Books I Read and Other Assorted Oddities

This was a series that I was really excited to finish. I loved The Paper Magician  and The Glass Magician , so I was excited to read this one. Ceony Twill has a hidden secret: she can perform all the types of magic. She has discovered the secret to unbinding and rebinding to different materials. She has one last hurtle before she's a full magician: the test. Emery has decided that he will not be the one giving the exam, and instead passes Ceony to another folder: Magician Bailey. As Ceony arrives at Bailey's house, she discovers the depth of his dislike for Emery, and that seems to have passed onto her. Now, with Saraj Prendi on the loose, Ceony decides to track him down herself, fearing for her family. Overall, I did really enjoy this book. I loved Ceony, though she did feel a bit whiney this time. She cleverly managed to solve all of the problems in the book, and I loved her method of solving all of the questions on her magician's test. I thought that the plot was overall...

 I thought it might be fun to look at my reading challenge from last year and look at what I enjoyed the most. I picked my top 5 favorite books from 2022 to highlight one more time. Choosing only five was actually more difficult than I imagined, since I had a lot of favorites. It was also hard to rank them if I'm completely honest, but here is my list! #5 - The Girl Who Drank the Moon  by Kelly Barnhill I loved this book. I loved the whimsical storytelling style and the plot. I loved the characters and how they were developed. I loved how the author carefully crafted the foreshadowing and how she carefully guided you through the mystery of Xan's memories. Overall, this book was so well written. Even though it was a middle grade book, I found myself unable to put it down. #4 - I Must Betray You by Ruta Sepetys If you've followed my blog, then you probably know that I don't usually care much for Ruta Septys's writing. It's not that I dislike the stories she tells,...

This is a novella that I picked up from Audible and listened to in an afternoon. It's short and interesting, and I liked it. Because my understanding of the Cosmere is limited, I didn't really understand where this fit in, so it might be good for readers to do a little bit of background research before diving into the book. Some things I did love about this: It was written in 3rd person limited, and the voice of the character is very unique. I can almost feel Sanderson in this text, as if he is the character. I thought that was really interesting. I loved the twists the plot makes. I loved the distinct rules of the magic system in the forests. The characters of the story were very fascinating. I loved the amount of character development Sanderson gave us in a very short piece. The innkeeper goes from being a very innocuous to being a big-time bounty hunter who only hunts the biggest bounties. I loved the way that was revealed. I also loved the intrigue of the main character...

 I read Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson years ago, and it's a series that I'd love to finish at some point. It's also one that I find students enjoy. Mitosis  takes place soon after the end of Steelheart . The Reckoners have set up a government in Newcago and are welcoming people into the steel city. David and Abraham go to greet some of these newcomers, only to be faced by an Epic: Mitosis. Mitosis can make copies of himself, and begins to do so, spreading them throughout the city. His target? David, nicknamed Steelslayer. Will David be able to outwit this Epic as well? This short novella (only five chapters) was well-written, and for some reason, I feel that it has Brandon all over it. I can practically hear his voice coming through David's character, which I found interesting. I thought that this was a clever interlude in between Steelheart and Firefight , and I'm wondering if it leads into Firefight ? Since I have finished the original trilogy, I'm excited t...

 I've been working my way through this audiobook for months. With my busy schedule, the birth of my son, and my struggle through my AP curricular books, I haven't had much time to read. That being said, I've started driving significantly more, and am now putting on audiobooks in the car again. I apologize for any misspelling of character/location names - I listened to the audio and don't have a paper copy. A Torch Against the Night  picks up immediately after An Ember in the Ashes  concludes. Laia and Elias are desperately trying to get to Kauf prison to rescue Laia's brother. Helene is just as desperate to track Elias down - not because she wants to kill him, but because she knows what will happen to her family if she doesn't. Elias is badly poisoned from the encounter with his mother, Karis Veturia, better known as the Commandant. Elias's brush with death has left him hanging between worlds: the living, and the Waiting Place, where spirits go before passin...

I read this novel for Battle of the Books, but I also wanted to read it. I keep trying Sepetys novels, thinking I'm really going to like them, and then finding myself disappointed. This novel was an exception. This is probably the best Sepetys novel I've read so far. I Must Betray You is the story of Romania behind the Iron Curtain. Christian Florescu is seventeen. His grandfather, an intellectual, questions the current regime, and Christian finds himself agreeing. Romanians are struggling; waiting in long lines hoping for food, spies everywhere, never knowing who's an informer and who isn't. Amidst these tensions, Christian is confronted by an agent of the secret police and blackmailed into informing on Dan Van Dorn, the son of the American Ambassador. Stuck between his beliefs and his fear, Christian does as he's told, hoping that he can dupe the agent. I loved this book, more than any other Sepetys novel I've read. While Sepetys excels at many things in her w...

I was finally able to finish a book! Things with the baby got crazy and I wasn't able to finish this before he came, but I've finally settled in and have gotten back to reading. It will take me a little while to finish another book. Next on my list is Ruta Septys' new book I Will Betray You . The House in the Cerulean Sea  by T.J. Klune felt distinctly Harry Potter -esque. Linus Baker is a case worker for DICOMY - the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. He visits orphanages and seeks to help the kids he observes with the utmost objectivity, never getting attached nor revisiting the cases to see what ultimately happens to the children. He leads a dull and dreary existence with his small house, his monogrammed pajamas, obnoxious neighbor, and unusual cat, Calliope. That all changes when he is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and sent on a secret assignment to the most unusual orphanage Linus has ever seen. There, he meets the most unusual children, and possibly the m...