Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Maas
404 pages
(Throne of Glass, #1)
Published: August 7 2012

Blurb:

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 moreINTERESTING 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 toDISCOVER a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Rating:

Thoughts:

First and foremost, I am very aware that half the people who even see this review have probably already read this book. For reasons mostly involving boredom, reading slumps and the possibility of me not finishing another book for a while, I will review this book anyway. This disclaimer is merely for repetitive thoughts that will undoubtedly occur throughout the review. I hope you enjoy it regardless of them :)

Alright, so the the thing that stuck out to me the most about this book was the characters, which is my first very repetitive thought. I don't have much to say other than I am actually torn, for the first time, on who's side of the love triangle I'm on. I can't begin to describe the characters since that would be a spoiler, and also because I'm not sure I can do them justice with my own words. Celaena was a strange mix of girly, book-nerdy, smart and brave that I found refreshingly unique. I felt myself relating a lot to her, and loving that she was as vulnerable at times as she was great in others. You sometimes read a lot of characters that are either too pathetic or too perfect, so this was a nice, realistic mix of the two. Sarah J. Maas is the new queen of clever, badass, sarcastic, swaggery (don't think that's a word) characters. The love-hate relationships between them were funny, the love-love relationships were heart warming, and most importantly, there were villains well-worthy of beheading, eye gouging, or whatever appeases the dark, sadistic part we all undeniably have in our hearts. That was a very happy sentence. 

Moving on to the actual world Maas set up for this series, I couldn't get enough of it. I loved the royal, castle-type setting, with all gowns, parties and fancy rooms. This book was descriptive enough to make you feel like you were witnessing the scenes clearly, but not so much as to bore you with knowledge of every crack in the wall. Again, it was a nice balance between the two. We didn't get to see much of Calaena's life as a slave in the mines, just reocurring thoughts of all the terrible things she went through and how she actually managed to survive. I didn't mind that too much since I enjoyed the setting of Rifthold so much. The only thing that bothered me slightly was that the premise of magic in this book wasn't explained as well as I'd hoped. There wasn't much history to be told, but I suppose that's all we could get since Celaena only knew so much. Info-dumpy chapters are never fun to read. I feel like this book was an excellent start to what i hope will be a magnificent series, if what I've heard is true about the other two books currently out. The world-building was very good. 

The plot, however, was very interesting. I didn't expect there to be so many deaths, which only increased my growing curiosity as to who the killer was. This is in the blurb, so I'm not spoiling anything. This book turned out to have a mysterious conflict, which I did not expect. There was also a lot of suspense, which I happily devoured. But again, my only problem was how predictable the resolution was. This is probably another common thing you hear about this book. i expected there to be some kind of major plot twist that would send me rocketing back in my seat in shock, but I saw it coming from the start. This made me contemplate giving the book a lower rating, but no matter how unsurprising it was, I still thought it was written fantastically, and enjoyed it nonetheless. For that I think the book deserves a solid 4.5. 

Definitely recommend this for anyone who likes books with mystery, supernatural creatures, snarky characters, or just plain awesome action! 

Double Copy (A tragic tale based on a true story)

(A few years ago)

Me walking in the mall with my friend: La da dee da dee, Doopdee doodle do... This is a very nice-

*Angelic music plays*

Me: .....

Friend: No.

Me: But-

Friend: NO!

Me: I don't care! *runs inside*

Friend: *Calls salon* Hey, yeah. Sorry, can you move that 4:00 appointment to 6? We're gonna take a while..

(Inside)

Me: Hey, should I get this? *Holds up book*

Friend: Sure whatever.

Me: Look, the deathly hallows! That's the only one I don't have yet!

Friend: Then get it.

Me: Okay!

----

(Back at home)

Me: Okay, time to set you, dear beloved, on my shelf.

*Looks at shelves*

Me: Wait. Whaaa?
Shelves: That's right.
Me: No!
Shelves: When are you going to start remembering what books you already freaking have, Janna?
Me:...
Shelves: Well?
Me: Never?
Shelves: Shame on you!
Me: *Looks down in shame*


Yup, confession: I have two copies of the deathly hallows on my shelves. Did this suck? If so, I'm sorry. Thought I'd change it up from all reviews :3

Snow Like Ashes

by Sara Raasch
416 pages
(Snow Like Ashes, #1)
Published: October 14th 2014

( Disclaimer: Totally changing up the way I do my reviews )

Blurb:
A heartbroken girl. A fierce warrior. A hero in the making.

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.

Rating:

Thoughts:

First of all, I'd like to say that the blurb doesn't mislead in this case, and stays true to the book 100%. Although, it doesn't necessarily grab your attention like it should. This book is everything I look for in an amazing fantasy novel, and I'm glad I decided to give it a chance to experience the glory that is Sara Raasch's writing. 

This book starts off slow and steady, with a lot of information laid out for you to digest. Although many people see this as a bad thing, and I did too at first, I came to realise it was completely necessary for the plot. There were constant plot twists throughout this book, and the reader would've only been able to fully enjoy the action if they completely understood the premise of the story and all the little details that make this new world a fantastic one. I wanted to lower my rating because of the slow start, but I couldn't bring myself to do it with the rest of the book being as phenomenal as it was. 

Now for my actual thoughts about the story. I loved the idea of Season kingdoms, and I guess that all started with Game of Thrones. No, I have not read it. No, I have not watched the tv show. Do I still like the idea of it? Hell yeah. This is one of the few books I've read that are more within the higher fantasy range, and for everyone intimidated by it, don't be. I would say this book has the same gripping action as Divergent, with love interests that are, for once, not annoying. The world building in this book is so good and descriptive, I could genuinely see myself by the main character's side, witnessing the whole thing as if it were a vivid dream. Speaking of dreams, I found the incorporation of them throughout the book as a great addition, intensifying the suspense as Meira discovers all the truths about her situation. That being said, I think Meira is by far the most badass female protagonist I've read so far, with the right amount of vulnerability to make her seem more realistic. I loved the relationship between her and Sir, and I find him by far one of my favorite fictional fatherly figures. Reading this book, I was at the verge of tears many times. From both happiness and saddness. It was such an insane novel. In a really good way. 

This is a must-read for fans of Sarah J. Maas or even J.K Rowling. Oh, and team Theron all the way! 

Never Never: Part Two

by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

125 pages

(Never Never, #2)
Published: May 17 2015

Blurb:

“Never forget that I was your first real kiss. Never forget that you’ll be my last. 
And never stop loving me between all of them. 
Never stop, Charlie. 
Never forget.” 

Silas races against time as more truths unravel, while others twist tighter together. And now, the stakes are higher as Silas’ control slips and others begin to point fingers. Charlie is in trouble and he must be the one to bridge the chasm between their past and their present. Because somewhere between I love yous and Never Nevers and Never Agains, a truth they can't imagine, beckons to be found. 

Rating:

Thoughts:

AHH! Okay, so I will say pretty much the same thing I said in my last review. I recommend this series to whoever loves mystery or romance. If you like books with some form of journal/letter/email writing in them, this is perfect for you as well.  Since I have not read any other Colleen Hoover or Tarryn Fisher books, I cannot compare these books to any of their other ones. But since many readers are fond of Colleen's work, I think it's safe to say all you Hoover fans must check this out! It's short, gripping, and over before you know it! I simply can't wait for the next one! 

So, I have a lot more good things to say about this book. Since we are already somewhat familiar with the plot and the characters, the book is a lot easier to get into. I recommend you read this one immediately after the first, just to keep your curiosity right where it's supposed to be. You also don't want to forget all the details, like Silas and Charlie did....*da dum tssssss*. Okay, that was lame. Back to my train of thought. In this book, we ironically get even more character development, which if you read the books would understand what I'm talking about. Charlie is no longer overdramatic, and Silas stopped being creepily in love with her. I really like how in this book, the characters are doing a lot more to figure out what it is that's actually happening to them. Whereas in the first one, they did a whole bunch of just hanging around and dealing with it. The fact that many journal entries were put into this also allowed us to understand more about the history between their families, and why this possibly happened. And then the reason behind the name of the book, "Never Never". It was adorable! We got a lot more of the badass side of Charlie, and the loving, passionate Silas. All the mystery surrounding the Shrimp and the characters' family history led me to coming up with many theories about the third book. And that's what I love, when a book actually make me predict what's going to happen next. Like I said in my first review, I couldn't decide which perspective I enjoyed reading from more. In this first book, it's even more diverse. Their ways of thinking, their situations. I loved gobbling up every word of it. 

Now, my issues didn't change much from what I said about the first book, which I keep saying repeatedly. I still think that stretching this out into three books was completely unnecessary!! That is probably the main reason lots of people don't give these books full ratings. In some ways, the plot does fit into three books, but it would have to be altered in many ways. It is incredibly annoying how readers have to now wait for the third book, when barely any information was given to them in the second. And yes, I am now a member of the painful "them" group. I feel like this series would've been so much better and would've been a lot more organised if it was just one book divided into three parts. 

Moving on from that point, I no longer have a problem with Charlie's unnatural cleverness. She did things that were only understandable given her situation. I thought this book had a lot more action and suspense, which I was thrilled about. Definitely check this one out! 

Never Never

by Colleen Hoover and Tarryn Fisher

159 pages

(Never Never, #1)

Published: January 7 2015

Blurb:

Best friends since they could walk. In love since the age of fourteen. Complete strangers since this morning. He'll do anything to remember. She'll do anything to forget.

Rating:

Thoughts:

Okay, so this is my first ever Colleen Hoover read, so I was pretty excited about it. I wouldn't have picked it up if it weren't for my friend, so big thanks to her for begging me to read it. If there's one thing I can say about this book, is that it's worth it. I will try to make my thoughts as general as possible, so as not to give anything away. I recommend this to anyone who likes a good romance novel, or books with a mysterious plot. I have a lot to say, some things good and some bad. 

First of all, this is a book that focuses mostly on the relationship between the two protagonists. There is not much storytelling, I must admit, but it set up a nice foundation for the next books in the series, since we are now very familiar with the characters' personalities. That is something I thought was great, and it made the book very mysterious. It makes the reader keep reading, wanting to find out what lies in the next page. I also like how sarcasm plays a big role in how the characters cope with what's going on. It just made me love the relationship between Charlie and Silas, the two main characters, even more. The fact that it is written from two perspectives is completely necessary here, whereas other authors sometimes do it simply to fill up a few pages. I couldn't decide which character I enjoyed reading from more, which is something I look for in a book. They are both so untrustworthy as narrators, and it kept me entertained to discover everything about their lives right when they did. This book does leave off with a pleasantly annoying cliffhanger (Does that make sense? Pleasantly annoying?), which is why my fingers are flying across the keyboard right now, so I can get everything down before starting the next book. It is not nearly perfect, but now is when I go over the things that slightly irritated me.

As a reader, I tend to get annoyed at myself for getting annoyed at silly little things in books. It always makes me knock off a star or two on the rating when I wish I can just love it all. But I guess you can't blame yourself for having opinions, now can you? The main thing I didn't like about this book was the way the authors decided to format it. I felt like the plot was meant for a stand alone, even if it did have to be slightly thicker. It would've helped the book flow a lot smoother, and actually provide some answers to this big mystery. Now onto character flaws. Or not really, now that I think about it. The problem isn't that the character's are too flawed, but that they are way too clever. If I opened my eyes one day with no memory of who or where I was, I would certainly freak out, not try to find my wallet for any personal information. Maybe that's just me. At some points, what they were doing felt like natural intelligence, but in others was just unrealistic. I speak mostly about Charlie's character when I say this. Other than that, I did like how the information was given to you in steady bits, instead of being thrown at you all at once. I thought the ending was the very best part of this book, the part that made it really worth reading. I can only hope for the second book to be just as gripping. 

The Summer I Turned Pretty

by Jenny Han

276 pages

(Summer, #1)

Published: May 5 2009

  

Blurb:

Belly measures her life in summers. Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August. Winters are simply a time to count the weeks until the next summer, a place away from the beach house, away from Susannah, and most importantly, away from Jeremiah and Conrad. They are the boys that Belly has known since her very first summer--they have been her brother figures, her crushes, and everything in between. But one summer, one terrible and wonderful summer, the more everything changes, the more it all ends up just the way it should have been all along.

Rating:

Thoughts:

So, first of all, I recommend this one to anyone on vacation. It tends to be difficult, reading a fantasy or anything with heavy content on a plane or by a pool. This book is very light, and written in a way that makes you turn the next page barely after you've started the last one. 

The thing I liked most about this book is that there was plenty of character development. You could tell what kind of person each of the characters was, which really helps you catch on and start enjoying the book almost immediately. Jenny really has a way of making you either want to scream at a character, or pull them into a loving embrace. I, personally, adored Jeremiah. For reasons I will not state in a no-spoiler review :). I also found Belly very relatable and funny. Jenny also stuck in many scenes from the previous summers Belly had been at the beach house, which I simply loved. 

Now onto why I didn't give this book a perfect rating. These are very simple things I thought would've made the book better if done properly. When it came to the flashbacks, I thought things were a little messy. It wasn't very hard to follow, but perhaps arranging the events in chronological order would've made me enjoy the book better. Organisation is key! Next, I found Belly overdramatic at times. Of course, that is very common with main characters, but I felt like it could've been taken down a notch. Also, this book contained a lot more dialogue and character thoughts than actual description of their surroundings. Since it is a very contemporary, summery novel, I felt like it would've added an extra something to the mood. 

If you're looking for something short and fun, it's definitely a book you'd want to check out!