Mini Reviews: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas, The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh, and The Crown's Game by Evelyn Skye

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: May 3, 2016

Review

My oh my. I feel like I need an ice cold bath and a nap after every SJMaas book I finish. Her books take me on such an emotional roller coaster and they keep getting steamier and steamier! For those who’ve read her Throne of Glass series, I would say that ACOMAF is similar to Heir of Fire in feel such that it is very character-driven and full of changes. Feyre is going through an incredibly transitional period in her life as she recovers from all that she endured Under the Mountain and adapts to her new life. Since I’ve come to care for her in the first book, my heart went out to her, which made her transformation all the more rewarding. She was always fierce, but now she is fierce in a whole new way. While ACOTAR took place predominantly in the Spring Court, ACOMAF takes place mostly in the Night Court. I loved deepening relationships with old characters (ahem RHYSAND ahem), meeting new characters, and exploring more of this world that SJMaas brilliantly crafted. And there was plenty that happened to set up what I’m sure will be one hell of a next book. Of course, I need it now.

Title: The Rose and the Dagger
Author: Renee Ahdieh
Series: The Wrath and the Dawn #2
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 26, 2016

Review

*Happy sigh* This conclusion was everything I had hoped it would be and more. It was just as beautifully written, suspenseful, romantic and magical as the first one, if not more so. And I felt that the story had a strong focus on love and forgiveness which I really appreciated. It picks up right where The Wrath and The Dawn left off and expands the world considerably. Yet everything is still wrapped up nicely in the end. Shazi learns quite a few new things about herself and I enjoyed watching her develop her talents, even though it was only a small portion of the story. Most of the story was focused on breaking the curse and saving Khorasan. And while Shazi and Khalid are still the shining stars of this series, there were so many secondary characters that stepped into the limelight. One of which I particularly loves getting to know was Shazi's younger sister, Irsa who grew into quite the young woman. Everything about this book was wonderful.

Title: The Crown's Game
Author: Evelyn Skye
Series: The Crown's Game #1
Publisher: Balzery & Bray
Release Date: May 17, 2016

Review

I had so much fun reading this one… until the ending at which point all I could do was cry! The premise of two magical people competing for a place of power, with only one being able to survive, might not sound like such a novel idea. Variations of this type of story have obviously been done before. And probably 9 times out of 10, the two competitors fall in love because what a convenient layer of complexity that adds! BUT what made this book unique was the historical Russian setting and the magic that was performed, which was intricately woven into the setting and very beautiful. And who cares if the basic plotline isn’t new, it was still fun! I liked the characters and I thought their attraction to each other was sweet, even if it could’ve used more time to develop. I loved the playfulness with which they competed. And I loved the emotional turmoil they each underwent for being torn between wanting to win and not wanting to hurt the other. BUT I DID NOT LOVE THAT ENDING. I stared gape-mouthed at the end of this book not wanting to believe what I just read. I need the next book now because I need this to be fixed! And I want more magical fun.:)

What I Love About ACOTAR

Amarantha 

All images taken from SJMaas' Pinterest Page

Not what you expected, right? I know I'm being a little unorthodox here so I shall elaborate... There are many, many things I love about ACOTAR - the fiery characters, the steamy romance, the unique world, and the addictive pacing - but one can expect all of that from any SJMaas book. Part of what I loved about THIS book specifically is that I couldn't put it down once things got rolling. To take a quote from my review:

"The last third of this book is non-stop action. The danger that threatened them has finally made an appearance and the fate of the world rests on Feyre. Once I reached this point in the story, I could not stop reading. All of the information that was gathered in the beginning of the book comes to fruition and it's a whirlwind of trials and magic and politics and scheming and fiery passion."

And a big player in all that craziness was our very own villian Amarantha. We all love to hate a good villain and it doesn't get much more villainous than Amarantha. So I wanted to give her a shout out too because I figured she wasn't going to get as much attention as say, the ever-so-sexy and teasing Rhysand, or the strong but reserved Tamlin, or any of our kickass GOOD females. Yeah, this book has it all. 

And I have a feeling that A Court of Mist and Fury is going to be even better. I CANNOT WAIT! 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Release Date: May 5, 2015
Source: ARC provided by Publisher in exchange for an honest review (thanks Bloomsbury!)

Summary from Goodreads:
A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Review

In A Court of Thorns and Roses we meet a strong, but modest, new heroine, a mighty but compassionate immortal fae, and a new vibrant but deadly world on the brink of conquest. And I loved it all. Once again, Sarah J. Maas dazzles us with her ability to weave romance, fantasy, tragedy and triumph in this mesmerizing new series.

The first two-thirds of this book are largely dedicated to world-building and the slow-burning romance between Feyre and Tamlin. After Feyre is whisked away to the Spring Court of the Fae land of Prythian, she pushes the boundaries of her new prison and captor. While doing so she learns more of the Fae world and the blight that threatens both their land and hers. But she is promised that her family is taken care of and she is safest where she is at and so she begins to accept her new home. Meanwhile, Tamlin's kindness is breaking down her walls and all the misconceptions Feyre had about the Fae. He is generous, patient, kind, brave, playful and bears a terrible weight for his people that make him and Feyre more alike than they'll admit. Eventually they both give into their growing affection and hot damn it is wonderful...

The last third of this book is non-stop action. The danger that threatened them has finally made an appearance and the fate of the world rests on Feyre. Once I reached this point in the story, I could not stop reading. All of the information that was gathered in the beginning of the book comes to fruition and it's a whirlwind of trials and magic and politics and scheming and fiery passion. The ending seriously blew me away. And I grew to love the secondary characters as they were given more attention, especially Lucien and Rhysand who really stole my heart here.

I am over the moon that Sarah. J. Maas has given us another series to fall in love with and I can't wait  to see what she has in store for us. It is every bit as lovely as one would expect from her. I could honestly live in her words forever. This is a must read.