The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

And so it ends.

This trilogy has meant so much to me. It has brought me so much joy and excitement. My love for reading started at a young age because books and stories transported me away to another world and relieved me of the stress of the real one I was living in. As I've gotten I've kind of lost that ability. I'm far too involved in adulting and other real life shenanigans to check out with a book like I did when I was a kid. But, every once in a while a book or two will grab me and keep me completely occupied long after I finish the final sentence. And with the Winter Night Trilogy - I got three books like that. I waited in anticipation for each new release. And when the final came (I got the ARC from Netgalley a couple of months before the formal release)....I found myself unable to pick it up and start it. Why? Because then it would be on its way to being over. But all things must come to an end,or so they say. More accurately - no amount of my epic levels of procrastination will stop the trilogy from coming its end and I wanted to read it and to be a part of it while it was a current discussion. I didn't want to be tooo late to the party.)

So without further ado..I bring to you my official review of the finale of the year.

Visual Description: This cover is primarily yellow, orange, and shades of wintery blue and lavender. The darkened silhouette of a young woman standing strong on a snowy boulder (her back to the audience) with a staff in her right palm. Ahead of her within her sight line are the silhouette of a medieval army. Rising above them is the pale but fiery image of a fire bird that is seemingly coming forth from her staff. It is the most striking image in the cover next to the silhouette of the young woman. Above these images bordered with old world filagree and written in blue "The Winter of the Witch". Below to the side of the woman in small italic 'a novel'. And below the woman and her rock, at the very bottom of the cover, is 'Katherine Arden. Author of The Bear and the Nightingale').

Publishing: January 8th, 2019, Del Rey

Pg Count: Ebook - 384 pgs

Following their adventures in The Bear and the Nightingale and The Girl in the Tower, Vasya and Morozko return in this stunning conclusion to the bestselling Winternight Trilogy, battling enemies mortal and magical to save both Russias, the seen and the unseen.Now Moscow has been struck by disaster. Its people are searching for answers—and for someone to blame. Vasya finds herself alone, beset on all sides. The Grand Prince is in a rage, choosing allies that will lead him on a path to war and ruin. A wicked demon returns, stronger than ever and determined to spread chaos. Caught at the center of the conflict is Vasya, who finds the fate of two worlds resting on her shoulders. Her destiny uncertain, Vasya will uncover surprising truths about herself and her history as she desperately tries to save Russia, Morozko, and the magical world she treasures. But she may not be able to save them all. - Nabbed from the blurb from Goodreads. 


We pick up straight away within the aftermath of the great fire. I was a bit surprised. I had it in my imagination that we would find her roaming the wintery Russia landscape on the back of Solovey as she had done so often in the book before. But, instead - she still has soot in her hair and everyone is scrambling to repair and assess and recover.

There is so much that happens within the first few pages of the book. I can't and won't give spoilers but your heart will literally be ripped apart from your chest and you will be sobbing within the first chapters. Like no joke. The Winter of the Witch will have the FULL RANGE of emotions fill every crack in your soul before it ends.

As before (and I deeply and heavily insinuate that you shouldn't even be reading this post if you haven't read the other two books in the trilogy and in fact should go right now and get which ever one is the one you need to read in order to get caught up like RIGHT now!) and in true Winternight fashion - we say hello to familiar friends and meet some new ones along the way. Arden dances a beautiful dance of revealing new things, meeting new creatures, and still keeping the old ones around. I think it would be easy to have the conclusion to any trilogy (or series) be confined to closing out storylines and drawing everything to a close without introducing anything new. But, this is Vasya and she attracts trouble and creatures to her like she is cheese and they are mice.

Vasya is as always a force to be reckoned with but finally SHE is the one reckoning with herself. She is the one who starts to be the dealer and not just the dealt. Grabbing the reins (no pun intended) and winging it is what she's done before. But she goes further than just grabbing the reins and hoping for the best. She begins to plan and to make deals and to exert and practice and explore her own power. In the end, she basically (as we all predicted) saves medieval Russia.

In The Winter of the Witch we finally meet Arden's end game goal - that big battle of Kulukovo against the tartars that has been foreshadowed, alluded, threatened, warned, and feared/desired since the start of the trilogy. Remember little Kolya and little Vasya playing battle against the tartars way back in The Bear and the Nightingale? Yea. It's been a-brewing since the start. And, in fact, it was her (Arden) absolute goal to get to that battle and make it not just about the unification and liberation of medieval Rus' but also a battle and reconciliation of the old with the new, the chyerti and the Church, Vasya against the way of life she is 'supposed' to inhabit (basically Vasya against medieval Rus' Patriarchy. It all comes to a violent head at the battle of Kulikovo.

The ending of the Winternight trilogy had a definite urgent pulse to it. More so than the other books. There were no significant lapses of times that wove like tapestry. It was all straight forward, hurtling towards the Battle of Kulikova. Which makes Arden's ability to introduce new creatures, lands, and ideas while closing out the old storylines even more admirable.

My only wish is that there would have been some visiting with her old village and with the siblings she left behind in the first book. Kolya and Olga were left behind and I missed them. To be truthful - they were better siblings to Vasya than Irina and Sasha. Irina and Sasha were caught up in politics and intrigue (not exactly their fault but of their choosing just the same) to be as good as a sibling as the sister and brother Vasya left behind. I wish we could have seen how they were turning out. I felt like there was a natural reason for Vasya to go back - to deliver their gifted niece to a safe place where she could grow up. But, that had to be sacrificed because there was a battle coming and there were things that needed to be done!

Everything that she foreshadowed or teased throughout the previous two books were tied up. Such as - where does the magic come from in Vasya's bloodline? Who was her great-grandmother? (My suspicion was correct!). And we get so much information with so much more adventure in store for Vasya that it breaks my heart that we won't be able to be with her through them. I'd love more Vasya. I'd ride to the end of the world and jump off in the name of seeing what was below if it was beside her.

I, of course, am giving this a five out of five rating. I love this book. I love this trilogy. I will continue to treasure it forever and ever and all that sappy book-loving jazz. Its bittersweet to find this particular story come to a close after it has given me so much joy. But, the magical thing about books? They don't change and they will always be there.

Until next time,

Jess

P.S. Have tissue ready because you will be bawling at the start and finish and in-between. But mostly the start and the finish. I had to literally stop reading and pick the book up later in the day I was crying so hard at the start. And in the end I  ended up listening to most of it on audiobook while clutching a dishrag to wipe away evidence of the sob-fest that was possessing my body.

Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

Visual Description: The cover is wintery in shades of blue, gray, silver, and white, with some objects golden. In the lower quarter part of the cover is the author's name "Naomi Novik' in gold. Below in dark blue is the title "Spinning Silver". Both are in a Renaissance, Old World font. Below both is a small terrain of a mountain and some trees. Above the title and author's name is a large frame with jagged glass and a column with three shelves with crystal formation jutting up from the top on it's left side. In the mirror is a strong boned young woman with loose brown hair, blue eyes in a gray dress, her sleeves shover to her shoulder, and she's dropping silver coins into her outstretched palm and the coins slowly turn from silver to gold with the coins in her outstretched hands golden. In the top shelf of the column to the left is a silver bag of silver coins, the second shelf is full with a handsome man with long white hair and strong features with no expression on his face, and at the bottom shelf has golden coins spilling out from it. 

Publishing: July 10th 2018, Del Rey

Page Count: Kindle Edition 480 pgs.

Find the Author: Website

"Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders...but her father isn't a very good one. Free to lend and reluctant to collect, he has loaned out most of his wife's dowry and left the family on the edge of poverty--until Miryem steps in. Hardening her heart against her fellow villagers' pleas, she sets out to collect what is owed--and finds herself more than up to the task. When her grandfather loans her a pouch of silver pennies, she brings it back full of gold. But having the reputation of being able to change silver to gold can be more trouble than it's worth--especially when her fate becomes tangled with the cold creatures that haunt the wood, and whose king has learned of her reputation and wants to exploit it for reasons Miryem cannot understand." - Nabbed from Goodreads

Ok so...Spinning Silver is NOT a sequel to Uprooted. My hopes got high when I saw the cover and how similar it was to Uprooted. Alas, it is not. But - it is a sister novel in spirit!

Novak does what she does most excellently and twists and re-crafts an ages-old tale. With Uprooted it was the dragon who steals maidens. A tale that we have all read, thought of, and known. With Spinning Silver we get a completely re-imagined spin on Rumpelstiltskin. And while (if you watched Once Upon A Time) a re-imagined Rumpelstiltskin isn't a foreign idea to me - her approach as it was in Uprooted is original and enticing.

There are three young women at the center of this spinning tale. They are not instantly heroic girls with perfect hearts and admirable quirks. They are flawed, perfect, skilled, unskilled, soft, and hard in different ways.

Meryem watches for years people taking from her family with no intent of returning what they borrowed. Watching while they had luxuries and necessities that her family didn't. Her parents are absolutely loving and nurturing and kind but they have no back-bone when it comes to moneylending. Correction - they're great at the lending of money but they're terrible at the getting the money back. It hardens her and makes her a steely and clever moneylender. She appears to be far more cold than she truly is.

“They would have devoured my family and picked their teeth with the bones, and never been sorry at all. Better to be turned to ice by the Staryk, who didn't pretend to be a neighbor.” - Meryem

Wanda is the poorest and most vulnerable of the three young women. Her mother passed away years ago leaving two younger brothers, a string of dead babies long buried, and a very abusive father. Wanda is ignorant but not in a dangerous way. She is taken in early in the novel as a servant to pay off the debt that her father owed Meryem's family and she sees them as 'magic'. Their book-keeping is magic and when she learns it then she knows herself that she is now a magician, Meryem's ability to turn a profit is magic, and even Meryem's mothers ability to find a relative and a new friend in a string of strangers are magic in Wanda's eyes. Just as much magic as the elfin ice people who make the winter longer are. She struggles to form a loving connection with her brothers and her journey with the ability to love and to trust and to express love is beautiful to watch.

“I looked at Lukas. He did not look very pleased, but he did not look very sad either. He was only giving me a considering eye. I was a pig at the market he had decided to buy. He was hoping I fattened up well and gave him many piglets before it was time to make bacon.” - Wanda

Irina's the plain daughter of a beautiful, partially Staryk mother who died when she was a child. She's completely overlooked and underrated by her father and step mother. She's withdrawn and cool - so much so that her own nurse from infancy doesn't know if Irina loves her as she loves Irina until later in the story. I don't want to give too much away but she becomes a force to be reckoned with, a true Tsarina who embraces the responsibility to care for her people above all else. Irina's survival instincts have no chill and she is calculating without any shame or hesitation.

“The only thing that had ever done me any good in my father's house was thinking: no one had cared what I wanted, or whether I was happy. I'd had to find my own way to anything I wanted. I'd never been grateful for that before now, when what I wanted was my life.” - Irina

Their stories weave in and out of each other until they firmly tie together in a intricate knot at a height of the plot. I adore that the girls aren't perfect and have realistic flaws. They aren't bad but they aren't entirely good except they are. They are easy to root for, even if they're doing things that contradict each other because each one has a relatable motive.

But, its good to remember going into this story - that this is not the story of girls finding each other and banding together to defeat the big bad. Each girl is powerful in her own right and finds her own victory and losses.

The Spinning Silver world, in comparison to Uprooted, is more-so in our world than a fictionally created fantasy world often is. And it is even more fleshed out by the rare, accurate, and authentic representation of Judaism. Meryem and her family are Jewish. And Novak does not shirk from facing anti-Semitism straight on without looking away. I think, it's easy for writers to...write around horrible realities - especially so when writing Fantasy. But, to write a Jewish family and community in a medieval Russian-esque land without writing anti-Semitism would be lazy and false. One part (again trying not to give too much away) where Meryem is literally forced to acknowledge that a decision she is going to make is entirely self-serving and that it could very much take something that her people might need in the future to keep their lives is a profound moment, gutting moment of reality.

With Uprooted their religion was vague and entirely mystic and often times kind of useless. Religion in Spinning Silver is very familiar and very important - as it was in real medieval times in our world. The Christianity is familiar and usual but the focus on Judaism (Meryem and her family are Jewish) is refreshing and much needed in the genre. Or, well, any genre. There are not a lot of Jewish heroines out there and definitely not many in the fantasy medieval genre.

As for the ACTUAL magic of the world - The Staryk are, I believe, a completely original creation. The Staryk are cold creatures (literally made of ice) who possess their own culture of debts and worth and words and promises that are almost impossible to translate into the language of humanity. They live in another world that only connect to ours when winter comes. It drenched in silver, in cold, in winter. They come and hunt and terrorize humans. They crave gold above all else and they are making winter longer, and longer, and longer. It is them - their King to be more specific - that come for Meryem so that she can turn their silver into gold. And it is by her own human words that she unwittingly binds herself to her fate. Again - they have this whole almost-too confusing culture of words, worth, debt, and repayment.

There are other threats that weave around Meryem and her Staryk plot that aren't even alluded to in the synopsis. Irina's married off to the Tsar (thanks to some Staryk silver magic) who is harboring a terrible, terrible secret. Wanda and her brothers find this magic cottage in the woods where it seems invisible people live. There's a murder. A wedding. Actually like three weddings and like four proposals (attempts included). And I'm not giving away a quarter of what happens by revealing these details.

With winter settling in for the long haul (I'm writing this literally at like 1 a.m. on Midwinter Solstice) Spinning Silver is one of my recommended reads. The only truly negative thing I have to say about it is the way its formatted or the lack thereof. There are so many narratives and none of them are labeled. And they are all written in first person. It's a testament to Novik's writing skills that you can follow along and there are icons breaking them up as they shift characters but it's still confusing. I do think it's clever to for-go titling each one with names in a tale based on Rumpelstiltzskin. Names are very important to the Staryk! BUT its' confusing! And threw me for a loop. Although I must note that I was reading the e-book on my Kindle and I have read accounts where reviewers mention that each character perspective has a different icon assigned to them. The icons did not change in my copy. I would totally not even complain about the lack of titling perspective shifts if that was so in my copy because that sounds clever and cool. So watch out for that! But don't let it deter you from diving into this story because it is well worth the read.

I hope the holidays have and do treat you well this year. If I don't post until after the first of the year (likely with my posting rate, lol) - please have a safe, happy, and warm New Years!

Good reading always,

Jess

“There are men who are wolves inside, and want to eat up other people to fill their bellies. That it what was in your house with you, all your life. But here you are with your brothers, and you are not eaten up, and there is not a wolf inside you. You have fed each other, and you kept the wolf away. That is all we can do for each other in the world, to keep the wolf away. And if there has been food in my house for you, then I am glad, glad with all my heart. I hope there will always be.” - Fav. quote! Read and find out who says it and to whom. lol. 

Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft - Tess Sharp, Jessica Spotswood

Visual Description: Purple cover with "Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft' in large white semi-cursive script. Framing the cover are simple illustrations colored in variations of gold, orange, and white - cats, swirling ivy, poison, skulls, moon, cauldrons, cawing crows, open palm, and a spider web.

Publishing: August 28th, 2018. Harlequin Teen.

Pg Count: 405 pgs, Hardcover

Find more info: Goodreads

"A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era. Are you a good witch or a bad witch? Glinda the Good Witch. Elphaba the Wicked Witch. Willow. Sabrina. Gemma Doyle. The Mayfair Witches. Ursula the Sea Witch. Morgan le Fey. The three weird sisters from Macbeth. History tells us women accused of witchcraft were often outsiders: educated, independent, unmarried, unwilling to fall in line with traditional societal expectations. Bold. Powerful. Rebellious. A bruja’s traditional love spell has unexpected results. A witch’s healing hands begin to take life instead of giving it when she ignores her attraction to a fellow witch. In a terrifying future, women are captured by a cabal of men crying witchcraft and the one true witch among them must fight to free them all. In a desolate past, three orphaned sisters prophesize for a murderous king. Somewhere in the present, a teen girl just wants to kiss a boy without causing a hurricane. From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely--has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored." - Nabbed from Goodreads

'Tis the season for witches and things that go bump in the night. Actually - in my firm opinion - there is no such thing as a 'season for witches' because witches are timeless and deserve love every season of the year. If not because they are nature-based and obviously WAY more in tune with the seasons than we are - then because we are in desperate need of magick year around. That being said..there is something obvious about the cooling, coming Autumn time that inspires a person to curl up with a witchy book or two. "Toil and Trouble' was the first book I picked up this year when I started getting that witchy vibe coming on. I've been looking forward to it forever - I'm a huge fan of Jessica Spotswood's anthology editing work. She's brought me not one but TWO Tyranny of Petticoats books and now this...Toil and Trouble. Fifteen tales of women and witchcraft.

Absolutely and utterly my cup of mystic tea.

Toil & Trouble is everything that it promises to be. It spans time, the world, worlds (plural)...etc. Each one stands on their own and it's a terrible choice to figure out which ones deserve specific mention. It's one of the best anthologies in YA, if not THE best ever. I honestly haven't read much anthologies outside of YA so I can't say it's top dog outside of the genre BUT...I can suggest it to anyone whose interests are outside of the Young Adult genre.

There's layers upon layers of feelings and meanings that the anthology encompasses as a whole. And individually the stories will sing to you in different ways. Songs that sooth, that enrage, that heal, that inspire, that devastate, that make you burn as surely as our predecessors burned at the stake for being.

I am suggesting Toil & Trouble to basically everyone, ANYONE, who is remotely interested.

Until next time,

Jess

Top Ten Tuesday : Longest Reads

It's been a while since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme that was created by the Broke and Bookish and is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. I was feeling extra blog-y this week and figured this was the week to jump back in! The topic this week is :

Longest Books I've Ever Read

So without further a-do...

The Kingsbridge Series by Ken Follett

Pillars of the Earth - 355,830 words

World without End - 309, 270 words

A Column of Fire - 283, 040 words

My DAD was the one that turned me onto this series. He drives trucks for a living and has been listening to audiobooks in the cab for years and Follett is one of his favorites. I recently wrapped it up with Column of Fire (Thanks Dad, for lending me your Kindle!). He's got great taste, my Dad, Follett is the master of winding out a epic historical. These are...incredibly extravagant reads. Absolutely worth the time it takes to truly and thoroughly read them. *ends mini-review here* 

Mary Queen of Scots and The Isles by Margaret George

265,350 words (estimated)

This book found its way to my bookshelf about ten years after I read it in H.S. for...err...fun. And because my sister and I are weird brain clones of each other I discovered she too read this exact book back when she was a teenager for...errr....fun. We grew up in different homes, with a state between us, so it was especially interesting that we both just naturally got super obsessed with Mary Queen of Scots and read a 870 page novel featuring every single detail of her life when we were like fifteen. I honestly don't know if I could do it again. I was such a voracious little reader back then. Now, I'm like...ugh, its so long - does my library have the audio??? lol.

A Song of Fire and Ice (Game of Thrones #1) by George R.R. Martin

292,727 words

I will always stay firm in that...I will not read past the first book of A Song of Fire and Ice until he actually finishes the series. So, that is why A Game of Thrones pops up on this list versus his other longer additions to that series. IF ONLY HE'D FINISH!!!!

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

259, 250 words

As I was eyeing my bookshelves for the fattest books my eyes fell on this beautiful, blue beauty. The new opening for the upcoming season of the Outlander Tv Series recently came out and it has me all nostalgic for Claire and Jamie in their first story. I've only read this and the next couple in the series and I didn't compare page count. Each ones are quite thick and go through a lot of material and plot and history. 

Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle #2) by Christopher Paolini

205,175 words

Remember this series? My brother and I both read it back in the day. Which is a feat because my brother hates reading. I still have the first book on my shelf (Eldest is longer, I checked! lol). It's so heavy that I had to read it sitting up, with it propped up on something!

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 

185,440 words

I'm running out of ideas of where to find my longest reads! When comparing my two favorite Dickens I discovered that Oliver Twist is longer. So, here it is. I love Dickens. I need to read more of his stuff before I kick it, for sure. I believe, that Bleak House is his longest work. But, don't quote me on it! 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

209,090 words 

I just finished this and its so fresh in my mind. It might not be the longest book on this list but it was a lot to get through. Some books have a density about them that (isn't a deterrent, by any means) makes them 'thicker' than other works of the same page or word count. If you're going with vampire fiction - 200 pgs of Harkness versus Meyer (Twilight)...one is going to be heavier than the other - even if their weight is technically the same. I'm preparing myself to start her next book in the series which is a doozy looking one. She's a historian (the author...and the main character too, lol) and REALLY loves history and it shows. It's something I enjoy (hence my first four picks on this list) so I'm up for it!

Fin! 

I couldn't think of another, every one that I thought of wasn't as long as I thought it would be! Honorable mention to the Iliad and the Oddysey that I read back in the day. Because technically those aren't the same piece of work and I read them separately.

In the construction of this list I realized that...

1. I love epic historical fiction. 

2. I will probably never be able to finish anything larger than a 400,000 word count book. Especially not in 'one go'!

3. I'm more willing to go the length if it's been on screen or been a suggestion or I just am obsessed with the genre/topic. 

4. I want to re-read most of these. 

What did you learn? I can't wait to see what everyone else put on their list and how they calculated length. I did mine via word count through this site (and google): https://www.readinglength.com/. 

Until next time, 

Jess

Wonder Woman : Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

Visual Description: Background is blue cast with two cliffs and an ocean but the focus is the large wonder woman icon in blue and gold at the center, filling the lower half of the cover. And behind it is a shadowed image of a teenage Wonderwoman with her arms crossed together. Her hair is flowing to the side and you can see her face except her eyes. They are in complete shadow. At the top in white and call caps is "LEIGH BARDUGO" and below in gold and orange "WONDER WOMAN" and "WARBRINGER".  

Publishing: August 28th, 2017. Random House Children's Books.
Page Count: 364 pgs (Hardcover)
Find the Author: Goodreads
"Daughter of immortals - Princess Diana longs to prove herself to her legendary warrior sisters. But when the opportunity finally comes, she throws away her chance at glory and breaks Amazon law—risking exile—to save a mortal. Diana will soon learn that she has rescued no ordinary girl, and that with this single brave act, she may have doomed the world. Daughter of death - Alia Keralis just wanted to escape her overprotective brother with a semester at sea. She doesn’t know she is being hunted by people who think her very existence could spark a world war. When a bomb detonates aboard her ship, Alia is rescued by a mysterious girl of extraordinary strength and forced to confront a horrible truth: Alia is a Warbringer—a direct descendant of the infamous Helen of Troy, fated to bring about an age of bloodshed and misery. TogetherTwo girls will face an army of enemies—mortal and divine—determined to either destroy or possess the Warbringer. Tested beyond the bounds of their abilities, Diana and Alia must find a way to unleash hidden strengths and forge an unlikely alliance. Because if they have any hope of saving both their worlds, they will have to stand side by side against the tide of war."

Leigh Bardugo is one of the best authors in the Young Adult field right now. She's best known for her Six of Crows duology and The Grisha Trilogy. The DC Icon series are clearly angling to get well established YA authors to narrate their series. Sarah. J. Mass (Throne of Glass) helmed Catwoman's book. If you aren't aware of Bardugo and her writing - she's good at what she does and you should read her. So do that. Go read her. And you can start with this. Because I'm giving it a gazillion stars.

I don't do much in the way of comic books but I love Wonder Woman. I've loved her for her iconic image, what she has represented to women and girls, and as I grew older - how she is a pop culture reflection of Goddess spirituality and ancient mythology. I knew that I'd love anything written by Bardugo and I knew that I'd have a hard time saying no to a novelized YA Wonder Woman. Put two and two together and you'd think I would have expected to be obsessed. But, I really didn't expect for it to take me away the way it did.

Themyscera has never been brought to life like this before. Details effortlessly flow without feeling like info-dumping brought to life from Diana, teenage Princess of the Amazons, who belongs to the Island but struggles to belong amongst the people that it belongs to. The terrain, mystical but not alien, is brought to life through her eyes. And then, New York City. And then...well, I won't give too much away but I don't think it'll come as a shock that they road-trip to Greece (and a hell of a road trip it is). 

It's a fascinating concept - a society of women warriors living on a invisible, gifted mystical island separated from the outside, mainstream world. We see it both from Diana's POV and from Alia's POV. Omg - poor, poor Alia. She's basically convinced that she accidentally landed on a Greek-obsessed Cult Island. Not quite, Alia. Not quite.

One of my absolute favorite parts of the mythology that Bardugo created was how new Amazons came to be. When a female warrior is fallen in battle and she speaks the name of a Goddess and is deemed worthy - then she is reborn on the Themyscera as an Amazon. Diana's best friend on the Island and a newer Amazon (in comparison to many) spoke the name of St. Brigit when she went down fighting in a riot (not sure which one!) and was reborn an Amazon. St. Brigid is a carnation of the Goddess Brigid - ancient Celtic goddess of forge and fire. The story is the story of all the Amazons since Themyscera was gifted. EXCEPT Diana. Which, not a big shocker - is part of her teenage angst.

One of the other aspects that makes this a stand-a-lone worthy of it's own series is Bardugo's fully fleshed out cast of diverse characters. Alia is half-Greek, half African American (as is her brother) and there is no shying away from the realities of being a person of color in the modern world. We see it both from the bewildered eyes of innocent Diana and from the world-exposed Alia. It isn't just some side-observation either, it's fully acknowledged and absorbed part of Alia. Basically - it's realistic where others would either forget, neglect, or sugarcoat. Furthermore in the diversity aspect - Alia's best friend Nim is a full-figured plus sized lesbian Indian girl with epic fashion sense. Actually here, just take a look at this fanart I found on Leigh Bardugo's tumblr:

Visual Description: Background is a blue rust texture with two large Ws. From the left (all sitting) Jason, a young black man in loafers, slacks, and a white office shirt. Diana in sandals, blue jeans, and a pink tank top. Her hair is loose, wavy and blue-black. Alia, a young black woman with her hair up on the top of her head, in sneakers, jeans, a blur shirt, and a red athletic jacket. Theo, a dark skinned black young man in blue sneakers, gray jeans, and a green t-shirt. Nim, a full-figured dimple-cheeked olive skinned young woman, in dressy blue shoes, a colorful bodycon dress (legs showing). She's wearing necklaces, make-up, and her hair is loose with it shaven on one side. 

All she needed to flesh out the diversity was a character with a disability.

While there are some fine looking males - the heart and center of the story is coming of age as a young woman and the strength of female friendships. Diana and Alia both come of age in their friendship together and the challenges and plot twists they face together. The choice to stand together, an iconic oath they make to each other, and the mythology and mystery behind Helen of Troy when she was just a girl herself, entwine together to create a anthem of modern maidenhood and the purity of female friendships. 

It's not all coming-of-age angst and mythology, though. There are so many epic twists and unique and original turns in the plot that I will not spoil but can I just say - AWESOME. The BIG twist, the one that I will not speak of or even think of in too much detail - is jaw-dropping and utterly heart-crumbling. There's a legit moment (actually several) where I thought that that they were going to fail, that they were totally going to lose, and that the ending might just be something incredibly dark and tragic. And, if I'm being honest - it is tragic and it is dark and it is bittersweet.

But it's also entirely and completely wonderful. 

And, I could go on and on and on and ON about this and how much I love the mythology, imagery, sassiness, the emotional journey, the character development - but it's like 2 a.m. and I need to go to bed and wrap this post up. So, I shall leave you with this. The Amazon Oath:

SISTER IN BATTLE

I AM SHIELD AND BLADE TO YOU

AS I BREATHE,

YOUR ENEMIES WILL KNOW NO SANCTUARY

WHILE I LIVE

YOUR CAUSE IS MINE

Until next time, 

Jess

Autumn Time Reading

Autumn is here.

It's time for dying leaves, scalding hot drinks, graying skies, layered clothes. My favorite time of the years for all those things and so much more. I have some seriously summer-inclined friends and they lament the arrival of Fall because to them it means...Winter is Coming. However, I refuse to have such glass-half-empty look on it. I don't wish fall wasn't here - I wish it was longer. Much, much longer. Like as long as summer. Or better - winter! I live in Iowa. I'd take any other season longer than winter. Except maybe summer. I'm not a summer girl. It's so hot. And I wilt. And then I do wilting things like drooping until I melt like the wicked witch did when Dorothy attacked her with water. It's not fun. I am...I am a autumn time girl. Give me the rain. Give me the dead leaves. Give me the LACK OF INSECTS TRYING TO GET ME TO INHALE THEM AND/OR EAT MY BLOOD. But, I'm getting distracted and off topic. Ahem...

In honor of my favorite season I've accumulated a small but mighty list of some of my favorite autumn time reads. Books that are natural fits for when the leaves turn orange and the nights grow longer and the air gets nippier and I am my best self living my best life.

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Visual Description: The top half has the image of a back of a woman in a red tank top, dark loose hair staring out of a open window with autumn trees. Beside her is an open book. She's sitting on what seems to be a window seat with purple pillows. Below, in the bottom half, with a background of orange is the title in cursive 'The Sugar Queen" with the author's name in smaller, white letters above. Golden filigree borders the title in the background. 

The first thought I had was of this novel. Sarah Addison Allen's super power is invoking the seasons and the natural world and tying them firmly with her character's world and development. I would also highly suggest reading First Frost, her sequel to Garden Spells for equal fall vibes. The Sugar Queen is a standalone and holds bittersweet and happily ever afters that is best read and experienced in the Fall. 

Anne of Windy Poplars by L.M. Montgomery

Visual Description: Anne, a redheaded young woman, is strolling down a path with her arms around books, gazing towards the reader. She is wearing a straw hat, a oversized orange cardigan, and a dark green-brown tweedish looking skirt. Behind her and down the lane is a white house with a green roof. Several very large windy-blown trees surround it. In white cursive and above Anne's head is 'Anne of Windy Poplars'. Above that in blue, smaller and simpler print is  The Anne of Green Gables Novels #4, LM MONTGOMERY. The cover is bordered in sold dark pumpkin orange. 

Everything about Anne-with-a-E screams love for autumn. What is that quote? Oh yes. "I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers". I've read the entire series over and over again and out of the entire set - Anne of Windy Poplars, for me, is the most Autumnal. (With Anne of the Island a very strong second). Perhaps because it details her time as a teacher and the season of autumn is heavily featured. 

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Visual Description: Top half is a artistic painting of a shirtless pale man, with black shaggy hair, staring down at his reflection in a pool (his reflection is staring back up at him). Behind him is a black sky, a leafless tree, and a huge rock. Red poppies are strewn across the pool of water before him. The bottom holds the title and author with a background of black. MARY SHELLEY in orange, Frankenstein : The 1818 Text in white, italicized font. 

Well, I'm sure this is a no-brainer. You cannot live through an October or even a November without reading something classic and gothic and enthralling. With the new movie that came out about Mary Shelley, I've been feeling the need to re-read Frankenstein this season. 

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Visual Description: The cover is artistically drawn. The center has the title "A Wrinkle in Time" and the author's name "MADELEINE L'ENGLE' above in front of a black night sky with tiny white star. the border of the book is made up of cartoons. Top of the cover: three children flying. Left A small house, a old lady in black witches attire, a old woman drawn with white and pencil, below a old woman in a a top hat and oversized coat and skirt and boots. Below golden plains and mountains with a trio of children on the back of a winged pegasus. Right is a very tall school with children walking towards it. In the bottom right is a golden sticker. 

Children's books are my favorite to re-read and A Wrinkle In Time is TOP on the list for me. While it spans across the galaxy and universe and encompasses many types of worlds let alone seasonal-types - it starts on a stormy autumn-y night. A wild night when all the things start happening. Curling up with this and a hot cup of cocoa or cider while the wind is blustering orange and brown leaves around....hmmmm...yes. That sounds exactly right to me. 

The Magician's Nephew (Narnia #1) by C.S. Lewis

Visual Description: Emerald green background, "The Magician's Nephew' in large white, all caps front and center and below a medallion shape with a child in blue, with blonde hair riding a winged caramel colored pegasus just barely flying out of it. The green background lightens around the medallion shape as if the shape was glowing light. C.S. Lewis in all white caps but smaller than the title at the very bottom. 

Ok, this is set in summer time. And it might not be the most autumnal of reads. But, it's magical and the start of amazing, classic series. And to me, that makes it worth being on this list. Autumn is the best time to re-read your favorites and start a series to last you through the winter. Chronicles of Narnia is one of THE best series to have on your reading plate for the colder months of the year. 

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Visual Description: A painting of a large gate with two stone pillows. A foggy forest and green hills with a blue sky above lay beyond the gate. Below with a background of black states "Charles Dickens' in orange and in white, italics 'Great Expectations'. 

Speaking of re-reading...Great Expectations is dreary and spooky and heart-wrenching and classic. It's not quite as gothic and dark as Frankenstein but it's got that old Victorian gloomy tilt to it. And plus, well, Dickens. And reading (or re-reading) a Dickens novel is an excellent goal for every year. 

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Visual Description: The title in the center in all caps, slightly Renaissance-esque font 'THE THIEF LORD". At the bottom in a cursive, handwritten font the author's name "Cornelia Funke". The background is entirely blue and white to give the painting a twilight/midnight feel. It is the end of a canal of Venice. You see ab bridge between two narrow buildings. And an archway at the top with a mysterious figure capering over the top of the arch with the details of the body invisible against the light of a full moon in a starry night sky. 

Set in autumn-time Venice with a smattering of snow. The runaways fight runny noses while they follow their Thief Lord and the friendly Detective who loves turtles chases them around. Cornelia Funke has several books that are perfect for the season. But this one is my favorite. It's stand-alone, it's enchanting, and it utterly transports you to another world even though it's set in this one. 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Visual Description: Bottom quarter is plain back with orange, all capital "CHARLOTTE BRONTE" and below white, italics title "Jane Eyre". Above is a classical painting. A a brown haired, pale sitting woman in a 19th century black gown with a white collar. She has a piece of paper on her lap and a child with ringlets and a red 18th century child's gown leaning over her lap and looking at it. To the left, standing is a golden haired woman in a rose 19th century gown with a bustle and lace. They are all posed in a corner by a window with large drapes where sunlight steeps in from. 

If you're new to my blog - oh hey, guess what? I love Jane Eyre. So I take any excuse to add it to a list or to mention it or to even think about it. If you're not into Jane Eyre then I encourage you to try it right now. It's part gothic, part romance, part female anthem of empowerment, and entirely classic. It's an invigorating read that, I believe, pairs well with walks in the park and tea. 

Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman

Visual Description: The background of the cover is a painting, very realistic that it seems almost like a photograph, except the softness of the hues. Old fashioned laced up red boots sit next to a roaring fire on a stone floor. The corner of a basket of what looks to be peaches or maybe bread next to it. The title is on top of the cover and in all capitals 'BLACKBIRD HOUSE' with 'A Novel' in smaller letters. Bottom part has the author's name 'ALICE HOFFMAN' with 'Author of 'The Probable Future' in smaller caps below it.

I checked this out as a audiobook on my library app last year and fell in love with it. Alice Hoffman is always a win, in my book. But, this one is special to me because it's a series of short stories but they all center around the same place and the people around this house. The Blackbird House. It's meandering and intimate at the same time and I love that kind of feeling in a book. It's why I treasure A Tree Grows In Brooklyn so much (it gets a honorary mention below!). And, of course, blackbirds - especially one in particular - soar in and out of the skies of the various stories. My favorite features the red boots which is central to the cover. Lots of possible-witchery happens, heart-warming charm, sad and melancholy resolution, happy and content endings. I really adored it and I think it fits well into the autumnal spirit of this list. 

Honorary Mentions! 

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling (my favorite HP!). Bram Stoker's Dracula. The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman. Coraline by Neil Gaiman. Ok...well...anything by Neil Gaiman. The Hobbit by Tolkien. The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzask. A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith. Uprooted by Naomi Novak. The Hounds of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie. 

I hope that this autumn is full of everything that you love about this season. I hope its crunchy underneath your boots, with lots of hot drinks that just only slightly burn the top of your mouth, rainy and blustery afternoons, nights that dip into freezing and bring frost to your windows just so you can trace happy faces on its surface, and I hope that you get many a-lazy hours to dive into each and everyone of these books to bring optimal autumnal reading glory into your lives. 

Until next time, 

Jess

Historical Romanticals

I have been crashing my way through a variety of books this summer. It's been in this book-bingeing summertime that I've rediscovered, to my great amusement, the historical romance. I love historical fiction. I love romance. The two combined is a no brainer, right? Yea, no. I've got to be in the right mood - no I'm not talking about that mood - for historical romance. Partly because I have to be in a amenable mood for inaccuracies for the sake of a breast-heaving, helpless, feisty damsels. I also have to be in the historical mood. It's one part fantasy mood and one part real world and then to top it all off - I must be in a wistful, dreamy heroes and heroine mood. Historical romance is one part dreamy, unrealistic fantasy and one part realistic, historicalness. I usually burn my way through it in a series of books and then move on to another genre. Historical romance isn't a genre I usually follow or get too vocal about. However, this summer I've discovered a couple of authors and books that I really wanted to share.

Tessa Dare 

Image Description: Three covers, side by side. The first says "Romancing the Duke" and has a dark haired woman in a long red gown in front of a castle. The second says "When a Scot Ties the Knot" and features a woman in a pale green gown and pale brown hair playing with kilt of a sandy haired Scotsman who is not wearing a proper shirt. The third is called "A Lady by Midnight" and is a blue themed cover with a brunette woman in a gown of midnight blue laying down with a dark haired man on top of her. 

My favorite of the above covers happens to have the most salacious cover - A Lady by Midnight - however I found it to be the most heartwarming. So I guess, I really finally learn the whole 'don't by a book by it's cover. But, I can't help myself. Honestly I think that's this genre's most sabotaging feature. There's probably bunches of fabulous writers hiding under breast-heaving damsels clutching shirtless rakes in historically life-ruining poses. Which is one of the reasons I'm doing this post. Because I don't normally cover historical romances - well...these specific kind of historical romances.

Tessa Dare is probably well known. I checked these books out from my library's app and I had to go on the waiting list for two of them and one of her newer books (not released yet) already has a waiting list. Also - they have quite a few of her books on the digital library and that's a tell tale sign that the author or the series is a big deal since libraries can't just go buy a bunch of books nowadays and hope for the best. If they ever did that, ever. lol. Budgets. :/ But, I could tell that she'd be popular regardless of her presence on my library's digital e-book app. Because she's funny. And heartwarming. And she uses small animals and lovable supporting characters to flesh out the world. Like, in A Lady by Midnight - I was scouring her reading list for any hint that she had written more about a set of supporting characters introduced. It really felt like there should be. I really, really wanted there to be more, dammit. lol. The plots are usually well paced. And yes, there are some unrealistically bodice-ripping scenes but not to the point of over-doing it. It doesn't take over the ENTIRE plot line. Furthermore - in the 'Castles Ever After' series - the unrealistic premise nods to the very realistic societal and economical limitations a woman suffered in the chosen historical timeframe. This old man gifts each of his unrelated goddaughters with a Castle upon his death. Thus giving them a land and potential income and a home that is entirely their own. Which means...independence. None of them are willing to give this up and fight to protect it with fierce feminine awesomeness.

Lynsay Sands

Image Description: I'll just sum it up like this: Shirtless Scottish men in kilts. First one basking on a log entitled "Surrender to the Highlander". Second in a embrace with a busy brunette in a ravishing ruby, silk gown entitled "The Highlander Takes a Bride'. The third set in night time, his back to the viewer, he's leaning up against a stone wall looking brooding and emotionally tense - entitled "Falling for the Highlander'. 

HIGHLANDERS are basically like...honestly, I think...50% of the historical romance fiction output right now. And have been for like a long time. The biggest question I've wondered is if it was so saturated before Outlander hit the tv screen? I've always felt that I got my whole fill on the highlander romance because I've read and watched Outlander. But, I was cruising along on my binge-fest and was like...well, can't hurt to try, right? I was already down the rabbit hole of ravishing, heroic rakes and feisty damsels-in-distress.

Lynsay Sands is a positive that came out of my diving into romantic Highlander territory. I'm not entirely sure what era of time her Highlander and their Damsels are set in but I want to gander that's its before Protestantism became a huge thing because girls kept being almost sent to nunneries. And definitely before the Battle of Culloden (shout out out to Outlander for that piece of Scottish/English history!) because the Clans are still in place and active. Yet they reference an ominous 'King' every once in a while. 

Despite the ambiguous time era she sets her stories in - she does a great job in creating the realistic female character and their roles and limitations. Status of dowries are a big deal, their day-to-day activities and roles are in-character, they are literally trapped between a nunnery, goodwifery, or spinsterhood dependency. They are also unconcerned with sex (well, at least at first, lol) because back then - women were told that sex was a chore for babies and to make their husbands happy. They were coached early on (if at all!) that it was duty to perform. Marriage was meant to provide a position and an avenue for the source of love that women were allowed to be hopeful for - that of a child. I give her strong kudos for blending that in. With alot of historical romance female characters its like...."Have some realistic societal roles and limitations with all that fiesty, adventure-seeking, romping sexual independence". And with Sands's character's it's far more blended and realistic. They think like I could feel a woman who is independent and determined would think about their situations in that time. 

Oh, don't worry - there's plenty bodice ripping and ravishing adventuring to be read. To be honest, a little too much for my preference. But, there's also mystery, poison, great supporting characters (who seem to feature in other books too!), and comedic timing. 

Summary

Romantical Historical novels need balance. They need great supporting characters, a touch in someway to reality, and a plot outside bodice ripping and Era-innapropriate dalliances. They also need voice and they, and in some ways moreso than any other genre, really need that extra chemistry with the reader. Not THAT kind of chemistry. Although that is incredibly helpful for that particular genre. But the kind of charming chemistry a writer with that spark has with their reader.

So the next time you start jonesing for a little bit of historical romanticalness in your reading diet - try some of the titles in this post and rest in the knowledge that they've been fully vetted and are A+ Historic Romances. Only the best for you, dear reader. Only the best.

Until next time,

Jess