READING: The House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A. Craig

Publication date: August 6 2019

Published by: Delacorte

Genre: YA, Children's Fiction, Re-telling, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. 

This would have been a 2 if not for the last 70 pages or so which were rather unexpectedly pleasant.

Confession time: I think I might be getting a tad too old for classically written YAs. I use to love them in my 20s but now (ahem getting closer to my 40s) I find them incredibly boring and monotone. I want more in a book than run of the mill writing and one dimensional characters.

I apologise to a large community of YA readers, but I guess the cliché is true: I just don't have time for uninteresting and repetitive books, I can't fit them in my life right now. I will continue reading YAs as some of them, albeit less and less, are still the bomb. However, I will definitely limit the amount, and learn not to believe the crazy, undeserving hype created by readers with completely different book tastes to mine :/

READING: The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Publication date: August 28 2012
Published by: Bloomsbury
Genre: New Adult, MM, Romance, Historical 
Rating: 

Achilles, "the best of all the Greeks," son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods' wrath.

They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice. 

Screw Romeo and Juliet. 

THIS the most epic love story of all time!

How can you review a book that is absolute perfection? How much can you gush over something you love? I feel like Chiron when, after seeing Achilles unique prowess, told him “I have nothing to teach you.” I seriously have nothing to say about the Song of Achilles that would do it justice, it’s that good.

I knew Miller is an exceptional writer (Circe is another masterpiece of hers I read last year) so I knew going in that I was at least going to like the Song of Achilles. What I didn’t expect was a deeply emotional and sensitive page turner of a book about the life journey of two boys in Ancient Greece.
Having the story and world building practically already mapped out, Miller has plenty of time to explore her characters and does so beautifully. I love that there is such a linear progression to her characters growth, we see them from a very young age growing and developing through the pages, steadily, almost respectfully, like every detail of their lives matters in how their personalities are eventually shaped. Nothing is left to chance and nothing seems out of place. Miller doesn’t choose the easy way out, there are no repeats of done-to-death tropes and that’s what makes her writing so unique and extraordinary.

Yes, the Song of Achilles was a great love story between Achilles and Patroclus, but for me it goes beyond that. What those two had was way more than simple love for each other. The level of devotion and the pure idolisation Patroclus had for Achilles was unreal. I do not doubt for a second that Achilles felt the same for Patroclus (he was the one who initially approached him after all) but in a slightly different way, which to some might not be quite enough, and maybe it wasn’t. Because Patroclus love for Achilles was so intense, any show of affection from Achilles could not possibly compare. Patroclus dreamed of kids and another life but he would happily put all his wants aside for Achilles, just to be with him and die with him. Achilles wouldn’t, at least not that easily, and Patroclus knew that very well. And he still loved him all the same.

The Song of Achilles is a tale of two boys with an unbreakable bond. It is a tale of war, death and destruction, but also of friendship, love, loyalty and forgiveness. 
In an nutshell, an absolute must-read.

The next day...
I can't stop thinking about this book you guys, and that very rarely happens to me. The effect it had on me is remarkable and it will always have a special place in my heart. 💖

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Because I have seen some crazy shit in some reviews, I feel the need to address some of it:

Mythology comes from the Greek words "mythos" which means legend and "logia" which means words, coming from the verb "legw" which means speak.
So, mythology is just that: stories, fables, fiction, basically a total fib. You can twist it any way you like and give it the shape you want. You cannot be "disrespectful" to mythology even if you tried, such thing is a paradox, it doesn't exist.
I am Greek and I studied Ancient Greek and Latin for 4 years in high school and I am telling you now I wouldn’t give a fuck and certainly wouldn’t be offended if Miller wanted to make Achilles a flamboyant drag queen from San Francisco or a surfer dude from the Gold Coast, who cares? She writes fiction, she is not a scholar. Stop picking everything apart and try enjoying books more would be my suggestion. Or read non-fiction, that could be a choice. 

And one more thing: if you don't like MM romance, don't read MM romance! It is really that simple.

READING: Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

Publication date: May 7 2019
Published by: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gods, Magic, Romance, Suspence
Rating: 

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences. 

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world. 

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I went into it after years of not reading much of YA fantasy (too many duds in the past) and expecting the worst because of all the hype.
I am so glad I was wrong.

Plot wise, Jensen nailed it. I really liked her world building - intricate enough to be interesting, but not too complex to be confusing. Although I have to admit it was hard for me to get into in the beginning, but I mostly attribute that to my long absence from fantasy. Also, I am not a fan of "explaining as you go", as I very professionally call it, and Dark Shores was definitely like that. There is no introduction to the world, you get thrown in it right away, and I caught myself flipping the pages to see if there is anything I missed in the beginning. But that goes away quickly as events start unravelling and we get into the characters more. 

For me, the book really picked up the pace and explored its characters from when they arrived in Arinoquia.
I instantly liked Marcus right away, his story was so well thought up, it was hard not to. I loved his personality and the way he carried himself among his men, exuding power and authority but also showing sympathy and compassion. Most of all though I loved the way he talked and his ever so careful choice of words. I know it is an odd thing to like, but you'll understand when you read it.
I liked Teriana well enough, although there were some instances where her actions did not really make that much sense to me. I get that she is conflicted, but I didn't really see how that conflict came to be so quickly. Contrary to Marcus who had no opinion of Maarin before he met her, she is brought up to despise godless Empire people, no more than the legatus of the most lethal legion in existence, Marcus. Not that it was insta love or anything, not even close. However, I felt that Marcus's attraction to her was more justified than hers to him.
I have to say though, not having their physical attributes pointed out all the time was such a breath of fresh air. Not everything needs to be sexualised. And that is coming from me!

That ending though...😱 It's not a cliff, but it will definitely leave you wanting more.

If Spartacus had a YA brother, it would be Dark Shores. It doesn't get any better than that.

Side note: Dark Shores is not a book about pirates, at least not as we know them. Granted, you catch a glimpse of the sailors' life at sea, but they are not your typical cutthroat pillagers. On the contrary, Maarin are peaceful people, who avoid trouble and just looking to trade. They are opportunists sure, but they would never harm just for the sake of it. So if you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure in the high seas, this might not be the book for you.