February Wrap Up

Illustration by Jungho Lee

February has come to an end and I have to say that I'm pretty happy about that. I had a hard time this month and was really struggling with some mental health issues. Thankfully, I seem to be coming out of the worst of it now, and the start of a new month approaching gives me the opportunity for a fresh start. 

At least my reading stayed on track. I continued to read around 100 pages a day every day this month. I ended up finishing ten novels, which totaled 3,963 pages. My overall ratings for the books I finished were a little bit lower than last month, but still, most things I read earned 4 or 5 stars from me. I also finished reading the Court of Thorns and Roses series, which I ended up enjoying to a surprising degree.

Here are all the books I finished:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)

The Golden Hour by Niki Smith (4 stars)

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)

Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebeca Mock (3 stars)

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas (4 stars)

Heartless Prince by Angela De Vito and Leigh Dragoon (3 stars)

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas (5 stars)

Run Away by Harlan Coben (3 stars)

The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Noelle Weir and Amber Padilla (5 stars)

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios (3 stars)

My favorite read of the month was A Court of Silver Flames, which I found to be the strongest in the Court of Thorns and Roses series so far. I truly enjoyed reading Nesta's story, and I thought that Maas handled the emotional aspects of it very well. It was a long book and it truly felt like an epic journey reading it. I loved it. I also really enjoyed The Secret Garden on 81st Street, which was a very charming modern retelling of The Secret Garden.

My least favorite read of the month was tied between Run Away and I'll Meet You There. Both of them were okay, but neither were especially memorable for me. Run Away had the interesting problem of having too much boomer energy for me and I'll Meet You There had some moments of insensitivity that prevented me from really getting into the story. 

I hauled way too many books this month.  I couldn't resist all the new titles I discovered browsing around Amazon and Barnes and Noble! Luckily, I had a lot of gift cards that I was able to cash in for some of these books, so not everything was paid for out of pocket. I still spent too much though. Chalk it up to the depression. Here's what I added to my shelves:

When you Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller (middle grades magical realism, physical book)

The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. by David Leviathan (middle grades magical realism, physical book)

The Beatrice Prophecy by Kate DiCamillo (middle grades fantasy, physical book)

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor (adult historical fiction, ebook)

I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys (young adult historical fiction, physical book)

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen (middle grade graphic novel, physical book)

The Sprite and the Gardener by Rii Abrego and Joe Whitt (middle grades graphic novel, physical book)

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James (adult fantasy, physical book)

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas (adult fantasy, physical book)

When Stars are Scattered by Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed (middle grades graphic novel, physical book)

Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff (middle grades paranormal fantasy, physical book)

The Hideaway by Pam Smy (middle grades paranormal fantasy, physical book)

The Mermaid in the Millpond by Lucy Strange (middle grades fantasy, physical book)

I added a total of 13 books to my shelves. Yikes.

I decided to donate The Golden Hour, Salt Magic, Heartless Prince, Runaway, and I'll Meet You There, so five books left my shelves.

In March, I plan to start another series of books and continue to chip away at my reading challenges. I also want to make it a point to read at least two middle grades books that aren't graphic novels this month. Here's what I would like to accomplish:

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Northwind by Gary Paulson

The Art of Running Away by Sabrina Kleckner

I did continue to keep my reading journal this month, although the issues I was having with mental health made it less enjoyable than it has been. Still, now that I'm starting to feel better, I want to keep going with it.

For my non-reading activities, I am sad to report that I did not make any more progress on my diamond painting this month. I was feeling so exhausted and sad for almost all of February that I couldn't bring myself to work on it. I definitely still want to finish it though, so I plan to get it done throughout March. 

I did manage to complete one small project in February - I made a jigsaw puzzle! I got this one in December from my Secret Santa. It was 500 pieces and was really fun to work on. The pieces were the tinniest I have every worked with, which was nice, because it meant I could spread them all out on my table at the same time. 

I didn't watch a ton of new shows or movies this month, but I did see a few things. I watched Glory Road for the first time with my students (it was a school-wide treat), and I thought it was pretty good. Sports movies aren't usually my thing, but I liked this one. I also saw Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile (the newer ones with Kenneth Branagh) and thought they were both good too. Death on the Nile was better, which was a nice surprise since we went to see that in the theater. We also finished watching Peacemaker season one on HBO, and that was surprisingly excellent, especially its amazing theme song. 

One special thing we did this month was take a trip to Hartford to see Swan Lake at the Bushnell Theater. I haven't seen many ballets in my life, so I don't have much to compare the performance to, but I thought it was absolutely fantastic. It was very nice to get away for a night. I wish the timing had been a bit better so that I could have felt happier while I was there, but it is what it is. It was still really fun.

I didn't get to do much else this month, since I was having so much trouble mentally. I did practice my uke a little bit and got better at "Tomorrow" from Annie. I started the process of learning "Surface Pressure" from Encanto too, but I still have a long way to go on that one. I want to try and fit more practice time into March.

So, while my February was definitely not what I was hoping it would be, I still got a few things accomplished and I didn't completely disintegrate, which feels like an accomplishment. In March I'm hoping to have a better time and get myself back on track. 

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

 

I can't remember where I first heard about I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios, but I do remember that the reviews I saw for it were absolutely glowing. People really seemed to like this young adult contemporary read, so I put it on my Christmas list several years ago. I did receive it as a gift, but then stuck it on my shelf and never got around to actually picking it up. Every time I would look over at my shelf and spot it, I would think, Oh yeah, that's the book that's supposed to be really good. I've got to get around to it soon...and then I never would. So naturally, when I was assembling my 22 in 2022 list, I was sure to put this book on it. For my last read in February, I decided to finally pick it up and see if it lived up to all the hype. 

The plot of the novel follows a young women named Skylar Evans. She's just graduated from high school and is eagerly awaiting the day she can leave her small hometown of Creekview, California and attend college in San Francisco. She lives in a trailer park with her mother and they live paycheck to paycheck, but Skylar has managed to earn a full scholarship and is excited to start an art program at her college. With only a few months before she leaves, however, things start to fall apart. Her mother loses her job at Taco Bell and falls into a deep depression. She begins drinking and seeing a really shady new boyfriend. Suddenly, Skylar's bright future is thrown into doubt. She feels like she can't leave her mom this way and begins to consider staying in Creekview and giving up on her dreams.

As Skylar is trying to figure out her next move, a young man named Josh Mitchell returns back to Creekview. He was serving in Afghanistan and sustained an injury in combat that led to the loss of his leg. He is struggling to readjust to civilian life and dealing with PTSD from his experiences. He knows Skylar from a part time job they share at a local motel, and they reconnect as both resume working there for the summer. Before long, they feel a powerful attraction to each other, but both are afraid to surrender to their feelings. Skylar is afraid that getting attached to a local guy will further deter her from her dreams of college in San Francisco. Josh is afraid that he is too damaged to be good for a woman like Skylar. Together, they must figure out their feelings and determine if being together is the best way to move forward with their lives.

By the time I got to the end of this novel, I found that I mostly enjoyed it. The story was very character driven, so there weren't a lot of plot events, but what was there was fairly engaging. I liked both Skylar and Josh as characters and I felt like Demetrios did a nice job making them both come alive. By the end of the novel, I was rooting for them both to succeed, but things were a little rocky for me at first. Josh starts off being pretty unlikable. As I read further in the story though, I came to understand why he behaves the way he does and I started to feel for him. Demetrios uses his character to explore the issues that many soldiers face when they return home from combat, including PTSD, reestablishing healthy relationships, and dealing with life-changing injuries. I have no experience in this area, but it felt like she gave an accurate portrayal of the difficulties those in the military face.

Skylar's issues centered mostly around the problems that come with poverty - not having enough money to buy necessities, having to work several low-paying jobs to make ends meet, having to grow up too fast to help support the household, etc. Her mother struggles with an alcohol addiction that makes her home life difficult at well. Part of her growth throughout the story involves her learning to take a step back from her mother's problems and choose to focus on herself. That's not an easy things to do and I thought that Demetrios conveys the heartbreak involved in making that decision well, even though there were several points where I was frustrated with her inability to let go. 

Josh and Skylar's relationship was fairly well-developed, and I thought they were an interesting couple to watch come together. I wasn't feeling any second-hand butterflies in my stomach while I was reading, but the ways they interacted made sense and felt realistic. I was more into the coming-of-age aspect of the story than I was into the romance, but it was fine. I think actual teen readers will enjoy that element more than I did. Overall, I thought the novel was pretty solid.     

One part of this story that I thought was a little strange was the characters' initial reactions to Josh losing his leg. I don't doubt that losing a limb would be a traumatic and difficult event to go through, but the way characters reacted to it seemed overly dramatic. When Skylar first sees Josh's prosthetic, one of her first thoughts is, "It was the sickest thing I'd ever seen, this man-boy whose whole life was screwed." I could be way off base here, because I have no first-hand experience with an injury like this,  but that kind of response feels off. Is that what people actually assume with they see someone with a prosthetic? That their life is ruined? I honestly don't think I would react this way, and it feels unkind to do so. People lose limbs for all kinds of reasons and still live normal lives, right? This kept consistently happening throughout the first half of the story too. People were obsessed with Josh's missing leg. They couldn't look away. They felt crippling amounts of pity for him. It was as if he might as well be dead because his life basically over. It just didn't feel authentic to me. This eases up somewhat as the story goes on, but I think Demetrios could have handled this aspect better.  

Another small thing that bugged me about this novel was the casual homophobia. Characters consistently referred to things as being "gay" in a derogatory way, and the f-slur was used in a joking manner. While Skylar's character would (very) gently push back against this language, it was clear that most of the characters didn't see anything wrong with speaking this way. This book came out in 2015. We knew better by then. Even if Demetrios was trying to accurately depict how teenagers speak in very rural towns, I don't think this is the kind of realism it is important to preserve if it has nothing to do with the plot of the book. It distracted me from what elements of the story I was meant to be focusing on.

So ultimately, I enjoyed I'll Meet You There, but I don't feel the same reverence for it that a lot of reviewers have. I think that Demetrios made some important points about the struggles that soldiers go through, and she did a good job of weaving those points into an engaging young adult contemporary read. I won't remember this as a special favorite of mine, but it was pretty good. I'm glad that I finally checked it out, even if it didn't quite live up to all the hype for me.

Challenge Tally

22 in 2022: 5/22

Total Books Read in 2022: 22

The Secret Garden on 81st Street by Ivy Weir and Amber Padilla

 

I've written on the blog before about my deep love for The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. It's my favorite children's classic novel, and I've read it many times over the years. When I saw there was a middle grades graphic novel version of it, I picked it up right away. It's been sitting on my shelf for a few weeks now. I knew I would like it, so I was saving reading it for the right moment. However, my student with the graphic novel obsession has been bugging me for more books to read lately, so I figured I'd wait no longer and read this one next so I could pass it off to her. 

The plot of the novel closely follows the original story. It features a young girl named Mary Lennox. As the novel begins, she is being sent to live in New York with her uncle, Archie Craven, after her parents die in an accident. Mary's life before the accident was pretty isolated. Her parents were nearly always working at their high-tech jobs in Silicon Valley, so she was usually on her own in her family's smart home, attending online school and playing video games. That suited her just fine, so when she first arrives at her uncle's house, she has a tough time adjusting to all the people and his lack of technology. 

Her uncle is constantly traveling, still reeling from the death of his beloved husband a few years prior. He leaves her to the care of his assistant, Mrs. Medlock, and his housekeeper, Martha. They both encourage Mary to get out of the house and explore the city, which she does. She begins to fall in love with Central Park and all the museums she can visit. She is especially fascinated by all the green around her, even in the middle of the city. It's different to her experience of California, which was mostly palm trees. When a local plant shop owner mentions that Archie's husband used to tend to a rooftop garden on top of the Craven house, Mary's curiosity is piqued. She wants to explore it, but Archie has had it locked up tight even since his husband died. The memories are too painful for him. 

Undeterred, Mary snoops around until she finally finds the key and sneaks into the garden. At first, Mary believes it's completely dead, but once she enlists the help of Martha's little brother Dickon, she realizes that it's merely sleeping and can be woken up again with the proper care. They begin to work together to bring it back to life, a process that helps Mary come out of her shell more and become more friendly and active.

Alongside the garden, Mary makes another discovery in the Craven house. Following the sound of some mysterious noises at night, she stumbles across her cousin, Colin. He's been living in the house, completely isolated in his bedroom. He struggles with anxiety, panic attacks, and hypochondria. He's convinced that some kind of unexpected illness will kill him, much like the heart attack that took his father years ago. He is in therapy, but rarely leaves the house at all. He and Mary weren't told about each other out of a fear that Mary would upset Colin's already fragile mental health. Once they find each other, however, they become fast friends. Mary encourages Colin to come out of his room and help her and Dickon in the garden, which sets him on a path of healing. Over time, the three children create something beautiful that helps not only themselves, but everyone around them as well.

This modern retelling was pretty much perfect, and I loved it. I thought that the changes Weir and Padilla made to modernize the story made sense and created a wonderful atmosphere of inclusivity and diversity. Different cultural backgrounds and sexualities were included in a way that felt natural and realistic. It made the story more reflective of our modern world and accessible for today's young readers. The basic storyline remained the same, and as always, I loved seeing the growth and healing of the characters throughout the book. There were even a couple of parts that threatened to make me tear up with their sweetness. The illustrations were bright, colorful, and perfectly suited to the story. I will never not love this novel. This was a new, beautiful way to experience it.

So, as expected, The Secret Garden on 81st Street was amazing. I'm loving this trend of authors doing updated versions of children's classics, like Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, which I read last month, and now this one. Anne of West Philly is coming out in just a few days, and I'm already excited for it. Anything that helps bring these great old stories to life again is a wonderful thing, and I'm glad to be able to share these new versions with my students.

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 8/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 21

Run Away by Harlan Coben

 

Run Away by Harlan Coben is not the kind of book I normally pick up. This is one of those thriller/suspense novels that you buy in an airport to make a dull flight bearable. One of those books where the author's name is featured more prominently on the cover than the title. Don't get me wrong--I'm not looking down my nose at that type of story at all. They just aren't the type of books I usually choose. I tend to read them too quickly and forget all the details mere minutes afterwards, making the experience more fleeting than what I want. Every once in a while though, I get in the mood for something fast-paced and exciting, so here we are. I ended up buying this one because I heard a good review for it on YouTube and figured that it would be a good one to use to scratch that itch when I was once again in the thriller mood. I found myself in that place this month, so I finally gave it a shot.

The plot of the novel follows Simon Greene, a financial advisor living in New York with his wife and children. He used to have a picture perfect family life until his oldest daughter, Paige, left home to go to college and fell in with a shady boyfriend named Aaron that got her addicted to drugs. Simon and his wife have tried everything over the past several months to help her, including several stints in rehab, but she keeps returning to Aaron and her addiction. As the story begins, Simon see Paige in Central Park, playing a guitar for tips. She looks terrible, and he is unable to just walk away. He calls her name in an effort to try, once again, to bring her home, and she runs.

Simon takes off after her, and from that moment forward, he is drawn into a dangerous world full of drugs, violence, and secrets that threated to unravel everything in his life that he has worked so hard to build. Although he finds himself in increasingly tenuous situations, Simon is determined to do whatever it takes to figure out what is going on with Paige, help her get clean, and bring her back to being the daughter he once knew again.

I thought this novel was pretty good, and it definitely served its purpose of giving me a suspenseful, fast-paced read to indulge in. The action moved along at a good speed, secrets and twists were revealed at appropriate moments, and the story overall was interesting and suitably mysterious. I wouldn't say that anything about this was particularly memorable or fantastic, but it was a very competently written thriller that kept me engaged the whole time I was reading. 

I did run into one small issue with the book though, and it's not one that I'm used to experiencing. This book was clearly written for an audience that is older than me. I read a lot of young adult and middle grades fiction, so I am very familiar with what it's like to read a book that is meant for people younger than I am. I haven't really experienced it the other way around! Simply put, the protagonist of this novel has a lot of boomer energy. His ideas about fatherhood and masculinity are slightly out of date--very old-school alpha male thoughts--and a lot of the comments he makes about the people around him feel like things my dad would say. For example, he makes several comments at one point making fun of a character's man bun. At another point, he remarks negatively on how young people prefer texting over talking on the phone these days. Lots of little things like that. It wasn't enough to seriously impact how much I enjoyed the book, but it did limit how much I could like the main character. I think this novel is perfect for older guys, which is probably what a significant portion of Coben's intended audience is.

So ultimately, Run Away was a fairly entertaining read. I don't have a lot to say about it beyond that. It did what a suspense novel should do and it did it pretty well. I can't say that this will be a story that I will remember for a while, but it is one that I'm happy to have enjoyed reading in the moment. 

Challenge Tally

22 in 2022: 4/22

Total Books Read in 2022: 20

A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

 

*This review will contain spoilers for the previous books in the Court of Thorns and Roses series.*

Reading the Court of Thorns and Roses books has been an interesting experience for me. Before I started, I assumed these would be pure guilty pleasure reads, and to an extent, they are that. These books are full of emotional teenagers, dramatic storylines, and the smuttiest sex scenes I have ever read. However, as I got deeper and deeper into the series, they became something more. Over time, the story became more complex and the characters truly came alive. The emotions and relationships became multi-dimensional. The struggles felt genuine. With each book, I was drawn deeper and deeper into this fictional world and found myself caring what happened. Found myself being excited to read in a way I haven't experienced in a long time. I picked up A Court of Silver Flames with unrealistically high expectations. Somehow, this book managed to surpass them. This novel is the best of the series so far, and a new personal favorite for me. 

 The plot of this novel centers around Nesta, Feyre's prickly older sister who was turned into a Fae against her will earlier in the series. She's had a tough time with the transition and has turned to alcohol and other risky behaviors to try and ease her pain. She has isolated herself in a rundown apartment and is viciously mean to anyone that attempts to help her, especially her family. At first, Feyre and the rest of the group give her space to work out her issues on her own, but when it becomes clear that her behavior is on an unchecked downward spiral, they decide to step in. They host an intervention of sorts and give her an ultimatum--she can either move into the House of Wind and begin a training program with Cassian (an Illyrian warrior and close friend of the family), or she can move back to the human world. This isn't really a choice at all, since the human world regards Fae with intense dislike and suspicion, and she wouldn't be able to survive there. Grudgingly, she agrees to the training and is whisked away to the House of Wind.

It goes very poorly at first. She has a complicated past history with Cassian and has no interest in any kind of battle training. It is clear they have feelings for each other, but the shields Nesta puts around herself don't allow her to be vulnerable or form a loving relationship with anyone. Instead, she is contrary and nasty as a form of protection, and continually pushes Cassian away. However, as time goes by, she begins to change. She finds some value in the training, begins to make friends, and grows closer and closer to Cassian. It is slow going though, as she is still traumatized from the events of the earlier books and struggles mightily with feelings of inadequacy and self hatred. 

Mixed in with all of the difficult emotional healing is the fact that the conflict between the Fae is far from over. A new threat, a queen named Briallyn, has stepped up to take Hybern's place and is threatening to disrupt the fragile peace that Rhysand and Feyre have established. Nesta inherited some extremely powerful abilities when she was turned Fae, but she has been afraid to explore them. Those abilities are needed now to try and stop Briallyn from assembling a trove of magical items that would make her unstoppable. Nesta must balance the work she must do to try and help herself with the work she must do to try and help others, a process which will push her further beyond what she thought she was capable of ever achieving.  

At 757 pages, this is a very long novel, and it genuinely felt like an epic journey reading it. I have maintained throughout my reviews that Maas does a nice job with the emotional complexity of her characters, and never has that been more true than here. Nesta starts off the story in a very bad place, and watching her slowly heal over the course of the plot was so satisfying. Her struggle felt genuine to me, especially her inner monologues, in which she was extremely hard on herself. Nesta has always been a character that spewed venom at everyone that reached out to try and help her. Seeing the story from her perspective revealed that she spews the most tonic venom at herself, which was both very sad and very humanizing. Many of the things she would think mirrored the types of things I think about myself when I am having a hard time, so I related strongly to what she was going through.  She was well-developed and I was rooting for her throughout the story.

I also really enjoyed getting to know Cassian better. He has his own difficult backstory, and we got a closer look at how his past has changed him here. He has come back from dark times himself, making him a good match for Nesta. The chemistry between the pair was very well written. Maas really kicks the steamy scenes up a notch here as well, and if you like that kind of thing...it's good. Their relationship wasn't perfect--they say messy, cruel things to each other sometimes and don't always make the right decisions, but that only served to make the story more realistic. 

All the other story elements were good as well. I enjoyed the pacing, which was slow but not boring. I liked the supporting characters and the plot events too. The conflicts in the Fae realm are not completely resolved in this book, leaving plenty of room for additional sequels to branch out into. I assume that from here on out, the point of view will shift to other characters. I feel like Elain will probably be featured in the future, and maybe Mor as well. I look forward to seeing what Maas come up with for her next installments. I am officially a big fan of this series now. As I mentioned before, these are still partially guilty pleasure reads, but this book pushed them past that for me. 

I know from looking at Goodreads reviews that not everyone shares my affection for his novel. Some were disappointed with it and consider it to be a low point for the series. For me, however, it was different. Something about this one really spoke to me. I get the feeling that Maas must have been through some hard times herself recently to write like this. This is a ridiculous fantasy series full of magical powers and flying hunks, but it somehow still conveys human pain and emotion in a way that reaches me deeply. Any book that can do that is well worth the time.  

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 8/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 19

Heartless Prince by Angela De Vito and Leigh Dragoon

 

I found Heartless Prince while browsing new middle grades releases on Goodreads last month. I was intrigued by the cover and interested in the fact that it was the start of a new fantasy graphic novel series. Thinking that my students would like to check it out too, I decided to give it a try.

The plot of the novel follows Princess Evony, a young woman orphaned as a baby when her kingdom was attacked by a witch. She has been taken in by a neighboring royal family and grown up alongside their son, Prince Ammon (who she is not-so-secretly in love with). Her new kingdom is still plagued by witches, but this one is protected by a magical shield that keeps malevolent forces at bay. This shield has been weakening over time, however, and tensions are high as the royal family struggles to keep everyone in their kingdom safe.

Evony has a mysterious ability to sense when familiars (creatures that serve witches) are approaching, so her and Ammon start venturing outside their magical bubble to go on the offensive and cut these creatures down before they can do any harm to the townspeople. This plan works well for a while, but before long, a powerful witch named Aradia appears and steals Ammon's heart. Without his heart, Ammon begins the slow process of turning into a familiar. Now, Evony must move quickly to find Aradia, take back Ammon's heart, and restore it to his body before he is lost forever.

Heartless Prince is the first book in a new trilogy, and it was definitely a solid start to the series. I was entertained and engaged while reading it, and I think middle grades readers would definitely feel the same. Princess Evony, in particular, was a strong character. She's a true warrior--she cuts down monsters with a pair of scythes and is tough as nails while doing it. Her action scenes were the best part of the story. These was a little bit of complexity to her character as well - she discovers some secrets about herself throughout the plot that she will definitely have to grapple with later. The illustrations were also very good, with the art style complementing the fantasy elements perfectly. It ends on a bit of a cliffhanger that will definitely have fans looking forward to the next installment.

That being said though, there was nothing super memorable or amazing about this novel for me. I've already forgotten most of the details, and it's only been a week or so since I finished it. This is one of those books that is good for its intended audience, but doesn't have much in it that would stand out to adults. Again, it was well done and there was nothing wrong with it. I have no criticisms. It was just...fine. I'll read the sequels if I remember to buy them, and I know this book will be read over and over again in my classroom library (not just because it's a graphic novel, but because it has the added bonus of being short too). It's a solid read, but just not one that I will remember.

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 7/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 18

A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

 

*This review will contain spoilers for previous books in the Court of Thorns and Roses series.*

For my next read, I decided to continue my journey through the Court of Thorns and Roses series with A Court of Frost and Starlight. This book isn't a full sequel, it's like a little interlude. At 230 pages, it's much shorter than the other books and functions more like a bridge between A Court of Wings and Ruin and the next book in the series, A Court of Silver Flames. Goodreads calls this book number 3.1. I was very happy to return to this literary world, so I settled in excited to see how the story would continue.

This is a character-focused novel centered around several of the main characters from the series as they prepare to celebrate Winter Solstice together. Everyone is trying to heal from the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin. They were successful in defeating King Hybern and nullifying the Cauldron, but at a heavy cost. Many of Rhysand's soldiers perished in the final battle, many more were wounded, and Feyre's father was killed. Everyone is processing the events differently. Feyre is turning to her art to help herself and others. Her sister Nesta has withdrawn and is turning to alcohol to soothe her shattered nerves. Mor is considering taking on some dangerous new work to avoid Velaris. Rhys is dealing with guilt and questioning some of his decisions. It's been a lot, and now that things are at a temporarily lull, they are finally allowed some time to deal with their feelings. When the Solstice finally arrives, they get the chance to come together, remember what everyone was fighting so hard to preserve, and begin to refocus their energy on the tasks that still lie ahead of them.  

I really enjoyed this entry into the series, and I thought it was a nice idea to have a little "breather" novel like this to remind readers about the main plot threads that are still ongoing and check in on everyone's feelings. I think the protagonist of the series is going to shift from being Feyre to some of the other characters in the future, so it was also a nice way to wrap up some of the loose threads in her story too. As usual with these books, Maas does a nice job on writing the characters' complex emotions. They each feel like they are actually struggling with all the difficult events of the past few books, which makes perfect sense with the story. I've read a lot of young adult fantasy where the characters participate in wars or other violence, and then bounce onto the next adventure like nothing bad ever happened. That's never the case here. Actions have consequences in this world. People suffer. It makes for a much richer reading experience.

I don't mean to give the impression that A Court of Frost and Starlight is full of heavy topics and negativity though, because the novel as a whole is very hopeful. Some of the characters are doing better than others, but most are working towards normalcy and starting to come back together after the battle with Hybern. Feyre, especially, had a nice story arc about beginning to paint again and opening a small art therapy studio for the children affected by the war. It felt a lot like visiting with old friends while reading, and the novel succeeded in getting me excited to continue on and start the next book. 

I don't have much more to say beyond that, because this was a shorter novel and it was very character driven. I did think it was a great entry in the series though, and a nice way to keep readers up to date with what was going on in the very complicated and massive world of Prythia between the regular installments of the series. I'm still very invested in this story, and I'm actually sad that I'll be onto the last book that's out next. 

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 7/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 17

Salt Magic by Hope Larson

 

I first came across Salt Magic on Amazon in the midst of one of my book buying frenzies. This middle grades fantasy graphic novel caught my attention with the illustration on the cover, particularly that beautiful and mysterious lady in the clouds. The summary seemed pretty interesting too, so I decided to give it a try.

The plot of the novel follows a young girl named Vonceil who lives with her family on a rural farm in the countryside. As the story begins, her older brother Elber returns home from WWI. Vonceil has been eagerly looking forward to his return, but she soon discovers that the person who comes back is no longer the same as the person who left. Elber is hopelessly grown up now, and is not as interested in hanging out with her as he used to me. His main interests now lie in marrying his sweetheart and starting a family. Vonceil is disappointed, but doesn't have too much time to dwell on it as a mysterious woman soon arrives at the farm.

This woman claims to have known Elber from his time in France during the war. She is upset with him for leaving her and demands he return with her to France. When he refuses, she reveals herself to be a witch and curses the family farm, turning their fresh water from the well into saltwater. Vonceil decides to try and save her brother and the farm herself, and sets out on an adventure filled with danger, magic, and sacrifice. Along the way, she learns a lot about what it means to grow up and take care of those you love. 

This novel was a cute little read, and it was beautifully illustrated. The coming-of-age storyline and the themes centered around maturity and sacrifice were appropriate for its intended middle grades audience, and Vonceil was a likable and relatable character. The only real issue I had during my reading was the length and the pacing. I thought that the story Larson was telling was bigger than the amount of pages she was trying to cram it into. Things happened too quickly and were lacking detail. At times, I felt confused at some of the plot points, and it was because not enough time was spent developing the details surrounding how the magic was working and what Vonceil's quest was. I understood the overall big picture of it, of course, but I thought some of the finer points needed more development.

I did enjoy Salt Magic as I was reading, but once I finished, I found that it faded from my mind very quickly. As such, I don't have a lot more thoughts to share on it. As I said before, it's fine for a middle grades audience. I thought that the story was interesting and the themes were worthy, but I do wish that more time was spent really fleshing it out. It's definitely not the best middle grades graphic novel I've tried, but there's nothing too bad about it either. It won't be one that sticks with me, but I'm sure my students will enjoy reading it once I donate it to my classroom library.  

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 6/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 16

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

 

*This review will contain spoilers for the first two books in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series.*

So, I don't know if I should be proud to admit this, but I'm seriously loving the A Court of Thorns and Roses series. After reading the first few books in the series earlier this month, I was excited to get into book three, A Court of Wings and Ruin and see how Feyre and Rhys' adventure would continue. On a silly side note, the size of this book initially confused me. Sitting on my shelf, it looked significantly shorter than the second one, but I didn't realize that the publisher switched to a lighter-weight paper for this installment. Looking at the page numbers revealed that it was actually the longest one so far at 705 pages. Looking at the spines, you would never think it. Here's what I mean: 

That paper really made a difference in how thick the book looked, right? This is all pointless to bring up now of course, because since I purchased these, the publisher has completely redesigned and released much more attractive editions of all these books (which I will grudgingly eventually buy to replace these with). Okay, anyway, back to the review.

The plot of the novel picks up where A Court of Mist and Fury left off, with Feyre returning to the Spring Court as part of a ruse to gain information about Tamlin's plans for the upcoming war and King Hybern's movements into other kingdoms in Prythia. She plays spy very well, and manages to uncover valuable information as well as sow seeds of discord amongst Tamlin's subjects before returning to Rhys and the rest of her family. Once back she's back in the Night Court, she begins to plan for Hybern's defeat, but she must tread very carefully. This war can only be won through careful political maneuvering, unlikely alliances, and clever military tactics--and even all those might not be enough. To make matters more difficult, Hybern is still in possession of the Cauldron, an ancient and deadly magical artifact that will have to be neutralized for Feyre and Rhys to have any chance at all. In order to save the court that she now holds dear, as well as preserve the relationships she now cherishes, Feyre must use all her strength, bravery, and intelligence to forge a path to victory. 

Much like the others in this series, I really enjoyed this volume. There was a little bit less of the romantic element here, because Feyre starts this book off in an established relationship with Rhys, but there was still enough going on between the two of them to keep me interested. They deepen their connection across the course of the novel and become truly, deeply bonded to each other. The scenes between them are sometimes emotional and sometimes steamy, and they are always entertaining. Most of the plot revolved around court politics and battle, and there was a surprising amount of depth to that here. I thought that the story was well crafted, with lots of little twists and reveals along the way to keep me turning the pages. I wrote in my last review about this series that Prythia felt like a fully developed world to me, and that feeling continued throughout the course of this story. Everything I have liked about the novels so far continued on here, and I liked this book just as much as I have liked the rest of them.

One element of the story that I particularly liked was the inclusion of Nesta and Elain, Feyre's sisters. At the end of A Court of Mist and Fury, they were turned Fae against their will, and in this book we learn that they have inherited some powers from the experience. They play important roles in the story, and Feyre must learn to work with both of them in order to make her plans work. I didn't expect them to become so deeply involved in the plot, and I liked that they became more than just the "evil sisters" trope that they were in the first book. Maas brings complexity to them and gives them interesting stories and motivations of their own, which I liked exploring.

So, A Court of Wings and Ruin was another great read for me. It was over 700 pages, and I never felt bored or dissatisfied with it. I'm still very invested in the story and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next. 

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 6/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 15

The Golden Hour by Niki Smith

 

After finishing A Court of Mist and Fury, I was in the mood for a bit of a break before tackling the next book in that series. I decided to go with The Golden Hour by Niki Smith, a middle grades graphic novel that I discovered while shopping on Amazon. I was initially drawn to the cover art, and the summary on the back promising a coming-of-age story in the wake of an incident of gun violence sealed the deal. I settled in for what I hoped would be a poignant and moving read.

The plot of the novel follows a middle school student named Manuel. He witnesses an incident of gun violence at his school, and as the novel begins, he is still very much trying to process it. He struggles with panic attacks and PTSD, but is learning to work his way through his feelings using photography. Upon returning to school from spring break, he is partnered up with two other kids in his art class, Sebastian and Caysha, for a group project. The trio quickly become good friends and start hanging out outside of school.

They usually spend time at Sebastian's house, because he lives on a big farm with lots of wide open spaces and animals to play with. Manuel comes to enjoy photographing the scenery there, especially Sebastian's new calf, Daisy. They start participating in an agricultural club and work on projects for the county fair. Along the way, Manuel slowly starts to come out of his shell and begin healing from the trauma he experienced. He even begins to develop feelings for Sebastian that go beyond friendship. The Golden Hour is a sweet story about healing, growing up, friendship, and first love in our modern times. 

This was a really sweet little novel, and I enjoyed reading it. I thought that Smith did a good job of making a difficult story involving gun violence and PTSD appropriate for a young audience. She doesn't linger on the violent details and focuses more on the growth and healing in the aftermath of the experience. Manuel was a relatable character and easy to root for throughout the story, and Sebastian and Caysha were both charming and very supportive friends. 

The illustrations were very pretty as well, with a lot of golden light filling many of the panels. The title refers to that time of day right after sunrise or before sunset, when the light takes on a reddish hue, and a lot of the pictures show that time beautifully. Smith uses a strategy of shifting to black and white images when Manuel is having a panic attack, and that technique dose a nice job of making those moments feel appropriately harrowing. The art was a pleasure to look at overall, and added to the tenderness of the story.

The only bit of the story that I wished was explored more was the relationship between Manuel and Sebastian. This novel is typically tagged as LGBT, and the pair are definitely interested in each other, but their relationship is conveyed so subtly that I do not think young readers would pick up on anything more than friendship between them. They do (maybe) kiss at the very end, but the image is drawn from so far away that you wouldn't even notice it unless you were really looking vey closely at it. I understand that romance wasn't the main focus of the story, but "first love" is listed as one of the themes included on the back cover, and that aspect of the story is very easily entirely missed if you aren't paying close enough attention. Middle grades readers that identify as being straight will probably not pick up on it at all. I felt like if first love was supposed to be a part of the story, Smith could have dedicated a bit more time to it.

Other than that though, I thought this was a lovely read and a wonderful addition to my classroom library. It's a quiet, sensitive, and uplifting coming of age story that many young readers will find something to relate to in. It's not one of those novels with a ton of crossover appeal for adults, but it is great for its audience and I liked it a lot.

Challenge Tally

Middle Grade Mission: 5/24

Total Books Read in 2022: 14

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

 

*This review will contain spoilers for the first book in the series, A Court of Thorns and Roses*

After finishing A Court of Thorns and Roses last week, I was excited to move onto the next book in this series, A Court of Mist and Fury. I really liked the first one, and I wanted to see how the story would continue, but I went into my reading a little bit wary. One of the things that really attracted me to the series in general was the whole Beauty and the Best element of the story. That piece of it was pretty much over by the end of book one, and I wasn't sure if whatever tropes would come next would match up as well with my personal preferences. Also, this book is much longer than the last one--just over 600 pages. That's not necessarily a bad thing, but if the book was going to veer away from the romance between Feyre and Tamlin and focus more on things like faerie court politics, that could end up being pretty boring for me. Still, I got started on my reading hoping for another guilty pleasure kind of experience. That is definitely what I got too, although not in the way I expected.

This novel picks up shortly after the events of book one. After defeating Amarantha and being brought back to life by the High Lords, Feyre has moved into the Spring Court with Tamlin. They are engaged and wedding preparations are underway, but all is not entirely well. Feyre is struggling mightily with feelings of depression and guilt after her trial Under the Mountain. She can't forgive herself for some of the actions she had to take in order to rescue Tamlin and is experiencing nightmares and feelings of claustrophobia from the memory of her imprisonment. Tamlin isn't faring much better, he is also struggling with feelings of guilt. He could only stand idly by as Feyre was being tortured by Amarantha, so now that he has his powers fully back, his protective instinct is going overboard. He's essentially locked Feyre inside his estate, and doesn't allow her to venture out at all. This, in turn, causes Feyre to spiral deeper into depression. They are both trying to heal and move forward, but are having trouble figuring out exactly what that should look like. 

To make things even more complicated, it soon becomes apparent that Feyre has absorbed some of the powers of the High Lords during her resurrection. She's unwittingly become a powerful Fae herself, but Tamlin refuses to acknowledge her powers or help her train to use them, believing it might put her into danger. Her frustration with this and everything else going on culminates in her deciding to leave the Spring Court and join Rhysand, the High Lord of the Night Court, whom she struck a desperate deal with when she was badly injured in Amarantha's dungeon. Rhysand seems to understand her depression and is sensitive to her need for freedom and choice. What's more, he has an important job for her to do. 

It turns out that Amarantha was only a small part of a larger, evil scheme to control all of Prythia. There is another, the King of Hybern, who plans to overturn the existing order of things, including destroying the wall separating the faeries from the humans, and take everything for himself. Feyre, with her new blend of magical powers, is uniquely suited to help secure an ancient artifact that will destroy his scheme and hopefully bring peace back to the land. She begins working with Rhys and his inner circle to try and accomplish this, and finds herself thrust into an adventure filled with great danger, incredibly high stakes, and somehow, an epic romance.

A Court of Mist and Fury was actually a very worthy sequel to the first book, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a long read, but the pacing was good and the story was consistently interesting. There were lots of twists and turns in the plot, the romance was steamy, and the new characters introduced were all well-developed and easy to like. Quite a lot of backstory was introduced in this one as well, which helped to flesh out the world. The world-building in general is very strong in this series. Maas does a nice job of making Prythia feel like a real place with a long and brutal history. It's easy to get swept away in it and feel like you're somewhere else while reading. Of course, many things about the story were ridiculous--the drama, the emotions, the sexual banter, the entire concept of a "mating bond,"--it was all cringeworthy from time to time. That was all part of the fun though, and the story was compelling enough that I didn't mind it. 

One aspect of this novel that surprised me was the exploration of the characters' trauma. Maas did a nice job of realistically showing her characters struggling emotionally after the violent end of book one. There really shouldn't be a straightforward "happily ever after" after going through everything Feyre, Tamlin, and Rhys went through, and that didn't happen here. I liked that this story acknowledged their pain and incorporated it into the plot in a way that made sense. It wasn't a case of the characters immediately jumping into the next adventure at the start of book two without a backwards glance. They deal with guilt, depression, and shame over things from their past in turns, and the reading experience is richer for it.

I also never thought for a second that Feyre would be leaving Tamlin and switching to another love interest in this story. I definitely never thought that I would be a fan of that move. Like I mentioned before, the Beauty and the Beast trope is one of my favorites, but Maas did a good job of showing Tamlin become so damaged from his experiences that he was not longer a healthy match for Feyre. It was a turn I wasn't expecting, but it was one that made sense in the context of the story. I can't help but feel a little bad for Tamlin though. I'd definitely let him lock me in his palatial estate so I could do arts and crafts and read all day. Feyre's made of sterner stuff than me though and needs her freedom. Rhys was a better match for her and the development of their relationship was well written.

So ultimately, I really did enjoy A Court of Mist and Fury. There was definitely more political intrigue in this installment, but there was still enough romance to keep me interested in the story. Maas has done a nice job creating an interesting fantasy world to get lost in. I look forward to continuing on with the next book.

Challenge Tally

Finally in 2022 - Series Edition: 5/28

Total Books Read in 2022: 13