All about books📚

The end of 2022 is nearing, and so, as a treat to myself, I will attempt to organize my thoughts about my fovourite books of this year. 2022 was a year with both good and bad, and my tastes have certainly changed again this year, and I've learned to be more critical of the things I read. Therefore this list will be shorter than I myself may have expected.

I deeply recommend all of the books mentioned on this list.

As always check the trigger warnings before you read.

Babel, or the necessity of violence by R. F. Kuang (2022)

Babel was one of the highlights of my year. I remember receiving it from my mother on my birthday, and when I held it in my hands, I knew I would adore this book. Kuang offers such a refreshing vision on imperialism and elitism that is hard to find these days, and it was a pleasure to let myself be educated by her beautiful writing.

Throughout the book, I found myself relating to the main character and all of his decisions, so much so that it felt like I was reading about myself in an alternate universe.

All in all, this book will forever be one of my favourites, and I urge everyone to read it, and perhaps find themselves educated on the topics Kuang writes about.

The Poppy War trilogy by R. F. Kuang (2018-2020)

Again an R. F. Kuang entry. These books definitely changed my taste in literature and how I view the world, though those conversations are best saved for a dinner party and a glass of wine.

The world, history and magic of the Poppy War is so complex and well thought out, despite it's clear inspirations from our world history, and it's incredibly enjoyable to read. Though I did feel physically sick near the end of the 1st book, it was a necessary sickness, and I believe if you didn't feel at least slightly sickened, the point of the chapter did get through.

These books definitely kickstarted my historical fiction phase, and I'm deeply thankful for that. The Poppy War will always have a place on my bookshelf.

The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (2019)

The real "no plot only vibes" book. There's no other words to describe it. It has a unique writing style, which I admit, may not be for everyone, though I found myself oddly drawn to it. It reminded me of reading Narnia when I was younger, it had the same type of fantastical manuscript from another world.

Zachary is another character I deeply relate to, and I found myself enjoying his dull yet wonderful adventure to the Starless Sea.

Morgenstern's writing is hypnotic and fluid, and a treat to read. The world is mysterious and intruiging, yet still cohesive and full of wonder.

If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio (2017)

I know, I know, yet another book that could fit in to a silly tiktok of aesthetics. Don't let the fact that it is on this list fool you. I hate this book to my core. I hate Oliver and I hate how he and his friend group are privileged and pretentious, but they are all so terribly interesting. This book tore me apart and put me back together, and I cannot help but love it. That's what M. L. Rio wants you to feel, I believe.

I purely hated this book when I first started it, no odd love, only hate. It is so terribly good though, and I urge everyone to read this at least once in their lives.

Those are the 2022 favourites! As always check the warnings before you read.

Happy reading, and happy soon to be 2023!

The month of July has been a slow one for me, and once again I have come into possession of more books than what I read this month. I definitely liked the books I read, and so this post will encapsulate my thoughts on each book.

All of my July reads were fantasy.

Reads and ratings is a way for me to express my feelings about the books I've come to read, and at the same time give you guys (whoever reads this) motivation to read some of these.

These reviews may contain spoilers.

As always check trigger warnings and goodreads for more information.

Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron (2020)

This book was recommended to me by a close friend, and when I finished my last June read, I asked her which book on my unread list I should begin. The one she chose was Cinderella Is Dead.

I personally liked this book, though it started off a bit slow for me, I eventually grew entised by the developments in the story, though they were a little predictable. To me it is not a book which stands out too much in my memory, as I only remember the main character's name. The worldbuilding was quite odd, as far as I remember, and I would've loved to know more about where it is this story takes place. The main character, Sophia Grimmins, was alright, she did rub me the wrong way a few times, but she seemed human, and I enjoyed reading about her struggles. I liked the pun the author made on her surname, and ode to the original authors of Cinderella.

I believe the problems that arose within the story could've been fixed more satisfyingly if this was written as a longer book series. It's hard to overthrow a king AND become more emotionally mature in 300 pages.

To me, this book was 3/5 stars.

Rebel Skies by Ann Sei Lin (2022)

This one brought my spirits up after reading the first one, and i enjoyed it more than I thought I would. I came into possession of it due to the fact that I liked the cover and decided to buy it. It isn't that popular, but I hope some of you will give this one a try.

Set in a world with flying cities, giant paper spirits and crafters who can control paper, Kurara is but one person in a giant world she hopes to see. Being a crafter, a person who can control paper at will, she has to hide her gift as to not get drafted into a war, or becoming a source of entertainment to the mad scientist princess.

This book is inspired by ghibli, and I could certainly see it while reading it. The world was colourful and the characters were fun, though many brutal things happen on Kurara's journey. I quite enjoyed seeing the story come together and read about this interesting magic system and how some of our main character's memories are missing.

I've decided to rate this 3/5 stars.

Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski (1994)

You may have heard of the hit fantasy series The Witcher on Netflix, well, this is the book series it was inspired by. I must say I quite enjoy the world of The Witcher, both as a TV-show and as a game, having played Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt myself.

This first book predominantly follows Geralt of Rivia (the man on the GIF) and Princess Cirilla of Cintra (the girl on the GIF) and their story after they met, which can be linked back to season 2 of the show, in case you're wondering. I really loved how Ciri and Geralt's father-daughter type banter came to light in this book, as well as how Ciri handles her adolescence and her powers. Geralt, as always, is still a quiet brooding guy with incredible skills when it comes to fighting and killing monsters. Whenever he succeeded at his current objective I found myself cheering and remembering the "quest complete" sound effect from the game.

Although the book was mostly dialogue, I quite enjoyed it and could still vividly picture the world they were in. There were a few details where I thought, this book was definitely written by a man, but it didn't hinder my enjoyment of it too much.

I've rated this book 4/5 stars.

Caraval by Stephanie Garber (2016)

Caraval found me while I was touring around Texas with my family this summer. It was the fun story I needed while boiling in 45°c weather for almost the entire month.

Scarlett was an interesting character to follow in this fantastical world, as she's more laid back and empathetic towards others, as well as being filled with fear for most of the book. She reminded me quite a bit of myself at times.

Julian and Scarlett's relationship was incredibly intruiging to read about, and I was convinced that Julian was Legend since the very beginning (I still haven't read the second and third books, so who knows). Tella was really interesting too, though I found myself disliking her for most of the book due to her personality and actions. I'm still not quite sure what I make of her, though I no longer dislike her.

The magic was incredibly interesting, and the book was really well planned and written, which made me have a good experience while reading it.

So you're looking for new YA fantasy books to read, or you want to begin reading YA fantasy and don't know where to start. Don't worry you're in good hands. Below are a few books (and series) that I greatly recommend, I hope these will intruige you!

As always check trigger warnings and goodreads for more information.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (2019)

Following Elisabeth Scrivener, we are introduced to a magical world with sorcerers, demons and enchanted books. Elisabeth has known her entire life that sorcerers are evil, but when she is accused of releasing a dangerous grimoire, she must turn to the sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn to prove her innocence, and ends up entangled in a conspiracy of old.

This one is, in my opinion, a read to tackle when you want something fun and light hearted (although I did get emotional near the end). It's fast paced, the magic system isn't too complicated to understand, and the cover is absolutely gorgeous. The characters will forever have a special place in my heart, especially Nathaniel, who I related to all throughout the book.

The Circle by Mats Strandberg and Sara Elfgren (2011)

Taking a dive towards the gritty side of urban fantasy, this book is sure to keep you awake into the late hours. This book follows a group of Swedish teenagers with newly gained magical powers as they learn they are The Chosen Ones. They aren't what you would consider friends, and the animosity in the group is intense, but to save the world they have to put their differences aside and work together.

I admit, this book sounds cliché and tame in my little blurb, but it's diffucult to read from the start, with violence and darker themes being in focus in most of the book. I personally loved it due to how insane the plot gets and how the characters act like real people I've met. It also gives an insight to an aspect in Scandinavian teen culture, which by being of that area myself can admit is quite similar to my own experiences, though not quite as gory. The soft magic system is really interesting, and I absolutely adore the characters.

This book is succeeded by Fire (2012) and The Key (2013).

Trigger warnings include depictions of suicide, self-harm, eating disorders and pedophilia.

The Girl Who Fell Beneath The Sea by Axie Oh (2022)

Inspired by The Tale of Shim Cheong and Spirited Away, this book combines traditional with fantastical, leaving us with a wonderous outcome. When Mina offers herself up as the sea god's bride instead of her brother Joon's beloved, Shim Cheong, she is swept away to the spirit world, where she sets it in her sights to wake up the sea god so the storms that ravage the land may be stopped.

This book found me at a time where I really needed it, and now it's my turn to help it find someone else. The colour and love that shine from this book is something that I didn't know you could feel so clearly. All characters are extremely lovable, and the writing will make you emotional more than once. It reads like a ghibli movie, which makes me want to petition the studio to turn this masterpiece of a book into a masterpiece of a movie.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer (2012)

Inspired by Cinderella, this book follows the cyborg Cinder on a sci-fi retelling of the brothers Grimm fairy tale. When she becomes entangled with the handsome prince Kai (and an entire intergalactic political mess featuring the Lunar queen Levana), Cinder must find answers in her past to save the future.

I absolutely LOVE the Lunar Chronicles; the writing is easy to get lost in (I finished Cinder in three or four hours), the world building is incredibly intruiging and the characters were easy to love. Personally, I was motivated to finish even faster by Levana's chapters, because they honestly gave me the biggest ick I've ever experienced by a book villain. Good job Marissa Meyer, I salute you for being able to write a sympathetic villain that I absolutely detest.

This book is succeeded by Scarlett (2013), Cress (2014) and Winter (2015).

Those are the recomendations! I hope you may find a world you fall in love with through my recommendations. I find that fantasy is one of the most enjoyable genres of literature, and so I was compelled to make this list.

Happy reading!

So you want to begin reading classics, (or older books) but whenever you open the book, you're met by a bunch of words that don't make sense, paragraph-long sentences and weird spellings or expressions. I know the feeling, and some authors are definitely more guilty of this than others are (looking at you Victor Hugo), so here are a few classics that got me started on my own classics journey fairly early on!

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1890)

I think the beginning of the goodreads summary captures what this book means to be; "the dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty." Don't let that fool you, the only devil that appears in this story could be argued to be Dorian Gray himself.

One of my all time favourites, The Picture of Dorian Gray is on the shorter side, though no less impactful. Oscar Wilde's descriptive language is truly beautiful, and the strange narrative keeps you wondering how the novel will end. An overlooked part of this book is the preface, which is, in my opinion, a quite interesting and wise view on art and its use in the world. Though the very beginning of this book is quite wordy, the beauty comes if you bear with it through the first few pages.

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)

Another shorter novel, this one follows a london legist as he invistigates a series of mysterious occurances surrounding his friend Dr. Henry Jekyll and the criminal Mr. Edward Hyde. Believed to be one of the defining pieces of literature in the horror genre, I greatly suggest this classic, as it is incredibly intruiging and is still referenced today in media, such as in Marvel's The Hulk. Perhaps that association can elude to the connection between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...? Well, you may figure that one out for yourself.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (1605)

Shakespeare is a man who is famous for his plays and poems, and in my english class for how annoying his iambic pentameter is to write properly. However, this isn't about his poetry, but his comedy that features faeries and ancient greek lovers, which is honestly my all time favourite Shakespeare play. You may know it for its appearance in the 1989 film Dead Poets Society, being the play in which Neil plays Puck.

The play, to quote my dear old friend wikipedia, "consists of five interconnecting plots, connected by a celebration of the wedding of Duke Theseus of Athens and the Amazon queen, Hippolyta", though is most famously known for the lovers' quarrel between Hermia, Lysander, Demetrius and Helena, which can most accurately be explained as the most heinous love square to exist. Hermia loves Lysander though her father insists she marry Demetrius, and Helena loves Demetrius, who is supposed to marry Hermia. It's quite a mess, though a fun one to read, and greatly recommend you do the same.

A Study In Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle (1887)

No classics list is complete without a mandatroy mention of Sherlock Holmes (yes, I consider dear old Sherlock a classic). Any of the Sherlock Holmes stories would be an honourable mention for this short list, but A Study In Scarlet is canonically the first Sherlock Holmes novel, the inspiration for the first episode of BBC's Sherlock, AND also the first piece of classical literature I've ever read, courtesy of my 5th grade English teacher. Thank you Henrik.

Sherlock Holmes is always quite fun, and in this one you are dragged by the heels by Dr. Watson as you follow Holmes around trying to solve the murder of Enoch Drebber. Now, I won't say too much, as this one is pretty well known, but the Doyle novels can be what thrusts you deeper down the well of classical literature.

There you have it, a small list of some novels that can possibly make you need to read some old(er) books, and finally feel intellectualy superior, included in certain conversations or whatever it is you wish to gain by beginning this journey.

Happy reading!