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The Kingdom of Back
The Kingdom of Back | Marie Lu
72 posts | 71 read | 86 to read
From #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu comes a historical YA fantasy about a musical prodigy and the dangerous lengths she'll go to make history remember her--perfect for fans of Susanna Clarke and The Hazel Wood. Two siblings. Two brilliant talents. But only one Mozart. Born with a gift for music, Nannerl Mozart has just one wish--to be remembered forever. But even as she delights audiences with her masterful playing, she has little hope she'll ever become the acclaimed composer she longs to be. She is a young woman in 18th century Europe, and that means composing is forbidden to her. She will perform only until she reaches a marriageable age--her tyrannical father has made that much clear. And as Nannerl's hope grows dimmer with each passing year, the talents of her beloved younger brother, Wolfgang, only seem to shine brighter. His brilliance begins to eclipse her own, until one day a mysterious stranger from a magical land appears with an irresistible offer. He has the power to make her wish come true--but his help may cost her everything. In her first work of historical fiction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.
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LiteraryNib
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Pickpick

In this coming-of-age story about the musical genius, Nannerl Mozart, and her brother, Wolfgang, a story of magic unfolds that may cost Nannerl everything if she pursues her desire to be remembered. Lu weaves the young lives of the Mozart children through a musical mystery full of sibling love and magic, using the first-person inner monologue that unveils internal and external conflicts.

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WJCintron
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#alphabetgame !! @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks
Letter K
The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu. She‘s one of my favorite authors!! My favorite by her so far is Young Elites.
I couldn‘t and had to add three more books that start with the letter K by some amazing and favorite authors of mine.

DHave you read any of them?

#letterk #littens #ya

wanderinglynn I love The Kingdom of Back! Marie Lu is one of my fave authors too. 💜🙌🏻 2y
Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks I haven‘t! Thank you for playing 🖤 2y
52 likes2 comments
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lumbricuslibri
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Mehso-so

My 3rd Marie Lu read and boy was it a frustrating one.

I don't remember much from reading Legend and the Young Elites (both first books of different series) but I do know this isn't the same as how I felt before.

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lumbricuslibri
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This is boring me. Still going to try to finish, though. Halfway through!

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bookish6
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I wanted to like this book more than I did. It was a fantast telling of Mozart and his sister and a magical land.
It was a very easy read.

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TheReadingRaccoon
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Mehso-so

The Kingdom of Back is beautifully written historical fantasy fiction that revolves around the Mozart siblings and their childhood composing and performing music around Europe.
This book had all the beats of a historical novel with pieces of magic and fairy tales but it was missing a little oomph and the juicy bits that keep me reading. I wanted to love it but I think it would have made a better novella or short story.

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SilverShanica
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 346.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

4 likes1 stack add
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Lunarstar27
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Mehso-so

I really though that it would be more about the kingdom of back!! I did like it but kind of felt like it went super slow

9 likes1 stack add
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Nessavamusic
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Pickpick

This was lovely fairytale inspired by a very young Mozart and his sister Nannerl (Maria Anna). The children create a fantasy world that starts to creep into reality. It combines my love of music and fantasy. It drags a bit at times but I still would recommend for fans of YA fantasy. 4⭐️ Another #bookspinbingo square done! #yafantasy

42 likes1 stack add
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Nessavamusic
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#curiouscovers #trees

Two beautiful covers, tagged in particular is stunning.

Eggs 👌🏼🌳👏🏻📚 3y
51 likes1 comment
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SaraHasClass
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Pickpick

This fictional tale is so rich in imagination, yet so true in human nature, people want to be known for who they are. Mozart had a sister he loved dearly, & she had a desire to be remembered. Prodigies, they traveled Europe by day & visited the Kingdom of Back by night. In a "deal with the devil" she nearly trades her soul to desire. How rich we would be if genius wasn't lost for being a mere girl. Much world building; some tedious; a great story.

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JillsBookshelf
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Panpan

This book was really underwhelming. The plot was slow and the magic/fantasy parts didn‘t make any sense. I also found no reason to root for the main characters. However, the concept is really original.

⭐️ ⭐️

#ya #fantasy #historicalfiction

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OnePageAtATime
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Pickpick

This book was truly enchanting. This story is about the Mozart siblings. Nannerl and Wolfgang both dive into this fantastic world together but they soon realize that the Kingdom of Back is dangerous and their actions have consequences. I really enjoyed this book because it is based on a true story. Nannerl and Mozart actually did create their own universe called the Kingdom of Back when they were touring as children and Marie Lu made it real.

CBee I really enjoyed this one 👏🏻👏🏻 3y
LoverOfLearning Gorgeous cover! 3y
57 likes1 stack add2 comments
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Gryffleclaw95
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After a slow start, I was surprised to find that I enjoyed this whimsical read full of fantasy, perseverance, a loving sibling relationship, and the constraints of gender and it‘s expectations. I wasn‘t the biggest fan of the epilogue, but it did tie things up a bit nicely. In addition, I also liked that this book had not one, but two book maps!

readordierachel That is a gorgeous cover! 3y
7 likes1 comment
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Endowarrior21
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I hope this counts as navy blue #Wintergames2020 #MerryReaders @Clwojick

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TheLibrarian
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Mehso-so

3.5/5

A historical fiction account of Nannerl Mozart and her brother Wolfgang mixed with fantasy. Normally I really enjoy Marie Lu‘s works but for some reason I wasn‘t feeling the fantasy aspect and at times it was slow. Overall it was just okay for me but I enjoy the author‘s other works more.

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TheShaggyShepherd
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There‘s a first time for everything I guess and yesterday was the first time I‘ve ever DNFed an ARC. I just couldn‘t do it anymore. But that meant I finally can get started on my book club read. I‘ve heard great things about this one.

AllisonM89 Its a beautiful cover 3y
tracey38 I have this sitting on my TBR pile and have also heard great things about it. Hope to get to it soon but it'll probably be in the new year. 3y
55 likes2 comments
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TheAromaofBooks
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Bailedbailed

Well I have wrestled with this book for a couple of days and am over a hundred pages in and am SO BORED. I also find the MC to be basically unlikable as she is completely self-obsessed with her entire life focus of trying to figure out how she can be FOREVER IMMORTALIZED, which, if I'm honest, is literally the opposite of my personal life-goal of being basically unnoticed haha

So apologies to my #LMPBC group, but I am moving on to my back-up ⬇️

TheAromaofBooks (cont'd) choice, which I'll tag here. This one just has too much modern tang (oh the horrors of the patriarchy, blah blah blah) to really pull me in to what is supposed to be historical fantasy.

I've seen a lot of positive reviews for this one, but it's just not my style. It's just SO SLOW.

@Chrissyreadit @Laughterhp @Catsandbooks
3y
IndoorDame Too bad, the cover image is so beautiful! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @IndoorDame - It's actually the OwlCrate edition so it's quite gorgeous - it has silver-edged pages, too!!! I'm a sucker for attractive books! 😂 3y
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Chrissyreadit Glad you are bailing! It is beautiful and can be used as a lovely decoration. 3y
Chrissyreadit Entwined is on my TBR so I‘m excited. 3y
Laughterhp Oh no! Okay, good to know! I‘ll make sure this book isn‘t on my TBR 😂 3y
reluctantangeleno LOL @ "basically unnoticed"! Same here! 3y
Bookwormjillk But at least the cover is pretty! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Chrissyreadit - It's so ironic that I'm sure I'll keep it because it's so pretty even though I'll never read it! 😂 I read Entwined once a really long time ago & all I can remember is that I liked it, so I have higher hopes for it working out!! 3y
TheAromaofBooks @Laughterhp - If it sounds interesting to you, I would still give it a try as I have seen a lot of positive reviews for it. It just wasn't for me!! And maybe it's because my other two books are Moby-Dick and Northanger Abbey?? I need at least one book where SOMETHING is HAPPENING! 😂 3y
TheAromaofBooks @reluctantangeleno - I've just never been able to relate to the whole “I wish I was famous & I would do anything to make it happen“ kind of attitude. I care about the opinions of maybe a dozen people in my life & as long as they like me, I'm really not fussed about the rest of the world haha All I want to leave behind is a general impression of “she seemed pretty okay“ 😂 3y
reluctantangeleno @TheAromaofBooks Bahahhahaha, we are definitely soul sisters!! 3y
Catsandbooks So sad! It's too bad it's slow! Hope Entwined is better for ya! 😊 3y
72 likes1 stack add13 comments
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Alfrazier21
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Pickpick

Interesting story! This one was a slow burn so it took me a while to get sucked into the story, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I didn‘t even know Mozart had a sister or that she was just as talented as he was. Also the cover on this book is so beautiful!!

@sweetpealsd I‘ll get this one back to you this week!

@gibblr @hes7 @suvata #LMPBC

Tianarose I recently finished this as well, I loved it :) 3y
TheNeverendingTBR This cover 💙 3y
22 likes1 stack add2 comments
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wanderinglynn
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#dailytarot

Thanks for the tag @TheSpineView & @Chrissyreadit 😘

I chose the tagged book because it‘s about Nannerl & Wolfgang Mozart. A YA historical fantasy, both siblings practice hours on the piano in preparation to play before audiences.

Annie1215 Thanks for playing! 3y
Chrissyreadit ❤️ 3y
TheSpineView You're welcome! 🤗😊 3y
63 likes3 comments
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hes7
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Pickpick

A fantastical story involving the Mozart siblings and their Kingdom of Back. It starts slowly, but midway, I really became interested in the story—and enjoyed using both the audio and print versions. #scarathlon #teamslaughter #outstandingoctober #cocoturns50 #fallreadathon #10dayreadathon #botm #anunfortunatereadathon

#BookishBingo: Featured on BookishFirst

@Alfrazier21 I sent it your way on Monday. #lmpbc

Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 3y
70 likes1 comment
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wanderinglynn
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#3books based on true stories

tpixie I read The Kingdom of Back. In early quarantine, I had seen and heard the author talk at some virtual author events. I enjoyed listening to her! 4y
OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚👍🏻 4y
wanderinglynn @tpixie this was my first Marie Lu book, but I enjoyed it very much 👍🏻 4y
tpixie @wanderinglynn yes, me too! 4y
99 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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wanderinglynn
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Pickpick

The Kingdom of Back was an absolutely enchanting historical fantasy (or maybe historical fairy-tale). The MC was Nannerl, the older, real-life sister of Mozart. And Marie Lu did a beautiful job writing this book against the backdrop of the Mozart siblings‘ early life.

I‘m not going to get another #bookspin bingo before the month‘s out, but I‘m quite pleased with my progress.

And another 2 hrs for a total of 7 for #24B4Monday

wanderinglynn As a side note, I didn‘t read the entire book in 2 hrs. I started this book 2 days ago. Also, #bookspin has definitely helped me cull my huge TBR stack (which I just refilled with a new Bookshop order 🤭🤫🤣) 4y
Andrew65 👏👏👏 4y
julesG Stacked. That cover😍. I just hope it's not too fairy-tale-y - I tend to bail on too whimsical stories. 4y
wanderinglynn I didn‘t think so. It definitely is grounded in historical fact (at least what little facts there are about Nannerl). The kingdom of back is the story that Nannerl makes up for Wolfrl. 4y
TheAromaofBooks OOo glad to hear you enjoyed this one. I'm an off-and-on OwlCrate subscriber, so I happen to have this one but haven't read it yet. However, I'm completely in love with the maps!!! 4y
83 likes3 stack adds5 comments
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wanderinglynn
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#wondrouswednesday

1. It‘s been a tough week, so I‘m enjoying some reading peace on my balcony.
2. 🤷🏼‍♀️ hopefully as positive, interesting, and amusing
3. Not long, maybe 18 hrs. But I can get migraines when I lack sleep.

Bookish_AF Lack of sleep or otherwise having my sleep schedule seriously altered is also a migraine trigger for me! Probably my most prominent one actually... I feel your pain! 4y
S3V3N I have a migraine right now. I‘m at work, but I‘m about to go home. I‘m on a migraine preventative and this is my first migraine in over a year. 4y
Libby1 I hope your week improves. 💜 4y
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wanderinglynn @BeaG {hugs} I hope you feel better soon. 💚 4y
wanderinglynn @Libby1 💚 thank you. 4y
Eggs Great view 💕 Thanks for playing Lynn 🥳 4y
UwannaPublishme Hope your week gets better. 🤗❤️ 4y
77 likes10 comments
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wanderinglynn
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Only 25 pages in and already loving it. Nannerl has already drawn me into her world. A historical fantasy, which is a new sub-genre for me. I don‘t normally do historical fiction, but the fantasy aspect of this one is intriguing.

Plus, I love books with maps and this one has 2! 💜

BethM Wow this is pretty! 4y
94 likes5 stack adds1 comment
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Samary
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“Even monsters must dream of fears and wants.” I‘m glad I‘ve only heard of this book a couple times. It was not overhyped for me and I got to experience it in full glory 😁

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Samary
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Pickpick

I loved this book. The audio narration is great, so magical and many of the feels!

#kingdomofback #magicalrealism

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Tanzy13
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In her first work of historical fiction, # 1 New York Times bestselling author Marie Lu spins a lush, lyrically-told story of music, magic, and the unbreakable bond between a brother and sister.

41 likes3 stack adds
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bg_reads
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Pickpick

I liked this one.

I also really dislike the character limitation on this app. I hardly post here for that reason. I hate cutting down what I‘ve written.

4 likes1 stack add
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sweetpealsd
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Okay guys, I have narrowed down my books to four. The tagged book The Kingdom of Back, The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones, Nowhere On Earth or Clap When You Land. #LMPBC #GroupU

See All 9 Comments
Alfrazier21 Honestly all of these sound amazing! Especially The Invincible Summer of Juniper Jones and Clap When You Land 4y
hes7 Any of them! 4y
Jee_HookedOnBookz Juniper Jones has such a gorgeous cover! 4y
gibblr I‘ve read the two on the right. 4y
sweetpealsd @gibblr @hes7 @Alfrazier21 I think I‘m going to go with The Kingdom of Back. 4y
54 likes9 comments
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okthislooksbad
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Current mood: hiding from the sun. ☀️

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Book_yogi
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Panpan

I just could not get into this book. I tried, I really did. Marie Lu‘s, Legend is one of my favorite trilogy but this one just was impossible for me to become engaged. I hate giving such a low rating, but it is an honest one.

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Twainy
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Pickpick

🎧 Very good fictional account of the Mozart siblings. I liked the fictional story within the story. A good twist! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

10 likes1 stack add
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magicalshelves
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Mehso-so

2.5 stars

This book was just incredibly underwhelming. The book had an interesting premise and I liked the juxtaposition of classical musicians and magicians and the interweaving of music and magic but in the end, everything about this story felt insubstantial. I also felt that I have read this story numerous times before and nothing about it really felt new.

Overall it's just a really "meh" book.

tpixie I‘m only 1/2 way done, but it seems so far that a female‘s wish to be heard is bringing about evil. ( I guess that goes with the time back then? ). I don‘t trust the Princeling. 4y
8 likes1 comment
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Twainy
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“To be remembered in this world, she created another.” ... hopefully this story will drag me out of my book meh-ness of late.

11 likes1 stack add
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Books88
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Pickpick

This was a quick but enchanting read about the Mozart children. Imagined as a fairy tale adventure as the children grow. I especially enjoyed the attention to being a woman during this time period and what that meant for Nannerl, Wolfgang's sister.

https://bookshop.org/a/5164/9781524739010

Twainy This came in an OwlCrate and I should be reading it this weekend after Clowns VS Spiders! I like this author. I have another one of her books coming up too. Now I have something interesting to look forward to!! Thank you for reviewing it! 4y
91 likes1 stack add1 comment
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tpixie
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Like The Other Einstein, this is a story about a female being overlooked. Enjoying this book! Had to read it after enjoying listening to the author in multiple online author events ( LOOK AT HER #BOOKSHELVES 💕💕💕)

Graciouswarriorprincess I somehow missed this or it conflicted with another event. Glad that you enjoyed it! 4y
tpixie @Graciouswarriorprincess it‘s about Mozarts sister. Historical Fantasy 4y
Graciouswarriorprincess @tpixie Thanks. I stacked it! 4y
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tpixie That is not an interview I saw but it does show her lovely book case! 4y
Kathrin Ohhhh... I need to check this out. 4y
TheLibrarian Love those shelves! But sadly these are unrealistic bookshelf goals for me. 4y
tpixie @TheLibrarian yes, me too! Beautiful, but not space efficient!! 4y
tpixie @Kathrin I‘m 1/3 through. It‘s YA, but I‘m enjoying it. 4y
59 likes1 stack add10 comments
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lowellette
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Pickpick

Examines how history has limited artists to white men of means through a reimagined world of Mozart‘s sister. Fairytale elements are interwoven with history and biography to create a fascinating look at this time period where the Grimm Brothers and Marie Antoinette were the influencers of the day.

12 likes2 stack adds
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The_Heeler_Booklife
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Mehso-so

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the world building and magic system that Marie Lu created. The character development was well done. Also, I didn‘t see the twist of the story coming and was well done. However, I found the story to be slow paced and on the boring side.
#botm #bibliophile #bookstagram #litsy #littens #marielu

TheLibrarian I enjoyed her other books more. 4y
The_Heeler_Booklife @TheLibrarian I find her books a hit or miss for me. 4y
25 likes2 comments
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ElleMNOpe
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Pickpick

Interesting mix of historical fiction & fantasy. The writing is highly polished & flows easily. The plot is fairly methodical & moves at a steady pace. A comfortable & good read. The magical elements were thoughtful & whimsical with a lovely touch of darkness. There were a few moments of surprise & several pieces of high tension, but the plot overall holds no super surprising twists. I enjoyed my read without a doubt, but I was not blown away.

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Paper_Ink_and_Lizard
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Well, here's my OwlCrate! All of the items were great and the candle smells AMAZING!

#owlcrate #thekingdomofback

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Mleanne
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Caffeinated_Reader
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#42 and this one is a gorgeous book I received from an Owlcrate subscription box. Weekend forecast is cloudy with a chance of reading nonstop & coffee! Mommy free weekends never looked so good 😛🥳🤓

Kimzey Beautiful photo! 4y
Caffeinated_Reader @Kimzey thank you so much 😊 4y
Caffeinated_Reader Brilliant. I loved the relationship between young Woferal and Nanneral, the stories they invented together and admiration they have for one another is beautiful. The mystery grabs you and kept my up turning pages to finish and find out what was what. The ending was exciting and the flash forward tie up was wonderfully sad. Overall I am happy I read this one! 4y
20 likes1 stack add3 comments
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SassenachTheBookWizard
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Pickpick

Easily my favourite Marie Lu book. It reminds me a lot of the blend of history and fantasy from The Light Between Worlds. I love that Lu didn't shy away from how sexism has in fact resulted in the loss of some amazing pieces of music, literature, inventions, etc simply because they weren't allowed to do that. I thankfully didn't feel lost despite being very uninformed on the creation of music.

95 likes5 stack adds
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Nitpickyabouttrains
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Pickpick

Loved the idea and the female centric story. The magic was cool and very fairytale.

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SassenachTheBookWizard
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Oh HELLLLLLLLL yeah! My library hold finally came in

CBee I LOVED this one. I hope you do too! ❤️😁 4y
SassenachTheBookWizard @CBee definitely my favourite book by her 4y
69 likes3 stack adds2 comments