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.

Never Fade - Alexandra Bracken

Never Fade - Alexandra Bracken ★★★★ 4.0

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

• So many good characters! Jude, Vida, Chubs, Ruby, and OF COURSE Liam.
• Liam. He gets his own space as well.
• Also Cole. Also Clancy...
• The end was pretty surprising for me.

So I realize that most of my points are characters. That's probably why I am giving this book four stars and not five. I LOVED the characters so much, but... the rest of it wasn't as awesome as I hoped it would be.

It was good, don't get me wrong. It was great, maybe even extremely great! But I wanted more.

Maybe it was lacking in plot (I don't think this is true whatsoever).

Maybe I feel like we didn't get ENOUGH of the characters (Hard to say. I loved them, but we DID get to see them a lot).

Maybe it was too slow (Not in pacing, but in the actual story. Get there faster! Mend my broken heart, Liam!).

Maybe it's just that it's not my kind of story. I know it was expertly written. I KNOW that. I absolutely love Alexandra Bracken. I think the story is incredible. Here are my issues:

I feel my emotions too strongly.

This book made me feel too many negative emotions.

My heart broke. And broke. And broke some more.

And then I was intrigued, shocked, couldn't stop reading!

And then my heart broke.

And broke.

THIS JUST CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME, OR I WILL BREAK ENTIRELY. But the fact that Miss Bracken can make me feel like my heart was being ripped out over and over and over again just proves to me how incredible she is. After reading that book, I just feel sad. I'll need to recover for a while before I read In the Afterlight.

Liam.

And Jude! An entirely different kind of heartbreak, but no less painful!

Man, I feel like this review sucks. But I am just so broken from that book!

LIAM.

Speaking of, I have a huge crush on Cole as well! And then Liam is obviously my favorite. But COLE. And I have this weird love for Clancy. He's just so bad. But I don't really think he's a terrible person. Though Ruby does, I can't convince myself of that. I like him. I think he just needs help. Maybe some direction. Those poor kids - they ALL need a little extra love. It's not his fault, right? Right?!

This book just hurt. It hurt so much. But it hurt so good? I think. I need to get over it first. Ouch.

I want to give this book more stars. I feel like this book deserves more. But I also feel like I can't give them. The beginning wasn't slow by any means, but it took a while for me to get back into the story. The last 60% of the book definitely made up for it. So, I loved 60%. 4 out of 5 stars is 80%... But 3 is far too little. Even 3.5. I suppose 4 makes sense.

Final thoughts: Never Fade. I wanted to rip the pages out. And I loved it. And I'm just as confused as you are.