The Swan Kingdom

Goodreads Synopsis:    A new voice in fantasy weaves a rich, entrancing tale of a girl with powerful healing gifts —- and the courage to use them to save her ailing kingdom.

Shadows fall across the beautiful, lush kingdom after the queen is attacked by an unnatural beast, and the healing skills of her daughter, Alexandra, cannot save her. Too soon the widowed king is spellbound by a frightening stranger, a woman whose eyes reflect no light. In a terrifying moment, all Alexandra knows disappears, including her beloved brothers, leaving her banished to a barren land. But Alexandra has more gifts than she realizes as she confronts magic, murder, and the strongest of evil forces, and is unflinchingly brave as she struggles to reclaim what is rightfully hers. Fantasy lovers will be held in thrall by this tale full of visual detail, peppered with a formidable destructive force and sweetened with familial and romantic love.

My Thoughts:

-    This was a unique story. I enjoyed it. 

-    I liked how the 4 siblings worked together in the beginning. I have 3 older brothers as well.

-    The style and the way the story was told was different. I liked it for the most part, but sometimes it got a little slow.

-    I forgot the title of the fairy tale, but this is a retelling of the siblings turned into swans and a sister must make clothes for them to change them back. 

-    This is one of those books where I liked it, but I don't know what to say about it. It was a nice story. 

Shadows on the Moon

Goodreads Synopsis:    A powerful tale of magic, love, and revenge set in fairy-tale Japan.

Trained in the magical art of shadow-weaving, sixteen-year-old Suzume is able to re-create herself in any form - a fabulous gift for a girl desperate to escape her past. But who is she really? Is she a girl of noble birth living under the tyranny of her mother's new husband, Lord Terayama? Or a lowly drudge scraping a living in the ashes of Terayama's kitchens? Or is she Yue, the most beautiful courtesan in the Moonlit Lands? Whatever her true identity, Suzume is destined to use her skills to steal the heart of a prince in a revenge plot to destroy Terayama. And nothing will stop her, not even the one true aspect of her life- her love for a fellow shadow-weaver.

My Thoughts:  

-    This is the one of the most amazing and wonderful books ever!!!  I LOVED LOVED LOVED it!!!

-    The margins on the pages are pretty big.  They couldn't fill the page with more text?

-    There is a lot of Japanese culture in this story, and I loved it!  It was like reading an anime!

-    With any great Japanese story comes symbolism, and this book was fabulous with them.  I especially loved the use of names and how each time our heroine changed her name, she changed her identity.  

-    The cover is beautiful!

-    Everything I love in a good story was in this book:  great characters that grow and develop, characters I can get emotionally attached too, wonderful plot, twists and surprises, romance I can cheer for, great supporting characters along the journey, a villain that you love to hate, things that make you wonder and think, and much more!  

-    I loved the emotions in this book.  A lot of it is sad, but it is so beautiful that I just had to keep reading.  The joy I felt at the end negated any sadness I felt.  The journey and growth that Suzume takes is emotionally exhausting, but beautiful.

-    This made me think of what drives people to action.  Why do we do what we do?  I have to admit that I do a lot things I do out of love.  If I was driven by another emotion, what would I do?  What sacrifices would I make?  What would I dare to do while trying to accomplish my goals?  It is a lot to think about.

-    I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I will be contemplating it for a long time.  I kind of want to just re-read right now!  I'm sure that is a lot more to learn and notice from this story.