dearrivarie: August 2020

No movement survived without a vision of the future, because without it, there is nothing to strive for.

isbn: 978-0316541428 | pages: 448

publication date: September 08, 2020 | source: e-ARC

genre: fantasy, lgbtqia+, diverse

A M A Z O N | G O O D R E A D S | B O O K S H O P

B O O K D E P O S I T O R Y | B A R N E S A N D N O B L E S | I N D I E B O U N D

a story with multiple perspectives

The Bone Shard Daughter is an epic fantasy story that follows five different characters, each contributing in some way towards the impending downfall of the empire. Out of these five storylines, the two with the most page time are Lin, the daughter of the emperor who's trying to prove her worth and be named his heir, and Jovis, a smuggler in search of his missing wife. One of the strongest components of the story's writing is the incredibly distinct tone that each POV is written in. When following Lin, her ambition to win her father's approval is reflected by her character-focused narrative whereas Jovis has a more plot-driven center.

With the two main perspectives written in first person and playing such a huge role, I'll admit that the other three didn't appeal as much to me which caused a small bias imbalance. While I still enjoyed reading from Phalue, Ramani, and Sand's POVs, I wasn't as attached to their side of the story at the beginning. Due to this being the first in a trilogy, there's a lot of plot development that is laid down and it does take a while for connections to be made - therefore making everyone's POV make sense in the grand scheme of things.

the magic of bones

Andrea Stewart's writing style showcases her ability to seamlessly transition from one perspective to the next. This ultimately makes the story easily accessible, especially in regards to the magic system. For bone shard magic, practitioners (aka the emperor and his heir) carve commands into pieces of bone taken from the empire's population and are put into chimera-like creatures called constructs.

One of my favorite aspects was learning about the magic with Lin herself. As the magic leans more towards a hard magic system complexity, this perspective-based approach saved me from a lot of info-dumping and instead made the learning process more organic. It also helped me to sympathize with her desire to prove her worth and create a personal connection.

"Listening is an art. It's not so much sometimes in letting the other person speak as in asking them the right questions."

revolutions and revelations

As a huge element of the story is the brewing unrest within the empire and the fracturing of power, I became more and more invested as theories started forming. Within the novel, the five POVs narrow down to three specific plot arcs and each one managed to absolutely capture my attention. I honestly had so much fun reading this novel because it kept me guessing and invested. It is definitely a sort of excitement that I haven't felt in a while towards a fantasy novel.

just for mephi

For the sake of personal enjoyment, I need to talk about how much I adored Mephi. While his exact species is unknown (I read a review that suggested he was some sort of dragon), I was stunned to see how quickly I became attached to a strange talking creature. He genuinely made me more invested in Jovis's side of the story and helped to flesh out his character as well. As far as creature companions go, he's definitely a favorite.

bone shard daughter blog tour banner.png - Google Drive

I'm super excited to be participating on the Bone Shard Daughter tour hosted by Kate (yourtitakate) - be sure to check out the hashtag #BoneShardDaughterPH on social media to see more great content by the other tour stops!

Don't forget to search the hashtag #BoneShardDaughterPH on Twitter!

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

Andrea Stewart is the daughter of immigrants, and was raised in a number of places across the United States. Her parents always emphasized science and education, so she spent her childhood immersed in Star Trek and odd-smelling library books.

When her (admittedly ambitious) dreams of becoming a dragon slayer didn't pan out, she instead turned to writing books. She now lives in Sunny California, and in addition to writing, can be found herding cats, looking at birds, and falling down research rabbit holes.

W E B S I T E | T W I T T E R

M O O D B O A R D

pictures from unsplash

library / bones / keys / sailboat

With all that happens in The Bone Shard Daughter, I honestly cannot wait for the sequel. It has managed to completely captivate me with its characters and unique magic system - 10/10 would recommend picking up once it releases on September 8th!

Do you think you'll be picking this up and what is your favorite magic system in a fantasy book?

6:00 AM 4 Comments

2:28 PM 4 Comments

I draw in a long, icy breath, and it feels like I'm swallowing the stars themselves.

isbn: 978-1682814970 | pages: 320 (approx.)

publication date: August 18, 2020 | source: physical arc

genre: contemporary, young adult, romance, diverse, own voices

A M A Z O N | B O O K S H O P | G O O D R E A D S

B A R N E S A N D N O B L E S | B O O K D E P O S I T O R Y | I N D I E B O U N D

friends to enemies to?

This story is perfect if you're looking for a fun young adult rom-com to feel all the butterflies that come with a first love relationship. Winnie's parents set her up on an extremely outrageous dating experiment after their eldest daughters return from their first semester at college without a potential love interest. Her mother enlists the help of Winnie's former best friend to take her youngest daughter on dates that popular movies have proved to be effective at kindling romance.

With the romantic relationship being such a central element of the plot, reading this book felt a little bit like riding a rollercoaster. There were high moments when I couldn't stop smiling cause it was so cute and low moments when I just had to take a breath because I was experiencing a second-hand cringefest, not that it's necessarily a bad thing though. The relationship between Winnie and Mat is fundamentally cute and I did enjoy seeing their relationship develop, plus I think it's pretty age-appropriate for its target audience.

the bond of family and culture

My favorite aspects of the book have to be the family dynamic and vivid descriptions of Thai culture. As an Asian-American, like the Tech siblings, I resonated with a lot of their individual struggles when it came to pleasing their parents and finding the perfect balance of their Asian heritage and American upbringing. While I couldn't always relate to what Winnie was going through relationship-wise, her insecurities about being the "good Tech girl," obeying her parents, and struggling to distinguish what made her different from her sisters definitely hit close to home. In a way, I wish there was more time spent exploring her character beyond the central plot but I did appreciate what we got.

I adored Winnie's father and he was hands down my favorite character in the entire story. A lot of times with Asian-Amerian stories, there's a lot of tension with parental expectations and (sometimes) lack of communication so it was really heartwarming to see a supportive Asian parent in YA literature. Winnie's father is also just hilarious and I loved the entire Tech family dynamic, even if her mother sometimes tried too hard to control the circumstances. In the end, her parents were doing what they could to protect their daughters from the struggles they faced and I think that's pretty reminiscent of what a lot of immigrant parents want for their children.

final thoughts

I had a lot of fun with Dating Meets Perfect and I think it'll appeal to a lot of contemporary fans who love a cute romance. Taking a step back and looking at the story's potential influence, I'm really excited to see a YA novel with such a deep appreciation for Thai culture and a main cast of characters who are Asian. I definitely wish I could have read something like this back when I was in high school and I hope that it can impact other Asian-Americans in portraying their coming-of-age experience.

I'm super excited to be part of the blog tour for Dating Makes Perfect hosted by Hear Our Voices. There are so many amazing #ownvoices readers participating on this tour so be sure to check them out by clicking on the tour banner above!

A B O U T T H E A U T H O R

I'm a New York Times bestselling author of young adult fiction. I graduated from Harvard University, magna cum laude, with an A.B., and received by J.D. at Yale Law School.

My novel FORGET TOMORROW won the 2016 RWA RITA for Best First Book, and SEIZE TODAY won the 2018 RITA for Best Young Adult Romance. In addition, my books have been translated into four languages, and they have been nominated for the following awards: the Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire; the Japanese Sakura Medal; the MASL Truman Award; the Tome Society It list; the Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award; and a Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Book of the Year. My other novels include REMEMBER YESTERDAY, THE DARKEST LIE, GIRL ON THE VERGE, STAR-CROSSED, and MALICE.

W E B S I T E | I N S T A G R A M

T W I T T E R | F A C E B O O K

M O O D B O A R D

(images from pexels)

flower market / car date / figurines / mall

I had a lot of fun putting together this post and once again a massive thank you to Hear Our Voices Book Tours for letting me join!

If you have read Dating Makes Perfect, who was your favorite character? Also, what would you do if your parents set you up to practice dating?

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I think you're a fairytale. I think you're magical and brave and exquisite. And I hope you'll let me be in your story.

For those familiar with Laini Taylor's writing, you would know that all her works are beautiful lyrical pieces of art and this duology is no different. The story follows Lazlo Strange, an orphan and junior librarian with a fascination for the lost city of Weep. After spending years collecting information and dreaming for the opportunity to visit, he finds himself part of an entourage heading straight for the city with some of the brightest and most skilled. This journey to the legendary city reveals secrets about his past as well as a blue-skinned goddess named Sarai who keeps appearing in his dreams.

how do people write summaries, I struggled so much (hence why this review is ONE MONTH LATE)

(covers linked to Goodreads)

Formats read: physical

the magical world of godspawn

The world of Strange the Dreamer is a place where the blue-skinned gods and goddesses were completely slaughtered after years of oppressing the humans of Weep. The story starts off with a lot of unanswered questions and is set against a soft but haunting atmosphere. Laini Taylor writes incredible worlds, stories, and characters but it is definitely an acquired taste. After hearing raving reviews for the first book in this duology and previously loving her other works, I expected to be swept off my feet into another one of her creations - which while it did happen, took me longer than I originally anticipated.

This duology is incredibly well-written and so well executed, but there are times where I still found myself struggling to care for the story. With Strange the Dreamer, I wanted to fall in love with Lazlo for his gentle nature and Sarai for her desire to be better than humanity's nightmare yet I just felt so disconnected from their love story. The first book in particular, focuses a lot on cementing Lazlo and Sarai's relationship that the plot in the synopsis because an afterthought to their romance and that didn't quite do it for me.

However, what I felt Strange lacked to grip my emotions, Muse completely owned my heart and soul. I will admit, I'm still not the biggest fan of Lazlo and Sarai, but there was just more to the story for me to invest in. The world becomes so much more fleshed out and Laini Taylor masterfully weaves together the different storylines to create an even bigger story arc. I have honestly never felt so invested in every timeline that when we switched perspectives, I was both frustrated about the interruption and excited to jump back into the previously interrupted story.

(I guess worse problems could be in place?)

the balancing of power

One of my biggest reasons for continuing this duology was because I wanted to see what happened to Minya. If there's ever a character whose revenge deserves hailing fire and brimstone onto her enemies it's Minya and her character deserved more than to be portrayed as the antagonist because of her anger and hatred. I was curious to see how Laini Taylor would address Minya's unparalleled anger and resolve the major conflict.

Of course, there isn't one solution to fix this complex problem and, rather than giving readers a clear answer, we are introduced to a larger issue that stems from the heart of power-hungry corruption. In the interest of being as vague as possible to avoid any spoilers, Laini Taylor validates Minya's pain as well as the pain the people of Weep have endured at the hands of the gods and goddesses. There's such an interesting conversation that stems from the juxtaposition of having this immeasurable power while continuing to exploit others for being more powerful than you are.

a hundred stories coming together

As I mentioned before, Muse was the pinnacle of all the different stories and timelines that Laini Taylor had worked on coming together. With Strange, I couldn't yet understand what she was trying to do by taking all these plot detours to focus on small insignificant mini-stories instead of focusing at the greater task at hand: freeing Weep. However, with the sequel and having completed this duology, they all become puzzle pieces that have come together to create a magical universe. There are tiny easter eggs hidden that allude to bigger timelines and the way each story is crafted leaves almost an endless number of possibilities for an ending.

For more information to stay updated on events and to use your voice:

Black Lives Matter

Junk Terror Bill

Beirut, Lebanon

9:59 PM 2 Comments

Hello friends and happy August! There are approximately a million things I should be doing right now but I'm subtly ignoring them as I usually do with deadlines (apologies in advance future me). July passed by so quickly and I could feel myself becoming more and more anxious at the uncertainties each day.

First and foremost, covid-19 is nowhere near finished so please please continue to wear a mask and follow proper social distancing guidelines to keep everyone safe. I was so proud of my state at first for working hard and leveling numbers but people got too relaxed and now there's a small rise again (seriously, NJ beaches will survive - we can talk about climate change if you're really concerned 🙄).

Secondly, the "trends" we saw in June are not just a trend. Black Lives STILL Matter and there are voices that still need to be uplifted (aka arrest Breonna Taylor and Elijah McClain's murderers it's not that difficult.) Performative activism is disheartening and unwanted so it's time to have those uncomfortable conversations because change is desperately needed.

Finally, there are so many things happening in the world and it's so important to stay informed.

Many of our Filipino friends are having their voices and rights taken away after the Anti-Terrorism Act (Junk Terror Bill) passed so take some time to read up on how we can use our privilege and voice to help them. Lebanon has also recently experienced a horrible explosion in Beirut and they are struggling with the global pandemic. If you are able, donations to the Lebanon Red Cross are incredibly helpful especially since they are not affiliated with the government!

Continue using your voices friends - they are powerful when used together. ❤️

I'm definitely someone who easily gets stuck in their head and I think July was in some ways, one big rollercoaster of doubt and lack of motivation. I still managed to read six books which isn't bad, but I did slip a bit on blogging and Instagram so I have lots to catch up with in August.

muse of nightmares by laini taylor - ★★★★☆

moths, nightmares, and revenge

This book absolutely blew me away. I enjoyed Strange the Dreamer but always felt disconnected from the hype that it was receiving since I didn't fall in love with Lazlo and Sarai. However, Laini Taylor once again blew me away with her beautiful prose. Compared to the first book, so much happens in this sequel and I honestly was sucked in by the never-ending intensity of the plot.

R E V I E W

serpent and dove by shelby mahurin - ★★☆

witches and witch hunters - an instant hate to love

I have been dancing around picking this book up for months because of the polarizing reviews I've read. My final opinion can be summarized in one word: indifference. I didn't care much for the story itself nor the characters, but I didn't find myself hating them either. This is probably a series I won't finish because I don't really care to see what happens, but I do have to admit the cover designs are absolutely gorgeous so there could be a lapse in judgment.

R E V I E W

a song below water by bethany c. morrow - ★★★☆

the voices of the silenced are the most beautiful and bewitching

This book take the current events and weaves together different species of magical creatures. It shines a light on the voices of the oppressed using the clever metaphor of having siren characters who are discriminated against for their powers. In a world where reality blurs with fantasy, the author does a really wonderful job addressing people's discriminatory behaviors and elitist mindsets. My only problem would be struggling to feel invested in the plot, but I grew to love the characters and how the author crafted her story to highlight the systematic injustices of society.

R E V I E W

i'll be the one by lyla lee - ★★★★

the friendship of kpop and books I need in my life

This is my happy book and I'm kicking myself at how long it took me to finally pick it up. If you need a pick-me-up with some sweet friendships, body positivity, K-pop fangirling moments, and a cute romance. Lyla Lee explores the toxic environment of the K-pop industry and our main character Skye is honestly such a strong and beautiful character. I'm ready to reread this again so I feel all the happy feelings.

I NEED TO WRITE A REVIEW (YELL AT ME PT. 2)

the queen of the tearling by erika johansen - ★★☆

a new queen vs. the entire world

I have had this book on my shelves for years and finally finished reading it. Unfortunately, I just simply didn't care about the story (similar to Serpent and Dove) - I can't speak a lot from an analytical perspective about the writing, plot/character development. I did manage to read this during the Reading Rush so I had pre-divided a certain number of pages I had to read each day and that's honestly what made to finish reading. I've heard that the sequel is amazing but the conclusion is a bit of a letdown so I'm not sure if I'll continue.

clockwork angel by cassandra clare - ★★★☆

an army of neither heaven nor hell

I have finally started my reread of the Infernal Devices and I was honestly hit with so much nostalgia while reading. It was quite interesting how despite all these years, I still adore Jem so much and find Will slightly annoying - I even tabbed all of Jem's scenes in the book because they just made me happy. This definitely reads a lot younger than I imagine but it was so easy to fall back into the Shadowhunter world and I can't wait to continue on with Clockwork Prince.

As of this moment, I currently have fourteen books on my August tbr and a huge factor of that is because I am planning on participating in two blogs tours, WIKATHON and NOSTALGIATHON so the ambition levels are quite high. The ones I am most excited for are probably the following:

I have lots of goals for the month of August so only time will tell to see if I'll complete them all. As summer is winding down, please take care of yourselves and the people around you. I asked this on my Instagram already but I'm curious to see some other answers:

What are you most looking forward to in August?