This blog is for Missouri State Library staff members to record their books read for the annual Missouri Book Challenge.
Welcome to the MOSL Book Challenge
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
A Study in Drowning by Ava Reid
"You don't have to pick up a sword. Survival is bravery too."
There's fae and a fairy king
It's not sorcery of thorns, but like... they share some flavors.
I just love the character chemistry and the concept and the magic.
When a specific scene reminds me of The Rescuers.
Pretty sure this is going on my 2023 Favorites
*When a character is called pedantic and you realize that's what you are.
376 Pages
Friday, July 28, 2023
Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid
Must protect my boy. And my girl, the youngest child.
Sevas is cool. I love him. Like... He's a dancer and he is adorbs.
lol I should have guessed the monster, but I didn't.
The entire like....last few chapters and Sevas and Marlinchen and fjkldsjklsfdfsdsjkl:

320 Pages
Tuesday, March 21, 2023
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
Pages: 448
"In her forest-veiled village, Évike is the only woman without power, making her an outcast clearly abandoned by the gods. When soldiers arrive from the Holy Order of Woodsmen to claim a pagan girl for the king's blood sacrifice, Évike is betrayed by her fellow villagers and surrendered. But when monsters attack the Woodsmen and their captive en route, slaughtering everyone but Évike and the cold, one-eyed captain, they have no choice but to rely on each other. As the son of a reviled foreign queen, Gáspár understands what it's like to be an outcast, and he and Évike make a tenuous pact to stop his brother. As their mission takes them from the bitter northern tundra to the smog-choked capital, their mutual loathing slowly turns to affection, bound by a shared history of alienation and oppression. However, trust can easily turn to betrayal, and as Évike reconnects with her estranged father and discovers her own hidden magic, she and Gáspár need to decide whose side they're on, and what they're willing to give up for a nation that never cared for them at all."
I loved the premise for this story, mixing the Jewish and Hungarian mythologies and religious prejudice set a great background for the plot. I was a little disappointed in the dialog, it got a little repetitive and the chemistry between the love interests was a lacking.
Thursday, July 15, 2021
The Wolf and the Woodsman by Ava Reid
I loved Gaspar and Evike and their relationship. Matthias and Nina vibes. I am weak. I live for tortured souls and children who are traumatized....that came out wrong.
The politics and the drama. Great.
I wish I knew more about Jewish culture so that I could recognize it in the story.
432 Pages
