This is my playlist for Legendary, the sequel to Caraval which I absolutely loved!
“Every story has four parts – the beginning, the middle, the almost ending, and the true ending.”
Title:Â Legendary
Author:Â Stephanie Garber
Pages: 432
Publisher:Â Hodder & Stoughton
A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.
The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfil her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.
Welcome, welcome to Caraval…the games have only just begun.
Let me say from the offset, the second half of this book absolutely brought this book all the way up in terms of rating. I started reading this book about two weeks ago and I read it extremely slowly at the time because for some reason the first part of this book dragged. On the bright side, this did pick up about just under 100 pages into the book (I then read the rest of it in two days!).
Tella was not hugely explored in the first book, and honestly, I wish that we could get rid of Scarlett and replace her with Tella’s narrative. Although, Carval was phenomenal the way that Tella saw things in Legendary and her way of doing things really kept me intrigued. She was fun to read about, brassy and just an all round interesting character. Tella turns out to be a hugely complex character in comparison to what I initially thought she’d be.
Somehow Garber managed to make an even more magical world than the last. Even though it somewhat lacked the fluorescence and flair of the first Caraval we see; the city of Valenda and it’s people manage to be even more magical than expected. As Tella untangles the mysteries of Caraval and her story becomes more interwoven with that of the Fates, the more magical this gets. Garber’s writing made me feel like I was seeing everything through Tella’s eyes like I was the one walking through the Spice market and touching the marble in the Temple of Stars.
I honestly was mystified and bewildered by the riddles and lore of this world and its characters. I can’t wait to get onto Finale and have yet another book of gut-wrenching twists and turns and never knowing what to expect in a breathtaking world of magic.
“Everyone mourns the first blossom. Who will grieve the rest who fall?”
Title:Â Obsidio
Author:Â Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
Pages:Â 615
Publisher:Â Allen & Unwin
Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they’ll find seven months after the invasion?
Meanwhile, Kady’s cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza’s ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha’s past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict.
With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.
This was an epic ending to a trilogy that I really loved and enjoyed reading. I will say straight off the bat that Obsidio was very similar plot wise to its predecessors but that didn’t make it any less enthralling for me to read to be honest!
The book starts off a couple of months after the end of Gemina on board the Hypatia. The events that follow are what primarily kept me loving this book throughout – although I’d read similar plots before I still wanted to see what happened next and was still surprised by some of the things that happened throughout.
Kady, Ezra, Hanna, Ella and Nik were great characters to read – as they’ve always been. Their relationships with each other were amazing to read, their romances for once in a YA book weren’t what the entire book focused on. After three books of reading about them I felt a connection with these characters – and let me tell you my heart was racing anytime they even came close to a bit of danger (I really didn’t want any deaths).
Now, let’s talk about my favourite part of the book by far – AIDAN. AIDAN is the AI who has been present throughout the trilogy and is the main reason I continued reading this series. He’s an amazing character (if he can really be called that). The way that Kaufman and Kristoff have written his evolution in terms of morals and how he sees the world was really eye opening. His view on things and his character itself changes throughout the novel and although he never really loses his ‘for the greater good’ personality you can see how he’s really changed as you near the end of the book.
Overall, the ending of this series was amazing to be honest. Amazing plot, amazing characters, and honestly the only reason it didn’t get a five stars from me was because I felt it dragged a bit at times. A 615 page novel probably could’ve been shortened a bit but either way I absolutely loved it!
“Everyone mourns the first blossom. Who will grieve the rest who fall?”
Title:Â King of Scars
Author:Â Leigh Bardugo
Pages:Â 514
Publisher:Â Orion Children’s Books
Nikolai Lantsov has always had a gift for the impossible. No one knows what he endured in his country’s bloody civil war—and he intends to keep it that way. Now, as enemies gather at his weakened borders, the young king must find a way to refill Ravka’s coffers, forge new alliances, and stop a rising threat to the once-great Grisha Army.
Yet with every day a dark magic within him grows stronger, threatening to destroy all he has built. With the help of a young monk and a legendary Grisha Squaller, Nikolai will journey to the places in Ravka where the deepest magic survives to vanquish the terrible legacy inside him. He will risk everything to save his country and himself. But some secrets aren’t meant to stay buried—and some wounds aren’t meant to heal.
I have no words for this book. I’m kind of upset I have to wait a whole year for the second book but also I’m so happy that I read it in the first place because it was phenomenal.
King of Scars picks up three years after Ruin and Rising – most of the characters in the book are characters that we’ve already met in both the Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows duology – and honestly I didn’t hate that. The fact that we already knew the characters to some extent meant that Bardugo could primarily focus on throwing everything she had into the amazingly elaborate and unpredictable plot of this book.
There are two storylines happening at the same time throughout this novel, and Bardugo also stays true to her individual character chapters meaning we get to experience the action from multiple different perspectives.
Firstly, there’s Nikolai and his Triumvirate. I love love loved them! Nikolai was the charismatic and smart ruler that I’d expect from him and being able to see how people like Genya and Zoya have changed as characters since the Grisha trilogy was so refreshing to read. The fact that we’d already been through the war with them and got to learn who they were as people prior to this book made reading about them here something that felt a lot more personal and easy than reading about completely new characters.
Their storyline and plot throughout King of Scars was something that kept me completely enthralled throughout – I didn’t know what exactly was going to happen but instead felt pleasantly satisfied with what I did and didn’t know. Once I’d reached the end of the book I was completely in shock because everything that I thought we’d been building up to was completely wrong – and of course that’s what I love so much bout reading Leigh Bardugo’s writing. I’m always surprised!
Simultaneously, Nina from the Six of Crows duology was doing her own thing in Fjerda with a group of other Grisha. I really enjoyed seeing the two different story lines happen throughout the novel. Nina’s plot – although it felt like it was not entirely related to the main plot – you can tell that the two plots are going to converge into something amazing in the next book.
I can’t wait to see more of this phenomenal writing and story telling in the next book. This book honestly was amazing.
“Grief doesn’t care how many years it’s been.”
Title:Â A Quiet Kind of Thunder
Author:Â Sarah Barnard
Pages:Â 320
Publisher: Macmillan Children’s Book
Steffi doesn’t talk, but she has so much to say.
Rhys can’t hear, but he can listen.
Their love isn’t a lightning strike, it’s the rumbling roll of thunder.
Steffi has been a selective mute for most of her life – she’s been silent for so long that she feels completely invisible. But Rhys, the new boy at school, sees her. He’s deaf, and her knowledge of basic sign language means that she’s assigned to look after him. To Rhys, it doesn’t matter that Steffi doesn’t talk, and as they find ways to communicate, Steffi finds that she does have a voice, and that she’s falling in love with the one person who makes her feel brave enough to use it.Â
This book was okay. It started off a lot better than it finished. This book is about Steffi, a girl with selective mutism and anxiety, and Rhys a boy who is deaf. I went into this thinking it would be a cute but powerful teen romance contemporary book – and that’s what I kind of got.
The book started off really well. It’s by no means lacking in the cute or powerful. Steffi’s development at the start of the book and throughout is phenomenal – and the way that that’s written is just as amazing. As a reader I was really able to see that development and her slowly becoming more comfortable within herself and with people around her.
Rhys was honestly a boring character overall. I’m fully aware that Steffi was the main character but throughout the book I felt that the spotlight was constantly on her and Rhys was sort of the background character that was there to support Steffi and make sure she got to where she needed to be.
As the book progressed the characters got frankly – worse. They became uninteresting to me and lost the charm an cuteness that I had loved so much to begin with. The plot became too dramatic and far-flung for me for a book that had started off so raw and cute.
I’m not sure at what point I stopped enjoying this book as much but it just didn’t really click with me as I drew closer towards the end. If you’re looking for a quick, cute and at times cringy (in a kind of good way) read this is probably one for you!
It’s Wednesday again which means this is when I bring you guys the Top 5 Wednesdays, created by gingerreadslainey. You can find out more about these days on the Goodreads group by clicking here!
I’m 17!!! I’m not going to lie, this birthday has absolutely been one of the best. I got absolutely spoiled by all my friends and got some pocket money to hopefully spend on some upcoming releases this year!
I got four books and four mangas this year so I’ve got enough reading material to last me a bit! I also got a ÂŁ20 Waterstones voucher which I’m not entirely sure what to spend on.
Anyways onto the books…
So I know that it’s already April but since I haven’t actually read any new releases this year I’m going to make this post anyways! These are some of the books I’m looking forward to reading that have been released in the last couple of months and that are going to be released in the months to come! (Also I actually couldn’t find more than 4 books but didn’t have the time to edit the post, sorry :))
I’ve never read anything by Roshani Chokshi but this sounds amazing. It’s giving me Six of Crows vibes and also it’s written by an author that I’ve never heard anything but amazing things about so hopefully I’m pleasantly surprised!
Leigh Bardugo is one of my favourite authors and I can’t wait to get my hands on this book! I’ve always loved her books and honestly although I wasn’t the biggest fan of Nikolai I know I’ll love this book when I finally get to it and honestly I can’t wait to just take some pics with it as well.
I met Angie Thomas last year and she was sososo sweet – after loving The Hate U Give it was pretty much a guarantee I was going to read this. I haven’t actually looked at the blurb or description at all and I don’t think I will, I’m just banking on the fact that I’ve loved her book before so hopefully will enjoy this one too!
I will admit to not having read the second book in this series but the first book was phenomenal. I think I’d probably buy this anyways even if the second book was horrible I’d probably still buy it purely because the cover is so beautiful!
Let’s just get this out of the way. The cover on this book is absolutely horrible – it kinda looks rushed and just not too nice. Don’t get me wrong the art is pretty I just don’t love people’s faces on the front of book covers. Other than that the 7th is looking to be a pretty good day! Two new releases from authors that I know and love – what more could I ask for?
“I imagine all wars look the same to those who die in them.”
Title:Â Wonder Woman: Warbringer
Author:Â Leigh Bardugo
Pages:Â 369
Publisher: Penguin
Diana is desperate to prove herself to her warrior sisters. But when the opportunity comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law to save a mere mortal, Alia Keralis. With this single heroic act, Diana may have just doomed the world.
Alia is a Warbringer – a descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. Diana and Alia will face an army of enemies, mortal and divine, determined to destroy or possess the Warbringer.
To save the world, they must stand side by side against the tide of war.
Let me say first off, it’s Leigh Bardugo writing this so there wasn’t much room for error to begin with. I don’t think I could ever see myself rating one of her books any lower than four stars to be completely honest.
So… I went into this book knowing barely anything about Wonder Woman (other than having watched the movie) and a lot about mythology. I had literally no idea that this book would have any mythology in it at all – and to be honest, that’s one of the aspects that made this book for me. I love mythology and it was done pretty well in this book. I won’t lie it reminded me a lot of Rick Riordan’s kind of mythology at some points but otherwise, Leigh Bardugo pulled it off.
At least three of the four stars I gave this book were pure because of Bardugo’s phenomenal writing. It’s rare to see an author who masters dialogue as well as she does. Being able to read a conversation between characters without stopping to cringe every few lines is refreshing. Her pace, her plotlines, her characters they’re all just outstanding.
Diana was interesting to read about. I liked how she upheld her personality throughout the book and adhered to the style of speech and vocabulary that she’s usually represented with. Her search for glory was certainly the driving for this story, and although it wasn’t the main plot that message certainly wasn’t lost within other events.
Alia and her friends were also such well-developed characters I was surprised to see that much detail in characters I’d only read about for about 200 pages. Nim and Theo really made me smile at parts and I just love the individuality that Bardugo always puts into her characters.
Also, almost forgot to mention – there’s a plot twist. After the whole duration of the book was pretty straight forward I wasn’t prepared for this to be thrown at me. I literally put the book down for a second as I went over what I had just read. Trust me – you won’t be prepared for this at all.
The only reason I gave this book four stars was because of the romance, it felt forced and awkward and honestly I’m not really sure why it was in there. It wasn’t really necessary, to be honest, and it was pretty scarce; the scarcity made it feel like it was being pulled out of nowhere and I think if it was really going to work there should’ve been a bit more of it to make it less abnormal.
Overall, this book was great I read it pretty quickly and it left me satisfied at the end. I really do love me some mythology and Leigh Bardugo – even better when it’s combined!
“I’m willing to walk in darkness if it keeps humans in the light.”
Title:Â Our Dark Duet
Author:Â Victoria Schwab
Pages:Â 470
Publisher: Titan Books
Kate Harker is a girl who hunts monsters. And she’s good at it. August Flynn is a monster who can never be human. Nearly six months after Kate and August were first thrown together, the war between the monsters and the humans is a terrifying reality. In Verity, August has become the leader he never wished to be, and in Prosperity, Kate has become the ruthless hunter she knew she could be. When a new monster emerges from the shadows -one who feeds on chaos and brings out its victim’s inner demons- Kate must face a monster she thought she’d killed, a boy she thought she knew and a demon all her own …
What can I say? Victoria Schwab has outdone herself – not that I ever thought that was possible. Seeing as she’s my favourite author I went into this book with sky-high expectations, and let me tell you I was not disappointed at all.
I’m not a stickler for happy endings – if anything I find that a book is infinitely more emotional and raw if the ending isn’t happy. By no means, was the ending to this book, or any of the events throughout it written to put a smile on your face.
Although this was a sequel the amount of detail in this book means it could probably get away with being standalone. Schwab has a way of writing that makes you shiver and want to cry at the same time. Her writing is full of emotion, yet still manages to portray all the action needed to give you an amazing adrenaline rush throughout.
August and Kate’s dynamic was subtly explored towards the end of the book and was something I wish was shown more, yet its absence was something refreshing to see in a young adult book for once.
The unique world building and plotline of this duology means that it probably could’ve gone on for much longer, yet the ending to this book has left me with a mellow sort of completion in my heart. I wish it could be more, but I’m not dissatisfied with the end.
Schwab really has a phenomenal way with words and I guarantee that this book will not be one you regret reading.
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