Wrap Up

A Week in Review | September 23th-30th

September 30, 2018December 2, 2018 bookishluna2 Comments

This month has been a roller coaster of reading. Some weeks I read next to nothing and other weeks I finished more than one book. I am happy to say that I feel like I am ending this month on a good note. If you want to go through all of the wrap ups for this month I will link them for you to explore.

A Week in Review | September 16th-22nd, A Week in Review | September 9th-15th, and A Week in Review | September 1st-8th

The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne

This book was so beautiful and yet so heart breaking. I think this is going to be a book I think about from time to time in the future and it may even be one of my favorites from this year. This novel brings you through a very interesting time of history through the eyes of a man and his mother. There were references to WWII, the AIDS epidemic and the stigma that came with it, and much more. I felt raw emotions while reading this and I really cannot recommend it enough. I truly wanted to take the main character in and take care of him.

Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson

Shirley Jackson is one of my favorite writers, she wrote one of my all times favorite books, The Haunting of Hill House. This book is very different from that. It follows a young lady that is a very unreliable narrator during her first few months of college. Now I will say I was not blown away by this book and I cannot pin point the exact reason. I don’t know if it was due to the story line not living up to the description or is it just not a great story written. All authors have a book here and there that is not as great as their others. I will admit I did really enjoy the fact I felt that at times I was reading something akin to The Yellow Wallpaper and the atmosphere at times. I also found myself really disliking a character so much I wanted someone to throw an encyclopedia at them, ahem Jenna.

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

I found myself enjoying this book for the most part, but I also felt that a lot more could have been done. I am not sure if this is because I was mad at a particular character, I may have yelled a bit, or because I just did not like the insta love so much. I have not read YA in a long time and I think that is part of the reason why I don’t. A lot of YA has a lot of tropes I just am sick of. But, I will say that the over arching or underlying, depending on how you look it, theme is an important one to have seen.

The Navigator’s Touch by Julia Ember

Now, I don’t want to go into too much detail here because I wrote an entire review, REVIEW | The Navigator’s Touch by Julia Ember. But, I will say that I really enjoyed this retelling that pulled from Norse mythology and Peter Pan. It was unique, had flawed unreliable characters, and the world that Ember created had just the right amount of magic. Also, I want to add that I received this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Outsider by Stephen King

I have 50 pages left and I need to type this and then go to sleep. So be prepared to see this book cover one more time with my full thoughts. I will say I am loving this book so much more than I thought it would. I loved seeing past characters from King’s other books pop up and the mixture of our world with a little bit other is just great in this one.

To Be Determined!

What did you read this week?

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Reviews

REVIEW | The Navigator’s Touch by Julia Ember

September 29, 2018November 23, 2018 bookishluna5 Comments

* I received this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Description

After invaders destroyed her village, murdered her family, and took her prisoner, shield-maiden Ragna is hungry for revenge. A trained warrior, she is ready to fight for her home, but with only a mermaid and a crew of disloyal mercenaries to aid her, Ragna knows she needs new allies. Guided by the magical maps on her skin, battling storms and mutiny, Ragna sets sail across the Northern Sea.

She petitions the Jarl in Skjordal for aid, but despite Ragna’s rank and fighting ability, the Jarl sees only a young girl, too inexperienced to lead, unworthy of help. To prove herself to the Jarl and win her crew’s respect, Ragna undertakes a dangerous expedition. But when forced to decide between her own freedom and the fate of her crew, what will she sacrifice to save what’s left of her home?

Inspired by Norse mythology and J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan, this companion novel to The Seafarer’s Kiss is a tale of vengeance, valor, honor, and redemption.

–goodreads.com

What I Liked

While I really enjoyed the first book in this companion series, The Seafarer’s Kiss, I found this retelling to be just as imaginative and interesting. This time around Julia Ember pulled from Norse mythology to aid in creating a retelling of Peterpan in a way. I find that Ember does a wonderful job in keeping to the characters she is has drawn inspiration from, but also makes them something new and her own. I know that sounds contradictory, but it is true.

I also really liked about this novel was the fact that it has flawed characters. For me when I see a flawed characters, even with a bit of magic and mythology surrounding them, it makes them more real, more tangible. Throughout the book Ragna is making mistakes, unreliable, and can just be rude. But, this makes her seem more human. I also did enjoy the sense of tension between her and her crew. I though it was an interesting way to go with their relationship since she rely on them and they rely so much on her as a leader. It also makes some of the issues “internal” in a sense and not just us against others.

Another thing I really liked was the fact that this novel the focus was not on romance. While I really enjoyed the previous book, I was glad to see more than just a romance. It allowed the world to become bigger, more vibrant, and the characters to shine on their own a bit more. Also, can I just say the mixture of mythology and elements from Peter Pan made such an interesting world and story. This combination was unique and I have not read anything similar to it.

What I Didn’t Like

One thing I was not overly thrilled with was the fact that were are times of violence that was pushing my limits at times. I do not think the violence in any way was prolonged, but it is there. Now, this is personal and I do want to point out that I am pretty sure Interlude, the publishing house that oversees Duet Books does post warning about their books. I did not look at these before hand. If this is something you think will bother you I highly suggest you look up the warning. But, I will be honest I would have read it anyway because I enjoyed Ember’s previous book and I enjoyed this one as well even though it had moments of violence.

Overall Thoughts

Overall, I thought this was a unique book. The combination of Embers world building, characters, and tension create a very good read. I also think that this is something that can be read on its own or the books can be easily read out of order and the reader wont miss out on anything. If you are looking for an interesting retelling I highly suggest this book.

4stars

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Author Links

Julia Ember

Website: http://www.julia-ember.com

Twitter: jules_chronicle

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Book Information

Publisher: Duet Books

Publication Date: September 13th 2018

List Price: $16.99

ISBN: 9781945053702

Pages: 256 pages

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Wrap Up

JUNE 2017 | WRAP UP

June 29, 2017June 22, 2017 bookishluna4 Comments

Wrap Up

5 Stars:

10644930

I finally got around to finishing A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas and I enjoyed it quite a lot. I have to say the ending blew me away completely. It has me very excited for the next book in the series. I am currently am in line to get it from my library so I can read it at the beach without ruining my copy.

4 Stars:

10644930

Another book I got to during the month of June is The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember. I read this short book in a single day and I was very invested in the main character. This is a LGBTQ+ retelling/twist between Ursula from the little mermaids childhood and Norse mythology. This book would have easily been a 5 stars, but there was a scene that happened between our main character and her love interest that made me a little uncomfortable. Even with that small scene I adored this book.

10644930

The first book I finished in June was It by Stephen King. This huge tome that is over 1000 pages was totally worth it. It was creepy and intriguing, it has me very excited for the remake that is coming out later this year.

10644930

Some of this book I loved, the other parts I did not enjoy at all. I enjoyed all the nods to other words such as Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and more. But, this book just rubbed me the wrong way sometimes. I just got angry at it, not at the characters. I found myself thinking, “Why? There was no reason for this!” Beginning is great, then ending is amazing, but the middle falls a little flat. If you can push yourself through the middle of the book you are golden!