Hey all!
I just finished The Graces, by Laure Eve!
Note: I received this ARC from the publishers, ABRAMS kids at Netgalley. That does not change my opinion of the book itself.
This book will be officially published on September 6th, 2016.
Thank you for letting me read an early copy! Can’t wait to see your book in stores!
Goodreads Blurb:
"In The Graces, the first rule of witchcraft states that if you want something badly enough, you can get it . . . no matter who has to pay.
Everyone loves the Graces. Fenrin, Thalia, and Summer Grace are captivating, wealthy, and glamorous. They’ve managed to cast a spell over not just their high school but also their entire town—and they’re rumored to have powerful connections all over the world. If you’re not in love with one of them, you want to be them. Especially River: the loner, new girl at school. She’s different from her peers, who both revere and fear the Grace family. She wants to be a Grace more than anything. And what the Graces don’t know is that River’s presence in town is no accident.”
(That cover though! It’s beautiful!)
So this books is pretty much a contemporary that centers around magic. River, our protagonist, moves into a town where the Grace family is rumored to be a family of witches (and wizards? Are the guys in the family wizards?). They are charismatic and charming, and practically everyone adores them. They are basically the family that owns power not just in the town, but all over the world. However, people also fear them because of their rumored magical abilities. River is different - she wants to be a Grace, and has a profound interest in the magic they have. She, like many others, has a crush on Fenrin, one of the Grace teenagers.
This story wrote about witches in an interesting way. It seemed to be a mix of old English ‘witches’, alchemy, and a general idea of magic, such as the witches you see in some Shakespearian plays or even voodoo. But they were also fairly normal teenagers. They almost seem to form a little cult, in which only select people can take part in
The book was a quick and easy read. At first I had a bit of a hard time with it, but once you get to the second half of the book, in draws you in much more, with intrigue surrounding many contemporary topics, magic and trust. Certain themes, such as trust and identity, were well-covered in this book, and basically sends the message ‘don’t be a mirror’.
River herself wasn’t my favorite character at first. She seemed very obsessed with the Graces, and I couldn’t really give her a personality of her own. She almost seemed fangirl-ish. When you get halfway through the book and something is revealed, you realize that she is a very different person than that - that she was tricked into following the Graces like a shadow, in a way. This is when her character becomes more interesting. She becomes self-aware, and more conscious not only about how she has played a role in the story, but how the whole world around them as been manipulated.
The Grace siblings, Summer, Thalia (Thalia Grace for me will forever and always be from Percy Jackson, sorry >.< ) and Fenrin (cool name) all have distinct personalities from one another, which somewhat coincide with what kind of witches they are (fire, water, air, earth. Think avatar). Summer likes strange music, horror movies, and is basically popularity at its finest. Thalia is much more mellow, and I would describe her a bit as a ‘floaty yet mature’ character. Fenrin is the flirty charmer surfer guy.
At first the plot seemed a bit too basic, but again, it got very interesting by the end - it went from a group of friends talking and discovering magic, having parties, and playing a popularity game at school, to something much darker and deeper. It gets to a point where you almost start to wonder if River isn’t the accidental antagonist of the story.
Overall, I’m giving this book a 3.75 out of 5 feathers! Bit of a slow and common start, but the second half of the book is definitely worth it! Great and unique use of magic in a contemporary novel! Can’t wait to read the sequel!
Have a great day!
Hey all!
First, I want to remind everyone that we are still hosting a GRACELING FANART CONTEST! Click HERE for more information! We don’t have any entries yet, sadly.
Remember you can enter with art, a piece of writing, or even a fancy picture of the books!
I can’t draw people but I might draw the weapons they each use, or even post instagram pictures! :)
Erika and I are almost done talking about book 2 of the Graceling set - Fire! Today, we’ll be giving the character profile of one of the characters of the book. Erika’s character profile will be of Brigan, and I’m doing one about Fire :)
Name: Lady Fire
Age: 18
Home/Kingdom: The Dells
Relation to the Throne: gets married to Brigan, prince of the Dells.
Background: Fire is the daughter of a monster, Cansrel. When she was old enough, she murdered her father and staged it as a suicide. They had a very difficult relationship, and people often shunned her not only because of who she was as a monster, but also because the fact that Cansrel, someone who had done a lot of harm in the Dells, was her father. Her mother, Jessa, called her Fire when she was born because of ho her hair looked like fire. Her parents gave her to Brocker and Donal for them to look after her and teach her about her powers. She has always been friends with Archer.
Personality: Fire is strong minded and self-aware. She has a hard time coming to having positive relationships with people with a high rank or authority, but easily befriends others. She is very careful and aware, and has an underlying wish to have freedom.
Close friends: Aside from her servants while she stays at the castle, Fire is very close to Archer, Brocker, Donal and Small. At the end of the book she marries Brigan, and becomes friends with his brothers and daughter.
On Monday, we are starting Bitterblue, the one I’m most excited about! We’ll be posting tons in the next two weeks!
Have a great day! :D
Hey all!
I want to send a huge thank you to Sam @ Tsundoku Books for tagging me for the Infinity Dreams Award! :D Definitely a blog to follow if you’re not already!
It’s so pretty ^u^
Rules
1. give 11 facts about yourself
2. Answer the 11 questions set by the one who nominated you
3. Nominate 11 bloggers to get this award
4. Ask the bloggers you’ve nominated to answer your own 11 questions
5. Bonus points: Answer you questions in a vlog!
11 facts about me
1. I used to plate the flute! I stopped because of school reasons, but I really loved being in band!
2. Two of my favorite food combinations are chocolate+mint and chocolate+caramel
3. I’ve never read Narnia *hides*
4. I’m currently the head of the charity committee at my university
5. I love jigsaw puzzles! Two years ago I spent 3 months doing one that was totally red and green. Let’s just say that I watched a lot of movies while putting it together!
6. I’m super afraid of moths... ._. I know I know...
7. I do archery! I’ve been teaching myself since I was 12, and just love the sport! I taught it for about a week last summer, and I’m looking for a club to join during my semester abroad in Perth!
8. I’m a bit of a geek/nerd ^-^ I mean, I played dungeons and dragons for a while xD
9. Even though I love reading, I’m not interested in writing my own book. I want to go into chemical / environmental research, maybe green chemistry?
10. I have so many NetGalley books I have to catch up on, you might be seeing ARCS here for a while...
11. Summer is my favorite season (except for the fact that it relates to fact 6). I love warm weather!
My answers
1. Are you currently in school? If so, what is your favorite class? If not, what was your favorite class?
Wellll I’m in university. We only take 2 (and a half) classes at a time, so it’s hard to choose between two classes. However, in the two yeas I’ve been here, I’ve really enjoyed Organic Chemistry (and the practical that went with it).
2. What has been your favorite read so far this year?
Hmm... either A Court of Thorns and Roses, Clockwork Princess, or Everything Everything. Oh or maybe The Rest of us just Live Here. OH and Rebel of the Sands!!! *-*
3. Do your friends (that you know personally) share your love for books?
Not really, sadly...
4. Do you have a tattoo? Do you plan to get one?
I don’t have one, and I’m not planning on it. BUT if I had to, those tiny little ones that are super simple are always so nice!
5. What was the first ARC you received?
My first physical ARC was The Darkest Lie, by Pintip Dunn! My very first e-ARC was To Nowhere, by C.E. Wilson
6. Where is your favorite place to read.
Either on my bed or in a car/train/bus/plane.
7. Which fictional character do you connect with the most?
UHM?! I dunno o.o let me think about it, I’ll answer it later...
8. What’s your first memory of reading?
Well I read all the time, but my most vivid one was in 4th grade when I managed to read the magic school bus chapter book in one hour, and I was so proud of myself! Otherwise, I just remember practically living in the library. In kindergarten I used to read the hungry caterpillar during naptime while everyone was sleeping!
9. Do you like to write? What are you working on?
I’m not so much a writer as a reader. The only thing I really write is my essays for uni...
10. What song do you feel the need to sing at the top of your lungs?
That really depends on my mood, actually. If I’m in a good mood, it’ll be something more dance-y and fun :)
11. When do you do most of your blogging?
After classes, in the evenings.
Bloggers I tag
Erika @ Books, Stars, and the Pages in Between
Carrie @ The Book Goddess
Caroline/Sunny @ Stardust and Words]
Erin @ Angel Erin’s Book Obsession
AJ @ Read All the Things
Kayleigh @ A Book Lover’s Playlist
Yulia @ my professional blog
Beth @ Beth Lee’s book blog
Cloe @ Mornings and Epilogues
Sinead @ Less Reality, more books
Alicia @ # Love Books
My questions for you!
1. Chocolate and what?
2. What’s your favorite club at school/university?
3. Do you bake? What do you like baking?
4. Favorite ARC you’ve received?
5. Favorite color?
7. Sparkly water or still water?
8. If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?
9. Favorite line of the last movie/episode you watched of _____?
10. Outside or inside?
11. Do you know what a blue raspberry JollyRancher is? If not, what do you think it is? Then, look it up and tell me your reaction! ^_^ (heheheh)
WOW THATS IT! That was quite long, took me almost two hours to write, but it was a lot of fun! :D Enjoy it!
Hey all!
As a part of our read-along, Erika and I are taking the day to explain an idea or a backstory that is important in the Graceling world.
Today, I’m giving you King Leck’s backstory. I’m not gonna hide it, there will be spoilers in this!
Leck was born with two brown eyes. In fact, he isn’t born as Leck, but Immiker. He got his name from his father’s name, Larch (pronounced Leck).
Leck grew up being abnormally smart for his age. Everyone was surprised by his learning capabilities, especially by the fact that he could speak so well. His eyes turned when he was three, indicating that he was Graced. No one really could pinpoint his Grace. However, during their travels, Immiker’s Grace would help Larch move on. Larch thought his grace was mind control. This made Immiker laugh, and he killed his father, changing his name to Leck in his honnor.
In Fire, he is still young. He is seen playing with a little mouse. He talks to Fire, and she soon realizes that he was behind everyone being foggy-minded throughout the book.
This is all I have for this topic! There isn’t much, but the rest is explained in Graceling, so doesn’t really count as back-story!
Have a great day!
Hey all!
For the read-along Erika and I organized, we just finished reading Fire, by Kristen Cashore!
"It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.
This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.
Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.
If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.”
So like fro Graceling, I’ve read this before, a few years ago. I enjoyed the story behind Graceling so much better! But this book was a good second book, even though it did suffer a bit of a second-book syndrome.
So unlike in Graceling, Fire doesn’t have graced people specifically. Instead, this world includes monsters - people and animals who are different by their blood, and can be distinguished because they are an unusual color (purple horses, green cats...). Fire, the main character, is a monster - her hair is a mix of reds, golds, oranges, and even pinks, and people are always awed by her. She’s a good archer and is fairly emotional.
Archer, her friend, is (obviously) a master archer, and has quite a unique personality. To be honest, I didn’t like the relationship between Fire and Archer, basically as a ‘friends with benefits’ friendship. I wish they were more like siblings or something, it would have made their connection more believable in my opinion. /: With others, I honestly thought Archer was a bit of a jerk...
However, Brigan was a great character! He was genuinely caring and kind, although he was often gone. He was one of the only ones able to detach himself from Fire, in the sense that he isn’t immediately awed by her. He had this little thing where he just really liked horses.
I still really like Cashore’s rhythm and way of writing! The unique fantasy she creates and the way she puts it across to the readers is so great!
A big negative for me for this book is that even after reading it twice, I still can’t really say what the plot was... I mean I understood the main events, but a 450+ -page book should have a more concrete plot, in my opinion. ... I wish the plot was put forward, rather than the characters and the relations between them. /:
OOOH OH OH one thing I really really liked is how this book basically gave us a part of Leck’s backstory! It would have been cool to have a bit more of his backstory though, maybe a novella?! o.o
SPOILERS!!!
Cashore is amazing at bringing out the feels! Like Cassandra Clare, actually! She makes one event that changes everything and leaves you sitting there feeling devastated. In this case, Archer’s death just crushed me!
I think Fire and Brigan go really well together! :3
Done with spoilers
I’m giving this a 3.5/5 feathers! I wish the plot was more developed!
Have you read Fire? What did you think of it? Let me know!
Hey all!
For our Graceling read-along, Erika and I are writing up the story of how our personal characters found out about their Graces! You can still see both of our profiles on each of our blogs.
If you remember, my character was Graced with thievery. Here’s a little backstory for her character.
Usually, one can see if a child is Graced a few weeks or month after their birth.
This wasn’t the case for me.
Since I was little, I have always been the fun yet strange one. I was always interested in clockwork and cogs, mechanics, architecture and acrobatics. I had a collection of keys hidden in a little cabinet in my room. And, I was unusually silent. For years people in my surrounding thought I was just an odd one.
My eyes only changed when I was five. This has always been unusual in Lienid, not to mention in all of the Lands, as Graced eyes usually settle in infancy. The day one of my gray eyes turned an impressive shade of violet, people thought I was tricking them. Even my older sister didn’t believe it was natural, until certain skills sharpened.
One of the groups of older children of the orphanage once locked me in a room, just for the fun of it. When I managed to pick the lock and escape in under a minute, everyone found it impossible to believe. It wasn’t that difficult - the lock was quite standard. Other kids then started locking themselves in rooms on purpose just to try what I did. Of course, after hours of trying, I was always asked to get them out.
I gradually became even more quiet and better at hiding in plain sight. It doesn’t sound like much, but I find it easy to move objects without it making the slightest sound. Pranking the bullies by stealing their things and making them think they were crazy became as easy as breathing. That got me the nickname ‘Shadow’. It’s better than ‘Thief’, anyway.
The strange thing is, people never thought that that was my Grace. Everyone was expecting something else to suddenly turn up. They saw my balance and stability and thought that I may also be a Graced archer. The best bow-maker in the land made one for me, and, though I practiced every day, and was good at it, I could feel it wasn’t my Grace. Some people still put that label on me, and, if I ever want to hide my thievery Grace, I lie and use the idea of archery being my Grace to my advantage. Only experts can tell it isn’t my Grace, but no one ever manages to discover what it really is. Just a handful of people in the world know what my Grace truly is.
Now, I am not interested in stealing a crown or diamonds or money. There’s no fun in that, and with my position it would only get me in trouble. Instead, I enjoy the art of stealing from thieves. For that I had to learn tracking, but that also came quite easily. It is always nice to be able to return a stolen item to its owner.
That’s as far as my imagination goes for now! What did you think? How did your character find your Grace? Let me know!
Hey all!
Erika @ Books, Stars, and the pages in Between and I have been hosting our very own Graceling read-along!
For the past two weeks we have been talking about the first book: Graceling. Today (well technically yesterday, I’m a day late ^^) we are starting to read Fire! The read-along has been so much fun so far!
Don’t forget the Fan-art-fiction competition! Details in the link.
Goodreads Blurb:
"It is not a peaceful time in the Dells. The young King Nash clings to his throne while rebel lords in the north and south build armies to unseat him. The mountains and forests are filled with spies and thieves and lawless men.
This is where Fire lives. With a wild, irresistible appearance and hair the color of flame, Fire is the last remaining human monster. Equally hated and adored, she had the unique ability to control minds, but she guards her power, unwilling to steal the secrets of innocent people. Especially when she has so many of her own.
Then Prince Brigan comes to bring her to King City, The royal family needs her help to uncover the plot against the king. Far away from home, Fire begins to realize there's more to her power than she ever dreamed. Her power could save the kingdom.
If only she weren't afraid of becoming the monster her father was.”
Feel free to join the read-along! :D It’s been a lot of fun so far!
