Review: Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Title: Siege and Storm
Author: Leigh Bardugo
Publication Date:  June 4th, 2013
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary:

Darkness never dies.

Hunted across the True Sea, haunted by the lives she took on the Fold, Alina must try to make a life with Mal in an unfamiliar land. She finds starting new is not easy while keeping her identity as the Sun Summoner a secret. She can’t outrun her past or her destiny for long.

The Darkling has emerged from the Shadow Fold with a terrifying new power and a dangerous plan that will test the very boundaries of the natural world. With the help of a notorious privateer, Alina returns to the country she abandoned, determined to fight the forces gathering against Ravka. But as her power grows, Alina slips deeper into the Darkling’s game of forbidden magic, and farther away from Mal. Somehow, she will have to choose between her country, her power, and the love she always thought would guide her--or risk losing everything to the oncoming storm.

“Why won’t you leave me alone?” I whispered one night as he hovered behind me while I tried to work at my desk.

Long minutes passed. I didn’t think he would answer. I even had time to hope he might have gone, until I felt his hand on my shoulder. 

“Then I’d be alone, too," he said, and he stayed the whole night through, till the lamps burned down to nothing.” 

 

I don't know how to write a review that will do this book justice. So I'm going to do something I haven't done yet and do a gif review! Siege and Storm was just like Shadow and Bone where I flew through it. 

 

This one took more than one sitting sadly because of work and life, but hey it gave me more time to savor it. So this book starts off quite a bit after Shadow and Bone. Which is good because the characters have settled into their new roles and we get right to the action and plot. Alina is very different in this book. She is more determined and has a semblance of a plan to save Ravka. For me, this trilogy is all about the Darkling and how much I love his characterization. Yeah he may be the "villain" but I also think his character is too complex to be categorized as such. After the huge role he played in Shadow and Bone there was not nearly enough of him in this story for my taste. Every time we did get him, I was all like:

I know everyone obsesses over the Darkling and I'm definitely one of them. Another aspect that made this second book so great was all the new characters we got to meet and get to know. Nikolai being one of them. I love how he is first revealed to be the Prince and how much mischief he can get up to. While I'm definitely pro Alina/Darkling, I had a few Nikolai/Alina moments where I was all: 

I definitely cannot wait to start Ruin and Rising and see how Leigh Bardugo finishes up the trilogy, but at the same time I'm super worried about the emotional toil it will take. I have fallen so in love with this world and these characters that I'm scared to see what she has done with them in the final book.

 

I also have that small voice in the back of my head warning me about disappointment with final books in series (but it is just a super small voice because I know almost everyone loves this trilogy in its entirety).

Review: This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab

Title: This Savage Song
Author: Victoria Schwab
Publication Date:  July 5th, 2016
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: 

There’s no such thing as safe in a city at war, a city overrun with monsters. In this dark urban fantasy from author Victoria Schwab, a young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains—and friends or enemies—with the future of their home at stake. The first of two books.

Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city—a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, to play a bigger role in protecting the innocent—but he’s one of the monsters. One who can steal a soul with a simple strain of music. When the chance arises to keep an eye on Kate, who’s just been kicked out of her sixth boarding school and returned home, August jumps at it. But Kate discovers August’s secret, and after a failed assassination attempt the pair must flee for their lives.

“You wanted to feel alive, right? It doesn't matter if you're monster or human. Living hurts.”

I do not know where to begin with this book. I do not think anything I write will do it justice. This book had everything I wanted and needed. There was so much to fall in love with.

I'm a huge fan of Victoria Schwab and everything she has written, this book being no exception. She just has this way of writing that pulls you right into the meat of the story and the world. So Verity is an amazing setting. From the first page I was obsessed with learning as much as I could about the city and its strange inhabitants. Victoria did a fantastic job of giving us the information about the world as we needed it. The story unfolded in a great way that keep me hooked all the way through. For me there was very little down time at all, I was eager throughout the book to see what was going to happen next.

In terms of the characters, we have two completely different but also the same people. Kate and August were a great pair and I loved watching their chemistry unfold throughout the book. There is so much keeping them apart but they are thrown into this war. 

Victoria Schwab is one of my auto-buy authors. She is able to create these amazing worlds whether they are fantasy or a scary world not far from our own. Her world building is what first gets you drawn into each book, but then you meet the characters and fall in love with them too.

At her event this week, she talked about how her characters are all outsiders just trying to fit in and learn to live as an outsider. Something about that really stuck with me. I think that is part of why I'm so drawn to her books. They are not about the extraordinary person living a normal life. They are about the person who has never really fit in and never will. I really think August and Kate's story really works with this theme. You have Kate, the daughter of the "mob boss", trying to fit in and be like her father and you have the monster, August, who desperately wants to be human and live

Review: Tell the Wind and Fire by Sarah Rees Brennan

Title: Tell the Wind and Fire
Author: Sarah Rees Brennan
Publication Date:  April 5th, 2016
Publisher: Clarion Books
Source: ARC from Publisher
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: 

In a city divided between opulent luxury in the Light and fierce privations in the Dark, a determined young woman survives by guarding her secrets.

Lucie Manette was born in the Dark half of the city, but careful manipulations won her a home in the Light, celebrity status, and a rich, loving boyfriend. Now she just wants to keep her head down, but her boyfriend has a dark secret of his own—one involving an apparent stranger who is destitute and despised. Lucie alone knows the young men’s deadly connection, and even as the knowledge leads her to make a grave mistake, she can trust no one with the truth.

Blood and secrets alike spill out when revolution erupts. With both halves of the city burning, and mercy nowhere to be found, can Lucie save either boy—or herself?

“I know there is nothing between us and there never could be. But I would do whatever you asked. I would do anything you want. If I had anything worth giving to you, I would give it. If I had anything to sacrifice, I would sacrifice it for you.”

I'm so in love with this book. I loved the writing, the characters, and the story. A Tale of Two Cities is one of my favorite books of all time and Sarah Rees Brennan has crafted this amazing retelling of the classic story. She definitely made it her own with amazing characters, doppelgangers, and magic.

Even though I knew how this was going to end and I knew I was in for a world of hurt, I still was not prepared for just how horrible the ending was going to be. And I say that in a completely positive way. This story still managed to shock me in every way and I truly felt for the characters as they went through their own Revolution.

This story really gets at who you are and what you are willing to do both for your beliefs and the people you care about. Lucie, Ethan, and Carwyn each had complex backstories and situations that lead them to this story and how everything unfolded. There were so many choices that led to what unfolded and how it unfolded. 

That being said, while I knew how the general story was going to go, there were still many twists and turns that kept me guessing as to how exactly things were going to unfold. I'm so lucky that I got an ARC of this book and I cannot recommend it enough to people. Especially fans of A Tale of Two cities and fantasy books. Plus this book has amazing writing and so many gorgeous quotes throughout. I have so many post-it notes lining my ARC in places where I loved the writing.

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

Review: Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Title: Carry On
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publication Date: October 6th, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffins
Source: Bought It
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.

“You have to pretend you get an endgame. You have to carry on like you will; otherwise, you can't carry on at all.”

Wow! I don’t even know where to start with this book. This was definitely one of my most anticipated books (especially in terms of standalones and not continuing a series). I feel in love with the characters in Fangirl. I obviously loved Cath and Levi, but I also loved the bits we got of Simon and Baz. So a whole 500+ page book about Simon and Baz was super exciting.

I loved that this book starts during their last year at Watford where they have already faced many challenges and overcome them. Instead we get as much information as we need as the story goes instead of a crazy summary of the previous years. Rainbow Rowell did a fantastic job of weaving in the past experiences. I also loved the pace of this book. We got straight to the point without a bunch of world building and explanations.

As soon as I started the book, I already felt like I knew the world. I do not think this was because I was already introduced to the world in Fangirl, I think it was just written well enough to not have a learning curve. There are many similarities to HP but I think that is part of The Chosen One trope and the fan fiction meta aspect of this book. I really loved how Rainbow Rowell did her own thing with the Chosen One arc. She had her own ideas on how Simon and his friends would deal with the evil and how everything would turn out.

I will admit my one concern going into this book was the fact that this was a book about fanfiction of a fictional book from a different fictional book (and yes it is that complex). So I was worried it was going to be too much meta but I did not feel that way at all. There was really nothing relating to the original fanfiction from Fangirl other than character names.
 
I already want to reread this book and I really want to read Fangirl now. Both will probably happen by the end of the year so I can revisit these characters. This book is very different than Rainbow Rowell’s other contemporary books, but she did a great job with this fantasy story!

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Title: An Ember in the Ashes
Author: Sabaa Tahir
Publication Date:  April 28th, 2015
Publisher: Razorbill
Source: Giveaway via Topian Books
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: AN EMBER IN THE ASHES is a thought-provoking, heart-wrenching and pulse-pounding read. Set in a rich, high-fantasy world with echoes of ancient Rome, it tells the story of a slave fighting for her family and a young soldier fighting for his freedom.

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

“This life is not always what we think it will be. You are an ember in the ashes, Elias Veturius. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.” - pg. 65

 I have so many different thoughts about this book. Between the writing, the characters, and the worlds, I was in love. Sabaa Tahir is an amazing writer and I cannot wait to see what else we get from her. As for this book, An Ember in the Ashes has been highly, highly hyped, even more so than Red Queen. As since it is a YA fantasy that is also a stand alone (as of right now), I was even more excited for it.

As for the actual book, we start out right away with action. I was immediately pulled into the Laia's family struggles and the life of the Scholar while also feeling incredibly bad for Elias and what he goes through as a Mask for the Empire. This story is told so well with the alternating perspectives and also with how the two stories eventually intertwine.

I have been really lucky this month so far with reading really amazing and well done books, and I'm so glad this book did not disappoint. I was a little bit worried about the hype ruining this book for me. But the action, the fantasy elements, and the political ramifications of the book were so engrossing, I was pulled right in and spent most of the day finishing the book. I just had to know how it would end.

And I know I said it is a stand alone as of right now, but I have to say that while it ends with many things wrapped up, I need so much more. This story is by no means done, there are still so many storylines that were not finished and still so many unanswered questions about the fate of both the Empire and the characters, especially Elias and Laia. I really hope we get at least a sequel of this book because I really want more!

I'd also like to add how absolutely stunning the book is in person. Between the cover and the initials under the dust jacket, it is gorgeous. However, the best part for me is the end pages with the maps. You have the Empire in the front and Blackcliff in the back and they are gorgeous black and white pictures. 

Let me know if you've read the book and what your thoughts are in the comments! Or if you plan to read the book!

Review: All The Rage by Courtney Summers

Title: All The Rage
Author: Courtney Summers
Publication Date: April 14th, 2015
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Source: From the publisher
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: The sheriff’s son, Kellan Turner, is not the golden boy everyone thinks he is, and Romy Grey knows that for a fact. Because no one wants to believe a girl from the wrong side of town, the truth about him has cost her everything—friends, family, and her community. Branded a liar and bullied relentlessly by a group of kids she used to hang out with, Romy’s only refuge is the diner where she works outside of town. No one knows her name or her past there; she can finally be anonymous. But when a girl with ties to both Romy and Kellan goes missing after a party, and news of him assaulting another girl in a town close by gets out, Romy must decide whether she wants to fight or carry the burden of knowing more girls could get hurt if she doesn’t speak up. Nobody believed her the first time—and they certainly won’t now — but the cost of her silence might be more than she can bear.　

With a shocking conclusion and writing that will absolutely knock you out, All the Rage examines the shame and silence inflicted upon young women after an act of sexual violence, forcing us to ask ourselves: In a culture that refuses to protect its young girls, how can they survive?

“He covers her mouth. That’s how you get a girl to stop crying; you cover her mouth until the sound dies against your palm.” 

FYI, there is a huge trigger warning for this book. It contains abuse, bullying, and rape. This review consists of my initial thoughts right after I finished the book. I do not typically right reviews right away, but with this book, I decided it was important to have my initial thoughts in the review.

I do not even know what to say about this book. It was beyond infuriating and so real. The writing was beautiful and at the same time hauntingly disturbing. The fact that what Romy went through in this book is something so many people go through everyday is disgusting. This book is accurately named and while I made me so angry and upset to read, at the same time I loved it. This book is important. It showcases something our society typically shies away from. It is important that people see what victims of abuse and bullying experience. And while it is disturbing and upsetting to read about it, it is also important that people talk about it.

This book is told post-trauma in Romy's point of view. We see her hate herself more and more as a result of something that was never her fault. I hated how everyone in the town treated her. It was horrible to read.

One thing that I found interesting about this book is that we never actually meet Kellan. I really liked this choice, because it focused the book solely on Romy's story. It kept the book about her and how she was dealing with it.

This book is adequately named due to the feelings it evoked in me. There were so many times where I was so aggravated at what Romy's was going through and how she did not think she could tell anyone what was going on with her. It upset me so much that she felt that alone that she could not share her life with someone.

*I received a copy of this book from the publisher through a giveaway* 

Let me know in the comments if you've read the book and what your thoughts are! Or if you are planning to read it.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: May 5th, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Bought it!
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon / Book Depository

Summary: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

“Though I supposed that for Tamlin- for High Fae used to ethereal flawless beauty- it had been a struggle to find a compliment. Faerie bastard” - pg. 69

As one of my most anticipated releases of the year by one of my favorite authors, I could not wait to get this book and as soon as it was delivered, I had to read it right away. I read this book in two sittings and it was two not one because I had class. As for my actual thoughts, the writing and world was amazing as I have come to expect from Sarah J. Maas. Her writing is gorgeous and the worlds she creates are stunning.

This book was definitely for a more mature audience than the Throne of Glass series. This book was darker, had more gore, the romance was more prominent,  and the language was more harsh. Even though this was such a dark book, you still had the beauty of the Fae and Prythian.  I loved all the instances in this book straight from the story of Beauty and the Beast . Whether it was Feyre cleaning up Tamlin when he was hurt, Tamlin taking her to the “library”, or them dancing, I loved every moment that reminded me of one of my favorite fairy-tales.

The characters in this book were so enjoyable to read. They were so sassy and there was such great banter between them. Whether is was between Lucien and Tamlin, Alis and Feyre, or Feyre and Lucien. And of course Tamlin and Feyre! There were many times I would be giggling at how ridiculous they were with each other. And I loved the sassiness. I really hope that the characters continue to be this way in future books.

While this book was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, it did have many different new aspects to it as well. I can honestly say it did not end at all the way I was expecting. The ending has me very curious as to where the next two books in the series are going to go. However, I do hope we get to see more of Prythian, especially the other courts.

Since this was a first book in a trilogy, there were a lot of instances of info dump but they did not bother me in the slightest. I also may be incredibly biased since I do not think Sarah J. Maas could write anything that I would not love immediately. That being said, I cannot wait until we get the next book in this trilogy. I cannot wait to read more about Feyre, Tamlin, Lucien, and even Rhys! 

Have you read this yet? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Review: Angelfall

“I knew from the start that your loyalty would get you killed. I just never thought it would be your loyalty to me that would do it.”


Title: Angelfall
Author: Susan Ee
Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Publisher: Amazon Childrens Publishing
Source: ARC via NetGalley
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon






This book was full of action right from the start. The first chapter alone has Penryn, her sister, Paige, and their mom braving the outside world filled with gangs and angels. This book pulled me in right away and kept me entertained and wanting to continue reading to the conclusion. I even stayed up late last night to finish it.

The progression of Penryn and Raffe’s relationship is amazing. From the start, they are thrown together due to common destinations, but as they continue to work together they become some form of friends (and even more eventually). The two of them were so great and I loved their interactions. The times they were apart in the book were sad, but luckily it was never too long of a wait until we saw them together again.

The world Susan Ee has created in this post-apocalyptic angel invasion world is fascinating to me. We get a little bit of background surrounding the evasion and the world before, but I would have love more of it. There are two more books to this trilogy, so I hope we eventually do get that background. To me that was the only flaw with this book, just a lack of background information.

The ending of this book makes me really want to continue on with the trilogy to find out what happens. So many things happened that left me with questions. I do not want to spoil anything, but there are so many events that clearly will have implications in the future, plus that ending was somewhat cruel. We do not really know the outcomes for the characters and we do not know what is going to happen in the aftermath.

I look forward to reading the rest of this series after the strong start with Angelfall.

*I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛½

Let me know in the comments if you have read the book and what your thoughts are. 

Becoming ExtraOrdinary

 


"Killing something was easy. Bring it back to live took more than measurement and medicine. It was like cooking, not baking. Baking took a sense of order. Cooking took a flare, a little art, a little luck. This kind of cooking took a lot of luck."

Title: Vicious
Author: V. E. Schwab
Publication Date: September 24th, 2013 
Publisher:  Tor Books
Source: Bought it
Where to find: Goodreads / Amazon






This book was fantastic. The writing and the storytelling were extremely well done. The only other Victoria Schwab book I have read so far is The Archived and while I enjoyed it, I absolutely loved Vicious. There was just something about reading about these “evil” characters that pulled me right in.

Victor and Eli are not your typical main characters. These two have made some very questionable choices in their lives that have led them from being friends in College working on their theses to being nemeses striving to kill each other. The way this story is told from both of the their perspectives, both 10 years in the past during their college years and the present as they hunt for each other is really well done. I do not typically enjoy books that flip timelines like this because it can be confusing, but Schwab did an amazing job.

From the first page, I was hooked on this book. There is so much mystery and intrigue between the ExtraOrdinaries, Victor and Eli’s past, and their thirst for vengeance. I loved how Schwab wove their stories together into this epic showdown at the end. So many aspects of this book were so complex between the story being told and the characters themselves, there was always something to be thinking about. This book made you question the lengths people would go to gain these powers and become ExtraOrdinary. It also made you think about the consequences of this thirst for knowledge and power.

On top of the fantastic main characters, Schwab also created lovable side characters including Sydney, Mitch, Dol, and even Serena. Each character had a role to play in this battle between Victor and Eli. I really felt for Sydney throughout this entire book. She is basically left to die at age 13 and finds Victor who takes her under his wing. Sydney also does a good job of adding more complexity to Victor since he seems to really care for Sydney.

Overall, this book was beyond fantastic and I cannot wait to read more of Victoria Schwab’s books. This is a must read for anyone looking for an exciting and truly remarkable book that blurs what it means to be good. This book makes you love the villain and I loved that about it.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

Let me know in the comments if you have read the book and what your thoughts are.

The Silence of Six by E. C. Myers

“What is the silence of six, and what are you going to do about it?”

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While it opens with a pretty gruesome suicide, the rest of the book takes you on a journey to solve Evan’s last question. Evan’s death leaves our main character, Max, to figure out the clues Evan left him to expose the coverup. This is a story of cover-ups, conspiracy theories, and hacking.

I really enjoyed the pace of this book. Max, Penny, and Risse were on the run trying to fit the pieces together. The three of them working together were able to solve the puzzle and expose the corruption. This book had a lot of technical computer jargon, but Myers did a really good job of explaining what it meant. I’m no expert on computers or hacking, but it all seemed accurate (and believable) to me.

I flew through this book, part of that was because I read it during #RYBSAT, but it was mostly because of how much I enjoyed this book. I didn’t want to put it down, I wanted to figure out all the clues and answer the question Evan poses in the first chapter.

I think this is one of those books you should go into without knowing much about. Honestly, simply watching the book trailer (here) should suffice to grab your attention and convince you to pick up this book.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

Red Rising by Pierce Brown

“Death isn't empty like you say it is. Emptiness is life without freedom, Darrow. Emptiness is living chained by fear, fear of loss, of death. I say we break those chains. Break the chains of fear and you break the chains that bind us to the Golds, to the Society.”

I don’t even know where to begin with this book. It was just beyond compelling. It was such a unique setting for a dystopian. You have the main setting of Mars in the future where humans have colonized various planets. Plus you have this caste like system based on colors with Gold being the top and Reds at the bottom. Darrow, of course, is at the bottom, a Red, who drills for helium to help society. Beyond this caste system, you have the fact that Darrow and the other Reds have been lied to about the progress made colonizing the planets and moons.

Not only was the setting and premise of the book great, the writing was astounding. Even with all the jargon and world building, Pierce Brown wrote in an enthralling way that had me continuously turning the page to see what would happen to Darrow and those around him. Within the first 50 pages, Brown shocks us and ups the ante of Darrow’s fight. I just really enjoyed the writing style and never wanted to put this book down (even when I had to go to work).

Once Darrow is on the surface of Mars, he meets a cast of characters who we have been groomed by Darrow’s experiences to despise, but I couldn’t help but love them and their personalities. Each one was different and had their own woes and struggles even if they were Golds and at the top of society.

Now that I have finished Red Rising, I want to start Golden Son right away. This trilogy has the potential to be amazing and I cannot wait to see what happens to Darrow and his companions in the final two books in this trilogy. This book was a great start to a trilogy that I assume will only get better as we move forward.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

“We are all the pieces of what we remember. We hold in ourselves the hopes and fears of those who love us. As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.”

Short review since this is the sixth in a series, but if you haven't read this series you really should. As a whole, I prefer the Infernal Devices Trilogy, but this series is all really well done.

This was a great conclusion to the series. Cassandra Clare did a great job tying up all the loose ends and also setting the stage for the next series with Emma and Julian. I loved the introduction to all the new characters in this book. Emma seems like such an amazing character, I cannot wait to learn more about her and her friends in LA.

The only problem I have with this conclusion is just how it seemed too perfect. That isn’t a bad thing really, but I think I can come to expect it from this world.

So this book was a wonderful conclusion to Clary and Jace's story and now I really need Lady Midnight. Also I really need to stop waiting so long to finish conclusions to Cassandra Clare's series.

♛ ♛ ♛ ♛ ♛

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

I don’t know how to write a review about this book that is coherent and not just gushing. This book was perfect in so many ways. It encapsulated the idea of fandoms and the person who is the fangirl. Characters within the book were just like those encountered in real life. Both the fangirls and other people who don’t quite get it.

There are many people I meet in college who don’t understand what HP means to me and what it was like growing up with that story, both the actual books and the community and fandom around the series. That series has shaped my life in so many ways and Rainbow Rowell translated that feeling into Cath and her story.

This book is definitely for a very specific audience who can relate to Cath and can understand what she is going through. Throughout this book, I would read things Cath would say or do and see myself in Cath. I think that is why this book was so amazing to me. I saw myself in Cath and could really understand how going to college affected her.

I also really want to read Carry On now. Luckily it comes out in less than a year.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ stars

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

This book is actually a collection of novellas that are prequels to the Throne of Glass Series. Each one contains some event that shaped Celaena into the assassin we see in the series. These novellas were amazing and I really enjoyed all the background we got.

Each novella showed a lot of the choices Celaena makes that contradict the stereotypical assassin persona. These novellas helped show that what Celaena does in Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire is not completely out of character and she has done similar things in the past. Personally I wish I had read this book before reading Heir of Fire because it would have augmented a few of the things Celaena goes through with Rowan if I had already read the Assassin’s blade.

From the other books in the series, I did not think I would like Sam, but reading this book really made me understand why Sam and Celaena were good for each other. They dealt with the struggles of being an Assassin together and supported each other through that. Along with this came the heartbreak of just how devastated Celaena must be at the beginning of the Throne of Glass with being in the camp plus Sam’s death. The slow build up of Celaena realize just how much she cares about Sam was wonderfully done.

Each of these stories were a great window into Celaena’s life prior to Endovier and how they have shaped the events that take place in the other books. Arobynn is incredibly cruel and I absolutely do not understand how Celaena survived all that time with him. The Silent Master definitely taught her a lot and was a far better Master.

That last page killed me. So sad, but she is using Sam's death and her imprisonment to motivate her to survive and get her revenge. This book also made me crave more Celaena and I also miss Chaol and Dorian. I don't like that I have to wait until Fall 2015. 

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ stars 

Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris

*I received this book from BloggingForBooks in exchange for an honest review.*

First, I just want to explain this book. It is the story of Neil Patrick Harris’s life. However it is a twist on the typical autobiography. When you get to the end of the chapter, there is a footnote that gives you between 1 and 3 choices of where you can take the story next. This book is not meant to be read cover to cover. Rather it is meant to be read multiple times, choosing different stories to tell.

This book was so unique and I loved it. I don't tend to read non-fiction, let alone autobiographies, but this book was just as entertaining as what I typically read. Between choosing how the story would end, plus the second person POV, it was great. I also loved the "guest" writers like Kelly Rippa and Barney Stinson.  I loved how it was written as if you were experiencing Neil Patrick Harris’s life. I decided for this first time reading that I would go with always choosing the happier option or most entertaining one.

Some of the endings throughout the book are hilarious. Especially the Joss Whedon one! This book was full of fun, quirky lines that had me giggling to myself and getting weird looks. But it was worth it. This was a fun light read that I really enjoyed diving into. Neil Patrick Harris’s humor and shows are great and this book really showcased that. I also really loved the drawings and pictures throughout the book.

I think this is one of those books that you have to have the physical book for. Between the pictures and the drawings, and even the little footnotes, I don’t think an ebook format would work well. Even the idea of flipping through the book following into the next story would not translate well in a ebook format.

On a side note, the back blurb is great. It just added to how much I enjoyed this book!

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ stars

100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith

I’ve been reading a lot of paranormal/fantasy lately, so I decided to return to contemporary for this one. Andrew Smith is a new author for me. But I’m so obsessed with Winger. It is by far my favorite contemporary book with If I Stay close but still in a semi-distant second place. As for the actual book, the cover of 100 Sideways Miles is absolutely gorgeous, not to mention the beauty that is the back of the dust jacket. It is also a fairly short novel being under 300 pages. So a short read for me.

:|:

This book did not disappoint at all. It was just as I expected full of Andrew Smith’s wit and humor. Finn as a character was great. He is a 16/17 year old, epileptic, with heterochromatic eyes (one blue and one green). He has a scar shaped like this :|: on his back after the falling horse accident. Finn’s dad also has a book that is strangely very similar to Finn’s life. This is a large part of the identity crisis that Finn goes through. He is not sure if he is really there or just stuck in a book. Finn is also very literal and bases everything off of atoms coming together and how much the Earth moved in the time elapsed. I really enjoyed the recurring mentions of atoms and these distances that were literally on every page. On top of this, Finn had also survived a traumatic event of being hit by a dead horse. This accident took his mom away and also broke his back leading to his epilepsy.

:|:

The first part of this book is very introduction heavy. It is just over a hundred pages introducing us to Finn, Cade, and Julia. Not much else happens in terms of plot and development. Well, I guess Finn has his first kiss and falls in love. But there is not much else happening. It is in the second part that everything starts to change and happen. Cade and Julia fall in love and then she leaves. The third part consists of Cade and Finn going on their road trip to Oklahoma.

:|:

This book did not have too much of a plot, it was more about Finn growing to accept himself and who he was post horse falling from the sky incident. This book while not was I was expected in terms of plot it was everything I wanted in an Andrew Smith book. Having now read two Andrew Smith books I think I can safely say he is one of my favorite writers, plus he has a way of ending his stories. Winger has one of my favorite last pages of all time and this book had just as memorable of an ending. 100 Sideways Miles is a fantastic book that really captivated me with its wit and seemingly pointless details that all connected to form this book. 

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ Stars!

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray

We again have another favorite book. I was highly anticipating the release of this book and that was mostly due to the cover. Word cannot describe how stunning this cover is. It is even better in person and having the physical book. But this book was so much more awesome than the cover made me think it was. I was not disappointed in any aspect. The one flaw in the book and it is minimal, is the fact that I was able to predict a small detail that we learn at the end.

The writing and descriptions in this book were great. Claudia Gray has a very unique and intriguing way to draw you into the story. The way she described all the science in the book was great. She was descriptive and went in depth, but at the same time she would add humor to it to fit with Marguerite’s lack of science understanding. I loved the way everything was introduced and explained in the different universes. Even when the universe was very similar to Marguerite’s real home, we always knew what the differences were. Having Marguerite be an artist who focuses on detail was very important in regard to this story. The narrator needed to be someone who was detail-oriented but who also had a very limited understanding of physics. The whole basis of other universe travel was based on physics and using equations to understand why things happened.

Paul Markov was a very complex character who we knew very little about, however as the story went on we learned more about his life and his interactions with Marguerite. I loved the little flashbacks throughout the book that gave you a better understanding of why it was so shocking that Paul could kill Marguerite’s father and destroy all the data and leave.

There were many twists and turns in this book that set many things up for the next book and the rest of the series. I appreciate that Claudia Gray didn’t leave us with a huge cliffhanger because that is just cruel, but she still has me beyond anxious to read the next one and find out what they are going to do to stop the villain, (not naming him because spoilers). I also tried really hard to not finish this book right away, but I didn't accomplish that very well. The book came out Tuesday, and it is Saturday and I have already finished it.

Overall, this was an amazing start to a new series. It contained so many elements of what I appreciate in a book, there was the science aspect, the whole fantasy, multiple universes aspect, the humor, and of course the romance. The cover of this book is just as amazing as the actual book. And it is going to look great on my favorites shelf.

✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ ✶ Stars

The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

In honor of Retribution coming out tomorrow, I decided to read this so that I can read Retribution right away. The book was better and crazier than the first. After the first, I felt like I had a good grip on what was happening in the book and the series as a whole, but this book completely obliterated all that. I'm currently sitting here in shock because I have no idea what to expect in the final book of the trilogy. I can say that I'm super excited to read it.

The book set up what I expect to be an amazing conclusion to the trilogy. Michelle Hodkin's writing style is amazing and I absolutely love the whole unreliable narrator aspect of the story. We have no idea if we can trust Mara or if anything she is telling us is true. One minute she thinks someone is terrorizing her then we find out that she did it herself. But then there are other times where her suspicions appear to be real. This book has so many twists and turns that right now I don't even have any theories for what could possibly happen in the final book.

I'm also really glad that I was able to wait until the day before Retribution came out to read this book and that I was never spoiled. So now I only have to wait a few days to find out what is really happening in this trilogy.

5/5 Stars

The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski

This book is amazing and definitely ranks in the top tier of what I’ve read this year. Kestrel and Arin’s story is enticing and pulls you right in. There are so many nuances and intricacies to the world that Rutkoski has built. The history of the Valorians and the Herrans is fantastic and captivating. Rutkoski blends politics, revolution, and history together with the story of Arin and Kestrel to create this novel.

The characters alone in this novel are so intricate and have so many layers they shape who they are. Kestrel and Arin both have countless reasons for their actions and have many difficult choices to make as the novel progresses. Other than Kestrel and Arin, the side characters are just as intriguing. The romance is a large part of this novel, but it didn’t take central stage which I appreciated. It was more of a friendship that blossomed into something more.

I felt like the beginning of this book was a little weak as Rutkoski built the world and set the stage for the Revolution. But that did not diminish my love of the book at all. Lots of books need time to explain the world and build up what is going to happen. Once the revolution happened, the pace picked up and the twists and turns began. There were so many times throughout this book where Arin or Kestrel’s choices were unexpected. I was convinced they were going to do one thing and then they would do something else entirely.

Overall, this was an amazing read and I cannot wait to read more about Kestrel and Arin and the aftermath of the revolution. This book pulled me right in and I couldn’t stop reading it. I’m not really sure how this book should be classified, it definitely has elements of historical fiction, but there is a fantasy feel as well. Regardless, I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a book with true intrigue, drama, and action.

5/5 Stars

Winger by Andrew Smith

I literally have no idea what I can say about this book other than amazing. Maybe the first 20 pages were meh, but the rest of the book more than made up for it. Andrew Smith’s writing is both entertaining and hilarious. I don’t really know what else to say about it. I just love the way he combines what is happening to Ryan Dean, what is going on around him, and what Ryan Dean is thinking. It is amazing. Plus all the pictures and cartoons and things. And I almost forgot this book also takes place at a boarding school, you cannot get much better than that.

Well, now that I’ve completely ranted about how much I loved this book. Let me just continue and say that even though Ryan Dean is a ridiculously flawed character who makes ridiculously stupid mistakes, I cannot help but love him and eagerly wait to see how he is going to talk his way out of something. And I felt so bad for him at the end. He had finally got his life mostly together, when life just had to throw a curve ball at him. Regardless of the end, Ryan Dean was still able to grow throughout the book and was not the same character by any means at the end.

The last thing I want to mention is how much I absolutely adored the final chapter of this book. Even though it was less than a page long. It was perfect and totally summed everything up. That chapter has the potential to be my favorite way to end a book (at least a book that isn’t in a series).

5/5 Stars and definitely one of my favorites of the year!