|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
my rating |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.59
| 677,423
| Sep 27, 2016
| Sep 20, 2016
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars I love this book so much. And it's number one selling point is the characters. Damn, I love those Crows. They're all so lovable, unique, dynami 5 stars I love this book so much. And it's number one selling point is the characters. Damn, I love those Crows. They're all so lovable, unique, dynamic, vibrant... I honestly love each and every one of them. The story's just as good as the first one, though the scheme is even more deceptive and intricate, actually. And DARK. That really made the later half of the story super engaging and interesting. The only thing that slowed me is the flashbacks. I kind of had this in the first book too, but it didn't bother me as much because I was getting to know the characters for the first time anyway. But in this book as well, even as the story builds to an intricate heist or scheme, Bardugo interjects with flashbacks (one even had a flashback in a flashback - flashbackception). And again, love the characters, so every detail about them is awesome, but it did slow momentum here and there for me. Also. Miss Bardugo. I feel like having words with you. Because I am upset. (view spoiler)[Matthias? Seriously? How could you?! That was MY SHIP. (hide spoiler)] Anyway. Love it. Heartily recommend it. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Apr 04, 2021
|
Apr 30, 2021
|
Nov 01, 2015
|
Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||||
| 1442490012
| 9781442490017
| 1442490012
| 4.32
| 1,014,119
| Jan 01, 1908
| Jan 14, 2014
|
really liked it
|
4 stars You know how sometimes you pick up just the right book at exactly the right time? That was Anne of Green Gables for me. Despite it being a clas 4 stars You know how sometimes you pick up just the right book at exactly the right time? That was Anne of Green Gables for me. Despite it being a classic - which fails for me more often than not - I couldn't resist picking this book up after seeing some of my friends still raving about it and this supposedly awesome ship that happens in the series. I'm so glad it was selected for book club. This book is absolutely DELIGHTFUL. To put things in context, I picked up Anne of Green Gables to read after a death in the family. It wasn't someone I was super close to, but feelings of grief crept into my heart anyway, and I was haunted by the mortality of humans. WELL that sounds pretty dark, huh? Anne is the exact right kind of happiness to brush all of that away. Right from the start, her voice JUMPED off the page. I was greeted by this too-adorable-for-words 11 year old who is just so fascinated by the world around her, the endless possibilities, and the places her imagination can take her. She reeked of LIFE. I swear, I fell in love with her right away. Anne is an 11 year old orphan who gets adopted by an elderly farmer and his sister - by mistake. They were actually hoping for a boy, so he could help out on the farm. This isn't ideal - and originally they intend to send Anne back. But then as Matthew takes Anne home, he is enchanted by her cheerful chatter and can't stand the thought of breaking her heart. Marilla is a little more stern... but before long Anne worms her way into her heart as well. Anne will have the same effect on almost all readers. She's just so fascinating and creative. She's inspiring in how she looks at the world and finds beauty in almost everything. She's over-dramatic in a super charming way. She can be a typical kid, with tantrums, stubbornness, and drama, but it fits so well into her character that you basically want to reach through the page and give her a hug no matter what. I can imagine that some people, who aren't character-focused (or voice-focused) readers might find this book a little hard to get through. It can seem a bit aimless as there aren't really big conflicts in the book (it's more of a slice-of-life style novel), and it takes place over five years with some awkward and hasty seeming time jumps. You really are just watching Anne grow up. And if you don't like her voice, you may find the pages upon pages of straight dialogue (or, actually, monologues) tedious. But I was fascinated and enchanted. Just reading Anne's quirky and adorable words put a goofy grin on my face and had me cracking up more than once. And that's exactly what I needed. And for the heavy shippers among us - there is definite hope, though given Anne's age nothing really happens yet. At the beginning of the story she gets a rival and an "enemy" in Gilbert Blythe, who calls her "Carrots" for her red hair. The shipping started then and basically never stopped. It's just adorable childhood love - though Anne is so stubborn that she insists she hates him for the length of the story. It's not hard for readers to see through that though, and that just means there's some slow-burn goodness happening here. Must pick up the next book ASAP!!! Summing Up: Anne of Green Gables is happiness. Plain and simple. Seriously, Anne's voice is AMAZING - filled with hope, happiness, and life. And that's just what I needed. It's been ages since I fell so deeply in love with a main character. I would adopt her if I could. Yes, long run, story-wise, not much happens, but I enjoyed this book thoroughly. And now I must have more Anne and Gilbert Blythe foreverrrrrrrrr ♥ GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Fans of character-driven novels. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Nov 17, 2015
|
Nov 22, 2015
|
Oct 06, 2015
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0765376474
| 9780765376473
| 0765376474
| 4.21
| 207,873
| Feb 23, 2016
| Feb 23, 2016
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars Oh man, oh man, oh man. File under: most exciting giveaway winnings ever, because I can't even begin to describe how lucky I feel that I got to 5 stars Oh man, oh man, oh man. File under: most exciting giveaway winnings ever, because I can't even begin to describe how lucky I feel that I got to read this masterpiece early. Yeah, it probably will surprise basically no one to hear that I fell in love with yet another book by V.E. Schwab. A Gathering of Shadows actually cements A Darker Shade of Magic as one of my all-time favorite series. If you liked A Darker Shade of Magic, it will probably please you immensely to hear that Schwab excellently continued her tradition of nailing all of the elements that make up this book. The world building, already awesome and intriguing in the first book, gets even more elaborate and interesting. With Lila free in Red London to do whatever the hell she wants, she logically chooses to join a ship's crew as their main thief and thus discover seas around the kingdom of Arnes. This means more culture, more language, more dynamic, interesting characters... (Including the oh-so charming Alucard who will appeal to any and all fans of the pirate archetype.) I honestly couldn't wait to read more and more about her adventures - her part of the story almost becoming more interesting than Kell's. There's also a shit ton more magic in this one, partly because Lila slowly but surely learns about her own powers and how to control the elements, and partly because the main event of A Gathering of Shadows is a magical tournament in which champions of the three nations battle with each other for honor and glory. I absolutely loved those battles. They were written so fluidly and described so elegantly. It reminded me of Avatar: The Last Airbender with all the elemental magic, and I could picture it all too easily in my mind. So if you're looking for action scenes, believe me, this book has got them. And then of course there are the characters and their development. Well, they all become a lot more interesting and dynamic - largely as a result of the conclusion of the first book. There is some friction between Kell and Rhy as their relationship is infinitely more complicated, and across the board Kell is not really looked upon favorably by the citizens of Red London and the royal family. There's some angst happening there, but Kell's also definitely growing stronger and he feels a growing urge to fight and play with magic. Lila comes into her own in this foreign world and she just kept impressing me. Honestly, she's a motherfucking QUEEN in this book - strong, reckless, and definitely no damsel in distress. We're also introduced to a couple of new characters: the smooth and intriguing Alucard, the crew of the Night Spire, and the other competitors in the Essen Tasch - and of those, my love for Alucard knows basically no bounds (and I'm desperate to learn more about him). If you are a shippity ship person, like me, you will also probably be very very pleased with A Gathering of Shadows, because, yeah, okay, even though Kell and Lila are separated for the majority of the book, THAT FREAKING CHEMISTRY YO. Seriously, any time one of them thought about the other, my heart lurched in my chest. And when they were together, it was basically perfect. They compliment each other so well, understand each other so well, and it's not at all sappy. They challenge each other in the best ways and honestly I need more and more scenes with the two of them together. It will never be enough. BUT. There's also a second, minor shippity ship that KIND of came out of no where, but I KIND of saw coming in all of the best ways ever. I will not mention names because spoilers, but seriously. V Schwab is an evil genius. Most of her evil, though, shows in the ending. My heart was pounding in my chest, tears were welling up, and I just tore through the pages to the end. The stakes are inconceivably high. Schwab is a genius and a madman. I am so invested in these characters and this world that it's basically consuming my heart and soul. Summing Up: My love for Victoria Schwab knows no bounds, and basically A Gathering of Shadows is perfection. There's really something for everyone: a stunning world, pirate-y adventures, genderbending, elemental magic, royal balls(!), complex family dynamics, romantic flutterings, and a slowly building plot with an ominous antagonist scheming from the shadows that will have you turning pages as quick as you possibly can. Now the wait is on for book 3. Oh god. I need it so badly. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Everyoneeeee. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Jan 11, 2016
|
Jan 28, 2016
|
Apr 21, 2015
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1423178203
| 9781423178200
| 1423178203
| 4.20
| 15,728
| Jan 14, 2014
| Jan 28, 2014
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars I loved The Archived when I first read it back in May, but then I put off buying The Unbound for forever - for some reason. LUCKILY, Gillia 5 stars I loved The Archived when I first read it back in May, but then I put off buying The Unbound for forever - for some reason. LUCKILY, Gillian is a very very lovely bookish friend, and her giving this to me finally gave me the push I needed to read this most excellent sequel. All I can say is, "DEBBY, WHY THE HELL DID YOU WAIT SO LONG, YOU DOOFUS?!?!??!" From page 1, I was instantly smitten with how lovely every aspect of this series is. But let's be honest, at the top of the list has to be THAT FREAKING SHIP. Wesley and Mac are the absolute best. They filled me with feels from start to finish. Much of the book was spent with an ear-to-ear grin on my face because they are just so adorable. They still have that immaculate banter, as they did in the first book, but now there's even more genuine feeling beneath it. Wesley's pretty open and clear about that - and he's just the best. He does everything he can for Mac because he loves her so much. "Leave the window open." DON'T EVEN. The comfort that his noise brings is... asdfjkl;... can I has a Wesley plz? Mac is more hesitant because she doesn't want to complicate their working relationship and she doesn't want to put him in danger. But basically that just means FEELS. FEELINGS EXPLODING EVERYWHERE. [image] Aside from that, the plot is even more intriguing and creepy than the first one, and it's paced perfectly. It gives you just enough reminders about what happened in the first book - but like its predecessor, it has its own clear story arc that is neatly wrapped up in this installment. Yes, there is room for more (and goddamn am I glad that it's coming) but what we got was so intriguing and exciting. The plot is infinitely darker as Mac has nightmares and can't bear to fall asleep. Her exhaustion - or possibly something more nefarious - even causes her to black out and lose time. She starts to doubt herself, doubt what is real and what isn't, and doubt the Archive. It was a page turner for sure. I couldn't put this book down for a second. My biggest critique of the first book was that with all the Doctor Who elements, it didn't seem original enough, but The Unbound sure as hell fixed that. The plot also made Mac's character so much more interesting. I couldn't remember much about her from The Archived, but in The Unbound, her story is so deeply emotional that I really felt a strong connection to her. I was scared with her and for her and I fell for Wesley along with her too. Her bond with her parents is also tested in this one as she struggles with how her role as Keeper requires her to keep all these secrets and to oftentimes disobey them. It was a realistic portrayal of what this would do to a family. Her mother feels the need to be strict and she's somewhat overprotective, but more than anything all of that comes from a place of love. Parenting is hard, and I could only sympathize. Mac knows that she's giving them a hard time, but she can't really help it either. MORE FEELINGS. [image] Finally, the writing and pacing make this a book you really don't want to put down. Seriously, Victoria Schwab writes magic. I didn't even remember having that kind of reaction to the first one, but her style just sucks me in. It was the first time in ages where I absolutely didn't want to stop reading. I just wanted to build a fort for me and this book (and possibly V. Schwab's other novels as well) and stay there forever. She really made Mac's voice so endearing, built such an incredi-creepy world, and knew when to bring the action. The fight scenes were SO thrilling and vivid that my heart was jumping all over the place. I mean, this settles it: I'm buying all of Victoria Schwab's books. Done. Summing Up: WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO PICK THIS UP??? The Unbound is an A+ TOP NOTCH sequel to The Archived - upping the romance, the thrills, the characterizations, the writing, EVERYTHING. This series is now one of my absolute favorites, so I cannot wait to read the third book, the novella, and all of Victoria Schwab's other books. But above all, WESLEY OH WESLEY HOW I LOVE YOU SOOOOOOOOOOO. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Errrr EVERYONE. Seriously, it's worth the hype. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Dec 09, 2014
|
Dec 11, 2014
|
Aug 25, 2014
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1402271875
| 9781402271878
| 1402271875
| 3.86
| 20,427
| Oct 01, 2012
| Oct 01, 2012
|
it was amazing
|
5 STARS My heart hurts right now. Though less cheery and bantery than Catching Jordan , Stealing Parker hit me right in the feels and was so meaning 5 STARS My heart hurts right now. Though less cheery and bantery than Catching Jordan , Stealing Parker hit me right in the feels and was so meaningful... I need to just take a moment. *breathes out* Phew. I'm okay. I didn't know what to expect at all, going into this book. I hadn't read the premise, since I got it for my birthday from Christina and was resolved to read all the Miranda Kenneally books in existence anyway. The two others that I'd read, Catching Jordan and Breathe, Annie, Breathe were much more romance-centric than Stealing Parker, I think. Stealing Parker was more about character growth to me, with the bonus of a romance. But as with all Kenneally books, the characters are realistic and fantastic, and the relationship dynamics blew me away. Parker instantly stole my heart, to be honest. I wasn't expecting it. Her family has been torn apart after her mother came out as a lesbian and left. This admission became hot gossip for the community, and soon parents were warning their children to stay away from Parker, because her family of sinners would make her a bad influence. The way that Parker is ostracized, which causes her to develop some serious trust issues, definitely got to me. I could relate to that. A lot. She's not even that much of a deviant - sure, she makes out with multiple guys, whenever she feels like it, but she doesn't have sex with them. Her own frustrations with her mother have her lashing out, trying to prove she's not like her, but in the end, that doesn't much help her image. A lot of the book deals with how you are perceived by others and finding the confidence to be who you are regardless of what they think, and I absolutely fucking loved that. Parker grows in a big way, which really makes me want to hug her forever. She's flawed, but she learns, and it makes her so real. [image] As with the other books in this series, sports play a role - and this time it's baseball and softball. I'll admit I actually love baseball, and I went to multiple games while I lived in Houston (ASTROS), so I loved that element of the book. It's less sports-heavy than Catching Jordan, because Parker quit softball to distance herself from her mother and her ex-best friend Laura, but she becomes the manager of the baseball team. I love her descriptions of seeing the sport and instantly having the desire to be around it and participate as much as possible - I have that relationship myself with swimming. But anyway, baseball team = hot boys and shenanigans. I love Kenneally's boy characters. They are so fantastic. Not only do we get glimpses of SAM FUCKING HENRY which made me ecstatic, but Parker's few close friends also stole my heart. Drew is wonderfully supportive, the only person Parker really trusts anymore. And then there's Corndog (or as her dad calls him, Corn Fritter) who is charming and hilarious and sweet. I just love the camaraderie - also how they likened themselves to the Seinfeld characters when hanging out at the diner. Forever lol. But then there's the romance. The premise will have alerted you that there's a student-teacher thing going on here. That's a complicated subject, because in fiction, it can be quite charming. And indeed, Kenneally brought the chemistry that did have me swooning for them at first. But Kenneally writes realistic fiction and not escapism. When it comes down to it, student-teacher relationships are not exactly healthy. I was seriously impressed by how it was handled. She kept me on my toes with where this romance was going. I had no clue. There were some surprises and betrayals that absolutely broke my heart. I felt just as betrayed as Parker did, and I just felt so much sympathy for her. She makes mistakes, sure, but with everything she's been going through for the last year, she's just lost and looking for love and support wherever she can get it. I... I need another moment. [image] Luckily, it doesn't stay too heavy. Kenneally really has a way of making even these subjects which can be pretty icky turn out light in the end. She's a fan of happy endings, which I'm happy about because if the emotional rollercoaster went on for much longer, I may have burst out crying. Parker turns out all right in the end. And then the ship is glorious and I just fucking wish we had more time with them because asdjfkl; asdfjkl; my feelings. [image] I also have to say that I'm deeply impressed by the way that religion is dealt with in Stealing Parker. I'm not religious at all - I was pretty much raised atheist and have only attended church about 3 times, each time having immense difficulty staying awake. Parker actually is religious. She grew up going to the same church with the same people every Sunday, and I liked how that really added this human element of community to it. After her mom left and Laura ditched her, Parker finds herself in a really complicated relationship with her religion. Though her father still wants her to go to church, she never feels comfortable there - constantly feeling the judging eyes of this "community", which has pretty much labeled her a sinner, slut, and a bad influence. She starts doubting her faith, because how could God let her family have to face so many struggles? It seriously made me feel a lot of intense things, in spite of my having no faith at all. It made Parker so real and multidimensional, and the way her struggle is resolved with the help of her mom really brought a tear to my eye. Summing Up: Miranda Kenneally is turning out to be one of my favorite contemporary romance authors. She makes me feel SO MANY THINGS ALL OF THE THINGS. I wanted to cry at one moment. I wanted to dance and flail in the next. But these characters, especially Parker, are just so real. I haven't even mentioned how heartbreaking the family dynamics are - with Parker's brother and Corndog's brother and asdfjlk; There's too much greatness in this book, I can't handle it. I just wish we'd had a little bit more time at the end - this book is seriously so short. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Everyone needs Miranda Kenneally in their lives. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Sep 14, 2014
|
Sep 15, 2014
|
Jul 15, 2014
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1627792120
| 4.48
| 1,006,453
| Sep 29, 2015
| Sep 29, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
First read: October 2015 Second read: March 2021 5 stars Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA! I've been a fan of Leigh Bardugo's since reading her Grisha series, but First read: October 2015 Second read: March 2021 5 stars Whoa, whoa, whoa, WHOA! I've been a fan of Leigh Bardugo's since reading her Grisha series, but man, she knocked it out of the park with Six of Crows. This is an instant favorite, and one of the very best books I've read this year. Intense, creative, well-written, and well-developed... if you haven't read this, I'm basically ordering you to. Now. Six of Crows is basically Ocean's Eleven in a fantasy world. That already sounds awesome as fuck, RIGHT? Well it gets better. This story takes place in the same world as The Grisha - starting out in the city of Ketterdam. Ketterdam, and Kerch, are incidentally based on 17th century the Netherlands. I didn't know that going in, but it was so awesome! There were Dutch terms and cultural tidbits that made me so happy, but the setting is written so beautifully that it creates its own atmosphere. It's kind of a dark and suspicious city, and that just put me on the edge of my seat. (Leigh talked a bit about her inspiration for Ketterdam at her event in the Netherlands, which you can read about here!) The beginning was a little slow for me. The story definitely takes some getting used to - if only because you're adjusting to this new setting and the fact that you have five main points of view and six main characters. But when I was sucked in, I was sucked in deep. These characters are AMAZING. Kaz, the leader, is super intelligent, ruthless, and a schemer. Inej is loyal and driven but has plenty of wounds from her traumatic past. Nina is smart and basically has a heart of gold. Matthias is scruffy and angry (but oh so lovable). Jesper is the funny guy who brightens the mood, and Wylan is his punching bag. The characters are all distinctive, flawed, complex, strong, and amazing. Throughout the story you gradually find out all their back stories and you basically fall in love with ALL OF THEM. Ships, ships, ships galore! Seriously, it's not like everyone's constantly making out in this book - actually you'd be hard pressed to find any actual kissing - but the romantic tension is real and coming at you from all sides. Kaz and Inej have this intense slow burn romance building up that is setting my heart on fire. He's so gruff that he doesn't really even want to think about romance, but you can sooo tell that Inej is getting under his skin. Nina and Matthias have quite a bit of a past built up - and at first I was a bit put off by their dynamic, seeing as how, you know, he wanted to kill her and stuff - but those flashbacks gave me ALL OF THE FEELS and honestly they need to just get with the kissing IMMEDIATELY. And as a nice touch, Jesper and Wylan are totally a thing, a gay thing, and that makes me super happy, because they have all the banter and just UNF. An LGBT ship in YA fantasy! Fuck yeah! But were you looking for action and magic? Because Six of Crows has that down too! Kaz puts together this team of There are also enough twists to keep you on the edge of your seat and - at the end of the day - begging for the sequel. Things I never saw coming and hadn't seen done before. This book is just amazing. It's beautifully written, has characters with so much depth, complexity, and heart, and it honestly stole my heart. This is an adventure I'll gladly repeat, and I have a feeling it would be even better upon a reread. But also I need that sequel liiiiiike NOW. Summing Up: Six of Crows is basically perfection in book form. Honestly. It's so well-written, creative, engrossing, addictive. The characters are brilliant, the ships are amazing, the plot packs a punch. I just thought everything was so fantastic that I can't even commit to what I liked best! Favorite character... Nina? Maybe? Or Kaz? Favorite ship... probably Kaz and Inej? Or Nina and Matthias? My heart is torn because I just love ALL OF IT, and that's basically the best response to any book ever. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Any fantasy fans everrrr. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
3
|
Mar 03, 2021
Oct 27, 2015
Nov 2023
|
Mar 28, 2021
Oct 31, 2015
not set
|
May 23, 2014
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||||
| 0062238426
| 9780062238429
| 0062238426
| 3.67
| 4,627
| May 20, 2014
| May 20, 2014
|
really liked it
|
4.5 stars When I first saw The Art of Lainey pop up on Edelweiss, I thought it sounded good and cute, but I wasn't immediately sold. I put it in the ba 4.5 stars When I first saw The Art of Lainey pop up on Edelweiss, I thought it sounded good and cute, but I wasn't immediately sold. I put it in the back of my head to check out later. THANKFULLY, the author kept me from making the grievous mistake of passing up on the chance to read this early. She emailed me, asking me to review it, saying that she thought I would like it based on books I had loved, like Meant to Be. Oh man. She's good. She got me right then and there. And she was not wrong. I loved Meant to Be and I loved The Art of Lainey. So The Art of Lainey is about a girl who gets dumped and wants to win back her boyfriend using tactics from The Art of War. Right away, I was struck with the refreshing tone of the novel. The writing style is fluid and entertaining. The main character, Lainey, is awesome. And I don't use such words lightly. How often have we had main characters who are the shy, bookwormy types? The new girl, the loner outcast? Lainey is not that. In fact, she's pretty popular. She actually doesn't like reading. She's good at sports, goes to parties, has many friends... But she still has her own issues to deal with. Seriously, it was so refreshing to have a main character like that in contemporary YA. Not only is the main character a breath of fresh air, but the entire cast of characters was refreshingly realistic. They are honest. They have flaws and make mistakes. They grow. The relationships are beautiful - not just the romance, but the friendships and families as well. It just created this beautiful full picture that I could completely relate to. But this is contemporary romance, guys, so you know what's up. The Art of War is all about sneaky tactics, deceiving your enemy and making him weak. With the coaching of her awesome bff, Bianca, she comes up with a plan. She gets Micah, a rebellious-looking coworker, to pretend to be her boyfriend. Oh. Hell. Yes. Guys. I don't know if I've told you this before, but "fake" relationships are one of my favorite romantic tropes in the world. So many shenanigans and teasing and pushing boundaries and stuff and then those feelings become REAL!?! [image] The two are freaking gold together. I absolutely adore Micah. He's rough around the edges, and he has his own issues. He comes from a very different walk of life compared to Lainey, so when they start hanging out, people are concerned. However, they just have so much fun together, and along the way, Lainey starts discovering parts of her she never even really knew. This is how I like my relationships guys. Relationships are all about having fun, being yourself, and making each other grow, be happy, and be confident. And then the chemistry! The tension! SWOONING. SWOON ALERT. [image] I was majorly invested in this romance, to the point where I was reading it on the train and the hour and a half just FLEW by. This book is damn addictive. I had to FORCE myself to look up every once in a while to make sure I hadn't passed my stop. I haven't had that with a book in forever. I was ignorant of the whole world. Nothing existed except me and this book, and we were meant to be together, because it was making me so damn happy. Summing Up: You guys know I love my fluffy books, and The Art of Lainey is right up there with the best of them. It was a refreshing voice bringing a super entertaining and romantic story. I swooned and flailed and giggled, and all my worries were left far behind me. Are you a fan of sheer happiness? You should read this book. So before I go off now to pre-order my copy (because yes this book will be re-read), I want to thank Paula forever for making sure I didn't miss out on this absolute beauty. This book and I were meant to be (hey-o), and I can't wait to check out your other books! :) GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Fans of HAPPINESS (*cough* okay or fans of Lauren Morrill, Kody Keplinger, or Kasie West) *ARC received from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of the review. PINKY SWEAR! ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Mar 20, 2014
|
Mar 24, 2014
|
Feb 10, 2014
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 0802736165
| 9780802736161
| 4.03
| 4,980
| May 19, 2015
| May 19, 2015
|
really liked it
|
4 stars The Scarlet series by A.C. Gaughen has been one of my favorite ongoing series since I dove into it last year, so obviously I started reading Li 4 stars The Scarlet series by A.C. Gaughen has been one of my favorite ongoing series since I dove into it last year, so obviously I started reading Lion Heart with equal parts excitement and nervousness. Gaughen has been all about the brutal endings so far, but surely she'll give us a happy ending here, right? Lion Heart delivers a satisfying ending for sure and has cemented this series as one of my all-time favorites. What a wonderful feminist take on Robin Hood! I must admit that I had a bit of trouble getting back into the series when I started reading Lion Heart. It's been more than a year since I read Lady Thief and though I remembered in broad strokes what had happened (Scarlet being tortured by Prince John and Gisbourne while forced to be the latter's wife, Rob's struggles with PTSD preventing him and Scarlet from being together, and particularly that brutal ending in which multiple major characters died), I couldn't remember the precise character dynamics and many of the secondary characters. My advice would be to binge read the series for that reason - and I'll probably do a binge reread at some point to do the story justice. When I got back into it though, I started reading at an extremely rapid pace. Gaughen's prose and storytelling is as fluid as ever, and in this book the conflict is clear: Prince John is obviously the supreme bad guy, and he's trying to prevent Richard's return to England and kill Scarlet in the meantime. There's a lot more courtly politics involved in this installment of the series, as Scarlet's identity becomes more and more well known. Obviously, she has the support of Eleanor of Aquitaine and Winchester, but she finds more friends in Essex and Suffolk. Scarlet's not used to fighting with words and diplomacy, so there's a bit of a struggle there as she tries to figure out how to play the game, but she excels due to her inspiring story and natural charisma. She's fighting for a noble cause, and people can obviously see that. She dares to say what others don't. She's a feminist super star! The romance in this one is pretty great. I mean, it starts off a bit melodramatic and frustrating - something's always trying to get in between Rob and Scarlet. There's always a reason why they shouldn't be together. This time, it's because Scarlet is now a noble, and Rob is not. I'll admit that in the first half I wanted to bang my head against the wall a couple of times because they seemed to be making it so hard on themselves. WHY couldn't they just let themselves be happy? But admittedly, it is all very fitting to the time period. There is much much happiness for them in the latter half of the book, so be not afraid. However, I have realized why, after Scarlet, I've only ever really had moderate amounts of swoonage for them, and it's not just the minimal banter and recurring drama. Rob is a bit too much of an alpha to me. He can get so jealous and so protective; he can fly into rages because someone looked at Scarlet wrong. Now, some people will like that, and sometimes I do too, but I feel like Rob crossed the line just a bit for me. Scarlet is such a fierce and strong character, especially with everything she went through in Lady Thief, if not just her entire life. I would ship them so much more if he just had faith in her being able to defend herself. And I think he does have that to an extent, and he seems to kind of be learning that as the story goes on, but he just comes across a bit too alpha. Which also is fitting to the time period, but come on. It's SCARLET. My other tiny annoyance in this book is the dialect. It's been over a year since I read the first two books, and there I brushed the dialect off as best I could. But I realized while reading Lion Heart why it annoys me - because all it is is writing "were" instead of "was". There are no other aspects to this dialect: no contractions or awkward slang (except for "bits" instead of "breasts"/"privates"). You'd think this would be a relief - some dialect, but not too much, easy enough to ignore. But while reading Lion Heart, I was just wondering, "If that's the extent of the dialect... why bother??" If you do it, commit to it, and go all out. It also didn't make sense, because with Scarlet's new position she's pushed to speak correctly, so sometimes she does say "was", but then other times randomly switches back to "were". There's no pattern to it, so it just didn't make sense in my mind. The last fifty pages, or so, is where this book really truly shines. To be honest, the plot up to that point felt a bit disjointed, and it was hard for me to get a grasp on where the story would end (the trouble with historical fiction: you always want to be a know-it-all about what's going to happen, but (1) it's fiction, and (2) history doesn't "end"). This climax is intense and, personally, quite brutal (Gaughen, you really don't need to kill so many awesome characters ;______;) - but it then transitions to a total slam-bang ending. Everything comes together and I just wanted to cheer because it was so awesome. Scarlet is absolutely one of my favorite characters for life. I do want to have a liiiiiitle bit of a spoilery discussion though, because this book gave me a headcanon that I'm not sure is actually canon but I desperately want it to be. (view spoiler)[Allan and David were totally into each other, right?? I mean, they were arguing and blushing and he batted his hand away that one time.... and I DON'T KNOW because nothing is ever defined, and then THAT ENDING, FOREVER SADS, but I don't usually ship something so hard if it's not real and I desperately want it to be. I get though that within the context that relationship would never be allowed, so it makes sense that it doesn't come out... but AHHH my brain wants it. Headcanon. It happened and it's the most tragic love story ever and I want a deleted scene and/or fanfiction. Plzkthnxbai. (hide spoiler)] Summing Up: Though we had a rough start, with that killer ending, Lion Heart made me a very happy camper indeed. The Scarlet series is exciting, adventurous, intriguing, romantic, intense, and at times brutal, but above all, what I love is how unabashedly feminist it is. It takes skill to write historical fiction in a time so sexist and oppressing to females and then put down the female as the strong heroine while not losing an ounce of believability. I love the Robin Hood folktale, but I believe I love this version even more. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: All Robin Hood fans, but basically everyone. *An electronic review copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
May 09, 2015
|
May 13, 2015
|
Feb 07, 2014
|
Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1408857391
| 9781408857397
| 1408857391
| 4.21
| 34,303
| Jan 27, 2015
| Jan 27, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars It's important to note that I'm sitting down to write my review of The Mime Order roughly three weeks after finishing the book. The reason for 5 stars It's important to note that I'm sitting down to write my review of The Mime Order roughly three weeks after finishing the book. The reason for this is quite simply that I was stunned, speechless, and didn't know how I could possibly convey in words just how amazing this book (and this series) is. How do you do epic perfection justice?? HOWW???? HELP ME, BENNYKINS. [image] OKAY THANK YOU. In the interest of full disclosure, I have met Samantha Shannon and we are Twitter friends. Seriously, she's a super awesome, amazing, generous person, but I don't feel like that should invalidate my opinion that I think she's a truly brilliant writer. I was already impressed with her skill in The Bone Season , but The Mime Order blew me away. From page one, I was sucked into the story, into this wonderfully vivid world that I just can't get enough of, and it never let me go. I don't know what it is, but something about her writing style just captivates me. I could easily lose track of time reading her books, because there's such beautiful subtleties that I could analyze forever. Plenty of post-its found their way into my ARC, and I already want to go back and reread to find even more beautiful passages that I [image] Quite possibly I literally showered my ARC with kisses. Ahem. But a lot of my addiction stems from the beautiful, complex world building. I think one of the biggest weaknesses of the first book (or the only one I could find, really) was that the world was so complex that there were a lot of (necessary) infodumps. Now, with the world established, we can sit back and enjoy it. And woah. It's so richly detailed and immersive. I've seldom really had this feeling that an author has transported me to a completely different place, but The Mime Order did it. The settings are expertly detailed - it felt like I was there. The criminal underworld was so interesting with its power dynamics and social conventions. More politics came into play as well, making it even more intriguing! And history played a role, pretty much making this into an brilliantly plotted alternate history! And, of course, there's the clairvoyance, the Rephaim, and the Netherworld, which I just want to know everything about. Seriously, I can't get enough of this world. It's so impressive. The plot is a very slow build, and some readers may have issues with that. The world building sometimes seems to take dominance over the plot, but that's because that is Samantha Shannon's craftsmanship at work. And it is excellent. She sets up the pieces perfectly, illustrating how her society works and what the significance of the plot is, and then in the end she blows you away. Every single scene is purposeful. There's the obvious moments, with murder, mystery, and scheming, but even the quieter moments are important in the long run. And even if you think it's slow, it's worth it to get to the end - which definitely isn't. [image] But before that, I need to profess my undying love for these characters. Paige has absolutely stolen my heart. She completely sucks me into her point of view. I marvel at her bravery, I admire how carefully she plots against Jaxon, and I'm constantly impressed by how she balances what is morally right with what is accepted. She has her flaws, which make her even more endearing, because in the sense of "hero" stories, she has greatness thrust upon her. She's somewhat of a chosen one but a reluctant one. She gradually grows into that role, conquering her weaknesses and accepting responsibility for all the voyants. Seeing everyone else's inaction motivates her to be the catalyst for change and... I absolutely love that. It's not a given either that she's the strongest ever - though arguably her dreamwalker status makes her the strongest voyant, that power has its vulnerabilities as well, and she has to work on it just like everyone else. And then, of course, there's Warden. Oh Warden. He's wonderfully dark and mysterious, of course, but it's mostly that magical bond between him and Paige that just has me sitting on the edge of my seat any time he's mentioned. His presence makes me get all heart-eyed, and the chemistry between them is electric. I have no words, really. My ship is spectacular. Romance never takes dominance over the story, but it's such a wonderful addition and I just cannot get enough. I wish THAT ONE SCENE didn't fade to black, because vagueness in romance is my enemy, but, well, I could fill in the blanks in my mind - no problem. [image] OH, NO WORRIES, I DID. The secondary characters, while clearly in secondary roles, really create a wonderful cast to support the story. I'm always intrigued by Jaxon Hall, although he can be SO GODDAMN FRUSTRATING at times. Paige and Jaxon clearly butt heads a couple times in The Mime Order, which creates an interesting relationship and power dynamic. I can ponder endlessly about his motivations though - he's such a complex character. Nick is also such a great friend for Paige, and I'm so happy that they are able to be so close in spite of Paige's old crush on him. Bonus points to Nick's ship - because not only are they adorable [image] So. Finally. The ending was absolute stunning perfection. A lot of this book may be slow to some people, but it's building up to something completely amazing. You want an action-packed battle? The Mime Order delivers. And damn, it was thrilling and vivid, and it brilliantly incorporated physical and mental strength. Paige fights with everything she's got - and she's not completely invulnerable, so you best believe I was on the edge of my seat, scared for her. It was a roller-coaster ride, and I couldn't let go of the book anymore until I'd finally finished it. But even when you think it's over, Samantha Shannon has one last twist up her sleeve. It's not exactly a cliffhanger, but it's the perfect kind of ending. One last reveal to send you reeling. I actually sat there, jaw dropped, just staring at the last sentences for a while. In the following days, I kept thinking about it - what a game changer it is and what it meant for the series. It gave me chills. I know Samantha had to rewrite that ending about 8 times, but I can say with full certainty that SHE FUCKING NAILED IT. The extra wait was worth it. Perfection. Absolute perfection. Can I have book 3 now please? asdfjkl;asdjfkl;asdjfkl; [image] Summing Up: Samantha Shannon has done it again - and I would even say she's outdone herself, because I liked The Mime Order even more than I already loved The Bone Season . She writes pure magic, and her world building and plotting show such careful, expert craftsmanship that I'm an addict and I need more. Paige and Warden are so freaking dear to my heart, with all their flaws, complexities, and that undeniable chemistry. I'm fully invested in this series, so the fact that there are still FIVE more books to come might even sound like not enough to me, but okay. No matter what, I'm sure Samantha Shannon has a bright writing career ahead of her, and I'll be picking up ANYTHING she puts out. They may be extremely chunky books, with slow builds and long wait times in between, but so far I can say it is so worth it. I hope I even somewhat did this book justice and have convinced you guys to definitely put it on your to-read lists. If you're a fan of complex world building, excellent characters that get you rooting for them, and wonderfully vivid writing, you won't regret it. [image] GIF it to me straight! Dear Samantha, [image] Recommended To: My mind says fans of Libba Bray, Laini Taylor, and/or any kind of complex, dark fantasy; my heart says EVERYONEEEEEEE. *ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Oct 25, 2014
|
Oct 30, 2014
|
Nov 28, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 054762834X
| 9780547628349
| 054762834X
| 3.89
| 106,595
| Apr 03, 2012
| Apr 03, 2012
|
really liked it
|
4.5 stars Grave Mercy and indeed the His Fair Assassin trilogy is one of those super hyped up YA series that I sort of never really considered until an 4.5 stars Grave Mercy and indeed the His Fair Assassin trilogy is one of those super hyped up YA series that I sort of never really considered until an explosion of hype seemed to appear last year. That one's on me. Whyyyy did I not pick this up earlier?? I absolutely adored this historical fiction with light touches of fantasy and amazing, amazing characters. Grave Mercy, you've probably heard, is about assassin nuns. Our main character, Ismae, ends up at a convent for St. Mortain, the god of death. Mortain is supposedly her father, so she trains in all manner of weapons and poisons to do his bidding. She sees people marqued by Death and carries out those orders unquestionably. Now, that premise might make this book sound really dark and death-heavy, and that certainly was kind of what I had thought beforehand. But, then Duval shows up. Duval, Duval, my love, Duval. Duval is a guard for the Duchess, and he brings news of the court being in peril. Likely, Anne has a traitor in her midst, while the French are threatening war and the councilors are rushing to get her married off. Ismae ends up pretending to be Duval's mistress to uncover the traitors at court and protect the Duchess - and keep Brittany safe. Yeah. Hold the phone. How come nobody told me this was essentially a fake dating book? Albeit in a very different form. But the trope stands and is supported by how Duval and Ismae definitely don't get along at first. The banter is absolutely fantastic. I was shipping it so freaking soon, and all throughout the book, there were just those tiny moments of swoon. Historical fiction is all about finding the romantic subtext, and although Ismae was pretty quick to realize her feelings (though she maybe didn't want to admit them), the chemistry was palpable. This was just... omg. It's my everything. Please give me more historical romance like this. But let's not get carried away - romance is but a subplot of this story. Ismae is such a badass assassin, and her voice just instantly absorbed me into this story. The plots at court were fun to unravel, and though I may have been a bit quicker in the discoveries than Ismae, it was an intriguing story that I think accurately captured how courtly politics worked back in the 1400s. Everyone has their own motives and with a young royal who is guided by a governess, a brother, a privy council, it's interesting to see how all of that clashes. Add in Ismae's growing doubts about her convent and her purpose in life, and it's also very much a character growth story. And I love how Duval is such a supporting character for that. He really challenges her beliefs and gets her to question some things that she'd accepted as resolute facts. They make each other so much better, omg please hold me. The rest of the supporting characters were also so delightful and fleshed out. Annith stole my heart, so I can't wait to see more of her later in the series. Beast and De Lornay, Duval's trusty companions, also made me smile with their banter. (Although, that ending... AH.) Anne and her little sister were so adorable, although it was hard for me to constantly remember that Anne is only 10 or 11 years old. She comes across much older and wiser. Where Grave Mercy loses a few points are a couple of things that happen at the end of the book. There's a certain romantic scene that was just too vague. I'm pretty cool with sex in books, in fact I love it, and I get that in YA it can be hard to remain in the realm of acceptability while still providing enough clarity that you do in fact know what's going on. Yeah, LaFevers didn't really manage it here - at least not for me. The scene was just too vague and faded to black way too quickly, so I wasn't really swooning at all. And other than that, the ending just felt extremely rushed. I didn't really understand the time leaps and how certain things seemed to indicate everything was suddenly okay, even though the war was very much still in full swing. But I suppose that just means that I need to pick up the sequel ASAP. Summing Up: I wish I had listened to everyone a heck of a lot sooner, because Grave Mercy is indeed amazing. I fell so hard for these characters, this romance, and this plot... I enjoyed every minute. Towards the end, I was so absorbed, I just could not stop reading. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. It's brilliant, and I can't wait to pick up the sequel. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Fans of historical fiction, bantery romances, courtly politics, assassins. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Feb 16, 2015
|
Feb 19, 2015
|
Nov 08, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0765335344
| 9780765335340
| 0765335344
| 4.20
| 262,483
| Sep 24, 2013
| Sep 24, 2013
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars For as long as I can remember, a book with an "evil" main character, or anti-hero, has been on the very top of my reading wishlist. (We'll igno 5 stars For as long as I can remember, a book with an "evil" main character, or anti-hero, has been on the very top of my reading wishlist. (We'll ignore the glaringly idiotic fact that I had this book on my shelf for more than a year and a half and didn't read it.) Vicious burst into the world with no small amount of hype, so it was somewhat daunting to read it, but boy am I glad I did. This book will be on my favorites shelf for years. Vicious takes all the superhero movies you ever loved and twists them into something far more complex. In this science fiction/urban fantasy novel, two intelligent-as-hell college students discover that it is actually possible for a normal human to become ExtraOrdinary (an EO) following a near death experience. It's a premise that is rooted in science - about the body's will to survive - and the "gift" each EO gets is tailored to the manner of their almost demise. However, simply discovering this fact is not enough for Victor and Eli. The discovery of this kind of power leads to the ambition to seize it for themselves. While the plot of Vicious is thrilling for sure, for me this book is all about the characters. They're so wonderfully flawed and complex! Victor is ambitious, selfish, and not just a little egotistical. He pretty much despises the world around him. However, he owns those flaws. He acknowledges them, and when push comes to shove he does have a pretty strong moral compass. Eli is the one you would first think of as kind, intelligent, and benevolent, but he's just as proud and conceited as Victor. He just keeps that side of him buried down deep - though Victor can spot it through the cracks in his facade. When the two of them are both superpowered and have a falling out (to put it in the lightest way possible), their views on justice completely diverge. It's not a battle of good vs evil that follows. It's not black and white. It's twenty thousand shades of gray and revenge on top of revenge on top of revenge - and that's what makes this book so interesting to read and then to discuss. (Incidentally this was a book club pick and it led to an excellent discussion.) [image] Obviously I have to draw the parallel to one of my favorite manga and anime series Death Note. Death Note also has an anti-hero protagonist, and it's so delightfully complex because you gradually see him going on a downward spiral. Power corrupts, for sure, and though Light first decides to kill people he deems "evil" and absolutely does some good for the world, as time passes the lines blur and the question is raised... who dubbed him judge, jury, and executioner? The conflict is similar in Vicious though also more intricate and complex because both Victor and Eli arguably do terrible things - and that makes me like it even better. The storytelling takes a little getting used to here. The voices are strong and the characterizations are absolutely excellent, but there are a lot of jumps in both perspective and time. You see Victor's point of view pretty consistently throughout the book, but it starts by alternating between the present day and 10 years ago. When necessary, Eli gets a point of view as well, and other supporting characters later sporadically get a voice too. Then there are more time jumps again. Ordinarily, this could confuse and overwhelm me, but Schwab is a master storyteller. Every switch, every jump adds something to the story. It never gets confusing and instead just pushes you to keep reading because you want to understand all these aspects, all these characters and their motivations, all their back stories. The blurb on the cover, "A killer from page one," is pretty much the best description ever. I never wanted to stop reading - it was interesting, intense, and action-packed. Obviously I love this book a lot. I love the big moral questions it raises. I love all the depth in both the characters and the overall story. I loved the exciting, intense action scenes. I love that Schwab made me fall so deeply in love with a character that is very obviously not a very good guy. Victor got me rooting for him, because though he is ambitious and condescending to the world, his voice is so strong, and he will fight for what's right (or, at least, what he deems right - whether you agree with him or not is another issue). When he accidentally finds himself caring for his 12-year-old sidekick (and her adorable dog), it completely stole my heart. Mitch, his other sidekick and loyal friend, also grew on me. I just love every part of this book, okay? (Except that there's no sequel. *sobs*) Summing Up: For once I can with full certainty and confidence confirm that the hype train did not lie. Vicious is absolutely epic. It's the anti-hero story I always wanted in my life. These characters, though all are within the gray area on the morality scale, completely stole my heart. The story was gripping, complex, and intense; I couldn't stop reading it. I was left thinking about these themes and conflicts for weeks. Victoria Schwab is one of the most talented authors I have ever read, and I am pretty much certainly going to read all of her books from now until the end of time. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: EVERYONE. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
May 23, 2015
|
May 25, 2015
|
Oct 18, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 147676459X
| 9781476764597
| 147676459X
| 4.17
| 209,766
| Oct 29, 2013
| Oct 29, 2013
|
really liked it
|
4 stars Hyperbole and a Half is probably my favorite non-bookish blog out there. Allie Brosh is just a genius in her posts, and many of the feeling 4 stars Hyperbole and a Half is probably my favorite non-bookish blog out there. Allie Brosh is just a genius in her posts, and many of the feelings she expresses in her stories are very relatable. So when I heard a while back that she was getting a book published, I was all kinds of excited. When I saw it was on NetGalley, my excitement increased tenfold. Then I got approved... oh man, you should have seen the look on my face. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened has a beautifully creative long title that immediately hints to the kind of whimsical humor you find in this book. Particularly the stories about the simple dog and the helper dog had me giggling madly on the train. That may have generated a few odd looks in my direction, but I was honestly enjoying the book far too much to care, or even notice. Stories of Allie's childhood (i.e. The God of Cake and The Hot Sauce Debacle) are also brilliant installments and just so enjoyable to read. But while I love the whimsical, lighter tales that have me giggling, what I love most about Allie's stories is how honest and real they are. Adventures in Depression Part 1 and Depression Part 2 are two stories that I definitely connect with and think that many others who have ever felt depressed can connect with too. I love those because of the way that Allie can express feelings I've had which I thought were indescribable, plain and simple. Honestly, if I ever need to describe those feelings to people again, I'm just going to shove this book in their face and be like, "READ THIS. IT IS A THING. IT DESCRIBES MY LIFE." Similar praise goes to Identity Part 1 and Identity Part 2. Just brilliant. If you don't know, this book is a collection of some of her most popular posts and some new stories. I'm not exactly sure which ones had been on the blog before, as I haven't read everything, but I was super excited to see my favorite of her posts, This is Why I'll Never Be an Adult, in the book. The only thing that's kind of sad is that the stories are not connected in any way, and there's no kind of timeline either to really be able to place them. But I mean, if you follow the blog, you know that's how she writes. I still enjoyed it immensely. Summing Up: With the awesome full color pages and illustrations we know and love, anyone that has been a fan of the blog must go and buy the book. It was just an absolute joy to read, and with the illustrations it was definitely a quick read as well. But this is just a great book to have on the shelves that you can pull out when you need a few giggles or when you just need to know you're not alone. And it's much more fun in book form, I think, than scrolling endlessly through the blog. I dearly hope that there will be more books, to make this a series, because I will definitely go out and buy all of them. GIF it to me straight! [image] Read this book instead! Recommended To: Anyone in the mood for giggles! ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Oct 08, 2013
|
Oct 09, 2013
|
Oct 05, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0385741774
| 9780385741774
| 0385741774
| 3.69
| 16,746
| Nov 13, 2012
| Nov 13, 2012
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars When I went to London, I was extremely excited to explore the bookstores there. I *may* have created a list beforehand of books I wished most t 5 stars When I went to London, I was extremely excited to explore the bookstores there. I *may* have created a list beforehand of books I wished most to pick up there. See, I wanted my London book haul to be special, so I wanted to pick up books that were either (a) a UK edition I preferred over the US edition, (b) written by a British author, or (c) set in London/England. When I stood in the bookstores with my list in hand, I quickly realized there was one book I wanted above all others: Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill. And it was nowhere to be found. *sobs* Why did I want it so badly? Well, it was a contemporary set in London, and it had that *gorgeous* cover. I didn't know *much* else about it except the fact that it seemed to be pretty well liked by friends of mine. I don't read reviews of books I'm planning on reading, so yeah. So once I arrived home without a shiny, lovely copy of Meant to Be, I immediately ordered it. Then it arrived. I started reading it and within 15 pages I knew I was in love and this would be an absolute favorite of mine. When I finished, my assumption was proven correct. I loved this book. Loved. It came to me at just the right time, because I desperately needed some fluff. And this is fluff at its finest. Don't expect a really deep, life-changing kind of contemporary - just tons of fun with some great characters. Honestly, I don't have a single complaint. I loved every minute of this book. So our main character in Meant to Be is Julia, the type A, obsessive compulsive control freak, semi-sheltered, intelligent high school student. Immediately I fell in love. I saw so much of myself in Julia. We instantly connected because I understood her thought process perfectly. I just giggled along with all of her narrations. It was brilliant. She's a flawed character but so lovable. Just great! (And she's a bookworm and a swimmer like me, I mean, seriously.) So Julia goes on a school trip to London and is stuck with students whose main priorities are shopping and drinking. None of her friends could make the trip, so she's pretty much on her own. Then she gets stuck with the popular and obnoxious boy, Jason, as her trip buddy - with the instruction that they're basically not allowed to leave each other's side. Can you feel it coming? Oh yes, ladies and gentlemen. It's hate-to-love romance at its absolute finest. Jason made me giggle constantly. And though he exhibits the hot-cold attitude that might annoy me in other books, I could just tell the sincerity of his words and actions when he was actually being nice to Julia. Julia is on a mission to find her MTB, "Meant To Be", and Jason decides to "help" her along the way, despite him ardently insisting that there is no such thing. So they get up to shenanigans and there are some amazingly heartfelt and touching scenes. From tackling each other in a museum to awesome banter to dancing in a bookstore to that first kiss... their romance was absolutely amazing and I was addicted. This book was just a wonderful, happy adventure. We saw some of the highlights of London, which I now know quite well. Lauren Morrill takes some of my absolute favorite tropes and made me fall in love with them all over again. And then there was the ending. It was just perfect. The. Freaking. Perfect. Ending. I honestly was sitting there squealing, and I had tears in my eyes because I was so happy. It gave me all the feels. All of them. It was just a great depiction of the perception of love in high school and the necessary disillusionment. While Julia's character growth in this novel wasn't monumental, and, like I said, it's not a life-changing story, it was extremely heartfelt and realistic, and above all, super super cute. Summing Up: I can't praise this book enough. Honestly, it was precisely what I needed right now, and, yeah, absolutely no complaints. Lauren Morrill's ability to stay true to life, lift my spirits, and simultaneously make me fall so deeply in love with characters, means I will definitely be checking out Being Sloane Jacobs when it comes out in January 2014. I have great expectations! And definitely check out Meant to Be whenever you're in need of some more fluff in your life. Fluff doesn't get better than this. GIF it to me straight! [image] In the best possible way. Recommended To: People in the mood for squealing, flailing, and feels. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Nov 17, 2013
|
Nov 19, 2013
|
Sep 28, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1907411003
| 9781907411007
| 1907411003
| 3.58
| 5,763
| May 24, 2012
| May 24, 2012
|
it was amazing
|
*Reread in November 2013 - still great. 5 stars I'm pretty sure we all know the quote, "We read to know we are not alone," by C.S. Lewis. That sums up w *Reread in November 2013 - still great. 5 stars I'm pretty sure we all know the quote, "We read to know we are not alone," by C.S. Lewis. That sums up what this book means to me. This book is the closest that has ever come to being a reflection of me and my life up to now. It is so relatable, and when I find books like that, I start crying. Needless to say, this book is an all-time favorite for me - one of the most special books I have ever read. However, not everyone will have that reaction to this book. So I'm going to try to point out the merits aside from how this is such a great reflection of me, and then I'll get to the validation-of-my-life-story parts after that. Adorkable is adorable. HA. I thought I might as well get that out of the way first of all. If you're a blogger, you will have an instant connection to Jeane, because I feel like all of us are to a certain extent outsiders in our real life worlds. But at the same time, through blogging and through Twitter and such, we've found like minded people who are spread far and wide but who definitely mean something. If you've felt that discrepancy between online life and real life, between your online personality and your real life personality, between how people see you in real life and how they see you online - you need to read Adorkable, because it hits the nail on the head. Both main characters I absolutely loved. Jeane, I already mentioned, the blogger, is eccentric and at times horribly stuck up and conceited. But at the same time, you can feel that there's much more to her than that. When she's defensive and closed off, you know there's something else to the story. I related to that part a lot, and I'll get to that later. But Jeane does send a great message about owning who you are and not apologizing for that, about finding your own voice and making it loud and clear, and about standing for something and being independent. Michael, the popular boy who "hates" her, is just a winner. He comes off as quite abrasive at first, in his ignorance, but he really quickly grows from that. He's just a truly caring, golden boy. His devotion and attentiveness to others really made me swoon. To be honest though, I swooned from his first mention. [image] Adorkable is told from the alternating perspectives of Jeane and Michael. Usually I don't like alternating perspectives at all, but this is probably my favorite book that's done that so far. The two personalities are extremely distinctive, and due to their circumstances (the love-hate thing) you need that look into their inner thoughts. It's hilarious when they're oblivious to each other's feelings and intentions. They also contradict themselves in their narrations every once in a while, which becomes clear when it switches perspectives again. It's a very unique writing style that is absolutely absorbing. You really get to know two fleshed out characters very well and see development on both sides, as they learn from each other. Authors, if you want to do alternating perspectives, read this book. This is how you make it convincing. So I know you're wondering about that romance. This may be my favorite written romance ever. I'm thinking now if I have a bookish (canon) couple that tops it, and I'm not sure I do. You'll probably know I'm a huge fan of love-hate relationships, and this one hit all the right notes. The chemistry was astounding. There will be involuntary flailing and squealing - you have been warned. Sarra uses all the right tropes, like the kiss-you-to-shut-you-up thing, and seriously, that's one device that will definitely make me like your book. Then the transitions in and development of the relationship, the ups and downs, it was all very real, absorbing, and addictive. AND HOT. VERY HOT. I just loved every minute of it, and I don't know how to make that more clear. A GIF? Sure. As a matter of fact, I have the perfect one. [image] But let's wrap this up so it's not entirely a novel of a review. If you read my extremely long and personal post of last week and related to it or had massive feels because of it, read this book. Because we're now to the part about how this book relates to me. It's my life story. All of the feelings I poured into that post last week were also in this book, along with more things. How Jeane is as a person is extremely close to how I am - except that I'm a little less abrasive (I hope) and I don't dress quite as crazily. I won't rehash last week's post, because I'm trying to keep this short, but I've felt like an outsider all of my life, I've been shunned and looked down on by my mother, of course I am also a blogger, and I'm extremely defensive. I don't really let people close to me too easily for fear of getting hurt. I keep myself busy so that I don't have to think about complicated feelings. I avoid confrontation like it's the end of the world. So I understood a lot of Jeane's behavior that other readers might not. Honestly though, the kicker was this scene towards the end of the book, [spoiler]where Jeane ends up alone on Christmas day and comes to the realization that she has absolutely nowhere to go, and when shit hits the fan, there's no one for her to call either.[/spoiler] If I wasn't in the car, reading this, with a colleague next to me, I would have been bawling. If I had been at home reading this, I would have just laid down on the floor and curled up into a ball. (Yeah, I do that sometimes, no judging.) Why? I've had that exact experience. I know exactly how that feels. And that all just came rushing back. I'm honestly almost in tears as I'm typing this. Experiences like that suck and hopefully most people don't know how that feels. You may not relate to it as well as I did, but know that that scene and the underlying emotions were right on the mark. Summing Up: I didn't know anything about this book when I picked it up. I had never heard of it, but it was at Boekenfestijn, a Dutch book fair, for, I think, 2 euros. I quickly read the back and instantly knew this was for me. As such it was the first of the 9 books I bought at Boekenfestijn that I read. I expected it to be enjoyable and that I would have a few laughs, but I never expected it to be a book that would be so dear to my heart. It's by far the best spent 2 euros of my life. I loved everything about this book. I have an everything-I-wanted shelf on Goodreads, and this definitely has a spot on there. From the two awesome main characters, their depth, growth, witty banter, and awesome romance, to the great British humor and pop culture references, to the themes of finding your own voice and celebrating your uniqueness, to the relatable scenes that had me crying, to the perfect ending... I honestly don't have a single complaint. I mean, look at this massive review, and I still feel like I'm not doing this book justice. (I barely even talked about the plot, EEP.) asdfjkl; If it were up to me, everyone in the world would be required to read this. Anyone who wants to have an understanding of who I am as a person needs to read this book. It covers all the pain and insecurities I had in high school and college, and it aptly had me tearing up at those parts. However, it's also an inspiration to me. An inspiration in that I need to just be me and feel confident and reassured in that. It's also a reaffirmation of the love in this blogging community, and it has motivated me to keep blogging and expanding my life here. I'm going to own the fact that I'm a blogger, and I'm never going to be ashamed of that or hide that from others. To top it all off, it's given me a lot more ideas and goals that I want to accomplish as a blogger - so look forward to that! This is not just a Debby Book. This is the Debby Book. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Anyone who related to my very long and personal post, all bloggers, and basically everyone. ...Yeah. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
2
|
not set
Sep 10, 2013
|
Nov 2013
Sep 17, 2013
|
Sep 08, 2013
|
Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| 1619636042
| 9781619636040
| 4.61
| 954,441
| Sep 01, 2015
| Sep 01, 2015
|
it was amazing
|
5 stars Roughly one year after its release, I finally got around to Queen of Shadows. To say that the hype surrounding this series is intimidating at t 5 stars Roughly one year after its release, I finally got around to Queen of Shadows. To say that the hype surrounding this series is intimidating at times would be a massive understatement. And though I remembered absolutely loving the previous books, my hatred for hype scared me off for a while. But I dove in, doing a full series reread and getting to Queen of Shadows riding my full tidal wave of feels - and that was a very good decision indeed. Rereading definitely helped me so much. I mean, this is a massive series, the books are getting steadily more chunky, and there's just so much to this world. There's really nothing in the books that feels insignificant - and indeed, a lot of the little details in the previous books get way more significance in this one. So even though a series reread took over most of my month, I did not regret it one bit. Aelin is officially here and she kicks ass. Seriously, I already loved her so much for being so fierce, smart, and sometimes - frankly - arrogant. After the events of Heir of Fire she's definitely changed, and she's practically a whole new person. Indeed, Celaena is gone. And we are left with a queen - noble, honorable, and self-sacrificing. Though you can still see the remnants of Celaena in there. It's just, Aelin is one of the most complex characters I've encountered in any book or any series, and I absolutely love her for it. She undergoes so much growth, and you really travel through those phases together with her, so you know exactly what she's going through. I just. I have the most intense girl crush. But who really steals my heart? Rowan. I already had intense Rowan feels in Heir of Fire , but I swear, I was spontaneously combusting all over the place in Queen of Shadows. He's just so sexy. And cool. And strong. And it is 100% my ship. (Chaol who the fuck?) And the feels were intense, and I'm not even going to lie about it, but that was my primary driver to get through this book ASAP. My heart was on FIRE. I put so many sticky notes in my book so I can reread those passages over and over again. AND I NEVER DO THAT. So considering how much of a shippy person I already am, this is like big news. Rowaelin is getting to serious OTP levels for me. It's like hate-to-allies-to-best-friends-to-lovers and OMG IT'S LIKE IT WAS MADE FORE ME. [image] Story-wise, so much happens in this book. There are different "acts" with big battles or conflicts, and those scenes are so heartstopping and thrilling. Action-packed. And all things considered, though the characters get into mortal peril multiple times, this is definitely one of the happier books in the series till now. With Aelin in position as a queen, reassembling her court, accompanied by fierce allies, all their plans and plots are really well thought out and carefully crafted. Some readers may be annoyed that there are no major setbacks for them, but considering there's still two books to go and four books before that were by far not as happy, I thought it was a nice switch that they deserved. Chaol can go die in a fire. That's really all I have to say to that douche. I recognize that he grew up a bit by the end, but he's so dumb and MEAN before that in this book. Ugh. Loser. Manon got a little better in this book. I still care significantly less about her storyline, but I understand that it's important to the story. And in this book, she started growing up a little into the right direction as well. And I loved when her path crossed with Aelin's. Epic. It makes me really excited as to where this series is going. Summing Up: Queen of Shadows in three words: FREAKING LOVED IT. Honestly, it happens so rarely that there's a book over 600 pages that I just can't get enough of. That I read with such a speed, sacrificing all my evenings, so that I get through it in just five days. I had all of the feels. All of them. Seriously, all of them. I'm completely in love with Aelin, Rowan, THOSE TWO TOGETHER, and the epic level to which this series has ascended. It is an all-time favorite. For real. GIF it to me straight! [image] [image] Recommended To: ALL fantasy fans. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Sep 25, 2016
|
Sep 29, 2016
|
Aug 11, 2013
|
Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1619630656
| 9781619630659
| 4.46
| 1,072,894
| Sep 02, 2014
| Sep 02, 2014
|
really liked it
|
First read: August 2014 Second read: September 2016 - I think I'm definitively jumping ship now... ROWAN IS EVERYTHINGGGGGGG. 4 stars Sarah J. Maas deliv First read: August 2014 Second read: September 2016 - I think I'm definitively jumping ship now... ROWAN IS EVERYTHINGGGGGGG. 4 stars Sarah J. Maas delivers again with Heir of Fire, the third installment in a high fantasy series that is turning out to be one of my absolute favorites. At 565 pages, this book is HUGE - but I loved it and almost wish it were longer so I could have stayed in that world. And I know this book hasn't even been released yet, but can I has the next one plz? I'm only slightly addicted. Heir of Fire is what I'll fondly call the character and world building installment of the Throne of Glass series, because seriously. Sarah J. Maas steps it up and delivers an absolutely stunning world and gives amazing depth to truly unique characters. Celaena, now unveiled as a Fae, trains to control her fire magic, while she also struggles with the demons of her past. Through flashbacks and dreams, we finally learn about the horrors Celaena went through 10 years ago, and I felt like I got to know her so much better. She's such a complex character, with so much depth, and I can't imagine anyone reading those passages and not feeling immense sympathy. She's flawed and at times selfish, but she owns that, and she makes great strides in character growth by the end of this book. But anyway, I LOVE the magic. Love the Fae, the demi-Fae, the fortress where she trains, the places she visits across the sea. The training she goes through, with different trials and different tests, while also slowly unveiling a horrifying string of murders of demi-Fae, were all described in such glorious detail... I feel like Maas has finally come into her own - and thinking back to the previous installments in the series, her writing has become that much more impressive. I was immersed in this world and I never wanted to leave. It reminded me of all the fantasy greats - The Lord of the Rings, A Game of Thrones - you name it, Heir of Fire is on par. But of course, Celaena doesn't go through these trials on her own. She meets Rowan, a Fae prince, who is tasked with training her until her magic is deemed good enough to warrant a meeting with the Fae Queen, Maeve - who holds the answers to the many mysteries surrounding the Wyrdkeys. Rowan is basically my everything. He's super mysterious and starts off completely silent and cold. Slowly but surely, however, within these 560+ pages, he completely stole my heart. He has so much depth; which is logical, as he's lived for centuries and seen many horrible wars and deaths. After a very rough start to their relationship, however, Celaena finds in him a kindred spirit. He just understands her and doesn't back down when she's being her wonderfully snarly self. How their friendship develops is just the most beautiful thing - so heartfelt and emotional - and I liked that it just stayed a friendship. Look at this guys! A girl and a guy as just friends, despite both being extremely attractive, unattached, and powerful. I will say though that I raised some serious eyebrow at all the times they had "silent" conversations. They would have entire back-and-forths exchanged in looks... but there is no psychic bond or anything that I can tell. It felt a little odd and corny at times. BUT WHATEVER, they're the best dream team ever. [image] But don't worry, I'm not forgetting about everyone's love - Chaol. Chaol is still in Rifthold, where he finds out what he can about Celaena, the rebellion against the king, and the spell that took magic away. We also see some of Dorian, who is struggling with controlling (and hiding) his newly discovered magical powers - and he meets a true sweetheart who eases his burdens, Sorscha. I loved seeing their romance blossom so subtly and sweetly, though we didn't see too much of it. Sorscha could maybe have been developed a bit more, because she seems a bit one-dimensional at times. (view spoiler)[Though, you know, that would have made it even more freaking painful in the end, so I'm okay =/ (hide spoiler)] A new character also comes to court: Aedion, Celaena's cousin, now a general in the king's army. He's a bit mysterious and at times I questioned him, but knowing the history between him and Aelin, I grew to like him as well. The Rifthold scenes really worked to give more background about the world and the politics, which I am always rather a fan of. The careful planning of the rebellion would appeal to any dystopian fans for sure. The sad thing about this book, which could possibly disappoint many fans, is that there is very little romance involved - aside from Dorian's mini-romance. Celaena and Chaol are still hung up on each other, but they both have so much else to worry about that they're not pining. However, I appreciated it in the long run. It would have been so easy to make Rowan the new opposite angle in a love triangle. The book could have fallen victim to the trap of YA to have moany passages about being separated from your lover. But these characters are just too fierce for that. And it makes their relationship stronger and more real, I feel. But I'm not going to lie - I am dying for Celaena and Chaol to be reunited, though I can tell it's not going to be easy. For all my gushing, though, the book is seriously lengthy, and at times it feels like not much is happening. After finishing and looking back, I can recognize that every scene and action was in fact important, but it just felt slow at times. My biggest hesitance is all the scenes with Manon, a fierce new character, a witch who is being trained to fight for the king. She and her coven are assembled with rival witch clans to ride wyverns, so that in the coming war, the king will have an extra deadly force. Though I appreciated seeing her bond with her wyvern, Abraxos, and being introduced to this new race that will play an important role later on, it felt a bit out of place and didn't really lead anywhere yet. This became especially apparent when Celaena and Rowan have massive, intense battle, and Manon doesn't get any more chapters for over a hundred pages - and I didn't even really notice or care. It was jarring to suddenly come back to her after all that time. While I cared for Celaena and Rowan and the party in Rifthold, I did not care so much for Manon; and while this is often the case with epic fantasies with many characters, the switches between the storylines felt a bit imbalanced. The last 40 pages, however, bring sucker punch after sucker punch. To anyone who dislikes the pacing, I'd say just hang in there. Seriously, those last few pages were intense, and there were multiple instances of me yelling, "NONONONONONONOOOOOOOO!" at the book in my hands. Everything just came together: these beautiful diverse characters with all their bravery had somehow, unbeknownst to me really, wormed their ways into my heart, and I just CARED SO MUCH. The world, with all of Celaena's back story finally revealed, brilliantly came to life, and I was just left with the desire for more. Summing Up: I won't lead you on: Heir of Fire is definitely an intermediary novel. Though there are some epic battles and intensely emotional twists, most of the book is focused on character and relationship development (and not the romantic kind), while also revealing more about the world. But it never felt infodumpy, and though it is long and sometimes slow, I was never truly bored. These characters completely hold my heart, and I am extremely invested in their stories. Maas's writing has infinitely improved, and she reassured me again that NO ONE IS SAFE - which is both terrifying and exciting. I cannot wait to see where this series goes next - it's really shaping up to be one of my all-time favorites. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: All epic/high fantasy fans!! *ARC received at BEA in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of my review. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
2
|
not set
Aug 11, 2014
|
Sep 2016
Aug 16, 2014
|
Aug 11, 2013
|
Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1619633612
| 9781619633612
| 1619633612
| 4.22
| 750,432
| Mar 04, 2014
| Mar 04, 2014
|
really liked it
|
4.5 stars I've been a fan of the Throne of Glass series for a long time, but I had always skipped the novellas... till now. I'm just not always a n 4.5 stars I've been a fan of the Throne of Glass series for a long time, but I had always skipped the novellas... till now. I'm just not always a novella person - I'm naturally skeptical about how much they add if they were cut from the actual books for a reason. Well. This is probably the best collection of novellas I've ever read, and I think they definitely add to the series in a positive way. The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: 4.5/5 This was a fantastic way to dive back into the Throne of Glass universe. It instantly reminded me of everything I love about Celaena - her arrogance, her fierceness, her strong morals. And hey, I'm finally getting to know Sam... and I'm liking what I'm seeing. Seriously, they have such an interesting dynamic, and he is hella charming. This is one of the better novellas I've read till now (for all kinds of series) because though it's not strictly speaking vital to read to enjoy the series, it has a strong self-contained adventure that serves a clear purpose. A nice glimpse of Celaena's life back when it was arguably somewhat less complicated that gives an indication of her character and conviction. Not too much depth and damn I could have used a romantic flutter, but I'll let that go. [image] The Assassin and the Healer: 3.5/5 So this story actually continues from where the previous one left off, but it's more of an in-between story. While Celaena is on her way to the desert for her punishment in the form of training with the Silent Assassins, she stops off in Innish to wait for a boat. There she encounters a healer who is stuck working at a crappy inn, and she finds a kind of kindred spirit in her. While I enjoyed the story (because quite frankly, I will drool over any moment of Celaena being cool), this is the kind of novella you could easily skip and never miss out on. Then again, maybe Yrene will return at some point in the series, and in that case, having this origin story may be quite nice. The Assassin and the Desert: 4/5 In the next installment of Celaena's adventures, she's out in the Red Desert, training with the Silent Assassins. This is another complete story arc, to be honest. It's a new setting, you meet some new characters (who, again, I feel could also show up later in the series), and you definitely get a glimpse of another area of Erilea and learn a bit more about the complicated political dynamics in this world. What I love most though is that Celaena is still such a badass. Like I honestly got giggly about how awesome she is in this story. What was a bit heavy handed in this story was Celaena's continually recurring thoughts to Sam. Like I could feel the building romantic tension without that, so to have her thinking of him so often was kind of unnecessary? But since at this point I did already ship them, I didn't mind that too much. Perhaps my favorite parts of this story were the awesome action scenes. Honestly, the movements are all described so fluidly that I could basically see it all in my mind - as if it were a movie - and it was an absolute breeze to read through. The Assassin and the Underworld: 4.5/5 It's what I was waiting for: Celaena is back in Rifthold... and so is Sam. I mean, I'm not always 100% focused on romance, but the tension was building so much that I was desperate for this ship to actually set sail. And it did. And it was glorious. Sam is just so pure and good. But also fierce. I also love this story because it shows that Celaena is a kickass assassin, but she can also be a total girly girl. Those things are NOT mutually exclusive. She gets so excited about dresses, jewelry, perfumes - you name it... and she wears those things only for herself, not to impress others or as a cover on her assassin missions... She just loves it. And then, you know, she can kill you. There's an interesting mission in this one, and some intriguing deception that I kind of saw coming, but it sure made for a compelling read. [image] The Assassin and the Empire: 4.5/5 Oh god. Here's where the heartbreak comes. Seriously, I feel emotionally violated. But then again, having read Throne of Glass , I absolutely 100% knew that this was coming. But still, to know the exact details of when, where, and how... Ouch. To be honest, as a novella, this one has it all. And if you only want to read one of these, read this one. There's romance, hope, betrayal, action, intensity, and heartbreak. And once again, you get a better understanding of Celaena as a person. This was a vital moment in her past that undoubtedly shaped who she is for the rest of her life. So maybe she was a bit naive about a certain thing (or a couple of things) and I was yelling at the book, "NO! BAD IDEA! STOP!" But it makes sense. She had a youthful moment of hope, and freedom seemed so close... Sadly she just is proven how messed up and dark the world truly is. But I love her. So much. Such a complex, amazing character. Summing Up: Wow. I did not expect to love a collection of novellas this much, but The Assassin's Blade is outstanding. The five stories actually flow directly into each other and together tell the tale of the events that got Celaena to where she is at the beginning of Throne of Glass . Together, they actually work as a complete novel. There's some world building as Celaena visits other areas of Erilea, and there's a lot of character development. You definitely get to know Celaena on a much deeper level by reading these stories... and basically I just fell completely in love with her (again) because of them. And Sam... oh Sam. I'm not the biggest fan of novellas, so please believe me when I tell you that I 100% advocate for these stories. They're exciting, enlightening, beautifully written, and truly impressive. Not completely vital to the series, but a definite positive addition. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: All fans of the series! ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Sep 06, 2016
|
Sep 11, 2016
|
Aug 11, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 0575130407
| 9780575130401
| 0575130407
| 3.77
| 20,089
| Sep 19, 2013
| Sep 26, 2013
|
it was amazing
|
First read: May 2014 Second read: March-April 2016 - and STILL SO GOOD. 5 stars The Falconer is... whoa. Just WHOA. This is a debut? Are you kidding me? First read: May 2014 Second read: March-April 2016 - and STILL SO GOOD. 5 stars The Falconer is... whoa. Just WHOA. This is a debut? Are you kidding me? I'm addicted, I loved every second, and I want more. First point of love in this beautiful book with its lovely cover is the unstoppably fierce main character, Aileanna. Holy crap do I love Aileanna. She takes badass to a whole new level. She actually toes the line of morality. She kills faeries and actively loves it. I love a good vengeance story, and with her memories of her mother's brutal and horrible death, it's understandable where she's coming from. I sympathized with her and was drawn into her mission. I couldn't wait for her to grow stronger and stronger until she could finally take down the faerie who killed her mother. Aileanna also struggles with the expectations and conventions of her society - the upperclass in Scotland. I love historical fiction, you guys, so I loved seeing her life there. She's a debutante, attending balls, and subsequently sneaking out to take down faeries. This causes a lot of gossip and glares to be pointed in her direction, but she shrugs it off rather well. She just has different priorities and owns them. Have I mentioned that she's also a kickass inventor? How much do I love steampunk? SO SO MUCH YOU GUYS. But this kicked steampunk up a notch. Aileanna is constantly inventing new weapons and transportation vehicles and I love reading about it. It created this absolutely beautiful image in my mind. I loved every detail. Next topic of love: Kiaran. This is when the fangirls come a-screaming, but they are not wrong. Duuuuude. This guy. SWOOOOOON. I was cautious about him at first. I didn't really trust him, and I didn't know what to feel about his relationship with Aileanna, but it got so good man. It's slow burn - Aileanna doesn't trust him either. There's chemistry, but she tries to convince herself she hates him - as she hates all faeries. And the banter. OH THE BANTER. I ships it like whoaaa. But just, yeah. Those few scenes where they just have the briefest touches to each other... I need a fan. Now. Please. I also seriously, seriously love Derrick, Aileanna's pixie companion. He is all of the adorbs and seriously gave me the giggles. So more or less all around the cast of characters in this book is amazing. Catherine, Aileanna's best friend, and Gavin, her past crush, are solid personalities that I loved reading about. But okay, I should focus on the story too. It's good, guys. I was sucked in from the first page. I loved Aileanna's fierce voice and her killer instinct towards the faeries. And I loved how the faerie lore developed and tied to the Scottish setting. The world building was awesome. And then. Well. THINGS happen. Battles. Blood. Gore. Secrets revealed. Excellent, excellent, excellent. BUT. While I am praising the hell out of this book, I'll also give you a warning. If you value your sanity, hold off on reading this book until you have the sequel on hand to continue. The ending is one of the cruelest cliffhangers I have ever encountered. Just. Just. WHAT EVEN. HOW. NO. I CAN'T BRAIN. My reaction in gifs: [image] [image] [image] [image] Summing Up: Holy crap I love this book. It proudly holds a spot on my "everything-i-wanted" shelf (though I guess I may have tweaked that ending just a little *sobs*). Elizabeth May can expect my therapy bill in the mail. I haven't felt this seriously enthralled and excited by such a unique fantasy since Stormdancer, I think. Instant favorite. Give me the next one. Now. NOW. GIF it to me straight! [image] Recommended To: Fans of genre mash ups like Stormdancer or beautifully written, deeply creative fantasy like Daughter of Smoke and Bone. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
2
|
Mar 2016
May 15, 2014
|
Apr 2016
May 17, 2014
|
Aug 08, 2013
|
Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
| 1619630621
| 9781619630628
| 4.35
| 1,226,976
| Aug 15, 2013
| Aug 27, 2013
|
it was amazing
|
First read: August 2013 Second read: September 2016 5 stars Ho - ly - crap. Are you reading this series yet? If not, get on that stat. Whereas I loved Th First read: August 2013 Second read: September 2016 5 stars Ho - ly - crap. Are you reading this series yet? If not, get on that stat. Whereas I loved Throne of Glass and only had one minor issue with the whole book that ultimately didn't take away from my enjoyment at all... Crown of Midnight does it so much better. This book is amazing. I loved every second of it, and putting it down was physically painful. And writing this review is even more painful, because... how am I supposed to achieve a good review without spoiling anything? Ugh. Crown of Midnight is split into two parts. The first focuses on Celaena adjusting to her role as the King's Champion, taking out the targets and.... the romance. Chaol and Celaena. I can't with them. So perfect. Seriously. This romance is amazing, and I don't say that often. Think perfect build up, perfect tension, perfect banter, perfect feels, and I still don't come close to doing the two of them justice. You need to read this love story. It's just... extraordinary. Thanks to them, my standard for romance is soaring through the roof. It's called OTP. I can't get enough of these two. Let's go on a mini-GIF adventure! [image] [image] [image] [image] Me = [image] At the end of part one and into part two, the action kicks it up a notch. My hesitance with Throne of Glass was that it never really shocked me. Crown of Midnight fixed this. Think plot twists, thrilling action-packed battles, intrigue, mystery, and a story that for a while you really don't know where it's going - in a good way. I can't go into it for fear of spoilers so... magic, demons, secrets, DEATH, vengeance. That's how I can sum up the plot. At parts, it totally ripped my heart up. I had tears in my eyes. I was gasping, screaming, furiously turning the pages. The ending kind of broke my heart and at the same time made me absolutely desperate for the next book. WHY MUST IT BE A YEAR? *cries* [image] And the very, very end (as in, very last page)? I totally called that halfway through, but mostly because I considered it while reading and thought it would be so awesome if it happened. And it did. So it wasn't too surprising, but I was cheering with my fist in the air. All in all, the plot was awesome and addictive, and I loved every bit of it. Across the board, Chaol, Celaena, and Dorian get more and more depth as characters. I love reading about each of them, because it's really this gradual progression of getting to know them. It's wonderfully crafted. And it's not just our heroes, but also the side characters and villains. I love how Sarah J. Maas crafts her characters. I couldn't call a single one of them one-dimensional. That's major talent right there. The writing is still super fluid and compelling, and the world building keeps improving!! Of course I can't really get into that either, for fear of spoilers. Umm... magic, lineage, politics, and more. asdjfkl; I'm sorry this review is such a fail. But just, just... read this book. Start the series. Get to this book. It's worth it. Summing Up: Well. I somehow managed to keep that spoiler free. But sadly this very badly represents the book. TL;DR: THIS BOOK IS AWESOME READ IT *KEYBOARD SMASH*. Then repeat that 203845 times. That's this review. Summed up. Celaena is one of my favorite main characters of all time. Celaena and Chaol are one of my favorite couples of all time. This series is one of my favorites of all time. That's reason enough to give it a shot, right? [image] Please? Pretty please? GIF it to me straight! [image] It's just been a while since I've been so fiercely in love with a book. Recommended To: YOU. YES, YOU. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
2
|
not set
Aug 06, 2013
|
Sep 2016
Aug 09, 2013
|
Aug 02, 2013
|
Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1408836424
| 9781408836422
| 1408836424
| 3.82
| 86,794
| Aug 20, 2013
| Aug 20, 2013
|
really liked it
|
4.5 stars After I met Samantha Shannon back in September, I was stoked to read this book. I mean, she is so sweet. So sweet. And she's (just barely) yo 4.5 stars After I met Samantha Shannon back in September, I was stoked to read this book. I mean, she is so sweet. So sweet. And she's (just barely) younger than me, got a seven book deal, and is being called the new J.K. Rowling (which is completely unfair and incorrect, but I've covered that already). So then we decided to read this for book club, and man am I glad I did. The end result, for me? [image] I will go ahead and agree with most reviews that the first quarter is slow. The world building is quite elaborate -- and I absolutely love it; I mean, the world is amazing -- but that means there are quite dense, near-info-dumping passages at the beginning that can, for some readers, be tedious to get through. There's a lot of terminology, and just the many different types of clairvoyants can be confusing. Then there's the structure of the new society, Scion London, the criminal underground, and the new laws. It's a lot to take in. I didn't have any issues with it, because I truly felt the potential. Something really cool was going to happen in this intriguing world. It was the kind of elaborate world building that I really, really like. What also helped was that I absolutely loved Paige from the start. She's not in-your-face kick ass and awesome, but she's really human. She's flawed and she knows it, but that makes her even more endearing. She's really spunky too, quite fearless, and admirable. She makes mistakes, but she learns from them. I loved observing her thought process. I just started liking her more and more as the book went along, and then she did start kicking ass and I was just cheering for her. She's awesome. One of my favorite main characters in a long time. And then... then we meet Warden. I'll take one of him to go, please. [image] YES. YES I DO. Warden is dark, mysterious, and, at first, a little frightening. But to be honest, I knew right away what was going to happen. Seriously, it's like the romance was written just for me. They start off hating each other. The plot itself is dark and intricate. It builds slowly but it really is addictive, because it's kind of like a puzzle. You keep discovering new pieces and then those pieces start falling into place - though, of course, at the end of the book, the puzzle is not yet completed. But the intricacy of the world building combined with the various mysteries really sucked me in. The story is original and it takes chances. While the flashbacks in Paige's dreams were a bit confusing at first, I loved what they revealed, and I loved the twist as to why precisely we were seeing them. I also want to give a special shout out and love to the secondary characters in this lovely book. Julian, Liss, Jaxon, Michael, and the handling of a certain LGBT character -- they all made me extremely happy. Each had a clear personality, voice, and purpose. It was just such a beautiful and complete picture. The ending was seriously intense and action packed, as the rebellion finally happens. I was absorbed and couldn't put it down. But those last pages... Samantha, y u so cruel??? ;_______; I mean, it kind of made sense and all, but... I'm not happy. Especially not when the release date of the sequel is so unknown. I need it in my life. I need it. It's like I just got attached to this world, as if it were a new puppy, and then a short time later you just ripped it out of my arms. I'm not okay. [image] Summing Up: This book was just a great read. The length may be a bit frightening, and admittedly the beginning is a bit slow. But power through - it's so worth it. I just love the story, I loved the characters, and the romance that blossomed was perfect for me. At the end, when I finally felt like I truly understood the world, I quickly felt attached to it and loathed that it had to end. GIF it to me straight! [image] Can I has more plz? Recommended To: Fans of intricate and elaborate worlds and great characters. ...more |
Notes are private!
|
1
|
Nov 20, 2013
|
Nov 26, 2013
|
Jul 14, 2013
|
Hardcover
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
my rating |
|
|
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| 4.59
|
it was amazing
|
Apr 30, 2021
|
Nov 01, 2015
|
|||||
|
| 4.32
|
really liked it
|
Nov 22, 2015
|
Oct 06, 2015
|
|||||
|
| 4.21
|
it was amazing
|
Jan 28, 2016
|
Apr 21, 2015
|
|||||
|
| 4.20
|
it was amazing
|
Dec 11, 2014
|
Aug 25, 2014
|
|||||
|
| 3.86
|
it was amazing
|
Sep 15, 2014
|
Jul 15, 2014
|
|||||
|
| 4.48
|
it was amazing
|
Mar 28, 2021
Oct 31, 2015
not set
|
May 23, 2014
|
|||||
|
| 3.67
|
really liked it
|
Mar 24, 2014
|
Feb 10, 2014
|
|||||
|
| 4.03
|
really liked it
|
May 13, 2015
|
Feb 07, 2014
|
|||||
|
| 4.21
|
it was amazing
|
Oct 30, 2014
|
Nov 28, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 3.89
|
really liked it
|
Feb 19, 2015
|
Nov 08, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 4.20
|
it was amazing
|
May 25, 2015
|
Oct 18, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 4.17
|
really liked it
|
Oct 09, 2013
|
Oct 05, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 3.69
|
it was amazing
|
Nov 19, 2013
|
Sep 28, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 3.58
|
it was amazing
|
Nov 2013
Sep 17, 2013
|
Sep 08, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 4.61
|
it was amazing
|
Sep 29, 2016
|
Aug 11, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 4.46
|
really liked it
|
Sep 2016
Aug 16, 2014
|
Aug 11, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 4.22
|
really liked it
|
Sep 11, 2016
|
Aug 11, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 3.77
|
it was amazing
|
Apr 2016
May 17, 2014
|
Aug 08, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 4.35
|
it was amazing
|
Sep 2016
Aug 09, 2013
|
Aug 02, 2013
|
|||||
|
| 3.82
|
really liked it
|
Nov 26, 2013
|
Jul 14, 2013
|
Loading...
![[image]](https://sivegame.netlify.app/host-http-i1359.photobucket.com/albums/q799/snugglyoranges/gifs/tumblr_inline_mj2c54ceNg1qz4rgp.gif){kind=link}
![[image]](https://sivegame.netlify.app/host-http-www.snugglyoranges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/ben2.gif){kind=link}
![[image]](https://sivegame.netlify.app/host-http-www.snugglyoranges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/tumblr_m0spk670Jp1r5e9m0.gif){kind=link}
![[image]](https://sivegame.netlify.app/host-http-www.snugglyoranges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/tumblr_m2cmewSPtU1r2iosf.gif){kind=link}
![[image]](https://sivegame.netlify.app/host-http-www.snugglyoranges.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/sherlock-smile.gif){kind=link}