"You're exquisite," he blurted. "You're a wreck. You have absolutely wrecked me."
4.5 stars for Anna Bright's The Boundless.
I was happy to be back with Selah and the Beholder crew! After a less than ideal parting (i.e. escape) from Asgard and having to leave Torden, I was looking forward to finding out what lay ahead for Selah within the Imperiya's lands. Would she be able to stay out of reach of the tsarytsya? As always, I'm going to do my best to not spoil any parts of the book for those who haven't read it yet.
Selah, in my opinion, has a great arc in this duology. She starts out on this forced journey, unsure and kind of timid. By the beginning of this book, she's already begun to grow and change into someone new...someone stronger. Throughout this book, Selah continues to grow into a strong, powerhouse of a woman. I'm drawn to characters like this because this is how I strive to live my own life. The following quote from Maya Angelou sums it up perfectly: "I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being." Selah comes into her own in this book and we see her embodying these characteristics.
The Beholder focused almost entirely on finding love and I love that so much of this book is focused around Selah's friendship with Colbie and Anya. A different kind of love, but just as strong...just as important. Through the strength they give each other, we see what they are truly capable of.
There were duller parts in the middle of the book more so than the first one, but especially once it picks up at Baba Yaga's, you don't even remember that maybe there was a little drag here and there. Also...I won't go into any detail (so as not to give it away), but there's a scene between Selah and Lang that just destroyed me! So many feels.
The dish featured in this picture is pelmeni. Pelmeni is a Russian dumpling. A thin, unleavened dough is wrapped around ground meat, boiled then tossed in butter, and served with different things such as sour cream and vinegar. This is one of the dishes mentioned later on in the book. Lucky for me, I found a great little Russian Cafe here in Denver called Masha and the Bear (http://www.mashabearco.com/). The meat inside was tender and very flavorful. Another successful book-inspired food adventure!
Thanks for stopping by!
-Kim
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