Hello everyone! I wanted to share my entry for Bloomsbury's Heir of Fire contest, and show you some of the process (and some outtakes from the 'shoot'). First, here's my final product... it was made to be the size of a desktop wallpaper, so if you want to see the bigger version, just click the picture.

When I'd heard about this contest a few days ago, I knew this was what I wanted to do. Of course, the final product doesn't look exactly like my mental image of what I'd hoped to achieve, but it's a close as I could get it. The quote I picked was what immediately came to mind when I decided to try my hand at making fanart. It's a heavily used quote in the fandom on Tumblr, but for good reason. It encapsulates an important aspect of Celaena's character so well.

Let's get into the process!

I totally failed on this month's TBR, seeing as I only got around to one of the three books I'd 'planned' to read... but considering I also managed to finish a total of 10 books, I'm not feeling too ashamed.

Dune by Frank Herbert
5 Stars
Will have a full review up on my channel in the very near future.
I'd decided in my first quarterly wrap-up of the year that I wanted to try to get into more science fiction in the remainder of 2014. It was only natural that I start with a classic, and I'm so glad that I did! Dune is a masterpiece, and I'm so excited to get into more sci-fi. (I've even started watching Star Trek recently because I'm having Dune/sci-fi withdrawals and don't have access to the sequels! Not to mention the fact that my desktop wallpaper is still, weeks later, this gorgeous piece of Dune art.)

The One by Kiera Cass

2 stars

Have a full written review that you can read here.

I've had a pretty weird relationship with the Selection Trilogy, and I'm glad to say that it's over. I'd read the first two books last year, and awarded them 3 stars and wasn't blown away by them. The One was a massive let down, and I was more annoyed than entertained by this installment. The world-building was non-existent. The plot resolution was nowhere to be found. The character 'development' in numerous characters was either implausible or contrived. All in all, disappointing but I wasn't expecting much to begin with.

City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
3 stars
After reading The One I was in the mood for a "meh" book. It's a weird habit of mine, but sometimes I just read books that I'm not expecting to love but find easy to read. Call it masochistic, if you will. City of Ashes was my pick to suit that mood, and it worked. I've been wary of The Mortal Instruments for awhile (they read like HP fanfiction to me, which annoys me endlessly) but with the oncoming release of the final installment, it was a good time to pick these books up again.

Amulet, Volume 1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi

4 stars

My brother turned 9 this month, and he had no idea what he wanted from anyone (SHOCKER! Normally he has 500 video games on his wishlist) so I, of course, decided to get him books. I chose the first two volumes of Amulet, and wanted to read them before I gifted them. They were enjoyable reads. The art was well done, the story was pretty standard and rife with tropes, but for what it is... it's very good. My brother read volume one and enjoyed it - not sure if he's read volume two just yet! (He's obsessed with Minecraft fanfiction or whatever that stuff is called...)

Amulet, Volume 2: The Stonekeeper’s Curse by Kazu Kibuishi
4 stars
Don't really have much to say about the second volume in contrast to the first, but I did really enjoy some of the characters introduced (or fleshed out) in this second installment!

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

4.5 stars (rounded up to 5 on Goodreads)

At the time I read A Monster Calls, I was in the mood to read but not to commit. This was a good book to pick up, because it's quite a quick read. The illustrations in A Monster Calls are beautiful, as is the lesson it offers up to the reader. I wasn't terribly blown away by the writing style or the plot, but again, the themes of this book hit home and it accomplishes what it seeks to accomplish. Definitely have tissues on hand if you decide to pick this up. Even if you're like me and you knew what would happen in the end, it's not going to keep you from crying your eyes out. 

The Chronicle of Secret Riven by Ronlyn Domingue
3 stars
Have a full written review that you can read here.
I was so excited to have been approved for an ARC on NetGalley of The Chronicle of Secret Riven, after having loved its predecessor, The Mapmaker's War. Unfortunately, as I stated in my review, the things that made The Mapmaker's War so great for me were lacking in this installment. While the character development was still great.. the story was lacking, the writing was indulgent, and there was too much of a disconnect between the two books. Still looking forward to the next book in the series, however.

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

3.5 stars

I decided to keep going with The Mortal Instruments series, and I haven't got much to say about the other installments. Of those that I've read at this point, this was my favorite... but only just. Hence the mere half star rating improvement.

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
4 stars
I needed a quick book to read in-between the third and fourth books of The Mortal Instruments, and I'd just found The Rithmatist in the bargain section of Books-A-Million... so naturally I decided to pick this up. It was just what I needed! Brandon Sanderson is obviously an excellent writer, so no real complaints here. It didn't get five stars because the plot felt a little standard and predictable, the world-building was slightly lacking and I wasn't blown away by anything that happened... but it was a solid book, all-in-all.

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

3 stars

Again, not much to say about another book from The Mortal Instruments. I had less of those pervasive "THIS IS JUST HP FANFICTION" thoughts, but the plot was so melodramatic that it didn't feel like an improvement at all. This actually gave me a bit of a book hangover, which made it hard to continue with the series. My plan to finish the series before the end of the month inevitably failed because of it.

Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy (Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant) has captured the hearts and thoughts of millions of readers. In Divergent Thinking, YA authors explore even more of Tris and Tobias’ world, including    • What Divergent’s factions have in common with one of psychology’s most prominent personality models • The biology of fear: where it comes from and how Tris and the other Dauntless are able to overcome it • Full-page maps locating all five faction headquarters and other series landmarks in today’s Chicago, based on clues from the books • Plus a whole lot more, from why we love identity shorthand like factions to Tris’ trouble with honesty to the importance of choice, family, and being brave.With a dozen smart, surprising, mind-expanding essays on all three books in the trilogy, Divergent Thinking provides a companion fit for even the most Erudite Divergent fan.

Divergent Thinking: YA Authors on Veronica Roth's Divergent Trilogy

Standalone Anthology/Companion to the Divergent Trilogy

Non-fiction

4 out of 5 stars

Warning: Divergent Thinking has spoilers for all three novels in the Divergent trilogy.

The Divergent Trilogy, for me, started strong and became progressively weaker. The world-building and the revelations of the final book that revealed how Chicago became what it was were both partially implausible and boring. YA Dystopian novels are great for two reasons - firstly, there tends to be a lot of action and a fast pace. The Divergent trilogy held up this end of the bargain for most of its run. Secondly, the world-building and/or themes allow for a more thought-provoking experience. The trilogy didn't deliver this for me. Divergent Thinking filled in most of what I felt the trilogy lacked, providing insights that allowed a deeper, more speculative look into the series and the Divergent world. For someone left so disillusioned and dissatisfied at the end of the trilogy, this was a perfect book to pick up.

Divergent Thinking contains a dozen essays written by an equal amount of YA authors. Each takes on a topic; from the pros and cons of the faction system to why Dauntless, as a military body, failed in its goals. As with most anthologies, some of the essays are stronger than others. My favorite of the collection was "Fear & The Dauntless Girl" by Blythe Woodston, which pleasantly surprised me. The essay looked at the biology of fear (in an interesting way! I promise it's not like reading a biology textbook) and what factors in Divergent's Chicago groomed its people for violence and rebellion. I found this to be the most insightful of the anthology, while still remaining readable and entertaining.

The main critique I have of Divergent Thinking is that some of the essays became a little repetitive. It didn't seem like there was any correspondence between the contributors, since so many of them wrote about ridiculously similar topics. The factions in particular seem to be a very popular topic, but it got old fast. The factions in Divergent were never anything I found incredibly thought provoking, and I had already made a lot of the connections the authors made in their essays... so these were slightly tedious to get through. The first two essays in the collection are both making comparisons between the factions and personality types. If the essays hadn't been put together, maybe it would have been a little less obvious and a little more bearable.

I think Divergent Thinking has something to offer every Divergent fan, even those of us who were left feeling unsatisfied with the trilogy's conclusion.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

One thousand years after a great conflict known as The Mapmaker’s War, a daughter is born to an ambitious historian and a gifted translator. Secret Riven doesn’t speak until her seventh year but can mysteriously communicate with plants and animals. Unsettled by visions and dreams since childhood, she tries to hide her strangeness, especially from her mercurial father and cold mother. Yet gentle, watchful Secret finds acceptance from Prince Nikolas, her best friend, and Old Woman, who lives in the distant woods.
When Secret is twelve, her mother receives an arcane manuscript to translate from an anonymous owner. Zavet suffers from nightmares and withdraws into herself. Secret sickens with a fever and awakens able to speak an ancient language, one her mother knows as well. Suddenly, Zavet dies. The manuscript is missing, but a cipher has been left for Secret to find.
Years later, Secret becomes a translator’s apprentice for Fewmany, an influential magnate, who has taken an interest in her for reasons she cannot discern. Before Secret learns why, Old Woman confronts Secret with the truth of her destiny—a choice she must make that is tied to an ancient past.

The Chronicle of Secret Riven by Ronlyn Domingue

Second book in The Keeper of Tales Trilogy

Sequel to The Mapmaker's War

Fantasy

 3 out of 5 stars

The Chronicle of Secret Riven is a slightly disconnected sequel to The Mapmaker's War, which I have also reviewed and really enjoyed. This sequel takes place in the same world, but thousands of years after the first book. As such, there are many cultural shifts that have taken place and new characters to be introduced. This book and the following book are set up to be more of a duology, with The Mapmaker's War being a prequel set in the distant past and the final two books following the same character's story. While The Mapmaker's War easily stands on it's own, The Chronicle of Secret Riven cannot stand apart from its coming sequel without feeling incomplete. You do not need to read The Mapmaker's War to read The Chronicle of Secret Riven, but I would recommend that you do. It adds a layer to the story that those who haven't read the first book will miss.

A lot of what I loved about The Mapmaker's War was missing in The Chronicle of Secret Riven. Whereas I highly enjoyed the unique writing style - the fact that the first book was written in second person narration - this second installment went for a more conventional style. The fact that the second installment not only follows different characters in a completely changed future-world, and the vast change in writing style, creates a massive disconnect between the two books. While Domingue still showcases her ability to create enthralling characters for a massively character-driven fantasy story, that felt like the only element of the story that remained similar to its predecessor.

Our main character, Secret, was an interesting one to follow. In this installment, we see her grow from a mute child, discriminated against for her disability and for her race (she is a person of color), to a young woman applying to University. This gives the book a more Young Adult feel. Even though I loved Secret, I felt we saw too much of her. This book is twice as long as its predecessor, and unnecessarily so. We recount every year of her life in too much detail, which developed more of her characterization than any the plot. While Domingue's books are driven by the characters more-so than the story, we could have known just as much about Secret in less words rather than recounting every situation in which she is bullied by other kids or her mother gets angry at her (which happens a lot).

The development of the world that we originally see in The Mapmaker's War was intriguing. There are interlude chapters, short and written in a style more reminiscent on the first book, that lay out the setting clearly for the reader. While I found the setting to be interesting, and the additions of new technologies to add a different element unseen in the first novel, these interlude chapters felt unneeded. I ended up skimming them for the most part, because I felt the visuals and information provided were already sufficiently supplied in the normal chapters. The interlude chapters were more confusing than helpful, since I was never quite sure why they were needed.

The Chronicle of Secret Riven, in the end, could have used significant trimming and perhaps stopped a little further into Secret's tale. The end of the book didn't feel like an end at all, and nothing was really accomplished aside from Secret growing up and coming into her powers. Mysteries that were alluded to remain unsolved. The story remains unfinished, despite the fact that it clocks in at 400 pages and has more than enough space to wrap up more plot-lines than it attempted to.

I am still looking forward to the next book, since the mysteries hinted at in this installment were quite interesting and I would love to see where this goes... I just wish this book had provided more.


I was provided a review copy by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

                Monday Missions was created over on Youtube by A Thousand Lives of Daisy as a way to make reading goals for the week. I’ve always thought these were preferable to monthly TBRs (which honestly, who really ever accomplishes reading everything they planned to read in a month?) so I figured I’d try it out this week.

                I’ve got a busy work week coming up, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to read, but I'm hoping to finish up 3 books! So my goal this week is to...

Finish The Mortal Instruments Series! 
(Books 4-6)

              I had read City of Bones ages ago and vowed that I would never finish the series, but the hype surrounding tomorrow’s release of the final installment, City of Heavenly Fire, has me feeling like I need to read them just to be ‘in the know’. Last week I managed to read the second and third book, City of Ashes and City of Glass. I’m now reading the fourth book, City of Fallen Angels, and will hopefully get around to City of Lost Souls and maybe City of Heavenly Fire? This series is my main priority for this week, reading wise, and If I actually manage to finish the series I will feel uber accomplished. The main reason I want to have it finished this week is because of spoilers. The internet is rubbish at keeping secrets about the final books in series. The book isn't even out yet and there are already spoilers! This isn’t my favorite series in the world, but it’ll be nice to have it finished and to know what the heck everyone is going on about.

If I do manage to finish these books before the week ends, I have no idea what I'll pick up afterwards. Hopefully something from my bookshelf! (My TBR pile may be small compared to some, but having all of these unread books makes me anxious!)

What will you be reading this week?

This will be the map of your heart, old woman. In an ancient time, in a faraway land, a young woman named Aoife is allowed a rare apprenticeship to become her kingdom’s mapmaker, tasked with charting the entire domain. Traveling beyond its borders, she finds a secretive people who live in peace, among great wealth. They claim to protect a mythic treasure, one connected to the creation of the world. When Aoife reports their existence to her kingdom, the community is targeted as a threat. Attempting to warn them of imminent danger, Aoife is exiled for treason and finds refuge among the very people who had been declared her enemy. With them, she begins a new life surrounded by kindness, equality, and cooperation. But within herself, Aoife has no peace. She cannot share the grief she feels for the home and children she left behind. She cannot bear the warrior scars of the man she comes to love. And when she gives birth to their gifted daughter, Aoife cannot avoid what the child forces her to confront about her past and its truth. On this most important of journeys, there is no map to guide her. In this tale—her autobiography— Aoife reveals her pain and joy, and ultimately her transformation. 

The Mapmaker's War by Ronlyn Domingue First book in The Keeper of Tales Trilogy Fantasy

 4.5 out of 5 stars
Rounded up to 5 on Goodreads. 

There are books that take risks and pay for it with polarizing reviews. The Mapmaker’s War is one of those books, but luckily, I was one of those who really enjoyed it. Set up as an autobiography as a woman living in an ancient kingdom, we follow the life of an aspiring mapmaker and the war that comes about as a result of her ambitions. This review will mostly be concerned with the elements of this book that I considered risky, so that you can go into this with a better guess of whether or not this book is for you. 

Seeing as this is meant to be a memoir of sorts, The Mapmaker’s War is character-driven rather than plot-driven. The ending it more of a fizzling out than a big bang, since most people’s lives tend to calm down towards the end… especially if they have the time to be settling down and writing a book about their life. The conflict is largely internal, and the ending reveals no big twist or battle scene. Anyone who goes into this thinking they need to trudge through the first half to reach some imagined action-packed second half are making a mistake.

Being written in an unconventional style, namely the fact that it’s written in second person rather than the more commonly used first or third person, this may be hard to get into for some. This writing style made for an intimate reading experience in my case. I know readers used to a more common style will be put off, and if you can’t get used to it by the third chapter, you’ve probably got very little hope of adjusting to the book.

Gender, specifically what it means to be a woman, is a big theme in this book. Domingue seems to manage a feminist flavor in all of her books (There is one I’ve yet to read, but even the synopsis reveals the feminist spin), and The Mapmaker’s War in particular deals with some sensitive topics, i.e. reproductive rights. Those interested in either feminism or gender studies will probably get more out of what this novel has to offer.

The characterization in The Mapmaker’s War reflects the story as a whole. This is a mix of history and mythology, of ‘reality’ and fairytales. This is true of the characters as well, in a way. Our cast of characters contains individuals that are archetypal but real. While they are inspired by archetypes, they don’t come off as cardboard cutouts at any point in the story.

Overall, I loved this book and couldn't put it down. Would recommend to those willing to try something new!

(Summary may contain spoilers if you haven't read the earlier books in the trilogy) The Selection changed America Singer's life in ways she never could have imagined. Since she entered the competition to become the next princess of Illéa, America has struggled with her feelings for her first love, Aspen--and her growing attraction to Prince Maxon. Now she's made her choice . . . and she's prepared to fight for the future she wants.

The One by Kiera Cass

Third Book in The Selection Trilogy

YA/Romance/'Dystopia'

 1.5 out of 5 stars
he Selection Trilogy was never my favorite. They work well as quick, light-hearted (and weirdly addictive) reads, but don't offer much more than that. This is one of those trilogies that should have been a standalone. There isn't enough story to warrant three separate books! If you're reading this review, however, you've probably already invested in this series. I definitely recommend you read this if you've read the first two books, The Selection and The Elite, even if I didn't enjoy this final installment. It's worth at least knowing the conclusion, even if it is ridiculously predictable.

The majority of the issues I had with this book are identical to those I had with the first two books. While these books are labeled as dystopia, the dystopian elements are superficial in their influence on the story. We're given a caste system and some people who don't like it and boom! Dystopian qualification obtained. The world-building was lacking in favor of the petty conflicts faced by America and her two love interests, which may be fine for some, but left me unsatisfied. The relationships between the characters were equally as shallow as the world-building, but were given much more attention in all of the books. 

While I found the first two books to be somewhat fun, The One didn't live up to that. After awhile, the conflict caused by characters refusing to communicate properly over the span of multiple books, the laziness shown towards the world-building and towards the plot points developed surrounding the 'rebels' (which is not at all resolved, at least not in a satisfying or plausible way), and the out-of-character behavior shown by some of the main characters for the sake of adding drama to the story... The One was more aggravating than enjoyable.

Again, I still recommend this to those invested in the series, as a lot of readers really enjoyed this last installment. I just wasn't one of them.