Waiting on Wednesday #134

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights highly anticipated upcoming releases.

Title: The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Author: Kiersten White 

Genre: Young Adult, Retelling, Historical, Fantasy, Horror

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Publication Date: September 25, 2018

Elizabeth Lavenza hasn't had a proper meal in weeks. Her thin arms are covered with bruises from her "caregiver," and she is on the verge of being thrown into the streets . . . until she is brought to the home of Victor Frankenstein, an unsmiling, solitary boy who has everything--except a friend.
Victor is her escape from misery. Elizabeth does everything she can to make herself indispensable--and it works. She is taken in by the Frankenstein family and rewarded with a warm bed, delicious food, and dresses of the finest silk. Soon she and Victor are inseparable.
But her new life comes at a price. As the years pass, Elizabeth's survival depends on managing Victor's dangerous temper and entertaining his every whim, no matter how depraved. Behind her blue eyes and sweet smile lies the calculating heart of a girl determined to stay alive no matter the cost . . . as the world she knows is consumed by darkness. 

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Why I'm waiting on The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein this Wednesday: This book sounds freaking amazing. I've always loved Frankenstein retellings and this one sounds so unique and interesting. I love that it's about Elizabeth and I really like the sound of the conflict that arises between Elizabeth and Victor -- she sounds like such a strong character already, I can't wait to meet her!

Do you like Frankenstein retellings? What are some of your favorites? My favorite one I've read is called The Dark endeavor and I've heard almost nothing about it in the book community so I'm looking forward to reading another retelling that's being hyped up before I'll have people to talk with about it! 

What are you waiting on this Wednesday? 

Waiting on Wednesday #132

Title: Enchantée
Author: Gita Trelease 
Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Fantasy 
Publisher: Flatiron/Macmillan 
Publication Date: February 5, 2019

Paris in 1789 is a labyrinth of twisted streets, filled with beggars, thieves, revolutionaries—and magicians...
When smallpox kills her parents, Camille Durbonne must find a way to provide for her frail, naive sister while managing her volatile brother. Relying on petty magic—la magie ordinaire—Camille painstakingly transforms scraps of metal into money to buy the food and medicine they need. But when the coins won’t hold their shape and her brother disappears with the family’s savings, Camille must pursue a richer, more dangerous mark: the glittering court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
With dark magic her mother forbade her to use, Camille transforms herself into the ‘Baroness de la Fontaine’ and is swept up into life at the Palace of Versailles, where aristocrats both fear and hunger for la magie. Though Camille's resentment of the rich is at at odds with the allure of glamour and excess, when she meets a handsome inventor she believes liberty and love may finally be possible.
But la magie has its costs. When a scheming courtier blackmails her and Lazare’s affections shift, Camille loses control of her secrets. Then revolution erupts, and she must choose—love or loyalty, democracy or aristocracy, reality or la magie—before Paris burns…
ENCHANTÉE is a thrilling YA historical fantasy that combines the decadence of Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette with the dangerous enchantments of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell.

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Why I'm waiting on Enchantée this Wednesday: I'm absolutely obsessed with all things Paris. I've visited it once before and have always wanted to go back. The history of it especially interests me so I was so excited to learn about this book! I will definitely be making grabby hands at it until it finally releases!

I love books that make me feel like I'm in the story and the setting with the characters and I really hope this book makes me feel this way! I'm so looking forward to the world building and the descriptions. I've been planning a trip to Paris for some time in the next year so maybe I'll get this book and travel to Paris to read it! That would be a really amazing experience, actually -- I could go to all the different places that the book mentions and takes place at!

What book are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Review: The Girl in the Tower

Title: The Girl in the Tower 
Series: Winternight Trilogy #2
Author: Katherine Arden 
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Fairy Tale
Publisher: Del Rey 
Publication Date: December 5, 2017
Source: Bought 

The magical adventure begun in The Bear and the Nightingale continues as brave Vasya, now a young woman, is forced to choose between marriage or life in a convent and instead flees her home—but soon finds herself called upon to help defend the city of Moscow when it comes under siege.
Orphaned and cast out as a witch by her village, Vasya’s options are few: resign herself to life in a convent, or allow her older sister to make her a match with a Moscovite prince. Both doom her to life in a tower, cut off from the vast world she longs to explore. So instead she chooses adventure, disguising herself as a boy and riding her horse into the woods. When a battle with some bandits who have been terrorizing the countryside earns her the admiration of the Grand Prince of Moscow, she must carefully guard the secret of her gender to remain in his good graces—even as she realizes his kingdom is under threat from mysterious forces only she will be able to stop.

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I honestly was pretty scared to read this book. After loving the first book -- The Bear and the Nightingale -- and loving it, I was worried that this one wouldn't live up to my high expectations. While I didn't fall in love with it like I did with TBatN, I still thoroughly enjoyed falling back into this world with these characters!

In this second book, the already lush and vivid world established in TBatN was expanded -- we saw a lot more of Russia and were given more details about the different conflicts occurring at the time. There were a lot of different threats surrounding Vasya and the people she was with -- one of these threats being the fact that no one in Moscow knew she was a woman. I'm generally a fan of this aspect in books and I was a fan of it in this one. Of course, it was frustrating and infuriating seeing the way Vasya was treated as a man versus how she was treated as a woman, but I think showing this injustice is important. 

The characters in this series are amazing. They have completely stolen my heart and I don't even want it back. I'm so inspired by Vasya's resilience and strength. She's so unapologetically herself and, honestly, I wanna be like her when I grow up! And then we have Morozko, the love of my life. I need more of him in these books. Seriously, I do. He's such an interesting character and I love the mythology surrounding him and the magic. I'm really, really hoping we see more of him in the third book. 

Like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book but I wasn't quite as in love with it as I was the first. I don't know exactly why -- it may be because there was a lot more politics throughout this book. While I enjoyed that aspect, I missed Vasya's home and the magic and wonder of the Russian wilderness surrounding it. The city just didn't hold that same spark for me. 

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was a great sequel for The Bear in the Nightingale and has made me even more excited for the third (and final) book in the trilogy to release in August. 

“Witch. The word drifted across his mind. We call such women so, because we have no other name.” 

Four out of Five Teapots 

Review: The Bear and the Nightingale

Title: The Bear and the Nightingale 
Series: Winternight Trilogy #1 
Author: Katherine Arden 
Genre: Fantasy, Historical, Fairytale 
Publisher: Del Rey Books 
Publication Date: January 10, 2017 
Source: Purchased 

A magical debut novel for readers of Naomi Novik's Uprooted, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Neil Gaiman's myth-rich fantasies, The Bear and the Nightingale spins an irresistible spell as it announces the arrival of a singular talent with a gorgeous voice.
At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind--she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.
After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.
And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.
As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed--this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales. 

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So, I'm just going to come out and say it right away: I am obsessed with this book. Thoroughly obsessed. I read it a few weeks ago and still can't get it out of my head. There was something about the tone, the setting, and the characters that captured me and I haven't been able to shake that magic since (not that I want to). If you're a fan of historical fantasy with fairytale elements, I would 100% recommend picking this book up. 

The first thing I want to rave talk about is the setting. Holy wow, did this author put in work. The world building is extraordinary. It takes place in the Russian wilderness many, many years ago. While I knew almost nothing about Russia during this time while reading, I fell seamlessly into this world; the author did a fantastic job of introducing readers to the legends, life, and language of these people. I came out of this excited to do my own research and learn more about the world Vasilisa and her family would have lived in. 

 Speaking of Vasilisa . . . I don't think I've ever read about a character who was as resilient and true to herself as Vasilisa. We follow her from the time she's born until she's a teenager and watching her grow and embrace who she is despite the adversity she faced was amazing and inspirational. She was strong and determined to protect those she loved, even when they didn't necessarily accept or embrace who she was. It was heartbreaking watching her fight for people who weren't willing to fight for her but that's who she is. 

While the story was slow at times, I was never bored or tempted to put the book down. These slower parts were used for world building and to develop the characters, which I enjoyed a lot. I'd say it wasn't until halfway through that the plot picked up quite a bit and we got to see more action. I know that slowness might bother some people, but I enjoyed reading both the fast-paced and slower parts. 

I can't end this review without talking about Morozko -- I love this guy so much. Seriously, so much. I need more of him in the next books. There's still a lot of mystery surrounding him and I'm excited to solve that mystery with Vasilisa. 

This is a series I'll definitely be continuing -- the second book is already out and the third book, The Winter of the Witch, releases in August. I know some people might be turned off of this book because of the slower pace, trust me -- it's entirely worth the read. You don't want to miss experiencing this world and these characters!

“If this is the last decision I can ever make, at least it is my decision. Let me go, Alyosha. I am not afraid.” 

5/5 Teapots

Review: A Gentleman Never Surrenders

Title: A Gentleman Never Surrenders 

Series: Sins and Scandals #2

Author: Lauren Smith 

Genre: Historical, Romance, Adult

Publisher: Forever Yours 

Publication Date: September 12, 2017

Source: An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! 

Love is worth a little scandal.
Owen Hadley needs a wife. Preferably a wealthy one. Alas, there aren't a great number of heiresses willing to marry a rogue of no particular fortune---luckily, if there is ever a gentleman capable of melting a lady's chilly heart, it's Owen.
Milly has had enough of the marriage mart. If matrimony means giving up her freedom for a foppish husband, then society can take their idea of marital bliss and toss it. But when the ton's most notorious rogue mistakenly makes his way into her bedchambers, Milly finds herself unexpectedly and unwillingly at the altar . . .
Yet the more time she spends with her new husband, the more Milly starts to wonder if the marriage she never wanted may be the best thing that's ever happened to her. Now it's up to Owen to convince Milly that what started as a mistake is anything but---and that every night with him will be more wonderfully scandalous than the last. 

Find A Gentleman Never Surrenders online!

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This was my first book by this author and I originally requested it because the blurb caught my interest and I've heard a lot of really positive things from blogger friends!  I'm so glad I did because it was fun and entertaining read.  I generally don't read historical fiction but I really enjoyed the setting of this story.  It was so much fun falling to the lives of these characters.  

Okay, so I loved Owen and Milly so much.  At first, I was kinda off put by the method that Owen was using to find a wife.  It was just . . . such a horrible way to go about getting what he wanted.  When I saw how sweet he was and how well he treated Milly . . . well, I eventually forgave him for his less than moral way of getting a wife.  Owen , despite how he viewed himself and how society viewed him, was genuinely a good guy with a heart of gold.  I loved how much he cared for his friends and his family home, and especially how much he grew to care about Milly.  And Milly was a great character -- I loved how passionate she was about equality and how much she wanted to make a difference in the world.  She was a strong and opinionated character and I loved seeing her stand up for herself and be supported by the people around her.  

Together, Owen and Milly made a great team, especially once they started to learn more about each other.  Their relationship was so sweet but also full of chemistry!  It was so exciting to watch them slowly open up to each other and get closer.  

Overall, the plot was good!  It was nice seeing Owen and Milly fall for each other but I also really enjoyed seeing the more mundane aspects of their life, like when they went to town or worked on Owen's family home!  I do feel like the ending was a little quick.  It didn't feel like there was a whole lot of resolution.  This book could have used an epilogue; I would have loved to see more of Milly and Owen's lives after the resolution of the novel. 

I really enjoyed this book and loved Owen and Milly!  After reading this one, I'm going to want read the first book in the series and I'll be looking out for the next ones in this series.  

"Tomorrow would come soon enough and with it, another battle to win her heart." 

Four out of Five Teapots

P.S. I'm currently doing a giveaway in which you could win a *signed* copy of Leigh Bardugo's latest novel, Wonder Woman: Warbringer! Enter here to win! 

  

Review: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

Title: The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 
Series: Guide #1
Author: Mackenzie Lee 
Genre: Historical, Romance, LGBT+, Young Adult
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Publication Date: June 27, 2017
Source: Gifted.  Thank you!

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.

Find The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 

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Like so many other people who have read this book, I thoroughly enjoyed this one!  Not only is it fun, hilarious, and full of diversity, it's also incredibly informative and well researched.  I learned a lot about this time in history from reading this book, things that hadn't been taught before or known about.  There's a reason this book has been getting such high ratings -- it's totally engaging and the narrator, Monty, has a voice that pulls you into the story.  

Okay, so this book was an emotional rollercoaster and I'm still not totally over it.  There were so many scenes and things we learn about what Monty, Percy, and Felicity have gone through that just made my heart break.  Monty was so precious and so vulnerable -- he really puts up a front, though.  He acts arrogant and narcissistic but in reality, he has such a horrible self image and is in a position that makes him feel ashamed about who he is.  I really, really hated this situation for him.  He's been beaten up and abused his entire life and it really just pulled on my heartstrings.  He's such a complicated character an there was so many times within the novel that he really didn't give himself enough credit.  I mean, of course he's flawed and there were some moments where he made me want to roll my eyes and scream in frustration but he grew so much throughout the novel.  Even when he was pigheaded or entitled, the other characters and people around him called him out on it and he began to learn, which is honestly the best thing a character can do.  

Speaking of other characters, there was such an amazing cast in this book.  I especially loved Percy and Felicity.  Percy is biracial and epileptic, two things that society shuns him for.  I felt so much for him and it made me so angry and sad to see the way he was treated for things he couldn't control and shouldn't be thought any less of for.  And he was such a great person for Monty; their relationship was so perfect and I loved it.  Felicity was an amazing character; as a woman, she was expected to have good manners and submit to being a wife and mother.  I loved that she was so interested in medicine, though, and wasn't afraid of speaking her mind and pursuing the things she was passionate about.  I'm really excited about reading from her POV in the next novel.  

The plot was exciting and fun, though there were times when I felt certain scenes were a little too long.  Only a few times did I find I didn't want to pick the book back up.  Once I did pick it up and started reading though, I was sucked back into the story.  

I really enjoyed this book and I'm so glad to see it doing so well.  Seeing so much diversity in it makes me so happy and I can't wait to see what else this author comes out with.  The next book in this series is told from Felicity's POV and with the way her story left off in this one, I know it will be just as exciting as this book is.  I can't wait! 

“We are not broken things, neither of us. We are cracked pottery mended with laquer and flakes of gold, whole as we are, complete unto each other. Complete and worthy and so very loved.”

Four out of Five Teapots!

Review: The Book Thief

Title: The Book Thief 
Series: N/A
Author: Markus Zusak 
Genre: Young Adult, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 8, 2016 (first published 2005)
Source: Gifted.  Thank you!

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .
Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.
This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul. 

Find The Book Thief online!

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I've seen this book around for years; ever since I really began reading YA, it's been a constant presence on the shelves at book stores but I never really picked it up or learned what it was about.  Having finally picked it up and read it, I'm happy I waited so long.  I don't think this book would have affected me the way it has if I had read it when I was younger.  

This book was just . . . amazing.  So brutal and honest and hopeful and sad.  I swear, I was just crying the entire time.  I loved the perspective that it was told from -- our narrator was Death but he focused mostly on the life of Liesel, a young German girl during WWII.  It was eye opening to see Liesel participate in groups such as the Hitler Youth without really understanding what it was about or what was happening in the world.  As she grew up and saw what exactly was happening, her anger and resentment toward Hitler and the war steadily grew.  

The book was really slow burning and not a lot happened very quickly but it was addicting.  I couldn't put it down, desperate to know read about what happens, despite knowing exactly what happens.  That was almost harder than not knowing -- from the very first chapter, Death informs the reader exactly what will happen to the characters in the end and yet, I still found myself hoping Death was lying.  I just wanted everything to be alright; I wanted to take all of these characters and keep them in a nice, cushioned room with lots of books to keep them safe.  

I'm so, so, so happy I read this book when I did.  It hit me, guys.  And I don't think I'll soon forget the impact that it's had on me.  I already want to reread it, even though I know it will 100% send me into a crying fit.  It's such an important book to read and it gave me a new perspective on the second world war.  I just love it, and I think everyone should read it. 

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” 

Five Teapots 

Waiting on Wednesday #103

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights highly anticipated upcoming releases.

Title: A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue 

Series: None

Author: Mackenzi Lee 

Genre: Young Adult, Historical, Romance, LGBT+

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books 

Publication Date: June 27, 2017 

An unforgettable tale of two friends on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe who stumble upon a magical artifact that leads them from Paris to Venice in a dangerous manhunt, fighting pirates, highwaymen, and their feelings for each other along the way.
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.
Witty, romantic, and intriguing at every turn, The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue is a sumptuous romp that explores the undeniably fine lines between friendship and love.

Find The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue online!

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Why I'm Waiting on The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue this Wednesday: Okay, okay, okay.  This book has literally everything I could ever ask for.  Diversity? Check.  Historical?  Check.  Bad Boy? Check.  Friends to (possible) lovers? Check! I'm SO up for this book.  I can't wait to read about Monty and Percy and all of their adventures!

What books are you waiting on this Wednesday?  Have you heard about this book?  Are you as excited as I am?! I mean, holy cow, this just checks all the boxes I want it to.  I can't wait to read this, especially after hearing such great things about it!  Let me know what you're waiting on in the comments below and make sure to leave a link to your blog so I can check it out!  

Review: One Crazy Summer

Title: One Crazy Summer
Series: Gaither Sisters #1
Author: Rita Williams-Garcia 
Genre: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc
Publication Date: January 2012 (first published 2010)
Source: Bought

Winner of the 2011 Coretta Scott King Author Award
A 2011 Newbery Honor BookEleven-year-old Delphine has it together. Even though her mother, Cecile, abandoned her and her younger sisters, Vonetta and Fern, seven years ago. Even though her father and Big Ma will send them from Brooklyn to Oakland, California, to stay with Cecile for the summer. And even though Delphine will have to take care of her sisters, as usual, and learn the truth about the missing pieces of the past.
When the girls arrive in Oakland in the summer of 1968, Cecile wants nothing to do with them. She makes them eat Chinese takeout dinners, forbids them to enter her kitchen, and never explains the strange visitors with Afros and black berets who knock on her door. Rather than spend time with them, Cecile sends Delphine, Vonetta, and Fern to a summer camp sponsored by a revolutionary group, the Black Panthers, where the girls get a radical new education.
Set during one of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, One Crazy Summer is the heartbreaking, funny tale of three girls in search of the mother who abandoned them-an unforgettable story told by a distinguished author of books for children and teens, Rita Williams-Garcia.

Find One Crazy Summer online

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I'm so happy that I was introduced to this book and this wonderful author!  This was a story I've been missing for such a long time.  I thoroughly enjoyed my time with these characters and I feel like I learned a lot about this time and the Black Panther movement while reading.  It was so interesting reading about all these things happening from the perspective of an eleven year old girl and it gave me a fresh and original view of what was going on in America during the time.  

My absolute favorite part of this story was Delphine and her two sisters.  They were just so real.  I loved the bantering between them and the way they interacted.  I felt the relationship between them was so genuine and it was wonderful.  I also really appreciate how they bickered but when it really counted, they had each other's backs.  It was such a realistic portrayal of the dynamics between siblings.  And they all had such unique personalities!  I adored the stoic and responsible nature of Delphine, the outgoing and charismatic personality of Vonetta, and Fern's observant and thoughtful nature!  And despite the fact that they were estranged from their mother, you could see pieces of her in each of them, and I loved that!

I really appreciated the conflicts in this story - both between the sisters and their mother and with their previously established information of the Black Panthers and what they experience first hand.  Though the start of the book was a little slow in the beginning, I still enjoyed the story overall.  I loved the different perspectives we seen throughout the novel in regards to the movement.  Everything was obviously very well researched and thought out.  

I already have the second book in this series and I'm looking forward to reading it!  I'm also VERY excited about seeing Rita Williams-Garcia in person next month at a conference!  Such a talented writer and an inspirational person.  I'd highly recommend this book!

“It was a strange, wonderful feeling. To discover eyes upon you when you expected no one to notice you at all.” 

Four Teapots

Waiting on Wednesday #93

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine which spotlights highly anticipated upcoming releases.

Title: Flame in the Mist

Series: Flame in the Mist #1

Author: Renee Ahdieh 

Age Group: Young Adult

Genres: Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Romance

Publishing: May 16, 2017 by G.P. Putnam Sons Books for Young Readers

The daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has long known her place—she may be an accomplished alchemist, whose cunning rivals that of her brother Kenshin, but because she is not a boy, her future has always been out of her hands. At just seventeen years old, Mariko is promised to Minamoto Raiden, the son of the emperor's favorite consort—a political marriage that will elevate her family's standing. But en route to the imperial city of Inako, Mariko narrowly escapes a bloody ambush by a dangerous gang of bandits known as the Black Clan, who she learns has been hired to kill her before she reaches the palace.
Dressed as a peasant boy, Mariko sets out to infiltrate the ranks of the Black Clan, determined to track down the person responsible for the target on her back. But she's quickly captured and taken to the Black Clan’s secret hideout, where she meets their leader, the rebel ronin Takeda Ranmaru, and his second-in-command, his best friend Okami. Still believing her to be a boy, Ranmaru and Okami eventually warm to Mariko, impressed by her intellect and ingenuity. As Mariko gets closer to the Black Clan, she uncovers a dark history of secrets, of betrayal and murder, which will force her to question everything she's ever known.

Find Flame in the Mist online

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Why I'm waiting on Flame in the Mist this Wednesday: I really enjoyed Renee Ahdieh's first novel, The Wrath & the Dawn.  Even though I have yet to finish that series, I'm already looking forward to reading this one!  I love that it's about samurai's and I'm excited to read and learn more about a different culture.  Plus, the cover is gorgeous!

What are you waiting for this Wednesday?  Have you read anything by this author?  I'd definitely recommend picking up her books!  Are you looking forward to this one, too?  Let me know in the comments below and join in on the discussion!

Review: Between Shades of Gray

Title:  Between Shades of Gray
Series:  None
Author:  Ruta Sepetys 
Genre:  Young Adult, Historial Fiction
Publisher:  Speak 
Publication Date:  March 22, 2011
Source:  Bought

Lina is just like any other fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl in 1941. She paints, she draws, she gets crushes on boys. Until one night when Soviet officers barge into her home, tearing her family from the comfortable life they've known. Separated from her father, forced onto a crowded and dirty train car, Lina, her mother, and her young brother slowly make their way north, crossing the Arctic Circle, to a work camp in the coldest reaches of Siberia. Here they are forced, under Stalin's orders, to dig for beets and fight for their lives under the cruelest of conditions.
Lina finds solace in her art, meticulously--and at great risk--documenting events by drawing, hoping these messages will make their way to her father's prison camp to let him know they are still alive. It is a long and harrowing journey, spanning years and covering 6,500 miles, but it is through incredible strength, love, and hope that Lina ultimately survives. Between Shades of Gray is a novel that will steal your breath and capture your heart.

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 Wow.  Wow.  This book has honestly left me speechless.  It's a book that I've seen everywhere for such a long time but I've never thought to pick it up.  I didn't know much about it, other than that it was historical fiction, which generally isn't my thing.  But, oh my God, it was so incredibly powerful.  Not only was it an engrossing read, I learned a lot whilst reading.  It focuses on the horrors that were happening in Lithuania and other Baltic States during WWII, a topic I've never been taught about in school.  I was shocked and horrified while reading but I'm so glad I had the chance to learn about this.  

Reading this was such an eye opening experience and the horror I felt was multiplied ten fold when I did some more research and found out that a lot of what Lina and her family experienced were things that real people actually had to go through.  The author interviewed a lot of people to create this book and their stories are reflected in this one.  

Following Lina on this journey was especially impactful.  She was fifteen - fifteen - and having to go through this.  Hearing about all of these horrors from the voice of a child rather than a text book made it all the more terrible.  She was so confused about why it was happening to them; why her family when they had done nothing wrong.  It was painful reading about her confusion and anger about her situation.  But she was so brave.  I really loved that she was so adamant about holding on to her art.  It was such a powerful tool for her - something that couldn't be taken away, unlike everything else.  Her art was her connection to her life before she and her family were taken from their home.  And it was a way to more solidly reunite and connect with other people during her travels.  

I'm glad I read this book when I did.  Even though I would have loved to have known about all of these horrors earlier, I think it impacted me more now than it ever would have before because of the experiences I've been through, as well as the knowledge I've had the chance to accumulate.  It was so powerful and impactful and made me cry on multiple occasions.  I was just a puddle of tears at the end, really.  I'm looking forward to reading more from this author, especially if her other books are as honest and emotional as this one.

“Whether love of friend, love of country, love of God, or even love of enemy—love reveals to us the truly miraculous nature of the human spirit.”  

 Five Teapots

Review: Boxers

Title:  Boxers 
Series:  Boxers & Saints 
Author:  Gene Luen Yang 
Genre:  Young Adult, Historical, Graphic Novel 
Publisher:  First Second 
Publication Date:  September 10, 2013
Source:  Bought 

China, 1898. Bands of foreign missionaries and soldiers roam the countryside, bullying and robbing Chinese peasants.
Little Bao has had enough. Harnessing the powers of ancient Chinese gods, he recruits an army of Boxers--commoners trained in kung fu--who fight to free China from "foreign devils."
Against all odds, this grass-roots rebellion is violently successful. But nothing is simple. Little Bao is fighting for the glory of China, but at what cost? So many are dying, including thousands of "secondary devils"--Chinese citizens who have converted to Christianity.

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 Oh my gosh, you guys, this was so amazing.  I don't normally read a lot of graphic novels but, because of the Young Adult Lit class I'm taking this quarter at college, I've been expanding what I read.  Not only was this an awesomely illustrated and designed graphic novel, it was a depiction of a war that took place in 1898 in China.  I enjoyed myself immensely while reading and really felt like I was learning a lot at the same time.  

Generally, I don't pick up books with the goal to learn or expand my knowledge.  More often, I decide to read for the sake of enjoyment.  With this book, while I did enjoy it, felt a lot more like I was learning something.  If you're anything like me and attended public high school, you'll know that the history taught is most often just repeated American history.  Because of that, I had almost no previous information regarding this struggle that happened in China.  This graphic novel really opened my eyes to the struggles people faced and the controversy surrounding religion there.  And it did it in such a creative way.  The images and characters in the novel were so vivid and well depicted.  Despite the magical quality of the story and the fact that it takes places years and years ago, I connected with it so easily.  

This illustrations you guys . . . they were so wonderful.  The colors and the way the characters were drawn were so amazing.  I think it's so important for books like this to be accessible to all readers.  History is so often something that can be a bit dense, particularly to teens and young adults (at least in my experience).  Yang really flipped that idea around for me.  I found myself so immersed in this story and the history that spurred it.  

Not only was this novel accessible to all readers . . . it didn't sugar coat things.  History is not often pretty.  There's a lot of hard times and really gruesome situations that are too often swept under the rug.  This book did an amazing job of presenting what actually happened without censoring it.  I appreciated that aspect so much.  

This graphic novel was absolutely amazing.  It cast light on a historical event I didn't know much about and did it in a way that was accessible and uncensored.  The characters were relatable, the illustrations were beautiful, and the story line was engaging and interesting.  I'm excited to read more from this author!

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