November is over, and with it, part one of holiday season hell. Oh, and my StoryGraph statistics for my November reading are complete, too. Can’t forget about that; this is a book blog, after all.
Just like for October, I’m going to do a bit of a reading wrap-up talking about my book stats, a la The StoryGraph. This includes my reading moods, genres, page count, et cetera. So, let’s get started!
To begin, I’m going to highlight three pie charts: my moods, pace, and page number. Regarding the moods (the pie graph in the middle), they were adventurous, mysterious, and lighthearted. That’s one mood up from October! Woohoo. I also read more books this past month, so that also probably affected the stats here. I think you guys can get an inkling of the energy I like in my books.
For the pacing, it can be inferred from the graph on the left that I most likely enjoy fast-paced novels the best. Which is… absolutely correct! I just like their flow, and how, even though the characters still have time to have a few moments to reflect, the plot really keeps chugging along.
Regarding page count, it’s obvious from the rightmost pic that I enjoy primarily average length novels. Nothing too long or too short – something juuusst right.
For this section, I’ll be discussing three more graphs: genres, format, and the fiction/nonfiction ratio. Looking at the bar graph in the middle, you can see that I really, really love fantasy. Which is totally me – it is absolutely, hands down, my favorite genre ever. I just can’t get enough of it. The rest of it is a little more all over the place, so it’s a bit harder to identify what other stuff on the graph I like, so I’ll just tell you. Just this once. (Probably.) I primarily read YA and NA (I know, you totally can’t tell from my book reviews, haha), with the occasional adult or middle-grade book here and there. I read books for the story first, and what section I found it in the bookstore second, though. I also really like sci-fi and horror, though this graph doesn’t indicate that nearly as much (or at all).
For the format, print all the way! I’m just not an audiobook kind of person. Like, I’ve given it a shot a couple of times, and it just didn’t do it for me. I like to do the heavy lifting myself when it comes to reading books. No offense to you audiobook lovers out there or anything.
Concerning the fic/nonfic ratio, it more often than not gonna be mostly – if not completely, as seen on the pie chart on the right – fiction. Occasionally, I will however, read a nonfiction book of sorts. Occasionally.
And here we are, the last two graphs. Two lovely bar graphs, one for star ratings and one for pages per day. For the star rating graph, you can see my average is 3.75 stars. Almost a perfect 4 star average! But I just didn’t like The Conjurer all that much, so they really brought the average down.
As for the pages per day graph, it can be seen that I really picked up reading the second half of November. (The first half was just busier, okay?!?) At the end there, though, I really pick up on the book consumption. Like, it really spikes right after Thanksgiving.
And now that we’re finished with all these stats, let’s get into the actual books that I finished last month. Without further ado…
The Conjurer by Nick Oliveri
This book is about a guy named Mikalla, who works as the Conjurer to the king of Idaza. Throughout the novel, he discovers a terrible plot, and the majority of the book deals with his struggle with serving his kingdom, and with what he believes to be right. As well as a lot of extraneous bullcrap.
Those who have been reading some of my book reviews for a couple of weeks now know just how I feel about this book. I won’t spoil anything for anyone, since it’s technically my first book roast (though I really wish it wasn’t – I really wanted to like this one). I gave this 1.5 / 5 stars. Check out the full review here.
In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens
This book is about a prince named Tal who’s going on his coming of age kingdom tour. Through all of the crazy stuff that ends up happening, he encounters a mysterious boy named Athlen. Who is definitely not a merman. Definitely not. More stuff happens, they bond, you might be able to figure out the rest. (I know this is a bit vague, but I like to be as spoiler free as possible.)
I gave this 4 / 5 stars, so I totally liked it. Come read the full review here, if you haven’t already.
The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding [Prosper Redding #1] by Alexandra Bracken
Prosper Redding is the disappointment to the Redding family; as in, he’s a bit of a disaster. (He’s good at art, but unfortunately, no one cares about that. A-holes.) His family’s disdain for him comes to a head two weeks before his thirteenth birthday, where it is revealed that he has the demon, Alastor, Prince of Friends, sharing his body with him. And it all devolves from there.
It was my favorite book that I read in November. I rated it 5 / 5 stars. Check out the full review (if you haven’t yet) here.
The Last Life of Prince Alastor [Prosper Redding #2] by Alexandra Bracken
After the ending of the first novel, Prosper and Alastor must learn to work together, if they want to save the things that they love. But can they? This is really short, but it is a sequel, so I want to keep spoilers to the bare minimum.
I haven’t posted my review for this book yet, but know that I gave it 4.5 / 5 stars. Still a great book, but I liked the first one a little more. The book review for this is coming soon.
And that’s a wrap for the November 2022 Reading Wrap-Up. What books did you read last month? What did you think of them? Thanks for reading and have a wonderful day/night!
It’s that time of the week again, so it’s time for some more Shelf Control. Shelf Control is an original feature created and hosted by Lisa @ BookshelfFantasies.com.
It’s a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out BookshelfFantasies.com.
This time, I’m talking about a sci-fi novel that’s been on my shelf for a hot minute. It’s called Goddess in the Machine by Lora Beth Johnson.
Not only that, but she’s in a hot, dirty cave, it’s the year 3102, and everyone keeps calling her Goddess. When Andra went into a cryonic sleep for a trip across the galaxy, she expected to wake up in a hundred years, not a thousand. Worst of all, the rest of the colonists–including her family and friends–are dead. They died centuries ago, and for some reason, their descendants think Andra’s a deity. She knows she’s nothing special, but she’ll play along if it means she can figure out why she was left in stasis and how to get back to Earth.
Zhade, the exiled bastard prince of Eerensed, has other plans. Four years ago, the sleeping Goddess’s glass coffin disappeared from the palace, and Zhade devoted himself to finding it. Now he’s hoping the Goddess will be the key to taking his rightful place on the throne–if he can get her to play her part, that is. Because if his people realize she doesn’t actually have the power to save their dying planet, they’ll kill her.
With a vicious monarch on the throne and a city tearing apart at the seams, Zhade and Andra might never be able to unlock the mystery of her fate, let alone find a way to unseat the king, especially since Zhade hasn’t exactly been forthcoming with Andra. And a thousand years from home, is there any way of knowing that Earth is better than the planet she’s woken to?
Why It Languishes on my Bookshelf
When I Got It: July 2021
Why I Wanted to Read It: It seemed like a cool sci-fi YA novel with an interesting presence. I love it when science fiction, or when science-fantasy, has technology that seems like magic, because most of the characters don’t actually understand what it is. It just usually makes for a compelling and interesting story.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: I had lots of stuff going on at the time, so I pushed it off to the side for a while. Then I got distracted by other books when I had less stuff going on, and the rest is history.
Will I Ever Read It?: Hmmm… I’m not sure actually. I still kinda want to, in the back of my brain, but I honestly don’t know. Maybe someday soon when I’m feeling a sci-fi novel again.
And that’s it for this week’s Shelf Control! Have you read this book? What did you think of it? As always, thanks for reading, and join me next time for some more bookish things.
It’s the end of the weekend again, so it’s time for another wrap-up of everything added to the blog this past week.
Just as a nice little post in which we can look back on the past week, as well as a place for those who missed posts during the week, to have the opportunity to find and check them out, in an easy and accessible way.
Monday 11/21: Majestic Monday #3
This Monday was, as usual, a majestic one. For the first time, we looked at three pretty book covers instead of just one.
This week, those books were Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson, Gild by Raven Kennedy, and A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher. All of them were beautiful, but in different ways. This week was also the first one where the covers were all given star ratings on just how pretty they were. Check out the full post here.
Tuesday 11/22: “In Deeper Waters” Review
On Tuesday, I reviewed the book In Deeper Waters by F. T. Lukens. It was a Little Mermaid inspired, high fantasy novel. It centers on Prince Tal and Athlen, a mysterious young man who’s definitely not a merman. But it’s also about rediscovering familial bonds, and just how powerful love in all forms, can be. Check out the full review here.
Wednesday 11/23: Shelf Control #4
And then, the middle of the week rolled around, and it was once again time for Shelf Control. After all, it was Wednesday. This week, I focused on To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo.
It’s a book that’s been on my bookshelf for a couple of years, that I haven’t gotten around to reading. It also happens to be another Little Mermaid inspired novel. But it’s not one I’m sure I’ll ever read. You can see the full post here.
Thursday 11/24: Thanksgiving, Favorite Cookbooks
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Er, late Thanksgiving, that is. But I said it in the original post on Thursday, so it totally counts! For Turkey Day this year, I did a post about my top three cookbooks. Because it’s, ya know, a holiday about food? So I thought it’d be “tasteful.” (…LAUGH!)
Anyway, my favorite cookbooks that I included were, The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook by Rosanna Pansino, Betty Crocker’s Cookbook [12th Edition] by Betty Crocker, and Tasty Dessert: All the Sweet You Can Eat by Tasty. You can check out the entire post here.
Friday 11/25: Books I’m Thankful For
I didn’t think of it until after I finished the Thanksgiving post, but I wanted to do a post about books that I’m thankful for, nonetheless. So on Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I did just that.
The book – or books, in this case – that I focused on this year, was the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne. These stories in particular are precious to me, because this is the series that got me into reading. Check out my soliloquy to these books here.
Saturday 11/26: “The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding” Review
On Saturday, I did another book review. This time it was on the first book in the Prosper Redding duology by Alexandra Bracken: The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding. This was a fun little romp that I recommend to people of most ages. It has magic, witches, demons, and character development. What more could you want? Check out the full review here.
Sunday 11/27: Weekly Wrap-Up, Goals for Next Week
I had wanted to do another post today, but with the holiday and all that, I was just far too busy, and I didn’t have the time. So, for today, it’s just the wrap-up and goals for next week. But first I want to go over the goals from last week that I met:
Post 2 or 3 book reviews
Majestic Monday
Shelf Control
Something Thanksgiving themed
I was able to meet every goal except posting a reading retrospective. Yay!
And the goals for the week of 11/28 – 12/4 are:
Post 2 or 3 book reviews
Do 1 or 2 retrospectives
Majestic Monday
Shelf Control
Something new, maybe
Aaand that’s a wrap! Thanks for joining me for this post, and for any of the posts from the past week! Join me next post for more bookish things.
It’s a day late, technically, (unless you’re one of those individuals that does Thanksgiving on Black Friday) but I wanted to start a series where, every year on, or very close to, Thanksgiving, I do a post thanking a book from my past.
So today, I’m gonna talk about the one that started it all: the book that got me into reading. If I’m being perfectly honest, though, it’s actually a series. Anyway, I’m gonna sing the praises of the Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne.
The first four books in the Magic Treehouse series, in chronological order from left to right.
Read the #1 bestselling chapter book that started it all! Magic. Mystery. Time-travel. Get whisked back in time in the magic tree house with Jack and Annie!
Where did the tree house come from?
Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark…or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner?
The Magic Tree House series has been a beloved favorite for over 25 years and is sure to inspire a love of reading—and adventure—in every child who joins Jack and Annie!
Why I’m So Thankful for This Book (Series)
These books are very, very special to me. I hold them extremely close to my heart, despite the fact that I haven’t even spared any of them a passing glance in years. But I’ve never forgotten what this series has done for me as a writer, and most especially, as a reader.
The Magic Treehouse series not only ignited my passion for reading at a young age, but it also defined my favorite genre to read. Fantasy. I’m pretty sure these novels are considered “gateway” novels, as in, they are stories that get people into reading, and I completely agree.
I’m gonna tell you a little secret. Before I read Magic Treehouse, I actually hated reading. In like first grade, when my teacher made us do those reading exercises during free time after a test or something, or if we just had time allotted to it during that particular day, I would cheat. I would pretend to read the little booklets and then pretend to answer the questions that came with it (they were never collected or graded by the teacher). I would also frequently avoid reading most books if I could help it. They just weren’t engaging to me for some reason.
But then, everything changed when one day, on a whim, I picked up the first installment of the Magic Treehouse books, Dinosaurs Before Dark. And I’m not exaggerating at all when I say this book, and beyond it, this entire series, changed my life entirely. Mary Pope Osborne’s (very child friendly) prose enraptured my mind completely.
I was stunned. Before this, I had thought reading to be a chore; I didn’t find it fun in any sense of the word. But Magic Treehouse taught me that reading could be fun. It gave me hope that perhaps other books could invoke the same excitement and interest as this one. Books were no longer boring to me. Now, they were my favorite activity. I was soon reading every chance I had. And eventually, inspired by my newfound, lifelong love for books, I acquired the strong desire to craft things with my own words. And I owe all of this to this series.
So thank you, Mary Pope Osborne, for creating such fantastic stories. For encouraging me, and thousands of other young readers, to give reading a shot. For showing us how absolutely wonderful reading could be. Thank you, so very much. I would not be the person that I am today without your stories. And I hope they remain as accessible as they were for me, for a very long time. So that new generations of young children, who are uninterested in reading, to pick up a book and dive into an adventure.
Sooo… for Thanksgiving, I decided to do something a little different. Instead of a book review or a post about book covers or something, I’m going to be listing my favorite cookbooks. My top three specifically (in no particular order).
See, this is something y’all might not have realized about me (mostly because I’ve never mentioned it before, ever), but I love to cook and bake stuff. And what better way to celebrate today’s post? Ya know, since it’s a holiday about food and all. Anyway, here we go!
The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook by Rosanna Pansino
I have to make a confession. I haven’t made as much stuff from this book as I would’ve liked. And that’s on me. I’m a bit of a novice at baking certain stuff, particularly some of the pastry chef level stuff in here, so I’ve shied away from some of the more complex recipes.
But the ones that I have tried are delicious, and they’re some of the most ingeniously nerdy things I’ve ever seen. I love this cookbook.
Cookbook Description
The first cookbook from the creator and host of the internet’s most popular baking show, Nerdy Nummies: a collection of Rosanna Pansino’s all-time favorite geeky recipes as well as sensational new recipes exclusive to this book.
The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook is quirky, charming, and fun, featuring the recipes behind Rosanna Pansino’s celebrated, one-of-a-kind creations, as well as beautiful, mouthwatering photographs throughout. It is the perfect companion that you’ll turn to whenever you want to whip up a delicious treat and be entertained all at once. And best of all, these treats are as simple as they are fun to make! No need for costly tools or baking classes to create these marvelous delights yourself.
The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook combines two things Rosanna loves: geek culture and baking. Her fondness for video games, science fiction, math, comics, and lots of other things considered “nerdy” have inspired every recipe in this book. You’ll find the recipes for many beloved fan favorites from the show, such as Apple Pi Pie, the Chocolate Chip Smart Cookie, and Volcano Cake; as well as many new geeky recipes, such as Dinosaur Fossil Cake, Moon Phase Macarons, and the Periodic Table of Cupcakes. The Nerdy Nummies Cookbook showcases Rosanna’s most original and popular creations, and each recipe includes easy-to-follow photo instructions and a stunning shot of the finished treat in all its geeky glory: a delicious confection sure to please the geek in all of us!
Betty Crocker Cookbook [12th Edition] by Betty Crocker
Now this one is a classic. It’s a cookbook that almost everyone uses, and if they don’t own a copy of one of the editions, then they probably use some of the Betty Crocker recipes that are online. And hey, there’s a reason for that: these recipes work. Really well. (For me at least. I’ve never had a problem.)
Everything that I’ve made from these cookbooks has been delicious, and these recipes have been used by my family for generations. But why wouldn’t they? After all, these recipes are dependable and delicious.
Cookbook Description
Now available in a comb-bound format, the 12th edition of a trusted favorite, with everything the home cook needs to cook confidently, fully updated for a newer generation.
This is the book home cooks have come to trust; the 12th edition of the Betty Crocker Cookbook, with updated recipes, new photography, plus expanded and new chapters to meet the needs of today’s home cooks. With 1,500 recipes and variations, and more than 1,000 photos, this colorful new edition packs a punch. How-to step-by-step photos show rather than simply tell how to get great results. The new Technique features explain fully the concepts behind techniques such as braising, deglazing, and hot water–bath canning. A Make-Ahead feature shows how to make a batch of one item and use it various ways. And a Global Flavors ingredient ID introduces new ingredients by region. Now available in a convenient comb-bound edition, this classic is destined to be the most-used book in the kitchen.
Tasty Dessert: All the Sweet You Can Eat by Tasty
This one is one of my newer acquisitions, but it’s just as good as the others. Filled with simple and more complex dessert recipes alike, this is a decent baking book for most cooks out there. The desserts are gorgeous and delicious, and if that’s not a reason to absolutely love this book, then I don’t know what is.
Cookbook Description
75 sweet treats from Tasty to inspire, delight, and satisfy any level of home baker.
Ready to rise from baking newbie to MVP? Tasty Dessert gives you the lowdown on baking basics, from building a fuss-free pantry to mastering easy-as-pie twists on old favorites. You’ll stuff, layer, frost, and meringue your way to the cherry on top of pretty much every meal. If Confetti Birthday Soufflé, No-Bake 16-Layer S’mores Cake, and Sour Cherry Fritters don’t float your boat (are you feeling ok?), here are 75 recipes for any hankering, mood, or occasion, whether you’re jonesing for a sugar adventure with friends or having a late-night dessert emergency. Just don’t forget to save a piece of it for yourself.
So yeah, these are my favorite cookbooks. You’re probably noticing a bit of a theme already with just these three, but I like baking. And I’m a nerd. I haven’t included a star rating for all of these, not because they’re cookbooks, and this is different from what I usually review. No, it’s because they all get five perfect stars from me, and I felt it would be a little redundant.
I definitely recommend these for those who like cooking or baking, or if you’re a geek. They’re must-haves for your kitchen library.
Do you own any of these? Is the one you own the Betty Crocker? What do you think of their recipes? Thanks, as always, for reading with me, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving if you’re in America. Happy Holidays!
It’s Wednesday once again, so it’s time for some more Shelf Control. Shelf Control is an original feature created and hosted by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out this post on BookshelfFantasies.com.
This week, I’m talking about a breakout YA fantasy debut that’s come out within the last few years. And, to my knowledge, it’s still relatively popular, I haven’t checked or anything though. It’s To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo.
About To Kill a Kingdom
Series: Standalone novel
Length: 346 pages
Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: March 6, 2018
Book Description
Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most–a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen and or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby–it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good–But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?
Why It Languishes on My Bookshelf
When I Got It: July 2021
Why I Wanted to Read It: Because it looked interesting. And it had mermaids. I love mermaids.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: This was a huge impulse buy. I decided that I wasn’t really that interested in reading it a few days after I got it, actually.
Will I Ever Read It?: Probably not. Like I said, I lost interest pretty quickly.
Have you read To Kill a Kingdom? What did you think of it? Have you read any of the author’s other work?
Thank you, as always, for joining me for this Shelf Control. Next post will (as usual) have more bookish things!
This was one of the lessons his mother wanted him to learn on his journey. This was his coming-of-age.
About This Book
Length: 312 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, LGBTQIA+
Release Date: April 20, 2022
Book Description
Prince Tal has long awaited his coming-of-age tour. After spending most of his life cloistered behind palace walls as he learns to keep his forbidden magic secret, he can finally see his family’s kingdom for the first time. His first taste of adventure comes just two days into the journey, when their crew discovers a mysterious prisoner on a burning derelict vessel.
Tasked with watching over the prisoner, Tal is surprised to feel an intense connection with the roguish Athlen. So when Athlen leaps overboard and disappears, Tal feels responsible and heartbroken, knowing Athlen could not have survived in the open ocean.
That is, until Tal runs into Athlen days later on dry land, very much alive, and as charming—and secretive—as ever. But before they can pursue anything further, Tal is kidnapped by pirates and held ransom in a plot to reveal his rumored powers and instigate a war. Tal must escape if he hopes to save his family and the kingdom. And Athlen might just be his only hope…
My Review
★★★★☆ • 4 / 5 stars
He wouldn’t give in. His magic surged and ebbed like the waves that rocked the vessel, but he didn’t release it. Though he burned from the inside with hot embers, he wouldn’t give Zeph the satisfaction or the leverage. That piece of himself would remain his own.
This was a fun book. Fast-paced, fairytale-like, and full of good character development.
I enjoyed the two main characters, Tal and Athlen, as well as their dynamic with one another. I liked Tal’s character arc, in they he started as a bit of a naive and spoiled prince, but really grows responsible an courageous as the story goes on.
I liked how mysterious Athlen felt to Tal and the others he interacted with (at first), even though it was obvious from even the book’s synopsis that he’s clearly a merman. His banter and his dynamic personality were also pretty engaging.
“I’m glad it’s you because you are a good person. You can be a little shit sometimes, but out of the five of us, you have the softest heart. It’s a good attribute to have when wielding so much power.”
The biggest highlight of In Deeper Waters, for me, was all the family bonding going on. It doesn’t happen as much until the second half (spoiler?), but it was super heartwarming whenever it happened in the novel. I loved how funny Tal’s oldest brother Garrett was, and how kind his other brother Kest was. Kest was also an adorable bird shifter.
Isa, Tal’s older sister and future queen, was smart and supportive to him, and his younger sister, Corrie, was, as the book describes it: “a spitfire.” But all of the siblings had their own amount of sass, including Tal himself, and I adored it whenever it appeared on the page. I love sarcasm.
“I’ve got you.”
“I know.” His breath was cool on Tal’s neck. “For how long?”
“Until you tell me to let go.”
I felt that the romance between Tal and Athlen wasn’t too rushed (like insta-love) but that it wasn’t a slow-burn either. Which was something I found to be refreshing, as for most books it’s either one or the other. It got a bit rushed towards the ending, but so did a few things.
“The world isn’t kind,” Tal said […] “But that doesn’t mean I can’t be.”
Yeah… The villains and the climax weren’t great. The villains were pretty bland, which isn’t always too bad, but I usually like antagonists to have at least either an interesting backstory or personality. And no, it doesn’t have to be tragic or make the villain more sympathetic. I just want them to be slightly interesting. And these antagonists weren’t too interesting.
Zeph was a bit of a boring minor villain, but we didn’t really get to know much about her, and, she failed to be more dynamic in my eyes. And the true antagonist was even worse. Clearly, this was more of a protagonist driven story, even the plot was slightly secondary to this.
And the climax! UGH! It kinda sucked, if I’m being honest. It moved far too fast, one thing constantly happening after another, and it was a little annoying. I’m not gonna spoil anything for anyone though. And hey, the epilogue chapter was really sweet, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, so I’ll give it that.
Anyways, this book was pretty decent, and I definitely recommend it to those who enjoy fantasy, romance, fairytales, and rep. (And man was the rep good!)
Have you read In Deeper Waters? What did you think of it? Thanks for tuning in!
It’s Wednesday once again, so it’s time for some more Shelf Control. Shelf Control is an original feature created and hosted by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies.
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration of the unread books on our shelves. Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more info on what Shelf Control is all about, check out BookshelfFantasies.com.
This week, I’m talking about a popular YA fantasy book from a few years back. Well, it’s probably still pretty popular, I haven’t checked or anything though. It’s An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir.
About An Ember in the Ashes
Series: An Ember in the Ashes [Book #1]
Length: 480 pages
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia
Release Date: April 28, 2015
Book Description
Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free. Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear. It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do. But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy. There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.
Why It Languishes on My Bookshelf
When I Acquired It: October 2017
Why I Wanted to Read It: The book had good reviews, and many of the people around me at the time kept singing its praises.
Why I Haven’t Read It Yet: When I got the book, life happened, and I kinda forgot about it for quite a while. By the time I remembered that I had it, I’d lost interest in it.
Will I Ever Read It?: I honestly don’t know. I’ve heard different reviews since then that have turned me off from it a little, and the stuff I’ve heard about the plot and characters just doesn’t seem like my cup of tea. Who knows, though?
Have you read An Ember in the Ashes? What did you think of it? Or is your copy languishing on your shelf, just like mine? As always, thanks for tuning in!
Well, it’s Monday again. So it’s once again time to admire pretty looking book covers. That’s it, that’s what this is.
Anyway, it’s Majestic Monday!
This week, instead of bubbly blue and pretty pink, the cover that I’m highlighting is green and gold.
This Monday it’s Savage Lands by Stacey Marie Brown.
Savage Lands • Stacey Marie Brown
Series: Savage Lands [Book #1]
Length: 425 pages
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
Publication: Self-published [October 20, 2020]
Book Description
Almost twenty years after the barrier between Earth and the Otherworld fell in the Fae Wars, Budapest is balancing on the precipice. A battle for dominance is brewing between the elite fae and the privileged humans in Eastern Europe. The prejudice between the sides is bubbling with hate and violence.
Nineteen-year-old human, Brexley, has grown up in privilege, but not without heartbreak. After being orphaned, she is taken in by General Markos, living in a walled city rife with power grabs and ruthless political games. Then one night the course of her life changes, and Brexley is thrown into the most feared prison in the east. Halalhaz, the House of Death—where you go in but don’t come out. She must learn to live with the worst of fae and human criminals. The rule of hierarchy puts humans on the bottom, where the only way to survive each day is to make alliances with the fae.
Here she meets the sexy, vicious legend, Warwick Farkas. A myth among man and fae. He is as brutal, cruel, arrogant, and as lethal as the lore says he is, ruling the prison with unchallenged authority. Brexley can’t deny an intense draw to him, one that might cost her life. If The Games don’t take her out first—A fight to the death where only one survives.
*This series is set in the same world as the Darkness>Collector>Lightness Saga, but can be read alone. Though, there are a lot of hidden gems from the other books in here!
To start off, this cover is gorgeous – obviously (it wouldn’t be on this list if it wasn’t). I love how boldly the gold stands out atop the green. I also love how the lettering transforms into flames at the top – it makes the cover look feral and untamed.
I adore how the castle looks near the bottom. Once again, the gold stands out beautifully on the green. The emerald shade of the green is so pretty, as well. The entire thing looks so rich and magical. It really evokes the thought “This is a fantasy novel,” super well. Like, you can definitely tell that this book has fairies in it.
This book looks like it has a fairly decent premise, and it has good reviews (however that doesn’t always mean anything, as The Conjurer taught us last week). It’ll probably be something that fans of A Court of Thorns and Roses series would like, though, so if you’re into that, I have a feeling that this is probably your type of book. I’ve decided to start rating how good I think the covers are, beginning with Savage Lands. So, here it is:
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 4 out of 5.
× 4 / 5 stars
And so ends another Majestic Monday. I’m thinking of doing a few books, like three or something, starting next week. One just doesn’t feel like enough to me, for whatever reason.
So anyway, what do you think of this Savage Lands’ cover? Have you read it or any of its sequels? As always, thanks for reading!
Publication: Write My Wrongs LLC [December 8, 2021]
Book Description
In the thriving kingdom of Idaza, Mikalla is the adored Conjurer, the nation’s chief storyteller, using the shadows cast by the city’s glorious ceremonial flame.
But death awaits around every corner. Addiction rattles the king. Trauma haunts the nobility and their conflicting motives. Murder happens, but to find out who succumbs to it is a journey the reader must take alone through the halls and palaces of the glorious Inner Gardens.
With a beautiful family and his position as one of King Oro’s favorite courtiers, Mikalla’s life is perfect. That is, until the king commands him to deliver a deadly message—one that will inevitably end in bloodshed and a war-torn Idaza.
With King Oro’s minions—Secretary Kitan and General Jax—skulking in the wings, Mikalla doesn’t know who to trust. Worse, he isn’t sure who’s really pulling the strings behind this political charade.
Betrayal and murder lie in the shadows Mikalla has always used to captivate the masses.
Will the flames reveal the truth hidden within the twisted schemes, or will Mikalla rise to his government’s call? Mikalla, the Conjurer, must realize his choices alone hold the power to change Idaza—to change everything.
My Review
★✬✩✩✩ • 1.5 / 5 stars (I’m sorry… ☹️)
This book… Unfortunately, I have things to say about this book, and most of them aren’t good. I feel terrible about it, because I hate rating stuff one star – and I’ve never done it for a book before – but I just couldn’t justify rating it any higher.
I have things to say about all kinds of things, from the plot, to the characters, to the dialogue, to the prose itself. Because of this, I’ll be doing something I haven’t really done before here: I’m going to be breaking this review into different sections. It’ll all be one review, don’t worry, I’m just talking about the formatting. Cuz I want everything to be clear (unlike this book).
And I really don’t want to dunk on it too much, since it’s a debut novel and all – and I firmly believe that all writers can improve – but I will be presenting my points as criticisms. I’m not flaming or anything – I promise! I always aim to be my best self, even on the internet – and I am intending absolutely no offense whatsoever. Think of these as some critiques! 😁
The Pros
I thought I’d start off this review on a brighter light. To start with, I actually really like the cover. It’s pretty simple, and some might not find it to be eye-catching, but I honestly did. It’s actually what attracted me to The Conjurer in the first place. I love the way that the red looks on the white background, and how there’s only occasionally a bit of black used for the shadow puppets. It really makes them stand out all the more. I also like how the red fire underneath the puppets appears to be creeping upwards – it makes the threat juxtaposed against Mikalla’s morality seem dangerous.
The other thing that I really liked, were some of the lines. The opening line in particular is pretty good, and it’s the quote I used at the top of my review. It really boils the core of the story down to one line in a fantastic way. There were other good lines though:
He was the caster of narrative whimsy, the creator of the gods.
and
He entrenched his audience in the characters’ lives. He swept them up in the torrent of the plot. And then, awash in the rapids of the story, he spat the audience out of the cyclone and left them transformed.
I also quite liked the first chapter. It was the part of the novel where the writing was strongest. (The writing, unfortunately, went downhill from there.) In fact, it’s where I found most of my favorite lines, including all of the quotes above.
It’s a shame I didn’t have anything else that I liked, because I was pretty excited about reading this book, as the plot looked promising and it had good reviews. But I just didn’t gel with most of what this book had.
The Cons
Part I: The Writing (or Prose – Whichever You Prefer)
It’s not that great. I hate to say it, but it really isn’t. To me at least. Maybe I’m completely wrong and this book is actually amazing. I don’t know. The only thing I can say for sure is that the writing in this book definitely wasn’t for me.
First off, the POV is all over the place. Like, in the same chapter, the POV will suddenly shift from one character to another, without even a divider, or even extra space between paragraphs. It was very disjointed and felt as if the author was attempting 3rd Person Limited and 3rd Person Omniscient at the exact same time, which sorry, but it’s just not possible.
To elaborate, what I mean is it’ll stay on one character in 3rd Person Limited, and then abruptly transition to another character and be slightly more omniscient. And sometimes, in a character’s limited POV they’ll notice something about another character’s thoughts or expressions that this particular character shouldn’t know, and is clearly for the reader’s benefit.
A good example of this is when the King of Idaza, Oro, is having a discussion with his advisor, Kiten, and then they break off and Kiten walks away from the king. This is in Oro’s POV by the way. Anyway, Kiten walks away from the king, completely facing away from the king, by the way, and then he smirks to himself. There is no way that King Oro can possibly see this, so how is Kiten smirking in Oro’s POV? Or is it somehow Kiten’s POV now?
And don’t even get me started on some of the descriptions in this book. The way the author chooses to describe certain things boggles my mind. Also, the similes and metaphors don’t make sense.
I guess I’ll get into the grammar a little bit. There’s several run-on sentences, incorrect use of tenses, and missing punctuation, among other things. I really, really hate to say this, but it really felt like a first draft or something, not a book ready to go. But yeah, here’s a quote that’s kind of all over the place in terms of tense, and it also doubles as being a poor metaphor:
The next morning, Oro sat on his throne like fungi sitting atop the moss of a tree.
I’m not going to say anything specific about this quote, you can make any and all judgements on your own. I also don’t want to start getting nitpicky about anything, as this review is already ludicrously long. (Sorry about that.)
Part II: The Plot
The plot was probably the least egregious part of the novel. Even though the synopsis embellishes it a little, it is accurate. Now, I didn’t end up enjoying the story as much as I’d hoped, but that part’s on me. Nothing against the storytelling itself. So good on the author for that! You did good there author!
There was an odd dream sequence about halfway through that I didn’t really get. I guess it was supposed to be Mikalla, the main character’s, subconscious realization that that something was very wrong in his personal life, even if he wouldn’t accept it outwardly. But it was a little confusing, and it really came out of nowhere, and I wasn’t really sure why it was there at all.
Part III: The Characters
I didn’t like any of them. Mikalla wasn’t a compelling protagonist. Characters in the book often describe him as a child in a thirty-eight year old man’s body (not in those exact words), and I can’t say that they’re wrong, unfortunately. I think that the author was trying to go for a free spirit who has a strong moral compass, and will do the right thing at the cost of everything. The moral compass aspect came across decently, but everything else didn’t really. He’s also incredibly indecisive and nervous most of the time, despite his very high station. Also, it should be noted that Mikalla is not like other guys: he was born on the lower end of nobility so he’s not as much of an ignoramus as the rest of them.
King Oro was probably the worst character in the book, though. I don’t understand how this man hasn’t passed away from alcohol poisoning already, because every scene he’s in – and not just the ones from his POV either – he’s constantly drinking. Constantly. And also, he’s incredibly lazy and idiotic, which I understand was probably the point, but it still stinks. Like, I get that he was supposed to be essentially a puppet king, with his advisor making the real decisions from behind his shoulder, but Oro was comically incompetent. He couldn’t do anything on his own. And yes, there was a bit of a backstory for this in the last third of the book, but it didn’t help me sympathize with him at all. At some point in your life, you just need to start adulting, and he never does. (It should be noted that characters often describe him as an overgrown child, just like Mikalla.)
Kiten and Jani, Mikalla’s wife, also suck. Kiten is a weak antagonist (that’s not a spoiler, it’s obvious from the second he’s introduced), and he was only able to function that way in any capacity, was because everyone else around him was obscenely stupid and obtuse. Jani was annoying and she was clearly out to get Mikalla (that’s not a spoiler, it’s obvious from the second she’s introduced), and was an even weaker antagonist. Near the end, the author attempts to show that she has empathy and perhaps make her seem as more of a grayer character, but it just doesn’t work – she’d been established as something else for the entire novel until that point, with the empathy thing coming out of nowhere. Also, and this applies to both Kiten and Jani, their motivations didn’t feel very strong. I didn’t get a sense that either of them loved Idaza as much as they claimed they did.
The other characters didn’t matter and were extremely bland.
Part IV: The Dialogue
Oh, the dialogue… 😮💨 It wasn’t consistent at all.And some of the language used just did not fit the character using it. Like, King Oro would say “guys” all the time when talking to a group and it doesn’t sound very… kingly.
Don’t get me wrong, it can definitely work to have a ruler or leader speak like this, especially to their close friends, but this book allegedly takes place in an ancient time, though whether in a fantasy world or otherwise is unclear. So it was kinda weird to read Millennial speak coming out of some ancient king’s mouth. As well as everyone else’s. It just felt extremely unprofessional to me, and it really took me out of the story.
Part V: The Setting
I wasn’t originally going to do a Part 5, but as I was writing this review, I remembered that there were a few problems with the setting. It’s labeled as ancient historical literary fiction, but the prose makes this unclear. It’s a mish-mash of ancient culture and indoor plumbing. No, I’m not kidding: some of the nobles have plumbing. Because of this, it reads more as a fantasy novel to me, but without any magic. There’s nothing wrong with the literary fiction part of its genre classification though – that works perfectly fine.
TW: graphic descriptions of regurgitation, extreme alcohol addiction, war and violence
And that’s all I’ve got to say about The Conjurer. I desperately wanted to like this book, guys. Like I say near the beginning of my review (way, way up there), I was genuinely looking forward to this book, and perhaps that’s why I was so disappointed by the end of it. I feel horrible about one and a half star-ing it, but I just don’t feel like I could put it higher. It wouldn’t be true to my feelings, and I don’t want to display any falsehoods on that front. Ever.
I still encourage anyone who thinks the synopsis looks interesting to give it a shot, as the problem could have just been me, and the book might not be as much as fault as I feel it is.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start reading Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima. Thanks everyone, as always, for tuning in, and have a fantastic day/night!
