Two Dark Reigns

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake

This is the third book in the series. I previously reviewed book one, THREE DARK CROWNS, the second book, ONE DARK THRONE, and the bonus side stories, QUEENS OF FENNBIRN.

So if you haven't read the first two books, the bonus side stories are pretty optional (interesting, but optional), I would recommend skipping this review.

...then if you have read these books, I foolishly got excited that this was the final book in the series, but it's not. So there will be another book. I'm just excited for the conclusion. I know, in my last review of One Dark Throne, I mentioned there was going to probably be two more books in the series...but sometimes I just get excited.

Anyways, an amazon summary, "Queen Katharine has waited her entire life to wear the crown. But now that she finally has it, the murmurs of dissent grow louder by the day. There’s also the alarming issue of whether or not her sisters are actually dead—or if they’re waiting in the wings to usurp the throne.

Mirabella and Arsinoe are alive, but in hiding on the minland and dealing with a nightmare of their own: being visited repeatedly by a specter they think might be the fabled Blue Queen. Though she says nothing, her rotting, bony finger pointing out to sea is clear enough: return to Fennbirn.  

Jules, too, is in a strange place—in disguise. And her only confidants, a war-gifted girl named Emilia and her oracle friend Mathilde, are urging her to take on a role she can’t imagine filling: a legion-cursed queen who will lead a rebel army to Katharine’s doorstep.

This is an uprising that the mysterious Blue Queen may have more to do with than anyone could have guessed—or expected." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

So, a super quick recap of the end of One Dark Throne, Katherine has been crowned queen (by permanently having a black crown tattooed into her forehead), Mirabella and Arsinoe have fled to the main land with Billy, Joseph is dead, and Jules is hiding out on the island after it's discovered she is legion-cursed.

Sidenote: I still have personal suspicions that since Mirabella and Arsinoe are still alive after all the times they should have been dead, it seems like the island has more planned for them... or all three are going to rule. Maybeeee this is why I want the books concluded so bad, JUST CONFIRM OR DENY MY SUSPICIONS. Also, this is a sign of good story telling.

Anyways.

So book 3 begins with a scene from the past when four queens were born to a war-gifted queen. The first three triplets were disposed of in correspondence to their gift, but the fourth queen is the blue queen, the chosen one to rule. For the record, the first three queen borns were Leonine (naturalist), Isadora (oracle), and Roxane (elemental). The fourth queen is Illiann (elemental). I want to spell this out now, because I feel like this will be one of those weird things that will come back into play later on in the series in very specific ways because they're giving us these very specific facts about an old event. (Reader senses.)

...anyways.

Mirabella and Arsinoe are on the mainland, and they're trying to adapt with being off the island, without their gift, with no longer really being queens. Billy is there to help, but Arsinoe sees the shadow of the Blue Queen while she's visiting Joseph's grave. Soon, she starts having dreams about the Blue Queen. dun dun dunnnnn

Meanwhile, Queen Katherine has changed out three of her council members, and is starting her rule on the island. She sends out people to search for the bodies of Mirabella and Arsinoe (as the queens are not allowed to the leave the island because magic), but the people sent out to search...show up in the mist and they're all dead. Some of the bodies are torn apart, others look like they've been dead for weeks rather than a day or so. The mystery of the mist begins, just as Jules is learning more about her war gift.

Jules has been taken in by Emilia, who is hiding her but also training her in her war gift. Emilia believes Jules is the true Queen of the island as her naturalist gift and war gift are on the same levels of the queens. Jules is reluctant at first, but once Emilia exposes her to a group of people in a bar and they start to show hope that Jules can stop the poisoner's rule. They also are hopeful she can get the Undead queen off the throne (Undead queen is Katherine's nickname).

That's enough summary.

I liked this book the best out of all the books so far. It gave me everything I had been looking for in the past books, and I also felt it was much more grounded into the era it's supposed to take place in. I thought a lot of the character development was on point, the islanders were better represented, and the story seemed to shift focus into more about how the island was affected or evolving by the queens antics/power struggles.

...I'm on board for another book, I just hope there's a sense of a complete revolution as all of these different story threads conclude.

Happy reading!

Girls Made of Snow and Glass

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

This book was published on September 5, 2017. I read an advance reading copy, so there will undoubtedly be some differences between the version I read and the published edition.

To be honest, I read this book at the same time as another reading friend I have. If they hadn't also been committed to finishing the book, I probably would have given up on this book.

That being said, here's the amazon summary without all the reviews in the beginning, "Sixteen-year-old Mina is motherless, her magician father is vicious, and her silent heart has never beat with love for anyone―has never beat at all, in fact, but she’d always thought that fact normal. She never guessed that her father cut out her heart and replaced it with one of glass. When she moves to Whitespring Castle and sees its king for the first time, Mina forms a plan: win the king’s heart with her beauty, become queen, and finally know love. The only catch is that she’ll have to become a stepmother.

Fifteen-year-old Lynet looks just like her late mother, and one day she discovers why: a magician created her out of snow in the dead queen’s image, at her father’s order. But despite being the dead queen made flesh, Lynet would rather be like her fierce and regal stepmother, Mina. She gets her wish when her father makes Lynet queen of the southern territories, displacing Mina. Now Mina is starting to look at Lynet with something like hatred, and Lynet must decide what to do―and who to be―to win back the only mother she’s ever known…or else defeat her once and for all.

Entwining the stories of both Lynet and Mina in the past and present, Girls Made of Snow and Glass traces the relationship of two young women doomed to be rivals from the start. Only one can win all, while the other must lose everything―unless both can find a way to reshape themselves and their story." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

First things first, there is past/present storylines in this book. You see present day Mina, and also sixteen year old Mina. From the description, I thought Mina was going to be the sixteen year old stepmother of fifteen year old Lynet. That's not the case. 

Second things...second, I just don't like how many intricacies of the plot is revealed in the description, while they gloss over mentioning important character. Like the surgeon, or the huntsman... anyways.

Mina has been ostracized by the villagers in the southern part of the kingdom for being the magician's daughter. The villagers don't really like the magician, but they tolerate his presence because he can help them with what ails them. Word of his abilities has reached the king in the northern part of the kingdom, so the magician is summoned to heal the queen. The magician doesn't manage to save the queen, but does manage to save her daughter, Lynet. Mina also fell very ill as a child, and her father managed to replace her heart with a glass heart. She has no heartbeat, and her father also told her without a real heart, no one could love her and she could not love them in return.

Lynet has grown up within the walls of Whitespring as a rather rambunctious child. She is frequently climbing trees, sides of the castle walls, and dodging every kind of class she's been forced to take. A new surgeon, Nadia, comes to Whitespring and out of curiosity, Lynet begins to follow Nadia around. They meet, and after a few times, Nadia reveals that Lynet was crafted out of snow by the magician by the king's orders. Lynet is supposed to look exactly as her mother did. The king (Lynet's father) is very protective of Lynet, and often tries to persuade her that she will become more like her mother with time... but Lynet has her doubts and doesn't really want to be like her mother.

That's enough summary.

Why did I almost give up on this book? There was a lot, a lot, of just EMOTIONS running rampant in this book. I usually like that, but there were times I felt as if I could skip an entire page or two and I wouldn't have really missed out on anything besides the characters' internal turmoil. That was pretty much my number one reason. I also thought Lynet came across as anywhere between 8 and 19 depending on what part of the story was happening. Not in the time leaping sense, but just in the present day sense. There were times in the story where Lynet was legit young (3-4?) but those were the past passages.

There were also aspects of the story that felt like they were inspired by Snow White, and also The Snow Queen. I wouldn't say this was a retelling of either story, but I think there was definitely some inspiration drawn from those stories.

I also disliked how the magic was presented to function. SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER, but Lynet is able to control the snow, Mina can control glass, but neither of them are required to shed any sort of blood like the magician is to manipulate their elements. Likeeeeeeeeee, what? I think there could have been some passage, some quip somewhere about why blood is required sometimes but not other times. It's entirely possible I missed that passage.

Spoilers over.

I thought the King was a pretty one note character, and kind of Mina's father as well.

In the version I read, there's a map of the whitespring castle, but there's not a map of the kingdom. I just thought that was kind of funny. Like I, the reader would need help understanding where the north and west towers are in relation to each other, but not the north or the south kingdom. Or where the frost line might be.

...I don't know, I just wasn't that impressed. The ending was not particularly inspiring either.

Happy reading!

The Supervillain and Me

The Supervillain and Me by Danielle Banas

Full disclosure, I read a lot of comic books (well graphic novels, and even comic books I read the trade paperback form; so yeah). A lot of them are about superheroes but I dabble in other stories as long as they seem to promise a good plot/story.

That being said, I usually prefer reading about superhero stories in the comic book/graphic novel format. I tend to not pick up books about superheroes, since they're not really the format I prefer those stories. But you know, exceptions crop up. Like this one.

An amazon summary with some reviews ommitted at the end because this is forever long, "As witty as it is heartpounding, this fresh take on the beloved superhero genre is all about finding your own way to shine even when it seems everyone else around you is, well... super.

Never trust a guy in spandex.

In Abby Hamilton’s world, superheroes do more than just stop crime and save cats stuck in trees―they also drink milk straight from the carton and hog the television remote. Abby’s older brother moonlights as the famous Red Comet, but without powers of her own, following in his footsteps has never crossed her mind.

That is, until the city’s newest vigilante comes bursting into her life.

After saving Abby from an attempted mugging, Morriston’s fledgling supervillain Iron Phantom convinces her that he’s not as evil as everyone says, and that their city is under a vicious new threat. As Abby follows him deeper into their city’s darkest secrets, she comes to learn that heroes can’t always be trusted, and sometimes it’s the good guys who wear black.

Chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, The Supervillain and Me is a hilarious, sweet, and action-packed novel by debut author Danielle Banas that proves no one is perfect, not even superheroes." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

Abby's brother, Connor, is the Red Comet. The Red Comet is a very famous superhero in Morriston, where crime is on the rise despite Red Comet's best efforts. Red Comet also works with Fish Boy, and together they do what they can to keep the city safe.

One night, Abby is headed home, and she's almost mugged...except a guy with powers in black spandex shows up and saves her. He doesn't really have a name, but he makes sure she's okay.

A few days later...the same guy is on the news for setting fire to city hall. It turns out Abby's hero, may actually be a supervillain; something Morriston hasn't seen before. The news dubs him, the Iron Phantom.

Meanwhile, Abby is trying out for the lead in the school play. She's super passionate about theater, it's her senior year, so she wants a lead role. She also kind of wants to give her Dad and her brother something to see that's special about her. More, something to set her apart from her brother. So much of their lives revolve around Connor and his powers that Abby just wants a little slice of their family life for herself.

The Iron Phantom shows up in Abby's bedroom with a plea for help. She's the daughter of the mayor, so Iron Phantom is kind of hoping that she'll be able to do some sleuthing for him. ...but she's not sure if he's a hero or a villain.

That's enough summary.

So, I kind of loved the exploration of the gray area that heroes/villains function within. It also helps that there was a lot of Abby's normal life, a balance of her best friend at play, and tons of humor throughout. For a superhero plot, I thought it was a great balance of action, events, but also a hint of a mystery. If there were more books written like this about heroes, I would probably start reading the more.

I was a little hesitant about Abby's relationship with Iron Phantom because he saves her, but then shows up in her bedroom. I just find that a very odd way to begin any kind of...well anything. It felt very reminiscent of Twilight and Edward getting into Bella's bedroom.... so it kind of sketched me out at first. But then...Abby took some...precautions (like keeping a knife under her pillow) so I was pretty reassured that her sense of self preservation was intact.

I did appreciate how the story concluded as I could easily see this being a standalone novel, or the start of a series. I kind of super appreciated how the characters stories concluded, but I don't want to reveal any spoilers. So I'll leave it at that.

Happy reading!

The Good Demon

The Good Demon by Jimmy Cajoleas

This book contains topics of religion, demons, the occult, drug abuse, graphic violence, childhood trauma, and sexual themes. So, if any of that makes you uncomfortable, I would skip on this book.

That being said, I think a lot of those topics covered are done in a respectful manner and in relation to the events within the story. I will say that there was no deep dive into each of the topics, but I still think they used them well. The book definitely carries a very dark theme overall, but there are enough normal settings/situations in play that I don't think it's overwhelming.

An amazon summary to give you a better idea of what's in store, "It wasn’t technically an exorcism, what they did to Clare. When the reverend and his son ripped her demon from her, they called it a “deliverance.” But they didn’t understand that Clare and her demon—known simply as Her—were like sisters. She comforted Clare, made her feel brave, helped to ease her loneliness. They were each other’s Only.

Now, Clare’s only comforts are the three clues that She left behind:
Be nice to him
June 20
Remember the stories 

Clare will do anything to get Her back, even if it means teaming up with the reverend’s son and scouring every inch of her small, Southern town for answers. But if she sacrifices everything to bring back her demon, what will be left of Clare?" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

So the book literally begins about a month after Clare's demon, referred to as Her, has been exorcised from her body by the Reverend Sanders, and his son, Roy. She's crushingly lonely because her best friend has been taken away from her. Right away, we know that her stepfather, Larry, and her Mom get along but they don't have the best of relationships due to some substance use issues. Roy stops by to visit the house for no particular reason and kind of picks at Clare's latent interest.

Clare bikes down to Uncle Mike's Used and Collectible, which is essentially a very elaborate thrift shop, where she spots a book that used to be her Father's, and it was one of her favorites. She grabs it off the shelf and finds a note inside, distinctly in Her handwriting:
Be nice to him
June 20
Remember the stories

And Clare gets the book back from Uncle Mike (while shoplifting a couple other items), and sets off to figure out the clues Her left behind.

So that's enough summary because this book is pretty intricate, and as I mentioned before, covers a lot of different topics. I really like this book, it's very gothic, but it's also a really good take on a coming of age story.

I mean, for a book about getting a demon book, it feels very authentic to the small town setting, chaotic family dynamics, and also dealing with a pretty traumatic childhood event. The honest voice of Clare as she considers different aspects of her life, especially reminiscing about her Father, made her a very relate-able character as she strives to solve the clues left behind by Her, but also solve the clues of what previously happened in the town, also maybe involving Her.

It was such a good story. There were a few moments where I got the heebie-jeebies, or shivers, chills, whatever you want to call them, and that was more on the scenes of graphic violence. I would also say the graphic violence can be a little clinical/factual in description, so it is still bearable to read, just creepyyyyyyyy.

I still loved this book.

Happy reading!

The Creativity Project

The Creativity Project by Colby Sharp

I really like the concept of this book.

Essentially, Colby Sharp asked 40 artists to provide some kind of story prompt, whether it be photo, drawings, poems, prose, etc. Then Colby took all of those prompts, and sent two back to the 40 artists. They picked whichever one they liked best, and made a response to it.

An amazon summary, "Book advocate Colby Sharp presents more than forty beloved, award-winning, diverse and bestselling authors and illustrators in a creative challenge!

Colby Sharp invited more than forty authors and illustrators to provide story starters for each other; photos, drawings, poems, prose, or anything they could dream up. When they received their prompts, they responded by transforming these seeds into any form of creative work they wanted to share.
The result is a stunning collection of words, art, poetry, and stories by some of our most celebrated children book creators. A section of extra story starters by every contributor provides fresh inspiration for readers to create works of their own. Here is an innovative book that offers something for every kind of reader and creator!
With contributions by Sherman Alexie, Tom Angleberger, Jessixa Bagley, Tracey Baptiste, Sophie Blackall, Lisa Brown, Peter Brown, Lauren Castillo, Kate DiCamillo, Margarita Engle, Deborah Freedman, Adam Gidwitz, Chris Grabenstein, Jennifer L. Holm, Victoria Jamieson, Travis Jonker, Jess Keating, Laurie Keller, Jarret J. Krosoczka, Kirby Larson, Minh L?, Grace Lin, Kate Messner, Daniel Nayeri, Naomi Shihab Nye, Debbie Ohi, R.J. Palacio, Linda Sue Park, Dav Pilkey, Andrea Davis Pinkney, Jewell Parker Rhodes, Dan Santat, Gary Schmidt, John Schu, Colby Sharp, Bob Shea, Liesl Shurtliff, Lemony Snicket, Laurel Snyder, Javaka Steptoe, Mariko Tamaki, Linda Urban, Frank Viva, and Kat Yeh." AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE

I'm going to keep this review short and sweet since this is inherently a collection of short stories. Do the stories take on different forms, yes, but they are all essentially a story.

I really like this idea, and I loved the prompts at the end to get people to engage in making their own stories.

...however.

I struggle a little bit with short stories. I usually like to see the full story rather than a series of open endings. If it's a book of tales, and I know that going into it, I'm usually fine. Some of these stories felt a little too unfinished to me, so I don't think I enjoyed it as much as I could have.

I did really enjoy the different interpretations or responses the artists created, and I wrote down some authors whose responses I enjoyed more to go check out some of their work.

I also appreciate the sheer creativity encased in one book. There was a lot of brilliance contained within the pages, and I have great respect for that.

Overall, I did enjoy it, but now I just want to read more books. Haha...BOOK LIFE!

Happy reading!