Tag: fantasy

Review: The Storm Runner by J.C. Cervantes

Posted on by anewbookishbeginning

Image

The Storm Runner (The Storm Runner, #1)
Image copied from Goodreads

Evaluation

I’m a big Percy Jackson fan, so the premise of the story definitely sounded interesting. While it had a ton of similarities to PJ, it totally held its own ground. Zane and his group of friends are great. Zane is a great protagonist, even when he’s being annoying; Brooks and Hondo are great supporting characters; Mrs. Cab was a fun minor character and Ah-puch was an awesome villain. As a book about Mayan gods, the entire cast of characters are Hispanic which is a really great representation for those readers looking to find themselves. There’s also disability representation.

My favorite setting detail was ‘the empty’ that Zane’s father creates. Those scenes were the ones I felt come alive the most. The wind, the pyramids, the trees, their jaguar forms. I really look forward to the moments in that setting.

Just like Percy Jackson, while there’s danger afoot and the adventure is non-stop, there was still plenty of jokes and laughter to lighten the mood, and it works well. The jokes don’t cheapen Zane’s situation. The comedic relief character actually has to be brave and face something pretty terrifying and it makes you very proud of that character.

Response

As I said, I loved Percy Jackson, so I was excited to read a book actually endorsed by Rick Riordan! And it did not disappoint. I loved learning new (for me) mythology and all about the Mayan gods. I listened to the audio book, so when I flipped through the book, I was shocked to learn how a lot of the names were spelled. Luckily, the book comes with a pronunciation glossary for those who don’t listen to the audiobook.

Another classic coming of age and discovering your true self story, The Storm Runner continues to encourage kids to not be ashamed or mad of who they are, but to embrace it and the heritage that comes with it.

The interesting thing about this book is that it’s marketed for middle grade readers but it ended up on the YA Lone Star list this year, which tells you it’s depth. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I cannot wait for the sequel.

Conclusion

Fans of Percy Jackson, readers of color looking to find themselves, and mythology fans will love this book. People who don’t fall into any of those categories are sure to find something to love about Zane’s story of growth and triumph as well.

Citation

Cervantes, J.C. (2018) The storm runner. New York, NY: Disney Hyperion

The storm runner [Booke cover]. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34966353-the-storm-runner?ac=1&from_search=true

Top Ten Tuesday: TBR List

Posted on by anewbookishbeginning

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl, wherein each week bloggers list out their Top Ten.

Like I said last week, I’ve noticed several blogs do daily activities that I’m going to pick up. Here’s mine for this week! I already have a pretty extensive “To be read” list (TBR), so I’m gonna give you my Top Ten from that list! Some of these will be books I should have read a long time ago, but alas, I am just now getting to them. One day I hope to be caught up with books as they come out!

Also, these do not include the Throne of Glass series, which I am currently reading. The remaining books in that series are obviously my top books TBR. This list is intended to be after I finish.

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue (Montague Siblings, #1)
Mackenzi Lee

10. The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue
Henry “Monty” Montague was born and bred to be a gentleman, but he was never one to be tamed. The finest boarding schools in England and the constant disapproval of his father haven’t been able to curb any of his roguish passions—not for gambling halls, late nights spent with a bottle of spirits, or waking up in the arms of women or men. But as Monty embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe, his quest for a life filled with pleasure and vice is in danger of coming to an end. Not only does his father expect him to take over the family’s estate upon his return, but Monty is also nursing an impossible crush on his best friend and traveling companion, Percy. Still it isn’t in Monty’s nature to give up. Even with his younger sister, Felicity, in tow, he vows to make this yearlong escapade one last hedonistic hurrah and flirt with Percy from Paris to Rome. But when one of Monty’s reckless decisions turns their trip abroad into a harrowing manhunt that spans across Europe, it calls into question everything he knows, including his relationship with the boy he adores.

The Raven Boys (The Raven Cycle, #1)
Maggie Stiefvater

9. The Raven Boys
It is freezing in the churchyard, even before the dead arrive. Every year, Blue Sargent stands next to her clairvoyant mother as the soon-to-be dead walk past. Blue herself never sees them—not until this year, when a boy emerges from the dark and speaks directly to her. His name is Gansey, and Blue soon discovers that he is a rich student at Aglionby, the local private school. Blue has a policy of staying away from Aglionby boys. Known as Raven Boys, they can only mean trouble. But Blue is drawn to Gansey, in a way she can’t entirely explain. He has it all—family money, good looks, devoted friends—but he’s looking for much more than that. He is on a quest that has encompassed three other Raven Boys: Adam, the scholarship student who resents all the privilege around him; Ronan, the fierce soul who ranges from anger to despair; and Noah, the taciturn watcher of the four, who notices many things but says very little..

A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird, #1)
Claudia Gray

8. A Thousand Pieces of You
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their groundbreaking achievements. Their most astonishing invention, called the Firebird, allows users to jump into multiple universes—and promises to revolutionize science forever. But then Marguerite’s father is murdered, and the killer—her parent’s handsome, enigmatic assistant Paul— escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite refuses to let the man who destroyed her family go free. So she races after Paul through different universes, always leaping into another version of herself. But she also meets alternate versions of the people she knows—including Paul, whose life entangles with hers in increasingly familiar ways. Before long she begins to question Paul’s guilt—as well as her own heart. And soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is far more sinister than she expected.

Amid Stars and Darkness (The Xenith Trilogy, #1)
Chani Lynn Feener

7. Amid Stars and Darkness
Delaney’s entire world is thrown into chaos after she is mistaken for Lissa Olena, an alien princess hiding out on Earth in order to escape an arranged marriage. Kidnapped by the princess’s head bodyguard, Ruckus, and imprisoned in an alien palace, Delaney is forced to impersonate the princess until Olena can be found. If she fails, it will lead to an alien war and the eventual enslavement of the entire human race. No pressure or anything. Factor in Trystan, the princess’s terrifying betrothed who is intent on unraveling all her secrets, and her own growing feelings for Ruckus, and Delaney is in way over her head.


This Mortal Coil (This Mortal Coil #1)
Emily Suvada

6. This Mortal Coil
Catarina Agatta is a hacker. She can cripple mainframes and crash through firewalls, but that’s not what makes her special. In Cat’s world, people are implanted with technology to recode their DNA, allowing them to change their bodies in any way they want. And Cat happens to be a gene-hacking genius. That’s no surprise, since Cat’s father is Dr. Lachlan Agatta, a legendary geneticist who may be the last hope for defeating a plague that has brought humanity to the brink of extinction. But during the outbreak, Lachlan was kidnapped by a shadowy organization called Cartaxus, leaving Cat to survive the last two years on her own.

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)
Holly Black

5. The Cruel Prince
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself. 

Nevernight (The Nevernight Chronicle, #1)
Jay Kristoff

4. Nevernight
In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family. Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined. Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires.

Lifel1k3 (Lifelike, #1)
Jay Kristoff

3. Lifel1k3
On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap. Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it. But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down.

Unearthed (Unearthed, #1)
Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

2. Unearthed
When Earth intercepts a message from a long-extinct alien race, it seems like the solution the planet has been waiting for. The Undying’s advanced technology has the potential to undo environmental damage and turn lives around, and Gaia, their former home planet, is a treasure trove waiting to be uncovered. For Jules Addison and his fellow scholars, the discovery of an alien culture offers unprecedented opportunity for study… as long as scavengers like Amelia Radcliffe don’t loot everything first. Mia and Jules’ different reasons for smuggling themselves onto Gaia put them immediately at odds, but after escaping a dangerous confrontation with other scavvers, they form a fragile alliance.


Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle, #1)
Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

1.Aurora Rising
The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the Academy would touch…
And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that’d be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from inter-dimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline-cases and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy.

Well there you have it! You probably recognize some authors on this list from my previous posts – you may have even read some of these books already! If you have, let me know which of these 10 you suggest to read first (Aurora isn’t out until May, so I can’t read it first *sadface*).

Currently Reading: Queen of Shadows (A Throne of Glass Novel) – Sarah J. Maas
Currently Listening: My roommates defeating Jaina Proudmoore

No Mourners; No Funerals

Posted on by anewbookishbeginning

The first thing I have to say is this – I just put off writing this because I decided to watch Kingsmen for the first time, and good LORD is my mind blown. How have I gone so long without watching it? Absolutely stunning. I went in for Taron, and left stanning everyone. So good.

Before I start, I’d also like to say – I don’t plan to go on about personal stuff every time I write. But this post is about a book that absolutely has to be my first post and it takes some background information. Please feel free to skip below the pictures for just the book review! 🙂

On the topic of movies, a week or so ago, my best friend and I were discussing her favorite movies (which range from High School Musical to Moulin Rouge and other non-musicals, like Pacific Rim – more on that particular movie later). She said “I don’t know…they just resonate with me.” I was caught off guard by that word: resonate. I realized what a good choice of word it was in that instance. The things that we keep coming back to; the things that dig and pull up deep emotions every time. I think that’s why I always have trouble saying “This is my favorite________” because there hasn’t been very many things that resonate with me.

I have four tattoos (sorry, Mom). I would firmly say the things that each of those tattoos represent or stand for are things that have resonated deeply in my soul.

The first tattoo I got was the four symbols of Disney World. I love Disney World deeply. I am never sad there, never angry. I get exhausted and my feet ache, but I am able to wake up before the sun every day because it is an absolute joy to be in the middle of the magic. When I am home, I count the days until my next trip (October, btw.)

The second tattoo I got is the quote “What’s Next” from my favorite TV show, the West Wing. Do me a favor – if you’ve had enough of this lousy shutdown, do yourself a favor: tune out the world, go to Netflix, and start the first episode of The West Wing. You will not regret it. Spoiler alert: The President rides his bike into a tree and puts a group of zealots in their place.

The third tattoo I got was after I’d decided to begin my path towards librarianship. And if you’re a close reader, in my last post, you’ll recall I made that decision after I fell back into being an avid reader. The tattoo is two books pouring out infinite space between them because of how deeply I love to read.

“No Mourner No Funerals” is the fourth. And you guessed it – it’s from a book. Specifically, Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

This is one of those stories that I’ve been trying desperately to figure out how to explain how good it is to my friends, family, and patrons who come to me for recommendations. It puts me at such a loss for words, that I cannot every explain why it is so excellent.

Which brings us here. I want to give this book the review it deserves from me. I realized, subconsciously, that I have been comparing any book I’ve read since to Six of Crows – I give it 10/10. If a book I read does not resonate with me as soundly as Six of Crows, it does not get 10/10. This book is my control book. Take that as you will.

My best friend and me 1/13/19 (Sorry, Mom)
Her clean picture
Mine with the protective tape still (they didn’t give her this stuff)

Title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo (Shadow and Bone, Wonder Woman)
Publish Date: 2015
Rating: 10/10

The Dreggs – a gang of thugs and criminals in the bustling Barrel of Ketterdamn in Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows. This is their phrase: “No mourners; no funerals.” To wish each other ‘good luck’ before a job (usually thieving; sometimes murder). For me and her – who are not thieves or murderers – it means that we lived our best lives. There won’t be a need to mourn us; there won’t be a need for a funeral because when we do die it’ll be a celebration of the incredible journey that lead to our final moments.

See? Resonates.

The short and sweet summary: Six dangerous outcasts. One impossible heist. Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destructions – if they don’t kill each other first.

The book jacket:

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price–and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. 

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

It’s very Ocean’s 11 meets Kingsman (I can say that now) meets magic and fantasy. The first thing that sold me on this book was that it came with a map on the first two pages. You know if a book has its own map, it’s going to be good.

Basically, it’s this. Kaz Brekker is offered the chance at 30 million Kruge (the currency of Ketterdam) if he can save the scientist who created Jurda Parem, a highly addictive product that allows the Grisha (magic users) to use the ultimate height of their powers. The scientist is being held at the center of the Ice Court in Fjerda, an impenetrable prison and sacred home of the soldiers -Druskelle – who hunt the Grisha. As the summary says – it’s impossible. But Kaz has every plan A – Z, and what can go wrong, will go wrong.

Bardugo’s writing and imagery are stunning. She has created a world that you feel from the first page to the last. She creates six wholly different characters with their own history, their own drive, their own quirks, and their own baggage. Bardugo is a professional at interweaving flashbacks to develop the characters’ backstories and how their past affects this heist.

It’s no wonder the book was just announced to have been picked up by Netflix along with her first series set in the same world.

Now, every book has it’s faults. There is no perfect book, and I will say this particular story has one flaw: the first chapter. The chapter is important to setting up the way Jurda Parem affects the Grisha; however, it’s from the point of view of a character we do not care about, and it is a dull chapter. It is something reluctant readers will have to push through. Chapter two more than makes up for it.

Kaz – Our gang’s fearless leader. Slicked back hair, cunning, ruthless, knows what he wants and won’t stop until he gets it. Maybe has more of a soft spot than you first realize.

Inej – The “Wraith” as they call her. She’s stealthy, she’s strong, she’s quick in a fight, she’s beautiful, and she’s savage. Arguably the best (and most morally sound) character.

Nina – A queen. At some point in the book she’s described as “indecently round.” She’s the Grisha in the group – a heartrender that can slow and raise heartbeats as she chooses. You can imagine the mental struggle she goes through on a heist at the Ice Court where if caught, she’ll be hanged.

Jesper – A sharpshooter; a gambling addict. Witty, comic relief, but not without his own pains and his own emotions. He’s a good guy who needs to come back down to Earth sometimes.

Wylan – The youngest. Absolutely brilliant but shy and unsure of himself. A precious angel that the group takes under their wings.

Matthias – Remember how I said we’d get back to Pacific Rim? Bardugo has said she imagined Charlie Hunman in Pacific Rim as her inspiration for Matthias. I think that’s all you need to know. Oh, and also that he’s a Druskelle.

I read this book twice in less than six months. Just writing this, I already want to read it again. It’s engaging, it has a high interest level. It was 2017’s top checked out fantasy YA book at our library. It got picked up for Netflix. It’s absolutely incredible. It’s dark, it’s gritty, it’s a love story, it’s a heist novel. I guarantee you won’t be able to put it down.

A book trailer, if my raving hasn’t convinced you yet.

Currently Reading: Queen of Shadows (A Throne of Glass Novel) – Sarah J. Maas

Currently Listening: Trouble – Valerie Broussard

A New Adventure

Posted on by anewbookishbeginning

 As most of you who come here probably know, I recently quit teaching to go back to school to be a librarian. Specifically, a children’s and teen librarian. During this journey to my Master’s degree, I was beyond lucky enough to be hired as a Reference Assistant at Smith Public Library in Wylie, Texas. Today marks two months working here, and it’s absolutely the best job I’ve ever had.

During those two months, I also got married if you didn’t know. 

Basically, what I’m saying is, life has taken a huge dive into new waters, and I want to make it my best swim yet.

I have two or three friends I can recommend books to, and I know they’ll read what I suggest, but recently, I’ve been hoping to reach a wider audience because there are books that I 100% firmly believe every single person should read.

And also…I just like to read and talk about books.

I’d also like to develop my writing and review skills. I feel I’m asked why I like a book a lot, and I stumble for words to explain other than “It’s just so good!” And I believe using a space like a blog would allow a place to develop those skills.

And also…I just like to read and talk about books.

A little history of me as a reader:

You may be wondering why I think I should start a blog about reading and what authority I believe I have to say I’m an expert at reading and my opinion matters when considering your next rainy day title.

Well, I don’t think that. I am a good reader, and I do read good books – but that means very little in the world of note-worthy and professional bloggers and book reviews. I’m just a humble girl who likes to read and wants to make sure you know what good stuff is out there.

My mom loves to tell the story of me reading the headline of the newspaper at the breakfast table one moring when I was quite young. I have faint memories of flash cards and sounding out words. Lingering feelings of dragging my hands along the book of my grandmother’s wall to wall shelves.

In the first grade, I blew all of my peers out of the water and got over 1000 AR (Accelerated Reader) points. My dad gave me money every time I hit another milestone. I read the Kid Who Ran For President that year. And Frindle. A quick look at the School Library Journal’s review of Frindle says it’s aimed at 4th – 6th graders, and I absolutely read it in the 1st grade. The two of those books paved the road to this blog.

I read a lot as a kid. When we visited England when I was in the 2nd grade, my mom tried to read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to me. I wanted nothing to do with it. I think it was because I didn’t have the attention span to listen to her read. In the 4th grade, the movie came out, and I promptly devoured every book that was already published (Goblet of Fire, to be precise), and (im)patiently waited for each of the remaining installments.

That school year was the first (and possibly only) memory I have of a teacher, who was not a reading teacher, having a classroom library. I read a lot of American Girl books that year, as well as one that I’ll never remember the name of (help appreciated) about a girl who was living in colonial times only to escape and discover her and her village were part of a museum exhibit in modern times.

Through all of this – I have very few memories of searching through the school library to find something to read. I must have, but I do not remember it. I have no idea what the middle school library (at either school I attended) looked like – or where it was even located.

I know, without a doubt, I never once checked out, nor search my high school library for something to read. The only times I entered that (let’s be honest) stale room was when a teacher required it and to get our graduation robes (of which we donned and promptly pretended to be wizards).

I definitely read in those four years. That was when I discovered the Maze Runner, Twilight, and Percy Jackson; Deathly Hallows came out my sophomore year, and you bet your ass I read that. I only read two (2) books that were assigned to me as a student – The Great Gatsby and Lord of the Flies. I have since reread The Great Gatsby as an adult, as well as, while I did not read it in high school like I was supposed to, I have read Heart of Darkness twice as an adult. Both were requirements, but it was tolerable none the less.

While I do call myself an avid reader, my reading habits dwindled quite a lot in my college years. Being social and eating and being independent we’re much higher on my list. I read a few books – Mockingjay, American Gods, Good Omens, The Fault in Our Stars – all books I thought I should read to still give off the pretense of being a reader. I also took 21 hours of literature so I read PLENTY of “classic” books. I did pick up the Thursday Next series, which I devoutly love and would recommend to anyone who enjoys reading. It’s not a first timers choice, though.

But my reading prowess didn’t really return until December of 2017 (“Chelsea, that was barely a year ago!” – I know). And when I say return – I mean with a vengeance. I saw you Zodiac by Romina Russell at Barnes and Noble. (Okay to be fair, I was part of the North Star of Texas Writing Project that definitely had a hand in this, but Zodiac was the catalyst.)

Zodiac is a breathtaking incredible ride through space that took me maybe a week to read all four books. It was Harry Potter all over again, and it left my with a deep aching hole to fill.

And so I have. I’ve devoured every book I can get my hands on. In the class room, I created a Donors Choose project to get books in my classroom, and I’m positive I read more of them than my students.

I started a journal to keep track of everything I’ve ever read as well as what was to come.

I started taking books to dinner with me and reading while we waited for food. Sometimes while I ate.

I’d read in the classroom – assigning Silent reading time for selfish reasons.

I got a bookish tattoo.

I even chose to quit teaching and become a librarian.

I currently have 26 books checked out from the library (they made the mistake of telling me I don’t get late fees as a staff member). They’re just waiting in line for me to read – and to add to the next time I see a pretty cover and bring it home.

I’ve started stalking the authors of the books I’ve loved the most (more about those to come).

Since the first of 2019 (that’s right, 12 days ago) I’ve read 6 books. (I’ll grant you – 2 of them were written in text message format.)

I saw The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical

(Okay that one was more a guilty pleasure than about books).

The point is: I like to read and talk about books.

So if you’re alonG for the ride – welcome!

Feel free to comment; feel free to suggest books; feel free to tell me you hate the books I love. Everything is welcome, and I can’t wait to go on this adventure with you.

If you didn’t guess from the books I’ve already listed, expect a lot of SciFi and Fantasy with a sprinkling of other genres. And don’t feel like you can’t suggest other genres to me – I’ll absolutely read them! I just lean towards these two particular genres.

I think I’ve said enough, at this point. Now it’s time to hop on a plane to see my best friend and meet famous people.

Currently Reading: Queen of Shadows (A Throne of Glass Novel) – Sarah J. Maas

Currently Listening: Some very weird airport music.