"A Court of Mist and Fury" (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Beware, there are mild spoilers in this review!

Honestly, this book was a rollercoaster ride. It went a way I never could have predicted, but it was perfect. Maas gave me everything I did not know I wanted, and more. I really loved 'A Court of Thorns and Roses', don't get me wrong - but it pales in comparison to this masterpiece of a book.

'A Court of Mist and Fury', above all else, was a book about Feyre's recovery from a traumatic event and how she grows as a person as a result of this. Her descriptions of depression were alarmingly accurate and really made me feel the extent of Feyre's suffering:

I was glad for the silence - even as it became a weight on me, even as it filled my head until there was nothing inside it beyond... emptiness.
Eternity. Was this to be my eternity?

As I watched Tamlin suffocate Feyre and ignore her wishes in place of his own paternalistic way of dealing with problems, I genuinely felt sorry for her. I connected with Feyre to a much greater extent than I ever did in 'A Court of Thorns and Roses', and this made me feel personally invested in the outcome of the story.

While I am on the subject of Tamlin - I am so happy with how Tamlin and Feyre's relationship ended up. Why do women in YA fiction always have only one lover for their whole lives? It's entirely unrealistic. The people I dated when I was in my teens are certainly not people I would want to end up with forever. Sure, there are some people who have been together that long and are very happy - but I would not say they are the majority. Anyway, Tamlin and Feyre's love reminded me of a strongly burning fire - beautiful and strong to begin with, but eventually, it consumed all the kindling and there was nothing left to sustain it.

Rhys and Feyre, on the other hand, had the kind of love that develops over time. The kind of love that is respectful and considerate, never putting one person's needs over the other. While Tamlin locked Feyre up and told her "I know best", Rhys never forced Feyre to do, well, anything she did not want to do. Even when it made his plans more difficult, even when it would have benefitted him, and even when he genuinely thought it was the best thing for her. He never presumed to know her better than she knew herself. That's true respect, an absolutely necessary precursor to true love.

Also, regardless of their relationships with Feyre, Rhys is a much more complex and interesting character than Tamlin. He just had more to him. Tamlin was all macho masculinity, but Rhys was cunning, political, loving, protective but not overbearing, kind, generous, and above all, genuinely compassionate to his people, friends, and family. He had layers, not all of which were pretty, but which made him a much more believable and sympathetic person.

I have talked a lot about Feyre's relationships because they hit me really hard, but the romance is not that prominent in this book. It focuses much more on the political and mystical side of life in Prythian. From the water wraiths that are clearly analogous for a racially oppressed group, to the Summer Court who have a lot to show for their political neutrality over the years - this was a world well-imagined and well-written. We also meet some amazingly complex new characters, who enrich the story; indeed, I fell in love with Amren, Mor, Cassian, and Azriel, and what they meant to Rhys, and eventually, to Feyre.

The ending of this book is completely and utterly soul-crushing. Throughout the book, I was predicting how it would end (as you do), and I was extremely far off. 'A Court of Mist and Fury' has Sarah J. Maas written all over it - beautiful world-building, complex and interesting characters, and a plot that will destroy your soul beyond recognition.

Overall, this was an amazing novel full of beautifully woven characters in an intricate and lovely world. I would recommend you read this, even if you did not love 'A Court of Thorns and Roses' - it is by far, my favourite of Maas' novels, and I have loved them all.

"Curse of the Sphinx" (Sphinx #1) by Raye Wagner

Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Raye Wagner for the free copy I received through her website!

This book was very different to what I expected. I was thinking it would be heavy on the fantasy elements, and lighter on the characterisation - I could not have been more wrong! Really, the opposite is true. 'Curse of the Sphinx' was a fun, romantic read above all else, and I found that quite refreshing.

Wagner's writing was exceptionally pretty in this novel. I especially enjoyed her characterisation. I really felt that I knew Hope and understood her feelings, fears and desires. It is critical for me to feel connected with a MC so that I actually care what happens to them, and I had so many sympathy feelings for her throughout the story it's not funny. Athan, Haley, and Mr. Stanley were also relatable and interesting characters that added depth to Hope's story.

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the romance between Hope and Athan. As I previously said, I thought this book would be fantasy heavy, romance light. So, when Hope and Athan began to feature prominently as plot point, I expected to be disappointed - but I really wasn't. I found their romance believable, light, fun, and romantic. In my opinion, this is just how teen romances should read. Kudos to Wagner for writing a believable teen romance in a fantasy setting.

'Curse of the Sphinx' had an intriguing premise. I have read a lot of YA fantasy novels, but I cannot think of a single one that featured sphinxes as a prominent part of their mythology. A unique concept is hard to come by in fiction these days, and so I greatly appreciated this. I also loved that the mortal world seemed to follow the Ancient Greek religion (there's mention of mortals having temples for Athena in a modern day America). Wagner's world building is flawless, so I never questioned the plausibility of this. The mythology and fantasy elements were really interesting - however, I would have loved more focus on this side of the story. As much as I loved the characters and the romance, the mythology was definitely a big draw for me. I hope Wagner explores this side of the story more in future novels.

Overall, this was a fun story with a solid mythology backbone. I would recommend 'Curse of the Sphinx' to someone who wants a story with a unique fantasy premise in an urban setting.

"The Winner's Crime" (The Winner's Trilogy #2) by Marie Rutkoski

The Winner's Crime by Marie Rutkoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Oh. My. God!

This book was, quite simply, exquisite. It felt like a novel from an entirely different series. Personally, I found The Winner's Curse to be lackluster at best. Now, having read The Winner's Crime, I feel like the former book was merely a prequel to this masterpiece.

So, yeah. I liked it.

OK, brief synopsis: we open this novel with Kestrel in the Palace with the Emperor and her new fiancé Prince Verex. Arin is in Herran, running his new "independent territory". They pine for each other, but continue on with their lives and duties.

Where to begin? The writing in this novel was phenomenal. Rutkoski was a satisfactory writer in the first novel of this Trilogy, but it's like something clicked in her and her writing style is now sublime. I felt everything these characters felt because of her beautiful writing.

The relationship between Kestrel and Arin is so angsty. Anyone who knows me knows I love angst. I loved that things really didn't run smoothly for them - nothing like a few emotional barriers to make me ship them even more fiercely. The back and forth between them is beautiful: Kestrel's lying (and her emotional turmoil over it), Arin's desperation that he means more to her than Kestrel is letting on, Kestrel's fantasies about Arin, Arin's refusing to touch another woman because he always wishes it was her. This is the stuff truly loved book ships are made of.

The political side of this novel was also intriguing. This novel focused less on Kestrel and Arin's relationship (although there is still plenty of them to go around), which I think was a strong point. In the real world, people who are meant to be together are often kept apart by external forces. Kestrel and Arin both have their struggles for their respective countries and loved ones, entirely separate of each other. Oh, and any time the Emperor entered a scene, my heart started beating faster in fear. Literally.

Finally, the ending of this book made my soul weep... I won't say why (because spoilers), but I definitely was not fine when I finished this book. It's been a long time since a book made me so angry (in a gratifying way).

Overall, this book was an amazing work of art - I would recommend it to anyone who wants their heart served up to them on a platter, cut into tiny little pieces and garnished with salt. In a good way.

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"A Thousand Nights" by E.K. Johnston

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A Thousand Nights was an enrapturing and gorgeously written story. It was very different to a lot of books in the YA genre, and even to One Thousand and One Nights, on which it was based. The differences are what made it stand out in my mind as being an engaging and enjoyable story.

These days, with the YA genre being so popular, it can be hard to find a book that is truly original - especially if you are an avid reader. So many books are pumped out with the same, tired story lines, and this is why A Thousand Nights was so refreshing. Even though this book centres around a marriage, it is not an instalove romance. Even though this book features a protagonist with unique powers, it is not about a Really Special Person™. Even though this book features a female friendship/sisterhood, it is not promoting jealousy and competition between women. So basically, I loved this book because it took some major YA tropes and flipped them on their head.

The writing in this novel had a lyrical quality to it that was absolutely enthralling. I felt transported into the world because of Johnston's brilliant writing. I would say that Johnston's writing is what kept me interested for so long - this is not an action-packed novel, but the quality of the prose meant that I did not view this as a negative. I felt our MC's urge to survive without the need for constant fear and fight scenes.

Normally my reviews are a lot longer than this, but A Thousand Nights is hard to describe without giving away the central plot points - so I will just leave it here. Johnston's high quality writing speaks for itself and this story just needs to be read and experienced to be understood. I would especially recommend this novel to veteran YA readers who feel as though they have read it all.

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"The Glittering Court" (The Glittering Court #1) by Richelle Mead

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

What did I just read? ‘The Glittering Court’ is one of the strangest books I have read in a long while. If you asked me to summarise the plot, or even put this book into an appropriate genre, I am not sure I could. It’s taken me a while to write my review for just this reason.

A lot of stuff happens in this novel, stuff that is not necessarily very well connected. It’s almost like three or four stories crammed into one. The setting changes extremely quickly, and so this book really tested my memory – especially considering how many cultures, countries and religions there are that are directly relevant to the plot (but with no map – how frustrating).
Adelaide’s personality and priorities seem to change just as quickly as the setting, and I did not always understand how or why. This novel just left me with so many questions. And not in that good “I can’t wait to see what happens next in this story” way - more in a “wait, what just happened and why?” kind of way. Indeed, our MC herself attests to this: her most overused line (repeated every time she jumps from one lifestyle to the next) is ”…it felt like a lifetime ago.” Yeah, it felt like a lifetime for all of us…

As a side note, I read the first three Vampire Academy novels, which were sinfully addictive like a fattening piece of chocolate cake or a terrible soap opera. One thing she did amazingly well in that series was create palpable chemistry between her characters. I remember almost melting at the idea of Rose and Dimitri getting together. I had hoped that, even if the rest of the novel failed, I would have some more of that delicious Mead-brand chemistry. That’s why Adelaide and Cedric were so disappointing – because I expected better. They were an okay couple, with some cute scenes, but they were certainly nothing special. They go from casual flirting to undying love way too quickly, which is one of the biggest sins of romance writing. And Mead should know better!

‘The Glittering Court’ was not all bad though. I think it made some good points about racism, classism and sexism. The discussion surrounding Mira’s ‘value’ as a woman being tied to her race was thought provoking, and the multiple mentions of misogynistic attitudes amongst the Osfridian people were relatable. Mead touched on the incredibly important issues of rape culture and slut shaming, albeit in a very light way. I hope that these issues will be fleshed out more in the coming novels. Also, the writing was good enough that I kept reading even after the plot became a bit too convoluted. Mead has a nice, easy to read style that I genuinely enjoy, especially after a long day at work.

Overall, this was an okay novel, but it was far too long with a weak romance plot and hard to follow politics. I would recommend it to someone who enjoys interclass relationships.


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"Lady Midnight" (The Dark Artifices #1) by Cassandra Clare

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Well, that's it guys - Cassandra Clare has officially destroyed my life. I am obsessed with this series. Obsessed. I need "Lord of Shadows" immediately. How do they expect me to wait?!

I know there are a lot of anti-Shadowhunter people out there that think it's time Clare moved on, that there's nothing else to say about this world - but they are so wrong. So. Wrong. If anything, Clare's series have improved every time - I was a much bigger fan of TID than TMI. But, anyway - "Lady Midnight" is brilliant.

I will admit, I had my doubts - what if this book was just a rehashing of Clary's story? What if there was nothing new or exciting? This book took me completely by surprise, and I am sorry that I ever doubted you Cassandra Clare. "Lady Midnight" had all the components we have come to expect from a Shadowhunters series - fast action, fierce women, angsty romance, interesting characters, and actual diversity.

On that note, something I love about Clare - she has always included LGBT+ characters in her series, and TDA is no exception. This time, she also had Mexican characters, a character with autism and another with a mental illness. None of this representation felt forced, or tokenistic. All the characters were three-dimensional and were never just portrayed as That Character With A Disability™ or That Character Who Isn't White™. Actual diversity that shows minority groups as human beings is (unfortunately) hard to come by, so I adored this.

The plot was definitely a classic Clare "on the edge of your seat" one. It was hard to decide what I loved more - the fighting action or the romantic action. The main mystery in this story definitely did not resolve the way I thought it would and I love a story that takes me by surprise. Though, perhaps one thing that detracted from this novel was it's length - the action would have felt a lot more pressing if it was not disseminated by so much text. But, honestly, the length was not such a detractor that I stopped reading it, or that I felt this novel deserved less than 5 stars.

Do I love Emma and Julian together? Damn right. Do I also love Emma and Mark? You know it. What about Mark and Cristina? You better believe it. I pretty much loved any couple that was even hinted at - except Diego and Cristina. I think maybe because he was not as well fleshed out as the other characters. Either way, this book has so much angst in its romance subplots, I think I could die a happy woman.

Overall, this was another brilliant story by Clare, filled with action, intrigue and romance that was portrayed by diverse, three-dimensional characters. Even though I also recommend her previous books, don't shy away from "Lady Midnight" just because you have not read the previous Shadowhunters books - you can easily follow this book without them as a point of reference. Though, I must say, I would especially recommend this book to people who have already fallen in love with characters in TMI and TID, as some of our favourite characters have cameos in "Lady Midnight".

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"The Blood of the Hydra" (Elementals #2) by Michelle Madow

The Blood of the Hydra by Michelle Madow
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

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3.5 stars
Thanks to Madow and Dreamscape Publishing for the ARC!

I had some definite problems with the first novel in this series (you can check out my review here!) - but 'The Blood of the Hydra' was a definite step up from the 'The Prophecy of Shadows.' Probably the best summary I can give you is: fast-paced fantasy quest.

The elements (geddit?) I loved in the first novel were still here: the fast pacing, the interesting witch premise, and the aspects of Greek mythology. I must put particular emphasis on the fast pace of this novel, because that was really what kept me hooked. Reading 'The Blood of the Hydra' was like watching an action movie that jumps from fight scene to fight scene, with some personal drama sprinkled throughout to keep it interesting.

I particularly enjoyed the lotus fruit chapters - they were carefree and fun, which I did not see much of earlier in this story. Lotus!Nicole is my favourite Nicole, and I felt I understood our MC a lot better after seeing how she acted in this particular scenario. I did not really connect with her in 'The Prophecy of Shadows', so this was a nice surprise. I also thought the concept of the Lotus Eaters was intriguing, and definitely my favourite of all the quests the Elementals have been on so far.

'The Blood of the Hydra' had some interesting moral dilemmas which I appreciated. Often, fast paced novels sacrifice moral complexity for speed, which did not happen in this book. I don't want to specify exactly what - because spoilers - but the very nature of their quests in this novel allowed for much more exciting dilemmas, and Madow considered all angles and wrote them beautifully.

It was also nice to get some fresh blood in this novel. I always enjoy the introduction of new characters when they add something to the plot. Ethan especially left an impression on me - I have a feeling we will be seeing a lot more of him as the Elementals' story progresses. I hope so, anyway!

Now for the downside - the romance. I still just don't feel it. If you have read my reviews before, you know that I am extremely picky when it comes to romance subplots, so maybe I am just being too precious. But I felt nothing between Nicole and Blake other than a mutual appreciation for how pretty the other one is. Maybe this is just a sacrifice that had to be made in order to keep up the epic speed of the novel.

Overall, this was an action-packed quest novel with some interesting moral and magical aspects. I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants a quick fantasy read, but not if you are mainly after a heart-wrenching romance.

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