 |
| February Reads |
I finished four books in February, and two of them were novels. The first was Stephanie Garber’s Caraval (4/5 stars). It was an enjoyable young adult fantasy, but I admit I had expected a lot more from it. It didn’t quite reach my expectations, as you can see from the four-star rating. Click the link to read a longer review.
If you've watched my writing vlogs, you may have noticed that I rarely work on my desk. I mostly write in the living room, and the main reason is that my office space is not ergonomic or inspiring place at all. But recently, I did a little desk makeover and upgraded my office to hopefully be a more productive and functional writing space. Check the video below to find out what I did and how I transformed the place.
This week, I finally started the editing/revising/writing process for draft five of Project Prehistory, my prehistoric coming-of-age story. I spent January reading through draft four and marking all the sentences and words I want to change. At this point, it's mostly line edit stuff, but I do want to make a few minor additions (and hopefully also delete some things so that the word count doesn't go up). My goal is to edit two chapters a week, and at least this week I'm making great headway. You can find more about how I edited Chapter 1 in the writing vlog below.
 |
| Caraval by Stephanie Garber |
“Remember it’s all a game. What happens beyond this gate may frighten or excite you, but don’t let any of it trick you.”
Scarlett Dragna’s life-long dream has been to see Caraval, a performance where the audience participates in the show and competes for a prize. A few weeks before her arranged marriage, she finally gets an invitation to Caraval for herself, her sister Tella, and her fiancĂ©. With the help of a mysterious sailor Julian, Scarlett and Tella escape their cruel and abusive father and journey to a far-away island, but as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s organizer, Legend. Now Scarlett must find Tella before the game ends, or she risks losing her forever.
Caraval is the first book in Stephanie Garber’s young adult fantasy trilogy of the same name. I have heard a lot of people rave about this series as well as the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, so I was intrigued to read both trilogies, starting with Caraval.
January reads
I didn’t finish that many books, but I did read more than I anticipated! And what’s more, the books I read were great, as attested by the average rating. The only novel I read in January was Naomi Alderman’s The Power (5/5 stars). It wasn’t an easy read, but I can already see it being one of my favorite books for this year. Click the link to read a longer review.
It's almost the end of January, and it feels a bit late to do a post about my writing goals. But honestly, I've been busy making my goals a reality, so that's a win. Without further ado, let's talk about how my writing went in 2024 and talk about my goals and plans for 2025! Big things are happening and even bigger things are in store for 2026...
 |
| The Power by Naomi Alderman |
“It doesn’t matter that she shouldn’t, that she never would. What matters is that she could, if she wanted. The power to hurt is a kind of wealth.”
All around the world, teenage girls discover that they have a power to hurt, even to kill. And what’s more, they can wake up this skill in older women. This power turns the world on its head, with men realizing they have lost control. The Day of the Girls has arrived.
The Power is a thought-provoking and uncomfortable, at times even disturbing dystopian fiction about what might happen if women suddenly gained the ability to inflict pain to others. In the novel, this happens through the development of “skein,” a tissue between collarbones that conducts electricity. The novel is a thought experiment of what might happen next – whether having women in charge really would result in a “kinder, more caring world” like many say.
