She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But where will her conscience, and her heart, lead her? 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 willing to fight for? Summary from Amazon Next up in Talia Talks... A review of Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J. Maas, published in 2013 by Bloomsbury. This is the second book in the Throne of Glass series.
Crown of Midnight was such a thrilling and exciting ride. I was gripping the edge of my seat the entire time to the point where I read it in one go. I literally could not put the book down. I thought that Throne of Glass had set a high bar and that it was going to be hard to overcome that, but Sarah has just proven her amazing writing skills to be over the top. Crown of Midnight was even more thrilling than Throne of Glass and deepened the plot even further for the next book. The world building just added on and used everything from the previous book to it's full extent. The mysteries continue adding up in this novel, but enough are solved that it's almost impossible to end up frustrated--instead, it leaves you wanting the next book. We only meet a few new characters, but these characters all have a depth that's rare to find in a second novel. We also find that Sarah has fun breaking her characters. After all, to make a character, first you have to break them (even though it breaks the readers hearts as well). If you haven't read Throne of Glass, then I highly recommend reading that! Crown of Midnight lives up to expectations, if not more. That's all for the non-spoliery part (well as non-spoilery as you can get for a second book in a series)! Continue reading if you want to discuss with me!
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In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world. Sumary from Amazon Today's review is of Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. Published by Bloomsbury in 2012, this stunning debut novel is the first in a series of six. Although I've already read Throne of Glass a few times (and the others that are currently out in the series), I thought that I'd do a review on this fantastic book. Clearly, I love this book. I find it fascinating (and while there are a few lulls, it's not enough to bring one to boredom at all) and I absolutely adore the plot. I'm a sucker for books that include royalty, but once you throw in assassins I'm gone for sure. It's been a trend for the past few years, but badass female main characters have really become the spotlight feature of novels. In this novel, we meet Celaena Sardothien, the most renowned assassin in the land--and she's managed to land herself in a competition to become the King's Champion. Celaena, while she is a little full of herself, does go through changes and has very human responses that are easy to relate to and understand. Through the novel, we slowly start to see the girl behind the cold assassin front--and she's just as badass, if not more, than her assassin facade. The other main characters, are all just as memorable. There's Dorian Havilliard, the Crown Prince, who although comes off arrogant at first, really starts to show his caring and compassionate side, proving that not all princes are jerks (and he's hot, but that was a given, right?). For me, his character was super lovable and I couldn't wait to see more of him and his interactions with Celaena (they are so cute come on). We are also introduced to Chaol Westfall, Captain of the King's Guard, and a fascinating character as well. Although we don't get to see him as much as we see Dorian, there's a clear shift from his harsh act to Celaena in the beginning of the book and after he gets to know her. It's also quite great how Chaol (with his limited page time) does manage to start going through some character development--and it's deep. To incorporate that into the first book of a series, well, bravo to Sarah. :) Those are the big three for now, but there are plenty more characters who play a large role in the plot and each of them are just as intriguing as the last. Being an avid reader, especially of YA books, I was pleasantly surprised to say that I was unable to predict a lot of happenings in this novel. Of course, there were things that were easily predictable, but it didn't take away from the plot at all. The fact that the plot revolves around an assassin working for royalty and fighting in a competition--to me it just spells it out clearly that this plot has places to go and it's going to go there. I really enjoyed the air of mystery that surrounds this novel--it really keeps one on their toes and it's very enjoyable to read this book. Being a first book in a series, I have to admit that the world building was phenomenal. I had a clear picture of things and as I read, the world just kept on expanding. I was utterly engrossed in it and I love that this series has such a strong base to build off of. Overall, I highly, highly, highly, recommend this novel. There are few books that I think can compare to it and it's definitely at the top of it's game. Pick it up and try it out--I swear you won't be disappointed. That's it for the non-spoilery review, but keep on reading if you've already finished Throne of Glass and want to hear my opinions on the book and/or if you want to discuss! -Talia I found an old review I did of this book from when it first came out and thought I should post it. Disclaimer: I was obsessed with this book as a freshman in high school Between the Lines is by Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer published by Simon Pulse on June 2013 and written as a Companion novel to Off the Page. Summary from Amazon: Delilah is a bit of a loner who prefers spending her time in the school library with her head in a book—one book in particular. Between the Lines may be a fairy tale, but it feels real. Prince Oliver is brave, adventurous, and loving. He really speaks to Delilah. And then one day Oliver actually speaks to her. Turns out, Oliver is more than a one-dimensional storybook prince. He’s a restless teen who feels trapped by his literary existence and hates that his entire life is predetermined. He’s sure there’s more for him out there in the real world, and Delilah might just be his key to freedom. The summary alone compelled me to read it since lonely high school girl + book obsession + fairy tales = me at the time. It really wasn't that cliche as some would expect and this idea of being able to fall in love with a book character and your feelings being reciprocated is pretty much every book lover's dream, which in this book, Delilah was able to achieve. Overall, the book kept me enraptured the whole time and I had to read it all in one day. The pictures are beautiful and add to the story though they do seem slightly at odds with the cover (more on that below). Read more for further discussion! -Alise |
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