Book Review: A Certain Step by Gissane Sophia

 

Nothing like a warm beautifully written friends-to-lovers story to brighten what's known as Blue Monday (especially this one IYKYK). And even better if such story is titled from a Austen literary quote.

I am familiar with the works of Gissane Sophia and I have to admit I am late posting my review of To The Skyline (coming soon, promise!) but I was truly looking forward to read this book. Of course, I love Jane Austen and having Pride and Prejudice as a background play inspired in this universally acknowledged work was a great bonus. 

And I have to say, dear reader, I was not disappointed at all! I am not as familiar as I would like with Broadway and theatre plays (other than my brief experience as a middle school playwright lol) but I enjoyed having a glimpse of this universe, where actors give their best to portray a play, and in this case a fantastic rendition of the Bennet sisters' story in a contemporary cabaret fashion. I liked how the environment of what happens behind stage is portrayed in a realistic way, showing the author's commitment to take us into this world. And especially, by having that as a background scenery for this delightful love story between two friends was a wonderful experience as a reader.

The main characters, Ethan and Willa, are so relatable in the way the author portrays them, and both their interactions between each other and with their friends and co=workers are so natural and organic that it is easy to believe how anyone can ship them (there, I said it). I enjoyed learning more about their fears, their struggles and how they fit greatly with each other. Time and again this is a common situation we might have faced and perhaps even starred at (having a friend so close that people will wonder if there is anything more than mere friendship). However, I liked how their transition towards that stage was not rushed at all in my opinion; it felt earned, and with an adequate degree of exposition in between it was totally credible.

And with that, of course, the conflict arises and I don't mean to spoil it at all, but I truly appreciate how Gissane portrayed it. Perhaps the biggest question someone who had faced the choice of pursuing a romantic relationship with a close/best friend is what if it doesn't work out? Could things go back to the way they were? Can a friendship survive unscathed a failed romantic relationship between such friends?

It is not an easy choice - it is a risk and it could work out, or perhaps not. And as much as we take our own perspectives and experiences about it and use them to judge how a fictional character might react, I think it is one of the things I enjoy from reading fiction: how can we think about the situations we read about, and we use it to learn more about the characters, and the challenges they face. One of the things mentioned is how social media can affect us as individuals and how actors and artists can face both the unwavering support of their fans as a token of appreciation for sharing their craft and their talents with the world, but how they are exposed to the ugly side of the internet and how the anonymity can work as a bolstering device for individuals to release their worst upon creators, or to stalk them. It's a sobering notion and totally understandable to be affected by it. 

I also commend having a tracklist for this fictional play's songs that I would definitely pay to go and watch on the stage!

Definitely a must-read book! Truly recommend it!

A Certain Step by Gissane Sophia was released on January 14th, 2025 both in physical and digital formats. Thank you LoveNotes and Gissane Sophia for the ARC!

Book Review: The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me by Elodie Parthenay

 

I was pleasantly surprised by the poems in this book. Parthenay focuses on growth, through different perspectives, from love to loss, from lust to longing, from sisterhood to self-love. At the end of the day, there will always be bloom and learning and the sun will shine on us again (yes, this is a quote from Loki).

Each poem had a specific taste as I just mentioned, but what it was common through the book was an utter belief of hoping things will get better. Parthenay added this on each poem: never stop seeking joy. Life goes on, and even if things were not great, the awareness of our life as being humans with feelings is a powerful one. I found this collection of poetry to be uplifting, intimate yet relatable, and every single poem was interconnected into this overarching story of growth, and perhaps a starting point for us as readers to cultivate our own magic.

Here is one of the poems that resonated a lot:

 

 The appreciation of self-love as being a strong self-motivator is really empowering.

It was quite interesting that I was reading this book while listening to the album Red (Taylor's Version) by Taylor Swift which even when it's thought as a heartbreak album for me has an overarching story of growth after a heartbreak. I thought this book was a great poetry collection and definitely recommend everyone to read it!

The Sun Always Knows Where to Find Me by Elodie Parthenay was released on October 19th, 2021 both in physical and digital formats. Thank you NetGalley and Elodie Parthenay for the ARC!

 

Book Review: New Names for Lost Things by Noor Unnahar

 

 

 I gotta confess I found the works of Noor Unnahar by mere happenstance, scrolling down on Pinterest and I enjoyed the quality and content of her works, as well as being namesakes. Her signature collage-style visual art caught my attention and I was pleasantly surprised by reading her latest poetry book, "New Names for Lost Things".

It was a powerful combination of poems on loneliness, grief, family, city life and the shadows of missed expectations. I've always thought poetry can be such a vessel of the emotional state and as well a beacon to light our ways even in the midst of dark feelings. Unnahar made such a great job blending a number of emotions in these poems, focusing perhaps on grief and loneliness a little bit too much for some but I thought they were enjoyable. 

Having the collage art present between pages created a good combination with the feeling the poems had. It's also vibrant the way she wears proudly her heritage - a Pakistani female poetess - and opens the door to let us appreciate her roots and how they are part of what she is.

 There are some quotes that I found interesting when talking about grief, like this one:

 "May your grief find a dark fine door ajar and leave."

 This sounds like something we often do in society, looking at grief as something you have to get over it and keep moving on, but like Vision and Andrew Garfield just mentioned this year, perhaps we don't ever get over it completely and learn to live with it. Perhaps grief is indeed love persevering and unexpressed love to who or what we lost, and we just find the way to keep moving with it.

Nevertheless any potential conflicts one might have with the quotes from it, I think this book and its poems are a good tool to bring up conversation about these topics and reflect on them. I recommend taking a look at it!

New Names for Lost Things by Noor Unnahar was released on October 19th, 2021 both in physical and digital formats. Thank you NetGalley and Noor Unnahar for the ARC!

Book Review: Eleanor The Firebrand Queen by Helen Rayson-Hill

 

 Eleanor of Aquitaine is a historical figure famous for many things and with certain cultural relevance up until these days. She was first Queen of France and then Queen of England (though no regnant royalty, more a consort wife) but she was Duchess of Aquitaine on her own right.

This book by Helen Rayson-Hill depicts a young Eleanor from when she is schooled to be the ruler of Aquitaine as the older child of the Duke of Aquitaine to the years when she gets married to King Louis VII of France. Then the troubled years as a consort wife of the French King, who takes on a Crusade to Holy Land and the struggles Eleanor faces with a complicated arranged marriage where a male heir would not come. An annulment leads to Eleanor marrying the son of the Duke of Normandy, heir to the English throne, and how things change for her.

I enjoyed reading this book from Eleanor's POV, in first person, I felt truly as hearing her voice taking us as readers by the hand through her personal life, and letting us learn more about her motivations, as well as her struggles and doubts. The author makes a really good work portraying the nuances of her personality and how her decisions, as controversial they could be, paved her future. She was a strong, educated woman in a world where women were supposed to breed and comply, nothing less. Having a strong-headed lady taking ownership and focused on learning and the well-being of her vassals was frowned upon.

It is also interesting to read about a world where geopolitical divisions were different than what we know them now, and how this region, Aquitaine, played an important factor years later during the War of Hundred Years.

As this book closes on her becoming Queen of England and leaving the door open to sequels covering the rest of her story as wife and mother of English kings. Since Rayson-Hill mentioned she was inspired on writing about this queen from "The Lion in Winter" - where an older version of Eleanor was portrayed by Katharine Hepburn - I can imagine that more books on the subject might be on the cards, and I will definitely be looking forward to read them.

Eleanor The Firebrand Queen by Helen Rayson-Hill was released on March 1st, 2021 both in physical and digital formats. Thank you NetGalley and Helen Rayson-Hill for the ARC!

 

Book Review: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (illustrations by Marjolein Bastin)

 

 Oh well. I have to mention in advance I'm a Jane Austen enthusiast and this was the first book I read from Jane Austen.

It was not the first story I got to know from Jane Austen - that was Northanger's Abbey, from a illustrated book adaptation in single-story comic format named "Joyas de la Literatura" (Jewels of Literature).

But then Dame Emma Thompson wrote and starred the best movie adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility" so it was the first Austen book I read.

So when having the opportunity of re-reading this story from a new edition, I didn't hesitate and said yes.

The illustrations were exquisite and delicate - I felt as if I was reading this book, sitting by one of those fabulous Regency gardens. The font calligraphy used for the print version looks real nice, and for a moment I felt as transported to the Regency era of carriages and entertaining visits at the piano forte. But even so, human relationships have changed a lot and not at all. We humans, though our codes of conducts might change, the way we control our feelings or let them control us has remained quite constant.

Bastin made a great job with her illustration through the pages, including different garden flowers blossoming as we turn each page, with also little birds and butterflies as guests. Such a subtle and soft way to frame each of the volumes and chapters which are part of this masterpiece. It matches her vision of loving the familiar and ordinary, finding the beauty in the world that lies before us every day, and with an increased awareness of the richness that nature possesses.

I truly recommend reading this book because of the author and the story - if you haven't read it - and if you have, the illustrations included in this edition create such a beautiful book, to be part of a collection of classic literature.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (illustrations by Marjolein Bastin) will be released on November 2nd, 2021 both in physical and digital formats. Thank you NetGalley and Marjolein Bastin for the ARC!

Don't Judge a Book By its (TV) Series: The Cook of Castamar

 Welcome to a new section of this little blog called "Don't Judge A Book By Its (TV) Series". In this section we will take a look at book adaptations on TV and dissect a little the main differences and how they fare against the original work!

Today I am starting with this book called "La Cocinera de Castamar" (The Cook of Castamar) by Fernando J. Muñez. 

 

 I watched this book turned series named "The Cook of Castamar" and liked the series so much that I got the book to read it - original version is in Spanish. This is going to be a spoilery review so beware - I'll do my best to avoid giving away the whole plot nevertheless.

I found that the series took elements from the book and used it to weave them into a similar story, one that changes several parts of the plot, giving more prominence to certain characters that the one they have in the book, and some of the parts of the story were changed as well. For example, the Dowager Duchess is not as influential in the book as she is in the series, and the plot device of Amelia's pregnancy is inexistent in the book. Her character is not really as antagonistic as in the series, and perhaps one of the biggest changes, Clara's father has been dead for a while in the book, and her mother and sister live out of Spain.

However, I found that the adaptation managed to keep the essence of the main story-line of the Marquis of Soto revenge against the Duke of Castamar and the Duke's mourning for his late wife and how Clara becoming part of the kitchen service and her becoming the cook makes an impact in the Duke's life. The book made emphasis of Clara's previous life as the daughter of a doctor who fell in disgrace and how the struggles of a recent war - The War of Spanish Succession -  were still present in the Spanish society, and how this course of events changed things for a lot of people, based on who they were supporting during the war. In Clara's case, from being an educated young lady, she went to service and how the potential of a romantic relationship with the Duke in her previous life would have been frowned upon, but not outright disliked. The true antagonists - the Marquis of Soto and Doña Sol - are still the masterminds behind all these webs of deception and revenge but rest assured, them and their minions find fair punishment for their crimes.

Also these were times of the dusk of the Spanish Empire, where things would change for both Europe and their colonies in about a century - so we read how the nobility and the common folk acted in a world where the American continent was home of European colonies and products were traded from their lands - I found some of the bits of information interesting, like the fact that potatoes were at first regarded as food for cattle and farm animals! 

As I mention the American colonies and the customs of the time, one of the aspects of the story that I found quite relevant is the fact of the Duke having a Black brother - since his father, the late Duke, had adopted a child in slavery. I felt that this was something that could have happened, taking into account the social status of the Duke, but as we can see in the story, how the Duke's brother, Gabriel, suffers discrimination and abuse when he's not protected by his powerful brother. Having this storyline the same as in the book gives a powerful message on how racial issues have been and are treated, and even if there have been changes, there's still road ahead for improvement.

I really enjoyed how Clara regards her situation and even when she's at her lowest, working at a kitchen and under her agoraphobia disorder, she realizes it's a temporary situation and keeps a hopeful perspective. It reminded me somehow of "La vida es sueño" ("Life is a dream") soliloquy by Calderón de la Barca where the speaker realizes how transitory their current ailments and sufferings might be. And she keeps herself into this state of realization, even when things get better for her and her budding relationship with the Duke.

Some people might think: "I have read the book, should I watch the series?" or viceversa. I consider the series to be a great adaptation, where certain elements of the book were highlighted in such a way, surrounded by a perfect combination of performance, cinematography and costuming. It is also a great visual aid for certain aspects from the book that might be anachronistic for our reality. I feel like both the series and the book expand each other, the book providing more background details for the characters, which would not be adequate for a series pace but in the book don't harm the plot at all - and the series bringing to life all those details I've just mentioned.

There are certain choices taken in the adaptation, but personally I don't feel they harm the story that much. Of course I'd like the Duke not to renounce to his peerage to stay with her in the series - which doesn't happen in the book, since he marries her and she became the Duchess of Castamar. Certain characters were added in the series, or even combined from characters in the book - but regardless, I didn't feel as if there was something amiss in the story. I think the biggest choice made in terms of storyline was Clara's father, who is long dead in the book but in the series is included as a plot device with his being alive and then imprisoned and potentially hanged: I wonder if this choice was made to keep family in the frame for Clara but not in the way of absent mother and sister. Nevertheless, as I read the book after watching the series, I felt as if one was the What If? version of the other (yes, dear reader, I'm a Marvel Cinematic Universe enthusiast!) so certain things were changed but the results were kinda similar.

If you can, get the book and watch the series - totally recommend both!

Book Review: The Rose and The Dagger by Renée Ahdieh

 

 As soon as I finished reading the previous book - "The Wrath and The Dawn" see my review here - I picked up reading this one, since the previous one ended on a cliffhanger and wanted to learn what was the conclusion of this epic story.

I was not disappointed at all!

This book is such a satisfactory conclusion to the story of Sharzhad and Khalid. I liked how cleverly the author used plot twists and turns, which were properly delivered. I enjoyed how certain elements from the classic tales we are familiar with were embedded on this story, but at the same time fresh storylines and places were included without making the plot feel crowded.

Our protagonists go through struggles and hardships, however their feelings remain strong for each other. Sharzhad valiantly faces several situations, and how she is challenged by her situation of being the Calipha (the Caliph's wife), since she had survived what others didn't. Her relationship with Khalid is more mature and less angsty, but not less emotional. They both face betrayals and many surprises, but the outcome of the story is positive.

As I was finishing this book, I felt this type of ending would have been what we should have had in several concluding sagas - wink Game of Thrones and Star Wars, especially shows what TROS could have been with proper storytelling - where there was pain and heartbreak but at the end of the day there is hope and love above all.

I feel as if anything I say will come out short of describing the true wonders of this book, especially this duology of books that takes its inspiration from One Thousand and One Nights but somehow give the flavour of a brand new story with added elements that make it good enough to stand on its own.

I enjoyed how the character of Khalid was complex to understand his motivations and the reasons behind his actions - and even if he had to live with what he had done, he could move forward and enjoy his love with Sharzhad and their family. It makes one think of how personal flaws on a character can provide proper basis for understanding, and how at a certain point, it gives a understanding too of the actions taken by Reza and Sharzhad's father.

I cannot recommend enough this book - it's such a rollercoaster with fantastic elements and it is a great conclusion for this story!