This was a book my soul needed. I was in such a slump on not really caring about the characters in the books I was reading. Then this one came along, and even though I finished it a couple of weeks ago, the characters and their situations are still in my mind. It was lovely. You'll learn a little and heal a little along their journey.

These are the poems my soul needed after our last election cycle and after our recent and reoccurring American tragedies. I get so tired of all the hate and vitriol. I need reminding that I am a light and a warrior and have power to bring good into this world no matter what others may bring into it. I really appreciated reading the beauty of Kai's personal life juxtaposed with the tragedies we experienced in the last half of this decade. It reminded me of how we stay grounded in what tears us to shreds. There is still light and love and blue and beauty here.

I went into this not knowing what it was. It was neat, especially with the audiobook. I liked it, but I won't be revisiting it.

I'm always intrigued by familial relationships. Families are truly some of strangest things. This one is no different.

At 14, the author's mother awoke her one night to life changing news. Malabar wanted her teenage daughter's help in covering up her burgeoning affair with her disabled husband's best friend. Eager to gain her mother's friendship and confidence, Adrienne agreed, not realizing the life long repercussions this would have for her and for her relationship with her mother.

Malabar loved her daughter as much as she could love anyone who wasn't herself. But that didn't stop her from being manipulative, sometimes cruel, and almost always unfair.

What would make a mother put herself above her children? How does a daughter break away from an abusive parent when she loves them dearly?

What shapes us into who we are? Do we have the power to create ourselves or are we made my circumstance?

Although the experience itself is not terribly tragic or shocking, it's the every day wear and tear of toxic relationships with others and with ourselves that wear on our souls. Many readers will be able to relate to both Adrienne and Malabar and will find it worth asking themselves the tough questions this novel poses.

Okay, so my first thought on this is that I'm using the Goodreads rating system of 1/5 stars means "I did not like it." I feel horrible about rating any book one star, but that's the description that fits me for this book. It was not horrible. I just... didn't like it. At all.

I had no idea until I was about 90% of the way through this book that it is a companion (not exactly a sequel) to the Rise of the Empress series which I have not read. It is meant to stand on its own, but there is so little world building that this book should be read after the other books by this author. I might have liked it more that way, as I probably would have understood more about the politics of this society and the illness that has befallen its people.

Because this book relies so much on others, it feels very shallow. The story plays out exactly like I expected it to after finishing the second chapter. There are no twists and, despite the witch's warning, no sense of urgency in the plot. I didn't feel that anything was really at risk for the main characters. I actually felt more for the "side couple" in this story than I ever felt for the main characters.

Lan is also an unlikable main character. I feel like the author forced her to change to fit the plot, not that she ever genuinely grew up or became any less selfish. This meant I didn't feel the romance at all between Lan and Bao. It felt like they fell in love with preconceived ideas of one another, not the person actually in front of them. I don't see their romance lasting long term.

Overall, the writing is not horrible. Younger YA readers who are suckers for romance but want something that isn't the same old contemporary Kasie West novel churned out again and again with a different title might like this book.

Rarely am I treated a book with such excellent prose and plot. Lately it seems like I can have one but not the other. This book has both in spades.

If you've watched The Witcher on Netflix and struggled with the timelines and the mystery box style storytelling, this book will help set you straight. Though many of these short stories are lifted directly off the page, dialogue and all, and translated onto the screen in the Netflix series, they still feel fresh to read and they fit together in a way that beautifully illustrates Geralt's character.

The Last Wish is one of two short story collections before the first full novel in The Witcher series and is an absolute must for fans of the new Netflix series and for those who simply want a good character driven fantasy with exceptional world building.

So much of what I've read in this genre is based, in one way or another, in Tolkien's world building style and mythos. So many fantasies wind up feeling like they could fit into Middle Earth, and although that's wonderful and I'll read them all, this is something different. This is something all its own. Treat yourself to something new and exotic.

If you're weary of translations, let me assure you that there is no need to worry about this one. The vocabulary and descriptions are as rich in English as they undoubtedly are in the author's original Polish. Geralt and Dandelion's humor and wit translate perfectly. These two will have you grasping your side in stitches in between glorious battle scenes and sometimes during.

After watching this series already once and half way through again, I may have a new obsession. I don't regret it at all. Now, on to the next book because I simply can't stand waiting a moment longer.

Pick this one up. You'll be glad you did.

What a fun ride! It was great to return to Bayview for a few hours. You'll see all your old favorites from One of Us is Lying and fall in love with these new characters along the way. Maeve is especially profound as a character. Throughout the mystery of the book she also struggles with her past illnesses, her avoidance of her own mortality, her changing family dynamics, and her independence. She shines in this story. I want fifteen books about Maeve now and what she does and how she thinks through the challenges of the rest of her life. Knox is also a cinnamon roll and I adore him.

Karen M. McManus is one of the best YA authors when it comes to mysteries! If you're the type of mystery reader that knows how the book will end after the first two chapters, you'll find this book refreshing. There are multiple twists, and I know some are SURE to surprise readers. McManus is definitely an automatic buy for me and I’m already excited about what she will dream up next.

For teachers and parents, there are some mentions of sexuality, but no actual encounters mentioned in this book. There are a few occasional curse words that were carefully chosen to be included. Teens use this language, and with some of the events of the story, it would make the most sense to throw in a word here or there. I would say this is easily appropriate for junior high and above.

Sword of Destiny, by Andrzej Sapkowski is a second collection of short stories following on the heels of [b:The Last Wish|40603587|The Last Wish (The Witcher, #0.5)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1529591917l/40603587._SX50_.jpg|2293675]. It provides necessary set up for the characters and plot of [b:Blood of Elves|6043781|Blood of Elves (Witcher, #1)|Andrzej Sapkowski|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1443278828l/6043781._SY75_.jpg|1877722]. These stories will add considerably to your experience of the next books, or the games, or the Netflix series. If you're a fan of the series, you will recognize several encounters from this book, although some were adapted differently for the main screen.

Of the short stories in this book, for fans of the Netflix series, "Eternal Flame" and "Something More" will stand out most. Even though these stories may be familiar for series fans, they are worth reading, as we see more of Yennefer and Visenna - which in turn shows us more about our beloved White Wolf.

The world of the Witcher is both wide and deep. There are no good or evil people. There are simply people trying to get by and do the best they know how, which makes everyone extremely relatable. Sapkowski builds characters worthy of our extreme empathy, and as a reader, you'll become attached to them all immediately. I'm used to only caring deeply about the main characters in a story, so it is refreshing to enter a world where everyone is worthy of compassion. It's also nice to a see a fantasy where mistakes have consequences and the hero is not always ensured his survival just because he's a hero. Bad things happen to good people and those left behind still find hope and rebuild.

Currently I'm exploring the question, "What does it mean to be human in the face of great evil, suffering, and personal tragedy?". This book has much to teach us about what it means to be human. The answer is not always pretty, and not always good - but always leaves room for hope.

**For teachers and concerned parents, this book does have more sexual content than the first. I still wouldn't call it explicit. Nipples and breasts are described in detail, as they are in many fantasies, along with the build up to such encounters as would expose them. But people are not reduced to sexual objects and nothing too technical is detailed. For a mature high school reader, this should not be a problem. I won't be placing it for anyone to pick up in my 7th/8th grade library, but if I had students in the 9th grade and above, I wouldn't worry too much about it.**

Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibañez follows the story of Ximena, the decoy Contessa of Illustria, and the stand-in for the last member of the royal family. Ximena, like all Illustrians, has her own brand of special magic. She can weave moonlight into her tapestries. This not only creates beautiful designs capable of carrying secret messages, but also creates moon dust which can put her enemies (or even her friends) into an instant sleep. Like her magic, Ximena can be used for good or for evil. Sometimes it's up to her to make that choice. Sometimes it's not.

When the usurper king Atoc demands the Contessa's hand in marriage in order to spare captured Illustrian soldiers, it is Ximena who is sent in her friend's place. Immediately she is plunged into a world of intrigue and danger unlike she has ever known, and she's known plenty of danger in her life. But the court isn't entirely full of terrible tyrants. There are good people too. And perhaps her beloved Illustrians are not as innocent in the political turmoil as Ximena would like to believe. Maybe there's a peaceful solution out there to save her people and prevent further bloodshed. It's up to Ximena to find it.

Firstly, I LOVED the world building in this story. It took me a few chapters to get into the story, and I actually put it down for a week at around the 20% mark. I felt the story was a bit repetitive and I simply wasn't as excited about it as I was the Witcher books (which are a completely different genre and I am in no way comparing these stories). I am glad I picked this one up again.

The author was heavily inspired by the current political climate in Bolivia while working on this story. I admit that I now have a lot of research to do regarding that "corner" of the world. I love it when a fictional story makes me want to learn more about the real world around me. I think it'll leave you feeling the same way.

**For teachers and students, this book is about as clean as you'll find in the YA genre in terms of language and sexual content. There is some violence, but it is not shown without great personal cost and is never dehumanized. I appreciated that. So many books, shows, and movies are all about stabbing the bad guy, and this book does not feel that way at all. It shows a human cost to violence and a mental one as well. I feel perfectly at ease about putting this book in my junior high classroom library.**

Chronologically speaking, Blood of Elves is the third book in the Witcher series. It is, however, the first full length novel and is mostly linear. Those that had trouble with the skipping timelines of the short story collections will appreciate the more conventional timing of this novel.

In this novel, we expand into multiple character points of view. This happens within chapters and the characters are not named before we get their perspective. Although this was a little jarring at first, it was something I quickly got used to and I found it didn't bother me. Each point of view added to what I understood of the world and knew of each character. Sadly, though, we only see one full chapter told from Geralt's perspective, so soak that up while you can. This has led some to believe that the Geralt of Blood of Elves is a strict departure from the earlier books. I wouldn't agree with that perspective completely; we simply see Geralt in very different situations. We get more of his concerns and less of slaughtering monsters and his dry wit. I hope to see more for his perspective in the next book.

This book is divided into seven very large chapters. Most I found quite interesting. There where, however, a couple of chapters (I believe two and six) where the storytelling relied almost solely on dialogue for several pages and this got very old very quickly. In the first instance of this, villagers argue over Dandelion's ballad and what happened to Ciri. It's important to the story and could be more interesting, but we as the reader already know the truth and don't really care for the incorrect suppositions of the nameless crowd. This happens again with a conclave of rulers and again with a council of magicians. The author seems to have expounded on his weakness for relying on huge dialogues to "tell" the story and move the plot along. It's difficult to resist temptation to skim these parts.

Overall, not much happens in this book as far as action is concerned. This is more of an extended prologue. But only in the instances of excessive dialogue between previously unknown characters did it ever feel boring. Instead of monsters and action of the previous stories, this one gives us more on the characters. Ciri comes into her own in this book and Yennefer becomes much more likable as a character. Triss is explored much more deeply and contains an element of mystery. Dandelion becomes multidimensional. Geralt, although he takes a considerable back seat, remains the glue for all of these characters.

On a final note, it's nice to see more Witchers, even if only briefly. I could read an entire series about Coen. A witcher who laughs openly, plays games of slap-hands with his friend's little girl, and has no issues about teaching a girl some amazing sword techniques? Yes, please!