Reviews Archives - Page 9 of 13

Six Reasons to Like Six of Crows

Title: Six of Crows

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: Six of Crows #1

Published September 29th 2015 by Henry Holt & Company

Pages: 465

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Adventure

“Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone. . . .

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.” -Goodreads

My Review:

Wow!

The hype for this book was deserved. This made the whole Grishaverse from Shadow and Bone WAY more exciting and adventurous.

It had exciting plot lines and a huge adventure that ACTUALLY get finished in the book.

From binge reading the Shadow and Bone series to reading starting this duology was a huge change.

To review: Shadow and Bone lacked good development of characters and setting. It lacked a show not telling piece in the story that would have set it high on my list. It was a great story and had great characters…but it lacked depth.

But Six of Crows was a major improvement in that area. While it may have lacked in few key character and plot development moments, it was a drastic improvement from SaB.

Plot

The plot was really interesting. It had a beginning, middle, and end. That seems like a very basic “well duh” element of a book but in Shadow and Bone, I felt like every book just stopped in the middle of a plot line until the next book. This book had a climax and falling action. It actually wrapped up really nicely with only one major cliff hanger for the second book.

2. Kaz

Kaz Brekker is my new favorite crush. This is probably influenced by the Netflix Shadow and Bone adaptation with him being played by Freddy Carter. But, hey what can I say. I love a man who secretly harbors a crush for a girl. I love the trope of “he-would-burn-the-world-down-for-her.”

3.Inej

Inej is a badass. You know I love badass women in literature. This book has the wraith, who no matter how much the world is out to get her, she defies them…and gravity.

4. Literally all of the characters

You couldn’t help but to love all of the characters. They all spoke to me in little ways. I think out of all of them Jesper is my favorite. He was witty and fun. He is also attractive and has some history around him.

5. Setting

Setting-wise, I was able to visualize Ketterdam and the Ice Prison really well. This was helped my a fantastic map of the Ice Prison thing in this book and a map of Ketterdam in the second book. Bardugo explains the setting with better details than her last series. She shows a lot of improvement in this series.

6. Multiple POVs

With multiple POVs, we get to see more characters and their thoughts. In Shadow and Bone, we only saw people through Alina’s eyes. Now we can make our own judgements about each character without bias from someone’s thoughts.

While she may have improved her writing, I did find a few things lacking.

The six person POV was interesting, but at times it felt rushed. There were moments and situations that I would have loved to see from another POV. I think that the six person thing was to needed at times because they were mostly all together in the same room.

The romance between Jesper and Wylan was a little rushed and lack luster. It seems to get glanced over. Jesper seemingly hates Wylan and than all of the sudden he is flirting with him? Yes, between the POV’s there is a whole lot of time going on there so obviously his feelings changed. I just wish I could have seen that.

There are more positives and negatives I would love to talk about, but I am trying to avoid spoilers.

Let me know what you guys thought down below. If you haven’t already, read this book (but read Shadow and Bone first so you don’t get spoiled for somethings.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Legen-wait for it-dary: Book review of Legendary

Title: Legendary

Author: Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval #2

Published May 29th 2018 by Flatiron Books

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance

Pages: 451

“A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.

After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister, Scarlett, from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.

The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice, but now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever…

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . the games have only just begun.“

My Review:

When jumping into this book, I was a little nervous. I really wanted more about Scarlett and Julian.

But, this book is set in Tella’s POV.

From the first book, I was not really happy with her actions. Yes, she saved her and her sister but she had done it in a way that caused her sister so much pain.

This book I think she kind of redeemed herself. You actually see her side of the story. You see why she does the things she does. Sometimes I do not like her. Her relenting mission to hate love is really annoying, but you know, people change.

I think the two love interests in this book were…HOT. Dante and Jacks are great. (Yes, Jacks is a love interest dont at me). Dante is my ultimate choice for Tella but there are some factors that make him iffy. Same with Jacks though.

I really cannot talk much about the two boys because there are a lot of spoilers for each of them.

Pros:

DANTE
Tella’s character development
JACKS
Dante’s tattoos
More development of the government
World-building
Interesting new story about the Fates

Cons:

Weird addition of the Stars (you’ll know when you read it)
Complete abandonment of certain plot lines in the first book
No more Scarlett and Julian (sorta)
Very indecisive writing
Felt like more of a brainstorm than a complete set plot

I think the pros and cons weighed against each other well. I think it was a good book. I felt as though some elements of the plot were not fully developed. I feel like it was really good. I think the focus on only one place to have to world build helped us gain more knowledge about the world. The last book was a little difficult and was not as developed. This one is way better for that reason.

So, all in all, I think this book was really great. I liked it a lot. There were some down falls but they might be made up for in the last and final book, Finale.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Ruin and Rising: The…interesting…end of the series

Title: Ruin and Rising

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: Shadow and Bone #3

Published January 17th 2014 by Henry Holt and Co

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance

Pages: 465

“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.” -Goodreads

My Review:

WHYYYYYYYYYYY

is this book series so good but so hard to read?

I do not want to make this long because I just have no f*cking words.

So many things went wrong. And so many things went right.

Lets start with right first since I think it will be a shorter list. Also SPOILERS IN THIS LIST!

Right:

Alina did not end up with the Darkling
Nikolai did not die
Alina and Mal ended up with a really happy ending
The Unsea is gone
The plot wrapped up really well (sort of)
Alina did not pull a lose-only-half-of-her-powers type deal

Wrong:

Alina did not end up with the Darkling
Nikolai did not die
Alina and Mal ended up with a really happy ending
Nikolai got turned into a monster
But like that was only touched on for a little
Mal was the third amplifier, like what????
Alina lost all of her powers
There were a thousand sun summoners created that was not described well
Nikolai got turned into a monster
Alina did not end up with Nikolai
Alina and Mal were supposed to go into hiding but they like didn’t?

The plot was, like I said last book, long on parts that should have been short and short on parts that should have been long. And there were so many holes.

But it was so good.

I just dont understand how mixed up my feelings are. I hated the means of the ending. The ending was nice (other than the aforementioned 1000 sun summoners) and wrapped well. But everything from the first page until the Unsea left, was wack.

Also, I hate to admit how I cried at Alina saying “Aleksander” at the end. That broke me in two. BUT HE WAS THE BAD GUY!

UGH I cannot talk about it anymore.

Did anyone else feel this way?

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Star Rating: 3.6

Mist and Fury and RHYSAND!!

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Published May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, YA

Pages: 626

“Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.” –Goodreads

My Review:

I take everything I said about Tamlin back. Rhysand is life. Rhysand is my one true love. Tamlin is the spawn of Satan.

I mean seriously he was on his villain arc this entire book. I dont know if I am just dumb or if this was just so out of the blue.

Anyways…

Why does Maas always have to steal my heart like this? I just sit here and read her books and feel so engulfed in her books. She really knows how to hold her audiences attention better than most authors.

I feel so unfortunate to not be able to live in her worlds. Sometimes I just want to shift into the Faerie Realm and live 100 years with Rhys. But, I still do not know how to shift so that aint happening.

This book is so good. It literally made me so happy to read it. After finishing Throne of Glass, I was sad because Maas was a huge part of my soul when I read that. I was worried that when I read her other books, I would not feel that magical pull I felt from Aelin. But Feyre also has that pull. Aelin will always be my favorite, but I am glad to find Maas’ magic in this book also.

I bought two plants and named them Az and Cass. (If you saw the plants, you would totally see why). I believe that they are the best side characters in this book. If I could get a spin-off book of just these two, my life would be complete.

I will never love anyone like I love her characters. Rhysand is the new love of my life. I do not think I can stand mortal men anymore. And the wings seem like a great addition. I would love to be able to fly anywhere for free.

Feyre is pretty cool in this book too. I think her character development was a little blunt. Like it was more told not shown. I think that could have been better. But she is becoming a really cool person.

And lets talk about how Maas always has to have those twist endings where the main characters do not tell us something important.

I think there was a little lack of showing in this book. A lot of things are told in a way that they are Feyre’s thought which can be SUPER annoying. Sometimes it would be nice to lead the reader to a conclusion, not just blatantly compare and contrast everything. I do not recall Maas doing this a lot with Aelin in Throne of Glass. It is a weird change for me. I feel like I am being told everything and not being able to make my own inferences. If it happened once in a while it would be fine but the first half of the book it was “Tamlin does not let me do XYZ while Rhys lets me do XYZ,” which was Feyre stating the obvious at that point.

I still love the book though. I am not as smitten as I was with Throne of Glass but I do still like it.

It was a really good book and I am so ready to start the next book.

Let me know what you thought about the book!

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Thorns and Roses and Sex

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1

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.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Star Rating: 4

Shadow and Bone: Book Review

Title: Shadow and Bone

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: Shaodw and Bone #1

Published September 2017 by Henry Holt and Co.

Hardcover

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Pages: 369

“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.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Star Rating: 3.5

The Thrilling and Mysterious: A Review of Caraval

Title: Caraval

Author: Stephanie Garber

Series: Caraval #1

Published January 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books

Genre: Fantasy, YA

Pages: 432

“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.

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.

As always, thanks for reading

A Bookie

I finally finished Tower of Dawn. Here is what I thought

Title: Tower of Dawn

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #6

Genre: Fantasy, YA, Magic

Published September 5th 2017 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Pages: 660

“Chaol Westfall and Nesryn Faliq have arrived in the shining city of Antica to forge an alliance with the Khagan of the Southern Continent, whose vast armies are Erilea’s last hope. But they have also come to Antica for another purpose: to seek healing at the famed Torre Cesme for the wounds Chaol received in Rifthold.

After enduring unspeakable horrors as a child, Yrene Towers has no desire to help the young lord from Adarlan, let alone heal him. Yet she has sworn an oath to assist those in need—and will honor it. But Lord Westfall carries shadows from his own past, and Yrene soon comes to realize they could engulf them both.

In this sweeping parallel novel to the New York Times bestselling Empire of Storms, Chaol, Nesryn, and Yrene will have to draw on every scrap of their resilience if they wish to save their friends. But while they become entangled in the political webs of the khaganate, deep in the shadows of mighty mountains where warriors soar on legendary ruks, long-awaited answers slumber. Answers that might offer their world a chance at survival—or doom them all . . .” –Goodreads

My Review:

Okay, to everyone out here who has finished the ToG series and ACOTAR AND Crescent City, leave me alone. I know I am late. To put into perspective how long I have been trying to finish this series, I finished Queen of Shadows before Tower of Dawn came out, and then I stopped reading for like four years. But, I am now jumping back into the game. I re-read all the books. I just did a review of Empire of storms. And here I am done with Tower of Dawn.

What a long road it has been.

And it isn’t over yet. I still go tone more book to finish. It is going to be a crazy time.

Even after starting this series back in 2016, I still have not been spoiled the ending of Kingdom of Ash. It scares me a little because do people just not want to talk about it because it is that horrifying? Or was it just so good the book community is still in shock? Or am I just not in the right circles?

I DONT ACTUALLY WANT TO KNOW. DO NOT SPOIL IT AT ALL. I HAVE BEEN LIVING PEACEFULLY AND EVERYTHING HAS BEEN SPOILER FREE.

Anyways,

Tower of Dawn.

What an exciting book.

When I tell you how much I disliked Chaol at the beginning and how much I loved him at the end. Was that a universal thing or just me? I feel like the fourth book just made him seem like an asshole and he just never recovered from that. Until now.

I am glad we got this whole other perspective to the story. It was kind of nice to going back to only having three POVs. I love Maas and her POVs but Empire of Storms and Queen of Shadows was insane with the switching. This was a nice break. But, I am sure the Kingdom of Ash is going to have all the OG POVs and Nesryn and Yrene and Manon and Elide and Lochan and literally everyone who has a name in the story.

Gotta love it

Also, I did not think that this story would be such a big part of the whole series. I was told once a few months after it came out that it was utterly unnecessary to read. UM WHAT? This gave us like the biggest plot twist ever and if I had to just get that summarized my Kingdom of Ash, I would have been PISSED.

So, if you are reading ToG please read this book. Don’t let people lie to you.

You learn kind of really important information like almost vital information to the entire war that is happening. When the whole thing drops about Maeve my jaw hit the floor. It was insane. And when Yrene did the thing.

OH MY GOD SHE SO SWAG!!!

I am really trying to keep this spoiler-free but I cant say much without ruining it. As usual.

Also, can we talk about Yrene. What a beautiful person! She was so nice. I thought she had an amazing personality. She was described so beautifully and she was so badass!!

Lets go back to Chaol’s character development in the story. I think he starts off as an arrogant ass and ends up as a less arrogant ass. But, all improvement is good. And who doesn’t love an arrogant ass, am I right?

I mean seriously, look at him.

Also, while looking for fanart I found this. WHAT THE HELL? Is this real or did someone just make this. I couldn’t find any art credits. I…….This would have looked so well on my shelf instead of the shield. BUT I AM NOT DOGGING ON THE SHIELD, just saying I would have preferred a person on the cover.

Also I found this really cute art piece. I am going to show it but it contains a little spoilers (even though it is obvious that they get together in the end).

How talented is that.

I love it so much.

I love their whole story arc. I also love that Chaol hated himself for a moment because he kissed Yrene. It just makes me happy to see him get some revenge.

Ugh, the whole story was amazing. I honestly think this beats out Crown of Midnight for my favorite book in the series. It is so good. The emotions are raw and intense. It deals with really hard issues in life. It has some badass women in there. It leads up to the ending really well. The beginning was a little slow and the ending was not as satisfying as I would have liked but, you cant have the new love birds die just yet can you?

Wink Wink

Anyways, I think I am done for today. I am trying to figure out if more people will read my stuff on the weekends or if posting on the weekdays is alright. I just see the weekends as my time to write. But, I can change it up depending on what people prefer.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Star Rating: 5

A Christmas Book Review? In February?

Book: Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares

Author: Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

Series: Dash & Lily, Book #1

Published by October 27th 2020 by Ember (first published October 26th 2010)

*the book photographed is not the same cover for the actual edition I read. I just like this cover more than the one I had when I was looing for my edition. But the published by is correct for what I read*

Genre: Romance, YA, Christmas vibes

Pages: 260

“’I’ve left some clues for you.
If you want them, turn the page.
If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.’

So begins the latest whirlwind romance from the bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on a favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. But is Dash that right guy? Or are Dash and Lily only destined to trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations across New York? Could their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions? Or will they be a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Rachel Cohn and David Levithan have written a love story that will have readers perusing bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.” -Goodreads

My Review:

I did a thing that I hate doing.

I watched the show before I read the book. I know, right? YIKES.

That being said, I did not know that it was a book until I turned the show on. But, at that point I was already intrigued.

I mean, it included my favorite bookstore in the whole world, The Strand. How was I not supposed to watch it?

Since this book was originally published in 2010, I dont feel it is necessary for me to do a super in-depth review. I did want to review it because I was in desperate need for a post for the end of the week. I feel like I dont post enough.

But, oh well. Between college and work this blog is last place in importance. I think I am doing okay though. I have posted at least once a week this year I think which was my goal.

Okay sorry for not starting the review yet.

So the book. Very good.

It was super short, a cute little read. I was not surprised by much because I watched the show before.

A few of the plot points were different from the show. (SPOILERS FOR THIS PARAGRAPH JUST SKIP). I did not like the dog scene. It just seemed a little fake. I mean clearly it was. But, I did not like it. The show had a way cuter and dramatic ending. I did think the show’s ending was super rushed, but I liked it. The whole dog thing and the jail thing was weird. It was just one of those things annoyingly fake things that happen in YA novels. So I shouldn’t be mad. But, because I watched the show I had this expectation for a really romantic and surprising ending, and then everything was different.

I think that the characters were kind of undeveloped. They were kind of boring. Dash was way to grumpy all the time. I get that was his persona but there was hardly any moments where he seemed happy. Lily was either too happy and not weird enough. In the show she always more cool crazy clothes. That was like the whole point of the story was like they brought the best out of each other.

That being said I still loved this book. I liked the Christmas theme. I liked everything else that happened other than what I said in the last two paragraphs. I think the general plot was cute. I think that a bookstore romance was perfect for literally every book lover. I wish that I would find a red notebook from a man trying to find my love. I wouldn’t do it because I am not going to copy, but if someone else did that for me I would appreciate.

Okay, I am tired so I am going to end this review. I loved it a lot. I REALLY loved the show. I would recommend people go read both.

As always, thanks for reading,

A Bookie

Star Rating: 4.1

What If It’s Us Review

Author: Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

Series: What If It’s Us #1

Published October 9th 2018 by HarperTeen

Genre: YA, Romance

Pages: 437

“Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.

Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.”-Goodreads

Review:

Well…

I hate giving in to reading hyped up books. They always ket me down somewhat.

Now the book was good, the romance was cute, but it just seemed to stereotypical. The romance was too rushed and the endless talking about musicals was insane.

Now, I love a good musical. I do not think they are represented enough in books. I listen to the Hamilton soundtrack every time I make the 2 hour drive from college to my home.

But I felt like Hamilton refrences were being shoved down my throat the ENTIRE book.

And it is cute to have a thing. I like when books have a thing so you can remind yourself of these books. Sometimes I think books dont show the romance’s “thing” enough.

BUT GODD*MN I have never been more annoyed in my life.

That being said this book was good. Lots of people enjoy it and I also enjoyed it. It just was too much sometimes.

I loved that the romance was relatable. Like it modelled a modern day romance (in the middle). It showed how people are flawed. I liked that it showed both sides of the story, but the end and the beginning just seemed too much. Like okay, I am going to try and say this in a way that does not spoil anything. The beginning goes WAY too fast. Like the authors could have played around with this a bit more. Led the chase on a bit longer than it did. And the end, wasn’t unrealistic enough for me to like it. And it wasn’t realistic enough for me to like it. If you have read it and want to know what I mean, go o my contact page. But seriously, the end was like a moderate ending. I did not like it. Part of why we like books is because they are unrealistic. They are our fantasies. And this did not play out that fantasy, But, it did not play out how real-life would have taken the relationship (if they were any normal 16-year-old couple). So I did not like that aspect.

Saying that I did not like the romance of a romance novel pretty much means the book was bad. But it wasmt. I liked it a lot. But it just was inconsistent.

I loved the characters though. Arthur and Ben were amazing. I loved Dylan. Ethan and Jessie were too predictable but it was a cute trope that they had going on.

Anyways I do not want to talk about this book anymore. I am glad I finished one more book of my shelf.

As always, thanks for reading

A Bookie

Star Rating: 3.4