I participated last year and it was two days of positive vibes and cheer. So why not participate again this year?
The Book Blogger Love-A-Thon is a blogging event hosted by Alexa @ Alexa Loves Books, Cee @ The Novel Hermit, Hazel @ Stay Bookish, and Mel @ The Daily Prophecy.
Continue reading [2016 Book Blogger Love-A-Thon] — Questionnaire
![[Review] A Gathering of Shadows — Victoria Schwab](https://thoughtsandafterthoughts.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/a-gathering-of-shadows-victoria-schwab-featimg-1038x576.png?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
Book Title: A Gathering of Shadows
(A Darker Shade of Magic #01)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Number of pages: 512
Synopsis:
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.
(re: Goodreads @ A Gathering of Shadows by Victoria Schwab)
– Essen Tasch (The Element Games) is a Gladiator-style Avatar: The Last Airbender/Legend of Korra Pro-bending Competition (for comparisons sake)
– Slowly paced in the first quarter due to backstory and “catching up” with the timing
– On plot alone, AGOS can read like a “filler” second book but this arc focuses on character development
– Bromance game is strong; romance is more prominent
– A Nikolai Lantsov (Grisha) doppelganger who is wonderful (basically a witty, fluid, and grey character)
When I finished, I was curled up in the fetal position…#themoreyouknow
There are no spoilers in this review unless you haven’t read A Darker Shade of Magic, then I can’t help you there.
Disclaimer: The copy I read was borrowed from Shelly @ Read, Sleep, Repeat. Thank you Shelly for letting me read this in advance.
Continue reading [Review] A Gathering of Shadows — Victoria Schwab
Top Ten Tuesday is an original weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.
(Recommended to be read on the blog as Reader formatting is pretty blergh).
Here’s the thing: I had brain farts as to how to make this topic satirical or “fun” like previous top ten tuesday prompts. Nothing fun really spoke to me so I’m stripping all the fun away and opening up the floor to a genre of music that’s near and dear to me.
Call me some nerdy kid but A cappella music is something I really appreciate it. I’ll be mainly highlighting collegiate level a cappella covers. For the sake of keeping things “bookish”, I’ll be featuring the 12 Steps of the Hero’s Journey that outlines a template of the rise and fall of a hero’s story.
Note: The “opb.” notation will be used as a stand in for ‘originally performed by’. All songs link to the respective artist’s Spotify as it’s the only place that has a repository of recordings.
Continue reading [Top Ten Tuesday] – #95 – A Hero’s Journey Heard Through A Cappella
thoughts and afterthoughts. 