Showing posts with label nun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nun. Show all posts

Monday, July 20, 2020

Book Review - Belladonna by Anbara Salam

Photo Credit - Amazon
Isabella is the beloved popular girl that everyone wants to befriend. Bridget, her best friend, is the exact opposite of each other. Bridget keeps to herself but, she watches everyone, especially Isabella.
The girls graduate school and land spots in a coveted art school in Northern Italy. The Accademia di Belle Arti di Pentila is housed in a silent nun convent. The duo was happy to be away from their family and have their freedom.  Bridget is happy because she is free to reinvent herself and no one will discriminate her for being an outsider due to her Egyptian roots.

I thought this novel moved very slowly and was boring. I didn't take an interest in any of the characters. I felt like Bridget only cared about herself and Isabella. She showed very little regard for other people. Isabelle was just using Bridget as a pawn in her own little game. I feel like the author could have gone into more details for some things especially, Bridget's family.


**Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Book Review - Queen of the Sea by Dylan Meconis + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon


Queen Eleanor of Albion is exiled to a small coastal island when her sister seizes the throne from her. The only inhabitants of the islands are nuns of a convent who spend their days peacefully trying to survive. However, the island is home to a mysterious orphan named Margaret. Margaret's life is turned upside down when the new visitor arrives.

As time passes, Eleanor and Margaret grow closer until Margaret finds out about the true purpose of the island and the truth of her own past. When Eleanor's safety is threatened, Margaret is faced with helping Eleanor or protecting herself. Will Margaret help Eleanor if it means risking her own life?

The beautifully drawn novel is a fictionalized history of  Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary. I found the book to be an entertaining read but, I was a bit disappointed that the novel left off on a cliffhanger. I felt that the book had a lot of filler and could have fit more of the story. However, I am looking forward to reading the continuation of the series.


 **Disclosure - I received a free  copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**



Age Range: 10 - 14 years
Grade Level: 5 - 9
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Walker Books US (June 25, 2019)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1536204986
ISBN-13: 978-1536204988


Praise for QUEEN OF THE SEA

The art, reminiscent of Raina Telgemeier’s style, creates levity during perilous situations. The book is dense with dialogue, often feeling more like a work of prose than a graphic novel. As a result, this complex work will be more accessible to those familiar with graphic novels…Certain to charm sophisticated graphic novel devotees. —School Library Journal (starred review)

Meconis offers an atmospheric alternate history inspired by the childhood and succession of Queen Elizabeth I in this quietly ambitious graphic novel…Art in soft, earthy colors brings this singular story to life in styles ranging from simple line drawings to elaborately styled text illuminations. The island world is richly developed, both in its physical particulars and its close-knit community (fascinating digressions into topics such as convent time, hand gestures used at table, and chess and embroidery flesh out daily life), and Margaret proves herself an endearing heroine with a strong voice full of humor and wonder. Her perspective transforms a storm-wracked rock into a vibrant world of hidden treasures. —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Meconis’ humor and storytelling gifts here wed seamlessly with her evocative pen-and-ink and gouache illustrations, which are rendered in warm earth and sea tones and brim with movement, expressively capturing even Margaret’s interior monologues. With its compelling, complex characters and intrigue-laden plot, this will have readers hoping it’s only the first of many adventures for Meconis’ savvy heroine. —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Weaving faith, love, statecraft, and self-discovery into a tale of palace intrigue relocated to the halls of a convent on a remote island at sea, Dylan Meconis uses the trappings of the history we know to create a high-stakes adventure in an alternate past that feels so detailed and so familiar, you’ll find yourself wondering why you never read about it in school. This beautiful book swept me away from the first page.” —Kate Milford, author of the Greenglass House series

“Dylan Meconis is at the absolute top of her game. A gorgeously rendered, lovingly realized alternate history, full of personal revelations in the midst of political intrigue. A tale of growing up, and of understanding that the world is larger and stranger than it once seemed. (Plus it has a Terrible Recipe for Terrible Gruel.)” —Ben Hatke, author-illustrator of the Zita the Spacegirl series

“This is the book I was always trying to get my hands on in high school that never seemed to materialize. An adventure to lose yourself in, with an attention to historical detail to please the nerdiest among us. I fell easily and completely into this world and its characters, knowing I was safe in Dylan Meconis’s hands, and I’m really excited for more people to find out what I’ve known for a long time—that she is one of a kind.” —Kate Beaton, author-illustrator of Hark! A Vagrant

Cult graphic novelist Dylan Meconis offers a rich reimagining of history in this hybrid novel loosely based on the exile of Queen Elizabeth I by her sister, Queen Mary.

When her sister seizes the throne, Queen Eleanor of Albion is banished to a tiny island off the coast of her kingdom, where the nuns of the convent spend their days peacefully praying, sewing, and gardening. But the island is also home to Margaret, a mysterious young orphan girl whose life is upturned when the cold, regal stranger arrives. As Margaret grows closer to Eleanor, she grapples with the revelation of the island’s sinister true purpose as well as the truth of her own past. When Eleanor’s life is threatened, Margaret is faced with a perilous choice between helping Eleanor and protecting herself.

You can purchase Queen of the Sea at the following Retailers:
        

Photo Content from Dylan Meconis

I’ve been writing and illustrating my own stories since the first grade, and I’ve been making comic books since middle school (no, really! Seventh grade was a tough year for me socially, so I had a lot of time to draw). I started my first book-length comic (graphic novel) in high school.

Unlike a lot of people who become professional artists and authors, I didn’t go to art school or a creative writing program in college. Instead, I mostly studied history, literature, philosophy, and French in the College of Letters at Wesleyan University. This means I have a brain full of weird facts, old books, strange art, and the extremely useful ability to read The Tales of Canterbury in the original Middle English. Except for the Middle English bit, it’s all come in very handy for writing and drawing historical fiction and fantasy.

I first started to get paid for making comics when I was still in college, when my first graphic novel was published online. After college, I worked as a graphic designer and visual communications consultant (which means “person who helps teach adults complicated stuff in cool new ways using pictures”). I’ve worked with Fortune 500 companies, global charities, technology companies, libraries, and a lot of other interesting organizations. I’ve made illustrations, animations, information graphics and cool presentations, explaining everything from how microchips work to the ways that clean drinking water can help communities in the third world.

For the last ten years, though, I mostly work as a writer, comic book creator and illustrator! Sometimes I make books totally by myself, and sometimes I get to team up with other writers or artists. It can be lots of fun, but it can also be very hard work. Luckily, I never get tired of making new stories.


        
WEEK ONE
JUNE 24th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW
JUNE 25th TUESDAY A Dream Within A Dream TENS LIST
JUNE 26th WEDNESDAY BookHounds YA REVIEW & INTERVIEW 
JUNE 26th WEDNESDAY Triquetra Reviews EXCERPT
JUNE 28th THURSDAY Cover2CoverBlog REVIEW
JUNE 27th THURSDAY Wishful Endings FILL IN THE BLANKS
JUNE 28th THURSDAY TTC Books and More TENS LIST
JUNE 29th FRIDAY Movies, Shows, & Books EXCERPT 

WEEK TWO
JULY 1st MONDAY Nay's Pink Bookshelf REVIEW
JULY 2nd TUESDAY Book Queen Reviews REVIEW 
JULY 3rd WEDNESDAY Sabrina's Paranormal Palace REVIEW
JULY 3rd WEDNESDAY Two Points of Interest REVIEW
JULY 4th THURSDAY Wonder Struck REVIEW
JULY 4th THURSDAY Such a Novel Idea REVIEW & PLAYLIST
JULY 5th FRIDAY Bri's Book Nook REVIEW
JULY 5th FRIDAY Crossroad Reviews REVIEW

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Friday, July 1, 2016

Book Review - Sister Eve and the Blue Nun by Lynne Hinton

Photo Credit - Amazon
While visiting her old monastery for a speaking convention on the Blue Nun, Sister Eve comes across a murder at the monastery. Sister Eve is a private detective with the uncanny ability to solve murder and she takes on the case when the victim is the sister of her friend. She must prove that the young monk isn't the killer when all the evidence points to him and he disappears. On her journey, Sister Eve is debating whether or not she should continue the life of the cloth or become a private detective with her dad.

The book was an interesting read but I can't say I am a big fan of it. The main character's father seemed sexist and the nun herself  has questionable values. The characters don't really seem believable and most of the book was a bit of fluff. Only towards the end you really find any of the excitement but it wasn't enough to redeem the book. Also, she can't really claim herself a detective since she had no clues to actually point to anything related to the murder other than one thing a person had said.

**Disclosure - I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review**