Tales & Tiger Lily: December 2020
My sister recently joined bookstagram as @talesandtigerlily. Her name is Caroline, and Tiger Lily is her adorable sidekick (pictured above). Since she's discovered a love of reading, I've had the best time talking about books with her. Be sure to check out her introduction post to get to know her better. Once a month, you get a new installment of Tales & Tiger Lily. In each post, she reviews three of her favorite reads from the previous month and ends with a list of everything she read with ratings (and links to reviews, if applicable). Her top three from December:
THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE BY SAMANTHA SHANNON
“In darkness, we are naked. Our truest selves. Night is when fear comes to us at its fullest, when we have no way to fight it. It will do everything it can to seep inside you. Sometimes it may succeed - but never think that you are the night.”
A world divided. The East and the West, separated by different beliefs and viewing each other’s actions as “evil”, must decide if they are willing to put their polar opposite beliefs aside to save the kingdom from The Nameless One (a giant dragon threatening to destroy the world).
This book was filled with lot of characters, all of whom I loved dearly (even the evil ones hehe). I felt the world building, character development, and pacing were perfect for me. It really made me want to read more books with dragons. Why do I feel such a pang in my heart when a dragon is hurt? It made me want to return to the Throne of Glass series, so I can check on Manon and Abraxos (I seriously love that wyvern more than the people in the book). The action packed plot was everything I hoped for, and I am sad to be done with the book.
I think everyone could learn from this stunning book. Even though it is clearly high fantasy, there are things to be learned. Everyone is so quick to bash someone when they disagree with them, or even tell them they are not entitled to an opinion when it comes to certain matters. I took away from this book that you can ALWAYS listen to someone’s opinions. You can even disagree with someone every time, but you can always be kind. | 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
THE THRONE OF GLASS SERIES BY SARAH J. MAAS
[In December, Caroline read Empire of Storms, Tower of Dawn, and Kingdom of Ash to finish the series.]
Sometimes you just need a total escape from reality, and the Throne of Glass series is the perfect medicine for this. The world-building, the characters, the drama, the relationships — it is so addicting. Sarah J. Maas’s YA fantasy is the best out there (although it is too mature to be labeled YA). It’s full of unforgettable characters and cliffhangers, keeping you turning the pages to discover their fates.
I absolutely loved so many of the characters, but of course my favorites are Manon and Rowan. Manon is a total badass with her fierce dragon Abraxos. Rowan is just the ultimate fantasy book boyfriend. My favorite book from the series is Empire of Storms because I got to see a lot of Manon and her boss moves. My least favorite was Tower of Dawn because Chaol was one of my least favorite characters.
It took me awhile to finish the series, but I’m so glad I ended 2020 with Kingdom of Ash. It felt so satisfying completing it, and I was so happy to see the conclusion to the epic adventure. I LOVED IT! | 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
NEVERNIGHT BY JAY KRISTOFF
“Never flinch.” A cold whisper in her ear. "Never fear. And never, ever forget.”I should be posting a review for 3 other books I have read this month, but I just wanna show you what I am currently reading. You know a book is good when you put it in your purse and pull it out whenever you have a free moment. I have also been listening to the audio. The narrator is Holter Graham (same guy from Serpent & Dove), and at first I didn’t love his voice, but I think he has the perfect tone/inflections for the book. It just works. He has a roughness to his voice that makes the action more intense. LOL.
I love to read reviews on Goodreads. I saw a ton of 5 star reviews and quite a bit of 2 star reviews. It seems people either LOVE Jay Kristoff’s writing in Nevernight or they hate it. There is a ton of dark, dry humor. It makes me giggle like the true nerd I am. Even Kristoff’s bio makes me laugh: “He is 6’7” and has approximately 13,520 days left to live. He does not believe in happy endings.”
The main character, Mia Corvere, is the ultimate badass with a no-filter, sassy attitude. There is depth though. She does have quite a bit of pain underneath her hard exterior. This pain drives her to seek revenge—and what better way to seek revenge on the people who have hurt her than to become apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins?
As you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book. It’s dark and filled with details (even includes many footnotes). Thanks to @_thatliterarylife for getting me excited to read it. Monica knows what’s up. | 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
Recapping the Rest of Caroline's December Reads:
Yay for Throne of Glass! That series will always have a special place in my heart for all the things it brought into my life (including some of my best friends). And I also really enjoyed Nevernight, though I have yet to read the series finale! Caroline, you've also fully convinced me I really need to read Priory too ;)
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