Historical-Fiction

Book Review: The Dragon’s Promise

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Magic had returned to Kiata. I could feel it like a song resonating around me, making the world feel more alive.

Making good on her promise to return the dragon’s pearl to it’s rightful owner, Princess Shiori is now facing the reality that this task is more dangerous than she imagined. She must journey to the kingdom of dragons and navigate the political intrigue among humans and dragons alike while fending off thieves who covet the pearls themselves and willing to any lengths to get it while also presenting an image of a perfect princess to dissuade those who would rather see her burned at the stake for the magic that runs in her blood. But, the pearl is so ordinary cargo as it has a life of it’s own and jumps to Shiori’s aid one minute but betrays her the next with threatening to destroy everything she holds dear including the love of her life, Tekkan. It’s going to take every ounce of strength that she has to defend what she holds dear and find a way through it to the other side.

Well to say this was disappointing is an understatement because I feel really let down by this follow up and conclusion to the doulogy. Six Crimson Cranes was such a beautifully written book with flawed and complicated characters that felt very real in a world that felt unlike your own. Lim does a really good job developing the characters while developing the world around them where the readers can easily immerse themselves into the world. But, this book is a mess and it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2022 and I’m bummed about it cause the beginning started out really great and I was very invested and then the last half of the book completely destroyed it.

The beginning of the book started off really well and I found myself very invested and I loved seeing Shiori, Takkan, and Seyru. Lin does a really good job with explaining the new magic system and how it worked and I found that very neat but then it starts going downhill and ruining really good character development that was established in the first book. I was really struggling but I kept hoping that maybe things would get better and I was let down towards the end as it felt very rushed and I was left wondering where it all went wrong. There were other parts that I did like but it’s hard for me to give it 4 stars because of the other flaws but I guess that’s how it goes sometimes. I hope that those who read it will enjoy it better than me!

Book Review: The Murder of Mr. Wickham

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The happily married, Mr. Knightley and his wife Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new antiquates, characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. It will be a delight for everyone but all that is dashed when a unwelcome guest, Mr. Wickham shows up and it’s very obvious that no one is thrilled to see him as his latest financial scheme has earned him a long list of enemies, including people attending the party. As the party starts, secrets are to be revealed and tensions start to flare with everyone wishing Mr. Wickham would’ve never come at all. But they’re all shocked when the uninvited guest ends up murdered. To solve the mystery, they need someone who isn’t a suspect in the case and that falls on two of the youngest guest, Jonathan Darcy and Northranger Abbey and the two must put aside their poor first impressions before an innocent person is hanged.

This was a really fun who-dun-it and I absolutely loved how it was a retelling featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters as she’s one of my favorite authors. I thought the story was nicely done but I do wish that she would’ve added a bit more suspense and action in some of them because it did feel a bit boring at times. It did get chunky but at least the ending didn’t feel so rushed and wasn’t something that I predicted. I am planning on reading more retellings of historical fiction mysteries because I did really enjoy this one and hopefully will find more as enjoyable. If you’re looking for a fun and entertaining who-dun-it than this is it for you!

BOOK review: The Map of Salt and Stars

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“Stories are powerful, but gather too many of the words of others in your heart and they will drown out your own. Remember that.”

The Map of Salt and Stars tells the stories of Nour and Rawaya, two refugees who share similar paths even if years apart from one another. Having lost her father, Nour can’t imagine her life getting any worse but all that changes when her mother decides to move them from NYC to Syria so they can be closer to friends. But, the country that her mother once knew has changed and before they know it, they’re caught up in an ongoing war and soon their home is destroyed leaving them in a bind. They can either stay or flee with other refugees across parts of North Africa and the Middle East in search of safety. Nearly a thousand years earlier, Rawaya is a young sixteen year old who is running out of options to help her impoverished mother and while she doesn’t want to leave her mother, she knows it’s the only choice in order to give her a better life. Disguising herself as a boy, she eventually finds herself thrown into an epic journey across North African and the Middle East as an apprentice, for Al-Idrisi who has been commissioned by King Roger II of Italy to create a map of the world.

This is one of those stories where you may not want to read it but you need to read it as it was incredibly moving, powerful, heartbreaking while informative and educational. Not everyone will want to read this book simply because of the content discussed throughout the book as this is a very sensitive topic and one that can cause lots of discourse. The stories of Nour and Rawaya were moving, sad, and inspiring at the same time as the two both showed courage, resilience, and unwavering hope that kept them going even when they felt like they couldn’t. While reading this, it made me feel humbled that I have such privileges that I do and I will always have those and the struggles that I face seem so simple compared to what others face.

Along with this important content, The Map of Salt and Stars is also beautifully written so I highly recommend cheeking this out even if it’snot your usual genre because I think everyone needs to be more aware of this issue.

Book Review: A Magic steeped in poison

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“Grief has a taste, bitter and lingering, but so soft it sometimes disguises itself as sweetness.”

Nig couldn’t imagine things get any worse but unfortunately, they’re gonna get worse before they get better. Haunted and grief stricken over being responsible fro the death of her mother, an unfortunate accident that occurred with Nig brewing tea for her without knowing that it was poison. Now, her sister has succumbed to to the same tea and Nig must do something fast as time is running out. When she hears about an upcoming tournament held in the imperial city, she realizes this is the only chance to save her sister as the winner will receive a favor from the princess.

This was on such a fun book! The entire novel was full of surprises, twists, angst and heart warming moments that made it difficult to put down. But, one of the things that I absolutely loved about it was how their magic system was based on different types of tea, it was so beautifully done. I think Lin wrote is so well that you couldn’t help but be interested in this aspect and I’ve never seen that done before. I really hope this becomes a thing because as a tea lover, it was so fun to read about mixed in with different fantasy elements. The other parts of the book were fantastic and I really loved the dynamics between the characters and especially Nig as I felt for her during the journey as she was dealing with so many different emotions and haunted by the things she’d done. The only thing I didn’t like was the cliffhanger but at least its not one that will keep me up at night wondering what will come next. I really enjoyed this and highly recommend it!

Fiction WRAP UP

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Hey everyone! I can’t wait to share my fictions reads with you so let’s get started.

Having just moved back to his old home in London to settle down and take up work as a school teacher. But, Tom has a very dark secret as he’s not who people think he is as he might look a young forty one year old high school teacher but in reality, he’s been alive for centuries as a result of a rate condition. He has lived through some of the most important dates in history but now he just wants a normal life. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen as shortly after the beginning of the school year, he breaks a rule that could potentially ruin everything that he’s ever wanted.

I wasn’t quite sure if I would like this book as sometimes historical fiction is hit or miss with me but I ended up liking it more than I thought. The plot was what got me interested as it something unique yet interesting.While I did like the plot, I wasn’t crazy about Tom as their were parts in the story where he really annoyed me and I feel like he wasn’t as compelling as I thought he would be. But, the other parts of the book helped make up for that so if you’re into fantasy and time travel stories, you would like this book!

Paige has always been scared to be herself. The real Paige who is proud to be a nerd and stick out in the crowd, who has no problem making friends, talking about books, and losing her virginity. But, no one knows who the Paige as only quiet Paige exists. But, with a new opportunities arriving as Paige will be starting at a new school, it could be the perfect time to embrace who really is and stop hiding behind a mask.

Absolutely loved this book and not only because the lead was asexual but because it was a super cute and fun book to read through. I found Paige very relatable as she struggled to embrace her real self and not hide. That’s something that still sticks with me even as an adult who has now accepted her flaws and all and I felt like it was written very well. Not only did I love Paige but the other characters especially the friendship between Paige and Shawn, the boy she becomes very close with. The asexuality aspect of the book made me very happy because it’s super hard to find asexual characters written well so I was happy that I found this book. I will reading the second book for February so stay tuned!

Medusa

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People think your beauty is their possession. As if it’s there for their pleasure, as if they’ve got something invested in it. They think you owe them for their admiration.

This was such a beautiful retelling of Medusa that not only gives her a voice but really makes you feel for her. Medusa has been exiled with her two sisters, Stheno and Euyale to a remote island where the only company they have is each other and their dog. They have been on the island for four years and Medusa is feeling lonely and trapped but things change when a Perseus, arrives on the island and she believes he might be able to alleviate her problems but this will lead her on a journey of love, trust and betrayal.

While this is a beautifully written retelling of Medusa giving her a voice and sending her on a journey on self-acceptance with owning and acceptance the good and bad and being able to find peace with your past. I think this is something that many people need to see as we all have very different set of unique experiences that led us to where we are and that finding peace with your past is so essential for growth and acceptance of who you are. It’s a message that I myself crave and love and think many others feel the same.

It does delve into sexual harassment, in particular with rape culture, victim blaming and slut-shaming even by other women. Which I know that can be uncomfortable to read about especially as a woman myself, but it is very important to understand even though it hard seeing it come from other women. But, that is something that can and will happen even now in our current culture. The story along with the illustrations, which were absolutely stunning rewrote the narrative for Medusa and gave her a story that she could embrace and own. Highly recommend it!

The Bronzed Beasts

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“If you think what we are doing is impossible, then let us rewrite what possibility means. Together.”

Still reeling over Severin’s betrayal, the crew is fractured and while they armed with only a handful of hints, they must find their way through the snarled and haunted waterways of Venice, Italy to locate Severin. Meanwhile, Severin is on his own journey and one that could see him facing dangerous consequences as he faces the deranged whims of the patriarch of the fallen house and discover the location of a temple between a plague island where the divine lyre can be played and all his desires will come to pass. With only ten days until Lalia expires, the crew will face plague pits and dangerous masquerades, unearthly songs, and the shining steps of a temple whose powers might offer divinity itself but at a price that they’re not willing to pay.

Well this was a bit of letdown as I was anticipating that this would be a four or five star review. I was delighted to see the characters especially Zofia and Hypnos as they’ve been my favorites from the first book. I felt like they were fleshed out even more with growth as well as the other characters. Chokshi’s writing has really improved over the course of the trilogy and it really shows in this last book. I admire how she’s able to bring you into the world of the characters and make you feel like you’re apart of it. Now that I’ve talked about what I loved, it’s time to get what didn’t work for me. First off, the pacing was a little off at times and also didn’t match up to the plot in some parts so I felt confused during some parts. I felt like I was missing something and had to go back and reread certain sections. Which is why the ending didn’t really make a lot of sense to me because it felt rushed and forced as there were quite a few things that weren’t explained. So I feel like this book could’ve been a little better if things were explained better and not so forced as it felt. But, I’m sure others will enjoy it and that’s all that matters.