Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas Book Review

General Info

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Published September 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

(SPOILERS)

648 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

The queen has returned.
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…
She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.
She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.
The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

My Personal Favorites

I absolutely loved this fourth installment in the series. It took me about a month to get through this book because it's extremely huge. So let's just get right into all of the good stuff. The story starts off with Dorian's POV now that he has been possessed by the Valg Prince. My heart couldn't take it.

Dorian is my baby and I hated seeing him like that. Next thing I would like to talk about is the whole rescue sequence to get Aedion back. It was amazing how Aelin acted like a dancer and the whole black roses were actuallysmoke bombs. It was so epic and when Aelin and Aedion finally reunited my heart dropped. Then when Aelin almost killed Dorian, I was just sitting there like if you kill Dorian off I'm not reading the next book. I was glad when Nesryn swooped in and saved the day. Now let' talk about

Rowan. Yes ROWAN IS BACK. This ship has sailed and it won't sink......HOPEFULLY. Rowan is the sweetest guy ever and when Aelin put on that golden dress, he was basically drooling all over the place. I love them together. I basically loved everything in this book.

My Personal Dislikes

Even though I loved everything about this book, I did have a couple minor problems. First off, I didn't like that ever since Celaena became Aelin, her whole personality changed and it wasn't for the better. She suddenly turned mean. I also didn't like that Sarah basically tried to make everyone hate Chaol. I loved Chaol since the beginning but I hated that this book depicted him to be the bad guy. This made it pretty obvious that the Chaolaena ship has finally sunk and it sucks because I was Team Chaol for like ever. 

Rating

4.9/5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

This book was really good and I can't wait to read the next one. I will be having a theories post coming soon because I want to put them out there so I can be first. Anyways see you in the next post.

~Naya J.

FICTIONAL BOYFRIENDS!!!! Part 1

Fiction is like the best when it comes to the boys. I mean fictional boyfriends are everything, and they are so much better than boys in real life. I have a ton of fictional boyfriends so let's just get started. This list isn't in any particular order.

1) Gansey from The Raven Cycle Quartet by Maggie Stiefvater - I love Gansey so much! He is my love. First off, he is smart, witty, and obviously very caring when it comes to his friends. I have my fingers crossed that he lives through the last book.

2) Rhysand from A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - Rhysand is to die for. He has the right amount of bad boy in his blood and he is so attractive at least that is how I picture him. I like Tamlin too but Rhysand is endgame.

3) Peter and Johnathan Ambrose McClaren from the To All the Boys I've Loved Before Dualogy by Jenny Han - The love triangle in this book is so good that it was too hard for me to choose one of the two boys. Peter is always there and funny. Johnathan is sweet and lovable. Like I said, too hard to choose.

4) Nikolai from the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo - Nikolai is basically boyfriend goals. He's funny, cute, and not to be a gold digger but he's rich too.



5) Simon from the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare - Everyone on this blog should know that Simon is the number one bae. I love him so much and I don't think anyone can top Simon in my book.

There will definitely be a part 2 because I have so many book boyfriends I need to share.

~Naya J.

August Wrap Up

This month I read 5 books and three graphic novels which is a lot since I did fall into a reading slump towards the middle of the month. Overall I read some pretty good books that I am excited to share with you so let's just get right into it.
1) We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - 5/5 Stars
This was my very first read of the month and it was soooooooo good. It definitely threw me when the plot twist came because I totally didn't expect it.
2) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - 4/5 Stars
I laughed so hard during this one and I liked it way more than I thought I would. I gave this book 4 stars instead of 5 stars because I felt no connection with any of the characters.
3) Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone - 5/5 Stars
This is definitely one of my new favorite books of all time. I loved the poetry aspect of the book and the characters.
4) Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo - 5/5 Stars
Favorite read of the month hands down! I can't wait for Six of Crows coming out this month.
5) The Rent Collector by Cameron Wright - 4/5 Stars
For a book assigned for summer reading, this was pretty good.
6) The Amulet Series (Books 1-3) - I really didn't like this that much.

Reviews
1) We Were Liars by E. Lockhart - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/we-were-liars-by-e-lockhart-book-review.html
2) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/me-and-earl-and-dying-girl-by-jesse.html
3) Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/every-last-word-by-tamera-ireland-stone.html
4) Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/ruin-and-rising-by-leigh-bardugo-review.html
5) The Amulet Series (Books 1-3) - http://mylittleinfinityofbookss.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-amulet-series-books-1-3-review.html

September TBR

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo Review

General Info

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

Published June 2014 By Henry Holt & Co.

(SPOILERS)

422 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

The capital has fallen.

The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne.

Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army.

Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for the elusive firebird and the hope that an outlaw prince still survives.

Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

My Personal Favorites

This book is an epic conclusion to one of my all time favorite series. So the story begins with Alina and her crew underground basically being held captive by the Apparat. Alina is getting weaker and weaker by the second and her power is basically gone since she isn't in reach of the sun. She is also separated from Mal and the rest of her friends but not for long. They come up with a plan and it goes right. They quickly leave and now have to search for the firebird, but instead have a slight setback. While settling in the middle of the forest they are attacked by a militia. But our favorite guy Nikolai comes to the rescue. I love Nikolai so much btw. Anyway I'm going to stop telling the whole story and just state the main plot points. The attack at the Spinning Wheel took a detrimental toll on the good side. We lost Sergei, Banghra, Adrik's arm, and Nikolai is turned into a monster. This is one of my favorite scenes from the trilogy. It was so action packed. 

In this book the Darkling showed us that he needed someone like him and it broke my heart to see him die at the end. He was just too powerful and burdened with a life that would last for an eternity. I actually really enjoyed the way Alina could visit the Darkling without actually being there. We also saw him break after Banghra died and I am glad that Alina had a proper burial for him even though he was the bad guy. Honestly the Darkling is my favorite antagonist up to date.

In this book we definitely get to know Genya, David, Nadia, Tamar, Tolya, Zoya, Adrik, and our newest additions Misha and Harshaw. At first I didn't really think twice about these characters but I definitely grew to love them in this last book. I can't even choose a favorite because they are all just that great.

When we found out that Mal was the third amplifier, I knew that we were going to have to kill him. But before that we got the Mal and Alina sex scene and I really enjoyed it, It wasn't too graphic but it wasn't kid friendly either. I cried so hard when Alina stabbed him during the big battle at the end because I could have sworn that he was gone for good. But I am glad that he isn't.

People say they don't  like the ending but I think that it was a great ending for this series. I was kind of sad that Alina lost her power and didn't get the destiny she deserved but she lived a happy life with Mal and Misha. Nikolai is alive so that's a plus too. Honestly I was Team Nikolai since book two so I was a little disappointed when Alina ended up marrying Mal but at least Nikolai will be in Six of Crows.

There are a lot more favorites but this post is way too long.

My Personal Dislikes

The only thing that I can say is that I missed the Darkling a lot in this book.

Rating

5/ 5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

I love this trilogy so much and it is bittersweet to see it end. I can't wait to read more from Leigh Bardugo in the future so I'll definitely be buying Six of Crows next month.

See you in the next post.

~Naya J.

The Amulet Series Books 1-3 Review! SPOILER FREE!

Alright so this is going to be a quick review because I don't have much to say about this series as a whole. I don't even know if I want to continue on with it. My sister recently got these books as a gift and she apparently really enjoyed the first one, so I wanted to see if they were any good since I did hear a ton about it on Booktube. When I finished the first book, I was greatly disappointed. The characters were pretty flat and the plot was very generic. But yet I continued with the series so I could get more books towards my 2015 goal. The second book was again pretty dull but it did interest me more for some reason. And my favorite character is introduced in this book so that was a plus. Then the third book happened and I actually really liked this one. It was a definite game changer for this graphic novel series. It was action packed, the characters went through some minor character development, and this book was just way more enjoyable than the previous two. I don't know if I'll continue with this series. I probably will if my sister gets them so I can read her copies, but I definitely won't buy them on my own. So it might be a while until I read the fourth book.

Ratings

The Stonekeeper - 3 Stars

The Stonekeeper's Curse - 3.5 Stars

The Cloud Searchers - 4 Stars (My Favorite)

 

Buy the Box Set - http://www.amazon.com/Amulet-Boxset-Books-Kazu-Kibuishi/dp/0545643791/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1440198601&sr=1-8&keywords=amulet

 



Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone Review

General Info

Every Last Word by Tamera Ireland Stone

Published June 2015 by Disney Hyperion

(SPOILERS)

368 Pages

Hardcover - Goodreads

Plot Summary

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off.

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist.

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

Personal Favorites

It took me quite a while to finish this book but I absolutely loved it. First of all I loved all of the characters but my absolute favorite was definitely AJ. He was just so deep and we really got to know him throughout the story. I also enjoyed Sam starting to take control of her life when she decided to drop the Crazy Eights because they weren't good for her. Poet's Corner was so fun as well and the actual poems in the book added such a great element to the story. Near the end if this book,  I was in tears. Like I totally didn't know that Caroline was just a coping mechanism to help Sam come into her true self. I loved Caroline so when we found out that she committed seven years prior, I was devastated.

Personal Dislikes 

Nothing to say in this section which is a good thing.

Rating

5/5 Stars

My Final Thoughts

This was my first book with a character who had OCD and I loved it. Everyone should read it, anyways see you in the next post.

~Naya J.