Litsy

willaful

Bloodmarked | Tracy Deonn

8 likes

Writeme

Onyx Storm | Rebecca Yarros

pick

Wowza! It took me the fist 1/4 of the book to remember what happened in book 3, and I‘m not entirely sure what happened at the end of this one, but I enjoyed the ride. Wish book 4 was available now!

5 likes

monalyisha

The Snow Spider | Jenny Nimmo

so-so

In college, I took a course called Celtic Christianity. I learned that in the Celtic version of the Adam & Eve story, all of nature prays in the river alongside the Edenic couple while they beg for divine forgiveness: the fish, the frogs, even a big, blue whale. It shouldn‘t have surprised me, then, to read about all of the animals in this story, set in Wales, who help Gwynn process the grief of losing his sister: …👇🏻

monalyisha 1/9: …a spider, a black cat, and a herd of legendary horses. And it didn‘t surprise me, really. What caught me by surprise was the violent deaths of two-thirds of that list in a story intended for kids ages 8+. If I‘d read this ahead of time, I don‘t know that I would have chosen it for my children‘s book club at the library. 8h

monalyisha 2/9: The group is for kids ages 9-12…but some of them are a very young and sensitive 9, and I‘ve known adults who have refused to pick up a book with an animal in the narrative without first consulting the site “Does the Dog Die?” 8h

monalyisha 3/9: I don‘t believe the choice to include the death of these characters was a misstep, necessarily. These things happen, of course. Death happens, and we know that books provide a safe space for processing big feelings. But if you‘re not expecting it to happen — either in stories or in life — it can feel *especially* harsh and sad. So, I wish I‘d known to issue a warning (however vague). 8h

See All 10 Comments

monalyisha 4/9: One positive is that Nimmo delivers on the promise made by the Welsh setting; descriptions of the sea, the mountains, and moody weather abound. It‘s the perfect backdrop for a tale of nature magic. 8h

monalyisha 5/9: On Gwyn‘s 9th birthday, his Nain gifts him a handful of mundane objects, promising that if he‘s the right person to wield them, he‘ll be granted his heart‘s desire. His desire, of course, is to have his sister back, and for his family to feel whole again. 8h

monalyisha 6/9: There were things I adored about the book and things I didn‘t — like his Nain‘s assertion that to be a magician, one must accept that they will always be truly alone. I think that‘s far too bleak a message for kid lit. I‘m with author Natalie Babbitt, who wrote about what makes Children‘s Literature unique: “Happy endings, of course — and also joy.” 8h

monalyisha 7/9: She elaborates, “Not…a simple “happily ever after,” or…the kind of contrived final sugar coating that seems tacked on primarily to spare the child any glimpse of what really would have happened had the author not been vigilant; not these, but…something which goes much deeper, something which turns a story ultimately toward hope rather than resignation.” 8h

monalyisha 8/9: Nimmo‘s ending isn‘t lacking in hope but it would have been more satisfying if Eirlys‘s presence had prompted the family to open up and talk about what happened. Then, the resolution would be more than simply “having the chance to say goodbye.” The resolution would be the realization that it‘s important and healthy to talk to one another, and to lean on one another. 8h

monalyisha 9/9: Nain‘s declaration seemed wrong-footed to me. While there are hints that Gwyn‘s family is healing, they feel too subtle for the audience. It strikes me as a bit irresponsible and unhealthy, in a children‘s book, to introduce a message of profound isolation and then not soundly and explicitly negate it. I‘m torn about my rating for this one. 8h

LeeRHarry I have this on my shelves, mainly because it‘s Welsh and my grandpa‘s name was Gwyn. Great review - I‘ll have to remember to reread it once I‘ve read the book itself. 😊 31m

35 likes10 comments

StayCurious

A Court of Thorns and Roses | Sarah J. Maas

#LittensLoveRomance #ACOTAR Ch.31-36: Sorry for the missed post - life got in the way! So now, things are getting exciting. Feyre goes back to the Spring court only to find it destroyed and empty. We finally learn what‘s actually happening in Prythian - and it all comes down to one evil lady. Who happens to have the hots for Tamlin. Feyre knows she has to try to save him, and everyone else. Or die trying. ⬇️

StayCurious When she gets to Under the Mountain it‘s like that scene in Star Wars with Jabba the Hutt. Only Tamlin is Princess Leia, bound to the side of the villain, except sans gold bikini. Feyre strikes a deadly bargain to complete 3 tasks or solve a riddle in order to save him. But will she survive long enough? 8h

StayCurious @mcctrish @willaful @BarkingMadRead @OriginalCyn620 @peanutnine @CrowCAH @vonnie862 @BethM @Cupcake12 @SarahBookInterrupted @LiseWorks @TheAromaofBooks @Read4life @JenlovesJT47 @MatchlessMarie @maich 8h

mcctrish That‘s actually the best description of this nonsense 8h

See All 9 Comments

mcctrish Who do you think was only person to put money on Feyre? It wasn‘t Tamlin #weaklink 8h

StayCurious @mcctrish it had to be Rhysand right? The shit disturber haha - that‘s why she called him over. He‘d better be careful or he‘ll lose her good graces. 8h

CrowCAH It hurt to find Tamlin so submissive. Definitely betting on Rhysand! 8h

mcctrish Lucian is a possibility but I don‘t think he‘s in Amarantha‘s good graces enough to go against the grain (edited) 8h

OriginalCyn620 The Star Wars references are lost on me 😂 but I agree with @CrowCAH! I also think that perhaps Amarantha has met her match in Feyre. 8h

LiseWorks I was not happy to see Tamlin so degraded. And what is Rhysand up to? now

26 likes9 comments

jen_the_scribe

Ordinary Monsters: A Novel | J. M. Miro

pick

This one took me a while to finish, it‘s a chunky one plus I was juggling other books. But it‘s magnificent. The descriptions are poetic. The otherworldly atmosphere is almost palpable and I felt transported every time I flipped open the cover. I liked the characters, even one of the antagonists. There‘s also a sadness in its pages, a sense of grief and loss. Even as they cope with that; the characters find, in each other, a way forward.

13 likes1 stack add

OrangeMooseReads

Practical Magic | Alice Hoffman

pick

I loved this so much! Just a fun story. So much better than the movie.
The writing was good, I liked the characters, I liked the story.
I plan to read the other in the series.

20 likes2 stack adds

StellaDz

Bone Gap | Laura Ruby

I‘ll do multiple books so long as my brain can label them as ‘different forms‘. Here‘s the current set!

20th Century Boys is manga so quick for me, although this series is a little too on point right now.

Bone Gap, I am doing on Spotify in audiobook form.

Garrison Girl is my last official novel in the AOT world, which will probably make me want to read the OG all over again or watch the anime again!

Hoping to get done by end of February!

5 likes

Cintia J

Wish | Alexandra Bullen

so-so

An ok story. Not the best ever, but not a complete disaster, either. The first thing I thought when I finished it was that it definitely lacked a certain spark that would have made it better.

FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2020/10/review-wish.html

2 likes

Cintia J

Wishful Thinking | Alexandra Bullen

so-so

Not terrible, but not amazing, either. An okay read.

FULL REVIEW IN MY BLOG: http://abookandateacup.blogspot.com/2020/10/review-wishful-thinking.html

1 like

Doppoetry

Archmage | R. A. Salvatore

so-so

Just finished this and it was okay. There were some really stupid plot points and decisions made but it was tolerable. This and the other two novels following it also seem to be taking place and are the cause of the events in The Out of the Abyss module. (My OOTA campaign is on a hiatus currently, but it's so amusing to me that my characters are unfortunately there to experience all of that mess)

Doppoetry I'll be taking a bit of a break from Drizzt, and reading some poetry collections. 12h

Doppoetry I hope this will also mean I have more time to read physical books. 12h

3 likes2 comments

Welcome to Litsy!

Trending Hashtags

Trending Books