The Bard’s Lament
By: Isiah Chrouser
A burning pain deep down inside
My last performance, gone astray
Pleasant feelings, I’ve been denied
Doomed to live in alleyway
But to it be my luck or fate
I find a trickster’s road
Using fancy spells to trick and bait
For people are easy to goad
As people’s earnings become mine
They become as I had been
Are these the morals I define
Or am I a thief among men
Could these actions be considered just
For the beggar’s life I had downthrust.
Art by Francis
Art by Francis
A Book Review of Amber Clement’s Fortune’s Kiss
By: Avi
Fortune’s Kiss is a vibrant fantasy, in which two childhood best friends enter Fortune’s Kiss, a gambling den who offers a competition in which the grand prize is to have your greatest wish granted. But the stakes are higher than main characters Mayté and Lorena could have ever imagined. As the game goes on and the death toll rises, Mayté and Lorena will do whatever it takes to ensure they will be the lucky ones to come out unscathed.
Author Amber Clement paints a setting bustling with energy and culture, from the manors of nobles to street vendors selling elote at the market. The book uses a unique mix of languages, sprinkling in phrases in Spanish throughout the text. Though you don’t need to speak Spanish to read the book, a basic understanding of the language or a translator app might be helpful. Sometimes the characters may feel one-dimensional, but as the story goes on the main characters become more fleshed out, each with their own motives and secrets.
I would recommend this book to fans of Stephanie Garber’s Caraval, or anyone who enjoys fast-paced books with extravagant magical settings and dark, bloody twists.
Art by Francis
Art by Francis
The Teen Advisory Board of the Library is made up of a variety of teens aged 12-18 that meet once a month to discuss all things library. They develop events and curate different displays for the teen lounge. To learn more about TAB information and an application form can be found on the Library website. Visit the Teen Advisory Board application page.
