November 21, 2018

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Review

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass, #1)Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is how you set up a series! I love the characters so far, and the love interest plot line is not overdone. There are several plots going on within the book, but they don't overshadow each other, rather they work together to further the main plot line.

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Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas Review

Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7)Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It truly is the end of an era. Maas has outdone herself in this final book of the TOG series and I cannot day enough good things about it. The character development is insanely amazing, there are so many twists and turns (I didn’t see a single one coming, honestly), and her writing style is unparalleled! It’s cliche but accurate to say I laughed, I cried, I felt every emotion. I’m always amazed by the fact that SJM can make us feel for fictional characters- probably because we’ve had 6 books and a handful of novellas leading up to this. I recommend this to everyone, period.

In a word, this book is ICONIC.

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November 10, 2018

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer Review

Twilight (Twilight, #1)Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I’m giving this one star instead mostly because you can’t give something zero stars, and partially because it was a little less horrific than I remember. That being said, it’s still pretty horrific. I picked up the first three books of this series when our library was having a sale; I bought all three for $2.00. Probably paid too much, to be perfectly honest.

I’m not sure why I decided to re-read this series, but I needed something different from my typical go-to novels. Let me tell you- this was the wrong book to pick up. The first time I read this, I was 15 (a freshmen in high school), and I distinctly remember being creeped out by Edward. He’s not the charming, passionate boyfriend everyone wants him to be... he’s a psychopath with some serious mental problems. I guess that makes him perfect for Bella, since she’s just as insane! Needless to say, the characters irritate me and their thoughts/ actions really don’t make much sense (the book doesn’t make much sense though, so... there’s that...).

Moving on to the writing itself. This is definitely one of the most poorly written and edited books I’ve read. I wish I was kidding. I can only handle so many misspelled words in one book; I feel like the editors couldn’t be bothered to mention any of the typos or plot holes, for that matter, before publishing. I guess Meyer wrote the second half of this book first, and then backtracked. I’m not sure how it’s possible, but the first half is actually better than the second. It really just falls flat for me, and I’m not sure why I’m torturing myself by re-reading these books.

Overall, this series is a train wreck from the beginning. It’s horribly written, the characters are incredibly annoying, and it’s just not entertaining. I was able to read it quickly mostly due to the fact that it’s written on such a low level. If you need something to pass the time, and you’re into shitty romance novels without any action or steamy moments, this would be perfect for you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t recommend it to a friend. I’m thinking about re-reading New Moon only because I want to see if it goes up from here. But I definitely need a break before I start it... if I start it.

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Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas Review

Tower of Dawn (Throne of Glass, #6)Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have to be honest- I wasn’t overly enthusiastic when I first saw this book in the library only because Chaol was one of my least favorite characters in this series. I was really indifferent about him (but I don’t hate the guy) until I read this book. The beginning was a little slow for me, but I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I read Empire of Storms so long ago. It usually takes me a few chapters to get back into someone’s style. That being said, I’m obsessed with this series and Sarah J. Maas is definitely my favorite author!! I don’t know what else to say other than she’s a genius and I adore her writing so, so much. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book, regardless of which series it belongs to.

One important note- I didn’t realize this was a parallel novel to Empire of Storms, which is probably why I was so confused when I first picked it up. The events in this book happen at the same time as the events in EoS, so keep that in mind. Don’t be silly like me and expect to find anything new until the end. No spoilers, I promise!

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Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard Review

Red Queen (Red Queen, #1)Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of my friends asked me if this book was worth finishing (she’s about halfway through). To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure if I’ll be picking up the next book in this series or not. I remember trying to read it two or three times over summer break, and I just wasn’t 100% sold on the plot or the characters. I read a lot of young adult fiction and I have to say- this isn’t the worst, but it’s pretty run-of-the-mill, as far as dystopian novels go. It’s not the worst, but it’s definitely not the best. The ideas are there (shout out to Emily for that line!) and it seems like an interesting story. The ending feels a bit rushed and the plot twists at the end are interesting but not satisfying for me, personally.

SJM has spoiled me... I hold authors to such high standards now that I’ve read her beautiful novels. I would recommend Sarah J. Maas, Marie Lu, and Leigh Bardugo if you’re looking for some awesome YA picks!

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