politics
Review: And I Darken by Kiersten White
But there are many ways to be powerful. There is power in stillness. There is power in watching, waiting, saying the right thing at the right time to the right person. There is power in being a woman—oh yes, power in these bodies you gaze upon with derision…. When you have something someone else wants, there is always an element of power.
I have been utterly destroyed by this wonderful book, and you know what? I couldn’t be happier about it. I have no idea what to do with my life while I lie in wait for the sequel for another year, but that is beside the point. I actually called my (now ex) boyfriend after I finished the novel and told him that I didn’t know how to exist in a world where I physically cannot go buy the sequel instantaneously, right now. He didn’t have any suitable advice for me—not from a lack of trying, but because I was inconsolable. For that reason, I’m going to blather on about my feelings for this book here. I hope you enjoy.
And I Darken is a gender-swapped retelling of Vlad the Impaler, who was a notoriously violent prince in 1400s’ Ottoman Empire. In this story, Lada—our Vlad—grows up in Wallachia with her younger brother Radu. She is raised to be cruel as a means of survival in a world that clearly favors men of wealth. Used as pawns in a political game, Lada and Radu have to cleverly outmaneuver all of the foes that move against their very lives. Read the rest of this entry »
Mean Girls Book Tag
I was tagged in this almost a year ago by the lovely Kacie at A Bumble in Books (see her post here), and if you haven’t checked out her blog, I suggest you do so. I’m so sorry that I haven’t done this yet, but I’m doing it now. I’m also currently watching the movie to get myself in the mood for it, and let’s be honest here. Mean Girls is fantastic and hilarious.
{Story time: my roommate literally came running when she heard the movie playing through my door. “Are you watching Mean Girls?!”}
On to the tag!
“It’s pronounced like ‘Cady.’” – Which fictional characters’ names did you get completely wrong?
Basically everyone from And I Darken by Kiersten White. Ladislav Dragwlya, Mehmed. It’s not that I necessarily got their names wrong, but I don’t know how to pronounce their names in general. When I first read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, I had no idea how to pronounce Carlisle. I vividly remember debating about the pronunciation with my friend in middle school. Read the rest of this entry »
The Olympics Book Tag
In the spirit of the phenomenal athletes working their hardest in Brazil, I thought I would do The Olympics Book Tag! I absolutely adore the Olympics, both the summer and the winter games. Obviously, the summer games are currently going on for the next week or so, and I encourage you all to at least watch one of the events because personally, I just find it all so impressive.
Jordyn at jordzthebibliophile created this tag, and you can find the original here. I wasn’t tagged, but I’m not going to let that stop me. So, let’s get to it! Read the rest of this entry »
Top 5 Wednesday: Books I Feel Differently About
Top 5 Wednesday is a weekly meme created be gingerreadslainey on YouTube, but it is now managed by Thoughts on Tomes. The Goodreads group page can be found here.
I’m pretty excited about this topic because most of the time, I never go back to talk about a book after I post my review. For this topic, we’re supposed to discuss books that we feel differently about now that we’ve had more time to think about them, and I’m sure that my opinions vary over time. We could talk about books that we either loved, and now, looking back, we don’t like as much, or we could talk about books that we didn’t like, and now, we have a greater appreciation for. At first, I tried to come with examples of both, but generally, once I dislike a book, there is no redemption for it. I couldn’t think of any, so this list will only have books that I once liked, and now, I don’t.
A few of these are probably controversial opinions, so please be wary of that.
Books that I liked at first, and now? Not so much.
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Okay, so I’m not hating on this book. I will always appreciate this series for getting me back into reading all those years ago when I was 14 years old. However, after getting back into a reading groove and after so many years and so many books, I do not think that this series was as wonderful as I thought it was when I was younger. Now, I do have many frustrations with it although I never see myself getting rid of my copies of the books. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: Morning Star by Pierce Brown
I have anxiously been awaiting this book—this finale—for a year. I finally got to it recently, and I have so many emotions. There’s surprise, excitement, frustration, etc. I’m worried that this review will slight towards my frustrations more than my love for this book and the trilogy as a whole. After all, it is easier to write about negatives than positives. This review will have no spoilers. Read the rest of this entry »
Review: V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
V for Vendetta, what could I possibly say that could describe the way I feel about you? The 2006 film V for Vendetta is my all-time favorite movie ever. To be perfectly honest, I cannot imagine that changing anytime soon. I suppose I knew going into this graphic novel that it would be a very difficult sell for me because of my adoration of the movie. That being said, there aren’t many things that are inherently wrong with this book, but overall, it just didn’t sit with me as well as its film version did.
Remember, remember the fifth of November, the gunpowder treason and plot. I know of no reason why the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot.
If you are not aware, V for Vendetta is an incredibly complex tale of a corrupt, fascist government and one man’s journey to bring it down. It follows a large group of characters from the mysterious, masked V, his young follower Evey, to an investigator by the name of Finch. There is a high level of complications within the government, betrayals, and schemes. As the reader, you are never quite certain with where it will lead. Read the rest of this entry »
