“”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.””
Yay! A good one! A Darker Shade of Magic was a magnificent, well-crafted fantasy adventure with great world-building, pacing, and characters.
“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.”
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!
“Show me a dream unrealized. Don’t show me unchangeable paths.”
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.
“”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.””
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.
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.
“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!
“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!
“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.
May 3rd: So, I just finished this one and my initial reaction? Holy shit, oh my lord, I can’t handle the emotions! I finished this 699-page beauty in less than 24 hours (and it would have been faster, if I didn’t have to work around, you know, a job). This book was definitely worth the wait. So SO good. There were soaring high parts and maybe slightly middle parts, but no real low parts for me. I plan to read it again very soon. Full review to come!
May, 9th: Phew! I have finally been able to gather all of my thoughts about ACOWAR into a semi-coherent review. I will try to keep this organized and somewhat concise, but honestly I find it very difficult to contain myself with these books. So may feels! First, let me just say that I loved this book. I loved these characters, I loved the story – everything! I thought it was a very fitting and satisfying third book in the trilogy, keeping in mind that there are multiple novels/novellas planned to take place this world, as well. We were not meant to have everything tied up into a neat little bow here and that did not happen, which I am okay with. I love the idea of the spinoffs! In-depth stories from the point of view of different characters, exploring this grand world?? Sign me the eff up! I’m just sad that I now have to wait years for more stories about my loves (please let the first spinoff be about Nessian!!). But, before I start rambling and lose any sort of structure to this review along the way, let me discuss my thoughts on ACOWAR. Calmly. And rationally…hopefully. Spoilers under the cut!
“Whatever you’ve heard about Caraval, it doesn’t compare to the reality…”
Well, that is true. The reality definitely differs from everything I’ve heard about this book. And that reality is?? 2 measly stars. Ohhhh man, was I excited about this one! I mean, look at that cover; it’s flippin gorgeous. I was immediately intrigued by this one, both for the cover and the synopsis. I read the 3 chapter preview of Caraval right when that was released and then I waited very impatiently for the actual book to come out. Once it did and I got my hands on it? Well, sadly, I was pretty dang disappointed. I was so upset, because I wanted to LOVE this book, but….I don’t know. Something was definitely lacking for me.
Let Them Read Cake 