The Runaway King by Jennifer A. Nielsen

5 stars

(sequel to The False Prince)

My loyalty has been earned.

I was skeptical at first, I'll admit. I liked The False Prince, but as I said in the previous review, I wasn't blown off my feet. Consider me on my ass. Flat.

The Runaway King doesn't pick up too far off from its predecessor, which was a literary relief to start out with. I was nervous that this was going to be like another book I read where after all that pain to get where the main character to a certain point, they find themselves longing for their old life, and begin to feel irritable and unhappy with the life they worked the whole first book to obtain. 

But instead, I found myself reading about a Prince, trying to fill boots that he longs to fill properly, but finds he's a little rough around the edges. He was relate able, fierce, strong, stubborn, and best of all the underdog.

I'm a huge sucker for the underdogs, the people who throw you in for the loop, who fight and fight until they just can't fight anymore, who care for the people around them, sometimes more than they care to let on. Long live the underdogs!

The plot was fast paced, dangerous, and exciting! We get to meet new friends, make stronger bonds with old friendships, and repair old damages done. We get to see Jaron fight for his right to party to the throne, and take risks like never before. Did I mention there is pirates?

That's right, the Prince goes to pirate island in order to gain information, and prove that he should be the rightful King.

There was a nice surprise near the end of the book, further revealing the treachery within the kingdom, and we also get some more development on characters who I felt were somewhat skimmed over like the lovely Princess Amarinda, the betrothed of Prince Jaron. 

I love how clever the women in this series are, both Amarinda and Imogen are extremely clever. I've got to say, I'm honestly torn between Imogen and Amarinda. I have no idea where Nielsen plans to take things when it comes to this complicated little love triangle. I am so excited for the next book!! Bring on the next broken item themed book! Bring on Jaron, and his smart ass comments, and witty humor!!

(My review for The Shadow Throne)

 

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen

4 stars

The False Prince was an interesting book. Sage, our main character, was easy to fall into stride with due to his snarky humor and clever ways. 

Sage is whisked away with a four other boys in order to train to become the "lost" King. The royal family is dead and unless the presumed dead Prince Jaron steps up to the throne a relative will take the crown.

A nobleman looking to install a puppet prince, trains these boys. The catch is only one will be Prince Jaron, and the others will not survive. 

Though Sage does have some bad temperament, I found him easier to like more than his competitors within the story. I laughed aloud a few times while reading this book which I appreciated. 

I was honestly torn between 3 to 4 stars since the book didn't exactly blow me off my feet, especially since I found myself torn at times. It was hard to decide on whether or not I liked a character, because as readers were introduced to the different characters we were shown both their good and bad sides, making our impression of them debatable.

In strong favor of the book, I was kept intrigued with the many mysteries that arose but were later explained, and while the book was predictable, it still had some slight surprises to it's credit, near the end. 

When you finally discover more about Sage, you truly come to appreciate his character even more than you had before. Get ready for an intense sequel.

Get ready for The Runaway King.

 

Written In Red by Anne Bishop

5 stars

What a knockout! 

This was amazing, I'm ashamed I put it off for so long. 

(I blame the weak book cover.)

I've got to say I'm not usually one for werewolf stories but oh, this was so much more.

Readers are introduced to a world where humans are second in command and the supernatural run the roost. Tension is high but our focus is on a different town where the wolves and other creatures that dwell within the closed off park, try to live in peace with humans.

The leader of the pack is Simon Wolfgard a temperamental and fierce wolf who runs the human friendly bookstore called Howling Good Reads. He is definitely more animal than human as are most of the park members which is proven as they will consume any adult trespassers. But Simon finds it somewhere in his heart to take in the naive and gentle Meg Corbyn, who is a runaway prophet who longs to start a new life that isn't controlled by the organization that owns her as well as the others of her kind.  

She takes on the job of liason and spurs our story into action. The character and world building done by the author is simply astounding. I was easily sucked up into this new world, and was helpless but to turn the next page. You become easily attached to everyone, and I simply adored how easily Meg won people's hearts, even the most difficult.

Her bond with Simon's scarred nephew is especially heartwarming as she withdraws him slowly from his shell. Her relationship with Simon is very special and has been progressive but not instantaneous which was actually quite nice!  It has left me excited to see how they progress in the sequel.

World After by Susan Ee

5 stars

(sequel to Angelfall)

AHHHHHHH!!!

 So. Damn. Good.

I must calm myself. Well, this was one hell of a sequel, readers!

We pick up from we left off with Penryn and circus family trying to adapt to the new events in their life. Penryn longs to find Raffe, but she is struggling to cope with a lot of new life events like the unusual behavior of her mutated sister, as well as trying to blend in. Alas, everyone knows that someone as badass and wild like Penryn cannot simply blend in, but at least the twins as Penryn make a fun trio!


I can't help but think that the twins remind me of a non-magical set of Weasley twins; up to no good, conniving, weird but funny, and really clever.

At some point of the book Paige runs away and Penryn is determined to find her sister in fear that somebody will harm her. Thus beginning the adventure once again as along the way we find out more about Raffe, the angels, and what the hell is up with the nephilim/scorpion creatures. We also get to learn more about Raffe's super special awesome arch-angel sword!

The book was heartfelt and warming; despite the struggle of Penryn and Paige. Sisterly bonds stand above all else. There were also some other heartfelt scenes that I can't wait for you guys to find! The sequel is just as horrible and scarring at some parts as the first book. The ending was seriously awesome, and left quite a cliffhanger for the third book! 

Angelfall by Susan Ee

5 stars

Occasionally in life, there is that book. 

That book you go into not really sure what to expect and then you read it and it isn't what you expect at all, and yet you're not really disappointed...this is that book. Except along with a lack of disappointment, I also was accompanied with the emotions of shocked numbness, eagerness, and horror.

Step 1: Readers, you know those fluffy images of sweet angels full of guidance and good advice? Take that image, crumple it up, and... 

THROW IT OUT THE EFFIN' WINDOW.

There you go...

 because Angelfall doesn't have those types of angels! HAH. No, no. According to this storyline, we are under the impression that angels lead to the fall of humanity. That's right, they led to this dystopian setting.

Step 2: Don't eat while reading this book....just trust me, okay?

This book is not for the weak of heart...or stomach, and if you tend to have horrible nightmares induced by anything you watch or read, I probably wouldn't recommend this book to you, either. I'll give you a little taste of whats under the cover.

To me, the most horrifying were the children that were cannibalistic little monsters and the nephilim. Who knew such a disgusting thing could be created by the joining of angels and humans?

 Nephilim are seriously romanticized in other books compared to these things...

Now that you've braced yourself, enjoy the crazy! With a heroine like Penryn, who originates from a family circus of crazy (mother is batshit crazy, father abandoned them, sister is paralyzed), and still manages to kick some serious ass in order to survive and save her sister, you just can't dislike her. Not to mention, she's daring enough to bargain with an angel, Raffe, for his help and assistance. That's ballsy. 

Hang onto your seats, cuz you're in for quite a wild ride...

My review for the sequel, World After.

Always A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

4 stars

This cover is way better than the first.

(sequel to Once A Witch)

A serious improvement compared to the second!

All my pet peeves from the first book were pretty much eliminated from the second. For starters it felt way more action packed than the first. We pick up where we left off with Tamsin and family deciding how they plan to face off with the future troubles ahead involving Alistair and the old Knight family. 

Alistair has escaped to the Victorian-era to warn his family of their impending troubles, and there's nothing for Tamsin to do except follow and try to save her family as well. 

It was way more action packed

  because Tamsin disguises herself as a lady's maid in the enemy's home where things are a dark whirlpool of trouble. If there isn't the threatening, domineering La Spider, there is Liam the dangerous, experimenting son who has a flirtatious facade. Jessica is the only normal one of the family, and you can't help but grow attached to and pity her situation, though she is strong in her own way.

The Greene family predecessors were quite talented as well. Isobel was by far my most favorite, though Thom was definitely second. Although we didn't get to know the entirety of the Greene family you still got the feeling that they were well rounded, and altogether fairly decent people.
With the feeling of Tamsin against the world, I found myself quickly reading through the book to reach the anticipated conclusion.

Throughout the book Tamsin is reminded that she will have to make a life-changing decision which really makes the book even better in the end since it was amazing though a little sad. I was happy with the realistic view of it though like the first book.

Once A Witch by Carolyn MacCullough

3.5 stars

While this book was unique in sorts, it was also a bit cliched.

Meet protagonist Tamsin, a young witch from a long generation of witches. Promised to be a great witch at birth, and then to everyone's disappointment, wasn't.

Tamsin does not feel like she fits in with her family, she is under minded by other family members, and so when she is mistaken for her sister and gets approached by a stranger asking for her help locating a missing item, a part of her cannot resist. Tamsin gets herself tied into a a huge mess as she struggles with being an average human being, and yet coming from un-average origins.

I found the idea of each witch and wizard having unique powers such as freezing people, reading minds, siren like abilities, throwing fire ect. to be a fun and unique idea for a plot based on witchcraft. I also liked the twist of the rivalry between the two magic families for the antagonist.

What I found to be a little teenage angsty was the fact that she pined instantly for her love interest, and thus began silly girly spouting here and there. Otherwise I didn't mind their romance all that much just slightly cliched.

But then there was the sister rivalry...
This was the absolute worst aspect of the book. Tamsin went on and on about how perfect her sister Rowena was, and how the world revolved around her older sister who acts like a spoiled primadonna. (Which honestly didn't help her case.)

Rowena was just an absolute snot for no reason whatsoever, except maybe jealously, to make matters worse. You would think training to be the next head of family would install some maturity and nurturing in her especially regarding her sister. Not to mention everything Rowena did was perfect and was noted in the book i.e. Rowena's hair always being a perfect chignon, or white would usually look bad on people with pale skin tones but on Rowena it only made her glow and did I mention she looked absolutely majestic?
Long story short, it got old.

The ending was very intense, and left a great opening for the sequel, Always A Witch. I felt it was a good ending since it wasn't happiness and rainbows for everybody, but rather a big life changing decision which felt realistic.

Hero by Alethea Kontis

4 stars

Another gorgeous cover!

(sequel to Enchanted)


Meet Saturday Woodcutter, a fierce, muscular girl who would much rather gallivant around the forest chopping down trees with her axe, than dance at a ball least alone in a dress!
A girl who is a fun rolemodel for tomboys out there!

While Enchanted was a mash up of fairy tales, Saturday's was more of an adventure. We pick up with the Woodcutter family's lifestyle completely changed thanks to the golden egg laying goose, so they find themselves with more steady financial support. Saturday's axe has changed into a sword, and she finds herself questioning her purpose and if she's really all the special since she believes herself to be the only non-magical person in her family.

But once she summons an ocean in her backyard, she finds out that she is more than she could ever imagine. Saturday sets out on her journey, but once she is captured by a witch she meets an Earl's son, a man who is more than he appears. They will need each other's help in order to get out of their predicament, and love will of course be part of the adventure, though Saturday wishes it didn't have to be so.

I once again found myself falling in love with the Woodcutter family.

They are all so unique, close together, and amazing. Saturday is such a brave woman that is an admirable heroine in this book and her love interest, Peregrine, is quite admirable and unique himself, and their chimera friend tops off the trio perfectly. Though the story is slightly cheesy, it is really enjoyable and fantastical none the less.

We don't get much insight into the villains from Enchanted until the end, which leaves me wondering if things will be summed up in Friday's book, Dearest, or if there will be more?

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

5 stars

Gorgeous cover, amazing story.

"He wished he could bottle up the smile she gave him and save it for a rainy day. Of course, if all went as it should he'd have those smiles every day, bottle or no, rain or shine, now and forever, until the end of time and after."

That is just too cute.

I have to start off with saying that I felt the summary did not give justice to this book. And if you are a book cover fan like me, look under the dust cover! I felt it was very elegant and pretty! :) I found myself completely enchanted by this novel! While it remains unique in it's own way, it is a mash-up of several different fairy tales like Rumpelstiltskin, a slight pinch of Rapunzel, a reference to the rhyme of the Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe, Cinderella, Jack and the Beanstalk, as well as Princess and the Frog.
I immediately fell in love with the Woodcutter family and their overall bizarreness, for each family member is unique in their own magical way. Sunday's story is very intriguing, and it jumps right into the part where she meets Grumble the frog who becomes her companion, her friend, and her love. Of course as the story goes, she kisses Grumble and he later transforms into Prince Rumbold.

The story was light, entertaining, creative, and unique to say the least. I found all of Sunday's family, including herself, to be quite loveable. The scenery was described and written beautifully I found myself longing to see the Elder Woods, and I also found Rumbold's character to be adorably complicated, especially post-frog enchantment. He was just so eager to love Sunday...

The tale takes a steady route, and while you know where it's heading it's still an excellent read that you can get caught up in. I was actually surprised at actually how dark the book became regarding the King and his reign.

Follow my review for Hero!

 

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

4 stars

 

Can I say I love you Neil Gaiman for asking a 1922 version of your book to be released?

You can imagine the book-gasm I had when I found this beautiful classically designed book with cloth cover, and gold pressed into the cover. Gorgeous.

This book is in fact the inspiration for the movie, which I loved, and so heck why not pick it up for a read? Young Tristan Thorne, half fairy and half mortal, steps over the forbidden Wall in order to complete his destiny of finding a fallen star in order to win his love's heart. Tristan meets new friends, and his pure heart and good intentions help him out of hard fixes on his journey.

While I loved the classic magic this book invoked, I felt a little torn. Tristan's journey was very epic, but at the same time I felt it lacked some major action. Despite this, I liked how Tristan became a man when he got to know himself  better, once he realized what kind of man he wanted to be and who he was. 

 

If you've seen the movie first, the differences are noted, but at the same time I couldn't help but think they did a damn good job on the movie as well.

Vicious by Victoria Schwab

4 stars

 I love the details in this cover. Amazing art!

Victoria Schwab has fast become one of my favorite authors. 

From the Near Witch, to The Archived, and now Vicious, I have to say that she writes engaging stories that absolutely thrill.

With her newest adult fantasy novel, Vicious, we are introduced to a new creative world. She gave a whole new spin to the idea of superheroes or ExtraOrdinaries (EO's). I loved how in this book, technically nobody is the good guy.

Both Eli and Victor have their dark sides, both have killed people in the pursuit for something bigger and greater.

The story swings between past and present and pulls together as we collect the little pieces of the puzzle to Victor and Eli's tale. A few chapters help us get to know the side characters like Mitch, Sydney, and Serena, in more depth.

Victor and Eli become involved in the study of Eo's and how they come into existence or whether or not they actually exist. After discovering how people attain their unique gifts, which is very fascinating and creative, they decide to take it a step further and experiment on each other to in order to attain results.

It's here that things start to get ugly and our characters begin to change. The boys split ways; Eli begins his killing spree and Victor his life in jail. Then the story amps up when Victor escapes from said prison, and picks up a stray on his pursuit on Eli who is trapped in his God mode.

The story dragged just a little at some parts, but I was otherwise highly entertained. (Out of all the characters I found Sydney to be my favorite!)

The ending was brilliant, and left it open in a way that was satisfying in my opinion. To others, possibly not so much, but this a book that's meant to be given a chance!

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

3 stars

The cover is so cool, too!

I found Coldest Girl in Coldtown to be good, 

 but somewhat disappointing. I went in expecting the thrill of Holly Black's previous work and found it slighly lacking.

Our heroine, Tana, is a young girl of the age oh, I'd say 18? Her life has a complicated past, but her life manages to still be drastically changed when she wakes up the next morning. The story starts off really exciting and thrilling. Holly Black's interpretation of vampires is dark and fascinating. Instead of your usual vampire, her vampires are more sinister, unpredictable, and way more dangerous. They are truly monsters.

The vampire's sharp sharp canines are the source of the spreading disease which is shared when a vampire bites a human. The human is then infected and has one of two options;

to sweat the disease out for 88 days and remain human, or drink human blood and begin the process of turning.

"Coldtowns" have been erected for vampires to be secluded from humans and live on their undead past times but this is where humans and the dead alike flock to gather together. This is where our group heads.

Tana makes a great heroine, I liked how she wasn't this jealous, simpering, swoony character. She had feelings, and she had mistakes in her past which could have made her more vulnerable, more human. Instead all Tana did was kick some serious ass.

Sometimes the world building felt a little weak, but I guess my main source of disappointment was because I had been expecting some exciting plot twist for the entire book, something that would blow my mind. Sadly, it never happened. Due to this, the plot felt rather...lame. 

Their whole goal was to go to Coldtown to get her infected ex-boyfriend there, and then once they were there it was just one thing after another keeping Tana from returning home. Not to mention at some point it just felt like Tana was asking to be infected.

To sum up my frustrations, I felt like the ending left a huge "then what?" Will Tana go home? What happens after?

Now don't get me wrong, Coldest Girl in Coldtown is not a horrible book, but it wasn't mindblowing either. It's a simple pleasure kind of book which in my opinion, doesn't make it Holly Black's best work. Especially compared to her roller coaster ride of a trilogy, The Curse Workers.

 I hope she writes another book soon, because I will be reading it!

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Steifvater

Loving this cover! 

5 brilliant stars~

(sequel to The Raven Boys)

FINALLY. 

It is here! I finished it and damn it! Why must you cliffhang us, Stiefvater?!

I'll admit to it being awesome though...Dream Thieves was so amazing that I was dreading the end. It was simply just one of those books, the ones you fly through so quickly. They say that sometimes that sequel can be the slump book but this one was everything a sequel should be in my opinion!

After the puzzling cliffhanger in the first book where Ronan reveals his unique nature of being able to pluck items from his dreams, we pick up immediately and get a deeper view into the progressing tale of Blue and her Raven Boys.

Ronan was definitely one of the boys that we got to take a dive into. All those questions about his complicated and mysterious past are given answers, and we get to explore and discover all he does, on the abilities of what I like to call dream manifestation. It's called something else, but I'd hate to spoil it for you guys!

 We also get some pov of  Adam, after his life changing and sacrificial decision in Cabeswater. It's interesting since he is changing, but at the same time Adam has some inner demons and struggles with the past to deal with.

I had some serious feels with this book as well, since there was a lot of the same old, but at the same time things were changing for everyone. They're closer to finding their Raven King, while all the while trying to discover themselves and what they want, where they belong. Not to mention, what the future holds for them. 

We also get to meet a new character who I was honestly, was unable to to classify into one category until the end. The Gray Man is definitely an interesting add-on. Although some might seem him as kind of unnecessary? Possibly.

I seriously enjoy Steifvater's style of writing, how she develops her characters, and how she describes surroundings, situations, and feelings. It was a wonderful, exciting, and amazing book! And I'm dying for the third one, Blue Lily, Lily Blue!

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

 

A dazzling and striking cover!

 4 stars

Jay Kristoff, you've earned every star. 

Though you tore my heart out...quite brutally. I still give you the honor of a slow clap.


How do I describe a book that is so fantastic, there is a loss of words? I shall try my best.
We meet Yukiko, our heroine, who accompanies her father on the hunt for the legendary Ashitora, Thunder Tiger, or as we Americans call them, Griffins. It is said to be a myth or at least extinct thanks to the Blood Lotus, a red flower that is toxic and addictive. It slowly kills their land, animals, and people. Imagine everyone's surprise when they discover that they do still exist. 

Yukiko later names it Buruu, and events lead to the two of them being stranded in the wilderness together, relying on each other to survive. It was here, ladies and gentlemen, that I found the book to be at it's reading peak. For it is here, that Yukiko truly discovers herself,and the truth behind her mother's sudden departure, which really shape her as a person. It was also an important period for them since Yukiko and Buruu truly bond and become brother and sister. Which i adored by the way, it was really cute!

All in all, the book is chock-full of awesome action and suspense! Who would have guessed that there was so many people within the Kingdom who hated the Shogun's guts? I mean, his own sister is even against him!
We also meet a lot of interesting characters like Yukiko's father, The Kage, and Kin, a friend she makes on her father's boat, the Thunder Child. Each character has a complicated past, which of course, only makes everything more interesting.

Not to mention, the complicated love line. Kin loves Yukiko, Yukiko loves Hiro & his green eyes, Hiro has sex with her but is eternally loyal and obsessed with the Shogun, and the Shogun is an all out tyrant when it comes to women but is apparently in love with his sister. Ew. What is with screwed up leaders being in love with their sisters? Do I even need to bring up Gladiator? 

The sex between Yukiko and Hiro was tasteful considering it's in the YA genre. I again, felt a bit of mixed feelings, towards Hiro. He seemed so perfect considering all Yukiko did for a good third of the book was dream of him, and then readers finally get up close and personal and I felt myself thinking, "Eh." I understood Hiro was needed for some romantic conflict, maturing of Yukiko, and role of scapegoat. But I wasn't all that aggrieved when Yukiko and Buruu killed him. It almost felt like Stormdancer would have been find without a romantic interest at all this time around. I got to say I'm interested to see if things go anywhere with Kin and Yukiko especially considering she broke his heart.

What broke my heart was when we lose someone very important to our story and Yukiko. My heart...

I knew somebody important died and I was really worried it was going to be Buruu. Now that would make me cry. Especially with my favorite quote of the book being Buruu saying to Yukiko: "Feathers grow back. Sisters do not."

I am really excited for the second book! The first book leaves it open to possibilities. Readers obviously know that war will most likely happen, but it ended on such an upbeat rebellious note. I found myself not dreading the sequel, but anticipating it! Bring on the heartbreak!!

 GORGEOUS! *fangirls*

The Waking Dark by Robin Wasserman

4 stars

Not what I expected, but still really good! 

I'll admit it took me awhile to finally just let the darkness just become a norm for me to get into the horror themed story of Waking Dark. All in all, it's pretty intense, guys.

Welcome to Oleander. 

I do not like this town. This town to me, screams, "Run, and never look back!"  Every character is as extreme as they possibly could be in most of the time, a bad way. As in it's creepy. 

It's bad enough that this town was built upon the ruins of the previous Oleander town, where a fire started and by the next day not a single person had survived.

But that's just the history. We are thrown into a story told  by multiple perspectives, but it's smooth flowing since it's not broken up by each chapter, and names are used often. We read about five different murders scenes right from the beginning. Each horrible, gory, and unexplained. Each leaving one scarred and horrified witness in it's wake. Each killer has killed themselves along with their victim(s) except one. 

One who doesn't remember even committing the deed or why she did it.

A lot of people die in this book, even important main characters which makes this book seriously intense. The town felt so creepy, domesticated, and old fashioned to me from the start. It had almost a Stepford Wives feel to it. It only got worse from there. 

Each main character has a twisted and sympathy cuing story and lifestyle, and it's harsh because it's the truth in some aspects. 

What really attracted me to this story, was not only that while I was cringing while reading, smacking my forehead, thinking, "Could shit get any worse?" (And it always did.) I still couldn't put my kindle down, it was addicting! You want to know what's up with this messed up town, and you know there's a reason behind it. It takes almost the entire book for the source to be revealed, but while we wait, we get to experience the town's descent into madness and violence.

It's a dark and thrilling ride.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

3.5 stars

(sequel to Throne of Glass)

Well to just get it over with, this book cover...

Sure it matches, the paperback of Throne of Glass, but urgh! Serious dissatisfaction, this is not now I imagined Celaena at all!

Now for my opinion on the book. At first, I was honestly shocked. 

I wasn't sure how to handle the cheesiness. In simpler terms, sometimes I felt like I was reading a book just kind of trudging through the events. Then at other times the style was more fluent and I was able to fall into character forgetting that I was in fact, reading.

For at least the good beginning portion of the book, we pretty much just dawdle in the puddles of drama that consist of Celaena, Dorian, and Chaol. 

Chaol and Celaena get closer, while Dorian just gets more and more jealous, quote:

"Damn him for caring. Damn him for every moment spent with her."

Gag.

It was there that I honestly, had to put my tablet down for a bit and just not...touch it. Not that I minded the romance, I had expected it, enjoyed it even at parts, and in my opinion, it might play some important role for the future books. But it just seemed to be the main event for the first half, and I know I ordered a YA fiction not a romance novel.

I was also starting to get frustrated with Celaena, you'd think she would realize how important is to get in the game, considering her experiences in the previous book. Instead she closes her eyes, covers her ears, and just ignores everything around her to the point where Nehemia pretty much calls her on the carpet for being a coward.

The book improves once some serious shit goes down.

Celaena realizes she can't play blind forever, and that she has a role than just being an assassin. 

We actually start to progress with the story!

Things like what is Celaena's greater purpose? What is Celaena's super secret dark past? (Which I totally called by the way, except for one part...)

What does the deceased fae Queen expect Celaena to do in order to save this Kingdom? How much power does the King actually have?

Dorian also gets some surprises of his own in the book that I don't dare spoil! 

I was able to take the book much more seriously afterwards, making it more enjoyable.

The ending is such a cliffhanger, I am hoping for some serious action in Book 3! So pull through the first half, so you can get to the action! And follow my review for Heir of Fire!

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

oooh pretty :3

3.5 stars

Now I found that there is some little novellas before and in between the series of this book, you don't HAVE to read them, but I found that at least the first four give more rounding to Celaena as a character, compared to just reading this book alone.

To start off in high praises, Celaena is the perfect girl power model. She is the best assassin known in their country, she doesn't take shit from anyone, and she is defiant, strong, clever, and sometimes wise. Depending on the situation. But in basics, girl's got street smarts.

What bothered me about her omnipotent epicness was that for a good portion of the beginning, that's all we hear about. How Celaena could easily kill that man with two moves, she could splatter that man against a wall, and how she was fast enough to do this and that...it finally eased up when more characters were introduced and more action came into play and then I breathed a sigh of relief from all the self praising.

In honesty, I have such mixed feelings for this book. 

It was good, and it could've been better. The action was fantastic, the mystery of finding out who was killing the Champions was intense considering whoever was committing the crime was mangling their bodies, and the characters were really interesting for the most part. 

Nehemia, who you'll meet not too much later in the book, was such a serious bad ass she was one of my favorites in this book. I adored and loved her. The perfect friend to Celaena's intense personality. I didn't care much for Kaltain as an evil character not because she was evil, but she was so...typical.
She was gorgeous, she wanted Dorian more than anything, and she had the generic bad attitude and snottiness as most antagonists in stories.  

In short, she bored me.

The writing was a bit cheesy at times, too. For example, the dialogue between Dorian and Celaena, or her actions in general around him. 

Another example, when she is trying to figure out how to play pool, and she just could not for the life of her, do it right. And she starts throwing a tantrum and biting the cue stick. Really? Really? I mean this is world's top assassin who can throw daggers, hit the ultimate point in a target from extreme distances, can fight with almost any weapon, but she can't play pool. Not to mention she's biting the cue stick like a rabid dog, and then this highly immature moment is attempted to be played off humorously by the entrance of Dorian looking "oh-so-dreamy," and then him saying he should get a picture painted of that moment.
Ahahaha...no...it's not funny. Sorry. 

Now that I've mentioned Dorian, we must come to the dreadful love triangle. 

So all readers immediately know that this love triangle will be Dorian, the typical handsome, blue eyed, womanizer (Did I mention he's a Prince?! Omg. *flails hands*) and Chaol the strict,  also handsome in a soldier way, Captain of the Guard, vying for her attention. Everything just seemed so wrong...Dorian seemed to be chasing after Celaena's heels like she was a dog in heat, lusting after her then discovering that he had feelings because she was different.
*eyeroll*

 
 Dorian could have any girl he wanted, Lord knows they practically threw themselves at his feet and offered to be his human red carpet to walk on, and yet he had to have the one girl he knew Big Bad Daddy wouldn't let him have. And it was only with her that he felt he could be a man, that he could be King. Pfft.

I was rooting for Chaol for the whole entire book. He seemed to be the lesser of two evils since Chaol was the wiser more cautious and mature one. His connection with her was yes, a little insta-romance, but it felt more natural since it grew into trust and a bond of  mutual understanding. 

Celaena's little heart fluttering moments seemed far more sincere and deep for Chaol than for Dorian since usually it was because Dorian was so handsome, he said something naughty, or the physical closeness of him was just too much! 

When her heart fluttered for Chaol it was because he smiled, or she saw something warm and comforting in his eyes, or she realized she could trust him and depend on him. He got up every morning to train her, and he took care of her.

Despite my frustrations, I still flew through this book in a day because the action was intense, it was interesting to see Celaena compete, and there was some interesting ghosts and magic! I'm hoping the sequel surpasses the first, but we'll see. :) 

See my review of Crown of Midnight here!

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

5 stars

To be honest, I was skeptical about this book at first. We get this huge info dump in the beginning of the book that we have to try and sort through to the point of re-reading a couple of times to try and grasp the concept. But that's what I'm here for; sarcasm and summarizing. 

(Plus there's a glossary in the back. Wish I'd known that before.)

Welcome to New Age London, run by a government, Scion, that hates clairvoyants.

Year 20-something or other. Meet main character, Paige, who is a clairvoyant of a more rare class: dream walking. She can project her spirit and did I mention she works in the crime syndicate?

 But hey, who can blame her, I mean the government is pretty much a giant asshole. Think "Watchmen" here, people.

When some unfortunate circumstances come into play, Paige learns a more dangerous trick with her power, and a guard ends up dead, the other insane. Paige gets caught, and knows it's the end for her, the government has killed for less after all. 

Imagine her surprise when she finds herself taken to a hidden city where clairvoyants are hidden right under everybody's noses. Everybody's but Scion who plays a hand in this project. The city is run by creatures who aren't human called Rephaim. 

I wasn't a 100% sure what these guys were exactly, but all we know for sure is that they come from the aether; a place where spirits go for peace and clairvoyants draw their power.

The only reason Scion is working with them is because of these nasty creatures called Emim who hunger for human flesh. Due to these monstrosities Scion needs the Rephaim, thus helping form the reluctant pact between alien and human. 

Now you're thinking, what is so bad about a place that caters to clairvoyants? They get to escape from a society that hates them, to a place where their talents are rewarded.

 Except that Rephaim treat humans and clairvoyants that are useless like slaves, dogs. They beat and starve them, use them for entertainment, for personal slavery, feed from the 'voyant's auras, train most of them to be soldiers to fight the Emim and capture more clairvoyants. Rephaim can also take clairvoyants under their wing, and become their "Keeper's." 

All around assholery 'round these parts.

Just wait until you meet the Queen of these winners, Nashira. This woman is all out poison, and the more you read about her in this book the more you despise her.

We also get to meet Arcturus. 

Yummy!

 

 Also known as the Warden. Dark, sexy, mysterious, and yes, different, from the other cruel Rephs.

(You'll come to find that the words "special" and "different" in a book describing a love interest are serious taboo for me.)

He changes this story, and helps Paige. He takes her under his wing, becomes her Keeper and trains her to help master her unique gift.  He has quite the history and Paige is out for freedom, for a revolution and she plans to escape or die trying.

 Intriguing, yes?

Now a lot of people are calling this story unique and original, that Shannon is the next J.K. Rowling, and that there is a possibility of seven books.

I wouldn't say this story is original, but it's very entertaining, a great read! One for my personal shelves. Exciting suspense once you stick through the beginning, but I don't see a necessity for seven books. (Dear God, please, no.) Just seems highly unnecessary.

The next book's release does not have a date yet! Also, if you'd like give me a shout out on your opinion of the book, feel free. :)