Review | The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente

Goodreads Synopsis: Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

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Where do I even begin with this book? I suppose at the beginning, since that it a very good place to start (and yes, I will continue to hum Do-Re-Mi to myself as I finish writing this review). Let me just start off by saying that I was incredibly hesitant to start this book because I was so worried it would be too similar to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which I am not a huge fan of, the whimsy get's to me. However, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making absolutely astounded me! Let me break it down for you...

Characters | September is one of the first protagonists in a middle grade novel that I have genuinely liked in a good long while. She's brave and smart but also not always so sure of herself, she's believable and acts like a twelve year old and I love her for it. Plus, her favorite color is orange, I mean, c'mon! 

A-through-L (or simply Ell for the majority of the book) was fantastic! The concept of being a "Wyverary" and his entire back story was sweet and also interesting. He was probably my favorite character and I seriously want my own Wyverary now, but maybe one that can recall A-through-Z...

Saturday was a character we didn't get to learn too much about, but I was fascinated by what we did learn, plus I appreciated that Valente incorporated Djinn into the story rather than just the Disney-fied genie trope. 

And lastly, The Marquess, who I expected to hate, but there's something about her that makes her so unhatable, she really doesn't believe herself to be the villain in this tale, but rather the princess that will get her happy ending. I feel that this is a villain trope that has to be done in a very particular way for it to work in a story, and I think Valente really nailed the hammer on the head! A wonderful "villain". 

Setting | I loved that Fairyland felt like a conglomeration of Oz/Wonderland/Narnia, but also with so much of Valente's unique and new world. The ambiance in this book, marvelous! I especially appreciated the Autumnal region, made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside :) I definitely think fans of any of the previously mentioned lands will love this tale. 

Plot | I will admit that the plot was a little lacking, however this is an adventure story and September has quite the adventure, I think the plot in this is really building up for the second and third books in the series, so I will definitely be checking those out! 

★★★★★ 5 stars!

Spine Poetry

Godmother, breadcrumbs
A tale dark and grim
Black heart, ivory bones stitching snow
In a glass, grimly

The gates into the labyrinth,
The great hunt by the sword,
Path of blood written in red,
The color of magic

Review | Troll's Eye View by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling

Goodreads Description: Everyone thinks they know the real story behind the villains in fairy tales - evil, no two ways about it. But the villains themselves beg to differ. In Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling's new anthology for younger readers, you'll hear from the Giant's wife ("Jack and the Beanstalk"), Rumplestiltskin, the oldest of the Twelve Dancing Princesses, and many more. A stellar lineup of authors, including Garth Nix, Holly Black, Neil Gaiman and Nancy Farmer, makes sure that these old stories do new tricks!

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It is a bit difficult to review a short story collection, there are almost always stories you love, some you feel indifferent towards, and occasionally, one's you hate with a burning passion.  But luckily for me, I liked pretty much all of the stories in this wee collection. 

But let me give a break down of each story, what I rated it, and a few thoughts...

Wizards Apprentice by Delia Sherman ★★★
This is a retelling of 'The Wizard Outwitted' which is a Russian tale I had never heard of, but I very much enjoyed this story and would like to read more things by Delia Sherman. 
An Unwelcome Guest by Garth Nix ★★★★
This was a wonderful retelling and twist to the Rapunzel tale, I've always thought that the witch in Rapunzel is at least a bit fair in how she responds, they were stealing from her, though I'm not sure the price of that should be a firstborn. But anyway, this short story looks at it in that way, but does make some changes, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 
Faery Tales by Wendy Froud ★★★
Rags and Riches bi Nina Kiriki Hoffman ★★★
Up the Down Beanstalk: A Wife Remembers by Peter S. Beagle ★★★★
The Shoes That Were Danced to Pieces by Ellen Kushner ★★★
Puss in Boots, the Sequel by Joseph Stanton ★★★
The Boy Who Cried Wolf by Holly Black ★★★
Troll by Jane Yolen ★★★★
Castle Othello Nancy Farmer ★★★
'Skin by Michael Cadnum ★★★
A  Delicate Architecture by Catherynne M. Valente ★★★
This was a phenomenal story, it wasn't till the end that I realized it was a backstory for the witch from 'Hansel and Gretel', it was just magical and Catherynne Valente's writing is just goodness! Gah! ★★★★★
Molly by Midori Snyder 
Observing the Formalities by Neil Gaiman ★★★★
The Cinderella Game by Kelly Link ★★
This last one was not enjoyable, not a fan of nasty little children, and I don't particularly think it was a good way to end the collection. 

Overall, I highly recommend it and think it would be a good collection to start with for those who would like to get into Fairy-tale retellings! 

Top 5 Fairy-tale Films and TV Shows!

Once Upon a Time 

Once Upon a Time is a show that follows all the story book characters that we know and love (Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, Belle, and even Dr. Frankenstein) and brings them to the modern world, Storybrooke, where they were brought by a curse committed by the Evil Queen who wanted to have her final vengeance against Snow White. The show has two plot lines for the most part, one in Storybrooke and one in the Enchanted forest. Now, I love OUaT, I truly do. But I can't watch it anymore, because it's written by the same writers for Lost, and they just fuck everything up. But I still adore the first two seasons of this show and highly recommend them to anyone who loves Fairy-tales. 

Into the woods 

Into the Woods was originally a Broadway musical that has now been adapted for the big screen. It takes on the fairy-tales Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Jack and the Beanstalk. It follows and young Baker and his wife who must reverse a curse put on their household by obtaining a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, the hair as yellow as corn, the slipper as pure as gold. And craziness ensues. But like, good craziness, really good craziness. I really enjoyed this film and the music. I liked that it told the original Grimm tales that are dark and more realistic. A highly enjoyable film for any fairy-tale lover, but if you don't enjoy musicals, you might want to skip this one. 

Ever After

This is the Cinderella retelling that slays all others. It takes place in 16th century France, and is often viewed as a modern, post-feminism interpretation of the Cinderella myth. I don't really need to give a synopsis for this one, you all already know the story. But this film does it masterfully, definitely one of my favorite films of all time. 

Over the Garden Wall

Okay so, I'm cheating little with this one. It's not directly related to any specific Fairy-tale, but I feel it's very Fairy-tale-esque. This is the story of two brothers, Wurt and Greg, who are lost in the forest and trying to find they're way home. This is technically a miniseries done by Cartoon Network, but it can be watched as a film since it's only compiled of 10 ten-minutes long episodes. I highly recommend it, it's wonderfully done. 

The 10th Kingdom

I don't think it should be a surprise to anyone that this is number one, I gush about it all the time. This is the story of Virginia and her father, Tony, who are transported through a magic mirror to a parallel world, a world where all of the Fairy-tales are history, but happily ever after didn't last as long as they thought. Here there are evil queens, a prince cursed to live in the body of a dog, troll's who love the Bee Gees, and a plot interwoven in so many Fairy-tales, it's any Fairy-tale buffs dream come true. This one is quite long, about 7 hours, since it is a miniseries. But still very enjoyable, the 7 hours won't feel like that at all once you've finished!

(This is also my favorite film of all time) 

January Rewind

It's that time of the month again! I read 7 things this January, and for the most part I enjoyed all of them! It felt like a pretty good start to the year and I'm hoping I can continue the trend of reading 7 or more things each month, but we shall see.

The Books

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier ★★★★★

Heart's Blood by Juliet Marillier ★★★★

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood ★★★

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore★★★★

Sixth of the Dusk by Brandon Sanderson ★★★★1/2

Fairest by Marissa Meyer ★★★★

Troll's Eye View by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling ★★★★

Yes, I'm aware, a whole lot of retellings in this wrap up. I can't help it, I'm obsessed. 

I am currently reading 3 books; 

Beastkeeper by Cat Hellison

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black 

Silver Birch, Blood Moon by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling 

Let me know if you guys have read any of these books, what you think, and what you read this January! :)

My Top 10 Reads of 2014

The New Year is upon us, which means that it is time to take a look back at all of the things I read in 2014 (I read 100 things, holy balls!) I read quite a few awesome things, but I also read a lot of meh things. However, this was the year that I discovered the wonderful writing of Brandon Sanderson and Nora Roberts, both of which have works on this list :) This list going to contain 10-ish things, all series, if mentioned, are going to be counted for one single spot, and I am including graphics novels/comics. So let's get crackin'!

*As always, if you want to find out more on any of these books, just click the image to be taken to the Goodreads page :)*

The Key Trilogy by Nora Roberts

If at the end of 2013 someone had told me that I would be reading and loving Nora Roberts books in 2014, I would have thought they were lying. I have never been a fan of romance novels, and my only exposure to them for the longest time has been the silly Harlequin novels with Fabio on the cover. Now, Nora Roberts may write romance, but damn, she does it well, and I think this trilogy is so far her best of what I've read. The romances for all of the characters is wonderful, but also the plot of the keys and the friendship between these three women is just wonderfully done. I was thoroughly surprised!

Fables by Bill Willingham

There isn't much to say about this one. I've read the first 10 volumes and am incredibly invested, simply because, I LOVE fairy-tales and retellings. So it's a given that I love this series!

Watchmen by Alan Moore

The thing about this graphic novel is that I don't particularly like the plot all that much, and I dislike practically all of the characters. But the messages it portrays and the way the art is constructed just blew me away. There were moments in this graphic novel where I felt like I was watching a film with masterful cinematography, and I have to say that a graphic novel or comic is truly impressive if it can achieve that.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang

This was hands down the great graphic novel I read all year. I didn't really know much about it when I picked it up other than that it tells three separate stories that all come together in the end, and oh boy! do they ever! I love the way that these stories were weaved together and how they weren't actually as separate as the reader originally believes. I also think this book gave me a look at a perspective I'd never seen from before, and I am definitely excited to pick up more things from Gene Luen Yang.

Ready Player One By Ernest Cline

You can read my review of this book here. But if you don't want to read my full review, then just now that this book is full of gaming and 80's pop culture references and it is perfection. And also a fresh new take on dystopians!

Cress by Marissa Meyer
This is by far the best book so far in The Lunar Chronicles, and the book that really made me realize how utterly obsessed I was with this series. The books just continually get better, and I cannot wait for Fairest and Winter!

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson  
Read my gushy review here. Mistborn was my introduction to Brandon Sanderson, But I didn't fall in love with his story telling until I read Elantris, and I now firmly believe that this book is the best place to start with his writing. It is not by any means his best work, but it will always hold a special place in my heart and I enjoyed it immensely. 



 

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly  
Again, my review can be found here. A fairy-tale book that doesn't really retell any one fairy-tale, but rather has that Grimm feel about it, along with taking small things from different Grimm tales, with the added bonus of a story about loss, grief, and the overall story of a boy growing up. Just beautiful. 




 

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier 
I absolutely adored this book, and it would definitely be in the number one spot if not for the brilliant mind of Brandon Sanderson. This was my first Julier Marillier book and it will most certainly not be my last (I am actually currently in the middle of Daughter of the Forest). I loved everything about this book, the characters, the plot, the setting, Oh, the setting! How could anything feel more magical than 16th century Transylvania?! But I digress, this is a tale on it's own, and though it is definitely inspired by The Twelve Dancing Princesses as well as The Frog Prince, I feel that this is truly Marillier's own. 

The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson
I have no eloquent way of describing why or how this book series is so beautiful, so please just read it. It's the greatest thing I've ever read. 








   

Seasonal Reading

I hear the terms 'summer reads' and 'winter reads' quite often, but I've never really associated any books with a certain season. At first I thought that maybe this was the case because I don't really read a whole lot of contemporary, so I don't have any summery themed books to read in the summer. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I do have seasonal reads, they just aren't necessarily the same ones that almost everyone else has...

Summer Reads

Massive Fantasy Books

 Personally I think that Fantasy can be read any time of the year, and I do read it year round, but I think that Summer is the best time to knock out the larger one's on my shelf, and by larger I mean anything over 500 pages.This method doesn't work as well for me as it has in previous years, since now I'm an adult with a job and don't really have a summer vacation anymore, but I still do the best I can. Here are some massive Fantasy books that I've read so far this Summer:

Autumn Reads
Magical Books
Ah, Autumn, the time for witchy books and romance. This is typically when I like to read fairy-tale retellings and any sort of witchy themed book that gets me all excited for Halloween. Autumn is my favorite season, but also my busiest, so I like to read books that are quick and fun. Here are some that I am hoping to get to this Autumn:

Winter Reads

Classics

There is nothing like a snow day to make you want to cuddle under the bed covers and delve into a classic, at least for me there's nothing like it. Winter always sets me in the perfect mood for classics, Victorian literature especially. I've been slacking a bit with classics lately, so here's a few that I hope to get to this Winter:

Spring Reads

Graphic Novels, Comics, & Manga

Spring is a season for illustration, it's my favorite season to draw and my favorite season to read all sorts of illustrated literature.  I'm not sure what I'll be reading next Spring, considering it is more than 6 months away, but here are a few things I've had my eye on:

Do you read any genres seasonally? Have any recommendations for me? Let me know!

Favorite Books I've Read in 2014 (So Far)

So we're a little more than half way through the year and I have read 63 books, which means that I have quite a few favorites so far. (Warning: Many of these were written by Brandon Sanderson).

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
I actually wrote a whole review on this book so you can see me gush about it here. However if you don't want to read the review, let me summarize. I THINK THIS BOOK IS PERFECTION. It is so beautifully crafted it makes me want to cry. That is all.

The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

You can read my review for this book here. I read the entire Mistborn trilogy this year, yet this one remains to be my favorite. I felt that it could have been it's own stand alone novel and I would have been perfectly happy with that. The world building and magic system was just astounding, and it's what lead me to read so much more of Sanderson's works.

Cress by Marissa Meyer
I knew I loved the Lunar Chronicles, but I didn;t realize how much I loved the series until I read Cress. I was suspicious at first that Marissa Meyer wouldn't be able to write the three perspectives of our main cast and give each of them enough pages to do their story justice. I am so glad I was proven wrong. This book is a wonderful addition to the series, and so far my favorite. It creates a wonderful foundation for the conclusion, Winter. And definitely has a few tidbits that make us all excited for Fairest.

Fables by Bill Willingham

Oh my, this graphic novel series!! I am hooked! I only rated the first volume 4 stars, but holy moly it has improved so much. I have recently completed the eighth volume and I am in love with this series. It's like Once Upon a Time, but so much better!!

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson
Yes, another Sanderson. Trust me, there will be a few more in this list. This book was just wonderful, And honestly I loved it even more than the entire Mistborn trilogy (but I didn't love it as much as Elantris, more on that later). If you haven't picked up any Sanderson than I recommend you start with this one.

Watchmen by Alan Moore

Yo, it's fucking Watchmen, who doesn't love it? It's crafted in such a wonderful way, even if the plot isn't the greatest, the characters are so interesting and the way that the story flows is just brilliant.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
You can read my review here. Guys, I rated this 1,000,000 out of 5 stars. This book is my perfect book, need I say more?

The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

I haven't even finished this book yet, and yet somehow, it is my favorite book I have read so far this year. This book is a masterpiece of both Fantasy and just general literature. The depth of it all, and the way it's crafted. I just have no words for how beautiful it is.

Book Review: The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley

For over a decade, Robin McKinley's richly woven saga has gripped the imagination of readers and caused critics to hail her as a master of fantasy. It is the story of Aerin, haunted since childhood by the legend of her mother-a "witchwoman" who enspelled the king and then died of disappointment after giving birth to a daughter, rather than the heroic son the kingdom needed. But little did the young princess know the long-dormant powers of her mother would wield their own destiny. For though she was a woman, Aerin was destined to be the true hero who would one day wield the power of the Blue Sword...

  

Review:

The book started out so well, the tale of a young princess who doesn't quite fit in with her royal counterparts and has so little understanding of who her mother is and what her roots might be. The book is split into two parts and I thought that the first part was simply perfection. However, once it turned to the second part, I found myself mentally lowering my rating of this book. 

Now, this is not to say that the second half of the book is bad, it was very good and very entertaining. But it didn't feel at all like it was the same story revolving around the same woman. I understand that Aerin develops quite a bit, but she seemed to lose so much of herself and become someone new, someone who I didn't admire as much.  

The thing that probably lowered my rating most, however, was the love triangle. Holy moly, I hate love triangles. They can be done well and tastefully, and usually they are annoying but I'm always happy with the conclusion. This love triangle though, was a nightmare. I think what made it so bad for me was the fact that there wasn't really a conclusion. There is, and there isn't. I don't want to spoil anything, but oh lord, I was so unhappy. 

That's just my personal preference though, and I think I could pick this book up again in a few years and have a completely different look on it. 

3/5 stars

I'm a Bookaholic, and I'm Not Very Proud

Bookaholic. One who continuously buys books to add to a stack of unread books.

I've never really put too much thought into my unhealthy accumulation of books, I've always viewed it as my life's library, and eventually I will read all of the books I have acquired.

But today I was faced with a brutal wake up call as I was rearranging my bookshelves. It had been a while since I last counted how many books I own, so I figured at this point I owned about 400. I was so sadly mistaken.

Need to Read in 2014: Science Fiction

It might come as a surprise to my readers that I haven't actually read that much Sci-Fi in my lifetime,
I adore Fantasy, but have only picked up a bit of SF here and there (and even those times it was pretty much only Star Trek novels).

I've decided that I want to get into the genre more, but I have a lot of catching up to do, so here's 5 Sci-Fi books that I need to read this year!

How The Goodreads Reading Challenge Changed The Way I Read

In the book-blogging and Booktubing sphere, Goodreads seems to be a necessity for any book lover. It is a fantastic website which allows you to add books, rate and review them, and even recommend them to your friends! But there is a part of Goodreads that may not be so great; the Goodreads Reading Challenge. It is an annual challenge where Goodreads members can set for themselves a certain number of books which they would like to read that year. Goodreads then keeps track of what you've read, and tells you how you are progressing in your challenge (as well as letting you know whether you are behind or not. Eek!)

At first, this may seem like a fun experience to motivate individuals to read more in a year, and help them feel more accomplished with their reading progress.

Yet I have found that this challenge is much more stressful and harmful to my reading habits than I could have ever imagined.

Book Review: Half a King by Joe Abercrombie

Goodreads Synopsis: 
“I swore an oath to avenge the death of my father. I may be half a man, but I swore a whole oath.”

Prince Yarvi has vowed to regain a throne he never wanted. But first he must survive cruelty, chains, and the bitter waters of the Shattered Sea. And he must do it all with only one good hand.

The deceived will become the deceiver.
 
Born a weakling in the eyes of his father, Yarvi is alone in a world where a strong arm and a cold heart rule. He cannot grip a shield or swing an axe, so he must sharpen his mind to a deadly edge.

The betrayed will become the betrayer.
 
Gathering a strange fellowship of the outcast and the lost, he finds they can do more to help him become the man he needs to be than any court of nobles could.

Will the usurped become the usurper?
 
But even with loyal friends at his side, Yarvi finds his path may end as it began—in twists, and traps, and tragedy

Review:

I received this as an eARC from NetGalley

This tale was weaved in a way that I am not used to, but found myself enjoying immensely. The tale of Yarvi is one that I have never experienced before and although I was disturbed by some of the things he had to go through, what he becomes at the end of the book is so worth it. You see him go from aspiring minister to a crippled king to a slave, each role bringing experience and knowledge that form him into the man he becomes. He is flawed extraordinarily, but his flaws are what make him seem so real.

I think the aspect of this book that I loved the most is that the antagonist of this story is not in inherently evil, they do evil things and ruin so much, yet that is not all they are. And I wish that happened more often in literature.

All of the characters in fact were incredibly well-rounded and three-dimensional, and it was beautiful. I never knew which character I could trust, since it seemed like anyone could stab anyone in the back.

The world itself was well built (and incredibly expansive) but there were a few things that I want to be expanded upon in the next books.

All in all I was very impressed with this book and would love to read more of this authors books.

4/5 stars!

May Wrap-Up | June TBR

Book Review: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

Goodreads Synopsis:
It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune -- and remarkable power -- to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture he loved -- that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes's oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt -- among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life -- and love -- in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

Review:
A book about gamers and gaming culture? Yes please, thank you very much!!

It probably is not very well known to my readers that I am a gamer, considering I spend all of my time on the internet talking about books. And yes, books were my first love, but video games are a close second. 

That being said, I think that being a gamer both enhanced and diminished my reading experience of this book. I felt that the experience was diminished slightly because of the incessant explanation of terms that I already knew. I didn't want to be told what an MMO was, and at times it felt condescending on Cline's part. However, I understand the necessity of defining terms, I just wish he had defined them in footnotes rather than in the text.

That is my only complaint of this book. The rest was incredibly enjoyable. The world building was very well done (both in OASIS and out of it) and the characters were superb!

I loved how nostalgic this book made me feel, Cline really hit the nail on the head in bringing back all of the love and devotion for what we consider "retro games". I feel that sometimes gamers can get so caught up in the latest game (like, hey, Mario Kart 8 was just released and I am SUPER EXCITED) but they tend to forget where they started out with games, even sometimes forgetting how much they loved them. So I think it's always best to go back occasionally and play a "retro" game, whether you're coming back to an old friend or meeting them for the first time. Just because it doesn't have the best graphics doesn't mean it won't be the best game you've ever played. 

Whoa, I seriously digressed, this book made me feel some love and appreciation for games and the gaming community. Anyway, it was a beautiful book, and I look forward to rereading it in the future (maybe to see how far gaming has come and if it's anything like Cline says it will be in 2044). 

4/5 stars!

Post Script: I feel that Cline missed an opportunity to reference Deadpool. In the book, Wade says that his father named him Wade Watts because he thought that having an alliterated name would make him more super (referencing Peter Parker and Clark Kent). But Deadpool, Wade Wilson, has both an alliterated name and is ALSO NAMED WADE. Why not make the connection? I don't know, it was something that upset me.

Book Review: The Way of Shadows by Brent Weeks

Goodreads Summary: For Durzo Blint, assassination is an art-and he is the city's most accomplished artist.

For Azoth, survival is precarious. Something you never take for granted. As a guild rat, he's grown up in the slums, and learned to judge people quickly - and to take risks. Risks like apprenticing himself to Durzo Blint.

But to be accepted, Azoth must turn his back on his old life and embrace a new identity and name. As Kylar Stern, he must learn to navigate the assassins' world of dangerous politics and strange magics - and cultivate a flair for death

Review: 
I must say, this story was action-packed! Brent Weeks wove together a story of so many different people over quite a length of time (around 10 years) and although I don't think it was polished to perfection, I was still positively entertained. 

Let us begin with the characters, Azoth (later known as Kylar) and Durzo are two very rough characters for obvious reasons, killing people for a living does that to you. But it was still very interesting to see the relationship that grew between them, as well as seeing the different ways they handled important things in their lives; especially love, and even their view of life itself. I felt that both characters were well written, however I did have an issue with the way that the story jumped through their lives, at times it felt quite choppy and I would have liked to see more of their development through the years rather than just getting snippets. 

The side characters were even better than the main, in my opinion, since I found myself caring more about their well-being. I especially focused on Logan and Regnus Gyre, as well as General Agon, and I would have liked to have seen more from their perspectives. 
  
The plot, oh the plot. I think that this book could have been so much more, the plot was actually incredibly intriguing, but it didn't actually make sense until the end, and I was confused with most things for the entire book. In some books it is interesting to be confused for most of the book, and can make the book even better, but my confusion with this one was simply because things were not better explained. I just wish that the world-building had been a bit stronger.

This book is also incredibly dark and gritty, which may be appealing to some, but made it so that multiple times I had to set this book down and take a breather, so definite warning for that.

All in all, I really enjoyed this book and I am very curious as to what happens next, so I will certainly be picking up the next two. 

4/5 stars!

Book Review: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

Goodreads Summary:
Elantris was the capital of Arelon: gigantic, beautiful, literally radiant, filled with benevolent beings who used their powerful magical abilities for the benefit of all. Yet each of these demigods was once an ordinary person until touched by the mysterious transforming power of the Shaod. Ten years ago, without warning, the magic failed. Elantrians became wizened, leper-like, powerless creatures, and Elantris itself dark, filthy, and crumbling.

Arelon's new capital, Kae, crouches in the shadow of Elantris. Princess Sarene of Teod arrives for a marriage of state with Crown Prince Raoden, hoping -- based on their correspondence -- to also find love. She finds instead that Raoden has died and she is considered his widow. Both Teod and Arelon are under threat as the last remaining holdouts against the imperial ambitions of the ruthless religious fanatics of Fjordell. So Sarene decides to use her new status to counter the machinations of Hrathen, a Fjordell high priest who has come to Kae to convert Arelon and claim it for his emperor and his god.

But neither Sarene nor Hrathen suspect the truth about Prince Raoden. Stricken by the same curse that ruined Elantris, Raoden was secretly exiled by his father to the dark city. His struggle to help the wretches trapped there begins a series of events that will bring hope to Arelon, and perhaps reveal the secret of Elantris itself.
  
Review:
To say that I adored this book would be one of the biggest understatements of my life. This book changed me. 
It is no surprise to anyone that I am a huge fan of Fantasy; I devour it. I have read so much that sometimes it is hard for Fantasy authors to bring something new to the table because I feel like I've read it before (yet I still have so much to read). But every time I pick up a Brandon Sanderson novel, I know I am in for something new and exciting. 

Elantris was perfect. Perfect world-building, perfect characters, perfect plot, perfect ending! It was everything I could have hoped for in a Fantasy novel and I don't know if anything could surpass it.  

1,000,000/5 stars

Bout of Books 10.0 Read-a-thon TBR

Bout of Books 10.0

Whoo! Read-a-thon time! This is my first Bout of Books read-a-thon and I am super excited to join in on the fun!
You should go and sign up as well on the Bout of Books blog!

For those who don't know what I'm talking about:

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 12th and runs through Sunday, May 18th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 10 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team"

A video will up up later today to show off my TBR for the read-a-thon! 

Need to Read in 2014: Fantasy

Despite the fact that I never like to set aside books that I have to read, each year I have a few books that I definitely want to get to. So I decided to start a series of it (that may be turned into a video series as well). I've decided to show books based on their genre, and we're starting with my all time favorite; Fantasy!!

You can click on the cover of the book to be directed to the Goodreads page to see what it's all about 

 1) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
I have heard nothing but good things about The Kingkiller Chronicle, and I would really like to read the first two books before the third comes out.










2) Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
I'm always looking for Fantasy standalones, and this one sounds perfect. Plus, it's Brandon Sanderson, and I want to read everything this man has ever written.

3) The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb
DRAGONS! Need I say more?












4) The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson
I want to read this for pretty much the same reasons as Elantris except for the fact that this is not a standalone. But oh boy am I ready to jump on this 10 book series at the beginning!











5)  The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
I'm going to be honest, I don't know much about this trilogy. But the premise for the fist book sounds so intriguing, and I love a Fantasy book with an awesome female protagonist. (Plus, the covers are gorgeous!!) 










6)  Throne of the Crescent Moon by Saladin Ahmed
This really seems like a breath of fresh air to me, since so much Fantasy has a sort of European feel to it, and this debut novel apparently has a "Middle-Eastern" sort of setting, so GIMME!












7) Blood Song by Anthony Ryan
This sounds like an amazing start to an epic Fantasy series (apparently the the writing and story are reminiscent on Rothfuss and Sanderson's works)











8) Elvenblood by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey
The first sequel on this list, and for good reason. It's been years since I've read The Elvenbane, but I loved it so so much, the world was just so lovely to be in, so I need to pick up the sequel.











9) Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock
 This sounds so wonderful I want to cry













10) Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
The only YA on this list, but holy moly I am so ready for this book. This is the third book in the Throne of Glass series and to be honest, this is one of the very few good YA fantasy series. The cover was released today and oh my is it beautiful. This is also the only book on this list that has not been released yet, so I'll have to wait till September.