King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo

Over the past week and a half, I read King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo. This high fantasy is the first novel of a duology and the sixth book taking place in the universe that Bardugo created in Shadow and Bone.  Although it’s been three years since the civil war in Ravka, Nikolai, the young king, is increasingly haunted by the small amount of the Darkling’s dark magic still inside inside his body and unpredictably transforms into a winged monster. One of the commanders of the Ravkan Second Army, Zoya, is focused on keeping Nikolai’s secret and making sure he doesn’t kill anyone with the help of Tolya and Tamar, members of Nikolai’s personal guard. Nikolai needs to make political alliances and find a queen to produce an heir to stabilize his reign, but after an incident with the Apparat and Yuri, a young monk who worships the Darkling, Nikolai goes on a journey to the Fold with Zoya, Yuri, Tamar, and Tolya to find a cure and destroy the monster inside him. On this quest, they confront hidden dangers and mysterious forces lurking in Ravka.

Undercover on a covert mission in Fjerda, the country to the north of Ravka, Nina is still devastated by the loss of her lover, Matthias, although she soon finds a place in the woods near a factory to lay his body to rest. Afterwards, she hears voices that take her to a grave site at the top of a mountain and decides to find out what is happing at the factory because it is poisoning the river according to a group of young women in disguise as soldiers. When she is lost in a snowstorm, she discovers that the girl from the convent who saves her is Grisha and befriends her to gather information, take down the factory, and bring justice to the women and girls who died there.

I thought King of Scars was absolutely amazing. I was enthralled from the beginning to the very end. The first chapter was creepy and suspenseful, almost like a horror novel, until it was revealed that Nikolai was the monster that the boy, Dima, found in his family's barn. After reading the first series within this universe, I thought that Nikolai was cured, so finding out that the Darkling, the villain of those three books, left a piece of his power in Nikolai was quite the reveal. I was terrified that the monster would take over Nikolai and the people of Ravka would find out their king is a monster before he could be cured. I was also excited that this book focused on Zoya and Nina, in addition to Nikolai, because Zoya was compelling in the Shadow and Bone trilogy and I loved Nina in the Six of Crows duology. I would definitely recommend reading both of those series before reading King of Scars because there are many interweaving plot lines. King of Scars is split into two parts and there are five point of view characters (Dima, Zoya, Nina, Nikolai, and Isaak, the young man who takes Nikolai's place as king when he is missing). Additionally, I enjoyed the sense of adventure and the new ways of using Grisha powers that Zoya and Nina learn. The plot twists at the end left me wanting more, so I'm very impatient to read the next book, Rule of Wolves, which will be released next week. If you love fantasy, you should definitely check this series out!

Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson

 

Two weekends ago, I read Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson. This novel in verse is the realistic story about a boy, Zachariah Johnson, Jr. or ZJ, whose family has to learn how to cope when his professional football playing father, "Zachariah 44" Johnson, experiences memory loss and anger management issues from having too many concussions. ZJ and his friends do not worry much when ZJ's father returns home instead of playing football on a game day, but as time goes on ZJ begins to notice that his father's condition is gradually worsening with frequent migraines, moments of anger, and lapses of memory. One day, his father doesn't even remember that he likes to call ZJ "little man". Even though ZJ's mother takes Zachariah to several doctors, they do not know exactly what the problem is and none of the treatments help much. ZJ reminisces on moments in his life when they were all happy, but he really just wants his father back.

As a novel in verse, this was a quick read, but at the same time it was heartbreaking because ZJ's family had many challenges learning to live with his father having chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). I definitely felt really bad for ZJ because I could tell that sometimes it was like living with a stranger, and it was hard to read the mental breakdowns Zachariah had. There were moments of hope, though, when Zachariah would have good days. As someone who is familiar with the hot topic of sports-related concussions, I think the book was very enlightening about CTE and how it was a medical mystery as recently as the early 2000s. The story shows that those living with family members who have CTE can never turn back time. They can only move forward and learn to live with their new normal. My favorite parts of the novel were when ZJ would share his love for music with his father and hang out with his friends, Darry, Daniel, and Ollie. Before the Ever After is an excellent choice for football fans or anyone in the mood for a well-written sad story.

They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker

 

Last week, I also read They Called Us Enemy by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, Steven Scott, and Harmony Becker. This graphic memoir is about George Takei's experiences in the Japanese internment camps during World War II. When Takei was four years old, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and the United States declared war on Japan. Soon afterwards, Takei's family was forced from their home in Los Angeles to Camp Rohwer in Arkansas. Although Takei and his younger brother, Henry, tried to make the most of the situation by having adventures (and a few misadventures), the conditions at this camp were difficult for Takei's family. As the war went on for nearly four years, the U.S. government placed increasingly restrictive regulations on Japanese Americans and Takei's family became more and more uncertain about their future. These childhood experiences had a profound affect on Takei and he reflects upon them often to the present day.

I decided to read They Called Us Enemy because I wanted to get a head start on reading the Rebecca Caudill-nominated books for next year and thought it was a wonderful graphic memoir of courage and family. I was fascinated and horrified by his family's experiences in the internment camps. I think it is so unfair how Japanese Americans were treated because they just wanted to live their lives in the United States. It's definitely one of the many great injustices in American history. I was very worried for George and his family towards the end of the war when it was a very real possibility that they might have to move back to Japan, but it was also very exciting to read about his successes as an actor after WWII. The graphic memoir is not completely linear. To fill in the gaps of the story, it goes back and forth between Takei's childhood and other points in his life or events that were happening elsewhere that impacted him. In conclusion, I would recommend They Called Us Enemy to Star Trek fans or anyone who wants to learn more about the Japanese internment camps.

The Ickabog by J.K. Rowling

 

Last week, I read The Ickabog by J. K. Rowling. This fairy tale is about a small kingdom, Cornucopia, known for its happiness and gold. When King Fred hears about a monster in the northern Marshlands that allegedly ate a man's dog, he and his advisors, Lord Spittleworth and Lord Flapoon, take a team to hunt the monster. On this hunt, a terrible accident occurs and Lord Spittleworth begins to weave a tangle of lies to cover what really happened. This misadventure and the events that follow have a profound effect on two children, Bert Beamish and Daisy Dovetail, whose parents worked in the palace. As they grow up in the increasingly corrupt kingdom, they realize that not everything is what it seems and decide to go on an adventure to the Marshlands with their friends, Martha and Roderick, to find out the truth about the Ickabog and bring happiness back to Cornucopia.

I thought that this fairy tale was absolutely wonderful. I was so excited to read another children's book by J. K. Rowling and the story really resonated with me in this day and age because it shows what happens when people in power constantly tell lies. I had read reviews beforehand, so I knew this book would be darker than expected. Lord Spittleworth and Lord Flapoon are not good men, and they take advantage of their friendship with King Fred who is somewhat of a pushover and does not really know what is happening in his kingdom. On the other hand, the protagonists, Bert and Daisy, are brave and caring and I hoped that they would have a happy ending and be reunited with their parents who were held captive in the palace's dungeons. This book is full of twists and surprises. and I wasn't sure the monster was real or not for much of the book because it seemed like the only monster was Lord Spittleworth. Additionally, the artwork in the book is by children in the United States and Canada, who won an illustration contest Rowling ran earlier last year. The illustrations are beautiful and I loved seeing children's interpretation of the characters and settings. Anyone who is a fan of Harry Potter or fantasy will enjoy The Ickabog.