[Originally published on my Medium page: link here]
This is the second part of a two book series (the first I reviewed here)
The gang is back again and I have to say that this sequel maintained my interest just as well as the first book. Again, I can’t stress how much I love the characters, each one providing the right amount of comfort to soothe my anxiety in the face of all this danger. While the first book focused on breaking in and out of a highly secured military base, this time the location stays in Ketterdam, where the home battles/war becomes much more personal. This was far more intricate in writing than in the first book and for different reasons. The characters are developing and that includes the bad guys! Most times it felt like all fronts of battle were under attack and they were being closed in; flipping the score was more difficult for the gang this time. I want to emphasize that this time it’s not just a job, many things expanded, one being character interaction, and the other is the amount of chest-pounded plans Kaz comes up with. Bardugo, again, creates a steady flow of events while still keeping us on our toes, waiting anxiously for how things will unfold.
Read this book if you read the first book, want revenge, AND want more Jesper making Wylan blush scenes.
Rate: 4.5/5
Time: Took 24 hours
Book-shelf Worthy: Yes! Gotta get the collection
Quoteworthy
I told you, I like your stupid face.
You don’t win by running one game.
You will see me once more, but only once.
The really bad monsters never look like monsters.
When fear arrives, something is about to happen.
What about the nobodies and the nothings, the invisible girls? We learn to hold our heads as if we wear crowns. We learn to wring magic from the ordinary. That was how you survived when you weren’t chosen, when there was no royal blood in your veins. When the world owed you nothing, you demanded something of it anyway.
[Originally published on my Medium page: link here]
Since I picked this one before its predecessor (Shadow and Bone Trilogy), I felt plunge into the world, yet it only took a couple of chapters to get acquitted well with the world; seriously should have read the trilogy first, but no regrets in getting to meet these characters.
While it may seem that this is an underdog storyline, I think it’d be an insult to underestimate the Six of Crows. Kaz, Inej, Jesper, Nina, Matthias, and Wylan all form the group, and each one is from different parts of life and with different morals, interests, and baggage (psychical and/or mental). My favorite part about this book was having the pleasure of knowing each character. Each of them proves to be useful, determined, strong, and yet flawed; the morally grey characteristic checks out with every one of them and I love it. I didn’t think third-person multiple POV (Point of View) could be written this flawlessly.
Bardugo has managed to not only create a world but incorporate unique characters that you can’t help fall in love with. Now the plot centers around a heist, so there’s a lot of push and pull when it comes to how much information can and should be given to the reader to keep things interesting. Bardugo has tossed every twist, turn, trapped door, and smoke grenades at us; In the front line of danger, but always a step behind.
Read this book if you love heists, fantasy, morally grey characters, and sexual tension (and issues) that won’t get solved and you’re forced to get the 2nd book.
Rate: 4.5/5
Time: Took 3 days, read the ending near a dim lamp in the middle of the night.
Book-shelf Worthy: Yes!
Quoteworthy
No mourners. No funerals.
We are all someone’s monster.
Do you have a different name for killing when you wear a uniform to do it?
Better terrible truths than kind lies.
The easiest way to steal a man’s watch is to tell him you’re going to steal his watch.
I will have you without armour, Kaz Brekker. Or I will not have you at all.
[Originally published on my Medium page: link here]
I may or may not have a love-hate relationship with book series that holds over 3 books. Either I love the story from the first installment or I push through the first couple of books before I can actually admit that I’m obsessed or just wasted my time waiting for the epic moment that’ll convert me into a fan. I’ve heard a lot of great things about Sarah J. Maas and mostly it culminates in the thousands of TikTok’s that have praised all of her series (ACOTAR is on the “To Be Reviewed” List, while I still have to read the others). I wanted to start with Throne of Glass because it’s her earlier series and I’d like to think authors get better the more books they write. Might not want to judge this book too harshly; it is a young adult fantasy, which means a highly more subjective review.
Honestly, didn’t really like the book at first, most of the characters seemed too cliche and got an awkward vibe (which I will pass as new book jitters). I will say that the book grew on me.
Celaena Sardothien is not the typical heroine read about. She’s a trained assassin taken out of her prison sentence by the prince in order to compete with others to serve the king. That’s the plot, and it’s not half bad. In between the testing/competition, champions are mysteriously killed off and Calaena wonders what exactly is happening around her. I think the key element that made me cringe-smile was how unapologetically themselves the characters were; Dorian a playboy prince who dislikes his father, Calaena the assassin who is still very much a 17-year-old girl, and Chaol an honorable friend and solider. Prince Dorian and Captain Chaol bring forth the ever-important love triangle, which did not overpower the story — might hold off on that for the next book. I’ll say that as of now, I’m preferring Chaol over Dorian. While the main plot was to win the competition, I found the extensive amount of loose ends amusing. It started with a competition, then a murder mystery, and now we’re at a place that is not entirely safe, but better from where we started. I won’t spoil anything, but I’d love to see how every component concerning wyrdmarks and magic plays out later. As the first book to a long series, I will say it’s an okay introduction. We’ve covered the basics of what’s occurring, but Maas doesn’t give out as much information hence why I’m already ordering the 2nd book.
Read this book if the plotline interest you and you’d like to see what all the fuss is about over on BookTok, but I get the sense that the hype might be for things further along.
Rate: 3/5
Time: About 3–4 days
Book-shelf Worthy: I think I’m going to have to read the rest of them to see
Quoteworthy
My name is Celaena Sardothien. But it makes no difference if my name’s Celaena or Lillian or Bitch, because I’d still beat you, no matter what you call me.
Libraries were full of ideas — perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons
We all bear scars,… Mine just happen to be more visible than most.
When it comes to rank, Samael’s place was higher than the Hayyoth and Seraphim. He is a fear striking angel with twelve wings. Samael is known as the venom of God. Hardly an angel he is, however. He is described as an accuser, seducer, and destroyer. He takes the soul from man. He resides in the seventh Heaven and is the commander of two million angels. He is the chief of Satans. He became the consort of Lilith, and with her had a host of demon children. (The most notable being Asmodeus.) Samael is NOT Lucifer. Samael was the very first Archangel created by God to execute his will at any cost. Due to the primal nature of his being, Samael is described as being both good and evil. However, the descriptions about Samael’s acts clearly bear the testimony of his truly evil nature. He has a whole different idea for humanity than God. He intends to be the new God some day. He aims to overthrow Heaven and toss it into the corrupted claws of Aeshma. He aims to destroy faith and hopes in the hearts of his Father’s dear humans. He will corrupt and control. He’s evil, spiteful, treacherous, and charming.
Origin: Christianity. Samael is 2,000 years old.
“Lucifer? Darling, I am so much worse. I am the very venom of God. I inject cancer and plague the world with pain. I am there when tragedy strikes humanity down. I am there when an old fool takes his last breath. I am a weapon of both Heaven and Hell. You pray to him? Who do you think sent me? Who do you think ordered your death? He’s not listening to you. He’s too busy promoting free will while having me execute those who go against Him or speak ill of His name. I am the closest you will ever get to God, so worship me instead.” -Samael.
Read more about Samael in my upcoming book: Retaliation. Expected early April, 2021.
He is chaos. The demon of wrath, rage, fury, and desire. Aeshma is one of the fiercest, most feared demons in Hell. His story originates in Zoroastrianism; an ancient Persian religion founded in the seventh century. Aeshma is the being responsible for horrendous acts of malice and aggression. He is the king of war and genocide. He lives to see the world bleed. In Hell, he is an exceptional warrior. A military commander of an army made up of 770,000 demons. His influence over rage, violence, and war is just the tip of the iceberg. He lures lost humans into disobedience, defiance, drunkenness, desire, and paranoia. His epithet is, “Of The Bloody Mace.” Aeshma can distract any person and lead them away from their faith and good doing. He sends people into a spiral of poor decisions and violence. He’s powerful and spiteful. He is the complete opposite of religious devotion and discipline. He makes a mockery of any faith and finds joy in bringing people to their lowest points.
Origin: Persian/Iranian. Aeshma is 1,400 years old.
“You actually think your existence is that significant? The world would be exactly the same, with or without you. You’re not important.” -Aeshma.
Read more about Aeshma in Book two: Retaliation. Expected early April, 2021
I know we poke fun a lot at men writing women (and often with GOOD reason) but I’d just like to take a moment to look at women writing men:
Muscles for days. It doesn’t matter if he’s sixteen and is a band kid whose hobby is skipping PE, if he’s a love interest, that boy has a six pack for some reason. Every man is lean but muscular and always have that perfect V. Six packs are free and you can see them through every and any tshirt.
Always tall. Like, we can never honor a 5"5 King. Every dude is like 6 feet plus. Even when the woman is tall, the guy is always taller.
He’s always so much bigger and his hands always dwarf hers. Like, every man has hands the size of dinner plates.
Penises are always like 8(+) inches. He’s always the biggest she’s ever had and he is a Sex God, where he was a virgin or a vampire with a love life that dates back into the 1500s. He will make her cum 26 times, often with words alone.
He’s the most poetic fucker you’ve ever met, even if he’s never read a book or watched a romance in his life. He’s going to spout out how she is the last star in a galaxy of loneliness that lights the sole path to his salvation. He’s gonna freelance that shit like it’s nothing.
He will automatically never find anyone else attractive ever again, even platonically and if he does, he will compare them to the love interest in a way that makes her better. “Joanne had nice eyes. Not like Kelly’s eyes though, which were emeralds polished to a shine that made him think of summer and the fondest of childhood memories in the forest under a sky of jade leaves. Joanne’s were, like, ordinary blue or brown or something.”
He always smells like things that you don’t even know had a smell. “He smelled like sunlight and cloudless blue skies, of cool winter frost and magic sex musk”
He’s a douchebag to everyone but the love interest. She makes him a better man. (Ah, the good old “I can fix him” mentality in motion)
He can eat cupcakes, pizza and beer for breakfast every day of his life and he will never have an extra ounce of flesh anywhere.
He will randomly quote Shakespeare or Charles Dickens or, I dunno, Julius Caesar
He always thinks her vagina tastes like rose petals and peaches and strawberry milkshakes
He is constantly witty and charming and every women who seems him thirsts for him and his six pack and 12 inch schlong but only Kelly will ever catch his eyes and he has never loved anyone as much as he loves her. All other women can catch fire including his mom and he probably wouldn’t notice if it meant one last kiss from Kelly.
The selection trilogy is one of my absolute favourite series. Its romantic scenes are beautifully written but the story also has exciting aspects of rebelling castes, family values, and what makes a good leader.
Because I loved the selection trilogy so much of course I wanted more but I was a little hesitant to read the next 2 books following America’s daughter. My first impression of Eadlyn was she was a bit of a Brat. However Cass developed her beautifully into an admirable and strong woman trying to make her own way in the world.
I absolutely fell in love with Eadlyn’s story just as much as I loved America’s, and I would highly recommend the whole series to anyone.
Absolutely one of my favorite fairytale retellings. I finished this book in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down! The story line was rich. The world building was amazing within the first couple of chapters. Rosamund Hodge was very descriptive Which I loved. It created vivid scenes and made me feel all the feels. Beautiful read. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on more of her retellings.
“Don’t look at the shadows too long or a demon might look back”
Sophia Wallace is convinced her life is over when her high school cuts the journalism program. Without the elective, she loses her chance to intern with the biggest newspaper company in the county, and why? All because the baseball team needs more funding.
To make matters worse, her boyfriend publicly dumps her at a party, which is mortifying. But the icing on the cake is when the captain of the baseball team and the most popular guy at Bayview High, Walsh Hunter, decides to be chivalrous. He jumps in, throws his arm around Sophia, and declares his undying love for her. In front of everyone.
Suddenly, Sophia is thrown into a world of fake relationships and undercover journalism, and she realizes she’s way, way out of her league.
Good thing she’s got the team captain to teach her how to play.
But faced with choosing between saving her journalism class or her newfound feelings for Walsh, will she strike out or hit a home run?
Camp NaNoWriMo starts TOMORROW and this self-published author is participating! Come find out what I’m working on and leave a comment if you’re doing Camp NaNo as well!
I’ve been looking forward to Flora’s story from the moment I finished The Royals last year. Millie and her princess didn’t disappoint in Her Royal Highness.
Ask Me Anything isn’t just any YA romance. This is a badass YA romance about a girl who codes, a boy who codes, and each of them making a sincere, honest effort to help their fellow teens.
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