A Gathering of Shadows

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

This is the sequel to A Darker Shade of Magic, which I reviewed HERE and is book 2 of a trilogy. If you don't want book 1 spoiled, I suggest NOT reading this review.

It's been a fun kind of experience to read a completed trilogy. It's kind of great. I'm not giving up on series that just started that isn't complete, but I'm having a great time. That is all.

An amazon summary, "Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London.

In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games-an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries-a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again-and so to keep magic's balance, another London must fall...in V.E. Schwab's A Gathering of Shadows." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

It's been a bit since the end of A Darker Shade of Magic. Kell is in the kingdom, watching over Rhy and practicing a lot of combat magic to do so; he never wants to be caught off guard again. Rhy is trying to figure out what his life means now, now that his life is tied to Kell's. Lila has been a board the Night Spire under Captain Alucard. Lila has been learning the language, learning how to be a proper pirate, and learning a bit of magic.

Red London is preparing for the Essen Tasch, which is a competition amongst the top magicians in the three kingdoms to see who is the best. There are 36 contestants, and amongst the contestants are Kell and Lila (undercover and albeit a bit illegitimately), and Alucard (very legitimately) are entered.

A big part of the book is developing each character's current life leading up to the tournament (Essen Tasch). 

But, there are other narrators in this book. We see a glimpse of Grey London, but we all see glimpses of White London. It turns out that Holland is still alive. When Kell "killed" him in the last book, it turns out that Holland was pushed into Black London, where he met the only thing that remains of Black London. That specter inhabits Holland's body, and they return to White London and begin to restore White London... but the specter has it's sights set on Red London.

Dun dun dunnnn

That's enough summary.

I loved like the first third of the book, kind of got bored in the middle third since it seemed to just be more building blocks to the story rather than any action, but the last third was when it got more interesting again. I feel like a lot of the story concentrated so much on understanding the world, on understanding what was important to each of the different characters, that it was kind of underwhelming for the most part. There wasn't anything crazy action filled until the end bit, and even then it was kind of... lackluster? But the important bits resonated with enough gravitas that it was very good to read until the end.

I think Alucard is my new favorite character by leaps and bounds. Lila will always have a special place, but Alucard is so fascinating and cheeky, sarcastic, witty, and just like I LOVE IT. So good. I also love Alucard's dynamics with everyone, especially with Lila, but his love, and even his ongoing aggressive relationship with Kell is fascinating. So Alucard was a knockout, wonderful addition to the cast of characters.

The dynamic between Kell and Rhy becomes more sharply in focus, and the brothers really start to get more interesting. I'm eager to read book three, especially with the dizzying way things ended.

Happy reading!

Six Feet

Today's news title is brought to you by Patent Pending, SIX FEET, which I've been jamming out to a lot on my Spotify playlists. [implied dance motions]

Anywho. So, I have been trying a few things out this past year for blogging. I was rushing towards the end of the month for a bit to make sure I published the blog post within the same month that I finished the book, so it led to a sudden onslaught of book blog posts being published at the end of the month. ...then I would just kind of not do anything for a while, and then repeat the same process. Which was obnoxious, probably for you as well as me.

Then I started keeping track of what days I finished the books, and I would retroactively post to those days instead. I like this idea, since I mostly write this blog for myself (so I can keep track of everything I've read, like geez). But, I don't know if you, the readers, get any kind of notification if I schedule posts for the past. I don't know if you get notifications now when I actively post things instead of scheduling them. So, since I don't know, I'm just going to do what I want.

I had also toyed with the idea of using a Twitter account to post about new blog posts, but I don't really like the idea overall. Seems like a weird route to go to get news about when new blog posts are up. I also really like just saying what I want to about books in a relatively unstructured way, and leaving the comments section open if anyone has comments about my posts. I don't want commentary on blog posts to wander into Twitter. Seems messy. Maybe I'm just overthinking. I also don't want the temptation of tweeting at an author that I yelled about their book on the internet.

I've also been told I should just start a youtube channel since I'm a good storyteller.... but I don't want to. I like talking about books in this format. Plus, I suspect it's a much less time consuming method than a youtube channel (video editing, obsessing that every second lands how I want to, etc... where here I don't even spellcheck my posts. I'm just like WHOOOOOOOOOO all over my keyboard until I feel done, and then I hit publish).

So, in summary, I'm still kind of playing around with it. I also find myself with a stack of three books to blog about as I'm about to start the fourth... and that's when I sit down and blog about books.

I know I mentioned once before somewhere about back blogging some books that I read while I wasn't actively blog posting, and that's still a desire of mine. I think at this point I would like to reread books to post about them rather than just wing it from memory. Or designate somehow that I was just winging it from memory with very minimal notes on my end (because I kept a list of sorts. Several, which I still find sometimes). That would be kind of fun.

.....yeah, so here's a new year update of some variety.

Happy reading?

A Darker Shade of Magic

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

This is book 1 of a fully published trilogy. I'm kind of excited about the prospect of reading a trilogy for the first time, back to back. So spoiler alert, the next two blog posts will probably be the sequels to theses books.Unless they suddenly suck. Then we'll see what happens. They came highly recommended by a trust book confidant, so I have high hopes they all pan out.

Anyways. An amazon summary, "Kell is one of the last Antari―magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes―Red London―and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

There are four Londons that seem to exist on different planes; Grey, Red, White, and Black. Each of these Londons have different levels of magic. Black London was sealed off from the other Londons to prevent their magic from consuming the other Londons. White London stands between Black London and Red London, and is filled with vicious magic of sorts. You must possess a certain ruthlessness to survive White London. Red London has friendlier magic; Red London stands between White London and Grey London. Grey London has relatively no magic, but just a hint here or there.

Kell, an Antari who is one of two Antaris that can still travel between the parallel Londons, serves as a messenger to the royals and as a smuggler for himself. Kell travels between the different Londons by using his Antari blood magic. 

Delilah, or Lila, is a thief who is struggling to survive life. She dreams of adventures, she dreams of owning a ship and becoming a proper pirate. But for now, she settles for thieving until she can get herself a proper boat, a proper hat, and some proper boots.

While he's delivering messages, he comes across someone with another letter for a different London who is not royalty. They ask him to please take their letter with him and gives him payment as well in advance. Kell takes the letter and payment to the agreed upon location only to realize it's a trap. He leaps to grey London, and runs into Lila.... who is happy to relieve him of his payment. Only now they're after Lila instead. Kell and Lila are now in this together, because Kell knows he needs to deliver the payment to Black London, but Lila doesn't want to let go of this taste of magic and adventure, so she insists on accompanying Kell.

That's enough summary.

I know I only talked about Kell and Lila, but there's really three narrators to this story. There's a third narrator that kind of follows the people around who are after Kell and Lila. The storytelling was very rich and well woven; I wasn't bored for a moment when I was reading it. There's also a hint that Lila is more than she appears to be, and a curiosity if Kell is not from Red London.

I also thought the different Londons were going to be confusing when I first read the book summary, but in practice, it was really easy to keep track of the different Londons since all of their settings and tones were so different. Plus, there was even different behaviors of the people because of the differences in magic. It was really easy to keep track of where they were and when throughout the story.

There's also so much more to be done or explored with our two main characters, and there's a lot of unanswered questions that I think the answers will come in the next books. Like what's reallllllllly going on with Black London. dun dun dun dunnnn

Happy reading!

Best Books of 2019

It's the last day of 2019, we made it! The new decade is upon us. WHOA. ...and also kind of eh. Really, you can reflect on the last ten years at any point to recount a decade, but okay cool.

Anyways.

Below is a list of my top ten favorite books from 2019. They're not in any particular order, and they will only be ones that I read/reviewed in 2019. So even if they were published in a different year, but I read it this year, it counts. :D I'm also only numbering them to make sure I stop myself at ten... because I like books. BOOK LIFE!

Rather than recap the entire book summary, I'm going to include the book title, author, location for my book review, and why it made the list.

Pardon any formatting weirdness. Posts with multiple images tend to get cranky for no apparent reason. Kind of like a Word document. Writer struggles, very real.


 1. Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

For me, there's a lot that still resonates about this story for me. I loved reading about a different culture in what feels like such an authentic voice. I loved reading about their friendship, of the unyielding acceptance of who Darius is, Sohrab's willingness to teach Darius about Iran, and Darius himself who has such an honest way of understanding what he doesn't know. How he understands how other people view the depression that he and his Dad experience, but what it means to them, and how they cope with it. It was such a great blend of culture introduction and also mental health awareness. This is a magnificent tale.




2. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

World Building. So much of the world was centered around magic, books (grimoires), libraries, and well, power struggles, politics, friendships, doing what is right, and I guess kind of love? I mean, the book packs a lot into it in such a seamless way that I've probably read this book... half a dozen times? It's become one of my refresher books, a book to read all of or parts of to kind of wash out a bad book experience. I loved Elisabeth as a main character, she was fierce, courageous, and looking to solve problems. Nathaniel was also pretty okay too, he had some great character development aspects, but c'mon, Elisabeth was GREAT. I also really love the tone of this book. I simultaneously do and don't hope there's a sequel. The book ended well, but I would love to read more of the story. BOOK STRUGGLES.


 3. Small Town Hearts by Lillie Vale

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

Because I have something to say about a really good beach book. A good beach book is something that is mostly light hearted, with minimal dramatics, has a touch of soul throughout, and leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy, whiles also restoring some faith in humanity. I think this book really knocked it out of the park, and while I did struggle with some of the more unrealistic elements of the book, I loved the overall setting, the characters, and the sense of community. It makes me want to visit Maine, again (I've been to the Bar Harbor area a couple times). I also really appreciated the romance that built between Levi and Babe since they weren't just pursuing a fling, a crush, or a one night stand, they were both looking for something more and found it. The book gave it the time and tenderness that deserves.



 4. Slay by Brittney Morris

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

UGH, BE STILL MY HEART, I LOVE THIS BOOK SO MUCH. This is a book that I just want to carry around, huddled to my chest, and blather on about how people should just sit down and read it. Probably the number one book I've recommended to people since I've read it (well, depending on what they're interested in reading of course, but if it's anything I can remotely relate to Slay, oh you better believe I'm going to talk about it). The combination of black culture/history/experiences, paired with video games in a high school setting, makes it a much more digestible read even though it's hard. It's hard to know that white people are... well kind of dumb even when they mean well. This was a real eye opening experience as to what people experience on a daily basis, and I can only imagine to a worse degree. Heart breaking, but a necessary story to read.



 6. Fire & Heist by Sarah Beth Durst

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

Partly because I feel like I don't give enough credit or praise when I come across a legitimately GOOD dragon book. A dragon book that takes all the lore of dragons, looks at it in a different manner, and explains it in a way that doesn't assume the reader just knows everything there is to know because you know, it's about dragons and everyone knows about dragons. I mean, I do unabashedly love it for many reasons, but one of the main things that sticks with me, is how it's a coming of age story that unfolds with such grace and kind of humility. Taking a very factual stance on Sky's predicament while also catering to the magical aspects of it, the home world, and just kind of how much dragons have had to overcome to exist with the humans. It was just a very good, and well rounded story. Here's hoping for a book 2!



 7. The Gilded Wolves by Roshani Chokshi

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

Somehow, they had a cast of five narrators telling the story from very unique perspectives while managing to not lose any critical parts of the story. Making sure the reader is included every step of the way, but also leaving an air of mystery about enough elements that it never grows dull by any length of the imagination. It kind of felt like a magical heist book but with better characters, action scenes, and world building than I've ever encountered before. The story did start at kind of a low simmer, but it weaved such an intricate story that I couldn't put the book down for a moment. Also one I've reread a couple times. I also have it sitting prominently on my bookshelf as it makes me smile a lot. I'm really hoping it becomes a series.




8. Song of the Abyss by Makiia Lucier

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

I know I'm probably sounding like a broken record at this point, but the world building. It is a second book of sorts, maybe more of a companion novel to another book, but I think you could easily pick up this book without having to have read the first one. That being said, the first one is also a superb book, but I liked this one better since it dealt more with the mechanisms of Cartography and how the Cartographers career works within this world. There was also a greater introduction of more magical elements and creatures that exist within the world. The main character, Reyna, was also a shining example of overcoming barriers to accomplish dreams while possessing a great sense of self, determination, cleverness, and strength. What a knockout of a book.



 9. Small Spaces by Katherine Arden

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

I mean, I don't read scary stories usually, but this scary story was compelling enough to make it onto my best books of the year list. I think that says enough in itself. But really the thing that lingers with me most about this book is the imagery. Not the world building per say, but just the small moments of the scare crows reaching under the trees to try to get the kids, or when they're hiding in the house and they have to escape. The way the book was written almost had a mesmerizing lyrical value to it at times, and that was what stuck with me the most. I could still very easily give a book talk on this without having to review the inside flap, it stuck with me much that; almost a year after reading it. I also admire how the book seemed to take something normal and harmless... but turn it creepy. Like shivers down the spine not murder-y creepy. Like scarecrows, corn fields, and school trips to the local farm.




10. The Queen's Rising by Rebecca Ross

My book review is HERE.

Why did this book make the list?

You may have noticed at this point that most of the books I've picked out have amazing world building, strong female characters, and a plot I adore. This is the first book in hopefully a series, but I read the second book and loved it, and I'm looking forward to book three. I also struggle with books set in a more medieval, alternate earth setting due to the internal confusion of what social norms were carried over. However, due to the clear language, presentation, character development, and emotional investment this book garners that I just want to read book 3. I did get a bit spooked when book 2 split into two narrators, but it turned okay, so I'm okay with it, but still retain a healthy amount of skepticism for other books' shenanigans.



Honorable mentions: THE TOLL and THE QUEEN OF NOTHING. They didn't make this list because they're book three in a series and it just feels weird to me to call out a book three. I loved them both dearly, but, if you weren't invested in book 1 and 2, it's kind of too late for book three then.

Happy reading! I hope more wonderful books cross your path and mine this coming year.

Look Both Ways

Look Both Ways by Jason Reynolds

Still love Jason Reynolds. This book takes ten kids lives and gave their stories a place to exist, while also showing how they're involved with each other's lives. What kind of impact they have.

An amazon summary, "This story was going to begin like all the best stories. With a school bus falling from the sky. But no one saw it happen. They were all too busy—

Talking about boogers.Stealing pocket change.Skateboarding.Wiping out.Braving up.Executing complicated handshakes.Planning an escape.Making jokes.Lotioning up.Finding comfort.But mostly, too busy walking home.
Jason Reynolds conjures ten tales (one per block) about what happens after the dismissal bell rings, and brilliantly weaves them into one wickedly funny, piercingly poignant look at the detours we face on the walk home, and in life." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

I'm actually going to take a note from the amazon summary and give kind of a generic summary since this is really a group of short, interconnected stories. I would argue that one of the main points of the book is, that you never really know what someone else is going through unless you kind of walk a day in their shoes. I think it also makes great points about you never know how you impact someone else, you never know how your story fits with their story.

I also like how unique each story is, and how sometimes it's not just about one kid (like stealing pocket change). I also think it kind of starts out soft, a kid with a more easily understood story, before it leads to things that are a little harder to understand, things that are a little harder to talk about. I also liked the recurring theme about school buses, it kind of helped tie each story that much closer together.

These were great, great stories.

Happy reading!