Waiting on Wednesday (47)

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

Blacksouls by Nicole Castroman
Series: Blackhearts #2
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: Spring 2017

About Blacksouls (via this USA Today article):

Nicole Castroman brings the dangerous pirate ports of the Caribbean to life in this vibrant sequel to Blackhearts — the reimagined origin story of history’s most infamous pirate, Blackbeard.

Edward “Teach” Drummond is setting sail to the Caribbean as first mate on the most celebrated merchant ship in the British fleet —u ntil he rebels against his captain. Sailing on the same blue waters, Anne barely makes it to Nassau, where she hopes to learn more about her ancestry. What she doesn’t expect is a port filled with lawless criminals and danger lurking around every corner.

More about Blacksouls (as explained by Nicole Castroman in the USA Today article mentioned above):

"There will be battles at sea, storms and sword fights. Nassau in the late 17th century was a lawless place, a budding pirate stronghold. Its shallow waters and natural harbors created a safe haven from British man-o-wars and Spanish galleons. It was ideally located near the busy merchant shipping lanes and provided easy access to hordes of lightly defended merchant ships. To sum up Blacksouls, it will be much more swashbuckling than the first book. Anne and Teach will still have their swoon worthy moments, but with threats and danger around every corner, their lives are about to get decidedly more complicated."

Wherein I Attempt to Explain the Significance of Secondary Characters

Secondary characters. We don't seem to notice them much, unless they're so horribly written that we want to scream. Or maybe that's just me. What I'm trying to get at, however, is that I always seem to underestimate the power of a good secondary character. At least the "good" (in the sense of good vs. evil ones), anyway. I can always appreciate a well-written villain, no matter how much page-time they get, but I always seem to overlook other developed secondary characters in books.

Of course the development of the main characters is more critical in a story than the development of the secondary characters, but secondary characters are still important to the overall flow and plot of the story nonetheless. Because the thing is, no matter how minor a character is, they need to have depth: I don't want minor characters to be clones of each other or have no personality. That would defeat the purpose of having secondary characters. They need to have a guiding role, whether it be to disrupt the main character's path, to be the support system for other characters, provide a different outlook on the story, or something else entirely.

I noticed recently, however, that if the main characters aren't the best, I do start to pay more attention to the secondary characters. Obviously I want all characters (major or minor) to be significant, diverse, and three-dimensional, but I often struggle to recognize the lesser ones when the main characters overpower them.

If you've been on Literary Legionnaire recently, you may have read my review of a book that didn't have the most interesting protagonist out there. However, I still loved the story because it had so many incredibly unique secondary characters that really made the story special. Without these secondary characters, although the plot was interesting in and of itself, I definitely would not have enjoyed the book as much as I did. In this case, the secondary characters really made the story for me.

So, what do you all think? Do we underestimate the power of secondary characters?

June TBR

Now that summer's nearly here, I'm really excited to catch up on some reading! Here's what I'm planning on reading this June :)

1. Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin ✓
2. For the Record by Charlotte Huang ✓
2. Carry On by Rainbow Rowell
3. How to Hang a Witch by Adriana Mather
4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
5. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor
6. Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor
7. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst
8. The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

What are your reading plans this June?

June SST: Excerpt of All the Feels (+ GIVEAWAY!)

All the Feels by Danika Stone
Genre: Young Adult/Contemporary
Publication Date: June 7, 2016

About All the Feels (via Goodreads):

College freshman Liv is more than just a fangirl: The Starveil movies are her life… So, when her favorite character, Captain Matt Spartan, is killed off at the end of the last movie, Liv Just. Can’t. Deal.

Tired of sitting in her room sobbing, Liv decides to launch an online campaign to bring her beloved hero back to life. With the help of her best friend, Xander, actor and steampunk cosplayer extraordinaire, she creates #SpartanSurvived, a campaign to ignite the fandom. But as her online life succeeds beyond her wildest dreams, Liv is forced to balance that with the pressures of school, her mother’s disapproval, and her (mostly nonexistent and entirely traumatic) romantic life. A trip to DragonCon with Xander might be exactly what she needs to figure out what she really wants.

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EXCERPT

Xander was waiting outside Cup O' Joe when Liv arrived. Icy fingers of wind dug under her coat as she trudged up the street, whereas Xander, with his long wool cloak and knee-high riding boots, was much better dressed for the weather. 

Catching sight of her, he waved his walking stick. "Liv! Over here, dearest!" (As if she'd assume the Jonathan Harker lookalike was anyone but him.) Dracula was set nowhere near Boulder, she thought, but she'd be willing to bet she could match it for mood. 

"I thought you would've grabbed us a table," Liv said, her breath clouding the frosty air. "It's freezing out." 

Snow swirled around the streetlights, catching on Xander's hair and peppering his top hat, giving the scene a postcard appeal.

"Joe's is packed," he said. "I tried, believe me. We'll have to-" Xander's dashing grin back-flipped into a look of concern as he caught sight of her face. "Christ, Liv, you look terrible!" he said, giving her a once over. "Whatever happened?"

Liv burrowed her nose into her scarf. "Nice to see you too, Xander." 

"I'm sorry for saying so, but you really do look dreadful."

"That is not an apology." She glowered at him. "You are a terrible best friend."

Xander groaned. "Oh come now, Liv. You know what I mean."

"I don't."

He waved a hand toward her mismatched ensemble. "Your hair isn't washed, your clothes are wrinkled, your shoes-"

"Not all of us live in a state of constant cosplay," Liv interrupted. Her voice dropped. "Or perfection," she muttered, thinking of Arden's long blond hair, pert body, and designer clothes.

Xander's gloved hand brushed her elbow and he gave her a gentle smile. "But you don't look like you, dearest, and that worries me."

Liv knew it was true, because his words were growing into that strange hybrid of modern American and fake British upper-crust. The first week of classes, Xander had gotten into an argument with their professor in the middle of class, and that same BBC-approved accent had come through. He was concerned.

Liv glanced over his shoulder to the window of Cup O' Joe. Xander was right. Every seat was taken. "So where do you want to go?" she sighed. "Cause I'm turning into a popsicle out here."

"Is Mickey Dee's to your liking, m'lady?"

"Perfect." 

"Then your carriage awaits." He did a half-bow, waiting for Liv to pass in front of him. "Just give me a minute to text Arden."

Liv headed down the street, snow crunching beneath her boots. She was annoyed again, and she couldn't explain why. She waited next to his car - a rusting orange Mazda - until Xander caught up. 

"So what's going on?" he asked. "You've been radio silent for days. I thought you'd joined a nunnery or something."

"I'm actually doing a little better. That's why I'm here."

"Oh?"

"I have an idea, but I'm going to need your help."

Xander unlocked the car door, and pulled it open with a flourish, his cape swinging wide. "You know I could never deny a damsel in distress."

Liv bit the inside of her lip to keep from grinning. "Am that what I am to you?"

"Not saying I mind. It lets me play hero." He winked. "So what's this idea of yours?"

Liv settled inside the car and smiled up at him.

"I'm bringing Spartan back from the dead."

About the Author:

Danika Stone is an author, artist, and educator who discovered a passion for writing fiction while in the throes of her Masters thesis. A self-declared bibliophile, Danika now writes novels for both adults (The Intaglio Series and Ctrl Z) and teens (All the Feels). When not writing, Danika can be found hiking in the Rockies, planning grand adventures, and spending far too much time online. She lives with her husband, three sons, and a houseful of imaginary characters in a windy corner of Alberta, Canada.

Ms. Stone is represented by Morty Mint of Mint Literary Agency.

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The Girl from Everywhere (Review)

The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
Series: The Girl from Everywhere #1
Genre: Young Adult/Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Time Travel
Page Length: 464 pages
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Greenwillow Books

About The Girl from Everywhere (via Goodreads):

Nix has spent her entire life aboard her father’s ship, sailing across the centuries, across the world, across myth and imagination.

As long as her father has a map for it, he can sail to any time, any place, real or imagined: nineteenth-century China, the land from One Thousand and One Nights, a mythic version of Africa. Along the way they have found crewmates and friends, and even a disarming thief who could come to mean much more to Nix.

But the end to it all looms closer every day.

Her father is obsessed with obtaining the one map, 1868 Honolulu, that could take him back to his lost love, Nix’s mother. Even though getting it—and going there—could erase Nix’s very existence.

For the first time, Nix is entering unknown waters.

She could find herself, find her family, find her own fantastical ability, her own epic love.

Or she could disappear.

The Girl from Everywhere was one of my most anticipated reads for this year, and while I was absolutely obsessed with the story and the characters (and the family dynamics!), the book didn’t meet all my expectations.

The plot lulled a few times, but I overall loved the story. The different voyages through time that the crew went on were so entrancing and fascinating—I was completely captivated by their visits to historical places both real and mythical, and I loved the concept of the magic of Navigation. However, when the process was initially explained, and they went through their first Navigation in the story, I had absolutely no clue what was going on. I knew the vague idea of what they were doing, but Heilig tried to explain it in more detail and the explanation was lost to me. Later, I eventually caught on but for a while I was still pondering what exactly had happened in that scene. Maybe that’s just me being dense, but it still bothers me that I didn’t know what was going on.

Thinking about it now, I barely even remember what Nix was like. I didn’t mind reading from her perspective, and I did understand her feelings and felt bad for her in regard to her relationship with her father, but something about her didn’t completely seem real. It’s hard to explain, but I didn’t feel as connected to her as I hoped. I feel like her character was more rooted in her relationship with other people than with herself. And not to go off on a tangent, but I’ve written a whole essay on this before and it’s important to balance one’s relationship with oneself with one’s relationship with his or her community. And I know that Nix was struggling with this balance, as she needed to decide whether she wants to go off on her own or stay with the people she knows and loves, but at the same time I couldn’t actually imagine her making that decision since she was so sheltered and didn’t really know anything else. I mean, I suppose it’s hard because she’s cooped up on a boat most of the time, but it irritated me that she didn’t stand up for herself as much as she could have. And even when she did, she was usually rash and insensible. Now don’t get me wrong, as much as I’ve been complaining, I didn’t hate Nix. I just wish she’d been written better.

However, I loved the rest of the cast of characters. They were so diverse and unique, and they really helped guide Nix throughout the story, even when she didn’t deserve the help or love she was getting. They were all flawed and in many ways broken, but that just made them all the more real. I felt connected to and intrigued by them more than I could have ever been by Nix. They had pasts, stories untold that I was dying to learn more about. Nix, not that it was her fault, only had the ship, the mystery of her mother, the pressure of her father, and her wish to be independent dragging her through her life.

I know the story wasn’t meant to be focused heavily on the romance, but I wasn’t exactly impressed with the little romance the story did have. Or at least the parts with Blake (Kash is a completely different story *swoons*). There was so so so much instalove between Nix and Blake, and I hated it so much. I understand why they both may have been intrigued by each other, but just NO. I mean, I might be biased since I’m Team Kashmir, but they just seemed so wrong together. Their whirlwind of a romance was new and exciting for them both, but I just cringed the whole way through.

Blake was a helpful character, but he just doesn’t understand Nix in the way that Kash does. And I feel like he barely got to know her, whereas Kash has known Nix forever. I loved the witty banter between Kash and Nix, and his loyalty to her through thick and thin. Even though they both make mistakes, Kash did have Nix’s best interest at heart, and both characters complement each other so well.

Now for family relations. I’m really glad that there was a family, since so often these days in young adult novels, there aren’t. Or they’re bad. And I know Slate is definitely not the greatest parent out there, and he was quite selfish and overbearing and demanding, he had good intentions. His character was fascinating, and I wish I knew more about him, pre-Nix. My main problem with him, however, was that although he discovered a lot on his journeys, it took him way too long to realize some of the most important things. And when he finally did, his problems seem to be resolved much too fast.

The pacing overall was a bit off, and the character development and world-building was a bit rickety, but overall the concept and storyline were fabulous. Even though I talked mostly about the flaws, the story was an extremely enjoyable and quick read with an engaging and heartfelt storyline.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

April + May Wrap-Up

Since I was on a reading/blogging hiatus for the past few weeks, not much happened, but here's a quick recap of the few things that did go on in April and May!

What I Read:
1. The Rose & the Dagger by Renée Ahdieh (4.5 stars)
2. The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner (4.5 stars)
3. The Girl from Everywhere by Heidi Heilig (3.5 stars)
4. Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor (5 stars)

Keep an eye out for my reviews of TGFE and DOSAB within the next few weeks!

What I'm Currently Reading:
1. The Neverland Wars by Audrey Greathouse
2. Of Fire and Stars by Audrey Coulthurst

What I Posted:
DISCUSSIONS | In Which I Start to Ramble about the Complexity of Rating Systems | Why It's Okay to Give High Ratings | Is There a Perfect Time to Rate a Book?

I also posted a discussion about review style on Nori's blog, ReadWriteLove28. If you're interested, you can check out that post here :)

REVIEWS | The Rose & the Dagger | A Darker Shade of Magic

GUEST POSTS | Jess from Princessica of Books | Maha from Younicorn Reads |  J.A. George, author of GIFTED

EVENTS | Fantastic Reads Event Recap

Waiting on Wednesday (46)

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

Nevernight by Jay Kristoff
Series: The Nevernight Chronicle #1
Genre: Fantasy
Page Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Publication Date: August 9, 2016

About Nevernight (via Goodreads):

The first in a new fantasy series from the New York Times bestselling author.

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father's failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she wanders a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and its thugs. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the hearth of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. Treachery and trials await her with the Church’s halls, and to fail is to die. But if she survives to initiation, Mia will be inducted among the chosen of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the only thing she desires.

Revenge.