#july read

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The Sealwoman's Gift by Sally Magnusson

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I bought this lovely book in Maine at BAM ((Books-A-Million)) for only $8 this past weekend. 📚

[theworldsbetweenthepages]

The Silence of the Girls - Pat Barker

A book showing the other side of all the hero stories - the of the women that were captured in the wars, becoming slaves to their enemies. Finally, they tell their side of the story. I absolutely loved it!

[theworldsbetweenthepages]

Flame In The Mist by Renée Ahdieh

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Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

Genre: Fantasy

Dustwalk is an unforgiving, dead-end town. It's not the place to be poor or orphaned or female. And yet Amani Al'Hiza must call it 'home'.

Amani wants to escape and see the world she's heard about in campfire stories.

Then a foreigner with no name turns up, and with him she has the chance to run.

But the desert plains are full of dangerous magic. The Sultan's army is on the rise and Amani is soon caught at the heart of a fearless rebellion…

Book 1 of the Rebel of the Sands Trilogy

Review

I’ve been meaning to read this book for some time, and when I was looking for new books on a trip in Gothenburg and saw this book, I immediately bought it. Seriously, the huge amount of English books the Swedish bookstores had to offer were my doom, lol.

I can say that this book his very high on my all time favourites list.

The world building was very good, just as the characters - Amani, our main character, is written realistically, she is, in my opinion, a well-crafted heroine for this trilogy who wants to break out of the small town in the middle of nowhere and gets sucked into the big action she never looked for. I liked the amount of thought that was put into the general set up of the world this story is taking place in, how creatures were woven into it, and magic. Also the whole ‘children of Djinni’ stuff… I liked that a lot, and that Amani has a really hard time to discover her powers.

What I also absolutely appreciate about this book is that the romance subplot didn’t start to dominate the story, but actually built slowly and naturally. And overall, we just see a lot of friendship and comradery. 

The story flowed in a very good pace, there were no parts where it got boring, and there are many twists that you don’t see coming. 

I absolutely loved this book and immediately bought the sequel, so I would recommend this book without hesitation. One of my favourites of the year 🤗

[theworldsbetweenthepages]

Penguin Classics - The Suffragettes

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A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Genre: Fantasy

She thinks nothing of slaughtering a wolf to capture its prey. But, like all mortals, she fears what lingers mercilessly beyond the forest. And she will learn that taking the life of a magical creature comes at a high price...

Imprisoned in an enchanted court in her enemy's kingdom, Feyre is free to roam but forbidden to escape. Her captor's body bears the scars of fighting, and his face is always masked - but his piercing stare draws her ever closer. As Feyre's feelings for Tamlin begin to burn through every warning she's been told about his kind, an ancient, wicked shadow grows.

Feyre must find a way to break a spell, or lose her heart forever.

Review

Do you sometimes have this feeling where you know ahead of an action that you’re going to regret it, or at least not feel happy about it in the long run?

To be boldly honest, that’s how buying this book feels to me after reading it. At least it was a buy 4, pay 3 deal.

Of course, that isn’t supposed to mean that this book was really bad, but there were just things that made me dislike the book mostly. It’s just not my cup of tea, I didn’t feel gripped by the story at all.

At first, it felt quite promising, with Feyre’s introduction and the starting point of the story, I thought she’d be an interesting character, but once she was at the court, the book just kept losing me. I felt like the focus kept shifting onto the love story way too much - and the age difference and the fact that she’s basically his prisoner, despite all that’s explained later, just left me feeling icky about the love part. Also, in the last part I just felt like all actions were only stemmed by their love and that they’re kept apart and are so possessive of each other and all…  it just made everything feel overly dramatic and the overall plot a bit unconvincing.

HOWEVER, I have to say that despite all that, I liked the world building and the amount of thought that the author put into the creatures and history. I just would have loved to see a lot more of that?

I guess if you’re okay with a lot of romance with your fantasy, this book might be worth a try, but for anyone who actually prefers fantasy to be in the foreground, it might not be the right one.

[theworldsbetweenthepages]

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Genre: Fantasy

Welcome to Caraval, where nothing is quite what it seems...

Scarlett has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience participates in the show. Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure. And for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and an escape from their ruthless, abusive father.

When the sisters' long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend. Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

Review

I can say with all honesty that this book will be very high on my list of all time favourites. It reminded me a little of The Night Circus, but in all the good ways, not the “copy cat” way. I loved The Night Circus for the idea of a magical circus with many wonders, and I found a part of that in Caraval - a world of magic hidden inside the game of Caraval. 

The book was absolutely gripping, I read most of it on a rainy Saturday and it really made me forget the dreariness that should have been summer. Stephanie Garber plotted out a story with many awesome twists that keep the tension high and also make the story unpredictable. All the potential for second-guessing, the premise of Caraval that says that you can get lost in the game and forget that it isn’t real is a very good device for a story, actually - just as our main character Scarlett, we, the reader, can’t ever be sure about what just happened and about what we think will happen next. Let’s say I was exclaiming “Oh no! What?” pretty often because I was caught by surprise. It’s just awesome when books are capable of that. 

I also liked the complex characters, they weren’t easy to read, thus staying true to the overall theme of the story, and we accompany Scarlett on a journey of character development where she slowly sheds the chains of her father and dares to fight, all for her sister. And the message of sisterhood being the strongest love that exists is reinforced by the end of the book, but of course I won’t tell you more about that - read it for yourself ;)

I absolutely loved this book, and also got a copy of the sequel immediately because I want to know how the story of Scarlett and Tella continues. This is a warm recommendation for everyone who loves fantasy and liked The Night Circus! Open it and be sucked into the story :)