Rating: 3 STARS Genre: Fantasy Series/Standalone: Folk of the Air #3 How I got this book: Bought He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne. Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power. Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril. Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics. And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity… Why are endings so often disappointing?
Maybe it's the fact that, as readers, we just don't want to say goodbye to characters that we've grown to love (or love to hate) or that we'll miss those worlds we lose ourselves in too much or that we just wanted MORE! Sadly, none of those things is true for how I feel about the end of this trilogy. For me, this entire book felt a little lost, pointless, and the ending was predictable and way too neat and tidy. There were just so many moments where I felt that the whole thing was a bit stupid i.e. (no spoilers!) when Jude figures out Cardan's trick, when Nicassia DOES NOTHING and when Jude can't figure out the most obvious clue in the history of clues! I feel a bit like the characters were done dirty by the author, they almost seemed dumbed down, their relationships rushed and everything tied up with a pretty little bow that made no sense and contradicted past behaviour and key character traits. I was angry that Nicassia had almost no role in the book. Where was the vengeance, the drama, and the blinding jealousy we've come to expect from this series? Why was Jude so compliant? Where's her spine, her defiance and the warrior nature that's she's built up over the past two books? Maddox was boring, for want of a better word, and completely predictable. He had me rolling my eyes. And Cardan was too damn tame. He completely stopped being interesting. The big shock twist was completely predictable, and was I the only one picturing Jafar in Aladdin at this point? Yes, this is a bit of a rant post, BUT I didn't completely hate this book. I still enjoyed being back in the world of Elfhame. I enjoyed the politics and the scheming, even if it was more toned down than I'd have expected and I did still, in some ways, find the relationship endearing. The pace moved quickly enough and I finished the book in just a few sittings. I can't say that I didn't enjoy reading the book, I did, but I didn't LOVE it the way I wish I had. Overall, I can't lie that I am disappointed with the end of this series, but I am glad that I got to spend time in this world. In my bid to be more active here on the blog, once a month I'll be doing a short wrap up of the books I've been reading with my 5-year-old, Rosie.
I do share a lot of our books on Instagram, so feel free to follow over there for more regular kids book updates. This wrap up will probably be a little longer than most, as it's the first one, I'll probably feature a few more books. As always, you can click on the title to visit Goodreads: Rating: 4 STARS Genre: LGBT/Historical/YA Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: Library eBook It's 1959. The battle for civil rights is raging. And it's Sarah's first day of school, as one of the first black students at the previously all-white Jefferson High. No one wants Sarah there. Not the Governor. Not the teachers. And certainly not the students – especially Linda, daughter of the town’s most ardent segregationist. Sarah and Linda have every reason to despise each other. But as a school project forces them to spend time together, the less their differences seem to matter. And Sarah and Linda start to feel something they've never felt before. Something they're both determined ignore. Because it's one thing to be frightened by the world around you - and another thing altogether when you're terrified of what you feel inside. TW: extreme racism, hate, violence, domestic abuse, sexism and homophobia.
I don't typically lean towards historical fiction, so this book isn't one that I'd normally choose. However, the synopsis grabbed me, and I really wanted to discover how the love story played out. At first, reading this book felt similar to how I feel when reading a classic, something that should be on the education syllabus for schools. In terms of educating yourself about racism and hate, I think it does a great job, showing clearly the damage that can be caused by words. "It doesn't show much in the way of brains to decide you don't like people you don't even know. All because of their color." I also felt that the depiction of life from the perspectives of both a black girl and a white girl in southern America during this time were painfully realistic and eye-opening. I do feel that this book would make a fantastic educational tool as it illuminates perfectly the hate and prejudice of the time. It also begins to show how someone who is ignorant and who has been influenced by others can become educated and grow as a person. "If something like this happened to me, I'd be shouting by now." It was very difficult to put down and it's certainly Sarah's plight and pain, and my desire for her to succeed, that made it so compelling. The writing is fantastic, with each voice distinct and unique but I think, for me at least, it was my utter hatred of the white people and my continuous rooting for something good to happen for Sarah that gripped me and pushed me to keep reading. "This should be the easiest, most natural thing in the world. Going on a date with a boy. Maybe if I try hard enough it will be." For much of the book, I didn't feel that Linda was at all redeemable or worthy of Sarah, but the more I read, the more I understood that this book is about self-growth and how, by educating yourself and standing up for what is right, you can become a better person. That being said, I don't feel that she ever did stop being racist and bearing in mind the things that she said and did, knowing full well the consequences of what she was doing, the ending seemed more than a little unrealistic. I did feel for both characters as they struggled in different ways with their sexuality and with their parents. Again, both very different situations but also similar in how the girls felt that they were unable to be themselves or that they would never be good enough for the people who'd raised them. "The grown-ups always act like they're the ones who have it hard. None of them knows the first thing about what this is like for us." This book did fuel my hatred towards people. My anger roiled as I furiously turned page after page, hoping naively for a happier turn of events. But, if nothing else, this book stays true to the period in which it's set and very clearly reflects the issues at the time. Having said all of that, this is my review as a white person and so, what I'd like to see is a review from a POC to see how this book really stacks up. Overall, I do feel that this book would make a fantastic educational tool for young people. But I am cautious that I can't be certain how well this book represents a person of colour and the struggles that were faced during this time, and those still being faced today. So, it's been quite some time since my last review, much to my chagrin but I am working on that.
The first step to this was getting my sister, Sophie on-board with reviews and so, if you haven't checked out her review of The Deathless Girls, you can do that now. The second step was launching the new My Endless Shelf podcast, Turn The Page, earlier this week. You can listen to our very first episode here, where we also launch our new book club, and please feel free to let us know what you think by leaving a comment on the blog or getting in touch via email.
Sophie and I are very excited to share with you Episode One of the Turn The Page book podcast, our new, monthly podcast where we talk about our latest reads, book news and bookish events.
In this episode, we introduce our new monthly book club and chat about books that have changed our lives, why we love a good plot twist, books about racism and race, and much more! Here's a little of what you can expect: On book hangovers:There are many times where I've gone to sleep at three o'clock in the morning, woke up the next day and have used the excuse, "oh, I had a really bad night's sleep", and really, it was just that I couldn't stop reading." On the life-changing power of books:I actually think this book has changed the way that I wake up every morning. It's changed the way that I live my life day to day.
Listen below, feel free to comment and tune in again on the 2nd Tuesday of each month for the latest episode! Subscribe on your favourite podcast platform here!
Happy listening and happy reading!
Please note: This podcast is intended as a way for us to chat about various books and, while we may enjoy certain books, that doesn't necessarily mean that we support, or are even aware of, all that the author(s) stand for. Having said that, this podcast episode was recorded before we became aware of the actions and comments from J.K. Rowling, and we have decided that we will not be continuing to read either The Ickabog or the Galbraith series (both mentioned in this podcast) in support of our friends in the trans community.
Listen Here:Read the transcript:Rating: 4 STARS Genre: Paranormal/YA/Fantasy/LGBT Series/Standalone: Standalone How I got this book: Bought On the eve of her divining, the day she'll discover her fate, seventeen-year-old Lil and her twin sister Kizzy are captured and enslaved by the cruel Boyar Valcar, taken far away from their beloved traveller community. Forced to work in the harsh and unwelcoming castle kitchens, Lil is comforted when she meets Mira, a fellow slave who she feels drawn to in a way she doesn't understand. But she also learns about the Dragon, a mysterious and terrifying figure of myth and legend who takes girls as gifts. They may not have had their divining day, but the girls will still discover their fate... Review by Sophie
TW: Slavery, discrimination, attempted rape, animal abuse. They say the thirst of blood is like a madness - they must sate it. Even with their own kin. Okay, so first things first, I TOTALLY chose this book purely on the look of the front cover. I loved the whole slightly Gothic and dark feel the design gave off, and so I jumped straight in. Before starting, I had no idea that it was kind of a retelling of Dracula, but from his brides’ point of view. This is a story of sisterhood, female love and relationships, and the utter brutality that is life. It's about bravery and heartfelt sorrow. I love the idea, and its an intriguing back story, although I just wish this book was a little longer with a few more chapters to give it that depth that I feel it's ever so slightly missing. First, we meet Lil, I love how she’s so harmless and sweet, living in the shadow of her twin and more than happy to let her fiery and passionate sister Kizzy make the decisions and run towards danger. On the day that they are captured into slavery, Lillai is anticipating the outcome of her diving day to see what future awaits her and Kizzy. The girls are part of a small group of travellers who keep to themselves and appreciate what nature provides for them. I like how the writer describes and really shows the hate and discrimination towards travellers, how others perceive them as being lesser, not deserving common decency, and sadly this rings true as an issue not just in fiction. I absolutely love the character personalities in this book. You have Kizzy and Lil who appear to be like yin and yang, the strong and fearless mixed with the shy, quiet and easy-going. Then we meet Mira, a slave who’s truly been brutalised and tortured, yet still manages to find kindness in her heart, especially towards Lil. Their relationship is cute and heartwarming, and honestly just makes you melt. Soon we meet the cruel and heartless Boyar Valcar and hear whispers of the Dragon, known to be myth and legend. I was a bit annoyed that there wasn’t more detail surrounding these characters. I know the story is intended to focus on the girls, but I would have really liked more detail surrounding the Dragon, just to give a better idea of him and his personality. Now, if you’re lucky enough to have a sister or best friend, you can appreciate and completely relate to the bond and relationship that Kizzy and Lil have. How they endlessly defend each other and have a mutual understanding of how the other feels. I really liked reading The Deathless Girls, it was easy going in terms of pace, perhaps a little too easy-going maybe? I think it only took me a day to finish. It has a good flow and pace, and the ending really just leaves you wanting more. I'll be completely honest and say that I did expect and want more than this book delivered. I felt that there was some detail missing and it wasn’t quite as dark as I had anticipated. However, the ending was brilliant, and somehow still caught me off guard. I really hope that there’s more to come from The Deathless Girls. A lot has happened and is still happening since I last posted here - mass wildfires, a worldwide pandemic, global lockdown, Brexit, protests, rioting, oil spills and more. It's been months of death, destruction and despair for the entire world.
And while I usually steer clear of things like politics, as my book blog and social accounts are places where I go to escape, what's happening in the world right now isn't 'political'. People are fighting for their basic human rights, their rights to be treated as equals and, while I acknowledge my privilege in that I am not suffering, as many are, I want to do what I can, which is why I'm doing my best to speak up, trying my hardest to better educate myself and my child, and using my platforms to share books that I feel or hope can help others. I do already share diverse books by diverse authors, but I want to try and step up my game and post as much as I can. I took inventory of the books my daughter has and realised that I'm already buying diversely for her and I've been sharing some of those books on my IG account, so if you are looking for kids book recommendations, feel free to take a look there. If you'd like me to include these here on the blog, just let me know. And if you have any rec's suitable for a 5-year-old please let me know! If anyone wants to and can donate or help, this link has all the info. In blog news, there are going to be some changes happening on My Endless Shelf and I'm really, really excited to share these changes with you, I hope you love them as much as I do. The main reason for these changes is me accepting that I cannot do everything myself. I can't work as much as I do, home ed my daughter, work on my writing and keep the blog going as much as I'd like to. So, hopefully, these new changes will help to keep the blog more active and full of interesting new content: 1. My Endless Shelf is venturing into podcasting! Once a month you can listen to Turn the Page! My sister, Sophie, and I will be hosting the podcast and talking about the books we've read and the books we're looking forward to. We'll also touch a little on current book news/events, ARC's we have, and we'll be running a monthly book club that you're very welcome to join! 2. Children's books are also going to be featured once a month. As I mentioned above, I'm reading A LOT of books with my 5-year-old. We read multiple books a day, picture books, chapter books, audiobooks and she loves to talk about the books we read. So, I'll be writing a wrap-up of some of the best books we read each month and I'll share my review and a few words from my daughter. 3. I WILL be blogging more! I'm committing myself to it right now. I've set up a new system to help keep me on-track and whilst I am finding work and homeschooling pretty hectic right now, I do want to get back to reading and blogging. First up, I'll be sharing a quick review of the books I've read over the past six months. I also intend to share a few snippets from my WIP and some behind-the-book info, which I hope you'll enjoy. 4. To help with the above, my lovely sister will also be writing for My Endless Shelf! So, from now on, you can expect to see her thoughts and reviews alongside my own. I'll also get her to introduce herself as soon as possible. For now, that's all, but I'll be bringing more news about the Turn the Page podcast very soon. Until then, happy reading! |
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About Kay (She/Her)
Book addict, film mad, music lover, business owner, writer and mum (not necessarily in that order), living in the UK. About Sophie (She/Her)
Sophie loves books (obviously). She has a passion for photography and spotting wildlife, and is interested in anything made with passion and creativity. THIS BLOG IS SPOILER FREE!
Rating system: 5 Stars - AMAZING!! 4.5 Stars - Almost perfect! 4 Stars - I really loved it 3.5 Stars - I liked it alot 3 Stars - I liked it (I don't typically review books that I rate below 3 stars)
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