It is the beginning of a new month. Where I am at, it is very sunny and has me in a cheery mood. Hope you guys are feeling the warm rays and happy times like I am.
I got my second COVID-19 vaccine a few days ago and I am feeling FANTASTIC! I am so excited for this whole COVID debacle to be over.
So I hate for these to be long so lets get into it.
That is my month in review! Nothing extraordinary happened out in the Life update other than my vaccine. I am half way done with school for the rest of the quarter. Hopefully I will be out soon!
Published May 5th 2015 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Paperback
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance
Pages: 419
“Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …
Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.” -Goodreads
My Review:
I love Maas. I always have and always will.
Her books are just so amazing. I wish just once I could write a bad review about her. Just once so no one would think I am prejudice about her books.
This book was no exception.
It took me forever to get around to reading this book. I wanted to finish all of Throne of Glass before I came to this. My mother kept begging me to read it. I just did not want the conflicting story lines confusing me.
But here I am now in the Fae world of Feyre and Tamlin.
The story starts of really well and ends really well. I could tell Maas was trying to hide a lot but I do not think she did it as well as she did back in the Throne of Glass books. She always had someone tell Feyre “oh there is more but I cannot tell you” which was a little annoying. But other than that I thought the story line was pretty good and unique to the story. I think it was hard to imagine that Feyre just decided to walk off with a faire beast in the beginning. I feel like in Tamlin’s human form it would have been fine, but not full beast.
Other things were kind of quirky that I thought could use some work, but Maas is a genius so I dont want to wrec her too much. The courts on the map are split by straight lines. Her dedication to Josh at the beginning says something like “because he would go Under the Mountain for me,” but going Under the Mountain was not like a test of love (except in Feyre and Tamlin’s case), it was just like a prison type deal.
Other than those things I loved it. I think it had the right amount of action/suspense. I read this within a few days. I literally could not put it down. I talked my co-workers ears off about it. It was so good!
I think I like Feyre. I think she was a really interesting character to begin with. I love that Maas creates these amazingly strong female characters. I did not feel like she had to much of a personality. Aelin in Throne of Glass was really thought out and was her own person. Feyre feels like she is floating through life. Yes, she is strong and independent, but she does not seem to have a set say she thinks or feels. I feel as though she goes a long with things to easily. She does not make up her mind a lot (which I can relate to) and follows Tamlin’s words really well. There were moments where she appeared to be following her own heart like when she disobeys some orders. Other than that, she seems to do what everyone else says. I wonder if Maas was trying to make her as least like Aelin as she could.
Tamlin seems really nice. Now, I have been spoiled and I know he is not the real love interest of the story, but I like him so far. I dont know what he does wrong and I dont know how Rhysand gets involved yet (even though he is mega delicious). I almost wish I read this sooner because BookTok hates Tamlin for some reason and I knew that. I probably would have liked to figure out that we hate Tamlin while reading so I did not have this lingering feeling of not getting attached.
And then there is Rhysand. Let me just say, I think I have a type. Assholes with dark brown hair are my new bread and butter. We do not know a lot about him in this book but he strikes that deal with Feyre so I am excited to see where that takes them. I think he really turned out to be a nice guy. I honestly think he was a nice guy overall but I do not think that his purpose was explained as well as it could have been, but maybe that is to come later.
One last thing, the riddle was such an obvious answer Feyre was dumb for not knowing it right of the bat. Anyways….
I think I really like this book series so far. I love Maas. There are a few tiny elements I would love to improve, but Maas knows everything so I do not want to correct a master. I know I keep doing a lot of short reviews but a lot of these books are older and I assume that most have read them. I just like to put my two cents in.
“Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee.
Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.
Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha . . . and the secrets of her heart.” -Goodreads
My Review:
I repeat, this is about the book and not the show. I am currently reading all of the books to get to watch the show.
DONT JUDGE FOR ME BEING BEHIND
Anyways…
This book was pretty good.
I have read better and I have definitely read worse.
This is how it went for me:
Beginning: Eh pretty good
Half way through: Okay this going on forver
About the last 100 pages mark: YES I LOVE THIS
Last few chapters: Oh okay, back to eh
I think that it was a little slow to start, sped up, and then had a pretty dull ending. I think it built well for the second book, but like not well enough. I like to have a good structured ending so I kind of know what the next book will start like.
This book wrapped up the ending really nicely, but the only thing I can be sure of is that I will be seeing Alina and Mal on a boat or on new land. There was no destination. No end goals, nothing. I will have to see what happens I guess.
Alina was a really cool character. I knew she was going to discover that about herself, but the way Bardugo goes about that is a little lack luster. I think that she could have had Alina conscious. Because she was trying to save Mal, I think this would have been a good point to touch on during that certain event. I did not like that we had to see others recount the scene to her. I also think her character development where she learns to control the powers is also lack luster. I would have loved some more build up and some more action in that scene. The whole night of the ball thing near the end felt very rushed and then way to easily resolved. I think that the teacher lady could have dropped more hints and the Mal fight should not have been over and forgiven as fast as it was.
Anyways, Alina was a cool character but she was not fully developed in my eyes. She stayed pretty static throughout even though I think the idea was for her to become a new person.
Mal seems like a nice guy, but we know we do not like the nice guys on this blog. He seemed sweet, but he literally disappeared for half the story. That is not his fault but I do not think we got to see a lot of him to love him.
But lets talk about who we really love: The Darkling. Ah yes, I know we are not supposed to like him, but goddamn he is really enticing. I cannot say too much with out spoiling big things, but holy hell I think I am in love and I hate it.
Ravka was a really cool map and place to look/learn about. I think that the map could have had more details like the tiny towns that Alina passed through so that we would see where the journey took them the entire time. I have heard before that it is supposed to resemble a more Russian vibe than anything else so I took that into consideration when imagining everything.
I thought this was a pretty decent book. I would have liked to see more development. That will hopefully come in the second and third book. I am excited to see where Alina’s story goes and then watch the show.
For those that dont know, WWW is a meme and this meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words. And it involves answering the 3 Ws!
I have gladly finished some books and am now reading new ones so here you go!
“No one expects a princess to be brutal. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.” -Goodreads
My Review:
AAAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO WAY
So, if you dont know, I do not like historical fiction. Have I really read a lot of historical fiction? No. But I was never really into it and sometimes I would pick up a book just to get bored with it. I especially hated the American historical fiction (weird because I am American) because I basically knew what was going to happen, I did not care, etc.
But I know nothing about the Ottoman Empire except that they like fail in the end. I thought this would make me dislike the book even more and I was so scared to start it.
(Disclaimer: When I bought the book, I had no clue that it was historical fiction. I only found out when I started reading, oops.)
I began reading and I instantly liked it. It started off with like a nice little montage of the two main character’s Radu and Lada’s childhood. I thought it was really entertaining to see them grow up.
I mean you know a book is good when:
“Let her be strong. Let her be sly. And let her be ugly.“
is one of the first major lines.
With the timeline ion the book, I did get a little confused later on because one minute they were 13 and the next chapter they were nearing 18 or were 18. That was a hiccup I could not quite wrap my head around.
The way this book reads is a lot like Game of Thrones. A lot of time chunks get cut off. I think this was to account for the real-life time of the Ottoman Empire.
It turns out that the Murad and Mehmed in the book are actually real people. Radu is also real but I am not so sure about Lada. I cannot really look too much into it because every time I search her name it takes me to wiki fandom links about the series, AND I CANNOT GET SPOILED.
If Lada isnt real I will cry. But I dont think she is so…
Gif of Man Crying
Lada was a great character. I think that she stayed a petty static character throughout. Yes, she had some changes but not life changing personality changes, in my opinion. I think she was pretty badass though. She stays strong from childhood on ward. I wish she had been a little more trusting of her brother and had not kept things from him, but I guess that is just because I also know Radu’s side. She is a crazy intense character and I cannot wait to see how she develops in the second book.
I mean she really is such a strong lady in a time where woman were not taught to be strong.
I am loving the books I am reading with these strong female leads.
Radu is a great character in my opinion. I do think he has some weird shifts in character and he kept too many secrets too. The gay sub-plot was exciting and I knew nothing about it. I definitely would have loved to see more of it, so hopefully the next two have a bit more of this.
Mehmed is someone who I hate. I absolutely hate him. Sure, he seems like he is nice, but he is too set on his goals in life. Even when everyone around him, including his dearest friends, are telling him he is wrong, he still believes he is right. The ending was so annoying because of this BASTARD.
Ugh… anyways,
Look at this happy cute little fanart of the three of them:
The book was really good. It was extremely tense on some parts and then somewhat dull in others. I think at the end the big climactic moment ends WAAAAAY to short. Like honestly, I did not even know it had ended, that is how short it was. That was kind of sad.
But the way it ended was phenomenal (other than Mehmed whom I still hate) and I am excited to read the others.
If you like historical fiction, this book was meant for you. If you do not, this book might get you hooked into historical fiction. I am not sure if I will venture out into that genre after this series, but who knows?
“Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.” -That Artsy Reader Girl
This weeks theme is:
Colorful Books
So I took a look at my Goodreads shelves. And here are some of my favorite books with colorful covers!
I love posting book haul posts. Those are literally my favorite posts to read.
And that is totally why I spent another $100 on books.
Now, if my mom sees this, I am sorry but I promise you these were for a good cause.
That good cause is my bookshelf looking full.
Now, like I said last book haul, which sadly, was only a week ago, I bought Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom (which I got both in the mail two days ago. They are so pretty look!).
Pic of my copies of Six of crows and Crooked Kingdom
I also got really nice copies of the last 2 Caraval books but that is besides the point.
For this book haul I got 5 books, all hardcover, and one of those was a preorder.
(You might notice that Siege and Storm is missing, but guess what I did not want to spend the astronomical amounts of money on that book because for some reason that book is the most expensive of the series)
AHHH my friend Sydney and Booktok made them sound so good! And because this last one literally comes out tomorrow, I thought I would buy all three. I might try to binge read all of them and give a three book review.
I bought all of them in hardcover, because I have been working hard these past few weeks on school and my now three jobs I have. I wanted a little something extra for myself.
Also, I might start my Bookstagram back up, I am not sure. So if I do I want some hardcovers to get my pictures popping.
Have I read any of these? No. Have a I read any Leigh Bardugo? No. Have I only read a total of three Jennifer L. Armentrout books and they weren’t of this genre? Yes. But do I care? NO.
I have bought books I disliked and have bought many books I like. Like I said in the last post, every book is an investment towards my huge library I hope to have one day.
Also, sorry mom for spending my money on books, but hey this did not go over my Entertainment budget. It was exactly the rest of my entertainment budget and some change.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoy. Let me know if you have bought anything recently!
“Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.
But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.
Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic.” -Goodreads
My Review:
I do not think I have ever said I disliked a book in a review.
And it will not be today!
I loved this book.
I think it was a really good book. Was it the best? No. Was it great? No. But, was it entertaining? Yes. Did I buy the last two books in the series? Yes.
The last two are wins in my book.
While I have read through a few reviews to get this review, not a lot were positive. A lot said that the characters, setting, and plot was bland. While it may not have been as well-developed as one could wish, I do not think it was horrible.
Twitter @wickandfable
Scarlett was an interesting character. I think she was really unique. Yes, she was kind of static. But, what was she supposed to do, hate her sister? The only idea she had was to protect her sister. That never changed, but how do you expect it too? She learned that she was not to trust people’s words and to trust people for their actions. While she may not have been the most creative character, she was fun to read about. I related to her a lot. I think she was really confused and did not know how to deal with anything.
Julian and Tella were cool. I think I saw the whole Julian plotline sooner than I would have liked. I wish he had a been a little bit more unpredictable. Also, Tella kind of made me super mad. I know she could not technically have been completely upfront with her sister, but she was so rude for the things that happened.
The idea of Legend was really interesting. I think that his storyline will be developed more in the next two but I wish we had a bit more of him. I cant say much without spoiling but I am intrigued.
I think Caraval seemed really pretty. I liked the descriptions. It was interesting to look at the map and the places that they went to. I do agree with others that sometimes it was hard to follow. A few plot points were not on the map and I had no clue how they got to the places they went to so fast.
But other than those things, I really liked it. I think it was quick and entertaining. It has been on my TBR list for way to long.
Sorry for not making this a long blog. I really am tired and needed to write this. I did not think that it was necessary to write a huge review since most bloggers have already read it.
I recently got a Visa gift card from my grandpa. I had no clue what to buy with it but my mom kept saying I should buy groceries and gas.
Well mother is going to be disappointed because guess what I spent it on…
BOOKS
Tehe
I just ordered them five minutes before I posted this.
I consider each book I buy an investment because one day I would like a huge library so, every book I buy goes toward that goal.
I purchased them from the Strand in New York because they are my favorite bookstore in the world. I was going to buy them from a local bookstore in the town where I live, but I did not want to talk to the guy who owned the store. People have told me he is weird and talks too much. I am too anxious to talk to anyone.
I got them all in hardcover so they were all a hefty sum, but I wanted them. I already have Caraval in hardcover. And I plan on getting all of the Grishaverse books in hardcover.
So the end of the longest month I have had yet this year. Half the month I had finals and the second half of the month I had spring break. It was intense. It was really hard for me to write quality blogs while in this intense schedule I have.
It also seems like April is going to be the same way. My classes are insanely fast-paced and have so much work for each class already.
