THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas Book Review
Series: Throne of Glass, #1
Publication Date: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children’s
Rating: – Outstanding

Book Summary: After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the kings council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas Book Review Overview:

• A heroine – or more accurately, assassin - that will blow you away
• A gripping adventure
• A captivating love triangle

So, once upon a time Cialina handed me an ARC of Sarah J. Maas’ THRONE OF GLASS. I scoffed at the summary on the back cover, which states: “Perfect for fans of George R. R. Martin and Suzanne Collins, this explosive debut is not to be missed.” Suzanne Collins? Come on. Little did I know what an amazing adventure this ARC contained. Sarah J. Maas, I will never doubt you again!

THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas tells the story of Celaena Sardothien, who is Adarlan’s most famous assassin. Although she’s quite conceited about her notoriety, it is more than well-deserved. She has, after all, been training for this position since she was eight years old. She possesses all of the key qualities that a good assassin needs in this kingdom: intelligence, strength, stamina, cleverness, and swiftness. Thus, she is Prince Dorian’s ideal candidate for the King’s competition. If she wins this deadly competition against twenty-three fellow criminals, then she will serve the King of Adarlan as his Champion for four years. But that’s not some honor that Celaena desires, nope, it’s all about the freedom that comes after the job is done.

Celaena’s a badass. There is no better word to describe such a character. Within the first chapter, we already see how intelligent Celaena is: she can easily plot an attack to escape, no matter how hard her captors try to deceive her:

…Nor had she missed when they zigzagged between levels, even though the building was a standard grid of hallways and stairwells. As if she’d lose her bearings that easily. She might have been insulted, if he wasn’t trying so hard. (Chapter 1)

But her impressive occupation as an assassin isn’t the only thing that makes her a badass. It’s her amazing character strength and room for growth. She befriends Princess Nehemiah despite her reservations against forming a friendship (because an assassin shouldn’t have friends) and also many others such as the Crown Prince Dorian and Chaol Westfall AKA Captain of the Guard.

I wish there was a better word for adventure because THRONE OF GLASS  by Sarah J. Maas is so much more than a simple adventure. Maas’ wonderfully detailed descriptions of the death camp in Endovier, the glass castle, and magic and fight scenes are too good to be true. I wasn’t sure if I was watching an action movie or stuck in the middle of one. THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas will blur the lines between imagination and reality. No, scratch that, Maas will suck readers into Celaena’s world  until they realize that fantasy is reality. Seriously, Maas’ writing skills are awesome. 

I hate love triangles. I’ve never been caught in the middle of one until now. Maas does a wonderful job of convincing her readers that both guys are perfect for her. Also, both men grow thanks to their friendships with Celaena. This triangle made my soul ache. Maas, seriously, you’ve killed me. Here are some lines from one of my favorite passages:

…stared up at the young woman’s balcony, watching as she waltzed alone, lost in her dreams. But he knew that her thoughts weren’t of him. She stopped and stared upward. Even from a distance, he could see the blush upon her cheeks. She seemed young – no, new. It made his chest ache. Still, he watched, watched until she sighed and went inside. She never bothered to look below.

Okay, I can’t really say much more without giving anything away, but let me wrap this review up by posting my IMs to Cialina about THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas:

me:  yay! haha omg my review is going to consist of one sentence: “BUY MULTIPLE COPIES BECAUSE YOU WILL DAMAGE THE PAGES WITH TEARS AND BLOOD.”

me: oh thank god it’s #1 in a series
OH GOD SHE’S GOING TO TEAR MY SOUL APART SOME MORE

I recommend THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maasto everyone. And if this review hasn’t convinced you, then let the novel do it. This magnificent story caught me off guard and I hope it does the same with you

Other Book Reviews:
Alexa Loves Books
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Permalink Book Review, Five Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Sarah J. Maas, Book: Throne of Glass, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Romance, Loreal, Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's, Series: Throne of Glass | 1384 words

CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally Book Review
Publication Date: December 1st 2011 by Sourcebooks Fire
Rating:

Summary: What girl doesn’t want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn’t just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys, and that’s just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university. But now there’s a new guy in town who threatens her starting position… suddenly she’s hoping he’ll see her as more than just a teammate.

Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally Book Review Overview:

• A cute, funny, and thoughtful read
• Perfectly flawed characters
• I’m ready to play some football, now

Ah, there’s so much to mention but I’ll just stick to my favorite parts of CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally. Miranda Kenneally does an excellent job of describing Tennessee, where CATCHING JORDAN takes place. Her narrator – Jordan Woods – does not go on long-winded tangents about the South. Rather, she gives snippets here and there to describe the roads, Lake Jordan, and gaps between the rich and the poor.

I thought CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally was an engaging story about a teenage girl chasing after her dreams. I found myself empathizing a lot with the main character, Jordan. I couldn’t help but feel sympathetic towards her strained relationship with her father, the famous Donovan Woods. I laughed at her awkward behavior as she tried to figure out how to be a girl and a football player. But most of all, I felt as torn as her about her crazy love life as she tried to figure out her feelings about her dream boyfriend, Ty Green, and her best friend, Sam Henry. My favorite poem in CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally (yes, Jordan enjoys writing poems!) that best describes her chaotic life is:

“All those nights of sharing a bed
All those times he put an arm around me
All the things he’s done to make my happy
…encouraging me to give Ty a chance
He must really love me if he’ll watch me date another guy just to ensure I’m happy
But he’s like my brother
And Ty is my boyfriend now
My dream boyfriend
The guy I lost my virginity to
What’s scary?
I’m so hot for Ty
but Henry makes me feel whole
in a totally different sort of way
even if I’ve never considered jumping him
F***ety, F***, F***”

Moreover, I loved all of the other characters in CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally. Jordan’s got a great support team in her older brother, Mike, and her teammates and best friends, JJ, Carter, and Henry. At first, I assumed that there would be a plot line about Jordan living in Mike’s shadow (he also plays football), but I was wrong. Kenneally has created such charming, witty, and realistic characters that their dynamics shine through the pages. Here’s another wonderful quote to show what I mean:

“Shut up!” Henry says, “You’re going to wake up Jerry Rice.”
“Jerry Rice?” Carter says, covering his mouth with a hand. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Carter laugh so hard.
“Carter, would you like to be the godfather?” Henry asks. “You know, in case anything happens to me and Woods this week?”
“Charming,” Carter says. “I”d be honored. Does JJ get to be godmother?”
“Obviously,” I say.
“Can I hold Jerry Rice?” JJ asks. “He”s so cute.”
“No way, man,” I reply. “I don’t want to wake that thing up before practice. We’ll be late if we have to feed it.”
“What does it eat?” Carter asks.
“I have to breast-feed, cause I’m the mom,” Henry says, continuing to push the stroller toward the locker room.
“Actually,” I say, “It eats a metal rod, made out of, like, lead. So basically, we’re learning how to poison babies.”
“Radical,” JJ says as we approach the gym,”

I don’t think I have ever enjoyed reading about football so much. Jordan’s thoughts, calculations, and instincts are so well-described in CATCHING JORDAN by Miranda Kenneally, I was convinced I was truly watching her football practices and games. Jordan lives and breathes football – she’s dead-set on scoring a full-ride to the #1 football college, Alabama. Unfortunately, there are many obstacles that stand in Jordan’s way of playing college ball. Kenneally does well to reconcile Jordan’s hurdles and inspires her readers to root for Jordan.

I recommend CATCHING JORDAN to readers who love football, readers who think they don’t love football, and readers who want to find out if they’ll love football. Because after reading this book, I have come to the following conclusions:

1. I love football.
2. In the wise words of Jordan Woods: “That if you spend too much time dreaming, you’ll stop actually doing. And when you actually do stuff, there’s a good chance things will work out. We make things happen by attacking, not by sitting around dreaming.”

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Miranda Kenneally, Book: Catching Jordan, Genre: Contemporary, Genre: Romance, Loreal, Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire | 1221 words

TIGER’S VOYAGE  by Colleen Houck
Series: The Tiger Saga/The Tiger’s Curse Series (#3)
Publication Date: November 1st 2011 by Splinter
Rating:

Summary:  With the head-to-head battle against the villainous Lokesh behind her, Kelsey confronts a new heartbreak: in the wake of his traumatic experience, her beloved Ren no longer remembers who she is. As the trio continues their quest by challenging five cunning and duplicitous dragons, Ren and Kishan once more vie for her affections–leaving Kelsey more confused than ever.

Book Review Overview:

• Definitely the most frustrating book of the three so far (but in a good way)
• Once again, Houck spins a magical adventure in TIGER’S VOYAGE
• Another cliff-hanger ending

THE INTRO: Colleen Houck does not fail to surprise in the latest installment of The Tiger Saga. In TIGER’S VOYAGE (aka book #3), she builds layer upon layer of an already complicated story  in a fantastic world where nothing is impossible.

THE FRUSTRATION: Personally, I found TIGER’S VOYAGE to be the most frustrating book of the three so far because I really want Ren and Kelsey to end up together. I love Happily Ever Afters – unfortunately, Houck makes it difficult to predict who Kelsey will finally choose (mainly because there are 2 books left in the series!). I believe this is one of the reasons why TIGER’S VOYAGE is a page-turner, I could never correctly predict what event would happen next. Essentially, one of the plot lines running throughout TIGER’S VOYAGE is whether Kelsey loves Ren or Kishan more and her struggle to honor her commitments to each brother.

THE BREAKDOWN: At the end of TIGER’S QUEST, Kelsey successfully tracks down Ren and saves him from Lokesh. However, she discovers that Ren has absolutely no memory of her. This is where TIGER’S VOYAGE picks up. Kelsey, Ren, Kishan, Mr. Kadam, and Nilima set sail on a voyage to find the goddess Durga’s third gift to break the curse by facing off with five different and dangerous dragons. These face offs include rekindling the light of a star, fighting a kraken, a medieval hunt to the death, bartering with a greedy dragon, and trusting a dragon.

Meanwhile, the tension in the love triangle between Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan increases. Both men compete for her love, and Kelsey tries to figure out which relationship would allow her to remain emotionally unscathed. Nevertheless, her efforts are futile as love proves to be a dangerous game.

THE ENDING: Expect a cliff-hanger. Houck has perfected it. (And this is all I’m saying – no spoilers from me!)

THE CONCLUSION: Each encounter takes place in a different realm. Houck’s magical world-building skills are astonishing – she pays attention to detail, thus creating a world that is unbelievably believable. Like the previous two installments, Houck provides the history and background for every element in her story (for example: India, the seven oceans, Hinduism, Buddhism, diving). I don’t think I’ve learned so much information from a fiction series since Harry Potter.

Once again, I recommend TIGER’S VOYAGE to the following readers:

1. Those that have already read TIGER’S CURSE (book 1) and TIGER’S QUEST (book 2)
2. Those that enjoy a fun and magical adventure
3. Those that are fans of any fantasy series currently out

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Permalink Book Review, Four Stars - Audience: Young Adult, Author: Colleen Houck, Book: Tiger's Voyage, Genre: Fantasy, Genre: Paranormal, Genre: Romance, Loreal, Publisher: Splinter, Series: The Tiger Saga | 935 words