2025 Reading Challenge discussion

This thread is to discuss The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu.

Pages: 336 pages

Length: 1 Month (May)

Participants: Maria, Ruthie.

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.


Happy Buddy Reading!

I’m about half way so far! How about you Ruthie?

Hey Maria! Glad you are halfway! I’ll be able to start tomorrow!

I had so many this month sorry I’m just getting to it.

Ohh ok, I just finished it a couple of days ago. I understand. :)

What did you think of it?

I liked the mixture of fantasy and historical fiction. It’s a bummer that she had to be hiding her work cause women weren’t allowed to compose. There was a part that almost made me cry when her little brother was talking to her. I loved the nostalgic feelings of music and how the composing and performing was explained in the book.

Yes I loved the mixture of fantasy and historical fiction too. It is sad about her music too. I finished it! I gave it 4 stars

(view spoiler)[ probably would have given it 5 stars but thought certain parts were predictable. From the beginning, I didn't trust the prince so when we found out he wasn't the prince and he was evil, I wasn't surprised. Also I thought the part where her writing was masked as her brother's writing was predictable as well. Once she started hiding it, I knew someone would find it and I thought her brother would either take credit or the dad would think it was the brother's work.

I like to be surprised so because those parts were predictable, I knocked a star off my rating (hide spoiler)]

Yeah, I did guess that too but I mostly knocked a star off because I Wondered about what significance Johann had in the story? Or did I miss something or misunderstand? Haha

Johann was just there to add to the tension btw her and her father I’m guessing

Ohhh I see. Well, it was a good book overall and Hyacinth was so creepy.

Yes he was!

(view spoiler)[ I knew he couldn't be trusted! One of the first things I thought was that she shouldn't trust him! (hide spoiler)]

Yes exactly! I thought the same!

What are you reading this month? If you have some extra time you should check out some of the June Buddy reads, I'm doing many of them.
If you're interested in another fairy tale type, Cinder or A Curse so Dark and Lonely!

Awww I do own those! I need to read those but I can’t right now because I’m already reading other books for June. They are: Winterwood, Bone Crier’s Moon, Illuminae, A gentlemen in Moscow, P.S. I Like You, Ruthless Gods, Chosen Ones, and Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Hahaha, you’re welcome to join me in any of those.

Awesome! You'll have to tell me how those are! I'm definitely overplanned for June. I'll message you with what I'm reading in July and August so we can see about that!