tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50107147664143817152024-03-13T11:32:09.586-07:00Rachel's Really Random ReviewsRacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.comBlogger253125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-55353975610316572322022-01-23T06:36:00.001-08:002022-01-23T06:36:10.220-08:00Reviewing the Classics #12 The Story of Doctor Dolittle<br />
<div style="background-color: #8ce9e6; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 1px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XtKoIXewedE/W1cjXqD3_YI/AAAAAAAACGo/6IvuLUdlR9oczEYBVLqv3k4LKV4FYg4EQCLcBGAs/s1600/The-Story-of-Doctor-Dolittle.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1035" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XtKoIXewedE/W1cjXqD3_YI/AAAAAAAACGo/6IvuLUdlR9oczEYBVLqv3k4LKV4FYg4EQCLcBGAs/s320/The-Story-of-Doctor-Dolittle.jpg" width="205" /></a><b><br />
</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Goodreads Summary:</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div style="font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">John Dolittle is a highly respected doctor in the village<br />
of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh, yet he loves animals so<br />
much that his house is soon full of them. With all his<br />
patients scared away, and the expense of feeding<br />
his menagerie mounting, a friend suggests that the<br />
Doctor become a vet instead.<br />
<br />
With the help of Polynesia the parrot, Doctor Dolittle<br />
swiftly learns the language of the animals so that he<br />
can talk to all of his new patients. However, when<br />
a message comes from Africa, telling of a terrible<br />
sickness among the monkeys there, the Doctor<br />
and his animal friends depart on a thrilling and<br />
dangerous adventure that they are never likely<br />
to forget.<br />
<br />
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</span> <span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;">I think everyone has heard of Doctor Dolittle. No matter if they read the books as a child, or simply watched one of the movie adaptations, I think it would be difficult to find someone in the Western world who hasn't heard of him. I vaguely remember reading some of the books when I was younger, but when I think of Doctor Dolittle, I think of the movie adaptation starring Eddie Murphy. This was one of my favourite movies as a child and I still love it to this day!<br />
<br />
The Story of Doctor Dolittle is the first book in the series, and shows us how the doctor first starts talking to animals, and his adventure in Africa to cure the monkeys of a sickness. Although the book is a short, quick read, it is pretty action-packed, and follows the doctor and his animals across oceans, through jungles and into foreign lands. It is a book that will definitely capture the attention and imagination of children even today.<br />
<br />
I love that we are introduced to a menagerie of different animals with their own personalities. These personalities are captured perfectly and are exactly what you would expect each animal to say if they could talk. I especially loved Gub Gub the pig, who was constantly complaining and thinking about food. I also loved the fictional Pushmi-Pullyu, a rare two-headed deer. Even though the animal is fictional, I felt that mentioning it was now extinct gave an important message about poaching. Sadly poachers have driven real life animals into extinction, so I felt that it gave children the important message that endangered species need to be protected not hunted, or they were inevitably meet the same fate as the Pushmi-Pullyu.<br />
<br />
Something that I have mixed opinions about is censoring books. There was a chapter in the book that felt a little too short and underdeveloped, and after doing a little research, I discovered this was because a large chunk of the chapter had been removed due to a scene where a black prince wanted the doctor to turn his skin white so that a girl would like him. My general opinion is that classics should be preserved as they are, as it gives us a more accurate insight into the time period they were written in. We need to understand that these racist themes are obviously not okay, but are a part of history that shouldn't be deleted, as I feel that we need to learn from the past not act like it never happened. However, as this edition is aimed at young children, I can understand why the publisher chose to censor this book. Children are more susceptible to things that they read, and this could be particularly harmful if a child were to read an uncensored book without a responsible adult to explain that what they were reading wasn't an acceptable way to talk. Something I did take issue with however was that any mention of race had been censored, even to the point where “white man” had been replaced with “foreign man” and the African men being described as black had been omitted. Black and white are not offensive words and are perfectly acceptable words to describe a person's race, so it made no sense to me why these words were omitted. Race is a topic that should be discussed not ignored, so I felt this was a bad decision on the publishers' behalf.<br />
<br />
The book itself is a fantastic children's classic that is easy to read. I was actually surprised that there wasn't too much archaic language, and the few words that children may not understand were conveniently explained in a glossary at the back of the book. Doctor Dolittle is definitely a classic that will enthrall children for years to come!</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="117" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/bXKXEShf.png" width="400" /></a></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-81803746684193089112022-01-14T06:53:00.000-08:002022-01-14T06:53:33.957-08:00Top 5 Books of 2021<p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">I really didn’t read as many books as I’d have liked to last year, and despite saying I wouldn’t, I still ended up paying more attention to review requests than books I wanted to read. I changed my way of thinking towards the end of the year, and to no one’s surprise most of the books in my top 5 are those I read at the end of the year. This year I definitely want to continue doing this! I don’t seem to get many emails from publishers or authors anymore which is probably due to how inactive my blog has been recently, but although I am sad about this, it’s given me the opportunity to stop worrying about reviews, and go back to why I started this blog in the first place. To read books I know I’m going to like and rant about how much I love them! You might find I’m not reviewing the most anticipated releases, but as there’s so many bloggers out there who do just that I’m sure it won’t matter too much! With that said here are the five books I read last year that I loved the most!</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><b><br />5: The Peculiar Tale of the Tentacle Boy</b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8M3FViFMqFVmNB64ULCvOW--QEo6Pbtb1PbELrtnNhAqBxhvRq1ioUeZ6p834c7B72pqN_YP9T0DsP1DdE2bKn4Fi6Bb6DzPwAg-36DO8AHPlDiVd81rhApCKKk2f6Qoe0xiHAZAWC8kmxk6sMvjoa9ruCeg6TcJ1kgNpY8Zm0E8Q4PeD5SEl_29a=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8M3FViFMqFVmNB64ULCvOW--QEo6Pbtb1PbELrtnNhAqBxhvRq1ioUeZ6p834c7B72pqN_YP9T0DsP1DdE2bKn4Fi6Bb6DzPwAg-36DO8AHPlDiVd81rhApCKKk2f6Qoe0xiHAZAWC8kmxk6sMvjoa9ruCeg6TcJ1kgNpY8Zm0E8Q4PeD5SEl_29a=s320" width="208" /></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"> One of the things I did manage to do last year was read more Middle Grade, and this one really stood out for me! It follows Marina, a girl from a lazy British seaside town where nothing really happens. After seeing a light on in the abandoned hut at the end of the pier, Marina decides it’s about time she had an adventure! She soon discovers William, a boy around her age with claws for hands, and tentacles coming out of his head. I loved how the story revolved around love, family and acceptance, and how despite being different to everyone else in the village, William found a kind family who accepted him. I loved how it showed children the importance of accepting people who are different from them, and to always be kind to their peers.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 16px;"> 4: The Nightsilver Promise</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpNe2n7dEqsHBQjUl1rVsw6ZVjOf1bebpo9iv4oSwq6rVgKlMJdT1yLPTRbM8khk9vS99Dx7dZ2foiDmLzuzzgDBPhtS-OzhCWLRTTUmW9ImC3GtWXduIAANqufKSqZ-Ogm5F7Y0BbnEjFFxn7MDkUZKEU2C6mYGfJ_AjxOX289yc2uh2U9SqCy06I=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhpNe2n7dEqsHBQjUl1rVsw6ZVjOf1bebpo9iv4oSwq6rVgKlMJdT1yLPTRbM8khk9vS99Dx7dZ2foiDmLzuzzgDBPhtS-OzhCWLRTTUmW9ImC3GtWXduIAANqufKSqZ-Ogm5F7Y0BbnEjFFxn7MDkUZKEU2C6mYGfJ_AjxOX289yc2uh2U9SqCy06I=s320" width="214" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;">This was a fantastic debut novel by author Annaliese Avery. It follows Paisley, a young girl who realises her track is leading her towards death. This book was action packed, and I loved every second of it! I loved the message about how we can choose our own fates, and that life isn’t a path that is set out for us. The sequel is coming out sometime this Spring so I’m super excited to read it!</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><br /></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><b>3: Heartstopper</b></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb9AT0EqyqnpaU6VCWK9cwdGCOXz_bt5wFjAU6b-PC29TOawmZYxEFkq_n1P2W-bw3aUzh6nTjA5Xh1oQw03iFB-MMZBLNEwNyJSXxN4GRV-L2nGqnWonDYLsC1KQCZstiuK5OXa_71UMIWU8WE6yqZTfG7O6248wb71wL2BP4qMw3tGAhJcnAT7uM=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgb9AT0EqyqnpaU6VCWK9cwdGCOXz_bt5wFjAU6b-PC29TOawmZYxEFkq_n1P2W-bw3aUzh6nTjA5Xh1oQw03iFB-MMZBLNEwNyJSXxN4GRV-L2nGqnWonDYLsC1KQCZstiuK5OXa_71UMIWU8WE6yqZTfG7O6248wb71wL2BP4qMw3tGAhJcnAT7uM=s320" width="212" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;">I AM OBSESSED WITH THIS BOOK! I’m a little late to the Nick and Charlie party, but I read the first Heartstopper graphic novel last summer and loved it! When I read Solitaire a few years ago I was intrigued by these side characters, so I love that they have their own story to tell. I’m super excited to read the rest of the series, and of course I’m looking forward to the show coming out. If you want a cute romance and a cute dog then I definitely recommend Heartstopper!</span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;">2: Six of Crows</b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZJlx7LHkH_Oar_fFrT6xLfsYe4FK4mHzw41TnhtdMtmHRQS-qIVxo8dYR_VwznKncNijizU2uLkC5I9ySpX40nJy2vOvSzsjvLY3FD5fvMcT6f0GCj-wUHddBizXS-UagP-xuBtDdEyFMHU_RC2AhzrpW7JxyoRjLJjvm5f-7RWUdVqDWjfcj5-yT=s473" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="473" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiZJlx7LHkH_Oar_fFrT6xLfsYe4FK4mHzw41TnhtdMtmHRQS-qIVxo8dYR_VwznKncNijizU2uLkC5I9ySpX40nJy2vOvSzsjvLY3FD5fvMcT6f0GCj-wUHddBizXS-UagP-xuBtDdEyFMHU_RC2AhzrpW7JxyoRjLJjvm5f-7RWUdVqDWjfcj5-yT=s320" width="215" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;">After having this book on my shelf for literal YEARS, I finally read it last year. This book was super hyped up, and as I didn’t really enjoy the Shadow and Bone series I was reluctant to read Six of Crows. However I ended up loving it, and I absolutely adored all the characters, particularly Jesper and Wylan. I also watched the Netflix adaptation of Shadow and Bone, and honestly I think they got the casting spot on. ALSO I LIKED MAL???? In the books I found Mal super annoying but show Mal is actually a pretty chill dude. I was more interested in the Crows than the main story, but I will say Ben Barnes as The Darkling IS PERFECT! I’m super excited for season 2, especially since Wylan has been cast and the actor is honestly super adorable and seems perfect for Wylan. I’m also looking forward to reading Crooked Kingdom and King of Scars!</span></span></span><div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">1: Wayward Son</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEppYOLevfVCIXNgpwHgILXjgsO-Yn_4r9OAbobEZmbQcSO2s7gngU8kC_sRGksiW6UtqY2Ejd_gGklWbPfV7W4MPQx34FNL6shgtmMSgl8Ckhj8kACyPsWG7eKGGUSMvf8ZDcj71lv_xWbq7pV9J9CHNiU-KvNy5esjBnfQ7xcXLB4F-HJD-3BowN=s475" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiEppYOLevfVCIXNgpwHgILXjgsO-Yn_4r9OAbobEZmbQcSO2s7gngU8kC_sRGksiW6UtqY2Ejd_gGklWbPfV7W4MPQx34FNL6shgtmMSgl8Ckhj8kACyPsWG7eKGGUSMvf8ZDcj71lv_xWbq7pV9J9CHNiU-KvNy5esjBnfQ7xcXLB4F-HJD-3BowN=s320" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> </span></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;">1- So this comes as no surprise but my #1 is Wayward Son, the sequel to Carry On, which I’m sure I’ve mentioned 100 times before is one of my all time favourite books. Although it wasn’t quite as good as Carry On I absolutely loved it, and I was so happy to have Simon and Baz back. Honestly I should have read this one a little earlier in the year, as travelling across America in a convertible really seemed like the perfect summer read. Any Way the Wind Blows would have also made it onto the list, but as I didn’t quite finish it before the year was out I’m just going to save that one for my 2022 list.</span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> So these were the books I loved the most in 2021! Sadly this list was pretty easy to make, as I think I only rated about three books 5 stars the whole year. I’m going to make sure my wrap up for this year will be a lot harder by reading some amazing books! Let me know if you read any of the books on this list and what you thought about them, and feel free to give me recommendations on what I should read this year.</span></span></span><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></b></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-91412359753406379352021-11-29T11:48:00.000-08:002021-11-29T11:48:37.577-08:00Review on Can You Keep a Secret?<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1dnS74W2U8/YPxQ_KtULqI/AAAAAAAAMu4/67z4Gvve2E8j8345LkjjDOFjBK34nCTwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/61g57ibMmaL._SX466_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="468" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E1dnS74W2U8/YPxQ_KtULqI/AAAAAAAAMu4/67z4Gvve2E8j8345LkjjDOFjBK34nCTwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/61g57ibMmaL._SX466_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The dragons in Winnie’s village became extinct long ago… or did they? After being swept up by a gust of wind, Winnie finds herself on the back of a real life dragon! The dragon reveals it is the last of it’s kind, but will Winnie be able to keep such a huge secret?</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I was sent this gorgeous picture book from Scholastic and as I’m in a bit of a reading slump I thought I would put my usual YA books aside and read it. I immediately fell in love with the art style, as I adore illustrations where you can tell they’ve been hand-drawn. Although digital art can obviously be amazing, I just love the idea of traditionally drawn art. The art style is gorgeous and unique, and I spent a good amount of time looking at the details on every page.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The story follows a young girl called Winnie who grows up believing that her ancestors killed all the dragons. However, she soon finds out that isn’t true when a big gust of wind blows her away, causing her to land on the back of a dragon. Winnie soon learns that the dragon along with it’s friends the gryphon, the winged lion and the tree man are the last of their kind, and must stay hidden in order to avoid being killed by the humans. I loved how Winnie immediately sympathised with the creatures despite knowing how her parents felt about them. It’s important to teach children to listen to and understand those who are different from them, so I loved how this important message was shown.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved that Winnie was shown to be from a multiracial family, something that I rarely see in children’s books, and YA for that matter. It’s important for children to be able to relate to the characters they read about, so I think it would be perfect for a child with a similar family to Winnie to come across this book. I absolutely love how we’re starting to see more diversity in picture books!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> This was a simple and gorgeous picture book with a clear message of acceptance and love, and how it’s important to overcome any prejudices we may have learned from our parents. I think it’s a brilliant starting point to teach young children about these important topics and gives parents a good starting point to teach them about love and acceptance</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAy-aE72HD8/WotC4FnzIMI/AAAAAAAAB-8/EqHW_7PScrwM0AI1_8LfGOLCaHtTo33vQCPcBGAYYCw/s670/7Qk8f56U.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAy-aE72HD8/WotC4FnzIMI/AAAAAAAAB-8/EqHW_7PScrwM0AI1_8LfGOLCaHtTo33vQCPcBGAYYCw/s670/7Qk8f56U.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAy-aE72HD8/WotC4FnzIMI/AAAAAAAAB-8/EqHW_7PScrwM0AI1_8LfGOLCaHtTo33vQCPcBGAYYCw/s670/7Qk8f56U.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s863/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="118" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h118/bXKXEShf.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /> </div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-20996625814619461062021-11-15T11:58:00.001-08:002021-11-15T11:58:45.347-08:00Review on The Forest of Ghosts and Bones<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nCTAidYyroc/YPtYm0zXicI/AAAAAAAAMuY/CHrsjzBCatAlP_7r8IdMV-Y6ShkK55_vwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/forest%2Bof%2Bghosts.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nCTAidYyroc/YPtYm0zXicI/AAAAAAAAMuY/CHrsjzBCatAlP_7r8IdMV-Y6ShkK55_vwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/forest%2Bof%2Bghosts.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">The deadly rains have been falling around the castle ever since Beata can remember. The King and Queen were slaughtered when Beata was born, and ever since, anyone who tries to enter the castle is consumed by the rains. However, Beata has a secret she’s never told anyone. When she was young, she entered the rains and survived. With the help of Benedk, a boy who somehow has inside knowledge of the castle, Beata decides she will enter the castle and put a stop to the rains once and for all. However, things won’t be easy, as Liljana, a mage who has had to flee her country is on Beata’s trail after being promised a new life where she will be safe. Beata must discover who she really is while saving her hometown from the darkness threatening to consume it.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was immediately intrigued when I saw what this book was about! I took part in the blog tour where I interviewed Lisa (you can find that post <a href="http://www.rachelsreallyrandomreviews.co.uk/2020/10/blog-tour-forest-of-ghosts-and-bones.html">HERE</a>) but today I want to talk about my thoughts on the book.
I found out from briefly looking at other reviews that the book is inspired by Hungarian mythology which sounded super interesting! I know barely anything about Hungarian mythology but I did no a little research and was excited to find out how the book would use it.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The story has an almost fairytale feeling to it, with Kings and Queens, cursed castles, an evil mage and a magical land beyond a door. I’ve always been a big fan of fairytales, so I loved being transported to a different world full of magic! The book is however much darker than most fairytales, as there’s some pretty gruesome murders and death scenes. The main villain Moros was pretty terrifying and would stop at nothing to achieve what he wanted, and h was pretty dark and twisted, much worse than your average fairytale villain!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The characters were interesting, and I particularly loved Liljana, a mage who is on the run from the town she has lived in for years after the King starts to round up mages to slaughter them. After losing her best friend, Liljana becomes somewhat of an anti hero, as although we are rooting for her, she also does some terrible things and isn’t the typical hero who tries to save everyone. Liljana tries to preserve her own life at the expense of others, and even agrees to hunt down Beata to get what she wants. I adored her character development, as she starts out not caring about anyone but herself, but goes on to befriend Beata and Benedek and risks her own life to save the other mages. I was a little disappointed that her end goal never changed, as it almost felt like all her character development was for nothing. I always hate when the end of a character's journey has the same outcome it would have had had they not gone through everything, so I was disappointed that despite having changed so much, she still went through with her original plan. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Although Liljana was my favourite character, I also loved Benedek, a boy who Beata befriends after finding out he knows her secret. Although he isn’t a mage, Benedek has knowledge of the castle layout to him harbouring the King’s soul. I really wish Benedek had his own chapters to narrate, as I really wanted to know more about how that made him feel. Despite having no magic, he is still swept up in a world of mages, and I felt it would be interesting to hear some things from his point of view. I felt like this was a bit of a missed opportunity as his character had such potential, but he was often pushed to the side in favour of following Beata, who I honestly found to be the least interesting character in the book. He felt a bit like a sidekick to Beata rather than a friend or a love interest, and as he was carrying many of the same burdens as Beata, I was disappointed we didn’t hear more about his struggles. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The story lagged in places, but I found the story of how Moros came to overtake the castle really interesting! Moros was probably the character with the most interesting backstory, and I love how we slowly got to learn more about him throughout the book. For some reason he reminded me of Ansem from Kingdom Hearts, especially since he was trying to get through a door into another world and used dark creatures to do his bidding. I especially loved the final battle with him, and the terrifying Sarkul, a giant creature who easily devoured souls. It felt like an action scene and made it impossible to put the book down! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I feel like the book may be a stand alone, but I would definitely read more about this world. As both Beata and Liljana never really learn how to master their powers, I would love to see what they are truly capable of. I’m also really curious about Muranji, the world where Moros was from, and where mages are able to live in peace. None of the characters ever get to visit this world until the very end of the book, so as a reader we never get to experience it. I would love something like a spin off following Liljana as she navigates the new world. Although it wasn’t perfect, I enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to seeing what Lisa comes up with next!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="117" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/bXKXEShf.png" width="400" /></a></div><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></p></span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-67234024294396266892021-10-12T07:07:00.003-07:002021-10-12T07:07:30.940-07:00Review on The Peculiar Tale of the Tentacle Boy<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AWc_KrKZZ7I/YWWTwNvEKSI/AAAAAAAAMxQ/gq4BLSBNBwY-FKfRpv7RMTG6Ix9yK5UIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/tentacle.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AWc_KrKZZ7I/YWWTwNvEKSI/AAAAAAAAMxQ/gq4BLSBNBwY-FKfRpv7RMTG6Ix9yK5UIQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/tentacle.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Marina Minnow loves to tell stories. The only problem is her friends never believe her, even when the stories are true! Living in a small seaside town means Marina rarely has adventures of her own, that is until she explores the old abandoned pier and finds William, a boy who has tentacles for hair and crab claws for hands! When Marina tells her new friends about William, they think he is just another one of her stories, but that all changes when William washes up on the beach. Marina must do her best to help William find the fisherman who looked after him before mysteriously disappearing and help him fit in. However, not everyone is ready to welcome him with open arms, and his very life could end up in jeopardy if he stays.</span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><elliot and="" are="" around="" be="" br="" chaos="" decision="" demons="" elliot="" exchange="" find.="" for="" god="" guide="" handing="" has="" him="" his="" in="" inevitable="" is="" make="" meanwhile="" more="" mothers="" of="" olympians="" on="" one="" only="" or="" outnumbered.="" over="" plans="" preparing="" problem="" right="" ruling="" s="" severely="" soul.="" stone="" straight="" succeed="" thanatos="" that="" the="" them="" they="" to="" war="" where="" will="" with="" without="" world=""><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I was originally meant to be on the blog tour for this book, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to take part due to a family emergency. However, even though this is super late, I still wanted to review this book as I adored it! The book follows Marina, a young girl who loves to tell stories. Growing up in a small fishing village, there really isn’t much for Marina to do, but when she meets William everything changes. I adored Richard’s writing style, as even when nothing much was happening in the book, the writing still managed to make it interesting.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved the way each character had a completely unique personality, as these little quirks made each and every character interesting, and made me want to know more about them even if they were just a side character. I loved how these personalities and traits made us aware of which characters were good and which were bad. For example, Harold was made unlikable from the start, as he smelled horribly of fish due to constantly putting fish oil in his hair that attracted seagulls to him. The seagulls constantly pecking at his scalp was a funny addition that I think children would enjoy reading. It’s important to make both the plot and characters interesting in middle-grade books, and I think Richard achieved that perfectly.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved how the book was equally character and plot-driven, as we’re interested in William’s character, but also in the adventure Marina and William go on in an attempt to uncover the truth. I loved how it was a bit of a whodunnit, as the main plot focused on finding out who abandoned William as a baby, along with finding out the identity of the fisherman who saved William and took care of him. I actually figured out who the fisherman was quite early on in the book, but I was surprised at the revelation of who had abandoned William in the first place.</span></span><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> I loved how the book went back in time to explain the events leading up to William’s abandonment, as it gave us a good idea of the villains' motives. I won’t give away who it is, but they were such a great villain, and I absolutely despised them! I loved the stand-off between the villain and the children towards the end of the book, as it was super suspenseful and I just couldn’t put the book down until it had been resolved!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> I have to talk about the setting of the book, as I absolutely loved that it was set in a little seaside town in England. I adore visiting the coast, but as I live about an hour away from the closest beach I, unfortunately, don’t get to visit as much as I’d like. Merlington seemed like such a cute and cozy place to live and it honestly made me consider packing up and moving to work on the coast as a fishmonger. Even though seaside towns can seem a little sleepy especially once summer is over, it was hilarious how over-exaggerated this was, especially with literally every adult being either a fishmonger, a fisher, or a teacher who seemed to not teach the children about anything other than fish. It’s assumed all the children will stay in the town when they grow up and follow in the footsteps of their parents, so I loved how Marina’s plans were to defy this and do something else. As Marina loves telling stories it’s implied that she would rather be an author, so I loved how her plans went against what was expected of her. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> The plot involving William actually reminded me of Edward Scissorhands, as he was locked away for looking different and was shunned by society when he tried to interact and fit in with others. I loved the message that it’s ok to be different and that if someone doesn’t accept you for who you are that’s their problem, not yours. I loved that William had a family to support him and look after him, and how they treated him with kindness and respect despite not fully understanding what he was or where he had come from. Marina’s friendship with William was adorable, and I loved how he accepted her stories rather than doing nothing but accuse her of making them up. </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"> I overall loved this book, and thought it gave a positive message that it’s ok to be different. I wouldn’t recommend it for particularly young children as there is some violence towards William that younger children could find upsetting, but I think it would be perfect for any child who is confident reading at this level without assistance. I recommend this book to children and adults alike, and I would love to read more of Richard’s books in the future!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s863/bXKXEShf.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="95" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/bXKXEShf.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEMXWD9HGoQ/WotC4Se5L6I/AAAAAAAAB_A/_5B5CwLIfjouX9pkF9hjWfueeOD2F_PiwCPcBGAYYCw/s1069/Zq_TkrkS.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><br /></span></span></div></elliot></span></span><elliot and="" are="" around="" be="" br="" chaos="" decision="" demons="" elliot="" exchange="" find.="" for="" god="" guide="" handing="" has="" him="" his="" in="" inevitable="" is="" make="" meanwhile="" more="" mothers="" of="" olympians="" on="" one="" only="" or="" outnumbered.="" over="" plans="" preparing="" problem="" right="" ruling="" s="" severely="" soul.="" stone="" straight="" succeed="" thanatos="" that="" the="" them="" they="" to="" war="" where="" will="" with="" without="" world=""><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div></elliot></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-10898951398172755312021-08-28T10:55:00.000-07:002021-08-28T10:55:53.283-07:00Review on Against All God's <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gUoDlh4x12U/X7bYRBpiXmI/AAAAAAAAI9w/qeIlox38o9M9DMDLRSYXKP3MKokGJO8CwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/against%2Ball%2Bgods.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gUoDlh4x12U/X7bYRBpiXmI/AAAAAAAAI9w/qeIlox38o9M9DMDLRSYXKP3MKokGJO8CwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/against%2Ball%2Bgods.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Elliot only has one more chaos stone to find. The problem is that without the Olympians around to guide him, Elliot plans on handing them straight over to Thanatos in exchange for his mothers soul. Meanwhile, the God’s are preparing for the inevitable war with Thanatos and his demons, where they will be severely outnumbered. Will Elliot make the right decision, or will Thanatos succeed in his plans of ruling the world?</span></span><elliot and="" are="" around="" be="" br="" chaos="" decision="" demons="" elliot="" exchange="" find.="" for="" god="" guide="" handing="" has="" him="" his="" in="" inevitable="" is="" make="" meanwhile="" more="" mothers="" of="" olympians="" on="" one="" only="" or="" outnumbered.="" over="" plans="" preparing="" problem="" right="" ruling="" s="" severely="" soul.="" stone="" straight="" succeed="" thanatos="" that="" the="" them="" they="" to="" war="" where="" will="" with="" without="" world=""><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS THE LAST BOOK! I’ve loved this series and I’m honestly going to miss Elliot, Virgo and all the crazy Olympians. Elliot’s journey finally comes to an end after collecting all four Chaos Stones and handing them over to Thanatos in exchange for his mum’s soul. However, Elliot soon realises he has made a huge mistake, and after reuniting with the Olympians, decides he must take Thanatos down once and for all. I loved how action packed this book was, and how it took us through practically every emotion you could think of. There was plenty of humour of course, but there was also suspense, relief, sadness, forgiveness and so much more. This book made me laugh, cry and throw the book across the room (metaphorically of course I don’t actually hurt books!)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I have no idea where to start talking about this book so first I’m going to focus on the characters.Elliot goes through a lot in this book, and after losing his mum his plan it to take Thanatos up on his offer. Elliot practically goes through the stages of grief, but finally comes to accept that bringing his mum back would only cause her more suffering. As Elliot has been pretty selfish in the past, I loved that he put his mum first despite it causing him pain. I thought the series perfectly showed Elliot’s grief, and how he was eventually able to see a light at the end of the tunnel.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> One thing I was extremely happy about was we got Hermes back! The last book left a big Hermes shaped hole, so I was so happy we had him back to his old antics. Honestly I almost cried when Elliot was reunited with Hermes and Virgo. He was in such a vulnerable position and having his two best friends come to rescue him just when he needed them was heartwarming. I adore how important the friendships in this series are, and how despite pretending they don’t care about each other, Elliot and Virgo are constantly trying to save each other.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved that we finally got to meet Elliot’s dad! SPOILER ALERT! The man who we believe to be Elliot’s dad in book three turns out to be Nyx in disguise, so in this book we have to drop all of our anger and hatred towards Elliot’s dad and give him a clean slate, and it turns out he’s actually a pretty nice guy! Dave Hooper spends the majority of the book searching for Elliot, who unbeknownst to him is busy trying to save the world. Dave Hooper is nothing like what we believed him to be, and I loved that he was able to get a second chance after coming out of jail. We seem to be living in a world of cancel culture, where people aren’t given the chance to learn from their mistakes and become a better person from them. I think that if someone is willing to admit what they did was wrong and work hard to redeem themselves, they should be given a second chance… I mean maybe not if they murdered someone but you get the idea! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ve mentioned this series perfectly combining fantasy and reality before, but something I loved was how it was difficult to tell if the main villain was Thanatos or Mrs Porshley Plum. They both posed a huge threat to Elliot’s wellbeing in two very different ways, and although Thanatos was the bigger threat on a wider scale, I think I actually hated Porshley Plum more.Honestly she reminded me of Umbridge, and I think we can all agree that we hated Umbridge more than we hated Voldemort! She was completely selfish and self absorbed, and used others for her own gain. Even though I wasn’t the biggest fan of Mr Boil, he at least realised what a horrible person Patricia was, and did the right thing by helping Elliot regain his house. Even though Mr Boil had treated Elliot horribly in the past, Elliot helps him to keep his job at the school. I loved how kindhearted Elliot was, and how a big part of this book was about forgiveness and becoming a better person. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I overall loved this series and although I’m sad it’s over, I think it ended perfectly and gave us an insight of what Elliot’s future would be like. Although Elliot sadly lost his mother, he gained some great friends. I loved how the God’s were practically like an extended family, and even though the God’s were leaving, it was heavily implied that they would regularly visit Elliot. I loved that Elliot finally had the chance to be a normal kid after having years of his childhood taken from him. I highly recommend this series for anyone looking for a distraction from the current crisis, as it really does take you on a journey. I hope anyone who decides to read this series ends up loving it as much as I did!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEMXWD9HGoQ/WotC4Se5L6I/AAAAAAAAB_A/_5B5CwLIfjouX9pkF9hjWfueeOD2F_PiwCPcBGAYYCw/s1069/Zq_TkrkS.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="1069" height="94" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEMXWD9HGoQ/WotC4Se5L6I/AAAAAAAAB_A/_5B5CwLIfjouX9pkF9hjWfueeOD2F_PiwCPcBGAYYCw/w400-h94/Zq_TkrkS.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEMXWD9HGoQ/WotC4Se5L6I/AAAAAAAAB_A/_5B5CwLIfjouX9pkF9hjWfueeOD2F_PiwCPcBGAYYCw/s1069/Zq_TkrkS.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><br /></span></span></div></elliot>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-6854563465122670642021-07-24T10:07:00.001-07:002021-07-24T10:10:21.751-07:00Review on Stella<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6ZWeq_wIcg/YPtakhs6tPI/AAAAAAAAMug/8MSjXjoMLx4spHBiEFT1fCpIp9kUlb1LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/stella.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="297" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p6ZWeq_wIcg/YPtakhs6tPI/AAAAAAAAMug/8MSjXjoMLx4spHBiEFT1fCpIp9kUlb1LgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/stella.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Stella Callahan has always been fascinated with astronomy. Growing up in the small town of Torrance, she has always been able to gaze at the stars. However, on the night a comet flew over her town, Stella’s mother mysteriously goes missing. Years later, the same thing happens to Stella’s dad during a meteor shower, where she witnesses him being engulfed in light before disappearing. Stella’s love for astronomy soon turns into a fear of even being out at night, but after moving away for college, Stella is drawn back to her home town where she discovers the terrifying truth.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I’ll admit I’ve been ignoring quite a few review requests lately, but when I read Josh’s request his book immediately piqued my interest! I’ve loved astronomy since I was young, so I always love anything to do with stars and planets. Stella is a novella set in a small town in Indiana, where Stella lives in a farmhouse with her dad and her dog. However, Stella’s life is drastically changed when she witnesses her dad disappear in a ball of light during a meteor shower.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I will admit the book wasn’t what I was expecting, as I thought it would involve aliens, different planets, and Stella discovering her parents had been teleported somewhere by an alien lifeform. I was pretty disappointed that this wasn’t the case, and Stella stayed in her hometown for the majority of the book, with a chapter set in a city where she attended college. Honestly, it’s my fault for going in with certain expectations, but I couldn’t help be disappointed it wasn’t the great Sci-Fi adventure I’d been expecting.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> After overcoming the initial disappointment that this book wasn’t going where I had expected it to go, I did start to enjoy it for what it was, and it made me wonder if not aliens, then what had taken Stella’s father? The big reveal only comes in the final few pages of the book, and despite there being foreshadowing near the start of the book, it managed to slip past me completely as I wasn’t expecting it at all! I loved the plot twist and even though it wasn’t aliens, I loved that it was still something out of the ordinary. However I felt as if I ended up with more questions than answers, and I really wanted to know more about Stella’s neighbors, and what Stella decided to do with her life. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The characters felt a little two-dimensional, but at less than 100 pages, it’s understandable that the characters were never fully developed. I didn’t care for the characters or find them interesting, but the story was mostly plot-driven, and was interesting enough for me to not mind too much. I loved seeing how Stella coped with the loss of her father and the interesting side effects of her becoming terrified of the stars and being outside at night. It was interesting to find out that Astrophobia is actually a real thing that people can suffer from, usually as a response to watching too many Sci-Fi movies. As a meteor could potentially wipe out all life it’s actually not that strange of a fear! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Even though the book wasn’t what I was expecting, I did enjoy it, and only wish it had been a little longer! I'm a little torn on how to rate this one as it wasn't quite 4 stars, so I'd probably actually give it a 3.5. I felt it had the potential to delve a little deeper and even be made into a full-length novel, as a few things seemed a little too rushed. I loved Josh’s writing style and brilliant plot twists, and I would love to read more from him in the future!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAy-aE72HD8/WotC4FnzIMI/AAAAAAAAB-8/EqHW_7PScrwM0AI1_8LfGOLCaHtTo33vQCPcBGAYYCw/s670/7Qk8f56U.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="670" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zAy-aE72HD8/WotC4FnzIMI/AAAAAAAAB-8/EqHW_7PScrwM0AI1_8LfGOLCaHtTo33vQCPcBGAYYCw/s320/7Qk8f56U.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-77484027009421787252021-07-10T13:03:00.001-07:002021-07-10T13:03:18.364-07:00Review on Hani and Ishu's Guide to Fake Dating<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdlyNx5f0Bs/YOn84xKj0XI/AAAAAAAAMtU/qhBXbwm-Ax04aW4oYaYoasrYWS_1sAnBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/hani%2Bcover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdlyNx5f0Bs/YOn84xKj0XI/AAAAAAAAMtU/qhBXbwm-Ax04aW4oYaYoasrYWS_1sAnBgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hani%2Bcover.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hani Khan is one of the most popular girls in school. She’s friendly to everyone and has two best friends she’s known since she was an infant. However, when Hani comes out as bisexual, her friends don’t believe her. To try to prove herself, she pretends she is dating Ishu, a girl who seems to have time for nothing but studying. Ishu’s main goal is to become head girl, but without Hani’s popularity, that will be impossible. Hani and Ishu decide to pretend to be dating each other until they both achieve their goals, but as they become closer and start to understand each other, the fake dating starts to feel a little too real.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I absolutely adored the idea behind this book! Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes, and the fact this book is sapphic made me even more excited to read it! I will admit this is a trope I’ve seen countless times, but most of the time it’s between a straight couple so I loved how having two girls fake dating gave this overused trope a new lease of life. I thought this part of the book was adorable, and I loved seeing how the two girls navigated their feelings for each other and went through all the ups and downs of their first relationship. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved the soft cute parts of this book, but along with that, the girls faced some real issues such as homophobia, Islamophobia, and racism. The majority of this came from Hani’s best friends, Aisling and Dee. Rather than full-on attacks, the girls were constantly throwing microaggressions at Hani while gaslighting her into thinking she should just accept it. Even though I was rooting for Hani to drop her horrible friends, I also found myself relating to her. When I was around Hani’s age I had friends similar to this who would throw homophobic and racist remarks around, but as I’d been friends with them for so long and had no other friends, I would usually not speak up. It’s often difficult to speak up when you’re young, and no one wants to believe that the friends they grew up with are actually horrible people, so although I was frustrated that Hani dealt with them and changed things about herself to please them, I also saw how difficult it was for her to stand up for herself. I loved that she was eventually able to find the confidence to stand up for herself and Ishu, as standing up to toxic friends can take even more courage than standing up to bullies. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Hani and Ishu’s relationship with each other was the complete opposite of this. Although both girls are Bengali, that’s where their similarities stopped. The girls had vastly different personalities, with Hani being popular but quiet and docile, and Ishu being studious, unpopular, and unafraid to speak her mind. Hani is also Muslim while Ishu isn’t. I loved how accepting the girls were of each other, and how Ishu knew her boundaries when it came to Hani’s faith and didn’t try to force her way into Muslim spaces the way Hani’s friends forced themselves into Bengali spaces. I think it’s important to know the boundaries of your friends who may have a different culture, religion or sexuality to you, and only enter these spaces if they invite you. Whereas Hani’s friends made her feel like she had to change who she was to fit in with them, Ishu allowed her to express who she really was.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved how Ishu taught Hani what it was really like to have a friend who cared for her. For most of her life, Hani didn’t realise how horribly her friends were treating her, which often happens when you’ve never known any different. I think we’ve all dealt with toxic friends at some point, and it’s not until you meet a friend who actually cares about you that you’re able to see this toxic behaviour. It’s a process to be able to drop friends who are treating you badly and takes a lot of courage, but in the end, you have to do what’s best for you and get rid of the people in your life who are making you feel bad, or who won’t accept you for who you are.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> There was a good mixture of important topics and cute romance, and I think the romance helped to break it up a little. This book was literally full of my favourite tropes, from fake dating, friends to lovers, slow burn romance, and even the one bed trope! Honestly I can never hate a book that includes the one bed trope. The relationship between the girls progressed naturally, and I loved how it took time for them to warm up to each other. Any kind of relationship takes time to form, which is honestly why I hate instalove so much, so I loved how although it wasn’t quite my favourite trope of enemies to lovers, there was still a lot of development. I loved that the girls having clashing personalities ended up being beneficial to them both, as Ishu’s no-nonsense attitude eventually helped Hani to stand up to her friends, while Hani’s caring personality helped Ishu to see things from her sisters point of view, and realise she was in fact not trying to sabotage her. I loved how they were able to help each other with their problems and accept their differences. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I just want to quickly talk about a subplot I loved, which was Ishu’s relationship with Nik, her older sister. Ishu goes through some family drama when Nik disappoints their parents by announcing she is dropping out of med school to get married. Ishu’s parents are strict and want Ishu to follow in her sisters footsteps, which ends up being the whole cause for Ishu wanting to be head girl. Although Ishu initially agrees with her parents, she comes to see that Nik is unhappy and only went to med school because it was what their parents wanted. It’s only natural to want to please your parents, but at the end of the day it’s your life not theirs, and the most important thing to do is what makes you happy. I loved that with the help of Nik, Ishu realised this and set herself on her own path rather than the one her parents had laid out for her.
I was a little disappointed that Nik wasn’t able to solve things with her parents, but at the same time, it showed us that life doesn’t always go to plan, and it’s pretty unlikely that we’ll always be able to fix every problem in our lives. Not everyone is going to accept your life choices, and if what you decide is what makes you happy, then that’s what should be focused on rather than people’s opinions. Nik’s parents really didn’t seem like bad people and seemed to be on the fence about Nik’s decisions, so it would be nice if they eventually did come around, but even if they never did, Nik still has her sister on her side.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> This book wasn’t exactly the cute feel-good story I was expecting it to be, but I did enjoy it and felt it dealt with all the themes it covered well. I wouldn’t recommend it if all you’re looking for is a sweet sapphic romance, as there are some pretty important themes that could potentially be upsetting. Something I absolutely loved was that it gave content warnings on the front page, so you knew what you were getting into. I know content warnings seem to be a bit of a divided topic in the book community, but I personally feel like people not getting triggered is far more important than these warnings being potential “spoilers”. As long as you feel like you can handle the topics I’ve mentioned then I definitely recommend this book!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="117" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/bXKXEShf.png" width="400" /></a></div><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></p></span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-75616790685017671082021-06-01T12:13:00.001-07:002021-06-01T12:13:56.782-07:00Pride Month TBR
<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8ywtWuuMNI/YLaGYbXKD6I/AAAAAAAAMk0/lu7KalX9fvkwX3LXJKjDl4vLuyYgPP1vgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2555/IMG_20210601_200446_edit_11142302972257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1231" data-original-width="2555" height="247" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-D8ywtWuuMNI/YLaGYbXKD6I/AAAAAAAAMk0/lu7KalX9fvkwX3LXJKjDl4vLuyYgPP1vgCLcBGAsYHQ/w512-h247/IMG_20210601_200446_edit_11142302972257.jpg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE!!</b> For this month, I have decided to only read and blog about LGBTQ+ books. Even though I love reading LGBTQ+ books, I tend to not read as many as I would like to, so this month I’m going to try to get through as many as possible! I’m probably going to add to my TBR if I can read quickly enough, but for now, I thought I’d share four books that I’m definitely planning on reading and reviewing this month.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Heartstopper </b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOv9X4uPaqQ/YLaCV6ji64I/AAAAAAAAMkU/bOR7FDxV1y8VPa6Nxj-ezXUuvUoC93zTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/heartstopper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KOv9X4uPaqQ/YLaCV6ji64I/AAAAAAAAMkU/bOR7FDxV1y8VPa6Nxj-ezXUuvUoC93zTwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/heartstopper.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
So I keep collecting these graphic novels but am yet to start them! I think everyone already knows about these books as they’re pretty popular and are soon to be turned into a series, but in case you don’t, they follow Nick and Charlie, two boys who we first meet in Alice’s novel Solitaire. Although they weren’t main characters in Solitaire, I still loved reading about them so I’m looking forward to finding out more about them, and seeing what happened to them before Solitaire. These graphic novels seem so sweet and I actually haven’t read a graphic novel in a while, so I’m looking forward to finally getting round to reading it! I do own up to volume 3 of these books, so I might possibly read more than just the first volume this month.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> Loveless</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgGlOWI92Tc/YLaCpaCr7zI/AAAAAAAAMkc/hkBxArJD5nU-hFROLBaiW6TVsipY7ffaACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/loveless.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="307" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pgGlOWI92Tc/YLaCpaCr7zI/AAAAAAAAMkc/hkBxArJD5nU-hFROLBaiW6TVsipY7ffaACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/loveless.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
I did want to read books from a variety of authors, but honestly, I’m just going to have to read Loveless. As I’m asexual myself, I was so excited when I found out about this book! There really isn’t enough ace representation in YA, so I’m looking forward to reading about a character who is like me. I feel as if I’ll really relate to Georgia, as like her, I love reading romance fanfics, but don’t really want a relationship of my own. I’m honestly still questioning if I’m aroace, as I’ve had crushes on people of all genders but feel awkward in an actual romantic relationship. As I’ve only ever read a couple of books with ace rep, I’m looking forward to reading this one!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> You’re the One That I Want</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zl0AyR43daU/YLaDFWeBiMI/AAAAAAAAMkk/TIGikV_zM6EswkqZOfATTg01AsQgsLqggCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/you%2527re%2Bthe%2Bone%2Bthat%2Bi%2Bwant.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zl0AyR43daU/YLaDFWeBiMI/AAAAAAAAMkk/TIGikV_zM6EswkqZOfATTg01AsQgsLqggCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/you%2527re%2Bthe%2Bone%2Bthat%2Bi%2Bwant.jpg" /></a></div><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I’m so excited to read this one! Simon is one of my favourite authors and his books never fail to make me laugh, and this one sounds amazing. It follows Freddie, a boy who has a reputation of being the “nice guy”. Freddie is tired of being constantly left out. He wants to attend all the parties his peers go to and find a boyfriend. Freddie decides to turn his social life around by joining in with his school production of Grease. Freddie finally has the attention he was craving, but is changing your whole personality really the best thing to do? As this book isn’t being published for a couple more days I’ll probably choose this as my second read so I have time to go buy it. Thanks past me for not spending the whole of your Waterstones gift card! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b> Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating</b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Okv6XoYe1ac/YLaDZVfxgnI/AAAAAAAAMks/meyEgWMxa3ABRcUmIKin1rWyhCohE-j4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/hani%2Band.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Okv6XoYe1ac/YLaDZVfxgnI/AAAAAAAAMks/meyEgWMxa3ABRcUmIKin1rWyhCohE-j4QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/hani%2Band.jpg" /></a></div><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Fake dating is an overdone trope, but it’s a trope that I always love. I loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, and Hani and Ishu is giving me similar vibes! This one follows Hani, a girl who is popular, but who is invalidated by her friends who don’t believe her when she comes out as bisexual. To try to prove her sexuality, she pretends she is dating Ishu, a smart unpopular girl who is hoping to become head girl. The problem is the head girl must be elected, and Ishu’s lack of popularity means she won’t have a chance without Hani’s help. Despite doing this for their own personal gains, the two girls end up developing feelings for each other. This books honestly sounds adorable, and I love that it has both Asian and bi girl rep! I’m looking forward to diving into this one. </span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">As I’m quite a slow reader, these are all the books I’m putting on my “definitely will read this month” list, but there are so many more I want to read! I’d love to find the time to read a book focusing on a transgender character too, as I realise my current TBR doesn’t cover a trans story, so if you have any recommendations I would love to hear them! I’d love to know what LGBTQ+ you’re planning on reading this month. Feel free to leave a comment or tweet me with any recommendations you have. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I hope you all have a wonderful pride month! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-85417733930722418352021-05-31T10:20:00.000-07:002021-05-31T10:20:19.760-07:00Review on Boy in a White Room <p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXFclUWZmlg/YLUYwbCbxkI/AAAAAAAAMkI/Bz6nQRJ57pUvVGlCfiKGPHPaPmBvh2YwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s499/boy%2Bin%2Ba%2Bwhite%2Broom.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="326" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-EXFclUWZmlg/YLUYwbCbxkI/AAAAAAAAMkI/Bz6nQRJ57pUvVGlCfiKGPHPaPmBvh2YwgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/boy%2Bin%2Ba%2Bwhite%2Broom.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">When fifteen year old Manuel wakes up in an empty white room, he has no idea where he is, who he is, or how he got there. He remembers nothing about his past life and has no idea how to escape. Manuel soon discovers he has internet access, and it doesn’t take him long to figure out the truth, or at least what the people who put him here want him to believe is the truth. After being told one lie after another, Manuel eventually comes close to learning who he really is, and what he must do to escape both the white room and those trying to use him.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I got sent this book from Chicken House a little while ago, and as I was looking for an interesting and quick read I thought I’d pick it up! The book follows Manuel, a boy who wakes up in a white room with his memories wiped. Manuel soon discovers that he is actually trapped in a simulation, as his body had been severely damaged after an attempted murder which resulted in the death of his mother. A man who claims to be Manuel’s father informs him that his body will never recover, and he has built a simulation of Middle Earth for Manuel to live in, but Manuel is determined to stay in reality. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I thought the Middle Earth simulation was interesting and although I realise copyright issues probably meant only a tiny portion of the book was able to be set there, I was interested in how vast it was, as we end up seeing only The Shire and Rivendell. As a huge fan of Lord of the Rings, I would actually love to escape reality and live in this world, so I honestly don’t think I’d have the willpower to remain in the real world like Manuel did! This part of the book reminded me of Sword Art Online, as Manuel being trapped inside a simulated world reminded me of the SAO kids being trapped inside a video game with no way to escape. I loved all the different locations inside the simulation and how they were so advanced that Manuel had no way to tell if it was a simulation or the real world.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Manuel discovers eyestream, a social media platform where users stream their daily lives. While browsing Manuel notices a girl who he thinks he recognises, which sends him on a whole journey of finding out the truth. I actually loved eyestream, as although it’s meant to come across as futuristic, it’s actually quite similar to TikTok streamers. It’s pretty easy to come across these types of streams on TikTok, as I’ve come across all sorts of things from truck drivers driving through the night to people filming as they walk around Disneyworld. As the book was first published in 2017 before TikTok existed, I found it interesting that this kind of thing had become normal just a few years later.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved how we were kept guessing about what was real and what was a lie. The truth starts to slowly unravel when Manuel gets the opportunity to talk to Julia, the girl who he recognised from eyestream. I love that we slowly start to see that something isn’t right, and that Manuel’s “dad” is actually lying to him. We learn everything as Manuel learns it, and are kept guessing as to what the truth actually is. I really wasn’t expecting the plot twist at the end of the book at all, and was taken completely by surprise! It also made me wonder if this was the real truth, as there were so many layers of deception it was impossible to trust anything by the end!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> This was an exciting and action-packed book that had me guessing until the very end! I’ve been taking quite a long time to get through books lately, but I flew through this one in just two days. I’m hoping the sequel will eventually be translated and published in English, as I would love to know what happens to Manuel next. I recommend this book to all lovers of Sci-Fi and thrillers!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="117" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/bXKXEShf.png" width="400" /></a></div><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></p></span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-76627694750014921682021-05-24T08:20:00.000-07:002021-05-24T08:20:56.771-07:00Review on The Nightsilver Promise<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nl4vTSw_C7s/YKu_pib7gQI/AAAAAAAAMj4/nyAK8tMqVvMv0j_b4UQdKTZrO9QvwyhFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s337/the%2Bnightsilver%2Bpromise.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="337" data-original-width="220" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nl4vTSw_C7s/YKu_pib7gQI/AAAAAAAAMj4/nyAK8tMqVvMv0j_b4UQdKTZrO9QvwyhFQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/the%2Bnightsilver%2Bpromise.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Everyone is given a track they must follow shortly after being born. However, thirteen year old Paisley is still trackless and has no idea what she is meant to be doing with her life. On the day Paisley finally gets her track, she discovers the horrible truth. She is destined to die before she reaches her fourteenth birthday. Paisley is desperate to find a way to change her track, and a machine created by her mother may be the answer to her problems. Then everything changes when Paisley’s mother goes missing, with everyone presuming she is dead. With the help of her younger brother Dax, Paisley must find a way to get her mother back and avoid the clutches of the Dark Dragon.</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When I saw that this book involved dragons I knew I just had to read it! Dragons are honestly one of my favourite things to read about, and this book had an interesting take on them. But before I start ranting about dragons I should probably talk about everything else first!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The book follows Paisley, a young girl who has recently learned her track is leading her towards death. I loved how Paisley was immediately thrown into a difficult situation, as it made me become invested in the story right away. I feel like a lot of books tend to drag at the start, but The Nightsilver Promise has an immediate problem that needs to be solved. Even though Paisley has been told her whole life she must follow her track, she refuses to just accept her fate. I loved the message that we can decide our own future and nothing is ever set in stone. It’s easy to feel trapped in what you’re doing and like there’s no escape. I thought this was the perfect message for a middle-grade book to give, as it lets kids know they can be like Paisley and decide their own track</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">.
I loved the characters in this book, especially Dax, Paisley’s younger brother. Dax is dragon touched, which means he has a body part of a dragon and the power to go with it. In Dax’s case, he has a dragon leg, but others who are dragon touched range from having dragon wings, claws, and even the power to breath fire. It wasn’t clearly explained how people came to be dragon touched as it didn’t seem to be in their track, but as dragons are seen as evil creatures in the south, those who are dragon touched are treated horribly. As there is a prophecy about a dragon touched boy, Dax has no choice but to conceal his leg by wearing a brace that causes him pain. I felt sorry for Dax as he just seemed like a normal kid but he was expected to do so much.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The Dark Dragon was an interesting character, a seemingly young girl who is actually ancient and part of four sisters who were each meant to protect a piece of dragon soul. The Dark Dragon has one goal, to open the veil between the worlds and bring back the Great Dragons, who before they were killed were the most powerful dragons on earth. I loved how despite seeming small and innocent, the Dark Dragon was pretty terrifying! I also found Roach interesting, a boy around Paisley’s age who works for the Dark Dragon. Although he was one of the villains of the story, we learn that he had a sister who got taken away, not unlike Paisley’s mum. I loved how Roach slowly started to see that what he was doing was wrong, and came to resent the Dark Dragon. I feel like Roach will get a proper redemption arc in future books, and I would love to eventually see him team up with Paisley.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Okay so I’m going to talk about the dragons! I loved how the dragons came in all shapes and sizes, from the huge Great Dragons to the tiny papillon dragons. We learn that Londoners are afraid of dragons and keep them away, while in the North, they are used by people for various tasks. It made me want to learn more about how things worked in the North, and I’m hoping that Paisley’s journey will take her further North in future books! We did also learn briefly about dragon riders. As dragons only trust children to ride them, the dragon riders seem to be rare and are spoken about almost as if they are a myth. I do feel as if Dax will become a dragon rider in the future, as he encountered them briefly towards the end of the book and explained it was something he wanted to do. As the dragons didn’t show up too frequently in this book I’m hoping they will have a bigger part to play in the next one! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The nightsilver was super interesting and I loved finding out how it worked! Unlike regular metal, nightsilver is a special type of metal that can be bonded to it’s owner. Whereas nightsilver bonded to someone who has died is brittle and cold, it is strong and warm when bonded to someone still living. I loved how this was how Paisley was able to realise her mum was still alive. I also loved seeing all the things nightsilver could be used to make, and how it reacted in unique ways.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I adored this book and could honestly keep talking about it for hours! There’s so much that happened that I just haven’t been able to cover in this review, so I definitely recommend reading it for yourselves. There are a few things that I remained confused about, but I'm hoping these things will be covered in the sequel. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with Dax, as his story was left on a huge cliffhanger. I'd also love to learn more about Odelia, a girl who, like Dax is dragon touched. I found her to be an interesting character throughout the book, but I felt like I knew barely anything about her. I recommend this book to all lovers of fantasy, and I'm looking forward to finding out where Paisley and Dax's journey will lead them next!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s1600/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" height="117" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s400/bXKXEShf.png" width="400" /></a></div><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></p></span></span></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-86937064068631750582021-04-02T09:52:00.003-07:002021-04-02T10:00:08.053-07:00What I Miss About Libraries<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">As the UK has been in lockdown for a while I’m sure we all can agree we’re missing certain things we used to take for granted. I’m personally missing visiting my best friend, going to concerts, going round museums and of course, the library. My library will soon be opening its click and collect service again, but it’s just not the same as being able to go in, so I thought I’d go on a rant about what I miss about libraries!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b> Browsing the shelves</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">
As much as I appreciate click and collect, it just isn’t the same as going inside to browse. Sometimes I have no idea what book I want until I see it on the shelf, so the click and collect service doesn’t really work for me unless I already know what I want to read. Nothing really beats picking up a book you’ve never heard of before and taking it home to read! My library hasn’t been open to do this since the first lockdown over a year ago, so I’m really missing this.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> <b>Writing in the library</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_uol4wiGRQ/YGdKHPxKGHI/AAAAAAAAMho/tKsqoXcEK-M8ICtwi-MHjDVSwlNhtrl2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/books.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-M_uol4wiGRQ/YGdKHPxKGHI/AAAAAAAAMho/tKsqoXcEK-M8ICtwi-MHjDVSwlNhtrl2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/books.JPG" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b></b>One of the reasons I decided not to participate in nanowrimo last year was not being able to write in the library. I often get too distracted writing at home, and the library was a brilliant environment for sitting down to write with few distractions. Every time I’ve participated in nano I’ve written at least half of it in the library, and I just felt like I wouldn’t have the motivation to write a whole novel in my house. As much as I love staying at home, I tend to focus better in a less distracting environment. My local library is great for this, as it’s usually quiet and has tables set up for people to work at. It even has little rooms you can use away from others!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b>New books!</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b></b>For some reason my library has stopped ordering in new books. It used to be pretty good with this, and you could even request books for free if the library didn’t have it. Now new books are never added and there doesn’t seem to be a way to request books. This is pretty disappointing as it’ll mean less people use the library. The library was how I used to read new releases, but as they’re not available now and I can’t afford to buy every book I want to read, I’m missing out on a lot of new releases. I’m trying not to let this bother me and just focus on reading books on my shelves, but I do feel like I’m missing out when I can’t afford the latest book everyone is talking about. I really want to read more diverse books, but unfortunately that isn’t possible when they just aren’t available at the library.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b> Due dates</b> </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT-p-CEDtqA/YGdKs4CPHtI/AAAAAAAAMhw/KHCodcZt-lEttrpdSrl5dXod9VPCqFUUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/books%2Blibrary%2Bpost.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UT-p-CEDtqA/YGdKs4CPHtI/AAAAAAAAMhw/KHCodcZt-lEttrpdSrl5dXod9VPCqFUUwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/books%2Blibrary%2Bpost.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> Okay this seems a little weird but hear me out. Since the first lockdown, my library has stopped having due dates, which makes sense as many people are shielding, but it has made me lose motivation to actually read the books I check out. Usually, I’ll make sure to read the books before returning them, but not having a date to return them by has meant I’ve kept books for months just because I could. As everyone seems to be doing the same thing, most books I want to read aren’t available as people aren’t returning them. I also just miss the process of handing over my library card and having the librarian stamp the book with the due date. It was nice to have a goal to finish the books I’d checked out before they had to go back!</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> I think once everything gets back to normal I’m going to start using and appreciating the library more. I really miss being able to read books for free, and I hope that the library will once again start to stock new books so I can catch up with all the amazing new releases I can’t afford to buy. I’d love to know what things you took for granted before the pandemic that you miss now! Feel free to let me know in the comments or tweet me so we can think wistfully of times gone by.</span></p><div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></b></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-42964301668097738242021-03-28T13:19:00.003-07:002021-03-28T13:30:39.273-07:00Blog Tour- A Casino for Gods<p> <b style="color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><i>Page Count:</i></b><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"> 395</span></p><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><b><i>Genre: </i></b>YA fantasy, Historial<br /></span><br /><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><i><u><b>Publisher:</b></u> </i>Clink Street</span><br /><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span><br /><div style="background-color: #2da771;"><div style="border: 1px solid black; padding: 1px;"><div style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b><br /></div><div style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><b> Goodreads Summary:</b></div><div style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6K6Pe3qPhA/YGDhR7IWoBI/AAAAAAAAMO4/qNj8w-r88BE3D2ebffAjTw7kjt4XYrz1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s500/a%2Bcasino%2Bfor%2Bgods.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-S6K6Pe3qPhA/YGDhR7IWoBI/AAAAAAAAMO4/qNj8w-r88BE3D2ebffAjTw7kjt4XYrz1gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/a%2Bcasino%2Bfor%2Bgods.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"> It was a glorious time for the two teens, Glenda and</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Traveler! At home in their magical sanctuary, hidden</div><div style="text-align: justify;">in downtown Chicago, they immersed themselves in</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> the city's festive winter holiday season. Sadly, their</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> holiday celebrations are cut short. Theo, the sanctuary's</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> protective god, tells them of an approaching great</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> threat. The demigod jinn host is preparing to enter</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> our world. They seek to defeat Theo.</div></div><div style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: justify;">The malevolent fire creatures will arrive in the</div><div style="text-align: justify;">isolated Carpathian Mountains of Transylvania.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">They chose the fifth century, a chaotic, brutal</div><div style="text-align: justify;">time. Rampaging Hun armies battle Germanic</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> tribes for control of the vast region. The host</div><div style="text-align: justify;">uses this turbulence to mask its presence as it</div><div style="text-align: justify;">plots the ambush of Theo. The teens arrive feeling</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> like unarmed gladiators entering the high-walled</div><div style="text-align: justify;">arena of the Transylvanian Mountains.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> Death surrounds them. Armed only with their invisibility<br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> skill and their trust in each other, they proceed into</div><div style="text-align: justify;"> the Carpathian abyss, echo across Europe. </div></div></div></div><div style="font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.2em; margin-bottom: 15px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: justify;"> Magic, wits, and youthful courage must combine to face the fire creature. Survival, much less winning,is up for grabs.</div></div></div></div><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Today is my stop on the blog tour for A Casino for God’s, the third book in the Allies of Theo series. As I’ve really enjoyed this series so far I was happy to be able to participate in the blog tour and share my thoughts on the book!</span></span><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> So firstly I have to admit that I didn’t remember many details about the first two books. As I read then im 2019 and have read countless of books since then the most I could remember was that it focused on two teenagers who were given missions by a cat god and went back in time. I didn’t have time to reread the first two books so I was a little anxious that I’d be completely confused, but luckily some of the previous adventures were cleverly included in the narrative to jog my memory and I was soon caught up again!</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Something that I loved about this book was how it expanded on Theo. As Theo is a god who helped create the universe I’ve been naturally curious about him throughout this series, so I loved how we saw some of his past and how the threat of the jinn all started. I loved the idea of the randomness generator and how everything in the universe was created by chance. I did hope that the book would focus on this a little more, but unfortunately, my hopes for having Theo and M included more in this book went unfulfilled, as after the first 100 pages we only see them again briefly at the end of the book. I was a little disappointed in this as being ancient, both Theo and M have huge potential, but I honestly don’t think they’ll be explored in this series which is a shame. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> The book started off a little slow and lagged in places throughout the book, but once the action picked up it was impossible to put down! I particularly loved the battle scene towards the end of the book between the Huns and the Gepids . As this battle was based on real history I loved the idea of it being put into this world full of magic and demons. I did however think there was a bit of a plot hole with Traveller having no idea of the outcome of the battle. Traveller seems to have a vast knowledge of historical events and battles, so it seemed a little strange to me that he didn’t know about this one. As he seemed to have knowledge of different time periods, I would have thought he would have come across this battle at some point. Apart from this I really enjoyed the battle and this time period, as it’s not really one I’ve learned about before. It took me a while to get through this book just because I keep researching everything.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I felt that this book had a little more going on than the first two which I loved. Traveller and Glenda had to deal with everything from Wolves to Huns, along with having to find food and shelter. I loved their journey in this familiar but different world and how they cleverly got themselves out of danger. The friendship between the two teens is one of my favourite things about this series as I love how they’re constantly making fun of each other. Although I do feel like a romance will form between them I think I would be content with them remaining best friends. </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Although we don’t see many characters returning from the previous book, I was happy that the giant Olaf was still around! I was a little disappointed that he came into it so close to the end of the book, as I think he would have been a good ally for Traveller and Glenda earlier on. I’m hoping that if Traveller and Glenda go back to the same time period in the next book, he will be around more, as I do find it a little boring at times with the story following only Traveller and Glenda. To me the book suffers from a lack of characters at times, as a lot of it is the two of them travelling together. Having characters such as Olaf, Theo and M in the story would probably make it a little more interesting! </span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"> I felt like this book was an improvement on the first two, and although I did have a few issues with it I enjoyed it. As the threat of the jinn is still far from over, I’m looking forward to the next book and seeing if the threat to Theo’s existence can be stopped once and for all.</span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s863/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/bXKXEShf.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;">A Casino for Gods is now available to purchase! </span></p><p style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"></span></p><div style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 25px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.1px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">|</span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/2PGFzfe" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Casino-For-Gods-David-E-Dresner/9781913340988?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span></div></div></span></span></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-10415807401936400312021-03-19T09:30:00.000-07:002021-03-19T09:30:12.018-07:00Review on Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99WUU3a0rFQ/YFTN5UHpzbI/AAAAAAAALhI/pRm7MVb__Fk4rteH7ntWUh3I2ihfHt_vwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/morgana%2Bmage.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-99WUU3a0rFQ/YFTN5UHpzbI/AAAAAAAALhI/pRm7MVb__Fk4rteH7ntWUh3I2ihfHt_vwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/morgana%2Bmage.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
Morgana’s magic doesn’t seem to work like everyone elses. In fact, Morgana’s magic doesn’t seem to work at all! Unsatisfied with her life in the woods, she decides she wants to explore the city, where technology is extremely advanced and robots roam the streets. However the city people hate witches and magic, and when Morgana starts school in the city, she is immediately shunned. Things go from bad to worse when Morgana discovers a secret that could threaten not only the city, but her family too. Morgana will need to use both magic and technology if she is defeat this most deadly of foes.</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
I entered this year in a bit of a reading slump so I’m really happy the first book I read this year was so good! I want to rant about everything I loved about this book, but I’m going to start with the plot which I thought was really unique! Usually, we come across books where technology doesn’t work around magic, so I found it really interesting that magic and technology were combined. When we think about having magic powers, we assume that everything can be achieved through magic, making technology obsolete, but what if the two could actually complement each other instead? I loved this approach and as someone who loves both fantasy and Sci-Fi, I loved how the two genres were cleverly combined.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The book follows eleven year old Morgana Mage, a witch who hasn’t found her niche yet. The witches reminded me of the benders in Avatar, as their spell casting revolved around the elements, and every witch and warlock was expected to master one before moving onto the others. I don’t want to compare it to Avatar too much, but Morgana really reminded me of the Earth bender Toph, as like Toph she seemed to be the only person with the ability to manipulate metal. I loved that Morgana’s ability was unique, and although she couldn’t do what everyone else could, she was able to do something they couldn’t. I loved how it showed we don’t have to be good at everything, and it’s ok to manifest our talents in different ways to others.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I wasn’t really attached to the characters, but I did love Morgana’s best friend Jonathan. Even though everyone shunned Morgana for being different, Jonathan was quick to befriend her and help her get started at her new school. I found it sad that none of the teachers were willing to help her, as it really shouldn’t have been up to Jonathan to provide Morgana with school supplies. For the majority of the book there isn’t really an adult Morgana feels she can turn to and rely on, and although I did love Jonathan’s role, I don’t think that every adult being against Morgana was a great message to give to readers. I think it’s important for children to have an adult they can trust, so I didn’t really like that Morgana didn’t seem to have that.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved the idea of Morgana’s magic being able to change the robots. “What if robots were sentient beings” is a plot in a lot of Sci-Fi, but I loved how this question was approached a little differently in this book. We have a typical robot uprising which wasn’t all that unique, but what I loved about this was Proto, the robot Morgana and Jonathan built together. Proto somehow managed to go against his programming to help Morgana and her friends despite knowing what it will cost him. I loved how Morgana’s magic made the robots seem more human, and how they had their own thoughts and feelings. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved this book overall and thought it was really interesting and unique! The combination of magic and technology was brilliant and I loved the positive messages, especially the message that it’s ok to be different. Kids could worry that they’re not as good at certain things as their friends are, so I loved how it showed we don’t all have to be good at the same things, and often we’ll find something we enjoy that others find strange. Even book blogging seems strange to my family but it’s comforting knowing there’s a bunch of other people who enjoy doing the same thing! I would definitely recommend this book to fans of fantasy and Sci-Fi a there really is a bit of everything.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 12pt;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"></span>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"> </span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><br /></span><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;">Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age is now available to purchase! </span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"></span></p><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 25px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.1px;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">|</span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/3sfObYg" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Morgana-Mage-Robotic-Age-Amy-Bond/9781912626526/?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span></span></span></span></div></div>
<br /></span></span></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-40623281543885683502021-02-12T06:24:00.001-08:002021-02-12T06:26:05.083-08:00Blog Tour- Space Detectives<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1lhoEkIJ90o/YCaMv_DRPvI/AAAAAAAAKW8/o7MOhntcfqEWq-iFSsIpzxqwnW0c2T1DQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/space%2Bdetectives.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1lhoEkIJ90o/YCaMv_DRPvI/AAAAAAAAKW8/o7MOhntcfqEWq-iFSsIpzxqwnW0c2T1DQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/space%2Bdetectives.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>
<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">Today is my stop on the blog tour for Space Detectives by Mark Powers. This is a brilliant middle-grade novel that follows best friends Ethan and Connor, who are trying to stop the space station they are on from crashing into the moon! For my stop, I thought I’d share my opinions on the book.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> Something I loved about this book was how easy it was to read. I’m usually pretty easily distracted, so I was surprised I managed to read the whole book in one sitting. The font and spacing made it super easy to read and I loved how the font changed to indicate sound effects or signs. I loved the illustrations and thought they really helped to tell the story and give a visual for all the different weird and wonderful aliens. I particularly adored when the pages became black when the boys got thrown out into space, as it really helped with the visualization of floating through space. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">The plot was fast paced and interesting, but it was also simple and easy to follow, which I thought was perfect for the age range it’s aimed at. Despite seeming like a Sci-Fi story, there was also a mystery element when the boys discover that the space station hurtling towards the moon is no accident, and someone had actually sent it on this course on purpose. I loved how we had a list of suspects that were slowly narrowed down. It wasn’t obvious who was behind it all at first, so I loved how we went on an adventure with the boys to learn who the real culprit was. I honestly had no idea who was behind it all until right before everything was revealed!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> The characters in the book were interesting and I especially loved all the different aliens! The tufted grotsnobbler was probably my favourite, a huge purple creature wearing a cowboy hat. I also loved the snarltoothed grizloid, an enormous furry dragon-like creature who could breathe fire. I adored the silly names of these creatures and they reminded me a little of what you would find in a Roald Dahl book. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> I did feel as if the book could have been a little more educational, as although I loved the sillyness, I felt that it could have thrown in some facts about space instead of having everything completely fictional. The book seemed to be aimed at the younger age range of middle grade, so I thought it was a missed opportunity to have a few fun facts thrown in.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"> Overall this was a fun and quick read that I really enjoyed! As this seems to be the first book in a series I’m looking forward to seeing what adventures Connor and Ethan have in the future. I think this is the perfect story for children who are just starting to read chapter books.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s863/bXKXEShf.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/bXKXEShf.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;">Space Detectives is now available to purchase! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"></span></p><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 25px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px;"><br /></span></span><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">|</span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/37akG1H" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Space-Detectives-Mark-Powers/9781526603180/?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span></span></span></span></div></div><div><div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></b></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-60909184960528764182021-01-16T03:33:00.001-08:002021-01-16T03:46:48.695-08:00Blog Tour- Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age <p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">Today is my stop on the blog tour for Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age by Amy Bond! The book is about a young witch named Morgana who after visiting the city with her father discovers a fantastic new world full of technology and robots. The book perfectly combines magic and robots, something that I've honestly never seen done before. I'll be posting a full review on the book in a few days but today I have a guest post from Amy herself!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b>Story behind the Photo</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cocbO9Bly7s/YALM4w9-GQI/AAAAAAAAJLI/mlhhDZDgpK8ftKL7Z3SBgcQg8vzDdlxXQCLcBGAsYHQ/s878/Chicken%2BHouse%2BCompetition.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="583" data-original-width="878" height="424" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cocbO9Bly7s/YALM4w9-GQI/AAAAAAAAJLI/mlhhDZDgpK8ftKL7Z3SBgcQg8vzDdlxXQCLcBGAsYHQ/w640-h424/Chicken%2BHouse%2BCompetition.png" width="640" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> There is moment in my book, Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age, when Morgana finally gets to visit the city she has been gazing down on from her woodland home. She is excited to be in this place she has been dreaming of for so long, but is also overwhelmed by the people, the strangeness, and the chaos of the city. I think I probably drew on my experiences of visiting London when writing these scenes.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> I live in the centre of Dublin city but, while technically a city, Dublin feels like a town. This is always most obvious when you find yourself in another metropolis. For me it is usually packed into the crowded Tube, trying not to take up too much space with your carry-on from the plane, and internally screaming the whole time, “I AM ON A TRAIN UNDER THE GROUND!” Morgana’s friend Jonathan tells her of the importance of not taking technology for granted. I know I would probably feel differently if I had to use it for my daily commute, but the Underground seems astounding to me.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> The trip where this photo was taken was an even more exciting one, even beyond the use of public transport. Not only was I in the big city, but like many before me I was here to follow my dream. I had made the shortlist of the Times/Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition. This could mean that I might really get my book published.
I tried to keep the nerves at bay the day before by exploring some of the sights, but as I wandered the British Library and British Museum, even the wonders they held couldn’t quite distract from the bubbling anticipation in my brain. It flowed over completely when it was announced that Chris Riddell was part of the judging panel. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> I gave myself about an hour and a half more than necessary to get to the announcement the next day, so had to wander around trying to kill time that just refused to die. Eventually it was a reasonable hour to arrive. The minute I stepped in, time seemed to speed up again and everything becomes a bit of a blur. Of course, some stupid bits of conversation from myself will never be forgotten, but also some very kind words from people I hugely admire. Seeing the same nervous excitement reflected back from the other finalists was a great comfort. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> Then came the announcement, and I didn’t win. That honour went to the wonderful Trudi Tweedie (looking fab in blue) and her gorgeous book The Pure Heart. I thought I would feel more disappointed, I was worried about how I would arrange my face, but how can you feel anything but pure joy when Chris Riddell is sketching out a cover for your book, which I am clutching very proudly in the photo. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> I think why I am really beaming so broadly in that picture though, is because while I might not have left with the publishing deal I had been hoping for, I did have a new confidence in what I was capable of as a writer, and knew I was going to keep chasing that dream.</span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px; text-align: justify;">Morgana Mage in the Robotic Age is now available to purchase! </span></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 25px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px;"><br /></span></span><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">|</span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/3nSQbmm" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Morgana-Mage-Robotic-Age-Amy-Bond/9781912626526/?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: 12.1px;">Follow A</span><span style="font-size: 12.1px;">my on twitter! </span><a href="https://twitter.com/AmyLouiseBond" style="font-size: 12.1px;">@amylouisebond</a></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></b></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-72332713739313276672021-01-13T06:52:00.001-08:002021-01-13T07:00:05.630-08:00Top 5 Books of 2020<p> </p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 30px;">So I used to do this as a YouTube video, but seeing as I have yet to revive my YouTube channel (I do have a plan for that!) I thought I would do it as a blog post instead. I only read 27 books last year, but it was still enough to find some all-time favourites! I honestly wish I could give a paragraph to every book I read last year, but I will have to be content with 5.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><b>5: Frozen Charlotte</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXqVs8wCvew/X_7-_fXI2tI/AAAAAAAAJKM/UXW8dWyQ1ZweKcDOjKYTx1jrWdfhIWktgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/frozen%2Bcharlotte.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sXqVs8wCvew/X_7-_fXI2tI/AAAAAAAAJKM/UXW8dWyQ1ZweKcDOjKYTx1jrWdfhIWktgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/frozen%2Bcharlotte.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"> I read this book around Halloween and it was super creepy! I’ve always found dolls to be creepy, so this book was perfect to read at Halloween. As I don’t usually enjoy horror stories I didn’t think I’d like it much, but it was interesting and fast-paced so I got through it pretty quickly! I won’t go into details on what it’s about as I have yet to post my full review, but I’m definitely glad I decided tor read something outside my comfort zone as I really enjoyed it!</span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-size: 16px;"> 4: Rick</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zMdOwkQO1I/X_8BPBPRqeI/AAAAAAAAJKY/GHez3FRkI_QTL6d7SsHqmZg8PJJgb5GdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/rick.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="317" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4zMdOwkQO1I/X_8BPBPRqeI/AAAAAAAAJKY/GHez3FRkI_QTL6d7SsHqmZg8PJJgb5GdwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/rick.jpg" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;">Rick follows a boy who is confused about his sexuality and ends up identifying as asexual. This book had so many important messages and helped explain different sexualities and genders in an easy to understand way. I think this would be a great book for kids to read when they’re just coming to understand sexuality and gender. <br /><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><b>3: Who Let the God's Out?</b></span></p><p style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KGwBl_p9THY/X_8DZAsdaTI/AAAAAAAAJKk/X62dDhISf4o-HnnuicBtA_bUqSlqxrV7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/32735550._SY475_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KGwBl_p9THY/X_8DZAsdaTI/AAAAAAAAJKk/X62dDhISf4o-HnnuicBtA_bUqSlqxrV7gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/32735550._SY475_.jpg" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;">This one is a bit of a cheat as Who Let the God’s Out? Is the first book in a series! I started the series at the start of 2020, so I think it must have been pretty special for me to still remember it by the end of the year! I adore Greek Mythology, and this middle grade series is packed with Greek God’s. adventures and friendship. I loved how funny it was and how despite the silly plot, it was able to cover some important themes such as broken families and grief. Really I wish I had started it a little later in the year as it was a great form of escapism.</span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b style="text-align: center;">2: Life of Riley: Beginner's Luck</b></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szR9tdfG7IQ/X_8EJc3_ceI/AAAAAAAAJKs/0L3Oq4nUe3spXdBD_4cG9O9yG6Y0aESfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/riley%2Bcover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szR9tdfG7IQ/X_8EJc3_ceI/AAAAAAAAJKs/0L3Oq4nUe3spXdBD_4cG9O9yG6Y0aESfQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/riley%2Bcover.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;">This one is a middle grade book by one of my all time favourite authors, Simon James Green. Simon’s books never fail to make me laugh and this one was no exception! This is Simon’s first middle grade book and follows Riley, a ten year old who is convinced he is cursed. This was such a funny and light hearted read. As we’re all going through a tough time right now, it’s perfect for escaping our problems for a little while. I loved the themes of friendship and the uplifting message of having better days ahead of us. As it’s so easy to assume the worst and think we have nothing to look forward to right now, I think it’s a message that we all need to hear! </span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">1: Howl's Moving Castle</b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hONNrUb9AsA/X_8GmtaHtiI/AAAAAAAAJK4/Gb5pm-LCRO0QrgJi3Dlc-eYPl1dBxAbKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/howl%2Bcover.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="312" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hONNrUb9AsA/X_8GmtaHtiI/AAAAAAAAJK4/Gb5pm-LCRO0QrgJi3Dlc-eYPl1dBxAbKgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/howl%2Bcover.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> </span></div></div></div></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;">This one probably comes as no surprise for those who know me. I’m a huge fan of Studio Ghibli, so it’s no surprise that I adored this book! I have a whole post scheduled for Howl that will be up soon so I won’t talk about this book too much here, but I loved it just as much as the movie. I adored book Howl, and particularly loved that he was originally from Wales. He was so dramatic along with being extremely charismatic and charming. Really though can Howl please be my boyfriend? As the book was sitting on my shelf gathering dust for years I’m so glad that I finally picked it up!</span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 25px;"><span style="text-align: left;"> Even though they didn’t quite make it into my top five, I just want to mention An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, Run, Rebel by Manjeet Mann and Midnight’s Twins by Holly Race. These were all fantastic books that I definitely recommend. Let me know what some of your favourite books were in 2020 and who knows, maybe they’ll end up in favourites for this year. Happy New Year and have a wonderful 2021 full of books! </span></span></span><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"></b></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-2945923640498425892020-12-11T08:49:00.000-08:002020-12-11T08:49:29.763-08:00Blog Tour- Brand New Boy<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yeFLcVf57BM/X9LTNEbJ8YI/AAAAAAAAJHU/201sh6jmAC0u_CUlklXdFE5K2JFYizSmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s400/brand%2Bnew%2Bboy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="258" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yeFLcVf57BM/X9LTNEbJ8YI/AAAAAAAAJHU/201sh6jmAC0u_CUlklXdFE5K2JFYizSmwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/brand%2Bnew%2Bboy.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;">Daniel is an ordinary boy who goes to an ordinary school with ordinary friends. That is until George shows up. George is a new boy who gets put in Daniel’s class, and although he seems friendly enough something about him is a little… odd. At first, Daniel doesn’t think much of it. I mean everyone is a little odd in their own ways right? However Daniel soon discovers the shocking truth about George which changes the lives of him and his friends forever!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">So today is my stop on the Brand New Boy blog tour! I thought I’d share my thoughts on this interesting and thought-provoking middle-grade book. Honestly, I have no idea how I’m going to write this review without giving away the big reveal that happens in the middle of the book as I just want to rant about all the things but I’ll do my best to keep it spoiler-free! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"> The book follows Daniel, a young boy who goes to an average primary school in Newcastle. However, things change for Daniel when a strange boy shows up accompanied by an equally strange lady. I loved the introduction of George, as it wasn’t immediately clear that something was weird with him. Being put in the spotlight in front of the whole school when you’re the new kid would make anyone feel awkward, and people have different responses to being put in an uncomfortable situation. To me, George just seemed to be a little overwhelmed and I wasn’t particularly suspicious about him until we got to know him a little better. It started to become obvious that George wasn’t “normal” as time went on, but Daniel and his friends start to question what normal even is. I loved how the kids tried to befriend George even though he seemed strange to them. Kids who don’t immediately fit in tend to get bullied, so I loved that everyone was interested in George and wanted to befriend him rather than deciding to be mean to him. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"> This book was honestly a big existential crisis. Daniel questions things such as why they follow orders from teachers, and why they do the exact same thing every day and sit in tiny square classrooms sitting at tiny square desks. It really made me start to think about these kinds of things myself. Who makes us do these things and why do we do them? It’s too easy to get into a spiral of questions on our existence when we think about it too deeply, but I think we all have these thoughts from time to time. I loved how it delved into the question of what makes us human really. Is it our emotions? Our ability to think for ourselves and learn new experiences? What makes us different from say a cat or a computer or a robot? I loved the discussions about artificial intelligence, as this is something that we are seeing more and more of in the modern world. Although we are not quite at the point where we see robots walking around in our day to day lives, technology is certainly heading that way, and if on day robots can feel emotions, would that make them human? This book honestly made me think about so many things that I really wasn’t expecting from a Middle-Grade book! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"> I adored the friendships in this book, and how easily the kids invited George into their friend circle. Even after learning how George was different from them, they treated him like everyone else and tried to help him as best as they could. They were put into a situation they had never even thought about before and handled it brilliantly. It was heartwarming to see them be so kind and thoughtful towards George when some of the adults saw him as nothing more than an experiment. Even though George was with them for such a short time, they made sure he had positive experiences and that he knew they were his friends. Kids are often more open minded than adults, so it was nice to see how they treated him despite knowing so little about him.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"> So what is George exactly? Is he a robot? An alien? A shapeshifter?A hologram? A glitch in the matrix? Well you’re just going to have to read the book to find out! However, I do promise it’s nothing too sinister and it may just include some Sci-Fi themes! There are a few hints in the book towards what George is, and I did manage to figure out what it was before it was properly revealed by the way he acted, so even though I’m not giving anything away I didn’t really find it too shocking. It wasn’t really something I was expecting going into the book though so I was still somewhat surprised.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"> I overall loved this book and loved the themes of love and acceptance, and the thought-provoking themes of humanity and our existence. I also adored the illustrations and I felt like they really helped to tell the story. Although David is obviously a very popular author I’ve never actually read any of his books before, so this one has definitely made me want to read more! I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t enjoy this book so I definitely recommend it!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s863/bXKXEShf.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="863" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EsG0ti5m2s/WotC4MPqunI/AAAAAAAAB_E/In7jQ7vRdFw8DQ5k6M5xUCs_mVGSvQBDgCPcBGAYYCw/s320/bXKXEShf.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px;">Brand New Boy is now available to purchase!</span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 25px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px;"><br /></span></span><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">|</span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/3788X49" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Brand-New-Boy-David-Almond/9781406358087/?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span></span></span></span></div></span></span></div><p></p>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-9162792726933897642020-11-30T08:11:00.000-08:002020-11-30T08:11:59.838-08:00Review on Beyond the Odyssey<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpciloGsQkw/X7bUo8-hm3I/AAAAAAAAI9k/_a6N2NOppkUfAU0q5y-i-5DASqrmPbl4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/beyond%2Bthe%2Boddyseey.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WpciloGsQkw/X7bUo8-hm3I/AAAAAAAAI9k/_a6N2NOppkUfAU0q5y-i-5DASqrmPbl4gCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/beyond%2Bthe%2Boddyseey.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">
With two Chaos Stones in his possession, Elliot is halfway to recovering them all. However, Elliot’s home life is becoming more complicated. His father has returned, and even with the extra help, Elliot’s mother's condition seems to be worsening. However, there may be something that can save her, a potion that is said to cure any illness. If Elliot wants to find it, he must go further than he has ever been before. Elliot must not only find the third Chaos Stone, but find the potion that will save his mum and Hermes. </span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
I can’t believe I’m already on book three! I’ve loved this series and this book was no exception. The stakes are higher than ever before, and on top of finding the third Chaos Stone, Elliot must also find Panacea’s Potion. Something I immediately loved was that we got to see more mythological places in this book. For the most part, Elliot has remained in the mortal world, and although he has had to retrieve chaos stones from highly protected places such as The Tower of London, Buckingham Palace and The Natural History Museum, they have all been close to where he lives and he was able to go back home at the end of the day. However, Elliot’s search takes him to far more distant places this time, including an island inhabited by the Cyclops, deep under the sea and on a perilous journey across the ocean. I found this book more exciting than the previous two, and I loved that we were being taken away from reality a little more.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> Despite the book heading deeper into mythology, Elliot still faces the very real problem of his mothers declining health. This book seemed to face it more head on, and confirms our suspicions that Josie is suffering from early onset dementia. It was heartbreaking to see things from Josie’s point of view, and how frustrating and confusing everything was for her. People suffering from dementia often retain their long term memory longer than their short term memory, so it was particularly heartbreaking when she was moved to the hospital where nothing was familiar to her and she started to lose herself even more. It was horrible to see Elliot go through this at such a young age, especially when his grief took over to the point he started lashing out at his friends who were just trying to help. I loved how understanding the God’s were, and how they didn’t take his outbursts personally and continued to try to help him.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> The one thing I was disappointed in was the lack of my favourite character, Hermes. Even though him being in a coma was one of the main things that drove the plot, I missed him being around, and I especially missed the brotherly bond between him and Elliot. Hermes seems like the closest thing to a sibling that Elliot has, and I missed their antics and Hermes’ fun personality. I’m hoping the last book has lots of Hermes content to make up for it! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> There were some interesting new characters in this book, but my favourite has to be Gorgy, Virgo’s pet baby gorgon. Gorgy was constantly getting into mischief, and although he’s tiny and adorable, he actually had some pretty impressive powers of his own that saved Virgo on more than one occasions! I loved that although everyone initially disliked Gorgy, they came to accept him as part of their gang. Really he made me want a pet gorgon of my own!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I have to talk a little about Virgo, who has to make some pretty tough decisions in this book. Virgo wants nothing more than to be accepted back onto the Zodiac Council and get her kardia back, and will do anything to get what she wants, leading her to make some bad choices, including voting to lock away all the elementals. Virgo eventually realises what she did was wrong, and does her best to fix things. I loved that although Virgo was initially selfish, she came to realise that the freedom of the elementals was more important than her own wants.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I’m usually good at guessing plot twists, but there was one that came towards the end of the book that I just wasn’t expecting at all! I’m not going to give it away, but it completely surprised me, but at the same time seemed so obvious when it was revealed. There was obviously something strange going on, but I just didn’t pick up on it until the end where it made perfect sense. I love it when a book is able to take me by surprise like that as it rarely happens.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I didn’t enjoy the book quite as much as the first two just because of Hermes’ not being around, but I did enjoy meeting so many new characters and seeing all the new places. As Hermes is finally back in action, I’m looking forward to reading the final book in the series and seeing how everything ends for Elliot and his friends.<br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"></span>
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<br /></span></span></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-49236960992636503032020-11-19T12:17:00.000-08:002020-11-19T12:17:44.714-08:00Review on Witch<p style="text-align: center;"> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVfJTOkJNHg/X7bOQ_12UBI/AAAAAAAAI9Y/QPkzd1hy6x0kRzF17ULtB7Ibn12pGWq9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s475/Witch%2Bpic.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="294" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZVfJTOkJNHg/X7bOQ_12UBI/AAAAAAAAI9Y/QPkzd1hy6x0kRzF17ULtB7Ibn12pGWq9QCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Witch%2Bpic.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br />
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When Evey’s mother is murdered by witch hunters, she is determined to get her revenge. Unlike her mother and younger sister Dill, Evey doesn’t see herself as a true witch, and believes she is powerless. However after meeting Anne, a girl she had met in her childhood, Evey discovers she may have some abilities of her own after all. With the help of Anne and her mother's scrying stone, Evey discovers the truth about her family and her powers, and what she must do to set things right.</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">
This book was such a perfect Halloween read! It follows Evey, a young witch who sees her mother murdered by witch hunters. After barely escaping with her own life, Evey decides she is going to get revenge on everyone involved. I initially disliked Evey, especially with the way she treated her younger sister Dill. She was too harsh on her at the start of the book and left her alone with a group of witches they barely knew, along with stealing the scrying stone from Dill that her mother had given to her before her death. Evey was selfish and cruel, which started off a chain of terrible events for her.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I loved how Evey became more likable as the book went on, and how she came to regret leaving Dill behind and stealing the stone. Dill rightfully doesn’t forgive Evey right away once they meet back up, causing even more problems for Evey. I loved that Evey had to work to regain Dill’s trust and show she had changed, as it felt more realistic for Dill to hold a grudge against Evey after everything that had happened to her because of Evey’s selfish ways. Evey’s character development felt realistic and didn’t feel rushed, and I loved how I started to like her more as the book progressed. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I have to talk about Anne, who was probably my favourite character! Evey first meets Anne when she rescues her from one of Evey’s mother’s killers when he tries to finish off the job and kill her too. We’re so used to seeing a handsome man on horseback saving the damsel in distress that it was pretty refreshing to see the protagonist having a woman as a savior! After talking a little with Anne, Evey soon realises that this isn’t the first time they have met, as years ago Evey’s mother had tried to save Anne’s mother's life with witchcraft when she was sick. I loved how despite her father's hatred for witches, Anne did not feel the same way and helped Evey on her quest along with saving villagers and other witches. I loved how the friendship between Evey and Anne grew throughout the book, but I did feel a little baited as I assumed a romance would form between them. Honestly I don’t think I’ve seen a platonic friendship where one wouldn’t stop talking about the other's eyes before. As the book is about empowering women I would have loved for it to be sapphic too. Evey and Anne had great chemistry so I was a little disappointed their relationship didn’t go into that territory.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I found the book difficult to get into at first because of the writing style. The book is set in the 1600’s and is told in first person from Evey’s point of view, so it was written in a very old fashioned way that I wasn’t used to. I read the first 50 pages pretty slowly as I was struggling with the style to the point I almost DNF’d, but once I actually got used to it I started to enjoy the style and felt that it made it seem more realistic and helped me to get into the story more. I tend to stick to books with more modern ways of writing, so after the initial struggle I found the writing style refreshing, and as the book picked up the pace, I was glad that I stuck with it! </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> I think I would have preferred the book to be a little longer. Nothing felt rushed but I did feel like we didn’t see enough of Evey’s powers, as she only fully realizes she has them towards the end of the book. I loved her special bond with birds and how she could get them to help her, but I did wonder what else she could get them to do and if her powers went beyond birds. I don’t think the witches' abilities were explained well enough, as I wasn’t sure if they all had special gifts, and if they did what were they? I always love books with backstory and lore, and for a book about witches there just wasn’t enough of that.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> This was an interesting read and definitely brought me out of my comfort zone! Once I got used to the writing style I was able to enjoy this book. Even though I had a couple of issues with it, I loved the themes of forgiveness and empowering women. All the girls in this book kicked the witch hunters' asses and I was living for it! This was the perfect read for Halloween, and even though the spooky season is over it’s still the perfect read for those dark afternoons!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px;">Witch is now available to purchase!</span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 25px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px;"><br /></span></span><span face="" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">|</span><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1838935614/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=racsrearanrev-21&camp=1634&creative=6738&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1838935614&linkId=bead279eff4ce552088d3a79d48ae4b6" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Witch-Finbar-Hawkins/9781838935610/?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span></span></span></span></div></span>
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<br /></span></span></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-39441509935970115262020-10-31T12:17:00.000-07:002020-10-31T12:17:50.332-07:00Blog Tour- The Forest of Ghosts and Bones<p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b> HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!</b> I hope you're all having a spooktacular day full of pumpkin carving and costumes. Today I'm taking part in a very spooky blog tour for The Forest of Ghosts and Bones, the brand new fantasy novel by Lisa Lueddecke. I adored A Shiver of Snow and Sky (you can read all about my thoughts on that book HERE) so I'm super excited to read this brand new story from Lisa and share my thoughts on it! For now, I have a very spooky Q&A with Lisa herself! </span></span></span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></span></span></p><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>Hi Lisa! As it's coming up to Halloween, what type of books get you into the Halloween spirit?</b></span></span></span><p><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">I have a bit of a soft spot for thrillers and mysteries, so when it starts getting towards Halloween, those are what tend to draw me in. Books that add to the feeling of unease.</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></div>The Forest of Ghosts and Bones is inspired by the myths you knew growing up. Are there any around this time that are your favourite or remind you of Halloween?</b></span></span></span><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PenVSFyG42Y/X5yWxaAfgLI/AAAAAAAACqU/eJ5BgP152Bg8zSgkKI2oQk9nqu6-w8NUQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/bones%2Bblog%2Btour.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PenVSFyG42Y/X5yWxaAfgLI/AAAAAAAACqU/eJ5BgP152Bg8zSgkKI2oQk9nqu6-w8NUQCLcBGAsYHQ/w240-h320/bones%2Bblog%2Btour.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><br /></b></span></span><div><div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;">I’m honestly just so inspired by anything that has to do with souls or ghosts. I always get this delightfully eerie feeling as Halloween gets closer like I might see something haunting a window, or hear footsteps on the stairs. Since the book was inspired by a comment my grandmother made about souls lingering in the world, I think that fascinates me the most.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;">Which character did you most enjoy writing?</b></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"> Liljana, for sure. She had a lot of history, and she made questionable choices, which made her an interesting person to write. Other than her, though, I really liked writing Benedek. He was a lot of fun to hang out with, in my mind.</span></b></span></div></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Moom0Ki83zU/X5yb2hBkzmI/AAAAAAAACqw/S-2O38gjNq0tUTPBhDPL8w_DCJ9leQOGACLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/blog%2Bpost%2Bbones.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Moom0Ki83zU/X5yb2hBkzmI/AAAAAAAACqw/S-2O38gjNq0tUTPBhDPL8w_DCJ9leQOGACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/blog%2Bpost%2Bbones.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b> To get into the Halloween spirit, what would Béata, Liljana, and Benedek go as for Halloween? </b></span></span></span><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;">Béata would probably go as a dead person from history, like an old royal, or someone from a story. Something like that. Benedek would probably not dress up at all, but he would spend some time with family and friends just the same. Liljana would either go as herself, because she quite likes herself. Or she would go as her take on a queen, with a magical, possibly deadly twist. </span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 400;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;">I'd like to say a big thank you to Scholastic for letting me take part in the tour and providing me with a copy of the book! I had such a fun time going out to take spooky pictures with it and I'm looking forward to reading it. The Forest of Ghosts and Bones is available to purchase now!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"><a href="https://almabooks.com/product/story-dr-dolittle/" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank"> </a></span></span></span></span></span><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px; text-align: justify;">|</span><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span class="s1" face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span></span></span><a href="https://amzn.to/2TCzxL1" rel="nofollow" style="color: #888888; font-family: arial, tahoma, helvetica, freesans, sans-serif; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px; text-align: justify;">Amazon</a><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px; line-height: 24px; text-align: justify;"><span face="" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 18.48px;"><span face="" style="font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px;"> </span></span></span><span face="" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.1px; line-height: 16.94px; text-align: justify;">| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/The-Forest-of-Ghosts-and-Bones/9781407195544/?a_aid=RacheyRagdoll" style="color: #888888;" target="_blank">Book Depository </a></span><br /><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><b style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 18px;"><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial; font-size: 16px;"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-40499272500572961222020-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:002020-10-28T11:18:28.537-07:00Review on Grave Matter<style>
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<br /><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "emilys candy" , cursive; font-size: 18px; line-height: 35px;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Samuel’s world is turned upside down when his girlfriend Eliza dies in a car crash. Unable to move on, Samuel seeks the help of his estranged Aunt, who he remembers healed an injured bird with Hoodoo. However bringing someone back from the dead is a lot more complicated than healing, and Samuel must tread a darker path if he is to be reunited with Eliza</span></span><br /><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">I picked this book up on a whim just because Juno is one of my favourite authors, and I thought a short book could help me out of my reading slump. This book is short and is printed on good quality paper with double spaced text, making it super easy to read! It specifically caters towards people who don’t normally enjoy reading, and those with dyslexia, and even though neither of those apply to me I did still find the book easier to read than most books. Usually, I can’t read for long periods of time due to eyestrain and headaches, so I was surprised that I was able to read the whole book in one sitting without the usual problems I have when reading for longer periods. I was also grateful for the larger font, as my eyesight is pretty terrible and I can sometimes struggle with reading tiny fonts. </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> So onto the actual plot! Bringing a loved one back from the dead only to have everything go terribly wrong seems like an overused idea, so I was surprised that despite this being the main plot, the story still managed to be interesting and unique. The way Samuel brought Eliza back was pretty terrifying, and I loved how making him do awful things like sacrificing a goat showed us just how desperate he was to get Eliza back. As Samuel was the one to crash the car that had killed her, Samuel feels guilty about Eliza’s death, and feels like he has to put things right by bringing her back to life. What I loved about Eliza’s resurrection was that it didn’t just bring her back, it rewrote the whole timeline so that Eliza had never died and it was Samuel who had got hurt in the crash. To everyone but Samuel, Eliza had never died, and Samuel even wonders if everything had been a weirdly vivid dream he had while he was in a coma. However, Samuel starts discovering things to prove that it had all been real, such as his bank account being empty from paying for the recipe to bring Eliza back, along with seeing a terrifying shadow monster that seems to be the cause for his mum’s mysterious illness. I loved how even though everything seemed to be fine at first, Samuel starts to see the severe consequences bringing Eliza back had. <span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>
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<span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;">The characters were pretty thought out for such a short book, especially Samuel. I’m not sure if he was intended to be such an unlikable character, but he came across as a spoilt rich boy who was used to getting his own way. Even though he felt guilty, he also seemed to have selfish means for wanting Eliza back, and did some pretty awful things that no normal person would ever dream of doing… Also he called his parents mother and father and really who doesn’t want to secretly slap a character who does that? I also want to mention The Milk Man, who is much scarier than he sounds I promise! The Milk Man was a mysterious albino man who gave Samuel the recipe to bring Eliza back, and he didn’t seem entirely… human. Basically, he was a really creepy bloke who’s motives remained a mystery. Apart from stealing every penny in Samuel’s bank account, we don’t really get a proper reason as to why The Milk Man helped Samuel. Maybe he just wanted to rob a rich snobby kid who knows. Whatever his motives he was a pretty creepy guy!</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;">I loved this book and even though it’s short, there is a lot packed into it. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a creepy and interesting read, and I would even go as far as to say it’s a good book to give to anyone who dislikes reading! Reading big books can be a daunting task for anyone who isn’t used to reading for pleasure, so this could be </span><span face=""didact gothic" , sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 28px;">the perfect book to start off a lifelong love of books!</span><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 20px; line-height: 36px;">As there’s less than two weeks until Halloween I thought I would pick out some spooky reads! Honestly I’m probably not going to get through all of these but I thought I would be a little ambitious as I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I’ve decided on four books I want to try to read so here they are!</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VdWZtxCX544/X430hoDyOiI/AAAAAAAACo8/r4R_Ti-3nEw1yYPBxC4mJo_QaghJoFSDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/howl.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VdWZtxCX544/X430hoDyOiI/AAAAAAAACo8/r4R_Ti-3nEw1yYPBxC4mJo_QaghJoFSDgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/howl.jpg" /></a></div><b> 1# Howl’s Moving Castle:</b> I have a confession. I’m not really a huge fan of horror books. I’m not sure why exactly but I just tend to not enjoy them that much, which is why one of my choices is Howl’s Moving Castle. I’m a huge fan of the Studio Ghibli adaptation of this book, and I meant to read it last year but I just didn’t have the time. Something that I found out was that this book actually has Welsh themes, which as a Welsh person myself I’m excited for! I’m looking forward to seeing how the book differs from the Japanese themes in the Ghibli movie. As poor Howl has been living on my shelf for so long I’m going to make sure to finally meet him this year! </span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOxY5C5_gVw/X431Xha6XUI/AAAAAAAACpI/1-P5JuPplvYTHnG6WAp8kHrugvINSeHngCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/witch.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uOxY5C5_gVw/X431Xha6XUI/AAAAAAAACpI/1-P5JuPplvYTHnG6WAp8kHrugvINSeHngCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/witch.jpg" /></a></div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>#2 Witch:</b> Okay yes this is a proof and I’m a terrible book blogger for not reviewing it on release day, but I think it’s still valid if I read it for Halloween (please don’t hate me Zephyr!). As the title suggests, this is a very appropriate book for the time of year, as it is all about witches and magic! I actually started reading this book last night and it seems really interesting. The writing style is making it a little tricky for me to get into it as it’s written in a very old fashioned way due to the book being set in the 17th century, but I think that as soon as I get used to it I’ll end up enjoying this book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKj0hZ1hEHg/X433G5NgBnI/AAAAAAAACpU/ih07YczmOp0llV9QwjQ46nReMhC9sAlJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/stephen%2Bking.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mKj0hZ1hEHg/X433G5NgBnI/AAAAAAAACpU/ih07YczmOp0llV9QwjQ46nReMhC9sAlJQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/stephen%2Bking.jpg" /></a></div><b>#3 Carrie:</b> I’ve never read a Stephen King book, so I thought I’d start with his first one, Carrie. Everyone has heard of this book and seen the movies so I won’t explain what it's about. I've always loved the movie adaptations and loved the idea of a girl with psychic powers getting revenge on her bullies! I think the length of Stephen King books is what puts me off reading them ,so I think Carrie being a fairly short read will help me get into his books. As my copy of Carrie is part of an omnibus I might read the other two if I have the time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hgYGJR86N3E/X436-RucRzI/AAAAAAAACpg/EpU_f77_-OMD-TF5ya31R1u5zj1TzwUjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/charlottes%2B2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hgYGJR86N3E/X436-RucRzI/AAAAAAAACpg/EpU_f77_-OMD-TF5ya31R1u5zj1TzwUjQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/charlottes%2B2.jpg" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>#4 Frozen Charlotte:</b> This book sounds super creepy! I’ve had it on my shelf for a while so figured this was the perfect time to read it. I’ve always found dolls to be creepy, and I used to have a talking doll that would go off in the middle of the night! Maybe that’s why I’ve always preferred plushies. This book is giving me very Annabelle-like vibes so I’m ready to hide under my duvet while reading this one! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">As my country has been put a two week lockdown I hope these spooky books will help me get into the Halloween spirit. Hopefully I will enjoy them enough to pull me out of my reading slump. If you have any favourite spooky books then please let me know as I’d love to check them out! </div><br /></span><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div>RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-69277634719540075222020-09-03T11:27:00.001-07:002020-11-19T12:10:53.867-08:00Review on Life of Riley: Beginner's Luck<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik32k_G9kVA/X1EyXtunZtI/AAAAAAAACnA/IhQqwLJmUh0AxHSBFFq1zf4Tyq0mlBe0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s475/riley%2Bcover.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik32k_G9kVA/X1EyXtunZtI/AAAAAAAACnA/IhQqwLJmUh0AxHSBFFq1zf4Tyq0mlBe0ACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/riley%2Bcover.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;">Ten year old Riley is most definitely CURSED! He knows this because a fortune teller named Madam Olga said “Curse you chiiiiiiild” after he accidentally smashed her crystal ball, and since then terrible things have been happening. Riley manages to lose the schools pet rabbit, lose his swimming trunks and lose his dignity in the space of a week, and the bad luck doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. However new kid Brad might just be the good luck charm he needs. Whenever Riley hangs out with Brad, the bad luck seems to be kept at bay. But how do you get a popular cool kid like Brad to want to hang out with you when the whole school knows you're cursed?</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;">I’M SO HAPPY I GOT TO REVIEW THIS BOOK!! Simon James Green Is one of my all time favourite authors, and I’m practically always gushing over how much I love his Noah books, so of course I was over the moon when I was given the opportunity to review his first middle grade book. I knew this book was going to be hilarious before I even picked it up and I wasn’t wrong!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> The book follows Riley, a ten year old boy who is cursed, or so he thinks. After visiting a pretty dodgy fortune teller who curses him, Riley starts to have extremely bad luck with hilarious consequences, which cause him to start looking for ways to either lift the curse, or find a good luck charm that will help to neutralise the bad luck. Riley was an extremely funny and dramatic character, and reminded me a little of Noah. It was hilarious how he made a big deal out of absolutely everything, and how he got himself into every problem imaginable. I loved how Riley was a little different to most of the kids his age, and was a bit of a loner who preferred musical theatre over playing football. I always adore the characters Simon creates and Riley was no different!</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> After going through some extremely unfortunate but extremely funny calamities, Riley meets new kid Brad, who seems like everything Riley isn’t. Brad is immediately popular, loves playing football and seems to be able to solve any problem he runs into. Even though Brad and Riley’s personalities were pretty different from each other, they immediately became friends and found out they had all sorts of things in common including a love for musical theatre. Their friendship was honestly adorable and it kind of made me miss being their age when kids were less judgemental and you didn’t have to have absolutely everything in common to be friends with someone. As Riley’s old best friend moved away, it was heart warming to see him finally have someone to hang out with again. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> Something that I loved about Brad and Riley’s friendship was they always had each other’s backs, and if something horrible or embarrassing was happening to one of them, the other would get involved too. It’s easy to just step back when someone is having a hard time, but it takes bravery to step in and support them. I loved how Brad did dumb things to help Riley out, and how Riley unknowingly helped Brad by thinking his overprotective parents were cool and their safety precautions were a good idea. I loved how Brad went from thinking his parents were an embarrassment to thinking they weren’t so bad once Riley reacted positively. Brad was such a sweet character who was always there for Riley when something bad was happening to him. I did feel a little sorry for Brad, as he trusted Riley 100% even when the evidence was stacking up against him, and was pretty heartbroken when he found out the truth. However I did love how they were able to fix things by talking to each other and explaining their side of the story.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> I adored Riley’s grandma’s idea of creating our own luck, and how this was visualised by her sticking two three leaf clovers together to create a four leaf clover, which I think really helped to explain what she meant. Riley believes that he’s unlucky and Brad is lucky, but we get a glimpse that Brad’s seemingly perfect life isn’t all it seems, and he’s had his fair share of ups and downs too. I loved how Riley realised he was actually pretty lucky to have Brad as his best friend, and how even though bad things had happened, there were a lot of positive things that had come from the experiences too. It’s so easy for us to always see the bad things that happen in our lives and ignore the good, so I loved how even though Riley had gone through some terrible ordeals, he was able to see all the good things that had happened too.</span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"> This book was both hilarious and heart warming and pretty much just what I needed right now! Despite it being a fun silly book, it also gave some important messages about the importance of friendship and how even though we might be having a terrible day, there will always be better days ahead of us. I would love to see more of Brad and Riley’s adventures in the future and I would recommend this book to kids and adults alike who are looking for a good laugh! </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 18px; line-height: 36px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEMXWD9HGoQ/WotC4Se5L6I/AAAAAAAAB_A/_5B5CwLIfjouX9pkF9hjWfueeOD2F_PiwCPcBGAYYCw/s1069/Zq_TkrkS.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="255" data-original-width="1069" height="119" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OEMXWD9HGoQ/WotC4Se5L6I/AAAAAAAAB_A/_5B5CwLIfjouX9pkF9hjWfueeOD2F_PiwCPcBGAYYCw/w500-h119/Zq_TkrkS.png" width="500" /></a></div><br /><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></span></div>
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RacheyRagdollhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06030098321688742983noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010714766414381715.post-31371098306502646382020-08-25T09:45:00.014-07:002020-08-25T10:12:41.201-07:00Review on The War of The Snakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size:18px;line-height: 36px;">So as I took part in the blog tour for this book I’m just going to dive right into the review. If you haven’t read my blog tour post then I suggest<a href="http://www.rachelsreallyrandomreviews.co.uk/2020/04/blog-tour-war-of-snakes.html"> reading that first!</a> Following on from the first book, Sam returns to Magua- Atuai, except this time his stay is a little more permanent. This book all but removed the real-life aspects from the first book and became a full-on high fantasy novel! I think I did prefer how Sam kept world switching in the first book, but doing it this way definitely helped to keep us in the action. I loved how vast this world was, and it was explored far more in this book than in the first one. As the first book was half the size of this one, I felt like the world wasn’t set up fully, but we really see it’s full potential in the sequel.</span><br /><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 36px;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #333333; line-height: 36px;"><span face="" style="color: black;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size:15px;line-height: 36px;">This book introduces us to a wide range of new characters, which was interesting, but it pushed most of the characters we were introduced to in the first book to the sidelines. As Sam only briefly returns to his world, we barely see Alice, which was disappointing as she was the character who I was most interested in learning more about. As Pania was kidnapped at the end of book one she is absent for the majority of this one, Ma-aka doesn’t return until about halfway through, and even then he doesn’t come up much, and Ngaire is only briefly reunited with Sam before being left behind. The only constant character from the first book was Babu, and although I loved Babu, I missed the other characters. The majority of the characters remained pretty one dimensional. Although fantasy novels often have multiple characters, they usually focus on the protagonist and around five other characters. I think what just didn’t work was all the characters apart from Sam and Babu were focused on equally, so we never got to a point where we knew them well and cared about them. Something else I noticed was how the spelling of certain character’s names kept changing. Honestly it made it seem like the author just threw them in and forgot their names!<br />
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There is a severe lack of women in this series which I was disappointed about. I think only four women in the whole book actually had names, and although women fought alongside the men, the book focused on the men. The book was never openly diverse, and although I pictured Ma-aka in my head as being black, the book never actually describes anyone's race. Even though this lets us picture the characters however we want, it also means I can’t openly praise it for including diverse characters. The sad truth is that people often see white as the default when race isn’t mentioned, so even if the author had intended certain characters to be POC, it didn’t come across directly.<br />
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Despite the characters lacking detail, I do have to talk about how much I loved Howahkan, a Bjarke who had changed sides to help the Turangai. The Bjarke are a bit like the Slytherins or the Wen Clan (points if you get that reference!) in that everyone thinks they are all inherently evil. However Howahkan was tortured by the Bjarke after he refused to murder a mother and child and was saved by the Turangai. I loved that he went against what was expected of him and realised what the Bjarke were doing was wrong. There were a few hints that he was still secretly working for the Nephillim, but as this was never really confirmed I still want to believe he’s good. Really I’ll be disappointed if he turns out to be evil in the next book!<br />
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Although I enjoyed the book it felt like it just wasn’t quite ready to be published. There were some inconsistences such as the first book explaining that the gender of the padme were the same as the person they were assigned to, but in this book some of the Padme had different gender to their charge, and as I mentioned earlier, the spellings of side characters names changed. It made it even more impossible to remember who was who! I am interested in this story enough to want to finish the series, but I do hope more attention is paid to it and that characters other than Sam and Babu have their chance to shine.</span></span></div>
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