Review: Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J Maas

Queen of Shadows

Author: Sarah J Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #4

Pages: 648

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Release date: 1^st September 2015

Synopsis (Goodreads):

The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past . . .

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series contrinues Celaena's epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

5 out of 5 stars

Queen of Shadow’s is the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series and begins where Heir of Fire ends.

My thoughts are a jumble at the moment! I was a little hesitant about starting this book; I’m a huge romance fan and it seemed to falter for me in the last book and the witchy parts were really turning me off but this book was absolutely amazing! My fave so far of 2015.

There were so many oh my god, gasping moments; I am not one to normally freak out when something surprising happens in a book but there was so much going on that I had quite a few late nights trying to get through all 600+ pages of awesome and I’m thrilled where Sarah J Maas left off.

We know Celaena/Aelin has returned to Adarlan to rescue her cousin Aedion,  put an end to the king and his alliance with the demon Valg, rescue her best friend Dorian from demon possession, and to confront the King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel. By this stage in the series we know how fabulous and kick-butt she is and in Queen of Shadows she shows us once again how conniving, lethal and shifty she can be but there was also a softness and vulnerability about her that was quite endearing and I always enjoy the ‘sweeter’ side of her.

This book was non-stop thrilling action, there were some pretty graphic gory scenes; the plot was fast paced and there were moments of betrayal, secrets, plenty of planning and plotting and a sweet budding romance that balanced it all out perfectly. I loved every moment of it!

Told in numerous POV’s it was great to get insight into all of our old favourites as well as the introduction of a few new characters; Lysandra was an amazing character, courageous and strong and the perfect friend for Aelin; she surprised me on numerous occasions. Nesryn was wonderful and Elide has me curious. But WTF has happened to Chaol! I loved this guy but from the last book to a certain point in this I actually despised him, I was disappointed. Dorian broke my heart and I loved the relationship between Aelin and Aedion. We also see a different side to Rowan and I absolutely loved him! I must admit I was initially against a Rowan/Aelin relationship but it is looking to be pretty perfect.

Speaking of Manon, the witchy chapters have always bored me and I tended to skip them and admittedly up until she met Aelin I wasn’t really interested in what was happening with the witches but after this point I was hooked and I can’t wait to see what Sarah J Maas has in store for us; their purpose made more sense and they are tied to the overall storyline perfectly.

Sarah J Maas is a wonderful story-teller, her writing is absolutely brilliant and the world that she has created is masterful! This series continues to get better and better, there are still two books left in the series and I can’t wait to see what happens.

Overall, Queen of Shadows is an incredible installment in the Throne of Glass series.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Pages: 416

Release date: 5^th May 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Amazon

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

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.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Beauty and the Beast is one of my favourite fairy tales so to learn that the wonderfully talented Sarah J Mass had written a retelling instantly made it one of my most anticipated books of the year and in true SJM fashion, it didn’t fail to disappoint. A Court of Thorns and Roses introduces us to an enthralling world where humans and fae reside. An epic fantasy that had me entertained from the very first page.

Feyre was a wonderful MC, the huntress of her family she is the one forced to look after her father and two sisters, she had strength and determination; the sort of character you’d need on your side. When she is out hunting food, she comes across a wolf and kills it but the repercussion is a beast-like creature arriving on her doorstep to demand retribution for it; her punishment rather than death is to live out her life in the fae world of Pyrithian.

The wolf-like creature is Tamlin, not an animal but a masked, lethal, and immortal faerie who once ruled their world. Tamlin {swoon} was amazing, he’ll totally steal your heart; he could be lethal but he was kind-hearted, especially when it came to Feyre and his people.

We have a wonderful romance, it started off as hostile but ever so slowly turned into sizzling passion; it’s the type of romance I loved – their chemistry was smouldering off the charts when it happened.

The setting is wonderfully detailed and vivid, the descriptive tidbits we are given draws you in, you can envision the fine points in your mind. We also have mystery, I kept trying to guess what was going to happen or what the explanation would be but I was clueless, it was never predictable. I also enjoyed the action scenes; some parts were particularly graphic but written extremely well.

The plot was solid, the pacing perfection and the promise of more to come utterly intriguing! I was riveted by Ms. Maas beautiful writing and can’t wait to read more in this series. The world-building was strong and takes us from the human world to Pyrithian, it was filled with history, legends, magic and mystery. The characterizations were spot on and each play a crucial role in the overall story; the villains and creatures we encounter were evil and flawlessly written and I came to adore Rhysand and his cocky charm.

I couldn’t fault A Court of Thorns and Roses, my only gripe now is the wait for the next book!

About the author: Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Heir of Fire, Book 3, will be out in September 2014). Starting in Spring 2015, her New Adult Fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be published by Bloomsbury as well. 

Sarah lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the California coastline with her husband.

Review: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass

Pages: 530

Publisher/Source: Bloomsbury Publishing Australia

Amazon - TBD

Release date: 11^th September 2014

Synopsis (Goodreads): Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy. 

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Contains possible spoilers!

Wowza! What can I say about Heir of Fire, the third book in the Throne of Glass series besides it was unbelievably epic and a must read for all fans of the series or of the fantasy genre. I can’t give this series enough praise; it is brilliantly crafted and executed.

At the end of Crown of Midnight there was a pretty huge reveal and in this book we find out a lot more about Calaena and her past, her powers and her purpose.  Now in Wendlyn to avenge to brutal death of Nehemia she is broken and battered and struggling to move forward, I was a little worried at the beginning of the book how she’d get past the pain but her strength and determination enabled her to move forward.

My heart crumpled for Calaena, she was well and truly damaged and to be honest I thought she was at her lowest low; she was still snarky and had a fierce determination but there was no one she could rely on or really trust; as the book progressed so did her willpower but it took a long time to get there with a plethora of self-doubt and humiliation, a lot of it because of a Fae warrior named Rowan Whitethorn who started out as a complete and utter barbaric ass but by the end of the book I respected him and wanted to learn more about this fearless man.

Dorian Havilliard has truly progressed as a character but events in this book were painful to see play out; his father is still a controlling, selfish creep of a man! I cringe thinking about him. I’m still hoping for a Chaol/Calaena hook up but he angered me on numerous occasions throughout this book & I'm not sure he is able to get past what and who Calaena is, he redeemed himself towards the end but I’m ‘still a little conflicted about his behaviour. We also get plenty of page time with Celaena's childhood best friend and Cousin Aedion Ashryver, this guy had sheer determination and a kick-ass attitude that I loved! I can’t wait to read more about him.

I am not usually a fan of multiple POV’s but in Heir of Fire it worked, each character had a distinct voice and a unique purpose, it was done well. There are also witches, I found these chapters less interesting and at times boring but I’m keen to see how it all plays out – things are getting really exciting!

There is no epic romance in this book, it was devoid of it unfortunately which I really missed; I loved the previous Calaena/Chaol interactions but in this there were none at all with them being separated, I was also concerned there would be a Calaena/Rowan hook up but thank goodness nothing came of it.

The complex storyline is fast paced and filled with betrayal, action, magic and wonderfully crafted plotting and planning, I have no idea in which direction the author plans to take the story; normally I like to have an overall picture in my mind but I love the element of surprise in this series. The world-building and action-filled plot is amazing.

Sarah J. Maas has crafted a truly magical, engrossing story, her writing is brilliant and the many shock surprises kept things entertaining; there were twists and turns aplenty with fabulous character development and further progression of the brewing war and the overall plot.

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing Australia for the opportunity to read and review Heir of Fire.

About the author: Sarah J. Maas is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Heir of Fire, Book 3, will be out in September 2014). Starting in Spring 2015, her New Adult Fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be published by Bloomsbury as well. 

Sarah lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing, she can be found exploring the California coastline with her husband.

Waiting on Wednesday - Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Hi everyone!! thank-you so much for stopping by today.

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW for this week is Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas, I absolutely LOVE this series and can’t wait to read this book, September can’t come soon enough!

 Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass

Genre: Young adult

Amazon pre-order

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Release date: 2^nd September 2014

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien's only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan's Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. 

Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King's Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan's biggest threat - and his own toughest enemy. 

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love? 

This third novel in the Throne of Glass sequence, from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, is packed with more heart-stopping action, devastating drama and swoonsome romance, and introduces some fierce new heroines to love and hate.

What are most anticipating this week?

Review: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass

Pages: 432

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Release date: 15^th August 2013

Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy

Amazon - TBD

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

Eighteen-year-old Celaena Sardothien is bold, daring and beautiful – the perfect seductress and the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But though she won the King’s contest and became his champion, Celaena has been granted neither her liberty nor the freedom to follow her heart. The slavery of the suffocating salt mines of Endovier that scarred her past is nothing compared to a life bound to her darkest enemy, a king whose rule is so dark and evil it is near impossible to defy. Celaena faces a choice that is tearing her heart to pieces: kill in cold blood for a man she hates, or risk sentencing those she loves to death. Celaena must decide what she will fight for: survival, love or the future of a kingdom. Because an assassin cannot have it all . . . And trying to may just destroy her.

Love or loathe Celaena, she will slice open your heart with her dagger and leave you bleeding long after the last page of the highly anticipated sequel in what is undeniably THE hottest new fantasy series.

Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Crown of Midnight has to be my most anticipated read for this year, I absolutely loved Throne of Glass and this book was just as amazing if not better; I was completely consumed by Sarah J. Maas’s compelling story-telling, her well-developed characters and the way the overall story is being pieced together, it’s a book that kept me captivated until the ungodly hours of the morning.

Eighteen year-old Calaena Sardothien is now the kings royal champion and is playing assassin to a number of people he has on his hit list, his motives are unclear and she begins to question what his purpose could possibly be and has quite a few secrets of her own when it comes to this aspect. There was so much character progression for Calaena, we saw her fight, kill and maim in the first book as she competed for champion in the kings competition but it was really kicked up a notch in Crown of Midnight, we see a brutal, unforgiving and ruthless killing machine; she was written to perfection.

I adored Chaol in the first book and there were many surprises in this as their relationship progressed but there were also moments that had my heart breaking for them. I loved how he showed more of himself in this book which I really appreciated; he’s noble, kind and protective and I see him as the perfect match for Calaena. Dorian I still find to be lack-lustre and despite a few discoveries about him, I found he was more or less on the side-lines in this book.

There are so many shocks, twists and turns that had my head spinning, the world-building continues to strengthen and the plot flows well. I love the story progression and the way in which it is coming together, this installment had the perfect blend of action, intrigue and was filled with interesting political drama; the ending left me gaping and eager to read the next book.

The writing is perfection and flows fluidly; Sarah J. Maas’s creative and refreshingly unique series is one that is exciting and vivid in the details and imagery.

Overall, Crown of Midnight more than exceeded my expectations with its fabulous characters, amazing plot development and brilliant world-building. My only gripe is the wait we have until the next book.

Fave quotes:

“The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realised she was home.” 

“Dance with me, Celaena," he said again, his voice rough. When her eyes met his she forgot about the cold, and the moon, and the glass palace looming above them. The secret library and the king's plans and Mort and Elena faded into nothing. She took his hand and there was only the music and Chaol.” 

“Roland gave her a courtier’s smile. “And what sort of work do you do for my uncle?”
Dorian shifted on his feet and Chaol went very still, but Celaena returned Roland’s smile and said, “I bury the king’s opponents where nobody will ever find them.” 

About the author: Sarah J. Maas lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing YA fantasy novels, she can be found exploring the California coastline.

Website : Twitter : Facebook : Goodreads

Waiting on Wednesday - Allegiant by Veronica Roth & Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

 

Hi everyone, thank-you so much for stopping by my WoW!

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine which spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

My WoW for this week is Allegiant by Veronica Roth, I absolutely love these characters and the dystopian world created so I’m eager to see how it all ends.

Also, Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas – I adored Throne of Glass so this is high on my wishlist.

Author: Veronica Roth

Series: Divergent

Pages: 496

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Harper Teen

Amazon pre-order

Release Date: 22^nd October 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

One choice will define you.

What if your whole world was a lie?
What if a single revelation—like a single choice—changed everything?
What if love and loyalty made you do things you never expected?

The explosive conclusion to Veronica Roth’s #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy reveals the secrets of the dystopian world that has captivated millions of readers in Divergent and Insurgent.

 Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass

Pages: 432

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Amazon pre-order

Release Date: 27^th August 2013

Synopsis. (Goodreads)

An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice. 

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

What are you eagerly awaiting this week?