Transitive Verve

Note: This review may contain spoilers for all the previous books in the ACOTAR series, but will not contain spoilers for this particular installment. The wait for this book was already extra long--all the ACOTAR books had come out a year apart, but this one came out two  years after the last one--and it  felt  even longer, because 1) ACOFAS contained a preview of this book that was FIRE, and 2) on the whole, I was less than satisfied by the SJM release that we got last year, the first novel of her new Crescent City series . (I can't ever seem to remember its actual title, even right after I've just read it.) I liked it, I mostly just wished we could have this next ACOTAR book instead. And now we have it. For starters, I want to point out that the covers have been redone for the entire series, because I think they're trying to rebrand it as adult, which I fully support because OH MAN, this book was raunchy. I mean, I'm pretty sure we were all expecting it--Cassian and N...

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary:  Bryce Quinlan is half-human/half-fae in a world where even being full human makes life hard, let alone being a "half-breed." But she has a job as an assistant to an antiquities dealer, an apartment she shares with a ballet dancer, a mercenary, and the someday-heir to the wolf shifter throne, and weekends full of wild partying. All of that comes crashing to a halt as she comes home one night to find her best friends slaughtered. The murderer is apprehended, but Bryce will never be the same again. Two years later, similar murders are being committed, and it's clear that there is a further mystery to be solved. Bryce is recruited to help investigate, due to her connections to the victims, and along with fallen angel/assassin Hunt Athalar, Bryce dives into the deep underbelly of Crescent City in order to discover the truth and avenge her best friend, unprepared for the secrets that will be uncovered.

Thoughts at a glance: *** (I liked it) Summary: This is book 7 of the Throne of Glass series. Therefore, it will contain spoilers for all the previous books. If you would like to check out all my previous TOG reviews, here they are: Assassin's Blade  (Book 0/prequels) Throne of Glass Crown of Midnight Heir of Fire Queen of Shadows Empire of Storms Tower of Dawn  (parallel to EoS) When we last left Aelin and Co. in Empire of Storms , things were really bad. Like, REALLY bad. As in, "Aelin has been captured by Maeve and locked in an iron box and now no one knows where she is, and Lysandra has to pretend to BE her to keep the resistance going, because everyone knows they're probably going to die fighting the evil demon king, Erawan" bad. And Tower of Dawn  had Chaol, Yrene, and Nesryn racing back to the Northern continent with reinforcements and the news that Maeve is really a Valg QUEEN in disguise. And Manon and Dorian are off on THEIR own, trying ...

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) This is officially designated book 3.1 of the ACOTAR series, meaning that it's not a full novel, but it is a follow-up to the third book. It's kind of a sequel--an epilogue, really--that sets up the spinoff novels that will come out in the future. This review may contain spoilers for the previous books in the series. For those reviews, please see below: Book 1: A Court of Thorns and Roses Book 2: A Court of Mist and Fury Book 3: A Court of Wings and Ruin Summary: Hybern has been defeated, and for now, Prythian is trying to put itself back together and maintain the peace that they fought so hard for. For Feyre, now back with her beloved Rhys and their Night Court, it means settling into her duties as the High Lady. This includes not just the typical responsibilities to their people and their kingdom, but also sorting out the aftermath of everything they just went through (losing her father, nearly losing Rhys), helping ...

So, for the past couple years on this blog, I've recapped my top ten YA books that I've read for the year. Looking back at my 2017, I realized that I haven't read that much YA this year that came out this year . I've read and reread a lot of older books, and I've read a lot of non-YA (like, mainly romance). So I don't really have much of a list for you this year, but it's a list, nonetheless :/ Here are my top FIVE YA books from this year, in no particular order (I read more than five, but definitely didn't love them as much as these): Turtles All the Way Down  by John Green The much anticipated follow-up to TFIOS, TATWD manages to be awesome all on its own in very different ways. Yes, it's a mystery story, and yes, there are plucky, intelligent teenagers, but TATWD takes a very close, personal look at Green's own experiences with OCD and thought spirals through protagonist Aza Holmes. Read my review here . When Dimple Met Rishi ...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: This is book... 6? 5.5? of the Throne of Glass  series. Therefore, it will contain spoilers for all the previous books. If you would like to check out all my previous TOG reviews, please help yourself :) Assassin's Blade (collection of prequel novellas) Throne of Glass Crown of Midnight Heir of Fire Queen of Shadows Empire of Storms You have been warned!!! If you haven't read the series in a long time and need some refreshing, I would definitely recommend rereading "The Assassin and the Healer" from Assassin's Blade , as it introduces the character of Yrene Towers (one of the main characters in Tower of Dawn ) and maybe also Queen of Shadows , which takes place right before TOD. So, at the end of QOS, we have a small parting of ways. After the destruction of the glass castle in Rifthold and the subsequent revelations about Erawan and the greater threat to the world, Aelin and her crew (Rowan,...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary: This is book 3 of the ACOTAR series; therefore, this review contains spoilers of the first two books. You have been warned! You can click to read my reviews of A Court of Thorns and Roses  and A Court of Mist and Fury . At the end of the last book, Feyre, who has been made High Lady of the Night Court, is taken back to the Spring Court by Tamlin, who sold out his own people to the King of Hybern to get her back. In addition, Tamlin's priestess Ianthe had sold out Feyre's sisters to the King as well, and Feyre had been unable to save them from being changed into Fae by the King. So now she's in enemy territory, forced to pretend that she is no longer connected to her mate, Rhysand, so that she can gather information and bring down the Spring Court. And that's only the first step in a long and brutal battle to protect all of Prythian and the humans who live in the bordering territory.

Valentine's Day is coming, and if you happen to be unattached, you may be looking forward to spending some time with your favorite book boyfriend. Hell, I'm even in a relationship myself, and I will probably end up spending Valentine's Day with a book. (Though, this is because we choose not to celebrate, so don't feel bad for me or anything.) I thought I would take some time to make a list of some of my favorite dudes. These are the guys who make me swoon every time I read, who are just too precious cinnamon-roll-y for the real world, but whom I love all the same. Note: I fully acknowledge that this post is absolutely heteronormative. Also note: For any teenaged YA guys that I choose, that crush is coming from Teenaged Me. Or I'm projecting them forward into adulthood. I am not literally imagining mid-30s me with a teenage boyfriend, because that would be Not Okay. Also ALSO note: Spoiler warnings for all the books listed below. There were MANY I could...

I can't believe it's that time again! Here are the books that came out this year that I enjoyed most. I did not read nearly as many books as I wanted to read, so if you're looking at my list and wondering where X is and why it's not on my list - it could be because I just haven't read it yet. *hides* Please don't throw books at me. (I mean, unless they're good and you think I should read them. But try not to hit my head.) This list is in no particular order, and even though these are all technically YAF books, some of them have some adult content. (I think you will know what I mean, if you've read some of these.) A lot of these books are continuations of a series, which I know can be frustrating if you've never read them, but hey... now you have some things to put on your 2017 reading list. =P

Here we go, huh? I was super excited for this box!

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary:  This is book 5 of the Throne of Glass  series. Spoiler warning for all the previous books in effect. If you would like to read all my previous TOG reviews (as well as all other SJ Maas reviews), click here . Aelin Galathynius is returning to Terrasen to claim her throne, raise an army, and defeat the evil demon king that has been threatening Erilea for centuries. But things aren't going to be easy - with enemies amassing all over and around the continent, Aelin also has to deal with new dark creatures hunting her, long-dead royalty sending her on dangerous quests, and her responsibilities towards her dearest loved ones, who have sworn to fight by her side. With the continent descending into chaos, new friends, old friends, new enemies, and old enemies all come into play as Aelin pushes the limits of her fire magic and prepares for a war at a price that only she can pay.

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Summary:  This book is the sequel to A Court of Thorns and Roses . For my review of ACOTAR, go ahead and click here . Everything from this point on contains spoilers for that book. It has been months since Feyre freed herself, Tamlin, and everyone in Prythian from the curse set by the evil Amarantha. Everyone is trying to return to normal. Feyre and Tamlin are preparing to marry. Except it's not that easy - Feyre is still haunted by the events of Under the Mountain, from the lives she had to take, to the fact that her own human life had been taken. She wakes up from her nightmares, vomiting. She can no longer bring herself to paint. She feels herself being suffocated by the pressures and duties that come with her position as the soon-to-be Lady of the Spring Court. And there's also the bargain that she made with Rhysand while she was Under the Mountain, and the fact strange things have been happening ever since she was broug...

Last week was kind of a fantastic week for bookish fangirling: First, on Tuesday, I got to see/talk to Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff for the second time, and also got to meet Stacey Lee, whose book Under the Painted Sky  has been on my TBR list for a while. Second, on Wednesday, I got to meet MY QUEEN. (More on that in a sec.) And then on Saturday, I WENT TO WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER. (I'll post on that soon.) So yeah, it's been a pretty major week for me, in terms of books!

I decided to keep close track of the books I read this year for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, which is not something I've done before (and this blog only just began in March!), so this is my first top ten list! These are my favorite books that were released this year. I know there are a GREAT many books that were left off my list (like books from Sabaa Tahir, Rainbow Rowell, Patrick Ness, etc.), and that's because I haven't gotten around to reading them yet! I know, sacrilege! If only there were more hours in the day and more of me to get things done. But these are my top ten that I've read  from this year. Without further ado, here they are, in no particular order: Illuminae  by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff Okay, I know I said "in no particular order," but I'd be lying if I didn't say that this was probably my FAVORITE book from this year. It was clever and unique in terms of its format, but it also just had a fantastic, gripping story. ...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) This is book 4 of the Throne of Glass series, so my post assumes that you've read the first three, as well as the novella collection Assassin's Blade . To read all my Sarah J. Maas reviews, click here . This review contains spoilers for all the previous books as well as this one. Previously on Adventures of a Badass Female Assassin... Aelin Galathynius has come home at last. Well, sort of - the long-lost queen of Terrasen has some business to take care of before she can truly return home: she needs to find the third Wyrdkey, which happens to be in the possession of her former master, Arobynn Hamel; she needs to avenge the wrongs committed against her by Arobynn; she needs to rescue her cousin, Aedion Ashryver; she needs to destroy the disgusting Valgs, which are growing in numbers; and she needs to kill the King of Adarlan. Oh, and magic is still being suppressed on the continent, so she needs to find a way to bring back ma...

Thoughts at a glance: **** (I really liked it) Assassin's Blade  is a collection of five novellas that take place before the book Throne of Glass,  about assassin Celaena Sardothien before she was captured and sent to the prison at Endovier (which is where ToG begins). Individually, they were released immediately after ToG in 2012 (though the collection was finally released in 2014), so as long as you've read ToG , even if you haven't read the rest of the series, you're good. If you haven't read any of them, then spoiler alerts for you! ---------- At sixteen, Celaena is the protege of King of Assassins, Arobynn Hamel. She's the best assassin in the entire guild, notorious for her skill and arrogance. Second to her is Sam Cortland, whom she has known and worked with her whole life, and though they are rivals, he is also the person she trusts the most and he eventually also becomes the man that she loves. But as we know from ToG, things do not end well f...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) This is book 3 of the Throne of Glass  series, so my post assumes that you've read the first two (or that you've at least read my posts on the first two here and here ). This review contains spoilers for both of them, and spoilers for this book will be under the cut. Okay, for real, I just cannot handle this series. It is so ridiculously epic that my heart just can't take it. When we last left off, assassin Celaena Sardothien was on a ship bound for Wendlyn, one of the last fae strongholds, and she had just revealed that she is in fact Aelin Galathynius, the lost princess. Remember how her parents had been brutally murdered when she was eight? Well, we have just learned that they weren't just ordinary people, but the heirs to the throne of Terrasen. The fact that she, Aelin, is still alive means that she is their rightful queen, and probably the only person left who might be able to take a stand against the King of ...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) This is book 2 of the Throne of Glass  series, and my post assumes you've read the first book (or, at least read my post about it). There are DEFINITELY spoilers for the first book. Spoilers for this book will be under the cut. Having won the title of King's Champion, Celaena's job for the next four years is to do the King's dirty work - to kill anyone he wants killed. But Celaena is hiding a dangerous secret - she hasn't been killing anyone (on purpose, at least). She has been offering them all a chance to flee the country with new lives and identities, and then bringing home severed heads of corpses from sickhouses to present to the King, and so far, he's been none the wiser. When he asks her to seek out Archer Finn, an old friend whom he suspects is working with the rebel forces, things get a little more complicated. Things get even more complicated as she learns that the rebels are trying to find the los...

Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Epic. EPIC! Celaena Sardothien is only 18, but she has earned herself the title of Queen of the Underworld by becoming the continent's deadliest assassin, having trained under the tutelage of the King of Assassins since the age of 8. But she has spent the last year of her life in Endovier, an absolutely brutal prison where she endures day after day of backbreaking labor and whippings, after being captured in what was probably an act of betrayal. However, she is given a chance at freedom - the Crown Prince of Adarlan himself, Dorian Havilliard, shows up declaring that she will be his sponsored contestant in a competition the King is holding for what is essentially the position of royal assassin. Training with Chaol Westfall, the captain of the Royal Guard, she will need to defeat 22 other dangerous criminals in a series of tests as well as a final duel, in order to become the King's Champion, and after four years of servitude...

This copy was provided for free from Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. Thoughts at a glance: ***** (It was amazing!) Eros and Psyche... Beauty and the Beast... and now Feyre and Tamlin... A Court of Thorns and Roses  is yet another rendition of the old, old tale of a man bounded by magic, who must win the love of a human girl to survive. If that girl were Katniss Everdeen. Feyre's life consists of hunting and hard labor - anything she can do to feed her father and two ungrateful sisters. One day she kills a wolf who is actually a faerie soldier in disguise, and when the High Fae (prince/lord/dude), Tamlin, demands her life in exchange, she has no choice but to go with him. In this world, humans and faeries have a long history, one fraught with violence and servitude - humans were once slaves in this book's universe. Their lives are full of fear and hatred for these magical beings that took pleasure in torturing humankind. It's no wonder that ...