The Kingdom of Back – Page 2 – The Bookish Mutant

The Reread Book Tag

Posted on July 7, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles!

This tag was created by Brianna, who also tagged me in the post. It looked super cute, so I had to give it a go! (Also, she has an incredible blog, so if you haven’t checked it out already, go check it out!)

Let’s begin, shall we?

Rules:

Link back to the creator, (Brianna @ Brianna’s Books and Randomness)
Tag as many or as little readers as you like
Feel free to use my graphics!

The Search for WondLa (Search for WondLa Series #1) by Tony ...

GUESS WHO’S BACK…

I can’t stress enough how much The Search for WondLa series has changed my life. Even now, it’s just as enchanting as it was when I first checked it out at the library. I’ll definitely be giving the series a re-read soon; book 1 turns 10 this September! 😭

Amazon.com: A Curse So Dark and Lonely (The Cursebreaker Series ...

I forget exactly why I DNF’d A Curse So Dark and Lonely (though I shelved it as “cliche” on Goodreads, soooo…), but everybody else seems to love this series, so I might give it another try. Maybe. Possibly.

Episode 2 Jedi GIF by Star Wars - Find & Share on GIPHY

Amazon.com: The Kingdom of Back (9781524739010): Lu, Marie: Books

The Kingdom of Back was such a lushly written and enchanting novel, and I’m always up for another round of Marie Lu’s stellar writing, so I’ll absolutely be re-reading this at some point.

Amazon.com: Red Queen eBook: Aveyard, Victoria: Kindle Store

Ugh…Red Queen was such a steaming mess of bad tropes…

The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger, Paperback | Barnes & Noble®

I. NEED. TO. READ. THIS. BOOK. AGAIN. The Catcher in the Rye was just PHENOMENAL.

Without a doubt, Jay Kristoff. Even though I haven’t read everything of his, I haven’t read anything of his that I haven’t rated between four and five stars. What a mastermind…

Now that I own the entire duology, I seriously need to get back on the space-thrill-ride train that is the Heart of Iron series…

Not a series, but it’s just been announced that the Eleanor & Park movie has a director (!!!), so I’m simultaneously excited and scared for that.

Amazon.com: Aurora Rising (The Aurora Cycle Book 1) eBook: Kaufman ...

I’m not much of an audiobook person (I’ve only listened to…maybe one or two? Either way, it was ages ago, and…possibly on my old Hello Kitty CD player? Anyway…), but I’d be interested to see how Aurora Rising translates into an audiobook. It’s got a full cast of characters for all of Squad 312, so I’d be down for listening to that. I did listen to some of the snippets that the publisher had in the article, and they all sounded good, though Cat seemed uncharacteristically perky. (Hey, that’s just me, though.)

I TAG ANYONE WHO WANTS TO PARTICIPATE! GIVE BRIANNA SOME LOVE!

Star Wars Thumbs Up GIF - StarWars ThumbsUp HarrisonFord ...

Since I’ve already posted once today, you can head over to today’s Book Review Tuesday to see today’s song.

That’s it for this book tag! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: June 30-July 5, 2020

Posted on July 5, 2020July 5, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles!

All things considered, this week’s been alright. It’s July already (WE MADE IT THROUGH HALF OF THE YEAR, EVERYBODY!), so I’m looking forward to more sunny weather, but not really looking forward to boiling in the afternoon. (It’s supposed to get up to 90 degrees next week…*shudders* I like hot, but not that hot, let’s be clear…) After last week’s bookstore haul, I enjoyed two AMAZING books, and I finally got around to reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! Needless to say, I checked book 2 out at the library right after I finished it.

I also started Camp NaNoWriMo on Wednesday, and it’s going smoothly so far! Since I recently finished the first draft of one of my WIPs, I’m working on a short story for NaNoWriMo. It’s at about 1,100 words so far.

Other than that, I’ve made some progress on my puzzle, slowly started summer homework (😑), went on another lovely hike, and blew through season one of What We Do in the Shadows. (Highly recommended for anyone who wants a laugh. You have to get through a few episodes, but it gets HYSTERICAL.)

Terrifying. What would you even call that? | You are my life ...

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

The Kingdom of Back–Marie Lu (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)

Night Owls and Summer Skies–Rebecca Sullivan (eARC) (⭐️.5)

Amazon.com: Night Owls and Summer Skies (9781989365250): Sullivan ...

The Sound of Stars–Alechia Dow (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.75, rounded up to ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: The Sound of Stars (9781335911551): Dow, Alechia: Books

The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers–Christopher Vogler (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: The Writer's Journey - 3ª edición: Mythic Structure ...

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy–Douglas Adams (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Amazon.com: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy eBook: Adams ...

POSTS AND SUCH:

SONGS:

CURRENTLY READING/TO READ NEXT WEEK:

Slaughterhouse-Five–Kurt Vonnegut (for summer homework)

Amazon.com: Slaughterhouse-Five: A Novel (Modern Library 100 Best ...

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, #2)–Douglas Adams

Amazon.com: The Restaurant at the End of the Universe ...

Today’s song:

That’s it for this week in blogging! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Book Review Tuesday, Books

Book Review Tuesday (6/30/20)–The Kingdom of Back

Posted on June 30, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Tuesday, bibliophiles!

I’ve been a fan of Marie Lu’s works ever since I first read Warcross, and the Legend series after that. Her writing has never failed to stun me, no matter what genre her novels happen to be in. So naturally, I decided to buy this one on my first bookstore trip since the pandemic started. And though I expected to love it, The Kingdom of Back blew me away–one of her best novels to date.

Enjoy this week’s review!

Bonus photoshoot with some of her other novels (and a few crystals and rocks)

The Kingdom of Back–Marie Lu

For as long as she can remember, Nannerl Mozart and her younger brother Wolfgang have had an unbreakable bond, spurred on by their shared talent for music. But as her brother grows older, it becomes clear that he is a musical prodigy. Her father now overlooks her in favor of her younger brother, even though she possesses an almost equal musical prowess. Now, she and her brother are to perform for the royalty all over Europe, only stopping when she is of age to be married off.

But one night, before they leave on their grand tour, Nannerl is visited by an ethereal stranger, who claims to come from a faraway land beyond human sight. This land is the same place that she and Wolfgang have dreamed up, a backwards reflection of our own world, dubbed the Kingdom of Back. He offers her the chance to be remembered in history, but in exchange, she must complete a quest that will take her through the perilous underbelly of this fantastical world. These feats may secure her place in history alongside her brother–but at what cost?

Ladies, gentlemen and others, this is solid, concrete proof that Marie Lu can dish up a lavish tale in any genre that she so chooses, and do it masterfully no matter what.

The Kingdom of Back reads like a lush fairytale. Lu’s signature writing style shines through in the worldbuilding, both in the historical setting of 18th century Europe and the magical Kingdom of Back. Her prose is positively enchanting, transporting me to faraway lands and making me enjoy every single minute of it. Every word painted a gorgeous picture of a land that I would gladly immerse myself in. I read this one up in almost a single sitting, and a beautiful treasure was found on every single page.

And the characters. CAN WE TALK about these characters? With both Nannerl and Woferl/Wolfgang, Lu has breathed new life into these figures, transforming them into sister and brother that could fit into any fairytale. Nannerl’s struggles with being overshadowed and being a society that doesn’t take kindly to women expressing their talents were all too real, making for a lushly relatable character. Oh, and HYACINTH. HYACINTH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAH…again, Lu’s prose makes him seem beautifully real, and though I did predict that something was shifty with him, I adored him anyway. He might have been my favorite character, reminiscent of the Darkling from Leigh Bardugo’s Grisha trilogy, and many others.

Nuada Aim GIF - Nuada Aim Hellboy - Discover & Share GIFs

All in all, one of Marie Lu’s best novels to date, an ethereal fairytale with relatable characters and prose to be reckoned with. 4.5 stars!

Rise of the guardians tooth fairy jack frost GIF - Find on GIFER

The Kingdom of Back is a standalone novel, but Marie Lu has many other series out, including the Legend trilogy, the Young Elites trilogy (my favorite of the bunch), the Warcross series, and the upcoming novel Skyhunter.

Today’s song:

This just popped up on my recommended. I haven’t heard anything by Slum Sociable, but I love “Somebody to Love Me,” and this is a great cover!

That’s it for this week’s Book Review Tuesday! Have a wonderful rest of your day, and take care of yourselves!

Weekly Updates

Weekly Update: June 22-28, 2020

Posted on June 28, 2020June 28, 2020 by madeline @ The Bookish Mutant

Happy Sunday, bibliophiles! I hope today finds you in good spirits and health.

Now that June has almost come to a close, I felt like it’s gone by strangely quickly. It feels like it should be the middle of the month, but here we are, and it’s almost July. But that isn’t to say that I haven’t enjoyed the month; despite the strangeness of the times, I’ve had a good start to my summer, even though I’ve spent the bulk of it inside.

For the most part, I’ve had a great week. We went hiking on Monday for a belated Father’s Day excursion, and also that day, I FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF MY WIP! This is the first of my ideas that I haven’t abandoned midway and finished all the way, so I’ve given myself a pat on the back for managing that. I didn’t quite know what to do with myself, but I ultimately decided that for July’s Camp NaNoWriMo, I’ll work on a short story. Stephen King advised that you should wait a few months (at least) before getting to editing/second drafts after you finish, so I’ll work on said short story, and maybe get back to some of my other WIPs in the meantime.

Other than that, I made some progress on my Iron Giant puzzle, watched Memento, watched a few more episodes of Fargo (nearly done with season 3…)and went on my first excursion to my favorite bookstore since the pandemic started. I got a copy of The Sound of Stars and The Kingdom of Back (autographed copy!), and I’m so excited to read them both. I’ve had an…okayish reading week; I didn’t read as much because it took me longer to read Kingsbane at a whopping 608 pages. I’ve enjoyed everything that I read, but I didn’t read anything terribly memorable.

Oh, and the stickers that came with my preorder of Aurora Burning finally came in the mail, and I love them! Both my laptop case and my current sketchbook both look like the entire Aurora Cycle fandom vomited on them, and I have zero problem with that. (…no pun intended…)

WHAT I READ THIS WEEK:

Kingsbane (Empirium, #2)–Claire Legrand (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)