Gilded by Marissa Meyer

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times-bestselling author, returns to the fairytale world with this haunting retelling of Rumpelstiltskin.

Long ago cursed by the god of lies, a poor miller’s daughter has developed a talent for spinning stories that are fantastical and spellbinding and entirely untrue.

Or so everyone believes.

When one of Serilda’s outlandish tales draws the attention of the sinister Erlking and his undead hunters, she finds herself swept away into a grim world where ghouls and phantoms prowl the earth and hollow-eyed ravens track her every move. The king orders Serilda to complete the impossible task of spinning straw into gold, or be killed for telling falsehoods. In her desperation, Serilda unwittingly summons a mysterious boy to her aid. He agrees to help her… for a price. Love isn’t meant to be part of the bargain.

Soon Serilda realizes that there is more than one secret hidden in the castle walls, including an ancient curse that must be broken if she hopes to end the tyranny of the king and his wild hunt forever.

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

Marissa Meyer’s strength is definitely in the fairy tale retelling department. Here she chooses to tackle the legend of Rumpelstiltskin, which isn’t a retelling I have encountered previously. There’s a bit of a supernatural twist to this Rumpelstiltskin and I certainly enjoyed the vibes. The overall tone of the book is actually kinda spooky, and it’s a shame this book comes out in November. I think it would be a great October time read. Anyway, it’s not strictly Rumpelstiltskin, as it also incorporates the Wild Hunt as well. The Wild Hunt emerges every full moon to hunt and collect beasts and call to mortals vulnerable to their draw, whisking them away forever. The King that takes our heroine Serilda away is the leader of this hunt. His castle fits the spooky vibes of the book, creating a dark and atmospheric tale. I really liked the setting and atmosphere; it was what sold the book to me. The King is also a great villain character, though he takes a little bit to actually build. This is in part though to the villain being integral to the world, and the world is rich so it also takes awhile to develop. Mrs. Meyer is really good at writing villains as there hasn’t been a bad one yet from her.

The romance in this book is nothing you won’t expect, but it wasn’t as cute as Ms. Meyer’s usually are. Maybe it’s because this book is a little darker and has more going for it. Another slight drawback for me were the side characters, as they didn’t connect with me as much as they usually do. The side characters also come and go in this story, so when they came back I forgot who they were. But this was also in part to where my personal interest was in the story, so the side characters appearing took away from it.

This is a first book in what I think is a duology. In any case there is a followup book; this is not a standalone which is what I thought when I first went into it. The ending definitely leaves more to explore. I’m looking forward to it, and hoping it will sell the romance and side characters to me a little more. It’s a good thing more books are coming.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

See this review on Goodreads.

Folklorn by Angela Mi Young Hur

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

A genre-defying, continents-spanning saga of Korean myth, scientific discovery, and the abiding love that binds even the most broken of families.

Elsa Park is a particle physicist at the top of her game, stationed at a neutrino observatory in the Antarctic, confident she’s put enough distance between her ambitions and the family ghosts she’s run from all her life. But it isn’t long before her childhood imaginary friend—an achingly familiar, spectral woman in the snow—comes to claim her at last.

Years ago, Elsa’s now-catatonic mother had warned her that the women of their line were doomed to repeat the narrative lives of their ancestors from Korean myth and legend. But beyond these ghosts, Elsa also faces a more earthly fate: the mental illness and generational trauma that run in her immigrant family, a sickness no less ravenous than the ancestral curse hunting her.

When her mother breaks her decade-long silence and tragedy strikes, Elsa must return to her childhood home in California. There, among family wrestling with their own demons, she unravels the secrets hidden in the handwritten pages of her mother’s dark stories: of women’s desire and fury; of magic suppressed, stolen, or punished; of the hunger for vengeance.

From Sparks Fellow, Tin House alumna, and Harvard graduate Angela Mi Young Hur, Folklorn is a wondrous and necessary exploration of the myths we inherit and those we fashion for ourselves.

My Review
5 out of 5 stars

Elsa is a physicist studying in Antarctica when she unexpectedly starts seeing her childhood imaginary friend again. Soon after, she learns that her mother has passed away, so she must to return to her childhood home of California. Could it be that this imaginary friend is actually a ghost related to her mother in some way? Elsa tries to search for answers by uncovering her mother’s secrets and dealing with her other family members.

I’m having a difficult time putting together thoughts for this book. It is an incredible perspective of a Korean American woman and how her experience has shaped her views and her life. It also explores dealing with grief, loss, abuse, and generational trauma. Much of this is explored through Korean folktales that Elsa’s mother left behind that tie into a magical realism component of the story. There is a lot going on and it’s at times can be a heavy read, but also very beautifully written. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a genuine and believable perspective before; Elsa just felt so real.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC. All opinions are my own.

See this review on Goodreads.

The Light of the Midnight Stars by Rena Rossner

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

An evocative combination of fantasy, history, and Jewish folklore, The Light of the Midnight Stars is fairytale-inspired novel from the author of The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

Deep in the Hungarian woods, the sacred magic of King Solomon lives on in his descendants. Gathering under the midnight stars, they pray, sing and perform small miracles – and none are more gifted than the great Rabbi Isaac and his three daughters. Each one is blessed with a unique talent – whether it be coaxing plants to grow, or predicting the future by reading the path of the stars.

When a fateful decision to help an outsider ends in an accusation of witchcraft, fire blazes through their village. Rabbi Isaac and his family are forced to flee, to abandon their magic and settle into a new way of life. But a dark fog is making its way across Europe and will, in the end, reach even those who thought they could run from it. Each of the sisters will have to make a choice – and change the future of their family forever.

For more from Rena Rossner, check out The Sisters of the Winter Wood.

My Review
3 out of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Rossner’s first book, The Sisters of the Winter Wood and was excited to try her sophomore novel. Admittedly the synopsis didn’t quite grab my attention as much, but I really enjoyed her writing and anything involving fairy tales or retellings is still very much my vibe. I didn’t quite mash with this one as much. I think this is mainly due to three POV characters crammed into one story that is also about 30% full of short stories. We have three adolescent sisters who are discovering themselves, their abilities, and finding romance. There is just a lot going on in a short period of time. I do think this is a great novel for short story and fairy tale lovers, as the short stories are woven into the main novel, with many even being told by the 3 POV characters themselves to share their journey or their opinion to another. I also think this novel is very culturally driven as it is strongly woven into Jewish and Eastern European culture. I think readers who are of that descent or have more knowledge of those peoples will appreciate this novel for what it is. I do still really enjoy Ms. Rossner’s writing as well. Again, I just had a harder time becoming attached to each of the characters and rooting for them when there was just so much going on.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

See this review on Goodreads.

The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

When a banished witch falls in love with the legendary trickster Loki, she risks the wrath of the gods in this moving, subversive debut novel that reimagines Norse mythology.

Angrboda’s story begins where most witches’ tales end: with a burning. A punishment from Odin for refusing to provide him with knowledge of the future, the fire leaves Angrboda injured and powerless, and she flees into the farthest reaches of a remote forest. There she is found by a man who reveals himself to be Loki, and her initial distrust of him transforms into a deep and abiding love.

Their union produces three unusual children, each with a secret destiny, who Angrboda is keen to raise at the edge of the world, safely hidden from Odin’s all-seeing eye. But as Angrboda slowly recovers her prophetic powers, she learns that her blissful life—and possibly all of existence—is in danger.

With help from the fierce huntress Skadi, with whom she shares a growing bond, Angrboda must choose whether she’ll accept the fate that she’s foreseen for her beloved family…or rise to remake their future. From the most ancient of tales this novel forges a story of love, loss, and hope for the modern age.

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

This is a Norse mythology retelling in the same vain as Madeline Miller’s Greek mythology retelling of Circe. It is an approachable and humanistic view of a lesser-known mythic witch, Angrboda. She is only known as the mother of monsters Fenrir, Jörmungand, and Hel, who are involved in Ragnarök. She doesn’t always get the spotlight in Norse retellings, so here we are presented with her life as she would have lived it. It begins with her retreat to an old forest, the Ironwood, after refusing to teach Odin what he wanted to know. Here she is quickly found by Loki, the Trickster God who returns the heart that Odin and the Aesir tore from her body. Loki keeps returning to the Ironwood, and overtime they fall in love with one another. Through Angroboda’s eyes, you feel what it’s like to be in a relationship with the trickster and to birth and raise their children. Angrboda turns into a very devoted mother who struggles with a father who seems much less so. And as a seer-witch, Angrboda’s struggles with the future that her children are destined to bring.

I definitely recommend if you enjoy modern myth retellings, especially if you enjoy Madeline Miller’s books. If I have on qualm in my comparison to Miller, it’s that Miller’s writing is a little bit more poetic, but Gornichec here makes a strong debut nonetheless.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

See this review on Goodreads.

Stormrise by Jillian Boehme

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

A combat warrior will risk everything to awaken the dragons and save her kingdom in Jillian Boehme’s epic YA Fantasy debut, Stormrise, inspired by Twelfth Night and perfect for fans of Tamora Pierce.

If Rain weren’t a girl, she would be respected as a Neshu combat master. Instead, her gender dooms her to a colorless future. When an army of nomads invades her kingdom, and a draft forces every household to send one man to fight, Rain takes her chance to seize the life she wants.

Knowing she’ll be killed if she’s discovered, Rain purchases powder made from dragon magic that enables her to disguise herself as a boy. Then she hurries to the war camps, where she excels in her training—and wrestles with the voice that has taken shape inside her head. The voice of a dragon she never truly believed existed.

As war looms and Rain is enlisted into an elite, secret unit tasked with rescuing the High King, she begins to realize this dragon tincture may hold the key to her kingdom’s victory. For the dragons that once guarded her land have slumbered for centuries . . . and someone must awaken them to fight once more.

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

To put it simply, this is a straight-up retelling of Mulan. Rain has to disguise herself as her mentally-handicapped brother, Storm, in order to save both him and her father from serving in the war. To aid in her disguise, she purchases some dragon powder from a local shady medicine lady that stops her menstrual cycle and also has a side effect of making her voice slightly deeper and her hearing a dragon speak to her in her dreams. While off training and fighting with the army, she ends up falling for one of the recruits, but obviously has to hide her identity from him. It is a retelling that is focused more on the warrior aspect and not the romance, but the most famous adaption of Mulan, the Disney animation, is also fairly romance-light. The main difference in this Mulan is the dragon aspect (though Mushu is a thing in the Disney animation, so…), which was fairly light. The actual dragon doesn’t make an appearance until close to the end of the book, and it’s not like she is constantly receiving guidance from the dragon throughout the rest of the book.

Despite that, this book was just very quick and simple to read, and at the time, it was exactly what I needed. It’s not super description-heavy, so while it may be hard to picture the author’s vision of the world, you can also just picture it however you’d like. I also think I would have adored this book if I read it as an early teen. One of my favorite troupes has always been a girl disguising herself as a boy, which I believe I can blame on from Tamora Pierce’s Song of the Lioness series, and this book would make a pretty good recommendation to any young girl who really loved those books.

See this review on Goodreads.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall—named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Here, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and for the coveted prize of her hand, Tristran vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining…

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

This is the second time I have read this book at the time of writing this review, plus I have seen the movie multiple times. I actually saw the movie before even reading the book the first time. I’m pretty sure my love of the movie influences my enjoyment of the book. For me, it’s really hard to separate the two, as the movie does a decent job of following the book, but they are different, mostly to make the movie a bit more cinematic. The book has a slower pace and less action, but it’s more about immersing you in the world yet being a simple, enchanting read. As I’m reading, I picture the characters as the actors that portray them, and picture all of the scenes of the movie as the setting. It’s not that Mr. Gaiman does a poor job of describing the characters and the world, no, not at all. It’s more so that the movie does a great job at interpreting the original work, but also adds in a bit more flair of an action-adventure story while the book is strictly more fairy tale.

Speaking of, the writing of the book itself is very fairy-tale like, which is quite fitting. I always enjoy Neil Gaiman’s writing as he has his own distinguishable style that is somehow always able to adapt to the story he wants to tell. He usually lingers between whimsical and creepy, with this one being on the far end of the whimsical side of the scale.

I really just enjoy this book because I am a sucker for fairy tales and their retellings, and an original fairy tale by a fantastic writer is very much my type of work. Sure, it’s a little predictable and a little slow at parts, but it’s still got that enchanting feel of a fairy tail that just makes you smile.

See this review on Goodreads.

Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

The Mayan god of death sends a young woman on a harrowing, life-changing journey in this dark, one-of-a-kind fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore.

The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. 

Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it—and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother. Failure will mean Casiopea’s demise, but success could make her dreams come true.

In the company of the strangely alluring god and armed with her wits, Casiopea begins an adventure that will take her on a cross-country odyssey from the jungles of Yucatán to the bright lights of Mexico City—and deep into the darkness of the Mayan underworld.

My Review
4 out of 5 stars

Casiopea lives a Cinderella-like life in her grandfather’s household where she is expected to complete household chores and do what her cousin, Martin, asks of her. She has always lived in Martin’s shadow as Martin is the eldest grandson and heir to her grandfather’s estate, but while she will do what Martin asks, she always responds to him with a bit of defiance. One day she comes across a wooden box and accidentally frees the Mayan god of death, Hun-Kame. Hun-Kame enlists the help of Casiopea to recover his throne from his brother, else Casiopea will perish. In order to do so, Hun-Kame must find what he is missing. She then journeys across Mexico with the God to recover his lost things.

If you like historical urban-fantasy, this is another good book for you. It’s great in that it is very original with its use of Mayan mythology and the Mexican setting; I am pretty sure this is the first fantasy book I’ve ever read that mainly takes place in Mexico. I didn’t necessarily find it to be the most immersive setting, but I think that may be in part due to my lack of knowledge of the area, especially given the time period. But there could have perhaps been a little more detail about the setting included to help readers learn and picture 1920s Mexico. 

As for the characters, Casiopea is a Cinderella who fights back. She may be used to doing what she is told from her family, but only because in the end she realizes she doesn’t have much choice. The same goes with her experiences with Hun-Kame. He’s a God that sometimes demands Casiopea to do something for him, and while she knows she has no way out of the deal she has with him, she will ask for a moment or an appeal. She wants to have more than women of the time were granted, and she deserves it with all of her hard work. She is a sharp contrast to her cousin, Martin, who is fairly lazy and just wanders about knowing he won’t have to work since he inherits his grandfather’s estate. Martin actually is jealous of Casiopea and this causes conflict within the plot. Lastly, we have the God Hun-Kame himself, who really acts like the God he is. He will do what it takes to claim back this throne; his drive compares to Casiopea’s, which then lays a foundation for a budding romance between the two. However, I didn’t feel too much for the romance, but I did appreciate that it was not instant. It takes time for the characters feelings to develop and doesn’t rush anything. I think it also ends at a very fitting place, and there is good foreshadowing that leads up to this if you look out for it.

I do feel that the pacing was off at times and while this is a relatively short fantasy novel at 352 pages, I feel like I read around 500. It was not a quick urban fantasy read like I was expecting. This may be due to my inability to be completely immersed into the story due to the weaker points I mentioned above. 

I recommend if you are a fan of the historical, cultural fantasies like The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty and The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden, or the dystopian, cultural urban fantasy Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.

Thank you to the publisher for providing a free eARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

See this review on Goodreads.

Romanov by Nadine Brandes

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn’t frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

My Review
2 out of 5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Retellings of the 1998 20th Century Fox animated musical Anastasia are always going to be a little tricky due to the fact that the musical is a complete work of fiction set against a true story of a family’s execution. Don’t get me wrong, I love the animated film and have even seen the live Broadway adaptation (which I own on CD). But at the end of the day I can recognize that it is a complete fairy-tale in relation to what actually happened. Mrs. Brandes takes a slightly more historically accurate approach to the tale, as the first 60% of this story follows the captivity of the Romanov family under the Bolsheviks. The problem with following that storyline is that it doesn’t allow for very exciting things to happen. Pretty much Anastasia (Natsya) and her family are miserable but getting by and hoping the White Army will come and save them. They don’t have a lot of food and keep having to mend their clothes over and over, but they have each other’s love, company, and support. It does have a flaw of painting Tsar Nicholas II as a good leader, which, given the fact that he was overthrown, history says otherwise. I guess it doesn’t help that it’s told in Natsya’s perspective and she probably loved her father a lot and may not have seen many of his flaws. This first part overall may have been more exciting if the magical aspect of the story was used earlier, but all it really was in the beginning was a bit a of intrigue. You know that Natsya has a spell in a nesting doll available to her but you don’t know when or how she is going to use it, or what it will do.

The later 40% is where the book picks up a bit; things are moving and happening. But it just takes such a long time to get to this point, I found myself not caring all that much. I think part of this is that this retelling doesn’t particularly add that much new content or original spin. It’s still the very same person, Anastasia. It’s still a Russian setting, though focused during the revolution itself and not 10 years later. Sure, it incorporates some magic and Nastya is interested in its craft (the movie just had the villain using magic), but it’s really not a large component to the story. It adds a Bolshevik soldier in as a love interest, but it is incredibly forced and cringy, especially after you read what happens. (Just give me back my conman love interest, please). There wasn’t anything to really hook me.

It’s still very well written (even if it could have perhaps been better researched). And I think the way it resolves itself is interesting; it certainly is a take on the tale of how Anastasia could have possibly survived.

I still enjoyed my time reading this, but I can’t find any way to say that it is more than okay. Thus, 2 stars.

See this review on Goodreads.

The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

Raised in a small village surrounded by vast forests, Liba and Laya have lived a peaceful sheltered life – even if they’ve heard of troubling times for Jews elsewhere. When their parents travel to visit their dying grandfather, the sisters are left behind in their home in the woods.

But before they leave, Liba discovers the secret that their Tati can transform into a bear, and their Mami into a swan. Perhaps, Liba realizes, the old fairy tales are true. She must guard this secret carefully, even from her beloved sister.

Soon a troupe of mysterious men appear in town and Laya falls under their spell-despite their mother’s warning to be wary of strangers. And these are not the only dangers lurking in the woods…

The sisters will need each other if they are to become the women they need to be – and save their people from the dark forces that draw closer.

My Review
5 out of 5 stars

This book is just a prime example of what my type of book is. It’s a retelling of The Goblin Market with a touch of magic and a touch of romance. It follows two sisters who discover that they inherited abilities from their parents. The elder sister, Liba, is able to transform into a bear like their father while Laya is able to transform into a swan like their mother. Since they’ve only just discovered their abilities, they must come to terms to what they are. They are both Jewish girls who live just outside a remote village near the border of Moldova and Ukraine. Liba is the responsible, rule-loving elder sister who is afraid to turn into a bear and doesn’t believe she will be able to control it. Laya, on the other hand, is much more free-spirited and wants to break free of the strict Jewish lifestyle, much like flying away and answering the call of her inner swan. Despite their differing personalities, Liba and Laya still very much love each other and support each other through the novel. It is a very touching sisterly relationship.

Both sisters experience their first loves, again with Liba being much more conservative and Laya running off in secret. I especially love stories like Liba’s, being devoted to a conservative lifestyle is generally a good backdrop for a slow-burn romance, and I always respect the boys who follow the girls wishes. 🙂

I really liked how Ms. Rossner immersed the reader into the remote village in Eastern Europe. As someone not very familiar with the customs and lifestyles of the area and Jewish people, I feel like I learned quite a bit. She incorporates a lot of history, food, religious practices and holidays, and more into the book. I know Ms. Rossner’s family actually comes from this area, but I am sure they would be proud of the representation here.

The novel isn’t without flaws despite my 5 star rating. Laya’s chapters are actually written in verse, but Ms. Rossner’s poetry doesn’t really read much at all like poetry, just shortened versions of her regular writing. I think it was done to even further convey Laya’s free-spiritedness, but I am pretty sure most poets would be disappointed in the execution. Also, while Ms. Rossner does an excellent job in using her Jewish and Urkanian setting, she decides to use quite a lot of Hebrew, Yiddish, and Ukrainian words throughout the dialogue. There is a glossary available so the reader can look these up, but I found myself getting annoyed with how many times I had to use the glossary. Plus, I always had to basically check all 3 glossaries because I did not know which language the word was coming from. There seemed to be no recognizable flow to who was using which language and when they were using it. Maybe someone who is fluent in at least one of these languages would easily be able to flip to the appropriate glossary, but as an ignorant American they all looked like the same language to me. I apologize for my lack of knowledge in these languages, but there could have maybe either been less of these words used, or a combined alphabetical glossary of all 3 languages so I don’t have to flip through all 3 every time I need to look up a word.

I highly recommend if you enjoy fairy-tale-like retellings, fantastical historical fiction, strong sibling relationships, and novels of self-discovery with romantic sub-plots. Again, very much a book for me and thus my 5 star rating. It’s a new favorite.

See this review on Goodreads.

The Bird and the Blade by Megan Bannen

Synopsis (From Goodreads)

As a slave in the Kipchak Khanate, Jinghua has lost everything: her home, her family, her freedom … until the kingdom is conquered by enemy forces and she finds herself an unlikely conspirator in the escape of Prince Khalaf and his irascible father across the vast Mongol Empire. On the run, with adversaries on all sides and an endless journey ahead, Jinghua hatches a scheme to use the Kipchaks’ exile to return home, a plan that becomes increasingly fraught as her feelings for Khalaf evolve into a hopeless love.

Jinghua’s already dicey prospects take a downward turn when Khalaf seeks to restore his kingdom by forging a marriage alliance with Turandokht, the daughter of the Great Khan. As beautiful as she is cunning, Turandokht requires all potential suitors to solve three impossible riddles to win her hand—and if they fail, they die.

Jinghua has kept her own counsel well, but with Khalaf’s kingdom—and his very life—on the line, she must reconcile the hard truth of her past with her love for a boy who has no idea what she’s capable of … even if it means losing him to the girl who’d sooner take his life than his heart.

The Bird and the Blade is a lush, powerful story of life and death, battles and riddles, lies and secrets from debut author Megan Bannen.

My Review
5 out of 5 stars

From the synopsis, I thought this would just be another YA romance, but with a twist on it being set in the Mongol Empire (I have not read any books set in that place and time). You have a slave girl trying to become free again while falling in love with her prince captor. You’ve probably read that story before, or at least something very like it.

But the title and the cover just sang to me. Birds are my favorite animals; specifically penguins, but I have a pet parrot and also really want to have a bird of prey (but I can’t stand dead things, unfortunately). All types of birds are good– even those little finch-type wild birds that hop along the sidewalk and fly away scared when you get too close (they’re so cute!). The blade part reminds me of all the epic fantasy I read with interesting battles. Plus, I love assassins and they have blades! Knights have blades! Ninjas, samurais, shinigamis and grim reapers! I love lots of things that use blades, okay? As I said, the title sang to me. And the cover with the super zoomed-in feathers– feathers are so soft! And are these grey feathers dipped in blood or is it supposed to be a Galah parrot?

I just wanted to know more just from these two things.

It turns out that after reading, the bird and the blade is a metaphor for our two main characters. The slave girl, Jinghua, is good at singing, like a songbird. And the prince, Khalaf, is good at fighting, like a bladesmaster. Maybe not that deep, in hindsight, however, this book is so much more than just a metaphor!

It’s actually a re-telling of an opera, Turandot. I was not familiar with this opera beforehand, but it has quite a bit of a fairy-tale feel to it. The opera is mostly about a prince who falls in love with the Princess Turandot, but must solve 3 riddles in order to marry her. I love fairy tales and generally am a sucker for their re-tellings. This re-telling focuses on the prince’s slave and just gives her so much life and so much character. Jinghua just felt so genuine. In particular, the scolding she gives herself everytime she catches herself falling for the prince was just so refreshing. So many other YA heroines just dreamily fall for hunky leads; they never seem to put things into perspective. Jinghua, on the other hand, sees that as a slave she is unable to be with the prince. She also falls for the prince because he is kind and caring, not because he is hot (but of course, he is still good-looking).

The supporting characters of Prince Khalaf and his Khan father are also fantastic as well. As I said previously, the Prince is a kind and caring (as well as intelligent) character that readers themselves can fall for. He is a good male lead to establish a healthy romantic relationship. As for the Khan, he starts off as a stereotypical, harsh royal but as the story progresses, you’ll find yourself warming up to the “old goat”. Mrs. Bannen interweaves some informal language into the story as Jinghua spends more time with the characters which I think was a subtle and endearing way to show how the characters grow closer over time, especially when dealing with royals and slaves. You’ll find yourself rooting for everyone, and especially for Khalaf and Jinghua to just finally admit their feelings and get together. It’s just so cute!

I will add that you shouldn’t go reading this book for its historical accuracy. Mrs. Bannen even notes herself that she took several liberties, but it was mostly for her story to make sense while still being creative with her storytelling. I’m not the best at history, so the differences didn’t bother me at all.

See this review on Goodreads.