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.

Book Review - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness

 

Book One
All Souls

Fall under the spell of Diana and Matthew in the stunning first volume of the No.1 internationally bestsellling ALL SOULS trilogy.

A world of witches, daemons and vampires. A manuscript which holds the secrets of their past and the key to their future. Diana and Matthew - the forbidden love at the heart of it.

When historian Diana Bishop opens an alchemical manuscript in the Bodleian Library, it's an unwelcome intrusion of magic into her carefully ordered life. Though Diana is a witch of impeccable lineage, the violent death of her parents while she was still a child convinced her that human fear is more potent than any witchcraft. Now Diana has unwittingly exposed herself to a world she's kept at bay for years; one of powerful witches, creative, destructive daemons and long-lived vampires. Sensing the significance of Diana's discovery, the creatures gather in Oxford, among them the enigmatic Matthew Clairmont, a vampire genticist. Diana is inexplicably drawn to Matthew and, in a shadowy world of half-truths and old enmities, ties herself to him without fully understanding the ancient line they are crossing. As they begin to unlock the secrets of the manuscript and their feelings for each other deepen, so the fragile balance of peace unravels...

WARNING: Review may contain spoilers...

A Discovery of Witches, a love story between Deborah Harkness and Matthew Clairmont... I mean, Diana Bishop and Matthew Clairmont.
In all seriousness, this does read like a fanfiction between the author and a vampire, a Romeo and Juliet love affair. Now that's okay, I mean, who doesn't have fantasies of themselves in a love affair. But Diana Bishop, if she is 100% like the author, then I can't stand her.
I've never met a character who is so full of themselves, treating people like they are below her. Not sure if it's the way I was raised, but the way she disrespected her elders for no reason at all. Especially her aunt. These people want to protect her, and the way she talks made me put the book down a few times.
She also claims to be smart, and she hints at it a lot throughout the book, but I found it hard to believe with the amount of stupid things she says and does. Half-way through the book she finds out that she has been using magic all along with her study and work. I can see now how she got where she is in a short matter of time.
And don't get me started on the "love" between her and Matthew.

Talking about Matthew, it's funny how vampires can move with time like electricity and technology and whatnot, but still have the mindset of a caveman.
How is this romantic? How can a strong, modern day woman think it's okay for a man to tell her what to do 24/7 and it be called love?
He even treats female vampires like they are below him.
Actually, the more I think on it, Diana and Matthew deserve each other.

Going back to the way she treats her aunt.
Right from the start, and a lot throughout the book, we are told that she doesn't want to use magic. Wants nothing to do with witches. Okay, if you feel that way, fine. No one is forcing you. But don't you dare act all in a huff and puff when you don't know anything about actually being a witch.
Diana's aunt is right, why should she have told you about the details when you refused over and over again that you want nothing to do with that part of your life.
The way she talks down to people was the straw that broke the camels back with this character. That and of course she turns out to be the most powerful, most brilliant witch of them all. How ironic to make a character that is basically you the most powerful and sort after person on the planet.

So, saying all that, hating the two main characters with a fiery passion, if it literally wasn't for everyone else and including the "bad guys", I think I would've given this a one star and wouldn't think about picking up the next book.

With all Deborah Harkness' flaws, she does know how to keep you trapped in a story, wanting to know what will happen next.
So yes, I will read book two. Not straight away, I need a break from Diana and Matthew.

Book Review - The Harp of Kinds by Juliet Marillier

 

Book One
Warrior Bards

Eighteen-year-old Liobhan is a powerful singer and an expert whistle player. Her brother has a voice to melt the hardest heart, and is a rare talent on the harp. They are both training for the elite warrior band on Swan Island when they are asked to join a mission that requires posing as travelling minstrels.

Their task is to find and retrieve a precious harp, an ancient symbol of kingship, which has mysteriously vanished. If the instrument is not played at the upcoming coronation, the candidate will not be accepted. Faced with plotting courtiers, secretive druids, an insightful storyteller and a boorish Crown Prince, Liobhan soon realises an Otherworld power may be meddling in the affairs of the kingdom. When ambition clashes with conscience, Liobhan must make a bold decision and a heartbreaking choice. . .

Juliet Marillier is a brilliant story teller. This is the second time I've read this book as well as her other works, and I don't know why I'm always surprised on how moved I am by these characters she has created. I don't want to harp on too much on how much I love Juliet Marillier and her gift, then I'll be here all day. I do want to talk about The Harp of King. Without spoiling anything, I love Liobhan and her strong character. She is tough, but she is also human and you see her growth throughout the story. I really can't say too much about this because I would spoil it. With all of her work, you really need to go into her books blind and only know that they are magical. This is going to be a short review because I need to finally go onto the next book; A Dance with Fate.

Book Review - Juliet by Anne Fortier

 

When a young woman inherits the key to a safety deposit box in Siena, she is told it will lead to an old family treasure. This mysterious legacy leads her on a dangerous journey into the past - and to the story of her ancestor, Giulietta, whose love for a young man named Romeo turned medieval Siena upside down.

In Siena, the past and present collide as she crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the blood feud that inspired Shakespeare's famous tragedy. It soon becomes clear that the notorious curse "A plague on both your houses" is still at work - and she is the next target. Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from a dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago. Or did it?

An inspired reimagining of the story of literature's greatest star-crossed lovers weaves the fates of two fascinating women living centuries apart into one unforgettable tale.

I love this book so much. Even though it's cliche and sometimes eye rolling, there is just something about the story that brings me back to it again and again. I mean, this is the tenth, if not more, times I read Juliet. I love the romance, going back and forth between time periods, and everything about my favourite play; Romeo and Juliet. Juliet by Anne Fortier is like a warm blanket you can trust to make you feel happy and know it will be perfect in the end. Just to think, I bought this book so long ago just because I loved the cover.

 

Welcome to my blog where I talk all about book and history.

So, something little about me;

Well, my name is Catherine from Perth, Australia and I'm a bookaholic.

I wanted to create this blog so I can share my love of both. Kind of like an online journal in a way.

Fingers crossed I post on here more frequently then I have in the past. I enjoyed doing it but I just stopped for some reason. Hopefully this time that will change.

There isn't much else to say other than I hope you enjoy my content and don't be afraid to leave a comment under any of the posts. Let's share our passion for books and history together.

Until next time, happy reading