Musings of a Booktopus

Crown of Midnight 🌟🌟.5/5 Before, she was an assassin. Now, she's just an ass. The King (who is hated by everyone for some reason SJM can't explain coz bad writing) hires Celine Dion Sardothien, Adarlan’s Assassin, as his Champion after winning the mini sports fest. Celery is tasked to kill the his enemies. But Cellophane won’t do it not coz she refuses to be a lapdog but coz she's the worst assassin ever, and fakes the deaths instead. Ordered to take out Archer, Finnick Odair ripoff, alleged rebel leader & her old friend, Cellulose does what she's good at. Take him out... for a date. Add to this the responsibility of thwarting the King's evil plans as ordered by a dead queen. Using her skills of conveniently finding important info lying around or an infodumping character, Celeborn must uncover the plot of the rebels to overthrow the wicked King, not to help them but to use it as a bargaining chip for her freedom. While (not) doing her job, Celeteque’s closest relationships suffer: After breaking up w/ Dorian because their relationship will be in conflict with her position, she flirts with Chaol who becomes torn between duty and joining her in dances and closet sex, Dorian decides to let her go but still acts like a jealous boyfriend, and Nehemia not-so-obviously manipulates everyone to doing things. Join Celadon as she finally lives up to her reputation by killing out of panic, the wrong people, 2 actual targets, complete with dramatic entrances and near-deaths, needing men to save her, as expected of the best assassin; run away from responsibilities like "save the kingdom" & "stand guard" by playing the reluctant hero, relying on people passing her info, and abandoning her post to dance  in the snow; puts more effort in fixing dinners than doing her job; and reveals her Mary Sue origins, in Crown of Midnight, a tale with more plot and direction than Throne of Glass but since ToG is so bad, I doubt this is of any value. #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookblog #bookstagramph #bookstagram #bookcommunity #bibliophiles #photographylovers #beatthealgorithm #booksofinstagram #booklove #yanovel #ya #crownofmidnight #sarahjmaas #throneofglass #celaenasardothien https://www.instagram.com/p/CDv0rz8gsB6/?igshid=eu4ctw0hnsyg

The Girl in the Tower 🌟🌟🌟🌟.75 Vasilisa Petrovna is not like other girls. Other girls get married or go to convents. Other girls don't lead parents to their deaths, get branded as a witches, and flee their hometown otherwise get burned alive. Also, other girls don't reject a Winter King's treasure the first time only to aggressively ask for them in the end. After taking her dowry from Morozko, Vasya rides out to find her fortune and reunite withe her siblings -- Olga, an A++ housekeeper, mom and princess in Moscow, and Sasha, an ass-kicking monk -- dressed as a boy, gets sexually assaulted anyway (it's not a Winternight book without this!), rescues a bunch of girls from elusive bandits, which earns her the favor of the Grand Prince and somehow still end up hated by everyone. Their happy family reunion is tainted by news of their father's death and the ambiguity of it, an impending war at Moscow's gates, and Vasya's in danger of being roasted alive for indecency or even witchcraft. All these while her relationship with the Winter King Morozko gets messy - with his half truths and annoying unfinished sentences - and the appearance of a charismatic newcomer, Kasyan Lutovich who keeps everyone on the edge. So hop back in to Arden's magical tale where the hills are alive with chyetri and the plot is as slow as Philippines' internet connection but so interesting you'll say yes to everything thrown at you, from creepy ghosts to magical horse races, family drama to a blooming complicated slow burn romance, well-developed characters and world-building so amazing it feels as if you're living this Russian fairy tale. #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookblog #bookstagramph #bookstagram #bookcommunity #bibliophiles #photographylovers #beatthealgorithm #booksofinstagram #booklove #yanovel #ya #thegirlinthetower #winternighttrilogy #katherinearden https://www.instagram.com/p/CDtR3gqAnTM/?igshid=fmw0alvz5gb1

Fahrenheit 451 by Rat Bradbury 🌟🌟🌟.5 (Full review in bio) In a world where books are prohibited, firemen start fires rather than put them out, and TV will rot your brain, fireman Guy Montag rises from the ashes of ignorance to deliver the author's message: books - good ; TV - bad. Guy Montag is a fireman who enjoys two things: setting the homes of people guilty of harboring the most dangerous of commodities - books - and going home to a wife who can only speak in complains and demands, until she joins her interactive TV family. That's until he meets Clarisse, a strange young girl with so many questions, whom he thinks about in a borderline creepy way. In a series of events starting with the eccentric girl introduces Montag to a past where books were not banned up to people choosing to die in a pyre of their books, he does the unthinkable. He keeps a book for himself. Strap in for a  hundred and fifty pages of symbolism and assumptions so vague it could be interpreted so many ways but rarely for the author's actual conclusion, more metaphors than my small mind could process, a lot of fear and hatred towards technology, and the ultimate lesson: thou shall not burn books. #raybradbury #fahrenheit451 #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookblog #bookstagramph #bookstagram #bookcommunity #bibliophiles #photographylovers #beatthealgorithm #booksofinstagram #booklove https://www.instagram.com/p/CDqylR_g_uh/?igshid=a5dol238gg7y

Fahrenheit 451 by Rat Bradbury 🌟🌟🌟.5 (Full review in bio) In a world where books are prohibited, firemen start fires rather than put them out, and TV will rot your brain, fireman Guy Montag rises from the ashes of ignorance to deliver the author's message: books - good ; TV - bad. Guy Montag is a fireman who enjoys two things: setting the homes of people guilty of harboring the most dangerous of commodities - books - and going home to a wife who can only speak in complains and demands, until she joins her interactive TV family. That's until he meets Clarisse, a strange young girl with so many questions, whom he thinks about in a borderline creepy way. In a series of events starting with the eccentric girl introduces Montag to a past where books were not banned up to people choosing to die in a pyre of their books, he does the unthinkable. He keeps a book for himself. Strap in for a  hundred and fifty pages of symbolism and assumptions so vague it could be interpreted so many ways but rarely for the author's actual conclusion, more metaphors than my small mind could process, a lot of fear and hatred towards technology, and the ultimate lesson: thou shall not burn books. #raybradbury #fahrenheit451 #bookreviewer #bookreview #bookblog #bookstagramph #bookstagram #bookcommunity #bibliophiles #photographylovers #beatthealgorithm #booksofinstagram #booklove https://www.instagram.com/p/CDqylR_g_uh/?igshid=a5dol238gg7y

qotd: recommend a book or series from your favorite genre! I just finished The Winter if the Witch today (read the book in almost one sitting) and I must say, it's one of my new favorites. It was like reading a three-book fairytale, complete with all the mysteries and atmosphere that makes fairytales enchanting. One element I loved about it is its heroine Vasilisa Petrovna. She has one of the best character developments I've seen. It was like watching a wild child grow into the scheming, ambitious young woman she was by the end of the book. And what's more is she has her own goals other than the people who love her. She's not always "We are going to stick together" because she knows where her happiness lies. The Farseer Trilogy was a recommendation from the wonderful @mystormingbooks . I've heard the main character is a very flawed, slappable human (as a person, I hope). bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge #robinhobb #thefarseertrilogy #assassinsapprentice #assassinsquest #royalassassin https://www.instagram.com/p/CDoKcMKAXR6/?igshid=1c0zl2ji1b6xd

QOTD: Describe your ideal reading atmosphere. I read from noon to night today. It rained hard and it was cold so I bundled up in my blankets with a mug of warm milk as I read (and finished) The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. I'm now reading the Last book in the Winternight Trilogy, The Winter of the Witch. On rainy days, I find myself more relaxed. I sleep better too, most of my worries drowned by the cold and the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain. Sometimes I wonder if there are fairies that would take your worries away, as some would take fallen teeth, and leave money under the pillow. How rich would I be by now! #thegirlinthetower #katherinearden #winternighttrilogy #thebearandthenightingale #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge #spiderwickchronicles https://www.instagram.com/p/CDlmHKUgZlo/?igshid=37nu11hhom8e

QOTD: Describe your ideal reading atmosphere. I read from noon to night today. It rained hard and it was cold so I bundled up in my blankets with a mug of warm milk as I read (and finished) The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden. I'm now reading the Last book in the Winternight Trilogy, The Winter of the Witch. On rainy days, I find myself more relaxed. I sleep better too, most of my worries drowned by the cold and the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain. Sometimes I wonder if there are fairies that would take your worries away, as some would take fallen teeth, and leave money under the pillow. How rich would I be by now! #thegirlinthetower #katherinearden #winternighttrilogy #thebearandthenightingale #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge #spiderwickchronicles https://www.instagram.com/p/CDlh_q-AavT/?igshid=w2s5z65yudni

If you had a job in a fantasy story, which would it be? I've always wanted to learn magic so when I spotted The Wizard's Handbook in one of my favorite thrift bookshops, I bought it right away. And this was back when I was in college so I had little money to spare for books. I really love collecting books about the use of magic, study of mythical creatures, guides on how to avoid the dark forces. My colleagues told me I would be an assassin because outwardly, I'm quiet and nice but sometimes exudes a cold aura (and also picks locks). But I'm not one for killing so I guess I'll be a travelled making maps of the lands. I like travelling and making maps anyway. Then I'll be the character the MC would encounter which would help them translate what the locals are saying. #thewizardshandbook #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CDkHOW9gO5M/?igshid=1dua7sv53ma7w

The Bear and the Nightingale 🌟🌟🌟🌟.5 In olden Russia where boys could be anything from warrior to village lord to priest and girls could only choose between being a housewife or being a nun, where winter lasts most of the year, gods walk the earth among us and humans refer to each other in their full given names, Vasilisa Petrovna - a girl too ugly for marriage and too wild to be tamed - must save her village from the rising evil the story will introduce in its opening chapter -- making you crave for it -- which it will mention every fifty pages or so but never be fully elaborate until the last hundred pages, driving you mad with intrigue and curiosity. After Vasilisa's mother dies, his father heads to Moscow (where he leaves half of the cast introduced thus far) and brings home a new wife, Anna Ivanovna, who forbids her family from honoring the household spirits, effectively ruining everyone's life as crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. Anna team up with Father Konstantin "GIVE YOURSELF UNTO JAYSUS" Nikonovich -- part-time painter, part-time man of God, occasional pedophile, a priest exiled to their remote village with the most Christian mission ever: impose Christianity on everyone save their souls -- to save everyone's soul and practically exorcise Vasilisa. As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy everyone's attempt to make a girl out of her, endure the hatred of the entire village for not being like other girls, and dodge every attempt by her stepmother to either marry her to the most abusive men or send her to a convent, suffer parental abuse, all while keeping the spirits and her village alive. So step into this lyrical retelling of Vasilisa the Beautiful, so atmospheric you'll be swept off to a freezing winter night in Russia, with plot so intriguing but slow moving you'd be begging for the author to stop dangling hints in front of your face and just get on with the revelation. #thebearandthenightingale #katherinearden #bookreviewer #bookreview bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography https://www.instagram.com/p/CDgceXrAViJ/?igshid=bxeci1g028s8

QOTD: What's something you'd like to see more in the books you're reading? Aside from diversity (which I totally wanna see more of), I want more main characters with family members they get along with. And I don't mean the Overprotective Brother™. I want siblings with their own storylines. Growing up with brothers, I was always looking for stories like these but all I have are Orphaned Sad Bois, Orphaned Not other Girls, characters with abusive families who opt to leave their homes for a better found family. I want more characters with something other than a tragic familial backstory. #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge #robinhobb #thefarseertrilogy #royalassassin https://www.instagram.com/p/CDd4zrag-sn/?igshid=1x1z1gv4hbpi3

QOTD: Which do you like more? Taking or making book recommendations? I like taking recommendations more than making them. I always enjoy the feeling that people have different perceptions of me that enables them to share with me a book that they think I'd like (or hate, in some cases). Special thanks to @mystormingbooks for recommending #thefarseertrilogy by #robinhobb after she saw my comment about being tired of "badass" supermodels playing assassins in @damaged_pages (thank you for posting that QOTD). And this was waaaay before I read ToG, okay? So yes, I was just tired of assassins XD #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CDbSkU7A3WE/?igshid=nt1smt7g8tln

My July Wrap-up is up on my WordPress blog! If you wanna know which of my reads would suit you, please drop by the blog as it contains brief descriptions of each book and to whom I would recommend it to. Check out my LinkTree (on my bio) for the link to the post! 1. Over the Garden Wall Vol. 1 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 2. Over the Garden Wall Vol. 2 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 3. Fahrenheit 451 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4. The Art of War 🌟🌟🌟🌟 5. Carrie 🌟🌟🌟🌟 6. Throne of Glass 🌟🌟 7. The Bear and the Nightingale 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 QOTD: How many books were you able to read last month? What's on your August TBR? #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #theartofwar #suntzu #bookphotography #bookphotochallenge https://www.instagram.com/p/CDWH5WEgBjS/?igshid=199iy1ezifdu7

tHrOnE OF SASS 🌟🌟/5 Full review: https://bit.ly/3ggf34t Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Downright disappointment. In a world without magic, Celaena Sardothien - spoiled brat, bookworm, dog lover, fashion model, girl-hater, part-time Sherlock Holmes, and Adarlan's Assassin - is serving her time in the salt mines of Endovier for killing tons of people (in flashbacks). Not-so-handsome but young-for-his-position Captain Chaol Westfall and achingly-handsome Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard offer her a deal: represent the Prince in a to-the-death muggle's Triwizard tournament against the kingdom's most vicious killers, be the King's Champion, and earn her freedom. Join Celaena as she proves herself undeserving of her badass reputation as she gets her butt kicked in sparring matches, kill zero people in the current timeline, murder everyone ONLY in her imagination because she's too lame to do it in real life, and undergo re-training for the lamest to-the-death tournament which is more like a magicless Triwizard Tournament so boring that the Goblet of Fire version had a higher mortality rate. Follow her journey to her freedom, navigating an awkward and forced love triangle while trying to win a high school sportsfest, making friends with fellow girl-haters, all as she tries to catch the evil lurking in the glass castle, killing competitors, in this convoluted tale of mashed up murder mystery-slash-badly written high school romance fanfic, and nothing of the actual assassin story I came here for, written by the one and only Queen Sarah J. Maas. #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #throneofglass #sarahjmaas #sjm #celaenasardothien https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTgMzegzPs/?igshid=12w9op1pq7tpl

tHrOnE OF SASS 🌟🌟/5 Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Downright disappointment. In a world without magic, Celaena Sardothien - spoiled brat, bookworm, dog lover, fashion model, girl-hater, part-time Sherlock Holmes, and Adarlan's Assassin - is serving her time in the salt mines of Endovier for killing tons of people (in flashbacks). Not-so-handsome but young-for-his-position Captain Chaol Westfall and achingly-handsome Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard offer her a deal: represent the Prince in a to-the-death muggle's Triwizard tournament against the kingdom's most vicious killers, be the King's Champion, and earn her freedom. Join Celaena as she proves herself undeserving of her badass reputation as she gets her butt kicked in sparring matches, kill zero people in the current timeline, murder everyone ONLY in her imagination because she's too lame to do it in real life, and undergo re-training for the lamest to-the-death tournament which is more like a magicless Triwizard Tournament so boring that the Goblet of Fire version had a higher mortality rate. Follow her journey to her freedom, navigating an awkward and forced love triangle while trying to win a high school sportsfest, making friends with fellow girl-haters, all as she tries to catch the evil lurking in the glass castle, killing competitors, in this convoluted tale of mashed up murder mystery-slash-badly written high school romance fanfic, and nothing of the actual assassin story I came here for, written by the one and only Queen Sarah J. Maas. #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #readersofinstagram #readersofig #throneofglass #sarahjmaas #sjm #celaenasardothien https://www.instagram.com/p/CDTdoAdAC8B/?igshid=1ilzr7af3n6v6

I'll try to post stuff everyday-ish to make up for my pace in reading 😅 There was a steep decline in the quality of writing in Throne of Glass (given where it started, how low is a steep decline??) so I'm struggling to finish the last 150 pages. Anyway, lemme show you this cool graphic novel by @deadbalagtas . This is the first ever graphic novels in my collection and was the one that had me buying more of the format. The art is great and so are the themes, exploring different forms of love and relationships and the challenges faced by each. 10/10 would recommend. QOTD: Do you read graphic novels? Do you consider it as a regular book (especially in reading challenges)? #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic https://www.instagram.com/p/CDJRUv1g1Rd/?igshid=jfq5uqzyqo6k

QOTD: Who's your favorite local author? In the past two years, I decided I should read more local works. One of the authors I found was @elizawritesanywhere Eliza Victoria. I read Wounded Little Gods two years ago and oh my gosh, did I love it. My friend told me about A Bottle of Storm Clouds but it was only very recently that I found a copy of it. After that I actively sought out her work. She's like the Filipino equivalent of Neil Gaiman, my autobuy author. After that I fell in love with more awesome Filipino writers and am now exploring local literature. #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #elizavictoria #abottleofstormcloudsstories #project17 #woundedlittlegods https://www.instagram.com/p/B_r98Qbgs7q/?igshid=aubk4m0gp5rj

QOTD: How many books have you already purchased while in quarantine? Technically, I bought 8 but the two are still on their way. I hope I can read them all! #bookstagramph #bookstagrammerph #bookstagram #bibliophile #bookblogger #bookblog #booksofinstagram #bookworm #booklover #booklove #booktography #bookflatlay #bookaddiction #bookstagrammer  #booknerd  #beatthealgorithm #readersofig #igreads #alwaysreading #flatlay #booksofig #bookaesthetic #steelheart #calamity #firefight #brandonsanderson #toalltheboysivelovedbefore #psistillloveyou #alwaysandforeverlarajean #jennyhan https://www.instagram.com/p/B_kSKaEAxFQ/?igshid=15eqy6af7iow8