READING: A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court Of Thorn and Roses #3.1) by Sarah J. Maas

Publication date: May 1 2018

Published by: Bloomsbury USA

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Kings, Romance, Suspense 

Rating: 

Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. 

Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated--scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

Um. Wtf was that?

Not that it was any worse than ACOWAR (at least this one was short!) but it looks to me like Sarah J Maas is purposefully sabotaging her own books. Or she simply writes whatever because she knows it's going to sell, which somehow is even worse.

First and foremost, there is too much sex in this book. Thankfully, not too much actual sex, but the insinuation of it was very prominent throughout it. Everyone was either talking, thinking or acting like sex was the only thing they think about ALL.DAY.LONG. How they get anything done, is beyond me! Especially Rhysand, whose possessive side, or rather lack thereof, was the only thing setting him apart from the big bad, Tamlin, or at least that's what Maas wanted us to think at the time because it suited her story. Rhysand was always shown as the good guy, the nice guy. Not that nice guys shouldn't have a high sex drive or that they shouldn't enjoy rough sex, not at all. Maas however, had attributed these characteristics to Tamlin in ACOMAF if you remember, and we all know Tamlin is the scum of the earth (eyeroll). So now, having Rhsyand repeatedly saying shit like "can't wait to take her" in reference to having sex with Feyre, especially after the sensitivity talk about how abusively Illyrian women were treated by men, it was absolutely disgusting and completely out of character. Another one ruined Sarah J Maas, thank you. 
And it wasn't just Rhysand and Feyre, even though they were my biggest problem in the book. 
Amren and Varian - sexual looks and touches in every interaction
Nesta and Cassian - Cassian ALWAYS looks like he's seconds away from jumping her
Again, nothing wrong with liking sex and lots of it, of course not. But not in this setting, and definitely not when it's used in place of a story with an actual plot.
Also, we are talking about a Young Adult book, yeah? I think everyone keeps forgetting that.. That is why I decided not to comment on Rhysand and Feyre's sex scene. 
Psych! Of course I will! 
It was unnerving and made me cringe. They both had way more chemistry Under the Mountain in ACOTAR, than now.

Going back to Rhysand and how Maas unapologetically destroyed him: he gave Feyre painting supplies as a Solstice present, sketchbooks etc. Hmmmmm 🤔 Does that remind you of anyone by any chance? Maybe Tamlin in ACOMAF, giving Feyre the exact same present and her hating it, thinking it was another way for him to control her and pressuring her into doing something she didn't want? I just found it interesting how Rhysand is slowly morphing into Tamlin, but for some reason it's ok now because he is Rhysand, and not a total loser like Tamlin, which Maas doesn't let us forget for a second. It wasn't only the scenes at the Spring Court that bothered me, but the constant reminder throughout the book that he deserved everything that happened to him. It just didn't sit well with me and I found it cruel and unnecessary.

Speaking of cruel, Feyre is such a little b.
Wait, scratch that. A major b! Where does she get off acting all superior to Lucien, like she's better than him or something? He came to bring her Solstice presents, which he absolutely didn't have to, and she only showed him scorn and derision, mocking him for his choice of friends. She is a hateful *%$#*& with a massive inferiority complex. Never ever liked her.
Lucien on the other hand, I like. I think he has the potential to become an awesome character, if Maas doesn't ruin him too.
Also, to Lucien: forget Elain, man. She is as bland as a napkin and you definitely deserve better. xx Love, me ❤️

Can we ease up on the use of the word "mate", please? You don't need to use it 100 times to remind us that Rhysand and Feyre are mates, WE GET IT! That was a huge pet peeve of mine in ACOMAF as well. Also, for us Aussies, the word "mate" has a slightly different connotation.
Whenever I read sentences like (paraphrasing): "I did all this for you, mate", I always thought of the following:
"Oi mate, get us a beer and I'll light up the barbie".
Ew.

After reading ACOFAS, I wonder why I didn't just stop at ACOMAF all these years ago? I thought it was mediocre then, and my opinion has only gotten worse for the rest of the series.
I would like to read Nesta and Cassian's story, I am not gonna lie. It is intriguing enough to me to borrow the book from the library when it comes out and give it a try. 
Cassian -- I already have him pegged, I highly doubt he'll surprise me in the books to come. Honestly, I just don't want him to turn into another Rhysand. That would be enough for me.
Nesta -- I am still on the fence about her. I definitely don't hate her like Feyre, but I think the whole angry kitten vibe has worn a little thin. I'm still holding out hope however that she can be more than that.

Stray observation: 
If I see this in one more book, I am going to scream:

"Didn't used to" 🙅🙅💣

It is not grammatically correct! It's just not. You can't use negative followed by a verb in past tense.
I don't even know how many eyes have gone through this book before its release, and somehow nobody picked it up. 
Just because "didn't used to" is homophonous with "didn't use to", which is the correct form, doesn't mean it's right. Ffs, so many teens and pre teens are reading your books, have a little care. And it's not just Maas. I have seen this in hundreds of books. For shame.

READING: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court Of Thorn and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Publication date: May 2 2017

Published by: Bloomsbury USA

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Kings, Romance, Suspense 

Rating: 

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

It took me almost a month to finish this book, and for a good reason.

We are in the middle of a very bad second wave of COVID-19 here in Melbourne and quite honestly, I was in no mood to read. I have been working from home since 1st of April and I have only been out for grocery shopping since then. With my family in another country and all my friends on quarantine, it has been a lot, to put it mildly. And reading this boring as book, didn't help at all!

I am not even gonna try to review ACOWAR. For me it was a waste of my time and try as I might, I can't find anything positive to say about it. 
The last battle with Hybern which was the only thing I was looking forward to was a hot mess, with things happening way to quickly and with no rhyme or reason.

Feyre's dad appeared out of nowhere, all hero-like all of a sudden when up until then he was admittedly the biggest coward, only to die so quickly minutes later. What was the point of that? And Feyre could resurrect Rhys possibly owing a million favors to all High Lords, but her father she didn't even give a second thought? And I am supposed to believe her sadness? Please, she couldn't care less. She always thought he was a wimp and I would have respected her way more if she didn't pretend to mourn him.

To me ACOWAR was a book full of grunts, snorts, chuckles, repetitive patterns and boring as scenes. 699 pages of it. At least ACOMAF had flowed smoothly and was literally unputdownable, regardless of its questionable content. ACOWAR is definitely not a worthy sequel and the 4.46 Goodreads rating astounds me.

READING: A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court Of Thorn and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Publication date: May 3 2016

Published by: Bloomsbury USA

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Kings, Romance, Suspense 

Rating: 

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

Wow 😳😳

Sarah J Maas, you played me good. So good in fact, that for a minute there I actually thought this book was awesome. Only after I finished it and wondered what the hell I just read, did I realise that ACOMAF is nothing but bell and whistles, just showy and flashy mediocrity, nothing more.
Just for the nerve and skill it takes to successfully accomplish that and make $$millions out of it, I’ve got to hand it to you, you are absolutely brilliant. 
Your book? Not so much.

I will divide this review into sections – makes it easier to just read the parts you want and skip the rest.

SPOILERS AHEAD-YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Content/Plot/Story: ACOMAF is a dense book. It’s 626 pages chock full of action and exposition. Is it all necessary and useful? Absolutely not. Was I bored? Surprisingly, not at all. I thought ACOTAR was boring in parts, but not ACOMAF.
I’m gonna be real with you though: what I really cared about was to see what’s gonna happen with Feyre and Rhys and consequently Tamlin, and that is what kept me turning the pages. Maas came up with a simplistic story about the cauldron and how to nullify it, which should have been front and centre, but only worked as a filler between the romance. And even then, it was mostly used as a plot device to bring F+R closer together. This way, the romantic aspect never ever let up, it was always present in the book and those two were almost always together in every scene. That is what made the book so addicting in my opinion, the slow burn romance. And Maas was a master in skilfully dragging it out without making the reader feel bored or uninterested. By doing so, she created a feeling of time passing very slowly, so you think that the events of the book take place in a span of years, but in actuality it has only been a couple of months. That’s mostly so we can forget about Tamlin completely and 1. accept that Feyre will choose Rhys and 2. be shocked by the "Tamlin is working with the King: reveal. I wasn’t, I actually found it very consistent with how he had been portrayed so far.
The ending was pitiful. After almost 600 pages of planning and training and covert missions, as soon as Feyre reached the cauldron, she surrendered almost instantly to its magic. This born again-power of all 7 courts-High Fae, who has proven she had so much power in other occasions, she couldn’t resist the cauldron and the book even for a second more and gave in that easily? It was laughable, really. She had enough power to break all of the King’s wards in the end, but no power to nullify the freaking cauldron. She had ONE job!
Let’s not mention the most powerful Fae in existence not being able to move a finger to do anything while King was dipping Feyre’s sisters in the cauldron (??) Also, why is Jurian working with the King? He was buddy buddy with Amarantha so Jurian should…hate him? I mean, it’s ridiculous if you think about it. No thought put into writing a decent story that actually makes sense. I know I said that I mostly cared about the romance, but I am still very aware that I am reading a fantasy book series. I think if you are a writer of that calibre, you can write both an alluring romance AND an engaging story in one book. Very disappointing.

Feyre
I never liked Feyre, and ACOMAF solidified that. She is very insecure and an attention seeker. She cared for her family yes, but she always made sure they knew it was because of her that they survived. I don’t think she’s that honourable that she could not forsake the oath she gave to her mother, whom she didn’t hold in any high regard anyway. As soon as Tamlin told her her family was taken care of in ACOTAR, she stopped worrying about them, choosing instead to blindly trust the word of a Fey she spent her life hating, and go on living her life in the luxury of Spring Court. 
At the end of ACOTAR, Feyre kills two humans because of her love (or attraction, lust) for Tamlin AND NOTHING ELSE. She couldn’t bare seeing him with Amarantha and she had to get him back. I think that is mostly what drove her insane when they went back to the Spring Court and she couldn’t sleep or eat. That she killed two people in cold blood for a guy she kind of just met. When the infatuation passed and she realised what she had done, it is only natural for her to feel shitty. But that’s on her, no one else is to blame for that. Yes, Tamlin was being an ass and was overprotective and was acting all alpha male. But also, can you blame him? She threw enormous fits because she was couldn’t stand the sight of the colour red (!) and then she was asking to go hunting evil, dangerous creatures with him. Like he would ever agree to that after seeing the freak-out state she was always in and how she cowered in the face of everything. I am not justifying Tamlin’s actions, but whatever Feyre’s psychological trauma was after what happened under the mountain, we never stopped to consider that Tamlin’s might have been the same or even bigger. I admit I didn’t when I was reading the book, and that is once again great proof of how Maas can skilfully manipulate the reader. 
In regards to Feyre, I don’t know what else to say. I think the absolute failure of her end mission speaks volumes of her and the way she approaches things that don’t directly pertain to her.
She craved Rhys’s attention constantly in both ACOTAR and ACOMAF, and pretending not to be attracted to him because it would be considered “traitorous” to Tamlin, was absolutely ridiculous. She even commented on the fact that Tamlin didn’t do anything to save her under the mountain while Rhys risked it all (again, massive manipulation). I don’t see her objecting to Rhys not doing anything to save her in the end of ACOMAF when his friends were in danger…just saying. She is self-righteous and such a drama queen when things don’t go her way, and will not admit that she is wrong to save her life. At least she admitted that she only fell for Tamlin because he was the first person to show her kindness. I think that must have been the only real thing she ever said. Apart from that, I have nothing good to say about her. Not a fan.

Rhysand
Look, I like Rhys. I liked him when he pretended to be evil, even though everyone knew he wasn’t, and I liked him when he was finally out as a good person in ACOMAF. The more I read and got deeper into the book though, the more I got that niggling feeling inside that something’s just not right. Every time Feyre gave him a very good excuse to blow a fuse or be protective or act like a jerk or just have a normal reaction like we have seen happen with MCs everywhere, he always reacted the same: calmly, politely and very well mannered, practically giving Feyre whatever she wanted and being the picture perfect partner.
She wanted space? No problem. 
She wanted to tease him relentlessly and not be teased back? He took it all in stride.
She wanted to be included in all meetings and decisions? Yes, ma’am.
He basically did everything in his power to show how diametrically different to Tamlin he was (manipulation again) and how Feyre made the right decision. While I don’t mind YA and NA MCs being uncharacteristically nice for once, I do think there is a limit. There is such a thing as “too perfect”, and that was Rhysand. When he went to the Night Court and tried to play the bad guy, it was just not believable at all, almost like a kid playing dress up. In ACOTAR, there was a good balance between his light and dark side, but in ACOMAF that all went out the window and he lost all the bits of his personality that actually made him interesting. His long ass speech in the cabin at the end was supposed to show what a hero he was, and how noble he remained through everything and I’m sorry for being harsh, but I thought he came across as completely spineless. His sentences started like “I wanted to say or do that blah blah but I couldn’t, because I respected you and I only cared about your happiness”. Boo hoo who cares?? Show some B-bone bro, seriously! Have flaws and take responsibility for them, nobody likes perfect. Perfect is sooo boring. Flawed characters can still be good-natured and respectful, it’s called WRITING A MULTI DIMENSIONAL CHARACTER! I think Maas did a disservice to both Rhysand and Tamlin in ACOMAF. And even though as I said I like Rhys, I would like to see him disagree or get angry or have any kind of a reaction to Feyre when she is being too dramatic or unreasonable, that is not pure adoration (barf).
I don’t think that Maas needed to invent mating to show that Feyre and Rhys have something special. I could have done without it. And the number of times Feyre calls Rhys her “mate” in the book, it’s just over the top. Yes, we get it! You are relieved you chose "correctly" and Rhys was your destiny and not Tamlin. If that’s what makes you sleep at night…
Rhysand, I still have faith in you. Please go back to the mysterious and cunning night creature you were in ACOTAR 🙏

Tamlin
First off, I want to acknowledge the fact that it takes massive balls to suddenly change the love interest of a YA/NA series in book two, especially one you made the readers so invested in book one. I have never seen or heard of it happening before in books of the genre, and anything that is so original is immediately interesting to me.
That being said, the shade thrown at Tamlin in ACOMAF, was on another level. Poor thing, I almost felt sorry for him. Even though I didn’t like the way Tamlin handled some things (yes, he is flawed!), we can all agree that Feyre is a massive drama queen and over exaggerated about everything. And I don’t even like Tamlin, I am Rhys all the way, have been since ACOTAR. But, we have to face the facts here: would we think Tamlin was bad if Rhys wasn’t in the picture? Would we think that he did “nothing” Under the Mountain, if Rhys was not there to serve as Feyre’s puppy dog, showering her with attention? Would we think that Tamlin locking Feyre in for “her own good” was as bad as shown, if there was not a romantic interest alternative already established? The answer to all that is no, we wouldn’t. If Rhys was not there or he was not pure perfection, Tamlin and Feyre would have a tiff, they would struggle to overcome the tortures they endured UTM, but in the end their relationship would become stronger for it and they would fight against Hybern together to save Prythian. It’s only in comparison to Rhys that we see Tamlin as an asshole. And Maas didn’t let us forget it! The comparisons between the two were endless and of course, when you’re compared to perfection you always lose. Only thing missing was Feyre comparing dick size and performance, which I wouldn’t put past her to do. It was done is such a crass way that is just wasn't fair. We couldn't even hear his side of things. The only thing that struck true to me was when Feyre admitted that both her and Tamlin were so badly hurt by Amarantha, that they could never recover after they came back. I can accept and agree to that. Maybe if she thought to say that to Tamlin, they would have broken up amicably and in a more reasonable and respectful manner. But no. She had to be all dramatic about it 🙄
Naturally, when it was revealed that Tamlin made a pact with the King, it was done, there was no coming back from that. We now officially hate Tamlin and we can no longer make excuses for him, period. And to think he made this deal only so he can get Feyre back because he thought that she was in danger at the Night Court, knowing what he knows of it. Remember, he doesn't know anything about Velaris and um, the Night Court did kill his entire family. So, a little food for thought there. That doesn’t justify him consorting with the enemy, but hey. Feyre killed two innocent fae to get Tamlin back. Potato potatho 🤷

Sex
Good Lord, that was graphic! Since when do YA books contain such explicit sex scenes? I am not going to be all prudish and say this is not for teens, because let’s be real, teens have seen more mature content on the internet that I have seen in my entire life! Note though, that is by choice and mostly unbeknownst to parents. However, when you market your book as YA and it gets shelved in stores as such, you have a certain responsibility towards a huge number of readers who are underage. I think ACOMAF should be a better fit in the New Adult genre, but then again *whispers* NAs don’t sell as much. 

Other characters: I liked the Night Court team. Wasn’t over the moon, but I had no particular problem with them. I would have liked to get to know Azriel more, he seems interesting. Cassian is the typical brute sidekick I have seen many many times before in YAs, but still enjoyable. Also, I can sense an enemies-to-lovers story with Nesta, and I’m here for it 🙌
Am I the only one who still likes Lucien and wants him to be King of everyone and everything? 😂 I mean, the bond with Elain is ludicrous, but apart from that I really like him. Hope Maas doesn’t destroy his character as well in ACOWAR.
I would also like to point out the lack of diversity in this book. I don't know about Maas's other series and what's going on there, but I'd take an educated guess and say...the same?

In summation, ACOMAF was, without a doubt, a very addictive page turner with an undeniably appealing romance. BUT! If you really stop and consider what you’re reading for a second, you will see this book for what it truly is: the most beautiful Christmas present you can’t wait to unwrap, only to find out it’s totally empty inside.
Or as Emer very well put in her review ← read it, it's dope.

 

READING: A Court Of Thorn and Roses (A Court Of Thorn and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas

Publication date: May 5 2015

Published by: Bloomsbury USA

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fae, Magic, Kings, Romance, Suspense 

Rating: 

Feyre's survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price ...

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre's presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

Didn't write a review when I first read it back in 2015, but I decided to write one after I re-read it 5 years later.

1st re-read
Surprisingly, better than I remembered.
Granted, I was expecting the absolute worst, but turns out it wasn't that bad. I even remembered it wrong: I thought the "triangle" was between Feyre, Tamlin and Lucien. I did not remember Rhysand or the events that took place Under the Mountain at all! And I didn't remember any of their names, obviously. Funny thing, as soon as I saw the name "Rhysand", I immediately recognised it, as I have seen it written in hundreds of forums and book reviews, some not even ACOTAR series reviews (yes, that's right). So, I guess he is a fan favourite which is understandable and expected. Who doesn't love a bad guy turned all good and heroic for the love of a woman? Classic trope. He is basically Spike from BTVS. I mean, come on. Instant obsession 😍

Apart from Rhysand adding some necessary spice to an otherwise bland YA fantasy, I only liked Feyre's scenes with her family. It's the only time I felt she showed genuine emotion. As her relationship with Tamlin started to grow and she forgot all about her hatred for the fae and just took Tamlin's word that her family was ok, I lost interest. I could have easily skimmed this part and went straight to when she goes back to the village. I find her family dynamic very interesting and definitely something to explore, especially Nesta's character.

I don't know what to think of Tamlin. I guess there is not much to say for a character that gets so quickly outshined by someone that just appears at the end of the book. Tamlin is forgettable yes, and I have seen the exact same character in 90% of the YAs I've read. 
BUT. I can definitely see potential, and the chance to change the history of hot but boring YA MCs. If Maas knows how to explore that potential and really dig into his relationship with Fayre and Rhysand, it could be something beautiful. Judging by the books' success, I would like to think that she did, let's hope 🙏

I have to say, it's nice to finally read the books which reviews and discussions have been monopolising my feed for years now. Also, I have to give myself props for not reading any major spoilers all this time. Or if I have, I have definitely forgotten 😄
If I'm being honest, the reason I decided to read this series is to finally see what ACOMAF is all about. Hands down, it's the most praised book in the GR community for the past 11 years I have been an active member. For that alone, it is worth a shot. 

READING: The Last Wish (The Witcher #0.5) by Andrzej Sapkowski

Publication date: December 14 2008

Published by: Orbit

Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Kings, Magic, Mystery, Romance, Violence

Rating: 

Geralt the Witcher—revered and hated—is a man whose magic powers, enhanced by long training and a mysterious elixir, have made him a brilliant fighter and a merciless assassin. Yet he is no ordinary murderer: his targets are the multifarious monsters and vile fiends that ravage the land and attack the innocent. 

But not everything monstrous-looking is evil and not everything fair is good... and in every fairy tale there is a grain of truth.

This is chock-full of spoilers, so please don't read it unless you have watched The Witcher Season 1. 

I am not even going to pretend otherwise - I only picked this up because of Henry Cavill and the show The Witcher. 
But mostly for Cavill. Because, you know. I only had a crush on him since The Tudors, no big deal.

So, the book. Right. Most of it is already depicted in the show and it too plays with timelines a lot.
Geralt is way more talkative in the book than he is in the show. I have to admit I liked book Geralt better. He was more real and, if not relatable, then more human and down to earth rather than super hero-ish, paranormal hottie. Again, nothing wrong with that but I prefer my characters to have feelings and emotions once in a while. 
Yennefer was on the same boat-the show focused more on her transformation and how gorgeous and dark and mysterious she is now, rather than her power and personality. Actually, it's mentioned in the book that Geralt initially thought she wasn't even that good looking:

...Yennefer, although attractive in her own way, couldn't pass as a great beauty.

In fact, it was stated that all sorceress had to go through a transformation to become pretty because of their profession and they were described as "pseudo pretty" with "cold eyes of ugly girls". That was still shown in the show, but I think the message was undercut a bit by how stunning Yennefer (Anya Chalotra) was. 

Renfri's story - the fight scene between her and Geralt kicked ass in the show; beautifully choreographed and shot. Geralt's devastation over killing Renfri was more believable in the show but again, their interaction just didn't have the same impact as in the book. 

I have to say, the translation was not the best for me. The edition I got from the library was old and I don't know if there is a new one out there, but the dialogue was very stilted in parts and words weren't really flowing. Originally, the book came out in 1993 so I kind of get it, translating game wasn't that great back then. I'm told Sword of Destiny is better, so we'll see.

All in all, I enjoyed the show as much as the book. I think Geralt and Yennefer's characters were more explored in the book in comparison to the show which was way flashier.
I'd suggest you watch the book first and then watch the show.

READING: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

Publication date: September 10 2019

Published by: Redhook

Genre: YA, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Mystery, Suspense

Rating: 

In a sprawling mansion filled with peculiar treasures, January Scaller is a curiosity herself. As the ward of the wealthy Mr. Locke, she feels little different from the artifacts that decorate the halls: carefully maintained, largely ignored, and utterly out of place.

Then she finds a strange book. A book that carries the scent of other worlds, and tells a tale of secret doors, of love, adventure and danger. Each page turn reveals impossible truths about the world and January discovers a story increasingly entwined with her own.

3.5

Beautiful, magical story but the writing was too extra for a YA advertised book.
Nothing wrong with that on paper (no pun intended) but seeing that the story was so information-heavy and action packed, I would rather the book was easier to read and the writing had a better flow.

As it was, I found it hard to pick up, choosing to read something else instead and coming back to it two days later and only because I was drawn to that amazing story. Harrow should have been clearer on her message and the book's genre and target audience.

READING: The House of Salt and Sorrow by Erin A. Craig

Publication date: August 6 2019

Published by: Delacorte

Genre: YA, Children's Fiction, Re-telling, Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: 

Annaleigh lives a sheltered life at Highmoor, a manor by the sea, with her sisters, their father, and stepmother. Once they were twelve, but loneliness fills the grand halls now that four of the girls' lives have been cut short. Each death was more tragic than the last—the plague, a plummeting fall, a drowning, a slippery plunge—and there are whispers throughout the surrounding villages that the family is cursed by the gods.

Disturbed by a series of ghostly visions, Annaleigh becomes increasingly suspicious that the deaths were no accidents. Her sisters have been sneaking out every night to attend glittering balls, dancing until dawn in silk gowns and shimmering slippers, and Annaleigh isn't sure whether to try to stop them or to join their forbidden trysts. Because who—or what—are they really dancing with?

When Annaleigh's involvement with a mysterious stranger who has secrets of his own intensifies, it's a race to unravel the darkness that has fallen over her family—before it claims her next. 

This would have been a 2 if not for the last 70 pages or so which were rather unexpectedly pleasant.

Confession time: I think I might be getting a tad too old for classically written YAs. I use to love them in my 20s but now (ahem getting closer to my 40s) I find them incredibly boring and monotone. I want more in a book than run of the mill writing and one dimensional characters.

I apologise to a large community of YA readers, but I guess the cliché is true: I just don't have time for uninteresting and repetitive books, I can't fit them in my life right now. I will continue reading YAs as some of them, albeit less and less, are still the bomb. However, I will definitely limit the amount, and learn not to believe the crazy, undeserving hype created by readers with completely different book tastes to mine :/

READING: Anhaga by Lisa Henry

Publication date: July 23 2019
Published by: DreamSpinner Press
Genre: Adult, MM, Romance, Fantasy
Rating: 

Aramin Decourcey—Min to his few friends—might be the best thief in Amberwich, and he might have a secret that helps him survive the cutthroat world of aristocratic families and their powerful magic users, but he does have one weakness: his affection for his adopted nephew, Harry.

When the formidable Sabadine family curses Harry, Min must accept a suicide mission to save his life: retrieve Kazimir Stone, a low-level Sabadine hedgewitch who refuses to come home after completing his apprenticeship… and who is in Anhaga, a seaside village under the control of the terrifying Hidden Lord of the fae. If that wasn’t enough, Kaz is far from the simple hedgewitch he seems.

With the Sabadines on one side and the fae on the other, Min doesn’t have time to deal with a crisis of conscience—or the growing attraction between him and Kaz. He needs to get Kaz back to Amberwich and get Harry’s curse lifted before it kills him. Saving Harry means handing Kaz over to his ruthless family. Saving Kaz means letting Harry die. Min might pride himself on his cleverness, but he can’t see his way out of this one.

The Hidden Lord might see that he never gets the choice. 

Anhaga was a really nice, sweet, MM fantasy novel (I believe the first) by what I consider THE queen of MM, Lisa Henry.

Was it one of my favourites of hers? No. 

If there was one thing that I wish Anhaga had, is a second POV. If Kaz had his own chapters, the book would have been elevated to another level. As it was now, I felt like I didn't know Kaz at all and I didn't really feel the connection between him and Min, eliminating the romance aspect completely for me.

Henry is a master in character development and it was so disappointing that she didn't do what she does best. So instead of giving me two solid characters and great story telling, she gave me only one semi solid (!) character, and a numerous of other secondary ones, plus Kaz, who was supposed to be a main character, but wasn't really. By not getting to know Kaz, he came across as quite unremarkable to me and not someone that streets smarts Min would risk his life saving and falling in love with. I wholeheartedly believed that Min did love him, but I just couldn't see it. And because the romance totally eluded me, I didn't particularly enjoy their love making scene-it was pretty awkward, considering that Kaz was a demure 19 year old virgin and the fact that there was almost no chemistry between them. Min has tons of chemistry with Harry though. That would have been fun, Min and Harry. But yeah, obviously it didn't happen.

The story was a very light fantasy tale without any intricate or complex world building, lacking the charged atmosphere that is a Lisa Henry trademark. Also, I found the ending to be inexcusably unfair to Min, him having to always wait for Kaz while he lived an entirely different life elsewhere, it seemed way out of character for sly, cunning Min.

I so wanted to fall in love with Anhaga but I didn't. Don't get me wrong, it's still a very well written, enjoyable book. However, after being super spoiled by Henry's past masterpieces, I had very high expectations which unfortunately weren't met. 😞

READING: A Curse So Dark And Lonely (Cursebreaker #1) by Brigid Kemmerer

Publication date: January 29 2019
Published by: Bloomsbury US
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Fairytale, Mystery, Suspense, Magic, Romance
Rating: 

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she's pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn't know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what's at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin. 


😳
*crickets*

I am shocked. Shocked at how bad this was.

We all know the story - cursed beautiful prince, finds a "plain" and awkward but secretly stunning girl, whose undying love will finally break his curse. 
I mean, I knew what I was getting into with the plot so I shouldn't whinge. 
But I will.

The book starts when Harper, the main female character who lives in Washington DC, finds herself in a fantasy world after being transported there by an unknown man she happens to be fighting at the time.
---
Unless this is an everyday occurrence to Harper, it makes no sense that she is so nonchalant about it. As soon as she lands in Emberfell, she finds her bearings straight away, she runs to the stables, changes her clothes, hops on a horse and gallops away. She is surprised that she is trapped by men she doesn't know and she is aware that she needs to escape, but she does not express any surprise or shock at where she is, it's like she's right at home, in our world. So that put me off right from the start.
Her personality was OK I guess, bit bland, bit forgettable as a heroine. It was awesome to see people with cerebral palsy represented, but I felt that there was no thought, care or research put behind it at all. We just know that Harper has a slight limp and can't dance-that's it. Not how it affected her life positively or negatively, how it shaped the person she is today, no real depth to it which I guess, for a YA book, I might be asking for a lot :/

Rhen - the prince- had the personality of a tablecloth. He reminded me of the prince from Shrek at times, it was that bad. He was so miserable and pitiful, which yes, I get it's because of the curse but um excuse me, why should I feel sorry for a guy who makes his lackey snatch girls from the real world and bring them to Emberfell where most of them are likely to die (and most of them did!) just to serve his purpose, to make them fall in love with him so he can be uncursed! That's just terrible, why would I ever root for him? There are some hints that Rhen was indeed very selfish and horrible to others in the past before the curse, but isn't the purpose of the curse to change him and make him see the error of his way? Well, after however many seasons of him being cursed, I don't think it was working. He was still the same obnoxious, entitled asshole. I would have been grateful to Lilith for cursing him, if it wasn't all that killing a bunch of people thing.
Chemistry between him and Harper was just not there at all, and talking about them loving each other is just laughable. I felt like Harper was forced to like him, like going "Sigh OK then, come here, I am going to like you from now on because honestly, I have nothing better to do", making their scenes together even more cringey.

Lilith was nothing but a one-dimensional, caricature of a villain, like a cartoonish bad witch that lives in a hut in the middle of the forest and is always hunched over her cauldron. If the book was written better and Kremmerer wanted to go deeper, then she could have written Lilith her own chapters where we could find out more about her, about her past and how she ended up this way. There is a mention of her clan (breed?) of witches but only in passing, not even 2 sentences. Such a waste of a character.

Gray was a bit easier to read and his character was the least boring out of all of them. He had way more chemistry with Harper than she did with Rhen, but I would much prefer it if he ended up with someone else, like Zo maybe? Harper doesn't deserve him.

I have no recollection of the last 70 pages or so, and I read them twice! I was that uninterested to what was happening. I guess the epilogue was promising for those who will be reading book 2...?

There was a tiny voice in my head telling me to stay away from the Curse's hype train. I didn't listen to it and believe me, I paid the price.
Maybe I am getting too old for these tropes and probably I am not the target audience for this book. However! That doesn't change the fact that this book could have been so much better if only for a little bit more effort. There were million things Kremmerer could do differently with her characters, give them more depth, make them more interesting and relatable, make the plot more gripping. But she didn't.

I am glad this book became successful and found its audience, but it's definitely not me.

READING: Dark Shores (Dark Shores #1) by Danielle L. Jensen

Publication date: May 7 2019
Published by: Tor Teen
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Gods, Magic, Romance, Suspence
Rating: 

A PIRATE WITH A WILL OF IRON

Teriana is the second mate of the Quincense and heir to the Maarin Triumvirate. Her people are born of the seas and the keepers of its secrets, but when her closest friend is forced into an unwanted betrothal, Teriana breaks her people’s mandate so her friend might escape—a choice with devastating consequences. 

A SOLDIER WITH A SECRET

Marcus is the commander of the Thirty-Seventh, the notorious legion that has led the Celendor Empire to conquer the entire East. The legion is his family, but even they don’t know the truth he’s been hiding since childhood. It’s a secret he’ll do anything to protect, no matter how much it costs him – and the world. 

A DANGEROUS QUEST

When an Empire senator discovers the existence of the Dark Shores, he captures Teriana’s crew and threatens to reveal Marcus’s secret unless they sail in pursuit of conquest, forcing the two into an unlikely—and unwilling—alliance. They unite for the sake of their families, but both must decide how far they are willing to go, and how much they are willing to sacrifice.

What a pleasant surprise this book was! I went into it after years of not reading much of YA fantasy (too many duds in the past) and expecting the worst because of all the hype.
I am so glad I was wrong.

Plot wise, Jensen nailed it. I really liked her world building - intricate enough to be interesting, but not too complex to be confusing. Although I have to admit it was hard for me to get into in the beginning, but I mostly attribute that to my long absence from fantasy. Also, I am not a fan of "explaining as you go", as I very professionally call it, and Dark Shores was definitely like that. There is no introduction to the world, you get thrown in it right away, and I caught myself flipping the pages to see if there is anything I missed in the beginning. But that goes away quickly as events start unravelling and we get into the characters more. 

For me, the book really picked up the pace and explored its characters from when they arrived in Arinoquia.
I instantly liked Marcus right away, his story was so well thought up, it was hard not to. I loved his personality and the way he carried himself among his men, exuding power and authority but also showing sympathy and compassion. Most of all though I loved the way he talked and his ever so careful choice of words. I know it is an odd thing to like, but you'll understand when you read it.
I liked Teriana well enough, although there were some instances where her actions did not really make that much sense to me. I get that she is conflicted, but I didn't really see how that conflict came to be so quickly. Contrary to Marcus who had no opinion of Maarin before he met her, she is brought up to despise godless Empire people, no more than the legatus of the most lethal legion in existence, Marcus. Not that it was insta love or anything, not even close. However, I felt that Marcus's attraction to her was more justified than hers to him.
I have to say though, not having their physical attributes pointed out all the time was such a breath of fresh air. Not everything needs to be sexualised. And that is coming from me!

That ending though...😱 It's not a cliff, but it will definitely leave you wanting more.

If Spartacus had a YA brother, it would be Dark Shores. It doesn't get any better than that.

Side note: Dark Shores is not a book about pirates, at least not as we know them. Granted, you catch a glimpse of the sailors' life at sea, but they are not your typical cutthroat pillagers. On the contrary, Maarin are peaceful people, who avoid trouble and just looking to trade. They are opportunists sure, but they would never harm just for the sake of it. So if you are looking for a swashbuckling adventure in the high seas, this might not be the book for you.