Warrior | The Rose & The Dagger | The Paradox Of Vertical Flight

November 11, 2016

Mini Reviews of Warrior by Ellen Oh, The Rose And The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh, and The Paradox of Vertical Flight by Emil Ostrovski.

I am absolutely not reading enough diverse and ownvoices books. So, Warrior by Ellen Oh serves two purposes for me. For one, it allows me to read a diverse book which seems pretty interesting. Second, Warrior has been on my shelf since I got the ARC in 2013 and so, I get to continue on in the series AND clear a book from my shelf. Ultimately, I enjoyed Warrior and have pulled King to read once I get through my library books and the other books on my Fall TBR.

Warrior by Ellen Oh is the sequel to Prophecy. In all honesty, it has been SO long since I’ve read Prophecy. So, I forgot basically everything about the first book except that main character Kira has strange eyes and fights demons. I am also very lazy so I just began reading this book without refreshing myself on the first book. There was initial confusion on my end at first as to who the different characters were and what was going on. So, spoilers maybe, I think. Basically Kira has the tidal stone but the demon lord king guy is still a major threat. He kills the king and this sets Kira on a quest to find this magical dagger while also protecting Taejo.

Really, Warrior just moves Kira along on her way toward fulfilling the prophecy. There’s action and just a very small smattering of romance. The most interesting parts revolve around a shaman and also the different demons. Taejo, the heir to the throne, is okay. However, he kind of drags the story. I was much, much more interested in Kira fighting demons and making unlikely friends.

You’ll enjoy Warrior if you like very minimal romance and books where girls kick ass even when they’re told no, that is not for women. Ultimately, I was rooting for Kira the most and will be curious to see where King leads her. I do find this to be very much a second in series feeling sort of book, there is no ultimate resolution. I do not think this would stand well on its own. Yet, it does read very, very quickly and the action kept my attention without a doubt.

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If you have to read like 10 sequels this year and that is it make sure that The Rose And The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh is one of those ten. Believe you me, it is such a fitting and perfect end to the story that was started in The Wrath And The Dawn. I still feel full of feelings and I read this book back in April and now it is November, so many many months later.

The Rose And The Dagger obviously is the sequel to The Wrath And The Dawn. So, instead of Shahrzad trying to keep Khalid her husband from killing her by telling him a story every night, she is back with her family. She desperately misses him because it turns out that she absolutely does love him after all. However, the palace is on fire and she has got to go with her family. Also, Khalid has to find out what the deal is with his curse and how to fix it.

So, there’s Jinn and basically Shazi’s dad Jahandar is an idiot and playing with this book of magic like in Hocus Pocus and ultimately putting everyone in danger. I’ll just say that the magic, side characters, and setting really put this series a step above many others.

ALSO THE ROMANCE. Shazi and Khalid forever and for always. They’re pretty fantastic and there’s absolutely no way you can be into Tariq while reading this book. AND THE ENDING. Oh my gosh. It is perfect and wraps everything up exactly how I, the reader, would want it to be wrapped up — with no doors for sequels as well. I just love a nice, solid ending and The Rose And The Dagger gave that to me, thus I am a fan and eternally thankful.

Other reviews of The Rose & The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh:

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The Paradox Of Vertical Flight is Emil Ostrovski’s debut novel. It’s also kind of super relevant to my life right now as it does involve giving birth. In all, it is kind of cerebral and just so different. I still am not entirely sure what to make of The Paradox of Vertical Flight. All I know is that while I may not have “gotten” it, I did really enjoy it.

Emil Ostrovski’s The Paradox Of Vertical Flight is about this guy Jack Polovsky who is about to have a son. He knocked up his ex girlfriend Jess nine months ago. They have not communicated since – as she is a college student and he is a high school student. However, at the hospital Jess ends up contacting Jack and of course, he shows up. There’s animosity between the two. But then Jess has the baby, a boy. Jack holds the boy and realizes that he can’t just give him up for adoption. So, he kidnaps the boy whom he calls Socrates and goes on the run for his grandma’s house. FYI his grandma has Alzheimer’s.

There’s definitely a lot packed into this relatively skinny book. Jack is really into philosophy and whoa yes that shows on every page. It did make me feel a little dumb at first because I never really studied philosophy beyond political thought. I liked how it did strain my intellect though. Also, there’s a lot of questioning what is real and what is not in this book.

The audiobook which I borrowed via Hoopla from the library (my favorite!) is narrated by MacLeod Andrews. As always, Andrews is a superb narrator and really puts you in the headspace for whichever book he’s narrating. The Paradox Of Vertical Flight is a wicked short audiobook – it is just over five and a half hours. I’d definitely recommend this one for a short road trip, especially when you are in the headspace to think and ponder and pay attention.

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April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
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About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.