Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Book title: Six of Crows
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Genre: Young Adult fantasy
Published: September 29, 2015
491 pages
My rating: 4/5

“Kaz Brekker didn’t need a reason. Those were the words whispered on the streets of Ketterdam, in the taverns and coffeehouses, in the dark and bleeding alleys of the pleasure district known as the Barrel. The boy they called Dirtyhands didn’t need a reason any more than he needed permission – to break a leg, sever an alliance, or change a man’s fortunes with the turn of a card.”

Criminal mastermind Kaz Brekker has been offered a deal of a lifetime: break into an unbreakable fortress of the Ice Court and retrieve a hostage, and he will become a millionaire. But he can’t pull it off by himself. Together with a team of five other outcasts, he sets out to carry an impossible heist.

Six of Crows is the first book in a duology set in Leigh Bardugo’s fantasy world Grishaverse. I read Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone trilogy a year ago, and I must admit I was slightly disappointed. You can find my reviews of Shadow and Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin and Rising behind the links. However, several people told me that Six of Crows is a better series than the first trilogy set in Grishaverse, so I was excited to read this book. But again, I wasn’t as enamored with the book as I had hoped to be. I think my expectations were too high, and that led to an inevitable disappointment.

Favorite Classics: Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

 

William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) was an English novelist and illustrator. I have only read one of his books, but I loved it so much it deserves its own post (here are some of my other favorite classics). Originally published in serial form in 1847–1848, Vanity Fair is probably Thackeray’s most well-known work. The Penguin Classics edition I read follows the text of Thackeray’s revised edition of 1853.

October Wrap-Up and November Hopefuls

October Reads

October Wrap-Up

• Finished: 22
• Started but not finished: 1
• Total pages read: 3,603
• Average rating: 4.25

Twenty-two books, are you kidding me? To be honest, only two of them were novels, and they were the only two books that I rated. I read R.F. Kuang’s dark academia historical fantasy Babel (4.5/5 stars). The themes in that book were hugely important, but unfortunately I didn’t quite love it enough to give it five stars. The second book I finished was Heather Fawcett’s light academia fantasy Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries (4/5 stars), which was a perfect cozy fall read.

Book Review: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries
by Heather Fawcett

Book title: Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries
Author: Heather Fawcett
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: January 10, 2023
317 pages
My rating: 4/5

“There was something about the stories bound between those covers, and the myriad species of Folk weaving in and out of them, each one a mystery begging to be solved. I suppose most children fall in love with faeries at some point, but my fascination was never about magic or the granting of wishes. The Folk were of another world, with its own rules and customs – and to a child who always felt ill-suited to her own world, the lure was irresistible.”

Young Cambridge professor Emily Wilde travels to the distant northern village of Hrafnsvik to prepare the final chapter of her Encyclopaedia of Faeries. She has no intention of befriending any of the local townsfolk, nor does she wish to spend any time with her insufferable rival, Wendell Bambleby, who suddenly arrives at the village. But as Emily begins to uncover the secrets of the Hidden Ones, the most elusive of the faeries, she must learn to accept the villagers’ friendship and help if she wants to escape the faeries’ enchantments.

Heather Fawcett’s Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries is a cozy light academia fantasy full of magic and faeries. I loved the main character, and her social awkwardness reminded me of myself. Her growing friendships with the rest of the cast of characters were adorable. I also enjoyed reading the book’s first person diary-style description of Emily’s experiences and the footnotes on fairy lore. This book formed a nice contrast to the dark academia vibes of my previous read, R.F. Kuang’s Babel, and I must say I prefer light academia myself. This book made a perfect cozy fall read.

I Finished Draft 2 of Pride and Prejudice Retelling (A Writing Update)

After three months of editing and revising, I finished the second draft of my modern retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This is a nice side project while my main WIP, Project Prehistory, is resting. This week, I edited the last five scenes, and now the retelling is off to my critique partner for feedback. I should be ready to send the manuscript to beta readers in November.

If you want to see more about what I've been up to in the writing vlog below.

Book Review: Babel by R.F. Kuang

Babel by R.F. Kuang

Book title: Babel
Author: R.F. Kuang
Genre: Historical fantasy
Published: August 23, 2022
544 pages
My rating: 4.5/5

“That’s just what translation is, I think. That’s all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.”

Robin Swift, an orphaned Chinese boy, is brought to London by his new mysterious ward Professor Lovell. After training years in Latin, ancient Greek, and Chinese, he enrolls in Oxford University’s prestigious Royal Institute of Translation, also known as Babel. Besides being the world’s center for translation, it is also the center for silver-working, a magical way of manifesting the meanings lost in translation. This makes Babel the principal assistant in the British Empire’s quest for colonization. As a Chinese man raised in Britain, Robin soon realizes that serving Babel means betraying his motherland. But can a student stand against an empire?

Babel is a dark academia historical fantasy about colonialism, oppression, and colonial resistance. The themes this book tackles are hugely important, and Kuang does a great job exploring the complex intersecting identities of her main characters. Unfortunately, this is one of those books where I feel the literary merit of the book was higher than my enjoyment of it.

Favorite Classics: Henry Fielding

Joseph Andrews and Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

Henry Fielding (1707–1754) was an English writer and a judge known for his use of satire and humor in his works. I’ve read two of Fielding’s novels, and one of them is among my favorite classics. I'll talk about my favorite book, Tom Jones, first, even though it was actually published after Joseph Andrews.