The Blessed Blog Tour: Q & A with Tonya Hurley

The story of The Blessed sounds very unique and intriguing just from reading the blurb alone!  What inspired you to write it?

I came across a book of saint's lives and it occurred to me that the legends of these virgin martyrs, who were barely teens when they died, were actually some of the earliest young adult stories.  I was always fascinated with them, their level of commitment and of course, all the art that exists. I started thinking about placing them in a modern context and went from there.

Most people probably know you already from your ghostgirl book series.  How did it feel starting writing a whole new series and leaving the ghostgirl world behind for a while?

It was really good actually.  The Blessed is gritty and a somewhat violent which is quite a bit different than the ghostgirl books, but they both explore the same universal themes of the search for identity and self-acceptance.  It was just a matter of dealing with in a different way.

The book covers (both the UK and US editions) are INCREDIBLE! Do you get much of a say in how they look?

I'm very fortunate to have publishers in the US, UK and around the world that really seek my input.  I tend to have a very strong idea of what I'd like a cover to look like and the actual designers have been excellent.  It's a real collaboration.

You've worked not only as a writer of books but as a film maker.  Do you think that your "visual eye" as a film maker influences how you write and if so how?

Yes.  I have a background in film, television, music and music video, so all of those perspectives tend to influence the way I write. but then so do the things and people I see and hear all around me in Brooklyn. In the end though, it's always about the story and characters and keeping a reader's attention, so however you can get there is how you get there. 

What books have you been reading recently or would recommend to other readers?

 Patti Smith's 'Just Kids.'  It's brilliant.  So much has been written about her life and music but its fascinating to read it from her point of view.  She is an extraordinary story teller and poet.

Thanks so much to Tonya and Hachette for letting me part of this tour and check out Tonya's new book The Blessed here

UKYA needs your nominations now! #UKYA

Those awesome folks over at Team UKYA need your help and they need it now.  It's a call to arms....or your bookshelves at least!

They are aiming to compile a list of the Top 100 UK YA books and not just any list but a list voted for and put together by YOU. YES YOU!!!

All you have to do is follow this LINK to the post for voting and leave a comment with you name and who you want to vote for.  There is a max of 10 you can vote for but if you're like me you'll have a hard time narrowing it down.  I did a Top Ten for UKYA earlier this year and cheated a bit and added two special mentions and so I've revised my list slightly and these are my votes but YOU (YES YOU) should go make your votes now as well!!!

His Dark Materials- Philip Pullman

Noughts and Crosses – Marolie Blackman

Torn – Cat Clarke

My sword hand is singing – Marcus Sedgwick

Shadows on the moon –Zoe Marriott

Ash Mistry – Sarwat Chadda

Adrian Mole, Aged 13 and 3/4 by Sue Townsend

Rockoholic – C.J.Skuse

Geekhood – Andy Robb (yer yer shut up you lot.)

Della Says OMG: Keris Stainton

GO VOTE NOW!!!

Letterbox Love [12]

Letterbox Love is a weekly feature hosted by Lynsey on Narratively Speaking inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

It came out of a group discussion on twitter for the desire and need for a UK feature to share our weekly grabs, buys and haul of a bookish nature as well as any other goodies we care to share.

Mega post because there are some I bought in the US and loads when I got back home and received this week but because I was on a plane last Sunday I didn't do a LL post.  So lets get this one ON!

Bought

In the Space Left Behind by Joan Ackermann

Faded Denim by Melody Carison

Runaways: The Good Die Young by Brian K.Vaughan and Adrian Alphona

From What I Remember by Stacy Krammer and Valerie Thomas

Very LeFreak by Rachel Cohn

Party by Tom Leveen

Received

Not pictured as I only just got over the week I got The Blessed by Tonya Hurley

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (SIGNED US HARDBACK *strokes* won as part of the big Team Divergent event the UK bloggers took part in this year) Thanks to Veronica and Harper Collins for the prizes (more below too)

Zom-B by Darren Shan

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Return to Me by Justina Chen

MEGA thanks to the angel that is Krystal from Bookshelf Banter that sent me a bloggers gift box while I was in the US

Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr

What's Left of Me by Kat Zhang

the other books in my Harper Collins prize pack and a cool ass mask (dark blue; i love blue :D )

Foretold by Jana Oliver

HDSFJKHSJFNIOFOAHFIOAH I've been waiting for this the SECOND I finished the last book. ADORE Jana's books and have already started reading it. Thank you Macmillan!

Heaven by Alexandra Adornetto 

Thanks to the lovely Atom Folks for this book. LOVE the cover

Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

HUGE thanks to Strange Chemistry for sending me this copy.  I've read and reviewed it already and it's ace but I loved the cover art so much I NEEEEEDED a physical proof

Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

Thanks to the folks at Tor for this one.  Feels like it has a vibe like Graceling as an epic fantasy and battles

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

Thanks Atom!

Cover Reveal: Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor

Another Cover Reveal this week and it's the sequel to Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone; DAYS OF BLOOD AND STARLIGHT

IS THAT NOT THE PRETTIEST THING EVER *GRABBY HANDS*

I adore the first book and to say I'm keen for this one to be in my dirty hands now is nothing short of an understatement.  The colouring is beautiful and I almost want to weep at how it's gonna fit perfectly next to my hardback copies of Daughter of Smoke and Bone (I have the US and UK editions as they were both so pretty and I loved the book just THAT much)

GO AND PRE ORDER THIS BOOK ASAP

Book Blogger in USA: After thoughts

So I'm back from my American holiday (yes, yes; it seemed like forever and I was still blogging and tweet the whole time so I bet you didn't even miss me) and I wanted to write a little post on what I thought about not only being a book lover in America (Florida to be specific to where I was) but also just book shops in the US.

First and most importantly; where in fresh hell were all the bookshops! Excluding places like Target and Walmart because they were just superstores like Tesco or ASDA that had book sections there was maybe two shops I found near me and I wasn't in the middle of no where either.  From what I understand books and book shops are only found in huge numbers in places like New York and other big cities so I guess I shouldn't be too shocked but I was.  In the UK you can't go to any town without at least finding a Waterstones or a fab independent shop.  It made me appreciate having places like Waterstones, WHSmiths, Foyles, The Works and smaller independently run and second hand shops right on my door step near enough.

The book shops I did find where both very different from each other.  Books a Million was like a Waterstones or a similar big chain shop.  It had offers on and a large teen/YA section.  I went straight there and spent WELL over an hour looking at all the books.  I had to go back for a second visit with a list of books to look for but I did find some goodies.  Books seem more expensive over here too but maybe that's just me and my lack of math skills working out the exchange rates.

Really I think when it came down to it; bookshops in the US were bigger in size (like most things in the US) but there wasn't as much variety as I thought there would be.  Didn't stop me buying a load of books of course but just imagine what it would have been like.  My suitcase had an overweight orange label as it was!

Review: Kiss, Date, Love, Hate by Luisa Plaja

GoodReads



What if you could change your friends' lives and loves through the settings of a computer game...?


Lex Murphy's group of friends have all dated, hated, ignored and lusted after each other for the last few years. If only there was a way of matching people perfectly to avoid all the unrequited love, dumping and drama! Then Lex's friend George is given a mysterious Sims-like game by his software-testing dad which involves building character profiles in the categories of Life, Looks and Love. Lex and George populate the game with avatars for all their mates, making a few 'wishful thinking' adjustments to the settings - and find that the next day these tinkerings have come true! But how long can this new calm, loved-up atmosphere continue?


Review


The story is told over a little over a week and as the teens volunteer (or are sort of forced in Lex and Drew's case) to attend a film making course over half term and the drama that happens as Lex and George mess with their fellow students from making people want to either kiss, date or love each other and even their perspectives on life from positive or negative attitudes.  It's witty and smart and not once did I think 'oh that's not how a teenager talks' or 'YER RIGHT!'.  I was too busy laughing or squealing in shock and delight. 


I've been planning books to take on holiday for a while and really I couldn't think of a better book to take with me after all the recommendations I had from blogger friends.  I felt like I read it way too fast only because I could stay with Lex and George, Jess, Drew and all the other other characters for ages and not get bored.  Lex is a real firecracker of a girl and I loved that she had a real kick of a sense of humour to everything in her life.  She was never dull as a main character and I liked that there was more to her than I originally thought as the story went on.  At the start of the book I wasn't too convinced by the Sims-like game of the Pygmas and if I really believed it would work but I slowly became lost in the relationship antics of Lex and George and trying to get to grips with how they tick as people and how the changes in the game were also changing them; for better and for worse.


I completely feel for Drew because .... well he's a fair bit dreamy with his bad boy rocker image but his heart of gold underneath and a snarky sense of humour to boot.  I think most girls would go for him even if that wasn't their 'type' because he's just an honest and nice guy.  Honesty can be a very nice thing and side track your preference for blondes or brunettes etc. HA HA. 


Luisa makes me remember times as a teen when all I wanted was to be "normal" and not be such an outsider and also how much I now love that I was such an outsider because made me find out who I really was and love being that geeky awkward girl.  Of course when you're a teenager all you want is to fit in but in the end Lex and some revelations and twists by the end of the book make you re think what normal really is and how much pressure teens do feel to "fit in" and how pointless it really is.  I'd love to think a fair few young adults reading it will take that message from the book and maybe care a little less about standing out from the crowd rather than trying to be part of it.


Rating: 8.5/10


Published by Hodder Children's Books and is available here and at bookshops now

Cover Reveal: Unspoken by Sarah Rees Brennan

Last night the every awesome Sarah Rees Brennan revealed online the UK cover for Unspoken that is to be released end of August by Simon and Schuster.

At first I wasn't over keen on the couple on the front as the image behind them and the typography is pretty stunning on their own but it's growing on me and I love the sepia tone of the background and how the girl (Kami) is wishing in the guy's ear as it relates to the story really well of them both hearing each other without seeing one and other.  I'm kinda hoping it has some foiling or fancy pants finishing to it too.

What are your thoughts?

Review: Poltergeeks by Sean Cummings

GoodReads


15-year-old Julie Richardson is about to learn that being the daughter of a witch isn't all it's cracked up to be. When she and her best friend, Marcus, witness an elderly lady jettisoned out the front door of her home, it's pretty obvious to Julie there's a supernatural connection. 

In fact, there's a whisper of menace behind increasing levels of poltergeist activity all over town. After a large-scale paranormal assault on Julie's high school, her mother falls victim to the spell Endless Night. Now it's a race against time to find out who is responsible or Julie won't just lose her mother's soul, she'll lose her mother's life


Review


I'm gonna start this review by pointing and flapping at the book cover because 'HELLO; AWESOME'.  Seriously; I was kinda hooked on this book from the title because i'm a geek fiend and do love my supernatural stuff but then the cover was released and it reminded me so much of the art work from the current Season 8 Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic series (which I also adore) that I couldn't wait to have a copy on this book on my shelf!  That doesn't happen too often with me really as I'm usually swayed by the story before anything else but this just looked wonderful too and then the story blurb sucked me in.  Ghostly forces and danger at work and a sassy teen has to sort out all the trouble and her life, her mother's and probably the town's population hang in the balance.  Well I don't know about you but I liked this blurb.  Sort of Supernatural (the TV show) style meets teen witch.


The story itself was definitely fun and had all the thrills and spills you're lead to believe it should have and a few extra to boot.  Julie's character is a sarcastic sass monster and I loved her so.  She was funny and had a real strength about her that made reading her story enjoyable.  Marcus as the best friend side kick character made me go all gooey girly gushy inside because I do so love me a geek boy.  Plus both Julie and Marcus grow and change over the course of the book which you'd be surprised how little that happens in some books.


Poltergeeks is a supernatural adventure with a snarky heroine that is so funny that I wish I was her most days.  I'm a huge fan of The Demon Trappers series by Jana Oliver and Poltergeeks reminded me so much of those stories where Sean has focused more on the real people and their relationships stuck in a supernatural situation rather than just making the book ghosts every which way.  You got action, humour, drama and a dash of romance all in one book and it's really well written in my opinion.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading Poltergeeks and absorbing the real history elements that Sean put into this contemporary twist on ghosts and witches.  He must of spent a lot of hours in the library looking up witch trials and the historical aspects of the supernatural.  I can't wait to read what Sean Cummings writes next.


Rating: 8/10


Published by Strange Chemistry and is available here and bookshops from October 2012

Review: Shift by Kim Curran

GoodReads


When your average, 16-year old loser, Scott Tyler, meets the beautiful and mysterious Aubrey Jones, he learns he’s not quite so average after all. He’s a ‘Shifter’. And that means he has the power to undo any decision he’s ever made. At first, he thinks the power to shift is pretty cool. But as his world quickly starts to unravel around him he realises that each time he uses his power, it has consequences; terrible unforeseen consequences. Shifting is going to get him killed. In a world where everything can change with a thought, Scott has to decide where he stands


Review



If you could change a decision you made, would you?  If you could turn back the clock and take it all back before you made a choice, would you take it all back when you can't predict the consequences? This is the world that Scott Tyler is living and it may seem like a dream but it soon becomes very clear that actions or the lack of them have consequences.


When I first heard about Shift I was really interested to see how this story was going to pan out because I've found a real love for contemporary teen fiction that has the supernatural element thrown into the mix.  I like when the characters really get a chance to shine in the story as much as the paranormal stuff.  Shift follows Scott's jump into the world of being a Shifter, someone who can literally shift his own reality at the point he made a "wrong" choice.  It's an incredible power but one that can't be left unchecked and so the government has an organisation that trains, tracks and deals with Shifters and any troubles that may come out of their Shifts.  Being a Shifter is something only the young deal with because the ability fades away in the late teens/early 20s as they mature.  


Scott is from a family that is falling apart as his parents fight constantly and his sister, who does love him, often makes fun of him as most siblings do.  His social circle is the size of a penny and he's just trying to get good grades at school and maybe a girlfriend.  Then his life changes when he meets Aubrey the same night he Shifts for the first time.  After that his life begins to unravel and bounce back with each decision he makes and tries to change.


What I loved about Shift was the snappy and witty banter between Aubrey and Scott and how you could sense the bickering coming a mile off but you looked forward to it.  The dialogue sucked me in and lend me down all the little paths that Shift went along.  The plot itself reminded me a lot of the movie Jumper which I actually liked but this had a slight edge on it.  It had bursts of fast paced action and then slowed down for the moments of emotion.  Shift is a smart story that doesn't try to dumb down an idea for the readers but it also didn't try too hard and force all the science on me.  Thank goodness cause science was NOT my best subject!  The research and time put into the actual mechanics of Shift shows how dedicated to this idea Kim Curran is.  She put in the work to make the story and her characters stand on their own feet.


My only problem was the ending because it felt like I was missing a few pages.   It finished so sharply that it was like I'd been dropped in the deep end of the pool with the last scene and then told the pool was closed and I had two seconds to get out.  I thought I'd been too quick on the old ereader and forwarded more than one page.  That being said I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure.  Kim Curran has a flair for sarcasm and humour in the characters and made me really bond with them all even when they seemed harsh and brash or just purely evil and gross.  I'm really interested to see what Kim writes next and hope we get more   of what i loved in Shift; bursts of witty dialogue and cool high kicking action.



Rating: 7/10


Published by Strange Chemistry and is available here and bookshops from September 2012

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Florida Visit!

So I'm in America as many of you may have seen via the blog and on my twitter account and even though I'm away I'm still a book nerd at heart as so visiting the Harry Potter theme park in Florida was top of the list.  I'm not the world's biggest Potterhead but I loved the series and what it's done to encourage reading in children and young people and the world it created was so real and detailed that I was very giddy about seeing the theme park.....and the gift shops.

You enter the world via the snowy town of Hogsmead, which is odd to see when you're looking at snow topped roofs and it's in the mid 90s but at least you're getting a tan.  The amount of detail put in to the location is just fab and you can see that there is a great deal of hard work put in to make it all accurate to the books.  They know that the people visiting are going to be BIG fans and will see even the smallest flaw.

The Owl post room was the gift shop and yet it was still like a museum to go and look at everything.  Plus it was PACKED.  Partly because it was Harry Potter so the gift shop was a draw but also for the air con as it was hot outside.

Couldn't resist the Butterbeer.  Like a Butterscotch Frappaccino

The rides had CRAZY long lines and there was a wait for over an hour to have your wand selected for you and it just goes to show that the appeal of Harry Potter is never ending.  I loved the individual touches everywhere from the wooden panelled shelves in the gift shop to the actual British staff employed in the 3 Broomsticks and gift shop.  If i'm being a cynic for a second you can understand why they've done a Harry Potter section of the Universal theme parks; the amount of cash it must make daily is off the charts.  For a replica wand it was $35 ish and people were buying 4 or 5 at a time.

However it was a great part of our family day out and all the family (even the non Harry Potter readers/fans) said it was good and they'd really done an excellent job.  I loved it and know a fair few Potter fans in the UK who will be green with envy I went.

Here's a few more snaps of what I did and saw!

Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley

GoodReads



"Let me make it in time. Let me meet Shadow. The guy who paints in the dark. Paints birds trapped on brick walls and people lost in ghost forests. Paints guys with grass growing from their hearts and girls with buzzing lawn mowers."


It’s the end of Year 12. Lucy’s looking for Shadow, the graffiti artist everyone talks about.


His work is all over the city, but he is nowhere.


Ed, the last guy she wants to see at the moment, says he knows where to find him. He takes Lucy on an all-night search to places where Shadow’s thoughts about heartbreak and escape echo around the city walls.


But the one thing Lucy can’t see is the one thing that’s right before her eyes.


Review


Graffiti Moon is a book I was pretty certain I would love even before I read it.  Mainly because every person I know who'd read it before me had RAVED about it and the meer mention of it would cause bloggers to flap a bit and gush about how good it is.  Plus it's set in Australia and is a written by an Australian author so I've been really lucky of late when picking up books set in places other that the UK or US and have found amazing stories from places I'd love to visit.  


Lucy and Ed and two peas in a pod really but they just don't know it because of one bad date many moons again (see what I did there. hahaha) and now they are just part of similar circles of friends but tonight is one night when things will happen to make Lucy and Ed realise they may have made incorrect judgements about one and other the first time round.  Though will situations and white lies ruin it for them in the end or will the love of art and hope save the day and give them a spark or romance.  


I loved the romance of art, graffiti and the city that made me love the relationships between all the characters to another level.  It's almost like you feel that dirty and grubby love for the city streets and how they're transformed with Shadow and Poet's work.  It's like they reinvent the city they live in with paint but more to the point; their inner most thoughts and emotions.  It's the only way they can share what they think and it touches more people than they realise; enter Lucy who believe's Shadow is 'the one' just because of his art and what it says to her.  Plus Lucy and Ed came across as "real" people; they were sarcastic and made mistakes and could be funny and as vulnerable as hell when the moment called for it.


For someone who's a big time fan of books like 'Amy and Roger's Epic Detour' by Morgan Matson and 'Saving June' by Hannah Harrington you'll find a book that ticks all the same boxes and has an original flare to it.  It paints pictures with words and plays with your emotions but it's worth the ride and odd rants I had reading it such as 'Oh why can't they just kiss NOW?!'




Rating: 8.5/10


Published by Hodder Children's Publishing and is available here and bookshops now

Letterbox Love [11]

Letterbox Love is a weekly feature hosted by Lynsey on Narratively Speaking inspired by Alea at Pop Culture Junkie

It came out of a group discussion on twitter for the desire and need for a UK feature to share our weekly grabs, buys and haul of a bookish nature as well as any other goodies we care to share.

Bought 

Something Under the Bed is Drooling by Bill Watterson

I was too tempted by seeing it in the bookshop

Received

So one of my super lovely US blogging buddies Krystal from Bookshelf Banter set me the BEST bookie care package and all these goodies were inside!!!

Zom-B by Darren Shan

Return to Me by Justina Chen
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
The Infernal Devices Comic on the right there too!!! EEEEEP
And a bunch of goodies too! There were a packet of Oreos....but they ..... er..... went.


HAPPY READING

Review: The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo

GoodReads



Surrounded by enemies, the once-great nation of Ravka has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh. Now its fate may rest on the shoulders of one lonely refugee. 


Alina Starkov has never been good at anything. But when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life—a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free. Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. 


Yet nothing in this lavish world is what it seems. With darkness looming and an entire kingdom depending on her untamed power, Alina will have to confront the secrets of the Grisha…and the secrets of her heart.


Review



I first read the blurb for this book some time ago and request a copy and like most books I really want to read they end up as part of the mountain of books I have and I have to wish for a long snowed in month to read them all.  However another blogger (Casey from Dark Readers) a month or two later insisted I read it; not just read it in fact but read as soon as physically possible.  Every time we spoke she brought it up so I knew it had to be worth grabbing with a recommendation like that from a fellow blogger.


 The Gathering Dark is a leap into a dark world that from the outside isn't as horrible as one would think but secrets and power have divided this world and the Shadow Fold the splits the lands with it's terrifying Volcra beasts that eat people alive is a threat that needs to disappear but no one has that power.  Some in the world of The Gathering Dark are born with powers and abilities and they are trained and then protect the lands in the name of the King.  They are known as Grisha and live in wealth and splendour.  Alina is torn from her life as a solider when it is revealed she has a major Grisha talent that was missed as a child and we follow her journey to train and hone her talent in the hopes of using it to destroy the Shadow Fold completely.  However those around her may not be honest and may use her to get their own personal goals met.


Completely feel in love with the world of Grisha and the way Leigh Bardugo writes because she doesn't force information on her readers but simply presents it to them and lets you digest it slowly.  Like Alina; if I was thrown in at the deep end of Grisha society and told EVERYTHING at once I'd be lost but be get chucks as the story grows which is perfect.  Personally the real treats where the moments of simple interactions with people in her life and her past as Alina takes shape and becomes her true self.  She shy and holds back so much at the start of the book and through her experiences and the bits of honesty and humanity she see's in others she gradually unfurls in her own skin.  My favourite example is when she's Baghra in training and she pushes Alina to keep trying harder and harder.  She's training her body but also her mind without Alina realising.



A stunning way to start a trilogy and it left me with baited breathe for the next in the series.  If you're a fan of Maria V. Synder or Kristin Cashore then The Gathering Dark is a little bit of heaven just for you.  A dash of fantasy and mixed up with romance and that luxury feel you'd get from a historical fiction tale with hints of Russian influences in the landscape and history of Ravka.  The Gathering Dark is a glorious read that I couldn't let go of for days after finishing.  The characters kept on surprising me right up until the very last page and now I hate that I have to wait for the sequel.  How will I cope waiting? I'll probably read The Gathering Dark again.


Rating: 9/10


Published by Indigo; part of the Orion Group and is available here and bookshops now

Book Trailer: Seraphina by Rachel Hartman

Check out this fab UK trailer for Rachel Hartman's Fantasy adventure Seraphina which is published by Random House Children's Books on 19th July

Here's a summary of the story

The kingdom of Goredd is populated by humans and by dragons who fold themselves into a human form. Though they live alongside each other, the peace between them is uneasy. 

But when a member of the royal family is murdered, and the crime appears to have been committed by a dragon the peace and treaty between both worlds is seriously threatened . . .

Into this comes Seraphina, a gifted musician who joins the royal court as the assistant to the court composer. She is soon drawn into the murder investigation and, as she uncovers hints of a sinister plot to destroy the peace in Goredd for good, finds herself caught desperately in the middle of the tension. 

For Seraphina hides a secret - the secret behind her musical gift - and if she is found out, her life is in serious danger . . .

I gotta say this has peaked my interest as I do love a good fantasy story to really get into.  Plus DRAGONS!!!

Cover Reveal: Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

OH MY! ALL THE FEELINGS! THE GLITTERY SPARKLY FEELINGS

Cassandra Clare has revealed the cover of the next book in the Infernal Devices Series; Clockwork Princess which is published by Walker Books in the UK come March 2013

Just utterly amazing. I love the colour work, how I can picture it on my shelf already next to Clockwork Prince and matching oh so well.  Already trying to stare at it in teeny tiny details and work out hidden plot points etc.

Thoughts! I need them! Comments below pretty please :)

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

GoodReads



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.


Review


I've been feeling a bit 'meh' about anything other than contemporary YA recently. No reason why but I was tempted by the idea of Throne of Glass by Sarah Maas and thought i'd give it a go.  SO pleased I did because it was one of those fantasy adventures that slowly glides you into a world that i'd really enjoy returning to in more books.  The characters are superb and I honestly felt a bond with Celaena as she has that strong troubled girl vibe that i love to see in female main characters.  Quite frankly it makes them more real and relatable if they aren't extremely amazing or terrifically broken.  A nice middle ground suits me fine and dandy.


I'm so pleased this book pulled me out of my fantasy reads slump.


Sarah Maas has put real care and attention into this story and at times I had no idea who I wanted Celaena to be drawn to more between the Prince or the King's guard (I know who i'd have chosen but that's another story).  I liked the twists that were thrown in and the hints of magic in the story but I never felt like it relied on it too much as an 'easy out' option for plot lines.  They made sense for me as a reader thank goodness.  My only irk when reading it was how it skipped over a lot of the actual tests and action that the champions had to take part in.  Some you got a lot of details about like the wall climbing intense scene but in others it built up to a test and then it glossed over it happening at all.  I'd have rather they hadn't mentioned it all; was disappointed to feel the build up and then just get told 'oh yer that happened'.


Another charming character and plot line was surrounding Princess Nehemia, Lady Kaltain and their relationship with Celaena.  The female characters were a truly strong aspect of the book for me and I loved how complex they were as individuals.  Throne of Glass is about the strength of will in people and how some battles aren't always physical but battles of the soul and mind.  The Prince and the King's Guard both have set roles and you get the impression they'd love to break out of them and the women in the book appear much stronger in character but their place as females in the kingdom holds them back and prone to comments from the men.  Which really sucks so it's nice the few times they get to prove them wrong.


Throne of Glass is a mix of the competition of The Hunger Games and the fantasy adventure of Graceling or Poison Study and I think you'll get a rough idea of why I really enjoyed this adventure with Celaena.  She's so feisty and headstrong that I can't help but admire her and her dry sarcastic wit appeals to me greatly.  She won't let the big boys make her feel small for being female; she's a kick arse assassin and could probably take them all out within seconds and without breaking a sweat.


Rating:  8/10


Published by Bloomsbury and is available here and in bookshops now