a bookish blog by twins Anna & Alexis
Alexis: About a month ago, I requested three books from the library, and of course they all came around the same time!
I already started Nocturna, and I can’t wait to read the other two!
On a different note, what’s your favorite Starbucks drink? I usually go for a matcha latte with almond milk, but the espresso machine was down, so I settled for a green tea frappuccino.
Check out the books below!
Alexis: Happy Friday, everyone!
Yesterday, I got an email that two of my requested library book were ready to be picked up: Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott, Mikki Daughtry, and Tobias Iaconis, and Gingerbread by Helen Oyeyemi.
These are two of my most highly-anticipated reads, and I waited over a month for them.
I sat down and binged all of Five Feet Apart yesterday, so look out for a review tomorrow.
I can’t wait to dig into Gingerbread, because I have a feeling I’m going to love it!
Alexis: The little snow that we got turned into mush and then rain, so I was able to get my library books! Here’s a library haul part 2.
For a change of pace, I’m intersecting my fantasy reads with some different genres! Even though I love fantasy and YA fantasy, I’m tired of the same tropes being recycled (I’m looking at you, love triangle). Sometimes I need to take a break and read something different.
Alexis:
I’ve dedicated this past week to reading the first two books in the Shadow and Bone Trilogy, and hopefully I can get the last book from the library next week!
I read the Six of Crows Duology last year and I absolutely loved it, so I was looking forward to reading the first books in Bardugo’s Grishaverse.
I seem to agree with everyone else (at least on Goodreads) that the second book in the trilogy is better than the first. I was surprised to find that the first book relied on some tropes, the most prevalent of which is the love triangle. However, I thought that Shadow and Bone did a great job when it came to worldbuilding and introducing the Grisha’s powers.
The second book’s plot is much more intricate than the first. It honestly reminds me of The Hunger Games. Politics come into play, and Alina starts to become a powerful symbol of hope. I enjoyed the new characters that were introduced, but I felt like Mal’s character wasn’t as strong as he was in the first book. However, Bardugo’s keen sense of humor comes out more in the second book.
Minor spoilers below:
One of the biggest issues I have with the two books is the way that male characters interact with Alina, which, unfortunately, only gets worse in Siege and Storm. Multiple male characters touch and kiss Alina without her consent, and the way the Darkling interacts with her makes me sick. In Siege and Storm, no one respects that Alina and Mal are in a relationship, and she gets kissed and even gets marriage proposals. I understood all of this happens for plot reasons, but here Alina is, in a different love triangle than in the first book, and she even enjoys the attention from Nikolai.
I feel like I say this in every review, but despite my issues with the books, I did enjoy reading them. I love the Grishaverse and I’m interested to see where the third book goes. I just can’t help comparing this series to the Six of Crows Duology. It’s interesting to see how much Bardugo’s writing has evolved.
Shadow and Bone: 3 out of 5 books
Siege and Storm: 4 out of 5 stars
takes two to book review 