One of My Reading Buddies

My 50+ year old turtle, Bastet, reads with me in bed.

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas is a high fantasy novel that follows the adult life of Celeana, a famous assassin of the kingdom who was sold into slavery for her crimes. Prince Dorian and his Captain of the Guard, Chaol, take her from her imprisonment and deliver her to the king, as the Prince's champion for the king. In order to gain her freedom she must win a series of challenges undertaken by the rest of the contestants, all of whom are men and criminals.

I kept wanting to yell to the men, "Show some flippin' respect. She can kill your ass in a second!" whenever the men wronged her, which was often. She used her stature and her gender to fly past the men on the challenges and come flying out of nowhere at the end. But, alas, Prince Dorian decided that they weren't going to reveal her true self to anyone, including Princess Nehemia, who Celaena befriends (and later finds out that she knew all along).

I loved this book, I was especially thrilled that although there was a love triangle, the focus of the story was not on the romance elements. This is no spoiler (because it says it on the back) when I said between Dorian and Chaol, I was on Team Chaol. Will that change later on? Quite possible, especially considering that there will be a total of 5 or 6 books. I'm sure I'll flip-flop around. But, for now, I want her to be with Chaol. The positive aspects of the two men are displayed through Celaena in who she becomes when she is with them. Dorian is the joker and the bookaholic (I know the feeling, bro) who feeds her need for knowledge while Chaol pushes her physically, something her life depends on.

Sarah J. Maas has me really, really excited for the fourth book to come out! I the three books in a week because I couldn't put them down. Hell, I even went out to a physical bookstore and bought each book as I finished it instead of ordering it online. It was that good.

In hindsight the foreshadowing through book one is very obvious, so obvious that I'm surprised I missed a few facts of the book that stare you down in the second and third.

Be Ye Warned: Spoiler Ahead

I had a major de ja vu when contestants kept showing up around the castle mauled to death. Remind you of something? Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets perhaps? (The answer is, yes, it does.)

Even though magic was outlawed in Adarlan by the king it's suggested that he may be using the magic that he outlawed to control people, magical creatures, and his ever-growing kingdom.  As we find out later in the book, one of the contestants was releasing the monster, presumably with the king's blessing, and meets a short, sweet death. Much sweeter than he deserves.

There are a million things I could spoil about this book. After having read them in a week, they all tended to mesh together so I'm hesitant to give away another spoiler that may not even be from this book. You have no idea how much self control I'm using right now.

What I can tell you, though, is that this book is full of action (not so much adventure, it all takes place around the castle), subdued magic and plenty of creepiness (what with the exploring the hidden tombs all by herself).

Birthday Unboxing/Book Haul

In celebration of my birthday I bought myself 15 books and then got 25 more later this month from a friend (via Book Outlet). I'm going to give you a quickie list in case you don't want to watch all 15 minutes of my unboxing. NOTE: I also got the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas although I didn't mention it in my video.

In no particular order:

Taken by Erin Bowman
Wasteland by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan
Starters by Lissa Price
Star Trek: Into Darkness (based on the newest movie) by Alan Dean Foster
Lockdown: Escape from Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
Wanderers by Susan Kim and Laurence Klavan
Divergent by Veronica Roth
Mila 2.0 by Deborah Driza
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo
Lirael by Garth Nix
Abhorsen by Garth Nix
Partials by Dan Wells
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Gier
Emerald Green by Kerstin Gier
Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff
Kinslayer by Jay Kristoff
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson
The Power of Six by Pittacus Lore
Article 5 by Kristen Simmons
Breaking Point by Kristen Simmons
Reboot by Amy Tintera
Pulse by Patrick Carman
Breathe by Sarah Crossan
Rise Again by Ben Tripp
Day One by Nate Kenyon
The Shadow Society by Marie Rutkoski
Fragments by Dan Wells
The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
Dualed by Elsie Chapman
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Wednesday Memes: Giveaway, What I'm Reading, What's Coming Out

It's that time again where I give you the three Ws of Wednesday

What I'm reading: Redshirts by John Scalzi. It's hilarious, a satire on Star Trek the original series (with Shatner and Leondard Nimoy. Unfortunately, as funny as it is, it's not keeping my interest. I am determined to finish it, though! Let's see if I follow through...


What I just finished reading: Taken by Erin Bowman. It was pretty darn good. An action-packed story that started out strong and stayed strong (unlike Matched, a book I also just recently read).


What I think I'll read next: This one is hard. I have so many books that I want to read right now. But, alas, I cannot read more than two or three books at a time (and they have to be alternating fiction and non-fiction) so it's going to be hard to choose. But, I'm going to sort of make up my mind. I'll try to be reading Scintillate because I was sent the second book, Deviate, to review. I didn't realize it was the second book in the series when I accepted the offer. Fortunately, Book Outlet had the first in the series so I pounced on that and included it in my birthday gift.


“Waiting On” Wednesday
Yesterday the book The Sin Eater's Daughter was released. As soon as I saw the cover in Barnes and Noble I raced around petting it and wishing that I'd be able to read it very soon. Because my birthday was yesterday I have a little extra cash for books--though I'm buying a bow so I can keep up archery so le birthday money probs won't go far. This book, however, is one I must read so I will make sure I do that.

Winning Wednesday
This is super cool. It's a meme where we highlight book giveaways that we're doing. Even though it has its own post I want to make sure that you have every opportunity you can to win these three books:

 

Teaser Tuesday Memes

Teaser Tuesday

Ensign Davis thought, Screw this, I want to live, and swerved to avoid the land worms. But then he tripped and one of the land worms ate his face and he died anyway.

This book is hilarious. I grew up watching Star Trek TOS so as soon as I saw this book I knew that it was something I had to read. A friend bought me this book for my birthday and I'm very happy to finally read it!



We all know what happens here...
 

 

Friday Memes (On a Saturday)

Friday Finds




Friday Favorites
I'm currently reading Heir of Fire, the third book in The Throne of Glass series. I absolutely love the covers! I think they're beautiful and def fit the fantasy genre. It's a bit of foreshadowing, too, I think, after having read the first two books.




Book Beginnings on Fridays

Hail and welcome to all whose paths have led to the pages of this book! If you're here, you're probably a magickal practitioner of some sort. You might be eclectic or you might follow an established tradition; you might honor four elements, seven, or none; you might worship the sun or the moon; you might be seer, lorekeeper, or spellcaster; you might be solitary or a member of a robust and thriving circle. Regardless of tradition, what connects all magickal practitioners is the practice of magick itself.

(See below.)

 For Falling behind on Friday
Oh lord, there are so many that I have to read. I'm going to pick with my eyes closed and say that I want to explore Crafting Magick with Pen and Ink. As an aspiring author myself and someone who is looking into witchcraft this book fits perfectly with all my likes. The idea that your words have power is very cool, and I'm excited to explore that part of me.

With the help of this book, your writing and magickal skills will expand and grow...You will be a true magickal writer."--Richard Webster, award-winning author of Write Your Own Magic Would you like to craft your own Book of Shadows? Write a story? Create Pagan rituals or Wiccan spells for special occasions? And ultimately infuse your writing with added beauty, style, and power? Get your creativity flowing as you step into a boundless world where magick comes alive through the written word. Clear, step-by-step instructions will guide you through each phase of creating beautiful and powerful magickal works. - Drumming up ideas - Keeping a magickal journal - Freewriting - Choosing a composition form - Revising drafts to a refined polish This book on magickal writing offers an array of exercises, tips and terms, and writing samples to help you craft stories, devotional poems, spells, chants, prayers, blessings, meditations, and rituals. By mastering the techniques in this book, your every word will crackle with energy, vibrancy, and true power.

GIVEAWAY Revised: Resurrectionist, Horrorstor and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Hey guys,

I realized that giving away just one book is not going to appeal to everyone so I asked Quirk to help me branch out a bit. I kept with the horror/fantasy theme. So, now I'm giving away three different books, all that I've reviewed and recommend. What I need you to do is tell me what book you'd like to enter to win:

The Resurrectionist

This is a dark fantasy book that is perfect for the lover of mythical creatures.

From the publisher Quirk:

Philadelphia. The late 1870s. A city of cobblestone sidewalks and horse-drawn carriages. Home to the famous anatomist and surgeon Dr. Spencer Black. The son of a “resurrectionist” (aka grave robber), Dr. Black studied at Philadelphia’s esteemed Academy of Medicine, where he develops an unconventional hypothesis: What if the world’s most celebrated mythological beasts—mermaids, minotaurs, and satyrs— were in fact the evolutionary ancestors of humankind?
The Resurrectionist offers two extraordinary books in one. The first is a fictional biography of Dr. Spencer Black, from his humble beginnings to the mysterious disappearance at the end of his life. The second book is Black’s magnum opus: The Codex Extinct Animalia, a Gray’s Anatomy for mythological beasts—dragons, centaurs, Pegasus, Cerberus—all rendered in meticulously detailed black-and-white anatomical illustrations. You need only look at these images to realize they are the work of a madman. The Resurrectionist tells his story.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children 


From the publisher, Quirk:

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs.
It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.
As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here—one of whom was his own grandfather— were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow—impossible though it seems—they may still be alive.

Horrorstor


From the publisher, Quirk:

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Columbus, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Brooka glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofa beds—clearly, someone or something is up to no good. To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-till-dawn shift—and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the nature of work in the new twenty-firstcentury economy.
A traditional haunted house story in a contemporary setting (and full of current fears), Horrorstörcomes conveniently packaged in the form of a retail catalog, complete with illustrations of ready-to-assemble furniture and other, more sinister accessories. We promise you’ve never seen anything quite like it!

GIVEAWAY: The Resurrectionist, Horrorstor, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Thursday Bookish Memes, or, What I Like in a Book, Harry Potter quote, and 3rd Sentence from "Crown of Midnight"

Booking Through Thursday
 

What is it about stories that you love? Is it the stories themselves? The people? The plot twists?
 

 

What do I love about stories? Uh, everything. You can't have a story without plot and characters and people driven toward some outcome. If I don't like a character, I probably wouldn't put down the book just for that, though if the plot isn't interesting, that's where I draw the line. I can deal with an asshole/weak character if there's a strong plot like a dystopia world, that's usually interesting enough that I can survive the book while hating the character.

 

Ah, the plot twists. I don't continue to read a book unless it surprises me or, in the case of Suffer the Children, where nothing was surprising, I plow through it as quickly as I can for the sake of moving it from my TBR shelf to my "Read" shelf at Goodreads.

 

(I'm picturing Fifty Shades of Grey and Twilight as the exceptions to my I-can-deal-with-weak-characters, though I made it through those too, even though the characters were insufferable.)

 



Harry Potter Moment of the Week

 

I'm picking my all-time favorite quote for this one:

Light can be found in the darkest of times if one only remembers to turn on the light. --Albus Dumbledore



Third Sentence Thursday (pick random page)

 

From second book in the Throne of Glass series, Crown of Midnight:

Dorian stared at the odd spiral staircase. Celaena had found the legendary catacombs beneath the library. Of course she had.

As if I wasn't already excited to read this book, I now absolutely cannot wait until chapter 44.

 

 

 

Review: Suffer the Children

I posted my video review of Suffer the Children last week and I haven't gotten around to writing it up. Whelp, now I'm doing it for those of you who don't have the time or patience or just don't like to watch BookTube reviews.

I'm going to keep it short and simple because I didn't love this book and I didn't hate it. It was, meh. That's all. It follows the story several adults, most of them parents, two of them not, who face the death of the worlds children. Seriously. They all die, every last one of them. That's not what drew me to the book, though, it's the fact that they didn't stay dead. That's my kind of story right there. In my first video (INSERT LINK) I introduced this book as a zombie novel. Well, it's not. But it does feature the undead: the vampire children.

I read this book quickly, not because it was good, but because I wanted to get it over with fast. There was nothing unique about this book. The writing was choppy. Like this. The author split sentences into two or three where a sentence would have sufficed. It created a reading that made me think of motion sickness. If words could make you sick, you'd get motion sickness from this one.

I've read unique vampire stories, it's possible, and this author didn't seem to get that. Take I Am Legend for example. That's some unique shit, vampires that evolve. Also, that's scary. Children who sleep all day is not scary. This one is particularly morbid because all of the afflicted are children. (Children who beg for their parents blood but don't take it by force are not scary.)

I do not recommend this book. I'll give you my affiliate link anyway, just in case you want to pursue it and support this blog. However, remember that nothing is shocking, nothing makes it unique but maybe you're just looking for a plain ol' vampire book, this one will do it for you.  It ends how you'd expect it to end (message me and I'll tell you if you're right).