Like This? Read That

The title of this post is pretty self explanatory, but basically I'll try to connect books I've read (and loved) lately with popular pop culture in an attempt to brainwash get more people to read books I've enjoyed.

First up is Truthwitch/Windwitch.

These books are perfect if you enjoy Game of Thrones- the TV show, not the books. I love A Song of Ice and Fire, and while I enjoy the show I do have some issues with it. HOWEVER now that you're probably waiting for the next season to (eventually) get here this is the perfect series for you to pick up. The Witchlands have a bunch of plot lines, with unique characters, and fantastic twists. I still feel like the series in the process of setting up a lot of even more major plot lines but I'm ready for the long haul with these fantastic reads.

Now I know another series people are patiently waiting on is Throne of Glass, and yeah I know Chaol's book is right around the corner but I know not everyone is satisfied with that and people really want to see the conclusion of Celaena's story (which was recently pushed back even more). If you're a fan of the first two books I recommend picking up the Graceling trilogy, but most specifically the third and final book Bitterblue.

You don't need to read this series in any particular order and can pick up this one first, last, or second (really it doesn't matter). There are a lot of similar plot devices used in this book as in Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. I also think Graceling main character, Katsa, reminds me quite a bit of Celaena. Fire, the middle book in the series, is much more like the ACOTAR books if you're interested in picking it up.

I've been a huge fan of Cassandra Clare for a while and my favorite series of hers is easily Infernal Devices. It's definitely got the only good love triangle I've ever read probably because Will, Jem, and Tessa are all completely in love with each other. If you're interested in a book that has a similar dynamic I recommend The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue.

Now, it doesn't have the steampunk element at all, but the time periods are similar and Monty and Percy remind me a bunch of Will and Jem. AND they're actually, canonically gay and bi in this book so I don't have to be over here fighting people saying Will and Jem aren't (seriously; fight me).

I just finished reading 13 Minutes and while it's not my normal genre I was swept away by this book. It was so good! It was dark and moody and had me both freaked out and unable to step away from the book.

I've seen it compared to Mean Girls but I would say this is nothing like that. Honestly it's more like Gone Girl, but I've never actually read that book or seen that movie, I've just read an in-depth synopsis. Really I would recommend this book if you enjoyed 13 Reasons Why (and not just because they both have the number 13 in the title). They're both dark dramas with a high school at their center, and they also both deal with very adult themes.

Those are my recommendations for now! Have you read any of these books? Any you would recommend if you enjoyed these? Are you now curious about picking any of these up? Let me know in the comments!

Book Review: Windwitch

THE WITCHLANDS, BOOK #2
AUTHOR: SUSAN DENNARD
RATING: 5 STARS
TRUTHWITCH

There will be light SPOILERS for book one and for the beginning of book two in this review so tread lightly. For those who haven't begun the series yet: it's definitely worth the read and book two is even better than book one, even though book one was pretty great.

Where to start with this one? It was immediately obvious that I was going to thoroughly enjoy it when one of my all time favorite tropes appeared at the end of the prologue, Merik faking his own death. I could write a whole post (and maybe I will) about my love for this trope, but it mostly has to do with the reveal when the character is found to be alive again. Beyond that, I really enjoyed the direction being a dead man took Merik on. While I did like him, and yes, swoon over him a bit, in Truthwitch I wasn't quite convinced about his character beyond him being a prince and love interest for Safi. Being apart from the majority of the cast helped shape him as a character and I liked the other characters that were introduced to play in his arc, such as Cam (seriously, what an amazing character) and Vivia. Speaking of Vivia, I was thoroughly pleased that we got to get chapters with her POV not only to balance Merik but to overall enhance how epic the ladies are in this series.

While Merik's and Vivia's storylines may have been my favorite I was no less interested in Safi's storyline and Iseult/Aeduan's storyline. The former was great for both expanding the world, geographically and politically (I absolutely LOVE the Hell-Bards, and in particular Caden), and prompting Safi to learn from her mistakes and begin to take responsibility for her actions. While she hasn't done too much growing throughout the series (there is a lot of her planning to grow and change though... a writing tactic I rather dislike) I am looking forward to seeing where her character goes. The only disappointment, really, was that we didn't get a Vaness POV (maybe next book?...). Iseult and Aeduan was a plot I didn't really expect to turn out the way it did but I enjoyed their journey together. Of anyone, Iseult has become my favorite in the series. I think she's the most complicated character and the most interesting to read about- for me she's a wild card and I enjoy it. I definitely like Aeduan more than I did in book one, but he's definitely a mystery and I'm looking forward to seeing his character peeled away more.

The three different storylines were so well balanced that I never got tired of one and longed for another. I read each chapter as eagerly as the last, and I don't just think it's because the characters are interesting but because the writing is so well done! Between the three plots there was also a lot of really cool mirroring happening. I don't want to spoil anything because they tend to be rather important plot points, but it was with a deft hand that Dennard was able to beautifully intertwine the characters' journeys in this way.

For me the real mark of a good book comes in two ways: it makes a good reread (and it's a tad early to reread these books) and it follows you around even after you've finished it. I can absolutely say that even while I was at work I couldn't help but think about Windwitch. I kept going back over my favorite scenes in my head and it should be more than obvious that I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

Now, the real question, how does one play taro?

Book Review: Truthwitch

THE WITCHLANDS #1
AUTHOR: SUSAN DENNARD
RATING: 4 STARS

I've had people tell me on and off to pick this one up for a while but I've been hesitant because there have been several mixed reviews and after reading Something Strange and Deadly I wasn't sure how Dennard's writing style would translate to epic fantasy. Well, thanks to a twitter poll (and special thanks to Brittany Jackson for being the tie breaker) I finally picked it up and I don't regret it at all.

Truthwitch follows several characters, most notably thread-sisters Safi and Iseult, as they become enmeshed in the center of a political mission that will lead to either war or peace.

First off, what I didn't like: the beginning. I thought it felt rushed, it took me a little to get my footing, and the motivations for the characters made little to no sense. I almost DNFd it because I really didn't like anyone, nor did I think the world was anything special, and it in fact felt messy. It was probably somewhere near the 100 page mark where I realized that I hadn't been able to put it down in sometime and no longer had any of the problems I'd had early on. I will say that even towards the end I had some questions about motivations and what exactly got certain balls rolling, and I'm not too sure if the logic worked out all the time, but it didn't end up being a big deal and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of things are answered later in the series.

Because I had a hard time with the motivations early on I had a hard time with the characters early on. I also never really wrapped my head around all the anger Safi and Merik held onto; I couldn't see exactly where their tempers were coming from all the time, but in the end it didn't bother me too much because their characters grew throughout the story. Overall I liked all of the characters, and most of the ones who didn't get narration chapters have left me incredibly curious as to what's next. I particularly liked the relationship between Safi and Iseult, because they were seriously best friends and the way their friendship was depicted was not something I have seen between two female characters in a fantasy book before. Normally two men will have that relationship, or a man and a woman, and this was so refreshing and well done. I also adored how badass they were and the fact that they could easily take on other men and women and their gender was never brought up as a problem.

At first both the magic system and the world building was hard to grasp, but as soon as I started getting a grip I really enjoyed them both. The magic is interesting and fun, but I agree with many of the reviews I've seen which have said they wished there was some sort of chart to keep track. There are so many facets of witcheries that I often got lost when it came to non-important characters or passing references. I also want to know a lot more about the Origin Wells, because I'm not too sure how those work (but it also wasn't a distracting problem and I'm something I'm sure will come up later). As for the world, it was complicated but not unduly so. I liked the politics of it and I liked that it was easy to follow the relationships between most of the kingdoms and that those relationships felt real and mature, as if they had been around for a while. The map is a godsend, though, because without it I would have no idea where and how people were traveling across this world.

Overall, it's definitely a fantasy to pick up. It's got badass characters (particularly badass women) and a fighting style that's super cinematic. The fantasy elements are well done, even if it does lead on the wrong foot with some info dumping. If you've been debating this one like I was it's time you pick it up.