Hello lovelies! February has gone by so fast (even though we’ve had one extra day this year) and now March is also well underway, but I still owe you my February favorites! Sooo, without further delay: here. We. Go!
I Read…
REALM BREAKER by Victoria Aveyard! This book was basically LORD OF THE RINGS meets GAME OF THRONES, but for Young Adults and with a side of swashbuckling pirates and a hint of old-school adventure. In other words: so many things for me to love!
I had this book on my TBR pile since its release, but I was never in the right mind space for a massive epic fantasy adventure (I think GoT has scarred me for life, haha). Buuut, I finally picked it up because I wanted to study how Aveyard wrote the multiple POVs in this story (I’m studying multiple POV to help me write my current WIP, which has—woe is me—five different points of view).
Also, I’d been reading a lot of romance-heavy stories lately, and I wanted my next read to be more focused on plot, worldbuilding, and characterization. Well, thank you to Queen Victoria Aveyard for delivering on all of these points! REALM BREAKER was a refreshing read and I truly appreciated the way Aveyard developed the story and the relationships between the characters. I enjoyed this book so much, I immediately dove into the sequel: BLADE BREAKER, and ordered the final installment in the trilogy (FATE BREAKER).
I Watched…
First of all, confession time: I haven’t read to book and I didn’t watch the movie, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. But, wow, what a coming-of-age rollercoaster!
The chemistry between Dex and Em is super real, and I couldn’t take my eyes off them. The dialogues were engaging, profound, authentic, and at times gut-wrenching. I was rooting for Dex, despite all the messed-up things he put Em through (also: the poor guy can’t catch a break, right?).
If you’re looking for a truthful, heartfelt story about friendship, love, hope, loss, joy, dreams, and sadness while “growing up” after college, this is a must-watch! I binged this series!
I Listened to…
I’m practicing the second movement of Carl Maria von Weber’s second Clarinet Concerto, so I’ve been doing a deep dive into his compositions and the maaaany different performances available on Spotify. The piece is intensely dramatic, mystical, and deep, and if done right, it hurts somewhere deep inside your body (but in a good way).
I’m really liking the recording I found on the album COMPLETE WORKS FOR CLARINET by Sebastian Manz (clarinet) and the SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra. This excellent CD set under the Berlin Classic label is rich and beautiful, and Manz’s transparent, clear but warm sound is a joy to listen to!