By Golly, Ollie!

  • The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima Review

    1 comment on The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima Review

    Book Cover for The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams ChimaThe Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima (Seven Realms #2)
    Released:     September 2010
    Publisher: Hyperion Books
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    ★★★★☆
    Synopsis: Haunted by the loss of his mother and sister, Han Alister journeys south to begin his schooling at Mystwerk House in Oden’s Ford. But leaving the Fells doesn’t mean that danger isn’t far behind. Han is hunted every step of the way by the Bayars, a powerful wizarding family set on reclaiming the amulet Han stole from them. And Mystwerk House has dangers of its own. There, Han meets Crow, a mysterious wizard who agrees to tutor Han in the darker parts of sorcery—but the bargain they make is one Han may regret.

    Meanwhile, Princess Raisa ana’Marianna runs from a forced marriage in the Fells, accompanied by her friend Amon and his triple of cadets. Now, the safest place for Raisa is Wein House, the military academy at Oden’s Ford. If Raisa can pass as a regular student, Wein House will offer both sanctuary and the education Raisa needs to succeed as the next Gray Wolf queen.

    Everything changes when Han and Raisa’s paths cross, in this epic tale of uncertain friendships, cut-throat politics, and the irresistible power of attraction.

    My Thoughts

    It’s a rare occasion when I read the first book in a series and I enjoyed it enough that I consider reading the second book in a series. It’s an even rarer occasion when I actually pick up book two in a series. Remember when I declared my love for Matched by Ally Condie, The Candidates by Inara Scott, and Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel? I never actually continued those series, and I probably never will now. Then, there are these anomalous events where I find myself not just reading book two but then scrambling to get my hands on book three and four. There is the Harry Potter series (duh!) and the Twilight series (I can’t explain this one), and now there is the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima. I reviewed the first book, The Demon King, two years ago, and believe it or not, I just finished the second book in the series. OH. MY. GOSH.

    P.S. Spoilers?

    In The Exiled Queen, we find our two heroes, Han and Raisa, separated once more. Yet as the tides of war lap at the Seven Realms, both are traveling to boarding school, Oden’s Ford, to seek refuge and to perfect skills that may aid them in the battles to come. I don’t know why, but if a story involves a boarding school, there is a 97% chance I’m going to love the book. I am such a nerd that I’m excited to learn about my favorite characters’ school day (please ignore the notes on how to travel to Aediion that I’ve jotted down in my own composition notebook). I just get really absorbed into the surroundings. Plus, there are so many unsupervised opportunities to mingle with one’s peers, and in such close quarters, there are so many opportunities to bump into love interests. Despite taking place in a fantasy setting, the romantic elements seem more realistic in this novel than in most other YA novels I’ve read. The passion without obsession. The mind’s hesitation to start a relationship, when the heart wants nothing more than to jump in with abandon. The crushing force of seeing the person you’re falling in love with doting on another.  There were moments when my heart was screaming for two characters to kiss, but instead they were both stuck inside their own heads filled with doubt, too afraid to make the first move. Won’t we all experience this at least once in our own lives? And kudos to the author, who wasn’t afraid to write about hormonal teenagers and birth control (ie. maidenweed).

    The characters continue to grow and develop in The Exiled Queen. Just when I thought I understood a characters motives, they are thrown into situations that challenge their values. I was always eager to turn the page so I could discover what caused the change of heart. Raisa continues to be my favorite character because she’s learning to become a warrior without sacrificing her femininity, and characters like that seem so rare. There are also a handful of new characters, who I don’t quite trust. Dean Abelard is introduced as the head of Mystwerk House. She holds dinners during the school year that are reminiscent of the Slug Club from the Harry Potter series– only the most gifted students are invited, and they take turns teaching each other valuable lessons. I sense Dean Abelard is loyal only to herself, and she has a few tricks up her sleeve to ensure she comes out on top (a true Slytherin!). Then there is the mysterious mage, Crow, who is a master of illusions, and I’m dying to know his true identity.

    My only issue with the Exiled Queen is the pacing, and that may be more of a result of preference than anything. During the first half of the book, both Han’s and Raisa’s parties were traveling through the realms. Of course they ran into trouble and excitement along the way, but I found myself wanting to fast forward to their adventures in boarding school instead. For someone who claims she loves traveling, I’m definitely not a huge fan of it in fantasy novels. Mostly, I just view it as an opportunity for retrospection and world building, but book one was full of that and I wanted more of the plot to be revealed. This does begin to happen near the end of the book, and I found myself staying up way past my bedtime…during the work week. The Exiled Queen ended with a cliffhanger, and it left me asking a million questions that I just know will be answered in the next installment of this series.

    So far, the Seven Realms series is incredible, and if it’s not on your reading list, you should definitely add it– especially if you’re reluctant to read high fantasy books. I was too, but this series made the genre more approachable because Cinda Williams Chima created the perfect balance of world building and character development.

    I won this book in a giveaway hosted by Proud Book Nerd

  • How to Become Ms. Marvel

    How to Become Ms. Marvel

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    About mid-way through last week, I received a text message from one of my very best friends from high school, inviting me to participate in Trunk or Treat. It’s been ages since we hung out, so I jumped at the opportunity. She told me our group would dress up as superheroes, so I spent the morning before the event creating a Ms. Marvel costume. I’ve never been particularly crafty, so I was pleased with the finished product. 

    The materials were inexpensive, and you may even have most of them lying around anyway. You will need a black shirt, a red scarf or strip of fabric, gold fabric paint (or gold, glittery fabric paint for extra glitz), a fabric paint applicator, stencil board or poster board, an X-acto knife, a ruler, and cardboard.

    Creating Ms. Marvel’s Shirt

    1. Trace the shape of Ms. Marvel’s lightning bolt onto your posterboard or stencil board. (This was the most challenging part of this project for me because I attempted to free-hand it with the edge of books and a three-hole punch because I haven’t owned a ruler since grade school.)
    2. Cut out the lightning bolt using an X-Acto knife. I placed a piece of cardboard under the posterboard so I could easier and protect my kitchen table.
    3. Place another piece of cardboard inside the black shirt to ensure the paint doesn’t bleed through the shirt layers.
    4. Lay the stencil over the shirt and apply the gold paint to the shirt using the fabric paint applicator.

    After the paint dries, which took about one day, style with a pair of black jeans, black boots, and a red scarf tied around the hips (or, channel your inner Kamala Khan and wear the red scarf around your neck). This costume is unassuming enough that you can even wear it as everyday cosplay!

  • Batman: the Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller

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    Batman: the Dark Knight Returns graphic novel coverBatman: the Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson (illustrator), Lynn Varley (illustrator)
    Released:     November 2002 (first published 1986)
    Publisher:     DC Comics
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    ★★★☆☆
    Synopsis: Crime runs rampant in the streets, and the man who was Batman is still tortured by the memories of his parents’ murders. As civil society crumbles around him, Bruce Wayne’s long-suppressed vigilante side finally breaks free of its self-imposed shackles.
    The Dark Knight returns in a blaze of fury, taking on a whole new generation of criminals and matching their level of violence. He is soon joined by this generation’s Robin — a girl named Carrie Kelley, who proves to be just as invaluable as her predecessors.    But can Batman and Robin deal with the threat posed by their deadliest enemies, after years of incarceration have made them into perfect psychopaths? And more important, can anyone survive the coming fallout of an undeclared war between the superpowers – or a clash of what were once the world’s greatest superheroes?

    My Thoughts

    Batman tv series (1966-1968)
    Batman tv series (1966-1968)

    I should preface this by saying, I rarely read graphic novels, and when I do read them, I certainly do not read superhero graphic novels (unless you count Sailor Moon manga). So as I read Batman: the Dark Knight Rises by Frank Miller, I was simultaneously underwhelmed and overwhelmed. This comic is lauded as one of the most (if not the most) influential Batman comic of all time. It was the comic that breathed life into characters that the 1960s nearly killed off with its campy shenanigans.  Once the comics returned to its gritty and pulp-inspired origins, popularity for the Batman series soared. Yet, just as the 1960s seemed cheesy to fans in the 1980s, the 1980s may seem slightly cheesy to fans today. Whenever I read the slang of the gang of Mutants, I couldn’t help but cringe. It would almost seem nit-picky if it didn’t occupy so many speech bubbles. “I’m a slicer-dicer, spud. A real slicer-dicer”. It’s supposed to be edgy and intimidating, but to me it just seemed silly– like, why are they calling people potatoes?

    robin

    I feel conflicted about the artwork. I can get over the obvious 1980’s influenced accessories and hairstyles, but I found myself disappointed by the inking. I was craving bold lines and vibrant colors, but most of the time I found soft and muted watercolors. That’s not to say that I disliked the artwork entirely. No. There are a number of images ingrained in my mind. Batman looming over a pig of a man, who is dangling upside-down off a Gotham City high-rise. The Joker laying limply in the Love Canal at a carnival, battarang lodged in his eye and slack-jawed. Superman’s body wasting away during the nuclear explosion. I stared at the grotesque images with grim fascination. These few images, juxtaposed against the soft water colors on the previous page, captured something far more sinister than I expected.

    Then there was the plot, which was a little hit-and-miss for me as well, but I think this is one of those “it’s not you, it’s me” instances. I know very little about superheroes and the DC Universe, so I spent a lot of time on Wikipedia or asking my boyfriend a bunch of questions, and this sometimes distracted me from enjoying the comic. I was on board for the first half of the graphic novel, where Bruce Wayne becomes Batman again and fights crime. It was fast-paced and filled with villains I’m familiar with. It was simple enough for a Batman-newb like myself. But I found myself getting disoriented during the second half of the graphic novel. Like, why did the Police force dislike the Batman so much? And why is Superman trying to kill Batman– don’t they basically fight for the same team? Any why is Robin a girl? I mean, I loved it, but I thought Robin was a consistent character– I was wrong.

    Batman Graphic Novels

    Overall, I enjoyed Batman: the Dark Knight Returns. It was successful in making me more curious about the Batman series; I suppose it’s become a gateway. I mentioned in a recent Weekend Review that I have a tall stack of Batman comics to read, and I’ve already began working my way through. I recently finished Venom, and I just started Haunted Knight. I’ve even began perusing the graphic novel shelves at the book store, which was a section I generally stayed away from because really, I had no idea what to even pick up.

    Read Batman: the Dark Knight Returns if you’re a fan of Batman comics– it’s a classic after all. If you’re a newcomer, you might want to start somewhere else because this graphic novel does seem dated, and it requires you to already have some knowledge about Batman and the DC Universe.

    If you’ve read Batman: the Dark Knight Returns, what did you think of it? If you’re a fan of Batman comics, are there any titles you think I ought to check out?

  • Fall Festivities

    Fall Festivities

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    fall festivities(1)One More Time for Autumn

    Autumn is definitely upon us in Michigan. The leaves are taking their sweet time changing colors, but the weather is lovely. The sun is warm, but the breezes are cool, and the windows are begging to be propped open in the afternoons. Last weekend, the boyfriend (that handsome fella’ in the flannel jacket) and I and two other couples took advantage of the perfect weather and spent the afternoon at a cider mill.  When we arrived, we made a beeline for beverages…along with everyone else that was there. The line of eager cider-sippers wrapped around and around, but it didn’t take too long to get ourselves a cuppa and some donuts for dipping. I don’t believe I’ve ever tasted apple cider so good before. The apple flavor really shined since it didn’t have to compete with all the sugar and spices that are present in most grocery store ciders. Afterward, we rode out to the pumpkin patch and meandered amongst the vines until we found a pumpkin that called our names.

    jack-o-lantern-1Then, this weekend, we had another get together. We chowed down on chili and carved our pumpkins while listening to spooky soundtracks. Mine is the kitty with a bow tie. He’s so dapper.

    Batman Graphic NovelsGraphic Novels part II

    I mentioned two weeks ago that I was in the process of writing up my review of Frank Miller’s Batman: the Dark Knight Returns. It’s taking me a lot longer than I expected. I find that reviewing graphic novels, especially superhero graphic novels, is challenging because I have no other personal reading experience to compare it to. Luckily, the boyfriend read my mind without evening realizing it; he just let me borrow the rest of his Batman graphic novels. There are so many to choose from!

    Books On My Radar

    I cannot lie. I’m not bothering with books this weekend because Amazon just delivered the video games I ordered. I’m not even looking forward to work this week because it’s only going to get in the way of me playing Final Fantasy 9 for hours on end.

    playstation gamesStar Ocean Til the End of Time ♥ Final Fantasy 12 ♥ Final Fantasy 9

    Do you like reading graphic novels, and do you have any you can recommend? Or, do you have a favorite superhero?

  • Pig-a-palooza

    Pig-a-palooza

    5 comments on Pig-a-palooza
    Foggy Morning n Michigan
    When the seasons change, Michigan mornings become foggy. The drive into work is never fun, but this street lamp that created a halo behind a tree at 6:00 in the morning was worth a few moments of admiration.

    Autumn is Here!

    And I celebrated by going to a pig roast with the boyfriend (he has a friend that  hosts one every year). The friend sent the invite out about a month ago declaring September 27th was going to be the perfect day for the pig-a-palooza, and boy! was it perfect. The weather was warm for late September– about 80 degrees– and even though there wasn’t a cloud in the sky to provide shade, the temperature was actually quite nice (warm but breezy). The location was perfect too. We drove out to a beautiful house in the country and admired the Halloween decorations in the yard, the miniature horses cantering around in the fence behind the barn, and the trees lining the property that were just starting to turn orange, yellow, and red. A wonderful porky and bacon-y aroma wafted from the smoker situated near the barn, and pig-a-palooza goers huddled nearby, waiting for a treat with watering mouths. As the cook started carving the pig (because it really was a whole pig), people sneaked up behind him and pulled tender, juicy meat from the belly and scampered away before they got caught. I waited patiently, and it was worth it. Later, the boyfriend and I headed back in to town, and we watched the sun settle behind a cornfield. (Where must he live if “in town” includes sprawling cornfields?)

    batman
    Reading Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson (illustrator), and Lynn Varley (illustrator)

    Graphic Novels

    Even after discussing my reading habits last week, I cracked open yet ANOTHER book– Batman: the Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This is outside of my comfort zone because 1. I don’t often read graphic novels (I read some Sailor Moon manga back in high school, but that was it) and 2. I wasn’t sure if I would like it because I’m not really knowledgeable about the world of superheroes (especially DC). Color me surprised though– I actually enjoyed it! So much so that I snagged the boyfriend’s copy of Final Crises. Thoughts to come soon!

    On the Radar

    I blame it on Stephen Hawking; I have my eye on these books that tell the stories of young adults turning to physics in order to make sense of the tumultuous world around them.

    On My Radar - Physics

    Evidence of Things Not Seen by Lindsey Lane ♥ Falling into Place by Amy Zhang ♥ The Theory of Everything by Kari Luna

    How is Autumn treating you so far (or if you’re in the Southern hemisphere, Spring)? Do you have any traditions for this time of year?

About the Blogger

My name is Jackie, and I am a millennial / mother / Michigander / blogger / wannabe runner / accountant / local library enthusiast / gamer, kinda. This is a personal blog, which means I’m not entirely certain what you’ll find here, but it will definitely not show up on the first page of Google search results.