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Dawn of Legends: Creating a World Alive with Magic and Historical Accuracy-- Guest Post by Author Eleanor Herman

6/28/2018

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Hi everyone! Whether you're a regular to my blog, or visiting for my part in the blog tour, hello and welcome! I was so honored to be contacted again to assist in the publicity of the final novel in the Blood of Gods and Royals series, as the first book, Legacy of Kings, is one of my favorites. Thank you so much to Glasstown Entertainment for sending me an early copy of the book and for thinking of including me in your blog tour. 
For those of you who don't know, the Blood of Gods and Royals series follows Alexander of Macedon in his teen years, depicting his journey of how he became "the Great." The books paint a beautiful world, and create a riveting plot with a fantastical twist, I highly recommend. If you're interested, I have reviews on all the previous books, so feel free to check them out to get more information. :) 
​Anyway, without further ado, here's what you all came here for-- a guest post from Eleanor Herman, the author of this fantastical series. 
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Dawn of Legends: Creating a World Alive with Magic and Historical Accuracy
by Eleanor Herman


Four years ago, I got a four-book contract from Harlequin Teen for my YA Fantasy series, Blood of Gods and Royals, about the adventures of a teen Alexander the Great in the fourth century BC. It was an exciting project because Alexander was one of history’s most pivotal characters. The world was one way before his reign, and a very different way after. He opened a door between east and west, a door that hasn’t closed since.

Alexander opened up Europe to silk, spices, new ideas of government, science, medicine, religion, and architecture. Today’s blond, green-eyed Afghanis look the way they do because 2,300 years ago Alexander’s men chose to stay and colonize the area. Likewise, the east absorbed western culture, and Indian statues of Buddha suddenly started to look a lot like Apollo. Alexander was a brilliant, trailblazing meteor across the canvas of world history. So very bright, so very brief.

I chose to focus on Alexander as a teen because almost nothing is known about him at that age, a fact which aggravates the historian but offers the novelist fascinating possibilities. Based on everything written about him once he became king, I could extrapolate backwards, imagining who he was at sixteen—brilliant, ambitious, personable, and trying to find his footing in a world he would, in a few years, change forever.

In addition to the challenges of writing any YA Fantasy book—plot, character development, and how to weave in believable fantasy elements—this series presented me with a special challenge. I wanted Legacy of Kings, Empire of Dust, Reign of Serpents, and Dawn of Legends to elegantly drop the reader right smack into the middle of the ancient Greek world. Luckily I am a historian well-versed in how people lived in past centuries.

What factoids could I use to create the granular feel of an authentic past? Well, lighting for one. We take it for granted that light is everywhere present, and if the sun isn’t out, the world is still well lit by electricity. But when writing a historical novel, an author must always remember that the world was one of utter darkness when the sun went down and how the characters would have lit it.

In most ages, characters use candles for light, but not the ancient Greeks! They made use of their abundant olive oil for easy lighting. It’s hard to say when candles were invented, but they took a lot of time to make, and it was far easier dumping some oil into a lamp, putting in a little cloth wick, and lighting it. Oil lamps were even put in chandeliers and hoisted on a rope to provide light for a room.

Since matches weren’t invented until the 1830s, my characters had to light their lamps with flint and tinder sets, which must have been placed throughout the house: the exterior doors and next to their beds, for instance. In the pitch dark, they would strike a flint against a piece of iron or steel, and the resulting sparks would land in a pile of lint or dried grass, catch fire, and they would dip their candle or lamp wick into it. Light was also provided by resin-soaked torches set against stone walls and outside. And then there were cressets—iron baskets on top of long poles in the ground burning firewood. They cast a lot of light, but oh ye gods, were they hot.

In the era before light pollution, the moon provided ample light on a clear night, brightening and silvering the landscape. For all four books in the Blood of Gods and Royals series, I looked up the moon cycles in 340 BC and kept a record of the phases of the moon for every chapter. I asked myself, would it have been light enough to travel at night? Or dark enough to hide your movements from your enemies?

Another consideration was windows. While glass was around in the form of small perfume bottles and goblets, the ancient Greeks didn’t have glass window panes. They had slatted wooden shutters in their windows. On a cold winter’s day, they might crack them open for a bit of light, hoping the sliver would not let in much of the biting wind or driving rain.  

In terms of heating, many historical novels mention fireplaces, but in the ancient Greek world that would have been an embarrassing anachronism. Until the Middle Ages, Europeans had fire pits in the center of a room with a smoke hole overhead (which let in cold air and rain.)  They also had braziers, metal pans or boxes in which they burned wood or coal. They placed them near an open window to vent smoke (which let in cold air and rain.)

Another aspect of ancient life I had to consider was dirt and dung. Mentioning hygiene—or the lack thereof—gave my readers a strong whiff of a very different time. City streets would have been peppered with the droppings of horses, donkeys, and oxen, and my characters, when walking, would have had to step over it. As far as personal hygiene was concerned, Greeks were far cleaner than their medieval descendants, but soap hadn’t been invented yet. They scraped dirt off their skin with a metal tool called a strigil and rubbed in aromatic oils. Still, without deodorant there would have been body odor in the heat. And their hair must have been a greasy mess, though nicely combed, clipped, and pinned.

Another consideration for the historical accuracy of the novels was the lack of medical care. With no plastic surgery, warriors would have had unsightly battle scars. Everyone over the first bloom of youth would have had missing and cavity-ridden teeth.

There was one area where I reveled in combining historical truth with fantasy. The ancient world was rich with magic. People believed there could be a god on that mountain and a water nymph in that pond. It was not such a stretch to weave into the novels a Pegasus, evil bat-like Spirit Eaters that devoured the flesh of the gods and all other living things, a flying panther called a Hellion, and Snake Magic that gives its possessors the power to slip into the bodies of animals. To the ancient mind, this would all have made perfect sense.

In Dawn of Legends and its three predecessors, I endeavored to create a world of darkness aglow with oil lamps, scented with flowery oils and pungent blasts of body odor, and throughout it all, vibrant with magic.

Eleanor Herman

is the New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings, Sex with the Queen, Mistress of the Vatican, and King Peggy. Obsessed by all things royal and historical, she lives in McLean, Virginia with her husband and four extremely dignified cats. Legacy is her first novel.

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Thank you everyone for reading & to Glasstown Entertainment for this opportunity! Feel free to explore more of my blog and my reviews. (Shameless advertising right there.) 
Thanks, 
Anj

Oh! And don't forget to visit Lady Katie Reads tomorrow for the last stop on the blog tour. :) 
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Tag Movie Review

6/26/2018

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Five friends playing tag. That's not a strange concept, right? What if I told you these friends aren't kids, instead, they're in their forties-fifties, and they've been playing this game for well on thirty years. Every may, these friends play an epic game of tag. They don't live together, so they literally go on flights to each others' cities, dress in costumes and set up traps in attempts to tag each other. This year is Jerry's last year in the game... and Jerry has never been tagged, not once in the last thirty something years. And his other four friends decide that this has to be the year, they have to tag Jerry before it's too late... 
I explained this to one of my friends and she asked "So what's the plot?" to which I replied, "That is the plot." That's the thing, comedies don't need all intensive plots, they just need to be funny. And Tag is downright hilarious. 
There are very few comedies that are actually good. Many try, and most fail, but Tag is one of the few that actually succeed. I was in stitches so many times during this movie. I enjoyed the humor so much that I literally am already planning a second trip to see it. 
There's not much more that I can tell you other than it's hilarious and definitely not a comedy you want to miss. 7/10 stars. 
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Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

6/26/2018

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With the superhero craze taking the movie world by storm, and said superheroes originating from comic books, what other media can the superheroes take over? Books, of course. Wonder Woman: Warbringer is the first of four books in DC's attempt to take the YA books by storm. All these novels are written by critically acclaimed and famous authors in the book world-- Leigh Bardugo (Grisha trilogy, Six of Crows) wrote Wonder Woman, Marie Lu (Legend & Young Elites trilogy) wrote Batman, Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass series & Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy. BAE) wrote Catwoman (coming out this August) and Matt de la Pena (Last Stop on Market Street, assorted books) is writing Superman. 
I'm torn about how I feel about these novels, on one hand YES! I love these superheroes and it would be great to have them in book form. On the other... Well, there's something about having their stories mixed up that irks me a bit and seems almost sacrilegious. For instance, no Steve Trevor in this book with Wonder Woman, probably because that would coincide with the recent (AMAZING) movie that just came out. No Catwoman with Batman (because those two stories are written by different authors, instead Catwoman is going to be paired with Batwing and Batman with someone else. That really just hearts my soul. So... While I think I would have loved the story and plot line of Wonder Woman: Warbringer a lot if it wasn't about Wonder Woman, a character I already know and love... It was hard to separate what I know about the character and give her a clean, fresh slate to read this book with an open mind. Seriously, I think this plot would have been something I would've been totally in love with, if it hadn't been Wonder Woman. 
I'm giving the novel 6.5/10 stars. It felt slow at the beginning, maybe because of how unopen I felt about the book, and also the direction some of the characters were going in? I wasn't a big fan of Alia's character until very late in the novel, especially at the very beginning I found her to be irking. I love her name, though. Jason, yeah, not a fan, Theo and Nim I liked, and then Diana. I don't know, I guess I liked her character? Sometimes I felt weird about it, just because, you know, it's already a character I know. I was just unable to give this story a clean slate. I'm sorry, I tried. 
That's why I'm just not sure if I can read any of the other DC Icons books... It's not that they won't be well written or that the stories won't be interesting, it's that I can't get over my bias with the characters. I'll admit, I did preorder Catwoman for the pop socket, but... maybe not any of the other books. It's not fair to the authors for them to get a lower-than-they-should-get review just because of a bias I have about the characters. 
Wonder Woman: Warbinger, while feeling slow for the beginning, definitely caught up later. The climax/ final act of the novel certainly was superb. The best thing about the story was definitely the action scenes. They were so well written, in such a way that you felt like you were in the fray, and could really feel what was going on. 
Anyway, I would say yes! This is a good book, it has an intriguing and action-filled plot and interesting characters. Even with my personal bias against it, I was still able to find myself getting lost inside the story. Especially as long as you don't have any write feelings about reading a book about comic book characters, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to indulge yourself in this book in a way I most certainly could not. 
Anyway, interested? Here's the synopsis: 

Daughter of immortals.

Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world.

Daughter of death.

Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery.

Together.

Two girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war.
​

Thanks for reading, 
Anj
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This Adventure Ends by Emma Mills

6/26/2018

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Once again Emma Mills proves her outstanding ability to write an absolutely adorable romance and story in her novel This Adventure Ends. Mills previously displayed her prowess in her debut novel, First & Then, which was an equally adorable and quirky adventure that I highly recommend if you're in the mood for a cutesy romance. 
Like First & Then, This Adventure Ends isn't solely a romance book. While First & Then concentrated on the idea of family, This Adventure Ends expands its boundaries out to friendships as well. And boy, do I love the relationships in all of Mills' novels. She sets them up in such a compelling and realistic way that it's impossible not to get attached to the relationships, both romantic and platonic. 
While there was a romantic undertone to this novel, it was a undertone. There, but definitely not the most important highlight of the novel. The most important being the friendships made throughout the book. It was very enjoyable watching Sloane, the book's slightly lonerish protagonist, make friends and then watching those relationships build. 
The characters are so genuine and real that it feels almost as if they might step out of the book at any moment. The entire novel, actually, felt very realistic, while also being entirely too cute and adorable to handle-- it's definitely not stereotypical. 
Sloane isn't your typical loaner, at least, she's not the image that pops into my head when the word "loaner" is mentioned. What I mean when I say that Sloane is a bit of a loaner is that she's never really had any close friends. She had friends, but none of them close enough to even make her want to stay in her hometown (city?) of New York when her parents wanted to move right before her senior year. Sloane is funny in a sarcastic, deadpan manner that I appreciate. While she's not exactly the expert on relationships, it's fun to watch her stumble through actually forming real bonds of friendship in her new town. 
Meet Vera and Gabe, two twins who couldn't be more different. Vera is a vivacious, effervescent girl who everyone can't help but love. Meanwhile, the book at first describes Gabe as being "serious." Something that made me a bit nervous because I don't like a very serious guy. Luckily, it wasn't the sort of serious that I was thinking. It actually makes whenever Gabe actually does crack a joke or laugh all the more rewarding. He's a bit socially awkward, which I love. While I love a confidant guy, I also love my socially awkward boys. Really, I guess it's not all that hard to impress me when it comes to book boys, haha. I love these twins, because of their relationships with Sloane as well as their presence throughout the book. Like I said before, the characters are very well fleshed out, and they feel so real... It's hard not to fall in love with any and all of them. 
I'll be completely honest with you, I've had this book sitting on my shelf for longer than I'd like to admit. I actually had it the day it came out (thanks, Amazon prime pre-orders), but did I read it? No. Why? Because well, I didn't really feel compelled to do so. I was worried Mills' magic from First & Then would be lacking in this novel, and also the idea of hunting down a portrait just didn't hook me. Sometimes I just really hate myself, and this is one of those times. Similar to me avoiding reading Better Off Friends, it was really just a dumb mistake. I could've experienced the joy and happiness This Adventure Ends had to share years ago! But I waited until now because... Because I just didn't feel like reading it. Ugh. Why, Anji? Why? I will not make that mistake again and have already bought Mills' most recent release and plan to read it ASAP. 
Anyway, getting off track, I'm giving this book 8/10 stars because I absolutely loved it. It had me cringing at the embarrassing moments, laughing at the funny ones and grinning like a maniac most of the time I was having the pleasure of reading it. (Also side comment-- can we just appreciate how cute and aesthetically pleasing all of the covers for Mills' novels are??) I highly recommend this one, and hope you all enjoying reading it as much as I did! 

Synopsis: 

Sloane isn't expecting to fall in with a group of friends when she moves from New York to Florida—especially not a group of friends so intense, so in love, so all-consuming. Yet that's exactly what happens.

Sloane becomes closest to Vera, a social-media star who lights up any room, and Gabe, Vera's twin brother and the most serious person Sloane's ever met. When a beloved painting by the twins' late mother goes missing, Sloane takes on the responsibility of tracking it down, a journey that takes her across state lines—and ever deeper into the twins' lives.

Filled with intense and important friendships, a wonderful warts-and-all family, shiveringly good romantic developments, and sharp, witty dialogue, this story is about finding the people you never knew you needed.

SPOILERS BELOW

I love how realistic the ending is. While you would want them to get their painting back... Most of the time, that wouldn't happen. That would've been the "fairytale" ending, and, given how realistic the rest of the novel is, that wouldn't seem right. Also, the painting isn't the point! It's the motivation for finding the painting. 
I also would like to comment on OH MY GOD. Gabe and Sloane. Love their relationship and the slow burn of it. I mean, I knew he was asking her out, but clearly Sloane didn't catch on the first time. And the tucking in part? I was dying from the cuteness there. 
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To All The Boys I've Loved Before is being made into a movie!!

6/25/2018

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This is probably very old news for most of you, but I guess I've been living under a rock, so this post is for others who have also been under this rock. One of my all time favorite books-- To All The Boys I've Loved Before is being made into a movie, and I am so very excited about this. 
This novel is a contemporary romance following Lara Jean Song, a girl who writes love letters to boys who she has very strong crushes on. There are 5 total, and once she's written them, they're thrown into a hat box, never to be thought of again. Until... One day the letters get sent out, and one of the recipients is the boy next door, Josh, who just recently got out of a very serious relationship with Lara Jean's older sister, Margot... Drama involving the recipients of the letters ensures.
This book is such a cute story. Its characters are just so honest and genuine, that they feel real. I connect very well with Lara Jean, and just really relate with her on so many different levels. She's such an innocent and naive protagonist, and the book is written in a way that you feel the embarrassing moments when they come along. And believe me, they come along, haha. The thing that sets this novel apart is its realism. The characters are real, therefore making the reading experience all the more enjoyable. But it's also just a very cute romance story. If you feel the need for a cute (EMPHASIS ON CUTE) feel good romance, To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han is the book for you. And guess what? If you fall in love with the characters like I did, you're in luck because there are two more books in the series. And they're not bad, or even remotely worse than the first, as the sequels to romances usually are. In fact, the series stays level in quality, each book remaining just as cute and genuine as its predecessors. 
The movie is being made by Netflix, which is especially exciting because I CAN WATCH IT AS SOON AS IT COMES OUT. And I've heard the author is pretty happy with the movie... So hopefully it's good and sticks to the book's story. That's my biggest fear about the movie-- that it'll ruin one of my favorite books. (I'm also nervous that a ton of people will start talking about it like they're experts when I've loved this series for years... but that's just me being petty, haha. Good for the author for getting this publicity). 
Anyway, I hope you're getting as hyped up as I am about this movie! 
​Anj

(Enjoy the trailer. I rewatch it multiple times a day aha) 

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Ice Wolves by Amie Kaufman

6/24/2018

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Everyone knows that the ice wolves and scorch dragons are mortal enemies, which is why when twins Anders and Rayna both take separate forms... Drama ensures. How can twins, people of the same bloodline, be two separate breeds of magical beings? 
Ice Wolves is the first book in Amie Kaufman's middle-grade Elementals series. While I usually don't read middle-grade (I'm too attached to having romantic plot lines), I felt compelled by the synopsis-- two siblings, twins, taking enemy elemental forms. Plus, I knew the author, Amie Kaufman, from her spectacular Starbound Trilogy, therefore I felt that I could rely on her to write a good middle-grade. 
Ice Wolves was quite good, while it wasn't nearly as riveting as some other action-adventure novels I've read, even novels I read on the camping trip in which I read this one (6 books in 5 days), it was still quite a fun little adventure. It didn't have any BIG action until the very end, but there was a certain charisma and charm to the characters that keeps you reading. 
Anders is the shadow to Rayna's flame. (Which is why the forms they chose makes sense?) While Rayna is outgoing and bold, Anders is shy and nervous. We get to see the novel from his eyes, which is a bit of a shame, because I would have liked to see some things from Rayna's point-of-view, but then again, that would kind of ruin the whole plot of the novel. 
See, Rayna and Anders grew up in the Ice Wolves' territory, meaning that they grew up learning about how evil the Scorch Dragons were, and how no scorch dragon can be trusted. When Rayna takes the shape of a Scorch Dragon, and then seemingly is kidnapped by the other species, Anders enrolls himself in the Ice Wolves' training academy so that he can save her. 
I would give Ice Wolves 6/10 stars. It was a short book, a nice and quick read that was somewhat lacking in the interest departments at times, but still a fun read. Like I said before, I think what really fuels the story are the characters, instead of action or adventure. 
Synopsis: 

Everyone in Vallen knows that ice wolves and scorch dragons are sworn enemies who live deeply separate lives.

So when twelve-year-old orphan Anders takes one elemental form and his twin sister, Rayna, takes another, he wonders whether they are even related. Still, whether or not they’re family, Rayna is Anders’s only true friend. She’s nothing like the brutal, cruel dragons who claimed her as one of their own and stole her away.

In order to rescue her, Anders must enlist at the foreboding Ulfar Academy, a school for young wolves that values loyalty to the pack above all else. But for Anders, loyalty is more complicated than obedience, and friendship is the most powerful shapeshifting force of all.

SPOILERS
Ugh. I'm petty but like, good on Anders for forgiving Lisbeth so soon, but like I said, I'm petty so I was hoping he'd hold out for longer (though she did save his life?). I guess it's also a middle-grade novel, so teaching forgiveness over pettiness is an important lesson... 
The thing that had to annoy me the most about the book was when Anders finds Rayna and then has the audacity to be irked with her for fitting in with the other Scorch Dragons. See, yes, I guess that's human nature, but Anders has shown that he has the ability to look at the bigger picture with Lisbeth, so why can't he do the same with his sister? Seriously, he was feeling resentful with Rayna for actually fitting in and not wanting to leave the dragons, when he was literally feeling the same thing with the wolves. 
Anyway, thanks for reading, 
​Anj
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Legendary by Stephanie Garber

6/23/2018

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You've played the game once, now it's time to enter again. You must remember that everything in Caraval isn't real. It's just a game... isn't it? 

"This was why love was so dangerous. Love turned the world into a garden, so beguiling it was easy to forget that rose petals were as ephemeral as feelings, eventually they would wilt and die, leaving nothing but thorns."

Legendary is book 2 in the wonderful and mystical Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber. The series follows a pair of sisters, Scarlett and Donatella Dragna. Scarlett constantly lives in fear, fear of her father and fear for her sister. She's the protector, always playing it safe in order to keep her and her sister alive. Donatella  is vibrant, and very much so wants to live her life to the fullest. In other words, not to live in fear. Caraval, the first book, follows Scarlett as she plays a game, and not just any game, Caraval. Caraval is where everything feels real, but you can't trust your senses, because it's possible nothing is real. The game is a series of clues, leading to an end goal, and the winner is granted one wish from the Caraval's magical creator, Legend, a man who is never seen, but who everyone has heard of. The issue is the game feels real, you don't know who is an actor, planted to create a more interested game, or another player. Scarlett doesn't intend to play Caraval... but when her sister is taken and the only way she can get her back is to win, she must join in. The first book was amazing, and I highly recommend it. If you have yet to read Caraval, feel free to go check out my review of it-- and don't read any further here! You're about to be spoiled on the first book. Stop reading now if you have yet to read the first book. 
While Caraval was told from Scarlett's point of view, Legendary is told from Donatello's, or "Tella's." If I'm being completely honest, I bought the book but didn't immediately pick it up. I wasn't all that excited to read it-- I remembered how much I enjoyed Caraval, but I also remembered that I wasn't the biggest fan of Tella. The end of Caraval actually felt like a good ending, too, so I wasn't even hooked enough to feel a need to read this book. 
Boy, was I wrong.
While Caraval was good, Legendary was spectacular. It managed to retain all the mystery and intrigue of the first book, while adding in higher stakes and all together a more enthralling plot. Perhaps part of what made Legendary so, well, legendary was that I was already attached to (some) of the characters and their fates, and I also already knew the world, and therefore did not need to be introduced to it. 
Of course, I didn't actually remember the details of the first book, since it had been a year since I'd last read it, but I did remember the general feel of the book. Let me just tell you, this book was so good, that I just had to go and read the first book again, just to remember what happened, and pick up on the hints that I'd missed from what I know now. AND IT WAS SO WORTH IT!!! AHH. Sorry, I'm just freaking out, I'm still in shock and am amazed at just how astoundingly perfect this book was. I may not have been a fan of Tella before, but now I definitely love her. 

"She was bold. She was brave. She was cunning. And she was going to come out of this triumphant-- no matter the cost." 


Caraval also was not the end of Scarlett or Julian's story, either. Their story continues on in this one, with them being not as involved in the plot as the first, but still having some stuff going on. In fact, I found myself missing Scarlett a bit whilst reading this book, and wishing we did get to see into her head, just to see her thoughts on some occurrences in the story. 
Legendary just constantly keeps you guessing. On what's real, what's happening, who's what, what's going on, what is real, what is fake, what is ANYTHING. Yeah, you might think you have a leg up, a more solid footing after reading the first book. You're familiar with Caraval, after all, so shouldn't you have an easier time figuring things out? NO. You're guessing, and then you're second guessing, and then you're third guessing every single thing. There's just occurrences in the game you need to figure out, trying to find out peoples' motives and whatnot, and then there's the big question you'd been wondering since book one: Who the **** (you can fill in any word you'd like there) is Legend? At times you may be thinking AHA so he's Legend. And then it's like nope, he's Legend. Nope he's Legend. And then you just start questioning your own existence because why not. 
It's still a game, still a complicated puzzle to figure out, but this time the stakes are so much higher. Because the game... some of the game is real. Here you're introduced to lore. The Fates are magical beings who once ruled the world like tyrants... and now it seems they may be back. 
I find it amazing that this is Stephanie Garber's first series, because the writing is impeccable, the story is flawless, the characters are well rounded, and the plot is engrossing. It's a perfectly crafted world. Legendary didn't even fall down the hole of a being a letdown after a first spectacular book. It exceeded the first book's standards. I would give Legendary 9/10 stars and highly recommend it to anyone and everyone. If you chose not to immediately pick this book up with similar reservations as me, ignore them! Pick it up now! You won't regret it. This series earned a place on my fvaroties shelf, and I'm am throughly pumped for the next book-- what do you mean I HAVE TO WAIT ALMOST ANOTHER YEAR?!!!! Ugh. Talk about torture here. 
Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

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 fulfill 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.


SPOILERS 
Wow, I just... this book was just so amazing. Jacks. Dante. WHAT EVEN IS GOING TO HAPPEN IN THE NEXT BOOK? HOW WILL ANYTHING BE FIXED? HOW. WHAT IS WITH DANTE? WHAT IS WITH JACKS? WHO IS TELLA GOING TO END UP WITH? WHO THE fudge knows. 
Dante is Legend. Legend is Dante. I went back and read Caraval and IT WAS SO HINTED THERE. Like haha Marcello killed Dante thinking he was killing Legend... AND HE WAS RIGHT! And also just like throughout the book is was hinted towards him, so knowing what I know, rereading Caraval was so satisfying-- seeing everyone's reactions to Julian too.... Wow. It's so with rereading. I'm planning on rereading Legendary soon too, just to see all the hints towards Dante being Legend. 
I thought Dante might be Legend, and throughout the book I was feeling more certain that he was. But every time I was feeling slightly solid on who Legend was, I was like wait... could it be Julian though? Honestly, it was so confusing. 
I did really love Dante and Tella from the very beginning of the book. Their banter gave me life. Also the part where he was literally spying and heard she said he as a bad kisser HA. So good. Such a quality book. Ah. Just perfect. And then Dante got mad at Armando when he insults Scarlett... cute. Cute. 
Also when you realize the word moment that like even though Tella and Julian didn't do anything in the first book and neither did Dante and Scarlett, both were kinda like almost doing stuff with each other and I think that's weirdly ironic as well as the fact that they're both siblings dating each other's siblings. 
And speaking of dating. Let's just talk about Scarlett and Julian's relationship. I loved the strain on it in this book. Maybe because I'm just a dramatic bitch, but I really enjoyed that their story is far from over. I love how committed Julian is to try and keep Scarlett won over (because yes, I do love Julian), but I also love that Scarlett really stood up for herself and was like yeah, not now, Julian. The drama of their relationship was quite enjoyable. Like, if they don't end up together I'm gonna be mad, but I love that there's still drama in it. Also some people probably hate Scarlett for playing Julian and D'Arcy at the end of the book, but I think it's going to be fun to read about. I'm really looking forward to it, haha. As long as Julian wins out in the end. But YESS I'm really looking forward to that small bit in the next book (it's going to be relatively irrelevant compared to the issues with the fates... but still.) 
And then we can't forget to talk about Jacks. While I really like Dante and Tell's relationship, I'm intrigued about Jacks. (also Jacks like the Jack of hearts? IDK he does turn people in cards). Like Tella is his true love, she made his heart beat again... Surely that has to mean something. I'm quite looking forward to seeing the complexity of that relationship in the next book. 

Anyway, thanks for reading! 
​Anji
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Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

6/23/2018

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The stakes have never been higher, step in the wrong place and your life is forfeit. An unexplored world, recently discovered through a coded message. A race to find materials that could possibly save Earth from its oncoming peril, but what if there's a catch?
Unearthed is the first book in a sci-fi duology by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Their names sound familiar to you? That's because they're the pair who wrote the New York Times Bestselling series of Starbound (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World and Their Fractured Light). These two are a sci-fi force to be reckoned with. They had a lot to live up to after their  Starbound books... And they lived up to, if not surpassed those. Unearthed is an exciting novel with compelling characters and an even more fascinating plot. Though it started off a little slow, you're sure to be sucked in the world before you even know it, and soon enough it'll be three AM and you're still reading... Maybe that was just my experience, though, haha. 
Unearthed takes place on a recently discovered planet, which was once occupied by a now extinct race that the humans have named the "Undying" due to their last message left to humanity. Meet Mia Radcliffe, a scavenger who has snuck onto Gaia to steal expensive technology. Now meet Jules Addison, a scholar who's determined to find the meaning behind a second, hidden message behind the first. Through a strange twist of fate, the two have to end up working together... and little do they know just how much they'll need to rely on each other or the perils the will soon face. 
I absolutely loved the relationship between Jules and Mia. I enjoyed watching how it progressed throughout the book. And I loved the tension and mistrust built between the two characters due to their differing motives and goals. And I'm not just talking about tension from mistrust heheh. 
The beginning isn't exactly a slow start. It actually jumps right into the action, which I loved, but it feels slow in comparison to later in the book, due to actually very speedy pacing as well as a stronger connection to the characters you are reading about. Seriously, this book is absolutely riveting, you're not going to want to tear your eyes away, the plot just keeps getting thicker and thicker. Unearthed is a race, to survive and to find... whatever they're looking for before others do. It's exciting-- I swear my heart was racing during several key moments, and I was reading faster the faster the story went. That's just how engrossing this story really is. 
I'll admit, I wasn't actually all that excited to start this book-- it was sitting on my bookshelf for a while due to a busy school time. Then, on my yearly camping trip I brought the book along and picked it up just to pass the time. Little did I know i was about to be swept away in a planet far, far away. Haha. Anyway, I'd give Unearthed 8/10 stars, it was a fantastic and enthralling book. Definitely one to add to the favorites shelf. I highly recommend if you want to go on a heart-pounding adventure with a compelling plot and intriguing characters. It has action, it has adventure, high stakes and a sprig of romance. What else could you possibly want?
Here's the synopsis: 

When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying's advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered.

For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study... as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don't loot everything first. Mia and Jules' different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.

In order to penetrate the Undying temple and reach the tech and information hidden within, the two must decode the ancient race's secrets and survive their traps. But the more they learn about the Undying, the more their presence in the temple seems to be part of a grand design that could spell the end of the human race...


SPOILERS
OH. MY. GOD. The sexual tension between Mia and Jules was PRIME. I absolutely loved the slow burn of the romance, I hate instalove. I love Mia and Jules' relationship, especially with the distrust and betrayal mixed in. The moment they finally kissed was so rewarding, and then the funny little dialog added after about yeah of course I had to follow you, I didn't know if the kissing was over and I couldn't miss out on that. AHA. 
I was a little disappointed at first with the big hidden thing being a spaceship, but with that ending? It was totally okay. Of course, I was suspicious from the beginning that the Undying were actually humans and I WAS RIGHT! I'm thinking they were probably the people from the colony that was briefly mentioned? Like they were in trouble and the people of Earth refused to help but they survived and now want revenge? I don't know. 

Anyway, thanks for reading! 
​-Anj
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The Kissing Booth by Beth Reekles (Book & Movie Review)

6/22/2018

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This story seems to be taking the world by storm, due to its recent adaption by Netflix. The story of a girl's first kiss... and the havoc followed by it. What do you do when you start dating your best friend's brother? Well, certainly not what Elle Evans does... 
The Kissing Booth follows Elle Evans, who, up to her junior year, has never kissed a boy. Ever since she was born, she's been best friends with Lee Flynn, they're practically twins. The issue is that she's always had a crush on Lee's bad boy older brother, Noah, and she can never act on that crush because a. it's her best friend's brother and b. he only sees her as his little brother's best friend-- or does he? When Elle and Lee come up with the idea of hosting a Kissing Booth for their school fair, little do they know that very same booth will change their lives. 
Okay, yeah, that was a little dramatic. Let's just say that drama ensures after the kissing booth. 
My usual policy is READ THE BOOK FIRST. Why? Because it's a universally known fact among readers that the book is better than the movie. 
Unfortunately, I did not follow my usual policy for this movie. I was bored, and in the mood for a cute rom-com movie. Plus, I was working on a very, very long project for school and therefore didn't have time to read a book, just needed something in the background. (And I also didn't have the book.) 
I'm not sure if the movie impacted my view of the book, perhaps it set forth a few expectations from me, but for the most part, I think my view of the book was fairly unimpacted. And to just get these words out of the way, I was not a huge fan of the book. I would give it 5/10 stars. There were parts of the book that yes, I enjoyed, but the biggest part of the book-- the romance, was something I just could not get behind. 
The relationship between Elle and Noah in the book was not healthy. Whenever they got into an argument, it was never resolved. Noah would just kiss her and BOOM everything was okay, even when yes, what they were arguing about was perfectly legit and really needed to be discussed. I don't want to be overly "extra" when saying their relationship made me uncomfortable, but, well, their relationship made me uncomfortable. I was waiting for something to be redeeming about it, but I couldn't find anything. Noah is possessive, and while I guess that could seem romantic... It's really not, especially not the lengths he'll go to to protect what's "his." Seriously (slight spoiler here) there's a moment in the book where he may have broken someone's rib. And does he feel regret? None. Why? Because he was "protecting" Elle. (spoiler over.) 
There are plenty of examples of how violent Noah is throughout the book. I guess that also is supposed to make Noah seem dreamy due to his manliness, but really it makes him less attractive in my eyes. He gets rather frightening when angry and is very, very violent. It's discussed in the book that Noah realizes this and thinks he's messed up, but that still doesn't make his actions okay. 
The movie actually toned Noah's violence and anger down, but still, in the movie there are some very clear signs of the relationship being unhealthy. It's really romanticizing violence, and possessiveness. I'm glad they were able to tone it down in the movie, though, because the sad fact of life is that more people will always see the movie as opposed to reading the book.
When comparing the two, it would appear that the story is out of the ordinary in terms of the movie is better than the book. The book just ran all over the place, while the movie (tried to) cut out the extra moments and keep the plot straight. The book's plot is like a roller coaster, just going up and down, up and down. There's so much extra stuff in it that feels unneeded, it felt too long. There's just too much extra stuff in there to add more drama to the story instead of just telling a good story. I think the whole "list" kept the movie more structured, while the book desperately needed some structure.
Between the book and the movie, I actually think the movie was able to improve most aspects of the book. I think the plot was better constructed, and Noah was definitely better in the movie than in the book. Elle's character remained about the same between both. The only thing that was definitely better in the book was Lee's character. 
In the move I found Lee's character to be annoying, and quite frankly, a very, very bad friend. (spoiler for the movie) For instance, he allows Elle to strip on the table. Instead of getting her down, he just looks away, wincing. That's a bad friend move. And then the way he reacts upon finding out about Elle and Noah? Horrible. In the book, he handles it better-- the way you'd expect a good friend would. (spoiler over). 
Book Lee is a much better character in terms of his friendship with Elle in the book. 
My overall thoughts about the movie, it was okay. Good for if you're bored and in the mood for a rom-com. If you don't think about it too much, the movie was enjoyable. But when you think about it, you'd probably realize that the movie is not spaced out well. It's very little build up to the romance, so that it can leave a large chunk of time for drama, and then no time for the resolution so its ending feels rushed. I'd give the movie 6/10 stars, it wasn't great, but it was good for the mood that I was in while watching (or listening) to it. 
Anyway, the Kissing Booth is definitely not my strongest recommendation for a cute romance book. If you're looking for an adorable romance, I would recommend Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins or To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han (Which is also being made into a Netflix movie!!!!). 
Never the less, here's the synopsis: 

Meet Rochelle Evans: pretty, popular--and never been kissed. Meet Noah Flynn: badass, volatile--and a total player. And also Elle's best friend's older brother... 

When Elle decides to run a kissing booth for the school's Spring Carnival, she locks lips with Noah and her life is turned upside down. Her head says to keep away, but her heart wants to draw closer--this romance seems far from fairy tale and headed for heartbreak. 

But will Elle get her happily ever after?

SPOILER

OKAY SO LIKE, ELLE LYING TO LEE WHEN SHE GOES TO PROM WITH NOAH PISSED ME OFF SO MUCH. LIKE DID YOU NOT FEEL ENOUGH PAIN FROM THE FIRST TIME YOU LIED? AND LEE FORGAVE YOU! she didn't learn her lesson and UGH. Don't lie to your friends. 

Anyway, thanks for reading, 
​Anj
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Dawn of Legends by Eleanor Herman

6/15/2018

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The story of Alexander the Great, or, as he is in the novel-- just Alexander of Macedon. How did Alexander become so great? Eleanor Herman's Blood of Gods and Royals answers this question. It's the story of Alexander of Macedon's journey to becoming the Great with a little (a lot) bit of a fantastical twist. Herman's series takes you on a thrilling journey following compelling protagonists and a plot full of twists and intrigue. Dawn of Legends wraps up the series, finally answering the question on how Alexander became just so Great.
​I was sent an early copy of this book to read and review honestly, so this is going to be an honest review for y’all. Also! Exciting, I’m again involved with a book tour to bring publicity to Dawn of Legends. I’ll attach the plan with dates at the bottom of this post so y’all can see all the different posts on different blogs :). Don’t forget to check back on Thursday the 28th to see a guest post on this blog! Back to the review.
For those of you who don’t know, The Blood of Gods and Royals is a fantasy series about Alexander of Macedon in his a teenage years. The first book in the series is absolutely fantastic, and I highly recommend it, if you have yet to check it out. I have a review from a couple of years back— it’s called Legacy of Kings. If you have yet to even start the series, stop reading now! You’re about to enter spoiler territory for the last three books in my review of the fourth and final book.
I have quite a few criticisms for Dawn of Legends, but let’s start out with the good, shall we? Or should I say great? The absolute best part of this book was its detail in the world. It would go in depth describing things that you wouldn’t even think of, painting a very realistic picture in the reader’s head. The world building touches all the senses. You really feel like you’re there, experiencing everything that the characters are.
That was most definitely my favorite part— its intricate world. Now... On to my criticisms of the story. If I’m being completely honest, I had a lot of issues with the book. It’s always difficult to write a compelling finale, and unfortunately, Dawn of Legends fell short.
Somehow Dawn of Legends managed to have a pacing of simultaneously feeling entirely too fast and too slow. Parts of the novel I just felt like were either unneeded, or moving much too snail-like for my taste, while vital, big moments seemed to just pass by in the blink of an eye. Problems were too easy to solve, sometimes feeling as if they were fixed in the next paragraph. All the answers were just too convenient— like two people just happening to run into each other in a vast world, when it became necessary for the plot. I couldn’t truly feel the height of the peril because most of the problems were resolved too quickly for me to even think of worrying about them.
The writing also felt too obvious, as if the foreshadowing was laid down just a little too heavily. Maybe it’s because I read too much, but I knew everything that was going to happen due to the lack of subtlety in the writing. Another issue with the writing was that it summarized things that had already occurred in way too much detail. This came in handy when I forgot things that occurred in past books, but in the later part of the story there were paragraphs summarizing things that had literally occurred earlier in the book.
I also felt detached from the story, which is never great when reading a novel. I don’t know if this was due to the writing style, the characters, the plot or a mixture of all three, but I just couldn’t dive into the story in the way in which I would’ve liked to.
The choice of point of views for vital moments was a little off, too. For instance, a reunion that I’ve been waiting many, many books to see was told from the point of view of not one of the two characters and also didn’t even show the reunion moment. Needless to say I was a bit disappointed about that.
And my last big issue was more on me than on the book itself, but there were just too many point of views in this book that I just could not bring myself to care about in the slightest. Going in the only characters I was super invested in were Kat, Alex, Heph, and Jacob. I knew I’d have to deal with points of view from Cyn and Zofia, but what I was not anticipating was the plethora of other POVS shown throughout the book. But like I said before, that wasn’t exactly a writing issue, it was more on me.
A more minor issue is that I was disappointed in the amount of scenes some characters got together— for example, Kat and Alex have quite possibly my favorite relationship in the book, and I would’ve loved to see more of that now that Alex is Alex but sadly, they’re hardly in any scenes together.
All in all, I hate to say it but Dawn of Legends was not the finale I hoped for. It fell short of my expectations. I would have to give it 4-5/10 stars, it was not a very fun read for me. Again, I’d like to state that I was totally in love with the first book and (most of) the characters it introduced. It’s plot was intriguing and it felt well written. Perhaps the reason Dawn of Legends doesn’t contain the same magic as Legacy of Kings (for me, at least) is because the writing style on a bigger scale just didn’t give enough sense of peril, which lead to my disinterest or lack of connection with the characters and plot.


Synopsis:


Prince Alexander of Macedon has battled both men and monsters, but his final war will determine his fate…and the future of all mankind. While Macedon’s enemies close in from all corners of the earth, Alexander must fulfill one last prophecy that dictates only he—and he alone—can ensure humanity’s survival against the age of the deadly Spirit Eaters.


As the threads of fate draw Alexander closer to his destiny, an exiled queen will meet a runaway princess, a young sorceress will set the final path of her heart and generals will choose their final battles. Before the light of victory can shine, enemies must become allies, Death must be tamed and hearts must break.


Who will rise and who will die? All is revealed in the epic finale to New York Times bestselling author Eleanor Herman’s rich and fantastical Blood of Gods and Royals series.


QUICK SPOILERS. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE NOVEL.


I was extremely disappointed and annoyed with Kat during this novel. Usually she’s one of my favorite characters, but her whole “choice” thing with Heph and Jacob was just getting on my nerves. Seriously, both boys proposed to her and she’s still unsure and just going with it on both. Then when she actually chose, I didn’t feel it. It didn’t feel real or intense to me. Honestly, a lot about Jacob and Kat was disappointing for me during this novel. I didn’t get to see their reunion at all, or even feel some of it because it was during Heph’s POV, and then their slowly falling back in love and connecting was just explained, instead of shown to me. I didn’t actually get to feel their relationship, it was just basically summarized.
The ending of the novel was still bittersweet for me. It had a total Eragon vibe. Kat leaves, and will probably never to see Alex again ( :( ). The rest of the ending was all happy endings, which was fine, and Alex is set on his journey to become the Great.


Anyway, thanks for reading and don’t forget to follow the book tour!
-Anj
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    Anji Cooper

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