Book: Throne of Glass, Sarah J. Mass

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Release Date: August 7^th, 2012

Rating: 5 stars

Celaena Sardothien is the kingdom's most feared assassin - renowned for her cunning, stealth and (of course) her ruthless killing of her enemies, she seems more myth than person. Little did they know she was just an 18-year-old girl.

After spending a year imprisoned in the salt mines in Endovier, Celaena is given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – stay imprisoned in the mines where she knows she’ll eventually die from exhaustion, or compete in a competition to be the King’s Champion, where, after four years of service, she will finally have her freedom.

Wow. That’s all I have to say about this book. Wow. I knew going into this book that it was going to be spectacular. There’s been so many discussions and fangirl-squeals related to this book and I’m so glad I can finally join in on that squealing!

There wasn’t anything in this book I didn’t enjoy. I loved the characters, I loved the storyline, I loved the world-building, everything!

When your main character is an assassin, you’d expect her to be this cold-hearted brute that killed simply for the pleasure of it and nothing else. Celaena is not this character. Killing is not something she does for the pleasure of it; it’s a job. She makes sure to pick people who deserve to be punished, not innocent civilians. And despite her profession, she’s still your typical atypical 18-year-old. She’s funny, sarcastic, and loves reading and music. And she loves puppies. She knows she’s the best assassin in the competition, but as she spends more time in the castle, surrounded by her mentor and Captain of the Guard, Chaol, as well as the Crown Prince, Dorian, Celaena soon discovers she could be fighting for more than just her freedom.

I loved the relationships she formed with Chaol and Dorian. Unfortunately, it is a love triangle (sigh) but I still enjoyed how she forms bonds with both boys. They’re like chalk and cheese. Dorian is the Prince, and is used to getting what he wants. In this way, he’s a little naïve when it comes to Celaena. He knows she’s an assassin and a relationship between is beyond impossible, yet he can’t stop his feelings for her and calling to her room even if it’s inappropriate.

Chaol, on the other hand, is a lot more responsible and realistic in his feelings for Celaena. He’s very distant with his feelings and wouldn’t risk voicing his feelings, even to himself, as he knows what life is like and you can’t always get what you want.

Celaena forms two completely different relationships with the boys as they’re both so different, but I loved how tentative it was and how they slowly realised that your profession doesn’t define who you are as a person; whether you’re an assassin, soldier or Crown Prince.

This book had me itching to read all the time, even walking up earlier in the morning so I could have extra time to get in a chapter or two! This spell-binding novel had romance, adventure, fantasy and kickass-ery. I can’t wait to read more about fallen kingdoms and magic.

*I have also been nominated by Fiona over at A Girl Between the Pages! Thank you so much for the nomination! I really appreciate it :)*

Thank you so much to Erika over at Books, Stars, Writing and Everything In Between, for tagging me! Thanks for the love, pet! xx

I'd like to tag these lovely people in return:
1. Jazmin at This Girl Reads A Lot
2. Sandra at Cross My Heart
3. Mandy at The Reading Diaries
4. Kaitlyn at Reading Is My Treasure
5. Alexandria at The Book's Buzz


1. Best Actor:
(Best Male Protagonist)

Adrian Ivashkov from Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series! He was the first male protagonist I truly fell in love with ;) 

2. Best Actress
(Best Female Protagonist)
Again from Richelle Mead's Bloodlines series: Sydney Sage. I could make a list of all my favourite female protagonists, but she's my top pick if I had to choose. Her growth from book #1 to book #6 was incredible and I've yet to read a character who developed as much as Sydney did during our journey with her.

3. Best Cinematography 
(Best Plot Twist)

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. Because... yeah.

4. Best Costume Design
(Best Book Cover)

Awaken by Meg Cabot. I didn't like the book but I just adored that cover!

5. Best Supporting Actor and Actress
(Best Male and Female Sidekick)

I gotta go with Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter series. You have to admit, they set the bar pretty high!

6. Best Original Screenplay
(Most unique plot/world)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Mass. In fairness, I've only just started this series but I'm already in love with the world development.

7. Best Adapted Screenplay
(Best Book-to-Movie Adaptation)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Not many YA books are so successfully adapted into such kickass films. Plus I'm a sucker for Jennifer Lawrence, she's my girl crush :P

8. Best Animated Feature
(A book that would work well animated)

Um... Maybe The Diamond Girls by Jacqueline Wilson? I feel that many of her books would be great animated.

9. Best Director
(A writer you discovered for the first time)

I discovered Jennifer L Armentrout by accident when I picked up Obsidian for the hell of it (not thinking aliens would be very good) and fell head over heels in love with her!

10. Best Visual Effects
(Best novella or short book)

The Queen by Kiera Cass. I enjoyed all the novellas in The Selection series but I have a soft spot for the younger versions of Maxon's parents and I enjoyed seeing how their love story differs from Maxon and America's.

11. Best Picture
(Best Standalone)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. I love Cinderella re-tellings and this one had everything I wanted and more. Much better than the film version.

Feel free to do this tag if you haven't been nominated yet! :)

Book: Days of Throbbing Gristle, Kevin Cole

Series: N/A

Publisher: PDF

Rating: 3 stars

I had the opportunity to read this book as requested by the author himself. This book is not your typical tale of teenage angst and growing up in a foreign environment. While some people can easily navigate the world around them with ease and get through life without suffering, others find it more difficult. It brings to mind this quote:

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid on the broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming: ‘Wow, what a ride!’”

That is exactly what happens throughout this book. I honestly had no idea what I was walking into when I agreed to read this book. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. I can tell you it definitely wasn’t what I read.

It tells the story of Sam, a 17 year old English teenager who manages to find a host family to live with in Texas while he completes his final year of school. He’s got a fairly simple plan: graduate school while influencing his host family into paying his college tuition. Sam is sneaky, manipulative and a little cruel, but he knows how to get people to give him what he wants. And he does this well.

However, Sam’s English upbringing did not include being influenced by the people and culture of Texas and he soon begins succumbing to every peer-pressure influence around him: i.e. sex, drugs and alcohol. Sam soon has to ask himself if he still wants the same aim he arrived to Texas with, or has this way of life changed him?

If I have to be completely honest, I didn’t enjoy Sam’s character. I felt he could be intentionally cruel to people that didn’t truly deserve it and the fact that he came to America with the sole intention of scamming his host family says quite a bit about his character. I enjoyed the side characters a lot more than I did Sam himself.

Many issues are discussed in this book such as religion, homosexuality, drugs, alcohol, dysfunctional families, the works. The fact that this book is set in the eighties mean that people aren’t as forgiving as they are now about one’s sexuality or religion. There’s no waving of a rainbow flag here, anyway.

I felt this book was good. I didn’t love it, I didn’t hate it. To be honest, it probably had a lot to do with my personal tastes, not the writing or the story. I didn’t really enjoy Marie Lu’s Legend trilogy, but that’s because I'm not a huge dystopian fan, not because Marie Lu is a bad author. I think you’ll enjoy this book is you’re into history and are nostalgic for the eighties. The characters can be quite manipulative but they’re also realistic in their portrayal.

Book: Nowhere But Here, Katie McGarry

Series: Thunder Road Series, #1

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: May 26^th 2015

Rating: 5 stars

Katie McGarry is one of my favourite authors. She enraptured me with her Pushing the Limits series and that love has carried over to her brand new series, starting with Nowhere But Here.

Emily was always happy with her life. She had loving parents and great friends. While she always curious about the biological father who didn’t want to know her, she was content with her life. That is until unexpected circumstances lead her to stay with her biological father and his motorcycle club for the summer. Emily’s entire perspective is turned upside down and backward as she gets to know her family and a way of life she never thought she would be in the middle of.

Oz’s entire life is the motorcycle club he was born into. They’re his family, even if he’s not blood-related to most of them. They protect each other and he knows they will always have his back. He knows that this is what he wants to do with his life. What he doesn’t expect is for the daughter of the most respected member to come for an extended stay and make him question everything he’s ever known.

I adored this book. I loved the story, I loved the characters, I loved the life lessons the characters learned by the book’s end. Just like in her Pushing the Limits series, Katie does dual POV between Oz and Emily, and like in her previous books, it meant the readers were able to get two very different perspectives on what the motorcycle club represents and were able to create our own opinions because of it.

When I was in Emily’s head, I totally understood where she was coming from. She thought that Oz, her father Eli and the rest of her family were crazy and dramatic and overreacted to everything. She felt like a fish out of water as she tried to connect with her grandmother and couldn’t understand why everyone was keeping details of her past secret from her. Why did her father abandon her? Why would her mother be scared of the motorcycle club?

However, once I got in Oz’s head, I couldn’t understand why Emily was so judgmental and hesitant! Oz made the club seem so heartfelt and honest and loyal; like they would do whatever it takes to help you if you were in trouble. It was very interesting to see the different views and see how Emily came to care about her family members and how Oz realised that the club was not the be all and end all – that there was more to life than motorcycles.  

One of the biggest themes addressed in this book is honesty. A lot of lies are told to protect Emily from the demons haunting her past, and Emily is a girl who despises lying and can’t understand why the truth is held from her. We ultimately see that the lies were pushing people apart and that, eventually, “the truth will set you free.”

Emily was a great protagonist. Yes, she was judgmental and made it difficult to build a relationship with her father and grandmother. However, throughout the book Emily realises the fault of judging a book by its cover and falls more and more in love with the family she never got to grow up with.

 Her relationship with Oz was great too. Just like all great love stories, they end up hating each other at first. She hated Oz for being a part of the club, and Oz hated Emily for not believing in the integrity of the club. However, their chemistry was on fire and they were attracted to each other whether they liked it or not. And as they spend more time together they help each other let go of their prejudices and see the world more clearly.

What I liked best about their relationship is the realism in it. It’s not perfect, and there are still a few bumps that need to be fixed, but I believe their love for each other will help them through the bumps in the road, even if they come out a little bruised on the other side.

This is a story about accepting your past. It’s about learning to stop running away when life isn’t perfect, and to start running toward a future you want, regardless of what anyone else thinks. It’s about the importance of love, life, and family. I would definitely recommend picking it up as it’s definitely worth the read!

Book: This Shattered World, Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Series: Starbound #2

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: December 23^rd, 2014

Rating: 5 stars

The beginning of this book reminded me a lot of Scarlet from The Lunar Chronicles series – it was a different story with different protagonists, and I resented that at first. I wanted to read more about Tarver and Lilac, not these two different people, just like I resented Cinder not being the main character in Scarlet. But, just like in Scarlet, I came to really love Flynn and Jubilee’s characters, if not more than Tarver and Lilac.

Just like in These Broken Stars, the book has dual points of view between our two main characters, which I loved as it really added depth and allowed the readers to really get a glimpse of exactly how Flynn and Jubilee felt about each other.

All Flynn and Jubilee have known their entire lives is war.  They come from two different sides of war on their planet Avon – Flynn is a rebel who wants to live in peace with his people, while Jubilee is a soldier who follows orders as she knows it’s what’s best for the civilians on the planet. What neither of them realise is that they’re part of a much bigger war with a different and much more dangerous enemy. They have to learn to work together to defeat this enemy to bring peace to their planet.

Romance wasn’t a huge aspect of this book, however Flynn and Jubilee grow to genuine care for each other and open their hearts to the possibility of love. They know that they’re most likely going to die young, and are realistic about their chances of actually getting together. But that doesn’t stop them from helping each other out while getting in a few make out sessions in their spare time.

Mystery and action was the main aspect of this book, and there was enough in it to keep me invested, while I taught up theories and gasped when the mysteries were solved.

The story developed incredibly nicely, and I loved how it tied up with Tarver and Lilac’s story. Their minor role was simply perfect and I know we’ll see more of them in the final book.

Flynn and Jubilee’s story finished here in a great way, but the overall story isn’t finished yet, and I can’t wait to meet our new protagonists in the final book and see all our characters come together to defeat LaRoux Industries once and for all.

Book: These Broken Stars, Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

Series: Starbound #1

Publisher: Disney Hyperion

Release Date: December 10^th, 2013

Rating: 5 stars

This book reminded me of what might have happened if the Titanic had been set in the future. We have the rich, daddy’s-little-princess known as Lilac, whose only problems stem from finding the perfect husband to match the perfect pair of shoes.

Tarver is a soldier who has experienced way too much death for his age but has inarguably made him tougher in a way a non-soldier could never be.

The story begins when Lilac and Tarver lock eyes from across the room at a crowded party aboard the huge ship Icarus which is floating through space. They’re immediately drawn to each other, despite the fact that Tarver has no idea who Lilac is and Lilac knows that she will never pursue anything with a soldier.

But then disaster strikes when the Titanic Icarus is pulled out of hyperspace. Its chaos aboard the sinking ship and it’s thanks to good luck and quick thinking that Tarver and Lilac manage to escape and land on a seemingly deserted planet. Tarver and Lilac have to work together to survive on a planet that doesn’t seem very people-friendly, without any sign that rescue is going to come.

I’d heard so much about this book and it had been on my TBR shelf for what seems like forever, and when I finally got around to reading it I was afraid that all the hype would make the book appear unenjoyable. But I was wrong, I really enjoyed it!

Tarver and Lilac are both really great characters. While Lilac starts out as this petty, spoilt little girl who only care about her clothes and what her daddy thinks of her, trying to survive on the lone planet makes her realise what’s important in life. She becomes stronger both physically and mentally. She thought she knew how to survive in life thanks to her father, but she soon comes to realise what’s truly important and really grows as a character. This is thanks in part to Tarver.

Tarver had already been on the battlefront as a soldier so while he was out of his element on the Icarus, he knows exactly what to do when stuck on the planet. It’s thanks to him that he and Lilac are able to survive. He teaches Lilac how to be better and never gave up hope that help would come. He took what was an impossible situation with a bratty companion, and somehow turned it all around to make the planet someplace that they could live, which you can’t help but revel at.

I really loved Lilac and Tarver’s relationship, too. They started out hating each other, yet they eventually found a way into each other’s hearts and it was great to read.

I loved how the author corresponded what they thought of each other:

Lilac: “I could slap him. God, I could kiss him.” Then, a few pages later…

Tarver: “I could shake her. I could kiss her.”

I believe it made their relationship all the more plausible and more enjoyable to read.

I would recommend this for lovers of sci-fi, romance and survival stories. While the book got a little slow at times, I still really loved reading this and can’t wait to read the sequel!

Book: The Forever Song, Julie Kagawa

Series: Blood of Eden series #3

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Release Date: May 1^st, 2014

Rating: 5 stars

Anyone who read the first two books of this series should know what Julie Kagawa’s stories are like, and anyone who has never read her books should be warned that you are about to be taken on an uphill rollercoaster of feels with a huge drop down.

When we left Allie, Kanin and Jackal, Allie had just received devastating news about her beloved Zeke. After losing the only human she had ever opened her heart to, Allie takes a 180 turn and decides to close off her heart for good. She begins acting like the monster she always refused to be, and it broke my heart. All she can think about is making Sarren suffer for his evilness and inhumanity and cruelty and she will go to any lengths to end him. Even Kanin and Jackal are getting worried about her behaviour, and as Jackal always puts himself first, that’s really saying something. But it made for some great reading and I really couldn’t get enough!

Allie continues to be an amazing protagonist, always trying to do what’s best and tame the monster within her who always tries to escape, and you can’t help but cheer when she beats the beast. She often refers to what she would’ve done as a human, but to be quite honest I can barely remember her as a human; her vampire status completely overshadows her humanity, and in the best way. While the characters always seem to talk about vampirism as a curse, sometimes it can lead to some people finding their purpose in life as they discover what it is they’re supposed to do.

She and Zeke continue to make each other stronger and always pulled each other up when they were close to falling into a dark, bottomless pit of despair. While not my absolutely most favourite couple ever, I still really enjoyed them and will miss them. Hell, I’ll miss all the characters in this series!

I think my favourite character definitely has to be Jackal. He completely surprised me by having me love him so much and I really couldn’t get enough. He always put on this impenetrable shield so that it appeared that he only cared about himself, but I think everyone could see right through it. You could see he cared a great deal about Allie and Kanin, as he stuck by them despite his whingeing and even asked Allie to go with him once everything was over a few times. I would love to see a spin-off series with Jackal as the protagonist as I'm not ready to say goodbye to him just yet!

Kanin continues to shine as a wise and powerful sire and teacher, and everyone looked to him for advice and help. I loved his and Allie’s relationship; she saw him as a father figure and looked up to him for help whenever she was unsure, and he saw her through a proud father’s eyes whose daughter exceeded all his expectations.

It’s really hard to review this book because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. There are some major shocks that I was not expecting and at first I didn’t think would work, but Julie totally surprised me by making the book even more spectacular and awesome. There’s some great character development, brilliant fight scenes and some parts where you’re just crying your eyes out and will cause you to ask random strangers on the street for hugs.

Definitely give this series a read if you’re into badass vampire warriors and funny, well-developed characters. You won’t regret it!