In this video I unbox the May 2023 Owl Crate: Against All Odds! the book is so beautiful!!!
I hope You enjoy this video! Let me know what you think in the comments below! It would also help if you like and comment on YouTube as well!
Believed to have origins in the Northern Wei dynasty of China, the Ballad of Mulan has captured the imaginations of millions around the world. The story depicts the journey of Hua Mulan as she disguises herself as a man to take her father’s place in the Chinese army as the country fights the Rouran nomads. In some versions, she fights for many years with no one discovering her identity and declines a position of high office offered by the emperor. She retires to live with her family, only then revealing her true gender to her fellow soldiers. In other versions, she is captured by the enemy and to avoid being forced into servitude she takes her life.
Though there have been many adaptations over the years, the most well-known is the 1998 adaptation by Disney. This and the original ballad have inspired others to write their own versions of the tale or been inspired by having the element of a girl disguised as a boy for one reason or another. We will explore five book adaptations of the story in this post.
This first book recommendation has a young woman concealing her gender to better investigate why a group of bandits want her dead.
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The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only; to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.
So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. However, the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.
The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.
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I had a sister, once…
In a world ruled by fierce warrior queens, a grand empire was built upon the backs of Phoenix Riders—legendary heroes who soared through the sky on wings of fire—until a war between two sisters ripped it all apart.
“I promised her the throne would not come between us.”
Sixteen years later, Veronyka is a war orphan who dreams of becoming a Phoenix Rider from the stories of old. After a shocking betrayal from her controlling sister, Veronyka strikes out alone to find the Riders—even if that means disguising herself as a boy to join their ranks.
“But it is a fact of life that one must kill or be killed. Rule or be ruled.”
Just as Veronyka finally feels like she belongs, her sister turns up and reveals a tangled web of lies between them that will change everything. Meanwhile, the new empire has learned of the Riders’ return and intends to destroy them once and for all.
This book has a girl disguising herself as a boy to participate in a boy’s only competition for a chance at higher education.
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The task is simple: don a disguise. Survive the Labyrinth. Best the boys.
In a thrilling new fantasy from the bestselling author of the Storm Siren Trilogy, one girl makes a stand against society and enters a world made exclusively for boys.
Every year for the past fifty-four years, the residents of Pinsbury Port have received a mysterious letter inviting all eligible-aged boys to compete for an esteemed scholarship to the all-male Stemwick University. The poorer residents look to see if their names are on the list. The wealthy look to see how likely their sons are to survive. Rhen Tellur opens it to see if she can derive which substances the ink and parchment are created from, using her father’s microscope.
In the province of Caldon, where women train in wifely duties and men pursue collegiate education, sixteen-year-old Rhen Tellur wants nothing more than to become a scientist. As the poor of her seaside town fall prey to a deadly disease, she and her father work desperately to find a cure. But when her mum succumbs to it as well? Rhen decides to take the future into her own hands—through the annual all-male scholarship competition.
With her cousin, Seleni, by her side, the girls don disguises and enter Mr. Holm’s labyrinth, to best the boys and claim the scholarship prize. Not everyone is ready for a girl who doesn’t know her place. And not everyone survives the deadly maze.
This next book recommendation has the daughter of Sleeping Beauty trying to save her kingdom with the help of a cursed prince.
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Game of Thrones meets the Grimm's fairy tales in this twisted, fast-paced romantic fantasy adventure about Sleeping Beauty's daughter, a warrior princess who must fight to reclaim her throne.
Though she looks like a mere mortal, Princess Aurora is a fairy blessed with enhanced strength, bravery, and mercy yet cursed to destroy the free will of any male who kisses her. Disguised as a boy, she enlists the help of the handsome but also cursed Prince Niklaas to fight legions of evil and free her brother from the ogre queen who stole Aurora's throne ten years ago.
Will Aurora triumph over evil and reach her brother before it's too late? Can Aurora and Niklaas break the curses that will otherwise forever keep them from finding their one true love?
This last book Recommendation asks the question: What if Disney’s Mulan had to travel to the underworld?
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What if Mulan had to travel to the Underworld?
When Captain Shang is mortally wounded by Shan Yu in battle, Mulan must travel to the Underworld, Diyu, in order to save him from certain death. But King Yama, the ruler of Diyu, is not willing to give Shang up easily.
With the help of Shang's great lion guardian ShiShi, Mulan must traverse Diyu to find Shang's spirit, face harrowing obstacles, and leave by sunrise—or become King Yama's prisoner forever.
Moreover, Mulan is still disguised as the soldier called Ping, wrestling with the decision to reveal her true identity to her closest friend.
Will Mulan be able to save Shang before it's too late? Will he ever be able to trust her again? Or will she lose him—and be lost in the Underworld—forever?
Do any of these books sound like interesting reads? Have you read any of them? Let me know in the comments below!
In this video, I unbox the December 2022 Owl Crate, Star Crossed!!!
I hope you enjoy this video! Let me know what you think in the comments below! It would also help if you like and comment on YouTube as well!
Ariel is so excited; she’s about to be crowned Protector of her own region of the great sea! Her six other sisters already rule their own sections of the sea as Protectors. But sadly, they seem so busy with their duties that they never get together and the times they do they are always fighting. When Ariel finds out her father, King Triton, is able to arrange for her sisters to attend her Protector’s ceremony, she is determined to fix the sisters’ relationships.
The night before the Protector’s ceremony Ariel convinces her sisters to accompany her to their mother’s memorial. The sea queen passed when Ariel was a little girl, making her remember very little of her. Her sisters on the other hand swap fun tales of times spent with their mother, finally starting to mend their sisterly bonds. Ariel Is thrilled her plan worked and hopes the family can start moving forward together.
But the next day tragedy strikes! Ariel’s oldest sister, Mala, Is kidnapped right before Ariel’s Protector ceremony! Chaos ensues with merfolk, sea creatures, and sea monsters turning on each other. The note Found in Mala’s bedroom does not help matters. It reads: King Triton must give up the throne in exchange for Mala, or else! It does not help that a growing group of the sea want a new ruler. With the help of her sister Perla, Ariel sets out to find Mala before it’s too late.
This was a fun companion book to the live-action Little Mermaid by Disney. Well, more of a prequel really. This book really is about grief and holding it in. We read how each member of Ariel’s family suffered from the passing of her mother and learn the different ways they tried but failed to manage it. For example, Ariel’s sister Tamika, who was closest to Ariel when she was young, shut herself away for years and made very little contact with the outside world. Or how Ariel realizes she never really showed sadness for her mother, just tried to stay happy and upbeat for other's benefit. I liked how Ariel was able to reach and pull each of her family members out to properly grieve. She is also very determined, not giving up on the quest to find Mala no matter how little clues she has.
I find it interesting and a bit disappointing that the author decided to have a lot of things iconic to Ariel first shown in this book. It only takes place a little before the movie, but Ariel is not friends with Flounder. In fact, they do not meet until one-third into the story. Also, Ariel is not really interested in human things, but it does grow as the book progresses. She finds her hidden grotto in this book as well. I just feel some of these points should have been established beforehand, like having Flounder and Ariel already friends.
Overall, I think this is a good book, especially if you are a fan of the new Disney live-action Little Mermaid and want to enjoy more adventures with this version of Ariel. Also, I feel it is a great way to explore grief and the different ways people deal with it. I give The Little Mermaid: Against the Tide a four out of five and look forward to reading more books written by J. Elle.
In this video, I do the Getting Back Into Booktube Tag. I had been away for a while at the point I did this video so I thought it would be a fun way to get back into the YouTube game. I will include the questions in case you ever want to this tag!
Questions:
I hope you enjoy this video! Let me know what you think in the comments below! It would also help if you like and comment on the video on YouTube as well!
In This Video, I draw Vhalla Yarl from the Air Awakens book series!!! Vhalla is one of my favorite book characters and Air Awakens is my favorite indie book series! It follows Vhalla as she discovers her abilities to control wind, also known as Wind Walkers, It follows the challenges she faces as she becomes a great hero and eventually an amazing queen.
Here I draw her in my own style as I saw her in my head as I read the first book. I've also made a character sheet, which I show off at the beginning of this video.
I hope you enjoy this video! Artist Nook is a regular series I do on my channel where I draw book characters in my own style. Let me know what you think in the comments below! It would also help if you like and comment on the video on YouTube as Well!
Though sometimes used to describe many different magical creatures, such as goblins or gnomes, a particular image pops up When people think of the word Fairy. A small humanoid with wings. Sometimes these wings look like butterfly wings or, in the Case of The Peter and the Star Catchers series, Bird-like wings. Sometimes they can be mischievous. Other times fairies can be helpful. Another known name is Fae. In this post, I will recommend five Fairy/Fae books (Except A Court of Thorns and Roses as it is over-recommended).
This book uses the word fairy to describe loads of magical creatures but is still a great read. Tony DiTerlizzi's pictures spread throughout both the book and series is the fantastic icing on the cake!
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After finding a mysterious, handmade field guide in the attic of the ramshackle old mansion they’ve just moved into, Jared; his twin brother, Simon; and their older sister, Mallory, discover that there’s a magical and maybe dangerous world existing parallel to our own—the world of faerie.
The Grace children want to share their story, but the faeries will do everything possible to stop them...
This next book has a girl discovering she is the daughter of a fairy king. Follow her journey as she tries to save those closest to her.
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Meghan Chase has a secret destiny; one she could never have imagined.
Something has always felt slightly off in Meghan's life, ever since her father disappeared before her eyes when she was six. She has never quite fit in at school or at home.
When a dark stranger begins watching her from afar, and her prankster best friend becomes strangely protective of her, Meghan senses that everything she's known is about to change.
But she could never have guessed the truth - that she is the daughter of a mythical faery king and is a pawn in a deadly war. Now Meghan will learn just how far she'll go to save someone she cares about, to stop a mysterious evil, no faery creature dare face, and to find love with a young prince who might rather see her dead than let her touch his icy heart.
This book starts with a girl waking up to a strange flower-like thing growing on her back. Wait. Could they be wings! An interesting twist on fairies for sure!
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Laurel was mesmerized, staring at the pale things with wide eyes. They were terrifyingly beautiful—too beautiful for words.
Laurel turned to the mirror again, her eyes on the hovering petals that floated beside her head. They looked almost like wings.
In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever.
This book has a girl bring back life to a desolate fairy wasteland after she mysteriously vanished 5 years prior.
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Swept away into a court of magic and beauty, she discovers she is Tania, the lost princess of the youngest daughter of Oberon and Titania. Since Tania's mysterious disappearance on the eve of her wedding five hundred years before, Faerie has been sunk in darkness and gloom. The courtly Lord Gabriel Drake, whom Tania was once to marry, has found her and brought her back. With Tania's return, Faerie comes alive again as a land of winged children, glittering balls, and fantastic delights. But Tania can't forget Anita's world or the boy she loved there. Torn between two loves and between two worlds, Tania slowly comes to discover why she disappeared so long ago. She possesses a singular magical ability and she must use it to stop a sinister plan that threatens the entire world of Faerie.
What if you were a human raised in a world of fairies? That is exactly what happens to the main character Jude in this story as she tries to win a place in the High Court of Faerie.
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Of course, I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
Do any of these books sound interesting to read? Have you read any of them? Let me know in the comments below! I might do a part two in the future as there are a lot of fairy books out there!
In this video, I read the Love Hypothesis! This is basically showing my thoughts as I read the book along with daily life stuff! I have a written review on this site, which you can read by clicking the picture below!
I hope you enjoyed this video! Let me know what you think in the comments below! It would also help if you like and comment on the video on YouTube as well!
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