It’s time again to ask ourselves the three W’s:
Would you take up a sword to save the world?
Would you become a dragon rider?
Was that last question even a real question?!
Wait, no, that’s not right. We ask these three W’s:
What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?
WWW Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words.
Verify by Joelle Charbonneau
★★☆☆☆ || Goodreads
I wasn’t sure what to rate this to start with. I waffled between two and three stars, but ultimately, I only finished it last week and I’m already forgetting things about it, so I settled for two stars. All in all, that pretty much sums it up: forgettable. The idea was really interesting. Near-future dystopia where words were removed from the lexicon and the government made it so people no longer question things and assume they live in a truthful society. It sounds great. But dystopia seems to be really miss for me this year, even thought I really want to love them all. The timeline in this doesn’t make sense, not the fact that it took about 70 years for the world to become this, and not the fact that the book happens over the course of, like, three days. The character development is just a sudden 180 for no reason. There’s a really weird, cringy insta-love that goes on out of nowhere. Again, over the course of, like, three days. I just wasn’t a fan of the protagonist and the way she kept doing stupid things that got everyone in trouble and could’ve gotten them killed, and this is portrayed as a good thing and at no point is she ever particularly remorseful and like, “Oh, man, I mucked things up good.”
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
★★★☆☆ || Goodreads
This was my book club read for the month, and it was … okay. It felt a lot like a white savior book trying to be a “woke” book about slavery but not quite making it. I loved Hetty’s sections and the way her family faced the idea of slavery and their desperate bid for freedom. Sarah’s story was based on an actual person, and it was … okay. It was a decent enough story of a woman coming into her own and struggling against the patriarchy. But I didn’t find Sarah particularly interesting, and her narrative was slow and dragging and kind of boring. The real problem, where this book really didn’t work, was in using the two stories as foils of each other to show two women who had to struggle and overcome things in life. I mean, yes, they did, but the narrative presents it in a way that’s like, “See? These are equal. Sarah’s also trapped, just like Hetty.” And … no. Sarah was a bit of a garbage human being who did things to try to help if and when it was convenient for her and that was about it. Her biggest struggle was being told that speaking up wasn’t a woman’s place. Hetty was a slave. The comparison between the two was ridiculous. This story could’ve been great if the comparison hadn’t been there, but in the end, I was just rolling my eyes so hard at Sarah’s nonsense. And then the ending was basically white savior sweeps in to fix things, and at that point, I was just glad the book was over because I sort of wanted to throw it lol.
Shadow Frost by Coco Ma
DNF @ 30% || Goodreads
I had such high hopes for this one, and it just … petered out. I loved the idea of hunting a beast made of shadow. The prologue was freaking fantastic and such a great way to open it and set up the atmosphere, and I expected the rest of the book to be like that, and it just … wasn’t. I thought the magic system was really unique, and I loved the idea of it, and the few fights I read were pretty exciting. The author is 19 now, as it’s being published, but she was 15 when it was first written, and that is so freaking awesome and something she should be proud of, but also, it kind of shows. It suffers from the same things you would expect a book written by a teenager to suffer from: shallow characters, shallow worldbuilding, Mary Sue protagonist, cliche plot, cheesy very teen-sounding dialogue, cringy romance, etc. Ultimately, this book was a no for me, but I can definitely see Ma’s writing talent, and I plan on watching out for upcoming books, because I think if she gets a little more writing experience behind her, she can easily be a fantastic author!
Reviews Posted This Week
The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon
Status: 80%
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, Tané has trained all her life to be a dragonrider, 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.
Okay, this is the last week this will be here, I swear! I can see the end. I’m SO CLOSE! Ultimately, I think the idea of this book was great. I do like some of the characters (I mean, how can you not enjoy how badass Ead is?). Overall, though, I really think this could’ve benefited from cutting it, like, in half. If this wasn’t a group read, I probably still wouldn’t be close to finishing. There are just so many moments that drag and that I can’t force myself to care about. I thought that by 80% in, it would be much more exciting as things heat up, but it just … isn’t.
Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Status: pg 13/427
In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.
Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.
Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.
Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?
I just started this one, obviously, so I’m not very far in it at all. I really don’t have many impressions because of this? I will say that I love Kristoff’s writing, which doesn’t really come as a surprise. This book sure opens with a bang. I mean, a sex scene and a murder scene as a foil of each other is a pretty freaking bold opening, and yet I don’t hate it. I’ve heard so much about this book that I’m really looking forward to it.
I’ve sadly put Bone Ships on hold for a minute, because I am so burned out with long fantasy on Priory. So I’m going to take a break this week and come back to this. That means my review will be stupidly late, but sometimes that’s the danger of being a mood reader.
I’ve actually changed this up a little from what I had originally expected, because my library got in Darkdawn, and if I don’t read it now, I have to wait for all the other suckers who didn’t immediately grab it when it came out. xD Which means I sort of shoved my TBR aside in order to read Nevernight and Godsgrave before I have to return Darkdawn.
I also plan to participate in the Frightening Good Reads 2019 hosted by Molly @ Silver Button Books to celebrate October and Halloween and read all sorts of spooky books. I wanted to kick it off with an ARC sent to me by the fabulous Susan @ Novel Lives, whose blog you should all check out. Being the enormous Clue dork I am, I just couldn’t resist In The Hall With The Knife. A YA based on Clue? Obviously, this was written just for me.
Sounds like some fun reads! I’m sorry that Shadow Frost wasn’t better, because the premise does sound wonderful. I agree, though, I know very few 15-19-year-olds who have experienced enough to avoid the stereotypical shallow writing crutches. (I was certainly not one of them either. My early writing will never see the light of day.)
I have my old written hidden somewhere safe, where no one will ever find it! *insert evil laugh* Because yeah, no. I was very obviously not read at any of the ages in that range for publication, even if I thought I was.
I will say, though, that I did pull out the first fanfic I ever wrote (at 13) for a drunk reading with some of my friends, and that was a heck of a lot of fun. Being drunk makes it more bearable.
Being drunk does make it a little better. Also, I find that fanfic is a little easier to share, since you didn’t create *all* of it. If the characters are shallow, well, someone else made them that way, right? 🙂
Oh no. It was baaaaad. Like you would expect from a 13-year-old. Self-insert Mary Sue with, like, four brothers who are modern-day descendants of our heroes from Middle Earth, who end up time traveling back to help them. It was baaaad lol. Bad enough that it was hilarious.
At least you got something out of it? Even if it was just laughs? But yeah. My first several years of “really trying” to write were all self-inserts. I took “write what you know” to heart.
I think that’s one of the worst bits of advice people give new writers. Forget that. Write what you love. That’s so much more meaningful, and it’ll really show. Just, you know, do research.
Sammie, I love the cover for The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon, but it sounds like an absolutely epic read. I hope you finish it soon!
Here’s my WWW: https://thebookwormchronicles.wordpress.com/2019/10/02/www-wednesday-2nd-october-2019/
It really is a gorgeous cover, and I’ve heard it’s even prettier in person. xD I got the Kindle version, to save my arms. But yeah, it puts the epic in epic fantasy. It’s taken me almost a month to read it now lol.
Enjoy your reading! I absolutely love Nevernight, hopefully I will read darkdawn soon!
I’m curerntly reading Ivory Apples!
(www.evelynreads.com)
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! I’ve heard so much good things about Nevernight, and I refuse to let Darkdawn slip through my fingers before I have a chance to finish it, darn it. xD Hope you’re able to get to read it soon!
Great to see you’ll be participating in Frighteningly Good Reads this year too! I just hope I can actually finish a meaningful amount of books for it. Do you still mean to read A Lush and Seething Hell? I’m eager to hear more about it.
Have a great week!
http://musewithmeblog.com/2019/10/02/www-wednesday-october-2-2019/
That’s sort of where I’m at now, too. I *plan* to read all the spooky books this month, but also, I’m working two jobs and blogging and adulting, so … will I read them all? Who knows. I’m definitely going to try. xD
Yes! I’m really eager to read that, but I’m determined to get through the Nevernight series before I lose Darkdawn and then have a forever wait to get it again haha. And since it’s so dark and I expect A Lush and Seething Hell to also be dark (but, I mean, in the best way, obviously), then I wanted something lighter in between them. Because … I mean … murder mystery is obviously lighter? xD I’m hoping to pick it up next week. :3
I am so pleased that you are joining Frightening Good Reads this year because you always have fantastic stuff that I have never seen before!!! It will be great to see all the spooky and wonderful books you are reading.
I wish The Priory of the Orange Tree was as good as that cover!
https://silverbuttonbooks.com/2019/10/02/www-wednesday-october-2-2019/
Aww thanks. <3 I'm so bad at sticking to TBRs, but I love seeing everyone's TBR posts and adding books to my TBR with reckless abandon. xD
Right? It's such a gorgeous cover. *sigh* I think for someone who really likes epic fantasy and wants to delve really deeply into a world, it would work well. I'm not much of an epic fantasy reader, and I don't want to know everything about a world. I want it to feel lived in and real, but I don't need to know all the history and legends of it.
Oh dear I’m definitely worried about The Invention Of Wings now… I’ve been wanting to read it, but I think I’ll just pass for now. I do want to read Nevernight some time soon though! Have a wonderful week and happy reading! Here’s my WWW.
It really depends on where you stand on things. I have my book club tomorrow, so I’ll know where other people stand on it then. I spoke to one woman who said it was just terribly depressing and sad … which, I mean, duh. xD I think my problem was I just couldn’t connect with Sarah, especially not like I did with Hetty. I ended up skimming most of her final chapters because it got tedious. But you might not have that problem. 🙂 Who knows?
I have to say, Nevernight definitely starts with a bang, but I’m enjoying it so far! I hope you’re able to read it soon.
I agree, characters and being able to connect to them is always tricky… I’m definitely still curious to see what I’ll make of it some day. I’m not waiting that long with Nevernight though!
Welp, I missed book club, but I did end up talking to some of the ladies, and they saw it differently from me (which may be just who we relate to, me being biracial in the South and them being older white ladies). They saw it more as showing how different their lives were and the comparison being drawn that way, rather than comparing their suffering. ‾\_(ツ)_/‾
So like everything else, interpretation matters, if that helps you any. xD
I definitely recommend not waiting on Nevernight. xD I’m loving it so far.
Yup. Verify is just exhausting. I DNFd Shadow Frost, too. And I can’t through a day without Kristoff in my feed lol.
Aaaand now you can read ITHWAK twice!!
Oh! And co gratulations on finishing Priory because that deserves an award.
Now who’s living in whose head? Oh, wait. I guess since I read them second, it might still technically be me … well, then.
Two YA Clue-inspired books is better than one, any day. 😉
Ha, thanks. I rewarded myself with cookies last night, for sure. xD
Go ahead keep blaming me. Lol there is a golden girls meme of sophia saying I’m depressed. I need a cookie. I’m gonna have to use it at some point now.
Really? I don’t remember that scene, but it doesn’t surprise me. Sounds like the perfect meme. xD
I just tweeted it to you