#star apprentice victoria | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

three--rings · 1 year

Note

Hi! I come from the danmei fandom and wanted to ask you if you pls have some good novels from the west to rec? What I'm looking for is: BL, fantasy & good plot. I'm not looking for political agenda just for a good read where the focus is on the plot and romance. I seriously don't know where to start looking. I tried checking out recs on google but honestly after the danmei books mostly everything looks unappealing to me. I was hoping you could help me out. Thank you in advance!

Ooo, yeah I can come up with a few things.

(All links are Amazon, but of course if you can buy elsewhere it's recommended, especially author sites. But if you buy from these links I get like a few pennies.)

The Magpie Lord (and rest of the series) by K.J. Charles - This is honestly the book that got me into reading modern m/m historical romance before I ever discovered danmei. 19th century England, magic, romance.

The Whyborne and Griffin series by Jordan L. Hawk - An incredibly long series of adventure novels set in a Lovecraftian 19th century America, starring a shy scholar and brash detective who get pulled into supernatural highjinks and romance together. The author's other series might also appeal. I'm a big fan of their Hexworld series which is recommended if you like the ideal of shapeshifters and their destined soulmate partners.

Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale - Fantasy European setting in a boys boarding school. Kiram is the first from his religion/ethnicity to attend this prestigious school and has to room with a boy who is supposed to be cursed by hell. Magic, religion, culture clash coming of age, and a fantastic romance. I love this whole world and series so much.

The Archer's Heart by Astrid Amara - Fantasy India setting with a rigid caste system where homosexuality is punished with death. So the romance between a prince and a warrior has very real stakes. Lots of politics and suffering for the characters. Sorta epic political fantasy but with queer romance. Definitely danmei esque.

The Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling - An older series in which a young man is taken as an apprentice to a thief/spy/rogue in a typical European fantasy world. Very interesting political and magical intrigue. The romance between the two main characters doesn't become textual until the second book and definitely is not a main focus or very in your face, most likely because of the age of the books. BUT I love everyone in this bar so so much. And they are explicitly the fantasy equivalent of married in later books, so it's not NOT a thing.

The High King's Golden Tongue by Megan Derr - A young man is trained to be consort to a king his whole life, but the king in question isn't interested in him because he's still mourning his late husband. Fantasy world with normalized queer relationships, slow burn romance development, a very gentle book without a lot of drama. (I haven't read the rest of the series but I think each book is a different couple.)

Okay and then a couple additional recs with special circumstances.

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland - I haven't read this one yet because I just haven't had time, but I've read some of their other works and trust that it's good. The author is @ariaste whose MDZS fic you may have read.

The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard - The reason I haven't read the above yet is because I've been deep in reading this and all the related books/stories in this world. Absolutely I think danmei fans need to read this book. The worldbuilding is fantastic and immense. The political intrigue is more West Wing than Game of Thrones. It's a book about making incremental change from inside a flawed system. And it's a book about two men opening their hearts to one another glacially slowly, with so many barriers in the way, but so much love.

The caveat is that it's not precisely a romance or primarily a romance so it doesn't meet your criteria. It's super long (again for danmei fans) but while these two (an emperor and his secretary) love each other so much, it's not explicitly romantic or sexual? At least not yet. (Next week, sequel next week aaaaaahhhh.) So...it's a weird one to rec. Which is why I've been waiting and putting off writing it's own rec post. But it's a magnificent novel I can't say enough good things about.

So yeah, that's what I've got for now. Thanks for asking, clearly I'm always just waiting for someone to ask me to rec things.

Other folks feel free to add your own recs in reblogs if there's stuff I've missed.

#Anonymous #books #book recs #danmei #m/m romance #threerings' recs #asks #there are some non-fantasy books I could rec #or second-tier recs #or f/f recs #so let me know if you want more

126 notes · View notes

haveyoureadthisqueerbook · 18 days

Note

Hello! First of all: love this blog! Second: I read a lot of queer books and as it turns out a lot of them weren’t already on your spreadsheet so uh. Sorry in advance for what I’m about to do to your inbox/queue 😅

Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

The City in the Middle of the Night by Charlie Jane Anders

The Time Slip Girl by Elizabeth Andre

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield

Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree

The Queen of Cups by Ren Basel

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust

Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

This Poison Heart by Kalynn Bayron

This Wicked Fate by Kalynn Bayron

Werecockroach by Polenth Blake

In the Vanishers’ Palace by Aliette de Bodard

Wain: LGBT Reimaginings of Scottish Folktales by Helene Boppert and Rachel Plummer

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown

Tremontaine: The Complete Season One by Patty Bryant, Malinda Lo, Racheline Maltese, Joel Derfner, Ellen Kushner, Paul Witcover, and Alaya Dawn Johnson

This Other World by AC Buchanan

In Memoriam by Nathan Burgoine

The Dark Beneath the Ice by Amelinda Bérubé

Felix Ever After by Karen Callender

Last Bus to Everland by Sophie Cameron

Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron

Once & Future by AR Capetta and Cory McCarthy

The Brilliant Death by AR Capetta

XX by Angela Chadwick

A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

The Vela by Becky Chambers, Rivers Solomon, Yoon Ha Lee, and SL Huang

Black Water Sister by Zen Cho

The True Queen by Zen Cho

The Terracotta Bride by Zen Cho

The Water that Falls on You From Nowhere by John Chu

The Shape of My Name by Nino Cipri

A Dead Djinn in Cairo by P. Djèlí Clark

Girlhood by Cat Clarke

Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova

Dreadnought by April Daniels

Sovereign by April Daniels

Thornfruit by Felicia Davin

Nightvine by Felicia Davin

Shadebloom by Felicia Davin

Her Majesty’s Royal Coven by Juno Dawson

Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson

Otherbound by Corinne Duyvis

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Bitter by Akwaeke Emezi

The Drowning Eyes by Emily Foster

Bingo Love by Tee Franklin

Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Knit One, Girl Two by Shira Glassman

The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez

We Go Around in the Night and Are Consumed by Fire by Jules Grant

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant

The One Hundred Nights of Hero by Isabel Greenberg

Keeper of the Dawn by Dianna Gunn

The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall

The Outside by Ada Hoffman

The Fallen by Ada Hoffman

The Infinite by Ada Hoffman

Mindtouch by MCA Hogarth

Sing the Four Quarters by Tanya Huff

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson

The City of Woven Streets by Emmi Itäranta

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann

The Beast of Callaire by Saruuh Kelsey

The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion by Margaret Killjoy

An Excess Male by Maggie Shen King

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe

Crimson by Niviaq Korneliussen

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff

Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner

The Faerie Godmother’s Apprentice Wore Green by Nicky Kyle

Avi Cantor Has Six Months to Live by Sacha Lamb

When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb

Goldie Vance Vol. 1 by Hope Larson

Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl by Andrea Lawlor

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie

Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie

The Raven Tower by Ann Leckie

Not Your Sidekick by CB Lee

Not Your Villain by CB Lee

Not Your Backup by CB Lee

The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee

The Fever King by Victoria Lee

The Fox’s Tower and Other Tales by Yoon Ha Lee

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger

Adaptation by Malinda Lo

Inheritance by Malinda Lo

Natural Selection by Malinda Lo

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

The Hand, the Eye, and the Heart by Zoë Marriott

Luna: New Moon by Ian McDonald

Luna: Wolf Moon by Ian McDonald

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire

Forbid the Sea by Seanan McGuire

In Sea-Salt Tears by Seanan McGuire

The Unbinding of Mary Reade by Miriam McNamara

An Accident of Stars by Foz Meadows

A Tyranny of Queens by Foz Meadows

All Out: The No-Longer Secret Stories of Queer Teens Throughout the Ages ed. Saundra Mitchell

Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott

Princess Princess Ever After by K. O’Neill

The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill

The Tea Dragon Festival by K. O’Neill

The Tea Dragon Tapestry by K. O’Neill

Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okparanta

Heartstopper by Alice Oseman

Loveless by Alice Oseman

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters

Stormsong by CL Polk

Soulstar by CL Polk

She Drives Me Crazy by Kelly Quindlen

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The Tiger’s Daughter by K Arsenault Rivera

The Phoenix Empress by K Arsenault Rivera

The Warrior Moon by K Arsenault Rivera

A Taste of Gold and Iron by Alexandra Rowland

Birthday by Meredith Russo

If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo

The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

Dying for a Living by Kory M. Shrum

Two Dark Moons by Avi Silver

History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

The Abyss Surrounds Us by Emily Skrutskie

The Edge of the Abyss by Emily Skrutskie

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

The Summer of Jordi Perez (and the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

The Traitor’s Tunnel by CM Spivey

Nimona by ND Stevenson

Chameleon Moon by RoAnna Sylver

Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by KM Szpara

As I Descended by Robin Talley

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley

Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh

Drowned Country by Emily Tesh

Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas

No Gods, No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull

Crier’s War by Nina Varela

Iron Heart by Nina Varela

The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo

When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo

Into the Riverlands by Nghi Vo

On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

System Collapse by Martha Wells

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

The Black Tides of Heaven by Neon Yang

The Red Threads of Fortune by Neon Yang

The Descent of Monsters by Neon Yang

The Ascent to Godhood by Neon Yang

Waiting on a Bright Moon by Neon Yang

Taproot by Keezy Young

Phew! Finally got all of these queued! Thank you so much for the list, and for arranging them so neatly, which definitely made it easier to transfer over to a spreadsheet!

#Anonymous #submissions

5 notes · View notes

fox-daddy · 8 months

Text

Incorrect quotes/edited posts I've seen in a pm seymore video.

But not as the arcana characters but as Arcadia fallen characters.

I know the player character has a name but I refuse to refer to them as anything other than player character. I also threw in my oc once in a while because why not.

~~~

Player character: pins an image of a galaxy on the notice board saying 'all my best fights happen here' as a joke*

Ann's writing underneath it: that isn't even our galaxy. Who, let alone how are you fight out there?

Michael's handwriting underneth: wouldn't you like to know?

~~~

My oc Hunter specifically @ Elizabeth in a joking tone: 'show your awnser' and 'explain how you got your awnser' and any other similar thing are the worst! Dont make me explain myself! I dont know! You taught me how to do this, you should already know.

~~~

Mime: I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy

Vil the character I made purely to be a jerk: I would. Pussy

Michael: I'm not going to sink to their level

Vil: I will. Coward

Victoria: I'm the bigger person

Vil: I'm 150cm tall. Give me the knife.

~~~

Ann: please retire the 'we are made from stardust' phrase. I'm so tired of it.

Michael: stars are made of flesh

Ann: I've changed my mind go back to the orignal phrase

~~~

Player character: just learned about history. Appalled.

~~~

Player character: TONIGHT WE DRINK FROM THE POND!

Victoria: NO THE FUCK WE DON'T!

Mime:already drinking the pond water* wait we're not drinking from the pond?

~~~

Some villager: I want to decompose in a bog

Quinn: well you clearly dont know the first thing about bogs.

Player character: being in the bog is like the opposite of decomposition. Get pickled idiot.

Michael: 'Get pickled idiot?' You know I might actually try and remember that one

~~~

My oc Kyle trying to be a bard; I once bought four sausage rolls, but little did the chasher realize I actually had five in my bag. The universe of course tried to fix this imbalance by causing a tear in my bag causing me to drop a sausage roll, but not so easily defeated I eat it anyway. The universe's counterplay? I got food poisoning. Total equilibrium.

The sparrow who just wanted to sing about the sparrows in:

~~~

Michael: is it route or route?

Mime: is it caramel or caramel?

Player character: is it either or either?

Ann: is it read or read?

Victoria: I hate all of you right now

Kaidan: your language is weird

Michael: you don't seem content with this content

~~~

Ann: how smart are you?

Player character: I mean I'm an alchemist appreciate so- *about to say pretty smart but gets interrupted*

Ann: I'll go ask Quinn

Player character internally:

~~~

Player character: 'apprentice acts like it's a job' was a sentence I did not expect to find looking up reviews for the shop.

~~~

Player character: every word that starts with n should have a silent g infront of it. Gnorway, gnuclear, gnervous system and most importantly gnipples

Michael: at some point my brain decided based on the word knee that body parts starting with n should have a silent k infront. Particularly the word neck. So I disagree with gnipples whole heartedly and think it should be knipples

Player character: how about a compromise? Gn words and kn words get switched. So now it's gnowledge and gneecaps. But also knome and knosticism

Ann: the problem with that is that it doesn't account for the orignal dilemma which is gnipples vs knipples. I for one think it should be pnipples like pneumonia

Michael: okay but what about mnipples like 'mnemonic'

Mime: this is the kind of discourse I enjoy watching from this group

Michael: female presenting gkpmnipples

Victoria: what the fuck are you guys doing, trying to invent neo-french?

Player character: dont you mean, gkpmneo-french?

Victoria: no, I don't.

~~~ the only modern day ones because it was too funny to me not to add~~

Player character: imagine if all the talking mirror tropes came from someone seeing a time traveler talking to their smart phone?

Michael: siri, siri in my phone, how the fuck do I get home?

~~~

Player character: I can't find my headphones and target is closed, this is a nightmare

Mime: just put an ant in each ear and they will sing to you

Player character: not a half bad idea actually

Michael: I read that wrong and thought you were still in the target after closing time and your biggest concern was lack of music instead of the creature

Player character: t-the creature?!

~~~

Ann: let's face it even when the video game says press any button to start you still push the start button

Kaidan: I once knew someone who would push the z button and they still scare me

Player character: I press the X button

Michael: I once pushed the power button

Ann:... do I even need to ask why

Michael: It is one of the many buttons is it not?

#arcadia fallen #arcadia fallen game #incorrect quotes

0 notes

your-own-scifi-nerd · 9 months

Text

I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I am. Here’s a list of all my OCs, and what their names mean. Guess which one is for which fandom. Some are easier than others.

Athena Sapphire Sencen (Thena)

Athena(first name): the greek goddess of wisdom

Sapphire(middle name): a gemstone related with royalty

Sencen(last name)

voice claim: Juman Malouf, ‘Agnes’ “Fantastic Mr. Fox”

Phoebe Rose Black (Rosie)

Phoebe(first name): bright or radiant

Rose(middle name): a flower that represents romance, love, beauty, and courage

Black(last name)

voice claim: Sophie Aldred, ‘Ace McShane’ “Doctor Who”

Star Rosemary Niche (Rose)

Star(first name’s e): a star in the sky

Rosemary(middle name): dew of the sea

Niche(last name)

voice claim: Kristen Bell, ‘Anna’ “Frozen”

Faye Elena Barnes

Faye(first name): loyalty or belief

Elena(middle name): sun ray, shining light

Barnes(last name)

voice claim: Estelle Swaray, ‘Garnet’ “Steven Universe”

Susan Alice Sullivan-Smith (Suzie)

Susan(first name): lily of the valley

Alice(middle name): noble, exalted

Sullivan-Smith(last name)

voice claim: Vivian Nixon, ‘Millie’ “Helluva Boss”

Lilith Alex Coulson (Lily)

Lilith(first name): belonging to the night

Alex(middle name): defender of humankind

Coulson(last name)

voice claim: AJ Michalka, ’Stevonnie’ “Steven Universe”

Penelope Hestia Jackson (Penny)

Penelope(first name): weaver

Hestia(middle name) the greek goddess of hearth and home

Jackson(last name)

voice claim: Sarah Silverman, ‘Vanellope Von Schweetz’ “Wreck-it-Ralph”

Aine Cedar Ward

Aine(first name): brilliant, happiness

Cedar(middle name): a tree that represents strength, longevity and resiliency

Ward(last name)

voice claim: Daisy Ridley, ‘Rey’ “Star Wars”

Rune Alena Vagerson

Rune(first name): secret

Alena(middle name): tower

Vagerson(last name)

voice claim: Billie Piper, ‘Rose Tyler’ “Doctor Who”

Alexandria Rose Tyler-Williams (Alex)

Alexandria(first name): defender of humankind

Rose(middle name): a flower that represents romance, love, beauty, and courage

Tyler-Williams(last name)

voice claim: Ellen McLain, ‘Glados’ “Portal”

Asterin Mori Eraline

Asterin(first name): star

Mori(middle name): God is my teacher, forest

Eraline(last name)

voice claim: Zeno Robinson, ‘Hunter’ “The Owl House

Amaris Mallory Kenobi (Mar)

Amaris(first name): promised by God

Mallory(middle name): unlucky

Kenobi(last name)

voice claim: Mae Whitman, ‘Katara’ “Avatar: The Last Airbender”

Astra Blossom Pendragon

Astra(first name): star

Blossom(middle name): flower-like

Pendragon(last name)

voice claim: Deborah Watling, ‘Victoria Waterfield’ “Doctor Who”

Elaine Christine Rothschild-Kirk (El)

Elaine(first name): sun ray, shining light

Christine(middle name): follower of Christ

Rothschild-Kirk(last name)

voice claim: Ashleigh Ball, ‘Rainbow Dash’ “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”

Caroline Jane Foxer (Genesis Gwendolyn G.)

Caroline(first given name): free woman

Genesis(first chosen name): new beginning

Jane(middle given name): God is gracious

Gwendolyn(middle chosen name): blessed ring

Foxer(last given name)

G.(last chosen name)

voice claim: Isabel May, ‘Veronica Duncan’ “Young Sheldon”

Elizabeth Rebecca Quinn (Beth)

Elizabeth(first name): God is my oath

Rebecca(middle name): bind or tie

Quinn(last name)

voice claim: Jodi Benson, ‘Ariel’ “The Little Mirmaid”

Fern Prentice Tyler

Fern(last name): sincerity

Prentice(middle name): apprentice, learner

Tyler(last name)

voice claim: Chiari Queen, ‘Victoria’ “Metal Family”

Jacob Kane Kirk

Jacob(first name): supplanter

Kane(middle name): battlefield

Kirk(last name)

voice claim: Michael Ark, ‘Arvo’ “The Walking Dead”

T’Laura Amanda Kirk

T’Laura(first name): achievement

Amanda(middle name): worthy of love, lovable

Kirk(last name)

voice claim: Mae Whitman, ‘Amity Blight’ “The Owl House”

Soren Leonard Kirk

Soren(first name): stern, strict, severe

Leonard(middle name): lion's strength

Kirk(last name)

voice claim: Jorden Fry, ‘Lewis Robinson’ “Meet the Robinsons”

0 notes

milliesfashionblogunit2 · 1 year

Text

Charles Frederick Worth

Charles Frederick Worth, the designer who dominated Parisian fashion in the latter half of the nineteenth century, was born in Bourne, Lincolnshire, England, on October 13, 1825. As a young man, Worth worked as an apprentice and clerk for two London textile merchants. In addition to gaining a thorough knowledge of fabrics and the business of supplying dressmakers during this time, he also visited the National Gallery and other collections to study historic portraits. Elements of the sitters’ dresses in these paintings would later provide inspiration for Worth’s own designs, for both fashionable ensembles and masquerade costumes.

Metmuseum.org. (2020). [online] Available at: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/81112.

Worth rarely scrutinized or adapted forms from the East; in this unusual example, he has emulated Middle Eastern enamels. More often, he was an instrument of a Western taste that was projected globally via imperialism. He is said to have created 250 dresses on commission from Empress Eugénie for her appearances at the opening of the Suez Canal in 1868. This gown was worn by Mrs. William De Forest Manice, the donor's grandmother, at both the French and English courts during the reigns of Napoleon III and Queen Victoria. When worn on such occasions, the dress had a detachable brocade train, since destroyed.

Worth’s rise as a designer coincided with the establishment of the Second Empire in France. The restoration of a royal house in 1852, with Napoleon III (1808–1873) as the new emperor, once again made Paris an imperial capital and the setting for numerous state occasions. Napoleon III implemented a grand vision for both Paris and France, initiating changes and modernization that revitalized the French economy and made Paris into a showpiece of Europe. The demand for luxury goods, including textiles and fashionable dress, reached levels that had not been seen since before the French Revolution (1789–99). When Napoleon III married Empress Eugénie (1826–1920), her tastes set the style at court (1978.403; 01.21). The empress’ patronage ensured Worth’s success as a popular dressmaker from the 1860s onward.

The large number of surviving Worth garments in the permanent collection of The Costume Institute, as well as in other institutions in the United States, is testament to Worth’s immense popularity among wealthy American patrons, as well as European royalty and aristocrats. Many clients traveled to Paris to purchase entire wardrobes from the House of Worth. For the wealthy woman, a complete wardrobe would consist of morning, afternoon, and evening dresses (C.I.53.63a,b; 49.3.25a, b), and lavish “undress” items such as tea gowns and nightgowns, which were worn only in the privacy of one’s home. Women also looked to Worth to supply gowns for special occasions, including weddings (C.I.41.14.1) and ornate masquerade balls (1994.462a,b), a favorite entertainment in both the United States and Europe. Worth’s clients also included stars of the theater and concert stage. He supplied performance costumes and personal wardrobes for leading actresses and singers such as Sarah Bernhardt, Lillie Langtry, Nellie Melba, and Jenny Lind.

#charles fredrick worth #victorian era #queen victoria

0 notes

farpolaris · 2 years

Text

One republic apologize instrumental

This version has takes from the original video, with the band playing on a studio, mixed with scenes from the series. Furthermore, it features scenes from the film Zweiohrküken.Ī second version of the video, was released as a promo for the premiere of the sixth season of the US TV series Lost. It shows the band playing their instruments and Ryan Tedder singing. The music video debuted on German television on October 16, 2009.

Hill writes "The song starts out more like a conversation, but turns into a powerful plea by the time the chorus comes around." Hill speculates as to the meaning of this plea but thinks it best that listeners find their own meaning.

John Hill from rated it with 4.5 stars (out of 5), praising Tedder for bringing nuance to the lyrics. In 2014, Katherine Jenkins released the album Home Sweet Home, which included the song in Italian as "Segreti". Since December 2013, an acoustic version of the song performed by the Piano Guys has been used in the 'Simon the Ogre' adverts for the Thomson Travel Agents. The song was featured at the end of episode 6 ("Reality Kills") of season 9 of the CBS series CSI: Miami. The song has been heavily utilized in network promotional advertising for various series and several other film trailers in the United States. In 2011, the song was featured as runway soundtrack at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. In the same year, it was used in many promotional trailers for ABC Family's new series Pretty Little Liars. An instrumental version of "Secrets" also featured prominently in the FaceTime portion of Apple's iPhone 4 video introduction in 2010. The song was prominently used and featured in the soundtrack of the 2010 film The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and was also used to launch the "Big Pony" fragrance line for Ralph Lauren. It serves as the third track on the album. The song was due for a UK release on Apbut was later canceled. The song was released in the United States iTunes Store on November 3, 2009. The song rocketed up the German and Austrian airplay charts. The movie is the sequel to the film Keinohrhasen, for which Apologize was the film soundtrack. It was released as the first single in Germany and Austria owing to its presence on the soundtrack of Til Schweiger's film Zweiohrküken. Secrets is the second single released from OneRepublic's second studio album Waking Up. This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).

#One republic apologize instrumental

0 notes

theaussieway · 2 years

Text

10 AUSTRALIAN CHEFS: Who Become Global Celebrities

It’s quite challenging to work in the restaurant industry, where customers can be challenging to please, and the hours or deadlines are highly demanding. However, a lot of chefs have established themselves in Australia as well as other regions of the world, but only a few have achieved celebrity status.

Due to Australia’s vibrant food culture and the success of reality cooking competition shows like My Kitchen Rules and Masterchef on television over the past ten years, Australian chefs are well-known throughout the world, and the country is also home to several well-known celebrity chefs. Some of Australia’s well-known chefs run restaurants with lengthy waits and have been awarded Michelin stars.

This article will introduce you to the best Australian chefs, who are well-known around the world as celebrities.

Curtis Stone

Curtis Stone was born in Melbourne, Victoria. When Curtis Stone was 2 years old, his parents, Lorraine, a florist, and Bryan Stone, an accountant, divorced. At the age of four, his grandmother started teaching him how to cook. Stone studied home economics at an all-boys high school before beginning an apprenticeship in commercial cooking at a technical institute. He finished his Bachelor of Business degree before opting to get into the culinary industry.

Many celebrity chefs in Australia may be found on Australian TV reality shows like MasterChef and MKR, but few have the global reach of Curtis Stone, who broke into US television a decade ago. The Melbourne-born chef gained experience in London and Los Angeles as well. Curtis Stone was known for the million-dollar smile that made him one of the most marketable smiles in Australian media.

43-year-old Curtis Stone immediately rose to fame after his participation in the third season of The Celebrity Apprentice. Curtis began his culinary career at the Savoy Hotel when he was 18 years old before moving to London to work with Marco Pierre White. In 2014, he opened the Beverly Hills restaurant Maude, which is known for its superb wine and seasonal cuisine. He also owns Gwen, a classy restaurant in Los Angeles. In addition to Saturday Night Live, Curtis has been on Surfing the Menu, Dinner in a Box, Good Food Live, and Saturday Kitchen.

Pete Evans

Peter Daryl Evans, an Australian chef and former television host who served as a judge on the reality food competition My Kitchen Rules, was born on August 29, 1973. Evans has come under fire for advocating pseudoscientific diets like the palaeolithic diet and distributing false information regarding immunizations. He is a resident of Round Mountain, NSW. At the age of 19, Pete started a career as a chef and restaurateur. The now-46-year-old went on to open several nationally acclaimed restaurants and has subsequently worked in some of the best eateries in the globe. Pete is a strong advocate of the paleo diet, and his love of good health and wellness can be seen in his food. He produced and hosted The Paleo Way for two seasons, presented The Moveable Feast, and served as a judge and co-host for nine seasons of My Kitchen Rules. He just made an appearance in the critically acclaimed film The Magic Pill, which explores the effects that food can have on our bodies. Pete has also authored 14 books, the most recent of which is Heal: 101 Easy Ways to Improve Your Health In A Modern World. His other works include Eat Your Greens, Low Carb, and Healthy Fat.

George Calombaris

Chef and restaurateur George Dimitrios Calombaris was born in Australia on October 4, 1978. From 2009 to 2019, Calombaris served as one of the judges for the Network 10 program MasterChef Australia. Before he participated in MasterChef Australia, Calombaris frequently made appearances on the Network Ten daytime cookery programme Ready Steady Cook. He had several restaurants in Melbourne. The Press Club, his flagship restaurant, was selected as “Best New Restaurant 2008” by The Age Good Food Guide, and Calombaris was named “Chef of the Year 2008.” Calombaris finds inspiration in his Italian, Greek, and Cypriot ancestry.

He is one of the very few famous chefs in Australia, most well known for his work as a judge on all 10 seasons of MasterChef and his passion for Italian, Greek, and Cypriot cuisine. While still an apprentice, he attended the Box Hill Institute of TAFE and won the Bon Land scholarship in 1999. George later worked for Reserve in Melbourne’s Federation Square for two years, when he was named Young Chef of the Year. One of the “Top 40 chefs of Influence in the World” in 2004 was named George. He currently owns five eateries in Melbourne, the most well-known of which is The Press Club. He is also the author of The Press Club: Modern Greek Cookery (2008), Georgie Porgie (2011), and Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart. He is a co-author of Your Place or Mine? (2010) and Cook with Us (2011). (2015).

Emma Dean

Emma is a former professional athlete who competed for Australia in track cycling. She has always believed that her competitive nature helped her succeed in the MasterChef Australia kitchen and realise her aspirations of being the best chef in Australia. Emma spent her early years surrounded by hens, sheep, cows, and horses because she was raised on a hobby farm. Her mother used to milk the cow every day, and her parents raised a lot of their fruits and veggies. Emma Dean was named the series 5 champions of MasterChef Australia on September 1st, 2013. Attica chef Ben Shewry’s complex Plight of the Bees was the challenging dessert pressure test that pitted Dean against Lynton Tapp in the final round.

Dean won $100,000, a trip to some of the top kitchens in the nation, and an Alfa Romeo. Dean won a book publication contract with New Holland Publishers as part of the MasterChef award. A Homegrown Table, her cookbook, was published on December 1st, 2013.

Later Emma hosted, an Australian TV reality show My Market Kitchen for a few years where she developed a close bond with Lynton Tapp, her co-host, while they were both working on MasterChef Australia. They were replaced in 2019 by Khanh Ong, a finalist in season ten, and Elena Duggan, the season eight champion.

Adam Liaw

Australian-Malaysian chef Adam Liaw rose to fame after taking home the title on MasterChef’s second season. Liaw was born in Penang, Malaysia, to an English mother who was born in Singapore and a Malaysian Chinese father. He has an older brother and a younger sister, and he is the second of three children. At age 3, his family relocated to Adelaide. Liaw lived with his paternal grandmother, whom he credits as having had a significant influence on both his cooking and his life after his parents got divorced and his mother relocated to New Zealand. Liaw tweeted in September 2009 that he was thinking about applying for the second season of MasterChef Australia. He was listed as one of the top 24 candidates in April 2010. Despite succeeding in a competition where he had to prepare meals from famous chefs, Liaw wasn’t confident in his ability to take home the crown.

Liaw was the first challenger to be given a spot in the championship round on July 22, 2010. He was named the champion of the second season of MasterChef on July 25, 2010. The most watched non-sporting television event in Australian history is still his victory.

Liaw thought about a multitude of alternatives after winning the competition, including founding an izakaya restaurant. He later returned to MasterChef as a guest judge for seasons 4 and 6. The 40-year-old, Adam Liaw resides in Sydney, hosts the show Destination Flavour and writes frequently for publications including The Guardian, Sunday Life, and GoodFood. Two Asian Kitchens (2011), Adam’s Big Pot (2014), The Zen Kitchen (2016), Adam Liaw’s Asian Cookery School (2017), and Destination Flavour: People and Places are among the five cookbooks he has written (2018). Read Full Article: 10 AUSTRALIAN CHEFS: Who Become Global Celebrities

#Australian Chefs #Australian Food #Best Chef in australia #Masterchefs

0 notes

travelinghobby · 2 years

Text

Gordon Ramsay’s Future Food Star, Victoria Omobuwajo, Doesn’t Care About The Prize Money

In the wake of winning ‘Gordon Ramsay‘s Future Food Stars’, the last thing Victoria Omobuwajo seems to care about is prize money. In what can only be described as The Apprentice of food, the show gave twelve food and drink entrepreneurs the chance to fight for an investment of £150,000 [$185,000] from Ramsay himself. And Omobuwajo’s plantain-based snack brand, Sunmo, left victorious. “Going…

View On WordPress

0 notes

cosmos-tree-house · 2 months

Text

Apprentice List

un-colored names = this animal probably will not have central focus in the story. this might change as i develop plot and etc tavie isn't in this bc she is. irrelevant for this arc sorry girlie </3 will add later when i get 2 it

Cosmo

- Fort Slybelly, giraffe, he/him notes: Star of the hour. Knows much more than he lets on. Distrusting. A bit of an asshole. Works with Greely's apprentices fairly often for his work. Does not communicate with his colleagues. Has been around the longest out of all apprentices. Orange with white splotches and dark brown eyes - Victory Wittyhoof, clydesdale horse, she/her notes: Nickname is Victoria or Vicky. Isn't horribly into reading or literacy; works to defend protected areas of wildlife. Very nice. Green with light yellow spirals, emerald eyes. Curly-haired with a large, burly body. - Baron Rowdyapple, koala, ze/zeir notes: Oldest age-wise of the Apprentices generally. An absolute gent. Is working to conserve plantlife of Jamaa. Enjoys zeir job immensely. Dark brown with purple star-patterns and a pale undertone. Is beginning to gray. Red-eyed

Sir Gilbert

- Ember The Dragon, tiger, it/its notes: War lieutenant. Orange with rusty red lightning-patterns. Green eyes - Mellow Redflower, moose, she/her notes: Manages weaponry and medical supplies Blue with white undertones, hazel spotting. No eyes - Simple Glamspirit, skunk, ae/aer notes: Mage. Doom-and-gloom Light blue and light red. White leafy patterns. Pale yellow eyes.

Graham

- Juniper Roundeyes, flamingo, she/he notes: Pushy, envious, and annoying. Good at his job. Heavily invested in utilizing levitation and electricity-based magics; currently studying how this can be used in every-day inventions. Probably one of the older Apprentices over-all next to Fort. Green and white with a dark-green beak. Has round yellow eyes and dark-green rune-markings.

- Pioneer Goldenmeadow, wolf, they/it notes: Newest of the bunch, is swamped in work all the time. Hermit. Does not come to parties or functions, seemingly too busy. It is mute. Black/yellow, with orange splotches and navy blue eyes

Greely

- Earl Grandrabbit, hare, he/they notes: Neurotic, paranoid prey animal; everyone thinks he's an absolute freak, but he's fantastic at archival duties. Enjoys reading immensely. Rarely talks to anyone outside of work, but enjoys company. Black pelt with blue crescents; pale orange eyes and skin - Feeble Gentlebug, seal, he/him notes: Caring and analytical. Head librarian at the Chamber Of Knowledge. Enjoys a good mystery. Good friends with Grand. White with blue floral markings and a blue nose. Brown eyes.

Liza

- Nice Frozenmeadow, artic fox, she/her notes: Major diplomat, but unpopular within the public. Seen as cold to most. Very ambitious, fought hard for her position. Has three cubs, all adopted. Comes from a prestigious line of fox ancestry. White with light blue legs and pale grey-blue spotting. Gray eyes. Wears a lot of silver jewelery - Jumping Desertcloud, panda, it/its notes: Handles a lot of Jamaa's whole economics system alongside Liza herself. Loves to party. Likes wine. Allegedly in a romantic relationship with Nice Frozenmeadow. Off-white and pale yellow. No pattern. Red eyes. - Daredevil Loudstar, bald-eagle, they/them notes: Daredevil is like all of the Alpha's mutual publicist. They are generally disliked and also kind of terrible at their job. The public is mildly ambivalent about them though -- they're unpopular within the Apprentice-Alpha circle. Juniper Roundeyes and Daredevil seem to enjoy each-other's company. Tan-and-black eagle with white heart-patterns. Purple eyes.

Peck

- Grand Spikypride, wolf, she/they notes: Party-goer. Popular within the media for her ferociousness. First of Peck's apprentices, and the youngest. Emotional and a little dramatic. Best friends with Feeble Gentlebug Grey-and-pinkish cream with light pink splotches. Pink eyes - Little Desertbuddy, pig, it/she notes: Currently getting absolutely dragged through the dirt by the media. Allegedly paid/cheated to be Peck's apprentice. Gentle soul with a fantastic, showy magical ability. Good friends with Mellow Redflower and Jumping Desertcloud. Well-liked despite rumors. Muted green, light brown eyes. No patterns; extremities are slightly darker.

#animal jam rewrite #list of apprentices #drafting #the story #apprentices

0 notes

macapoodle · 2 years

Text

Who did it

#star apprentice magical murder mystery #star apprentice #minne #charlotte #charlotte star apprentice #Roxanne #Roxanne star apprentice #iris #iris star apprentice #Lilly #Lillian #Victoria Windsor #Macadoodles

10 notes · View notes

familyatourcore · 6 years

Text

tag drop.

#they call me cinderella (headcanon)#lizards and pumpkins and things (aesthetic)#ella open rp #an apprentice still learning his trade (headcanon)#the last stroke of midnight (aesthetic)#caelius open rp #any rule can be broken (headcanon)#second star to the right and straight on til morning (aesthetic)#payton open rp #off with their head (headcanon)#darling im a nightmare (aesthetic)#victoria open rp #heads will roll (headcanon)#death in the shadows prince in the sun (aesthetic)#valerian open rp

2 notes · View notes

cas-kingdom · 3 years

Text

Masterpost

This will continue to be updated as I post stories. There are links (such as to my ff.net account) and important information about my stories that may affect you at the bottom.

Happy reading!

shows

American Horror Story

Bridgerton

Castle

Chicago Fire

Criminal Minds

Daredevil

Doctor Who

Full House

Game of Thrones

Good Omens

Grey’s Anatomy

House

Knightfall

Lucifer

Merlin

Moon Knight

NCIS

Once Upon a Time

Outlander

Peaky Blinders

Poldark

Shadow and Bone

Sherlock

Suits

Supernatural

The Handmaid’s Tale

The Last Kingdom

The Musketeers

The Sandman

The Umbrella Academy

The Vampire Diaries

The Walking Dead

The Witcher

The 100

True Blood

Victoria

Vikings

Virgin River

9-1-1: Lone Star

movies

Aquaman

Avatar

Divergent

Enola Holmes

Harry Potter

Kingsman

Knives Out

Man of Steel

Pirates of the Caribbean

Star Trek

Stranger Things

The Avengers

The Chronicles of Narnia

The Legend of Tarzan

The Maze Runner

The Mummy

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice

Tolkien (LotR/TH)

Transformers

Twilight

Venom

V for Vendetta

X-Men

General disclaimer: All stories are mine and I don’t give permission for them to be posted anywhere unless I explicitly say they can. None of the gifs are mine unless I say they are. I also do not give permission for my OCs (own characters) to be used in stories that aren’t my own.

Personal disclaimer: As a little note to new readers, I’ve been writing & posting on this blog since 2017. Many of my old fics make me cringe horribly & are kept undeleted for the sole reason that I know they still bring comfort to some people. (I like to think) I don’t write the same as I did when I was 15, so please do keep it in mind if you come across a story of mine that’s maybe a little…shit.

It’s also important to note that the reader in 99% of my fics is based on my OC (all female, sister/daughter) of that specific fandom. For example, the reader in my Witcher fics is written as my OC, Akela, with the pronouns changed to be reader-friendly. This is why the majority of my fics have readers with specific personality/appearance traits. Some of my fandoms are written with my OC instead of the reader. If you would like to read the OC version of a particular reader fic, just let me know.

Other links:

FAQ (Here you’ll find all the fandoms I write for!)

Imagines & Headcanons

Fanfiction.net

AO3

Ko-fi

Random masterposts:

December Writing Challenge Masterpost

5-line Fic Masterpost

To Annoy... Masterpost

2K notes · View notes

anazen333 · 2 years

Text

My Favorite Movies of my Favorite Genres / My Favorite TV Shows of my Favorite Genres

Because when I was trying to describe what level and types of entertainment I enjoy, I wasn’t able to make myself clear to my bestie’s boyfriend who has way more ‘sophisticated’ taste than me lol

But I think if I were to summarize what I like in a nutshell, it’d be: a fun romp (nothing heavy), with just enough angst/intrigue to make it meaty, and a visual treat to watch.

Part 1 - Films

Action:

Espionage - 007, Mission Impossible, The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

Adventure - The Mummy, Indiana Jones, The Princess Bride, National Treasure, Bumblebee, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Pirates of the Caribbean, Assassins’ Creed, The Legend of Tarzan, The Legend of Zorro, the Mask of Zorro, Sahara

Superhero - Wonder Woman, Captain America: The First Avenger, Black Panther, Ant-Man, Black Widow, Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse, The Avengers, The Incredibles, Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Batman: Under the Red Hood, Guardians of the Galaxy, Big Hero 6, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths, Venom

Animation:

Action/Adventure - Princess Mononoke, Mulan, Aladdin, The Rescuers Down Under, Moana,, How to Train Your Dragon, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, Tangled, Spies in Disguise

Comedy - Inside Out, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Mitchells vs the Machines, The Willoughbys, Kung Fu Panda, Meet the Robinsons, Sherk 2, Megamind

Drama - The Prince of Egypt, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, Coco, The Lion King, Lilo and Stitch, Brave, Balto, Kiki’s Delivery Service

Fantasy - Castle in the Sky, Fantasia 2000, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Secret of Kells, Spirited Away, Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Sleeping Beauty, Rise of the Guardians, Wolfwalkers

Romance - Beauty and the Beast, Corpse Bride, Anastasia, Strange Magic, The Swan Princess

Science fiction - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Wall-E, Howl’s Moving Castle, Atlantas: The Lost Empire, Origin: Spirits of the Past, Treasure Planet, Neppû Kairiku Bushi Road

Comedy:

Action-comedy - Charlie’s Angels, Arsenic and Old Lace, Knight and Day, Mr. and Mrs. Smith RED, Men in Black, George of the Jungle, 101 Dalmatians, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, Jumamji: Welcome to the Jungle, Miss Congeniality

Romantic comedy - Much Ado About Nothing, Some Like it Hot, Austinland, Letters to Juliet, Not Another Happy Ending, The Taming of the Shrew, I.Q., Sweet Home Alabama, My Big Fat Greek Wedding

Crime:

Ocean’s 11, Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, Lupin III: The First, Entrapment

Fantasy:

Peter Pan (2003), Alice in Wonderland (2010), Pan’s Labyrinth, Labyrinth, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Dracula Untold, Casper, Hellboy Animated, Maleficent, Snow White and the Huntsman

Romance:

Romance drama - Sabrina, The Mirror Has Two Faces, Casablanca, Cinderella (2015), Shakespeare Re-Told, Penelope, This Beautiful Fantastic, Everything Everything, Chocolat, Meet Joe Black, Roman Holiday

Period romance - Pride and Prejudice, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Young Victoria, Miss Potter, Sense and Sensibility, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Ever After: a Cinderella Story

Thriller:

The Da Vinci Code, Red Eye, The Bourne Legacy, The One, Hitman: Agent 47, The Tourist, The Count of Monte Cristo (1975)

Science fiction:

Tech noir - I, Robot, Ready Player One, Minority Report, Tomorrow Land, Contact, Arrival, TRON: Legacy, The Last Mimzy

Steampunk - Sherlock Holmes (2009), A Series of Unfortunate Events, Metropolis, The Golden Compass

Space opera - Star Wars, Rogue One, Star Trek Into Darkness, Titan A. E.

Musical:

Phantom of the Opera, My Fair Lady, Cats (1998), Cinderella (1997), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Into the Woods, Chicago

Part 2 - TV Shows

Action:

Adventure - Ducktales (2017), Carmen Sandiego (2019), Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012), Kim Possible, The Musketeers, Yona of the Dawn

Superhero - Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes, Batman: the Animated Series, Teen Titans, Sailor Moon, WandaVision, Justice League, Static Shock, The Batman, Smallville, Lolirock, Green Lantern: the Animated Series, Justice League Action

Comedy:

My Roommate is a Cat, Gugure! Kokkuri-san, Wander over Yonder, The Goes Wrong Show, The Addams Family, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Wallflower

Crime:

NCIS, Castle, The Mentalist, Endgame, White Collar, Leverage, Sherlock (2010), Forever, Moriarty the Patriot, Peaky Blinders, Num3ers, Gangsta, Body of Proof

Documentary:

Mythbusters, Anything on Ancient Egypt, The Crocodile Hunter, Dancing with the Birds

Fantasy:

Shadow and Bone, Once Upon a Time, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Yuyu Hakusho, Inuyasha, Gargoyles, Jackie Chan Adventures, Princess Tutu, The Ancient Magus’ Bride, Castlevania, My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, Good Omens, Arcane: League of Legends, Danny Phantom, Basilisk: the Kouga Ninja Scrolls, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, Trollhunters, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Amphibia, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

Romance:

Princess Jellyfish, The Ghosts & Mrs. Muir, Kamisama Hajimemashte, Blend S, Inu x Boku SS, Engaged to the Unidentified, Beauty and the Beast (1987), Ouran Host Club, My Love Story!!

Thriller:

Gravity Falls, Bonekickers

Science fiction:

Transformers Prime, Astro Boy (2003), Star Wars: the Clone Wars, Clone Wars, Samurai Jack, Unlimited Psychic Squad, Infinity Train, Star Wars: Visions, Star Wars: The Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, Star Wars: Rebels, Bee and Puppycat, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Steven Universe, Buzz Lightyear of Star Command

#my faves #tv shows #films #it's funny how I have so little in one genre for film or tv and on the other side it's bursting lol

8 notes · View notes

signofwolf · 2 years

Text

Crown of Shards series by Jennifer Estep

Genre: High Fantasy, Adult Fantasy, Sword and Sorcery

Themes: Royalty, Gladiators, Magic, Conspiracy, Spies

Containing: Kill the Queen (2018) Star rating: 8/10 Protect the Prince (2019) Star rating: 7/10 Crush the King (2020) Star rating: 4/10 Series star rating: 6/10

Why did I pick this up? Badass titles (and that’s a completely valid reason!)

Character design Lady Everleigh Saffira Winter Blair. It doesn’t exactly read as Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way, but it’s close. Our main protagonist is a standard model Hero-1: orphaned, overlooked, average at everything. At this point I’m not even sure it can be counted as a flaw, there are really A LOT of fiction works to compare. What I liked about her was her funny attitude towards everything and the relationships she created around herself. I really appreciated the fact that she was a fully grown, 28 years old woman. It made her perspective a lot more interesting and appealing from the point of accumulated life experiences, which our standard sweet sixteen just lacks. Her past in Seven Spires is not consistent enough to be fully believable. I’ve got the feeling that J. Estep was juggling Evie’s past to suit the plot. Not cool, author, not cool indeed.

The rest of the cast… was awesome. Cho’s cheerfulness and love for sweets, Serilda's harshness and history, Jenna’s charming personality and not-so-charming growth, Zanya‘s slyness, Paloma’s loyalty. Lucas Sullivan actually became a full-fledged character by the second installment. And that’s completely fine, it got the pacing and time for friendships and loyalties first.

...and in the last book they all turned into a uniform mass called ‘my friends’. RIP good character design.

Romance The real problem is that there shouldn’t be a romance in Kill The Queen, because there wasn’t any on the pages till the ��we want, but we can’t’ moment. And it's not that I didn’t buy that Evie and Sullivan could fall in love, they totally could, but that was a book about intrigues, mass murder and path to be strong. The last minute love interest just wasn’t necessary ... It was so disconnected, that my theory is that the editor decided that the book without love wouldn’t sell so it got written in later.. The romantic plotline in the second book was actually very good, but as it lacked grounds that should’ve been formed in the previous volume it rang hollow for me.

World Building My opinion after the 1st book: Pretty standard, competent, but not earth-shattering.

My opinion after the 3rd book: It’s a mess.

We have the ‘every jewel has a different power if infused with magic’ world base. That’s great, I loved it. But the only thing we get to know is what power each gem has, and my very loose guess that only stone master can make magical jewels. Which is sadly lacking when taking into consideration that our protagonist worked for 15 years as stone masters’ apprentice. She should share a bit of this knowledge with us, otherwise: what was the point?

We have individual powers of humans, which are more or less genetically based. And that’s an even bigger mess than the whole ‘magical gems’ thingy (a similar concept was handled great by Victoria Aveyard in Red Queen). And then there are races of morphs (ogres and dragons shapeshifters) who at the same time are and aren't humans. I think? I’ll go with not-humans because they have a living tattoo of their inner self, and that's a consistent feature, but through the books they were treated like any other power.

We have 3 types of magical creatures, which live only in 3 kingdoms (the remaining 4 are not worthy?): gargoyles, stryxes and caladriuses. They (or at least some of them) have a lot of internal magic and can talk (only sometimes or only to special people and to books’ protagonists).

The magic can be ingested by drinking blood of the creatures from the previous point, but only one person can? Only one person realized this? This point is on the nitpicking side, but it’s a problem when the world isn’t built consistently. As an example let me say that I’m not even sure about my feelings about the existence of a train in this universe. It could be explained by magic-powered thingy, but it was the only steampunk vibe in the whole book and it was dropped so casually that it didn’t feel real.

And these things wouldn't be that bad if so much spotlight wouldn’t be put on them only to repeat the same few phrases every time.

Language REPETITIONS.

Phrase ‘executed perfect Bellonian curtsy’ was overused to the point of physical pain. I’m a little sad that I don’t have an e-book copy to check an actual number. I’m fairly sure that this was more than 10 times per book.‘As did a dragon on her(/his) neck’ isn’t nearly as nerve grating, but still too much. All books have a terrible number of repeated phrases or specific words, often not needed at all (the author said that the ogre ‘tattoo’ almost always mirrors the mimics of the person, WHY then inform us every time what the ogre did if we already knew what the person did?! That's actually the second reason why these books are not 5 stars.

Almost every time the author described the things the same way, e.g. stryxes were always ‘bigger than floresyan(?) horses’. And, yeah that’s lovely. But the next 5 times I would like to read something different about them, or nothing at all. For example information that they just molted, that would be a worldbuilding piece! …and isn’t it sad, what it tells about worldbuilding?

Plotlines: Series have two main plotlines: The coup/war plotline - that was a good one. The Evie/Winter Queen plotline - that was not a good one.

All across these books there is this great mystery: What is a Winter Queen? And you know what? After reading the whole series I have no idea what a Winter Queen is.

The whole Winter/Summer Queen deal is a chaos so great it should create some kind of new world. Oh wait… I would really love to understand this Gordian knot of inconsistent explanations, but as for now I’m not sure if even the author herself understands this. The only thing I, as a reader, can do is to list facts we were presented in the plot, yet I’m not even trying to find logic or links between them.

So what do we know about the meaning of being a Winter Queen? There are basically 3 possibilities:

Winter Queen is something genetic. There were two bloodlines in one family, so this suggests something genetic on a level of biology or magic, but the information we have about Blairs contradicts this. How do they even decide who is from which line? Vasilia and Evelyn were second cousins, but one was Winter and one was Summer, does that mean thet their Great-grandparents tossed a coin to decide which daughter will be from which bloodline? So how did it look before? Any suggestions, dear autor?

Winter Queen is a special power (Magic Master) The most logical solution, which for the time I thought was correct, was if a Winter Queen was a magic master, like The First Queen and later Evie. But why then her mother was considered a Winter Queen when her power was ice? It would make the individuals special, not a branch of a family, but through the whole Kill the Queen everyone talked about ‘Winter side of the family’.

This theory is supported by the attempted kidnapping of Evie by Morta. But on the other hand King of Morta admitted that he didn’t believe in ‘magic master legend’ so all this sequence just doesn't make any sense. Well, unless the author wanted to upped the stakes, but she writted her protagonist too normal childhood.

Winter Queen is what the author explained it as at the end of Crush The King The official ‘explanation’ is that it's a ‘queen who cares about her people’ (WTF?) and a ‘queen who rules in the hard times’ which was just a big pile of bull’s sh*t. And that’s putting it mildly. Although to be fair that is the explanation that fits the main rhyme of the series the best. The problem here are all the scenes and dialogues across the books that said otherwise.

You can have at the same time ‘a special Chosen One, first after the founder’, ‘the last survivor of a special clan’ and ‘special, because she made herself special’.

The Villain book #1: Yup, buying it. She just lacks a little in the backstory department. Don’t get me wrong Vasilia is a very compelling antagonist, she just lacks these long-term snippets of life, to explain why and how. In here it looked just as if she was born a selfish, cruel b*tch. That’s where Azula from Avatar: The Last Airbender comes as a prime example of the perfect unfinged-bloodthirsty-princess story, but with a very realistic reasoning.

The Villain books #2 & #3: Maximus – cartoonishly evil villain created to make Maven ‘a lesser evil’.Maven – very good character, layered with a good reason to exist.

What I loved in Kill The Queen

The plot. The plot was great

The coup scene was a masterpiece. I think that it was even better than The Red Wedding.

The rhyme, it was repeated often, but the mood-setting was good enough for it to be compelling. “Summer queens are fine and fair, with pretty ribbons and flowers in their hair. Winter queens are cold and hard, with frosted crowns made of icy shards,” *Although I’m not buying the explanation for it (look section Plotlines)

The nice touch was every book structure: rhyme, first and last sentence.

What I didn’t like:

The problem of overexplaining everything at the start of the series. Exposition is a b*tch.

Evie was making a lot of introspective decisions. In most cases that’s something good, but in Kill The Queen she made a decision ‘to be better, stronger’ on an equivalent at least 4 times. That was too much to make an impact. All this self-reevaluation and her reminiscence about her relationship with Vasilia should theoretically be good, but it reads as a second draft. I wouldn’t call it though not thoroughly enough but there was too much repetition and slight contradictions to be a smooth narration. It also made the middle part of the first book not as dynamic as it should be. And the issue of pacing is one of the main reasons why these books are not top notch.

The subtle like punch in the face teasing of Paloma origins. A punch with brass knuckles.

The scene when Evie was kidnapped as a child (the whole idea really). But specifically this ominous, totally fake discussion of mercenaries with Maven in the last of Evie’s memories. It was so bad that it deserves a special spot on this list

Conclusions

These could be very good books, if it got more input from an editor or just if the author just reread it all after putting it down for a week.

The WInter Queen plotline was a sham.

Definitely didn’t like the unfinished motives: Zanya and Paloma deserved better. Why put so much light on Serilda and Cho not-romance if we won't be rewarded with a conclusion of their relationship.

The open-ending that was actually good, was the Maven and Leonidas one, it made sense, and I would totally read a spin-off ...if someone different would write it.

Unofficial Consort, really? You can eat cake or have cake, not both. Again.

Clash the King disappointed me a lot, and almost completely destroyed my good opinion about this series.

This review is a mess of me writing it when reading books and then being unable to put it into a coherent form. But to be fair these books are really a mess, with good start, but a mess nevertheless.

Please! Like my art on instagram!

#jennifer estep #crown of shards #book review #bookworm #fantasy #fiction #high fantas #magic #book #ya fantasy #female prota #art #digital art #fanart #girl #queen #prince

5 notes · View notes