Amanda Thai > Recent Status Updates

Juliana is a wannabe Lizzy Bennet or Prudence Akeldama without all the fiery drive that makes them such compelling heroines. Spencer was attractive, mysterious and chivalrous, but that was about it. He had no unique personality traits and little depth.

I still love this book. Perhaps not quite as much as when I first read it due to the high school-y parts but I still adore how vivid and colourful it is. Now that I am older, I have come to appreciate the subtleties of Alyssa's relationship with Morpheus, the childlike comfort and freedom, his belief in her abilities. Excited to continue with the series.

I forgot how mundane and high school-y the start of this book is. Also this book released 7 years ago?!?! Like what. You can really see its age when Alyssa talks about her iPod.

Howard must really love bugs because both Stain and Alyssa have an affinity with them.

After reading and loving Stain, I'm excited to return to the first book I read from Howard.

One of the most enchanting books I've read in a long time. Here's an excerpt from my review to come:
'Stain is a book that values darkness and night not for their contrast to the light, as a realm of sin and secrets and escape and edge, but for it's inherent beauty and comfort.'

It blows my mind that this book is a standalone. Howard could've easily easily stretched this out into a series but I applaud her for choosing a standalone instead.

Compared to Howard's Splintered series, which though I adore, I admit relies on its vivid descriptions, Stain is driven by its rich characters and history. It is much more maturely crafted and shows her prowess as a writer.

These characters are so wonderfully compelling. Their dynamics with each other are great but especially as individual people their complexity really shines

This book is restoring my love of reading and also of writing. It's keeping me hooked and reading until nearly 3 in the morning. The characters are rich and complex, the fairy tale deftly woven and far from a simplistic retelling. Despite most of the book so far being set in the Ashen Ravine, this book is truly gorgeous.

Giving this book a second go after dropping it last year due to uni. I don't remember much of the story except its beautiful descriptions (as par the course for Howard) and a well executed dark fairytale vibe.

A unique fantasy read. Loved the rich detail of everything Maia sewed. Edan was sweet. It's quite a romantic and intense book, especially towards the end. Definitely leads into the sequel, could not standalone at all. Don't know if I'll continue with the series yet. Though the start had me breezing through, the middle/two thirds mark was a bit of a slog and emotionally it's a little too intense for my liking.

Sweeping. I actually wrote a review because I had so much to say it didn't fit in the status updates. It's been a while since that happened.

Finished! It took longer than anticipated because I’ve gotten back into playing Minecraft which, naturally, eats up a lot of time. Reticence has arrived in the mail so I’m ready to read all the way through to the latest main book, albeit at a slower pace than I initially intended.

It’s surprisingly how much you can read when you’re trapped at family events.

This book is not as exciting as other Parasolverse books but it sets up Alexia and Conall’s relationship well. Also, I am highly impressed how Carriger has managed to make a consistent timeline and consistent characters across her Parasolverse books, despite them all being written at different times. Truly remarkable.

“I understand that you have been taught for far too long that you are unworthy.”
:( Poor Alexia. That one hits home.

I have the Parasol Protectorate series in mass market paperback size which I looove. It’s so cute and easy to hold

Last time I reread the Finishing School series at the end of 2017, I went to continue through with Parasol Protectorate and only made it to halfway through Blameless. It's a shame, really, because Heartless and Timeless are my favourites in the series. This time, I'm going to make it all the way through.

In maturity, Manners takes it a step up. However, where that was once intimidating to me, now it is tear-inducing in a good way. Finishing School appeals to a wide range of Amandas, of varying ages and times and for that I will forever love this series. Onto Parasol Protectorate!

This book made me cry. However, most things make me cry nowadays, as opposed to when I first read this book. It’s a beautiful and dramatic ending to the series that started so fun and fluffy. I adore Soap and Sophronia’s romance, and relate it much to my own.

As the most mature instalment of the series, I am perhaps most excited to return to Manners and Mutiny, nearly 5 years after first reading it. Though I have grown beyond my expectations in those years, Finishing School will forever have a place in my heart and relevance to my life. Here, I refer to the romance between Soap and Sophronia, as their rich friendship and depth of understanding reminds me of my own beau.

I forget how sad the end of this book is. I think I understand the subtleties of the romantic relationships much more now that I am older.

Of all the books in this wonderful series, I am most excited to reread Waistcoats and Manners, one because they are the ones I have read the least amount of times, and two because they form the more mature half of this series, something that I hope appeals to me more now than it did when I first read these.

I’m very glad I have the audiobook for this so I’ve been able to listen while driving :)

All done! This book will always have a special place in my heart. I both relate to and admire Sophronia and I adore this book’s superficial elements (steampunk finishing school) as well as its values (femininity as power). Excited to move onto the rest of the series and then the rest of the Parasolverse!

This book has just flown by. I forgot how much I loved this world and these characters.

Getting back into reading with perhaps my favourite YA series. I’ve read this particular book 5 times!

I DNFed this back in July of last year. I was getting too busy with uni and social life to read, and that was how the rest of 2019 went. Now that I'm finished with uni, I'm hoping to make a lot more time for reading. I'm not done with this book. I will return and finish it.

For my third year creative writing major project I have decided to write a piece about birds, flight, and the idea of home. My friend Mads recommended this to me as research and inspiration.