Book Review: A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

Saturday, March 30, 2013


Title: A Confusion of Princes
Author: Garth Nix

Summary: 'I have died three times, and three times been reborn, though I am not yet twenty in the old earth years by which it is still the fashion to measure time. This is the story of my three deaths, and my life between. My name is Khemri.

Taken from his parents as a child and equipped with biological and technological improvements, Khemri is now an enhanced human being, trained and prepared for the glory of becoming a Prince of the Empire. Should he die, and be deemed worthy, he will be reborn.... Which is just as well, because no sooner has Prince Khemri graduated to full Princehood than he learns the terrible truth behind the Empire: there are ten million princes, and all of them want each other dead.'

My thoughts: I have had many people asking me whether this book is like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins because of the all-out war between Princes. While there is quite a bit of danger and violence in certain areas, the atmosphere is not the same as within The Hunger Games. This action is quite dispersed, and it wasn't really as much about survival as much as it was about military tactics at times.
With that out the way, let me just say that I read this book in two days. It flowed really well, and I really enjoyed being a part of the thoughts and experiences of Prince Khemri. Upon finishing the book, I found myself wanting more than even the short story at the end of the book could satisfy.

Khemri's character starts off as being arrogant and ignorant - a pretty bad combination. His experiences slowly humble him until he begins to think for himself, rather than through the rose-tinted glasses of his super-human abilities and training.

I don't want to give too much away about what actually happens within the story, so I'll just add that people with little experience of sci-fi books will enjoy this as much as those who read sci-fi consistently. While I occasionally found myself skimming over what I'll deem as 'military speak', I still loved the whole experience of reading this book.

Rating: 8.5/10

 Sorry about the slightly shorter review this time, I'll try and do better next time!

Also, please remember to add me on GoodReads! I'm just chilling here.

Updates: blog layout and otherwise!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Hello all you lovely people!
Today has been pretty productive for me, despite having gotten ANOTHER headcold in the last week!
As you may have noticed, I've been tinkering with my blog's layout and design again, and I'm pretty pleased with how it's turned out! I've gone with a basic blogger template (if ain't broke, don't fix it!) which has cleared up problems with SUPER small writing, plus made the site a little more user-friendly.
You may notice that on your right (----->) there's now an email sign-up so you can be notified when I publish a new post! Huzzah! This was previously somewhat hidden away. The phone version of the website has also been updated, and I'm hoping that will be a bit more user-friendly, too.
Otherwise, today has been about study (two assignments coming up) and watching Cardcaptor Sakura! I've watched this series about eight times now, and I still love it so much. I'm always trying to talk myself out of buying CCS related merchandise, but I have a small amount anyway! Because I've been watching while doing study-related things (having to study in bed means this happens a lot) I've been thinking about doing a series of analyses  and reviews on how far ahead of its time this series was when it first came out. I'm continually amazed. I'd love to do some character analyses - which feels way out of my usual behaviour! XD
ALSO, I've decided to celebrate Sakura's birthday this year! It's coming up soon :D I'm hoping that some new tea will have arrived by then which has cherry blossom in it (sakura is japanese for cherry blossom :)) so I can drink that in her honour! I'll probably also get out my Sakura plushies for the occasion too :D Yes, I'm a bit of a nerd/dork. XD

Anyway! Time for me to log off and rest up! Love to all who read.

CFS and Writing (and rambling).

Thursday, March 21, 2013


Chronic Fatigue Syndrome can make even the simplest things difficult. I feel that I shouldn't be surprised that it has prevented me from going to my classes in my third week of my new degree, and yet I found myself frustrated anyway.
But I'm not upset now. I'm okay with this. Honestly, I would prefer to be in class. I love my classes, and I love that I'm finally following my dream of becoming a writer.
And yet, I have had to think about the quite probable eventuality that my illness may always attempt to stand in the way of my writing. And I don't want to fight it - I would rather live in harmony with it. Because, honestly, it has become a big part of who I am. If I was ever to get better, I would have to reconsider the way I see myself - confronting, to say the least.

I have been thinking about writing a book about my experience with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. I have written a series over on Tune In Not Out (a youth blog/website) that has apparently become quite popular in the year or so that it's been up. I feel that I have something to offer the world through my writing - and, luckily, writing from home (in this case, on my laptop in bed..) is something I can work through. Most days.

I have always wanted to get a fairly decent readership on this blog, and it's something I'm still working towards, but my illness prevents me from getting any real work done sometimes. I'd like to take this opportunity to send big thanks and hugs out to all those people that have been coming by my blog - either regularly or sporadically. I really appreciate you reading what I have to write. Someday, I hope that you might start commenting and giving me some feedback. But, baby steps. :)

Despite being quite ill over the past couple of days, I have been able to keep my joy alive. Favourite things like Cardcaptor Sakura and tea have comforted me, and dreams of going to Japan (hopefully in the next year or so!) are very exciting. I'm still enjoying my course, and completing the readings is no longer a chore. I find everything so engaging and fun. And my loved ones have been so supportive, as always, despite sudden changes in plans and such.

I cannot express how grateful I am for the small and large kindnesses in my life. I am so happy.

Love to all who read.

Love

Friday, March 1, 2013

I wrote the following on facebook (when I had one) in September 2011:

"Love doesn't have to be a chain to bind others to your side, it can be like the tiny push you need to discover what you want out of life.
It can come from any sort of love - friendship or something deeper, from a pet or a family member.
And self-love doesn't then have to mean a narcissistic personality - it can just be quiet, contemplative; powerful in it's essence.
Love does not mean ownership, nor does it mean arrogance.
It just means love, whatever that symbolises for you."

I just felt the need to share that again.


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