Well-Read Black Girl: Finding Our Stories, Discovering Ourselves
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'Required reading.' - Cosmopolitan 'This should be read as a sacred text. Here, you will bear...
Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women & Witchcraft
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A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic...
Medousa
Book
Classic Greek mythology paints Medousa as one of the most loathsome creatures of the ancient world....
The Camelot Shadow
Book
"A chance to save her. Improbably, impossibly, inconceivably." Lord Alfred Fitzwilliam spends...
The Undine's Tear (Rise of the Grigori #1)
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She's destined to save the world . . . if she doesn't destroy it first. Calandra’s destiny is...
Young Adult Fantasy Mythology
ClareR (5542 KP) rated The Heroines in Books
Oct 29, 2023
Laura Shepperson gives voice to the women in the myths, and we see the story of Theseus and Phaedra from Phaedra’s point of view. There’s also a chorus of women who are suffering under the mistreatment of the men in Theseus’ palace. Servants and slave women had to do as they were told. The struggle for the women against this patriarchal system is at times violent, and the women rarely come out of it well.
There were a lot of characters in this, and I wonder if all of them were necessary. I’ll be honest, and it could be down to the good ole peri-meno brain, I did get a little confused at all the characters, but it didn’t spoil the story!
I enjoyed this quick read (ok, I didn’t put it down!). It gave me enjoyment for a couple of days - and that’s what reading is all about really, isn’t it!
Merissa (11593 KP) rated Blood Pact (Youkai Bloodlines #2) in Books
May 7, 2021 (Updated Jul 26, 2023)
This isn't a romance story, per se. It is diving into the world of the mythological, fantastical, and horrible. Hide would do anything for Hiro, apart from showing it! And Hiro has enough heart for both of them. Even Asagi recognises that. Yes, they are in here too, but I don't think life has treated them kindly since last we met. I do so want a HEA for them, back with their maker.
Although this is book two, as Hiro puts it, this is only the beginning. I love where the story is going, plus the character development and supporting cast. You end up with more questions than answers, and it's just perfect for this series. This book is long enough to sink your teeth into (!), and is perfectly paced, giving you action and then a time of rest. Diving into cultural mythology is a bonus for me.
A fantastic addition to the series and absolutely recommended by me. I can't wait to see what happens next.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
May 7, 2021
Tides of Torment (Immortal Realms #2)
Elle Beaumont and Christis Christie
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He’s the king of the sea. She’s a pirate captain. Together they must save the middle realm. ...
Fairytale Retelling Fantasy Romance Mythology
Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated The Crown's Fate in Books
Sep 7, 2017
The two books tell the story of two enchanters in Tsarist Russia competing to become Imperial Enchanter. The competition, unfortunately, must end in the death of one of them, so Russia’s magic can be solely controlled by the Imperial Enchanter, and therefore be stronger for defending the realm. It only complicates things that one of the competitors is the heir to the throne’s best friend. And what happens when the two competitors fall in love?
Along the way, we see creative enchantments, volcano nymphs, elegant masquerade balls, battles for succession, and a quick glimpse of Baba Yaga’s house. (Oh, how I want to learn more about that!)
These two books are really amazing, but make sure you have the second on hand before you finish the first! I read the first when it was published, last year, and had to wait a year before being able to read the second! I don’t know if Vika and Nikolai’s story will be continued past these two books, but there is room in the world Skye has created for more stories, even if it doesn’t focus on the two enchanters. Especially now that magic beyond the control of the Imperial Enchanter is stirring in the land once again…
You can find all of my reviews at http://goddessinthestacks.wordpress.com
**✿❀ Maki ❀✿** (7 KP) rated The Lightning Thief in Books
May 3, 2018
So, when I needed a few quick reads to play catch up on my reading challenge, I decided that it was a good enough time to give the series a go.
...and it's not too bad.
There was a lot about The Lightning Thief that I enjoyed. The premise was a lot of fun. I liked the humor - especially the chapter titles. I liked the translation of Olympus from ancient European culture to modern American culture. I loved that this is a kids' series that rewards children for knowing mythology - if you're familiar with Greek myths at all, you'll know almost from the start of each encounter what Percy and the group are up against.
That's also kind where I started having problems, though.
The book is essentially non-stop action. Which isn't, in itself, a bad thing. But the action plays out like a series of video game encounters. Percy and his friends will travel so far in their quest, run into someone/a monster who will (sometimes accidentally) help them get to the next step of their quest, where they'll travel a certain distance again before running into something else. Repeat throughout the entire book. There are small moments of character building, but they're squeezed in where they'll fit between action scenes.
I'm more than willing to admit that that's just me, though. I'm not exactly the book's intended audience, and I can completely see how the pacing and whatnot would appeal to kids. I did enjoy it enough to continue on in the series, though.