Literally Lenny: review

What's it about?

"Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world" - Goodreads Synopsis

My thoughts:

I was very worried I wasn't going to enjoy this as much as I did. I gave Heir of Fire only 3 stars because I found it quite boring. However, this book did redeem itself. I think I was able to enjoy this because all original characters were back together again. Not to mention, I finally understood the purpose of Manon and her story. Because forever I just did not see her purpose. Not even remotely.

So. For why I love this book: I love how Sarah J Maas wrote Aelin's character. I love how freaking MORE badass she is now, not to mention how brilliant she is. Major girl power. She 100% is always on top of her game and coming up with the next best plan. I loved the mind games she played with people to get what she wanted. If anyone wants a symbol of girl empowerment, look no further. This woman is seriously bad. ass.

Ok. Here comes the explanation for only 4 stars.

The name change. I will never STOP being confused about this. She will always be Celaena to me. I just wish Sarah J Maas had done without a permanent name change because boy does it screw me up. I get so lost trying to keep up with character's names throughout the MASSIVE story, and changing the main character's name did not help me keep everything straight in my head. Yes, I understand why it happened and why it was significant, but I could just not wrap my head around it.

But honestly, that's such a minor negative to this book that it really does deserve 5 stars. But I'd be lying if I said the permanent name change didn't irk me a bit.

Overall, I give Queen of Shadows 4 fiery stars.

Next stop: EMPIRE OF STORMS!

11:38 AM No comments

What's it about?

"After growing up on a farm in Virginia, Walthingham Hall in England seems like another world to sixteen-year-old Katherine Randolph. Her new life, filled with the splendor of upper-class England in the 1820s, is shattered when her brother mysteriously drowns. Katherine is expected to observe the mourning customs and get on with her life, but she can't accept that her brother's death was an accident.

A bitter poacher prowls the estate, and strange visitors threaten the occupants of the house. There's a rumor, too, that a wild animal stalks the woods of Walthingham. Can Katherine retain her sanity long enough to find out the truth? Or will her brother's killer claim her life, too?" - Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts:

The Gilded Cage was essentially a cross between Pride and Prejudice and the Princess Diaries circa 1800s with a side of murder mystery. If this sounds even remotely interesting, you should definitely give this book a read. It's a wicked quick read and very gripping.

I really liked George and Katherine because of their relaxed country manners. They didn't go into lordship for the money. They did it because they were the heirs. I don't know. I guess I just liked how humble they were. Not to mention the opening scene is Katherine on the farm doing target practice. Major badass.

The romance seemed very forced...not to mention quite random. Like yes, it was essentially the hate turned love relationship that Liz and Darcy had, but it was almost as if it was trying too hard to be Liz and Darcy rather than their own.

I will say, the murders were a complete plot twist because given that I had not read the synopsis before starting this, I was thrown completely off guard. I love when that happens because I feel as if it's really difficult to catch me off guard when reading a book. I find most books to be even somewhat predictable.

The reason I would rate it what I do is just because it wasn't anything significant. Nothing super special or mind blowing. Just another quick read that was fun to read when you get home from a long day of work.

Overall, I give The Gilded Cage 3 stars.

7:55 PM No comments

5:45 PM No comments

What's it about?

"A prehistoric fantasy—with allusions to Pride and Prejudice.

Hunting, gathering, and keeping his family safe—that’s the life seventeen-year-old Kol knows. Then bold, enigmatic Mya arrives from the south with her family, and Kol is captivated. He wants her to like and trust him, but any hopes of impressing her are ruined when he makes a careless—and nearly grave—mistake. However, there’s something more to Mya’s cool disdain…a history wrought with loss that comes to light when another clan arrives. With them is Lo, an enemy from Mya’s past who Mya swears has ulterior motives.

As Kol gets to know Lo, tensions between Mya and Lo escalate until violence erupts. Faced with shattering losses, Kol is forced to question every person he’s trusted. One thing is for sure: this was a war that Mya or Lo—Kol doesn’t know which—had been planning all along."- Goodreads Synopsis

My thoughts:

I was really disappointed in this book. I was really excited to read a prehistoric pride and prejudice but it was almost too much with how cheesy and predictable it was. Obviously, being a massive fan of pride and prejudice may make me prejudice towards anyone trying to replicate the story. But I just feel like this could've been so much better. I really did not like Maya. And I found their romance to be really dull and random. I mean, Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship was far from either of those things. Maybe it's just that I was expecting too much. I'm not sure. I think that Maya should have had a much larger part than she did. She was just kinda "there".

I did like when the plot started to evolve into its own story because then nothing was predictable. It actually left me guessing. But. That's where the guessing stopped. The ending was mediocre and very truncated.

However, what saved this book for me was the creativity that the author had with writing such a unique story. Whether or not it was actually historically accurate, it was a fun read just for the setting. Because honestly, when was the last time you read a YA set in a prehistoric time?

Overall, I give Ivory and Bone 3 stars.

9:40 PM No comments

What's it about?

"There’s no such thing as safe.

Kate Harker wants to be as ruthless as her father. After five years and six boarding schools, she’s finally going home to prove that she can be.

August Flynn wants to be human. But he isn’t. He’s a monster, one that can steal souls with a song. He’s one of the three most powerful monsters in a city overrun with them. His own father’s secret weapon.

Their city is divided.

Their city is crumbling.

Kate and August are the only two who see both sides, the only two who could do something.

But how do you decide to be a hero or a villain when it’s hard to tell which is which?"- Goodreads Synopsis

My Thoughts?

I was really impressed by this book because I had quite mediocre expectations, regardless of the hype currently surrounding this. I'm not by any means Victoria Schwab's biggest fan, but I'm also not her worst enemy. I find her books to be mediocre and entertaining at times, but nothing substantial.

This book made me reevaluate my opinion of Victoria. This book is easily her best work. Easily.

This Savage Song was so refreshing! Yes, it had the typical badass girl with family problems, and the awkward boy with a dark past (no pun intended) but Victoria evolved these characters like I've never seen her do before. I recently read A Gathering of Shadows, which I gave 3 stars, and there was only one character that I found to have a really great development throughout the story. The others were very one-dimensional, as if she only focused on that one character and no one else.

In This Savage Song you actually get to see the inner workings of each character and how their lives become intertwined. I think I also really enjoyed the futuristic setting of this book, when Victoria tends to set her books in kind of a futuristic version of the 1800s...if that makes any sense.

I can tell that Victoria really went out of her comfort zone and explored the possibilities, and let me tell you, she did really well.

Overall, I give This Savage Song 4 stars!

8:00 PM No comments