Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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Title: Throne of Glass (ToG #1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: eBook

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass–and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

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Review: 180 Seconds by Jessica Park

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Title: 180 Seconds
Author: Jessica Park
Publisher: Skyscape
Genre: NA, Romance
Format: eBook

Goodreads Synopsis:

Some people live their entire lives without changing their perspective. For Allison Dennis, all it takes is 180 seconds…After a life spent bouncing from one foster home to the next, Allison is determined to keep others at arm’s length. Adopted at sixteen, she knows better than to believe in the permanence of anything. But as she begins her third year in college, she finds it increasingly difficult to disappear into the white noise pouring from her earbuds.

One unsuspecting afternoon, Allison is roped into a social experiment just off campus. Suddenly, she finds herself in front of a crowd, forced to interact with a complete stranger for 180 seconds. Neither she, nor Esben Baylor, the dreamy social media star seated opposite her, is prepared for the outcome.

When time is called, the intensity of the experience overwhelms Allison and Esben in a way that unnerves and electrifies them both. With a push from her oldest friend, Allison embarks on a journey to find out if what she and Esben shared is the real thing—and if she can finally trust in herself, in others, and in love.

Standalone Sunday | Ugly Love

Standalone Sunday is a weekly feature created by Megan @ bookslayerReads that spotlights a standalone novel that you loved and would recommend or one that you’re excited to read. Be sure to check out her blog and original post by clicking on the above link! 😊

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When Tate Collins meets airline pilot Miles Archer, she knows it isn’t love at first sight. They wouldn’t even go so far as to consider themselves friends. The only thing Tate and Miles have in common is an undeniable mutual attraction. Once their desires are out in the open, they realize they have the perfect set-up. He doesn’t want love, she doesn’t have time for love, so that just leaves the sex. Their arrangement could be surprisingly seamless, as long as Tate can stick to the only two rules Miles has for her.

Never ask about the past.
Don’t expect a future.

They think they can handle it, but realize almost immediately they can’t handle it at all.

Hearts get infiltrated.
Promises get broken.
Rules get shattered.
Love gets ugly.

-Goodreads Synopsis (x)

Much like the last Standalone Sunday I did, I realized this week that I’ve never recommended a Colleen Hoover book. Which needs to be changed because she’s one of my all-time favorite authors. Thus, this week I’ll be recommending Ugly Love.

It’s been a long time since I last read it but, hands down, it’s one of my favorites by her. It’s told in alternating perspectives that also go from past to present as well as from prose to being in a sort of verse form. That may sound confusing but honestly it flowed extremely well and added beautifully onto the story. Ugly Love is a friends with benefits to lovers story that has some minor NA cliches but combined with the heartbreaking message of grief and moving on as well as Colleen Hoover’s incredible writing and characters it was a standout story for me. I remember it being a book that was unputdownable as well as one that I cried so much over. Trust me, if you’re into NA and haven’t checked this one out yet I highly recommend it.

“Sometimes not speaking says more than all the words in the world.”

– Colleen Hoover, Ugly Love

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Have you read Ugly Love? Did you like it? If you participate in Standalone Sunday be sure to link me to your post so I can see it. 😊

 

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Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas + Feyre/Rhys Playlist

Warning: If you’ve not read A Court of Thorns and Roses or A Court of Mist and Fury then I would highly recommend not reading this as it has spoilers for both. However, if you’ve read both then this is a spoiler-free review.

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Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: eBook

Goodreads Synopsis:

A nightmare, I’d told Tamlin. I was the nightmare.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

Review: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab

Spoiler Warning: If you haven’t read the first two Shades of Magic books then this review will contain spoilers for both as it’s the last book in the series. Also, there are possible minor spoilers for A Conjuring of Light in this review as well – read at your own discretion.

You can read my reviews for ADSOM and AGOS here and here.

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Title: A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: eBook

Goodreads Synopsis:

Witness the fate of beloved heroes – and enemies.

THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED…
The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise.

WHO WILL CRUMBLE?
Kell – once assumed to be the last surviving Antari – begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive?

WHO WILL RISE?
Lila Bard, once a commonplace – but never common – thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible.

WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL?
And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay.

Standalone Sunday | I’ll Give You The Sun

Standalone Sunday is a weekly feature created by Megan @ bookslayerReads that spotlights a standalone novel that you loved and would recommend or one that you’re excited to read. Be sure to check out her blog and original post by clicking on the above link! 😊

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Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah’s story to tell. The later years are Jude’s. What the twins don’t realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant novel from the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

-Goodreads Synopsis (x)

I was going through the previous Standalone Sunday’s I’ve done and realized that while I recommended Jandy’s debut novel I haven’t recommended I’ll Give You The Sun. Well, I think it’s time to fix that.

Even though The Sky is Everywhere is my favorite of the two I absolutely loved this one. Much like her debut novel, I’ll Give You The Sun explores the way in which grief and secrets can affect a family. It’s told through alternating perspectives as well as past and present and through those perspectives we get to see what exactly happened to create a rift between twins Noah and Jude. What I continue to love about Jandy’s novels, especially this one, is how raw they feel in terms of emotions. She has a way with crafting words that really hit you. But don’t let me fool you this book is more than just it’s sad moments because it also has these humorous lighter moments that will make you crack up laughing or even fangirl. Also, like The Sky is Everywhere, we get to see both of these siblings experience first love (and first heartbreak) which, hands down, I believe Jandy Nelson does flawlessly. Plus, I love how I’ll Give You Then Sun has such a family focus. Neither Noah or Jude are perfect, their whole family isn’t perfect but it’s realistic and I loved that fact.

So, if like any of the above things in a contemporary novel then I highly recommend giving this book a read.

“Sometimes you think you know things, know things very deeply, only to realize you don’t know a damn thing.”

– Jandy Nelson, I’ll Give You The Sun

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Have you read I’ll Give You The Sun? Did you like it? If you participate in Standalone Sunday be sure to link me to your post so I can see it. 😊

 

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Review: A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab

Spoiler Warning: If you haven’t read A Darker Shade of Magic this review will contain spoilers for it as its the second book in the series. Also, there are possible minor spoilers for A Gathering of Shadows in this review as well – read at your own discretion.

You can read my review for A Darker Shade of Magic here.

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Title: A Gathering of Shadows (Shades of Magic #2)
Author: V.E. Schwab
Publisher: Tor Books
Genre: YA, Fantasy
Format: eBook

Goodreads Synopsis:

It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell’s possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland’s dying body through the rift–back into Black London.

Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games–an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries–a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.

And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall.

That’s A Wrap! Reading, Reviews, and What’s Ahead | March-April

This month was pretty great! 😊

That’s A Wrap! Reading, Reviews, and What’s Ahead | February-March

I read more this month than I have in awhile!

ARC Review: The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon

Thanks so much to Bloomsbury USA and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All quotes are from the ARC and subject to change.

Warning: If you have not read The Bone Season or The Mime Order I strongly suggest not looking at this review because it will spoil the first and second book for you.

You can check out my reviews for The Bone Season and The Mime Order by clicking the links.

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Title: The Song Rising (The Bone Season #3)
Author: Samantha Shannon

Release Date: March 7th, 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Dystopia, Paranormal
Format: eARC

Goodreads Synopsis:

The hotly anticipated third book in the bestselling Bone Season series – a ground-breaking, dystopian fantasy of extraordinary imagination

Following a bloody battle against foes on every side, Paige Mahoney has risen to the dangerous position of Underqueen, ruling over London’s criminal population.

But, having turned her back on Jaxon Hall and with vengeful enemies still at large, the task of stabilising the fractured underworld has never seemed so challenging.

Little does Paige know that her reign may be cut short by the introduction of Senshield, a deadly technology that spells doom for the clairvoyant community and the world as they know it…