Tag: book-review

Re-Read

Queen of Shadows // Sarah J. Maas – Re-Read Fest

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“When you shatter the chains of this world and forge the next, remember that art is as vital as food to a kingdom. Without it, a kingdom is nothing, and will be forgotten by time. I have amassed enough money in my miserable life to not need any more—so you will understand me clearly when I say that wherever you set your throne, no matter how long it takes, I will come to you, and I will bring music and dancing.”

Queen of Shadows, the fourth instalment in the Throne of Glass series, is a bit of a whirlwind (final 50% of it, anyway). This sees our main protagonists back in Ardalan, conspiring and orchestrating a rebellion for for a king – literally. New characters are once again introduced, existing ones are tested to the limit (I swear that happens like, every book?!) and there is much more emotional turmoil experience by both readers and protagonists. It ends up being a bit like a big old party in Ardalan of a rag-tag band of mates but it is effective and propels the storyline forward so, I;m not really complaining.

Aelin has officially shed her Celaena namesake, and goes only by Aelin now (keep up!) It’s all a bit confusing. From here on out, the shifting perspectives are back and more mind-boggling than ever. Although I fully respect and appreciate the reasoning behind it, I find it tricky to read. Rowan and Aelin’s relationship develops romantically in this book and it is very cutesy if not slightly slow.

Elide and Manon have moved on somewhat from their Morath days and these storylines were probably my most favourite. Manon is still relatively new to the TOG universe in this book but I do find myself being drawn to her slightly more than Aelin… Anyone else find this? She is the opposite but also epitome of Aelin, dark to light, and this shines in a blend of characterisation; development and female empowerment.

I am always invested for that.

Again, a solid 3 (3 and a half?) stars out of 5. At no point did I feel like putting this book away and not picking it up again, no skim-reading, and definitely devoured it in about 4 days? Seeing as I was working full-time alongside that, I’d say that’s a solid effort really.

On a side note – I highly recommend looking up the artworks of Throne of Glass characters there are online. I’ve found this really helps me have a much more connected experience with a story, and can sometimes struggle to envision what characters look like beneath the flouncy description words.

Book Reviews

The Crown // Keira Cass

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Just a 5 minute review today, folks.

V fluffy. So cute. 3 stars. Out of the whole The Selection series, this was definitely the weakest. I dunno, I found Eadlyn hard to like and constantly getting on my nerves. I know they tried to do some character development with her but she was ultimately still a bit of a brat?

Certain points of this felt a bit rushed and I feel like Eadlyn’s selection and story could have also spanned 3 novels just like her mother and father’s did. There was definitely enough potential plot to beef that out. That’s a shortcoming for this, as I feel Keira Cass really missed an opportunity to get some more character development for both the Elite and Maxon and America.

Also – potential spin-off for Ahren and Camille? No? At the end of the day, I’ve been a huge fan of The Selection series since it came out and can’t believe it took me so long to read this finale! I will always, always hold this series as one of the first, OG successful dystopian concepts and trilogy (that then became a series). I love the world, I love the concept of The Selection process and a society where there is a monarchy and caste system etc. (Love in the sense that, I enjoy reading about it…)

The final twist of who Eadlyn ended up with was FAR TOO RUSHED and a bit of an insta-love, although any declarations of feelings from protagonists that had only had a 2 book lead up to describe and illustrate and entire competition that determines a victor to marry a princess/queen would be far too rushed. I like who ended up with Eadlyn though.

All in all, The Selection Series: The Selection, The Elite, The One, The Heir, and The Crown are all worth a read. Just don’t pick up the series for this book. You will probably feel a bit underwhelmed, at least with Eadlyn’s story, byt the end of it. America and Maxon are the true reason anybody invests their reading time here.

I mean – just look at them!!

https://colourofmagic.tumblr.com/post/189042588055/something-to-hold-on-to-for-the-king-maxon
Book Reviews

Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood // Sarah J. Maas

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Okay folks. It’s official. This is the best book of 2020. It was a close one between Crescent City HOEAB and Chain of Gold but I think this takes the ticket. First of all, that COVER. Stunning. It is easily the prettiest thing on my bookshelf right now.

There are a lot of things about this book that created its 5 star rating for me. AND I’ll try to make this review as spoiler free as possible as I’m aware this is still a new release! I will say this to note however, it is typical Sarah J. Maas style. What I mean by that is that, I love SJMaas. I think her writing is fantastic. It’s right up my street with the perfect balance of fiction series that are romantic, fantastical, humourous and dramatised. I’m aware that her writing isn’t for everyone, even though she does have a huge fanbase now. Although pitched as a new-adult book, I would say this is definitely on a par with ACOTAR. ToG is definitely a slightly lower level of maturity and developed writing, still fantastic storylines and plot but it doesn’t provide the same impression that I got from Crescent City and ACOTAR. I would therefore say that this novel is either still falling within the realms of YA fiction (definitely the more mature side) or that ACOTAR is in fact New-Adult also. What are your thoughts on this?

This book had so much going for it. SO MUCH! A well-developed, explained and heart-wrenching friendship duo. A brooding love interest with all the angst and baggage that makes him the perfect match for our equally angsty and bagged-laiden protagonist. Dual-perspectives from both love-interests to highlight their growing relationship from different angles and draw the reader in further. Fantasy world created (modernised) full of werewolves, mer people, fae, humans, demons and almost every creature you can think of. Who else hadn’t heard of a nokk before? Apparently it’s a real mythical creature! Also can I just put a shout-out to Maas for including humans AND fae in this – I love when real-life beings (us) are put into fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian novels.

Although I have rated this 5 stars, I have to admit that the beginning was a bit slow. There is a lot of world-building and it makes it so hard to stay engaged in the characters. If you are also experiencing this slow trawl through the first 100 pages – I beg of you to stick with it. Totally worth it – just for the absolute anarchy that is Chapter 80-81. WOAH. WOAH WOAH WOAH. If you’ve read it, you know.

The SJMaas cocktail strikes again and I can’t wait for the next installment in the series. Holy moly. I’m ready.

Book Reviews

Heartless // Marissa Meyer

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I will beg you to think kindly on our wretched attempts to flatter one whose praises could only be spelled out in the poetry of ocean waves and the song of distant thunder.

Well, holy hell! My previous experience of Marissa Meyer was The Lunar Chronicles, which I just loved. I find that fairytale retellings are usually successful in my eyes and they end up being some of my favourite series; having been built upon an already known foundation it helps to appreciate a new interpretation and portrayal of the characters and storyline. I know Heartless is a couple of years old but I finally got round to reading this – and it was a 3 day wild ride! [spoilers ahead…]

Heartless by Marissa Meyer is a fairytale retelling of the Queen of Hearts from the internationally acclaimed and loved, Alice in Wonderland tales by Lewis Carroll. That was the first big tick for this book! The story offers a background to the Quene of Hearts, pre-Queen of Hearts, as Lady Catherine Pinkerton. Now, we all know the characterisation of the Queen of Hearts within Alice in Wonderland. She is a piece of work. This interpretation of her character gave me a totally new appreciation for her persona though, providing me with the opportunity of understanding how she became how she did.

I won’t lie – I found her character a bit annoying at first. 17 years old, nobility, EXTREMELY whiny and spoilt. But this was obviously an executive decision made by the author to give you a foundation to your understanding of her character development. Further into the book I found myself relating to her and almsot foreseeing what her next steps would be – in the sense that I had found the balance within the character profile and how her relationship with Jest, the main male love interest was progressing. That brings us to our next big character.

Ah, Jest. Absolute SWOON. I loved this character!!!!!! Total fave character. This was a perfectly rounded character and just, thank you Marissa Meyer for creating him. I wish I could have a romance with someone like the Joker. If you are having any doubts about reading this book, do it just for being introduced to a character like Jest.

Hatter also deserves a quick but notable mention – simply for the character-building shown by Meyer through the construction of his personality and idea. With a definite resemblence and basis off of the stereotypical Disney Mad Hatter that we have come to know and associate with Alice in Wonderland, Hatter presented a character in turmoil and desperation, trying to prevent what he viewed as his fate and a premonition bestowed on him through the knowledge of his familiy’s previous experiences and demises. I found his the hardest to read as it was so heartbreaking. He was sassy and cunning and definitely an anti-hero, but I felt myself caring for him all the same. Superb writing.

All in all, I would give this book a 4 out of 5 stars. It was magical and heart-wrenching, romantic and fantastical and I felt like I had been stabbed in the gut. I loved it. Definitely one for your To-Be-Read List, and and a reading experience not to be missed!

Book Reviews

Stepsister // Jennifer Donnelly

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Here are the things girls die of: hunger, disease, accidents, childbirth, and violence. It takes more than heartache to kill a girl. Girls are tough as rocks.

Well, well, well. What do we have here? A not so fairytale retelling? A slant on Cinderella that barely includes its namesake, Cinderella?

Stepsister by Jennifer Donnelly gets 3/5 stars from me. Inventive, heartbreaking, romantic – it was a joy to read! I’ll be honest, in the beginning this was slightly slow and tricky to immerse myself within. I’m going to put that down to the fact that I had two very BIG and very high-profile YA fantasy books being released imminently when I picked this up…. I think I was just watching my time to make sure I could read them when they came out.

When I actially began to let myself enjoy this I REALLY enjoyed it. The messages within this novel are so much more than meets the eye – Isabelle is a symbol of not only overcoming the pigeon-holing and categorising that society has deemed for you (fitting that this is being posted on International Women’s Day 2020…) but also showing that, it’s okay to dream and want to achieve more for yourself. Books provide me with an escape, as I’m sure they provide most readers with, and that’s why I am consistently picking them up and delving into their pages. But another reason why the underlying themes of this book resonated so deeply with me were because I saw my own desires reflected in Isabelle – desperate to be liked (shamefully), but wanting to also not just conform to that which is expected of me to BE liked and wanted. This story features Fate and Chance as secondary characters and I thought this was a really clever idea to personify elements of the human condition and experience that are fantastical and mystical within themselves. It also helped to assign blame to the right people when it was due.

I would say that this book is more fantasy than historical fiction, and I would used that term extremely liberally. The author has obviously taken what she wants and what she doesn’t from the world she has created to resemble known historical facts on society and nationality within France. Cinderella and her Prince (The King and Queen of France) feature very little within this. That was one of the things I enjoyed most. I loved this alternative telling of the Cinderella story with the frame shifted to focus on the ugly stepsisters, and an offering of redemption for them through highlighting WHY they are so ‘ugly’. It became clear that this ‘ugliness’ was a reflection of their personality, rather than their looks (a theme that is apparent within the Disney and Grimm tales but is often accomponied by physical features that some associate with being unattractive). Because really, who is to say what is and isn’t ugly/pretty?

I highly recommend anyone to read this with an open mind and heart towards the characters and to be willing to view the renowned fairytale from the villian’s POV. It is definitely worth it.

P.s. Anyone else who has read this – did you not want more of Tavi??! She is an ultimate force to be reckoned with. I would read a second installment of this just to get her individual story too.

Book Reviews

Mageborn // Jessica Thorne

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4/5 stars. WOWIE! This book took me on a wild ride. Thank you to the author and publishing company for giving me the opportunity to review this book as an ARC!

I’ll be honest, I did not expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. I would say this gave me definite Serpent & Dove vibes; if you enjoyed that, read this! I managed this in 2 days.

Mageborn is a fantasy surrounding magic and mystery, like all the best ones are! It has the perfect smattering of enemies to romance, smut and powerful protagonist portrayal you could hope for! The book follows a simialr thread to a lot of others within this genre, mystical kingdom is under threat by [X], powerful heroine needs to help save the kingdom from [X], along the way she either meets a dashing hero or has to SAVE said hero from [X]. This is the writing cocktail I adore, and so it was completely for me. Think Sarah J. Maas-esque creation. Superb.

I would say there are two main protagonists within this read, and their perspectives are split chapter-to-chapter. This, for me, enabled the build-up of the relationship that forms between the two to become all the more hard-hitting, as you get the chance to really see how one is feeling about the other. Likewise, the writing style really helped the world to come alive for me, and I was truly engrossed from start to finish. The overall storyline delivered enough adventure and action to keep me on my toes but allowed a real exploration into the developing burdens and implications faced by the characters.

Not to be missed – well worth the read!

Annabelle xo