A Court of Mist and Fury, Skullduggery Pleasant, & The Last Unicorn | First Impressions | Mine for the Reading

So, I was gearing up for posting today's entry, when I realized that no words were coming to me for King's Rising by C. S. Pacat--the most recent book I've finished.

Hardly a surprise when it's the last book in a fantasy trilogy and my emotions were all stirred up to the point of actual turmoil. If you read my review for the first two books you'll remember that while I was invested, I wasn't, like, SUPER invested. Or so I thought.

Then I put book three down, and decided I was full of shit.

Does it amount to one of my favorite series of all time? No, not quite. But, it's a damn good fantasy trilogy, filled with all the things I love about The Winner's Curse Trilogy and the Throne of Glass series--awfully, bitterly beautiful love story meets heartbreaking parameters that may squash that love meets thrones to be reclaimed. All I can say currently is that C. S. Pacat lived up to the promises she made in the earlier books.

Sadly, anything else I may have to say on the matter might be touched upon during my weekly feature on my Youtube channel. I'm doing Sitdown Saturdays where I touch on some of the cool books I've read, so look out for that if you want to know more on the King's Rising.

Though, I'm hardly promising anything here.

These days, I'm in the middle of a few books.


Now, we all heard me say that I'm a big lover of the Throne of Glass series, right? 'Kay. So following that, I love Sarah J. Maas as a human. But, I'm not so bias where I can't say that the ACOTAR series is riddled with flaws I can't really ignore. The problem for me is, I know what she's trying to do. And I can see how she's trying to do it. But, sadly, in the ten percent chance I've given ACOMAF, book two, those earlier problems I had with book one have been reinforced, and she's still failing at what she's trying to deliver. For me. BUT.

Because I want to believe that anything Sarah writes will get better... I'm determined to power through. I've just gotten to the point where she's ditched the sunshine and tulle dresses and Tamlin's mating rituals and has ended up in the Night Court. And that's all I'll say... but being with Rhysand has me considerably more excited.

One thing she has managed to sell me on so far? That Tamlin might not be Feyre's one true love after all. Something I thought was going to bother me as a result of the ending of ACOTAR was that cemented clarity Feyre has... and the teasing dawn of a love triangle after said realization--especially because it was hammered into our skulls how much Feyre looooves Tamlin.

But, Sarah has made me believe that the person Feyre had to become to save the person she loves, may not be able to withstand being with that person.

I believe Feyre has been broken by her circumstances. We'll just see if the rest of the trouble she gets up to will live up for me. Sad side note: I'm unimpressed by the sex scenes so far. They feel almost awkward.

Now, I've been dying to get my greedy hands on this book, and it is by far the most promising out of all my prospective reads. Less than ten percent of the way through, and I was immediately hooked. The words of Landy's Skullduggery Pleasant have been laced with this kind of quiet humor. I mean, that the narrative seems to almost be laughing at itself without being schticky.

And we haven't even gotten to the fun stuff yet.

My interest for this series was inspired by the dozens and dozens of quotes I found relating to the main characters. So far, I haven't been disappointed. The writing is either very elegant or very funny. OR a nice a blend of both. And I'm digging it.

Between this and Howl's Moving Castle, there really are no two more classic fantasy books I want to complete. The Last Unicorn with it's whimsical, sumptuous prose is not so beautiful that I just want to admire the words. I want to bask in them, live inside them. I want to live with the characters who DO occupy them. Except...

I'm just not in the mood.

It's almost the same kind of deal with a Melina Marchetta book. You have to be in the right mindset to perfectly enjoy the things you love about it, even when you don't quite understand everything yet.

When the time is right, nothing gets to me like a heartbreaking quest. Nearly nothing.

I hope to vibe with this one soon.

Come see what else I'm currently reading!

The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas | Fantasy | Throne of Glass Novella | Mine for the Reading

"You want to hear something ridiculous? Whenever I’m scared out of my wits, I tell myself: My name is Sam Cortland… and I will not be afraid. I’ve been doing it for years.”
It was her turn to raise her brows. “And that actually works?”
He laughed onto her fingers. “Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. But it usually makes me feel better to some degree. Or it just makes me laugh at myself a bit.”

This scene was one of the many that broke me. THE ASSASSIN AND THE EMPIRE is just another piece of the story of Celaena Sardothien’s downfall. The story is woven of betrayal and deceit and severed friendships and old wounds and love. Such a sweet, bright light in a tale which eeks out darkness like spilt blood.

This was the final piece. The cog on the wheel of Celeana’s fate which broke her heart yet again and tormented her spirits into numbness.

I knew what was going to happen. I’ve read the series to date, and love every fracturing piece of Celeana that there is to discover. This is the part of her past that just made the events I’ve already read all worth even more. Made me cry. Made me want to hit someone.

Loss is like that. Especially one that has been treated like a vivid scar Celeana wears on her life going forward. I knew about this pain she bore, but I didn’t fully understand it until I read this novella. And now I mourn for the girl she was all over again.

And the man who suffered for loving her, against all the odds.

It puts so much of Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows into focus. I cried for it. And I cried for her promise to overcome the hell she was sentenced to. On crumbling legs and wobbly feet, before the Lord of the North, swearing that she would survive.

“The breeze grew into a wind, and she closed her eyes, letting it sweep away the ashes of that dead world—of that dead girl. And then there was nothing left except something new, something still glowing red from the forging.
Celeana opened her eyes.
She would go into Endovier. Go into Hell. And she would not crumble.”

She would not be afraid. I’ve got tears in my eyes yet again.

EMPIRE OF STORMS could not feel farther away.

e-Book / 94 pgs / July 20th 2012 / Bloomsbury / Goodreads / $1.99

My e-book copy was purchased on Amazon.com.

What did I rate The Assassin and the Empire?

Throne of Glass Series Predictions

Img credited to Tumblr So I kind of dropped the ball with the blog tour post for this week, but that's because I was getting all my faculties in order. Which is code for being obsessed with filming and editing for my new youtube channel. Can't help myself! But on the bright side it's been helping me work through my reading slump and has gotten me to read a bit more than I have been.

And it's also helped me appreciate the value of getting to the point quickly, so let's apply what we've learned here shall we?

Now, initially when I first mapped out this post I was preparing for talking about my predictions for the series' conclusion. That was until I discovered this:



Holy flucking what. WHAT? What is the meaning of this?!

I'm sorry but did I miss the part when this was announced to be Not A Trilogy? A chucklehead like me could have easily overlooked a detail like that, certainly, but I'm miffed I didn't know about this sooner. (Okay, so maybe she warned me but I didn't listen.)

Consequently, I'm torn between exasperation (they've expanded, perhaps unnecessarily, another trilogy), fear (this is my favorite series being tampered with here), and cautious joy (because really I'm still being offered more Celaena, Chaol, and all sorts of cool stuff -- probably, if all goes well).

So, yes, I know about this, and must adjust accordingly. With that said.

Prediction #1:
Celaena's going to get more bad-A. Like triple A, and I don't mean for your roadside convenience.

That was evident in this last book, Crown of Midnight, because all that has happened has turned her to her dark self, which still has room to grow darker. Dark is not darkest after all.

At the same time, she's also rapidly gone to weary, sad, and scarred underneath it all, and it was so heart-wrenching to see her in that state by the end. I have a feeling, especially with the series elongated, that it's only going to get unfathomably worse.

Prediction #2:
The love triangle may not have been an actual Thing To Worry About before, but I suspect Dorian is going to cause me some problems.

There were -- without being too spoilery -- some hints being dropped about Dorian having to marry a certain princess from a certain family, or he would have had terrible things not befallen her. I'd HATE to see that tiny detail resurface in a very painful way which will be unbearably agonizing for, oh, I don't know...

ME.

Prediction #3:
As for my complicated romance between my favorite Captain and my most beloved assassin, things are going to get a lot worse before things head back to the broom closet.

Sarah has proven herself to be a sufficient captor and torturer of the soul. I have no doubt she's had and will continue to have time to strengthen her skillz to levels that would rival that of *shudders* Sarah Rees Brennan. I couldn't possibly threaten the woman the same way I have Brennan, BUT that doesn't mean I'll give her a free pass or pretend this rising power doesn't worry me.

All I'll say for now is Miss Maas, I, your loyal and humble reader/obsessed fangirl, plead with you to be gentle with my heart. I'm so young. There's still so much I haven't yet lived. So please, HAVE MERCY.

And that concludes the ramblings of a cyber-addict young adult who's still lurking on the interwebs at 3am.

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT GIVEAWAY: 5 COPIES (US ONLY)

WHERE YOU CAN ENTER

Reaction to... Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas [No spoilers!]

I’ve waited long for this day. I would’ve posted about this sooner, my friends, but I confess irresponsibility and absent-mindedness. I’m on vacation! But that’s neither here nor there when we’re about to discuss a little delight presented to us by Sarah J. Maas. First of all, though it’s no secret, I’d like to preface this post by professing an incessant admiration for Sarah and a disturbing obsession with this series. Not sure if that necessarily makes me bias considering I have MANY reasons to feel the way I do about this series—because it is truly wonderful. Throne of Glass is absolutely a phenomenal work, a beginning to the chronicles of a young deadly assassin with a big heart torn between loyalties, prophecy, and politics, but it’s sequel I might love even deeper.

Throughout book one we spent our time getting to know Celaena and the players to be involved in her life. It was the characters that cemented my connection to this story, the action, plot, and sleuthing falling just below that important aspect but still ranking highly among those I’ve read of the same caliber. But what makes Crown of Midnight so lovely, and perhaps better than it’s predecessor, is that taking of what we already know of the characters and deepening it, darkening it. In spite of the atmosphere of the last book—with a cutthroat competition taking place—there wasn’t nearly as much of a sense of urgency and danger as in this one. The urgency in blocking the king from further spreading his evil, in the prophecy that’s slowly arising, and the danger in the part of Celaena her enemies fail to remember and, frankly, foolishly underestimate. It’s these two components that make this read incredibly compelling, and sets the tone darker than I thought possible.

Both slyly torturous and proportionately thrilling, the events of Crown of Midnight take the slight joyous air that builds for a while in the beginning and dips it straight into Celaena’s personal hell. More than that, there are some amazing revelations provided—secrets of not only Celaena’s past but of her origins and capabilities that I only vaguely guessed at—and was unsurprisingly astounded by them. Maas seemed to have a firmer grip over the pacing and a much more solid control over the plot’s consistency making the story that much more enjoyable. I recommend savoring Crown of Midnight, guys, so that you can appreciate every nuance, every miniscule detail stunningly put together.

Notice how I very carefully avoid the subject of the romance—not because it wasn’t so freaking satisfying I want to shout to the rooftops, nay that isn’t the reason. I just don’t want to spoil anything. But let’s just say that it’s as beautifully written and has so far been as agonizing as the goings-on throughout. I only hope that it ends up far better than the dreadful picture that’s already been mapped out. Every inch of this story brings you so much closer to the end of this trilogy and yet takes you so far away—I NEED the last book in this series. Need. But, yes, though the fate of Celaena’s romance hanging in the balance is a drive, it’s definitely not the only reason to beg for the final act.

I wasn’t shocked that Sarah had overcome the Sophomore Slump and thumbed her nose in victory because this series is just too fantastic, but I am surprised by the scope, depth, and wonder within this sequel. After this book, I don’t think there will EVER be reason to doubt Sarah J Maas and her affinity for storytelling—she’s written a set of soul books, books that seem to have been written with me in mind, and I’ll be forever grateful to her for it.

Hardcover / 432 pgs / Aug 27th 2013 / Bloomsbury / Goodreads / $17.99

I picked this one up at Sarah's signing during Book Expo America.

It's My Birthday And I'll Put Up An Exclusive Scene From Crown Of Midnight If I Want To

Yeah, you heard right. Today is my birthday and as glorious occasion though it may be, I have something even more awesometastic for you. Who here has been DYING to read a little somethin' somethin' from Crown of Midnight? Okay, okay, stop raising your hands and swinging them everywhere before you hurt someone.

The peeps at Bloomsbury have prepared an EXTRA SPECIAL exclusive scene from the coveted Crown of Midnight and you get to read parts of it at different blog stops today. Ain't life grand? You can read Part 1 and Part 2 now!


THE ASSASSIN AND THE CAPTAIN, By Sarah J. Maas (Part 3)
For a moment, they just looked at each other, a moment during which she remembered that day after the duel when he’d held her—not a captain holding an assassin, or a friend holding a friend, but a man holding a woman…
If she tried to hold him now, would he shove her aside? She didn’t want to know—didn’t quite have the nerve to try it. Or the nerve to wonder why she wanted to.
“I trust you,” was all he said.
“That’s why you had men around the city spying on me?”
“I had men around the city,” he said through gritted teeth, “because I wanted to have a chance to greet you first. To see if you were all right.”
She blinked and cocked her head. Looking after her, not spying. It had been so long since she’d had who cared enough to bother.
She had to swallow a few times before she could reply. “Of course I’m all right.” A stupid response, but he began walking again. She followed him, blinking against the brightness of melting snow off the glass castle. “But if I wasn’t all right,” she dared ask, “what would you have done?”
A shrug of those powerful shoulders. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“Indulge me.”
He didn’t look at her as he said, “I would have done what I needed to do.”
She ground her teeth. “Stop being so cagey.”
“I don’t see how knowing it makes any difference.”
She felt her nostrils flare, but kept her mouth shut. Fine.
They reached the front gates of the castle. The usual hustle and bustle of courtiers, servants, guards, and visitors was hardly lessened by the frigid day. She glanced up at the upper spires, her stomach twisting at more than the thought of climbing all those stairs to the king’s council room.
So much depended on this meeting—so much that she didn’t dare let herself think about it. And certainly not in front of Chaol, who could read her face with unnerving ease. So she grinned before he could turn to glimpse her face, to discover the doubt and fear underneath.
Absolute confidence, absolute arrogance: her best shields and most beloved masks.
“I hope His Majesty has a decent spread of food for me to eat while I’m being interrogated.”
“Watch your mouth or the only thing you’ll be eating is hot coals.”
“Do you actually make people do that?”
His eyes narrowed. “What kind of person do you take me for?”
“You are the Captain of the Guard of the most powerful man in the world. Wyrd knows what horrible things you’ve done to people.”
“You must be nervous as hell if you’re resorting to taunting me.”
She wouldn’t let that shake her, wouldn’t allow the grin or the swagger to pause for an instant. But she halted before the wide, sweeping front steps into the castle. The best lies were always mixed with the truth—let him believe what he would.

You can finish reading the scene at 4pm at Alexa Loves Books! I know, I know, you're extremely grateful and you don't know how best to express it, I get it. Just follow the scene today and that'll be thanks enough!

The Perks of Following a Throne of Glass Ambassador: Enter to win FIVE paperback copies of Throne of Glass.

So you haven't read Throne of Glass, is that right?

Well, you remember how I said I was a Throne of Glass Ambassador (I talked about what an honor it was, how exciting and fulfilling this opportunity would be, etc etc), kind of like a street team for the series and Sarah? This is already going to pay off for you guys because I get to giveaway five paperback editions of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. And even if you have read the book and just want another edition to add to your ToG shrine (like some people *points to self*), or just don't own it yet, which...

Now's your chance! The only catch is you have to be a US citizen to lay claim on one of the prizes. This giveaway will end in two short weeks with the intended cut off date as August 1st. So do whatever you have to to enter SOON!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
You can thank Bridget at Bloomsbury for this awesome chance. Send up your praises in the comments or share your love for Throne of Glass. I want you to. Like, now.

It's happened. I'm a Throne of Glass Ambassador.

At last, this day has come. I’m so proud of me.

It pays to be so consistently insistent about the things I love.



And so slavishly grateful to Bridget and Bloomsbury for giving me this remarkable opportunity to be part of Sarah’s army of badass fans. We’re armed with trailers, reviews, exclusive content and scenes, and bribes giveaways for the coming weeks leading up to the release of CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, the second book in this series, and a book I’ve already had the great pleasure of reading in advance. I know, I’ll try not to taunt you too much; I don’t want to run the risk of having anyone curse me as I’m unbelievably superstitious.

Looking back on my starry-eyed reaction to THRONE OF GLASS last summer and the little teaser reactions I did for the BEA titles I’ve read thus far, one of which included CROWN OF MIDNIGHT, it should come as no surprise that I would take this chance to help endorse one of my favorite series out there. Seriously, I try not to be fool.

I’ve mentioned this before—it’s beyond me to understand the heart of those who could turn away from Celaena and her story, who can’t or won’t understand her and love her. She is much more than the assassin on the new cover, more than a lethal young woman who can take down an arena of criminals in a competition. Small Review describes her perfectly in her recent post on the cover changes: “Sure she probably looks JUST like that cover picture in a few scenes. Rage burning, weapons out, and a look that says, "I.WILL.END.YOU." There are definitely some scenes like that.

But she's also a girl, and I think that defines her much more than her assassin traits.

She's a girl who likes pretty dresses and swoony romances and glamorous parties and emotional music. She plays with her puppy and has giggly tea parties with her best friend. She eats chocolate cakes (like, the whole cake) and she likes glittery decorations. She frequently indulges in shopping sprees. She loves deeply and she treasures her friends (and, please tagline, she does NOT have a "heart of ice"). These are all the reasons I love her as a character and want to be her friend.”

This is why Small Review and I have impromptu sessions of geekdom over the series— because we both love Celaena deeply. It’s my wish that with my reviews for the series, with the coming weeks' treasures related to the series, that you’ll find something in my posts to connect you to this series until you’re nearly without choice about reading it.



For those beastly fangirls of the series, you’re among friends. And I can only imagine how distraught and overcome with jealousy I’d be if others were reading CROWN OF MIDNIGHT before and without me. I don’t know that I can help each one of you with that, but at least you can feel safe in the knowledge that this book will be arriving in your hands next month. And there’s so much to look forward to.

This book takes on a much darker tone. There’s so much more blood, death, and atrocity, the very things that will ultimately push Celaena to a brink she hasn’t visited since before her time in the mines of Endovier. The carnage will be great, but it’s Celaena’s deadly transition sparked by the underestimation from her enemies that serves as one of the major highlights. I encourage you guys to gobble up any reviews you can to get you pumped, because you’ll need that adrenaline to help you through what’s to come.

More, there’s so much more emotion in this sequel as well. More sleuthing and mystery-solving, more sadness and remorse, more scars done to our protagonist. It’s as heartwrenching as it is thrilling, and just as puzzling as its predecessor.



Sarah J. Maas has written one of my soul series. You know, books that speak to something in you, a set of books that are all about the kind of things you enjoy reading. I love reading about girls who actually care about what they wear or what they put on their face because it’s fun, who enjoy being a girl, while still acknowledging and utilizing their own strengths and never allowing anyone to make them forget those strengths. I love reading about magic and books within a book and maps and questing and ancient royalty and piecing together the past to understand how they affect both present and future. I love that Sarah can write romance, and a romance that suits. I love reading about emotions, about the fear that can hinder and the bravery that arises out of that fear, about compassion and loyalty and friendship. It’s all these things that make THRONE OF GLASS and CROWN OF MIDNIGHT equally incredible.

You would do well to check them out. If not now, then allow me to convince you. Because this is a story I would want EVERYONE to try; it’s precious to me, and sometimes I’m not that greedy. This is one of those times. Let me share with you.