Showing posts with label Faeries. Show all posts

October 31, 2018

Review: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass #7)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: October 23, 2018
Pages: 992
Format: Hardcover/Own

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

*Spoilers if you haven't caught up with the series, and some spoilers to this book, I tried really hard not to spoil too much. At the least I kept the spoiled things vague. YOU'VE BEEN WARNED*

Review: Wow. Just wow. This book was so emotional for me. I cried at least four separate times throughout this book. There was just so many heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes. This book just broke me. So, surprisingly, the person that brought tears to my eyes the most was Manon. I never thought her scenes were gonna be the ones to bring me to tears so often, but they were. Manon has grown so much on me throughout the series and just all the heartwarming and heartbreaking scenes regarding her just got to me so much. I just love the tremendous amount of growth you see from her from when we first meet her in Heir of Fire to who she is now in Kingdom of Ash. Out of all the characters, I think she makes one of the biggest changes. Honestly, my heart breaks for her at the end of this book. She gains so much, but loses so much as well. My poor poor Manon. I have to say, things that made Manon my favorite in this book... Her standing up to the Matrons for the Crochans, what Manon and the thirteen did for for the Crochans, her willing to risk her life to turn some of the Ironteeth, her being so determined to keep her promise to Aelin, her genuinely opening up to Dorian and showing her feelings. Guys. Manon over her just blew me out of the water with her actions in this book. And the thirteen.. Guys.. I'm gonna cry again. I just can't. The thirteen.

Aelin. The other person we see go through a tremendous amount in this book. She suffers so much at the hands of Maeve. Nasty, evil, Valg Maeve. What she had Cairn doing to Aelin was absolutely disgusting and horrifying. And then worming into her mind, showing her things that would never come true or things that were outright lies to try and break her. Poor Aelin suffers tremendously because of Maeve. So much so, that when she does finally get away, she seems to be suffering some PTSD. Nightmares, feelings like she's back in that coffin, feeling like the torture is happening. This poor girl. And then the pressure of having to forge the lock knowing her fate if she does it. She just crumples. In the end, she does pick herself back up and continues to fight for everyone, for Terrasen. But I just feel so bad for her. She just keeps giving and giving while everyone takes and takes. And of course I'm glad she finds a way to survive forging the lock, but it just came at such a tremendous cost to her. At least in the end, despite the loss to her and all those around her, she at least gets to take her throne. And of course, Rowan. Sweet Rowan. He never stops looking for Aelin. And the poor guy literally doesn't want to live if Aelin isn't alive. After the whole thing with Lyria, he just can't do all that again. I felt so bad for Rowan and his heartache not knowing where Aelin was or if she was going to have to die after finding her. Ahh. My poor heart.

And of course, we have to talk about Aedion and Lysandra since they are the other two big people. God, I feel for them too. They are pretty much battle the brunt of Erawan's forces. They are having to take on wave after wave after wave of them. Thousands upon thousands of valg and even with all the allies Aelin got them before Maeve took her, they suffer a lot of losses. They even end up retreating a number of times. And in the midst of this they have to deal with Lysandra shifting into Aelin but not being able to use her power. So there's questions about that. And then we have power hungry Darrow for most of the book. Talking about how he and lords do this and that. And how he treats Aedion and his rank despite all he's done for Terrasen. Honestly, despite his change of heart by the end because of Evangeline, he still left a sour taste in my mouth. At least he did freaking decide to do the right thing in regards to Aelin and her throne. But back to them, there's also the fact that the tension between Aedion and Lysandra is so thick you could cut it with a knife. They are so angry with each other and neither of them let anything go until the last like quarter of the book. That in itself was just a huge issue since they were the ones leading the forces for Terrasen. It's hard to work together like that when you're that angry. However, they do finally let stuff go thank god. And guys, my heart. Poor Aedion. He suffered losing someone he never realized he didn't actually want to lose and it just breaks his poor heart. So much pain in this book. :( :( :(

And Chaol and Yrene. Omg. They were such a bright spot in such a dark time. Their happy news made all the bad stuff a little better. I absolutely loved Yrene and how hard she worked to save people and even the role she took on in confronting Erawan. My girl Yrene over here is a freaking badass and I love her. And I just love how she took no shit from Chaol's dad and stood up to him. I LOVED THIS. And Chaol definitely wasn't awful in this book. I actually genuinely liked him in this. I think it's because he got past so many of his issues in Tower of Dawn so he's a pretty decent person now. And Dorian was great too. He's definitely grew some since the beginning of the series. I love how determined he was to find the third key and how brave he decided to be to freaking go into Morath to get it. That honest to god takes a lot of strength. And I absolutely just loved the emotional reaction to seeing Chaol for the first time since his injury and seeing him walk. Those two are like brothers and it was just such a beautiful reunion between them.

Maeve, god I hate her. She was just so evil and manipulative and full of lies. UGH. Lets put it this way, I have no sympathy whatsoever for what happened to her. And I thought it was absolutely perfect Aelin and company used some deceptions to defeat her. She absolutely got what she deserved in the way she deserved.

This whole book guys. It was beautiful. The ending, though with sorrow hanging over everyone, was beautiful. I thought this book just tied up the series so well. Sure we are left with wondering how Dorian is going to rebuild Adarlan and what Manon is going to do with the wastes now, but it's not necessarily huge loose ends. And what Aelin offers Manon about the thirteen. That was such a heartfelt moment and such a beautiful thing to offer.

October 19, 2018

Review: Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass #6)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Pages: 664
Format: Hardcover/Own

In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

*Small spoilers about the ending in the last paragraph*

Review: So I was incredibly hesitant heading into this book because I know a lot of people were not fans of it being heavily Chaol. And so many people made it known they didn't enjoy it as much because of it. It made me go really slowly in the beginning of it. However, I actually came to really enjoy the book overall. It's definitely not my favorite of the series, but it was good and a vital part of the story none the less. And it was definitely needed as this would all feel out of place had it been a part of Empire of Storms. Plus it would have made EoS a monster. So definitely good for it to be its own book.

Ok, let me talk about my favorite part of this. Yrene!!! I knew we'd see Yrene since so many others from Aelin's Assassin's Blade stories popped up in EoS. So I knew Yrene would play a big part in this since they were heading for the Torre Cesme. And I loved it! Yrene definitely had her own battles to overcome in this book. When she was first assigned to healing Chaol, she wanted absolutely no part of it due to the fact he served the former king of Adarlan who killed her mom. And she didn't really see Chaol as a good person because of that. And it took her some time to start getting to know him and realizing that he wasn't actually a super awful person who just blindly followed the king. I thought Yrene's growth was beautiful. She came to realize that not everyone under the former king was bad and to not judge everyone from Adarlan the same way. And I loved getting to see her growth as a person from her short story to who she's become since being in Antica. She grew from a girl that could barely fight to one teaching others how to defend themselves, and to being the heir apparent to the Torre Cesme because of her skill with healing. It was beautiful. I love that her being able to go to Antica paid off for her in such a big way that she was able to develop such strong healing skills. I'm also glad that as the story went on, she found that she had more strength than she thought when it came to battling the echo of darkness inside Chaols wound. And I also thought it was really great when Yrene finds out she's not the first of her family line to end up at the Torre. That was a beautiful little moment for her. I just loved Yrene and she was honestly my favorite part of this book.

Lets get to Chaol himself. Ok, so I was not super thrilled in the first half with him. He was such a grumpy, stubborn, jerk to Yrene whenever she tried to get him to open up or help him with anything. He was just so stubborn about everything. And he took so much of it out on her when she was literally trying to help him heal, both physically and mentally/emotionally. He grated on my nerves so much for a while. And then his "loyalty" to his "relationship" with Nesryn. Ok, first of all, they didn't actually state they were ever trying it again. It was literally just assumed instead of stated. Second, the note Nesryn left was literally like her way of saying I know things with us will never happen again. So his guilt and loyalty about the "relationship" was annoying because I literally don't know how clear it could have been that there was none. Hell, I knew right from the beginning there was never going to be another relationship with them. They were just each others comfort when everything went to hell. I wasn't a super big fan of Chaol until he started actually being nice to Yrene. It was like once he finally stopped with the attitude with her and gave her a chance, he became such a different person. He started being nicer, working with her easier, accepting her help, caring about what happened to her, even listening to her stories. Chaol was so much better once he was nice to Yrene. And I love the bond that grew between Chaol and Yrene once that happened. They both went through some pretty awful stuff when they were younger. And talking to each other about it helped them heal and grow and built the bond with them. It was beautiful. I was actually happy for Chaol seeing him finally confront his demons and his past with her at his side. He's held onto so much hatred and anger for so long that it was good seeing him let it go finally. I think Chaol grew tremendously in the second half of this book. And I'm not as angry with him now as I was by the end of Queen of Shadows. I did kinda feel bad for him by the end. Going through all his healing and being close to what he could to before only to have it snatched away from him.

And Nesryn. She pretty much went on the trip to Antica just to help Chaol get healed, but her story turned into so much more. And it was beautiful. She deserved to have her own story and not just be Chaols shadow. And her story in growing close to Sartaq not only was great for her moving on from the not really a relationship with Chaol, but also in helping find more allies to fight against Erawan with. And Nesryn is actually the one who comes across one of the biggest pieces of information regarding their enemies. So her story starting from being Chaols shadow turned out incredibly huge and fruitful for her. And I was glad to see her grow into a big character. I'm also super thrilled with her ending with the Ruk. Sartaq pretty much commands the Ruk armies in Antica and tells her Nesryn all about the Ruks and their riders. And I thought it was so nice that Nesryn went to take the lonely Ruk whose rider had died while it was so young for herself. It was beautiful. I knew when the little story about how it was just lonely and waiting there was told that Nesryn was going to go back for it after spending so much time riding Sartaq's Ruk.

Ok guys, lets start with the Khagans family. I really liked Sartaq. I also didn't think Hasar and Kashin were too bad either. Clearly Kashin was a bit angry with Yrene leaning towards Chaol over him, but other than that, he didn't seem bad. And despite Hasar and her thinking about the future ideas, wasn't bad either. Duva I didn't really get much of a read on and surprisingly, she is the one who played a bigger role than expected regarding the suspected Valg in Antica. Angry Arghun is the one I had an issue with the whole book. Constantly acting like Chaol and Nesryn were lying about everything and that they didn't need help from another kingdom. Acting as if Erawan had no interest or part in anything happening in Antica. And the worst part, at the end, acting as if his sister acted no differently and nothing was wrong with her when literally everyone else around them said otherwise. Seriously thinking every single bit of this was lies and scheming. I'd swear the idiot was somehow scheming with Erawan himself with the way he fought everyone. There is no way someone can be that dense. He just gave me bad feelings throughout the entire book with how he constantly fought everything. The Khagan himself wasn't bad, I just think he was incredibly hesitant to commit forces to a war he wasn't even sure they could win and leave his own kingdom unprotected.

Ok, lets get to the other stuff. What we find out about Maeve and her relationship to the Valg and her lies and schemes to get the power she holds now. Good freaking lord. I've constantly been saying Maeve is evil and what we learn in this book 100% confirmed it for me. There is no way she could be a normal Fae and be like she is. Nope. And the fact that Yrene was pretty much destined to play a big role in everything. How her power is bigger and more important than she ever would have imagined. I kinda feel bad for her. She wanted to go home and help with the war, but I don't think she ever wanted her role to be as big as it is now with fighting the Valg. And AHHHH. Chaol and Yrene! *SPOILERS* They get married. I actually think they are a good match. They bring out the best of each other. And I didn't expect to see Chaol come out of this book a married man. So this one actually surprised me. I think it'll be interesting once Yrene finds out Aelin is the girl who helped her years ago and I think it'll be a good surprise on both sides to the other finding out Aelin and Rowan are married (yes I'm holding on to hope neither die in KoA) and that Chaol and Yrene are married.

October 12, 2018

Review: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 6, 2016
Pages: 693
Format: Hardcover/Own

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.

With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

In this breathtaking fifth installment of the New York Timesbestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.

*Spoilers about both this book and events of previous books. Sorry guys, its getting really hard to avoid spoilers with this series now*

Review: Oh my heart. The ending to this really broke me, and I'm sure Kingdom of Ash is going to break me more. So I've come to realize I've been 5 starring every book since book 2 or 3 but every single one for different reasons. This one was genuinely 5 starred not only because of the surprises we get thrown at us, but also because of how incredibly emotional this one made me. There were just so many parts that really pulled at the heartstrings. And we even see a number of our characters break and have to sacrifice so much. It was just an emotional roller coaster for me.

Aelin and Rowan. I genuinely love these two together. They really do compliment each other well. And they are just put through the ringer in this book. We see Aelin go to Terrasen only to be told none of the lords will currently except her as Queen because she's been gone for 10 years. Like um. They do realize she's only 19 currently. Would you have rather had her been found a be queen with a regent until she became of age or actually take up her throne when she's legally of age and maturity to do so. I mean. Are they stupid or what?? So instead they have to go off finding allies and an army to fight Erawan and the armies in Morath. Well, little Darrow and his power stealing cronies are going to be in for a shock when they see how many allies she's pulled to her. Clearly more than they ever tried to get. I loved that Aelin was literally constantly working to get allies. So many actions that seemed small were clearly sent messages to potential allies. And those who couldn't be called for with actions were sent actual messages. And even in the middle of journeys or negotiations she was already planning ahead. She really took uniting armies, finding the lock, and wanting to save Terassen seriously. She has so much maturity in this book, even if she did keep some of her actions secret to her court. I felt like that was more in case things didn't pan out so she didn't have to have everyone suffer the loss. And Rowan. He's working on allies as well. He finds some of Maeve's cadre and convinces them to temporarily be on their side until Maeve forces them back through the blood oath. And we finally get our scenes with Aelin and Rowan. They finally have their time in private. Ok, lets be serious. So many people said these scenes were on par with ACOMAF and uh, no. Read both thank you and Aelin and Rowans scenes were much more tame than Feyre and Rhysands scenes thank you very much. Not even close in comparison.

Aedion and Lysandra. I really genuinely like these two together. I think they are as good of a match as Aelin and Rowan. They care and protect each other. They are there for one another when the other falls. Its beautiful. And the scene on the beach and what Aedion says. OMG the feels. And you know he's serious too. After almost losing her, he incredibly serious about not losing her again. I also loved how loyal they are to Aelin. Aedion loses his temper sometimes and goes off on Aelin but he never wavers in loyalty. And clearly Lysandra has truly come to see Aelin as a friend and ally because she is 100% loyal as well. I did not Lysandra in the short stories but I truly love her character now. I also think her shape shifting abilities seriously helped out immensely in all the battles that took place in this book. I also loved that Lysandra was there for Aedion while he torn himself apart trying to figure out what to do about his dad.

Dorian and Manon. I was not sure about anything revolving around these two but I've come to like them together. I mean, I didn't trust Manon for a good long while. She's not bad, just didn't trust her. But I really like her character as well. She suffers a lot at the hands of her grandmother in this book, so much that she almost dies. And that really changes her. She also finds out the truth about her heritage which is actually a shock to me. And she learns that her and Aelin's fates are a bit intertwined and also, that Aelin is actually not 100% bad like she thought before. And Dorian is actually acting like the freaking king he is. Making decisions, taking on bigger roles. Using his powers to help the greater good. Trusting Manon initially which lead to others starting to trust her. Dorian saw some serious growth in this book. And we even find out a bit more about his bloodline as well. Wow!

Elide and Lorcan. I really liked Elide. I liked that she found a way to use having Lorcan around to her advantage. I also like that she refused to give up getting to Aelin. And I also loved that she inspired some decent feelings in Lorcan. I'm definitely not a huge fan of Lorcan with his attitude and all he thinks throughout the book, but I'm glad he at least has some semblance of feelings in this book.

I really enjoyed the fact that we get to see multiple people from the short stories in The Assassin's Blade make an appearance. Rolfe the Pirate Lord and Ansel of Briarcliff. Of course we couldn't forget those guys right? And I know Yrene will show up in Tower of Dawn since Chaol and Nesryn are heading to where she left for. It's so cool seeing these early stories really come back and play a role in everything going on now. Definitely gave me a nostalgic feeling for The Assassin's Blade.

The ending. Oh my god guys the ending. I hate Maeve. She is a nasty piece of work and I really hope she freaking dies in Kindom of Ash. Like seriously. I despise her. And Aelin, poor Aelin. Omg. Not cool. And Rowan. Guys. The last paragraph gave me the feels. Rowan Whitethorn Galathynius. AHHHHH. They got married and he has her name. I mean, I get it, she's the queen and its her name that makes it so, but ahhhhhh. How cool seeing him have her name. Like its not often shown with the guy taking on the woman's name, even in stories like this. I'm dying. So beautiful. Can't get enough of this. And the reason Aelin got married to him. Had me in tears. Just so Terrasen could have a rightful King with the fact she knew bad shit was going to happen to her. My heart can't take the feels of all this.

October 01, 2018

Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah. J Maas

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 1, 2015
Pages: 648
Format: Paperback/Own

The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Review: I enjoyed this book just as much as I enjoyed Heir of Fire. I love that compared to the first two books, these have had more action and plot development. It's made for a much better reading experience. I absolutely loved the character growth (most characters anyways), the new plot twists, everything. Such an enjoyable book!

I absolutely loved that Aelin has embraced being the lost Queen of Terrasen. She is determined to help those she cares about and even finds new allies. She is also acting a lot smarter in this book compared to the beginning of this series. we see her kinda fall into some easy traps in previous books and she's learned to be A LOT more careful in this one. First things first, I'm so glad she found a way to rescue Aedion. He grew on me in Heir of Fire and I was so worried about him. I'm so glad Aelin has her cousin back by her side. I'm also glad she's standing up for herself. She wasn't tolerating Chaol's bullshit about her having changed and her not helping them. Granted she also gave him some shit, but he had some nerve with some of the stuff he got angry at. She wasn't falling for all of Arobynn's bullshit either. She grew so much. I also love how she embraced trying to find allies and helping the rebels escape when she could. I also loved Aelin's new friendship with Lysandra. I really didn't like her in The Assassin's Blade stories, but I genuinely liked that she and Aelin were able to put things in the past and work together to deal with Arobynn. And I also loved that Aelin finally had another female friend. Because that's important with the fact everyone else around her is male.

Ok, lets cut the bull. Freaking Chaol man. This a hole right here. He's got some freaking nerve. He literally made it where Aelin got sent to Wendlyn in the first place, and now tries to use all that against her. He has the nerve to be upset and angry with Aelin for changing and embracing her Fae heritage. He doesn't like that she's put her kingdom ahead of Dorian, even though he still is a concern for Aelin. And on top of that he seriously had the nerve to bitch her out about not being there to help the rebellion or to help plan saving Dorian sooner. Like is he seriously for real??? He literally sent Aelin into the lands of her ancestors and then has the nerve to be angry once she comes back?? Hypocritical bastard. I liked him well enough in the other books, but he really grated on my nerves in this one. The only thing that made him tolerable in this book was Nesryn honestly. If it wasn't for her being around with him I probably would have glossed every section with him in it. Is it bad I kinda don't feel sorry for his current predicament at the end of the book?? He deserves to have to go far away just to get fixed up. Take your attitude with you and don't come back until it's changed! I don't think he's overall a bad person, but he definitely needs to work on himself.

Aedion. This poor guy. He did but yet didn't want Aelin to save him. Obviously he didn't want to have to die, but he would have rather done that then have Aelin risk her life for him. She did anyways and saves him but still. And then the whole ordeal with him and the blood oath that was supposed to mean so much to him. I did feel a bit bad for him over this, but would I have Rowan take it back for Aedion to do it? No. Aedion is such a good guy though, he gets passed it and goes back to being a good and protecting cousin. And Rowan, sweet Rowan! Ahhh. He came to Adarlan. Rowan is just amazing. I love that he came to Adarlan because he was trying to protect Aelin from someone he found out was looking for her and the wyrdkey. I absolutely ship Rowaelin!!

Dorian, omg. Poor Dorian. It was so heartbreaking reading all his chapters with the Vlag Prince stuck in his body. I felt so bad for him. And he struggled so hard to try and get through but could only manage a few words when he managed it. And the fact that Aelin couldn't know for sure if Dorian was still in there until they were about to set their plan in motion. Like Chaol was so angry that Aelin had no issues with killing Dorian, but Chaol also didn't see the Vlag Princes that Aelin took on before coming back. If there was any reason to believe Dorian was totally gone, the Vlag with his body would have needed to be killed. Chaol didn't seem to understand that. Luckily, Dorian was able to get through and let everyone know he was still in there.

I really grew to enjoy Manon's character in this book. She might be wing leader of the ironteeth witches, but she also seems to have a decent moral compass on her compared to her grandmother. I really liked that Manon took Elide under her wing. Her uncle was treating her like crap and at least Manon was able to try and protect her. And when she couldn't, she found a way to fix it and help Elide get away. I also loved that she was against the witches breeding with the vlag and only assigned a coven for it to get everyone off her back. The fact even she thought the breeding wasn't right speaks volumes.

Wow. The ending. Just wow. The revelation about the king and Duke Perrington. Definitely wasn't expecting that and honest, I was kinda disappointed the king was only possessed and it was the duke in control. I really felt it should have been flipped. But we needed the king to die for Dorian to take over so it kinda had to be written this way. But the bringing the tower down. The magic. The revelation about who is possessing Duke Perrington's body. Just wow. That was a fantastic ending. And Aelin finally getting to head to Terrasen. Her homeland. Yay!

September 28, 2018

Review: The Cruel Prince by Holly Black

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air #1)
Author: Holly Black
Publisher: Little, Brown BYR
Publication Date: January 2, 2018
Pages: 370
Format: Hardcover/Own

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.

As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Review: I avoided this book right when it came out because of the hype, but I'm so glad I finally picked it up. Definitely worth the read! So this book was nothing like I expected going into it. I've read a lot of fae books that have the idea of the fae being awful but actually really aren't. This one actually lived up to the idea of fae being the wicked creatures they are and I loved it.

So Jude is human. Not secretly fae or anything like that that we normally see. Just human. She comes to Elfhame after her parents are murdered by the man that now acts as her father. More about that later. But her older sister Vivi, is the actual fae child and Jude is pretty much with the fae because of her. Jude has it pretty rough, not gonna lie. Most of the Fae treat her like garbage because of her being human and them thinking lesser of humans. I really like Jude. Despite the fact she and her sister were treated like garbage by the fae, she refused to stand down. She stood her ground against Cardan and his awful friends, she refused to give in when everyone called her weak because of being human. I love Jude. She is so strong. I also found her incredibly interesting because of the fact you see her upbringing in the wicked fae world affecting her choices and playing huge roles in her actions. She was brought up knowing how dark the fae can be and she embraces that darkness. She uses her fighting skills from Madoc, her being human to blend in among servants to get places she otherwise couldn't go, her being human to be able to lie and spy her way through people since the fae themselves can't actually lie. I loved seeing Jude embrace her upbringing with the fae and mixing it with her human traits. Jude was definitely not a sunshine and lollipops kind of light person. She might be human, but she can be just as dark and wicked as the fae.

Madoc. So he is the one who killed Jude's parents and now acts as their father. He was married to Jude's mom. Jude's mom ended up faking hers and Vivi's deaths to escape Elfhame, but eventually Madoc finds out it was a ruse and finds them in the mortal world and kills her and her new husband (Jude and Taryn's dad). While not shocked by the brutality of this, I was surprised at the fact Madoc takes all three girls and raises them when his only obligation was to Vivi. He claims that since Jude and Taryn are his wifes children that it falls to him to raise them regardless. Despite how wicked Madoc could be, I thought this was actually a pretty noble thing for him as a fae, to do. And the fact that he genuinely tries to do his best by them was even more shocking. He could have easily only given Vivi the luxury of being fae born but he raised all three girls with the luxury of the fae. Wanting for nothing and having almost every opportunity the fae were given. And on top of that, he even saves things for Jude and Taryn from their actual father to give to them. He might be a bloodthirsty general, but he did try to do his best with the girls. However, his decisions regarding the High King and Princes, that however is up for debate. He definitely showed his wicked, bloodthirsty side there.

Taryn and Locke. So I'm not a huge fan of Taryn. She is Jude's younger sister and she unlike Jude, seemed perfectly content to just roll over and let the fae walk all over them. She never seemed to want to stand up for herself, and pretty much counted on finding some jawdroppingly handsome fae boy to marry to give herself a better status in Elfhame. She on top of that had the nerve to get upset with Jude for standing up for herself and making her seem like the bad guy. I'm sorry, Taryn was just so unlikable for me with her high and mighty attitude towards Jude. Locke. So despite him seeming like a good guy, he definitely annoyed me too. Being all sweet to Jude, making her feel like she found one decent guy in Elfhame just to have him go off and propose marriage to her sister. And then he still tells Jude he wants her. Like is this guy for real?? Just eww. You made your choice, live with it. I love though that Madoc doesn't think Locke is good for either sister. Haha!

The royals. Holy shit guys. So much behind the scenes. Poisonings, killings, coups, spies, schemes within schemes. Just wow. So we first think Cardan is pretty bad with the way he treats Jude, constantly irking her on for being mortal and trying to trap and provoke her into doing stuff that could get her killed or thrown out of the faery lands forever. But then we meet his older brother Balekin. Not only does he seem more evil than Cardan, but then we witness the abuse he does to his own brother for not being as good as he wants him to be. Not to mention Balekin is scheming behind the scenes to get the crown because he knows he isn't the favored child. I definitely think Balekin is a worse person that Cardan. And then Dain. He seemed like a good guy on the outside compared to his brothers, but then we learn what he did in secret to Locke's mother and her unborn child. Just whoa. That was pretty dark in itself. And what happened during the ceremony with the coup. Guys, just... Wow. Was not expecting all the bloodshed we get. Just wow.

I thought the ending was really great. We learn all this stuff about Oak and who he is really. We see Jude become a serious master schemer using Cardan to protect Oak, but then turn around and use him in a completely different way than he agreed to. And he can't to anything about it because of the oath he took to Jude. Vivi agreeing to take Oak to the mortal world and raise him. Jude. Guys, she outwitted Madoc and Cardan with her schemes. Jude is brilliant and I love her and I can't wait to see what she does in The Wicked King!! :D

August 24, 2018

Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: September 2, 2014
Pages: 565
Format: Paperback/Own

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Timesbestselling Crown of Midnight.

Review: So I really loved this book. I loved how finally in this book, I feel like the pacing and flow has smoothed out and I feel like I did reading the ACOTAR books now. I'm not feeling like its a chunky slower read now. So I'm so thrilled with that. I'm hoping the flow will stay like this the rest of the series for me now. I also loved all the new plot developments and twists and new characters introduced. This is definitely the book that really transitions the series. Its no longer just Celaena being an assassin and killing people and stuff. We see her transform from assassin to the long lost queen determined to save her people and stop the king of Adarlan. I just thoroughly loved this book.

So lets start with the plot. Chaol and Dorian have pretty much put together their interpretation as to what happened the day magic disappeared. Including the points originated from (which happen to coincidentally be 3 random ass towers). Celaena/Aelin has been trying to figure out where all 3 pieces of the wyrdgate are (we're all pretty sure the king has at least 2), and it dawns on her in the last quarter of the book where it is. In the necklace she lost as a kid escaping from being killed in Terrasen. And she even remembers that she had it until a certain former master found her (aka, she's pretty sure he stole it from her). The king is also using the witch clans to build an army and also using his magic and the wyrdmarks to build another army with nasty vlags. *shudders* We even find out how the damn king did stuff to Aelin as a kid. She didn't realize it until she looked back on it, but he was responsible for something that happened to her before her parents were killed. I seriously want this damn king dead. And we meet the nasty queen Maeve, Aelin's aunt. I definitely do not like her one bit. Nasty vibes from her.

Celaena/Aelin. I really enjoyed her development. She started out not wanting to even acknowledge her birthright and her other name. She did not want to be called Aelin, she has no plans to reclaim her throne. Nothing. She just wanted info to defeat the king. But as she trains with Rowan, learns more about things going on, reflecting on Nehemia's words, and after the big battle with the vlag princes and the general that snuck his way near Mistward, she finally comes to terms with things. She starts to see her Fae heritage isn't all bad. She learns to shift and control her powers. And after what the king does to all the slaves in Endovier and Callacula, she comes to terms with the fact she needs to take up her throne and destiny as Aelin in order to fight for and free all her people, Nehemia's people, Adarlans people. She needs to do it to save everyone. I just loved her growth. I also LOVED the fact she stood up to Maeve.

I definitely like Rowan. I wasn't super keen on his attitude for the first third of the book, but he grew on me. Especially after we find out his past. I'd be incredibly closed off and bitter if that was in my past as well. But he also does open up to Aelin once he finds out she has her own secrets. Especially regarding Endovier. It's like realizing they both had some dark things in their pasts helped them grow as friends and bring them closer. I also really liked that Rowan refused to let Aelin give up on her training. We all know she is a VERY stubborn girl but I'm glad he didn't let her just walk away. I'm also incredibly happy he no longer is attached to Maeve. I really don't like her if you haven't figured that out yet (hint hint, the mentions above).

Dorian and Chaol. Ugh. God. I feel for Dorian. He finally, after finding out so much info about his dad and the plans he has and what he's done, decides to stand against him. He finally chooses anyone but his father. I was so proud of him for that. And then it seems like he's finally moving on from Celaena and then his new love interest is killed at the end. And then what his father does to him with that damn wyrdmark collar. Ahhhhhh. No. This poor guy can't catch a break. I was never interested in him being Celaena's love interest, but he's not a bad person. And Chaol. I'm torn on him. I really hate that he continues to be so disgusted with certain parts of Celaena/Aelin. She is who she is. She can't hide or deny that, especially now. Why keep holding so much of her true identity against her. And the fact it took him all the freaking book to finally make a freaking decision regarding being a good Captain of the Guard to the king, going back to Anielle, or standing up for what he knew was right. Oy. Like seriously. He finally stands against the king and even throws his support for Dorian as king at the very end. And finally decides he's not going back to Anielle like right at the end. Like seriously? He was meeting with Aedion and the rebellion the entire book pretty much. He was still feeling better about the fact he sent Celaena/Aelin to Wendlyn. He clearly knew what side he was on. He was just so stubborn about actually acknowledging it. I don't think Chaol is a bad person, but he's not exactly good or the most mature either. We'll see about his actions going forward.

Aedion. I was not a fan in the beginning. I was not in the mood for one of Aelins own family to be working against her with the king. Luckily we find out he's actually working for the rebellion and has been playing the king for a while. Aedion grew on me really quickly. He might be a bit arrogant and smug for a while, but he's not a bad person. And I was so thrilled seeing his reaction to actually knowing his cousin is alive, not just a rumor. Once he found that out, he was pretty much all hands on deck to start finding the remnants of her parents court and to gain more support to help her. I really can't wait for Aelin and Aedion to be reunited. They both have done some not so great things in the past, but they are family and they deserve to be reunited. I definitely felt bad for what happened to him at the end too. Not even close to fair. It sucks he and Chaol couldn't have escaped together. :(

Manon. Despite the fact the witches are working against Aelin and company in this book, I liked Manon. Not as much as other characters, but I don't see her as evil. Mostly because of her actions. She might be having to do bad things right now, but as a individual, she speaks volumes. Choosing the small, weak, bait as her mount because she could see he was a warrior inside. Saving the heir to one of the other covens even though it earned her a huge scolding from her grandmother (the matron of her own clan). I think her actions speak more to Manons character than what she's been thrown into for the king.

I am so excited to read Queen of Shadows now! I have to know what's going to happen to all our characters!!!

June 11, 2018

Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 2, 2017
Pages: 699
Format: Hardcover/Own

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

*Review has spoilers, some rambling and a little bit of ranting as well*

Review: I know this wasn't everybody's favorite book of the series, but I still genuinely loved it just as much as the others! I'll admit it, this is one of my guilty pleasure series. Its become one of my favorites and nothing is changing my mind on my love for it! While I didn't exactly like everything that happened in this book, I didn't let it put a damper on things.

Ok, so I'm jumping right into this one. Some people have claimed that Tamlin had a redemption arc in this. I don't see it guys. The only redemption arc I saw in this was him eventually siding with all the faerie courts. That's it. He choose the the good guys to back in the war. Other than that, he still showed how much of an abusive, controlling, envious ass he was. There is no redemption for that. He still showed his anger by exploding it out in a burst of power destroying stuff yet again. And this time, Feyre intentionally didn't shield herself from it so he could see the actual damage and injuries his anger did to people. Its also very clear that even though he tries going along with letting Feyre do more in his court, that he's against every bit of it. You can sense his urgent need to control her every move in his actions. He didn't change one bit. On top of that, you could sense his anger over Feyre getting away from him again with that loud snarl that Feyre and Lucien heard all the way on the border with the Autumn Court. Like freaking chillax. Then all he says to her during the meeting with all the high lords. Still acting like he owns her! Still calling her his bride even though she made it quite clear and obvious at this point that she is MARRIED to Rhysand. Acting like Rhysand still stole her from him when it was also made perfectly clear she went willingly and didn't want to go back. And then calling her a whore on top of that, saying she was just like Rhysand with Amarantha. Seriously, Tamlin can rot in hell for all I care. His helping save Feyre doesn't redeem him. I swear somehow he probably still thought he could get her back after that. That is how people like Tamlin think. No helping bring Rhys back doesn't redeem him either. Feyre practically had to beg him to help. If he truly wanted Feyre to "Be Happy" like he said, he would have offered that seed of life the moment he got there. Instead he made Feyre beg and grovel to save her mate. Sorry, Tamlin proved he's still trying every last thing to be as awful as he can be. No, I'm not being to hard on Tamlin. I've been through abusive stuff like Tamlin did first hand. I have no tolerance for it and no sympathy.

Feyre! I was living through her! I loved her every move against Tamlin. The taunting him with acting like she was doing something with Lucien, slamming the door in his face, letting him hurt her to make a point. I loved the vengeance. Every single moment of it I was like "YASSSS GIRL, MAKE HIM REGRET EVER MESSING WITH YOU." And I love how she and Lucien escaped from him right under his nose. And thank you Lucien for being smart and going with Feyre. Yeah Tamlin suspected you guys of having a thing that wasn't actually true, but Lucien is seriously so much better off with the Night Court instead of the Spring Court. I also love how Feyre became independent. Everyone says she connected at the hip to Rhys. While yes, they were very connected through a lot of this book, I saw a lot that being them trying to work together because of the upcoming war. United front. But Feyre was still off doing her own thing a lot. Making bargains Rhys has no idea about until after the fact because she knew he'd be worried about them. Also being fiercely protective over her sisters and even Lucien as like her best friend and putting a stop to anyone bugging them. I'm sorry, they actually weren't attached at the hip every moment of every day. Feyre did stuff that needed to be done to help her family and her allies.

Rhys! I can't get enough of Feyre and Rhys! I love how much he lets her make choices for herself. He never tells her she isn't allowed to do anything. He always warns her she may not like what she sees when doing something, but he never tells her "no, you can't" like Tamlin did. He always gives her choices and respects them. Sure Rhys does get upset if she does something without telling him, but he never gets angrily abusive. He just talks to her about how worried he was and says he just wants to know what she's doing. You know, like one of those I know where you are in case something were to happen to you type of deals. There's nothing wrong with that at all. I tell my fiance where I'm going just in case something happens. You never know. I also love that Rhys is the one who stands up to rally everyone. Every single high lord thinks of Rhys as the dark, disgusting lord like he played Under The Mountain. The one that only cared about himself and what he wanted. You could tell everyone was weary of the fact he was trying to rally them together and used every thing they could throw at him against him to try and discredit him. But he refused to give up on rallying the courts together against Hybern. He knew they needed every ounce of help they could get. And what he gives up at the end. My heart couldn't take it. He gave up everything to give Feyre and all the other Fae and humans a chance at living. If anyone thinks Rhys didn't care, that proved he did. He literally died for everyone.

I do feel like Rhys slapped Mor in the face with the alliance with Eris. Mor was so hurt that Rhys didn't tell her he had to form some type of alliance with her ex fiance who left her for dead. I felt so bad for Mor. She deserved to know and probably wouldn't have stopped it either knowing how important it was. But she deserved to know. Just like I felt Amren should have told Feyre what the hell she was planning to do during the battle instead of acting like she betrayed them by not destroying the cauldron. I'm sorry, I feel like Feyre was smart enough to know that they needed Amren to use her powers to destroy the army and wouldn't have stopped her. But she should have told Feyre. I am a little disappointed she was brought back. Like it had so much meaning that Amren was willing to give up everything to help them wipe out the armies, but the fact she was brought back. It seemed like it was forming a way to happy ending. I mean I do like Amren, and I don't mind her living, but it kinda undermined the significance of her sacrifice.

I was impressed with the fact Nesta and Elain showed up when it counted. Nesta really came through. She fought some of her anger and bitterness away to help with the war. I definitely ship her and Cassian. She disliked him so much through most of the book but yet never wanted to see him die. I definitely need Nessian to happen! The scene with them and the king. My heart! And Elain, she was just a freaking shell the entire book but she came through in that scene with the King and finally did something to really help. And it seems like after that she is slowly working her way out of that shell. I really hope Elain and Lucien can build something together with the mating bond there and all. Lucien is such a caring soul and I feel like he'd be good for her. And I seriously cried over the scene involving their father and the boats. Emotions people! They were flowing.

The revelation about Lucien and who his father actually is! OH MY GOD! Are we going to see more of this story develop and things happen with it in the next parts of the series? Because I need to see where this goes. Lucien deserves to know and have a relationship with his actual dad. Please develop this story more!!!

June 06, 2018

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury (ACOTAR #2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Pages: 624
Format: Hardcover/Own

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world torn apart.

*Review does contain some spoilers, some not so nice wording towards a certain character, and some sensitive topics*

Review: Omg! This book was just pure amazing! I read the entirety of it in less than a day. I even tried putting it down multiple times so I could get some apartment cleaning done and I couldn't part with the story for more than half hour increments. I just love this story line so much!

Ok, time to gush. The Night Court! Velaris! OMG. Velaris sounds so beautiful. I love the detail used to describe it, the story behind its standing. It just sounds so amazing. I love that Rhysand is so protective over his people and this city. I can truly see why he calls it home. I also loved how holidays in the Night Court were spectacular. Who wouldn't want to experience Starfall? It just sounded so beautiful with the spirits flying through the sky and the fun stardust scene with Feyre and Rhys.

I truly loved Feyre's growth in this book. She started out preparing to be married to Tamlin, but she witnesses a brutal change in him after being Under The Mountain that makes him into an awful awful person. She second guesses being with him and lets Rhysand take her away to the Night Court for their bargain. Feyre struggles so much in this book to deal with everything. She has constant nightmares after what happened in ACOTAR. She's constantly second guessing herself. She struggles to learn what powers she has and to learn to manifest them because of the PTSD she is constantly experiencing. She has to make hard decisions after what Tamlin did to her. She chooses on her own free will to stay with Rhysand in the Night Court, but she's constantly calling herself a traitor because of it. She knows deep down that its the right decision for her sanity and well being, but it still nags at her. And she doesn't just jump on Rhys either after leaving Tamlin. Despite that fact that she does find him incredibly attractive, she doesn't even think about any type of romantic relationship with him until well over half the book (which is a lot of time since its over 600 pages). However, I loved seeing her open herself up to Rhys. Talking about what happened Under The Mountain, whats happened to them previously in their lives to make them the way they are. She needed that to help her heal and gain some trust and confidence in herself. I really loved how she fought against being locked up and left in the dark. And even more, I love how she fought for the new people she grew to love and even for those she didn't have to fight for.

Tamlin. Sorry folks, your gonna get some nasty words out of me right here. This evil, conniving, abusive, traitorous snake! I see absolutely nothing good about him. I said that he made he feel a little off in ACOTAR and that was proved 100% right. Classic abusive behavior. We're introduced to a nice, sweet Tamlin in ACOTAR and he becomes a different person entirely in ACOMAF. After all Feyre went through to save him and his court and he treats her the awful way he does. He says he wants Feyre to stay inside all the time to protect her. To not let her discover her abilities to protect her. To not let her learn to defend herself to protect her. Um. No. There is a difference between trying to protect someone and controlling their entire life. Tamlin does not know the difference. His actions are inexcusable. He literally locks Feyre in the manor while he goes gallivanting off. He prevents her from even going out and exploring the Spring Court because "danger." He won't let her do anything outside the manor, and the rare occasion he does, it has to be with Lucien. He gets angry and destroys an entire room. And his anger comes out over and over again. He thinks its perfectly ok to have rage fits and then act like nothing happened. Not to mention there's clearly the fact he seemed to be having sex with Feyre when she did not seem to want to after his rage fits. He seemed to think sex would make up for his actions. No offense but when it seems like Feyre was just laying there, taking it, because she couldn't get out or away from it, that doesn't seem like she wanted it. She seemed to be doing it to not make him rage anymore. Moving on to after Feyre leaves him. He then proceeds to ignore Feyre's letter to him entirely that said she was not coming back to him and she was fine and to stop it! Instead, he continues trying to find her and even trying to get his lackeys to force her back to the Spring Court despite her repeatedly telling them NO. NO means freaking NO. And this scene repeats in the end when she tells him NO and he still refuses to accept it. And he had the nerve to act like she is his property. Saying in a nutshell, I don't give two shits what bond you think you have to anyone else "you're mine." No, she's not. Every single one of his actions was 100% him being an abuser. An abuser claiming to do everything in the name of love and protection. Classic abuser. My blood is boiling while writing about his actions. What Rhys did in ACOTAR is nothing compared to Tamlin's actions in this. He intentionally did every thing he did in this book with no after thought about what it would do to Feyre. Tamlin can burn in hell for all I care. There is no redemption for him in my book. And then the fact he is literally a traitor to everyone. Ugh. Blood boiling.

Rhys. People don't understand how people can defend Rhys because of what he does in ACOTAR. No, what he did was not great. But he did every single thing was the ulterior motive of protecting Feyre from Amarantha and trying to protect his people as well. He's absolutely nowhere as bad as Tamlin. We learn so much about what Rhysand had to endure being Amarantha's whore. He was abused by her, raped, tortured. But yet he still did whatever he had to to protect others. He did the things necessary to ensure most others safety. Rhysand is completely broken after all thats happened. He tries to hide it, but he's broken. Just as broken as Feyre. And that is why these two fit well together. They help each other heal from the horrors they experienced. They work together to better themselves. Rhys hides behind this dark evil act when he's really such a good hearted person outside of what we see Under The Mountain. He actually includes Feyre in stuff and tells her whats going on. He lets her train to protect herself, and find her abilities. He shows her Velaris and includes her in his family despite the fact she wasn't a part of his court yet. He even told her that if she wanted to go back to Tamlin, he wouldn't fight in. Their relationship was always her choice. Not his. What makes this even more serious, is the fact they are mates! And Rhys knew the entire time. Feyre is his mate, and he was still willing to let her go back to Tamlin if she chose to. He gave Feyre the choices Tamlin NEVER allowed her to have. And that alone is worth his redemption for what he had to do Under The Mountain. I also loved seeing how much Rhys cared for his inner circle, which he called his family. Not to mention on top of everything, he took it upon himself and his inner circle to try and protect Prythian from the king of Hybern when none of the other courts were willing to get over themselves and look into the threat. Rhys is really not the awful person people like to paint him as.

I loved the new characters. Morrigan, Az, Cassian, Amren. I loved learning about them and their relationships with Rhys. I definitely want to get more of them in ACOWAR. I however, wasn't super enthusiastic about Feyre's family in this book. Especially Nesta's attitude. I guess we'll see how I feel about them in ACOWAR. I was also incredibly surprised by the ending. I was seriously about the cry over Feyre's and Rhys's bond until their little plan was revealed. And the title Feyre gets! I just can't even with the feels for that! I'm definitely interested in seeing where this plan takes things in ACOWAR though I AM NOT pleased with the fact we have to deal with Tamlin a bunch again. Ugh! But overall, I loved this book! It's definitely a favorite for me!

June 04, 2018

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses (A Court of Thorns and Roses #1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Publication Date: May 5, 2015
Pages: 416
Format: Paperback/Own

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal but Tamlin--one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As Feyre dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow over the faerie lands is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin--and his world--forever.

Review: This is my first Sarah J. Maas book and I thoroughly enjoyed it! I've always loved a good faerie book and this one did not disappoint me. And I even went into this book knowing there was controversy around a certain character and his actions. I'll discuss my thoughts on it a little later. But the controversial bits didn't make the story any less great. You know what, I also actually went into this book completely oblivious to the fact it's supposed to be a bit of a beauty and the beast retelling. I'm sorry, I didn't exactly see that completely. I mean, Tamlin has a curse on him that makes him permanently have a mask, but he wasn't permanently a wolf. I don't really see the beast part here. I think any of us that have read books about fae before know that they can have interesting powers. It just so happens that Tamlin can turn into a wolf with his. It may be that I just haven't seen Beauty and the Beast in ages and didn't catch any of the other references that were apparently there, but I just don't see it.

So I did think the book started out a bit slow. I had actually picked this book up last year but ended up putting it down because it was slow starting. I had an urge to pick it up again this month so I did and pushed through the slow parts and was rewarded with a great story. I really loved the world building! The detail used to describe everything brought the whole story to life for me. I felt like I could really picture Tamlin, Feyre, the manor, the festivals, the glen. Such amazing detail went into describing everything. I feel like this may have contributed a small bit to the story being a bit slower in the beginning. But it was worth the time.

I definitely have to say Feyre was a bit hard to like initially. She was so angry and hateful over a lot of stuff. She was hateful over her family. I mean, I kinda get this one. They seemed keen on wallowing in their self pity over losing their fortune. Feyre pretty much had to do everything for them. Hunt, cook, chop wood, sell things. The others only did stuff if they absolutely had to and that would probably make me a bit resentful of them too. So I understood her anger over them. But she was so hateful towards Tamlin. He tried to be a gentleman and take care of her and protect her and her family, but she was just so angry over it. I started liking her character as she calmed from that anger. I thought she was much more pleasant once she at least started being nice to Tamlin and Lucien and started seeing they weren't there to hurt her. I was also pleased that she opened up a bit to Tamlin about the art and how she felt about killing that wolf and taking care of her family. I really think the opening up to each other helped grow their relationship and stop the hatred. I also liked that Feyre was willing to risk her life to save Tamlin and his entire Spring Court after she learned the truth behind the blight and found out what the Queen (Amarantha) was doing to everyone. She had to have some serious balls to go Under The Mountain and face her and try to save Tamlin (and the rest of the courts come to find out).

I'm still a little iffy on Tamlin. Overall so far he's seemed like a decent guy. He never treated Feyre like a slave or his property or anything. He tried to be nice to her even when she wasn't having it. We also find out he's had a lot placed on his shoulders. He never wanted to be a High Lord to begin with, so him being one has put a lot on him he didn't expect. He's incredibly worried and protective over his court. He would do anything to save and protect them. He's also been super cool about giving Feyre things to make her happy. Like the paints and access to the gallery. There was also definitely a lot of sexual tension between them that eventually gets released. I don't know, there's just things that don't completely sit right with me about Tamlin. He seemed to be interested in hiding things outright from Feyre instead of telling her the truth behind some warnings. He also seemed to put a lot of emphasis on her staying in the manor instead of telling her whats happening. Also, we read the scene with Feyre and Rhysand in the ACOMAF sneak peek and Rhys is teaching her to read. Why didn't Tamlin decide he wants to teach her instead after finding out she didn't know how to read much earlier than Rhys. I'm just confused as to why he wouldn't be pushing to help her with that when he claims to love her so much. It just seems off that its Rhys teaching her and not Tamlin.

Speaking of Rhysand, lets get to the controversial bits. So the big controversy I knew about going into this book was what Rhysand did to Feyre while Under The Mountain. So he effectively gets her way to drunk off her ass to remember what shes doing with the faerie wine. He also has her dressed in next to nothing and has her dancing pretty provocatively for him every time he takes her to the Court. I don't agree with him and the wine bit, or making her act the way he was having her act. I do feel deep down that this was wrong, but I also understand why Rhys was doing this. When you actually really read into this he seems to be trying to protect Feyre. I feel like she would have made some bad impulsive decisions or someone else might have actually done worse things to her had he not been trying to protect her with what he was doing. Do I think it was right? No. But I don't think he's an abuser either. I've been in a bad abusive relationship. No, I don't think I have to explain the details of it, but believe me when I say this isn't even close to serious abuse. I do not have to explain my past to anyone, but believe me when I say a seriously abusive relationship/situation is far darker and horrible than these scenes with Rhys and Feyre.

All of this being said, I'm really interested in the next books. I want to find out more about the courts, the aftermath of being Under The Mountain, the war Rhys mentioned in the sneak peak.

October 20, 2011

Review: The Summer King by O.R. Melling

The Summer King (The Chronicles of Faerie #2)
Author: O.R. Melling
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publication Date: May 10, 2006
Pages: 368
Source: Paperback/Library

This second book in a series "shimmering with magic, myth, and romance" (Booklist), follows sixteen-year-old Laurel as she tries to understand the cause of her twin sister's mysterious death. Honor believed in Faerie, a parallel land of mischievous immortals. Laurel doesn't. That is, until the fairies come and ask her to take up her sister's failed quest to find the Summer King, a lord who can light the midsummer fire that keeps the two worlds, human and Faerie, cleaved. Laurel must decide to help those whose cause killed her sister, and, in the process, come to believe that there is still magic-and love-in the world.

Lush descriptions of Ireland and Celtic lore make this a satisfying read for travelers to other lands, real and mythic.

Review: I did enjoy the book. As with The Hunter's Moon (the first book in the series), I really enjoyed the Irish language and culture and we got to learn even more about that in this book. So in this book Laurel travels back to Ireland where a year before her sister Honor died. I found it really sad that all throughout the book Laurel was shadows by her sisters death. She did everything she did for her sister. She came back to Ireland to get answers about Honors death. She wanted to know why her sister was on the mountain in the first place. But to get answers to that question and others she has to pretend to believe in the faeries like her sister did. Along the way she finds out her sister may still be able to live in faerie but she has to free the summer king to light the midsummer fire to be able to free Honor from the place she's in to be able to live in faerie.

Laurel really struggled throughout the book. She had to pretend to believe in faeries to help set Honor free to live in faerie but throughout the book she struggles with believing. She would meet a faerie and learn something but then meet another who said the other wasn't telling the truth. It was really hard for her to know who to trust on top of her wavering belief in faeries. She found someone to help though. Her childhood friend from Ireland named Ian. She was not sure if she could trust him at first but eventually he earned her trust and helped her. I can understand her not wanting to trust people. With all that had happened and not even being told the truth half the time I can understand why she wasn't sure of who to trust. In the end though Laurel succeeds with freeing the summer king even and getting the fire lit even though it came with some major struggles. She never gave up though. I got to give her that. She was a fighter, and it was all for her sister.

With this book I have the same complaint as with the previous. I felt there should have been more character development. We only really learn about Laurel and a little about Ian. That was about it. I would have loved to get to know more about the other characters. Overall though I'd say the book was still good and I'd recommend it if you enjoyed the first one.