Crown of Midnight

I have too much love for this series at the moment... and that's partly because there is just so much to love about it! Whilst I enjoyed Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight  – despite a few wobbles – completely blew me away... Sarah J. Maas is a must-read author for any YA fantasy fan, and this is a series I highly, highly recommend. (Note: be prepared to have your heart brutally ripped out into tiny, inconspicuous pieces at least seven times throughout the course of this novel)...

Author: Sarah J. Maas | Publisher: Bloomsbury | Release date: August 27th 2013 | Pages: 432 | Source: for review

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes. Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon – forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?

My Thoughts: Usually I like to leave at least two days before I write a review of a book – to see if my opinion changes after a wait... but I don't think I need to so for Crown of Midnight; I finished this book last night, and I still feel as I've been smacked around the face 100 odd times. Just when I thought Sarah J Maas' work couldn't get any better, this book comes along – and what a brilliant fantasy novel it is!
 
Crown of Midnight had everything Throne of Glass had... and a whole lot more! This time Celaena was even more feisty, the mystery was even more intriguing, and the tension between Chaol and Dorian was even more unbearable! I don't have a clue where to start with this review, but I guess, out of fear that she'll jump out of the pages and slice my fingers off if I don't put her first, I'll start with Celaena. Q) What's better than a feisty assassin who is feared by all? A) A feisty assassin who is not only feared by all, but also has a caring and compassionate side as well as a brilliant sense of humour... and yeah, in a nutshell, that's why Celaena is one of my all-time favourite heroines! If you're looking for a fantasy series, with a seriously arrogant, feisty and kick-butt female protagonist, then look no further than Throne of Glass/Crown of Midnight!

Now, let me speak about the incredible writing of this book, as it had my inner word nerd squealing throughout! There is no doubt Sarah J. Maas can write, but all the different styles and tones she can squeeze in is both seemingly effortless and completely unbelievable. Not only do we get to witness more witty scenes between Celaena and Dorian/Chaol, and more action-y scenes like those in Throne of Glass... but in this sequel, we get an insight into the more beautiful, sophisticated passages Maas can write – like the scene between Celaena and the stag.

I'm aware that this review is getting rather lengthy, but there are a few more points I need to touch upon – the first of which being the friendship between Celaena and Princess Nehemia. Whilst this friendship began to grow during Throne of Glass, I felt as if it really blossomed during Crown of Midnight, becoming a really beautiful addition to the novel.

Overall, this book was awesome and a superb sequel to a truly original fantasy series. Although I found the middle a tad slow, and there were a couple of confusing moments, I really did enjoy this novel! Thank you so much to the publishers for accepting my netgallery request, and I can't wait for this amazing book to be released. Like I said at the beginning, it's a must-read for all fantasy fans! My Goodreads rating: ★★★★½

Favourite Quote:    

"Of course not. And isn't the journey more important than the end?" 
"No" she spat. Spewing a concoction of curses that could have curdled milk, she tucked the paper into her pocket. She's need to study this riddle–at length. (ARC copy)

The Word:

Why? 

I'm not sure whether it's just because of how brilliant the novel was, or also because it completely smashed my expectations, but this book was definitely incredible. The whole plot line was extraordinary, and the characters were even better than I remembered! If you want a true indication of how incredible I thought this book was, read my note I made at the beginning!

Stacking the Shelves (2)!

June, despite the lack of posts, has been a brilliant book blogging month so far! And, this week alone, I've received some fab-sounding novels that I am TOO excited to begin. So, without further hesitation, here are the books I got over the past week...

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by the absolutely amazing Tygna's Reviews!

FRIDAY BROWN by Vikki Wakefield: This book was sent to me for review from Hot key Books, and I am extremely humbled to have received it before its release date. Having heard such wonderful things about it from both Maya and Jack, I'm extremely excited to begin the novel, and I know it's a book I will (most probably) LOVE. "They call me Friday. It has been foretold that on a Saturday, I will drown..."

HELLO DARKNESS by Anthony McGowan: I hadn't heard of this book before, but when I was offered it as a gift, I happily accepted it... I mean, it's a funny story how I obtained this one; the lovely lady who works at my local bookshop noticed how often my friend and I went in there, and so offered us three free ARCs as gifts! How kind is that? She insists we keep them, as long as we give her feedback after finishing. :)

SLATED by Terri Terry: I've been meaning to read this for a long time... the whole idea just screams 'amazing' right at me! My lovely friend (see above) read this a week or so ago, and so I wasn't hesitant to borrow her copy... I mean, a book about an ex-'terrorist' who has had her memory wiped??? Count me in!

I AM THE MESSENGER by Markus Zusak: Ever since I read The Book Thief, I have been craving an equally as beautiful book... and where better to look than I Am The Messenger, another critically-acclaimed novel by Zusak?! Before I bought this, I had spent hours at a time reading through quotes from it on Goodreads, so it's about time I read this book!

SIEGE AND STORM by Leigh Bardugo: Yes, I did save the best till last... If any of you follow me around the Twitter world, you'll know that Grisha is my latest book obsession! Shadow and Bone completely BLEW ME AWAY, and so I'm super excited about reading this sequel! Thank you so much to Indigo Orion for sending me this for review, and I cannot wait to begin!

So, those are my books from the past week – what did you get??? Link me up to your Stacking the Shelves! :)

The Bone Season

Woah. This book was confusing, but all the concentration was totally worth it! Every tiny detail regarding the world was so cleverly though out, and I have no idea how Samantha Shannon thought of this mind-bogglingly brilliant idea... Although, according to my brief twitter conversation with her, it was down to "a combination of Seven Dials, migraines, a long fascination with dreams and a bit too much coffee"!!!

Author: Samantha Shannon | Publisher: Bloomsbury | Release date: August 20th 2013 | Source: for review

It is the year 2059. Several major world cities are under the control of a security force called Scion. Paige Mahoney works in the criminal underworld of Scion London, part of a secret cell known as the Seven Seals. The work she does is unusual: scouting for information by breaking into others’ minds. Paige is a dreamwalker, a rare kind of clairvoyant, and in this world, the voyants commit treason simply by breathing. But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city—Oxford, erased from the map two centuries ago and now controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly—as soldiers in their army. Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

My Thoughts: Samantha Shannon is an undoubtedly amazing writer; her descriptions throughout this novel conjured up vivid imagery, and her creativity is just mind-blowing. The way the book was structured, with most chapters ending on small cliffhangers, made me devour this novel within three days... which, because of exams, other books, and the shear length of this tale, is a marking of how addictive this read really was! I had a couple of minor problems with the beginning (my memory failed me there, and it was a tad confusing) but after about 30 pages, it really picked up and I began to LOVE this read.

Paige, as a protagonist, was all I could ask for from a leading female character and I can't wait to see her grow and develop across the  rest of the series. As for Warden... well, I totally underestimated him! I'll stop talking about the characters now, because, knowing me, I'll spoil something, but let me just say: they were ah-mazing! Really, although there were a lot to remember, each of them was interesting in their own way, and the beautiful thing about this being a series, is that we'll get to know each of them a lot more throughout!

Now, let me speak about the world. I mean, WOW. I did admittedly cheat whilst reading this (by flipping back the pages to look at The Seven Orders of Clairvoyance) but the creativity of this novel was astounding. An element which interested me in particular was the idea of Dreamscapes, but, to be honest, I was fascinated by all of Samantha Shannon's quirky ideas! Believe me when I say, Scion is a fictional world I LOVE.

Basically, this book was incredibly well-written and the world building was immaculate. Although I got confused at parts, I still thoroughly enjoyed the opening to this truly promising series. Oh, and a HUGE thanks to whoever invented glossaries, as I really benefited from all the definitions and extra info neatly packed onto the last few pages of the ARC! So anyway, I already know that the Scion series is series I'll be following from start to finish, but the question is: will you? :) My Goodreads rating: ★★★★

Favourite Quote:    

"Not all of know what we are. Some of us die without ever knowing. Some of us know, , and we never get caught. But we're out there. Trust me." - ARC copy

The Word:

Why? 

I'm not exaggerating when I say that every single detail about this world has been thought out. All the different systems used, the concept of Dreamscapes and "Cassie's cant" only go to show how truly intricate this novel is. And believe me, the intricacy of this debut makes it an astounding, a stunning and a pleasurable read for most (if not all).