Author: Solace in Reading

Bookstores Around Western Europe

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Last year, I studied for a semester in Rome, Italy. While in Rome, I also had the chance to visit other countries during fall break and during our three day weekends. Here are some of the bookstores I visited in Italy, England, and France.

Italy

Gli Esploratori

Located in: Rome, Italy

My university’s librarian recommended Gli Esploratori. This is a restaurant and bookstore that serves food inspired by different parts of Italy. I had a pasta with a clam sauce and chocolate mousse, which were both delicious. The bookstore part contains a great variety of genres. We did not need a reservation.

Todo Modo Libri

Located in: Florence, Italy

My favorite bookstore in Italy was in Florence. Todo Modo Libri has kind of a tree house theme inside with wooden seats and plants hanging from the ceiling. I could have spent hours here.

England

Foyle’s

Located in: London, England

I wish I spent a longer time here, but the time I did was lovely. There were three floors of books and a beautiful skylight. There are many other bookstores in the area too, including used bookstores.

France

Shakespeare and Company

Located in: Paris, France

The librarian at my Rome campus is friends with someone who works here, and I knew I had to visit. Shakespeare and Company is a charming two story bookstore with an area for writers on the second floor. There was a line when I visited, but it was definitely worth it and I will be back.

What is your favorite bookstore outside of your country?

Midyear Book Tag: 2025

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I have not posted in over a month, but I have read a lot of books! I am so grateful to have time this summer to read.

Best Books I’ve read so far

  • Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake: Blake does it again with her amusing yet emotional writing about a rich family that also has magic abilities.
  • The Gods Below by Andrea Stewart: This fantasy book is an epic tale of two sisters who end up in opposite sides of the world they thought they knew. I am so excited for the sequel.
  • If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin: This is a book about two young Black people in love. Tish is pregnant, and Fonny, the father, is falsely accused of a crime. Baldwin’s writing will instantly captivate you. I will definitely read more books by Baldwin in the future.

Best Sequel(S) I’ve read so far

  • The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi: This is my favorite book of The Ending Fire trilogy. Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa navigate a world divided by blood and they find themselves uncovering the history of the land that the elites of that world made up.
  • The Ending Fire by Saara El-Arifi: I was quite satisfied with the conclusion to The Ending Fire trilogy. Sylah, Anoor, and Hassa’s stories come to an end (or beginning?) in The Ending Fire.
  • Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland: Four Ruined Realms is an exciting sequel to Five Broken Blades, and the finale comes out this month.

New Release(S) I Haven’t Read yet, but want to

Don’t Sleep with the Dead by Nghi Vo: This is a standalone set in the same world as Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful (which in my opinion is the best retelling of The Great Gatsby). I am excited to see Nick’s story in this one!

biggest disappointment

I haven’t had any really big disappointments this year.

Biggest Surprise

Gifted and Talented by Olivie Blake! It was much more funny at times than I expected.

Favorite author (debut or new to you)

Shalini Abeysekara! Her fantasy novel This Monster of Mine is a stunning fantasy with political intrigue and an amazing interesting legal system combined with magic that addresses the injustices of a world with extreme class differences.

The Most beautiful book you’ve bought or received this year

Four Ruined Realms by Mai Corland: I love the design on the edges and the gold on the hardback.

What books do you need to read by the end of the year?

  • Ten Incarnations of Rebellion by Vaishnavi Patel: I recently bought a copy and it is going to be my next read once I finish my other reads. This book is about a woman’s life in the independence movement of an alternate history of India where the British are still in power during the 1960s.
  • Dawn of the Firebird by Sarah Mughal Rana: I’ve been following Rana’s writing journey since before her YA novel, Hope Ablaze (one of my favorite books of 2024). I cannot wait to read her epic fantasy novel about Khamilla Zahr-zad, a woman who must infiltrate her enemy’s secret academy to avenge her people.

Favorite book to movie/tv series adaptation you’ve seen this year

I have not seen any.

How has your reading been going this year?

My Thoughts: Death in the Cards by Mia P. Manansala

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I have not read a mystery novel in a while, and I love Manansala’s other books, so I knew I wanted to read Death in the Cards. This is Manansala’s first Young Adult book, but not her first mystery. Danika Dizon, the main character, is a 17 year old tarot reader who wants to solve the mystery of one of her missing clients when she is approached by the missing client’s sister, Gaby.

Manansala excellently captures what it is like to be a high schooler who desperately wants to prove themselves to the people around them. Danika’s mother, a private investigator, does not want Danika involved in anything that could put her in danger. Danika wants to show that she could someday work as a private investigator like her mother. When I went to the launch party, Manansala described how she wanted to capture the feeling of being a teenager rather than trying to sound like a teenager. I appreciate this approach. Danika feels like such a real character: she practices Kali, reads tarot, and hopes to save enough money to restore a car. 

The side characters are equally interesting: Junior, Nicole, and Gaby were my favorites. I love that this book is very focused on friendships and family. This book also included commentary on how it feels to be surrounded by wealthy classmates. I found myself in an environment like that when I was a coxswain in high school, and it can be a challenging environment to navigate. I also liked the pacing of the mystery; I found myself trying to guess at every page what was going to happen next. It felt like I was with Danika as she tried to solve the mystery.

Death in the Cards, with its main character Danika who is a Filipino, queer woman, is a mystery book that I finished in two days because of its well-written characters and intrigue. I do think that my reading tastes have changed though, and I will say that I do not think Manasala’s writing style is 100% for me; however, this is still a book I recommend. It is so great to see more books where the characters happen to be Filipino; Manansala also discussed this at the launch party. I remember her saying something to the effect that these books are not to educate about Filipinos, and to pick up a nonfiction book instead. I really appreciated hearing this!

Have you read any mystery novels lately?

My Thoughts: The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos

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I think I finally figured out that Melissa De La Cruz’s writing style is not for me. I read her other YA contemporary novels including Something In Between. In Something In Between, I did not like how the main character demeaned the Philippines. I hoped that this book would be better.

It was not better. The writing style felt like it was lacking something. The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos has the elements needed for a good romance, but it was dull. I honestly found the main characters very uninteresting. I do not really have much to say about the book because I was not left with a lasting impression of Dalisay and Evan. The writing was clinical and lacked emotion.

I also think that TFSOCDR could have been a little longer. Maybe seeing a little more development of the romance would have been helpful: it felt like they immediately met at work, and then barely knew each other when they decided to date. The romantic atmosphere barely felt like it existed.

If you are looking for other contemporary romance novels to read that also discuss culture and family, I recommend Dating Dr. Dil by Nisha Sharma (in fact, the entire If Shakespeare Was an Auntie trilogy) and Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin.

Thank you to Union Square & Co. for the early copy. This did not impact my opinion of the book. The Five Stages of Courting Dalisay Ramos by Melissa De La Cruz came out on June 1, 2024.

What makes you enjoy a romance novel?

What I Read: 2024

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I have not posted in so long! I missed book blogging, and I hope to work on this blog more consistently this summer. Here are some updates on books I read last year and enjoyed:

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland: This is Mai Corland’s debut fantasy novel. I loved Meredith Ireland’s contemporary YA novels, so I was excited to see how she would write a fantasy novel. (I highly recommend both of her YA novels, too! I’m so grateful to see more books by adoptees with main characters who are also adopted.) Five Broken Blades is one of the best fantasy novels I have read in a while. Corland perfectly balances intrigue, romance, and the creation of a magical world to create a vibrant novel that will live on in your mind. The sequel, Four Ruined Realms, is so amazing too, and I cannot wait for the finale which is coming out this year! I will not be getting over the ending. The finale is titled Three Shattered Souls (oh no). I highly recommend this trilogy. Please let me know if you read it because I would love to discuss with more people. (Also, the first editions are so spectacular. The jewel tone colors are so beautiful. There is also a very helpful map in each of the books and full colored artwork of the main characters on the endpapers.)

Heir by Sabaa Tahir: This is my favorite book in the Emberverse. Tahir’s writing compared to Ember (which was exceptional) is so amazing. She excellently balances three character perspectives whose journeys are equally interesting. Sirsha is my favorite character because she is strong and smart while also not being afraid to express her emotions. I also mentioned this in my review from December: Quil is my favorite male character Tahir has written. He is so charming and has a personality that reminds me of Elias with a bit less brooding, but still a very complicated past.


The Atlas Complex by Olivie Blake: I only read this once, but I need to read it again. Blake writes a very intense ending to a trilogy that immediately captivated me with its commentary on how exploitative academia can be while using a contemporary fantasy setting. This is the best book of the trilogy.


Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana: Hope Ablaze is one of my favorite contemporary books I have read in my life. I am so grateful that I got to read a copy early. I liked how Rana incorporated poetry throughout the book. Rana’s fantasy novel, Dawn of the Firebird, is coming out this December from Bloomsbury Publishing. Follow Rana’s Instagram to learn more!

Please let me know what you thought of these books if you’ve read them!

What books did you enjoy in 2024?

My Thoughts on Heir by Sabaa Tahir

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Heir by Sabaa Tahir.

Heir by Sabaa Tahir is the start of a sequel series to An Ember in the Ashes (AEITA) which came out in 2015. I did not read AEITA until my first year of high school, and I still cannot believe it took me that long to read it. The series ended in my junior year of high school, and I did not want to leave the world Tahir created. When I found out Heir was coming out, I felt like I was back in high school. 

Tahir has managed to capture the feeling of the original series, one of fighting for hope, justice, and a better future while leading with love: Quil, with his love for his country, and Sirsha, with her love for a community. I think multiple perspectives can be a lot sometimes in a first book, but Tahir made me want to read all of them. Aiz is a character who I did not understand at first, but by the end of Heir I found myself wanting to know what is next for her so much. 

Quil is amazing. He is 20 years old and is in line to lead the Empire. I love how he is very strong and fierce, but is also shyer than Elias. Quil may be my favorite male character that Tahir has written. Also, I love reading books with royals in relationships that are made complicated by the family around them. This is also the first time the male main character has almost been my favorite in a book, which almost never happens for me.

I loved Sirsha – she is my favorite character of Heir. She is different from Laia and Helene; she has a carefree attitude that she uses to hide the fact that she does care about the people around her and yearns for people who will stay by her side. I love that she is not afraid to ask for what she wants in any relationship she has. 

Aiz was such a surprising character; I did not expect to see her story to go where it did. I think this shows how Tahir is such an amazing writer as I felt many different emotions toward her, including disappointment. At the same time, the side characters captured my attention more than Aiz. I appreciate that Tahir is able to make me understand the characters even though I do not agree with them. 

I would read a thousand books set in the world of Ember. Tahir has written a fantasy novel that I believe will become one of the classics of our time. Heir is an adventurous novel that uses the tropes of soul mates and the “chosen one” in new ways.

My Thoughts: Three Recent Young Adult Books

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Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin

Unbecoming by Seema Yasmin is about Muslim teens, Noor and Laylah Khan, who are friends fighting for abortion and reproductive rights in a U.S. where abortion is completely banned and reproductive rights are nonexistent. They are writing a guide called the Texas Teen’s Guide to Getting a Safe Abortion.

Laylah Khan is pregnant, and she is keeping it a secret from her friend Noor. Noor notices that she has an urgency in writing the Guide. Meanwhile, Noor has a secret too – she thinks someone is complicit in financial embezzlement at her local mosque, but she does not want to hurt Laylah as she is close to the person Noor suspects.

My favorite part of Unbecoming is Laylah and Noor’s friendship. They are so close with each other. They are supportive of each other each step of the way. I also like how close they are with each other’s families. Seeing the intergenerational relationships, specifically between Nanima, Laylah, and Noor, was heartwarming to me. Overall, Unbecoming made me want to read Yasmin’s other books. I am excited to see what she writes in the future.

Please read reviews by Muslim readers for Unbecoming on the Muslim representation.

Wish You Weren’t Here by Erin Baldwin

I love books set in summer and especially at summer camps. I never attended one when I was younger. Juliette and Priya are enemies, but not what you would think.

I loved the humor and voice of Baldwin. It made her characters so lovely to read about, and I felt like I was friends right alongside them. Juliette constantly feels like she has the spotlight stolen from her. I sympathized with her. I like how her and Priya aren’t mean to each other. There isn’t a mean girl atmosphere, rather just a lack of understanding where Juliette and Priya are very much in their heads about each other. Baldwin builds a complex romance between them. I appreciated the healthy communication in the romance.

Also, I’m so happy to see Filipino representation! I loved the mentions of Juliette’s Filipino heritage. Overall, I highly recommend Wish You Weren’t Here if you are looking for a fun summer read with a heartwarming romance.

True Love and Other Impossible Odds by Christina Li

Having finished my first year of college recently, I knew I had to read Li’s book. It was incredible. Li captures the voice of what it’s like to be a college student perfectly.

Grace Tang, the main character, starts her first year of college after her mother died during her senior year of high school. She decides to go back home to her father every weekend. At the same time, she sees her roommates who are in seemingly perfect relationships and going to parties. In one class, Grace is assigned a group project where they come up with the idea to create an algorithm for love.

Julia, Grace’s coworker, seems indifferent to Grace, and sometimes even annoyed at the beginning. She thinks that Grace’s algorithm will not work. Despite Julia’s coldness, she and Grace find themselves getting closer to each other. I liked how Grace and Julia learn to communicate with each other and recognize what they need to work on rather than ignoring each other’s advice.

Li’s writing is captivating and feels so real. She understands how to write characters who are in the transition period between youth and adulthood. I highly recommend True Love and Other Impossible Odds!

Have you read any of these books? What did you think of them?

My thoughts on: King of Sloth by Ana Huang

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I think King of Sloth may be my favorite book by Ana Huang tied with King of Pride. Both books provide individual character stories unattached from the romance plot while also including great romance storylines. This is a spoiler free review.

Sloane captivated me from the first time I met her on the page. Her first chapter involves her attacking Xavier so she can motivate him to go to an event. She’s so fiery and I like that Huang wrote a woman who is not passive. I liked that Sloane’s life was defined by her. Sloane gets things done and is not afraid to speak up for herself and her desires. I related to people thinking that Sloane was too much – it’s something I am afraid of too sometimes.

Xavier is tied with Kai for my favorite of Huang’s male main characters. He is witty and kind and is not afraid to express himself. Sometimes, I find male main characters to be quite insufferable (some men in books are just complete red flags), but Xavier truly cares about the people around him even though he puts on a facade.

He and Sloane struggle with families who do not always listen to them. They also struggle with being vulnerable, but as they open up, they learn that they should not be afraid of expressing their emotions. They are each other’s safe space while also not being codependent.

Huang’s writing has improved so much since her If Love quartet. Although King of Sloth is much longer than the other books in the Kings of Sin series so far, I still found myself flying through it in a day. I love Sloane and Xavier and I hope you will too!

Have you read King of Sloth?

Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland: My Thoughts

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I was first drawn to Five Broken Blades by Mai Corland (the name Meredith Ireland writes under for high fantasy) because it has an adopted main character, and I was adopted too. I’d also read Ireland’s contemporary YA novels before which also had adopted main characters, so I knew I wanted to read her next book. FBB was the exact fantasy book I was looking for: it’s captivating, includes a good balance of world-building with action without being overwhelming, and includes distinct characters. Also, the first edition with the stained edges, the character art, and the gold foil on the hardback is gorgeous. There is also a map.

Five Broken Blades is Corland’s first epic fantasy novel. It includes mystery and political intrigue. I enjoy when authors write in different genres. Five Broken Blades follows five people who are assigned to kill King Joon. One is Mikail, who is an spymaster, Sora, who is a poison killer, Aeri, who hires Royo, and Euyan, who is a disgraced prince. The sixth point of view is Tiyung, the son of the nobleman who orders Sora. At first, I was unsure of who each character was because it wasn’t specified in the description, but then I easily figured it out. My favorite perspective at first was Sora – the one who protects her sister.

Royo became my favorite characters by the end. I really dislike sexist, serious male characters who suppress their emotions. Royo is not like that at all – he is very respectful of Aeri. I felt like this book was perfectly paced because I never felt bored in any character’s perspective. I also thought each character had a distinct voice although it was from a first person perspective for each of the six characters. Each character’s perspective was interesting in each chapter.

I also liked that this was a fantasy book with romance. You can really see how much care Corland put into making the world and the relationships. My favorite relationship (no spoilers) was the slow burn one between two characters who have never met. The balance between the worldbuilding and the romance were great. I want to learn more about the magic system in the book. I hope that is something that will be followed up with in the sequel. I think it was pretty well explained in this one, but I hope to see more.

I did not expect the ending, but now I am excited to re-read to see what clues I missed. Overall, Five Broken Blades is a strong start to a new fantasy series. I highly recommend this book. I cannot wait for the sequel! I think the world is going to expand a lot. Corland is definitely one of my favorite authors.

Have you read Five Broken Blades? What did you think?

To Gaze Upon Wicked Gods by Molly X. Chang: My Thoughts

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This review will contain a spoiler section marked with spoilers. The first part is spoiler free.

The beginning is quite fast paced, immediately dropping you into the world. From there, everything pretty much falls apart. From my understanding, the Romans came from our time and into Ruying’s world. The fact that Ruying’s world was colonized is apparent from the beginning (so is the fact that the prince is evil to the reader).

Ruying is the main character and she has the power to kill people with her touch. Her best friend, Baihu, is working for the Romans. She is discovered by the prince Antony who forces her to kill his enemies for him. Antony is quite obviously evil to the reader from the beginning, and I think Chang wants us to see how naive Ruying is from the start, but again there is no character development until the very end. I also did not like the romance between them either – Antony is extremely creepy.

I found myself wishing Ruying had more of a spine – I almost wish we followed Meiya, her sister’s story – I suspect Chang wanted us to follow a character who was on the journey of joining the rebellion, but it takes a while (the whole book almost) to realize that she needs to stand up for what she believes in rather than thinking she can work within the system of colonization and imperialism of the Romans – this did not make for a good story and instead made it seem like they wanted the reader to root for Antony (when again, Antony is a colonizer). Again, this did not work out as nearly the entire book focuses on Ruying’s selfishness and how she ignores what everyone else says about Antony except for Antony.

I find myself gravitating to stories where the rebellion against colonization is more apparent, or the main character already knows/is strong in their beliefs. I think R.F. Kuang does a good job of this in The Poppy War trilogy, and N.E. Davenport in The Blood Trials, and Melissa Blair in A Broken Blade. I wish Ruying had more solid beliefs, or her induction into the rebellion introduced earlier. For example, if she’d been working for the rebellion from the start I think that would have worked better.

Overall, the execution of the story fell short of my expectations (my expectations were already nil after reading reviews before reading the book). The commentary on colonization and imperialism was not there. If you’re looking for a fantasy novel with a main character who fights for her beliefs and that calls out colonization and imperialism, read any of the above mentioned in the previous paragraph. Apparently, the second book is being marketed as “anti-colonial,” but after such a lackluster start I will not be reading the second one.

Spoiler Section

This book was advertised incorrectly. It should never have been marketed as an enemies to lovers romance. Also, by the end Taohua – Ruying’s only female friend other than her sister and grandmother – is killed in the biological warefare prisons. How are there still a lack of female friendships in a fantasy novel?

Ruying has a lot of learning to do, and she refuses to listen to her best friend, who she’s known way longer than Antony, once Baihu tells her about the biological warfare prisons. There seemed to be more exposition needed or background on the friendship between Baihu and Ruying. Also, this section really drives home the reviewers who critiqued the book as an ARC (these quotes below are still in the final copy):

“Baihu chuckled, shook his head. ‘You really have no idea what Antony is like, do you? What he’s done? What he and his scientists are doing to our people?”
“You’re right. I don’t know what he’s doing, not in detail. And frankly, I don’t give a damn.” (Said by Ruying)

Then on the next page:

“Do you ever wonder what happened to the people who didn’t pass the Exhibition? Do you know what they are doing to our people in-” (Said by Baihu)

“I don’t know. And quite frankly, I don’t care.” (said by Ruying)

How are you saying “I don’t care” when you, Ruying, recognize the destruction of the world because of the Romans? Why are you unwilling to listen to your friend? By the end, Ruying does choose the side of the revolution, but it just felt so careless to not have more about the revolution. I am not sure why Ruying kept cutting Baihu off either. I would have liked to see a story where Ruying starts out on the revolution’s side and works with Taohua to take down the prisons.

Did any books you read this year disappoint you?