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 :)

Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton

*Warning this review contains spoilers for the first book in the series, Rebel of the Sands*

Series: Rebel of the Sands, #2

Publication:March 7th 2017 by Viking

Goodreads Description:

Rebel by chance. Traitor by choice.

Gunslinger Amani al'Hiza fled her dead-end hometown on the back of a mythical horse with the mysterious foreigner Jin, seeking only her own freedom. Now she’s fighting to liberate the entire desert nation of Miraji from a bloodthirsty sultan who slew his own father to capture the throne. 

When Amani finds herself thrust into the epicenter of the regime—the Sultan’s palace—she’s determined to bring the tyrant down. Desperate to uncover the Sultan’s secrets by spying on his court, she tries to forget that Jin disappeared just as she was getting closest to him, and that she’s a prisoner of the enemy. But the longer she remains, the more she questions whether the Sultan is really the villain she’s been told he is, and who’s the real traitor to her sun-bleached, magic-filled homeland.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Miraji, about the rebellion, about Djinn and Jin and the Blue-Eyed Bandit. In Traitor to the Throne, the only certainty is that everything will change. 

My thoughts:

I liked Traitor to the Throne but didn't love the way I did Rebel of the Sands. I think Book 1 was way better. I have a review of it that you can read here!

The plot of Traitor to the Throne felt like something I've read numerous times before so it wasn't exciting like book 1 was. I also felt like the pacing was off. The beginning was great- it was very go go go but then It started to get slow and drag in the middle and I had to push myself to get through it and then it picked up again towards the end. There was a few twists but nothing major I didn't see coming. It lacked all the action I loved from Rebel of the Sands. It was too long, it easily could have been 100 pages shorter.

I also had problems with the characters; I am not emotionally attached to any of them. Amani was so sassy and impulsive in Rebel of the Sands and I love character development but her not being as wild in this book made it kind of boring. I felt like she just fell into this state of being very bland and uninteresting to read about.

Onto Amani and Jin- Jin has hardly any page time in Traitor to the Throne which I was sad about because I loved Amani and Jin's banter. I was a bit disappointed that Traitor to the Throne went down the route where the love interests are angry with each other the whole time in the sequel book.

The world building was good. We get to explore Dijinni magic more and we even get to meet Amani's father which was interesting. I liked how there was little stories sprinkled throughout the story.

I also liked how there was a lot more political stuff going on in this book. We spend a lot of time in the Sultan's palace (too much time maybe) and meet lots of new people. It was interesting how we got an insight into everyone's perspective and how the author created these lovely complex grey characters like the Sultan for instance. We get to know him more and he shares his motives and such which paints him not as a villain but as a man who is doing what's best for his people.

I didn't have any major problems with Traitor to the Throne, I just felt like it was something a younger me would have liked a lot more. Had I read this a few years ago when I was only getting into reading I probably would have loved it. It's a fun light YA fantasy that's nothing too heavy. I'd recommend this series for readers who are looking to get into YA fantasy.

My rating: 3 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

*Warning this review may contain spoilers for the first book in the series, The Hidden Oracle*

Series: The Trials of Apollo, #2

Publication: May 2nd 2017 by Disney-Hyperion

Goodreads Description:

Zeus has punished his son Apollo—god of the sun, music, archery, poetry, and more—by casting him down to earth in the form of a gawky, acne-covered sixteen-year-old mortal named Lester. The only way Apollo can reclaim his rightful place on Mount Olympus is by restoring several Oracles that have gone dark. What is affecting the Oracles, and how can Apollo do anything about them without his powers?

After experiencing a series of dangerous—and frankly, humiliating—trials at Camp Half-Blood, Apollo must now leave the relative safety of the demigod training ground and embark on a hair-raising journey across North America. Fortunately, what he lacks in godly graces he's gaining in new friendships—with heroes who will be very familiar to fans of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians and Heroes of Olympus series. Come along for what promises to be a harrowing, hilarious, and haiku-filled ride. . . 

My thoughts:

I am so conflicted about The Dark Prophecy, on one hand I really liked the second half and on the other it took me ages to get through the first half. I really struggled at the start; I had to force myself to keep reading and I didn't know if I was getting told for Rick Riordan books or if it was because I read it at the wrong time when I'd just finished one of my all time favourite series (To All the Boys I've Loved Before- a review of Always and Forever Lara Jean should be up before this post!). But I don't think I am growing out of Rick Riordan books because I adore the Magnus Chase series and I did enjoy reading the second half of The Dark Prophecy.

I think Apollo's narration was a factor in my reading experience because at times he can be a bit immature and I found myself rolling my eyes at some of his comments. I thought he was hilarious last year when I read The Hidden Oracle and he did have some great one liners in The Dark Prophecy but it wasn't as funny as RR's other books.

As I said the plot was slow to start and it didn't pick up for me until after half way, after the half way mark though I couldn't stop reading, I was back in the swing of things and was enjoying the story.

We do get a good bit of Leo and Calypso which I liked. I was worried that they were only going to be in the start of the book but they stuck around for the majority of the story. It was nice seeing them trying to work as a couple and dealing with trying to live normal lives. If you are going into The Dark Prophecy expecting it to be all about them it's not, they are definitely side characters.

We are also introduced to some very interesting characters. The Hunter of Artemis play a big role in The Dark Prophecy which I loved because I absolutely adore the Hunters. I find them so much fun to read about! We even meet two ex hunters!

The ending of The Dark Prophecy was great and I have high hopes for the next book, which I am definitely picking up despite my weird reading experience with the start of The Dark Prophecy.

My rating: 3 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

Author Interview with Jessica Prather

I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to interview Jessica Prather, author of The Traitor's Crux, for my blog! Be sure to add The Traitor's Crux on Goodreads here! I am so excited to pick it up soon and review it for you guys! The book is release this November so keep an eye out for it!

1.What made you want to become an author/have you always known you wanted to write stories?

I’ve always loved writing, but I never really thought that I’d go anywhere with it. Being an author was something I dreamed about, but I knew how hard it was to make it. I still have all these notebooks from the first grade where I’d write (super embarrassing) stories, just for fun. I think I was 20 when I thought up the idea of TTC, and it was like a “why not” type of moment. I sort of decided to go for it, to write and see where it takes me. I know this is really cliche, but it comes to show that with enough hard work and dedication, anyone can make it. You’ve got to follow those dreams! :) 

2. Where did you come up for the idea for The Traitor's Crux/what inspired the story?

 The Traitor’s Crux is inspired by many things… I’ve always had a thing for magic. I think it’s so cool. It probably stems from my disappointment from not ever getting into Hogwarts. I wanted to create a story with magic of my own, but add a unique twist. I’m a sucker for history, so a lot of the world-building and the idea of President Reed stemmed from World War 2 and various events throughout history. 

3. Kenadee finds out she has magic powers in the book and I was wondering if you could have any magical ability what would you choose?

Oh, man! There are so many I’d choose! Kenadee’s powers are unique, to say the least. She can do lots of cool things. I think if I had to choose one power, it’d be something like invisibility or mind control. 

4. Did you base Kanadee off any people you know in real life or is she completely made up?

Kenadee is completely made up. It’s funny because I moved from Colorado, where I’d never seen that name before in my life, to Utah, where LOTS of girls have the name Kenadee. It makes me nerd out a little, haha! 

5. What was the biggest challenge of writing a novel for you? Drafting? Editing?

I used to think writing was the hardest part of the novel, but I was SO wrong. The first draft is by far the easiest part of the process. For me, the hardest thing is editing. It’s sort of a mentally and physically draining thing. There are so many highs and lows in the process- there are days where I feel really good about my work, then days where I feel like the crappiest writer alive. It’s something I think every creative person has to go through- we just have to keep our chins up and not let those negative thoughts get us down. 

6.  What are some of your favourite books?

 I could read The Book Thief and The Great Gatsby a million times over and never get sick of them. They both have such breathtaking prose, which I just love. A few other favorites: The Raven Cycle series by Maggie Stiefvater, Harry Potter series (because who doesn’t love Harry Potter?), The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, and East of  Eden by Steinbeck. I’m also currently reading Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas and I’m definitely a fan. 


I want to say a big thank you to Jessica for answering my questions and to OfTomes Publishing for setting the interview up!
Thanks for reading,
A :)

Always and Forever Lara Jean by Jenny Han

Series: To All the Boys I've Loved Before, #3

Publication:May 2nd 2017 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:
Lara Jean’s letter-writing days aren’t over in this surprise follow-up to the New York Times bestselling To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and P.S. I Still Love You.

Lara Jean is having the best senior year a girl could ever hope for. She is head over heels in love with her boyfriend, Peter; her dad’s finally getting remarried to their next door neighbor, Ms. Rothschild; and Margot’s coming home for the summer just in time for the wedding.

But change is looming on the horizon. And while Lara Jean is having fun and keeping busy helping plan her father’s wedding, she can’t ignore the big life decisions she has to make. Most pressingly, where she wants to go to college and what that means for her relationship with Peter. She watched her sister Margot go through these growing pains. Now Lara Jean’s the one who’ll be graduating high school and leaving for college and leaving her family—and possibly the boy she loves—behind.

When your heart and your head are saying two different things, which one should you listen to?

My Thoughts:

Always and Forever Lara Jean is Jenny Han's best work. I absolutely loved it to pieces. I was such a giddy mess from page one. These books make me so happy it's a bit ridiculous! I was smiling so much while reading Always and Forever my mouth hurt!  I had so much fun reading the last instalment of what is one of my all time favourite series. 

Lara Jean goes on such a journey over the course of the series and in this book alone she does some tremendous growing up. A big part of the book focuses on college and Lara Jean making big decisions about where she wants to go. I loved the college aspect of the book because we don't have the same system here in Ireland so it was interesting reading about how in America they do applications and find out where they are going to college before they even graduate high school. What Lara Jean is going through in this book is very relatable and anyone who is in their final years of school would definitely see themselves in Lara Jean. I am already in college and could still relate to her though. There is even more baking in Always and Forever which I loved! I love reading about characters who have hobbies and actually get to see them doing it; same goes for her scrapbooking!

Lara Jean and Peter K are everything. I have been a hardcore Peter K supporter since book 1 and I don't want to spoil it for people (I know a lot of people love John) but there is so much Peter K in this book I loved it. Lara Jean and Peter are just so freaking adorable I can't. I love rounded Peter is; his character has been fleshed out so well over the course of the three books and I loved getting to know him. 

While this series is known for having a cute romance it is also known for it's strong emphasis on family and that is no different in Always and Forever. In this book we have all three Song sisters together since Margot is home, and I loved seeing how they all interacted with each other and how her being home changed the  dynamics we are sued to between Kiity and Lara Jean. I also liked how we got to see how Margot was dealing with her dad and Ms Rothschild getting married and how that effected the rest of the family.

I am so sad this series is over; these books are so special to me and I don't want to say goodbye; I want to read about Lara Jean and Peter forever. Jenny Han wrapped everything up nicely but I wouldn't say no to more! 

My Rating: 5 stars
Thanks for reading,
A :)

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Publication:April 11th 2017 by Balzer + Bray

Goodreads Description:
Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love—she’s lived through it twenty-six times. She crushes hard and crushes often, but always in secret. Because no matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly’s totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie’s new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. Will is funny and flirtatious and just might be perfect crush material. Maybe more than crush material. And if Molly can win him over, she’ll get her first kiss and she’ll get her twin back. 

There’s only one problem: Molly’s coworker Reid. He’s an awkward Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there’s absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

My thoughts:

I absolutely loved Becky Albertalli's book, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda, so when I saw she had a new book coming out I was over the book and then it started getting so much positive reviews I knew I had to read it ASAP. Unfortunatly The Upside of Unrequited didn't live up to all the hype for me. I think I went into it with too high expectations that left me disappointed. I was expecting to be funny and cute and have charming characters I couldnt help but fall in love with like Simon Vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda and that is not what I gof. The Upside of Unrequited fell flat for me; I wouldn't say it is a bad book, it was okay and I liked it and it was a super quick and easy read but I would be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed. 

I did not like Molly for starters. I went into the book assuming I would relate to her a lot and I did a tiny bit but not enough to really connect with her. I felt awkward reading some of her thoughts. She was just too obsessed with certain things and it annoyed me how childish she was. She felt very underdeveloped which was jarring to me because Simon was so developed in SVsHSA. I felt like the only thing Molly cared about was her crushes; I wanted to get to know her more.

Onto the plot...there wasn't really one and there usually isn't anything major in contemporaries but I can usually get behind the relationship or character to be interested in the story but I wasn't engaged while reading The Upside of Unrequited. I found it a bit boring and I was just waiting for something interesting to happen. It's literally a story about a girl who hasn't been kissed finding a guy and kissing him and that isn't interesting to me; I wanted more of a character driven arc where the characters grow and are challenged. 

I feel like I read a different book in regards to the romance. I felt no romantic chemistry between Molly and her love interest and I didn't find their story to be swoon worthy and cutesy like so many other readers did. I felt like their relationship was written as a friendship.

I will say that The Upside of Unrequited does have lots of diversity in terms of race, sexuality, gender identity, religion and body size which was nice to see.

The Upside of Unrequited is definitely a quick easy read but it is nothing special (to me anyway). Overall I think my expectations were too high; I loved Simon so I am going to give Becky Albertalli's books another go; I just think this one wasn't for me. 

My rating: 3 stars

Thanks for reading,

A :)

*Check out my review of Becky Albertalli's other book, Simon Vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda here!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Series: Strange the Dreamer, #1

Publication: March 28th 2017 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Goodreads Description:

The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Welcome to Weep.

My Thoughts:

One of my favourite reads this year, Strange the Dreamer is absolutely phenomenal. I loved everything about it. I went into it not knowing anything and I'd highly recommend doing that.

I knew Laini Taylor's writing style was fantastic as I read her other series, Daughter of Smoke and Bone, a few years ago but she has improved even more in the three years since her last publication. Her writing style is so pretty and flows really well. It reads like a fairytale and is absolutely stunning. I was blown away to say the least.

Strange the Dreamer is captivating and engaging from beginning to end; when I wasn't reading I was thinking about the story all the time. The plot was a bit slow but I didn't mind at all because I was so intrigued by whole set up I couldn't stop reading.

The main character, Lazlo, is not your typical YA male protagonist, he's a librarian! I really liked how he was into research and books and stuff. While he sounds like a ravenclaw he's actually more of a hufflepuff! I hardly even come across hufflepuff main characters so it was refreshing to read! It did take me a while to really warm up to him but by the end of the story I loved him just as much as some of the other characters that I fell head over heals in love with. These other characters are super complex and interesting and I loved one particular girl to pieces but I don't want to say more about her because it's way better for readers to get to know her as she unfolds on the page!

The world building is done really well. I felt so immersed in this mystical land Laini Taylor created and never felt like I was having information dumped on me in big chunks. She really created something unique and it was so interesting learning about it.

Strange the Dreamer brings up different themes such as race and war and also addresses the messages of how we are not defined by our ancestors actions and how people can change.

I was a little bit disappointed about how I guessed what was going to happen at the end. I think the execution of the ending could have been better but I still really enjoyed it.

Overall Strange the Dreamer is an incredible story with fantastic prose and complex characters and world that I would highly recommend. 

I am beyond excited for book 2, The Muse of Nightmares!!

My rating: 4.5 

Thanks for reading,

A :)