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Review: The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

The Belles by Dhonielle ClaytonThe Belles
Dhonielle Clayton
Disney-Hyperion
Published on February 6th, 2018

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About The Belles

Camellia Beauregard is a Belle. In the opulent world of Orléans, Belles are revered, for they control Beauty, and Beauty is a commodity coveted above all else. In Orléans, the people are born gray, they are born damned, and only with the help of a Belle and her talents can they transform and be made beautiful.

But it’s not enough for Camellia to be just a Belle. She wants to be the favorite—the Belle chosen by the Queen of Orléans to live in the royal palace, to tend to the royal family and their court, to be recognized as the most talented Belle in the land. But once Camellia and her Belle sisters arrive at court, it becomes clear that being the favorite is not everything she always dreamed it would be. Behind the gilded palace walls live dark secrets, and Camellia soon learns that the very essence of her existence is a lie—that her powers are far greater, and could be more dangerous, than she ever imagined. And when the queen asks Camellia to risk her own life and help the ailing princess by using Belle powers in unintended ways, Camellia now faces an impossible decision.

With the future of Orléans and its people at stake, Camellia must decide—save herself and her sisters and the way of the Belles—or resuscitate the princess, risk her own life, and change the ways of her world forever.

Gabrielle’s Review

I had heard so much hype about this book, that I decided I had to read it and see for myself. I would describe this book as a cupcake. Fairly bland fluff, with too-sweet, artificial-tasting frosting. I wanted this book to be as amazing as I’d heard, but unfortunately, it just didn’t live up to its hype.

The characters felt like puppets, and there was many interactions that felt forced. A lot of the conversations went like this:
“Hello, how are you?”
“I’m doing great. Just got some beauty work done.”
“Oh. Looks nice.”
“Why don’t you love it?!?”
“Because I don’t!!”
“I hate you!!”
“Me too!!”

And I’d be left wondering what in the world just happened. (Yes, this is highly exaggerated, but a lot of the dialogue felt just like this.) I really didn’t understand or connect to any of the characters because of the odd dialogue and how quickly things escalated. It just felt fake.

The plot wasn’t much better—things happened because they were supposed to, not because it was inevitable. I think part of what caused this was that the book seemed so agenda-driven. The story should come first, not the theme. It was very heavy-handed.

The one redeeming quality about this book was the world-building. It was gorgeous, and lush, and everything a magical setting should be. I loved learning about how it worked, and the society as a whole. The teacup animals were definitely my favorite part. I’m really hoping that the sequel(s) will give us a bigger picture of the what’s going on in their world.

Overall, I’m just relieved to be done with this one so I can move on to something more interesting. 2 stars out of 5.

Content Notes

Recommended for Ages 16 and up

Cultural Elements
Wide variety of skin tones and body shapes in this book, and nearly all are portrayed as being beautiful (overweight villain characters the main exception). The main character is described as having brown skin. Includes the normalization of homosexual and transgender characters as follows: a handful of mentions of homosexual relationships, a headline mentioning a transgender character, one courtier is in love with her lady’s maid, the queen has a mistress, and another character is hinted at being transgender. 

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None that I can recall.

Romance/Sexual Content
One attempted rape. Characters kiss (with and without tongue), semi-described, including homosexual characters. Characters are unclothed for beauty work. Breast sizes and shapes are discussed.

Spiritual Content
The goddess of beauty is frequently mentioned and referred to. The Belles’ power is attributed to her. There is also a god of the sky mentioned.

Violent Content
Characters are poisoned, and symptoms are described in detail. One graphic death. Disturbing descriptions of cruelty. Injuries and attacks. The Belles use leeches to reset their talents.

Drug Content
Graphic poisonings. Bei powder is sprinkled on characters undergoing beauty work. They also drink a Belle-rose tea, an anesthetic.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Song of Blood and Stone by L. Penelope

Book Review and Content, Fantasy, New Adult 18up, , , , , , , ,

Song of Blood and Stone
L. Penelope
St. Martin’s Press
Published on May 1, 2018

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About Song of Blood and Stone
Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive–an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.

Jack’s mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it’s people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda’s Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.

My Review
Song of Blood and Stone has a lot of interesting elements woven together as far as its story world. I liked that it had a sort of turn-of-the-century feel to it—with cars and telephones—but also felt very much like a world different than ours with its harsh landscape, magic elements and legends.

The storytelling reminded me a little bit of The Blue Sword, in the way military and magic play interesting roles in the story. It also reminded me a little bit of Children of Blood and Bone in the way race and racial tension are featured.

I liked both Jasminda and Jack’s characters. You know me—totally a sucker for a good guy who has to make hard choices and is willing to give up everything to do the right thing. Jasminda is a strong woman who is desperately trying to balance independence with pragmatism, and she appealed to me very much as well.

I didn’t expect the amount of sexual content in Song of Blood and Stone. It’s very explicit and takes up several pages of the story. More on that in the content section of my review.

The racial tension in the story feels extremely well-developed and relevant to some of the things we face in the world today. Those themes were well-balanced with the plot of the story, and because the characters are so easy to empathize with, they had some real power to them. If you liked The Waking Land by Callie Bates, you would probably enjoy Song of Blood and Stone. Overall, I enjoyed the book, but the amount of sexual content is really more than I enjoy reading.

Recommended for Ages 18 up.

Cultural Elements
Two races dominate this story. One has darker skin and magic. The other is pale-skinned and has no magic. A female minor character is in a secret relationship with a woman– something her family would cast her off for if they knew.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Strong profanity used infrequently.

Romance/Sexual Content
Explicit scenes showing sex between a man and woman. One scene lasts several pages. Another is shorter but still very explicit. Some sexual comments in other scenes about arousal or lust. At one point a guard threatens to rape a woman, and when that doesn’t seem possible, he plans to sexually assault a man.

Spiritual Content
Characters worship/pray to a legendary woman called the Queen Who Sleeps. She remains in an enchanted sleep, but legend says she’ll awaken at need and can speak to her people through their dreams. Worship of another god is mentioned.

Some characters also possess magic referred to as a Song.

Violent Content
A few violent comments in which a man threatens to and tries to rape a woman. Some descriptions of battle scenes. Some racist epithets directed at the darker-skinned and refugee characters.

Drug Content
Alcohol served at the palace.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

 

Review: Bookish Boyfriends by Tiffany Schmidt

Book Review and Content, Clean Fiction, Magical Realism, Middle Grade 8-12, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , ,

Bookish Boyfriends
Tiffany Schmidt
ABRAM Kids
Published on May 1st, 2018

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About Bookish Boyfriends
Boys are so much better in books. At least according to Merrilee Campbell, 15, who thinks real-life chivalry is dead and there’d be nothing more romantic than having a guy woo her like the heroes in classic stories. Then she, her best friend, Eliza, and her younger sister, Rory, transfer to Reginald R. Hero Prep–where all the boys look like they’ve stepped off the pages of a romance novel. Merri can hardly walk across the quad without running into someone who reminds her of Romeo.

When the brooding and complicated Monroe Stratford scales Merri’s trellis in an effort to make her his, she thinks she might be Juliet incarnate. But as she works her way through her literature curriculum under the guidance of an enigmatic teacher, Merri’s tale begins to unfold in ways she couldn’t have imagined. Merri soon realizes that only she is in charge of her story. And it is a truth universally acknowledged that first impressions can be deceiving…

My Review

A solid 3.5 stars, rounded up to four. When I started reading this book, I quickly lost interest and began to hate it. The characters (especially the main one) got on my nerves, and I found the writing style very irritating. I didn’t think I was going to finish it at all, honestly, but I made myself promise to at least read to 50% before giving up. Then, around the 25% mark, something changed. I’m not sure exactly what it was–if the author finally hit her stride, or if the characters improved or what–but suddenly, I found myself empathizing with the characters instead of berating them. I was pulled into the story (somewhat skeptically) until I was staying up late just to read a little bit more. Bookish Boyfriends, to my surprise, was suddenly good. Now, there was a few hiccups here and there (some of the characters still made horrible, face-palm worthy choices that I don’t agree with), but overall, I actually enjoyed this book. I would definitely be interested in reading a sequel, even a whole series with this theme. Overall ,it was a clean, pleasant read that straddles the line between middle grade and YA.

Some of the things I liked most included:

–Merrilee actually listened to her parents and made the right choice, at least once. You have no idea how satisfying it was to find a contemporary YA heroine being somewhat sensible for once.

–The story twist I didn’t see coming

–How the author incorporated the retelling aspect while still making the story her own

Some things I didn’t like:

–The lack of sensible adults

–Merrilee’s silliness at times

–The lesbian/bisexual couple represented and the mention of a homosexual customer. As a conservative Christian this was a red flag for me.

Recommended for Ages 12 and up

Cultural Elements
One character is described as being biracial, and partly Asian. One character is described as having brown skin. A lesbian/bisexual couple is featured, and there is a mention of a homosexual customer.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some characters “curse,” but actual words are not given.

Romance/Sexual Content
Heavy kissing and embracing, semi-detailed. Describing how attractive male characters are (stays appropriate for age range overall).

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One character behaves threateningly towards Merrilee, trying to intimidate her into a relationship. One character is injured during sport’s practice.

Drug Content
Some reference to teen drinking at a party (no main characters participate).

Note: I received a copy of this book to review from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

Review: Unbreakable by Sara Ella

Book Review and Content, Christian World-View, Clean Fiction, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

Unbreakable (Unblemished #3)
Sara Ella
Thomas Nelson – HarperCollins
Published May 1, 2018

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About Unbreakable
Eliyana Ember is stranded in a foreign country in the Third Reflection with no passport, the inability to mirrorwalk, and zero clue where the nearest Thresholds back into the Fourth or Second might lie. Her mind is a haze, her memories vague. She knows a wormhole from the Fourth sent her here. She remembers her mom and baby brother Evan. Makai and Stormy and Joshua . . .

Deep down El realizes she must end the Void once and for all. Is there a way to trap the darkness within its current vessel, kill it off completely? To do so would mean sacrificing another soul—the soul of a man Joshua claims is a traitor. But he’s lied to her before, and even El senses Joshua can’t be fully trusted, but one thing is certain . . .

The Void must be annihilated. And only the Verity—the light which birthed the darkness—can put an end to that which seeks to kill and destroy.

My Review
I liked Unblemished, and I loved Unraveling, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. Unfortunately, it only earned 3.5 stars in my opinion. While it was still a solid finale, it didn’t live up to my (rather high) expectations.

We saw from a lot more perspectives in this book–Ky and Ebony along with Eliyana. While it was neat to get to see inside some of the other characters’ heads, it was a little annoying at times (especially with Eliyana and Ebony). The characters tend to ramble a lot, and it distracts from the story. It was hard to keep up with the switches between the present and flashbacks.

The plot didn’t really get going until the last quarter or so. For most of the book, the plot wanders hither and yon without a strong direction of what needs to happen next. A lot of what was supposed to be plot twists and revelations felt thrown in, without a whole lot of explanation. I wasn’t super happy with how the story resolved itself either–it was rather anticlimactic after the last book. Also, like Kasey mentioned in her review of Unraveling, the morality bordered on grey and tended to confuse the Christian themes with fantasy.

The world-building was excellent though, and I adore all the references to pop culture that Ella throws in. I won’t say too much about the Reflection(s) introduced in this story, as I don’t want to spoil it, but I will say some of them were familiar locations with a fresh twist.

Overall, I was kinda disappointed in Unbreakable. It felt like a sort of bait-and-switch after the last book, although that might have just been because of how much I loved the last one. Fans of the series will definitely want to read this one to finish the story that started in Unblemished, though I’d caution them about going into it with too high expectations. This trilogy is great for fans of Anne Elisabeth Stengl and Nadine Brandes.

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Cultural Elements
Major characters appear to be white. Some secondary characters have darker skin tones.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
Story-centric curses, like crowe and Verity or Void.

Romance/Sexual Content
Eliyana kisses both Ky and Joshua. She describes her clothing in one scene as being inadequate and describes her figure (not in detail). She is dressed in only undergarments and a slip in one scene. There is some non-sexual nudity in several scenes (relating to shape-shifting).

From the review of Unblemished: Kisses also create bonds and promises. A kiss to the heel of the palm can bind someone to a promise they’ve made, and cause their death if they break that promise. A Kiss of Infinity binds the soul of the giver to the receiver.

Spiritual Content
From the review of Unblemished: While the story flirts with some Christian concepts, occasionally referencing Proverbs or spiritual concepts, I wouldn’t say it holds a truly Christian worldview. The Verity represents light and good, and the Void represents darkness and sin, but each character who interacts with them makes choices based on his or her own strength to battle or join with those forces.

Many characters possess Callings, or special abilities, like healing or shape-shifting.

Violent Content
Injuries are incurred, though not described in detail. Flashbacks include dangerous situations and some injuries. One character is mauled to death, and the wound is semi-described. One character dies from a broken heart. A character uses his blood to heal.

Drug Content
Eliyana, under the influence of the Unbinding Elixir, kisses Joshua, and many of her memories are changed.

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Book Review and Content, Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic, Fantasy, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , ,

Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3)
Suzanne Collins
Scholastic Press
Published on August 24, 2010

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About Mockingjay
Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss’s family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans–except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss’s willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels’ Mockingjay–no matter what the personal cost.

My Review
This is my least favorite book in the Hunger Games series. I still enjoyed reading it, but I felt like Katniss remains a passive character for much of the beginning. I really wanted her to go on the mission to rescue Peeta (though I guess this would have made the book super long) instead of staying home feeling lost.

I thought it was clever the way the whole world sort of becomes an arena as Katniss and the rebel army advance toward the Capitol. The political elements of the story deepen as well, and the rebel force and its leader aren’t quite the benevolent group Katniss had hoped they’d be. On the whole, Mockingjay takes a darker tone than the previous books. While the first two stories show Katniss and others in the arena for sport, now she faces off against the Capitol in warfare. As the war gets more desperate, the rebels face some moral dilemmas concerning battle strategies. The Capitol has sacrificed the children of the districts every year for seventy-five years. Does this mean it’s okay for the rebels to attack Capitol children?

Katniss argues against these kinds of tactics, but not all of her allies agree with her. And as the war grows ever bloodier, even she begins to consider some of these more desperate payback attacks. It showed how easily war makes us forget the humanity of the other side.

I liked the new side characters Katniss works with as the Mockingjay. And I loved the way her relationship with Peeta unfolds, even though it involves a lot of disillusionment on both sides. I feel like that allowed them to rebuild their connection from scratch, and on more even footing since they each had to face some flaws in each other.

I’m not sorry to have read this whole series. (I’ve read it more than once, actually, but for some reason I hadn’t managed to review it before now.) This one has a bit more violence than the others (or maybe it seems more violent because of the context of war), so see the content information below for more specifics.

Recommended for Ages 14 up.

Cultural Elements
All major characters are white.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Brief kissing between a boy and girl. Finnick reveals that in the Capitol he and other attractive tributes were forced to have sexual encounters with wealthy citizens who purchased their time. Katniss remembers a time a man teased her about buying a kiss from him.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
References to torture. Scenes show some carnage from triggered traps. A net of barbed wire slices up a soldier. A bomb blows another’s limbs off. Bombs kill children and medics. An assassin shoots and kills a political figure.

Katniss and Gale disagree about methods of warfare. Gale believes any violence against the Capitol is justified, since the Capital has used and continues to use awful tactics against the rebels. Katniss believes the rebels must have a higher value of life, and especially a regard for the lives of innocents like children and civilians.

Katniss has nightmares about people who’ve died coming back to haunt her and trying to kill her. She also remembers and sings a song her father taught her about a man talking to his lover and asking her to “meet [him] in the hanging tree.”

Drug Content
Katniss and Joanna takes morphling to alleviate pain due to her injuries. It’s a highly addictive drug and both girls feel the pull of addiction from taking it. Haymitch drinks alcohol.

Author Interview with Leslye Penelope

Author Interview, Fantasy, News and Fun, Young Adult/Teen 12-18, , , , , , ,

I’m excited to share some questions and answers with Song of Blood and Stone author Leslye Penelope with you today. Let me first tell you a little bit about Song of Blood and Stone and then we’ll get to the Q&A.

Song of Blood and Stone
Leslye Penelope
St. Martin’s Press
Publishes May 1, 2018

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Song of Blood and Stone
A treacherous, thrilling, epic fantasy about an outcast drawn into a war between two powerful rulers.

Orphaned and alone, Jasminda lives in a land where cold whispers of invasion and war linger on the wind. Jasminda herself is an outcast in her homeland of Elsira, where her gift of Earthsong is feared. When ruthless soldiers seek refuge in her isolated cabin, they bring with them a captive–an injured spy who threatens to steal her heart.

Jack’s mission behind enemy lines to prove that the Mantle between Elsira and Lagamiri is about to fall nearly cost him his life, but he is saved by the healing Song of a mysterious young woman. Now he must do whatever it takes to save Elsira and it’s people from the True Father and he needs Jasminda’s Earthsong to do it. They escape their ruthless captors and together they embark on a perilous journey to save Elsira and to uncover the secrets of The Queen Who Sleeps.

Thrust into a hostile society, Jasminda and Jack must rely on one another even as secrets jeopardize their bond. As an ancient evil gains power, Jasminda races to unlock a mystery that promises salvation.

The fates of two nations hang in the balance as Jasminda and Jack must choose between love and duty to fulfill their destinies and end the war.


Author Q&A with Leslye Penelope

What inspired you to write this series? What came first: The characters or the world? What was your inspiration for the magic of Earthsong? Were you inspired by other books? Movies?

When I first wrote this book, up until the time I gave it to my first editor, I thought it was going to be a novella. It was always meant to be a fairytale-esque story of a girl’s journey from the margins of society straight to its upper echelons. The characters Jack and Jasminda were there before the world was ever clear in my mind. The first scene I wrote was the one where they meet in front of her cabin. I knew they were from different, warring countries and they came from very different sorts of lives, but that was all. Through the magic of revision (lots and lots of revision) I discovered the journey that the characters would go on and all the conflicts they would face.

I love fantasy and there were so many inspiring series that I soaked in prior to writing the book, from Graceling by Kristin Cashore to Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. But I think this book owes its biggest inspiration to the Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta. Her fantasy world felt well realized and complex, filled with incredibly detailed characters, groups, nations, and settings. But I also wanted to write a kinder, gentler fantasy novel that wouldn’t double as a doorstopper. And mix in a really strong romance like some of my favorites Nalini Singh or Kresley Cole.

What were your favorite scenes to write for SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE? What was the hardest scene to write? Is there a scene or moment that really sticks with you?

Though Usher, Jack’s valet, spends relatively little time on the page, I loved writing the scenes with him and Jack. When two characters have known each other for a long time, it can be really fun to play with how to show their relationship. Usher has known Jack his entire life and so the way they interact is unique. I also loved writing the visions that Jasminda gets from the stone. They were in a different voice, from a totally different perspective and the peeked in on a vibrant, fully formed world that’s different to the one of the main story. Hardest to write were the ones where Jasminda is confronted with the racism and bias of Elsirans.

The scene that sticks with me is when Jack and Jasminda are in the army base and he sleeps on the ground beside her, holding her hand. I find it really sweet and romantic.

What advice would you give aspiring authors, especially authors or color, striving to have their stories and truths shared?

I would tell aspiring authors to really investigate your goals and be frank with yourself about why you want to do this. It’s a difficult path emotionally, creatively, and professionally and what will get you through the low points is being very clear about your “why”. It can also be incredibly rewarding, but knowing what you’re getting yourself into is key.

Writing and publishing are two different disciplines. Your “why” will inform whether you pursue traditional publishing or seek to self-publish. It will keep you going through rejections, delays, bad reviews, disappointment, and the imposter syndrome that we all go through.

The other very important thing is to have a community to fall back on. Whether that’s a chapter of a professional organization like RWA, SFWA, SCWBI, and others, or a Facebook group, critique group, or writer’s circle, having others to commiserate and celebrate with you makes the journey much easier.

Is there a character in SONG OF BLOOD & STONE that you most relate to? How do you select names of your characters?

I think Jasminda represents various aspects of myself both as I am and as I’d like to be. She’s definitely bolder than I am, but her struggle to feel a part of things is one that I understand.

As for naming my characters, for each nation, I asked questions about how the names should generally work. Things like: which prefixes and suffixes are common? Which letters and sounds are prevalent? Which letters or sounds either don’t exist or are more rare? So the Elsirans have a lot of double vowels in their names. Qs, Vs, and Zs are prominent, but there are no hard Cs.

Lagrimari names generally don’t use Js. I set up which suffixes were for men and women and the types of sounds the names would have. There are only 9 last names in Lagrimar, corresponding with the Houses. Jasminda as a name is an exception. Her parents didn’t follow the naming conventions of either country for her or her brothers. Because their interracial relationship was unique, they wanted their children’s names to be distinctive as well.

What do you most hope that readers take away from SONG OF BLOOD AND STONE?

I really just hope readers enjoy the story and the characters. Jasminda is a heroine that I had been longing to see, so I hope people get as much joy and heartache from her story as I did when I wrote it.

Can you tell us more about the next books in the series? What are you working on now?

Book 2, WHISPERS OF SHADOW & FLAME, follows a parallel timeline to SONG. It’s about Darvyn, a character we hear about in SONG who was the Earthsinger responsible for disguising Jack. The disguise’s failure gets Jack captured and he wonders what happened to Darvyn. So in WHISPERS, we find out. But it also pushes the story forward, showing what’s going on in Lagrimar in the days before the Mantle comes down and setting up the next challenge that Jack, Jasminda, and Darvyn will face.

Book 3, CRY OF METAL & BONE picks up the story of how Elsira and Lagrimar deal with the fall of the Mantle and the new threat facing the nations.

I’m also working on a brand-new series with dragons J.

What are your favorite books you would recommend to readers?

Among my favorites of all time are Wild Seed by Octavia Butler, The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay, Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta, Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover, Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor and Sheltered by Charlotte Stein. I could go on and on, but I’ll leave it there.

If you could be any character in any book, who would you choose, and why?

That’s a tough one, because characters in good books really go through the ringer and I wouldn’t knowingly sign up for any of that. One of the characters I most admire is Evanjalin from Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. She amazed me and I would at least like to be her friend and siphon some of her personal strength and adaptability, if not actually walk in her shoes.

About Leslye Penelope

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Leslye Penelope has been writing since she could hold a pen and loves getting lost in the worlds in her head. She is an award-winning author of new adult, fantasy, and paranormal romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and their furry dependents: an eighty-pound lap dog and an aspiring feral cat.