Log in with Facebook 
Updating the list of books I was currently reading (before the down times). You can click the link to read my review of this.
Updating the list of books I was currently reading (before the down times). You can click the link to read my review of this.
The Kingdom is the ultimate fantasy theme park, with its thrilling rides and coasters, set among safari grasslands, mermaid pools, and tropical forests, a monorail, and the magical Princess Palace. Long-extinct animal species have been bioengineered and now roam free, along with hybrid animals like horseflies as well as virtual dragons.
And what’s this Kingdom without princesses? Ana is one of seven Fantasists - half-human, half-android princesses, who are engineered to make park visitors' fantasies come true. Her programming dictates that her behavior is predictable, and she is not complicated with the vast array of human emotions. So when Ana does start experiencing emotions, questioning what she's been told to think and say, her whole world inside this surreal futuristic amusement park changes. It also leads to the most controversial trial of the century and to a surprise romance.
Author Jess Rothenberg isn't new to the YA scene, having been both the editor of the popular 'Vampire Academy' series, and writer of 'The Catastrophic History of You & Me.' But this is a genre-bending departure from vampires and paranormal romance for Rothenberg, bringing us a mash-up between sci-fi and fantasy, Westworld crossed with Disney World. The Kingdom is set in Lewis County, WA, 2096, a future that comes across as incredibly eerie, the kind of ‘too good to be true’ that is undeniably unsettling from the very beginning.
Ana, being half-human, has deep questions about the role she is supposed to play in the theme park, as it becomes clear that it’s far from ‘normal’; most importantly, the question of whether she actually committed the highest crime of all - murder - pushes the story through twists and turns all the way through. The confusion Ana feels over her romantic feelings and friendships are also fantastically exaggerated examples of how the teenage years can be a minefield to deal with anyway, and the way she questions the treatment of animals hit me at my core.
This book is the perfect combination of fantasy and sci-fi, with the twist of mystery, romance and good dose of a fairytale mixed in, and it brings up so many profound questions about humanity and how we treat others. It felt like nothing else I had read lately and so I loved this deeply original book.
*Thank you to Christian Trimmer for introducing me to this delight, and Henry Holt Books for Young Readers for treating me to an early copy.
Life as a young fox is scary, with so much to learn about the dangers out there in the woods. Little foxes learn about these dangers from their mama, a masterful storyteller, or the hard way, by facing the world.
This beautifully-written and illustrated middle-grade book invites the reader to step inside the minds of little foxes, and embark on an adventure, full of the real-life challenges that they often face:
Nasty humans, vicious woodland creatures like the Golgathursh and badgers, and dangerous territorial foxes. And especially the harsh Winter.
This is a tale within a tale, and just like scary stories told around a campfire, it has elements of horror and delight. Not only is it precautionary for fox kits, like foxes Mia and Uly, readers will recognize the themes of friendship, family, bravery, and the drive to push ahead when life is difficult.
Author Christian McKay Heidicker has a way with words too, and through his writing he has conveyed a very vivid picture of woodland life, describing objects as a fox would see them, and creating new words for things that wouldn’t make sense to them. He also doesn’t shy away from the brutality of nature, from the cycle of life and death, and the struggle for survival against the most difficult of odds. The young foxes in his story face hunters, painful separation from family members, and gruesome injuries and death. Heidicker draws inspiration from classic authors Bram Stoker, Edgar Allen Poe, and H.P. Lovecraft, and weaves in a very well-known children’s book author into this very book; young readers who love a scary story will enjoy this, but it’s not for those who are easily upset by animals getting hurt or struggle with the harshness of nature.
The most wonderful part in my reading this (aside from enjoying the adventure and the amazing artwork by Junyi Wu) was how it reminded me of discovering books about animals in my childhood, such as ‘Charlotte’s Web,’ ‘The Wind in The Willows,’ and ‘Watership Down.’ I enjoyed these with my dad, and they fueled my love and compassion for animals. I expect many readers who will enjoy this book will be or are animal-lovers too, as Heidicker has embodied the curious and mischievous nature of foxes so well in this book, and it’s really hard not to love them because of it. This deserves to be a children’s animal classic!
**Thank so much to the editor, Christian Trimmer of Henry Holt Books, for my early copy and the chance to read and review this book.
Release date: 8.20.19
Release Date: September 29, 2015
Source: BEA ARC
Published by: Henry Holt
Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo | Goodreads
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.
My first impression of Six of Crows was that it felt like a much different story from Shadow and Bone. Though they take place in the same world and feature similar elements (i.e. there are some gruesome scenes; the dark themes are still prevalent in SoC), Six of Crows, on the whole, is more character-oriented and driven. Its plot may feel more commercial (i.e. "Game of Thrones"/high fantasy meets "Ocean's Eleven" comparison) than the symbolic light/dark hero's journey of the Grisha trilogy, but it's certainly no less cinematic. Here's where Bardugo's writing shines - and I would prefer, actually, to see this adapted over the Grisha books.
In fact, Six of Crows seems a great improvement on the Grisha trilogy (though those books still remain my favorites). One critique I had seen of the Grisha trilogy, though I did not quite agree with it, had to do with the world-building - Six of Crows is a clear expansion on the world-building of the Grishaverse. These books may take place in the same world, but newcomers need not fear: there is enough detail on the magic to render the Grishaverse comprehensible and not so much that old fans will feel bogged down by details. The details of the world at large paint a vivid atmosphere; it's easy to feel like you're walking beside Kaz and his crew, and things come together in a wonderfully picturesque fashion. This made me wonder if the world was the heart of this novel: the details of Ketterdam and beyond feel well considered in minutiae. Furthermore, the expansion on the magical system established in the Grisha trilogy feels natural -- another detail to make this fantasy world feel real.
Some fantasy novels develop their worlds at the expense of character, plot, and pacing. Not so with Six of Crows - almost every one of the main characters has a PoV, clear backstory, and something they need to change in their lives - which often fuels the tension of this novel, differing and potentially conflicting motivations for their heist. Where other authors might hide the character motivations and make characters feel mysterious (unknowable) for the sake of suspense, Bardugo does not; and instead, plays her characters off one another, having us wait for those defining moments when characters are forced to reckon with each other. Although the main characters have POVs, the book is still plot-oriented mostly. In essence, it captures the same feel of old favorites like Harry Potter, plot-focused but with characters who clearly have their own stories. With all of this in mind, the pacing in the first half is slower to accommodate for us getting to know the characters, but speeds up during their jaunt to the Ice Palace.
If you were unsure or not much a fan of the Grisha books, giving Six of Crows a chance is a wise decision. SoC clearly shows Bardugo's growth as a write and with four starred reviews to boot, it's an exemplary case of YA commercial fantasy done well - and also likely to be well received among Grisha fans. If you liked the Grisha books, you will likely find Six of Crows a cinematically vivid page-turner bursting with sarcastic, witty yet ruthless characters, a motley assortment who will have to make the riskiest theft of their lives but may lose other things in the process. Definitely one of fall's most anticipated YA titles for good reason.
