Category: Flights of Fantasy

• Book Review: “Son of the Shadows” by Juliet Marillier

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on March 27, 2017

  Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

  Publisher: Tor
  Published: 2002 (first published in 2000)
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780765343260
  Rating: ★★★★

  It is from her sacrifice that her brothers were brought home to Sevenwaters and her life has known much joy. But not all the brothers were able to escape the spell that transformed them into swans, and those who did were all more–and less–than they were before the change.

  It is left to Sorcha’s daughter Liadan who will take up the tale that the Sevenwaters clan is destined to fulfill. Beloved child, dutiful daughter, she embarks on a journey that opens her eyes to the wonders of the world around her…and shows her just how hard-won was the peace that she has known all her life.

  Liadan will need all of her courage to help save her family, for there are forces far darker than anyone chould have guessed and ancient powers conspiring to destroy this family’s peace–and their world. And she will need the strength to stand up to those she loves best, for in the finding of her own true love, Liadan’s course may doom them all…or be their salvation.

  Liadan is the beautiful younger daughter of Sorcha and Red, legends in their own fairytale story of the Sevenwaters clan. She loves to assist her mother with herbs and healing, speaks telepathically with her twin brother Sean, and attempts to rein in her older sister Niamh’s wild ways. But turbulent times crash into the family just when all seems to be well, and Liadan is trapped in the middle of an ancient prophecy. She is determined to make the right choices for her family, but with every step she takes her course appears to bring them further into darkness.

  SPOILER ALERT
  Events pertaining to Daughter of the Forest are within this review.
  SPOILER ALERT

  The second book in the Sevenwaters series is just as breathtaking, beautiful, and magical as the first, featuring another strong female protagonist who draws upon strength of the mind and spirit rather than physical qualities to combat her enemies.

  Liadan is a fierce and stubborn chatterbox, and she will tell you what she thinks of your decisions and actions if she believes it will improve your character or the family. She’d be a good friend to have around — patient and loving, while still practical and headstrong. She’s a great blend of Red and Sorcha, and that makes her flawed. While Sorcha is still one of my favorite characters in literature (right up there with Jane Eyre!), she was almost too perfect. Liadan makes loads of mistakes, to the point where it really does seem like the family is doomed. She is observant, aware of her mistakes, aware of how people treat her and how she treats others, and how sometimes similar situations and others’ reactions to them can be hypocritical. Take this, the family’s reaction to Liadan’s pregnancy:

  I was aware, constantly, of how different this was from Niamh’s experience. For my sister there had been the cold disapproval, the harsh censure, the shutting out, the hasty, forced marriage. For me there was simply acceptance, as if my fatherless child were already part of the family at Sevenwaters.

  While Son of the Shadows was entertaining and fantastic, and Liadan was an excellent character on her own, I had a hard time getting into the romance. It felt more like a means to an end for me, and less epic and profound as I was led to believe. Much of Liadan’s motivation and decisions were stemmed from this love, so I was pretty miffed by how central of a role it played when I wasn’t convinced of it.

  The prophecy from the first book is becoming a reality in this one, and it leaves the reader hanging, ready to read book three to see what happens next. There was more about the curse and the characters that come into play (such as, ah-ha!, the son of the shadows), more strategizing and skirmishes, more storytelling and culture. Sorcha was on a quest, separated from her family; Liadan is in the thick of it, a key player in the prophecy and all it entails.

  This qualifies as book 2 of 9 in the Flights of Fantasy / Gabaldon-and-Marillier challenge.

  This qualifies as book 4 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: romance, review, rock my TBR

• Mini Review

  Posted at 4:15 am by Laura, on January 27, 2017

  The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman

  Publisher: Scribner
  Published: July 2012
  Genre: historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★★
  Summary: Tom Sherbourne takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast of Australia. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby. Tom, who keeps meticulous records and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel insists the baby is a “gift from God,” and against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.

  Mini Review: I adored this book, most especially for its moral complexity. As many people have already read and raved over it, and many more have seen the film, I’ll keep this brief. Even though I stand by “each woman is a little off her rocker,” it still doesn’t solve the moral, emotional, judicial, and psychological issue at hand. Is the baby better off with the mother it knows, or the mother who birthed her? Are the mothers well within her rights to claim the child as her own? Are they even in the right mental state? It is impossible to know, especially with the evidence presented in this book, what is “right” or “wrong,” and even with the issue resolved, Stedman leaves threads of the story hanging in just the right way to make you continue to wonder.

  Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier

  Publisher: Roc
  Published: October 2009
  Genre: fantasy
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: Anluan has been crippled since childhood, part of a curse that has besieged his family and his home of Whistling Tor. But when the young scribe Caitrin is retained to sort through family documents, she brings about unexpected changes in the household, casting a hopeful light against the despairing shadows. But to truly free Anluan’s burdened soul, Caitrin must unravel the web of sorcery woven by his ancestors before it claims his life-and their love…

  Mini Review: This was going to be the most perfect read ever, just based on this formula alone: Marillier + Beauty and the Beast + ancient Ireland. But it didn’t quite live up to my own expectations. While I didn’t fall in love with it, Marillier continues to astound me with her storytelling and world-building abilities. She has a way of utilizing the bare bones of a familiar fairy tale and making it entirely her own. She doesn’t rely on all the aspects we’re familiar with — just the important ones. Her characters are singular and developed, and the setting and atmosphere enchanting.

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  This qualifies as book 1 of 9 in the Flights of Fantasy / Gabaldon-and-Marillier challenge.

  This qualifies as book 1 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2017 | 5 Comments | Tagged books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review

• 2017 Bookish Resolutions and Reading Challenges

  Posted at 9:15 am by Laura, on December 19, 2016

  

  Major Goals

  READ 50 BOOKS || To quote last year’s post, “easy peasy.” Though it has become a bit more of a challenge the last couple years , I’m looking forward to reading 50 published books.

  READ 5 LIBRARY BOOKS || I’ll automatically read 24 books this year with the library (12 for the book club I run, and 12 for the genre study book club I’m in), but I want to read (deeply, for fun and entertainment) books that aren’t assigned to me that I’ve been curious to read.

  READ MARILLIER & GABALDON || Flights of Fantasy by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books || This harkens back to an epiphany post from a few weeks ago. I want to get back to my bookish roots, which involved a lot of binge-reading — of authors, of series, of genre. Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters series, her new Blackthorn & Grim series, and finishing Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series (of what’s published, at least) are at the top of my reading list. This automatically qualifies for Alexa’s fantasy challenge, too!

  Bonus Goals

  READ CLASSICS & REREAD FAVORITES || I was woefully terrible at this last year, and I still aim to read more classics in general. I also didn’t reread many of my favorite novels. Instead of putting a number goal on there (and potentially disappointing myself at the end of 2017), I’m aiming to at least read one of each!

  READ MORE FROM TBR, LESS FROM ARCS || Rock My TBR by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler || I don’t have a general number for this one, but I do want to make more of an effort to read all those books I’ve purchased and was very excited for. This means being pickier about ARCs as well. While I didn’t read as many ARCs in 2016 (which was a goal), I did end up neglecting many ARCs I received.

  What are some of your goals for 2017?

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Rock My TBR | 7 Comments | Tagged books, flights of fantasy, personal, resolutions, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Queen of Blood” by Sarah Beth Durst

  Posted at 3:15 am by Laura, on December 6, 2016

  The Queen of Blood by Sarah Beth Durst

  Publisher: Harper Voyager
  Published: October 2016
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780062413345
  Rating: ★★★★

  Everything has a spirit: the willow tree with leaves that kiss the pond, the stream that feeds the river, the wind that exhales fresh snow . . .

  But the spirits that reside within this land want to rid it of all humans. One woman stands between these malevolent spirits and the end of humankind: the queen. She alone has the magical power to prevent the spirits from destroying every man, woman, and child. But queens are still just human, and no matter how strong or good, the threat of danger always looms.

  With the position so precarious, young women are chosen to train as heirs. Daleina, a seemingly quiet academy student, is under no illusions as to her claim to the throne, but simply wants to right the wrongs that have befallen the land. Ven, a disgraced champion, has spent his exile secretly fighting against the growing number of spirit attacks. Joining forces, these daring partners embark on a treacherous quest to find the source of the spirits’ restlessness—a journey that will test their courage and trust, and force them to stand against both enemies and friends to save their land . . . before it’s bathed in blood.

  Renthia is ruled by a queen who governs the spirits of the land and keeps the humans safe within the vast forest. If she ever loses her control, the spirits wreck havoc and destroy everything in sight. Daleina witnessed this as a child, a survivor of a vicious attack against her small village on the outskirts of the kingdom. She survived because she, too, held power over the spirits. Several girls who show an affinity, like her, are sent to the academy to train to become heirs, to take over the throne when the current queen dies. When Daleina is chosen by Champion Ven to train in the forest, several more attacks on villages take the kingdom by storm, and it’s up to them to save the land against its true enemy.

  Don’t trust the fire, for it will burn you.
  Don’t trust the ice, for it will freeze you.
  Don’t trust the water, for it will drown you.
  Don’t trust the air, for it will choke you.
  Don’t trust the earth, for it will bury you.
  Don’t trust the trees, for they will rip you,
  rend you, tear you, kill you dead.

  I can’t help but think this book is the equivalent of The Hobbit as the future books in this series is to Lord of the Rings. A novel of adventure and magic and epic world-building, a novel hinting at so many wonderful things to come, shedding light on what is going to be — without a doubt — a fantastic, atmospheric series.

  This contained so many elements I love about fantasy. There’s a school to teach young girls how to control their magic (or affinity, the ability to call upon and command nature’s spirits), the enemies of the novel are of the natural world (wood spirits, air spirits, earth spirits, water spirits, much like the woods in Uprooted was terrifying), there’s a quest without it being one entirely drenched in violence*, and the atmosphere is full of mythological, fairytale qualities. It feels like a real place, like something I’ve known of since childhood but never fully grasped, much like Hogwarts or Middle Earth or Narnia. And with Durst’s writing, I can believe it is real.

  *The spirits are quite violent in this novel. Six in particular encase heirs in wooden spheres, crushing them to dust. Being in the mind of one particular heir when this happened really made me cringe. But what I mean by “without it being entirely drenched in violence” is that this is more of an adventure, it takes on a more emotional quality to it without a thirst for bloodshed. Daleina’s focus is on unity and understanding. She knows the spirits are malevolent, but she knows they like to destroy and build, and she commands them to create more often than she demands violence. She redirects their energies into something positive, and her efforts are explored throughout the novel. Swordplay, armies, and mindless warfare are not found here!

  One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the matriarchal monarchy. A human queen rules the land but, primarily, controls the spirits. She is chosen from a pool of heirs by the spirits themselves. She can be married or single, she can have children or none, she can be of any age as long as she is a recognized heir with the affinity. Such a beautiful concept! A lineage entirely based on magical strength rather than blood-lines or warfare.

  There are moments of humor dispersed throughout, along with friendships, camaraderie, familial love, adventure, terror, wonder, and awe. So much was packed into this one novel, no doubt a prologue to the stepping stones of The Queens of Renthia series. I am eager to read the upcoming installments!

  This qualifies as book 13 of 10 library books in 2016.

  This qualifies as book 7 of 5 of the “Flights of Fantasy” Challenge, hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Rachel @ Hello, Chelly.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2016 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review

• Book Review: “Assassin’s Apprentice” by Robin Hobb

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on April 27, 2016

  Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb

  Publisher: Del Rey
  Published: April 1995
  Genre: adult, fantasy
  ISBN: 9780553573398
  Rating: ★★★

  Young Fitz is the bastard son of the noble Prince Chivalry, raised in the shadow of the royal court by his father’s gruff stableman. He is treated as an outcast by all the royalty except the devious King Shrewd, who has him secretly tutored in the arts of the assassin. For in Fitz’s blood runs the magic Skill–and the darker knowledge of a child raised with the stable hounds and rejected by his family.

  As barbarous raiders ravage the coasts, Fitz is growing to manhood. Soon he will face his first dangerous, soul-shattering mission. And though some regard him as a threat to the throne, he may just be the key to the survival of the kingdom.

  Fitz can’t remember too much of his early life, apart from working as a stable boy and bonding really well with the animals. When King Shrewd acknowledges Fitz is the bastard son of Prince Chivalry, he has a plan sorted just for Fitz, one that marks him above a commoner but not quite nobility. Fitz will be a trained assassin, using his Skill to assist his mission. But as raiders attack the kingdom’s coast, Fitz’s assignment becomes all too real, and a complicated web of deceit may be his undoing.

  This book seems to have followed me around for the last few months without any intention on my part! It was a gift from my Secret Santa, Samantha, it was one that a friend eyed and purchased over the holidays, and it was chosen as the Flights of Fantasy Book Club pick for March. MARCH. It is now April and I’ve finally finished it. A belated review for this book club pick. And hopefully I can shed some light as to why.

  Hobb’s writing style is one that begs to be absorbed across long sittings. Once you’re involved with Fitz’s narrative, the prose becomes engrossing and the story picks up its pace. But if you’re a chapter-before-bed kind of reader, you may be out of luck with this one. Reading small portions each day made the book feel slow and plodding.

  This first book in the Farseer trilogy is also full of character development and insight. We watch Fitz grow from about six years old to early young adulthood, and experience a whole spectrum of events with him. He’s an outcast because he’s a bastard child, but he’s neither commoner, servant, nor noble. He’s of royal blood but cannot be given special privileges, yet there’s no denying he has the Skill, which runs through royal families. He’s in quite the predicament, and the King, as well as his subjects, treat Fitz as such.

  Overall, I did enjoy the book, but it took me two months to get through it. If I had time to sit across a weekend and be completely immersed in it, I’m sure I would’ve loved it. I am curious to see what happens to Fitz, and the writing really is beautiful — so I plan to read the second book too.

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  This qualifies as book 5 of 5 of the “Flights of Fantasy” Challenge, hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Rachel @ Hello, Chelly.

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  This book qualifies as book 7 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Star-Touched Queen” by Roshani Chokshi (ARC)

  Posted at 4:30 am by Laura, on April 19, 2016

  The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi 

  Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
  Publishing Date: April 26
  Genre: young adult, fantasy
  ISBN: 9781250085474
  Rating: ★★★★

  Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction, she has earned only the scorn and fear of her father’s kingdom. Content to follow more scholarly pursuits, her whole world is torn apart when her father, the Raja, arranges a wedding of political convenience to quell outside rebellions. Soon Maya becomes the queen of Akaran and wife of Amar. Neither roles are what she expected: As Akaran’s queen, she finds her voice and power. As Amar’s wife, she finds something else entirely: Compassion. Protection. Desire…

  But Akaran has its own secrets — thousands of locked doors, gardens of glass, and a tree that bears memories instead of fruit. Soon, Maya suspects her life is in danger. Yet who, besides her husband, can she trust? With the fate of the human and Otherworldly realms hanging in the balance, Maya must unravel an ancient mystery that spans reincarnated lives to save those she loves the most…including herself.

  Maya was cursed since the day she was born. Because her mother died and she lived, the other harem wives of her father, the Raja, believe in Maya’s horoscope: her marriage is one of death and destruction. When the Raja asks Maya to give her life for her kingdom on the brink of war, Maya painfully agrees to do so — and instead finds herself in Akaran with Amar, a raja who promises equality and power. But strange things are happening in Akaran, and as Maya tiptoes the edge of secrets, she’s thrust into unraveling an ancient mystery, one that could alter thousands of lives and truly bring about devastation.

  I wanted a love thick with time, as inscrutable as if a lathe
  had carved it from night and as familiar as the marrow in my bones.
  I wanted the impossible, which made it that much easier to push out of my mind.

  What a ride. There are no comparable titles, only authors, that I can give. Chokshi’s writing is vivid as Erin Morgenstern’s and as otherworldly as Laini Taylor’s. Toss in the beauty of Indian myth and folklore, and you’re destined for an adventurous read. I haven’t read a YA fantasy quite is unique (and steeped in non-Euro culture) as this (either ever or in a long while!). Chokshi is like a breath of fresh air!

  Maya’s journey is unique, yet familiar. Though there are words and beliefs and myths completely unfamiliar to me, it’s Maya’s quest for answers and character growth that’s recognizable. The last third of the book heavily relies on Indian mythology, I felt, with a fantastical, otherworldly quest Maya must fulfill in order to restore the balance between the mortal world and Akaran. Hang on tight. It may seem a little confusing, but it’s entirely worth it in the end. You are, along with Maya, experiencing several reincarnated lives, and every word in this book matters!

  “I know your soul. Everything else is an ornament.”

  Amar is also a great character for a love interest. It’s easy to see why Maya’s drawn to him, and it’s understandable when her trust begins to falter. How can someone so ethereal, composed, and determined to show compassion and equality also refuse to tell her anything deep about himself, about his world, his past? What is he hiding? And why can’t he share it with her? All this complications made for an intense relationship, and a key to Maya’s quest, and I deeply enjoyed the character exploration.

  Chokshi is officially on my watch list. I’ll happily read anything else she publishes!

  Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this book from St. Martin’s Griffin for review!

  *quotes taken from uncorrected proof

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  This qualifies as book 4 of 5 of the “Flights of Fantasy” Challenge, hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Rachel @ Hello, Chelly.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2016 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: fantasy, genre: young adult, review

• Mini Reviews V

  Posted at 8:35 am by Laura, on April 13, 2016

  Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

  Publisher: Viking Children’s
  Published: March 2016
  Genre: young adult, fantasy
  Rating: ★★.5
  Summary: Destined to wind up “wed or dead,” Amani’s counting on her sharpshooting skills to get her out of Dustwalk. When she meets Jin in a shooting contest, she figures he’s the perfect escape route. But in all her years spent dreaming of leaving home, she never imagined she’d gallop away on a mythical horse, fleeing the murderous Sultan’s army, with a fugitive who’s wanted for treason. And she’d never have predicted she’d fall in love with him, or that he’d help her unlock the powerful truth of who she really is.

  Mini Review: Everything that didn’t work for me could very well be the Golden Words another reader seeks in a book. I adored the Middle Eastern-inspired aspect of this fantasy (the Buraqi, the landscape, the history), but did not care for the gun-slinging Old West vibe (which I wasn’t keen on in the first place). I liked how badass Amani was, yet at the same time I felt as if I didn’t know her well enough to feel a deep connection to her character, one that singles her out among the other YA fantasy female protagonists. I liked how intricately plotted this was, but on the other hand I felt this was more plot-driven than character-driven (and I’m very much a character-driven reader).

  

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  This qualifies as book 3 of 5 of the “Flights of Fantasy” Challenge, hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Rachel @ Hello, Chelly.

  This book also qualifies as book 3 of 10 library books in 2016. 

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  Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson

  Publisher: Simon & Schuster BFYR
  Published: May 2015 (ppbk)
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★★
  Summary: Before Sloane, Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, and she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—someone who yanks you out of your shell. But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just…disappears. There’s just a random to-do list with thirteen bizarre tasks that Emily would never try. But what if they can lead her to Sloane? Getting through Sloane’s list will mean a lot of firsts, and with a whole summer ahead of her—and with the unexpected help of the handsome Frank Porter—who knows what she’ll find.

  Mini Review: Morgan Matson is another auto-buy/auto-read author for me. Her books tend to be summer-themed with strong friendships at the heart of the story. Though this friendship felt more one-sided to me throughout most of the book, it was still a friendship that propelled Emily’s character growth in a natural way. Without Sloane’s list, Emily would’ve sat at home, bored to tears. This list kicked her butt into gear and created a whirlwind, adventurous summer! What was great about the list (I’m a huge fan of lists) is that even though it’s definitely meant to bring Emily out of her shell and explore, it doesn’t seem outrageous or forced. The cute romance on the side was unassuming, too, and blossomed naturally. Check out my full review (and ice cream and playlist!) over on Lindsey’s blog, Bring My Books!

  

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  This book qualifies as book 3 of 12 of the “Rock My TBR” Challenge, hosted by Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler, in an effort to read more books off my overflowing TBR bookcase.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2016, Rock My TBR | 8 Comments | Tagged books, flights of fantasy, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: young adult, mini review, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “Lady Renegades” by Rachel Hawkins (ARC)

  Posted at 4:45 am by Laura, on March 19, 2016

  Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins

  Publisher: Putnam
  Publishing Date: April 5
  Genre: young adult, contemporary, fantasy
  ISBN: 9780399256950
  Rating: ★★★

  Read my reviews for Rebel Belle (book 1) and Miss Mayhem (book 2) before continuing with this review!

  Overwhelmed by his Oracle powers, David flees Pine Grove and starts turning teenaged girls into Paladins—and these young ladies seem to think that Harper is the enemy David needs protecting from.  Ordinarily, Harper would be able to fight off any Paladin who comes her way, but her powers have been dwindling since David left town, which means her life is on the line yet again.

  Now, it’s a desperate race for Harper to find and rescue David before she backslides from superhero to your garden-variety type-A belle.

  After several weeks of what proves to be a boring, average summer, Harper and Bee begin to wonder just how immediate and threatening David’s powers actually are. They don’t need to wonder for long, because Paladins begin attacking Harper one after another, all claiming David sent them to kill her. Harper and Bee need Blythe’s help to find David before his powers get out of control and Harper’s dwindle away.

  The comedic elements in the trilogy were a bit lost in this final installment (bummer!) and replaced with a quest (road trip) and more magic (thanks, Blythe). Harper’s so caught up in her anxiety — losing her powers, losing David — that a lot of her more humorous one-liners and observations took a backseat. Secondary characters took on the funny lines, so it’s not all doom-and-gloom suddenly in this energetic, Buffy-esque trilogy.

  I’m not quite sure what I expected from Lady Renegades, except that it wasn’t this…and yet it was. I could guess the ending off the bat, but I’m here for the journey. The journey part is what deviated from my expectations. Getting from A to B took some random pit-stops in bizarre places with strange people, with surprises here and there to the plot and general story arc. And while it was odd…it worked. For that, I’m pleased. What is absolutely guaranteed, in this book and the others, is Ladies Kicking Butt. *applause*

  These three girls pile into a car for two weeks and travel across the south to little podunk towns, bars, flee-markets, and motels in their quest to find David. Each stop reveals more clues, which all point in the direction Harper hopes it wouldn’t. Time is ticking before the start of senior year — if Harper actually gets to experience senior year with rogue David on the loose — and Harper’s not sure what the future has in store for her or Pine Grove.

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from GP Putnam’s Sons BFYR for review!

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  This qualifies as book 2 of 5 of the “Flights of Fantasy” Challenge, hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books and Rachel @ Hello, Chelly.

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, Reviews 2016 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, flights of fantasy, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: young adult, review

• #ReRead2016 Book 1: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  Posted at 5:15 am by Laura, on January 21, 2016

  

  Kelly @ Belle of the Literati is hosting a fun challenge for bloggers: The Re-Read Challenge! Not much of a “challenge,” per se, because why wouldn’t you want to re-read and re-experience some of your favorites? Sign up and start re-reading!

  Book #1 of 2016:
  Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

  

  

  

  WHEN I First Read

  June 21, 2003, at approximately 12:15am. I read all day and into the night, finishing just before June 22 and in no state to be by myself at that late hour. Because Sirius.

  WHAT I Remember

  I remember a lot of CAPSLOCK!Harry, a lot of dreams, a lot of dark and scary things, feeling incredibly pissed with Umbridge (so much so I threw my book across the room and left a dent in my wall), and distraught over Sirius. Actually, “distraught” is an understatement. Let’s be honest.

  OotP was an emotional read. Both with all of Harry’s emotions and all of mine after waiting ages for this book.

  HOW I Felt After Re-Reading

  Even more pissed with Umbridge and a little less distraught over Sirius. Here’s why…

  UMBRIDGE — She loves scapegoats. She loves control and order, which is fine and dandy when you have a heart (like McGonagall and Hermione). But because she’s heartless and takes pleasure in others’ pain, she is worse than Voldemort. She also has issues with anyone who is not like her: pureblood, wealthy, pro-government, human. Any half creature (Hagrid, Firenze, Flitwick), any human with extra abilities (Trelawney’s Sight, Harry’s Patronus, Fred and George’s wit), anyone who questioned her judgement with logic or reasoning. She reminds me of closed-minded right-wing politicians, and we all know they make me rage.

  SIRIUS — As an adult rereading OotP for the first time (I reread the others multiple times, but never OotP till now), I can see Sirius’s flaws. I’m not as distraught over him, but he still makes for a great character study. He was a father and a friend for Harry. He was the adult male who was closest to his parents, and therefore a father figure. He was a friend to Harry, because Sirius was not quite up to the task of being a father. Besides, neither one of them knew how to have that father-son relationship, as neither character had a father or son to compare the experience to.

  Sirius is also a hypocrite, but not in a way that makes you hate him. He tells Harry to treat others with kindness, that you know everything about a man based on how he treats those below him. And yet Sirius was cruel to his house elf. I understand why, but it doesn’t quite excuse his behavior. He was also vicious with Snape — and again, I understand why — but Sirius never attempted to try to make peace with Snape as adults. He never tried to trust him like Dumbledore asked of the Order. The Weasleys could do it, Lupin and Tonks could do it. It’s called being civil. But Sirius never was.

  I think Sirius may be one of the most human of characters in the series. He is forever trapped in a time when his friends were young, he’s traumatized by the horrors of Azkaban, he has moments of wisdom and moments of weakness. It’s a tragic life, and I can forgive him for his hypocrisy.

  WOULD I Re-Read Again

  It was an emotional read this time around, too. It may be another 10+ years before I pick it up again, though the rest of the series will always be reread without question.

  What books have you re-read recently?

  Posted in books, Flights of Fantasy, ReRead2016, Reviews 2016 | 17 Comments | Tagged books, flights of fantasy, reread2016

• 2016 Bookish Resolutions & Reading Challenges

  Posted at 3:10 am by Laura, on January 2, 2016

   

  

  READ 50 BOOKS || Easy peasy. I’ve been doing this every year. It’s always a challenge to see if it’ll get done, what with agenting and all. 2016 will be especially difficult because there are a lot of travels planned (and, strangely enough, I don’t read much when I’m traveling).

  READ FEWER ARCs || ARCs are important. I’ll always love receiving them. But I think I hit my max in the number of ARCs to read and review in 2015, and I’d like to take a step back from that in 2016. My primary job is to find new manuscripts — to be the hipster in the publishing industry (cause that’s what agents are!). I’ll be more selective in the ARCs I accept for review, just like how I’m selective in the manuscripts I read.

  REREAD 5 FAVORITES || Last year I made a goal of rereading 10 favorite books, and only managed to complete 3 and nearly finish another. Five seems like a more achievable goal.

  READ 10 LIBRARY BOOKS || I’m debating between making this 10 library books and 15 library books — either way, read more books from the library! One does not need to buy all the new books when you could easily check them out from the library and decide if they’re worth keeping in your own personal library later on. I managed to read 7 books from the library in 2015, so I think 10-15 seems a good range.

  PURCHASE NO MORE THAN 5 NEW BOOKS || This will be the tough one. I could never quite follow the “for every 5 books read, 1 unread book can be purchased” resolution I’d make in previous years, because…well, are ARCs part of the list? Or was it 5 already published books? And because I was wishy washy with the definition, I wouldn’t keep track of the number of books I read and just bought stuff whenever I felt like it. Now I have something to keep track. Only 5 completely-new-to-me, never-been-read-in-any-format-ever-before books.

  Reading Challenges

  This year I’m participating in four reading challenges, all quite naturally. While I have a goal to read fewer ARCs, more library books, and tackling my TBR, these challenges can also keep me in line a bit with all of them.

  

  I’ve told Stacey @ The Pretty Books that I would participate in her Classics Challenge ever since she started this, and two years have gone by and I haven’t kept my word. NOW I WILL! I plan to read at least five classics in 2016, four of the five on my TBR bookcase and one of them I’ve been eyeing for a couple years now. Might as well snag it from the library!

  

  Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books is a massive fantasy fan, and we tend to share similar reading preferences. This year I decided I would join her Flights of Fantasy reading challenge. It’s quite simple: read fantasy books. Well, I have loads of those on my TBR bookcase, so I’m planning to read at least five fantasy books in 2016.

  

  I’m continuing in the Re-Read Challenge in 2016, now hosted solely by Kelly @ Belle of the Literati (because former co-host Hannah @ So Obsessed With will be busy with a little bundle of joy!), and like I said in my resolutions, I plan to re-read five books in 2016.

  

  And last but not least, there’s actually a challenge out there for reading books off your TBR shelves! Sarah @ The YA Book Traveler is hosting the Rock My TBR Challenge, and all you need to do is read at least one book a month off your shelves. I will certainly read more than one a month in 2016.

  As you can see, these challenges will easily overlap with one another. They’re not challenges so much as ways to make me accountable for what I’m resolving to do in 2016. We all need a little something to keep us in line, right?

  What are your bookish resolutions for 2016? Are you participating in any reading challenges (and if so, which ones)?

  Posted in books, Classics Challenge, Flights of Fantasy, ReRead2016, Rock My TBR, Update Post | 18 Comments | Tagged 50 book challenge, books, classics challenge, flights of fantasy, personal, reading, reread2016, resolutions, rock my TBR

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• Hello, I’m Laura!

  I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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