Jul 21, 2017
'Some things cannot be forgiven.' 'Some things cannot be avenged.'
Julia Defiant (Witch’s Child #2), Catherine Egan, p.1
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'Some things cannot be forgiven.' 'Some things cannot be avenged.'
Julia Defiant (Witch’s Child #2), Catherine Egan, p.1
May 2017 | Books Read This Month
The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre, by Gail Carson Levine*
Ramona Blue, by Julie Murphy*
The Shadow Cipher (York #1), by Laura Ruby*
A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2), by V. E. Schwab
Words in Deep Blue, by Cath Crowley*
Julia Vanishes (The Witch’s Child #1), by Catherine Egan
Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare
*indicates an e-galley
Most enjoyed this month: Much Ado About Nothing, The Shadow Cipher
Least enjoyed this month: The Lost Kingdom of Bamarre, Julia Vanishes, Words in Deep Blue
I believe I could tear down the world to save you, level cities and leave empires in ruins behind me—and I'll do it, if that's what it takes.
Julia Defiant (Witch’s Child #2), Catherine Egan, p.441
It's beautiful, but I don't care about beauty. The drumbeat at my center has summoned a storm, a howling wind within. It is spinning higher and higher, whipping itself into a frenzy, a terrible force gathering. The sun dips to touch the horizon and spills bloody across the water, like a murder.
Julia Defiant (Witch’s Child #2), Catherine Egan, p.441
I was afraid, and I was a fool, and I can forgive myself for that.
Julia Defiant (Witch’s Child #2), Catherine Egan, p.441
Spring Cleaning Read-a-Thon | Daily Update
Day One: May 20, 2017
Books Read:
Words in Deep Blue, by Cath Crowley (121 pages - finished)
Julia Vanishes, by Catherine Egan (13 pages)
A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas (39 pages)
Total Pages Read: 173
Books Completed During Read-a-Thon: 1 (Words in Deep Blue, by Cath Crowley)
Thoughts: I finished Words in Deep Blue and was utterly disappointed in it. I couldn’t stand the characters and the plotline relied heavily on the “lack of communication” plot device and the romance part of it barely made a showing until towards the end. I wrote a review of it if you want to read more about my opinion. I mean, lots of other people gave it a five-star rating on Goodreads so maybe it’s just me but I honestly was not impressed with it at all. As for the other books, JV has an interesting start, while ACOWAR is starting a bit slow.
Book Review: Julia Vanishes
SPOILERS
Julia Vanishes, by Catherine Egan, starts out really promising. A cool world, a diverse cast, a snarky heroine. What more could two millennials trying to escape reality ask for? This book got a lot right, but the few things that annoyed us really annoyed us.
The book takes place in an alternative version of Western Europe. Folk magic is banned and witches are drowned like they’re going out of style. In this cultural climate our main character, Julia, must keep a low profile because of her power to vanish. Get it? Julia… Vanishes.
Julia is surrounded by an interesting cast of characters, most of who are criminals like herself. All of her interactions with them round out either Julia, the world, or both. Then there’s Gregor.
Gregor is a functioning alcoholic and Julia will not shut up about it. Her complaining takes up valuable page space that could be used to explore addiction. Instead we get Julia on her high horse occasionally enabling him with fancy rum.
We get it Julia, cool kids don’t do drugs.
Read Full Review Here.
Julia has been ensnared in so many different webs, it's hard to see how she'll ever break free. She must do Casimir's bidding in order to save the life of her brother. She must work against Casimir to save the lives of most everyone else she knows. Casimir demands that Julia use her vanishing skills to act as a spy at court and ensure that a malleable prince is installed on the throne of Frayne. But Julia is secretly acting as a double agent, passing information to the revolutionaries and witches who want a rebel princess to rule. Beyond these deadly entanglements, Julia is also desperately seeking the truth about herself: How is it she can vanish? Is she some form of monster? Is her life her own? With every move she makes, Julia finds herself tangled ever tighter. Should she try to save her country? Her brother? A beloved child? Can she even save herself?