Author: Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

A lifelong reader of all things YA and books with heartfelt moments that punch you with all the feels. Currently expanding my reading interests to encompass anything that makes me feel deep and resonate with the characters
top ten tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Would Hand to Someone Who Claims to Not Like Reading

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

Happy Tuesday! November has officially kicked off and I am already super busy at work. But I will try to be here to celebrate and talk about books as much as I can!

Today’s TTT is dedicated to my non-reading friend who I actually have given most of these titles to over the years. And he has read them (hallelujah!). Tim, if you’re ever reading this, tell people this list of titles isn’t too bad, will you?

With that said, let’s begin!

1. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Probably my favourite book of all time, I started off with this book for my friend because it’s well balanced in action, romance and world building so there is something there for everyone depending on what you love more. I loved the exploration into humanity at its core, the good and the bad, and what people would do when the end of everything we know seems near. It’s a definite must-read that I’d recommend to anyone.

2. Arc of a Scythe series by Neal Shusterman

This series is to this day still one of the most thought provoking worlds I have had the pleasure to dive into. When humans have reached immortality, what do you do in order to preserve the limited resources of our Earth? Hence the need for reapers. But what happens when they go rogue? I loved the kinds of questions that I had to ask myself as I read, as is typical with Neal’s writings, and these reflections make for great discussions with said non-reading friends.

3. The Illuminae Files series by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Sci-fi galore written in the most creative format I have ever seen, I’m sure this series is no stranger to a lot of you but is a wonderful introduction to non-readers. With a mix of text messages, sarcastic and wholly entertaining video surveillance narration, and pretty diagrams/maps, these books are a work of art in more than one way. It may look big and long, but these stories really suck you into the action-packed storyline (evil AIs! Corporate espionage! Space chase!) and can easily be read in one sitting.

4. The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

While I’m not the biggest fan of the author himself, this debut I will admit was the catalyst book that got my friend into reading (like 1 book a year but that’s still a win!). A thriller written in a way that makes you question what is reality through the eyes of our agoraphobic protagonist and what is not, this book throws curveballs and suspicion everywhere. Who killed the neighbour’s wife? And why won’t anyone believe her?

5. Renegades series by Marissa Meyer

I will admit, this is the only book/series I recommended without having read it myself, but as Marissa Meyer’s on my list of auto-buy authors from her debut series, I trusted it was up the alley for most non-readers, especially those with interest in the superhero genre that is now so prevalent everywhere. While it too may be a bit long for non-reading enthusiasts, the plot I hear picks up as the series goes on.

6. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson

This series has been absolutely everywhere in the reading community, and for GOOD reason! Written (and narrated in the audiobook) with a true crime podcast format in some areas of the books, this fascinating series follows a young, brilliant girl who’s always been considered “good” in her hometown as she tries to solve cases that have been unjustly pushed aside by the local police. With different crimes focused in each book that are more interrelated than meets the eye, this is THE high bar for YA mysteries.

7. The Last Magician by Lisa Maxwell

Historical fantasy may not be for absolutely everyone, but I would find it hard that this lush world set in the early 1900s Manhattan wouldn’t draw people in. Our time-travelling protagonist has to go back in time to find a lost item that would change the fate of all magical people in the present day. But changing history is always harder than it seems, especially when infiltrating a crew that’ll help her steal the item she’s looking for. Filled with magic, adventure, and romance, this is a riveting read that may be an exception to any excuses that “history is boring”.

8. The Gilded Wolves series by Roshani Chokshi

Of course, I have more than one historical fantasy recommendation. Similarly, this series has a brilliant world building history built in, describing the origin of magic. But where it truly intrigues is the found family crew who set about on artifact hunts and solving riddles for spectacular treasures that makes this truly fun and riveting for fans of this genre from TV or movies. Who said a book can’t do it better?

9. The Infernal Devices / The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

If one can get the past the sheer LENGTH of these novels, then a non-reading friend may be able to find just how wonderful it is to dive into the Shadowhunting world. I love how interconnected all the series are, and how well thought out even the tiniest details about characters become significant at a later book. The storytelling is full of adventure, realistic characters to cheer for and plenty of action between good and evil. There’s a reason so many people globally love Cassandra Clare.

10. Caraval series by Stephanie Garber

Last, but not least, the beautiful world of Caraval is a place to introduce non-readers too. It’s magical, mysterious, and you never know what may be part of a show or something else entirely. I loved the gorgeously described setting and the characters we can’t help but fall in love with as they discover the special place known as Caraval and the players attached to it. It’s hard to describe but that’s what makes it a wonderful place to invite people to explore themselves.

That’s it for me this week! I hope you found some interesting reads from here you can potentially introduce to a non-reading friend like I did. While some books and their subject matter may need to be catered to the interests of the person you’re thinking of, I hope most of these are universal enough in their storytelling and world building that gives a little something to most people to enjoy.

3.5 star, YA

Review: Witchshadow by Susan Dennard

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Witchlands #4

Susan Dennard’s New York Times bestselling, young adult epic fantasy Witchlands series continues with Witchshadow, the story of the Threadwitch Iseult.

War has come to the Witchlands . . . and nothing will be the same again.

Iseult has found her heartsister Safi at last, but their reunion is brief. For Iseult to stay alive, she must flee Cartorra while Safi remains. And though Iseult has plans to save her friend, they will require her to summon magic more dangerous than anything she has ever faced before.

Meanwhile, the Bloodwitch Aeduan is beset by forces he cannot understand. And Vivia—rightful queen of Nubrevna—finds herself without a crown or home.

As villains from legend reawaken across the Witchlands, only the mythical Cahr Awen can stop the gathering war. Iseult could embrace this power and heal the land, but first she must choose on which side of the shadows her destiny will lie.

Another installment has finally arrived in the Witchlands series, and in normal Susan Dennard style, it delivered multiple POVs and a plot that ties more people together, but also many more questions about what’s to come.

I will first say that I am on Susan’s newsletter list and that was so helpful in understanding some of this story. For starters, thank goodness she put up a recap of the first 3 books in this series on her website. Like any high fantasy book, there are so many character names, locations and backstories to keep track of that’s super hard to do when it’s been a while since the last one. So I highly recommend you read that – but ONLY if you actually read the first three books instead of spoiling it for yourself.

This one is about Iseult. She’s the darkness to Safi’s light. She was introduced right in the beginning of the series and now we finally get to focus more about her powers, and maybe some secret things she can do that no one else thought she could.

Right off the bat she seems to be morally grey, like she’s making decisions that didn’t quite seem like her from last we left her. It’s an interesting spot to start with, and it’s only through flashbacks of the last month that we get to understand HOW she got to this point.

Romance lovers, if you loved Bloodwitch because you shipped her with bad boy Aeduan so much like I did, fear not about their relationship but I will say that there weren’t a lot of moments present between them in this one. There’s definitely some relationship angst going on in there and you know I love that slow-burn angst, but fair warning, most of the book doesn’t focus on them.

Now, I appreciate the writing style of high fantasies, but there are a couple of things that just prevented me from loving each of these books that was different with the one novella, Sightwitch, in this series so far. I think most of it is due to pacing which was absolutely excellent in Sightwitch. Why is that? Let’s dig into it.

1) The flashbacks

This is a long book. I was able to get through it faster only because I was having some slow days at work. But the reality is something even Susan mentioned in her newsletter. This was supposed to be 2 books but was rewritten into one. So the solution was to plop the characters in the “second” act of the story and make the “first” act a flashback instead of cutting out so many crucial elements.

I understand the predicament but there’s just a bit of confusion as to how things occurred, especially at the beginning. It’s not necessarily a liability the whole way through but it makes the book choppier.

2) The multiple POVs

I don’t know where I land on this one but having so many people to follow really makes the story pause a lot when it gets exciting for one of them. Although this is considered Iseult’s story, obviously many of the other major players are up to something. We still have Safi out there trying to find her way back to Iseult (like, how did they get separated AGAIN?), and some Empresses on the run.

With my focus diverted all over the place, it just made putting down the book easier at times since the suspense was killed quite easily.

So what DID I like?

I’m not going to spend the whole time complaining here. I still thought it was a solid next book in a long series. Things are starting to be answered and I am seeing the threads (see what I did there?) linking certain plot points together from the previous books.

Something big is coming to their realm. Something might already be there. People are waking up with new memories they didn’t have before, and these people are either foe or friend. The history records do not have all the answers, and it’s hard to trust if they were written accurately or not to help our modern day friends decide who to trust.

Guessing which character we know who may be a reincarnation of someone from a millennia ago was super fun. I will ALSO admit I used some wiki page to help me keep track of all of them and their Witchery but there’s no shame in using guides.

There’s hardly any romance in here but that’s not the point in high fantasies. There IS, on the other hand, plenty of action, potential betrayal and empires on the brink of destruction or salvation.

If THIS is what you like, then I’d say you’ll continue to enjoy the latest installment in the Witchlands with Witchshadow.

Overall Recommendation:

Witchshadow is as I have come to expect from Susan Dennard and the Witchlands series. Following more of Iseult’s journey as she dives into her actual powers and tackles how far she’d go to save the people she loves, it’s an interesting continuation from the characters we’ve come to know in the first 3 books. Where it falters a little is the length and the pacing with so many POVs to juggle and confusing flashbacks. It’s also not much of a romance story but the action mostly makes up for it as connections are finally being made and the plot is really picking up. Powerful beings from a millennia ago are finally awakening in this world and something big is happening. The suspense and the fun in guessing who may be friend or foe propelled me through the drier areas. I can’t wait to pick up the next installment regardless if this wasn’t quite a 5-star read.

wrap up

October 2021 Wrap Up and TBR

Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Hello everyone! It’s officially the end of spooky season. I feel like it’s been a month long thing going on, but I can say I am looking forward to Christmas next. Is thinking about December too soon?

Anyway, this month has been a little busy at work (only going to get worse next month), but it has also been a good reading month for me.

Did I read a scary book? Yes. Did I want to continue doing so? Not really. I kinda treasure my sleep a little too much and don’t want to stay up until 5:30 in the morning to finish the book again.

What did I read this month?

As it will be evident below, I had a mediocre month wherein the books I read didn’t super impress me but I also didn’t dislike them so at least there’s that.

Continue reading “October 2021 Wrap Up and TBR” →