Saturday, December 31, 2016

Celebrity Books: A Literary Observation

Celebrity Books
A Literary Observation

298686103025386429405093So I was scrolling through the nominees for The Goodreads Choice Awards (which are up for the year! Go check them out!) and it really caught my attention that a lot of celebrities are writing their own books now. Granted, to me, all authors are my celebrities, but that's beside the point. I know, I know, they've been doing this... but I'm a YA reader (for the most part), so, not that I wasn't paying attention, but it didn't really catch my attention. However, I'm looking through these various pages on Goodreads, and I want to read them! Here are some of the books, written by celebrities, that I really want to read. (I would also LOVE recommendations)

Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
Pub: November 29, 2016
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The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer
25507925Pub: August 16, 2016


Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick
Pub: November 15, 2016

Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
Pub: October 28, 2014

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
32737245Pub: September 15, 2015

Binge by Tyler Oakley
20910157Pub: October 20, 2015


There's so many more out there and I've still got exploring to do. For example, Lily Collins is coming out with a book in March that is going to be called Unfiltered: No Shame, No Regrets, Just Me that I really want to read. I really hope that more celebrities keep doing this. I'm really curious about these books and I can't wait to start reading! Feel free to comment with recs or anything :)

Thanks for reading!

Film Review: Moana

Moana MovieReview
4.9 out of 5 Stars

Image result for moanaDisney has yet to really fail me when it comes to their production of "princess" movies. Moana was incredible. Not only did it rise to and above any expectations from Disney movies, but it was so engaging and reminded me of why I love Disney so much. Everything from the animation to the music to the the little quirky jokes created a ninety minute long blissful escape to a tropical island that spits you out of the theatre happy and ready to face your dreams and the challenges that are whispered inside your head.

Image result for moana
I love the graphics!!! Her hair is a little frizzy!!! <3
The exact opposite of Frozen, this movie took place surrounded by lush tropical islands and warm seas. With all of the snow and ice around me, that was so welcome that I may or may not have looked at how much it would cost to visit an island right about now. Sadly, nothing in my budget; luckily, I could go see Moana again and visit those tropical places in my head.

Image result for moana
The one thing that I missed from the movie was the romance. Please don't freak out! I totally loved this movie and everything about it. There really was nothing wrong with it and no way they could have fit in romance. I actually really appreciated how Maui was Moana's friend only. But maybe I'm just that much of a romantic where I wish there was something, even minor, in the story that was romantic. Call it cliche, but I love when there's a happy romantic ending. For example, in Frozen, there was some romance, and it didn't undermine any characters at all. Anna was still just as strong and independent even though her and Kristoff had a thing by the end.


Image result for moana
I fell in love with the music of this movie---- so many great songs are on this album. I'm not just talking about the ones with words either, the entire score is great. If you don't believe me, look at the Golden Globe nominations and you'll find that the song "How Far I'll Go" is up for Best Original Song-Motion Picture.

I hope you go out and see this movie! It is uplifting, relaxing, and another great Disney movie to get put into the books. Really, anyone, any age, can see this and enjoy it.

Thanks for reading!

Aniticipated 2017 Releases

Hello! Sorry for not posted in ages, but the end of the semester got super super busy with finals and holiday stuff. Now though, I'm ready to dive right back in!

2017 Releases I Am Dying to Read

Before I go into the list, please note that there are so many books coming out this year that I am so looking forward to reading, but I also know that there are so many that I do not even know exist yet! :) I would love comments on what you are looking forward to and anything that you think I missed!
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JANUARY
Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken
Frostblood by Elly Blake
30226723Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth
Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Dawn Study by Maria V Snyder
FEBRUARY
King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard
Wintersong by S Jae Jones
The Wish Granter by CJ Redwine
Lifeblood by Gena Showalter
31020402 
MARCH
The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco
Unflitered by Lily Collins
The Struggle by Jennifer L Armentrout
Blood Rose Rebellion by Rosalyn Eves
Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
30312891 
MAY
Always and Forever, Laura Jean by Jenny Han
A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
29749085AUGUST
Wonder Woman: Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo

SEPTEMBER
ToG #6 (Untitled) by Sarah J Maas

NOVEMBER
Gatlon School for Vigilantes by Marissa Meyer

UNKNOWN
Untitled (Stream Raiders #1) By Sara Raasch
Untitled (Shaw Confessions) by Michelle Hodkin

Happy New Year and thanks for reading!!!

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Bloglovin'

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Tuesday, November 8, 2016

Novelizing November

Novelizing November
Books I'm Going to (Hopefully) Read this Month
Image result for in our time
Image result for bookishly ever afterThis month is going to be a combination of super busy, but also with gaps of time thrown in, so I'm hoping to get in a decent amount of reading. I just got caught up with my Goodreads challenge of 100 books and I'm officially back on track. That being said, it also means that now is not necessarily the best time for me to read lots and lots of gigantic books.... I'm sorry Voyager by Diana Gabaldon, you're going to have to wait until 2017. However, I will hopefully be reading (at least) 15 books this month. I've already read 4, so I'm relatively on track for that too.
Image result for rook sharon cameronImage result for a million worlds with you
To Read:
Rook by Sharon Cameron
Confessions by St. Augustine
Bright Smoke, Cold Fire by Rosamund Hodge
The Prince by Machiavelli
A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray
What Light by Jay Asher
November 9 by Colleen Hoover ;)
The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L Armentrout
Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
In Our Time by Ernest Hemmingway
Bookishly Ever After by Isabel Sandera


Already Read:
Image result for apollyon jennifer armentroutImage result for november 9 colleen hooverPaper Princess by Erin Watt
   (my review here: http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/11/paper-princess-review-with-spoilers.html)
Broken Prince by Erin Watt
Deity by Jennifer L Armentrout
Apollyon by Jennifer L Armentrout
Who knows! I may read some of these and not the rest. Instead I might pick up one of the celebrity books that I mention here- http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/11/celebrity-books-literary-observation.html. I'll let you guys know at the end of the month. :)

Thanks for reading!

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Paper Princess Review WITH SPOILERS

Paper Princess by Erin Watt
Review WITH SPOILERS
3 out of 5 Stars

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First things first- this is not a young adult novel, so do not read this if you are not old enough. :)
I had heard this title floating around before with great things being said about it, so I decided to pick it up. Paper Princess was good, but I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype that was surrounding it for me. I still enjoyed it! But at the same time, I would not recommend it to all my friends and I don't think it would be one of the top books I would recommend. It was a very interesting and the writing was so easy to read. There were just one too many really uncomfortable moments for me, and I think part of the reason that they were so uncomfortable is because we suddenly meet these Royals and they aren't developed so well...... There's definitely lots of room for them to grow and develop, which I am really hoping happens in the next book. Which, by the way, I will be reading. This book may have just not been my thing, so if you are looking for a new adult romance, then this will definitely fit the bill.



SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:

Ella: While I love how her character is so independent and strong, but she's also rash. A part of me actually appreciates this aspect of her character because it is a reminder that she is still only 17 and does not have the maturity of an adult, nor should she, even though she has had to take care of herself for the past two years.

Reed: When I said earlier that there is room for these characters to be developed, I was thinking especially about Reed. The thing is, he is developed really well in book 1, but I feel like there is still more to him that could be developed in the next book. He is like the dad of the family. That is my current hypothesis at this moment. His own dad is always gone and he cares so much about his brothers that I think he has taken over the responsibility of looking out for them in whatever way he needs to. *cough the ending cough*. I don't think (I hope) that he ended up sleeping with Brooke at the end because of some ulterior motive. I really hope so, and I think that goes with his character too.

PLOT:

I'm trying to figure out right now what the major plot line was. Ella gets taken to rich neighborhood. She meets creepy bratty family. Earns their trust. Trust broken. There were no really compelling plot lines in the book. The entire thing was about Ella and Reed. Huh.

WRITING:

The writing was easy to read, and I think the only spots where I wasn't necessarily enjoying the book weren't out of the words so much as the character development and lack of knowing the Royals. If the family is developed more, I think I would enjoy this book a lot better because then I think a lot of the creepy factor would be taken out. They would seem more human to me? And by that I mean that they would seem more humane and less inconsiderate.

I'm pretty sure I have said stuff like this in other reviews, but just because I did not love this book does not mean other people won't too. Who knows- maybe I'll love the next two books. I personally found the character development to be lacking, and as a result of that, there were times that I was really feeling a creepy factor and I did not enjoy that. I will continue on with the next book though, because I really am hoping that the characters will be developed more and we get to know them better.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Paper Princess

 Paper Princess by Erin Watt
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
28678119

First things first- this is not a young adult novel, so do not read this if you are not old enough. :)

I had heard this title floating around before with great things being said about it, so I decided to pick it up. Paper Princess was good, but I'm not sure if it lived up to the hype that was surrounding it for me. I still enjoyed it! But at the same time, I would not recommend it to all my friends and I don't think it would be one of the top books I would recommend. It was a very interesting and the writing was so easy to read. There were just one too many really uncomfortable moments for me, and I think part of the reason that they were so uncomfortable is because we suddenly meet these Royals and they aren't developed so well...... There's definitely lots of room for them to grow and develop, which I am really hoping happens in the next book. Which, by the way, I will be reading. This book may have just not been my thing, so if you are looking for a new adult romance, then this will definitely fit the bill.







I'm pretty sure I have said stuff like this in other reviews, but just because I did not love this book does not mean other people won't too. Who knows- maybe I'll love the next two books. I personally found the character development to be lacking, and as a result of that, there were times that I was really feeling a creepy factor and I did not enjoy that. I will continue on with the next book though, because I really am hoping that the characters will be developed more and we get to know them better.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Friday, November 4, 2016

Review of A Torch Against the Night

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
Review WITH SPOILERS
5 out of 5 Stars
25558608

HOLY BOOK FEELS!!!!! ***screaming internally for eternity*** I am definitely going to consider this as one of my favorite books of 2016. Sabaaa Tahir wrote such an intense story, but it was shrouded in beautiful words that brought all of the scenes, happy and sad, to a point of distinct reality within the minds of the readers. Not only were the emotional moments written spectacularly, but the politics of the world were expanded even more, if that is possible. A Torch Against the Night is the perfect mix of fantastical, political, suspenseful, and romantic. 

 SPOILERS AHEAD

CHARACTERS:


Laia: I am really curious about those power things that show up in this book. They're mentioned a bit, but I really want to learn more about them and I would love if they are used more in the next books. OH! She actually annoyed the hell out of me with her flipping between Elias and the-other-guy-whose-name-I-can't-remember-at-this-moment-but-I-know-it-begins-with-a-K (I remember now, his name is Keenan) but is secretly the Nightbringer. Grrrr...... oh well. Besides that one little snag that bothered me, I thought that Laia was, again, an incredibly strong character. When shit gets real, she is the kind of person to stand up, take charge, and clean up said shit.

27774758Elias: ELIAS. Elias. Elias, ELIAS. I think this was one of the more painful things in the book (and there were many): he dies withing the first quarter of the book! True, he is not completely dead yet, but he is dying. And it is confirmed that he is dying. And then THERE WAS NO LOOP HOLE. Seriously! All of the crap that he has had to deal with, and he still dies in the end. And not only does he die, but his work STILL isn't finished and he STILL can't have his happy ending with Laia because the spirits are bitter and jealous!!!! I JUST WANT HIM AND LAIA TO BE HAPPY WHY IS THIS SO DIFFICULT??!?!!!?!?!

Helene: This poor child. She's only trying to serve the country she loves and she is dealt an absolutely miserable hand of cards for it. NOT. FAIR. I didn't appreciate her character as much in the first book, but now all I want is for her to be happy and in charge and get complete and total revenge and compensation for everything bad that has happened to her. Helene for the next Emperor.

PLOT:

I swear, this is the year that defies the sophomore slump phenomenon in the book world. There is so much jammed packed into this one book that you didn't have the option of taking a break from reading. The book and the plot and how things moved demanded that you keep turning the pages. And what is really interesting, is that this is a set up book. Yes, there are major plot development within this book itself that gets resolved in this book alone, but there was still so many other aspects and elements that are just lying there now. As a reader, I really appreciate this because not only was ATATN fantastic alone, but now I REALLY can't wait for the other books in the series! The thing that is going to kill me is that WE HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 2018 FOR THE NEXT ONE!!!! HOW DO I SURVIVE THE WAIT!?!?!?!?
30049877
lol this is the German edition but I love the cover!

WRITING:

Sabaa Tahir's writing is captivating. This is one of the books where you can easily forget that you are reading a book because the writing is so seemless and engaging. It is gritty and somehow beautiful at the same time. I have to say, one of the things that Sabaa is superb at is her description. Gory scenes are gory x10. Romance scenes are x10. Creepy scenes are creepy x10. People.... the creepy scenes....... *shudders*



This is one of those books where people are either in complete love with it or they were bored entirely. Personally, I don't understand the second option is a thing, but I also totally respect the difference of opinion. For all of us that loved the first book, you will love this second book!! If for some reason you are looking ahead even though you have read neither of the books, now would be a really good time to catch up on them because there are going to be two more!!! I love them. I think they're amazing. I highly recommend them. And I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Thanks for reading!

Review: A Torch Against the Night

25558608A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
 

HOLY BOOK FEELS!!!!! ***screaming internally for eternity*** I am definitely going to consider this as one of my favorite books of 2016. Sabaaa Tahir wrote such an intense story, but it was shrouded in beautiful words that brought all of the scenes, happy and sad, to a point of distinct reality within the minds of the readers. Not only were the emotional moments written spectacularly, but the politics of the world were expanded even more, if that is possible. A Torch Against the Night is the perfect mix of fantastical, political, suspenseful, and romantic.



This is one of those books where people are either in complete love with it or they were bored entirely. Personally, I don't understand the second option is a thing, but I also totally respect the difference of opinion. For all of us that loved the first book, you will love this second book!! If for some reason you are looking ahead even though you have read neither of the books, now would be a really good time to catch up on them because there are going to be two more!!! I love them. I think they're amazing. I highly recommend them. And I can't wait to see where this series goes.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

Excitement for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!!!

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them!!!!
IT IS ALMOST HERE

PEOPLE THERE ARE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS UNTIL FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM COMES OUT!!!!!! 13 DAYS!!! 13 DAYS!!!!!

Image result for fantastic beasts and where to find them
For those of you who do not yet know what this movie is about, it is set in Manhattan before Harry Potter and Voldemort got onto the scene. Newt Scamander, author of one of the Hogwarts textbooks, travels to America in 1926 and causes a bunch of trouble along the way. Manhattan. Jo's writing. Magic. Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander. 1920's. Guys, I'm going to be crying before I even get into the theatre. I'm listening to the movie score as I write this, and everything looks amazing right now, and it all sounds amazing, and I'm getting so many new feels while also be reminded of all the fabulous old feels.


Image result for fantastic beasts and where to find them castTo add to this excitement of a new movie set in J.K. Rowling's absolutely stunning world of wizardry and witchcraft, I also just found out today that there are going to be five movies. We don't just get one more movie and then wait for eternity for more news. We already know that there will be FIVE!!! Although, I guess we will also be waiting on the edges of our seats for upcoming movie news. (Here is where I found out about the five movies: http://www.polygon.com/2016/10/13/13276092/fantastic-beasts-series-five-films-harry-potter). On top of that- Johnny Depp is going to be in the second one!!!!! I'm extremely interested to see what the running plot line throughout the movies is going to be. Or if they're just individual movies that lead up to the Harry Potter plot-line? I think I'll be fine with either scenario. I'm just so excited to have more material set in this world!!
Image result for fantastic beasts and where to find them cast

I hope everyone is really excited and can't wait for these movies too... Unfortunately, I have also seen quite a few negative things online about this upcoming movie as well, and that is really sad. Obviously, I can't speak for everyone, but I know that for me, Jo's writing has changed my life and the things that she has been a part of have always been incredible for me. All I can say to her is thank you, because I'm 99.99% positive that she does not need to do a single thing anymore for the rest of her life. And she doesn't seem greedy, so all of this work that she is continuing must be coming from a good place. So, again, all I can say is thank you.

Thanks for reading!!! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THE MOVIE!!!!

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Throne of Glass Ships! AKA: My second Review of Empire of Storms

ToG Ships in Their Natural Habitat of Empire of Storms

Hello!

28260587So earlier this week, I posted a review for Sarah J Maas's latest book in the Throne of Glass series, Empire of Storms (if you would like to read it, 'tis here: http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/10/empire-of-storms-review-with-spoilers.html). In a summary, it was so freaking fantastic!!! In my review though, there were many things that I did not touch on because I felt like there was too much to discuss in one post. Especially about the ships. I'm not even kidding you guys, there are enough ships in this series at this point that I care about so much that they fill up quite a good chunk of my fleet.

There are 4: Rowaelin, Elorcan (or Lorild, whichever one you use), Lysaedion, and Manorian. Right now, I'm just going to talk about the ships in their context in Empire of Storms. So if you haven't read this book yet, DO NOT read this post- there will be spoilers. (PSA: Shoutout to Chaolryn, because I ship them too, they just aren't in this book).

ROWAELIN:
As I just stated, this is only going to be about EoS, but if you want to read all the thoughts on Rowaelin, you may go here: http://allbooksandtea.blogspot.com/2016/08/rowaelin-throne-of-glass-ship-in-my.html

SO MANY THINGS I WAS CRYING SEVERAL TIMES AND OH MY GOD I SIMPLY CAN'T!!!
I FREAKING CALLED IT
 Please excuse the chaos above. But I did. freaking. call. it! They're mates. It is official. Other shippers, sorry (?). Lol I am not sorry at all.

This ship.... will be the death of me. I do wish there were more Rowaelin moments in the book, but the ones that were there were f***ing amazing.
***coughbeachscenecough***
***coughnighttimecough***
***coughmiladycough***

The single greatest thing that absolutely wrecked me from the inside out was when Aelin was already taken by Meave, and Rowan is holding a knife to Lorcan's throat, and he says, "Where is my wife?". Goodbye world. I have died by the words of Rowan Whitethorn and the actions of Rowaelin. It was quite a pleasant death though as I know the my ship is endgame and I was right. :)

ELORCAN:
This was the ship that caught me off guard. In the beginning of their story, I liked it, but then over the course of the book they just kept becoming more and more important. Of all of the ships, I think this one is the "cutest". I use that term loosely, because it is Lorcan and Elide and both of these characters are so incredibly strong in their own ways. 

One of the best scenes for this ship was when they were in the marshy area and Aelin was about to be a boss-ass bitch. Lorcan just, with a one track mind, tackles Elide to the ground and shields them, nearly draining is magic. And then he gets attacked. But Elide stops Fenrys And she gets hurt. And Lorcan freaks the fuck out. And I freaked the fuck out. And Fenrys is freaking the fuck out. SO. MANY. FEELS. And of course, this whole scenario takes place after Elide offers Lorcan to live in Perrnath. Kill me. It'd be less painful. That whole scene. I died. Several times.
 
LYSAEDION:
I was already kinda shipping these guys based on the almost-absolutely-nothing-canons in the other books. And, bless everything, there were so many moments and places of development for this ship! I was so excited when things started to outright happen between the two of them and they were no longer dancing around each other.

THE PART WHERE AEDION SAYS HE'S GOING TO MARRY HER! Of all the things this was, again, one of the best. I love how he says it so casually, like it's a known fact. Like, "Who else would I marry? Isn't it obvious?" And it was heart wrenching when at the end he calls her nasty names because she knew Aelin's plans. My heart may have actually splintered and shattered in my chest. Of all my ships in this series, I think this one is the rockiest. Yes, Aelin is being help captive and tortured by Meave, one of the most powerful beings on the planet. But Aedion cares so deeply for his cousin and trusted Lysandra so much that I'm worried that he will not be able to recover from this betrayal. :( I'm still hoping though.

MANORIAN
This was another one that I saw coming as soon as Celorian went down. It only makes snese that the only guy that could ever keep up with Manon is the guy that is hella powerful, hella sassy, and has literally been through demonic possession. It just makes sense. I was NOT expecting the suddenness of the intensity in their relationship. I totally approve- I just wasn't expecting it.

And of all the characters to be kinky??? DORIAN???!?!?!! What happened to my little child that was super sweet and gave Aelin books and chocolates??? DORIAN??!??!?!?! I did not see that coming. At. All. It also kinda surprised me that Manon let him. Like I said earlier, who else would be able to keep up with Manon and be able to be with her, other than Dorian freaking Havilliard.

There were so many more moments that each of these ships had in the book!!!! Hopefully, I will be able to add other posts about the other ships and add them to my fleet of ships formally. Guys and gals, Empire of Storms is a prime example of why I am the fangirl that I am. From the beginning, it is all amazing, and I hope that you guys will enjoy it just as much. :)

Thanks for reading!

Monday, October 31, 2016

Review: The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily

26258306 The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily by Rachel Cohn
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
 

SO FREAKING ADORABLE!!!! This is the sequel to Dash and Lily's Book of Dares and I couldn't have asked for anything better. I'm also completely and totally in love with Christmas, so it is even more amazing as it's a Christmas story!!!

Really interesting fact, this book was written by both Rachel Cohn and David Levithan, and apparently (I read this in an interview online) they wrote by sending chapters back and forth. So Rachel would write one, David would read it, then he'd write the next one, and send it over to Rachel, and so on and so forth. This book and the one that came before it, are the definition of adorable holiday stories.

Even if you aren't in the Christmas mood, you should read this book. If you are in the Christmas mood, this will reaffirm all of those lovely feelings. If you need to get into the Christmas mood, consider your problem solved after reading this book. Essentially, EVERYONE should read this book. (And Dash and Lily's Book of Dares :) because it is super adorable and Christmas-y too)

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews

More Books Coming! Nov/Dec Edition

Anticipated Book Releases
November-December 2016

Looking through the anticipated books for the next two months, there aren't as many!!!! :o Ahhhh!!! At least the ones that ARE coming out look more than beyond fabulous.  
 
Heartless by Marissa Meyer
November 8

Heartless by Marissa Meyer
A Million Worlds with You by Claudia Gray
November 1

A million Worlds with You
The Diabolic by SJ Kincaid
November 1

The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
November 1

Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill
December 27

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Crystal Storm by Morgan Rhodes
December 13
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Thanks for reading!

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Empire of Storms Review WITH SPOILERS

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas
Review WITH SPOILERS
4.2 Stars out of 5

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I'm dead. Goodbye. Go read this. Now. This series is absolutely phenomenal and I am completely amazed with the complexities and intricacies that Sarah J Maas has put into this story and the overarching plot of all the books. Empire of Storms was not an exception to Sarah's beautifully crafted books. Please do not be fooled by the four stars. I would love to say that I could give it five, but then I feel like then I would be invalidating my review of Queen of Shadows because I did not enjoy these two books on the same level, so I don't think it'd be fair to give them the same rating. It is my absolute pleasure to give this book 4.2 stars though. As it is the fifth book in the series, I'm going to go into spoilers right away. 

SPOILERS AHEAD



 CHARACTERS:

As a general statement, I think it was actually because of the characters that I cannot give this book a full five stars. They are all still amazing and I love them! But there were so many and there were so many different POVs in the book that I felt distant from them. Because there was so much jumping around from character to character in each chapter, I couldn't connect to them as much as I did in Queen of Shadows. I totally understand why Sarah did it this way, because it was the format that the plot demanded it to be like this. It is really just an unfortunate side effect of this demand that we couldn't connect as much as in previous books.

Aelin: SO MANY FEELS!!! Aelin Galathynius is one of the best YA girls of all time and she is such an inspiration. I know that there are some mixed opinions about her personality and her character, but I really believe that she is incredibly strong, both person-ably and mentally. It killed me that she was so selfless that she made plans for everyone else to live out the rest of their lives in peace EXCEPT FOR HERSELF. My frustration with character disconnect was especially strong with her character. I would have loved to have had more scenes with her and have gotten to stay as close to her as we were in Queen of Shadows

Rowan: Holy hell, I love Rowan. I love how he was so supportive, but not overbearing and he let Aelin make her own decisions but also simultaneously making sure she wasn't making bat-shit crazy plans. He has one of my favorite lines in the entire book: "Where is my wife?" I will put on record that this is when I absolutely died. Again. There were so many moments in EoS when the feels were real. This was definitely one of the strongest, if not the strongest. **Dies again as I'm thinking about it**

Dorian: I may or may not have bumped Dorian up on my mental list of character favoritism. He was another character that I was like, holy shit. That whole semi-sex scene with Manon, I was expecting. Where the f*** did that come from??!?!!! Damn. Just.... damn.

If I were to go through each character separately, this post would be waaaaaayyyy too long. I'll post a EoS ship review later so that I can go into lots of details. >:)

WORLD:

Image result for terrasenOk, I really want there to be a cross-over with Sarah's other series, A Court of Thorns and Roses Anyone else? Everyone else, yes? Good. Glad we're all on the same page. Seriously, I had already had thoughts about how awesome that would be, and then in an interview somewhere Sarah said that the two worlds exist in the same universe!!!! This gives me serious hope that the two could be merged, even if it's just in like a novella. I would buy that and frame it. (Lol, what if Amren is from the ToG world???)

Separating this world from ACOTAR, I really love the different levels that have been created in this world. The government systems and political history are all (finally) fully described and you can't just leave this world once you enter it. Really ingenious and sooooooo great to read.

WRITING:

In typical Sarah J Maas fashion, EoS had beautiful and powerful language. The plot IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS I HAVE EVER READ! Who else has created something so complicated and she had to have known all of this in advance too!!! There are things that are referenced in ToG that we only saw now in book 5! HOW!!?!??? Like I said earlier, the only thing I didn't really like was the distance between the reader and the characters. I think on some level it was unavoidable, but it's still unfortunate.

If you haven't read this one yet, I don't know how you've been able to wait, but I hope you're super excited because this is definitively an excitable book. For those of you who don't like the ships...... still read it. Enjoy it for the plot and the sass and the words. No matter who you are or why you're reading it, Empire of Storms has something in it for everyone to enjoy and like.

Thanks for reading!

Review: Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 4.2 of 5 stars
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I'm dead. Goodbye. Go read this. Now. This series is absolutely phenomenal and I am completely amazed with the complexities and intricacies that Sarah J Maas has put into this story and the overarching plot of all the books. Empire of Storms was not an exception to Sarah's beautifully crafted books. Please do not be fooled by the four stars. I would love to say that I could give it five, but then I feel like then I would be invalidating my review of Queen of Shadows because I did not enjoy these two books on the same level, so I don't think it'd be fair to give them the same rating. It is my absolute pleasure to give this book 4.2 stars though.





If you haven't read this one yet, I don't know how you've been able to wait, but I hope you're super excited because this is definitively an excitable book. For those of you who don't like the ships...... still read it. Enjoy it for the plot and the sass and the words. No matter who you are or why you're reading it, Empire of Storms has something in it for everyone to enjoy and like.

Thanks for reading!

View all my reviews