Throne of Glass Book Review

Throne of Glass

by Sarah J. Mass

Synopsis: When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the King's Champion and be released from prison.

Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her.

And a princess from a foreign land will become the one thing Celaena never thought she'd have again: a friend.

But something evil dwells in the castle—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival—and a desperate quest to root out the source of the evil before it destroys her world. (Goodreads Summary)

My Review: I came into this book knowing that there was a lot of hype behind it and I was already a fan of Sarah J. Mass because of her book A Court of Thorns and Roses, and it certainly did not disappoint. The main character, Celaena, is lovable and humorous even with her profession being killing people, and I found that she was very relatable for me. I also thought that Princess Nehemia sounded like a kick-ass princess who I wished ruled my country. I didn't really have any issues with Chaol or Dorian, but they seemed a little bit stereotypical to me. The competition to be the king's champion sort of reminded of of The Selection, one of my favorite series, in the way that it was multiple people competing for one elite position, but of course this competition was much more badass. I finished it in two days, and every time I was forced to put it down I just wanted to pick it right back up again because every page left you hanging and wanting more.
            The only two things that I really wish Mass would've done differently was focus more on the world building, because even though the story was great and there was a map in the front and all I just had difficulty imagining where everything was and I didn't really know that it was supposed to be magical because it wasn't really specified to me in the beginning, and I wished that Mass would've worked harder on building Celaena's relationships with the other competitors. Mass kind of started on that by making Nox and her friends and making Cain and her enemies, but she never quite got very detailed. All in all I thought that Throne of Glass was one of the best books that I've read in a while, and I can't wait for the rest of the series to be delivered to my house via snail mail.

I give Throne of Glass a four out of five star rating because it constantly kept me on the edge of my seat,  the characters were written extremely well and I could hear and understand each of their voices, and I only had some slight issues with the world building and the other competitors relationships.

If you want to Purchase Throne of Glass

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-CG

A Court of Thorns and Roses Book Review

A Court of Thorns and Roses

By Sarah J. Mass

Synopsis: When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

           As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever. (Goodreads Summary)


My Review: I went into this book knowing it had a bunch of hype surrounding it, and it surely did not disappoint. I started reading it around nine in the evening, and finished it are two in the morning. I had to finish it in one sitting because every chapter ended with you wanting more, and I just couldn't not know what happened next.
            Sarah J. Mass does an amazing job building up the characters and their personality (I absolutely loved Lucian, he was a little bitch), and giving each of them their own little traits that make them unique. The world building is stellar, and all of her descriptions of the Spring Court make me want to go live there (you know, apart from the creepy monsters). ACOTAR is another wonderful novel written by the queen, Sarah J. Mass, and I suggest that you go read her Throne of Glass Series if you liked ACOTAR because it's amazing, and Mass does an amazing job with the characters and world building in the ToG series as well. 

I give A Court of Thorns and Roses a five out of five star rating because it always kept an upbeat pace, the characters and words were stellar, and it always left you wanting more.

If you want to purchase ACOTAR

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Amazon

-CG

Quick Update

Ok, I finished A Court of Thorns and Roses today, so expect a review for it to be up in the next couple of days.

Pretty Girl-13 Book Review

Pretty Girl-13

By Liz Coley

 Synopsis:          

      Pretty Girl-13 is a disturbing and powerful psychological thriller about a girl who must piece together the story of her kidnapping and captivity and then piece together her own identity.                 

        When thirteen-year-old Angela Gracie Chapman looks in the mirror, someone else looks back--a thin, pale stranger, a sixteen-year-old with haunted eyes. Angie has no memory of the past three years, years in which she was lost to the authorities, lost to her family and friends, lost even to herself. Where has she been, who has been living her life, and what is hiding behind the terrible blankness? There are secrets you can’t even tell yourself.

 With a tremendous amount of courage and support from unexpected friends, Angie embarks on a journey into the darkest corners of her mind. As she unearths more and more about her past, she         discovers a terrifying secret and must decide: when you remember things you wish you could forget,    do you destroy the people responsible, or is there another way to feel whole again?                            

      Liz Coley’s alarming and fascinating psychological mystery is a disturbing—and ultimately            empowering—page turner about accepting our whole selves, and the healing power of courage,          hope, and love.   (Goodreads Summary)                                                                                                  

My Review:      

       Pretty Girl-13 is based around a young girl named Angie who, at the age of 13, is kidnapped at a Girl Scout camping trip, and is held hostage, until she returns to her home three years later with no memory of happened. In her mind she is still 13 and not a day has passed since her Girl Scout camping trip. All she knows is that one moment she was going to the bathroom in the woods, and the next thing she remembers she is limping down her street as she makes her way back home.

      Returning home is difficult for Angie, her friends are in a different grade than he, and they have changed in the time she was gone, making it harder for her to return to her normal, it also seems like her parents had given up on her, and she finds out that during the three years she was abducted she was physically and sexually abused, which caused her brain to split up into several different personalities as a defensive mechanism, which is known as Disassociate Identity Disorder (aka Multiple Personality Disorder.)

      Ok, this book was both fascinating and disturbing. As Angie's altars (alternate personalities)  began to show up I found myself more and more intrigued, but I also found that is was more difficult to read, because every time a new alter was discovered and treated, Angie would discover more about what happened to her in the three years that she was gone, and even discover some dark things from her childhood. I also felt like whenever the altars would tell their accounts of what happened in the three years they were abducted it was more personal, and therefore more emotional, and those bit were some of the best parts of the book.

      This book is very dark and filled with topics such as child abuse and sexual assault, so I suggest that if you don't like these topics, or they are triggering to you, not to read this book. But if you're into dark, twisted stuff this book is right up your alley.

     

     I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars because I felt that because it was told in third person, I wasn't able to feel very connected to Angie, and that if it was written in first the author would have been able to make it easier for the reader to connect with and truly feel what Angie was going through. Also, I felt like some of the subplots weren't needed, especially the ones that involved typical high school drama, and that they took away from the importance of the real issues at hand.But all in all, this book is a fantastic read that you will be unable to put down once you pick it up.

If you want to purchase Pretty Girl-13:

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-CG

I completed Pretty Girl 13 on the airplane home from Colorado, so expect a review for that up soon!

The Wrath and the Dawn Book Review

The Wrath and the Dawn 

By Renee Ahdieh

Synopsis:
          The Wrath and the Dawn is a Young Adult fantasy/romance book inspired by A Thousand and One Nights. The story is centered around a sixteen year old girl named Shahrzad al-Khayzuran who volunteers to marry Khalid, the eighteen year old Caliph of Khorasan. The Caliph takes a different bride every night, only to have each one executed by sunrise, except Shahrzad. She enters the palace with a plan to stay alive and to exact revenge on Khalid for taking away her best friend, Shiva, and to end the cycle of murders once and for all, but she discovers that the murderous boy-king is not all that he seems and neither are the deaths of so many girls. 

My Review:           The writing in this book is Incredible! I finished it in one sitting which is truly rare for me, but it was totally worth it. I loved the world building in this, the author truly engages all of your senses and transports you back to the ancient Middle Eastern world through her descriptions of everything. I also love how Shahrzad is a ball-busting bad-ass female lead who didn't just fall in love with Khalid at first sight, and how she tries to fight her feelings and remember why she came to the palace in the first place. When she discovers that Khalid isn't the evil, murderous monster that Shazi first believed he was, she opens up to him, and together they're just a boy and just a girl.

         The Wrath and the Dawn has easily become one of my favorite books, it's both addicting and captivating, making you unable to put it down. I recommend that you pick this book up the next time you take a trip to the book store, you won't regret it, it is a  true 5 out of 5 stars book.

If you want to purchase The Wrath and the Dawn:

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Amazon

Barns and Nobles

-CG

Hello fellow book worms, I'm CG and I'm (hopefully) going to be delivering book reviews to you at least every month. I read YA books from all genres, but mostly fantasy, paranormal, and scientific/dystopian. If you want me to review a specific book, message me on twitter, tumblr, instagram, tell me in the comments, or email me at vibrantreads@gmail.com. Subscribe to be notified when I post, and I can't wait to get started!
CG