Books Beauty Bling

"And then, I'm going to rattle the stars." -  Sarah J. Maas ,  Heir of Fire Celaena Sardothian is the famed Assassin of Adarlan. When we meet her, in Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass, she is imprisoned in a salt mine, serving a sentence for her crimes. At times, Celaena can be a bit difficult to like. She's short tempered, and violent, and doesn't like being told what to do. She can be impetuous, and rash, and often, especially in the first novel, does things that might make you shake your head and say, "Oh, Celaena. Why?" She's also incredibly smart, fiercely loyal to her friends, and basically an overall badass. Her fighting skills reminded me a bit of Katsa from Kristin Cashore's Graceling.  There are currently five published novels, and four novellas that help fill in some background information on our lovely assassin. I think one of my favorite things about Celaena, and this series is the depth of character development we get to s...

 I started this series a while ago, and was hooked. Lia is a princess who is set, by her parents, to marry a prince from a neighboring country. She's less than thrilled by this edict, and instead of submitting, runs away with her lady-in-waiting, Pauline. The first book sees them on the run, and hiding out from bounty hunters they've been told were sent by Lia's father. Assuming new identities, they find work at an inn, and when they meet two young men at the inn, things go from bad to worse. Neither men is who they seem, and this spells trouble for everyone. I don't want to spoil anyone, so I won't go into what happens in the rest of the book, or book two, but if you're a fan of badass ladies, who are fiercely loyal, and like to buck tradition, this is a great series for you.  I will say, in parts of the book, I think the author is alluding to the fact that the Remnant (those chosen after an apocalypse wipes out all of society,) is the United States, and ment...

Ah, Young Adult novels. Is there anything more traumatic than finishing a novel, and realizing it's got a second book? How about finishing the sequel and realizing this series is actually a trilogy. This is what happened to me with The Girl at Midnight and The Shadow Hour by Melissa Grey. I picked up the e-book of The Girl at Midnight recently because it had been recommended to be by Amazon, and it was $1.99. I have to be honest, I was not expecting to be completely drawn in immediately, let alone so broken hearted at learning I would need to wait until Summer 2017 for the final book, The Savage Dawn. *le sigh* I want to hold off on doing a true review until I've read all three, but, I can absolutely tell you that I adore the world that Melissa Grey has created, and the main character, Echo reminds me in the best ways of Karu from the Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor. Both are strong if somewhat reluctant warriors with difficult childhoods who find family an...

It has been a difficult few days, emotionally. With the passing of my mom on Sunday (which I wrote about here,) and the aftermath that follows, it's been hard to stay focused on much. I began reading this novel, Passenger, by Alexandra Bracken, on June 30th, and finished it the evening of the 4th. I immediately attempted to purchase the sequel, Wayfarer, only to discover it is not released until January 3rd. So, now I have a book hangover to deal with.  For some reason I kept confusing this novel in my mind with Salt to the Sea, by  Ruta Sepetys ,  I think because of the similar coloring on the covers. I still have Salt to the Sea on my wishlist, so I can't yet comment on subject matter. I digress. I really loved this books, and Bracken had be sucked in almost right away. The character of Etta is fierce, and bold, and driven. All things I love to see in strong female lead characters. I must not have read the dust jacket description, or if I did, I must have forgot...

I've been staying at my parents' house in Phoenix for the last few weeks while my mom is in hospice care at home. She's battled cancer like a champion for the last two years, and over Mother's Day weekend, after being hospitalised due to chemo treatments, made the decision to cease treatment, and go into hospice. This has been an incredibly difficult time for my dad and me, even though I'm grateful to have the time to be here with her in what is left of her time here with us.  That being said, I had started another book earlier in the week, and my heart just wasn't in it. I needed something that was going to allow me to escape my own reality for a while, and when I saw the description of The Star-Touched Queen, I immediately ordered it for my Kindle.  " Fate and fortune. Power and passion. What does it take to be the queen of a kingdom when you're only seventeen? Maya is cursed. With a horoscope that promises a marriage of Death and Destruction...

I love YA Fiction. I have no problems admitting that, and while there are certainly detractors, I have found so many incredible story tellers within the YA community, that if you are avoiding the titles simply because they are "for young adults," you are really missing out. I was introduced to Maggie  Stiefvater's work in 2009 when I picked up the novel Shiver, the first in the series The Wolves of Mercy Falls. I enjoyed the series, and while it wasn't my most favorite ever, there was something about Stiefvater's writing that hooked me. When the first book in The Raven Cycle came out, The Raven Boys, I was obsessed. Here's the thing. I'm a sucker for fantasy, and for magic, and while The Raven Cycle has that, it also has realism. Maggie Stiefvater is a master of magical realism in this series in a way that I haven't seen before. She creates the world of Henrietta, Virginia, and weaves in the magic so seamlessly, that even the most impossible ...