Book reviews: Bridge to Terabithia | A Midsummer Night's Dream | The Wind in the Willows

Title: Bridge to Terabithia
Author: Katherine Paterson
Original title: Bridge to Terabithia
First published: 1977
Genre: Middle grade, Fantasy
Series: --
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: Paperback
Pages: 179
Finished: 25/07/2020
Summary: Jess Aarons' greatest ambition is to be the fastest runner in his grade. He's been practicing all summer and can't wait to see his classmates' faces when he beats them all. But on the first day of school, a new girl boldly crosses over to the boys' side and outruns everyone. That's not a very promising beginning for a friendship, but Jess and Leslie Burke become inseparable. Together they create Terabithia, a magical kingdom in the woods where the two of them reign as king and queen, and their imaginations set the only limits.

My thoughts: I read this during the 2020 Reading Rush for the challenge to read a book that's inspired a movie I've already seen. I've seen the movie several times and it's one that I actually quite like. Somehow I'm always weeping at the end of it, despite knowing the plot inside out by now. Sadly, the movie is better than the book in this case. I just think the adaptation to the screen really brings out the emotions and visuals that this story needs. In book form, I didn't get the same experience. I don't mean to say that it's poorly written, but the movie had my expectations high and they were not met. Had I read the book first, I'd have had no interest in seeing the movie after. Things I liked about the book are Jess' relationship to his sisters, and the stern teacher. I did not like the style of the illustrations.

Rating: 3/5

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Title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
Author: William Shakespeare
Original title: A Midsummer Night's Dream
First published: 1595
Genre: Classic, Play, Comedy
Series: --
Publisher: Avenel Books
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 20
Finished: 26/07/2020
Summary: Demetrius and Lysander both want Hermia but she only has eyes for Lysander. Bad news is, Hermia's father wants Demetrius for a son-in-law. On the outside is Helena, whose unreturned love burns hot for Demetrius. Hermia and Lysander plan to flee from the city under cover of darkness but are pursued by an enraged Demetrius (who is himself pursued by an enraptured Helena). In the forest, unbeknownst to the mortals, Oberon and Titania (King and Queen of the faeries) are having a spat over a servant boy. The plot twists up when Oberon's head mischief-maker, Puck, runs loose with a flower which causes people to fall in love with the first thing they see upon waking. Throw in a group of labourers preparing a play for the Duke's wedding (one of whom is given a donkey's head and Titania for a lover by Puck) and the complications become fantastically funny.

My thoughts: I read this for the 2020 Reading Rush for the challenge to read a book with a cover that matches the colour of my birth stone (emerald). I read "The Comedy of Errors" earlier this year and found it rather humorous. This one? Not so much. Perhaps I missed the comedic point of it all. Oh well. At least it was easy to keep up with the characters and plot, which was a bit more difficult in "The Comedy of Errors" (with two pairs of characters sharing the same two names). To me, this wasn't a very engaging or fun play. I didn't care what the ending would be. I understand that it's a big classic, and I hope I enjoy his other works more.

Rating: 2,75/5

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Title: The Wind in the Willows
Author: Kenneth Grahame
Original title: The Wind in the Willows
First published: 1908
Genre: Classic, Childrens
Series: --
Publisher: Wordsworth
Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Finished: 26/07/2020
Summary: Spring is in the air and Mole has found a wonderful new world. There's boating with Ratty, a feast with Badger and high jinx on the open road with that reckless ruffian, Mr Toad of Toad Hall. The four become the firmest of friends, but after Toad's latest escapade, can they join together and beat the wretched weasels?

My thoughts: I read this during the 2020 Reading Rush for the challenge to read the first book I touched. This was the first one I touched in a secondhand store. I unfortunately had to stress through this one a bit, as I had to squeeze it in together with some of the Shakespeare play on the final day of the Reading Rush. Nevertheless, it was a pleasant book to stress through. It's quite what I expected it to be. It neither surprised me nor let me down. The characters were rather cute and nice, though I hated Toad, that little fu**er, and the story was one with a clear moral to teach. I wish Toad was never even introduced in the story and that we'd only get to read about the calm and pleasant adventures of Mole and Ratty. Begone, Toad!!! Very cute illustrations as well.

Rating: 3,25/5

Book reviews: Throne of Glass | Crown of Midnight | Spinning Silver

Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Original title: Throne of Glass
First published: 2012
Genre: High fantasy, YA
Series: Throne of Glass #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 404
Finished: 31/03/2020
Summary: When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the King's Champion and be released from prison.
But something evil dwells in the castle—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival—and a desperate quest to root out the source of the evil before it destroys her world.

My thoughts: Finally, I read the kind of book that was much needed to get my desire to read going again. This novel is fast paced and easy; a true page turner. There's basically everything I wanted right now; a quick and witty dialogue, an actually well executed love triangle drama, some secrets, fights, and fantasy politics. Not to say that it was a perfect book, but it was a perfectly timed read. "Throne of Glass", along with the second book in the series, has been living in my shelves for years upon years (since 2013, when the pretty cover version was released in hardcover). I finally got to it!
Besides the positive things about it, this book had its flaws. While Celaena is described as a ruthless and badass assassin (which she can be), I found that her actions contradicted that statement at times. She sleeps unguarded a lot, and lets people sneak into her rooms without noticing them. She's also not quite as daring/unafraid as I'd expect of an assassin with her reputation. And while the love triangle was good in the way that I really didn't know who Celaena would choose, both of the love interest were quite similar in their personalities. I do know that they become more distinct in the second book, but them being so alike made me rather indifferent to who Celaena would choose.
All in all, it was a pleasant and exciting read that I without a doubt enjoyed quite a bit. I look forward to the rest of the series, and I hope it won't break my heart as much as I suspect it will.
(PS. Dorian has nothing on Chaol. Period.)

Rating: 4/5

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Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Original title: Crown of Midnight
First published: 2013
Genre: YA, High fantasy
Series: Throne of Glass #2
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 418
Finished: 04/04/2020
Summary: Spoiler alert! From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

My thoughts: Small spoiler alert! My emotions have been played with :( What a roller-coaster.
"Crown of Midnight" opens up the plot for a much wider reach, giving us a clearer view of where Maas is taking the series. While the first book was mostly just a fun time, this second instalment in the series takes on a more serious tone as Celaena's emotions are tested and we learn more about her past. So when it comes down to it, did I like the change or not?
I did! While the 'rebellion against the ruler(s)' sort of plot/trope isn't always my cup of tea, I think this one has potential. We need a little more world building for me to actually care about the different kingdoms in the Erilea lands, but I think we'll get more of that as the series progresses. I do not think that the king is the best written antagonist I've ever read about, but he's not the worst either.
One thing I complained about in the previous book was that Dorian and Chaol's characters were too alike. They became more distinct in this novel, which is great, and the love triangle in "Throne of Glass" was pretty much gone. Huzzah! There's still a lot of angsty yearning going on that I don't like a ton, but I hope it'll pass with the next book.
Celaena has mood swings like no other, and she constantly changes her mind like the weather. In some cases I'm with her, but in most cases I'm not. I like reading from her perspective partly, but I'm glad we get other perspectives as well. I don't think I'd like the books half as much if I was stuck with only Celaena. I also didn't like how she reasoned and acted after that thing in the middle happened :/
Overall, this was an entertaining and fast read. The series isn't great yet, and it remains to be seen if it will ever live up to the hype. I understand why people rave about it; it's easy, dramatic, romantic, and continues to have big reveals strewn over it (unfortunately I saw the 'big reveal' at the end of this book coming from book one). For me, it lacks a writing style that is beautiful and flowing enough, and I wish there were more descriptions of the environment/world around Celaena. I want more complex politics and world building. And some continued character development for our main characters. Other than that, I had a swell time!

Rating: 4,25/5

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Title: Spinning Silver
Author: Naomi Novik
Original title: Spinning Silver
First published: 2018
Genre: Fantasy, Retelling, YA
Series: --
Publisher: Del Rey
Format: Paperback
Pages: 466
Finished: 14/04/2020
Summary: Miryem is the daughter and granddaughter of moneylenders, but her father’s too kind-hearted to collect his debts. They face poverty, until Miryem hardens her own heart and takes up his work in their village. Her success creates rumours she can turn silver into gold, which attract the fairy king of winter himself. He sets her an impossible challenge – and if she fails, she’ll die. Yet if she triumphs, it may mean a fate worse than death. And in her desperate efforts to succeed, Miryem unwittingly spins a web which draws in the unhappy daughter of a lord.
Irina’s father schemes to wed her to the tsar – he will pay any price to achieve this goal. However, the dashing tsar is not what he seems. And the secret he hides threatens to consume the lands of mortals and winter alike. Torn between deadly choices, Miryem and Irina embark on a quest that will take them to the limits of sacrifice, power and love.

My thoughts: My friend has been so incredibly kind to let me borrow this book for a solid two months. I had a hard time getting into it since it's pretty sparse when it comes to dialogue and I've been in a bit of a reading slump. But I've finally finished it at last! I must say, it was well worth pushing through. The pacing is on the slower side, which I don't mind in a book, especially when it makes up for it in characters and writing. This one did just that. I loved following three stubborn, ambitious, and brave young women who were driven by love for their family rather than romantic interests. Yes, there is some romance, but to have it be written in the way this book did it was a breath of fresh air. Romance was not the point of the novel. I think great love shown for family above all is seldom shown well in YA fantasy and I wish it wasn't that way.The way Miryem puts her parents before all else was moving and something I could relate to more than a girl willing to die for the boy she's known for a month.
The characters overall were expertly constructed, and I was able to both love and hate a few at the same time. The settings were also described well; sometimes I felt a cold chill run through me even though I had a heating blanket over me. Can't say I was sad to miss out on snow this winter after reading this book ;)
All in all, "Spinning Silver" is a very good book that is only held back a little by lacking some pace and being a little too long. Had it been shortened down some, I think it could have been even more perfect.

Rating: 4,5/5