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7 Winter Books To Get You Out Of The Cold And Into The Nearest Bookstore
From new winter releases to completed trilogies, these books will be worth the read this winter!
23 January 2019
74
Megi Mecolli
As winter snowstorms begin to move in across the nation, it can be pretty tempting to stay inside where it's nice and cozy. However, snow flurries aren't the only things moving in over the next few weeks! If you're looking for a new book to read while the snow falls outside, then check out one of these!
1. The "Grishaverse" novels by Leigh Bardugo
Leigh Bardugo's fantasy novels, consisting of the "Grisha Trilogy" and "Six of Crows" duology, are filled with magic and folklore inspired by Bardugo's own heritage. In the "Grisha Trilogy," protagonist Alina Starkov discovers in the middle of her military service that she is a Grisha—one of the mystical, elite beings of Ravka—but not just any Grisha. Alina becomes the Sun Summoner, dubbed for her abilities to control light. Hailed as a legend and saint, Alina is rushed to Ravka's capital where she is immersed into the court of the Grisha, but can she learn to control her powers before people like the mysterious Darkling take advantage of her?
In the "Six of Crows" duology, Kaz Brekker—the charismatic young leader of Ketterdam's infamous gang, the Dregs—is hired to break into the most secure prison in the world before a new, Grisha-controlling drug is released. Kaz assembles a team of his closest allies and fellow criminals--Jesper, the sharpshooter; Matthias, the ex-con; Nina, the Grisha heartrender; Inej, the Wraith; and Wylan, the arsonist—to commit the heist before its too late.
Be sure to check out Bardugo's immersive books, as well as the newest installment to the Grishaverse, "King of Scars," which is released on January 29th! Also, keep an eye on Netflix, because the Grishaverse has just been ordered as a series to the platform!
2. "The Infernal Devices" by Cassandra Clare
Cassandra Clare's "Shadowhunter Chronicles" cover the story of the fictional Shadowhunters, a race of half-angel warriors, on their quests to defend the world from the evils against it. In Clare's second series installment to the "Chronicles," "The Infernal Devices" is set in Victorian London, where teenage Tessa Gray discovers that she can Change, or can alter her appearance at will. When Tessa becomes the target for an evil mastermind known only as the Magister, she is rescued and cared for by the Shadowhunters. Full of romance, mystery, and adventure, "The Infernal Devices" is bound to be an enthralling read this winter.
3. "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series by Sarah J. Maas
Set in the fictional land of Prythian, huntress Feyre finds herself crossing the border-wall between her human land and the land of the Fae after killing a faerie. Thrust into a magical world divided into seven courts, Feyre finds herself in the Spring Court, as the unofficial prisoner of its High Lord, Tamlin. However, when darkness begins to strike the courts, Feyre becomes a reluctant soldier in a war for the Fae she is supposed to hate. Full of beautiful writing, lovable characters, comedy, romance, and action, the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series is the perfect read to ring in the winter.
4. "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
A revolutionary hit turned film, "The Hate U Give" follows Starr Carter, a sixteen-year-old black girl, after witnessing the police shooting of one of her old friends. Starr, distraught, turns to activism in order to get justice. Striking, contemporary, and a true testament to the experience of so many black youths and people in our time, Thomas' novel is deserving of all of its praise and more.
UIUC students, be sure to read the book before January 23rd when author Angie Thomas arrives on campus to discuss the novel as a part of the school's One Book, One Campus program!
5. "Circle of Shadows" by Evelyn Skye
Sora and Daemon are two lethal warriors, each with skills that set them apart from their class of the magical Society of Taigas. As their graduation approaches, both Sora and Daemon discover a group of strange soldiers outside their kingdom, and seize the opportunity to prove themselves as worthy of their abilities. Coming to bookstores January 22nd, "Circle of Shadows" is a tale of magic, love, and adventure perfect for the season.
6. "Top Ten" by Katie Cotugno
Let us take a stroll down memory lane to ye olde days of high school, shall we? Katie Cotugno's latest novel, Top Ten, follows the story of best friends Gabby and Ryan on the night of their high school graduation. Rewinding to when they met freshman year, Cotugno takes her audience through the highlights of their friendship, and just how their love began. A heartfelt read to warm your heart, "Top Ten" is out in paperback on January 15th!
7. "The Gilded Wolves" by Roshani Chokshi
Set in Paris at the end of the nineteenth century, Roshani Chokshi's "The Gilded Wolves" follows the story of the wealthy Severin Montagnet-Alarie upon discovering a route to his true inheritance. Severin assembles a trio of specialists to aid him through the mysterious streets of Paris with a promise of wealth and the opportunity to change history, should they succeed. Full of danger, thrills, and beautiful writing, "The Gilded Wolves" is released on January 15th!
Which one are you reading?
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Arts Entertainment
Inej Ghafa And The Breakdown Of The 'Mysterious' Brown Woman
'Six of Crows' does one more thing right.
26 September 2018
881
If you're quiet and have black hair, odds are you have been called "mysterious." It was most likely unprompted, while you were eating lunch or just talking to a friend, and was probably said by a white dude who's just trying to "figure you out." Why? Who knows. Is it a compliment? Who knows. It's a comment that's about one degree away from calling you "exotic," but this time the fact that you don't just talk to this man makes you a puzzle to solve in his eyes.
In fiction, this is doubly true. If you have dark hair, you are instantly a shadowy creature. Quiet, dark-featured characters, especially women, even more so. They're mysterious, they're shady, they're a little spooky in their silence. If they're not a complete mystery, they are, at the very least, kinda evil. I cannot even imagine a blonde woman being described as hiding in shadow or sparking mystery, because it is always these black-haired, dark-featured girls who are constantly drilled into our minds as puzzles, shadows, witches. And, as unfortunate as this trope is, there's no doubt my childhood (and adulthood) love of female villains is more than a little tied to how easy it is for me to physically see myself in them.
So, it's no question why I found myself both instantly attracted to and wary of the way Inej is written in Leigh Bardugo's fantasy heist novel, Six of Crows. Inej is a dark-haired, silent killer. Her dark features hide her well in the shadows. She is hardened, impossible to read. Her silence allows her to exist in rooms unnoticed, causing half the characters to jump when she finally speaks because they didn't even realize she was there. She is, at first, that age-old trope.
But this book has several narrators, one of them being Inej herself. And, in truth, she's none of that. She's not a mystery. She's not scary. If you look at her from afar, you only see the dark-eyed mystery girl trope. Take a step closer, though, and she becomes human. So, in Matthias' perspective, Inej remains a phantom. From Nina's perspective, Inej is a close friend to sing and share waffles with.
And it is so refreshing to see a character break out of the trope I've grown up on, especially in this way. So often, quiet female characters remain quiet constantly, even with friends, or have some hidden reason they're quiet, or they really do just need that One Man to figure them out. But Inej is quiet around some people, talkative around others, and easy to figure out if you just get to know her. You know, like an actual quiet person.
I have told multiple fans of this book of my love of Inej, and, more often than not, the response is, "Of course you do. She's you." For some, this means, "Of course you do. You've got the same personality." For others, though, despite Leigh Bardugo's excellent portrayal of Inej, it means, "Of course you do. You're both dark mystery women." And until we have more characters like Inej in fiction who break through this trope, women like her and I are going to have to continue finding the flattery in comments like that, just as we did as children playing the Shego to our friend's Kim Possible on the playground.
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Entertainment
6 YA Authors To Read If You Haven't Already
These are some of my favorite authors, and everyone who hasn't read anything by them is seriously missing out.
24 July 2018
50
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Books are probably my biggest passion. Within that, I'm a big proponent of young adult fiction and writers, because just about everyone can read books within this genre and relate to the characters. I believe that YA books can be extremely nuanced and well-written, and that they therefore deserve more respect. Also, I fully believe that reading should be an enjoyable experience! YA literature is what helps me to keep loving to read when things like being an English major gets me down when it comes to reading.
These are some of my favorite authors of all time, and you totally should check out what they've written.
1. Laini Taylor
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Laini Taylor is the author for you if you love beautifully written stories with incredibly creative and developed plot and settings. I love her characters, but for me, the best part about her writing is her lush settings. They help to add to the fairy-tale feeling of her stories, which I'm a huge fan of.
2. Leigh Bardugo
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If you love the same things Laini Taylor has but with more characters/POVs, Leigh Bardugo is another author to check out. Her settings for the Grishaverse novels are extremely developed and diverse in every way imaginable, making those books a real treat to read. She has two upcoming books, one that's set at an Ivy League and about a murder-mystery, so if that's more your kind of read than her high fantasy books, be sure to check it out.
3. Victoria Aveyard
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Victoria Aveyard has one series out right now, and it's very popular with a movie on the way. It's a dystopian fiction but reads more like high fantasy for the most part due to the strange hierarchy and the people with powers. Her writing is very straightforward, which is refreshing and real. I haven't been able to bring myself to read the last book, 'War Storm,' because I don't want the series to end and because I'm dreading the events that are going to take place because, well, it's probably going to be very tragic considering the arc the story has taken.
4. Sarah J. Maas
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Sarah J. Maas is the queen of starting off a series with a simple plot that quickly expands to something that is much more epic. Take that and add in characters that you're going to fall in love with, and you get wonderful high fantasy novels. Also, her main characters are awesome, strong, and powerful queens. Who doesn't like reading about high fantasy royalty?
5. Maggie Stiefvater
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I love Maggie Stiefvater because she has a wide variety of books that can appeal to everyone, but despite being all pretty different, they all have her distinct literal and metaphorical magical style on them. She has books that are very romantic, she has books that are centered on friendship, and she has two awesome standalone novels, just to name a few.
and last but not least...
6. Cassandra Clare (because her newest series is THAT good)
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Cassandra Clare is possibly the most popular author on this list, what with the TV show and everything. Her books aren't everyone's cup of tea, but I think that even if you haven't read her first two series, you need to check out "The Dark Artifacts." The two currently out are amazing, and the upcoming one is going to be heart-wrenching and spectacular. You don't even have to have read her other books (all ~10 of them) to understand what's happening in the newest, so you should give it a try!
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Entertainment
10 YA Books To Look Forward To In The Upcoming Year
Get your calendars out or pre-order now, here's some new books that are going to be released within the next year.
02 July 2018
59
Sometimes we need things to look forward to. Sometimes those things are books, especially when the previous book in a particular series ended on a very dramatic note. Here are some books that will be releasing in the upcoming year, if you (like me) need a refresher on what to look forward to being released within the upcoming year because you read books so often you sometimes can't keep up with what exactly you're waiting impatiently for.
For example, I forget about almost all of these books until I'm reminded of their existence. Then my heart leaps before I realize just how many more days I have to wait.
1. 'The Darkest Legacy,' Alexandria Bracken, July 31, 2018
I read the first book in this series, 'The Darkest Minds' around when it first came out a few years ago. I have yet to read the last book, and now it looks like I'll be two behind instead of one. The series is about kids who develop superpowers, and it's pretty cool (and well written).
2. Muse of Nightmares, Laini Taylor, October 2, 2018
This is the sequel to 'Strange the Dreamer,' and if you haven't read that yet, it's seriously time to. The world that Taylor creates in 'Strange the Dreamer' is incredible and beautiful, and the writing reflects that.
3. 'The Tyrant's Tomb,' Rick Riordan (Release date TBA, but I think it'll be October 2018)
Rick Riordan has proved to be a bit ruthless about this series. The stakes are raised, the enemy is intense and quite different from the Titans and giants of his past books within his world of Greek gods. Apollo/Lester has made an interesting protagonist, but I think the old characters such as Grover, Leo, Calypso, Piper, and Jason are a great addition. Along with that, Meg has been a great new character, and despite her young age (12!) she has a lot of depth and I find that her own conflict is very compelling.
4. 'Kingdom of Ash,' Sarah J. Maas October 23, 2018
If you haven't read Sarah J. Maas's "Throne of Glass" series yet, it's beyond time to. This is another series that I've been reading since the first book came out, and this is the seventh one. The nostalgia is high for this, along with some panic because the last book ended on quite an interesting and panic filled note. The series is filled with action and ruthless characters and set in a very cool world. I'm sad about the conclusion of this series, and I hope Maas does a good job finishing the series so the characters can get some well deserved peace and rest.
5. 'Queen of Air and Darkness,' Cassandra Clare, December 4, 2018
In my opinion, this series ("The Dark Artifacts") is Cassandra Clare's best, which is unsurprising as I find her writing gets better with every book she writes, In addition to that, though, the characters are amazing and heart-wrenching. This will be another incredible series finale.
6. 'The Wicked King,' Holly Black, January 8, 2019
This is the second book in the new series by Holly Black. The main character is a strong female character, a human in the ruthless faerie world. There's a lot of scheming in the first one, and it's only going to become greater with this second installment.
7. 'King of Scars,' Leigh Bardugo, January 29, 2019
This is the first book in Leigh Bardugo's duology about King Nikolai of Ravka. You don't have to have read her previous series, the "Grisha Verse" novels or the 'Six of Crows' duology, but I think you should for a few reasons, the main of which being that one of the narrators will be the Heartrender Nina, from the 'Six of Crows' duology.
8. 'Courting Darkness,' Robin LaFevers, February 5, 2019
If you enjoy fiction with historical background, this is the author for you. It's a companion of sorts to the "His Fair Assassin" trilogy, which is set in fifteenth century Brittany. It's the first of a duology, so you don't need to read the "His Fair Assassin" series beforehand, but one of the characters from that trilogy is a main character in the book and probably a narrator. As the trilogy name indicates, the books are about assassins, the daughters of the god of death. I'm very excited about this book because the trilogy was very enjoyable, and I have high expectations for this.
9. 'The Red Scrolls of Magic,' Cassandra Clare and Wesley Chu, March 5, 2019
If you've read "The Mortal Instruments" and "The Dark Artifacts" you know about Alec and Magus and how they decide to tour the world after the Mortal War to chill out. However, we find out in the second book of "The Dark Artifacts," 'Lord of Shadows' something is up with Magus (and Tessa). 'The Red Scrolls of Magic' is going to start to tell us about this threat that was introduced.
10. 'Ninth House,' Leigh Bardugo, June 4, 2019
A book about occult happenings set at an Ivy League? Who doesn't want to read that? Leigh Bardugo just keeps giving us wonderful books with plots for everyone to enjoy, and I am here for it.
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