June Wrap Up

 

Well, the end of June is upon us and my reading for the month was...not super impressive. I had planned to get through more books, but I had my birthday and a family visit to contend with, so I fell behind my goal. No worries though, I think I can make up for it in July. Here's what I did manage to finish:

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

100 pages of Les Misérables

Thankfully, I didn't really have any books that I disliked this month. The slowest reading was probably the Les Misérables pages, because I was at one of the sections that meandered into a detailed description of French history. Thankfully, I'm past that bit now, so it's back to being enjoyable.

My favorite read of the month was Six of Crows, an adventure novel set in the Grishaverse that was surprisingly fun and engaging. I was actually really into it - something that I've struggled with a little bit in my reading lately. The sequel, Crooked Kingdom, was also really good. I been donating lots of the books I read this year for my Clear the Shelves challenge, but those two I'm actually going to hang onto.

My plan for July is to make up the two books I didn't get to this month, and then conquer one of the biggest classics left on my Classics Club list, Vanity Fair. Summer is a good time for me to try and knock that out, as it's much harder to take on huge classics during the school year. Here's what I hope to get through:

The Tempest by William Shakespeare

The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

At least two books chosen from my owned-not-read list based on my mood

At least 100 pages of Les Misérables

This is a really ambitious lineup, but I'm hoping that I can make it work with my summer break. These are all basically the polar opposite of typical summer reads, but hey, I've got six months left to finish my Classics Club list so there's no time to do themes here!

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

 

*This review will contain spoilers for the first book in this duology, Six of Crows*

After reading and being thoroughly impressed by Six of Crows, I moved on to read its sequel, Crooked Kingdom, right away. I was so engaged with the first story that I was actually a little bit nervous to start it. My experience with reading series is that the first book is usually the best, then the subsequent books taper off in quality. That's definitely not always the case, but I seem to feel that way a lot. I didn't want to spoil my enjoyable experience of the first novel with a conclusion that was only so-so. I had to know how everything ended though, so I started my reading really hoping that the end of this duology would give me an exciting and satisfying conclusion. 

The plot of the novel picks up close to where Six of Crows left off. Kaz and his team have just returned back to Ketterdam from their impossible heist successfully, only to be double-crossed by the wealthy merchant Jan Van Eck. There is no massive payout as they were promised, they are all in a weakened state from their ordeal, and Inej has been taken hostage. Furious at the broken deal, Kaz's mission has now shifted to one of vengeance. He needs to get Inej back, and then find a way to bring down Van Eck and get the millions they are owed. 

Complicating the issue is the larger social and political problems they have become involved in during their participation in the initial heist. Now they all know about the disastrous effects of the drug Jurda Parem, and the various plans in place from the surrounding governments to secure it. They've managed to hold onto Kuwei Yul Bo, the only person alive who might still be able to fabricate it, and they aren't sure what the best move to make with him is. They are a young band of mercenaries and thieves, and they've found themselves having a direct hand in weighty matters that could spread death, destruction, and economic collapse across their country. 

Kaz, as always, is mainly focused on his own needs, but even he feels a pull to act responsibly, along with the rest of the team. Everyone has their own motivations and hopes for the future, and even though Kaz has trouble connecting emotionally with people, he wants to give everyone a path towards their goals. Nina has plans to return to Ravka and help rebuild her country. Matthias feels a call to help stop the Fjerdan persecution of Grisha. Jesper needs to decide whether to embrace his Grisha abilities and pay off his debt to his father. Wylan needs to build an entirely new life for himself after his father's betrayal. Inej wants to get a ship and help end slavery and human trafficking in Ketterdam. Everyone needs something different, and their ability to move on in their lives depends on Kaz's ability to come up with a good enough plan to save all of their necks and put money in their pockets. Luckily, he's up to the task. Up against insurmountable odds once again, the group must come together to pull off an even bigger job than before--one that will give them the pleasure of revenge and the thrill of securing their fortunes without allowing the world to fall into chaos.

Much like with the first book in the series, I really enjoyed this one. I didn't end up feeling like it was weaker than Six of Crows at all. In fact, I thought it was a very worthy successor and a great end to the duology. The plot was exciting and well-developed, the action sequences were suspenseful, and the characters continued to be complex and interesting to read about. Once again, I was totally engaged in the story. This was another surprisingly good young adult fantasy novel.

Much like with the other books in the Grishaverse, Bardugo did an excellent job of bringing the vice and crime-filled city of Ketterdam to life. She gives so many rich details about the place that it truly feels like another character in the story. It affects Kaz and the rest of the gang in different ways. For some it is a challenge to master, full of fun, risks, and rewards. For others, it's a place of imprisonment and trauma. For others, it's a birthright they're meant to inherit. Each character's behavior is influenced by it in ways that add a lot of layers to the story. Sometimes, when I read a fantasy, I feel like it could take place anywhere and the story wouldn't really change. That is not the case here. The worldbuilding took me away to another place entirely and provided a great backbone for the plot.

I also continued to be impressed with the character development. Much like with the previous book, I wasn't bored with any of the characters and enjoyed reading the different perspectives presented between chapters. I actually got a little emotional at some of the things that happened, and I haven't felt many strong emotions while reading fantasy in a long time. I appreciated that all of the characters had such detailed backstories and motivations that drove their choices, and their issues felt genuine and understandable. I liked that Bardugo included relatable struggles and social issues into the story as well, and didn't just lean on problems caused by magic. PTSD, learning disabilities, and addiction all played a part in the plot. Seeing real world elements mixed in with all the fantasy was cool. It was a nice balance.

All in all, Crooked Kingdom was a really well crafted, thoughtful novel with compelling characters. It is much better than a young adult fantasy has any business being, and I'm really glad I continued on with the series after reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy. This duology is superior to those, although I would still recommend giving that original trilogy a read first. There is another duology set in this universe, and I could see myself giving it a try eventually, but right now I've got to get back to my classics for a little while. This was a fun adventure and a nice break from all the more somber reads I have on my TBR list. 

     

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 16/50 (keep)

Total Books Read in 2021: 32

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

It's been a minute since I posted here on the blog, but my reading is actually going pretty well considering how busy this month has been. My birthday and a visit from family slowed me down a little bit, but I'm getting myself back on track now. After finishing Tess of the D'Urbervilles a few weeks ago, I was ready for something more on the fun side. I decided to continue my journey through the Grishaverse with Six of Crows, a novel set in the same world as Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone books, but not directly connected to them. I was ready for another exciting, fantasy adventure story, and happily, that was exactly what I got.

 Six of Crows takes place in a city named Ketterdam, a bustling port city famous for its pleasure houses and gambling. It's also a hub for organized crime, with several rival gangs operating out of their various territories around the city. One of these gangs, the Dregs, is led by a dark, moody young man named Kaz Brekker. Kaz is infamous for being ruthless in pursuit of fortune, so when a highly lucrative job opportunity falls into his lap, he can't help but accept it. The payout is unreal, but the job is incredibly dangerous; it's the kind of mission that most would consider to be impossible. Kaz is determined to pull it off however, so he puts together a team that he believes is up to the task.

His crew consists of a variety of disreputable characters. First is Inej, a talented acrobat and spy. She can climb any wall and move so silently that others have dubbed her "The Wraith." Next is Jesper, a sharpshooter with incredible accuracy and aim. There's also Nina, a Grisha heartrender that is also a wonderful and sneaky actress, and Matthias, a former soldier with valuable military knowledge. Finally, there is Wylan, the estranged son of a wealthy merchant that also happens to be an explosives expert. Together, this group must figure out a way to pull off the most difficult and deadly job imaginable, which is, of course, complicated with many twists and turns along the way. 

I was pretty surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I read the Shadow and Bone series over the course of the last month, and enjoyed it well enough, but it wasn't a special favorite for me or anything. I was expecting to feel similarly to Six of Crows as I did to the other books set within this universe.  However, I thought this was phenomenal. I think it's far superior to the original series and is a truly good adventure story.

The greatest strength of the novel for me was the characters. Each of them had distinct personalities and complex motivations. Their relationships to each other were complicated and interesting to dissect. Their backstories were detailed and provided context for their behavior and decisions. I felt like I got to know them better and better as the story progressed and I actually cared about them and wanted them to succeed. The narration of the story hopped around from person to person between chapters, and each perspective was interesting to read about. There were no characters that were boring or that I wasn't interested in hearing from. This is a rare feat in young adult fantasy, where I'm usually way more into one perspective over the others. Everyone was interesting here. The group was diverse as well, with different ethnicities, religions, and sexualities represented. That was another nice touch that I don't often see in fantasies. 

The story itself was interesting too. The job the characters are on is a prison break type of scenario, and it was tense at all the right moments. The twists in the story were well-crafted, making for lots of suspense throughout the book and the action scenes were easy to follow and exciting. At 465 pages, this is a fairly long read, but it never felt slow to me. The pacing was good and each element of the plot felt necessary. This wasn't just about stealing or money either. Bardugo did a good job of inserting larger, weightier themes into the text that make the reader think deeply about all sorts of traumas and injustices in the world. I can't really think of any complaints or criticisms to bring up. Six of Crows was simply a very good read, especially considering how "meh" I felt about the first series set in this universe.   

This is the first book in a duology, and it ends on a pretty big cliffhanger. I am actually looking forward to picking up the second book, Crooked Kingdom, next and seeing how the story ends. It's been a while since I read a fantasy that I truly liked a lot. It was nice to find a story I could get lost in. This book was definitely worth the time.

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 15/50 (keep)

Total Books Read in 2021: 31

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

 

As I mentioned in my May wrap up post, June is my birthday month. As a gift to myself, I was determined to find some classics left on Classics Club list that I have the best chance of enjoying. Out of the seven (!) books left, Tess of the D'Urbervilles seemed like the best option. I've read a handful of Thomas Hardy books in the past. A few were before I started blogging, but more recently read Jude the Obscure and Under the Greenwood Tree. While the latter one wasn't my favorite, I did like Jude the Obscure. I know that Tess is somewhat similar to that one (at least in misery quotient), so I decided to give it a go.  

The plot of the novel follows a young woman named Tess Durbeyfield. As the story begins, she is sixteen years old and living with her family in the small English village of Marlott. Her parents are simple and often drunk, and as Tess is the eldest and the most responsible, she ends up taking on a lot of the household work and childcare for her numerous little siblings. When an accident with the family's horse threatens their meager income, Tess is forced to take an outside job minding the poultry at the house of a wealthy family several miles away. At her new place of employment, she meets a son of the household named Alec D'Urberville, who instantly begins pressuring her for a sexual relationship. He is older than she is and merciless in his campaign. Tess, being a virtuous-minded young lady, continually resists his advances. Eventually however, Alec manages to get what he wants. The text is vague on whether he rapes Tess or not - it is implied in some parts, and then in other sections of the book Tess speaks of "giving in" to him. In any case, Alec takes advantage of her youth and inexperience with men and then refuses to marry her.

Outraged with him, Tess quits her job in his household and returns home. Before long, she discovers that she is pregnant. She has the baby, a little boy she named Sorrow, but he dies as an infant. Tess is thrown into deep despair over both the loss of her son and the loss of her virtue. She is now a disgraced woman. In an effort to try and get a fresh start somewhere else, she travels to a distant dairy farm and takes up work as a milkmaid. At this farm she meets Angel Clare, a provincial gentleman in the process of learning to be a farmer. The pair are instantly attracted to each other and fall in love. Before long, Angel asks Tess to marry him, but she continually refuses him. She knows her background makes her unfit for marriage to an upstanding man. Angel won't be deterred though, and after asking her again and again, she finally gives in. On their first night as a married couple, Tess tells Angel about her past, hoping he will be understanding. Instead, he instantly abandons her and travels overseas to start a farm in Brazil. 

From that point forward, Tess is thrown into a life of misery and hopelessness. While Angel assures her she can apply to his parents for money at any time, her pride stops her from taking advantage of his offer. Instead, she takes on a life of difficult, unceasing labor on various farms. She desperately hopes that Angel will return one day and forgive her, but as the months and years wear on, she begins to lose faith in him. Eventually, the man who first took advantage of her, Alec, returns and begins to pursue her again, this time with tempting offers of marriage and financial stability for her and her family, whose condition has continually worsened in her absence. Tess is torn between her desire to wait for Angel, the true love of her life, to realize his love for her and come back, or to give up on him and accept the tempting offer of immediate security from Alec. Her indecision and desperation eventually drive her towards a shocking act that will seal her fate.

Figuring out how I felt about this novel was a little tricky. On the positive side, it was classic Thomas Hardy. The writing was beautiful, it was easy to read, and the world building was excellent. I truly felt like I was in the English countryside while reading. The characters were well developed too - it was easy to sympathize with Tess and feel disgusted by both Alec and Angel. What I didn't love so much was the pacing. This book was nearly 400 pages long, and the parts where big plot events happened felt very far apart from each other. Most of the novel was composed of descriptions of farm processes and Tess' abject suffering. They were beautifully written descriptions of farming and suffering, of course, but it did feel very slow throughout the story. I set myself a goal of finishing 50 pages a day throughout the duration of my reading, and while I was able to do that comfortably, I never felt motivated to go any further than that. It was good, but it wasn't exactly a page turner.

Hardy explores a lot of social issues throughout the text, including the impact of mechanization on the farming industry, city life versus country life, and the sexual morality of the time period. It was the last topic that interested me the most, and happily, I was okay with Hardy's treatment of it. I've written quite a bit on the blog about being displeased with parts of classics that haven't aged well. I've been going through an unlucky run of really racist, homophobic, and anti-Semitic novels lately and it's driving me crazy. Here, it was different. The characters in Tess are undoubtedly misogynistic as part of the plot, and you can tell Hardy is against that. He unequivocally depicts Tess as being wronged and treated unfairly by both Angel and Alec. Her tragedy is due to the shortcomings of an overly moralistic society, and not due to anything she has done "wrong." In fact, Hardy even goes a step further and shows examples of both of the men in Tess' life committing the same type of acts that they vilify Tess for, highlighting the double standard between men and women. I was quite happy to see an author advancing a forward thinking point of view here. Honestly, it was a relief. Obviously, his treatment of the topic wasn't perfectly modern, but it was clear his heart was in the right place on the issue.

So ultimately, Tess of the D'Urbervilles was a good read for me. There were parts that were very slow and monotonous, but the beautiful writing and exploration of social topics helped to balance that out. I think that Jude the Obscure will remain my favorite Hardy novel for now, but this one comes in second and is a worthwhile read for people interested in literature of this time period.  

Challenge Tally

Classics Club (#94 on my list): 94/100 books completed

Total Books Read in 2021: 30

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

 

**This review will contain spoilers for the first two books in the Grishaverse series**

I ended up with a few extra days left in May after I finished Siege and Storm, so I decided to go ahead and move straight into Ruin and Rising, the final book in the main Grishaverse trilogy. I've been enjoying these books as a nice break in between all of my classics, and I was interested to see how the story would end. I went into my reading ready to get lost again in Ravka and finally find out if Alina and Mal are able to defeat the Darkling and save the day.

The novel picks up a little while after the battle at Os Alta in the previous book. It was a decisive victory for the Darkling. He was able to seize control of the Ravkan throne, destroy the little Palace, and kill most of the Grisha that remained loyal to the king. Alina, Mal, and a handful of others are able to escape and find themselves facing terrible odds. Their forces are decimated and even Alina's sun summoner powers offer little hope against a Grisha as powerful as the Darkling. Their best hope lies with the firebird, a legendary creature whose bones can be fashioned into another powerful amplifier to enhance Alina's magic.

Accordingly, the group sets out on a mission to find the firebird and use its power to defeat the Darkling once and for all. They face many dangers along the way. Setbacks occur and lives are lost. Throughout it all Alina does her best to be a leader and protect those she loves. The proves extra challenging when the group uncovers a truth about the firebird amplifier that threatens her resolve to continue. Caught in the old struggle of her heart versus her head, Alina must find a way to push past all the difficulties and find a way to save her country.

I thought this was a pretty good read and a fitting end to the trilogy. The way I felt about this one was very similar to how I felt about the other books in the series; it was an enjoyable and engaging read. Once again, Bardugo's world building was excellent, and several new locations in Ravka are explored in this story. We get deeper into the lore of the world as well, and there are a couple of big twists uncovered here that were genuinely surprising and that took the story in interesting directions. One issues I noticed was that this novel was plagued by the same slow parts that I noticed in the previous entries in the series. The action sequences and the bits where secrets were being revealed were great, but the parts in between were often quite slow. This factor, more than any other, is what makes this a 3-star series for me. While it was enjoyable overall, there were a lot of dead spots. 

I continued to enjoy Alina's character development in this novel as well. She's stepped into her role as a leader by this time, and when you compare her demeanor now to how it was at the beginning of the series, it's a big difference. She still struggles with her attachment to Mal though. She loves him, but realizes that in order to defeat the Darkling and establish a stable government in Ravka afterwards, she might have to give him up. I still didn't feel overly attached to their relationship throughout a lot of this story, but by the final chapter, I had finally come around. I loved the ending to the story, and that's a strange thing for me to say. It's pretty common for me to be annoyed or underwhelmed by the conclusions of young adult fantasies, but I honestly thought this one was pretty much perfect. 

Now that I'm at the end of the original series, my next step will be to take on the Six of Crows duology. I already own both books, and I figure that if I'm going to read them, I'd better do it soon while the details of the Shadow and Bone trilogy are still fresh in my mind. Those books also have a ton of hype surrounding them, so I curious to see if they live up to it. In the case of the Shadow and Bone series I just finished, I think that the books are a worthwhile read for sure, but I don't know that they necessarily lived up to all the chatter I heard online. Maybe I'll feel differently about the next entries in the Grishaverse.

       

Challenge Tally

Clear the Shelves 2021: 14/50 (donate)

Total Books Read in 2021: 29