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★★★★☆ Why didn't I read this sooner???? There was beauty in the idea of freedom, but it was an illusion. Every human heart was chained by love. Soooo I really wanted to give this 5 stars. It is by far the best book Cassandra Clare has ever written. Unironically. TMI had mostly crap characters with a pretty cool plot; TID had great characters with a lame plot; this had stellar characters with an amazing plot. It really threw me for a loop. The big plot twists didn't come out of nowhere but also weren't super obvious. When we get the big reveal, I literally gasped and rethought the whole book, zeroing in on those little details she planted that didn't seem important at the time but actually meant everything. It was so well done! The characters in this really stole the show. Cristina starts strong and honestly, stayed there. She was an icon and I stan. Emma wasn't a cardboard cut out of a Strong Female Character either; she felt like an actual te...

★★★★☆ (original rating: 5 stars) This place was truly the highest and the lowest of all worlds—the most beautiful senses, the most exquisite emotions...the most malevolent desires, the darkest deeds. Perhaps it was meant to be so. Perhaps without the lows, the highs could not be reached. This book holds a really special place in my heart. It's the first book I ever read that was over 600 pages, and it was one of the first books that really got me into reading. I used to keep it next to my pillow every night when I went to bed, and I'd flip to my favorite parts (still know them by heart) over and over again, just to experience them again. I love this book, and nothing can ever change that. I did, however, decide to lower this from a 5 star rating to a 4 star. It just didn't affect me in the same way, the way it once had. Perhaps I've simply numbed myself to it, but it's been over 5 years since I last read it, and I just...didn't feel anything, ...

★★★★☆ This is by far my favorite entry in the Vampire Academy series. It gave me a bigger cast and a greater sense of the world. Honestly, it gave me almost everything that I've felt lacking in this series so far. The world felt so lived in, which is so hard to find in urban fantasy in my opinion. I realized, reading this, that I legitimately love this series, and not just in a so-bad-it's-good kinda way. It's really evolved into something great and well developed. It has the sillier exterior, but a much deeper, much darker undercurrent, and I absolutely love that. Rose's journey was definitely the best part. Even though very little happened for a long time, it was good build up to her ultimate decision and nice foreshadowing for what happens at the end. There was a plot twist that I definitely saw coming from a mile away, but I didn't really mind it. And I absolutely loved Dimitri's family; they were great. I wasn't a huge fan of Lissa's st...

★★★★☆ I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. It was honestly more of a 3.5 but the first half was great, so I'm rounding up. Love and friendship. Shame and heartache. Endings and beginnings. Obligatory Summary Isaura is on a boat, going back home to her father's house after a failed marriage, but the sea has been behaving most strangely, and when her ship capsizes in a brutal storm, killing everyone except for her, she thinks she'll die far from anyone who loves her. Leonel, the last of the mermen, illegitimate son of the sea goddess Ran, is the Guardian of the Fathoms. He's been investigating these storms for a while, trying to figure out what dark magic is causing them, but his royal family and kingly stepfather disregard every report. When he finds Isaura, adrift and alon...

★★★★☆ I received this eARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. Gustaf the brave had fought and bled, Then found himself cold and dead. He pleaded with the Goddess Hel, That if She would only make him well, He would kill ten men that night, And send them to Her without a fight. She agreed and took him back, To his body bent and black. When his spirit stepped inside, The pain and rot forced his cries. He begged Her again to set him free, Which She did most generously. Death cannot be fooled or bought. Best be gone than left to rot. Obligatory Summary Carina is an outsider wherever she goes: in her homeland, where she escaped Death, and in her new home, where she doles it out as a Daughter of Hel. But when her rival betrays her, she's forced to befriend her kidnappers, a motley crew of t...

★★★★☆ My feelings remain pretty much the same, though slightly more apathetic this time around. I still really liked it though and I'm glad I read this series again, especially after reading The Infernal Devices, which I hadn't read the first go around. Some things made a lot more sense hah Maybe now that I've finished this reread, I can finally read Lady Midnight lol (Original review) This conclusion was everything I had hoped for and more: an epic adventure, exploring new and old terrains, ending old storylines and introducing intriguing new ones, and the journey was just as important as the destination in this final installment. All hope seems lost for our heroes, when the unthinkable happens--utter betrayal from a trusted ally. Lies from those who cannot lie. What are they to do when all that lays in Sebastian's wake is death and destruction? The character deaths and death-fakeouts were emotionally charged and effective, but the d...

★★★★☆ Honestly, my feelings about the plot and the characters remain the same as my previous reading, but I just couldn't stand those directly quoted paragraphs from either like three pages before or even from different books. Every time one of those showed up, I imagined those flashback scenes from Twilight set to the music of Christina Perri. Like, why not just say Clary remembered what he had said and leave it at that, or, idk, let me draw my own conclusions and connections for once? (Original rating: 5 stars) After the literary trainwreck of City of Fallen Angels, I had no expectations for this book, but my stubbornness kept me from not reading the next installment. I've never been more happy with how annoying I am. City of Lost Souls is just what a good YA dark fantasy book ought to be. The engaging plot, the twists and turns, the multiple perspectives, gave this book what its predecessor lacked: substance. Every character was actively advancing the plot ...

★★★☆☆ I actually liked this way more than I did the first time! I understand the issues I had with it initially, but found that they were either non-issues or just not a big deal. I was definitely a more impatient reader 2 years ago. What I thought was boring was actually pretty decent slow-build, and this time, I really liked it. It definitely had a problem with too many plot lines and perspectives, and could have been cleaned up and made more succinct, but it wasn't dreadful like I made it out to be. I had forgotten how much I love Simon's story line and how interesting Jace's dark side was. Considering that most of my reread of this series has resulted in a lower rating than before, I'm so glad that this one actually rose a star. Without a doubt, it's a filler book that had to introduce a new conflict in what was supposed to just be a trilogy, but I think it did a decent enough job of doing that without straying from the main themes of the series. (...

★★★★☆ It was basically if the Essen Tasch had blood-bending and I liked it Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★☆ consider me surprised to find i enjoyed this book despite not liking the first opinions change and people grow both as readers and as writers never judge an author by their first book judge them by their second This pretty much addressed all of my criticisms of the first book. It wasn't just about sex (though there was definitely a lot of that); it was about family and love and what it means to be an immigrant. It actually made me cry on several occasions, and while I marked only 3 poems in the first book, I marked 25 in this. It was worlds away from the messy nonsense of Milk and Honey . It felt more real and genuine. It felt less like a 13-year-old's tumblr poetry and more like an adult. The narrative poems were some of my favorites and the shorter ones had messages that weren't reiterated repeatedly. I really liked it. I'm glad the years between this publication and the previous showed some growth and honed skill. Buy th...

★★★★☆ "The world isn't a romantic stage play; it's not all love or glory." The Writing and Worldbuilding This was a fun, wish-fulfillment fantasy, with altogether too many swordfights but just the right amount of Brasti. The writing itself was probably the best part, though the plot was a bit too repetitive. For a debut, it's really good. I enjoyed it a lot! The world was a bit confusing, and some of the more magical elements were introduced a bit too late in my opinion, but on the whole I liked it enough. For a fictional country, it felt real and I got a pretty good grasp on the land, the people, and the differing cultures. The very ending was alright, albeit cliché. Kind of wished some things had remained in place, but I guess you can't have a series if it stayed as it was. Overall, it wasn't a particularly deep or original story, nor was it well plotted. But it had some fun characters and read like a mindless action movie. S...

★★★★☆ This was actually pretty freaking good! I even considered rating it 5 stars! It basically took almost every criticism I'd been ruminating over for the first 2 books and actually addressed them! Like, the nature of Rose and Lissa's friendship and the power imbalance that exists there, which was the biggest issue I'd had thus far. And the conflicts and plot progression felt both natural and fairly realistic, considering the circumstances. It kinda amazes me how Mead makes what is essentially just mindless interpersonal drama feel kinda interesting, when I usually hate that. It makes the world feel more real and lived in. And I legitimately liked Rose in this, and her ghostly encounters were pretty cool and well done. Over all, definitely the best in the series so far! (I usually write longer reviews than this but lol I'm not in the mood rn) Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★☆ Buddy read with the queen herself All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king. (I recognize that everyone quotes this but that's because it's freaking good) I feel like there's little that hasn't already been said about this iconic book, but here's my thoughts regardless. I have seen all the movies already, multiples times, and love them a lot, so I already knew the plot and the world going into this, but there were just enough differences that I honestly don't know which I liked more. The movies were better at action and suspense, but lacked where characters were concerned (especially for the hobbits), while the book was often low-key boring, with long-winded dial...

★★★★☆ I honestly don't understand why so many people hate this. The Writing and Worldbuilding I really liked the writing! It was very well done and worked both as a historical novel and a YA fantasy. I never really felt bored, even when little was happening. There were a few times when I was sort of confused as to what was happening, especially near the very end, but as a whole, I loved it. I liked the themes, but they didn't really have the emotional impact they were obviously intended to. Same goes for some of the character moments. This was probably the biggest strike against this book: it just didn't give me any feels. The world was pretty cool! Reminded me of The Infernal Devices quite a lot, but the alternate dimension aspects were definitely my favorite part. Low-key gave me Insidious vibes sometimes, if I'm being honest. The Characters Anna : A lot of people really hated the main character, but while I recognize that she...

★★★★☆ I was almost tempted to leave the 5 star rating for this. Out of all of the first three of this series, it is by far the best, but also sometimes tends to feel like 2 different books. The first of those books is silly and lacks real stakes, but is entertaining enough. The second knows what it is and knows that it wants to tell a story, and best of all, it knows what story it wants to tell. Unfortunately, these two books don't mesh well. We have a protagonist who is an idiot. Said idiot protagonist does idiotic things, gets reprimanded for said idiotic things, and goes around said reprimands, never really learning her lesson. The book is asking us to believe that sometimes inherently bad things might not be so bad, but then says that those things were actually good all along, and that the really bad things make themselves known almost immediately. This wouldn't be a bad message if it didn't give me so much whiplash. But I did really enjoy it, and I love Se...

★★★★☆ After my re-read of City of Bones, I lowered what had been a 5 star rating to a 3 star. I went into this re-read expecting to have a similar experience. I'd already liked it less than the first book when I'd first read it, so I was quite surprised to find that I actually liked it. It's still a 4 star, but for entirely different reasons. Clary actually had a bit of a personality, though her priorities are all over the place. Jace's storyline was still the best, despite how much of a douche bag he is. I had a problem with the adults, though. They all behaved like caricatures of adults. They were so immature and short-sighted. They practically wore their motivations on their sleeves. I could probably take almost any scene out of context, not tell you how old the person was, and you would probably think they were 13 years old. Not that there's anything wrong with 13 year olds, but there is a huge difference between 40 and 13. I'm not sure why I ...

★★★★☆ I received this ARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt via Goodreads Giveaways in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of this book in any way. All quotes are taken from the uncorrected proof and are subject to change. AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH This was actually really good, like wow Obligatory Summary Aurelia is a witch, and she is hated for it. All her life, she's been threatened because of her power, feared for her ability, and one day, just as she's to leave for her arranged marriage with her kingdom's enemy's heir, an assassination attempt almost kills her. Forced to flee her home, she is betrayed by her friends and has to make her way to Achleva, where an impostor has taken her place. There she meets new friends and confronts the new threat facing the kingdom: a wicked mage is destroying the magical wall that protects Achleva, one murder at a time. The strongest magic requires the greatest sacrifice...

★★★★☆ Hot Thanatos is an aesthetic I wholeheartedly stan Honestly, this wasn't nearly as good as the first one, and lacked that atmosphere I absolutely loved. Only about one character (*cough* hot Thanatos) had the non-human, morally dubious attitude I got from Boreas and fam. My biggest issue with this installment was the characters. Hazel was alright, but certain aspects of her character were way too similar to Piper, and Frank was almost exactly like Leo. And some aspects of his characterization made it clear Riordan was operating under false assumptions about non-white teenage life in the PNW. It was nice having Percy back, but the deus ex amnesia was pretty annoying. I loved the harpy, though. I was surprised that I didn't hate the Amazons as much as I remembered. The first time I read this, I was like 13 or so, and I would literally seethe with rage whenever I thought about them. Why was I so pissed off? I was really happy with the scenes in Por...

★★★★☆ "There is more in you of good than you know [...] Some courage and some wisdom, blended in measure. If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world." This was a fun adventure, and I really enjoyed it! While not my favorite children's fantasy, it was a fantastic introduction into Tolkien's world, and I am very excited to explore it more in his adult works. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble

★★★★☆ Not as good as the previous books. Slightly bogged down by too many locations. Emily's moral ambiguity and connection to Ikol was nice though. Buy the book here: Amazon Book Depository Barnes & Noble