Yes, I know I’m a few episodes behind (but they’re also on a break right now, so it’s fine); but better late than never. Though the thing is, I’ve watched the episodes on time – I just never got around to writing up these “recaps”
Malibu Rising – Book Review
*Arc received through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
Malibu Rising is the third novel from Reid that I have read and I’m still as in awe as how wonderfully she can craft characters and stories. Every time, they all seem so realistic and sometimes I forget that I’m reading a fiction novel. I will start this off by saying that this novel is does mix the current day (an hour by hour break down of the 24 hours leading up to a turning point incident) intermixed with flashbacks to the character’s past to build the relationships. The past also tells the story of how their parents met and it really makes you kind of hate Mick Riva – though if you’ve read Evelyn Hugo, you kind of already do. It did take me just a little bit to get used to that; but once I did, I was hooked.
Though color me shocked once I realized that Mick Riva is THE Mick Riva – AKA one of Evelyn’s seven husbands a singer who popped in from time to time in Daisy Jones and the Six. Thus making at least three of Reid’s novels slightly connected. But loosely enough that you can 100% read them on their own.
I actually had so much fun reading this and hanging out with the Riva children in the present day. I enjoyed them all, Nina and Kit being my favorites – Hud and Jay had their moments. Most of the time, I didn’t care for them or their girl drama. However, in the end, I started to appreciate them much more and I love their dynamic. But it’s the fact that they butt heads a lot, and fight that make them seem like realistic siblings – which you don’t get to see a lot of in media. All of the siblings go through so many changes throughout the course of the novel, even if it is only told over a 24 hour time period and it was such a gradually change that it didn’t feel force at all.
Overall, I had such a blast reading this and, I’m really glad with where the characters end up.
I have the feeling right now that this book may just become just as popular has Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones. And I hope that Nina becomes as iconic as the two of them as well.
Malibu Rising is on sale June 1st if you’re interested in checking it out!
March Movie Wrap Up
I’ve already chatted about all of the books that I’ve read in the month of March. Today, I’m going to talk about the movies that I watched. I ended up watching six movies this month (one, I watched three times). I finally decided to take advantage of my Shudder subscription, so the majority of the movies are Horror/Thrillers from there.
March Wrap Up
As I’m writing this post, we still have roughly a week and a half left of the month; however, I’ve already read 11 things and I’m currently in the middle of the my potential 12th book of the month. I’m also coming up on a 6 day work week, where I’m working close to 50 hours, so this is the only time that I’m going to have to start this post.
I do believe that so far this month has been my most diverse reading month in terms of genres. I’ve read a large variety of genres this month and I really enjoyed that. And I mostly enjoyed everything that I read. So that’s also a plus. I also watched five movies this month (that post will hopefully be coming later).
Chain of Iron Book Review
Chain of Iron is obviously the most anticipated sequel to Chain of Gold that I have been waiting a year for. Layers and layers of character development, mysterious motives, addictive writing style, added to stunning romance and heartbreaking angst. This is after the end of Chain of Gold, following James and Cordelia as they prepare for their upcoming wedding, Lucie is teaming up with Grace to bring Jesse back from the dead, the continued shenanigans of the Merry Thieves and so much more.
I’m still shocked that I loved Chain of Gold as much as I did, considering The Infernal Devices is not my favorite of the Shadowhunter Chronicles for many different reasons. However, as a surprise to me, I’ve loved every minute of reading about their children. Perhaps it’s because Cassie’s writing has improved so much since the mid-2000s when TID was first written.
We mostly follow James, Cordelia and Lucie in this novel, with characters like Thomas Anna, Ariadne, Grace, and Christopher only having a pov when the plot calls for it; which I find to be a welcome change from having a point of view from almost every character in The Dark Artifices. This makes for a more cohesive unit of story telling without seeming like it’s all over the place.
None of the characters stay the same in this novel, they’re all moving – whether it be forwards or backwards. So much development, and lack thereof, happens in Chain of Iron. We get to follow Cordelia more on this heroine journey of hers, through all of her trials and tribulations. There is even one completely heartbreaking part of the arc that still sticks with me. It is the main thing that I am looking forward to seeing play out in Chain of Thorns.
James was a character I didn’t expect to pretty much fall head over heels for in this novel. Now, while i didn’t hate him in Chain of Gold, he was cute; but he was kind of just there. But in this novel, I think that he really shines. We get a deeper look into his personality outside of the Gracelet which was such a breath of fresh air for me. He has character traits shown in this that he obviously got from his father and when I say I was beaming with love for this boy. Seriously, where can I get one?
Now, Lucie is one of the main characters that I’m not happy with right now. I absolutely hated her arc in this novel and I can’t even understand it either. There is a time jump between Gold and Iron – I think it’s a couple of months? Obviously, there is so much that happens off the page during that time. Normally, that’s not a big deal but it really feels like the entirety of Lucie’s progression happened in those off pages. Lucie feels like a completely different character than she did in the first book. We’re just supposed to believe that she’s pretty much in love with Jesse even though we’ve seen zero of their development. I hate. I Just absolutely hate it. I don’t see or understand Lucie’s motivations and it feels so out of character.
Matthew is still probably my favorite male character and seeing his arc in this book was really kind of heartbreaking. However, we only get to see it through James, Cordelia’s and Lucie’s eyes as Math doesn’t have a POV. He has so many layers and resonates so well with the audience because he is flawed and scarred and wears his heart on his sleeve. I’m still not sure why he didn’t get a POV in this novel, considering if you’ve read the Ghost of the Shadow Market novellas, you already know what his terrible secret is.
I’m also going to briefly touch on Grace as I loved actually getting to see more from her in this novel. As unpopular an opinion as that is. It’s really heartbreaking when you finally learn why she is the way she is, what happened to her and how she came to be in Tatiana’s clutches and want continues to happen to her. Grace is just such a well written and complex character and I cannot wait to see where her arc goes in Chain of Thorns as well. I’m hoping for the best for her.
The character in Chain of Iron just definitely steal the show, they’re all just uniquely their own and are the reasons you want to keep reading. Honestly who cares about the plot, even if it was pretty decent. I was just here for the characters and wanting to know what was going to happen to them, the plot was just kind of a secondary thing.
Chain of Iron definitely did a number on me, and left me with so many definitely emotions, that I’m still kind of sorting through at the moment. I can’t wait to see how Cassandra Clare plans to unravel the mess she’s gotten all of these characters in. I have the feeling that The Last Hours is just about to knock The Mortal Instruments out of my number one spot.
One Chicago Recap – March 17
Well it’s been a minute from when I watched these episode to when I’m actually writing this. So trying to remember what happened in each of these episodes. The fact that I don’t remember that much should be all I need to know about the quality of the episodes. So I guess I’m just going to chat about what I do remember (meaning the scenes that stood out to me).
Winter Favorites
So, I was sitting here thinking about what post to write; when I realized that I never wrote my seasonal favorites post from this winter. I guess better late than never, right? I’m not sure if it was the pandemic or what, but for some reason this felt like one of the longest winters, ever. My seasonal depression was just at an all time high this year. But thankfully, we’re finally done with it – the weather here in Kentucky is slowly starting to feel spring like and it’s wonderful. Let’s just chat about the feel things that got me through this tough season!
A Vow So Bold and Deadly Book Review
A Vow so Bold and Deadly is the third and final installment of The Cursebreakers trilogy where we once again are following Grey, Harper and Rhen – with the addition of Lia Mara as well. This book picks up where A Heart so Fierce and Broken leaves off, where the two separate kingdoms are essentially preparing for war – but also hoping for a ceasefire and for peace.
I think I have one of the more unpopular opinions about this, in which, I really enjoyed it. Grey has been my favorite character since the very beginning of this trilogy, so getting to spend so much time with him, following his journey as he comes to terms with his parentage and his magic was like a dream come dream.
The development that Grey and Lia Mara go through in this book was some of my favorite. Lia Mara really comes into her own here and grows a lot from A Heart so Fierce and Broken. She longs for peace between the nations, despite all her people always coming at for her being too kind, too fair, too just, etc. They all, even her own sister, think she’s too weak; but she holds her ground. Lia Mara doesn’t let that sway her and continues to be the queen she wants to be for her people, showing that strength comes in many different forms.
As for Grey, he also comes into his own in this novel. He becomes much more confident in his magic and in his ability to give orders. He’s no longer the king’s guard who takes orders – he’s the one giving them and he becomes the leader he was always meant to be. And I think that’s flipping amazing. But he is still “big scary Grey” and the big softie that I fell in love with in A Curse so Dark and Lonely.
I am definitely biased here with his and Lia Mara’s arc being my favorite; but I couldn’t care less. I love them and I won’t apologize for it. They got the happy ending they deserved, with peace between the kingdoms and working on a much bigger alliance, and a baby on the way. SQUEALS IN EXCITEMENT.
As for Rhen, just like in AHSFAB, I stopped caring about him and his arc. I listened to the audiobook and so I only half paid attention to his chapters. I’m sorry – I just couldn’t bring myself to care after his actions in the last book. A part of me also hates that he and Harper end up together because if I’m being honest with myself – Harper deserves much better than him.
Overall, it was an enjoyment book and I think a fantastic end to a trilogy. I can’t wait to see what Brigid Kemmerer does next!
One Chicago Recap – March 10
I know that I’m late with this post, but because of the busy work week, I watched all of the episodes late. Then I just kind of sat and stewed with all of them for a bit. I’m still enjoying the direction that Fire is going, I LOVED PD this week and Med kind of annoyed me. I think Chicago PD may just have been my favorite from this week.
Spring 2021 Book Releases
With the weather slowly getting a bit warmer, I thought it was only fitting to start this post. Though living in Kentucky, I know that this is only Spring of Deception and we’re going to go back to Winter soon. However, I’m taking advantage of the slightly warmer temps to share the book releases that I am anticipating for the Spring months. Now, while I am looking forward to these books, I’m definitely not looking forward to Spring time allergies. Especially not while we’re still in a pandemic.
Once again, I got all of these releases from bookbirds, so if you’d like to check out a more extensive list, feel free!
Continue reading “Spring 2021 Book Releases”
