[Review + Giveaway] Queen of Shadows (#4) by Sarah J. Maas

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Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 01/09/2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 645

Source: Bought
Genre: YA - Fantasy (14+)

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
♪ Ginny Blackmore - Holding You ♪
♪ Christina Perri - Human ♪
♪ Björk - Army of Me (Remix) ♪

My Rating: 

Gripping, emotional, edge-of-your-seat read

My thoughts

Sarah J. Maas never fails to amaze me with her gripping storytelling - one of such rarity, managing to captivate me time and time again with bone-chilling, edge-of-your-seat, tantalisingly glorious twists and turns, and unfaltering writing style. 
Her heightened ability to create characters that stick, cling and crawl under one's skin seems to be a weapon of its own. I cannot, will not manage ever to remove Aelin nor Aedion nor Rowan nor Chaol nor Dorian nor Nehemia nor Sam, out of my heart and mind. I know I am not alone in this, a reader whose connection to the characters found in a book made profound, palpable and real and lovely... For me it is something I cannot find often in tv or movies. As a sequel, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, it stands triumphant. I am still reeling from the experience, excited for the day to come when my real life friends to whom I've recommended this series get around to reading this so they too can engage and fall in love with the characters, the writing and the author as much as I have.

[Review] A Court of Thorns and Roses (#1) by Sarah J. Maas

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(#1, A Court of Thorns and Roses)

A Court of Thorns and Roses | Untitled

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 05/05/2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 419

Source: Bought
Genre: YA - fantasy (16+)

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
♪ Major Lazer - Powerful (feat. Ellie Goulding & Tarrus Riley) ♪

My Rating:

Tantalisingly swoonworthy

My thoughts

How do I express exactly what and how I feel for this book? Okay, let's start with this simple and undeniable fact: I am a huge fan of Sarah J. Maas' books. I think her storytelling is on point, her writing style is lovely and eloquent and effective, her use of dialogue, tension, suspense, conflict and astute development of her characters just work perfectly together, grabs me in the heart every single time, leaving me gasping, emotionally spent from the experience. Her grasp on the human condition translates perfectly into her heroines. I loved Celaena's (Throne of Glass series) rough edges, her will to live above all else and her vulnerabilities. I absolutely love that she empowers her female characters, gives them roles that matter and feel real and they are never the same as when we first met them. That is the mark that a truly magical thing has taken place in your story: your characters have undergone irrevocable changes. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a loose fairytale retelling of Beauty and the Beast involving an ancient war between faeries and humans. It is a heart-wrenching story about love, family, survival, power and humanity. It follows 19-year-old Feyre’s journey as she is plucked from her miserable impoverished home in the mortal lands after she plunges an ash arrow into a wolf during one of her hunts, not knowing that it was actually a faerie. Unknowingly she has broken an age-old vow made between the two, but instead of killing her there and then Tamlin, an influential and powerful faerie, has decided to take her into the Faerie Realms, into the Spring Court where he resides. There Feyre learns more about the war and her sort-of captors, and finds out there is more to Tamlin than he’s letting on… and maybe she holds the key to saving her family from devastation.

[Review] Heir of Fire (#3) by Sarah J. Maas

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(#3, Throne of Glass)

The Assassin's Blade | Throne of Glass | Crown of Midnight | Heir of Fire | Untitled

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 11/09/2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 560

Source: Bought
Genre: YA (16+) - Fantasy

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
♪ Evanescence - Bring Me To Life ♪

My Rating: 

THIS BOOK WAS EVERYTHING!!!

My thoughts

Warning! Spoilers if you have not read Crown of Midnight!

This book. Man, this book was DEEP. Maas pulls so many powerful punches in Heir of Fire; without question, even more than she did in Crown of Midnight (and that's saying something because that book was flipping intense!). I feel so strongly about this book, and my thoughts are kind of all over the place, so I'm glad that I did write notes right after I finished reading it initially. I've since read another book in between to try and gather my thoughts, but still I don't know.

[Review] Crown of Midnight (#2) by Sarah J. Maas

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 (#2, Throne of Glass)

The Assassin's Blade | Throne of Glass | Crown of Midnight | Heir of Fire | Untitled

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 15/08/2013

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 353

Source: Publisher for review
Genre: YA (14+) - Fantasy

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes

♪ Evanescence - Lacrymosa ♪

My Rating: 

Kick-ass!

My thoughts

*sigh* This is the second time I'm writing this review. I accidentally copy and pasted right over my entire review like 10 minutes after I finished it. :( I was legit about to go on hiatus, because I was that frustrated. Anyway. Hope this review is at least half as good as the first time around. I will be writing this in the same format as I did last time -- responding to my previous notes from Goodreads, my reactions after finishing the book about a whole year ago.

~~~

By the Wyrd, this book just... kicked ass. Maas writes suspense SO WELL!

That, I remember well. If nothing else, I remember how much this book kicked ass. There is still so much action, so much violence, so much going on that it was hard to stay away. I remember picking up the book and telling myself, "Just one chapter," and then that would stretch into two, three, four chapters.... There's a slow build-up, suspense and mystery that keeps you on the edge, Maas reveals at a good pace -- not too fast, and not too slow. The writing, as usual, is fantastic. I love the style that she utilises, and her writing just flows nicely.

[Review] The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

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Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 13/03/2014

Publisher: Bloomsbury UK
Pages: 437

Source: Publisher for review
Genre: YA (14+) - High fantasy

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

Book Tunes
♪ x ♪

My Rating: 

Brilliantly written

My thoughts

Somehow, after knowing what happens in Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, revisiting Celaena BEFORE the salt mines of Endovier brought forth a whole new perspective and a newfound appreciation for Celaena's character AND Sarah J. Maas' writing and vision. I LOVED that I was given the chance to reread the novellas in a print paperback format. I believe the experience was somehow different and richer because of it.

Live chat with Sarah J. Maas (Throne of Glass)

Have you read Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas yet? I just (finally) posted my review, so go check that out.

Anyway, Sarah J. Maas's face will be on your computer screens:

Sunday 7 October

7am Australian Eastern Standard Time*

(4pm New York time, 9pm London-time)

Just go over to the official 'Throne of Glass' facebook page (here), like the page and find LIVESTREAM. I'm pretty sure that's where it'll be held.

Here's the live chat event page, if you want to keep yourself updated.





* Remember, daylight savings, guys!
** If you've read the novellas (and loved them), express that you want a print release bind-up! I bet it's going to happen eventually but if the publishers KNOW that there's interest then BAM! We get ourselves the four novellas, bound. Coolio. (I know there are already people asking, but the more the merrier!)

[Review] Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass

(#1, Throne of Glass)
Throne of Glass | Untitled

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publication (dd/mm/yyyy): 02/08/2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury UK
Pages: 404

Source: For review (thanks Bloomsbury!)

Violence | Sexual Content | Profanity

My Rating:

Amazing!

Summary:

Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly. Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake: she got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament—fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin’s heart be melted?

My thoughts

I may not have been one of the thousands of Sarah's fans on Fiction Press back when this book was still in its early stages, but that does not mean that this book release was just like any other. I was bouncing-off-the-walls EXCITED for this. I generally only let myself get really pumped up for a couple of book releases per year, and Throne of Glass took the cake in the debuts department.

Tune in Tuesday (1): Throne of Glass & Pushing the Limits

Tune in Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted over at GReads. It's pretty self-explanatory as to what this feature is about. I'll be linking a song/s to each book I am currently reading, or one I have recently finished, or what ever.

Music and books are so alike, in that they not only tell a story; they also have heaps of room for interpretation and the experience of either is really up to the consumer. That's the true beauty in both; they can spark inspiration and at its best . . . they're the closest things to magic. I love discovering new (and good) music as much as I love discovering new books. Join in every week! And please, please, comment with any new songs you find!

(click on cover images for Goodreads page)

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.

It's one of those good-girl-meets-bad-boy stories, which I have a 50/50 chance of reacting by loathing all the characters--especially the bad boy, or getting swept up in the beauty of the unlikely romance and feeling for the poor guy who has a sorrowful past. I'm glad to say PTL is in the latter category.

I think that McGarry has done a good job of creating believable characters that inspire empathy from the reader.

Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Trailer

Buy:

The Nile | Fishpond | The Book Depository

(^ NeedtoBreathe - Something Beautiful)

Red - Pieces
Pillar - Secrets and Regrets
Kelly Clarkson - Mr. Know It All (Echo to her pa)
Allison Iraheta - You Don't Know Me
OneRepublic - Secrets
 Parachute - Kiss Me Slowly 

["Official" playlist is in the back of Pushing the Limits!]

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

This is among my most-anticipated releases of the year! I implore you to read the four prequel novellas before tackling this book.

I'm just loving it so far, and I knew I was going to. Read for the snarky, badass assassin-heroine. Read for the high fantasy elements and awesome fighting scenes. Read for the finely executed writing. Above it all, read it because Sarah J. Maas has worked 10 years towards her publication. 10 years! And she's cute as a button, hehe.

Site | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Trailer

Buy:

The Nile | Borders | The Book Depository

(^ Within Temptation - Stand My Ground)

Avril Lavigne - Wish You Were Here (#0.4, Celaena > Sam)

Allison Iraheta - Pieces
Skylar Grey - Coming Home p.2

[The "official" playlist - in abundance :)]

I'm going to stop with Throne of Glass. It's hard because it's a fantasy book so I just feel like contemporary music doesn't fit quite right. Suggestions?

Bloomsbury's Throne of Glass kick-off giveaway!

One lucky AU/NZ resident will be the lucky lucky person to win BIG!

Bloomsbury has got this contest going on on Facebook (CLICK) - just answer the question and fill in your details, and you've got the chance to win a $150 ASOS GC and a free Bloomsbury title each month for a year.

I swear if the giveaway was just for the ASOS GC I'd bite, but since there are books up for grabs, as a blogger I feel obligated to just get the word out there. So enter up, share with your friends . . . there are also a couple other giveaways. You'll have to like the Throne of Glass page, but why wouldn't you want to? It is simply spectacular.

And I am so excited for this book. I'm currently on the third book of the prequel novellas and will get right to the beautiful novel shortly after I've gotten through the fourth.

Sarah J. Maas books

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (#0.1) || goodreads ~ review

The Assassin and the Desert (#0.2) || goodreads ~ review

The Assassin and the Underworld (#0.3) || goodreads ~ review

The Assassin and the Empire (#0.4) || goodreads ~ review

Throne of Glass (#1) || goodreads ~ review

Waiting on Wednesday (36): Where the Blooms are Buried

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

~~~



Yeah, that was a terrible titular name to give for, of course, Bloomsbury. Anywho, yes. So this is my first WoW in months and therefore I've missed mentioning many books I'd been waiting on. :/ I'll try and get back into the routine of a weekly feature! IMM will still be fortnightly, at best.

~~~
 

(in order of release date)

WoW: Bloomsbury Edition

ARC cover, subject to change

Title: Throne of Glass {goodreads}

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Release Date (dd/mm/yy): August 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury US & AU

Why am I waiting on this?

OMG OMG OMG!

This book used to be titled "Queen of Glass", back when it was at Fictionpress.com. It was a big hit over there, and I'm extremely sorry for not finding it and reading it then. I mentally kick myself sometimes. Anyway, this is like a high fantasy retelling of Cinderella, except I've heard it totally stands on its own. There are four novellas being released prior to August (the first one is FREE!), which just does not help sustain my unflinching excitement.


Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Youtube
Watch the Throne of Glass teaser trailer (it's a must-watch)

Title: Something Like Normal {goodreads}

Author: Trish Doller

Release Date (dd/mm/yy): 19/06/12 (AUS: August)

Publisher: Bloomsbury US & AU

Why am I waiting on this?

I really like the sound of this one. It sounds multi-layered, deep and meaningful. There have also been some really good reviews for it so far, so I have high hopes for this one! ...Male narrative!
Also, hello? Contemporary YA!

Website

Title: Breathe {goodreads}

Author: Sarah Crossan

Release Date (dd/mm/yy): 02/10/12

Publisher: Greenwillow (AU) & Bloomsbury (AU)

Why am I waiting on this?

I say bring on the eco-related dystopians! I love the idea that oxygen is something that has to be rationed, and only the rich are provided with enough to be healthy and athletic. Also, that these three teens will be outside of this Pod with 2 days worth of oxygen, and come across all these secrets that their society kept from them.

Title: Fire Spell {goodreads}

Author: Laura Amy Schlitz

Release Date (dd/mm/yy): October 2012

Publisher: Bloomsbury AU/UK

Why am I waiting on this?

I couldn't really find it anywhere. Here's the synopsis though:

It begins with a girl in London, 1860. Her family is exceptionally wealthy and she is exceptionally lonely. The closest thing to friendship Clara has experienced was a brief encounter with the two ragged children who work with the puppeteer in the park. For her birthday she asks to see them perform in the drawing room, and her father, to her surprise, allows it.

The puppeteer, Grisini, kidnaps Clara and uses his sinister powers to imprison her body and mind in the form of a marionette to add to his theatre. His two young assistants realise what has happened, and all three children find themselves caught up in a terrible struggle for supernatural eminence between Grisini and a dying witch of extraordinary power.

It sounds a bit young, to me, but I think there's potential for a great story here. It's marked as 12+, so by my deductive reasoning it's been classified as YA. I'd love a preview or something to see whether it's for me though.

Thanks for visiting my WoW post. ♥

Comment with your WoW picks and share the excitement!