KEEP CALM AND LOVE BOOKS: assassins

Pages: 648 pages

Publication Date: September 1st 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

ISBN: 1619636042 (ISBN13: 9781619636040)

The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

Now, What I Thought:

This book felt so long! It was action packed and I couldn't even describe how amazing it was! SO much crap went down in this novel and it was incredible!!! Celaena is now Aelin and I love it!!! We finally get to meet Arobynn and he was very different from what I imagined. I couldn't quite tell if he loved Aelin as a brother, father or lover? I honestly couldn't say for sure because of all the mixed signals and hinted words. BASICALLY that scene was just very uncomfortable for Aelin and me included. Yikes. I can 100% say that Maas has turned us all around on the whole Aelin and Chaol ship and it has officially sunk! He has someone else and she may have someone else, it just wasn't bound to happen so SORRY Team Chaol people out there. But now we can talk about Rowan! He finally appears in the book later on -too late for my liking- and the instant connection is everything!!!! You could feel it yourself as a reader that the time spent apart between the two had changed them. You could literally feel the sexual attention and how much they missed each other and it even surprised them that they could feel this strongly when they didn't before!

Just as I suspected, Manon and Aelin did have a face off and it. was. epic. Definitely one of the most memorable scenes in the whole series. We get a lot of reunions that are way over due, Aelin and Chaol for example... Damn, and especially reading it from Chaol's P.O.V was tough because they used to be so close but now the threat that Aelin has is she's going to have to kill Dorian, who is Chaol's best friend still. It is no secret that Chaol will die trying to stop that. Who knows if he does or doesn't, but there was definitely a shocker AGAIN that Maas threw at us. I could probably rant on and on about how petty Chaol was being towards Aelin about Rowan, her 'fae prince' as he put it. I honestly thought Aelin was either going to maim or kill him. Both would've been fine HAHA.

Dorian is now grown up a lot and is under some trance at court with the king :( It was seriously sad that the usually strong Dorian was actually weak in this book and he didn't really get to contribute till the ending, which really made up for it because it was the battle of the century!

There are so many things to talk about with what happened concerning Rowan, Aelin, Aedion, Arobynn especially but all I'm dying to do is rant about the big final battle! IT WAS AMAZING! I find myself even now just re-reading the end because it was so descriptive and detailed I missed a lot of stuff the first time reading just out of excitement. Lots of things happen and lots of changes are going to happen for Terrasen and the whole kingdom. A huge change happens to one of the characters and a huge sacrifice is made but I think in the next book we'll have to be on the journey to fix 'it'. I honestly can't spoil anything and therefore I can't really talk about the epicness in the final battle. EXCEPT I will say, just to read this amazing freaking book! It was amazing and you should take the time to enjoy and spend the time to actually read it and understand what is happening. When I first read it I literally couldn't put it down and I read it so fast that I then had to RE-read it just to comprehend what was happening.

READ IT, IT WAS AMAZING AND SO WORTH IT!!!

assassin - 5:22:00 PM

Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) by Sarah J. Maas | Review

Pages: 648 pages Publication Date: September 1st 2015 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens ISBN: 1619636042 (ISBN13: 978161...

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: 418 pages

Publication Date: August 27th 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

ISBN: 1619630621 (ISBN13: 9781619630628)

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

Now, What I Thought:

These covers just keep getting better and better! I love how Maas uses a sketch and drawing of this beautiful fierce girl instead of the standard dystopia YA novel models, you know? I like that when we look at this cover, we know Celaena is going to kick some ass!! Anyways, Celaena is now the royal assassin for the king. But she's been doing some naughty things on her missions that can get her very much dead. We knew from the beginning since Endovier that Celaena remembered the king from her trial when she took revenge and got caught for Sam's murder, we know that Celaena hates the king, like really really really wishes him dead. Don't quite blame her. There was a huge heartbreaking and emotional moment when I did cry. Let's just say Celaena is going to get her revenge.

A lot of people are either Team Dorian or Team Chaol, I can proudly say I am neither. I don't want Celaena with anyone because she's too bad-ass and also she has way too much drama with her own life, let alone a relationship with someone else. We get a surprise with 2 of the main characters that now open a lot of doors for them, obviously I won't tell you guys who, but it's a huge shock and very unexpected. The book ended with yet another shock, seriously Maas stop!! It was so sad and Celaena finally shows that she may not be all that normal. Dorian seems to have a new plot that I'm pretty excited to see in the next couple of books and Chaol.... well, he's in trouble and he better run!!! Magic does appear in this novel and it was so well described it really felt like I was there and I'm so excited to see what we can do with this new found element in the series.

This book was pretty good, I wouldn't go as far as saying that this was better than the first, Throne of Glass, but it was pretty much equal! I loved the surprises in this because they really were unexpected! Ahh, I love Celaena and we finally get to see her in pro-assassin mode and it was freaking awesome!

assassin - 2:36:00 PM

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas | Review

Pages: 418 pages Publication Date: August 27th 2013 Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens ISBN: 1619630621 (ISBN13: 978161963...

Pages: 355 pages

Publication Date: October 7th 2014 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 0399167838 (ISBN13: 9780399167836)

I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside.

Adelina Amouteru is a survivor of the blood fever. A decade ago, the deadly illness swept through her nation. Most of the infected perished, while many of the children who survived were left with strange markings. Adelina’s black hair turned silver, her lashes went pale, and now she has only a jagged scar where her left eye once was. Her cruel father believes she is a malfetto, an abomination, ruining their family’s good name and standing in the way of their fortune. But some of the fever’s survivors are rumored to possess more than just scars—they are believed to have mysterious and powerful gifts, and though their identities remain secret, they have come to be called the Young Elites.

Teren Santoro works for the king. As Leader of the Inquisition Axis, it is his job to seek out the Young Elites, to destroy them before they destroy the nation. He believes the Young Elites to be dangerous and vengeful, but it’s Teren who may possess the darkest secret of all.

Enzo Valenciano is a member of the Dagger Society. This secret sect of Young Elites seeks out others like them before the Inquisition Axis can. But when the Daggers find Adelina, they discover someone with powers like they’ve never seen.

Adelina wants to believe Enzo is on her side, and that Teren is the true enemy. But the lives of these three will collide in unexpected ways, as each fights a very different and personal battle. But of one thing they are all certain: Adelina has abilities that shouldn’t belong in this world. A vengeful blackness in her heart. And a desire to destroy all who dare to cross her.

It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.

Now, What I Thought:

This book right off the bat didn't connect with me. I was just about to put it down when Adelina really struck gold and started breaking out of her shell. Her dark, sadistic, ruthless nature really sucked me in and I loved how dark she was! Im so sick of innocent, good protagonists that this was really refreshing. There are a lot of characters and a lot of storylines. This definitely has an in-depth, dark natured, and intense plot. Somehow, Adelina's deformity/scar made her even more beautiful in my eyes, and someone else's too ;).

This book has a very light-practically non existent romance, which I'm more than fine with. I liked that it didn't dwell on Adelina and her love interest, but instead of the Dagger Society and their mission at hand. As expected Adelina is taken to said society by Enzo, when he saves her from a cruel death. While other members didn't welcome her with open arms, she truly seems to fit in somewhere. You see, Adelina is not only badass but has extremely advanced and multiple powers, which the other members of the Dagger society haven't ever encountered before. Teren, the leader of the group that hunts down the Young Elites, stops at nothing to find Adelina and especially, Enzo, considering they've met before. Lu forms some sort of triangle between Adelina, Enzo, and Teren. The deceit Adelina finds makes her think twice on who's good and who's bad. Also, the fact that she doesn't know if she can fully trust Enzo and of course with that one doubt, Teren swoops in clouding her mind with even more. Yikes, the stakes are high and Adelina might act a little too late. Actions are taken, consequences are happening, which lead into death.

Lots of mystery, lots of unanswered questions and of course a cruel cliffhanger at then end. Thank you for that Marie Lu.