book review

BOOK REVIEW: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Genre: Young Adult/Fantasy/Romance
Series: Throne of Glass Series (Incomplete)

Throne of Glass: ★★★★

I’m going to start with the cover. Typically, I hate when covers have human representations of the characters because it robs me of the right to picture the main character the way I read her to look. But, damn, Celaena looks so badass on the cover that I couldn’t imagine it any other way. So, this time I will accept the cover and it is a check from me.

The main problem I had with the book was the length. I loved how I was swept into the world of Erilea, however there were times where I dragged my feet and had to force myself to read because things were becoming very repetitive. I was too often too thankful when the author would pass over some of the Tests. Whew. Besides that, I thought the writing was actually quite wonderful. To me, the dialogue is what was the shining star. Each character had a unique way with words and Maas was able to maintain that through every comment they made throughout the book, which made them more believable allowing them to come to life. I found that her visual descriptions were at times a bit confusing and superfluous, and shamefully I may have skimmed those parts one too many times.

CELAENA – What.A.Badass. I love this chick. She was a strong and just–despite her career choice–heroine. I found myself following and anticipating her endless sassy remarks and got caught up in her playful, witty banter with the other characters of the book. She’s not perfect, but that’s what makes her perfect. Her flaws were obvious and she owned up to it every step of the way. She was a character filled with contradictions whether it was the fact that she was a cold killing machine, yet still loved dressing in frilly dresses and stuffing her face with candy, or just the fact that there were many occasions where she always felt two directly opposing feelings. (ie. “her arms felt heavy, and light at the same time” “there was a warmth in her, but a chill ran down her back” etc etc)

CHAOL – Holy. I am in a love & hate relationship with this guy, mostly love, but I do have a bone to pick with him. I think he is absolutely adorable and Maas did an amazing job of presenting his character through his tough exterior and undeniable compassion. I enjoyed his POVs as he was trying to figure out what exactly he was feeling and where he stood. I THINK he somewhat figured it out in the end, but I’m not entirely sure. AND that **** better be a symbol foreshadowing the future, or I might flip my table. I wish there was a little bit more…

DORIAN – I have no idea why, but I kept imagining him to be much younger than he was stated to be. The way he spoke and was written into the story, I couldn’t really believe he was 19. His character was probably the least believable for me. I didn’t particularly dislike him as a character, but I couldn’t find myself rallying for him.

Overall, I had no idea what to expect when I first started reading the book. And frankly, I found myself surprised when there were mentions of Fae, gnomes, etc. It didn’t bother me, but it did take me for a loop. I gave this book a 4/5 stars because I did enjoy it and found myself engaged while reading it, however a 5/5 book for me is one that I just can’t put down and need to see what happens and then find myself in awe that the author just blew my mind. There were times while I was reading that I assumed what was about to happen next and was basically just waiting for Celaena to hurry up and figure it out.

I’ll definitely be picking up the next book in the series, Crown of Midnight, to see what happens next though. (But with Celaena’s four-year-long contract, I hope it doesn’t feel that long…) I might take a break from this series since I don’t have the second book yet and throw myself into a new world.

BUY IT ON AMAZON

BOOK REVIEW: Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Book Review

redqueen

Author: Victoria Aveyard
Genre: Dystopian, Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
Series: Book One (Incomplete)

 Red Queen – ★★★★★

First off, let me just say I went into reading this book after a huge hype. Everyone was saying how amazing it was and how unexpected the end was; there were also countless mentions of “twists” by other reviewers that made me even more expectant of surprises.

The writing is basically flawless, easy to follow, and smooth. It’s a fast read, not only because you can’t stop and have to read on, but also because the flow of the writing is so nice. Aveyard does an amazing job with sewing in the details naturally without smacking you in the face with it.

MARE BARROW – (Bone Marrow?) Besides her funny name, she is a likable main character. Yes, certain things she did kind of pissed me off, but overall I understood why she said the things she did and did the things she did. Plus, she develops as a character at such a believable speed that she seems like an actual person.

CAL – When I was first introduced to Cal, I pictured him as scrawny and awkward, then by the end of the book he was all of a sudden, big and mighty (though I guess being in a place where you’re uncomfortable can have that effect on you.) He’s just and compassionate and I loved his character despite the “bad” things he did and the loyalties he kept. He was basically the only one who was honest, which I found naively honorable.

The romance wasn’t quite developed as much as I would’ve liked it to be, but I understand that it’s going through the growing pains. I’m hopeful the next one will have a little bit more movement in the love department, but I definitely see a love triangle developing.

“The Twist” is…I won’t say, because honestly I don’t know what the other reviewers were referring to. There were moments in the book where I was like “Oh, I saw that one coming…” and then there were times where I was like “Wait, wtf just happened??” This book has it all: love, betrayal, victories, and POWER. It kept me on my toes the entire time.

This is the first book of the series and I’m itching to read the second one, which is supposed to be released in February 2016 (too far…). Also! If you didn’t already know, they’re going to be making this book into a movie!! I love when books are adapted into movies, especially fantasy ones. Since Aveyard studied as a screenwriter, I think she innately has a visual style of writing because I was able to picture everything while reading.

GO OUT AND BUY THIS BOOK. It should be part of your collection, because why not? Not only is it a great read, the cover is freaking fantastic.

Buy it on Amazon

BOOK REVIEW – Penryn & the End of Days Trilogy by Susan Ee

Book Review

51z+dDB4n5L  51km4HfiFEL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_

Author: Susan Ee
Genre: Fantasy, Dystopian, Romance
Series: Penryn & the End of Days Trilogy (Complete)

Angelfall – ★★★★
World After – ★★★
End of Days – ★★★★★

I usually do not like post-apocalyptic stories, maybe because it’s now seeming like a fad, but this trilogy was extremely original. It was a very easy read for me that I finished the first book in one night! Susan Ee does an amazing job with her hauntingly beautiful descriptions. I felt I was following Penryn on her tumultuous journey through each book. One thing that truly stands out is Ee’s character development. I felt each character growing as I read deeper into the trilogy. I felt for each character and connected with each one.

RAFFE – the justified and strong gentleman/angel. You feel for him every step of the way and can’t help but love him

PENRYN – I love a spunky heroine who’s not afraid to get her hands a little dirty

The romance aspect of the book is present between Raffe and Penryn, albeit it takes a bit of time to get to, but they’re in a post-apocalyptic world so what can I expect? Although, the first time Penryn makes a real move (I won’t spoil what she does), I found it extremely awkward! I could barely read it and felt embarrassed for her…I’m not sure if that was Ee’s intention, but if it was then kudos, my friend.

I know the old saying goes, don’t judge a book by its cover, but I am guilty as charged when it comes to book covers. If a book’s cover catches my eye, I can’t help but buy it. I absolutely LOVE this trilogy’s cover series, because not only is it visually appealing, it reflects the development of each book.

Overall, I thought Ee was extremely clever with the way she tied the story together and I kept reading because I had no idea how she was going to end it, which is a feat because I usually expect all the unexpectedness in books.

BUY ANGELFALL ON AMAZON

BUY WORLD AFTER ON AMAZON

BUT END OF DAYS ON AMAZON