Top Ten Tuesday #21

Created by The Broke and The Bookish
Hosted byThat Artsy Reader Girl

The 5 Books I Did Not Finish (DNF'd)

1. A Touch of Darkness

DNF at 58%. I'm getting controversial quickly, but this just felt very under-developed. The character's did not feel like real people, and the prose was clunky and childish. It was impossible to get immersed in the story.

2. The Ming Storm

I'm a big Assassin's Creed fan, and this was the first novelization I picked up. I think I made it about 35% in when I DNF'd. Unfortunately, The Ming Storm sacrifices the book's flow and charm for the sake of technical specificity. What could have been a fun action-adventure novel got bogged down by trying to name and describe every specific fighting technique, causing short fights to take up pages and pages of mind-numbing descriptions.

3. Lovely War

I DNF'd this one around the 30% mark. As a historical fiction novel framed as Aphrodite telling us a love story, this should have been the perfect book for me! Where it went wrong was the writing style. I can't stand books that are "tell, not show," best practice is to do the exact opposite! Show me things, do not merely tell them. The POV's word should at least have actions to back their claims up.

4. Cloud Atlas

This one actually held my interest for a bit, but it is SO complicated and has way too many characters to keep track of. You start with the first half of each character's story and they are lightly connected to the next character (like letters of character B being owned by character C). They then go in reverse order in the second half of the book to finish their arcs, so the book is structured like so: ABCDEF, FEDCBA. I felt like I needed a diagram to keep up and remember what everyone was doing. I think this book only works if you have time to binge it all in one weekend.

5. The Keeper of Night

This one I DNF'd at 40%. The 40% mark is when the main character finally gets to the point of no return and starts her quest. This quest-point should have been so much earlier in the book. What were we doing for the first 150 pages you ask? World building and pretty uneventful travel from England to Japan. I think I could forgive it all if the 150 pages created any sort of intimacy or attachment for the main characters, but it didn't.

What Books 

Did You DNF Recently?

ARC Review: Her Radiant Curse by Elizabeth Lim

Her Radiant Curse
by Elizabeth Lim
Publication Date: August 29th 2023
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Find This Book: Her Radiant Curse
Source: NetGalley eARC
Rating: 4/5

One sister must fall for the other to rise.

Channi was not born a monster. But when her own father offers her in sacrifice to the Demon Witch, she is forever changed. Cursed with a serpent’s face, Channi is the exact opposite of her beautiful sister, Vanna—the only person in the village who looks at Channi and doesn’t see a monster. The only person she loves and trusts.

Now seventeen, Vanna is to be married off in a vulgar contest that will enrich the coffers of the village leaders. Only Channi, who’s had to rely on her strength and cunning all these years, can defend her sister against the cruelest of the suitors. But in doing so, she becomes the target of his wrath—launching a grisly battle royale, a quest over land and sea, a romance between sworn enemies, and a choice that will strain Channi’s heart to its breaking point.

Weaving together elements of The Selection and Ember in the Ashes with classic tales like Beauty and the Beast, Helen of Troy, and Asian folklore, Elizabeth Lim is at the absolute top of her game in this thrilling yet heart-wrenching fantasy that explores the dark side of beauty and the deepest bonds of sisterhood.

Channi first makes her appearance in Lim's duology, Six Crimson Cranes. Following in its footsteps, Her Radiant Curse spins a lush tale steeped in beautiful world-building and Asian mythology. I don't think you will have to have read anything else by Lim to enjoy this one. While it is connected to Six Crimson Cranes, it is a prequel and a standalone. Perfect for testing out the waters! 

The sisterly love and friendships depicted in this book were so special, the magic system is well-developed, and the action sequences were fun. Channi and Vanna's bond is the main crux of the story, and it was so touching to see how these two girls are willing to do anything for the other, and how their relationship is shaped from childhood into adulthood. 

This did not quite get five stars from me because the plot wasn't woven together as tightly as I expected. I absolutely devoured Six Crimson Cranes, even the soft 'fluffier' scenes really added to and developed that story more, and Her Radiant Curse did not quite live up to that. I think the abundance of travel sequences took some of the sense of urgency out of this for me, which is why I have given it four instead of five stars.

ARC Review: Julieta and the Romeos by Maria E. Andreu

Julieta and the Romeos
by Maria E. Andreu
Publication Date: May 16th 2023
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Find This Book: Julieta and the Romeos
Rating: 4/5

**An ARC of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

The summer between junior and senior year, Julieta is accepted into an elite writing course in New York City — taught by her favorite author. Having always dreamed of becoming a writer, this mentorship could drastically shape her future. Add on top of that helping out at her family restaurant and three potential love interests, and you’ve got the recipe for a great contemporary romance!

Our Romeos Include:

-Ryan, her rival, and her best friend’s twin brother

-Lucas, her childhood best friend that could be something more

-Calvin, the new boy next door (or really, Abuela’s next door neighbor)

 As the summer goes on, Julieta commutes to class with Ryan, works at her family restaurant with Lucas, watches soaps with her Abuela and Calvin, and struggles with receiving writing critiques from her idol. All of these scenarios bring out different aspects of Julieta’s personality that she both cherishes and is in conflict with.

When Julieta publishes a writing assignment for class on a Wattpad equivalent, it evolves into a piece being co-written with an anonymous author. A local reference is included and Julieta realizes that they might know each other in real life. Could they be the man of her dreams? Could they be one of her Romeos?? If only she could get them to confess…

Reflecting on her love life predicament with her aunt, one of the best quotes in the book occurs:
“The question isn’t which boy is right for you. The question is which boy helps you be the best version of yourself. Or, an even bigger question, what version of yourself do you want to be, independent of them all?”

All in all, I quickly got sucked into Julieta’s life and I enjoyed how the plot pulled in her family dynamics and friendship with Ivy on top of the romances. If you’re looking for a sweet, fun contemporary romance, with a lesson in discovering yourself along the way, this is the book for you!

Top Ten Tuesday #20

Created by The Broke and The Bookish 
Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

The First 10 Books I Randomly Grabbed from My Shelf

1. The Ones We're Meant to Find

2. The Near Witch

3. The Young Elites

4. The Box in the Woods

5. Blood Scion

6. All of This is True

7. The Battle of the Labyrinth

8. Clockwork Princess

9. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

10. The Starless Sea

Review: This Woven Kingdom

This Woven Kingdom
by Tahereh Mafi
Publication Date: February 1st 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins
Find This Book: This Woven Kingdom
Rating: 3/5

**A finalized copy of this book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.**

This Woven Kingdom contains beautiful prose and descriptions, but unfortunately very little plot. It comes with the territory of an almost 500-page book that spans about 3 days of in-book time. 60% of This Woven Kingdom is the main characters’ inner monologue, 20% is setting/food/clothing description, 10% is verbal dialogue, and the last 10% is where the actual occurring events happen. I prefer to be shown actions to back up character motivations and thoughts, but this book heavily relies upon the reader being told what to think. The whole experience made it hard to connect with, or even like, either of the two main protagonists.

I was hoping for a lush Persian mythology read, but This Woven Kingdom is essentially a Cinderella retelling with cosmetic Middle Eastern inspirations regarding food and clothing. A dual-POV read, we alternate between Alizeh a long-lost princess of the Jinn who is currently hiding as a lowly servant, and Kamran the heir to the human empire of Ardunia. Their lots in life place them at odds, for Alizeh was prophesized to end the reign of the current king of Ardunia, Kamran’s grandfather. Of course, Alizeh and Kamran happen to cross paths on the street and become an insta-love forbidden romance. As I mentioned, this book is about 10% plot. Over the course of about 3 days, Kamran and Alizeh think about the other non-stop and their inner thoughts take up the majority of the writing of this book. All of this builds up to a ball, (Yay, an event is finally occurring!) so you have that to look forward to in the last 100 pages or so. Check out my book recap for a more thorough summary.

If you come into this with the right mindset, I think it can certainly be an enjoyable read, but it was very different than how it was marketed and you have to be ready for it to be a slow-paced read, very trope-heavy and descriptor-heavy.

Book Recap: This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi

This Woven Kingdom by Tahereh Mafi
Publication Date: February 1st 2022
Publisher: HarperCollins

Alizeh is the lost princess of the Jinn, a magical race of beings made from fire. She raised to be royal until an attack on her home orphans her. Left to work as a servant, she has no money, no allies, no friends. This all changes when she is attacked on the street. She defends herself and lets her attacker go, an act observed by the human prince, Kamran. In disbelief at her skills and mercy, he believes her to be a spy from an enemy kingdom and starts investigating.

He makes an ass of himself in many ways that involve him making wild assumptions about others, but he also starts to care for Alizeh along the way. She, too, has become mesmerized by the prince giving a lowly servant such as herself attention and kindness. This budding romance is shaken by a new discovery: the kingdom’s diviners have prophesied King Zaal’s downfall at the hand of Alizeh! How can Kamran be falling for the person who will be the end of his grandfather?

A familiar face from her childhood gifts her a nosta. A small orb that changes temperature: hot when someone is telling her the truth and cold when someone is lying to her. A useful tool! Except she somehow jumps to conclusions and makes several horrible decisions at the end of the book.

Recap of MAJOR SPOILERS: The king of the enemy kingdom of Tulan, Cyrus, kills King Zaal at a royal ball. Very public, but/and it was probably justified. We find out that King Zaal had elongated his life to give Kamran more of his childhood (at the cost of killing orphans and eating their brains). Kamran challenges Cyrus to a duel and is saved by Alizeh who intervenes before Cyrus can deal a deathblow. Alizeh and Kamran can finally have their happily ever after, except Cyrus kidnaps her so Kamran assumes that Alizeh betrayed him. This all seems to contradict the prophecy King Zaal was worried about, as Alizeh had nothing to do with his death/end of his reign. Maybe Zaal misinterpreted the prophecy? I'm hoping this will be explained in books 2 or 3.