barnes and noble
The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins
Book Description:
“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”
She could only stare back, frozen.
When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.
Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.
Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.
Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.
My Rating: 4.5/5
**I would like to start off by saying that I received The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins for free via Epic Reads in exchange for a review. Although I am super grateful and excited for any opportunity at receiving a book for free, I am also very strict with being honest. That being said, giveaways do not impact my reviews.**
THIS BOOK! I LOVE the old century fantasy kingdom theme going on here! These are my type of books!
Now, I am reviewing this as a person who has NOT read The Singing Bone by The Grimm Brothers for which this story is based off of, so I have nothing to compare (although I think I’d like to read it now eventually…)
I only have one bad thing to say about this book. I really disliked the “flirting” scenes between Princess Aerity and Paxton. It was not only painfully awkward, but besides his good looks, I have no idea what Aerity sees in him. Every other part of this book was written well but it seems when it comes to romance, this is not this author’s calling. I had high hopes that Paxton was going to be a new fictional boyfriend for me but between his horrible flirting and his cold demeanor, I was left with nothing to desire.
Other than that, there’s action, there’s adventure and there’s lots to be questioned!
Beside the actual story, I love that this author lives on the eastern shore of VA – cause that’s exactly where I live! Maybe she even stops by my book store… if not she should, I’ll buy her a coffee for writing such a good book ^_^
If you’re into basic fairy tale/old century type stories, you need to grab this one! I am SO stoked that I unexpectedly won this book and very happy with my decision to drop everything and read it. I can NOT wait for book 2!
Happy Reading! xo
Fiend by Peter Stenson **WARNING: Spoiler In Last Paragraph**
And if your life’s already shattered beyond any normal hopes of redemption…well, maybe the end of the world is an opportunity. Maybe it’s a last chance for Chase to hit restart and become the man he once dreamed of being. Soon he’s fighting to reconnect with his lost love and dreaming of becoming her hero among civilization’s ruins.
But is salvation just another pipe dream?
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas **WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD**
![IMG_7475[1]](https://thenerdybookmark.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/img_74751.png?w=705)
Book Description:
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.
My Rating: 5/5
AHHHH! I HATE reading unfinished series! I NEED to know what’s going to happen next!
- What’s going on with this war?
- How does Aelin handle her new position?
- How does Dorian handle his new position?
- How does everyone adjust to their new beginnings especially with this war a brewin?!
And the witches! Manon getting…. feelings? I mean, yeah we’ve seen glimpses of it through out but now she almost resembles a human!
This book definitely made me appreciate Heir of Fire a lot more. With everything it built up to, wow, just wow.
I wasn’t sure I liked where the story was turning and how it has changed so much and now I am so glad it did. It’s more action packed, more suspenseful, less childish more adult through their experiences. If you want a book with great character development, look no further! Each character changes, grows in ways you don’t expect, it’s amazing.
I need to address some scenes:
Happy scene: I’m so so so so soooo happy Rowan came back. I mean, that bath scene with Aelin and Rowan, meow ;] I wasn’t a huge fan of him in the beginning but now he is complete and utter SWOONworthy. That sexy, sexy man. And if him and Aelin don’t do it within the first half of the next book, I’m going to explode. The sexual frustration is killing meeee!
Pg 525:
![IMG_7494[1]](https://thenerdybookmark.files.wordpress.com/2016/03/img_74941.jpg?w=705)
Ermergerdddd…. is it getting hot in here or what?…
Sad scene: When Aelin visits Sams grave and confesses her self to him – ughhh, pull on my heart strings why don’t you! So sad but so sweet and heart warming .. and did I mention sad?!
Shocking scene: Aelin helping Manon – I mean they were fighting to the death and Manon is about to die and Aelin saves her – what?! At first I was pissed, I was all, “LET THE BITCH DIE! WASN’T THAT THE POINT?!” but later when Aelin fully reveals her reason behind helping Manon avoid falling to her death, it made sense and dare I say it was quite noble of her!
Brutal scene: Chaol and Aelin walk up to the castle and all of Chaol’s mean are spiked outside the castle, mauled, tortured. INSANE!
I love all of the elements this series brings. From the raw emotions, to the brutality, to the excitement and the giddyness, these books have it all.
2016 February Wrap Up
Another bad reading month -_-
Not to make excuses or anything, BUT I have been super busy between everyday life things such as taking care of the household/working to the many, many extras this month such as my husband re-enlisting in the military! Then this past week, I’ve been battling with my neck everyday and today it was mega dick. I woke up and thought, “IS THIS REAL LIFE?!”.. I couldn’t move my neck, argh, so much painnnnn! So needless to say, it’s the first day of March and I haven’t even touched a book yet. STARTING OFF THE MONTH STRONG GAIZ! Hopefully I can read a bit tonight, the pain meds have kicked in and I’ve been trying to be as active as possible around the house to keep my muscle from tensing. Then later, muscle relaxers. I expect much of you my little white, roundy friend.
Maybe I’ll start another book – the one I’m currently reading is boring me. But I also want to just finish it to get it out of the way. The struggle.
Total Books = 4
Average Rating = 3.5
1.) Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas – 4/5
2.) The Painted Lady by Amanda Moncrefe – 0/5
3.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage by Miguel Lopez de Leon – 5/5
4.) Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas – 5/5
Minus the one st00pid book, this was a great month for good books! Hope you guys did better than moi!
Happy Reading! xo
2016 February Bookhaul
Total Price = $13.62
Barnes and Noble – $7.50
1.) Doctor Who The Encyclopedia by Gary Russel; paperback
Thrift Store – $6.12
1.) The Red Pyramid by Rick Riordan; hardcover
2.) Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling; paperback
3.) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald; paperback
4.) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson; paperback
1.) Emotions by Arnulfo Cantarero; paperback: A special thanks to the author, Arnulfo Cantarero, for sending this my way! Please check him out on Goodreads!
2.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston and the Rites of Passage by Miguel Lopez de Leon; paperback (via Goodreads giveaway)
3.) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling; paperback (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
4.) Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs; paperback: (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
5.) Orchards by ; paperback: (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
6.) Delirium by Lauren Oliver; paperback: (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
7.) Unwind by ; paperback (special thanks to @thebookelves Instagram giveaway)
8.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Mists of the Three Lakes by Miguel Lopez de Leon; paperback: (A special thanks to the author, Miguel Lopez de Leon, for sending this my way! Please check him out on Goodreads!)
9.) Galadria: Peter Huddleston & The Knights of the Leaf by Miguel Lopez de Leon; paperback: (A special thanks to the author, Miguel Lopez de Leon, for sending this my way! Please check him out on Goodreads!)
10.) Atlantia by Ally Condie; hardcover: (special thanks to @author_jenniferparr Instagram giveaway)
1.) America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray & Laura Kamoie; paperback
Not a bad month guys, not a bad month…
Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
Book Description:
She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.
Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed.
My Rating: 4/5
I don’t know what happened with Heir of Fire or how it has the highest rating out of all of the books so far. This book is definitely slower than the others – starts slow, continues slow, ends … well it actually ends really good *snicker snicker*. There were maybe 2-3 scenes that could be classified as “exciting” but nothing at all like the novellas or the first 2 books. I thought the book started to pick up around pg. 160, but it did not. It faltered. Even if it did pick up and soar, that’s still an unusual start for a Sarah J. Maas book!
Besides it being a suuuuper slow read, the story takes a different turn, different environment completely which took me a while to adjust to. If the witches were from the get go, I might’ve enjoyed it more or if they were in their own story altogether, I just do not like them in this series. It felt awkward. I’m still confused by it!
I don’t have much to say about Heir of Fire because….well….there wasn’t much going on. I still enjoyed reading it though. It wasn’t TERRIBLE, it just wasn’t the same.
Conclusion: Sluggishly Slow But Good.
Happy Reading! xo
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
Book Description:
“A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.
My Rating: 5/5
THIS SERIES IS TOO GOOD FOR WYRDS!! <—heh heh heh…
But seriously, just like the first book (Throne of Glass) and the novellas (The Assassin’s Blade), it’s full of the feels! I’m happy, I’m ‘dawwwww‘ing, I’m angry, I’m crying – reallllly crying, I’m gagging cause it’s so awesomely disgusting! When we first start this book, Celaena is throwing severed limbs on to the floor – how awesome is that?! I totally love how brutal these books can be! And the throwback to the Endovier slaughter is badarseee >:]
I love that we can go from gore and blood and slashing to complete heart melting moments. This is what I really love about these books is this diversity. I thought it was sooo cute of Dorian to give Celaena Fleetfoot, granted he could save ALL the puppies from there on out, but whateves. And my SWOONWORTHY moment – when Chaol catches Celaena sneaking off from her post only to find her dancing by herself and then JOINS HER!! I’m a Chaol/Celaena fan all the way so this scene had me grinning from ear to ear and hugging my book to my chest whilst rocking it back and forth. Totally not weird.
Then the “ERMERGERD!” moments – being 2 huge ones! I’m not even going to get into the one but it was insane, is was gross, it was sad. Lastly, the way this book ends revealing a HUUUUGE secret is insane!! I’m so excited to jump in to Heir of Fire – you can’t just say these type of things and leave me hanging! I also kind of wish I waited till ALL of these books are out because this seems to be a common theme and I don’t want to have to wait!
HEIR OF FIRE, HERE I COMEEEE!!
+Side note: I LOVED how the Throne of Glass picture turned out, that I think I may have found a theme for my book reviews! For more random pictures – please see my bookstagram found on the right of the front page or via my Get To Know Me page!
The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas
Book Description:
Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan’s most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin’s Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas – together in one edition for the first time – Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn’s orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.
My Rating: 5/5
Wow… just… wow! And to think these are only the novellas!
I feel a little sorry for anyone who wasn’t able to start off with this in the series (which, obviously, I chose to and not fro). Not that it’s a terrible thing to read it by release date, I just can’t imagine you’ll have the same mind blowing experiences I had! Reading it later on and not FIRST will definitely spoil a lot of great events. Still readable though.
If this is just a glimpse of what’s to come, I can’t wait. I’ve already jumped in to Throne of Glass. So far, these books are living up to the hype!
The love for books Celaena has is all too relatable:
I really hope in the future we run in to Ansel again. I really adored the relationship her and Celaena had! Of course you can imagine I was crushed when she was betrayed (in her own friendly kind of way) but at the same time, like Celaena, I can’t put that arrow through her neck. I’m rooting for you Ansel! Turn your life around and do the right thing! ILOVEYOU!!!!
On to Mr. Sammy Sam Sam. I didn’t really quite get him at first. I could easily put him off to the side. He did nothing for me… but as his relationship with Celaena grew, my relationship with him grew as well and I am in UTTER shock at what happened to him. I won’t give away spoilers for those who haven’t read this series yet because it is a good one to not know about. As sad as I was for this, thank you Sarah, for not being a baby and doing what you did. Respect.
This book was interesting in the fact that it was an upward slope to jaw dropping greatness! Just when you think you read the best novella out of the book, the next one greets you with a slap across the face saying, “NO BITCH, IT GETS BETTER STILL!”
And do I need to point out the cover? SWOOOOOON!!
Please please please, if you have not started this series and are wondering whether or not to start with The Assassin’s Blade, do yourself a favor – START HERE!
Dear Mr. You by Mary Louise Parker
Book Description:
An extraordinary literary work, Dear Mr. You renders the singular arc of a woman’s life through letters Mary-Louise Parker composes to the men, real and hypothetical, who have informed the person she is today. Beginning with the grandfather she never knew, the letters range from a missive to the beloved priest from her childhood to remembrances of former lovers to an homage to a firefighter she encountered to a heartfelt communication with the uncle of the infant daughter she adopted. Readers will be amazed by the depth and style of these letters, which reveal the complexity and power to be found in relationships both loving and fraught.
My Rating: 3.5/5
Hmmm… this book was not quite what I was expecting. I kind of went in to it thinking it would be a little more comical than it actually was. None the less, it was still a good book. Just took a minute to readjust my mood towards it. Now reading the synopsis on GR might not lead you to think this book may be funny, but on the book itself with words like “gut-wrenching” and “hilarious book” you can probably see where I got confused. Also being I like her as an actress, I got the humor thing from that as well.
But this book wasn’t a complete fail in the funny department. For example:
Pg. 102 – “I wanted to kick you in the shins and make you banana bread”
andddddd
Pg. 223 – “Oysters are trannies”
That one had me dying! And that’s the tune I thought this whole book was going to play.
Other than that slight disappointment, it was a very well written book. Very emotional and private and a great glimpse into an wonderful actress’ personal life.
One last thing: I would love to thank her or whoever’s decision this was – as beautiful as you are Mary Louise Parker, thank you from the bottom of my heart for not slapping your celebritorious mug across the cover.
Happy reading! xo
TheNerdyBookmark 