BY EMILY HARRISON / KALAMALAMA STAFF WRITER
I love booktok. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it’s a side of TikTok for book nerds like me.
If you need to know one thing about me, it’s that I like books. I actually love books. No like, I love love books.
They are the best thing.
You’ve heard of book worms, correct? I saw this thing on TikTok, and it described a person as a book dragon, and I especially identify with that.
Book worms read books, they are in their books all the time, engulfing all they can.
Book dragons on the other hand, hoard books. They see them almost as collectors’ items, only reading the special few.
I, my dear readers, am a book dragon. Roar.
Anyway, I have hundreds of books in my collection, and I am very bad at reading them.
But, despite that fact, I have read quite a few books, and I will gladly give my review on them.
The Folk of the Air series, Reviewed by Emily Harrison
In a world full of Faeries who despise humans, Jude Duarte and her sister, Taryn, must find a way to survive and possibly thrive in Elfhame. Jude meets herself with many challenges throughout the Cruel Prince, including the prince himself, Carden Greenbair. When Jude becomes Cardan and his friends’ primary target, she must find another way to keep herself safe. With so many siblings up next for the royal line, you would not believe who offers Jude the kind of power she’s been trying for over ten years to achieve. Only when everything seems to be going right, does Jude find herself caught in a blood bath of messes that she can no longer escape from.
Holly Black has written many faerie novels, including the Folk of the air trilogy and spin offs. She has many best sellers based in this faerie world of hers. She has written over thirty fantasy novels for both kids and adults. Her books are so world renowned they have been published in 32 languages. Although she’s settled down in her New England home, that doesn’t stop her from writing best sellers.
Black does an amazing job of allowing you to sympathize with each character, even as the true colors bleed out of everyone involved, she makes sure you can see a personal view, even if you don’t side with them, of every character. The Cruel Prince had me laughing, gasping, and even infuriated throughout the journey.
Her series continues with the twisted love of Cardan and Jude. As she is played and manipulated, imprisoned and beaten. Jude stands above all else, becoming the first Queen of Elfhame, to be human. Her journey is far from over, and far from easy as she tries her best to survive and bring peace to her land.
She embarks on a treacherous trail of family betrayals, deaths of friends, and empowering expeditions as she becomes the Queen of Knives.
Throughout her journey you will find yourself weeping and cheering on characters you never thought you’d like. Only when everything is at peace, does the world erupt around them.
Take a step into Elfhame with Jude and embark on her rise to power.
The Empyrean series, Reviewed by Emily Harrison
Can you imagine a world where dragons choose their riders? Where traitors are forever marked and let free within their own country, only to have to go through the trials of becoming a rider? Can you imagine, a young, scrawny, girl, who spent her whole life preparing to be a scribe. A girl who knows old and new texts like the back of her hand, every rule, every fable, every law; only to have herself thrown into the gauntlet where the strongest of the strong compete to get a chance at life, and with that, a life with a dragon.
Can you imagine a world where you find yourself chosen, by not one, but two dragons? Each with capabilities and powers to enhance your survival in this awful place. Try as you may, you struggle to control these powers, to even activate them at will. Only when the time is right, can you come close to activating such a God-given power. And only when the stakes are high, do you fail, and lose the people you love most.
Rebeca Yarros will take you on a journey of fascination, jagged twists and turns, family morals, and heartbreaks beyond imagine. Instantly you will fall in love with Violet Sorengail, and hope she survives the journey her mother forces her on. This roller coaster continues as we go into book two (Iron Flame), and as we wait for this coming January for book three (Onyx Storm).
Rebecca Yarros is another beloved #1 New York Times best seller. Within her twenty-novel collection, Fourth Wing has quickly risen to the top of her success. Although based on heroes and villains, her heart belongs to the hero in her life, her husband. While wildly successful as a writer, she still balances life with her six children, and many pets. She is sure to enjoy her life and her children’s lives, without sacrificing what makes her happy as well.
The Stars and Smoke Series, Reviewed by Emily Harrison
Stars and Smoke by Marie Lu:
When word that a criminal billionaire is transporting chemical weapons, across borders, is throwing a birthday party for his beloved daughter, Panacea decides the best way to get an agent in the scene, is to recruit a superstar who’s asked to perform as the guest of honor. Sydney Cossette is a young secret agent working for an underground operation referred to as “Panacea,” a less federalized sister to the CIA. Winter Young is a talented young superstar, famous worldwide, with millions of adoring fans. After a turn of events, emotions, and deceptions breaks loose, Sydney and Winter are left to stop the traffickers without backup, without able bodies, and without each other for support.
This novel follows several New York Times-Bestselling series in Marie Lu’s career. Over the past two decades she has written many fictional novels, including works of video games come to life and word transforming detective work. She is a #1 New York Times-Bestselling Author, she has won many Best Young Adult Fiction awards, and even Best Stem Book awards. She graduated from USC, where she jumped into the video game industry. Her and her husband share a love in designing, and together they raise their son in LA, while she continues to write with the emotion of love and support, and a little mystery.
Lu often sticks to a topic of “agents,” as she has continued to do so in this book, but unlike the rest of her career, this book happens to be on the more realistic side of things. Stars and Smoke continues to be a realistic, third-person, fiction throughout its story, which is vastly different than what Lu usually creates. Although different than her normal series, this book had an excellent pattern of switching POV’s, as a third-person narrative, allowing the reader to understand the emotions of both Sydney and Winter. This Novel gave surprises and plot twists within every chapter, and enveloped unsuspecting conflicts throughout the characters’ journeys. Together, and apart, Winter and Sydney overcome every challenge thrown at them. I couldn’t help but put myself in every situation the two protagonists were in, Lu’s style of writing and captivation truly engulfs the reader into her fictional world. You’ll find yourself feeling every ounce of fear and love as you go through these agents’ journey.
Icon and Inferno by Marie Lu:
The follow up continues this daring duo once again in an attempt to capture a missing agent stuck in Singapore. On the course of their mission, they run into a plot to assassinate the United States president. Try as they may, Winter and Sydney just can’t seem to catch a break. With plot twists from in and outside of government agencies, and backstabbing turns and confessions of love, Icon and Inferno is sure to leave you in grasping awe as you continue on with these two stars crossed lovers.
Lu continues this realistic script for these agents even in the sequel. Still in third person, the POVs still switch in a great way for the reader to truly grasp the internal and external environments of our two protagonists. This novel defiantly has more plot suits and surprises than the first in the stories, and the way Lu leaves us with a mysterious ended suggests she may even write a third in the series. This book will keep you on your toes and keep your hearts on a tight squeeze. Together or apart Winter and Sydney seem to be in sync. And this time when Sydney’s life is in danger, you get to see the true raw feelings of Winter young.
Skyhunter series, Reviewed by Emily Harrison
Imagine you were forced out of your home as a mere child. You have your voice poisoned and taken from you. You grow and train in diversity, as even the citizens, whom you risk your life to protect, look down upon you because of where you’re from. No amount of honor, no amount of success, can ever hide your face.
Imagine losing your best friend. The first person to ever accept you, to challenge you to be better, to pick you up when you’ve been knocked on your back. Imagine he’s gone, but you have captured someone who helped create the monsters who took him from you.
Imagine you see him there, silent, about to die. You see the soldiers who ripped you from your home and killed your voice within him. You see him as one of them, but there’s something different, something…inhuman, about him. And, because of this, for the rest of your life, you are bonded with him forever.
Imagine he’s a weapon beyond belief. He’s capable of more destruction than any human before us. And yet, he has chosen you to be bonded with.
Will you protect him? Will you help keep him safe from the people who created him? Or will you lose the people you love because you choose to save the man who helped in your demise?
Marie Lu once again takes us on a journey of wonder and distraught as we follow Talin on her journey of war and strife. As Red makes her feel mixed emotions of sympathy and hate, Lu is sure to make the audience fall in love with this creation.
