Author: crmullen

Book Review: Wintersong by S. Jae-Jones ★★★

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“”You are the one who wanted a happy ending, my dear. So you tell me, how does the story end?”
Tears slipped from my face, and he wiped them away with his thumbs.
“The foolish young man lets the beautiful maiden go.”
“Yes.” His voice was clotted thick with unshed emotion. “He lets her go.””

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Cover image courtesy of Goodreads, as I do not own the book.

Well, this book was hard to review. I was wavering between two and three stars forever on this one, so I would officially give it 2.5 stars with an extra half star for the beautiful writing. This is another book that came out early this year that I was super excited for. I read the multi-chapter preview right when it was released and I loved it! The cover is beyond gorgeous and I was so intrigued by the idea of a Labyrinth-inspired story, despite being kind of terrified of the original movie when I first saw it in 6th grade (those tights gave me nightmares). But, once again, when I finally got to read all of Wintersong, it was just…meh? Ultimately, I was just underwhelmed. Maybe I had unrealistic expectations, but I wanted more from Liesl and the Goblin King! Continue reading →

Book Review: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab ★★★★

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“”Aren’t you afraid of dying?” he asked Lila now.
She looked at him as if it were a strange question. And then she shook her head. “Death comes for everyone,” she said simply. “I’m not afraid of dying. But I am afraid of dying here.” She swept her hand over the room, the tavern, the city. “I’d rather die on an adventure than live standing still.””

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Yay! A good one! A Darker Shade of Magic was a magnificent, well-crafted fantasy adventure with great world-building, pacing, and characters.

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Book Review: A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir ★★

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“How dare he throw my failures in my face as if I’m a schoolchild to be reprimanded? But he’s not wrong, is he? Every time I needed to make a decision, I chose wrong. Disaster after disaster.”

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So…2 stars again. But also, like 1.5 stars? I can’t decide. I had high-ish expectations for this one, too, based on the continued hype, Tahir’s Instagram which shows her awesome plotting methods, and rave reviews by other readers. The first book, while hailed as a masterpiece by many, was just mediocre for me. But I was really hoping this second book would be stronger! Alas, I was wrong.

Below, there be spoilers!

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Book Review: The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi ★★

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“Show me a dream unrealized. Don’t show me unchangeable paths.”

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Phew! Guys, I read this book super fast. Like really, really fast. Is that a good thing, you ask? Normally, I would say, “Hell yeah, it’s great! Couldn’t put it down!” But in this case? Not so much. Considering I skim-read the last 70 pages and really just wanted the book to end, I’d say it is surely not a great thing…Damn.

Spoilers below.

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Book Review: Deathless by Catherynne M. Valente ★★★★★

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“”When I say forever, Koschei whispered, “I mean until the black death of the world. An Ivan means just the present moment, the flickering light of it, in a green field, his mouth on yours. He means the stretching of that moment. But forever isn’t bright; it isn’t like that. Forever is cold and hard and final.””

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This freakin’ book, guys. It was so good. Everything about it was magical, vibrant, raw, brutal, and captivating. When I found out there was a book, an adult fantasy story, inspired by Russian folklore, I immediately catapulted it to the top of my TBR list. The novel is a retelling of sorts about Koschei the Deathless and the girl he steals, Marya Morevna. I was so excited to read this book and let me tell you, it did not disappoint! Spoilers and gushing below.

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Birthday Book Haul

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For my birthday this past weekend, I was lucky enough to get a bunch of awesome new books!

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I have heard so many great things about these books and I am really excited to read them!

  • The Court of Thorns and Roses Coloring Book: This is a gorgeous companion book to the ACOTAR series by Sarah J Maas. It features coloring pages depicting select scenes from all three novels. I can’t wait to bust out my colored pencils!
  • Strange the Dreamer: This is the first book in a new duology by Laini Taylor and it sounds epic! It is about a war between men and the gods, a lost city, heroes, warriors, a goddess and a young librarian who happens to get wrapped up in it all.
  • A Torch Against the Night: This is the sequel to Sabaa Tahir’s debut novel An Ember in the Ashes. I read the first one right after it came out and really liked it, but have not had the chance to pick up this second one yet. I am definitely looking forward to seeing what has happened to Elias, Laia, and Helene!
  • A Darker Shade of Magic: From V. E. Schwab, this is the story of Kell, one of the last, rare magicians of his kind. He can travel between the different Londons: Grey, Red, and White, but that does not mean he can always avoid trouble. This one has been on my TBR list for ages and I am so happy I finally have it in my hands!
  • The Crown’s Game: The last two Enchanters in Russia, Vika and Nikolai, must battle to the death, so that the victor can stand at the side of the Tsar in the coming war. Count me in!
  • The Star-Touched Queen: I have heard so many good things about this book, such as beautiful prose and imaginative story-telling. The protagonist, Maya, cursed with a bad fortune in her own kingdom is married off to another. There, she becomes a queen and a wife, she finds power and love. But, she also stumbles upon secrets and mysteries that could threaten her life and the lives of those she loves.

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Man, I am going to be busy for a while! Now, I just need to figure out which book I am going to start with.

Happy reading!

-Chelsi

Book Review: Angelfall by Susan Ee ★

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Hi guys! So, just a little info on the blog in general and this review, first. I actually read this book a little while ago and wrote a brief blurb on Goodreads of what I thought. I plan to bring over those few reviews from Goodreads, as well, so that all of my thoughts/reviews are centered in one spot, on this blog. With each one that I do, I will go over the book again to update myself on it and add to the review, if need be. Kind of flesh them out a little. So, with that being said, here is what I thought of Angelfall (obviously, my general disclaimer applies here).

Warning: might contain spoilers and anger.

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Book Review: The Song Rising by Samantha Shannon ★★★★

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“When you dream of change, it shines bright, like fire, and burns away all the rot that came before it. It’s swift and inexorable. You cry for justice, and justice is done. The world stands with you in your fight. But if there was one thing I had learned in these last few weeks, it was that change had never been that simple. That kind of revolution existed only in daydreams.”

This book was so good!! I flew through it in like a day and a half, and now I am kicking myself right in the arse, because The Bone Season #4 will not be released until mid-2018. Urgh, whyy!!

In this third installment of the series, we follow Paige and her crew, as they take on the Senshield technology that is threatening all of the voyants. After winning the scrimmage at the end of the last book, Paige is now Underqueen of the entire Syndicate, but things are not running as smoothly as she hoped they would, after such a victory. She must prove to the Syndicate that she is the best choice to lead them, prove to the Ranthen that she is worth their support, and prove to Scion that she can act on her threats to take them down.

So, yeah, I’d say it’s pretty damn exciting!

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Book Review: Into the Water by Paula Hawkins ★★★

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“The water, the water, the water – no way to get away from it in this town.”

Into the Water was a chilling, and well-written thriller! I have never really sought out thrillers or mystery/crime novels as my go-to reads, but Paula Hawkins has definitely made me a fan. There is something very real and visceral about the way that she writes, that just draws me the heck in! This book follows the story of Jules, who finds out in the first couple pages that her sister, Nel, has died. Not only did she die, but Jules is told that she has committed suicide in the Drowning Pool, a significant place from their childhood that they have not been able to forget. Upon hearing this news, Jules is forced to return to her family’s vacation home in Beckford, take in Nel’s wayward daughter, and confront  memories from her past that she’d rather leave to rot at the bottom of the river. Spoilers below!

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Book Review: The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon ★★★★

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“Some revolutions change the world in a day. Others take decades or centuries or more, and others still never come to fruition. Mine began with a moment and a choice. Mine began with the blooming of a flower in a secret city on the border between worlds.
You’ll have to wait and see how it ends.
Welcome back to Scion.”

After a brief hiatus, I finally finished The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon! This is the second book in her Bone Season series, out of, I think, six books total. The third book was released recently and I will definitely be picking that one up soon. In this second novel, our protagonist Paige Mahoney has returned to the Seven Dials to once again work as the Mollisher of I-4. While she is again under Jaxon’s rule and trying to survive the increasingly dangerous Syndicate, she is also attempting to tell the world about the threat of the Rephaim. She knows that the people, both clairvoyant and amaurotic, need to know about the corruption in Scion and the Rephaim puppet-masters, but how can she get them to believe her? Some spoilers below.

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