The Literary Huntress

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The Raven Cyce Book Tag

After a lot of rave reviews and hype, I finally read The Raven Cycle Series by Maggie Stiefvater earlier this year. And while it doesn't end up as one of my all time faves, I do loved it. The dream like quality, the characters, the welsh legend it incorporates, the dreamy sleepy town... They're just perfect. It's also pretty spooky, so after tagged by Erin more than 3 months ago (sorry Erin!) I think this is the perfect time to do this tag! Let's just get started.

1. In the books, Maura is the relaxed mom that is Blue’s friend more than an actual mother. Who is your favorite mom character?

Arguably, Narcissa and Lily could fit this category, but while we know Lily would do all the things Molly do to Harry in the alternate universe where Neville is the Chosen One, in this universe she's actually, well, dead. As for Narcissa, she loved Draco so much but she didn't have the courage to OPENLY defies Voldemort until the very end. Also she spoiled Draco too much so I don't think she would be mother of the year in terms of education.

I'd steal Erin's answer (and probably everyone's answer of this question) and go with Molly Weasley. The way she cares for her family, but also take care of Harry, Hermione and the rest of the order. I think she knew from the first time she met Harry how much danger she puts her family in- after all, Harry is The Boy Who Lived. And yet she still took care of him for years, even join the fight and openly defies Voldemort. She's also embodies the stereotypical mother: fussy but loving. I can't think of a better fictional mother to go against Molly.

Here's a little bonus to give you feels:

2. Adam wanted to go to Aglionby so he could one day escape where he came from. Have you ever dreamt of living somewhere else? Where?

I used to want to live in Greece. I mean the beaches??? Have you seen them? Not to mention my obsession with ancient greek. But for my whole life, I always wanted to live in either Spain or Vatican. The architecture, the culture, the language.... I'm in love.

3. In the second book we meet the Gray Man. He is a hit man who loves poetry. Name a book that you thought was going to be one thing but turned out to be something else.

MISS PEREGRINES HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN by Ransom Riggs. I initially thought it was a creepy book because of the cover? But it's not scary at all, only about magical realism filled with monsters. The pictures inside the book are pretty creepy though...

4. Gansey has searched most of his life for a buried king who is promised to grant one wish. What is one wish you would ask Glendower?

I don't know really, there are a lot of things I wanted in this life, but I think I would like to ask for gratitude for everyone. Because when you have gratitude you'll learn how to be content and happy with what you have right now, and I think it could help a lot of people to make them see how blessed they are actually and just.stop.whining.

5. In this series you get to see Greenmantle as a fleshed out character but also as a villain. Name your favorite villain.

I tend to fall for the villains so I have a lot of villains to choose for! Crowley, Bellatrix, The Darkling, Moriarty, Loki, and so on. I don't have any favorites, they're all my evil babies!

6. Blue’s got her Raven Boys. Who makes up your bookish team?

I would say Shahrzad and Khalid, Percabeth, Nikolai Lantsov and Will Herondale (you see what I did there hehe) All of them are awesome fighters and love stories, except for Percy maybe, but you can't have Annabeth without Percy right? Also, watching the banter between Nikolai and Will would've been fun!

7. Ronan is a bad ass with a sensitive side. What book have you read that was action packed but had beautiful emotional scenes as well?

THE LAST OLYMPIAN by Rick Riordan. Honorable mentions include GODDESS by Josephine Angelini and CLOCKWORK PRINCESS by Cassandra Clare. They are all a series finale, and it's all about battle time so it's non stop action and strategizing from first page to the near end. And emotional scene? You've got plenty of deaths to get yourself emotional trust me.

8. Noah has a heart of gold. Who has touched your heart recently?

Um.. idk? Not much happened in my life right now so I don't really know...

9. Calla is a woman who speaks her mind and puts her foot down when necessary. Who is your favorite strong female character?

Credit to whoever made this. If you know please don't hesitate to contact me!

Without a doubt, Shahrzad Al-Khayzuran. She has a quick mind and sharp mouth, so her ability to fight with her mind and words are undoubtable. In addition to that, her archery skill is amazing! She's beauty, she's grace, and she would nock an arrow in your face.

10. Chainsaw is an awesome Raven boy pet. If you could have one “exotic” pet…what would it be? What would you name it?

I'd love to have a phoenix please! And I would name him Nikolai after Nikolai Lantsov.

I tag:

Cait @ Paper Fury (because Stiefvater!)

And all of you who loves The Raven Cycle!

12:30 AM
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Series Review: The Girl On A Wire and The Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond // Magic, Circus, and Unlikeable Characters

3.5 stars

If you ever read the Night Circus, whether you like it or not, you'll know how fascinating the circus is. The rich imagenary, the intricate magic, the lush writing style. I've been looking for more circus books after that, and after long searching, this year I read 2 of them. They're both set in the fictional Cirque Americain, with less magic but more circus attraction. Without further ado, here comes the double review.

Girl on A Wire // ✰✰✰✰

Sixteen-year-old Jules Maroni’s dream is to follow in her father’s footsteps as a high-wire walker. When her family is offered a prestigious role in the new Cirque American, it seems that Jules and the Amazing Maronis will finally get the spotlight they deserve. But the presence of the Flying Garcias may derail her plans. For decades, the two rival families have avoided each other as sworn enemies.

Jules ignores the drama and focuses on the wire, skyrocketing to fame as the girl in a red tutu who dances across the wire at death-defying heights. But when she discovers a peacock feather—an infamous object of bad luck—planted on her costume, Jules nearly loses her footing. She has no choice but to seek help from the unlikeliest of people: Remy Garcia, son of the Garcia clan matriarch and the best trapeze artist in the Cirque.

As more mysterious talismans believed to possess unlucky magic appear, Jules and Remy unite to find the culprit. And if they don’t figure out what’s going on soon, Jules may be the first Maroni to do the unthinkable: fall.

Let's start with the positive. I LOVE THE CIRCUS. THE NIGHT CIRCUS felt more like a magic show, but Cirque Americain feels like a real circus. We have wire acts, trapeze, equestrians, dogs, clowns, etc. And the description of their acts and life behind the stage, I love seeing how the circus performance are family and all that. Sadly, the amazing performance and family takes the backseat more and more as the story progressed.
The feud between the Garcias and Maronis is also very intriguing. I keep turning the pages to find out what actually happened between them. Also, it seems to be a Romeo and Juliet retelling? Feuding families, similar name...
I like Remy, he seems like a decent guy for me. Unfortunately, the characters aren't really fleshed out in this book. I really want to know more about Dita, Novio, Sam, and even Remy. They're really two dimensional and it hinders my connection to them. I didn't even feel anything during a certain scene, because I don't know him at all! That being said, the shadiness of some characters really worked for this book.
I really like Jules stubborness, she's chasing her dream to revive her family name. But I dislike how she keep digging out the dirt afterwards, even though she knew her Nan was involved and treated badly and it will surely hurt her.

Rating Breakdown

Setting: ✰✰✰✰✰

Plot: ✰✰✰✰

Character: ✰✰✰.5

✰✰✰✰

Girl in the Shadows // ✰✰✰.5

Eighteen-year-old Moira Mitchell grew up in the shadows of Vegas’s stage lights while her father’s career as a magician soared. More than anything, Moira wants to be a magician too, but her father is dead set against her pursuing magic.

When an invitation to join the Cirque American mistakenly falls into Moira’s possession, she takes action. Instead of giving the highly coveted invitation to its intended recipient, Raleigh, her father’s handsome and worldly former apprentice, Moira takes off to join the Cirque. If she can perform alongside its world-famous acts, she knows she’ll be able to convince her dad that magic is her future.

But when Moira arrives, things take on an intensity she can’t control as her stage magic suddenly feels like…real magic. To further distract her, Raleigh shows up none too pleased at Moira’s presence, all while the Cirque’s cocky and intriguing knife thrower, Dez, seems to have it out for her. As tensions mount and Moira’s abilities come into question, she must decide what’s real and what’s an illusion. If she doesn’t sort it out in time, she may forever remain a girl in the shadows.

Again, starting with the positives. The Circus is still amazing, this time with more acts revealed like knife throwing and magicians. I would love to visit it if only it was real *sigh*
The plot is predictable, but there are some of my guesses that are wrong so it wasn't as simple as it looks, and I really liked it.
Moira started out okay, she really goes out on her own way to chase her dreams. The problem is, she became worse than Jules as the book progresses. Reading about her makes Jules look like a saint. She cares only about Dez, but ever since she confirmed she has magic, she doesn't listen to anyone, do the opposite of what everyones said to her, trust too easily, and she just too blind to see. I really wish something bad happened to her just to show her how wrong her choices were.
Dez is really shady. I usually love the bad-boys-with-troubled-past trope, but there's something about Dez that's just unlikeable. He just tried way too hard for me, and just too shady I can't believe Moira missed it.
I also can't believe Moira blamed her father for trying to protect her.
Again, the side characters are not fleshed out in here. They are just circus performers, period. The friendship also felt fake to me, seeing that Moira rarely spend her time with Remy, Dita, Jules except the first few days and everytime they eat. She spends her waking moment with Dez all the time, and yet it seems like they're all really close with each other.

Rating Breakdown

Setting: ✰✰✰✰✰

Plot: ✰✰✰.5

Character: ✰✰.5

✰✰✰.5

Overall, this series is pretty good if you're a fan of the NIGHT CIRCUS. The circus was what drawn me to this series, and it doesn't fail in that aspect. The first book is better in my opinion, but I still glad this series doesn't consist of one book only, because I really happy to come back to the circus world. If you're looking for a circus themed series, this one is perfect for you!

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Announcement: Exams and Moving to Wordpress

The Raven Cyce Book Tag

1. In the books, Maura is the relaxed mom that is Blue’s friend more than an actual mother. Who is your favorite mom character?

2. Adam wanted to go to Aglionby so he could one day escape where he came from. Have you ever dreamt of living somewhere else? Where?

3. In the second book we meet the Gray Man. He is a hit man who loves poetry. Name a book that you thought was going to be one thing but turned out to be something else.

4. Gansey has searched most of his life for a buried king who is promised to grant one wish. What is one wish you would ask Glendower?

5. In this series you get to see Greenmantle as a fleshed out character but also as a villain. Name your favorite villain.

6. Blue’s got her Raven Boys. Who makes up your bookish team?

7. Ronan is a bad ass with a sensitive side. What book have you read that was action packed but had beautiful emotional scenes as well?

8. Noah has a heart of gold. Who has touched your heart recently?

9. Calla is a woman who speaks her mind and puts her foot down when necessary. Who is your favorite strong female character?

10. Chainsaw is an awesome Raven boy pet. If you could have one “exotic” pet…what would it be? What would you name it?

Series Review: The Girl On A Wire and The Girl in the Shadows by Gwenda Bond // Magic, Circus, and Unlikeable Characters

Girl on A Wire // ✰✰✰✰

Girl in the Shadows // ✰✰✰.5

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