Month: October 2017

Hello everyone, I’m glad you made it over from the old site! I hope you like this one just as well, if not better 🙂

And as a reward, here is my inaugural review on this site- I hand-picked a special book for this coveted honor. Enjoy!

Inside cover blurb:

“The battle for the Crown has begun, but which of the three sisters will prevail?

With the unforgettable events of the Quickening behind them and the Ascension Year underway, all bets are off. Katharine, once the weak and feeble sister, is stronger than ever before. Arsinoe, after discovering the truth about her powers, must figure out how to make her secret talent work in her favor without anyone finding out. And Mirabella, once thought to be the strongest sister of all and the certain Queen Crowned, faces attacks like never before—ones that put those around her in danger she can’t seem to prevent.”

-from publisher

Thoughts:

KENDARE BLAKE IS THE QUEEN OF SPOOKY.

Katharine is so scary in this book and I love it! We get hints throughout the book about what happened to her when she was pushed into the Breccia Domain (aka the big spooky pit where they throw the bodies of the dead queens) and it sounds TERRIFYING!

We get a lot of show downs and a lot of action this time around because it’s the Ascension Year (aka go time) and it is all so great! People die who I didn’t think should have died, and some people who I thought should die didn’t…so I’m interested to see where things go.

Everyone has secrets at this point and it’s only a matter of time before they all start to come out. Except Mirabella…she seems like the bland cinnamon roll of the series.

At this point I’m not sure who I’m rooting for. I love scary Katharine, I kinda wish Jules were a queen instead of Arsinoe, and I’m not even really sure what I think about Mirabella at this point. Mostly she’s just kind of naïve, except she does have the best power.

Blake has announced not one, but TWO sequels, and I cannot wait!!

Plus: Katharine is heckin’ scary right now!

Minus: That I have to wait for more! Also I’m not a fan of some of the plot elements, but I can’t complain about them without giving away #spoilers!

If you like this book, try:

Girls Made of Snow and Glass by Melissa Bashardoust-

Queens and magic, with a healthy dose of dark and dreary. With the added bonus of ALL the feminism. And queer characters!

 

 

Inside cover blurb:

“On September 5, a little after midnight, Death-Cast calls Mateo Torrez and Rufus Emeterio to give them some bad news: They’re going to die today. Mateo and Rufus are total strangers, but, for different reasons, they’re both looking to make a new friend on their End Day. The good news: There’s an app for that. It’s called the Last Friend, and through it, Rufus and Mateo are about to meet up for one last great adventure and to live a lifetime in a single day.”

– from publisher

Thoughts:

I was heart-broken over this book. Not because it’s sad. But it is sad, don’t get me wrong.

No, I was heart-broken because I wanted to love this book so badly. And I just didn’t.

Adam Silvera is one of my favorite authors of all time. I loved More Happy Than Not and History is All You Left Me is one of my FAVORITE books.

So obviously I would love They Both Die at the End, right?

But I just couldn’t get into it. I wasn’t invested in either main character, even though I could appreciate the beauty and strength of their final connection.

I loved that Silvera included snippets of other lives to demonstrate just how interconnected the world is, even when we can’t see it.

And I loved the ending! We only see how one of the boys dies and we’re left to imagine for ourselves what happens to the second. (And that’s not a #spoileralert because I’m pretty sure the title already ruined the surprise.)

So even as I can point to specific things I liked about the book, I can’t point to any one thing as the reason why this one didn’t resonate with me the way Silvera’s other works have.

Better luck next time, I suppose.

Plus: Imaginative concept executed by a fantastic author! Seriously! Read all of his books!

Minus: Hopefully you will connect with this book in the ways I couldn’t.

If you like this book, try:

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz- I have yet to read any of his books, but from what I’ve heard, they are similar to Silvera’s in sheer emotion and quality of writing. I like to think that I’m saving them for when I really need them 🙂

Inside cover blurb:

“The god Apollo, cast down to earth and trapped in the form of a gawky teenage boy as punishment, must set off on the second of his harrowing (and hilarious) trials. He and his companions seek the ancient oracles – restoring them is the only way for Apollo to reclaim his place on Mount Olympus – but this is easier said than done. Somewhere in the American Midwest is a haunted cave that may hold answers for Apollo in his quest to become a god again…if it doesn’t kill him or drive him insane first.

Standing in Apollo’s way is the second member of the evil Triumvirate – a Roman emperor whose love of bloodshed and spectacle makes even Nero look tame. To survive the encounter, Apollo will need the help of a now-mortal goddess, a bronze dragon, and some familiar demigod faces from Camp Half-Blood. With them by his side, can Apollo face down the greatest challenge of his 4,000 years of existence?”

-from publisher

Thoughts:

At this point, I am just reading these books out of obligation. I loved the Percy Jackson series and The Heroes of Olympus. The Kane Chronicles were actually my favorite, even though he wrote the least of them. Magnus Chase…was hard for me to get into, but I eventually began to enjoy it.

Trials of Apollo on the other hand…

I have attempted to explain why I dislike this series to several people, so it’s more concise and easier to follow now- it’s just too much.

Rick Riordan books already take a pretty hefty suspension of disbelief to get into. He really lays it on thick with the voice of his characters- they are all teenagers with magical, godly powers who have a quick comeback and pop culture reference for every situation.

Trials of Apollo takes that voice and multiplies it by one million. Not only are we listening to the thoughts of a super-powered teen, we are getting the inner monologue of a GOD. It’s just too much for me.

So I keep reading these Apollo books, but I’m mostly just skimming. Nothing much seemed to happen with the plot of this installment so I don’t think I missed much.

Plus: Cool Roman monsters like Blemmyae. I always enjoy the mythical elements Riordan uses.

Minus: 400 pages of not a whole lot happens.

If you like this book, try:

The Extraordinary Adventures of Alfred Kropp by Rick Yancey- Now people think The 5th Wave when they think of Yancey, but way back when, he wrote this charming book about a kid who gets caught up in a scheme to steal King Arthur’s sword. An oldie, but a goodie!

Inside cover blurb:

“Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent’s mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.”

-from publisher

Thoughts:

I can succinctly describe my feelings about this book with one word: conflicted.

When I found out the book was not about Aelin, I was mad. Why the heck is Maas writing a book about a minor character?? Does she just want this series to be 20 volumes long or something?

As I read, I found that I was actually glad to get a new narrative. I didn’t realize how annoyed I had become by reading book after book about the same characters, who had insidiously begun to get on my nerves.

AND THEN. As I continued on, I realized I was even more agitated! This story is about different people and even a different setting…BUT WITH THE SAME PLOT LINES AND CHARACTER DEVELOPMENTS (I use the term “development” loosely because none of her characters ever really develop all that much).

Tower of Dawn is essentially Heir of Fire but with Chaol.

As frustrated as I get with all of Maas’s new books, I will likely continue reading them, even if this series does drag on to 20 volumes.

Plus: No more sappy descriptions of Aelin/Rowan or a bunch of scenes that confirm just how good they are at outsmarting their enemy…that was getting on my nerves.

Minus: Now we have to deal with whinny Chaol and more silly romantic entanglements…kind of hoping the Valg destroy everything after all.

If you like this book, try:

The Young Elites by Marie Lu- Basically what would happen if Aelin were infected by the Valg and went dark…which I would love to see!