Happy Saturday, everyone! We’ve reached the end of another week. Today I’m going to, once again, wrap up my week, including notes about my personal life, blog posts/book reviews, reading updates, book acquisitions (if any), and comic book acquisitions and reading progress.
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First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
“Two months after the Ronin arrived on the Outer Rim world of Genbara, he ran out of credits. This concerned him less than it did B5-56, who took every opportunity to scold.
“Look at it this way,” he told his trundling companion. “No need to worry about where we’ll sleep.””
Do you know which book this is from? Scroll down to find out!
Title: Star Wars: Visions: Ronin
Author: Emma Mieko Candon
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
A mysterious former Sith wanders the galaxy in this stunning Star Wars tale, an original novel inspired by the world of The Duel from the Star Wars Visions animated anthology.
The Jedi are the most loyal servants of the Empire.
Two decades ago, Jedi clans clashed in service to feuding lords. Sickened by this endless cycle, a sect of Jedi rebelled, seeking to control their own destiny and claim power in service of no master. They called themselves Sith.
The Sith rebellion failed, succumbing to infighting and betrayal, and the once rival lords unified to create an Empire . . . but even an Empire at peace is not free from violence.
Far on the edge of the Outer Rim, one former Sith wanders, accompanied only by a faithful droid and the ghost of a less civilized age. He carries a lightsaber, but claims lineage to no Jedi clan, and pledges allegiance to no lord. Little is known about him, including his name, for he never speaks of his past, nor his regrets. His history is as guarded as the red blade of destruction he carries sheathed at his side.
As the galaxy’s perpetual cycle of violence continues to interrupt his self-imposed exile, and he is forced to duel an enigmatic bandit claiming the title of Sith, it becomes clear that no amount of wandering will ever let him outpace the specters of his former life.
I’m really excited about this book. I loved the short from Star Wars Visions that this book is based on, and I’m looking forward to seeing that world expanded upon here. It doesn’t seem connected to the known Star Wars universe, but it still seems so cool. I’m very happy to be starting it today and am looking forward to further exploring this character and world that were introduced so beautifully in the show.
Does this book sound like something you would like? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!
I apologize in advance for the rambling mess this post is likely to be, but I was too excited to not write about this. The news was announced a few days ago that the new Superman, Jon Kent, is bisexual. He is the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane, and, for the time being at least, has taken on the Superman mantle while his father is away. If interested, you can find out more about this new comic and the news about Jon Kent here.
It is hard to put into words exactly what this means to me. I’ve adored Superman since I was a small child, and he, along with Spider-Man, have been my favorite superheroes for as long as I can remember. I think I’ve mentioned this before in other posts, but I don’t remember seeing any representation for bi+ people while growing up, at least not positive representation. Queer people in general, and especially bi+ men, were either absent completely or vilified in almost every medium. Now that I read quite a bit of stories involving bi+ men, I’ve often wondered how different my life would have been to see positive representation such as this from an early age. I grew up thinking I was unnatural and broken in some way for being different and hated myself for it for a long time. If I had seen or read something like this comic as a child or teenager, I truly think it would have made a world of difference in how I perceived myself. I could see my younger self thinking if Clark Kent’s son is bi, that must mean it’s not an awful thing to be. The power in that realization is huge, and I’m excited that the young people of today will have a completely different, and hopefully better, experience than I did, thanks in large part to representation like the character of Jon Kent.
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Hello everyone! Today’s post is another Top 5 Tuesday! The prompt for today is the top 5 books that did scare you. This is a tough one for me because I’ve not really come across any books that scare me, per se. I tend to avoid horror stuff for the most part because it’s not really my cup of tea. However, I have read some books that gave me serious spooky and/or creepy vibes or had concepts/ideas that kind of made me worried. So, that is what I will be including in this list. Check out my top 5 list below, in no particular order! Top 5 Tuesday was created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted at Meeghan Reads!
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A former yakuza legend leaves it all behind to become your everyday househusband. But it’s not easy to walk away from the gangster life, and what should be mundane household tasks are anything but!
The legendary yakuza “the Immortal Dragon” has washed his hands of the gangster life for something far more dangerous—becoming a househusband! Cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, cooking… These days he’s doing everything he can to succeed as man of the house, if it doesn’t kill him first! The cozy yakuza comedy continues!
I really enjoyed this volume. I thought it was funnier than the first and laughed out loud many times as I read through it. He experienced so many things in this volume that I related to. He acquired too much stuff because of his hobbies (LEGO and books for me 😊), joined a workout class to try to stay in shape, tackled the tough job of getting stains out of clothes, and had an impromptu visit from the in-laws. Although, he’s much better than I am because he actually agreed to sell some of his stuff. He also experienced many adventures related to his past on the streets, which led to some pretty funny misunderstandings with the cops and a cook off with a formal gang rival. I absolutely adored the short story at the end about the cat, who goes to poop in someone else’s yard but gets caught. Overall, this was a volume that shouldn’t be missed due to the hilarious hijinks. So, I rate the book 5 out of 5 stars.
The electrifying first novel of an all-new fantasy series from the legendary author behind the Shannara saga, about a human girl struggling to find her place in a magical world she’s never known.
At nineteen, Auris Afton Grieg has led an . . . unusual life. Since the age of fifteen, she has been trapped in a sinister prison. Why? She does not know. She has no memories of her past beyond the vaguest of impressions. All she knows is that she is about to age out of the children’s prison, and rumors say that the adult version is far, far worse. So she and some friends stage a desperate escape into the surrounding wastelands. And it is here that Auris’s journey of discovery begins, for she is rescued by a handsome yet alien stranger. Harrow claims to be Fae—a member of a magical race that Auris had thought to be no more than legend. Odder still, he seems to think that she is one as well, although the two look nothing alike. But strangest of all, when he brings her to his wondrous homeland, she begins to suspect that he is right. Yet how could a woman who looks entirely human be a magical being herself?
Told with a fresh, energetic voice, this fantasy puzzle box is perfect for fans of Terry Brooks and new readers alike, as one young woman slowly unlocks truths about herself and her world—and, in doing so, begins to heal both.
***Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
I’ve had the Shannara books on my TBR for a while because I know a lot of people like them. So, when I saw that the first of a new Terry Brooks series was available on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to be introduced to his writing. Now I kind of wish I didn’t. This book wasn’t awful, but it wasn’t great either. The writing and story idea were okay, but the weird pacing and mind-numbing amount of exposition killed a lot of the enjoyment I could have had reading this book. The stiff dialogue also left the characters feeling a bit flat.
The beginning of the book started out with a bang, and it sucked me in immediately. Auris was mysterious and needed to escape a goblin prison. The tension was high, and there was tons of action. Then the pace completely halted upon her rescue, and, for the rest of the first half of the book, she sat in the faerie city having conversations and training. For the second half of the book, she and her new friends bounced in and out of several high risk situations so often, and quickly, I should have gotten whiplash. It all felt incredibly rushed. Ultimately, the pacing was all over the place, and it made the book difficult to love.
The world-building was one of the most interesting things about this book. The fae world that Brooks built was fascinating, and the magic the fae wielded was fun to learn about. I would have loved to get more information about the world in this book, especially the complex relationship between the fae, goblins, and humans. The fae vs. human setup was a great way to explore the theme of industrialization vs. a more natural way of life that respects the land, and I enjoyed the peek of it that was provided in the book. There were also slight glimpses of the history of this world and the politics of the fae, which were all intriguing to see.
I didn’t really connect with any of the characters in this book, as they all felt a bit flat to me. Auris was mysterious at first, and I did enjoy her journey and inner thoughts related to finding her identity, family, and a place to belong. However, I found her to become almost insufferable as the story continued. She mysteriously knew how to use every weapon available, which was never explained. She also learned how to use magic in ONE day. Despite all her strengths and all of the horrible things going on around her, the only thing she could focus on was Harrow, and she pined over him almost instantly. Their relationship was annoying to read because most of the drama could have been resolved by the two of them talking to each other. I also don’t understand what she saw in him other than being enamored because he rescued her. For most of the book, all he did was talk about fae society/history while training her, and he exuded the personality of a wet paper bag.
Ancrow seriously annoyed me in this book, but I also liked some aspects of her characterization. She was an interesting example of how past experiences, especially traumatic ones, with a group of people can leave a person extremely prejudiced against everyone in that group. It explored the question of whether that person’s prejudicial actions are justified/understandable given their circumstances and underscored the importance of context in understanding any individual’s actions. This character’s lies, though, got tedious and annoying as the book progressed, especially since the logic behind the lies made absolutely no sense. My favorite characters of the book were Ancrow’s daughters. They were a breath of fresh air amongst the angst, and I smiled every time they appeared.
Overall, I enjoyed the exploration of the themes of identity and family in this book, as well as the world the author created. However, I didn’t really connect with the characters and found the pacing, dialogue, and character relationships to be lacking. Therefore, I rate this book 3 out of 5 stars. I don’t think I’ll be continuing the series, and I’m pretty sure it will be quite some time before I read the Shannara series, as well.
Happy Saturday, everyone! I hope the weekend is off to a great start for you all. Today I’ll be doing something a little different than the last 25 Saturdays because I will not be doing the Stacking the Shelves meme. I’m on a book buying ban this month. So, I (hopefully) won’t be picking up enough books to center an entire post around my acquisitions. Instead, I’m going to wrap up my week, including notes about my personal life, blog posts/book reviews, reading updates, book acquisitions (if any), and comic book acquisitions and reading progress.
Read More »First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Fifth century Britain is a country of chaos and division after the Roman withdrawal. This is the world of young Merlin, the illegitimate child of a South Wales princess who will not reveal to her son his father’s true identity. Yet Merlin is an extraordinary child, aware at the earliest age that he possesses a great natural gift – the Sight. Against a background of invasion and imprisonment, wars and conquest, Merlin emerges into manhood, and accepts his dramatic role in the New Beginning – the coming of King Arthur.
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