KEEP CALM AND LOVE BOOKS: Royals

Pages: 279

Publication Date: May 3rd 2016

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062392174 (ISBN13: 9780062392176)

When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

Now, What I Thought:

This was a fitting end to the whole series I will admit. I probably should've stopped at the third book of The Selection Series. I did like Eadlyn's P.O.V and storyline but now having finished everything, it would've been a nice and clean end to the series in, The One. I found Eadlyn's plot to just be excessive to the original beautiful storyline of America and Maxon. Don't get me wrong, I do not regret reading The Heir and The Crown but some part of me does wish I had stopped at the original trilogy. As for what happened in novel, nothing really did happen much except for Eadlyn's journey as a person with maturing and the fact she found out whom she really loved. As for events, nothing exciting I must admit.

I know it's a book literally about a bachelorette competition but when America was in the hospital fighting a coma and Eadlyn still went on a date and continued EVEN THOUGH she was pronounced regent of Illéa. I mean, she was the only one that could stop the competition, did she? NOPE. Your mother is literally almost dying and you go on a date... Ok? I was so not expecting her to end up with who she did! I really did think it was going to go a total different direction! I kind of felt bad for the person who was so blatantly rejected because I was routing for him!

HONESTLY. How many times did Eadlyn proclaim her love to someone? I'm actually thinking of going back and counting because it was getting ridiculous. I ended up being happy with who she ended up with but it was a hell of a journey to get there holy crap. I was pretty shocked what Maxon did towards the end. It was pretty unrealistic for a king to do that so easily and I don't think that was a smart move. I mean, with all the negatives I'v been saying, the book really was a fitting end to Eadlyn's story. I did like her growth and maturity from The Heir to this book. The epilogue was sweet and I liked how we got to see the next heirs to the throne.

God forbid, if Cass writes another continuation series about THEM, I'll be gobsmacked. I seriously doubt that but it's a funny thought to have. So with that said,

Goodbye Illéa, Goodbye America, Goodbye Maxon, Goodbye Eadlyn and GOODBYE THE SELECTION SERIES. For real now...

p.s. One thing I can say is that, I'v always loved the covers... they are all, collectively, stunningly gorgeous!

beautiful cover - 4:42:00 PM

The Crown (The Selection #5) by Kiera Cass | Review

Pages: 279 Publication Date: May 3rd 2016 Publisher: HarperTeen ISBN: 0062392174 (ISBN13: 9780062392176 ) When Eadlyn be...

Pages: 428 pages

Publication Date: August 18th 2015

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

ISBN: 0373211724 (ISBN13: 9780373211722)

Imagine a time when the gods turn a blind eye to the agony of men, when the last of the hellions roam the plains and evil stirs beyond the edges of the map. A time when cities burn, and in their ashes, empires rise.

Alexander, Macedonia’s sixteen-year-old heir, is on the brink of discovering his fated role in conquering the known world but finds himself drawn to a newcomer…

Katerina must navigate the dark secrets of court life while hiding her own mission: kill the Queen. But she doesn’t account for her first love…

Jacob will go to unthinkable lengths to win Katerina, even if it means having to compete for her heart with Hephaestion, a murderer sheltered by the prince.

And far across the sea, Zofia, a Persian princess and Alexander’s unmet betrothed, wants to alter her destiny by seeking the famed and deadly Spirit Eaters.

Weaving fantasy with the shocking details of real history, New York Times bestselling author of Sex with Kings Eleanor Herman reimagines the greatest emperor the world has ever known, Alexander the Great, in the first book of the Blood of Gods and Royals series.

Now, What I Thought:

This book follows Alexander the Great, yes the same one we learn about in high school, in his teenage years to becoming the king of Macedonia . It takes place in 360 BC, which is just crazy to read about in Herman's amazing descriptive text. This did take me a while to read and get into but that's only because of the amount of characters with crazy long ancient names. I needed time to remember the roles some of these people played in our protagonist's storylines. With that in mind, there were A LOT of different character arcs. I actually really liked Herman's writing and the distinguishing between the characters, it was really fun and different to read about this mysterious, unknown time period from a historian's (Eleanor Herman) mind.

For everyone's storyline, we have 3 main plots: Alexander, Katerina and Zofia's. Among those we then have the minor plots with different P.O.V chapters: Jacob, Hephaestion, Cynane, and Olympia. It sounds really confusing but it wasn't! I liked how we heard from everyone's head and it gave us more perspective on the story and world we're set in. Speaking of the word, this takes place in, again, 360 BC, so the Gods and Goddesses from Greek mythology are pretty prominent in this. We always get references about how not long ago the Gods roamed the earth. I really liked the incorporation of mythology and how we frequently get references of Zeus, Ares, Oracle of Delphi, Athena etc. Again, Herman is a historian so it does not surprise me that she included history that's pretty accurate to today's knowledge.

This is a quote from the Author's Note at the end of the book:

"Though this is a work of fantasy with some fictional main characters—Katerina, Jacob, and Zofia—I wanted to make their world of 340 BC as historically accurate as possible... While Alexander’s half sister, Cynane, might feel too modern, she really did model herself on the Amazons and was known for her military prowess....His father, the king, was distant and harsh; his manipulative, ambitious mother was devoted to her snakes and widely regarded as a witch; his older half sister, Cynane, was a jealous, competitive Amazon; his younger half brother, Arrhideus, was mentally handicapped; and his tutor, Leonidas, employed educational methods that would today land him in jail for child abuse."

I loved how accurate this was and it really does make me want to read more of her work.

Now, for the actual characters and storylines, the only plot that really advanced in the beginning was Princess Zofia. Right away, her story just goes to the max with drama and she has to fight for what she wants and realize the dangers outside of her well protected and sheltered life in the palace. We left her story very open ended and I'm excited to see how her's will end in the sequel. I also just really want her to help with the war in Pella and meet everyone. We start the book off in Katerina's P.O.V and we can already tell she's not normal. She definitely has some strong magic coursing through her veins and I liked how the book ended with her owning her true self and I'm so excited to see her embrace herself fully. Heph, Alexander's best friend (even in history), was pretty dull, but I still liked hearing his thought. His one problem, which clearly states in the book, is his pride. I really found his pride annoying at times but towards the end, like everything, he was just getting better and I think he's going to be a great hero in the end.

My favourite storyline had to be between Kats and Cynane, Alexander's sister. Something about her abrasive manner and how she'll do anything to prove she doesn't want to be just a lady (GoT's Arya basically) was amazing. From the start of her P.O.V chapter, I knew I'd like her.

"As she slips through the crowd, she intentionally brushes against different men. She’s not sure why she does it—to remind herself of her power over them, perhaps? Or maybe because even through the coarse cloth of her dress, it feels kind of thrilling when they touch—as if anything could happen."

I just feel like there are so many great moments in this book that I need to quote them all for you guys. If you need convincing to read this book at all, just look at all of the glorious reviews it has. This book was amazing and I can say it is my favourite read in 2016 so far. I can't remember a book I read that just left me speechless and MAKE me want to search the web to find out more of the stuff that conspired in 360 BC. Guys, just read it. It's simply amazing and I am now going to read Eleanor Herman's other novels.

Here are some quotes to persuade you further:

Alexander's P.O.V:

"Down on the street, a man driving an empty cart is cursing bitterly, trying to back up his donkey and cart to make way for another vehicle. That’s how it is, Alex thinks. Someone always has to give in. But not for long. He has other plans, plans his father doesn’t know about. And if he succeeds, he’ll be the greatest leader this world has ever known."

Cynane's P.O.V:

"True loyalty—it’s almost unheard of. And it’s exactly what Cyn has been looking for all these years. Correction: it’s what she has been looking to destroy."

Katerina's P.O.V:

"“There was, long ago, in the time before time, a great battle between gods and monsters,” Ada begins, looking straight ahead. “The gods won but lost much of their power and became almost mortal, mating with humans.”"

Hephaestion's P.O.V:

"“Kat, you’re going to be all right,” he lies. She doesn’t answer. She’s looking in wonder at the sky, moving her pale lips. He turns to see what it is that so fascinates her. It’s the hellion, flying in wide lazy circles over the battlefield, howling as it rises higher and higher, and is gone."

I am so excited to read Herman's sequel to the Blood of Gods and Royals series, Empire of Dust.

Alexander the Great - 7:07:00 PM

Legacy of Kings (Blood of Gods and Royals #1) by Eleanor Herman | Review

Pages: 428 pages Publication Date: August 18th 2015 Publisher: Harlequin Teen ISBN: 0373211724 (ISBN13: 9780373211722) Im...

Pages: 280 pages

Publication Date: August 1st 2013

Publisher: Escape Publishing

ISBN13: 9780857990679

King Hall — where the Mysticals go to learn their craft, get their degrees, and transition into adulthood. And where four new Rulers will rise and meet their destinies.

Lily Ruckler is adept at one thing: survival. Born a Mystical hybrid, her mere existence is forbidden, but her nightmare is only about to start. Fluke, happenstance, and a deep personal loss finds Lily deeply entrenched with those who would destroy her simply for existing — The Mystical Kings. Being named future Queen of the Shifters shoves Lily into the spotlight, making her one of the most visible Mysticals in the world. But with risk comes a certain solace — her burgeoning friendships with the other three Prodigies: a wicked Vampire, a wild-child Mage, and a playboy Elemental. Backed by their faith and trust, Lily begins to relax into her new life.

Then chaos erupts as the fragile peace between Commoners and Mysticals is broken, and suddenly Lily realises the greatest threat was never from within, and her fear takes on a new name: the revolution.

Now, What I Thought:

This was actually really good! Surprisingly, I was not expecting to like this as much as I did. It had a weird type of fantasy world, which just felt too far fetched but I really liked how the words and events just flowed smoothly and how the introduction to the characters were. In the beginning we get Lily, she's supposed to be a regular, lucky enough to be mated to the King's son, shifter. But dun dun dun, instead she's really this mystical hybrid between a shifter and a vampire -gasp-. As weird as their world was and just how Dawn came up with stuff to add, I really did enjoy it and it was funny at a lot of parts!

Again, Lily is dating the Shifter King's son and those two are inseparable. Everyone either hates Lily or wants to be her, and Lily is totally good hearted and doesn't seem to care or notice too much. Then, Lily finds herself being named the future Queen of Shifters in only a couple days. Still in shock from loads of events that came spiralling at her, she doesn't quite understand the huge responsibility. This is when we get to fully understand the characters seeing as they are all the heirs to their throne: Ezra the Vampire, Jack the Elemental, Pearl the Mage and finally Lily the Shifter.

My favourite character out of everyone in this book had to be Ezra! Not only because he's this sexy, dark and dangerous vampire but because he actually saw sense and was the smartest one. He seemed to know what to do no matter what happened to the group and he always protected them. It was a fun book to read and really had the elements and magic involved which I liked. Instead of it being strictly one thing, Dawn put all of the fantasy, paranormal genre's together into one book. You guys should definitely read this if you want cute mate scenes, sexy vampire scenes and action induced magic scenes!

Mysticals - 4:58:00 PM

King Hall (Forever Evermore #1) by Scarlett Dawn | Review

Pages: 280 pages Publication Date: August 1st 2013 Publisher: Escape Publishing ISBN13: 9780857990679 King Hall — where ...

Publication Date: July 25th 2006

Publisher: Tor Books

Pages: 541

ISBN: 076531178X (ISBN13: 9780765311788)

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more?

In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

Now, What I Thought:

This was really good!!! It was super long but considering how fast-paced it was, it was almost perfect. So the world we're set in is a fantasy dystopia. The sun has turned into a red giant and instead of clear skies, ash rains down almost indefinitely. The story follows this bad-ass 16 year old girl, Vin, and 35 year old, another hugely bad-ass, Kelsier. So there are two classes basically, the Skaa and the Nobles. The Skaa, which Vin is classed in are serving people, they are the 'poor' in this world. The Nobles on the other hand sometimes have access to magic in this world known as, Allomancy. Magic in this world is fuelled by elemental and alloyed metals. This magic can enhance abilities like super strength for example and the abilities differ from different metals the nobles ingest. This whole book is basically a heist for Kelsier and Vin's thieving gang to overthrow the Lord Ruler of the land.

It was really exciting to read and the way we got introduced to the characters was such a brutal and honest way! This whole world is just a wasteland, it's almost like this could happen to us, in real life, in about a couple billion years. We all know our sun is going to burn out sometime and become a red giant like all of the other stars have, it's just a matter of time. I really really really enjoyed this book, and I do wish I had read it sooner! During the book we obviously get a couple attempts by the gang to overthrow the Lord Ruler. Lets just say the first try did not go well. We really get to see why the Inquisitors, unbeatable and unstoppable powerful guards, are so feared of and holy crap that was intense.

There were a lot of moments when I literally thought Sanderson was going to kill the main characters because taking on that big of a heist was bound to have many, if not, all casualties.

WARNING: This is not a happy book. This is a sad, intense, thrilling adventure but not happy. The world Sanderson built and made is living in poverty and a literal wasteland with ash to cover their grounds, do not expect a happy ending. Kelsier was definitely one of my favourite characters, maybe tied with Vin. He was so bad-ass and a complete Dumbledore-like character that his words were so strong and wise. He really was a legend to people.

“That’s where he got those scars, you know,” Disten said. “The ones on his arms. He got them at the Pits, from the rocks on a sheer wall he had to climb to escape.”

Harmon snorted. “That’s not how he got them. He killed an Inquisitor while escaping—that’s where he got the scars.”

“I heard he got them fighting one of the monsters that guard the Pits,” Ulef said. “He reached into its mouth and strangled it from the inside. The teeth scraped his arms.”

Disten frowned. “How do you strangle someone from the inside?"

The only word I can think about for this novel is, intricate. It was so finely wound and woven into this thick, deep and thoughtful plot line and story in general. The whole book was so believable and possible because of the actual realness in the setting and the background behind the people and not to mention the actual world, and what happened for it to get to this point. Again, I really did like this and I'm very happy I finally read it! The characters are simply amazing and so memorable that I absolutely loved everything in this entire novel. This is such a raved about book that it deserves all of the hype it's getting!

Allomancy - 12:42:00 AM

Mistborn: The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) by Brandon Sanderson | Review

Publication Date: July 25th 2006 Publisher: Tor Books Pages: 541 ISBN: 076531178X (ISBN13: 9780765311788) In a world where...

Pages: 562 pages

Publication Date: September 2nd 2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

ISBN: 1619630656 (ISBN13: 9781619630659)

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.

The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Timesbestselling Crown of Midnight.

Now, What I Thought:

This book was crazy wicked!!! Magic is finally used and Chaol now knows that Celaena is not only a fae and has active magic BUT NOW is the rightful Queen Aelin, of the fae! We get introduced to so many characters!! We also get different P.O.V chapters!! We get Manon, Dorian, Chaol and of course, Celaena! If you thought that you guys knew Celaena before, well you're wrong! She did a total 180 on us, and it seems like when she finally took her rightful name, Aelin, she really showed her true ruthless ways, even more so than before...Which is saying something.

It's clear that the other big bad-ass female in this novel is Manon. She is definitely going to meet Celaena at one point in this series and it is going to be awesome! I hope they fight it out and I hope Celaena wins just so she can grow Manon's respect because she's starting to actually grow on me now! Also, dragons are evident in this novel... um EXCUSE ME MAAS!! You brought dragons into this! This book couldn't get any better!

Now, lets talk about Rowan. I've always said that I have no ship or team for Celaena's romance. Well that changed. I adore Rowan! I think he is amazing and yes he is a huge jackass and just makes Aelin look and feel so weak but that soon changes don't you guys worry ;). We get the two best friends of Celaena and Rowan by the end of the book and there is a huge face-off between Celaena and Rowan against Queen Maeve. It was pretty epic and some shit does go down!

I felt like this whole book was just all the male characters getting over Celaena and finding their own path instead of following hers. Dorian comes through some huge changes now that his magic is manifesting on it's own! Chaol has to deal with his rotten father and try to get over the fact that Celaena is the Queen of fae and could potentially kill them all. Aedion Ashryver, Celaena's cousin and childhood best friend, seemed to be a huge asshole at first with all of these smirks and deadly smiles but soon we find out that's not all he really is. He plays a huge role in helping Celaena win back her crown and take over! We get a lot of flashbacks and memories and they are all so sad, I really felt bad for Celaena and what she went through with her dead parents and Arobynn taking her.

The end was amazing! The huge battle in Celaena's chapters were huge!!!! Rowan really showed his intimacy and caring for Celaena when they are together fighting side by side with even Rowan's friends who are like 1000 years old. It was intense and it made a great segway into the next book. This book in general was probably my favourite out of all of them that are out! It was fantastic and amazing well-written!

assassin - 3:02:00 PM

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas | Review

Pages: 562 pages Publication Date: September 2nd 2014 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens ISBN: 1619630656 (ISBN13: 97816196...

Pages: 404 pages

Publication Date: August 7th 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's

ISBN: 1599906953 (ISBN13: 9781599906959)

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Now, What I Thought:

This is such a great series, I cannot stress enough! Celaena isn't just bad-ass, she's a 18 year old assassin and kills whomever she wants. I like her. After being set up, the series-long mystery, by a mystery person, she gets caught trying to take revenge on the man who killed her love, Sam. Safe to say the government put her in jail, or in Maas's world, Endovier. After a year of being treated like a slave, Celaena gets an offer of compete in a royal competition to become the King's personal assassin. Obviously, with her background and reputation from being trained by the most deadliest assassin there is known, the King's son, Dorian, thinks Celaena is the perfect winner. He's not wrong, she'd probably be my first pick as well. At first, when I started reading this book, I automatically thought this was going to be a love-sick triangle and romance book. I mean, it is a love triangle, but romance book? Not even close. Maas pulls out all of her cards in this one and delivers an amazing story about how love, desperation and death can all coincide with each other and it was bloody fantastic!

As cringey as love triangles are, this was done in moderation thank god. I felt like it would be an insult towards Celaena if this series turned into a 'romantic fight for love' type of book. I can fully say that it is not, having read all 4 books that are out currently. Celaena is true to her description and is indeed an assassin at heart, obviously out of practice from her year at Endovier, the captain of the guard, Chaol, helps her out and makes a connection with her. Even though she's already spending time with the infamous Prince Dorian, Chaol's bestfriend, Celaena finds herself in a pickle that doesn't concern life or death for once. She even makes a friend that was totally unexpected, Nehemia, the Eyllwe princess. They actually get on great and she even helps Celaena open up a bit about her past, which helps us as readers to connect with our main protagonist.

Lots of teasing happens in this book where multiple times I'd wish I was Celaena. Yet other times, so much gruesome stuff happens to her and you really feel for her because yes, she may be a killer but when we find out what happens in her past.... She really doesn't deserve half the bad crap that's done to her. The ending had a huge shock, 2 actually. The first was heartbreaking and I could feel the tears coming to my eyes just reading it and the second, the final battle. No need to say that there was an epic scene and so brilliantly described, it was a pleasure to read it.

In conclusion, the first novel in the Throne of Glass series was amazing and the perfect intro to the rest of what happens to Celaena, Chaol, Dorian and other new characters we meet on the way!

assassin - 2:17:00 PM

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas | Review

Pages: 404 pages Publication Date: August 7th 2012 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's ISBN: 1599906953 (ISBN13: 978159...

Pages: 333 pages

Publication Date: September 10th 2013 by Tor Teen

ISBN: 0765334437 (ISBN13: 9780765334435)

The Goddess War begins in Antigoddess, the first installment of the new series by acclaimed author of Anna Dressed in Blood, Kendare Blake.

Old Gods never die…
Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.
Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god.

These days, Cassandra doesn’t involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn’t even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning.
Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don’t just flicker out.
Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

Now, What I Thought:

I loved this depiction of Greek Mythology! For those who know me personally, you'll know that I love mythology, and it's always been a tie between Norse and Greek. So you can imagine my excitement when this book came out by the same author as Anna Dressed in Blood. I'm very excited to say that this novel was amazing, Blake has a way of writing that is so descriptive. I can just remember the first couple of pages and how I knew right away that this was going to be a great book.

This novel is about the fight that the Gods and Goddesses never thought they'd be fighting- losing their immortality. The thing is that you'll probably need some pre-knowledge for this book, I will say. For example, you should brush up on your facts about the Trojan War, Odyssey, and Troy. Those are talked about in this book, and obviously in their own fictional depiction but still Blake uses a startling amount of accuracy. There are moments in the novel where you'll have to think back to High school english or College English and remember the relations these Gods and Goddesses have, and what their most known for. For example, Athena, our main protagonist, is the 'virgin' Goddess and cherishes Owls. Just stuff like that and you should be fine with fully comprehending and understand what is happening or rather, why it's happening. Blake does do a great job at explaining past events and the characters, which I do appreciate.

Get ready for graphic descriptions haha. I mean, Athena is pulling blood- covered feathers out of her own throat so... It is so much fun to read about the feud between Athena and Hera, her father's wife. It's pretty crazy what these Ancient Olympians will do to prolong their lives. Poseidon probably surprised me the most with his feral actions.

Anyways, this book is pretty interesting and I definitely loved the Greek Mythology knowledge we got from it. Definitely a staple in someones reading collection that loves mythology and just learning about it. Blake did a great job with this novel and her depiction of myths and legends.

Greek Mythology - 7:28:00 PM

Antigoddess (Goddess War #1) by Kendare Blake | Review

Pages: 333 pages Publication Date: September 10th 2013 by Tor Teen ISBN: 0765334437 (ISBN13: 9780765334435 ) The Goddess War...

Pages: 326 pages

Publication Date: May 23rd 2013 by Hodder and Stoughton

ISBN: 144477851X (ISBN13: 9781444778519)

It's been six weeks since angels of the apocalypse descended to demolish the modern world. Street gangs rule the day while fear and superstition rule the night. When warrior angels fly away with a helpless little girl, her seventeen-year-old sister Penryn will do anything to get her back.

Anything, including making a deal with an enemy angel.

Raffe is a warrior who lies broken and wingless on the street. After eons of fighting his own battles, he finds himself being rescued from a desperate situation by a half-starved teenage girl.

Traveling through a dark and twisted Northern California, they have only each other to rely on for survival. Together, they journey toward the angels' stronghold in San Francisco where she'll risk everything to rescue her sister and he'll put himself at the mercy of his greatest enemies for the chance to be made whole again.

Now, What I Thought:

AHHHHH!! I love these books. Just saying, I am reviewing this series after I've already read the whole trilogy. This was the perfect introduction and first book to this very dangerous and very addicting world. This was such a cool concept and take on Angels! It's almost believable because if Angels happen to take over the world, this is probably what would happen. I know how crazy that sounds but this book does make you think in-depth. If you are looking for a quick, light read, this is not your book. Go, read a light novel then come back and get committed. You need to be dedicated and 100% sure you want to read these books because Susan Ee did a great job really going in-depth and making pasts, and storylines very real and evident.

So, Penryn has a crazy mother, to start off with. So crazy that she (the mother) had newspaper clippings of mothers across the world who have killed their own children. Safe to say when Penryn saw this, she realized just how serious the condition her mother has, whatever it is. So in result to this, her mother sends Penryn off to all of these fighting and self-defence classes, so much that her father leaves them because of the debt they're in from the classes. Yep, pretty messed up home life. It also doesn't help that her sister was mysteriously hurt when her mother had been watching over her. So hurt that she is now crippled in a wheelchair.

Finally, the Angels comes and attack the human race. Basically the Archangel Gabriel was pissed off that God had given life to humans and spent more of his attention on them, rather than his first children, the Angels. Gabriel lead the Angels on the 'Day of Reckoning' and practically destroyed all of earth.

Now, I've done a lot of research myself on Angels and even am currently reading the Book of Enoch, which is the jewish work telling the story of the Fallen ones and Enoch's, the great-grandfather of Noah, journey with them. I've also read many literature pieces on Angels and can pride myself on knowing some information on them. So, when reading this book I was a little skeptical because all the fiction Angel books have their own theologies and such, from the author's viewpoint. I was very surprised to read that Ee has actually done her research and given the most accurate version of the origin of Angels and how they really act and behave. It is as accurate as the myth and legends tell us, so 10 points to Gryffindor for that!

The romance in this book..... wait lol what romance?....... I loved the fact there was hardly anything romantic. It's pretty obvious that Ee means to pair Penryn and Raffe together but we really focus on the getting to know the characters and the world we are in. That was a pretty smart decision because it made her book different from all of the rest, whom just want paranormal, angel-human love and romance. We really get a lot of bad-assery in this book and action! Penryn can definitely kick ass and is so fierce it even impressed Raffe when he first met the human. Penryn is also very whitty and funny! Let me just show you guys:

"That calls for a witty comeback. “Whatever,” I say. Okay, so I won’t be getting the Witty Woman of the Year Award. “Do you want me to show you how to use this or not?” I sound surly. It’s the best I can do right now."

Then,

"I’m tempted to make a quip about requiring dinner and a movie before getting so kinky, but I don’t. The last thing I need is to start making sex jokes while I’m being held prisoner in a camp full of armed men in a world where there are no laws.”

Basically you guys can tell it definitely has some dry humour which is much needed because this world is so dark and cold, it brought light to some dangerous and pretty intense moments!

Lets not forget Raffe and his humour. Im sorry guys with all the quotes but I can't help it:

“Here, I’ll show you how to use it. Let me see your foot.” [Penryn said]“That’s a pretty intimate demand in the angel world. It usually takes dinner, some wine, and sparkling conversation for me to give up my feet.”

LOL! I just can't guys. You really need to read this series! It has drama, intensity, humour, danger, fights to the death, and shocking, twisting, unexpected moments! It's literally the best depiction of fiction for Angel's out there.

angel - 2:32:00 AM

Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee | Review

Pages: 326 pages Publication Date: May 23rd 2013 by Hodder and Stoughton ISBN: 144477851X (ISBN13: 9781444778519) It's be...

Pages: 342 pages

Publication Date: May 5th 2015 by HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062349856 (ISBN13: 9780062349859)

Twenty years ago, America Singer entered the Selection and won Prince Maxon’s heart. Now the time has come for Princess Eadlyn to hold a Selection of her own. Eadlyn doesn’t expect her Selection to be anything like her parents’ fairy-tale love story. But as the competition begins, she may discover that finding her own happily ever after isn’t as impossible as she always thought.

Now, What I Thought:

Wow, 20 years in the future and now we have America and Maxon's daughter, Eadlyn. Clearly the name choices haven't gotten better, I mean you have Eadlyn, Henri, Ean, Kile, Ahren, Aspen and plenty more weirdly spelled names haha. As much as the concept of this novel is pretty dumb and over-exhausted, Keira Cass just has such an addictive way of writing that you can't put the book down! I loved the Selection series, where we were reading through America's P.O.V., but to add on her daughter's experience with this stupid competition.. I don't know, I really didn't think it was going to work. But like I said before, it was super addictive and I actually read it in one sitting. I think just the idea of a bunch of guys fighting for this one girl's attention was so juicy that we had to read and actually like it. If I hadn't said before I'll say it now, I really did like this book, and I'm super excited for the next in Eadlyn's P.O.V.

Eadlyn, to say the least, was and still is a brat. She's a bratty little snob and know-it-all. Sorry but it's true and many would agree. I did however like the storyline, surprisingly. Again, something about all these men fighting for her hand in marriage is so juicy and I think we all just covet her secretly. It also doesn't help that these guys are supposedly attractive, smart, foreign, and you name it. I'm pretty sure by the end of the book I knew who she would ultimately end up with because it's pretty obvious. As for America..... she definitely changed I found, maybe because of the crown or power but she was just not the same. Maxon however, really impressed me when he was in 'daddy mode.' I liked how he took charge of things and actually listened to his daughter and spoke to her to make sure she was alright with his, being as he had to go through it once before.

Anyways, I'm really excited for the next book to come out and I'll be counting down the days to read it! It was an interesting enough story and really addictive. Hope the next one is even better!!!

dystopia - 12:26:00 AM