Showing posts with label throne of glass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label throne of glass. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 September 2017

Frostblood by Elly Blake: Book Review


The first in a page-turning young adult fantasy series perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard's Red Queen and Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series.

In a land governed by the cruel Frostblood ruling class, seventeen-year-old Ruby is a Fireblood who has spent most of her life hiding her ability to manipulate heat and light - until the day the soldiers come to raid her village and kill her mother. Ruby vows revenge on the tyrannous Frost King responsible for the massacre of her people.

But Ruby's powers are unpredictable...and so are the feelings she has for Arcus, the scarred, mysterious Frostblood warrior who shares her goal to kill the Frost King, albeit for his own reasons. When Ruby is captured by the Frost King's men, she's taken right into the heart of the enemy. Now she only has one chance to destroy the maniacal ruler who took everything from her - and in doing so, she must unleash the powers she's spent her whole life withholding.

Frostblood is set in world where flame and ice are mortal enemies - but together create a power that could change everything.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

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The only reason it took me nearly three weeks to finish this book was because I was constantly trying to keep up with my university work while also balancing other responsibilities at home with my family. I definitely found this book to be absolutely refreshing and delightful, although the overall feeling I got when finishing was between a happy but bittersweet ending and slight dissatisfaction. I had originally requested a review copy from Hachette New Zealand because I found the cover to be thoroughly enticing and the synopsis had given me Throne of Glass and Red Queen feels. It definitely lived up to my expectations but failed to soar beyond that point. Really I'm just trying to say that this was just an enjoyable read for those looking for something that will definitely be interesting and a safe read if you're trying to avoid or get out of a reading slump. Preferably also for those that might be new to YA fiction and need something that would introduce them to what we harbour in our little world of fantasy.

"The book says that a west wind will blow when the child of light is born, a powerful Fireblood who will fight the darkness and destroy it forever."

Ruby Otrera was a character that I liked almost instantly because of her fiery (no pun intended) attitude and soft heart (for the things that meant most to her like her mother or learning how to heal using herbal remedies). When the Frost King's soldiers come to take Ruby for being a Fireblood, they kill her mother and lock her away where she is kept isolated and weakened with cold buckets of water, until she is saved by a very powerful Frostblood monk and a mysterious young man, who also harbours a rough attitude, who goes by the name, Arcus.

I felt like this story was very well written considering the characters back stories and motivations, and Ruby definitely gave an all round convincing performance as a young girl with little control over her Fireblood power. Having the monk, Brother Thistle, and Frostblood warrior, Arcus, there to convince Ruby that her power is most likely the only way to defeat the Frost King and melt the Ice Throne, which supposedly holds a dark power that influences the mind of whoever sits on it is a great motivation for her to stay and prove that she can begin to wield her fire with absolute precision. This comes with a lot of training involving peaceful meditation and even a bit of sword fighting, which is a nice twist considering a lot of fantasy heroines who wield magical powers only stick to training with that power. If you consider Celaena Sardothien from Throne of Glass, she was already a trained assassin before she started learning to wield her power, so having a protagonist who has absolutely no knowledge of how to fight is a nice change.

"You don’t know the effect your words have on me, Lady Firebrand. It took years to build up this ice. You will melt it and then I will be broken."

The descriptions are vividly written and the fight scenes are simple but effective, plus I love how the castle of ice and throne with darkness inside was described. I really felt submerged within this novel - it is definitely a beautifully written story, however I would have liked if there were more information regarding the back stories of their people and their Gods and Goddesses. I know that some fantasy treads lightly considering the lore since it can get super detailed and too much to handle without a whole seperate handbook of information, but personally I love the heavy stuff. Maybe in the future something like that would be released and I would just fall in love with this series even more!

"But history could be twisted and warped to suit the person telling it."

I have rated this novel a 4 out of 5 stars because it was an all-round great read, however it seemed to fall flat of a satisfying ending, despite the fact that it was very satisfying with most of the conflict resolved. I love books that end with a cliffhanger but then I always seem to hope for a happy ending, so I can never really win, can I? *Facepalms and keeps sipping coffee*


Thank you Hachette NZ for the review copy!
Like and follow their links here:

Official Website: hachette.co.nz
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HachetteNZ

Go add Frostblood 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 it on the Hachette NZ website HERE

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Thursday, 3 August 2017

Dividing Eden by Joelle Charbonneau: Book Review

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Testing trilogy comes a sweeping new fantasy series, perfect for fans of Victoria Aveyard and Sarah J. Maas.

Twins Carys and Andreus were never destined to rule Eden. With their older brother next in line to inherit the throne, the future of the kingdom was secure.

But appearances—and rivals—can be deceiving. When Eden’s king and crown prince are killed by assassins, Eden desperately needs a monarch, but the line of succession is no longer clear. With a ruling council scheming to gain power, Carys and Andreus are faced with only one option—to take part in a Trial of Succession that will determine which one of them is worthy of ruling the kingdom.

As sister and brother, Carys and Andreus have always kept each other safe—from their secrets, from the court, and from the monsters lurking in the mountains beyond the kingdom’s wall. But the Trial of Succession will test the bonds of trust and family.

With their country and their hearts divided, Carys and Andreus will discover exactly what each will do to win the crown. How long before suspicion takes hold and the thirst for power leads to the ultimate betrayal?

SPOILER FREE REVIEW
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The reading slump I have been in for a few months now has possibly been absolutely eradicated thanks to this beauty of a novel. I have found myself reeling and craving more after finishing Dividing Eden and as always with great books I am counting down the days, through my Goodreads account, to when Eden Conquered releases next year on the 12th of June. This is definitely a great read for anyone who thoroughly enjoyed Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas or Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. You may be wondering where the magical elements might be hiding within the story - well just take my word and WAIT FOR IT... Read on and be bedazzled!




I think this is the first time I've read a book with twins as the protagonists. Carys is very strong willed, able to use a knife with apt skill, and is very protective of her twin brother. Andreus is a sweet talker of the ladies, an all round lovely guy who saved a young boy from the streets, and loves to help with the windmills and Masters of Light to keep the city safe from vicious monsters hiding in the deathly shadows of Eden. Together they are an unstoppable force who would die for one another, but then their father and older brother, King and Crown Prince of Eden, are assassinated and their mother is driven mad by grief. Thanks to the help of the Seer, Lady Imogen, the council are prevented from immediately handing the throne to the next eligible head and are forced to start a series of trials in which Carys and Andreus are divided to compete against one another to determine their capability of handling the title of King or Queen of Eden.

Strange, is it not, that a book you might pick up will seem like it is foreseeable. That's what I felt like in the first half of the book until I was blown away by so many changes and twists that made me wonder why I did not pick it up earlier. I mean, how could I have known! It was such a wonderful change with reading about two twins who are close and dedicated to protecting one another from ever-lurking evils behind every corridor and under every stone, soon pitted against one another to test their loyalties to their people and the seven virtues that their city was built upon long before their existence.



✨ THINGS I LOVED ABOUT DIVIDING EDEN!✨


  • Carys and Andreus are considered EQUAL! There is no sexism or prejudism over what they are except that no one but the Queen, who was supposedly too mad to be trusted, knew who was older than the other. In so many stories, movies, or TV shows, I see how the male will always get the throne no matter what. To have this story break out of that trope is a nice change.

  • Carys and her friend, Larkin, have such a close bond, no matter the fact that Larkin is a commoner and Carys is a princess. They have never let that change anything between them and to be honest, I totally root them together. Better than setting Carys up with a guy she barely knows, not when she knows Larkin inside out and they're already so close.

  • The tension was ablaze through the whole book and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There was always something going wrong and I know how frustrating that is in real life, but it's hellishly entertaining in books. Let's have more shit go wrong in novels please!

  • Magic and divination is in the book, no matter how little, and it is AWESOME! It's there and I'm happy. Not too much, not too little. Just enough to make you go hell yeah and run the streets praising the Gods for Joelle to bring a brand new fiery couple of protagonists in to root for!


  • It got me out of my reading slump. NEED I SAY MORE?



I have rated this book a 4.75 out of 5 stars because the last half of the book was the real turning point for me. I have to be honest, I felt like the first half was a little slow for me but that could just be the reading slump talking. I truly enjoyed this book and I'm so happy to have found yet another awesome fantasy with strong characters that prove that not everything in fantasy has to be a certain way. Do I really have to wait until June 2018 to read Eden Conquered though?



Thank you HarperCollins New Zealand for the review copy of Dividing Eden! Go check out their links here:


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Harpercollinsnz

Website: http://www.harpercollins.co.nz/


Go add Dividing Eden 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 it on the HarperCollins NZ website HERE



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Dividing Eden







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Monday, 29 August 2016

Early release of Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas controversy: Why can't we all be adults here?

In light of all the horrible controversy over Sarah's latest book, Empire of Storms, which is set to release September 6th this year, we've got to remember the one person who gave us great characters to look up to and root for!
The beautiful and talented Sarah J Maas!

Most recently we heard about Lindsay Cummings, author of The Murder Complex duology and The Balance Keepers trilogy, managing to find a hardcover copy of EoS at the Chicago Airport two weeks before the actual release date. This sent fans into a frenzy of emotions and chaos. At first this made me so excited and I was happy to see that a fellow author friend of Sarah's had managed to swipe a copy for herself.
When I woke up Saturday morning (NZ time) to check Twitter, I noticed that everyone had gone crazy over a number of other people who had also managed to get their hands on a copy (possibly from the exact same bookstore at the airport in Chicago where Lindsay got hers) and had finished it, along with either expressing their enraged thoughts about what had seemed to happen in the books or venting their anger by leaving abusive comments on the novel's Goodreads page.
A Snapchat picture of where I vented my frustration about the childish reviewers (a major understatement).

There seemed to be major tension about how certain readers thought that the Throne of Glass series was racist, abusive and discriminating through multiple characters actions, dialogue or have said that people of colour have seemed to be killed off more than others. In my opinion, some people on Twitter have gone way too far. They may say that there is no evidence of death threats towards Sarah, but that does not change the fact that there is plentiful hate and biases about particular themes that may appear throughout the series. Some people just can't seem to be adults and review a book in a more respectable manner.
One anonymous source seems to point out that Sarah is not a good author and just writes in steamy sex scenes to cover up her lack of talent for plot lines and character development whilst comparing her work to Fifty Shades of Grey. Well sorry to disappoint you but Sarah actually has talent for writing and she didn't become a best selling author from writing a trashy S&M novel. Must I point out how much character development Celaena Sardothien went through in the first four books to get to where she is now in her story?

Despite the horrors of this situation, there are still many devoted fans who are trying to support Sarah through this rough patch. A couple of hashtags #SJMDefenseSquad and #ToGIsJustBeginningParty started in an attempt to push the haters away and put a positive light on the imminent release of EoS.





 Please remember that when you're voicing your own thoughts and opinions on the internet, people will be affected in one way or another. Sarah J Maas, who I have personally met in person at her book signing in Auckland City, New Zealand last year in September, is such a wonderful, talented and down-to-earth individual and she has feelings like every one of us. If you have trouble with the concept of cyberbullying, try put yourself in her shoes or imagine saying what you've said to her face.

 You are book lovers, book reviewers, fandom fanatics, etc. Please remember why you love to read and the fact that just because a book doesn't go in the direction you'd hoped or it doesn't contain a certain theme or aspect that you wanted, it doesn't give you a free pass to go and obliterate the author with your harsh words. Be a kind human and spread love and if you feel the need to review a book in a not-so-nice way, do it professionally through a blog post and leave it at that or talk to your friends about it through private message or even in person. Don't forget to be civilised and humane.

 This world already has way too much hate and sadness. Do your part to make it a better place to live in so that we can all come online with confidence and celebrate what we love most.
A photo of Sarah and I at her Auckland, New Zealand signing in September 2016.

 by Ella Fleming-Christie

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Saturday, 6 August 2016

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas Book Review


“Tell me what you see.”
“A world divided in two.”

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.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW
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If the last book, A Court of Thorns and Roses was anything to go by, you'll know that this book will be a hell of a read. Love, heartbreak, comedic dialogue, steamy scenes, major action, magical moments and emotional flashbacks will have you rolling on the floor laughing and crying at the same time! If I could convince anyone to become a bookworm, I would immediately recommend this book. Even though it is a sequel and you wouldn't really understand much unless you read the first, this book would have to be the one I'd tell anyone to read first just because it's totally amazing and once you get in, you don't come back!

Let's come back to the fearless protagonist, Feyre. She is now blazing bright with all her high fae glory and argumentative comebacks, however this time around, the unforgettable memories of her rough time Under the Mountain has left an imminent mark on her mind and soul. As a former sufferer of depression I can understand her every struggle after having been ripped to shreds in every way possible by Amarantha. Thankfully, maybe not to Feyre's delight, Rhysand saves her just when she thinks she might make a big mistake and our world starts to open up with glorious opportunities when we finally get to see the Night Court in it's true habitat. In this instalment we also get to see the Summer Court and more of the human's side of the wall where Nesta, Elain and their father still reside. However, everyone is inevitably in way more danger than the first novel and for those hardcore fans who may be reading this, it may not be so hard to figure out who might be behind that evil cunning plan.

The plot couldn't have been structured anymore perfectly and if I were Sarah's best friend, I'd be asking her if I could sit quietly in a chair next to her while she writes so I can learn of the secret powers she has which helps her make her novels such masterpieces (as creepy as that sounds, I'm just a budding author who needs these secrets to make a living also). Everything that is written falls into place so well and with every turn, there is a twist, even if you don't realise it at the time. This is where I tell you that you'll be re-reading it a few thousand times after you finish your first round. The dialogue is witty, hilarious and well put together. The characters are all widely diverse which is another thing that I love and something that needs to be talked about, and practiced more, in YA literature. One main thing that was brought into this sequel was the idea of mates. Now this is a spoiler free review so I won't say who, but this absolutely hooked me because it's such a romantic and sexy thing––one of which I wish humans took more seriously––that honestly I couldn't bear to put the book down once I had read the scene where it was introduced. Love is such a massive theme in YA fiction these days, aside from the main plot it usually gives the characters more motivation to strive and work for what they want and who they want. As much as people may try to shoot good novels like this one down for tiny little things, they can't lie about the fact that this had to be one of the best books written since the Harry Potter series (braces for other-fandoms impact)! I honestly think that if it hadn't have been for Sarah's godly-literature skills and sexy chapter reads, I don't think I'd be doing any of this right now. I would probably just be moping around trying to find better inspiration for my book but failing epically because I wouldn't have such a talented person to look up to. Now I'm feeling like next time Sarah comes to New Zealand, I'll have to give her a massive hug for giving me the best guidance of my life (and for saving my life too)! 💜
✨  Things I LOVED about A Court of Mist and Fury! ✨

 * Rhys has WAAAYY more of a storyline this time around and despite my first thoughts of him from ACOTAR, I've completely turned around since then. That being said, I am someone who always gives second chances! Go Rhysand! You have won my heart, High Lord.

* If you think there's any book that is written better than this, apart from the Throne of Glass series of course, then we're going to have a problem. Well not really, I don't like fighting over what series is better but I cannot accept that anyone would not like these books. Both of Sarah's book series are currently being adapted for the big screens! ACOTAR will be a movie trilogy and ToG will be a TV series! Nothing would be better to replace Game of Thrones and Divergent with than these two! Yup, I'm a happy chick!

* Feyre learns that she got a little extra mojo from all the High Lord's of Prythian than just her High Fae form! I mean (ACOTAR SPOILER COMING.....) being resurrected by each of the strongest High Fae's in the land doesn't come without a price. And if Feyre's going to have any bigger purpose in this novel, it's going to have to be this way and I'm not even disappointed in the slightest! But you could tell that already anyway so I'm just going to wait patiently for the movie of ACOTAR and TV show of ToG to come out!

* Could this novel have gotten any steamier? I mean I know Sarah mentioned that she had basically banned her family from reading it but that alone did not prepare me for what was to come! I don't usually like anything that resembles erotic fiction - however the content inside this book was actually bearable enough that I didn't put it down. Maybe it was just the love of the relationship and feels that came with it or maybe it was because I knew there was more to it than just the act. Either way it was the definition of #RelationshipGoals and that's what I loved most about it (This last part may or may not have made me want to cry because this relationship definitely wouldn't exist in real life because males don't seem to be as perfect as this one did unfortunately...).

I loved this book more than words can explain and for that I have to give it a 5 out of 5 stars! Not just because I seem to love ALL of Sarah's books and that is mostly so because of the fact that she is an amazing author and actually does slay the author game with every book she writes. (Plus I've been using her first name instead of her last name because I think once you've met the author, it's safe to say you've passed that stranger line "inserts cool emoji here"). Thanks for making my month yet again and I'm stoked that Empire of Storms is coming out in the next month because I'm going to need another massive dose of awesome feminist power from Aelin very, very soon!

Go add A Court of Mist and Fury 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
Are you suffering with a mental illness such as depression or anxiety? Here are some helpful links from BetterHelp that you can check out and find tips on how to live a happier life:

BetterHelp Advice - Anxiety
BetterHelp Advice - Depression
How To Deal with Depression: Tips, Techniques And Finding the Right Treatment

How Do I Find A Therapist Near Me?
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Monday, 30 November 2015

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

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Sunday, 27 September 2015

Ever wanted to join an awesome YA book club? Now is your chance!

Being a part of the Book Blogger/Booktube community, I've come across a few awesome things in my time being here. As far as book clubs go, I've never thought to join one or even visit one to see what it was like, mainly because of my anxiety and thinking how 'uncool' it sounded.

Until just recently, I found the coolest group on Facebook called the "Perth YA Book Club"! I'm a Kiwi (New Zealander) myself but I instantly found myself immersed in this page and wanting to be a part of it as I read more and more of what everyone was posting and realised how chill and cool it actually was. I feel like this book club is super awesome and everyone is so sweet! They all understand my love for books and authors and events and writing, so I wanted to share them with you all.


Perth YA Book Club Facebook Page



Perth YA Book Club Tumblr


Please check both of these awesome links out and let me know what you think! I bet you that you'll fit right in just like I did!

Do you know of any other awesome Book Club or Book Reviewers pages? Let me know in the comments below!


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Saturday, 19 September 2015

Unpopular Opinions Tag

I've recently decided that due to my laptop problem (my Macbook Pro broke if you did not see on my Twitter), I have decided to spend a bit more time on my blog and therefore writing more interesting posts. Yeah book reviews are good and I love writing them, but I feel like I want to make this a little more fancy and interesting by posting fun stuff every now and then. So that is why I have decided to do a written version of this Booktube tag for you all!



1. A Popular Book or series that you didn't like.



Personally I didn't overly like Allegiant due to the ending but the first two books in the series, Divergent and Insurgent I really enjoyed and they turned out quite well as movies. Now we're waiting for Allegiant to come out and I really hope that from how they've changed a bunch of  things in the other movies that they will change the ending of this too so I will be happy once again.

 2. A Popular Book or series that every one else seems to hate but you love. (I'll change this to a series that everyone loves but I hate)

I started reading the first Vampire Diaries book and to be totally honest, I could not get into it at all. I maybe only read like a few pages and I was already bored out of my mind. It was shocking to me because I absolutely loved L.J. Smith's other book series, Night World and I always wished that they would be turned into a tv series. I found the tv series of this to be a little more interesting but it still failed to keep my interest and  I ended up throwing the whole craze out the window.

3. A Love Triangle where the main character ended up with the person you did NOT want them to end up with (warn ppl for spoilers) OR an OTP that you don't like. 

This is not a spoiler because they're sort of but not really together at the beginning of the novel. Just read it and you'll know what I mean. To be fully honest with everyone, and I know from The House Of Night Online how many people really loved him and shipped him with Zoey, I really didn't like Heath. No matter how much he "changed" or became more romantic or whatever. I just didn't like him and the whole typical "Jock" thing isn't really my type anyway. *POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT* I also felt like Zoey suited Stark a whole lot better just because he was willing to protect her til the day she died and that he was just a whole lot more suited to her than Heath was. Plus Heath obviously wasn't going to live as long as her so what would be the point in them being together in the first place?

4. A popular book Genre that you hardly reach for. 

I personally don't really know what the whole hype is about contemporary novels. I'm guessing it's more of a love story/romantic kind of vibe but I love fantasy so much that a book seems almost boring without any in it. Yeah I love romance but there's usually always some sort of relationship in a fantasy novel anyway. I definitely want to pick up a few of John Green's books at some point, such as Looking For Alaska, Paper Towns and The Fault In Our Stars as I know that they are good and almost everyone loves the movies. Here is an example of one contemporary novel I wouldn't be rushing into a book store for any time soon.

5. A popular or beloved character that you do not like. 


I don't know whether Kestrel from The Winner's Curse is really a beloved character or whatever but I know that the books are well known and she is known by Booktubers so that's enough for me. Plus there aren't very many others I could choose from as I rarely read a book where I don't like the main character. Kestrel just plainly annoyed me. I appreciated her love for music and the fact that she didn't let the fact that Arin wass Herrani sway her into not liking him. I felt like she never truly understood the Herrani's struggles even having one in place as a mother in a way. Kestrel is just one character that I don't particularly feel close to or relate to which are two really important things for me when reading a book.

6. A popular author that you can't seem to get into. 


Sorry Claudia but so far I am not having an easy time getting into your latest book, A Thousand Pieces Of You. It's not personal and I have yet to read your other books such as the Evernight series, but this was the only author I could come up with who is as popular as she is. I would say Nina Malkin because Swoon was utterly dreadful and a complete waste of precious reading time, though I don't think her status is high enough to reach the ranks of Claudia. In saying this, I have yet to finish the novel so my thoughts may change but right now this has to be my answer.

7. A popular book trope that you're tired of seeing. (examples "lost princess", corrupt ruler, love triangles, etc.)


If Throne of Glass and Twilight aren't good enough examples of a love triangle then I don't know what else is. Don't get me wrong, I totally and absolutely love both these book series with a passion, I just find the love triangle so frustrating because does the main character really have to worry about two guys being in love with her and if so, it should be so hard to choose ONE of them straight away before she really stuffs things up. Personally for my own story as a comparison, I have made sure to have no love triangles because I don't feel like there is a need if you have an interesting enough plot and deeper issues. Other than that, these there still amazingly awesome series, I just had to say that I am getting sick of seeing the typical love triangle trope and I know a few people will agree with me!

8. A popular series that you have no interest in reading.

Ugh I know for a dead fact that I will NEVER EVER EVER read this god-awful series because 1. I am so not into reading erotica and shit about being submissive to a guy like that. 2. From what I've heard, the majority of the people who read it hated it. 3. E.L. James is a terrible author. 4. I don't consider erotica something to be up to my standards (not being cocky, just another reason to not read it. And yes, I do have a level of standards for books, just not often. And that's really saying something). The End.

9. The saying goes "The book is always better than the movie", but what movie or T.V. show adaptation do you prefer more than the book?


If I had of read the Maze Runner, I probably would have said that because literally everyone I know that has read that series thoroughly enjoyed the movies more than they did the books. But I haven't and I had to choose something at least vaguely relevant. So I chose the Twilight movies. I'm not saying that I didn't like the books, I absolutely loved them. But this is the only series I've read and watched the movies and loved both adaptations equally so that is as close to an answer as I can get! The cast was perfect and fit the book characters so well, plus the chemistry was on point. So an A+++ for both!


I really hope you enjoyed reading my Unpopular Opinions Tag! If you agree of disagree with any of my choices, comment down below.

I tag Ella from Once Upon A Bookish Time!

I also tag you if you are reading this! If you write a blog post such as mine or choose to film this instead, tweet the link to my Twitter @ellabellabellz and I will check it out and possibly even retweet it! If you don't have a Twitter then email the link to me at B.theclairsentient@gmail.com


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How I Imagine Places/Characters In Books: Throne of Glass


Every time I read a book for the first time my mind automatically begins to construct and create a complex architectural image in my mind which is most likely to stick with me the whole series. If I end up reading something wrong by accident and realising later on, it is very hard for me to redirect my mind and make myself imagine the original idea. Here I want to show you all an idea of how I visualised certain parts of Throne of Glass and I want you guys to let me know whether you think similarly or completely different in the comments below. I will try and go in chronological order by as much as I can remember so if the timeline is a little off, please don't pull a Celaena on me! Thanks!

Endovier




I think we can all agree of how much Endovier would look like the biggest shit hole in the world, if not the same as Calaculla. I imagined it as this big, black, hell-hole of a place mainly because of the mining and I think it's safe to assume that it would be underground as just as dark and musty as it looks in the pictures above. As horrible as Endovier seemed, I truly don't think that the true vision of Endovier could even fully be imagined until you have experienced it. And hearing from Celaena's experience and what people across Erilea seem to think of it, I don't think we'd ever want to know!


The King of Adarlan's Throne Room




Personally I originally found the King's Throne Room a little hard to envision at first, but this picture threw it all in place for me. This gives enough room for a large audience to fit in, including multiple members of the kings council to be present at all times. I know that part of the castle is created of glass but where on earth would you find a picture of that, let alone imagine that? I don't even think a glass castle exists in this time and age unless someone can prove me wrong! This is just a basis of what it would be like and it's intimidating enough to look like it suits a King such as the bastard himself.


Dorian's Personal Library





At first I thought the library Celaena stumbled upon to be quite a small, homely kind of library which would consist of a few random books that the family had collected over the years and ones that hand been handed down generation after generation. After reading more and more of Crown of Midnight, it became a little more obvious that it was larger than I had realised and actually had a lot more books too, rather to be the size of an actual library. What more would you expect from a King and one who lives in a castle as large as his which is partially made of glass? I find this picture to be rather satisfying to look at as personally I wouldn't mind having a home library this large; in fact I one day plan to do this in my home when I get one large enough (as you might already know, I'm not that rich yet! YET!).



Celaena's Four-Poster Bed





Could you even imagine a more comfortable and classy way to sleep? The first picture has a great feel of crimson red to it in which I feel is symbolic to her job as an assassin so it seems like it would fit her almost perfectly. The second picture I chose plainly because of the books sitting in a pile on the floor next to the couch simply because Celaena loves to read and it would be something that she would do. I love both of these as they both seem quite eloquent and dashing, though the crimson theme is definitely my favourite and I think Celaena would care to agree.


Glass part of the Castle



I found it hard to imagine what the glass part of the castle would look like but I found this and thought, if it were to look like anything it would look similar to this. It can't all be made out of glass right? It has almost a modern look to it but I feel like this book isn't as Victorian sounding as I originally thought it was (I mean it is a fantasy and she could have set this in a completely different dimension with magic and all). I think that possibly the King of Adarlan would have a room much like this in this section of the castle, just drastically larger.


Secret Passageway, Elena's Tomb and Mort





These three pictures show a lot in terms of how Elena's tomb would look. The first is basically the only thing close enough I could find to looking something like what was described in ToG. The second is obviously an Egyptian tomb but that is how I pictured Elena's tomb to look like, just with grey stone walls, Damaris and a bunch of gold and gems stored in the corner, and a carving of Elena and Brannon in the back wall. The third picture is literally everything I pictured Mort to be, and I feel like if it were him, his eyes would glow a deathly black or even something lighter like a sapphire blue. It's quite creepy but then his humor would make up for his butt-ugliness.



That was everything for now! I hope you all enjoyed delving into my mind for five minutes. I enjoyed looking at these probably more than you did to be honest! I will try post more stuff like this because I enjoy it and it's just another reason to spend more time making my blog look a little more sexy than others (thanks to the Throne of Glass series)!



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