Review: A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Publication date: 28th February 2023
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 880

The stunning, standalone prequel to the New York Times bestselling The Priory of the Orange Tree.
Tunuva Melim is a sister of the Priory. For fifty years, she has trained to slay wyrms – but none have appeared since the Nameless One, and the younger generation is starting to question the Priory's purpose.
To the north, in the Queendom of Inys, Sabran the Ambitious has married the new King of Hróth, narrowly saving both realms from ruin. Their daughter, Glorian, trails in their shadow – exactly where she wants to be.
The dragons of the East have slept for centuries. Dumai has spent her life in a Seiikinese mountain temple, trying to wake the gods from their long slumber. Now someone from her mother's past is coming to upend her fate.
When the Dreadmount erupts, bringing with it an age of terror and violence, these women must find the strength to protect humankind from a devastating threat.
Intricate and epic, Samantha Shannon sweeps readers back to the world of A Priory of the Orange Tree, showing us a course of events that shaped it for generations to come.

The Priory of the Orange Tree is one of my favourite fantasy epics - sweeping in scope, lush in vivid rich details, and breath taking in its audacity. Which meant that I had both high hopes and huge fears when it came to A Day of Fallen Night - how could it possibly compare? 

I should not have worried.

Priory will always be excellent, but A Day of Fallen Night is a masterclass that showcases Shannon’s growing talent. She is a force to be reckoned with, a writer who can craft incredibly rich and detailed stories and never lose their reader for an instant. Fallen Night is a behemoth, an epic 880 pages long, but none of that feels bloated or unnecessary. Instead it is a tapestry of interweaving characters and plots, layered over years, coloured through time, and embroidered with the acts of humanity that make it feel raw and real to the reader.

I have struggled over the days since finishing it to articulate fully how I feel about this book. It’s hard to distil it down to a few choice words and phrases. Instead, I will simply press the book into people's hands with the instruction to read it. Read it and fall in love with the world, with the characters, with the scope and force of this novel. 

It is a masterclass in writing, an epic to rival big name fantasy epics, but frankly executed better and with a richer and diverse world. This is one that I will revisit time and time again, and I’m already excited to explore it through the audiobook.

Add this to your to read pile, you won’t regret it.

Review: The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper

Spoilers below, proceed with caution.

Thanks to Netglley for providing me a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Publication date: 17th May 2020

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 313

As a successful social media journalist with half a million followers, seventeen-year-old Cal is used to sharing his life online. But when his pilot father is selected for a highly publicized NASA mission to Mars, Cal and his family relocate from Brooklyn to Houston and are thrust into a media circus.

Amidst the chaos, Cal meets sensitive and mysterious Leon, another “Astrokid,” and finds himself falling head over heels—fast. As the frenzy around the mission grows, so does their connection. But when secrets about the program are uncovered, Cal must find a way to reveal the truth without hurting the people who have become most important to him.

Expertly capturing the thrill of first love and the self-doubt all teens feel, debut author Phil Stamper is a new talent to watch.

This book had all the marks of a read that I was going to adore, but sadly ‘The Gravity of Us’ just didn’t pull me in. Part of this was due to not really connecting with Cal, as he often came across as completely selfish and didn’t give any consideration to what was going on with those around him. But the majority of this was due to slightly dubious  issues of consent running throughout.

There are two big instances of this, and they completely marred my enjoyment of the rest of the novel. Firstly, when Cal knows there are cameras on himself and Leon, and that Leon isn’t out, yet chooses to take Leon’s hand and have an intimate moment with him that he knows is being filmed and will eventually be broadcast. Leon is unaware of what’s happening, and only finds out when the footage is released. There’s a brief moment where Leon is horrified about what has happened and the knowledge  that Cal knew and acted with intent, but then it’s completely forgotten about and never discussed or resolved.

The second instance is the entire relationship between Cal’s parents. Cal’s father applies for the space programme without talking to his wife about it at any point. He then uproots the entire family and completely disregards his wife’s anxiety and wishes. Now maybe these are dealt with in conversations that Cal isn’t privy too, but it doesn’t seem like it, and the entire portrayal left me with a bad aftertaste.

The idea is intriguing, but it never really flies. I wanted to like it so much, but ultimately I just felt frustrated and disheartened by the issues I’ve outlined above, and they coloured my overall enjoyment of the book.

Review: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

Published in the US as "The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle"

Publication date: October 1st 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 528

The Rules of Blackheath
Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m.
There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit.
We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer.
Understood? Then let's begin...
Evelyn Hardcastle will die. Every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others...

This book kept cropping up everywhere, but I never really took notice until I finally had a look at the blurb - and what a blurb! Decidedly curious, I finally picked up a copy only to find myself completely hooked and unable to put the book down again.

It's been a few days since I finished it and I'm still thinking about it, which is usually a pretty good sign of how I felt about the book. It's an incredible, intricately layered story, that feels like surely it can't work yet it really really does. 

I've tried explaining bits to my husband and watched his face go all screwy as he tries to make sense of it all, and honestly at times I did feel a little like that. There were parts I had to skip back over and re-read before moving on, just to make sure I had all the threads correctly before I started adding in the next bit of information.

Some of the twists were a little obvious, others sprang out at me and I had to refit all of my assumptions to cater to the new information, so it was a really great mix of being able to work some of it out and then still getting some surprises.

One of the best aspects was Aiden's body hopping from day to day. I know a few readers came unstuck over one of his hosts that he spends a good portion of the time fat shaming. I can completely understand why some people might find that upsetting and stop reading. However, I pushed through to see whether it did get better, and honestly I felt that whilst some elements maybe weren't handled as well as they could have bene, I think that overall the explanations for his initial responses really help. As Aiden hops from body to body he has very little sense of self and identity, he's a bit of a harsh critic, but he is equally harsh of a lot of his hosts. I could understand why someone who is being thrust from person to person at this rate, would struggle with sudden limitations that he isn't used to, and doesn't really have time to adjust to. I liked watching Aiden have to adapt to his differing circumstances, and I loved when he started to become less bogged down in the frustrations and limitations, and really started to work with what each host could offer to help him solve the problem.

It's a thorny, twisty, wonderful novel. I really struggled to tear myself away, and was genuinely quite freaked out at a few points reading at night. If you like dark and sometimes troubling novels, that have a complex and brilliantly plotted narrative then this is an absolute must read.

Review: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

This review is spoiler free!

Publication Date: 23rd October 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 984 pages

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .
Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…
With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.
And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.
As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

There was a lot riding on this book - my re-read over the last few weeks had only highlighted that. Sarah had created such a sprawling complex world, peopled with incredible multi-faceted characters, and with such a layered and brilliant plot - followed with the mother of all endings for both "Empire of Storms" and "Tower of Dawn". I honestly didn't know how this book could provide a satisfying conclusion. How, with all of those expectations riding on it, could it live up to it?
Because Sarah is a damn fine writer, and this book showcases her skills extraordinarily, it totally surpassed all my hopes and dreams for it.

I was afraid that for whatever reason this final instalment might mar the series for me - might not manage to provide a satisfying resolution. So I was wary but excited going in, but quickly realised my fears were entirely unfounded.
It is a bittersweet, beautiful conclusion. Sure, it's heart-breaking and terrifying, and there are moments where you honest to god think it's all going to hell and there's no way anyone is getting out of this alive... But there are lighter moments too. Unexpected moments of humour that had me laughing out loud. Touching scenes that had me weeping. Thrilling moments that raised goose bumps on my arms and made me pause to catch my breath before continuing on. I savoured this book. I drew it out as long as I could bear, whilst desperately wanting to race through it, to find out what happens. 

There is heartbreak. There's devastation. Not everyone makes it through to the final pages. But that only serves to add to the overall emotion. The stakes feel very high and very real this time, and I genuinely wasn't certain at various points who would make it through, if this was finally it, if I were witnessing final desperate stands and breaths.

There are a few problems - no book is perfect. And I found myself flagging a bit before the final act because I felt almost a little bit cheated by how some things were being laid to play out. I want to talk about those properly, but not until the book has been out for a lot longer and spoilers are not so stressful. However whilst there were some issues, I didn't find that it ruined my enjoyment overall. I still loved the book, and felt it was a really wonderful conclusion to the series.

I haven't experienced the feeling of community that arose around this book since Harry Potter. Sharing updates with people, checking in at 'OH MY GOD' moments with friends. Swapping emotions and feelings and tears back and forth and feeling as though you're part of something whilst reading this. It's magic. It doesn't come around very often, but when it does it is something truly incredible to be part of.

This series has meant a lot to me. More than I will ever truly be able to articulate. I feel so incredibly grateful that all those years ago I had a parcel drop through my letterbox with a proof of Throne of Glass in, and a note from Bloomsbury saying to read it, they thought it was something pretty special.
It is a series that has developed and matured over the years, and offered me something new every time I go back and re-read it, and whilst this conclusion was satisfying and wonderful and I adore it, I am also bereft that this is it. There will be no more. I will miss this court and all those around them fiercely. I will come back to them again and again.

This is a fitting conclusion to the series. A beautiful final act. A bright beacon of hope in dark times, that reminds us to fight for a better world.

Throne of Glass re-read: Tower of Dawn

Publication Date: September 5th 2017
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 660 pages

In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.
Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.
His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.
But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined.

With the long anticipated release of "Kingdom of Ash" tomorrow, it seemed the perfect moment to post my re-read review for "Tower of Dawn", before I launch into the final book in the series. And it's such a unique and curious book in the series, for the first time following an entirely separate thread to Aelin's story, and focussing instead on one of the most polarizing characters in the series, Chaol.

There have been refrains of "do I really need to read this book, I don't like Chaol!" echoing through the internet since this book was first announced, and it still remains a hotly contested debate. My feeling has always been that if it was written and published, it's pretty essential. Would you skip one of the Harry Potter books if it was written from someone else's point of view? No. So I've always felt this is pretty important reading, and my feelings about that after finishing it again have only grown.

It's a slow start, and it's strange to suddenly be thrust into a story that Aelin has no obvious part in. She's still there, in the odd reports that filter back to Chaol, in his thoughts and his actions. She's like a spectre (which given the ending of Empire of Storms is only more distressing guys) hanging over the story in her inadvertent actions with Yrene in TAB, and in the impact that she has had on Chaol.

And let's talk about Chaol. He has been through so much over these books, and I love the growth and character development that Maas has put him through. He's grown up in a very rigid world view, and he's had almost everything he believed to be true broken down and ripped away from him. Sure he didn't react in the best way to some things, but that's because he's human. None of us are perfect, and how flawed Chaol is only serves to make him more interesting as a character.
His growth over the course of this book is particularly poignant, and has made me even more excited for his reunion with the others in the final book.

I loved Yrene, she's an excellent addition to the pantheon of characters, and one who helps to balance Chaol beautifully. She is one of many fascinating character's we're introduced to in this book, and honestly the thought of everyone coming together for the last hurrah makes me so excited.

This additional space and time to add depth to the world building, and provide crucial information is incredibly important. Some of the bombs Maas drops on us in these pages had me gasping out loud - there are some real game changers folded into this story and they are incredibly exciting.

All in all this is a worthy addition to the series. It picks up speed the further into the story you get, and it's an incredible, fraught and brilliant story that helps to move the final pieces into place for the showdown in the finale.
I love it, and I cannot recommend it enough. Should you read this book, absolutely yes. If you've not yet picked it up, get on it now before you start "Kingdom of Ash", you'll regret it if you don't.

Throne of Glass re-read: Empire of Storms

Publication date: September 6th 2016

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Length: 693 pages

The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius as war looms on the horizon. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.
With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.
In this breath-taking fifth instalment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, Aelin will have to choose what—and who—to sacrifice if she's to keep the world of Erilea from breaking apart.

I can't even with this book. Just. What. Even. This series keeps on improving, it's like Maas sees each excellent instalment as a challenge - "Oh I broke your heart with that book? LET ME HAVE YOUR SOUL WITH THIS ONE."

I adore "Queen of Shadows" like you wouldn't believe, but I'd not fully allowed myself to remember just how insanely brilliant "Empire of Storms" is. Whilst the fourth book takes its time to build to an earth shattering final quarter, the fifth kicks off hard and fast and brutal and doesn't let up.

All the threads that Maas has gently woven over the course of the series are pulled together and it is a sight to behold. Suddenly there are pairings you never knew you wanted, character interactions which are brilliant in so many ways, and the whole thing feels like one giant reward for all the plotting that has come before. This is a book that rewards you for your dedication and attention as everything starts to be revealed and set up for a truly amazing finale.

The confrontation in Skulls Bay at the halfway point is incredible. I love it when a plan comes together, and there is nothing quite like a team of characters working with each other. Lysandra vs. the sea wyverns honest to god gives me chills as everyone else rallies around to support her. It's just so intense and you're left completely dizzy and breathless by the end. Which all goes to show just how damn extraordinary the writing is.

Then the brief lull - although by no means boring - whilst the pieces are all moved into place for the final heart-breaking showdown, and oh boy did I cry. Even though I was expecting it this time, I still tore through the pages desperate to see how it plays out. I still had goose-bumps as everything falls into place and everyone comes together in one glorious moment. I still was in tears at the gut wrenching heartbreak and emotional sucker punch of the end.

It's incredible. The writing, the characters, the plotting, the layering that slowly unwraps and offers this stunning instalment and sets up what is sure to be an unbelievable final instalment. I adored this book, but I am so glad that I'd put off re-reading it until only a few days before the release of "Kingdom of Ash"!

Throne of Glass re-read: Queen of Shadows

Publication date: 1st September 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 645 pages

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 will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. 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.
Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world. 

You know, after re-reading this one, I think this might be my favourite book of the series. It's a tough call, but oh my word this book is truly EPIC. I get chills every time I read the last quarter, as everything kicks into an insanely high gear and the world goes to hell and it's all AMAZING.

Whilst "Heir of Fire" is the point where you realise that this series is about so much more than you originally thought, "Queen of Shadows" is the point where everything kicks off and you end up flinging yourself head first into the story whilst everything goes horribly wrong and horribly right and you realise that this, THIS, is what you've been waiting for and building to.

There's something about being back in Rifthold again, getting all of the major players together, unfolding these relationships that have been building both on and off the page for several books, that makes this book fly. I adore how centred Aelin is in this book, I love seeing more of how her mind works and her plans unfold. I love the number of OH DAMN moments where I stop breathing as I desperately read to find out what will happen next. I love the relationship that builds between her and Lysandra because dammit the world needs more female friendships, and whilst I loved Nehemia, there's something really wonderful and equal about the relationship between Lysandra and Aelin.

I love that no-one is entirely good or bad, I love the shades of grey that creep into every character. I love that we get to see more of these character's fleshed out. We get more of Chaol's complete break down in preparation for him to be built back up even greater than before in "Tower of Dawn", I love Aedion and the history between them and the new facets that show with Aelin as a result of their interactions. And I love Rowan. I've always loved Rowan, but I think I'm appreciating him even more this time around.

Basically this is one big love fest. I knew I was going to enjoy this re-read, I'd been carefully holding off going back to the series in preparation for exactly this splurge just before the final book, but I'd never really appreciated how much I would enjoy it. It's been such a joy to re-experience these books, in some cases for the first time since my first read of them. To get to really savour the characters and know a vague idea of where the story is going, that only serves to highlight just how good the writing and storytelling is.

If you've struggled to get into this series, I cannot recommend enough pushing through and getting to this point, because the pay off is glorious. I adore this series, there is so much depth to it, so many layers to unpack, and I am clearly going to end up crying like a small child when I finish "Kingdom of Ash". But for now, I'm on to "Empire of Storms" where I will be happy and joyful crushed anew by the emotional turmoil experienced within those pages...

Throne of Glass re-read: Heir of Fire

Publication Date: September 11th 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 562 pages

Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can't bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back...
The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king - for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil the bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her?

Continuing with my series re-read before the (EVER APPPROACHING) release of "Kingdom of Ash" (LESS THAN A MONTH GUYS) I went into "Heir of Fire" for my very first re-read since it was released.
My feelings about this book were complicated the first time around. I was still under the impression that the series would only be a trilogy (so glad that was incorrect) and it meant that I was permanently frustrated whilst reading at the lack of story movement and all the threads that were tantalising me and refusing to be tied up neatly. It just felt wrong, and once I discovered that there were more books to come that was completely fine, but it did mar the initial reading for me.

So this was a fresh start of sorts. My expectations for it being the end of the series having lifted, I was able to go into this book with very little recollection of what happens (it's been four years...) ready to fall in love with it. So many people have said that this book was where they truly fell for this series, when all of their feelings exploded into full blown adoration for the books. And when I recommend this series I do give a warning that people should push through to book 3 before deciding whether they like the series or not. They usually fall in love before that.

I think the combination this time was just right. Lack of expectations, barely any recollection of the storyline for this instalment, and being a few years older and having had different life experiences created the perfect blend for me to truly fall in love. I relished this story, experiencing it as though for the first time, as I wept and raged with Celaena and watched her break down and rebuild herself back up again. It was a truly extraordinary thing to read, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I got a bit teary and goosebumpy by the end.

This is the first time that we really see the story diverge into multiple different threads, and whilst it's sad to be out of that bubble of Celaena's world in Rifthold, Maas handles the transition deftly and makes you care for every single person you follow. It's a sign of the growing world, the expanding layers that are being peeled back in the story. This is no longer the story of a girl assassin who was enslaved. This is an epic that crosses time and countries and wraps so many incredible characters up in its grasp.

And Celaena herself - oh how my heart broke for her. She is such an incredibly complex character, and the growth that we see from her in this book alone is staggering. It truly cements Maas as a writer to be watched. She has now shown in both her series' her ability to create stunningly real characters, and to show how broken they can become through their experiences. We do not get enough representation of depression, grief, anxiety, PTSD etc. in YA fiction, and I love that she isn't afraid to tackle that, and to do so sensitively and well. She shows that things can break you, but you can be reforged, you can rebuild yourself, and that is a truly incredible thing to see in fiction. 
These books are important to so many people, myself included, and I think that that is a good portion of the reason for that.

Yes, the book is slower than some of the others in the series, but it makes sense. It allows you to take time to get to know Celaena and her traumas and her past. To truly unwrap this character and allow the reader to understand her. No longer is she a spoiled and whiny teenager, she is forged into something stronger, more enduring, and is utterly incredible to watch.

In short, I loved it. I'm so glad I'd given myself so much time before coming back to it, to allow myself to almost experience it for the first time again. It's the turning point in the series, the moment when you realise that Maas has been putting the pieces in place for a much bigger game than you realised, and that this series is going to be something truly remarkable.

Throne of Glass re-read: Crown of Midnight

Publication Date: August 15th 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 418 pages

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.
Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom...

And so the re-read continues, with for some people perhaps one of the less loved instalments in the series. Yet I really love this book, and that feeling held even on this re-read and knowing what's to come.
It's a truly impressive sequel, with Maas taking what she's built in the first book and developing it further as well as chucking romance and a terrifying mystery into the mix.

We also start to see the start of one of the things I particularly love about her stories, she gives her heroines the chance to grow, evolve, and for their loves to change with them. There's none of this 'true love and that's it, straight off with the first person you meet'. No Maas allows her characters to fall in and out of love, for circumstance to change feelings, and her characters to not be slut shamed for having multiple love interests over the course of their lives. It was something I first came across with Tamora Pierce in the Alanna quartet, and it makes me stupidly happy to see Maas allowing her characters the same freedom in her series.

Maas takes her time with this series, to progress character development and take her time unveiling the layers and facets to this world and the arcs she has plotted for everyone, and I just love revelling in that. This book is filled with some gasp worthy moments, as well as a fair dollop of heart break and tragedy. But it all feels so real, and that is a mark of a truly brilliant story.

I enjoyed getting to see more of Rifthold, to see what being the King's Champion means, and on this re-read paying particular attention to the little clues that Maas peppers the story with pertaining to the characters and what's to come for them.

I'd forgotten how much I love this series, it's been a while since I've let myself go back and revisit it, and I'm really enjoying seeing that my love hasn't changed with the break, more it has evolved and I now find things that used to frustrate me bother me less, and I can appreciate some aspects of the characters that I never fully embraced before.

This is an incredible series, one that deserves all the recognition it has garnered over the years. If you've been hesitant about picking it up let this be the nudge to get you started. I cannot recommend them enough, and there's nothing quite like spending time with these characters.

Throne of Glass re-read: Throne of Glass

Publication Date: August 2nd 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 404 pages

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.
Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

Who would have thought, when I first opened the package with my review copy of Throne of Glass, that I would be here,  six years later, about to come to the end of this staggering series, and completely in love?

I wouldn't. I was predisposed to dislike the book. Here was an author who already had a massive following for this story when she'd self published online, was younger than me and incredibly beautiful. But I'd been sent this ARC to review, so with a resigned sigh I opened up the book and...

Well I didn't stop reading. I devoured the entire thing in one sitting, and then cried because oh god I now had to wait for the sequel and that just Wasn't Fair.

My snap judgements were not only completely unfair (I was going through a particularly bad time so this achievement from someone younger than me felt like a huge kick in the teeth) but also completely unfounded, because this series was magic. And whilst you don't understand in this first book quite what a ride you're actually going to be in for over the course of the series, it's still an excellent first step.

Going back now and re-familiarising myself with this world, I am struck once again by what a brilliant writer Maas is. She captures that frustrating cockiness, that self assuredness that Celaena holds herself with - part coping mechanism and part the armour of youth. She has such faith in her abilities, in her place in the world, and that can be frustrating to read (I admit to wanting to take her down a peg or two at points) but put together as a whole with the rest of the series, it shows her character development as she matures, and with hindsight becomes even more impressive.

I love the sheltered feel of the first book. The action is confined to the castle, to the competition, and you're allowed to take the time to get to know these characters and how they interact and respond. It's quieter than the rest of the series, but filled with the sense of malice that grows to shape the final battle, and then to set up the rest of the series.

A lot of people find this book frustrating and don't truly get into the series until book two or three, yet I found myself loving it from the first page. It's safe to come back to, without some of the higher stakes you find in later books. It's wonderful to see that development, to see the little breadcrumbs that Maas leaves the reader to pick up about the layers and threads she's weaving into this series as a whole.

If you've tried this book and found yourself not engaging, or finding Celaena too frustrating, I urge you to try again. A lot of her immaturity and arrogance smooths as her character grows over the series, and you'll discover a much deeper story than what this first book appears on the surface. Stick with it, you'll be rewarded.

And as for my re-read? It's simply cemented my love for this series and her writing as one of my all time loves. I adore it, and it's nice to re-experience it and to sink back into this world from the beginning.

Review: The Light That Gets Lost by Natasha Carthew

Publication Date: November 11^th 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s
Length: 320 pages

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Children’s for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

A small boy hiding in a cupboard witnesses something no child should ever see. He tries not to look but he still hears it. And when he comes out, there's no mistaking. His mum and dad have been killed. And though he's only small, he swears that he'll get revenge one day. 
Years later, Trey enters a strange camp that is meant to save troubled teenagers. It's packed with crazies, god-botherers, devoted felons and broken kids. Trey's been in and out of trouble ever since the day the bad thing happened, but he's he not here for saving: this is where he'll find the man who did it. Revenge and healing, salvation and hell are a boiling, dangerous mix, and Trey finds himself drawn to a girl, a dream and the offer of friendship in the dark.

I wasn’t sold on that blurb but I was at least curious, curious enough to want to pick it up and give it a go. However it ended up being a hodge podge story of problems, confusion and lacked any sort of direction or purpose.

The writing style is either going to draw you in or put you off. Run on sentences that take up half a page, overly descriptive passages that sometimes veer into lyrical beauty and sometimes just leave you scratching your head wandering what the hell the author means. This style means that there are long sections of nothing happening at all, and I have to admit to skim reading whole chunks of this because I was just becoming so bored with the overly detailed passages. The actual characters are a bit of a mix. I never really connected with any of them, and I don’t know if that was the writing style or the story or just the un-likeability of them. They never gain any depth or sense of character and as a result I just didn’t care. Everything they say is either ‘said’ or ‘shouted’ and particularly when the characters are supposed to be being stealthy that starts to grate incredibly quickly.

The setting is particularly bizarre. It’s supposed to be set in Cornwall, England, but it feels more like America. At no point does it ever feel as though that setting rings true. Plus it’s hard to pin point exactly what the situation is for this camp that Trey ends up in. Some of the conversations in the second half of the book about other camps like this and the army regulating everything makes it sound like this is some sort of dystopian future, but there are no explanations, no backstory, nothing outside of Trey’s ‘quest’ to make this story more real and relatable to the reader. It’s just thrown out at you and you’re expected to accept it as is. If the rest of the elements were well done enough this might just work, but as it is it just leaves you feeling displaced and confused.

And then there’s the plot. I was expecting a revenge quest – after all that’s what the blurb tells us we’re getting, and yes revenge is a pre-dominant factor for the first half of the book. Never mind the fact that most of Trey’s planning and thinking has so many plot holes that if you tried to float it it would sink. It’s patchy at best, but then suddenly at the halfway mark everything is revealed and we take an abrupt side shuffle into some sort of ‘Lord of the Flies’ retelling. Its abrupt, it’s confusing, it makes zero sense. The revenge plotline is all but forgotten in favour of creating traps, defences and weapons, and having big showdowns. I was left more than a little baffled.

This could have been a fascinating story told in a unique and lyrical way. What we get is some cobbled together narrative with a bizarre setting, no real direction or purpose, and characters that don’t feel fully formed. It feels like a first draft, a concept yet to be finished and improved. I felt thoroughly disappointed and as though I’d just wasted my time.

Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas

Publication Date: September 1^st 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Length: 656 pages

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 will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. 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.
Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world. 

I am CONFLICTED right now, because I genuinely don’t know how to rate this one. On the one hand, I barely slept for the three days I was reading it, I couldn’t physically put the book down. It was tense and incredible and SO STRESSFUL TO READ, but IMENSELY AWESOME. (And yes, all of these caps locks are warranted.)

But then there were parts that didn’t work as well for me that make me feel like it can’t be a full spectacular five star read. So I’m gonna try and reason it all out and see if I have a clearer idea at the end of the review. Ready?

I loved this book. I was caught from the first page and I really couldn’t put it down. There were a couple of (ill-timed) moments where real life intruded and I was forced to leave the book to go out, but whenever I had a spare moment, it was back in my hands. I was in a near constant state of stress and tense panic (seriously, just go look at my Goodreads status updates) and it was GLORIOUS. 

I was so invested, so immersed in the story and it was so wonderful to just fall into it and escape real life for a while. It doesn’t happen with every book where I actually just forget everything else, and the books it does are my favourites, because I love getting lost in a book. I love being so desperate to return that I shove aside all other life and responsibilities and just burrow down with the story in my armchair.

I have loved seeing how Aelin has matured and grown over the course of the series, it’s been such a transformation and so good to watch, and see both her and those around her develop. Nowhere was that more apparent in this book than with her relationship with Lysandra which was pure gold. Their interactions, the friendship, and Lysandra herself. I have a new favourite, and boy is she sassy.

Lysandra heaved a sigh. "Oh, thank the gods. Now I can talk to someone about clothes without being asked how so-and-so would approve of it, or gobble down a box of chocolates without someone telling me I'd better watch my figure -- tell me you like chocolates. You do, right? I remember stealing a box from your room once when you were out killing someone. They were delicious."
Aelin waved a hand toward the boxes of goodies on the table. "You brought chocolate -- as far as I'm concerned, you're my new favourite person."

I also really love Manon. I know her sections have divided people – some love her, some really don’t and begrudge her the time she takes away from Aelin and co. But I happen to fall into the former camp. She’s fascinated me right from the start, so the additional time spent with her in this book made me extremely happy. Admittedly her sections were a lot slower and did drag the pacing down a bit, which was a shame, but I still really enjoyed this fresh perspective from such a different corner of the war and world.

Sure ok there were a few issues with pacing, which I will be addressing more in a moment when I talk about the issues, but on the whole OH WOW. Like I said, this book was tense, I could not put it down. Particularly in several of the really big everything is kicking off and how on earth can anyone survive any of this?! scenes. The writing was like a well oiled machine, flipping from character to character together to create one breath taking whole. I was manically tearing through pages to find out what would happen, and that is a sign of a truly incredible book.

Now let’s talk issues. First off, the one that is making an appearance in a lot of reviews at the moment, Chaol. What even happened?! Did he have a personality transplant between ‘Heir of Fire’ and this book?! The Chaol that appeared within these pages was not the Chaol of the last three books that I fell in love with, and I spent most of the book wanting to either smack him or shake him. He was an absolute arse, awful and horrible and mean and yeah sure he went through some bad things at the end of the last book, but REALLY, could he have been any different and worse?! So anytime he showed up and started snarking at Aelin, the book dropped down to a four star read.

It was also such a shame to see Chaol and Dorian reduced to such bit parts. I could understand it to a certain extent with Dorian, but they were both characters I really love in this series, so to see them reduced and butchered like that was really upsetting. And for what? To try and persuade people that this new shiny romance is the way to go? I was on board with this romance already, I didn’t need this character assassination to persuade me, and in fact I’m grumpier now as a result of that than I was before.

And the boys territorial, over protective attitude towards Aelin?! WHAT EVEN? Boys, she’s done just fine without you before now, and yes ok you’ll be very useful now but stop trying to restrict her and being complete and utter poops in the process. Sit in the corner and think about your attitudes!

My final issue was Elide. She was interesting, yes, but not interesting enough to warrant that much time being spent on her. It really dragged some of the story down and reduced the pace to a snails crawl, which considering how well paced I found the rest of the book was a shame. I think she has potential to be a really interesting player in the next instalment, but her introduction here was handled badly and proved to be a bit of a dead weight on the rest of the story.

So lots of truly brilliant awesome things, but then a handful of giant grumposaurus problems that really threw a spanner in my joy, adoration, and feverish reading. On the one hand, this book was amazing, on the other hand WHAT EVEN HAPPENED IN SOME OF THAT.

You see my problem and conflict?

I think I’m just going to have to put this as a four star read and consider it to be four and a half really.

This is a truly incredible instalment in the series. It won’t be for everyone, and the problems I’ve talked about, whilst grumps for me, will probably be enough to put some people off this series for good. However I still loved the book, it was a fantastic read, brilliantly written on the whole and more than satisfying. My love for this series is alive and well and I cannot wait for the next book – it’s going to be a long year. Now I just need to not spoil anything whilst Husband finishes reading it…

Review: A Curious Tale of the In-Between by Lauren DeStefano

Publication Date: September 1^st 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books
Length: 240 pages

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

Pram Bellamy is special—she can talk to ghosts. She doesn’t have too many friends amongst the living, but that’s all right. She has her books, she has her aunts, and she has her best friend, the ghostly Felix.
Then Pram meets Clarence, a boy from school who has also lost a parent and is looking for answers. Together they arrive at the door of the mysterious Lady Savant, who promises to help. But this spiritualist knows the true nature of Pram’s power, and what she has planned is more terrifying than any ghost.

Lauren DeStefano’s writing is incredible. She writes brilliant, stunningly beautiful, unique stories and her writing just gets better and better with each published novel. So I knew that regardless of the age range this book was being pitched towards, I was going to love it. And I was right.

A Curious Tale of the In-Between is like nothing you will ever have read before, or indeed anything you will ever read again. The prose is haunting and lyrical, filled with unexpected pieces of beauty and my copy is littered with highlighted quotes that I fell in love with.

“She knew that the dead hid pieces of themselves in the world. They buried organs in the living. They stuffed memories into trees and clouds and other innocuous things.”

It tackles difficult subjects, most pre-dominantly that of death with a deft and gentle hand. The story is at times creepy and downright terrifying, but it is pitched just right for middle grade readers. It offers a piece of solace for anyone who has suffered a loss, and offers a window for younger readers to talk about it and see it depicted in fiction. It is a unique book in that regard, and one that handles the subject extraordinarily well. It’s particularly poignant after reading the authors note about how this book came about.

I devoured this book in one go, falling in love with Pram and her little space in the world. The writing is, as I’ve said, stunning. 

“To lose one’s mother was to lose the beginning of one’s life story.”

The characters are fascinating and vividly drawn. I found myself being moved by this books in ways I wasn’t expecting, drawn in by the quiet and melancholy moments, the terrifying elements and the heart-warming relationships. It is an unexpected book, but utterly beautiful, and anyone who has ever suffered a loss (or indeed loves great writing) should pick this up. Do not be fooled by the middle grade age tag, this is a gem of a book that anyone will love.