Mittwoch, 27. Juli 2016

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas



“To the stars who listen— and the dreams that are answered.”


Plot: *SPOILERS*

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

My opinion:

Although this book was better than the first one, it again just left me feeling kind of meh.

In general I was annoyed by all the things that also weren't that great in the first book (Feyre, writing, plot
-> see my review for the first book). But there are also new things I didn't like. Yes, there are.

• What drove me completely nuts this time was the fact that everything was just shoved down our throats. Every ship, every action. You didn't have any other choice than to "ship" these people, although I really didn't. Every person just oh so conveniently fell in love with another person in the main-character squad. Yay! How awesome! Just don't bring in any variety please! Variety is bad!
• Another thing I didn't like is the character development choices the author made. This book is told in first person, which doesn't give us much variety in itself, but if you chose to let a character develop like this, you also have to show us his POV, and not only talk about him through other people, otherwise this can’t be justified. This drove me nuts. Don't get me wrong, I love all the new people from the night court that were presented, but oh my, the other courts could build nuclear weapons and nobody would care! This also ties into the "everything get shoved down our throats" thing. I do not say that a certain persons actions *cough* were right, they certainly weren’t, but maybe show us his side of things too?
• If you remember my first review, you know that I loved Lucien. He is my favorite character by far, but he wasn't even mentioned in 99% of the book. What even you guys. What even.
• Plus: the plot. Even though there was more action than in the first one, it always was the same pattern. Dialogue, difficult quest, miracle happens and they get out of it, dialogue, repeat. Thus, everything was rather ... boring, because I knew they would get out of it eventually. Half of the things which happened didn't even make sense, because the author didn't clarify enough what this particular item was needed for etc.
• For my taste, the book was a bit too long. No, far too long. By page 400 I just didn’t want anymore. I wanted to put the book down and just forget about it. I didn’t care about the characters anymore (and thus chapter 55 didn’t really touch me that much), I didn’t care about the plot, I just wanted it to be over. So much describing unnecessary things, soooo much dialogue.
• Lastly, the “wow” factor that I REALLY expected to have with this one just kind of went missing. A certain thing happens between the protagonists, which was clear t me from the beginning on, but apparently not to everybody else, because they were so shocked about it. But I read it and just felt like, meh. Alright then. (“And that was that”, as it is said 1000 times in the book)

But hey, there were also good things. Like, some.

• The action was actually THERE in the first few hundred pages, not like in the last book, which made me happy. Although it always was the same pattern, it was better than when nothing happens.
• The new characters that are introduced were amazing! I love Mor, I love Azriel, I love Cassian, I love everyone, so much. Unfortunately just not the main character, so when those characters didn’t speak I was rather … annoyed I suppose. But Mor is awesome! Yay for her!
• Another thing I liked was that the “villain” concept kind of reminded me of one of my most favorite series of all time, Falling Kingdoms. They are kind of fighting a far off kingdom, same like in Falling Kingdoms, and I love me some Morgan Rhodes vibes!
• The ending was great! Although I knew something was up with that guy from the other court *cough*, I loved to see these two guys come back. And hey, Lucien was there too! Who remembered Lucien at this point? Probably nobody, as I thought he was dead because he wasn’t mentioned a single time (Okay I am sorry, I am just mad that he wasn’t there. But why wasn’t he? How about a second POV that shows us this court’s … okay I will stop.) Same as in the last book, the last 100 pages were awesome, but that’s not enough. The book could’ve ended like that 200 pages earlier, and it would have been an amazing book, but it just dragged on too long.


All in all, the real action just picked up the last 100 pages, same as in the last book, and the ending was brilliant, but 100 pages are too less for a 640-page book.
I am not sure if I am going to read the third book in the series, but honestly I kind of just lost interest.

Rating:

3 | 5

Mittwoch, 13. Juli 2016

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas



“Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all.”

“Don't feel bad for one moment about doing what brings you joy.”


Plot:
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.
As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

My opinion:
Alright, brace yourselves, I've got a lot to say about this one.

It is undeniable that this book has gotten a lot of hype over the past year, and people either loved it, or hated it. However, I feel like I am somewhere in between.

The main problem I had with this book was the writing. Some sentences just seemed so strange, so out of place, that I could sometimes just shake my head at some phrases. Thoughts and sentences were linked in a weird and confusing way, which was the reason why I had to read a few phrases several times, which really annoyed me.
Connected to the writing is probably also the fact that I hated the main character, Feyre. She acted before she thought about her actions, and sometimes as a reader I didn't even know why she did a certain thing, because it was explained a few sentences afterwards, not before the action, which would make more sense. In general, Feyre acted kind of stupidly throughout the whole novel. Some of her decisions just made me roll my eyes, because she makes the same damn mistakes like every other YA heroine ever. It is boring and annoying to see the same mistakes repeated over and over again. Maybe it's because I already read so many YA books that some things didn't come as a shock to me at all. I knew things pages before Feyre found out about it, which made the reading-experience a bit ... dull? Boring? I knew things are going to come to a nice and quite satisfying close, and thus I didn't really fear for anyone’s life in this book, which again, was pretty tedious.
In general, not a lot of things happen in this book. In the first 300 pages practically NOTHING note-worthy happens, nothing at all. Luckily, then the pace picks up a bit, and the last 100 pages were actually really enjoyable. It took me days to read the first few hundred pages, but only hours to finish the book in the end then, which is usually a good sign.
Overall, there were a lot of parts in the book that reminded me of other series, which already had bothered me in Red Queen, so I wasn't too happy to see things repeated AGAIN.
But the main thing that bothered me was that Feyre knew things she couldn't even possibly have found out before at any point in the story. She just KNEW certain things, because it was easy and convenient for the plot. Nobody mentioned it to her, and in this whole new world ( ;) ) you might think she was a bit confused, but no, she was totally fine with everything, and knew everything immediately. Another thing that ties into that, was the fact that there were characters, who only were given a voice when they were necessary for the plot ... *cough* Alis *cough*. At least give her some nice lines, please? Thank You. The main character didn't find main backstories or parts of the plot out on her own, but it rather was conventiently told to her by a huge monologue from another character. This was, again, better in the last portion of the book, where Feyre actually DID something to save her life.

Now that all might sound really bad, which partly it really was, but there were also really good and enjoyable things about this book.
Despite all the things I did not like about this book, it still was stuck in my head after I put it down. I was invested in the world, I even had fanfiction ideas, and that usually only happens with REALLY good books, so this was a good sign!
Secondly, Lucien. Ohh, Lucien. Praise the Lord for Lucien, the only real reason I wanted to finish this book. He is pretty much the only character I care about, the only one I think about, even when the book came to a close. He is exactly that one type of sarcastic, snarky character I like, with a hard past and some daddy-issues thrown in. Lovely. I expect to see more of him in the second book. But hey, how about a separate book, only about Lucien? Sarah? PLEASE?
The next thing I did enjoy was how the Beauty and the Beast theme was woven into the story; this aspect gives the book a nice and interesting twist. Although, can you really call Tamilin a BEAST, with such a great face, such a great body, such a great EVERYTHING? Actually not, but alright.


I heard that a lot of people who didn't like the first book as much LOVE the second one, so I will definitely read that one too. In fact, I already ordered it. And I also have to see what happens to Lucien, right?
I wanted to love this book, I really wanted to, but oh my, the bad points outweigh the good ones. I am hopeful for the second on though! Please let it be good!


Rating:
2,5 / 5

Samstag, 9. Juli 2016

MID YEAR BOOK FREAK OUT Tag

Today’s tag was created by ReadLikeWildfire from BookTube, and here is the original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB8OrYHBvM8

So this Tag is all about showing you guys which books were my favorite so far this year (January to June). I hope you guys like it!


1.Best book you’ve read so far in 2015.
This was hard to choose. I couldn’t just choose one. But you will see many of my favs in the next questions, so for this one I will go with The Forbidden Wish by Jessica Khoury. This book was fantastic.

2. Best sequel you've read so far in 2015.
This is a tie between Gathering Darkness and Frozen Tides, both by Morghan Rhodes. I love the Falling Kingdoms series so much, and these sequels were even better than the first book, which was almost impossible.

3. New release you haven't read yet, but want to.
Empire of Dust by Eleanor Hermann. I haven’t had the chance to get to this one yet, although I really enjoyed the first book in this series. I need to get to it ASAP, though!

4. Most anticipated release for the second half of the year.
This one goes to A Torch against the Night by Sabaa Tahir, the second book in the Amber in the Ashes series. I loved the first book so much, and I can’t wait to join these characters on their adventures again!

5. Biggest disappointment.
This was unfortunately Rebel of the sands by Alwyn Hamilton. I expected a lot more from this book, and in the end I just didn’t get enough. You can read my full review with all the issues I had with this book here -> http://abookobsessed.blogspot.co.at/2016/05/review-rebel-of-sands-by-alwyn-hamilton.html 
Another one that really disappointed me was The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson. I knew how this book was going to end before I even read 100 pages, which was quite disappointing, as the “mystery” aspect was actually the main focus of the book.

6. Biggest surprise.
I don’t have a specific book for this one, but rather a genre, and that is Poetry. Because I had to read some poems for my Literary class, I discovered some beautiful and amazing works of poetry, and I fell in love. I would have never thought that I would walk into a bookstore with the intention of buying a book with poetry in it. But here I am!

7. Favorite new author. (Debut or new to you)
This one definitely goes to Morghan Rhodes, author of the Falling Kingdoms series. Her writing is amazing, the world building is fantastic, the characters she creates are awesome, and I am so looking forward to seeing more of her writing soon!

8. Newest fictional crush.
What can I say? Lucien from A court of thorns and roses by Sarah J. Maas. He is practically the only I care about in this book.

9. Newest favorite character.
This one is a tie between Mark and Julian Blackthorn (I’m sure y’all know where those two come from). These two. Oh man. All the feels.

10. Book that made you cry.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. Although sobbing would be more accurate in my case. I was a mess after this book. A wild, hot, sobbing mess. That ending, though.

11. Book that made you happy.
The Rose and the Dagger by Rene Ahdieh, the second and last book in the Wrath and the Dawn duology. Such a great story, such a great ending. I love this series to pieces.

12. Favorite book to film adaptation you saw this year.
By far Me before You! This adaptation was so on point, it was almost unbelievable. At some points I even liked the movie better than the book, that’s how amazing it was! If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? Go see it, now!

13. Favorite review you've written this year.
Salt to the sea by Ruta Sepetys. The book was so emotional, and my review was just as emotional for me. I cried while writing this review, that’s how touched I was. Here is the review, in case you want to check it out: http://abookobsessed.blogspot.co.at/2016/04/review-salt-to-sea-by-ruta-sepetys.html

14. Most beautiful book you've bought so far this year (or received)
So, so many! But here is small list of all the pretty book with all the pretty covers I got:
A thousand nights – E.K. Johnston
Lady Midnight – Cassandra Clare
Rebel of the sands – Alwyn Hamilton
Falling Kingdoms – Morghan Rhodes
Hamilton-The Revolution – Lin Manuel Miranda

15. What books do you need to read by the end of the year?
I definetly, definitely, definitely need to finish the Harry Potter series. OMG I need to get on that right NOW.


That's it for today; I hope you guys enjoyed this list. Let me know which book was your fav this year so far!