Book Beginnings | Friday 56 | Friday 50/50 | Blogger Hop || Storm Front (The Dresden Files #1) by Jim Butcher || Favorite/Least Favorite Read of March 2020

Please join us over at RoseCityReader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice
These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

I'm finally getting around to reading this series. I watched that not very good show they made in 2007 and then tried reading the books, the show kind of tainted things a little, and I've gotten to the point that I've forgotten enough of the show that I can read the books now. I've also been on the waitlist for months and I finally got it today.

Synopsis:

HARRY DRESDEN — WIZARD
Lost Items Found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment.

  Harry Dresden is the best at what he does. Well, technically, he's the only at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal creativity or capability, they come to him for answers. For the "everyday" world is actually full of strange and magical things—and most don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a—well, whatever. There's just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.
  So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name. And that's when things start to get interesting.
  Magic - it can get a guy killed.

Book Beginning:
  I heard the mailman approach my office door, half an hour earlier than usual. He didn't sound right. His footsteps fell more heavily, jauntily, and he whistled. A new guy. He whistled his way to my office door, then fell silent for a moment. Then he laughed.

Friday 56:

  "I'm stuck in a skull," Bob said. "If you don't let me out, I can't do much of anything, Harry."

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50/50 Friday is a new weekly link-up hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books.  Every week they have a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts' blogs.

This week's topic is 'Favorite/Least Favorite Read of March 2020'.


Favorite

I had been anticipating this book since I heard it was going to be written. I loved being back in this world.

Least

It just had some pacing issues for me. I liked it enough, it just didn't impress me.

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Click Here to add your link

Q: Do you have more photos of books you saw in a bookstore or elsewhere or family photos on your phone?

A: I don't take pictures of books in stores, but I do take pictures of books when I get new ones.
But I'd say there are more pictures of my cat than anything else on my phone. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Signs I'm a Book Lover

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish,
Now, hosted by Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl 

To take part, just pick your top ten, and add the link here.

1. Almost every conversation I have, at some point, some variation of, "In a book I'm reading/have read..." is uttered.
   
   
2. I'd rather spend time with book characters than most real people.
   
   
3. I search out the book section of every store I walk into.
   
   
4. I spend 90% of my time online researching or searching for books I want to read.
   
   
5. I love Bookish Merch. I don't own a whole lot, but I scour sites looking at it and wishing I had the money to buy all the merch I want. From candles to totes.
   
   
6. I remember ~70% of what I've read. Even if I only kind of like a book, I remember the main plot points years later.
   
   
7. I collect Bookmarks. I do not dog-ear my books. I don't mind it if people do, but seriously, never dogear a book that isn't yours.
   
   
8. Book-art causes pain to my soul. I get the aesthetic, really I do. But please don't destroy perfectly readable books for art. It's not worth it.
   
   
9. I really want a bookshelf with a ladder on wheels.
   
   
10. I wish I had a room in my house that I could turn into a personal library.

Music Monday: Black Swan

Happy Monday everyone and welcome to Music Monday! This weekly meme was created by Lauren @Always Me. Let's share some songs we've been enjoying lately! If you would like to play and I really hope you do, please see the rules and link up. 

So, it's (kind of) been a while since I shared a song by them. But they released these semi-recently. I love both. I absolutely love the orchestral music of the Art Film, but the Official MV is amazing as well. Jimin's (guy with blue hair for those who don't know the members) dancing is just... *Chef's kiss*. I love that he got to show off his classical training the official MV.

Review: Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi

Title: Children of Virtue and Vengeance

Author: Tomi Adeyemi

Series: Legacy of Orïsha #2

Genre: Fantasy

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co

Publication Date: December 3rd, 2019

Edition: Hardcover, 404 pages

Source: Purchased

Purchase: Amazon US | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | BAM

Synopsis

  After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

  Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.

  With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

Review:

This book took me longer to read than I either wanted or expected to. But I really liked this book, I am kind of bummed that it's shorter. I wish some more things had been fleshed out, but maybe they will be in the third book?

The characters are what make this book for me. Zélie has gone through some shit, and after reading the book I went through and read some other reviews that mostly consist of people not liking it as much. And it begs to question if any of those people have actually gone through hard loss. Zélie has lost both her parents and nearly died her self trying to bring magic back but it all kind of backfired on her. She is also still very young and the weight of all the clans has been placed on her shoulders. It's a lot to ask of anyone, especially for someone who is not sure they are right for the job. I got her character arc.

Amari, less-so. While I understand her conflicted feelings over how to handle her family. She seems to also constantly forget that they don't trust her, or rather her mother doesn't and that could cause problems with gaining anyone else's trust. She allows her father's words guide her, even though all he's done to anybody is cause massive harm. She was often very selfish when what she should have done was tried a lot harder to earn the trust of the Maji, she never tried very hard to earn that trust. She expected it because she was used to it.

Inan, I liked his arc better. Though he was also still allowing himself to be a pawn, that was very annoying as well. Both of those siblings kept allowing others to guide them rather than trying very hard to be their own person. I hope if he's in the next book he won't be so much of a punk, and actually stands up to his mother.

The romances of this book were... odd. I don't remember Roen from the first book, so I was confused by his character for a bit there. And the romance between Tzan and Amari felt very forced at times. I didn't care for either, personally.

This book was very fast-paced for how short it is. That is honestly my biggest complaint, I wish it had been longer, I wish the titans had been explained and explored further. I might need to re-read books one and two back to back so I can remember things better. I hope book three doesn't take as long to come out as it did between books 1 and 2. 

Book Beginnings | Friday 56 | Friday 50/50 | Blogger Hop || Queen of Coin and Whispers by Helen Corcoran || Best/Worst Bookish Vampire Mythology

Please join us over at RoseCityReader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author’s name.

This is a weekly meme hosted by Freda's Voice
These are the rules:

1. Grab a book, any book.

2. Turn to page 56, or 56% on your eReader.

3. Find any sentence (or a few, just don't spoil it) that grabs you.

4. Post it.

5. Add the URL to your post in the link on Freda's most recent Friday 56 post.

Synopsis:

'She loved me as I loved her, fierce as a bloodied blade.’

  When teenage queen Lia inherits her corrupt uncle’s bankrupt kingdom, she brings a new spymaster into the fold ... Xania, who takes the job to avenge her murdered father.

  Faced with dangerous plots and hidden enemies, can Lia and Xania learn to rely on each another, as they discover that all is not fair in love and treason?

  In a world where the throne means both power and duty, they must decide what to sacrifice for their country – and for each other.

Book Beginning:

The Sheep were undeniably dead. As I examined what the wolves had left behind, and tried not to panic, new footsteps stamped through the frozen grass.

Friday 56:

The Queen storming through the corridors commanded respect -- or fear. Nobles scrambled out of my way. No one made eye contact.

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50/50 Friday is a new weekly link-up hosted by Carrie @ The Butterfly Reader and Laura @ Blue Eye Books.  Every week they have a new topic featuring two sides of the same coin - you share a book that suits each category and link up on the hosts' blogs.

This week's topic is Favorite and Least Favorite Vampire Mythology


Favorite

I need to re-read this.


Least

Yeah, not Twilight. I actually like that way more than I did this series.
Granted I didn't finish the books but I watched the whole series, didn't really like that either and the show diverged from the books pretty early on. Either way didn't care for the myth of how they came to be (show version, don't know how it was explained if it was in the books I only read 5.)



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Click Here to add your link

Q:  Share a photo of one section of your bookshelf randomly selected or go ahead and share the entire bookshelf. 

A: Forgive the angle this is a shelf above my desk and I didn't really feel like standing. I just started Immortal Reign, so it's not on the shelf.