January 2018 wrap-up.

Hi booklovers

Since it's already the second day of February it's time to post my reading wrap-up for January.

In January I managed to read 4 books (3 physical books and 1 audiobook) and 1 graphic novel. I'm very happy with my reading. I have to admit, listening to audiobooks has really helped speed up my reading. I'm not as intimidated by big book as I used to be (although they still take me a while to get through, but I'm okay with that).

Anyhow, let's get into the wrap-up: 

1) The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. 

I read this book for the Of Wonderland bookclub on Goodreads. The theme for January was 'hyped books'. There was also a new feature for the group: buddy reads. So I buddy read this book with a bunch of other members and I really enjoyed discussing the book. However, I had a hard time getting into the book, so I ended up giving it 3.5 stars. I am intrigued to know what happens next, so I am going to continue with the series. I've written a spoiler-free review which you can find here. 

2) The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson.

This was my second buddy read for the OW bookclub. This is a reread because I read it for the first time in April 2017. This was just as good as the first time I read it (5 stars). I want to continue with the trilogy (series) so I wanted to reread this one. I love this book, it has such a unique magic system. The world building and character development are just fantastic. I alternated between the physical book and the audiobook and that was a great experience. I really enjoy the voice of the narrator, he does a wonderful job. I still need to write my review of it. Hopefully, I'll be able to put it up soon.

3) Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire.

I listened to this novella on audio and I really enjoyed it even though it is a novella. Normally I'm left wanting, but that wasn't the case here. This is a very intriguing book about young people that went to a 'fairytale' land and came back and now they have to deal with everything they went through. I gave it 4.5 stars and I definitely want to continue with the companion books. Again, review to come.

4) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff.

This was the third time I read it and it was also a buddy read for the OW bookclub. Obsidio is coming out in March, so a couple of members of the bookclub wanted to (re)read this book and Gemina to be prepared for the final book. I loved it (5 stars). As with The Final Empire I alternated between the physical book and the audiobook. The cast of voices really adds to the listening experience. And you guessed it, three is a charm: review to come.

5) The Boys volume 2: Get some by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

This is so weird and twisted and I really enjoyed it even though I found it a bit confusing at times. I gave it 4 stars.

How was your reading month? Did you enjoy the books you read? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies

 

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas - spoiler free review.

Hi booklovers

Last year during the summer I participated in the Fantasy Favourites Read-A-Thon and I was supposed to read Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas, but it had been so long since I had read Heir of Fire that I couldn't remember enough of the story, so I stopped reading it and never picked it up again. The theme for February for the #OWBookclub was 'Badass females' and I thought Celaena Sardothien was pretty badass from what I could remember of the first three books. Also, I want to be all caught up with the series by the time the last book in the series comes out. But like everyone else I found out that the book about Chaol will be published in September and the final book in the series has been pushed back to 2018. At least now I don't have to rush to get through the other books and get myself into a reading slump. Binge-reading books in a series and I usually don't get along, unless they are very good books that aren't too long (i.e. less than 400 pages). Anyway, long intro, let's get into the actual review.

Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Genre: YA, fantasy

Format:paperback

*Story:
After spending a year in the salt mines of Endovier, Celaena Sardothien is given a chance to win back her freedom by becoming the king of Adarlan's champion. To become the champion, however, she has to defeat a number of other assassins and thieves. Throughout the story she regains her strength, both mentally and physically and she grows into her role as future champion.

*Characters:
-Celaena: oh my,  I had totally forgotten how arrogant and shallow she is at the beginning of the book. At times she cares more about how she looks than anything else. True, she’s a good assassin and she regains her strength throughout the book, but she was still so unbelievably shallow at times.
 

-Dorian: he is the Crown Prince of Adarlan. He has chosen Celaena to be his father’s champion. He’s at a marriageable age and his mother keeps pressuring him to choose a bride. Dorian, on the other hand doesn’t want to think about that just yet. Of course, he is immediately intrigued by Celaena and of course, he falls in love with her. Some might think this is a spoiler, but you can actually see that plotline developping a mile off. I did enjoy the way Dorian and Celaena interacted and bantered.

-Chaol: captain Westfall is to be Calaena’s personal trainer to help her get ready for the competition. At first he only sees her as an assassin, but as time goes by he starts to see her as a young and vulnerable girl. Of course, it doesn’t take him long either to develop feelings for her. Again, no spoiler, it’s an obvious plot development. With these two, I also liked how they interacted and bantered. Chaol is the complete opposite of Dorian, always serious and taking his duties very much to heart.

-Nehemia: she is a foreign princess who has come to the Adarlan court. She quickly befriends Celaena since Celaena both speaks and understands Eyllwe. Nehemia is a very strong person who is not always who she appears to be, but she proves herself to be a true friend.

-Elena: The spirit of the long dead queen of Adarlan. She gives Celaena the task of vanquishing the evil roaming the castle’s hallways.
 

*Plot/worldbuilding/overall rating:
There were some things I really liked about this book: it was fast-paced and action-packed at times. I really liked the characters of Nehemia and Elena. The story was good, however, it does have its flaws. There was too much emphasis on Celaena’s beauty. After reading about it five times, we get it already, you don’t have to repeat it a gazillion more times. Like I said, I found Celaena to be very arrogant and shallow. Granted, her name still bestows fear in the hearts of a lot of people, but, she did get caught and she did end up in Endovier. I also disliked the obvious YA trope of the love triangle. Like I said before, this is no spoiler, it is blatantly obvious the story is going to develop like that. I found the world building to be a bit lacking since we get to see little of the country.

*Audiobook experience:
While I was looking for a book to use my audible credit on, I stumbled upon this one and I decided to listen to a sample of it. I immediately recognized the voice-actress as the one who also read the part of Nina in Six of Crows. I really enjoyed her voice-acting and since I wanted to do a reread of the series, I thought I’d give it a go. It was a really good experience, although I do have to admit that I sometimes found it hard to know when the story switched POV’s.

Have you read this book / series? What did you think of it? Let me know in the comments.

Bye for now

Annelies