Tag: YA

Book Reviews

Three Dark Crowns, Kendare Blake

India
There is only room for one Queen in the isle of Fennbirn, but there are three queens who are trying to be the strongest they can to take the throne. When the time comes it is going to be up to the all three queens to try and defeat the other in order to be called the true Queen. Each generation there are triplets that are born in the hopes that one of them will become the next true Queen. They grow up together for a few years and then are separated to go to their prospective part of the kingdom where they can learn how to grow the unique gifts that they were born with. Mirabella is an elementalist who can control the weather with a fierce energy and bring flames and lightening down on whomever gets in her way. Arsinoe is a naturalist who is said to be able to bloom flowers and help trees to grow, as well as have a familiar, or an animal, who she is said to be able to communicate with. Finally there is Katharine who is a poisoner, which makes her immune to all of the deadliest poisons to where she can even eat a whole feast of them.
I genuinely enjoyed this book. Once I finally got into it I could not put it down. There is a lot of world building in the beginning and with the fact that there are three queens, you have to see each of their worlds. There are a lot of characters in the book, which sometimes gets confusing, but as you keep reading they start to really set themselves apart. I love the different ways these queens grew up, and I was also glad to know that they all knew what happened for them to become the queen instead of the finding out on their 16th birthday. I would definitely recommend this book. It’s kind of in the dark fantasy realm. It’s not a typical princess book by any means, and that’s what I loved about it. Until next time,
Keep Turning the Pages
India
Bookish, Unboxings

UNBOXING BOOKTUBE | March 2019 Owlcrate

India

Here comes another Owlcrate Unboxing! Last month’s box included items from books like Game of Thrones and Nevernight to go with their Murder and Mayhem theme for March. Instead of talking too much about it let’s list out some of the items that are in the box! If you would like to watch me unbox it you can either click here, or you can find it down below!

First up! We’ve got Owlcrate’s first travel mug inspired by Nevernight and designed by Catarina Book Designs.

There an exclusive Owlcrate canvas drawstring backpack designed by Michelle Gray. It has a nifty zipper pouch on the inside, which makes it different than a lot of other “dump” drawstring backpacks

We’ve got a wooden bookmark by the royal wooden bookmark makers themselves Ink and Wonder Designs featuring a Game of Thrones quote paying homage to the Stark Family.

The illustrious candle makers at In the Wick of Time created three different candles inspired by This Savage Song. I got Corsai, which one did you get.

Next up we got a sticker designed by Jamila Mehio inspired by Three Dark Crowns.

The pin was created by Iron and Ink Designs and is an incredible compass pin that helps to represent the book for the month and its four quadrants.

The book of the month was Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte. Four Dead Queens brings total opposites together in a tale filled with twists and turns to figure out who has been murdering the four queens. This definitely seems like a book if you like Three Dark Queens.

 

For more pictures and to always stay up to date, make sure to follow me on Instagram!

 

Murder and Mayhem Box by Owlcrate
Book Reviews

Strange the Dreamer, Laini Taylor

India
Lazlo Strange  has always been a no body. A person of insignificance. An orphan, a boy who helps monks, a librarian, a dreamer. Even with his low social status and overall menial existence to the world around him Lazlo has always found a way to dream and to have the wildest imagination fueled with stories from an old monk whom no one ever wanted to go see or talk to. From this monk Lazlo started to hear stories about Weep. A city that had long since been forgotten except for in legend. When Lazlo serendipitously becomes a librarian he has all of the information he could ever want laid out in front of him and sets his sights on finding out the mysteries of Weep. When he one day stumbles into the path of a spoiled alchemist who cannot turn items into gold and decided that he needs to help in someone way out of the goodness of his heart. When they get unexpected visitors in the city Lazlo finds that this is his chance to make a difference and to be someone greater than who he is,  but does he have the courage to do it?
I truly did love Strange the Dreamer. It was something different than I had ever read before for a fantasy novel and so it was very refreshing. I felt like it was somewhat relatable to a lot of people who believe that that they can be more than what they are. I also enjoyed the two perspectives that were given during the novel because it forms a more complete picture of all sides. I did feel like the characters could have used a little bit more development, but I didn’t feel like it was lacking. The only thing I was missing was a true antagonist to the book to get a little bit more conflict. A lot of it was about searching for a purpose and trying to find our purpose and where we fit in life. It was definitely worth the read and I can’t wait to read Muse of Nightmares for the rest of the story. I do have a review of the Strange the Dreamer up now on my Booktube channel that you can watch here! Or check it out down below. What did you think of Strange the Dreamer? Have you read any other books by Laini Taylor? The Darker Shades of Magic Series is on my list to read as well! Let me know, until next time,
Keep Turning the Pages
India
Book Reviews

The Poet X, Elizabeth Acevedo

India
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The Poet X by Elixabeth Acevedo
Xiomara came into this world fighting and she’s going to keep fighting through out it. She’s learned now when to use her fists and when not to, but she’s starting to learn how to use her words. X has always had a lot to say, but often would never say it. She had to please her mother and the Catholic church, she had to look out for her twin, and she had to be a best friend. X wanted to experience more and be more, but with her mom believing that God would send her to the depths of hell with just a word to a boy she couldn’t do much. Her twin gave her a leather bound notebook for one of her birthdays and X has always written her thoughts and feelings in it, including some poems. When she meets her english teacher for the year and she suggests that X joins the Poetry Club, X isn’t quite convinced and plus it’s another thing that she has to hide from her mom. What if this is what Xiomara needs to spread her wings and speak her truth. Maybe this is where she can find and use her voice.
This book was really good. To me it wasn’t great, but I also think that it was because I couldn’t relate to a large part of the book and it took me awhile to get into it. I started off by listening to it on Audible, but I felt like I was missing some formatting of the book. Then I decided to read it on my Kindle, it was then that I understood that everything was written as a poem.  It all clicked! I definitely felt like the book could be relatable to the Latinx and Catholic communities and brought some amazing points on family dynamics. I guess the reason this book wasn’t great to me was because I was also looking for resolve with Xiomara’s brother, Xavier. I loved what happened between Xiomara and her mom. I’ve been lucky because I’ve always felt like my mom is my best friend, and I don’t mean that in a way that she gives me everything I want, but she has always been supportive of me and I can spend all day with her. I loved talking about what it’s like to go from a body of a girl to a body of a woman and how the rest of the world starts to perceive you. Some good topics were brought up and I loved how they were expressed in poems, but I just didn’t feel completely fulfilled at the end. I would still recommend this book though. Have you read The Poet X? What did you think? Until next time,
Keep turning the Pages
India
Book Reviews

Let’s Talk About Love, Claire Kann

India
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann is definitely a book that the world needs. Is it my favorite book probably not, but definitely a book the world needs and young ones in high school and in college need. Let’s Talk About Love is about a 19 year-old black woman who has partially come to terms with her sexuality or lack of sexuality. Alice considers herself to be biromantic and asexual. Only a few people in her life know those terms when it comes to her and that makes her hold a lot of emotions in. Of course you would never know it because she is still an expressive person. With her experiences in relationships she has found that people don’t understand what she needs and what she wants and that they don’t see her. She was even nicknamed “The Corpse” because sex doesn’t mean anything to her. It doesn’t give her a thrill, but romance does. This book follows Alice as she suffers through one breakup, but finds support and comfort in her long time friends and a new man who has come into her life that is breaking her Cutie Code and turning her ideas upside down on if she can have a stable relationship or not. Alice has a lot to work through and a lot to come to terms with herself and she takes the strides to do it.
I enjoyed Let’s Talk About Love, but I’m not going to say that I loved it. I believe that it is a book that some people in the LGBTQ+ community might need in their lives. I think it dives into a realm of the LGBTQ community that is not often talked about and is often overlooked. For me it was a side I often wondered about, but never had anyone to ask, so I’m glad that this book discusses what it means to be asexual. I enjoyed the friendship dynamic because sometimes it is hard to be the third wheel of someone in a relations, but I think that it was awesome for them to talk about and discuss what was going on, and to be able to remain friends. I do believe that it is rare to stay friends with your high school friends through college, but that it can happen. That’s why I also thought that that was something good to be discussed in this book because friendships matter. Not just romantic endeavors. I talk some more about it in my review on my Booktube channel, which you can find here and down below. Let me know what you think about Let’s Talk About Love in the comments! Until next time
Keep turning the Pages
India