Oriel, a strong and remarkable young boy taken into captivity as an infant by a cruel man, decides to escape from his life of hardship and betrayal and takes Griff, his loyal companion, with him.
I have more to say and maybe I will, but for now I just want to say that I love Oriel.
And that thing that happens towards the end, I knew it was coming, but reading Oriel and loving him made me forget so it shocked me and hurt just as much as the first time!
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Currently Reading:The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable (Chanters of Tremaris, book 1) I’ve read this series once before, but I realized the other day I was having trouble remembering some details. And the details I did remember made me want to reread it so I could remember them all! Plus I always love the idea of magic through language (in this case song). And of course it’s elemental magic for the most part, which is always fun. Calwyn almost seems boring in the beginning, but I’m not sure how exciting you can make a convent girl who does nothing but chores or singing at a wall to keep it frozen solid all day long really seem…. She get’s more interesting after she meets Darrow.
Recently Finished:Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children, book 3) I am never getting over my affection for Jacob’s stupid Hollow! I literally cried over that thing for heaven’s sake… And the ending really got me. Like I knew there had to be some way to make the ending happy, but at a certain point (I won’t say specifically in case some haven’t read it) I was feeling just as desperate and hopeless as Jacob and almost in tears. I did have some trouble around the half-way point with this one because everything just seemed to be going wrong over and over and nothing going right, but I got past it and I’m so glad I kept reading. Did I mention the Hollow? 😦 I miss him….
Reading Next:Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (Prophecy of the Sisters, book 1) I’ll probably be reading this next, unless some miracle happens and the copy of The Waterless Sea that the public library ordered comes in and I can continue with the Chanters of Tremaris series. Also if I have any luck at all, I’ll manage to read some more on The Tale of Oriel since I just stopped part way through a while back and never got back to it! It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just that I hit a reading slump while I was reading this one and now I’m having trouble making myself get back to it in case the slump comes back!
What Are You Reading Wednesdays #WAYRW is a weekly feature on It’s A Reading Thing. Everyone is welcome to participate.
Grab the book you are currently reading and answer three questions:
What’s the name of your current read?
Go to page 34 in your book or 34% in your eBook and share a couple of sentences.
Would you like to live in the world that exists within your book? Why or why not?
The Tale of Oriel (Tales of the Kingdom book 3, previously published as ‘The Wings of a Falcon’)
He held the whip that and made those marks, and drawn that blood, and he was ashamed. He held the whip that could make more marks on the flesh of Nikol’s back. While Nikol begged.
Not in Oriel’s book! No way! I don’t want any of Oriel’s adventures, not at all. He works so hard to find a place they can be safe and free, not have to hurt anyone or be hurt themselves, but this is not an easy task outside of The Kingdom, and I want no part of it.
First Lines Fridays is a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines?
Pick a book off your shelf (it could be your current read or on your TBR) and open to the first page
Copy the first few lines, but don’t give anything else about the book away just yet – you need to hook the reader first
Finally… reveal the book!
First Line:
He knew from the first that this man would know how to hurt him.
Interested? Scroll down for the cover and summary!
The prospect of freedom is weighted with danger in this tale of high adventure, the third book in the Tales of the Kingdom series from Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt.
Oriel has always stood out as someone who would not bend. No matter how much he has had to endure, the Damall’s cruelty cannot corrupt him. Griff, a boy who has watched and admired Oriel, is the opposite. He has learned to keep out of sight, to bow in the face of force. Yet the two became friends, and together they escaped from the terrors of the island and take with them the Damall’s most prized relic—the beryl, a green gemstone engraved with a falcon, its wings unfolding. But as they seek a new life, it’s not as easy as they’d hoped, for ahead lie raiding Wolfers, rival armies, and unspeakable dangers…
Previously published as The Wings of a Falcon, this classic tale features a new look and a new title.
This is a reread, but I haven’t read it since high school so it doesn’t feel like one. It’s different from the others in the series in that the main character is a boy. He also thinks in a different way than the girls from the other three books. I really enjoy the way he thinks things out, simplistic but insightful, obviously young, but not at all stupid. Oriel is constantly thinking out how to make his life, and Griff’s better, how to secure their freedom and safety in any situation. And as with all the Kingdom novels, I love finding the references to things from the previous novels.
The Tales of the Kingdom books are a loosely-connected series of non-magical middle-grade fantasy.
This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week; whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written.
Oriel didn’t move. But inside of his head, all was movement, like a river running over rapids, searching for the way through, trying routes around rocks and over shallows, a turbulence of thought more rapid than he could follow. Griff, he knew, would do and say nothing until he heard Oriel’s choice.
Summary:
He was special. Different. Since he first came to the island as a young boy, he stood out among the rest. No matter how torturous the Damall’s beatings were he would not let his fear show. He was brave.
Griff watched from afar – admiring the strength of this boy who didn’t have a name. Griff, instead, hid out of sight, keeping quiet, avoiding attention.
But neither courage nor cowering would spare them from the incessant cruelty of the Damall. When the two unlikely friends realize they must escape or face a lifetime of brutality, they flee from the island, taking with them the most cherished possession of the Damall: the beryl – a green gemstone engraved with a falcon. Soon their prize binds their fates forever as they set off into a world more perilous than either could have imagined.
Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!
The Three Ws are:
What are you currently reading? What did you recently finish reading? What do you think you’ll read next?
Currently Reading:The Tale of Birle by Cynthia Voigt This is the second book in the Tales of the Kingdom series and was previously published with the title ‘On Fortunes Wheel’. Birle meets a mysterious stranger when he tries to steal from her father. She chooses to follow him on his travels and this takes her to places she never could have imagined. For anyone curious about the Tales of the Kingdom books, this is a loosely-connected, non-magical fantasy series. One of the odd things for me is that I identify less with Birle than I did last time I read this series. I can only chalk it up to the fact that I was still a teenager then. It doesn’t make me like her any less though. Actually, it’s almost making this reread feel more like a first-time read, which I’m very pleased with.
Recently Finished:The Tale of Gwyn by Cynthia Voigt This is one of the Tales of the Kingdom books, previously published as ‘Jackaroo’. Jackaroo is a sort of Robin Hood/Zorro type hero, and in the Kingdom, he’s just a legend. Gwyn is an innkeeper’s daughter and doesn’t believe in heroes like Jackaroo. But while taking cover in an abandoned home, Gwyn finds a mask and clothes, which leads her down a path fit for a legend. I like Gwen so much! Ah! Also she and Burl are too precious at the end. I remember liking this book the other times I read this series, but it’s actually become one of my favorites in the series. And like all Voigt’s novels it left me with such a satisfied feeling. I just wanted to sit there holding the book and basking in it.
Reading Next:The Tale of Oriel by Cynthia Voigt This is the third Kingdom novel, previously published as ‘The Wings of a Falcon’. Oriel and Griff escape the cruelty of the island with a stolen treasure. But it’s not as easy to find a new safer life as they hoped. Their adventure leads them into unknown dangers, like armies and Wolfer raids. I remember so little about this one for some reason, so I’m very excited. I know I liked it and it was good, but for the most part this will be a fresh story for me. It’s also different from the other three Kingdom novels because the main characters are boys.
The Tale of Oriel by Cynthia Voigt
Darkestwings Reads