Sharing a top 5 wednesday post with you all today! So we’ve all read books where the character really goes through it and all we want to do is give them a hug. So here are some of the characters that could really do with a hug and some time off.
Alizayd from The Daevabad Trilogy – He really does not get a break in these books and the fact that they’re set over almost a decade. My boy needs a break. He carried the whole of Daevabad on his back and even the ending was him working to rebuild Daevabad. Shannon please give him a break! Let him nerd out on books and economics! Let me go there and give him a hug and maybe convince him to marry me instead.
Percy Jackson – This boy does not ever get a break even when he tries to distance himself, he’s dragged straight back in and now he has to go on a quest just to get into university?! Let him rest Rick!
Rae from The Theft of Sunlight – My girl really starts off by going to visit her cousin and ends up taking down a slave ring instead. She really needs some time off to go and see her family and friends and just relax for a while.
Selwyn from Legendborn – Look he lives in perpetual stress and it is not good for him. Let him have some time off where he doesn’t have to worry about keeping Bree and Nick alive!
Laila from The Gilded Wolves – She straight up deserves a holiday after everything she goes through and then also dealing with an angsty Severin.
I have been dying for more Daevabad content ever since I finished The Empire of Gold and Shannon certainly delivered! This book was everything I wanted and more!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Synopsis from Goodreads:
A prospective new queen joins a court whose lethal history may overwhelm her own political savvy…
An imprisoned royal from a fallen dynasty and a young woman wrenched from her home cross paths in an enchanted garden…
A pair of scouts stumble upon a secret in a cursed winter wood that will turn over their world…
Now together in one place, these stories of Daevabad enrich a world already teeming with magic and wonder. From Manizheh’s first steps towards rebellion to adventures that take place after The Empire of Gold, this is a must-have collection for those who can’t get enough of Nahri, Ali, and Dara and all that unfolded around them.
I am completely enthralled by the Daevabad trilogy and so it was bittersweet when I finished The Empire of Gold but then Shannon blessed us with these stories. Stories of love and hope and even the darker parts were balanced with lighter elements. A perfect collection to see so much more of the world and characters in these stories.
So first about the audiobook itself, I love listening to the trilogy and was so glad that the same narrator was narrating this too. I love listening to her and how she brings the story to life. I think that even if you aren’t a huge fan of audiobooks this will be okay to listen to especially as we are already familiar with the story and characters.
Some stories Shannon had shared before on her website so I was familiar with some but some were brand new and I especially loved Duriya and Hatset’s stories. How these women carved a place for themselves in a world that barely made space for them. That they showed strength and bravery and fighting for something better. It was amazing to see these glimpses into the past, the younger versions of the characters we all know and see how they may have been different and what may have caused them to become the characters we see in the books.
My favourite stories were of course the ones of Alizayd, the scene we see set just before The Kingdom of Copper was so funny and we get more of a glimpse of him using his abilities and just more of him trying not to implode when girls throw themselves at him which is always hilarious to read.
But my favourite scene was of course that last story that Shannon had vaguely hinted at before and it was everything I wanted and more. It was such a beautiful story about love and taking that step to be vulnerable with someone you love even if it terrifies you. It’s about trust and respecting each others decisions and boundaries and it is about building something on a strong foundation of friendship and care.
It was the perfect story to end on especially as this is the last story we will be getting of these characters and we end on a note of hope and joy and love.
I have already listened to it multiple times especially that last story and I know that I will be coming back to these stories time and time again.
I love this trope so much but what I love more is when the girl is grumpy and the boy is sunshine! The books with this trope often end up being some of my favourite books so here are some recommendations which I absolutely loved!
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty – Ali is the most sunshine of sunshine boys and Nahri is grumpiest girl ever. I love them and their dynamic so much.
Nocturna by Maya Motayne – Alfie is adorable and Finn acts like it annoys her while secretly loving his sunshine.
Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdes – A grumpy space pirate and an oblivious elite soldier that have some great banter.
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanna A Brown – Malik is a cinnamon roll and Karina loves it even if she pretends she doesn’t.
Defy the Night by Brigid Kemmerer – A grumpy prince that thinks nothing will change and a healer that makes the change. I love them.
Son of the Storm by Suki Davies Okungbowa – A sheltered scholar ends up on the run with a grumpy warrior. They have such a wonderful dynamic.
Sometimes I completely fall in love with secondary characters in books, ones who don’t always get their own story or point of view. The one’s who deserve to get their own story and would happily read their book.
So here are some characters who I think deserve more love:
Zaynab al-Qahtani from The City of Brass – I would love to see the events in The Empire of Gold from Zaynab’s point of view. She goes from a pampered princess to a resistance leader and I would love to have seen that.
Luca from Nocturna – He is always there with Finn and Alfie and suffered with them and he honestly deserves all the love. I really hope we get to see more of him in the third book!
Muhammad from Misfit in Love – He is such a wonderful older brother! I loved his relationship with Janna and how smitten he is with Sarah
Muntadhir al-Qahtani from The City of Brass – Look this man was a whole disaster and yet completely took me by surprise and I really wish we could see in his head.
Despina from The Wrath and the Dawn – I loved her from the moment we met her and I just want a story from her and Jalal’s point of view.
Odette from The Beautiful – I just loved her so much and the friendship she built with Celine and how she did not care about societal norms for women and I just want to know more about her!
Kestrin from Thorn – We don’t get to see much of Kestrin as the book is from Thorn’s perspective but I really wish we got to see more of him and his reasonings for doing things. I hope we get to see more of him in the sequel of Theft of Sunlight
Dawud from City of the Plague God – I really loved him in the story and how at first you may think he’s a bit shallow but then as the story goes on you see there’s more to him than we first think. I really want to see him with Muhammad too
The Tsundoku Chronicles 