Review: House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas | An epic and emotional conclusion

Bryce Quinlan never expected to see a world other than Midgard, but now that she has, all she wants is to get back. Everything she loves is in Midgard: her family, her friends, her mate. Stranded in a strange new world, she's going to need all her wits about her to get home again. And that's no easy feat when she has no idea who to trust.

Hunt Athalar has found himself in some deep holes in his life, but this one might be the deepest of all. After a few brief months with everything he ever wanted, he's in the Asteri's dungeons again, stripped of his freedom and without a clue as to Bryce's fate. He's desperate to help her, but until he can escape the Asteri's leash, his hands are quite literally tied.

In this sexy, breathtaking sequel to the #1 bestsellers House of Earth and Blood and House of Sky and Breath, Sarah J. Maas's Crescent City series reaches new heights as Bryce and Hunt's world is brought to the brink of collapse-with its future resting on their shoulders.

Spoilers ahead!

Rating: 4.5/5

Can't wait wednesday #10 | House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J Maas

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings, click on the link to access their blog! Check out House of Flame and Shadow on Goodreads!

Review: Caraval by Stephanie Garber is so much fun

 A legendary competition.
A mesmerizing romance.
An unbreakable bond
between two sisters.

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Scarlett has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an elaborate performance. Nevertheless she becomes enmeshed in a game of love, heartbreak, and magic. And whether Caraval is real or not, Scarlett must find Tella before the five nights of the game are over or a dangerous domino effect of consequences will be set off, and her beloved sister will disappear forever.

Welcome, welcome to Caraval . . . beware of getting swept too far away.

Spoiler free!

Rating: 5/5

Shadow and Bone Season 2 Review | Surprising in both good and bad ways

Overall season rating: 7/10

This review contains SPOILERS!

Top Ten Tuesday #4 | Favorite Books of 2022

    Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl and the idea is to share our love for books through lists based on various topics that are assigned every week. Check out the link for more information! 

Top 10 Tuesday # 3 | Books on My Winter 2022-2023 To-Read List

    Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl and the idea is to share our love for books through lists based on various topics that are assigned every week. Check out the link for more information! 

Top Ten Tuesday #2 | Books on my Fall 2022 To-read List

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl and the idea is to share our love for books through lists based on various topics that are assigned every week. Check out the link for more information!

Review: Twin Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber | Two Princesses Fight Tyranny

Wren Greenrock has always known that one day she would steal her sister's place in the palace. Trained from birth to return to the place of her parents' murder and usurp the only survivor, she will do anything to rise to power and protect the community of witches she loves. Or she would, if only a certain palace guard wasn't quite so distractingly attractive, and if her reckless magic didn't have a habit of causing trouble...

Princess Rose Valhart knows that with power comes responsibility. Marriage into a brutal kingdom awaits, and she will not let a small matter like waking up in the middle of the desert in the company of an extremely impertinent (and handsome) kidnapper get in the way of her royal duty. But life outside the palace walls is wilder and more beautiful than she ever imagined, and the witches she has long feared might turn out to be the family she never knew she was missing.

Two sisters separated at birth and raised into entirely different worlds are about to get to know each other's lives a whole lot better. But as coronation day looms closer and they each strive to claim their birthright, the sinister Kingsbreath, Willem Rathborne, becomes increasingly determined that neither will succeed. Who will ultimately rise to power and wear the crown?

This review is spoiler free!

Top Ten Tuesday #1 | Books With (occasionally shirtless) Men on the Cover

Hello everyone!

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl and the idea is to share our love for books through lists based on various topics that are assigned every week. Check out the link for more information!

Review: House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas | A mind-blowing sequel

Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar are trying to get back to normal―they may have saved Crescent City, but with so much upheaval in their lives lately, they mostly want a chance to relax. Slow down. Figure out what the future holds.

The Asteri have kept their word so far, leaving Bryce and Hunt alone. But with the rebels chipping away at the Asteri’s power, the threat the rulers pose is growing. As Bryce, Hunt, and their friends get pulled into the rebels’ plans, the choice becomes clear: stay silent while others are oppressed, or fight for what’s right. And they’ve never been very good at staying silent.

In this sexy, action-packed sequel to the #1 bestseller House of Earth and Blood, Sarah J. Maas weaves a captivating story of a world about to explode―and the people who will do anything to save it.

This review has spoilers! Go check out my review of the first book here if you want a spoiler-free overview of this series.

Rating: 5/5

Can't Wait Wednesday #9 | House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J Maas

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings, click on the link to access their blog! Check out House of Sky and Breath on Goodreads!

Spoiler-free!

Review: A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas | An emotionally impactful journey

 Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.

Rating: 4.5/5

SPOILERS for ACOSF AND AZRIEL BONUS SCENE (marked separately)

Can't Wait Wednesday #7 | A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J Maas

 

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings, click on the link to access their blog! 

Spoilers for ACOTAR series ahead.

Check out A Court of Silver Flames on Goodreads.

Review: A Sky Beyond the Storm | Beautiful but Painful

   Prepare for the jaw-dropping finale of Sabaa Tahir's beloved New York Times bestselling An Ember in the Ashes fantasy series, and discover: Who will survive the storm?

Picking up just a few months after A Reaper at the Gates left off...

The long-imprisoned jinn are on the attack, wreaking bloody havoc in villages and cities alike. But for the Nightbringer, vengeance on his human foes is just the beginning.

At his side, Commandant Keris Veturia declares herself Empress, and calls for the heads of any and all who defy her rule. At the top of the list? The Blood Shrike and her remaining family.

Laia of Serra, now allied with the Blood Shrike, struggles to recover from the loss of the two people most important to her. Determined to stop the approaching apocalypse, she throws herself into the destruction of the Nightbringer. In the process, she awakens an ancient power that could lead her to victory--or to an unimaginable doom.

And deep in the Waiting Place, the Soul Catcher seeks only to forget the life--and love--he left behind. Yet doing so means ignoring the trail of murder left by the Nightbringer and his jinn. To uphold his oath and protect the human world from the supernatural, the Soul Catcher must look beyond the borders of his own land. He must take on a mission that could save--or destroy--all that he knows. 

My rating: 4.5/5

SPOILERS AHEAD

House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City) by Sarah J Maas Review

My rating: 5/5

Has a non-spoiler and spoiler section!

Those last 200 pages....

Review: The Queen of Nothing | A satisfying and enjoyable finale

My rating: 5/5

This is the finale to The Folk of the Air series by Holly Black. It is a YA fantasy series following a character called Jude, a human living in the midst of a fae world and struggling to prove herself. If you're into political intrigue, scheming, a fast-paced plot, and morally-grey characters that win your heart nonetheless, this book is totally for you. I have really enjoyed this series and whole-heartedly recommend it for all fantasy lovers out there. 

Spoilers below!

Can't Wait Wednesday #6 | The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings. You can click on the preceding link or the picture above to access the website.

Can't Wait Wednesday #5 | House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas

Can't Wait Wednesday is hosted by Wishful Endings. You can click on the preceding link or the picture above to access the website.

Review: Heart of Thorns by Bree Barton | An Unexpected Delight

Guys, what a cool tagline: Trust your heart, even if it kills you. 

Just a disclaimer, when I say in the title that this is an "unexpected delight", I don't mean that this is a book that someone would not think is interesting based on the synopsis and cover (which are really good), it's only because there were a few mixed reviews about this book. 

My rating: 4/5

Review: The Wicked King by Holly Black | This series only gets better

My rating: 4.5/5
I'm so glad this book was not overhyped at all; it pretty much met my high expectations!

Check out my review of The Cruel Prince.

Implied spoilers below