Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

Series: The Nevernight Chronicles, #1

Publication:August 9th 2016 by St. Martin's Press

Goodreads Description:

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge? 

My thoughts:

Nevernight is an incredible read and a new all time favourite for me. I had the best time reading this fantasy book and could not recommend it enough! I couldn't put it down it was so good. 

One of the biggest reasons why I loved this book was the main character, Mia. I loved how morally grey she was, she is an assassin in training and she does do some things and make some decisions that aren't what I'd consider right but I loved her for it. She's was also super badass with her her 'magic'- she has the ability to control shadows and it is so cool! I don't think I've ever read a character like that before and it was fascinating seeing how she used her ability to her advantage. She also has a shadowcat who follows her around and they have the best banter which is also a big reason I loved her; animal companions are my favourite thing! I was rooting for her from the moment I met her, I wanted her to become an assassin and kill the men who executed her family. She was such a fun character to read about!

The plot of Nevernight is one full of action and Chase scenes and suspense and mystery and I loved it! It does take a few chapters before the all gets rolling but I promise if you push through it's worth it! The beginning is a bit slow because the writing is a bit heavy on the world building.

The main setting of Nevernight is the school in which Mia is being trained to be an assassin. The school is very reminiscent of Hogwarts (of Hogwarts was a more dangerous and had ruthless teachers who didn't care about killing the pupils and more) which I loved! The school was so mysterious and had some really cool rooms and stuff.

Jay Kristoff managed to develop some lovely relationships between the characters which I loved. There was some amazing friendships built between Mia and her shadow cat and the other students at the school. There was so much banter and witty dialogue I was here for it!

I've never read a book solely by Jay Kristoff so going in I wasn't if the writing was for me but I loved it. He uses lots of flashbacks, but places them in such a way that they don't drag on and pull the reader out of the present day plot. I particularly loved the first chapter and how he used flashbacks and present day back to back. Along with these flashbacks there is footnotes. I loved the footnotes and thought they were a very clever way to build the world and the narrator was very snarky in them. In the beginning I thought reading them would take me out of the story but it didn't- if I was really into what was happening I'd just keep reading and then at the end of the chapter go back and read the footnotes. I found it's not always necessary to read them to understand what was going on which means you could probably skip them altogether. They were a very clever way to world build though.

I loved the narration style. The story is told in third person. We don't know who the narrator is (though I have theories) but they have such a strong voice and personality it makes the story so much fun to read. They are so snarky and even address the reader which is cool.

The world building is very cleverly done through footnotes. Through them we get information on religion, places, politicians, magic and more. It is a bit dense in the beginning but it drops off as the story gets going. 

*it is important to note that this is not a YA book like Jay Kristoffs other books like the Illuminae Files- Nevernight contains mature content so please be aware of that before going in. There is graphic violence and sex scenes as well as a lot of swear words*

I had a blast reading Nevernight and am dying to pick up Godsgrave after that ending the had me on the edge of my seat and left me with a million questions!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J Maas

*Warning this post contains spoilers for all the previous book in the Throne of Glass series- including Tower of Dawn*

Series: Throne of Glass, #7

Publication: October 23rd 2018 by Bloomsbury YA

Goodreads Description:

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series. 

My thoughts:

Wow what a finale! I finished KoA in awe of Sarah J Mass. I was apprehensive going in since ACOWAR wasn't my favourite but by god has Sarah learned how to write an ending. KoA is an absolutely breathtaking finale and was definitely worth the wait. I wasn't sure she could pull it off with the scope of this series being so grand but it was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better way for one of my favourite series to end.

I was an emotional mess reading almost every other chapter and when I wasn't tearing up I was on the edge of me seat freaking out over all the intense battles and action sequences that Maas packed into this massive book. 

I love Aelin to pieces but following her in this book was extremely difficult for me. She goes through lots of ups and downs but mostly downs and I was so emotional reading all her chapters because I didn't want to say goodbye to this badass brave woman who I have looked up to for the past 5 years of my life.

Dorian got a lot of page time in KoA which I was so happy about. I feel like he has been a bit neglected in the past few books but Sarah gave him so much opportunities to shine in KoA. In this book he is struggling with his trauma and his humanity and he even explores new aspects of his magic. I missed my sassy charming prince from the early ToG days but I've also loved how layered and complex his character has become over the last few books.

Manon- her arc- in this book alone

I ended up caring about the cadre a lot more than I expected. I grew to love Fenrys in this book because he was with Aelin. I also really grew to like Gavriel, he's so different to the other males. I loved how kind and gentle he was with Elide on their search for Aelin.

There was a few new characters introduced- mostly witches, which was interesting but we don't get to know them that well which is understandable considering the size of the cast. 

It was so interesting how Sarah managed to weave all these storylines so that all these characters started converging. There was at least 10 points of view and I found myself invested in every single one of them. I was surprised that Sarah J Maas pulled off the multiple POVs. It could have been a lot but she managed to write them in a way that made sense for them to cross paths.

A number of things I predicted did happen but she did it in a way that surpassed my expectations. There was lots of twists and turns and I loved how she played with some tropes and turned them on their head.

A note on the romance. Everyone knows Sarah's latest books have been full of romance and steamy sex sex scenes and while some readers enjoy that it's not my cup of tea so I was over the moon excited to see that she toned it way down with the sex scenes in KoA and focused on the plot and other aspects of the characters relationships!

People are going to argue that the ending wasn't what they wanted but it was exactly what I wanted .

I have no words to describe what this series has meant to me over the years. It has been my rock in so many ways and I am very sad it's over but am glad with how it ended. I couldn't have asked for a more epic conclusion for this badass character I love with all my heart. I know this series has its problems but I will love it until the day I die. And I want to say thank you to Sarah for writing it.

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Series Review: The Diviners by Libba Bray

Series: The Diviners 

Publication of book 1, The Diviners:September 18th 2012 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description of book 1, The Diviners:

Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City—and she is pos-i-tute-ly ecstatic. It’s 1926, and New York is filled with speakeasies, Ziegfeld girls, and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is that she has to live with her uncle Will and his unhealthy obsession with the occult.

Evie worries he’ll discover her darkest secret: a supernatural power that has only brought her trouble so far. But when the police find a murdered girl branded with a cryptic symbol and Will is called to the scene, Evie realizes her gift could help catch a serial killer.

As Evie jumps headlong into a dance with a murderer, other stories unfold in the city that never sleeps. A young man named Memphis is caught between two worlds. A chorus girl named Theta is running from her past. A student named Jericho hides a shocking secret. And unknown to all, something dark and evil has awakened.

My Thoughts:

The Diviners is a new all time favourite series of mine (that's right it is not a trilogy! There are more books to come out so don't do what I did and read the three thinking it is a completed story!) I marathoner the first three books back to back and had the best time. I loved every minute of it and as soon as I finished one book I jumped right into the next!

This review is broken down into three sections and I have warnings before spoilers so don't worry!

The Diviners 

The Diviners was not at all what I was expecting and I loved it! It was such a unique read that was complete different to anything else I've ever read!

The atmosphere and setting were so good. Libba Bray did an excellent job making me feel like I was in New York in the 1920s. She just captured the vibe so well. I was even reading in a Gatsby-esque accent. All the parties and glitz and glam really made the it feel real. 

The Diviners has a huge cast of characters which I loved! I haven't read a book with loads of characters in ages (last one I can think of is Lord of Shadows). I really grew to love a lot of them, especially Evie, Sam, Theta and Memphis. Because the book is so long we really get to spend a lot of time getting to know the characters and connecting with them. I also loved how all the storylines crossed paths at some stage and all the friendships that started developing between the characters.

The plot was very engaging for the most part. It is a mystery thriller but the reader knows who did it so it took a little bit away from the story because I was getting annoyed they were taking so long to figure it out! It wasn't too bad though I was still very invested in the story and couldn't stop reading. 

Speaking of the mystery thriller aspect Libba Bray nailed it at creating such a creepy haunting eerie atmosphere in some scenes. I was genuinely freaked out at points.

I was surprised at how emotionally invested I was, I was getting freaked out and stressed for the characters it was so intense at parts and I loved it! 

I was hesitant to pick up The Diviners because I wasn't the biggest fan of Libba Bray's other series, Gemma Doyle, and I didn't want to commit to a series with such long books but I was so glad I did! It was such a unique read and as soon as I finished book 1 I started book 2, Lair of Dreams!

*Spoilers for book 1, The Diviners ahead!*

Lair of Dreams

I absolutely adored reading Lair of Dreams! There was so much going on and I loved it!

We get to see a good bit of Sam in Lair of Dreams and I loved it! Sam quickly became one of my all time favourite characters, he is just so funny and enjoyable to read about! I wheels anticipated getting a chapter from his POV. 

Speaking of POV, both Jericho and Mabel had POVs in this book too. They were pretty prevalent at the start but then they disappeared for what felt like ages and when they popped up I was surprised- I'd forgotten about them. I wasn't the biggest fan of their stories but I was still engaged while reading from them.

We get introduced to a new character- Ling. Ling is very different from the other character and I loved it! She is half Chinese and has a physical disability. It was great getting that kind of rep in a historical fiction book! Usually it's all the contemporary books that have diverse cast of character but The Diviners has so many different types of people and it's great!

The plot was excellent I never felt like it dragged even though it was a long book. There were a good few storylines going on at once and while I definitely had my favourites (Sam and Evie and Memphis and Theta) I enjoyed all of them. I will say this book is not as big on the thriller mystery stuff as book 1 though. We do get more into the government side of things and I had lots of questions and was constantly theorising what things meant as I was reading.

The ships were sailing in this one and it was so much fun to read about! I had so much fun reading about one in particular, won't say who because spoilers!

I had just as an amazing and surprise reading experience reading Lair of Dreams as I did The Diviners! It was a fantastic sequel and just like with book 1 I had to jump into the next one immediately!

*Spoilers for book 2, Lair of Dreams ahead!*

Before the Devil Breaks You

Before the Devil Breaks You is probably my least favourite of the three books out but it was still great! 

I was frustrated at Evie a good bit in this one which hindered my enjoyment. She was just making stupid decisions I didn't agree with which was annoying. I still love her but she got on my nerves at times.

There was a lot of Jericho in this book which I wasn't that happy about. I wasn't a fan of him going in but then he kind of grew on me and then he did something and I didn't like him again. I was all over the place with him.

There was a good bit of Mabel too which also effected my reading experience. I was never a fan of her, she just wasn't as interesting as the others but in this book she was just stupid I couldn't stand her! She was constantly doing stupid things that had me rolling my eyes and I felt no sympathy or empathy towards her. 

We do get some lovely character development for Theta though which I lived for. She is such a strong young woman and I could read about her all day every day!

I also really liked Ling in this book. I felt like she had a bigger role than she did in Lair of Dreams and it was interesting getting to know her better it is also confirmed that she is ace so yay!

We do get a good few answers about things from previous books about Diviners but I still had questions when I finished reading.

There was a good bit of relationship drama in this one- won't say who but some couples need to learn to communicate!

There was definitely some very emotional parts in Before the Devil Breaks You compared to book 1 and 2. I was surprised at how emotional my response was to some stuff going down.

The ending of this one is absolutely mad so I'd recommend waiting until book 4 is out or closer to its release date before picking up Before the Devil Breaks You because the ending will leave you wanting more!

Beyond excited for the next book! I need it asap! Really hoping we don't have to wait years for it! I had so much fun reading these first three books and can't wait to jump back into this world soon!

Thanks for reading,

A :)

The Silver Mask by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Short review today guys!

*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first 3 books in the Magisterium series.*
Read my review of book 2, The Copper Gauntlet here!
Read my review of book 3, The Bronze Key here!

Series: Magisterium, #4

Publication:October 10th 2017 by Scholastic Press 

Goodreads Description:
A generation ago, Constantine Madden came close to achieving what no magician had ever achieved: the ability to bring back the dead. He didn't succeed . . . but he did find a way to keep himself alive, inside a young child named Callum Hunt. Now Call is one of the most feared and reviled students in the history of the Magisterium, thought to be responsible for a devastating death and an ever-present threat of war. As a result, Call has been imprisoned and interrogated. Everyone wants to know what Constantine was up to-and how he lives on. But Call has no idea. It is only when he's broken out of prison that the full potential of Constantine's plan is suddenly in his hands . . . and he must decide what to do with his power. In this spellbinding fourth book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take us beyond the realm of the living and into the dangers of the dead.

My Thoughts:

The Silver Mask is my favourite book in the Magisterium series; I absolutely loved it. I had so much fun reading this one. I wasn't a huge fan of the Bronze Key so I was hesitant going it and I was blown away by how much I enjoyed The Silver Mask. I think the characters being 15 in this one made it a lot easier for me to read.

I love how the characters are getting older! It was very amusing seeing them dealing with growing up and dealing with relationships and whatnot.

Call is so funny, I loved how blunt and honest he is in this book; he says exactly what he's thinking and it is hilarious at times. I loved it.

The plot was pretty predictable but it's middle grade so that is to be expected but what I wasn't expecting was how dark it would get. There was also some great action scenes at the end which I loved.

Jasper had a good amount of page time in this book which I liked, he brings a comedic element to the story and I liked how he is slowly becoming friends with the others.

The Silver Mask is by far my favourite book in the series and I can't wait for the next one! My only complaint was it was too short, why are middle grade books always so short?! I wanted more, I cannot believe we have to wait months for the next one.

Thanks for reading,
A :)

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J Maas

*Warning this post contains spoilers for the for all the books in the Throne of Glass series up to Empire of Storms*

Read my review of Empire of Storms here!

Series: Throne of Glass, # 6

Publication: September 5th 2017 by Bloomsbury 

Goodreads Description:

In the next installment of the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series, follow Chaol on his sweeping journey to a distant empire.

Chaol Westfall has always defined himself by his unwavering loyalty, his strength, and his position as the Captain of the Guard. But all of that has changed since the glass castle shattered, since his men were slaughtered, since the King of Adarlan spared him from a killing blow, but left his body broken.

His only shot at recovery lies with the legendary healers of the Torre Cesme in Antica—the stronghold of the southern continent's mighty empire. And with war looming over Dorian and Aelin back home, their survival might lie with Chaol and Nesryn convincing its rulers to ally with them.

But what they discover in Antica will change them both—and be more vital to saving Erilea than they could have imagined. 

My thoughts:

While it wasn't my favourite Sarah J Maas book, I did really like Tower of Dawn.

To start off I should address what everyone was worried about when Tower of Dawn was announced- the disability representation. As we know from Queen of Shadows Chaol lost the ability to use his legs due to the events of the end of the book and as a result uses a wheelchair to move around. I was very weary going into Tower of Dawn because I was worried the issue might no be handled in a sensitive authentic manner. So the big question is: do I think Tower of Dawn is ablesit? I don't think so. I do not have a disability so I can't speak on the authenticity of the rep but I think Chaol's physical and emotional journey were both written in a respectful way. If you want to read thoughts from someone who uses a wheelchair I'd recommend this post: http://her bookishthings.com/towerofdawn/ it is also stated in this post that Sarah said she went though sensitivity readers in regards to Chaol a situation which I appreciated as it showed she was really trying. There is also a review on goodreads which addressed the disability rep if you want to check it out, this reader was very happy with the rep- https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2114999039

Now that the disability rep is out of the way let's talk about Chaol in general in this book. I really liked Chaol in Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight but then I grew to be indifferent about him in the later books. He annoyed me and I couldn't have cared less about his story to be honest so I was really only pick Tower of Dawn up for Nesryn and Yrene; but after reading the book I've actually grown to like him again. Chaol a character development in ToD is set at such a lovely pace o couldn't help but start to like him as I got a deeper understanding of him. In ToD we really explore his thoughts on what he's done in the past and how he feels about how he acted which I really liked.

I picked up this book to get to know Nesryn better; I loved the little glimpse we got of her in QoS and couldn't wait to see more from her character, and sadly I was a bit disappointed. I felt like she was missing the whole first half of Tower of Dawn, she was there but I felt like she wasn't getting equal page time to the other characters until the second half of the book where she really shines.

Our third main character is the healer Yrene. Yrene is the healer from the novellas The Assassin and the Healer which was released a few years ago and is part of The Assassins Blade. I'd recommend reading the novella before Tower f Dawn but it is not necessary, anything revealed about Yrene in the novellas is in ToD too. She's a different type of badass to what we are used to in the Throne of Glass world and I liked that. I liked reading about such a compassionate young woman who is smart and kind and so much more and can still be strong despite the fact that she isn't amazing at fighting physically.

We are introduced to loads more characters and while they were interesting I will say it was hard to keep them all straight in my head; they all have names that are spelt weirdly and impossible to pronounce in true Sarah J Maas fashion. We do get to meet the royal family of the southern continent and while I didn't care about most of them 1 in particular stood out and I really enjoyed his part in the story.

The romance was tame compared to ACOMAF and EoS which I was super grateful for. I will say it's still new adult content but boring as explicit as ACOMAF and EOS.

There is a lot of World building in Tower of Dawn but somehow Sarah J Maas never makes it info dumpy; we learn about the culture and the royals and healers and everything in snippets here and there when relevant. It was very interesting reading about this new place in the ToG world. It's important to note that because we are in a new place Mass used this as an opportunity to make the series more diverse in terms of race; the only white character is Chaol.

I felt like the plot was a bit lacking. There was not as much action as I expect with Sarah J Maas books but I suppose that's because there was a big focus on character journeys (Chaol in particular but also Yrene) and world building.

There is vital information in Tower of Dawn for the next instalment in the series, this was supposed to be a novella so I've heard people say they are going to skip it because it won't effect the final instalment but I am telling you now do not skip this book! There is some very important things revealed towards the end of the novel that will have a big impact on how the finale will play out.

This book should be read after EoS as the events in ToD run parallel to EoS so they are happening at the same time and things that are happening in the northern continent are mentioned in ToD to keep Chaol in the loop and so we know at what point the others are in the story. There is no Aelin, Dorian, Manon, Rowan, Lysandra, Aedion etc in Tower of Dawn so don't go in expecting them!

I enjoyed Tower of Dawn but it's not my favourite Sarah J Maas book; I felt like it was lacking the twisty plot, sass and fun I associate with this series. I can't wait for the finale next year though!

My rating: 4 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima

Series: Shattered Realms, #2

Publication: April 4th 2017 by HarperTeen

Goodreads Description:

A lifelong war.

Alyssa ana’Raisa is the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of Fells, a queendom embroiled in a seemingly endless war. Hardened by too many losses, Lyss is more comfortable striking with a sword than maneuvering at court. After a brush with death, she goes on the offensive, meaning to end the war that has raged her whole life. If her gamble doesn’t pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even ascends to the throne.

A life in peril.

Across enemy lines in Arden, young rising star Captain Halston Matelon has been fighting for his king since he was a lýtling. Lately, though, he finds himself sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of witches and wolfish warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death.

The shadow of defeat. 

My thoughts:

Shadowcaster is fantastic but unfortunately I didn't love it as much as book one, Flamecaster. I was a little bit disappointed because I had so much theories and hopes and expectations going in and the book went in a different direction because it focused on new characters instead of those in the first book. That being said I still really enjoyed it- it's Cinda Williams Chima so that's no surprise.

I loved how the whole time I was reading I was constantly coming up with theories. These books are known for how all the different narratives are woven together so well so I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how certain characters were going to bump into each other. It was a lot of fun, even if I was wrong a lot of the time!

I personally felt like Shadowcaster was a filler book. Big things did happen but it felt like everything was being set up for the next instalment.

Shadowcaster focuses on new characters that are just mentioned in book 1 but were not fleshed out. Alyssa is one of these characters. She is one of the main characters in Shadowcaster and I loved every second she had some page time. She is so different from a lot of other YA protagonists. She's a badass princess who is general in an army! I wasn't the biggest fan of the male protagonist, Han. He was okay but not as much fun to read about. The chemistry between the two was off the charts though and I had fun reading their interactions. Their relationship was developed at a lovely pace and really fleshed out.

I was a bit disappointed that there was no POV from one of my favourite characters in the first book, I was just waiting and waiting for it and it never happened.

This world is already super developed because there is so many books already out but it looks like Chima is planning on expanding it even more with hints of new magic here and there throughout Shadowcaster and I am excited to see where it goes.

I found the ending to be a bit frustrating. I felt like all the storylines were finally coming together and then it cut off. It also ended on a cliff hanger so that's annoying too.

I am so excited for the next book because this one was kind of like a filler book were everything was set up for some major things to happen in the next one! It's one of my highly anticipated books for 2018!

My rating: 4

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

*Warning this review contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Lady Midnight.*

Series: The Dark Artifices, #3

Publication: May 23rd 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Goodreads Description:

Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

My thoughts:

Lord of Shadows is everything a Cassandra Clare book we expected it to be and more! It is full of vivid characters, action packed plot and some romance and hits on some dark themes and let's be real it was heartbreaking.

I obviously love the plots of Cassie's books or I wouldn't have read all her books but to me it's her characters that really drive me to keep reading. They are all so vivid and we only scraped the surface of some of them in Lady Midnight. In Lord of Shadows we really get to know some of the other characters at a much deeper level such as Kit, Ty, Livvy, Dru and Diana. I loved Emma, Jules, Ty and Cristina in LM but now I love almost everyone! Kit is definitely a character that stands out in Lord of Shadows. The sass levels are real with this boy! He is hilarious, I lived for Kit's narration.

There are a few friendships that play a big role in Lord of Shadows which I liked. Romantic relationships are fun to read and ship but the relationships I live most are friendships and family so having new friendships develop was one of my favourite parts of the story. Livvy, Ty and Kit mesh so nicely together; I loved reading any scene with the three of them. I also liked how Emma and Mark's friendship was explored. I think it would have been easy for Cassie to go down the love triangle route and I'm so glad she didn't. Their friendship reads as very genuine.

It's a Cassandra Clare book so of course there is a lot of romantic relationships drama, but to be honest it was not as much as I anticipated. I loved how mature the characters were in dealing with the situations they were in. They came off as real people and not bratty annoying 15yr olds like some other YA books.

I loved the plot. We follow a few POVs in Lord of Shadows so it's actually like a few different storylines that all wove together! I loved how we got to spend more time with some characters who we didn't see a lot of in LM. All the different stories made the story fly by; especially when a chapter ended on a cliffhanger and hanged POVs. I couldn't stop reading. 

Because there is so many POVs Lord of Shadows is set in a variety of places such as London, Cornwall, Faerie and Idris. TID fans will be over the moon as we get to spend a good chunk of time in the London institute! In LM we just stay in LA so it was fun seeing the characters interacting with new environments.

Clave politics comes to the forefront in Lord of Shadows- there is a big emphasis on how corrupt it is which we already knew but I think it's a lot more relevant to our characters in Lord of Shadows because they are interacting with some of these corrupt people. Some of the stuff going on in the story is kinda reflective of stuff going on in the real world and I liked how it kind of reminded me of the affects of world war 1.

There is no lack of diversity in the Shadowhunter Chronicles but Cassie stepped it up another notch in Lord of Shadows by introducing our first transgender Shadowhunter! I think it was dealt with very well and people will be happy with the representation.

Another note on diversity: Cassie has said that Ty has autism on multiple occasions but it was never explicitly said in the books, the characters merely said he was just 'special' or 'different' of 'just Ty'; but in Lord of Shadows the term 'autistic' is used. While labels aren't everything I think it is important to acknowledge them and this highlights to readers who weren't aware that Ty has autism.

I have to commend Cassie for all the risks she took in Lord of Shadows. She went in certain directions a lot of authors would shy away from and to be honest I didn't think she'd have the guts to do what she did in Lord of Shadows but she did. And it terrifies me that she has no problems being brutal to her main characters because it really means no one is safe!

There are a few cameos from The Mortal Instruments characters and a few nods towards Cassie's other series The Infernal Devices and her upcoming series The Last Hours which fans will love. I know I got excited any time a TID name popped up! 

The ending was one of Cassie's best yet. I was complete thrown off guard and thoroughly distraught. I just wanted to remind readers that the next book in TDA isn't out until 2019 so if you are not one for cliff hangers probably wait until closer the time Queen of Air and Darkness is released.

Overall I absolutely loved Lord of Shadows but who's surprised? I had so much fun easing and am eagerly anticipating the third and final book in the series!

My rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

The Bronze Key by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

*Warning this post contains spoilers for the first two books in the Magisterium Series: The Iron Trial and The Copper Gauntlet*

Series: Magisterium, #3

Publication:August 30th 2016 by Scholastic

Goodreads Description:
Magic can save you.
Magic can kill you.

Students at the Magisterium are supposed to be safe. Under the watchful eyes of the mages, they are taught to use magic to bring order to a chaotic world.

But now the chaos is fighting back. Call, Tamara, and Aaron should be worrying about things like pop quizzes and magic contests. Instead, after the shocking death of one of their classmates, they must track down a sinister killer… and risk their own lives in the process.

As Call, Tamara, and Aaron discover, magic can only be as good as the person who wields it. In evil hands, it has the capacity to do immeasurable harm, unless it is stopped in time.

In this striking third book of Magisterium, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare present us with a school where anything, good or evil, can happen, and the only way to unlock the truth is to risk everything to find it.

My thoughts:
I liked The Bronze Key. It was a fun read. The Magisterium Series is meant for middle grade readers but as an adult I find myself still enjoying it. The Bronze Key was a short quick read.

If you can't remember anything The Copper Gauntlet don't worry I couldn't either. Black and Clare recap what happened in the second book in the first few chapters in The Bronze Key which was really helpful.

I had some problems with the pace of the story. I felt like there were lulls in the fast pace and I found my attention wandering at times. I wasn't as invested in the story as I was with the pervious books. I wasn't eager to find out what would happen next.

I also found The Bronze Key to be very predictable. Maybe because it is aimed at middle grade readers.

I thought the world could have been added onto. I felt like it was established well in the first two books so I was hoping to get more information on other parts of the world in regards to adult mages and the politics of the world and how it lives side by side with our world.

Like all of Clare's and Black's books The Bronze Key was funny. I especially liked how Jasper was the comedic relief a lto of the time. I found myslef laughing out loud at times it was so funny.

Our main character are starting to grow up, they are fourteen years old in this book and I loved etting to see them going through regular teenage stuff like crushes. It was so interesting seeing them interacting because  Call thinks Tamara will always pick Aaron over him and it seems like Aaron cares for Call but that might just be beacuse he is so nice to everyone. And Celia is thrown into the mix and Jasper. It made a good dynamic.

The ending felt rushed. Everything happened in the last two chapters and I wanted more details. Also we end on a cliff hanger as usual.

I am really looking forward to picking up the next book and see how this new villian influences the story.

My rating: 3 stars

Thanks for reading,
A :)

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The Darkest Magic by Morgan Rhodes

Series: Spirits and Thieves, #2

Publication:June 28th 2016 by Razorbill

Goodreads description:
In the second installment of New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes's highly acclaimed Falling Kingdoms spin-off series, danger looms and the mystery deepens as two warring evils vie for possession of one elusive, powerful book.

Modern-day Toronto: Sisters Crystal and Becca Hatcher are reunited after reclaiming the Bronze Codex and narrowly escaping death. They have no one to trust but each other, and the only thing keeping them safe is the book that sent Becca's spirit to Ancient Mytica--the same book that their enemies would kill them for. 

Ancient Mytica: Maddox grapples to keep his newly discovered powers under control, while the ruthless goddess Valoria hunts him down. 

Modern-day Toronto: Farrell embraces his dark side as he unwittingly falls further under the spell of Markus, the mastermind leader of the nefarious Hawkspear Society, who will stop at nothing to find Crys and Becca--and the remarkable book in their possession. 

New York Times bestselling author Morgan Rhodes takes readers into exhilarating new high-fantasy territory with volume two of the Book of Spirits and Thieves series, an epic contemporary saga perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Diana Gabaldon’sOutlander.

My thoughts:

The Darkest Magic is just as fantastic as book one in the series, A Book of Spirits and Thieves, if not even better. I loved this book so much and enjoyed every minute of reading it!

I really liked how we get Becca's point of view in this book. I really like her so it was fun to be in her head this time around.

Maddox and Barnabas' father-son relationship is explored a lot in The Darkest Magic. It is interesting to see them coming to terms with the fact that they are family.

Farrell- his character development was amazing. He goes even darker and gets more intense. I love how morally grey he is. Like is he a good guy or a bad guy, you don't really know and it's so compelling to read about.

Lots of new characters are introduced in The Darkest Magic. Some I really liked and others I'm not really sure about yet. I loved how when a new character was intoduced I never fully trusted them.I was constantly looking out for someone to betray everyone or something. I was so paranoid while reading that one of these new characters were going to stab us in the back. 

There was so much mystery going on in this book, I loved it. It made me never want to put the book down. There is plot twists left right and centre in this one. So many Oh My God moments.

The ending is crazy. I will leave you begging for the next book. I need book 3 ASAP!

My rating:4.5 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

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