WWW Wednesday – July 12

July 12, 2017 ~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 1 Comment

WWWWednesday

WWW Wednesday is a meme hosted by Sam at Taking on a World of Words and was formerly hosted by A Daily Rhythm. It is open for anyone to participate, even without a blog you can comment on Sam’s post with your own answers. It is a great way to share what you’ve been reading! All you have to do is answer three questions and share a link to your blog in the comments section of Sam’s blog.

The three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?

What did you recently finish reading?

What do you think you’ll read next?

What are you currently reading?

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Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia Grey #2) by Deanna Raybourn

“I put my hands on my hips, not caring if I sounded like a Billingsgate fishwife. “Yes, it was a dangerous thing to do, but as it seems to have escaped your attention, I remind you I am above thirty years of age, of sound body and mind, and in control of my own fortune. That means,” I said, moving closer still, poking his chest for emphasis, “I am mistress of myself and answer to no one.”

I absolutely love the characters that Raybourn created for this series. Our leading lady, Lady Julia Grey, is such a strong character and really goes against the grain of everything a woman of standing was supposed to represent at the time. Some of the reviews on Goodreads call her a privileged bitch, and not in a complimentary way. You know, I can see why they would say that but she couldn’t do what she does if she wasn’t privileged and if she wasn’t a bit of a bitch she would get trampled on by the men. I’m good with it.

What did you recently finish reading?

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Silent in the Grave (Lady Julia Grey #1) by Deanna Raybourn

“To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband’s dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor.”

To say I’m a little obsessed with this series right now would be a bit of an understatement. I fell in love with Raybourn’s writing with her Veronica Speedwell mysteries and decided to pick Silent in the Grave up as a bit of a break from my recent fantasy reads. I devoured this sucker. Loved every page. The characters were all entertaining and I was completely wrong about who the murderer was. I love when it isn’t obvious who the wrong doer is. My review for this book will be coming up soon.

What do you think you’ll read next?

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Roar (Stormheart #1) by Cora Carmack

“She had hoped. And hope broke more hearts than any man ever could.”

I have had this one sitting on my shelf since it was released and it is just calling to be read. First of all, that cover is beautiful. The online image just doesn’t do it justice. I am also really hoping for a strong leading lady without too much of a love story. Oh please, don’t make me suffer through a love story…

That is all for this week! What have you been reading? Have a book you think I’d enjoy? Tell me in the comments!

Top Ten Tuesday – Female Literary Leads

July 11, 2017 ~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 15 Comments

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Hello hello and welcome to another week of Top Ten Tuesday. The ladies at The Broke and the Bookish are still on their July break so today’s theme is another left to the individual blogger. This Tuesday I am going with Top Ten(ish) Female Literary Leads. These will be books that I have read with strong and influential female characters.

The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon

I’ve made it no secret that I adore this series by Samantha Shannon. Our leading lady, Paige Mahoney, displays many of the characteristics I find appealing in a female character. She is cast off by society, told she is less than human, and sent to become a prisoner in what is effectively a slave camp. What happens? She begins leading a rebellion to topple all that is wrong in society and pull those that are different, the voyants, up into the light. Paige is strong, determined, and aware of her fear and uses it to her advantage. One of the best things about Paige is that she is also flawed, she does her best, makes mistakes, and learns from them. She doesn’t give in. For me, she is one of the best female leads in recent literature.

The Bone Season Review
The Song Rising Review

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Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab

Schwab has received a lot of attention recently and for good reason, she is an amazing author. In her Shades of Magic books we encounter one of my all time favorite female characters, Delilah Bard. Lila is so many things. She is strong, highly intelligent, calculating, self reliant, and unafraid to tackle whatever is thrown her way. Sure, she is also cocky and more than a little rude but that is just more reason to love her. Lila sets the bar high for positive female characters in fantasy.

A Darker Shade of Magic Review
A Conjuring of Light Review

Veronica Speedwell Series by Deanna Raybourn

In Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series we are given a truly extraordinary character. The books are set in Victorian times when women were still considered little more than a pretty accessory. Ms. Speedwell breaks the mould by being educated and having a successful career. She makes her own money, does her own work, and speaks up for herself at every opportunity. Contrary to the times she is no dainty flower prone to fainting and being delicate, but instead a wild rose. Strong, beautiful, and not easily tamed.

A Curious Beginning Review
A Perilous Undertaking Review

The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia C. Wrede

In Wrede’s Enchanted Forest Chronicles we have two female characters that deserve recognition. First we have Cimorene, a princess from a land where women were expected to learn needle point and giggle prettily behind dainty fans. Cimorene is having none of that nonsense and instead goes to work for the king of the dragons, go on adventures, and save two kingdoms from evil wizards. She is pretty bad ass.

Also in these books is the witch Morwen. Morwen casts aside all preconceived notions of what it is to be a proper witch, makes her own decisions, and is side by side with Cimorene saving the Enchanted Forest. Both of these characters are prime examples of female strength in literature.

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Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3) by Kristin Cashore

I have probably talked about Bitterblue until I am blue in the face. No matter where I am, where I’ve moved, or what I am doing, picking up a copy of Bitterblue feels like home. Bitterblue is the queen of a kingdom in a state of terrible turmoil. Her people have been lied to, manipulated, used, abused, and murdered all during her father’s reign. This queen, little more than a child, has to find the strength to lead them out of that darkness. Her determination in the face of terrible odds always gives me heart. She doesn’t give up, doesn’t give in, and she is always trying to do her very best and beyond for the people she governs. Bitterblue is amazing.

Bitterblue Review

There are my top five on a Top Ten Tuesday. I did not want to add characters simply for the task of finding ten of them. I wanted to give you characters that I truly thought displayed strength, courage, intelligence, and perseverance. Something I love about the fantasy genre is that, for the most part, it is unafraid to give us shining examples of strong female characters and that is, to put it simply, beautiful.

Down the TBR Hole #3

July 10, 2017 ~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 4 Comments

Hello and welcome to another installment of Down the TBR Hole. I wish I was more adept at photoshop to make an awesome intro image for this. I see lightning and flying books in my head. Instead, you get this photo from National Geographic. Sigh.

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This meme is hosted by Lia @ Lost in a Story.

Here is what you do:

Go to your goodreads to-read shelf.
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books
Read the synopses of the books
Decide: keep it or should it go?

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Euphoria by Lily King

Inspired by the true story of a woman who changed the way we understand our world.

In 1933 three young, gifted anthropologists are thrown together in the jungle of New Guinea. They are Nell Stone, fascinating, magnetic and famous for her controversial work studying South Pacific tribes, her intelligent and aggressive husband Fen, and Andrew Bankson, who stumbles into the lives of this strange couple and becomes totally enthralled. Within months the trio are producing their best ever work, but soon a firestorm of fierce love and jealousy begins to burn out of control, threatening their bonds, their careers, and, ultimately, their lives…

First of all, that cover is beautiful. It definitely makes me think of the jungle without being overly obvious about it. This may not be my usual read, but I’m still interested in picking this one up.

Verdict: KEEP

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The Ripper Gene by Michael Ransom

A neuroscientist-turned-FBI-profiler discovers a gene that produces psychopaths in this thrilling debut novel.

Dr. Lucas Madden is a neuroscientist-turned-FBI profiler who first gained global recognition for cloning the ripper gene and showing its dysfunction in the brains of psychopaths. Later, as an FBI profiler, Madden achieved further notoriety by sequencing the DNA of the world’s most notorious serial killers and proposing a controversial “damnation algorithm” that could predict serial killer behavior using DNA alone.

Now, a new murderer—the Snow White Killer—is terrorizing women in the Mississippi Delta. When Mara Bliss, Madden’s former fiancée, is kidnapped, he must track down a killer who is always two steps ahead of him. Only by entering the killer’s mind will Madden ultimately understand the twisted and terrifying rationale behind the murders—and have a chance at ending the psychopath’s reign of terror.

I added this one to my TBR well over a year ago and, to say the least, my tastes have changed since then. It is time for this book to go and make space for something different.

Verdict: tenor

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The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

Despite their differences, sisters Vianne and Isabelle have always been close. Younger, bolder Isabelle lives in Paris while Vianne is content with life in the French countryside with her husband Antoine and their daughter. But when the Second World War strikes, Antoine is sent off to fight and Vianne finds herself isolated so Isabelle is sent by their father to help her.

As the war progresses, the sisters’ relationship and strength are tested. With life changing in unbelievably horrific ways, Vianne and Isabelle will find themselves facing frightening situations and responding in ways they never thought possible as bravery and resistance take different forms in each of their actions.

This is another book that got added to my TBR well over a year ago. I’m pretty sure I just added it because of how poplar it was and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I’m over that. The story just doesn’t sound like it is for me.

Verdict: tenor

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The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Set in seventeenth century Amsterdam–a city ruled by glittering wealth and oppressive religion–a masterful debut steeped in atmosphere and shimmering with mystery, in the tradition of Emma Donoghue, Sarah Waters, and Sarah Dunant.

“There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed . . .”

On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office–leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marin.

But Nella’s world changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist–an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways . . .

Johannes’ gift helps Nella to pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand–and fear–the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshipped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation . . . or the architect of their destruction?

Sigh. I don’t know what I was thinking. Pretty much everything I added to my TBR over a year ago has lost it’s appeal. Granted, I have changed a lot since then so it is not surprising. To say the least…

Verdict: tenor

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Sister Sable (The Mad Queen #1) by T. Mountebank

THE FIRST TENET OF THE WIND: Do not get caught.

Sister Sable has lived by the first tenet for seven years, but when an unexpected accident reveals the runaway nun to the clergy, she is forced to embrace the remaining four.

THE SECOND TENET OF THE WIND: Win by any means.

With the King’s spymaster committed to killing her, and his general regretting he didn’t, Sable enters a deadly game.

THE THIRD TENET OF THE WIND: The purpose of picking up a blade is to cut the enemy.

Scaring them is discretionary.

THE FOURTH TENET OF THE WIND: Have no preferred weapon.

Even so, she likes the axe.

THE FIFTH TENET OF THE WIND: Know the way of all professions.

Prophet, pilot, assassin, spy, Sable will need to call upon all she has learned to protect the King’s future from the past.

Oh look! Something I added to my TBR a year ago that still sounds good! I have zero memory of adding this book but it still sounds like a worth while read.

Verdict: KEEP

Three out of five got tossed out this week which brings my “to-read” list down to 119. Granted, I also added probably five or six last week but at least the list is growing more slowly now. My interests have changed widely in the last year or two so I’m not surprised that a lot of my older adds are getting tossed out. How have your reading interests changed? What do you think caused them to?

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

July 7, 2017 ~ Amanda @ Literary Weaponry ~ 7 Comments

ClockworkAngel

“If no one in the entire world cared about you, did you really exist at all?”

Sigh. It is time for me to be “that guy” again. The time when I am the jerk that doesn’t really like a book that everyone else and their brother seem to love. I hate being that person. I start questioning myself. “Maybe I missed something? Maybe I didn’t understand what was going on? Maybe I’m emotionally crippled and just don’t give a crap about anything?” No matter what the reason, it can’t change the facts. Every review I’ve seen for this book has been gushing hearts and rainbows. Mine isn’t going gush or involve arm flails or happy squealing. Mine is more of a frustrated sigh.

Let’s begin with one of our main characters, Tessa. What a single minded, simple minded piece of work. She reminded me of Scarlett from Caraval. While Scarlett was only concerned with saving her sister from a situation she really didn’t need saved from, Tessa was only concerned with saving her brother from…guess what? A situation from which he did not need saved. Only thought in their heads was saving their sibling. They both even had awkwardly terrible romantic interests. Tessa had absolutely no depth of character and was as interesting as overcooked spaghetti.

Will. Don’t get me started on Will. Typical, dull, brooding dark horse male. “Oh, I’m so mysterious and complicated.” No. You’re not. You’re like a kid in high school leaning against the lockers with their arms crossed pretending to be cool. While Tessa is overcooked spaghetti, Will is that container of leftovers that has been in the back of the fridge for too long. Pungent and ready to be tossed out. Hard pass.

Also, is it just me or is this book 99% dialogue? Everyone seemed to always be talking but never really saying anything. I want to be shown what is going on in the story. Not be constantly told by never ending, dragging, pointless conversation. We were given very little insight into what was going on throughout the book because none of the characters shut up long enough for anything interesting to happen. Instead we had Tessa shouting and acting like a spoiled child, thinking that the world revolved around her. Cue Veruca Salt meme…

want it now

Oh, and what was obviously supposed to be this amazing and unexpected plot twist with the brother? Saw that 200 pages back. I’m sure someone spouted off the give away during one of the incessant dialogue blocks.

This “review” is quickly turning into a rant. Lets try to get back on track, shall we?

Nope. Can’t. Sorry. I just popped over to Goodreads hoping to find a good quote to drop in and break up my spewing rant. What I found instead was, you guessed it, more dialogue! Not even interesting dialogue, at that.

“Whatever you are physically…male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy–all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.”

Wtf. Is that supposed to be inspirational? Personally, I don’t find being compared to a lamp particularly uplifting. Maybe it’s just me.

“Black hair and blue eyes are my favorite combination.”

Oh look! Here we have someone being superficial. That makes for a fun story.

“Will smiled the way Lucifer might have smiled, moments before he fell from Heaven.”

Give me a break.

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For me, this book was filled with reasons for me to roll my eyes and drop it onto the coffee table or into my bag to try to trudge through again later. I wish I hadn’t pushed myself to finish it but I kept assuming there was a reason that everyone loved this story. I couldn’t find a reason. Dull, simple characters and a predictable story line do not a good story make. I’m typically a stickler for finishing a series once I start it but I will not be picking up any more of Clare’s books.

/endrant

Find this book on

Goodreads | Amazon US | Amazon UK | Book Depository | Thriftbooks