Thoughtful Third Thursday: December 2015

Today’s T3 theme is Best or Worst Read of 2015. I’ve decided to do both!

We’ll start with one of my favorite books of the year, Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell. Imagine my surprise when Betsy herself liked my review on Goodreads! Here’s what I said:

⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ Oh my good Lord, that was awesome! It’s a steampunk retelling of Cinderella. All the familiar parts of the story are there, but twisted in completely unexpected ways. The final 3 chapters took multiple unexpected turns that kept me up WAY too late, but it was totally worth it!

My review makes the book sound action packed, but it’s not. It’s a beautiful character study of Nicolette (the titular Mechanica). I especially loved the friendship between Nick and Caro, Nick’s abiding love for her long dead mother, and Jules. The world building is amazing as well. There’s magic, political intrigue, and steampunk elements woven in seamlessly and believably.

My look is based off of the gorgeous cover – shades of purple, black, and grey with a butterfly print. Instead of mice, Nicolette has little mechanical bugs that help her with her chores. 🙂 I’ve also included my brass key necklace, because the story starts with Nicolette finding a key her mother hid for her (plus, the design is similar to the fantabulous font!).

I stepped back, relishing this last moment of mystery. I put a fair amount of force behind the key, expecting rust to have diminished its fit.

But it slipped in like a foot into a slipper, and I stumbled against the door.

A rattling overhead drew my attention. There were round, spiked shadows in the darkness of the ceiling, rotating at the same rate that the door was pulling open–being pulled. Inside the room, a hissing sound stopped and started in a heartbeat pattern.

I picked up my candle and entered.

Now for the “worst” book, Splintered by A. G. Howard.

It’s another fairytale retelling (Alice in Wonderland) with a gorgeous cover and fantastic world building, but the heroine, Alyssa, is a whiny, clingy mess with the worst fashion sense ever:

Once I line my eyes with strokes of dark green and wriggle into some purple, green, and red plaid tights, I top it off with a miniskirt over fluffy red petticoats. A green cap-sleeve tee layered under a red bustier—along with a pair of purple fingerless gloves—and I’m ready to face the customers.
– A. G. Howard, Splintered

I’ve taken the purple, green, and red color scheme and turned it into something actually wearable. I’ve used the same necklace as the first look – see the key around Alyssa’s neck? Insects are another theme that both books share. Alyssa uses them in her “art” – basically, she kills them and pins them to a canvas with a bunch of other crap. Ewww.

Since Maricel is taking a break from blogging, this is the final edition of T3. 😦 However, starting in 2016 I will be writing a series of “Look Reviews” – full fledged book reviews with an accompanying outfit. I’m excited about this new venture!

Okay, your turn! Click on the little blue frog and link up: