Happy FriYAY Bibliofriends!
The weekend is almost upon us. Have you got any exciting plans to look forward to? With it being Pancake Day earlier this week, I thought it was a great opportunity to do this fun Pancake Book Tag created by Becky on Blogs of a Bookaholic. Images are Becky’s original graphics.
I recently finished the novella ‘We Shall Sing a Song into the Deep’ by Andrew Kelly-Stewart. There were some really beautiful segments of this book describing the whale song and relationships between the characters. The plot itself is fairly dystopian – think metal submarine prison, but Remy’s narration was so delicate in comparison to combat this harshness. The choral incantations and songs also gave a beautiful juxtaposition to the masculine attitudes of the characters.
Rather than thinking of the acerbic side of a sharp character, I picked a character that offers a ‘smart cookie’ take on the sharp wit dynamic. This has to go to Art3mis from Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. She’s often one step ahead of Parzival in almost every way and offers an encyclopaedia of knowledge to the quest. Without her, there would be no way that the ending of this book would have come off!
Without fail, a book I can turn to at any time which can comfort my deepest of woes is The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. I go on about this book so, so much, but it really is like my bookish soul-mate – it’s perfection in every last syllable and I love it and its characters very much.
House of Sky and Breath is one of those books that you almost need a defibrillator to get yourself through. There’s constant danger lurking at every corner – and then just when you think we’re about to wrap up the last 900 pages, Sarah J Maas throws the MOTHER of all curveballs in there and decides just to end the book. I remember sitting on my bed after having finished this and actually questioning whether I had just read the ending correctly. Then in all my shock, I had to immediately phone a friend only to realise that I didn’t actually have any words to describe the ending. All that came out of my mouth was mono-syllabic ‘what-how-why?’ sounds! Seriously hanging after that one!
Reading Fourth Wing was pure indulgent feels all the way – there was chemistry, tension, dragons, magic wielding, secrets, friendship dynamics, dragons, betrayal, defiance, politics, loyalty, a mini-heist and did I mention the dragons?? I’ve read varying reviews on Fourth Wing’s quality as a ‘fantasy novel’ and what it brought to the genre which I can totally understand and justify, however at the time this book came into my life – it gave me everything I was wanting and needing in that current read!
There were so many characters I could have chosen for this prompt. Namely, Severus Snape and even Sadie Green from Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. However, the ultimate character that deserves this accolade just has to be Nesta Archeron! She starts off as some acerbic, waspish individual with a chip on her shoulder that’s the same size as the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Yet in spite of all that, I found her character arc heart-wrenchingly beautiful. The journey she goes on in A Court of Silver Flames is wide ranging and filled with devastating lows and dramatic highs of healing.
This was a difficult prompt for me as I always tend to pick the same book (I’m looking at you Inheritance Games…). Instead, I went for a crime/mystery series which I don’t think gets enough love and that is The Her Majesty the Queen Investigates series by S.J. Bennett. These are cozy mysteries where Queen Elizabeth and her sidekick Rozie solve murders that take place around the Royal Palaces. The thing I particularly love about these stories is the way S.J. Bennett encapsulates her late Majesty’s voice. I can literally hear dear old Lizzie saying her lines in my head. I’ve never correctly guessed the culprit in one of these yet! They’re so much fun!
Oh boy did I struggle trying to work out who to include as this prompt?! My first thoughts were Jude and Cardan from Holly Black’s Elfhame series – but then I questioned myself – are they the perfect match??? I’m not so sure… Then, without spoiling it for anyone, I considered Manon from Throne of Glass and her subsequent other half but I always felt like I was rooting for them from the outset! So, I finally settled on Hades and Persephone from the Lore Olympus series. They aren’t meant to be destined for each other, but there’s something about them that just fits!
Apollo Arcadian from the Once Upon a Broken Heart series by Stephanie Garber actually had me crinkling my nose up in disgust when reading this trilogy. There wasn’t any single part where I actually liked him as a character.
The Illuminae Files sum up this prompt to perfection. It has a whole host of diverse characters, some human… some less so! There are also some brilliant plot-twists, artistic illustrations, world-building, threat, peril, humour, symbology – it really offers the reader a little bit of everything!
That’s a wrap on The Pancake Book Tag. I hope you’ve had chance to tuck into some pancakes this week. What did you think of my picks? Did they match your expectations or are there some you think are way off?! If you feel like having a go yourself, consider yourselves tagged! As always, drop me a comment to chat!
T xx
thebiblioshelf.com 
I love pancakes and books
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Me too!! I’m definitely a bacon and maple syrup gal though 👍😋
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I don’t eat meat
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