Tag: The Last Fallen Series

My 6 Month Reading Journey

Posted on by 30mayas

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I am a reader. Kind of. The reason I say this is because I only started to like reading “real” books 6 months ago, and since then, I’ve only read 3 “real” books. In all the years before 6 months ago I absolutely HATED reading things that weren’t graphic novels, comic books, or kids magazines. It just felt like a chore. Now, I really enjoy reading and I’ve just started to read a book of a different genre than the other 3 books I’ve read since June.

My favorite places to read are either in the corner of a couch with a blanket or a nook near the fireplace.

However, reading is really hard for me when the book bores me or when it’s mandatory to read it. For example, this past summer I had to read 2 books for school: Finding Someplace by Denise Lewis Patrick and Shooting the Moon by Frances O’Roark Dowell. I enjoyed the books but the fact that I had to finish them by the end of summer, somehow made it harder for me to finish them. And I know what you might be thinking, “Reading 2 books in three months is really easy.”  Well not for me! I’m a slow reader and it takes me a whopping BAJILLION years to understand some seemingly impossible words-that-no-one-understands words. Well, not really, but it takes me a while 😉 

I like to read because I get to read about stories that I never knew about but it is also a great time for me to expand my vocabulary. Now, going back to the-books-that-aren’t-graphic-novel books. The 3 “real” books I have read since June were a series called The Last Fallen Series by Gracie Kim which is of the fantasy-fiction genre. Personally, I love this series because of all the fun personalities of all the characters and the many unexpected plot twists which makes this series so unique. I also love these books because I got to learn a lot about some creatures from Koren mythology.

Now, the book I’m currently reading is a book called Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen. The book’s genre is either young adult fiction or a romance novel. As you can tell, this book is VERY different compared to The Last Fallen Series. I thought that I would only like fantasy-fiction books, but BOY was I wrong. I adore this book. It’s got teen romance, comedy, and drama which is all the things I love. This book is about two teenagers named Juliana and Bryce. The book alternates from Bryce to Juliana sharing their side of the story during shared events. This book might sound boring to you, but trust me, it’s not.

If you are interested in either The Last Fallen Series or Flipped I would definitely recommend these books if you would like to read a different genre, the same genre, or if you just want to find another book to read. Plus, if you have any book recommendations, please let me know because I would love to read a book you have enjoyed.

Window or Mirror?

Posted on by 30mayas

 

One of my favorite books is The Last Fallen Realm. The Last Fallen Realm is of the fantasy-fiction genre and is the last book of a three book series. The first two books in this series are called: The Last Fallen Star and The Last Fallen Moon. The author, Gracie Kim, did a fantastic job writing this series by illustrating the characters with great depth, adding humorous inputs, and major plot twists. I chose to read this series because I really enjoyed the previous Rick Riordan Presents series I read and I wanted to read another one.

There are three types of books: a window book, mirror book, or both a window and mirror book in one. A window book is where you feel like you are watching what is happening in the book from a window. In other words, you feel like that story doesn’t relate to your life. A mirror book is where you feel like the story very much relates to yourself and your life. It is as if you’re looking at a mirror. And of course, there can be both a window and mirror experience in one book. However, this may vary between people. For example, you might think a certain book is a window book for you. On the other hand, I might think the very same book is a mirror book for me.

Personally, I like to choose an equal amount of window and mirror books because I like to read about stories I never knew about but I also like to relate to stories because it makes me feel like I’m not alone in doing something.

The Last Fallen Realm, for me, is a window book. This is a window book because the book is set in fictional worlds with mythical creatures based on Korean culture and beliefs. I, for one, am an American of Indian origin so I know nothing about Korean culture and mythology. If I were to make this book more of a mirror book to me, I would make the main character of Indian origin and base the book on Hindu mythology. The thing I love most about this book is that I get to learn more about Korean mythology. For example, Dokkaebi (DOE-geh-bee) or “Korean goblins”, are nature deities or spirits possessing special abilities that are used to engage with humans. Sometimes playing tricks on humans and sometimes helping them. 

If you are interested in The Last Fallen series I’d definitely recommend it to you if you like the fantasy-fiction genre or are willing to read an adventurous book with a Korean twist.