Review: A Court of Frost and Starlight (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3.1)

'' ''How do you keep creating, despite what you lost?'' ''

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

From Goodreads:
Hope warms the coldest night.

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.

No one has survived the events of the war unscathed. Almost everyone lost someone or fought in the war themselves. The nightmares are an everyday occurrence and there's no running away when the monsters live inside your own head.

The Winter Solstice is just around the corner and the Night Court have their hands' full preparing for it. The memory of the war is still fresh in their minds. The preparations for the happiest festival of the year is the right distraction for the painful process that has begun; healing.

The novella doesn't bring any new twist into the series. It's just a bittersweet continuation for A Court of Wings and Ruin and the bridge between that and the next book. There are a few points where you get to know a bit more of the characters' backstories which give you a better understanding of their actions.

I don't know yet if A Court of Frost of Starlight is a must read before the next full book comes out since it's not out yet. But all fans of Maas' writing this is a must-read just for the feels only. This book really brings out the goosebumps, gives a glimpse of the dark, and most of all brings hope to the Void.

Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)

'' ''You were right,'' -- 'That girl I knew did die Under the Mountain.'' ''

★★★★★

From Goodreads:
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.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

I have stalled long enough. At first, it was only of the fear of having to wait a whole year before the publication of the next book, A Court of Frost and Starlight. Then it was out of fear of what was going to happen in the book. I had heard rumours, rumours of something terrible happening in the book, and I didn't want to know if it was true. Finally, I put my big girl pants on and read it. Slowly, to be honest, but I read it. I had around forty heart-attacks, felt like there was nothing that could make me feel better, and after the last page, descended into the worst book hangover ever. (EDIT 25.06.18: I am still suffering from it.)

Review: Empire of Storms

SPOILER ALERT.

Have you already read Queen of Shadows and/or Empire of Storms?

If you answered 'yes', you may continue.

If you answered no, proceed at your own risk.

'' The world began and ended in fire. ''
  
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


 

February's TBR and a bit more

I've been a bit lazy reader in January, only to finish five books. Now that the month of February is here and my reviewing schedule intensifies by a lot, I thought that I'd let you know what's happening in the next five weeks.

If I complete all these reviews on time, I become unstoppable. The Magician's Workshop being the shortest book, with 247 pages, but the rest of them on my list are a bit longer. [Author's gaze zooms to the distance and a hint of desperation can be sensed, as she realises the number of pages she's going to read in the next five weeks.]

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

★★★★★

I finished reading two and a half weeks ago. Now I think I'm ready to actually write the review.

From the first word to the last this one held me in its grip, relentlessly. Though I kept a break in the middle, it wasn't because I didn't like the book, quite the opposite, I didn't want it to end. The only thing I could think of while reading was ''Holy Crap. How will I survive the reading slump following the finishing of ACOMAF?''

The answer to that: I'm still suffering. I haven't finished a full book since. I feel horrible.

Maybe I'd always been broken and dark inside.

Feyre is back. Back in the Spring Court, back under Tamlin's watchful eye, back in the life of every girl's dream, but she doesn't feel like she is living the dream. Suddenly her life meets even more dramatic change than in The Court of Thorns and Roses. If you haven't already read what happens, go read it first and then come back to read my review! 🌝

Possible spoilers from here on!

To the dreams that are answered

Yes. ACOMAF was even better than ACOTAR. Feyre's character development was fast and I think that she has almost reached her full potential.

''I have known many High Lords,'' -- ''Cruel ones, cunning ones, weak ones, powerful ones. But never one that dreamed. Not as he does.''

I can't say that I never liked Tamlin. I can't say that I never disliked Rhysand. Reading ACOTAR made me love Tamlin, just like Feyre loved him too. But during ACOMAF I realised what he is inside, what he's really like. And just like Feyre did, I learned, bit by bit, to love Rhys. I looking back, I have no clue why ever loved Tamlin. It might be because he is the first love, the security blanked. He was the one Ms. Maas made us love, then turned the story upside down. Like she always does.

And now - now I didn't know where that put me.
Knee-deep in trouble seemed like a good place to start.

I could feed you hundreds of quotes. One for each day while waiting the next book to come out. But instead I go back to nursing my worst reading slump ever. Thank you Sarah J. Maas for, again, writing an amazing book.

Review: A Court of Thorns And Roses

I love retellings. I love Beauty and the Beast. So I was bound to love A Court of Thorns And Roses.

★★★★★

I've loved every Sarah J. Maas' book I've read this far and this one did not disappoint me.

We follow a human girl named Feyre. Her mother died, her father is depressed and her two sisters are demanding and not suited for rough living. And since they lost their fortune and moved to a little cottage Feyre has had to look after her family. She does it to honour her vow to her mother on her deathbed. But harder times come, they have no food and no money to spare. Feyre hunts farther away in the woods to find any game in the dead of winter. She faces a huge wolf which she kills. But the wolf was Fae, or rather High Fae. She has to pay for the kill with her own life or by living her life in Prythian, the Fae lands.

Feyre is such an amazing character that truly feels alive. She knows what it is to be hungry and what it is to wealthy. She knows neither of them come without costs. She knows what it is to be desperate and to act out of desperation, still feeling the fear it inflicts. During the book she grows more courage and independency and a lot more stubborn she was at the beginning. And maybe she has been very stubborn and courageous originally but the turns in her lifer have made her subside those qualities and put fear and desperation into their places.
The thing that really caught my attention was Feyre's feeling toward her family. To me it seemed that she cared about her family, that she wanted to take care of them but she didn't love them. It's unusual because usually all heroines are so in love with their families and they don't want to leave them at any cost. But Feyre merely argued against the idea of leaving just save her life. Not her family's. I admire Ms. Maas for that.

There's Tamlin, you fall in love with. He is adorable. A bit awkward and doesn't know how to act around Feyre. Some might think that is he truly is awkward, wouldn't he then be badly written character? No. Not at all. It's really adorable to follow his clumsiness and it suits perfectly in contrast with other characters. Tamlin is a High Lord, but we find this out later. It doesn't come out as a huge surprise given it's a retelling from Beauty and the Beast. He suffers along with his court of a curse that is a huge spoiler, but it binds them to wear masks that don't come off. The curse is broken by a mortal, but how is too a huge spoiler.
 Then there's the Tamlin behind the awkward outer shell. The Tamlin who has teeth and attitude. A will and desire to protect his Kingdom and those he cares about.

The other two main Fae are Lucien, who's part of Tamlin's court and then there is Rhysand. Rhysand the Mysterious I would call him. I don't know what he wants of Feyre and what his intentions and motives are. I hope these we will find out in the next book, A Court of Mist and Fury.

My thoughts went from basic emotionless reading to 'holy what's going on?' to 'Oh my God I'm dying' to 'Just stop you killing me'. And that went over and over again. I know that Maas' books are intense and full of emotions that really make you feel something but this. Really. Hurt. And. Made. Me. Happy. The whole experience made me crave for the next book. I had two sentences scribbled to my notebook of reviews:
''Am I supposed to live through this?'' and ''Really, you expect me to breathe?''
You can make your own conclusions of how awesome those feelings are during the book.

It really is a page-turner and actually quite fast to read. I would recommend to pick it up now, so it's over and you can mope until the next book comes out!

And if you haven't read the book yet, check the pronunciation guide in the end.

October Wrap-Up!

I'm kind of disappointed to this month's score. Only six books! I don't know what I have done during this month to earn a score this low. Usually I read at least eight books a month.

But nontheless, here they are:

Lumière
Jacqueline E. Garlick

★★★★☆

 Wendy Darling
Colleen Oakes

★★★★★

 Queen of Shadows
Sarah J. Maas

★★★★★

He Found Me
Whitney Barbetti

★★★★★

 A Court of Thorns and Roses
Sarah J. Maas

★★★★★






 
Ashes to Ashes
Melissa Walker

★★★★☆

It has been a good-book month for me. Four out of six got full five stars and the two got four stars!

Review: Queen of Shadows

 Huh. It's over, for now. She did it again. She wrote an amazingly wonderfully great book, again. I've been a fan of the Throne of Glass series from the beginning and this one, whoa. Every chapter blew my mind and I have shouted and cried and laughed at public places and I've gotten some very judging looks, but who cares? This book makes me endure every single weird stare.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
Only five stars are allowed? What a pity.
 If I could, I would give it an infinite number of stars!


From here on SPOILERS!

  

 The book was full of things that I loved, so full of them that this is going to be a very long review.

The transformation from Celaena Sardothien, the Kings Champion, to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius was a ling journey. It started from the first book and is not completed yet. It has been amazing to follow how Aelin has grown from a girl to the woman she is now. At the beginning of the series she was more afraid of eveverything, more like a teen ager but after the Queen of Shadows she is a woman. A powerful, lethal, sarcastic, loving woman. She now knows the consequences of doing certain things, the value of life and most importantly how to love and who. I have to say that she is in my all-time-favourite-character list on the very top. Although Aelin is part Fae, she still is vulnerable and she is not ashamed of it. Actually she knows how to use it for her advantage. She knows that sometimes you have to grieve and sometimes it's okay to lie down and rest.

The Blackbeak witches were a mystery for me in the earlier books. I resented them and I thought their story did not make any sense but in this book it made. It's amazing how two different stories meet up, how the characters react to each other and what is the result of their interaction. Or if you can call an attempt to kill interaction. But hey, that's what Queen of Shadows mostly is, killing every single one who crosses you! :P Also I learned to like Manon. And mostly because she started to defy the orders and think with her own brains. Her compassion towards Asterin and the slow warming for Elide were great to follow, because those two were the significant events that made Manon really take the reins of her own life.

The lies and the secrets. I think that every single one of you who has read the book can agree with the following: Sarah J. Maas can trick you into believing anything. The way she has written the whole Throne of Glass series is a proof of it. First you get to know that Calaena is an assassin, then you get to know of the Wyrdkeys. Then, boom, guess what, the girl you thought you knew, and let me say: for two books, ain't really real. She is the rightful Queen of Terrasen, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. Then you think that the revelations are over. But no. You learn that she is Fae. Like with canines and pointy ears and all. And then there's suddenly some demon prince's all around and whoa, your ex-lover and friend is one. And wait, she's got a cousin too. Then you think you know it all, but you are so wrong. There's her former Master, the King of Assassin's, Arobynn who thinks he can play with her and he is winning the game, and whoops, he ends up dead, his will re-written by Aelin, and another whoops, suddenly she owns every single thing Arobynn has ever owned. And then she sells it just to give it to her cousin, who actually is not a human but half-Fae, to spend it on the army they don't have yet. There's more, just wait for it. Then they decide to blow up a tower inside the King's court and get deceived by another Fae and then saved by him because Aedion is half-Fae, and they almost die, but by some wonder they all live. Happily ever after? Who knows there is still two books coming.

The heart-attacks you get. I think in some books there needs to be warning labels like 'This book might almost kill you with a plot-twist' or 'Beware of the deadly emotions caused by this book'. If I had a weaker heart, I think I could've died. Some of the twists were so unexpected and heart-stopping that my pulse rocketed hammered for the speed of 300. I made some notes during reading this book and on the lines 18 and 19 it reads:

+ The holy sh*t on page 538

+ The holier sh*t on page 542

 Creative and exceptionally wonderful notes I know, but I couldn't describe the events better.

Then at last, but one of the greatest elements of the book was the sarcasm and the snarky comments that everyone showered around all the time. Few examples (and few of my favourites):

''Should I thank you for putting on pants?''

'' 'You look like-'
   'A queen?'
   'The fire-breathing bitch-queen those bastards claim you are.' ''

''Honestly, I wouldn't mind seeing you three gutted and hanging from the chandeliers by your insides, but I think it would ruin these very beautiful carpets that I'm now the owner of.''

'' 'You can't toss us out. What will we do? Where will we go?'
   'I hear hell is particularly nice at this time of year.' ''

  And these are just the few I marked up, but there is a big bunch of them more. 

If you haven't read the book and just read the review, thank you! But now you kinda have to read it, because you read the spoilers and all, so... Go pick it up! 

The whole series (published this far) goes like this:
0. Assassin's Blade (A collection of five novellas that have happened before Throne of Glass)
1. Throne of Glass
2. Crown of Midnight
3. Heir of Fire
4. Queen of Shadows