The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Priory of the Orange Tree
by Samantha Shannon

Read: January 16 - March 3, 2020

Publication date: February 26, 2019

Genre: Adult Fantasy

A world divided. A queendom without an heir. An ancient enemy awakens.

The House of Berethnet has ruled Inys for a thousand years. Still unwed, Queen Sabran the Ninth must conceive a daughter to protect her realm from destruction -- but assassins are getting closer to her door.

Ead Duryan is an outsider at court. Though she has risen to the position of lady-in-waiting, she is loyal to a hidden society of mages. Ead keeps a watchful eye on Sabran, secretly protecting her with forbidden magic.

Across the dark sea, Tane has trained to be a dragon rider since she was a child, but is forced to make a choice that could see her life unravel.

Meanwhile, the divided East and West refuse to parley, and forces of chaos are rising from their sleep.

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Why did you read this book?
Samantha Shannon is one of my all-time favorite authors and The Bone Season series is one of my favorite series of all time, so naturally, I will read anything this woman publishes. Also, I am a lover of fantasy and dragons and badass warriors and platonic friendships between people of the opposite sex (spoiler: this book features all these things).

What did you like about this book?
I absolutely loved the characters in this book, even the ones I didn't like. Niclays Roos, for example, wasn't a character I particularly liked. I didn't like his choices and I didn't like his behavior or his attitude. I didn't like his selfishness. BUT even though I was so irritated with him 75% of the time, I understood why he did the things he did. His backstory made me feel for him. And that is what I loved so much about all of these characters. I felt for them. If made me sad when they were sad and I was happy when they were happy. I wanted so desperately for them all to make it to the end of the book victorious (and alive). Even though the book was split into four different narrators, I was just as invested in each one. I will admit, it took me about 100 pages to really get to the point where I just wanted to consume the book as quickly as possible because I was so desperate for more story. However, once I got past that initial chunk of introducing the readers to the characters and setting, I was hooked. Reading this book was a similar experience (for me) to watching Avengers: Infinity War. I remember going into the theater thinking "wow, this movie is three hours long, how am I going to set through the whole thing?" and then the movie ended and it felt like it had only been one hour. Somehow, I had been so engrossed in the story that my own concept of time had been thrown. That's what it was like reading The Priory of the Orange Tree. Starting the book, 805 pages felt (and looked) like a lot. I mean, this book is massive. But suddenly, I only had 50 or so pages left and I couldn't believe that it was almost over. And the plot, oh my goodness the plot! I was so hooked. There was enough suspense to keep me reading but not enough that I felt lost. And even though there were four separate narrators with four separate story lines, it was fascinating to see where/how they connected, especially when they finally all came together in the end! Ugh. It was just so satisfying.

What didn't you like about this book?
I'm not going to lie, there are very few things that I didn't like. As I said before, it took me about 100 or so pages to really get invested in the story and the characters -- longer than I typically would like to spend warming up to the book. However, because the book gigantic, I gave it a little slack. Another thing that was something that I liked and didn't like at the same time was the four different story lines. It was sometimes jarring to have to switch back and forth between characters. I would be reading from Ead's point of view and then find the next chapter to be Loth and I'd be so disappointed. But then, once I got into Loth's chapter, it'd switch to Tane and I'd have to go through it all again! Again, this is both a dislike and a like because I loved all of the story lines (although I'll admit, Niclays was easily my least favorite), it's just the switching between them sometimes took me out of the story.

Bottom-Line:
I loved this book. I absolutely loved it. I wish I could recommend it to everyone, but I know that high fantasy isn't for everyone. I also know that 800+ page books aren't for everyone either. If these things are your thing though, please read this one. It's worth the arm workout!

Quote:
"Night is when fear comes to us at its fullest, when we have no way to fight it. It will do everything it can to seep inside you. Sometimes it may succeed -- but never think that you are the night." - The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe by Lauren James

The Loneliest Girl in the Universe
by Lauren James

Read: March 28, 2019
Publication Date: July 3, 2018
Genre: Science Fiction

Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met, never even spoken to  — someone who is light years away?

Romy Silvers is the only surviving crew-member of a spaceship traveling to a new planet, on a mission to establish a second home for humanity amongst the stars. Alone in space, she is the loneliest girl in the universe until she hears about a new ship which has launched from Earth  — with a single passenger on board. A boy called J.

Their only communication with each other is via email  — and due to the distance between them, their messages take months to transmit across space. And yet Romy finds herself falling in love.

But what does Romy really know about J? And what do the mysterious messages which have started arriving from Earth really mean?

Sometimes, there’s something worse than being alone… 

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Why did you read this book?

It was the title that initially drew me into this book. I found it while used book shopping and the description really intrigued me. As a sucker for a good science fiction story, I naturally bought it. And it was only $1, so I had to.

What did you like about this book?

There were a lot of things that I liked about this book. The setting and mood of the book were done very well. We spend the majority of the book with Romy and she really is the loneliest girl in the universe. She’s likeable enough as a protagonist. The two parts about this book that really kept me investing was the relationship between Romy and J and the mystery of what happened to Romy’s parents. The slow build and anticipation to for the conclusion of both of these story lines were done so well. There were also a few plot twists that really caught me off guard  — not sure if that’s because I was too involved in the story and not trying to figure out exactly what was going to happen or if they were actually really well written plot twists. I’d like to think it’s at least a little bit of a mixture of the two.

What didn’t you like about this book?

I know it’s science fiction, and therefore, not real, but I could not get over how unrealistic some aspects of this story were. I’ll give Romy a little slack, considering she was born and raised in space and hadn’t known anyone other than her parents, but her struggles with being alone in space seemed very superficial. She seemed like a cookie cutter version of any lonely, female, YA protagonist. Besides the circumstances of her situation, Romy was a very flat character. The biggest issue I had was with J. His initial story, that he was a 22-year-old astronaut that just happened to be chosen to man a very important ship for a very important mission without any formal education past unfinished medical school and that he was sent by himself, was absolutely ridiculous. Then when we discover his actual story, it’s just as ridiculous and so painfully young adult (although I was very caught up in the story as Romy discovered that J was not who he said he was). There were several parts of the story that felt like it was much more fiction than science.

Bottom-Line: 

It was an entertaining, quick read which, despite its faults, was actually enjoyable to read. It was a solidly average book that could have done so much more, but I’m content with the result. It managed to surprise me even through its mediocrity.

 

Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Everyone Brave is Forgiven 
by Chris Cleave

Read: January 13-24, 2019

Publication date: May 3, 2016

Genre: Historical Fiction

It's 1939 and Mary, a young socialite, is determined to shock her blueblood political family by volunteering for the war effort. She is assigned as a teacher to children who were evacuated from London and have been rejected by the countryside because they are infirm, mentally disabled, or—like Mary's favorite student, Zachary—have colored skin.

Tom, an education administrator, is distraught when his best friend, Alastair, enlists. Alastair, an art restorer, has always seemed far removed from the violent life to which he has now condemned himself. But Tom finds distraction in Mary, first as her employer and then as their relationship quickly develops in the emotionally charged times. When Mary meets Alastair, the three are drawn into a tragic love triangle and—while war escalates and bombs begin falling around them—further into a new world unlike any they've ever known 

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Why did you read this book?

The first thing that really drew me in was the title of this book: “Everyone Brave is Forgiven”. I just loved it. I am also very interested in WWII era novels, so this book quickly made it to my to-read list.

What did you like about this book?

One unexpected thing about this book was the humor in it. There were several moments that a character would say or do something that made me start to giggle out loud. I am thinking specifically of the double date that the four main characters go on. Most of these moments I would then read aloud to my roommate. It is rare that a book makes me laugh, even intentionally comedic books, so the fact that this one did was pretty impressive. This book also managed to capture some of the worst parts of war in such a nonchalant way that left me in shock after it happened. I’d have to go back and reread several paragraphs just to make sure I read it right. Important moments happened so abruptly and the characters were left to deal with the aftermath. I think that is one area where this book shined — capturing the desolation and helplessness that comes after the characters go through what they do.

What didn’t you like about this book?

The pacing of this book fluctuated in a way that made it difficult for me to get through the book. It started slow, picked up a little, slowed back down, sped up, crawled, etc. The book felt like it went on for ages without anything happening. I have read books like this before and enjoyed them, but in those cases I felt very connected to the characters. I didn’t find that in these characters. Most of them I felt indifferent towards at best. Alistair was the one character I remotely liked and even then, he was just the best out of a handful of bland options. The main thing that really turned me off to this book was the unsatisfying conclusion. I can put up with a slow-paced book if the end is good. The ending to this book just...ended. The story lines that had been slowly building throughout the whole book were not resolved. I was very unsatisfied.

Bottom-Line:

I’m glad I read the book. It was worth reading at least once. I may even read it twice. However, this is not going to be a book that I pick up year after year, excited to reunite with the setting and the characters. I would recommend this only to lovers of books and lovers of history.

Favorite Quotes:

“The worst thing would be to decide that it was love, and then to discover - after one was taken - that it hadn't been. No: the worst thing would be to decide that it wasn't love, and then to discover years later - old and unconsoled - that it had been. No: the worst thing - the worst, worst thing - was this having to decide.”

“This was how a kind heart broke, after all: inward, making no shrapnel.”

“But what good is it to teach a child to count, if you don't show him that he counts for something?”

“To be in love was to understand how alone one had been before. It was to know that if one were ever alone again, there would be no exemption from the agony of it. It wasn’t the happiest feeling.”

“Stupid is you can’t learn, ignorant is you haven’t learned yet.”

Books 2018

 Hello and happy 2019! I know it's been a few months and I have been crappy about writing book reviews, but I'm hoping to do better this year. Here is the list of books I read in 2018 in the meantime:


January

• Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen * * * *
  

February

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone * * * * *
• Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare * * * *
• Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare * * * *
  

March

• The Road by Cormac McCarthy * * *
• Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare * * * * *
• All I Need by Susan Colasanti * * *
• Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen * * * * *
  

April

• The Cruel Prince by Holly Black * * * *
• Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen * * * *
• Lion Heart by A.C. Gaughen * * * *
• Fire by Kristin Cashore * * * * *
• Cress by Marissa Meyer * * * * *
• Winter by Marissa Meyer * * * * *
• Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman * * * *
• The Start of Me and You * * * *
  

May

• Blacksouls by Nicole Castroman * * * *
• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard * * * * *
• Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard * * * *
  

June

• King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard * * * *
• If I Didn't Care by Kait Nolan * * *

July

• The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon * * * * *
• Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum * * * *
• Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven * * * *
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling * * * * *
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling * * * * *
  

August

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling * * * * *
• The Martian by Andy Weir * * * *
  

September

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling * * * *
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling * * * * *
• Divergent by Veronica Roth * * *
• Moo by Sharon Creech * * *
  

October

• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling * * * * *
• The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein * * * *
• Across the Universe by Beth Revis * * * *
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society * * * *
  

November


December 

•  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern * * * * *
• Bound by C.K. Bryant * * *
• Broken by C.K. Bryant * * *
• Beloved by C.K. Bryant * * *
• The Magician's Lie by Greer Macallister * * * *
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber * * * *
• Legendary by Stephanie Garber * * * *
• We Were Liars by E. Lockhart * * *

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Clockwork Princess 
by Cassandra Clare

Read: March 7-17, 2018
Published: September 5, 2013
Genre: Fantasy

 

 

      A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.
      Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.
      As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain's clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?


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Why did you read this book?
Finishing the series!

What did you like about this book?
The characters really shine in this book. Of course, I love Tessa and Jem and even Will, but the secondary characters were fantastic. As seems to be Cassandra Clare's go-to, there were multiple subplots apart from the main plot line following Tessa and the boys. I particularly enjoyed the development of the Lightwood boys. I initially took a liking to Gideon, but I loved following Gabriel's growth, as well as his attachment to Cecily (Will's younger sister). And of course, I love reading about Charlotte, Henry, Sophia, and Magnus as well. The characters really make this book. The plot was at a perfect pace with just the right amount of suspense to keep me sucked in. 

What didn't you like about this book?
I've already talked about the love triangle and how it's well-written, but I still don't like it. I would have been satisfied with it if she had chosen one over the other. I do not like the way it was resolved. I won't go into too many details, but it all ended too well. It felt like there weren't consequences for the decisions made by the three involved in the love triangle. Other than that, my only complaint was that the book started on a slower note. I expected it to be fast paced from the beginning, but it took a hot second for the plot to actually move forward. Once it did start moving, it was great.

Bottom-Line:
This series was much, much better than The Mortal Instruments. Mortal Instruments felt almost like the book equivalent of a fantasy soap opera. Infernal Devices was more mature, better written, had more compelling characters, and had the advantage of building upon the world that Clare created in Mortal Instruments. I would wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone that enjoys young adult fantasy.




"You endure what is unbearable, and you bear it. That is all." -Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Read: January 31-March 6, 2018
Published: September 26, 2006
Genre: Science Fiction





A father and his son walk through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.







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Why did you read this book?
I thought this book was on one of my 'to-read' lists, but after searching all of them (so I could check it off) it apparently wasn't. Also, my roommate and I have decided to start our own book club and this was the first book on our list, per the recommendation of our neighbor.

What did you like about this book?
The first thing I'll mention is the style of the writing. It's unlike most books, with short paragraphs, short sentences, and very little dialogue. It was very choppy and I think it was written like that for a reason. The writing style seemed to reflect the state of living for the man and the boy. Nothing was easy or smooth and words, like food and water, were used sparingly. The writing and the world was harsh and unforgiving. McCarthy built a world that was easy for the reader to step into. First, he didn't give the two characters names, just referred to them as the man and the boy, and played one of humankind's biggest fears: to lose everything they have built and become powerless and irrelevant. This book almost made me cry, which as you know, I love those books.

What didn't you like about this book?
The book itself, though well-written, was actually really repetitive and kind of boring. I didn't actually enjoy this book at all. It was depressing as hell. There was no payoff to reading the book. After I finished it, I felt so empty. Not that good empty feeling when you finish a really good book, but the bad empty feeling where you feel like there is no hope for the world. After I finished it, I just had one thought: what was the point? Both for the story and for the book itself...what was the point of the story of the man and the boy's survival if it was all for nothing in the end? It was a well-written story about the inevitability of death and a world with no hope.

Bottom-Line:
I really didn't like this book at all. I liked the writing style, but that was about it. I read books to escape from my own depressing mind, but this book must made it worse. I do not recommend.


"People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I didn't believe in that. Tomorrow wasn't getting ready for them. It didn't even know they were there." -The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Books of 2017

I failed to do a New Year's post, so this is a bit late. But I did want to give you all a list of the books in 2017 in the same style I did for 2016. So here it is!

January

• The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon * * * * *
• The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano *
• Abducting Abby by S.E. Smith *
• Twilight by Stephanie Meyer * * *
• New Moon by Stephanie Meyer * *
• Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer * * *
• Heaven in His Arms by Lisa Ann Verge * *
• Yellowstone Heart Song by Peggy Henderson * *

February

• Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer * * *
• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn * * *
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel * * * * *

March

• The Cardturner by Louis Sachar * * * *
• Caraval by Stephanie Garber * * * *
• The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon * * * * *
• Matched by Ally Condie * * *
• Beauty by Robin McKinley * * *
• The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh * * * *
• Crossed by Ally Condie * *

April

• The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh * * * *
• Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig * * * *
• Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard * * * *

May

• Passenger by Alexandra Bracken * * * *
• Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken * * * *
• Normal by Danielle Pearl * * *

June

• Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard * * * *
• King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard * * * *
• Finding Peace by Lisa Shea * *
• The Fall Up by Aly Martinez * * *

July

• Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen * * * *

August

• Just Listen by Sarah Dessen * * * * *
• She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell * * * *

September

• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien * * * * *
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien * * * * *

October

• The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien * * * * *
• The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis * * * *
• The Magician's Nephew by C. S. Lewis * * * *
• Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis * * * * 
• The Voyage of the Dawntreader by C.S. Lewis * * * *
• The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis * * * *

November

• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis * * * *
• Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis  * * *
• Perelandra by C.S. Lewis * * *
• The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis * * * *
• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis * * *

December

• Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis * * * *

I always love how the books reflect my life at certain points in the year. I was really happy in March. You can tell because I read a lot of books, they were all good books, and I did book reviews on most of them. That was a happy month for me. It was halfway through June that things took a turn for the worse. I started reading crappy books and then throughout the summer I hardly read at all. From September through December, I only read books that I was required to read for a class. It's been a hard year. Hopefully this one is better.