The Harp of Kings by Juliet Marillier

*Mild spoilers ahead!*

Juliet Marillier is one of my favorite authors, so when I learned that she was coming out with a new fantasy series last year, I was really excited. I picked up The Harp of Kings shortly after it was released and made it part of my Then vs. Now Reading Challenge, in which I reread an old favorite, then a new-to-me book by the same author. For my old favorite, I reread Daughter of the Forest and had a wonderful time falling back into that world and revisiting some of my favorite literary characters. As I moved onto Harp of Kings, I had high hopes that I might find another story by Marillier to love. Alas, I was destined to be disappointed.

The Harp of Kings is set in medieval Ireland, and follows three characters who are all in training to join an elite band of warrior-spies. The first of these characters, Liobhan, is a fierce and fiery eighteen-year-old woman with big ambitions. She is a talented singer and whistle player, but her heart is set on becoming a warrior and being accepted as an official member of the spy group. The next character is Brocc, her brother. Like Liobhan, he is musically inclined, and is a gifted harpist and singer. He is also talented in combat, but his heart isn't quite as into being a warrior as his sister's. He's along for the ride though, and trains competently beside her. The third character is Dau, a young man with a bristly exterior and a troubled past. Making it into the warrior band means everything to him, and he scrupulously keeps score of who is likely to be accepted into the team in his head.

The plot begins when Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau are selected to participate in a mission in the neighboring kingdom of Breifne, even though they are still just trainees. Liobhan and Brocc are chosen for their musical talents, as the mission requires them to work undercover as traveling bards. Dau is asked to participate due to his expertise with horses, as they need someone to pose as a ferrier. Their goal is to recover a missing object of extreme symbolic importance to Breifne, the Harp of Kings. This Harp is required to be present at an upcoming coronation. Liobhan, Brocc, and Dau are tasked with slipping in among the people of the kingdom, discovering who is responsible for the theft, and returning the harp in time for the ceremony.

Their mission goes from being a straightforward robbery investigation to a confusing foray into the uncanny when it becomes clear that beings from a magical realm might be involved. To complicate matters further, the group discovers that the man who is to be crowned king at the upcoming coronation is entirely unfit to lead, throwing the consequences of completing their job into question. As the team slowly gets closer and closer to uncovering the location of the harp, they are forced to make some difficult decisions about how much they are willing to sacrifice to bring about a conclusion that is right for the future of the kingdom.

I was quite disappointed with this novel. That's a difficult thing for me to say, as I am so in love with other books by Juliet Marillier, but I must be honest. I did not enjoy this half as much as I was expecting to, and it was a slog to make it to the end.

It started off well enough. I was interested in the story, and I thought the plot moved along at a good pace. After a while, however, things became slow and the characters began acting in ways that were frustrating to me. The biggest example of this was in their continual, flagrant violation of all the rules of their mission. All of the major characters in the novel, particularly Liobhan and Dau, are supposed to be laser-focused on trying to make it into the spy group, but this ambition does not match the way they behave. At every opportunity, they break rules, ignore their directions of their leaders, and draw an immense amount of attention to themselves. There isn't even much of an internal struggle going on in their minds as they do so; if the limitations placed on them by their role in the mission are inconvenient to them, they disregard them. From time to time a character will acknowledge that they aren't following orders, but it's in a casual, shoulder-shrugging kind of way. They expect their rash actions will catch up with them at some point, but they are never particularly worried about that in the moment.

This might be forgivable if the characters ended up facing consequences by the end of the story, but they don't. In fact, they are rewarded for their insubordination, and praised for being creative problem solvers. This is dysfunctional and shouldn't be how an elite organization of warrior spies works. It undermined the framework of the story and became a continual irritation as I read.

The plot itself became more thin and vague as it went on as well. The setup of a secret mission with assumed identities implies that something exciting and intriguing will eventually be uncovered, but that never really happened. The details of where the harp went are left very vague, and explained away with a throwaway comment about the mysterious ways of the Fair Folk from the other realm. This story was supposed to center around a mystery so impenetrable that spies were needed to unravel it, but in the end there was barely a mystery to solve at all. The characters used a combination of magic and dumb luck to complete the mission, meaning that their supposedly impressive skills in combat and spying didn't even come into play. It all felt sloppy, which is not a word I ever thought I would associate with Marillier's work.

So ultimately, I was left wanting a lot more from The Harp of Kings. I wasn't overly fond of the characters, and the plot itself was lacking the complexity you would expect from a novel about spies. Also, while this isn't a criticism, I was surprised at the complete lack of any LGBTQIA characters. This is a brand new book, and many new fantasy novels include a more diverse cast nowadays. There were several places in the story where these types of characters would have fit in well. It felt like a missed opportunity.

The Harp of Kings is the start of a new trilogy, and I do not think I will be picking up any of the other books in the series once they are released. There just wasn't enough I liked here to catch my interest. I am disappointed, but still glad that I got a chance to explore another work by one of my favorite authors. It ended up not being to my taste, but that's okay. Nothing will ever dampen my love for the Sevenwaters books. For my first match-up in my Then vs. Now Challenge, the "then" book definitely wins out.


Challenge Tally
Then vs. Now: 2/27 

Total Books Read in 2020: 3

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

When people ask me what my favorite book is, I unfailingly respond with The Great Gatsby. That's a bit of a fib though. Gatsby is my favorite classic, but Daughter of the Forest is my true, snuggle-up-and-get-lost-in favorite. This little, unassuming fantasy novel that I never hear anyone talk about has wedged itself into my heart and managed to stay there since I first read it in the ninth grade. I've lost count of how many times I've read this book in total, but I haven't read it lately. The last time I picked it up was 2012.

Naturally, when I decided to reread some of my old favorite novels this year for my Then vs. Now Challenge, this book was at the top of my list. I recently picked up The Harp of Kings, Marillier's latest novel, and I was interested to both compare the two, and to see if Daughter of the Forest still holds the same appeal for me at this stage of my life.

The plot is loosely based on a fairy tale called "The Six Swans." It follows a young Irish girl named Sorcha, who must complete an arduous task to save her brothers from a witch's enchantment. Her quest is a long and painful one that will take years to complete, and she must remain completely silent until it is finished. Her path eventually leads her all the way to England, where she falls in love with one of her family's enemies and things become even more complicated. To say more would spoil the sweetness of the story, so you will have to read it for yourself if you want to know more.

The novel is set in medieval Ireland, and a rich background of Celtic mythology and magic is woven throughout the plot. Marillier does an excellent job creating a vivid and mysterious world for her characters. Everything, from the descriptions of the wooded landscape to the stories the characters tell each other, live and breathe Ireland. The setting is well-developed enough to give the reader pangs of real sorrow when Sorcha is forced to leave it for a time. This is clearly a time period and culture that Marillier knows well, and the way she describes the fictional tuath of Sevenwaters makes the place feel real and important. As a reader, I generally find the parts of novels that describe the setting to be a bit boring, but I was entranced by it here. The universe of the story feels solid and spiritual. One is truly whisked away to a different time and place while reading this.

The pace of the story is deliberately slow. This is meant to be a long adventure; Sorcha's quest to restore her brothers to their human forms will take her years to complete, and the speed of the text matches the magnitude of her task. The story feels like years have passed within it, but not in a dull, plodding way. Nothing feels unnecessary or boring here, just suitably epic. While some readers may dislike the slow burn of the plot, I enjoy getting lost in the story. Nothing is rushed, and everything is beautifully developed. Daughter of the Forest takes its time, and the result is an uncommonly beautiful story.

When I was a teenager, I was all about the romance of the book. While I still believe that Daughter of the Forest is one of the most perfect love stories I have ever read, I have come to appreciate the strength and independence of Sorcha just as much. She is the kind of character I would want to know in real life. She is brave and kind, clever and loyal. She is strong of heart, but has her moments of fear and weakness too. I have seen a few reviewers on Goodreads comment negatively on her forced silence throughout the novel, saying that it makes her weak. On the contrary, I believe that her ability to persist in her task and make herself understood throughout the story in spite of the loss of her voice makes her strong. Sorcha must find other ways to communicate and keep going against incredible odds, and hearing the story from her quiet perspective is a real pleasure. As a quiet person myself, I enjoy reading about a quiet character. Not every fantasy heroine has to be a spitfire.

This is book one of the Sevenwaters Trilogy. I have read all three, as well as the additional three novels Marillier set in this universe. All of them are readable, and most are very good, but Daughter of the Forest is by far my favorite. I know that I will continue to return to it again and again in future years, as it's most definitely still a special favorite. I know that it's impossible for me to review this novel with any sense of objectivity. I read it at the perfect time in my life and I doubt that I will ever change my mind about it. Even so, I'm quite relieved that reading it again confirmed these feelings. It still holds up, and I very much enjoyed revisiting this old friend. As far as favorite books go, Daughter of the Forest may not be as impressive-sounding as The Great Gatsby, but it sure is just as satisfying.


Challenge Tally
Then vs. Now: 1/27

Total Books Read in 2020: 2

The Green Ray by Jules Verne

One of my favorite personal reading traditions is starting off the year with a Jules Verne novel. Something about starting a new year off with a spectacular adventure just feels right to me. I have been doing this for five years now, and so far I have read 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days, and The Mysterious Island. My pick for 2020 was The Green Ray, one of Verne's lesser-known works. This one appealed to me because it featured a female protagonist, which was something I hadn't encountered in any of his novels so far. So, on the morning of January 1, I curled up with my cup of coffee and dove in.

The plot of the novel follows Helena Campbell, a young Scottish woman with a romantic mind and a keen sense of adventure. Both of her parents died when she was a baby, and she has been raised by her uncles, Samuel and Sebastian Melville. Helena's uncles love her devotedly, and want nothing but the best for her. Accordingly, they are anxious to secure her a husband now that she has come of age. Unfortunately, they are rather oblivious when it comes to matchmaking, and the settle on a hopelessly arrogant and joyless academic named Aristobulus Ursiclos (the world's best name).

Helena, in an effort to buy herself some time, insists on putting off marriage until she observes a scientific phenomenon known as the Green Ray. The Green Ray is a quick, bright green flash that appears on the horizon just as the sun is setting over an ocean view. Legend says that viewing the Green Ray allows you to know your own heart's desires, including your true love. Unable to deny Helena anything, her uncles agree to travel to a place with a clear view of the ocean so they they can see the Ray.

Thus begins a grand adventure all throughout Argyll and the Inner Hebrides as the little family rushes from one place to another trying to catch the perfect view of the sunset. Along the way, they run into Aristobulus, who attaches himself to the group (much to Helena's dismay) and an adventurous young artist named Oliver Sinclair. The party is continually stymied in their mission by inclement weather, errant birds, wandering clouds, and boats sailing by at inconvenient moments. Every time they think they have the perfect sunset view, something come along to spoil it. Frustrated, Helena insists on traveling to a tiny uninhabited island to view the sunset without the risk of animals or tourists getting in the way. However, a when a powerful squall hits, everyone winds up in a fight for their lives.

The Green Ray is unlike any of the other Verne novels that I have tried so far. It's not science fiction, but it is an extremely sweet and funny adventure containing a lovable and eccentric cast of characters. There were several instances that made me laugh out loud and the quick pacing and copious illustrations kept me totally engaged while reading. This is a shorter novel that just flies by. My version had just 217 pages and it only took me two days to finish.

The Scotland setting forms the backbone of the story, and Verne describes each location the characters visit in very specific detail. I learned from the afterword to my edition that he took a trip there in his real life a few years before writing this novel, and his own journey became the journey Helena and her family take, right down to the boat names and hotel names. It is clear that he was quite moved by the Hebrides, as his descriptions of the islands' beauty go on at length. In fact, his praise was so effusive that it became tiring after a while. This was the one aspect of the novel that I didn't like so much, but Verne stories typically have over-long descriptions, whether it be of cities, nature, or scientific principles. It's part of his signature style and it comes with the territory.

Aside from the descriptive sections, everything else in The Green Ray was enjoyable. Aristobulus, especially, was the perfect heel, and watching him bumble his way into spoiling everyone's view of the ray over and over again was hilarious. Helena's uncles were funny characters as well. They were almost like twin brothers, in that they never did anything separate from each other, and their sweet, if imperfect, efforts to take care of their beloved niece were very sweet. Helena herself was a bit bland, but I did appreciate that she had an adventurous soul and that she found a creative way to dodge her uncles' attempt to marry her off without hurting their feelings.

My favorite part of the whole novel was definitely the ending. I won't spoil whether the characters ever actually see the ray or not, but I will say that what ends up happening is incredibly heartwarming and adorable. This was definitely a lower-stakes adventure than the other Verne novels I have read. However, its cast of friendly, goodhearted characters and its fun, romantic plot make it well worth the time if you're in the mood for a lighter classic. 

So ultimately, I really enjoyed The Green Ray. I wish Jules Verne had cut back a little on his personal vacation notes, but it's a sweet little adventure and I'm very glad I chose it to start off my 2020 reading. Verne was a prolific author and published over 50 novels in his lifetime. I'm not going to run out of titles to start my year with anytime soon, which is a wonderful thing. I'm already excited to pick out another book for next year. 


Challenge Tally
Back to the Classics 2020 (Classic in Translation): 1/12

Total Books Read in 2020: 1

Back to the Classics 2020 - Sign Up Post

The Back to the Classics Challenge is coming back for 2020, and I couldn't be happier! Once the categories were posted, I had a lot of fun thinking of what I wanted to read for it. I'm going to attempt all twelve categories again this year. Here's what I came up with:

1. 19th Century Classic: White Jacket by Herman Melville (1850) - Completed January 2020
I came across a copy of this novel in a huge used bookstore a few years ago. I had never heard of it before that moment, but I liked the cover, and I liked reading Moby Dick in high school, so I'm going to give it a try.

2. 20th Century Classic: The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford (1915) - Completed April 2020
I don't know much about this novel at all. I picked it up several years ago when I was on a classics-buying spree and I ended up putting it on my Classics Club list. Now is as good a time as any to actually read it.

3. Classic by a Female Author: O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (1913) - Completed March 2020
I have heard a lot of positive things about Willa Cather over the years, but I have never read anything by her. This book has been sitting on my shelf since I was a teenager, so it's high time I got around to picking it up.

4. Classic in Translation: The Green Ray by Jules Verne (1882) - Completed January 2020

It's one of my traditions to start off each year with a Jules Verne novel. This will be how I start 2020.

5. Classic by a Person of Color: Black Boy by Richard Wright (1945) - Completed February 2020

I read Native Son last year and really enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to reading more from Richard Wright.

6. A Genre Classic: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954) - Completed June 2020

I'm a huge fantasy fan, but somehow, I have never read the most famous fantasy series of all time. I'm going to try and read the whole trilogy this year, starting with this one.

7. A Classic with a Person's Name in the Title: Little Lord Fauntleroy by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1886) - Completed March 2020

I already planned to read this novel for my Then Versus Now Challenge this year, so this prompt worked out well for me. I have loved all the other Burnett novels I have read, so I am anticipating loving this one too.

8. A Classic with a Place in the Title : The Tenant of Wildfeld Hall by Anne Brontë (1848) - Completed March 2020

This was one of the only books on my Classics Club list that I didn't already own. I recently picked up a very pretty edition of it, so I'm excited to get to read it.

9. A Classic with Nature in the Title: The Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton (1922) - Completed May 2020

Edith Wharton is one of my favorite authors, and I have four different books by her on my Classics Club list. I've only read one of them so far, so I decided to read another one for this category.

10. A Classic about a Family: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (1864-1866)

I just recently read Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell, and I had trouble getting through it. I'm hoping to like this novel better.

11. An Abandoned Classic: Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman (1855) - Completed August 2020

This category was tough for me, because it is extremely rare for me not to finish a book. After thinking for a bit, I remembered that I was supposed to read Leaves of Grass in college and I didn't really do it. I'm intimidated by this one, but I'm going to try and get through it for real this time.

12. A Classic Adaptation: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (1962) - Completed November 2020 

Out of all the classics I have sitting on my shelf, I believe this is the only one I picked up because the movie adaptation is so famous. That makes it the perfect pick for this category.

I've got an ambitious lineup this year, but I feel good about it. I'm looking forward to making my way through these books and participating in this challenge for the sixth year in a row.

Then Versus Now Reading Challenge

I've been maintaining a list of my favorite novels here on my blog for the past several years. Every time I read a book that I really like, I add it to the list and link up the review. However, there are quite a few favorites on my list that I read way before I started blogging, and it has always bothered me that I don't have reviews posted for those books.

I decided that this year, I would start rereading some of those older favorites. To make it more interesting though, I'm going to pair each one with a new-to-me book by the same author and compare how I felt about their books back then versus how I feel about them now. I'm mixing works from all different time periods and genres in this challenge, so there will be a lot of variety in what I'm reading.

I'm curious to see if I still feel the same way about my old favorites after reading them again. It will also be interesting to see if I like any of the other books by these authors even more than my original favorites. I picked 13 sets of books to read and I plan to read around one match up per month. I will return here to link up my posts as I go.

The Match Ups:

1. Stephen Chbosky: The Perks of Being a Wallflower vs. Imaginary Friend
2. Erin Morgenstern: The Night Circus vs. The Starless Sea
3. Juliet Marillier: Daughter of the Forest vs. The Harp of Kings
4. Markus Zusak: The Book Thief vs. Bridge of Clay
5. Rainbow Rowell: Eleanor and Park vs. Carry On and Wayward Son
6. Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird vs. Go Set a Watchman
7. Frances Hodgson Burnett: The Secret Garden vs. Little Lord Fauntleroy
8. Jesse Andrews: Me and Earl and the Dying Girl vs. Munmun
9. John Steinbeck: Of Mice and Men vs. In Dubious Battle
10. Mary Shelley: Frankenstein vs. The Last Man
11. E. Lockhart: We Were Liars vs. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks
12. Lionel Shriver: We Need to Talk About Kevin vs. Big Brother
13. Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale vs. The Testaments

True Books 2020

As a reader, I don't discriminate much. I read from a variety of genres and enjoy most things that I try. When I'm choosing books off my shelf though, I definitely tend to gravitate towards fiction novels. I enjoy reading nonfiction, but I really have to make a conscious effort in order to actually read it. I did not make any special effort towards reading it in 2019, and the result was that I only picked up two nonfiction books all year.

I want to do better in 2020, so I'm bringing back my True Books Challenge! I tried this challenge in 2018, and ended up reading more nonfiction in a single year than ever before, even though I didn't quite finish all that I set out to do. This time, I'm changing my rules. Instead of trying to read all the nonfiction on my shelves, I'm going to pledge to read one nonfiction book each month.

Here is what I plan to read. I will come back to this post to link reviews as I complete them:

1. The Miracle and Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets by Sarah Miller Completed January 2020
2. Truevine by Beth Macy Completed July 2020
3. Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi - Completed September 2020
4. Prairie Fires by Caroline Fraser Completed April 2020
5. The Witches by Stacy Schiff - Completed October 2020
6. The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater Completed January 2020
7. I Will Always Write Back by Caitlin Alifirenka and Martin Ganda with Liz Welch Completed March 2020
8. Mama's Last Hug by Frans de Waal Completed August 2020
9. They Called Us Enemy by George Takei Completed February 2020
10. The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller - Completed June 2020
11. Blood, Bones, and Butter by Gabrielle Hamilton - Completed November 2020
12. Educated by Tara Westover Completed May 2020

Bonus Books:
13. Black Boy by Richard Wright Completed February 2020
14. Hey, Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka Completed February 2020

Reading Resolutions: 2020

Happy 2020 everyone! We are at the start of a new year, and that means I have a whole new set of reading plans to tackle.

My Goodreads goal will be the same as the previous few years. I aim to read at least 50 books in 2020.

I will also continue to participate in the Classics Club Challenge. Last year, I was successful in catching up with where I need to be in order to finish on time. This year, I must read at least 20 books from it to stay on track. I'm hoping I can read a bit more than that though, so I can get a head start for 2021, which will be my last year of the challenge.

I will be participating in the Back to the Classics Challenge again this year too. My sign up post with my TBR list is here.

In 2019, I read a grand total of two nonfiction novels. This is unacceptable, so I'm bringing back my True Books Challenge. In 2020, I plan to read one nonfiction book each month.

My final challenge for 2020 will be my Then vs. Now Challenge. Each month, I will reread one of my favorite novels and compare it to a different book by the same author.

I'm excited and ready for my reading plans! I spent a lot of time crafting something that I think I will really enjoy. My goals are centered around broadening the types of books I read and revisiting some old favorites. I hoping that this year will turn out even better than the last.