Zmeyette's Books for 2012 #4: The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

So, book no. 3 is The Iron King, but I don't feel like giving it a review. Maybe in the future, although I doubt that. Since I'm going with my "no pressure" theme from now on, I'm just posting what I want to, even if that means skipping some of the books I've read, because I'd rather have that sense of being disjointed and that lack of continuity rather than not writing and posting anything at all.

In any case, I shouldn't even be justifying myself. Hahaha.

So, here goes the 2nd installment in the Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa, 'The Iron Daughter.'


The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ok, I've just finished reading The Iron Daughter and The Iron Queen in quick succession so I might not know which detail is from which book, and I might not be at my most coherent right now.

But I just have to write about this book.

In The Iron Daughter, Meghan Chase is at The Winter Court in fulfillment of her contract with Prince Ash. I got to say, her time her quite annoyed me. Meghan can be really stupid, and that made reading The Iron King difficult for me before. But in The Iron Daughter, I already have an idea of Meghan's character, so I continued on, even if her stupidity annoyed me so much, because looking at it objectively, it's actually valid for Meghan to be emotional and easily heartbroken and believe whatever treatment Ash gives her, since ultimately she's human. And part of what makes her an amazing character is this reality of her, that she's not some perfect character who sees everything for what it really is, who can be deceived and who can fall prey to her emotions, making some wrong decisions here and there because of it.

I just can't help getting annoyed, and maybe that in itself is a sign of the effectiveness of these books.

Moving on, Meghan gets caught up in another predicament, having been in the wrong place at the wrong time, which means being around when the Scepter of Seasons was stolen. This is the starting point for Meghan's new quest, which is to get the scepter back and stop the brewing war between the Summer and Winter courts that the theft has sparked.

Ok, at this point in this review I realize even more how much the details are blurred in my mind, so I'll just go straight to the reason why I just had to say something about this book.

Really, it's to pay homage to one character that really stood out to me throughout the entire book.

But before that, I would just like to note that since the end of the first book up to this book, I've been liking Puck's wit more and more.

And now to that character: Ironhorse.

This character, ever since he appeared in this book and till the end, all I kept saying about him as I read, was that he's such a precious one. He's a big giveaway, and just by observing how he acts around Meghan and how he treats her confirmed my suspicions that the successor to the throne of the Iron realm is, indeed, Meghan. But I love how Ironhorse never revealed it until the end, and how he chose to just support Meghan in any and every way he could, even beyond his death (but that's for the next book). I am awed by his loyalty, and even his actions against Meghan in the first book are justified because he's just like that, loyal to whoever is the Iron monarch.

Also, I just love how Puck never seems to get tired of calling Ironhorse various names.

I also enjoyed seeing Meghan and her new powers, and how she knows her priorities, and despite all of her shortcomings knows her values and will fight for the people she loves. Even if it is against another person she loves.

Now that I've gotten that off my chest, I also see how disjointed this "review" is. But suffice it to say that with this book, the Iron Fey series has really started to grow on me.

The ending was also quite heartbreaking but lovely, and was quite the twist, but you'll have to see it for yourselves, I guess. I'm not spoiling it here.



View all my reviews

Zmeyette's Books for 2012 #2: Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Yes, yes, I haven't posted about what happened to the other books I've read last year. But I'm posting this now, to keep myself from stopping completely from posting anything. I am not going to stress myself too much about blogging, since the physical world is already stressful enough as it is. And this is book no. 2 because the first book I finished this 2012 was The Hunger Games, which was a reread. Anyway, enough of this, let's see about my latest read!


Delirium by Lauren Oliver
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Amor deliria nervosa.


From the very start, the premise of this book has intrigued me, which is why I was so glad to have finally been able to read it. In the world Delirium, love, instead of being a "many splendored thing" is deemed to be a disease, and one that can actually be cured. This has led to a lot of changes in society and government. And this is the world Lena Haloway grew up in. In her world, upon reaching the age of 18, you get "cured," are paired off with someone suitable, and then assigned your place in the world. Good music, poetry, and art are not allowed. Sounds kinda boring, a bit sad, but then this is peace, this is order, and this is definitely better than the alternative: the chaos and the other dreaded effects of the disease called love, which can actually lead to death. So yeah, this is better. Here, all is well.


But of course not. Because Lena's world, and all her beliefs and core values are about to be shattered by that winking boy with amber eyes. Nothing will be the same again.


I really enjoyed reading this book. As I've mentioned, I was intrigued by the premise of this book, and I wasn't disappointed when I got to read the book. I enjoyed the way Lauren Oliver narrated the book, especially giving glimpses of the society Lena's in by starting every chapter with snippets from books and other such material  in that world, especially from The Safety, Health, and Happiness Handbook or The Book of Shhh). The way the people interacted, and how their worldview is really different, with the central premise of love being a disease, and it being unsafe, was really an interesting and refreshing thing to see.


All in all, I can't wait to see how the events will unfold, and I'm sure Lauren Oliver has a lot of twists up her sleeve. Excited for the next book!


I love you. Remember. They cannot take it.


View all my reviews

New Year's Resolution(s)

Because I can't think of a proper year-ender post.

Here it goes: 

Be more confident. 

Be more daring. 

Be more active.

Be more sure of myself.

Learn how and when to say no. 

Blog more. 

Write more.

Read more. 

Study more. (chos? hahaha)

Try new stuff.

Go places. 

Or, to start small, get out of the house. 

Go to church more often. 

And go where God leads me. 

I hope that we all have a more blessed and more meaningful year ahead of us. Happy new year everyone! 

Zmeyette's Book #6: The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan

The Magicians' Guild by Trudi Canavan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**Spoiler alert** (To be safe)

It's been a week since I finished this trilogy, so this post will be more blah than usual. I usually write these posts right after I finish a book, so usually it comes with the I-just-finished-the-book emotions and everything I felt about the book, whether it be giddy or annoyed. And there's the part right now where I might confuse the details of the three books in the trilogy because I read them one after the other, finishing it all off in two days.

Anyway, I guess that's one positive thing that should be attributed to this book: it made me want to read the rest of the books. I just originally planned to check it out since it seemed to be interesting based on the summary I found on Goodreads, but I really didn't think it would catch my attention like this.

The Magicians' Guild is the first in the Black Magician Trilogy by Trudi Canavan. It is set in the city of Imardin, in the kingdom of Kyralia. Every year, an event occurs, which is called the Purge, in which the people are sent out from the city into the slums. The story begins on one such Purge. Sonea, sent out from their house within the city because of the Purge, gets caught up in the antics of her friends in the slums who are showing their defiance against those who are in charge of the Purge, including the magicians who were sent out by the King. In a moment of rage, Sonea joins in throwing a stone against the magicians, who are comfortably shielded by their magical barrier, as nothing but magic can penetrate it. However, Sonea's stone goes past the barrier and hits a magician, to the great surprise of the magicians, and of Sonea herself. This starts in the hunt for Sonea, as the Magicians' Guild becomes interested in her, since someone like her who's had no training and yet was able to use magic is powerful--and dangerous. Not just to others, but to herself as well.

There are various ways in which I distinguish the three books, but the main one would be: the leading man. In this book, it seems to be Cery, Sonea's childhood friend and thief-wannabe. He helps Sonea to hide from the magicians and actually helps her in any way he could. Well, that's because he likes Sonea, duh. Their relationship is very interesting, and I like Cery's character, because he's fun, daring, and reliable.

Another character that I like is Rothen. (Yes, they have kinda weird names. It's a different world, after all.) He takes Sonea under his wing upon catching her and tries to make her understand that magicians aren't evil by default. It takes a while before Sonea is captured so Rothen's character is introduced and is depicted even as they search for Sonea, which shows his kind nature, which in a way also makes him oblivious to the darker tendencies of his comrades. In this area, Dannyl, Rothen's former student and now his friend, is much more adept. Dannyl is another interesting character, for reasons which are unraveled in the next two books. In this one, Dannyl is interesting because of the methods he used in order to find Sonea. Rothen and Dannyl's banter is also very fun to read.

This is not my favorite book of the trilogy, but I liked it enough to read the next two books. What I like in this book as a part of the trilogy is how it sets up the characters, because this trilogy is amazing in the way it turns my perceptions of the characters upside down. Even in this book alone, at first I am made to hate the magicians, and at the end they're not so bad after all. I even thought Rothen was evil at first, but even that changed. And things change even more in the next two books.

Another way that I distinguish the three books is Sonea's state in relation to the Guild: in this first one she still has not joined the guild. It's interesting how her relationship with the guild transforms over the three books. That, along with the characters, especially Sonea, who I like as well as a heroine, really perked my interest in this trilogy. But maybe I'll say more about Sonea in the next two posts.

So, overall, this isn't my favorite book of the three, but it was a good start.



View all my reviews

Zmeyette's Book #5: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

**Spoiler alert** (Sort of)

First off, I just have to say that I like Fanny Price alright. I just had to mention that because the usual complaint seems to be regarding Fanny Price as a character. And that is something that I don't really have much of an issue with. Granted, she's not my favorite Austen heroine, with Anne Eliott and Elizabeth Bennet still my favorites, but I don't dislike her.

Ok, so now that I have gotten that out of the way, what did I think of the book? It was ok for me, I guess. I was a bit uncomfortable with the fact that Edmund and Fanny are first cousins, because, well, in my time and place it's just illegal to get married if two people are that closely related, but since I'm assuming that it was perfectly normal and legal practice during Austen's time, I just went along with it. At times things seemed to be too dragging for me, but overall it was ok.

Mansfield Park is about Fanny Price, a girl who is taken in by her uncle and aunt to live with them, the Bertrams of Mansfield Park. Because of her lower status, she was quite neglected by most of the family who took her in, and though not really abused, their treatment of Fanny wasn't really the best that it could be. Mrs. Norris, Fanny's other aunt, was especially mean to her (I am actually wondering if this is where Rowling got the name for Filch's cat. Mrs. Norris here was certainly annoying.). The only person who really took notice and was kind to Fanny was Edmund, her cousin, and as they grew up, Fanny fell in love with him.

Things are shaken up with the arrival of the Crawford siblings, as Mary Crawford sets her sights on Edmund, and Henry proposes to Fanny (I think I paraphrased what was written in the jacket of the book.). Fanny agonizes with every passing day that Mary Crawford and Edmund might get engaged, while no one can understand why Fanny was so adamant in not accepting Henry Crawford's proposal when it seemed to be very favorable to her, what with Henry's status and connections, because no one knew of Fanny's secret love for Edmund.

I admit, I fell for Austen's trap. At some point in the book, I wanted Henry to win Fanny. Why? Because I think he really fell in love with Fanny, and for all his faults, I think it was sweet how he fell for Fanny and how in love he was. But alas, he's not the main character, and I think it was shown that his flaws really run deep, and so he really isn't fit for Fanny.

Although, don't get me wrong, I don't think Fanny is a perfect quiet girl. She also has her flaws, she's quite stubborn and well, she's in love, so I can see how she might be a bit biased against Mary Crawford, although she was ultimately right about her. Edmund too, obviously, since during the time he was in love with Mary Crawford he was also quite blind to her flaws.

I am just annoyed at the fact that Mary and Edmund's and Fanny and Henry's courtship went far longer than the main love story which was between Fanny and Edmund. I mean, what on earth? I would have liked to see it really develop, and the way I read it, it felt as if it was an afterthought, a blip in the end, a loose knot tied in a rush to end the thing. I would have thought that Fanny deserved better, but in the end it was as if she was still a second choice, or something like that. In that sense, I admire Henry Crawford more than Edmund Bertram. At least Henry was quick to see Fanny for the precious character that she is, it's just too bad that he let go of it. In that, he was stupid.

And again, I must clarify (because I am such a longwinded writer) that I like Edmund alright. He was nice to Fanny when everyone else took her for granted, and I really like those kinds of scenarios and characters. Oh, well...

All in all, not the best for me, but it was a good read. Gotta love Austen.


View all my reviews