Book Review: Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan (spoiler filled review)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Daughter of the Deep by Rick Riordan, which I finished reading earlier this week. 

This review will be partly spoiler free, however there will be a spoiler section toward the end of this review.

Let's get into the review!

Daughter of the Deep is a Middle Grade/YA novel that follows Ana Dakkar, a freshman at Harding-Pencroft Academy (HP for short). This book is inspired by 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne. 

I loved every single character in this book. 

This story is told from 1st person point-of-view from Ana's perspective. 

This book has a pretty diverse cast. Ana, the protagonist, is of Indian descent and follows Hinduism. Gemini Twain, prefect of House Shark, is a Black Mormon. One of Ana's best friends, Nelinha da Silva, is Brazilian. Ana's other best friend, Ester Harding, is autistic, has an anxiety disorder, and has an emotional support dog named Top. 

💥🔥SPOILER ALERT🔥💥
Anything below this is a spoiler
You have been warned

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I absolutely loved the characters in this story, particularly Ana, Gemini, and Franklin. Gemini was probably my second favorite character after Ana. I loved the way Ana's and Gemini's friendship formed and developed from the beginning of the novel to the end of it.

I also loved the character descriptions. I tend to have a hard time imagining characters and imagining scenes, so the description of Gemini looking like Miles Morales really helped, seeing as I know what Miles Morales looks like.

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I hated the ending. It was bad and tragic, and I didn't like it. I know that in real life, many children with medical conditions die. I know that. I just didn't like how it happened randomly. There was buildup, but at the same time, there wasn't. 

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✔👍SPOILERS OVER👍✔

Overall, I loved Daughter of the Deep. I rated it 5 out of 5 stars on my Goodreads. It was fantastic, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who loves Rick Riordan books or books with aquatic/marine themes. I loved these characters, and I loved the plot. This is definitely the best book I've read so far this year.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, which I read last year.

Let's get into the review!

A Princess of Mars is the first book in the Barsoom/Mars/John Carter of Mars series. Edgar Rice Burroughs is a classic author, also having written Tarzan of the Apes, which I have not read this. A Princess of Mars follows John Carter, a Civil War veteran from Virginia who ends up on Barsoom/Mars. 

This book is a classic example of 20th century pulp fiction. It was originally published in a pulp magazine in July 1912, so this book is now over 100 years ago. I was quite surprised that this book is told in first-person POV by John Carter himself. 

I was also not expecting this book to go by so fast. My sister had checked this book out from our local library right before the pandemic hit. She didn't get to read it, but I did. I thought it was going to take longer than it did, but I read it in one day, taking a total of about 17 hours reading it (though I did have to take breaks during those 17 hours to eat, so it was probably closer to 14 hours). It was a very quick read.

It was enjoyable. John Carter's voice was interesting. I don't really care much for the damsel in distress trope (as I've mentioned before), which was included here. This book also had insta-love/insta-lust vibes, which I didn't too much care for either, but other than that, it was interesting.

The romance was a subplot and didn't take over the whole novel, which I appreciate since I expected a science fantasy novel. That was (for the most part) what I got.

Overall, I rated this book 4 out or 5 stars on Goodreads. As far as classics go, it wasn't my favorite. However, it was a nice quick read, and it was an enjoyable sci-fi novel.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thursday, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (spoilers for Throne of Glass)

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be doing a book review. This review is for Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas, the second book in the Throne of Glass series.

Let's get into the review!

I'm going to be honest: I don't remember this book that much. I read it in November 2020. That was a relatively long time ago, but I remember books that I've read before this one. 

Because I don't remember this book much, I am going to use the Goodreads summary for this book:

""A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.
Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for."

I can't say I'm the hugest fan of this series. I don't like Celeana all that much, and Dorian and Chaol are just okay. There isn't anything particularly interesting/spectacular about them. Dorian is a prince who likes an assassin. Chaol is a member of the king's guard who also likes said assassin, creating a love triangle of sorts (that I know is virtually nonexistent in future books as I started Heir of Fire immediately after finishing this one).

I don't know. This book just isn't that spectacular. It wasn't that memorable, I know that for sure because I would've remembered it more if it was.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

My Least Favorite Fantasy Tropes in Fiction/Media

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I'm going to be talking about my least favorite fantasy tropes in fiction/media. This is the first post with my new banner as well. These tropes aren't going to be in any particular order. 

Let's get into the post!

1. Tolkien-inspired Worlds

Technically speaking, I have nothing against Tolkien, and I will confess I have never read one of his works completely through. However, Tolkien-esque worlds constantly pop up in epic fantasy novels, and I'm honestly tired of it. I'm not saying Tolkien wasn't a good author, but aren't there other fantasy authors and ideas to get inspiration from? Last I checked, Tolkien didn't have the epic fantasy monopoly.

2. The one magical item that will either save or destroy the world

Why is it always one specific magical item? And why has the villain never thought of retrieving this item until the exact moment the hero intends to? This is just another fantasy trope that will never make sense to me.

Milestone 3: One Year of MoaA

Welcome to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today is going to be a special post. Today is the day right after Musings' 1 year anniversary. I can't believe I've already been blogging for a year. It doesn't feel like it's been that long. 

For this post, I'm going to reminiscing on day one. It's hard to believe that it's already been 5 months since I officially started this blog. 

Let's get into the post!

It's crazy how a year can just come and go. I originally did not know what to do for this post, but I have now decided. I'm the kind of person who gets bored very easily, so--for my one year anniversary--I have decided to reveal a new blog banner I created using Canva. This is going to be the image that appears at the top of every post that isn't a book or movie review. 

I think this one fully encompasses with this blog is all about. This blog is about various things. Writing, reading, dance, art, and photography. Autoimmune disease and arthritis. This blog isn't one size fits all. This is my space, full of my interests and whatever I feel like posting week to week. 

So, without further ado, here's what my new blog banner looks like:

This banner has all of my interests as well as my blog's description/tagline. I really love this banner. I love my original banner, but I've been craving one more elaborate. One that fits me more, and I really love this one. It has all of my interests. 

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

Until next time, 

Lexi K🖌

Book Review: Fifteen by Beverly Cleary

Welcome back to Musings of an Arthritic Artist! Today I am going to be doing another book review, this one a review of Fifteen by Beverly Cleary.

This review is spoiler free.

With that aside, let's get into the review!

Fifteen is about a plain girl named Jane Purdy. This is a YA first love romance novel that was written in the 1950s. Jane meets Stan Crandall, a horse meat delivery boy.

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This story was so cute. I read this back in January 2019, when I was actually 15 myself. I had been reading a different book (a Love Inspired romance), but my mother wanted me to read something about characters who were around my age instead of in their 20s so I could relate to them more. My mom and I found this one, and my mother suggested I read Fifteen. I have a feeling she suggested I read it because it's by Beverly Cleary, one of my mother's favorite childhood authors.

This was my first full dive into YA contemporary romance, and while it isn't 2000s-2020s contemporary, it is quite obvious that this would've been considered contemporary at the time if the genre had been completely around. 

While there were a few things that dated this book (rotary phones, drive-ins [I miss going to those], and small diners [few exist like the ones that did in old photos I've seen from the 50s-60s]), it was largely relatable, even for me, a homeschooled girl who has never dated in her life. I did, after all, have a major crush on a boy I was friends with during my brief voyage to 1st grade public school around my middle school age, despite not seeing him often, nor actually going to the same school he did. Because of that, I could definitely relate to some of the feelings Jane experienced.

This book was a very quick read for me. I started and finished it in the same day. The plot and writing were so engaging to me that I finished it very quickly. I remember reading this on my Amazon Fire 7 tablet in the front yard of my old house. I finished reading it that night while lying in bed. I remember sitting on the sidewalk of my old house the next day, still thinking about the book, and how much I had a crush on Stan.

It was a fun time. It was a simple time, that was a very enjoyable experience. I love this romance. I love Jane, and I love Stan.

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Overall, I really enjoyed Fifteen, and I'd definitely re-read it. It's a nice clean, first love romance that has nothing suggestive. It was a perfect read for me at the time, and it's a book I genuinely love. It's been three years since I read this book, and I still love it. I'd definitely recommend it, but it's definitely not for everyone. 

This book is very old-fashioned, but that's one of the things I found so charming about it. I do realize though, that not everyone likes old-fashioned romance and societal romantic norms.

I gave this book 5 out of 5 stars on Goodreads when I read it because I just enjoyed it that much. It was definitely worth my time.

That's it for this review! I hope you enjoyed it! 

See you Thusday, 

Lexi K🖌