Lady Flora Hastings

 

Lady Flora Hastings

The first time I heard about Lady Flora Hastings was in the book by Julia Baird; Victoria the Queen.

What I read about her broke my heart. What she was subjected to, strangely, wasn't surprising for those times. And to be honest, even in these times.
To be accused of something horrible, I commend her for sticking her ground and not giving in to the accusation.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain.

Lady Flora Elizabeth Rawdon-Hastings was born on 11 February 1806 to Francis Rawson-Hastings 1st Marquess of Hastings and Flora Mure-Campbell 6th of Loudoun.

Now to the scandal that rocked Queen Victoria's reign early on.

The unmarried Lady Flora Hastings was alleged to have had an affair with John Conroy, a favourite of the Queen's mother, the Duchess of Kent. Who Lady Flora was a lady-in-waiting for the Duchess of Kent.
Before I continue, there needs to be a bit of a backstory to the characters involved. 

Duchess of Kent (left)
John Conroy (right)

Queen Victoria hated and despised John Conroy, her mother, and her mother's household. There is a lot to get into for the reasons why, I advice reading Victoria the Queen if you want more details, but take my word for it that as soon as Victoria became Queen, she kept her mother's household away from her own. The hate was definitely strong.

Sometime in 1839 Lady Flora Hastings started to experience pain and swelling in her lower abdomen. She visited the Queen's physician, Sir James Clark (who I should mention now, I hate the man and I don't know how he got any qualifications), who couldn't diagnose her condition so he assumed she was with child. An assumption about an unmarried woman was scandalous to say the least especially in those times.

My guess is that this so called doctor told her enemies, Baroness Lehzen and the Marchioness of Tavistock, who then spread the rumour that she was with child. Queen Victoria also wrote in her journal on 2 February 1839 that she accused John Conroy of being the father.
Lady Flora, with every right, felt that she had to defend herself in public, publishing her version of events in the form of a letter which appeared in the Examiner, and blaming "a certain foreign lady" (more than likely Baroness Lehzen) for spreading the rumours.

She was examined to see if she was still a virgin. A concept that makes me sick to the stomach to be examined like that. It feels degrading to say the least. And as it turns out, Lady Flora was still a virgin.
Her family fought for her honour with success; public sympathy was clearly with Lady Flora, who kept appearing in public so that people would not think she was pregnant.

Queen Victoria

By April, Lady Flora was growing very weak, the distressed Duchess of Kent was convinced that Lady Flora was going to die, but even in June, Victoria  was still dismissing her condition. It also didn't help that Lord Melbourne, Queen Victoria's most trusted adviser, was giving her terrible advice. Pettiness is a horrible trait.
However, Queen Victoria finally visited the now clearly dying Lady Flora and was mortified at what she saw. I think this visit changed Victoria's view as she wrote that she hoped that Lady Flora will recover. Her guilt was obvious.

On 5 July 1839, Lady Flora passed away. She made her last wish as her weeping family surrounded her: that a post-mortem be conducted on her body that would finally, thoroughly prove her innocence. 
Not surprisingly, there were still rumours that her death was due to a botched abortion. But the autopsy report showed that Lady Flora had a grossly enlarged liver, which was pressing on her stomach. It was also reported that "the uterus and its appendages presented the usual appearances of the healthy virgin state". Even with this diagnosis, her virginity was still examined.

After the public heard the news, hate was increased towards Queen Victoria and Lord Melbourne, and rightly so. The hate didn't last for long, but it was something Victoria will always think about during her long reign.

This scandal made me hate the people involved and the way women were treated back then. My modern mind went straight to, "what does it matter that she had sex before marriage", but I kept reminding myself that this was still a time period of sexism. It's not fixed today, but it definitely has improved.
My heart goes out to Lady Flora, and I also admire her inner strength to stand her ground no matter what was thrown at her.

I highly recommend reading Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird. Don't feel intimidated by the size, it's an amazing read.

Until next time, happy reading.

Mythos by Stephen Fry

 

I've always been fascinated by the ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses (I mean, you just have to look at my username). Reading their tales, how they came to be, what they got up to, everything is just fascinating.
I do love how they aren't 100% perfect, you just have to look at Zeus alone to know he isn't perfect, and his wife Hera was in continuous anger with him over his never ending infidelity. Except her anger was always targeted to the innocent women and not her husband.

Tera and I picked Mythos by Stephen Fry for our Clio's Book Club read.
This is actually my second time reading it, but I'm not fussed at all. I loved it the first and second time.

Stephen Fry gives these stories a modern twist, adding his own comedic flare to these crazy characters. 

It is a bit hard when you first get into the book, you are inundated with character after character, trying to decipher who is related to who, but trust me, once you get past that God and Goddess dump, the stories begin.

Like I said earlier, this isn't my first time reading this, yet I'm always surprised to find out how many words we are still using today from the ancient Greeks. 
I also love the stories on how the bees came to be and the spider. And I know you are going to hear this word a lot, but I find it fascinating. Is there any other word for that?

If you can't tell already, I highly recommend reading Stephen Fry's ancient Greek books. I have also read his book Heroes, but I still haven't read Troy but that is definitely on my list to get.

I really do want to get into reading more ancient Greek mythology and even just about the people of the time. If you have any recommendations, please don't hesitate to comment on this blog post, or you can message me on my Instagram page.

Until next time, happy reading

Currently Reading 7-9 May 2021

 

A long time ago I used to do a blog post nearly every week where I would say what I'll be doing and especially what I'll be reading for that weekend.
I actually used to love doing these posts and I don't know why. I think it was just a casual post on what is going on. Who knows.
I also want to start posting much more on here, so this is a great idea.

So, what are my plans this weekend...

I'm currently rereading Stormbird by Conn Iggulden. It's book one in his War of the Roses series.

I really enjoyed this series. I love how it's in the point of view of different characters from royals to fighters and spies. Conn Iggulden gives you a perspective of what is happing while war is waging.

I'm nearly half-way through, so if I finish it this weekend I might pick up book two or I might start the book club book; Mythos by Stephen Fry.

Besides reading this weekend it's also Mother's Day this Sunday. And as a mother of two kids, it's going to be a great day with family. I'll also be visiting my mum and Nonna (grandmother). It's going to be a nice relaxing day.

Nothing else exciting this weekend, but if there is reading, what more do you want?

Until next time, happy reading

Book Club

 

My sister from another mister, my best friend and fellow Queen, Tera and I are starting a book club together.

To say that we are exactly alike would be an understatement. We both have an obsession with history and learning everything we possibly can. So, why not read books together.

This came about after we read Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird together. Have you ever been reading a book and all you want to do is talk to someone about it? I do that all the time, especially history books.

Our first book together is Mythos by Stephen Fry. I have read this book before, but I really enjoyed it and I also want to take notes this time. I'm all for rereading, especially really good books.

I think Stephen Fry has an amazing way of telling these ancient stories for a modern audience. I can not wait to get into this with my best friend.

Stay tuned for more posts on our book club.

Please follow my dear friend on her blog and Instagram.

Until next time, happy reading

Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird

 With an extraordinary woman like Victoria, her biography of her life is bound to be fascinating to read. I really don't know where to begin with this big book, I do however want to say how much I loved reading this book. Julia Baird has a way of giving you all this information without feeling like you're overloaded. It's also written from the beginning of Victoria's life to the end, so it's not all over the place and hard to follow.

If you are interested in Victoria, or just curious, I highly recommend picking up Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird. Don't be intimidated by how big the book is. I could not put this book down and I devoured it.

After a few chapters in I instantly messaged my sister from another mister Tera, that she had to pick this book up immediately. She got it the next day and we buddy read it. It's one of those books you need to talk to someone while you're reading it.

During my read I wrote down a lot of notes, things that either piqued my interest or things that I wanted to look more into.

Because there was so many notes, I might later on do blog posts for things that I want to look more into, like for instance the scandal of Lady Flora Hastings. That poor woman and what she went through. 

Actually, there are a lot of instances that really made my blood boil when it came to girls and women. That, is definitely for another post.

I don't want to go too much into every detail of the book, because I really do think you need to read it and experience it yourself, but I want to mention a few things.

As much as I appreciated Albert and how he ran things, I do think that Victoria became way too dependent in him. I do think this has a lot to do with how women were perceived as a married woman. This is horrible to say, but we were seen as a mans property. He was our master and were basically his slave.

Now this power dynamic was strange in Victoria and Albert's relationship; she was Queen of England, head of the British Empire, while he was the husband who technically in their terms, supposed to be head of the house.

As an independent woman, I just wanted to see Victoria be that strong woman who doesn't let men walk over her and belittle her (no pun intended).

I also want to definitely mention John Brown. After reading Julia Bairds' notes at the end of the book, I am so happy she kept information about him and what was left in Victoria's coffin in the book.

I do believe that Victoria loved John Brown, whether that is in a romantic way or just friendship, I personally don't think that matters.

She was so dependent of people, it was good to have someone close to her to bring her out of the gloom after Albert died.

There is so much more to unpack not just with Victoria's life, but also with the world during her reign, that I will definitely (hopefully if I remember) to make posts about it in the future.

Like I said before, I highly recommend picking up Victoria the Queen by Julia Baird. It's an amazing book that I will definitely be going back again and again and recommending to anyone who I come across.

Until next time, happy reading...

Something Slightly Different

 

Well, technically, it's doing something that I planned to do from the beginning but ending up doing what I do on Goodreads, and that's just review books.

Recently I have decided that I no longer want to be on Goodreads and review books. I'll talk about books, and more so about how much I love them, but I will no longer be doing star ratings.

It seems that if you disagree with someone about a book they like, all of a sudden only their opinions matter. 

I don't want to go too much into it, let's just say that for my sanity, I'm not going to bother with Goodreads no longer.

So, saying all that, I started this blog because I wanted to share my two favourite things; books and history.

This blog will only be about history books that I've read or just talking about history in general.

I am in no way a professional about any of this, I just have a passion that I just want to share with the world.

I hope you enjoy my blog and share your passion as well for history.

Until next time, happy reading

Book Review - Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

    

Book One

Throne of Glass series

Meet Celaena Sardothien. Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament — fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

“You could rattle the stars”

I’m going to say it, after countless times re-reading Throne of Glass, this time I hated it the most. 

It has never been my favourite of the series, but I don’t think I’ve hated it as much as I do this time around. It all comes down to one factor; I hate Celaena.

Okay we get it, you’re the greatest assassin in all of Adarlan. Instead of telling me this over and over again, show me. In all honesty, she is more portrayed as a murderer than this elite assassin. Does Sarah J. Maas know what an assassin is, or did she just love the title?

She even made her door extra squeaky so she can hear people come in, yet there are countless times where both Dorian and Chaol walked in without her knowing.

What an amazing assassin… (sarcasm)

There is going to be a lot of things that I really didn’t like about this book, but I will say the things I liked about it first. 

I do think Sarah J. Maas knows how to write a story. Let me rephrase that, she knows how to keep you in and hooked, wanting more. I mean, there is eight of them total in the series. And strange enough, I think she writes better side characters than main ones. For example; Nehemia. She was my favourite throughout this book that I just wanted the point of view from her. This is a character who would have character development and growth, unlike a certain someone else.

Okay, now to the things that annoyed me.

I really didn’t get the main plot of the story. So, you have this competition where these criminals, and yes Celaena you are one of them, to compete against each other to become the King’s champion.

Now, hear me out here, wouldn’t it be better to get a “champion” who was already loyal to the crown. You are intrusting this person to carry very delicate dealings, I would want someone who I could trust 100% Not criminals that would no doubt stab you while your sleep. 

Out of all the criminals I think Cain is the most loyal to the crown. I’m surprised they didn’t just give it to him. Actually, knowing what is going to happen later on in the series, why didn’t the King give it to Cain? It boggles me how this King has gotten this far in conquering. 

Talking about criminals competing against each other, can someone also explain to me how they had these lowest of low criminals just walking around the castle, attending parties and whatnot? There was a scene with Celaena and Nehemia walking together, alone it seems with no guards, when Cain and this other competitor just comes up to them and starts intimidating them. There was not once where a guard, which I believe there was none around, to stop this. 

I know a lot of this is for plot reasons, but it just didn’t make sense at all. Am I the only one that remembers these are murderers and let’s not forget about an actual killer on the loose killing the competitors. Where is Chaol? Who, might I add, is way too young for this role as Captain of the Guard. The only reason he is in such a high position is because he needs to be a love interest for Celaena. Honestly, they should’ve just made a personal guard to the prince, that could be more believable. 

On that note, let’s talk about the love triangle. The relationships between Celaena, Chaol and Dorian also made no sense to me. I know, this is becoming a pattern for this book.

I can’t believe what I’m going to say, but it’s true; If Celaena wasn’t beautiful (her words) then this book wouldn’t have the romance that it has. And they definitely won’t love her for her personality, even though Sarah J. Maas tries to give her a heart every now and then.

Celaena is basically a mean girl. There was so many disgusting instances where she made a comment of any group of girls, yet it’s okay for her to fawn over Dorian. Make this make sense. 

This is why I don’t think she is a great assassin; she wants all the attention on her. And for some crazy reason, she cares more about what she is wearing then actually competing in this stupid competition. 

There is a scene with her a Dorian and she says to him; “Would you like me to explain why, or is it enough for me to say that I don’t take jewels and trinkets as payment for my affection?”.

What an absolute liar. After you came back from the Silent Assassin’s (which I was hoping made you a better assassin, obviously not) he apologised for beating you to a pulp and then gave you a trinket. You were okay with that, and you still think he didn’t betray you. 

I do know that these books start to get better, but I’m just surprised how much I hated Throne of Glass this time around. Hopefully I don’t feel the same for the rest of the series, not when my favourite character; Lysandra is in them.

Getting Back Into Learning Ancient Egypt

 

My true love for ancient Egypt all began when I saw the movie The Mummy with Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz. I watched this movie so many times that I knew the script back to front. I wanted to be just like Evelyn, she was such an amazing character to watch.

Before watching this movie, I was obsessed with Lara Croft and Indiana Jones, going searching for ancient treasure. Tomb Raiders. These characters got me into history in general, and kicking arse lol.

I remember in school hoping we would eventually start learning about this amazing time period, but of course to my annoyance, we didn't. So what did I do, I taught myself.

I bought so many books and, when we eventually got a computer and the internet, I looked up online for as much information as I possibly could. I was a young person wanting to absorb as much information as I possibly could.

My favourite person is, and always will be, Cleopatra.

Even though it's not accurate, I would always love Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra. 

And my favourite book that I'm obsessed with is; When We Were Gods by Colin Falconer.

I have read that book so many times, I've marked out spots that I loved the most and would re-read them over and over again.

Like I said, I was obsessed.

Skip many years later (2006), I have been working for three years with no holiday or sick pay and I finally saved enough to have the trip of a lifetime. I spent four weeks in Egypt and one in Italy. I have family over in Italy and I also love the Roman period, so while I was close by, why not visit there.

That trip, I would remember for the rest of my life.

I'm not sure what it is, or really when, I stopped learning or reading anything to do with ancient Egypt. It's strange when I look back as a kid, I did so many things, but now that I'm an adult it feels like I don't have any time in the day to do two things.

But no more. I want to get back into re-learning about ancient Egypt, especially with new things being discovered, I want to get back into what made me the most happiest.

By no means am I a professional, this is something that I want to do for myself. 

I've started to go through the books I already own and keeping a journal, keeping notes on all the information I'm learning. I want to thank, without even knowing, Courtney on Reading Ancient Egypt on Instagram. Looking at her posts has gotten me back on the chariot.

If you have any book recommendations, please let me know in the comments on this blog, or you can message me on Instagram. I want to learn as much as I possibly can.

Book Review - The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

   

Prequel to the

Throne of Glass series

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins' Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn's enemies stretch far and wide - from Adarlan's rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate - and cut her heart in two forever...

I'll review each of the novellas individually then overall at the end. 

Have no fear, they are just going to be short reviews.

Also, reviews will definitely have spoilers.

The Assassin and the Pirate

Reading for the hundredth time I found that I don't love this novella as much as I used to. 

I'm all for strong female characters, but I found Celaena (I'll call her that for this book) to be so painful to read when she talked so highly of herself. I cringed so much when she would talk about how amazing she is and I get it, you are beautiful, we get it.

I do think her freeing the slaves was to show the readers that even though she is this badass assassin, she has a soft side. It also plays a big factor later on, but I felt like it was showing us her compassionate side.

The Assassin and the Healer

I did enjoy reading this book, mainly because of Yrene Towers.

I should say now, I do enjoy the side characters more than the main character. Personally I think they have more character development and they are just overall more enjoyable to read.

There was one thing Celaena said to Yrene that I was thinking throughout the whole book. Basically, why did Yrene stay in that dump when she could've just saved enough money and left to Antica and work there to get more money to attend the school.

The only reason that makes sense on why she stayed was for the story (future books) and her meeting Celaena.

I still had the cringe on hearing how amazing and beautiful she is. Again, we get it.

The Assassin and the Desert

This novella got me thinking. I thought assassin's were supposed to be secret, hiding your identity. But Celaena seemed to me she wanted everyone to know who she is and how amazing she is. To be honest, I think she would be better as a mercenary than an assassin. That way, she can tell the world, and walk around, knowing that people know she is "badass".

Going to the Silent Assassin's, in my opinion anyway, was to teach her to work as a team and not be cocky.  I think it did work towards the end, but it definitely didn't stick.

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself. I don't want to be negative Nancy; like I said earlier, I do love the side characters and Ansel was no exception.

She is so flawed, but I loved reading her story. She is so much more interesting and what she did in the end, I could see why she did it. I just want to read more of her and what she would next. 

My favourite quote from her is;

"Tomorrow will be better. It might be only a foot more than today, but it will be a foot longer that you can run".

The Assassin and the Underworld

I do wish Celaena would think more clearly when it comes to Arobynn, but I also see why she doesn't question him. She thinks she owes him for "rescuing" her and keeping her off the streets.

The fact that she fell for his apology however is mind boggling. The man beat you to a pulp for ruining his slave trade and you think he is just going to forget that and now save every slave. I highly doubt that.

I feel sorry for her, but it can be so frustrating.

Now let's talk about my favourite character in the entire series; Lysandra.

I know in later books it comes to light on why these two really hate each other, but hearing Celaena talk down to her because instead of this badass assassin, Lysandra is just a prostitute. 

Celaena talks on and on about how she was forced to be what she is today, but she is blind to thinking, hey, maybe Lysandra is in the same boat as you.

I know things work out later on, but this just made me see so angry. The way she treats people working in sex trade is disgusting. She really does think highly of herself.

The Assassin and the Empire

How could Sarah J. Maas do that to Sam Cortland.

I haven't spoken about him throughout because I think this novella really brings him out as a character. And then SJM does that to us. 

I do think that he showed Celaena how to love and not just be physically strong, but also mentally. He was such an amazing character for her.

"My name is Sam Cortland... and I will not be afraid".

As much as I love Sam, I hate Arobynn. I always thought from the beginning that he treated her like property and that last line was proving my point. "Because I don't like sharing my belongings".

OVERALL

Now, it might seem like I didn't like this book, but I actually loved it more this time than the other hundred times I've read it.

I do think that Sarah J. Maas knows how to write a story. She keeps you engaged wanting more and her world building is at the right pace.

And like I've said countless times, I'm in love with her side characters whether they are the good or bad guys. To me, they just seem more interesting.

These books were to show us events prior to Throne of Glass but also show us characters that are going to play a major role further along in the series.

Was it necessary to read or even write it? Not really, but when you are invested in a world and story, you want to know every single detail from all characters. 

Personally, I enjoyed it and I can't wait to read Throne of Glass next.

Book Review - SPQR by Mary Beard

  

By 63 BCE the city of Rome was a sprawling, imperial metropolis of more than a million inhabitants. But how did this massive city—the seat of power for an empire that spanned from Spain to Syria—emerge from what was once an insignificant village in central Italy?

In S.P.Q.R., Beard changes our historical perspective, exploring how the Romans themselves challenged the idea of imperial rule, how they responded to terrorism and revolution, and how they invented a new idea of citizenship and nation, while also keeping her eye open for those overlooked in traditional histories: women, slaves and ex-slaves, conspirators, and losers.

Like the best detectives, Beard separates fact from fiction, myth and propaganda from historical record. She introduces the familiar characters of Julius Caesar, Cicero, and Nero as well as the untold, the loud women, the shrewd bakers, and the brave

jokers.

I really enjoyed SPQR. Even though it took me a while to read (there was a lot of information to absorb) I couldn't put it down.

Mary Beard tells the story of ancient Rome in a way that even a novice like myself can follow along. However, at the beginning it was a bit difficult to follow along. I wasn't sure if she was skipping time and places too much. It did get much easier to follow a consistent story once you get more into the book.

I did borrow this book from my local library which in hindsight was probably a mistake. There were so many times I wanted to post-it and maybe even annotate it. I'll definitely have to buy SPQR now and mark out all the spots that interested me.

After reading SPQR I am interested in reading Mary Beard's other works. 

I have the bug to learn more of ancient Rome.

Book Review - Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

 

Book One
Shadow and Bone

Alina Starkov doesn't expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, she is sure of only one thing: her best friend, Mal--and her inconvenient crush on him. Until the day their army regiment enters the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. When their convoy is attacked and Mal is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power not even she knew existed.

Ripped from everything she knows, Alina is taken to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. With Alina's extraordinary power in his arsenal, he believes they can finally destory the Fold. Now Alina must find a way to master her untamed gift and somehow fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. As the threat to the kingdom mounts and her dangerous attraction to the Darkling grows, Alina will uncover a secret that could tear her heart--and her country--in two.

"I'm no Grisha. I'm a mapmaker. I'm not even a very good mapmaker".
~ Alina Starkov ~

I don't know if it's because I'm becoming older and more cynical or just being nit-picking, but I really didn't like this book the second time reading it. And let me tell you, I loved it the first time around.
I found Alina to be like most of YA books. It would be nice if an author wrote a book (especially YA), with a strong female character who doesn't become a simpering mess when a hot guy either walks by or gives them attention. I'm also tired of hearing these girls constantly say how ugly they are. And it always seems to be the girls with brown hair and brown eyes, and I always felt that insulting as I have those features.

Romance in books are great, it can bring happiness and make characters stronger, but this, this didn't work for me.
I don't understand Mal and her affection for him. He seems to only want her as a possession, a memory of what was. He isn't in love with her when he is chasing other girls.

Spoilers Ahead - I think this is from the beginning of the next book, but when they are in hiding he was okay for her to become weak, a shell of herself and pretend that she is his sister, than see her really happy. She was miserable. - End of Spoiler
And don't get me started on the Darkling. Yeah, dark and handsome is sexy and all that, but he is the type of guy you admire from afar and don't actually do anything. I can understand why she was hooked with him, finally a guy was listening and actually looking at her. The Darkling was doing what she wanted Mal to do.

Did anyone else think that the Grisha are a lot like Vampires?
They seem to all be unnaturally good looking for no reason, they live far longer than "normal" people. I loved how they all had different powers, but Leigh Bardugo was more focused on the mean girls aspect than actually the powers of these people.

Alina confused me a lot in this book. Because she talked about how ugly she is it gave me the impression she was shy, but the way she talks to other Grisha and especially the Darkling is the complete opposite. And she goes on and on about how the Grisha act like they are better than everyone, but she is the biggest mean girls and talks down to them all.
I'm not saying any of it is wrong, but the inconsistency is confusing and frustrating.

I should stop rambling on now, because the more I'm thinking on things I don't like, the more annoyed I'm becoming.
It might be because I have now become too old for YA, or it just might be certain books that have the same trope. Whatever the reason is, it might be best if I stopped reading them for a bit.
I do want to pick up book two, because I am looking forward to the TV show that is coming out. We will see what happens.

Book Review - Malice by John Gwynne

 

Book One
The Faithful and The Fallen

The Banished Lands has a violent past where armies of men and giants clashed in battle. An uneasy peace reigns, but now giants stir once more, the very stones weep blood and there are sightings of gigantic worms. Those who can still read the signs see a prophecy realised: sorrow will darken the world, as angels and demons make it their battlefield.

Young Corban watches enviously as boys become warriors and yearns to join them, determined that he will make his family proud. It is only when everything he knows is threatened that he discovers the true cost of becoming a man.

As the Kings look to their borders, and priests beg answers from the Gods, only a chosen few know that the fate of the world will be decided between two champions, the Black Sun and the Bright Star. And with their coming will be a war to end all wars.

I have read The Faithful and the Fallen series so many times, this must be my fifth or sixth, and every time I've read it I'm always on the edge of my seat. Even knowing what is going to happen, I'm still screaming, cheering or sad at what these characters do. They haven't just become characters in a book, they have also become people I know. If that makes sense. What I'm trying to say is, I'm a fangirl for this series and I would always rave and recommend it to everyone who would listen. Or not listen. My favourite character would always be Cywen. I love how strong and independent she is, but also have a weak and sensitive side. She is trying to do what she thinks is best in what she has been thrown into. But I love that she doesn't let them walk all over her. I don't know how to explain into words on how much I admire Cywen. Hats off to John Gwynne for creating this amazing world and somehow making every single character have their own development. Even the "bad guys", you felt what everyone was going through and why they were doing it. I'm going to end this review because seriously, how many ways can I say how much I love this series? A lot of ways actually, but I think you get the drift.

Book Review - The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton

 

A high-school sex scandal jolts a group of teenage girls into a new awareness of their own potency. The sudden publicity seems to turn every act into a performance and every space into a stage. But when the local drama college decides to turn the scandal into a show, the real world and the world of the theatre are forced to meet, and soon the boundaries between private and public begin to dissolve...

The Rehearsal is an exhilarating and provocative novel about the complications of human desire. Startlingly original, it is at once a tender portrait of its young protagonists and a shrewd exposé of emotional compromise. It marks the arrival of a boldly inventive and extraordinarily accomplished new voice in contemporary fiction.

I don't believe there are many books that I've been so conflicted on how I feel about it.

The Rehearsal by Eleanor Catton is fascinating, intriguing, can't put it down. On the other hand however, I felt like the characters in the book had one voice. It read more like a play, which isn't a bad thing, but it did feel over the top at times.

There were a few times I had to put the book down and question what I just read. I want to meet these people to see if they really talk like this.

I think I would've preferred if we got an actual story, instead of what felt like gossip.

These characters are interesting, and I just needed more. I'm guessing this is why I didn't give it five stars, I just wanted more.

I'm giving it three because I couldn't put it down.

There isn't much else I can say about this. I enjoyed The Rehearsal but I didn't fall in love with it.