January Wrap Up

Well that was unexpected! I grossly underestimated the amount of books I was going to read in January! I planned for five books and I actually read eleven and finished ten. I blame the fact that some of the longer ones were really engaging, audiobooks, and the fact that the more time I spend in the book blogoshphere the more I want to read! My theme this month was High

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 1
Full Review
My Thoughts: A roller coaster ride of a fantasy novel with interesting and complex characters, a very cool world, lots of mystery, and enough action to keep everyone engaged if you are a fan of fantasy or not.
Rating: 9 out of 10

A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 4
Full Review
My Thoughts: An amazing High Fantasy series but not the best book in the bunch. The political intrigue and characters with redemptive arcs were there but very little magic, some of my favorite characters were not featured at all, and the perspectives are a little unbalanced. It got better as the book went on though and was very enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10



Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Series: Grisha Trilogy Book 2
Full Review
My Thoughts: Even better than the first book. The characters are growing and developing and the plot wasn't so much of a roller coaster. This one was much more character driving and left me with a book hangover desperately wanting the final book in the series.
Rating:  9.5 out of 10




A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Series: A Song of Ice and Fire Book 5
Full Review
My Thoughts: A Song of Ice and Fire like it should be. The missing favorites are back but so is the magic, the political intrigue, and characters with redemptive arcs. This book is full of so much mystery and theorizing that I can't help but plot the series conclusion. The cliffhangers left me with all the feels desperately longing for the next book.
Rating: 9 out of 10


Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Full Review
My Thoughts: A lighthearted and funny story that was a nonstop parade of odd and interesting characters that were only in the story for a brief period. Most of the story was odd and confusing but it all came together for an interesting and compelling ending. Could have used more world-building and action but pretty good.





Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Full Review
My Thoughts: Effortless. A beautiful and engaging young adult contemporary romance with realistic characters you can relate to, and a plot that flows and develops in such a beautiful way that when it's over you can't believe you finished it and you're so overwhelmed with feelings because not only are you upset it's over but it made you feel things deeply buried in your soul.
Rating: 10 out of 10



Manor of Secrets by Katherine Longshore
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good historical fiction book that does a good job of setting the scene of the Edwardian era. The characters are interesting, a great slow-burning romance, but the plot is muddled, and the secrets are not very surprising.
Rating 7.5 out of 10






The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas
Series: The Elemental Trilogy Book 1 
Full Review
My Thoughts: A good start to a new young adult fantasy series with engaging and complex characters and a really cool world with tons of action. However it took awhile to become invested in the story, the constant change of perspectives was annoyinging, and the world-building was a bit confusing.
Rating: 7 out of 10



No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale
Full Review
My Thoughts: A really interesting young adult mystery with quirky characters that appealed to my dry sense of humor but was a surprising exploration of friendship and overcoming grief. The mystery aspect wasn't that difficult to solve and there were some weird plot details but thoroughly enjoyable.
Rating: 8 out of 10


 


Percy Jackson and the Last Olympian by Rick Riordan
Series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians Book 5
Series Review to Come
My Thoughts: A fantastic ending to a really engaging series. This book in
particular was full of action, surprises, and tears.
Rating: 8.5 out of 10






What did you read this month? Leave me a comment and don't forget to check out my full reviews for all of these books and of course.. HAPPY READING!

Book Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm (Grisha Trilogy Book 2) Author: Leigh Bardugo Published: Henry Holt, 2013 Amazon Goodreads Synopsis:  Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land, all while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. But she can't outrun her past or her destiny for long. The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling's game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

After the way the first book ended, I was so excited to read the next book in the Grisha trilogy. I really enjoyed the high fantasy story and the world of Ravka. It is a world of magic and mystery that is constantly at war and a world full of complex and interesting characters, all things I love in reading.

 When we last left our main character Alina she and her best friend and love interest Mal are on the run from the Darkling, the powerful leader of the Grisha, and she is learning to control her power, which is growing stronger thanks to the Darkling. In this book Alina is really growing and developing as a character and as a leader. She’s definitely taking more responsibility and really seems like she is trying to be the savior of Ravka that everyone wants her to be, but she also hasn’t lost her insecurities and at times is just as reluctant. Throughout most of the book she is struggling with her growing power and the responsibility that comes with it. She is enjoying the power as it grows and aching for more, but terrified by the power and not sure how far she wants to take it. I like her during the moments where she shows her strength but also when she feels most weak. It makes her much more well-rounded and likable as a protagonist.

But Alina is not the only well-rounded and complex character in this book. All of my favorite characters from the first book are back and there is a host of new characters to love. The Darkling is of course back and wreaking havoc on the country. In this book he can’t really pretend to be good anymore between his actions in the first book and the fact that he has this terrifying new power. He is being extremely devious and even though he isn’t physically in a lot of the book, he’s a great and diabolical villain. Mal is also back and being extremely swoonworthy as well. He too is becoming much more well-rounded as a character, developing a bit of a dark side and fighting with Alina about her growing power. 

But my favorite characters, new and old, are the secondary characters. In this book we are introduced to Strumhond the effervescent and cocksure privateer who when we first meet him seems to be refreshingly honest and a complete contrast to the ominous and mysterious characters but this is Ravka and everyone has their secrets. Throughout the book his character develops a lot and in the end becomes just as odious as all the others making me wonder if he is doing the right thing for the wrong reasons or the wrong thing for the right reason. Maybe because I’m also reading A Song of Ice and Fire but I’m pretty sure he is playing the “game of thrones” and I'm not sure if he’s doing it for his own personal gain or if he is this amazing revolutionary that wants to save Ravka. I’m not sure if I trust him or not but I like him for the mystery. We also meet Tolya and Tamar, twin warriors who are part of Strumhond’s crew and become members of Alina’s guard. They are really badass and also develop into more complex and interesting characters later in the story. Every single one of these characters is not just one thing and full of surprises. It really keeps you on your toes and keeps you guessing till the very last minute.

On the whole this book was much more character driven than the previous one. Where Shadow and Bone relied on the fantasy elements of the story and had a lot of magic and action, Siege and Storm focuses on the internal struggle for power and the affect it has on a person giving it the tone of a coming-of-age mystery.  It wasn’t as much of a page turner and there was a lot less action but there was an extreme sense of foreboding. The characters are dealing with this undercurrent of fear and the anxiety about when and how the Darkling is going to seek his revenge and it made everyone (including me as the reader) extremely nervous. And just like the first book I found myself spending a lot of time theorizing and wondering what was a clue, what it meant, and what would happen later in the story. What I really liked was that in this book there was much more of a slow rise in plot points, it wasn’t so much of a roller coaster. Most of the book was focused on Alina and her struggle to establish and control her power. But don’t get me wrong, there was plenty of action. The story was bookended with epic battle scenes between Alina and The Darkling and ended with an extremely thrilling conclusion that left me desperately wanting to read Ruin and Rising so I can find out what happens to these characters and this world. When the book was all said and done I had an extreme case of the “what nows.” Even a chapter from one of my favorite point-of-view characters in A Dance with Dragons couldn’t snap me out of it. But that’s how good this book was. 

 This is how I felt after finishing this book. polandbananaBOOKS knows what's up!

I give Siege and Storm a 9.5 out of 10

This is a great Young Adult high fantasy series and Siege and Storm was almost completely perfect. The series is getting better and better as it goes on and I really cannot wait until the final book comes out in June. I HAVE TO KNOW HOW IT ENDS! If you have read Siege and Storm then leave me a comment. If you haven’t read this book, what are you waiting for? I recommend it to anyone who likes high fantasy or anyone who doesn’t. It’s a great way to try out the genre.  

January TBR- High Fantasy

I don't know what it is about winter that makes me want to read fantasy book. Maybe it's because I want to escape into another world while mine is so uninviting. Maybe it's because winter is a time to curl up under a blanket with a hot beverage and spend all day reading which lends itself so perfectly to the frequently lengthy fantasy books. Or maybe I'm making this whole thing up. Either way this January my plan is to read books that are High Fantasy.

For those not very familiar with the subgenres of Fantasy, High Fantasy is a story set in a completely imaginary world that is unrelated to our own, often one where magic exists in some way, or by the epicness of the characters, themes, and plots (often both).

There are three ways to categorize it:
1.) A world totally independent of our world which doesn't exist, think Lord of the Rings
2.) An alternate world is entered through a portal, think Chronicles of Narnia
3.) An unknown world exists within our world, think Harry Potter.

I prefer the first two as in the last one the lines get a little blurry when it comes to high and low fantasy. So now that I have explained myself here are my picks for January.


A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: Book 4 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This series fits in to category 1 of High Fantasy and is about the fictional land of Westeros and the power struggle to control it. This book looks mostly at the political intrigue aspect of the series.






A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: Book 5 in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. This book and the previous one were intended to be one book so I am marathoning them. This one is more about the magical elements in Westeros. A Storm of Swords (Book 3) was one of my favorites of 2013 and I hope these next two do not disappoint. 






Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads Amazon
Synospis: This also fits into category 1 of High Fantasy (I've heard some debate about this but I'll have no lip from you) and is book one in the Grisha trilogy. It is set in the fictional land of Ravka and tells the story of Alina who discovers a magical power withing her and joins the Grisha who are like magical soldiers.






Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: Book 2 in the Grisha trilogy. I've heard great things about this series and I am really excited to read the first two books and finish the series later this year. I may also read the two novella that go with the series.






Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Goodreads Amazon
Synopsis: There has been some debate over which category this fits in but my assessment is the second. It is the story of a half-fairy boy who is completely lovesick and goes on a quest to find a fallen star in the magical realm. I've been wanting to read something by Neil Gaiman for awhile and I'm really excited that this will be my first one. I'm going to listen to the audiobook which is actually narrated by Mr. Gaiman



Depending how these go I may add a book or two that is not High Fantasy (I'm already a quarter of the way done with A Feast for Crows), probably one that comes out in January but for the time being, here's my list.

What are you reading in January? Leave me a comment and check back for my reviews!