Down the Rabbit Hole

Alice in Wonderland Book Tag

October 13, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Hey everyone,

I haven’t done many book tags in the past but I really want to join in on the fun now that I have wayyy more free time on my hands. But before diving in on the other lovely book tags I’ve seen out there on other AMAZING blogs, I wanted to do one following the theme of my favourite classic. Which is also the theme of this blog.

You can guess it, right?

An Alice in Wonderland Book Tag!

Rules:

Give credit and tag the original creator (Down the Rabbit Hole)
Answer all the prompts
Tag 3 others!
But most importantly, have fun!!

Alice: a dreamy book that you couldn’t stop thinking about

Oh boy, I had to start with my protagonist, the girl who dreams and thinks like no one else in her society. This is a hard one.

If I had to choose just one, it’d have to be Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

Sometimes late at night when I can’t sleep or when I’m deep into a book slump, this book just pops into my head and reminds me there are wonderful stories out there that I have loved so dearly. Oh, and the forbidden romance always tugs at my heartstrings!

White Rabbit: a book you raced through and couldn’t put down

There are few and far between moments that I find myself going through a book in one sitting. So the ones that I do, especially ones that I absolutely adored, stick out a lot. Ah, how does one choose?

But for this one, I’d give it to Love, Life and the List by Kasie West. From the first pages of chapter one, I was hooked, namely because it was about a girl who was in love with her best friend. Uh, yeah! That’s totally my kind of romance trope. There went my day but I was ever so happy to have given it to such a lovely story.

Queen of Hearts: a book you just couldn’t like no matter how hard you tried

This may come as a shock to you but…this one goes to a very popular book/series. I have a feeling you’ve heard of it before. (P.S. please don’t hate – it’s just my honest opinion)

Yep, that’s right. It’s Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. In my defense, I really tried to since so many others loved the book and following ones in the series. I have had many friends try to persuade me to try again. At the moment, I don’t know if I’ll give it another go, but I do remember the protagonist pissed me off too much.

Cheshire Cat: an unexpected book that continued to surprise you

I haven’t read anything by Julie Kagawa in a long time, mostly because her most recent series just didn’t pique my interest. So getting early access to Shadow of the Fox was an honour but I was skeptical about how I’d feel for the book.

Well. Let’s just say I was pleasantly surprised with the lush culture and pacing of the story. Now it’s one of the books I recommend the most since its publication!

Mad Hatter: a book you’d want to reread over and over again

I must say, I’d have to put my favourite book of all time for this one. The Host by Stephenie Meyer never gets old for me, no matter how many times I’ve reread it.

There’s always something there that still surprises each time. Like a wow, how did I not see/make this connection before? or a omg, it’s still SO good. It’s somewhat of a guilty pleasure for me now, considering there’s judgment sometimes when I say it’s my favourite book in the post-Twilight world.

But I have no shame in declaring my love for this book ❤

Knave of Hearts: a book with a beautiful cover

Regardless of substance and how much I liked/disliked a book, there are a number of books out there that have just the most gorgeous looking cover. I know, they tell you not to judge a book by its cover, but let me tell you, it sure is a good marketing ploy to attract a wayward glance or two on the shelves.

For me, there are just so many books to choose from, so I’ve narrowed it down to 3.

Aren’t each of these just so pretty in their own way?

Caterpillar: a book for a leisurely summer day or cozy winter night

A book I’d cuddle up with sometimes does depend on the outside weather. So I’ve picked 2 books, one for the summer and one for the winter. (Yes, my mood very much decides for me what I want to read, even if I had a well thought out plan just right before!)

Summer: Save the Date by Morgan Matson

I love the summery atmosphere that Morgan always brings to her books! I had the pleasure of meeting her earlier this summer and heard all about her down to earth inspirations for stories.

Winter: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

In the winter, I love to cozy up under a warm blanket with a cup of hot tea next to me. With shorter days and earlier darkness, it’s fitting to read about dark worlds with shifting heroes and villains. What better than a Victoria Schwab book?

Tag, you’re it! 😉

Shannon @ Shelfish for Books

Sofi @ A Book. A Thought

Stephanie @ Adventures thru Wonderland

What books fit these Wonderland characters? And even if I didn’t tag you, feel free to join in on the fun 🙂 You could also leave a comment below so I’d know to tag you next!

3 star, YA

Review: The Emerald Sea by Richelle Mead

October 12, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

Series: The Glittering Court #3

The dazzling conclusion to #1 New York Times bestselling author Richelle Mead’s The Glittering Court series.

Meet Tamsin, the Glittering Court’s hard-angled emerald. Her outsized aspirations make her a fierce competitor, rising to the top of the ranks. But when the ship she boards for the New World is tragically lost at sea, she is quite literally thrown off-course.

3 Drink Me Potions

This is the first series I’ve read where all the stories mesh together but it’s from different protagonist POVs. While book 1, The Glittering Court, ravished me in one long sitting, my heart just wasn’t into the second book following one of the other girls.

So with wary expectations, I jumped into Tamsin’s story. After all, it’s partly the same story as what I’ve read twice already!

To my surprise, The Emerald Sea was intriguing. Tamsin’s little secret that made her such a pain in the ass sometimes (or like all of the time)? It’s finally revealed and it’s made some difference in how I view her.

The pacing was slow, but I can’t say that it’s ever boring in the life of Tamsin Wright. From skirmishes with different races of people to living with fringe religious groups, it’s like one bad thing after another comes her way. Mind you, this makes the book unnecessarily drawn out at times.

I wasn’t particularly fond of the romance, but I did like the love interest. Jago Robinson wasn’t your typical nice guy who’d never say or do anything less than polite for the “fairer sex”. He’s sarcastic, and protective of what he thinks is right no matter the consequences for him. I loved their conversations and interactions as they were at times teasing and fun with witty banter.

This book – or series, really – isn’t for everyone. Basically a fantasy version of colonial America and its early settlements, it reminds me a lot of Rae Carson’s Walk on Earth a Stranger series. Thankfully I like historical fictions so it wasn’t a complete turn off for me.

Because of the historical kind of setting, women portrayals were sometimes hard to read. Yet Tamsin’s ability to always “get things done”, no matter the complexity of her circumstances, really pushed the boundaries of what women could or should do in such a society. And for that, it was empowering to follow such a character in such a world as this.

While this is by far not one of Richelle Mead’s better works (I mean, just think of how popular the Vampire Academy series and its sequel series has been!), I enjoyed this book well enough. Clever in its execution as it seamlessly tied together some of the events we’ve seen in the other 2 books, The Emerald Sea made for a good conclusion to this trilogy. But I’m confident in saying that I’m good if I don’t visit the land of Adoria again in yet another POV any time soon.

Overall Recommendation:
The Emerald Sea covers the third protagonist from The Glittering Court, Tamsin, and the adventures she was simultaneously having during the timeline of the previous 2 books. Written in the same slowly flowing pace with a touch of the historical atmosphere, I found it slow at times but never quite boring. Filled with new insights into Tamsin’s character and her motivation behind every action, this was a rather female empowering story given the setting. Intrigue, action and heady romance, this book’s got it all, though I will warn that it may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

musings, News

Blog and Life Updates 2018

October 11, 2018 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

I thought I should post some news and updates that have been in the works for the last while, especially to thank those who have been patient enough through the rough patches. Some news are more obvious than others, but I promise, they are all positive items, and I’m SO excited to be sharing them with you.

First things first…

NEW blog outlook!

For those of you who have followed this blog for a while now, you may have noticed that the outlook of this entire blog has drastically changed. Over the last month, unfortunately the site was under the construction phase, and I know, it was not a pretty sight.

But, now it’s finally complete and I’m satisfied with the new look and minimalistic way of navigating through the posts, as well as the new homepage. So I wanted to thank you for your patience and I’d love it if you took a look around in your free time ❤

What do you think of the new look? Do you have any recommendations for future renovations?

Personal life updates

This blog has been up for a while now. Yet I’ve been a very sporadic poster over the years and I apologize for that. That brings me to some news about myself, Andge.

I’ve been a student for the longest time, and have been busy studying in my last years of school since this blog was opened. Now, I’ve finally graduated and guess what this means??
Aside from being unemployed and all that… I can finally put more time into posting fun and exciting materials with all of you. And for that, I am VERY excited and can’t wait to start on some new ideas I have for Down the Rabbit Hole.
This week marks the 1 year work anniversary for the other book hat that I wear in my life. Aside from book blogger, I have been working on and off as a book seller this last year.
While this has opened numerous doors into the YA and general reading community for me, I want to make clear that this blog is in no way affiliated with any bookstore. I give credit where it’s due but I get no commission for any books purchased, and I’m not being paid for any book recommendations. All reviews are still based on my honest opinions.
If you’re interested, I would be more than happy to share some of my past and current experiences as a bookseller on this blog! Just let me know 🙂

Last but not least…

NEW blog partner

That’s right.

I’m bringing in an old friend of mine who loves books as much as myself (and reads faster than I do, might I add). I will let him introduce himself in his first post but I am very excited to have him on board.

Together, we hope to bring out some more interesting and fun posts to share with you, as well as be more heavily involved with the blogging community.

Any ideas/types of posts you want to see more of on this blog?

Brand new things are on the horizon for us and I can’t wait to get started!