Book: Heir of Fire, Sarah J. Mass

Series: Throne of Glass #3

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Release Date: September 2^nd, 2014

Rating: 5 stars

This book was a whirlwind of emotions and didn’t stop once to let me catch my breath. The last few chapters especially were so hard to read, partly because I knew it was nearly over and also because my heart was breaking. There’s so much I want to say about this book, and at the same time, I have no clue how to start.

When this book finished I just sat on my bed and stared at the wall, trying to contemplate in my mind what I had just read. So much had happened; I couldn’t get my head around it. I don’t even know where to begin right now.

I think I’ll start with Celaena. She develops so much in this book. After discovering her true heritage in Crown of Midnight, we see Celaena face people from her past as well as those willing to stand and fight with her. While she doesn’t want anything to do with her past at first, she slowly begins to realise how important it is and that she’s the only person that has any shot at stopping the King and winning back what is rightfully hers. Her development was amazing to see and you can’t help but cheer as she fights the demons of her past and accept what she knew deep in her heart all along:

“She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.”

While I assumed that there was going to be a love triangle between her, Dorian and Chaol, that is all changed now. I’m not sure, romantically, what is going to happen. Honestly though, I don’t mind. Romance is so unimportant in the grand scheme of things in this series. So much happened in this book, and any romance between characters, while is always lovely to read, is irrelevant to the focus of this plot. Between Celaena’s development, magic, violence and bloodshed, romance is the last on anyone’s mind. While she did develop a great friendship with Rowan, a Fae who helped Celaena discover her true powers, there is nothing romantic about it at all.

Speaking of Rowan, he was great. He starts out as this douche-bag who only cared about serving his Queen, but as he and Celaena spend more time together, they begin to realise they have more in common than they ever realised. When you have a boy and girl thrown together, you immediately assume it’s going to develop into something, but these two only form an incredibly strong friendship bond which I think is so absolutely great. They’re my OTP with no romance whatsoever.

We also get other points of view from Chaol, Dorian and a witch called Manon, who all have different obstacles to face but all tie together in the same battle.  While all the different POV’s was a little disconcerting at first, Maas was able to make it work. We see Chaol attempt to handle everything that’s thrown at him since Celaena’s absence, and he handled everything so well. I honestly don’t know what he and Celaena’s relationship is going to be like in the next book, but I think Chaol has grown loads in this book and I can’t wait to see how he grows in the next book. Dorian is finally moving on from Celaena by finding love in an unlikely place, and watching it blossom was one of my favourite things in this book. I don’t think he and Celaena will ever be anything more than friends, but that’s okay. Dorian is also becoming quite regal and acting like the true King he was born to be. He is getting more control of his powers and I know he’s only going to get stronger from here on out.

The ending was an explosion of devastation, betrayals and twists. You’ll want to throw your book away so you won’t have to read what’s coming, but then crawl over and get it because you need to find out how it ends. Each POV has a different ending, all so brutal you know Maas is only just getting started with torturing us and her characters. It’s obvious she has so much more in store for her characters, and I can’t wait to find out.

This instalment in the Throne of Glass series is absolutely epic, and not to be missed. I would recommend this series to anyone who loves fantasy and kick-ass heroines. It’ll knock your breath away and force you to read until your eyes water.

The Book Fangirling Award

Before I begin, I wish to thank the beautiful Carrie, one of my many blogger friends, for nominating me! It always makes me feel loved that I'm a decent enough blogger to actually get noticed when there seems to be so many better blogs out there. Anyone who knows me in real life knows I completely overreact whenever a new book comes out (cough cough Every Last Breath cough cough) or even when the newest episode of my favourite TV show comes out (right now Supernatural is my obession;)) Anyway, I'm rambling, so I'll just say that I know that even when real life people don't understand my fangirling, all my online friends and fellow bloggers just nod their heads solemnly in complete and utter understanding. And I love you all so much for that! So let's go!

1. Why did you start blogging?

I'd been writing reviews of all my favourite books for a while and posting them on Goodreads, but it didn't have the same impact as posting as something that belonged to solely me and no one else. Once I finished college for the summer I knew this was the time for the blog that was circulating in my head to come to life! And I love it more than ever, as well as all the amazing people I've met through this blog, even though I only started in May. You guys make it all worth it.

2. What is your favourite book of 2015 and why?

Ooh, this is a hard one. Can I pick more than one? I've actually had an amazing book year so far, (fingers crossed) and have loved so many books this year. There was The Ruby Circle, the finale in the Bloodlines series (one of my all time favourite series) and Red Queen, which I wasn't expecting to love so much. Also: Infernal Devices, Throne of Glass, Blood of Eden series... Seriously, I could list so many books here that I loved but that would make this tag REALLY long, lol! 

3. Have you ever done anything embarrassing while fangirling?

Luckily I've never done anything publicly humiliating while fangirling.The worst really is start squealing super high-pitched in a book store when I see my favourite book is released (The Ruby Circle for instance) and have a bunch of people stare at me. I can get over that though, as they'll never know the joy of having that agonising wait be over!

4. What was the book that got you into reading?

Like many before me, I fell into the Twi-hard fan base and really went all out for the books, the teams, the movies, everything. I re-read those books a million times, bought all the Team Edward t-shirts/jewellery, and was the first in line at the cinema proudly wearing all that Team Edward stuff. From then on, whether it was The Host by Stephenie Meyer or the Lux series by JLA, no book series was safe from me.

5. Who is your book boyfriend(s)?

Really? I don't know a single blogger who can answer just one boyfriend for this question. How can we when there are so many amazing potential book boyfriends to choose from? While in real life I am wholly single, in bookland, I'm a total cheater. Don't blame me; blame the authors for making such amazing boys!
The boys I will choose are:

1. Daemon (Lux series)
2. Roth (Dark Elements series)
3. Adrian (VA/Bloodlines series)
4. Kaidan (Sweet Trilogy)
5. Jackal (Blood of Eden series)
6. Chaol (Throne of Glass series)

Believe me, I could choose waaay more, but again, this would be a dangerously long tag! 

Questions:

What's your favourite thing about blogging?

Which book series do you fangirl over the most?

Who's your favourite person to fangirl with?

What series got you into reading?

Which book character do you love to hate?

Nominees:

Kristelle @ amiabooklover

I Am Shelfless

Nicola @ Nicola Reads YA

Booknut @ 21st Century Once Upon A Time

Bookkitty

Rules:

Create a post to accept your award.

Add the blog award button to your post and attach to your blog.

Answer the questions above.

Nominate 5-10 bloggers for this award.

Create 5 questions for the nominees.

Link me to your post so I can see the answers.

Most important: HAVE FUN!

Book: Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Mass

Series: Throne of Glass #2

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Release Date: August 27^th, 2013

Rating: 5 stars

Oh, my poor heart. Sarah really gave it her all during this book and didn’t once slow down the punches when it came to the feels. It was everything you want in a sequel and then some.

All the reviews of this book seem to say that this book was better than Throne of Glass, and I agree. I think since all the introductions are out of the way – both in characters and in the world building – Sarah just jumps right into the story of our favourite assassin.

Our heroine, Celaena, has won the competition and become the king’s champion. Now all she has to do is serve out her sentence and freedom is hers. Easy, right?  *enter Mrs Krabappel’s condescending laugh here*

After facing so much crap in the first book, Celaena is dealt an even worse hand of cards in Crown of Midnight, as well as utter heartbreak and disaster. While in the first book, Celaena seemed to be really cocky and arrogant, she seems to have lowered her expectations of herself in this book. She’s realising that, while she is still a fierce warrior, she’s not perfect and does have faults. She’s opening up her vulnerable side and letting herself get closer to the two boys in her life, a first since the first boy she ever loved, Sam, passed away. And it was lovely to read this side of Celaena! She’s hell on earth to anyone who stands in her way, but to those she cares about, she gives her all to.

Let’s take her and Chaol for starters. They had a very tentative relationship in Throne of Glass – just barely straddling the line between captain and a soldier. But in this book, that line is crossed and thrown far, far away. Their friendship is explored immensely, and the feelings they have for each other is left wide open. But oh my God, I couldn’t get enough! These two actually made me cry. Chaol officially added me to his team after this book.  Even though a lot of obstacles and tests were thrown their way, I still adored their relationship and bond that’s been forged and I can’t wait to see that explored even more in the coming books.

And on the other side of the triangle, we have Dorian. He let his feelings for Celaena be known at the end of Throne of Glass but was rejected because realistically? It wasn’t realistic. However, that means their friendship has suffered quite a bit in this book. Their encounters are awkward and I miss the easy banter the two had in Throne of Glass. However, Dorian is learning more about himself and new skills he possesses; skills that would get him killed if they were to be revealed to the wrong person. He has a lot to learn about himself and I can’t wait to see how it makes him grow in the coming books.

Many new secrets are revealed: we learn more about the control the King has over the continent and even more about Celaena’s past. I totally knew there was more to Celaena than she was letting on, but I was still blown away when it’s finally revealed. The world itself is as magnificent as ever, and the fight scenes just blew me away. I was on the edge of my seat for much of the book and itching to read all the time.

With four more books left in the series, I honestly cannot wait to find out where Sarah takes us in this wonderful world full of even more amazing characters.

I would totally recommend picking up this series. Who knows? It may become your next favourite, like it has for me!

Book: The Assassin’s Blade, Sarah J. Mass

Series: Throne of Glass #0.1 - 0.5

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Release Date: March 4^th, 2014

Rating: 5 stars

These five novellas give a great insight to what Celaena’s life was like before we meet her in Throne of Glass. We know from Throne of Glass that she was joined to an Assassin’s Guild under a man called Arobynn and that she was close to a boy called Sam who sadly passed away. However, in these five stories we get to see her life before the palace, and we see her relationship with Sam blossom and grow. I didn’t care that much about him in the first book as we’d never met him, but now, after seeing him and Celaena together, my heart is crying.

Celaena grows so much in these stories, and it was wonderful to read. She starts off quite arrogant as she’s Arobynn’s protégée and no one is better than she. However, through different adventures and meeting new and interesting people, Celaena grows as a person and I really begin to relate to her more. Sam brought out the best in her, made her see that she’s not the centre of the universe and that there was more to life than having fabulous clothes if she wasn’t really her own person.

I felt her relationship with Arobynn was quite complex, and I don’t believe we’ve seen the last of him. I also liked seeing exactly what happened to get Celaena sent to Endovier. 

Each novel is quite short but important in their own ways as each of them shape Celaena into the person we meet in Throne of Glass. However, it’s a must-read for any fan of the series, but its personal taste whether or not you want to read them before Throne of Glass.

The TayTay Tag

I was tagged by Tina over at Tina, the Bookworm to do this tag (in the comments, actually, lol!) as I love Taylor Swift and can't resist the idea of this tag. It's sort of like the Disney book tag I've seen over on Youtube! Anyway, thanks again Tina!

We Are Never Ever, Getting Back Together.
Pick a book or series you were pretty sure you were in love with, but then wanted to break up with.

Abandon by Meg Cabot

I really liked Meg's Princess Diaries series, and I enjoyed Abandon, I did. But somewhere along the line, I started to get really irritated with this series, its plot and especially it's characters. 

Red
Pick a book with a red cover.

This Shattered World

Enough said.

The Best Day 
Pick a book that makes you feel nostalgic.

Anything by Jacqueline Wilson makes me nostalgic for my childhood. She was the first author that made me fall in love with reading, and I always wanted to live in the worlds she created, and be best friends with her characters.

I Knew You Were Trouble 
Pick a bad character you couldn't help but love 

City of Lost Souls

Sebastian Morgenstern was a complete ass who didn't understand the meaning of love. But damn it if I didn't love reading about him and wishing he'd get his happy ending!

Innocent 
Pick a book someone ruined the ending for.

Allegiant

Maybe not being spoilt would've made this book more enjoyable? I didn't like this series all that much anyway, and knowing what the ending was didn't help my love for it.

Everything Has Changed 
Pick a character from a book who goes through extensive character development. 

Bloodlines

Sydney went through so much development in this series! I loved her more and more with each book, and really have to applaud Richelle Mead for how much she made her grow. 

You Belong With Me 
Pick your most anticipated book release. 

I'm literally counting down the days (only 20 more!) before the finale in this epic trilogy is released. I was the exact same with Stone Cold Touch.

Forever And Always 
Pick your favorite book couple. 

When "favourite book couple" comes to mind, I can't pick between Daemon and Katy and Adrian and Sydney. They're both so strong in their own ways and their love for each other is what saves them in the end. Sydney and Katy both go through some horrific trials, and it's the boys they adore that keep them sane. 

Shake It Off 
Pick a book that you love so much, you just shake off the haters. 

The Selection

I feel many people don't like this book as it's quite flimsy and the main character isn't always likable. However, I love this book despite that and will continue to convince anyone who believes otherwise. #Hatersgonnahate

Blank Space
Pick the most over-hyped book or series that didn't work for you at all.

Legend

Even though I did finish this series, I didn't enjoy despite the rave reviews it got. 

Invisible 
Pick the most under-hyped book or series that you think deserves the spotlight. 

a kiss in the dark

Cat Clarke isn't receiving the love she deserves. Her stand-alone books are able to cripple you emotionally and leave you wanting more, yet no one ever really talks about her books the way JLA's books are talked about. I really hope her books become more popular in the future.

The Story Of Us 
Pick a couple you think should end up together. 

In this love triangle, my team didn't win. While I won't spoil it for any readers that haven't picked up this series yet, let's just say the ending left me feeling pretty... unsatisfied.

Love Story 
Pick a forbidden love in a book or series. 

Vampire Academy

Nothing more forbidden than a student and a teacher falling in love!

Now I shall tag these beautiful people in response:

Erika @ Books, Stars, Writing & Everything In Between
Cody @ Lliterally-ly Obsessed
Carrie @ The Book Goddess

Extraordinary Means Book Tag

I was tagged by this by an extraordinary (see what I did there?!) book blogger Carrie over at The Book Goddess. Thanks for the love, babe!

You ready?

1) I would give up the internet for a mouth for a signed, first-edition copy of...

Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. First YA book series I ever fell in love with. Ahh, nostalgia.

 2) I would give up pizza for a year to sit next to this author on a long plane ride...

Jennifer L Armentrout, who else? I could sit next to my favourite author for hours just so I could pick her brain on where she gets such great ideas for books, as well as try and sneak a free book haha!

3) I would sit through 1000 hours of commercials if this book was made into a movie...

With so many YA books being made into movies, this is hard! I'm gonna say Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass. The world building in that was amazing and I think it would great on the big screen.

  4) I would never read a new book again if I could live inside this book...

Since everyone is going to say Harry Potter for this answer, I'm going to say Neverland! Imagine never having to worry about growing up with responsibilities and getting a job - you could read all day every day! Bliss.

5) I would make my Google search history public if I could be best friends with this author...

This one's hard, I want to be friends with all my favourite authors! Jennifer L Armentrout, J.K Rowling, Richelle Mead, Wendy Higgins! I want us all to be BFFs.

6) I would donate everything I own to Goodwill if I could date this book character...

Daemon Black from the Lux series and Adrian Ivashkov from the Vampire Academy series. One is a hot, douchebag alien with a super sweet sensitive side, and the other is a vampire who gives up his man-whore-ing ways to be with the love of his life. How can a girl choose??

I am choosing two bloggers whose blogs I adore:

1) Nicola @ Nicola Reads YA

2) Cassie @ Novels and Necklaces

COVER REVEAL: The Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

We fell in love with Red Queen. While we sit around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the sequel, the good people over at the book-publishing business have provided us with the cover! Are you ready? 3...2....1....

Ooh! Isn't that simply amazing? I'm sitting here right now staring at all the possibilities this cover is giving in terms of plot. The red and silver blood on the crown suggests that the two will have to work side by side in order to defeat the common enemy. I wonder is that to do with Cal, who has silver blood, working with Mare, who has red blood? Who knows! 

Here's the synopsis to help us contain our fangirling:

If there's one thing Mare Barrow knows, it's that she's different.

Mare Barrow's blood is red—the colour of common folk—but her Silver ability, the power to control lightning, has turned her into a weapon that the royal court tries to control.

The crown calls her an impossibility, a fake, but as she makes her escape from Maven, the prince—the friend—who betrayed her, Mare uncovers something startling: She is not the only one of her kind.

Pursued by Maven, now a vindictive king, Mare sets out to find and recruit other Red-and-Silver fighters to join in the struggle against her oppressors.

But Mare finds herself on a deadly path, at risk of becoming exactly the kind of monster she is trying to defeat.

Will she shatter under the weight of the lives that are the cost of rebellion? Or have treachery and betrayal hardened her forever?

This book will be released February 9th, 2016. Add it to your Goodreads shelf by clicking here and check out my review of Red Queen, the first in the series, by clicking here!