A Study in Charlotte

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A really fascinating take on the Holmes/Watson story. In the past several years we've seen projects that move these classic characters into our time and cultures, but this is the first I've read where the original Holmes and Watson maintain their own history, while the focus shifts to their descendants, our current Holmes (Charlotte) and Watson (Jamie). I appreciate the change this allows as it provides a richer background for the relationships these families have build over the decades to develop. Sure, not every person is the same as their ancestors, but there are enough similarities that Jamie's dad is able to pass on to him a how-to list on dealing with a Holmes, based on his own friendship with Charlotte's uncle. Of course, there is an added layer to Charlotte and Jamie's relationship that might not have been relevant to other Holmes-Watson pairs throughout history - possible romantic interest certainly changes some things.

Maybe it's my place as a reader, hearing everything from Jamie's perspective, but the most frustrating part of this book is that Charlotte keeps so many secrets. Even when she trusts Jamie fully, she keeps things from him. Regardless of whether it's "for his own good" or he "doesn't need to know," at this point, they are close enough that when he asks her a question, she should tell him the truth. Hopefully that will improve in the next book (though I kind of doubt it, based on what we've seen of Charlotte's character so far).

All in all, this was an enjoyable read with some interesting characters and a twisty plot. I'll definitely continue with the series.

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A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Normally I wouldn't try to read a book this long in one day anymore, but I had Memorial Day off, and had spent the previous 2 days doing outdoors active stuff with my family, so I allowed myself a full day of lounging around and reading, a real luxury. And then, how could I just stop reading and go to sleep at a reasonable hour when I'm already at 75% and I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? That alone is generally a good sign that I am liking a book.

I already had a soft spot for Rhysand - I could tell based on the way he helped Feyre in the first book that he wasn't as needlessly cruel as he pretended to be. I was delighted in this book that we really get to know who is his beyond the facade he presents to the world, especially when we get insider peeks into what he's really thinking, either through seeing scenes unfold in his memory, or through him basically rebelling the first book from his perspective. I'll admit, I got a little swoony when he finally told Feyre the whole truth, how he started having dreams of her years ago, ones that kept him sane Under the Mountain, and how he knew they were mated but kept his distance when they finally met, both to keep her safe and to honor the love she felt for Tamsin, and how to tortured him to see her slowly losing weight and becoming more and more withdrawn, but he still kept his distance until he heard her ask for rescue at the wedding.

I appreciated how the love story or triangle or whatever you want to call it transitioned from Tamsin to Rhysand. It felt real, and the reasoning behind Feyre's actions and emotions made so much sense, especially when you throw in the wildcard of being magically mated to someone. I liked that being in love and being someone's Mate weren't assumed to be the same thing, or mutually exclusive. Rhys's story about his parents' mating and marriage was an interesting case study - they mated but we're ultimately incompatible and fell out of love - and I loved that Rhys was willing to give up a future with Feyre, even though she was his Mate, if she was in love and happy with Tamsin.

People change overtime, and sometimes the person who is right for you at one stage of life is not the person who is right for at another. That doesn't give you free reign to bail whenever things get difficult, but there is room to say, "I loved you once, but I have been through this traumatic event and you don't even see who I am anymore." It reminds me of someone in a domestic violence situation - their life wasn't always like that, otherwise they never would have been with that person, but somewhere along the line things changed and life became untenable. If someone is hurting you physically or mentally or emotionally, regardless of their intentions, you can't stay with them just because you love them.

This book talks a lot about respect, and allowing people, and women specifically, the right to make their own decisions, regardless of how it makes you feel or what you think is best. Rhys mentions that he doesn't want to be compared to Tamsin, but I don't think he realizes how far ahead he comes out in that comparison. Every step of the way, he watches Feyre but allows her to make her own decisions regarding her safety and life choices, which Tamsin could never do.

Tamsin wasn't an inherently bad person. Feyre would never have fallen for him if he hadn't been kind and caring, especially in the beginning. But somewhere along the way, it became more important for Tamsin to have peace of mind that Feyre was safe back at his house than for Feyre to actually be happy and healthy. He claimed to love her but stopped truly seeing her, leaving her to deal with her own nightmares and issues entirely by herself. Even to the end, Tamsin was convinced he was doing the right thing, that he was "saving" Feyre, when anyone could see that was not the case.

I was glad to see Feyre call Lucien out on not stepping in and helping her when she was clearly miserable and slowly wasting away. He continuously backed Tamsin, even when he was making careless, dangerous moves like making a deal with the King of Hybern, even when Feyre explicitly told him that she was never going back. Lucien claimed to be her friend, but refused to help when she needed it most.

I love the new characters we meet in this book, and the ones we get to know so much better. Mor is lovely and kind and sassy, and it would be interesting to compare her to other Morrigan characters throughout myth, literature, and pop culture. The ones that come first to mind are the Morrigan from the comic the Wicked and the Divine, which is about reincarnated gods and one of my favorite comics ever, and the Morrigan from the TV show Lost Girl, which is about the Fae, both good and bad. I'm super curious to learn more about Amren and what exactly she is under that human shell. Cassias and Azriel remind me of angels, in both the style of their names and their mighty wings.

While I'm sad Ianthe ended up being traitorous and power-hungry, I'm excited to see what happens with Nesta and Elain now that they are both Fae as well. We barely saw them in s book, which seems fitting, but I'm sure they will play a much larger role in book 3. I totally called Elain and Lucien having a connection, and I'm hoping his inherent need to help his Mate will cause Lucien to side with Feyre instead of Tamsin in the coming battle. I'm also really curious to see what Nesta is like as Fae. Cassias already has some sort of connection with her, and I'm looking forward to seeing how that plays out. I'm also skeptical about what Feyre's father has been doing on the continent for so many months. I can't imagine he's completely out of the story.

Perhaps my favorite aspect to this book was seeing Feyre grow, not only learning how to use her new powers, but also training physically and slowly healing her heart. It takes time, because she has to not only admit what has been haunting her - killing of innocents - but learn to accept and love herself again, for doing the best she could under difficult situations and saving the most people she could. Her trip to see the Bone Carver was particularly enlightening, when she admits that she was prepared to kill herself rather than live with what she had done. Part of her recovery was also being able to share in Rhys's recovery - knowing you're not alone can lift a huge weight off your mind, especially when you can talk through what haunts you with one other. Tamsin and Feyre had been aware of each other's nightmares, but they pretended them never existed, basically ignoring them and hoping they'd go away. With Rhys, he would hold her hair and comfort her while she threw up, and try to distract her so she could slept, and in return, Feyre wake Rhys from his own nightmares and was a comfort to him as well.

The action scenes, as I like to call them, were fast-paced and riveting. It seems the best way Feyre learned to use her powers was to be thrown into a situation where she needed them - escaping from the Weaver (YUUUUUCK), tracking Rhys and winnowing to rescue him from torture and certain death, the battle in Velaris where she conjures the water wolves and turns the attacking army into ice, even the underwater theft of the first half of the book. When given the chance, Feyre proved time and again that she had a lot of power and ingenuity, and wasn't to be messed with.

Also, I just have to say, I'm SO happy and relieved that it wasn't the mating bond that was broken by the King, but just the more superficial deal bond. AND how amazing that Feyre was officially made High Lady of the Night Court?! I can't wait to see what impact that has on events in the third book.

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A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS AHEAD!!

This series has been super popular in my Facebook circles, and since the 3rd one just came out, I figured it's safe to pick up the series now that I won't have to wait eons between books. :)

For the most part, I really liked this book. I didn't realize it was a play on the Beauty and the Beast story until Feyre got to Tamlin's castle. I appreciated how it used the traditional story as a loose guide without feeling the need to stick completely to the story. Twisting the elements of magic and the curse so that everyone in the castle are faeries who have been cursed by another fae was really interesting, as was the reasoning behind the curse - that Amarantha cursed Tamlin not just to gain his power for her own and control him, but because she wanted him and and hated that he didn't love her and refused her. The curse itself was particularly twisted, and the fact that Feyre hit all the particulars to fulfill the curse was both fate and convenient for plot reasons. :)

The trials that Feyre had to go through under the mountain were all really fascinating. I love how many contributors there were to helping her succeed. The first task, hunting the giant worm monster, was a success mostly because of her own ingenuity and hunting skills, but it was a timely warning from Lucien that was the tipping point in that task. After the task, Feyre would have died without the assistance of Rhysand - no matter what Lucien says, that he would have come to help her, he was in so much pain he wouldn't have arrived in time. During the second task, it's Rhysand that basically solves the task for her. For the third task, yes, it cost Feyre her own soul to kill the first two innocents, but I'm not sure she would have been able to stab Tamlin had she not thought back to the advice Alis gave her, and played back the conversations she'd been purposefully let to eavesdrop on that told her Tamlin had a stone heart that couldn't be stabbed. After Feyre solved the riddle and was killed, it was the High Lords of all the Courts who pooled their power and brought her back to life, even if it was no longer as human. I will admit, I figured out that love was the answer to the riddle pretty early on, but I had not caught on to the whole stone-heart thing, so that was a nice surprise.

I really enjoyed all the characters and how their relationships were built. Feyre and Tamlin didn't fall in love at first sight, but were eventually drawn to one another and fell in love. I saw another review that was annoyed and called it "instalove," but that really didn't feel like the case to me here. They spent months together building that connection, and you can tell that when Feyre first arrives at the castle that she is truly terrified of Tamlin. Feyre's relationships with the other fae also built strength over time. Lucien hated and resented Feyre at one point, but eventually felt kinship and loyalty to her. Rhysand saw Feyre as merely an interesting pawn in his battle to regain his own life, but eventually was helping and saving her, even when it wasn't to his benefit. To be honest, I think he also fell in love with her. Maybe it's a trope, but there's something about Feyre's brokenness and loneliness that, combined with her probable beauty, really attracts these other broken, lonely people to her side. Someone that's never had to fight just to survive likely wouldn't have much in common with guys like Tamlin and Rhysand, and part of what they see in her is themselves, reflected. And although Tamlin and Feyre clearly love one another and are dedicated to each other, I could see a future where there is a bit of a love triangle, especially since Feyre will be spending 25% of her time with Rhysand in the Night Court. I can't imagine her betraying Tamlin, but I can see how she could start to really care for Rhysand, which could potentially cause drama in her other relationships.

We don't see much of Feyre's relationship with her family throughout the book, but I do appreciate the development we do get to see. Their connection at the start of the book seems to be purely superficial, and owed in large part to the vow Feyre made to their mother on her deathbed. After returning from the Spring Court, however, we really see those relationships blossom as she spends more time with each of her sisters. Elain has such a kind heart that she is easy to love and a joy to spend time around. The connection I was most touched to see, though, was Feyre's with Nesta. It's easy early on to write Nesta off as an uncaring, spoiled, proud woman, but she really is a complex person, so it was nice to see the two sisters to connect and finally be honest with one another. I love that Nesta was the only person the glamour didn't work on, and especially that she actually tried to go north to find and save Feyre. Nesta will be a good protecter for their family, but I'm kind of hoping that instead of taking the family south to safety on the continent, she sticks around so we get to see a bit more of her.

Not knowing much of the trilogy as a whole, I was kind of hoping each book in the trilogy would be about a different sister. Now that I've finished the first book and read the back-of-book blurb about the second, I see that isn't the case, but I hope we do get to see more of the sisters in the future. Maybe it's the matchmaker in me, but I could totally see Elain and Lucien together and Rhysand and Nesta together. :) I guess we shall see! It looks like the next book will have more relationship stuff and more conflict with the King of Hybern, now that Amarantha is gone, as well as Feyre dealing with the emotional (and possible other) consequences of killing innocent people, even if it was for "the greater good."

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Emerald Green

Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS!! SERIOUSLY, MAJOR SPOILERS!

I'm so relieved we finally have answers! Though I must admit some of the weavey-windey time travel stuff still doesn't make much sense to me. I shall chose to suspend my disbelief because in general, I really enjoyed this series, even if it should have been one big book. ;)

So what are my final thoughts?

I still feel like the relationship between Gideon and Gwen should have been given more time to develop. Considering how deep their connection ended up being, it would have made more sense if more time had elapse during Gwen's training. As the characters specifically mentioned several times, it didn't really matter how long it took in the future for them to go back because they could go back at any time TO any time. I really would have believed in their love more had it been given more time to grow instead of simply being "love at first sight."

If I'm reading the time travel/secret elixir shenanigans correctly, this is how things went down for Gideon on that last "day": Gideon travels from 2011 to 1786 with Gwen to drop her off and be threatened, and then back to 2011. Gideon then travels to 1912 to get Lucy and Paul's blood for the Guardians' chronograph, and while there, he drinks the elixir that he and Gwen produced when they closed their family's chronograph, and then he heads back to 2011. While in 2011, they put Lucy and Paul's blood in the Guardian chronograph, and Gideon travels back to 1786 to deliver the elixir to the Count. After Gideon leaves 2011, "Mr. Whitman" attacks the Guardians and locks most of them in the chronograph room to await Gideon's arrival back in 2011. What I don't get is, if the prophecy says that the person who was immortal stops being immortal when Gwen was born, why is Gideon still immortal? Is it because he went back in time from a time after Gwen was born and then took the elixir? And now his immortality will be unending because there's no more Ruby to be born to end it? I get that the point was for Gwen to have an immortal companion for the rest of her life, but how we got there could have been cleaned up a bit. Oh well.

I loved the bit in the epilogue where Lucy and Paul's new last name is Barnard! Does that mean it's their descendant who becomes the Montrose butler?? No wonder he knows so much and is so devoted to the family! I hope Gwen and family find that out so they can spend more time together.

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Sapphire Blue

Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!

If you haven't read book 1 in this trilogy, or even my review of book 1, I would highly recommend you stop reading here and check out Ruby Red. :)

I've said it once, and I'll said it again, and again, and again. This really should have been one big book. We've reached the end on the second book and it still doesn't really have any sort of separate, defined plot. That's often the problem with middle books in trilogies, but it seems especially pointed here. I'll leave it at that for now, as I really am enjoying this book series for the most part.

So, where are we now? Gwyneth, as the Ruby and the last Traveller, has the power of the Raven, which is most likely her ability to see ghosts of both people and demons. There are still only a few people that know she has this power, and even fewer who believe she's telling the truth. I'm not sure where Gideon falls on that scale, because when Gwyn was telling him about it, he was a little distracted, both by her being drunk and by wanting to kiss her. But her friend Lesley and Mr. George definitely know and believe her, and there's a possibility that the Count knows as well, though I can't figure anything out about the count and his intentions, really.

It's still unclear who is on who's side in this whole mess. I think the dividing line is going to come down to who cares more about Gwyneth's life than closing the circle and fulfilling whatever prophecy has been foretold, because I'm pretty sure the part that's been redacted by the Count and the reason why Lucy and Paul rebelled and ran away is that Gwyneth has to die to close the circle. I'm not sure why they would need more of her blood than the others', but that's the impression I've gotten.

It also seems important to the Count that Gwyneth be separated from Gideon, and I'm guessing it's because he wants to keep her closer to his side, and maybe that he didn't expect Gideon to actually fall in love with Gwyn. I'm pretty sure the Count gave Gideon instructions to make the Ruby, whether that be Charlotte or Gwyn, fall in love with him, because in his mind, a woman in love is controllable. The tables turned, though, when the Count realized that Gideon actually did love Gwyn, and that shifts the power towards Gwyneth and those who will want to save her (Paul, Lucy, Lady Tilney, probably others). I feel really bad for Gwyn because no one likes to be deceived, but you have to admit, she is very emotional, and she doesn't trust people easily (or at all, really).

Forgive my disbelief, but Gwyn and Gideon have known each other for maybe a week now. I have a hard time believing that they really are "in love" in a meaningful, forever type of way. That appears to be the path they are headed down, but speeding up the process just makes it feel less real and likely. As deeply as Gwyn claims to feel for Gideon, you'd think she'd give him a little benefit of the doubt. Only asking him a yes or no question isn't very fair, because it doesn't tell the whole story. Even if he went into meeting her with the task of making her fall in love with him doesn't mean everything he has said and done has been a lie, carefully constructed to win her over. Yes, it's hard to figure out who to trust, especially when your hormones and emotions are flying every which way, and people are hiding things from you at every turn, but in the end, you need to trust your gut, follow your instincts, and ignore what the creepy old guy is telling you.

My favorite part of this book has been Xemerius, the gargoyle-shaped demon-ghost who has quickly become Gwyneth's (and my!) best friend. He's so helpful and adorable and insightful, and he's become a great sounding board for Gwyn as she tries to figure out what the heck is going on. I just wish he could travel through time with her, because most of the danger to Gwyn seems to lie in the past, when she's visiting the Count & friends.

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Be With You

Be With You by Takuji Ichikawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SPOILERS ABOUND! BEWARE!

A gentle, thoughtful story that explores love and loss.

This book did NOT end the way I expected! I figured that ghost-Mio was probably not a shared hallucination, but I've read enough magical realism to immerse myself in the idea that ghost-Mio was able to come back for a short time to help Takkun and Yuji move on and regain some semblance of normal life again. Yuji was able to let go of some of his pain over feeling responsible for his mother's death, and Takkun was able to fall in love with his wife one more time, even while knowing she had to leave again.

And then! We find out that actually Ghost-Mio had come from the past and was Timetravelling-Mio! Love how open she was while getting to know Takkun and her son again, even though she had no memories of them. You could see how much she was falling in love with them and their life, and wanted Takkun to look at her and see HER, the woman returned (or so they thought), and not the memory of his dead wife. I think by the end of their 6 weeks, he really did see her for who she really was.

I really loved her letter, and how in the end, it wasn't just loving him that determined her fate, even though she did love him deeply, but it was also her choice. She chose to enter that life and bring Yuji in the world and everything that came with it, even knowing she would die, because she'd rather be with them than live longer. And that is what they mean by true love. I could read Mio's letter over and over again, it really is that special. It alone earned one of the stars I give this book.

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The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love Squirrel Girl so much! She's funny and sassy and kind and smart and super strong and TALKS TO SQUIRRELS. What's not to love? The fact that this book is written by Ryan North is just perfect - I've loved so many of the things he's done, and I love the voice he's given to Doreen/SG. Erika Henderson's art is perfect - it really feels like a classic comic, almost Archie-style, but full of depth. Also, I love that Squirrel Girl isn't a perfectly formed bombshell, she actually looks like a normal girl - with a tail, of course.

I've loved all of Doreen's adventures so far - heading off to school, trying to make friends and fit in, her obsession with her villain collector cards. I love how she defeats and subverts villains in unexpected ways, prioritizing friendship and a happy future for all over actually kicking butts.[she convinces Kraven that he's better and stronger than just trying to beat Spiderman all the time, she overwhelms Whiplash with squirrels, she stops Galactus through friendship - she listens to him, figures out what he's really looking for, and helps him find it. And that card Galactus gives her in the end is THE BEST. (hide spoiler)]

All in all, if you're wondering if you should read this comic, then YES. The answer is YES.

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