#bibliophile
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
Well then, this one has been a bookstagram darling for some time, hasn’t it? I have to be honest with you guys, I would not have picked this one up if it wasn’t our book club pick for the month. For no other reason than the fact that I have had so many books on my TBR, that I was not attracted by a YA fantasy novel. The same can be said for a lot of other YA fantasy out there (like The Shadow and Bone series, even though I adore the show).
Then of course there was the issue of some problematic information that we discovered earlier this month (via @/varnishedvalkyrie’s insta account, as well as the articles she very kindly shared with me, which I am happy to send you via DM) about where the source material came from, and how it exploits BIPOC trauma.
Given these facts, I was not keen on reading it. But a few of my friends shared how much the book meant to them, and others suggested that maybe reading the book, and then discussing it’s problematic use of the source material would make for an interesting discussion about how white authors use BIPOC histories/ stories in their work, and when it is and isn’t appropriate to do so.
So I read it, and here’s what I think. I can see why the book meant so much to my friends. The themes of found family, love and acceptance are at the heart of this book, and some moments in the book definitely made me tear up. The story is easy to read, and the characters are lovable.
It did feel a bit preachy at times, but then again, I have to remember, I am not the intended audience (age-wise) and I would definitely have appreciated this book a lot more as a young adult.
Overall I gave it 3.75 stars, and am looking forward to our discussion on Sunday
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
As Princesses of Crete and daughters of the fearsome King Minos, Ariadne and her sister Phaedra grow up hearing the hoofbeats and bellows of the Minotaur echo from the Labyrinth beneath the palace. The Minotaur - Minos’s greatest shame and Ariadne’s brother - demands blood every year.
When Theseus, Prince of Athens, arrives in Crete as a sacrifice to the beast, Ariadne falls in love with him. But helping Theseus kill the monster means betraying her family and country, and Ariadne knows only too well that in a world ruled by mercurial gods - drawing their attention can cost you everything.
In a world where women are nothing more than the pawns of powerful men, will Ariadne’s decision to betray Crete for Theseus ensure her happy ending? Or will she find herself sacrificed for her lover’s ambition?
I am not quite sure how I feel about Ariadne. Though I enjoyed the story, which is beautifully written, I found Ariadne to be quite a passive character, compared to her sister Phaedra, where I am in agreement with @writing.and.rambles’s review, that Phaedra’s story felt more compelling. I appreciated how Phaedra took more control - as much as she could - of her life in Athens, where I felt that Ariadne did not.
But it did show how the two sisters dealt with the horror and trauma of their past in different, but no less acceptable and understandable ways. I wish that the relationship of the two sisters was explored more in the book, because those where the parts which I enjoyed reading the most.
If you liked reading the Silence of the Girls, you will enjoy this book. I would give it 4 stars ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️
the world keeps on spinning
as if we’re not in it
keeps on turning
as if it does not care
and we’re just not learning
to stay at a point
-MayAPoetBe (draft)
