Review: Throne of Glass By Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas
August 7, 2012
Bloomsbury USA Children
404 pages
Genre: Upper Young Adult Fantasy
(Note: The main characters are 18-22 years old, but there are no sexually explicit scenes)
Source: Personal purchase

Book Blurb:

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 three 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.

My Review:

After reading the prequel novellas (find my review here), which are not mandatory reading, but for me really helped set-up Celeana's story and character, as well as the world, and I was very excited to start Throne of Glass. Sarah J. Maas pulled me in from the very first chapter of TOG right back into Celaena's life and I had a difficult time putting the book down.

Setting: Maas does a wonderful job of creating this fantasy world that I can completely imagine. The details and depths of what she created is magnificent. But fortunately she does not bog the reader down with info-dumping. Instead she provides more and more info as the book progresses about the different cities, people, history, giving us an increasingly larger picture without droning on with excessive and unnecessary details. Her world is amazing and I imagine Maas spent a tremendous amount of time developing it, and it shows. The map at the beginning of the book was really helpful to me as well.

Story: There are many, many layers to this story, which should be apparent considering the vastness of the world that Maas has created. Within this story we have the history of the wider world that Celaena lives in and how it got there, the king and his intentions, and the plight of the people throughout the land. And within that larger picture we have Celaena, newly released from the salt mines to compete to become the new royal assassin. Then within that competition, we have a killer on the loose. How do you find a killer among people competing to become an assassin? Then throw in some royal politics, mysterious magic, and the building of friendship perhaps love, and you've got an exciting story. I loved the complexity of the story and not only did I enjoy this novel, but I'm looking forward to all the directions that Maas may possibly take the next novels.

Characters: I loved the characters Maas created. The MCs have depths and dimension. Even the secondary characters are given a bit of history and made interesting and important to the story. But let's talk about the MCs:

Celaena: Prior to Celeana's imprisonment at the Endovier salt mines, she was arrogant, prickly, rude, snobbish, and immature in many ways. During the novellas we got to see the gradual ways that Celaena was humbled in her life and character. After a year in the salt mines, Celaena has been humbled by the hard labor, the beatings, the hopelessness, the death surrounding her, but she has also kept her strength and the things that make her so unique. She is not a character without faults and flaws, even after her humbling experiences, and I liked the balance between her positive and negative attributes that Maas presented. I also appreciated her inner and outer strength, and how she had to continually evolve when facing new situations.

Dorian and Chaol: Dorian is the Crown Prince and Chaol is his Captain of the Guard. They have also been friends - the best of friends - since childhood. Each is uniquely different from the other, yet each has their own appeal, and I really liked both of them. And how does Celaena come into their lives? Dorian needs a Champion for his father's competition, so he chooses the one person he knows will completely rub his father the wrong way. Chaol is in charge of her and has prejudged her by her history of living as an assassin and a murderer. Neither truly knows her, they just know of her. But then they get to know her. And each is drawn toward the same girl.

Love Triangle: Now I'm not normally a fan of love triangles. Oftentimes an author makes them seem forced and not realistic. This time, however, the growing, budding interests of these two gentlemen for this assassin girl felt very organic, very gently paced, and very realistic. There's no love-at-first-sight. There is the gradual building of relationships, the gradual break down of barriers. I really appreciated the gentleness of how these budding interests were handled, and not overly dramatized. Even though there were love interests about, the main storyline of Celaena's competition and the mysterious murders were not overshadowed. And I will not tell you what happened with this triangle, but I will say that I really liked how it was handled and I respect Celaena's integrity.

Bottomline: There are so many aspects of this book that I enjoyed - from the multi-dimensional characters, to the fierceness of the competition, to the mysteries of finding the killer as well as the kingdom politics, to the complexities of the world, and to the budding love stories. Maas really did a tremendous job, and I look forward to the rest of her novels, as well as more novellas, which are like little gems.

5 STARS

Book Links:

AMAZON   *   GOODREADS

Guest Post: Tiffany Truitt’s "Back to Reading Contest" and 99 cent sale!

I am so excited to be stopping by today to announce my “Back to Reading,” contest. Like millions of teachers and students, I will be returning back to the classroom, and I thought this needed to be celebrated with a MAJOR book giveaway….and other fun goodies for all my fellow fans of Young Adult Literature.

What Do You Win: One lucky winner will receive copies of the following books (Only US residents need apply):

How Do You Win: Simply stop by my website between Aug 23-26 to enter.

More Goodies: And that’s not all. Entangled Publishing and I are excited to announce that from August 23-26 books 1-2 of The Lost Souls Series (Chosen Ones and The Naturals) will be available for Kindle, Nook, and Apple for only 99 cents. That’s right.  For less than a dollar, you can join the world of Tess and James before the final book in the trilogy hits store in April 2014.

 

Need more enticement? Below you will find an excerpt from book three, The Creators.

Somewhere, James was just as trapped as I was.

            I thought of the morning when we lay with each other, curled against one another, never beginning and never ending. How we’d stayed like that till the sun began to rise.

            James had reached down and pulled me off the ground. He wore a satisfied grin on his face. “Someone is mighty proud of himself,” I teased.

            He laughed. It bounced through the forest, calling it awake. Readying it for the day. “I’m just insanely happy.”

            I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him gently on his scar. “I’m insanely happy too,” I whispered.

            James looked down at me, and I was lost all over again. I would never tire of looking into those mismatched eyes. They didn’t make him different. They made him him. He chuckled as he reached over and pulled a leaf from my tangled hair. “They’ll know just by looking at you that we’ve been up to no good.”

            “No good?” I purred. “I thought it was very, very good.”

            James growled and lifted me into the air. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he pressed his lips hungrily against mine. I moved my hands to his hair, curling my fingers into it, attaching myself to him. I never wanted to let go. Every part of me ached to be touched by him, and every part of me ached to touch him right back.

            “Do you know how much I love you?” he breathed into the base of my neck. His lips fluttered against my skin.

            I nodded, kissing the top of his head. “As much as I love you.”

            James slowly put my feet back on the ground. He cradled my face in his hands. “That will never change. No matter what.”

            I looked deep into his eyes. “I know.” Because I did. It was one of life’s few assurances. I would always love James.

            I pressed my lips once again to his scar. “I adore this scar,” I whispered, unable to hide the smile that seemed etched on my face all morning.

            “You’re enough to drive a man crazy,” he said The tremble of his voice caused my toes to curl. I wanted him again. And again. And again.

            My fingers traced the waist of his pants. “Tonight?” I said, knowing full well it was a promise that I probably wouldn’t be able to keep.

            James grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. “Tonight,” he echoed.

            As the sun climb higher into the sky, I knew our moment was coming to an end. James reached down and placed his hand over my heart. “Thank you,” he said.

            “For what?” I asked, my voice choked with emotion.

            “For everything.”

            As the memory slipped away, I looked back up at the night sky. Praying and hoping that James knew how much I wanted to thank him too.

            For everything.

Book Review: Fire and Ash by Jonathan Maberry

Fire and Ash by Jonathan Maberry
(Benny Imura #4)
August 13, 2013
Simon and Schuster
448 pages
Genre: Young Adult
Source: Personal purchase

Book Blurb:

Benny Imura and his friends have made it to Sanctuary, they've found the jet and they've discovered that civilization is struggling to regain its foothold in the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse. Scientists are on the verge of finding a cure for the zombie plague. It should be time for celebration, but it's not. Benny's best friend, Chong, has been infected by an arrow dipped in the flesh of a zombie and he hovers between life and death and Dr McReady, a researcher who may have the critical formula for a cure, has gone missing. So Benny convinces Captain Ledger to mount a search and rescue mission to find the doctor and help Chong. But with the Reapers still pursuing their plan to turn all zombies into super-fast shock troops even if they can save Chong, can they save themselves? In the fourth book of the thrilling and emotionally charged Rot & Ruin series, the battle to end all battles is about to begin...

My Review:

You can find my Series Review for the Benny Imura series here.

I was excited and nervous to read Fire and Ash. I've been burned by other authors in the conclusions of their series and being that this is my first series read of Jonathan Maberry's, I didn't know what to expect. Well, if I wasn't already a fan of Maberry's before, I most certainly am now. He concluded this series brilliantly.

Like in the previous book Flesh and Bone, we continue to follow multiple POVs, getting the full picture of what is happening not only with Benny, but throughout the other areas in the Rot and Ruin, and with the other characters (whether you like them or not). I loved getting all the vantage points. It made me anticipate things even more. I felt like I was constantly nervous about what was going to happen to my beloved characters. Plus the shorter chapters kept me continually engaged with each group. The first two chapters alone already had me close to tears.

We also continue to follow Benny along the ride of his continual character development. He's no longer the 15 year old boy we met in book one. Reading about his inner and outer journey was beautifully done; watching his struggles with himself, with his friends, with his emotions, with his future - it all played out brilliantly. I loved watching who Benny became and who he grew into. Benny's friends are no longer the same either. All of their struggles, their emotions, their personal revelations, all played out amazingly. These are definitely the kind of kids you'd want around to restart the world. I miss reading about them already.

Maberry does not lighten the battle and starkness that is war. The things these kids see and do is heartbreaking. There are no rose-colored glasses here or sugar-coating going on. The final battles, the final choices - this final book is packed full of emotion, packed full of ugliness, packed full of bloodshed. The predicament and lasting effects of war and violence are continually analyzed, the choices of the past are speculated, even the secrecy of adults and government, all this makes for a bit of philosophizing that I really appreciated. But through it all Maberry also continues us and our young friends along the journey of keeping hope. Even when that hope is a flickering flame, a winking spark, there is still hope.

Bottomline: If you are looking for a satisfying conclusion to the Benny Imura series, you'll find it here. If you're looking for a book that's real and ugly but speckled with hope, you'll find it here. If you're looking for characters that continue to grow and change and fight, you'll find them here. If you're looking for the continued depths and philosophizing you've previous enjoyed, look no further. Thank you, Mr. Maberry, for this incredible series and characters I don't want to forget.

 

5 STARS

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS

Series Review: Benny Imura (Rot and Ruin) by Jonathan Maberry

Rot and Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
September 14, 2012
Simon and Schuster
458 pages
Genre: Young Adult
(contains death, violence)
Source: Personal purchase

Rot and Ruin Book Blurb:

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

Spoiler-Free Series Review:

I admit I'm not normally a zombie book reader. I only picked up these books because I liked the covers and a couple of friends kept telling me how good they were. I was in a bit of a reading slump, so I picked up Rot and Ruin. First, I loved Maberry's writing style. Then I immediately loved Benny Imura. Not because he was such a great kid. He wasn't. He was immature and unreasonably hated his brother. But I liked how real that was. I liked how misdirected he was. And I couldn't wait to see what kind of person he was going to become - good or bad or somewhere in between. The characters Maberry created, good and evil, were amazing and I was so impressed by the incredible way he developed them all. If you like good character development, then you'll be impressed.

Initially the zombie lore of the story wasn't a big deal. It felt pretty synonymous with any other zombie world out there. But then something happened that made everything different. Tom Imura happened. Tom, the philosophizing, zombie-quieting, apple-pie-baking, eternally-patient-with-little-brother samurai happened. Tom, the guy I'd want my sister or best single girlfriend to marry (because I'm already happily married). The way Jonathan Maberry used Tom and other characters in the books to bring humanity to the zombies, humanity to this post-apocalyptic world, was what really put this series in a whole other category for me. The deeper levels of this book were beautifully written and I commend Maberry for bringing these depths to a young adult series that primarily follows a male teenaged protagonist.

This series intermixes the ugly side of humanity with the kind. But let's be honest. There's a whole lot of ugly going on. There are nightmares worse than the zombies at times. Maberry explores many sides of humanity, ranging from peaceful non-violent monks to psychopathic murders to the apathetic and anything else in-between. There were many moments that were downright heartbreaking. But they are still explored in a way for a young adult or mature adult to both appreciate, to learn from. Not only do we see these horrors, but we also see how each character deals with them and their effects on them. Once again, Maberry does not tip-toe around the consequences of violence, both to the victim and the perpetrator, but explores it well.

I will not go into more specifics about the series because I want to remain spoiler-free, but if you are looking for something different and deeper, something darker but also flecked with hope and bouts of humor, something full of colorful characters that will make you laugh and cry, something that makes you think, something you'll want to sink your teeth in - than look no further and check out the Benny Imura series.

And it you'd like to read my review of the final book - Fire and Ash - you can find it here.

5 STARS

 

Book Links and Reading Order (click on cover):

  Rot and Ruin (Book #1)

     Dust and Decay (Book #2)

     Flesh and Bone (Book #3)

  Fire and Ash (Book #4)

 

 

Teaser Tuesday (17): Fire and Ash

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Fire and Ash by Jonathan Maberry
Book 4 of the Benny Imura series
Published August 13, 2013

 

I love this series and am savoring these last pages in this final book. If you have not started this series, I highly recommend it. The first book is Rot and Ruin.

 

Fire and Ash Teaser (page 10):

 

The soldier wiped at the trickle of blood on his throat. "He ain't alive."

 

"He's. Not. Dead." Benny spaced and emphasized each word.

 

"Yeah. Sure. Whatever you want, kid."

 

 

To keep this spoiler free for the series, I'll enclose the Book Blurb for book one - Rot and Ruin:

In the zombie-infested, post-apocalyptic America where Benny Imura lives, every teenager must find a job by the time they turn fifteen or get their rations cut in half. Benny doesn't want to apprentice as a zombie hunter with his boring older brother Tom, but he has no choice. He expects a tedious job whacking zoms for cash, but what he gets is a vocation that will teach him what it means to be human.

 

Book Links and Reading Order:

 

Rot and Ruin (#1)

Dust and Decay (#2)

Flesh and Bone (#3)

Fire and Ash (#4)

 

Book Review: Facade

Façade by Nyrae Dawn
(Games #2)
July 2, 2013
304 pages
Genre: New Adult
(contains mature sexual scenes, language, alcohol, drugs)
Source: NetGalley for my honest review

Book Blurb:

Can love save them?

After her father commits a crime that shatters her family, eighteen-year-old Delaney Cross is tired of pretending everything is all right. Packing up her car, she sets out to find the people her father hurt. Her search leads her to places she’s never been—and into the arms of Adrian Westfall.

To the outside world, Adrian is a sexy, charming ladies’ man. But his playboy persona is just an act. Secretly his soul is tortured by a memory too painful to share. Only Delaney seems to see through his façade to the real man underneath. And for the first time in his life, Adrian feels he can begin to open up about his past.Together, Adrian and Delaney share a passionate love they never expected to find. Yet both still harbor their own secrets. When the dark truth is finally revealed, will it bring them closer together—or tear them apart forever?

My Review:

I already enjoyed Charade by Nyrae Dawn (find my review here), so I had high hopes for Façade. Meeting Adrian in Charade did not prepare me for the emotional journey Nyrae was going to take me through in Façade. It was an incredibly heartfelt journey between two souls lost in their own worlds and brought together through tragedy.

The story starts with Delaney knowing who Adrian is, seeking him out for some sort of reconciliation for her father's crime, but instead being drawn to him in ways she had not expected. Now this premise could have gotten hokey and ridiculous really quickly. But Nyrae really drew upon great character building and development and a realistic timeline, allowing the reader to see through Delaney and Adrian's eyes what they were drawn toward in the other. I wouldn't call this love-at-first-sight, but more of intrigue-at-first-sight. But the progression of their relationship was slow and well paced. Nyrae develops this beautiful friendship and camaraderie between Delaney and Adrian, which builds into something more. But they each have their own hesitations and secrets, holding them back. I was already emotionally touched by their circumstances in the beginning. But as more and more things came out, I felt caught off guard and sucker-punched in the heart. It's an incredible story.

I loved the characters that Nyrae created. I loved getting to know Delaney and Adrian on a deeper level. Delaney knew she had a secret she should set straight, but I could understand her hesitation as time progressed. I felt her anguish and worry. And I genuinely liked her and liked who she was with Adrian. I also liked knowing more about Adrian and that he wasn't just the stoner ladies' man he fronted and hid behind to cover the depths of his pain and guilt. I loved his sensitive side and his protective side. I loved that through his growing relationship with Delaney he started to question his coping techniques and wanted to become better. Seeing them as a couple really worked for me. I believed it, even when the secrets were not out yet. And I rooted for them when their circumstances went haywire. But would love be enough?

Bottomline: I love the characters that Nyrae Dawn created in Charade and now in Façade. They are developed deeply and beautifully. Then to see their lives play out in these stories she's created is amazing. I laughed and cried with them. I cheered and hurt for them. I invested in them. Plus no cheating and no cliffhangers! My grabby hands are already anticipating Masquerade, the next book. I highly recommend this series.

5 STARS

Book Links:

AMAZON  *  GOODREADS
 

Stacking the Shelves (23)

Stacking The Shelves, hosted by Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

I attended the Mortal Instruments: City of Bones movie premiere this last week in Hollywood with my husband. It was fantastic! We both loved it! If you'd like to read more of my review, click here.

I'm also a little behind on my Stacking the Shelves posts, so this is a bit of playing catch-up. It's amazing how quickly my kindle purchases can stack up, especially when they reduce the prices!

(click on books for links)

Purchased:

 

 Fire and Ash by Jonathan Maberry (reading now!)

Boy Nobody by Allen Zadoff (signed)

 

Borrowed (Thanks Kim!):

 

 The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas (my review)

The Assassin and the Empire by Sarah J. Maas (my review)

 

On Kindle:

 
  

Below are only 99 cents this weekend! 
 

    

 Jane's Melody by Ryan Winfield

Lost and Found by Nicole Williams

Redesigned by Denise Grover Swank

When You're Ready by JL Berg

Geoducks are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott

My Now and Forever by HJ Bellus

Truth by Aleatha Romig

I Love You to Death by Natalie Ward

Smash Into You by Shelly Crane

 

Novella Love on Kindle:

   

 

   

 The Son of Sobek by Rick Riordan

The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas (my review)

The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J. Maas (my review)

Tooth and Nail by Jonathan Maberry

Afterburn by Silvia Day

Keeping Her by Cora Carmack