Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

(Alternative title; What the fuck Mrs Maas, what the goddamn ever loving fuck how can you leave the series on that note how can you just casually drop that ending on me and think all is well and good and fine. Did I hurt you in another life? Do you hate me?
Also why does no one I know in real life read this series leaving me to float alone in this sea of feelings?)

Ahem.

So I finished Heir of Fire, the third and most recent installment of the Throne of Glass series books by Sarah J. Maas. The fourth installment, Queen of Shadows will be with us in September.

I gave Heir of Fire a really well deserved 5/5 stars on Goodreads; I’m just so in love with this series now.

First of all, the character development is just wonderful. Watching these characters grow under their circumstances, and make mistakes in their anger as they try and reconcile what they want with what they think they deserve, is what makes these books so great. It’s also really, really prominent in this installment and I am so happy with it. I care about all the characters so much, even the ones who scare the hell out of me.

The relationships in this book are also really wonderful – they’re all very important relationships which grow and develop at just the right pace, and the existing relationships also go through some realistic pains and strains. Even the new cast all have relationships with each other, some of which are so dark and twisted, but so vivid and interesting.

We also delved into some Game of Thrones esq vibes again, with a lot of violence, nitty-gritty and, multiple POV changes where the main cast are all spread across seperate lands. There’s also the introduction of a new cast of characters, who are all so fantastic to read. Every chapter was a delight and there was never a moment I groaned and thought “God, this guy again?” – every POV chapter had something important and integral going on, and it kept me so hooked.

I also want to add here something I’ve thought since the beginning and I haven’t said because I’m a terrible attempt at a reviewer, but; Celaena’s character is so wonderful. I really, really love her. She’s such a breathe of fresh air for me; she’s a female character that hasn’t been written as if someone wrote a whole male character then happened to make them a girl. She is, at her soul, a strong female heroine. I have had minor issues with her character in Throne of Glass but honestly? It was just minor stuff compared to what I love. I love that she challenges everyone, even when she’s not entirely in the right. I love that she’s brash and rude and sarcastic. I love that she’s deadly and violent but still has the ability to care, and love, and enjoy generically feminine things without those things being seen as a big joke or a weakness. I love that she’s full of whats described as “unchecked anger” – I love everything about her. She’s just a wonderfully flawed, full of life character and watching her grow and change and fight has been such a delight.

The writing style is so fluid, and it changes ever so slightly with each character POV change – which is pretty perfect because voice of narrative is very important when telling a characters story from third person. This is also something I, again, really liked in the A Song of Ice and Fire books so I really enjoyed it here.

Also the fantasy element? I can’t get enough of it. I genuinely had no clue going into these books that the fantasy and magical elements would be so huge, and I think it made me enjoy the books all that more. The creatures, the spells – everything is so refreshing, and at points, genuinely chilling and terrifying.

All in all, the Throne of Glass books have just grown so, so much and they’re heading in a direction I really love. I cried a fair few times and my emotions lack any handle what-so-ever now, but I adore them. It’s a wonderful series to invest your time into and the story of Celaena Sardothian and the world she survives in is thrilling, gritty, funny and tragic.

Fare thee well,

Fran

(Ps; if you have read these books PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN TALK ABOUT IT WITH SOMEONE. I have things to cry about.)

(PPS; I haven’t read The Assassin’s Blade novella’s yet due to lack of money on a severe scale – yay needing car brakes changed! – but I will be picking those up soon.)

I’m Selling My Comics

Sad, but true. I bought all these comics (sans two) with the full intention of reading all of them and getting super invested; and it just never happened. So I feel like these guys would benefit from a nice new home with someone who loves them and wants to read them!

All these comics are in their original bags, unread and first prints!

Listings include;

Marvel Now! Titles;

Iron Man #28 (accidental double purchase)
Hulk #1-7 (Listed Separately)
Avengers #1-4 (Listed Together)
Daredevil #1-8 (Listed Separately)
Ms. Marvel #2 The New 52! Grayson #1-3 (Listed Together) Grayson #2 (Accidental double purchase)

If you have any interest in these issues, my eBay is here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask! Fare thee Well, Fran

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas is the second in the Throne of Glass series, following the story of the country’s greatest assassin in a world torn apart by a power mad King. Obvious mild spoilers ahead if you haven’t read the first book, but no big plot spoilers, promise.

I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars and it’s really well deserved. This book was absolutely amazing.

It’s a lot darker than the first by miles – prepare yourself for a lot more gore, bloodshed and real kickass and cold blooded ness. I adored this second installment for all that gore – it’s what I crave from my female assassin. And while there were gory moments in Throne of Glass, there wasn’t an awful lot of Celaena utilising her skills and killing people.

There’s also a clear cut romance that made my heart hurt like you wouldn’t believe, and it’s really developed, sweet romance too. It’s not the gushing, rushed blushing from the first book – it’s really well placed and brought out and I absolutely loved it.

The writing and plot and development of the characters has just improved so much – all the little problems I had with Throne of Glass are non-existent, and I could hardly put this down.

There are tears, action, brutal ass-kickery and a surprise fantasy element I knew nothing about going in. I’m also starting to get a Game of Thrones-ey vibe to certain things and I’m endlessly pleased with how this series is developing.

(Pssst; I’m also now like 305 pages into Heir of Fire because it’s wonderful and I had to travel from London to Edinborough and it’s genuinely fantastic. I’m in love.)

Broken Hearts, Severed Heads (OR/AKA) The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

Overall rating; 3.5/5 Stars.

WARNING: This review will have spoilers. Many sorry’s! I’ll do the first half spoiler free, then bold when spoilers begin, so if you are interested in reading this book, don’t go past the spoiler zone!

This story follows tale of a young man named Ezra, who believes that every single person in their life will encounter a huge tragedy, after which all the things that really matter in their lives will start to happen. Ezra gets his personal tragedy when he’s involved in a car crash that shatters his knee and ends his relationship, his friendships and his promising tennis career. And then he meets Cassidy.

This book frustrated me a lot because I feel like it could be so much better than it actually was – the final 100 or so pages of the book were so damn enthralling and great and the ending made me angry yet satisfied all the same.

My biggest issue lay with the John Green-esq cliches I mentioned in my March TBR post; it’s typical girl meets guy, girl is SO DIFFERENT FROM ALL OTHER GIRLS EVER, boy falls in love, girl has mysterious past that’s stopping them ~being together.~

Cassidy as one of the main characters was pretty alright, and her backstory was sad; but before that she just felt a bit bland at times. She had some really great moments and some of the things she said made me smile and laugh, but overall she was kind of a carbon copy of what you expect from the female in these kinds of novels, and at times she could actually be incredibly frustrating and rude. I’ll give the author a pass on this though because Ezra does call her out on this shit several times, which I am so so thankful for. If he just sat and went “~Oooh. What a mystery.”~ I would have been furious.

I had some trouble emotionally connecting with Ezra at points – a lot of stuff just felt a bit, glossed over and not really explained. He also seemed pretty shallow for someone who was supposedly better than his jock-peers at school. I did like him, I just didn’t love him really.

Overall, this book was good. It had some good, laugh out loud moments, some really sad moments and the ending was so unpredictable and where it really picked up. I’d give it a read if you’re looking for a quick read between a series or something or you’re just in the mood for a contemporary sad time. It also does have some really good quotes and some good laughs and heart warming/breaking moments.Give it a shot!

NOW I WILL TALK ABOUT SPOILERS SO HEAD ON AWAY IF YOU DNW.

So, I just wanted to quickly lay some stuff out involving spoilers.

For one thing, some of the supporting cast just pissed me off so much. I know that they were meant to be ~bad jock friends~ but no matter what, if your friend gets into a car wreck and is in hospital, you don’t just get someone to drop a shitty card by.

Also his ex-girlfriend Charlotte pissed me off, but I think I’m more annoyed at the writer for making her so shallow and one-dimensional. I’m also really irritated Ezra didn’t call her or his friend (who’s name I’ve forgotten already) out when he found out they were dating when he came back to school. Like, what the fuck? It just seemed really…sjffs. Terrible jock and bitch girl cliches are a no for me. I really would have loved to watch Ezra actually confront these people someway or another – I’ve been a teenager in high school, and I’ve been in enough arguments with people who I am still friends with now to know that occasionally you need to call a friend out on shit that really hurts you.

Also can I also ask why no one fucking called the tennis Coach out on his shit either? The guy went to the hospital, where one of his players lay possibly dying or unable to walk ever again, after someone else slammed into him through a stop sign; and he yelled at the kids dad that it was all the kids fault and he ruined his tennis career?

There was no elaboration, no call-out; it was all extremely 2D and really annoying and it’s a problem I had with a lot of the supporting cast with a handful of exceptions. They all seemed really 2D and basic and their motives were never questioned and it just felt a bit lazy.

My saving grace for this whole book genuinely was the ending. The twist about who was driving the car that hit Ezra that night was absolutely heart-wrenching; I haven’t felt a horrible thump of awful realization like that since John Green’s Looking for Alaska – when you figure out what the build up was to and how you wish you didn’t find out.

I also loved, loved loved loved that Ezra did call Cassidy out on her “mysterious dream girl” shit on occasion – telling her to stop talking in famous quotes and answer his questions and stop hurting him. I live for that. I only wish he did it more with other characters.

I also love that Cassidy listened and recognized what she was doing was very much wrong. I didn’t love the thing she pulled trying to push Ezra away but it did make everything way way more interesting for me.

Can I also just say the final page of the book made me shout; “OH THANK GOD.” because this is the one damn book from this genre where it wasnt “And [insert girls name here] changed my life forever~” – it was “She was right, I did place too much stake in how much I grew on her, I really over-romanticized what she did for me and it was a little much of me. I grew mostly on my own and she was just one of the sparks in my fire of life.” I just love that. I love that Ezra acknowledged he was a little blinded by her, and that he tangled up his meeting her and him already changing and growing from his accident up because they were close together – but ultimately he made choices himself. I’m so, so pleased that’s how this ended, and thus as a result it did make me sad when they couldn’t be together.

Final notes;

– Don’t get attached to Ezra’s dog because you’ll end up crying and hugging your own dog at 1am, and your dog will be thoroughly unimpressed.

– The author referred to a song as “some Beyonce disaster” and I nearly put the book down because what kind of people don’t like a good Beyonce song at a party? Losers. That’s who.

– There was an amazing Harry Potter reference and I loved it so much I spent the entire chapter grinning like an idiot.

March TBR and general life update

As you probably guessed by my last post, my March TBR is going to consist of reading Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, the two sequel novels to Throne of Glass. I also might pick up The Assassin’s Blade, which contains the series of companion novella’s that link to this series.

Look a the cover for Crown of Midnight LOOK AT IT.

Oh and here’s Heir of Fire too because that came in the post and I just, adoration.

I’m genuinely so pleased to have them and this series looks so good on my shelf. I am very happy and eager to read!

EDIT: I thought I posted this post last night, turns out I did not. And last night I finished this book. So I’ll actually be reviewing this in my next post yay!

At the moment, I am reading Severed Heads, Broken Hearts by Robyn Schneider. Fun fact: I spent a good half an hour on Goodreads swearing at the website because they didn’t have this book listed, and I wanted to add it to my 50 books a year challenge and it wasn’t fair if I failed because it didn’t have this book.

Turns out it has a completely different title in the US; the UK edition is what I have. The US edition is called The Beginning of Everything. Why.

Regardless of why though, I am reading it, and I’m about 140 pages in at this moment. Severed Heads, Broken Hearts follows the narrative of a young man named Ezra, who is the most popular boy in school with a promising athletic career in tennis before him. But then Ezra is in a car accident, which shatters his knee and his entire life. Ezra’s narrative is also followed along by a theory Ezra has about life; that every single person in the world will go through an unspeakable tragedy that tears their world apart, but ultimately changes their life and causes them to really start living as they should.

So far I am enjoying it, though I do have a fair few problems with it. Most of it is because it’s just so eye rollingly cliche at points – you are looking at the typical “Oh my GOD everyone in this town is the SAME and everyone is AWFUL and SAMEY and so BORING and no one is DEEP LIKE ME except oh wait THIS GIRL HAS APPEARED and she is UNLIKE OTHER GIRLS WHILE BEING CONVENTIONALLY PRETTY BUT SHE DRESSES A BIT DIFFERENT AND DOESN’T CONFORM TO THE MAN.”

You know what I mean.

I’m also having trouble connecting to the characters at points; the only one I really connect with at all is Toby, Ezra’s best friend. Ezra himself is alright, but certain things get glossed over really easily and the writing feels a bit clunky at times.

I am enjoying reading it though and I do plan to finish it in the next night or two, so, it’ll probably get a 3.5/5 stars from me! We shall see how I feel about the next half.

So in general life, things are pretty good. Sticking to my water goal has gotten so much easier now because I finally have a litre sized bottle to contain the water. I know it sounds weird that it’s made this easier for me but trust me, it has.

Unfortunately the skin-biting has begun again due to nerves and a momentary slump I had which got me all worked up about ~the meaning of my life~, so now it’s back to the malvala stop. Again.

Cooking wise I’m doing well, I live with my mum and we’ve both gone into this healthy kick, so we’re both exchanging tips and recipes we’ve found and it’s been fun!

I do plan this month to actually start my BookTube – as I said, I hit a slump last month. I’m not sure where the slump came from or why but about a week after my anniversary and my few days off, I just fell into a slump of constant tiredness and irritatedness. But that has ended! And productivity can resume! I’ll probably aim to get my BookTube, and maybe even more general vlog type things (maybe even Let’s Plays?) up by the next two weeks.

Publicly setting myself goals like it won’t come back to bite me, good job kid.

I’m also getting more and more excited for the release of Avengers: Age of Ultron as it gets closer and closer. I’ve been waiting for the next full blown Avengers movie pretty much since the credits rolled on The Avengers/Avengers Assemble. My friend and I already have plans to stay the night in London for the red carpet premiere and we are both insanely excited. I could honestly cry.

Also coming in April; Game of Thrones Season 5!!! I’m so, so excited but also nausea-inducingly terrified. Mostly because GRRM went ahead and casually announced that the show was going to start killing off people who he wanted to die, but who aren’t dead in the books yet.

Excuse you.

I did not just catch up on seven damn 400+ page books and mentally prepare myself for this season to have you tell me that you’re just gonna straight up answer one burning question  I’ve had about the fate of one of my favourites. Because I am not ready for the answer, because it’s Game of Thrones and they are most likely very very dead.

Argh.

Finally, I haven’t told many of my IRL friends this because I don’t want to jinx it, but this coming Friday I actually have an assessment day at the Telegraph Media Group! If I pass, I’ll get to be interviewed for the Social Media Internship I’ve applied for!

Although I know the chances are slim of me getting the job (this isn’t me being like URGH I’m TERRIBLE they won’t HIRE MEEE – I know I’m awesome and capable. But I also know there are others with more knowledge and experience for this kind of role, and I am more than calm about that) – I am really really excited. It’s such a great opportunity and learning experience, and the fact I’m even being considered is really great. So I am pleased.

So that’s all from me in the life update center. I’m sorry I’ve been slacking like hell, but I am going to get my ass in gear. I gave myself one hell of a pep talk at 2am last night and now I feel ready to take on the world!

Or at least some degree of adult responsibility.

I’ll speak to you all soon, I hope all your reading challenges and life in general are going great for you!

Fare thee well,

Fran

February Wrap Up! A Dance with Dragons, Ask the Passengers and Throne of Glass.

Good day friends!

You’re in for a triple book review thing today. I’m sure you’re all super duper pleased.

I’ll go in order of when I read and finished them, so we begin with;

A Dance with Dragons – Part 2: After the Feast

I gave this book a 5/5 stars on Goodreads, which is always good for any book I suppose.
I don’t know who of you saw my gem of a post from about a week and some ago, but I finished this at 2am on a work night. And I lost my damn mind.

This particular book is the penultimate volume before the seventh and final volume in this series. It’s starting to really hurry things along, but in the best way; all the build up is starting to come to some serious climaxes that I am beyond excited to read about. Every twist and turn going on right now is leading to some really gripping stuff, which is where my only problem lies;

I CAN’T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK. The statements claiming the book won’t be ready until 2016/17 just makes my blood boil.

I care so much about everyone and everything, and certain cliffhangers about certain beloved characters of mine are literally tearing me apart.

I sat up at 2am crying and staring at this goddamn book, because it’s ruining my life.

I really loved this book. I’ve really fallen for the A Song of Ice and Fire series in a way I thought I never would. I was never really into medieval fantasy books, with wars and politics etc. But honestly this series has opened up a whole new world of fiction I want to get into with this sort of genre! It’s raised all the bars for me and it’s just a great series. Don’t be intimidated by the length – it’s all very much worth it and I feel really pleased with myself for getting through it, but really damn sad it’s coming to an end so soon.

Ask The Passengers by A. S. King

Have you ever read a book that you’ve just felt you’ve related with so strongly, that you’re a better and more fulfilled person for having read it?

This book did that for me.

Ask the Passengers is a young adult, stand-alone book about a girl named Astrid, who feels isolated and confused about her life and her sexuality. She feels like she can’t give her love to the people around her, so she lies on the picnic table in her back garden and sends that love to the passengers in the planes overhead.

This book is genuinely amazing.I read it all in one sitting, mostly because I just couldn’t put it down. Astrid as a main character is so bold, and I relate to her pretty damn well in a lot of the aspects about feeling isolated and shut out from your peers. The writing just flows so well and it’s just such an easy but enjoyable read.

Also I won’t spoil too much because I feel like the book will be better if I don’t tell you, but I adored how Astrid’s love did more for the passengers than she could ever believe.

The sexuality storyline is also handled really well – the homophobia isn’t just outright, small-town bigotry, it’s also small, like in little words or gestures people who think they’re being super inclusive use when really they just make it worse. Astrid’s confusion also isn’t based on “oh my god but I can’t be gay because it’s wrong” – it’s rooted in “I’m not entirely sure if I am or if I am not and I don’t want to come out without knowing”.

Astrid is an awesome lead character and there are some great, if incredibly frustrating moments with the supporting cast too.

I gave this book a solid 5/5 on my Goodreads, and I have nothing but praises.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas.

I purchased Throne of Glass after hearing nothing but high praises from the YouTube community. It is the first in a three book series, four if you include the collection of novella’s that connect to the series.

The story follows that of the greatest assassins in the country, Celaena Sardothian. The novel opens with her begins in a death camp, where although most die within months, she has survived an entire year. She’s presented with an offer from the Prince; compete as his Champion in his fathers tournament, and she has a chance to win her freedom, by means of serving as the King’s personal assassin.

I did enjoy this book. I read it pretty damn quickly and ordered the two sequel novels, Crown of Midnight and Heir of Fire because I have a genuine love for this story, the characters and where the tale is going.

I had a few issues with this book, one being Celaena’s character and particularly her relationship with others. I totally loved that she cared about how she looked and had multiple interests, and that she knew she was attractive and could use that to a lot of advantages in her line of work; what I don’t love is the fact she’s so self conscious of how she looks in front of the Prince (son to a man she despises because he’s overthrowing countries and wiping out cultures) because he happens to be handsome. She also spends a lot of time blushing over him pretty much instantly, and I way, way would have preferred if she hated him. I would have loved it if she was cold and hateful to him and didn’t have a damn feeling for him but hate – and then they built on that. I really wanted more build up for that.

I also feel like the way Celaena sees other women, is really troubling and really off-putting. It made me roll my eyes a lot. So, I could have dealt with “Hey, I know I was raised outside of what these other women are expected to be like. I am different from them, and in a way I am superior because they are in this rich peoples game.” – but that’s not how it comes across. She openly claims to dislike other women because the are “ninnies”, and it’s not a dislike that stems from wishing she had their ignorance because it’s bliss – it’s an outright write off of all the women around her. There’s also a scene where she goes to an event all dressed up, and she smiles pleasantly at all the men – and then smirks at all the women? As if she’s lording that she looks better than them over them – and that comes across as the very behavior she claims to despise. These moments are few and far between but when they came, they made me cringe a lot.

I feel like overall, this book could have been a good 100 pages longer – I wanted more. There’s so many questions they seem to gloss over and things that are hurried along when really, this is such an epic read. It’s set in this gorgeous world, of magic and assassins and corrupt politicians and it’s absolutely amazing and way too short for it’s own good. I’m hoping that this is something that changes with the two sequel novels.

Overall though, this book gets a solid 4/5 from me. I did really love the story, I loved the characters so much and in spite of the unnecessary and groan inducing lady hate from time to time, it did consist of some very strong female characters. The voice of Celaena is funny and graceful and tragic, and I fell very much in love with Prince Dorian and Chaol. I’m looking forward to seeing where this series goes and I am highly anticipating getting Crown of Midnight in the mail! (Heir of Fire came first. Damnit.)

Also mad shout out to the cover designers! These covers are gorgeous and flawless, and the backs of the books even look good and ah, perfection.

And there we go! I know it’s only three books for February but to be fair, I did finish A Dance with Dragons Part 1 in the first week, then tore through Part 2 and these two! So I am very pleased with myself.

I’ll have two more blog posts up shortly; one will be my TBR for March, and the other will be a general life update.

Fare thee well,

Fran!