The Page Sage

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday (85)

Top Ten Covers... of Books I've Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

I Hunt Killers (Jasper Dent, #1)

Daughter of Smoke & Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #1)

Can you tell I have a thing for blue?

Monday, May 20, 2013

Book Review: The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson

The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns, #2)

Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Greenwillow
Series: Fire and Thorns #2
Website
Source: Bought

Elisa is the hero of her country. She led her people to victory against a terrifying enemy, and now she is their queen. But she is only seventeen years old. Her rivals may have simply retreated, choosing stealth over battle. And no one within her court trusts her-except Hector, the commander of the royal guard, and her companions. As the country begins to crumble beneath her and her enemies emerge from the shadows, Elisa will take another journey. With a one-eyed warrior, a loyal friend, an enemy defector, and the man she is falling in love with, Elisa crosses the ocean in search of the perilous, uncharted, and mythical source of the Godstone's power. That is not all she finds.

Summary from Goodreads.

It's always disappointing when a sequel isn't as good as the first book in a series. Thankfully, you don't have to worry about that with Crown of Embers. (I worried you there for a second, didn't I?) This book is just as fantastic as its predecessor; it may even be better.

What made me love Crown of Embers so much? Well, where do I even begin? Elisa is so drastically different from who she was at the start of the series. However, she still feels like an imposter in her role as queen. As she tries to be a good leader and navigate the relationships in her personal and political lives, Elisa has to cope with impossible questions and tasks. Throughout all of this she makes plenty of mistakes, and thus remains one of the most realistic and relatable protagonists I've ever had the pleasure of reading about. She breaks the usual trope of a perfect girl with perfect looks thrown into an impossible situation that does everything just perfectly.

Another aspect of Crown that had me cheering? Hector. Do you guys remember when I said that I wished Hector had been the love interest in Girl of Fire and Thorns? In this book, my wishes came true. (Thank you, thank you, Ms. Carson!) Their relationship is different from the majority of YA romances. It's complicated and confusing and frustrating- basically everything a real life romance is.

Then there's the world. I just adore the fantasy world that Carson has created. Every setting in which Elisa ends up is so vivid that I feel as though I've been there. And as in all great fantasy worlds, there are many parallels to our own, political troubles and religious fanatics included. How Carson explores religion is flawless- she demonstrates that, at its heart, religion can be a beautiful thing. But she also shows how it's so often twisted into justification for human actions.

Like Girl of Fire and Thorns, Crown of Embers is, for the most part, slowly paced. This is most definitely not a bad thing, though. If anything, it just means that Crown can be enjoyed all the more thoroughly.

*5 stars*

A Quote from the Book: "It's utterly infuriating, the number of people I've encountered in my life who claimed to be the authority on God's will."
What do you think makes a great fantasy world?

Sunday, May 19, 2013

In My Mailbox (85)

In My Mailbox

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren to share what books you've bought, borrowed, or received in the past week.

Bought

Game by Barry Lyga (I Hunt Killers #2)

From the Library

If I Should Die by Amy Plum (Revenants #3)

Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Basil and Josephine Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald

And a bunch of other books on F. Scott (Can you guess what I'm doing a research paper on?)

Weekly recap

Monday

Book Review: Flowers in the Sky by Lynn Joseph

Tuesday

Saturday, May 18, 2013

Bookish Buys: Roald Dahl Edition

Each Friday I'll post a different collection of book nerd swag, from jewelry to action figures, that I find on the Internets. Please know that I am not getting reimbursed in any way, shape, or form if you choose to buy these items.

Image Preview

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Mug

Don't tell me I was the only one who read this book countless times as a child.

Buy it here.

Quote Poster
Quite cheery-looking, no?
Buy it here.

Roald Dahl Doll Miniature Author Collectible Art

Dahl Doll
Don't tell me you don't love its name.
Buy it here.

Willy Wonka Chocolate bar wrapper and golden ticket - Invitation - replica version.

Golden Ticket Invitations
I kind of want to have a party just so I can use these... haha
Buy them here.

What's your favorite Roald Dahl book?

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday (84)

Monday, May 13, 2013

Book Review: Flowers in the Sky by Lynn Joseph (Guest Post)

When I won this book from Epic Reads, I knew that I had to lend it to one of my best friends, Emily. Her family comes from the Dominican Republic (just as the main character's family in Flowers does) and she hasn't found many books that deal with her culture. (Seriously, YA needs some diversity and STAT.) Because of this, I thought it would be more meaningful for her to do the review, so please welcome Emily to The Page Sage.

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: HarperTeen

Series: Standalone

Website

Source: Won

Fifteen-year-old Nina Perez is faced with a future she never expected. She must leave her Garden of Eden, her lush home in the Dominican Republic, when she's sent by her mother to seek out a better life with her brother in New York. As Nina searches for some glimpse of familiarity amid the jarring world of Washington Heights, she must uncover her own strength. She learns to uncover roots within foreign soil and finds a way to grow, just like the orchids that blossom on her fire escape. And when she is confronted by ugly secrets about her brother's business, she comes to understand the realities of life in this new place. But then she meets him-that green-eyed boy- who she can't erase from her thoughts, the one who just might help her learn to see beauty in spite of tragedy.

Summary from Goodreads.

My first reaction upon reading this novel was pure joy. My parents are from the Dominican Republic and I always go there on vacation. Reading the first few chapters (which were set in the Dominican Republic) brought me a sense of nostalgia and warmth; I felt as though I had taken a trip back to the island. I could hear the merengue music and the sound of the waves crashing on the beach. Joseph does a wonderful job with imagery, as she makes it very easy for the reader to feel as though they are seeing the story unfold before his/her eyes.

There are some weaknesses with the story, however. The ending feels a little rushed and the pacing of the story is a bit off. There are some moments that just aren’t important to the story and there are others that feel rushed. Towards the end, I feel as though the author was just looking for a way to be finished, which made it seem so abrupt.

As for the plot, it’s not too complicated.The love between Luis and Nina was very much like Tony and Maria from West Side Story (one of my favorite musicals!). The book, overall, is very enjoyable and I recommend it to anyone who is looking for a nice easy book with which to read and relax.

*3.5 stars*

Do you feel YA needs more diversity or feel like your culture isn't represented in the genre? What books do you recommend?

Sunday, May 12, 2013

In My Mailbox (84)

In My Mailbox

IMM is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren to share what books you've bought, borrowed, or received in the past week.

Nothing in my mailbox this week!

But there WAS plenty on the blog.