A Court of Frost and Starlight

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. 

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court. {goodreads}

Why you should read ACoFaS as a writer: 

• The relationship between Feyre and Rhys is intense, enthralling and creates the sort of fan-base enthusiasm that many writers dream of. 
• The world building is really detailed. We are four books in now, so I suppose that's unsurprising - Maas has had a lot of pages to give readers a detailed insight into her world, but I still think it's worth reading Frost and Starlight for the mythology and world building. 
• Frost and Starlight shows how you can continue to add to a series and world without it becoming tired or dull. Another writer who does this superbly is Leigh Bardugo. 

Write200: week two

It's been tricky to chose my write200 sample this week. Despite my best intentions, most of my pieces have centred around the same story, but I'm quite enjoying dipping in and out of the world, working out some of its quirks and getting to know the characters without any pressure. I got a copy of John Yorke's Into the Woods for my birthday and I'm going to read that before I fall down the planning rabbit-hole. I think this is my favourite part of writing - the very early stages when an idea is rough and anything is possible. 

Snowflakes brushed against the glass like fingertips; a gentle, barely-audible beat that filled the otherwise silent room. 

Home was never this quiet. Home was always a hive of activity: Papa preparing clothes and fabrics for the market; Mama busy mending, fixing, tinkering with the house - our lives; Freya was a whirlwind of energy, never too tired to play, never too exhausted to make noise. I missed the life that flowed through our house; the happiness contained in those everyday noises. I’d never appreciated them until now. 

Now, the quiet of the palace was suffocating. Small noises roared like klaxons. Not just the snowflakes made a racket: silk slippers across marble floors; the soft breaths of the guards on the door. The palace was loud and silent all at once; full of far more people than had ever stepped foot in our townhouse at one time, but so much emptier. Lonelier. 

Tears splashed onto my newly-bejewelled fingers before I even realised I was crying. 

Great. Now I’d have to arrive at the breakfast feast with puffy eyes and ruined makeup: the princess who wanted to go home. 

I took a deep, shuddering breath and turned away from the window. I ran my fingers under my eyes to wipe away the tears but dipped my head down to avoid the mirror by the door; I had no interest in surveying the damage I’d done. A clay mug wouldn’t fit into a porcelain tea-set just because it was polished. It would be better to appear exactly as I was. No point establishing standards I’d only fail to keep. 

It's rough around the edges, and probably doesn't make sense without all the accompanying backstory contained in my head, but I think the imagery at the end has potential. 

Children of Blood and Bone

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy. {goodreads}

Reasons you should read Children of Blood and Bone as a writer:

• The world building is superb. The mythology is so well thought out and actively engages the reader, as you'll find yourself wondering which clan you belong to (which you can discover here - my sister and I were amazed to be put into the exact clans we thought we'd best fit into after reading their descriptions!)
• Diversity: this is a YA fantasy like no other, which is incredibly refreshing. It's also a clever way of addressing real-world problems like racism. Despite being set in an enthralling fantasy world, the strongest parts of CoBaB were the moments that felt most human - the emotional intensity will stay with you for as long as the magic.
• CoBaB is written from multiple perspectives. Each character's voice is distinctive and engaging, and the novel's plot weaves between them well. There isn't a prescriptive pattern, which has made me rethink elements of my WIP. 

Writing Update and Write200

I've recently finished another round of edits on two quite long projects (both fantasy YA) and I've been reluctant to throw myself into the middle of another big writing project straight away. I have made a start over the last few weeks on turning my Snow White retelling Mirrored Snow into a full length novel, but it's something I'm dipping in and out of at the moment, rather than devoting myself to entirely. 

Instead, I'm focusing more on free writing, and have challenged myself to write at least 200 words a day on something unrelated to a current project. I'm using it as a sand box, of sorts, to work on description and world building, and also to try out new ideas. A lot of it is quite rough around the edges, but in a bid to keep myself on track, I'm going to share my favourite piece on my blog each Sunday. Here is the first. 

The pounding at the front door was loud enough to rattle the breakfast things on the tray I’d placed on the table. Fine porcelain cups, a tea pot twice as old as I was and the small jug of milk shook precariously. I was thankful of the tray when a slurp of tea fell from the spout; Mama would have scolded me if the silver-wood table had been damaged. 

As it was, she was already fuming from the interruption: “Whoever could that be at this hour? The dawn lizards aren’t even out yet. No one can have such urgent business at this time of day.” 

Concern curdled in my stomach like spoilt milk; no one called at this hour unless it was an emergency - especially not with a knock like that. My pulse raced when I thought of Papa, who was away on a business trip. Had he taken sick? Been attacked by khaziani riders? Caught in a snow storm? At least we hadn’t had a chance to eat breakfast yet; the churning of my empty stomach was bad enough.

Mama - ever practical and unafraid - reflected none of my fear. She reflected little else of me, either. Her eyes were a pale green to my warm brown; her hair ash blonde to my chestnut; her features soft and friendly while I was made of harsh angles and high cheekbones. My little sister, Freya, and Mama were like two sides of the same coin - practical, yet soft and loving - while I seemed to belong in a different coin pouch all together. 

I got a bit carried away with this piece and ended up with over 600 words (and possibly a new story, but I'm trying not to let it take over my free writing time slot!) The two write200 pieces that have come after it have also been quite long and set in the same world. 

Warcross

Warcross by Marie Lu

When a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths. For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn't just a game - it's a way of life. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally. When Emika hacks into the game illegally, she's convinced she'll be arrested, and is shocked when she gets a call from the game's creator, the elusive young billionaire Hideo Tanaka, with an irresistible offer. He needs a spy on the inside of this year's tournament in order to uncover a security problem . . . and he wants Emika for the job. {goodreads}

Reasons you should read Warcross if you're a writer:

• The world building! My last WIP included google-glass-like technology, but Warcross took the idea to a level I would never even have considered. I was ready to move into this world. Until the plot twist...
• And wow, the Plot twists in Warcross are amazing. I'm obviously not going to say anymore, but it's worth reading for the twists alone. Lu is brilliant at subverting readers' expectations.
• Lu's romances are swoonworthy - I loved the way she wrote relationships in Legend, but Warcross is even better. 

The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue

So I'm going to try a new style for reviewing. Up until now, I've given you a general overview of the novel - what I liked etc. (I never tell you what I didn't like anyway, as I can't bring myself to be negative - if I hate a book, I just don't review it!) But this year, I've been really focussing on reading like a writer (I mentioned it in my review of The Belles) and I think it would be really interesting to blog about the things I pick up from the books I read, and where their strengths lie from a writing perspective. I'm going to start with The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, which I finished today and gave me the idea when I wanted to write down everything I loved about it from a writing perspective while I was half-way through. 

So here is why I think Gentleman's Guide is a writer's must-read:

• It's a brilliant example of how to create a convincing character arc. I was fully invested in Monty and his growth throughout the novel. 
• It shows you that characters can be irritating, but still win the reader over. There were times in this book I could have screamed at Monty, but they didn't make me love him any less. 
• Diversity is a big part of this book. I don't think I've ever read such a diverse historical fiction novel. 
• Voice is another strong point, but I think this ties in to the strength of Monty's characterisation.
• The way Lee writes about love and relationships had me highlighting so many passages on my kindle.  

So that's it. I'll probably make these longer as I go, but I'm hoping this way of blogging will encourage me to update more frequently, as it's something I'm already thinking about as I read. 

Have you read Gentleman's Guide? If so, what did you think?