[Series Overview] Fire and Thorns - Rae Carson

I started this series on: April 5, 2020
I finished this series on: April 9, 2020 (main series)
Cover editions here updated on: April 5, 2020
Written content here updated on: April 5, 2020

Disclaimer, one you'd see on multiple posts As I struggled to decide which book series to cover overviews for, it dawned to me that I'd never get started at this rate. It became clear to me that, it's rather unlikely for me to use this blog as my "main" reviewing spot since I have Goodreads for that, and chances of someone miraculously stumbling across this blog out of the countless ones out there, is just rather slim, therefore, I'd put up links to my GR reviews (in English,) and this post would be in Chinese for people who are curious about the series but either aren't comfortable with or just don't prefer reading in English. Please also note that, sometimes I don't have time to write actual reviews, HOWEVER, I do always put down thoughts when I document my reading status updates, so for GR desktop users, remember to scroll down if it appears to contain little, it'd be under the quotes I liked from that book (when applicable lol;) for mobile app users, remember to switch to "Reading Activity," which would not be the default as "Review" is.

台灣繁中版權在2012年就已出售，但一直沒有出版。（很好奇版權還在那家出版社手上嗎？xD）

別看GR上這系列頁面列了四本書，這是三部曲沒錯喔w 2019年時宣佈會有companion作品^{[Greenwillow Books Twitter文]}（最後是2020年4月上市^{[作者Twitter文]}），不過三部曲和這本新書（"The Empire of Dreams"）的封面相配的新版本，其實作者早於2018年10月就先透露xD^{[作者Twitter文]} 至於她發表的當時新書有沒有已經有譜、不清楚哈哈。

個人認為這算是有通過時間的考驗的作品？xD 我其實是很訝異這部三集沒半集入圍Goodreads Choice Awards... 不過回顧了一下"Debut Goodreads Author"是2013年才設置的項目（當時這系列已非debut）況且Carson也非Goodreads Author（"Debut Author"要等到2018），所以當時確實也沒辦法入圍。至於"Young Adult Fantasy & Science Fiction"，現在看2011年榜單，這部第一集至今的評比次數還是有贏榜上的一些作品的。沒有被提名很可惜，可是我想這是少數我會特別想花篇幅提它沒被提名、但很好看的作品吧xDDDDD 我覺得最初英美封面真的都不加分，我自己先前完全沒興趣看還真的有一部分原因是覺得封面超沒吸引力... 所以我覺得在那樣的狀況下還是有讀者，也算另一種層面的厲害哈哈www

等等我，這部我會想稍微介紹一下。（就是說會想比較快補啦xDD）（被揍）

The actual review is, as usual, WIP, but like I said above, getting the post out there first.

GR stats (linking default edition)	Editions I'm privy to
[Read My Review!]
[Read My Review!]
[Read My Review!]

Author:
Series (unofficial):

Disclaimer, one you'd see on multiple posts The following section, basically a gallery of editions around the world with different book cover art, is largely inspired by treatments of fellow blogger Amethyst, who unfortunately hasn't done those types of blog posts for a while. Please DO NOT mistaken the following to be all existing editions; I'm only including completed sets with matching designs. All clickable images are linked to respective editions on GR; people, shelving correct editions ain't that hard. Highly recommend accurate shelving. =D

以下涵蓋5款，記得看全文以觀賞喔 >:3
另外，俄國和德國都只差最後一集沒出完，偏偏第二集都是超過5年以上出版的... 感覺是不會出完了Orz

American English | 美式英文

上面講過，美國2019平裝其實作者有先公布；我比較驚訝的是，她在Facebook發表的時候，很多人表示是支持上方這個原版呢^{[作者Facebook文]}！嘛... 我不能否認，印象中確實也好像沒看過可以跟上面混淆的類似封面，只是我自己是覺得這版憑封面，真的沒什麼表達世界觀或劇情，唯一能沾上邊的就是封面上的寶石，但是我覺得寶石在這個作品扮著很微妙的重要性，可以說重要也可以說一點也不重要xD

British English | 英式英文


American English | 美式英文 （2019平裝）

我其實一直以為這個新設計有被大肆宣揚（以為有看到article在講這件事）但好像沒有？xD 試著找沒找到。最近一次讓我特別去找來看，"有可能"是因為Epic Reads推出的一個統整^{["37 Book Cover Redesigns That’ll Make You Do a Double Take" @ Epic Reads網誌]}，不過它在倒數第六，所以也沒有那麼容易瞄到就是了xP 由Jim Tierney繪製^{[繪師官網]}。並不是個人覺得世界上最好看的封面（標準也太高xD）但確實是英文版中我自己覺得最對味的，原版我真的連碰都不想碰（超認真） 但因為這版是reprinted edition沿用舊ISBN，所以我也不敢亂網購、誰知道會不會買到原版的封面那樣。它出的時候我已經不在美國，會想摸摸看實體書的感覺再看要不要入手。我是一個覺得平裝很脆弱的人，但確實有為了封面美而破例過，這套目前很有機會哈哈 不清楚的人，我2020年4月讀完後... 嗨到不行... 以至於完全沒勁去讀別的作品因為不想離開這世界觀（所以跑去轉讀漫畫然後小說什麼的就擱置了）（被揍）實在很想逼大家去看（喂喂）但又很怕捧得太高反而會害別人實際看了之後覺得不怎麼樣，唉。這個版本我覺得書背跟封底也長得okay^{[作者Instagram文]}。

[Discussions] Reading Plans for 2020

First published on: April 5, 2020
Updated on: September 15, 2020

So, for 2019, while I ended up cramming in a lot of books during the last two months of the year, it was not without sacrifices (of time and health lol,) the only good outcome was that I was out of the slump, and it got me back to seriously thinking about organizing this blog. At the end of 2019, I decided to plan a bit for 2020, and enlisted help from fellow GR readers with the following poll:

Okay, I also think this is probably a good time to give a little background info about myself bahahaha. TBH, I don't see myself as a (high) fantasy person; I like magic and superpowers, don't get me wrong, but I prefer a world set in one not sooooooo different from ours, I'd like a dash of magic that I'd love to imagine possible for me to actually be a part of (coughs, typical Harry Potter fan, much?) And this preference is shown in my earlier reading days, Harry Potter, Inkworld, and Sookie Stackhouse. Then 2015 happened, The Lunar Chronicles and Dangerous Creatures eventually led to me getting a GR account, and that basically blew my whole reading world wide open (unsure if this sentence makes any sense but anyways lmao.) That with the combination of frequent Wikia/Fandom use, I became aware of books that are apparently pretty big deals for... whoever that reads. Just so you know, TLC was actually a leap of faith because it's set in a distance future; I honestly only gave it a go because I'm big on fairytales. If there's for some reason people who are vaguely aware of my reading habits, you'd probably noticed that for the longest time, Septimus Heap, was the only series that was remotely close to having a world-building that's very un-relatable to our own. The next was Loom Saga, and though I admit, the ratio of this genre has definitely risen, I think it's still safe to say "I'm not big on it."

Now, why the need for stating all this? Mostly because I'm afraid for people who only became aware of my existence in 2020, they'd likely mistaken me as some fantasy nut due to the type of series I'm suddenly binge-reading one after another. I think it should be noted that the fact that they are all first-reads; it should show that I previously held no interests, and um, kind of still don't lmao. It was precisely because of the results of the poll above, that I decided, heck, if I'm going to read those fantasy books, I might as well read those apparent hotshots and big-guns, the ones people talk about, the ones that seemed so hyped.

It's funny how one thing could lead to countless others. I executed my first plans exactly the way I imagined, the two "historical -ish" series, done, and moving on. But then there's the fantasy one. I managed to secure a buddy-read partner for Study, and I was going to read Glass and Soulfinders after that, and likely get onto what's actually the selections in the poll, but not long after, I was prompted to might as well finally try The Shadow and Bone Trilogy (The Grisha Trilogy) and The Six of Crows Duology, and then that's when an option, Frostblood Saga to be more specific, where this whole ordeal originated from, first got prioritized and actually be read. But the streak obviously does not end there; I did not really imagine that, by April, I'm STILL reading fantasy! (Oh, it should be noted that, I came up with the plan in late January, and everything I wrote could have been written not long after that because I did follow my plan; it's just everything after that are more recent updates; I penned this summery blog post in early April, and will keep updating it.)

The only real slight game changer, was the announcement of Battle Ground; originally, I was going to wrap up the fantasy stuff no later than early April; in fact, the "no later than early April" was already an afterthought and compromise, a decision only made for the inclusion of a trilogy that has an upcoming companion book, aka Fire and Thorns; then I was going to move onto series that has worlds collide, like having a separate fantasy world alongside our real world, then series set in alternate history with supernatural/paranormal elements, then finally the "supernatural/paranormal (ish?)" batch, to connect with Peace Talks that comes out in mid July. Battle Ground changed this because I no longer need to get through all of the above by July but late September instead, since there's no way I can stand reading those 2 books separately when I could just easily binge-read them together.

That said, it's not to say I want to unlimitedly prolong this fantasy binge-read (because I don't lmao.) So far, I've already finished more than a handful of series that weren't originally in my plan, so I'm writing this down and hopefully it wouldn't escalate any further. Sans Fire and Thorns mentioned above, I located one more duology that I previously didn't think to read but fit the bill, though decided to fit it in the second half of the year, then the last item in the poll selection of this genre. (By May, the latter was also decided for the second half of the year.) There's another 3-book series that I'm trying to determine if it's a trilogy, and if yes, THAT should be it, I think, unless my blog suddenly have viewers participating in commenting and recommending me to must-read something lmao. So 3 (at most 4) series in this genre then I'd be moving onto my next plan. (All statements will be rephrased to name the actual series titles upon realization.)

As for the "worlds-collide" and "alt. history" books, there's roughly 5 trilogies in total (a little hard to be certain which batch the trilogies should be in without actually reading them.) For "supernatural/paranormal (ish?)", sans the four items in the poll, I should also be finally reading 2 "big-deals" lol, plus 1 trilogy I've been interested in reading, and possibly 1 hexalogy that's long overdue (though I'd only have access to physical copies, and I read those way slower.)

All of the above was penned before I read Fire and Thorns, and boy, had that trilogy and its companion book made me so... happy with what I've read, and just lazy and content for not reading anymore lmao. I'm serious, this paragraph and what comes after, is penned in September because I realized if I don't get this out, then there's no point in getting it out as the year is somewhat close to ending lmao. The irony is that, I'm now not totally certain about what "worlds-collide" and "alt. history" books I had planned to read. (I'm so horrible lmao.) I am unsure if I'm counting Oversight Trilogy as one of those but I'm just going to assume I did because it looks like I may not have all the resources for the others I might have possibly planned, or that, due to time constraint, I don't currently feel like prioritizing. Hating myself a little for being secretive, sighs, because I feel like it's prossible that I've eliminated some of what I currently think to have fit the bill, so I really can't be certain which "5" I meant. In order to not repeat the same mistake, here goes: Noctis Magicae, The Mapmakers Trilogy, The Fourline Trilogy and Kingdom on Fire, and I'm going to count Oversight Trilogy because I can't think of anything else at the moment. I'm also debating about The Diviners, but am not certain if I can fit that in. Am not certain if I can fit any of them to be honest.

For "supernatural/paranormal (ish?)", I know what the "1 trilogy I've been interested in reading, and possibly 1 hexalogy that's long overdue" are, and firmly so, so I'm going to risk once again being mysterious lmao. (Updates: the underlined part has basically been decided to be withheld for next no later than October.) That said, again not entirely sure about the "2 big-deals", because I've def. played around with the idea for quite a few of those. I may however end up reading this batch all after Battle Ground, as it really is near publication as I penned this update. Life is just so full of surprises bahahaha.

This blog post may continue to be updated, because, for people who have been paying attention, you'd notice that I have quite a few in my mind to read "close to the end of the year." lol I'm just going to post this and see how it turns out for what I've already laid out for now. Feel free to share thoughts on the matter, do you read with a theme? What books are you reading? Even if it's well after the year has past, comments are, as usual, very welcomed. =D

[Series Overview] Defy trilogy - Sara B. Larson

I started this series on: April 2, 2020
I finished this series on: April 5, 2020
Cover editions here updated on: April 2, 2020
Written content here updated on: April 2, 2020

Disclaimer, one you'd see on multiple posts As I struggled to decide which book series to cover overviews for, it dawned to me that I'd never get started at this rate. It became clear to me that, it's rather unlikely for me to use this blog as my "main" reviewing spot since I have Goodreads for that, and chances of someone miraculously stumbling across this blog out of the countless ones out there, is just rather slim, therefore, I'd put up links to my GR reviews (in English,) and this post would be in Chinese for people who are curious about the series but either aren't comfortable with or just don't prefer reading in English. Please also note that, sometimes I don't have time to write actual reviews, HOWEVER, I do always put down thoughts when I document my reading status updates, so for GR desktop users, remember to scroll down if it appears to contain little, it'd be under the quotes I liked from that book (when applicable lol;) for mobile app users, remember to switch to "Reading Activity," which would not be the default as "Review" is.

The actual review is, as usual, WIP, but like I said above, getting the post out there first.

GR stats (linking default edition)	Editions I'm privy to
[Read My Review!]
[Read My Review!]
[Read My Review!]

Author:
Series: Unofficial:

Disclaimer, one you'd see on multiple posts The following section, basically a gallery of editions around the world with different book cover art, is largely inspired by treatments of fellow blogger Amethyst, who unfortunately hasn't done those types of blog posts for a while. Please DO NOT mistaken the following to be all existing editions; I'm only including completed sets with matching designs. All clickable images are linked to respective editions on GR; people, shelving correct editions ain't that hard. Highly recommend accurate shelving. =D

American English | 美式英文


Deutsch | German | 德文

[Series Overview] Everless duology - Sara Holland

I started this series on: February 29, 2020
I finished this series on: April 2, 2020
Cover editions here updated on: October 20, 2020
Written content here updated on: March 29, 2020

Disclaimer, one you'd see on multiple posts As I struggled to decide which book series to cover overviews for, it dawned to me that I'd never get started at this rate. It became clear to me that, it's rather unlikely for me to use this blog as my "main" reviewing spot since I have Goodreads for that, and chances of someone miraculously stumbling across this blog out of the countless ones out there, is just rather slim, therefore, I'd put up links to my GR reviews (in English,) and this post would be in Chinese for people who are curious about the series but either aren't comfortable with or just don't prefer reading in English. Please also note that, sometimes I don't have time to write actual reviews, HOWEVER, I do always put down thoughts when I document my reading status updates, so for GR desktop users, remember to scroll down if it appears to contain little, it'd be under the quotes I liked from that book (when applicable lol;) for mobile app users, remember to switch to "Reading Activity," which would not be the default as "Review" is.

客觀中文簡介^{[英國安德魯納伯格聯合國際有限公司（台灣代表處）]}、出版社們趕快看一看去買（喂喂）。

附一下有趣事，我個人認為應該是有誤解，但這二部曲至少有被一個出處認為要改拍電視影集xD^[Deadline] 請讀最後一段落wwww 這篇2019年2月的報導其實主要是宣布作者繼這二部曲後、新作版權已被買走等等，但在最後面補了一下這二部曲的（很失職？）介紹... 然後就附上了那個資訊。我試了各種搜尋組合，Google真的就只有這篇提到有被改拍的計畫，所以才說我覺得有誤會xDDDD 作者跟那關鍵字確實是有關聯的、也有被列在它網站上^{[Glasstown Entertainment]}，但我理解力差，其實不是很懂關係到底是什麼（笑死）所以我就先不標optioned了，不過如果有人真的查到什麼，歡迎分享喔！

嘛... 應該說看完這部之後，我更加佩服那些沒被hype擊垮的作品？尤其是第二集，整個就是被唾棄的很嚴重？我覺得沒有特別難看呀xDDD 就很一般的YA哈哈。這部消息出來後，我後來沒有特別想看，除了出版後average ratings不斷持續下降、就是普普，比較糟糕的原因更瞎xD 當時應該多方都有在宣傳這部，其中讓我覺得感興趣的是Epic Reads推出的一個測驗^{["How Long Would You Last in a YA Fantasy Novel?" @ Epic Reads網誌]}... 我其實不記得我測完具體結果是什麼，只記得沒有存活很久xDDD 可以想像一下稍微受了打擊然後連帶這作品就被波及、不想理它了（笑死，我超幼稚，我知道xP） 更好笑的是，我本來想說，好啦，既然我忘了我第一次測得結果，我再測一次好了，所以2020年4月又測了一次... 這次得到的結果竟是"You're the first casualty..."外加敘述句"Sorry! But the stakes need to be established somehow..."（遠目）嚴重懷疑這次結果更糟xDDD 我覺得我之前好像是什麼conflict爆發前就掛掉之類的，但好像不是第一個啦xP

The actual review is, as usual, WIP, but like I said above, getting the post out there first.

GR stats (linking default edition)	Editions I'm privy to
[Read My Review!]
[Read My Review!]

Author:
Series: Unofficial:

Disclaimer, one you'd see on multiple posts The following section, basically a gallery of editions around the world with different book cover art, is largely inspired by treatments of fellow blogger Amethyst, who unfortunately hasn't done those types of blog posts for a while. Please DO NOT mistaken the following to be all existing editions; I'm only including completed sets with matching designs. All clickable images are linked to respective editions on GR; people, shelving correct editions ain't that hard. Highly recommend accurate shelving. =D

American English | 美式英文


British English | 英式英文


Deutsch | German | 德文


فارسی | Persian | 波斯文