#shadowtearling25dob

25 Days of Booklr: Day Nine - Best Poetry As problematic as she may have been the first real connection I ever felt to a poet was Sylvia Plath. I really don't want to analyze what that says about me but I was a high school girl at the time so I'm merciful with myself.

25 Days of Booklr: Day 10 - Most Unforgettable/Underrated It feels strange to say that any Le Guin is underrated, however in my experience around readers my age she's not as ubiquitous. Perhaps it's their mythic narrative style that puts off modern readers. Or that we do not get the pay off of deep character insight despite how well developed these characters are. Whatever the case this series in particular is both unforgettable and underrated. These books have a special place in my heart. These are my Mom's copies that she mailed to me last summer with a note saying they were her favorites and to take care of them. When I opened the first book I saw her maiden name written in her handwriting. Meaning she first read these when she was younger than I am now. I almost started to cry. They also drew me out of a months long reading slump post University.

25 Days of Booklr: Day Seventeen - Best Debut I am obsessed with folklore and Russian Literature so it should come as no surprise that Katherine Arden's debut "The Bear and the Nightingale" pressed a lot of my buttons. I've seen reviews on the ol' tumblrverse that people found it slow. I also felt that the first 2/3 were slow and LOVED that aspect. The end was so rushed compared to the pace she set for the beginning/middle it threw me off. I've been meaning to write a more in depth review of it so I'll leave that there for now....

The book itself could stand alone without the sequels. This makes it a great start to the series however because you can’t help but want more of the whimsical, yet surprisingly dark, narrative Funke creates. Some of the best reading of my middle school years and I often have reread them as an adult.

25 Days of Booklr: Day 22 - Best Cast of Characters As with a lot of Russian Lit there are 18 bagillion characters in Anna Karenina and they all go by 6 different names. It's awful, I love it! If there's one thing I took away from this book it was Tolstoy's ability to make flawed, relatable, characters.

25 Days of Booklr: Day 24 - Best Female Protagonist Seraphina was one of my favorite books I read this year. The setting was so unique, the characters loveable, and most importantly the protagonist was relatable. She's a strong girl who's strength isn't physical or that she's particularly witty, or even pretty. She just simply is stubborn and never gives up. I love her, I love this book, and I REALLY need to read the sequel 😭

25 Days of Booklr: Day Seven - A New (to you) Author I'm always reticent of Tumblr YA recommendations and am very particular about the ones I actually follow through and buy. Perhaps it was the brilliant cover design, or the begrudging anglophile in me, but I had no such reservations about diving into V.E. Schwab's Shades of Magic series. Schwab writes with a degree of precision and refined voice above most of her peers while still weaving a fast paced narrative with well developed characters.

25 Days of Booklr: Day Eighteen - Favorite OTP Admittedly my love for Sophie and Howl was originally kindled by the Ghibli film. When I found out there was a book, however, I dove in head first and wrapped myself in the deeper knowledge of these characters and their imperfect yet somehow ideal relationship.