A Book Recommendation for every Legend of Zelda Game

Today is the 12th of May 2023 and to many of you that might not mean anything at all or it might be important for a different reason. For me however, it’s a date that I’ve been looking forward to for a long time because it’s the release date of a highly anticipated game… The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. To mark this exciting day, I’m combining my love for books and my love for video games and recommending a book for every mainline game in The Legend of Zelda franchise.

Firstly, a bit of context. The Legend of Zelda is an action-adventure game franchise by Nintendo that has been captivating its players for many years with its exciting gameplay that combines an interesting story and characters with exploration, combat and puzzle solving— all with stunning soundtracks in the background. If you’ve seen the books I usually review I definitely lean more towards the fantasy genre and one of the reasons I love The Legend of Zelda so much is because it makes me feel like I’m inside a fantasy novel. The games are linked by one massive timeline but each one is a complete story and always features various incarnations of a hero named Link who has to defeat a great evil usually with the help of Princess Zelda.

Here, I will be featuring every mainline Legend of Zelda game so I won’t be including any of the spinoffs like Hyrule Warriors. Also, I have to say that I have not played every game myself (I would like to eventually though if possible) and the games that I have played are Breath of the Wild, Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask and The Minish Cap (and I will be starting Tears of the Kingdom now that it has been released). For the games I haven’t played I have done some research about the plot and gameplay in order to match a book.

The Legend of Zelda is special to me because it always evokes this almost nostalgic feeling and a sense of awe… I’m still not quite sure how they pull it off every time it’s like some sort of sorcery. Therefore, the books I recommend are ones that brought out similar feelings in me, with a lot of action and adventure in a sprawling, magical world.

(1) The Legend of Zelda (1986) ~ Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

We’re starting off with the beginning of the legend, the first ever game in the franchise. This game is very special because without it we wouldn’t have all the amazing games that came after it. I recommend Sorcery of Thorns because it is an extremely charming book that almost has the feel of a classic fantasy. With magical grimoires that can turn into monsters and loveable characters it definitely reminds me of the whimsy of this gaming franchise.

—> Read my review of Sorcery of Thorns

(2) Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (1987) ~ Forest of Souls by Lori M. Lee

As its name suggests this game was a direct sequel to the first. I recommend Forest of Souls because again, it has the feel of an older fantasy novel even though it only came out a few years ago. It takes the classic fantasy tropes that we all know and love and weaves them into a story that feels fresh and exciting. One of the main locations in the book is the atmospheric and spooky Dead Wood ruled by the Spider King… that’s the sort of thing that would be right at home in a Legend of Zelda game.

—> Read my review of Forest of Souls

(3) The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past (1991) ~ The Never Tilting World by Rin Chupeco 

The plot of this games features a Light World and a Dark World and for that reason I recommend The Never Tilting World. This is a climate fiction fantasy novel set in a world split between permanent day and permanent night and rife with dangerous magical creatures. The main characters are twin goddesses called Odessa and Haidee who live separately in the night side and day side respectively and this also reminds me of the three sister goddesses of power, wisdom and courage that feature heavily in The Legend of Zelda games. It’s an extremely exciting and imaginative book that I highly recommend!

—> Read my review of The Never Tilting World

(4) The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening (1993) ~ Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Link’s Awakening was originally released in 1993 but it got an adorable remake in 2019 in case anyone is confused why it’s placed here in the list. What this game and book have in common is that they are both very much themed around dreams. In fact, one of the characters in Strange the Dreamer can actually enter and manipulate dreams. This book is truly an enchanting read in every way and I highly recommend it.

—> Read my review of Strange the Dreamer

(5) The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (1998) ~ The Fifth Season by N. K. Jemisin

Ocarina of Time is one of the absolute classics in this franchise and it was the first game in the series with 3D graphics. It was my first Legend of Zelda game and it made me fall in love with this franchise. There’s something about the story of this game that just hits me so hard, I could probably talk for hours about the tragedy of the Hero of Time. Sacrificing your past, present and future to save everyone from destruction only for your heroic acts to never even be remembered.

So I’m recommending one of my all time favourite books- The Fifth Season- for one of my all time favourite games. This book is groundbreaking in every way. The word building, the plot and the characters, every aspect of this book is crafted to perfection to tell a sweeping and immersive story. One of the reasons I chose this book is because you simultaneously follow the same character through different stages of their life which in a way reminds me of how you can switch between Child Link and Adult Link in Ocarina of Time

(6) The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (2000) ~ Midnight Strikes by Zeba Shahnaz

This is another game on this list that I’ve played. Majora’s Mask is a direct sequel to Ocarina of Time and all I can say is the tragedy continues. In many ways this game is much darker than its prequel and it genuinely has quite sinister, spine crawling vibes. It just gets under your skin. The main feature of this game is a 3 day time loop that you keep repeating in order to stop the moon from crashing down and destroying everything. This makes the game a lot more stressful to play and also (in my opinion) a lot more fun.

I’m recommending Midnight Strikes because it is a fantasy book that features a time loop. The protagonist gets trapped in a time loop where she repeats the hours before a massive explosion in the palace, unless she can stop it from ever happening.

Bonus recommendation: The Six Deaths of the Saint by Alix E. Harrow

I also have a bonus recommendation! The Six Deaths of the Saint is a short story and I never would have thought only 30 pages could make me feel so many emotions. I can’t say much about it because of spoilers but I will say it reminds me of Majora’s Mask in the way it uses time and also the sheer scope and tragedy of it. It’s an amazing read- everyone should read this short story.

(7) The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages (2001) ~ A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. Brown

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages are interlinked games. Seasons focuses more on action and Ages focuses more on puzzles but the two games can interact and even have a linked ending. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is inspired by West African Folklore and alternates between the POVs of the two main characters Malik and Karina who I feel complement each other in many ways (just like these two interlinked games). It’s also the first book in a duology so I’m recommending a pair of books for a pair of games. It is a wonderful book (I especially loved Malik) and the mental illness rep is done really well.

(8) The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) ~ The Bone Shard Daughter by Andrea Stewart 

This game has Link sailing between islands in a little boat (and I want to play it so bad… Nintendo please port it to the Switch I am begging). I am recommending another one of my favourites: The Bone Shard Daughter. In this book people live on floating islands that drift around in the Endless Sea- a sea that no one can reach the bottom of. The world building in this book is absolutely captivating and I love the concept of bone shard magic. It also features a really interesting cast of characters, the story constantly switching between their POVs. It’s just an amazing book please go and read it.

(9) The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures (2004) ~ The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green

Most of the games on this list are single player games, however this one is a multiplayer game where you play with four Links instead of one. For that reason I recommend The Smoke Thieves, a story told between five POVs. The reason I like this book is that I think it handles the multiple points of view really well and it is very satisfying when they start coming together.

—> Read my review of The Smoke Thieves

(10) The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap (2004) ~ Witch Hat Atelier by Kamome Shirahama

I have played The Minish Cap and it’s such an adorable, charming and aesthetically pleasing game. I love it so much. Now I know this is supposed to be a recommendation list for novels and I’m recommending a manga but Witch Hat Atelier was just a perfect fit so I had to include it. I really adore Witch Hat Atelier it is also an incredibly charming story with a gorgeous art style and loveable characters. I really love the world building as well, Kamome Shirahama has created such a beautiful world with an interesting magic system. This game and manga both start with someone being turned to stone as well… I just thought that was an interesting similarity.

(11) The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) ~ The Merciful Crow by Margaret Owen

Twilight Princess is one of the darker installments in The Legend of Zelda series in both plot and its distinctive art style and I want to play it so badly (again, Nintendo, please port it to the Switch so I can play it… please). I recommend The Merciful Crow because I just think it has a similar vibe to Twilight Princess and I also love the world building and magic system in this book so much.

—> Read my review of The Merciful Crow

(12) The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007) ~ The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi by S. A. Chakraborty

This game is the direct sequel to Wind Waker so it’s also a seafaring adventure. Therefore, I recommend The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi which is also a seafaring adventure with pirates, magic and mayhem. S. A. Chakraborty is an amazing author and I also love her Daevabad trilogy.

(13) The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009) ~ The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

This game is a direct sequel to the previous one on the list, Phantom Hourglass. I recommend The Stardust Thief because it’s one of those books that would be absolutely perfect if it had a video game adaptation. Someone really needs to make an RPG with Legend of Zelda influences based on this book I would play it for sure. It’s a story full of jinn and magical relics with the most loveable characters and I really enjoyed reading it.

—> Read my review of The Stardust Thief

(14) The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011) ~ Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto 

I really need to play this game. I will get around to it eventually. Skyward Sword features a floating island called Skyloft and you can fly through the skies on huge birds called Loftwings. I recommend Crown of Feathers because it’s about phoenix riders and I just think it’s an incredibly cool concept. I would also love to ride a phoenix or a Loftwing but I fear the closest I will ever come is playing Skyward Sword.

—> Read my review of Crown of Feathers

(15) The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013) ~ Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

This game is set in a land called Hyrule (that features in a lot of Legend of Zelda games) as well as a land that serves as its dark mirror counterpart called Lorule. I am recommending Where Dreams Descend a story about a magical competition that ends up being just as dangerous as it is dazzling. Without going into details, this book and its sequel does have the concept of a world accessed through a mirror. It’s a flashy, exciting and enjoyable read!

—> Read my review of Where Dreams Descend

(16) The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes (2015) ~ The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Tri Force Heroes is basically just about three heroes dealing with a massive fashion crisis. I recommend The Belles because it is a book that explores society’s obsession with setting arbitrary beauty standards and how twisted our ideals of physical perfection have become, all in a dazzling and extravagant fantasy world with very sinister undercurrents running underneath.

—> Read my review of The Belles

(17) The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) ~ Raybearer by Jordan Ifueko

Breath of the Wild is just a masterpiece in every way. I think I’ve spent 110 hours playing this game and even that is nothing compared to the amount of hours I’ve seen other people racking up. It is a very different entry to The Legend of Zelda series with its non linear storyline and gameplay and open world exploration. I love the story of this game so much and the exploration is extremely fun, there’s always something new to find or try out.

I am recommending Raybearer because firstly the world building is absolutely incredible. Also, if you liked the concept of champions in Breath of the Wild, in this book the main character gets chosen to join the Crown Prince’s Council of 11 where all the members get joined by a deep bond called the Ray. It’s an amazing book you have to go and read it right now!

(18) The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (2023) ~ I’ll tell you once I’ve played it!

I will recommend a book for this game once I have played it myself 😉

And on that note… my recommendations are over. Whether or not you’re a Legend of Zelda fan I hope you find some good books to read from this list!

Until next time! *runs off to play Tears of the Kingdom*

2020 Book Blogger Awards: Nominations!

Hello booksicles! 

This year May @ Forever and Everly and Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books are hosting the fourth annual book blogger awards. In this post I will be nominating some lovely book bloggers who I admire and respect for the various categories.

These awards are a great way to show appreciation to book bloggers (who are often underappreciated in comparison to booktubers and bookstagrammers). If you want to find out more about them and how you can join in May’s introductory post is amazing and explains everything really well.

Here are my nominations! It was really hard to choose for some of them as there are just so many great book bloggers out there but I managed to narrow it down.

Best of their age:

Best Pre-Teen/Teen Book Blogger (13-19)

~Sasha and Amber @ Sasha and Amber Read~

I love Sasha and Amber’s blog it’s clear a lot of passion and hard work goes into it.

Best Adult Book Blogger (20+)

~Noura @ The Perks of Being Noura~

I always get great book recommendations from Noura and I love the interviews she does on her blog and the cool readathons she regularly holds.

Best Genre Blog:

Young Adult

~Sara @ Words With Wings~

Sara started blogging recently but I love the reviews she’s written for YA books. Her review of Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman made me add it to my tbr!

~Neelam @ The Tsundoku Chronicles~

I love Neelam’s blog it’s brilliant. She’s always promoting Muslim authors and reading and reviewing diverse YA books.

Romance

~Maha @ Sunshine N’ Books~

Maha’s blog aesthetic is so cute and generally she’s a lovely person. She reads and reviews a lot of romance books and even writes helpful posts about the genre like her beginner’s guide to romance.

Science Fiction / Fantasy

~Arina @ The Paperback Voyager~

Arina’s blog is great and full of author spotlights and recommendations of SFF books!

~Juri @ Tomes And Thoughts~

Juri reads and reviews quite a lot of fantasy and I love her review of The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by K. S. Villoso.

Best of book blogging:

Best Book Reviews

~Meha @ Books, Bits & Bobs~

Meha is quite a new book blogger but I absolutely adore her eloquent reviewing style and she has a great writing voice (I highly recommend her review of These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong).

~Ikram @ Readology~

I love Ikram’s detailed and straightforward reviews especially her ‘Moral of the Story’ reviews where she adds more analysis (like her review of Parachutes by Kelly Yang).

~Finn @ Evidently Bookish~

Finn also writes gorgeous reviews with a lot of detail and care (you can tell I love detailed reviews) and I love their blog!

Best Book Recommendations

~Fadwa @ Word Wonders~

Fadwa is an icon, this is a known fact. She’s a fabulous book blogger in every way but I especially love her tbr expansion posts full of diverse book recommendations (but my favourite is this post where she recommends OVER 100 books by Muslim authors which must have taken forever to put together).

Best Discussion Posts

~Zainab @ Em’s Bookish Musings~

Zainab does lots of original mini series and discussion posts that are really interesting and generally I love her blog and book reviews.

Best Blog Aesthetic

~Rumaanah @ Rum’s the Reader~

I love Rumaanah’s blog graphics they’re so cute!

~Cielo @ Bellerose Reads~

I also love Cielo’s blog graphics and aesthetic, it looks really pretty.

~Amber @ The Literary Phoenix~

I adore Amber’s blog aesthetic it’s so colourful and cute and I love the magical theme.

Best Blogging/Writing Voice

~Rain @ Bookdragonism~ 

Rain’s eloquence and humour always make her posts a delight to read!

Miscellaneous:

Most Helpful (someone who posts thoughtful blogging guides/advice)

~E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Book Nook~

E. has lots of helpful posts on her blog and I particularly like her guide to audiobooks on Spotify.

Most Supportive (someone who always shares others’ posts in wrap-ups/has kind comments/boosts other bloggers with initiatives, etc.)

~Rameela @ Star Is All Booked Up~ 

Rameela is such a ray of sunshine and I love her blog. She does a feature called ‘weekly favourites‘ where she shares other bloggers’ posts (and booktube videos) that she liked in that week.

Most Engaged in the Community

~Fanna~

Fanna is always engaging with the book community on her blog and on social media. She is also one of the creators of the South-Asian Reading Challenge!

~Nadia @ Headscarves & Hardbacks~

Nadia also engages a lot with the book community, particularly when it comes to promoting books by Muslim authors. She even runs the Ramadan Readathon and The Muslim Shelf!

Most Creative (creative/original posts)

~Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads~ 

Leelynn makes her own original book tags and I love them (especially the Forest of Souls Shaman Book Tag which I hope to do soon).

Best at Promoting Diverse Books

~Krisha @ Bookathon~

Krisha is so friendly and I love her blog. She does a really cool feature called Woven in Books dedicated to promoting diverse books.

Most importantly:

Best New Book Blogger (started blog after August 2019)

~Meha @ Books, Bits & Bobs~

~Sara @ Words With Wings~

Best Overall Book Blogger [two winners!]

~CW @ The Quiet Pond~

CW is probably one of the most hard working and dedicated bloggers out there. She does the best blog series and readathons and is always promoting diverse books (I get the best recommendations from her). And on top of all of that, her art is so cute!

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Those are my recommendations! Please check all of these amazing bloggers out and follow their blogs! Nominations close on July 26th and after that there will be a voting round.

I wish everyone nominated the best of luck and thank you so much to May and Marie for organizing these awards!

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Review: All Your Twisted Secrets

Thank you to HarperTeen for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book: All Your Twisted Secrets

Author: Diana Urban

Year Published: 2020

• Plot: 3.5/5
• Characters: 4/5
• Writing: 4/5
• Overall: 4/5

All Your Twisted Secrets was a young adult escape room thriller that gradually revealed a web of secrets and lies. It was a quick and fast-paced read, driven forward by the tension between the characters, and I found it exciting although I predicted most of the plot twists.

Six teens were supposedly invited to a scholarship dinner but upon arrival they realised it was a trap– they were locked in the room and told to choose someone to die within an hour or they would all meet untimely ends. There was Amber, an incredibly talented music geek. Sasha, a smart and ambitious queen bee. Robbie, a popular athlete and Amber’s boyfriend. Diego, the class genius and entrepreneur. Priya, a quiet and lonely magic trick enthusiast. And Scott, mysterious and known for drug dealing. Confusion and panic ensued but as they all tried to get out alive the past was dredged up and they realised there was more connecting them than they initially thought.

The novel alternated between the locked room and flashbacks of the past to help us understand how the relationships and conflicts between the characters had changed and how they affected their actions in the room. I liked this structure as it created a fast, exciting pace and slowly revealed the characters’ personalities.

Furthermore, the book incorporated many themes like bullying, suicide, drug abuse, school pressures, mental health and peer pressure in a way that cleverly showed the effects these issues have on people’s lives without seeming forced. It also explored moral ideas surrounding accepting responsibility for one’s actions and what happens when someone doesn’t.

However, I wasn’t overly impressed with the ending because I’d predicted who had put them in the room already and I found it a bit over the top. The characters were interesting, each with their own goals, problems and secrets. They could have had a bit more depth but I do appreciate that it’s hard to balance that many characters.

So in conclusion, All Your Twisted Secrets was a thriller that I would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fast-paced read that, as the title suggests, is full of twists and secrets.

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Review: The Last Human

Thank you to Hodderscape for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book: The Last Human

Author: Zack Jordan

Year Published: 2020

• Plot: 1/5
• Characters: 2.5/5
• Writing: 3.5/5
• Overall: 2.5/5

The Last Human was a space opera set in a galaxy where the most feared species were Humans due to their destructive natures. In all honesty, I found it quite disappointing: the first half of the book was rather intriguing but that interest was promptly demolished by the second half.

The story followed a young Human called Sarya who was raised by Shenya the Widow (Widows being one of the many alien species in the book). She was trying to hide her species as she was the last Human in the Network-connected galaxy she lived in. Until her secret came out and as she ran for her life she discovered that everything was controlled by greater powers than she could ever comprehend.

The alien species belonging to the Network were ranked in tiers of intelligence going from one to five (and maybe beyond…). Their notion of ‘intelligence’ was never properly explained but the idea was the higher your intelligence tier the faster and more advanced your thought processes and capabilities would be. Humans would probably fall somewhere in tier two. There were also group intelligences with hive minds which were disconcerting but in an interesting way.

The only aspect of the book that I appreciated (and that pushed the rating up) was the world building. The way the different aliens, lower intelligences and the Network all interacted with each other quite seamlessly was impressive and original. Furthermore, the various alien species created were all unique, I especially liked how Sarya’s Widow upbringing affected her character and their mother-daughter relationship was one of the things that drew me in during the first half of the book. I also liked how the intelligence tier system created a hierarchy and affected the dynamic between characters.

The plot is what really ruined this book for me. Lots of different things happened and many characters were introduced and I had no idea why but I was sure it was leading up to something meaningful… but then it didn’t. As I said earlier, the first half was quite good, it built up Sarya’s character and the world and had a fairly fast paced plot that felt like it was building up to something. But then in the second half of the book it felt like the plot was forgotten in favour of vague philosophical rambling that threw away all the development previously established. I could tell it was trying to explore ideas surrounding free will, the vastness of the universe (and our insignificance in comparison) and the price of maintaining order in such a sprawling Network but it didn’t come through very well for me. It all just seemed quite confusing and meaningless and it wasn’t properly integrated into the story just haphazardly dumped in.

Sarya had no character development. Despite her massive journey across the universe, despite all the shocking truths she had learnt, she stayed the same. And that goes for the side characters too. On top of that, her motivations were very hard to understand and I had no idea why her actions kept contradicting themselves.

I felt let down by The Last Human, it had so much potential but it was all thrown away by the end. But despite how I felt about it, the book is still worth giving a chance as the world created is very intriguing and maybe the philosophical ideas will resonate with others more than they did with me.

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Fairytales and Firebirds: Review of Wicked As You Wish

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book: Wicked As You Wish

Author: Rin Chupeco

Year Published: 2020

• Plot: 3.5/5
• Characters: 3.5/5
• Writing: 4/5
• Overall: 4/5

Wicked As You Wish was a tale of family, friendship and a fight for freedom that was fun and full of creativity. The start of the book was very full on with a lot of information to process but it really is worth sticking with until the end.

It was set in a world similar to ours only there was the Royal States of America and a few extra countries: Wonderland, Avalon and Neverland, not to mention an entirely different history inspired by fairy tales such as Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood and much more, all cleverly incorporated into a magical world. I also loved the representation as there were characters of many different races, genders and sexualities and I especially loved how Filipino culture was so intricately woven throughout the book. All the detailed descriptions of Filipino food made me hungry!

The magic followed a give-and-take system which I thought was really interesting. For example, if you wanted fire power you’d have to endure a tolerance to cold so low that standing in front of a freezer would be too much. However, that could be overcome through spelltech: objects already imbued with magic by someone else.  

Tala Warnock was a Makiling, which meant she negated magic of all forms. Her family were charged with protecting Prince Alexei of Avalon, the sole survivor of his royal family, but they ended up going on an eccentric quest to reclaim their homeland and Alexei’s rightful throne. Tala’s journey was one of understanding herself and her goals. She had to deal with some truths that upended her world, but she always had people around her to support her. That was probably one of the best parts of this book: the tight bonds of family and friendship that held everyone together unconditionally

I found Alex very annoying. I could understand why he was frustrated but I couldn’t understand why he continually took it out on the people who were trying to help him. That being said, I did like how his friendship with Tala was portrayed. It was rocky at times but they were always there for each other when it mattered. I loved Tala’s family especially her titos and titas and Lola Urduja. In terms of the rest of the characters… there were too many for them all to be well developed and likeable. However, I did like Zoe (how could I not like someone who appreciates skirts with pockets?!) and also Loki but quite a few of the characters were easily forgettable.

I generally quite liked the plot although there were some plot twists near the end that needed more explanation. There were lots of ominous prophecies dotted throughout the book foreshadowing a lot more strife to come in the sequel which I am excited to read as I think it has the potential to be better than the first.

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Soulmates and Revenge: Review of Bone Crier’s Moon

Thank you to Katherine Tegen Books for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book: Bone Crier’s Moon

Author: Kathryn Purdie

Year Published: 2020

• Plot: 4/5
• Characters: 4/5
• Writing: 4/5
• Overall: 4/5

Bone Crier’s Moon was a riveting read set in a French-inspired world about the lengths people go to for love and loyalty. The moon waxed and waned, the stakes were high and the relationships were compelling– I definitely thought it was a story with a lot of potential.

Bone Criers or Ferriers were women who ferried the souls of the dead to either the Heavens or the Underworld every new moon. But to do this they had to complete a rite of passage that involved luring and killing their soulmate on a bridge. I did think that was a contradictory idea- murdering in order to ferry the dead. The idea was supposed to be that the Ferrier’s had to give up something important to prove their dedication but surely the person dying is making more of a sacrifice than the Ferriers?

The magic system was very novel where the Ferriers gained magical powers called graces from the bones of animals that they had killed depending on the strengths and skills of those particular animals. For example, if someone had the grace bone of a peregrine falcon they would get extra speed and the bone of a fire salamander would give a healing grace.

Ailesse didn’t just want to be a Ferrier, she wanted to be the best no matter what it took. Her drive to prove her worth and skill to her mother, the Matrone, and the rest of her famille meant that she never questioned their practices or the reasons behind them. But then Bastien took her hostage, getting in the way of the fate she had been preparing for as long as she could remember. As time passed and truths were uncovered, she realised that there could always be another way. Ailesse had the most subtle development, over the course of the book the pillars of her life crumbled and she had to trust in her own strength to get her through.

Sabine was probably the most interesting character. I loved her strong friendship with Ailesse and how they loved each other unconditionally despite their differences. However, it was that strong love that led her to break through many of her moral boundaries to help her friend, almost becoming an entirely different person by the end. As she discovered more and more unsettling secrets her limits were tested more than ever before.

For me, Bastien was probably the least developed character. He witnessed his father being killed by a Bone Crier at a young age and ever since he had been driven by a deep-seated desire for revenge. Therefore, he made it his mission to kill a Bone Crier. My problem with him was that I thought he discarded the anger that had been fuelling him for so long rather quickly, I think he should have experienced a greater conflict of emotions.

I did like how he put his revenge behind him as he knew it was not going to make anything better. And I also thought him and Ailesse suited each other very much and the way they unwittingly chose each other and defied fate in doing so was cute. However, I think it all needed more development and needed to take more time. On another note, I really liked Bastien’s friends, Jules and Marcel, and I hope they get even more of a role in the next book.

Set in a dynamic world that went between the forest, the catacombs, the city and many different bridges, Bone Crier’s Moon was a promising start to a duology about choosing one’s own destiny and rethinking the ways of the past. I’m really excited to read the sequel and seeing where the story goes next!

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#SixforSunday: STRANDED!

Hello my booksicles!

#SixforSunday is a weekly meme hosted by A Little But A Lot. This week’s theme is, ‘characters I’d like to be stranded with’– I’m going to assume it means stranded on a desert island!

If I had to be stranded with a character of my choice, I’d choose a character who firstly, has the right skills for survival/ escape and secondly, would be interesting to talk to so the whole experience isn’t too boring. So here are the characters I’d choose:

1) Silas from Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson

I think Silas is awesome- he definitely ticks the ‘interesting to talk to’ box and I’m sure he’d have lots of exciting tales to tell. Also, as a demon he has many supernatural abilities that would aid our survival and he wouldn’t even have to eat so there’d be less strain on resources!

2) Nina Zenik from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Nina is amazing and I wouldn’t mind being stranded if it was with her. And we’d definitely survive- I have no doubt about that!

3) Lazlo Strange from Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

I’d want to be stranded with Lazlo because he’d be able to tell a lot of interesting, whimsical stories but he also seems practical enough for survival.

4) Csorwe from The Unspoken Name by A. K. Larkwood

Csorwe would probably come up with a reckless, seemingly impossible plan to get off the island and we’d probably come near to death many times but ultimately survive.

5) Lia Mara from A Heart so Fierce and Broken by Brigid Kemmerer

Lia Mara is smart and she doesn’t mind doing what needs to be done so together we’d make a detailed survival plan and once that’s in place we’d just chat about books.

6) Kell Maresh from A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab

Kell is an Antari and all his blood commands would be very useful for survival. And he could even teleport us to that same island in a parallel universe and it might not be a desert island there and we could escape!

Which characters would you want to be stranded with on a desert island? Which characters would you hate being stranded with? Let me know in the comments!

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Review: The Monster

Thank you to Tor for providing me with a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Book: The Monster

Series: The Masquerade #2

Author: Seth Dickinson

Year Published: 2019

• Plot: 4/5
• Characters: 4.5/5
• Writing: 5/5
• Overall: 4/5

The Monster (the sequel to The Traitor) was another sprawling geopolitical fantasy full of twists and scheming. It wasn’t as mind-shatteringly brilliant for me as the first book but it was still very intriguing and well worth reading.

This book started exactly where the previous one ended. We met the main character Baru again and got more insight into her motivations. Then the story took a wildly unpredictable turn involving a quest for immortality, new characters, new points of view and general chaos (in a good way). The Traitor focused on Baru’s machinations to gain power and destroy the empire from within but The Monster was bigger than that. Baru had the power now and she using it to achieve her goal whilst trying to outmanoeuvre the manipulations of everyone else.

Baru’s cool, indifferent façade shattered away and we got to see her more vulnerable than ever before. For much of the book she was completely lost, reeling from grief and feeling horror at the destructive consequences of her actions- but only after she’d done them. She didn’t know how to handle the moral cost of taking down an empire. She knew what she wanted to achieve and told herself that she didn’t care about whoever ended up as collateral. It was hard to tell if she truly thought her actions were for the greater good or if she saw herself as a monster, just like everyone else. The Empire had nothing to hold over her and therefore found her terrifying– and rightly so. But as her control over herself and her situation slipped it became increasingly difficult to tell if she was the puppeteer or the puppet.

I think the most impressive aspect of this book was how much it expanded on its world. We are told all about the federation of Oriati Mbo which had completely different politics, beliefs and culture to the Empire of Masks. However, all the new variables added to the story made the plot go a little out of control as if it was frantically trying to arrange everything for the next book.

This series is unlike anything I’ve ever read before. It’s so unashamedly brutal, daring and clever and in its own odd way, it works. Overall, The Monster was a gripping read and although some parts felt too outlandish and unnecessary I still have high hopes for the next book in the series.

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Sereadipity Interviews… Apaay! (Below Blog Tour)

Hello my booksicles!

I’m so glad to be participating in the Below blog tour hosted by the FFBC as I read an early copy of Below last year and it truly was one of the most phenomenal books I have ever read. You can read the review here. Today I’m doing something a bit different as instead of interviewing an author, I’m interviewing the main character of the book, Apaay! Basically, I asked the questions and the author answered them from the point of view of Apaay which is exciting because who doesn’t wish they could directly ask questions to their favourite book characters.

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About the book:

• Book: Below
• Author: Alexandria Warwick
• Publisher: Wolf Publishing
• Release date: February 4th 2020
• Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Synopsis:

From the author of The Demon Race comes a YA dark fantasy series inspired
by Inuit mythology.

In the heart of the frigid North, there lives a demon known as the Face Stealer. Eyes,
nose, mouth—nothing and no one is safe. Once he returns to his lair, or wherever it
is he dwells, no one ever sees those faces again.

When tragedy strikes, Apaay embarks on a perilous journey to find her sister’s face—
yet becomes trapped in a labyrinth ruled by a sinister girl named Yuki. The girl offers
Apaay a deal: find her sister’s face hidden within the labyrinth, and she will be set
free. But the labyrinth, and those who inhabit it, is not as it seems.

Especially Numiak: darkly beautiful, powerful, whose motives are not yet clear.
With time slipping, Apaay is determined to escape the deadly labyrinth with her
sister’s face in hand. But in Yuki’s harsh world, Apaay will need all her strength to
survive.

Yuki only plays the games she wins.

Book links:

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

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Interview:

How are you so strong, Apaay? What keeps you going through hardship?

I don’t see myself as strong, really. In my mind, there is one choice: do, or do not. If I do not spear a seal, then we do not eat. If I do not get Eska’s face back, then our family will never be whole. The North teaches my people that a certain resilience is necessary to endure. Ice cracks, but water flows. As well, there is a saying among the Analak: The night is long, but the sun will soon greet you.

What is one thing you wish you told or did with your sister before her face was stolen?

I wished I could have apologized for snapping at her on the ice. If I hadn’t done so, her face might never have been stolen.

After you left to find your sister’s face, what did you miss most about your home?

I missed my family more than anything. In truth, they are my home. Being in their presence is enough for me, most days.

What is your greatest fear and your greatest dream?

My greatest fear is dark water. I was named after my maternal grandmother, whose name-soul I was given at my birth. When my grandmother was a child, she fell through the ice and nearly drowned. Thus, her fear of dark water was passed onto me during the naming ceremony.

As for my greatest dream . . . I wish I had an answer for you. Before the labyrinth, I wished to lead the summer hunt, and for my people to see me as worthy of the task. Now, it would be enough for Eska’s face to be returned to her, and for my family to be together again.

If you could go back and give yourself one piece of advice before you set out to find your sister’s face, what would it be?

The in-between will play tricks on the mind. Trust no one.

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About the author:

Alexandria Warwick is the #1 fan of Avatar: The Last Airbender. She is the author
of The Demon Race and the upcoming North series.

Links:

Goodreads | Website | Instagram

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Click here to see the whole blog tour schedule

Click here to enter the giveaway

Thank you so much to the FFBC and Alexandria Warwick for letting me interview Apaay!

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Review: Blood Heir

Book: Blood Heir

Author: Amélie Wen Zhao

Year published: 2019

• Plot: 3.5/5
• Characters: 4/5
• Writing: 4/5
• Overall: 4/5

Blood Heir was a dark retelling of ‘Anastasia’ full of action and determination. It contained some important themes and multi-faceted characters and although at times it felt a bit repetitive I still enjoyed it very much.

Anastacya ‘Ana’ Mikhailov was the crown princess of the Cyrillan Empire– a hostile place for Affinites (people with magical abilities). As a child, Ana discovered her blood Affinity (being able to control people’s blood) when she accidentally killed a group of people and ever since she lived her life locked away, feeling like a monster. After being framed for her father’s murder, Ana was thought to be dead but she actually went on the run to prove her innocence and enlisted the aid of a crime lord named Ramson Quicktongue to track down the real murderer.

“Show them what you are, my little monster”

Affinites, were trafficked into Cyrillia on the promise of good opportunities and jobs but then indentured into forced labour with no escape. Although Ana had been on the run for months before finding Ramson, she was incredibly naïve surrounding the corruption in her lands until he made her face the truth. Being an Affinite herself, Ana’s journey of acknowledging and understanding the rife slavery and suffering was essential for her character development and also for making her a better and more just princess. Slavery wasn’t just a problem in history but a massive issue today all over the world and tackling it, even in a fantasy setting, is so important because more people need to become aware of it, just like Ana.

“It’s up to us to fight our battles in this world”

Although Ana and Ramson seemed like complete opposites at first glance, they were actually really similar. They both carried rage towards the world and pasts full of injustice that shaped their lives and actions. They both saw the bad and good in each other and accepted it and went from deep mistrust to caring for each other dearly. Ana thought there was always a chance to make the right decision despite previous actions and as Ramson was losing himself in a snarl of expectations and ambitions she helped him find a way out. And while Ana realised that nothing can truly be completely good or completely bad she also realised that her monstrous power had the potential for good too.

“All Affinities are a double-edged sword. One must simply learn to wield it.”

The descriptions of places and foods were stunningly detailed– almost real. However, I did want to know more about how Affinities work, especially Ana’s blood affinity, because the book didn’t offer much explanation. I also wanted more of Linn, she was a character who came late in the book even though she was an important character and I really liked her and I hope she is more prominent in the next book.

Overall, Blood Heir was a book that dealt with dark themes but was also fun and action-packed. It almost gave me Grishaverse vibes and is suited to fans of YA fantasy who want something a little bit deeper. I have high hopes for the next book in the series and I can’t wait to read it.

Thank you to HarperVoyager for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

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