Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas: Book Review

The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Describing this novel in one decent sized review will never ever be enough to express how much I love Sarah J. Maas and her books. Having just met her only a couple of weeks ago when she visited Auckland, New Zealand for her Queen of Shadows book tour I am obviously still shaken up by the experience and how much more amazing she is (and totally gorgeous!) in person. Not to mention that she said to me as soon as I walked up to her, "You're so beautiful, oh my gosh!". If you don't believe me I will have a video up on my channel to prove it which I will link here on this post once it is up *flips hair confidently*.

Basically everything that I had dreamed of about this series had come true in this wonderous six hundred page novel. That doesn't make sense now really but when you read it, you'll totally find yourself agreeing with that bold statement. More blood, more sass, more vengeance and more romance. This book is literally the best one out of all four (not including the novella of which I haven't read yet so I'm hoping Allen & Unwin will be nice to me one day and send me a copy). Thinking of what could happen next is a total mystery to me as there are no clues that I noticed while reading Queen of Shadows to hint very much about what will happen next apart from the obvious when you get to the end. SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE FIRST THREE BOOKS YET!: Celaena Sardothien now goes by the name Aelin Galathynius and she makes a hell of an appearance when she returns from Doranelle. A lot of things are at stake, including family and friends and little does she realise what her sudden outburst in Heir of Fire convinces the King of Adarlan to do in spite of the Queen of Terrasen's actions.

Aelin and Chaol finally see one another again although things are still tense and Chaol has more struggles of his own. Trying to find his way after having sent Aelin to the safety of Wendlyn did not go as planned once he realised what the King was fully capable of and decided to take the risk of becoming a rebel. There is a lot of tension and catty arguments which might break you into laughter as it did to me. This novel definitely has all the right sass, love and heartbreak that every other ToG book had, just times that by a thousand.

Things I absolutely LOVED about Queen of Shadows:

* Lysandra is basically Aelin's soul twin and I love her! She is introduced as an old friend from when they were in the hands of Arobynn Hamel, King of the Assassins. At first she isn't welcomed to easily but the differences of her personality are noticable to Aelin and therefore begins to trust her a bit more. She's just the friend Aelin needed after being so torn from Nehemia's death.

* Aedion is the best cousin ever and he's so loyal to Aelin! Obviously Chaol's plan to save Aedion is somewhat of an event in this novel so it was quite interesting to see Aedion's reaction to Aelin saving him and Aelin's reaction to his cousin. In four words I would describe it as - It warms my heart!
* Manon is a serious badass and may even have a soft side! Elide is a new character introduced in QoS and Manon seems to notice something different and special about this new young girl. Having much more trouble with her second, Asterin, than usual, Manon takes the time to figure out Elide and develop a little sense of empathy towards her. This is definitely something I wanted to see and everything that develops from that is simply so awesome!

* If you thought Heir of Fire was dreamy and made you swoon over Rowan Whitethorn, wait until you read Queen of Shadows! Only Sarah J. Maas knows how the story ends up but I just always felt like Rowan was exactly the type of mate that Aelin needed. They are very close through spending so much time together in Wendlyn and finding out that they were each other's carranum, but in the fourth installment they begin to realise that the way they feel together is much more than that and a blood oath. The answer to how that goes down is basically in this novel and that's just the thousandth reason why you have to read it!

Overall, I have rated this book (yup, you guessed it) a five out of five stars. It could not have gotten any better and the way Sarah is able to use descriptive words in such a delicate way that it melts your brain into an overload of amazingness and inspiration (how else could I explain it? Her writing is beyond words really!). As much as I tried to stall reading this so it could last longer I didn't managed to savour it well because I could just not put the book down. If you would like to be completely blown away into a whole differet dimension of fantasy and romance then pick up this book, retreat to your happy place and do not leave until you have devourered it with your body, mind and soul. Okay not the first one but you get what I mean. Sarah J. Maas is a literature Goddess and I will never ever take that back.

Go add Queen of Shadows to your Goodreads list HERE

Go buy it on MightyApe with 1 day delivery in New Zealand HERE

Buy it on Book Depository with free shipping world wide HERE

Find more out about my writing career at:

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

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

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.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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Prior to A Court of Thorns and Roses, I had never read a novel written by Sarah J. Maas and now that I have, I can't wait to get my hands on her other series, Throne Of Glass, not to mention the highly anticipated sequel to this one that comes out sometime in the following year of 2016. Reading this book was a new experience for me as I have also previously not read a New Adult book before but according to many great reviews by booktubers on YouTube, I felt a need to buy it and accustom myself to Maas' literature. As I had hoped, I was not disappointed and this book has turned out to be such a favourite of mine that it's still reeling in my head long after the last page was finished.

Feyre is such an amazing character: through her hardship of being so young and losing not only her family status––shoving her and her family from the riches of the world down to live as a commoner––but losing her mother as well. For many that would take it's toll, but it gave her a sense of leadership and helped her learn to provide for her family when nobody else would, even if it meant suffering her learning time. She goes through such a powerful transformation too as her view of the fae people is turned completely upside down and she realises that they are not as horrible as she was made to believe by the humans where she lived with her two older sisters and crippled father. From beginning to end, Feyre not only develops in the way she thinks, but throughout the novel she slowly changes from a young nineteen year old girl into a woman who realises her true potential and starts to see the silver linings in life, as living in such a poor state back with her family dimmed out any possibilities of a much better life of which come into view whilst being taken to the Spring Court on the other side of the wall.

The relationship between Feyre and Tamlin isn't forced like most books tend to portray and that's what I particularly like about this novel. Maas gives her enough time to adjust to the situation so that she slowly starts to see Tamlin and his friend, Lucien with better eyes instead of thinking about them with such hate generated from the stories of faeries that Feyre grew up hearing about. The best thing about it was that towards the end I felt like the connection between the two was genuine and not just something forged for the greater good of the storyline - the relationships in the story felt real and true to the characters and their emotions. I feel the same with how Feyre developed eventually with Lucien as a friend because it took a deal of time for them to built up trust in each other in order for certain events to happen in the book and that's what made it so much more gripping than any novel I've read before.

Overall I absolutely loved this book because the writing felt like poetry. Yes, felt. I felt everything she wrote and the way she described everything had every one of my senses tingling for more. Maas did the most amazing job with this book and I rate it a 5 out of 5 because I personally felt that there was no fault in it. There was not one part that I didn't like and I can assure you that if you love dark fantasy, faeries, a strong female heroine and a sexy, passionate love story then this story is perfect for your taste buds.

Go add A Court of Thorns and Roses to your Goodreads list HERE

Find out more about my writing career at: 

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Redeemed by P.C and Kristin Cast: Book Review!

In the final electrifying novel in the HoN series, Neferet has finally made herself known to mortals. A Dark Goddess is loose on Tulsa and the world. No single vampyre is strong enough to vanquish her - unless that creature has the power to summon the elements as well as the ability to wield Old Magick. Only Zoey Redbird is heir to such power…but because of the consequences of using Old Magick, she is unable to help. Find out who will win and who will lose in this epic battle of Light versus Darkness.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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For me personally, reading the very last book of my favourite series was a massive tear-jerker and had my heart paining for more, despite already having 12 books in the series. House Of Night was the guide to my teenage-hood and got me through some tough times, but also was an aid to me making multiple friends online through our mutual love for the story and all of the characters. Zoey and her friends went through a major journey throughout these books bringing them all to a final end where their teenage lives have turned to adult ones and there is nothing left to be told... for now!

Redeemed for me was an almost satisfying end to the 12 book series. It had it's pro's and it had it's con's, but overall it was a good book that kept me intrigued and wanting more. Although I am still left wanting more! The main points of the story were all explained and everything we wanted to happen plays out quite nicely. I have to say in this particular book I was enthralled by Neferet and the way she seemed to be so crazy. Yeah she was crazy in the books prior to this one but this book took her to a whole other level of nuts and it even involves her having a few humans as her minions (under the control of darkness of course) but with one woman named Lynette who uses her survival instincts to get free of Neferet's controlling urges which means she gets to be her own person with her own free will but does everything against her free will just to keep Neferet happy. Personally I didn't see why Lynette had a role in this book as she really served no higher purpose than as another POV for Neferet's side and to show us what it would be like if we were trapped with Neferet in a building as a human with no powers and no way of defending yourself against such a powerful immortal. In a way this slightly annoyed me but more than usual I found myself enjoying Lynette's POV and wanting to know how she would react to certain things. The twist halfway through the novel really confused me though, I guess it was just another reason for Lynette to serve a purpose as a character of the book. Other than that, it was highly intriguing and kept pulling me back to the book every time I seemed to be interrupted by someone.

I noticed that Stevie Rae and Rephaim didn't really have as much of a part in this book as they did earlier on in the series. I thought about it for a while and realised that their story had already been told, they had already been fully accepted and they had grown into the people they were meant to be already, plus Stevie Rae had already completed her change earlier on in the books and had overcome the overwhelming position of becoming the first ever red High Priestess. I feel like that's another thing that could have been discussed more as we don't really know what became of the red fledglings apart from them joining the original House Of Night as a new type of fledgling. Also I remember Zoey once thought about turning the tunnels into a potential House Of Night because it was safer for the red fledglings and vampyres with being underground and having no sunlight to disturb or worry them. That would have been awesome to read about and see Zoey and her nerd herd leading it.

The ending was everything I'd wanted for everyone although there are a few things I realised didn't end up being solved. Also I feel like it ended too quickly and I don't know whether the authors were just set on finishing the book around 300 pages but I felt like the last book could have been a tad longer so we could enjoy it for that little bit more before we had to say goodbye to our favourite series for good. I wouldn't have minded if it was a 500 page book or even a 1000 page book! I never wanted to say goodbye to Zoey, Stevie Rae or even Sgiach without having a proper explanation or novella on how she came to be where she is in the Isle of Skye in Scotland. I was happy that she made an appearance again in this book which made me smile as she needed to be brought back, mainly for the readers' satisfaction but also so she could be a little reminder to everyone of how powerful she is and that Zoey and her friends needed to look to her for help on how to use the Old Magick to defeat Neferet. Who knows, maybe P.C and Kristin might decided to revisit the series in the future and continue as a spinoff with Sgiach and Seoras, or Stevie Rae and Rephaim!

Overall I really loved the book, I just think it could have been longer as it ended too quickly. I miss the characters already and wish that I could know more about their new lives and what they're going to do next. Fortunately I am currently satisfied with the book and the ending and I am happy to say that the very popular House Of Night series has come to a long awaited end. It's good to know that there are still people discovering this amazing series and we're still waiting on movies or a tv series to be made so hopefully we'll be able to revisit this amazing vampyre world once more very soon!

I have given this book a 4.5 out of 5 due to some things not being as good as I'd hoped and lack of information given (being such a short book for an ending to the series!) but I honestly really loved it and so happy that P.C and Kristin have received so much praise for this amazing book series. I wish them luck for their success in future novels and their careers.

Go add Redeemed to your Goodreads list HERE

Find out more about my writing career at: 

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard: Book Review!

The poverty stricken Reds are commoners, living under the rule of the Silvers, elite warriors with god-like powers.

To Mare Barrow, a 17-year-old Red girl from The Stilts, it looks like nothing will ever change.

Mare finds herself working in the Silver Palace, at the centre of

those she hates the most. She quickly discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy Silver control.

But power is a dangerous game. And in this world divided by blood, who will win?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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At last I have found another novel that I can pine over for a few years like my previous obsessions which included Twilight, Vampire Academy, The Hunger Games and House Of Night. Red Queen was such an amazing and gripping read, the reviews I saw/read prior to reading this novel obviously did not lead me astray.

Red Queen is the type of fantasy novel you would read if you enjoyed The Hunger Games or series I've heard of that are similar such as Red Rising or The Selection. This read had me constantly wanting more; as much as it confused me and had me writhing in emotional pain, it has to be one of the best books I have ever read. I love how Mare is so straight forward in her thinking and how she feels about the superiority of the Silvers over the Reds. She doesn't give two shits about what anyone thinks of her and she would do anything for the ones she loves, even if it means that the Silvers will take Mare and leave her loved ones to live their lives in peace and safety.

I felt like the relationship between Mare and Cal wasn't really developed as much as I would have liked it to be, but now that I think about it, too many novels have ended up making the protagonist and love interest fall in love or develop a relationship too fast and this makes me realise that this is more of a realistic situation which makes the whole story all the more interesting. Maven was definitely a great character and I loved him through the majority of the novel. He was so convincing and made me even ship him and Mare even though I wanted Mare and Cal to be together so badly - for some reason there's always something intriguing about a forbidden romance. Unfortunately I never really thought that Kilorn had a chance with Mare because the relationship between the two at the beginning was more of what a friendship would be or a relationship between a sister and a brother. Funny enough I always thought that Maven was better suited for Mare's sister, Gisa. Imagine that plot twist!

The plot twist at the end was so mind blowing and confusing that I had to stop reading for a moment and let it process in my mind for a bit. I never saw that coming and I definitely think it will stun readers alike. I knew of a plot twist whilst reading the novel and never did I think that it would be what it was. My mind has been reeling ever since my eyes left the last page.

Victoria Aveyard has done an amazing job writing this novel. I have never read anything by her before, nor had I heard about her or any of her screenplays that she has created. Thankfully I can advise my readers and viewers that she is definitely an author to consider as her book has been written so beautifully and has been thought through so well that it has made me rethink my approach on how I want to write my own book.

I have given Red Queen 5 out of 5 stars because I really can't find anything I don't like about it (apart from someone who I really liked ended up dying which kind of hurt my feelings!)

Go add Red Queen to your Goodreads list HERE

Find out more about my writing career at: 

http://ellafleming-christie.weebly.com

My YouTube Channel: FeathersandFaith