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Finale (Caraval Book 3) by Stephanie Garber

Alright, if I suddenly check myself into anger management, just know it was these books that forced me to do it. I swear, I have never known frustration (or self-hate) like these books have made me feel. I know that’s an interesting way to start a book review, but we’re in for a ride. Buckle up, kids!

Like I said, this book (and the entire series, if I’m being honest) has put me through it. For the first 200 pages, give or take, of each book I was honestly super uninterested and frustrated by the books. They felt childish and not well written and frustrated me with their lack of creativity. But, I was gasping a few times by the end of each of the plot twists, which surprised me each time. Now, unexpectedly enjoying a book by the end of it may be welcomed by most readers, but for me, I feel blind-sided and without taste whenever that happens. It’s like I thought I had a rigid, superior opinion about something and then caved and enjoyed something that’s not sophisticated. It’s a bad superiority complex, but I feel justified with it.

Having just read Crooked Kingdom and left the authentic, beautiful, complex world of SOC Leigh Bardugo created, it feels boring and uneventful to jump into a world like the one Stephanie Garber created in Caraval. I hate being a hater because I hate hating, but I’m just being honest when I say that there are different levels I saw clearly when I switched between both series.

Anyway, I did enjoy some parts of the story and the writing, especially most of the love story (Legend and Tella, NOT Julian and Scarlett—when did they become literally toxic?). Also, I’m intrigued with Jacks and have officially added him to my roster of fictional BFs. But, I realized his series is a trilogy as well and I don’t think I can put myself through another three books of Stephanies writing quite yet—sorry, Stephanie—so I don’t think I’ll jump right into them.

However, I would recommend this series for a certain type of person; specifically young girls (ages 10-13) who are just beginning their reading journey and are about to find their emotional support series that never leaves them. I saw a TikTok (haha, I know) the other day that said something along the lines of how the bond between a girl and the series she read when she was just falling in love with reading again is one of the strongest bonds. It’s so true; I’ll never forget reading the Off-Campus Series or Ranger’s Apprentice. They truly stuck with me and I think Caraval could do that for a whole other generation of girls today.

Genre: Y/A, fantasy, fiction, romance

Age: 11+

Rating: 6/10

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Legendary (Caraval Book 2) by Stephanie Garber

Okay, if this post is super short, please don’t hate me; I’ve had a backlog of book reviews and this is the third one I’m writing today at nine at night. I’m just the tiniest bit tired and this book definitely wasn’t my favorite of the last three I’ve read. However, I have some interesting observations about how this book made me feel to share with you guys.

Legendary is the second book in the Caraval trilogy and I’ve just ordered the third one, Finale, to finish this week or the next. That should be a precursor to my review and evidence of whether I enjoyed the series or not, but I also have more complex details to share. I actually didn’t fully enjoy this book until around 300 or so pages in. I had a similar experience with Caraval, as my enjoyment lagged in the middle and I was super turned around and confused with the complexity of the ending and all the lies. However, because I knew the rules of the game and how much to trust everything, Legendary turned out to surprise me with its sincerity.

I mostly didn’t enjoy the brunt of the book because I didn’t love the fact that it focused on Tella. From reading Caraval, I disliked Tella from the beginning and was always rooting for Scarlett over Tella. This feeling continued into Legendary, but I found it harder to dislike Tella because of the slow changes Stephanie Garber brought to their character. I hate it when authors do that; when they create a side character with obvious characteristics, flaws, descriptions, and ways of acting and then proceed to gaslight readers into thinking that character was never that way when they become the protagonist. It irks me to no end, and Stephanie Garber employed it in Legendary by slowly making Tella seem like less of a brat and less stupid than she actually was in Caraval. I might be okay with that change (especially if Tella’s now the main character I have to deal with) if Stephanie didn’t also change Scarlett into a complete ditz. I was fully angry by the end of the book when Scarlett got back so easily with Julian (snake, I hate him now).

Other than that, I liked the foreshadowing and game played throughout, similar to Caraval, and I always enjoyed never knowing what was coming next. I am officially a Jacks stan to my dying breath (although don’t quote me on that because look what happened to Julian) and I’m thinking of starting his series. I’ve heard it’s pretty good. Thoughts? Comments or concerns?

Genre: Y/A, fantasy, fiction

Age: 11/12+

Rating: 6/10

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The Atlas Paradox (The Atlas Series Book 2) by Olivie Blake

Alright, I’m back, people! I’ve officially posted my CK review, which you guys should check out if you haven’t already. I read that after I finished Sapiens a few weeks ago and then decided to give the second Atlas book a chance. I’ve actually started my summer job as an assistant receptionist and intern at a theater in NY, and a lot of my job is sitting at the front desk—perfect for getting through books quickly. That’s why I’ve been tearing through my summer reading list as fast as I have, although I haven’t found time to update you guys here. Anyway, let’s dive into The Atlas Paradox.

These books have kind of been a long journey for me, as it took a while for me to finish the first one (that was a year or two ago), and I haven’t felt a yearning to pick the series back up again. On top of that, even though I was invested when I finished the second book a week ago, I soon found out that the third isn’t coming out until 2025. FML!!! I hate when I get invested in a series and then the last one hasn’t come out yet, ie Royal Ranger Book 6. But, the fact that I’m angry about this does indicate I had a good time reading it, so let’s dive in.

I really like the intellectual aspect of these books, especially the scientific and existential topics they touch on. Although it’s not in-depth and it’s in a fictional world that doesn’t have the same rules, I do really enjoy that style of plot that gets my brain working and trying to put all the pieces together. That was part of the reason I went through the first book so slowly, but now that I understand the writing style, I definitely went faster the second time around.

I loved getting the core six again, and there are a lot of funny sibling-esque moments in this book of them. I physically need Tristan Caine, but that’s neither here nor there. I want Nico as a pet, because that’s what he is for the others, and I’m surprised by how much I like Parisa and Libby. Reina was never my favorite, though I relate to her the most, and Callum is an interesting if annoying presence. Also, Gideon is my babygirl and Ezra can jump off a cliff.

Again, I’m angry that I have to wait until next year to finish the series, but I definitely will get the third book when it comes out. I recommend this book for a special group of niche, history/psychology, and fantasy nerds, who love a good little bit of angsty rich kids getting into trouble and attempting to save the world. A super small group, but I would recommend it to those girlies.

Genre: historical fiction, dark academia, fiction, fantasy

Age: 13+

Rating: 8/10

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Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows Book 2) by Leigh Bardugo

I know, I know; before you even say anything about my absence from posting, please let me explain. Over the past three months, I’ve been busy beyond belief—finishing school, exams, traveling, family time, work(!), and preparing for my semester away. Trust me, I’ve been so busy I haven’t even had time to update my summer reading list at all. So, if you’ve been checking that post and wondering why there’s been no activity from me there, that’s why.

However, I’m NEVER too busy not to read, and I’ve especially loved indulging my Y/A and fantasy cravings. After I finished Sapiens, I knew I needed to finish up the Six of Crows duology. It had been calling my name from my bookshelf for a while, and I needed to give it another chance. I must have known that as soon as I got two chapters in, I would be hooked. And sure enough, I remembered how much I loved Leigh’s storytelling and world-building and how much I missed the characters. By the end of the book, I was super nostalgic and sad that it had ended. If anyone has access to it, please send me the petition to add another book to the series—you have my full endorsement.

Crooked Kingdom wasn’t just super fun and fresh because I got to revisit the world of SOC; I also loved getting the expanded version of the plot I saw on Shadow & Bone Season 2. I miss that show so much every day, and didn’t realize the duology’s plot was covered in both sessions, albeit condensed and switched around so that the Ice Court heist in SOC never happened but the Jan Van Eck/Pekka Rollins plot (minus Kuwei) did. Like any book series adapted into a show, it always pays to read the books first because the show inevitably cuts parts of the plot when adapting them.

Speaking of which (not me going on a different tangent), who’s excited for AGGGTM?????? I am so freaking ready, it’s insane!! I literally cannot wait. I was so excited for the 14th because I thought I could watch it by then, but it’s only been released on British streaming services, so I have to wait for August 1st. Ugh! Anyway, from the trailers I’ve seen it looks so incredibly well done and I can’t wait to show it to my friends and family. Sorry, sorry, I’ve completely left my review of CK—getting back on track now.

So, here are a few things I loved about CK and Leigh Bardugo’s writing of the SOC duology in general—I’m being specific here because I’ve read the Grishaverse series and didn’t love it as much as I’ve come to love SOC. I loved getting to see the characters again; they bring me such warmth and happiness and I just want them to be safely tucked away so that they can never be hurt again. Maybe that’s why some people are satisfied with leaving the series where things end up at CK because it’s an ending full of such possibilities and new beginnings—I really don’t want them to get into another scuffle or heist because then someone might be hurt (again). (BTW I did cry. I did. Iykyk, but I cried like a baby when I got to that part.)

I also loved Leigh’s style of world, because there are so many different ways to write fantasy, but I’ve really only seen the style of world-building that appears in the Grishaverse, ACOTAR, Fourth Wing, Cruel Prince, etc. By that, I mean, the kind of world that revolves around a “chosen one,” a confusing and blurry magic system (sometimes it’s not even a system, just a mishmash of stories), and so many plot holes I feel like I’m playing Mario Kart. Now, that’s definitely not to say I don’t like these books I mentioned (ACOTAR is one of my favorite series of all time, and I really liked Cruel Prince), but it does indicate a lack of super intense planning and skilled writing. In SOC and CK, I saw the complex, interconnected plot details that Leigh put together from the very beginning. It’s super satisfying and exciting for readers when that happens because it forces our brain to try to put the pieces together that have been laid far back and are difficult to uncover. It’s like a fun mind game and I loved seeing that in both books. I’ve also seen it in AGGGTM and a little bit in Caraval, which I’ll touch on in my review of Legendary (coming soon).

All in all, I loved this book and had a great time getting back into this series and world I enjoyed so much. But, is it a 10 that I’ll never be able to forget, like ACOTAR and Ranger’s Apprentice? Sadly, no. I’ll definitely think about it and I loved it, but I won’t re-read it or never, ever let the characters leave my brain.

Genre: fantasy, fiction, Y/A

Age: 12/13+ (idk, nothing graphic except Kaz’s insanity but the plot is complex)

Rating: 9.5/10

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Summer 2024 Reading List

Happy summer, guys! I hope you are all enjoying breaks from school and/or warm weather, depending on where you are. I’m certainly having a great time in between school/exams and beginning my job in July. I almost always create a summer reading list of all the books I want to read over the months. This list consists mostly of academic and smart literature, but I’ll also put in quick fantasy or romance books just for fun. Arguably, the summer is my favorite time to read because there’s so much time without school to get invested in many books. So, enjoy my reading list for this summer, follow along if you want, or comment recommendation you have for me!

  • Legendary (Caraval Book 2) by Stephanie Garber
  • Finale (Caraval Book 3) by Stephanie Garber
  • The Atlas Paradox (The Atlas Series Book 2) by Olivie Blake
  • Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows Book 2) by Leigh Bardugo
  • Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari
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Think Again by Adam Grant

Hey, guys! Long time no see. It’s been a while since I posted a book review, although I think my most recent post reviewing books was on my YT channel about all the books I read in February. So, yeah, it’s been a hot minute since I posted anything—sorry!

Let’s jump right into all the updates I have for you guys and then we’ll talk about this book I just finished—the last time I posted I was still in school and studying intensely for exams. Since then, I finished the school year last week and finished taking my exams before then, in the first two weeks of May. Exams were so hectic and intense, and now I have nothing to do but agonize over the wait until I get my scores back in July. But, there’s nothing I can do to change them and I’m glad I’m finally done with studying myself to death. Also, I had a fun and bittersweet end to the rest of my classes, so I left the school year pretty happy and sad at the same time to be going away next semester.

I spent all of May in Philly, studying and taking exams, and then hanging with friends and family once those were over. Then, we all flew to Chicago for my eldest sister’s graduation. I still can’t believe she’s done with college and will get her first job and fully start her adult life in NYC. The graduation was rainy and some of the family weren’t able to make it, but we had a great time and then flew back to the boat, which my parents sailed during May up the East Coast to South Carolina. Having the boat in the US feels a bit odd, mostly because we’ve never done it, but we’re also showing my dad’s family, who live in South Carolina, the boat for the first time. We have a bit of a family reunion over the next week, and then begin sailing Daf farther up the East Coast to Connecticut.

Well, that mostly sums up my life over the past month so I don’t have to write a full-length (boring) summer post. Now I can focus on this super awesome book I read last week during the graduation. It’s by Adam Grant, who’s an organization psychologist, has written several other books, has a podcast, and teaches at Wharton Business School in Philly. I love reading psychology books and this one was especially interesting.

It focused on rethinking and opening our minds to opposing ideas, arguments, concepts, or discussions. This is such a universal concept that translates to every aspect of today’s world, and I felt that I learned so much important stuff reading it. Additionally, it’s a book that could benefit literally every person in the world because it’s about the universal human experience and how our brains attach to concepts and values that we need to rethink constantly. I learned how to approach conversations or people with more emotional distance, how to think more like a scientist, and how to value and understand opposing opinions.

Again, I think this book can change everyone’s opinions on arguing, the increased polarization we face today, how to approach others who have different opinions than you, and how to rethink your own values and opinions.

Genre: psychology, self-help, non-fiction

Age: 13+

Rating: 9.5/10

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Summer 2024 TBR!

Hi, all! Summer is officially here for me and I am out of school—thank Taylor! I’ve been reading lots, as I always do in the summer, but I thought I would make an official summer reading list of all the books I’ve been “saving up” to read over the summer, as well as an update whenever I read any of them. This way, you guys can follow along, maybe add a few of these to your own, or suggest more to me. Enjoy and hope you all read a lot over the summer!

  • Moby Dick by Herman Melville
  • Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harrari
  • Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
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Ranger’s Apprentice: The Early Years Series by John Flanagan (Books 1 & 2)

Hello, one and all! It’s been a long minute since I’ve posted a book review, or any post at all, really, but I thought I’d pop in for a quick summary of the Ranger’s Apprentice prequel series The Early Years. I LOVE the Ranger’s Apprentice series—no, I don’t think you understand how much that series rules my absolute soul. It’s that series that basically raised me, similar to the role that Percy Jackson or The Hunger Games played for a lot of kids; that was Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan for me. But, after quite a few re-reads, the 11-book series didn’t have any new content to entertain. Don’t get me wrong, I loved re-reading my favorite books, but I also loved reading new stories with all my favorite characters. For me, the series was almost like my version of a soap opera—lots of gasping and side commentary necessary.

So, I just assumed that the series had ended and never looked back at these childhood books. But, about a week ago, scrolling through my Kindle library for something to read, I saw some new John Flanagan titles and had to check them out. Turns out, Uncle John has been writing spin-off series from the original Ranger’s Apprentice universe since 2015! Omg, I couldn’t believe my eyes! I did know about the Brotherband Chronicles, which is another successful spin-off series about a Skandiand crew, and I’ve read about three of those, but I didn’t know there were more from that series or there were other series. My mind was officially blown.

Naturally, I had to check them out and sped straight through the two prequel books in the prequel series The Early Years. Both books follow Crowley, Halt, and Duncan primarily as they rebel against Morgarath’s incoming usurpation of the throne. I loved seeing the backstory of those characters, as well as the battles that were so important in the first book of the Ranger’s Apprentice main series, which I felt didn’t explain Morgarath’s rise to power so well. I also just loved being immersed back into my favorite childhood books and had the most fun seeing old characters when they were young.

Probably my favorite part was seeing Halt as a 20-something making all the same mistakes as any other person (Will) because he always seemed un-beatable and superhuman when I read the original series. Also, we get to see how Halt and Pauline met in the prequel books, which had me dying on the floor from laughter. It was classic!

All-in-all, there are no words that describe returning to your favorite childhood series that shaped who you are today and having it be familiar yet different at the same time. Currently, I’m reading the spin-off series The Royal Ranger, which follows the next generation of the characters from the original series and I’m loving it as well. My favorite books of all time, hands down, and I can’t recommend them enough.

Age: 8-12 (obviously including me as well)

Genre: Fantasy, adventure, coming-off-age

Rating: 10/10

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Caraval by Stephanie Garber

All right, we’re back with another book review! It hasn’t been that long since I wrote a review because I posted the Iron Flame review about a week ago. But, I did read one book between that and this one, Caraval, which I didn’t think was worthy of a lengthy review because it didn’t feel like the type of content you guys might be looking for. But, if you’d like to hear about it (it’s called Less is More by Jason Hickel), I will post a review. Now, back to business!

I read Caraval in about two days, which is pretty close to my record of a day and a half (no surprise, that was Icebreaker), but I think that’s a pretty big indication of how much I liked the book. It was a super cool and fun world, and the layout and structure felt similar to a heist, fantasy book, so I loved the vibes of Six of Crows that it gave me. I love Six of Crows, so that was definitely a pro. But, it was unquestionably Y/A, had little smut/physical romance, and was a super simplistic writing style. That’s probably why I flew through it; I was super engaged the whole way through and could understand what was going on easily.

That’s not to say the plot twists and turns didn’t surprise the heck out of me, because they did. I was gasping and nuh-uh-ing for my life in the last half of the book, which gave me such an awesome feeling of drama, theatrics, and high tensions. That was the vibe of basically the whole book, and it was absolutely what I needed. I have little to no complaints about this book. Would it be one of my all-time favorite books? No. Did it change my life and force me to question my soul? Nope. But it took me back to parts of my childhood while also appealing to my taste in books right now. I loved the Six of Crows vibes, the fantasy and tension, and the colorful, magical, performance world. It was difficult not to visualize everything about the book, which is one of my favorite things to do, so I enjoyed that as well.

In conclusion, I had lots of fun reading Caraval, breezed through it, and didn’t see the plot twists coming—but then again, I never do. It was a great read for me to have at the moment and a perfect world to escape to, which is what I love about fantasy and fiction.

Genre: Y/A, fantasy, fiction, light romance

Age: 12+

Rating: 8/10

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Iron Flame (Fourth Wing Book 2) by Rebecca Yarros

Alright, I’m back! I know everyone was missing me, but have no fear—I have returned! I was reading this book over a vlog that will be posted in a few weeks and I want to write a review of it as well. So, here goes!

I’d like to start by saying that I know for certain that I didn’t like the book as a whole more than I liked Fourth Wing. In my opinion, Fourth Wing was cohesively better and had more of a distinct plot, whereas Iron Flame added so much new world-building and elements to the story that I not only couldn’t keep track of what was happening, but I just wasn’t as invested in the story anymore. Not to say I didn’t have a good time and wasn’t losing my mind over the ending, but it’s just an observation I had comparing the two books. So, I’d have to say that whatever I rate Iron Flame, it’s going to be less than I rated Fourth Wing.

One thing that got on my nerves in Iron Flame was how much the new elements of the story painted Xaden in a bad light for most of the book. Firstly, he and Violet were fighting for over half the book, and his “terms” for their relationship were bogus. I mean, trusting his secrets? Sorry, if my life was put at risk multiple times for his secrets, if he hid my un-dead brother from me for a year, forced me to lie to my friends and family, and then refused to tell me any of his secrets because it’s “for my own good”? Yeah, I think I’d just be a little wary and at least set some boundaries up. But even then, he is so insulted by her being less blindly trusting of him. Excuse me for taking Violet’s side, but it’s so difficult to take Xaden’s throughout the book.

However, he does redeem himself a bit at the end and I understand that it’s just his nature to hide everything because he’s been threatened and hunted for his whole life. I can understand it, I just wish he would be more trusting and open with Violet. That’s my two cents.

On another note, I loved seeing some of my favorite characters get more space in the book, like Rhiannon, Mira, Ridoc, and Violet’s mom, Lilith. I love Rhiannon especially and sometimes the side characters can carry the whole story; here they definitely did. But, again, the rapid and complex world-building throughout made it so difficult to stay with the characters. I was constantly trying to figure out who they were fighting, why this thing that happened was significant, who owed who a debt, or where the heck they even were in the continent. Thankfully, Rebecca finally included a full map, but even so, there’s just a million and one pieces that I’m not invested in enough to keep in my brain. I am capable of keeping track of world-building and I’ll reread or think through the world-building to understand it if need be, but this just wasn’t good world-building.

Y’all know I rate books mainly off their vibes, and that’s the case with Fourth Wing. I rated it 10/10 at that time (not sure if I’d still rate it that) because the vibes and the energy were kept so high throughout, which I loved. However, Iron Flame didn’t have the same vibes at all points in the story, and as the world-building took front and center, the energy and pace were kind of second place. This made it not as memorable to me and also lowered it in my rating. However, I’ll admit I had a good time, which you’ll see if you watch the vlog, and I’ll probably continue with the series when the next book comes out, only because I need to know what happens to Xaden!

Genre: fantasy, romantasy, fiction, Y/A

Age: 14+

Rating: 7/10