Book Tag: Seven Deadly Sins

I don't often do book tags but I spotted Andy from The Pewter Wolf post this one a couple of weeks ago and it looked like fun so I thought I'd join in. I'm not going to tag anyone else but if you do decide to post (of if you already have posted!) leave me a link in the comments so I can check out your answers :o)

GREED:

What is The Most Expensive Book You Own?

I'm not sure if this really counts since it's technically more of a box set but without a doubt it's the most expensive set of books I own so I'm going to include it anyway - Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey Collectors Edition.

I just realised I've not got around to reviewing this set yet but it really is gorgeous set & I love everything about it, especially the replica of the Monster book of Monsters!

GLUTTONY:

What Book(s) Have You Shamelessly Devoured Many Times?

I could easily count the Harry Potter series for this sin too but I think the series I've actually read the most in the last few years would have to be Ilona Andrew's Hidden Legacy series. To be honest I reread all of Ilona and Gordon's books on a regular basis but when it comes to the Hidden Legacy books  I have literally been known to read the entire trilogy through twice in the space of a week!

If you haven't read these books yet you are seriously missing out, you can read my reviews for the series here.

SLOTH:

What Book/Series Have You Neglected Over Sheer Laziness?

To be honest I'm pretty terrible at starting series and never getting around to finishing them so it's hard to pick just one LOL. It's not that I deliberately stop reading halfway through a series, I just get distracted by all the shiny new books that come along while I'm waiting for the next instalment and don't always remember to go back to them.

For this post I'll just talk about a few of the series that I really want to try and catch up with some time soon.

1. First we have Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunters I love these books so I'm not sure why it's taking me so long to read them but I still have quite a few books to read before I catch up. 
2. Next is J.D. Robb's In Death series, this is a HUGE series topping over 40 books already with at least 2 new books published every year so I worked out recently that reading one book a month it'll take me about four years to catch up. Quite intimidating for sure but I'm going to give it a good try LOL.
3. Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is a bit different to the others because I have already read most of these books over the years but I want to reread them to review them on my blog. I'm also kind of putting off the last few books that I haven't read yet because there will never be any new books written in this world and I kind of like the comfort of knowing that I have a couple saved up ready for when I really need them.
4. Last on the list is Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, these books are so much fun to read so although I read the first 16 or so books before I started blogging I'm trying to slowly reread them to review on my blog.

PRIDE:

What Books(s) Do You Bring Up When You Want To Sound Like An Intelligent Reader?

To be honest I really don't care what anyone else thinks about my reading choices, perhaps I did when I was younger but these days I read completely for pleasure and don't care what judgements others might choose to make.

I sometimes think I should tackle on of those "100 classics everyone should read before they die" lists but then I look at the lists and decide I'm not really that interested after all LOL. If something appeals to me then I'll pick it up, no matter what the genre but I think as long as people are reading then it's all good, whether they choose classics, graphic novels or anything in between.

LUST:

What Attributes Do You Find Most Attractive In Characters?

Ooh that's a difficult question because there are different things that draw me to different characters and what one author can pull off another will fail completely on. I think most of all I want to read books with characters I can relate to in some way, obviously we're not all witches and wizards like Harry, Ron and Hermione but whats so great about them is that apart from their magical abilities they're really quite normal, they still have the same insecurities, fears and weaknesses that we do and still have to deal with the same day to day issues on top of trying to save the world. I enjoy stories where I can imagine myself hanging out with the characters, I want to feel like if they walked off of the pages and into my front room we could be friends.

ENVY:

What Books Would You Most Like To Receive As a Gift?

I could write a huge list of books I'm saving up for or books that I'm desperately waiting to be published  but the biggest unicorn that I would LOVE to own a copy of has to be the limited edition hardcover of The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling. It's such a gorgeous set that comes with art prints and a lovely keepsake box & I think it would go perfectly with the rest of my Harry Potter collection. It's getting harder and harder to find though and the copies that I have seen are FAR outside of my price range but I live in hope so who knows, perhaps one day the book faeries will decide to leave a copy underneath my Christmas tree LOL.

WRATH:

What Author(s) Do You Have a Love/Hate Relationship With?

There are two authors who immediately spring to mind to answer this question, one is going to be a hugely unpopular choice and the other is an author who used to be one of my favourites so I still find it difficult to believe I'm including their name on this list.

So first we have Sarah J Maas (yes shocking I know!), I was actually a huge fan of Sarah's for a long time, I went to signings and met her twice and I would devour her books the minute I got my hands on them. She was an author I'd preorder immediately and get super excited about but it all started going horribly wrong when she completely rewrote Chaol's character in Queen of Shadows just because she had decided Rowan was a better fit for Aelin. I would have been bitter about that ship change no matter what but if she had written it better then I'd have gotten over my disappointment eventually.

As if that wasn't bad enough the next book she published was A Court of Mist and Fury which I HATED with the passion of a thousand suns. Now I know that is going to be a shockingly unpopular opinion because that series has so many fans but I absolutely hated everything about that book and I've not been able to pick up a book by Sarah J Maas since.  I just hate the way she is so fickle with her pairings, and how in one book certain characters are true mates but then a guy comes along that Sarah suddenly likes better so she has to rewrite history and give her characters personality transplants in order to fit square pegs into round holes. She has absolutely zero skill or subtlety about it and goes about the shift like a bull in a china shop. It's gutting because I did really love Rhys so if she'd paired him with anyone other than Feyre, or even split up Feyre and Tamlin without changing Tamlin into someone he wasn't, then I would have stayed a superfan. As it is I know I want to finish the Throne of Glass series eventually but I have very little enthusiasm left for the series or anything else Sarah J Maas may write in the future.

It actually pains me to say this but the second author on this list is Patricia Briggs. I have been a HUGE fan of the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega books for years now, if you've been following this blog for any length of time you've probably heard me talking about them before because I've reread the books at least once a year for a long time now. I honestly thought this series would continue to be a favourite forever and I've always been so excited to get my hands on each new instalment.

But then along came Burn Bright and that book destroyed everything. Some of the things revealed in that book have totally ruined my opinion of both one of my most loved characters AND of Patricia Briggs herself. I know it's her world and they're her characters so she's entitled to do whatever she likes to them but this is some seriously messed up shit that I just can't deal with. Not after reading (and rereading again and again!) fourteen full length books (and multiple short stories!) set in this world without a single hint of what was coming. I don't think I've ever felt so betrayed, not even by Sarah J Maas which is really saying something! I hope that one day I'll recover from this enough to be able to enjoy the first fourteen books again but I don't think I'll ever be able to reread Burn Bright or any new books in this world which is utterly heartbreaking because they used to be one of the highlights of my reading year.

So what do you think of my choices? Are any the same as yours? What books and authors would make your Seven Deadly Sins list?

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J Maas (Or in other words: Why I won't be buying any more books by Sarah J Maas)

The stunning sequel to Sarah J. Maas' New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses.

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.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

ACOTAR Series:
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Mist and Fury
Future titles to be confirmed

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
Okay so I'm going to come right out and say it, A Court of Mist and Fury is the biggest pile of crap I have EVER wasted my money purchasing. I wish I'd waited until the reviews started rolling in rather than pre-order it months ago but I've learnt my lesson Sarah J Maas, I HAVE LEARNT MY LESSON. My pre-order of Empire of Storms has been cancelled and I will NEVER start reading a new series by her until it is completely finished and has been vetted in full by people I trust.

I know a lot of people don't agree with me and that's fine, I'm glad other people are enjoying this book but I HATED it and I'm going to be honest about it. I am so incredibly heartbroken that Sarah J Maas has once again betrayed my trust and destroyed a series I loved. Be warned now that this review is going to include spoilers, I only actually managed to force myself to read the first 7 chapters (just 87 pages) but I have been speaking to several friends who have read much further so I know what happens later than that and I'll be discussing it in detail so if you don't want to know what I'm so unhappy about feel free to walk away from my review space. There will definitely be spoilers for ACOTAR and I think I'll probably touch on Queen of Shadows too so if you're not up to date on the Throne of Glass series it's probably best to look away now.

To make one thing clear I absolutely adored A Court of Thorns and Roses, it's one of my favourite books and I loved it even more when I reread it in anticipation of starting ACOMAF. The whole reason I'm so upset about A Court of Mist and Fury is because I was so, so excited about it in the first place. Perhaps if it hadn't been one of my most anticipated reads of the year I wouldn't feel so let down, perhaps if I hadn't reread ACOTAR immediately before starting ACOMAF I wouldn't feel so devastated and perhaps if I'd never read Queen of Shadows I wouldn't feel so angry that SJM has done the exact same thing to Tamlin that she did to Chaol. Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps but if wishes came true then ACOTAR would either be a stand alone novel or ACOMAF would be an entirely different book.

Let's talk about ACOTAR for a bit, that book is based on two stories: Beauty and the Beast, where the beast's curse is broken because he finds his TRUE LOVE and she is able to look past the external monster and fall in love with the man inside (just like Feyre did with Tamlin); and Tam Lin, which is a less well known Scottish folk tale about a man being rescued from the queen of the fairies by his TRUE LOVE (oh, that's right just like Feyre did for Tamlin!). EVERYTHING about book 1 was based on the fact that Feyre and Tamlin are head over heels crazy about each other, EVERYTHING that happens is because of that love. Tamlin gives Feyre her freedom knowing he will damn himself and his entire court and put them under Amarantha's control but he sets her free because she is more important to him than ANYTHING else. Feyre only comes back to Prythian because she loves Tamlin so much that she can't stand to be without him. EVERYTHING she goes through, all the tasks she has to complete, all the horrific things she has to suffer she does it all because Tamlin is worth it, we're inside her head and we hear her time and time again thinking about how much he means to her and how she can stand anything if only it will free him. For crying out loud she even gives her life to save him and the ONLY reason she is given a second chance (and is therefore even alive!) is because the other High Lords all see that she isn't the fickle hearted human Amarantha claimed she was but that she TRULY LOVES TAMLIN! That is the ONLY reason they all save her, because they saw what she was willing to sacrifice and they can see how devastated Tamlin is when he thinks he's lost her.

If you take that love away you make the entire first book completely pointless and you absolutely 100%, without a shadow of doubt, prove that Amarantha was right and that humans wouldn't know true love if it bit them on the arse! There was NEVER even a hint of a triangle in ACOTAR, yes Rhys was a flirt but it always felt like he was doing that more to get at Tamlin than because he had any real feelings for Feyre and Feyre never looked at Rhys twice, she was completely focused on Tamlin through the whole story. I'll never be a fan of love triangles in general but when you take a couple who are totally in love and about to walk off into the sunset together and then needlessly rip them apart just to shoehorn another hero into the story then I'm going to be even more upset and angry about it.

Let's talk about Rhys. In the first book he threatens Feyre, he tortures her (did you all forget the scene where he's twisting the broken bone that is sticking out of her arm just to prove that she needs his help and should make a bargain with him? A bargain that gives him a week of her time every month for the REST OF HER LIFE?) oh and he also drugs her on a nightly basis to parade her around practically naked in front of a crowd, apparently he never touches her but she doesn't remember so how can we be sure of that? Let's not forget he gave what he thought was her name to Amarantha so that her whole family could be tortured and murdered. That's the hero people think she should be with over Tamlin? Tamlin who protected her, looked after her family, gave her everything she asked for and who gave up his own life and the freedom of everyone else he cares about just to keep her safe? Give me a break. I know it's the author's story and she has every right to take it in any direction that she chooses but I don't have to keep reading this crap. I don't have to watch her once again turn a character who has been nothing but good in the previous book into a completely different person just to convince me to switch teams. Looks like Tamlin got the same personality transplant as Chaol just so that SJM can shoehorn Rowan sorry RHYS into the story.

Of course both Tamlin and Feyre are going to have been affected by everything they went through, and I'm sure he'd want to do whatever he could to keep her safe but I don't for a second believe that he would have done it in the way he does it in ACOMAF. Can't we for once have ADULT characters (Feyre is 19 after all!) ACT LIKE ADULTS? Can't they talk through their problems and resolve them like normal people? Does SJM have to turn Feyre into a fickle and whiny little idiot who jumps from one bed to another at the drop of a hat just because a new guy shows an interest in her and he happens to be hot? Are you telling me that if Rhys was ugly any of this would have happened? I don't think so.

Before people get started on telling me how wonderful Rhys is let me clarify something else. I actually grew to really like Rhys by the end of ACOTAR (in spite of all the horrible things he did!) and I would have been over the moon to read a full book about him, a book that gave him the chance to redeem himself and gave us a chance to see that he had been doing everything he could to fight against Amarantha in the background. I would have bitten SJM's arm off for a book like that, one that put him together with ANY other woman apart from Feyre. I was actually kind of hoping that Rhys would hook up with Feyre's sister Nesta because let's face it they both had some redeeming to do by the end of ACOTAR and it would have been AMAZING to see it happen. I was excited to find out more about the Night Court, I was looking forward to meeting the exciting new characters that SJM promised and I would have happily kept buying book after book in this world if she had kept things fresh and exciting rather than recycling plots from the Throne of Glass series and making the same mistakes over and over again.

I probably could have even got over Feyre falling out of love with Tamlin if it had been done in a better way. You do NOT have to turn a previously nice character into an arsehole to make me like another character. What I hate most about this book is not only the way SJM destroyed Tamlin's character and turned him into something he's not but also the way she made Feyre seem so fickle and uncaring. She acts so ridiculously childishly by not talking to Tamlin about how she is feeling and then she just goes off and leaves him for good with only a letter. She doesn't even have the decency to break up with him face to face before she goes off and mates Rhys. Does nobody else care how Tamlin feels about that? I'm completely and utterly heartbroken for him and it was all so UTTERLY POINTLESS. What was the point of reading ACOTAR? The whole first book has been invalidated by the actions Feyre takes in ACOMAF and it's horrible. I wish I'd never heard a thing about this book and had just stuck with the HEA that A Court of Thorns and Roses gave us.

Why couldn't we have had Feyre and Tamlin as side characters and moved the story into someone else's POV? There is no doubting that Rhys would (and probably has if you can ignore all the stuff I'm unhappy about!) make a brilliant lead. ACOMAF could have been so epic that I can hardly stand it! That's what I was so excited about, that's what I was so desperate to read and that's why I'm so utterly HEARTBROKEN that we were given this pile of rubbish instead. SJM has wrecked this series for me, she broke my trust in Queen of Shadows but she completely destroyed it in A Court of Mist and Fury and I'm never going to be able to pick up one of her books without worrying that she's going to do something similar again. I don't think she's actually capable of writing about a heroine who sticks with one guy for an entire series! Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me, the only thing I can guarantee is that she won't be fooling me a third time!

Oh and thanks for that extra kick in the 

teeth SJM, I really appreciate it!

Source: Purchased

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Video: Sarah J. Maas talking about the new characters we'll meet in A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Thorns and Roses was one of my favourite books of 2015 so of course I'm incredibly excited about the sequel A Court of Mist and Fury which is releasing next week! I spotted this video of Sarah J Maas giving a few hints about some of the new characters we're going to meet in ACOMAF today so thought I'd share it here for anyone else who loves the series as much as I do.



Here's a bit more information about A Court of Mist and Fury:

The stunning sequel to Sarah J. Maas' New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses.

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.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

ACOTAR Series:
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Mist and Fury
Future titles to be confirmed

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information


Just in case you haven't read A Court of Thorns and Roses yet (in which case why the hell not? It's AWESOME!) I found this pretty cool, fan made, book trailer which should hopefully convince you to give it a try:



Now I'm off to start my reread of A Court of Thorns and Roses so I'm ready when my copy of A Court of Mist and Fury turns up on Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2016

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases for the First Half of 2016. There are so many upcoming releases that I'm looking forward to but since I already posted a list of my most anticipated 2016 Debuts I decided to focus this list

1. Allegiance of Honor by Nalini Singh: I absolutely love everything Nalini writes so I can't wait to get my hands on this book. It's not often you find series that are still going so strong at book 15 but this is definitely one of them.
2. Morning Star by Pierce Brown: I've been addicted to this series since I first read Red Rising nearly 2 years ago, the series has gone from strength to strength and I can't wait to see how it ends.
3. Night Study by Maria V Snyder: I'm a huge fan of the Chronicles of Ixia series and I'm really pleased Maria decided to revisit the original main characters Yelena and Valek in these new books. I don't think I'll ever get enough of this world!
4. Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs: It's no secret that I love Patricia Briggs, in fact I'm currently on my third read of the Mercy Thompson series because I couldn't resist reading it again before the new book comes out. I think that says all there is to say about how fantastic it is!
5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas: I love Sarah's Throne of Glass series but I think I enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses even more so I'm going to be dropping everything the second I get my hands on a copy of ACOMAF.
6. Of Flame and Promise by Cecy Robson: The Weird Girls series is another of my favourites, this is the first book to be told from Taran's point of view and I'm really looking forward to getting inside her head and finding out what makes her tick!
7. Judged by Liz de Jager: I've known Liz since she was a blogger so I was thrilled when she got her publishing contract and I've loved every minute of the Blackheart Legacy. I'm going to be taking part in the blog tour for Judged, the final instalment in the trilogy, in January so happily that means I get to read it very soon :o)
8. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab: A Darker Shade of Magic was absolutely fantastic so I'm really looking forward to seeing what trouble Kell and Lila get into next.
9. Camp Alien by Gini Koch: This is another series that makes me drop everything when I get my hands on the latest instalment, the books are always completely crazy and laugh out loud funny.
10. Midnight Marked by Chloe Neill: I love the Chicagoland Vampires, this series just gets better and better and I'm looking forward to spending more time with Merit and Ethan.

So those are my most anticipated reads from early 2016. Do any of them match the books on your list? What books are you most excited about?

Review: Queen of Shadows - Sarah J Maas

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. Now she returns to the empire – to confront the shadows of her past . . . The fourth breathtaking instalment in the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

Bloodthirsty for revenge on the two men responsible for destroying her life, and desperate to find out if the prince and his captain are safe, Celaena returns to Rifthold, the seat of so much evil. She has accepted her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, there are dark truths to learn and debts to be paid. Aelin must stay hidden beneath her assassin's hood and draw on her mortal strength as Celaena to prevent the King of Adarlan from tearing her world apart. Only then can she fight for her people.

Readers will be held rapt as Celaena's story builds to an agonising crescendo, packed with heart-pounding action and swoon-worthy romance.

Throne of Glass Series:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Novella)
The Assassin and the Healer (Novella)
The Assassin and the Desert (Novella)
The Assassin and the Underworld (Novella)
The Assassin and the Empire (Novella)
The Assassin's Blade (Anthology containing all 5 prequel novellas)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
Queen of Shadows has been a really hard book to review (I've been trying to write this for a long time!) because there were things I both loved and hated about this story. I've been a fan of the series from the beginning and if you've read any of my previous reviews you'll already know who I've been shipping for Celaena/Aelin to end up with (don't look unless you've already read this book or you'll end up with potential spoilers!) so I was gutted by the complete turn around in this story. I know it's not the end of the world when your ship doesn't work out, and to be honest it's not like I don't like the new love interest, but this comes out of nowhere. Someone we've known for a very long time acts completely out of character for well over half the book and Aelin's reactions to him are also very odd. Then the new love interest is someone who I never even considered as a possibility (and there have been several possibilities in the earlier books so I wasn't only focused on one guy!) so it just didn't sit right with me.

It was pretty damn obvious from very early on where Sarah J Maas was taking things but it didn't happen organically and felt very forced, almost like she'd discovered a new favourite character and had to shoehorn him into the position she wanted him in because there wasn't really a space already waiting for him. Anyway, I'll get over my shipping disappointment and I'm glad that my well loved character was acting more like his normal self by the end of the book but I no longer trust Sarah J Maas with my poor broken heart and with another couple of books left before the series ends I'm refusing to get invested in any relationships Aelin has until the final couple of chapters of the very last book because I don't want the rug pulled out from under me again.

So now I've mentioned my very negative reaction let's talk about why I loved the rest of the book. One thing this series has always had is strong female characters, Aelin and Mannon are the most notable but there was also Nehemia and some of the other witches. In Queen of Shadows we get to meet a few more, the most surprising of which was probably Lysandra. If you've read the prequel novellas you'll probably be very surprised by her character's story arc but it was definitely a positive storyline. We also get to meet Aelin's cousin Elide who is now one of my favourite characters. When the plot had gone a little south on Aelin's side with her strange behaviour and her new googly-eyed suitor it was the witches that pulled me through. I've loved Mannon and Abraxos since they were first introduced but adding Elide to their group just made their storyline even better. There is actually a huge amount going on with the witches right now and Mannon is going to have to start making some important decisions very soon.

While the witches are off fighting their own battles Aelin is doing her best to help Chaol rescue Dorian. I have to admit Dorian's story was heartbreaking, we get a few scenes from his point of view and it was horrendous to see how much he was suffering. It honestly doesn't look like there is any hope for him and it just proves how far the king is prepared to go to keep his crown. I'm not going to say much more about the plot but there was plenty of action and some very important developments to the overall world that are going to have a huge impact on the series from this point onwards. I'm definitely pleased with the way things are going and I'll be devouring future books the minute I can get my hands on. This isn't a series for the feint hearted, Sarah J Maas doesn't shy away from toying with our emotions, she is happy to kill off well loved characters and she loves to shake things up to upset the balance. You honestly never know what she'll do next and as much as that can make these books hard to read it's also one of the reasons they're so much fun.

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

Other reviews of this book:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

Paperback / Kindle:

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I read in 2015

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week has a different theme & you can find all the details about how to join in HERE.

Today's topic is Top Ten Books I read in 2015 which I have to say has been a really difficult one for me. It's just too hard to narrow it down to only 10 books! I decided to break it down into 3 categories - YA, NA and Adult - and was going to allow myself 5 books from each but even that ended up being too difficult. So I figure if I'm going to cheat I might as well REALLY cheat so here are my top 26 books of 2015 (Yes, I know that's a crazy amount of books but considering I've read around 250 books this year I don't think it's unreasonable LOL. Books are listed in the order I reviewed them & I've included links to my reviews.

My top YA books of 2015:

1. Golden Son - Pierce Brown
2. These Broken Stars - Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
3. Shadow Study - Maria V Snyder
4. Froi of the Exiles - Melina Marchetta
5. End of Days - Susan Ee
6. The Shepherd's Crown - Terry Pratchett
7. Six of Crows - Leigh Bardugo
8. Winter - Marissa Meyer
9. A Thousand Nights - E.K. Johnston
10. Illuminae - Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff
11. Asking for It - Louise O'Neill

My top NA books of 2015:

1. Rock Hard - Nalini Singh
2. A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas
3. Once Pure - Cecy Robson
4. Anything but Broken - Joelle Knox
5. This is One Moment - Mila Gray

My top Adult books of 2015:

1. Dark Debt - Chloe Neill
2. Magic Shifts - Ilona Andrews
3. The Great Zoo of China - Matthew Reilly
4. Shards of Hope - Nalini Singh
5. Archangel's Enigma - Nalini Singh 
6. Sweep in Peace - Ilona Andrews
7. Ties That Bind - Pippa DaCosta
8. Alien in Chief - Gini Koch
9. Uprooted - Naomi Novik (review will be posted soon)
10. The Martian - Andy Weir (review will be posted soon)

So do any of my choices match yours? Which other absolutely amazing books have you read this year?

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas

The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author of Throne of Glass series.

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

ACOTAR Series:
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Mist and Fury
Future titles to be confirmed

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
I absolutely love Sarah J Maas's Throne of Glass series so I added A Court of Thorns and Roses to my wish list without even reading the description then I found out that it was a Beauty and the Beast retelling in a fantasy setting and I was even more excited to get my hands on a copy. I had high hopes for this book it turned out to be even better than I could have hoped for, in fact it absolutely blew me away! This is the first book in a long time that I have completely lost a whole day to, I literally couldn't put it down and once I'd started reading there was nothing that could have dragged me away until I was finished. There is one thing I do feel I should mention before I continue with my review though which is that this is aimed at an older audience than her other series and I would recommend parents read it for themselves before deciding if it's appropriate for younger teens, in fact I'd probably label it as NA rather than YA. That doesn't make it any less brilliant but I do think it's something you should be aware of before picking up the book.

Feyre may be the youngest of her sisters but since the death of her mother she has been the one who has held the family together. Her father isn't able to work because of an injury and her sisters refuse to get their hands dirty so it is up to Feyre to try to scrape a living together and to hunt for their food. When she kills a magical wolf to protect herself and her prey she has no idea how high the cost will be. The treaty between humanity and the fae mean her life is now forfeit and she is offered two choices by the fae beast who tracks her down - she can die immediately or she can return with him to Prythian where she will be allowed to live as his guest. Taking the only real option available to her Feyre finds her whole life turned upside down. Initially she had planned to escape and return to her family as quickly as possible but the more time she spends with Tamlin the more she realises that she doesn't actually want to leave. There's just the small matter of a curse that she needs to deal with first though.

A Court of Thorns and Roses is a completely captivating read, the world building is stunning and I loved learning more about Prythian, the various fae courts and the detailed history that Sarah J Maas has created. What I loved most were the characters though, Feyre works so hard to provide for her family because of a promise she made to her mother but they never appreciate what she does for them. She doesn't complain though and she is the kind of girl who knows what needs to be done and just gets on with it. Her life changes completely when she arrives in Prythian and she doesn't really know what to do with herself, she's not used to having free time and she finds it hard to trust Tamlin and the others because of the way they forced her to leave her family. One of the things I really appreciated was the slow build of the romance, so many stories are full of insta-love and that definitely isn't the case here. It takes a long time for Feyre and Tamlin to become friends and even longer for them to fall in love and I enjoyed every minute they spent together.

I don't really want to say too much more about the characters you'll meet or what happens but I will say that I absolutely loved the nods to Beauty and the Beast, it's always been my favourite fairy tale so I was happy to see a new take on an old favourite. While this story has hints of the original it definitely stands out in it's own right, Sarah J Maas has used Beauty and the Beast as a stepping stone but she's created a world that's entirely her own that I loved spending time in. A Court of Thorns and Roses has the perfect balance between world building, character development and an action packed plot. The first half of the story moves at a slower pace as you spend time learning about the world and getting to know the characters but the second half is absolutely explosive and had me on the edge of my seat. I'm also happy to report that it doesn't end on a major cliffhanger, yes, we're left with some unanswered questions and yes, I'm desperate for the next book but the wait isn't going to kill me.

I already mentioned that I'm a huge fan of Sarah J Maas but A Court of Thorns and Roses is now my favourite of her books by far and it's definitely going to be a contender for my NA book of the year.

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Heir of Fire - Sarah J Maas

Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can't bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back . . .

The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king - for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil the bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her?

Throne of Glass Series:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Novella)
The Assassin and the Healer (Novella)
The Assassin and the Desert (Novella)
The Assassin and the Underworld (Novella)
The Assassin and the Empire (Novella)
The Assassin's Blade (Anthology containing all 5 prequel novellas)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
I have loved this series since the beginning but it really is amazing to see how far Celaena has come since we first met her. The end of Crown of Midnight saw her leaving everyone she's come to care about behind in Adarlan as she set sail for Wendlyn hoping to learn more about her fae heritage and hopefully find some new allies to help her fight against the king of Adarlan. The Celaena we see at the beginning of this book is a shadow of herself, she is depressed, alone and scared of what the future holds. She doesn't know how to find the fae queen who may hold the key to the upcoming battle and she is losing hope that she can win this war. After everything that happened she is grieving for Nehemia and she misses Chaol more than she can even put into words.

When Celaena meets Rowan, a soldier working for the fae queen, she has lost all confidence in her abilities but the only way to get the help she needs is by convincing Rowan that she is worthy. Rowan doesn't take it easy on her but he does start teaching her how to use her fae powers. I loved the friendship that slowly develops between Celaena and Rowan, they have both been though things that should have destroyed them but they are survivors and their drive for revenge burns deeply. They may not like each other much, especially in the beginning, but they understand each other and working together brings out the best of both of them. I loved Rowan's character, he is so hard on Celaena and very closed off emotionally but he is definitely a guy of honour and I enjoyed seeing him and Celaena together. I have to say I'm still on team Chaol though so I really hope we don't see this developing into a new love triangle in the next book! At the moment I feel like it's mainly friendship between Celaena and Rowan but I could see that easily slipping into something more if she lets it so I'm really hoping that won't be the case.

While Celaena is learning about her powers and looking for allies Chaol is stuck in Adarlan working with the king. He made a bargain with his father to get Celaena to somewhere he thought she would be safe but now it's time for him to live up to his side of the deal and that's the last thing he wants. Things are hard for Chaol, he is still struggling to come to terms with everything he has discovered about Celaena and his loyalties are torn between the woman he loves, the prince who has always been his best friend and the king he swore to protect. He is determined to make sure Dorian will be safe before he leaves though and now that he has discovered just how dangerous the king really is Chaol has to decide just how much he is willing to risk for Dorian and Celaena. I'm going to admit that I missed having Celaena and Chaol together, I love them as a couple and it was hard to see them both so miserable and on opposite sides of the continent but I was so pleased to see some of the story from Chaol's point of view. He has difficult decisions to make but I enjoyed seeing him make some new allies and start putting plans into motion.

Alongside the characters we already know and love we are also introduced to the witches, in particularly Manon, heir to the Blackbeak clan, and her coven of thirteen. The witches have been supplied with wyverns (dragons!!) to give them an advantage in the upcoming battle and we get to see them choosing mounts and training them. Manon is a fantastic, complex character who has done a lot of bad things with absolutely no remorse but the more you get to know her the more you start to see that she really does have a heart it's just very well hidden. I absolutely loved her wyvern Abraxos and it was when he was introduced that I started to see just how great Manon is, the two of them as a team are pretty much unstoppable.

I don't want to say too much more about what happens in this story, there is plenty going on and it can be quite hard to tell which characters are trustworthy and which are plotting against Celaena and her friends. We are introduced to some fabulous new characters who I think will have a massive role to play as the series continues but we also see a lot of development in the characters we already know and I think things are about to get even more interesting. I love the way Sarah J Maas always manages to surprise me with the direction she takes things and I really couldn't tell you what I think will happen in the next book. Heir of Fire is a must read for fans of this series!

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

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Review: The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J Maas

The twist of a knife, the birth of a legend . . .

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins' Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive.

Arobynn's enemies stretch far and wide - from Adarlan's rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate - and cut her heart in two forever . . .

The prequels to the international bestseller Throne of Glass

Throne of Glass Series:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Novella)
The Assassin and the Healer (Novella)
The Assassin and the Desert (Novella)
The Assassin and the Underworld (Novella)
The Assassin and the Empire (Novella)
The Assassin's Blade (Anthology containing all 5 prequel novellas)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
I have already reviewed most of the Throne of Glass prequel novellas included in this anthology separately so I'm not going to discuss them individually in this review. Instead I'm going to talk about the anthology as a whole and say how much I enjoyed re-reading these novellas for a second time. I initially read most of these stories before the release of Throne of Glass so looking back at them again now really allowed me to appreciate how much Celaena has changed since the beginning of the series.

Celaena hasn't always been the nicest character and that is especially the case in these prequels, she comes across as very selfish and self centred and I actually spent a lot of time disliking her for her snobbish attitude to anyone she considers beneath herself but underneath all that there she does have a softer side. She's just spent a lot of years having it beaten out of her thanks to her training with Arobynn. Celaena knows how to handle herself and she does slowly start to care more about the people around her and make a few unexpected sacrifices along the way. These changes continue throughout the series and I like her more and more with every book.

For anyone who hasn't read these novellas before you'll find they go a long way in explaining Celaena's background and how she ended up in the salt mines at the beginning of Throne of Glass. They also explain a lot about her actions at the beginning of the first book. I'll warn you now that these novellas absolutely broke my heart the first time I read them so you might want to have tissues to hand (for The Assassin and the Empire in particular). Even though I knew what was coming I still found it hard to read without sniffling and I found myself praying that the ending had changed this time around!  The fact that Sarah J. Maas managed to get such a reaction out of me after just a few short novellas is incredible really.

The Assassin's Blade is a great addition to the series and I'm happy that I now have all of the novellas in one beautiful paperback to sit alongside the rest of the series on my shelves. If you're new to the series then this is a great place to start but I think fans who have already read Throne of Glass will enjoy this look into Celaena's background just as much. This just whet my appetite and made me even more excited to read Heir of Fire!

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

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Review: Crown of Midnight - Sarah J Maas

Crowned by evil.
Bound by duty.
Divided by love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, puts those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom . . .

Throne of Glass Series:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord (Novella)
The Assassin and the Healer (Novella)
The Assassin and the Desert (Novella)
The Assassin and the Underworld (Novella)
The Assassin and the Empire (Novella)
The Assassin's Blade (Anthology containing all 5 prequel novellas)
Throne of Glass
Crown of Midnight
Heir of Fire
Queen of Shadows

Visit Sarah J Maas' website for more information

Review:
I loved Throne of Glass and the prequel novellas when I read them last year so I couldn't wait to get my hands on the sequel Crown of Midnight. Considering I had such high expectations for this novel I can't tell you how pleased I am that not only did it Sarah J Maas meet them, she actually blew them out of the water and I loved this one even more. If you haven't started reading this series yet then you are seriously missing out, this is one of my favourite YA fantasy series and I can't wait for the next instalment. If you enjoyed Throne of Glass then you are going to absolutely love Crown of Midnight so what are you waiting for? Read it today!

This is actually going to be a really hard book to review, not because I don't have much to say about it but because I can't talk about most of the things that blew me away without giving spoilers. To be honest I don't really want to say much about the plot at all because I think it would be so much better for you to jump on that roller coaster completely unprepared for the twists and turns that are about to hit you. You are in for such a treat, an action packed story that is going to take you through every emotion you can imagine and then, just when you think you're safe, it will punch you in the gut with yet another shocking plot twist.

Celaena is one of my favourite heroines, yes she has her faults but she owns them and she has come a long way from the spoilt princess she used to act like when we first met her in the prequel novellas. She fought hard to earn her place as the king's assassin but it was never a job she would have chosen if her options weren't limited to that or hard labour (and almost certain death) in the Endovier concentration camp. Now she is faced with working for her worst enemy, being forced to kill people she knows have probably done nothing wrong. She has to decide whether it is worth risking her life by letting her targets escape but it's not just her own life she is putting in danger. Celaena is facing such an impossible choice and she knows that no matter what she does someone is likely to suffer the consequences of her actions.

I have to mention that I loved seeing her and Chaol spending so much time together, they are so cute and I really want them to find a way to become a couple. Chaol is pretty much a perfect guy, he is gorgeous, sweet, generous, protective (but not overly so) and he is obviously crazy about Celaena. I was pleased that the potential love triangle seems to have been toned down in this instalment because as much as I like Dorian I just can't see him and Celaena as a couple, unlike Chaol he isn't strong enough to take her on! I also really enjoyed seeing Celaena's friendship with princess Nehemia, they are quite an unlikely pair but I think that's what makes them get on so well. Celaena has a tendency to put herself first but Nehemia has a way of making her look at things differently and think about standing up for the people who need her help.

I love this series so much and can't recommend it highly enough, I was hooked from the very first page and if I'd had more time I could easily have devoured the book in one sitting. My only complaint about Crown of Midnight is that I don't want to have to wait a whole year for the next book in the series but I think as complaints go that is actually more of a compliment to the author! This is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2013 and I can't see anything knocking it out of the top 10 by the end of the year.

Source: Received from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review

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