Book Review: Stealing Snow by Danielle Paige

 

Title: Stealing Snow

Author: Danielle Paige

Release Date: 20 September 2016

Page Amount: 375 pages

 

GoodReads

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Blurb:

From Danielle Paige, the New York Times bestselling author of Dorothy Must Die, comes a re-imagining of "The Snow Queen" fairy tale.

Seventeen-year-old Snow has spent the majority of her life within the walls of the Whittaker Institute, a high security mental hospital in upstate New York. Deep down, she knows she's not crazy and doesn't belong there. When she meets a mysterious, handsome new orderly and dreams about a strange twisted tree she realizes she must escape and figure out who she really is.

Using her trusting friend Bale as a distraction, Snow breaks free and races into the nearby woods. Suddenly, everything isn't what it seems, the line between reality and fantasy begins to blur, and she finds herself in icy Algid--her true home--with witches, thieves, and a strangely alluring boy named Kai, none of whom she's sure she can trust. As secret after secret is revealed, Snow discovers that she is on the run from a royal lineage she's destined to inherit, a father more powerful and ruthless than she could have imagined, and choices of the heart that could change the fate of everything . . . including Snow's return to the world she once knew.

This breathtaking first volume begins the story of how Snow becomes a villain, a queen, and ultimately a hero.

Review:

I really want to like every book I read, but that just doesn't happen. This was one of those books. I also really wanted to like it (or love it) because it says it is a retelling of "The Snow Queen", which is my favorite fairytale. 

I think there were cliches of mental illness in here, for sure. I felt like Snow was too immature for me, and it read a bit too young for me, Snow seemed to get control of her powers far too quickly, and she did not seem to question much, either, And of course, there is the love quandrangle. Which was too much for me. I also did not recognize much of "The Snow Queen" in here. There was a little bit, maybe, but not much. And there was some parts that could have been interesting, but just did not get there for me. I did like Gird, though. 

One thing that does frustrate me about some of the reviews I saw is that they saw it was not like "Snow White" or that they didn't realize it was based on "The Snow Queen". I may not have liked the book, but the blurb does clearly say it is a retelling of "The Snow Queen", even if I feel it barely is. (I checked the online blurb and it was right on the flap of the hardcover. I don't know about the paperback, or if there was a paperback edition. Maybe some did not say it? I don't know...)

Unfortunately, this was not for me at all. 

2 quills

Book Review: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

 

 

Title: The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Author: Alix E. Harrow

Release Date: 10 September 2019

Page Amount: 374 pages

 

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Blurb:

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER Finalist for the 2020 Hugo, Nebula, Locus, and World Fantasy Awards.

In the early 1900s, a young woman embarks on a fantastical journey of self-discovery after finding a mysterious book in this captivating and lyrical debut.

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

Lush and richly imagined, a tale of impossible journeys, unforgettable love, and the enduring power of stories awaits in Alix E. Harrow's spellbinding debut--step inside and discover its magic. 

Review:

This was so good. I am so glad that I read this. I think it was easily earn a place in my top ten books of the year. I love the concept of this. Some of it was hard to read (as in the content, not the quality of the writing.) But it was so worth it. There was some social commentary on history, as well. The Doors were so cool to read about it. I like January, Jane, and Samuel. I was surprised a few times, too. The writing was absolutely beautiful. I loved it. I would highly recommend it!! 

5 quills 

Book Review: Batman Year One by Frank Miller with David Mazzuchelli

 

Title: Batman: Year One

Author: Frank Miller with David Mazzucchelli (Illustrator), Richmond Lewis (Illustrator)

Release Date: 

Series: Batman (1940) #404-407

Page Amount: 144 pages

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Blurb:

In 1986, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli produced this groundbreaking reinterpretation of the origin of Batman--who he is, and how he came to be. Sometimes careless and naive, this Dark Knight is far from the flawless vigilante he is today. 

In his first year on the job, Batman feels his way around a Gotham City far darker than the one he left. His solemn vow to extinguish the town's criminal element is only half the battle; along with Lieutenant James Gordon, the Dark Knight must also fight a police force more corrupt than the scum in the streets. 

Batman: Year One stands next to Batman: The Dark Knight Returns on the mantle of greatest Batman graphic novels of all time. Timeless in its appeal, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's masterpiece would stand apart from the crowded comics field even today. 

This edition includes the complete graphic novel, a new introduction by writer Frank Miller and a new illustrated afterword by artist David Mazzucchelli. Completing this collection are over 40 pages of never-before-seen developmental material such as character and layout sketches, sample script pages, sketches, and more that pro-vide a glimpse into the making of this contemporary classic. 

This volume collects Batman #404-407.

Review:

I stumbled upon this at my library and knew it was a well known Batman story. I also know that Frank Miller is very well known in the comic book world. I decided to pick it up. 

It was more internal monologue than I thought it would be. Also, I feel like it was more focused on James Gordon than Bruce Wayne/Batman. Which is fine, I like James Gordon, just not what I was expecting. And I found his story interesting to read about. It did indeed go through and chronicle the first year of Batman.  

The art was great. There were some very cool behind-the-scenes bits in the back of the book with some good insight that I enjoyed seeing. There were also references to things I know from the Dark Knight trilogy (well, obviously that came after this...) which was cool to see. And a couple of references to another DC character which were exciting to me. 

4 quills

Book Review: Blue Horses by Mary Oliver

 

 

Title: Blue Horses

Author: Mary Oliver 

Release Date: October 14, 2014

Page Amount: 96 pages 

GoodReads 

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Blurb:

In this stunning collection of new poems, Mary Oliver returns to the imagery that has defined her life's work, describing with wonder both the everyday and the unaffected beauty of nature.

Herons, sparrows, owls, and kingfishers flit across the page in meditations on love, artistry, and impermanence. Whether considering a bird's nest, the seeming patience of oak trees, or the artworks of Franz Marc, Oliver reminds us of the transformative power of attention and how much can be contained within the smallest moments.

At its heart, Blue Horses asks what it means to truly belong to this world, to live in it attuned to all its changes. Humorous, gentle, and always honest, Oliver is a visionary of the natural world.

Review:

I picked this up because I knew I just had to read a Mary Oliver collection. She is such a celebrated modern poet and I adore poetry. There were two at my library and I picked this one up first. 

I enjoyed this collection. I also listened to the audiobook for some of the poems and enjoyed the narration. 

I wasn't expecting this collection to also be funny in some places, but I liked it. I particularly enjoyed all of the depictions of nature. The imagery was lovely, and you felt the tribute to the natural world throughout. 

4 quills

Book Review: 2am Thoughts by Makenzie Cambell

Title: 2am Thoughts

Author: Makenzie Campbell

Release Date: 2019

Page Amount: 152 pages  

GoodReads 

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Blurb:

You are holding my heart in your hands. My emotions have bled out on each and every page with the ink of my pen. Your eyes will discover my soul. Your fingers casually flipping through my mind. I hope you find each delicate word as captivating as the stars. And I hope a piece of you feels the things I felt when creating this art. - 2:00 am This modern poetry book is an exploration of love, heartache, relationships, loss, finding one's self, and learning to love the life you've been given. 2am Thoughts is a poetry book similar to some titles such as milk and honey by Rupi Kaur and Buried Light by Beau Taplin.

Review:

I found this at a library book sale. There was a Bob Ross bookmark in it. I love Bob Ross, so I took it as a sign to pick this up. 

I also tabbed a fair amount of poems in this collection. It seems very relatable for someone who has just gone through a break up, particularly younger audiences - in their late teens and twenties, for instance. I liked the poems (some stood out more than others, of course), and the way the book was split up into sections. It was also interesting how each poem had a time under it - it made it a bit like reading a diary, and it helped in seeing the progression of the poems and person writing them.

3.75 quills

Book Review: She Followed the Moon Back to Herself by Amanda Lovelace

 

Title: She followed the moon back to herself

Author: Amanda Lovelace

Release Date: 29 October 2024

Page Amount: 208 pages

 

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Blurb:

the tenth poetry collection from amanda lovelace deviates from the well-worn path of fairy tales & myths, instead bringing readers face to face with the person behind the poems that have made her beloved.

from bestselling poetess amanda lovelace comes she followed the moon back to herself, an autobiographical standalone poetry collection that follows a woman who—through heartbreak, bottles of rosé, & the general messiness of life—felt like she completely lost who she was. each bitesize poem shines a light on where she’s been & how she’s managed to overcome it all, offering a dose of hope & moondust to all who join her on the journey back to herself.

Review:

As usual, I really enjoy Amanda Lovelace's poetry. I marked a lot of poems in this one (again, as usual.) One in particular stood out to me and definitely reminded me of myself. I found this collection inspiring, hopeful, reflective, and even a bit whimsical at times. I would definitely recommend it. A good start to getting into poetry, as well. 

4.75 quills

Book Review: Torchwood Vol. 1: World Without End by Carol Barrowman and John Barrowman with Antonio Fuso (Illustrator)

 

 

Title: Torchwood Vol. 1: World Without End

Series: Torchwood Comics #1

Author: Carol Barrowman and John Barrowman with Antonio Fuso (Illustrator)

Release Date: May 9th, 2017

Page Amount: 112 pages, paperback

 

GoodReads 

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Blurb:

The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.

Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. A spin-off from the 2005 revival of long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who, Torchwood aired four series between 2006 and 2011. In contrast to Doctor Who, whose target audience includes both adults and children, Torchwood is aimed at an older audience

Review:

I found this at a library book sale. I was actually kind of surprised there were Torchwoood comics (though I probably shouldn't have been.) This was a quick, fun read. The illustrations were very good. The ones of Jack in particular were great. He was instantly recognizable as Captain Jack Harkness. (I'm sure that his iconic coat helped.) Jack and Gwen have such a...strange relationship, but I love seeing them interact. The story was good. Very Torchwood. I like Torchwood at lot, particularly season three. Anyway, the Doctor Who references throughout were great!! And they happened to be referencing one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes. I think Torchwood fans would like this. I had a good time reading it. 

3.5 quills

Book Review: To Drink Coffee with a Ghost by Amanda Lovelace

 

Title: To Drink Coffee with a Ghost

Series: Things That H(a)unt #2

Author: Amanda Lovelace

Release Date: September 17th, 2019

Page Amount: 160 pages, Hardcover

 

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GoodReads Blurb:

"You cannot have a funeral for your mother without also having a funeral for yourself."  This book poses the ever-lingering question: What happens when someone dies before they're able to redeem themselves?

From the bestselling & award-winning poetess, amanda lovelace, comes the finale of her illustrated duology, "things that h(a)unt." In the first installment, to make monsters out of girls,  lovelace explored the memory of being in a toxic romantic relationship. In to drink coffee with a ghost, lovelace unravels the memory of the complicated relationship she had with her now-deceased mother.

Review:

I read this book for the first time in 2020/2021. I loved and gave it five stars then, and I gave it five stars this time. I saw it on my shelf and just had the urge to pick it up again, so I did. I had post-it tabs in it from the last time I read it, and I used a different color to mark poems in it this time. It was interesting to see which poems I marked this time; which ones were the same and which ones were different. I'm glad I re-read this and I will keep this one for a long time. I am a big fan of Amanda Lovelace. Her poetry is very simple but effective. I love all types of poetry, and I think Amanda Lovelace could be a good entry point if you are intimidated by poetry. 

5 quills

Things I Want to do More of in 2025

I already did a post on here about my Five Goals for 2025 (you can click that to read that post), but I have a list of things I want to do more of in 2025. Or things I want to do in 2025, even if it is just once or twice. Things that I have done before, but not in a while.

I'm not making these goals. I just didn't do these as much as I wanted to last year, so I wanted to take note of the things I want to do more of, just so I'm aware of them in somewhere other than just in my head. What about you? What do you want to more of in 2025?

Things I Want to do More of in 2025

Listen to music.

Paint, draw, make art.

Crafts.

Post book reviews (on review sites and my blog.)

Start my podcast back up and post podcast episodes.

Watch new movies (particularly Michael Fassbender ones.)

Share on social media about books, writing, my writing and publishing journey, etc.

Post stories to our Cat Chat Writers blog.

Make pasta from scratch. 

Intentional physical movement.

Things for my spiritual life/journey.

More things in *Quill and Cup (including attending Prickles, watching coaching videos, watching educational webinars and maybe going to a few live.)

A couple of breathwork sessions.

Another event with Next Generation of Cystinosis. (Maybe this should be a goal?...)

* Quill and Cup is the online writing community that I'm in. 

You Will Never Truly Leave - a poem for my dad

 As I've mentioned here, my dad passed away last year. On February 16th, it was exactly one year. I know these days, people put up posts on social media. et cetera, which is fine, but despite being a writer, I don't necessarily know what to say. And I don't really post about personal things on social media a lot. Just a quick sidenote here: It's okay if you don't. I know in this day and age it is just about expected. If you lost someone, every year put up a post, but just because you don't, it doesn't mean you don't care or don't miss them. If you don't want to do it, don't do it. Just because you don't post about something online doesn't mean it didn't happen, or it didn't effect you, et cetera. 

Anyway, back to what I was saying. I may be a writer, but that doesn't mean I would even know what to say in a Facebook post on that day - one year since my dad died. It also feels like it's just trite sometimes. What does happen for me, though, is that my thoughts come out as poetry. And the day before my dad's funeral, I wrote a poem. I think it was actually at about 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. One couplet popped into my head, I picked up a pen and paper (I don't even remember where I wrote it down) and wrote a poem. My aunt read it aloud beautifully at my dad's funeral. So, in memory of my father, I'm sharing this poem here. My mom actually typed it up and put a beautiful background to it. Blue flowers. My favorite color is blue, and so was my dad's.  

And here are some pictures of me and my dad. 

My first birthday.

Disney trip.

Daddy daughter dance.

First book signing. 

College graduation party.

My Five Goals for 2025

My next blog post is to share the goals I’ve set for myself in 2025. I don’t call them resoultions, I call them goals. They are more specific. These are bigger things I want to do, I suppose. There will still be other things throughout the year, but I have identified five things that I want to be my main goals of 2025. I often would do ten, but I felt like easing into things was better and decided that five goals sounded like enough. If you want to share any of your goals, resolutions, or intentions with me please feel free to do so in the comments. We can enourage each other. Or maybe share your word of the year, if you’d like.

My Five Goals for 2025:

1.       Read 20 books.

a.       I have some longer books on my list this year, so setting it to 20 seemed reasonable. I may very well read more, we’ll see.

2.       Crochet a Kindle case.

a.       This one was on my list last year, it just didn’t happen.

3.     Set up an educational Prickle on Writing with Chronic Illness for the writing group I’m in, Quill and Cup.

a.       A few of the members and I collaborated to come up with a list of things we thought should be included. I said I would make the PowerPoint and sort of ended up as the designated presenter lol. This was quite a while ago, so I would like to make this happen this year.

4.    Finish drafting the prequel to my fantasy novel.

a.       I also started this quite a while ago, and would like to get a draft finished this year.

5.    Publish Dark Book.

a.       I have been talking about what I affectionately refer to as “Dark Book” for a long time now. I think maybe it is time to release it into the world. This will of course take many steps, but this is the main goal. I finished drafting in 2019, so I think it’s time.

 

Those are my five main goals for 2025!! I am excited about all of them. 😊 I always have a reading goal, so that was a given. What are your plans for 2025?

 

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about Quill and Cup check out my affiliate link. 

My Top Ten Books of 2024 + Honorable Mentions

It has been nearly a year since my last blog post. 2024 was a tough year. I am a very private person so I don’t share a lot. It’s not surprising if most people have no idea why it was rough year. There are a few reasons, but a big thing was that my father passed away unexpectedly last February. Actually, looking back, my last blog post was the day before my father died. It was quite a year, as I said. 

Anyway, I’m back, and I’m starting off with my Top 10 Books of 2024!! I love doing this post every year. Last year, there was no post for my Top 10 Books of 2023, but I am planning to do one this year because I don’t want to leave that out. It will just come out later.

I tried to keep this to ten books. It is actually fourteen in total. Ten top favorites and four honorable mentions. I tried to put them in some type of order. My mind changes about some of them from time to time, so this order is relative. I feel like a lot of readers can relate to that. There will be a little bit about why I loved each book, and you can click on the picture to be taken to the GoodReads page. Enjoy!!

1. Daisy Jones & The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (audiobook)

Okay, I am 99% (98%) sure this was my favorite of last year. Maybe...haha. This was fantastic. The audiobook was phenomenal. I loved the story; the characters are complex and flawed and I loved it. This cemented my love of Taylor Jenkins Reid and I can’t wait to read more from her.

2. The Sandman: Act III, The Sandman (Audio Series) #3 by Neil Gaiman, Dirk Maggs

I adore The Sandman series. Enough said? I don’t know, but I love it so much. I love Dream of the Endless. The audio is fantastic, as well. I loved seeing Dream and Delirium together. She is one of my other favorites, and they are so different, it is brilliant to see them together.

3. The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi

This book was bloody fantastic!! Yes, I am sticking with that phrasing. I adored it. It is one that makes me wonder if it was my top book of the year. It is strange, but in a wonderful way. It’s lushly written, and gothic, and romantic, and eerie. So many references to myths and folklore and fairytales. I adored it. 

4. White Rose by Kip Wilson

This book was definitely intense. It made me physically react. Yell, groan, cry, practically scream aloud in anger, literally made me nauseous  at some parts. Pissed. Me. Off. It is historical fiction based on the White Rose resistance during World War II. It is a lot. But absolutely one of my favorites of the year.

5. Doctor Who: The Angel of Redemption, a 2010s story (The Decades Collection #6) by Nikita Gill

Nikita Gill is one of my favorite poets, I love Doctor Who, this is from the villain’s point of view, and it is told in verse. This was a no brainer. And I loved it even more than I thought I would. We literally see parts of a Doctor Who episode from the viewpoint of a Weeping Angel. Brilliant.

6. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (The Hunger Games #0) by Suzanne Collins

Oh, man. A (partial) villain origin story for Coriolanus Snow (President Snow). What do I even say about this? I don’t know, but it had to make my top ten list. If you are curious about his beginnings, read this book. 

7. The Gospel of Loki (Loki #1) by Joanne M. Harris

I adore Loki. Yes, MCU Loki. However, I have since read some Norse myths and familiarized myself with Norse Mythology and Loki is my favorite there, too. This book tells Norse myths from Loki’s point of view. I loved it. 

8. Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter and Rocky Callen

An amazing short story collection. All dealing with mental health and mental illness. So much variety within the stories, too. In genre and in format. There are short stories, but also poetry, a comic, and a one act play. I liked some stories more than others but loved the whole collection. 

9. Love Her Wild: Poems by Atticus

I read one of Atticus’ collections years ago and loved it. I loved this one, too. I love the poems and the photographs throughout. I tabbed many pages. Absolutely beautiful. Very accessible, too, for anyone intimidated by poetry.

10. Verity by Colleen Hoover

My best friend leant me this one. It was the first one out of the stack of six she wanted me to read. I think it was the full-length novel I finished the fastest in 2024. I have no idea what to say about it. That ending? Wow. Definitely a good thriller. 

Honorable Mentions:

1. The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab

I love V. E. Schwab. She is one of my favorite authors. I really enjoyed this book, so it had to be an honorable mention. I loved the atmosphere of it most of all, I think. The atmosphere of it reminded me of The Village (which I love) even though it was definitely different to that movie. 

2. Jo & Laurie by Margaret Stohl and Melissa de la Cruz

Little Women is one of my favorite classics (and favorite books). I have always gone back and forth about the Jo and Laurie debate. I forgot about this until I saw it in Barnes and Noble, and then I HAD to get it. When I finished, I liked it, and didn’t think it would be a top book, but then I kept thinking about it throughout the year. I would definitely recommend it, especially if you ever wanted Jo and Laurie together instead.

3. X-Men: First Class - Class Portraits: X-Men: First Class (Collected Editions) by Dean Haspiel, Zach Howard, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Paul Tobin, Nuno Plati, Nate Piekos, Brian Clevinger, Derec Donovan, Juan Doe, Lee Black, Howard Chaykin

I love X-Men. I found this at my local library and just had to read it. It collected the first of four X-Men comic series. I liked them all. My favorite was the Magneto one, of course. I just could not leave this one off my honorable mentions list.

4. The Ship Tech by Elliot Ason

This one was a short read, and I had a lot of fun with it. I really like SciFi. Romance just on its own is not my favorite, but add in some SciFi and make the love interest and Android? Then I am very interested and honestly, I loved it.

Those are all of my favorite books from 2024. My top ten and five honorable mentions that I just couldn't leave out, so fifteen favorite total. Which is nearly half the amount of books I read in 2024. I read a lot of books that I loved, so I was very blessed that way. And many are on here for different reasons. I have different reasons for what I consider my favorite reads. I tried to put them in some type of order, but that was very difficult. I'm pretty sure my top three are solidified, though. Tell me if you also read and loved any of these, or if you want to read any. And feel free to let me know your favorite reads of 2024! I would love to know!

Happy New Year!! 

P. S. I got Ab(solutely) Normal: Short Stories That Smash Mental Health Stereotypes  through an awesome online indie bookstore, Tuma's Books!! Definitely check her out online. I'm an affiliate for Tuma's Books so the link provided is my affiliate link. And you can use my code AMANDA10 to get 10% off!!