Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin (ACOTAR #3) by Sarah J. Maas

February 20, 2019February 19, 2019 GoodeyReads7 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Audience: New adult fantasy
Length: 699 pages
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Release Date: May 2nd, 2017
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s manoeuvrings 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.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could dstroy them all.

Note: Below is a very spoiler filled review. I have re-read this series multiple times, but wanted to get a review onto my blog, but I also have a hard time being vague when it comes to ACOTAR, so spoilers it is.

This series really has my whole heart. I highly recommend it to everyone looking for a fantasy filled with romance, friendships, actual feelings, and so much more.

What I love most about re-reads (though I don’t get to do them as often as I’d like) is that I notice all of the other pieces I normally wouldn’t if I was reading it for the first time. The first time through this I was ALL about Feyre & Rhysand, but now I have really come to appreciate all of the other characters (yes, even Tamlin) from reading this again and again.

Feyre and Rhys are my OTP, and I mention this frequently. I am so happy that their relationship grew and that they got the blissfully ending they needed. A lot of random sex? Maybe, but Rhys also has a mate and is 500 years old, I understand. Feyre has grown so much over this series and I loved how her arc came to an end.

I absolutely am team Elucien. YOU CAN NOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE. I desperately hope they get their own spin-off in the coming years. He deserves happiness and I need him to be happy. Azriel will get his own story and first needs to have a reckoning with Mor. So after that, we can focus on him.

Tamlin made me so bitterly angry in this book (but yet I feel for him in ACOFAS, who am I?) I think he took his jealousy to a whole new level and being an immortal, somehow never learned how to cope with his issues and being told “No.” In this case, I was all for destroying him, and will let him stew awhile before he gets his story.

Now, I’m struggling with Nesta. I LOVED her here, but had a hard time connecting in ACOFAS. I think her and Cassian would be EVERYTHING. I can’t wait for 2020 to get this entire novel. I think Nesta is going to have this amazing character line (i.e. makes me think of Manon from ToG, but different, of course). Cassian is my favorite sassy Illyrian and I need him to be happy too. His friendship with Feyre is my favorite non-romantic plot line. I love how they appreciate and help each other when they are working through their demons. Feyre is a wholy better sister than Nesta AND, AND Elain deserve. There, I said it.

Fact: I need everyone to be happy. Though, low-key felt like sobbing when the Suriel died. That moment was the saddest the book made me.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult/New adult fantasy
Language: some
Romance: a handful of detailed love scenes, kisses, innuendos
Violence: physical, swords, knives, magic, verbal

Book Review: Flamecaster (Shattered Realms #1) by Cinda Williams Chima

February 18, 2019February 16, 2019 GoodeyReads2 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Audience: Young adult fantasy
Length: 535 pages
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: April 5th, 2016
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

A burning vengeance.

Adrian sul’Han, known as Ash, is a trained healer with a powerful gift of magic—and a thirst for revenge. The son of the queen of the Fells, Ash is forced into hiding after a series of murders throws the queendom into chaos. Now Ash is closer than he’s ever been to killing the man responsible, the cruel king of Arden. As a healer, can Ash use his powers not to save a life but to take it?

A blood-based curse.

Abandoned at birth, Jenna Bandelow was told the mysterious magemark on the back of her neck would make her a target. But when the King’s Guard launches a relentless search for a girl with a mark like hers, Jenna assumes that it has more to do with her role as a saboteur than any birth-based curse. Though Jenna doesn’t know why she’s being hunted, she knows that she can’t get caught.

Destiny’s fiery hand.

Eventually, Ash’s and Jenna’s paths will collide in Arden. Thrown together by chance and joined by their hatred of the king, they will come to rescue each other in ways they cannot yet imagine.

Set in the world of the acclaimed Seven Realms series a generation later, this is a thrilling story of dark magic, chilling threats, and two unforgettable characters walking a knife-sharp line between life and death.

DRAGONS Y’ALL.

If that word doesn’t drag you in, the fact that Chima is an amazing author should convince you. I love her writing and her books. This series is setting up to be added to my favorites.

This book is filled with so much evil. I mean whoa, within the first few chapters I already felt like sobbing. I mean HOW, JUST…how. But this, in a weird way, is one of the better things about Flamecaster. I hate the antagonists. I mean, with a passion. I love that I feel that deeply because it goes to show just how enchanting the writing is.

The only real big reason I went with 4 stars is the insta-love. It’s not terrible, I wasn’t overly frustrated with it, only perplexed. There could have been a lot more build-up to it. A scene where magic is used to “see” each other (as vague as I can be without spoiling) tries to make-up for the attraction. I’m still boarding the ship, but I imagine I’ll get there.

My favorite was the handful of minor twists that tie in from the previous series. I kept thinking to myself, how did I miss that? The book is a little slow, but all of these enlightening moments will definitely be involved in further installments. The dynamic conglomeration of different cultures and people throughout this world is amazing.

All of these characters are strong and realistic. They’re young, they make mistakes, and have a lot of feelings. You’re on their side from the get-go. I love, once again, how strong and independent the female leads are. I’m excited to see how these heroines grow and adapt.

Shout out to my tagline, there’s dragons you guys!! An actual dragon, who could even speak some. Oh I hope we see it even more! There’s a big story-line here that is waiting to burst.

“Oh, I see. This situation isn’t bad enough, so you’re going to try and make it worse.”

This quote is a direct picture of how this book went. A lot of diving into sketchy situations without thinking them through. Plenty of action and political maneuverings. I am so excited to read Shadowcaster.

Overall audience notes:

Young adult fantasy
Important to read Seven Realms series first
Violence: physical, swords, knives, poison, attempted suicide
Romance: some kisses, an intense make-out
Language: some

Book Review: Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1) by Kevin Kwan

February 14, 2019February 11, 2019 GoodeyReads3 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆ 1/2
Audience: Contemporary Fiction
Length: 527 pages
Author: Kevin Kwan
Publisher: Anchor
Release Date: June 11th, 2013
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country’s most eligible bachelor.

On Nick’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.

DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA.

Do you remember growing up when you were home sick from school and you got to watch The Price is Right? Then after that was over you occasionally would let Days of our Lives play after before realizing you were glued to the TV with the drama?

This. This is how I felt about CRA. The hilarity of the wealth and drama that unfolded kept me turning pages for reasons I can’t explain. It’s not a book to ponder deep thinking. This is purely entertainment.

It takes a little bit to get into because of how many family members are in the story. Once I had a handle on who was who things cleared up.

There were a lot moving parts and I was distracted away from the story between Rachel and Nick constantly. I didn’t care about half of the people the chapters would flip to and was frustrated that the focus really wasn’t on them. The only other character I could bother to care for was Astrid.

Surprisingly, there were footnotes in this book! I actually appreciated them [most of the time] because it defined the language and food better. I now want to travel to Singapore just to eat, because holy cow everything sounded delicious.

I don’t really have much to say for this review. I couldn’t put it down, but I also am not interested in books two and three. I felt this one ended in the RomCom way, I was fine with it, and don’t need a continuation of the story.

Overall audience notes:

Contemporary Fiction
Language: a lot of f* bombs, very derogatory words and inappropriate conversations
Violence: verbal
Romance: kisses, some glossed over love scenes
Trigger warnings: racism, cheating husband’s, dog fighting scene, verbal child abuse, depression

Book Review: What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

February 11, 2019February 9, 2019 GoodeyReads5 Comments

Rating: ☆☆☆☆.5
Audience: Historical fiction romance
Length: 416 pages
Author: Amy Harmon
Publisher: Imprint
Release Date: February 1st, 2019
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

In an unforgettable love story, a woman’s impossible journey through the ages could change everything….

Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.

The Ireland of 1921, teetering on the edge of war, is a dangerous place in which to awaken. But there Anne finds herself, hurt, disoriented, and under the care of Dr. Thomas Smith, guardian to a young boy who is oddly familiar. Mistaken for the boy’s long-missing mother, Anne adopts her identity, convinced the woman’s disappearance is connected to her own.

As tensions rise, Thomas joins the struggle for Ireland’s independence and Anne is drawn into the conflict beside him. Caught between history and her heart, she must decide whether she’s willing to let go of the life she knew for a love she never thought she’d find. But in the end, is the choice actually hers to make?

LYRICALLY BEAUTIFUL.

Once again, I was swept away by the way Amy Harmon writes.

This book is steeped in the magic of studying family history. Harmon draws heavily from her own travels to Europe and the time period from which her great+ grandparents lived. It is so important to know and understand where we come from and WtWK convinced me (and I know that wasn’t the point) to look at my own history.

The romance is yet again so precious. How understanding is Thomas? Because you better believe I would be freaking out a lot more if “Anne” showed back up, 5 years missing from her time period, without a clue as to what happened. Their story flowed at a good pace and I was shipping them forward continually.

I was really caught up in how this book would resolve. It was unclear if everything was going to fall into place, but never fear Harmon brings things full circle leaving me completely happy with how it came together.

My only reasoning for giving it a 4.5* is that there is a lot of history put in there. Discussions about the rebellion, civil war, political meetings, etc. Yes, they helped me understand what was happening, but it was thick with this information. I felt it was taking away from the fact that this is a romance novel at it’s base.

Overall audience notes: