Tag: YA fantasy

Splintered by A.G. Howard- Review

Posted January 26, 2015 in Books, Reviews / 10 Comments

“Sometimes a flame must level a forest to ash before new growth can begin.” First and foremost, Splintered has a beautiful and evocative cover. Combined with the fact that I love fairy tale retellings, and it was inevitable that I would add this novel to my collection. Now I’ll be honest and admit that I’ve never been the biggest Alice in Wonderland aficionado, but I love the imagery and know that it’s popular enough to have inspired dozens upon dozens of retellings in the past few years. I went into Splintered hoping it would be a quality retelling amidst […]

Flailing Everywhere Over Trial By Fire by Josephine Angelini- A Raving Review

Posted January 19, 2015 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 15 Comments

“A crucible’s craving is her mechanic’s mandate.” I usually write very calm, analytical reviews. In fact, I pride myself on it. I like being able to look back on my reviews and have a clear and coherent message as to my thoughts on a book. However, much of that I fear is going to go out the window with this review because I cannot stop flailing over how much I loved this book. It’s only the second book I’ve picked up so far in 2015 but it’s already become my first five star read of the year! Reading this […]

Fairytale Retelling Reading Challenge 2015

Posted December 8, 2014 in Readalongs/Readathons / 21 Comments

Today I’m excited to announce my first challenge I will be taking part in for 2015! It’s the Fairytale Retelling Reading Challenge hosted by the lovely Mel over at The Daily Prophecy. I’m really excited to be participating seeing as fairytale retellings seem to be a trend in YA that’s not ceasing to grow anytime soon, and there are a lot of them on my TBR for the upcoming year! According to Mel, here are the guidelines for the challenge: The challenge runs from January 1st – December 31st 2015. The goal is to read fairytale retellings, but if you […]

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas- Review

Posted November 14, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 21 Comments

This may be more of a rant than a review. Not necessarily a bad one, but definitely an impassioned one. Because Throne of Glass and I have perhaps the most love-hate relationship I’ve had with a book all year. So there were some high expectations I had for this going in, based on the plethora of rave reviews I’ve read: A) A kick-butt, take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred, assassin protagonist B) A well done love triangle C) A creative fantasy world with good world-building I can say after finishing the novel that b & c were pretty well accomplished, but part of me […]

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge- Review

Posted August 22, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 22 Comments

Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge My rating: 4.5/5 Stars Publisher: Balzer+Bray (2014) Length: 342 pgs Genre: YA Fiction/Fantasy/Romance, Fairy-Tale Retelling Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: Based on the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast, Cruel Beauty is a dazzling love story about our deepest desires and their power to change our destiny. Since birth, Nyx has been betrothed to the evil ruler of her kingdom-all because of a foolish bargain struck by her father. And since birth, she has been in training to kill him. With no choice but to fulfill her duty, Nyx resents […]

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo- Review & Series Thoughts

Posted August 16, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 8 Comments

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo My rating: 4/5 Stars Publisher: Henry Holt and Co (2014) Length: 422 pgs Series: Grisha, #3 Format: Hardcover, checked out from my local library Goodreads Synopsis: The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation’s fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Deep in an ancient network of tunnels and caverns, a weakened Alina must submit to the dubious protection of the Apparat and the zealots who worship her as a Saint. Yet her plans lie elsewhere, with the hunt for […]

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor- Review

Posted July 2, 2014 in Books, Reviews / 1 Comment

Dreams of Gods and Monsters by Laini Taylor My rating: 4.5/5 Stars Publisher: Little, Brown & Co (April 2014) Length: 613 pgs Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone, #3 Format: Hardcover, purchased Barnes & Noble (online) Goodreads Synopsis: By way of a staggering deception, Karou has taken control of the chimaera rebellion and is intent on steering its course away from dead-end vengeance. The future rests on her, if there can even be a future for the chimaera in war-ravaged Eretz. Common enemy, common cause. When Jael’s brutal seraph army trespasses into the human world, the unthinkable becomes essential, and Karou […]

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare-Review

Posted June 11, 2014 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 6 Comments

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare My rating: 5/5 Stars Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (2014) Length: 725 pgs Series: The Mortal Instruments #6 Format: Hardcover, purchased Barnes & Noble (online) Goodreads Synopsis: In this dazzling and long-awaited conclusion to the acclaimed Mortal Instruments series, Clary and her friends fight the greatest evil they have ever faced: Clary’s own brother. Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to […]

The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis- Mini Review

Posted June 4, 2014 in Books, Five Star Reads, Reviews / 1 Comment

The Shadowhunter’s Codex by Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis My Rating: 5/5 Stars Publisher: Simon & Schuster (October 2013) Length: 274 pgs Format: Hardcover, purchased from Target Synopsis: The Shadownhunter’s Codex is a companion text to The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices series written by Cassandra Clare and set in the fantasy universe of the Shadowhunters’. The Codex itself is referenced in these series as the guide by which all Shadowhunters must abide by, containing the rules and regulations as written by the Clave. Throughout the book, notations made by primary characters Clary Fairchild, Jace Herondale/Wayland/Lightwood, and Simon Lewis. My […]

Top Ten Characters I’d Love to Have as a Best Friend

Posted April 21, 2014 in Weekly Features/Memes / 13 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly feature hosted by the fantastic blog The Broke and the Bookish. This week the topic is Top Ten Characters Who___ (fill in the blank)! I’ve found myself reading a lot of books lately with really fantastic side-kick type characters, so I decided to go with Top Ten Characters I’d Love to Have as a Best Friend! 1) Harry Potter from Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince– Because who wouldn’t want Harry Potter as their BFF? 2) Zuze from Daughter of Smoke and […]