Tag: the poppy war

May Wrap Up 2023

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A pretty solid month for me with some new found favourites that I am adamant will make it onto my Top 10 books of the year!

  • I read 10 books this month
  • Genre: 6 fantasy, 2 literary fiction, 1 sci-fi and 1 mystery
  • Gender of authors: 7 men and 2 women
  • Race of authors: 5 asian authors, 3 white authors and 1 latino author
  • Age range: 5 YA and 5 adult
  • Format: 9 paperback and 1 hardback.

Challenges

  • Prompt: High Fantasy
    • The Burning God
    • Elantris
    • Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol.1
    • Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol.5
    • Claymore, Vol.1
  • Sequel Challenge:
    • The Burning God
    • Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, Vol.5

Elantris – Brandon Sanderson (DNF)

I am devastated to say that I DNFd my first ever Brandon Sanderson book. I never thought I would see the day where I would do so! Unfortunately, while this book had interesting characters and plot, the pacing was just so incredibly slow and boring that I could feel a reading slump forming. So I had to put it down. I don’t think I will ever go back to reading it.

Termush – Sven Holm (2 stars)

A dystopian novel re-issued for modern day audiences. This book was fine. It was a lot shorter than I expected and I felt that its page count put it at a disadvantage. I wanted more detail, more exploration, just a lot more. This story felt very surface level and I blinked and it was over.

The Mill House Murders – Yukito Ayatsuji (3 stars)

Another instalment in Ayatsuji’s Locked Room mystery series. I preferred this book a lot more to the first book in the series, The Decagon House Murders. Better atmosphere, more engaging characters, a plot which genuinely shocked me and I felt satisfied with the ending rather than stumped.

Claymore, Vol.1 – Norihiro Yagi (3 stars)

This is my official read through of the manga after I watched the show last year. I think if I didn’t already know the story – this rating would be higher. But I thought the story and the world was engaging and I look forward to reading more. I do believe this series might have been discontinued though so we shall see how many volumes I can find.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol.1 – Hayao Miyazaki (4 stars)

Also a manga I picked up because I watched the adaptation first. This time round though I enjoyed the manga a lot more. The artwork is beautiful as per for Miyazaki and I love Nausicaa with every fibre of my being. I will say though. that the plot is hard to follow at points so despite its beautiful art, clear striking message about protecting our planet I have to deduct a star. Sometimes I had no idea what was happening!

Lies We Sing to the Sea – Sarah Underwood (4 stars)

Despite me saying I was going to stop reading greek myth re-tellings… here I am! This book had a lot of people talking back when it was announced so I was interested to see my thoughts on this book. I ended up really enjoying it. I loved the setting, the characters, the plot. It was so far removed from what I was expecting it to be. For clarification, this book is not an Odyssey re-telling. It takes inspiration from the death of Penelope’s handmaidens at the hands of Odysseus and says what if? The book is set hundreds of years after the Odyssey and it’s only mentioned a handful of times. The book truly focuses on the characters of the present than the past.

The Burning God – R.F. Kuang (4 stars)

The final book in the ground-breaking Poppy War trilogy. Overall, it was good but it was not my favourite book in the series. I had the ending spoiled for me last month so that defiantly hindered my enjoyment as I already knew what to expect. I also think this book’s plot was the weakest of the 3 books and I wasn’t as engaged as I had been with the others.

Trust – Hernan Diaz (5 stars)

An unexpected favourite here! Very Great Gatsby meets Succession vibes. This story tells the story of a billionaire and his wife; their relationship, rise to fame, their philanthropy and her illness. This story is told 4 times, in 4 different ways. As you read this book you try to unearth whose version of the story is actually true. I thought it was incredibly impressive for an author to take the same story and write it in so many different ways with different narrators and through different mediums. I felt like I was solving a puzzle.

Yellowface – R.F. Kuang (5 stars)

Probably, my favourite Kuang book to date! I have a more detailed review up on my blog but this book was just so incredibly engaging and exciting. I loved being in the mind of someone as complicated and unlikable as June. It was so interesting to not be following the hero of the story but the villain. Delving into the failings of the publishing industry was very interesting indeed (though I do wish Kuang went even deeper).

May 2023 TBR

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April was a bit of a funny month which I will detail more in my wrap up post. I didn’t do as well as I hoped but that has not stopped me from planning a highly ambitious May TBR. This month’s theme is High Fantasy. Fantasy that covers countries and the world itself with deep lore and world-building.

Starting off with my 3 choices for my theme:

  • Title: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Vol.1
  • Author: Hayao Miyazaki
  • Series: Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind #1
  • Format: Hardback
  • Age Rating: YA
  • Genre: Science Fantasy


Plot: In a long-ago war, humankind set off a devastating ecological disaster. Thriving industrial societies disappeared. The earth is slowly submerging beneath the expanding Sea of Corruption, an enormous toxic forest that creates mutant insects and releases a miasma of poisonous spores into the air. At the periphery of the sea, tiny kingdoms are scattered on tiny parcels of land. Here lies the Valley of the Wind, a kingdom of barely 500 citizens; a nation given fragile protection from the decaying sea’s poisons by the ocean breezes; and home to Nausicaä . Nausicaä, a young princess, has an emphatic bond with the giant Ohmu insects and animals of every creed. She fights to create tolerance, understanding and patience among empires that are fighting over the world’s remaining precious natural resources.

  • Title: The Burning God
  • Author: R.F. Kuang
  • Series: The Poppy War #3
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: Adult
  • Genre: Fantasy


Plot (SPOILERS): After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead. Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation. Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it? 

  • Title: The Fires of Heaven
  • Author: Robert Jordan
  • Series: The Wheel of Time #5
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: Adult
  • Genre: Fantasy


Plot (SPOILERS): The bonds and wards that hold the Great Lord of the Dark are slowly failing, but still his fragile prison holds. The Forsaken, immortal servants of the shadow, weave their snares and tighten their grip upon the realms of men, sure in the knowledge that their master will soon break free… Rand al’ Thor, the Dragon Reborn, knows that he must strike at the Enemy, but his forces are divided by treachery and by ambition. Even the Aes Sedai, ancient guardians of the Light, are riven by civil war. Betrayed by his allies, pursued by his enemies and beset by the madness that comes to the male wielders of the One Power, Rand rides out to meet the foe.

And then we have my other choices:

For Elantris, I am not sure if this counted as High Fantasy as it is part of the Cosmere but I believe due to it being just set in one city that it doesn’t count as HF.

  • Title: Elantris
  • Author: Brandon Sanderson
  • Series: Standalone
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: Adult
  • Genre: Fantasy


Plot: The capital of Arelon, the home to people transformed into magic-using demigods by the Shaod. But then the magic failed, Elantris started to rot, and its inhabitants turned into powerless wrecks. And in the new capital, Kae, close enough to Elantris for everyone to be reminded of what they have lost, a princess arrives. Sarene is to be married to unite Teod and Arelon against the religious imperialists of Fjordell. But she is told that Raoden, her husband to be, is dead. Determined to carry on the fight for Teod and Arelon’s freedom, Sarene clashes with the high priest Hrathen. If Hrathen can persuade the populace to convert, Fjordell will reign supreme. But there are secrets in Elantris, the dead and the ruined may yet have a role to play in this new world. Magic lives.

  • Title: Magic Has No Borders
  • Editor: Sona Charaipotra & Samira Ahmed
  • Series: Standalone
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: YA
  • Genre: Fantasy & Sci-Fi


Synopsis: From chudails and peris to jinn and goddesses, this lush collection of South Asian folklore, legends, and epics reimagines stories of old for a modern audience. This fantasy and science fiction teen anthology edited by Samira Ahmed and Sona Charaipotra contains a wide range of stories from fourteen bestselling, award-winning, and emerging writers from the South Asian diaspora that will surprise, delight, and move you. So read on, for after all, magic has no borders.

  • Title: Lies We Sing to the Sea
  • Author: Sarah Underwood
  • Series: Standalone
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: YA
  • Genre: Fantasy & Romance


Plot: Each spring, Ithaca condemns twelve maidens to the noose. This is the price vengeful Poseidon demands for the lives of Queen Penelope’s twelve maids, hanged and cast into the depths centuries ago. But when that fate comes for Leto, death is not what she thought it would be. Instead, she wakes on a mysterious island and meets a girl with green eyes and the power to command the sea. A girl named Melantho, who says one more death can stop a thousand. The prince of Ithaca must die—or the tides of fate will drown them all.

  • Title: Yellowface
  • Author: Rebecca F. Kuang
  • Series: Standalone
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: Adult
  • Genre: Contemporary


Plot: Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars: same year at Yale, same debut year in publishing. But Athena’s a cross-genre literary darling, and June didn’t even get a paperback release. Nobody wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks. So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers to the British and French war efforts during World War I. So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song–complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree. But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.

  • Title: Gwen and Art are Not in Love
  • Author: Lex Croucher
  • Series: Standalone
  • Format: Paperback
  • Age Rating: YA
  • Genre: Historical Romance


Plot: It’s been hundreds of years since King Arthur’s reign. His descendant, Arthur, a future Lord and general gadabout, has been betrothed to Gwendoline, the quick-witted, short-tempered princess of England, since birth. The only thing they can agree on is that they despise each other. They’re forced to spend the summer together at Camelot in the run up to their nuptials, and within 24 hours, Gwen has discovered Arthur kissing a boy and Arthur has gone digging for Gwen’s childhood diary and found confessions about her crush on the kingdom’s only lady knight, Bridget Leclair. Realizing they might make better allies than enemies, they make a reluctant pact to cover for each other, and as things heat up at the annual royal tournament, Gwen is swept off her feet by her knight and Arthur takes an interest in Gwen’s royal brother.

July 2022 Wrap Up

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Another milestone hit! This month I offically reached my Goodreads Reading Goal but I also have a new number for the amount of books I can read in one month. 13!!!

  • I read 13 books this month
  • Genre: 7 fantasy, 3 mystery, 1 romance, 1 non-fiction, 1 classic and 1 sport.
  • Gender of authors: 8 women and 4 men
  • Race of authors: 7 white authors, 4 asian authors and 1 latina author
  • Age range: 7 adult, 3 YA and 3 middle grade
  • Format: 8 paperback, 3 ebook, 1 hardback and 1 audiobook

The Maidens by Alex Michaelides (2 stars)

Starting, as always, with my lowest rated book first. This book was a solid read for about 80% of the book but the ending was so far-fetched and disappointing that it ended up ruining the rest of the book for me.

Alex Neptune, Dragon Thief by David Owen (2.5 stars)

This was a funny, action-packed story about a boy trying to save a mysterious dragon from an abandoned aquarium. Great mix of mythology as well as a strong save our oceans message. My favourite character was Alex’s sister.

Fairy Tail Vol. 1 by Hiro Mashima (2.5 stars)

I had watched about 50 episodes of the anime and I remember loving it. Sure, they dragged the fights out but the characters were good, the show was fun, why don’t I try the manga? My thoughts with manga are if they don’t grab me in the first volume I will not be continuing the series. This was the case for this volume. It did nothing to garner my attention. It was fine.

The Darkening by Sunya Mara (3 stars)

This was a middle of the road kind of book for me. There were some things that I loved and some things that I didn’t love. I loved the setting, mythology and magic system but I didn’t love the romance element and I felt that the back story and explanation behind the storm that surrounds her city needed alot more development.

Nightlights by Lorena Alvarez Gomez (3.5 stars)

Such an exciting and curious story. I loved the artwork and the main character was amazing. I did wish that the plot of the story was a bit clearer and had a bit more development.

Hicotea by Lorena Alvarez Gomez (4 stars)

This book though, which is the second in the series after Nightlights, was really good. Same incredible artwork but with a more established plot and messaging. Stay curious, keep asking questions.

Haikyu!! Vol. 3 by Haruichi Furudate (4 stars)

Another great instalment. What I love about this series is its deep dive into its characters. I was worried when I started this series that I would just be watching 2D volleyball and that I would get bored. This series is so much more than just the game. I love learning and watching these characters grow and support eachother. It is its strongest element.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (4 stars)

Now, for those who don’t know, I am not much of a classics reader. I stick to crime classics and that’s about it. Well, when I heard there was a really short story that is super popular and a classic I thought I would give it a go. My biggest struggle with classics is the writing style. I find quite a lot them to be too inaccessible and hard to understand, my own personal experience, but that was not the issue with this story. I felt like I was listening to a friend. The story was super good with an amazing ending. More of this please!

Hook, Line and Sinker by Tessa Bailey (4.5 stars)

Tessa Bailey hit the mark once again! I read this in one day! I loved Fox and Hannah’s story, I didn’t think it would match up to Brendan and Piper’s but I think the additional information with the fact they have been friends for some time made it work just so well. I also related to Hannah a lot! I will be reading all of her books from now on!

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson (4.5 stars)

Everyone needs to stop what they are doing and read this book. An urban fantasy story where 4 witches come together after years seperated when the figure who will bring destruction of the world is located. Super funny, great sense of female empowerment with solid discussions of race, gender and sexuality. Sometimes the writing was a bit cringey but this plot was packed with intense action scenes, great magic and an ending that had me shocked to my core!

Lord Peter Wimsey: BBC Drama Collection Vol. 1 (5 stars)

My first ever foray into audio dramatisations of literary work. Originally adapted for the radio, these performances have now been compiled into 3 volume audiobooks. I loved everything about this! I have always wanted to read the Lord Peter Wimsey series. The story got better with each instalment. My favourite from this collection had to be Unnatural Death the third and final in this volume. The performances were just incredible.

The Three Dahlias by Katy Watson (5 stars)

This book felt like an ode to the golden age of crime fiction. Set in a manor of a famous Agatha Christie-esque author, a fan convention is held to celebrate the author, her work and the announcement of a new movie adaptation. But a murder occurs and it’s up to the three actresses who all played the author’s literary detective over the preceding years to solve the case. This book met my expectations with a great plot, beautiful setting, and amazing characters. My favourite thing about this entire story was the love and friendship that formed between the Three Dahlias.

The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (5 stars)

Going into this I was nervous as The Poppy War was one of my fave books last year and I was worried this book would not match up. I did not need to worry at all. A very different story to The Poppy War, I felt it was less dense than the first one. I enjoy watching Rin change and grow throughout the story, she is by far one of the most interesting characters I have ever read. I cannot wait to be emotionally devastated by book 3.