A Court of Mist and Fury

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses #2
Genre: Romance, Action/Adventure
Release Date: May 3, 2016
Summary: 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.

Review: Holy cow. I mean . . . HOLY COW!!! This isn't the first time I've said this about Maas' work and it definitely will not be the last time. Sarah J. Maas is literally out of this world AMAZING!! Everything I could have ever wanted in this sequel happened, and perfectly I might add! Maas had me feeling all the feels over and over and over! Such an incredibly magical and breath-taking piece of work!

I should start off by saying that from the first encounter Feyre had with Rhysand in ACOTAR (click on the title for my full review), I knew I was always going to root for him. So I was way more than excited when he made his first, quite dramatic, entrance. The character and relationship development between Feyre and Rhys during this installment was spot on! You get to see a new, and unexpected side to Rhys throughout this novel and learn a lot about his background.

I adored the Night Court! It was like walking into an entire new universe! The new characters that are introduced are amazing, although I am really curious to know more about Amren! She was such an intriguing character and I can't wait to read more about her!

This was such an explosive and other-worldly worthy sequel! As always, I am nothing but pleased with Maas' work, as stated earlier! Definitely one you'll want to pick up!

***PLEASE NOTE: This novel does have some extremely explicit scenes and language. ***

The Rose & the Dagger

Author: Renee Ahdieh

Series: The Wrath & the Dawn #2

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Retelling

Release Date: April 26, 2016

Summary: In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse -- one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

Review: Wow! I mean, wow! What an intense and completely amazing sequel! I had been anxiously awaiting the release of this novel for quite some time now and was completely overjoyed after purchasing my copy and basically floating out of the bookstore! And that cover?!? I mean, come on, it's GORGEOUS!!!

Ahdieh did an incredible job of continuing Shazi and Khalid's story. The transition from the first novel to the second was seamless, starting one week after the end of The Wrath & the Dawn. The pacing in this novel seemed slightly, slightly, slower than the first. I like to just attribute that to the fact of Shazi and Khalid not being with each other for quite some time . . .  let's just say I had a bit of a rough time adjusting . . .

In some ways I felt that certain parts/topics of this novel were drug out while others felt extremely rushed, but then again, what novel doesn't have at least one downside (if you could call it that). Ahdieh also introduced some new and intriguing topics and characters that I ended up falling in love with! Artan, one of said characters who joined us for the second installment, I rather enjoyed. He was witty and brought a necessary comical aspect to the novel. 

The Rose & the Dagger was filled with tons of action as well as some surprising twists! There was some heartbreak (especially towards the end) where a few tears may have been shed. But I have to say, I was extremely pleased with the epilogue! I felt like it was the icing on the cake and closed out this duology the way it deserved! An absolutely enchanting read!!

Days of Blood & Starlight

Author: Laini Taylor

Series: Daughter of Smoke & Bone #2

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance

Release Date: November 12, 2012

Summary: Art student and monster's apprentice Karou finally has the answers she has always sought. She knows who she is—and what she is. But with this knowledge comes another truth she would give anything to undo: She loved the enemy and he betrayed her, and a world suffered for it. In this stunning sequel to the highly acclaimed Daughter of Smoke & Bone, Karou must decide how far she'll go to avenge her people. Filled with heartbreak and beauty, secrets and impossible choices, Days of Blood & Starlight finds Karou and Akiva on opposing sides as an age-old war stirs back to life. While Karou and her allies build a monstrous army in a land of dust and starlight, Akiva wages a different sort of battle: a battle for redemption. For hope. But can any hope be salvaged from the ashes of their broken dream?

Review:  

WARNING! This review contains spoilers from the first installment in this series! 

Oh my goodness! Where do I even begin! Well, first of all, I read Daughter of Smoke & Bone quite some time ago, and I had purchased that and Days of Blood & Starlight at the same time after reading quite a few raving reviews. However, after I finished Daughter of Smoke & Bone, I started Days of Blood & Starlight and only managed to get about . . . two or three chapters in before I ended up starting another book. Anyway! Fast-forward a couple of months and with finals right around the corner, I needed a serious stress reliever, which for me, means reading!! So, I was looking at my shelf and Daughter of Smoke & Bone caught my eye and I just decided that I'd just go ahead and re-read that one super quick as a little refresher, and to hopefully finish the other two remaining novels in the series. 

After finished Daughter of Smoke & Bone for a SECOND TIME (!!) I couldn't wrap my mind around why I didn't finish the other books in the series right then! I mean, that ending!! Needless to say, I have now read Days of Blood & Starlight and have started the third and final installment in the series, Dreams of Gods & Monsters. 

Days of Blood & Starlight starts of fairly soon after Daughter of Smoke & Bone ended. The transition was fairly seamless, which was a major bonus. There was no real time jump, which also helped with the seamless transition. SOOOO MUCH happens in this second installment. By the end of Daughter of Smoke & Bone we've learned that Karou/Madrigal has been restored of her memories after her and Akiva broke the wishbone. Akiva ended up destroying all the portals into Karou's old world as well as her all of her friends and family. And . . . Karou is the new resurrectionist after Brimstone's death. Needless to say, my mind was blown . . . multiple times.

Karou's personality, I felt, really changed through the transition from the first to the second book. This may be attributed to the fact that she now has her old memories back. And, after basically all of the Chimaera have been destroyed, guess who has magically managed to survive . . .  THIAGO! Wait . . .  WHAT?!! Okay, so after reading about Madrigal's memories concerning Thiago, I was a little unsure about how I felt about this. Especially because he is like . . . in charge now, I guess. We'll get to that a little later on.

Meanwhile, Zuzana and Mik are back in the human world, with Zuze going a little crazy after Karou's disappearance. I have to admit, I wasn't too big of a fan of Zuzana during the first book, but I really did grown to love her so much throughout this one. Mainly due to the fact that she is totally hilarious! But also that she loves Karou so much to venture out and find her. Now that is true friendship!

Okay, so on to a little  . . . romance (?). Akiva and Karou are apart a lot during this installment (which basically sucked) because Akiva thinks Karou is dead. Meanwhile, Karou is basically being held captive by Thiago and isolated from everything. Thiago, Thiago, Thiago. You sound extremely sexy and seductive . . . but also like a huge jerk! I did want something to happen between you and Karou for quite some time . . . but not the way it actually ended up happening. Thankfully, you got what was coming to you . . .

With an ending like that . . . I definitely recommend having the third installment on hand! Such a whirlwind of emotions after finishing this one! So many crucial things happened! Not quite as great as the first one . . . but still, a solid sequel! Now to see what Dreams of Gods & Monsters has in store for me!!

Dangerous Lies

Author: Becca Fitzpatrick

Series: Stand Alone

Genre: Mystery, Romance

Release Date: November 10, 2015

Summary: Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life. After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer. But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows. As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

Review: This was such a great read! It's been quite a while since I've actually sat down and just read a book all the way through, so this novel was a happy surprise!

I had a tad bit of a difficult time with our main character, Stella Gordon, because I couldn't quite relate to her back story. Although, as the plot developed, I did soften up to her. I really enjoyed how sassy (?) of a person she was. Stella was incredibly sarcastic, and had an attitude problem (that made for quite a few comedic scenes between her and her 'foster mother', ex-cop, Carmina). I couldn't help but laugh during the beginning stages of the novel because of the overall situation Stella just happened into.

Chet (love the name by the way) was a great character! Not only was he ideally handsome and gentlemanly, but he had a rough back ground which made him seem more . . . not quite sure if 'real' is the best word for it, but I'll stick with that. He was able to help Stella open up and, I feel, learn more about herself that she had previously.

One of the main things I had a problem with was Stella's boyfriend . . . like, wth happened with that whole thing . . . something was suggested, but I can't recall anything actually being stated on the subject. Also, the whole deal with Stella's mom . . . yeah, that was kind of messed up. But it made the plot line more intriguing.

Overall, this was a solid 3.5 star, but I raised it to a 4 to keep things more simple. I'll probably end up reading this one again. Loved the overall mystery and romance! If you're a fan of Fitzpatrick's work, you'll, most likely, enjoy this one!

Reawakened

Author: Colleen Houck

Series: The Reawakened #1

Genre: Fantasy, Mythology

Release Date: August 11, 2015

Summary: When seventeen-year-old Lilliana Young enters the Metropolitan Museum of Art one morning during spring break, the last thing she expects to find is a live Egyptian prince with godlike powers, who has been reawakened after a thousand years of mummification. And she really can't imagine being chosen to aid him in an epic quest that will lead them across the globe to find his brothers and complete a grand ceremony that will save mankind. But fate has taken hold of Lily, and she, along with her sun prince, Amon, must travel to the Valley of the Kings, raise his brothers, and stop an evil, shape-shifting god named Seth from taking over the world.

Review: I will say, I was definitely expecting more from this novel than what I received. I am really on the fence between giving this one 2 stars vs 3 stars. However, I decided to be generous though, and went with the higher rating.

The main character, Lilliana aka Lily was . . . annoying, stuck up, and kind of dumb. She comes from an extremely privileged back ground, which is how she gets into the unauthorized area of the Met in the first place and meets Amon. I was very put off with her initial attitude and had a rough time opening up to her and the story.

So, Amon, the ancient prince that 'temporarily' bonds himself to Lily . . . wow . . . I mean, wow. I am usually always swooning when it comes to love interests. Amon, excluding his absolutely incredible bod, was kind of a jerk. He was very demeaning to Lily for a good portion of the book. But I will say, him learning about all of the modern day technology was pretty comical. Not to mention the fact that Houck refers to 'The Mummy' which just happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies. So some points were added because of that.

So, after Amon basically kidnaps Lily and they go and "wake up" his other 'brothers', things got a little out of control. As much as I absolutely adored Amon's 'brothers' and how fun they were to read about, their was just so much going on!! I found myself having to go back and re-read multiple times because the plot was moving so quickly . . . and not in a good way. I would literally be so confused at times I needed to close the book and go and do something else . . . also, the romance . . . yeah, if you are similar to me, in the respect that you, like, need at least a small portion of romance to keep you entertained, Reawakened is probably not the novel for you. There was a lot of one-sided sexual tension, with really no rewards . . .  #disappointment!

Overall, I did enjoy this one enough that I want to pick up the following installments in the series, but I'll probably end up waiting until the entire series is published before doing so. I did, however, end up totally adoring the setting in Egypt and how Houck incorporated Egyptian mythology so smoothly into the plot. If you're into fast-paced novels, and Egyptian mythology, this may be the book for you!