Gilded

Title:  Gilded

Author:  Marissa Meyer

Series:  Gilded #1

Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends

Date Published:  November 2, 2021

Genre:  Young Adult, Retelling, Fantasy

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Once upon a time there was a miller's daughter, and she was cursed/marked by a god. The villagers stay away from her because wherever Serilda goes, misfortune isn't too far behind. BUT a small group of children feel differently, they love Serilda's gift of storytelling. One day Serilda's stories get her into trouble. During one of his fabled hunts, Serilda crosses paths with the Erlking. Serilda spins a tale about her abilities to spin straw into gold. And yes, you guessed it, she is now ensnared by the Erlking and must spin straw into gold. During her time in the cursed castle, Serilda uncovers secrets and meets a devilishly handsome poltergeist. 

-    I am on a Marissa Meyer reading kick right now. I love her books, especially her retellings. I cannot get enough of them. I loved how Meyer mixed Rumpelstiltskin and mythology. The stories were recognizable, but she also created something so unique and amazing. 

-    I loved Serilda's moxie and snark. She made me laugh on more than one occasion. She was also a little dense at times, but that is what makes for a good story. I also loved all the side characters. They were delightful, even the evil ones. 

-    The story gets a bit intense, and I couldn't believe what Meyer did to her characters! What!? Craziness! 

-    I'm sad I have to wait for November to find out the rest of the story! Gilded ends in a maddening cliffhanger. Gah!

-    I kept going back and forth between 4 and 5 stars on this, so I think my true rating is 4.5 stars. 

My Thoughts in GIFs:

Top Ten Tuesday

 

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Books with Apples On the Cover

I wasn't sure what I wanted to highlight this week, but for some reason apples kept popping up in my mind, so that is what I went with. 

This was a fun prompt. I look forward to seeing all your lists.

Thanks for stopping by.

Have a fantastic day!

The Silence of Bones

Title:  The Silence of Bones

Author:  June Hur

Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends

Date Published:  April 21, 2020

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Seol is practically a slave to the police bureau, but she has dreams of home and finding her long lost brother. When a wealthy woman is murdered, Seol becomes invaluable to the detective put in charge of the investigation. It turns out the Seol is brave, good at getting information, and clever. Besides solving a murder, Seol also has to deal with the struggles of her station. 

-    I loved Seol's character. She was easy to root for, and I just wanted her to get a happy ending. I loved how fear didn't stop her from doing things. She was so brave, and her curiosity was a curse and a blessing. 

-    I didn't know who to trust most of the time. I had no idea how the story was going to end. It was heartwarming and heartbreaking. The ending gave me all the feels. 

-    I loved the beautiful setting of Joseon Korea. It was such a beautiful time and place in history, but it also had it's low points. I loved all the politics and intrigue.

-    I really appreciated this book, and I hope there are a lot more Korean historical fiction books coming. 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Top Ten Tuesday

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Top Ten Authors I Haven't Read, But Want To

This is another very fun prompt, but I feel guilty and a little overwhelmed at the ever growing TBR list. I'm a little embarrassed that I haven't read the books by most of these authors yet. Let me know which ones I should move up the priority list. 

Garth Nix - I've been meaning to read Sabriel for a long long time, but it hasn't happened yet.

Robin Hobb - I know, as a fantasy fan I should know Hobb's work intimately, but I don't. I want to start with the Farseer Trilogy. Let me know if you think otherwise.

Nicola Yoon - I know her books are widely popular, but again, I haven't gotten to them.

Jenna Evans Welch - I feel bad for not reading Love & Gelato yet because I love supporting my local authors, and I love foodie books.

Jaclyn Moriarty - I am a big Liane Moriarty fan, and I want to read her sisters' books as well, but I haven't picked up Jaclyn's books yet.

Brigid Kremmerer - I've heard so many good things about her books, and a few of them are on my TBR, but . . . ya know.

Emily R. King - She is another local author that I haven't supported. Gah! I need to read her books soon. I've been to an author event for her, and I still haven't read her books.

Stacey Lee - I want to read all of her books eventually.

Angie Thomas - I know! Trust me! I know!

Naomi Novik - SO many people have recommended her books to me. I will get to it some day. *sigh*

My list could have been longer, but I was good and stopped at ten.

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy reading!

The Cartographers

Title:  The Cartographers

Author:  Peng Shepherd

Publisher:  William Morrow

Date Published:  March 15, 2022

Genre:  Adult Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    The Cartographers was one of the choices for my Book of the Month subscription. It caught my eye out of all the picks, and I'm glad I chose it. I'm not sure I would have read it otherwise. 

-    Nell loves maps, and so do her parents, and everyone else she knows. Nell is also on non-speaking terms with her father, which is majorly sad when she gets a call from a family friend that her dad has mysteriously died. While going through his office, Nell discovers an old gas station map. It was among a box of other maps that started the feud with her father. Nell doesn't understand why he would keep such a worthless map, especially after their fight over how worthless it was. Nell starts digging into the past, and she slowly discovers a mystery surrounding a family secret and a town that doesn't exist.

-    The story is a very s l o w build. There were times when I had to push through so I could get to the next good part. The mystery and discoveries kept me interested, and there were moments where the pacing was more exciting, but I struggled through the slower parts.  

-    I don't read a lot of magical realism, so this was new and unique for me. I enjoyed the overall story and "what if" factor. It definitely got the imagination going. 

-    I felt like the whole book is a love note to all map lovers. I really liked the way the characters talked about maps and their importance. The question, "What is the purpose of a map?" kept coming up, and I loved all the answers. I will never look at maps the same way. 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Swag Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Wendy from The Bashful Bookworm! 

You won my swag giveaway! I will be contacting to you soon.

March Recap

Books Read:  8

Pages Read:  2,841

1 Star:  0

2 Stars:  0

3 Stars:  2

4 Stars:  3

5 Stars:  3

Favorite Book of the Month:

The Lunar Chronicles

My no library month went by faster than I thought, and I learned something about myself. The impending due date for library books is a huge motivator for me to read. Without due dates, my reading was a lot more casual, and I spent more time doing other hobbies. 

Goal Progress:

Goodreads Challenge - I am 10 books ahead of schedule. (40/125)

Newbery Award Winners - I was able to finish one on March 1st, but it was my only one. (2/20)

Re-Read Books - Because of my no library month, I was able to re-read 5 books. Woo! I loved revisiting The Lunar Chronicles. I haven't read them in a while, and they are just as good as the first time around. (11/20)

Book Club Books - Nine Perfect Strangers was the book for March, and we had a good discussion at book club. (3/10)

I hope you had a successful reading month in March.

Happy reading!