bookish

review: descendant of the crane

Published on May 24, 2019May 24, 2019 by fragilemyths2 Comments

TITLE: Descendant of the Crane
AUTHOR: Joan He
SYNOPSIS: Tyrants cut out hearts. Rulers sacrifice their own.

Princess Hesina of Yan has always been eager to shirk the responsibilities of the crown, but when her beloved father is murdered, she’s thrust into power, suddenly the queen of an unstable kingdom. Determined to find her father’s killer, Hesina does something desperate: she engages the aid of a soothsayer—a treasonous act, punishable by death… because in Yan, magic was outlawed centuries ago.

Using the information illicitly provided by the sooth, and uncertain if she can trust even her family, Hesina turns to Akira—a brilliant investigator who’s also a convicted criminal with secrets of his own. With the future of her kingdom at stake, can Hesina find justice for her father? Or will the cost be too high?

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW:

First off, that cover is literally way prettier than I am, but that’s fine. It’s fine. Everything’s fine.

As someone of Taiwanese and Chinese descent, I don’t often see proper representation of Asian main characters in young adult novels. That, as well as the stunningly gorgeous cover and promising premise (okay, and the fact that it was on the syllabus for my young adult literature class this semester), motivated me to pick up Descendant of the Crane—and I loved it!

It was dark, twisty, and nasty in all the right places. The intricacy of imperial court politics really drove the plot forward, but the novel also does an amazing job of tackling the fundamental question of morality. Hesina has a lot on her plate. She has to learn that the path to the truth she craves so badly involves choosing between the lesser of two evils and possibly doing something “bad” for the greater “good.” She’s pushed into her role as the queen of Yan at the young age of 17, and her constant pursuit of the absolute truth about the circumstances surrounding her father’s death ends up causing her to tunnel vision, crash, and tumble.

One of my absolute favorite things about this book is the fact that the author, Joan He, avoids defining her characters as simply “good” or “evil,” allowing for the development of multi-dimensional, complex characters with believable motives. The vivid writing also brings to life the familial relationships between the various characters without emphasizing romance. Although I think that the focus on coming-of-age, morality, and political court maneuverings was ultimately a better move for the overall tone of the book, I do wish that the relationship between Hesina and Akira, the ex-convict-turned-defense-lawyer, had a stronger presence throughout the novel. Akira is definitely the most mysterious character after Caiyan.

Speaking of Caiyan…I won’t spoil anything but he is my favorite character in this novel. I know this book was marketed as a standalone, (???why??? is the publisher just waiting to see how well this debut does???) but you can bet I’ll be reading the companion novels.

If you’re looking for a Nirvana and Fire, Chinese-inspired fantasy infused with forbidden magic, court intrigue and bildungsroman, Descendant of the Crane should definitely be your next read!

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

“What is truth? Scholars seek it. Poets write it. Good Kings pay gold to hear it. But in trying times, truth is the first thing we betray.”

books recommended by you

Published on December 8, 2018April 19, 2019 by fragilemyths2 Comments

What’s a book you’d recommend to everyone?

About three weeks ago, I asked my Instagram followers this exact question. There were so many great responses and recommendations, so I decided to compile a list of diverse and interesting reads for those of you who are hunting for your next book to ~~devour~~ read.

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Recommended by Violet (@girl_with_the_third_eye), this autobiographical comedy written by a South African author urges one to question the status quo while delivering smart humor.

Starfish by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Gabi (@ourworldofwords) steadfastly maintains that this is her favourite novel of all time! A Finalist for the 2018 William C. Morris Award, this emotionally poignant debut novel about a biracial teen who struggles with social anxiety and dreams of attending art school delves into the importance of understanding self-worth.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book comes highly recommended by Ana (@bujowithana) and Yylen (@booktopsleeper). The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is pegged as psychological fiction and LGBTQ+ literature full of old Hollywood glamour. It unfolds the fictional life of a Cuban actress in a cinematic fashion.

Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell

@buttons.studies says that this is the best book she’s ever read! Nominated for the Carnegie Medal and Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, Rooftoppers weaves elements of fantasy and historical fiction together to tell the story of a girl who discovers a secret rooftop world.

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Martina (@marty.reads) and Clarissa (@wavypages) both recommended this young adult, fantasy fiction novel about a lost city and its sinister past. Full of lush, descriptive writing and intricate world-building, Strange the Dreamer has long been on my own to-read list!

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami

This novel is one of Ciara’s (@cyra_bear) favourites! First published in 1987, Norwegian Wood is a beautiful, bildungsroman tale of loss and romantic relationships.

Radio Silence by Alice Oseman

A contemporary young adult novel recommended by @bookhuggerreviews, Radio Silence is a story about two teens who start a podcast together in an attempt to find their own voices without conforming to the expectations of society.

There were so many more great recommendations, but I don’t want to overwhelm you with a long list! I am eager to read all of them myself, and I hope that you can find your next read in this short list of interesting, diverse books.

how instagram’s algorithm favors dishonesty

Published on January 24, 2017February 17, 2018 by fragilemyths15 Comments

Let me just start this off by asking one question: Do you know anyone who likes Instagram’s algorithm?

Exactly.

Instagram was–is–a way for me (and other bloggers) to share our thoughts and opinions within the literary community. I joined at the end of March 2016 (though I had a personal account long before that) and I excitedly watched my account grow slowly over time. It’s not like I started out with 15000 followers on Twitter that I could just casually herd over to my Instagram account. No, I literally started with a follower count of zero.

Over the course of many months, I built a framework of trust and friendship with like-minded people, and we’ve happily discussed all things bookish. I was chosen to be a brand representative for businesses I truly cared about, such as Burning Pages Candles, Authored Adornments, Till and Dill, and Bookified Designs. And I was able to further expand on my sphere of influence by becoming a Lit Without Limits ambassador.

When Instagram announced that it would start adding in advertisements to my newsfeed, I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it, but I understood the reasons behind the new addition. For so long, Instagram had been a free platform for virtually anyone and everyone with access to the internet. Of course they would eventually find a way to monetize it. It was bound to happen. It made sense.

And when rumors of an algorithm started circulating our literary circles, I continued what I had always done–dutifully reviewing books, uploading high quality photos, answering comments and liking photos. I never asked my followers to turn on post notifications so that they wouldn’t miss my posts when the new algorithm was implemented.

But like so many other bloggers and avid bookstagrammers, I noticed a steep drop in engagement. A lot less likes. Even less comments.

It seems petty to be worried about the number of likes and comments each post gets, but for those of us who put in an enormous amount of time and effort into producing quality content, it’s extremely discouraging. For me, every photo is a labor of love. I utilize the creative side of me to come up with a setup before I actually start shooting. The picture-taking part is only the easy bit. After I’m satisfied with the pictures I’ve taken, I import them into my laptop and take time to make some basic edits. I then email the photos to myself and edit them through three different apps on my phone. Each photo I post goes through endless scrutiny. But that’s not all! There’s the dreaded clean-up process. I have to put all my books and props back to where they belong.

To be perfectly honest, I spend way more time than I should on bookstagram. When that invested time and energy seems to go to waste, it makes me reevaluate whether or not I should be trying so hard to cater to my audience. Why should I, when there’s no way that most of my followers would see my posts unless they are favored by Instagram’s algorithm?

So basically all of my posts will be buried underneath all the more “popular” posts. The only way to circumvent that is for my photo to immediately gain likes and comments as soon as it goes live. If that latest post doesn’t attract a lot of interaction right away, it’s going to be pushed down the newsfeed that has long since abandoned the much-loved chronological order.

I ended up spending a lot of time trying to gauge the right time to post, when interaction would be optimized at its highest. I researched and experimented with different hashtags to determine which ones were more likely to make others notice my photos. I joined a comment group, where each of us in the group could notify each other whenever we posted a photo, so that all of us could quickly double tap and comment, boosting interaction and convincing Instagram’s algorithm that the new post was “popular.” But this was exhausting and even more time consuming than ever. This was definitely not what I joined Instagram for. (Frankly, the whole popularity contest thing is so old. Instagram is not middle school or high school.)

Others ended up buying likes in an attempt to boost the popularity of their latest photo. Yes, you read that correctly. Buying.

It’s ridiculously easy. You post, buy hundreds of likes off of a website of questionable repute, and then suddenly Instagram and its beloved pet algorithm believe that because you’re suddenly gaining tons of likes per minute, your newest photo is so incredibly popular! The algorithm, believing it is Instagram’s gift to the online world, will put your latest post on top of your followers’ newsfeeds so that they will see it and add even more “popularity” to it by liking and commenting.

Sounds like a great solution, right? Zero research needed. Minimal time commitment. Your account might just be even more popular than it started out!

NO.

It’s deceptive. In other words, THE ALGORITHM FAVORS THE DISHONEST. Not the popular. Not the ordinary bloggers. Not you and me. I cannot emphasize this enough.

If you are dishonest enough to buy likes and followers, you are deceiving the businesses you promote and the people who work with you. Your “likers” could all be spam accounts, and the algorithm wouldn’t know shit. You can promise the businesses you promote that you will bring them benefits, but in the end they are deceived by your fake interaction that brings nothing. Small businesses often rely on their brand representatives to promote their products and spread the word about them. By faking your interaction, it hurts small businesses as much as it hurts honest bloggers.

The algorithm rewards honest bloggers for their time, energy, creativity, and arduous planning with low organic interaction. I know many bloggers who are discouraged when less than 20% of their followers actually see their posts, myself included. Those who pay for their interaction ultimately hurt those who are not spending money on shady sites. The algorithm puts smaller accounts at a terrible disadvantage and stymies their potential for growth, while continuously promoting larger accounts that already have a substantial following. I mean, how is an account like mine, with roughly 8000 followers (granted, I know I should not be complaining too much because there are plenty of accounts that are even smaller), supposed to compete with one that has over 100k followers and gets 400 likes a minute? Mathematically speaking, I can’t!

It used to be that I absolutely LOVED interacting with the bookstagram community. It was a constant source of joy. Of course, I still love it to an extent, but the fact that I have to literally search people up to like their posts or do all the other crazy stuff I mentioned earlier in order to prevent my photos from underperfoming really ruins part of the experience for me.

One other thing that irks me is this: Why does Instagram get to decide what I want to see and what I don’t? If I follow someone, doesn’t that mean that I want to see their content?

It just doesn’t make an ounce of sense to me.

I spent a lot of time collecting my thoughts on this. Please, please don’t be one of those people who buy fake followers and likes. Don’t ruin it for everyone. Dealing with the algorithm is already annoying enough.

And please feel free to share this post. It was definitely more rant-like than my usual cheeriness, but I really needed to get this all out. More people deserve to know about the messy intricacies of how Instagram’s algorithm works, especially small businesses who are struggling.

Instagram is my favourite platform, and I am so grateful that it has given me the chance to build friendships with readers from all over the world. I don’t want to lose out to something as silly as fake interaction or a useless algorithm.

fragilemyths, a story

Published on October 25, 2016December 25, 2016 by fragilemyths8 Comments

You all know my name, but not my story…yet. You might be wondering how I came to settle on the name “fragilemyths” for my bookstagram and blog. In order to understand my story, my myth, simply take your time turner–three turns should do it!

Flashback to middle-school me, reading Fragile Eternity (the third installment of the Wicked Lovely series) by Melissa Marr.

That’s when I fell in love with the word ‘fragile.’ To me, the word itself was a sort of paradox. There was nothing truly fragile about it, because the short a sound clips the first syllable of the word, and the strength of the consonant ‘g’ sound both softens and augments the rather harsh sound created by the ‘r’ and the ‘a’ together.

Years later, I created what is now my personal instagram account, but I had the hardest time deciding what my username would be. Initially, I chose fragileeternity, in honour of the book I drew my inspiration from. But good lord, the double e in the middle of the name looked AWFUL! How then, should I change it? fragile_eternity? No. I didn’t like the underscore; it made the name lose its allure. fragile.eternity? Also no. I wanted my name to be seamless, connected on its own. I temporarily gave up on finding a name for myself, and went with my own given name.

Skipping a few years ahead to the end of March 2016, I created a second instagram account, soon to be inaugurated as my ‘bookstagram.’ Again, I faced the dilemma of what to name my account, or myself. I thought about how Beatrice Prior established her reputation in Dauntless as ‘first jumper’ and renamed herself Tris in Divergent. But who did I want to be known as? Who did I want to be? Suddenly, I recalled a game of telephone that I played in my fourth year and came to the conclusion that the best myths, stories, and folklore stay aflame because the people who love them keep them burning brightly for the next generation. The cycle continues, and that’s how simple stories can secure spots in the libraries of classics and become so beloved. But there are also the more fragile myths, or combinations of words easily lost and forgotten into the oblivion of ages past.

I swore I wouldn’t become someone easily cast aside by Time’s capricious nature. I am not a casualty of Time. As cheesy as it sounds, I vowed to make an impact on the world, whether it be by spreading my love for literature or conducting research in a lab. (I’m a science geek, for those of you who don’t know yet!!) And now, I’ve found my name. I’m still writing my story, my very own myth, and you are a part of it!

#bookwormproblems

Published on October 16, 2016March 23, 2018 by fragilemyths17 Comments

You know those ridiculous moments that only bookworms can understand?

You know you’re a bookworm when…

You figure out the plot twist beforehand and when you’re right, you feel like Sherlock Holmes.
You tell yourself “just one more chapter” at 10 pm and five minutes later, it’s somehow 3 am and you’re pretty sure you look like this:
Your book buying bans never work because once you see that new release you’ve been DYING to read (*cough* ACOTAR 3) every ounce of willpower you have will magically disappear.
You loathe the ‘20% off!’ stickers on book covers with a deep passion.
You’re constantly falling for fictional guys and tend to compare them to every real-life guy you know and think “nope, lol you’re not the High Lord of the Night Court.”
“BUT MOM, I DON’T HAVE TOO MANY BOOKS. I JUST DON’T HAVE ENOUGH SHELF SPACE!”
Your tbr (to-be-read) list is about 238 miles long and stubbornly refuses to be conquered year after year. And at the same time, you still don’t know what to read next.
You feel the intense agony of cliffha-
The last book of a series is finally released after like 23 years, and you have no idea what to do with your life after finishing it.
When this happens-