The Smell of Other People's Houses - Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

A solid FOUR stars for THE SMELL OF OTHER PEOPLE'S HOUSES.

I don't know what I expected from this book, but it is not at all what I got from it.
This book made me feel so many emotions. Goodness!

Guys, I really, really liked this book. Like, a LOT.
It TOTALLY sneaks up on you.

I didn't love this book in the beginning. I didn't think I was connecting with any of the characters. But when I was about 75% though, I WAS CLOSE TO TEARS. And I was just baffled by that. I NEVER feel feelings. I swear I must be a Vulcan. But this book was an exception! I felt SO much and the ending was SO beautiful and I loved everything about this book once I realized that I was totally invested in it.

The characters are definitely the best part, which is always a good thing. I always want characters to be the driving force in a book because THAT is what will keep me reading, often despite the story itself. I cared about all of the characters - except maybe Dora. Sorry, I AM heartless. But they just felt so incredibly real. This story seems so authentic and I wanted everyone to be happy and I LOVED getting all the different perspectives because their stories were all so different. But all so important. I absolutely adored seeing them all intertwine.

This book is set in Alaska, which was really cool for me because that's not a place I know much about. It was fun to see how people's lives there may have been way different than others in the U.S. It may as well have been another country for how little I knew about it.

READ THIS BOOK.
It is excellent. It will sneak up on you and make you feel feelings when you least expect it.

Furiously Happy - Jenny Lawson

FURIOUSLY HAPPY by Jenny Lawson gets 4 stars!

I looooved this book.

I listened to this on Audible, and this is the first audiobook I've listened to in about 15 years. IT WAS A GREAT CHOICE. It's narrated by Jenny Lawson and honestly, I just really love her voice. She's so hilarious and sassy and sarcastic and honest. She reminds me of myself a bit. But she's way cooler.

This book is about mental illness and... kind of accepting it. Being okay with yourself because mental illness is NOT a choice. It's not just you having a bad day or week. It's not you worrying too much for no reason. Jenny uses her hilarious experiences and her own thoughts about mental illness to inspire people to live furiously happy, even with depression, anxiety, or whatever else a person might be battling.

Basically, it's great.

I'm all about bringing humor into pretty much every part of life, so I was really able to connect with this. Also, I've recently been diagnosed with depression and anxiety, and I've been SO confused and felt so alone and so Vulcan... This book made me feel okay. I'm not cured. I'm not even 20% better. I'm just becoming more accepting of my own flaws, and FURIOUSLY HAPPY really did help me with that.

To avoid getting all mushy and emotional, I'm going to wrap this up. Guys, READ THIS BOOK. Someone you know struggles with a really tough mental illness. This book is good for EVERYONE, I promise. I don't know how anyone could regret reading this.

WARNING: FURIOUSLY HAPPY has... quite a lot of profanity. If that bothers you, you've been warned. Personally, I think it's SO WORTH READING either way.

The Palace Library - Steven Loveridge

I'm giving this book 3 stars!

This was a cute middle grade story. It felt a lot like adventures from my childhood imagination. The main characters - Harry, Grace, and Eleanor - are cousins visiting their great uncle. Grace discovers the library in his home and immediately wants to show Harry and Eleanor what she found. They don't believe her at first, but they soon realize that the library really is a special place full of magic and mystery. The library has enchanted books and it leads them to another world - or another time, I suppose - where they must fulfill a prophecy by facing dragons and overcoming betrayal.

The characters were so cute. I loved the three kids. However, they didn't feel very special to me. They kind of all had the same personality for the most part, so I wish they were a bit more unique. They were uncharacteristically smart for their ages, but that generally happens in books. It just bothers me sometimes when pre-teens are waaayyy more intelligent than I would be in the same situation. That threw me off a bit.

I really enjoyed the plot. Like I said, it reminded me of my childhood and all the things I wanted to do when I was younger and imagined a big, undiscovered world. I thought it was pretty creatively done. I liked the world, but I wish we could have seen more of it. I wanted MORE with the dragons and MORE with the king and queen. But I guess more might happen in the next book. (:

I was skeptical of Eloise at first, but I grew to love her all the way to the end of the book. I wish we could have gotten more of her character, as well as Master John. But again, that's what the second book is for, right?!

Everyone knows I LOVE magic. And the magic in this book wasn't overwhelming or too ridiculous. It was a nice touch and I loved it.

Overall, I liked this book, but I felt like it just needed MORE, in general. More of the characters, more REALISTIC characters, and mooooore of the world because it was so cool! I definitely feel like this is more suited for younger kids, since it's middle grade and so incredibly imaginative. So give it to your younger siblings or your kids! (:

The Boundless - Kenneth Oppel

FIIIVE STARS FOR THE BOUNDLESS!

Is this a magical story set on a train? Yes.
Is there a circus on the train? YES.
Do people die on the train? YEEESSS.
Are there sasquatches? YESYESYES!
Is this my new favorite book ever? I think it might be.

Okay. I'm not sure if I can collect my thoughts, but here is me trying:

I. FREAKING. LOVED. THIS. BOOK.

Why did no one tell me there were sasquatches in it?! GUYS, THERE ARE SASQUATCHES. Sasquatches are one of my greatest loves. I was absolutely, 100% completely hooked from the moment a sasquatch was mentioned. How can you not just adore a magical book about trains, circuses, and murderous sasquatches? REALLY. WHAT ELSE IS THERE IN LIFE? NOTHING. THERE'S NOTHING ELSE.

So THE BOUNDLESS is a huge train. It's so incredibly massive that it's basically like a little town, which is SO cool. Will, the main character, is an artist. He's an only child and his family now has a lot of money. He's riding first class on the train when he finds a key that someone is willing to kill for. He teams up with the circus in order to stay alive and stop the murderer!

That was a terrible summary, but that's because I can't put my thoughts into words. There's too much going on. I loved EVERYTHING about it. Literally everything.

I love Will. I love Maren, Mr. Dorian, Goliath, Mr. Beauprey, EVERYONE. Kenneth Oppel makes awesome characters. I'm amazed at how quickly I felt like I knew each individual character. I could connect with all of them and I wanted everyone to be happy - even the antagonists (although I can't complain about how it ended).

The setting was my favorite part. Kenneth is a master at giving the reader something to see without forcing his own vision on them.

As for pacing, I know some people think the book is too slow. I have to disagree completely. I thought it was perfect. It was also wrapped up very well. It left me satisfied, wanting more but not needing more.

Basically, you should all read this.

SASQUATCHES. READ IT FOR THE SASQUATCHES.

The Glass Castle - Trisha Priebe

Umm WHAT.

I LOVED this book.
I thought I wouldn't enjoy it all that much, especially since I discovered that it is listed as "Christian" literature. I AM a Christian, but I usually steer clear of those books because... I don't know. I guess they're not bad, but they're just not something I seek out. And I would not call this Christian literature. It mentions God about as much as a lot of other YA books. Fantasy, contemporary, everything. It's really basically just a middle grade fantasy.

So this book is about a girl named Avery. She's in the forest with her little brother when she gets KIDNAPPED and taken to a castle, where tons of other 13 year old children secretly reside. They are not allowed to be seen by adults - they don't even know that the kids are in the castle at all. But there's this whole royal court kind of situation going on within the children's side of the castle.

It was an incredibly unique idea and it really drew me in fast. If you've read pretty much any of my reviews, you probably know that I have a weakness for princess books. This isn't necessarily a princess book, but it's set in a castle. Apparently that's all I need. I was hooked.

THE GLASS CASTLE was a super quick read for me because it's middle grade and the language is fairly simple, but not exactly dumbed down. It wasn't the world's absolute greatest writing, but the plot was so intriguing to me and the simplicity of the writing didn't distract from the story at all, which is really what matters.

I felt like the main character, Avery, was pretty well developed, but most of the others weren't. Luckily this is NOT a standalone, so we'll be getting more later! Hopefully that will give the author another chance to show us who the characters really are. However, I think in this book it kind of adds to the overall mystery.

Also, the chapters are short. I LOVE LOVE LOVE short chapters. It makes it easy to stop... but also easy to read "just one more." I found it hard to put the book down. It just has this addictive quality that makes you want to devour it in a couple sittings, which is what I did.

Overall, I loved the story, enjoyed the characters, and couldn't stop reading it. Definitely one of my favorite middle grade books EVER. And the ending was EXCELLENT. So excited for the next one!

* I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater

I'm giving this book 4 stars! ★★★★

My brain has extremely mixed feelings about this book.

I'll try to explain, but forgive me if I sound like an idiot.

Around when this book first came out, one of my best friends told me she thought I wouldn't like it. I had been thinking about reading it but she made me believe it wasn't my type of book.

HOW VERY WRONG SHE WAS.

Goodness, I've been missing out!

I really, really enjoyed this book. It took me forever to read it, though (if three days counts as forever). The first half was pretty slow for me. Now, I'm aware this doesn't make sense, but hopefully you kind of get it. I LOVED the second half. And because I loved the second half so much and things started to make sense, I liked the first half. After I read it. When I was well into the second half of the book, I saw the significance of the beginning. Does that make sense? Probably not.

EITHER WAY, I liked it a lot. And I am SO READY to read the second book. Well... in the next month or so.

And this was my first Maggie Stiefvater book! I feel like I made an excellent choice. I also feel like it can only get better from here.

My biggest problem with this book was the very end. I... feel stupid for admitting this, but what in the heck even happened with Adam? I seriously have no clue. Maybe one day I'll understand. Maybe when I read the other books? WHO KNOWS.

So the characters were 50% of why I loved this book. I AM ABSOLUTELY CRAZY ABOUT THE CHARACTERS. I loved Blue. I loved Gansey. I loved Adam. I loved Ronan and Noah and Maura and Persephone and Calla. Unsure about Neeve at the moment. But GOODNESS, does Maggie Stiefvater sure know how to develop characters! They all felt so real and that is possibly the most important part of books, in my opinion. If I can connect with the characters, I am interested in their stories, so I like the book. Right? So I 100% applaud Maggie on her incredible characters.

I also thought the story itself was so unexpectedly original and shocking and intriguing. I like that the ending wasn't really a cliffhanger, but I'm still pumped to read the next one. I love that it was unpredictable. However, fair warning, I find almost NOTHING predictable. I don't do well with thinking beyond the words on the page, sadly.

I also think the best part of Maggie's writing is her ability to make readers feel like they're in the story. More so than other authors do. Let me explain.

So the raven boys and Blue (and I guess Maura, Calla, Persephone, and Neeve as well) get pulled into this crazy thing and it gets so real and so intense that they're sucked into it and once they're in, they're in. You know? There's no getting out now. That is also how I, as the reader, felt. I feel like now that I've read this first book, I'm in. I have to read more. I am now involved and there's no other option. I have to continue. It's too late to turn back. I can't erase it from my memory or go on pretending like I never got so involved. IT SUCKED ME IN AND I LOVE IT.

I probably sound like a crazy person, so I'll end this.

Basically, this book is golden.

Imaginative. Addicting. Thought-provoking. Mysterious. Even a bit creepy.

Read it even if one of your best friends tells you it's not your style. GIVE THIS ONE A CHANCE, I BEG YOU.

The end.

A Darker Shade of Magic - V. E. Schwab

A Darker Shade of Magic - V.E. Schwab ★★★★ 4.0

This book gets 4 stars! Here's why:

• Kell & Rhy's relationship = <3
• ...four Londons.
• The Danes
• Magic, of course.
• Lila Bard totally grew on me!

I thought this book was SO well-written and such a good story! It was incredibly captivating the whole time (except for the first 80 pages or so). Especially... THE DANES. Holy goodness. They were insane. They reminded me of the Lovers in the Arcana Chronicles. You'd think that would be a bad thing, but I LOVE a good villain. I mean, I hated them. But I loved their roles in the book. I only wish they were more involved in it.

Having four different worlds, all connected, was really cool. I liked that Kell was one of the only two people able to travel between the Londons. Well, you know, with the exception of Lila because of the stone, but that counts as extenuating circumstances. I also liked that the Londons were SO unique. Like, vastly different. WORLDS different, in fact!

Rhy is adorable. He reminds me of Dorian in Throne of Glass. I just love him. And I love that Kell & Rhy were so close. Rhy considered Kell family, even though his parents maybe didn't so much.

Lastly, Lila was a great character. I felt like she was really well-developed, and I'm excited to learn more about her in the next book! It feels like there is so much that was just mentioned, but I need to hear the backstory! I thought I would hate her at first, but I was entirely mistaken. She was strong, funny, and a good friend. She had a few unexpected moments when we saw her emotions a little more than she wanted, I'm sure, but those slips are what made her so real.

Basically, I thought this book was amazing. It took me about a week to read, however, because was is NOT the type of book that I could just set down when I was busy, pick it back up again, etc. I had to be fully involved in reading it. I couldn't take a lot of breaks because there was so much going on. I am giving it 4 out of 5 stars because it seemed kind of slow in the beginning AND I needed more of the Dane twins! They were so EVIL. Victoria Schwab could have done so much more with them! But I respect her decisions, and love her beautiful writing either way. (:

Lola and the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins

Lola & the Boy Next Door - Stephanie Perkins ★★★★ 4.5

I'm giving this book 4.5 stars! Here's why:

• Lola = an exaggerated version of me
• Cricket
• Lola's parents are hilarious
• Anna and St. Clair are back!
• The outfits.
• Cute, predictable love story (we all like those sometimes)
• CRICKET.

This review is going to be pretty short because 1) it's my first, and 2) I actually don't have much to say about it. BUT, here I go, into more depth!

Now don't get me wrong, I REALLY enjoyed this story. Like, really. I actually think I liked it a bit more than Anna & the French Kiss. It just wasn't the most memorable story ever. But I'm not docking any stars for that. There are plenty of epic fantasy, sci-fi, dystopian, post-apocalyptic, etc. books in the YA world. Sometimes we just need a break! My go-to books when I need a break are generally cute, princessy books. But this time I chose Lola.

Lola is great. I love her. I read the first paragraph of the book & was like, OH MY. YES. She is me! A giant, frilly dress & combat boots! Story of my life! So I immediately loved Lola.

I also loved Max. I thought he was so patient and seemed caring enough. But the one thing - the absolute, 100% dealbreaker - was his temper. I don't do well with anger, EVER. So as soon as we saw that side of Max, I was converted. Cricket all the way.

Only Stephanie Perkins could give a character a name like Cricket & make me fall in love with him. Cricket creeped me out at first. I was unimpressed. He seemed awkward & not-so-attractive. Which is not usually what I expect from a love interest. But he was so smart and so sweet and his sense of humor wasn't blatantly obvious, but it won me over in the end. (:

I loved Lola's parents. Nathan and Andy were SO funny and I loved how I was able to picture everything they said and did and that made them even more entertaining! I also loved Lola's friends, particularly Anna & St. Clair. Obviously. I missed them. I was overjoyed to see them again.

Overall, I thought this book was wonderful. It was enjoyable & left me in a good mood. I took off a half star because Lola kind of got whiny and self-centered toward the end, and for some reason that really bothered me. But... she's a human. It's expected. I still love her. And I'm super excited to read Isla & the Happily Ever After!

Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins

Isla and the Happily Ever After - Stephanie Perkins ★★★ 3.5

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. Here's why:

• Back to Paris!
• Return of the couples!
• Cute love story that distracted me from the heartbreak caused by Never Fade...

I don't actually have a lot to say about this book. I suppose that's why it's getting 3.5 stars.

It was my least favorite out of the A&tFK (Anna & the French Kiss) books. And I can tell you exactly why. It was... okay. Just okay. I thought it was cute. It wasn't too dramatic, and that's just what I needed. But it was SO not dramatic that I had trouble trying to see the plot.

Was there one?

What was it even about?

If someone asked me what Isla was about, I'd say, "Uhh... um, well you see, it's a... there's this girl, Isla, and this boy, Josh... and... there's love. And Paris. And, misunderstandings? It's. Uh. Screw it. It's just a cute story about two people falling in love."

There wasn't much of a problem. There wasn't much of a story. But I DID enjoy it. It was sweet and beautiful. It's just that there wasn't much. And again, I'm glad for that. I needed a break from high-action, high-drama, let's-save-the-world books.

I also feel like I don't really know the characters. Still. After finishing the book. Isla seems cool, but... who is she? I think she's pretty introverted, but I don't know much about her likes, dislikes, life outside of home, past, etc. I just don't know her.

Same with Josh. He's definitely cute, thoughtful, funny... And it was better for him because he was in A&tFK, so he at least had some background. We already knew a little about him from Anna's perspective. And we saw Isla once. Just once.

I really enjoyed when they all came back. Anna, St. Clair, Lola, Cricket. That was good. That made me remember all the things I loved about the first two books. But those things just weren't in Isla.

Final thoughts: Cute story, good characters, blah. It was just there. So I read it. And it was forgettable. But still cute and entertaining nonetheless.

The Kiss of Deception - Mary E. Pearson

The Kiss of Deception - Mary E. Pearson ★★★★★ 5.0

What WHAT! Another 5 star book! Way to go, Mary! Here's why I'm giving it 5 stars:

• Captivating writing
• Three - no, FOUR perspectives!
• Rafe & Kaden, adorable in their own ways
• The world (Terravin!)
• The twist...

If this book is known for anything, it's the twist. I've heard about its existence so many times, but... let me tell you, it is NOT what I was expecting. It confused me beyond all confusion and I loved it. This book. It's a winner.

In The Kiss of Deception, we first meet our main character/princess/heroine, Princess Arabella something something something Jezelia of the House of Morrighan, known as Lia. And it's her wedding day. She's about to marry a Prince of another kingdom - she's never met this guy - to form an alliance. So naturally, she runs.

One of the palace servants, Pauline, goes with her, and they ride off to a little town called Terravin. Terravin is the cutest town ever. It's colorful, right by the ocean, and it's so friendly. They feel right at home and end up working in a tavern, where they meet two mysterious (and attractive) young men who take a sudden deep interest in Lia. Little does she know that one is an assassin hired to kill her and the other is the prince she refused to marry. Both men get to know her and, as always, there is a sort of love triangle going on.

Those are the basics.

Mary Pearson's writing is beautiful. This book was easy to read, but written in such a captivating way. From the first chapter, I couldn't want to finish the book so I could find out what happened next. I was pleasantly shocked, because this was certainly NOT a book I was expecting to love so quickly. I loved it from the very beginning, but in the end, it just gets better.

Throughout the book we get to hear from Lia's perspective, but it is peppered with chapters revealing the perspectives of Rafe, Kaden, and even Pauline. I absolutely loved how it switched between characters and I think it was expertly written.

Final thoughts: You should read this book. Maybe you won't love it. But I did! It was an unexpected treat, and I am SO looking forward to the next book, The Heart of Betrayal, which comes out in July. (:

The Nest - Kenneth Oppel

I'm giving this book ★★★★ 4.5 stars!

This book was VERY unexpectedly wonderful! I know there are lots of extremely mixed reviews about it, and I totally get that. BUT IT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL. Honestly, one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read.

I'm quite shocked that I liked it that much.

I only started reading it because it's so short.

I guess I should get this out of the way: I'm giving it 4.5 stars as opposed to 5 because it was just a tad underdeveloped for me.

Guys, confession. I've never cried because of a book. Fact. I know I am a heartless monster. But this is the closest I've ever come! Maybe I'm reading too much into it, but to me this book was about accepting imperfections and loving ourselves and others anyway. The main character, Steve, was someone I could totally connect with - even though this is a middle grade book and I am 23. Steve is often worried, anxious, depressed, obsessive-compulsive... and I loved that he seemed so REAL even though the book was bizarre.

Apparently it was exactly my kind of bizarre.

So, if you're not aware, here's the basic storyline:
A boy has a new little brother who has a lot of health problems and he's constantly at the hospital. No one is sure that he will survive. A huge wasp visits Steve in his dreams, telling him that she will make his brother better and that she needs Steve's help. But Steve is pretty sure that it's not just in his head...

I feel like that's basically all I can tell you.

I generally am not into books that teach lessons - again, I know I'm a monster - but this book spoke right to me. It was creative and touching and gorgeous and absolutely unexpected in every way. I think this is just one of those books that you'll either love or hate.

Cress - Marissa Meyer

Cress - Marissa Meyer ★★★★★ 5.0

Woohoo! Cress gets 5 stars! Here's why:

• Cress + Thorne, Cinder + Kai, Scarlet + Wolf !!!
• Kaaaaiiiiiii!
• Iko & her new hot bod
• A glimpse into Levana's eyes
• Cinder's growth
• Luna
• Crazy Princess Winter

I feel like there are SO many more things I could list because I thoroughly enjoyed this book, cover to cover. Which surprised me.

Here's a little more about me: It takes a lot for me to like a book written in third person. I just connect so much easier with first person, naturally. Cinder was a good book. It's the book that made me want to read again.Scarlet was not quite as good, but I still liked it a lot. CRESS. BLEW. MY. MIND. In the third person! I think that Marissa Meyer made a FABULOUS choice in switching perspectives so often. Because it's NOT in first person, but we still see what everyone is thinking, doing, and how all of those thoughts and actions are interconnected. I just loved it.

The couples are adorable. Cinder & Kai are still my favorite, because I absolutely adore both of them. And at the end of the book... Oh my goodness. It was perfect. They are PERFECT. Scarlet & Wolf are my least favorite couple, but I still love them a lot because I have a soft spot for Wolf. And Scarlet is a good character. Maybe I just feel like I don't know them as well as I know the other two couples. Cress and Thorne are extremely cute. Thorne is hilarious and brave and thoughtful... Cress is one lucky fictional gal. But I actually think I love all three of the men equally. They're all SO different, but I appreciate them all the same and I love hearing about them. 

But... poor Wolf.

Iko is also a great character, and always has been. My heart melted a little when Thorne gave her that gift. Iko deserved it this whole time. She's so cute and funny and optimistic. And she's so human!

I liked seeing from Levana's perspective toward the end (or was it even the last chapter? I'm not sure.). I think she is an awesome villain and I'm REALLY excited to read Fairest.

Cinder is an incredible main character. I've loved her this whole time. And I loved her even more in Cress because she grew so much. She's also very accepting of everyone - she was so ready to save Cress!

Finally, Luna. I think Luna is such a cool place. The way Marissa Meyer described it... GORGEOUS. When Scarlet was trying to escape the ship after it landed on Luna, I was completely mesmerized and enchanted by Luna. Additionally, we meet Princess Winter on Luna. I think I'm going to like her A LOT. She's crazy, yes. But she seems so completely good, and beautiful and sweet. The crazy could be a good addition to the series. ;)

Final thoughts: Cinder was great, Scarlet was good, Cress was AMAZING. Love love loved it. 5 stars, absolutely. Can't wait for Fairest & Winter!

The Ruby Circle - Richelle Mead

The Ruby Circle - Richelle Mead ★★★ 3.5

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. Here's why:

• I AM DONE. Yes. Finally.
• Adrian. Always Adrian.
• MAGIC.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book much.

I knew I wouldn't.

I just... after reading 11 books about lots of the same characters & the same world, it gets old. At least for me. So I knew going into it that I just wanted to be done with it. I put off reading it for a bit because I knew I wouldn't be that into it. But I also knew that once I finished it I'd be done with all those MOROI & STRIGOI & DHAMPIRS & ALCHEMISTS & WARRIORS. And the witches.

Because of my bad attitude & VA/BL exhaustion, this isn't going to be much of a review. I am just so freaking happy to be done! I DID IT. I DID IT. I DID IT.

But this review would be totally incomplete if I didn't mention Adrian. So... Adrian. I absolutely love him. I have since we very first met him in the VA series. Personally, I'd choose him over Dimitri in a heartbeat, but to each her own ~

[Also I named my car after him.]

[What? Seriously? Yeah. Truth.]

The magic in this book WAS cool. I actually did like that quite a bit. The human magic AND Adrian's spirit magic. Because it's Adrian. And he's adorable. I think Bloodlines was my favorite book of this series and they progressively got worse for me, but hopefully I'm the only one who thinks that. I thought the first book was really cool, surprisingly. But then, not as cool. And less cool. And even less cool. And maybe part of that was me getting tired of the series. But I'm not 100% sure about that.

Final thoughts: It was a necessary read, and it was a decent conclusion.

It's not you, Richelle, it's me.

The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★ 5.0

So freaking amazing. This book gets 5 stars. Here's why:

• Who doesn't love Celaena? Obvs.
• Arobynn... good or bad?
• SAM. CORTLAND. My heart. Myyy heeeaaarrrttt.
• The Silent Assassins
• Thankyouforthebackstory, Ms. Maas.

This is a collection of five prequel novellas to the Throne of Glass series.

And these novellas are INCREDIBLE. The great thing is that they all go together. One leads right into the other, so definitely read them together if you get the chance to pick up The Assassin's Blade.

I have only read Throne of Glass. I decided to read the novellas after the first book because I've heard that's a good way to do it. And I was not quite ready to get back into the series, so the novellas were a way to keep myself involved in the story, but not so much that it overwhelmed me. I know it's odd, but I get overwhelmed by huge, dramatic, fantastic stories. So I have to take a break and read a cute fairytale or contemporary or, in this case, novellas. AND I LIKED THEM MORE THAN THRONE OF GLASS.

I. Liked. Them. More.

And I loved Throne of Glass. It wasn't the best book in the history of the universe, or even my favorite book of the year, but I loved it. And then Assassin's Blade happened.

And Sam happened.

And. Well that happened.

Sam...

So I absolutely adore Celaena. I'll be honest: I usually get sick of headstrong, super independent main characters. But I think Celaena is possibly my favorite female character ever. And this remained true through The Assassin's Blade. And when you combine her with the beautiful gift Sarah Maas bestowed upon us - Sam Cortland - it's perfection. They're perfection. They're both cocky and funny and compassionate. Compassionate assassins. Ha! Whatever that means.

Sam is so sweet and so manly and just so good. And. Well, if you've read Throne of Glass, you probably recall Celaena thinking, Oh Sam..., mysteriously time after time. So. It's no secret that there can't really be a Team Sam anyway, even if that's what the masses demand. Which sucks.

However - and don't attack me for this - I'm still all for Dorian, 100%. Even if Sam could happen.

I also feel like we didn't get to know Sam that well. Which, you know, was kind of inevitable considering everything that went down. But I wanted to love him. I just hadn't gotten to that point yet. I wish. I really wish.

He was... you know. Near perfect. But a mysterious kind of perfection with an air of uncertainty. For me, he was incomplete. I felt like my vision of him was perfect as far as our deficiency of knowledge allows us to see him. Maybe that's good. Maybe we'd all never recover from Sam and never love Dorian or Chaol because of that. Maybe it was Sarah J. Maas's intention to never let us fully get to know & love Sam so that we couldn't pine for a character that isn't really a possibility as far as love interests go. Just a thought.

While on the subject of characters...

THERE WERE JUST SO MANY. And I loved all of them. And hated some. But still loved them. I love love love how Sarah J. Maas can give us awesome characters all around. Every. Single. One. There were none that were boring or dull or unmemorable. Which is shocking. Because we were introduced to so many new/old (old because it's the past) people.

Arobynn. We got to know him better. And... he's... I'm both charmed and fascinated by him. Should I be? No. I shouldn't. Absolutely not. BUT AROBYNN IS SO AWESOME. And awful. Please, PLEASE don't understand me wrong. He's awful.

<3

And the Silent Assassins. So cool. I loved seeing Celaena's time with them. Especially the Mute Master. It seemed like such an incredible place and I wish we could have seen more there. Maybe in future books..?

Final thoughts: Maybe my favorite book this year so far. Or Cress. Cress... Not sure. BUT YOU HAVE TO READ IT. I'd actually suggest doing it like I did and reading ToG first, THEN The Assassin's Blade. Because I liked to have that mystery and then be filled in on it later. It made it more interesting. And then there was one part... where I wondered... if we had already met those characters in ToG. Hmm. So read it. Please. Please. If you haven't picked up this series, do yourself a favor. (: I can't say enough about this book. So good.

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J. Maas ★★★ 3.5

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. Here's why:

• I love Lucien very, very much.
• The world. THE WORLD!
• A fancy, giant mansion? Yes, please.
• Beauty & The Beast!!! x a million.
• Sarah J. Maas = <3

This book. It broke my heart.

In not a good way.

This was my MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2015! For real. And I think Sarah J. Maas is a brilliant writer. I've only read Throne of Glass, but I was beyond impressed.

Beauty and the Beast is my absolute, #1, all time favorite movie/story ever. The Disney movie is total perfection. I can't watch it too many times. I love everything about it, and the Beast/Prince Adam is definitely, without a doubt my favorite Disney prince.

So I cannot even tell you how stoked I was to read this book. I checked it out from the library (I was #1 on the hold list & I got the book AS SOON AS POSSIBLY POSSIBLE). Then I realized I had like 11 other books to read that were due before this one. So I read them first. It hurt. I just wanted to read ACOTAR so, so badly. Then I finally read it. And. It wasn't the most beautiful, perfect, enchanting, gorgeous story ever written. Maybe my expectations were too high. But I actually didn't even enjoy it THAT much. It was good. It was better than good, but not great. And I'm so sad about that. Also the cover is beautiful. It had everything going for it! Why was it such a letdown?!

Man.

It's going to take me a while to recover from this. But let me get started on the actual review, before I rant until the end of time.

I thought Feyre was a good character. I didn't hate her. But I didn't love her like I loved Celaena in the Throne of Glass series (or at least the first book). I liked Tamlin. But I wasn't absolutely in love with him. He wasn't even close to Dorian & Chaol. I'm crazy about Dorian, btw. I DID love Lucien. Lucien is hilarious and he was so real. I'd go for him if I were Feyre.

The world was INCREDIBLE. Prythian seemed so achingly beautiful. I wanted to live there! I want to see the starlight water! I want to run through the feather-soft grass! So, the world was definitely the best part for me. Great job with that, Sarah Maas.

I have a weakness for princess books. I love when the main character gets to wear pretty dresses, eat glorious foods, go to elaborate balls and celebrations. So all of that was good. Great, even. I really enjoyed the Spring Court.

However, the plot was lacking for me. It was REALLY good in the end. Because of the end, I'll likely read the next book. And because it's Sarah. Sarah gets another chance. The end was action-packed, had me flying through the pages, and was just... pretty epic in lots of ways. But that was like the last 20% of the book or so. After Tamlin got taken, things got interesting.

ALSO. I totally love Rhysand. I shouldn't, probably. But I think he's a good guy! He was just so much more interesting than Tamlin. Tamlin was... boring. I feel like I still don't know much about him, and that might be where the book fell so short. I needed to love the characters! And I just didn't.

I AM excited for the next book. I think it will be better. And I think that lots of people will love this book. I just didn't. Just don't have your hopes up too unreachably high.

Magonia - Maria Dahvana Headley

Magonia - Maria Dahvana Headley ★★★★ 4.0

I'm giving this book 4 stars. Here's why:

• Beautiful stream-of-consciousness style writing
• Gripping, enchanting, & adventurous
• Flying whales + ships in the sky + swallowing birds + singing to change the elements..?
• What?
• WHAT?
• But really, WHAT?!

What in the world was this book?

It was all kinds of weird, but I really, really enjoyed reading it. I finished this book in one day, and the next day I was sincerely unsure about whether or not I had a fantastical, insane dream. Or if I actually just read Magonia.

It was insane.

I was worried that I would be SO lost while reading it, because I'd heard that it was weird, but that wasn't quite the case. I was able to keep up. I got what Maria Headley was saying. I got it.

But. It was just so strange - I had to make sure that I was reading it correctly and not coming up with crazy things in my own mind!

NONE OF IT MADE SENSE. But I understood it. And I think it was wonderful. I think Maria Headley took a huge leap of faith by writing this book & hoping that people would understand its craziness and embrace the beauty that others might not ever find.

I think it was gorgeous. I liked getting Aza's perspective and seeing her thoughts because she's a weird one. She was witty and smart and I really liked her.

Also, Jason.

My heart shattered when Jason showed up the funeral... how he did. That's when I started to love him. What an awesome friend. Beyond awesome. Everything he does in this book is amazing to me. Aza and Jason NEEDED to be together. Seriously. Needed.

Final thoughts: Crazy. Weird. This book was so dreamlike and so beautiful... But I can see how some people will just get the crazy & weird from it. For me, it was great. Some of it went over my head, but overall, really stunning!

The Girl at Midnight - Melissa Grey

The Girl at Midnight - Melissa Grey ★★★★ 4.0

This book gets 4 stars! Here's why:

• The Drakharin men...
• Magic is always a plus.
• Obviously Jasper + Dorian
• Caius.

So I realize that three of my points talk about Drakharin guys. We'll get to that later...

I was equal parts IMPRESSED WITH & SURPRISED BY this book.

Like. I did NOT expect to like it. And I wasn't super into it at first, but then... Caius. And it got good. Once Echo, Ivy, Caius, Dorian, and Jasper got together, the book was golden. I loved it. I absolutely loved the last 70% or so.

Beautiful.

Seriously, such a good debut novel by Melissa Grey. I cannot even tell you how incredibly much I am looking forward to the next book. I just know. It will be great. This book sets the stage for a second book with SO much potential and I can't wait to see where it goes.

I loved the fact that the main character was a human, but that she was always hanging out with the Avicen - or later, the Drakharin<3. It was significant in the book, but I also think that it helps the reader connect with Echo more. At least that is what it did for me. I liked Echo quite a bit.

Unfortunately I won't be giving this book five stars because:

1) The beginning was a little too slow for me.

2) The end confused me. I tried so hard to get it, but I just didn't. What even happened? I mean, I get the gist of it. But just the bare minimum.

Jasper was maybe my favorite part of this book. More specifically, his interactions with Dorian. He lovedtormenting him and making him feel awkward and I thought he was just so FUNNY. Jasper made the book waaayyy better than it would have been without him. I'm hoping that we see more of him in the next book because I'm all for hilarious characters. (:

And Caius! I LOVE CAIUS. Funny + manly + dragon scales? WHAT?! I. Love. Him. I feel like we don't know him that well yet, but I'm sure we'll get that in later books as well.

Final thoughts: Great book. Wonderful debut novel. Beautiful, thoughtful, funny. If you get a chance to read this, don't pass it up! Melissa Grey will do great things.

Dream A Little Dream - Kerstin Gier

Dream a Little Dream - Kerstin Gier ★★★ 3.5

I'm giving this book 3.5 stars. Here's why:

• Crazy dream worlds
• Likable main character
• The humor
• Grayson

So this book was not quite what I expected. It was actually a lot better, but not amazing. I like the concept, a ton. The idea of the shared dreams and those four mysterious boys... It was cool. It was intriguing. I needed to keep reading.

I also really liked Liv. She was pretty funny, and although she was kind of crazy for hopping on that bandwagon so easily (if you read the book, you know what I mean), I liked her a lot. I liked seeing things from her perspective. I don't often find main characters that agreeable. So THANK YOU, Kerstin Gier, for giving us Liv.

Also, the boys were pretty interesting. I liked Grayson, Henry, and Jasper. Arthur I like, but... I'm a little wary of him. For the most part, I liked what their different personalities added to the plot. Grayson is my favorite, I think. Henry confuses me. It seemed like insta-love, but in a weird, untrustworthy way. So I think I will be reading the second book to see where that goes. And crazy Anabel. She scares me.

Final thoughts: good book, good characters, interesting plot. A little slow and confusing for me, but I'm excited to see where it's headed in the next book.

Illusionarium - Heather Dixon

Illusionarium - Heather Dixon ★★★★ 4.0

I'm giving this book 4 stars. Here's why:

• I absolutely LOVE the idea of illusionists.
• Very cool worlds. You know, in a creepy awful way.
• Jonathan's personality
• Twists
• Captivatingly creepy

Heather Dixon wrote Entwined, which was the first book I read (other than the books I had to read for my Children's Literature class) after my 8 year reading slump. And I liked it, but I actually didn't love it all that much. Still, I could easily see Heather Dixon's amazing ability to create stunning imagery and beautiful writing. Because of this, coupled with the fact that Illusionarium would, of course, focus heavily on ILLUSIONS, I picked it up as soon as I could.

And I definitely don't regret it.

Now, this isn't the best book I've ever read. Not by a longshot. But it was way better than expected and I liked it a lot more than Entwined. It's an entirely different story. These two books are NOTHING alike as far as I could tell. So Illusionarium wasn't quite as stunning or beautiful, but it drew me in quickly & deeply.

From the first chapter, I was hooked. And then it got weirder. And weirder. And SO MUCH WEIRDER. And creepy and awful and great and imaginative. I really, really enjoyed this book. First, I just think illusions are always a really cool subject in movies and in books. This was definitely cool. The things they could create were incredible and I couldn't stop reading when the illusionists were at work.

I also liked the main character a lot. His name is Jonathan, and he's not your typical hunky, manly man YA male protagonist or love interest. Nope. He's a normal guy. But smart and talented. And he's so snarky. I laughed out loud at a few parts just because of things he said - and that almost never happens when I read books.

The twists in this book might be predictable to some. However... some twists are completely unexpected. And... again, weird.

Sometimes I would be reading the book whilst trying to look away and stifle my urge to gag.

BUT I STILL READ IT. Because it was like a train wreck. Awful but almost mesmerizing.

I'm giving it four stars rather than five for two main reasons:

1. After a while, I just wanted it to wrap up already. But then the ending seemed too abrupt and slightly unexplained.

2. The world(s) were cool, but maybe not quite as developed as I would have liked. It had a lot of potential, but it maybe didn't reach that full potential in that aspect.

Final thoughts: Guys, you should read this book. Not everyone loves it. And the thing is, I understand the negative reviews. This book is not the type for lots of people. But if you love illusions, twists, snarky & realistic main characters, and a dash of the ultra-creepy, give it a shot!

The Heir - Kiera Cass

The Heir - Kiera Cass ★★★★ 4.0

This book gets 4 stars! Here's why:

• Princess books, in general
• Eadlyn's brothers <3
• Another Selection... with 35 GUYS instead.
• And finally, Hale, Henri, Kile, Fox, and Erik. But especially Hale.

Okay, so I was incredibly surprised upon learning that there would be a new Selection book. And kind of thrilled. Because... the tables have been turned. I figured with 35 guys in the palace, it would be HILARIOUS. This book slightly disappointed me because of that. And Eadlyn is not my favorite. I didn't like America in the first three Selection books, but Eadlyn is SO spoiled and SO rude and SO arrogant. I 100% agreed with Ahren's letter to her at the end. Which brings me to...

her brothers! I loved them!

I loved that she had only brothers and they were so protective and cute and sweet and not afraid to tell her the truth, even if it hurt her. I think Kiera Cass made a great choice with those boys.

But the rest of the book was kind of bleh for me. Not bad, not great. Maybe it only deserves 3.5 stars - I'm not sure. I think the next book will be MUCH better. Because WHY ON EARTH would you take a situation like that and get rid of so many guys so quickly? I would have liked to get to know them better first. She probably should have gotten to know them as well. I hated her attitude.

But the boys we DID start getting to know - like Hale, Henri, Kile, Fox, and Erik - were great characters. I'd definitely like to hear more about Hale and Fox in particular. I think Hale is my favorite so far, though.

However, I have this weird feeling about Erik... This is maybe a weird prediction, but I think she's going to fall for Erik, the translator. We'll see.

That's about all I have to say. It was good, but not great. I think the next books will be promising though.