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kenna-is-reading · 5 months

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Crescent City: House of Sky and Breath Review

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Dear Readers,

I have so many thoughts, questions, comments, and concerns in regards to this book that it made me stop procrastinating and just start my blog, already. I finished CC2 in the wee hours of last night, having flown through the last 400 pages in a single day. What I had heard going into this book was that it was a "whole lot of nothing" and "kind of hard to get through," but that really wasn't the case for me. I have owned the first CC book since it came out, but just now finished it last month. I found the first half of that difficult to read through, not because it was bad or boring or had anything wrong with it, but simply because I have the IQ of a paper towel and could not bring myself to comprehend anything that was going on. However, when I hit the last 200 or so pages of HOEAB, something clicked. Something shifted in the earth's atmosphere and I was addicted. I snatched book 2 from the library first thing the very next morning, and the rest was history. I found that I absolutely love everything about this series, from the setting to the characters to the way everything worked together. I just found all the different types of people and how they related to one another and how they operated in a modern city setting to be so interesting. In listening to other people's reviews of this book, some didn't like the large cast of characters and found it hard to keep them all straight, but as a Throne of Glass enthusiast, I felt right at home. I loved the changing perspectives and getting to see what was going on inside the heads of characters like Ruhn, Tharion, and Ithan. The character dynamics worked really well, in my opinion, and I always love the way a big group of characters interacts and banters, especially in an SJM novel. A couple of things I wanted to note specifically about HOSAB:

The Rebel Plotline

I actually didn't mind the plotline with Ophion and the Renasts. It felt like a good additional conflict to pull on the loose threads that were left open at the end of Book 1 and ended up tying into the overarching plot in an interesting way. I was disappointed that Sofie actually didn't make it, because we spend a very large portion of this book discussing her powers and attempting to find Emile, and I wanted to see how her relationship with Cormac played out, because he was a very interesting character to me as well. I was definitely sad about his sacrifice, but it was made more impactful given his final interaction with Ruhn. While he had not been around long, he was a complex character, and I found myself wanting better for him and wanting for him to be able to become the person he wanted to be. However, I still want to know more about Sofie's thunderbird powers and how they play into everything.

2. Tharion

I have loved Tharion since he first appeared in Book 1, but I was so disappointed in him in this book. Some of his choices had me yelling at the page, but his complexity makes him such a good character. We know he is overall a good person, but he can be treacherous as he struggles to juggle his loyalty to his friends with his obligation to the River Queen. The biggest question that I had finishing this book was due to the fact that when Captain Sendes saves the crew from...well...everyone, there is a line insinuating that she expects that they not reveal the truth about their camouflaging ship technology. She basically tells them, you screw us, we'll screw you. Tharion immediately returns to the River Queen and sells them out, telling her all about the ship tech and even mentioning Captain Sendes by name. Knowing the River Queen, I expected her to retaliate against the Ocean Queen's crew, or at least for Sendes & co. to discover Tharion's betrayal and refuse to help them, but this issue is never brought up again, so I was confused about that, not to mention frustrated with Tharion for blabbing everyone's business to the River Queen of his own free will. The second, probably most obvious choice of Tharion's that I was frustrated by in this book was his decision to pledge himself to the Viper Queen. I understand why he did it, and I realize that he was, in a way, punishing himself, but I can't help but feel like he could have had other options that didn't involve selling himself into literal slavery. Regardless, I love him as a character and I cannot wait to see his arc. I hope he is able to create a better life for himself and have the development that Cormac was not able to.

3. Hunt

This seems like it might be controversial because I see a lot of Hunt slander that I believe is unwarranted, but Hunt Athalar is firmly within my list of top 5 SJM men. I love him. Plain and simple, I love him so much. Having to read the ending of this book when everything he has worked for goes down the drain as his halo is reapplied was absolutely grueling. I know there is also a lot of speculation that Bryce will have another love interest simply because this is an SJM book, and I'm just not sure why or how that would happen. I think that, at this point, that is what everyone is expecting to happen, so I'd be very surprised if Sarah went that route. But whatever the case, I love Hunt and I really hope nothing happens to him. He's been through the ringer for literal centuries and I just want him to be happy!!! I also have questions following this book about his lineage. I feel like there is a lot yet to be revealed about his parentage and his powers, so I am excited to read more in CC3 and see what comes of that...if he ever gets out of that stupid dungeon. (Which, btw, sidebar: all my homies HATE Pollux and I cannot wait until he gets the Cairn treatment, preferably from Lidia).

4. Connor

This book raised SO MANY QUESTIONS about Connor. It gave me hope that maybe we will see Connor again in some way because the book spent so much time on Ithan's quest to find out where he is. And even if we don't get to see Connor or talk to him again, I WANNA KNOW WHERE HE IS! The Holstrom Bros are #1 in my heart and I want nothing but love and light for them <3.

5. The Big Twist aka Infinity War (Sarah's Version)

Now team. I think a lot of us readers knew how this book was going to end, or at least knew The Big Thing that was going to happen at some point within it. And that makes me SO UPSET! The appearance of Rhysand and that whole situation had the potential to be one of the most breathtaking plot twist mindblowing earth-shattering life-changing moments in literary history. However, the way it was handled by both the reader community AND literally Bloomsbury themselves made it so that basically everybody and their cousin's neighbor's dog's goldfish's nephew knew that the crossover was happening. It didn't matter how dedicated you were to avoiding spoilers, somehow they ALWAYS found their way onto the screen! No amount of typing "NO SPOILERS SPOILER FREE NO SPOILERS" in on BookTok stopped the spoilers from coming! Me personally, I refused to look at anything SJM related for the entire release year to avoid spoilers, because I hadn't read any Crescent City yet, I had only read up to ACOSF. So I thought I was safe. I was wrong. It was an unseasonably bright and happy day on January 10th as I pulled out my phone at the library and clicked on the Instagram app to see what exciting new things had been posted, and imagine my surprise when the FIRST THING ON MY SCREEN was a single graphic, (not a carousel), posted by SJM and Bloomsbury that read, in big bright letters, "Bryce began running again, hurtling through the cave. Back toward Nesta and Azriel. And prayed there was SOMETHING LEFT FOR HER TO SAVE." I reacted in a manner akin to that stan Twitter reaction video of iCarly opening her apartment door and immediately being blinded. I nearly threw the offending phone across the public library. I prayed to unsee. But the damage was done. I had seen. I then went to my local Walmart 20 days later to acquire House of Flame and Shadow, and I was deeply alarmed when each copy of the brand new book was stamped with a big blue sticker that read something along the lines of "INCLUDES BONUS CHAPTER WITH BRYCE, NESTA, AND AZRIEL!" Right on the front of the cover for all to see. Now you may say, "Kenna dearest, CC1 had been out for nearly 4 years at that point. CC2 had been out for nearly 2 years. They shouldn't have to post spoiler warnings anymore." And to that I say, if it were any other author or series. YES! So true! However, House of Earth and Blood is indeed 799 pages in length. House of Sky and Breath is indeed 801 pages in length. I am but a full time student, part-time worker, volunteer, sister, daughter, and friend. My reading time had been quite limited at that point. Not to mention that Sarah J. Maas is arguably the most popular author within BookTube, BookTok, BookTwt, and Bookstagram COMBINED right now, and so many people are just now starting to read her books. However, I suppose if readers DO know that the ACOTAR characters show up in Crescent City, it will motivate fans of ACOTAR to continue on with Maas's books and purchase more of them, so really it's 10/10 marketing and I must applaud the reckless major-multi-series-spoiling amid my frustration.

Overall, I absolutely love the Crescent City series, and I loved HOSAB as a sequel, and I am diving immediately into book 3. This series continues to cement SJM as a master of her craft and portrays the way that she is just an expert at putting a story together and creating characters that feel real. I am now off to devour House of Flame and Shadow, and then probably reread ACOTAR and TOG to try to pick up on some of that big-brain tricky foreshadowing she always does. Until next time, and thank you for reading my emphatic literary ramblings.

XO,

Kenna

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sincerely-sofie · 1 year

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Hi! My name is Sofie. Welcome to my blog!

I'm a college student who loves God, nature, creepy-crawlies, and anything creative. I started this blog in July 2023 so I could have a place to record my experiences as I make a concentrated effort to try new things, find silver linings in every day, and be a stalwart disciple of Christ. You can expect a lot of things from this blog, including:

Art, comics, and maybe a written piece or two of my characters

Book notes and reviews (especially nonfiction and self-help)

Crafting misadventures

30-day challenges that range from learning how to write with my left hand, to writing and recording a new song, to drawing 100 portraits in 10 days

Diary comics about my day-to-day misadventures as an awkward but sincere crybaby doing her best

Essays about weirdly specific subjects that I'm obsessed with (the societal impact of fandom, cryptids throughout history, how a book about feral cats singlehandedly changed my opinion on reading, critiques of Webtoon and how it has impacted webcomic culture, etc)

Game dev diaries as I try to make text adventures, visual novels, and short RPGs

My valiant efforts to learn how to code despite being horribly incompetent with tech

Memes I make about daily life

Quotes that changed my entire perspective on life because they're just That Good

My testimony of the Gospel

And much, much more!

If that sounds appealing to you, stick around to read a few posts and maybe even follow me! I hope you enjoy your stay 'v'

Sincerely,

Sofie

#stuff by sofie #introduction #intro

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accidentalspaceexplorer · 9 months

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2023 Book Reviews: 5-stars, Part 2

1. Worn: A People's History of Clothing by Sofi Thanhauser: 5/5

Pitch: the history of clothing & textiles, and the role they've played in human history and their future

Review: I was fascinated and I finished the book feeling galvanized and hopeful - what more could I want from nonfiction? But seriously, this is a fantastic deep dive into the history of clothing and how it has shaped our modern world, and there is so much to learn! Especially in our modern age, we are so divorced from how our clothing is made, and this book takes the first step to rectify that. Truly interesting and eye-opening - I'm recommending it to everyone! (Plus you learn a lot of fun facts - I had no idea how important linen was historically, or that there is a modern movement of "denimheads"!)

2. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis: 5/5

Pitch: a primer on how to break down keeping your house together into manageable chunks

Review: Very quick, very easy, but super practical, thought-provoking, and helpful! Definitely would recommend this, especially given how fast this is to read.

3. Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh: 5/5

Pitch: queer space opera about war and brainwashing

Review: Wow. Just…wow. This was compelling, heartbreaking, full of light and darkness, and I could not put it down. It killed me and then it put me back together again.

4. Night Watch by Terry Pratchett: 5/5

Pitch: several books into a Discworld sub-arc; time travel, revolution, and fatherhood

Review: Wow - I understand why so many people say this is their favorite Discworld. This was moving, tense, hopeful, tragic, everything all wrapped up in one, and I really got sucked in completely. Truly excellent.

5. We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian: 5/5

Pitch: a newspaper journalist and the heir to the newspaper fall in love in late 1950s New York

Review: Wow. Wow! This blew me away. I was already a big fan of Cat Sebastian's - I think she writes fantastic characters and heartwarming romances - but this book is something else. I wasn't expecting this book to be so strongly about being queer in the late 50's, and I think it was handled so well and done so right. Plus, I loved both main characters, and they fit together so well. It was amazing. 12/10

#book review #roundup reviews #5 star reviews #2023 reviews

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ariadnewhitlock · 1 year

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The Very First Night || Sofie & Ariadne

PARTIES: Sofie @sofiedupont & Ariadne @ariadnewhitlock LOCATION: UMWR campus TIMING: Mid-April, evening CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A SUMMARY: Sofie needs help finding the library. Ariadne is happy to play tour guide. Conversations in the dark lead to discoveries.

The library seemed as good a place as any for Sofie to look for some books. And she figured the local university would have the greatest selection of old books for her to select from. It was late enough that she didn’t have to worry about the sun, but not so late that there was no one around. The campus was still relatively active, and Sofie managed to blend right in to the students. One of the perks of getting turned so early in life was that she still looked as though she could be a graduate student. The only issue, she realized as she walked briskly across the college campus, was that she didn’t have the slightest idea as to where the library was.

Sofie had a new objective: to find the first person who looked like they would actually know where the library was. She spotted a student (at least, she assumed they were a student) and made a beeline for them. “Pardon me,” She called, her shoes clicking against the sidewalk as she jogged to catch up. “I’m sorry, pardon me- do you happen to know where the library is? I’m completely lost.”

Even at night, the campus wasn’t entirely quiet, and Ariadne appreciated the fact that it didn’t look weird when she stayed out late studying. Given everything, more time to study and review homework was certainly not a bad thing.

She had an essay to finish for one of her art courses, and doing work late at home didn’t always really work. Chance was there, and even if the worst that would happen would be him remarking on how wild it was that she was up late, Ariadne felt the need to get out, and this was a way she could be out and not cause anyone else harm. “I -” she turned toward the sound of shoes against the sidewalk. “It’s okay, hi. Yes, I do - I was actually headed there myself, if you’d like to walk with me? The campus can be big and confusing, so I don’t blame you.” She offered a small smile.

“Oh, that would be wonderful.” Sofie couldn’t help but wonder if she’d been born in a different time, if this would have been her life. Classes and papers and parties. Football games and exam seasons. When she was these people’s age the most she could hope for was a job in a good household or some advantageous marriage where she wouldn’t have to work as hard. And children, she supposed. The only part of the choice she made that she regretted, even if just a little bit.

“I feel like I’d get lost here no matter how much time a spent on campus,” Her footsteps fell in sync with the young woman beside her. “What do you study here?” Sofie asked, wondering if she could guess before she heard the answer. English? Mathematics? Quantum physics? Did this campus even have a quantum physics department?

“Of course!” Ariadne chirped, “I mean, I’m not a tour guide, so this is just my own advice, but I do know where a few things on campus are.” She paused, “or more than a few, I guess. Perks of having lived in town my whole life.” She looked over at the woman, “sorry, I wasn’t trying to brag.”

Ariadne offered a shrug, “it is a big campus. But you get used to it. I think, at least? I don’t want to speak for everyone.” She looked over to the other woman, “oh. Dance and art history. I - I just like those. I’m not sure what exactly I’ll do for a job, once I graduate.” At least not anymore. “Do you study here? Can I ask you what you study?”

She was a sweet little thing, Sofie thought as they walked along. Chirping like a little bird. Her smile was probably a bit too nostalgic for getting told about her not-a-tour-guide tour guide’s connection to the town, but Sofie couldn’t help but wonder if this was how she had been to Seraphine. Although this girl didn’t strike Sofie as the social climbing sort. “You’re fine, ma colombe, no need to apologize.” The words felt both strange and correct in her mouth. They said children turned into their parents over time. Perhaps vampires turned into their sires.

“Someone with taste!” Her eyes glittered with amusement. “There’s an art gallery in town, no? You could work there, perhaps. Or go off into the world and work for a big fancy museum in New York or London. It’s a big world to explore.” Sofie grinned. “Ah, I’m not a student here. Just someone with a bunch of old books looking to see if the library here would be willing to make a trade. Some of my dusty old tomes for some of theirs.”

“Parlez-vous français?” Do you speak French? Ariadne looked over to the other woman. “I - sorry.” She winced. “Working on the apology thing. I’ll try to not do it as much.” Maybe she could hold off on the excessive apologizing for at least the rest of the night. She doubted that it would go exactly as planned, but it didn’t hurt to hope, right?

“Yes, I think so.” As they made their way toward the library she continued, “I could - maybe - I’ll have to see if they’re hiring, and depending on the sort of art they have, if I’d be of use to them. But thank you.” Ariadne fiddled with the strap of her bag. “That’s true - the world is so big, and I mean, curating a museum in a big city? Wow.” Her eyes grew wide at the thought, “oh - well, that is very nice of you. I’m sure the library will be very grateful. Can I ask what sorts of books you have?”

A delighted smile broke out across Sofie’s face. “Oui!” Oh this was excellent! “Et toi?” And you? The corner of her mouth slanted down into something between a frown and a smile. “No need to worry, you’re just fine.” She put as much warmth into the sentence as she could. The poor thing sounded like she could use a kind word.

“I’ve not been in yet, but I believe the artist deals with themes of horror.” She explained as they walked along. Sofie patted a heavy looking tote bag she had slung over her shoulder. “Of course. Old ones. Mostly fiction, and in a few different languages. Dickens, Austen, Brontë… a few works of poets and enlightenment thinkers. They’re well loved, but I’ve run out of space”

“Oui,” she nodded, “la famille de ma mère est française.” My mother’s family is French. Ariadne offered another cautious smile to the other woman. “Thank you, that’s very kind of you, especially since we’ve only just met.”

Her eyes grew briefly wide. Themes of horror. “Oh wow, that’s - well, sometimes I get skittish, easily,” despite literally being a monster, “so I don’t know if they’d want me around, but it means a lot that you already are suggesting things to me.” Ariadne nodded, “that is incredible. Can I ask if you have a favorite book?”

“Ah,” she nodded. “Not a fan of the things that go bump in the night.” Ironic that she was walking side by side with a vampire, then. “Noted. I can’t say that I blame you. I enjoy the beginnings of the genre, but horror today? I will pass on the Hollywood budget slasher flicks, thank you very much. I’ll take Mary Shelley over ‘Midwest Chainsaw Whatever Three’ any day.” Sofie shooed the thought away.

She hummed in thought at the question. “Oh, I have many.” Sofie contemplated the question, her brow scrunching up in concentration. “While I adore a good happy ending- Jane Austen’s Emma for a happy ending choice, mind you. But while I love it when everything ends happily, I do love a bit of drama. I highly recommend Anna Karenina for that. And then if I’d prefer a play, Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. What are yours?

Only because I am one, Ariadne bit her lip, “I mean, bats are cute? But I - uh - I guess I’m just a bit jumpy at times is all.” Even though she was the cause of plenty of people’s jumpiness, given the whole being a literal nightmare and everything. “Yes, the slashers today can be really over-done. I think what I like least is the pain that it causes other people, probably.”

She looked over to the other woman. “Oh, those are all classics.” Which, duh. Not all ones she’d read, save for Twelfth Night in English class in high school. “I love The Little Prince. Little Women?” She shrugged, “I did love Twelfth Night when I read it. Also the Summer Dream one? Sorry, I forget what it’s called.” Ariadne sighed. “We’re nearly to the library.” And it was growing darker, which mean that she had to at least somewhat attempt to avoid looking at the other woman, given the whole red-eye thing.

“Oh I loved Little Women.” Sofie began happily chattering as they went along. “I remember reading it when-“ she caught herself. “Well, for the first time, and thinking Amy was a vastly misunderstood character. Did you have a favorite of the sisters?” She nodded when the girl brought up another of the Bard’s works. “Another classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” She certainly wouldn’t be bringing up how long ago she’d first seen that particular work.

She looked over to the young woman in the dark and paused in her discussion. Sofie had caught a glimpse of her eyes for a moment, and how they glowed red in the darkness. Whatever the girl was, she wasn’t human. “There was a particular quote I liked from the ending of that one,” she said, letting her own eyes shift from their usual dark brown to the deep red that marked her a vampire. “Give me your hands, if we be friends, and Robin shall restore amends”.

“Amy or Beth was always my favorite. It’s a lovely story, even if it is super sad at times.” Ariadne nodded, “yes, that’s the one. I just love the mischief and magic in it, I think. The idea of coming into another world, I don’t know, it felt like an advanced princess movie to me.” She winced, briefly. “That’s not me being disrespectful, I promise, just how I guess I saw it, the first time I read it.”

Ariadne couldn’t help but look back over to the woman - just time to see her eyes shift. She wasn’t the mare that Ariadne had created, she was fairly certain, though a part of her felt filled to the brim with doubt regarding that. “I can’t quote things as well as you can, but - wow. Have you done acting?” She looked at her, head turned just to the side - not entirely sure if she should bring up the whole eye similarity or not. “You seem to know so much about books - that’s - I’m very impressed.” She offered her a shy, somewhat sheepish smile.

She let out a delighted laugh. “An advanced princess movie,” Sofie echoed, contemplating it for a moment. “I rather like that, I think. I might have to use it the next time I’m waxing philosophical over Shakespeare’s comedies.”

Ah, there it was. That look of recognition. The knowledge that Sofie was not merely another human. Sometimes that expression struck panic into the vampire’s heart. Other times, like this one, a pleased grin spread across her face. She kept her eyes red, so it couldn’t be excused as a trick of the light. “Acting? No, no. I’ve just read it about a hundred times since I got a copy of it in the seventeen-eighties.” No point in hiding just how old she was now. “I didn’t have the wonders of the internet up until recently, so reading was a preferred pass time. “And what about you, ma colombe, are you much of a reader?” It wasn’t the question she was really asking. She really wanted to know just how many years this girl had had to read.

“You do?” Ariadne’s smile grew, “I’m glad you don’t find it stupid or ridiculous or something like that.” She felt more relaxed, even if only for a moment, that someone who clearly seemed to know so much, thought any idea of hers was even halfway decent.

The seventeen-eighties? Ariadne stared at the other woman, simultaneously alarmed and impressed, though she really (really) hoped that it only came off as a state of awe to the other woman. She offered another tentative smile. “Well, I think you’d be a good actor - just like, you seem to know things and you’re super pretty, so I think that means you’d be all set.” At the next question, she paused. “I like reading - but I like listening to stories more - reading during school was sometimes hard, but now that I’m in college and can sometimes choose what I get to read, I like it a lot more.”

“I do,” The young woman needed some confirmation to bolster herself, or at least Sofie thought she did. Otherwise she’d apologize again, and Sofie had not lived for three centuries to see clever and capable women apologize for taking up space, or for thinking in a unique way. “New ways of thinking and explaining things are one of the reasons civilization has continued on and we haven’t devolved completely back to the paleolithic era.”

Sofie grinned. A flatterer. Oh, she liked this one. She was going to have to keep her around. “I’ll have to give it a try one of these days,” She chuckled. “That is one of the best damned inventions. Those books you can play on devices and just listen. Completely genius.” She wasn’t completely technologically inept, though she probably would remind the girl of her grandmother with how analog Sofie was. “What is your name? I feel as though you’re going to be seeing more of me, and it would be nice to have a name to put to a face. I’m Sofie.”

“Well, I’m glad you feel that way, because I really don’t think everyone does.” It was doing wonders for setting Ariadne’s mind at ease. “But that’s a good point. Guess you can’t really have progress without thinking in new ways.”

Ariadne nodded enthusiastically, “I also like it, because as much as I like learning and I like books, sometimes the actual physical reading of them is tough for me. So I’m really happy to be able to just listen to them, and you can even sometimes change the speed that they play, which is sort of extra-bonus-neat.” They were nearing the library now. “Oh - you want to see more of me?” Ariadne couldn’t keep the smile from covering her lips. “I’m Ariadne. I’d love to see you more. You seem really smart. And nice. And all sorts of other good things.” She nodded up at the library as they approached. “I’m also from town, so like, if you ever need to know where stuff is, I sometimes know that.”

There was something delightful about someone being enthusiastic, even about the smallest of things. Sofie preferred people like Ariadne- those who could find the genius in the tiny details. If you could find the beauty in the little things, Sofie found you could find beauty in anything. It was like watching a younger version of herself. “Of course- I don’t have a great many friends in town. And I take it,” she let her eyes flicker red again for a moment. “You’re a fairly young woman. I may not have all the answers for you, but I may have some.” She winked at the girl and her eyes faded back to their normal brown.

“It’s been a pleasure talking with you Ariadne,” Sofie slipped a hand into her pocket and fished out a card, pleased she’d finally taken the time to invest in a business card. “You can reach me any time.”

#wickedswriting #c sofie #chatzy #the very first night #// i love sofie and i love grace #can't believe ariadne has a grandma now #also yes we did a taylor swift title #have 2 be on brand

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coqvttes · 10 months

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girllllll!!!! i saw the hunger games yesterday too and let me tell you, seeing tom with a blonde buzzcut did things to me I didn’t know I could feel. Usually I’m not one for the buzzcuts in general but HIM? lord have mercy. He should stay with that haircut for the rest of his life, seriously.

I actually loved the movie, it narrated like a novel and I’m a book nerd so even better, though the first part, for me personally, felt like a 2013 wattpad fic with the dialogue and acting but part two and three? it was seriously amazing, especially part three. Seeing the tyrant Snow being born was chilling with tom’s acting. What about you toots? I need your insights right now, in this instant! have a beautiful day/night (^з^)-☆

— nonnie sofi

note: not reallyyy spoilers tbh but just don’t read the rest if you wanna walk in the cinema without any expectations.

literally like the whole eminem getup was so hot for reallll hahah and then i remembered he’s coriolanus snow and was like ummm awkward…anyway-!

right! part three was really amazing and its such an important part? for me that was THE climax! like so many people said they didn’t like part three but they just don’t understand the importance and value of it! this is a prequel after all and it’s so crucial to the character development of snow.

and i read so many critique reviews and they did not give this movie justice. 65% on rotten tomatoes?? NAHHHH WHAT. they were leaving comments like “part three was boring, too much singing for a hunger games movie, didn’t understand who the main character was.” HUHHH THIS IS A PREQUEL! 😐 GUYS

i feel like most people expected that it was more of a romance film but it actually isn’t! the story utilises a romance subplot to point out how snow doesn’t actually love lucy and how he wants power of her to control her. especially in the book i think it www more detailed in how bad snow really is lmao.

i loved how different this movie was from the rest of the hunger games films. there was singing, it was more colourful and more bright? i was really expecting lots of action before i saw it ngl but i am not disappointed in this approach i think it really hit the depth of the concept of the story.

i think they did so well in both the book and film by not victimising snow, i really thought they were gonna try to humanise him and justify his actions but naww! anyway this is definitely my favourite hunger games movie and i will watch it again in the cinema to get every detail!! i really hope this revives the dystopian genre again i’m gonna get back into so many dystopian movies! 💆‍♀️

feel free to send ur thoughts guys! ♡︎

#₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ — letters #₊ ⊹ — nonnies #𓏲 ˖. ♡̷̸ — sofi nonnie 𓂃 #the hunger games the ballad of songbirds & snakes #the hunger games #coriolanus snow #lucy gray baird

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nothwell · 1 year

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Thanks to Sofie for this thoughtful review of Fiorenzo!

FIORENZO 💙💙💙

Omg. This book. This book is literal perfection. I loved everything about it. Fiorenzo is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance, loosely based on Venetian culture during the Renaissance. Fiore is a courtesan who plans to find an elderly gentleman to marry so he can live off his fortune after they've passed. Enzo is a member of the elite whose life has stalled after he's been banished from university after a duel gone wrong. He now roams the city of Halcyon in a bauta mask so that others won't perceive him. One night, he meets Fiore, and the two are inexplicably drawn to one another. So begins a beautiful romance, but not without the threat of both their hidden pasts catching up with them.

When I think of this book from beginning to end, it feels like centuries have passed. And I mean that in the best way possible. So much happens, and there's so much character development and trust and loyalty and romance that I am constantly astounded by the story whenever I think about it. I absolutely loved both Fiore and Enzo. Fiore is flirty and sweet, while Enzo is so gentle and kind. They fit perfectly together. I also loved the plot. A lot happens, so the book is quite long, but I was never bored. I think Nothwell did a good job at depicting the PTSD that Fiore experienced because of his past. And Enzo was so understanding (as he should be).

Lastly, I LOVED all the hurt-comfort! This book is basically hurt-comfort galore. Just when you think it's over, more hurt-comfort is thrown in! And I personally loved it all because hurt-comfort is my all-time fav trope. So, I was pretty much in my element throughout this whole book.

I really really loved this book, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy when it comes out on SEPTEMBER 30TH! So soon! I HIGHLY recommend.

Additional thoughts: ♡ Enzo's reaction/behaviour between the 50-60% mark was badass and hot. ♡ The very last sentence of the book made me cry. I just love Fiore and Enzo so much. And Fiore came such a long way after everything he went through, ahhhhh, he deserves eternal happiness 😭🥹💙

FIORENZO is a queer fantasy-of-manners romance featuring secret identities, hurt/comfort, and a happily-ever-after. Coming out September 30th – preorder today!

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#hurt/comfort #whump #queer romance #gay romance #mm romance #mlm romance #fantasy romance #romantasy #queer fantasy #fantasy of manners #mannerpunk #historical fantasy #sebastian nothwell #kind words #fiorenzo

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queenvreads · 1 year

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REVIEW: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

*Contains Spoilers*

5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

SJM really did say, "Hold up, let me write this real quick..." 💁 800 pages later.. This is the way.

Bryce and Hunt are trying to get back to their normal lives after saving Crescent City, but the Asteri are keeping a close eye on them, waiting for a chance to strike. Unfortunately, peace doesn't last long, and soon they find themselves caught up in a rebel plot that threatens to turn everything upside down.

Despite its massive length, every chapter left me wondering what the heck is going to happen next. It did feel slower than HOEAB at times, just because it's such a big world, and there is so much that unfolds in this book. I was eager to get to the action.

I am fully invested in these characters; they are my life now. Bryce and Hunt FINALLY get together. How they lasted that long... beats me. When they did come together, though, it was ⚡🌶️⚡🌶️⚡. The puzzle that is Danika keeps being pieced together, and we get to learn a lot more about her and how it's all connected to Bryce.

I really loved the secondary characters and how their stories started to shine in this book. Like ITHAN, my precious boy, and Ruhn and his romance with Day, aka THE HIND? WTH. I almost thought it was the Harpy at one point because she was in the Viper Queen's den, and when she wanted Murdoc to leave them in the dungeons, I thought she was going to free them.

The only part that fell a little flat for me was the Sofie/Emile plot. It was kind of like the Kristallos/Lunas Horn storyline in HOEAB but wasn't as impactful, IMO. The story started with Sofie's story, and then all the characters got brought together to find Sophie and Emile, but in the end: 1. Sofie is dead. 2. Emile is just a regular human boy, no powers 3. We didn't get much else regarding what a thunderbird is. Only that Hunt can channel similar power with his lightning.. so maybe that will be touched on more in book 3.

Mind-blowing moments of the book:

-DANIKA'S MATE

-DANIKA'S FATHER

-BRYCE ENDING UP IN VELARIS. RHYSAND!!

ALL IN ALL, this wasn't the same kind of action like at the end of HOEAB. I wasn't bawling my eyes out at any point like with Lele's sacrifice and Bryce's drop scene, BUT that ending, DAMN. House of Flame and Shadow is going to be NUTS, I know it.🔥🔥🔥

✍️Befriend me on Goodreads: ⭐HERE⭐

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agardenandlibrary · 2 years

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January 2023 Books

Witchmark by C.L. Polk (for the podcast!)

Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley (review)

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (for the podcast!)

Down Among the Sticks and Bones and Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott (for the podcast!)

Wayward by Alice Greczyn (review)

I've decided to pick out a Wayward Children book every time I'm at the library (if they have the next one in publication order, which so far they have!). They're such good fun and quick reads. I liked Beneath the Sugar Sky more than Down Among the Sticks and Bones -- I wonder if that's because it's been so long since I read the first one that I didn't really remember Jack and Jill all that much.

#cara reads 2023

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maximumwobblerbanditdonut · 1 year

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Love Again: First Reviews

Love Again: Film Review

loud and clear reviews maxance vincent

MAXANCE VINCENT

The welcomed (but completely unnecessary) presence of Céline Dion cannot save Love Again from being amazingly trite.

Love Again is a big deal in Quebec, as it will mark the first film role of Céline Dion (as herself, of course. Who wouldn’t want to achieve this legendary status?). I’m curious to find out the box office numbers in the province this weekend. Still, Céline fans will not be disappointed at her appearances in the movie and at the multiple nods to Georges-Hébert Germain’s 1998 “Céline: The Authorized Biography”. Hell, our male protagonist, Rob (Sam Heughan) reads the book frequently to get to know more about the person he’s going to profile.

Rob is a music critic who feels he’s not the right person for the job to profile Dion, as he recently suffered a bad breakup and can’t handle her love songs. His boss (Steve Oram) believes he’s the right person for the job. Rob receives a professional cellphone as a gift. Still, he starts to receive cryptic text messages from a number belonging to Mira Ray (Priyanka Chopra Jonas), who believes she is texting the phone number of her deceased boyfriend, John (Arinzé Kene). He passed away two years before, and the audience sees this tonally jarring scene at the top of the film that sets the stage for how clichéd and exhaustingly boring the whole affair is going to be.

Then Céline Dion comes into play, badly shoehorned into a movie that does not need her presence. As herself, Dion is fine, but her appearance doesn’t make sense. The film was based on a 2016 German film titled SMS für Dich (which I, unfortunately, did not get a chance to see as it was unavailable pretty much everywhere), which in turn was based on the novel of the same name by Sofie Cramer. I may be wrong, but my preliminary research shows that no pop singer is giving advice on love to our protagonists in those source materials. So what is Céline Dion doing here?

Of course, some will argue that the underlying theme of the film is love, and that Dion is the epitome of love, as she sang songs like “My Heart Will Go On”, “Because You Loved Me”, “The Power of Love”, and released albums like “S’il suffisait d’aimer” (also a song), “Let’s Talk About Love”, “Falling Into You”, “These Are Special Times”, “Loved Me Back to Life”, “The Colour of My Love”— you get the idea. Dion also lost her husband (and manager) René Angélil, who passed away in 2016. She has always described him as “the love of my life,” and does so frequently in this film. In isolation, this all makes sense. And it would’ve made more sense if the film was about a fictionalized version of Dion inside a story that allows her to heal from that loss.

What doesn’t make sense is how she’s integrated into the story about something completely different. Like, why is she here? Every time she’s on screen, it’s great because Dion has always had a legendary presence in Quebec media. Still, one can’t help but think she adds nothing to the film, especially with its main relationship that feels so Hallmark-lite in how unimaginative it is. Rob falls in love with Mira by reading her texts addressed to her dead boyfriend? That’s just… creepy. But it does have something in common with another 2023 romcom, Your Place or Mine, where the realization that one character is in love with the other is done when they’re apart (in this case, they don’t know each other). Much like Your Place or Mine, the two leads have virtually no chemistry when they go together.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas is a charming actress and is quite funny in a scene where she’s paired with her real-life husband Nick Jonas (playing a total douche as a date), but can’t match with Heughan, who is as flat and unengaging as Ashton Kutcher was in Your Place or Mine. It doesn’t help that their relationship is filled with endless clichés, from the moment they accidentally “meet” to their first date to the (predictable) scene where she inevitably finds out about the texts. Their reconciliation is amazingly baffling, but one would’ve thought this is where the filmmakers would save the best Céline Dion scene for last, yet…it never comes.

Love Again never coalesces into something interesting. The leads aren’t a “perfect match,” and Céline Dion’s fictionalized version of herself doesn’t feel as inspired by the material as Chopra Jonas, who tries so hard to make this movie work (her phone call with Céline is quite magical). However, it’s not enough for the movie to work. This is all stuff audiences have seen before and done even cheaply on the Hallmark channel, where they at least acknowledge their lack of originality. Wasting Céline like this feels criminal. She deserves better. We all deserve better than a film like Love Again.

Love Again will be released in US theaters on May 5, 2023.

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Heughan, who is as flat and unengaging as Ashton Kutcher was in Your Place or Mine 😂🤣

#Youtube

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