Book Review: The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

“In the north, the wind had teeth that bit after sunset, even in summer."

This is one of my favorite books of 2017.

A dazzling folkloric fairytale best suited for an evening curled up with hot cider and a blanket.
I love fairytales, and I'm not talking about the versions Disney served up to me as a child. What I love about most fairytales is that they tend to lean towards the darkness with interesting characters and lessons to be learned. I find that fairytales of today too often resemble their Disney depictions and veer away from their roots - but not this one.

In a small village on the outskirts of the wilderness in the depth of winter harshness, there is a house where the spirits are respected and tales are told of Frost demons to whom young maidens are sent.

Book Review: Warcross by Marie Lu

Well this was just fantastic!

I finished this book and immediately thought to myself, "Why have I not read more of Marie Lu's books? And what are we going to do now?!"
The entire time I'm finishing this up and thinking of the song "Bad Blood" - because T Swift was right, now we've got problems and I don't know how we're going to solve them.
This is everything I could want in a book. Literally everything.

Marie Lu creates a vibrant, action packed world in which virtual reality reigns supreme and everyone's a player. With a dynamic cast of characters that represent a diverse group of people from many walks of life set in a futuristic Tokyo, this book is a perfectly paced and plotted trip into a neon world brimming with possibilities. Marie Lu's vivid imagery brings the world of Warcross to life in a way that is just mind bending. I loved every second.

Here's what it's about: