Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare
Published: December 4th
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 880 (hardcover)
Series: The Dark Artifices #3
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Dark secrets and forbidden love threaten the very survival of the Shadowhunters in Cassandra Clare’s Queen of Air and Darkness, the final novel in the #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling The Dark Artifices trilogy.
What if damnation is the price of true love?
Innocent blood has been spilled on the steps of the Council Hall, the sacred stronghold of the Shadowhunters. In the wake of the tragic death of Livia Blackthorn, the Clave teeters on the brink of civil war. One fragment of the Blackthorn family flees to Los Angeles, seeking to discover the source of the blight that is destroying the race of warlocks.
Meanwhile, Julian and Emma take desperate measures to put their forbidden love aside and undertake a perilous mission to Faerie to retrieve the Black Volume of the Dead. What they find in the Courts is a secret that may tear the Shadow World asunder and open a dark path into a future they could never have imagined. Caught in a race against time, Emma and Julian must save the world of Shadowhunters before the deadly power of the parabatai curse destroys them and everyone they love.
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Published: May 3, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 624 (Hardcover)
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Source: Library
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
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 torn apart.
Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
Published: March 8, 2016
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 698 (Hardcover)
Series: The Dark Artifices #1
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
In a kingdom by the sea…
In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.
A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.
Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters. When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.
Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?
The darkly magical world of Shadowhunters has captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Join the adventure in Lady Midnight, the long-awaited first volume of a new trilogy from Cassandra Clare.
Grit by Gillian French
Published: May 16, 2017
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 304 (Hardcover)
Series: N/A
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
His presence beside me is like heat, like weight, something I’ve carried around on my back too long.
Raw and moving, this contemporary realistic debut novel will leave readers of E. Lockhart and Gayle Forman breathless as it unflinchingly unfolds the tragic secrets being kept in a small, deceptively idyllic Maine town.
Seventeen-year-old Darcy Prentiss has long held the title of “town slut.” She knows how to have a good time, sure, but she isn’t doing anything all the guys haven’t done. But when you’re a girl with a reputation, every little thing that happens seems to keep people whispering—especially when your ex-best friend goes missing.
But if anyone were to look closer at Darcy, they’d realize there’s a lot more going on beneath the surface. Staying out late, hooking up, and telling lies is what Darcy does to forget. Forget about the mysterious disappearance of her friend. Forget about the dark secret she and her cousin Nell share. Forget about that hazy Fourth of July night. So when someone in town anonymously nominates Darcy to be in the running for Bay Festival Princess—a cruel act only someone with a score to settle would make—all of the things that Darcy wants to keep hidden threaten to erupt in ways she wasn’t prepared to handle…and isn’t sure if she can.
The Forever Song by Julie Kagawa
Published: April 15, 2014
Publisher: Harelquin Teen
Pages: 416 (Hardcover)
Series: Blood of Eden #3
Source: Bought
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
VENGEANCE WILL BE HERS
Allison Sekemoto once struggled with the question: human or monster?
With the death of her love, Zeke, she has her answer.
MONSTER
Allie will embrace her cold vampire side to hunt down and end Sarren, the psychopathic vampire who murdered Zeke. But the trail is bloody and long, and Sarren has left many surprises for Allie and her companions—her creator, Kanin, and her blood brother, Jackal. The trail is leading straight to the one place they must protect at any cost—the last vampire-free zone on Earth, Eden. And Sarren has one final, brutal shock in store for Allie.
In a ruined world where no life is sacred and former allies can turn on you in one heartbeat, Allie will face her darkest days. And if she succeeds, triumph is short-lived in the face of surviving forever alone.
The Iron Traitor by Julie Kagawa
Published: October 29, 2013
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 342 (Paperback)
Series: Call of the Forgotten #2
Source: Publisher
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
In the real world, when you vanish into thin air for a week, people tend to notice.
After
his unexpected journey into the lands of the fey, Ethan Chase just
wants to get back to normal. Well, as normal as you can be when you see
faeries every day of your life. Suddenly the former loner with the bad
reputation has someone to try for; his girlfriend, Kenzie. Never mind
that he's forbidden to see her again.
But when your name is
Ethan Chase and your sister is one of the most powerful faeries in the
Nevernever, normal simply isn't to be. For Ethan's nephew, Keirran, is
missing, and may be on the verge of doing something unthinkable in the
name of saving his own love. Something that will fracture the human and
faery worlds forever, and give rise to the dangerous fey known as the
Forgotten. As Ethan's and Keirran's fates entwine and Keirran slips
further into darkness, Ethan's next choice may decide the fate of them
all.
It feels like forever since I last read something that was part of the Iron Fey world and to be honest, I was a bit worried about that. Tastes change all the time and I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't enjoy the series as much anymore, but thankfully all my fears were for nothing. It seems like the Iron Fey and Call of the Forgotten will always have a special place in my heart. Any fans of the first series will love the spin off because it means more time in the Nevernever and a few appearances from old characters!
I especially loved how Ethan developed over the course of this book. The difference between him now and the Ethan at the start of the series is very obvious. He's no longer an asshole that pushes everyone away, instead he accepts that the fey are a part of his life and for the most part he opens up to Kenzie. It's clear that it's hard for him to let Kenzie into that world that he lost his sister to because he's afraid of losing Kenzi too, but he makes an effort to let her in after he realizes that Kenzie is hard to get rid of and that he doesn't want to lose her.
Ethan and Kenzie's relationship in this book wasn't the main focus, but it was still pretty prominent. I think their relationship is adorable because Ethan tries so hard to be a good boyfriend and I think that's the cutest thing. I especially liked that Kenzie helped remind him that not everything about the fey is bad and that his judgement is normally pretty good. She's one of the only optimistic characters in this book and she has no reason to be, but I won't go into that because I don't want to spoiler anything for people that haven't read the first book.
I think my favorite character in this series is probably Keirran. He's just so complex and it's hard to tell which side he's on. I'm not a huge fan of him and Annwyl because there wasn't a build up to their relationship. The series started with them already in love, which makes it harder for me to root for them. It was also really nice to have a few of the old characters back, especially Puck. I didn't even know how much I missed him until he came back. I practically squealed whenever Ash appeared.
Overall The Iron Prince was a very intriguing book. I can't believe the ending because it was so unexpected and it's a cliffhanger. The wait for the next book is going to be a long one.
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Splintered by A.G. Howard
Published: January 1, 2013
Publisher: Amulet Books
Pages: 384
Series: Splintered #1
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Synopsis: Alyssa Gardner hears the
whispers of plants and animals. She hides her delusions for now, but she knows her fate: she will end up like her mother, in an institution. Madness has run in her family ever since her great-great-great-grandmother Alice Liddell told Lewis Carroll her strange dreams, inspiring his classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
But perhaps she's not mad. And perhaps Carroll's stories aren't as whimsical as they first seem.
To break the curse of insanity, Alyssa must go down the rabbit hole and right the wrongs of Wonderland, a place full of strange dark agendas. Alyssa brings her real-world cursh--the protective Jeb--with her, but once her journey begins, she's torn between his solidity and the enchanting, dangerous magic of Morpheus, ber guide to Wonderland.
But no one in Wonderland is who they seem to be--not even Alyssa herself...
My Review: Immediately after finishing this book I went around speaking nonsense as I tried to convey my feelings. That didn't go well so I ended up trying to explain though movement. Kind of like this:
So that's basically how I'm feeling about that ending right. I almost cried. I had to put the book down and walk away so that I could get my feelings under control.
I went into this book with high hopes and I wasn't disappointed. I loved Wonderland in this story. It was creepy and filled with puzzles. The way everything was described was so detailed that I could imagine exactly what characters looked like and what Wonderland looked like.
The thing that really made me love this book was the fact that I didn't know how it was going to end. I never predicted the twists and character's motives. Normally I can figure out what's going to happen before the character does but not in Splintered. I love it when books can surprise me like that.
I loved the Wonderland characters especially Morpheus. He was definitely my favorite character because he was just so interesting and it was never quite clear what he was thinking. I never would have guessed what his motives were.
Throughout most of the book I liked Alyssa. In the beginning she just let herself be saved by Jeb or whoever else happened to be around. She didn't really have control over anything that happened to her but by the end she really grew as a character. She was able to stand up for herself and actually defend herself without Jeb's help.
Honestly the only reason I didn't give this book five stars was because of Jeb. He bugged me to no end. He couldn't seen that Alyssa was perfectly capable of making decisions without him and that he didn't need to protect her like she was a child.
Going into this book I knew that there was a love triangle. I was ready for the inevitable. When it finally happened I was surprised by how much it didn't bother me. It was obvious who Alyssa would choose in the end so it didn't really feel like the typical love triangle.
The ending left me kind of unsatisfied and it will probably stick with me for a few days. Other than that and Jeb this book was amazing and I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes fairytale retellings.
