Silver and Blood - Jessie Mihalik (Duology #1)

 Silver and Blood was a 4 star read for me! I was sold on the second book in the last paragraph of the book (*insert John Hamm GIF*).

The characters were likable, I loved the notes passed between the MC's, the world building/ magic system were thorough and easy to understand. The dialogue and narration portrayed authentic snark/sarcasm that is easy to miss the mark on. The nicknames were chef's kiss, the tension was excellent, the jealousy had me kicking my feet. I really enjoyed it, overall.
Not being a fan of the "miscommunication trope" made me side eye a lot of driving factors for the storyline, but that is all opinion based. The world building was thorough; however, I did find it to be clunkily explained. I realize that having a prologue or huge chunk of the beginning dedicated to world building drags out in an unfortunate way; but I do feel like it could have been slipped into conversation or observation a little more smoothly.
Piggy backing off the miscommunication trope mention from earlier: I did find a lot of the second half to be redundant. It adds realism to have people traveling back and forth to a location and not just have things solved the first/second time the MC's go-- there were so many repetitive scenes of traveling back and forth between realms that seemed to feed the miscommunication more than what I thought the plot. I felt like the character growth was mentioned to be occurring (like a realization would be noted);-- then in the next chapter, with no negative storyline between the MC's they were back to acting like they didn't trust each other again. Not trusting a stranger is a *reasonable* way to add that trope so heavily-- just needed a little more consistent portrayal of trust being built/given.

I would have given the book like a 3.75 star rating because the redundancy and heavy focus on that specific trope-- that ending was just a *perfect* lead in to the next book though and I cannot wait to read it!!

Welcome to my TED Talk: The 7 stages of grief (while watching the television adaptation of your favorite literary trilogy)

This week I have been attempting to watch the 2018 AMC original series A Discovery of Witches. “Attempting” is the key word. Yes, yes, before the eyeroll and judgement comes-- I do know that “the books are better than movies” and “the movies are never the same as the book”. I am only in episode 4 or 5 of season 1, and all observations are limited to that part of the series. This is not to write what a crummy show it is, that it never should have been created, or that they ruined a good thing—however, I am not pretending it is my personal cup of tea. I am trying to power through, as it has an excellent cast, and I do see the purpose in the changes overall. These thoughts will also be relevant to the up-and-coming adaptations of series such as Fourth Wing, Assistant to the Villain and ACOTAR.  

As a lover of the world of All Souls, it was very exciting to know that there was a TV adaptation that maybe could help round out my grasp of the very intricate trilogy. This changed fairly quickly when I began feeling, a touch dramatically, on the aggrieved side during the first 15 minutes of the first episode—why is the beginning seeming restaged? That character is significantly different than the book... Why is this main character interacting with this secondary character on screen, during a notable part from the book that didn’t even include the secondary character? Essentially, I “hate-watched” the next couple of episodes... which resulted in a sober and alone Hannah blathering at her television. I saw one of the listed producers was Deborah Harkness and made myself sit back and question if she minded these adjustments or if she appreciated her world and characters being resituated to meet a different audience. 

As I watched, I was aware that the tone of the show was drastically different from how I received the tone of the books. In the books, I found it to be a little on the.... quirkier(?) side of serious. Examples of this would be: The sweetheart of a daemon named Timothy wearing unplugged headphones with his endearingly mismatched cowboy boots, Diana finding out the stable boy thought she was speaking spanish while practicing her french, and Matthew’s distant reaction to Chris’s inquiry about werewolves. All of these moments are noted while in hiding for their lives and dealing with the culture shocks from every angle. The show, up to this point, seemingly removes those lighter observations and keeps it on the darker side of the serious vibes. I understand that some of the lighter notes of the books are mentioned through narrator observation or inner monologues and cannot always be conveyed effectively through cinema. The show would meet the criteria for more serious storyline preferences and broadens outreach, I have seen plenty of viewers praising the show! 

I could go on and on about this, for no good reason except my little brain has an opinion that demands to be expressed. I am by no means an expert on the series and could be misunderstanding things in the book/tv adaptation, feel free to point it out... It truly would make me feel better, in the long run!! Thank you for coming to my TED TALK. 
 
All the best, 

Hannah 

✨3 Inexpensive Ways I Protect My Books✨

1) Contact Paper: a more permanent method that can be used on paperbacks and dust jackets, maintains a less bulky dust jacket.

2) Non-Reflective Dust Jacket Cover: temporary and can be moved between similar sized books if one gets rehomed, maintains a matte appearance, but is also a softer plastic. The Brodart brand is reliable, though I find this finish difficult to come by in the length needed for most dust jackets to be covered end-to-end.

3) Lo-Luster Dust Jacket Cover: same as the last, but a more shiny and sturdier feeling plastic that compares to your library loans and is much easier to come by for an average length dust jacket.  

Books are an investment, whether it was a discounted, used, or new purchase; while well loved books are a great sign of the books quality, I personally prefer my books maintain a neat appearance (it brings me joy🤌). Light colored covers tend to pick up markings easily, matte covers show every drop of liquid/finger prints affect the finish, shiny covers crinkle easier than other finishes, sometimes the coaster is missed and the book finds its way onto a water ring— or in the case of the second picture, the red suede Flippy book pillow leaves its mark. Malice by John Gwynne will eventually be rebound, I decided not to put contact paper on the book and was able to use the little guy as an example for why I love these methods on white books *especially*!  
                                           

AND ANOTHER THING! The covers bring new life to a well-loved book and disguises unwanted wear and tear. I have multiple preowned books with torn dust jackets, but the cover makes them secure and, most of the time, seamless. The below picture shows a slice towards the bottom half of the spine, as an example.