tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54618576842013878212024-03-18T00:55:13.290-07:00The Wolf's DenBook Reviews, Writing Insights, and General Information in the YA, Fantasy, and Sci-Fi Genres.Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.comBlogger499125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-62090446001469412402023-05-16T10:00:00.537-07:002023-05-16T10:00:00.140-07:00You Won't Be The One To Crack Belle Morte's Secrets<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60133940-belle-morte" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Belle Morte" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1623273299i/57917080.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b0eceb45-5605-4aed-969d-5d16075131fd">~Belle Morte~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Bella Higgin</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Belle-Morte-Bella-Higgin-ebook/dp/B09HPNKQVS?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=0e149e607f51be03b2b2157f03e322d0&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781990259685?p_tx" rel="powells-9781990259685" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>There’s only one way out<br />
<br />
Belle Morte. One of five houses where vampires reside as celebrities and humans are paid to be their living donors. While others came here seeking fortune, I came in search of my sister who walked into Belle Morte five months ago . . . and never walked back out.<br />
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Now that I’m here, the secrets about this world have proven to be much bigger than I ever anticipated. And lurking around every corner are shocking insinuations of what happened to my sister.<br />
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There’s only one person who might have the answers I need, and the undeniable pull I feel toward him is terrifying: Edmond Dantès―a vampire, and my mortal enemy.<br />
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The harder I try to resist him, the further I fall under his spell. And in one instant my life is irrevocably changed. My past becomes prologue and my fate becomes sealed behind these doors.<br />
<br />
Belle Morte has spoken. And it may never let me go.</i><br />
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In a move that probably surprises no one who is familiar with my recent reviews, I first came across this book because of the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/vampire-book-club.html" target="_blank">Vampire Book Club</a>. It was an option in April's vote and, though it didn't win, sounded fun enough for me to snag a copy in anticipation of a future read. I mean, how could I turn down a YA vampire romance book? If it wasn't good, it could at least be hilarious, right? <a name='more'></a><br />
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Unfortunately, though I was intrigued by the setting and entertained by the characters, the final product left me less amused than disappointed. <br />
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Our main character, Renie (shortened from Irene), was a snarky, not-like-other-vampire-obsessed-girls protagonist with a chip on her shoulder and a mission on her mind—that is until Edmond enters her vision and she can't help but fall for him. I liked her dedication and gumption, and even empathized with her guilt over daring to feel happy when she knew there were more important things still to be done. Meanwhile, Edmond was our brooding, tortured soul of a love interest, feeling drawn to the heroine for reasons unknown. He wasn't as easy to connect with, having narration in 3rd person, but shared a lot of intriguing info about vampires and history in general, which helped flesh him out eventually.<br />
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Roommate Roux is peppy, quirky, instant BFF no. 1, and fellow donor Jason soon fills the gay best friend role, simultaneously presenting more personality and yet less individuality than our mains. Both of them fall into the more-interesting-secondary-character-syndrome that characters like Alice from <i>Twilight</i> or Magnus from <i>Mortal Instruments</i> spawned. However, they're largely only there for plot purposes, or solely for the sake of helping Renie, such that their main characteristics fall into the super-awesome-best-friend category. Roux has literally no goal for her time at Belle Morte, except to help Renie, and while Jason gets a crush on one of the vamps, he seems to have absolutely no autonomy outside of when Renie is in his presence. Like the townspeople in <i>WandaVision</i>.<br />
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And that goes doubly for every other character, including our no-nonsense vampire matriarch who serves as an antagonist to our heroine, Ysanne. No idea how to pronounce her name, but she was both the most interesting and the most mysterious character in the entire book. As the vampire who revealed herself to humanity in the most bombastic manner possible, it makes little sense that she's now one of the most by-the-book vampires shown to us. We're treated to glimpses of her shared past with Edmond, as well as her barely-contained fury at one point, yet most of her personality remains a mystery. She even says she'll be investigating more around the main mystery of the plot, yet literally nothing comes of it at all. I want <i>her</i> book.<br />
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But back to the story at hand. The romance between our two leads was pretty standard for paranormal YA. Renie fights the romantic pull because she sees him as a possible enemy, one of those who are keeping the truth of her sister from her. But once that plot point is resolved, she's pretty willing to put aside almost everything for her love. Edmond fights the romantic pull because it's against the rules and he's been hurt before. But eventually he just gets over it and gives in. <br />
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I won't argue that their romance was kinda fun once it got into swing, but I was annoyed that it was never explained what the pull was in the first place. Edmond made it seem like he's turned on by her vulnerability when she first arrived, combined with her inner fire when it came to her convictions. I don't know about you, but if a guy liked me for being vulnerable yet still fighting back...that would send up more red flags than red hearts for me. Still, if you can turn your brain off and just accept that these two fell in lust at first sight, then worked out their feelings over the course of a couple weeks, it's not the worst romance ever. Especially for a vampire/human couple.<br />
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Really my biggest problem with the romance was that it took precedence over everything else in the book. I expected to get a mystery, with Renie hunting down clues about what happened to her sister. But it seemed like her being suspicious about the vamps would have gotten in the way of the romance, so she finds out what happened a little under the halfway mark. And not even cleverly, but more brute-forcing her way through the locked door. Disappointing, but there was still a promise that more answers would be sought (mainly the why and who), so though I already had my suspicions, I sat back and waited for more mystery to unfold. Cue the last chapter tossing in an action scene, having the (very obvious) villain out themself for no reason, and leaving the why for the sequel. <br />
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Okay, the mystery was a bust, but what about the world-building? Surely vampires being a part of society would at least bring <i>something</i> of interest to the story? Edmond admittedly brings some great moments of vampire lore to the book when he goes over his backstory, recounting his turn, how he served in WW1, being hunted as a monster when a previous love betrayed him. But other than some flashes here and there, we get hardly anything about how vampires work in modern society. They mainly act as super-high-class celebrities, which makes absolutely no sense when you think about how Ysanne introduced herself to the world by acting like Superman. You're telling me there are no humanitarian aide requests? No duties to help out in natural disasters? I mean, how did the donor program even start? Maybe we'll get more vampire culture in the next book, but it just seems like such a waste of a setting here.<br />
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I hate to come off as one of <i>those</i> readers, but a lot of my disappointment came into focus once I realized this was a Wattpad book. Being an ebook, I honestly didn't know until after I'd finished it and the name popped up in the acknowledgements. And really, it just made sense—the trope-laden characters, the fascinating yet unexplored setting, and the insistence that the magical unexplained romance trumps all in priority, even the bizarre ebook formatting (some random paragraph breaks [especially during dialogue] and hyphenated words [like res-cue] appearing in the middle of lines). I'm not saying to expect lower quality from this publisher, or from the website even, but knowing this book's origins may have tempered my expectations before reading. <br />
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Still, I can't say I hated my time with this story. It was nice to turn off my brain for a bit and just read a pulpy YA vampire romance. Even if on reflection, there were some red flags in there, and even if the mystery and conclusion (and major cliffhanger) weren't completely satisfying, I did have fun while I was in the weeds.<br />
<br />
Overall, this book had some interesting concepts, but could have definitely gained from a couple more passes of revising. It's probably fine for those new to the paranormal romance genre, but familiar readers may find themselves just going through the motions. I'd recommend it to middle grade or YA readers who like vampires or paranormal-tinged forbidden romance, or anyone in the mood for some vampire fluff. I may decide to return to the series just to see what, if anything, develops of this world and its characters, but I won't hold my breath for the next installment.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-1670807168353926422023-05-08T15:59:00.003-07:002023-05-08T15:59:47.427-07:00Spring Update 2023Hey all! <br />
<br />
It's been nearly a year since my last post, but I'm back! At least, I think I'm back?<a name='more'></a><br />
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It took me a while to get back into the swing of things following my employment last year. While I had hoped to continue doing my audiobook reviews and finishing my series as planned, that just didn't pan out. Working two tech jobs for two separate churches, plus dedicating time to my family, just didn't allow for long spans of time locked in my room listening to books, let alone trying to spend more time organizing my thoughts into coherant reviews afterward.<br />
<br />
So I scrapped the audiobooks and dove into manga. I had planned on writing a review of <i>My Hero Academia</i>'s spinoff series, <i>Vigilantes</i> last fall, but my boss quit, leaving the rest of us to pick up the slack and try to bring about a new normal. It's been quite a process, and Advent season didn't make it any easier. And then after Advent came Easter and...well, we're still chugging along.<br />
<br />
But back to the manga. Once I came up to speed with <i>Vigilantes</i>, I started <i>One Piece</i>. And any of you familiar with <i>One Piece</i> knows it's quite the undertaking. I started in October last year and just finished Volume 44 (end of Enies Lobby). Only another 60-or-so to go! In between waiting for those volumes to come in at the library, I picked up and started <i>Ascendance of a Bookworm</i>, not even realizing it was a light-novel series instead of a manga! <br />
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Now that I've had the chance to read 5 of those in and around work and family, I think I finally got this life/work/books balance down a bit better, so I'm thinking I might be able to review again! They probably won't be as detailed as some of my previous reviews, but I'll still try to focus on the main features I've been doing.<br />
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First up will be <i>Belle Morte</i> by Bella Higgin, a vampire book that caught my eye last month. And then maybe I'll try working up something for <i>Vigilantes</i> and <i>Ascendance of a Bookworm</i> and maybe even <i>Stellarlune</i> (though probably not without a reread).<br />
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Oh, and I just finished updating the Vampire Book Club grid and bookshelf, for any of you who may be interested. It's still been going strong, I just haven't been participating. And the library doesn't have this month's book, so that's another month down. Ah well, maybe next month?<br />
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Hope this brings everyone up to speed. I'll be trying to get the <i>Belle Morte</i> review up next week. Until then, all the best!
<br><h1 style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Parisienne;">~ Vicki</span></h1>Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-570562419980227702022-07-08T14:30:00.008-07:002022-07-09T16:31:25.525-07:00They Say There Are Spies Everywhere These Days<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53541477-spy-x-family-vol-1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Spy x Family Volume 1" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1590637310l/53541477.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/99343738-222a-4ad3-9bcc-88034d680adc">~Spy x Family~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Missions 1-17<br />Vol. 1-3 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Tatsuya Endo</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Translated By Casey Loe</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B088W7RWXS?storeType=ebooks&qid=1656700368&sr=1-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=7e7d5a9473f1f81521c7ff4090becfd9&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781974715466?p_tx" rel="powells-9781974715466" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Master spy Twilight is unparalleled when it comes to going undercover on dangerous missions for the betterment of the world. But when he receives the ultimate assignment—to get married and have a kid—he may finally be in over his head!<br />
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Not one to depend on others, Twilight has his work cut out for him procuring both a wife and a child for his mission to infiltrate an elite private school. What he doesn’t know is that the wife he’s chosen is an assassin and the child he’s adopted is a telepath! </i><br />
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I first heard about this story from my go-to AniTuber, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mothersbasement" target="_blank">Geoff Thew @ Mother's Basement</a> when the anime was set to air this spring. It sounded cute and funny, with the chance of maybe some heartfelt moments? Who am I kidding‐it was promised to have heartfelt moments, plus some neat spy and assassin action, so I jumped straight in. And I'm glad I did.<a name='more'></a><br />
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Twilight, one of the top spies of Westalis, has taken on the new identity of psychologist Loid Forger in order to accomplish his latest mission to secure peace between his country and Ostania. Being a master spy, he's long since given up on the normal goals of finding love, settling down, and raising a family—too many loose ends and complications anyway. But it seems fate has a sense of humor as his mission now requires him to procure a wife and school-aged child in less than a week. Ever the professional, Twilight does indeed find a couple to fill the necessary roles, but nothing could have prepared him for the chaos those two will throw at him.<br />
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As the first character we're introduced to, Twilight is arguably the story's main character and the straight man of the majority of comedic moments. As a spy, he's trained to adapt to and blend into every situation, but as we spend more time with him, we slowly see that cool, calm, all-business exterior start to crack and reveal a hopeful idealist, a kind husband, and a proud father. Of course, having to deal with his new family members causes him a good deal of stress, but seeing him adapt to his new normal just makes him that much more charming. Besides, who doesn't love a good underdog story?<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55156540-spy-x-family-vol-2" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Spy x Family Volume 2" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1598655775l/55156540.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Another underdog, and the first source of chaos in this family comes in the form of Anya, the secret telepath. I'll admit, I'm not usually a fan of child characters, especially when they're that young, but, as Twilight also discovers, Anya has a way of shooting past your defenses and clinging to your heart. She's already seen ugliness of the world, what with her being a runaway science experiment and having already been adopted and returned to the orphanage at least three times. So it comes as little surprise that she would jump at the chance of having a real-life spy as a parent. <br />
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Anya is quickly established as more of a hindrance than a help to the mission. She's depicted as irrational, a bit dim, and childish. But it's important to remember that she <i>is</i> a child, a probably even younger than the six years she claims to be. Thus, even though she often knows exactly what's going on, she's still only a little girl trying her best with what ability she has. In that light, it's actually pretty dang impressive that she accomplishes as much academically as she does. And as time goes on, we do see her positive efforts and contributions, placing her as a bit of a wild card as to whether she'll be an overall help or a hindrance in each particular mission.<br />
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But possibly the biggest contribution Anya gives is in providing the reader with insider information we wouldn't otherwise be privy to. Being a telepath, she's able to know what those around her are thinking, allowing our heroes (and occasional villains and bystanders) to voice their inner thoughts, opinions, or secrets to the reader organically and diegetically. And, even better, these thoughts and revelations are often paired with one or more of Anya's patented reaction shots—if you've seen anything about this series before now, it's probably been gifs or screenshots of her and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg1KQ6xIncs" target="_blank">her faces</a>. This one-two punch of exposition and comedy always delivers, quickly and effortlessly endearing us to Anya, even if some of us may have had our reservations about her.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56095504-spy-x-family-vol-3" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Spy x Family Volume 3" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606708125l/56095504.jpg" width="185" /></a>
The next member to round out our family is Yor Briar, an office worker at City Hall by day, and an assassin by night. Yor knows nothing about Twilight or his peace-keeping mission, nor that Anya is merely a recent adoption, but does know that this family is a sham. She agrees to pose as the mother so that Anya can be accepted into Eden Academy, and so that she doesn't appear suspicious as a single woman in these uncertain times, allowing her to continue her assassin gig.<br />
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As of this point in the story, Yor is unfortunately the least developed character of the trio. She's fairly clueless about 'normal' social interactions, most likely stemming from her also being orphaned at a relatively young age and taking on assassination jobs to assist in raising her younger brother, and she is probably the least suspicious person ever, taking practically everything at face value. But most of her eccentricities (drooling over knives, contemplating murdering a man to make Anya's admission go through) are played strictly for comedy, giving us little insight into her actual goals or likes. She's fiercely protective of Anya and is insecure about her own acting in the motherly role, but it's not clear what her motivations are. <br />
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Sure, Yor wants this ruse to be successful so she can keep assassinating, but <i>why</i> does she want to continue? Does she enjoy it? Does she see herself as a political tool? A tool of justice? Is she keeping the country safe? Or has she been brainwashed into just following orders? It's hard to say at this point, so I'm hoping we get some more information as the story goes on. <br />
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The trio work surprisingly well as a family. Twilight (Loid) is doggedly working toward his mission's success, but slowly comes to realize that keeping his family happy and healthy is essential to the mission as well, and so he often finds himself 'playing' the role of father or husband and we are able to see his walls start to crumble. Yor sees herself as inherently other, never quite fitting in to 'normal' society, but in seeing Loid's acceptance of her minor eccentricities, slowly develops the hope and courage to see herself as part of a family. Anya is simultaneously the most informed and also the least comprehending of them all, privy to everyone's secrets and the mission at large but incapable or inexperienced in how to handle what she knows, yet always eager to provide whatever help she can to aid her newfound parents or provoke some excitement. <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57292087-spy-x-family-vol-4" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Spy x Family Volume 4" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1614718427l/57292087.jpg" width="185" /></a>
As of the end of Volume 3, we have met one more family member—Yor's brother, Yuri, who provides his own special brand of chaos—and have had a final member teased to us (this dapper fellow on the right), but much of the plot is just focused on the three. Twilight attempts to guide Anya through her academics and keep up a convincing front while accepting a few odd jobs on the side, Yor tries to play a convincing wife while performing her civic duties and assassination gigs, and Anya does her best to help any way she can with her powers while navigating the trials that her school throws at her. I'm sure more action and drama are just around the corner for the family, but for now the dynamics are perfect for comedy, action, and even some heartfelt moments, too.<br />
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And, of course, the art is on point. If you haven't noticed the covers, there's a definite 60's Mod aesthetic going on, which fits the Cold-War-esque themes the story explores as well. Yet, because the Mod aesthetic is still very chic and present in modern design, there's also a timelessness to the setting as well. I mean, I know espionage tech was far and away more advanced than commercial products at the time, but I still think the size of some of their gadgets belies more modern technology than what was around in the 60's. Then again, we are dealing with fictional countries, why not a completely fictional timeline to boot? <br />
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But aside from the aesthetic, the art is just so fun. I mentioned <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg1KQ6xIncs" target="_blank">Anya's faces</a>, which are by far the most over-the-top comedic, but Twilight and Yor also give a few great reactions now and again. I mean, you do <i>not</i> want to be on the wrong side of Yor's death glare. And did anyone else notice that the covers start out with the M in Family obscured when it's just Twilight, but then the graphic of the trio making the bottom of the M is revealed and continues through the next covers? Such a smart and cute detail! <br />
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Honestly, though I am really enjoying the manga so far, I think I like the anime slightly better. Maybe it's because I experienced it first? Maybe its opening theme is just too catchy? Well, those both probably come into play to some extent, but I think it's mostly down to the timing that the anime brings. When Twilight celebrates with Anya that she passed the entrance exam, he picks her up and twirls her, then collapses from exhaustion. What takes just a couple panels in the manga is allowed to linger on Twilight's exhausted face (and Anya's worried cries) in the anime. And that's not even mentioning the expanded sequences they added to Mission 6 (episode 5 of the anime), which turned a cute and fun family outing into an over-the-top experience I doubt few viewers will forget. <br />
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Overall, <i>Spy x Family</i> is an absolute treat. If you're looking for something that combines espionage, found family, assassins, humor, Cold-War tensions, super-powers, and eccentric characters all into one story, you'll be hard-pressed to find better than this. So far, I think this manga is appropriate for middle-grade and up, but it's probably safer to recommend it for high school and older, since I don't know if violence or language ramps up later. In case I haven't made it clear, I'm completely hooked and will be continuing to the next few volumes shortly, as well as eagerly anticipating the next installments of the anime in the fall. In the meantime, if you haven't been sold by my recommendation already, maybe check out these videos and see some of the well-deserved hype for yourself?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ofXigq9aIpo" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SuJIjYFzZH4?start=1379" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fICL-LU0cJg" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe><br />
<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WPhS8naXjxs" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></div>
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-83743058797435637592022-06-30T16:00:00.405-07:002022-06-30T16:00:00.150-07:00We Will Set Right the Imbalance In the World<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/search/label/Avatar%3A%20The%20Last%20Airbender">Avatar: The Last Airbender</a> series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52893819-imbalance" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Imbalance" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91KPfzu5AqL.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7f7affb0-3aba-4cf8-b7fa-eb48f4c10c67">Avatar: The Last Airbender<br />
Imbalance</a><br />
By Faith Erin Hicks & Peter Wartman</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1506708129?&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=a691b82eac1f105e9adbe5d6887cb17f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781506704890?p_tx" rel="powells-9781506704890" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>When Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph return to Earthen Fire Industries--the factory owned by Toph's father--Aang is surprised when their arrival is met with a cold shoulder. As soon as the team is asked for help at a business council meeting, the reason for the slight becomes clear: a massive bender-versus-non-bender conflict has gripped the town and is threatening to turn violent. In order to heal the divide and save the town, Aang and the team will all face tough decisions about power and identity that could tear them apart. </i><br />
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This is it. The final chapter (so far) in Avatar Aang's journeys following the end of the war. I'll admit, I was both excited and cautiously apprehensive going into this. For all intents and purposes, this is the finale of the series, so a lot rides on this to get things right and give us a satisfying conclusion to everything that's come so far. But it should also work as its own story, <i>and</i> set up for the future we see in <i>Legend of Korra</i>. With so much riding on just one story, could it ever match my expectations?<a name='more'></a><br />
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To address the first elephant in the room, the art style is...different. It's not bad, really, it's just not the same style we've known from the show, or the previous comics up to now. The main characters all retain their general styles, but the shading and color-work is more reminiscent of watercolors or painting in general, instead of the typical cartoony cell shading. As such, the comedic poses or expressions that characters sometimes make come off as...bizarre might be the best word for it. I mean, look at this panel from the first page of the comic:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAyiZ45btwpMcSbiML5uMjCBF1qWck_MRR7voQLw8UEa_O4acbSy3m84Ggd1otTxw3kZsyxUuvBatOOdAA_hvMBVfa7IqgrPUQ273gsGUr8Vbe_Mz2EGUcAQiU3WzCGUcngNI7tqaXfVfONAtzxRzVQhbkkrV4MUUVYrOyP4gx9qpndsR9AjK1nAc/s1600/imbalance%20sokka.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivAyiZ45btwpMcSbiML5uMjCBF1qWck_MRR7voQLw8UEa_O4acbSy3m84Ggd1otTxw3kZsyxUuvBatOOdAA_hvMBVfa7IqgrPUQ273gsGUr8Vbe_Mz2EGUcAQiU3WzCGUcngNI7tqaXfVfONAtzxRzVQhbkkrV4MUUVYrOyP4gx9qpndsR9AjK1nAc/s1600/imbalance%20sokka.png" width="400" /></a>
While Aang and Momo look clean and familiar and Katara is recognizably frustrated, Sokka looks like someone paused a video in the wrong place. His face just doesn't show the squash and stretch style we've come to expect, and in trying to capture his cartoony expressions in this new style, it can come off a bit unsettling. (It was also weird how much Toph's father changed between the art styles, but I suppose it wasn't the worst thing since he's mostly a minor character.)<br />
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Contrast that, however, with the backgrounds and landscapes, and it's perhaps a bit more clear why this art style was approved:<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-ICj1Y5MEd1j3Ji62Qt724T7KyMQWI_YDgkzx7K17f4HIS3ZSPi5vvk0WTswsrlgAiPklzYdUmVjuG3JR455-QvQoa3VHojCs8g7EBd0E9DiO5g4cMu-mPknnm0ynqaWPvbzkyJMAow-XddwNvOnB9FOa4cMaAJBpIrtVdQ8mQhKPDWXeG6xiB-H/s1600/imbalance%20city.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ-ICj1Y5MEd1j3Ji62Qt724T7KyMQWI_YDgkzx7K17f4HIS3ZSPi5vvk0WTswsrlgAiPklzYdUmVjuG3JR455-QvQoa3VHojCs8g7EBd0E9DiO5g4cMu-mPknnm0ynqaWPvbzkyJMAow-XddwNvOnB9FOa4cMaAJBpIrtVdQ8mQhKPDWXeG6xiB-H/s1600/imbalance%20city.png" width="400" /></a>
This panel is easily something I'd hang on my wall. And much of the comic is just that gorgeous, turning the city into a character in its own right. To be fair, there's plenty of good art of the characters as well, but it just seems more geared toward tonal art instead of the cartoons we're used to. It's a choice, to be sure, and I'm sure part of it was to work toward bridging the gap between <i>The Last Airbender</i> and <i>Legend of Korra</i>, in both tone and art. Ultimately, I wish the style had either been introduced earlier in the series, or hadn't been changed for only the last story. Obviously I don't know the behind-the-scenes happenings that might have led to this, so I can only speculate on and evaluate the final product. Suffice it to say I think the art works, for the most part, but I can't deny that there is a noticeable disconnect from the rest of the series.<br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/5f4743da-b4a1-45b1-8977-fb16abd7b3e2" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Imbalance Part 1" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1520283208l/39005056.jpg" width="185" /></a>
But now on to the story proper. When Aang and the team decide to take a quick detour back to the Earthen Fire Refinery that Toph's dad runs (introduced in <i>The Rift</i>), they have no idea what awaits them. The small mining community has exploded into a bustling metropolis full of benders and non-benders alike looking to join the industrial revolution underway. But with the changing technology and rapidly expanding population also comes new tensions, as former enemies find themselves as neighbors and machines allow a new independence from bender-dominated hierarchies. As a new rift threatens to tear apart the city, Aang once again looks to mediate and bridge the divide.<br />
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I guess I'll start with the avatar. Aang had some nice characterization and conflict going here. He's still a bit shell-shocked from there being people on sacred Airbender land in the first place, and now it's not just one factory and its employees, it's <i>dozens</i> of factories and a city to support them. Add in the fact that much of the conflict in the city is perpetrated by benders, essentially his people, against non-benders, and you can see why he'd have a hard time making decisions.<br />
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On the one hand, he's sympathetic to non-benders being the victims of violence, and obviously wants to protect them. But on the other hand, he can see why benders would be upset that their livelihoods are being stolen by technology. He knows firsthand how sudden changes can be upsetting, so he wants to empathize with the benders who are lashing out in anger over their way of life changing. But he can also see how non-benders would want this change after being powerless for the majority of history, with this new industry providing some semblance of equality to them for the first time.<br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/6d0d1c29-3be9-40ba-b38b-b9944bcaa96d" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Imbalance Part 2" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1538330960l/41161043.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Of course, he had a little help with that bit of insight from the non-bender member of his team, Sokka. It was really nice having the two share a heartfelt and insightful conversation, showing that Sokka is much more than just the designated comic relief. Granted, he did have many more comedic lines than not, but at least he was acknowledged as an important member of the team, valued for more than just his out-of-the-box strategies. <br />
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Unfortunately the same can't be said for his sister. Katara had a couple good fight scenes here and there, but had very little to say. She talked Aang down from the avatar state, and offered a tiny bit of feedback when he tried to express his feelings, but on the whole she wasn't very influential in this story.<br />
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Toph, on the other hand, was a pleasure to follow. While previous comics tended to focus more on her personality as being rather boorish, this one harkened her back to her more intelligent and conniving roots. When the team was investigating who could be behind a factory attack, Toph put together a scheme to make friends with a suspect and gain intel. Granted, once she got the information she needed, she preferred the more direct line of action, but did acquiesce to the team's plan of further subterfuge. There were also a couple parts that hinted strongly of her crushing on Sokka, but it's unclear how serious those blushes were supposed to be taken since he was actively involved with Suki for most of the story.<br />
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That's right, Suki gets an active role in the story again. After all, chi-blocking is an effective way to neutralize violent benders. She wasn't a huge character in the story, mostly working in the background to train security personnel off-page, but she did get a couple moments to shine, which was nice to see. I'm interested in seeing more of her in her spin-off book, Suki Alone, since she doesn't get much time dedicated to her character in these stories, being too sidelined by the main Team Avatar, but I liked having her influencing at least some of the police force we'll see in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/7153f2b2-b203-4777-be80-0937e3000717" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Imbalance Part 3" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549389961l/43845605.jpg" width="185" /></a>
And that's where the cracks in the story begin to show. <br />
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Honestly, this story had a lot of things going against it. Firstly, this whole bender-versus-non-bender conflict is the main issue at the heart of <i>Korra</i>, which takes place some 70 years in the future. So while it's an interesting idea to introduce this conflict having history all the way back to this point, it means that Aang's story can't have a resolution. Sure, you can have these specific antagonists brought down, but the conflict as a whole still has to persist in order for <i>Korra</i> to make sense. Which makes this finale to the Aang series of comics rather anticlimactic.<br />
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Another issue I had was how secondary the main characters were to the story. When you boil it down, this is a story about this city coming to terms with its new technology and where benders and non-benders find themselves when the dust settles. Team Avatar happens upon this struggle right as it hits a boiling point, but none of them actually become involved in the story. The story's villains have a more compelling character arc than Team Avatar does. No one grows through this experience, no one changes their mind because of this story's events. The most you could say changes for the group is that Aang decides to settle down in the city to help it into the future.<br />
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And really, that's a problem that has persisted throughout this comic series. Katara is probably the worst offender, with her only moment to shine in <i>North and South</i> being undercut by her never committing to any opinion. Sokka wasn't much better, but at least he was entertaining throughout and had plot relevance in this last story. Toph had a good story in <i>The Rift</i> about her reconciling with her father, but her conflict with Aang and traditions in general never amounted to anything. Zuko experienced the most growth throughout, having arguably the most change introduced at the end of the show, and I loved seeing him allowed to struggle and expand his character in most stories he was in.<br />
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Aang's character was introduced to the prospect of growth, but never actually committed to it. We saw him in <i>The Promise</i> struggle with a new status quo in the new blended community born of the Fire Colonies, but his stance turned into strictly non-violence and having Zuko, the Earth King, and the colonists talk things out. <i>The Search</i> had him trying to act as liaison between a spirit and humans, but ended up with him siding strictly with humans and not suffering any repercussions. <i>The Rift</i> was a slightly nuanced take on that spirits-versus-humans debate, but again, he defended humanity and was told he was right by another spirit. His involvement in <i>Smoke and Shadows</i> and <i>North and South</i> was largely wasted, with him voicing the opinion that tyrannical behavior is wrong and giving support to Katara. And finally, <i>Imbalance</i> has him struggling to find a quick solution to its conflict, but ends up deciding that this conflict is more than just one villain, so needs more time and effort dedicated to it. Oh, and violence is bad. <br />
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I get that Aang sees himself as a bridge in conflicts, and that he abhors violence in all contexts—that was the whole point of the show's finale—but it would have been nice to have gotten a bit more to him than that. Honestly, we get more characterization from his kids reflecting on him in <i>Korra</i> than we do here. He's never forced to confront any indecision he faces, nor does he ever face any consequences for his actions, receiving nothing but praise at the end of every story, and no repercussions in subsequent tales. I'm not saying I wanted him to turn into a racist or classist and be talked back down, but having him experience an arc and grow through the stories would have been greatly appreciated, especially for us older fans.<br />
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I think the series as a whole was perhaps too ambitious for what allowance they were given. I mean, it seemed kinda like they wanted to make a season 4 of the show, wherein they tackled more nuanced and complex issues like colonization (both among humans, and with regards to spirits), political unrest, classism, industry vs nature, and such, but were only given the resources for cute, simple one-offs. Some stories adapted okay, but it always felt like there was far too much material for the allotted space. And I think that goes for the series as a whole as well. <br />
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In terms of a finale for <i>The Last Airbender</i> comics, there was just no way <i>Imbalance</i> could sufficiently wrap up all that came before while introducing its own characters and story, <i>and</i> trying to bridge the gap to <i>Korra</i>. It functions about as well as the other stories on an individual level, but as a conclusion there are just too many unanswered plot threads and no character or story arcs to tie anything together. Add in the sudden art change, and it feels even worse as a conclusion to what came before. And yet, I don't think there's any way to fix it.<br />
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Overall, <i>Imbalance</i> had a ton of baggage weighing it down to begin with, and I'm sorry to say it just couldn't overcome it. It had its bright spots in its story, its antagonists, improved characterization of some of Team Avatar, and a distinctly beautiful art style, but I was nevertheless underwhelmed when all was said and done. Perhaps I'm being too hard on a kids series, and younger fans of the show have and will continue to love all that comes out for this property, or perhaps I simply expect a story that introduces a complex issue to follow it through to a satisfying ending. Regardless, I'm not sorry to have read and finally completed this series as a whole, and I fully recommend these those who want to continue experiencing this world and these characters for as long as possible. I'll probably come back to the world of Avatar with Korra's series and some of the other spin-offs in the future, but for now my journey is complete.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-22538775200670149452022-06-24T10:00:00.535-07:002022-06-24T10:00:00.164-07:00A Northerner, a Southerner, and an Air Nomad, All Working Together<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/search/label/Avatar%3A%20The%20Last%20Airbender">Avatar: The Last Airbender</a> series or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55541703-avatar" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender The Search" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91BBL15KXIL.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f2793f73-03e4-4ce5-b50c-395f12b3c7ad">Avatar: The Last Airbender<br />
North and South</a><br />
By Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09G94T6C3?notRedirectToSDP=1&storeType=ebooks&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=b6be55a971c9c2ebf60cbc0807a2ec16&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781506721675?p_tx" rel="powells-9781506721675" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>When Katara and Sokka return home to the Southern Water Tribe, they are shocked to find that it has gone from a small village to a bustling city! Malina, a Northerner, is behind the change and plans to unify the Water Tribes, but Gilak, a Southerner, leads a fierce rebellion to stop her. In the face of these two opposing tribes, Katara will have to make peace with her nostalgia and mistrust to save the home she loves from being permanently torn apart.</i><br />
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Welp, it's finally time to focus on Katara and Sokka. While they were present in books 1-3, and had a very short stint in book 4 (mostly setting up this book), I can't say the pair ever had much impact in their stories, aside from comic relief or sideplots. So I was happy to finally get them front and center, especially if their story was all it promised to be.<a name='more'></a><br />
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Honestly, it felt a bit like a rehash of <i>The Rift</i>, only with people rallying against foreigners instead of spirits raging against humans. Talk about themes relevant to today, right?<br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e7dc08e0-d108-4735-8ef0-89840b105931" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender North & South Part 1" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1455242354l/29075587.jpg" width="185/" /></a>
I've always liked Katara, but more as a role model than someone I'm interested in watching. She's often seen as the motherly sort, taking care of the group, and not really let act her age unless she's squabbling with her brother. Here, isolated from all of Team Avatar except her brother, she finally got to shine as a young protagonist in her own right, instead of just support. We see her struggle with the changes around her, both personal and societal, as her home and family begin new journeys. And she's allowed to strut her stuff a bit when fights start up.<br />
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However, I would have wished for her to be even more isolated. Aang and Toph reappear in the second part of the story, and even Zuko joins the team in part three, making more characters to keep track of and robbing Katara of what could have been some much-needed individual growth. Or just giving her room to breathe and think and express her opinions. <br />
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As it stands, Katara's opinion against industrializing the Southern Water Tribe seems based solely on what occurred in <i>The Rift</i>. She has a flashback to the damage the new town and factory had on the environment there, but she never brings up any other memories or justification for her reluctance. Why didn't she mention what happened in the season 3 episode, The Painted Lady, wherein she saw the effects of industrial pollution on the populace and took direct action against the source? Or perhaps she could have likened her feelings back to Aang's at discovering the misappropriation of the Northern Air Temple? Instead, because she never elaborates on her feelings she comes off as being contrarian without having reason for it. <br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2f2fc83c-206b-49ae-b5a6-b7ffef450ffc" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender North & South Part 2" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465676225l/30206742.jpg" width="185/" /></a>
Perhaps they weren't allowed to depict parts of the show, or they just didn't have room to, but if they could have at least had Katara reference them, I feel like she would have come off much more relatable and less scripted. She doesn't seem to ever struggle with indecision about mining, which makes any temptation she might have faced from the Southern Elder just fall flat. I get that you don't want to have a main character commit treason, or side with racists, but her having some slight temptation, just to get others to see her side of things, would have been much more compelling than what we got.<br />
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Now, her conflicted opinions on personal matters was a welcome inclusion, even if it was a bit of a common trope. I liked seeing the parallels of Katara's relationship with Aang brought into her story with her father. I liked the little bit of reflection and closure we get regarding her mother, especially as it related to the kids. I even liked the slight back and forth she had with Malina and trying to put aside her initial misgivings. But on the whole, I felt like most of her conflict was either left in subtext or hastily patched over to move on to other characters. I just wish she had gotten more time and space dedicated to her conflicts...but maybe that can still be addressed in future?<br />
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Sokka, on the other hand, was precisely what I expected of him. We've seen his eagerness to embrace change and progress, not only in <i>The Rift</i>, but harkening back to the show. And his understanding of non-benders wanting some equal footing amongst benders is no doubt seeded in his own status as a non-bending member of Team Avatar. Throughout the show we've watched as he found his own strengths and capitalized on them, becoming an innovator and all-around strategist.<br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4fd33586-2a50-46a5-80f1-410ff070bcd7" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender North & South Part 3" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1474709723l/31617927.jpg" width="185/" /></a>Still, I might have liked to have seen more growth from him in this story, instead of acting mostly the same comedic relief that we've seen throughout this comic series. Because his character is largely unchanged from the end of the show, the only new conflict I could really see for him is in reacting to Katara. But since she really doesn't do anything besides voice frustration, there's nothing for Sokka to react to. So other than getting more time in the spotlight, I'm sorry to say he doesn't have much advancement in his character here. <br />
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Moving past our two leads, I think this story was definitely better paced than the last. I mean, I would have loved if more detail and exploration had been given to the themes and conflicts of this story, even barring my aforementioned wishes for character development, but at least it didn't feel like this narrative needed to be given another whole book or two. <br />
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The problems of North vs South, their different ideologies and cultures, their disparity of societal progress owing to their vastly differing involvements in the war, and the biases that can arise from that culture shock, were all presented thoughtfully and tactfully. Even the extremist views of Gilak and his army winning over more centralist members of the South when presented evidence of the North's prejudices, was chilling in its truth. Granted, this was published after the 2016 US election, so I assume they drew from real-life events, but its still chilling to see our reality mirrored so effortlessly in this fantasy media.<br />
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I will say that I found the climax and fallout a bit underwhelming. For a finale that held such stakes, pulled off a twist, and resulted in a death, there really was no reaction to it whatsoever. I mean, the finale we got was sweet and all, and I did enjoy the call back of food dividing the North and South in the first book now serving to unite them in the end, but we're not gonna have anything said about that death? No grumblings? No regrets? Just never gonna bring it up again?<br />
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And I feel like that's my main gripe about all these comics. I don't know if I'm just holding them to too high a standard because of the masterpiece that was the original show, or if they're waiting until later to really address all these threads they've introduced. Am I expecting too much of a middle-grade comic series, or are they just not willing to commit to a deeper exploration of their themes? I want to give them the benefit of the doubt, but seeing as there's only one book left in the series, I'm running out of room to push things off to... But I guess I'll see soon enough.<br />
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Overall, <i>North and South</i> felt better realized than previous entries, but still didn't quite live up to my expectations. I felt its story better fit the size limitations of this series, but I still wished some aspects (like the characters) were given greater focus or were allowed deeper exploration. It had some extremely poignant themes, and a couple moments even brought a tear to my eye, but, as I've found with the majority of this series, I'm still left wanting more. As the last of Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru's contributions to this series, I think it was a strong way to go out, and I'll definitely miss them going forward. But forward is where I must go...
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-56794438712605488702022-06-10T10:00:00.386-07:002022-06-22T14:56:15.891-07:00A Little Smoke Was All It Took To Get the Better of the Mighty Avatar<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/search/label/Avatar%3A%20The%20Last%20Airbender">Avatar: The Last Airbender</a> series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28588125-avatar" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Smoke & Shadow" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91i7ekuU2HL.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d4b00711-2b89-4456-9997-38e5f5b0c865">Avatar: The Last Airbender<br />
Smoke and Shadow</a><br />
By Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B098J4P5Z7?notRedirectToSDP=1&storeType=ebooks&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=d1ca81c3ca83ba12f90c27d37b518b5f&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781506721682?p_tx" rel="powells-9781506721682" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>The Fire Nation is threatened by a prophecy told by the Kemurikage--mysterious figures thought only to exist in legend: remove Zuko from the throne or the country will perish! Unrest is brewing as the New Ozai Society prepares to make its move against the crown, and children begin to go missing from their homes under mysterious circumstances! Avatar Aang and his friends are doing everything in their power to save them--but will it be enough?!</i><br />
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I'll admit, when I realized that this would be a continuation of Zuko's family's story following <i>The Search</i>, I was a bit more excited than I was for <i>The Rift</i>. I mean, I love Toph, and it's interesting seeing what the Fire Nation colonies are getting around to, but between Zuko and Azula and their mother, there's just so much drama and baggage to unpack. Add in some good political intrigue and a mystery to things, and I'm sold!<a name='more'></a><br />
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Unfortunately, I left this story feeling just underwhelmed.<br /><br />
<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a6ae8480-fc27-4a18-b956-3a1249dc02a6" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Smoke and Shadow Part 1" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91n4DtFis8L.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Don't get me wrong, there were a lot of great elements in this story. Like Ursa's return to the palace triggering major PTSD, Ursa's face change confusing and alienating her from her young daughter, the upheaval that a regime change might cause within that nation, and Zuko's continued struggles in finding his own leadership style when surrounded by opposing advice. And I would have loved to see more done with all those elements, but with all that and even more plot elements being introduced, it felt like it was rushing to try and tie up the major plot threads before the last page. In fact, that's exactly how long we have to wait for Ursa's resolution, and only three pages at that. <br />
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But I'm probably getting ahead of myself here. Let me back up.<br />
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The story picks up fairly closely to what we left off with in <i>The Search</i>. Zuko is returning to the palace with his mother and her new family, accompanied by Aang, Katara, and Sokka for...support? But during their absence in the capital, there has been unrest among those still loyal to the previous Fire Lord. And this unrest boils over into a straight coup attempt when Zuko and his family are attacked on their way to the palace. And as if the political drama wasn't enough, the drama becomes all too personal when Mai, Zuko's ex, finds herself trapped smack dab in the middle of things with her loyalty to and lingering feelings for Zuko on one side, and her father on the other. <br />
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And all that's before the kidnappings start. <br /><br />
<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/978cd38c-900a-4a9a-9140-17985cd148b5" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Smoke and Shadow Part 2" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91bO83fXnaL.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Suffice it to say, this story has a ton of moving parts, and unfortunately I think that was to its detriment. I think things could have worked okay if it was contained to the political unrest, the kidnappings, and probably Zuko and Mai's relationship struggles, but then there's this whole subplot with Ursa's PTSD, her face change from <i>The Search</i> estranging her from her daughter, and her seeking closure and the strength to move past Ozai, which is resolved literally in the last 3 pages of the book. And don't get me wrong, I am all for this depiction of PTSD and moving forward from your past, but it just seemed shoehorned in instead of given enough time to breathe on its own.<br />
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Though, if I'm being honest, the most annoying subplot for me was Mai's and Zuko's relationship issues. Mai broke up with Zuko in <i>The Promise</i> after he neglected to be open with her regarding his decisions, like seeking advice from Ozai. And I get it, part of being in a relationship is being open and honest with one another, and consulting each other about big decisions, supporting one another, and accepting support. But the scene itself seemed an afterthought in the story overall, that I was a little surprised it actually came up again.<br />
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Here Mai has started a relationship with a guy who hangs out in her dad's New Ozai Society. Oh, did I mention that her dad is leading the charge against Zuko's reign? Anyway, her relationship starts out as simply a way to squeeze the guy for information, but when it turns out that he's open to other views, their relationship becomes more permanent. Thing is, between it starting out as a lie on Mai's part, with her acting nothing like herself around him, and then being forced back into Zuko's circle to combat the New Ozai Society, and the subsequent kidnappings, things get more than a bit awkward. <br />
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And that awkwardness was both relatable and annoying. I don't know, maybe it's because it came across so real that I was uncomfortable reading it? Kei Lo was a sweet guy, with an interesting backstory, and Mai seemed happy around him. But that's just it—Mai seemed happy. Between trying to maintain a relationship built on falsities, and her revelation that she couldn't be open and vulnerable for fear of being hurt again, she just wasn't being truthful with him. Or even with herself. And again, I love the realness and drama that this type of story portrays, but I feel like it wasn't given enough time to build and resolve. Its conclusion takes just a single page, right before Ursa's finale, and we don't even get enough info for it to feel like a resolution. I get that relationships are complicated and ever evolving, but, again, it felt shoehorned in instead of an essential plot.<br /><br />
<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/dea8514d-158b-4f9b-a525-a7a04cba3579" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender Smoke and Shadow Part 3" border="0" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/91UJ9Aer2sL.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Which brings us to the actual main characters of the story: Aang and Zuko. Though, if I'm being honest, Aang really isn't a main character here. He comes in because the Kemurikage are vengeful spirits who seem to be behind the kidnappings, but his whole interaction boils down to a fact-finding quest, arguing with Zuko about being totalitarian, and a quick fight sequence at the climax. But, I guess he <i>did</i> have a lot of stuff to go through from the last story, and we get to see him try and be more diplomatic with the spirits instead of ordering them around...kinda...so he's fine I guess. <br />
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But really, this is Zuko's show. He's concerned about his mother's return home, and how his new little sister will adjust. He's forced to contend with an attempted insurrection and how that effects the safety of his family and his nation. Once the kidnappings start, he's faced with the awkwardness of working with his ex, plus finding balance between personal and professional courtesy among his staff. And when his own sister is among the new kidnapping victims, he's forced to contend with feelings of panic and unworthiness, as well as deal with the warring advice of his generals and friends.<br />
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And the revelation that comes in the last book, the machinations driving this whole kidnapping scheme, was actually pretty brilliant. I'm not sure that I buy that specific character coming to that conclusion, given their past, but I suppose it does fit some aspects. Once again, I wish we could see more of them here, have more interaction with Zuko, or even Ursa or her daughter, but I appreciate what little we did get. And I sincerely hope we see more of them in the future.<br />
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Pulling back from the plot a bit, I did notice that there was a noticeable lack of comedy in this story. With Sokka being taken out of the story fairly early on, and so much of the plot hinging on politics and emotional strife, there really wasn't as much room for our typical slapstick or witty banter. Well, part one did have some punctuating the fight scenes (I couldn't help but chuckle at some of the grunts getting confused about who to fight with Mai's father calling the shots), but after that point most of the humor seems to come from the awkwardness between Zuko, Mai, and Kei Lo, with Aang looking on, which, as I've already said, was kinda hit-and-miss for me. <br />
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Do I have to say the art is once again fantastic? I mean, you can tell just from the covers that the art style is once again exactly what we've come to expect from Team Avatar. And I finally learned that Gurihiru is a team of female artists, which is pretty awesome. Count me in for checking out some of their other work. From the menace of the Kemurikage and the unnerving underground crypts, to the emotional scenes, to the fight scenes, everything is clear, vibrant, and practically a part of the original series.<br />
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As for how this fits into the overall Avatar story, it's definitley one you can't read out of order. Between picking up pieces directly from <i>The Search</i>, referencing a little of what happened in <i>The Rift</i>, and teasing Katara and Sokka's next adventure in <i>North and South</i>, this one really can't just be picked up on a whim by a casual Avatar fan without some confusion. Or at the least, some major spoilers. I'll admit that the month-long time-skip did kinda throw me, what with us missing an entire month of Ursa and family in the capital, but I suppose there just wasn't enough space. <br />
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Which continues to be my main complaint of this book. Wheras the other Avatar stories thus far seemed to fit neatly into a three-episode structure, this one just needed more pages to properly introduce and wrap up everything it wanted to touch on. I mean, the exploration of Ba Sing Se in the original show lasted 6 episodes, and this story felt just as complex if not more-so. I'm hoping some aspects will be readressed in future stories, but as it stands now, this was probably my least favorite of the series just for its disappointing execution. <br />
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Overall, <i>Smoke and Shadow</i> felt like it had just too much to say in the space it was allowed. An ambitious story, filled with political intrigue, emotional drama, and a kidnapping mystery to boot, it had a lot of great aspects to it, but the limitations placed on it just failed to wow me. It did a good job with its characters, expanding on their stories and moving them forward, but, as is common with this series, I'm left wishing for more. I think fans of Avatar, and this comic series will find a lot to like here, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of what comes next. Until next time~
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-12583422331413325602022-05-27T10:00:00.551-07:002022-06-09T14:59:16.008-07:00The Border Between Our Two Worlds Grows into a Rift<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Avatar: The Last Airbender series, specifically <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2013/08/fulfill-your-promise-and-restore-world.html">The Promise</a> & <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2013/12/may-you-find-who-and-what-you-are.html">The Search</a>, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55541703-avatar" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender The Search" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1403180314l/22318585.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4e16753d-3524-41b7-ad1f-15859043aec7">Avatar: The Last Airbender<br />
The Rift</a><br />
By Gene Luen Yang & Gurihiru</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">in collaboration with Bryan Konietzko & Michael Dante DiMartino</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HY2HBBQ?notRedirectToSDP=1&storeType=ebooks&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=c4430614343b7f46356cd5c179e408cc&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781506721712?p_tx" rel="powells-9781506721712" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Avatar Aang asks his friends to help him honor Yangchen's Festival—one of the highest Air Nomad holidays, which hasn't been celebrated in over one hundred years. But cryptic visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen herself lead Aang to discover a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refinery—operating on land sacred to the Airbenders! Is this simply a case of corporate greed or is something more mysterious happening?</i><br />
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Tackling my unfinished series this year, and juggling a new job on top of all that, I decided to go a little out-of-order and jump back into the Avatar comics/graphic novels. I went ahead and re-read through the first two again, then jumped straight into this one. But after reading through it, I think I actually may have read it before. Well, I knew I'd read at least the first part, but I think I recognized enough in it that I'd actually read the whole thing through. Well, better late than never, right?<a name='more'></a><br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/55b0278d-0793-4944-b6c1-a37381f39235" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part 1" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1382378982l/18687079.jpg" width="185/" /></a>
Since the last story focused almost exclusively on Zuko and his family's baggage, it was nice to see the series return to some of the topics introduced in <i>The Promise</i>. Obviously I can't fault the series for wanting to explore the dangling threads of Zuko's family, but I also appreciate the series moving forward from where it set up in its first installment. Not only do we have Toph back in the spotlight, after being sidelined in <i>The Search</i>, but we also see more of fire/earth alliances, the newly-established Air Acolytes, and Toph's metalbending students. <br />
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I guess Toph is as good a place to start as any. I really enjoyed her arc in this story. She starts out with a bit of a chip on her shoulder, hearing Aang use a phrase often repeated by her father in order to keep her in line, and quickly tries to distance herself from the painful memory. She lashes out at not just the memory, but all things traditional or ritual. The reason of "that's just how it's done" isn't good enough. She wants facts, logic, and progress. So when the Earthen Fire Refinery offers not only a place of collaboration and new technology, but of progress as a whole, she is ready to fight even the Avatar for its right to exist. <br />
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<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/26193796-d5d8-4e14-9214-aafc5b0a067d" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part 2" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404960597l/20176447.jpg" width="185/" /></a>
But the history of the land isn't the only thing at stake as—of course—Toph's own past comes back to confront her. I honestly would have loved more focus on Toph and her baggage this time around. There are some good conversations had, some heartfelt and some more action-packed, but I felt her issues were solved all too quickly on the whole. There were some good parallels with her asking people to put faith in her when she refused to put her own faith in the traditions around her, but I don't feel like that was highlighted or resolved as well as it could have been. I mean, on reflection I guess it works okay, but I guess I just wanted more of her and less of Katara and Sokka's weird little sideplots.<br />
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Sokka, ever the comic relief, has an ongoing joke of trying to get the vegetarian Air Acolytes to eat meat, and then another one involving a forklift. Meanwhile, Katara is confronted with some Southern Water Tribe members blaming her for abandoning them after the war. And, yeah, that could be a really intriguing storyline with her wondering if she's abandoned her roots, her traditions in seeking her relationship with Aang and overseeing the progress of these new Fire/Earthen alliances. But instead she's given about 2 seconds to think about it before other plot intrudes and the other Water Tribe girls forgive her. Maybe it'll get more focus later, but here it just felt like it ate up space that could/should have been used for more involving Toph or Aang.<br /><br />
<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/15e058d5-29b2-4fdb-99b0-bb37e88ef9e4" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Avatar: The Last Airbender The Rift Part 3" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1396235420l/21532198.jpg" width="185/" /></a>
Which brings us to the Avatar, himself. Aang's story has the most continuity from the previous stories, with his severed connection to Roku from <i>The Promise</i> affecting his abilities to contact previous Avatars, and his supposed impartiality towards Spirits and Humans being called into question, which mirrors his actions in <i>The Search</i>. The first issue really does have a touching resolution, which brought tears to my eyes. The second issue, though, didn't really have any resolution here. <br />
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A Spirit essentially calls him a hypocrite, that the Avatar claims to maintain balance between Spirits and Humans, yet will always side with Humans because he is one. And isn't that what we just saw in <i>The Search</i>? He tried to convince the Mother of Faces to break her rules to benefit a human. Granted, everything worked out, but that wasn't guaranteed when the encounter started. Aang and his companions just so happened to luck out. This time, seemingly the same thing happens. A Spirit gets mad that the Avatar is siding with humans, then a Spirit (a different one this time) tells him he was okay, that the Spirit was being unruly. Happy ending? <br />
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To be fair, the ending is less happy and more bittersweet. It's less a solid happily-ever-after than a hopeful glance forward. I think Aang will continue to evolve his views on his place in the worlds, and the worlds' place with each other in future stories, and when that's done, we'll pick back up with the next generation and continue from there. It's kinda poetic that way, seeing the traditions of old reshaping themselves into new forms that the next generations carry forward. <br />
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But lest you think the series is growing too much, there's still plenty of humor woven throughout. I mentioned Sokka's bits here and there, but more than him were the Metalbenders and the youngest Air Acolyte. They worked fine for the most part, none overstaying their welcome, and each building off of what came before without being too repetitive. I probably won't remember their antics down the road, but they were fine in the moment and provided some welcome levity. And we even get a throwback to the Cabbage Vendor!<br />
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The art was as great as ever, hearkening back to the show we know and love. Obviously I'd love to see it fully animated, but there was still plenty of action displayed in the comic panels. And the full-page battle scenes were gorgeous. Even looking at them on my tablet or phone screen, I was still blown away. Plus, readers of the omnibus get the added bonus of the Sketchbook section, which features some drafts of artwork, comic panels, and even notes about the new character designs. I'm really interested to know more about the Chinese legends who inspired the designs of the Spirits. <br />
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Overall, <i>The Rift</i> was more of what <i>Avatar</i> fans love, expanded into a heartfelt and nuanced story about the conflict of tradition and progress. Today's society may not be in the midst of an industrial revolution, but it never hurts to show the importance of compromise between opposing ideologies, especially with the overarching theme of hope towards a better future. And with this stellar story in the books, I'm excited to see what the next installment has in store!
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-17034425430550528802022-05-19T10:00:00.001-07:002022-05-19T10:00:00.168-07:00Spring Update 2022Hey all! <br />
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Just wanted to give a quick update about what's been going on these last few months and why I've been silent. <a name='more'></a>I posted a little on the facebook page a while back, but I, like many, was laid off from my job during Covid. The shipping store I was at was in the process of downsizing, and with the sudden drop in business after the outbreak, the owner reduced staff down to just himself and the manager. Long story short, I was unemployed.<br />
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This also hit at the same time my grandmother started taking a turn for the worse. She had been dealing with memory loss and Alzheimer’s for a couple years at that point, but the winter of 2020 thru spring of 2021 was the beginning of the end with increased hospital visits due to diabetes, liver, and gastric complications. In some respects, being unemployed during that time was a boon since it allowed me to stay with her and support my family through that time. She passed March 11, 2021 surrounded by her family. <br />
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I can't express how thankful I am that Oregon's unemployment/Covid supplements allowed me to stay home through this time. Not only do I have high-risk family members at home, but it also allowed me time to grieve.<br />
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I kept up with posting for the most part through all of that, using my weekly reviews as a focal point. You may have noticed the audiobook reviews returned throughout 2021, as being at home full-time allowed for me to return to listening while I read. Audiobooks really are great, huh? <br />
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But that brings us to fall 2021 when the Covid boosts expired along with my 6 months of unemployment benefits. The family had a little stored up that got us through the winter, but job-hunting was in full swing for me. Unfortunately, there weren't any hits for a long time, slowly draining that buffer.<br />
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Finally, in March of this year (shortly before my Blue Exorcist review went up) I got the good news. I'm currently working as an office manager at a local church, and am enjoying it immensely. It's so nice to be able to work in an environment that allows me to help people and use my computer skills without suffering through the toxic retail environment. My sympathies go out to everyone struggling through retail jobs, especially right now.<br />
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The downside, of course, is trying to re-establish balance between working and blogging again. It took me nearly 5 full years last time, but I'm hoping to be able to cut that down to just a couple months this time. My first goal is to get back into reading, period. Obviously I can't listen to audiobooks at work, so I'm bumping up some of the non-audio books I had planned for this year—namely, manga & comics.<br />
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I continued the Blue Exorcist series and have found re-reading the first couple Avatar: The Last Airbender stories pretty doable at work (lunch & breaks). So next on the list will be continuing and concluding my reviews of the Avatar books. Then, once I get a feel for how much time I have reading & writing, I'll see if I want to try tackling the few audiobooks I'd checked out. I know <i>Perfect Lies</i> is only a couple hours to read, so that'll at least give me a feel for it. Then...I guess we'll see where it goes from there.<br />
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Hope this brings everyone up to speed. I'll be trying to get <i>The Rift</i> review up next week. Until then, all the best!
<br><h1 style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: Parisienne;">~ Vicki</span></h1>Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-71519745219637451672022-03-21T14:00:00.004-07:002022-07-09T16:25:47.023-07:00I’m Not a Human or a Demon— But I Will Be an Exorcist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18753979-blue-exorcist-vol-1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Blue Exorcist Volume 1" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1383637202l/18753979.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d7cf656b-504e-4d07-9f04-5b251079edcb">~Blue Exorcist~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Exorcist Cram School Enrollment & <br />Exorcist Candidate Live Combat Arcs<br />Vol. 1-4 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Kazue Kato</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Translated By John Werry</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Exorcist-Vol-Kazue-Kato-ebook/dp/B00F3HJVRS?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=7d22793f0d596e920ccb34a9b8a52368&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781421540320?p_tx" rel="powells-9781421540320" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
Unbeknownst to fifteen-year-old Rin Okumura, both human and demon blood runs in his veins. After a fight with some delinquents causes his demonic powers to suddenly and violently awaken, he's thrown into a hidden world of demons and Exorcists. With his dubious heritage exposed, there's little choice left to him except to join the fight against demons and train to become an Exorcist himself. <br />
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And Rin is not one to merely go halfway. He vows to become the best, and sets his sights on one day defeating Satan himself.<br />
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Enrolled at True Cross Academy, alongside his more studious twin brother Yukio, Rin's training begins at the Exorcism Cram School. There he and the other students are quickly thrown into the thick of things, battling goblins, ghouls, and even a Demon God or two. Fighting, Rin can handle, but friendship is a challenge all to itself, and while honesty and trust is important, he's not sure revealing everything about himself is a good idea. <br />
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But that choice may not be entirely up to him.<br />
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I watched this story's anime <i>way</i> back when it was on Toonami and fell in love. A plucky teenage protagonist discovering a hidden magical world in which the forces of good and evil are locked in battle, deciding to join the fight, and slowly peeling back the misconceptions and corruption of this new world in his journey through school? What's not to love? I even found the manga online and read the unofficial translations for a while. When the anime came back in 2017, effectively erasing the last half of the non-canon first season in favor of the next arc from the manga, I was excited to see the gang back in action. But it took my recent forays into reading the medium to finally get me to revisit the manga proper. <a name='more'></a><br />
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Rin is one of my all-time favorites. He's downtrodden but not gloomy, quick to fight but not mean, airheaded but not oblivious, and kindhearted but not saccharine. He always speak his heart, even when it might get him in trouble, and he is super protective of those who can't protect themselves, even at the detriment to himself. His goals are partly for himself, but mostly out of a duty toward those he cares about. Basically he's a cinnamon roll that's been completely charred on the outside—a little scary on the surface, but is actually super sweet and comforting underneath, with a little spicy kick for good measure.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19091104-blue-exorcist-vol-2" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Blue Exorcist Volume 2" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1385942348l/19091104.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Of course, for story purposes, Rin is unlike anyone this world of Exorcists has ever seen. The little that we see of the inner workings of Exorcist society seems to be highly bureaucratic, with requisitions, ranks, and rules upon rules. This is no doubt due to the religious underpinnings of this society, and the fact that the story is based in Japan, but could also be thematically in line with counter-acting the chaotic elements that we see from the demons.<br />
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While demons do seem to follow their own rules—how they are created, how they can be vanquished, etc.—their main goals always seem to align with causing chaos. Whether that's throwing people's lives into uncertainty, causing pain and turmoil, or merely causing rampant mischief and destruction, demons seem to be agents of chaos. Or perhaps agents of unbridled Id, if we wanted to look at it psychologically, leaving the super-streamlined Exorcists to act as the Super Ego in attempting to reign it in. ...But you didn't come here for a term paper.<br />
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Rin enters this world as a literal half-breed of the two—part demon and part human, part chaos and part order. Through him, we soon meet other quirky individuals and explore some of the more non-regimented aspects of this society, but I always get the feeling that the quirks are brought out because of Rin, that they wouldn't exist but for him. We especially see this with his brother Yukio (pictured on Vol. 2), who constantly appears a normal, emotionless cog in the machine, but for Rin's chaotic mannerisms or outbursts pulling him back. <br />
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And this seems like a good time to talk about some of these other characters. Yukio, while technically Rin's twin, is often emphasized as being the younger brother. As such, while he does come off as competent in his own right, we still see glimpses of an inferiority complex nestled just under the surface. There are a few times where he thinks back to when Rin had protected him, and though he's definitely moved past needing help with bullies, there are still times where he can't help but be reminded of Rin standing between him and danger, and seeing himself as weak because of it. The tale of these two brothers isn't that unique in the long run, and it can be a pain having the melodrama drawn out when honest communication would no doubt speed things along, but it's still engaging and heartfelt nonetheless.<br />
<br />
Another character who could have benefited from some honest communication is Father Shiro Fugimoto, the man who adopted and raised Rin and Yukio for the past 15 years. We learn much more about him as the story goes on, but the little we see of him so far paints him as a kind man who always tries to see the good in others, but is hard and strong when he needs to be. It's clear that he's had a huge impact on the brothers, with Rin's actions often mirroring the Father's, showing a definite lean toward nurture in the nature-vs-nurture debate. <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10334529-blue-exorcist-vol-3" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Blue Exorcist Volume 3" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1456425774l/10334529.jpg" width="185" /></a>
The next reoccurring character we meet is Father Fugimoto's friend, and principal of True Cross Academy, Mephisto Pheles (pictured on Vol. 4). Literature majors may recognize the name as a play on the tempting devil in <i>Faust</i>, and he certainly lives up to his namesake. He's immediately the most charismatic of the cast so far, what with his indelible smirk, his flamboyant clothes, and his often coy and mischievous mannerisms, and acts as a behind-the-scenes antagonist of sorts. Well, maybe not antagonist, as I'm still not quite certain where his loyalties lie, but an instigator to be sure, as he is the one behind most of the challenges thrown at Rin through these first arcs. A troublemaker in a place of power, he's sure to be memorable whether you love him or hate him.<br />
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Next comes Rin's classmates, who may not be as eccentric as him or his brother but have got enough to distinguish and endear themselves in their own right. We first really meet Shiemi (pictured on Vol. 3), an initially shy girl raised by her mother and grandmother in True Cross's plant/potion supply. What she lacks in social cues she more than makes up in heart, as she quickly cracks even the most jaded of her classmates. She's not the strongest character in battle, often becoming the damsel in distress, but we do see her slowly grow in confidence and ability with her skills with plants and healing. She's also set up as a kind of romantic conflict between the two brothers, one I don't personally enjoy, but there's enough other things going on with her that I can't fully hold it against her—boys are just stupid sometimes.<br />
<br />
Speaking of stupid boys, Suguro (aka Bon) is quickly set up as Rin's main rival. He's bigger, more knowledgeable, book-smart, has friends, and also has the goal of defeating Satan. But we quickly learn that Suguro has struggles of his own, with him seeing Rin's strength and envying his confidence. Suguro isn't as antagonistic as Bakugo, but does serve as a strong rival by paralleling Rin's goals and showing that hard work and determination can get you further than just luck.<br />
<br />
Similarly, Kamiki, a mean-girl type character, shows parallels with Shiemi, what with not being the quickest to make friends but still desiring them. She knows she's not a kind person, and she knows that taking advantage of Shiemi's kindness isn't the 'right' thing to do, but she also doesn't want to come off as weak either. It's only after freezing during battle, and Rin's display of strength <i>and</i> kindness that she decides to make a better effort in befriending Shiemi. <br />
<br />
And I think that's this series' biggest strength: showing the similarities between all its characters. Rin isn't physically like anyone else, not even his biological twin, but he manages to find similar goals and passions with almost everyone around him, forcing them to seem him as more human than other. The same is true even of fighting classmates: Suguro and Kamiki often butt heads over little things, neither one willing to back down when they feel slighted, but they're eventually forced to see their similar situations, either as friends of friends or future-Exorcists or simply kids fighting demons, and are able to put their differences aside (if only for the moment). And it's this constant pushing differences aside that has me constantly coming back for more.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19055515-blue-exorcist-vol-4" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Blue Exorcist Volume 4" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1347350749l/11297579.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Well, that and the art. Admittedly, the first couple pages of the manga had me worried, with their extremely detailed but overall visually dark artwork—it was like someone had taken a color print, scanned it in grayscale, and then reprinted it—but thankfully that gave way to a simplified and more easily visible style. As with most manga, it's black and white, but that only gives more room to let the designs do the talking. It does make some comments a bit surprising at first, like when people make a big deal about a character's hair being pink, or Rin's flames being a distinct blue, but we generally get enough cues from cover art to manage okay.<br />
<br />
Of course, I came in with knowledge from the anime, so I might be a little biased on that. It's been a couple years since I last watched it, but I can remember really loving it. Some things are out of order here and there, and for some reason I remember Mephisto's identity being more of a weird secret in the anime than it is in the manga, but I'd still say it's a great place to start if the 30-ish volumes of the manga seem too daunting. I do know the first episodes, where we first learn of Rin's demonhood, are much flashier in the anime, with this whole battle going down with the other monks instead of it just being Rin and Father Fugimoto in the manga. Just be sure to stop at Ep 17 and go straight into the second season (Blue Exorcist: Kyoto Saga) to avoid any (possible) spoilers for later in the series. The storyline is supposedly anime-only, but there are a few noticeable similarities to things that happen down the line in the manga that I have to assume that Kazue Kato gave them notes (similar to <i>Game of Thrones</i>).<br />
<br />
I suppose I should probably touch on the religious aspects depicted here. Being a story about demons and Exorcists, religious iconography and practices are practically required. From what I know, and what I've read here, the religious depictions here are both respectful and ultimately fictitious. Though Rin was sheltered from the existence of demons, the world at large seems to know or at least not question their existence, trusting the various religious leaders and Exorcists with their safety, thus when something supernatural pops up, we don't usually see anyone thrown into existential crisis. Obviously that's not how things are done in our world, hence the fictitious aspect. <br />
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As far as the tools Exorcists have at their disposal, those do seem more grounded in our reality, with them relying heavily on religious incantations (Bible verses, Buddhist mantras, etc.), holy water, and various blessed items. The incantations are easily skimmed over, if you're not interested in that kind of thing, and the other holy items are more inferred than actively depicted. Honestly, there's more gun and sword-play than casting out demons with holy water or crosses. So I guess if you're touchy about your religion, or really don't want to see religious depictions at all, maybe give this a pass? Otherwise, I found it merely set dressing—interesting, but ultimately benign.<br />
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What comes to play the most is faith and strength of spirit. Losing one's confidence in themselves can make them more susceptible to demonic influence, or can make them vulnerable to their own demonic summons. Admittedly, having evil be a conscious outside influence isn't the most in tune with my personal theology/philosophy, but that's kinda what you have to let go in fantasy stories like these. And it's not like humans are incapable of evil without demonic influence on their own, or that all demons are inherently evil. But I'll let you discover more of that on your own.<br />
<br />
Now, where does the series go from here? Well, I know there are a ton of new characters introduced, a lot more politics, and some twisty surprises. I think I mainly fell off the series because the unofficial site I was accessing went under, not because I lost interest. The other classmates get fleshed out more, there's new villains, and tons, <i>tons</i> of battles, and Rin keeps moving forward. I'm excited to get to read the official translation back to where I was, as well as seeing where the story has gone in the years since I fell off—in fact, I don't think it's done being released (in English anyway) yet—so there's still a whole lot more to discover, and I'm excited to get back to it!<br />
<br />
Overall, I have a lot of love for this story. From its quirky yet heartfelt characters, its fascinating world that blends old superstitions and modern sensibilities, and its overall message of acceptance and looking past what divides us to what unites us, there's a lot to love. Even if you're not big on manga or comics, I'd recommend at least picking up the first volume if you enjoy YA supernatural stories, action-packed adventures, or even sibling rivalry melodramas. An engaging story that allows for more intricacies and details to get introduced as it goes on, I have no doubt it'll hook some of you in no time. As for me, I'll be slowly but surely making my way through the 29 volumes my library has available. Until next time!
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-36304054499347253522022-03-12T10:00:00.431-08:002022-03-12T10:00:00.164-08:00Run First, Mourn Later - the Perfect Motto for Morganville<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5412266-glass-houses" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Glass Houses" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348838483l/6690966.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3c82b619-07ae-46e5-8117-819890bc0fd5">~Glass Houses~</a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">The Morganville Vampires<br />Book 1<br /></span>
By Rachel Caine</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O76NAK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B000O76NAK&linkId=f12f73544a3d2d54534f4b1b2747b56a" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9780451230546?p_tx" rel="powells-9780451230546" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>College freshman Claire Danvers is a 16-year-old math whiz whose parents decided she should spend two years at a small local college instead of taking her scholarships to an Ivy League school. And she has had enough of her nightmarish dorm situation.<br />
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When Claire heads off-campus, the imposing old house where she finds a room may not be much better. Her new roommates don't show many signs of life, but they'll have Claire's back when the town's deepest secrets come crawling out, hungry for fresh blood. <br />
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Will she be able to face the town's terror or will she drown like everyone else?</i><br />
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<br />
The theme for this month's <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/vampire-book-club.html" target="_blank">Vampire Book Club</a> was start-to-a-series. I actually have owned this book for <i>ages</i> but haven't had a good excuse to start a new series (hence <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/reading-challenges-2022.html" target="_blank">this year's reading goal</a>), so I welcomed this chance to finally pick it up. Straddling the line between YA and NA, would this be the start to a compelling series I'd be chomping at the bit to continue, or would these vamps leave me feeling stale?<a name='more'></a><br />
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Honestly, I was a bit underwhelmed by the vampires—I mean, we barely saw them! Sure, they're a big threatening presence overshadowing the entire town, but we actually see little of what they can do until the very end of the book, and even then they're mostly kept at bay by magical protections. About all we see is a flash of fang, the ability to hypnotize with eye contact, a bit of speed, and their influences on the town as a whole. But actually seeing their threats up close and personal? Not so much. Add in all the damage and outwitting our plucky heroes accomplish with little-to-no training, and I'm just wanting more. <br />
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As for our heroes, Claire was by far the most fleshed out. As our protagonist, it's hard not to root for her, but I'll admit there were times where she came off a bit snobby. She's smart, like attending college at 16 smart, but she's also kinda judgey of clothes and fashion and other girls' looks. She's very jaded against the "preppy" girls who rule her dorm (though I'll grant you, they are hazing her pretty hard by this point), and gets on the queen bee's bad side by "automatically" correcting her history knowledge, shaming her in front of a group. I'm not saying she deserves any of the abuse she's getting, but she's not exactly endearing herself to her dormmates either. <br />
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Luckily, Claire is able to fall in with a better group of friends at the Glass House. Eve is described as Goth, but really seems to skirt the line between Goth and Punk in clothes, and her personality is a mix of bubbles and snark. Seemingly the responsible one of the group, she's the only one of the current Glass House residents holding down a job, and also acts as a sort of mother hen in welcoming and educating Claire. Shane is a bit of a goof and slacker, quick to make jokes and enjoy the moment, but he's also reliable and intensely loyal, not to mention a pretty good cook. Michael is the owner of the Glass House, and by far the most mysterious of the group. He's slow to warm up, but once he trusts you he'll support you in whatever ways he can. Though a bit rudimentary in their characterization, each worked okay for their roles, and I'm excited to learn more about each of them as the series continues. <br />
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Our villains, on the other hand, weren't very impressive. Monica and her lackeys were playground bullies set to 11—happy to punch Claire in the face, push her down a flight of stairs, and abduct her in broad daylight—yet they also seemed reluctant to get their hands dirty, leaving Claire's fate to the vampires. Having them be fearless of reprimand at first, then having them do nothing but verbal taunting second, just didn't work for me. Is there some rule against killing? Was Monica punished for losing a vampire's meal between the scenes? I mean, give me some explanation, or else her actions come off as rather toothless and contrived. <br />
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Thankfully, we got to see other villains show their faces in this story, with cops and other vampire sympathizers showing themselves as a clear threat of numbers and resources. Now, 15 years after the book's original release, shady and overly-aggressive cops reads a bit differently to me than it might have back then. Just goes to show how susceptible power is to corruption, and how easy it is for those "going with the flow" to commit truly heinous acts. Chilling, right?<br />
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Well, maybe chilling isn't the right word. Perhaps tragic?<br />
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I will say the tone of this book doesn't read tragic at all. If anything, it's more akin to a 90's or 00's popcorn flick—fast and action-heavy. What few scenes there are of talking, it's almost always establishing an important plot point or some essential characterization that will come into play later. For all the dark subject matter—vampires, death, tragic backstories, etc.—there's always a good amount of comedic banter, romance, or general hopefulness that carries through. It may not be an in-depth character study, like I prefer YA books these days, and it may have its fair share of logic fails (loving physics but hating calculus? and that's not how wifi works), but it delivers an engaging and well-plotted story nonetheless. And sometimes a fun popcorn book is just what you need.<br />
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What I didn't need was that cliffhanger ending. I know I said I was open to starting a new series since I'm in the process of finishing a few this year, but that ending was just plain mean. It's one thing to entice readers with dangling plot threads or unsolved mysteries, but a knife plunging toward a character's chest? Really?!?<br />
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Overall, I think this is the start to a fun and fast popcorn series. If you're wanting something a little melodramatic, action-packed, and twisty, with a sprinkling of teen romance, snarky banter, and bloody fangs, then you might want to check out this series. It may come off a tad dated with its reliance on the I'm-not-like-other-girls protagonist and cartoonish-bully tropes, and a noticeable lack of smart phones, but that also just feeds into its nostalgic charm. I don't know when I'll get the chance to come back to this series, but its a safe bet that it won't be too long from now.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" height="285" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Cynthia Holloway <br />
Unabridged Length: 8.7 Hours<br />
Listened at 2.25x Speed</span></div><br />
I don't know if it's due to the age of the production, or simply the quality of audiobooks I've been listening to recently, but I wasn't too impressed with this one. Emotions and inflections at certain parts seemed off, like they were recorded non-sequentially and the proper emotion wasn't given to the reader. Like Claire would be speaking, and getting kinda freaked out, then another character would ask her a question, and her one-word response would be unusually peppy. Nothing against Ms. Holloway, as her overall voicework was fine, and her delivery worked well on the whole, just some weird misses for me here and there.<br />
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I also couldn't help but notice some alterations to the text every now and again. Nothing huge, for the most part, but there were a lot of omitted and/or changed words that I caught while reading along. The most obvious omittion was towards the end when a character asks to be invited into the Glass House and makes mention of the house's strong protections barring them entry. That sentence about protections wasn't in the audio at all, which I'd usually chalk up to the ebook having editing after the audiobook's recording, but as my paperback also has that line in it, I'm leaning more towards it being a mistake.<br />
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Overall, this audiobook is serviceable to get you through the story, but it's definitely not the best I've heard. The tweaks to the text are mostly benign but pervasive, and it seemed like the editing or direction of the production wasn't as invisible as I've come to expect. I'd still recommend it to those who regularly use audiobooks as their reading preference, but it's perhaps not the best sample to woo new prospective listeners. When I inevitably pick up the next story in the series, I hope to see some improvement in these aspects.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-69571699581490953942022-03-08T10:00:00.077-08:002022-03-08T10:00:00.181-08:00The Fowl Phantom Solution<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous books in the Artemis Fowl series, specifically <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-case-of-fowl-twins-first-magical.html">The Fowl Twins</a> & <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-fowl-family-deny-all-charges.html">Deny All Charges</a>, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57007831-get-what-they-deserve" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Get What They Deserve" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1630887939l/58932159.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Fowl Twins</span> <br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/89e96c6f-be78-4154-b3ca-3af7f6e02ea2">~Get What They Deserve~</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 3 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Eoin Colfer </span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Fowl-Twins-What-Deserve-Artemis-ebook/dp/B09D8R67V4?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=&linkCode=ll1&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=888bf17611eb1dd2bad70ca5ae81dd23&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781368052566?p_tx" rel="powells-9781368052566" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Irish twins Myles and Beckett, Artemis Fowl's younger brothers, return in their third and most bizarre adventure yet.<br />
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For almost two years, Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, the Duke of Scilly, has been plotting revenge against the Fowl Twins, who humiliated him in Book One. Teddy plans to give them exactly what they deserve: permanent death.<br />
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He threatens Myles with his weaponized jet and Beckett and Specialist Lazuli succeed in disarming the aircraft and causing an accident that kills the duke. But does it really?<br />
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Ghosts, clones, and fairy magic come to play in this ultimate and ridiculous showdown between the twins and their worst enemy.</i><br />
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<br />
Being a long-time fan of Colfer and his Fowl series, it was a no-brainer to see this was coming out and immediately know I had to read it. Actually, the only reason I didn't read this book sooner was that the release of the book was a bit...off. For some reason, the book was scheduled for release in October 2021, but all that became available was the audiobook. Then, when the text versions released a month later, my library got the physical book but not the ebook. Well, I finally decided I was through with waiting, picked up the previous books for recollection's sake, and was ready to see just what Lord Teddy had in store for our favorite twins. <a name='more'></a> <br />
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Touching first on Lord Teddy, I was thrilled to hear he'd be coming back for this story, and he did not disappoint. While one could argue that he was technically in the 2nd book, his presence as the main antagonist was sorely missed. Now that he's back and out for a proper revenge, he was a joy to follow and root against. His warped sense of honor, his penchant for convoluted schemes and dramatic reveals, and his maniacal flair all combine to make him one of my absolute favorite villains. I mean, I <i>know</i> of Opal from Artemis's books, I remember things she did, but I can't honestly say I remember her character. Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye will definitely be someone I remember for his character, as well as his actions.<br />
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But, of course, a villain is only as good as his foils, and in this the Fowl twins certainly have risen to the occasion. Myles has his own flair for the dramatic, loving to get the last word and show off his own schemes whenever possible, but (as with Artemis's 3rd adventure before him) it seems that he may have bitten off more than he could chew this time. I loved seeing Myles get a taste of humble pie in this story, not only as his own meddlings backfired, but as new revelations showed him tools other than just his brain at his disposal. Even as one of our heroes, nobody likes a know-it-all, so it was oh so satisfying seeing him in new confuddling situations.<br />
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Likewise it was great seeing Beckett being let to explore some of his own thoughts. Being the 'action twin', he's often tethered to another of the team, allowing someone else to plan or provide witty banter while he goes in for the cluster punches or acrobatic stunts. But this time he's left to devise his own plans, conduct his own conversations, and really grow into his own character. Instead of simply being the twin who does things or who provides comic relief through inane babbling, he's actually experiencing new emotions and responsibilities and growing through them. Sure, he's still a goofball and definitely non-traditional in his thought-processes, but that's loads better than before where I'd just assumed he was banking on dumb luck. Now, I daresay, I think I could enjoy a Beckett solo story!<br />
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Speaking of solo stories, Lazuli got a bit of her own during this book. I didn't mind the concept of it, her looking into finding her birth parents, but I did think it kinda came out of nowhere. Sure, we know that she was abandoned and raised at an orphanage from when we first meet her, but actually wanting to hunt down her parents has never come up before this instant, and for her to profess that, "the only thing that means more to me than my future is my past" is a bit melodramatic for what I thought we knew of her. <br />
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I was also a bit distracted in Lazuli's story by a returning character who, I'm sorry to say, I don't remember as well as I would have liked. Perhaps younger minds will remember her better, but I found my mind wandering, searching for memories of her throughout her entire time in the story. Then again, perhaps that's just another reason to go back to the beginning...<br />
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Another thing that had me distracted was some of the so-called science involved in this story. I realize that there's a lot of magic that goes into even the most science-y of Myles's experiments, but when you specifically have an experiment that targets the eyes, I don't know why ears are also affected. Heck, I could even buy that the brain is compensating for what the eyes are seeing so that characters are able to hear things, too. But I don't understand how characters are able to hear things <i>before</i> seeing them if the eyes are the targeted organ. I know, I know, I'm being way too pedantic about a kids book where magic and untested experimentation is involved, but it just rubbed me the wrong way to have this experiment focused on eyes alone (with freaking injections!!!) but have ears be the initial observable change.<br />
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And I know that was all very vague, but I didn't read the entire summary before reading, so I won't spoil things for those who may yet decide to read this. You'll know once you've read it.<br />
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In the same vein of subtlety, I don't know the best way to introduce my favorite quote of the story...but I'm going to do it anyway. There's a point in the story where a female character finds herself in an unfamiliar body:<blockquote>"You must think me strange, too. A princess who walks, talks, and speaks like a duke."<br />
[...] [Beckett replies:] "Maybe people would think you strange back in the olden days, but kids these days don't care about stuff like insides and outsides matching. [...] Anyway, as far as I can tell, no one's insides match their outsides, and anyone who says they do is pretending." [pg 248]</blockquote> Thank you for this, Mr. Colfer. It brought a tear to my eye to see, if not literal trans representation, then at least verbal trans support. <br />
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And as for that ending, I think it was serviceable for the book, but definitely not the series. There are still way too many loose ends to be tied up, despite Lazuli's, Whistleblower's and Teddy's stories getting some resolution. So, if the chatter that this is the final book of the series turns out to be true, I will be sorely disappointed. And it's not just me not wanting the story to end yet—what about the promised return of the special agent from Book 1, or the new magic theories Myles just concocted? It may be "completing <i>a</i> trilogy," but I trust, as with <i>The Eternity Code</i> before, we haven't seen the last of these Fowls yet.<br />
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Overall, this was a welcome addition to the Fowl legacy. Filled to bursting with wacky hijinks, witty banter, magical spectacle, and dramatic schemes, with a sprinkling of logic, heartfelt moments, and laughter of both evil and joyous varieties, I have no misgivings recommending this to readers both young and young-at-heart. After all, we all need a fun pick-me-up now and again, and there's plenty of wit and cleverness woven into these Fowl tales. And though there's still a little confusion as to whether this series will continue forward, I know I'll definitely be returning to the world of the Fowls in the future—one way or another!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" height="285" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Nathaniel Parker<br />
Unabridged Length: 9.3 Hours<br />
Listened at 2.25x Speed</span></div><br />
Not much to say on this that I haven't said <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2022/03/earth-always-needs-saving-and-it-is.html" target="_blank">before</a>. <br />
<br />
Mr. Parker delivered another stellar performance with a good range of voices both familiar and new. Some of Teddy's family members did sound perhaps a bit too familiar, but I can forgive that since I imagine they wanted them to sound similar to one another, and they were still easy to differentiate with context. I also noticed this narration took a bit of a slower pace, which prompted my increased listening speed. It wasn't too distracting, mostly some longer-than-normal pauses at the ends of sentences, and otherwise I found his delivery as good as ever.<br />
<br />
Overall, another entertaining entry in a fun and fantastic series. I think these audiobooks would make for great car trips, with plenty of humor and silly voices to keep younger kids entertained but still emphasizing wit and logic to keep older folks from going mad. Or, like me, you can enjoy them without the kids. A fun pick-me-up to balance out the darker fare, I look forward to future returns to this series and getting to hear more from Mr. Parker.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-77875827551773166692022-03-01T10:00:00.188-08:002022-03-01T10:00:00.170-08:00Earth Always Needs Saving, and It Is Usually a Fowl Who Saves It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44891554-the-fowl-twins" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Fowl Twins" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1556827345l/44286889.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/04ae0367-4514-4cc2-b5a9-4009324651ba">~The Fowl Twins~</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Eoin Colfer</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1368052568/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1368052568&linkId=1e272eae50414c06810dde13f28f80ab" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781368075671?p_tx" rel="powells-9781368075671" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Criminal genius runs in the family...
Myles and Beckett are eleven-year-old twins, but the two boys are wildly different. Beckett is blonde, messy and sulks whenever he has to wear clothes. Myles is fanatically neat, he has an IQ of 170, and he wears a fresh suit every day like his older brother, Artemis Fowl.<br />
<br />
Perhaps you have heard of the Fowl family and their adventures?<br />
<br />
This Fowl adventure is filled with the most unusual of individuals: an immortal duke, a miniature troll, a nunterrogator and a Police Specialist that's 42% elf. And of course, the Fowl twins - one a certified genius with a criminal leaning, and the other possessing an unusual talent that has not been fully explored... yet!<br />
<br />
Here begins the second documented cycle of Fowl Adventures.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-case-of-fowl-twins-first-magical.html" target="_blank">Original Review</a></span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Nathaniel Parker<a name='more'></a><br />
Unabridged Length: 8.9 Hours<br />
Listened at 2x Speed</span></div><br />
I'll admit that I don't listen to nearly as many Middle Grade level books as I probably should, and this one makes the case for it. Mr. Parker provides one of the most entertaining performances I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing. More than the huge variety of voices he provides, all with distinct accents and easily distinguished personalities attached, he also exudes an unmistakable feeling that he's having fun in everything he's doing. <br />
<br />
I believe one of my complaints upon first reading was that neither of the titular twins had much personality to start out with. Consider that completely erased with this audio, as both twins personalities are readily apparent after just a couple sentences. I admit I wasn't too fond of Beckett's voice, it being rather squeeky in comparison to everyone else's, but I eventually came to accept it as the unbridled joy grew to be too contagious to ignore. The main antagonist, Lord Teddy Bleedham-Drye, Duke of Scilly (yes, that's really his name & title), was similarly treated to a humorous interpretation, what with his blustering, jowly British voice seeming to take way too much pleasure in his thoughts and dialogue.<br />
<br />
That was another thing that struck me about this—the thoughts of characters, even those not distinguished by <i>italics</i> were always read in the same voice as if the character had spoken aloud. There was also a part where the three types of fairy were spelled out, which is simply a visual cue in the text, making it obvious that the production had gone out of its way to better translate the text to an audio medium. While one would hope for that type of thing to be more standardized, it's sadly not, leading me to always be pleasantly surprised and appreciative when it's there.<br />
<br />
Overall, a fantastic and memorable production through and through. Though it's hard to say whether the production's overall tone was tweaked for the age of reader, or if the story itself simply lent itself more readily toward that joy-filled reading, I'd highly recommend this audiobook for listeners young and young-at-heart regardless. And as I jump right into the next story, I am eager to experience more of the same fun and fancy I got out of this one!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52541372-the-fowl-twins" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Deny All Charges" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1585148169l/50998657.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Fowl Twins</span> <br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/b01f013c-1f2b-4e7d-97a2-2aadb763ab54">~Deny All Charges~</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 2 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Eoin Colfer </span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1368052290/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1368052290&linkId=baec4d74893f038d9fdbf2a370fdea7d" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781368052290?p_tx" rel="powells-9781368052290" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>The second Fowl Twins adventure starts with a bang – literally. <br />
<br />
Artemis's little brothers Myles and Beckett borrow the Fowl jet without permission, and it ends up as a fireball over Florida. The twins plus their fairy minder, the pixie-elf hybrid Lazuli Heitz, are lucky to escape with their lives. <br />
<br />
The Fowl parents and fairy police force decide that enough is enough and the twins are placed under house arrest. But Myles has questions, like: who was tracking the Fowl jet? Why would someone want to blow them out of the sky? These questions must infuriate someone, because Myles is abducted and spirited away from his twin. <br />
<br />
Now Beckett and Lazuli must collaborate to find Myles and rescue him – not easy when it was Myles who was the brains of the operation. Their chase will take them across continents, deep underground, and into subaquatic super villain lairs. They will be shot at, covered in spit, and at the receiving end of some quite nasty dwarf sarcasm. But will Beckett be able to come up with a genius plan without a genius on hand…? </i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-fowl-family-deny-all-charges.html" target="_blank">Original Review</a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Nathaniel Parker<br />
Unabridged Length: 8.1 Hours<br />
Listened at 2x Speed</span></div></div><br />
Not much more to add from the first audio's review.<br />
<br />
I think Beckett's voice improved for me, as it didn't seem as high-pitched or peaking as it did in the first book. Though I'm not sure if this was more due to Beckett not being as hyper in the story, or if it was a conscious change made by Mr. Parker of the production, I am appreciative regardless. I loved the variety given to the dwarves, especially Axborn. Though the main two (Gveld & Gundred) did sound fairly similar to one another, it was still fairly easy to tell them apart by the difference in delivery—even if Gveld's clipped delivery did make it harder to hear at 2x speed.<br />
<br />
I did notice a surprising difference between audio and text right at the very end, where there's an entire paragraph(?) missing from the ebook. I assume this was edited out of the ebook later, as there was also a change in a couple numbers here and there. It's not super distracting or offensive or anything like that, it's just something I couldn't help but notice as I read along.<br />
<br />
Overall, another greatly entertaining production by Mr. Parker and the Listening Library crew. With just as high quality as the first story, fans are good to go in continuing the series. Which I will be doing myself as I continue to the 3rd book!
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-64656748073795217142022-02-27T10:00:00.001-08:002022-02-27T13:00:37.491-08:00Finding the Music, Losing Myself<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12578294-mind-games" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Mind Games" border="0" src="https://orig12.deviantart.net/7f34/f/2014/125/c/6/white_mindgames1_by_stormywolf-d7h9nrb.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/0b95e343-ede8-4817-bf35-3d475bc44663"><span style="font-size: xx-large;">~Mind Games~</span></a><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Kiersten White</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089LOFD0/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0089LOFD0&linkId=9086df1060f438c5991097de3cdda78f" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9780062135315?p_tx" rel="powells-9780062135315" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Fia and Annie are as close as two sisters can be. They look out for each other. Protect each other. And most importantly, they keep each other’s secrets, even the most dangerous ones:<br />
<br />
Fia was born with flawless instincts. Her first impulse, her gut feeling, is always exactly right. Annie is blind to the world around her—except when her mind is gripped by strange visions of the future.<br />
<br />
When the sisters are offered a place at an elite boarding school, Fia realizes that something is wrong . . . but she doesn’t grasp just how wrong. The Keane Institute is no ordinary school, and Fia is soon used for everything from picking stocks to planting bombs. If she tries to refuse, they threaten her with Annie’s life. Over and over again the sisters are forced to choose between using their abilities in twisted, unthinkable ways…or risking each other’s lives by refusing to obey.</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2013/05/ive-got-game-for-you.html" target="_blank">Original Review</a></span></div>
<br />
Since it's been nearly a decade since I last read & reviewed this one, I want to share some thoughts and impressions from this latest read-through. <a name='more'></a> <br />
<br />
Honestly, this story never ceases to blow me away. I know I've harped on shorter books lacking development, but this story continually makes me eat my words with its masterful attention to world-building, character depth, and all-around complexity. <br />
<br />
There's a huge focus on right & wrong, with Fia constantly having a feeling of wrongness associated with everything she's forced to do for her superiors, but with Annie's shifted viewpoint, we see how much right and wrong ultimately depend on perspective and ones own goals. We see this in the book's first incident, where Fia chooses to save a life that others would have sacrificed for a 'greater good', but also more explicitly in one of the flashbacks. The scene where Annie wants to tell Fia about one of the people she killed, but James explains that the justification wouldn't help Fia as much as Annie wants it to hits me hard every time. That even open and honest communication can't solve all issues, and that any evil can be justified given the right mindset just gives me chills. <br />
<br />
My third time through this book, you'd think I'd have everything memorized, and yet its twists still had me smiling and engaged the entire time. I'm glad I finally decided to tackle reviewing the second book just to get the chance to read through this story again. If you haven't picked it up yet, it's definitely one I'd recommend, especially to those who might overlook it just because it's YA.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Emily Bauer<br />
Unabridged Length: 6.2 Hours<br />
Listened at 2x Speed</span></div><br />
One of the only audiobooks I can remember opening with "Performed by" as its introduction to its reader. I guess it's a good verb to use, since the best audiobooks do involve more than just flat recitation, but I just can't recall hearing in audiobooks before now. Maybe it's common and I'm just oblivious to how most audiobooks start? <br />
<br />
Ms. Bauer certainly offers a good performance. Not only does she give a good differentiation between the book's two narrators (which I mentioned was an issue for me in my <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2013/05/ive-got-game-for-you.html" target="_blank">first reading</a>), with Annie slightly higher and softer in tone and Fia just a tad gruffer, but she put in some great emotion during scenes, too. For example, there's a passage where Fia repeats the same line over and over again, during what we can interpret as a mental breakdown, and while the first few repetitions are definitely manic in their delivery, the last few noticeably slow down like Fia's adrenaline is coming down and she's turning from fear to relief. Great direction and a great performance all the way around. <br />
<br />
Overall, a solid production that I have no qualms recommending. I did notice a few inconsistencies between audio and e-book, a couple missing sentences and dropped words, but it's hard to tell if these were mistakes or edits made after recording was completed, as the omissions weren't anything major and not noticeable except for me looking at the text. Regardless, if you're looking for a good performance based on voice alone, or are wanting something shorter that still packs a punch, I definitely recommend this one for audio newcomers and veterans alike.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-75770331768514687512022-02-25T10:00:00.711-08:002022-02-25T10:00:00.175-08:00A Failed Queen Without a Kingdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59806867-this-woven-kingdom" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="This Woven Kingdom" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1634235371l/56554281.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/4297a80a-54ee-41a0-8dd0-20292a4f367b">~This Woven Kingdom~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 1</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Tahereh Mafi</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B093ZYDMML/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B093ZYDMML&linkId=3306c1909e228d77c936ceb6781bff3a" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9780062972446?p_tx" rel="powells-9780062972446" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Clashing empires, forbidden romance, and a long-forgotten queen destined to save her people—Tahereh Mafi’s first in an epic, romantic trilogy inspired by Persian mythology.<br />
<br />
To all the world, Alizeh is a disposable servant, not the long-lost heir to an ancient Jinn kingdom forced to hide in plain sight.<br />
<br />
The crown prince, Kamran, has heard the prophecies foretelling the death of his king. But he could never have imagined that the servant girl with the strange eyes, the girl he can’t put out of his mind, would one day soon uproot his kingdom—and the world.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
I'm obviously no stranger to Mafi's works, having made my way through her entire 11-part <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/search/label/Shatter%20Me" target="_blank">Shatter Me series</a>. But upon finishing the last installment of that series last fall, I noticed a 2-chapter preview of her upcoming fantasy work, <i>This Woven Kingdom</i>, and decided to try it. Having also read through her fantasy books, <i><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2019/08/furthermore-is-very-hungry-for-magic.html" target="_blank">Furthermore</a></i> & <i><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2019/09/whichwood-was-distinctly-magical-village.html" target="_blank">Whichwood</a></i>, I knew she'd dabbled in the genre before, but I was interested to see what track she'd take with fantasy, romance, and YA. Needless to say, I was immediately hooked, and was then forced to eagerly await the book's release. A secret queen of a magical people, forced to hide her identity in squalor and servitude, tormented by whispers from the devil, and unknowingly headed toward a forbidden romance—what more could I ask for?<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Alizeh was a fantastic character. Intelligence balanced out with hope while still being practical, she was kind without being saccharine, strong without being cruel, and cautious without being immobilized. As a Jinn, a race of magical beings vastly outnumbered by humans, she's got a lot of tools at her disposal, from super strength to invisibility to teleportation, but between these abilities being banned due to "peace accords" and knowing her life depends on keeping a low profile, she doesn't use these powers except in the direst of circumstances, instead relying on her wit and cunning. From realizing that hiding her telltale eyes behind the servant class's uniform is the best way to keep herself hidden, to knowing the best way to subtly get her seamstress work noticed by the right people, it was gratifying to know that even as she made mistakes here and there, she definitely had a good head on her shoulders. <br />
<br />
The second half of the story's narration team was the equally intelligent, and surprisingly romantic Kamran. A human prince who's seen his fair share of darkness, if not all-out war, and having been trained to be doubly vigilant for his and the kingdom's best interests, Kamran is quick to notice when things don't seem quite right. Thus when he sees a servant girl best a larger, armed attacker, and simply vanish, he's determined to find out everything about her, even if it means getting in close...real close. <br />
<br />
Okay, so it's not really love at first sight, but once Kamran sees evidence of Alizeh's kindness, her resilience, her intelligence, and (of course) her beauty, he can't help but be smitten. And, while he isn't rendered as idiotic as his council and grandfather think him to be—seeing how she's prophesied to be a direct threat to the king—he does get a little sappy when the two finally have a conversation. He even makes this declaration: <blockquote>“You have consumed my thoughts since the moment I met you,” he said to her. “I feel now, in your presence, entirely strange. I think I might fetch you the moon if only to spare your tears again.” [pg 332]</blockquote> And while that is <i>super</i> mushy when you consider he's only known of her for a couple days, and only spoken to her for maybe a half an hour, there was so much chemistry between these two, in the little dialogue they shared and some genuine smiles, that I couldn't help but support their flirtation 100%. Neither of them acts stupidly in their attraction, each knowing any feelings they have would never work practically, and yet both wishing for an opportunity to extend their time together. It was sweet and practical and charming and I just couldn't get enough!<br />
<br />
I also couldn't get enough of the magic and world-building. Between the Jinn having numerous innate abilities, but having them forbidden by the human rulers in a shortsighted attempt at peace between the races, and having magic be a mined but rare resource, the fantastical possibilities were intriguing to say the least. Though, honestly there isn't much magic in the story until the end. Because Jinn in general, and Alizeh in particular, try to keep a low profile, there wasn't much chance to see their magic in action. And because much of the story is set among the lower-classes there's also not much opportunity to see rare and expensive magical enchantments or artifacts. I might have liked to have seen more in Kamran's chapters, in the palace and whatnot, but it's a small ask in the scheme of things.<br />
<br />
Actually, one thing that perhaps should have been incorporated more was the prophecy we hear at the beginning of the book. Right off the bat, Alizeh hears the devil's whispers in her ear, prophesying about a man with snakes on his shoulders who apparently harvests children, but then we barely hear of him again. Sure, there's one child character who openly fears disappearing, but that's it. He brings it up all of once, refuses to give specifics, and then never speaks of it again. And no one else ever mentions children disappearing or having been found in gruesome states. And then the whole matter is resolved at the end with hardly any response or fallout?<br />
<br />
In fact, the ending as a whole felt completely break-neck fast in comparison to the slow, methodical speed of the rest of the book. I think the story in total only lasts maybe 3 days, and that's over the course of 500 pages. Granted, there's a good bit of backstory to set up, both for our characters and the world as a whole, but when it all comes down to it, there's very little time passing over the course of the story. I personally didn't have a problem with it, being entranced with the characters, their relationships, and the political intrigue that surrounded them, but I can see some who might find the pacing too slow for their liking. <br />
<br />
And then to have that finale end, not in a cliffhanger, but a free-fall?! Yeah, nevermind the will-they/won't-they hang on, this is literal plummeting to their death—The End! Add in the utter whirlwind that is the last couple chapters, with questions being answered with even more questions, and fire and death and so much angst and—why did I let myself start yet another unfinished series?!<br />
<br />
Overall, this book utterly enchanted me. From its intelligent and passionate main characters, its magical yet logical world, and its promise of even more political intrigue and supernatural twists, this story is absolutely full of things to love and become obsessed by. I'd highly recommend it to anyone interested in non-European-based fantasy, strong (and memorable) female characters, or a flirty forbidden romance. I'm very curious to know more, both about the characters and story to come, and about its inspiration, as the summary posits, from Persian mythology, and I know I'm not alone. But until the next book decides to magically appear, I'll have to find another series to tide me over. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" height="285" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Performed by Kate Reading<br />
Unabridged Length: 13.4 Hours<br />
Listened at 2x Speed</span></div><br />
I don't really have much to say about this audio production. <br />
<br />
I thought Ms. Reading had a great voice, not only for Alizeh's narration but Kamran's as well. It was easy to tell the difference between the two's chapters just by voice alone as she tended to be a bit lighter and slightly higher pitched for Alizeh, while using a deeper and more crisp tone for Kamran. I was also able to distinguish fairly easily whether the character was talking or simply thinking, something which I've come to appreciate more after finding it lacking in other productions. Some secondary characters, such as Hazan and Deen, were a little harder to parse out, but others, such as King Zaal and Miss Huda were more recognizable, and others still had distinct accents that set them apart immediately.<br />
<br />
Overall, I enjoyed this production. It may not have had any extra bells and whistles, such as music or sound effects or multiple narrators, but it took what it had and delivered it well. As is often the case with fantasy stories, I greatly appreciated the audio for the foreign language sections (when characters spoke Feshtoon) as well as the pronunciations of names (I had assumed Alizeh [ah-lee-zeh] was similar to Elisa [ee-lie-sah]). And maybe I'm biased toward British accents, but I don't think I could imagine another way to have this story told. A solid production for audio newcomers and veterans alike, and one I'll definitely be returning to when future installments come out.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-55024770150557849742022-02-20T10:00:00.317-08:002022-02-27T12:25:44.989-08:00We Rise From the Ashes Together<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous book, <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2021/03/ebony-skin-as-smooth-as-silk-almost.html">Wings of Ebony</a>, or don't mind knowing spoilers for it.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58953743-ashes-of-gold" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Ashes of Gold" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1628198808l/58437737.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/e7f3a0a0-43ad-40d6-a071-845ce8086bcc">~Ashes of Gold~</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Wings of Ebony<br />
Book 2</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By J. Elle</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0984221KK/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0984221KK&linkId=2af33f97b2cf9cc3246b91b6ae7c49ee" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781534470705?p_tx" rel="powells-9781534470705" target="_blank" title="More info about this book at powells.com">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Rue has no memory of how she ended up locked in a basement prison without her magic or her allies. But she’s a girl from the East Row. And girls from the East Row don’t give up. Girls from the East Row pick themselves back up when they fall. Girls from the East Row break themselves out.<br />
<br />
But reuniting with her friends is only half the battle. When she finds them again, Rue makes a vow: she will find a way to return the magic that the Chancellor has stolen from her father’s people. Yet even on Yiyo Peak, Rue is a misfit—with half a foot back in Houston and half a heart that is human as well as god, she’s not sure she’s the right person to lead the fight to reclaim a glorious past.<br />
<br />
When a betrayal sends her into a tailspin, Rue must decide who to trust and how to be the leader that her people deserve…because if she doesn’t, it isn’t just Yiyo that will be destroyed—it will be Rue herself.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
This was kind of a surprise pickup for me. I didn't love the first book, finding it just okay when compared to some of the other books surrounding the same sort of topics, so I wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to return to Rue's world. But when ads described this as the conclusion to a duology—a surprise to me—I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/reading-challenges-2022.html" target="_blank">finish the series</a>. So I went ahead and re-read <i>Wings of Ebony</i> and jumped straight in on this sequel.<a name='more'></a> <br />
<br />
Full disclosure: I think I might be unfairly biased in my reading and analysis of this book. If you read my review of the first book you'll know I vibed hard with best friend Bri, and found myself being pulled away from Rue's side despite having followed her and knowing all the same facts she did (as nebulous as they were at the time). And though I eventually came to appreciate my struggle as a positive aspect of the book, I can't help but think that maybe some of my frustration and saltiness may have carried over again after my re-read.<br />
<br />
In fact, things began to go downhill right away in the first chapter.<br />
<br />
So you remember how the last book ended with Rue talking to Julius about how she'd learned and grown from her experiences?
<blockquote>I hadn’t realized until that moment how protecting the people I care about is my knee-jerk reaction. So much so that I shove them away, which probably hurts them, too. [...]<br />
The world isn’t on my shoulders alone. <br />[...]<br />
I wish I’d stopped and thought more. Pondered choices. Set aside my emotions for a moment. <br />[...]<br />
“I’m going to do better. I can’t fix everything. But together, maybe we in Ghizon and in East Row can fix a lot.” <br />[...]<br />
“You wanna come to Ghizon and help? I’m not going to say no.”<br /> “Whaaaa? Rue gon’ accept some help?” He teases, laughing into his fist. <br />“Shut up.” I shove him. “But let me go there first. See what’s what, because I don’t know what we’d be walking into.” <br />[...]<br />
“We’ll figure this out together. I’ll take all the help I can get.” [97%]</blockquote>
So she's learned not to push others away when things get intense, she'll try to accept help from others, and she says she'll come back for backup once she scouts out the situation in Ghizon. The book literally ends with this reflection and exchange right before Rue teleports away.<br />
<br />
Cut to the beginning of Book 2 where Rue's been standing around for three days doing <i>absolutely nothing</i>. I'm not kidding. Rue and the Ghizoni have been hunkered inside their magical barrier for three days just watching the Chancellor and his army fire magic blasts at the barrier, just watching his movements? And then, with the barrier about to collapse (and no planning done before this point!) Rue decides that, being the only one with magic, she's got to be the only one to fight, explicitly refusing her friend/crush's offer of help. And as you'd expect, the barrier falls, the Chancellor and his army take out the villagers, and throw Rue in prison for six months.<br />
<br />
I'm sorry, what? You're telling me that there was no discussion during those three days? No planning whatsoever? And that whatever leaders the village might have had decided to completely and immediately bow to an 18-year-old stranger <i>just</i> because she currently has the most magic? Oh, <i>and</i> this character who we've just spent an entire book watching grow to rely on others' support decides to forget everything she just learned without any explanation for it?! I call bull. <br />
<br />
I get that the author wanted Rue to start off the story in a bad place, to once again grow from her struggles. But then just start it there! I'd rather just see her wake up in the prison cell, battered and with fuzzy memory (which she also has, btw), than know exactly what stupid decisions she made to get there. Even better would have been detailing <i>why</i> she made those bad decisions in the first place—did she witness a massacre of someone beyond the barrier, have a meeting with the leaders where they piled on how useless they were, try to teleport back to East Row but find even more bloodshed, or find her teleportation blocked? There are tons of reasons why she might have felt pressured into taking on the Chancellor alone, but without expanding on what happened during that 3-day time-skip, all we're left with is a character doing an immediate backtrack from the last book. Like nothing that happened in that last book mattered at all.<br />
<br />
In retrospect, this problem I had didn't have much effect on the book as a whole. Since a huge part of Rue's story centered around learning and growing from one's mistakes, it's pretty natural to have her make a huge mistake at the beginning of the book in order to figure out a way to bounce back by the end. I just wish it hadn't come at the detriment of everything she'd already (supposedly) learned and promised from book one. <br />
<br />
I think part of my issues stem from the time dilation, which is unfortunately continued throughout the book. We're told here that three days have passed, but are given absolutely no description of what those three days entailed. This is then followed by a 6-month time skip wherein we get some details of day-to-day monotony, but once they get out there seem to be no real consequences of the time lost. Sure, there's a large number of missed watch messages (from Julius), and there's some wear and tear to the Central District, but I never got any real sense of change or loss due to the passage of time. The only losses seem to be from Rue's choices before her capture, not because of her absence, and Julius and the gang back in East Row don't seem to act any differently than if it were a couple days MIA, as opposed to six months. <br />
<br />
There's also a bit of confusion about the age of the Chancellor and his family members. We eventually find out that the Chancellor had some kids, and we never really get their ages, but considering there's talk about the Chancellor being well over 100, that would probably make his kids at least 70. And yet, I don't think there's any way the characters we see are that old, considering some of the things we see them do. Eh, this probably isn't that big of a deal either, but it's just another thing that irked me.<br />
<br />
Speaking of things that irked me, I can't help but mention how much I hated Bri's treatment in this book. I get it, I'm biased, she's biased, we're both in the wrong here, <i>but</i> I hated her lack of agency and character. Her role in this book can be summed up as gadget maker and reminder that racism and classism is wrong. I know I harped on this in the last book, but it really does frustrate me that she's given no emotions or goals outside of serving a purpose for Rue. She's not allowed to have a breakdown over anything, no feelings about her family's absence and possible deaths, and no thoughts that conflict with Rue's, other than those that can be instantly shot down as biased and wrong and that she can quickly change. She is nothing but ride-or-die for Rue, and that's the end of her character. Disappointing to say the least.<br />
<br />
I was also disappointed with the continued lack of detail in the magic system. Or maybe it's a lack of consistency? So there's this new element of blood oaths that ends up playing a pretty big role in the story, and yet I'm not exactly sure how they work. Suffice it to say, I think the oath gets broken at one point, but with absolutely no consequence befalling the oath breaker. Was the wording not specific enough? Was the promise met and released before being broken? Or was the oath never broken enough at all? It's like Rue getting kissed on the cheek by Miss Leola all over again—I need more details and consistency in my magic! <br />
<br />
All that being said, I actually did like this book. I thought Rue's struggle with finding her confidence and self-worth after her major blunder was relatable (if not all her fault) and held a great message of self-forgiveness and perseverance. I found most of the twists and turns kept me on my toes, though I did call the resolution to the romance struggles at about the halfway mark. I loved the fleshing out of Ghizon, both its people and its societal structure, and the Sci-Fi and Fantasy elements mixing together gave a unique flavor to the series, even if I would have liked more details on how that tech came about in a magical society. <br />
<br />
In the end, it all comes back to the lack of details. There were just so many things that didn't click for me, like how many Ghizoni there were (hundreds? thousands?!) hiding in Yiyo, how many Macazi were sneaking through the Central District together, how old the Chancellor and his family were, the ammount of emphasis placed on this long-eyelashed scientist who is unceremoniously dropped, and just the nitty gritty of potions and magic and technology and lead and—it's a lot. And that's not even mentioning my dissatisfaction with how Bri and Grays in general are treated in the end, cause that whole plan came out sounding very segregationist and short-sighted to me. <br />
<br />
And I'm sorry if I'm coming off pedantic or petty in my focus on these details. I get that this book really wasn't written for me, and I'm probably bringing a whole lot of baggage and desires into a story that wasn't asking for it. But I think it's because I care. I really did see a lot of things I liked in this series, and I just wish they all came together into something I loved. As it stands, I hope some of my thoughts were helpful for future projects, and I wish the author the best.<br />
<br />
Overall, despite all the problems I had, I'd still definitely recommend this series. I think there are some great messages for younger readers about overcoming adversity and finding inner strength, of forgiveness and mercy, and of learning from the past and moving forward. I can't say I loved everything about these books, but I'm sure others will see things that I didn't and connect to the story in ways I couldn't. There's definitely an audience for this series, it just didn't happen to include me this time. If there's ever another book set in Ghizon, I'll probably check it out, but in the meantime I'll be seeing what other fantasy worlds have in store for me.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-65283772531945213002022-02-11T10:00:01.092-08:002022-07-08T14:34:41.367-07:00The Lost Girls Who Could’ve Been So Much More<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53241072-the-lost-girls" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Lost Girls" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1617346411l/53241072.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a86bdbaf-5490-4a9c-b423-33ed142f7920">~The Lost Girls~</a><br />
By Sonia Hartl</span><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08R2KR8GB/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B08R2KR8GB&linkId=391265369df0c88438fe239dc24dcb75" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781645673149?p_tx" rel="powells-9781645673149" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>When Elton Irving turned Holly Liddell into a vampire in 1987, he promised her eternal love. But thirty-four years later, Elton has left her, her hair will be crimped for the rest of immortality, and the only job she can get as a forever-sixteen-year-old is the midnight shift at Taco Bell.<br />
<br />
Holly’s afterlife takes an interesting turn when she meets Rose McKay and Ida Ripley. Having also been turned and discarded by Elton—Rose in 1954, and Ida, his ex-fiancée, in 1921—they want to help her, and ask for her help in return.<br />
<br />
Rose and Ida are going to kill Elton before he turns another girl. Though Holly is hurt and angry with Elton for tossing her aside, she’s reluctant to kill her ex, until Holly meets Parker Kerr—the new girl Elton has set his sights on—and feels a quick, and nerve-wracking attraction to her.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
Another YA pick for Maven's <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/vampire-book-club.html" target="_blank">Vampire Book Club</a>, and a shorter one at that. Mainly this was due to scheduling issues that cropped up in January, pushing back the official discussion of that month's book a couple weeks, so she figured a shorter option would be easier to slot in and get things back on track. Besides the length, and the GoodReads blurb citing "dark humor and queer love," I really didn't know anything going in. Would this vampire story edge more cutsie, or have some real bite?<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Honestly, this one wasn't my favorite. I know, I've said that <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2021/10/vampires-are-united-by-one-unavoidable.html" target="_blank">before</a> and then convinced myself I actually loved it, but I don't think that'll be the case this time. <br />
<br />
Let me start at the beginning. Holly was a fun character to follow: 16 on the outside, 16 on the inside, but with 34 years of experience. She's got a pretty sad backstory—a negligent mother, a majorly toxic boyfriend, and a supernatural unfightable pull that keeps her at his heels even after their breakup—but she's not about to get weepy over things. Shit happens, but you make the best of it and keep on going. She's snarky without being rude to everyone, she's smart but not all-knowing, and she's practical but still knows how to have fun. In short, a pretty balanced teenager.<br />
<br />
In fact, I liked most of the characters. I really vibed with Rose being trapped in a life she didn't want by family and society, so choosing vampirism (and love) to chase freedom and her dream. Ida was fun to read, with her quirky hobbies and super dark humor, but she was also the hardest to get an emotional read on, being the "oldest" and most mysterious of the group. Stacey I also liked for her humor, but her turn-around was a bit too sudden for me. Parker was fairly bland, only coming through as a sort of
mirror of Holly pre-vamp, and something to move the plot forward. The romance was pretty sweet, so long as it was viewed solely from Holly's perspective. It's really hard for me to see Parker's infatuation with Holly as separate from a chance to escape her sucky life. <br />
<br />
Unfortunately all of the characters (who weren't Holly) were pretty much stuck at one or two traits: Rose was upbeat and driven; Ida was largely mysterious, but was otherwise macabre and sarcastic; Parker was snarky and impulsive; Stacey was even more snarky and a bit theatrical, or at least tried to make things interesting/fun when she could. And then there's the villains, who were largely painted as just plain evil: Gwen was sadistic; Frankie seemed somewhat slow, yet somehow knowledgeable about vampire lore; and Elton was the selfish, controlling scumbag.<br />
<br />
And this is where I wonder if the book's length was to blame for its shortcomings. Underdeveloped characters are one thing, but world-building is another. Yeah, I'm probably being way too nitpicky and logic-heavy for a 200 page YA standalone novel, but if you're gonna introduce a ton of fascinating vampire lore, then why wouldn't you just take it that step further and make it make sense? I liked that vampires are practically indestructible, held in age and form at the moment of their turning, and that there's this whole supernatural ritual that has to be done in order to kill one. But knowing all that, the vampires in this novel just confuse me.<br />
<br />
Firstly, the vampire mythos established in the book, about how to actually kill vampires, seems to contradict Elton's entire way of life. I won't go into spoilers, but suffice it to say that killing a vampire seems to hinge entirely on that vampire's fledglings taking them out. But what if a vampire never sires any other vampires? Does that mean they're entirely immortal? The story never establishes any differences between vampires who have underlings versus those that don't—no powers, no strength, no longer periods between feeding, nothing. Then what motivation would a vampire ever have to sire other vampires?<br />
<br />
Going off the themes of this book, perhaps the driving factor is loneliness? If that's the case, then it would completely change Elton's entire character. Instead of maliciously tricking girls into falling in love with him just to turn them, use them, and throw them away, perhaps he's merely searching for his own true love? Perhaps he realized that he made a mistake with idealizing his childhood sweetheart (who turned out to have a pitch black sense of humor), and so began searching anew for an eternal mate. Sure, he's not going about it in the best way—selling himself as one thing, gaslighting and manipulating his girlfriends into abandoning their other relationships and desires, abandoning them when things don't work out—but if he was really just wanting to live up his eternity, why would he knowingly go about creating the very things that could destroy him? I'm just saying, there's a lot more that could have been explored with this guy and still have him be the villain.<br />
<br />
Secondly, why the hell isn't there any vampire government enforcing any rules or decorum?! I mean, Ida and Rose both convince Holly that Elton needs to be stopped because he's making way too many vampires and the body count will eventually become unsustainable (I'd argue it's already gotten to that point, but apparently that's just me). But surely this had to have come up before, showing that there's a need for some council and police force keeping vamps in line? Otherwise I see no reason that vamps hadn't already taken everything over.<br />
<br />
I don't need a full history of the vampire (though I'd never say no to one!), just a simple acknowledgement that there is a higher power at play in the world. Even if you didn't want them, or couldn't have them involved in this story, just have Ida and Rose give the justification of taking down Elton be so that they all aren't taken down by V-Gov. I find it a little hard to believe that vampires have managed to self-police for however long they've been a thing when jackasses like Elton and Gwen exist. <br />
<br />
There are a ton of things like this that I could go on and on about, but I feel like that's not what I want this review to turn into. Rather than listing what-if's and if-only's, I feel like it'd be better to focus on what was actually in the book instead of what I'd like to see. This is partly because there's no way to actually change what this book is or isn't, or know if there were any issues that came about due to length restrictions, and partly because if you're interested in that kind of talk you should totally <a href="https://discord.gg/tDySbTj" target="_blank">join the book club</a> and discuss this stuff with us!<br />
<br />
But I digress.<br />
<br />
The main problem I had with this story had to do with its focus on toxic relationships both romantic and familial, and dealing with them. Holly talks about how her mother's selfish behavior directly influenced her crappy school life, enough so that running away (and becoming a vampire) seemed like the best option. Parker is in a very similar situation, with a mother who seems just as selfish and self-centered, moving towns on a whim, and even once (accidentally?) leaving Parker behind. I'll grant that I'm (thankfully) extremely unfamiliar with these types of situations, so maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see that abandonment is really the best solution.<br />
<br />
Do I think that toxic relationships should be abandoned? Yes. But do I also think that we're getting a one-sided view of these parents' actions? Also yes. And yeah, I get it, I'm old—more than double the age of the main character—so wanting to hear the parent's side could simply be me having unrealistic expectations of a YA story. But is therapy or counseling not maybe a better option? Did either girl actually confront their mother with their toxic behavior, or was it all internalized? I mean, I'm all for dropping toxic relationships, and I have no doubt that shitty, toxic parents exist, but I just don't know if I can get behind the choice of abandonment via suicide, regardless of supernatural forces' involvement. <br />
<br />
And it definitely didn't improve my feelings when dementia was involved in the attempt at reconciliation. <br />
<br />
So yeah, a lot of dark subject matter, some of which I didn't know how to process, and some that just hit me the wrong way. I did appreciate the messages about regret, letting go of the past in order to move forward, and taking control of your life away from those who would do you wrong (specifically toxic boyfriends). (And yeah, I get that I'm potentially putting forth a double standard of being okay dropping the toxic boyfriend but not the toxic parent, but at least I know conversations took place with the toxic boyfriend.) I just wasn't as keen on some of the choices made in regards to specific people...<br />
<br />
Which leads me to the ending. I was disappointed. Both for reasons I've already gone over, and the fact that it felt rushed. There's this huge emotional moment that has been building up for the better part of the story, but once it happens we're immediately thrown into a fight scene with even more emotional twists, and then it's all capped off with a super quick wrap-up. You'd think we'd get a moment or two to sit and feel the impact and fallout of all those emotional hits, but nope! No reflection, hardly any conversation, and no payoff for a majority of the conflict and drama leading up to this point. I'm sure it was supposed to feel open-ended and hopeful, but I was just left sad. <br />
<br />
Overall, I don't know how to recommend this one. On the one hand, I think it has fun characters, it does some interesting things with vampire mythology, and does a good job examining regret and how it influences us. But on the other hand, I had issues with its shallow characterizations, its unsatisfying ending, and its handling of toxic relationships. I think there are some good messages and important things addressed, but I also think it missed the mark with a lot of things. I suppose if you're interested in a bittersweet, queer, quirky, YA vampire romance story and not wanting anything too complex or detailed, this might be what you're looking for. As for myself, I'll be hoping for some lighter fare with a lower body count. <br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" height="285" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Justis Bolding<br />
Unabridged Length: 8.4 Hours<br />
Listened at 2.25x Speed</span></div><br />
Honestly, I don't know if I feel this way because I chose to listen at a faster tempo than normal, but I don't really have much to say about this audio. Ms. Bolding did a fine job in narration; the characters were distinct enough that I could tell who was talking, and her pacing was fine. I did appreciate the couple times <i>Sweet Caroline</i> was referenced that the "Dun dun dun" was actually said semi-melodically—it's not huge, but I definitely noticed and smiled at it, since it's something you don't often get in audios (copyright and whatnot). <br />
<br />
Overall, the production was fine. Serviceable, but nothing to write home about. No major accents or non-English vocabulary to tackle, and honestly not much emotion to translate made this story pretty plain to adapt. And though I think I noticed two times in the entire audio where a word was different from the text, all in all that's pretty negligible. A solid audiobook for people who already enjoy the medium, but not one that's going to convert anyone.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-79114820538874735552022-02-04T10:00:00.282-08:002022-02-07T15:11:08.433-08:00Did I Ever Mention How Much I Love Wolves and Cheetahs?<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous two books in the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/search/label/Teen%20Titans">Teen Titans</a> graphic novel series, or don't mind knowing spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55082274-teen-titans" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Beast Boy Loves Raven" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1629116972l/55082274.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/78f5a757-0f35-4ee8-a83f-0ed7f443c31b">Beast Boy Loves Raven</a><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Teen Titans<br />Book 3<br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Kami Garcia & Gabriel Picolo</span><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DTF1YM7/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B09DTF1YM7&linkId=0455c0f42b112e148a86ab080c9760cc" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781779503862?p_tx" rel="powells-9781779503862" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>It seems like years, but it’s only been a few days since Raven Roth recovered her memories, trapped her demon father, Trigon, into her amulet, and had her heart broken for the first time. But she doesn’t have time to think about the past…she has to focus on finding a way to get rid of Trigon for good.<br />
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Garfield Logan still can’t believe he has powers that allow him to change into different animals, but the price of knowing that his parents kept this secret hidden from him just feels too high. And what’s more, his difficulty controlling these abilities could have unexpected consequences.<br />
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Both are seeking answers from the one person who seems to have them all figured out: Slade Wilson.<br />
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When their paths converge in Nashville, Raven and Gar can’t help but feel a connection, despite the secrets they both try to hide. It will take a great amount of trust and courage to overcome the wounds of their pasts. But can they find acceptance for the darkest part of themselves? Or maybe even love?</i><br />
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<br />
Coming off of both characters introductions, I was itching to finally move on with their story. Add to that the anticipation of seeing one of my first major OTP's coming into the story, and you can bet I was that much more impatient to dive in. After waiting for my library to finally get a copy in, I wasted no time getting into it.<a name='more'></a><br />
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And I was not disappointed! I found Raven and Gar's slow-start relationship immediately engaging, with each of them reluctant to share too much about themselves but equally interested/concerned with the other's interests/problems. I loved how Gar's reply to Raven's pressing him about his issue wasn't some lie or straight-out refusal to speak, but rather a reminder of her own reluctance to share her story earlier. It translated the "it's complicated" into something instantly relatable, not only for Raven but the reader as well. <br />
<br />
I also loved the speed of the story. There's just enough time for Gar and Raven to meet and get to know each other in some cute settings before the action and drama ramp up for the climax. And even during the high-tension situation, there's still plenty of interaction between the two so that you really believe where they end up at the end. And I'll admit it, having Tommy have a similar personality/humor style in Raven's book helped sell the relatively speedy attraction between the two. I mean, it helps that Raven isn't as serious/emotionless and Gar isn't as much of a hyperactive goofball as the original cartoon, but having set a precedent for Raven's romantic interests helps.<br />
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Moving away from the main couple (reluctantly), it was fun following Max, Raven's foster sister, was pretty fun too, though I'm sure I'm not alone in wanting more time with her. She did have more storyline than her last appearance, and slightly more interaction with her powers, but I'm eager for her to have more focus than the B-plot can provide. And yes, I also loved her interaction with the new character introduced here, but I'm sure we'll have more from them in future books, so I won't spoil it.<br />
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The art style of the book was definitely improved from Raven's, with the black & white filter thankfully being dismissed. I did find some of the panels slightly confusing in their visuals. Admittedly, I'm not super well versed in comics, graphic novels, or the like, but there was a page that had a large panel showing Max using her powers to try to summon ghosts, ripping a huge crack in the ground, then small panels beside it suddenly claiming that her powers didn't work. Like, I get that no ghosts appeared, but it gave me whiplash to have these small panels literally overlapping a huge image of her powers doing <i>something</i> but claim that nothing happened, like she was useless? Uh, if your powers can cause the ground to fissure, that's not nothing. <br />
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Maybe having them on another page would have come off as less whiplash-y? But then, that's probably just my inexperience talking. There were a couple other points where I thought the panels on the same page whipped through actions & dialogue too quickly, but all I can really say is that they didn't appeal to my preference. They might work just fine for others more familiar with American comics. Or perhaps they were arranged this way due to length restrictions so adjustments just aren't possible? The latter is also understandable, if also somewhat disappointing, but I suppose you can't win all the time. <br />
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Another weaker aspect for me has to be the villains. There's definitely some big things going on behind the scenes, but all we've seen so far is planning. Slade is definitely a huge player (and not just because I know him from other media), but he's yet to be a proactive character in the story. The characters we do get come off as pretty weak. There's one line about how there could be military applications for the kids' powers, but we don't get anything more than that. I know it's still early on in the story/series, but I wish we were given a stronger threat than "nameless militants want to utilize kids' powers for future war/defense tech."<br />
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As far as the ending goes, I definitely felt more satisfied this time. Sure, it's clear that there's more of this series to come, and we do have a good idea of where that will be, but this story's arc was just better. Like I said about the pacing, there seemed to be plenty of time given to each story beat, from the introduction, the mingling, the rising action, etc. such that the climax and denouement didn't take all of 5 pages at the end. It also helped that the ending was building off of earlier story elements, so it acted more as a resolution than a teaser. Definite kudos there. <br />
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Overall, this was everything I wanted and more. Sure, I might be biased because of loving the pairing going into this, but I truly think it improved on what came before and offered up a cute, fun, dramatic, and heartfelt story, as well as working in setups and nods to the future. Fans of DC or previous Titans media are sure to pick up on fun Easter eggs and callbacks, and I'm sure even newcomers will appreciate some references. I don't think I'm alone in how excited I am for future installments, and that I'm expecting great things to come from all these characters.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-75917153588481303132022-01-21T10:00:00.042-08:002022-02-27T14:17:22.288-08:00Vampires Are Eternal, Reborn, and Living in Our Nightmares<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48616631-vampires-never-get-old" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Vampires Never Get Old" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1589206105l/52750517.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/31b03cd9-d188-492e-b01e-1bbc2fce708b">~Vampires Never Get Old~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Tales With Fresh Bite</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">An Anthology by Zoraida Córdova, Natalie C. Parker,<br />
Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Tessa Gratton, Heidi Heilig, Julie Murphy, Mark Oshiro, Rebecca Roanhorse, Laura Ruby,<br /> Victoria "V.E." Schwab, & Kayla Whaley </span><br>
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250230012/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250230012&linkCode=as2&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=5c58cdb41ff0b1a99b4c4ff2a9cd3042">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781250230010?p_tx" rel="powells-9781250230010" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Eleven fresh vampire stories from young adult fiction’s leading voices!<br />
<br />
In this delicious new collection, you’ll find stories about lurking vampires of social media, rebellious vampires hungry for more than just blood, eager vampires coming out―and going out for their first kill―and other bold, breathtaking, dangerous, dreamy, eerie, iconic, powerful creatures of the night.<br />
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Welcome to the evolution of the vampire—and a revolution on the page.</i><br />
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My library has been a bit hit-or-miss with the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/vampire-book-club.html" target="_blank">Vampire Book Club</a>'s selections, but I was able to find this one for December. Admittedly, I wasn't in the best mental space to read books surrounding death and immortality, having lost my grandmother last year and having that wound reopened with our cat's death (cancer) just after reading the first story. But after a bit of time (and some Christmas movies & music) I was excited to dive back in and experience some new takes on one of my favorite paranormal creatures.<a name='more'></a><br />
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Right out the gate, this anthology promised variety. The introduction postured that a majority of stories had vampires which were "predominantly men, white, cisgender, straight, and able-bodied," which left a lot of room for imagination. Which is where these authors stepped in and took off running, giving us a wide array of vampires that are sure to reflect more of their fanbase than ever. Add in numerous settings and genres as well, and there's plenty of unique experiences to be had.<br />
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Each story was followed by a short response by the editors, which usually served to highlight themes or vampire lore from each story. I found these worked as palate cleansers of a sort, breaking the spell or lingering mood that the previous story often left me with. And though I personally appreciated that break in tone—especially with some of the less cheery tales—some readers may want to skip these, or at least not read them immediately following the story, if they prefer to have the story sit with them longer. <br />
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But without further ado, here's what I thought of each of the stories:<br /><br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Seven Nights for Dying</span><br />
By Tessa Gratton</div>
An interesting story exploring one's reasons for considering vampirism/immortality. Obviously this story doesn't delve into all the consequences of that decision, with the focus being just on the 7-day transformation window, but having that time really allowed the story and characters to resonate with me. While still brief in the scheme of things, having this decision drawn out over the course of seven days and nights—allowing her to ask questions and weigh the responses—was fascinating.<br />
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The vampire lore of this story was also intriguing, with the transformation being a 7-night process of exchanging blood which can be called off at any point before the 7th time. We often expect teenagers in these types of stories to be impulsive, but here she's able to really sit with the weight of her choices, what that means for her friends and family, what the future might hold for her, what life might become. The vampires aren't overly romantic about things either, laying out all the pros and cons whenever she asks. They aren't too open about their own reasonings or pasts, but that's not too surprising considering how long they may know each other if she declines the offer. And it is an offer, with them also not being overly pushy or hesitant either.<br />
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Definitely a good story to start things off, with an intelligent protagonist, intriguing vampires and lore, and an introspective look at what immortality can offer. It really made me think about planning for the future, anger as a motivator, and how grief can shape and change us for better or worse.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Boys From Blood River</span><br />
By Rebecca Roanhorse</div>
A quick shift towards more of a horror story, in which a young man desperately wants to be taken from his current circumstances, but does not expect the full cost of his request. Can one truly cut all ties without literally killing off a part of themselves? A part of others?<br />
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This story was much more atmospheric than existential, but still packed plenty of emotion into its wispier tone. I felt a good connection with Lukas, his isolation and despair, especially when death reared its ugly head. The vampires, on the other hand, weren't as...realistic? They had much more an aire of legend about them than something tangible and real. And though that worked for the introduction and finale, it left me underwhelmed with their actual threat level. They just seemed to lack any agency of their own, which was disappointing and kinda incongruous with some actions in the climax.<br />
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I think this story had its strengths in its characters and the "Be Careful What You Wish For" message, but some of the elements didn't blend with each other as solidly as I would have liked. And though it may not sit with me as long, it was still fun while it lasted, which is really all I can ask for. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Senior Year Sucks</span><br />
By Julie Murphy</div>
An interesting take on the slayer/vampire dynamic, complete with snarky cheerleaders, sympathetic vampires, and bisexual, sapphic, and big-girl representation. <br />
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I liked Jo's personality and outlook, though the attempt at giving her a darker tone toward the end didn't work for me. I liked that she was suddenly questioning herself, but given that we only <i>just</i> met her, it didn't have as much impact as it could have otherwise. Also would have liked to have seen more vampire action and lore, especially about that Resurrection Home, but I suppose the little we did get about glamors and feeding habits was better than nothing.<br />
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Ultimately, this felt like a small part of a larger story, which left me wanting. Obviously, that can be both a good and bad thing, but for me I'd definitely prefer a full story staring Jo, her slayer family, and these vampires, than the tiny taste we did get. Still, it was a fun and cute pick-me-up after two very moody stories.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Boy and the Bell</span><br />
By Heidi Heilig</div>
What is it with transmen hanging around in cemeteries? I kid, I kid. <br />
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Back to our theme of wanting different circumstances and vampires offering impossible answers. I really dug Will and his complex motivations—you really get to know a lot about him and his character in under 15 pages. I do find it a little weird that the society didn't go extremely superstitious with the happenings in the story, but I guess I don't know much about the time period or specific location this takes place in to really judge properly.<br />
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I'd definitely be interested in a longer story set here, but I feel this one does work as both a stand-alone short or an introduction to its world. I'd especially like to know more about the well-to-do vampires, like how they were approached, or if they're merely victims too. The dichotomy of scientific progress and superstition alone is fascinating, but add in teenage protagonists, vampires, and trans characters, and I am hooked. Wish there were more, but am satisfied with what I got.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">A Guidebook for the Newly Sired Desi Vampire</span><br />
By Samira Ahmed</div>
Very much in the style of <i>Hitchhiker's Guide</i> but with a decidedly younger and <i>not</i>-British voice. And though not a straightforward story, it still had some of the best lines of the book:<blockquote>Colonialism: Sucking your country dry and leaving you to bleed out since 1600! And they call us vampires. [pg 87]<br /><br />
Your soul hasn’t been devoured by an evil entity—like, you weren’t suddenly changed into a billionaire American CEO who thinks he can run a country or a life force–sucking capitalist who flies his private jet to Davos to bemoan global warming and doesn’t get the irony. You’re a vampire. [pg 89]<br /><br />
<b>WHAT SHOULD YOU EAT?</b><br />Your colonizer. [pg 90]</blockquote>
I may not have understood some of the terms or messages, not being Desi myself, but I definitely loved the tone and snark of its Gumnaam vampire narrator. Admittedly a bit brutal in the area of choosing their victims—especially since feeding results in either turn or kill, so it's best to kill—I'm surprised there isn't more about voluntary or non-violent methods of blood-letting...but for a 16-page guide talking directly to a victim of (presumably) an ignorant colonizer, I suppose it's thematically appropriate.<br />
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Equal parts feisty, informative, humorous, and supportive, this guidebook was a pleasure to read.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">In Kind</span><br />
By Kayla Whaley</div>
The story of a disabled protagonist and what vampirism can and can't do. <br />
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This one hit a bit harder, as the antagonist wasn't <i>completely</i> wrong in what he said. Honestly, I thought this was something from further back, except that they mention electric wheelchairs and email, so it hit harder knowing this was modern day. I still don't disagree with everything Grace's father says, but his actions aren't pardoned by his words either.<br />
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Definitely more of a downer, or at the very least a more contemplative tale than some. This one might sit with me for a while.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Vampires Never Say Die</span><br />
By Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker</div>
An online-only friendship threatens to become something more when one side decides to throw the other a vampire-themed surprise party. Too bad nobody told the guests not to bring their own fangs.<br />
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One thing that's always hit me a bit weirdly with vampires was the age gaps that inevitably crop up in their romances. Sure, vampires never age, and if the human turns then they're both ageless, but I've always equated age as a sort of power, and having that inherent power imbalance has always read as a bit squicky for me. <i>Especially</i> the ones that have teenagers involved. Obviously I'm in a minority, considering how much vampire romance is out there. Or maybe I'm reading too much into this.<br />
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Though it leaves way too many unanswered questions at the end—including Brittany's reaction to current events—it was kinda fun and kinda flirty and a good time overall. <br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bestiary</span><br />
By Laura Ruby</div>
A very non-traditional vampire wanders a parched city by night and cares for animals at the zoo by day.<br />
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Honestly, this story made me depressed more than anything. Between the obvious climate-change-impacted water supply, the sick and pained animals, and Jude's own apathy towards almost everything, there wasn't much light or happiness to be found in this story. Still, the vampire (if that's what you call it) lore was fascinating and new to me, so I'd be interested to hear more about them. Just maybe not from this narrator...<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Mirrors, Windows & Selfies</span><br />
By Mark Oshiro</div>
A story told in blog posts about a young man raised in isolation daring to test the boundaries in order to find himself.<br />
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Not really much else to say about this one. It was fun seeing the comments replying to the blog posts, especially that Gaston account that became a bit obsessed. The story itself was kinda heartbreaking and made me feel for the parents, but also sympathize with Cisco. Makes you question the difference between survival and living.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">The House of Black Sapphires</span><br />
By Dhonielle Clayton</div>
An absolutely stuffed story introducing a family of Eternals, their move to New Orleans, and a middle child's determination that she'll find her true love before they move again.<br />
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This story reads much, <i>much</i> more like an excerpt from a much longer piece. There's just <i>so</i> much detail and history and lore packed into this story that I honestly felt like it could go on and on. And that ending? Talk about no resolution! Unless we're to take another meaning from that abrupt cut-off...<br />
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An intriguingly rich story that'll fill your mind full to bursting and yet leave you desperate for more.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">First Kill</span><br />
By Victoria "V.E." Schwab</div>
A four-part story about a young born-this-way vampire approaching what would be her first kill.<br />
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Another one that reads more like the intro chapter(s) to a longer work just begging to be made. I loved hearing from both Juliette and Calliope, their attraction to each other culminating in what could very well be their most fateful encounter. Each girl's perspective on the other was perfection, and I'd love to read more about them, if that ever became an option.<br />
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A finale that left me hungry for more, but also satisfied with all I'd experienced.<br />
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Overall, a fine anthology filled with some of the best vampires I've encountered. There was a huge variety, not only of genders, sexualities, and skins, but of vampiric powers, weaknesses, settings, and societies. If I had to pick my favorites, I'd probably stick with the peppier school-based-fare of <i>Senior Year Sucks</i> and <i>First Kill</i>, but I also found a lot to love in the more sombre stories of <i>Seven Nights for Dying</i> and <i>The Boy and the Bell</i>, not to mention the vivid world-building packed into <i>The House of Black Sapphires</i>. Needless to say, I definitely have a few authors to add to my watchlist. So if you have a hankering for some unique YA takes on old blood-sucking favorites, or if you're seeking a quick nibble to break up longer reads (or to break back into reading at all!), then I'd definitely recommend this anthology.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-63740089170001082022-01-14T10:00:00.672-08:002022-02-07T15:13:54.498-08:00Alive in Her Thoughts and Dreams<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56803045-once-upon-a-dream" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Once Upon A Dream" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1619622344l/57884108.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3d48d4db-30e6-404b-89fb-4315730d3658">~Once Upon A Dream~</a><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Twisted Tales<br />Book 2<br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Liz Braswell</span><br>
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250230012/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250230012&linkCode=as2&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=5c58cdb41ff0b1a99b4c4ff2a9cd3042">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781484707302?p_tx" rel="powells-9781484707302" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>It should be simple—a dragon defeated, a slumbering maiden, a prince poised to wake her. But when said prince falls asleep as soon as his lips meet the princess's, it is clear that this fairy tale is far from over.<br />
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With a desperate fairy's last curse infiltrating her mind, Princess Aurora will have to navigate a dangerous and magical landscape deep in the depths of her dreams. Soon she stumbles upon Phillip, a charming prince eager to join her quest. But with Maleficent's agents following her every move, Aurora struggles to discover who her true allies are, and moreover, who she truly is. Time is running out. Will the sleeping beauty be able to wake herself up?</i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/disember.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Disember" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRLctDETS9BRgSj_mgLNmCbGFidVuDKFOe1L69iUqhUII18bqWJC1V9NJqrI8txWdOP_g7czng0RNlpXNf_OaAFgrPm2avvVMNptcLlfWb3DDxxUDuT7iLxDxfR8DHqCBjVPQQCDFqd4/s639/Disember.png" width="300" /></a></div>
Though these books are part of a series, they don't actually share any continuity from one to the next, so there's no risk of spoiling one with another. Likewise, there's really no need to read them in any particular order—I'm simply choosing to do so for simplicity's sake. So coming to the tale of Sleeping Beauty, which features one of my least favorite heroines but one of my most favorite villains, I had mixed feelings. Would the heroine be elevated by having more time and depth added? Would the villain be re-imagined with a(nother) sympathetic backstory? Would this story reside in my dreams, or haunt my nightmares?<a name='more'></a><br />
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First things first, Aurora Rose's exploration was amazing. Since the original movie gave us so little to go on, we were practically given a blank slate to work with, such that practically anything would have been an improvement. But to see her not merely re-imagined, but analyzed and given depth for the few traits we do know about her, I was definitely impressed. And using the dreamworld as her inner mindscape for that analysis, incorporating flashbacks and representations of her self into her journey towards literal self actualization— I don't want to give much away, since I really didn't see a lot of this coming from the start, but let me just say, I loved it. Brava! <br />
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That being said, if you haven't read the previous <i>Twisted Tale</i> and don't know that these books take the G/PG Disney stories to a borderline PG13, that sudden exploration of mental health issues might be a bit triggering. Granted, it did come after the complete rewriting of Aurora Rose's memory to being raised by Maleficent in a hellscape world, a bloody killing of a friend right in front of her eyes, and coming to the realization that she'd been lied to by everyone she'd ever cared about, but...yeah, even after all that I wasn't quite prepared for the darkness this story explores. <br />
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Unfortunately, not everything about that dark tone really meshed for me. Take one of Aurora Rose's early flashbacks:<blockquote> "You can't be out in the woods after dark!" Merryweather scolded. "Wolves could get you! Or bears!"<br />
"They won't hurt me," she had said, slowly getting up. [...]<br />
"Bunnies and owls are one thing," Fauna said with a gentler tone of caution. "They are not the same thing as bears."<br />
"Or rapists," Merryweather added. [pg 161]</blockquote>
Um, excuse me? Why is rape suddenly introduced out of nowhere, and then (thankfully) never brought up again? Why was it included at all? It's like the mention of death in childbirth in the last book. I'm not against including real-life horrors in YA stories, I'm simply against including completely unrelated/unexplored horrors just for the sake of name drops and shock value. If they wanted to stray out of dangerous animals, they could have easily gone, "And there are worse things than wild animals," instead of using a term that barely existed in that time period (and likely not in the same sense we have today). <br />
<br />
And that wasn't the only strangely modern term or idea I had trouble with. I had the same sort of whiplash when Prince Philip said, "It was epic!" when recounting his dragon-slaying feat. And then, towards the end of the story, the fairies (mainly Merryweather, again) go off on how ridiculous it is that royalty inherits power instead of choosing someone best for the job. Like, because they're magical, they either have future-vision or have an electoral system (even though Fairy Kings and Queens are a common staple of myths as well)? But then, that almost directly sabotages the whole girl-power message that the end of the book has going for it.<br />
<br />
Honestly, that whole ending made a mess of my brain. Obviously discussing it is quite spoilery, so if you've already read it, or don't mind spoilers, then...
<div id="spoileronceuponadream1" style="display: none;"><blockquote>So Aurora Rose takes power at the end of the book in a total girlboss move. Even though all the advisors, and even some of lower ranks, are pushing her to ask her uncles or cousins to step into the leadership role, she decides that she's earned her position and her right to rule. Which yeah, sure, she definitely proved she's smart, brave, and compassionate and could hold her own in defeating Maleficent.<br />
<br />
Alongside this message of girl power, you've also got a bit of redemption for Maleficent. I mean, not like what she did was right, but that good could come out of it. After all, Aurora Rose takes Mal's statement about parenting to heart, repeating it to herself multiple times, and altered slightly at the end. There's also evidence that Mal and Aurora Rose did become friends of a sort through Lianna. So it's clear that Maleficent had a large impact on Aurora Rose, and from her mannerisms (the familiar eyebrow raises) and no-nonsense ruling style, she seems to be using those lessons moving forward.<br />
<br />
<i>But</i>, with Merryweather's complaint about human royalty inheriting rule instead of choosing the best ruler, it seems like they're condemning this ending. After all, why bring up <i>choosing the best person</i> if Aurora Rose is already the rightful queen? To that extent, is Aurora Rose showing Maleficent's mannerisms an indication of another dark ruler to come? Obviously we don't see much of her rule, but considering she refuses to listen to anyone who suggests seeking her male (and possibly more experienced) relatives' advice, despite never actually having any lessons or experience in leadership or politics...maybe this isn't a happy ending after all?<br />
<br />
I'm just saying, if we're supposed to take Aurora Rose's ending as a Happily Ever After, maybe don't undermine it with so many doom flags? It's one thing to have realistic depictions of people not being 100% good or evil, or nothing being perfect. It's another thing entirely to suggest our heroine has been molded into the same despotic queen she just saved everyone from.</blockquote></div><button onclick="if(document.getElementById('spoileronceuponadream1') .style.display=='none') {document.getElementById('spoileronceuponadream1') .style.display=''}else{document.getElementById('spoileronceuponadream1') .style.display='none'}" title="Maleficent's win?" type="button">click this button.</button> But maybe that's just me reading too much into some innocuous inclusions. It was probably just the author giving a wink and a nod to modern day sensibilities, and not throwing the whole Happy Ending into dubious territory. Right?<br />
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On that note, I really wanted more about Maleficent. Sure, this wasn't her story, but basically all that's analyzed about her was that she was already pretty crazy to have cursed a baby to <i>die</i> over not being invited to a party. We get a little bit more at the end, when Aurora Rose interrogates her over why her life included so much care and attention under her in the dreamworld, along with some pointed questions from the three fairies, but that conversation is dropped in favor of fighting fairly quickly. I'm not asking for a full redemption or rewrite a la the movie, but I'd have appreciated a <i>little</i> more exploration and answers.<br />
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For example, the three fairies get some interesting characterization in Aurora Rose's flashbacks, painting them as kindhearted, but utterly inhuman. Which makes sense, since they <i>aren't</i> human. They have no clue about the "moon-blood" aka periods, and apparently don't have much to do with children at all, since none of them recognize any of the issues Aurora Rose has growing up. They may love her, but that didn't make them good parents. I would have liked to see something similar with Maleficent, something highlighting her inhumanity rather than searching for it at the end. Or go the compartmentalization route and have her separate her perceived weaknesses from herself. <i>Something</i> more than just, "she chose to be evil, and that was that." <br />
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Conversely, I could have used less of Prince Philip. Okay, not <i>less</i>, less, just less stupidity? I guess we're supposed to gather that he's mostly carefree and free-spirited, what with deciding to marry a random peasant girl in the woods after all of ten minutes, but did that really need to translate to nearly giving away their tactics in the final battle? I could have done without most of the inane ramblings he offers throughout the book. About the only scenes I enjoyed were of him supporting Aurora Rose and the one scene with the mimic. Almost everything else he says could have been left out. <br />
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Finally, I want to just say how much I appreciated and loved the way facts and knowledge were woven into the story. The tidbits about how Aurora thought she was stupid for not being able to read or do math in her lessons (which could have been used as Mal's justification for providing them...just saying) and being warned not to wish for things were all clever nods to the dreamworld. And I know I called the mental health thing a bit sudden, but looking back through earlier parts had me realize that there were signals of her issues even in the beginning chapters. Having the symptoms sprinkled throughout the story, and then having it addressed in a serious context was so much better than the narcolepsy jokes that usually surround Sleeping Beauty stories. It really was one of those, "the importance of representation in media" moments, and I just wanna say how much I appreciated it. <br />
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Overall, this one hit me a lot harder than I ever expected one of these <i>Twisted</i> Disney stories would. It still has its fair share of things I didn't like, things that felt tonally off, and things I felt could have been given a deeper exploration, but on the whole I appreciated the thought and care given to the main subject. Aurora Rose was taken from a passive role as a damsel in distress, now re-imagined as a character with gifts and curses (given & natural) who has to fight demons (literal & internal) in order to overcome evil and find her place in the world. If you're okay with some dark subject matter—specifically murder, childhood trauma, and mental health issues—I would highly recommend checking out this <i>Twisted Tale</i>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by James Patrick Cronin<br />
Unabridged Length: 9.7 Hours<br />
Listened at 2x Speed</span></div><br />
With this story focusing primarily on Aurora Rose, I was a bit surprised that the powers that be chose to, once again, have Mr. Cronin assume narration duties. I mean, I wasn't too impressed with his last attempt at a heroine as a secondary protagonist, so I wasn't too enthused with this book's prospects. <br />
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Surprisingly, he wasn't too bad with the majority of characters, Aurora Rose included. The supporting female characters did get a bit samey, but I can't really hold that against him as he did a good job with the three fairies and Aurora Rose when they shared scenes. Really the only character I was disappointed with was Maleficent, who sounded a bit too much like Jafar from the last book, but I suppose that might stem from missing her iconic voice from the original movie and her reappearances (<i>Kingdom Hearts</i>). So, short of doing a full voice cast, Cronin did a fair job on voice duties. <br />
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I feel like I'm harping on the reader, but really it's the production leaders behind the scenes. As this was published by Disney-Hyperion, no doubt many of us would expect a bit more budget to go into these things. I'd love to see hiring a full cast or including music or sound effects for these. Then again, these first three were done a bit before the series really blew up (not even having these animated-movie-based covers until reprints), so perhaps they were hedging their bets on budget until they proved lucrative? Or perhaps having a single narrator simply mitigates the fear of a new voice not living up to the original? Giving them the benefit of the doubt, I won't assume that they're being cheap for no reason, but I guess we'll just have to see what future installments hold.<br />
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Overall, this production did everything it needed to, but once again lacked that Disney flair some of us would appreciate. The the pacing was fine and the text all matched the Kindle copy I read, so nothing bad to report but nothing innovative or amazing either. If I had to nitpick, I would have liked a different reader narrating a female-led story, but he did well with what he had. I sincerely hope that future audiobooks innovate more, giving us something more magical instead of merely passable.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-66649125246924111072022-01-08T10:00:00.093-08:002022-02-07T15:15:45.661-08:00We’ll Be the Villains of This Story<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56491994-city-of-villains" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="City of Villains" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1609427483l/56491994.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f4865715-eb86-4277-be78-b006edef203b">~City of Villains~</a><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Book 1<br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Estelle Laure</span><br>
<a target="_blank" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1368050328/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1368050328&linkCode=as2&tag=thwosde0b-20&linkId=80d113952c33bb5550a4ff23ba668775">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781368050326?p_tx" rel="powells-9781368050326" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Mary Elizabeth Heart is a high school senior by day, but by night she’s an intern at the Monarch City police department. She watches with envy from behind a desk as detectives come and go, trying to contain the city’s growing crime rate. For years, tension has simmered between the city’s wealthy elite, and their plans to gentrify the decaying neighborhood called the Scar—once upon a time the epicenter of all things magic.<br />
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When the daughter of one of the city’s most powerful businessmen goes missing, Mary Elizabeth is thrilled when the Chief actually puts her on the case. But what begins as one missing person’s report soon multiplies, leading her down the rabbit hole of a city in turmoil. There she finds a girl with horns, a boyfriend with secrets, and what seems to be a sea monster lurking in a poison lake. As the mystery circles closer to home, Mary finds herself caught in the fight between those who once had magic, and those who will do anything to bring it back.</i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/disember.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Disember" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRLctDETS9BRgSj_mgLNmCbGFidVuDKFOe1L69iUqhUII18bqWJC1V9NJqrI8txWdOP_g7czng0RNlpXNf_OaAFgrPm2avvVMNptcLlfWb3DDxxUDuT7iLxDxfR8DHqCBjVPQQCDFqd4/s639/Disember.png" width="300" /></a></div>
This was the one that reignited my interested to return to Disney books, essentially spawning this whole "Disember" idea. I remember seeing adds for <i>City of Villains</i> on Facebook early last year and being intrigued by the dark vibe. I mean, after reading a summary like that, and seeing some of the best villains on the cover, how could I pass this up? So I recommended it to my library, and lo and behold, it finally became available this December! Of course, the best laid plans went awry when I got a nasty cold (thankfully tested negative for the -19) smack dab in the middle of the month, forcing me to push back my reading and reviews a bit. Still, I hoped the magic and mystery of this city would end my year on a high note.<a name='more'></a><br />
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I'll admit this story had a ton of ambition and a lot of grit and determination, but unfortunately I don't think it had enough time or space to capitalize on it. I'm noticing a running theme...<br />
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My disappointment hinges mainly on the world-building: there's a lot, and while it's naturally integrated into the story, I felt like there needed to be a lot more. The story takes place in modern-ish day in America, specifically the fictional Monarch City, and even more specifically in a 10-block area designated The Scar. The Scar used to be the epicenter of magic in the world, but 13 years ago magic just up and vanished. The only trace of magic left in the world seems to be bound to this area, which 'magically' maintains an idyllic climate and central park, along with the poison-filled Miracle Lake, the site of a cataclysmic disappearance of an entire building (and the 3000 people inside) 2 years ago. Those who used to have magic (and their descendants), called Legacies, <i>all</i> have heart-shaped birthmarks, and some still contain a trace of their former power, but few have tangible or useful abilities and most suffer prejudice and hostility from others. A lot to take in, sure, but it's all handled at a good pace and is woven in naturally over the course of the story.<br />
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My problem is with what's left out. What about the world surrounding the Scar, outside Monarch City? Was it just always magic-less? Does the outside world know about magic, or was it a well-kept secret, bound just to that area? If it was well-known, how did that affect the world's history? The history of the Fall and the following riots are discussed in one of the high school classes, but nothing beyond these 13 years nor the city itself ever comes up, yet we know the city isn't cut off from our reality because there are cars and smartphones and California and... I can't help but think of the world-building mess that was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLOxQxMnEz8" target="_blank">Netflix's <i>Bright</i></a> and see too many parallels here.<br />
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But even the history inside those 13 years gets kinda messy. There are references made to three ideological factions each responding to magic's disappearance differently: the magicalists, who expect magic to reappear just as suddenly as it left any minute now; the amagicalists, who believe the world is better off without magic, actually; and the naturalists, who believe that magic is simply hiding, waiting for the right trigger to return. We get a little more on the naturalists, since Mary Elizabeth's aunt is one, but the other two go mostly unseen. Despite them seeming like a big deal, none of the factions actually get much purpose in the story, with more attention going to the riots for government assistance than any faction disputes. <br />
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I wanna know what the magicalists do day to day. What makes their views all that different to naturalists? And what would a hardcore amagicalist do when crossed with a naturalist? Are they factions or just ideologies? It sounded like there have been tensions in the past, but nothing comes up in the book besides mentioning/explaining them for history class.<br />
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To be fair, this is the first in a (planned) trilogy, so there are bound to be elements that are yet-to-be fully explored, things sprinkled in for more importance later on. It's just frustrating, ya know? Why can I get 300-500 page debut novels that knock my socks off, but this super ambitious story that wants to introduce a twisty noir mystery with magic and factions and corruption only gets 250 pages to set it up? I mean, I got huge <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arcane_%28TV_series%29" target="_blank"><i>Arcane</i></a> vibes for the main conflict here, but there's just not enough time to juggle it all.<br />
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Take that ending, where Mary Elizabeth finds out who's behind the kidnapping, but instead of letting her have any emotional reaction to anything happening, everything flies by at 90mph so that we can get to the ending on time. I'm talking villain monologue, escape sequence, large-scale battle sequence, head-vs-heart decision, and staring off into the distance wondering what comes next, all the space of about 20 pages. I'm not asking for a 100-page finale or anything, but at least give some time to think and breathe. Then again, hopefully we'll get more emotional reaction and response in the sequel(s). <br />
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I don't want to come off like I hated this book, cause really I didn't. I loved Mary Elizabeth (even if her name is a mouthful) and her inner struggle between prioritizing her loyalty toward her somewhat shady friends, and her hopes for improving the world through her work in the police department. She's the perfect balance of smart and snarky, with just enough hope and innocence to still make her a believable teen. The only time I questioned her actions or motivations was when there just wasn't any time left to explore them. <br />
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Secondary characters were also victims of the book's length. I would have loved more time to get to know Mary Elizabeth's friends, or have more scenes between her and her assigned partner, or even more interactions with her aunt, but there's just not enough space. As it was, when Mary Elizabeth's classmates go missing, we have to get caught up on their histories along with the officers she's trying to convince that it's a serious case, instead of witnessing their relationships for ourselves. It's not the worst thing, as mysteries and noir often involve total strangers, but we're supposed to be feeling Mary Elizabeth's dread and worry, and much of that has to be told instead of felt.<br />
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You may have noticed that I've yet to mention anything even remotely Disney, and that's largely because the story doesn't emphasize it much. There are tons of nods here and there to familiar people or locations, but that's it for a long time. I kept thinking it was perhaps some sort of descendant/ancestor connection, but that doesn't seem to be the case. And the lines aren't even divided among Disney characters, as Officer Bella (obviously Belle from <i>Beauty and the Beast</i>) is Legacy—with a Fairy Godmother as a mom, actually—but her pursuer, Officer Tony (aka Gaston), is not. <br />
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In short, don't expect to instantly recognize everyone running around, neither by name nor personality. Not all Legacy seem to be Disney, and not all normies aren't. Likewise, don't expect all "good" characters to be as innocent as you may remember them (Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather come immediately to mind). I definitely appreciate the variety and unique twists given to these characters, even if we didn't get to see nearly enough of them for my liking.<br />
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Overall, I applaud the story's unique vision and ambition, but I was ultimately left wanting. The lack of time and space that was (seemingly) allowed to develop the world and its conflicts left me drowning in unanswered questions and out of breath from the breakneck speed of that ending. I understand that the characters and plot will be continuing in sequels (one due out later this year), but I'm still struggling to figure out how this world works, let alone how the characters are hoping to change things. I can definitely recommend this for its noir-like urban fantasy aesthetic and interesting twist on familiar characters, but if you're like me and are hoping for a complex look at this world's history and society, or these characters' psyches, you may be disappointed. Then again, maybe hoping for a Disney publishing-house to allow a truly unique, complex, gritty version of its intellectual property (even the villains) is too much. I guess we'll have to wait and see...
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-25252474782164900892022-01-04T10:00:00.373-08:002022-01-04T10:00:00.172-08:00A Year in Review ~ 2021<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2021/3911273"><img alt="GoodReads 2021" img border="0" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/challenges/2021/facebook.png" height="300" /></a>
<a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/stats/stormywolf?year=2021"><img alt="StoryGraph 2021" img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhNBSH_ySUCnGlG15yjS0eHAPtuWmpmMX3CbVOY_VwTlwVg92wMg1ca_1Gqr7I-jzbzvj8DHu58_QhA9UCzEnXu81NNIhA1Zdr_G6AOr3Q85yVv0HU0otio0okvfNjeg46yDmKOkIBN_0F0AuYwAlnHX-R2yoXiHPHSGQC4ZxkUHVmkGcHJfDqsdjJv" height="300" /></a></div><br>
Another year in the books—literally and figuratively—and I have some things I want to review about 2021. As is common among most bloggers, and many readers in general, I had a goal of how many books I wanted to read this year. which I catalogued on both GoodReads and StoryGraph. Now, both those sites count each book read in any format you enter, so the math on both sites is a little off due to my preference of reading (and reviewing) audiobooks alongside their texts... Regardless, I set my goal at a nice, even 50 books for the year. This would not only be a bit of a record for me in my post-college life, but something I hoped would fill the downtime and serve as a bit of distraction during the tumultuous year many of us have had.<a name='more'></a><br>
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Well, I'm excited to report that I did, in fact, read <div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;">53 distinct titles!</span><br><span style="font-size: large;">(not including 31 additional volumes of manga<br>and 29 accompanying audiobooks)</span></div><br>
For those who are interested in the specific books or other statistics listed for my books, you can click the images above to be taken to each site's recap. I'd especially recommend checking out StoryGraph for its impressive array of visual stats for page length, genres, and more!<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/reading-challenge-2021-47892177"><img alt="PopSugar 2021" img border="0" src="https://media1.popsugar-assets.com/files/thumbor/VF-l8HLi-A-WNT1KXlrvvavcrhQ/fit-in/1024x1024/filters:format_auto-!!-:strip_icc-!!-/2020/11/25/818/n/1922283/c9e325735fbea4afbbe362.14816831_/i/reading-challenge-2021.jpg" width="300" /></a> <a href="https://www.the52book.club/challenges/2021-reading-challenge/" "text-align: center; "><img alt="52 Books in 52 Weeks 2021" border="0" width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjobINg2Kwoi1Vegbj42gnXyoHVDO2mfh6r1RoddKhEFWcrjCFA0G-873w2Ak0xrKTeVAiu2rdbxFBZfcjx840HvX1zvvaBKroOnEkyZs6BCPuv2s-GHwx7YvyBhmEvFrlipC08pb4HYCBbAHqzdLSgOPN01Xkwc1H2IlF2rpM4eoU4NNQYlZEi0BRm"/></a></div><br>
Next came the group challenges. Many of you had no doubt seen the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/reading-challenges-2021.html" target="_blank">Reading Challenges 2021</a>, and the widgets on the sidebar, keeping track of the prompts and progress toward completing the PopSugar and 52 Books challenges. Well, my final tallies came out to be <div class="separator" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;">29/40 for Popsugar and<br> 41/52 for 52 Books in 52 Weeks</span></div><br>
Honestly, I'm both kinda bummed and kinda proud with my results. It was pretty fun seeing all the prompts I could fit my books into, and I did get about 70% completion in both challenges. Even so, I don't think I'll be attempting these challenges again in 2022. <br>
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Notice how I said I "fit <i>my</i> books" into the prompts? I realize now that I really only read 2 books outside my normal reading habits, and I don't think that's really in the spirit of the challenge. Don't get me wrong, I loved reading <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2021/11/i-lost-my-identity-and-they-helped-me.html" target="_blank">The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick</a> (for Book Found on BookBub), and it was nice marking off one of my many <i>many</i> Amazon freebies with <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2021/03/genetically-enhanced-superhumans-or-we.html" target="_blank">The Specials by Kel Pollard</a> (for Book with <1000 reviews and Author w/ 1 Published Work), but that's it for actually challenging myself. There were a few prompts I had no interest in from the beginning (like National Book Award Winner), and a few others that I lucked into (like Book in the Dewey Decimal 900s), but on the whole I didn't really read anything I hadn't already planned to read.<br>
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Still, while I'm not planning on actively participating in either of these challenges, I do think I'll stay active on their Facebook pages (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/427475221163445/" target="_blank">PopSugar</a> / <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/the52bookclub/" target="_blank">52</a>), sharing what books I read and what prompts they could count for. Who knows, maybe I'll manage to hit a good percentage of this year's prompts? Some of them do look pretty fun...<br><br>
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<a href="https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/12/01/2022-finishing-the-series-reading-challenge/"><img alt="Finishing The Series 2022" img border="0" src="https://i0.wp.com/celebrityreaders.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/2022-FTS-Button-Border.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br>
As for 2022, I think I'll be taking it easier with stories I'm already somewhat familiar with. I've been blogging about my reading for about 10 years now (not counting those two where I was MIA) and there are a <i>ton</i> of series I've just left unread and unreviewed. So that's my goal for this year: revisit and review some of those series I've yet to finish on here.<br>
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On my new <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/reading-challenges-2022.html" target="_blank">Reading Challenge Page</a> I have 10+ series listed with titles and covers, including some of my earliest reviews like Kiersten White's <i>Paranormalcy</i> and Tamora Pierce's <i>Terrier</i>. There's also a button at the bottom revealing even more unfinished series I'd love to tackle if I have the time and motivation, but as these 11 series already consist of some 36 books, I kinda doubt I'll be able to complete many more.<br>
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You may notice that some of the series have different languages or artwork entering partway through. These are to easily display which books have been, and which books are still needing read/reviewed. The titles should also display as white instead of blue, indicating that there's no linked review. I hope this is both a clear and interesting way to display my goals and progress, as I will change covers and links as I go. I don't yet know how I'll cover the re-reads, as some of them either already have audio addendums, or don't have audiobooks easily available...but I'm sure I'll figure something out.<br>
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This isn't to say that these books or series are the only ones I plan on reading or finishing this year—since I do have some more recent series & releases I'm planning to tackle as well—but these are all ones that have been on my shelves (and blog) for ages so I'm gonna try extra hard to get these reviewed this year. And who knows? Maybe the extended goals will pool over into next year?<br>
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So, what are your reading goals? Any tips or tricks that you find helpful in tackling your goals? Any series you're looking forward to completing this year? Let me know in the comments!
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-51593123817403144502021-12-10T10:00:00.666-08:002022-02-19T18:54:11.264-08:00We All Live Happily Ever After in My New World, Agrabah Ascendant<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30634094-a-whole-new-world" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="A Whole New World" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498936268l/31552953.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/2a73871a-5505-4130-ae0b-feb40bb71130">~A Whole New World~</a><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Twisted Tales<br />Book 1<br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Liz Braswell</span><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/148470732X/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=148470732X&linkId=2ea0782b40b085b028c8f2dd7e26b887" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781484707326?p_tx" rel="powells-9781484707326" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>When Jafar steals the Genie’s lamp, he uses his first two wishes to become sultan and the most powerful sorcerer in the world. Agrabah lives in fear, waiting for his third and final wish. To stop the power-mad ruler, Aladdin and the deposed Princess Jasmine must unite the people of Agrabah in rebellion. But soon their fight for freedom threatens to tear the kingdom apart in a costly civil war.<br />
<br />
What happens next? A Street Rat becomes a leader. A princess becomes a revolutionary. And readers will never look at the story of </i>Aladdin<i> in the same way again.</i>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/p/disember.html" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0px; text-align: center;"><img alt="Disember" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRLctDETS9BRgSj_mgLNmCbGFidVuDKFOe1L69iUqhUII18bqWJC1V9NJqrI8txWdOP_g7czng0RNlpXNf_OaAFgrPm2avvVMNptcLlfWb3DDxxUDuT7iLxDxfR8DHqCBjVPQQCDFqd4/s639/Disember.png" width="300" /></a></div>
Partly inspired by a certain internet movie reviewer, and partly because I am a bit of a fangirl, I decided I wanted to dedicate the month of December to all that is Disney! This series of reviews will focus on Disney-inspired media, obviously, and will hopefully expand over the years. This year I wanted to get the ball rolling on their Twisted Tales series, books that promise to reimagine the Disney stories we know and love as new, darker takes. Will they be successful, or will the originals' magic still hold? <a name='more'></a><br />
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Well, it was an experience, I'll give it that. Just don't know if it was a memorable one.<br />
<br />
The story starts out with a prologue that sets up Aladdin's life in the slums while his mother was still alive. He's been taught that stealing is a necessity, but not a profession. He does have two friends, Duban and Morgiana, but they seem more invested in stealing more than their share, no doubt setting up tension for later in the story. We end the prologue with the mother's inspiring words: <blockquote>“Don’t let life’s unfairness, don’t let how poor you are decide who you are. You choose who you will be, Aladdin. Will you be a hero who looks after the weak and powerless? Will you be a thief? Will you be a beggar—or worse? It’s up to you, not the things—or people—around you. You can choose to be something more.” [pg 9]</blockquote>So right out of the gate we're getting pretty strong hints that poverty and class will be a larger factor in this story. Sure, in the original film Aladdin already saw his goal of living in the palace and marrying the princess as unobtainable (without magic), but the story brushes off the class aspect pretty quickly. Aladdin isn't unworthy because he's a thief, but because he isn't a prince. The whole thieving thing never even comes up after Jafar has him arrested—not until the 3rd movie! But here there's a definite emphasis on being a thief and how that defines you, as well as supposedly having a choice in the matter, so right off the bat I'm curious to see where this will shake out. <br />
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The next couple chapters are almost identical to the movie, with Aladdin running from guards, encountering a disguised Jasmine, being arrested and thrown in Jafar's secret dungeon, journeying through the Cave of Wonders, and being trapped in the collapse. But this time he's without the lamp, meaning he's got to dig himself out. And while Aladdin takes a couple days to do that, Jafar has already made his first two wishes: 1) to be sultan, and 2) to be the world's most powerful sorcerer. Oh, and to cement his right to the throne, he plans to marry Princess Jasmine. Again, same as in the movie, but with a bit more...death.<br />
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You heard me right, this story has death in it. And not just trivial characters in the background, either. These are characters we know, characters established in the movie <i>and</i> in this story, characters with names. I kept expecting them to appear later, since we never see any bodies (I've seen too much anime), but no...they're dead for real. And other characters feel grief over them. So, no, this isn't your G-rated Disney movie anymore.<br />
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But it's also not what I would consider true YA either. There are definitely older themes and subject raised, but I wouldn't say they were explored fully. For example, when Jasmine and Genie first meet they share a conversation about choice and being trapped: Jasmine bemoans her being forced into marriage against her will, how afterward her only job would be to make a male heir, and that she'd be lucky if she didn't die in childbirth (something that is never brought up in the story, and felt more demeaning to the culture than an actual fear she might have had, or something included solely for shock-value). Jasmine seems to be on the receiving end of a lot of truth bombs as well: hearing Genie's tale about being the last of his race of Djinn, losing his wife in his quest for power; hearing Aladdin's rundowns of life in Agrabah's slums, the types of thieves, poverty, and this cheerful tidbit—<blockquote>"Everyone’s got something, like they say. Everyone had someone starving, sick, or dying. Morgiana’s parents would spend any money they got on wine. Duban’s dad was lame and his older sister was married to a man who beat her." [pg 129]</blockquote> But besides all this being mentioned, and the characters (mainly Jasmine) reacting with sadness or horror, there's never anything done to actually address it. Sure, Jasmine vows to make improvements, but the book ends before anything can be enacted. We're promised change will come, but we have yet to see if Jasmine can actually do anything about it.<br />
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Really, this should have been Jasmine's story from beginning to end. Instead of focusing mainly on Aladdin, who really does very <i>very</i> little to change in the course of the story—about all he does is remove some of his better-than-thou attitude when it comes to stealing more than food—it should have been solely about Jasmine's journey from her life of ignorant privilege, through being a hostage, a rebel leader, and finally a ruler. Let us follow her through her turmoil, her stress, her pain. <br />
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Either that, or have Aladdin do more than just the grunt work in this rebellion. He really doesn't undergo any changes to his character, making his central role in the narration feel like it lessens everything's impact. Make him flawed! He gets by just fine on his own at the beginning of the story, so have him be wary of accepting help, or working with others. I get that you can't have his character be too changed, in order to have him still be the Diamond in the Rough for the lamp, but that doesn't mean he can't be a good person with fears or some sort of prejudice or <i>something</i> that changes through the course of the story. At least the original movie has him sacrificing his friendship with the Genie over his fear of losing Jasmine, of seeing himself as unworthy or lesser (which admittedly is never addressed because of Jafar's coup, but at least it's there). If you're gonna expand on these characters, really expand on them! <br />
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Obviously I don't know what limitations this story had, if any, but it had a lot of good ideas that just didn't have room to grow in the small space they were given. This book is only 224 pages, and with the first five chapters being mostly a note-for-note rehash of things we already know, there really wasn't enough room to show all the intricacies and depth of the world it tried to sample. No doubt there is a fascinating story about a princess discovering the world she knew wasn't what it seemed, or perhaps a class uprising and revolution led by that same previously clueless princess, (or even a loner street rat learning how to work with and trust others?) but instead we get a rushed and overly-stuffed story that is trying to tackle more than it can manage. <br />
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Now, I don't mean rushed in the sense of pacing, just in the resolution. The story's pacing was actually very well done, with a good amount allocated to setup, action, dialogue, and planning. I would have liked a bit more allocated to characters' reactions and feelings, but that's only because of the subject matter attempting to be tackled. The ending, particularly with Duban, Jafar, and Genie, could have used a lot more setup and payoff, but considering the story was already over-stuffed as it was, the ending feeling rushed and somewhat disconnected was inevitable. I mean, Jafar's third wish was just...kinda bizarre. And Duban's ending felt more like a get-out-of-Disney-jail-free card for our main characters than something we might expect of his character, us underdeveloped as it was. And though Genie felt a bit weird throughout the story (his dialogue not matching the original's at all), I still wanted more development for him as well, making his ending feel pretty hollow. <br />
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Overall, there was a lot I liked in this story, but the execution was lacking. There are tons of valuable perspectives addressed throughout the story—of women in a patriarchal society, of poverty and morality, of power and justice—but without a central character to witness and react to these revelations and (hopefully) changes, it doesn't leave much of an impact when all's said and done. It is an interesting <i>What If...</i> story, to be sure, but would have greatly benefited from a tighter focus and/or more alterations to main characters. Still, as an introduction to the possibilities of these <i>Twisted Tales</i>, I'm definitely looking forward to what lies ahead, albeit with a bit more apprehension.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by James Patrick Cronin<br />
Unabridged Length: 8.5 Hours<br />
Listened at 2x Speed</span></div><br />
This audiobook probably had the most going against it of any that I've heard before, since the characters are all ones we've heard and loved for years. Still, I thought Mr. Cronin did fairly well. Admittedly, Jasmine was a bit rough, and Genie didn't sound like he was trying for a straight Robin Williams comparison (though that might have been due to the writing as well), which I appreciated. I particularly enjoyed Jafar, who while not as campy as Jonathan Freeman, did successfully portray both the sneering, scheming vizier and the gleeful partly-mad sultan. Aladdin basically shared the narration voice, though there was a good amount of emotion (particularly snark) embedded in the performance. <br />
<br />
Overall, the production was fine. No glaring errors, but no amazing innovations either. The characters were distinct, the pacing was fine, and the text all matched up with the Kindle copy I was reading. If Disney wanted to, they could have provided a full voice cast (even with the animated series actors), which would have greatly enhanced the production (especially with Jasmine's voice), but Cronin did his best with what he had and made a serviceable performance. It'll get you through, but you won't be feeling much magic afterward.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-7498981778920204562021-12-04T10:00:00.227-08:002022-02-07T15:18:26.095-08:00Come Now, Midoriya—This Will Be Your Hero Academy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26036077-my-hero-academia-vol-1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="My Hero Academia Volume 1" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1441187391l/26036077.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/a1c4e2a1-55bf-4734-b7fd-7174a1c957db">~My Hero Academia~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Origin, Entrance Exam, Class 1-A Beginnings,<br />U.S.J. & Sports Festival Arcs<br />Vol. 1-5 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Kohei Horikoshi</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Translated By Caleb Cook</span><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1421582694/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1421582694&linkId=1557d97cbffa7872dc8a30aee66893da" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9781421582696?p_tx" rel="powells-9781421582696" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>One day, people began manifesting special abilities that came to be known as "Quirks," and before long, society became full of these super-powered humans. But with the advent of these exceptional individuals came an increase in crime, and governments were unable to deal with the situation. At the same time, others emerged to oppose the spread of evil! As if straight from the comic books, these heroes keep the peace and are even officially authorized to fight crime.<br />
<br />
Middle school student Izuku Midoriya wants to be a hero more than anything, but he hasn’t got an ounce of power in him. With no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes, his life is looking more and more like a dead end. Then an encounter with All Might, the greatest hero of them all, gives him a chance to change his destiny…</i><br />
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<br />
It's honestly been quite some time since I first came across <i>My Hero Academia</i> (or <i>Boku No Hero Academia</i> as it's originally titled). Having watched the anime since shortly before season two started airing, I've been keeping up with the stories of Midoriya and the rest of the heroes (and villains) for a couple years now—but only in the anime. It wasn't until I started getting into official mangas this year (partly thanks to the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/2021/07/some-bizarre-hopes-for-this-mask-of.html" target="_blank">Vampire Book Club</a>, and partly thanks to Geoff Thew's [aka <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/mothersbasement" target="_blank">Mother's Basement</a>] <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKVP-5O4QCA" target="_blank">recommendation</a> to do so) that I decided to go ahead and see what the manga had in store.<a name='more'></a><br />
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I think the important thing to know for anyone going in blind is that this isn't your typical superhero story. Sure, the characters have super powers, each (mostly) unique to themselves, and this is an origin story showing the youth learning the ropes of becoming heroes, but there are no secret identities here. There's no lying or hurt feelings to keep their loved ones safe, or running from the press in order to maintain normalcy in their lives. Heroes are a part of society, a government-sanctioned job, and thus we don't need the constant drama of secrets and lies. <br />
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Well, for the most part. Izuku (Deku) Midoriya still has some secrecy to his Quirk, in that he was given it instead of born with it. In the generations since Quirks first started appearing, about 80% of the world's population now has Quirks, which tend to manifest by 4 years old. At age 14, Izuku knows he won't ever have a Quirk, powerful or otherwise, but still dreams of being a hero. But when he shows the Number 1 Hero that he possesses the character of a true hero, he is determined to be worthy of being All Might's successor, and is thus given a Quirk and a secret of epic proportions. <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27418111-my-hero-academia-vol-2" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="My Hero Academia Volume 2" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1446527541l/27418111.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Of course, secrets lead to drama and it's not long before we see this drama play out. In Vol. 2, once Izuku's accepted into the prestigious U.A. Hero Academy (for high school and hero studies), he's quickly confronted with his childhood friend-turned-bully, Bakugo (Kacchan) Katsuki, who assumes Izuku has been lying to him all these years. When they are pitted against each other in a class exercise, tensions quickly turn explosive as Bakugo tries to reestablish the norm and assert his superiority over his newly powerful classmate.<br />
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While seeing the variety of super powers, and learning new techniques is fun, this is where I first started to see the potential of the series as a character study. Up to now, we've been seeing Izuku's story about him going from zero to hero through hard work, determination, and a little bit of luck. Now we see start to see the flip side, of a kid literally gifted with great power from the beginning, praised as special and powerful and worthy of great things, suddenly having the tables turned on him, not only by being thrown into a new environment filled with other powerful people, but also have one of his subordinates appearing to be just as powerful as he is.<br />
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It's no excuse for Bakugo being a bully or a jerk, especially when he's seemingly had no discipline for doing so, but it does humanize him as someone going through a huge change and being torn up by it. He's going through the big fish/small pond/discovers ocean scenario, but with teenage hormones and stresses. Add in Izuku—who has repeatedly gone out of his way to help Bakugo, even while seemingly being helpless himself—suddenly showing amazing abilities, which further disrupts Bakugo's "norm," and it's no wonder that he explodes.<br />
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While Izuku doesn't know all of Bakugo's struggles (nor does the audience, for that matter), he is extremely observant and analytical, as shown by his numerous notebooks of hero analysis, as well as his murmuring asides during the story. He can sense that there's more to Bakugo's rage and despondency than just the outcome of the exercise, thus feels the need to reassure him that he isn't alone in feeling out of place, that Bakugo isn't the only one facing new challenges and changes, and that Izuku hasn't been playing some cruel joke on him for the past ten years. Unfortunately, his way of relaying these feelings is much less emotional and more factual than it should have been, with him coming right out and giving away his (and by proxy, All Might's) big secret, but I'm sure that won't have any ramifications down the line, right?<br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28820556-my-hero-academia-vol-3" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="My Hero Academia Volume 3" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1454327476l/28820556.jpg" width="185" /></a>
The next part that had me really excited came with the villains. Not just because heroes vs villain battles are usually epic and amazing to witness, but because the villains actually brought up valid criticisms of society. Granted, I've had more encounters with the villains than this first snippet, so I know where things go from here, but even their first encounter sets up some really deep cuts to this supposedly idyllic superhero society.<br />
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Looking back, it's not exactly hidden. I mean, the first lines of the story are, "People are not born equal," over a scene of a young Izuku being bullied by Bakugo. And we see this time and time again as Izuku is constantly put down, not only by Bakugo but all his middle school classmates, and underestimated by All Might, by the other applicants in the entrance exam, and even his own mother. Even the very first battle of the series, one Izuku witnesses between some pro-heroes and a giant villain, hints at the cracks in their society:
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUxYhU--R4UrvwkIBu7p33Yrlpg_3AZ3PVGsalSBK9F4SDuiJJX-3h0yhiYCO49JeznVCyeeiMbVawCWRe3-uL8nAzghly6LKJIk9Q5eb5YCyk8AHwxsxFy5_735IdBeYFdMA2ak-tI98h5ybKLdirrbtvgqq2sTcl8R4J0givYGRMZV2w7zTZQ1BK=s707" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img alt="Illegal use of one's abilities during rush hour, as well as robbery and assault? You're pure evil." border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="707" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjUxYhU--R4UrvwkIBu7p33Yrlpg_3AZ3PVGsalSBK9F4SDuiJJX-3h0yhiYCO49JeznVCyeeiMbVawCWRe3-uL8nAzghly6LKJIk9Q5eb5YCyk8AHwxsxFy5_735IdBeYFdMA2ak-tI98h5ybKLdirrbtvgqq2sTcl8R4J0givYGRMZV2w7zTZQ1BK=s320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Speech bubbles are read in order of right-to-left<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />
Nevermind that "using" one's Quirk implies having control of it in the first place, which (we will eventually see) is a big assumption to make, but the majority of robberies are committed out of desperation. Another onlooker explains that he "tried to steal a purse and started rampaging when he got cornered," and the only thing we hear this "villain" say isn't an evil monologue or some rehearsed manifesto, but simply, "GET AWAYYYYYYY!"<br />
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Is he dangerous? Definitely—he's rampaging on top of elevated train tracks, holding up public transportation and posing a threat to both people and structures. Is he a menace to society? I mean, he did attempt to steal another person's property, most likely going for their money, and apparently assaulted someone—though whether this was a part of his robbery or following being cornered, we don't know—but we don't know if this was one in a long line of deviant acts, or a one-time act of desperation. Is he evil? Not likely, as he seems much more desperate and panicked than actually malicious. In the few panels we do get to see him, he literally says only those two words, and seems to only be reacting to the pro heroes pursuing/fighting him. One could easily argue that he needs assistance in deescalation rather than outright confrontation.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhugZrquVFWlW2iy6nNcsIvmmeFhbq8-KzCT9fzMt5dgoXI2HrLq--S7G5FEB1AIb3ha_Txg9Mrk7vG4ABGwh9kj6bMhh0uXtBg_3w2CEMaa5KmtluT17gNtCLmjGrUbK5XgdNIWtMI8-rZ-vuCRAP_pG48165lJ2n1w0_vSRZTg6dNmjVyfvMtbyAI=s2286" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Throwing punches to save people...Ha ha ha, that's our state-sponsored violence. That pisses me off! Heroes and villains both thrive on violence, but we're still categorized. You're good. You're evil. That's how it is!! Symbol of peace? Hah!! In the end you're just a tool for violence, made to keep us down! And violence only breeds more violence." border="0" data-original-height="2286" data-original-width="1024" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhugZrquVFWlW2iy6nNcsIvmmeFhbq8-KzCT9fzMt5dgoXI2HrLq--S7G5FEB1AIb3ha_Txg9Mrk7vG4ABGwh9kj6bMhh0uXtBg_3w2CEMaa5KmtluT17gNtCLmjGrUbK5XgdNIWtMI8-rZ-vuCRAP_pG48165lJ2n1w0_vSRZTg6dNmjVyfvMtbyAI" width="320" /></a><br />
And that's where the next villains come in. While definitely not acting on the fly, with any panic or perceivable desperation, they bring the message of social injustice to the forefront. Higeki Shigaraki, the scary-looking-dude with the disembodied hands gripping him all over, is this series' big bad, and despite his obvious malice, he does make a good point. If violence is inherently evil, then why are heroes praised for it while villains get all the blame?<br />
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But while Shigaraki blames the heroes, and constantly aims to knock them off their pedestal by forcing them into impossible situations (or by killing their hypocritical Symbol of Peace), the series shows us time and again how while his methods are flawed, their message isn't completely wrong. In short, the system <i>isn't</i> fair, it's flawed beyond the public's comprehension, and it is actively hurting those who don't fit the mold. <br />
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I mean, just think of how many people came along with Shigaraki. This guy looks and sounds terrifying, yet he inspired 72 people to agree that killing All Might was a worthy goal. Since we never see any of them again, it's hard to fully analyze them, but we can gather a few clues from their brief appearances during the course of the U.S.J arc. Many of those we see are non-humanoid in appearance, which, from what we know in our current world, can often cause fear simply by being "other". Their quirks, while powerful, may also be scary. And their shunning from others, possibly even their friends or family members, have likely caused mental health issues to manifest or worsen, only serving to ostracize them further. Thus it's likely that, though these 72 individuals did agree to attack a school and aid in killing a government official, many of them truly didn't see any other options open to them. <br />
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And though I do have knowledge of future events coming in to aid here, I find this study of societal injustices and inequalities utterly fascinating. I started experiencing this story (through the anime) years before the tragedies of 2020, and yet I'm seeing more and more glaring parallels between our worlds. A government-sanctioned law enforcement that commonly turns to violence before deescalation? A system of education and a society at large that favors the haves and (at best) ignores or (at worst) villainizes the have-nots? A younger generation being thrown into the thick of things because they can no longer be sheltered from the dark reality of the world, and also expected to fix things in the future? Yeah, some fantasy, huh? <br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29987308-my-hero-academia-vol-4" style="clear: left; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="My Hero Academia Volume 4" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1461484519l/29987308.jpg" width="185" /></a>
Speaking of that younger generation, did I mention that this is a huge ensemble story? Sure, Izuku caries the majority of the story, since we're largely following his perspective as he grows from zero to hero, but there are a ton of characters vying for your attention and favoritism. From Bakugo and All Might, to the other 18 members of Class 1-A, to the U.A. teachers, to even the (slowly expanding) group of villains, there are tons of personalities, designs, and abilities to keep you hooked. <br />
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My personal favorites of the series so far, besides Izuku, are: Shota Aizawa, the class's homeroom teacher, for his personality; Fumikage Tokoyami for his design; and Shoto Todoroki for his backstory and powers. But there are tons of characters I would classify as my faves for their later actions or revelations, and there are no doubt tons of fans for characters I'm not personally as interested in. <br />
<br />
I absolutely <i>hate</i> Minoru Mineta, both in the manga and the show, as he is little more than a perv, more often than not saying something while drooling or being slapped for making comments about boobs. Unfortunately, according to one of the between-chapter character pages, Mineta is slightly based off of the author, who admits to being a perv himself, so it's unlikely he'll ever be banished outright. From what I've seen of him in the anime, he does get better, but I've heard that he's been downplayed there, so I'm kinda dreading seeing his progression in the manga. Still, even he is not fully without merit, as the author also explains that his Quirk allowed for a strategic, non-violent take-down of the entrance exam villains, which is how he earned his way into the hero class in the first place.<br />
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30653001-my-hero-academia-vol-5" style="clear: right; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="My Hero Academia Volume 5" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1466394135l/30653001.jpg" width="185" /></a>
The art style is pretty stellar, with the chapter pages in particular showcasing excellent shading and dimension. One of the chapter asides states that a full-body shot of All-Might uses up two entire pens-worth of ink, and I believe it. Even in black and white, the art of characters and backgrounds alike really pop with detail. There's not a ton of gore, despite the violence on display throughout, and about the worst we get is some body horror with Izuku's mangled limbs (which is usually just dark with bruising and drawn at odd angles) and a some blood during All Might's fight. Actually, All Might does have blood flowing from his mouth quite regularly, too, but that's often played more for comedy than horror. <br />
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The tone of the story also tends to lean more into comedy until the action takes the stage. This is a story about kids growing up, so there's plenty of awkwardness and goofing around in between the more serious moments. Even the sports festival, which is billed as a huge opportunity for the kids to prepare for their futures, has a good amount of levity built in, with the girls getting tricked into wearing cheerleader uniforms (dammit Mineta!), Ida's experience in his first tournament round, and the medal ceremony with that exaggerated art style and All Might's ad-libbing. <br />
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I may have waxed a bit long on the serious material earlier, but most of that is more obvious on re-watch/read when you know what you're looking for. The majority of the story is just a kid's journey toward becoming a great hero, with the stakes raising slowly over time. Even the U.J.A. event, which appears to be a huge thing at the time, is just the tip of the iceberg. Past this point, things are going to get a lot more complicated. There's a lot more depth to explore, both in terms of characters and society, and I can't wait to continue that exploration. Really all that's stopping me is the line at the library.<br />
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Overall, this series is a fun, heartwarming, and fascinating ride. I'd highly recommend reading or watching it to anyone who is interested in stories surrounding superheroes, coming-of-age journeys, large ensemble casts, rivalries, exploration of similar societies or social justice reform. If you somehow hadn't heard of <i>My Hero Academia</i> yet, or simply have avoided this "hyped" series, I hope you've found my review helpful and will take my recommendation to heart. While no media is without its problems, I think there is a lot to enjoy with this one, and though it's not fully complete yet, nor am I yet caught up with everything currently published, I'm very hopeful for things to get better, both in their world and our own. And so I leave you with that iconic school motto: PLUS ULTRA!!!
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-90526840846557404512021-11-30T10:00:00.747-08:002022-02-07T15:19:37.971-08:00I Lost My Identity and They Helped Me to Find It Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40207207-the-library-of-lost-and-found" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="The Library of Lost and Found" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1537752118l/40207207.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/d2c10f22-470f-4a38-8eb6-76a5f3b0a432">~The Library of Lost and Found~</a><br />
By Phaedra Patrick</span><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BW2X162/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B07BW2X162&linkId=5454e1f6193287a7903895adf041702d" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9780778309826?p_tx" rel="powells-9780778309826" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Librarian Martha Storm has always found it easier to connect with books than people - though not for lack of trying. She keeps careful lists of how to help others in her superhero-themed notebook. And yet, sometimes it feels like she's invisible.<br />
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All of that changes when a book of fairy tales arrives on her doorstep. Inside, Martha finds a dedication written to her by her best friend - her grandmother Zelda - who died under mysterious circumstances years earlier. When Martha discovers a clue within the book that her grandmother may still be alive, she becomes determined to discover the truth. As she delves deeper into Zelda's past, she unwittingly reveals a family secret that will change her life forever.</i><br />
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I had utterly no clue what this book was about. Basically, I needed a book recommended on <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/profile/252689509" target="_blank">BookBub</a> for a reading challenge, and I found this on a <a href="https://www.bookbub.com/blog/books-set-in-bookstores?position=2&source=multicontent&target=title" target="_blank">list of books</a> that featured libraries and bookstores. I thought the summary made it sound light, mysterious, and kinda cozy. Little did I know just what I was in for... <a name='more'></a><br />
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Okay, so this book hit me hard. Recently I've been dealing with my own family issues, with my grandmother, who's lived with me for the last 20 years, passing this spring, watching tensions rise between my grandfather and my mother, having a very distant father, and trying to manage various financial stresses in 2021. So when this book came along with its own story about family tensions, the stresses and responsibility of caring for ailing parents, the passing of said parents, and more...well, I cried. Hard. More than once.<br />
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As this is a character story, most things I'd normally talk about kinda verge on spoilers, so I apologize in advance if this seems shorter than usual.<br />
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Martha was a treat to read, though she mirrored me in more ways than I'd like to admit. Very much a people-pleaser, she's spent the majority of her life going out of her way to make sure others' needs are met. Whether it's volunteering at the library, staying home to care for her aging parents through their later years, or filling her home and Wonder Woman notebook with other people's projects, Martha is addicted to the praise of others. She's also terrified of who she would be without that praise, placing all her self-worth on being useful to others and taking no consideration for her own likes (apart from books) or needs. And yeah, I can definitely relate, at least on some level.<br />
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Most of her self-worth hangups stem from a complicated family life, which is revealed slowly throughout the book. It's obvious that there's some mystery and drama surrounding her maternal grandmother, Zelda, but unwrapping that history takes the better part of the book, coming slowly layer by layer. And while the majority of the story unfolds in present-day, I was surprised when we suddenly got chapters from Betty's, Martha's mother's, perspective, transporting us back to the 70s and 80s, and giving us insight into Martha's childhood and the drama surrounding Zelda's disappearance. I didn't expect to fall in love with a deceased character, but here we are.<br />
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I also didn't expect to find all the bookish references, let alone recognize most of them—though I suppose I should have, since it has "Library" in the title and has a librarian for a main character. From Martha's love of <i>Alice in Wonderland</i> to her pulling out modern YA books like <i>Percy Jackson</i> and <i>The Maze Runner</i> for her niece and nephew, there were plenty of nods to literature woven in. We even get snippets from that book of fairy tales that sparked this entire story, which were delightfully imaginative and somewhat bittersweet, but I'll let you discover their magic for yourself. <br />
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Honestly, I want you to discover most of this book's magic for yourself, but here are a couple more enticements I think I can give. Love and acceptance are major themes in this book, so it may come as no surprise that there are LGBTQIA+ characters. What may come as a surprise is that them being LGBTQIA+ doesn't factor into their plots one bit. There is no drama about them being in a same-sex relationship, nor any fuss thrown about a character having a non-traditional gender identity (their story is very much tertiary, so it's mostly speculation without confirmation), rather these aspects are just a part of these characters as much as their hair color would be. More of this, please—loved it! <br />
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I also loved the story's general emphasis on and support of later-in-life changes. While it's important to examine your past and learn from it, it's also not too late to change things in the present or plan for the future. And with a main character in her (never outright stated, but somewhat mathematically supported) 40's, let's just say it gave me (at 34) a lot of hope for my own prospects. Whether it be applying for a new job, mending relationships or forging new ones—even romantic ones—there truly doesn't seem to be any limit besides the ones you place on yourself, and you can always, <i>always</i> change your mind and try something new. <br />
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Overall, this story devastated me but in the best way possible. I went in mostly unassuming, with it not being in my typical genres or demographic, and was utterly blindsided with how much I related to these characters and their doubts, their fears, their regrets, and their struggles. But by the same token, as they were built back up with changes and support, I too came out the other side with a feeling of reassurance and hope. The literary lean didn't hurt things either. I'd highly recommend this for anyone looking for something about later-life changes, self-discovery, self-improvement, family drama and reconciliation, or the importance of love, support, and moving forward. So for anyone who is feeling a bit lost right now—let's face it, there are plenty of us—you might just find a little bit of comfort within this book's pages.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" style="margin-left: 0em; margin-right: 0em;"><img alt="Audiobook Review" border="0" height="285" src="http://orig13.deviantart.net/2710/f/2016/100/c/1/audiobook_review_by_stormywolf-d9yheny.png" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;">Read by Imogen Church<br />
Unabridged Length: 10.5 Hours<br />
Listened at 2.25x Speed</span></div><br />
There are some books, like <i>Hitchhiker's Guide</i> or <i>Stardust</i>, which I feel are best read with a British narrator—even just in my own head—just based on their rhythm and pacing. It's hard to say whether this book necessitated it or not, seeing as I jumped in with the audio not giving me a choice, but I think I appreciated it nonetheless. It served as a bit of a setting in itself, since the UK is never directly mentioned, and while I can't recall the book having any huge British-isms, there were certainly enough small ones (candy floss vs cotton candy) that I was glad for the clarification. <br />
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Beyond that, Ms. Church provided a huge range of voices, from the surly and serious Thomas to the tittering Branda, each distinct and with tons of personality. There was never a question of who was whom, nor what mood someone was in. There was even a point where a character has a sore throat, and Imogen matched the sound perfectly. <br />
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The only difference between the audio and text I could find was fairly early on: Martha is recounting what various people's evening plans are, and she states that Suki is making "something Japanese" in the audio, but it's "a cheese and onion pie" in the digital copy. I'm sure it's just a case of the text being edited after the recording had gone through (I assume to change the stereotypical cuisine being associated with someone named Suki, who, though never stated as a foreigner [and doesn't have any noticeable accent difference from the rest of the cast], constantly has difficulty with the English language), but I do bring it up because it's referenced a couple times.<br />
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Overall, I was enchanted by this production from start to finish. The reading pace was slightly slower than (my) usual, but those who have difficulty with accents will probably appreciate that. No difficult names or vocabulary to trip over, but I certainly appreciated the narration moving me along through the (many) teary moments. The stellar voicework alone has me recommending this production for newcomers and audiobook veterans alike. So definitely don't hesitate to find this at your local library and fall in love along with me.
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5461857684201387821.post-80649969963855107152021-11-27T10:00:00.034-08:002022-02-07T15:23:37.123-08:00Believe Me, I Do<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
This review is for those who have read or are familiar with the previous six books in the <a href="https://the-wolfs-den-147.blogspot.com/search/label/Shatter%20Me">Shatter Me series</a>, or don't mind knowing MAJOR spoilers for them.<br />
<b>SPOILER ALERT</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58517502-believe-me" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;" target="_blank"><img alt="Believe Me" border="0" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1626984973l/58517502.jpg" width="185" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;"><a href="https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/3991cb5b-3ebf-4a15-80f8-f81d646a54d9">~Believe Me~</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Shatter Me <br />
Book 6.5</span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-large;">By Tahereh Mafi</span><br>
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0983MCQGP/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=thwosde0b-20&camp=1789&creative=9325&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=B0983MCQGP&linkId=690562e9daa20ba521e8e4ae72c98f66" target="_blank">Amazon</a> ~ <a href="http://www.powells.com/partner/35589/biblio/9780063228313?p_tx" rel="powells-9780063228313" title="More info about this book at powells.com" target="_blank">Powell's</a></div><br />
<i>Juliette and Warner fought hard to take down the Reestablishment once and for all. Life in the aftermath isn’t easy, as they and their friends at the Sanctuary work with their limited resources to stabilize the world.<br />
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Warner has his sights set on more than just politics. Since he proposed to Juliette two weeks ago, he’s been eager to finally marry her, the person he loves more than anything and has endured so much to be with. But with so much chaos around them, it’s been nearly impossible for them to have a wedding. And even Juliette has been distracted by everything they need to do.<br />
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At long last, Warner and Juliette’s future together is within reach, but the world continues to try to pull them apart. Will they finally be able to be happily, officially, together?</i> <br />
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We've finally, FINALLY come to this. The definitely-gonna-be-the-last-one FINAL book in the <i>Shatter Me</i> series (after 2 fake-outs already). And it's a novella (though, is 200+ pages still considered a novella?) in Warner's POV. Will we finally get the answers we crave? Will we get a satisfying ending? Or will we just get all the kissing we could ever hope for?<a name='more'></a><br />
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Now, I didn't do a full re-read of the series—heck I didn't even re-read <i>Imagine Me</i>, which I probably should have done— before diving into this one, so please forgive me if my memory has warped things slightly. I remember being very disappointed in <i>Imagine Me</i>'s ending, mostly because Juliette was put in the position of needing rescued, and then there was very little wrap-up given after the climax. I honestly don't know if this novella was written in response to fan disappointment, or if it was planned all along, but it fulfilled all my hopes in all the best ways.<br />
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The first two chapters read very similarly to the epilogue from <i>Imagine Me</i>, with details I remember exactly from before, but I'm sure they must have been expanded somewhat. Then chapter 3 picks up exactly where we left off, filling in a bit more of the picture of life after the fall of the Reestablishment, specifically what's being done to pick up the pieces and enact change. We also get a bit more of the details of Warner and Juliette's new normal following her rescue.<br />
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I know I've been harping on a certain other series for its portrayal (or lack thereof) of trauma and therapy, and this is why. Being in Warner's head, we're privy to details of his intense anxiety, his memory of his trauma, and his inability (or unwillingness) to keep others feelings from leeching into his consciousness with his powers. He's clearly not okay, but his demeanor (and history) keep others from seeing him as more than a jerk. It's not until nearly the end of the story that we finally see someone (other than Juliette) take notice and make adjustments on his behalf, and it honestly made me tear up. It's not a huge thing, relative to the rest of the story, but I just couldn't help but love and appreciate that little bit of closure for Warner's benefit.<br />
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We also got more closure on the ending of the last book as a whole. I mean, Juliette was really, <i>really</i> beat up by the time they escaped the Oceana facility, but we merely skipped to "a few days later" where she's picking out a wedding dress and crying at being able to hold a puppy. Here we get the full context: that she nearly bled out on the plane, that she was hospitalized for fourteen days, unconscious for ten, and that Warner has been practically numb with fear and panic over having her out of his sight. While Juliette seems a bit uncharacteristically "fine" following everything, I was mostly distracted by Warner's inner turmoil to give it much thought. Now I'd kinda like another peek inside her head, since here she's mostly depicted as nearly perfect and loving and a shining beacon of hope.<br />
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But I don't see another sequel on the horizon. Like I said, I don't know if this novella was always planned, or if it was prompted by a loud request from fans or simply the 10-year anniversary of <i>Shatter Me</i>, but I think its safe to say the story is 100% over. We're done fighting the (Re)establishment, we're done recovering stolen memories, and we're done proving that love conquers all. All that's left now is to rebuild the world, establish a working government, and (hopefully) live long and happy lives with their loved ones. I mean, <i>maybe</i> we'll see another interlude with Kenji and Nazeera somewhere down the line, because writing happy couples is always fun, but I don't anticipate another major installment/trilogy hitting the series anytime soon. <br />
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Overall, this was a great ending that had me smiling and crying at equal intervals. There is a very steamy scene in the middle, which I was not expecting, but it's not explicit in anatomical descriptions, so I'd still say it's good for older YA. I can't say for sure that this completely redeems the last book for me, but it definitely had me feeling good, and thankful, and hopeful, and teary-eyed. And for anyone who was on the fence about another novella, this is definitely a must-read for everyone who already loves the series. Now, does anyone else wish for Mafi's next book's release date to come sooner? Cause believe me, I do!
Vicki S http://www.blogger.com/profile/01052645354767036185noreply@blogger.com0