The Still Point of the Turning World

The Still Point of the Turning World by Emily Rapp // 272 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Like all mothers, Emily Rapp had ambitious plans for her first and only child, Ronan.  He would be smart, loyal, physically fearless, and level-headed, but fun.  He would be good at crossword puzzles like his father.  He would be an avid skier like his mother.  Rapp would speak to him in foreign languages and give him the best education.

But all of these plans changed when Ronan was diagnosed at nine months old with Tay-Sachs disease, a rare and always-fatal degenerative disorder.  Ronan was not expected to live beyond the age of three; he would be permanently stalled at a developmental level of six months.  Rapp and her husband were forced to re-evaluate everything they thought they knew about parenting.  They would have to learn to live with their child in the moment; to find happiness in the midst of sorrow; to parent without a future.

The Still Point of the Turning World is the story of a mother’s journey through grief and beyond it.  Rapp’s response to her son’s diagnosis was a belief that she needed to “make my world big”—to make sense of her family’s situation through art, literature, philosophy, theology and myth.  Drawing on a broad range of thinkers and writers, from C.S. Lewis to Sylvia Plath, Hegel to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Rapp learns what wisdom there is to be gained from parenting a terminally ill child.  In luminous, exquisitely moving prose she re-examines our most fundamental assumptions about what it means to be a good parent, to be a success, and to live a meaningful life.

--

This was a sad and poignant read about death and disability. I felt like I was reading a mother’s personal diary detailing her acceptance and grief over the death of her still living child. 

I found Rapp’s perspectives on parenting and death to be refreshing, and it’s easy to empathize with a mother who must grieve what she loves the most. I feel like it was healthy and therapeutic for her to write this book, and I always love seeing new perspectives on death and the meaning of life. Rapp’s personal anecdotes of being disabled were also interesting to read, as well as the connection through that she could have with her son.

It was different from what I was expecting, which was a more biographical approach to her son’s life. While we did get a lot of that (I absolutely adored reading about the little things Rapp loved about her son, the language she used was hauntingly beautiful), it was more so a philosophical exploration of life itself. Rapp showcases a wisdom shadowed by unbelievable grief in a beautiful way, and I’m thankful to have experienced her perspective.

The Last Kingdom

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell // 333 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the story of the making of England in the 9th and 10th centuries, the years in which King Alfred the Great, his son and grandson defeated the Danish Vikings who had invaded and occupied three of England’s four kingdoms.

The story is seen through the eyes of Uhtred, a dispossessed nobleman, who is captured as a child by the Danes and then raised by them so that, by the time the Northmen begin their assault on Wessex (Alfred’s kingdom and the last territory in English hands) Uhtred almost thinks of himself as a Dane. He certainly has no love for Alfred, whom he considers a pious weakling and no match for Viking savagery, yet when Alfred unexpectedly defeats the Danes and the Danes themselves turn on Uhtred, he is finally forced to choose sides. By now he is a young man, in love, trained to fight and ready to take his place in the dreaded shield wall. Above all, though, he wishes to recover his father’s land, the enchanting fort of Bebbanburg by the wild northern sea.

This thrilling adventure—based on existing records of Bernard Cornwell’s ancestors—depicts a time when law and order were ripped violently apart by a pagan assault on Christian England, an assault that came very close to destroying England.

--

I enjoyed this one, it was captivating and I enjoyed seeing Uthred’s perspective and watching him grow as a child to an adult with a life held hostage but also captivated by war. It felt like I was actually reading a historical account at some points, despite being aware it was obviously fiction. Cornwell did a good job of making it feel like an old man writing down his life story, with subtle hints of what is to come in the future.

Watching Uthred struggle between the Danes and the English was interesting, and Cornwell did an excellent job showcasing how both sides are good/bad. Uthred is a truly neutral character, which led me to be curious how he would act at any moment. His main focus is on survival, revenge, and taking back his land.

I’m also glad that I’m already vaguely familiar with the events of the Vikings invading England (thank you AC Valhalla), so seeing some familiar names helped me connect and understand the world a bit better. I’m excited to read the later installments of the series, and how the characters will develop with what I am aware of what happened historically.

Eat Your Heart Out

Eat Your Heart Out by Kelly Devos // 352 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In the next few hours, one of three things will happen.

1--We'll be rescued (unlikely)

2--We'll freeze to death (maybe)

3--We'll be eaten by thin and athletic zombies (odds: excellent)

Vivian Ellenshaw is fat, but she knows she doesn't need to lose weight, so she's none too happy to find herself forced into a weight-loss camp's van with her ex-best friend, Allie, a meathead jock who can barely drive, and the camp owner's snobby son. And when they arrive at Camp Featherlite at the start of the worst blizzard in the history of Flagstaff, Arizona, it's clear that something isn't right.

Vee barely has a chance to meet the other members of her pod, all who seem as unhappy to be at Featherlite as she does, when a camper goes missing down by the lake. Then she spots something horrifying outside in the snow. Something...that isn't human. Plus, the camp's supposed "miracle cure" for obesity just seems fishy, and Vee and her fellow campers know they don't need to be cured. Of anything.

Even worse, it's not long before Camp Featherlite's luxurious bungalows are totally overrun with zombies. What starts out as a mission to unravel the camp's secrets turns into a desperate fight for survival--and not all of the Featherlite campers will make it out alive.

--

I’m a zombie girl; give me any media with zombies in it and I’m down. I love the interpersonal conflicts that develop, and how these trapped characters need to learn how to survive. So when I saw this book I immediately added it to my TBR; a zombie outbreak in a fat camp with fat protagonists? Sounds awesome.

The different characters are all unique, and I personally love that movie character tropes define them in a meta way. I think it was also fun and added a cinematic atmosphere to the book that was very engaging. 

This book also surprised me with some character deaths; I knew one was going to happen as it is stated in the opening chapter, but there were several others that genuinely shocked me. I was surprised about how much I grew to like these characters and root for them to survive.

I also loved how much this book challenged fatphobia (despite getting a little preachy at times); the idea that society would rather turn fat people into these awful creatures than just exist is great commentary on fatphobia in general.

Bianca Torre Is Afraid of Everything

Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans // 384 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Murder most fowl? In this sardonic and campy YA thriller, an anxious, introverted nonbinary teen birder somehow finds themself solving a murder mystery with their neighbor/fellow anime lover, all while falling for a cute girl from their birding group . . . and trying not to get murdered.

Sixteen-year-old Bianca Torre is an avid birder undergoing a gender identity crisis and grappling with an ever-growing list of fears. Some, like Fear #6: Initiating Conversation, keep them constrained, forcing them to watch birds from the telescope in their bedroom. And, occasionally, their neighbors. When their gaze wanders from the birds to one particular window across the street, Bianca witnesses a creepy plague-masked murderer take their neighbor’s life. Worse, the death is ruled a suicide, forcing Bianca to make a choice—succumb to their long list of fears (including #3: Murder and #55: Breaking into a Dead Guy’s Apartment) or investigate what happened.

Bianca enlists the help of their friend Anderson Coleman, but the two have more knowledge of anime than true crime. As Bianca and Anderson dig deeper into the murder with a little help from Bianca’s crush and fellow birding aficionado, Elaine Yee (#13: Beautiful People, #11: Parents Discovering They’re A Raging Lesbian), the trio uncovers a conspiracy much larger—and weirder—than imagined. But when the killer catches wind of the investigation, Bianca’s #1 fear of public speaking doesn’t sound so bad compared to the threat of being silenced for good.

In this absurdist, bizarrely comical YA thriller that is at turns a deceptively deep exploration of anxiety and identity, perhaps the real murder investigation is the friends we make along the way.

--

I enjoyed this one, though Bianca did annoy me a bit. I went in knowing there was a LGBT focus in this, but the questioning of Bianca’s gender identity did surprise me a bit. I think it’s a really good concept to explore in a teen book, and I do enjoy that there wasn’t ever a focus on coming out, but just accepting yourself and just being who you are. I do wish those moments came up a bit more organically; one chapter we’re focusing on a murderous bird cult and the next their gender identity. There was just some tonal whiplash, but it was a nice inclusion!

The side characters were good, though honestly a little too nice and affirming. I think it could have been interesting to have a bit more struggle on that end, since realistically not everyone is going to be accepting of someone’s gender identity. Anderson was a great character, and I think he and Bianca had some great chemistry and character development. The anime references did get a little annoying, but those also slowed down a bit when the stakes became more serious.

The murder mystery itself was very predictable, but I still had a fun time! I liked how absolutely absurd it all was, and a lot of aspects reminded me a bit of Hot Fuzz, which definitely left me entertained. Overall it was a fun, quick read with a focus on LGBT characters; I can’t help but like it.

The Gene: An Intimate History

The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee // 592 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spanning the globe and several centuries, The Gene is the story of the quest to decipher the master-code that makes and defines humans, that governs our form and function.

The story of the gene begins in an obscure Augustinian abbey in Moravia in 1856 where a monk stumbles on the idea of a ‘unit of heredity’. It intersects with Darwin’s theory of evolution, and collides with the horrors of Nazi eugenics in the 1940s. The gene transforms post-war biology. It reorganizes our understanding of sexuality, temperament, choice and free will. This is a story driven by human ingenuity and obsessive minds – from Charles Darwin and Gregor Mendel to Francis Crick, James Watson and Rosalind Franklin, and the thousands of scientists still working to understand the code of codes.

This is an epic, moving history of a scientific idea coming to life, by the author of The Emperor of All Maladies. But woven through The Gene, like a red line, is also an intimate history – the story of Mukherjee’s own family and its recurring pattern of mental illness, reminding us that genetics is vitally relevant to everyday lives. These concerns reverberate even more urgently today as we learn to “read” and “write” the human genome – unleashing the potential to change the fates and identities of our children.

Majestic in its ambition, and unflinching in its honesty, The Gene gives us a definitive account of the fundamental unit of heredity – and a vision of both humanity’s past and future.

--

I listened to this via audiobook and man was I enraptured. I have a personal interest in genes and genetics, and this was just a fascinating look into the history of genetics and its development over the centuries. The personal anecdotes of Mukherjee and his family history with genetic diseases added to some of the clinical nature of some of the stories. I loved the tackling of how culture and science interconnected with each discovery made; sometimes emboldening new discoveries and other times stifling it. This book discusses genetics, sexism, gender identity, and racism in an interesting way, and I love the conclusion that speaks to unity and acceptance rather than fear and hatred over our minor perceived differences. I cannot recommend this book enough, and I’m very glad I picked it up.

Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins // 387 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.

When Haymitch’s name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He’s torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he’s been set up to fail. But there’s something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.

--

I was a little nervous going into this one since we already saw some major events of this game in Catching Fire, but I think Collins handled this one well. The ending played with my earlier suspicions about seeing this story again, like Collins anticipated that reaction and knew how to combat it in a realistic way.

Haymitch was always a fine character to me; he served well as Katniss’s mentor and showcased how traumatic winning actually is. 

With how many crammed in characters Collins put in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, I was skeptical that the Game that had double the contestants would fall into that same issue of quantity over quality. I was pleasantly surprised, however; while there are a lot of characters that get named but grow irrelevant, I felt an attachment to most of them, and could recognize who they were as I saw their name pass by on a page. Collins did well in having multiple yet distinct main characters, which can be a difficult thing to balance.

Going into this book knowing that only Haymitch will survive was fun and interesting, and I couldn’t help myself feeling sad when introduced to a new tribute that I liked, knowing that there was no chance for survival. The tributes teaming together was a fresh spin, as well as Haymitch’s personal vendetta of rebellion (though that was sometimes a little confusing). I absolutely adored every District 12 tribute, which I was somewhat surprised by.

While there was some fan service, it wasn't too bothersome to me, and I liked seeing some of the interconnectivity of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and the main trilogy. It felt like a good connective bridge. The ending was also tragic, but an expected and fitting end. This book also helped me buy more into the Katniss and Haymitch connection; it shines a new and interesting light on that relationship that I would keep in mind if ever rereading the main trilogy.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins // 541 pgs

⭐⭐

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.

The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

--

I really wish I ever cared about Snow, because maybe this book would have hit a bit harder. Having finished the rest of the Hunger Games trilogy, I decided to continue with the other installments in the universe; I enjoyed the trilogy immensely.

Seeing an earlier, more janky version of the Games sounds interesting, and quite honestly, that was the only engaging part of the book to me. Maybe it was the fact that it was first person, or maybe it was because it wasn’t Katniss’s voice, but I could not get as enraptured with this book as I did the previous three. I was bored the entire time, and while there were little blips of events that piqued my interest, none could get me fully invested (until we got to the Games).

Snow being poor immediately after the war does make sense, and I can understand that the fear of poverty plays a role in his general greed and cowardice. In all aspects it should work, but somehow for me it just doesn’t. It feels as if we’re often told that he is just a sad poor boy pretending like he’s still rich to have friends, yet we don’t experience more than that. I think watching that poverty descend upon him would have allowed me to sympathize a bit more and given more credence to his insecurities. 

The section where they’re preparing for the games felt so drawn out and almost unnecessary; I liked some aspects, but most of the time I was waiting for something to happen. There are so many characters, yet I cannot tell you a single one of his classmates aside from Sejanus (though he is the tertiary main character so I should remember him). When the Game finally begins, the book picks up. The Game itself is slow; not a lot happens and everyone is hiding, but I still enjoyed the mood and tension throughout this part. I was still rooting for the tributes, and each death did impact me emotionally. The third section of the book is when things dip again, unfortunately. I do like Snow getting punished for cheating and forced away; I kept wondering how he eventually gets out of this, and it did pique for the rest of the book. Unfortunately, it also quickly lost me. 

Lucy Gray Baird, Snow’s tribute he is representing and his love interest, annoyed me. The bits of The Hanging Tree in Mockingjay were fine, I enjoyed them. The songs in this book though were not fun, but perhaps I just don’t enjoy reading songs in books. Every time I would see a song on the page I’d roll my eyes and skim through it. Lucy Gray herself (I also personally, and pettily I’ll concede, hate that it’s always Lucy Gray, and never just Lucy) reads very manic pixie dream girl, which I can accept since it’s through Snow’s perspective. I still don’t like her folksy schtick, and only grew to like and appreciate her in the last chapter. I also was annoyed that of course she’s from District 12, it would have been interesting if we gave focus to a different district at least once.

Snow and Lucy Gray’s relationship was incredibly rushed, and didn’t feel authentic or believable on either end. I liked when it was more nuanced that Snow felt like he owned her, subtly showing that he isn’t actually in love with her but rather enamored, only for him to directly state that he feels like he owns her. Yes this book is made for teens, but teens can pick up nuance; it felt like Collins didn’t trust the audience to get that Snow is bad. Snow justifying his bad actions in the relationship was also nice, and I do think the last chapter of the book is one of, if not the, strongest parts of the book. 

Overall, I wish there was somehow both more and less in this book. It felt too ambitious in some aspects, but not ambitious in others. Sejanus was a great character, and while he was annoying and sometimes dumb, I appreciated what he represented and how his character arc ended. I liked seeing some of the worldbuilding in the Capitol, and I think there were a lot of ideas that, if polished just a little, could have made this a fantastic book.

Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins // 390 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans—except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay—no matter what the personal cost.

--

I didn’t hate the final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy; I thought it was fun (though sometimes frustrating) and depicted an actual revolution in a serious tone. It gets gritty and dark, people Katniss loves die; in some cases, a character’s death is almost a footnote due to the chaos occurring. The parallel between Snow and Coin was well done, depicting that there isn’t a good or bad side in war and revolution. It’s a mature theme that I think is good for teens to approach, and Collins executed it well.

Katniss being both this puppet of the revolution, a girl thrust into this awful situation with most of her agency removed, takes the center stage of this book. While I understand that is the point of the story, I didn’t fully enjoy it. Things just seem to happen around her; I wish she had just a little bit more control. I feel like there could have been a way to execute this theme more satisfyingly.

I also loathed the love triangle. I was never a fan of Gale as a romantic interest, but in this book man was he the worst. He was even more pushy and treated Katniss like she had to like him. It felt exploitative, like he needed to be the center of her attention while she is experiencing significant trauma. While I do like Peeta as a love interest, I actually enjoyed his separation from Katniss for a bit and him being traumatized so bad he hated her. It could have been an interesting dynamic, an almost inverse of the first book. Instead, Katniss wallows in her own pain. I wish more was done with Peeta’s trauma a bit, and I felt like the third part needed more build up to him trusting Katniss again.

I do think things got better at the ending; Katniss finally retaking her agency against Coin and finally finding stability and happiness, though with the echoes of trauma still haunting her. It was realistic, yet still bittersweet.

Catching Fire

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins // 391 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol—a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest that she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before . . . and surprising readers at every turn.

--

This is my favorite installment of the Hunger Games trilogy. I think everything was executed almost flawlessly in this installment of the franchise, and it truly felt like the reader was witnessing a moment of history for this world. The pacing in this book was excellent, and I think Collins balanced the pre-Games and the Games well, to where I was constantly engaged.

One aspect I enjoyed was Peeta and Katniss’s dynamic, not even necessarily the romantic angle. I thought it was very fun that the two were not competing against each other in the games, but rather to save the other person. The dynamic emboldened the tone of rebellion that this book set up, while also allowing strong character development for Katniss. 

The side characters introduced were also very fun, and each death was somewhat surprising and emotional. The ending was also engaging and definitely made me want to read more; Katniss’s visceral reaction was heartbreaking.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins // 374 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Winning means fame and fortune. Losing means certain death. The Hunger Games have begun. . . .

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

--

Despite growing up as a teenager during the peak of the Hunger Games franchise, I never read the books, and have only seen the first movie. I’m not quite sure why I avoided this series so much, but I felt like now was an appropriate time to actually explore this popular franchise.

I really enjoyed Katniss’s perspective throughout this book and her overall development. I think she’s complex and interesting to read, and while she comes to some conclusions that I personally question, they felt authentic to her character. Katniss’s rebelliousness also was sprinkled in nicely to set up the latter books of the series, which was a nice sense of consistency. The secondary and side characters were also fun and interesting. Peeta was a nice and refreshing male lead as well, and while there is romantic tension between them, it isn’t the central aspect of their relationship. 

A lot of media tries to make their villains sympathetic with a sad backstory, and I like that Collins didn’t do that. These villains are sympathetic due to the awful world they have to grow up in. I’m rooting for Katniss and Peeta since they’re the central characters, but I’m also rooting for every other tribute as well to somehow find an out, or at least a merciful death. I appreciate that Collins made Katniss reflect those same feelings, showcasing empathy in a powerful way.

House of Many Ways

 The House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones // 404 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great-Uncle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy. But Great-Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland, and his house bends space and time. Its single door leads to any number of places—the bedrooms, the kitchen, the caves under the mountains, the past, and the Royal Mansion, to name just a few.

By opening that door, Charmain has become responsible for not only the house, but for an extremely magical stray dog, a muddled young apprentice wizard, and a box of the king's most treasured documents. She has encountered a terrifying beast called a lubbock, irritated a clan of small blue creatures, and wound up smack in the middle of an urgent search. The king and his daughter are desperate to find the lost, fabled Elfgift—so desperate that they've even called in an intimidating sorceress named Sophie to help. And where Sophie is, can the Wizard Howl and fire demon Calcifer be far behind?

Of course, with that magical family involved, there's bound to be chaos—and unexpected revelations. No one will be more surprised than Charmain by what Howl and Sophie discover.

--

The final entry in the Howl’s Moving Castle trilogy, this book continues to focus on a new protagonist and kingdom in its universe, though this time closer in similarity to the first entry of the series. Howl, Sophie, and Calcifer are more prominent in this book than the previous (still no Michael though), but Howl speaks in a weird baby lisp that started to get a little difficult to get through. Though they still serve as secondary characters, they did have more agency in this one and it was nice! Howl’s character was slightly frustrating, I do wish he was a bit more developed, since it feels like his character is a bit stagnant or even regressed from the first book.

I enjoyed how this one was almost a return to form, dealing with the same “house teleporting you to different places” type of magic, but with more magical creatures. This house is more like a stationary magical labyrinth though, and that is such a fun location to explore, as well as its odd and complex rules for navigating its rooms. Charmain and Peter reminded me of a younger Sophie and Michael from the first book, just less mature and slightly dumber. The two of them both confront their personal faults and try to grow, but it does feel like a natural progression. I also love how the two experience no romantic feelings towards each other; the two loathe but love each other more akin to siblings. 

There are some parts where it slows down that I feel were a little boring (for example, one chapter dedicated to Charmain learning how to do laundry), but a part of me likes it thematically. This book is about growing up and being responsible; that isn’t fun and whimsical. Those chapters could be a little more engaging, but I think they served Charmain’s growth well. Overall, it was a satisfying end to the series (though the first is definitely my favorite).

Castle in the Air

Castle in the Air by Diana Wynne Jones // 298 pgs

⭐⭐⭐

In which a humble young carpet merchant wins, then loses, the princess of his dreams

Far to the south of the land of Ingary, in the Sultanates of Rashpuht, there lived in the city of Zanzib a young and not very prosperous carpet dealer named Abdullah who loved to spend his time daydreaming. He was content with his life and his daydreams until, one day, a stranger sold him a magic carpet.

That very night, the carpet flew him to an enchanted garden. There, he met and fell in love with the beauteous princess Flower-in-the-Night, only to have her snatched away, right under his very nose, by a wicked djinn. With only his magic carpet and his wits to help him, Abdullah sets off to rescue his princess....

--

Continuing to the second of the Howl’s Moving Castle trilogy, I found this one to be very fun! It’s like a younger version of Aladdin, which was neat to read. I found the insta-love in this one a bit frustrating, and I wished Flower-in-the-Night was a more realized character; we get introduced to her early on and she only pops up again in the last few chapters. Though, I do understand that the nature of the plot and the tropes it follows don’t fully allow that possibility. There was also some mild fatphobia at the end (punishing the villain with the fat girls at the end isn’t the best message), though I can understand with the time it was published. I do enjoy the new location that we see take the forefront; often fantasy is dominated by Eurocentric cultures, so seeing a fantasy story deviate a bit is nice!

While Sophie makes an appearance at the halfwayish point, Howl and Calcifer do not truly show up until the end of the book. I didn’t hate that aspect, though I can understand why some people wished for more. I missed Michael though, it was unfortunate that he didn’t make the cut. Overall, it was a fun read, and I liked seeing the continuation of that universe.

Howl's Moving Castle

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones // 329 pgs

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

I didn't watch Howl's Moving Castle until late last year, and learning it was based off of a book quickly put this one on my TBR list. Honestly, perhaps a hot take, I enjoyed the book more than the movie (though I think watching the movie first helped add a bit more whimsy to the world). Sophie feels like a more realized character, she isn't just a sweet girl in love with Howl and on a quest to save him, in fact she hates him at first. The two of them slowly falling in love is believable and well written. Sophie experiences some great character growth in the book, and learning how she truly is a witch, and not this "doomed older sister", is great. I also enjoyed Sophie's sisters and how they all impact the plot in different ways; everything is truly interconnected and I think it pays off wonderfully.