#review

Jun 26, 2021
2 min

Life of Pi, by Yann Martel: Review

"A boy. A tiger. And the vast Pacific Ocean." Ah, where to begin? I recently read this book after watching the film and fell in love with Martel's intricate prose. I have an immense appreciation for a good literary novel, and Life of Pi was one for the shelf: beautifully written, gut-wrenchingly real, challenging, profoundly philosophical, and above all anchored in a young protagonist's life-sustaining faith. Martel is wordy in a purposeful way. His protagonist, Pi, is a trea

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Rhythm of War, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

nikiflorica

May 7, 2021
2 min

Rhythm of War, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

True to its predecessors, Rhythm of War is vast, all-consuming, and brimming with characters that seize the heart and pull, pull, pull with no mercy. It took me on quite the emotional journey (just ask my family about my "audible reading") before leaving me with a final impression. Brandon Sanderson's ability to weave a spellbinding tale and craft characters so authentic they are tangible is not up for debate. I laughed, I fumed, I squealed, I sobbed, I explored new depths of

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The Queen's Rising, by Rebecca Ross: Review

nikiflorica

Apr 23, 2021
2 min

The Queen's Rising, by Rebecca Ross: Review

"Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. Growing up in Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge. However, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true: she is left without a patron. Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers

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nikiflorica

Mar 5, 2021
2 min

Anelthalien, by H.A. Pruitt: Review

Kindle is sick of being unexceptional—that is, until a mysterious necklace transports her to the world of Anelthalien, where suddenly, she is anything but. One of four necklace-bearers torn from their lives by the same strange call, Kindle just wants to return to her life. But Anelthalien needs something different. When Kindle and the others uncover the truth of Anelthalien's dark history, returning home becomes secondary to a higher purpose. Along with thoughtful Andrew, unp

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The Gospel Truth, by Caroline Pignat: Review

nikiflorica

Feb 5, 2021
2 min

The Gospel Truth, by Caroline Pignat: Review

Born a house slave on Whitehaven Plantation, Pheobe knows how to watch and listen and hide secrets away where no one will find them—secrets like the words she collects, though slaves aren't permitted to read or write. Secrets like an impossible hope of freedom from slavery. When a bird doctor comes to Whitehaven and wants Pheobe, a mute, as his guide, Pheobe can sense danger on the wind, sure as any chickadee. This white man from the north has brought secrets with him—dangero

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Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen: Review

nikiflorica

Dec 26, 2020
2 min

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen: Review

The five Bennet daughters of Longbourne Estate have their life's goal laid out by society and their meddling mother, in equal parts—to marry and marry well. Fortunately, two of the country's most eligible bachelors have just taken up residence right next door. Unfortunately, Lizzy Bennet's prejudiced opinions and the pride of handsome Mr. Darcy are set on a collision course that just might obliterate any hope of a happy ending—at the very least, any hope of a simple one. Prid

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nikiflorica

Nov 21, 2020
2 min

Unblemished, by Sara Ella: Review

Eliyana is used to the shadows. With a birthmark covering half her face, she just hopes to graduate high school unscathed. That is, until Joshua hops a fence and changes her perspective. No one, aside from her mother, has ever treated her like he does: normal. Maybe even beautiful. Because of Joshua, Eliyana finally begins to believe she could be loved. But one night her mother doesn’t come home, and that’s when everything gets weird. Now Joshua is her new, and rather relucta

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Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

nikiflorica

Nov 6, 2020
2 min

Oathbringer, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

The Knights Radiant have returned—just in time for the end of the world. (Read full description here.) There's no question that I had high expectations after the scope of the first two Stormlight Archive instalments, The Way of Kings and Words of Radiance. There's also no question that Oathbringer delivered—from ever-compounding worldbuilding to stunning character development to a plot as heart-stopping as it is heart-warming, -wrenching, and -withering. The more I delved int

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Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

nikiflorica

Oct 17, 2020
2 min

Words of Radiance, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

War is fracturing a once-unified people, darkness looms on the world's horizon beyond the sight of most, and the Knights Radiant—an ancient force all but forgotten—must rise again. First comes the Bondsmith, who alone sees the storm coming to destroy his world unless he can defeat it. The Lightweaver struggles to uncover the truth while living within a precarious lie. Balancing on an edge between honour and vengeance, the Windrunner must choose light before darkness consumes

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The Blood Spell, by C.J. Redwine: Review

nikiflorica

Sep 26, 2020
2 min

The Blood Spell, by C.J. Redwine: Review

Blue de la Cour, alchemist's daughter, sees life in absolutes. From conducting dangerous alchemy experiments for street urchins in need to thwarting the reckless escapades of her childhood nemesis, Prince Kellan, she's never been afraid to act on her convictions. Even if it risks exposing the forbidden magic in her veins. Kellan, crown prince of Balavata, is being crushed by responsibility and the guilt of a troubled past. But when Blue, long-time thorn-in-his-side, finds her

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The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

nikiflorica

Sep 18, 2020
2 min

The Way of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson: Review

The Way of Kings had me squealing, shrieking, gasping, moaning, bellowing, clutching my heart, forgetting to breathe, and reading past one o

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Between Burning Worlds, by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell: Review

nikiflorica

Aug 22, 2020
2 min

Between Burning Worlds, by Jessica Brody & Joanne Rendell: Review

Laterre is a planet on the brink of explosion. Unrest is mounting in the impoverished Third Estate, the Patriarche's attempts to smother it growing increasingly brutal. From this toxic atmosphere, a new threat is rising that may prove more deadly than any rebel force yet. Caught up in the brewing storm are three unlikely moving pieces. Chatine—a prisoner entangled in the rebellion by an unlikely rescue mission. Marcellus—a traitor who knows better than anyone how ruthless the

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Sky Without Stars, by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell: Review

nikiflorica

Aug 1, 2020
2 min

Sky Without Stars, by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell: Review

On the planet of Laterre, the oppressed Third Estate lives to provide for the privileged higher classes beneath a sky that never clears. Unrest is kept in check by the ruling Second Estate and their propaganda: "honest work for an honest chance." All Chatine wants is a ticket off this planet to a better life somewhere in the galaxy. Her opportunity arrives in the form of Marcellus Bonnefaçon—a young officer who is beginning to question everything the Second Estate stands for.

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nikiflorica

Jul 18, 2020
2 min

Wonder, by R.J. Palacio: Review

Fifth grade is a challenge for any normal kid, but ask Auggie Pullman and he would tell you that he is far from normal. Born with a facial anomaly that has subjected him to a cycle of surgeries for as long as he can remember, he's been homeschooled all his life and is almost accustomed to life with an extraordinary face. It isn't until Beecher Prep middle school that Auggie begins to understand the massive potential of his fellow fifth-graders for cruelty. It takes time, brav

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Counted With the Stars, by Connilyn Cosette: Review

nikiflorica

Jul 4, 2020
2 min

Counted With the Stars, by Connilyn Cosette: Review

Sold into servitude to cover her family's financial disgrace, Kiya's life of Egyptian luxury is replaced by enslaved humiliation. When plagues begin to ravage Egypt at the hand of the Hebrews' mysterious God, Kiya has a slave's-eye-view . . . and if joining the Hebrews will save her older brother from death, so be it. Thrust into the Exodus alongside a people that despise her and a God she does not understand, Kiya is caught between loyalty to her family, her feelings for the

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nikiflorica

Jun 5, 2020
2 min

Romanov, by Nadine Brandes: Review

Ex-princess Anastasia "Nastya" Romanov is the last hope for her family. As the Russian Revolution drives the royals into Siberian exile, Nastya hides magical spells from the Bolsheviks that guard them, hoping they will be enough to deliver her family. But one Bolshevik knows her secret. And he is closing in. As the noose tightens around around the Romanovs, Nastya's only allies are her family, faith, and new, dangerous feelings for the Bolshevik guard who seems less Bolshevik

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Infernal Devices, by Philip Reeve: Review

nikiflorica

May 22, 2020
2 min

Infernal Devices, by Philip Reeve: Review

Fifteen-year-old Wren Natsworthy has grown up in Anchorage, the Traction City-turned-static on the dead North American continent. Her parents, Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw, may be content with a quiet life after their years of adventure, but Wren is starving for an adventure of her own . . . and she doesn't think twice when one is offered. It seems so simple. A charming pirate. A task to steal a relic that no one is likely to miss. A simple transaction that could be Wren's

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A Time to Die, by Nadine Brandes: Review

nikiflorica

May 8, 2020
1 min

A Time to Die, by Nadine Brandes: Review

Parvin Blackwater's Clock gives her little more than eighteen years to live, and at the last year mark, she knows she's wasted them. Desperate to do something meaningful before her Clock zeroes out, she dedicates herself to exposing the government's terrible treatment of Clockless citizens known as Radicals. But when Parvin herself is denounced as a Radical and given a death sentence—exile —her last six months are suddenly inflamed with purpose. Survive. Save lives. Make her

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Predator's Gold, by Philip Reeve: Review

nikiflorica

Apr 24, 2020
1 min

Predator's Gold, by Philip Reeve: Review

Since the Traction City of London fell, Tom Natsworthy and Hester Shaw have lived happily for two years, flying the Bird Roads in their airship, the Jenny Haniver. After an attack by a mysterious society known as the Green Storm, they seek refuge in the north aboard the city of Anchorage, on route to the dead continent of North America. But plague-ravaged Anchorage is easy prey for the Predators of the north, especially when caught in the deadly throes of jealousy, deception,

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nikiflorica

Apr 11, 2020
2 min

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien: Review

Bilbo Baggins is a very respectable hobbit: he lives in a fine, cozy hobbit-hole and never does anything unexpected. So when the wizard Gandalf and a party of 13 dwarves select him for an adventure, Mr. Baggins steps quite suddenly and jarringly into a quest to reclaim a hoard of gold from the clutches of the wicked dragon Smaug. A journey of perils lies ahead, but there is more to Bilbo Baggins than anyone expects, and one should never underestimate the cleverness—or courage

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NIKI FLORICA

The Quiet Quill