Throne Of Glass Review.

Sarah J. Maas’s story of a young girl’s survival is both gripping and beautiful. You won’t want to put this one down.

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

“Libraries were full of ideas–perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.”

After a year in the salt mines of Endovier, a slave camp in the country of Erilea, renowned assassin Celaena Sardothien is surprised to be summoned by the crown Prince of Endovier himself, Dorian Havilliard. He has a proposition for her, one that she certainly cannot refuse.

“Names are not important. It’s what lies inside of you that matters.”

He offers her to be his champion on his fathers competition. A competition to see who will become Adarlan’s Assassin, the person who will do all of the king’s dirty work for him. 9 weeks in the castle competing with other men, the thieves, criminals, and assassins from all around the continent.  If she wins, then she will be work for the king for four years, and have her criminal record pardoned, and she is free to live out the rest of her life however she chooses.

“Sometimes, the wicked will tell us things just to confuse us–to haunt our thoughts long after we’ve faced them.”

As the best assassin in history, Celaena agrees, and they leave for the castle. Not long into the competition, something, or someone starts killing the competitors, and Celaena must find out who, or else she might be the next to perish.

“Still, the image haunted his dreams throughout the night: a lovely girl gazing at the stars, and the stars who gazed back.”

Before I read this, I didn’t really know much about this book besides the basic premise and that it was supposed to be really good. I had just read two other books by Sarah J. Maas, her A Court Of Thorns And Roses series, which was awesome, so I thought I would give this a try. I thought it was really good. I definitely rooted for the characters and was invested in them throughout the novel. The premise of this book felt new, I haven’t really read any books about assassin competitions before, nor have I heard of any, so that was cool too. The characters were really nice, I love that Celaena loves to read as much as I do. These characters felt like real people. The pacing of this novel was good as well, which is always something that I look for.

Overall

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars, and I am already reading the second one, I can’t wait to see where this series goes. I’ve heard it’s great and I must conquer. I would recommend this to fans of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court Of Thorns And Roses series and fantasy in general.

 

 

Snow Like Ashes Review.

Sara Raasch delivers a beautifully written fantasy that’ll have you gripped until the very last word.

Sixteen years ago the Kingdom of Winter was conquered and its citizens enslaved, leaving them without magic or a monarch. Now, the Winterians’ only hope for freedom is the eight survivors who managed to escape, and who have been waiting for the opportunity to steal back Winter’s magic and rebuild the kingdom ever since.

Orphaned as an infant during Winter’s defeat, Meira has lived her whole life as a refugee, raised by the Winterians’ general, Sir. Training to be a warrior—and desperately in love with her best friend, and future king, Mather — she would do anything to help her kingdom rise to power again.

So when scouts discover the location of the ancient locket that can restore Winter’s magic, Meira decides to go after it herself. Finally, she’s scaling towers, fighting enemy soldiers, and serving her kingdom just as she’s always dreamed she would. But the mission doesn’t go as planned, and Meira soon finds herself thrust into a world of evil magic and dangerous politics – and ultimately comes to realize that her destiny is not, never has been, her own.

“Even the strongest blizzards start with a single snowflake.”

Meira is just one of the eight people left from her kingdom of Winter, when it was taken from them 16 years ago. She and her best friend Mather were both orphans from the deadly war that took their parents, Mather’s being the King and Queen of Winter. Meira and Mather have been training their entire lives to be able to fight to free their people and take their country back.

“Someday we will be more than words in the dark.”

Meira has always felt like a nobody. She stays at camp and trains, and that’s it. She is not allowed to out on missions, or do anything besides sit around and wait. The only joy she gets from her days are when she gets to spend time with the boy she loves, Mather. Meira doesn’t know it, but she was never meant to be a nobody. When one day, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands, and use the skills she’s spent years honing, she learns that the choice was never hers in the first place.

“They make decisions; they mold your future. The trick is to find a way to still be you through it all.”

This book had an interesting premise, and I just knew that it was something I really wanted to read. I hadn’t heard much about it, but when I read about, it felt really original, which was awesome. I really liked this book. The pacing was great, the world was good, really nice characters, and an unexpected plot. It brings the emotional attachment to the characters, so you really feel everything that happens. Sara Raasch took me to an entirely new world that I thoroughly enjoyed.

“Fear is a seed that, once planted, never stops growing.”

Overall

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars and would recommend. This series is now complete so you can marathon it if you so choose, which I love to do and would also recommend. Sara Raasch  transports you to a rich new world with her excellent writing and exciting plot.

 

 

The Winner’s Curse Review.

A tale of crime, passion, and rebellion, woven together into a dazzling, shining, dystopian.

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love…

As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions.

One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin.

But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

“Happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous.”

For once, a YA book without a love triangle, how refreshing. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good love triangle. I mean, Peeta, Katniss, and Gale, Clary, Jace, and Simon, Tessa, Will and Jem, are all phenomenal triangles, just to name a few. I actually really valued the directness of this couple. It was clear from the beginning that they were meant to be together. Marie Rutkoski still managed to bring the angst, and lots of it.

Oh man, mystery, intrigue, slavery, parties, this book was great. It focuses on a girl of about 17, named Kestrel. Kestrel is the daughter of her countries greatest war general, and she is quite wealthy because of it. She only has her father, as her mother died when she was young. Her father looks down upon her because she does not want to be a warrior. Kestrel’s true strengths are in stratagem and her piano. She has a mind for concertos and concise calculations.

Our story truly starts when Kestrel is in the market one day, and the auction catches her eye, more accurately, one slave catches her eye. His name is Arin, and he is touted as a blacksmith and a singer. Kestrel bids and wins, paying the so called, Winner’s Curse. She paid more money than anyone else valued him worthy. Thus their journey begins. . .

“He knew the law of such things: people in brightly lit places cannot see into the dark.”

My two favorite things about this book were the original plot line, and the lovely characters. I’m a sucker for a strong male lead, what can I say? Can I just mention how amazing this writing is, by the way? Marie Rutkoski has an exceptional gift for storytelling. Her writing is so beautiful, the prose is practically poetry that most people actually want to read.

Oh, this world. Valoria, Herran, no matter, it’s all beautiful. The Winner’s Curse is a historical piece, and I can’t really say which time period for sure, as it’s also a dystopian, I would have to say around the Victorian Era. I love this time period, it is my favorite, the parties, the etiquette, the horse drawn carriages. It’s a simpler time, and I’m officially obsessed.

The plot of this book felt new for me. It featured a wonderful romance that unfolds beautifully throughout the novel. I would say that it one of, if not the, biggest points of the entire story. The book as far as I can tell focused on Kestrel and Arin’s paradigm, their relationship, and the political plot took a backseat. The secondary plot in this book was good too. It was rich and complex, but I could still follow along, so that was great.

One of the over arching themes was deceit. These two were constantly dealing in lies. To each other, to themselves, to everybody around them. You’re never really quite sure whether what they say, when they say it, is truth or fiction, and that was an interesting, and important piece in this story.

“The truth can deceive as well as a lie.”

Ah, my favorite part. I do love a good male lead. They really make the story for me. Arin is one of the best I’ve read in awhile. He’s strong, smart, a great actor, determined, and is resilient. He’s been through a lot, but he doesn’t let it outwardly show. Also, he is a great singer, does it get any better?

Next we have Miss Kestrel Trajan. An exceptional heroine to match the equally exceptional Mister Arin. She’s whip-smart and knows how to use her brain. She is a fantastic strategist, as well as a pianist. She can wield a weapon and cut just as deeply as with her mind. She’s got passion to spare and doesn’t give up easily. Don’t mess with this girl, lest you have to deal with the consequences.

Overall

This book kept me on my toes, and I enjoyed every wonderful minute. The characters, story, writing, and period all come together to create this magical, exciting, star-crossed novel. I give this book a four out of five stars.

Red Queen Review.

Secrets, lies, and revenge abundant in this debut novel by Victoria Aveyard.

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of
those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

I finished this book on the last day of school, which was Monday. I feel a little late in this book, I mean it came out in February, and absolutely everybody was talking about it.

“Anyone can betray anyone.”

Just, let me pick up the pieces of my brain before I talk about this book, because, yeah, this plot twist was killer.

I first heard about this book when I started doing research for my first Top Ten Tuesday, on March 31st. I was pretty excited about it, and I finally picked this book up. I was not very into this book when I first picked it up, but I still really liked it.

I felt like it was a little slow at the beginning, but it definitely picked up. What I liked about this book so much was the characters, and the character types, like the Silvers and the Reds. The plotline also felt really original, which I think is pretty hard to do, in anything, really. What was kind of strange, though, was that this book was very hard to define as either being dystopian, or fantasy. It felt very much like our world, but it was not our world. There were cars, television, cameras, elevators. It also had strong elements of fantasy, things like the palace, the slums, the Silvers different abilities, things like that. It feels like it could be in the future, what with the new world, the rebellion, and the monarchy. I would definitely say that this would be a fantasy novel, just because the book is based off of the differences between the Silvers and the Reds, and the tensions that it causes.

I give this book a four out of five stars. Can I just talk about the ending? The plot twist was hella dope. It was amazing, I kind of saw it coming, but was unsure. That’s what bumped this book up to a 4 out of 5 stars instead of a 3 out of 5 stars. Why it only got a 4 out of 5 stars was that there was a minimal amount of romance, I mean, I liked that aspect of it, because that allowed for the book to focus a little bit more on the other things going on, and it was there, it just was not as prominent as I would have preferred.

Overall.

This was a really good book and I would definitely recommend that you pick this up! Well, that’s my two cents on Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This book would be good for anyone who enjoys dystopian, or fantasy, because it has very strong elements of both! You can pick it up in stores today, thanks for visiting my blog and I hope you have a great rest-of-your-day! I’ll see you back here soon.

Legend Review.

A bad boy, a good girl, and one adorable sidekick star in this action-packed dystopian thrill ride.

What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic’s wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic’s highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country’s most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.

From very different worlds, June and Day have no reason to cross paths – until the day June’s brother, Metias, is murdered and Day becomes the prime suspect. Caught in the ultimate game of cat and mouse, Day is in a race for his family’s survival, while June seeks to avenge Metias’s death. But in a shocking turn of events, the two uncover the truth of what has really brought them together, and the sinister lengths their country will go to keep its secrets.

“Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”

I’m a little late to read this book, I know. 3 years a little late. This book was interesting. I’m definitely a fan of dystopian, so I really expected to like this book, and I was right. It took me a little bit to get into,(Insert joke about how this book came out 3 years ago) about 50-75 pages in.

What I liked about this book was the characters, specifically Day and June. Something that I thought was interesting about this book was that usually, heroines in YA Novels always start out as these timid, shy creatures who gradually turn into these kick-butt action type heroes, but not June. You knew immediately that June was serious. She’s not delicate. She started out as the kick-ass action hero and transformed into a more gentle person, but not too gentle. She develops a soft spot for Day’s best friend, Tess. I thought that Tess was so cute, and I wish that I had somebody like Tess in my life, for sure. Day is a criminal, and not just any criminal, only the biggest, most notorious and most wanted in the entire republic. He really gets a bad rap. When you here “criminal”  you think that this must be a bad person, but that’s the thing, Day may give off this tough, dangerous vibe, but he’s only protecting his family. This book also had something that is really hard to pull off nowadays because it seems so overused, which is the terrible, secretive government card. Marie Lu really did this well. You didn’t really know what was going on with the government until the end, where all the other big revelations are. The plot twist at the end is really great as well.

“If you want to rebel, rebel from inside the system.That’s much more powerful than rebelling outside the system.”

Overall

I really liked this book. I will probably be recommending this book, you guys should definitely read it! It was awesome. Marie Lu did a great job with this book and I will hopefully read the other books in the series. I hope you pick it up!