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dearrivarie

20821111I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.
Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.
Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all. 
Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen. 
Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.
It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.



high stakes excitement
Oh man, I've been anticipating this book for so long y'all have no idea. To finally be able to read and get sucked into this world - it was quite an exciting experience. From the very first page, Marie Lu introduces a high stakes situation and continues to amp up the anticipation as we follow Adelina's journey to harnessing her dark powers and finding her place in society. The writing introduces the rich and colorful world of Estenzia as well as the underlying sense of anticipation.

discrimination based on fear
Adelina is part of a group of people known as the malfettos - those infected with the blood fever who recovered at the price of some physical scarring. Some of the malfettos have developed powers which make them a "young elite" while others haven't. The bottom line, however, is that all are discriminated in society and considered back luck. Throughout the novel, we see how fear becomes such a powerful tool for the Inquisitors to manipulate the people to feed this discrimination.  This portrayal hit several spots for me especially in our society nowadays with how easily the common people can be blinded by fiery words and a fear of what they don't know.

simplicity of relationships
We have some beautifully depicted non-romantic relationships that I absolutely fell in love with. My favorite has to be Rafaelle and Adelina even though they have a falling out of sorts at the end. With their relationship portrayal in particular, we see a friendship built upon no expectations but simple admiration for the other. While Rafaelle has his suspicions about Adelina's dark powers, he does not dismiss her for evil but attempts to nurture her goodness.

And of course there is Violetta - Adelina's younger sister - whose character shows the lengths she will go to in order to protect her family. What's interesting with her character is that you don't get the full picture of her worth until the end when she's all Adelina has left. She is as much a survivor as her sister and that is shown through her love and determination to stay by her sister's side when everyone else left.

so much badass-ness
I knew going into this book came with a very morally ambiguous main character. While I haven't been completely blown away by Adelina as a protagonist, I appreciate her very real and tangible internal struggles. For someone who has gone through so much criticism and abuse for her abilities (and lack of) she proves her strength lies in more than calling up shadows and illusions. This first book gives a taste of her potential and now that she's on a darker path, there is so much to look forward to how she will cultivate her powers to dominate the world.

4:11 PM No Comments

Today is currently July 16th and as of right now I have completed a whopping number of Z E R O books this month. All my dreams and ambitions of making a summer reading comeback are quickly being buried under a pile of procrastination, Youtube, and lack of motivation.

Amidst my struggles, the online book community has been thriving with a plethora of fun readathons so here is my tentative (and late) tbr in hopes of actually reading something this month.

 
THIS IS ONE of the most well thought out and exciting readathons I have ever heard of and also extremely chill. Created by Rachael Marie, it is a month-long readathon with different teams and competitions. There's actually a legit sorting quiz that you can take to find out which team you'll be on and each team has unique reading challenges as well as strengths/weaknesses. 

After taking the quiz, I got sorted into the O U T L A W S who are led by the Countess Psycho Nyx. The challenges for Team Outlaws are: 

crimson peaks - reread a favorite
queendom stone - read a book featuring royalty
the forgotten forest - read the next book in an unfinished series
the weeping falls - read a tear jerker
the bookie grail - read the group book Stardust

Honestly, I have a couple books on my list but nothing super set in stone yet. Some potentials include:
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These three actually complete most of the challenges, but I'm still on the fence - at least for Legendary which is giving me mini migraines because I am not a fan of Tella...


THE READING RUSH is the traditional BookTubeAThon revamped and its makeover is looking pretty fantastic. They even have a fancy website and everything. This readathon runs from July 22-29th and you can earn a badge on their website for each challenge you complete. The challenges include:

purple cover challenge 
same spot challenge 
last year book challenge 
author's debut challenge 
non human character challenge 
book to movie challenge
five word title challenge
seven books total challenge

On my profile, I only have two books listed as of right now:
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These two actually satisfy all but two challenges (book to movie + seven books total) which is kind of ironic. I definitely have other books in mind, but these are two that I have been itching to pick up for a while so I figured the readathon would be a good time to knock them off my tbr.

Since The Reading Rush is happening next week, I thought it'd be fun to knock two readathons down at once so I've got a pretty decent selection of books across the board. I'm usually pretty bad at being an active participant in readathons but I'm hoping I'll be able to interact at least a bit this year.

If you're participating in either, do let me know what books you're considering/reading for these readathons. Also, I'm pretty up in the air for a good book to movie adaptation so if you have a good recommendation please share below!

4:19 PM No Comments
It's been a hot minute (again) since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday and this week's topic just happened to be a character freebie which means an endless amount of possibilities. Despite genuinely having a bunch of different ideas, I still settled on a recommendation list - this time sharing songs from my May/June Spotify playlist to specific characters from books I read in June.

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ANA from The Kingdom - the fifth season by oh my girl
Oh My Girl has such a magical concept and this song sounds like the ones that Ana could relax to after a hard day's work. The topic is also (obviously) love which fits with Ana's overall mood.

SCARLETT from Caraval - dramatic by bvndit
There's one part of the song in English with the lyrics "easy game" which I just find ironic if Scarlett was listening to it. The song is also called Dramatic which is basically Legend's whole spiel with Caraval.

LENORE from The Raven's Tale - me by clc
Lenore is all about being loved and accepted for her identity. While she's a bit more macabre than the typical person which can be a bit off-putting, she still definitely deserves all the affection.

MAIA from Spin the Dawn - spring rain by a train to autumn
Maia goes through some serious trauma throughout the course of the story so I think a smooth ballad would be nice for her unwind. Since it's such a comforting song to listen to, it could also be good work music while she creates something amazing.

NIKOLAI from The Crown's Fate - voice by taeyeon
This is honestly me just trying to be funny but one of the English lyrics goes "all the voices in my heart" which basically sums up Nikolai's internal struggle throughout the entire novel. The battle between right and wrong is hard so who wouldn't want to unwind with Taeyeon's gorgeous voice?

SARAI from Strange the Dreamer - call it love by chungha
Sarai needs something calming after all the craziness and uncertainty she has to deal with in her life. Chungha's voice is absolutely magical as well and that added with the overall topic of the song feels like a nice warm safety blanket.

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Well, here's my list. I'm in a bit of a music slump because I've been overplaying this playlist for the past two months. Since it's only the start of July, there also haven't been many new comebacks. If you've got any cool songs, I'd love to hear them - also let me know which fictional character you think would like it as well!

8:50 PM 2 Comments


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Project Runway meets Mulan in this sweeping YA fantasy about a young girl who poses as a boy to compete for the role of imperial tailor and embarks on an impossible journey to sew three magic dresses, from the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Maia Tamarin dreams of becoming the greatest tailor in the land, but as a girl, the best she can hope for is to marry well. When a royal messenger summons her ailing father, once a tailor of renown, to court, Maia poses as a boy and takes his place. She knows her life is forfeit if her secret is discovered, but she'll take that risk to achieve her dream and save her family from ruin. There's just one catch: Maia is one of twelve tailors vying for the job.
Backstabbing and lies run rampant as the tailors compete in challenges to prove their artistry and skill. Maia's task is further complicated when she draws the attention of the court magician, Edan, whose piercing eyes seem to see straight through her disguise.
And nothing could have prepared her for the final challenge: to sew three magic gowns for the emperor's reluctant bride-to-be, from the laughter of the sun, the tears of the moon, and the blood of stars. With this impossible task before her, she embarks on a journey to the far reaches of the kingdom, seeking the sun, the moon, and the stars, and finding more than she ever could have imagined.
 





 a new favorite
It has been a while since a book has captivated me the same way Spin the Dawn has. With the intricate world that is lush with history and magic, the worldbuilding has all the right pieces that captured my attention. Along with that, I found Maia to be incredibly relatable with her sense of honor and duty to her family and craft. She was a pleasant narrator and her development throughout from young girl to woman highlights her best qualities making her likable and easy to root for.


 mythology brought to life
The story is divided into different overarching chapters which separate the story into three distinct timelines. The second one follows Maia and the Royal Enchanter as they make the journey to collect some supplies for the future empress's wedding gowns. As per the bride's request, Maia has to collect materials straight out of mythology - aka the blood of stars. The writing in this section brought was incredibly magical and probably one of my favorites in the entire novel.


 hate to love is always best
One of my relationship tropes hands down and this was no exception. Hate is a strong word, extreme dislike and distrust are probably better but that's beside the point. Maia and Edan's relationship is full of sharp banter and a lot of wary acceptance but I loved it. Their characters complemented each other well and the more they were willing to open up, the more successful they were in their endeavors. It took a while but they are so precious.

 strength comes in protecting those we love
The entire novel is fueled by Maia's desire to protect her family. She journeys to the emperor's court to compete for the title of imperial tailor - risking everything to provide for her father and brother. Because of her dedication, she finds herself constantly fighting against the cutthroat court environment, never forgetting the core of what's driving her forward. The portrayal of this idea as the center of Maia's character was definitely one of my favorite things.



3:16 PM No Comments

This was a good month - better than the previous ones at least. Amidst a sea of three stars, I managed to find a couple of gems and complete a buddy read for the first time in forever. While I was secretly hoping for some exuberant wrap up of ten to fifteen books, six is fine too.

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the kingdom by jess rothenberg - (★★★) - read a library book
A futuristic Disneyland with bioengineered zoo animals and robotic princesses that fall in love
The Kingdom is a book that steps slightly outside my comfort zone and into the realm of realistic science fiction. It addresses the question of humanity's core nature and the weight of our desire to be in control of our world.

caraval by stephanie garber - (★★★) - read a library book
Win a ticket to possible but freedom but the price is a game of cat-and-mouse with your sister as the prize
Caraval has been on my TBR for ages now so to finally pick it up and see what the hype was all about was definitely exciting. While I did love the whimsical nature of Caraval's world, I had more trouble with the overall character portrayal and development.

the raven's tale by cat winters - (★★★)  - read a library book
Edgar Allan Poe has a muse and she's quite macabre
The Raven's Tale would be perfect for the Halloween season where the Gothic aesthetic shines the brightest. This wasn't as chill-inducing as I had hoped but a creative take on the inspiration behind Poe's famous raven.

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spin the dawn by elizabeth lim - (★★★★) - read a book by an asian author
Magic scissors, dresses made from mythology, and the best tailor in the empire
Spin the Dawn has to be my personal favorite read this month and it comes out in just a couple of days. This novel ticked off all my requirements (character, world, writing) and I was able to actually enjoy the entire reading experience.

the crown's fate by evelyn skye - (★★★)  - read a book by an asian author // read a sequel
A fight for the throne of Russia and Nikolai's soul
The Crown's Fate was a struggle to read - I had very little motivation to finish the series after feeling underwhelmed by the first book. Thank the heavens for the audiobook because it got me through the first half of the story because I was honestly only interested in the ending...

strange the dreamer by laini taylor - (★★★★) - buddy read a book 
Blue-skinned godspawn and a strange dreamer
Strange the Dreamer was buddy read with Kristina (@oregraphie) and it was a rollercoaster ride. Laini Taylor's writing is so evocative and beautiful that no matter what she writes there will always be a tinge of mystery and magic.

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Admittedly, I am still in a bit of a slump and feel like everything I read is not quite grabbing my attention. However, we have a very full month of readathons in July so here is hoping they'll throw some good reads at me.

10:29 PM No Comments
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DearRivarie

DearRivarie
Hi there! My name is Rivalie (Riv for short). Welcome to my blog where I share book reviews, discussions, and more fun things! Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic day! 🌸

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