This meme is hosted by Lainey from Thoughts on Tomes. The Goodreads Group for Top 5 Wednesday can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Most Disappointing Reads of 2018. I don’t usually like writing about the books I don’t like, so this prompt is a little different for me. These are the books that I gave the lowest ratings in 2018. (A note about my ratings: I don’t usually go below 3 stars anymore because if I am able to read the book, I think the author deserves at least an average 3 stars. If I am unable to read the book, or it is absolutely terrible, then I will give less than 3 stars, but I don’t think I gave any books less than 3 stars in 2018.)
1. The Mistletoe Murders and Other Stories by P.D. James
2. Don’t You Cry by Mary Kubica
3. Curse of the Arctic Star (Nancy Drew Diaries #1) by Carolyn Keene
Title: Dragon Pearl Author: Yoon Ha Lee Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction Publisher: Disney Book Group, Rick Riordan Presents Source: Publisher via NetGalley Format: Ebook Release Date: January 15, 2019 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Rick Riordan Presents Yoon Ha Lee’s space opera about thirteen-year-old Min, who comes from a long line of fox spirits. But you’d never know it by looking at her.
To keep the family safe, Min’s mother insists that none of them use any fox-magic, such as Charm or shape-shifting. They must appear human at all times. Min feels hemmed in by the household rules and resents the endless chores, the cousins who crowd her, and the aunties who judge her. She would like nothing more than to escape Jinju, her neglected, dust-ridden, and impoverished planet. She’s counting the days until she can follow her older brother, Jun, into the Space Forces and see more of the Thousand Worlds.
When word arrives that Jun is suspected of leaving his post to go in search of the Dragon Pearl, Min knows that something is wrong. Jun would never desert his battle cruiser, even for a mystical object rumored to have tremendous power. She decides to run away to find him and clear his name.
Min’s quest will have her meeting gamblers, pirates, and vengeful ghosts. It will involve deception, lies, and sabotage. She will be forced to use more fox-magic than ever before, and to rely on all of her cleverness and bravery. The outcome may not be what she had hoped, but it has the potential to exceed her wildest dreams.
This sci-fi adventure with the underpinnings of Korean mythology will transport you to a world far beyond your imagination.
Review:
This was an exciting story!
I loved the mix of folklore and a futuristic setting. Min is a Fox, so she is a shapeshifter. She lives on a different planet, but they take the form of humans since those are most common. There was a lot of science fiction, since most of the story took place on spaceships, but the background came from Korean folklore.
This story was so fast paced. I read it in just one day! It felt like a whole series because so much happened. It was thrilling in some parts too, because there was a lot of danger. Min started out as an innocent teenage girl, but she put herself in a lot of risky situations in a short amount of time.
I also like the diversity of the characters. The characters had Korean names. There was a character who preferred gender neutral pronouns. It takes a while to get used to a single person being referred to as “they,” but this was a great way to include gender diversity in the story.
What to read next:
Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Chokshi
Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagawa
Have you read Dragon Pearl? What did you think of it?
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and it is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s theme is New-To-Me-Authors I read in 2018, but I narrowed it down to Debut Authors I Read in 2018. These are authors who published their debut book in 2018. Here’s my list:
1. American Panda by Gloria Chao
2. The Light Between Worlds by Laura E. Weymouth
3. Son of a Critch: A Childish Newfoundland Memoir by Mark Critch
4. Tara Takes the Stage by Tamsin Lane
5. The Exes’ Revenge by Jo Jakeman
6. Kiss of the Royal by Lindsey Duga
7. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
8. The Window by Amelia Brunskill
9. The Queen’s Rising (The Queen’s Rising #1) by Rebecca Ross
Title: Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) Author: Laura Sebastian Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy Publisher: Delacorte Books Source: Library Format: Ebook Release Date: April 24, 2018 Rating: ★★★★★
Goodreads Synopsis:
Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia’s family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess–a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.
For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She’s endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.
Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn’t always won on the battlefield.
For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here.
Review:
This book was so good!
Theodosia is in a unique position in this story. She is living with the people who invaded her castle when she was a child and killed her mother. She is their prisoner, though she doesn’t always live like one. She is put on display, and is often beaten in front of an audience. Now it’s time for her to rise up and take her place as Queen.
I liked how Theo was positioned in this story in relation to the royals. In many contemporary fantasy novels, the main character is placed below the royal family, usually in a servant place. However, this one was different since Theo was more of a prisoner or hostage. I liked this twist.
The story got a little slow and repetitive in the middle. However, the last 100 pages were so fast paced, I could hardly put the book down. There were some twists at the end, which have made me so excited about the next book!
What to read next:
Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2) by Laura Sebastian
Red Queen (Red Queen #1) by Victoria Aveyard
Have you read Ash Princess? What did you think of it?
This blog meme is hosted by Book Date. It is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever growing TBR pile!
What I just finished:
This weekend I finished Ash Princess (Ash Princess Trilogy #1) by Laura Sebastian.
What I’m currently reading:
I’m currently reading Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee.
What I’m reading next:
Next I will be reading Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams.
What are you guys reading this week? Have you read any of these books?
I was invited by HCC Frenzy to the launch party for The Field Guide to the North American Teenager this week. It was at a Wanda’s Pie in the Sky in Kensington Market in Toronto. The night started out great when I got the closest parking spot to the store! I had to take a picture of it!
This is my piece of apple pie. The picture doesn’t look too good… but it tasted great! It had a sweet crumble on top, though the apples were quite tart.
The author, Ben Philippe, spoke a little about his book but first he introduced the pie. He pointed out the Key Lime pie, which featured in the story and is his favourite kind.
After the pie, we were able to get our books signed! Ben asked if we were Team Maddie or Team Aarti when we spoke to him. Maddie and Aarti are the two girls who the main character, Norris, likes and spends time with in the book. I’m Team Maddie.
Here’s my signed copy of the book!
This was a super fun event! Thank you so much to HCC Frenzy and Ben Philippe for the fun night!
Have you read the book? You can check out my review for it here.
This meme is hosted by Steph at A little but a lot. The weekly prompts for 2019 can be found here.
This week’s prompt is Bookish Wishes. However, I did this prompt last week by mistake and it was already posted by the time I realized it, so I will do last week’s prompt this week. I have chosen some ARCs that I’m excited to read this winter:
1. Lady Smoke (Ash Princess Trilogy #2) by Laura Sebastian
2. Opposite of Always by Justin A. Reynolds
3. Romanov by Nadine Brandes
4. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
5. The Raven’s Tale by Cat Winters
6. The Black Coats by Colleen Oakes
Did you write a #SixforSunday post? What was your list of New Year, New Books?
Jill's Book Blog 