Review and Readathon Update: The Assassin’s Blade, by Sarah J. Maas

Title: The Assassin’s Blade

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #0.1-0.5

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: March 4th, 2014

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Young Adult

Celaena Sardothien owes her reputation to Arobynn Hamel. He gave her a home at the Assassins’ Guild and taught her the skills she needed to survive. Arobynn’s enemies stretch far and wide – from Adarlan’s rooftops and its filthy dens, to remote islands and hostile deserts. Celaena is duty-bound to hunt them down. But behind her assignments lies a dark truth that will seal her fate – and cut her heart in two forever… Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine and find out how the legend begins in the five page-turning prequel novellas to the New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series.

Review and Readathon Update: Crown of Midnight, by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Crown of Midnight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #2

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Publication Date: August 15th, 2013

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Young Adult

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena’s world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie… and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for. Engulfed in darkness, surrounded by sounds both familiar and frightening, Malorie embarks on a harrowing odyssey—a trip that takes her into an unseen world and back into the past, to the companions who once saved her. Under the guidance of the stalwart Tom, a motley group of strangers banded together against the unseen terror, creating order from the chaos. But when supplies ran low, they were forced to venture outside—and confront the ultimate question: in a world gone mad, who can really be trusted?

Review and Readathon Update: Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas

Title: Throne of Glass

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass #1

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Publication Date: August 7th, 2012

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Young Adult

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king’s champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass—and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Title: A Court of Wings and Ruin

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publish Date: May 2nd, 2017

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

Review: A Court of Mist and Fury

Title: A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publish Date: May 3rd, 2016

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas’s masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses Series

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA

Publish Date: May 5th, 2015

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price …

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

BRBAMW: A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Hello everyone!  I’m back with another thrilling installment of Book Reviews by a Movie Watcher (BRBAMW)!!!  Today, I’m making (100% valid) assumptions about the plot, characters, and romances in A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas.

For those of you who are new to BRBAMW, I am provided with the cover and summary of a book that I have never previously heard of.  Using this information, I create my own version of the plot, provide detailed analysis, contemplate choices in cover art, and (primarily) ask questions which reveal exactly how lost I am.  Enjoy the confusion that is about to occur, because I have no clue what to make of this book.

Most Anticipated Releases of Fall 2016

I’m a highly impatient person (and no, I do not need a “Patience is a virtue…which you are clearing lacking” lecture).  So when it comes to release dates, I watch them like a hawk, checking back frequently because I’ve mentally convinced myself that this will change the outcome.  Or that the dates will have been magically moved up…but then again, who am I kidding?  Combine this with my infatuation with “Pre-Order” buttons and a complete lack of self-restraint, and you have a recipe for disaster.  Nevertheless, I don’t think I’ll be putting an end to this habit anytime soon.

Just in case you don’t share my peculiar obsession with stalking the websites, twitters, facebooks, personal lives, etc. of authors with upcoming releases, I figured I would divert my restlessness and compile a list of upcoming releases during the fall of 2016.  And yes, this might give me another excuse to check those publication dates again…

Most Anticipated Reads of 2016

As 2015 draws to a close, we’re both very excited about some of the new releases that will be appearing on shelves throughout 2016.  These are a few of our top picks for the upcoming year.