The Hate U Give got something like seven or eight starred reviews, so a quick Internet search will lead y[image]
5 “Important, stunning and real” Stars
The Hate U Give got something like seven or eight starred reviews, so a quick Internet search will lead you to dozens of well-written pieces on how important and relevant this book is. They’re all telling the truth. This story needed to be told, and it needed to be written by a woman who had lived and experienced a similar story and it needed to get all the hype it did. I thought that before reading this book, and I’m sure of it after having finished it.
But I’m not writing about how relevant Starr’s story is. I’m writing about how Starr, her friends and specially her family made me feel. And they made me feel a whole lot.
First thing I’ll say, I expected The Hate U Give to be awesome. This wasn’t an example of hyped book I went into fearing it’d disappoint me. I knew I’d love it. I was ready to love it. I was ready for it to make me cry (which is rare—trust me), but I wasn’t ready for it to make me laugh. Not at all.
I was under the impression that a book with such a heavy topic to be…heavy. It was at times, but it was also light. It was also funny AF. Maybe your life experience won’t allow you to find humor in it, but mine does, because I saw myself in it. I saw my family in it.
No, I’m not black, but I am a woman of color. A WOC born and raised in a poor community in a third world country, with POC parents, family members, friends and neighbors. I’m someone who has seen neighbors turning to drugs and crime because they thought it was the “easy” way out or because they had no other choice. I’ve heard gunshots too close to home. I’ve been police cars speeding down my street. I’ve been around injustice and prejudice. I’ve been raised in a family with strong women, fierce mothers and overprotective fathers. I’ve known people like the characters in Angie Thomas’ books. I’ve been one or many of them. And maybe that’s why I could find humor in this story. Maybe that’s why I was either crying or laughing the entire time I was reading it.
Just so you have an idea, here are the only Kindle notes I made while reading:
*I AM SCREAMING* (and the variations: HLAHDGFK SCREAMING!!!! + SCREAMINGGGGGGG)
*CRYING* (and the variations: *Shit, crying again* + *Crying on the bus. So classy* + *Stop! I'm crying*)
Yes, I was that articulate the entire time.
Don’t blame me. Blame Angie Thomas for writing Starr, her Daddy, her Momma, her Grandma, her brothers Sekani and Sevan, their friend DeVante, and her Uncle Carlos. Blame all of them, because they were real and they were people. They were freaking people I could relate to because I’ve seen people like that in my life, too. They were people who made me cry with them and laugh with them and hurt with them.
This freaking book. This. Freaking. Book.
I know I can’t come out and say everyone will love this, but I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t. Honestly. I just can’t. I can understand some people having a few problems with some of the choices (I had problems with the story myself), but I can’t imagine this book not making every reader feel.
I felt too much, that’s for sure. I feared for the characters’ lives, I fell in love with all of them, I shipped characters who weren’t romantically involved at all (DeVante, I’m looking at you!), I laughed pretty much every time Starr’s Momma opened her mouth and cried whenever I was scared something bad with happen to her father, I rooted for Starr to find her voice and I screamed when she did. I. JUST. FELT!
Again, maybe you won’t spend half of the book laughing like a maniac on the bus, or crying on the bus, or talking to yourself when a scene is that good (also on the bus, because that’s where I do most of my reading), but I imagine the story of a girl who’s split between worlds while she tries to find her own voice will speak to you. I imagine you will hurt for the people who can’t feel safe around those who are supposed to protect them from harm. I believe you will question some of your ideas when you see a gray world portrayed in so many colors.
The Hate U Give is important because it opens a window (or several of them) into a reality that some of us try to ignore because it’s easier that way. But to me, The Hate U Give is even more important because it speaks to me while portraying situations I’m familiar with… while giving me characters I can relate to.
I can’t write a review to do this book justice, but I don’t need to. My opinion is just one amongst many. But this book will not be one amongst many, and that’s enough for me. Knowing that this book will be as big as it needs to be is enough for me.
So I’m just gonna finish this review with some quotes that helped make this book my favorite read of the year (a position I’m betting it’ll still hold 8 months from now). Come see yourself with me:
Starr being all of us when we’re doing shit we know we shouldn’t be doing while hoping we don’t get caught by our parents:
Problem is it would’ve taken Black Jesus to convince my parents to let me come. Now Black Jesus will have to save me if they find out I’m here.
Sekani being the sassy little brother we all want to have:
“Daddy, why you put me on the spot like that with Black Jesus?” Sekani complains.
Seven being the overprotective big brother we all want to have:
Two loud knocks againt the window startle us. Seven presses his face against the glass. “Y’all bet’ not be doing nothing!”
Our pastor during one of those Sunday sermons when he’s really feeling it:
Pastor Eldridge just about preached Khalil into heaven. I’m not saying Khalil didn’t make it to heaven-I don’t know-but Pastor Eldridge tries to make sure he gets there.
Our Grandma being our Grandma and our Daddy being her son-in-law:
“What? I better ask before ya’ll have me sleeping in the house with a murderer, waking up dead!”What in the… “You can’t wake up dead,” I say.“Lil’ girl, you know what I mean!” She moves from the doorway. “I’ll be waking up in Jesus’s face, trying to figure out what happened!”“Like you going to heaven,” Daddy mumbles.
Our Daddy and our Uncle telling us what we shouldn’t be doing with our boyfriend if we want to see the light of day again:
“Why does Chris always have to be li’l’ to you?” I ask. “He’s not little.”“You better be talking about his height,” says Daddy.“Amem,” Uncle Carlos adds, and they fist-bump again.
And finally, our Momma showing us while she’s the person we should fear AND love the most:
And on the last message, left a few minutes ago, Momma says, “Oh, so you can’t return my calls, but you can lead protests, huh? (…) I swear I’m gon snatch your life if you don’t call me!”
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There are so many more quotes that will stay with me for a long time, but this… this right here is the quote of the book for me:
“He was more than any bad decision he made.”
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This book! This. Freaking. Book!
After all of that, all I can say is Go read this book, please. Go get some feelings and make some memories.
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March, 2017: The library says I'm next in line. OMG, OMG, OMG. March, 2017: I have this on hold!!!!!!!!!!
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Yep, the next big thing in YA Contemporary. Can't wait to read this....more
This book ruined me. It spoke to me. It touched me. It made me laugh and fall in love and cry and beg for everythi[image]
5 “Raw and Naked Truth” Stars
This book ruined me. It spoke to me. It touched me. It made me laugh and fall in love and cry and beg for everything to be different but nothing to be different at all. I suspect this book will touch a lot of people, but it’ll speak in a different level with only some, and it’ll ruin even fewer. In any case, I doubt people will regret reading it. I know I didn’t.
Let’s just started by putting it out there that I’m a Colleen Hoover fan. Her writing speaks to me. I haven’t read all of her books yet, but the few I’ve read are amongst my favorites from this category and genre. “It Ends With Us” is this author’s best and most powerful book. No doubt.
I don’t want to give spoilers, because I went into this book with no info other than what the blurb reveals, and OMG that was the best decision ever. Guys, do it. Don’t read spoilers because it’ll make the whole experience a thousand times better. Trust me on this one.
So if you see a spoiler-y review:
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Instead of going into a detailed version of what happened, I’ll just talk about the characters because this is a character-driven story and the people we got to know and follow were the best part of this book.
We can start with compassionate, strong, be-my-best-friend Lilly. I don’t know what it is with Colleen and her MCs, but she always writes women that I want to be friends with. I LOVED Tate from “Ugly Love” and I love the women she wrote in this book, especially Lilly, who’s so flawed that she’s almost perfect.
Lilly who couldn’t think of five good things to say about her dad when he died, so she stood up there and said nothing. Lilly who grabbed knives to defend the people she loved. Lilly who rescued homeless people because she couldn’t sit and watch them hurt. Lilly who wrote to Ellen DeGeneres because she is a super cool and funny lady. Lilly who fell in love with a neurosurgeon and couldn’t see him in scrubs without wanting to jump him. Lilly who couldn’t forget her first love. Lilly who made the right decision simply because she chose love.
Lilly who made me laugh and cry and love her, just to hate her and love her back. Lilly who’s still making me tear up as I write this review because she portrayed her flawed, independent, smart and strong women can be. I really, really loved Lilly. I wish she were real because I really, really want to hug her right now.
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Then we have Ryle. OMG, Ryle. The man who made me fall in love with him hard. He was smart, honest, ambitious, hot, sexy and had an intensity about him that made it impossible not to be drawn to him. He practically got down to his knees and begged me to love him. Then he scooped me up and took me high, so high. Then he dropped me and ruined me. Just to pick me up again before dropping me one more time. The emotional rollercoaster this character took me…. The damn rollercoaster! I felt it all. I was Lilly and I loved him and hated him. I was Lilly, and that is the best thing I can say about Colleen Hoover’s writing, because when it comes to Ryle, she made me feel every single thing her protagonist did for this man, and it hurt like fuck.
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Enter Atlas, and I’m almost on the floor because I don’t think I can take anymore. Those letters reminded me of what Colleen did with Miles’ POV chapters in “Ugly Love” because they took me back and they made me feel way too much. Atlas was perfection. He was in need of rescue and at the same time he was rescuing Lilly, even back when he had nothing but his love to give her. My heart hurt for him and for what life had thrown his way. Then it inflated when I saw how far he came, and everything he did with his life. He was a fighter in more ways than one, and he fought his odds and won. I loved Atlas from the first moment, and much like Lilly, I never stopped loving him. He didn’t mess with my emotions the way Ryle did, but my feelings for him were still strong.
Aside from these three major characters, I also loved Allyssa. Loved, loved everything about her. Her friendship with Lilly was perfection. Her marriage was amazing. Her sense of humor was spot on. Everything about Allyssa was right because she was exactly the kind of side character needed to break the heaviness surrounding this story. Colleen knew she had a weapon in Allyssa and she didn’t overuse it, because she showed up when she was needed and she acted exactly the way we needed her to give some balance to the story.
Because if you went into this book thinking you were going to get a light, swoony and sexy read, then I’m sorry because you were probably really shocked. This book had swoony and sexy moments, but light isn’t a word that can describe it. It was raw. It was powerful. It was exactly what I needed without even realizing how much so.
I adored its style—going from narratives in the present to letters that detailed the past. Showing us little details, like Lilly’s tattoo, and then later using the past to explain and put those details into perspective. Giving us the chance to fall for characters with every step they took. Then allowing us to experience rage, then sorrow, then pity, all without taking away the love. Then delivering scene after scene toward the end that made me feel so many things together than I could barely breathe. That scene in the hospital when Lilly makes her decision? Wanting to hold Ryle while also understanding and agreeing with everything that was happening? Gut-wrenching.
Don’t even get me started on how that scene explained the title and gave it a beautiful meaning.
Or how the last line in the book made me gasp. Or how perfect that ending was.
Or how much I loved and hated these characters and wanted to give all of them a group hug.
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Yep, this book ruined me. In the very best way possible. Thank you, Colleen, for not holding back and for writing such a beautiful and painful story. Thank. You....more
5 “Addictive & Hot & Perfect & I'm so in love” STARS
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I have to say that after I read “A Court of Mist and Fury”, I thought I wouldn’t read anoth5 “Addictive & Hot & Perfect & I'm so in love” STARS
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I have to say that after I read “A Court of Mist and Fury”, I thought I wouldn’t read another 5-star book this year. And that was true for a while – until this week’s “Top Five Wednesday” happened.
The theme for the week was “Books you want to read before the end of 2016” and “Paper Princess” was one of my top picks for that list. That was when I thought, “You know what? I’m having an okay-ish reading week and I need something really good”. This book was supposed to be really good, and then I bought it and guess what? It’s more than just good.
It’s perfect. It’s everything I wanted and more.
The main reason for that: Ella-freaking-Harper, my new book crush and best friend and the strong, funny and witty person I wish I was.
I’m so in love with Ella that it’s not even funny.
Here you have a seventeen-year-old who’s been working as a stripper, a waitress and anything she can find since she was fifteen to have enough to buy food, pay for a roof over her head and pay for her mother’s cancer treatment. Before that, she had to deal with her mom’s crappy boyfriends and the fact that they had to move around every time her mom got in trouble or lost her job. This is a girl who lost her mom to cancer recently and is once again moving from town to town with one focus: graduate high school, go to college and find a good job. She’s not messing around, she’s not getting distracted by boys or gossip or anything else – she’s sacrificing her youth and her innocence because she wants a better future. Do I love her yet? Yep! Yep! Freaking yep!
Then, she learns her father (a man she never met) was a super-rich dude with a super-rich best friend who builds freaking airplanes. We’re talking multimillionaire here, and this father died leaving his best friend, Mr. Royal in charge of the daughter he never met.
So one day Ella is stripping for food, and the next she’s getting rushed into a private jet to fly to a mansion (or a palace, from the description) to live with Mr. Royal and his five hot, rich and jerk sons. Why did Ella go? Because she’s smart. Mr. Royal (whom I love despite his many flaws, by the way) offers Ella 10 thousand dollars at the end of each month if she doesn’t run away. Being one of the smartest MC’s I’ve ever read, Ella sees this as the golden opportunity it is: she’ll have cash and the chance to have the academic life she’d always dreamed of.
Of course things aren’t perfect – Ella doesn’t believe in perfect, which also makes me love her. The Royal boys hate her and want her gone. Reed Royal, the leader of the brothers, hates her even more. Everyone is the preppy school (think Gossip Girl, but a little worse) she goes to hates her because they do whatever the Royal boys want them to. But Ella doesn’t give a crap about it (can you feel my love growing?).
When they threaten her, she threatens back. When they strike, she strikes twice as hard. When they tease her, she has an epic comeback. Do you want examples?
When Reed Royal, being the jackass he is, calls her mother a prostitute:
“Screw you, Royal. She was not a prostitute, unless dancing is your version of sex and if so, your sex life must suck”. I meet Reed’s hard eyes with defiant ones. “Do you worst. You’re an amateur compared to what I’ve been through.”
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Then when the school’s queen Bee tries to shame her asking how does it feel to suck old man cock to get where she was:
I blink, pasting on an indifferent expression. “Your dad’s not bad, if that’s what you’re asking, but I find it super creepy that he wants to pull my hair and have me call him Daddy. Is everything okay at home?”
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When queen Bee doesn’t give up and fills her locker with trash:
I pause in front of Jordan, one eyebrow arched, my own smirk forming on my lips. “Is that all you’ve got, Carrington? I’m trash? Tsk-tsk. I’m disappointed in your lack of creativity.”
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And these are just three of the examples of how awesome and badass and perfect Ella Harper is. I won’t give more because you need to read it and fall in love with her yourself.
What really got me was that Ella didn’t let them see how broken she was inside and how much all of that crap hurt her – because it did hurt her. And the fact that she was hurt made her human and likable, and that she fought back made her special and badass. Perfection.
Her humanity and her vulnerability were even more pronounced when she was dealing with the Royals.
I love everything about her relationship with Mr. Royal – from the way she tried to antagonize him at first because she didn’t know she could trust him, to how they developed some sort of friendship to how she began to see him as a father figure.
She had a similar storyline with Easton – one of the Royal boys. Easton was a big jerk at first, but he was the first of the brothers to warm up to Ella and OMG, I loved Easton so much. I think I loved him more than I did Reed because I saw a vulnerability in him that I didn’t see in the leader of the group.
Easton went from Ella’s enemy to her fling (that dancing + kissing + making out scene was HOOOOOOOOOTTTTTTTTTTT) to her first ally in the house to her big brother. It was messed up, disturbing at times, complicated and adorable. When he started calling her little sis I swooned. Hard. They were so freaking adorable!
But Ella’s worst tormentor in the beginning wasn’t Easton; it was Reed – the alpha boy, the leader, the one every other brother and all their friends looked at for directions. He was the biggest jerk ever and the hottest guy Ella had ever seen, and her body reacted to him in a way her mind despised. Ella tried to ignore her attraction to him, which was kind of easy since he pretty much did anything he could to make her leave, but attraction is attraction, and in a book co-written by freaking Elle Kennedy, attraction is something that drifts off the pages, holds you by the neck and makes breathing impossible.
This book was freaking hot. Ella and Reed were freaking hot, hot, so damn hot I might have burns all over my body just from reading this.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m still not sure Reed will be able to redeem himself after the stunt he pulled in the end (YES, CLIFFHANGER ENDING, BABY!), but I can’t deny he’s sexy AF.
For now, let’s just say my favorite Royal boy is Easton and the judge is still out on whether I’ll be able to forgive Reed or not. But since I can’t see Ella in a romantic relationship with Easton anymore, and Reed is a super alpha-male from the Jericho Barrons-kind of school, then my weak heart might find give in in the end.
Plus, Ella and Reed have a variation of a Blair and Chuck relationship, and I was a fan.
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Last thing… If you think this book is all about the Royal boys, you’re wrong. Sure they’re everyone – we’re talking about five of them + Mr. Royal – but there are great girls in this book as well. Jordan, as you already know, is a bitch, but Ella found in Valerie – Jordan’s cousin – and Savannah girls she could trust. I LOVED Valerie because she was the opposite of everything I thought she’d be, and Savannah grew on me toward the end.
I can’t wait to see more about these girl’s friendship – although I’m not sure how that’s going to go after that ending.
That freaking ending that almost ripped my heart out.
Okay, so now that I wrote a four-freaking-page review, I’m done. But I’m not done with the series because I’m most definitely spending more money on these books. I need the second book RIGHT NOW! You’ll hear back from me on the awesomeness that is Ella Parker and the Royal boys sooner rather than later....more
Before you get mad at me for my review, go ahead and check the rest of my reviews. You’ll notice5 “this isn’t romance yet I’m shipping everyone” STARS
Before you get mad at me for my review, go ahead and check the rest of my reviews. You’ll notice a pattern: I usually read books to see people (humans or not) falling in love. So, yeah, I read Six of Crows and, although it isn’t a romance (not even close), I still managed to find a way to ship all the six main characters.
What does that say about me? Don’t know. *shrugs*
Fair warning. Don’t let my review fool you. This book isn’t highly focused on romance. There’s a lot of action, character development, scheming, explosion, fights, and a little bit of romance. But the heart wants what the heart wants.
Six of Crows is a story of unlikable, strong and smart characters, but while we have six POVs (or more), I’d call Kaz the protagonist. Why? Because you simply can’t write a character like Kaz and not expect him to take over the story.
He did.
Kaz is a jerk – that’s probably not even the best word to describe him. Ruthless. He’ll stop at nothing, I mean nothing, to get what he wants. And he wants power. A lot of it. All of it. And money. Why? Because revenge is the best plot device out there, people. The most interesting part of it all is that he’ll drag you into it with him. You’ll want Kaz to get what he wants despite the fact that he does a lot of ugly things.
I liked Kaz right from the start. I knew I wasn’t supposed to, and yet I was, but nothing could’ve stopped me from liking him. His voice was pretty phenomenal – and we’re talking about a third person, multiple POV story here. I immediately connected with his sense of humor. It won’t appeal to everyone, but it sure made me smile and laugh more times than I’d anticipated.
Although Kaz was the clear protagonist in my mind, he wasn’t the one to steal my heart. That was Inej. Girl…. You’re just everything I need in a character. Inej is strong. Damn, she might be one of the strongest characters I’ve read in a while. The things she had to deal with before she became The Wraith? Poor girl. But now she’s somebody. A somebody who everybody talks about. She’s one to fear. But unlike Kaz, Inej’s heart isn’t all darkened yet. She can still feel remorse and pain. And that’s why I loved her more than Kaz.
Together, Inej and Kaz made this story one of my favorite books of 2015. The rest of the fabulous characters, Leigh’s writing, the intelligent plot choices and the world building made this one of my favorite YA fantasies ever.
I need more. When can I have more? This book is jurda parem . Read it, and you’ll understand.
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After finishing it
No words. I just finished this and I don't know what to do with myself because I need more. More. This book IS jurda parem. It leaves you wanting more and more.
Full review to come, but let me tell you that this book gave me 3 new ships so OF COURSE I love it so damn much!!! ...more
Last year, there was this book called “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and I read it and I loved it so much i5 “Kept Me Up All Night” STARS
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Last year, there was this book called “A Court of Thorns and Roses” and I read it and I loved it so much it made my “favorites ever” shelf.
In that book, I got to know a girl named Freyre (I still have to double check before writing), and she was a kickass heroine who fell in love with a fae-beast, Tamlin. And since Beauty and the Beast is my favorite fairytale, I fell in love with them.
I shipped them hard.
Probably too hard.
But then things happened toward the end of that book, things that made Freyre different. Things that went by the name of Rhysand. Things that were hot, dangerous, dark and mysterious.
And then “A Court of Mist and Fury” happened.
The book I’d been dying to read since it came out, but couldn’t because I knew I’d never be able to just read a little bit here and there through the week. The book I knew I needed a free weekend for. The book that made me stay up until 6 a.m. (something that hadn’t happened in FOREVER) because it was impossible not to read it all at once.
The best book of the year happened and changed everything.
I don’t know how people write reviews of this book without SPOILERS, but I ain’t one of them, so beware that from now on: SPOILERS!!
(view spoiler)[ If you’re like me and suffer from “Dory-from-Finding-Nemo syndrome”, you might want to reread the first book before starting “A Court of Mist and Fury” because you’ll sure need to remember a lot of things. And you should, because, like I said above, that book is SOOOOO GOOD.
Anyway, ACOMAF starts after Freyre and Tamlin return to the Spring Court (Tamlin’s home). Freyre is now immortal and has the powers of a High Fae, but despite being reunited with the man she loves, she isn’t happy. And neither is Tamlin. They love each other, as it's easy to see, but they’re both haunted by nightmares, guilt and the relationship-breaker lack of communication.
Freyre is dealing with the psychological consequences of her actions and what was done to her in the last book, as well as what she had to do to innocent people to save the ones she loved. Tamlin is dealing with his guilt for not having done more and saved her. Instead of dealing with all of that together, Tamlin and Freyre decide to suffer alone and bury their pain in a lot of hot sex. When I mean, hot sex, I mean HOT. Explict. Sex.
So, yeah, Young Adult my ass. This is New Adult, and it’s GOOD, steamy, gimme-more New Adult. It’s also everything I’ve ever asked for.
Okayy… Now that I'm done taking another cold shower, let’s focus on the story.
So here we have Freyre having sexy times with Tamlin and getting ready to marry the man she sacrificed herself to save, the High Lord of the Spring Court. But she’s losing herself to the nightmares caused by the things she had to endure while she was a prisoner at Under the Mountain in the process, and she can’t even find joy in the wedding preparations.
Since the girl was tortured by Amarantha, forced to murder innocent people, then killed just to be resurrected as something else entirely, I wasn’t expecting her to be all “ohhh, let’s plan a huge wedding and be happy ever after”. Her reactions in the beginning made a lot of sense.
And despite hating what I’m about to say, Tamlin’s reaction also did. Because Tamlin, being true to who he was since ACOTAR, turned his protective personality on and didn’t look back. He tried SO hard to keep Freyre protected from his enemies, afraid he’d lose her, that he didn’t realize he was accomplishing that on his own. He was suffocating Freyre when she needed to be free. He was protecting her when she needed to learn how to protect herself. He was saying “no, you can’t do this” when she needed a vote of confidence.
I hated it, but I don’t blame Sarah J. Maas for staying true to the story and the characters. I hated it, but I didn’t hate Tamlin, because I understood where he was coming from. Not in a way that justifies what he did to her, but in a way that speaks to who he’d always been. He’s a protector. That’s how he was raised and taught and lived LONG before Freyre came into his life. And that was who Freyre needed him to be during ACOTAR. But not anymore.
And despite loving her so very much, because, guys, he did. He loved her with everything he had (and that breaks my heart in tiny little pieces), Tamlin didn’t realize he wasn’t who Freyre needed anymore. He didn’t see that they needed to adapt their lives to the reality of “After Under the Mountain”.
And that’s how he lost her.
I’ve seen people call Tamlin names or hate on Sarah J. Maas for breaking his character, but I’m sorry to disagree with all of those arguments (at least until that finale -- more later).
Tamlin isn’t the bad guy. He isn’t some cruel tyrant who locked Freyre inside their palace because he didn’t want her to escape. He did it because his love for her made him blind to what she needed and to how far he was taking things. Was it wrong that he locked her in? Of course. No one in their right mind would question that. Did he know what he was doing? Probably. Did he realize what he was doing? I bet he didn’t. Does that make it better? Heck no! That’s why I applaud Freyre for not going back.
What I’m saying is… Tamlin was broken. Lost. Destroyed by guilt. Madly in love. Desperate to protect. And not strong enough to get his shit together in time to fight for his love.
I felt for him. I still do. And I love Sarah J. Maas because of that. I love that she managed to build a character that made me love him, then hate him, than feel for him. I feel for the love he has for Freyre, because that kind of love is just as powerful and it’s deadly.
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So, that’s how Freyre and Tamlin, the couple I shipped so hard since the beginning of ACOTAR, started to vanish.
And that’s when Sarah J. Mass beckoned me and said: “Remember Rhysand? Why don’t you start looking at him?”
I did.
And so did Freyre.
I mean, Freyre and I had been looking at him since last book, but now we really looked. Up close. And damn, we loved what I saw.
Remember how Rhysand made a deal with Freyre that involved her spending a week every month with him at the Night Court? Oh, yeah. I was excited for that part, too, and it was worth the excitement.
Even before Tamlin pushed Freyre away for good, Rhys (yes, we’re close – deal with it) was already there whispering in her ear all the words of empowerment she needed. He was telling her she didn’t need to be a pawn in anyone’s game, she could stand on her own, make her own decision, rule her own life, and DAMN ISN’T THAT THE HOTTEST THING A MAN CAN TELL A WOMAN?
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I was already halfway in love with him and the book had barely started.
Unlike Tamlin, Rhys was exactly the kind of person (not man – person) Freyre needed by her side. He was willing to give her the tools she needed to find herself again. To dig deep and learn who she was now that she had powers – and she didn’t only have one power. As she had been brought back to life from all the High Lords, she kept a little bit of each of their powers. She could be this big dog, if she wanted. She could be so powerful, if she decided to let go of her guilt and fear and nightmares to become. And Rhys was willing to help or at least cheer her on.
Rhys, who was the bad guy every other High Lord feared or hated or distrusted in a sense. Rhys, who had manipulated, but also risked and saved Freye when she had no one else. Rhys, who suffered for 50 years as Amarantha’s whore to keep his people from suffering in her hands. Rhys, who hid an entire city by lying and deceiving and handing himself over to the evil queen. Rhys, who loved his people and his friends (yes, he has amazing and totally shippable friends) so much he didn’t think twice before sacrificing himself for them.
Yes, that’s Rhysand. And if you haven’t fallen in love with him yet, then I don’t know what’s wrong with you, because Freyre and I have.
And watching how Freyre went from distrusting Rhys, to becoming his friend to loving him? Almost ended me. And how hot they were together? Required me to take a lot of cold showers.
So, yeah. I jumped ships. Sorry, but you’ll understand once you read it.
But all of that romance? All of those hot, steamy, sexy AF scenes? All the swooning moments? All the “Rhys, please make me your Freyre” thoughts you had while reading? Those were all amazing, but not the highlight of the book. What really deserves a round of applause is Freyre’s character development. Because Freyre isn’t the same girl we met when ACOTAR was released. By the end of ACOMAF, she isn’t even close to what she was when the second book started. She isn’t broken anymore. Freyre knows who she is and how important she is.
The best thing about watching Freyre go from one end to the other was realizing that she wasn’t doing it out of love for this or that man. There isn’t a moment when she thinks “Okay, so I need to be strong to impress Tamlin or Rhys”. Sure they both influenced her, but her development is a product of Freyre learning how to be strong for herself. How can you not love that?
How can you also not love all the new characters introduced in this book? Rhy’s inner circle was phenomenal. I loved each and every character, and I shipped them with one another like the crazy shipper I am. I even shipped one of them with Freyre’s insufferable sister, Nesta. That’s how amazing they are.
As you can see, there’s a lot to love about ACOMAF.
Unfortunately, the ending isn't part of it. I am choosing to give this book 5 stars because I'm ignoring the end. The 5-star rating is a reflex of everything I said above and the fact that I stayed up through the night and woke up still feeling like I needed more (and this book is LONG, like really long). The rating is a reflex of how I'm ignoring the character assassination of Tamlin in the end, because I can't believe he'd do what Sarah J. Maas said he did. Everything that happened in the beggining made a lot of sense, like I already said, but those last couple of chapters? Nope.
So, if I don't ignore it, this book is a 4.5. But everything else? It's a huge 5 stars. (hide spoiler)]
Because in this book, Sarah J. Maas broke my heart (Tamlin + Freyre), then gave me life again (Rhys + Freyre). She made my favorite characters make the stupidest decisions (I’m looking at you, Tamlin and Lucius), then showed me how she can turn a hated characters into a loved one (Rhys, I love you). She broke a character in tiny little pieces just to bring her back from the ashes (Freyre). She gave me friends I want to keep for life (Rhys’s inner circle). She gave me love and heartbreak and tears and laughter and a lot of hot, steamy sexy scenes.
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ACOMAF gave me everything I needed and a even what I didn't need, earning the “Best Book of the Year” title. Now I’m just going to go ahead and sleep until the next book comes out.
Update 2019.: I was feeling sort of depressed so I decided it was time for my yearly reread of my favorite series EVER. That would definitely c[image]
Update 2019.: I was feeling sort of depressed so I decided it was time for my yearly reread of my favorite series EVER. That would definitely cheer me up, right? It did. Again, I devoured all 10 books in one week. Life, what's that? Now I'm feeling sort of depressed because I still have to wait another year for book #11. *cries*
P.S. I still love Jericho Barrons with all my heart. <3 P.S.2: My OTP still makes my heart ache. Mac & Jericho forever.
Update 2018.: I went MIA for two weeks because I fell down the Fever series hole and could only resurface when I read all 10 books (from Darkfever to High Voltage). All I have to say is: the first 5 books (original series) are freaking BRILLIANT. Brilliant! I LOVE the other 5 books because they're about my favorite characters and favorite world, so who cares if the plot isn't as complex?
Barrons and Mac? OTP. FOREVER. Love doesn't begin to explain.
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Until next reread, my loves.
Update: I just reread it for the third (fourth or is it fifth?) time and I'm still very much in love!
Warning: This review will make me sound like a lunatic.
Warning 2.: I kind of am.
500 "Bloody Brilliant + Book Husband" Stars
This is a review of the Fever series. Can I give the series 500-bloody-f*-unbelievable-stars? I don’t care if I can’t, I’ll do it anyway. FIVE HUNDRED STARS!
I don’t remember the last time I read 5 books in less than a week. Maybe I haven’t done that ever. I have barely slept the last few days and only stopped reading when I had to work, cook, take care of my dog and spend time with my husband so he didn’t think I was leaving him for a book character.
I read it. I lived it. I drowned in it. And I loved every second. No regrets.
So, let me talk about Mac first. She’s great. Don’t get me wrong, she’s more than great (I won’t say she’s excellent, because that word can only describe one character in this series. You know who that is). The chance Mac went through from book 1 to book 5 was so well-developed that after you’re done reading all of them, you can look back and say: Oh wow.
Mac went from naïve to “I don’t trust anyone” to “I think I know who to trust now”. She is funny, strong, she loves, she hates, she’s human. She’s so human, no matter what. And she talks a lot. I’ll give you that, I adored the books, but I skipped a few pages because she went on and on and on (you get the point) about so many things that I just couldn’t deal. But who cares when you know the rest of the pages are awesome?? I certainly didn’t.
But Mac isn’t the star of this story – not my star, at least.
How could she when we had JERICHO BARRONS? I mean… Jericho. Bloody. Barrons.
I know I shouldn’t, but I LOVE that man. He’s bad. He’s bad and he likes it. He’s not redeemable. He could care less about being redeemed. But he’s everything I need in every book I read, and he was there, ready to welcome me into his dark heart. And, oh, how I enjoyed that ride. I could never get enough. I will never get enough of that man, and neither will Mac, if she’s smart.
So, yes, I am irrevocably obsessed/attached to Jericho Barrons, and I never ever ever want to let him go. I honestly can’t remember feeling this way about any other male character, but it might be a side-effect of my obsession. You’ll have to ask me in a few weeks, maybe years, because right now all I think about is reading more of that dangerous, sexy man.
Jericho Barrons, I know I shouldn’t, but I’m upgrading you to my book husband/lover. I have no regrets....more
Stupid, stupid book!! I'm still crying. And I pretty sure I hate you just as much as I love you. Urgh.
I absolutely adored Lou. She was amazing, and I Stupid, stupid book!! I'm still crying. And I pretty sure I hate you just as much as I love you. Urgh.
I absolutely adored Lou. She was amazing, and I wanted to be her friend, hold her and cry with her. I feel like we did cry together.
But I think I hate Will for what he did. How could you? In Lou's words: F* you!
The ending was the worse, but I'm still giving this book 5 stars because I couldn't put it down. And it made me cry. I can't really say that about many books, so there you go. Want to kill you, Jojo, but here are my 5 stars.
P.s: Don't know why anyone thought it'd be a good idea to write Mother, Father, sister, nurse's POV. ...more
Yes, I finished it. NOW SHUT UP AND GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK!
*Sighs* Now that I got this out of my chest, let me answer your question: YES, YOU5 STARS!!!
Yes, I finished it. NOW SHUT UP AND GIVE ME THE NEXT BOOK!
*Sighs* Now that I got this out of my chest, let me answer your question: YES, YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK! GO! What are you still doing here? You don’t need this review, you need to read the damn book. Because it’s so fantastic, I can’t even… *DIES*
First of all, pretty words you’re so pretty. (That’s how much I love this book. I can’t write coherent sentences).
Renee’s writing is... vivid! Funny how I’m not a big fan of the almost-flowery writing style but ended up appreciating the beauty of this book. That says a lot about her talent, if you ask me. But what got me most excited about this were the characters. Oh, how much I loved them. And the epic romance.
Go check my bookshelf and you’ll understand how important romance is to me. I mean, I’m a firm believer that one can never have too many ships. No. There’s no such a thing. I need more. Always more. And I ship Shahrzad and Khalid so hard that I’m ready to go on Tumblr and declare my love for them. See, I’m serious about those two. My only complaint about this book is that I thought we could have more pages with them and less with Tariq and everyone else.
(view spoiler)[ I did like Tariq, don’t get me wrong, but I wasn’t a fan of his POV. But Shahrzad was the real star of this show. I mean, how can you NOT love a girl who risks her life to get revenge for her best friend’s murder AND is smart enough to send her family away so they don’t get hurt? You have to love her, right? Otherwise, you’re just crazy. As crazy as Khalid is for her. *swoons*
Oh, dear Khalid, you’re so broken and you have every right to be broken, and I want to hug you. Poor young man. I have to tell you I had mix feelings about him choosing Shahrzad over his people’s safety for a moment. Just a moment. But then, how can you blame a man who’s been murdering his wives to save everyone for months when he just has enough? She’s the love of his life, so he had to choose her. I respect him for that.
And I respect Jalal for making her leave. Most of all, I respect AND adore Renee for not turning Jalal into the enemy. I’ve read my fair share of books that turn the “nice” and “adorable” side character into a maniac at the end just for shock value, but Renee chose to keep Jalal as the good guy. THANK YOU! It was the right choice.
I don’t know what else to say. Just I LOVE YOU, BOOK! Be my friend and all of that.
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WHILE READING:
Okay. Only 30 pages to go, but I refuse to read them today, because that means I'll finish it and no, no, I don't want to finish it. But then, I have to. I promise I won't do what I did with Eleanor & Park. I will read the last page. Just not today.
-----
Hours later: what? Who says I have to sleep only because it's close to midnight? I still have 130 pages to go!
------- Guess who's going to start reading this now?! YES! YES! Book, I know I'll love you! Do. Not. Disappoint. Me.
------ I have this on hold! I have this on hold! I HAVE THIS ON HOLD! OMG! Can't believe it.
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