Tuesday, 26 April 2016
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
To play along just do the following:
The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Córdova.
Merpeople and stories about them used to be my go-to fantasy folklore. The little mermaid (the original, not the Disney version) is one of the first stories I remember to ever make me cry when I was a child ... and I realise that in my still going back and wanting more there might be the foundation to why I love so many authors who live on their readers tears. So if you offer me a merpeople story with a halfway decent sounding plot, I’ll bite (sorry, not sorry about the pun, there will be more). I enjoyed the first two books in this series well enough as a quick and entertaining read and then I somehow lost sight of it when it came to the third book. It recently resurfaced on my reader (that thing is a black hole and I’m so very guilty of feeding it) and I was between books and could use a fun and quick comfort story. Squid was I wrong about the comforting part, there is quite a bit of rough seas and whirlpool turmoil in this final instalment, which brings the series to a satisfying and fitting close. I would have loved a little more introspective and maybe a little less action and fighting, but all in all it remains in my mind an enjoyable and fun series that I’ll recommend if you are asking for something with fantastical creatures and are not at all afraid of the deep sea. Water can be lovely and refreshing, but it can and will drown you if given the chance.
As I just confessed to forgetting about a book in a series ... has this happened to you? And did you pick it up at some point and dive right back in? Let’s hear from you in the comments along with your teasers!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Vast and Brutal Sea by Zoraida Córdova.
 |
| The Vast and Brutal Sea – Sourcebooks Fire |
Except that he doesn’t worry enough, so I have to worry for both of us. Smooth seas means the storm has past, or is only just arriving.
— Chapter 15
By now I should be used to people trying to kill me.
But somehow, it always comes as a bit of a shock.
— Chapter 25
Merpeople and stories about them used to be my go-to fantasy folklore. The little mermaid (the original, not the Disney version) is one of the first stories I remember to ever make me cry when I was a child ... and I realise that in my still going back and wanting more there might be the foundation to why I love so many authors who live on their readers tears. So if you offer me a merpeople story with a halfway decent sounding plot, I’ll bite (sorry, not sorry about the pun, there will be more). I enjoyed the first two books in this series well enough as a quick and entertaining read and then I somehow lost sight of it when it came to the third book. It recently resurfaced on my reader (that thing is a black hole and I’m so very guilty of feeding it) and I was between books and could use a fun and quick comfort story. Squid was I wrong about the comforting part, there is quite a bit of rough seas and whirlpool turmoil in this final instalment, which brings the series to a satisfying and fitting close. I would have loved a little more introspective and maybe a little less action and fighting, but all in all it remains in my mind an enjoyable and fun series that I’ll recommend if you are asking for something with fantastical creatures and are not at all afraid of the deep sea. Water can be lovely and refreshing, but it can and will drown you if given the chance.
As I just confessed to forgetting about a book in a series ... has this happened to you? And did you pick it up at some point and dive right back in? Let’s hear from you in the comments along with your teasers!
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
To play along just do the following:
The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski.
The third and final book in a trilogy where I asked myself at the end of the second book how in the world this was ever supposed to end in something else than utter destruction. I’m not asking myself that anymore and I fear that this feeling of hope is also dangerous (I’m completely ruined by books in regards to the concept of hope, congratulations literature). There is a new character, who was introduced in the second book, whom I didn’t think I would like as more than an interesting secondary character, but now I find that I’m quite curious about this person and if there is ever to be a spin-off or extension of the story (given that the world isn’t blown to smithereens during the last 150 pages) the eastern prince would be a great choice ... hint hint.
If the author didn’t completely blow it in the final parts of the story, and I really doubt she did, this will be a worthy conclusion to a great trilogy that had all the political and personal intrigue and power games a reader could ask for, all set in an opulent alternative slightly historical seeming universe with quite a vibrant set of characters and story lines. I feel that this is one of the series I want to read more than once and figure out all the twists and turns and foreshadowing.
As I was reading I found that I maybe should have reread the previous book at least to some extent in order to remember the details, but then I thought that I’d probably reread the series after I finished and I had so many other books calling to me. Which option do you prefer? Rereading before a new book in a series publishes or rereading once all books are out? Share your opinions and teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Winner’s Kiss by Marie Rutkoski.
 |
| The Winner’s Kiss – Bloomsbury |
“Do you want me to stay?”
Kestrel wondered if every question is a way of putting yourself at the mercy of someone else. “It would cost you too much.”
— Chapter 17
“Now, it would be nice if information fell out of the sky. Given that it doesn’t, it is still nevertheless comforting that certain people do horrible things so that other people don’t have to. We should be grateful to such people. Or we should at least not ask questions when we don’t want answers.”.
— Chapter 22
The third and final book in a trilogy where I asked myself at the end of the second book how in the world this was ever supposed to end in something else than utter destruction. I’m not asking myself that anymore and I fear that this feeling of hope is also dangerous (I’m completely ruined by books in regards to the concept of hope, congratulations literature). There is a new character, who was introduced in the second book, whom I didn’t think I would like as more than an interesting secondary character, but now I find that I’m quite curious about this person and if there is ever to be a spin-off or extension of the story (given that the world isn’t blown to smithereens during the last 150 pages) the eastern prince would be a great choice ... hint hint.
If the author didn’t completely blow it in the final parts of the story, and I really doubt she did, this will be a worthy conclusion to a great trilogy that had all the political and personal intrigue and power games a reader could ask for, all set in an opulent alternative slightly historical seeming universe with quite a vibrant set of characters and story lines. I feel that this is one of the series I want to read more than once and figure out all the twists and turns and foreshadowing.
As I was reading I found that I maybe should have reread the previous book at least to some extent in order to remember the details, but then I thought that I’d probably reread the series after I finished and I had so many other books calling to me. Which option do you prefer? Rereading before a new book in a series publishes or rereading once all books are out? Share your opinions and teasers in the comments!
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
To play along just do the following:
When We Collided by Emery Lord.
This book gave me a very special appreciation that not all happy endings need to be a happily ever after. Or actually happy. The story celebrates the joy of the moment and that some moments, even if they are finite, are wonderful. And this is not taken away from them once they are over. In danger of sounding like a Hallmark card, or rather like Faulkner, really: Don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened.
I realise that I’m not saying anything about the plot itself, and I don’t think I have to. Not much apart from: It’s a summer love story about two people meeting, falling in love, and finding themselves in the process of healing (on their own and each other). Simple as that and yet so very precious and complex in it’s language and storytelling.
If the criticism is that there are aspects of this book that aren’t perfect or pretty ... well reality isn’t that way either and no two people handle things the same. And while there are actions portrayed in this book that shoudln’t be emulated there is, in my opinion, nothing in the story that condones those actions, but rather on the contrary shows the consequences. And I’m very confident that readers are mature and intelligent enough that if they appreciate the book they can form their own opinion on those actions and make informed choices accordingly.
Do you have a book with an unhappy happy ending that made you feel sad but still appreciate it for its very existence? Share experiences and your teasers in the comments.
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
When We Collided by Emery Lord.
 |
| When We Collided – Bloomsbury |
But life surprises you. Life tells you to close your eyes and blow out the candles, and sometimes life smashes your face into the cake before you can even make a wish.The main character of this book will drive you mad, you will find her annoying and dislike her at times. And you will fall utterly in love with the other main character and want one like him for yourself. And you would be correct with all those feelings and so very wrong about some of them at the same time. It is all there, the hints are clear in the text, but it will take until almost the end of the book for the science to make sense of some of what’s happening. And other things can’t be explained anyway.
— Chapter 7
Our bodies block the beam from the lighthouse as we wave our arms and, even though we can’t see it, we’re casting shadows onto the sky so that even the constellations will know: we are seventeen and shattered and still dancing. We have messy, throbbing hearts, and we are stronger than anyone could ever know.
— Chapter 13
This book gave me a very special appreciation that not all happy endings need to be a happily ever after. Or actually happy. The story celebrates the joy of the moment and that some moments, even if they are finite, are wonderful. And this is not taken away from them once they are over. In danger of sounding like a Hallmark card, or rather like Faulkner, really: Don’t cry because it’s over, but smile because it happened.
I realise that I’m not saying anything about the plot itself, and I don’t think I have to. Not much apart from: It’s a summer love story about two people meeting, falling in love, and finding themselves in the process of healing (on their own and each other). Simple as that and yet so very precious and complex in it’s language and storytelling.
If the criticism is that there are aspects of this book that aren’t perfect or pretty ... well reality isn’t that way either and no two people handle things the same. And while there are actions portrayed in this book that shoudln’t be emulated there is, in my opinion, nothing in the story that condones those actions, but rather on the contrary shows the consequences. And I’m very confident that readers are mature and intelligent enough that if they appreciate the book they can form their own opinion on those actions and make informed choices accordingly.
Do you have a book with an unhappy happy ending that made you feel sad but still appreciate it for its very existence? Share experiences and your teasers in the comments.
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
To play along just do the following:
Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan.
I was recently asked what made a great book for me and I said that I need the characters to be real (not relatable, but authentic) and the plot to make sense and not babble along. The writing can be the most beautiful and the idea the most imaginary, but if these two aspects aren’t met, the book could never convince me of its greatness. This could have gone either way with this retelling of A Tale of Two Cities, but I needn’t have worried ... at least not in the sense of will I love it and will it utterly destroy me, because it is Sarah Rees Brennan after all, one of my favourite tormentors. Or: One of the authors I’d cheerfully hand an imaginary stiletto and beg them to stab and twist at their leisure. And please wring the very last tear from me while you’re at it. No, really, I adored this story even if I knew how it would have to end (hoped differently certainly, but see above).
What I possibly love most would be the very clear yet delicate writing, which managed to pierce the exact meaning and evoke a multitude of emotions without forcing these experiences onto you. I didn’t mind that I was plunged into this new world with magic and strange rules and habits, because I knew for certain that it would all make sense or be explained when necessary.
There is a lot of praise due for this book: the characters, which aren’t perfect, but more real for being flawed; the retelling itself true to the original, but with its own twists and surprises and hardships; the world with its gritty reality and magic, which I would have liked to see more of; and of course (because this is where I think Sarah Rees Brennan excels) the relationships between the characters, it can’t feel more real than this. I would have loved more of this book, to have a little more insight into the world and spend more time withCarwyn all of the cast. But I also admire the brevity of the story and the impact it managed to have on me despite or because of it.
What is your absolute have to have for a story to make you describe it as great? Share ideas and teasers in the comments.
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan.
 |
| Tell the Wind and Fire – Clarion Books |
Maybe that is the only thing I have ever learned about love: love is when you save someone no matter what the cost.
— Chapter 3
All the more beautiful because it was fragile. Never more beautiful than at the instant before it was destroyed.
— Chapter 12
I was recently asked what made a great book for me and I said that I need the characters to be real (not relatable, but authentic) and the plot to make sense and not babble along. The writing can be the most beautiful and the idea the most imaginary, but if these two aspects aren’t met, the book could never convince me of its greatness. This could have gone either way with this retelling of A Tale of Two Cities, but I needn’t have worried ... at least not in the sense of will I love it and will it utterly destroy me, because it is Sarah Rees Brennan after all, one of my favourite tormentors. Or: One of the authors I’d cheerfully hand an imaginary stiletto and beg them to stab and twist at their leisure. And please wring the very last tear from me while you’re at it. No, really, I adored this story even if I knew how it would have to end (hoped differently certainly, but see above).
What I possibly love most would be the very clear yet delicate writing, which managed to pierce the exact meaning and evoke a multitude of emotions without forcing these experiences onto you. I didn’t mind that I was plunged into this new world with magic and strange rules and habits, because I knew for certain that it would all make sense or be explained when necessary.
There is a lot of praise due for this book: the characters, which aren’t perfect, but more real for being flawed; the retelling itself true to the original, but with its own twists and surprises and hardships; the world with its gritty reality and magic, which I would have liked to see more of; and of course (because this is where I think Sarah Rees Brennan excels) the relationships between the characters, it can’t feel more real than this. I would have loved more of this book, to have a little more insight into the world and spend more time with
What is your absolute have to have for a story to make you describe it as great? Share ideas and teasers in the comments.
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books And A Beat.
To play along just do the following:
The Moth and the Flame by Renée Ahdieh.
Authors who write extended short stories about my favourite supporting characters have a sure-fire way to make me love them forever. And Despina and Jalal have been two of my absolute favourite not-main-characters of 2015 in The Wrath and the Dawn. And now I get to read their story and also get to know them better before the new full book is published in April. It is not essential information to understand the main story, but I like this extension of the story universe. In every story with well-developed characters these need to have a back story. And if the author is willing to share them, I won’t discourage it.
What is your favourite character extension story if you have one? Share them along with your teasers in the comments!
To play along just do the following:
- Grab your current read
- Open to a random page
- Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
- BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
- Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
The Moth and the Flame by Renée Ahdieh.
 |
| The Moth and the Flame – G. P. Putnam’s Sons |
He could supposedly charm the skirts off a girl with nothing but sly words and flippant promises.
At the memory of such tales, Despina stifled a laugh.
Impossibly ridiculous. Removing clothing involved a great deal more than words.
— Chapter 1
It was an easy room to find. The only one with a guard posted outside the door.
— Chapter 5
Authors who write extended short stories about my favourite supporting characters have a sure-fire way to make me love them forever. And Despina and Jalal have been two of my absolute favourite not-main-characters of 2015 in The Wrath and the Dawn. And now I get to read their story and also get to know them better before the new full book is published in April. It is not essential information to understand the main story, but I like this extension of the story universe. In every story with well-developed characters these need to have a back story. And if the author is willing to share them, I won’t discourage it.
What is your favourite character extension story if you have one? Share them along with your teasers in the comments!
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