Review: Fairest by Marissa Meyer || END OF THE MASSIVE HIATUS

In this stunning bridge book between Cress and Winter in the bestselling Lunar Chronicles, Queen Levana’s story is finally told.

Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is the fairest of them all?

Fans of the Lunar Chronicles know Queen Levana as a ruler who uses her “glamour” to gain power. But long before she crossed paths with Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, Levana lived a very different story – a story that has never been told . . . until now. 

The best villains are the ones you understand.

Before reading Fairest, Queen Levana was just another villain. Sure, she was fearsome, twisted, and powerful. But she had little to no character development or backstory (even though she's SUPER intriguing). I could never think of her as a vulnerable young girl, lonely and terrified, but in Fairest, that is exactly what she is, and that makes it worse (or better. it depends) because you feel sympathetic towards her. Seeing her change into the person she becomes is a slow and painful process.

This is where I take a moment to applaud Marissa Meyer because A) she took the time to write this amazing book and B) she is incredibly skilled. 

Keep in my mind that this is the person who wrote Cinder and Scarlet and Cress. Cress. Innocent, vulnerable Cress. And now she has written an actual psychopath and it's just-- *flails*

This book felt so raw and powerful! Each sentence packed a punch, and even though I wanted to hate Levana with everything in me, I couldn't, because in the end I really just pitied her-- twisted mind and all.  

However, understanding why she does horrible things (and questioning yourself because really, how can you understand such horrifying actions?) is not the worst (or best-- again, it depends) part. 

The worst part is seeing Levana talk herself out of feeling guilty each time, because she deserves the good she is going to get/has. The worst part is that the entire time, she just wants to be loved, and she has no idea that what she is doing is not loving or caring. It's obsession and cruelty and torture. 

Fairest lasts over a long period of time. It starts when Levana is 15 years old, with a crush on a guard that she's had for 7 years-- ever since the first time she's seen him. She's lonely. She's scared. But she's hopeful that this person who has shown her kindness can care for her. Love her. Pretty soon, she's convinced herself that he does love her. Despite the fact that he's only feeling sympathy for her, and wanting to be her friend because he sees her loneliness. I'm pretty sure this wins biggest misunderstanding of the year. Or decade.

And even though I just talked about how epically this was written, I'm going to say it again. IT WAS GLORIOUS IN PRETTY MUCH THE MOST AWFUL OF WAYS. 

Also, I'm baaack! Finally. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to keep a steady stream of posts coming, but there will be (hopefully) at least one post per week. It's not much, but I'm just aiming for some structure here. 

Hiatus

Um. Yeah.

I've kind of already been on hiatus. For a while. But this is just here to say that the hiatus will be going on a for while longer.

This is when I explain why.

School is really heavy, and extremely stressful. I have community service on the weekends (which is not fun because now it is very cold where I live). I have some big responsibilities that happen to be very time consuming, and they're higher on my list than blogging is.

SO. The Hiatus begins, and I'm not really sure when it's going to end. Probably sometime at the end of the month, or maybe even next month. When I do come back, it's mostly going to be reviews at first, because until this school year is done, I'm going to be busy.

Reviewing: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass Bk.3) by Sarah J. Maas

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever.

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.


*Contains spoilers from the previous books.

I know I didn't review book two. I know I didn't like book one. But dear God this book was epic. 

First of all, Celaena (although I suppose I should call her Aelin now) grows so much in this book. Seriously. I was really mad at her in the first book because she seemed heartless and bitter and arrogant. And I get it. She's an assassin. But I really wanted to see her feel something. In this book, there's no more of her denying her feelings and running from her past. She faces it head on. She realizes she is lost and searches for her way back. It was both heart-breaking and awesome (in a non-mean way), to see someone so strong fall apart.

Again, SHE GROWS SO MUCH. Go her.

Chaol and Dorian are not the focuses of this book. Things (BIG things) are still happening in their lives as well, but I feel like Sarah J. Maas' intention was mainly Aelin. Which is great! Aelin is the main character. But I still wish we could have seen more of what was going on inside of Chaol's and Dorian's heads. 

Which we prooobably would have had if a) like I said above, Aelin was less of a focus and b) new characters were not introduced.

Manon Blackbeak is an Ironteeth witch, heir to the Blackbeak Witch Clan, leader of the Thirteen.

"She counted to ten, because she wanted to hunt, and had been that way since she tore through her mother’s womb and came roaring and bloody into the world."

Pleasant, I know.

I've seen a couple people hating on Manon and I don't get it. I loved her brutality. I loved her cunning. I loved learning about the Thirteen. I loved seeing her change from a heartless witch into a considerably less-heartless witch. SHE WAS AWESOME. That is all.

Sorscha is a healer at the Glass Palace, incredibly shy, and has a massive crush on Dorian. I'm not sure how much I can say about her without exposing all the spoilers ever, but basically stuff goes down. And it's not good stuff.

And then we've got Rowan. Not gonna lie, I wasn't very impressed by all his manly, dangerous vibes. He seemed like your typical moody warrior man with tragic past. I eventually warmed up to him, but I don't love him. I felt like he was predictable.

I hated the king so much in this book. UGH. Anger. Also suspense, because there is darkness and magic and ASDFGHJKL. I was very excited to see the dark forces and how they acted and how evil they were because um. MAGIC. 

Apparently, there are demon-things that can bring your greatest fears/worst memories to life before your eyes, making it seem as you are literally reliving the most traumatizing parts of your life. 

The ending was very cliffhanger-y. I'm pretty sure I sat there for ten minutes in complete suspense even though I already have the fourth book.

Why I Don't Like Love Triangles

I actually have pretty intense feelings regarding love triangles. Intense, as you know by the title, in a bad way. I don't like to write them. If I read them, then there's a list of things that I like to have checked off. I'm picky. Very. (In fact, I should probably chill a little bit).

Before I begin the bashing, I should say that in a cute, fluffy contemporary, I don't mind love triangles. If that's the focus of the book and the MC is growing and finding who she is as a result of it, then I don't mind it at all. It's just that I think there are way too many love triangles out there that don't really have a reason to exist.

Since many of my reviews/posts include little hints at how much I don't like them, here's a list of why:

It should be noted that I am referring to YA. 

1. It's cliche. In my opinion, this is a bad reason-- I don't like to judge a book by what comes before it. However, if 9/10 of the books I read have the exact same love story, I am not pleased. You know what I mean by exact same. There are 2 options for what story the "good" guy will have. The first is childhood friend, trusted by the MC, but she just doesn't feel the same way. He's more like her big brother, and she doesn't want to break his heart. Option the second-- he brings out the good in her and makes her feel safe and loved. It's all butterflies and rainbows in this relationship. And the bad boy... does he really need a description?
2. I always like the wrong guy. This isn't a legitimate reason but I needed to say that. Moving on.
3. It's unnecessary. By unnecessary, I mean: Is this really contributing to the plot? Or what kind of person the MC becomes? Does it help the story grow and gain depth? A lot of the time, the answers to those questions are gonna be no. (Particularly in dystopian YA). 
4. It's unrealistic. For this one, I'm pretty much focusing on dystopian YA (though it can apply to various other genres as well), because I feel like dystopian should have the least love triangles while it has the most. About 99% of the time, the main character in a dystopian novel has her hands full. She's trying to save the world-- or her world. She's busy. And yet, she is falling in love with two separate guys-- so much so that it's all she can think about while a war rages on her doorstep. 
5. No effort at all was put into creating the love triangle. Sometimes, the love interests are two-dimensional. They're flat. They're echoes of hundreds of other characters, with no personality and no purpose other than adding drama. Sometimes, the main character already loves one of them, yet another character is thrown in last minute-- even though there is no reason for them to be there. 

I'm not a big fan of the The Hunger Games, but I do appreciate the love triangle. Katniss handles it well. She realizes that she does not need either guy to survive and that she is completely fine on her own. She puts love aside at the moment, because she's literally the symbol that started a war. 

Of course, it's different if it's a fantasy novel or a contemporary novel. However, I think that regardless of the book, if there is a war/fight/greater evil in a book then that should be the focus. 

All this aside, I do understand why love triangles are so popular. A lot of people like them. God knows the media loves them. What is more suitable to focus on in a book series than the love triangle?

End rant.

Reviewing: Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Dangerous Boys by Abigail Haas

Three teens venture into the abandoned Monroe estate one night; hours later, only two emerge from the burning wreckage. Chloe drags one Reznick brother to safety, unconscious and bleeding; the other is left to burn, dead in the fire. But which brother survives? And is his death a tragic accident? Desperate self-defense? Or murder?

Chloe is the only one with the answers. As the fire rages, and police and parents demand the truth, she struggles to piece together the story of how they got there-a story of jealousy, twisted passion, and the darkness that lurks behind even the most beautiful of faces…

Before we start, I'm just gonna say that I didn't like this as much as Dangerous Girls. I'm not really sure why, even. Maybe it was just that Chloe was a tad less psychotic than I wanted at first, or the action/suspense didn't really start for me until halfway through. I'm gonna try to have absolutely zero spoilers, but a few teenie ones might slip through.

There is insta-love, which I loathe in books and believe very few can actually pull off. (I like a slow burn). Even more than I hate insta-love, I hate love triangles where the girl knows she likes the other guy more, yet stays with the sweet, oblivious one. Both happened, although I'm not really sure it could be called insta-love for the following reasons.

The "Love" Triangle 

The apostrophes are there as reminders that there isn't really any love in this book. Just a lot of manipulation and obsession.

Ethan did not make Chloe happy in the relationship. If she'd broken it off as soon as she realized that she couldn't be 100% happy with him, I wouldn't be angry at her for leading him on. If their relationship wasn't literally based on the fact that Chloe wanted a distraction, I wouldn't be angry at her for leading him on. But it was and so I am.

Was he a little clingy? Yeah, a little. Was it unbearable? No. She's his girlfriend. He wanted to spend time with her. In my opinion, he was adorable. Sweet. Innocent. (And yeah, completely oblivious). Everything that Oliver, his older brother, was not.

Oliver was the "bad boy" of the love triangle, but really it runs a lot deeper than that. He's not just moody and snarky. He's evil. He's possessive and violent, but more than anything he's manipulative.

Oliver didn't make Chloe happy. He made her thrilled. The rush of adrenaline you get, the way you're suddenly aware of everything touching you, of the air rushing into your lungs, of your stomach in your throat and your heart pounding so hard you can feel it-- that is what Oliver made Chloe feel like. Like when you ride a roller coaster and it's about to drop. That crazy feeling of being wild and free and terrified at the same time. From the very moment she lays eyes on him, from the very first words he says to her, she feels like he knows the deepest, darkest parts of herself that even she is too afraid to get to know. She isn't wrong.

The Main Character

Chloe herself is rather hard to describe. At the beginning of the book (or rather, before things start to happen) Chloe is sweet and hardworking. That isn't to say she isn't angry. She just keeps it covered. She cares for her depressed mother while trying to get ready for college while keeping her job. Yeah. She's got a lot on her plate. What is different about this book other than Dangerous Girls (amongst a whole lot of other things) is that there is no questioning what happened. You know. While I did like that, I feel like it took away some of the dawning horror that I felt in DG.

Overall Thoughts

This book (in fact, so is Dangerous Girls) is very character-based. I feel like the author's main intention was making the characters as layered and incredible as possible. She succeeded.

Another thing that I really dig about Dangerous Girls and Dangerous Boys is telling the ending before telling anything else. It does keep me reading, even if I get a little bit bored or lost. Serious props to Abigail Haas.

Also, THE ENDING. Was it just me, or was the last bit of the book by far the best? I was feeling quite bad because I was going to rate this book quite poorly, but then the ending came and whacked me in the face. I have nothing but love for the reveal. And the last couple of lines. GAH. *flails aggressively*

The Milk Tea Book Tag

Aimee@To the Barricade! tagged me aaages ago and I feel really bad for not doing it for so long but TA-DA!! I finally got my life together enough so that I can do a blog post. Thanks for tagging me, Aimee!

Tea: the foundation of your reading life. 

Picture is not mine.

The Phantom Stallion series is probably what got me into reading. I used to be obsessed with horses and read nearly every children's series that had horses in them. However, this is the only one that I finished and liked for more reasons than oooh, horses. (Jake and Sam for life, man. OTP). I own almost the complete series and I'm still upset that I'm missing a few. *grabby hands*

Milk: a rich, smooth book.

What do you mean by rich and smooth? Do you mean descriptions? Because if you mean descriptions, Cruel Beauty had one of the richest settings and descriptions I've ever read. It was like you were right there. You could see the castle and feel the silky soft dresses.

Sugar: A book you love but is controversial 

I wouldn't say I loved "To Kill a Mockingbird", but I did appreciate the message and the way it was delivered. I don't think I've actually read many controversial books, actually. 

Ice: A book just for fun

Hex Hall is, in my opinion, an awesome lighthearted, snarky series. That's not to say it doesn't have faults-- it's got a whole lot of cliches. In fact, you can probably guess exactly what's going to happen. But that's why it's for fun! No stress, no flipping between the last few pages going WHAT DID I MISS (*cough* Dangerous Girls *cough*).

Silk stocking: A book that's much better than it sounds

Answering this would be a lot easier if it was A book that's much worse than it sounds. (Because it's very easy for me to view things negatively). 

Did I love Twilight? No. But it wasn't awful! And I went in fully expecting it to be the worst thing to ever exist. It changed my mind. There are many worse books. The book was great, in my opinion. The movie is not. So if you watched the movie, thought, "Well, that was awful," and decided never to read the book-- please change your mind.

Not only does everyone who has heard of Twilight think it's horrible and cliche and ridiculous, they refuse to give it a chance. Don't be that guy. 

Yinyang: A book with foreign influence

I'M SO HAPPY I HAVE AN ANSWER FOR THIS ONE. Shadow and Bone was influenced by Russian culture and it is quite wonderful. I'm just a teensy bit sad about this series because my ship is dead. 

And yet again, I have no idea who to tag. 

Selena, sister dearest, you are once again my go-to. You have 24 hours to accept the mission. This message will self-destruct. *Mission Impossible theme plays*

Anyone else who wants to join in, go ahead! Leave a link in the comments and I'll check your post out. 

Reviewing: Gilded Ashes by Rosamund Hodge

Hellooo, lovelies. Today, for the first time in ages, I read something. I was pleased. I threw confetti. I danced in a circle. Beforehand, I had been staring at my August TBR and thinking "wow, I feel absolutely zero motivation to do anything." And then I realized I'd put a novella on my list. YES. SOMETHING SHORT. (I thought it would be best to ease back in to former reading habits, or else my already shriveled brain would suffer a complete collapse).

As I'd said before, I'd been wanting to read Gilded Ashes for a while, because A) Rosamund Hodge is fabulous and B) it is set in the same world of Cruel Beauty-- WHICH I LOVE.

(Also, Ignifex makes an appearance, except he is not referred to as Ignifex, because, well, obviously, the main character doesn't know his name. I nearly shrieked with joy when it dawned on me that he was in the book).

Orphan Maia doesn't see the point of love when it only brings pain: Her dying mother made a bargain with the evil, all-powerful ruler of their world that anyone who hurt her beloved daughter would be punished; her new stepmother went mad with grief when Maia's father died; and her stepsisters are desperate for their mother's approval, yet she always spurns them. And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse.

Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife.

As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?

~*~

The world is still gorgeous (although I wish there were more details on its background), and Rosamund Hodge's descriptions are definitely 80% of why I love her books. The amount of detail she puts into describing each emotion is immaculate, and each sentence is tailored to perfection.

TEACH ME YOUR WAYS.

The other 20% is the characters. None of them feel two-dimensional. None of the characters in Gilded Ashes are reduced to only evil-stepmother, evil step-sisters, or ever-cheerful Cinderella. Each character has a reason for why they are what they are. Which is, of course, awesome. I am a firm believer that everyone needs a purpose. No one is bad for no reason, just as no one is good without reason.

Maia is no where near the same person as Nyx (the main character of Cruel Beauty). She is sweet and gentle and kind because she's trying to protect others from the wrath of her mother (who is a ghost). She's terrified of showing her real feelings, and she's hidden them for so long that sometimes it's as though she forgets she has them.

This is not a dual-POV novella. We never get to see what it's like in Anax's mind, only Maia's. Anax was an interesting character, although I admit that I found him a little unlikable at the beginning. He improves-- but I didn't love his character. He was just mediocre, in my opinion.

Another thing: Rosamund Hodge does not do happy endings. She dangles it in front of your face and you think Oh, yes, this is exactly the goodness that these characters deserve and then NOPE. There are tears and blood and so much happens that you wind up gaping at the book-- sort of happy, but mostly just shocked.

Rosamund Hodge does bittersweet endings.

Mostly bitter.

While I loved this novella to bits, the ending felt way too rushed. It felt like things were at a very nice pace-- and then everything bad that could possibly happen, happens. Don't get me wrong-- I actually like it when things go wrong in books. Destruction, chaos... it tends to liven things up a bit. But... it felt overdone.

Would I recommend reading this book? ABSOLUTELY. Would I recommend reading Cruel Beauty first? It's not necessary, but if you want a better understanding of the world, you probably should.