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Sophia (Bookwyrming Thoughts) (530 KP) rated Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress #2) in Books

Jan 23, 2020  
KO
Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix (Rise of the Empress #2)
Julie C. Dao | 2018
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If there's anything I like from Forest of a Thousand Lanterns other than the writing and world, it's how delightfully evil Xifeng is.
When I picked up the sequel, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix, I just wanted to know how this story will end rather than "I WANT MORE." After all, villains meet one end only in fiction.

I love my characters dark and ruthless sometimes, but Forest of a Thousand Lanterns just didn't hit the mark. The first novel focuses a lot on the journey Xifeng takes to the palace and I found myself frequently drawn away from the slow pacing of the story. That certainly didn't stop me from diving headfirst into Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix though.

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is much better than the first novel.
The sequel to Dao's debut novel is set 18 years later, told in Princess Jade's perspective. Xifeng is ruling as the evil empress of Feng Lu and Jade has been sent away to grow up in a monastery until she receives a note summoning her back to the palace.

She's not interested in going back to the palace, though, and would much rather stay at the monastery she's called home. But do we really want an evil queen when you have the power and right to overthrow her? Probably not. Like Forest of a Thousand Lanterns, Dao takes readers on a journey as Jade sets off to prove her worth as the heir and take on Xifeng.

Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix is action-packed and Dao's writing really grows.
The sequel is filled with so many stories, which I think adds to the world and captures the attention of readers. Dao's writing really grows through the stories she tells, and I love seeing how the different versions all tie together in some way in Jade's journey.

Likewise, I can see how some may find the sequel a major disappointment - the quest felt a little too easy for how long Xifeng has her hold as the Empress, and we take some time at the palace before the journey sets off. But it's not as long as nearly half the book in Forest of a Thousand Lanterns. However, I still enjoyed Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix more, and I'm delighted to see what stories Dao come up with next.

<a href="https://bookwyrmingthoughts.com/kingdom-of-the-blazing-phoenix-by-julie-c-dao/"; target="_blank">This review was originally posted on Bookwyrming Thoughts</a>
  
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Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything in Books

May 10, 2018 (Updated Apr 9, 2019)  
Eat Pray Love: One Woman&#039;s Search for Everything
Eat Pray Love: One Woman's Search for Everything
Elizabeth Gilbert | 2016 | Biography
8
7.2 (34 Ratings)
Book Rating
Eat, Pray, Love is the story of one woman's journey through Italy, India and Indonesia in a quest to find peace, harmony, and to become a better person. She takes a year to make this journey. Starting in Italy to eat amazing food and to learn to speak Italian. In India she visited an ashram and met her guru. In Bali, Indonesia, she is returning to see Katut, a medicine man she had met before an had told her that she would return to Bali and teach him English.

Elizabeth Gilbert is one brave lady. First, to be able to dedicate a year of your life to traveling the world. Making stops in places where you don't know anyone or even speak the language.. It sounds like an amazing time.

I had seen the movie when it was first released, but didn't know there was a book as well. I try to read the book before the movie as much as possible. This has been on my library wish list for a while. When it finally became available I couldn't wait to listen to it. Having it being read by the author herself made it that much more enjoyable. It made me feel as though I was there with her. Tasting food in Italy, doing hours of meditation in India, and even more in Indonesia.
  
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Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0 #1) in Books

Mar 28, 2020  
MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0 #1)
MILA 2.0 (MILA 2.0 #1)
Debra Driza | 2013 | Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Young Adult (YA)
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Just Because
I can not decide what I liked best about this book or what I liked least. However, it was a good young adult book for those who like science fiction with a little bit of romance mixed in.

MILA's world is turned upside down when an accident involving her falling out of the back of a truck end with her mother giving her some information that she would have never guessed. This information starts MILA on a journey to find herself and her place in this world.
  
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Meghan Udell recommended The Odyssey in Books (curated)

 
The Odyssey
The Odyssey
Homer, E.V. Rieu, Peter Jones, Dominic Rieu | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
7.3 (17 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"On the surface the Odyssey is a hero’s book about journey and adventure, but just beneath the main storyline rests a feminist arc of subtly navigating a man’s world without sacrificing your ideals. For me, Penelope, Odysseus’s faithful wife, is my favorite character. A skilled manipulator, Penelope cunningly evades unwanted suitors by claiming to knit or weave (depending on the translation you read) a funeral shroud for her elderly Father-in-Law. She pledges that upon completion of the shroud, she will remarry, but as a stall tactic she secretly undoes her work at night."

Source