, I have a soft spot for lone titles and it's the reason I picked the book up to begin with. And it completely lived up to my expectations. Nora was a great heroine in that she is probably one of the most relatable, realistic women I have ever read. From her self-doubt and shortcomings that made it possible to be so thoroughly enchanted by Ilissa, to her intellect and curiosity that set her apart in the new world and so attracted Aruendiel to her, to her skills and interest in magic (both referring to her successes and failures). She is the everyday woman's reaction to everything she is experiencing. Or, slightly more than that, the very educated and intelligent, but still "normal," woman's reaction. I always like to think I react more like a traditional heroine, but let's be honest, I would totally be more like Nora. And after reading her character here, that's definitely not the insult I previously would have imagined it to be. The way she uses her own knowledge, experiences, and intelligence to address her new circumstances and challenges is inspiring in a very empowering way.

The development of Nora's relationship with Aruendiel was complete, believable, and frustratingly real. I loved reading their back and forth and how they started to become more comfortable with each other, only to be snapped farther away again by something or other - how many real life relationships look. I also admired her ability to keep the tension and not give in to the characters getting together in the traditional manner. It really makes for a more compelling read, but I can imagine it would be hard not to give in to urges to release the tension earlier/differently. I'm sure the author wanted it to happen just as much as I did, as a reader.

The supporting cast of characters was fantastic also. I loved Hiriz's character. Loved. And since the book leaves space for a follow-up, I sure hope she comes back! [Update from original post - the author has confirmed that she's working on a sequel. However worry not, this one leaves off in a very comfortable place and you won't be waiting on a cliffhanger for a second one.] Mrs. Toristel is wonderful as well.

My one critique would be how quickly Ilissa and Raclin were "defeated" and disappeared, as well as how fast the conclusion of the story was, compared to how long the earlier plot development was. The entire end just seemed a little rushed.

On the other hand, my favorite part was the continuous presence of Pride and Prejudice - one of Nora's favorite books. Throughout the book there are both obvious references and subtle parallels that I just LOVED (magic and Jane Austen are two of my very favorite things). The final piece, the last parallel to the Pride and Prejudice story, Nora's realization that she had been just as blind as Elizabeth Bennet and the only proper conclusion to her story would be to take the same steps Lizzy did, was perfect. I greatly admire what the author was able to do here, the reality of her characters and the beautiful overlap with one of the most beloved novels of all time, and I really enjoyed this read.