I understand now why this is one of the most anticipated YA books of 2019. I was delighted to receive an ARC copy of this book from the Fredricksen Library. It works out well to be a librarian! WARNING: There is major angst in this book. Many people complain about angst in YA novels but I think "what did you expect?!" It's a book about teenagers! Since Everly was such a stunning character, her angsty narration didn't bother me. She's so hilarious, cunning, caring and entertaining so I didn't mind her dramatic narration.



Everly is the best thing to ever happen to this book. She's independent and strong and Prince Roth never intimidates her. She goes through so much grief but she tries to do the right thing no matter what. In a sly way "The Evil Queen" addresses discrimination, oppression and bigotry. Over and over I was frustrated by the way Everly was treated just because of a prophecy. I was so grateful that people like Roth got the chance to know her for the heroine she is.



Another interesting aspect of this book was figuring out who each character was assigned to be in the fairytale "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." I love how Everly took the assumption that she was the Evil Queen and just rolled with it. She had no problem adopting the title, but she never allowed people to define her.



My final thoughts:

- That last battle scene was beyond EPIC! It didn't feel rushed and almost every character got a satisfying ending.

- I wanted to see more of Everly's relationship with the forest and with Allura.

- The language was so intricate and gorgeous that I could picture Enchantia vividly.

- I really hope there's a sequel. We probably won't hear anything until 2020, but until then I hope to read more about Everly, Roth, Truly, Allura, even Thor!

I first heard about this book on a podcast a year ago. [a:Susan Barker|8343615|Susan Barker|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] was being interviewed about "The Incarnations" and the book sounded intriguing. The premise is excellent for sure. We have a taxi driver who seems like a nobody but he doesn't know his past lives were so important. This is a great read for anyone interested in Asian mythology and religion.



My only critique is that I would've loved to see more variation in the main character's reincarnations. Something about them all seemed the same. I would've loved to see a reincarnation as let's say, an Asian immigrant traveling far from his home. The locations of the book felt secluded and I wanted more descriptive language. At times it was challenging to visualize the scenes.



Overall a gripping and insightful take on family and what we believe. I think this story accurately depicted how reincarnation is supposed to work, and I enjoyed tagging along with the characters.

The title has a lot to do with the foundation of this book. What makes this feminist story different from older feminist reads, such as [b:Feminism is for Everybody: Passionate Politics|168484|Feminism is for Everybody Passionate Politics|bell hooks|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327933698l/168484._SY75_.jpg|843092], is that it's "new feminism." It references current issues and discussions. If you compare this modern poetry to the older writings, it has a completely different voice. It's the difference between getting women equal rights and what to do once you have them. Also more jobs for women versus more jobs means sexual harassment in the workplace.



I admire the unabashed wordplay used in each poem. There's nothing boring about this book at all. It's breathtakingly free, so hopeful and pessimistic at the same time. I wanted to highlight every stanza because that's how beautiful each line was.

Easily one of my favorite [a:Agatha Christie|123715|Agatha Christie|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1321738793p2/123715.jpg] mysteries. Poirot is at it again!



There seems to be extra sass in this book. Poirot has the mantra of "I've seen this all before" and that's what makes his dialogue so engaging. He's a calm presence in an otherwise hectic atmosphere. What's fascinating about this book is that it's a gruesome love story and I've never read anything else like it. Everyone gets caught up in the tragedy of [b:Murder on the Orient Express|853510|Murder on the Orient Express (Hercule Poirot, #10)|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1486131451l/853510._SY75_.jpg|2285570] or the suspense of [b:And Then There Were None|16299|And Then There Were None|Agatha Christie|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1391120695l/16299._SY75_.jpg|3038872], but "Death on the Nile" combines all the best features from Christie's writing. The final plot twist is so intricate that I never could have guessed it. It's worth the read even just as a writer to understand Christie's talented plot pacing. I can't wait for the upcoming adaptation of this book!

“There is nothing wrong in talking quietly; it only makes people listen harder.”

--



A beautiful rendition of a queen's life. Somehow author [a:Daisy Goodwin|148847|Daisy Goodwin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1284984558p2/148847.jpg] goes the extra mile to make Victoria relatable with her angst, insecurity, hopefulness and inner strength. In a small way, every young woman can see a piece of herself in the queen. That's what makes Victoria such a memorable figure, even today.



I will say one thing that makes the tv series superior is that it covers more time in Victoria's life. In the book, there's great build-up to Victoria and Albert's relationship. They meet each other in the latter half of the book and then the book's ending is very abrupt. The book ended too quickly. While I loved how this story covered the early days of Victoria's life, I wanted to have more scenes of her acting as a monarch. I wish the reader experienced married life moments between Victoria and Albert.



As far as pacing goes, it's all over the place. While I did enjoy each and every scene and the purposeful end of every chapter, the plot moved slowly. Then, in the last two chapters, everything moved too fast. At the beginning, there was leisurely focus on Victoria transitioning into a queen, but then the last few chapters sped through her thoughts concerning Albert. I wish the pace had been more consistent.



Overall I loved how introspective and detailed this book was. I'll definitely listen to more Goodwin audiobooks in the future!

"If I tell anyone I'm asexual, they're going to look at me like there's something wrong. They're going to tell me to go to a doctor. They're going to tell me I'm too young to know what I want or I'm still developing." - [a:Claire Kann|15661988|Claire Kann|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]

--



I wish there were more books like this one. As someone who identifies as asexual, I wish I could've read this book sooner. This would have been essential when I was confused about emotions at a young age. Do you ever read a book that you feel has been written for you? This book validated everything I have felt about my identity. It helped me to gain confidence in myself. Now I want more books to be written about asexuality because this one was the only book at my local library! Now with the growing lgbtq+ community, there should be more books out there on this topic. It brings great comfort to those who need it.

Another read for the Fredricksen Children's Library. I'm now going to recommend this to every kid who requests a fantasy book with a strong female hero! The adventures and characters are so fun and I would gladly read this again.



This book immediately fascinated me with its sense of adventure and imagination. Meylyne isn't the typical middle grade fiction character. She's complicated and complex. Holland expects a lot from the reader. She expects mature kids to be able to understand that no character is perfect, even the heroes. This isn't to say that I don't like Meylyne, I found her to be a relatable person. I didn't agree with every decision she made because she's more of a daredevil than I am, but I respect her.



As for the other characters, her little band of friends are adorable! I didn't expect to love them as much as I did! Everyone deserves the friends she has. "The Thorn Queen" teaches the reader the valuable lesson that sometimes families aren't good for us and that friends are more so our family. My favorite character was the ogre who's name I won't attempt to spell. He is hilarious!



The only issues I had with this story were the excess characters and plotlines and the cliffhanger ending. The excess characters weren't a big deal, but it did take a while for me to get used to so many central characters. As for all the plotlines, while they were entertaining, they were overwhelming. It took forever for the thorn queen to actually be mentioned. Plus so much worldbuilding was stuffed into a relatively short book. At least the worldbuilding was beautiful and immersive.



HOW ABOUT THAT ENDING?! I really hope there will be a sequel otherwise the ending was a disappointment. We never find out what the prince's sickness is and that seemed to be an important plot point. Will it be revealed later? So far I've heard nothing about a sequel but I would definitely read it!

The perfect magical realism read! It opened my eyes to how much I love this genre.

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I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys other magical realism books such as [b:Winter's Tale|12967|Winter's Tale|Mark Helprin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1442048864l/12967._SY75_.jpg|1965767], [b:All the Crooked Saints|30025336|All the Crooked Saints|Maggie Stiefvater|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1500451773l/30025336._SY75_.jpg|50430647], [b:Lincoln in the Bardo|29906980|Lincoln in the Bardo|George Saunders|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1492130850l/29906980._SX50_.jpg|50281866] and [b:Her Body and Other Parties|33375622|Her Body and Other Parties|Carmen Maria Machado|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1485266434l/33375622._SX50_.jpg|54116423]. "Once Upon a River" reminded me the most of "Winter's Tale" as the flowery language was almost exactly the same and the characters were equally as romantic. Even though the plots are dissimilar, the endings are both bittersweet and open-ended.



The most important characters of this novel isn't a person. It's the river and that's such an exciting concept. The pure originality of this story is evident from page one all the way to the end. It's like a grown up fairytale but with more detail and mature themes. The setting was so perfectly formed that I lost myself in this strange place. I felt that I was walking to the Swan with Rita, floating on Daunt's photography boat, grieving with Helena, healing with the Armstrongs and working hard alongside Lily. [a:Diane Setterfield|22665|Diane Setterfield|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1533836832p2/22665.jpg] captured the essence and personality of each character to such a degree that it felt as if each character had their own book.



There is a subtle darkness to each chapter. Underlining the initial hopefulness and astonishment is fear. In this fairytale, not everything is happy all the time. The numerous conflicts held my attention throughout the 500 odd pages. The plot continues to deepen, but it refrains from confusing the reader. I never felt lost or overwhelmed by so many characters and plot twists. Somehow it was easy to understand what was happening and remember the individual stories of each person.



The only aspect that confused and bothered me was the dragon subplot. It was mentioned only a few times but was never explored. It was mentioned but you can't just mention dragons are living nearby and then not explain it! It was inferred that these supposed dragons would play an important role in the ending but that didn't happen. Speaking of the ending, I love how all the mystery and magic was wrapped up. In a sense, the little girl was never real. The only remaining question once all the children were located was: why did this mystical child spend so long in the real world and how did she get there in the first place???

Favorite Quotes:

“There must be more to stories than you think.”

“A curtain was drawn back in every man's inner theater and their storytelling minds got to work.”

“On a summer day winter always seems like something you have dreamt or heard spoken of and not a thing you have lived.” 

"They celebrate love as though it's power, even though it has killed far more humans than I ever have."

--



This year is all about reading the best fairytale retellings. "To Kill A Kingdom" is a fresh take on the classic [b:The Little Mermaid|132391|The Little Mermaid|Hans Christian Andersen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1309204955l/132391._SX50_.jpg|245197] story. It leans towards its [a:Hans Christian Andersen|6378|Hans Christian Andersen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1434625240p2/6378.jpg] origins instead of the Disney movie. However, [a:Alexandra Christo|14684499|Alexandra Christo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1520622199p2/14684499.jpg] puts her own spin on this classic tale (oh my that was a horrible pun)! While I like the character of Ariel, Lira was even more of a dynamic protagonist. She shares nothing in common with Ariel, even acting as a siren instead of a mermaid. Going off that, I love how this book explained the difference between mermaids, sirens and mermen. This helped to make sense of the ocean hierarchy.

I imagine that Lira is Ariel if Ariel ever became evil. Unlike Ariel, Lira is self-serving, cold-hearted, unafraid to use violence and fiercely independent. What I like about Lira is that, similar to Ariel, she has her faults. Where Ariel is dependent upon other people for her happiness, Lira refuses help all the time. While Lira triumphs ultimately, she does faces several obstacles due to her stubborn nature. Since Ariel is too trusting and naïve, she struggles to adapt to life as a human. Yet her pure heart and good intentions eventually win the day. Lira's evil nature makes it difficult for her to succeed in her mission, but her ferocity is what makes her key in the later battle. Christo weaves in so much symmetry from the original Andersen story. Where his little mermaid wanted to take her prince's heart for love, Lira wanted to literally take it from him. Both the little mermaid and Lira are unable to find love, but like her mermaid counterpart, Lira ends up giving her heart willingly to her prince.



However, one thing I can't understand is how people ship Elian and Lira so much. They are a cute couple but there's no passion or strong love there. There is a lot of affection, I give it that, but I didn't sense true love. I don't know, they are just not as strong a couple as Feyre and Rhys or Blue and Gansey for example. No doubt I enjoyed this book, but I enjoyed the platonic relationships much more.

As for the ending, oh my gosh, the Sea Queen went full Ursula! I wonder if Christo meant to portray Lira's mother as Ursula all along. The connection is easily seen. It's a great take on what would've happened if Ursula was Ariel's mother and tried to corrupt her. The Sea Queen was such an intriguing and mysterious character, so I'm glad she was featured frequently in the book. The final battle between Lira, Elian, and the Sea Queen mirrored the final fight in "The Little Mermaid" movie. I noticed one moment vividly. When Lira tells Elian to run, to leave her, it's similar to the moment when Ariel tells Eric to leave or else he will be killed. Then both Eric and Elian refuse to leave their love behind and they honorably stay put to do battle. The symmetry in "To Kill a Kingdom" was perfect!







Favorite Quotes:

“Some people burn so brightly, it's impossible to put the flames out.”

"I suppose I'll have to watch my back, then."
"No need," I tell her. "I can see it perfectly.”

“It's like holding a story rather than a person; she feels wild and infinite in my arms.”