king of scars re-read thoughts

i just finished re-reading King of Scars and boy oh boy I have some more thoughts (mostly on zoyalai, and damn this was a long post).

I ship Zoyalai even stronger than I did before

No seriously

Both of them are so determined to be noble and self-sacrificing that they lean on one another like two people who need the support of another (kind of reminds me of Nina and Matthias when they had to swim to shore)

Nikolai being so determined to save people. K I L L S  M E

While I love a good broody, edgelord. I do love the heroic, arrogant type of dudes who are just trying their best

Also Zoya literally has a vision to save all the Grisha ever and if she doesn’t end up being Queen by Kos2 then what’s even the point

Cause she says that the people won’t accept her, but girl, seriously. Pull a Sultan Jasmine and just change the law--the perception--save the Grisha

I also didn’t realize the depth of Nikolai’s optimism until this second reread. Like it seeps into everything he is or does. With Kirgin, he sees the noble heart and not the rake (for the most part). With his real dad and his half-sister, their very lives are threatening to his position, but he won’t pull the trigger on them just cause he thinks their very lives shouldn’t be forfeit simply for his existence.

Let’s not forget the fact that he really believes he can get his country out of a very very very difficult spot through sheer will and wit

I am also revitalized by the secondary relationships (Genya/David, Nadia/Tamar). It’s like a found-family dynamic with just a dash of “everyone’s getting together and there’s Tolya reading poetry in the corner”

Also Zoya and Nikolai subtly checking each other out is 10/10 content

I’m no expert but Nikolai is defff an extravert (maybe an ENFP) and Zoya is obviously an introvert (I’m thinking an ISTJ, but I could be wrong)

Kid Nikolai kills me each time I read his backstory

Like learning why Nikolai is the way he is. Knowing why he wears a thousand masks a day. Knowing that he saw monsters in his own family and has been fighting them since his childhood is absolutely amazing.

“My ruthless Zoya, I’ll load the gun myself” --> Iconic. Brilliant. Love of my life

Zoya saying the people would “never” accept her as queen is entirely laughable. Because as we know there’s really nothing quite impossible...just improbable

After re-reading all the stuff about the Starless Saint cult and The Darkling’s impact I’m here to report it’s just as horrifying as the first time I read it. The Darkling was a lonely, arrogant, narcissist with a delusion of grandeur and his followers are the kind of people who will forever be quoting other people’s pains as something to be taken for granted because to them “everything happens for a reason”

Nikolai has all these ideas that he’s always seeking for power and ambition, and while that may be true to a certain extent he’s awfully ready to hand over his country to his most trusted adviser

Also Zoya’s arc in this book is absolutely beautiful. Like just her process of grief and how that manifests into anger and will. And the fact that Juris doesn’t ask her to stop being angry or good, he’s just asking her to reconcile what was so she could move on fully. He’s literally just asking her to heal so that could be another scar she carries to make her stronger, just like the claw scars she has

And don’t get me started on the Juris/Zoya mentor relationship. I love it so much. Literally the only person who can match her snark for snark, and I love his “give no shits” attitude, but still be able to care kind of

Literally everyone in this book is advocating for Queen Zoya 2020, and I’m all here for it

And for real, there is so much foreshadowing to the fact that Zoya can’t be stuck being general forever. Despite her own protests or what dictates as “normal.” I think for Grisha to enter this new world where they can be treated like people, they need someone with significant political standing, and if that isn’t Queen Zoya than idek (cause i mean wouldn’t that solve a lot of their problems with Parem? With a Grisha Queen the use of Parem could be heavily regulated or banned, no other country wouldn’t dare use it against Ravka in case of enacting war, and it could finally finally unite Ravka and Grisha alike?)

Nikolai contemplating his own death is such a mood. I know I’ve talked forever about Zoya and her arc, but damn Nikolai. The Golden Boy hero who is willing to act for the rest of his life just so he can save others. And despite his strength he displays such a tenderness that makes him sooooo loveableeeeee. Also, don’t @ me but the iconic line of “if things were different. if he was led by his heart and not by duty” was the beginnings of a love declaration. i’m standing by that

One of the lines that kills me each time is when Nikolai is facing off the demon (one of my fav parts of the entire book tbh) and he says “he would never, ever turn his back on a wounded man-- even if that man was him.” just that hit me hard. that someone so confident and so self-sacrificing can survive by staring at his fears and deciding he was worth saving too is incredibly motivational. And while I aspire to have the Steel of Zoya Nazyalensky, I want Nikolai’s ability to be so Determined and Dedicated.

I also want to make a point about different views of love in King of Scars. Cause I think Zoya’s view on Love is the fruity, lusty kind of love that never lasts. Nikolai’s view of love is unattainable and based on pleasantries. I think they’re in love in the sense of choice. That love is the choice one makes after the attraction settles down and becomes normal. They just choose to be dedicated and choose Ravka (and each other) over and over again. And I don’t think they’re familiar with that kind of love to even recognize that that’s what it is (this is my own personal theory, I could also be wrong)

Reaching the end and realizing that Ehri doesn’t even want to be Queen, I really highly doubt that this marriage is going to work out. Not even because of the lack of love. It’s her lack of love for the people and zero political ambition. That’s pretty much useless to Nikolai who wants more for his people (i.e. Zoya will be Queen, I will keep saying it till the day I die)

Also, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The Darkling is a piece of shit

Juris will be #1 Zoyalai shipper. I can see it. I can taste it. It’s going to be grand

I may have missed this the first time, but Nikolai saying that they’re about to go to war again is insane, and damn if I thought Ketterdam was a raging dumpster fire of a mess Ravka is a Whole Ass Disaster

Final thoughts: 

Nikolai is a good man and a good king despite his very mortal standing and him being vulnerable with himself and accepting his darkness is beautiful. 

Zoya is a powerful woman, who has a lot of capacity to love despite what she thinks and she’s going to make a kick ass queen. 

Zoyalai is endgame

Book 2 is going to be hella chaotic but I’m ready for it all

Ready for Zoya, Genya, Tamar, Nadia (literally all the Grisha women) to have their Avengers: Endgame moment, and destroy the Darkling for good

Ready for Nikolai to be himself unequivocally and be the King his country deserves

Ready for Zoyalai to realize that love doesn’t have to look like doe-eyes and silly platitudes, but it can look like understanding the other person and be willing to die for something greater

I almost wish that the Grisha TV show was about SoC and KoS, instead. That way the Grisha Trilogy can be told through flashbacks, and that way we can focus on the actual effect of the Darkling rather than glorifying him in this weird dark light (but that’s just me)

Anyway: ZOYALAI WILL BE ENDGAME 

If you feel so inclined I would LOVE to hear more about your thoughts on heist movies (my favourite genre too!). Do you have a favourite?

why thank you! long story short the heist is the BEST genre and has the potential for a lot of fun and also if the story decides to go there, social commentary, but the heist is also a trick to pull off and takes a certain degree of skill! 

on a craft level, a heist is interesting because it’s pure, contained narrative. i’m sure there are literary fiction type heists out there, but on the whole the heist is the genre that strips all pretensions bare and reveals the bare bones of the story. plotting is KEY. the heist pushes all the elements of techniquie- plot, timing, rising tension, information and its release- straight to the center, often in extremely practical ways I.E we’re all in this One Building together and need to get this One THings. we’ve all seen bad heist movies before, and we’ve enjoyed them, but we’ve also Known they were bad or at least unfeasible, because it was pushed right into the open. (doesn’t stop them from Fun)

leigh bardugo aka MASTER of this genre said in an interview once i think that a heist is all about the timed release of information, which. yes. heists are ALL ABOUT tension and reveals, and a good heist writer is good at tightly controlling the rise and fall of tension based on their manipulation of the situation 

i LOVE genre fiction and am a massive Genre Fiction Defender, because i think sometimes authors can do their best work within the conventions and general plot outlines that a genre can provide. and a heist is both a fairly set and adaptable genre that can be outwardly applied to others, as well. a heist too can sit anywhere on the goofy to grimdark, and is also often blended the crime movie or organised crime movie (often the Set Up/antagonist). finally i think there’s a bit of a distinction within a heist movie- between a Heist (aka an organised plan to steal something in secret, generally) and a Con (a plan specifically revolving around Playing people). arguably the best of the genre Combine the two to maximise different kinds of storytelling and tension. the problems facing the heist tend to be physical, scientific or practical - an uncrackable safe, guard dogs, lazer-eyed alligators, etc, whereas the problems of the COn are human- finding the mark, the mark’s soft spots, and of course, the internality of the grifter(s) trying to work the mark. the COn aspect can be a really fascinating insight into human psychology. 

there’s also just an endless amount you can do with having people pretending to be other people to Get Something DOne and how that can be used to explore themes like class and privilidge.... 

which segues into my next point that a heist DOESN’T have to be subversive or NECESSARILY interested in wealth redistrubution and rob-the-rich-give-to-the-poor (although some of the best written ones are the ones where this is the case IMHO). BUT. the writer has to be aware those tensions exist, even subliminally! they have to underpin the structure of the novel. arguably, along with the organised crime genre, a heist is interesting for the extreme economic cross section of society it often contains - characters who have been struggling or down on their luck their whole lives in some ways engaging with or pretending to be the nobility or wealthy. a good visual heist often exploits this visually. 

the final point is that a multi-person heist often needs a good sense of interpersonal dynamics between the heist crew who you know, like all human being under pressure ESPECIALLY human beings who might not know each other and have prison/lives on the line, may not get along all that well 

so. it’s a pile up here. good plotting. good timing. PRESSURe. class. human psychology. very few heists have ALL these elements, but i’d argue that to tick, a good heist needs at least some of them. 

a lot of my favorites aren’t movies at all! 

- six of crows duology leigh bardugo - this series really got popular on tumblr, and it’s very simple as to why- it’s fucking great. seriously. like the hunger games, it’s one of those ya series i reread this summer and was reminded how well it stands up. (i wouldn’t read the grisha trilogy it intersects with until after, it is not NEARLY as good.) SOC works due to how well bardugo understands her characters, both in terms of internality and the wider political/social/cultural trends of the early industrial fake!amsterdam world they life in and importantly how the external and internal interact, and manages five and then six distinctive POV’s of a heist team MASTERFULLY. (no one in it is like vaguely a teenager is my only serious criticism). takes a while to get going but a knockout of a series. 

(they’re making a tv series of it which mixes it in with a bunch of other content LOOSING the tight “nothing including but the plot-necessary and yet richly detailed” writing that made it in the first place. but. whatever 

- leverage 

the heartwarming series about a team of crooks becoming a Family and dealing with individual trauma while starting to To Good and rob the rich to give to the poor in the aftermath of the 2009 financial crisis! genuinely one of the best shows i’ve ever seen, the plot of the week was always really entertaining and fun but the show did an admirable job of running a good course and finishing in a good place with serious character development in a satisfying way! i especially love the female characters in this one (hats off to inej and nina of six of crows too tho!!! love them) including a very well-written woman in her 40′s and an autistic woman coming into herself while being a baddass thief. and alec hardison is just. the best EVER 

- “time heist” - season 8 of doctor who 

this is just one episode and it’s very classic goofy WHO BUT! i think it manages in 45 minutes to be both a goofy fun alien time and a genuine homage to the genre that has some good reveals 

- timeless is NOT a heist show blatantly but in the way they used time travel there was often examples of Good Heist Writing 

- arguably, though not as a WHOLE, parts Rogue One

the locke lamora series, by scott lynch- 

these are LONG but they are FUN 

ocean’s 8 is also FUN 

MARCH WRAP UP???

Hi everyone!

So I decided that Saturdays will be the day of posts. Posts in other days than Saturday will be more random and probably shorter. I do realize that it’s the middle of the month of April and that everyone kind of forgot about March, but I’m about to post my March wrap up anyway.

Because in March I’ve read 9 books I will try to write it as short as I can. It’s not a lot, but I’m not disappointed, because as I said before there are 8 books I need to read per month (because of my reading challange for 2018). Not only I wasn’t disapointed by the number of the books, but also the contents; from all of 9 books I’ve enjoyed every single one, some more, some less, but there is no book I’ve give less than 3*.

The first book I’ve read in March was Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. I’ve enjoyed these stories. I wish I had this book when I was younger. It’s inspiring and really well written. Most important it’s not only “book for children”, it’s something that we all can learn something from. Not only young girls and what’s most people haven’t noticed; not only girls. While I get a lot of women that were mention in book are not a really good examples to be followed for good girls, the book is not about being GOOD. It’s for a rebel girls for goodness sake! The book is about powerful and influential women, which sometimes doesn’t go along with being “the good girl”.

The next book was Before I Let Go written by Marieke Nijkamp. Best friends Corey and Kyra were inseparable in their snow-covered town of Lost Creek, Alaska. When Corey moves away, she makes Kyra promise to stay strong during the long, dark winter, and wait for her return. Just days before Corey is to return home to visit, Kyra dies. Corey is devastated―and confused. The entire Lost community speaks in hushed tones about the town’s lost daughter, saying her death was meant to be. And they push Corey away like she’s a stranger. Corey knows something is wrong. With every hour, her suspicion grows. Lost is keeping secrets―chilling secrets. But piecing together the truth about what happened to her best friend may prove as difficult as lighting the sky in an Alaskan winter… Though I haven’t gave this book 5* it’s still one of my favorite storie I have ever read! I love the concept, getting to know characters, the wat Marieke wrote this book, not unnecessary the style. I don’t want to say too much because I’m afraid I could destroy you the reading experience.

Another book, or should I say graphic novel, is The Mortal Instruments; The Graphic Novel Vol I. Hanging out with her best friend, Simon, is just about the most exciting thing in Clary’s life…that is, until she realizes there are people only she can see. But when her mother disappears and a monster attacks her, Clary has to embrace a world that she never even knew existed–a world full of vampires, werewolves, demons, and those who fight for the humans, Shadowhunters. I love the idea of the graphic novel for The Mortal Instruments because the first books from the series aren’t really good for older teens and adults. They could easily skip the first three books by reading the graphic version of them! For now, there is only the first half of City of Bones (the first book from TMI series) but there will be more! And hopefully we will get them at least to City of Glass. I recommend buying this edition not only for people who are a bit too grown for the way CoB was writte, but for everyone. It’s fun, the illustrations are really good and also there is one scene that was missing from the original book!

The fourth book from March wrap up is Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levensellet. Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship. More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King. It’s really typical YA novel and from the synopsys you can clearly say it is cheesy, but I really enjoyed my time reading this. I hope the next book (because it is a duology, and  I haven’t gave you the name of the sequel for a reason; it’s pretty spoilering). Maybe I liked it because the book is about pirates and sea adventures, and I’m all about it! I don’t have problems with light books (and this was definitely one) I also don’t have any stipulations with it. But I do have some thoughts starting with „this could be better if…”. I wasn’t the big fan of a romance in it, but I believe that Levenseller will make it up with another books!

The next two books are my rereads and the first one is Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare. The year is 1878. Tessa Gray descends into London’s dark supernatural underworld in search of her missing brother. She soon discovers that her only allies are the demon-slaying Shadowhunters—including Will and Jem, the mysterious boys she is attracted to. Soon they find themselves up against the Pandemonium Club, a secret organization of vampires, demons, warlocks, and humans. Equipped with a magical army of unstoppable clockwork creatures, the Club is out to rule the British Empire, and only Tessa and her allies can stop them… I’ve reread this book because I am taking part in rereading Clare’s books before Queen Of Air And Darkness release. I have to admit when I first read Clockwork Angel I wasn’t a big fan of it, especially the love trangle. During the reading this book this month I focus on London and the case they were into, I’ve tried to ignore the love affairs and I have to say, I was really pleased with it. I’m not saying that I’m madly in love with Infernal Devieces and it’s not my favorite series by Cassandra, but it definitely jump on higher place.

My second reread is the first book of my favorite duology of all times (which are basically on the same place as Shades of Magic by V.E. Schwab), and that is Six of Crows by Leigh Berdugo. Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone… A convict with a thirst for revenge. A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager. A runaway with a privileged past. A spy known as the Wraith. A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes. Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first. If you still wonder about buying this book… don’t wonder, just buy it! If you already read The Grisha trilogy, buy Six of Crows asap! Or if you’re not really interesting in reading The Grisha, just jump right into it! I am really mad at myslef for ignoring Six of Crows because of the hype, but it really is worth it, at least for me. There is no words that can describe my love for this book. The first time I’ve read this book in January of 2018 and I immediately had to jump into the second book! I’ve finished SoC at 9 AM and right after this I went to local book store and bought Crooked Kingdom! Still it wasn’t enough so I ended up wanting to reread both books! First time I focused only on the story and the task they had to do, which basically made me miss a lot of really important things in relation between characters. Probably with the third reread (which will probably happen in the next 4 months) I will find something else. Six of Crows is connected to The Grisha trilogy and some people says it’s not necessary to know it before reading duology. I do believe it is better to read Grisha first because there you have the whole magic system and most important thing of this world is in it. Plus Six of Crows happened after The Grisha series which basically means you might find some spoilers, not big one, but still spoilers. I personally read Six of Crows first, but if I could I would definitely start with The Grisha series.

And now the book that I did enjoy but not that much… and everybody seems to love it… and after years of trying reading it I finally finished it. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone or if you prefer The Sorcerer’s Stone by none other but J.K. Rowling. Everybody probably knows what this book is about so I won’t write about it. And to be clear I love the world of HP, I love the films, I love the story, I love characters… it’s just, the book (THE FIRST BOOK) was not for me. I dislike the first movie from the series as well so maybe it’s just how it is. And maybe because I wasn’t growing with the books or that they are written for kids… I didn’t get it.  The only thing I liked about this book was the exploring the world all over again. More details about it etc. For me the worst part of the book (and I do get why it was shown this way, but it still was really pissing me off) is the hate towards Slytherin. That everybody in this house have to be evil. Like they are the worst. (I also might be a bit offended because it’s my Hogwart house).  But I will continue the series becuase after all I didn’t hate the book. It was okay, just not something I am madly in love with… or at love at all. I hope the next books will be better, I’m especially excited about The Half Blood Prince which is my favorite part when it comes to movies. I hope to love this series just as everybody else so much! Let’s hope I will.

Let’s move on to two the best books of March, and the first one is… Strange the Dreamer by Taylor Laini. I am so suprised that I loved this book so much. The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep and when a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors who proposed an expedition … to someone else. Because I’m writing full review about this book, I am not gonna write here much. I really do love Lazlo and the storie following his person, and not only his! I am really happy I did buy Strange the Dreamer and I cannot wait to hear more stories from Laini because she’s an amazing author!

And finally probably best of the best reads of this year is A Conjuring of Light by one and only, amazing V.E. Schwab. I absolutely adore Shades of Magic trilogy, it stole my heart with the first sentence! Because A Conjuring of Light is the third book in a series I won’t write anything about it, except the fact that it did broke my heart and left me empty, and yet the ending was so satisfying and beautiful that I cannot complain, but I do need more. And I heard we will get the stories set five years after the Shades of Magic, but we will see what will happen! For now, I will just highly recommend you this trilogy.

Well, I hope you enjoyed my little wrap up and that people won’t jump on me becuase of Harry Potter… we all should respect each others opinion, I mean, everybody has a right to have one (..right?). But that’s it for much, thanks to anyone who read this and let me know down in a comments what was your reads of the month of march and what was your favorite? 🙂

Happy Monday! I had a terribly anxious night of sleep last night & idk why, so I’m giving myself a little extra love this morning, and that includes telling everyone about the book(s) I finished reading!

So I said my new years resolution was to read more, and so far I’m doing a pretty decent job of it. I’ve read three books this year and, while I would have loved to post about each one individually, the first two were e-books. Thus, we are here. 

Welcome to the first (and possibly only) installment of BOOKS I READ IN 2018! Maybe if I give it a title I’ll feel some responsibility to uphold it. I’ll put it under a cut because I tend to blab. Also, if you’re not into YA but interested in the book in this pic, scroll down to the last rec. If you don’t read any other part of this post, read that. Because this is the book I really want to rec to people. 

Anyway.

Six of Crows by Leah Bardugo

This book was fun! I had seen loads of stuff on tumblr about it and I’ve missed reading YA lately, so I thought I would give it a go. Plus I’m a sucker for a good heist. It took me a while to get into, I’m not going to lie. I don’t know if I just wasn’t in the right place for it when I tried, or if it was just slow moving at the start. Regardless, I pushed on and I’m really glad I did. 

The premise: Six teens from the dregs of Ketterdam attempt to pull the most difficult heist in the most impenetrable place in the world in order to make a little lot of money. 

Praises: There are different (third person) perspectives throughout the book, and I really enjoyed that because it gave characterization that you wouldn’t quite get if it had been a single perspective. I really loved the way the author created this world but made it really realistic. The names and languages and locations reminded me of various parts of the world, and made it really easy to visualize. Ketterdam is modeled after Amsterdam, and there were definitely traces of Dutch in the language used in the city. Same thing with the other countries and cultures. Fjerda reminded me of Scandinavia, Su Han reminded me of east Asia, Novyi Zem reminded me of Africa, Ravka reminded me of Russia, the Kaelish reminded me of the Irish, and the Suli felt very Middle Eastern to me. I really really liked this kind of implicit representation in it. I thought Bardugo did a really great job giving background about each place without feeling like I was reading an entire history of the country à la many fantasy writers in the world (cough cough George RR Martin). 

Complaints: all these characters are supposed to be incredibly resourceful and also very murderous as times, and they’re only like 16-18 years old. This is just a general complaint about YA stories like this in general. I didn’t mind it when I was the same age as the characters, but reading it now being nearly 24 years old I’m just kind of meh about it. But, that said, it was still enjoyable and I suspended reality of it for this fictional world. 

Since Six of Crows is a duology and I didn’t have to wait for another book to come out, I decided to read the sequel immediately after. Henceforth, we have the next book.

Crooked Kingdom by Leah Bardugo

I liked this one even better than the first one. The characters stayed the same, but the story was very different. They all still banded together to pull some tricks, but the overall story was structured different. 

Praise: So often I think sequels take the same shape and structure as the previous book, especially if the first was received very well. This is not necessarily bad, but it can get tired after a while because you already have an idea of what will happen. This book didn’t do that, and I loved it. It had similar elements, but this was more of a revenge plot than the first book, and I thought it was really well done. I don’t want to give too much away in case anyone wants to read it. But it was a refreshing sequel and I really enjoyed it. We also got to learn more about the characters which I loved, and more background about the world they live it. Again, Bardugo did a great job of balancing everything and not making it too heavy in one area. 

Complaints: Both in this and Six of Crows I wished that the perspectives were divided a bit more evenly. They were for the most part, but I found myself getting tired of seeing the same stuff about some characters and not so much about the others. This may be a bias because my favorite characters had fewer perspectives and I wanted more of them, but whatever. That was really the only issue I had with the book. Oh, and there were a few things (e.g. Winged Shu & Dunyasha) that I felt were introduced for no real reason, other than to have another exciting element. I could have done without these and been perfectly happy. 

Favorite Characters by rank: Jesper Fahey, Wylan Van Eck, Nina Zenik, Inej Ghafa, Matthias Helvar, Kaz Brekker. 

Overall, both were very very good and helped kick start the year of reading. 

How Much the Heart Can Hold: Seven Stories on Love

I took quite a turn after reading SOC & CK to read a book of short stories about love. 

I grabbed it, initially, because the cover art is breathtaking and I am a sucker for love. I thought it was going to be all romantic love, but I was surprised to read that it covered several different types of love. I’ve always been fascinated in the different type of love in the world, as well as how we show love to each other, so naturally I had to get it. I thought it would be a nice way to start the year too, with a little bit of tender growth into whoever I am supposed to be. And it certainly did that. It wasn’t entirely transformational. This isn’t the type of book that I’m going to shove in everyone’s faces saying “YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO READ THIS IT’S THE BEST BOOK EVER.” But I will say that it provided me quiet comfort and allowed me to see things in ways I hadn’t really considered before. 

There was a really great quote in the introduction by the editor that solidified my purchase too. She’s said that she gave the different types/definitions of love to various writers and let them choose whichever called out to them the most. That was the only prompt. Write about that love in whatever way the writer saw fit. Then she says: 

“When all the stories came back, the thing that struck me most - the uniting feature of each tale - was that the love they chose was always characterised by action, and resulted in transformation. Love in these stories is rarely static, but constantly changing and developing. It is, universally, an active force.”

And I just love that so much? I think we often forget how transformational love is. We get so swept up in the idea of romantic love being this all encompassing and beautiful thing that turns your world on it’s head, but we forget about the small types of love we experience every day and how that changes us. Because those changes are so much smaller and happen at a much more gradual pace, so we don’t realize how much growth we’ve gone through until we’re years down the line. And I just think that’s so beautiful. 

The Types of Love Discussed in the Book & a Brief  Opinion About the Story That Exemplifies it: 

La Doleur Exquise (the pain of unrequited love): Before It Disappears by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan

What a way to start the book. This one is painful and heartbreaking but gives so much sympathy for a couple struggling late in their relationship when one of them cannot help themselves any longer. 

Pragma (enduring love): One More Thing Coming Undone by D.W. Wilson

An interesting story about reconnecting with an old flame that never really went away, even though you haven’t spoken in nearly twenty years.

Philautia (love for oneself): White Wine by Nikesh Shukla

A heartwarming story about a brother and sister and how the brother learns to see himself through certain aspects of his sister’s life. A brieft touch on casual racism in everyday London society and how the characters deal with it. 

Mania (obsessive love): Magdala, Who Slips Sometimes by Donal Ryan

A fantastic story who’s style mimics the manic, chaotic, desperate love described within it’s pages. About a love that persists, however unhealthy, years after it ended. 

Storge (familial love): Codas by Carys Bray 

This one made me feel a lot. It centers around a woman and her relationship with her father and her son. It’s simple and moved me in a way I didn’t expect. It made me very excited to love a child as my own one day. 

Eros (erotic love): The Love Story by Grace McCleen

My favorite of the stories. It follows a nine year old girl who is desperately wanting to know what love is, as well as the uncomfortable pleasure she experiences when she gets sexual feelings for the first time. 

Agape (love for humanity): The Human World by Bernardine Evaristo

A hilariously funny take on God and what it takes to love and watch over humanity to make sure we don’t destroy everything. It’s honest and it hurts and it made me think of the way God is so often portrayed in media and what it would actually be like to have God’s job. Even if you’re not religious in any way, it’s very universal and definitely worth a read.

SceptreLoves: It Was Summer by Phoebe Roy

This story was the winner of a writing competition that accompanied the hardcover publication of this book. It follows a relationship from start to finish and back again in a way that is soft and moving and incredibly realistic. 

Overall these stories were great. Whether you read them all in one sitting, or read them individually over time, or in some other combination, it’s a light read that will make you reflect more on the life you lead and the way you love. 

Crooked Kingdom (So/c 2)

(2/5*)

I still just can’t get on board with this one.. I really wanted to. I enjoyed SoC, well, the last half of SoC, and was told it all gets better once you get to that point. I was told that Crooked Kingdom is all go, totally action packed and awesome. Boy howdy what a letdown. I suppose it was action packed, but it was all over the place and not very gripping. Not once did this really pull me in.

It gets long, and spoilery at the end. 

The Good:

Nina! I thought I was going to hate her back in the beginning of SoC but she was possibly the most dynamic character out of all of them even to the end. Her story (besides that One Terrible Thing) was done justice. She was fleshed out. And then done a terrible injustice with that One Terrible Thing. Nina was struggling through withdrawals on top of her demons and figuring out who she is again, all while still being a badass involved in the many shenanigans of this book.

Wylan & Jesper. Again they are cute idiots and I love them. They both felt more real this time around, more meat to their personalities and neither of them got killed off. that’s the dream. That’s the real gay agenda.

The Bad:

Kaz. He’s the most boring main character ever. Everything is way too easy for him. Everything goes exactly according to some crazy plan he *just thought of*. He gets out of sticky situations with ease, even with a busted leg. Every time one of his plans went how it was supposed to (spoilers: every damn time) he makes some like *mic drop* comment that makes me hate him even more. The way his plans are written sometimes isolates the reader. “It worked because this thing I did that I didn’t tell anyone about and I’m the best” *mic drop*. He is written as someone Much older than we’re supposed to believe he is, which has always been my struggle with all of these characters. I think it just shows so much more blindingly with Kaz. Even if his whole life has been a struggle and he’s a hardened criminal... he still doesn’t have the thought processes of a 17 year old. He’s talked about as being some genius more than it is actually shown.

Only maybe Jesper & Wylan kinda seem like teenagers. I’m pretty convinced Bardugo was writing this book as adult fiction and then decided she wanted it to be YA after all and just reduced their ages down in number but nothing else. If I read them as 30-40 year olds it’s much more pleasant, but she has to keep reminding everyone they are ~17~ and that just ruins it all over again.

Inej. I liked her enough in SoC, but here she is reduced to just.. not much. Everything about her, in reference to her, that she says or thinks, is repetitive. I know I read the same line about her several times throughout this book. Her storyline in Crooked Kingdom felt like a constant backpedal. Like ooo we’re getting somewhere, she’s going to overcome something... and then we loop back to the starting position again. Just.. frustrating. No growth. Treading water.

A few paragraphs ago I say it is action packed. And it is, but that is not a good thing here. The fast pacing was a major downfall. There’s so much going on, so many odd plot lines. The beginning of SoC felt the same way for me. It feels like running loosely related errands. “We have to do this thing before we can do this but we also have several more things to do and...” ok. It’s like questing on Runescape but Worse. Do we need to pick up some milk on the way over also, Kaz? A lot of these plot lines / devices also kinda got abandoned. Really just feels like trying to rush through these smaller events to get to the Big Bad Event, not giving anyone time to process what just happened. There are no feelings, its just happening. There’s no real consulting about what they’re going to do, because Kaz is the ~mastermind~ and hes so ~witty~ and always just has the perfect plan that will go off without a single problem. I guess she is writing another book? But I’m pretty sure that is an afterthought. No Grisha uprising? No actual problems with Parem? hokay. sure. just gonna build to an actually interesting and good plot and flush it down the harbor in favor of a) another heist basically b) a boring ass villain who is really just a rich dude in a suit.

Dunyasha. Another rush through plot device. She’s incredible. She’s lovely. She’s going to murder Inej.. but nope. She was not done justice. Inej was so worthless during their fight, just getting stabbed left and right and not being able to fight back. I wanted more Dunyasha. Not just ~defeated~ and then is nothing more.

Van Eck was underwhelming as a villain. He was too easily defeated because ~kaz the mastermind~ He gets hauled off to jail.. for “committing” fraud... h’okay. and the gang gets all his money. woo. hoo. he did not have enough face time. there was basically no interaction with him. He was just some dull politician.. oo scary.

The vicious coupling. I’m literally just going to paste from my SoC review because its the SAME THING. “ It may actually be possible, wait wait hear me out, to end a YA series without pairing up EVERYONE. You can even end it without pairing up anyone. I mean yay a little nibble of lgbt rep, I’ll take what I can get. But ugh does everyone have to be together? It doesn’t bode well for plot/character development in the next book. Because that just sounds like a good plot device- oh wait! that is what it is! With Inej being kidnapped!”

Ummm this was basically SoC but just like. slightly different plot. Exact. Same. Algorithm.

The Really Bad.

KAZ OWNS INEJ KAZ, A STRAIGHT WHITE MALE, OWNS A SULI GIRL “The Suli, being a nomadic, stateless people, may have been influenced by Jewish or Romani cultures.” and the main character of this book. OWNS ONE. ONE WHO HE CALLS HIS INVESTMENT CONSTANTLY. THE BROWN GIRL HE OWNS IS ALSO HIS LOVE INTEREST???????” PLEASE. STOP SWEEPING THIS UNDER THE RUG. THIS SHOULD NOT BE OVERLOOKED. tHIS WAS PUBLISHED IN 2016 HOW IS THIS OKAY yall really out here ignoring some severe issues just because you love this ~tortured past~ ~witty haha~ ~genius schemer~ nasty vile 1 dimensional boring brick of a character

Matthias.

The character with growth and depth. The love interest of the other character with depth.... suddenly dead. His death was so dumb. It really came out of nowhere. We go through all this with him just for him to be expendable. No one even cared? Nina did, but the others didn’t have any thoughts about it. He did not deserve this. Nina did not deserve this. If anyone had to be viciously coupled, it should have been them. It made sense for them.

I wasn’t really planning on doing a full review, I didn’t want to put the effort in. But it kept bothering me, and I’d remember more things that bothered me. So here we are. I didn’t want to just hate on a book without thoroughly getting into it.