Friends, when I read a book that does not impress me, I'm unafraid to tell you it was crap. Is this one of those books? I wasn't sure at only three chapters in, but if it continued on in the same way, I might have to be breaking the news to you. I wont pretend I have the best taste in books or that I'm particularly well educated or discerning in the world of things you can consume with your eyes. People tend to trust my book opinions for the most part, however, and having said that, well, let's see what happens with this little piece of… fiction. I do read Young Adult novels, which I've capitalised because it is an actual genre of books that doesn't seem to narrow subject matter down to much more than "possibly trite stories about young people that could have a fantastic premise or make young adults feel as though they aren't alone". Spoiler alert, we're all alone... but that doesn't have to be a bad thing. Having finished this book, I can tell you - it got better. It got better to the point that I actually got mad I didn't have the second one, and immediately purchased it on my Kindle so I could keep reading. Don't get me wrong, it's not a literary masterpiece but the characters become compelling once you get past the initial set up and world build, which Dennard does not have a talent for introducing, I'm sad to say. The basic premise of the books is pretty interesting. A world divided into nations, touched by witchery that some have and others do not, and if it isn't registered with the monarchy (and likely signalling that you have something the powers that be must have control of, equaling slavery) then you are automatically branded a heretic. Slavery, poverty, religious fervour are real, pressing concerns and the world has been quieted by a twenty year truce that's about to come to an end... Magic comes in various flavours and strengths. Mostly this is based on well springs of the elements - water, earth, fire, air, but further abilities exist in the vein of being able to tell when people are lying or things are being shrouded in secrecy, or even in the sensing of the interpersonal connections between people, nature, objects, blood tracking, human manipulation... By the time I'd written the above, I had finished the second book. My initial impression of the book is based on an introduction to the characters and world build that seems confusing, a little contradictory and frankly a bit cliche. The first scene we experience from the point of view of what becomes a love interest and major plot point, is based around a prince deciding he cant wait to get out of his formal clothing as a few decorative frills make him feel unmanly. I was reading this at my desk at work and this pissed me off more than it probably should have. I put the book down. My work mate asked me if I was ok. I was annoyed at the way these characters were being established when the whole premise seemed so promising. I realise this makes it sound like I do nothing at work but I'm a call center girl and I have time between calls sometimes to do some reading. I swear, I do work hard when there's work to do! Title: Truthwitch Author: Susan Dennard Published: 2016 Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult Pages: 416 Finish Date: 08/06/2017 Title: Windwitch Author: Susan Dennard Published: 2017 Genre: Fantasy/Young Adult Pages: 384 Finish Date: 10/06/2017 Ultimately, when you're reading standard fantasy YA fiction there's a lot of similar content to contend with and while there are cliche elements to the books so far, there's also a lot of curious interactions between the protagonists and the world around them. They are as close as sisters though polar opposites, and travel very different paths, hiding what they are from the world around them. There's a bit of classic mysticism involved, half-truths and suspicions abound. The characters, once you get a little way into the book, even out, flesh out and start to become interesting in terms of their motivations. The two girls who share the role of protagonist are total opposites. Safiya is the standard pretty blonde girl with good heritage, respect, a hot temper and a secret that threatens her entire way of life. She's an unregistered Truthwitch and is terrified of being enslaved to the sovereignty because her powers are so rare that she would be instantly made a tool of the crown. Her sister, for all intents and purposes, is a member of a Nomatsi clan, you might be able to guess they're essentially nomadic/gypsy type people, though she is an outcast among them. She's a level-headed Threadwitch, one who sees the connections between people, their relationships, their feelings. Eventually these powers grow into something else, a hugely relevant plot point. I know I'm being vague, but it's difficult to reveal things about the story line when so much of it is so relevant and spoiler-y! If you're one of those people who can devour young adult fiction at a rate of knots, then give these ago, you'll like them. I'll give it a six out of ten collectively, I think. Poorly explained foundations but it gets better.
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There must be something in my strange heart that resonates with a mean main character. Jorg of Ancrath (still no idea if that's pronounced like George or with a hard "G" - my inner monologue goes for the phonetic pronunciation) is actually and thoroughly a vicious, black-hearted cur. "In such circumstances, with a heavy blade that's sharp enough to make the wind bleed, you can swing in grand and vicious circles and your only care need be to ensure the weapon isn't locked into the corpse of your last victim. In many ways I had lived most of my life in exactly such a condition, swinging in all directions with no worry about who might die." Jorg is compelling. He is young and blood thirsty because so much horrifying shit happens to him at a young age. From birth he is a victim, not so much of circumstance but a victim of parentage and abuse. He refuses to play the role though, is taught not to care on the outside. This crucible forges a terrifying, clever young man and he rises to a position of power by sheer violence and widespread terror. What's most compelling about him is the way he lays things down for you. All his actions recalled with reason, his violence recounted not from a sense of pride but necessity. He understands pain, loss, fear, death, and he embraces them all as old friends. To never again fall victim he destroys his enemies completely, he does the unthinkable, and in the tightest of spots he makes split second decisions that always manage to surprise me. I like his unpredictability, underneath a mantle of assured violence. "Hurt spreads and grows and reaches out to break what's good. Time heals all wounds, but often it's only by the application of the grave, and while we live some hurts live with us, burning, making us twist and turn to escape them. And as we twist, we turn into other men." Title: Emperor Of Thorns (Book 3) Author: Mark Lawrence Published: 2013 Genre: Fantasy Pages: 434 Finish Date: 02/06/2017 The weirdest and best part of the way Jorg narrates is that he is incredibly insightful. A thoroughly destroyed man, we see him grow from childhood, but he never really changes. We are not particularly aware of him growing physically into a man, nor are we encouraged to think of him as being on any kind of journey to betterment. He is what he is, and that's what I think is the most attractive thing about this type of character. He does what he wants, whatever he thinks best, whatever whim he feels like following in the moment, though of course he does have grand designs and is often motivated by revenge or regret. He is refreshing, shocking, and ultimately... he is torturing himself every step of the way. The setting of the series is a fantasy based universe in Earths future - this is post apocalypse sort of stuff. Some kind of nuclear event has occurred on Earth and now we are so far in the destroyed future of our civilisation that we've gone medieval but there are hints of it everywhere - new forms of old names, defunct technology, Jorg even picks up a gun at one point, though he has no idea what it is or how it works beyond it being weaponry with a trigger. His journey is told in several parts, it is a time-jump and recollection kind of narrative, with effective but subtle cliff hangers at the end of most chapters - Mark Lawrence knows how to work a room. I will not spoil the end for you in case you decide to read this trilogy, but suffice to say that Jorg's path is an obvious one that his iron will does not deviate from... until the last second. I did not see that end coming. Bravo. GOOD PLOT TWIST LAWRENCE, GOOD PLOT TWIST. I've been reading this series for a few years. I started it thanks to the recommendation of a friend who also loves fantasy and medieval stories, but it has taken a long while to finish it. I did at some point get it confused with a different series of books, which is easy to do in this genre, but I have now knocked another series off my goal list. I'd give it a 7 out of 10. THIS IS NOT A REVIEW, FOLKS This, is a post full of stuff you can waste your hard earned money on. I love reading, I love books, I love everything that goes along with the world of print, including the awesome culture that springs up among bibliophiles, casual readers and people with a soft spot for pointless, although rad, bookish themed accessories. Spending a lot of time on the internet and having a full time job means I have just enough time and resources to spend money on things I probably don't need but I do like to show my interests in relatively subtle ways... I prefer to support small businesses where possible which means I shop on Etsy a lot, but I will include other sites in my list because there's a huge market for nerdy things if you've access to the internet and a bank account.
Bookish Pins It's quite likely that I have a problem with buying enamel pins, and while not all of the ones I have are related to books, I'm always on the look out. In researching for this post, I bought two. Crap. I mentioned Fable and Black earlier, their pins are on point, but there's literally a hundred different sellers I could recommend... The one's I've chosen to post today are very generic book related ones, but pick a fandom and run a search - you'll find so much is available! Here's a few favorites you can click on to take you straight to the page. I'm enabling you. Sorry, not sorry. Book Sleeves This is a whole new world, friends. Instead of leather bound books, we throw our paperbacks into our bags or the passenger seat of our cars, leaving them places we shouldn't and generally beating them up. There's something very satisfying about finding a well loved book, a little smudged, a broken spine, well thumbed edges... But now, now you can buy padded little jumpers for your books. There's a few different sellers nowadays, and I've pulled together a few good ones for your perusal.
Bookish Threads & Jewellery There are so many places you could get literary themed clothing. All over eBay, Etsy, little boutique stores, tiny Facebook ads (or is that just me?). Modcloth is a good one, they have all sorts of clothing, shoes and accessories for the bookish inclined. You can get any book entirely printed onto a scarf or t-shirt, and book prints and librarian styles are all the rage. There's a few great places dedicated only to literary gifts The Literary Gift Company - clothes, socks, mugs & candles https://www.theliterarygiftcompany.com/ Bookish Gifts - https://bookishgifts.com Litographs - customisable shirts and scarves - https://www.litographs.com/ Book Lover Gifts - clothing, accessories, home wares, posters - https://booklovergifts.com/ Random Acts Of Poetry - quotable notebooks at her Etsy Shop Literary Art Prints - Customisable jewellery, scarves and tote bags - check out her Etsy Homewares If you're still looking to spread some more lit love throughout your home, there's a million different things you can put in every room of your house but the kitchen is one of my favorites. I have a few magnetic word kits so I can make fridge poetry while I'm waiting for various things to boil or bake, and even when friends come round for tea they have a crack at making something up on the fly. Literary Gift Co. actually have Scrabble tea towels as well, which I tend to think would make me want to play rather than cook, but they're a very cute kitchen addition. I think that you may have enough cool stuff to be getting on with. It's simple enough to type some requests into the search bars of Google, eBay or Etsy and find some truly awesome stuff, and if the prices are something you don't love then you can either shop around, or just save up so you can surround your home space with literary themed joy. Let me know if you've found anything you really like with a bookish theme that you'd recommend to someone - bonus points for small businesses!
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