“You know, your intuition…that small inner voice that most women ignore because they’re too concerned with living the life other’s expect.”
“You know, your intuition…that small inner voice that most women ignore because they’re too concerned with living the life other’s expect.”
Mmm, I was enjoying Olivia Twist a lot until about halfway through when the characters started to get a wee bit annoying.
But anyway, if you’re looking to get into historical fiction, but don’t want to jump into anything too depressing to start, I think you would like this book.
(I’m a bit biased toward books about thieves though, I don’t know why I love them so much 😂)
The plot is solid and the romance is sweet and swoony worthy too. I am personally not very big on romance, so at times it got a bit too much for me, but any lover of romance will find the pair adorable.
Despite my eventual fall out with them, the main characters were lovely to get to know.
Olivia is such a wonderful heroine, she’s selfless and fierce and awesome and can totally hold her own. Even if she sometimes makes terrible decisions, she has such a big heart. At times she came across a little too perfect and sweet, but that may just be my pessimistic heart talking.
Jack gave off so many Flynn Rider vibes, which I was totally okay with. Their interactions together were hilarious and I definitely cracked a smile on multiple occasions. You can feel the sparks and the love emitting from them.
There are moments in the book where the time jumps around and that did get a little bit confusing at times.
Like sometimes the story would jump to stories from Olivia’s past, and sometimes something will have happened that was not written, but will be mentioned and I’ll just be like “wait what? when did that happen?”
I don’t know if that makes any sense, but it wasn’t too bad, or anything. Just confusing if you’re not paying attention.
But overall, the story had a nice pacing and an ending that made me happy.
You’ll definitely get a feel for Victorian society in Olivia Twist without too much of a history lesson.
Also, this book makes me really want to rewatch Oliver the musical, and maybe finally read the original book.
(by the way, Fagin’s little cameo made me so happy and sad)...more
“You threw me to the crows, but it turns out I prefer them to you.”
From kneeling by her father's feat to defying even the gods to protect
“You threw me to the crows, but it turns out I prefer them to you.”
From kneeling by her father's feat to defying even the gods to protect those she loves, Circe’s story is full of betrayal, heartache, love, and strength, and I loved every minute reading it, despite wanting to curse a few gods and demigods along the way.
Madeline Miller has managed to break my heart once again, and I would not have it any other way.
Would it be a crime to say I liked this better than The Song of Achilles? Because I do. I really think do.
“He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none."
“Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain. And you can do anything.”
What an
“Be as swift as the wind. As silent as the forest. As fierce as the fire. As unshakable as the mountain. And you can do anything.”
What an beautifully written book.
I fell so hard for the setting and the descriptions of food, and just the feudal Japan culture in general. I loved all the Mulan vibes. Though, minus the cross-dressing and the Asian setting, they really do not have much in common.
The plot was a bit slow, but it was filled with so many twists and turns and so much betrayal and manipulation.
“She was beginning to realize that honor did not serve her well in a den of thieves”
I love Mariko so much, she is so strong and intelligent and brave, and oh so wonderfully flawed. She is not perfect, but she goes through so much throughout the course of the book and I am very proud of her.
Okami captured my heart right at the beginning, the author tried to hide him from us by making him appear like a throwaway lazy character when Mariko first encounters him, but I was not fooled.
“I believe the stars align so souls can find one another. Whether they are meant to be souls in love or souls in life remains to be seen.”
His bond with Ranmaru was so heartwarming. The friendship and love between all the Black Clan members and their forest was magical.
There were a lot of names I struggled to keep track of. (and like five of them began with “R”?). But oh man, were the members of the Black Clan just a delight.
Despite my issues with remembering their names, all of the characters were just so intriguing. No one is as they appear to be and it is clear they are all hiding something. Kenshin is an interesting one, I feel as if his heart is truly in the right place, but I feel as if it is his honor and his fixed mindset that will cause him trouble. I am very intrigued by him.
The Emperor’s consort, Kanako was definitely raising some red flags right at the beginning, but it was the Emperor’s actual wife, Genmei who really ended up surprising me right at the end, I am very excited to learn more about her.
I did have a couple of issues with it, some of the narration lines were kind of repetitive and pretentious and some of the dialogue lines felt a bit awkward.
It was kind of like a Throne of Glass thing where everyone just kept repeating how clever and smart Mariko was and I just got slightly annoyed by it.
In addition, the magic system wasn’t really explained. I was confused as to how it worked and how some obtained abilities while others did not. I hope it is more explained in the next book.
“My heart knows your heart. A heart doesn’t care about good or bad, right or wrong. A heart is always true.”
But dang, okay, the romance? I loved the romance. It was so slow burn with so much confused sexual tension, and I loved it. So worth the wait. My heart was pounding and I was screaming.
“There is such strength in being a woman. But it is a strength you must choose for yourself. No one can choose it for you. We can bend the wind to our ear if we would only try.”
Overall, Renee Ahdieh’s writing is so wonderfully immersive, she creates beautiful characters, her worlds are atmospheric, and her romance is filled with tension and a passion that is palpable. I loved how empowering and feministic the book was. The females of this book are all so strong in their own ways. They are manipulative and wise and cunning, and I loved them so much for it.
Despite my issues, I am extremely excited to see how this story ends.
Cliffhangers are just rude though. I would like the next book now, please and thank you.
“No matter how high a man rose in life, death was the greatest of equalizers.”
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