#kindling by Traci chee

[aki-chan2014]

Amity. Twin Valley Reaper. The Red Death. Kindling, and kin.

I'm intending on drawing all seven of the Kindling's from @tracichee 's Kindling, but I just HAD to start with Amity. The image of her, glorious and burning out, was just too strong for me to do otherwise.

[moonreadingjournal]

What is up?

(Totally unrelated to this post, but I hate it when someone says “what’s up?” Or “what is up?” And some smartass answers with “the sky jajajajja” I hate it so much. It makes my whole soul and my whole life cringe so hard. Also when it’s new years and people go up to you and say “see you next year jajajaja” ew or “haven’t seen you since last year ajajajajaj” ewwwwwww).

So after I finished reading The Extraordinaries I was on the fence in regards to what read next? Don’t get me wrong. I have a ridiculous amount of books to choose from, but it is hard sometimes to choose and make the right choice. So for me it was between If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio, Spell Bound by F.T. Lukens, Happy Place by Emily Henry (which I already started but put down to read the extraordinaries), All the Hidden Paths by Fox Meadows (the sequel to A Strange and Stubborn Endurance) Kindling by Traci Chee (which I have the ARC for [what???] but I haven’t read it and the book is out but whatever) and Midnight in Everwood by M.A Kuzniar.

I don’t know why but I ended up choosing Midnight in Everwood. It is a book that I have previously started reading but just stopped. I don’t think I know or remember what else I decided to read instead (but that’s not important). As you can probably guess from the cover it is a re-telling of The Nutcracker. Which I love. Granted, I’ve only ever seen the Brarbie and the nutcracker movie. But I’ve seen so many tiktoks of the ballet, from the Royal Opera House and the Bolshoi Ballet. It looks so magnificent and magical. It is all snow and sparkles (and some creepy af mice).

One of my dreams is to someday a) watch a small production of the nutcracker in person where I live currently and b) to watch the nutcracker at one of the famous ballet houses (Royal Opera or the Bolshoi).

This book is a work of fiction, for adults. But it is quite the cozy and comforting read. As of where I am right now, I know it is a pretty nice reading. Something you can enjoy during the winter months w a hot cup of anything (cider or hot chocolate) and curl up on a fuzzy blanket while it is snowing (slightly not a full out blizzard).

After I am done reading this book I don’t know what I will read. I am pre-ordering some books and I pre-ordered some books that will be coming at some point. I ordered The Emperor and the Endless Palace by Justinian Huang and there are also the books I listed I wanted to read before I landed on this one. I guess we’ll see.

Also I feel like re-reading Red, White and Royal Blue. Which I only want to because I re-watched the movie and I do remember a lot and know they made quite a lot of changes, but not quite the deal break for me. What is a deal break for me though is the cover for the paperback. The pink one with those goofy looking Henry and Alex. I don’t like it. Alex looks so weird in that drawing and Henry too. All I can think of is that, this cover had to go through approvals. Multiple people had to probably make a vote and landed on that. If someone were to tell me it was Casey who drew them I would be like “okay well” but yeah. I now I sound like a lot. I am weird but I just. It’s not like any of the other books I have. I honestly like the movie tie-in cover they released when the movie came out (I know, blasphemy). I want to buy this collector’s edition hardcover one that is so pretty. It has no Alex or Henry in the cover. Only on the inside and they are so cute. But whatever. This little paragraph has no real purpose just me complaining sorry.

Well hopefully I will finish Midnight in Everwood before The Emperor and the Endless Palace arrived (I write as I literally get a notification that it arrived and I can pick it up, ugh, I feel sick today, I cannot go for it). And hopefully I will remember to write something about the book once I am done.

So it was decided I will read The Emperor and the Endless Palace after this book (by me, just now) I don’t know what I will read after. It is between….all the books that I own.

[tracichee]

Seven warriors. Seven heroes. Seven children. ⚔️ Come victory or come death.

🔥 KINDLING is out in five days, and time is running out to submit your receipts to receive your pre-order gifts! Details in my pinned post or here. 🔥

[Video description: Plaintive folk string music played over a series of illustrated characters panning across a background of red sky and setting sun and the numbers 1-7; last images are of the seven characters posed in front of the setting sun and the text "Come victory or come death" followed by the cover of Kindling by Traci Chee]

[draconiclore]

30 days of Pride books (with @miraclerizuin)

Day 6: Kindling by Traci Chee

A fantasy, all-girls retelling of Akira Kurisawa's The Seven Samurai told in the second person. I definitely cried while reading this book.

[readingwreck-omen-dations]

Kindling by Traci Chee

Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives.

Now, the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs.

Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Drama

Age: 16+

TW: violence, character death, cultural genocide, child soldiers, substance abuse, racism, sexual content, PTSD

Spoilers under the cut

Following the tradition of Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (neither of which, I admit, have I watched), this book follows seven members of a defunct order, seeking one final battle.

The book is told in second person, and following a revolving point of view, which at first threw me for a loop, until I realized it's really meant to be told from the perspective of the characters' dead Kindling brethren. This was an interesting take that I grew to appreciate more the further I got in the book.

The characters are instantly charming, and since there's so many of them I'll limit it to two or three adjectives each. Leum is standoffish but kind; Ket is seductive and wild but charming; Emara is roguish but deeply sentimental; Amity is stern and selfish but caring; Siddie is naive but brave; Kanver is irresponsible but sweet; Ben is cowardly but clever. As well as these seven Kindling, there's also the non-magical but no less gutsy Tana, a resident of Camas — a village targeted by a fierce Kindling warrior and her band of raiders — who contracts the band of rogue Kindlings to defend her home, and takes a strong liking to the free-spirited Ket in the process. It was impossible for me to pick a favorite as each of their stories unfolded, and motivations both selfish and noble were revealed.

I'm also gonna be real here: this book made me cry. A lot. At a lot of different points. For a lot of different reasons. I won't tell you not to get attached to characters, because it's impossible not to, but...attach with caution. There's a lot of heavy topics, as it's very primarily a story about trauma and child soldiers feeling lost in a world post-war, with the nationalism they clung to through the war now obsolete, and their singular purpose and chance at glory in life gone — and realizing, too late in some cases, that the glory was never worth it. (This was one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much — I'm never not thinking about "and how did these chosen heroes and child soldiers handle peacetime?")

On the lighter side of things, it was very deeply moving in its portrayals of friendship and found family; the only romantic or sexual relationships are sapphic, integrate seamlessly into the plot, and serve as a lovely form of character development; the moments of levity are very effective in breaking the tension between the heavy plot points.

I give it ten out of five stars, highly recommend, no other notes

[somanybookssolittletime1]

In My Mailbox (#70)

~Purchases~   Crave by Tracy Wolff| Goodreads Crush by Tracy Wolff | Goodreads Covet by Tracy Wolff | Goodreads Court by Tracy Wolff  | Goodreads ~ARCs~ The Scarlet Veil by Shelby Mahurin | Goodreads Kindling by Trace Chee| Goodreads ~~~ I often post pictures of the books I purchase/ARCs received/am currently reading on my bookstagram ~ Instagram! Be sure to follow to see what books I…

[bookaddict24-7]

NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES! (FEBRUARY 27TH, 2024)

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HAVE I MISSED ANY NEW YOUNG ADULT RELEASES? HAVE YOU ADDED ANY OF THESE BOOKS TO YOUR TBR? LET ME KNOW!

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NEW STANDALONES/FIRST IN A SERIES:

Daughter of the Bone Forest by Jasmine Skye

Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana

Illusions of Fire by Nisha Sharma

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park , Joungmin Lee Comfort (Translator)

Kindling by Traci Chee

NEW SEQUELS:

Fate Breaker (Realm Breaker #3) by Victoria Aveyard

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Happy reading!

[richincolor]

We've got five different books on our radar this week! Which ones have caught your eye?

Kindling by Traci Chee HarperCollins

Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives. Now, the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs. Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.

Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School by Tiffany Jewell Versify

From preschool to higher education and everything in between, Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School focuses on the experiences Black and Brown students face as a direct result of the racism built into schools across the United States. The overarching nonfiction narrative follows author Tiffany Jewell from early elementary school through her time at college, unpacking the history of systemic racism in the American educational system along the way. Throughout the book, other writers of the global majority share a wide variety of personal narratives and stories based on their own school experiences. Contributors include New York Times bestseller Joanna Ho; award winners Minh Lê, Randy Ribay, and Torrey Maldonado; authors James Bird and Rebekah Borucki; author-educators Amelia A. Sherwood, Roberto Germán, Liz Kleinrock, Gary R. Gray Jr., Lorena Germán, Patrick Harris II, shea wesley martin, David Ryan Barcega Castro-Harris, Ozy Aloziem, Gayatri Sethi, and Dulce-Marie Flecha; and even a couple of teen writers! Everything I Learned About Racism I Learned in School provides young folks with the context to think critically about and chart their own course through their current schooling—and any future schooling they may pursue.

Snowglobe by Soyoung Park & translated by Joungmin Lee Comfort Delacorte Press

In a world of constant winter, only the citizens of the climate-controlled city of Snowglobe can escape the bitter cold—but this perfect society is hiding dark and dangerous secrets within its frozen heart. Enclosed under a vast dome, Snowglobe is the last place on Earth that’s warm. Outside Snowglobe is a frozen wasteland, and every day, citizens face the icy world to get to their jobs at the power plant, where they produce the energy Snowglobe needs. Their only solace comes in the form of twenty-four-hour television programming streamed directly from the domed city. The residents of Snowglobe have fame, fortune, and above all, safety from the desolation outside their walls. In exchange, their lives are broadcast to the less fortunate outside, who watch eagerly, hoping for the chance to one day become actors themselves. Chobahm lives for the time she spends watching the shows produced inside Snowglobe. Her favorite? Goh Around, starring Goh Haeri, Snowglobe’s biggest star—and, it turns out, the key to getting Chobahm her dream life. Because Haeri is dead, and Chobahm has been chosen to take her place. Only, life inside Snowglobe is nothing like what you see on television. Reality is a lie, and truth seems to be forever out of reach. Translated for the first time into English from the original Korean.

Hope Ablaze by Sarah Mughal Rana Wednesday Books

All My Rage meets The Poet X in this electric debut that explores a Muslim teen finding her voice in a post-9/11 America. Nida has always been known as Mamou Abdul-Hafeedh’s niece - the poet that will fill her uncle’s shoes after he was wrongfully incarcerated during the war on terror. But for Nida, her poetry letters are her heart and sharing so much of herself with a world that stereotypes her faith and her hijab is not an option. When Nida is illegally frisked at a Democratic Senatorial candidate’s political rally, she writes a scathing poem about the politician, never expecting the letter to go viral weeks before Election Day. Nida discovers her poem has won first place in a national contest, a contest she never entered, and her quiet life is toppled. But worst of all, Nida loses her ability to write poetry. In the aftermath of her win, Nida struggles to balance the expectations of her mother, her uncle, and her vibrant Muslim community with the person she truly wants to be. With a touch of magic and poetry sprinkled throughout, Sarah Mughal Rana's Hope Ablaze is heartbreaking, often funny, and ultimately uplifting, not only celebrating the Islamic faith and Pakistani culture, but simultaneously confronting racism and Islamophobia with unflinching bravery.

Tender Beasts by Liselle Sambury Margaret K. McElderry Books

Sunny Behre has four siblings, but only one is a murderer. With the death of Sunny’s mother, matriarch of the wealthy Behre family, Sunny’s once picture-perfect life is thrown into turmoil. Her mother had groomed her to be the family’s next leader, so Sunny is confused when the only instructions her mother leaves is a mysterious “Take care of Dom.” The problem is, her youngest brother, Dom, has always been a near-stranger to Sunny…and seemingly a dangerous one, if found guilty of his second-degree murder charge. Still, Sunny is determined to fulfill her mother’s dying wish. But when a classmate is gruesomely murdered, and Sunny finds her brother with blood on his hands, her mother’s simple request becomes a lot more complicated. Dom swears he’s innocent, and although Sunny isn’t sure she believes him, she takes it upon herself to look into the murder—made all the more urgent by the discovery of another body. And another. As Sunny and Dom work together to track down the culprit, Sunny realizes her other siblings have their own dark secrets. Soon she may have to preserve the family she’s always loved or protect the brother she barely knows—and risk losing everything her mother worked so hard to build.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 1/5

Book Blurb: From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven.

Once, the war was fought with kindlings—elite, magic-wielding warriors whose devastating power comes at the cost of their own young lives.

Now the war is over, and kindlings have been cast adrift—their magic outlawed, their skills outdated, their formidable balar weapons prized only as relics and souvenirs.

Violence still plagues the countryside, and memories haunt those who remain. When a village comes under threat of siege, it offers an opportunity for seven kindlings to fight one last time. But war changed these warriors. And to reclaim who they once were, they will have to battle their pasts, their trauma, and their grim fates to come together again—or none of them will make it out alive.

From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a gut-wrenching, introspective fantasy about seven lost soldiers searching for the peace they once fought for and the future in which they’re finally daring to believe.

Review:

A retelling of Seven Samurais and The Magnificent Seven with magical girls who were child soldiers in a war. The entire story is told in second POV with about 7 different POVS, suffice to say it was a really really hard read. The story itself was hard to get into and follow with the writing style and the second pov made it hard to follow along and remember who's POV was it. If i had known this was a second POV with this many povs, I would not have requested this book at all. The initial premise of the book sounded exactly like a book I would have loved but it was written in a way that completely turned me off from the book. I wanted so badly to like this book but the way it was written made it nearly impossible to find the distinction between one character and the next. The choppy dialogue, the POV being in 2nd person, and overall fashion of the book was just not working together. I think the best way to get into this book would be in audio book with various different voices, otherwise you just get lost in the story.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollins Children's Books, HarperCollins for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[winningthesweepstakes]

Kindling by Traci Chee

Kindling by Traci Chee. HarperCollins, 2024. 9780063269354  Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4.5 Format: Hardcover Genre:  Fantasy What did you like about the book? The war between Amerand and Vedra is over, peace has settled in the lands, and the kindlings – elite teenage warriors with great and lethal magic – are of no use. Their life-draining magic is outlawed by the…

[aki-chan2014]

Two more of the kindlings (of Traci Chee's Kindling) have been drawn!

This time, I drew Siddie, the baby of the kindlings (though she would HATE being called that) and Kanver, who damn near broke my heart. I mean, let's be real, all the kindlings break my heart but Kanver...my god, Kanver.

[theobviousparadox]

Review: The Kindling by Traci Chee

The KindlingTraci CheeHarperCollinsPublished February 27, 2024 Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads About The Kindling From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and…

[tracichee]

Want to gift one of my books to a friend or loved one? Here's a quick guide to how much you'll make them cry, on a scale of 💔 to 💔💔💔!

The Reader 💔

The Speaker 💔💔

The Storyteller 💔💔💔

We Are Not Free 💔💔💔

A Thousand Steps into Night ❤️

Kindling 💔💔💔

OK, so Kindling isn't technically out until next year--though preorders ARE available now--but untli then you've got four lovely offerings, from minor heartaches to major tearjerkers. And in case you want to spare your giftees some heartbreak this holiday season, there's always A Thousand Steps into Night! 😈

[allbookedupblogstuff]

Kindling by Traci Chee

Source: Netgalley – Thank you so much the publisher. I actually pre-ordered this on finishing it.TL;DR: I loved this. The unique narration style, the characters, everything was so good. Plot: Seven Samurai but make it magical and change the genders. It was fantastic. Loved the tightness and brutality of it.Characters: I loved all these girls. I was genuinely upset and happy in turn throughout…

[jonathanpongratz]

New Book Release: Kindling by Traci Chee

    Blurb: From bestselling and award-winning author Traci Chee comes a standalone fantasy set against a war-ravaged world where kindling warfare—the use of elite, magic-wielding teenage soldiers—has been outlawed. In this rich and evocative novel, seven kindlings search for purpose and identity as they prepare for one final battle. For fans of the classic films Seven Samurai and The Magnificent…

[bookaddict24-7]

New Young Adult Releases Coming Out Today! (June 9th, 2020)

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Note: Since so many release dates have been changed for various Young Adult novels, keep in mind that there might be some titles missing in this post.

Have I missed any new Young Adult releases? Have you added any of these books to your TBR? Let me know! ___

New Standalones/First in a Series:

Hood by Jenny Elder Moke

The Falling in Love Montage by Ciara Smyth 

All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani

Followers by Raziel Reid 

Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams 

Half Life by Lillian Clark

We Are Not Free by Traci Chee (This is the Kindle edition)

The Redpoint Crux by Morgan Shamy 

New Sequels: 

Rage & Ruin (The Harbinger #2) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

The Damned (The Beautiful #2) by Renée Ahdieh

The Boundless (The Beholder #2) by Anna Bright 

The Shadow Wand (The Black Witch Chronicles #3) by Laurie Forest 

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Happy reading!