Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. Click Here for more details.
This weeks Top Ten are characters who ____________________ (have something in common).
THIS WAS HARD!!!! I would think of one idea but then I could only think of maybe two or three characters who shared this similarity. Then poof! JUST LIKE DISNEY....there are a lot of ORPHANS in literature as well.
- Harry Potter - Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
- Wilhelmina Korte - The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows
- Meira - Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch
- Mal & Alina - The Grisha Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo
- Cinder - The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
- Callie - Starters by Lissa Price
- Puck - The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater
- Celaena Sardothian - Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas
- Allison Sekemoto - Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa
- Jace Wayland - The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare
My current read Tangled Webs is also about an orphan named Arista.
There are MANY other orphans in books. Can you think of any?
Goodreads Summary:
Imprisoned by Prince John for months, Scarlet finds herself a long way from Nottinghamshire. After a daring escape from the Prince's clutches, she learns that King Richard’s life is in jeopardy, and Eleanor of Aquitaine demands a service Scarlet can’t refuse: spy for her and help bring Richard home safe. But fate—and her heart—won’t allow her to stay away from Nottinghamshire for long, and together, Scarlet and Rob must stop Prince John from going through with his dark plans for England. They can not rest until he’s stopped, but will their love be enough to save them once and for all?
My Thoughts - 4.5 Stars
This series as a whole is AMAZING! I don't know if I've ever read a series that could possibly have more heart pumping, swoony, and heart wrenching scenes.
Lion Heart is so intense for almost the majority of the book that I actually had to read it slowly because I was nervous, afraid, and excited about what was going to happen.
The Story:
The book picks up while Scarlet has been imprisoned Prince John and traveling the country to unknown locations. After she escapes she has to make decisions about how best to help her country bring King Richard home. If King Richard doesn't come home then disaster will come upon her and her people.
I don't really want to say much more about the story because I feel it may spoil.
The Romance:
Wow. That's all that can be said. I don't know if there is another couple that has such intense romantic moments as Rob and Scarlet. Their scenes together are lit on fire and the passion they have for each other isn't limited to only themselves. They deeply love the people around them and will do anything to protect them.
I didn't make this 5 stars because I found Prince John's character a bit too annoying. But, overall this book is incredible.
Overall: READ THIS SERIES!
You won't regret it. This truly is a must-read series full of wonderfully rich characters, intense moments and your heart will attach and never let go. FEELS!!!!
Read my super quick review of Scarlet and Lady Thief
HERE
Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. Click Here for more details.
Top Ten ALL-TIME Favorite Authors!
Written in the Stars
by Aisha Saeed
Goodreads Summary:
Naila’s conservative immigrant parents have always said the same thing: She may choose what to study, how to wear her hair, and what to be when she grows up—but they will choose her husband. Following their cultural tradition, they will plan an arranged marriage for her. And until then, dating—even friendship with a boy—is forbidden. When Naila breaks their rule by falling in love with Saif, her parents are livid. Convinced she has forgotten who she truly is, they travel to Pakistan to visit relatives and explore their roots. But Naila’s vacation turns into a nightmare when she learns that plans have changed—her parents have found her a husband and they want her to marry him, now! Despite her greatest efforts, Naila is aghast to find herself cut off from everything and everyone she once knew. Her only hope of escape is Saif . . . if he can find her before it’s too late.
Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!
Physical Books
Thorn
by Intisar Khanani
Summary:
For Princess Alyrra, choice is a luxury she's never had ... until she's betrayed.Princess Alyrra has never enjoyed the security or power of her rank. Between her family's cruelty and the court's contempt, she has spent her life in the shadows. Forced to marry a powerful foreign prince, Alyrra embarks on a journey to meet her betrothed with little hope for a better future.But powerful men have powerful enemies--and now, so does Alyrra. Betrayed during a magical attack, her identity is switched with another woman's, giving Alyrra the first choice she's ever had: to start a new life for herself or fight for a prince she's never met. But Alyrra soon finds that Prince Kestrin is not at all what she expected. While walking away will cost Kestrin his life, returning to the court may cost Alyrra her own. As Alyrra is coming to realize, sometime the hardest choice means learning to trust herself.
My Thoughts - 4 Stars
I saw this book on Twitter and was immediately drawn to it because of well....the cover! The cover is amazing. Isn't it??? Plus, Thorn is fantasy. So, needless say, it's right up my ally.
The Story:
Apparently this book is a retelling of The Goose Girl, but I am unfamiliar to that story and cannot express my opinion in relation to it. But, I enjoyed it very much.
It seems opposite of a lot of fantasy books I read. Normally the character enters into the royal court and learns what life is like there. (Grave Mercy, Throne of Glass, etc.) But Thorn is the reversal of this. Alyrra, also known as Thorn, is part of a royal family but is arranged to marry a prince from a much larger kingdom.
On the way to her new home and to meet her soon-to-be husband, something happens that changes her station in life. She finds her self, happily, no longer part of the royal court. Her life completely changes but she finds that she loves it.
She learns the language of her new land, and becomes a hard worker in the goose barn where she works. Her relationships are the highlight in this book. There are many heart felt moments and her relationships are powerful.
Magic:
This book is a fantasy so obviously magic is present. There is a sorceress who is an enemy of the King and Prince whom rule Alyrra's new land. This woman is the reason to many difficulties in both the Prince's life and hers.
Did you say "talking magical horse"? Why yes, this book also has a talking horse Falada whom I did enjoy. The aspect of a talking horse reminded me of Iron Horse from the Iron Fey series, even though Falada is much different in character.
Overall:
I would definitely recommend this book. The imagery is beautiful in this book from the palace to the stables. But mostly the relationships, whether good or bad, were my favorite part of this book. There were quite a few surprises that kept me interested and I really loved this book.
About the author
Intisar Khanani grew up a nomad and world traveler. Born in Wisconsin, she has lived in five different states as well as in Jeddah on the coast of the Red Sea. She first remembers seeing snow on a wintry street in Zurich, Switzerland, and vaguely recollects having breakfast with the orangutans at the Singapore Zoo when she was five. She currently resides in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two young daughters. Until recently, Intisar wrote grants and developed projects to address community health with the Cincinnati Health Department, which was as close as she could get to saving the world. Now she focuses her time on her two passions: raising her family and writing fantasy. Intisar's next two projects include a companion trilogy to Thorn, following the heroine introduced in her short story The Bone Knife, and The Sunbolt Chronicles, a novella serial following a young mage with a propensity to play hero, and her nemesis, a dark mage intent on taking over the Eleven Kingdoms.
I've seen quite a few book covers lately that have the most bad ass swords on the covers. I am a huge fantasy fan so I wanted to dedicate a post to SWORDS! I mean, why not?
Here are a few covers that have been recently released that immediately made me want to read the book solely because of the amazing sword on the cover.
CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO MAKE THEM LARGER. Also, make sure to add these books to your TBR!
Goodreads Summary
In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer’s life can get tricky. And in Johanna Von Arlo’s case, it can be fatal. Expelled from her troupe after her father’s death, Johanna is forced to work for the handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. Too bad they don’t get along. But while Johanna’s father’s death was deemed an accident, the Keepers aren’t so sure.
The Keepers, a race of people with magical abilities, are on a quest to find the princess—the same princess who is supposed to be dead and whose throne the dukes are fighting over. But they aren’t the only ones looking for her. And in the wake of their search, murdered girls keep turning up—girls who look exactly like the princess, and exactly like Johanna.
With dukes, Keepers, and a killer all after the princess, Johanna finds herself caught up in political machinations for the throne, threats on her life, and an unexpected romance that could change everything.
My husband and I adopted a sibling group of 3 almost three and a half years ago, and none of my children are caucasian, like me. Two of them are African American and one is Bi-Racial.
Since adopting my children, I have become HUGELY aware of racial diversity (or lack thereof) within TV shows, movies and books.
Racial diversity in YA has been very
disheartening. Even a year ago I could name all the book characters I could think of on one hand: (Main Character)
Allison Sekemoto from The Blood of Eden series by Julie Kagawa, and (Side Character)
Nehemia from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.
