February Wrap Up 2022!

Wow! What a month — it has absolutely flown by and I can see my year only getting more busy! I am so thrilled that Melbourne has come alive again (and honestly, so have I). There is this buzz of excitement constantly around and it has been so infectious. I haven’t posted much on my blog this month, but I am far more active over on my Instagram so be sure to check that out if you’re after more frequent posting!

I started this month off on a little getaway to one of my favourite places in Victoria, and it was genuinely the best way I could have possibly started this month. I have been so busy since returning home — my weeks have been filled with work and brunches and dinners and little adventures with friends. We have truly been making up for all that lost time. I also started tennis lessons on a whim. I’m three lessons in and I’m thoroughly enjoying it (although I haven’t quite figured out how to aim yet!) So with all that being said, I guess it isn’t surprising that I didn’t get quite as much read this month as I did last!

In February I finished listening to The Folk of the Air series with The Queen of Nothing and How The King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories. This entire series ended up being a solid ☆☆☆.5 — I definitely enjoyed listening to them and I was certainly invested in the story but I didn’t love them. They were the perfect books to listen to though, not only was the narrator great but I think they were perfectly suited for listening rather than the physical books. I have a feeling I may not have enjoyed them as much as I did if I read the physical book — I honestly don’t know. Maybe one day I will give them another go reading the physical. Overall I was entertained with the story and the characters, although I don’t love Jude all that much and I only like Cardan more now that I’ve read the novella from his point of view. I can’t really say much at all without ruining it, but overall it’s an easy series to read, the world is rich and well developed and its an entertaining story.

☆☆☆☆.5

Other than the two audiobooks I finished this month, I also read Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared to Rule by Medievalist Katherine Pangonis (** I was gifted the PDF of this book, but I have since gone out and purchased it myself). This book was such a brilliant read! Not only was it written in a really accessible way, but it was also incredibly enjoyable. Queens of Jerusalem focusses on the lives of the royal women who ruled in the Medieval Middle East (or Outremer) from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187. These women have been consistently overshadowed by the kings and leaders of the crusades, and this book strives to change that. The women Pangonis writes of in this book are simply remarkable, what they achieve during their lives and how they work the system of Outremer politics is fascinating. A most interesting discussion that is carried through the book is the difference between having power and having authority and it made me reflect on other women in history and the balance of authority and power that they juggled with. This book will make you rethink the way modern readers and scholars approach ancient, medieval and renaissance women, and it fills the women shaped gap in Crusader history.

I still haven’t finished Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb, but I’ll just keep going with it until I do. I am also currently in the midst of reading River Kings by Cat Jarman and The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours by Gregory Nagy. I am also re-reading House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas because it has been about a year and a half since I first read it, and I remember nothing from it. I am also listening to Graceling by Kristin Cashore with I am really enjoying - plus the narrator is fantastic! Ideally in March (my birthday month, yay ✨) I will finish River Kings, Graceling and House of Earth and Blood but my new job is very reading-heavy so I have a feeling my recreational reading will drop a bit… but we shall see!

I would love to hear all about the books you read in February, so either let me know what you read and if you loved it in the comments below, or come find me over on Instagram ✨

Review: Queens of Jerusalem - The Women Who Dared To Rule by Katherine Pangonis

★★★★☆.5 | ebook | book eleven of 2022 — I was provided a free PDF copy of Queens of Jerusalem from Pegasus Books

A kindle reader is on white linen to the left of small purple flowers with long green stems. The kindle is showing the book cover of Queens of Jerusalem by Katherine Pangonis

Queens of Jerusalem: The Women Who Dared To Rule by Katherine Pangonis is a non-fiction book focussed on the lives of the royal women who ruled in the Medieval Middle East (or Outremer) from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187. These women have been consistently overshadowed by the kings and leaders of the crusades, and this book strives to change that. By putting the Queens of Jerusalem, the Princesses of Antioch, and the Countesses of Tripoli and Edessa to the fore, readers not only get a brand new look into the history of Outremer during the early crusades but they are reminded that women were present and active during this time in history. It is about time these strong, ruling ladies were brought to the forefront of history, and Queens of Jerusalem does just that.

They have been remembered as the wives, mothers, daughters and sisters of powerful men, not as autonomous individuals and active leaders with their own political agency (Pg. 22)

Pangonis begins with Morphia of Melitene, Queen of Jerusalem and mother of four more influential women in Outremer history; Queen Melisende of Jerusalem, Princess Alice of Antioch, Countess Hodierna of Tripoli and Abbess Yvette of Bethany and describes the lives, events and obstacles overcome by all of these women and their daughters, nieces and step-daughters including Princess Constance of Antioch, Agnes of Courtenay and Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem among others. Of course, Pangonis hasn’t failed to include probably the most well known Queen during this time period, and that is Eleanor of Aquitaine. Although Eleanor of Aquitaine wasn’t a ruling woman of Outremer but instead Queen of France, and then Queen of England, Pangonis makes a very convincing argument that Eleanor’s time with her husband during the Second Crusade in Outremer affected her in later life and shaped her into the woman she has been remembered as.

As someone who has learnt about the Crusades and Medieval Europe, I was embarrassed to admit the only name I recognised in this list of influential women was Eleanor of Aquitaine, but now that has all changed. Pangonis has done an exceptional job relating the history of Outremer and the Holy City of Jerusalem from the coronation of Queen Morphia of Jerusalem to the resilient Sibylla, Queen of Jerusalem who defended her city and her people against Saladin. Her writing style is accessible, entertaining and clear. At times, I forgot I was reading a non-fiction account of real people, such is Pangonis’ talents at recounting the lives of these women. Often embroiled in scandal the lives of the elite of Outremer read like a Medieval sitcom with whispers of affairs and men choosing to marry the daughter instead of the mother. It is equally surprising (given how interesting these women were) and unsurprising (given the time period in which they lived) that the main chronicler of the time, William of Tyre, gave so little mention to the queens, princesses and countesses of Outremer. William began the trend of excluding the women of Jerusalem from the records, but this book works tirelessly to undo his shortsightedness.

He [William] does not give much credit to the notion that the women he writes about were individuals as complex as the men, and he prefers to cast women as literary tropes rather than depict them as living, breathing humans (Pg. 36)

A most interesting discussion that is carried through the book is the difference between having power and having authority. For example, Constance the rightful princess of Antioch had authority as the daughter of Bohemond II, the granddaughter of Bohemond I and the mother of Bohemond III but only half of the surviving charters her husband Raymond issued were with her consent (158-9). This suggests that although she was a princess and held that position of authority in her own right, she didn’t seem to wield any political power. Pangonis demonstrates this difference between power and authority numerous times throughout her book, and often brings in the other women to make comparisons with, such as Constance and Raymond compared to the reigning couple her aunt Melisende and Faulk.

Queens of Jerusalem truly gives the voice back to the ruling women of Outremer from 1099 to Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem in 1187 and is a wonderful read for lovers of medieval history, revisionist history and books on the lives of women. It has been written with care and consideration of both bias from the medieval chroniclers, and the issues involved in modern terminology and views of feminism and misogyny.

The way women are presented within chronicles may not actually reflect the reality of their standing in society. With this in mind, the word ‘misogyny’ can only be uncomfortably applied to medieval society, but it may be more comfortably applied to medieval chronicles (Pg. 35)

This was a wonderful and incredibly insightful read, filling a gap in the literature of the Medieval Ages that has been empty for too long. If you have read this book, I would love to hear your opinions! Make sure to let me know in the comments or you can find me @kell_read on Instagram ✨

January Wrap Up 2022!

The first month of 2022 is already over, and I managed to read 8 books. This kind of number only happens when I have time off during the month so I definitely don’t expect to enjoy this many books every month. It was a very solid start to my goal of 40 books this year though! I have also decided to change my approach to reviews this year - I think up until December I had reviewed every single book I read, but I don’t think that’s a sustainable goal for this year. I will probably only do a full review of the books that I really loved or had a lot of opinions about and just do mini-reviews of the others on my Instagram, and in my monthly wrap-ups. If there’s ever a review you really want to see, please don’t hesitate to let me know!

This entire series is a ★★★★★ read!

The first books I finished this year (and this month) were my re-reads of The Mark of Athena, The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan. This is the spin off series from the Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series and finishing these three concluded my re-read of all ten books! I enjoyed my re-read as much as I first enjoyed reading the series many years ago, if not more since now I feel like I get a lot more out of them considering I know more about the ancient world. I definitely appreciated the skill of intertwining so many myths and customs from both Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome into the spin off series - this series is genuinely an absolute masterpiece. The House of Hades has always been my favourite of this series, but I think the The Mark of Athena may be equal to it now - I cannot get enough of Percabeth which is why these are absolutely my favourite in the series (they were done so dirty in the final instalment, although getting a Nico POV was such treat). If you’ve read the Percy Jackson books but not the spin off, I implore you to pick them up. They are an absolute treat!

Next, we were all blessed with Part Two of Lynette Noni’s A Very Medoran Kaldoras, something I had made myself believe would never happen. This was a very short e-book, but it answered all of the burning questions I had after finishing the cliffhanger of Part One. In a sense, I was pretty lucky because I only had to wait a couple of months between the two e-books, but I feel so bad for those who waited a super long time. Personally, I really liked Part Two (I know there has been a bit of contention surrounding it). I though it was a lovely way to truly close the door on Alex’s story in the best way possible, but of course, leave the for wide open for potentially more stories in the future? Who knows. I’m just happing knowing that after all Alex went through, she got her closure and her happily every after.

Both have gotten a ★★★☆☆.5 from me!

I finished two audiobooks this month, The Cruel Prince and The Wicked King by Holly Black. The Folk of The Air series is one that had been on my radar for a while, especially since it’s all over bookstagram so I decided it was time to jump in. The narrator on Audible is pretty entertaining, although there have been some really weird edits and volume changes throughout them which have been a bit jarring. After Jude’s mortal parents were murdered, she was taken to live with her parent’s murderer to live in the High Court of Faerie, where its dangerous to be a mortal. Prince Cardan hates her, and the intrigues of the palace just get more and more bloody. Throughout these two books Jude steels herself to what she has to do to claw at the power, and keep it once it’s in her grasp. I am very on the fence about these books. I definitely enjoyed them, but I wasn’t blown away by them. Jude is really annoying and her character just doesn’t really make a lot of sense to me. Her tumultuous relationship with Cardan is frustrating at times, but I also enjoyed parts of their rivalry and tension. I know some people absolutely love these books, but they haven't become my favourite. Maybe I would have enjoyed them more if I read the physical books not listened to the audio - I’m not sure - but overall these books have been good so far, but not outstanding.

★★★★☆.5

This month I finally got to If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio. This book was sold to me as The Secret History but with Shakespeare and actors instead of classical history students, and honestly, that is pretty much the vibe I got from this. Set at a prestigious arts academy called Dellecher If We Were Villains follows the seven fourth year Shakespeare students as their lives start to look like the tragedy plays they love so much, their lives intertwine with the plays they are studying, their language is one of their own devising their identities teeter between the world of the living and Shakespeares world. This book was brilliantly written and read like a play in more ways than one. The charters were loveable and despise able and all too real. If you love Shakespeare or The Secret History, stop putting it off and pick up this book!

A hand holds up the paperback edition of Mythos by Stephen Fry against a white wall.

★★★★☆.5

The final book I finished this month was Mythos by Stephen Fry which was my answer to this prompt Crestfallenpages’ bookclub ‘a book thats been on your TBR for a really long time.’ I have been saying that I will read Mythos for years. I don’t even remember when I got it but I know it was ages and ages ago. I am so glad that I finally got it read! Especially since I really enjoyed it. Fry has such a way of telling stories thousands of years old as if they were new. Although I was familiar with many of the myths in this retelling, I still enjoyed it greatly, and his style of storytelling is hilarious. I laughed and snorted my way through this book with little dignity but tons of amusement. He definitely puts his own flare to these stories, he makes them easy to read, he adds dialogue but doesn’t lose the essence or the heart of these old tales. It would be a wonderful place for someone to start their Greek Mythology journey.

In February I am hoping to finally finish Assassin’s Quest by Robin Hobb which I have been putting off for months. I am definitely planning on reading Elodie Harper’s The House with the Golden Door, which is my most anticipated read of the year and which I was lucky enough to be given an ARC from Netgalley! I would also LOVE to finish Queens of Jerusalem by Katherine Pangonis and The Queen of Nothing audiobook by Holly Black.

Review: Mythos by Stephen Fry

★★★★☆.5 | paperback | book eight of 2022

Mythos: The Greek Myths Retold by Stephen Fry is his first book in his Great Mythology series and a book that has been physically on my shelf for years (probably since it came out in 2017). Stephen Fry has compiled the core myths from Greek mythology, beginning with the cosmogony or creation of the universe with the protogenoi or primordial god Chaos who was quickly followed by Gaia (Earth), Tartarus (the depths), Erebus (darkness), Nyx (night), Hemera (day) and Aether (light). Fry does a wonderful job conveying the beginning of existence, and then moves through the development of the world with the Titans, the Olympian gods, the nymphs, the lesser gods, and all other divine beings.

“The Greeks created gods that were in their image; warlike but creative, wise but ferocious, loving but jealous, tender but brutal, compassionate, but vengeful.”

Fry does an exceptional job at creating a somewhat linear narrative for all of these myths that were undoubtedly collected from numerous ancient sources and authors. After introducing our main gods and their stories, Fry takes us through many of Zeus’ conquests, stories of divine revenge and retribution, and popular stories featuring our Olympian gods. There are a lot of retellings in the world, but this one’s by far one of the most entertaining ones I have read. The thing about myths is that even in the ancient world, they were adapted and changed, so any colloquialisms and quips added into these stories by Fry is simply a continuation of a three-thousand-year long tradition. Fry comments at the end of his book that great ancient writers like Ovid took creative license to these stories, and this fact emboldened him to be as imaginative as he wanted in his retellings.

“Gaia visited her daughter Mnemosyne, who was busy being unpronounceable.”

Although there were a couple of comments and additions here and there that I didn’t exactly like/enjoy or didn't think were necessary, overall I greatly enjoyed Fry’s tone and writing style. He has re-written these stories in a lighthearted way, adding in dialogue and mannerisms that he thinks fit, but without losing the essence of the myth or the heart of the story. I would say that this compilation of myths would be a wonderful place to start for people looking to familiarise themselves with the gods of Greek mythology, but don’t want to dive into Hesiod or Pseudo-Apollodorus just yet. You will undoubtedly leave this book with a detailed overview of the foundation myths and beliefs of the Ancient Greeks, and you will definitely enjoy the ride. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of footnotes about Greek myth in Shakespeare.

Have you read any of Stephen Fry’s Greek Mythology books? What did you think of this one? Let me know in the comments on Instagram!

Review: If We Were Villains by M. L. Rio

★★★★☆.5| paperback | book six of 2022

If Were Were Villains by M. L. Rio is an extraordinary novel set at a prestigious arts academy called Dellecher. Oliver Marks and his six fellow theatre students are going in to their fourth and final year at Dellecher, and that means they finally get to perform some Shakespearean tragedies. Little did they know that the rivalries, the violence and the tragedy of the plays they were studying would seep into their lives at school. Their fourth year would be their most crucial, and none of them would be left untouched by the goings on of their final year. Oliver and his classmates James, Richard, Alexander, Wren, Filippa and Meredith immerse themselves into the world of Shakespearean tragedy, and as they do their lives turn into a tragedy in ways they could never have foreseen.

The Water, too, was still, and I thought, what liars they are, the sky and the water. Still and calm and clear, like everything was fine. (79)

If We Were Villains is such an intricate, multi faceted read that there is no doubt I will get more from it when I inevitably re-read it in the future. This book made me homesick for a place I had never been, for friends I have never had. The seven main characters were just as unique as they were similar, speaking in a language so like our own, but so very different instead. Their complete infatuation of William Shakespeare, of poetry, of words, creates a whole new world that only they are living and we just get to witness it. After being completely immersed into the world of Shakespeare for three years, it’s no wonder that their roles in the plays have seeped into the real world, creating an intertwined story of fact and fiction.

Our sheer capacity for feeling got to be so unwieldy that we staggered under it, like Atlas with the weight of the world. (249)

This book has been written so beautifully, so thoughtfully. There isn’t a single word that doesn’t have a purpose. I think I was most delighted by the complete immersion of Shakespearean dialogue into the story, as if these characters relaying prose and verse was as easy as breathing. It is as if Rio doesn’t want you to be able to discern between performance and reality, she has often structured dialogue to physically look like you’re reading a play and often the characters seem to be liminal, caught between the characters they have played and the people they have become. This book is so intelligent, so all consuming, even if you aren’t a Shakespeare fan it would be hard not to enjoy or at the very least marvel over the construction of this tale.

For someone who loved words as much as I did, it was amazing how often they failed me. (211)

I would love to hear your thoughts about this book! Let me know whether you enjoyed it or not either in the comments or come and find me over on Instagram! ✨

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

★★★☆☆.5 | audiobook | book four of 2022

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black is the first book in The Folk of the Air series. The story revolves around a mortal girl named Jude who lives in the world of Faerie. When she and her twin was seven, her mother and father were killed in front of them by her mothers ex-fling and the father to their older half sister Vivienne. He was also a prominent general in the High Court of Faerie. Jude grows up as a mortal in faerie, taking classes with the rest of the faerie gentry. She sees mortals as slaves, drugged to work until exhaustion consumes their mind and body, not to mention the threats right in front of her with her faerie school fellows. As Jude fights for a spot at the High Court, she is consumed with intrigues and deceptions, trickery and bloodshed.

I’m going to be completely honest with you, I didn’t even read the blurb of this book before jumping into it. I was looking for a relatively easy read to listen to, and this one came with good recommendations. I definitely enjoyed the book but not as much as I was hoping I would. There was also something a bit weird about the narration, the volume kept fluctuating and there were some really obvious cuts in the recording, some of which I literally went back and had to listen to again to make sure I was hearing it right. That being said, the narrator did a really wonderful job.

This book starts off with a bang since their parents are literally killed in the prologue I’m pretty sure, but then nothing really happens until part two of the book. You don’t realise that the whole of Part One is basically not necessary until you get into the intensity of the second part. Jude wants to be a knight in the High Court, and her sister Taryn wants to marry a faerie, they’re both trying to fit into Faerie in different ways, but I found Jude’s character a little wishy washy. She didn't feel like a solidified character with purpose behind her actions until Part Two, when I actually started liking her. In contrast, Taryn acted exactly as I expected she would the whole time. I don’t love her character, but I guess she serves her purpose, as do many of the cruel faeries Jude comes into contact with during the course of the book.

I loved the political intrigue of the book, and how although some of it felt quite obvious, there were still events and choices that surprised me. There is a really great set of unique characters in this book which made it an overall enjoyable read, leaving you with the sense that you only know the surface of each of these characters. I have seen Cardan’s name everywhere on instagram, and so far he is definitely an intriguing character that obviously has a lot more going for him than just a drunk, broody, elite faerie who often acts cruelly (but I’m assuming thats just a front for how tortured he actually is). I really liked the rivalry and the ever brewing tension between Jude and Cardan, and I am sure this is only going to increase in intensity as I keep reading. Another part of this story I particularly liked is the Court of Shadows, and the level of intricacy in the intrigues and court politics. I hope these only grow in the next books.

I have a feeling this series is only going to improve with the next books and I am looking forward to starting the next one. Have you read this book / this series? Let me know your thoughts in the comments or over on my Instagram @kell_read ✨

Goodbye 2021, Hello 2022

2021 seemed to go on forever, and then was suddenly over. It’s strange how that can happen. This time though, I know that I tried to live in the moment and enjoy the now as much as possible. There was a combination of good and bad this year, but one absolute good was the amount of time I got to spend reading, writing about books, talking about books and making friends through this new community.

2021 annotated reads

I launched this blog at the beginning of the year on a completely different platform, then I did a 180 and redid it. I am so glad I did because I am thrilled with how this little blog has grown and developed throughout the year. I have so enjoyed writing my reviews and recommendations and I hope you have enjoyed reading them. I appreciate every single one of you that has read my reviews, engaged with my content either here on on instagram and I am so humbled that people have actually trusted me and my recommendations, and purchased books based on my opinions. I truly hope that I have helped you find your next favourite read. Now, let’s get into what my 2021 looked like in books!

2021 reading

I used Notion to track my reading this year (along with Goodreads and I tried to use Literal and Storygraph but I just couldn’t be consistent with them all!) I loved using Notion for a personal and private way to track my reading, and it’s made it really easy to see my reading habits for the year!

My favourite reads of 2021 (not pictured is the Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni).

I read a total of 56 books this year which I am absolutely chuffed with! I was hoping to read 30 this year and I feel so great to have had so much time to read this year. I always like to make my reading goal something achievable, but even if I don’t reach it, if I only read a handful of books in a year I will still feel great that I got to read at all. For the first time, I really got into audiobooks, with 13 of my reads being audiobooks, and another 13 of my total being re-reads (I love rereading so much). Fantasy was definitely my most reached for genre this year with 37 of my reads being fantasy. I loved delving into historical fiction for the first time with 9 of my reads being historical fiction (I am planning on this number being much higher in 2022), and I also got to a few books I have been wanting to read for years, most notably the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Aeneid, Theogony and Works and Days and The Night Circus. I also surprised myself by reading 7 non-fiction reads, and I can see this number growing in 2022.

There were definitely many books I wanted to read but didn’t get around to (Stephen Fry’s Mythos, Heroes and Troy), and I bought so many new and exciting books that I have something for every mood. It’s hard to plan monthly tbrs when you’re a mood reader, but hopefully I’m in the mood to read lots of the books on my shelf this year!

2021 was also an incredible year in that I got the chance to talk to some amazing authors including Wendy Orr (technically December 2020 but I got to meet her in person in 2021 so it counts), Elodie Harper, Jennifer Saint, Garry Shaw, and Greg Woolf. Not to mention I made some phenomenal friends through this community from Melbourne and all around the world.

2022 goals

I have a couple of things in mind that I’d like to achieve / follow through with in this new year. One of them is limiting my book purchases. Unless its a highly anticipated release like Elodie Harper’s The House with the Golden Door or Jennifer Saint’s Elektra, or a book in a series I have already started reading, I am not planning on buying many books this year. I have so many amazing books on my shelf that I haven’t read, there really isn’t much excuse for me to spend more of my money on more books that I probably won’t read for a long time!

This year I want to tackle some of the books that have been sitting unread on my shelves for a long time, and I want to read much more non-fiction and historical fiction! 2021 was such a wonderful year for new historical fiction and mythology non-fiction releases, so 2022 will be the year that I actually read them. There are a few books I absolutely have to read including Metamorphoses, Stephen Fry’s Mythos, Heroes and Troy, The Starless Sea all of Natalie Hayne’s books, Divine, and The Trials of Apollo series just to name a few.

What is a book or author you really want to read in 2022? Let me know in the comments or find me over on instagram @kell_read ✨

December Wrap up 2021

The very last month of the year was a bit of a weird one for me, and you can tell I needed some comfort reads! I really ended 2021 with a bang, finishing both Vardaesia and the Aeneid, and then reading another eight books and one novella. It helps that the weather was beautiful and I was on holidays for the last week and a half of the month. Also, I always read the Percy Jackson books really quickly because they’re so easy and hard to put down. So, without further ado, here is my final wrap up post for 2021!

I finished off the Medoran Chronicles series by Lynette Noni this month, which was a bitter sweet moment for me. It let this melancholic feeling in my chest, and the book hangover feeling was strong. I can’t say much about Vardaesia or A Very Medoran Kaldoras: Part One without spoiling the entire series but what I can say is that it was a brilliant ending to one of the best Young Adult series I have ever read. It was heartbreaking and uplifting and I felt so many emotions listening to Vardaesia, I was completely encapsulated. A Very Medoran Kaldoras: Part One is a bonus novella that is set a year after the ending of Vardaesia, and it was just this bonus glimpse into the lives of our favourite characters which I absolutely adored. It ended on a cliffhanger by Lynette has since blessed us with a part two, and that is truly a Christmas miracle. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, please read this series!!! Vardaesia ★★★★★ // A Very Medoran Kaldoras: Part One ★★★★☆.

★★★★☆

After buddy reading The Aeneid with Lorna over at unexpectedlearningjourney it was really wonderful to finally finish it! Reading it with Lorna was such a great experience, since she really brought her Latin expertise to the buddy read, and went so far as to translate some passages herself. Although I had a couple of issues with my translation, it was really cool to compare translation choices between my edition and Lorna’s, which really highlighted the challenges of translation. It was really enlightening, and of course the epic poem itself was really fascinating. The links to Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey throughout were always interesting to find, and the tale as a founding myth of Rome is such a great insight into the way the Romans viewed themselves and their connection to the Greeks at the beginning of their Empire.

The whole series gets ★★★★★

Next up this month was my re-read of the entire Percy Jackson and the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. The Percy Jackson series is a five book middle grade series the focusses on Percy Jackson, the son of the Greek god Poseidon and his other half-blood (also known as demigod) friends. In the first book, Percy is a 12 year old boy who finds out his father is a Greek god, he is introduced to camp half-blood where other kids of greek gods live and learn to fight and harness their powers. This series is very much a coming of age story that ends after Percy has turned 16, and during his often dangerous adventures with his friends, he turns into a courageous hero. This whole series is all about, friendship, loyalty, adventure and courage. Not only is it a heartwarming and epic tale, it also teaches you a lot of Greek mythology. Reading this series is a really wonderful way to become familiar with many of the myths and monsters of greek mythology, but it is also a lot of fun to read if you’re already familiar. The number of myths, creatures and stories from mythology that Rick Riordan has added to this series is mind-blowing and I feel like every time I read this series I notice more.

★★★★☆

In preparation for something very fun coming soon with my good friend Erica over at Moaninc, I re-read one of my favourite William Shakespeare plays of all time, A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A Midsummer Night’s Dream was written between 1594-1596 and was first published in 1600. It’s one of Shakespeare’s shorter plays and is classified as a comedy. The play has three distinctive groups of characters in the story with the Athenians, the fairies and the workers. The play is based around the marriage of Theseus the Greek hero to the Amazonian woman Hippolyta, and contains unrequited love, the meddling of fairies and a parody play of Pyramus and Thisbe at the conclusion to the play. It is such an enjoyable play, and definitely one of his easier plays to read and follow. It’s a really great play to begin you Shakespeare journey with, and for those lovers of mythology, Shakespeare drew a lot of inspiration from the writings of Ovid in many of his plays including A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

I continued on my Percy Jackson re-read with The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus spin-off series that has your favourite characters but also introduces a whole heap of new characters too! I remember not enjoying this one quite as much as the the following books in the series because none of my favourite characters were in it (cough Percy and Annabeth cough), but I definitely enjoyed this one a lot more in this re-read. Maybe it’s because I am already familiar with the story, not sure. But the introduction of new characters like Jason, Piper, Leo and Coach Hedge just adds a new dynamic to the series, and the world of Camp Half-Blood. The stakes are higher and the enemy is even more dangerous, with old monsters returning to the living world that have been slumbering for thousands of years. Rick Riordan continues to add many new myths and monsters from Greek mythology into his books, but this time, he starts introducing the Roman names.

My final read for 2021 was The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan, the second book in the Heroes of Olympus series, and as you can tell from the title, there’s something a bit different about this book. Neptune is the Roman name for the god Poseidon, which right from the beginning suggests something different is going on. In this book, we get introduced to a new camp for half-bloods, Camp Jupiter, but these demigods are children of the Roman form of the gods which were similar but different. I absolutely LOVE the incorporation of a Roman camp and the Roman versions of the gods. It adds a whole other layer to the series, and the fact that Percy remembers Annabeth the entire time makes my heart all happy. More new additions to the story with Frank and Hazel with their cute friendship with Percy once again just adds more depth to this story. Every new character is so unique, and adds something new and specific to the story, if anyone is tossing up whether they are going to read this series after finishing Percy Jackson, you definitely should! It only gets better and better! I’m keeping these reviews short and sweet, because I don’t want to ruin anything for the earlier books. If you ever want a spoiler review of any of these books just let me know on my instagram or in the comments! As always, you can find me on Instagram @kell_read where I post lots of pics, videos and reviews ✨

Review: The Aeneid by Virgil (Translated by Robert Fagles)

★★★★☆ - my main issue with this was definitely some of the choices made by the translator, not the tale itself. I buddy read this with my lovely friend Lorna over at Unexpectedlearningjourney which was such a wonderful experience, especially since she brought her Latin expertise to the table and did some amazing translations throughout our read along - some of which I will be including in this review! You should also check out her article on Moaninc all about learning Latin!

What is the Aeneid?

Before we get into my thoughts, lets introduce the text, it’s historical context and purpose in the ancient world. The Aeneid was written by the Roman poet Virgil who lived in the Early Roman Empire between 70-19BCE. As a sponsor of the first emperor of the Roman Empire, Augustus, The Aeneid tells the founding story of Rome with the Trojan hero Aeneas travelling through the Mediterranean to finally establish the lineage of Romulus and Remus and the Roman Empire. Aeneas, a Trojan and son of the goddess Venus, escaped from the sack of Troy and was told his destiny was to found a grand city in Italy. After some time on the sea, not unlike Odysseus on his long journey home after the Trojan War, Aeneas finds himself in Carthage and falls in love with the Queen, Dido. After spending six years on Carthage, Mercury reminds Aeneas of his purpose and departs Carthage, leaving a grief-stricken Dido who ends up throwing herself on a burning pyre.

Her phantom sifting through my fingers, light as wind, quick as a dream in flight. (102)

Once again reminiscent of Odysseus, Aeneas takes a journey to the underworld where he sees the shade of Dido, many a deceased Trojan and his father. Aeneas eventually makes it to Latium where war ensues led by Aeneas on the Trojan side and Turnus of the Rutuli - especially since the hand in marriage of the Princess Lavinia is at stake as well. In the final lines of the poem, Turnus is killed and Aeneas’ descendants Romulus and Remus would eventually establish the city of Rome. Virgil died without finishing the tale and asked his friend Lucius Varius Rufus to destroy it - and thankfully for us he didn’t! Although Virgil wasn’t too happy with the work before his death, Augustus was pleased and despite Virgil’s desire to have it destroyed, the emperor had it published instead. Why did Virgil compose the poem? The main reasons were to honour Augustus and praise him by highlighting his ancestors, and to show parallels between the protagonist, Aeneas and Augustus. At the time it was written, Rome was in a bit of political instability with the ending of the Roman Republic after the assassination of Julius Caesar and the dawn of the Roman Empire, and so the Aeneid was something of a parallel between the events that Aeneas lived through and the unsteady beginnings of Rome, and the instability the early Roman Empire was facing at the time.

The Aeneid not only alludes to The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer, many facets of the tale is reminiscent of it. Plus, The Aeneid is actually where we get the tale of the Trojan horse which wasn’t mentioned in the Iliad and only referred to in the Odyssey, since much of the Epic Cycle now only survives to us in fragments. Sections such as the death of Pallas is reminiscent of the death of Patroclus, and the funeral games for Anchises is comparable to the funeral games of Patroclus. Of course there is also divine intervention with the gods and goddesses influencing the mortals like game pieces, although not to the same extent as in Homers tales. The epic poem covers themes of renewal and conflict, and unlike the Iliad and the Odyssey, it references and alludes to the historical past of Rome like the Punic Wars which can be summed up as Rome vs. Carthage and the destruction of Carthage.

Thoughts and Opinions

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this poem. Some books were slower than others, but some were so gripping that I didn't want to put the book down. Throughout the book I really enjoyed finding snippets that felt Homeric, especially the use of Homeric simile which occurred all throughout the story. I think that made it feel more cohesive, as if it wasn’t written down 800 years after Homer’s tales.

Most of my thoughts about this book will be focussed on translation and word choice - mainly because I truly think it let the story down. Buddy reading with Lorna who was reading a different translation (prose E.V. Riu) really illuminated some questionable choices in my edition, and therefore translations as a whole. It is such a personal thing, translation, and having learnt some Ancient Greek basics and talking to Lorna about the Latin throughout reading this book, the choices made by translators can really alter a passage, it’s the meaning and emphasis. There were little things like the choice of ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ rather than ‘Olympus’ and ‘Hades’ or ‘Tartarus,’ they were definitely questionable choices, especially when looking back at the Latin and seeing the use of Tartarus in the original which happened a couple of times, for example:

“…crying out to Hecate, mighty Queen of Heaven and Hell.” (Fagles 6.183)

“…Hecate, mighty in the sky and mighty in Erebus.” (E.V.Riu)

“Hecaten caeloque Ereboque potentem” - Lorna’s literal translation “... Hecate, powerful in the sky and powerful in Erebus.”

There was the use of Persephone instead of Proserpina which was interesting, and the most frustrating thing was the consistent use of the word ‘awesome.’ Here’s an example-

“… the goddess in all her glory, just as the gods behold her build, her awesome beauty.” (Fagles 2.732-733).

“She revealed herself as a goddess as the gods in heaven see her, in all her majesty of form and stature.” (E.V.Riu pg. 42)

“... deam qualisque videri caelicolis et quanta solet'.” - Lorna’s translation “I beheld the goddess, just as the gods are accustomed to her, in her quantity of form and stature.”

Why you’d choose to use the word awesome is beyond me, and it happens all throughout the book. Of course sometimes it works, but other times, I felt like there were more appropriate words to use (like above). But in saying that, there were other lines that were so beautiful, some that were incredibly sad and some that were super gory. Overall it’s an interesting tale that documents the early ideology of the Roman Empire, and although I probably didn’t get as much out of it in terms of historical importance (I’m more of an Ancient Greek history gal), I still truly enjoyed delving into this. I loved that we got some strong female figures like Dido and Camilla, even though they both literally ended up dying which was disappointing. You can really understand the way women were seen from the Roman male’s perspective, with Dido committing suicide after Aeneas left her, Camilla the incredible warrior woman on par with the Amazons being killed after only 400 lines in the poem because she saw a shiny gold brooch and had to go for the plunder, and even Lavinia who was completely without agency throughout the tale and was simply a pawn used to incite war. It’s truly fascinating, especially with the continued theme from Homer’s poems of the gods using humans as their pawns to get their way - and one really interesting comparison was that of Aeneas, Lavinia and Turnus in the final few books to Paris, Helen and Menelaus. As if their battle over Lavinia’s hand in marriage was to the same degree as the Trojan War. It was so interesting having the figures in this story compare themselves to the Trojan war, and the way in which Aeneas was the link between Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. There are truly so many things I could comment on but it’s just impossible, so I should probably end my meaningless rambles here. HAH!

I’d love to learn more about this epic poem, to hear about your thoughts about The Aeneid and the things I brought up in this review! Make sure to comment below or find me over on Instagram. I am planning on re-reading this again at some point (as with The Iliad and The Odyssey), and I would love suggestions for different translations. Now that I’ve read the Fagles edition of this, I am not really interested in picking up The Iliad or The Odyssey in his translation because of the issues I had with The Aeneid, so any suggestions for any translations of any of these texts would be most welcome!✨

Review: Vardaesia and A Very Medoran Kaldoras Novella by Lynette Noni

Vardaesia ★★★★★ // A Very Medoran Kaldoras Novella ★★★★☆

Vardaesia

In this final instalment of The Medoran Chronicles by Lynette Noni, I was expecting heartache and incredibly high stakes and sadness and that is absolutely what I got. In this YA fantasy series we have been following Alex Jennings, a 16 year old girl from Earth who finds herself in a new world, Medora. Not only that, but she was chosen by the library at the school for gifted humans, Akarnae. In Medora there are humans, and there are also a bunch of other mortal races, there are immortal races, Draekons and even more world with even more immortal beings. Suffice to say, this series has absolutely everything you could want in a YA fantasy series. The first novel is definitely focussed on Akarnae and Alex settling in to her new world, finding friends and generally getting into trouble. As the books progress though, the plot deepens, the stories get more depth the characters get more fleshed out and it stops feeling like young YA. There is battles, tests and death but there is also banter, friendships and so much to make your heart warm.

There’s not a lot I can say about this book without spoiling something from the earlier books, so I’ll keep it short. This book takes us to a new world and introduces us to a new group of immortals. The challenges are at their most deadly for Alex, Bear, Jordan, DC, Kaiden and Declan and honestly, I couldn’t stop listening to this book. I was on the edge of my seat for 75% of this story, and so many things happened that I was unprepared for. This book and this series as a whole is fantastic, and it is up there with my favourite YA books/series of all time. I will definitely be reading this series and rereading it again and again for comfort and more self-inflicted heartache.

A Very Medoran Kaldoras

A Very Medoran Kaldoras is a bonus little novella that takes place just less than a year after the end of Vardaesia, and honestly, it’s just a little extra bonus scene to give us a glimpse into our favourite characters lives and how they’re spending the Kaldoras holidays. I have to warn you though - prior to reading this I saw something on Lynette Noni’s instagram saying that she had no plans to resolve the ending of this novella, so I truly think going into this little bonus story with the knowledge that it ends in a cliff hanger helps. I enjoyed it kore knowing that there was a potentially never to be mentioned again cliff hanger at the end of it. It’s still really cute and I would recommend reading it (it’s a free ebook!)

Have you read this series? If you have, please come and chat with me over on Instagram! I cannot stop gushing about it and I want to hear who your fave character is, your fave scene and your fave book from the series! ✨

November Wrap Up 2021

Goodbye Spring, Hello Summer and December! The final month of 2021 has terrifyingly arrived, but with constant stress brought on by the fact that it’s almost 2022, it is also a festive time for love, laughter and general merriment. So, lets have a look at what I read during the second last month of 2021!

★★★★☆

The first book I finished this month was Royal Assassin by Robin Hobb, the second booking the Farseer Trilogy (find my review for Assassin’s Apprentice here). Royal Assassin follows on from the end of Assassins Apprentice in the eyes of Fitz, a bastard son to one of the late kings-in-waiting to the throne of the Six Duchies. This second instalment of the series was not only a lot longer, but quite a lot more brutal too. Just when you think Fitz has been through enough for a boy so young, yet another event puts him in the thick of things. As the Six Duchies continue to be ravaged by the Red Ships, it is also being poisoned from within which makes Fitz even less safe than before. I loved the addition of Nighteyes the wolf, and getting to know more about the Wit, and the way it is received in the community. A wonderful continuation to the series and I am looking forward to seeing how this trilogy will end!

★★★★★

Book two for November was the audiobook of Graevale by Lynette Noni. Graevale is book 4 of the Medoran Chronicles, a YA fantasy series that just keeps getting better with each book. To think that some people had to wait between the end of this book and the beginning of the next stresses me out - I love having every single book available for me to devour as quickly as possible. This series is like a combination of Harry Potter, Covenant and something else I can’t put my finger on in the absolute best way possible, and this one really hit me in the feels. Graevale introduces us to a number of other mortal races in Medora and gives more time to some of the teachers which I loved. The ended absolutely ripped out my heart and I genuinely had no idea what to do with myself. If this series continues to be this wonderful, it will definitely become one on my favourite YA series, and most likely a comfort series that I will read over and over again.

★★★★★

The next book I finished in November was Lore Olympus (volume one) by Rachel Smythe. If you’re not already familiar with Lore Olympus, it’s a webtoon that is updated weekly by Rachel and can be found for free online. This graphic novel only covers the first 25 episodes or so of the ongoing tale, but it hooked me in so quick I then couldn’t help but binge read the rest of the story for the few days following my finishing volume one. Lore Olympus is a reimagining/retelling of the Greek myth of Hades and Persephone which has unique artistic style and doesn't shy away from sensitive topics. This is a brilliant amalgamation of ancient and modern, with Olympus being a modern world, and the real world set in Ancient Greece. The graphic novel introduces all of your major Olympians (although some only feature later in the webtoon), and incorporates a number of myths and aspects of Greek mythology into the story, whilst still feeling like a brand new tale. It is truly wonderful, and I would recommend it for all lovers of Greek mythology.

★★★☆☆.5

The final book I finished this month was another audiobook, and that was We Three Heroes by Lynette Noni. This book is actually three novellas, one from D.C.’s point of view, one from Jordan’s perspective and one from Bear’s. It doesn’t follow on from Graevale but there were a few really important aspects from these novellas that you probably want to know about before jumping into Vardaesia (I know it’s hard but it’s worth it). I wasn’t as much of a fan of the three narrators for these stories, and D.C.’s novella was a bit repetitive and slow, but it was really redeemed with Jordan and Bear’s stories. Both of them had a lot of grief to work through, and being able to read some scenes from previous books but from their perspectives was truly wonderful, and it would be remiss of me to mention that there are SO MANY heartfelt scenes in these novellas. I literally couldn’t handle it sometimes, my emotions were all over the place! This book really got me ready for the final instalment of this series (even though I’m gonna be so sad when it’s over).

It was a tie between Lore Olympus and Graevale for my favourite read of this year, let me know what your favourite read of the month was in the comments or on my wrap up post on Instagram! ✨

Review: We Three Heroes by Lynette Noni

★★★☆☆.5 Do not read on if you haven’t read the first four books in the series! Although this won’t spoil We Three Heroes, it will spoil plot points from the first four books! If you’re thinking of skipping this before reading Vardaesia, don’t!

We Three Heroes by Lynette Nonis is book 4.5 in The Medoran Chronicles following Akarnae, Raelia, Draekora and Graevale. Once again, I’ve listened to the audiobook but I didn’t rate these narrators as much as I do the usual narrator (a reason for the lower rating since all of my ratings includes the book and my experience while reading it). Instead of following on from Graevale, We Three Heroes is comprised of three novellas, one from D.C.’s point of view, one from Jordan’s and one from Bears. I am a huge lover of multiple points of view, so getting an insight into each of these characters’ minds was such a gift! D.C.’s novella Crowns and Curses came first, and honestly, as much as I like her character, this novella is the reason I’ve rated this book less than the previous four. We get a good insight into D.C’s childhood, and why she was so unapproachable before she became friends with Alex and the boys at the end of Akarnae. I definitely enjoyed reading her character arc, and the events from her childhood that affected her time at Akarnae, but it was pretty long and became quite repetitive. Nevertheless, when her character gets to Akarnae the story picks up a bit, and you do get to understand that character a lot better, but it was definitely my least favourite novella of the three.

Jordan’s novella Scars and Silence gave me goosebumps more than once as I listened to how he deals with the absolute nightmare he had been living in. This story was raw and was focussed on Jordan’s healing process after being saved from Aven by Alex. It’s such a different experience reading some of the events we have read in previous books from the point of view of Jordan, but god this was a really lovely read. How Hunter was able to help Jordan start to deal with his experience, and the way he and D.C. worked towards becoming a couple was so beautiful, and also so heartwrenching to read. Truly a wonderful addition to the series.

The final novella Hearts and Headstones from Bear’s point of view was my favourite but also the one that was the most painful. Reading the events of Graevale from Bear’s point of view was painful - especially when you know what’s coming (if you’ve read it, you know what’s up). But, seeing a bit more of Declan was such a happy surprise, and once again, just getting to see events from previous books from the point of another character was wonderful - especially getting to learn more about how Bear was helping Fitz with his secret project. I just can’t seem to express my love for multiple POV’s but also, when authors give such loveable and dynamic supporting characters a chance to shine.