Happy Tuesday, bloggers!
This post will be a love-and-hate one. Some books, while beautifully written, make you angry or feel shocked. And the others, well, I wish I didn’t read.
Top Ten Tuesday, originally created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, is a weekly meme. The next prompt is books I’d gladly throw into the ocean.
Enjoy!
Happy Friday!
I’ve been avoiding my blog lately. I needed some time away and some much need sleep, but I missed everyone. So hi, I’m back! 😉
I want to thank Kay from Hammock of Books for tagging me. I absolutely loved doing this post. Please give Kay love by visiting her blog!
Yeah, yeah, I’ve rewritten this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. I didn’t like the one I posted earlier, so I’ve decided to stick with this week’s topic. And now it has put me in a funk.
I hope you enjoy my little rants as much as I have. 😉 Here are my picks for books that disappointed me, but I glad I read regardless of the rating:
I dislike a Maas book? Come again?! I don’t particularly hate it, but I found it lacking. A Court of Frost and Starlight is one of my top most anticipated reads of 2018. So I had huge expectations. Yes, we get a clean transition from the first series to the second, but I wish Maas cleared up the issue with Mor and Az, but she’ll drag that on for all its worth. Az deserves the truth, and the fandom needs clarification on Mor’s sexuality.
What I do love about ACOFAS is Nesta’s growth. Some readers hate it, but I loved it. Her devolution is more startling than Feyre’s.
I rated this book too high when I first reviewed it. But the more I think about it, I think the rating should be closer to three stars. I don’t mind when characters push others away. But the way Mare pushed Slade, who she thought was dead, rubbed me the wrong way. The only thing that saved the book is the ending even if it broke my heart.
I was so ecstatic about winning the Hazel Wood from Indigo Teen. The cover is gorgeous, and the blurb sold me. But unfortunately, the story falls short of what I was anticipating. I like the overall storyline, but I feel the execution killed it.
Secondary characters are the saving grace of this story. I loved them. I’m still not sure if I’ll buy the sequel. Sometimes the hype doesn’t live up to the book.
I love how Cassie introduces a deadlier and dangerous foe with the Cohorts and Centurions, but I felt too conflicted with everything else. Her books are too dense, and probably a quarter of that book could have been taken out. Even though I love Julian and Emma, their relationship scares me, and it breaks my heart they were put into that situation.
IT’S SUCH A BEAUTIFUL BOOK. WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! The story killed my love for this book. I bought it on a whim, and while I adored the diversity, especially Alex, I wish it was set apart from high school. I know, I know. It’s a YA book, but I thoroughly enjoyed the last half of the book when the trio went to Los Lagos. I loved immersing myself in the Bruja culture, and I hope to see more of it. But the love triangle felt forced, and the female love interest seems like she worships Alex.
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare
Published by: McElderry Books
Publication Date: May 23, 2017
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Page Count: 701
Rating: 3.75/5
Source: Purchase
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository
Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?
And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.
“We fear things because we value them. We fear losing people because we love them. We fear dying because we value being alive. Don’t wish you didn’t fear anything. All that would mean is that you didn’t feel anything.”
I went into this book thinking that the storyline will eventually go dark. And it does. But what I expected does not compare to what I got. The second instalment in the Dark Artifices, Lord of Shadows will shatter your expectations, divide the already fractured Shadowhunter world, make you ugly cry, and change the Downworld forever.
Even though Emma Carstairs has slain her parents’ murderer, she faces a more troubling situation: the love she has for her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn. A love that’s forbidden to all parabatais. But as she dates Mark so she can convince Julian she doesn’t love him, the faerie courts stir up trouble. Mark, Julian, Emma, Christina, and the rest of the Blackthorn family race to find a way to protect their own and hope to prevent a war among all Shadowhunters and Downworlders.
I raged, I yelled, and I cried once I finished this book. I saw the heartache weave through each page and path these characters take, and yet I’m so conflicted! And I have a hard time rating Lord of Shadows because it has obvious flaws in it, but it took me on an emotional ride I haven’t felt in awhile. I warn you now that Lord of Shadow is a tear-jerker. It will demand all your emotions and tears.
Shadowhunter lovers will know where I stand. Like I said before, Cassie’s work is like a Russian roulette for me. I don’t know if I’ll like her next piece. While I enjoyed the book, some storylines were drawn out too long, long chapters were draining, and some scenes were questionable.
But Cassie’s writing has improved over the years, and I appreciate her attention to detail to the expanded faerie world, the Julian-and-Emma arc, the adorable Kit-and-Ty relationship, and the overall tension the Downworld faces. This hostility among the Council, the Cohorts, and the Centurions heavily reflects our current political environment. And what I love most of YA books and authors is how they show our flaws in our society and aren’t afraid to speak up. I have to give thanks to Cassie for standing up.
I find writing this review without tears challenging. Cassie knows how to rip out your heart. And the characters’ progression throughout this sequel is hard to read, yet each one captivates me. That endearing Mark will always bring a smile to my face. I personally want him to separate from his potential love interests. I want him to find himself, but the love triangle with Mark, Christina, and Kieran prevents him from doing so. I see a new side to Kieran, and while I still hate what he has done, I received a better perspective of him.
Besides Mark and Emma being my favourite characters, Christina shines above them all. But I hope to see a forceful side to her in the next book. She may just be the Shadowhunter who gets rid of the Cold Peace, but if she wants something, fight for it. I was waiting for her to do so. The one trio that surprises me the most is Livvy, Ty, and Kit. I loved reading their scenes, and their dynamic plays off the page rather well. Finally, finally, we see the backstory to Diana and her possible love story. You have no idea how much I squeed. And Julian and Emma come last, as always. I’m still hesitant with them. Their arc worries me, and I don’t see happiness in their future, which I find disheartening because they deserve it the most.
Surprisingly, Lord of Shadows represents many pieces in our society, from sexuality, mental illnesses and conditions, and diversity. I haven’t seen this much representation in one book alone, and I love how it naturally flows through the story.
If you honestly think Cassie’s first and second series are heartbreaking, prepare for this book. Stock up on your Kleenex and hope you don’t break down. I can’t wait to see what Cassie has in store in the finale.
Hey, everyone! This post is a little late, but here it is. I’ve been dying to buy some of these books. And Ii hope to get to read the rest shortly. Hopefully, they won’t sit on my shelf too long!
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. SchwabThis book has been sitting on my TBR list for months. Well, okay, it’s been there for probably a year. And I regret every second I didn’t decide to order this beauty. I have an affinity for books with different colour book case. So when I found out it’s wrapped in a gorgeous white, I nearly freaked.
Kell, an Antari, travels through parallel Londons. Red London thrives in magic; White London is sick with it; Grey London doesn’t have any; Black London is dead. When a smuggling gig goes wrong, he meets Delilah Bard and sets off a series of events that threatens his loved ones and the other worlds.
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository
Lord of Shadows by Cassandra ClareI haven’t gotten to this sequel yet, but I’m interested to see how Cassie takes the story. She’s introduced several conflicts that bring interesting twists to the new series.
Emma and Julian continue to live with their mistakes of not only becoming parabatai but also falling in love. Now to try to hide her love, she dates his brother, Mark. The Unseelie King refuses to follow the Cold Peace. And tension rises between Shadowhunters and Downworlders. The Blackthorns and members of the LA Institute must stand together to defend more than their loved ones.
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository
Our Dark Duet by Victoria SchwabOur Dark Duet is one of my most anticipated books of the year. Victoria has turned me into an instant fan, so I think I’ll buy anything she publishes. Not the greatest for my savings, but meh. The Monsters of Verity is one of the most unique series out there. I highly recommend.
Six months have passed since Kate and August parted ways. The monster pandemic is tearing the city apart, and August now runs his own military team in Verity, while Kate hunts monsters in Prosperity. When she finds a new monster, she’s forced to come back home, but the city she left is not the way she left it.
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository
The Darkest Passion by Gena ShowalterIf you’re looking for your next paranormal romance read, I recommend Gena’s Lords of the Underworld series. For the past few months, I’ve been breezing through it.
Aeron, keeper of Wrath, cannot seem to move past his guilt of almost killing Danika and her family. Now he senses another presence stalking him. Olivia, a fallen angel, was sent to kill him, but she gives up her immortality for a chance to be with him. Duty and desire war within his mind, but they aren’t his only problems. Another angel is determined to finish Olivia’s job.
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository
The Darkest Lie by Gena ShowalterThe Darkest Lies is the sixth instalment in the Lords of the Underworld series. And it’s probably the funiest out of the ones I’ve read.
Gideon, keeper of Lies, cannot speak a lick of truth, so when Scarlet, another keeper, claims to be his wife, he can’t tell if she’s lying. To find the truth, they reluctantly work together, but what they find may destroy them both.
Goodreads | Indigo | Amazon CAN | Amazon US | Book Depository
Siobhan's Novelties 