What I've Read
Dec. 30th, 2018 09:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatWell, not going to make it to 60 books on the Good Reads challenge. Which is okay. Also, I've a lot of books in there that I didn't exactly read or finish, such as Truly Devious -- mainly because I couldn't figure out how to get them off my "currently reading list". Every time I sampled a book on my Kindle -- it automatically ended up on the currently reading list on Good Reads -- until I disabled it. Good Reads is ...well, I have issues with the platform. But then I have issues with most social media platforms. (shrugs).
1. Did finally finish Children of Blood and Bone by by Tomi Adeyemi. Like all YA dystopian fantasy novels -- it's the first in a series. I've yet to run across one that is stand-a-lone. And I think it suffers a bit from this -- in that the writer drags things out far more than she needs to. Also, there's way too much emphasis on romance in this book. It's a YA book -- why do we need to have two romances? Because they want to attract the 40 something female audience who reads romance novels and loves YA romances. The romances don't really go anywhere and take away from the story, one is rather cliche -- the son of the King who wants to kill all the maji and eradicate magic, falls for the daughter of the maji who wants to restore magic. (Star-Crossed Lovers). And no, it didn't work for me. I got bored during it and pretty much knew where the writer was going. Will state that she does subvert the trope a bit by.. killing off the male love interest at the end, at least I think he's dead, with another love interest taking his place. A morally ambiguous pirate, who lives to have fun and enjoys the violence. Basically she kills off Angel and replaces him with Spike. (Anyhow, I thought they drug a bit -- and I read romance novels.)
But other than that..if you have read any of these, you pretty much know the story. Follows all the pre-established YA tropes.
What is different or unique about it -- and why it's getting so much attention on places like Good Reads is: 1) the story features African characters, 2) Nigerian folklore, and 3)the writer is Nigerian-American.
The writer wrote it to get across the horrors of children dying during warfare and in police shootings. But, I didn't get that from the book. If I hadn't read the afterward, I wouldn't have picked up on it at all. While I did pick up on that in Collins' The Hunger Games. I think the problem is again too much emphasis on the romance. Collins' had a romance in it -- but it's sort of in the background and in some respects satirized and commented on -- as being part of a propaganda campaign to bring in viewers to watch the violence. I think part of the problem or what defuses it is the writer is trying to do too much, and the Nigerian folktales don't quite fit the message she wants to convey. Also she makes a huge point of it being about bringing back magic and how magic can hurt people. The King has lost his entire family to magic doers, and the magic doers have some seriously nasty skills -- such as inflicting disease and fire on everyone. Reminds me a little of the X-men and Black Panther series, which delves heavily into the same themes this writer does -- but far better. Mainly because it's had more time to. As a result, I kept forgetting the characters in Children of Blood and Bone were children. They didn't act like children. I think her themes got a bit lost in her attempt to weave the folktales and the plot.
At any rate, it was okay, but disappointing.
2. I liked Brian K. Vaughn's Saga much better -- it's a little more innovative and does a rather decent job of exploring the same themes in a less preachy and melodramatic fashion. Shame, I wanted to like Children of Blood and Bone more than Saga, because I'm not really a fan of Vaughn. But it is what it is.
Really loved Saga. The head of the Landfall group, the prince or Robot IV, has a television set or computer monitor for a head. I thought that was quite innovative. And our heroes are fleeing in a tree that doubles as a rocket ship. (I'm guessing Vaughn watched Farscape?)
It's also about two star-crossed lovers, but winks a lot at the trope. (Let's face it, it's a trope that deserves winking.) And furthers the plot with their relationship -- doesn't just do it for kicks. Also furthers the characters. The story is about a seemingly endless war between the inhabitants of a planet and it's orbiting moon. Except due to the level of casualities, the war is no longer fought on the moon or planet but on other planets and moons, by other's unjustly conscripted into the battle -- with loads of collateral damage.
The story is told in a rather snarky matter by the couple's daughter. If you don't like snark, you might want to pass. I love snark. (Puns no. Snark yes. My family is snarky, puns go over our heads.)
Of course it helps that I read SAGA on comixology for free (with membership, you can borrow books and buy them with 15% discount), while Children of Blood & Bone cost $9. (It wasn't worth $9. Wait until it is on sale.)
3. As an aside, still feel like crap. Just not quite as crappy as yesterday. Possibly because I'm not traveling in and out of airports. And slept in my own bed last night. Hunted for thermometer -- which I can't find. No clue what I did with it. I figure I am not running a temperature and this is just a hot flash -- also the apartment generally speaking runs hot anyhow. In direct contract to my mother's house which is set at 69, my heat is set at 80, and I have the a/c on to get it down to 74/70. Even if I was running a fever -- not sure what I'd do about it, outside of what I'm already doing -- drinking chicken broth, tea, and sleeping.
Also ache -- but this may have something to do with sciatic nerve, arthritis, and period.
I'm not really exhibiting any of the symptoms of high BP, but it is hard to tell -- considering, I'm sick. Think it's just bad allergies, no green or yellow in the phlegm. If I saw a doctor they'd tell me it was a head cold or allergies and to do what I'm already doing. With any luck it will run it's course and be out of my system by Wed.
1. Did finally finish Children of Blood and Bone by by Tomi Adeyemi. Like all YA dystopian fantasy novels -- it's the first in a series. I've yet to run across one that is stand-a-lone. And I think it suffers a bit from this -- in that the writer drags things out far more than she needs to. Also, there's way too much emphasis on romance in this book. It's a YA book -- why do we need to have two romances? Because they want to attract the 40 something female audience who reads romance novels and loves YA romances. The romances don't really go anywhere and take away from the story, one is rather cliche -- the son of the King who wants to kill all the maji and eradicate magic, falls for the daughter of the maji who wants to restore magic. (Star-Crossed Lovers). And no, it didn't work for me. I got bored during it and pretty much knew where the writer was going. Will state that she does subvert the trope a bit by.. killing off the male love interest at the end, at least I think he's dead, with another love interest taking his place. A morally ambiguous pirate, who lives to have fun and enjoys the violence. Basically she kills off Angel and replaces him with Spike. (Anyhow, I thought they drug a bit -- and I read romance novels.)
But other than that..if you have read any of these, you pretty much know the story. Follows all the pre-established YA tropes.
What is different or unique about it -- and why it's getting so much attention on places like Good Reads is: 1) the story features African characters, 2) Nigerian folklore, and 3)the writer is Nigerian-American.
The writer wrote it to get across the horrors of children dying during warfare and in police shootings. But, I didn't get that from the book. If I hadn't read the afterward, I wouldn't have picked up on it at all. While I did pick up on that in Collins' The Hunger Games. I think the problem is again too much emphasis on the romance. Collins' had a romance in it -- but it's sort of in the background and in some respects satirized and commented on -- as being part of a propaganda campaign to bring in viewers to watch the violence. I think part of the problem or what defuses it is the writer is trying to do too much, and the Nigerian folktales don't quite fit the message she wants to convey. Also she makes a huge point of it being about bringing back magic and how magic can hurt people. The King has lost his entire family to magic doers, and the magic doers have some seriously nasty skills -- such as inflicting disease and fire on everyone. Reminds me a little of the X-men and Black Panther series, which delves heavily into the same themes this writer does -- but far better. Mainly because it's had more time to. As a result, I kept forgetting the characters in Children of Blood and Bone were children. They didn't act like children. I think her themes got a bit lost in her attempt to weave the folktales and the plot.
At any rate, it was okay, but disappointing.
2. I liked Brian K. Vaughn's Saga much better -- it's a little more innovative and does a rather decent job of exploring the same themes in a less preachy and melodramatic fashion. Shame, I wanted to like Children of Blood and Bone more than Saga, because I'm not really a fan of Vaughn. But it is what it is.
Really loved Saga. The head of the Landfall group, the prince or Robot IV, has a television set or computer monitor for a head. I thought that was quite innovative. And our heroes are fleeing in a tree that doubles as a rocket ship. (I'm guessing Vaughn watched Farscape?)
It's also about two star-crossed lovers, but winks a lot at the trope. (Let's face it, it's a trope that deserves winking.) And furthers the plot with their relationship -- doesn't just do it for kicks. Also furthers the characters. The story is about a seemingly endless war between the inhabitants of a planet and it's orbiting moon. Except due to the level of casualities, the war is no longer fought on the moon or planet but on other planets and moons, by other's unjustly conscripted into the battle -- with loads of collateral damage.
The story is told in a rather snarky matter by the couple's daughter. If you don't like snark, you might want to pass. I love snark. (Puns no. Snark yes. My family is snarky, puns go over our heads.)
Of course it helps that I read SAGA on comixology for free (with membership, you can borrow books and buy them with 15% discount), while Children of Blood & Bone cost $9. (It wasn't worth $9. Wait until it is on sale.)
3. As an aside, still feel like crap. Just not quite as crappy as yesterday. Possibly because I'm not traveling in and out of airports. And slept in my own bed last night. Hunted for thermometer -- which I can't find. No clue what I did with it. I figure I am not running a temperature and this is just a hot flash -- also the apartment generally speaking runs hot anyhow. In direct contract to my mother's house which is set at 69, my heat is set at 80, and I have the a/c on to get it down to 74/70. Even if I was running a fever -- not sure what I'd do about it, outside of what I'm already doing -- drinking chicken broth, tea, and sleeping.
Also ache -- but this may have something to do with sciatic nerve, arthritis, and period.
I'm not really exhibiting any of the symptoms of high BP, but it is hard to tell -- considering, I'm sick. Think it's just bad allergies, no green or yellow in the phlegm. If I saw a doctor they'd tell me it was a head cold or allergies and to do what I'm already doing. With any luck it will run it's course and be out of my system by Wed.