Reading round up (47)

Reading round up is a weekly journal where I record my daily reading progress, my thoughts on each book as I read it, and any books I've acquired during the week. Hopefully I will finish reading all books I start this week, since I DNF THREE in the past fortnight.

6th November

Currently reading: Prince of Shadows | Rachel Caine

Current page/percent: 70%

Read today: 38%

Thoughts: I'm enjoying this a fair bit, just wish we saw more of Rosaline at this point. Also the cover is beautiful but makes it seem as if Rosaline would be the MC and she's certainly not.

7th November

Currently reading: Prince of Shadows | Rachel Caine

Current page/percent: 100%

Read today: 30%

Thoughts: SO close to crying at the end there. Loved it.

8th November

Started Between Two Thorns by Emma Newman (4% read) and I think this book is gonna take FOREVER to get into. It looks massive size-wise on my kindle but the book is listed as a normal number of pages. Is it 5pt text or...? To break it up I read Light Beneath Ferns by Anne Spollen (206 pages). I didn't plan to read the whole thing but I ended up doing that. It was an okay book, nothing spectacular.

9th November

I'm still not sold on Between Two Thorns. I'm not in the mood for it. So I started White Cat by Holly Black (98 pages) because I've been meaning to read this series for EVER and I can cross off the animal square on my bingo!

10th November

Currently Reading: White Cat | Holly Black

Current page/percent: page 242

Read today: 144 pages

Thoughts: *stares into space*

11th November

Finished White Cat (78 pages) and the ending was UNCALLED FOR so I guess I have a ship. And I started Level 2 by Lenore Appelhans because impulse Kindle click (28%). I'm sensing a love triangle. Pls no.

12th November

OH BOY Level 2 is not for me. I might have only paid £0.51 for this book but it's still not worth forcing myself to finish a book with a MC I despise. DNF at 48%. Started The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (63 pages read) as a remedy. Also because dead things can cross off my dead bingo square.

Books finished this week: 3

 Grave Mercy | Robin LaFevers

Dark Triumph | Robin LaFevers

Don't look at me I'm crying from happiness. I've wanted these books for SO LONG.

The Here and Now | Ann Brashares

Been on my TBR for a while and it was read now on netgalley. I have no excuse. Also Cassie blurb - don't let me down, Clare, I trust your judgement.

I found very little to report on this week. By which I mean nothing.

Reviewed this week: Snow Like Ashes // Prince of Shadows // Light Beneath Ferns // White Cat

Prince of Shadows (Review)

Prince of Shadows | Rachel Caine

Published by: NAL, February 4th 2014

Genre: YA, Historical, Retelling
Pages: 368

Format: Ebook

Source: Purchased

A thrilling retelling of the star-crossed tale of Romeo and Juliet, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series.

In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

…And will rewrite all their fates, forever.

Ughhhhhhhhhhh. This book is perfect, truly, seriously perfect. The best Shakespeare retelling I have probably ever read. Prince of Shadows is written in the most beautiful way, both simple and with the complex language nods to the original play of Romeo and Juliet. Even precious quotes are worked in without sounding out of place or pretentious.

My favourite thing about this book is how the narrator, Benvolio (my love!), could clearly see the sheer madness of the 'love' between Romeo and Juliet. It was a wanted change to have a main character who was partly removed from the craziness, who was as aware of the situation as the reader is.

There are countless retellings of this story that interpret it as a love story, that fail to understand what the play really was. They romanticise all the death and the violence and the original message Shakespeare was trying to say in favour of a love that killed many and lasted days. I'm so happy and grateful for this book, which knows what the true tale of R+J is, which knows how supremely messed up it was and doesn't try to play it in a hazy, rose-tinted light. This book makes me so happy and emotional, just for existing. 

For the story, I loved the romance between level headed Benvolio and solemn, smart Rosaline. They grabbed my heart in a way those two title morons never did and I was so so desperate for them to get a H.E.A. Which they did! Also, the historical setting and atmosphere, even down to the details, was to my knowledge spot on. It conjured perfect images of that time in my mind, at least. And Mercutio's curse was treated with aching hurt and understandable fury. Nothing is bad about this book. I'm literally only marking it down a half star because it took me a while to get into it - that's it. I LOVE a R+J retelling and I can't even believe it myself.

Perfect self-aware retelling, perfect characters, perfect love, perfect curse. Bless you Rachel Caine.

Characters ★★★★☆

Setting/world building ★★★★☆

Writing Style ★★★★☆

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"The devil can stoke a fire as well as ever God could."

"It was madness, and magic, and in that moment I understood with fatal clarity how my cousin could have thrown away his life, and all our lives, for love. If this was sorcery, then I had learnt to love it."