Piranesi

 

Piranesi by Susanna Clarke - 272 pages

Synopsis: Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.

There is one other person in the house—a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.

My Thoughts: LOVED this book. Piranesi quickly became one of my favorite characters of all time. The story was beautiful, emotional, and made me cry multiple times. I especially appreciated the focus on the very human compassion and warmth Piranesi shows unconditionally to every other character in the book. Cannot say enough good things about this book. 

Wild Reverence

 Wild Reverence by Rebecca Ross 527 pages 

Summary: Born in the firelit domain of the under realm, Matilda is the youngest goddess of her clan, blessed with humble messenger magic she uses to carry words and letters through the realms. But the gods will kill for power, and Matilda holds a secret she must hide from even her dearest allies.

And there is a mortal who dreams of her, though they have never met in the waking world. Ten years ago, Vincent of Beckett wrote to Matilda on the darkest night of his life—begging the goddess he befriended in dreams to help him. His request went unanswered, and Vincent became a hardened, irreverent lord of the river who has long forgotten Matilda . . . until she comes tumbling into his bedroom window with a letter for him.

Matilda and Vincent were fated to find each other beyond dreams. But to rewrite the blood-soaked ways of the gods, Matilda will have to face something she fears even more than losing her magic: finally allowing herself to be loved.

My Thoughts: This book was probably one of my favorite books to read this year. It was absolutely beautiful and devastating. Bane is probably my favorite character from this book. I loved the arc of Matilda figuring out her powers and the relationship between herself and Vincent. Read this book! You will love it. 

THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE (WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY) by KATHERINE ARDEN

 THE BEAR AND THE NIGHTINGALE (WINTERNIGHT TRILOGY) by KATHERINE ARDEN

 (Pgs 336)

GOODREADS REVIEW: At the edge of the Russian wilderness, winter lasts most of the year and the snowdrifts grow taller than houses. But Vasilisa doesn't mind—she spends the winter nights huddled around the embers of a fire with her beloved siblings, listening to her nurse's fairy tales. Above all, she loves the chilling story of Frost, the blue-eyed winter demon, who appears in the frigid night to claim unwary souls. Wise Russians fear him, her nurse says, and honor the spirits of house and yard and forest that protect their homes from evil.

After Vasilisa's mother dies, her father goes to Moscow and brings home a new wife. Fiercely devout, city-bred, Vasilisa's new stepmother forbids her family from honoring the household spirits. The family acquiesces, but Vasilisa is frightened, sensing that more hinges upon their rituals than anyone knows.

And indeed, crops begin to fail, evil creatures of the forest creep nearer, and misfortune stalks the village. All the while, Vasilisa's stepmother grows ever harsher in her determination to groom her rebellious stepdaughter for either marriage or confinement in a convent.

As danger circles, Vasilisa must defy even the people she loves and call on dangerous gifts she has long concealed—this, in order to protect her family from a threat that seems to have stepped from her nurse's most frightening tales.

THE LAST DRAGON OF THE EAST by KATRINA KWAN

 THE LAST DRAGON OF THE EAST by KATRINA KWAN  (320 Pages)

At the spry young age of twenty-five, Sai has led a quiet life, keeping the family teahouse up and running—even if that means ignoring the past-due notices—and taking care of his ailing mother. But he has a not-so-secret gift that he’s parlayed into a side career: he was born with the ability see the red threads of fate between soulmates, which lends itself nicely to matchmaking. Sai has thus far been content not to follow his own thread, the only one he’s ever seen that’s gray and fraying.

But Sai’s ordinary existence is about to be turned upside-down by a pair of shining dragon scales. When his mother’s doctor sells them to him, claiming them as a miracle cure, Sai is pretty sure he’s being scammed. When the medicine actually works—and the terrifying, ruthless emperor catches wind—Sai is thrust into the search for a dragon long thought extinct that will lead him into the throes of a brewing war and deep into foreign lands, facing down challenges both magical and mortal on an unexpected adventure. And for the very first time, as his own thread of fate begins to move, he may be able to solve the mystery of his Fated One on the other end of the line.

Loved this book, read it in one day!

When Among Crows by Veronica Roth

 When Among Crows by Veronica Roth-166 pages

⭐⭐⭐1/2

Dymitr seeks out and acquires a special fern flower to break a zmory's curse so that he can exchange the potential cure for a potential audience with the legendary Baba Jaga. He doesn't say why he wants an audience with Baba Jaga. He only says that he wants one. Dymitr appears to be a "normal" human surrounded by monsters in Chicago. He is unafraid, however, and the "creatures/monsters" wonder why he's not afraid. There may be more to him than meets the eye. 

I liked reading this, but I found the world building a bit lacking which is why I didn't give it 4 stars or higher. I like that the book is short, but that is both good and bad because it doesn't allow for enough background and world building. 

ODD AND THE FROST GIANTS by NEIL GAIMAN

 ODD AND THE FROST GIANTS by NEIL GAIMAN  (PGS 117)

The winter isn't ending. Nobody knows why.
And Odd has run away from home, even though he can barely walk and has to use a crutch.
Out in the forest he encounters a bear, a fox, and an eagle - three creatures with a strange story to tell.
Now Odd is faced with a stranger journey than he had ever imagined.
A journey to save Asgard, City of the Norse Gods, from the Frost Giants who have invaded it.
It's going to take a very special kind of boy to defeat the most dangerous of all the Frost Giants and rescue the mighty Gods. Someone cheerful and infuriating and clever.
Someone just like Odd...