[image] Book: The Maiden Thief by Melissa Marr Genre: Dark Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, Young-Adult, Short Story, Feminism, Fairy Tales Retellings. Creatu[image] Book: The Maiden Thief by Melissa Marr Genre: Dark Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, Young-Adult, Short Story, Feminism, Fairy Tales Retellings. Creatures: Ahm... Non but it is still creepy without creatures in it... Age: Young-Adult, Mature. Pages: 33 pages. Format: Kindle. Publication: Published January 27th 2016 by Tor Books.
I am not much a vast reader as I used to be. I usually just read one book at a time, in my own pace. I just can't focus reading at all if can't concrete or I have things on my mind. But lately it sort of changed. I've accomplish a lot over March and now I am back to my old routine, reading new and various stories I've never consider reading before.
And if we are at it, why not something like a short story? I actually never read short stories. Why? Because I consider them shallow and boring to be completely frank here. I loath them back in middle school through high school. I just didn't like them. They was no compelling or interesting stuff to invest my time and effort on it.
However, that is not the case with the Maiden Thief by Melissa Marr.
STORY AND WORLD BUILDING: [image]
The story is open with a very somber setting. Verena, a young girl living in the remote town of Charlestown is struggling with her life. Her family is grieving over her late mother and brother's deaths. Her father is in deep depression, caring so little about anybody except the shadows of the past, leaving poor Verena and her sisters, Amina and Karis to take care of themselves.
Verena, should have kept to her own problems, but her curiosity took a bad turn getting herself fixated on the famous Maiden Thief. She starts to seek and understand why this monster is after the girls. Why does he especially target them and are they all dead? Are they still alive?
Me and my friend,
LostinFantasy
buddy read this short story together and by the end of it we couldn't stop talking about it. From the setting itself, to the Maiden thief himself, Melissa Marr just got us inside this world right from the beginning.
Right away from reading this story you can tell it will leave you with something to remember by. In this case, it left me with so much wanting to know more, about the Maiden Thief, about the symbolism in the story about everything!
The world building alongside the story works well, giving a unique dark tale of a new reimagined Bluebeard with a spectacular squeamish delightby the middle to the end. Everything about it is breathtaking, there was so much moments in story I just couldn't stop reading, even if it was highly uncomfortablein some areas.
But despite my preaching about how wonderful this story is crafted it does have one fault. IT IS A SHORT STORY!
I mean, why make this story a short story when it could have been much well developed into a stand alone novel? It is so unfair. This story has such potential but because of it's shortness it just... Okay. Melissa Marr could had took this story and polish a bit better like with a few nitpicks, give more to our well nice evil villain, and shed more light to Verena's family making even more the tragedy better. But that's fine. Sometimes some stories worked better in a short number of pages...
CHARACTERS: [image]
"The death of my sister has changed me, but half a year later, spring still comes, and with it, my old habits start to return. I cannot help but look for the bones of the dead in the freshly turned soil."
Verena is the type of character I immediately fond of. She has depth, she has history, she has mundane problems like how her family is going to survive the month financially to the people staring at her, pitying her in her newest status quo to basically living by the days. She is smart but her curiosity is her biggest flaw because of it she screw her family over by messing with the Maiden Thief. It so refreshing to see, slowly throughout the story how she enduring this, both emotionally and physically.
Verena is worth reading this story for. She a magnificent well rounded character that gained a marvelous character development. She finally steps out of her circle of torment and facing her demons head on. Sure the road is full of thorns but you cannot escape it without a few bruises and cuts along the way.
There aren't much characters in this story but I don't want to fully spoil the story, but it is so nice that Mrs. Marr shed some light on her family as well as her main protagonist. From her love and optimistic, Karis, to her matured elegant wise Amina, to their father, the sad sob who you either going to feel sorry for or in my case loath the bastard...
You can defiantly appreciate this story more with those characters and what they are facing with their everyday life. From the constant disappearance of the poor girls the Maiden Thief captures, to an ordinary problem like their family drama.
Oh and by the way, the villain is magnificent. I am so happy I finally got some decent, creepy and monstrous fiend to hate and with a good reason.
WRITING & PACING:
If there is one thing I adore about Melissa Marr's Maiden Thief, is how she wrote it. She gives us small bread crumbs worth following throughout the beginning. From the somber atmosphere, to the hush-hush tale of the Maiden Thief, to Verena's family drama. It all works well with her slow pacing mixed with her simplistic yet realistic writing.
She manages to capture you with this bait, the first sentence of the story and from there on you are hooked for more. You just want to dive even deeper in the story and see how far will it take you in it's mysterious and emotional premise.
There are several moments in the story I simply cannot believe she could have gone through writing them without taking a break realizing what she has created. I did mention it was pretty... Gory sometimes, and freaky but I never fathom she will go so far to certain aspects of the Bluebeard fairy tale and twist it to her own amusement. It is so nice to read such a nice short unsettling experience sometimes~
But sure, Melissa Marr writes incredibly well, able to present the story just fine it does suffer with one quality. It is written to shortly. There is just this sour taste by the end of the story you just can't shake off. Like you finally finished this puzzle piece you have constantly trying to figure out but you just cannot understand what's wrong with it.
OVERROLL: [image]
The Maiden Thief is a good short story you should read. Not because I am telling you to. No. It is because it's a story you must read, experience and then understand it fully to comprehend this creepy yet beautifully written story. From Verena's wonderfully rounded flawed character to the setting, to the breathtaking story to the ups and downs, all of it is worth reading it. And it is only 33 pages, you can finish this story in about... Let me think... An half hour, maybe even an hour top if you are out of focus. Plus it is free on Tor.com, but if you'd like to support the author, buy the story. That's what I did~
So yeah, go check it out. It will be an experience you'll never forgot :D
Merged review:
[image] Book: The Maiden Thief by Melissa Marr Genre: Dark Fantasy, Adventure, Horror, Young-Adult, Short Story, Feminism, Fairy Tales Retellings. Creatures: Ahm... Non but it is still creepy without creatures in it... Age: Young-Adult, Mature. Pages: 33 pages. Format: Kindle. Publication: Published January 27th 2016 by Tor Books.
I am not much a vast reader as I used to be. I usually just read one book at a time, in my own pace. I just can't focus reading at all if can't concrete or I have things on my mind. But lately it sort of changed. I've accomplish a lot over March and now I am back to my old routine, reading new and various stories I've never consider reading before.
And if we are at it, why not something like a short story? I actually never read short stories. Why? Because I consider them shallow and boring to be completely frank here. I loath them back in middle school through high school. I just didn't like them. They was no compelling or interesting stuff to invest my time and effort on it.
However, that is not the case with the Maiden Thief by Melissa Marr.
STORY AND WORLD BUILDING: [image]
The story is open with a very somber setting. Verena, a young girl living in the remote town of Charlestown is struggling with her life. Her family is grieving over her late mother and brother's deaths. Her father is in deep depression, caring so little about anybody except the shadows of the past, leaving poor Verena and her sisters, Amina and Karis to take care of themselves.
Verena, should have kept to her own problems, but her curiosity took a bad turn getting herself fixated on the famous Maiden Thief. She starts to seek and understand why this monster is after the girls. Why does he especially target them and are they all dead? Are they still alive?
Me and my friend,
LostinFantasy
buddy read this short story together and by the end of it we couldn't stop talking about it. From the setting itself, to the Maiden thief himself, Melissa Marr just got us inside this world right from the beginning.
Right away from reading this story you can tell it will leave you with something to remember by. In this case, it left me with so much wanting to know more, about the Maiden Thief, about the symbolism in the story about everything!
The world building alongside the story works well, giving a unique dark tale of a new reimagined Bluebeard with a spectacular squeamish delightby the middle to the end. Everything about it is breathtaking, there was so much moments in story I just couldn't stop reading, even if it was highly uncomfortablein some areas.
But despite my preaching about how wonderful this story is crafted it does have one fault. IT IS A SHORT STORY!
I mean, why make this story a short story when it could have been much well developed into a stand alone novel? It is so unfair. This story has such potential but because of it's shortness it just... Okay. Melissa Marr could had took this story and polish a bit better like with a few nitpicks, give more to our well nice evil villain, and shed more light to Verena's family making even more the tragedy better. But that's fine. Sometimes some stories worked better in a short number of pages...
CHARACTERS: [image]
"The death of my sister has changed me, but half a year later, spring still comes, and with it, my old habits start to return. I cannot help but look for the bones of the dead in the freshly turned soil."
Verena is the type of character I immediately fond of. She has depth, she has history, she has mundane problems like how her family is going to survive the month financially to the people staring at her, pitying her in her newest status quo to basically living by the days. She is smart but her curiosity is her biggest flaw because of it she screw her family over by messing with the Maiden Thief. It so refreshing to see, slowly throughout the story how she enduring this, both emotionally and physically.
Verena is worth reading this story for. She a magnificent well rounded character that gained a marvelous character development. She finally steps out of her circle of torment and facing her demons head on. Sure the road is full of thorns but you cannot escape it without a few bruises and cuts along the way.
There aren't much characters in this story but I don't want to fully spoil the story, but it is so nice that Mrs. Marr shed some light on her family as well as her main protagonist. From her love and optimistic, Karis, to her matured elegant wise Amina, to their father, the sad sob who you either going to feel sorry for or in my case loath the bastard...
You can defiantly appreciate this story more with those characters and what they are facing with their everyday life. From the constant disappearance of the poor girls the Maiden Thief captures, to an ordinary problem like their family drama.
Oh and by the way, the villain is magnificent. I am so happy I finally got some decent, creepy and monstrous fiend to hate and with a good reason.
WRITING & PACING:
If there is one thing I adore about Melissa Marr's Maiden Thief, is how she wrote it. She gives us small bread crumbs worth following throughout the beginning. From the somber atmosphere, to the hush-hush tale of the Maiden Thief, to Verena's family drama. It all works well with her slow pacing mixed with her simplistic yet realistic writing.
She manages to capture you with this bait, the first sentence of the story and from there on you are hooked for more. You just want to dive even deeper in the story and see how far will it take you in it's mysterious and emotional premise.
There are several moments in the story I simply cannot believe she could have gone through writing them without taking a break realizing what she has created. I did mention it was pretty... Gory sometimes, and freaky but I never fathom she will go so far to certain aspects of the Bluebeard fairy tale and twist it to her own amusement. It is so nice to read such a nice short unsettling experience sometimes~
But sure, Melissa Marr writes incredibly well, able to present the story just fine it does suffer with one quality. It is written to shortly. There is just this sour taste by the end of the story you just can't shake off. Like you finally finished this puzzle piece you have constantly trying to figure out but you just cannot understand what's wrong with it.
OVERROLL: [image]
The Maiden Thief is a good short story you should read. Not because I am telling you to. No. It is because it's a story you must read, experience and then understand it fully to comprehend this creepy yet beautifully written story. From Verena's wonderfully rounded flawed character to the setting, to the breathtaking story to the ups and downs, all of it is worth reading it. And it is only 33 pages, you can finish this story in about... Let me think... An half hour, maybe even an hour top if you are out of focus. Plus it is free on Tor.com, but if you'd like to support the author, buy the story. That's what I did~
So yeah, go check it out. It will be an experience you'll never forgot :D...more
"I think anything is worth protecting the people you love."
Not a lot of books, especially debuts can leave such a memorable impression on me. It depends really on my journey with the story and receiving this book during the time my sister was hospitalized helped a lot. A Song of Wraiths and Ruin is a fabulous new Duology , the second installment coming shortly in 2021, and Roseanne A. Brown written such a fresh new story that I hope nobody will sleep on it. It has everything you'd want in a YA Fantasy, intriguing world, politics, rich and thoughtful magic system, a tournament, feelings to hurt us, great cast of characters and representation of black and biracial leads , gods and African mythology.
"He would have taken death a thousand times over if it meant his sister could live."
Karina and Malik are such polar opposites of one another that they mirror each other like the moon and the sun. Karina is dealing with the reminder that everyone would had prefer she was the one who died in that fire instead of her sister, the better sister and her father while Malik is seeing and hearing things and naivety will probably be the death of everyone around him. Both are incapable of facing their problem in the beginning of the novel, Karina abuses her sorrow through exposing herself to danger and alcohol consumption and Malik hafta make a deal with a dark spirit to reclaim back his sister but has to kill someone in cold blood and that's far behind his capabilities. I just love those two kids, Karina mourning and embracing finally her destiny as a princess and realizing that she might not be the right one for the job of protecting her country but god dammit she will do her best regardless of what everyone assumes of her reputation and Malik entering this world that would rather see him gone rise high and fulfill his promise at all costs even if it burns everything.
"Do not underestimate the strength it takes to be kind in a world as cruel as ours."
Roseanne decides to approach this story and sure it is a fantasy story but it is much more then that. In my opinion it deals with dynamics and complexity of family, the repercussions of loss and what it means to those that are left behind, mental health representations with both our leads, Malik with his anxiety and panic attacks and Karina never ceasing chronic episodes that has barley any solution and growth as a person. This author is not kind to our protagonists or anybody but she isn't cruel either, she wants them to mature through their own means, to teach them and us that no matter how impossible the path ahead of us is we can succeed if we just try. I love her for writing this beautiful story. I can't wait for A Psalm of Storms and Silence because I don't know how she's going to end this ballad. If my review convinced you even a little bit, give it a try, purchase a copy or loan it from the library, it is worth it!
Is it Diverse? Black and biracial leads, West African mythology, Mental Health representations....more
“If I was asked, ‘Why do you go on journeys?� I would answer, ‘I go on joWarnings:(view spoiler)[ Violence, Child Abuse, War, Gore (hide spoiler)]
“If I was asked, ‘Why do you go on journeys?� I would answer, ‘I go on journeys because I’m a traveler�.�
One of my first anime introductions back in the early 2000's was a variety of shows such as Fruit Basket, Clannad, Sakura Card Captor, Cowboy Bepop and then there was one that stood above the others. Kino's Journey Into the Beautiful World by Keiichi Sigsawa originally one of the first Light Novels series that got serialized and popularized the genre next to Boogiepop got adapted into an anime series and slowly gained a cult following and anime favorite among fans for its somber isolated atmosphere, memorable philosophical questions and one of the best anime protagonists you saw in ages. When I heard Kino's Journey was getting a new anime series and a Manga series I was quite hesitant due to how personally attached I am to this story. Kino's helped me a lot during my childhood and taught me how to behave in this world and I couldn't fathom a remake recapturing that magic. Thankfully with its first manga I am happy to announced it did it justice.
The story is set in a distance future where the world has numerous lands, kingdoms and many queer places that our traveler, Kino's and his Motorrad, Hermes visiting from time to time, unintentionally tangling themselves into the dangerous misadventures. What I always loved about the series was the state of the world, how lonely it can be. The places Kino adventured are complicated and emotionally draining sometimes, the perfect fictional work for my Dystopian junkie heart. Iruka Shiomiya the artist for this new adaption captures this feelings marvelously. From Kino's sad past and into their journey, the human psyche being undeniably fractured and presented with their drawings, and how alive everything is presented that you can't but feel like you are a part of it too, joining Kino's story. However, if I got one compliment is that, the characters designs are different and more modernized then what Kouhaku Kuroboshi, the original illustrator constructed but it ain't bad. I'm curious to see Shiomiya other characters designs comes to life, especially, Sensei's character.
You have to do yourself a favor and give Kino's Journey a try. It is available in so many different formats, from the original light novels series, to the early anime adaption (which is honestly one of the best anime series out there to date and you should all give it a watch) the newer adaption that's currently on Cruncyroll and now this little nifty manga series. Regardless of what you choose what matters is that you'd enjoy the journey into this beautiful world, just like I did :)...more
There was nothing quite like the first tick of a new heart.
For awhile now I've been reading a lot of science fiction books with interesting ideas at how humanity expanded to the stars. I've barley read enough queer books and as a gay man I am deeply ashamed of it. So imagine my relief when a friend over at twitter recommended this book and it was the book I needed with a genre I love and a piece of representation in young adult genre. I was not wronged and infact I don't think I'll be able to forget Tarnished are the Stars for a very long time.
Anna was a trained mechanic. She was a good mechanic. Most everyone in Mechan needed tech to live but preferredto be ignorant of its functionality. Maybe it was better they didn't know the fragility of their clockwork hearts. He wasn't wrong. But he wasn't exactly right, either. "Fixing machinery is saving lives."
Deirdre-Anna lives in Mechan, a little settlement on Earth-Adjacent, where humanity after earth got destroyed traveled to the stars in hoping of finding a new planet and terraform it to become their new home. Sadly living in Earth-Adjacent isn't all flowers and daises, people are getting sick with a mysterious heart disease called Tarnish. Live couldn't be any worse, except technology is heavily limited and prohibited by the law. Anna secretly works her best with her grandfather Thatcher to provide new mechanical hearts for those who are afflicted, installed prosthetic or make living a little bit better who those who need the reliance of technology to survive. Anna is immediately likable protagonist but reckless. I love her a lot and through her you experience the world in a very believable way.
Disloyal and dishonorable he might be, but he was also determined. He would become an expert, and he would show the Commissioner that he-- Nathaniel, the frail boy who'd failed him over and over again-- was truly the very best among them.
Nathaniel Fremont is such a soft little boy. Living in his father's shadow, the Commissioner's Earth-Adjacent, and being disappointment terrorizes him his entire life. He can't seems to live to his father's exceptions and nor can hide their terrible secret that Nathaniel has a mechanical heart, the very thing his father is appealed and fights against on a daily basic. When word gets out the Technician, once again, escaped capture and continuing his forbidden work on human-augmentation. Nathaniel finds the perfect way to win his father's love and respect. He'd succeeded where everyone else failed before him. Nathaniel is one that grows so much throughout the book and you can't but admire how a sheltered boy becomes this self-confident young man who's no longer require anyone's opinion or acceptance.
If Nathaniel was a rusty blade, unpracticed and unfocused, she'd teach him to be sharp, then guide him straight through his father's heart to take his place. The Queen needed something from the Commissioner, and if this one would not bend, she'd make sure the next one would.
Eliza is the Queen's eyes, her blade, her limbs, her spy. She'd do whatever the Queen requires of her. She'd sacrifice anything, including her own feelings to achieve her dream to inherit the throne. Eliza is probably my favorite of all the three. She's ambitious, calculated, hilarious and full of so much hidden emotions underneath her determination to win the Queen's approval and her place at her side. You aren't certain if she'd truly stay at her side, allied with Anna and Nathaniel or use them for her own plans. She's such a perfect complex layered character that I love. In a way she kinda reminds me of Holland from Shades of Magic but without the blood magic and no scoffing.
"Maybe not all tech," he murmured at last, a whisper he'd never repeat. "Not all tech?" Anna asked incredulously. "So what tech is acceptable? Should I deny an armless boy a prosthetic arm? What about my client who can't walk without a metal leg? Or you? Whose request should I deny? The settlement won't help you, with or without tech, so where do i draw the line? Or is that privilegereserved only for the wealthy?"
I think the world building and the discussion of technology and it's usage is and how it comes to play with both the plot and the characters. Anna makes a valuable point that technology is needed to help people and how those in power abuse that in their favor and still discriminate against disabled people. It struck so real to me because I've seen it multiple times in life with some of my co workers who were mentally-ill or with autism, individuals back in my army days with cerebral palsy or paralyzed with their legs and how awful people treated them. Rosiee does excellent job not only with discussion about the proper management of technology but with its queer representation like I never seen before in a book. The characters are not define by their sexuality or their attraction but I love how Eliza explained to Nathaniel the basics of it and I wished when I was at his age would had the same talk about it. It would had helped me tremendously. The writing and pacing is excellent, and the romance is just what I love, slow, obvious attraction on both sides and feelings getting in the way.
If you want a good science-fiction standalone book with LGBTQ+ content then look no further and purchasea copy of Tarnished Are The Stars. You'd not regret it :)...more
Peter Pan is a classic story for many reasons. It’s heartwarming, intriguing and sometimes downright sad. I can’t believe how brilliantly the audible oPeter Pan is a classic story for many reasons. It’s heartwarming, intriguing and sometimes downright sad. I can’t believe how brilliantly the audible original productions managed to stay true to J.M. Barrie vision and yet provide so much content. It was an amazing audio drama. The cast was superb, the soundtrack is so detailed and you can’t stop listening. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to give Peter Pan a chance but don’t have the patience to read :)...more
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