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thelivebookproject · 3 years

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December Wrap Up + 2020 Annual Review

BOOKS READ (12)

The Roommate - Rosie Danan --> 3.5/5

Olvidado rey Gudú - Ana María Matute --> 2.5/5 *

Sorcery of Thorns - Margaret Rogerson –> 4.5/5 [Review]

Dash & Lily's Book of Dares (Dash & Lily #1) - Rachel Cohn & David Levithan –> 2.5/5 [Review]

Beach Read - Emily Henry –> 4.5/5 [Review]

The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1) - Philip Pullman --> 3.5/5

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk of the Air #3.5) - Holly Black --> 3.5/5

Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite - Ed. Zoraida Córdova & Natalie C. Parker --> 3/5

The Secret Diary of Lizzie Bennet - Bernie Su & Kate Rorick --> 4/5 [REREAD]

The Lost Estate - Alain-Fournier --> 2/5

Well Played (Well Met #2) - Jen DeLuca --> 3.5/5

The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles #1) - Kester Grant --> 4.5/5

*Only available in Spanish

CHALLENGES

December Readathon

TO SUM UP DECEMBER

What a great month!!!!! I managed to read 12 books and enjoyed the majority of them, so I couldn’t ask for a better way to end the year. I am especially happy because my last book of the year, which I won in a giveaway, was a masterpiece, so it was a great note to end on. I really hope this reading luck keeps in 2021!

Under the cut you can find my (very thorough) 2020 annual review, don’t miss it!

2020 it might have been a terrible year in all aspects, but in reading terms I can't complain. I've read 113 books!!!!

Photo proof of me absolutely demolishing my yearly goal of 85. You can check out everything I've read here!

If you're curious and want a bit more depth, you can check out my monthly wrap ups, of which I'm very proud (you can see my reads, my ratings, links to reviews, any challenges I did that month, etc):

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December's in this same post

I also wrote a top 10 list about the best books I read in 2020... Including an addendum that I read too late to include. Whoops.

I completed, in some cases surpassed, all my yearly goals, including my 20 in 20 goals. Everything is crossed off and I couldn't be prouder of myself! The only thing I didn't do is actually write any reviews in French (I did review some books in Spanish) because I was too much of a coward. Maybe 2021 will be the year this blog becomes officially trilingual...

One of the highlights of the year were, of course, the reading challenges and events I participated in! Here are some (but I'm pretty sure there are others I've forgotten about):

Fairytale February

Comfort Zone Bingo

Summer Reading Bingo Challenge

Reading Ibero-America Challenge

Bookoween

December Readathon

And now onto my reading stats. I saw @lizziethereader doing them last year and immediately became jealous, so here are my own!

First, the authors. I read 96 authors, excluding the individual authors of the short stories anthologies I read because it was too complicated to bother with each one.

Gender diversity:

(Next goal: reading more non-binary authors!)

Racial diversity:

(I clearly need to do better...)

Country/area diversity:

(I definitely need to do better on this area!)

And now onto the books themselves!! All of these graphics (and info) belong to The StoryGraph, and they really satisfy my inner nerd.

Finally, there are a couple of other things I'm really happy about that I can't not mention.

In September, I became a moderator of Forgotten YA Gems after about two years of being a member in the group, and it's been great so far. Carrie (@brightbeautifulthings) and I have been planning lots of things for 2021, and I really hope people participate. Come join us!

And, obviously, my interview project Talking Books With has been an absolute wonder. I still can't believe everyone's enthusiasm and encouragement, and I'm really, really happy I started it. 2021 will bring us lots of new interviews, so catch up on everything here! Thank you so much.

All in all, 2020 hasn't been that bad. I'm really happy with everything I read, thankful for people here on booklr, and I can't wait to see what the new year brings.

Read you in 2021!

#monthly wrap up #annual review #december 2020 wrap up #2020 review #booklr #december 2020 #thelivebookproject

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nighteyed · 4 years

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Shine On ~

Let me preface this story with a disclaimer. This is my first ever, Jurdan fanfic. It is by no means perfect. Second, I listen to music and write. If you are an Amity Affliction fan then the title and the contents of this story might not surprise you. I pulled a lot from the lyrics and from their official music video, even throwing in a few scenes from the video. (EXCEPT WHEN YOUNGBLOODS PLAYED AND “FUCK THE REAPER” GOT THROWN ACROSS A SHIRT)

Fandom: The Folk of the Air

Pairing: Jude Duarte x Cardan Greenbriar

Rating: Teen (there are descriptions and mentions of abuse)

Written By: forbiddencorvidae | corvids_5

The green door stares me in the face, it’s like a mocking leer, the color for which I share a name. I hate it. I hate this place, but I press forward, grip the handle and turn it.

It curls and wraps, shrivels all around, the smoke that sinks into my skin, burns across the whites of my eyes and stains them yellow. There is a haze in this room, as I slowly close the door behind me. My eyes landing on the dozen blue ribbon cans on the kitchen table, my bag swaying at my hip. There is a cat mewling in the corner, four kittens suckling and my lips curl in disgust. Curdling, the smoke weaves through my hair, grazes my cheek bones, congeals at the corners of my mouth and then dives deep down my throat and strangles me.

I turn to my right, a safe hallway that I will escape through, to the safety of my room and a window that I am desperate to throw open and gulp down air that will purify my already rotting lungs. Doc’s hit something sturdy, hard bones and meat and I’m falling forward, downwards, in a spiral of swinging arms, bracing against the wall, trying, trying not to wake him.

There is a beast in this tunnel, beneath me and I will not escape him.

I’m flattened, defeated, pinned under a body much bigger than my own. My eyes are filled with obsidian spots that flutter across my vision. My head pulses and splits, spitting images across my eyes, blocked out by the dark specs that blind me. I feel a hand on my throat, claws digging into the sides of my neck, palm hot and pressing. I’m a child hiding in a closet, afraid and weeping. I feel the wisp of a tail, hear a cat mewling and I am weak, undone, I succumb to the torrent and do not brace for the onslaught. Tears are leaking from my eyes as my nose crunches into my face, a fist smashes against my cheek, my head flies into the wall. Adrenaline rockets though me and my mouth salivates, my body begins to shake as my blood free flows and chokes me. It pours from me in rivers. I’m drowning in my spit, tears and blood, I am drowning in life.

It’s going to be a real shinner, I hear him say. His laughter penetrates and permeates, slithers up my spine and around my neck. My bag is forgotten as I manage to fight my way to my knees and brace the wall, pulling myself from the floor and fumbling towards my bedroom door. It swings open, a rabbithole that I am all too happy to fall within and my bed a welcoming crash against my skin.

It is raining as I watch them. Three girls file from the suburban and march across the lawn to the red front door. The house across the lane is no longer empty, it is now filled with people and Balekin tells me that one of them has horns.

“General Madoc is to be my personal bodyguard," Balekin pulls at his collar and smirks. He is proud, I hear the bragging undertones in his voice, cool like onyx. "There has been some disturbing mail coming into the office. Some threatening letters and I do not stand by and obey idle threats." Balekin pulls at the cuffs of his suit and presses the palm of his right hand to the crown of my head, my lips sneer at his touch.

“You can stop sending them, little brother,” Balekin turns and drags his knuckles along the innards of the hallway, his rings scraping against the paint and drywall. “One day you might end up at the bottom of the creek.”

Good, I want to say, but I've learned that with a quick witted tongue you have to learn to hold it. Instead I feel the corners of my lips twitch and I pick at the tips of my fingers, there is glue under my nails.

There is a tap against my window that wakes me. My blood has crusted against my skin, and there is a weal under my right eye, it swells and presses into the underside of my eye. My head is still a ringing mess, my body sore and aching as adrenaline has seeped from me. My sheet sticks to the side of my face and I feel the hairs on my face pull and release as I rip myself from my bed. But when I turn to look at the window, I finally see for the first time, everything that he has tried to blackout.

“You have been home for hours and you never opened your window Cardan,” I can hear Jude from behind the sheer black curtain, from behind the single pane glass. “Cardan,” Jude is already pulling open the window, already swinging her leg through it and into my space. I bow my head at her commanding presence, her air as she enters my room, she fills every part of me with molten, down to my toes that threaten to drag me towards her. My neck is a hinge and I have lost all my will to lift my head and look into her eyes, so I close my eyes and I remember the day that she told me the first truth I have ever received.

I’m free, the wind blowing through my hair. I peddle faster and faster, all the while Jude Duarte yells behind me. Her auburn hair is styled up in horns, like some freak, like those stupid stories she reads.

“I HATE YOU CARDAN GREENBRIAR!” She is screaming from behind him, running as fast as her legs will take her.

“YOU HEAR ME? I HATE YOU! YOU AND YOUR BLACK HEART!”

I can’t help but smile at her words, they warm my blackened heart because no one has ever spoken such truth to me.

I will reward her by dumping this pink bike in the creek tonight.

“Cardan…”

I hate the sound of her voice, as it is now, laced with pain and pity as it pulls me from a precious memory. She will never know how much I wish her to be that little girl again, in the street, yelling that she hates me over and over again. I just want to feel alive, with the wind in my hair and her words in my veins.

She approaches me tentatively, it has been different, since that time. When I took her on this bed that is now stained with my blood. She is soft and full of sweet words, when all I need is her seething and swearing under me, over me, around me, I don’t care so long as she breaks over me, like water against rock, coating me, consuming me.

“Cardan, look at me.”

I see her booted feet from between my legs and I struggle to lift my head. Her hands come into my line of vision as her palms cradle my cheeks, my shoulders flinching at the warm, delicate touch of her skin. Slowly, she helps me, rolls my head on my shoulders until it is fully erect and I am staring up at her.

“Will you kiss me now and make this better?” My words are laced with venom as I say them and they slather against her skin as her fingers drag across my lips. “Kiss me Jude,” I press my tongue against her palm, my eyes never leaving her’s. Her gaze, lighting a fire in my heart as she stares down at me with eyes full of adoration, full of love and my guts twist at the emotion.

“Stop Jude,” I turn my head to my left, tucking my chin to my shoulder. “Stop staring at me with those eyes that disgust me.”

There is a long pause that billows in the air and nestles itself into my collapsing lungs. I pull in a ragged breath, the insult pains me more than the evidence on my face.

“I know you are hurting,” Jude whispers.

I want to bury my face in her white tank, but instead I snake my fingers through her belt loops and drag her towards me, pressing the crown of my head into her abdomen. I'm weak, so weak, so tired of this and all I want is to find a better place to live.

“But you are too strong to drown Cardan,” she whispers and it is to the room, to whomever will hear the words, I know they are not words for me. Those words are a prayer, for her alone.

I feel her nails drag across my scalp and they catch on a patch of matted hair and a memory flashes through my mind.

“Why do you speak like that?” Jude is sitting next to me by the creek and the sun is setting behind the buildings of the city beyond. “You sound too smart for a thirteen year old, it isn’t...normal.”

I scoff at her word choice and deign not to answer, but she presses and I acquiesce to her persistence. “I read Jude, books of all shapes and sizes. To learn, sharpen my tongue, to save me.” My sable hair ruffling in the warm breeze as I feel her shift next to me. Jude presses her pink lips to my cheek and my brows knit together. Partly at her action and partly because her lips have stoked the ache back into my jaw, my bruise with it’s yellowing center and purple ring ripples as I clench my jaw at her touch. Jude weaves her arm between mine and she pulls me closer towards her, it warms my bones. I feel something growing underneath the surface of my skin and there is no energy within me to deny it. So, I do the one thing that I am good at when it comes to Jude, I destroy it.

"Why do you wear your hair like that?" My question is blunt and like a club it strikes at her. I can see her discomfort as she shifts and pulls away from me and it is only shadowed by the simmer in her eyes.

"The Queen of Elfhame wears her hair like this," Jude spits at me, like I should know this, like we hadn’t played High King and Queen when we were ten. In a rare moment, when I found myself in Jude’s room, I saw her tattered copy of “The Queen of Nothing”, it fell from her nightstand, under her bed. I had reached to retrieve it, to place it back safely where she could find it when my fingers found a slip of paper instead.

I hate you Cardan Greenbriar. I hate you Cardan Greenbriar. I hate you Cardan Greenbriar. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. Hate. Hate. Hate. You. Cardan Greenbriar. I love you.

"Some fairytale, those aren't real Jude. Grow up." My words leave my mouth like needles and I have aimed them to prick in all the right places. There is nothing better than this. This is what we have. I have a brother who beats me and she has…

A demon lurks behind the walls of her home, a murderer.

“There has to be something better than this Cardan. Something worth living for,” Jude traces a finger to the bruise along my jaw and gently presses. Jude is so full of hopes and dreams, so hungry for all the things that people like me cannot have. She is blinding, like the sun shinning through a diamond and splashing against me. Yet, I want to believe her, to feel hope curl along my insides and blossom in my chest. I want to be so full of hope that I am sick of it. I blame the day she cursed me in the street, cursed my black heart even though I know it bleeds for her.

If she wants a fairytale then one day she will have it and I want to see her shine, be the one to give it.

“One day, Jude, I will take you to Insmire,” I let loose a rare smile and revel in the widening of her eyes.

“Jude,” I let my left leg shoot between hers and I crane my neck upwards so that I can see her, my cheek still firmly against her. Walnut eyes stare down at me and my fingers clench tightly against her hips, she is wearing a hat, it isn’t like her. “Your hair—its not, the horns," my voice is soft, questioning, so unlike my usual tone.

"I'm not twelve anymore Cardan," Jude presses her thumb to my bottom lip, her fingers cupping around my chin, pressing the side of my face firmly against her. "You were right. fairytales aren't real. Insmire, Elfhame, they are not real. No matter how much I wish them to be. No matter how much I wish that this—" She finally lets lose the breath that she has been holding in, since she has seen my face. “I just wish this was easier and if I could, I would break him.” Her words are like razors and I know that there is a truth to them. Jude is fire against me and I know now that I don’t want her to crash against me like water, I want her to scorch me, mark me, taint me.

We are not children anymore.

We've tasted sweet whiskey, gone skinny dipping in the creek, she has seen her mother killed, her father cut down, I've lived my life on the ground, with bruises and cuts inked into my skin and I've pressed my tongue between her legs and tasted sweet bliss. I've felt her heat around me, pulling me closer to her, wringing from me everything that I am and she has always outlasted me.

"Jude, go home." I push her away as I rise from the bed I've slept on since I was a child, the bed in which I laid her bare. Her eyes are full of hurt, but I see the curiosity that is stitched along her irises, she doesn't understand why I am doing this.

"You shouldn't be sneaking into the Governor's house," I say as I ruffle the paperwork on my nightstand. "You aren't a kid anymore. It's breaking and entering," I sigh as I fall back on my bed and slide my fingers under my mattress, the thick envelope greeting the tips.

"Balekin wouldn’t dare," Jude scoffs.

"Balekin, hates you, leers at you." I press my forefinger and thumb to the bridge of my nose and squeeze, the pain knitting my eyes closed. "Balekin says many things Jude. There is only abhorrence for your family, your father, deeply seeded and nourished with pale ale." My eyes find her's, there is shock there, truly. What did she expect?

"Do you hate me Cardan?"

Her question would have caught me off guard, if I didn't actually know that it was coming.

Yes.

My voice whispers across the blackness of my mind, her eyes like glass, round and waiting.

Make it easy for me, do not stare at me with those fragile eyes.

"Yes," I finally say. "Yes, I hate you. You once cursed my blackened heart, Jude, but it isn't the worm riddled, flea bitten parts of me that hates you. It's the parts that you have ignited and turned to flame."

She steps towards me and leans forward, her lips brushing against the shell of my ear as she whispers. A second later she is gone, out the window and the last light of the day fades with her.

The shower spray hits my skin like heated bullets and I watch as the water bleeds red between my toes. My hair falls into my eyes as I drag my fingers across my nose and press, I hear a faint pop from under the spray and my toes curl. I can breath again, barely. I toss around Jude’s words in my head and a smile creeps across my lips. I turn the shower knob and I’m left standing naked and in the cold.

I hear Balekin, in the other room, the television is fading in and out as he flips through the channels and I can see him through the drywall, sprawled across the couch, a blue ribbon can, clutched between his bruising fist. My smile pulls into a smug of satisfaction as I know that even though he has beat me, I have left a mark on his unblemished skin. Tomorrow, when he holds his scheduled press conference, he will wear gloves, in the middle of August and I will know that underneath them is the evidence of his abuse.

I pull a pair of black jeans on and open the bathroom door, then I break for my bedroom, my toes barely touching the wood floor, it feels as if I am flying. I click the door close softly and grab a black hoodie from my closet, pulling it over my head I make my way towards my bed, slipping into my doc martens. I flip the mattress and pull the envelope, the one that I felt earlier and tear it open. I count the bills in quick succession, the envelope now forgotten on the floor as I pocket the money down the front of my jeans. I pull a book from my nightstand and I grab a duffle from underneath my bed. I quickly pack what I may need and I brace myself to enter the hallway and head towards the front room.

I see the television from the mouth of the hallway and I count the seconds with each breath that I take. A minute goes by and the television channel has not changed, I hear a faint snoring and I exhale. I tip-toe across the room and I find Balekin’s briefcase tucked underneath the table. I feel inside the pockets until my fingers brush along something cold and heavy, my fist wrapping around the keys and I tear them from the bag. I have to tip-toe to the front door and I close it gently.

In my driveway Jude is waiting for me. Her hair is flowing in the evening breeze and she leaves me breathless with the sight of her. Her auburn hair is rolled up in two horns on her head and I can hear the little girl in the street from all those years ago. Yet, this time she isn’t screaming how much she hates me, she is whispering in my ear that she loves me. She is wearing a black tank top with a saying across the front and it makes me smile, a gut tightening, teeth bared smile and I want to fall into her eyes as they widen at me. Before I know what I am doing, my feet take me to her and I drop my bag at her feet, my hands reaching for the sides of her face and pulling her into my lips.

She tastes like spun sugar and I worry that if I am not gentle I will break her, that she will wilt in my embrace, but she pulls me closer and hugs me tighter.

“Lets go,” I say as I pull her towards the passenger side of Balekin’s black mustang.

“Wait, wait,” She whispers into the night around me. “I’m going to drive, you push and when we are down the block, I’ll start her up.”

I smile at her wonderful mind and watch her as she darts across the front of the car and jumps into the driver seat. I hear the car slink into neutral and it rolls slightly down the driveway. Tossing my bag into the back seat, I reach the backend and push, the car rolls and with every second that passes I can taste freedom. It isn't until I hear the engine roar to life and Jude’s laughter from the front seat, that I finally run towards the passenger side and jump in.

Jude hits the gas and the wind pulls at my hair and I do the one thing that I had promised myself that I would never do. I turn and look back at the house that will probably forever haunt my dreams. I smile and raise my fists to that green front door and I flip it off, a howl of laughter escaping my lungs and it feels so good to finally breathe. Without hesitation, without the worry that I would wake a sleeping beast.

Jude is to my left and there is a smile on her lips and I thank every star in the sky. Her hand weaves towards mine and I link my knuckles to hers and squeeze, bringing the back of her hand to my mouth. I kiss her flesh with vehemence and press my nose to her pulse.

I reach for the stereo, flip it on and as we drive through the night, under the shining stars, Jude sings.

"Shine on, shine on young love."

And I lean towards her and whisper in her ear. "Thank you, for saving me."

#jurdan #judan fic #jude duarte #jude x cardan #cardan greenbriar #shine on young love #mentions of violence #mentions of abuse #madoc #balekin #mortal au #childhood frienemies #to lovers #amity affliction inspo #rioawrites #blackcrowTFOTA #forbiddencorvidae

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rebbykins · 3 years

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just some rambling

So after having “The Queen of Nothing” since like 2019, I finally read it. I’d been reconnecting with some of my fairy characters and Holly Black’s world is a big influence on my characters. (Not just The Folk of the Air, but The Modern Faerie Tales and The Darkest Part of the Forest)

I really was mad at the end of “The Wicked King”, something about Jude just not talking to people because I thought that would make things better for her. Then I ended up reading “The Raven Boys” and the books that followed and I thought maybe I didn’t like books in first person or Black’s writing style. Or maybe I’d grown out of Young Adult fiction? That might be somewhat part of it. I’m no longer a teen similar to Jude, now a much more mature and fully thinking adult....

I think right now I’ve just really missed reading a book that I get engulfed in. I know I ate over 100 pages in TQoN one day. I went out and bought “How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories” today and already finished it. (it’s pretty short!) I have this hunger for more of the setting and have started reading fanfic already. There’s a few more stories I’d like to have told and I think I’ll only get those from the fans. I just want to talk to other people who have read the books but none of my friends have....Maybe I’ll reread the first two.

I think something I have enjoyed in FotA and MFT was that FotA pulled characters from MFT and DPofF. It felt like it wrapped things together nicely. I can not wait to see what her next series is. I kind of hope we get to see something from the Court of Teeth because there was a very interesting thought Jude had at the end of the story about their queen.

#holly black #the queen of nothing #the cruel prince #how the king of elfhame learned to hate stories #rebbykins rambles #rebby rambles

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booklovingturtle · 4 years

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Cardan finds out how Balekin tortured Jude

This turned out to be longer than planned. As soon as I submitted my last final assignment for the semester, I opened up Tumblr and wrote this for @duarteegreenbriar bc of this post. You can def expect another fic where he finds about Locke *wink wink*

I hope you enjoy it! This is kinda like hc/fic based in QON while Jude is still exiled. Also its unedited because I wanted to get this out before I went on Christmas break.

“We have news for you,” was the Bomb’s way of greeting Cardan one earlier morning. Yellow and pinks drops of sunrise had just barely started to fall over Elfhame when he received the Roach’s message, asking to meet.

Not too far into Jude’s exile and a few months since the old Court of Shadows had been demolished meant that the High King and his Queen’s band of spies were meeting in an old cellar long since forgotten in the palace. The only way to even enter it was through an opening Cardan had used his new-found magic to make. The opening was hidden in a fake armoire of one of their guests rooms. The room itself was perpetual damp, insufficiently furnished, and lacking any of fun memories the old court held. But it was well protected from prying ears and hard to access so it would due.

“How are my favorite pair of mischievous friends?” Cardan smirked reflexively at the serious look on their faces. His tail twitched uncomfortably beneath his clothes.

Mouth in a thin line. Back straight. Eyes narrowed. Hand on nearest weapon. Yes, everything about the way they stood told him whatever he was going to hear would not be pleasant.

“We have news,” the Roach mimicked his companion’s no-nonsense tone.

“So I’ve heard,” Cardan rolled his eyes. He retied the thick red cape he’d thrown on himself to fight of the chill of the cellar. It gave his hands something to do other than twitch at his sides. “Jude?”

“Yes and no.” The Bomb started. “She’s fine. Safe as usually doing some odd jobs for a faerie in the mortal world.”

“This about what happened before her exile.” Roach continued. His beady eyes were unreadable as usual. “We looked into Balekin’s connections with the Sea as you asked us to. We found out what Orlagh had been doing with Jude while she was imprisoned.”

A lump sat in his throat. No matter where she was Jude always felt like the center of his world. He couldn’t go longer than an hour awake or asleep without thinking about her. Her time in the Undersea had only intensified the problem for him.

“Out with it. What did you discover?”

“You already know that Balekin thought he could glamour her. I-” the Bomb looked anxiously at the Roach. They shared a glance and she pulled a weathered envelope from inside her coat. “We think it might be best if you just read this. It’s a collection of court documents detailing what the Undersea would do to her.”

“I don’t understand. Why would they keep records of that? What use do they have of collecting memories of Jude’s torture? I thought those events were mostly private for Orlagh’s own pleasure.”

“We can only assume that there were more people attending them than Jude was led to believe. Perhaps as secret spectators. One can only guess what Undersea’s Queen was plotting.”

“There’s more. Some came from Balekin’s personal journals, uncovered despite Orlagh’s attempt to destroy any evidence of her alliance with him.”

Cardan couldn’t stand their cautious looks. He turned to face the wall behind him. He wasn’t sure if it was possible to feel such a heady mix hate and fear and sorrow and freedom all at one time. Every mention of Balekin’s name was like a blow to the stomach.

“Just tell me what happened.”

“We think it might be best if you read it. You don’t have to. There’s nothing really useful to us if you’d prefer to not know exactly what they did.” The Bomb said I’m a voice usually soft for her.

“She’s right. But I think it’s important that you know regardless. Take the papers. Read them if you want to. When you’re ready.” The Roach said in a way that suggested that it shouldn’t have even been an option to not read what was contained inside the envelope.

Cardan faced them again. The Bomb handed him the collection of papers and left. The Roach stayed back long enough to warn the High King.

“It won’t be easy. What you find in there.”

Cardan looked him in the eyes, trying to find some comfort or understanding that he could lean on. Instead he just found pity.

“Thank you. Tell the Bomb that I appreciate it. No matter what I find.”

Roach nodded and walked out of the cellar. Within seconds it was just Cardan standing in a damp cellar by himself. He stared at the weighted envelop. It felt like it was full of explosive lead, not weathered folded leaves of paper.

Cardan tucked it into his belt and trekked back up to his room. The guards lined outside of his chambers looked curiously at the sight of their High King. He closed the door behind him and stripped off the heavy cloak. Cardan sat at the bench at the foot of his large bed. He wasn’t sure if it was his right to know what happened to her during her imprisonment. If Jude had wanted to share those details with him then she would have.

Cardan stared at an empty corner of his room. A spiraling curl of vines snaked up the walls. White dahlia’s sprung up amidst the green leaves. He’d been practicing how to control his pull of the land for a few months now but it still felt odd to be able to sway nature this way and that.

He thought about the dizzying display of power he’d used when he was face to face with Orlagh. It had felt as if the very land he stood on bowed beneath his fists. He knew she’d never admit it but he remembered the look on Jude’s face when she’d first realized what was happening. She was impressed by all that he’d learned to do while she was gone.

Not gone. Captured. Held prisoner.

Cardan didn’t let himself second guess his decision. He yanked the envelop open and scanned the first few documents.

The mortal is starting to loose it’s sanity. It’s clear even the glamour can’t help it hold on much longer. It is much thinner than it had been when Orlagh first brought it. There are also a considerable number of marks left along its body. Rumor has it the princess herself may be responsible fo them.

Cardan felt like throwing up. He remembered how Jude had looked like a ghost when she'd first returned. All bones and angles when she’d been hard muscle and soft skin.

He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the images of her skin touching his. Of his fingers touching her. The papers in this hands made him sick to his stomach. They called her an it. And said she had marks. Not one but many.

The dahlia’s crumbled up and withered to dust. Hot pink heart-shaped buds bloomed in their place.

He flipped to the next page, recognizing the handwriting of the thick stationary paper. His hand was shaking by the time he go to the end of the torn journal entry.

Jude has been an interesting toy. A fun toy. Her attachment to my brother has been a mystery. I though perhaps she had some sort of secret or piece of black mail to hold over him. Even with the glamor, she hasn’t revealed anything if she does. Though the nature of their relationship is still unknown, I believe I have a way of figuring it out.

Cardan stood abruptly. His body hummed with nervous. His tail wriggled uncomfortably until it came loose. It swung behind him and Cardan had to step away from the bench to keep it from slamming against it. The next journal entry had him regretting he’d stood up.

Any suspicions I’d had of their relationship have been answered. I used a glamour to force her to kiss me as she would kiss my brother. It worked perfectly. It was horrendous. I hate myself for even asking her to do it. For degrading myself enough to touch a creature like her but it worked. She kissed me with all of the fires that mortal are described to feel when they love something. Their bright and easily extinguished fires. She looked at me as though I was the only man she’d ever seen and ever wanted to touch. I almost withdrew the demand but I’m glad that I didn’t. Had I gone back on my command, I never would have understood how deep her affection for him went. She truly cares for him.

The next question is how much does Cardan care for her? It’s clear he’s fascinated by her. Curious about her. But cats are curious of mice when they first chase after them. It’s after they’ve caught them beneath their claws that they bare their fangs. Perhaps that’s what Cardan has been doing. Though knowing the naive nature of my brother’s heart, I highly doubt it. I’ll find out soon enough. for the girl’s sake, I hope it’s later rather than sooner. Should Orlagh let her live long enough to ever see Cardan again, I’d love to watch him destroy that mortal love of hers.

Cardan’s knees gave out from under him. He stared at the letters for what felt like centuries. They didn’t feel real. Balekin had forced Jude to kiss him. He knew she wasn’t glamoured as he thought she had been. That meant Jude had to kiss him completely aware of her actions. She had to force herself for kiss Balekin in a way that would convince him of her love for his brother. Cardan reread it a forth time, praying that somehow the letters would rearrange themselves to tell him a different story.

Distantly he realized why the Bomb and the Roach had opted out of telling him themselves. How did you tell the High King of Elfhame that his abusive older brother forced the woman he loved to kiss him.

The paper crinkled in his hands. Cardan released an angry growl. His blood boiled as he read it for a sixth time. She never mentioned it. Not that they had much time before her banishment to talk through all the details. Nor was it likely that Jude, with her affinity for secrets and lies, would tell him the truth about the situation.

Cardan paced back and forth in the room. If she would just answer his damned letters. If he could just get her to come back to Elfhame and talk to her. To see her. To apologize for what happened between them. Between her and Balekin. He was never more grateful than he was in that moment that she killed him.

After reading the letter Cardan almost wished he’d come back to life just so he could drive the blade through his older brother himself. Cardan heard the crackling fire of the hearth. He threw the stack of papers into the fire. A thick puff of smoke fizzled out of the flames as they blackened into ash.

The ugly words disappeared from existence but the High King would never forget the torturous curves. He’d never forget what the Undersea did to her. What Balekin did to her.

Cardan rushed to his desk, brashly scribbling out a missive to send to Jude.

Jude, he started the letter. Jude. He couldn’t think of anything else to write to her. Jude. Please come back. Just come back. Jude. I’m sorry. I’ll be better. I promise. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude. Jude .Jude. Jude.

He’d filled the paper with her name. If he couldn’t see her then maybe the letters of her name would be enough to erase the sickness he felt after opening the envelope.

Author’s Note: I couldn’t figure out how long she was exiled bc I’m still on campus and my books are at home so excuse the ambiguous timeline. If anyone knows the answer to how long she was imprisoned/exiled/when the letters were written please let me know.

#booklovingturtle writes #holly black #Folk of the Air #The Folk of the Air #the cruel prince #the wicked king #queen of nothing #queen of nothing spoilers #tcp #twk #qon #qon spoilers #prince cardan #king cardan #cardan greenbriar #jurdan #jude duarte #cardan x jude #jurdan angst

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mrsren · 3 years

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November Book Haul

It’s really annoying to switch accounts for a book blog, and since it’s not serious maybe I’ll just post stuff here since I kind of do everything here anyway? I don’t know, but I did want to share all the books I got this month anyway! The list is kind of long (one book for every day of the month, whoops) and it’s under the cut!

Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

One Day in December Josie Silver

The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory

The Anatomical Shape of a Heart by Jenn Bennett

They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

These Violent Delights by Chloe Gong

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

King’s Cage by Victoria Aveyard

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott

This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens (Book of the Month Club)

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent CIty) by Sarah J. Maas

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

After by Anna Todd (This was a guilty pleasure buy, and I’m pretty sure it normalizes toxic relationships, which is obviously never really okay.)

Tweet Cute by Emma Lord

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (gifted)

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (gifted)

The Wicked King by Holly Black (gifted)

The ACOTAR copy and TFOTA were gifts from @vino-amore. My sets of the books aren’t complete yet and I’m hopefully going to order those at Christmas when my family gives me gift cards for Amazon.

I’ve read a couple of these so far, and I was really sad when a couple of them really didn’t live up to what I wanted.

#november book haul #bookblr

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rosereview · 3 years

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Book of the Month (Jan): The Hand on the Wall

So I’ve decided I want to start this little series where for every month I choose the best book I read of that month and do a little review on it. The only sort of rules that I have are that I finished the book in the month that it is for, it isn’t a reread, and in terms of my new obsession with Webtoons stories I have to have completed the season or whole comic in that month, which will be harder to do since most of the comics I am reading are still going on and only come out once a week. I also want to make a small list for all the books I read that month and show my ratings for them. So for the month of January 2021 I only read 4 books which will probably be my new normal (or even less) in this upcoming year, but my favourite was definitely The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson, which was also my last read of the month. The rest of my list in order from favourite are:

The Hand on the Wall by Maureen Johnson (5 stars)

How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black (5 stars)

Siren’s Lament, Season 1 by instantmiso (5 stars)

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (4 stars)

Characters

Now onto the actual review, like I did with the Chain of Gold review, I break it up into three parts, my thoughts on the characters, relationships, and plot. In terms of characters, I love the cast in the Truly Devious novels! I love Stevie and how her mind works. It is so interesting to read. She’s such a relatable but also unique character that it’s hard to really pinpoint one thing that was so amazing about her. But I feel like the way that she goes through life, and this book, constantly trying to find the logical meanings from the clues but also having to remember to behave like a human was written really well and done fascinatingly. She had the perfect amount of flaws and imperfections while also being truly amazing and almost robotic when it comes to solving her mysteries, which I have to say is something I’ve always loved about detective stories like Sherlock Holmes or Charlotte Holmes. (I have to admit that I haven’t read that many detective mystery stories). But even though she has the same feel as Sherlock Holmes or Charlotte Holmes in a sense, she also is completely her own individual character and has many aspects that make her even more relatable than Sherlock.

Next we have David who I have to admit I’m in love with. He’s got the perfect amount of troubled bad boy who doesn’t give a shit, but also vulnerable and kind and caring. It was interesting to delve a little bit more into David’s character and his problems with his dad, but I feel like in this last book to the trilogy it was more the end to the mystery where we knew practically everything about the characters, so it didn’t have the same wow factors with the plot twists in David’s character like the first two books had.

And to add with that, that is the reason I found that in this book individually, the rest of the gang fell a bit more flat than the previous books. By the gang I mean Stevie’s friends from Minerva House, Nate, Janelle, Vi, and Hunter (although Vi and Hunter technically don’t originally live in Minerva House, but they're still part of the gang).

Relationships

Onto relationships… Even though I said that the characters all kind of fall a bit flat in this last book because it’s more focused on the plot, I still have to say that I loved the small development of Stevie and Nate’s friendship. I felt like in the book it felt closer and more valuable, although I feel like that’s the wrong word to explain it. It just felt like Nate and Stevie had more trust and understanding between each other, especially since he’s the one Stevie told first about her solving the mystery.

The second relationship that I was happy ended well, even when they didn’t start well in this book, was Stevie and David. I was really sad when they sort of broke up in the last book because like I already said, I love David. Even though David can kind of be an asshole from time to time, he really does pull through and cares a lot for Stevie even when he tries to pretend otherwise. I was just happy it ended well.

And the last relationship that I just love is the relationship between Stevie and Larry. I just always felt like they had such a cute either father-daughter relationship or a mentor-mentee thing which I always really loved. So I was happy that Larry came back in this book and played a pretty big role in the end with helping Stevie solve the whole mystery. It just makes the book feel so much more realistic when there are actual adults helping the kids in these YA or middle grade novels because that’s what you’d hope actually happens in real life.

Plot

Finally now, let’s talk about the plot. Like I already mentioned this final book in the series was definitely more plot driven than the other books were, obviously because it was the final book where the whole mystery had to be solved, and while there were still cute character moments, it was still all heavily developed with the plot and moved the plot forward. And even though I usually like a book that focuses more on the characters than the plot, I loved this book for finally revealing the full picture of the mystery of Truly Devious. It was very satisfying and everything felt so intentional. It really did feel like the last piece of a very big puzzle and I loved that feeling so much. I liked learning more about the Ellingham’s back in the 1930s and I loved all the tie ins to the present day.

Overall I just loved this series so much which was probably why this book was my favorite for the month because in my mind it reflects the whole series. It was super well written and kept me on the edge of my seat, and it was also a very fast read once you got into it. I can’t wait to read more in Stevie’s world and honestly hope these books go on forever with just different mysteries. Highly highly recommend these books.

I hope more people read these books and find joy in the mystery just like I did, and sorry for all of my jumbled thoughts, this post is kind of a mess, but oh well.

Until next time!

~Rose Reviews

#maureen johnson #truly devious #The hand on the wall #book review #book of the month

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withinthepagesbookclub · 4 years

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Episode 3 - 9 Must-Read Young Adult Fantasy Books

In this episode, we are mixing it up a bit and talking about 9 must-read young adult books we are looking forward to reading in this next year! Some have been around for years and some are coming out this next year! What's on your list?

Listen here

Get your copy of the books we mentioned: Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare: https://amzn.to/2VB3Va7 The Dark Artifices: https://amzn.to/3eQbcdF How the High King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories by Holly Black: https://amzn.to/2BXtUlm The Folk of the Air Trilogy by Holly Black: https://amzn.to/2BQQwE2 A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas: https://amzn.to/3ii04bE A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas: https://amzn.to/3dPKdxy Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: https://amzn.to/2BgVwC0 The Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff: https://amzn.to/3gga8QQ The Lost Book of the White by Cassandra Clare: https://amzn.to/3eQyfVP The Eldest Curses by Cassandra Clare: https://amzn.to/3ihKtsL Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare: Not yet available for Pre-Order Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare: https://amzn.to/2ZEgRNV Blood and Honey by Shelby Mahurin: https://amzn.to/2Zn7e61 Serpent and Dove by Shelby Mahurin: https://amzn.to/3gfG8V7 A Sky Beyond the Storm by Sabaa Tahir: https://amzn.to/3ikbmMM An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir: https://amzn.to/31zaHBc Next books we're talking about: All three Ember in the Ashes books! Read them now before our next episode. https://amzn.to/31zaHBc Connect with us:

Email: [email protected]

Tumblr: WithinThePagesBookClub.Tumblr.com

Lexa's Tumblr: Iseranademefan.tumblr.com

Cynthia's Tumblr: CynthiaHHsWorld.Tumblr.com

#cassandra clare #dark artifices #holly black #high king cardan #folk of the air #sarah j maas #Acotar #aurora rising #the eldest curses #chain of gold

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addictedforbooksquad · 4 years

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B O O K R E V I E W

╙ T H E Q U E E N O F N O T H I N G B Y H O L L Y B L A C K

genre: fantasy, young adult

publication date: 19th November, 2019

rating (1-5 scale):

writing: ★ ★ ★ ★

characters & character development: ★ ★ ★ ★

could-not-put-it-down factor: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

general rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS!

“By you, I am forever undone.”

Exhilarating. Feels-inducing. Heart-attacking. I didn't just read this book. I devoured it. Inhaled it through my pores. Drank it in with haste and thirst as if indulging in faerie wine after a year-long fast. Perhaps from a storytelling point of view, this wasn't as good as “The Wicked King” but nevertheless, I revelled in every single page. I read it in one go, from cover to cover, and all I can say is that it was absolutely worth a sleepless night. And then it left me so satisfied and full of reflections and feelings, then I just cannot stop thinking about it. And aren't those books, which leave us content and sated, and yet somehow yearning for even more of a good thing, just the best? Now, onto the details, the good and (despite 5-star rating) the bad: I. the sister thing Anyone who knows me, knows that I absolutely hated Taryn in the first two books. Betrayal of her sister aside, I just found her utterly and unforgivably...boring. In "The Queen of Nothing" though, I was happy to discover depths to her character that weren't that fleshed out before. From killing Locke (YASSS!!!) to standing up to Madoc, side by side with Jude and Vivi, Taryn finally showed with her ACTIONS, not words, which side she is on. And look, this perhaps doesn't erase what she did to Jude in “The Cruel Prince” but I liked how the story unfolded between them in this last installment. This is not a series about pure-hearted good characters. They all did awful things. They all did some of those awful things to each other. So in the end, I'm glad there was no "grovelling" on Taryn's part, no act of "official" forgiveness. That's not how things work in Faerie. More than that, all the sisterly moments! Loved them! Whether it was Taryn trying to gossip about Cardan with Jude or the three sisters united against Madoc, it was great to see a positive sister relationship in a fantasy for once. I definitely prefer them together than apart and set up against each other. II. the trick thing I had lots of theories after finishing "The Wicked King" about Cardan banishing Jude from Elfhame and damn, do I have a satisfaction of getting it at least partially right. I know a lot of people hated what Cardan did in TWK but personally, I loved that plot twist. I thought it evened out the playing field between them and I always knew there was more to it anyway. And would you look at that, it was indeed a trick! When Jude and Cardan reunited and he was so utterly confused that Jude WASN'T proud of him for pulling one over her...priceless. He did it to impress her. He did it to protect her (and his kingdom). He did it to, let's face it, get back at her. It's so wonderfully twisted, my pitch-black heart rejoices and flutters. Added to that delicious cake of dark and twisted is a cherry of irony on top which is the fact that Jude did realize that she could pardon herself...and didn't. She, who is usually so smart and devious and quick to pick up on other people being smart and devious, wasn't able to see through the smoke screen and guess Cardan's true intentions. Which isn't that surprising to me, because when it comes to feelings, my daughter Jude is the most hopeless and oblivious person in that fantasy realm. That lack of trust in Cardan cost her and it only underlined what needed to change - to be able to rule together, Jude and Cardan need to lower their defences when it comes to one another. But more on that in the next point. III. the love thing Jude and Cardan's dynamic has been one of my very favourite things about this series from the start. I love them both as characters and I love them as a ship. I was happy to find out that what unravelled between them in this last installment was utterly (with some minor mishaps) satisfying. Their reunion, untangling the coiled web of mistrust and misunderstandings, learning to trust and be trusted...it was everything. I longed to see them as allies and a team, rather than enemies and reluctant/forced co-operators from the start (not that it wasn't fun to see them as enemies and reluctant allies, IT WAS SO MUCH FUN) and here I got what I wished for. Love scenes, their talk of lowering their shields, those that had been kept up for so so long, melted my heart. Cardan's love confession? Perfect! And so fitting for him in my opinion. Only he would say ILY in such an off-handed manner.

Basically:

"Hi you probably already know this because you're so smart (and I love you) but I've loved you for a long time, OK we got stuff to do BYE" Perfection 😍😂 Cardan was also, quite obviously, Jude's first stan, and I just live for relationships like that. And the longing between them was so palpable. Especially in Cardan's letters to Jude, I could feel how much he missed his Queen *ugly weeping* I'd say that Jude's confession could've been handled better, as in, there could've been even more build-up to it, considering how good she is at holding on to her walls and defences. Still, I loved it in its own way. IV. the character development thing I know there are some who were dissatisfied with the plot twist and the ending. Personally, I thought it was very fitting though. The decision that Jude faces? Between love and power, between her own humanity and the possibility of utter control over Cardan? That dilemma was the best way to capture the character development she had gone through throughout this series. Ever since the beginning, Jude had been wondering about one thing - where will she draw a line? Is there a line that she won't cross to get more power? She got her answer in this book. As Jude was making her choice between killing Cardan or killing her chances at ruling Elfhame, I was crying heavy tears of someone who had witnessed a painful yet utterly satisfying journey. Jude had always been scared. Jude had always resented being weak and human. Jude had always craved power and security for herself. Jude had always hated being vulnerable and relished in the control she gained over Cardan. And with her choice, she embraced so much of what she had once resented. She chose hardship and uncertain future and opened herself up to being hurt. She chose love. She chose being human and weak and what-the-hell-I'll-deal-with-it-because-I'm-not-weak-at-all. She chose Cardan. *this reviewer took a 5-minute break at this point to wipe off all the tears from her keyboard* The point is, I loved the character development this choice represented and yet, Jude also remained very much herself by doing this. V. the loose thread thing Not to be overly sweet on this book, there were also some loose ends, all right. For one, I wish the relationship between Cardan and his mother was explored more, same with more insight into Jude's biological parents, especially her mother. It seemed like it was teased a lot in two previous installments and yet, I didn't experience nearly as much delivery as I expected on those subjects. I just wish there was more on this. VI. other things

Cardan calling Jude his wife, THE FEELS ARE REAL

the not-so-subtle hinting at the possible Taryn-Ghost romance, I dig it

loved the conclusion to Jude and Madoc relationship, he got exactly what he deserved

onto punishment topic, I also loved that Cardan left that responsibility solely within Jude's power

underlining the fact that Cardan is very stable in his feelings, very un-faerie-like was very much appreciated, I love one (1) Faerie boy

Vivi and Heather getting their HEA as well, YESSSS

the symbolism of Cardan creating two thrones from one, my heart stopped

Cardan in the mortal world (P.S. I NEED MORE OF THIS, approximately 483949 pages more)

I could go on and on but there was just so much - and in such a (relatively) short book too. What I will say is this - The Folk of the Air had been shaping up to be one of my favourite fantasy series, and "The Queen of Nothing" made it into a fact. Which it could have very well failed to do, as it often happens with final books in a series. Because ever since I finished "The Wicked King", I've been holding my breath, waiting for the proverbial other shoe to drop and for this final book not to live up to the very high expectations I've had for a conclusion not only to a great series, but also some of my very favourite characters and relationships. But after reading this, "I feel as though I can finally breathe again."

#the folk of the air #the queen of nothing #queen of nothing spoilers #book recs #jurdan #litedit #bookworm #bibliophile #book reviews #jude duarte #prince cardan #our reviews #by kate

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