Love & Olives Review

I’m not someone who picks up a lot of contemporary novels. I veer more towards fantasy and sci-fi, but I have a shelf dedicated to the contemporary novels that catch my eye. I even have a few authors who I eagerly await new releases from, including Benjamin Alire Sáez, Morgan Matson, Andrew Smith, and now, Jenna Evans Welch. I read what is actually the third book in her Love & series and I fell in love with her writing. This was a fun read, but with a lot of emotional baggage to tear through amidst the beautiful adventure through a Greek Island. I’ve already picked up Love & Gelato, which is coming to Netflix this summer (and I will absolutely be reviewing that as well.) In fact, her latest novel, Spells for Lost Things comes out this September and it already sounds amazing.

Liv Varanakis hasn’t seen her father, Nico, since she was eight years old, when he suddenly disappeared. Nearly ten years later, he sends a postcard, asking Liv to join him in Santorini to film a documentary for National Geographic about the lost city of Atlantis. When she arrives, she meets Theo, her father’s protégé and cameraman, who’s there to witness all the awkwardness in Liv’s reunion with her father. But as they delve further into the story of Atlantis, Liv begins to wonder if her father brought her to Santorini for other reasons.

Kalamata, no one knows what they’re doing. It’s called life.

Love & Olives

As I stated before, contemporary isn’t my go-to genre. I’m usually drawn in by the beautiful covers or title, and this book had both. But it also had the word Atlantis in its blurb, and I was hooked. I’ve been obsessed with the story of Atlantis, and I still believe the Disney film is a highly, HIGHLY underrated treasure. So, I didn’t hesitate to snatch this book off the shelf. It was a beautiful book, both in story and setting. Welch has such a lovely way with words, so I was flying through the book, not wanting it to end but still eager to find all the answers.

Recently, I had the opportunity to visit the beautiful country of Greece. Our itinerary included a five night stay in Santorini, so it only made sense to pack this book along for the journey. I only managed about halfway through before the trip ended, as we did a whole lot of walking and sightseeing, so by the time we were back at the hotel, I was way too tired for reading. I did, however, finish it just after we returned, so the memory of Santorini was still fresh in my mind.

It was absolutely incredible to read this book while in the vibrant setting it takes place in. Santorini in itself is gorgeous, but Santorini in the eyes of an artist is even more breathtaking. The vivid colors that you find in the sparkling Mediterranean water, the vibrant cliffsides, the iconic blue domes are all present in this story. Welch captured the feel of Santorini that I just barely got a glimpse of, and I could tell a lot of care went into portraying the island. Most of the story is in Oia, with a trip to Akrotiri and a few scenes in Kamari, which I didn’t get around to seeing for myself. The island came to life on the pages, and I’m so glad I brought this book on my own journey.

One of the places we spend the most time in is the Atlantis Bookshop in Oia and I sincerely thought it was a fake place made up for the book. I was shocked when we rounded a corner and the bookshop was right there, in front of my eyes. I was so thrilled and eager to rove through the shelves and discover the hidden bunk room for myself. I realized the shop was closed and we chalked it up to it being the afternoon when a lot of people close up and rest. So, we went back later, but it was still closed. Not deterred, we returned to Oia a couple days later only to discover that the shop had closed down a year ago. It was such a disappointment seeing the lively rooftop from the story abandoned with moldy books falling from the shelves and overgrown vines taking over the ground. If only I could move in and become the new bookseller, shoving romance novels in tourists’ hands.

The main premise of Love & Olives is Liv navigating her fragile relationship with her father. When he writes to her, she doesn’t want to go, but her mother is insistent, and she’s quickly whisked away. Meanwhile, there’s Theo running around, getting Liv all flustered around him. I really liked Theo. He was charismatic and fun and seems like the perfect person to explore Santorini with.

At the forefront is the search for evidence of Atlantis for the documentary, but the novel quickly shifts to the rediscovery of Liv’s relationship with her father. The two storylines easily weave together and falls into that cheesy saying, “The treasure was the friends you made along the way” but it’s so well portrayed here. All of Liv’s memories with her father are about their love for Atlantis and their quest to find it one day. Now that the time has come, a huge rift has formed between the father and daughter and the adventure is no longer thrilling for Liv. Instead, she feels embarrassment and shame that her father is so obsessed with a myth. With the help of Theo, she starts to discover what Atlantis truly means to her father and to herself. There’s a lot of emotional moments throughout and it’s a book that will sit with you after you’ve read it.

“There are two stories to the door – the tourist version and the local version.”

[…]

“Two stories,” I repeated, placing my palm flat on the peeling paint. Did anyone really believe the Narnia one? And if so, why, when there was almost always a boring explanation eager to explain the magic away?

I felt the thought coming before it spelled itself out. Dad is a Narnia person. He’d always seen the magic in the mundane.

Love & Olives, p.367-8

Here we get into spoiler territory so be sure to read the book before continuing on in the review.

I could tell right away that Liv’s relationship with Dax was not going to make it. From the first moment, he came off as the controlling boyfriend. He has a whole plan set up for Liv after high school and doesn’t seem to listen to what she wants. To be fair, Liv has molded herself into a fake persona that’s carefully crafted, so she wasn’t even being honest with herself. So when Liv started connecting with Theo, I was eagerly rooting for the two of them. Yes, it’s a rushed, whirlwind attraction, but they have such good chemistry with one another, it was easy to believe in their connection.

Theo is so much better for Liv because she’s able to drop the facade she had cultivated and be herself. Something about Theo brings out Liv’s honesty and his constant optimism really helps Liv open up to her father. She’s able to see him through Theo’s eyes, not as the horrible father who ran out on her and her mother, but as the active, selfless man that everyone in Santorini adores. I was very much on the side of Liv forgiving him and mending their relationship, but a lot of that is due to personal experiences.

But some people are worth second chances. Not all people. Just some people.

Love & Olives

When Liv’s dad started disappearing to Athens without any notice, I didn’t buy the tax story one bit and knew immediately that he was sick. I watched my own dad battle cancer so when we started to see the toll that filming took on Nico’s body, I realized he was very sick. Liv, though, gets the entirely wrong idea, thinking that her dad is just abandoning her again and I was so frustrated. I wanted to scream at her because stories about a sick parent always tug at my heart. Even though her dad left her when she was a child, I can’t help but always want people to treasure the time they have with their parent because I would give anything to have more time with my dad. I will admit that I am fortunate to have had a good relationship with my dad, so I don’t have the emotional baggage Liv had to deal with, but I’m glad that, in the end, she started to mend the relationship.

If I’d learned anything from the legend of Atlantis, it was this: stories evolved. They got passed down and twisted, and sometimes they came out okay and other times they quadrupled the size of continents or transported timelines to entirely different centuries. If Plato could’ve missed the mark so entirely, was it possible I had too? Was it possible I could learn something that maybe wouldn’t change this whole situation, but could at least give it nuance?

Love & Olives, p.404

I loved that with each chapter, we learned another thing that her father left behind. Along with that item, Liv shares a memory tied to it and we slowly learn about their relationship before her dad left. It’s a great way to show the past alongside the present.

The last item revealed at the end brought me to tears. I was already overwhelmed by all the feels, and when Liv tells us that number twenty-six is herself, I was sobbing. You can see how much her dad loves her and the revelation that he left because of his mental illness is such an emotional moment. Again, due to personal experience, I was ready to forgive him and I’m so glad that Liv was able to begin doing so as well.

Nico is not a perfect father by any means, but he clearly loves his daughter. Their shared love for Atlantis bonds them and when we learn why Nico is so obsessed with it, it makes you want to believe that the city is real. That perfect island that was lost to the sea could one day be found. If that could be found, then Nico can find the life he once had, before his own father brought it crumbling down, leaving Nico and his mother to pick up the pieces, ostracized the people that had once loved them. Liv experiences a similar situation but Atlantis brings them back together.

After reading Love & Olives, I’ve become a believer that the island of Santorini is the setting of the lost city of Atlantis. I did have a few tour guides help me discover the ancient city when I was in Santorini, but Nico’s passionate search won me over. And Jenna’s beautiful story has won me over to her books.

Spin the Dawn Review

Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim is a magical retelling of The Ballad of Mulan. I read this book as part of Charity Rau’s 2022 Fairy Tale Reading Challenge during the month of March. I actually got this book on a whim at the bookshop one day, as I wasn’t wholly captivated by the blurb on the back. I didn’t really have a book in mind in that visit but I was intent on getting a book that day. And I’m so glad I read this. I flew through this book so quickly and enjoyed just about every page.

Maia Tamarin is the best tailor of her village and she dreams of becoming a master, but as a woman, she must keep her talents hidden. Until her father, a former master tailor, is summoned to the palace to compete in a contest to become the imperial tailor. Worried for her ill father’s health, Maia goes in his place, posing as her older brother. The challenges are difficult and the competition ruthless, and the court enchanter seems to see through her disguise, but Maia is determined to succeed. Even when the final challenge seems impossible – create three magical gowns from the sun, the moon, and the stars – Maia faces the perilous journey to prove herself a master.

I adored this book. It wasn’t perfect and I had a few issues with it, but as a whole, it was fantastic. I’m a sucker for a good fairy tale retelling (I have an entire shelf dedicated exclusively to retellings and it constantly needs readjusting to fit in new additions) and while the original tale of Mulan is actually a folk song, Spin the Dawn definitely felt like a fairy tale world.

I loved the romance in this book, especially the romantic interest which I won’t reveal until the spoiler section. It appealed to all the tropes that I fall for every time. The characters had good banter and I enjoyed watching their relationship change and grow over time. Sometimes, it did get a little corny, but I still loved the romance.

I knew then that we were like two pieces of cloth, sewn together for life. Our stitches couldn’t be undone.

Spin the Dawn, p.344

The world of A’landi was very vibrant and beautiful to experience. The magic system is incredible and unique to the world. We also got to see many different terrains, including a desert, the mountains, and even a spooky island. There are palaces for the season which were beautifully detailed. We only got to see the Summer and Autumn palaces so far but I’m sure we’ll see the others in the sequel, and I can’t wait to visit them.

I understood now why so many revered Amana’s dresses, why some called them her greatest legacy. Because of them, she gave us the world as we knew it. Day after day and night after night, she spun the dawn and unraveled the dusk.

Spin the Dawn, p.340

As I said, I enjoyed this book for the most part, but I had a problem with how the first half and the second half are so different from each other. It’s like we have two different stories completely, with some key elements of the synopsis left behind as we moved into the second part. I won’t get too specific so that I don’t spoil it for those who haven’t had the chance to read the book yet. All I will say is that we go from Project Runway to the Impossible Task trope of fairy tales. Both are great for the story, but I wish they had been tied together rather than feeling like separate plot points that divide the first and second halves of the story.

The rest of the review will be filled with spoilers as I go into detail over the issues I had with the story.

Continuing in the discussion about the story feeling divided, it felt like the main ideas were abandoned in the second half, only to be brought back briefly in the end. Maia is supposed to be posing as her brother but almost immediately, her secret is found out by Edan, the court enchanter. He holds this knowledge over her, which I like, but I didn’t feel the tension from this. Because the secret was revealed not long after. In the final challenge, Maia is revealed as a woman to the entire court, including the emperor and his bride-to-be. We are less than 40% through the book. And as Maia sits in the dungeon to wait for her execution, Emperor Khanujin fixes everything and has Edan erase their memory of her deception and she’s made the imperial tailor. So the competition is officially over halfway through the story.

She is given a challenge immediately after being named the new royal tailor. She must sew the impossible dresses of the goddess Amana. All of a sudden, we are no longer in the palace but on a perilous journey with Edan. I loved the journey. Like I mentioned before, we get to explore various terrains and it made the world feel so much more real and vibrant. I don’t dislike the journey at all, especially as we get Edan and Maia falling in love over the course of it.

But, I wish the challenges had lasted longer in the book. They took up such a small portion of the story, even though the synopsis seemed to hinge on them. They’re what brought Maia to the palace, they’re what will determine who will be the imperial tailor. But the competitors are whisked away quickly, with several being dismissed at once. It began to feel rushed very early on and I wish we had spent more time with it. I liked the cutthroat atmosphere that Maia had to navigate as a boy, living a lie. I wish that she had learned the magic in a later challenge and was barely scraping by on challenges, but still using her own talent. Then the magic gets revealed as things become tenser and more dangerous. With the magic in the first challenge, it lessens the stakes for our character and makes it pretty obvious she’s got the competition in the bag.

I wish Maia’s journey to make the dresses had been part of the competition. I was under the impression that there would be many others taking this same challenge, all racing to complete the gowns first. This would’ve increased the tension, as Maia is racing against both time and people. Instead, we get a brief run in with Norbu which I thought would lead to some big chase or confrontation but was forgotten a page later. It would’ve been interesting to see the different competitors come up with their answer to the challenge. Like a dress that’s the laughter of the sun is spun from the most beautiful gold thread, or the blood of the stars are rubies or red diamonds. But only Maia has the true dresses.

And in the end, the Emperor reveals Maia’s identity to everyone out of nowhere. Why go through the trouble of making everyone forget Maia is a girl when he was just going to reveal it anyway? If we hadn’t had the reveal earlier, I think this would’ve worked better. Maybe the Emperor learned her identity early on from Norbu who was spying on everyone, but the Emperor promises to keep her secret because of her magic. So when all the tailors go off on their journeys for the last challenge, we still have Maia needing to keep up her disguise. I really didn’t like how she was able to go back to being Maia in the journey when it was such a big part of the synopsis. It was forgotten far too quickly.

“My father promised he’d never force me to marry. He taught me to hunt and to fight like a man. I was just as good as all my brothers. And now?” Lady Sarnai wrung her hands. “He broke his promise to me. At first I thought it was because the war and magic had blackened his heart, but that is just the way of men. For what is a promise if it’s made to a woman?”

Spin the Dawn, p. 105

I also wish we got more time with Lady Sarnai. Her story mirrors Maia’s in a lot of ways. As a woman, she has no say in her future, but unlike Maia’s father, hers sold her away to a marriage she doesn’t want. I like how brutal and ruthless Sarnai is, but I wish there had been some sort of comradery with Maia. When the truth of her identity is revealed, Sarnai immediately sends her to her death, with a cruel beating beforehand. I would’ve expected some level of compassion for a girl needing to disguise herself to make a life for herself, but I guess the unexpected makes it all the more interesting. I really hope that we get more of Sarnai’s story in the next book.

I absolutely adore Edan. He’s mysterious, he’s got amazing quips, and he’s very layered. There’s more to him than we initially see and I loved learning more about him and his past. He was definitely my favorite character in the book and undoubtedly charmed me the first time we met him.

“How thoughtful, Your Highness. I have been thinking about having new shoes made, but I think I’ll stay with my current pair a little longer. I’ve no desire to walk on any more pins and needles than one does with you already.”

Spin the Dawn, p.84

The magic in this world was so easy to understand and believe in. The way Edan uses it and the constraints he has makes it very vivid and real and not just a fix-all kind of thing that makes life easy. The fact that Edan had to give up part of his self to achieve this level of power, making himself indebted to whoever wears the amulet that his oath is tied to. My one complaint is Maia’s reaction to magic. She is very doubtful about the existence of magic, even though it’s very prominent in the court. There’s a royal enchanter who’s always by the Emperor’s side and the fact that magic caused a rift with the Shansen in the first place. Magic is integral in this world, so why is Maia not a believer?

“All enchanters must swear an oath – it prevents us from becoming too powerful, or greedy. Magic is…addictive, you see. And over time, it can corrupt.”

Spin the Dawn, p.239

Spin the Dawn is still a very enjoyable read, despite the complaints I had. I recently picked up the sequel, Unravel the Dusk which will explore the repercussion of Maia’s dealings with the demon, Bandur. I’m excited to continue the story in this gorgeous world and see how Maia manages to undo her deal and escape her fate. As well as navigating her new betrothal to Emperor Khanujin and the disappearance of Edan.

The Wild Ones Review

Before I get into the review, here is a trigger warning. This book deals with themes of sexual and physical violence, so do not proceed if those topics are triggering for you.

The Wild Ones by Nafiza Azad caught my eyes at the bookstore immediately because of its absolutely gorgeous cover. The vibrant colors stand out on the shelf and the illustrations are too beautiful to resist. I wish that the story within had been as captivating to me, but it’s unfortunately my least favorite book I’ve read this year.

When I tried describing the plot to a friend, I found that I was unable to articulate it clearly because it felt as if the book focused on everything but the plot. Beneath all the vivid details and long descriptions of food, and between the eleven girls’ one liners, is the actual plot that isn’t strong enough to drive a strong story. It took me a very long time to get through this book. I found myself forcing my way through it, making myself sit down and read a set number of pages to finish it. I usually don’t mind setting a book as a DNF, but after a difficult two years where I couldn’t finish a single book, I couldn’t accept a DNF. So, I trudged through, and I have many thoughts.

Our mothers. Would they love us still now that we have turned into the cautionary tales they used to tell?

The Wild Ones, p.33

I will start by saying that my thoughts on the book are in no way indicative of the quality of the book. It has a pretty divided response on Goodreads. Slightly over 1/3 of reviews are 3 stars or lower, with another 1/3 of reviews giving it a 4-star rating. People either loved the book and the themes it explores, or they share the same complaints that I have. I think it all comes down to what type of reader you are. If you’re like me and rely on strong, distinct characters, this may not be the book for you. But if you love vivid worlds and strong themes, then I believe this book is the right fit.

After Paheli is betrayed by her mother, she stumbles on Taraana, a boy with stars in his eyes. He gives her box of stars and she becomes an In Betweener, drifting between the real world and the world of magic. Over time, she collects more girls like her, giving them a star. When Taraana reappears, he’s being hunted by a middle worlder and the girls take him in and protect him from those seeking to steal his stars.

As lovely as the details of this world were and how much I wanted to be enthralled by the many characters, the story lacked substance. It was a weird amalgamation of too much and not enough. It was too many characters, not even time for the reader to get to know them. So many beautiful cities in the world, not enough time to spent there to really appreciate it. Too many chase scenes, not enough tension. To summarize, I love the idea of this novel but not the execution.

I do have positives to share about the book. First and foremost, I love stories about found families. Where people who felt like outcasts or had horrible families come together and make their own family. The Wild Ones are their own family. They are girls that were broken and have found healing with one another. They find themselves with a voice and the power to help girls like them.

Obviously, we are still not completely safe, but to be a Wild One, you have to be comfortable with walking on dark roads. The road to becoming a Wild One is dark.

The Wild Ones, p.179

I also love the feminity of this book. Not once does the book shy away from the femininity that is often rejected for being considered weak. Paheli boasts pink hair and the girls douse themselves in glitter and flowers. They are unashamedly girly and I am here for it.

Now I’ll be getting into the spoiler part of the review, so click off if you haven’t read the book.

The lack of tension is a real turn off for me. The Wild Ones have taken on the role of protector for the Keeper of the Between, Taraana. They are chased by Baarish and his middle worlder minions all around the world as they try to keep Taraana safe. But the stakes never feel life or death. It’s established immediately in their first meeting with Baarish that middle worlders’ magic does nothing to them, so they can’t be harmed by them, and they escape easily by disappearing to the In Between. At most, they are simply inconvenienced by Baarish and this is not enough to carry a story.

There are too many characters and we don’t get to know who they are. Paheli is the only clear member of the Wild Ones, with Valentina getting some individuality. All the rest are presented as a single conglomerate of girls, even referring themselves as an ocean.

Just because we talk in one voice doesn’t mean we are of one mind. We are different shades of one color. We do not represent other girls around the world who might be in situations similar to ours. Would you ask a drop of salt water if it represented an entire ocean?

The Wild Ones, p.35

But they feel like one single entity. I don’t know who these girls are. Not even the ‘Book of Memories’ snippets we get interspersed through the book, written in very lyrical and hard to decipher text, give any clarity. All it does it tell me their name, where they are from, and that they suffered some form of trauma, which is what bonds all the girls. There are very few unique traits given to each girl and it’s easy to miss them. So by the end, it felt as if there were actually only four main characters: Paheli, Valentina, Taraana, and the conglomeration of girls. It was distracting trying to keep track of who each girl was and eventually, I just morphed them into a single entity in my head.

In trying to figure out the characters, I had to look to Goodreads and found a response from the author detailing that the LGBTQIA+ representation in the book includes characters that are lesbian, trans, and non-binary. I truly cannot tell who these characters are, aside from Valentina who ends up with Tabassum Naaz in the end. I would’ve loved to read about a trans girl finding her place in this found family, who take her in after whatever trauma she faced in her previous life. The same goes for the non-binary character. There is so much potential here and it feels wasted on surface level stuff and way, way too many references to mangoes.

It also focuses a lot on the romance between Paheli and Taraana. I really did not like Taraana. He seemed to change personalities quickly, without proper development. One minute, he’s a scared little boy who clings to Paheli, then he’s lovesick and awkward, then he’s arguing with Paheli every other page about her putting herself in danger. We are told that some time passes but we don’t get to really experience it, so this shift is jarring. I couldn’t connect with him because I didn’t know who he would be in the next chapter. While I do appreciate the idea of navigating a relationship after you’ve been hurt so badly, like Paheli was, but it seemed to take up too much space in an already crammed story. There is too much going on and I think the romance was one of the weakest parts of the story.

It seems like the author only wanted to write about the beautiful cities in the world that get very little recognition. I love the places we got to visit in this book. From Latouka City to Agra to Beirut, each was detailed in beautiful prose that allowed me to feel each soul.

Cities have souls, you know. They are alive and sometimes they die. They grow old either gracefully or shamefully. They shrink and they expand. They grieve and celebrate.

The Wild Ones, p.16

In each of these cities, we get many descriptions of the large quantities of food they eat. It seemed like every other page, the girls were eating something new and rushing off to another city. This made the book feel rushed, even when nothing was happening. And the details of food took up precious space that could’ve been used detailing one of the girls or actually helping another girl in need. In fact, we get very few encounters with other girls who have been hurt and even after we lose a Wild One who chooses to move on, we don’t gain another. I would’ve loved to see them take in a new girl and grow their found family.

But we survived. If not in entirety, then in fragments.

The Wild Ones, p.28

The last half of the book was much stronger than the first half. It still dragged in most parts, but I loved when Azad showed us the unique parts of this world, especially the magic. I wish we had learned more about it and it was used more throughout the story, rather than just existing in the background. Magic is important to the story so it should’ve been more prevalent throughout, not sprinkled in until it mattered. Also, ghosts were brought in, but only for one scene and I feel cheated. The chapters in Marrakech were by far the best in the whole book and I would’ve loved an entire book that matched this, instead of the slow-paced, crowded story we have instead.

Magic is thick in places where blood has been spilled.

The Wild Ones p.261

The book often gets repetitive, reiterating the same mantra over and over again. It discusses how the Wild Ones will never again allow themselves to be hurt again, how they are more than their trauma, but it doesn’t have the impact the author was going for. This goes back to the lack of stakes and lack of character development. How am I supposed to care about their plight if I don’t know who they are? Of course, I feel for them after the trauma they endured but it would be so much more powerful if I knew who Ligaya from Cebu is or what happened to Sevda of Marmaris. I don’t know their past, or even their present. They are nothing more than drops of water in the ocean that is the Wild Ones. It’s incredibly difficult to navigate a story that deals with sexual and physical abuse, and I don’t need elaborate, detailed descriptions of what they endured. But I need to know something otherwise it reads as virtue signaling. I truly don’t believe that the author had that intention and I see that there are positive reviews of the book, so this means that my experience is not universal.

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I wish it had been more and that it took the time to focus on character, rather than details. There was so much potential here, but I am glad to see that many people did love it. Azad shared a powerful story that resonates with a lot of readers. It takes a serious topic of trauma that is very hard to write about and I love all the beauty Azad brings in this story. For me, it fell flat and lacked a lot of things I look for in a story, but to many others, it’s a beacon of light, and that’s what matters.  

The Ivory Key Review

The Ivory Key is a debut novel by Akshaya Raman which follows four royal siblings in the search of the legendary Ivory Key. Each sibling has their own agenda for finding the key and their lives depend on it. As the maharani, Vira needs the key so she can bring magic back to the kingdom of Ashoka. Her twin brother, Ronak, wants to sell it and buy a new life, Kaleb needs it to clear his name in the death of the former maharani, and Riya needs it to prove her loyalty to the vigilantes who have become her new family. The bickering siblings must work together on their dangerous treasure hunt, but their secrets threaten to tear them apart.

I got this book as part of Owlcrate’s Thrill of the Hunt January 2022 box. The edition is gorgeous and the dust jacket art stunning. The original cover is definitely a book that would catch my eye if I saw it at the bookstore, but I’m so glad I have this edition and that I joined in the readalong in February. It was fun to engage in the discussion about the book and speculate about what would happen next (though I just proved how terrible I am at guessing what’s to come).

I loved this book. It’s got all the things I adore: a richly detailed fantasy kingdom, quarrelling siblings, lost treasure, magic, and betrayal. This world is so beautifully written, and you can tell it’s one that these characters truly live in. Raman fills the pages with vibrant descriptions, from the wardrobe to the foods to the architecture, there’s not a single detail left out. I could easily imagine the setting throughout the entire novel which is what I love in fantasy. I like being able to immerse myself in a world carefully crafted and created for the story and Raman did not disappoint.

For the first time, the true gravity of their situation was dawning on Kaleb. It wasn’t about freedom or imprisonment. It wasn’t about magic or war. It was about family. Life and loss. For the first time, it was occurring to him – and perhaps to all of them – that maybe not everyone would return to Dvar.

The Ivory Key, p.296

She also did well with portraying the various dynamics in the novel. Vira has to not only navigate her familial relationships, but also her relationships with the council and her people as maharani. Vira is a young ruler, who was thrust into this position unexpectedly and she’s still trying to figure what’s best for everyone. It’s something that is far from new to the genre and can fall into tropes easily, but I loved it anyway because these characters were all so well-rounded and fully realized. Each sibling has their own wants and needs, and their personalities carry the story well. For me, I really focus on character and as long as they are believable and I am able to invest in their journey, I’m along for the ride.

I really love the variety of fantasy kingdoms we are seeing more and more in YA literature. There’s the Middle Eastern influence of novels such as Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes, Malaysian influences in Girls Made of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan, and The Ivory Key is a beautiful Indian inspired novel. I have read many fantasy novels inspired by the European Medieval and Renaissance time periods. I have seen castles from this time, so I’m able to visualize these worlds fairly well based on real life experiences. Novels liked The Ivory Key that take inspiration from other parts of the world I am less familiar with push my imagination. Raman does well with the details to guide the visual, but sometimes, I have to allow my imagination to fill in the gaps. I enjoy getting acquainted with these kingdoms that take me to new places around the world and I look forward to seeing many more to come. I have several already waiting on my shelves, but there will never be enough.

Concerts in the gardens had always been his favorite. He recalled sipping rich badam milk by lanterns that hung down from tree branches, swatting away the mosquitoes that hovered around the magical flames.

The Ivory Key, p.131

As much as I’m raving about character and setting, the plot is also a strong part of this story. Raman crafted a well-thought-out hunt, with puzzles for the characters to solve, mysterious places to explore, and plenty of danger around every corner. As you switch between the siblings, you see how much is on the line for each of them. Not only does their individual futures depend on the key, but the entire future of the kingdom depends on it and the return of magic to Ashoka. We even get a little romance sprinkled in to break up the seriousness of the quest. There were a few slow moments that I will discuss later, but for the most part, the story was well paced and kept me engrossed from start to finish.

The rest of the review will include spoilers for the novel.

The novel focuses on the four siblings, with each chapter changing perspective between them. This allows the reader to really get to know each of them and feel that frustration that we as the audience feel when characters just don’t communicate with each other. So many of their problems would be solved easily if they just talked to one another but of course, there would no longer be a story. So, we just have to sit on the edge of our seat as Riya lies to her family about wanting to be back home and as Ronak makes dangerous promises to the terrifying leader of the crime world when all they have to do is be honest with one another.

As I stated before, these things can run into trope territory easily, but Raman avoids a mundane, run-of-the-mill story with her characters. I absolutely love the fact that Vira has already failed as the maharani. She lost a major city shortly after she took over and these shapes her decisions moving forward.

She couldn’t focus on anything in the past. Ghosts rose around her. Stories flashed before her eyes. She pressed her eyes closed, but the ghosts didn’t live in Ritsar. They lived in her mind.

The Ivory Key, p.280

This is a nice change in what we usually see in YA fantasy, where the protagonist is not yet in a place of power and is instead on their journey towards it. The fact that Vira is the maharani from the start really emphasizes the internal conflict that Vira faces as she tries to be like her mother who was very cold and distant to her children. She was calculating and strategic which Vira struggles to be. Her journey is to become a maharani that is true to herself and accept that she will never be her mother. This is such a powerful message to young people struggling to live up to the standards set by their parents. Accepting who you are and being happy with that is a scary thing to do but with open up the path to a happier life.

I also loved following in the other siblings’ journeys. Raman was able to bring a large cast to life and give them each a distinct personality. Riya is the runaway who constantly fought with their mother to the point where she had to get away from the confines of the palace. She joins the vigilante group to feel like she’s actually doing something for Ashoka and the people.

Riya couldn’t handle this. Love letters? Magical bangles? It was all so frivolous and wasteful, and she desperately wanted the conversation to end.

The Ivory Key p.146

I enjoyed following her as she breaks into places and her acrobatic skills in Visala. In the end, she unlocks the true extent of magic which she can harness herself and doesn’t have to rely on the raw material. Going into book two, I can’t wait to see what she’s able to do with this magic and I’m also curious about her love life. She seems rather entranced by Kavita, but there also seems to be some sort of chemistry with Varun that has me very intrigued. With her loyalties torn between the Ravens and her family, I wonder where her journey will take her.

Like Riya, Ronak wants to escape the royal life. Before the quest for the ivory key, he was planning to run away with his best friend, Jay, and brother, Kaleb. In his desperation, he made dangerous deals with the crime lord, Ekta. We feel his anguish as his dreams of running away are made more complicated by his engagement to Preethi, a compensation made by Vira when her own fiancé was murdered in order to appease the council. We realize the corner Vira is backed into, yet we feel for Ronak who doesn’t want to be saddled with these responsibilities.

He was no more free than Kaleb. His prison was larger, more lavish, but he still felt the chains tightening around his wrists and ankles.

The Ivory Key, p.24

Of course, we also want to knock some sense into Ronak who proceeds to make more and more dangerous promises to Etka. With his seat on the council now offered to her at the end of the novel, the tension has mounted for book two. What will happen if Ronak isn’t able to uphold his end of the deal?

And last but not least, we have Kaleb, the eldest of the siblings. Being half-Lyrian and not the son of the former maharani, he is blamed for her murder and imprisoned.

They had a Lyrian boy in their midst they could conveniently pit it on, and the Council refused to search for another culprit.

The Ivory Key, p.90

I adored Kaleb. He is the least capable of the four in the physical aspect of their quest and struggles to lie to the Lyrians in Ritsar. But he’s brave, nevertheless, as he volunteers to go into Lyria and spy for Vira. There’s something about him that is just so endearing. He’s genuine, caring, and clever, so I have a soft spot for him over the other siblings. I also appreciate how his sexuality isn’t questioned or thrown in for the sake of representation. It just is and it fits into the world so naturally. I love worlds, especially fantasy ones, where different spectrums of sexuality are allowed to just exist and are accepted as normal to everyone within it. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Kaleb finds a cute Lyrian boy to fall in love with in the next book.

Raman really utilized the reader’s sense of smell. Smells are mentioned in detail several times and I really thought it would have a bigger impact on the story. Particularly how she described Varun as smelling like tulsi, despite being a vigilante who had to live a very secretive life. It was so specific that I kept waiting for something to come of it. There’s even a chapter that begins with mentioning how smell is the most powerful sense for invoking memories, so I truly thought it would be an important aspect.

Papa used to say that smell was a powerful key to memory, but Vira didn’t anticipate the sharp sense of dread and regret that slammed into her…

The Ivory Key p.109

But it seems to just be a detail without any importance. This could have been utilized in a clever way, which I wish is what had happened, but as it is, it’s more of a distraction than anything else. Maybe it’ll come up in the following book.

I think the most interesting aspect of this story is the magic system. I am always so amazed (and a little jealous) of the incredible magic systems people are able to create in their stories and Raman created something I had never seen before: mineable magic. In this world, magic is found in quarries and raw magic collected to be used in objects, such as keys that only open specific doors, a paper that sends messages over vast distances, and a wall surrounding the kingdom that burns intruders to death. The unique way that magic is mined, processed, and forged, as if it were ores from the ground, is such an amazing idea and it fits so well in this story. It even has a sort of radiation quality, as raw magic makes handlers sick and special gear is needed to handle it. This brings in a real-world situation that allows the reader to better visualize how the raw magic works and interacts with people. With magic being such an abstract concept that even I struggle to grapple with as I write my own magic system, it’s genius to give the reader such a vivid and interesting visual to make it seem more real.

Prolonged exposure led to worsening symptoms – headaches, nausea, memory loss, paralysis, until it eventually led to death.

The Ivory Key, p.23

Because magic is mined like a physical resource, it is finite and at the beginning of the story, the quarry is empty and Vira is desperate to find the other quarries and restore magic. As I mentioned, she had failed before as the maharani and she couldn’t afford to do so again. She lost one of Ashoka’s cities to their Lyrian neighbors and if they discovered their lack of magic, they’d take more of Vira’s kingdom. Vira desperately needs to find more magic to protect her kingdom and with the discovery of the legendary ivory key, she’s one step closer.

Of course, this brings us to the other thing I loved in this book: the betrayal. All throughout, we’ve had the mysterious Amrit at Vira’s side. We’ve watched the clear romantic interest they have in one another that they can’t admit due to Vira’s obligations as the maharani, and Amrit being nothing more than her personal guard. It’s a forbidden romance trope we have fawned over for centuries and this one does not disappoint. But there’s more to Amrit than a dark and mysterious soldier.

When I’m fully engrossed in something, I don’t try to guess ahead and figure out the twist. But thanks to the questions in the readalong, I had to make some guesses in order to participate. And the only thing I managed to predict was Amrit’s connection to the Mercenaries always looming in the shadows. This group is responsible for the death of the previous maharani, of Vira’s fiancé, and threatens Ashoka’s future. When Amrit betrayed Vira in the end and took the ivory key, I wasn’t surprised, but this doesn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book. If I hadn’t been prompted to look out for clues about Amrit, I would’ve probably missed them all and been blindsided by his betrayal in the end. I would’ve been too distracted by the descriptions of smells to catch on to his secrets.

The little boy didn’t know it then, but his destiny had been remade that day, a tapestry woven from carefully selected strands, twined with the life of a girl he wouldn’t meet for many years to come.

The Ivory Key, p.370

My only real gripe with this story is how long it took for us to get to the big quest. It felt like we were in the city for way longer than we should’ve been. With how much it seemed that the quest part was hyped up, it seemed to take way too long to get there. It’s not until over sixty percent through the book that they embark on their journey. This doesn’t affect my rating too much, as I still really loved the book, but I wish we had spent longer on the quest. The scenes inside the court, where Vira is walking the tightrope with her family and the council, and with Riya and Ronak sneaking around, are all compelling and didn’t drag down the story. But the quest was so heavily emphasized to me that I felt a little let down by the lack of it. By the time I got halfway through the book, I realized it hadn’t even started yet and that was a little bothersome.

Once we did get out into the world, it was so interesting to see more of the place Raman had brought us to. I really enjoyed the jungle the siblings had to trek through and the underground city of Visala full of riddles and puzzles. This was the treasure hunt I was promised, and Raman orchestrated it all brilliantly. Each stage within Visala had me guessing how the siblings would make it through the next trial and with quite a few close calls, I was tearing through the pages. It wasn’t necessarily a drag to get to this point in the story, but it was noticeable how long it did take.

We have a long while until book two hits the shelves and I am waiting in anticipation for it. With Kaleb volunteering to go to Lyria to spy on them, and Riya unlocking magic from within herself, and Amrit revealed to be a Mercenary, I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. The Mercenaries have the Ivory Key, but Vira has a copy of it, so it will be a race for the quarries. I am fully invested in this world and so I will be sure to grab the sequel as soon as it hits the shelves to learn what’s next to come for Ashoka.

Inventing Anna Review

Inventing Anna is the latest series that everyone is talking about online. It has topped Netflix’s charts and we just can’t seem to get enough of the new Shondaland project. From 2013 to 2017, Anna Delvey fooled New York’s elite into believing she was the heiress of a wealthy German family with a trust fund of $60 million waiting for her. Racking up enormous debt and leaving friends with massive bills, Anna, whose real surname is Sorokin, eventually wound up paying for her fraud, though some may say, she didn’t pay enough.

I was engrossed from beginning to end, unable to stop watching the hour-long episodes, even as it turned to midnight, and I had work in the morning. I can see why it has garnered so much hype and it intrigues me to learn about the real woman behind the series. I want to devour every little bit of information about Anna Sorokin, I want to read Rachel DeLoache Williams’s book and Jessica Pressler’s original article. I’ve stalked her Instagram, I’ve read several articles on the show, and I want to know more. This is definitely a show that I will rewatch many times and enjoy for a long time to come. But what makes it so fascinating?

For me, personally, this show hits a guilty pleasure of watching the wealthy elite. No matter how angry I feel reading about that closed society with enough money to cancel all student debt and make sure that children don’t go hungry, I can’t help but imagine myself like that one day. I want to live a life where money isn’t a concern. Where I don’t have to struggle at a job that mentally and emotionally drains me just to scrape by. Where I can hop on a plane on a whim and visit the beautiful places of the world. I want that life and Anna Sorokin just walked right in and took it for herself. Somehow, she invited herself into the close knit group of some of the most elite people in the world. Wouldn’t we all love to do that?

Of course, I don’t want to gorge myself with wealth and so I still feel hostility towards these people and their frivolous pleasures. Which makes the story so captivating. On the one hand, you’re rooting for the girl who has nothing to dupe these elites out of their money, and on the other hand, you’re furious  that she’s cheating her way through the system and getting what she wants. She didn’t work for this, why, is she getting rewarded? I believe it’s those two strong and conflicting reactions that have really grabbed hold of audiences and has launched this mini series into popularity.

The show focuses on Manhattan journalist, Vivian Kent who wants to break the story of Anna Sorokin to the world. As she attempts to unravel the intricately crafted narrative of Anna Delvey that Sorokin created, she tries to understand how so many of the elite were swindled. Where did Anna’s money, and her lies, come from? We jump from the present to the past throughout the nine episodes as we slowly learn who Delvey is and what her crimes were.

I really enjoyed the narrative. We get to flashback to the events as Vivian interviews the many people Delvey interacted with, all leading up to her eventual arrest. Each episode focuses mostly on one character and their part in Anna’s story. It kept the intrigue as they hinted at an even bigger scam to come. People close to Delvey shrouded themselves from Vivian, wanting to avoid being connected with the fake heiress but that made us want to see their story even more. The intertwined storytelling kept up the air of suspense throughout, making it impossible to stop watching.

The rest of the review will be full of spoilers. Even if you followed the original story, you’ll want to watch the Netflix show before continuing on.

Anna Delvey, both the real person, and the show, hit a sweet spot which propelled them to the top. In the first episode, Delvey is aptly compared to Trump. Somehow, she managed to fool a whole system that nearly got her millions of dollars. She made people listen to her because she said all the things they wanted to hear. Who would dare to make up their fortune and create such a convincing ruse? I couldn’t help but see the similarities between Anna and Pepper Smith from Katy Keene. Even her big project was exactly the same; an exclusive club for artists. Like Anna, she had no money for the project and her entire identity was crafted to fool the wealthy. I had to look into it and discovered that Pepper was inspired by Anna Delvey.

Then we see her friends, Neff and Rachel, who refuse to accept the truth even as it’s laid out right in front of them. This is something we see more and more today. People don’t want to admit they were wrong and they’d rather hold onto something even if all the facts are stacking against them because they don’t want to look stupid. In episode 6, Noah tells Vivian that Rachel isn’t stupid, defending her for trusting Anna and losing thousands of dollars. And we can’t blame her friends for initially trusting Anna because she was so good at fooling others.

Anna seems to be a narcissistic sociopath. She gaslights others and only thinks about herself, even when her ‘friends’ are in huge trouble. This is part of the reason she was so successful. She could swindle others without batting an eye. But we also see what else made her so successful; her ability to adapt and change according to the need. With each person she was trying to dupe, she transformed to who she needed to be. With Talia Mallay, she’s a socialite. With Nora Radford, she changed herself to be more productive and serious. With Alan Reed, she plays on his fatherly love for his daughter to win him over and convince him to take her seriously. She’s a people person and able to win people over.

Sometimes we get glimpses of the real Anna behind the façade she cultivated. She latches onto people who made themselves as she made herself. These are the only people she can truly admire because they have achieved exactly what she is attempting. Underneath the cool and savvy socialite she created, she’s really a superficial young woman who admired the wealthy elite and sought to make herself their equal. We see it in the way she interacts with Vivian. She wants Vivian to be a VIP when visiting her because she wants to surround herself with VIPs, even as she sits in prison. She critiques Vivian’s clothes and asks if she’s fat, as if any of that matters while talking with a reporter who will potentially be covering your story. This is why I don’t understand why Vivian feels so strongly for Anna. She has never been kind or sincere so why does she care so much?

What I really dislike about this show is how close Vivian got to Anna. She spoke about her very affectionately and she seemed way too invested in her on a personal level which felt odd. It was as of the audience wasn’t allowed to blame Anna for the crimes she committed and was found guilty for. Vivian also seemed way too close to Anna’s lawyer, Todd. It seems like it crosses some sort of ethical line but I don’t know the specifics of lawyer-journalist relationships.

I hated how Vivian and Todd continuously called Anna a kid. She was twenty-six when she went to trial. That’s not a kid. She’s more than capable of understanding the consequences of her actions and should’ve been held accountable for every one of them. By calling her a kid, it diminishes her crimes, and I can’t help but feel like it’s yet another jab at Millennials. For years we have been infantilized, called ‘children’ so that we wouldn’t be taken seriously. Twenty-six is not a child, it’s an adult who makes choices.

I actually just generally disliked Vivian. She was, to me, the most annoying character of the show. I think it was a lot of the actress’s mannerisms and that crazy look in her eyes she had throughout much of the show. But other than her, I really liked everyone else in the show. I loved Talia Mallay who we saw in episode two. She was generous and genuine and I like her ethic. How she was embarrassed that she couldn’t do simple things for herself, like fry an egg, and how she wanted to make her own money. “Earning it beats inheriting it,” is what she tells Anna when they first meet and I appreciate that. She was humanized in a way I like. I liked Nora and Val and I wish we saw more of them later in the series, and I enjoyed the dynamic of Neff, Rachel, and Kacey. I will say that Neff’s way of speaking almost seems comical, like she thinks she’s in a 40’s film of NYC. And I love the old crankies at Scriberia. They provided the comic relief of the show and were so fun when on screen.

I also appreciate the mention of Billy McFarland and the debacle of the Fyre Festival. Anna really did crash at his place, and I love that they included this part of her life, even though it was a passing moment. It was another instance of someone duping people out of money because they made promises they couldn’t keep. I would’ve appreciated the removal of Travis Scott’s music from the show.

Inventing Anna has been one of the best shows I’ve watched in a long time. It was so captivating and entertaining, with good humor, great storytelling, and compelling characters. This miniseries is definitely one to add to your watchlist.

The Cuphead Show Review

The Cuphead Show is Netflix’s latest original series and is based on the popular 2017 run-and-gun video game. It follows the adventures of the brothers Cuphead and Mugman after Cuphead loses a game and owes the Devil his soul. The cup brothers often get themselves in mischief much to Elder Kettle’s dismay.

I personally never played the game, as I am not good at shooter games, and this is definitely one that requires skill to beat the many bosses. However, I am very familiar with it thanks to numerous Let’s Play channels on YouTube making full series on the gameplay.

Many side characters and bosses from the original game make an appearance in the show, though there are many more yet to be seen. With twelve episodes, each one just over ten minutes long, it’s a quick watch that’s fun, though fans of the game may be disappointed with the end result. The episodes are disjointed which reminds me much of Disenchantment which sprinkled in the actual plot of the show in the end of the seasons. It tries to be both episodic and serial, with the main plot of Cuphead owing his soul to the Devil introduced in the first episode, then being forgotten immediately in the second episode.

I think the show is much stronger when we follow the main plot or encounter the villains from the original game. The other episodes that have nothing to do with the plot are the weakest and I’d honestly skip them in the rewatch.

I do appreciate this almost Silly Symphony feel to the show. The original game took inspiration from the old Disney cartoons, and other shows like Betty Boop and Popeye the Sailor. You can definitely see the inspiration, and I love the style of the show. I like how they kept that feel of the 2D video game, using parallax to give the illusion of 3D in the 2D art and it reminded me of the video game. Sometimes they even shift to Claymation style for the background, so they clearly had a lot of fun with the artistic part of the show. Visually, it’s a great adaption from the game, but story wise, it left a lot to be desired.

The rest of the review will include spoilers, so check out the full first season on Netflix before continuing on.

The show makes a huge change in the overall plot. In the original game, Cuphead loses a bet to the Devil and in order to keep his soul, he has to track down others that owe their soul to him. In the series, Cuphead instead loses a carnival game and owes the Devil his soul. He manages to escape and has to avoid losing his soul. I don’t mind the change in plot, but I wish it was consistent. In between episodes feature the Devil, he’s forgotten, without even a mention of Cuphead’s dire situation.

A lot of this show feels much like style over substance. Visually, it’s fantastic. They do so well with pairing the art style with the voice acting. What I really dislike is the episodic nature of the season. It highlighted the lack of substance in the show and how many throw away episodes there are. Episodes two, four, and six could’ve been completely thrown out because they add nothing to the show.

I particularly have an issue with episode two. This one follows the introduction of the Devil and the underlying plot. We go straight from escaping the Devil to having to care for an abandoned baby that causes chaos in the house. I kept waiting for the Devil to reveal that he sent to baby, but in the end, this entire episode meant nothing. The baby is dropped off at another unsuspecting home and it’s never even mentioned again. Cuphead and Mugman learn nothing and nothing is gained or lost. It’s filler for the sake of filler.

I honestly wouldn’t mind this so much if they made some small mention of the Devil. I like in episode ten that it’s insinuated that the Devil is shopping at Porkrind’s shop, showing the audience that he’s still lurking about. Even though this episode didn’t have anything to do with the main plot, it’s a good episode because it shows Mugman learning to be brave. It was a fun episode.

Episode six is a more tolerable filler episode. I like the nods to some of the bosses in it and it’s a lot more fun than episodes two and four. But the best episodes are definitely the ones that follow along with the Devil and his search for Cuphead. By the time he returns in episode seven, it shows how weakly thought out this plotline is and by episode ten, we’re back where we started.

How is the powerful Devil not able to find Cuphead for seven episodes? It’s not like he’s hiding. He’s just at home. In episode eight, he just appears in front of Cuphead to take his soul so he obviously could’ve done this at any time. I would’ve liked if the Devil had sent henchman to catch him, rather than Cuphead just running into all these bad guys randomly. The Root Pack show up in Elder Kettle’s garden and steal the water. I would’ve liked them to be linked back to the Devil rather than just randomly showing up and causing a mess. It would’ve been a nice shift of instead of Cuphead going after the bosses’ souls, they came after his.

By the end of episode nine, Cuphead no longer has the sweater that protects him from the Devil, so now what’s stopping him from taking his soul? It’s such a weak storyline that gets frustrating. Eventually, the audience is going to stop caring about it altogether and then what? We need some sort of tension and worry for our protagonists, but there is none.

The final episode of the season leaves us with a ‘To be continued’ screen and I wonder what we are continuing to. In the final episode, we meet Chalice who teaches the brothers how to swindle their way to get what they want. The cops eventually find them after they sneaked into a cookie factory, and she abandons them, revealing to the audience that she’s a ghost. Why couldn’t this cliffhanger be from a plot with the Devil, as we were led to believe this would be the actual main plot of the show? This show is just so disjointed and lackluster in plot.

Cuphead and Mugman seem to luck their way through everything. In the game, they have to fight the bosses, using special abilities to beat them. Here, they stumble their way through everything. I really enjoy the cup brothers, but I wish they got through their adversities with more effort. I enjoyed when Mugman protected Cuphead from the Devil’s devious schemes and I wish they had emphasized this relationship more throughout.

It’s tough to put a rating on this show. There is so much I really liked about it but just as much I was disappointed by. Cuphead and Mugman are fun characters and I like their humor. Their interactions with the Devil are the best in the show and I wish we had seen more of this. I wish we had more moments with the bosses from the original game as well. We get hints of them in the background, with only a few making actual appearances in the show. I really enjoyed King Dice and I hope they utilize the other bosses in a similar way.

With each rewatch, I find more and more to appreciate in the art style. I love how they blend the animation with real backgrounds, especially in episode nine when we see the Devil’s throne room. The show has a decent rating, with an 8/10 on IMDB and 64% on Rotten Tomatoes so it’s likely to get renewed for a second season. I do hope they get to continue telling the story, but I hope they focus more on a story.

Whether you are familiar with the original Cuphead video game or stumbled on this show out of the blue, The Cuphead Show is a fun new series to enjoy. If you enjoy the retro animation style, I’d recommend giving it a shot.

Girls Made of Snow and Glass Review

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashashardoust is a 2017 retelling of the classic Grimm’s fairytale, Snow White. It follows the stories of Mina, the stepmother to Lynet, the only daughter of the king and how they shape their lives. It takes the original tale and reconstructs it for modern audiences while still keeping what made the tale so endearing for generations.

This novel was a decent read. It wasn’t terrible enough to give up on, but it wasn’t good enough to have me wholly engrossed. It wasn’t until the last 70 pages or so that I was fully invested and unable to put it down. I stayed up late just to finish it, but it took a very long time to get to that point.

Would I read this again? Probably not. Would I recommend it to someone looking for a retelling of a classic fairytale, full of magic and LGBT representation? Absolutely. It can be a fun read for many people, and it is highly rated on Goodreads. I can be harsh when it comes to lackluster character development and plot points, but if this book sounds anything like something that interests you, please go read it.

There are elements that I absolutely love in this story and I think it’s such a compelling idea, but it’s dragged down by a lack of tension and action. It feels like it takes forever for the story to truly start and I’ll explain more as we cross into the spoiler part of the review. So if you haven’t read Girls Made of Snow and Glass yet and it’s on your TBR, pick it up before reading on.

My biggest complaint is the lack of tension. The synopsis itself spoils the biggest intrigue of the novel; Mina has a heart made of glass and Lynet is made of snow. Even if you skip over the synopsis, this information is given very early on in the novel. I wish this had been kept a secret from the reader. I want to wonder about the novel’s title. Is Lynet the girl of snow because she is the reinterpretation of Snow White?  Or is she the girl of glass because she’s continuously called ‘delicate’ and is Mina snow because she is cold and unfeeling? Let me theorize and figure it out for myself. Don’t just exposition dump by page 54 of a 372-page book.

“Cold as snow, sharp as glass.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 205

I think what also contributes to this lack of tension is that Mina’s past is told alongside Lynet’s present. It’s an interesting choice that doesn’t quite work for me. I would rather we got Mina’s past later on in the story. Show the reader the cold stepmother who cannot love but then show us why she can’t love after we have an established idea of who she is. The way the story is told, the reader gets Mina’s past in the beginning of the novel and she’s incredibly sympathetic. There’s no chance to mistrust her. We are constantly told that she cannot love but she seems to be very affectionate towards Lynet and I just could not feel any suspense about what was going to happen.

One of my favorite lines references the original fairy tale in a sort of fourth wall breaking quote.

“All she would remember was the story that would be passed down by those watching: the cruel stepmother, and the wronged princess who had returned from the dead to strike her down and take back what was hers.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 357

I love when retellings do this. It acknowledges that it’s a retelling in an almost meta way while telling the reader that the fairy tale isn’t the whole truth and that this story is. It’s one of my favorite types of storytelling devices.

The plotline from Snow White in which the evil stepmother tries to kill Snow White simply because she was more beautiful seems like it’s tacked onto this story, like it’s a plot point that needs to be hit. The rest of the story creates such interesting reinterpretations of other elements so I was disappointed with how this was thrown in there. I love how the mirror was also the Huntsman, Mina’s father being the one to want Lynet’s heart, and the poisoned item being the bracelet instead of an apple. It reminded me of the poisoned comb from the original story and it was nice to see a change that utilized a lesser-known storyline. When it came to Mina’s jealousy of Lynet’s beauty, this is where it fell flat. I absolutely love the quote,

“If they love you for anything, it will be for your beauty.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 11

This quote is instilled in Mina at a young age by her own father. She is nothing without her beauty and that becomes apparent when she has to rely on it to get the king’s attention. Her beauty serves her many times and I wish that the jealousy she felt was more emphasized. I know this is a feminist retelling of Snow White and that Mina is meant to be more than the vain stepmother, but the vanity part is repeated over and over again. Mina is obsessed with her beauty, as she pulls out her gray hairs and often ruminates on Lynet’s beauty. It absolutely seems like it’s supposed to be an important plot line but it all felt surface level and like Bashardoust didn’t really delve into the theme.

I wish she had given it the same layers as she did with the theme of mirrors.

“She’d only ever seen the world through her mirrors, surrounding herself with distorted images and believing that they were real.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 333

I wanted more jealousy and resentment to build up between her and Lynet. We have the perfect set up for it, as Lynet is an exact copy of the Queen Emilia that the king lost to illness. When Mina realizes that her marriage with Nicholas is merely for show, it would’ve been great for her to feel anger towards Emilia, and subsequently Lynet for looking identical to her. Mina realizes that her beauty is all she has and not even that would fully win the king’s affection. So when her beauty starts to falter, it would be interesting to see her crack more. Mina uses manipulation to win people over and I would’ve liked to see more of this after she married the king.

“A queen had the power to make people love her.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 65

Or if when Nicholas forced Mina not to act like Lynet’s mother, her glass heart started to harden and Lynet would have to help it soften again. I just wish Mina had been at least somewhat cruel and was given a proper redemption. We can sympathize a character who does the wrong thing but then atones for it later ona. I think this would’ve made not only the stepmother a stronger character, but it would’ve made the story as a whole much stronger as well.

“She said that if my heart was racing too quickly, I could borrow hers for a while, until my own was calm again.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 297

I enjoyed the strong female characters in this retelling. In the classic, Snow White is pretty helpless and has to be saved by true love’s kiss.

“There are worse things in the world to be than delicate. If you’re delicate, it means no one has tried to break you.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass

In this story, she fights back to get her crown. It was cool to see the two women’s command over the elements that brought them life. I really wish we had seen more of Lynet’s power though. She uses it so sparsely, with the most attention given to the coins she makes and remakes from snow. I love how she used it to create a corpse in her image when she faked her death and we were teased with an army of snow solders vs glass soldiers, but this barely amounted to anything. I would’ve liked to see this war.

I like the tragedy of misunderstanding, which is often utilized by Shakespeare in his tragedies. It would’ve been interesting to see the misunderstanding between stepmother and stepdaughter escalate to something bigger so that their reunion would feel all the more powerful. Let the readers fear that there won’t be a happy ending for both women.

Alongside the lack of tension, there’s a huge lack of action. It feels like the story is bogged down by inner thoughts that are repeated endlessly. The first half of the book is nonstop Mina thinking she can’t love and vying for the crown, and Lynet fearing becoming her mother, then having a crisis over the truth of her creation. No one does anything throughout the first half and it’s not until page 216 that Nicholas dies and we finally kickstart the plot. This should’ve happened way sooner and then we’d have more time for Lynet and Mina to do something.

I wish we had seen Lynet outside of the walls for longer and with more to do than just find Gregory and Nadia. She contemplates helping the people and I would’ve loved to see more of that. It would give greater meaning to her returning to the castle to retake her throne from Mina. Unfortunately, all we see is Lynet handing off her cloak to one girl who had none. It was like she magically wanted to be queen after trying to run from it for so long. If we had been allowed to stay in the moment with her longer during her refuge, this would make more sense and bring greater depth to her character.

One of my favorite elements is that the Looking Glass is also the Hunstman. I thought he brought an interesting plot point to the story and Mina’s character. He is brought to life from the mirror Mina had from her mother. He has been looking at her all these years, adoring her. When he is first created, he is nothing more than a mirror. He mimics others but then he learns and eventually thinks for himself. I liked his progression of humanity alongside the loss of Mina’s. This was definitely an area where Bashardoust clearly put a lot of care into and it was so captivating.

“He copied her movements, bringing his head forward to return her kiss. His adoration, his yearning, nourished her, and she understood now why the gods were always said to be jealous.”

Girls Made of Snow and Glass, p. 90

I also appreciate the LGBT representation in the novel. It could’ve been more prominent, but I do enjoy novels set in a world where two women can be in a relationship, and it isn’t considered a crime or strange. They can just be themselves. I love Lynet’s immediate fascination with Nadia, how she stalks her through the castle and gets a crush on her. Their moments together were great and were some of the strongest parts of the novel. It never felt forced or like it was trying to make a point. They just were in love and I wanted them to be together.

Again, this is not a terrible book by any means, but it’s not perfect either. It felt like a chore at times to keep pushing through and finish it, which is never how a book should feel. And of course, everything I wish would’ve happened is purely my opinion. I love the idea of this book, just the execution fell flat for the most part.

If you find yourself interested in this book, I recommend giving it a try. You may find it more captivating than I and enjoy the story.

Cruel Summer Review

Before I discuss this show, I want to put a trigger warning. This show deals with kidnapping, domestic abuse, and grooming.

Jeanette Turner is living the life she always wanted. She’s popular, she has the hot boyfriend, she’s everything she wished she could be. Her life is perfect until Kate Wallis returns after being kidnapped and held hostage in a basement and accuses Jeanette of seeing her during her captivity. Jeanette is adamant that Kate is lying, but Kate is sure of her memory of that night. One of them is lying, but who?

This was such a surprise from Freeform. It’s definitely not the petty teen drama they’re known for. I remember tuning in every week and watching the latest episodes of shows like The Secret Life of the American Teenager, Pretty Little Liars, Make It or Break It, Switched at Birth, etc. Cruel Summer is nothing like these. It’s mature and dark and handles some really difficult topics that the previous shows tried to tackle but ended up being so cheesy and ridiculous, it was hard to really appreciate what they were trying to do.

Secret Life handles teen pregnancy, Pretty Little Liars handles the death of a friend and harassment and stalking, Make It or Break It follows young gymnasts with Olympic hopes, and Switched at Birth handles a lot of different family dynamics and introduces ASL to audiences. Every one of these incredibly popular and highly successful shows had something important to say but handled them poorly so their message was lost to the antics and horrid writing.

Cruel Summer is a refreshing change to the petty drama and lazily written plot points and dialogue. It felt like a lot of care went into telling this story and I was able to immerse completely in these characters’ lives. It was nice to finally have a show where the characters looked more like teenagers instead of the heavily stylized girls of Pretty Little Liars. Though, the actors are much older than their characters, with Chiara being the youngest at 19, but they were at least believable at playing teenagers.

We got to see more unconventional actors on the screen which I really appreciate. Harley Quinn Smith was so good as the aggravating Mallory and Chiara Aurelia was great at being unsettling so you had to question if Jeanette was the one lying. Olivia Holt is the biggest name on the series and her portrayal of Kate Wallis was so well done. In all, the show featured a strong cast that drove the story and kept me invested from the first episode to the very end. I even struggled through the exhaustion from my second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to keep watching (though in the end, the vaccine won).  

The three years that this story spans are woven together episode by episode, with each one taking place on the same day or series of days of each year. It requires the viewer to pay attention as the year shifts and interchanges within scenes. The show relies on the lighting and the filters to depict a change in year, the past being very bright and natural, reflecting the peace before the horrid events of 1994. 1995 is the darkest of them as Kate and Jeanette deal with the fallout of Kate’s accusation.

I really like this method of storytelling. It lends to the mystery of the events and allows the writers to keep the truth hidden until the very end while still showing the entirety of the timeline. For ten episodes, you’re left wondering who’s lying.

I’m obsessed with the 90s aesthetic of the show. With the resurgence of 90s fashion, it really hits home on the nostalgia that I can’t help but feel as I get older and life gets harder. We always idolize “the good old days” and every generation says that their past time was the best but as someone who has faced two recessions, one before I even left high school, I can’t help but wish for the return of many things from the 90s. Using this time as the setting for the show allows the writers to avoid the use of smartphones and computers which can really change the story. I really enjoyed the 90s setting and hopefully, we’ll see more shows and movies set in this time.

This marks the spoiler section of the review so if you haven’t seen Cruel Summer yet, all ten episodes are available to stream on Hulu.

The show does a really good job with keeping up the suspense over all ten episodes. We learn early on that Martin Harris is Kate’s kidnapper and just before he took her, Kate’s mother said something awful. As we see Kate’s relationship with her mother deteriorate and Kate interacting more and more with Martin, I kept thinking that this was the moment. Then, nothing would happen, and I had to wait one more episode to know how Martin kidnapped Kate, only to be swindled again.

On the other side, we are also left in suspense on when or if Jeanette sees Kate in Martin’s house as we see her being obsessed with Kate from the start. Then, as she continuously breaks into Martin’s house, I wondered if this was the moment. Was Kate telling the truth? But each time, Jeanette left the house without seeing anyone and it seems as if Kate was lying.  Finally, at the revelation that it was in fact that Mallory who saw her, the audience can finally believe both Kate and Jeanette. In the darkness, neither girl saw the other’s face and it was only by the clacking of a card on a bike that the mishap was made.

But then, another twist reveals that while Jeanette never saw Kate, she heard her in the basement of the house and left her there. It’s far worse than what Kate accused her of, as Jeanette actually had the power to open that door and save her, but instead, she leaves her so that she can continue living Kate’s life. It really makes everything about Jeanette so much more unsettling. Her reaction to the gunshot, her immediate thought that Kate’s body was found. Jeanette clearly expected Kate to be killed in that house and did nothing, just so she could keep Kate’s friends and boyfriend.

When I watched the show the first time, I wanted to be on Jeanette’s side. I felt for her as the outcast who just wanted to be popular. But then rewatching, I realized that she had a wonderful friend in Vince, though Mallory was definitely not a great friend as she kept pushing and pushing Jeanette to do things she didn’t want to. She had a loving family, though her mother was just as off as Jeanette. She clearly wanted her daughter to be the popular girl, to be more like Kate. Her envy for another life rubbed off on her daughter and Kate’s mom was strangely right. After that final revelation, I can’t be on Jeanette’s side.

Olivia Holt really did an amazing job as Kate Wallis. Although she’s the biggest name attached to the series, this is the first thing I’ve seen her in. She’s the popular girl who seemingly has it all. One would expect her to be the mean girl but every interaction she has with Jeanette, she’s very kind to her. As far as we know, she never talks about Jeanette or her friends behind her back and she even defends her to her mother. For some reason, Mallory hates Kate but we never learn why. But Mallory is just walking angst so that may explain it.

Kate is nothing but likeable and sweet. Her relationship with her mother shatters over the course of the 1993 flashbacks to the point where it becomes abusive. We see her perfect life falling apart which allows Martin the perfect opportunity to take advantage of her. She’s at her most vulnerable and he presents himself as a friend which develops into an intimate relationship. In Kate’s eyes, this is a loving relationship. She finally has someone to confide in, who’s on her side in all of this. I am so, so glad that Freeform did not allow this to be portrayed that way and showed it for what it really is: inappropriate, dangerous, and absolutely unacceptable. I really hope they continue in this trajectory and quit showing minors dating adults in a good light.

Jaime is terrible. He punches Jeanette, he stalks her house with a gun in his car, and he gaslights Kate. He’s also responsible for Ben losing his football scholarship because of his drinking and driving. To me, his redemption isn’t enough. I appreciate that he supports Ben’s relationship with Vince, but he definitely has a long way to go before he can actually redeem himself.

I appreciate the Ben and Vince storyline. It’s a nice B plot that fleshes out the characters and the overall story. It allows the audience a short break from the heavy topic of grooming and abuse for something sweet and innocent. Their scene when they dance is a lovely little moment and I really liked their scenes together.

This show was a nice change of pace for Freeform which is notorious for depicting inappropriate relationships between adults and minors. It happens way too often in their shows. In Switched at Birth, Daphne has a relationship with her adult boss, and who could forget the absolute trainwreck that was Ezra and Aria in Pretty Little Liars? They’re relationship is grooming 101 and the way that the show pushed them and even gave them the big wedding of the series is incredibly disturbing. The fact that we continue to see such inappropriate relationships shows that we have so much more progress to make to protect minors, but I really appreciate what this show did. Every single episode featured resources for those facing domestic abuse, sexual abuse, or grooming. This series helps minors learn the signs and can protect themselves better, though the responsibility falls on the adults and minors should never be blamed.

Unfortunately, the show did not get to explore that aspect, as we only learned that Kate walked into that house willingly in the last two episodes. Up until then, we assumed Martin kidnapped her. Instead, he gained her trust and he opened up his house for her. He manipulated her into staying in this disturbing relationship, making her feel like she could trust him to do the right thing for her. Victim blaming is unfortunately a huge problem that we face, and I would’ve liked for the show to go more into the fact that Kate walked into that house. She is not to blame for any of the things that happened to her, and I wish we had that message pushed forward.

A season 2 has been confirmed and I don’t know what to expect. Nothing has been confirmed except for a 2022 release date, though the month has not been said. Season one was a concise story with a solid ending, so I don’t know what more needs to be said. I do understand that it’s unsatisfying that we see that Jeanette got away with leaving Kate in the basement, but sometimes, the ending is unsatisfying. I really hope they tread carefully with season two as Freeform is notorious for bad writing and dragging shows out much longer than they need to go on. Many shows that started out strong died a slow and painful death with awful plotlines and dialogue. I can only hope they keep the integrity of the show but only time will tell.

Mister Impossible Review

Mister Impossible is the second book of The Dreamer Trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater. This series follows the dreamer, Ronan Lynch, from The Raven Cycle after high school as he navigates his place in the world. In the second book, Ronan and Hennessy have joined with the mysterious Bryde to learn how to control their dreams, leaving behind the dreams they manifested, Matthew and Jordan. Declan, the oldest of the Lynch brothers, searches for a way to keep his youngest brother awake, should anything happen to Ronan. All the while, the Moderators do everything they can to stop Ronan and Hennessy from bringing about the end of the world.

The irascible storm from the eyedropper didn’t bother him; he was just another piece of it.

Mister Impossible, p. 7

I could barely put this book down. Every time I found myself with time to read, I was racing through this book, eager to know what happens. Maggie Stiefvater has long been a favorite author of mine. I fell in love with The Raven Boys when I read it almost seven years ago. She has a way of writing compelling characters that you just can’t help but be completely enamored by. When I saw that she was writing a spin-off, following one of these amazing characters, I immediately pre-ordered the first book. I was lucky to get the Owlcrate box made exclusively for Call Down the Hawk, then the Owlcrate exclusive edition of Mister Impossible. I have travelled many miles to meet Stiefvater twice, once in Houston, Texas, and once in Edinburgh, UK at one of her speaking events. It’s safe to say that she is in my top three favorite authors.

Mister Impossible did not disappoint. It sat on my TBR pile for many months simply because this last year was a hard year, and I wasn’t able to read anything. Finally dragging myself out of my reading slump, I breezed through this book. Call Down the Hawk had a much slower start than this one and it took me longer to get hooked, but Mister Impossible wasted no time drawing me in. It throws you into the action immediately and there are no slow moments that made the story drag on. We follow several characters, jumping between them in each chapter, but Stiefvater is so great at crafting interconnected storylines that I never got lost. I knew who I was following and what was happening with ease. Every character had me captivated. Stiefvater even manages to make characters that you love to hate. Our villain, Farooq-Lane, is someone you want to fail but don’t want something bad to happen to her along the way.

There were a few times when it felt like the sections didn’t belong. Stiefvater has an incredibly distinct voice and I can tell something is hers instantly and she’s great at keeping it consistent for the most part. But these little sections don’t quite fit and I’ll go into explanation in the spoiler part of my review. Because of how distinct the author’s voice is, when it strays, it’s unfortunately quite noticeable. It’s not enough to ruin the book but it did draw me out of my immersion.

I am still in awe with how Stiefvater brings this story to life. Ronan is a dreamer and he brings things out of the dream world and into reality. Dreams, as we know, are so abstract and often times not even in our own dreams do we understand what is happening. The idea of putting these strange and remarkable things to the page is something that seems impossible but Stiefvater crafts it so excellently, with vivid details that make it easy to follow along. Ronan not only dreams entire people into existence, like his younger brother Matthew which he dreamt when he was a child, but extraordinary things. Sundogs that move as fast as a sunbeam, a sword made of the sunlit sky, and a menagerie of impossible creatures that call the Barns their home. Everything is so vivid and detailed, no matter how strange the dream was. I couldn’t imagine putting the things she puts into words and it’s one of the reasons why I am so drawn to The Dreamer Trilogy.

The rest of the review will be filled with spoilers as I go into more detail about why I love this book and the characters so much.

Golden Matthew, charming the city. Rebellious Ronan, finally grown into something useful. Cunning Declan, trafficking in art and stories. The Brothers Lynch.

Mister Impossible p. 219

Ronan Lynch was first introduced to readers in The Raven Boys. In that series of books, he landed as my third favorite, behind Gansey and Noah, but this doesn’t mean that Ronan is a weak character by any means. I just love Gansey and Noah far too much for all their endearing quirks and personalities. Ronan is a solid third for me and I absolutely love following him as his story continues. Gansey and Blue’s stories came to a conclusion in the final book of The Raven Cycle, Noah’s spirit moved on, and the continuation of Adam’s story coincided with Ronan’s as they began a relationship, though his story was mostly finished as well.

He was not dating Ronan; he was living in Ronan’s life with him.

Mister Impossible, p. 92

Ronan is a dreamer, someone who can do incredible things, a Mister Impossible. Ordinary life is not in the cards for him. We saw a glimpse of what his future could possibly hold with his father, who was killed after shady business dealings using his dreamt materials. What future does a dreamer hold, especially one as volatile as Ronan Lynch?

People would either want Ronan’s ability or stop him from using it. So it makes sense that we see his life after high school. I do miss Gansey but I understand why we don’t have him in this series, and we really don’t need him. I love getting to know Declan more and more and Matthew fills that hole that Noah left when he moved on.

I like both Hennessy and Jordan, though I am more drawn to Jordan. Hennessy suits Ronan with her extreme pessimism and hardness. She’s someone that Ronan needs to save, and I enjoy their moments together, how he’s trying to show her all the things she can do with her dreams. She did get frustrating at times, and I’m so upset that she teamed up with Farooq-Lane and Liliana. I’m convinced that Liliana has bad intentions and I’m so angry and distressed that the ley line has been shut off. Hennessy is definitely that love to hate character in this novel.

One dreamer was feeling I need this to stop everything and the other dreamer was feeling I need this to start something.

Mister Impossible, p. 336

In book three, I’m really hoping that they’re able to help Matthew and I’m scared to see the aftermath of the dreams falling asleep. It sounded really bad, with planes falling from the sky so I’m wondering if this was the apocalypse all the Moderators were so afraid of. Realizing just how much of the world had been dreamt opens endless consequences to Hennessy’s actions. I don’t see any good out of the ley line being turned off, but I also wonder what would’ve happened if Ronan had succeeded in destroying the dam. So many questions and so many possibilities. I need the third book now so I can see what happens.

These days, lots of people are trying to stay awake.

Mister Impossible, p. 117

Jordan, on the other hand, was much more enjoyable. I loved seeing her with Declan, bringing him out of his carefully crafted self and into his real self. Seeing him fall into the art world of Jordan brings a whole new side to him.

Funny how opposites make each other look brighter.

Mister Impossible, p. 46

In The Raven Cycle, he was this strict and intentionally boring character that we barely got to know, but you wanted to. He had these adorable quirks, like the way he texts and the way he cares for his brothers, so he was definitely a character that you just knew had so much more to him that we couldn’t see. I really appreciate that we get to see more to him and that he’s another well-rounded character that Stiefvater is fantastic at bringing to life.

Mister Impossible is yet another strong piece of writing from Stiefvater, but as mentioned before, there were some sections that felt like they didn’t belong to the rest of the book, and both involved the Moderators. Most noticeably, in chapter 13, the Moderators attack the Zeds – Ronan, Hennessy, and Bryde – and it’s a very chaotic and hard to follow sequence. It feels like the Moderators came out of nowhere and were suddenly attacking them. A new Zed, Rhiannon, is killed in the sequence but it’s so hard to follow that the emotional impact isn’t as strong as it could be. There’s a significant lack of Moderators in this book compared to the previous so when they show up, it feels out of place. We followed them much more closely in the previous book so we were more keen to their movements. Here, they just show up to confront the Zeds, then they’re off again. I like seeing Farooq-Lane realizing that the Moderators aren’t the good guys and I wish we had more chapters following them. Mister Impossible is considerably shorter than Call Down the Hawk so we could’ve used more chapters for them. After learning that most of the Moderators are dreams, I really wish we had seen more of them in this novel as perhaps desperation sets in or frustration.

Ronan is tough and he can be a hard character to love. He is often cruel and pushes people away, but we saw throughout The Raven Cycle that he is deeply loyal and caring about those he loves. He is incredibly complicated but that makes him such a compelling character.

Ronan’s sin was immediacy, not villainy.

Mister Impossible p. 231

“But his head didn’t seem built to hold the future. He could imagine it for just a few seconds until, like a weak muscle, his thoughts collapsed back to the present.”

Mister Impossible p. 91

One of the reasons I enjoy reading about Ronan so much is the relatability I feel with him. Throughout the novel, Bryde asks him “What do you feel?” and Ronan struggles to answer. As someone who struggles to express what they’re feeling, I could completely empathize how he didn’t understand what was happening to him or want to share it with the others. But as the book progresses and his lessons with Bryde continue, we see him begin to open up. Ronan finds his place and what he was born for as he opens the ley line and helps other dreamers who are too far away and are suffering. In the end, when we learn that Bryde is a dream dreamt by Ronan, it makes sense. The only one who could understand Ronan is Ronan himself. He desperately needed a teacher, but Ronan is such a fireball that getting one who would get through to him would be near impossible. Only a teacher that comes from his own mind could help him.

Thinking back over the book, it starts making more and more sense that Bryde is a dream of Ronan’s. Of course, there were all the hints that he wasn’t like anyone else and I got the sense that he was a dream, but whose I did not know. He was very birdlike and Ronan has an affinity for birds. His closest companion is Chainsaw, the raven, and we got to see his best day in which he wished he had an army of birds. Bryde is so much like Ronan if Ronan were able to be true to himself and allow himself to be honest.

“Ronan was beginning to understand that Bryde’s first instinct was always to play with his enemies’ heads. He would fight if he must, but he always preferred having his opponents defeat themselves.”

Mister Impossible p. 19

Bryde could’ve only come from one mind, the mind of Ronan Lynch. And now that he’s gotten what he wanted – a way to stay awake – I wonder what’s next for him.

“He was an enigma before and an enigma after.”

Mister Impossible p. 28

I was really worried when I picked up this book that I would be completely lost. I read Call Down the Hawk all the way back in late 2019, so it was a considerable amount of time between books one and two, but I had absolutely no trouble picking up where we left off. It was easy to resume the story and the things I didn’t remember as well as others were filled in without bogging down the story. A good sequel is able to stand on its own without losing the reader and I think Stiefvater accomplished this with ease.

I really enjoyed this sequel to Call Down the Hawk. The continuation of Ronan’s story is so compelling and interesting and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. Stiefvater is an incredible author who writes characters so beautifully. I don’t ever want Ronan’s story to end and I would love read more about the other Raven Boys, but I know that the story will end. I can only hope that the ending doesn’t rip out my heart.

Emily in Paris Season 2 Review

Emily in Paris Season 2 Review

Season two of Emily in Paris dropped on Netflix just in time for the holidays and everyone was busy binging it, including myself. In this season, we continue to follow Emily as she navigates being an American in Paris, with all the romance and the drama that seems to come along with it. Between the eccentric fashion, more focus on our supporting cast, and a healthier dose of French language, season two is an improvement while still holding onto what made the show fun. It’s not perfect by any means and it has some frustrating moments, but it’s nice that the writers are listening to the criticisms and improving the series.

Season two definitely leans more into the comedy genre and feels far more exaggerated that season one. For the most part, I really like this new tone, but I can’t stand the high-pitched, whiny way that Emily talks when things are going wrong. Yes, it adds to the comedy, but it is a beating to the ears.

Other than that, I like that they’re leaning more into this vibe and it allows me to better immerse myself in it. It reminds me not to take the show too seriously and I can laugh at Emily, rather than be endlessly annoyed by her. By exaggerating Emily in this way, they take away her superiority complex she suffered in season one. Had they done this from the beginning, scenes such as the one where she’s introducing herself to the new office would’ve been funny and not frustrating.

I think what makes this shift work is that the writers allowed us to learn who the French characters are. Sylvie and Luc feel more like people and not caricatures. I adore when the scenes allow the actors to play off each other and they are starting to have a real chemistry with one another. I’ll go more into detail in the spoiler section of the review, but I really appreciate this change.

I’m also glad they let the French actors speak in French when they’re not having to accommodate for Emily. Camille makes a request that her meetings at Savoir be exclusively in French, and I realize just how odd it’s been that the clients have been forced to speak in another language. When we shift to French, the characters feel so much more natural, and it allows them to feel more authentic. They play off each other really well in these moments and it’s so refreshing after season one. We also see Emily spending more time in French class which I appreciate. It’s nice to see her trying and taking the time to adapt to her new home.

The rest of the review will contain spoilers so make sure to watch season two before you continue reading.

One of my absolute favorite moments in this season is in episode three which centers around Emily’s birthday. She receives a Chicago deep dish pizza in the mail and her co-workers are quite disgusted with the gift. The way they interact with one another shows how much charisma these actors have and it’s such a fun scene. Emily is oblivious to their reactions, and I think Lily Collins was adorable in this scene. I want more of this sort of comedy and interactions between the cast.

Although we didn’t see much of Julien in this season, I adored his scenes with Pierre Cadault as he tries to mend the relationship between the designer and Savoir after Emily makes a huge blunder.  I hope we get more of who he is, as all I know about him right now is that he loves men and fashion. We’ve learned about Sylvie’s husband and her past as a photographer, and we know that Luc loves philosophy and French New Wave films.

We do spend way too much on the Gabriel plot. The love triangle they are pushing hard is the least interesting part of the season. Gabriel is not the stud they are trying so desperately to make him into. In the year 2021 and, now 2022, audiences are over the love triangle plot that pits women against each other over a man that doesn’t deserve either one of them. Gabriel started cheating on Camille long before he slept with Emily. Not once did he express to Emily that he was in a relationship, even with it was absolutely clear they were flirting with one another. He didn’t stop Emily from kissing him, and he still did not reveal the truth. Then, as they spent more and more time together, he continued to develop feelings for Emily and didn’t say a thing to Camille. He drags Camille along even though he has feelings for someone else.

Then, in the season two finale, we see that Gabriel asked Camille to move in with him. He’s still hung up on Emily so he shouldn’t be leading Camille along, again. This plotline is messy and boring and needs to go away. I hope that in season three, Camille dumps Gabriel and finds someone better for her. They do continue the trend of queer-baiting the audience with Camille. She continues to show affectionate gestures towards Emily, like stroking her arm when they’re smelling perfumes, and Mindy kisses her during her performance in the first episode. They keep hinting at a possibility of Camille being bisexual but never commit.

I do appreciate that not every man in Paris isn’t fawning over Emily again. I love the lack of Antoine in this season and that they dropped the plotline that pitted Emily against Sylvie. I think they did a good job building up Alfie’s relationship with Emily gradually and more naturally. He was a good opposite for her, and I enjoyed their scenes together for the most part. I’m also happy to see Sylvie thriving in her new relationship with a younger man. I think Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu is stunning and I love the portrayal of her as a strong, confident woman, not a bitter, jealous older woman competing against the younger woman.

My biggest problem, which everyone seems to agree with, even an entire government, is the portrayal of Petra. She’s a Ukrainian woman that Emily meets in French class whose entire plotline revolves around stealing clothes. Emily meets up with her to practice French and, in a shopping trip gone wrong, Petra steals a bunch of stuff, dragging Emily along. This scene is so bizarre and stupid, and I have many questions. First, what on earth did Emily think Petra mean by ‘gratuit’ when putting the bag on Emily’s shoulder? Did she honestly think Petra was buying it for her? How did they manage to just walk out with hundreds of euros worth of stuff, while yelling? And how did Emily manage to return the items without getting in trouble? This scene is pointless. It adds nothing to the series. It only serves to show Emily as someone who doesn’t steal but did we need that confirmation? The show did away with the problematic jokes and comments about Asian and French people, and instead, included a very toxic portrayal of an Eastern European immigrant that serves no purpose. The writers of Emily in Paris need a serious lesson in portraying other ethnicities and not relying on harmful stereotypes for humor.

I do miss boulangerie woman, but I love her little cameo in Emily’s timeline as @thecroissantladyparis. I like all the little nods to season one. We see some of Emily’s old posts from the previous season on her birthday timeline and we see her previous outfits popping up in the background.

Speaking of clothes, Emily’s style is still just as eccentric and that doesn’t seem to be changing any time soon. Honestly, I can’t help but love it. I also like to dress in statement clothes that are odd and make you do a double take. My wardrobe isn’t as wild as Emily’s, by a longshot (I don’t have near the budget as she does for clothes shopping), and it’s why I really like seeing her different outfits. There are several pieces I would love to add to my closet, including that stunning silver coat from the first episode, and her silly stripped pants. I could do without all the gloves and the hats, but for the most part, I enjoy the style.

Mindy is also a fashion icon. I’m obsessed with her beautiful, feathered dress in episode five and she looks chic in so many of her outfits. Camille suffers, though, in her wardrobe. What was dreamy and French in season one has now shifted to looking sloppy in the oversized blazers and overalls. She still has some incredible looks, like her black dress in the first episode and her cool snake print outfit in episode nine. I also strangely adore her big hat with a chain in episode two.

I’m still not a fan of Mindy’s singer storyline. Like I said in my season one review, I don’t usually like storylines that follow people wanting to be a singer. They have so much potential with her character and I’m disappointed that they’re just doing the easy route of talented singer that’s not recognized. I was really looking forward to the plotline I thought they were setting up in episode two when Mindy realizes her father was in Saint Tropez the week before them and she sent him a message saying that she missed him. But after this episode, it’s never mentioned again. They have a habit of seemingly setting up a plot, then abandoning it immediately. Another instance of this was the new bartender for Gabriel’s restaurant who walked in on Emily and Gabriel kissing. They focus on Camille and the bartender working together soon after, as if something was going to happen, but it never does. They’re just wasting time and getting the audience invested in something that will never happen.

The best plotline of the series so far was definitely the arrival of Madeline, the woman who was supposed to be in Emily’s shoes. In season one, they show a huge contrast between Emily and Madeline in their French ability and so, when I saw that Madeline was on her way to Paris, I expected a savvy, fluent boss who was going to show us what Emily should have been. Instead, we see that Emily is a saint in comparison. Madeline is somehow more obnoxious than Emily was in the entire first season. Despite touting her Masters in French, her speaking is arguably worse that Emily’s. She’s loud, overbearing, and just outright annoying. Sylvie got off easy with Emily. I don’t like that we only got this at the end of the season. I wish we had more episodes of this, letting things escalate gradually. Let the audience think that Madeline is going to show Emily how to integrate in Paris, only to realize, she’s much worse at it than she is. Let Emily slowly realize just how wrong she was about her work ethic and American perspective. But aside from thinking this plotline was introduced too late, I think they actually did really well with it.

Season two left us with a cliffhanger. After quitting and taking the staff with her, Sylvie offers Emily a permanent stay in Paris as a part of her new company. Every review that I’ve seen is adamant that Emily will stay because we are watching Emily in Paris, not in Chicago, which, yes, this is true. But what’s really telling for me is the fact that Emily doesn’t seem to have a life in Chicago. We hear about her returning to her friends all the time, but we haven’t even seen a photo of said friends. I never felt the suspense of Emily having to go home because we have seen a miniscule look at her home and all we got was her running around an office and having one night with a boyfriend that’s never even mentioned again. Chicago is obviously never going to be her home in this series.

Season two was a definite improvement, but there are still ways to make this show better. It’s nice to have writers listening to the audience’s complaints and making changes to improve on their show. I like the tone more so than I did in the first season and I hope they continue to give us more moments with Sylvie, Luc, and Julien. I really hope that they abandon love triangle and don’t have Emily end up with Gabriel, but I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened. Netflix just renewed the show for a season three and four and I can’t wait to see where Emily ends up next.