*Bookish Rant* Elizabeth Lim will pay for my therapy.

I am so mad at Six Crimson Cranes‘s sequel.

This book. This flipping book.

Pretend Simba is the book for me.

The journey started off well. I’d laughed. I’d squealed. I’d even shed a few tears. But in the end, I was appalled. I sat aghast before the seemingly innocent, colorful cover of The Dragon’s Promise by Elizabeth Lim.

Here’s a replica of the expression I’d made.

About 50% in, I was beyond sure that this. This would no doubt land in my top 5 favorite pieces of literature. As I’d said in my Goodreads review for Six Crimson Cranes, around 70-80% in, I wished the remaining pages would be a lovely conclusion, tying loose ends in a neat blue bow. I got uneasy when our beloved characters traversed the most dangerous and anticipated territory they’d set foot on and—*peeks at the pages*—supposedly second-to-the-last location, but it wasn’t too dire. I was sure they’d find a way, right? Right?

Oh, ha, never mind. Shiori SPOILER [turns into this moon dweller instead. She meets Imurinya, the moon goddess, and they go all buddy-buddy, along with Kiki.] SPOILER

But actually, SPOILER [When Elizabeth Lim described the final thread of Shiori’s life barely holding on, I’d already conceded. All right, fine, Mrs. Lim, you win! Our main character will die; I’d accepted the fact. Considering the book was in Shiori’s POV, Chapter 45 was just me wondering how it would end. And then the deal happened, and Seryu—that guy I thought would die, whoopsie—saves her life because duh. He disappeared, so he’s got to come back. Cue the realization: The Dragon’s Promise indeed. Boom, I blew your mind.] SPOILER

Rating

I hated this book.

And yet.

And yet.

I loved it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5. Takkan is a sweetheart. (We readers could’ve done without him and Shiori being all lovey-dovey, kissy-kissy nearing the end, but it’s our one defense against the soul-crushing angst, aside from the SPOILER [sister-in-law & family fluff, and come to think of it, what happened to Qinnia and her tummy?! I need to know!] SPOILER, so we’re fine.)

I finished this in basically 2 1/4 days.

I can’t say the first half was better than the second because both had their own good parts.

Maybe it’s because I’d just finished Twin Crowns, which meant my expectations were on the ground. Or perhaps it’s because Elizabeth Lim’s style grew on me. (I gotta get Spin the Dawn, too, someday. Argh, I saw it at the bookstore; why didn’t I grab it?!) That means when I reread parts of Six Crimson Cranes, I saw its true beauty and enjoyed it for what it was. But . . . should I say it?

I loved the sequel better than the first.

Sure, I wasn’t that huge a fan of the romance coming front and center near the end, but the writing? Exquisite.

Also, a side note: Shiori is an upstanding protagonist. People say her character regressed, but I believe all her decisions were necessary. I was holding on to every word she said and thought she thought like it was my lifeline.

The End

Okay. The moral lesson of the story: don’t expect a happily ever after after the stakes are dealt with. Relish in every good moment, especially if it’s Elizabeth Lim.

I can still be sad and acknowledge its artfulness. 😪

Price my therapy sessions to the author’s bank account. Please, and thank you.

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Thank you for reading!

This whole post was uncalled for, but forgive me, I haven’t been so enthusiastic about something in so long. There’s something dangerous about Gindara, the kingdom Shiori’s family rules over. Actually, the entire world. You get so intoxicated with the magic, enchantments, and sheer glory that you might forget where you are. Who you are.

For a moment.

It’s mystifying, but will that stop me?

😏

Live, Laugh, Love, Liz (“Better Than The Movies” Review)

I traversed YA Romance territory.

Dun-dun-duuuun!

And I returned unscathed! Then, I updated each of my WIPs to avoid any blogging commitments I’d made. But you know what they say: your procrastination will find you out.

Consider this part two of this post. I’m following up on my assumptions. Did they live up to my expectations? Read on!

~Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter

Yes, it still bothers me.

Assumption #1: “I’m very much going to enjoy the author’s writing style.“

Indeed I did! The first POV and conversationalist style fit well with the gist of the story. They were very YA (said the girl who’s read three of the genre in her life). I will admit that the Gen Z slang sprinkled around felt off by a smidge. Since Lynn Painter is not a Gen Z-er, this is the closest replication she could render, and I’m satisfied enough.

Assumption #2: “I won’t understand why Liz would go to such great lengths for a guy she doesn’t plan to settle down with.“

I said that?!

Note to self: Mellow down with whatever that was. What is going on with the inner workings of your brain, miss?

It-It has truth in it, in its own extremist way. But did Liz plan on settling down with him in the future? She didn’t touch on that, so I’m not sure. She did, however, call Michael—the dreamboat—her “endgame” somewhere if memory serves me right.

Unlike most things, however, this is about me, so what did I think?

It didn’t stick out to me. I’ve had friends with crushes and said friends tend to be…how to say this…enthusiastic about them.

I disagree with my assumption.

Assumption #3: “…this novel will succeed where not many romances do—presenting a likable female main character.”

Correct! As shown by the title.

I like Liz. I really do. She’s eccentric, girly, relatable, and extroverted. It was a gust of fresh air when many of the female protagonists I encountered were quiet, moody, emo, great at miscommunication, and, for some reason, painted (Hah! Painted. Painter.) as if they had to possess such qualities to be likable.

Common Sense Media gave BTTM a low score in diversity since all the characters are assumed to be white, but I felt represented by Liz’s personality and thought process. Isn’t that the kind of diversity we should be vouching for? Or should a story be measured by its including black, Asian, Hispanic characters, and/or other race minorities? Just some food for thought.

Certain Goodreads reviewers hated “Lying Liz,” as they called her, but I understood the build-up. She didn’t plan to weave a mess of rumors and then get tangled up in them. Is it okay? No. Is it plausible? Sure.

But, actually, the fake dating aspect of the book wasn’t what I expected. The trope wasn’t trope-ing. But Wes, he…🤭 You know what, I’ve said too much.

I’ll even say I like her better than Wes. She stood out more. However, the sequel is coming out in Fall 2024, and Lynn promises Dual POV, so perhaps he’ll redeem himself with his inner monologues. Perhaps.

Assumption #4: “He’ll fall first.“

Final Notes

There was a lot of swearing. And there was kissing. And there were jokes and innuendo. So, despite this book being enjoyable, I wouldn’t recommend it out of conviction. Sure, you may have heard about it from me, but you also know about the questionable things that come with it from me.

Keeping that in mind, lynnpainter.com has scenes rewritten from Wes’s POV, and the Simon & Schuster official website for teens has a free ebook in Wes’s POV of the prom and succeeding chapters, plus an epilogue. This stuff isn’t too clean, and language abounds, so use discernment.

This book was marked 13+; CSM put it at 14+. I place it at 15-16+, for conscience’s sake.

And the good parts:

• The movie line inserts and references were gold, even for someone so uncultured in romcoms as me.
• I adored how the setting was used. Give me a location from the book, and I can automatically picture a scene. (Now, this is something I’d love to incorporate into my writing.)
• I’m hoping, begging, wishing I wasn’t the only one who saw the spark between [name of Liz’s best friend] and [Wes’s friend]. Mrs. Painter, please add a side story about it! I’m a sucker for the best friend subplots.

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Thanks for reading!

I can see myself rereading BTTM in one to two years. I manually censored the swear words during the first half but gave up in the second. Seeing so much cussing discouraged me, but not emphasizing it allowed other parts of the book to shine.

But I will go back and cross them off for future reading. Soon. Right before I reread it. Which is later.

Later rather than sooner, am I right?

The Caraval follow-up is coming soon! Sorry for the delay. Life got hectic.

Were you convinced to get the book? Have you heard of it before? Did you already read it? Is there anything better than an Enemies-to-Lovers, fake dating mash-up? What do you think about YA?

*Bookish Rant* The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell

Reading Time:

5 minutes

courtesy: me

Book Haul!

Last Sunday, I acquired a copy of The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell. (I had to consciously type each word for “spell” since I initially misread it as “well” when I picked it up. Ugh, that’s the first of two times this week! My eyes are failing me!)

I was rather giddy with my buy. It had been a while since I bought a book, and though I’d said I was getting back into reading, that’s about how far I’d come to doing it. But in my hands was a tangible book with a story inside, eagerly waiting to draw me in.

Added to that was that I’d seen it on Amazon prior and wished for it to be something I could get one day. I don’t recall why exactly; it came as a recommendation from this other book I was fantasizing about, and the cover was pretty. But since Amazon is Amazon and I’m an overseas child with no income, I expected it to be no more than a dream.

Truth be told, reading the blurb threw me off a bit. It seemed—oh, what’s the word—clichéd and dry, like an empty well. (I thought I was going somewhere with that, but it’s coming off as corny now. Spell not well. Spell not well.)

I’m too tired to find the Amazon version, so here’s the synopsis from the back of my book.

ALEX AND CONNER BAILEY’S WORLD IS ABOUT TO CHANGE. When the twins’ grandmother gives them a treasured fairy-tale book, they have no idea they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real.

Mmhm.

Perhaps that’s what convinced me—seeing the book prior. Don’t kill me, but I’ll admit I’m accustomed to entering a bookstore and leaving empty-handed due to fear of disappointment. There are so many smutty, unrealistic, sloppy books out there, and I am scared. What if I morph into the unholy-type children the media love to portray? What if I become a fist-banging, whining, demanding monster of a child who grows but never matures and turns into a twenty-year-old who falls in love with a vampire?!

(I’ve never read Twilight, by the way.)

“You’re overreacting, Breanna.” “You’re being dramatic, Breanna.” Nope. Nuh-uh. Mhm-mhm. Micro-influences like these are what make and break us.

What was I saying? Oh, yeah. So, I got the book and began devouring it in the car. The first chapter was intriguing. Fresh. I then gave up since reading in a moving vehicle is not my forte.

At home, I continued, even annotating it because I wanted to feel bookish. (Yes, I write in my books. Again, please don’t kill me!)

Here are my issues with it.

My, that was quick, wasn’t it?

1. The contemporary scenes at the start fall flat.

This is why I’d be a terrible book reviewer. It’s a gut feeling; it was missing something, yet I can’t figure out what.

The first one was exceptional but lacking. The rest? Worse.

Also, my current favorite genre is contemporary fiction, so maybe I’m especially critical of anything under its umbrella. Who knows?

2. The sympathy the author tried to induce in the readers wasn’t working.

I could get Snow White and even appreciated the new light shed on her and her situation, especially the “reality” she faced after her happily ever after. But *SPOILER* the Bailey’s dad dying? Not so. *SPOILER ENDED*

Or maybe I’m a heartless monster.

3. The less-than-acceptable morals were too much for a children’s book.

Let’s see: drinking, normalized half-nudity, manipulation, and trusting strangers are at least half of what I saw. I may be judging too hard or screwing my religious cap on too tight, but come on.

In its defense, the Little, Brown, and Company publishing house does tend to let these things slide, speaking from the six books I have from it. Five of six are part of The Secret Series, my favorite pentalogy, which was also aimed toward a younger audience but exceeded expectations. And you know what that series had that the Land of Stories didn’t? A lot of things, but one is an absurd, bonkers opening. The energy was relatively the same throughout the book. Though some parts were less thrilling than others, I was kept on my toes.

But the styles, message, and basic story contrast each other so intensely that it’s improper to compare them. Then again, starting The Land of Stories felt like rereading a book, and The Secret Series was so wacky you never know what came next. Ack, there I go again!

4. I couldn’t imagine it.

Wait for it. Wait for it.

“Sounds like a you problem.” There it is.

Now, this one has a definitive issue. The author was too caught up in technicalities. “So and so had dark hair.” “So and so had light hair.” “The forest had a lot of trees, and the peaks were really sharp.”

The descriptions of locations, people, and objects outbalanced how the features related to the main plot, conflict, and storyline. Is it just me who finds it difficult to process or care? My eyes skip over that and search for the integral details. When it gets too much, I get exhausted.

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Thank you for reading!

This is actually an experiment. I like viewing other blogger’s reviews, but that’s with the knowledge I’ll probably never get what they’re reviewing. I’ll see how you guys take this.

What? I’m controlled by my hyperfixations. And in the book’s defense, I finished 300+ pages of it in one day.

Don’t take this too seriously since I’m not done with it yet. It has good points— like easy-to-understand, straightforward writing—but my reviews usually focus on the unflattering points. I’m not sure why, but that’s how I roll.

Now I’m done. Thanks for reading!