Anna Tan's Blog, page 46
July 10, 2018
#bookreview: Flame by Selah J Tay-Song
Flame: Tales of QaiMaj Volume II by Selah J Tay-SongMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Where Frost: Tales of QaiMaj Vol I told tales of Iskalon, Flame tells the stories of Chraun. Flame focuses quite a lot more on King Dynat with 3 of the 6 stories (Orphan, Kinyara, General) exploring his background and his ascension to the throne, including his relations to those closest to him.
Tanner was a bit more of a Chraun folk tale--and it's not clear whether the tale is true or an exaggeration.
Semija felt a lit...
July 3, 2018
#bookreview: Fawkes by Nadine Brandes #netgalley
Fawkes by Nadine BrandesMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
4.5 stars. I was initially going to only give it a four, but oh my the emotional pay off at the end. So yeah.
An alternate history of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605 in a magical Britain, Fawkes follows Thomas Fawkes, the (maybe imaginary) son of Guy Fawkes and his desperate attempt to gain his colour mask from a distant father. Fortunately, you don't need to know any history to follow this story! I only had a sketchy idea of Guy Fawkes Night based o...
June 26, 2018
#bookreview: Kingdom of Ash and Soot | C.S. Johnson
Kingdom of Ash and Soot by C.S. JohnsonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Right. I think I'm gonna put this at something like 3.5 stars.
Kingdom of Ash and Soot starts off with a very Cinderella vibe. After the death of her father, Eleanora and her brother Benedict are treated as servants by their (evil) step-mother. The plot does veer away after that, but the Cinderella-ish undertones remain throughout the rest of the story, especially when she's later given the nickname "Ella." Lady Penelope appears on...
June 24, 2018
#musicmonday: God is not a white Man | Gungor
Because it was amusing. lol
June 19, 2018
#bookreview: Lost Gods by Micah Yongo
Lost Gods by Micah YongoMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
There are books you like instantly and there are books that grow on you. Lost Gods is more of the latter for me. It sounded intriguing enough that I requested a review copy via NetGalley. And I liked it, it's not that I didn't. It was exciting and mystifying enough that I kept reading, though it wasn't gripping enough that I couldn't put it down. Yet after finishing it, the pervading feeling isn't one of satisfaction--it's one of confusion and my...
June 17, 2018
#musicmonday: Forward Motion | Relient K
SO.
I'm in the midsts of freaking out with all the paperwork for my Chevening award and university unconditional award letters, but I guess now's a good time as any to announce:
I've gotten a place at Brunel University London to do an MA in Creative Writing (The Novel) under a Chevening Scholarship so yes. Freaking out and pushing on and trying to make sure all my dragging jobs get closed up. Besides wondering what else I need to buy to survive four seasons in London when I'm a tropic...
June 15, 2018
Down the TBR hole
Time to kinda go down the TBR hole again. I found it off one of the blogs I've been following sporadically, and since my "to read" shelf on Goodreads now stands at 444, it might be time to pare it down a little.
So yeah, it works like this:
Go to your goodreads to-read shelf. Order on ascending date added. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time. Read the synopses of...
So yeah, it works like this:
Go to your goodreads to-read shelf. Order on ascending date added. Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time. Read the synopses of...
June 12, 2018
#bookreview and launch: Priceless by Janeen Ippolito
A little ambition can turn into a lot of trouble, even for the city’s wiliest double agent.
After years of rebel spywork in the dragon-human war, Nula Thredsing is ready to claim her legacy.
As the Scepter of Commerce’s new liaison to dragons, she’s one step away from the old family seat on the city council. But during her first meeting with dragon diplomat Tiers Sunscaler, they are attacked by rogue dragons—one of them Sunscaler’s former tactical partner, who is bitterly determined to keep th...
June 10, 2018
June 5, 2018
#bookreview: How to Be a Perfect Christian
How to Be a Perfect Christian: Your Comprehensive Guide to Flawless Spiritual Living by The Babylon BeeMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Alright, I generally enjoy a little satire and usually find The Babylon Bee pretty hilarious. So when this came up on Edelweiss for review, it was pretty much asdfghjkl;omgineedtoreadthis.
As it turns out, I prefer my satire in small, concise soundbites (see: The Babylon Bee website), not in full-length, dense-ish, how-to-like books (see: How to Be a Perfect Christian)....
