REVIEW: The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi

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THE SILVERED SERPENTS by the INCREDIBLE ROSHANI CHOKSHI.

DISCLAIMER: I received an e-ARC from Netgalley. This did not influence my opinion of the book in any way.

DISCLAIMER #2: I also received a free copy from Wednesday Books as well as a finished softcover of The Gilded Wolves. This did not influence my opinion of the book in any way.

SPOILERS: will CLEARLY BE MARKED AT THE END!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TO ROSHANI CHOKSHI because she literally made my 2020. I am not joking. This sequel blew me away and I will be waiting for Book 3. First of all, the plot is so tightly written that there are no plot holes, which is great! There is a lot more action compared to TGW, which I really enjoyed. I LOVE SEEING THAT IN A SEQUEL!!! The world is already set up, and I’ve read TGW multiple times, so I remember what happened.

I was slightly worried that the romance between the main cast would take over the book, however, this is not the case in the slightest. The romantic moments are sweet, heartbreaking, and at times, wow. Roshani, just let them be together. *sobs over blank and blank* Roshani excels at writing slow burn romances and ones that I actually care about.

As for the characters? I will say that a certain someone got on my nerves. I am still reeling from redacted’s actions and have not recovered. Enrique, my favorite, is still my favorite and he’s a historian awkward nerd bookworm like me, so I would love him even if his characterization was different. Zofia surprised me because she got a lot more page time in this one, and I love her because she’s so much more relevant than redacted. And LAILA!!!! Wow. I love her as well. Also Hypnos.

The villains? Honestly, I read this ARC in July in less than two hours, so I don’t really remember. I do remember that I felt very surprised where Roshani took the story, in a good way! I forgot the history of the Order, so I will definitely be looking for that during my re-read.

The worldbuilding just gets better. There is a lot more in Serpents than Wolves, which I again loved so much. I want to see more forging in Book 3. However, I read this two months ago, and I paid more attention to the plot and characters, so I don’t have many thoughts right now on this part of the book.

Overall, this is my favorite sequel of 2020 and will likely be in my top 5 if not top 10 books of 2020. Roshani solidifies herself as an age category bending author because this book gets pretty dark towards the end. I would love to see Roshani write an adult fantasy or adult romance in the future because she is definitely capable of it (I’d go as far to say that this series grows with the readers: I was a freshman when I first read TGW and I am now a junior, and I can say that reading this almost two years ago would have been pretty intense in terms of the action). Also, the setting is freaking gorgeous. This is a perfect book in terms of craft and how it made me feel and actually, everything about it is perfect. Highly recommend.

SPOILER SECTION: turn back now if you have NOT READ SERPENTS!!!!!!! TURN BACK!!!! YOU DO NOT WANT TO GET SPOILED!!!!!!!!

Seriously, go away and read it if you haven’t then you can read this section.

If you’re still here, get ready to be spoiled!

I am so mad at Séverin Montagnet-Alarie. WHAT THE —-!!! I swear that that ending and cliffhanger is the BEST. It’s better than the one in Mark of Athena, which I didn’t have to wait for HOH to release because the whole series had already released. BUT THIS? 2021?!!!!! Roshani, please take your time because I would wait five years for the last book. I need time to feel the things Serpents made me feel.

THE ROMANCE? Laila oh my gosh!!!!!!!!!!! Why do I suddenly ship her and Enrique or her and Zofia? COme on, does anyone see it? Just me? Also Enrique!!!! He needs to live. Hypnos? needs friends!!!!!! needs a good romance with someone who will also be there for him.

Yeah. I will never be over the perfection that is The Silvered Serpents. Roshani Chokshi, you are the best author and I am just so amazed that this book can impact me months later even though I forgot most of the plot.

WHAT DID YOU THINK?

Rue’s Crew + Street Team Advice

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Yesterday I got some really great news that I was honestly not expecting: I am a part of J. Elle’s Wings of Ebony Street Team, also known as Rue’s Crew!

Wings of Ebony Banner: release date is February 23, 2021

I am so grateful to J. Elle for accepting me into Rue’s Crew. This book is definitely one of my top 10 most anticipated books of 2021, and February is going to be awesome. If any authors are reading this, just know that street teams are so much fun and I will 100% recommend your book in a lot of posts. Street teams are such a special experience. I love doing them because 1. I get to help people who write, which is slowly becoming an idea for what I want to do when I’m older, and 2. The community you get from a group that is dedicated to one book is so fun.

What Should You Know About Street teams?

  1. Make sure you want to read the book first. For example, I knew I loved Sandhya Menon’s books because I read all of them. I knew I wanted to work with Hafsah Faizal because she’s so kind. I knew that A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown would be excellent. However, one exception is for the Faring Society: I hadn’t read any of Sara Faring’s books. Being on the street team pushed me to read her upcoming book: White Fox.
  2. Fill out the application. Double check your responses. For Rue’s Crew, the application had a space for me to describe myself. You don’t have to write a super long response, and you want to convey that you are passionate about this author and their works. If the only reason you want to join is for the free items or ARCs, then don’t join.
  3. Be certain you want to support this person and their book. If you’ve been in the community for a while or follow people in the industry, you’ll know who you want to work with more. For example, a multitude of YA authors ship this incestuous couple of an adopted sibling and their sibling, and as an adopted person, I don’t support any of them even though some might say “it’s just fiction.” Well, to me, it’s highly offensive and I just feel sick thinking about it.
  4. Actually participate. Make sure you are transparent about if you can carry out tasks. My new rule for myself is to only join teams and to make sure I am on Instagram less and the Slack more to make sure I’m following up on what I need to do.
  5. You won’t get paid, but that’s not the point. Street teams are about connecting with a community and promotion. You have to keep confidential information CONFIDENTIAL!!!

Also, know that you aren’t any less of a book blogger/bookstagrammer if you don’t do these or have never been on one. I am currently on 6 and have been on 7 total, and I’ve loved my experiences on all of them. I do feel the pressure to read my e-ARCs quicker, and you should know that promotion is more than reviews. It’s about spreading news about the trailer, commenting on the author’s posts, and in the case of Rue’s Crew, there are some very exciting things coming up.

I’d say that a few goals for me are to join less teams next year because I will be in second semester of a critical year of high school and to keep promoting authors’ books and works after the time on the street team ends. They are a lot of fun, so just keep an eye out for opportunities!

Have you ever been on a street team?

Iron Heart by Nina Varela: Caffeine Book Tours

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first of all, thank you to @caffeinetours for putting this amazing tour together!!! PLEASE swipe through! i used Procreate for the first time to create some quote graphics (NO SPOILERS). i did this on an iPad with the apple pencil and will definitely be revisiting these when i can work on a flat surface. there are so many amazing quotes in this book. i recently finished Iron Heart by the awesome Nina Varela. Crier’s War, Varela’s debut novel, was included in the Owlcrate October box last year and i loved it. the history of the world and the POVs of Crier and Ayla instantly made me want the sequel. and oh my gosh. Iron Heart ASTOUNDED me. sequels are so cool to read because you see how the author gets to add on to the world, and the world of CW just came off the page and into real life when i was reading this book. the world Varela created is beautiful and to get to live in it for a few hours made me feel so at peace. my full review and creative, will be up on my blog in 30 minutes to an hour. my mood board will be up in less than 24 hours. #IronHeartTour #CaffeineBookTours #NinaVarela #Bookstagram #EpicReads #Book #YABooks

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This post plus this blog post took 2+ hours! It’s the most I have ever worked on a book tour. Goes to show that this is an amazing book.

DISCLAIMER: I RECEIVED A FREE ARC AS A PART OF THIS TOUR FOR THIS TOUR. THANK YOU CAFFEINE BOOK TOURS. THIS DID NOT INFLUENCE MY OPINION OF THIS BOOK. NO SPOILERS FOR IRON HEART IN THE REVIEW SECTION. SPOILERS FOR CRIER’S WAR.

Book Information

Title: Iron Heart
Author: Nina Varela
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication date: 08 September 2020
Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Synopsis:

An unstoppable love between two girls—one human, one Made—both set on destroying the Iron Heart.

For too long the cruel, beautiful Automae have lorded over the kingdom of Rabu, oppressing the humans who live there. But the human revolution is on the rise, and at its heart is Ayla. Once handmaiden, now fugitive, Ayla escaped the palace of Lady Crier, the girl Ayla had planned to kill . . . but instead fell in love with. Now Ayla has pledged her allegiance to Queen Junn, whom she believes can accomplish the ultimate goal of the human rebellion: destroy the Iron Heart. Without it, the Automae will be weakened to the point of extinction.

But playing at Ayla’s memory are the powerful feelings she developed for Crier. And unbeknownst to her, Crier has also fled the palace, taking up among travelling rebels, determined to find and protect Ayla.

As their paths collide, neither are prepared for the dark secret underlying the Iron Heart.

In this stunning sequel to acclaimed author Nina Varela’s Crier’s War, the love that launched a revolution must now pave the way for a whole new era . . . and the ultimate change of heart.

Review

Oh my gosh. I just finished this book yesterday, so everything is fresh in my mind. I do not have the words for this. Here is my review of Iron Heart by Nina Varela:

Crier’s War is by far one of the best debut YA novels of 2020. I fell in love with fantasy that focuses on royals again because of how amazing Varela is at writing: the worldbuilding, plot, and characters were so captivating. Now that is a trio. Master those three elements, and I am sure to love your book.

At the end of Crier’s War, Crier and Ayla were separated (crying face). Ayla and Benjy were going to Varn and Crier was planning to take down Kinok. I absolutely LOVE where Iron Heart starts off because it really feels like a natural flow from the end of Crier’s War to the beginning of Iron Heart. I knew Iron Heart was off to a great start.

And oh my gosh. Iron Heart is amazing from beginning to end. I felt the full range of emotions while reading this beautiful and perfect sequel. First of all, the world seems massively larger in this one because of the new locations we see and the new characters we meet. I LOVE travel in fantasy books because in the case of Iron Heart, I felt like I was actually traveling along with the characters. Furthermore, Varela is amazing at writing descriptions because, again, I feel like I am able to escape into every facet of this world, including the Queendom of Varn, and into the history of the world with the tidbits of history sprinkled throughout the book in between the chapters.

As for the plot, WOW. I love the fact that Iron Heart was faster paced because Crier’s War set up Iron Heart perfectly to do this. Crier’s War drew you slowly into a beautiful but deadly world by introducing the characters and the politics of the world, and Iron Heart takes you farther into how complex this world is with a plot that will have you gasping for breath (yeah. I felt very emotional when reading this book because I would scroll through the pages on my computer and felt so captivate. I finished this book in one sitting). Varela balances the political intrigue and action so well. The duality of Crier’s War and Iron Heart is what makes them work so well together: they complement each other.

Finally, the characters. Omg. I really wanted the best for Crier and Ayla and rooted for them the entire time. I love the fact that their personalities work so well together, and it feels like you are right beside them as they go on their journies throughout Iron Heart. I could read a book about them doing anything and be in love with them. Additionally, the sibling and friendship relationships!! Varela writes such beautiful relationships that made me realize that you should tell the people you love that you love them (yes, I am so soft over this duology).

All three of these elements work so well to create a stunning finale that will leave you on the floor as a pining and yearning mess.

Thinking Creatively

Books I Think Crier and Ayla Would Read.

I had so much fun making this photo! The stars represent Crier and Ayla’s star-crossed romance in Crier’s War, and the roses represent, well, romance! Once I get a copy of Iron Heart, I am taking so many pictures with it.

This feature is to take what I saw in Iron Heart and apply it further. There are so many books that I think Crier and Ayla would read based on [redacted] which happnes [redacted]. (If you’ve read the book, you know which part I am thinking of.) I chose these books for: their top tier world building and political intrigue.

  1. The Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy: I mean. The worldbuilding in the Crier’s War duology and the Girls of Paper and Fire trilogy? Amazing. I could live in these worlds forever, and they are vastly different fantasy worlds with unique plots and characters. Who do I think would read this? I think both Crier and Ayla. These are worlds where girls learn and advocate for themselves and each other. I feel like Ayla wouldn’t be afraid to yell at some of the character’s choices in Girls of Storm and Shadow, while Crier would smile softly at her. At the end, they would both comfort each other, and then read. . .
  2. The Never Tilting World duology: HELLO CRIER AND ODESSA BONDING? LAN AND AYLA BONDING? HELLO THE FOUR OF THEM? Wow, I need to write this fanfic. Crier and Ayla would 100% read The Never Tilting World and then develop a way for them to meet Odessa and Lan. Crier and Ayla would surely read this together, and I think they would definitely read it in one sitting. While Crier and Odessa are both princesses, they are quite different characters with different motivations, and I think their friendship would be amazing. They could discuss how it’s different/similar being a goddess who is also a princess and an Automa, who is also a princess. Meanwhile, Lan and Ayla would bond over how much they like to learn about the history of their worlds.

One of my goals is to write a fully fleshed out fanfiction where Crier, Ayla, Lan, and Odessa meet at some point in this tour to flesh out this idea a bit more. I had so much fun thinking about how I could take Iron Heart and think about it even more because this duology is going to stick with me for the rest of my life.

Nina Varela’s Biography:

Nina Varela is a nationally awarded writer of screenplays, short fiction, poetry, and novels. In May 2017, she graduated magna cum laude from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts with a BFA in Writing for Screen & Television. Crier’s War was her debut, and this is the sequel. She is originally from Durham, North Carolina, where she grew up on a hippie commune in the middle of the woods. She now lives in Los Angeles.

Author Links

Book

Thank you so much for reading! Here is the link to the tour schedule: https://caffeinebooktours.wordpress.com/2020/07/31/iron-heart-tour/. I hope you will follow along with the other tour hosts because this is my favorite tour I’ve been on.

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee: Colored Pages Blog Tour

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We Are Not Free by Traci Chee: cover.

Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy as a part of this tour. This did not impact my opinion, review, or anything else in any way. SPOILER FREE!

Title: We Are Not Free
Author: Traci Chee
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Genres: Historical YA Fiction 

Synopsis

All around me, my friends are talking, joking, laughing. Outside is the camp, the barbed wire, the guard towers, the city, the country that hates us. 

We are not free. 

But we are not alone.”  

From New York Times best-selling and acclaimed author Traci Chee comes We Are Not Free, the collective account of a tight-knit group of young Nisei,  second-generation Japanese American citizens, whose lives are irrevocably changed by the mass U.S. incarcerations of World War II. 

Fourteen teens who have grown up together in Japantown, San Francisco. 

Fourteen teens who form a community and a family, as interconnected as they are conflicted. 

Fourteen teens whose lives are turned upside down when over 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry are removed from their homes and forced into desolate incarceration camps. 

In a world that seems determined to hate them, these young Nisei must rally together as racism and injustice threaten to pull them apart.

Review

I went into this book with very little knowledge of what happened to Japanese people in the U.S. during WWII. I read a book for younger kids of a child at an incarceration camp about ten years ago, but as I read We Are Not Free, I soon realized that that other book was only one story about how people of Japanese ancestry were impacted by being forced into incarceration camps for years.

We Are Not Free details the lives of fourteen teens in these incarceration camps. What Traci Chee does with these fourteen POVs is amazing. All fourteen captivated me, and made me realize that there is a lot more to this time period in U.S. History than what I’ve been taught in schools. Yes, all fourteen of these teenagers are second-generation Japanese American citizens, and they all have different personalities and voices that are real. Because this is a real event in history.

The main themes I loved were hope and friendship. Chee allows her characters to be vulnerable and writes the human connection that really draws the reader into the story. This is a book that focuses on how friendships can be formed anywhere, and these teens did not have to be strong all the time. Hope can coexist with pain.

One storyline that I had no idea about before reading this book was that Japanese teens in these incaraceration camps were drafted into the U.S. military. Reading this storyline really impacted me, as did the entire book. I do want to talk about the author’s note as well: I hope every reader reads all the way through because Traci Chee dedicated a lot to this book. I also love the fact that Chee included a “Further Reading” and “Image Credits” section.

Overall, this book needs to be read. As someone who is going through high school in the U.S., this is a book I want to see in my classes for history and reading because to be perfectly honest, a lot of Asian American history is ignored, and it is disappointing that the incarceration of people of Japanese ancestry during WWII isn’t talked about more (at least in the school that I am at). I will 100% be advocating for Traci Chee’s book to become a part of my school’s curriculum because there is more to U.S. History than we’ve been taught.

Book Recs Based on We Are Not Free

  1. The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee: This is one of my favorite books of 2019. Jo Kuan works as a lady’s maid during the day and is an advice columnist by night. Jo is a Chinese American girl who lives in Atlanta around the year of 1890. Highly recommend. I am very pleased to see more books about Asian Americans in history.
  2. Butterfly Yellow by Thanhhà Lại: This book is about Hằng and her search for her brother, Linh. “In the final days of Việt Nam War,” Hằng and Linh go to the airport. Linh is taken to the U.S., and Hằng arrives in the U.S after him. Six years later, Hằng and Linh reunite. Butterfly Yellow is about family and friendships, and how your feelings matter.
  3. Outrun the Moon by Stacey Lee: I read this in 2016 as part of a Battle of the Books reading list, and it is one of my all time favorite historical novels. Mercy Wong is a Chinese girl who lives in San Francisco in 1906 in Chinatown, and is a motivated 15 year old. When an earthquake uproots her life and school, Mercy wonders what she can do to help. Just thinking about this book makes me want to re-read it.

I chose these three books because in the U.S, the history of Asians living in the U.S. needs to be taught more. These books, along with We Are Not Free, are helping grow the number of books about this subject. Asians have been in the U.S. for a long time, and this history needs to be learned. It is important to note that all of these books tell very different stories. There are so many parts of the history of Asians in the U.S., and this is vital to keep in mind.

Links to Buy:

Author:

Traci Chee is the New York Times best-selling author of The Reader trilogy. She studied literature and creative writing at UC Santa Cruz and earned a master of arts degree from San Francisco State University. She is Japanese American and was inspired to write We Are Not Free by her family’s experience during World War II. Some of the events she includes in the book are loosely inspired by their stories. She loves books, poetry and paper crafts, as well as bonsai gardening and games. She lives in California.

Author Links

Website: http://www.tracichee.com
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6567825.Traci_Chee 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tracicheeauthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tracichee
Tumblr: https://tracichee.tumblr.com/ 

Tour Schedule

August 30th

Book Rambler – Welcome post & interview
Mellas Musings – Favorite quotes 
Debjani’s Thoughts – Review Only 
Sophie Schmidt – Review in Gifts

August 31st

The Reading Fairy – Review Only
Her Book Thoughts – Favorite Quotes
What Irin Reads – Review Only

September 01st

Sometimes Leelynn Reads – Author Interview 
The Confessions Of A Music And Book Addict – Review Only 
Emelie’s Books – Mood Board
Too Much Miya – Fanart /Art related to the story

September 2nd

Yna the Mood Reader – Favorite Quotes
The Writer’s Alley – Review Only
Marshmallow Pudding – Favorite Quotes

September 3rd

Div Reads – Reading vlog
Clairefy – Review Only 
Know Your Books – Favorite Quotes 

September 04th

READING (AS)(I)AN (AM)ERICA – Book Recommendations Based on Book 
Per_fictionist – Favorite Quotes
Mamata – Review Only

September 05th

Wilder Girl Reads – Review Only 
Solace in Reading – Book Recommendations Based on Books 
A Fangirl’s Haven – Review Only

Solace in Reading 2.0: Addressing the Blog

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Hello everyone! Happy Friday! I once again decided to restart my blog for the second and final time. “But Isabella! You had a lot of posts! Did you just delete all of them? How are you going to address what happened with HOV?”

Yes, I deleted all but four. I even deleted my drafted posts. The four I kept are all related to The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. I will be publishing those over time since my Rin Analysis post got me the second highest amount of views ever. (Rin’s power knows no bounds.) It was easy for me because I didn’t care about these posts. Of course, I want to promote books I love. However, my book blogging experience was tainted when I did not proof-read my post for HOV, where I stated incorrectly that the protagonist of a book was Taiwanese American. She is Thai American. I’m not going to say “oh, I am a teenager, so I didn’t know” because I even wrote in my notes for the post that Winnie is Thai American. From now on, I will be re-reading my posts multiple times before publishing.

I am remaking myself while still acknowledging when I messed up. I also didn’t really think about whether I trusted HOV Tours or not because it was the first time I worked with them. After my mistake, I saw that other bloggers/online book people were negatively impacted by HOV (ex. not getting ARCs on time and a lot of other issues). From now on, I will only be working with tour companies that I 100% trust and also know the leaders of these companies. For example, I’ve been following Shealea @shutupshealea for a little over a year. I have always had great experiences with Caffeine Book Tours. (Watch out for my posts for Iron Heart and Spell Caster!) Also, Shealea is super kind and does so much work for this community.

Also, Colored Pages Book Tours: I know and follow two of their team members, who I’ve always had great interactions with. Fanna @ Fannatality and Rameela @ Star Is All Booked Up are both amazing bloggers, bookstagrammers, and people. They are always kind and transparent. I am on their tour for We Are Not Free, so also look out for that post! Even though I just started following them this year, I still trust them 100% because their website is very clear about their privacy policy AND the representation included in books.

One person who I’d like to shoutout is CW @artfromafriend, who recently said in a Tweet that “from now on, i’m going to stop calling my book recommendations ‘diverse book recs’ and just call them ‘book recs’. you may correctly assume ALL my recs are for diverse books.” I agree! It’s so important to be specific, and also to “normalise recommending diverse books because they’re good books, not just because they are diverse.” ALL CREDIT TO CW!! I need to start doing this, and instead of saying “This book has x rep” first, I will mention that I liked the plot, characters, more specific info, etc. And then I will mention the representation at the end.

Switching to another fact: I am an adopted Asian American (Filipino American, specifically). Therefore, I sometimes feel like an imposter when reading books with Asian American mcs’ because my parents who adopted me are white. I am still learning about my Filipino heritage, and started in sixth grade because I wrote an essay about the Philippines during World War II. In freshmen year, I did a project about Filipino women during WWII, and in sophomore year, I did a project about Filipino immigration to the U.S. from the time of the U.S.’ unjust colonization to the 1970s. While I may not have the same experience as first generation Asian Americans, I can still teach myself about my culture. Also, do not ask me if I think I was “stolen.” Do not ask any adoptee that. Adoptees are not a monolith, for example, I was born and adopted here in the U.S., which is different from being adopted from another country. For personal reasons, do not ask me about my adoption “story.” Families are not a monolith. Thanks!

Ok. Let’s get to the point: I need to make some changes on my blog. Here are five changes in a short list that I will expand on in another post:

  1. Post 3-4 times a week (or at least twice). I have one Dual Enrollment class and 3 AP classes. I do not have time to post everyday.
  2. Write more reviews.
  3. Re-read my posts before publishing them!!!!!
  4. Follow more blogs that I actually like. I love the blogs I follow!
  5. Be myself. For a while, I tried being someone I was not: I am a teen! I have a lot of my life ahead of me, and spent a lot of time in school worrying about grades. No more,

Ask me a question? I want to do a post where you get to know more about me that will go up in late September!

Where Dreams Descend? More like Where the Best Book of 2020 Descends. Review for WDD by Janella Angeles.

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happy book birthday to the incredible @janella_angeles ! here i am as Kallia! Janella, she means so much to me. especially as a Filipino American girl who didn’t see people who looked like her in fantasy novels until Rin Chupeco’s Wicked As You Wish, which came out just this March! i hope i’ve done Kallia justice and to continue improving my cosplays and edits. i am about a third through WDD and know that it’s going to be a #1 book of 2020 for me! i love Kallia and her strength. (as well as Demarco ☺️) listen. somehow the best photo is of me mid blink. i have so much respect for cosplayers and once i did this, i have 200% more. you have to get dressed, find a good place, take the photo, take more, edit the photos, crop, edit more, then add to instagram, add a caption, and hope people like it. i tried adding a filter but swipe to see the original picture and tell me if you like it better!!! huge thank you to @shutupshealea for her Asian Bookish Creators Directory. without you, i never would’ve gotten connected with @wednesdaybooks and @lifeinfiction to receive this AMAZING book. the package came with some other amazing items that will def be in my other instagram photos of this book. all of you made my week. #wheredreamsdescend #wednesdaybooks #janellaangeles #book #Bookstagram #YABooks #kingdomofcards #kingdomofcardsbook1 #WDD #wednesdaydesign #kalliacosplay #Kallia #KalliaWDD #KalliaxDemarco #DemarcoxKallia

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Me as Kallia! I am a modern day version of her. Clothes are from Forever 21 2019 winter season, I forget where the boots are from, and you can’t see but I am wearing Fenty Beauty lip gloss (highly recommend).

Everyone, I have just read one of my #1 books of 2020 (I refuse to pick favorites because guess what? I’ve given up on choosing just ONE favorite because I don’t need to.). The other best books are: The Silvered Serpents, These Violent Delights, The Archer at Dawn, Incendiary, and A Song of Wraiths and Ruin. Side note: I could go on but then this would just be a best books of January to August 2020 list. I also haven’t read Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest yet and it’s just sitting at the bookstore WAITING FOR ME. So I need to wait before adding more books to my list of faves.

Listen: I am improving my review skills BUT I want to do something fun: an interview with and by myself. So: here is an interview with me, Isabella, from me, Isabella, about Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles: NO SPOILERS.

Me: Why did you want to read this? Naysayers might say it’s a knockoff Caraval.
Me: Who would say that? If so, you’re probably one of those who compares The Gilded Wolves to Six of Crows: WDD and Caraval are NOTHING ALIKE!!!! I’d say WDD is better because 1. It’s more interesting, and 2. Basically EVERYTHING.

Me: Ok but why? What made you continue reading?
Me: The cover, the plot description, the fact that this was in a book box, the fact that so many people I trust loved it! It starts off slow but builds to a crescendo that was so unexpected and incredibly well-done. In spite of the fact that I would rather have good worldbuilding and characters OR good worldbuilding and plot, this was an excellent combo of a plot and character driven story.

Me: So who was your favorite character?
Me: Kallia. Absolutely. She is the protagonist of WDD, and is super ambitious. You know how there are those stereotypical “brooding bad boys” in YA? Or those girls like Aelin who want power but are just horrible people, so their thirst for power doesn’t read well? Kallia was a power-hungry, take no prisoners, brooding, secretive, angry, soft, and all around amazing heroine. She fights for herself in a world of sexism and in a world that is dominated by male magicians. However, Kallia also makes friends: I loved her friendship with Canary and with Aaros because she wasn’t using them. Kallia is a leader, but also knows that she doesn’t have to compete with the girls around her.

I’d also say that Aaros reminds me a bit of Kitay from The Poppy War. They have very different personalities, but both are there for their power-hungry friends no matter what, which I love! More friendships between girls and boys in YA are so needed.

And Canary! I would read a story with her POV for sure. I wish she played a bit of a bigger role instead of Jack, because the fact that she is in the Conquering Circus is so amazing and a lot cooler than Jack.

Demarco. Damn. It’s very rare for a love interest to captivate me since so many YA love interests are so alike (looking at Cardan, Rhysand, Rowan, Cal, Mal). Demarco was so sweet while also maintaining a hint of mystery around him (in a non-creepy way). It never felt like there was a power imbalance between him and Kallia.

Finally, Jack. Wow. This story’s villain wasn’t a person, more like sexism and girls being blamed for no reason. However, Jack was a super interesting character who I would also love to see more of. How did he get to Hellfire House?

Me: What did you think of the plot? Did the romance take over the story?
Me: The plot was more character driven while also incorporating action at the right moments. Janella balanced her intense descriptions with action and snappy dialogue. However, Kallia’s thirst for power never felt overdone or out of place. After all, it’s Kallia who saw the world and said no thank you, while also maintaining a sharp and intriguing personality.

This book is like stepping into a fancy restaurant dressed up to eat fancy foods and to also have a bit of fun with a mysterious stranger. The descriptions of Kallia’s dresses, how Demarco sees her, and the atmosphere all fit so well together. I just felt so empowered by how Kallia went after what she wanted while also being vulnerable at times.

The romance. Again, the fact that the LI asks for consent? One of the many reasons why I love Demarco. In fact, asking explicitly for consent? Hell yes.

Me: What do you want to see in the next book (no spoilers)?
Me: Janella Angeles could go A LOT darker. I would say that this book is definitely not juvenile, but with that ending, Angeles has the skills to try to write more intenesly. I would also like to see more worldbuilding because again, Angeles has the skills. This book is a freaking debut and it really does not read like one. Angeles put so much into this book, and to see her take some risks to make the sequel straddle the line between YA and Adult fantasy would be amazing to see (however, the romance is so perfectly written. I wouldn’t change anything.). A darker sequel would just be so cool. I mean, come on. Kallia has powers and I want to see her fight someone with them.

Well, me, how do you feel?

I feel shocked. She is the embodiment of who I want to be: confident, stands up for herself, and doesn’t care what others think of her. Janella Angeles is a voice in YA who needs to be read. I look forward to Kingdom of Cards Book 2, and I hope anyone reading this will pick up Where Dreams Descend. If you like strong girls, intense magic, girls who hunger for power, girls who dominate, and a book that flips the roles of girls and boys in a romance, then this is the book for you. (Also, Kallia looks like me, so that’s cool! I guess I also added this to my Wikathon TBR because I read it in a little over a day.)

Bookstagram: What am I changing?

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Hello everyone! If you’ve been following my bookstagram for a while, you know that I’ve had it since December 2018. I used to be @lives_in_ya_books, but decided to change my handle to @solaceinreading at the beginning of August. I don’t just read YA books anymore (because of The Poppy War), and I am getting older. It is time for a change.

What are my plans for Bookstagram?

My bookstagram is a product of work, time, and effort. I’ve worked it on since December 2018, coming up on two years this December!! I haven’t been as dedicated to something since rowing, which I participated in from September 2016 to March 2020, so about 3.5 years. I know I want to be a bookstagrammer longer because I can make friends (and already have so many amazing friends who I know are there for me), and love taking pretty pictures! I’ve developed real photography and writing skills. Here are five changes/updates I want to make:

  1. Not following a schedule. “Wait, don’t you have to follow a schedule to be sucessful?” Definitely not. I literally did not have a schedule from January 2020 to nearly the end of June. I still retained about 1,050 followers in spite of my sporadic posting, and that’s what I need to do when (takes deep breath) dual enrollment starts tomorrow. I like taking pictures when I want to take pictures. (Right now, I have no inspiration since I am waiting for Where Dreams Descend, lol.)
  2. Follow as many people as I want to. For some reason, I thought that I had to have more followers than people I was following. HOWEVER, I follow less people because now I can see that I have seen all the posts! I don’t see a million posts per day!
  3. Use stories less. I don’t want everyone to swipe through 15+ story posts per day because I really don’t need to be on Instagram as much as I am. I am going to make it so that I don’t feel like I need to post on my stories if I am not posting on my feed. I want to change my mindset from “this is a place to gain followers and free books” to “this is a place to meet friends and make life long connections.” (Lili @utopia.state.of.mind, ty for this!)
  4. Keep my Close Friends list limited. I like to rant there, and it is limited to people I’ve known for over a year.
  5. Maintain a theme. I like having organization online and offline. (If you ever meet me, you can get on my good side by talking about how much we both love pens and notebooks.)

What is your bookstagram (if you have one)? Would you be interested in advice posts about bookstagramming?

Meet the Blogger: Version 2.0

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Hello everyone! Recently, I learned that there are certain times every month when I should not be on my Instagram or blog. I also learned that I need to edit my posts before I publish them. However, this is not a post on what I am going to change on the blog. Those posts will be published on tomorrow and Wednesday. This is a post about me, Isabella @solaceinreading_ on Instagram, because I feel like a lot of people I would like connect with don’t know me (you can’t really know someone through the Internet anyway, but I can at least make the step of connecting postively with others). Here are five facts about me, five facts about my everyday life, and five facts about me and books:

Me

  1. I am a TEEN blogger!
  2. I could not live without any noodle/pasta based dish.
  3. I was adopted. Born in the U.S. and raised in the U.S. I don’t want to talk about this too much because it is a very personal subject, but I think people should know in case they want to recommend me a good book with an adopted Asian American main character.
  4. I am Filipino American. Even though the parents who adopted me are white, this doesn’t make me any less Filipino American and Asian American.
  5. I get very stressed over tiny things and tend to make things bigger in my head than they actually are in real life. (That is why I will be taking a two to three day break every month. Also, high school.)

My Everyday Life

  1. Yes, this is pre-pandemic: I used to row everyday from Monday to Friday from 4:15 to 6:15 and on Saturdays from 7:00-9:00 (I was a coxswain because I am five feet and one inch tall (154.94 centimeters)). I quit rowing for personal and pandemic reasons.
  2. I am a part of the Model United Nations club at my school. I have never won anything, but I am part of this club to have fun! I’ve learned a lot and am very sad that there might not be any in-person MUN events this year.
  3. I am very active in my school. Even though I mostly take classes with the grade above me, I still want to make my school the best it can be. Last year, I was a representative for my grade for Student Government, and hope to do it again this year! I also like volunteering for open houses (online this year, sadly), and setting up for dances.
  4. I love eating out in my city.

Me and Books

  1. In 2018, I started to broaden my reading tastes beyond a lot of problematic authors. Books like The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas and Love, Hate, and Other Filters introduced me to the online YA book community.
  2. In 2019, I read more books by authors of color that don’t have to do with social events. I’ve learned that while stories about pain are needed, there should be as many, if not more, about joy and happiness and fantasy worlds.
  3. In 2020, I set my reading goal at 100 books I never read before, with the intent of at least 75% being by authors of color. So far, 16/76 have been by white authors, so that means 79% of the books I’ve read this year have been by authors of color.
  4. I changed by bookstagram name from @lives_in_ya_books to @solaceinreading because I read more than YA (yes, The Poppy War trilogy by R.F. Kuang changed my reading tastes forever). I read a bit of middle grade because I think I grew up too fast and was very serious and cautious as a child.
  5. I started my bookstagram in December 2018. I have met so many amazing people and made some online friends who I’d love to meet in person someday. (I will for sure try to attend Book Con 2022 since that is when I will be a *senior!*)

Any other questions for me?