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Pup’s First Christmas: A Scarred Short Story

It has been a while since I posted anything on this site, but during the holidays I got inspired to write a few short stories of my characters having a good time during the holiday season following the events of Scattered. This is the first of two, with the second also posted on this site. I hope you enjoy these two short stories written pretty much on a whim as a way for me to get back into writing! As well, I hope everyone is having a great 2025 so far and I hope the rest of the year treats you well too!

THE STORY

Scar

December 24th

2:00pm

The snow is falling outside. It lands and melts on the sidewalk and on the road, and even when it stays, however briefly, on the windowsill. Every little slow-falling snowflake seems to dance in front of my eyes before it’s inevitably snuffed out by the heat.

It’s a gentle snow. It’s a snow that covers the city like a soft baby’s blanket: a type of blanket I see often and have gotten used to over the weeks leading into the season.

I’m not used to the cold anymore. I’m not used to the way the wind ruffles my fur, and the way that the ice under my feet forces me to bring my claws out to remain steady, lest I slip. A part of me feels that all that had made me me while I was out in the streets is slipping away, melting away from warmth, as the snowflakes do. 

But I have my wife. And I have my family. At least a little bit of them. I have Jack and Brescia and Kate and Rowan. I have Tina, Ellie, and Dusty in the neighbourhood, and I have Comet a few blocks away. I hope she’s partying hard and getting all the love she deserves from her owner, Charlotte. 

There’s a tree beside me. It’s tall, and fake (I know enough about what real trees look like to tell) and it’s decorated with blue and white baubles and sparkly tinsel. Underneath are boxes wrapped in beautiful patterns and ribbony bows. 

It’s Christmastime with the Millers, and that means comfort, good food, and family. 

We had been planning to go over to Ellie’s owner’s place for about a week now. It helps us to plan things in advance, especially as Rowan is still young and his parents will need to make sure that they’re ready for a disruption to routine. I’m excited to see my pups just as Jack is excited to see his nephews and nieces. I hope – no, I know – that things will go smoothly. I’m looking forward to the joyful energy of the holiday season in a way that I haven’t been able to in a very long time.

Brescia saunters up to me and watches the snow. Her breath fogs up the window in front of her, and I can see her reflection in the glass. Her eyes look like a fireplace: warm, amber, dark, and sparkling in the reflection from every which way. She’s beautiful. 

I want to give her something. I don’t know what to give her, given that I don’t have currency or the means to make anything. In the past, I’d give her experiences, or a break – I’d take over some of her duties, I’d bring her food, you know the drill – but now I can’t do that. We’re fed and rested, with little to no responsibilities. But as it’s our first Christmas away from the Den, I want to do something special for her. 

“We’re going to see the pups today,” says Brescia as she steps away from the window. “How lucky we are that it’s going to be a white Christmas with the family, without the worries we would have had even just last year.”

“Last year we didn’t have the pups,” I remind her, and Brescia nods. “Hard to believe that. They’ve been in our lives for so long, it feels like we’ve been parents forever. Of course, we had Comet, but she was pretty self-sufficient as long as we’ve known her.”

“I guess it’ll do that to you,” says Brescia with a smile. “I’m going outside to the backyard. You coming?”

I heave a deep breath and nod, and Brescia leaps off the couch. We head to the back of the house and step outside. The change in temperature is a little startling after being in the heated house for so long. Brescia steps onto the snow and takes a few steps, admiring her footprints in the snow. 

Kate’s tulips have been dead for many a month, but the light dusting of snow on them makes them seem beautiful. I suppose they are still flowers in the end. 

Brescia gasps as she finds a particularly deep patch of snow. She laughs after she finally finds her footing, and then turns to look back at me. 

“Guess there’s still some left over from last week’s snow,” she says. “Come on – it’s not that cold after you get used to it.”

I follow her into the snow, and for a moment I can forget the house behind me and I can imagine we’re traipsing in the forest, the snow too deep for us to actually notice our footsteps. The sounds of the city fade away into the distance.

🐾

The evening rolls around, as does a deeper layer of snow on the streets and slight frost on the window panes. Jack rings the doorbell of his sister Camryn’s house and she opens the door with a flush of pink on her face.

“Come in, come in! Merry Christmas!” she exclaims, shooing us inside. “If I’d have known you were walking I’d have told you not to! Tea, coffee, hot chocolate anyone?” 

“Tea for me,” says Kate, while Jack nods his agreement. “A warm fire and towels for the dogs, I think.”

“Right this way! Make yourselves at home.” 

Tina, Ellie, and Dusty are sitting in the living room as Dusty’s owner builds a little fence around them out of blocks. Tomorrow is officially Christmas, where everyone will open gifts and hug and thank one another. 

And I still don’t have any gifts for those I love. 

The fence around the pups is finished, and Dusty’s young owner, a boy of about ten, delicately attempts to place an archway over the entrance. Ellie doesn’t let him, however, and barrels out of the entrance to meet me and her mother. 

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!” she cries in excitement. “You’re all cold and wet!”

“We walked here with our owners,” Brescia explains. “The snow is still falling.”

“Oh! Cool! Dusty, Tina, look who’s here!”

“We see,” said Tina, also walking out of the fence. Dusty simply climbs over the fence, trying not to break the construction. He’s grown quite a bit over the past fall and winter, and sometimes I think he forgets how different in size he is now. He manages to step over the fence without touching the blocks whatsoever. 

We hug, and talk about what’s happened in our lives over the past little while since we’ve seen each other (which, granted, isn’t that much). But it’s such a beautiful relief to hear their voices, and for them to be okay and taken care of over the wintry months that I don’t even care.

🐾

The night is warm in the way nights seldom are. We watch the fire, warming up by the family as they watch a movie on the TV above, and for once I see my reflection in the glass and not the swirling images in my head of crumbling, splintering wood, and for once I hear how the fire is gentle and not destructive. Brescia leans in close to me and I know she is thinking the same thing as her amber eyes close and her breath becomes deeper, more stable and rhythmic. 

🐾

The next day we are woken up by the scramble of a family eager to open presents and experience the material joys of Christmas. We sit around the tree and everyone in turn picks up and unwraps their gifts. Even us dogs get gifts: from bones, to new toys, to new accessories. The pups are overjoyed at their new toys and I sit watching them eagerly as I gnaw on a bone. Brescia lays on a pillow she dragged off the couch, gnawing on a bone of her own. 

“I still wish I had something for the pups,” I can’t help telling her. “And for you.”

Brescia turns her eyes downward with a small smile.

“I’ll tell you something, right here, right now, Scar,” she begins. “Just being alive, being here with you, being surrounded by warmth and love and family… that in and of itself is a gift. After last summer, I didn’t think we’d be here. I didn’t think we’d ever be as happy as we are now. I didn’t think we’d be as safe as how we are now. I don’t need anything from you, except for you to be safe, happy, and healthy, and for our pups to be loved, cared for, and growing up to be beautiful and kind. That is the perfect Christmas gift for me.” 

I heave a sigh and lean against Brescia, letting my bone fall to the floor beside me. 

“What did I ever do to deserve you,” I murmur into her fur. “What is it about me that keeps you around, huh?” 

Brescia laughs. 

“Is it not enough for me to say I love you?”

“I love you too,” I reply, almost methodically, except every time I say it, I remember a time when there was a worry that I would never be able to. 

We watch our pups enjoying themselves, and the family setting up a Christmas breakfast with waffles and cookies, coffee, and warm milk for the kids. 

The snow outside has stopped and it seems that I’m not the only one to notice it. The kids dress in snowsuits over top of their Christmas pajamas and everyone goes outside to play in the snow. Ellie, Dusty and Tina jump into snow banks and slip around on the ice (after a gentle “be careful” from Brescia). 

For the first Christmas of our new life, and the first Christmas of the pups’ lives, it sure has been a successful one. It’s been one that I hope to relive every year for as long as I am around to be with them.

OUTRO

If you liked this one, consider checking out my novels which feature these characters and more! Also check out the second short story featuring our favourite girl, Comet!

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My Opinions on Book Tropes – Part 3

Part 3, let’s go!

Soulmates

I’ll be completely honest, I don’t read very many books with this trope, and I guess I can sort of see the appeal? Maybe like, if they’re soulmates but something else is keeping them apart? I’m not the biggest fan of this because it makes me think of star-struck lovers and stuff like that, and while I like romance, that’s not my vibe.

Alternatively, NON-ROMANTIC SOULMATES? Like a found-family type situation, or a best friend situation, or like academic partners, business partners, when you take a soulmate trope and flip it over and take the romance out, that takes the cake. So I’m going to rate this 8/10 for the non-romantic version, the 2 points are docked for cringy romance.

Not that I have anything against romance!!! Just… not like that.

Love Triangle

…look.

Katniss/Peeta/Gale. Jacob/Bella/Edward. All these love triangles that are so loved in our fictional world are just two guys who are fighting over the girl (and often, both options aren’t great).

“What if it’s an LGBTQ+ love triangle of sorts?”

I don’t like love triangles. Easy as that. I get the conflict, I get the appeal of “ooh, who’s he/she/they gonna pick??” but it’s not for me. It’s also often either predictable or disappointing.

I’m not gonna give it a 0/10 because sometimes (albeit rarely) they’re written well. So I’ll say 2/10.

Found Family

YES. YES, YES, YES.

I write found family, I read found family, I LOVE this trope so much. It’s the caring for someone without it being romantic, it’s the making the choice to stay with this person, it’s so sweet and sometimes, platonic relationships are even better than the romantic ones.

Of course there’s drama, of course there’s conflict, but that comes from any relationship. I think there needs to be more platonic relationships in fiction. I said what I said.

(If you love it too, check out my book, Scarred)

10/10. 10000/10. Whatever amazing rating I can give it.

Marriage of Convenience

For me, this one’s 50/50. I don’t like the initial “oh, I have to get married to this person for XYZ reason, and they’re maybe good-looking or maybe not but I don’t like them” but then they reveal their soft side and all of a sudden they’re attractive, and then they actually fall in love, etc. Boring.

But then when you dig deeper, and you find different reasons for this marriage, or if there’s other conflicts involved, that’s when it gets interesting. I think for this, and for a lot of tropes, its most basic form isn’t the most interesting. What makes it good is when someone can figure out unique ways to interpret this trope and make it different and special.

5/10. It’s not my favourite, but it’s not bad.

“I’m Supposed To Kill You”

Mostly in fantasy or sci-fi, it’s when one person is tasked to kill another and they find they can’t do it because they’re in love or some other reason. I think it’s an interesting trope because it comes with pre-packaged conflict (in a manner of speaking). I don’t feel any particular way towards this trope except I know it can get pretty spicy! I don’t really read this trope much, but there you go.

I’m gonna give this a 7.5/10. Pretty solid trope. Probably wouldn’t use it, but I enjoy reading it from time to time.

Part 4 coming soon!

Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

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My Opinions on Book Tropes – Part 2

Alright let’s get right into this!

Grumpy x Sunshine

I think this is a very great trope but I will admit there is a way this is done right and a way it’s done wrong. If it’s used as someone leeching the other’s spirit, or being toxically positive, then that’s when the relationship is unhealthy and I would ‘nope’ out of a book. Also I don’t like seeing the sunshiney character being babied or being patronized, treated like they’re inferior or inadequate because of their optimism.

The way it’s done right is when the grumpy has a tough exterior but a soft and caring and charismatic interior, and the sunshiney one has more value as a character, and is more defined and has more depth than just being a happy-go-lucky character. Of course this is one way it can be done right and I’m sure there are many more, but overall I’d give this trope a 7/10. Maybe an 8.

Enemies to Lovers

There’s a big divide on the internet about Enemies to Lovers versus Friends to Lovers, and I am definitely on the Enemies to Lovers side.

I love the idea of meeting someone new, starting off maybe on the wrong foot, and then figuring out where you stand with each other (pun sort of intended?) and making things up to each other in the end, figuring out everyone’s true selves despite the bad first start, and the drama and tension that comes with Enemies to Lovers is so perfect and intriguing!

This is a 10/10 trope, but there is a problem with it when it condones toxic behaviour, or is controlling, or any other bad behaviour is glorified with the label of “Enemies To Lovers”. Generally, though, awesome trope.

Right Person, Wrong Time

I’ll be completely honest, I haven’t read very many books with this, or really come into contact with this trope much, but I love the idea, but not in the moment, I love when it comes back to haunt the characters later. Say, they bump into their old love when they’re older, in different stages of life, etc.

I recently watched “Almost, Maine”, a play by my local theatre, and it was mostly made of small romantic vignettes, and it was so cute! This one scene that I think featured this trope was when there was this one woman and she was proposed to when she was younger, and then she went out into the world without answering, and then she came back years later to accept the proposal, and then the man she loved was already married to another woman, it was so cute and so sad.

9/10 trope only because of “Almost, Maine”, you guys did amazing and I have a new love for the trope.

Friends to Lovers

As mentioned before, I am on the Enemies to Lovers side of this debate. However, I can appreciate the Friend to Lovers trope, with the pining, and the wondering “where is the line, how do I be careful so as not to ruin the relationship, do they feel the same”, etc.

However since the relationship of friends is already established, it brings it a couple points down. I like when you have to establish the relationship throughout the book.

I’ve read some Friends to Lovers books and they were really good, but it’s not my trope of choice to write or read.

6/10 trope, very good, I get the appeal, but not my vibe.

Slow Burn

Who doesn’t like a slow burn? Gotta be careful that it’s not too slow or it gets boring, there needs to be PROGRESS over the course of the book. I haven’t read a very good slow burn in a long time but I love this trope, and while I don’t write it very much, I think it definitely works to build tension.

8.5/10 trope.

Age Gap

…no. Sorry.

0/10.

Tragic Past

Yes. Very much so yes. Not so much that I love the trauma that these characters endure but I love how it makes me empathise and it’s very effective as a trope. I use it a lot, I read a lot of authors who use this trope, and it’s very much used in fantasy or in sci-fi and it’s beautiful.

9.5/10 trope because I don’t like when people hurt characters. Me as a writer? Sure, I’ll give my characters a tragic past. Me as a reader? Don’t hurt that character or I will come for your bones (this is a joke, for legal reasons).

We’re done! Part 3 to come, I just don’t know when.

Do you agree with my opinions? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

Rating and Ranking: June and July

With the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, I thought I’d merge the two since June didn’t give me much time to read but July definitely did! I wanted to read a lot of romance and just live a little vicariously through these books and I of course had to include a lot of LGBTQ+ books since it was Pride Month in June. So, without further ado, here goes!

Gulliver’s Travels – Johnathan Swift

Gulliver’s Travels is a book about a man named Gulliver who travels around the world to fantasy lands of all sorts. First he goes to a place called Lilliput where everyone there is essentially human but really tiny, like only six inches in height. They treated Gulliver like a god and were very accomodating. Gulliver also had to help them with a neighbouring land who was an enemy of Lilliput.

The second land he went to, called Brobdingnag, was the complete opposite: everyone there were huge: something around 60 feet tall. Again, Gulliver was accomodated for and was well respected, but since he was small compared to the Brobdingnags, he couldn’t do much.

In all honesty I didn’t end up paying much attention to the end of the book because it was almost the same thing just different font, so to speak. Another new land with another new people, and not much plot just explanations, infodumping of how everything worked.

I gave this book a 3 stars because I really enjoyed the first half but then the second half was pretty boring.

The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass – Adan Jerreat-Poole

This is a book about a girl named Eli, who isn’t quite human. She may look human, but she was actually made by witches to hunt ghosts.

One day, she’s supposed to be dealing with a ghost but ends up just murdering a living man, and now she’s worried she’s going to be unmade. Teaming up with humans who know just a little too much about the witch world and who have some special plans of their own, Eli learns a strong message about what makes you human, what makes you alive.

I give this book a 4/5 stars. It didn’t hook me as much as I thought it would but it was a great read nonetheless and I greatly enjoyed it.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe – Benjamin Alire Sàenz

This book is a reread but it’s the first time I’m writing about it here on my blog. I LOVE IT.

This is a masterpiece of writing, philosophy, romance, existentialism, coming-of-age, self-acceptance and personal growth… I cannot say enough good things about this book.

It’s about two Mexican-American boys, one named Aristotle (but he goes by Ari) who lives with his mom, a professor, and his father, a Vietnam war veteran. Ari has two older sisters who have already moved out, and an older brother in prison that his family doesn’t talk about. He’s bit of a loner, doesn’t trust anyone very much and isn’t ready for adulthood.

Dante, on the other hand, has two very loving parents, lives in a safe household, and is a very optimistic, loving boy.

When the two meet at a community swimming pool, Dante starts teaching Ari to swim and the two of them become fast friends… and even more.

5/5 stars. Beautiful writing, an incredible plot, amazing characters, and lots of great life lessons while not being preachy or moralising, set in Texas, 1970s. Will recommend to just about anybody. Do look up content warnings though.

Ophelia After All – Raquel Marie

Ophelia After All is a book about a girl named Ophelia Rojas, a Cuban-American high school girl. She likes boys, Cuban food, and her garden of roses.

But then as prom season rolls around, she meets Talia, and the two friend groups start slowly merging. Ophelia finds herself falling for Talia, and doesn’t know really how to deal with this newfound sexuality: after all, she’s always thought she was straight.

This is a book about self-discovery and acceptance, and it’s very cutely written with characters you can’t help but love. And a surprise at the end of the book (or at least my copy)? Two playlists that match the vibes of the book. If this book wasn’t already a 5/5 stars, that made it even better.

Now Entering Addamsville – Francesca Zappia

I won this book the second time I won the Ghost Story Contest, and it was the first book I annotated. (I didn’t actually write in it, I just put sticky notes. I can’t handle writing in a book with ink or graphite.)

Zora Novak already lives a pretty troubled life. Her mother is gone (likely dead, but there wasn’t any body or anything when Dasree Novak ran away into the Addamsville woods, so as far as we know she could be alive). Her father is in prison. Her older sister and her boyfriend are essentially in charge of raising her and getting enough money to support the family in their small town of Addamsville.

To make matters worse, Addamsville has ghosts in it. Not everyone can see them, and most think it’s just a hoax for tourists to come and be spooked (“ooh, haunted small town”). But Zora can see them. A while ago, a special kind of ghost called a firestarter, burned down a house and killed some people. Zora went to help, but ended up losing two of her fingers in the process.

So after more firestarters arrive on the scene and start causing drama, people are accusing Zora of arson, who now has to team up with her rich cousin Artemis to solve who is actually doing the murders. And to add to the problems, a film crew is in Addamsville to shoot a silly ghost-hunting show.

This book is 5/5 stars, I normally don’t read mystery, much less murder mystery, but I really enjoyed this one and it was pretty tame. (Also as a side note, Zora is canonically asexual and it’s the perfect kind of casual representation we love to see!)

You Should See Me In A Crown – Leah Johnson

This book follows the story of Liz Lighty, a girl living in a small town in Indiana where the one thing that almost everyone is obsessed with in school is prom season. It’s been the highlight for generations. Liz, living with her grandparents and sick younger brother, wants to go to Pennington for university and is relying heavily on getting a certain scholarship.

She doesn’t get it.

Now she has to run for prom queen, because whoever wins gets money, so she’s not completely without hope. Except Liz had zero intention of running before this catastrophe, and she’d almost rather do anything else. But at this point, it’s worth a shot.

Liz’ campaign goes pretty well, but there’s soon a bit of a catch. She starts falling for her competition, a new girl named Mack. Will this hurt her chances of winning in this small high school… or boost them?

This was a 5/5 star read, with a satisfying ending and a plot that just keeps you hooked from page 1 till the end.

Some Girls Do – Jennifer Dugan

Morgan: star track athlete, forced to move out of her Catholic School after coming out as a lesbian.

Ruby: following her mother’s footprints being a pageant queen, but doesn’t want to be. She prefers working on her 1970 Ford Torino.

Both fall for each other, but while Morgan wants a fresh start at her new school, Ruby isn’t ready to come out. How will they resolve their issues? Will the relationship survive?

This was a great book. The ending is satisfying, the writing is easy to follow and it keeps you hooked, but the only reason I’m giving this a 4/5 stars is that I felt there were a lot of issues that could have been avoided, and some parts made me really annoyed. But overall it was a great book!

Red, White, and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston (Reread)

Yes, I reread RW&RB because I heard of the movie coming out, as I assume a lot of people did. Sue me.

If you’re new and want to know my opinions on it, you can find that information here.

Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster – Andrea Mosqueda

It’s almost time for Maggie Gonzalez to find a date for her younger sister’s quinceañera, but there are three problems.

One: Her on-and-off boyfriend, Matthew, who he’s still kinda-sorta friends with.

Two: Her best friend Amanda, who Maggie has been crushing on essentially forever.

Three: The new girl, Dani, who’s cute, and Maggie’s starting to develop new fun feelings.

For her end of year art project, Maggie decides to make a collection of private Instagram posts (her medium of choice being photography, of course) to decide on a date. What could possibly go wrong?

This was a 5/5 star read. I loved how it presented the problem of ‘too many feelings for too many people’ and didn’t make it a horrible cliché. Maggie herself even expresses concern about it, and about her friend’s boundaries. And while the issues definitely show up throughout the book, it’s resolved in a respectful and satisfying manner.

I also didn’t think I was going to enjoy the friends-to-lovers arc (I’m an enemies-to-lovers girl myself) but it was very well-written.

The Red Scrolls of Magic – Cassandra Clare

Part of the Shadowhunter Chronicles, this book tells the tale of Magnus Bane and Alec Lightowod on vacation in Europe… until they get word of a cult called the Crimson Hand that Magnus may or may not have started by accident, and said cult is wreaking havoc. What a way to have a vacation.

I gave this book a 4/5 stars because while the world is great and I love the Shadowhunter Chronicles, this one didn’t hit as much as I thought it would. I’m also reading it for the second time so maybe that affected my rating.

Iron Widow – Xiran Jay Zhao

Xiran Jay Zhao is a wizard with words. I am still reeling with awe from having read this book.

Wu Zetian wants revenge for the death of her sister in a Chrysalis, a metal monster that is piloted by men to defeat Hunduns, invaders of the land of Huaxia. When the Chrysalises go to fight, the men essentially suck up the spirit energy from the girls and use that to kill Hunduns, but that ends up killing the girls, called concubines, as well.

When Zetian enlists, she ends up taking over her Chrysalis and killing the male pilot instead of the other way around, she gets the title of an Iron Widow. She is now piloted with one of the most powerful yet controversial pilots, Li Shimin, nicknamed the Iron Demon.

In a Hunger-Games-esque series of events, the two of them have to work together to defeat Hunduns and maybe, just maybe dismantle the sexist system along the way.

A sci-fi retelling of the story of the real Wu Zetian, the first female Chinese Empress, this book is everything I wanted it to be and more, infused with feminine rage and power. I am in love with this book. 5/5 stars. Do look up content warnings for this book, however.

Final Ranking:

5/5 stars: 

  • Aristotle And Dante (Benjamin Alire Sàenz)
  • Ophelia After All (Raquel Marie)
  • Now Entering Addamsville (Francesca Zappia)
  • You Should See Me In A Crown (Leah Johnson)
  • Red, White, and Royal Blue (Casey McQuiston)
  • Just Your Local Bisexual Disaster (Andrea Mosqueda)
  • Iron Widow (Xiran Jay Zhao) ❤ ❤ ❤

4/5 stars:

  • The Girl of Hawthorn and Glass (Adan Jerreat-Poole)
  • Some Girls Do (Jennifer Dugan)
  • The Red Scrolls of Magic (Cassandra Clare)

3/5 stars: Gulliver’s Travels (Jonathan Swift)

I noticed I was reading a lot of books about intersectionality, unintentionally, but then as June and July went on, I decided to seek out books that had intersectionality in them. Intersectionality is a concept that is basically when a person fits into two marginalized groups and has different types of discrimination. For example, Liz Lighty (You Should See Me In A Crown) is black, poor, and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Ari and Dante are Latino boys who are also gay.

It’s important to read stories from people who have different lived experiences. That way you can get to understand people better and open your mind to different worldviews. I’m not an expert, but books are a great way to learn and share stories.

Let me know how your summer is going and how your reading or writing is going, down in the comments below, and don’t forget to check out my novel, Scarred!

Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out!

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

Posted on by Catherine

Rating And Ranking: March 2023

You know the drill by now, let’s get right into my five reads in March 2023! This will bring us to 12 out of 54 total books read this year.

Ballet Shoes – Noel Streatfeild

This book was a re-read. I’ve owned this book since I was quite young, and I decided to come back to it as I waited for my books that I put on hold at my local library to be ready. The book was released in 1936 which makes me think it is set in the 1920s.

This book features three sisters, orphaned separately but adopted by a man called Great-Uncle Matthew who collects fossils. The three sisters, Pauline, Petrova, and Posy are left in the care of Great-Uncle-Matthew’s (G.U.M’s) niece Sylvia, and Sylvia’s nurse Nana. They are given the last name of Brown (Sylvia’s last name) but then since they are ‘of no real relation’ they choose the name of Fossil after GUM refers to them as such in a letter.

GUM left the girls money to live on, enough for five years since he’s on a big adventure to collect fossils with some friends. But once the money starts running out, Sylvia decides to take in boarders — people who will live in the house and pay them.

One of the boarders is a woman named Theo Dane, who works at the Children’s Academy of Dancing And Stage Training. Theo suggests that Sylvia send the three Fossil sisters to train there, because when they are older they can work in the theatre and get money to support their families.

At first, Sylvia is hesitant but once she is properly persuaded, the Fossil sisters work hard and prepare for a marvelous life on the ballet scene…

I love this book. I definitely have a different perspective on it as I did in the past, but the core of the story and the plot is still engaging and fun. The characters are all very intriguing, and the sisters have such different personalities – Pauline, being the oldest, is the more responsible mature one, Petrova is a tomboy, and Posy is the light-hearted determined youngest.

I give this book a five stars. For a book that came out in 1936 its quite easy to read and a great experience overall.

The Inheritance Games (Book 1) – Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games has been on my TBR for a while, but when I finally got to read it, I found it strangely underwhelming.

TIG follows the story of Avery Grambs, a high school girl who is suddenly left a vast fortune and a mansion (among many other rich-people things) from a guy named Tobias Hawthorne. She’s of no relation to the Hawthorne family, she barely knows they exist, and she’s been living with her older sister for a while.

But when she gets this inheritance, her life is suddenly turned upside down. The entire Hawthorne family (who all expected to get Tobias’ fortune) hates her. She moves into Hawthorne House, where live the four Hawthorne brothers and their family. She now has a lawyer, a security team, media coverage… all the works.

But… why?

Avery teams up with many various characters – the Hawthorne brothers, her lawyer, etc – and try to figure out why she is suddenly and viciously thrown into this new life?

I give this book a 3 star rating. There were many (almost two many) twists, and too much drama, not enough plot. The romance was not romance-ing, and also there were WAY too many red flags in the love interests. I know there’s a trope about brooding bad boy and how people find that interesting, but I can’t handle romance if the love interest is just going to end up being toxic.

And the ending definitely should’ve been way more interesting and clever than it was. It had a very ‘is that it?’ ending which left me disappointed, I’ll admit.

The writing is good and easy to follow, but these key plot devices brought the experience down for me. I don’t think I’ll finish the series.

Crier’s War (Book 1) – Nina Varela

Crier’s War: I cannot say enough good things about this book.

This book is told in two points of view: Ayla, a regular human girl, and Lady Crier, an Automa (essentially an automaton, a human being, but inorganic). Lady Crier is the daughter of the Sovereign, and Ayla is a servant. They live in the kingdom of Rabu.

Lady Crier is about to be engaged to Scyre Kinok, another Automa who plans to change the way their world and societal system is run (and he’s growing quite a following). Ayla wants nothing more than to kill Lady Crier as revenge, since Automae killed her family, ages ago.

After an unexpected situation in which Ayla ends up as Crier’s handmaiden, the two start realising how much they have in common, and how much they are falling for each other. On Ayla’s side, it’s a bit of an enemies-to-lovers situation. She’s supposed to kill Crier. She’s supposed to hate her and her entire kind… but it’s turning out to be quite the opposite. On Crier’s side, it’s a pining situation. Automa are supposed to be superior to humans, not fall in love with them.

I love this book. Well written, almost poetic in a way, similar to the Invisible Life of Addie LaRue. It’s easy to follow and immersive.

Sometimes I don’t like it when people add timelines and history/backstory of their world (infodumping) in the beginning, but Nina Varela does it so well! She has only the important points, short and understandable, and it actually adds to the story rather than distract from it: and it takes a really good author to do that. It gives a feel like the world has always existed even before this book was written, and the timeline in the beginning of the book isn’t even that long!

Five stars, easy peasy. Emotional and interesting, and fun. I can’t wait to read book 2!

The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald

This was a wild ride!

The Great Gatsby is told from the POV of Nick Carraway, a man who just moved into West Egg – somewhere near New York, USA. His next door neighbour is a mysterious, successful young man named Jay Gatsby who lives in a mansion and has parties every night with a bunch of different people!

Jay is in love with one of Nick’s friends, Daisy Buchanan, but she already has a husband: a man named Tom., as well as a daughter. Jay and Daisy used to be lovers, and apparently he never got over her.

Most of the action following this plot, however, takes place closer to the end of the novel; say, around the second half is where things get really interesting and a bit unhinged. I really liked it and I can see why people in the 1920s as well as today would enjoy this book. It’s one of those books that I would really consider to be a timeless classic. Some books are incredibly outdated and boring, yet revered, and The Great Gatsby is really not the case.

Apart from the Jay x Daisy romance plot, there isn’t much of a clear storyline for the first half or so of the book, however the events are fun and interesting enough that you can forget about plot. The first half of this book is essentially the definition of “no plot, just vibes” and I can really appreciate it!

I gave this book a 4 stars, simply because of the lack of plot. I enjoyed reading it but I was kinda waiting for there to be an actual storyline. A great book nonetheless that I think everyone should read!

Hamlet – William Shakespeare

This was a new style I was not used to reading, but the story was fun and twisted in ways I never expected.

Hamlet is about the Prince of Denmark (Hamlet himself) who’s father was killed. The Prince plans revenge, and after the ghost of his father appears, Hamlet speaks to him and learns that it was Hamlet’s uncle, Claudius, who killed his father.

Hamlet ends up killing a man named Polonius (Claudius’ counsellor) thinking it’s his uncle, so Polonius’ son Laertes ends up plotting revenge against Hamlet. It’s a whole revenge triangle – no, not a triangle, a revenge web. There’s some romance, some family issues, some things that would be considered incredibly problematic in the modern world, and of course, everyone ends up dying in the end.

I gave this book 4 stars. I enjoyed the plot and thought the story was intriguing, but I deducted points because the copy I got from the library had explanations and stuff in the margins and it annoyed me so much! My eyes were jumping from the story to the explanations and it was very distracting. It made my reading very choppy.

But still a fun read! Note to self: find a better copy next time if you want to read more Shakespeare.

Alright now to round up our final ratings:

  1. Ballet Shoes (Noel Streatfeild), Crier’s War (Nina Varela) – 5/5 stars!
  2. The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald), Hamlet (William Shakespeare) – 4/5 stars!
  3. The Inheritance Games (Jennifer Lynn Barnes) – 3/5 stars!

Do you agree? Disagree? Let me know in the comments!

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Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska

My book Scarred is now out for Pre-Order!

Posted on by Catherine

Scarred is live!

Hey all! This is a really quick post just to say that Scarred is now in the pre-order stage!

It will officially come out on April 15th, but if you’re as excited as I am, we have the pre-order available! Links can be found on my publications page!

Thanks to everyone who helped make this a reality, it is a dream come true. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

– Catherine Khaperska 🙂

Posted on by Catherine · 1 Comment

Rating and Ranking: December (Last Post of 2022!)

December was a very busy month for me, so I didn’t get much reading in. But I ended up reading some really high-quality books, even though I had so many other projects running side by side. 

Circe – Madeline Miller

I read The Song Of Achilles (also by Madeline Miller) about a year ago and really enjoyed it. I picked up Circe at my school’s library and I have to say it felt quite different from reading The Song of Achilles!

While TSOA focused on the peril and the adventures of Achilles and Patroclus, and had romance and cute scenes (and other sadder, more heavy scenes) that made reading it a rollercoaster of emotion, Circe was calmer and more internally focused. 

Circe is a nymph, the daughter of Helios, the Titan of the sun, and Perse, an oceanid, which is an ocean nymph and a child of the Titan of the sea, Oceanus. From the day she was born, she was not necessarily outcast, but ignored, or left aside. She wasn’t as unearthly beautiful as most nymphs are (at least, according to her family) and didn’t have the booming godly voice that the others in her family had. She had the voice of a mortal.

Because she was more like a mortal than her family, no one really had any high expectations for her, which meant she could get away with more things. For example, she was kind to the Titan Prometheus (if you need a reminder who he is, he’s the guy who brought fire to the humans and was punished for it). When Prometheus was tied up and bleeding, she talked to him, brought him food and water. 

After a long series of events in which the treatment from her family inspires her to turn to witchcraft, she decides to use it on another nymph, Scylla, who ends up turning into the man-eating, ship-destroying sea monster we now know her as. The gods and Titans, afraid of her new power, exile her to the island of Aiaia, where most of her story takes place. One of the most iconic and well-known stories involving Circe is when Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan War, comes and stays with her for a year.  

Circe’s story is one of love and family and isolation, but has also become a bit of a feminist story as well. Circe manages to make a life of success and prosperity on her island, with her skills and her determination to not let the gods’ exile bring her down. 

I rate this book a four out of five stars. I have always loved Greek Mythology, and it was incredible to see the references to other stories and hear the names of old such as grey-eyed Athena or talks of the famous Paris and Helen of Troy. I’ll admit the majority of my Greek Myth knowledge comes from Percy Jackson, but nonetheless it helped me truly connect with the world. 

The reason it’s a four and not a five stars is because even though it was great, I found it to be quite slow-paced in the beginning, and even though it sped up and became intriguing later, I found it hard to get attached to the characters, and there was a lot more internal monologuing than I expected. 

I would definitely recommend this book to any fans of Madeline Miller’s other book, or any Greek Mythology fans in general. And even if you don’t understand Greek Myth, this book is still understandable and enjoyable. Circe is a wonderful, kind but stubborn, generous but proud, well-rounded character whose story deserves to be heard.

Red, White and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston

Where do I even begin with this book? It’s absolutely incredible. I have to consult a thesaurus to find the words to describe this literary masterpiece. Stunning. Extraordinary. Fabulous. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue is from the point of view of Alex Claremont-Diaz, a Mexican-American First Son of the United States. To my non-American readers, this means that one of his parents (in this case, his mother, Ellen Claremont) is the president of the United States of America. Another very important key character is Henry Wales, the prince of the United Kingdom.

These two characters live two very different, yet very similar lives. While one is a more extroverted, confident, fun-loving American, the other is a quieter, less rebellious, British royal. Yet both have a media presence as they are both at the heart of their respective countries’ political situations and systems. Both have to be careful so as not to ruin their reputations online or in real life, knowing there is media coverage pretty much everywhere they go out in public. 

Did I mention they both hate each other?

Since the 2016 Rio Olympics, Alex and Henry have hated each other. Alex thinks that Henry has been snobby to him and that leads to him being snobby back… it’s been four years and they still do not have the best opinion of one another, however polite they have to act on international television to keep the allyship and friendliness between countries alive. 

But an unexpected event forces them to pretend to be best friends in the public’s eyes. At first, it was only supposed to be for a little while, but it doesn’t take long for them to realise this has to last essentially forever.

The more they hang out and the more they get to learn about each other, the more it becomes less and less platonic… secrets are everywhere, whether revealed or kept behind doors. No, I will not specify which type of doors but I think we can all guess at this point. 

I absolutely LOVED this book. It’s quickly become one of my favourite standalones of all time. Casey McQuiston, you are a genius with words! 

I would recommend this to anyone in high school. It’s definitely a more mature book in both language and content but it’s nonetheless a freaking amazing book that I will treasure for the rest of my days. The amount of times I squealed, laughed, and fangirled over that book cannot be counted on both my hands! 

Five star read. Easiest rating of my life. 

Lore – Alexandra Bracken

This book follows the story of Melora ‘Lore’ Perseous, who is a descendant of the great hero Perseus. In this book, there are family trees where people are descendants of heroes and have a specific god that they honour from Greek Mythology. 

Every seven years, the Agon is an event where people can hunt gods and gain their powers and immortality for the next seven years. For example, this time the new Ares has named himself Wrath, and plans to end the Agon, keeping his powers forever. But that’s not all. With the help of a specific ancient poem that only Lore knows and has access to because of her bloodline, Wrath will not only be able to end the Agon, but will be able to gain ultimate power and be the only god left.

The story begins with a bang as Lore, after a wrestling match, finds someone she thought was long dead, as well as finds the goddess Athena broken and bleeding in an alleyway of her neighbourhood near Harlem, New York City. Lore has been using wrestling as an escape from the world of gods and danger. Lore is hiding from all this because one of the members of another bloodline killed her family when she was young, and now she would rather do anything else than reclaim her birthright as the last Perseide (descendant of Perseus). But when Wrath begins the search for the poem in order to gain this unlimited power and be the sole god left, Lore has no choice but to team up with Athena, her friend Miles, her long-thought-dead friend Castor who has taken the powers of Apollo, and Castor’s cousin Evander (or Van, for short). 

I will give this book three-and-a-half stars. I didn’t find it exciting enough to be given a four, but it’s not bad as a premise and there were even some interesting scenes and some perilous moments. The twists that I didn’t see coming didn’t seem to hit as hard as I thought they would, and there were almost too many characters with too much happening. 

But in the end it turned out well and I can definitely see the appeal of this book as a next step after reading Rick Riordan’s works (it has mild language to watch for as well).

So my final rankings for December (and my last ranking of 2022!):

  1. Red, White, and Royal Blue – Casey McQuiston (5/5 stars!)
  2. Circe – Madeline Miller (4/5 stars!)
  3. Lore – Alexandra Bracken (3.5/5 stars!)

This post, however, is not only about my book reviews. Since we are going into a new year, I want to talk a bit about my plans for the new year. 

I have the next four blog posts planned (not drafted just yet) and they are going to be once a week. I want to try to get 50+ posts this year (one a week, if I can). 

I want to try to get my novel published (so stay tuned for that!).

I want to get myself verified on Instagram (is that even possible in a year? Let’s see! Also follow me @catherinekwrites if you haven’t yet!). 

I have lots more plans that I hope will come to fruition in 2023, but for now, these are all the spoilers you get!

Thanks for reading! Subscribe so you can see future posts as they come out, and leave a comment and tell me your literary plans for the year, or any other New Year’s Resolutions that you may have (if you feel so inclined).

Life is a story. How will you write yours?

Until next time,

Catherine Khaperska