February Wrap-Up

February went by so fast. Granted, it's the shortest month of the year, but still! We're already 1/6 of the way through 2016. It's crazy! Anyway, I did not read a ton this month, but I got way too many books to count (I used some holiday gift cards, but I still feel a tiny bit guilty).

BOOKS I BOUGHT THIS MONTH:

1. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
2. Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin
3. The Siren by Kiera Cass
4. The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry
5. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
6. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
7. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

GIFTED/WON THIS MONTH:

1. Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson (received from a friend)
2. Places No One Knows by Brenna Yavanoff (received from a friend)
3. The Way Back to You by Michelle Andreani and Mindi Scott (received from a friend)
4. How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather (received from a friend)
5. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (won in a giveaway)
6. The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye (won in a giveaway)

BOOKS I READ THIS MONTH:

1. Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman (check out my review here!)
2. Gena/Finn by Hannah Moskowitz and Kat Helgeson (review going up tomorrow!)
3. The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (review going up next week!)

CURRENTLY READING:

1. Sword and Verse by Kathy MacMillan - I might DNF this one though... I haven't decided yet.
2. The Island by S. Usher Evans
3. A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab
4. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

DISCUSSION POST(S) THIS MONTH:

1. "Are Epilogues Necessary?" and the "Cookie-Cutter Epilogue"

AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE THIS MONTH:

1. Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books, Cee @ The Novel Hermit, Hazel @ Stay Bookish, and Mel @ The Daily Prophecy hosted the 2016 Love-A-Thon
2. Kit Cat @ Let the Pages Reign talked about why an author is 50% of the book
3. Aila @ One Way or An Author shared 5 popular character descriptions in YA literature
4. Alex @ Fiery Reads discussed whether you can love a book but hate the ending
5. Mishma @ Chasing Faerytales shared insecurities of book bloggers

Disney Princess Tag

I was tagged by Deanna and Gabi @Booksablog/Reading In the Rain to do the Disney Princess Tag back in September, and I'm finally doing it. Better late than never, right? I am super excited to do this tag, since I LOVE Disney, so let's begin, shall we?

Snow White - name your favorite classic

Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I know it's not as popular or well-known as most "classics", but I remember absolutely loving it, and it being on my summer reading list one year. So maybe it's not canonically a classic, but it's still kind of a classic...? I don't really know. Also, I don't remember much about it at all, except that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

Classic runner-ups (that are more typically viewed as classics) are definitely Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Cinderella - name a book that kept you reading well past your bedtime

For this one, I'll definitely have to say Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff! I'm sure there have been others, but I was absolutely obsessed with Illuminae, and with the amazingly unique formatting, it was even easier to tell myself it was okay to read just one more page.

Aurora - name your favorite classic romance

Favorite romance... There are quite a few I adore, but the one that stands out most to me is between Anne and Teach from Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman!

Ariel - name a book that's about making sacrifices and fighting for your dreams

The Wrath and the Dawn is definitely about making sacrifices and fighting for what you believe in! I mean, Shazi did go in to wed Khalid in order to avenge her friend's death... Things did end up changing, but they kept fighting and making sacrifices, even though their dreams changed.

Belle - name a book with a smart and independent female character

Okay, so maybe she is a bit impulsive at times, but Adelina from The Young Elites is definitely smart and independent! She hasn't necessarily made the best decisions, but she is intelligent and independent, even though her emotions may get the best of her a lot of the time.

Jasmine - name a book with a character who challenged the social issues

Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Pocahontas - name a book whose ending was a roller-coaster of emotions

There are sooooooo many of these. Blackhearts (Nicole Castroman), Strange and Ever After (Susan Dennard), Reign of Shadows (Sophie Jordan)... TOO MANY BOOKS.

Mulan - name a book with a kick-ass female character

Pretty much any female character from Sarah J. Maas' books, so Celaena, Nehemia, Manon (although I still haven't finished reading Heir of Fire, so that might be a problem), Feyre, etc.

Rapunzel - name a book that features an artist

I haven't read it yet, but apparently the characters in I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson are artists? I'm hoping to read the book soon since I have had it on my shelf for over a year now, but I just haven't had the opportunity to pick it up yet.

Merida - name a book that features a mother-daughter relationship

It's definitely a strained relationship, but there is at least a mother figure in the Something Strange and Deadly trilogy by Susan Dennard. Mother figures are extremely uncommon in Young Adult fiction, or so it seems, for whatever reason. I've never really understood that.

Anna and Elsa - name a book that features a great relationship between siblings

I'm actually struggling to come up with an answer, so I'll just go with Jane and Lizzie's relationship in Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Waiting on Wednesday (32)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

The Last Boy and Girl in the World by Siobhan Vivian
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Page Length: 432 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: April 26, 2016

About The Last Boy and Girl in the World (via Goodreads):

From the critically acclaimed author of The List comes a stunning new novel about a girl who must say goodbye to everything she knows after a storm wreaks havoc on her hometown.

What if your town was sliding underwater and everyone was ordered to pack up and leave? How would you and your friends spend your last days together?

While the adults plan for the future, box up their possessions, and find new places to live, Keeley Hewitt and her friends decide to go out with a bang. There are parties in abandoned houses. Canoe races down Main Street. The goal is to make the most of every minute they still have together.

And for Keeley, that means taking one last shot at the boy she’s loved forever.

There’s a weird sort of bravery that comes from knowing there’s nothing left to lose. You might do things you normally wouldn’t. Or say things you shouldn’t. The reward almost always outweighs the risk.

Almost.

It’s the end of Aberdeen, but the beginning of Keeley’s first love story. It just might not turn out the way she thought. Because it’s not always clear what’s worth fighting for and what you should let become a memory.


A transcendent love story, as profoundly moving as it is fun. This is Siobhan Vivian's finest hour.
--Stephen Chbosky, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2016 Love-A-Thon Questionnaire

About the 2016 Love-A-Thon: "The Love-a-Thon [hosted by Alexa @Alexa Loves Books), Cee @ The Novel Hermit, Hazel @Stay Bookish, and Mel @The Daily Prophecy] is an event dedicated to spreading positivity and love. It’s time dedicated to visiting other bloggers/Instagrammers/BookTubers, leaving a comment or two, making new friends and fostering positivity among the members of our amazing community."

~QUESTIONNAIRE~

1. What’s your name? Alexandra :)
   
   
2. How did you get into blogging in the first place? I started reading book blogs about four years ago (aka I pretty much just devoured Nikki's blog, Fiction Freak), but I never truly contemplated starting a book blog until I joined the Goodreads community back in 2014. It took me a while though, and I finally made it happen after BookCon last May!
   

   
   
3. How did you come up with your blog name? Once I decided I wanted to create a blog, it took me about a week to come up with the name Literary Legionnaire. I started brainstorming and Literary Legionnaire came up because I had just finished reading An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir (I highly recommend it if you haven't read it yet!) and the book is based on the Roman empire, and since legionnaires are members of legions in the Roman army (and I've just been loving fantasy lately), Literary Legionnaire stuck out to me. (And I love alliterative names, so it all seemed to work perfectly!)
   
   
4. What genre do you read and review the most on your blog? I've definitely read and reviewed the most young adult books on my blog, especially YA fantasy, although I like a variety of different genres.
   
   
5. What other types of posts do you do on your blog, apart from reviews? I like to do a wide variety of bookish things, so I participate in some memes like Waiting on Wednesday (hosted by Breaking the Spine) and Top Ten Tuesday (hosted by The Broke and the Bookish), as well as doing the occasional haul, tag, and discussion post.
   
   
6. Best blogging experience so far? Definitely the friendships I've formed! There are so many amazing people I've met and I honestly don't know how I possibly survived without them in the past.
   
   
7. Favorite thing about the blogging community? The atmosphere! There have definitely been some problems in the community over the past few months I've been in the blogosphere, but overall everyone is usually so supportive and nice and just amazing! Everyone is also so unique and special, but we seem to respect each others' opinions and get along splendidly!
   
   
8. Name the 5 books you’re most excited for this 2016! There are so many books releasing this year that sound absolutely amazing, but I'm especially psyched for The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi, The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye, The Midnight Star by Marie Lu, The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh, and And I Darken by Kiersten White!
   
   
9. Name the 5 books you want to read this 2016 that you didn’t get to in previous years! Snow Like Ashes by Sara Raasch, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige, The Orphan Queen by Jodie Meadows, Zodiac by Romina Russell
   
   
10. What’s an underrated book or series that you think everyone should read? The Somethings Strange and Deadly trilogy by the lovely human that is Susan Dennard. I know it's been getting a lot more attention now because of Truthwitch, but I still highly highly recommend it and feel like the series is still kind of underestimated. Honestly, I normally hate zombies (and historical fiction isn't usually my cup of tea), but the trilogy is nonetheless one of my absolute favorites!
    
    
11. Which book boy or girl would be your book BFF? Shazi from The Wrath and the Dawn or Anne from Blackhearts, maybe?
    

    
    
12. Which book boy or girl would be your book boyfriend/girlfriend? Daniel Sheridan from Something Strange and Deadly or Magiano from The Rose Society. I LOVE THESE BOYS <333
    
    
13. Apart from reading, what are your other hobbies or interests? Writing, photography, film, music, dance, speech and debate, softball
    
    
14. Apart from book shopping, what else do you like shopping for? I'm obsessed with stationary and office supplies, so I love shopping for that type of stuff, but also shoes and clothes! Although I guess I don't specifically like shopping for shoes and clothes as much as I like having the new attire in my wardrobe.
    
    
15. At a party, the DJ suddenly changes the song – and it’s your song. What song would be playing? My song right now is "Alexander Hamilton" from the Hamilton musical soundtrack because I'm obsessed with all things Hamilton right now, so I doubt that would be playing at a party (but who knows!)
    
    
16. What would your dream library look like? I'd be happy with having a library the fraction of the size/beauty of pretty much any of the 49 Breathtaking Libraries From All Over the World.
    

    
    
17. Author you want to meet and sit down to tea with? Susan Dennard! I did have the amazing opportunity to meet her, but I kind of forgot to properly introduce myself and I was a complete disaster so it would be lovely to be able to properly chat with her and prove to her that I am indeed a functional human being.

Waiting on Wednesday (31)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Publication Date: May 3, 2016

About A Court of Mist and Fury (via Goodreads):

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Songs I Wish Were Books - Top Ten Tuesday #9

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is "10 songs I wish that were books." I absolutely loved this idea, and knew I had to participate this week! I basically like every genre, so this list consists of quite a few different genres.

1. "Little Talks" by Of Monsters and Men
2. "This is War" by Thirty Seconds to Mars
3. "Carousel" by Melanie Martinez
4. "Already Home" by A Great Big World
5. "Sparks Fly" by Hey Violet
6. "All of My Heart" by Sleeping with Sirens
7. "Yours Truly" by Paradise Fears
8. "I Know Places" by Taylor Swift
9. "Amnesia" by 5 Seconds of Summer
10. "Warriors" by Imagine Dragons

Extras:
- "Payphone" by Maroon 5
- "The Leaves will Change" by Take Cover
- "If You Can't Hang" by Sleeping with Sirens
- "Relapse" by Divided by Friday
- "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons
- "Wild" by Troye Sivan

The Unpopular Opinions Book Tag

Hey guys! I was recently tagged by the lovely Ranu @ The Araliya Bookshelf to do the Unpopular Opinions Book Tag!

A popular book or series you did not like?

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. It seemed a bit too hyped and there were so many overused tropes and I was not surprised at all throughout all the twists and turns of the plot. I think I'll give Glass Sword a try anyway, but I'm not loving the series so far.

A popular book series that everyone hates but you like?

The Selection by Kiera Cass. I only read the first three (the original trilogy), and I can see where people are coming from in regard to some of the problems in the book, but I still really liked the series. I may not love the series as much if I read it now, but I still think I would enjoy it.

A love triangle where you didn't like who the main characters ended up with.

The Firelight trilogy by Sophie Jordan. The Matched trilogy by Ally Condie (just assuming it remains the same since I still haven't read the final book because I was so fed up with the relationship in book 2). Maybe I just have a grudge against a lot of forbidden romance love triangles. Who knows.

A popular genre you hardly ever read.

Contemporary. I used to love love love contemporary, but lately I just have not been reading any contemporaries. At all. In all seriousness though, I've only been consuming fantasy lately, with a splash of sci-fi.

A beloved character you hate.

I know I'm not the only one, but there are quite a few people who love him, so I'm just going to say it. I HATE CHAOL WESTFALL WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING. I have this weirdly overwhelming grudge against him, okay? Don't question it.

A popular author you can't seem to get into

It's not as much I can't get into the author as much as it is I haven't had the chance to read the books since it's kind of a huge commitment. And by that, I mean Cassandra Clare books. Yes, I understand everyone loves them, and I did like the third or so of Clockwork Angel that I read several years back (before I had to put it down because I was overwhelmed with work), but since there are so many Shadowhunters books, I feel like if I start, I won't be able to stop, and I don't have the time for that right now. Also, Clockwork Angel was good, but I wasn't as intrigued and excited as I was hoping I would be.

A popular trope you're tired of reading?

LOVE TRIANGLES/POLYGONS. THEY NEED TO JUST MAKE UP THEIR MINDS ALREADY.

A popular series you have no interest in reading.

Twilight. I know some people are hardcore fans and others hate it, so I'm a tiny bit curious, but overall I don't actually have any interest in the book itself. Just the love/hate relationship with humanity it seems to possess.

A movie you liked better than the book.

Divergent. It's not that the movie was mind-blowing, but I wasn't a huge fan of the book, so the movie was more appealing to me.

Waiting on Wednesday (30)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that you are eagerly anticipating.

And I Darken by Kiersten White
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction
Page Length: 475 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: June 28, 2016

About And I Darken (via Goodreads):

NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.

Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.

But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.

This book sounds so amazing... I don't even know what else to say. The plot sounds so intense and intriguing, and this book is definitely one of my highly anticipated reads of this year! And I just found out that it's also a reimagining of Vlad the Impaler, but instead of Vlad, it's Princess Lada. Which makes the book sound even more glorious and fascinating.

Blackhearts (Review)

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Format: Hardcover (purchased)

About Blackhearts (via Goodreads):

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England?

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.

I honestly don't know where to begin. I mean, I was definitely anticipating Blackhearts, but I had no idea just how much I would fall in love with Teach and Anne's story. Blackhearts completely blew me out of the water, and hit me in the feels in so many ways. It filled my heart with so many emotions, from hope to happiness to shock to anger to heartbreak and everything in between. It was definitely a whirlwind of a story, and I loved every second of it.

Most of the secondary characters were horrible people. There was little to love about them, since they were quite pretentious and haughty, but they definitely provided amusement and left me making unintelligible noises from the pure shock of their actions. They definitely provided a great contrast to characters, and made me root for Anne and Teach so much more.

Anne was such a strong female character, despite all the horrible atrocities she seemed to face. Her snark and wit were so refreshing, and even though she made some mistakes, she was a respectable and intriguing character. I admired her determination and unwillingness to allow others to treat her badly based on her gender and ethnic background, and her drive to be free and happy. I also loved seeing Teach embrace change and fight back against his father and society's expectations of him. Towards the beginning, he was a bit annoying and cold, but he quickly became a passionate character who fought for himself and what he believed in.

When you put Anne and Teach together, sparks flew. At first their personalities clashed due to all they had in common (and their banter was hilarious), but they slowly became accustomed to each others' presence and their interactions were precious. It took a long time for their relationship to develop, but once it did, I was squealing in delight. They had their differences, naturally, but their chemistry was incredible nonetheless. Somehow they were still just so perfect together and I SHIP THEM SO HARD.

Now let's talk about the plot. There were a few times where the plot lulled, but I loved all the characters, the writing, and the overall story so much that I couldn't stop reading, even during those parts. I JUST NEEDED TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED NEXT. I WAS SO HOOKED ON THIS BOOK. (I mean, I did devour it in less than 24 hours, and if that doesn't prove anything, I don't know what will.)

All in all, I absolutely adored Blackhearts, and hope everyone will give Nicole Castroman's stunning debut a try. I have never been much of a historical fiction fan, but Teach and Anne's story enchanted me from beginning to end, and Blackhearts has definitely become one of my favorite books.

✪✪✪✪✪

“Are Epilogues Necessary?” and the “Cookie-Cutter Epilogue”

Have you ever found yourself loving a book and thinking the last chapter ends with a bang, only to find out that there's still an epilogue to read? And then you read the epilogue and that high-impact ending is no more? I know I have. So I'd like to talk about epilogues today. Especially what I like to call the "cookie-cutter epilogue".

The cookie-cutter epilogue is commonly seen in the final installment of a trilogy or series as means to wrap everything up. It usually jumps ahead by __x__ amount of time and dive into the lives of our beloved characters in the near future, skipping ahead to move past the problems the characters still have to face after they've finally won whatever battle they've been fighting for so long.

I suppose epilogues are a nice way to say that all is well with the characters, but sometimes I find that they take away from the story, and I know I'm not the only one.

To elaborate on my previous point, epilogues far too often wrap up with the main character happily married with child and everything being rebuilt, yada yada happily ever after. The end. Don't get me wrong, I'm usually glad that my favorite characters are safe and sound, but so many stories seems to end in the same exact way. It gets so bland.

I personally don't want to sit through more books just about the reconstruction of the kingdom or whatever after the war is over, but I find it is kind of obvious that the changes will need to be made and they do not need to necessarily include it in the story as the closing thought. I understand all stories can't end with "And they looked off into the distance and saw all the rubble of the battle, but instead of feeling despair, were filled with hope for the future" or something more eloquent but along that same wavelength, but it's also kind of frustrating when so many epilogues have the same exact end.

Yes, everyone deserve to be happy, but does every book have to end on a high note? What's wrong with not having a perfect ending?

The main reason why I assume epilogues exist is because we as readers want closure. Often, the last chapter has a strong impact on us, but they are often open-ended. Do we really need the closure of epilogues to be satisfied? Is there anything wrong with having an ambiguous ending? Can there be a happy medium?

Or here's another question: can we have endings without epilogues? Last chapters are always unique to the arc of a particular story. Although they can be open-ended, having slightly ambiguous endings does not bother me. I hate cliffhangers, but I don't mind vague endings if it means having a special ending solely for my favorite characters, rather than sharing the same fate as many other book characters out there. Not having epilogues will limit the cliche endings I dread. But will something be missing from the story without them?