Tales & Tiger Lily: February 2021
Mar 18, 2021
My sister joined bookstagram as @talesandtigerlily. Her name is Caroline, and Tiger Lily is her adorable pup. 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, I'll list everything she's read the previous month + reviews of three of her favorites.
Recapping the Rest of Caroline's February Reads:
Her top three from the month:
SEND FOR ME BY LAUREN FOX
Send for Me tells the story of Annalise, who grew up working in her Jewish parents’ bakery in Germany. She grows up, gets married, and has a daughter named Ruthie. But people start treating their family differently. Customers stop coming to the bakery. Friendships are lost. How will the family survive? The novel becomes a powerful generational story of one family leaving Nazi Germany during WWII.
This story is very character driven. It read more literary than historical fiction in my opinion. It is about the relationship between a mother and a daughter. It is less about the events that took place during the rise of the Nazis, and more about the way the Jewish people lived in fear—how their neighbors and people whom they used to spend time with completely abandoned them.
I finished Send for Me in one sitting. It is THE VERY BEST short novel I have ever read. It packs a punch, and I found myself taking pictures of so many paragraphs. The prose is breathtaking. I can’t even begin to describe how I felt after reading this book. I enjoy reading. I do. But sometimes after reading a few okay books, I wonder if I truly like reading. Send for Me is a book that reminded me of why I love reading so much.
You have to read this book. It’s breathtaking. The author actually knew she needed to write this because her grandparents moved to Milwaukee in 1938. After her grandparents died, she found letters between her great-grandmother back in Germany to her grandmother in Milwaukee. How amazing is that? It made the story even more beautiful and impactful. I will be thinking about this book for days. | 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
A COURT OF SILVER FLAMES BY SARAH J. MAAS
I absolutely loved Nesta and Cassian’s story. This was quite the addicting read, and I am pretty sad it’s over. I know all my SJM fans have been in heaven!
I loved how this book was quite a bit different than her others. It was very character-driven, and I loved getting to know Nesta. She is haunted by her traumatic past, so she turns to sex and alcohol. Nesta has to work through it—her anger, fear, and desire to drink so she doesn’t have to feel.
And I really thought it was a beautiful process in that Nesta learns to frequently practice her breathing and put habits into place which help her cope. These little boring things can make quite a big difference in how we feel.
I also really loved the house in which Nesta dwelled. I want a house that listens to me and runs a bath for me! Gives me chocolate cake. Delivers me books. Do what?! I don’t know why, but that was one of my favorite elements of ACOSF. Rituals & simple daily acts at home can be so healing. I just loved how it made me want to take time for myself and appreciate the things about life that make us happy.
Oh, Cassian. Oh, Nesta. You two are feisty. That’s all I’m gonna say about the romance. | 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
THE BONE SHARD DAUGHTER BY ANDREA STEWART
The Bone Shard Daughter is the first book in The Drowning Empire trilogy. The book takes place in an empire with many islands. Lin, the former heir to the empire, must figure out how to reclaim her magic and place on the throne. The emperor uses bone shard magic to build all these weird constructs to enforce law and spy for him. It is creepy lol. As the emperor’s rule is falling, there is a revolution sweeping across the many islands.
Andrea Stewart tells the story through four characters: Lin, Jovis, Phalue, and Sand. At first, I wondered how their stories were connected, but by the end, Stewart wove them into something so unique and exciting. I was very impressed and surprised by revelations throughout the book. There is a lot of mystery to this novel, with a mix of the known and unknown. It kept me turning the pages to discover the truth.
I was completely drawn into the world-building and details. I could picture things vividly in my mind, and I felt I was right there with them. I loved the characters, as they are all trying to figure out how far they will go to stop evil. I was excited to jump around to each one, the suspense building every chapter.
All in all, I would highly recommend this one to my fantasy lovers. It was really impressive for a debut, and I loved it. I cannot wait to read The Bone Shard Emperor (already looked at the release = November 11th). | 🐶🐶🐶🐶🐶
