Like Mary, I’m not going to go back 10 years. I can’t remember what I ate for breakfast this morning, let alone what I read in 2011. Instead, I’m going as far back as when I started this blog, which was 2015. This was around the time I started using Goodreads to track the books I’ve read, so I thought it would be a good year to look back on to see what has changed and what has remained the same.
Title: Four Dead Queens Series: standalone Author: Astrid Scholte Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers Published: Feb. 26, 2019 Category: YA Genre: dystopia, fantasy Pages: 413 My Rating: ★★★☆☆ Goodreads page
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Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Keralie Corrington may seem harmless, but in fact, she’s one of Quadara’s most skilled thieves and a liar. Varin, on the other hand, is an honest, upstanding citizen of Quadara’s most enlightened region, Eonia. Varin runs afoul of Keralie when she steals a package from him, putting his life in danger. When Varin attempts to retrieve the package, he and Keralie find themselves entangled in a conspiracy that leaves all four of Quadara’s queens dead.
With no other choices and on the run from Keralie’s former employer, the two decide to join forces, endeavoring to discover who has killed the queens and save their own lives in the process. When their reluctant partnership blooms into a tenuous romance, they must overcome their own dark secrets in hopes of a future together that seemed impossible just days before. But first they have to stay alive and untangle the secrets behind the nation’s four dead queens.
An enthralling fast-paced murder mystery where competing agendas collide with deadly consequences, Four Dead Queens heralds the arrival of an exciting new YA talent.
[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]
I’m not a huge reality TV watcher, but something about RuPaul’s Drag Race is so captivating and entertaining. I’ve been a fan since Season 8, and it’s one of the only things keeping me sane during this lockdown and pandemic.
There seems to be a few different RPDR book tags out there, but I decided to go with the one created by Cats and Camera.
A few years back, I noticed that most of the YA books I read had female protagonists. Because of that, I decided to compile a list of books that mainly focus on a male character. To be honest, I had a hard time finding books with male protagonists, but it’s been a few years and I thought I’d update the list.
I wasn’t tagged by anyone, but I saw Caro @ CJR The Brit do this and thought I’d join in on the fun! Let’s spill some hot (bookish) tea!
the rules:
1. Link back to the original creator! (Madame Writer) 2. Link back to the person who tagged you! 3. Answer all prompts. 4. Add one more prompt of your own. 5. Tag at least five people. 6. Don’t lie, and have fun!
I’m a huge fantasy fan, and one thing I’ve noticed is that a lot of fantasy books have weapons on their covers. While I was making a few graphics for class, I decided to have a little fun and photoshop some book covers.
I present to you one of the silliest things I’ve done on this blog: editing characters holding weapons to make them look like they’re holding food instead.
Title: Six Crimson Cranes Series: Six Crimson Cranes, #1 Author: Elizabeth Lim Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers Published: July 6th, 2021 Category: YA Genre: fantasy, retelling Pages: 464 My Rating: ★★★★☆ (4.5) Goodreads page
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Synopsis
A princess in exile, the boy she left at the altar, six enchanted cranes, and a dragon from the deepest sea.
Shiori, the only princess of Kiata, has a secret. Forbidden magic runs through her veins. Normally she conceals it well, but on the morning of her betrothal ceremony, Shiori loses control. At first, her mistake seems like a stroke of luck, forestalling the wedding she never wanted, but it also catches the attention of Raikama, her stepmother.
Raikama has dark magic of her own, and she banishes the young princess, turning her brothers into cranes, and warning Shiori that she must speak of it to no one: for with every word that escapes her lips, one of her brothers will die.
Peniless, voiceless, and alone, Shiori searches for her brothers, and, on her journey, uncovers a conspiracy to overtake the throne–a conspiracy more twisted and deceitful, more cunning and complex, than even Raikama’s betrayal. Only Shiori can set the kingdom to rights, but to do so she must place her trust in the very boy she fought so hard not to marry. And she must embrace the magic she’s been taught all her life to contain–no matter what it costs her.
[ This synopsis was taken directly from Goodreads. ]
I saw this video of Merphy Napier guessing books based on their one star reviews recommended on my YouTube feed, and I thought it sounded like a fun idea. I made a list of a bunch of popular YA/adult books I’ve read, and I forced asked my sister to compile 10 one-star reviews. Thank you to my sister for gathering these for me (and blurring out any character names and the title of the book if it’s mentioned) and enabling me to do silly things on the internet XD
If you’d like to play along, make a list from 1-10 and see how many you can guess correctly (the answers will be revealed at the end)!
The Awkward Book Blogger 