Top 5 Fantasy Creatures

*Note* Top 5 Wednesdayis a Goodreads group where blogger/vloggers post about a bookish topic every Wednesday. You can check it out right here. https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/118368-top-5-wednesday

     Although this week’s topic is monsters, I decided not to feature spooky or scary creatures. Why? Because I am a skittish young woman who still can’t even read the synopsis of a horror novel without getting nightmares. However, that isn’t to say I don’t like any fictional creatures at all, just the ones that keep me up at night. As a self-proclaimed folklore expert* I enjoy looking into fantasy creatures and the culture that imagined them.

 Centaurs

  I find the concept of a centaur as something so ridiculous I have to like it. It’s a man with horse legs! Also, centaurs have two ribcages. Which would mean centaurs have two hearts. Therefore, centaurs are time lords. 

Wild Haggis

     A creature living in the highlands of Scotland. Satirically it is referred as the source of haggis a traditional dish in Scotland that I have no intention of trying any time soon. However, the wild haggis is just too cute for me not to love. They either have a longer set of right legs or a longer set of left legs so that they can walk perfectly balanced on the uneven hills in which they live.   

Mermaids 

     What I love about mermaids is that they appear in the folklore of almost every continent. Mermaids are also associated with peril at seas, flood, and pretty much every other disaster that resulted in water going out of control. Other traditions present mermaids as the bringers of good fortune.

 Unicorns 

     In medieval-European folklore, a unicorn wasn’t strictly a horse with a horn. According to tradition, a unicorn was a wild, often white, four-legged creature that looked kind of like a cross between a goat and a horse. Describing unicorns like that make them sound goofy, but unicorns were symbols of grace and purity. Their horns were said to be capable of healing sickness and removing impurities from water! 

                                                                                           Phoenix 

     Not the X-man or the capital of Arizona. A phoenix is a bird that dies in a burst of roaring fire and returns from the ashes. If that isn’t hardcore then I don’t know what is. In traditional art, the Phoenix is often depicted with a halo as the bird is associated with the sun. However, there is no consensus on what color a phoenix should be, but many speculations say the phoenix’s coloring makes it stand out from other birds. Given its ability to regenerate, the phoenix is a symbol of renewal, resurrection, and even Christ. 

*Note* I do not have a bachelor’s degree nor have I ever taken a class on folklore. All my knowledge of oral traditions is based on my own imperfect research. 

Wonder Woman: Warbringer

The Warbringer

      Word of advice, do not watch the Wonder Woman movie and read this book immediately afterwards. Otherwise, your expectations will fall from the moon to the abyss of the Pacific Ocean. 

     I was introduced to Wonder Woman by my mother through the Linda Charter TV series that aired when my mother was a child. I’ll admit the show is cheesy and hasn’t aged the best, but it’s still an enjoyable watch. This book on the other hand, sapped all enjoyment for me before I was even half way through. 

     The story opens with Diana preparing for a race on her home island of Themyscira. While running, she notices a ship wreak and decides to throw the race and help. This is where our other protagonist, Alia, is introduced. Diana learns that Alia is a descendent of Helen of Troy making her a warbringer. In short wherever Alia goes trouble follows. There are people out to kill Alia lest a global conflict emerges. However, Dianna is determined to find a way to end the warbringer line without Alia’s premature death. 

     The time Dianna and Alia spend on Themyscira is my favorite part of the book. Detail is given to each Amazon, and there is plenty of world building focused on the Amazonian culture. I loved Alia’s bewilderment of the world she literally washed up on, and her reaction to learning she was a warbringer. However, after the duo departs into the outside world, is where the plot begins to fray. 

   Following the escape from Themyscira, Dianna and Alia arrive in New York City. They meet up with Alia’s brother, Jason, in a hotel, a humorous scene where I laughed quite a bit. Jason takes Alia home where he announces Alia has to attend some gala he’s hosting for his business. Alia then has her best friend over and a chapter is spent on getting dressed up for the gala. This is where I knew I wasn’t going to like this book nearly as much as I expected to.  The gala felt very misplaced in a book like this. I thought this novel was supposed to be a superhero adventure, not a chick-flick. I want to Wonder Woman deflecting bullets with her bracelets, not styling her hair for prom. I hoped the plot would develop more after the dance, but I was still unimpressed. 

     Most of the book follows Dianna and co’ on their journey to Greece so they can end the warbringer line once and for all. There are people who want to kill Alia, there is a deadline to reach the spring, and apparently there is a war on the way. We don’t actually get to see the war though. Jason shows Alia some news feeds and they see soldiers walking around New York City, but that’s the only hint we get that there is any international conflict.

    At the very beginning of the book, Dianna decides to leave Themyscira, the threat feels very real to her because her sisters and best friend are all falling ill. We know that if Dianna takes, Alia, the outsider she brought onto the island, away from it, her sisters should recover. However, the larger threat of WWIII doesn’t feel nearly as urgent as the sick Amazons. I believe this is the results of the war not directly affecting the main cast. This problem could have been fixed. Alia could’ve witness protest that turn violent while in NYC. The group could’ve met up with refugees. The characters could’ve been aware with sudden tensions between nations.

     When I first opened this book, I assumed I was going to love it. It’s a novel about Wonder Woman. Why wouldn’t I? However, the annoying side characters, sloppy development of the titular Warbringer, and the unnecessary chick-flick scenes greatly disappointed me. 

More Loose Threads than my First Attempt at Embroidery

*Warning* This review is for the third book in a trilogy. Consequently, the content of this review will have spoilers for the previous two books

     Although they have their faults, I love the first two books in The Lone City Trilogy and consider them my favorite YA Dystopian books.  I put off reading The Black Key for longer than I care to admit, but I wanted to enjoy the story uninterrupted so I waited until vacation. Was it worth the wait? Well, the first two-thirds was. 

     The first chapter where Violet and Raven visit the holding facilities to rally together surrogates to their cause gave me goosebumps. I loved how Violet goes undercover to the house of the lake to find Hazel. I love how others are inspired by Violet. However, this book begins to crash about ¾ of the way through. The ending was faster than an Olympic sprinter with more loose threads than my first attempt at embroidery. Many Important plot elements were left with little to no resolution whatsoever. 

      In the first book of the trilogy were learn that childbirth kills surrogates. Violet is friends with, Lily, a pregnant surrogate from the bank, who appeared in the first two books. Lily is mentioned at the beginning of The Black Key but never appears. Normally a simple mention would be enough for me, but it was how Lilly was mentioned. Violet says she is going to save Lily’s life. 

     What to do about the surrogates who are already pregnant is a huge moral dilemma that actually rings true to reality. I spent five hundred pages holding my breath waiting to see how the author chose to address this issue. *Spoiler* After the Society of the Black Key succeeds in their revolution, they don’t mention the pregnant surrogates at all. Shouldn’t this be high on the new government’s priority list? I know this is a delicate topic and it would probably affect sales if the author took a side, but literature is supposed to challenge the reader! *End Spoiler* 

     Another missed opportunity occurring at the “climax” of The Black Key was the consequences to some of Violet’s actions. She makes some decisions in the heat of the moment with disastrous results. However, Violet doesn’t have to face these consequences because they weren’t really her fault so life goes on as usual. *Spoiler* The night before the auction Violet shatters a key in a mirror at the Extor’s palace. Lucien is discovered as the lead of the Black Key Society because of it and is executed. I liked how Violet’s acting on emotion got her into trouble. However, I don’t appreciate Ash telling Violet it’s not her fault because she didn’t know the Royals would connect her breaking the mirrors with Lucien’s involvement in the Black Key. Having Violet immediately drop all guilt over Lucien’s death nulls the entire reason for killing him in the first place. Character death should have lasting consequences, but everything mostly goes to plan without Lucien! Why get rid of him if it doesn’t permanently affect the narrative other than having some characters be sad for two pages? *End Spoiler*

     The lone city and the rule of the nobility is the only system of government these people have known for hundreds of years. History has shown us one system cannot be overthrown without a new one to take its place. Otherwise, there would be great chaos and perhaps another war. Towards the middle of the book Violet discusses with Lucien what will the government look like if their revolution succeeds. Lucien admits he would like a democratic form of government, but others would want revenge on the royalty. How does The Society of the Black Key resolve this issue? *Spoilers* At the end of the book, the establishment of a new system of government is described in three sentences. “There is a meeting held that night about what to do with the remaining royals. Many, as Lucien had said, want executions across the board. Others, like Sil, insist the royals should pay with hard labor” (pg. 286). This isn’t enough. *End of Spoilers* A complete turnover of the current government isn’t an easy DIY task. It requires collaboration, time, arguments, and struggle. I cannot bring myself to believe things are going to turn out well for the lone city after the revolution with what little I saw of its development. 

     It’s painful not to enjoy the last taste I have of a series when the bites before it were so good. What bothers me the most about this book is that it could’ve been better if there was more time given to work certain parts out, like what to do with the Pregnant surrogates, or who establishes the new government.