5-stars

16th Jul 2018 by CG @ Paper Fury 16 Comments (2)

Bright We Burn (#3) by Kiersten White || Absolute Stabby Finale PERFECTION

Bright We Burn was brutal and bloody and so perfectly and epically satisfying.

Which are words I’M CRYING AS I TYPE because finales scare me so badly. What if they let me down?!?!? But the finale to the And I Darken trilogy managed to stab me in the heart (like five times) and still give me everything I hoped it would. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Everything is perfect, but you better believe I am screaming into the void for the next 2-3 months because I’m slightly traumatised. Definitely labelling this a Favourite Trilogy.

You can catch my reviews of And I Darken (#1) and Now I Rise (#2)!

Also this review has NO SPOILERS!

☆ The pacing and plot were absolute perfection.
It’s a little smaller than the other books, but I quite liked how it all panned out. The middle is SO INTENSE…I absolutely faceplanted myself into the pages and the world was dead to me until I’d finished. There are wars and betrayals, kidnapping plots and horror, and there are the softest quietest moments that just make my heart so so full. Some of my favourite chapters were simply two precious characters getting to hold hands. My entire self was just: !!!!!! You know an author has tortured your soul half to death when you start crying because AWW LOOK THEY GET TO HOLD HANDS AND NO ONE’S DEAD YET.

I’m fine I’m fine. [sobbing]

☆ Like all the books, the storyline is spectacularly dark.
I love dark books. I love it when books don’t “pretend” to be dark, but actually absolutely are. Lada is badass and terrifying and SHE FOLLOWS THROUGH WITH HER THREATS. The battles are grim, the aftermaths are horrifying. It’s just so well written and portrayed and I appreciate books that are realistic and don’t sugarcoat war. Like Lada is technically “unlikeable”, yet I love her. Radu makes some awful betrayals, but I love him.

☆ So obviously: perfect characters ARE PERFECT.
Radu and Lada are my favourite messy, broken, and ruthless Book Siblings. They are softness and muRDER. I love them ok just so so much. Also their character arcs are incredible and it’s amazing how much Radu grew in this one! He’s always been the soft squish, and he doesn’t lose that — but he stops doubting and hating himself. And Lada is vulnerable between ripping out people’s throats (YES WITH HER TEETH, I CAN’T EVEN LADA, YOU HAVE NO CHILL). When Radu realises kindness is sometimes the bravest choice of all??? I cry.

Radu is soft and he is allowed to be soft.

Lada is harsh and she is allowed to be harsh.

I am so so happy with this.

SPOILERS

My heart is also SO FULL and I’m so freaking happy!! I was so scared this would have a tragic and awful ending for Radu. But no. He gets to be with Cyprian!! I swear I DIED when Radu walked in to find Nazira but then it was Cyprian. AND RADU JUST LOST IT AND KISSED HIM. I wanted this stupid boy to find love (nOT Mehmed) and I wanted it so so bad and I was so scared it would just end in a billion buckets of blood. But RADU GOT HIS BOY.❤❤❤I CAN’T EVEN.❤❤❤

Also shout out to:

Nazira: sweetest and loving schemer who will rearrange THE WORLD so you can be happy. And she loves Radu so deeply and platonically, while being incredibly in love with her wife, Fatima. 10/10 would die for them all.
Nikolai: who put up with Lada and kept joking even when everyone was aBOUT TO DIE.
Lada’s nurse: for every time she had to do Lada’s hair, she deserves and actual medal of war

☆ It made me laugh and wail.
Which is talent. I love the writing style, even though it’s not the typical YA way I’m used to. It’s different and refreshing. It covers a long period of time, but the voice is so spot on. I actually have not been this obsessed with a book pretty much all year (barring a few others!) so this just made my dEAD HEART BEAT AGAIN. THANK YOU.

☆ The ending was satisfying!! Which is JUST want I ask for.
It’s not this perfect cheery ending hahaa (HELLO OF COURSE NOT) and it will rip out your heart and eat it. But it was right. I’m so pleased…also bleeding on the floor but whatever. Even the love triangle ended perfectly ahhh.

Bloody, brutal, and unforgiving — this series is totally unique and incredible and full of soul. It weaves heartfelt messages in amongst wars and bloodlust, loss and betrayals. It has an incredible cast of complex characters that I just love love love. With all their flaws! And their nastiness or weakness!! I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. LOVE EVERYTHING. I SHOULD GO SIT DOWN WOW.

THANK YOU TO PENGUIN AUSTRALIA FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Bright We Burn (And I Darken #3) by Keirsten White was published July 2018!

Haunted by the sacrifices he made in Constantinople, Radu is called back to the new capital. Mehmed is building an empire, becoming the sultan his people need. But Mehmed has a secret: as emperor, he is more powerful than ever . . . and desperately lonely. Does this mean Radu can finally have more with Mehmed . . . and would he even want it?
Lada’s rule of absolute justice has created a Wallachia free of crime. But Lada won’t rest until everyone knows that her country’s borders are inviolable. Determined to send a message of defiance, she has the bodies of Mehmed’s peace envoy delivered to him, leaving Radu and Mehmed with no choice. If Lada is allowed to continue, only death will prosper. They must go to war against the girl prince.
But Mehmed knows that he loves her. He understands her. She must lose to him so he can keep her safe. Radu alone fears that they are underestimating his sister’s indomitable will. Only by destroying everything that came before–including her relationships–can Lada truly build the country she wants.
Claim the throne. Demand the crown. Rule the world.

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tell me a series finale that totally met your expectations and was completely satisfying?! and have you read the And I Darken series?? what did you think? do you like Lada or Radu better?!

18th Jun 2018 by CG @ Paper Fury 40 Comments (4)

Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Garber || So Freaking Gorgeous My Eyeballs Are In Love

Do you know what is an absolutely magical delicious delight? LEGENDARY.

There is no hope for me btw, I am completely in love with this series. The world! The magic! The twisty plots! The characters! I’m standing right behind Tella as she scoffs “I’m not in love with anything” and then hurls my whole heart and soul into the game. Same, Tell, same.

It just captured me so much, was so gorgeously written, and I feel like I’ve just run wildly through Caraval myself. My affections ARE YOURS, little book. I will just flail gently until book 3 comes out. Also you can catch my review of the first book, Caraval, here!

**Also BEHOLD THIS ARC. Which literally has my name on it, from the fantastic people at Date A Book.**

☆ Full disclaimer…everything was PERFECT and I’m just here to flail.
Wildly. With no regrets. And I loved Caraval, but dare I say Legendary was even better?!?

☆ I was really happy that it also features another game of Caraval.
Different town. Different rules. Different (and so so much higher) stakes. And it’s all still so intoxicatingly mysterious and twisty. This book is so gorgeously Slytherin. NO ONE is ever straightforward. It’s all double-crossing the double crossed and outwitting someone who’s already playing tricks on you. Who’s lying? Who’s who they say they are??? WE DON’T GET TO KNOW. I freaking love this.

☆ It’s narrated by Tella this time!
Tella is so unapologetically herself, and it’s amazing. Her personality is like: “will stab u but also love pretty shiny things.” And I mean. I’m in love. (Also I found Scarlett unfortunately whiny with a damsel complex, so like Tella just improved my life 10000%.) Tella kisses boys and wears luscious dresses and plays mind games and is clever. I also loved how Tella is caught between playing games and actually fiercely caring about things. The whole book she’s like: “I dO NOT LOVE” while, you know, furiously loving so so many people.

☆ The sisters!! Can we !! flail over the !! sisters!!
Family is such a huge theme for these books! Scarlett would do anything for Tella and Tella would do anything for Scarlett. And half the plot hinges on Tella looking for their long-lost mother. Plus Tell and Scarlett are domestic abuse survivors and they support each other and listen now that they’re out. They also DO NOT JUDGE each other’s choices. It is so so good and wholesome and THANK YOU.

☆ The boys were all beautiful and almost definitely evil.
This is the right way to write devious and dark boys…skip the alpha and abusive relationships rubbish and move onto tricksters and otherworldly powers and manipulation of magic and kingdoms and the world. Livin’ for all the Slytherins here, I tell you. I loved Dante, who works for Caraval, and who Tell fights with 500% of the time (SHIP IT). He was awful and intriguing all at once. And we also have Jacks — Tella’s fake-fiance-during-the-game. He ate a lot of apples and was so pale he was nearly blue and also turned out to be practically an otherworldly demon. Sometimes these things happen in your love life, ok.

☆ THE MAGIC!!
There are cursed cards, Fates trying to be set free, and of course — who is Legend?! And how is he so powerful? PS. I finally knooooooow and I’m so freaking happy. I love how the magic is complex and gorgeous. Also take a moment for how amazing the writing is. I just want to eat the whole book. The descriptions and imagination are on a whole new level of incredibleness.

☆ The ending has me craving more like nothing else.
It’s both satisfying and torturous. I’m slightly suffocating with the need to find out what happens next. The plot was perfection here and it answered many many questions…and then left us with more PLUS a wicked lead in to what’s going to be a stunning finale.

So yes I’m besotted with Legendary, LOOK AT ME GO. This is an enthralling read of magic and puzzles, entrancing plots and characters of cleverness and passion. I’m in love with the lush writing, the gowns of flowers, and the bedazzling and rich scenery. The whole story has thoroughly caught my heart!

THANK YOU HACHETTE AUSTRALIA FOR THE ARC! Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Graber came out May 2018.

★★★★★

A heart to protect. A debt to repay. A game to win.
After being swept up in the magical world of Caraval, Donatella Dragna has finally escaped her father and saved her sister Scarlett from a disastrous arranged marriage. The girls should be celebrating, but Tella isn’t yet free. She made a desperate bargain with a mysterious criminal, and what Tella owes him no one has ever been able to deliver: Caraval Master Legend’s true name.
The only chance of uncovering Legend’s identity is to win Caraval, so Tella throws herself into the legendary competition once more—and into the path of the murderous heir to the throne, a doomed love story, and a web of secrets…including her sister’s. Caraval has always demanded bravery, cunning, and sacrifice. But now the game is asking for more. If Tella can’t fulfill her bargain and deliver Legend’s name, she’ll lose everything she cares about—maybe even her life. But if she wins, Legend and Caraval will be destroyed forever.

goodreads review of Caraval Book Depository Booktopia AUS

is there a series where you liked the second book MORE than the first?! and have you read Caraval or Legendary??? thoughts?? (also which edition covers do you like better?! they’re both SO pretty omg)

7th May 2018 by CG @ Paper Fury 62 Comments (4)

To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo || Sirens And Princes Of Salt And Sass!

Everything about To Kill a Kingdom was a salty swashbuckling GLORY and I loved it!

I’m alllll here for pirates and sirens and (dark) Little Mermaid retellings, and this definitely delivered. Plus it was super funny and if there’s something my dark little heart beats faster for: it’s people who sass each other to death so lovingly.

(Also I get to raise my hand with the smallest claim to fame that I used to be a beta-reader for Allie’s older works, back when she was a book blogger too! So I already knew I’d freaking love this and her writing is just a pure joy to read ahhh!)

✓ The characters just stole the seawater with their fantasticness.
It’s dual narrated by Elian and Lira. Elian is an anti-prince (like “here is a crown but I don’t want it) and Lira is a siren (like “here is a prince what if I ate him”). He’s hunting her and she’s hunting him, which is obviously the recipe for a perfect romance. And what a romance it was! Enemies-to-lovers at its finest! Not rushed or awkward and focused on character development instead of steamy scenes (which suited me just fine). I loved watching them grow from distrust to —> distant admiration. Then to “accidentally” “saving” each other’s lives. Of cooooourse, Lira. I BELIEVE YOU when you say you don’t care about Elian. #Such #Belief

I also loved them just as individual characters! Lira is a murderous siren and antiheroine, but also has a soft streak. She takes care of her little-murderous-cousin, but she also enjoys the thrill of killing princes. But she totally won my heart too, just by being so complex and compelling. And Elian?! He was the sass pirate of your HEART. I swear. That boy. He was smooth and sassy and absolutely allergic to the idea of being king. Bless him.

✓ The writing makes you truly fall in love with the sea too!
Which is ironic, given that the sea was super deadly but oh well. I love it. I love the descriptions! I could actually see the gorgeous settings, taste the salty sea, and absolutely lose myself in the world. There’s plenty of sailing too! Although the “pirate” title was a bit adorable, because they’re more roguish chivalrious do-gooders (by killing sirens to save people) instead of ACTUAL bloody pirates. But that’s okay, Elian, sweetie, you call yourself a pirate and I’ll support you.

✓ The world building gets a Very Much Yes™.
We go on an incredible adventure with Elian and Lira aboard their ship, the Saad. And it’s not dull for even a second. A+ pacing! And we see so many different places in this world! Kingdoms and mountains and palaces! It was incredibly well written. We skipped tedious info dumps and yet managed to have this complex, diverse world you could get lost in. Plus the settings were excitingly unique?! Kingdoms of frost and blue-lipped kings, and queendoms of love with cursed queens sitting on heart thrones. My opinion is YES.

✓ There’s sassy banter too!
This part I truly adored! I love characters who snark at each other. Elian has a sassy retort for anyone with oxygen, and Lira says “I’ll kill you” all the time and everyone thinks she’s joking. BUT YET: SHE’S NOT. I loved the secondary characters’ too! Madrid and Kye’s continual banter was fantastic in the background too!

+ Was it dark?
It was very bloody, although not gory, and there’s plenty of hearts being pulled out of chests and super creepy sea monsters. I really liked that it was on the dark side (I’M PLEASED…um and also normal?? I promise?? don’t be scared of me now) and gave us high stakes and terrible consequences for failure. The sea witch was SUPER CREEPY. Love it.

To Kill A Kingdom was full of sea and salt and ruination and I loved every page. It was perfectly written, with gorgeous prose that just leap off the page to DEVOUR YOU (yay the siren life). And what a fantastic combination of pirates and princes, sirens and curses, and a journey that will rip your heart out of your chest. Literally and figuratively.

Thank you Hot Key Books for the review-copy! To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo was published May 2018!

★★★★★

Princess Lira is siren royalty and the most lethal of them all. With the hearts of seventeen princes in her collection, she is revered across the sea. Until a twist of fate forces her to kill one of her own. To punish her daughter, the Sea Queen transforms Lira into the one thing they loathe most—a human. Robbed of her song, Lira has until the winter solstice to deliver Prince Elian’s heart to the Sea Queen or remain a human forever.
The ocean is the only place Prince Elian calls home, even though he is heir to the most powerful kingdom in the world. Hunting sirens is more than an unsavory hobby—it’s his calling. When he rescues a drowning woman in the ocean, she’s more than what she appears. She promises to help him find the key to destroying all of sirenkind for good—But can he trust her? And just how many deals will Elian have to barter to eliminate mankind’s greatest enemy?

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what’s a fairy tale retelling you’d like to see a super-dark-version of in YA!?? do you like pirate stories? and is this one on your TBR? (because it should be!)

12th Mar 2018 by CG @ Paper Fury 39 Comments (2)

Pacifica by Kristen Simmons || Dystopian Pirates That’ll Steal Your Heart

Pacifica is pretty much the best pirate and dystopian book I’ve read!

I don’t even know what to excitedly shout about first, okay?! I absolutely adored this one. I actually didn’t realise it was dystopian (because I don’t even know where my brain is; if you see it, let me know) so then I was worried I wouldn’t like it because I’ve been anti-dystopian for ages. But this? THIS WAS PERFECT.

My emotions are all —> !!!!!

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

badass epic conniving pirates
one of the best most wholesome friendships ever
shipping (relationships) on shipping (sea)
a dystopian with influences from the Japanese internment camps in WWII
PAIN AND BEAUTY

+ It’s an extremely personal story for the author, and the love just shows on every page! It’s very much #OwnVoices and author has a note in the front (you can catch her twitter thread on it here) on how she based it on what her grandmother went through in WWII, losing everything after being imprisoned in a Japanese interment camp. Reading about Kristen Simmons’ grandmother’s life and refusal to give up and just general epicness was so amazing. I’m really grateful she wrote this book. Just the emotion and power?!? It’s so important!

+ The friendships stole the show for me. 10/10. AGH I LOVE IT. It’s all characters first in this book, which made me so invested so fast. They were complex and dimensional and were equal parts pushed by the story and pushers of the story. Hold onto your sailing hats while I gush:

ROSS: He’s the president’s son and privileged and clueless to what is REALLY happening in their wreck of a world. But he’s like so sweet. He is SO PURE and he is so loyal and loving towards his best friend, Adam. Basically Ross is amazing.
ADAM: He’s the vice-president’s son and used to be one of the very poor and discriminated against “lower” people. But his family has risen up and is in a place of power, buuut he still gets discriminated against. He’s very neat and pleasant, but totally knows how bad the world is. I LOVE ADAM. I love his and Ross’ unsinkable friendship.
MARIN: She is the epic pirate oF ALL OUR DREAMS. (Basically if Lila Bard x Kell from A Darker Shade of Magic had a daughter; it would be Marin.) She’s conniving and tricky, but her absolute dream is to just be loved and have a family. SHE’S SO BADASS BUT SWEET. The combination stole my heart. Also she built her own boat and has a secretly dark pirate past…I freaking adore Marin.

+ Plus it’s just nice to have a book about friendship! Obviously there still is romance (hello this is YA) and Ross and Marin are the cutest shippy ship as well. But Ross/Adam were so pure and wholesome. (The only negative is that whenever people insinuated that Ross had romantic feelings for Adam, he reacted with disgust. Part of me hates the erasure of friendship too, so I get it! But it’s so so unnecessary to be disgusted at queerness…c’mon.)

+ The world building was the light of my lighthouse heart. How on earth is this book so good at everything? We don’t know. We just accept and revere. But complex world? ✓ Complex characters?✓✓ Amazing plot? ✓✓✓ It’s a frikkin’ standalone and DOES IT ALL. The world it’s set in is basically where everything is trash and falling apart and gross. The rich in power are trying to send the poor people off to this “utopia island” but…does it even exist? Marin says no. The president says yes. EVERYONE MIGHT DIE WHO CAN TELL. I could totally see the whole world, with the islands of trash, and the broken down slums, and the contrasted virtual palace of the rich. Incredible.

+ The plot was full of twists and fights and riots and running. There was even a shocking plot twist that had me whispering, “MARIN. YOU DIDN’T TELL US AHHHH.” Pacing = amazing. It it was so compelling, with the riots and kidnappings, the boating and eating radioactive fish (that seems…bad for you but teenagers…what can you do) and the vicious pirates and violence.

+ Did I mention the prospect of you sailing into a horizon full of feelings? That will happen. I had at least nine and that’s madness for me because I only have three emotions usually.

Pacifica is a pirate dystopian tale of trash and beauty and friendship and it will absolutely take over your heart. The characters are precious and the storyline is enthralling. A+ FOR IT ALL. I LOVE IT.

THANK YOU TO TOR TEEN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Pacifica by Kristen Simmons was published 6th of March 2018.

★★★★★

Marin is cosario royalty, a pirate like her father and his father before him. Sailing the ocean to chase adventure is in her blood. But these days no one cares that the island town her people call home is named after her grandfather. They have a new leader, one who promises an end to their hunger – and one who thinks that girls are meant for the kitchen or the brothel. Marin knows she’s meant for more than that, and with the sudden influx of weapons on the island, and rumors of a pending deal with the enemy oil nation in her wake, she knows a big score to gain the council’s favor is the only way to save her people, and herself.
Ross lives a life of privilege. As the president’s son he wants for nothing, but he longs for a life of adventure. On a dare, he convinces his best friend Adam to sneak out to the Docks, the site of local race riots between the poor Shorlings and the upper class. But when Adam is arrested along with the other Shorlings, and not even the president is willing to find him, Ross finds himself taking matters into his own hands. He journeys back into the Docks, ready to make deals with anyone, even a beautiful pirate, if it means Adam’s safe return.
When Marin and Ross meet in dangerous Shoreling territory he sees a way to get his friend back and she sees her ticket home. The ransom a president’s son would command could feed her people for years and restore her family’s legacy. But somewhere in the middle of the ocean, Marin must decide if her heart can handle handing over the only person who has ever seen her as more than a pirate.

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have you ever picked up a book and realised it wasn’t the genre you thought it was?? and do you like pirates? are you reading Pacifica? (yOU SHOULD)

22nd Jan 2018 by CG @ Paper Fury 106 Comments (7)

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black || Is This My New Favourite Dark Faerie Book?!

I can’t get over how freaking bloodily fantastic The Cruel Prince is!!

I was going to be chill about the whole thing bUT WELL THAT SHIP SAILED AND HERE I AM SO EXTRA IN LOVE WITH THIS BOOK OF STABBY MARVELLOUSNESS. I WANT 9 MORE. AND I DO NOT WANT TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THE SEQUEL.

I’m already a huge fan of Holly Black and adore her original faerie series, Tithe, and also The Darkest Part of The Forest just STOLE my heart. The Coldest Girl In Coldtown was amazing (but I need to reread because I remember…yep? nothing) and The Curseworker trilogy was afjdkalsd.

Okay so you get it. I’m a mild fan.

The Cruel Prince will satisfy all your cravings for a dark, murderous faerie tale. This is about the monsters in the woods. It has enchantments and torture and massacres and conniving. And best of all, this book features cruel cleverness and wit. I absolutely love it. (My only complain, literally only is that I thought it’d be darker…hah…hahah…yes I can see you throwing salt at me and running away. Shh. I’m fine and normal.)

Anyway, onwards.

+ First off, this is the ultimate Slytherin book.
It’s really complex and twisty with fey royalty plots and conniving courts and the intrigue and the backstabbing and twisted plotting. The fey are very awesome at getting around the “we can’t lie” thing. I have taken notes. Because obviously this is the kind of book you learn from. #NoPleaseDontRunawayFromMeImNiceSometimesImSure It’s CLEVER and complex and I crave that in a book and I got so so much of it.

+ It’s set in faerieland itself, so you’re in for all the lush scenery and terrible danger.
I’M SO FREAKING HAPPY ABOUT THIS. It’s saturated in the rich luscious world. The descriptions were gorgeous and popped off the page. Everything was beautiful and pure deadly. Like: “hey welcome to my hOME where the fruit will kill you and there are death monsters in the pond and also if you piss off a gentry fey, you’ll die!” I am so so in love with this brutally nasty and yet luringly gorgeous world.

10/10 chances I will eventually be lured to faeries land and hopefully be like Jude and stab a lot of stuff and survive.

+ There’s plenty of blood and stabbing.
We are not here to muddle about, my fiends. There is murder and it is chilling.

+ I really loved Jude!
She’s such a complicated person, born fully human and being fostered by her parent’s murderer (who is also her human mum’s ex-husband…look the fey world is complicated). She’s been raised in the fey world where she’ll always be despised for her mortality. The bullying was done really well and actually rang bitterly of many people’s bullying experiences. I’m so impressed with this?! We have fey courts and magic — but BOOM — there is also a storyline about bullying, being an oddball and being vulnerable and just what that can drive you to do. Jude spends her life trying to fit in, changing herself, and eventually just saying “NO” and fighting back. She wasn’t overconfident or heartless, but she was badass and such a schemer.

+ There’s a lot of emphasis on family!
It features Jude’s two sisters: Taryn (her twin, and also annoying tbh) and Vivi (her half sister, and half fey). Also Oak is the “sort of brother” and maybe 6 or 7? But HE’S SUCH A CUTE BRAT. Love Oak. Orianna was so interesting, though very cold. And Madoc was downright freaky terrible. He’s born for war, but also has kindness? But he’s BAD but also does good things?!?? Hello morally grey catastrophes.

+ I do feel things about Prince Cardan.
He’s so cruel and makes Jude’s life miserable…which is 100% the recipe for me to hate him. I do NOT like the trope of “ooh I like you so I’ll be mean to you” story lines but, thankfully, it wasn’t like that! I loved the twists in their interactions, but this isn’t the kind of ship you’d expect. (Is it even a ship!?) The romance in this book is never what you’ll expect. And Cardan also has a thoroughly tragic side that…oh wow. I…ugh are these feelings? Make them stop.

+ I really took my time reading.
Every page was gorgeous and satisfying and interesting. I can’t even with how detailed the world was and how smoothly the plot ran. I LOVED Jude’s narration and watching her change from someone struggling not to be walked over, to someone an acorn and a thumbprint away from manipulating the world.

+ PLUS THE ENDING. HOLY YES.
I DECLARE FAVOURITE OF 2018 ALREADY.

If you haven’t read this one, GET THEE ONTO IT.

It’s murderous and twisty and has complicated characters. Things get bloody and there are girls with swords and wicked monsters and crafty plots. Be entranced. It’s terrible beauty and everything I was hoping for.

THANK YOU TO ALLEN & UNWIN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black was published January 2018.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.
To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences.
In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

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do you like faerie books?! (any favourites or recommendations for me?!) have you read The Cruel Prince yet?! what’s your favourite Holly Black book?

6th Nov 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 72 Comments (4)

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green || Missing Humans, OCD, and The Hype DOES NOT LIE

Since I’m a complete and utterly John Green fan, it’s going to surprise ABSOLUTELY NO ONE that I loved his new book.

Turtles All The Way Down was really brutally excellent and totally gave me 3 existential crises in like the space of 2 hours. So that was nice.

I’m actually floored by how much this book meant to me??? It was so good and so worth the 140 year wait or whatever it was. I wasn’t nervous about the hype because it’s about (a) mental health with an #ownvoices perspective, (b) missing people, (c) smol sad rich boys, and (d) a girl who’s name begins and ends the alphabet so that’s aesthetic. My kind of novel already.

I think The Fault In Our Stars is still my MOST favourite Green novel, but this is a super close second!!

Also I usually only review books I’ve been sent from publishers on the blog but NOT TODAY, FIENDS. My own dragon coins fed this review.

Also not signed because I live in Australia. And it also it doesn’t have the surprise under the dust jacket. Thanks, Australia, you’re doing great.

Also about the title…no it’s NOT ABOUT TURTLES. But The Fault In Our Stars isn’t about a Roman dude talking about Julius Caesar, okay?!?? I don’t understand why everyone’s complaining! The brand is on point!

✓ The plot was really equal parts addictive and engaging.
Bit slow but really really good. I loved that it wasn’t rife with cliches or annoying tropes. It was just so pure and it felt real. It’s not really a “detective” story (I thought it was going to be??) but Aza is lowkey curious about the mission millionaire because she used to know his son, Davis. She does about 12% digging on the missing millionaire and 93898% investigation on Davis. How adorable.

✓ Aza was honestly amazing.
She is EXTREMELY quiet. She hardly ever talks and she’s very much locked in her own head. #RELATABLE #CONTENT However I get sad when this is portrayed as a negative…I mean ok being self-absorbed isn’t great, but Aza had a lot of thinking going on. And so what if all your thoughts are inside not out??? I loved how quiet she was! She’s obviously extremely intelligent and swims in the philosophical too. ALL JOHN GREEN’S CHARACTERS DO THIS. I love how “pretentious” they are because I was 110% like that as a teen too. (Me now??? Hahaha. I mean, no. My attention span and pretentious genius took one look at adulthood and wanted a nap. Which is understandable.) Anyway I LOVED that they talked about the stars and metaphors and what poetry means and the infinite possibilities of death and life. The sheer amount of knowledge these kids spew out is just refreshing and perfect to me. I am HERE for smart people. Also can I have some.

✓ I really really wish the term “OCD” had been used.”
I actually hate when books do this because (a) I end up spending WAY too much time trying to figure out their diagnosis and therefore miss parts of the story, and (b) it actually diminishes good representation because we dont’ get a name for it. I get that some people are “anti-labels” saying it puts you in a box. I’m firmly in disagreement. I think it helps you understand yourself and find help and find people like you to relate to. Plus the fact that John Green wrote an accurate and not cliched or stereotyped representation of OCD is ACTUALLY REALLY REALLY NEEDED AND IMPORTANT AND RARE. So if the book said: “Hey, OCD can look like this.” It would’ve started snuffing out some of the horrible stereotypes OCD people have to put up with from the uneducated populace.

Hey I just said “Uneducated Populace”. MATE, I THINK THIS BOOK IS MAKING ME MORE INTELLIGENT HOLY HECK.

✓ Anyhow! The OCD and anxiety was really amazingly written!
It did stoke my own anxiety, so I will put that out there. I loved it and felt heard but also really anxious when I was done. #ANXIETY #LIFE #PROBLEMS. It focuses on thought-spirals and the psychology behind how and why you act the way you do with OCD. You are not watching someone with OCD, you are experiencing what it’s like to have OCD while reading this book. And that’s freaking important ok.

✓ I have mixed feelings about Aza and Daisy’s friendship.
I felt it started off such a good friendship, and was particularly impressed that their interests were like Star Wars and, ya know, being rich instead of fighting over a boy or something intolerable. But there was an incident and I don’t like how turned out. Also I’m bad at forgiveness hahahhaah. Sorry but no.

SPOILERS

What happened was: at one point Daisy spills out a lot of her shitty opinions about Ava’s mental health. She said being friends with Aza was “exhausting” because Aza is self involved and only cares about her own problems. Now they forgive each other and deal with it. But, people, this is A HUGE AND SOUL CRUSHING THING that people with mental health go through.

“Am I a burden?”
“Do people hate being around me?”
“Is my mental health problems going to equal me being alone?”

I think Daisy should’ve had to do more than say “sorry” because saying being friends with a mentally ill person is like you being a gift to them is awful. Mental illness does NOT equal you are broken or too much work and while I do think it’s important to put this into a book about teens, because they have to deal with it, I just wish the book had also “taken it back”, so to speak. We who have mental health issues really really need to be told we’re loved and worth it. It can make a huge difference.

It was a problematic friendship, particularly by the end, and I think it’s a good discussion rather than a criticism on the actual book. Because people like Daisy exist and end up thinking they’re a gift to the world for “putting up” with mentally ill people. #no

✓ Can we talk about Davis WHO IS SUPER ADORABLE AND I LOVE HIM.
It was like SUCH a cute romance. Slow and cautious and fraught with problems just from Aza’s OCD and Davis insurmountable grief. He was also the BEST big brother ever and I just…my heart. I loved how geeky and nerdy and beautiful he was. Honestly. DAVIS.

✓ It felt really deep and also like an existential crisis on 300 pages.
Nice. I love overthinking my life. Of course it’s full of psychology and metaphors and it’s very layered. I loved it and also am a potato, but okay.

✓ And yes I teared up at the end.
I mean. It’s a John Green novel. I LOVED the ending and I hated it and I LOVED IT and just ajfdsakld I have at least 4 emotions which is double as many as I usually have. I need to sit down.

So I’m forever a John Green fan.

It discusses the world and minds and how the two are often incompatible with the hugeness of life and thought. It’s sad and it’s not sugar coated and I ached with Aza as her OCD spun her life in scary directions she couldn’t control.

Liking a boy doesn’t make Aza “better” (John Green dismantles that trope SO WELL) and there’s no messages that you need to be fixed to have a good life. Your mental illness isn’t ALL of you, but it is some of you. And that’s okay! Be you and be safe and try to find happiness where and how you can.

I appreciated this book.

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis.
Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.
In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza’s story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

Goodreads Book Depository Twitter

so have you read Turtles yet!?? which is your favourite John Green book?? and have you read a really really good mental health health book lately?!??

9th Oct 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 59 Comments (7)

All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater || New Magical Whimsy From My FAVOURITE AUTHOR

So here is a piece of startling news: Maggie Stiefvater is my absolutely favourite author.

Which you probably have picked up if you’ve read my blog for two minutes or two years or if you see my instagram feed which is basically a just an ode to The Raven Boys. So obviously my #1 anticipated book for this year was All The Crooked Saints! And I’m very very pleased to announce:

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was good, OK. It was excellence. Maggie Stiefvater never disappoints.

+ FIRST THING TO SAY IS = IT’S ACTUALLY VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE USUAL.
It is still full of typical Stiefvater-isms and voice and her style is all over it. But it reads with a lot more whimsical myth and legend than her other books and it was a little startling at first. So NO, this is not The Raven Cycle. It’s different.

+ IT’S MAGICAL REALISM BUT WITH MUCH MORE MAGIC.
I freaking love magical realism because you can have nice things like toasters and comfortable shoes BUT you also can have owls with human eyes and SAINTS RAINING MIRACLES FROM THE SKES. #Yes #Please All The Crooked Saints is set in Texas in a very dusty part of the desert where a family (the Sorias) run a ranch (not the salad dressing kind) where they offer miracles. The trick is: they give you the miracle, the miracle exposes your inner darkness, and then you have to deal with it. It’s just accepted that everyone is freaking weird and magical here. Like there are girls entwined with snakes, a giant, someone who gets rained on all the time etc. etc. And everyone is chill with that.

+ I ADMIT TO BEING A LITTLE CONFUSED BY THE MIRACLES AT FIRST.
The Sorias can’t help anyone fight or cure their inner darkness AND I JUST WANT TO KNOW WHY. Then it sort of got explained like so:

“You barter with sadness or you fight with grief or you eat arrogance every morning with your coffee. There are saints in this valley who can heal you. You and every other pilgrim can canter to Bicho Raro to receive a miracle. A miracle, you say? A miracle. This miracle makes the darkness inside you visible in amazing and peculiar ways. Now that you see what has been haunting you, you overthrow it, and then you leave this place easy and free.”

OK, man, that sounds great. But if the Soria saints help the pilgrims, they turn into Ultimate Darkness™. Which seems unfair for everyone involved.

Welcome to a Stiefvater novel.

+ IT’S WRITTEN IN OMNIPRESENT.
I’m going to be honest and admit I’m not fond of omnipresent! I wish the book had focused on Daniel, Joaquin and Beatriz. But we get dozens of other POVs and backstories and it can jump from one head to another ANY SECOND. #Not #My #Favourite. However. Once I got into the swing of it, I really loved how beautiful, whimsical, and melodic the writing was. It felt so rich and extravagantly magical and the extra perspectives actually made it feel juicy and deep. The story is about MIRACLES, not just the Saints and not just the Pilgrims.

+ I ALSO LOVED THE SETTING AN UNREASONABLE AMOUNT.
I could totally see the ranch and the desert and the box truck. After I stopped thinking about ranch dressing and Caesar Salad this was great.

+ IT’S THE KIND OF STORY THAT LEFT ME WANTING MORE.
Which is great, because I swear I’ve seen a tumblr post from Maggie Stiefvater which says that’s her #1 wish for people who finish her books. But I want so many spin-offs??? My top request is for a story on Daniel’s childhood because he was a devil’s brat who turned into a saint and like PLEASE TELL ME MORE.

+ THE CHARACTERS WERE AMAZING.
I can’t get over how magically Maggie Stiefvater writes characters. They’re like so deep and complex and DIFFERENT?!? They are odd little tumble weeds and I loved them. I adored the three Soria cousins and their illegal radio station and their inner darkness. I loved Beatriz who was very firmly convinced she had no feelings and Joaquin who loved his hair and Daniel, the childhood-devil-turned-saint. I loved Pete who loved to work (what the heck is wrong with him though) and was so earnest and pure. And I loved the dogs who wanted to eat everyone alive. #relatable

+ IT’S WHIMSICAL AND BIZARRE AND ADDICTIVE.
It wasn’t what I expected and it’s not my favourite Stiefvater novel. (BECAUSE MY HEART GOT EATEN BY THE RAVEN CYCLE AND THERE IS NO RETURN.) I wanted more. This book is a bit like being told wild dusty folklore stories with black roses and owls with strange eyes and strange box trucks and girls who like boys’ elbows. It’s unusual and it’s slow and it’s pretty and there are SAINTS. It’s every scoop of magic I needed in my life.

THANK YOU TO SCHOLASTIC FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater is published October 2017.

Here is a thing everyone wants:
A miracle.
Here is a thing everyone fears:
What it takes to get one.
Any visitor to Bicho Raro, Colorado is likely to find a landscape of dark saints, forbidden love, scientific dreams, miracle-mad owls, estranged affections, one or two orphans, and a sky full of watchful desert stars.
At the heart of this place you will find the Soria family, who all have the ability to perform unusual miracles. And at the heart of this family are three cousins longing to change its future: Beatriz, the girl without feelings, who wants only to be free to examine her thoughts; Daniel, the Saint of Bicho Raro, who performs miracles for everyone but himself; and Joaquin, who spends his nights running a renegade radio station under the name Diablo Diablo.
They are all looking for a miracle. But the miracles of Bicho Raro are never quite what you expect.

Goodreads Book Depository Boomerang Books Publisher

do you have a favourite Stiefvater novel!?? (and if you haven’t read any THEN I HAVE FAILED YOU??? HOW MUCH MORE SHOUTING DO I NEED TO DO HERE) and do you like magical realism? and tell me of an author’s work you love forever and ever???

25th Sep 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 48 Comments (6)

#MiniReviews || Girl On The Cover Edition

‘Tis the season of mini reviews!

Actually tis the season for salt, so I’m squashing my salty reviews together to save irritating rants. But as a permanently continual reminder — my reviews aren’t tell you what to do…they’re just to introduce a book and if it piques your interest, GO FOR IT. I also flail like a wild mushroom over one of these books so, exciting.

Thanks to Hot Keys, Allen and Unwin, Bloomsbury, and Netgalley for the review-copies!

Also RANDOM but Society6 is having 25% off which is kind of freaking amazing!??! I have tons of designs up including writerly ones so you should 100% pre-reward yourself since NaNoWriMo is in 36 days.

Mug in the above photo is one of my designs!

OKAY I’M DONE. ONTO REVIEWS.

MY NAME IS VICTORIA BY LUCY WORSLEY

published June ||| ★★☆☆☆

Goodreads Buy Publisher

Despite being about cool alternate-histories and queens this really…didn’t work for me. I don’t mesh with period-dramas. I just dooooon’t. And when a book stars a self-confessed BORING and PLAIN and AVERAGE girl then when am I supposed to care?! I have more emotions about cereal. Because I can eat it.

It basically follows the story of eleven-year-old princess Victoria who gets a playmate, Miss V. Miss V has the personality of a spoon and literally nothing happens in this book except talking, tea, a few carriage rides, everyone being subtly awful. I’m enthralled. Also over half the book is when Miss V is eleven, although she finishes up at 18, but the tone was really really young.

However the alternate-reality twists were cool! No spoilers, but it was a mind-bending ending. Although I have 0% what was real and what was alternate?!? I assume marrying your cousin was the real part.

Why must humans be like this.

VERDICT: A good book for people who enjoy period dramas with not a lot of drama but very nicely placed grammatical periods.

THE AMATEURS #2: FOLLOW ME BY SARA SHEPHERD

published October ||| ★★☆☆☆

Goodreads Publisher Review of Book #1

It’s time for some MURDER, JOHN. This is the sequel to The Amateurs which I read last year and promptly forgot 100% of what it was about. But this has a very satisfying summary on page (THANK THE BOOK HEAVENS) so I could keep up. However I rated the first book 2 stars and this was also…no. I find them too predictable and the stakes weirdly low or maybe I’ve watched too much Sherlock.

I also feel weird when these teens are tracking a suPER BAD MURDERER but they’re also worried about romance and being friendzoned. You know what you’re going to get? GRAVEZONED IF YOU DON’T PAY ATTENTION.

SMOL LIST OF DISGRUNTLED THINGS:

there are so many characters and my brain maxes out at two people and this is why I’ve lost track of my family
there are FIVE NARRATORS in a freaking 270pg book
Madison and Aerin literally have no point to their chapters
two characters are named MADISON and MADDOX and if you think I don’t get freaking confused then you are wrong, sir
why are the police so incompetent in YA mysteries <— the true mystery
where are the parents
why doesn’t anyone eat
the book is 90% tell tell tell and I was so detached due to all these info-dump conversations instead of actually witnessing ACTION.

However I liked getting more of the psychopath’s POV because that was interesting. Yes, shh, I’m a fine and normal person. And I confess I’m VERY interested to know what the psychopath’s endgame is and if these teenagers will die in the next book because no one is very competent. So very hooky.

ROYCE ROLLS BY MARGARET STOHL

published May ||| ★☆☆☆☆

Goodreads Publisher Buy

I confess I’d rather eat a bucket than watch reality TV so this one didn’t work for me. (Might work for those who love reality TV though?!) And 100% thought the book was called ROLLS ROYCE because I am functional. #GoCait

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

It’s a satire. So, like, yes let’s make fun of reality TV…but I don’t understand satires. If you like reality TV wouldn’t you find this offensive??? And if you hate it WHY ARE YOU READING THE BOOK? (oh wait…me)
Didn’t really care about the characters. They’re also all named after cars. I couldn’t tell anyone apart.
The two starring characters are Bent and Bach. Oh look, Cait can’t tell characters apart. AGAIN.
They’re trying to get a S6 of their show. But what the heck did they put in the first 5 seasons?? These people don’t even do anything and none of them are remotely exciting. Just dramatic and OTT.
Too many italics. When the books written with so many little emphasises, it just gets a little irritating after a while.
So confused at the ending. I still…what.
It was very slow. To the point where the first 100pgs is just them waiting to see if their show is renewed.
And everyone was horrible. So maybe that was the point but I just fell out a window, goodbye.

BREAKING BY DANIELLE ROLLINS

published September ||| ★★☆☆☆

Goodreads Publisher Review of Book 1

This was just too flippant about suicide to be an enjoyable thriller. It’s a companion to Burning, but you can read it as a standalone. And it’s like…a baording school with a dash of SCI FI or PARANORMAL and who knows what else. It’s as surprise for us all.

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

Oh a rich kids prep school? All the girls are going to be HORRIBLE AND HATE EACH OTHER. Obviously.
The main character is so nice and unassuming. She calls herself boring I mean???? I obviously believe her and now am turned off?? WHY DO BOOKS DO THIS.
Probably because she is Elle Fanning. I mean, look at that cover.
The boarding school cliches were in abundance. We gotcha class full of random sociopaths and conspiracy theories and creepy teachers and THAT ONE SINGLE BOY EVERYONE LOVES and suicide for the “shock” and a dark woods were they all go get drunk.
Lots of heavy topics = all glazed over. I am very unhappy with how the suicide theme was handled. Suicide is a huge, scary and complex topic and this is YA for freaking sakes. Please don’t treat it so flippantly and for “shocks”.
Random animal cruelty.
Again, no one eats. Why. I mean the tagline is “what makes this girl a monster” and I’m here like LOW BLOOD SUGAR PROBABLY?????

However I DO approve that it was proud to be feminine! And there was competitive fencing. Like with swords and not, um, fences to keep cows in or whatever. And I think a lot of the reason I was bored is that I’ve read a LOT and this felt overdone to me. I’ll just eat a bark chip here and sulk.

THE THINGS WE PROMISE BY J.C. BURKE

published March ||| ★☆☆☆☆

Goodreads Publisher Buy

This was super problematic and depressing. I’m genuinely shocked/outraged at the storyline too??

I don’t think it was “unrealistic” but it used a lot of hugely bad tropes and I can’t SEE THE POINT OF THIS BOOK.

WHAT I’M FURIOUS ABOUT

The language is super offensive. It’s set in the ’90s so I get it…but when you even have the protagonist justifying her problematic language because “she likes it and doesn’t see why it’s a problem” THEN YOU HAVE A NO FROM ME. (Ex. derogatory use of words like “schizo” and a sheer ton of slanderous names against lgbtqia+ people.)
I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone on the lgbtqia+ spectrum. Which is ridiculous because it’s ABOUT that minority. It basically kills off, ends badly, or reduces every. single. lgbtqia+ character to a tragedy story. It’s about AIDS and while the deaths might not have been unrealistic, it is completely unnecessary to do this to 100% of a minority in your book. Seriously, if this book was about black people and everyone got shot in police violence, or about depression where every single mentally ill character committed suicide = IT WOULD NOT BE OKAY. It’s harmful and not appropriate.
This is basically a queer tragedy for straight people. The levels of wrong, wow.
Gemma cares about prom. Nothing else. I found it very hard not to stab her with a pincushion.
It was also very slow. Not a lot happened except tragedy for all the minorities.

Now I got bawled out on Goodreads for this review so again: I’m not saying “this stuff doesn’t happen”. I’m saying the way it was WRITTEN was harmful and problematic. I felt so depressed finishing it and I actually cared a lot about some of the secondary characters so I found the book hard to put down. But like??? I wish I’d not picked it up.

THE DEFINITIONS OF INDEFINABLE THINGS BY WHITNEY TAYLOR

published April ||| ★★★★★

Goodreads Buy

I’ve been so so depressing in this post so QUICK LOOK AT THIS BOOK THAT IS ABSOLUTELY UNFATHOMABLY AMAZING!!! This is one of my favourites of the year!!!! It’s about depression and it is like 10/10 accurate and respectful and bitter and funny and beautiful!

I think my heart just E X P L O D E D with good feelings for this book!!

It’s actually a really honestly brutal view of depression. Depression is different for everyone, but this was pretty relatable to me so that was special. It’s pretty gut-punching though because it deals with people who think depression is fake (“just be happier! you’ll feel better!”) and there’s no romanticised picnic here. But it’s also HOPEFUL and this is the kind of book we need, OK?? Also no “love cures all.” #Bless #This #Book

I adored both Snake and Reggie. They’re both bitter and pretentious and funny and sweet with hearts of gold underneath it. They are perfectly flawed???? And I love this??? There is a love triangle but it was so well done and AMAZING and I don’t even know myself anymore.

I totally didn’t expect to love this one so much. Pain. FEELS. Laugh-out-loud wit. It’s a really brittle and sometimes caustic view of depression and sometimes it’s a bit overly philosophical, but it was heckin’ special. I love this book OK go read it.

have you read any of these?!?! share thoughts!! i wish to discuss!! and do you like people on the covers of books??? also are you yay or nay to reality tv?

4th Sep 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 84 Comments (5)

Why You Should Read The Ink & Bone Series by Rachel Caine (Because Magical Libraries Ok??!)

It’s official! I have another favourite series!

All you really have to do is say BOOK LOVE and MAGIC in the same sentence and you got me. You got me so bad. And that’s exactly what the Great Library series by Rachel Caine is all about. Usually I do reviews of books I’m besotted with, but today I’m going to give you a list of reasons why you should be devouring these books at dawn. Or, like, in the afternoon. Or even at night. I’m not going to dictate your life. *

The are actually 5 books in the series and only the first 3 are out. So it’s a good time to pop into the magical alternate dystopian reality of the Alexandrian Library and HAVE YOU HEART SHREDDED.

I mean, haha, I mean…have lots of fun and enjoyment and light frolicsome fun.

Before I throw my glorious list at you, can check out my full Goodreads reviews for the books here:

* THIS IS WEIRD. THIS DOESN’T SEEM LIKE ME.

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS IN THIS POST!

Also thank you to Berkley Books for the review copy of Ash and Quill!

Yeah my thumb scares me too but like you are what you eat and I think I ate a spider and a nazgul.

Goodreads Buy Publisher

★★★★★

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…
Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.
Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.
When his friend inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn…

1. DID I MENTION MAGICAL LIBRARY YET? BECAUSE MAGICAL LIBRARY.

The whole series is set in an alternate reality (I think in the not-so-distant future) where the Alexandria Library WAS NEVER DESTROYED (!!!) but it is not also, unfortunately, evil. (!! Still excited about this don’t judge me !!) And it controls what people read and basically has kept the world stuck in an early 19th century vibe, because they’re scared of change and people having their own thoughts.

Wow.

It’s like this series knows what’s up.

Anyway. Basically we have a lot of Harry Potter vibes going on with blank books that get magically written in from Obscurists in towers and automaton monsters that are “technically” mechanical but also SUPER MAGICAL and types of wizards and teleportation and SO MANY THINGS.

2. JESS BRIGHTWELL IS LITERALLY THE BEST.

He’s from London and quite a disgruntled little beast who LOVES BOOKS TO DEATH. No literally. He’d die for books. #Relatable. Also his family runs a book smuggling business because it’s freaking illegal to own original books. You can only own “blanks” which the Library can control the content of magically.

But literally, Jess #1 cause for panic attacks is when he sees a book being abused. SAME THOUGH, MATE.

3. JESS’ FAMILY ARE ALSO GREAT BECAUSE THEYR’E SO SO SO BAD.

No really, his dad like totally sells him out, left his older brother to hang for being caught smuggling books, and sends Jess as a spy to study at the library — WHERE HE WOULD DIE BRUTALLY IF HE WAS CAUGHT.

Actual Example of Jess’ Family FUN:

Jess: The Brightwell family is always there for each other.
Jess: We don’t always get along but we are FAMILY.
Jess: *DYING FOR SOME REASON*
Father: son we need to talk about you being a drain on the family resources
Jess: *LITERALLY DYING*
Father: I can help out but at what cost to me

Jess also has a super shady shifty Slytherin twin named, Brendan. Whom I love. Plus Brendan’s character development and plot twists are AMAZING. I honestly live for the unexpected secondary characters.

4. AND LOOK, SINCE I ALREADY BROUGHT UP HOGWARTS, EVERYONE HERE IS BASICALLY SLYTHERIN. OR RAVENCLAW.

It’s great! I am all for mixing Slytherin and Ravenclaws together because they’re very intelligent and fight all the time.

MY HOGWARTS HOUSE ANALYSIS FOR THE CHARACTERS:

Jess: Slytherin x Ravenclaw
Brendan: so slytherin he is literally a reptile
Khalila: ravenclaw
Dario: slytherin
Thomas: ravenclaw
Gwain: gryffindor
Wolffe: slytherin
Santi: hufflepuff, bless him
Morgan: slytherin

5. IT’S ALSO SUPER DIVERSE AND THIS IS SO PLEASING.

Because the whole premise is a bunch of teens coming to do the super super hard tests to get into working in the Great Library — they’ve come from ALL OVER THE WORLD. We have many ethnicity and sexuality diversity as well as a LOT of mental health rep which is so well done! One of the main characters is Muslim. One of the featuring couples is m/m. People take pride in their culture, dress, and food and this all leads me over tooooooooo…

6. IT’S MOSTLY SET IN EGYPT!!

I love this!! Though throughout the series they do travel around, in the first 3 books I’d say about 70% of it takes place in Egypt surrounding the Great Library of Alexandria. So we have like culture and climate and food AND MAGIC. #Am #A #Fan.

They do go to America at one point and America is like a wasteland. I’m giggling, it’s ok, my Australian self and I will take our humour elsewhere.

7. I’VE ALSO READ INK & BONE TWICE SO, LIKE, THAT’S SAYING SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.

I actually read the first book for the 2nd time on audio! Which amused me no end as they all sit there waxing poetic about how BOOKS ARE NOT BOOKS UNLESS THEY ARE REAL AND PHYSICAL and I’m…listening to the audiobook.

OH THE IRONIES.

But the audio narration was fantastic. The narrator was amazingly British and yes I am shallow enough to admit I love an audiobook 100 x more if there are British accents.

8. THERE ARE NO “SEQUEL BLUES” BECAUSE THE WRITING IS TOP QUALITY THE WHOLE TIME.

I’m genuinely allergic to sequels (dude, it took me 2 years to read Paper And Fire here) because they so often TASTE LIKE DEAD CHEESE ON THE BACK OF A GOAT. But no sequel blues here! The pace and plot are all exciting and well paced. I never feel like I’m “waiting for the real plot to start” because the stakes are sooooo high and the plot sooo twisty the whole time. Plus the character development never ceases to make my heart beat faster.

I’m like a pretzel of anticipation for each chapter!

9. FEELS? WE GOTCHA FEELS. WE’RE GOING TO BREAK YOUR FEELS.

I swear Ash and Quill particularly RUINED ME and if you want cliffhangers: this book has got ’em. It’s been a few weeks since I finished book #3 and I’m stilllllll not over it!!! These characters aren’t coddled! They get SLAMMED with the brutality, cruelty and all-crushing displays of power at every opportunity.

And like when I say EVIL LIBRARY, I mean it. The things they do to “rebels”….

I very much want to rescue these poor precious cinnamon children and kidnap them to safety. And by “precious cinnamon children” I 500% mean Wolfe and Santi who are probably in their 30s (since they’re like the mentor figures to the teens) AND I DON’T EVEN CARE. THEY’RE THE MOST PURE THINGS WE’VE EVER MET. THEY DESERVE HAPPINESS, TO BE TOGETHER FOREVER, AND THE AUTHOR TO STOP TORTURING THEM FOR GOODNESS SAKES.

ALSO THERE IS

stabbing
gunshots
poisonous snakes
magical ripping-you-apart-and-putting-you-back-together
starvation
prisons
explosions
mass burnings
heartbreak
your hopes and dreams on the floor at your feet

10. LASTLY, I WILL ADMIT THE BOOKS ARE JUST SO FREAKING GORGEOUS.

The colours absolutely POP and I will not apologise for how often they feature on my instagram feed. And I love how the hardcovers look like actual old books?!? Plus did I just mention THE COLOURS.

AHHHHHH.

My actual favourite covers of ever.

Now excuse me but why isn’t it 2018 yet because I need the 4th book LIKE I NEED AIR.

have you read this series yet?! (BECAUSE WHY NOT) and do you have a book you love that’s filled with book-appreciation? also, would you work in library like this knowing they respect/love books but also control knowledge?? or would you be a rebel from the start?

19th Jun 2017 by CG @ Paper Fury 41 Comments (1)

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare // SO GOOD I LOST MY MIND

All I can say is that Lord Of Shadows was so so so so so so so so so so so so EXCELLENT.

And if you thought this review was going to start off with a coherent and emotionally charged sentence of passionate and triumph…hahaha. You’re adorable. LET’S JUST SAY I AM SHADOWHUNTER TRASH AND AM REDUCED TO A WILD MESS EVERY TIME I READ ONE OF THESE PERFECT BOOKS.

I AM CURRENTLY A BROKEN PIECE OF RUIN. I JUST LOVE IT THAT MUCH.

IT WAS SO GOOD.

NOTE #1: This is the sequel to Lady Midnight! There will be mild spoilers for the first book in this review. But NO spoilers for Lord of Shadows! (Or they’ll be hidden by tags anyway.)

Note #2: If you haven’t read The Mortal Instruments…can you read Lady Midnight? Why yes…yes you can. I think it’s better to have read both The Mortal Instruments and the Infernal Devices first, however, because there are small spoilers in Lady Midnight for them. But as an introduction to the Shadowhunter world — it can work on its own!

+ I AM ABSOLUTELY DYING. IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD.

It’s been like 4 days since I read it and I’m still obsessing about it. I’m basically an ANXIOUS WRECK because the story has so captivated me and ajfsdkaldajkd. I’m in that level of love for it. THAT LEVEL. I think all the Shadowhunter books are perfection, but Lady Midnight took it up a notch with the most beautiful Blackthorn family, faeries, mental health acutely accurate disability representation. It’s extraordinarily crafted, with plots tying in from older stories and everything stitching so seamlessly together I can only SHRIEK. And suspect Cassandra Clare is a warlock of great power. The humour! The sass! The beautiful sensory description! The complex and detailed characters! I JUST MELTED MY MIND EXCUSE ME.

+ As far as sequels goes? Lord of Shadows was perfect.

No second book blues here!! Except for, well, (a) the cover is blue, and (b) I’m kind of blue in the face from being so excited over it and falling over. I will admit it slowed down around the 70% mark, but when I’m so in love with the characters, I really don’t care if all they’re doing is eating toast in a cottage and sassing each other. I will take the lowkey scenes as eagerly as the action.

+ Plot? OBVIOUSLY I LOVED IT.

I swear it’s pure WIZARDRY how a small thing from the TMI series will mean something BIG here. And how this plot fits perfectly with that series and etc. etc. IT’S INCREDIBLE. THE SHADOWHUNTER WORLD IS SO INTENSELY COMPLICATED AND INTRICATELY DESIGNED. The foreshadowing (har har get it??? SHADOWS) makes my heart beat faster.
I also 500% admit my favourite thing about The Dark Artifices is how it’s very faerie-centric. I love how deliciously evil and terrifying the faeries are. THEY ARE THE BEST. Also the description for their culture and lands is marvellously gorgeous. A sky full of jewels? Like sure, just let my heart gallop out of my chest for appreciation for the description. I probably shouldn’t love the evil faeries so much but…hi.

+ Okay so let’s talk about the characters?!? WHAT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

I’m just gonna flail. For 900000 years. These are some of my all time favourite characters of ANY book.

JULIAN: he is so so Slytherin in this book it’s kind of scary and I love it. <3 <3 <3
EMMA: I think she has some secret badass magic powers that no one knows about yet?!? I suspect. And I actually appreciated how the book wasn’t JUST focused on Julian/Emma so much this time too. Also: Emma’s sass and sarcasm levels GIVE ME LIFE.
MARK: MARK IS MY PRECIOUS AND MY FAVOURITE AND MARK MARK MARK HE IS THE REASON I LOVE THIS SERIES SO MUCH MY ULTIMATE FAVOURITE CHARACTER OF ALL NO I WILL NOT USE PUNCTUATION I WILL JUST SHOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE MARK. Although I aggressively ship him and Kieran. Just saying. (AND STILL NOT EVEN SLIGHTLY EXAGGERATING HOW MUCH I LOVE MARK.)
KIERAN: Who is a Slytherin also and I love him and I know he’s such a vicious faerie…but he’s still precious. Don’t fight me on this. And I love how his hair changes colours. Such beautiful hair.
CRISTINA: I always will like Cristina, who is a sweet and kind cotton fluff. But she’s really really…good. And I prefer characters who frolic in the dark side. Plus she’s interrupting my Mark x Kieran ship so I’m a peeved at her.
KIT HERONDALE: OKAY MR. CHRISTOPHER HERONDALE IS MY THE BEST. He is such a mini-Jace! He’s also a huge thief, adorable, hugely sarcastic, will fight if needed, and is super sweet and supportive of Ty without question. The fact that his first reaction to Ty’s autism is “okay how can I support you” makes me want to cry. <3 <3
Ty: The fact that there is an Autistic Shadowhunter who is not only accurately represented, but really beautifully and thoughtfully written — I JUST CAN’T STOP BEING SO HAPPY ABOUT IT. I’m also glad Ty (and Livvy) had more room to actually be badass Shadowhunters. Julian totally smothers them, but he is their brother and they are his babies. C’mon though. LET THE BABIES FIGHT. (Clary and Jace were 15 when they broke the world…oh wait. Maybe this is why you don’t let the babies out…)
LIVVY: She isn’t such a big character, but her love and protection of her twin is gorgeous and wonderful. I still don’t really know her personality though.
DRU & TAVVY: They’re kind of like the Blackthorn babies no one talks about. Dru unfortunately feels like a spare wheel most of the time. I hope she gets more of a plot soon?
MAGNUS BANE: is here in a burst of glitter and narcissism and I love him. Also YES we get to see more of Alec and the kids! I also quite severely suspect that their blue adopted warlock child is actually the lost baby of Lazlo Strange. Excuse me.
ZARA: I wish to would fall off a cliff.
PERFECT DIEGO: He can join Zara on the cliff.
ANNABEL BLACKTHORN: Is terrifying, dead, and therefore excellent. I have a soft spot for the dead ones. She has such severe PTSD and I kind of hate her but also think she needs to be understood.
UNCLE ARTHUR: My feelings of caring are basically 0%.
DIANA: I LOVED finding out Diana’s backstory! Although lowkey think her romance with Gwyn was kind of boring/distracting from MY PRECIOUS BLACKTHORN BOYS.

+ And I will always cheer appreciatively for the Autism rep!!

It is not only thoughtful and complex, it is so so accurate. Ty is so precious and I just love how carefully Cassandra Clare weaves in how different his brain is wired and his habits and tics, with the Shadowhunter world and magic. It’s perfect. I live for the day when all fantasy books have careful and loving disability rep, because we are in sore need.

+ So so much shipping is to be done.

Obviously Julian x Emma are an incredible ship of angst. Although I appreciate how the angst levels didn’t swallow the book. I hate hate hate the love triangle with Mark x Kieran x Cristina. Mostly because I FREAKING LOVE MARK X KIEREN and Cristina is boring. Plus I also think Cristina only likes Mark because he’s a fearie and she’s obsessed with faeries?!? So that’s not fair. Ty x Kit will make a super cute ship someday. But otherwise I ship Kit and cookies.

+ DIVERSITY IS A+.

We’ve touched on this already but I just looove the diversity. With featuring POC and queer romances, plus adding in mental health and disabilities in characters, and different cultures, including heavily featured Spanish characters.

+ Cliffhanger?? Haha…you didn’t want…to be calm…ever again…did you.

JFAKDLFAJDSKLJ AKLFSJDAKL JFKDASL THE CLIFFHANGER AJDKFLASDJFAKLDJ.
WHY ARE WE NOT GETTING THE 3RD BOOK FOR 2 YEARS WHAT IS THIS MADNESS. WHATEVER DID WE DO TO DESERVE THIS.

+ SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING:

So obviously DO NOT open these tags unless you want to see major spoilers. You’ve been warned, you grape.

SPOILERS!!!

Unfortunately I was spoiled and heard there was a “big death”. I hoped it was going to be Emma. HA. I’m sorry! I just think that would’ve made book 3 super interesting. However, it was Livvy and like I’m sad about it, but she did feel like a dispensable character. (Sorry. #heartless #vulcan #here) I’m reaaally scared this is going to destroy Ty in the next book.

Also I 100% predict that Julian is going to use the Book of the Dead to raise Livvy from the dead. AND HE’LL DESTROY THE WORLD FOR IT. AFJDKSLAFD JULIAN NO. But he is such a Slytherin and will literally drug his uncle, outwit the clave, and do anything for his siblings. Would he kill for them? I PrEDICT.

Also freaking out with worry over Magnus?!? WHY IS HE SICK.

I’m so so so destroyed over that ending though ghahghhghghgh. It was such a cliffhanger. I hope Perfect Diego hasn’t kidnapped Kieran to kill him. I hope hope hope Mark is ok. I hope hope hope hope THIS SERIES ENDS RIGHT. YOU WOULDN’T BELIEVE HOW DISTRAUGHT I AM. I LITERALLY DID NOT SLEEP ALL NIGHT BECAUSE I WAS OBSESSING OVER IT. I will be beside myself if my Mark x Kieran ship doesn’t sail, too.

Also ugh, why am I so invested. I actually don’t like being so into a series. I DON’T LIKE ALL THESE EMOTIONS THEY CAUSE ME SO MUCH PAIN. I CAN’T TURN OFF. WHY DO WE HAVE TO WAIT TILL 2019??????????????

+ Perfect book is perfect.

There is no other word for it.

Help.

I am so wildly in love with this series.

THANK YOU TO SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare was published May, 2017.

★★★★★

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?
Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.
When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

Goodreads Publisher Buy Buy

\\ click to read reviews //

are you into the Shadowhunter books???! PLEASE FLAIL WITH ME IF YOU ARE. which is your favourite series? character? ship?? is anyone else screaming after finishing Lord of Shadows? did you prefer book 1 or 2 in The Dark Artifices?!?

Bright We Burn was brutal and bloody and so perfectly and epically satisfying.

Also this review has NO SPOILERS!

THANK YOU TO PENGUIN AUSTRALIA FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Bright We Burn (And I Darken #3) by Keirsten White was published July 2018!

tell me a series finale that totally met your expectations and was completely satisfying?! and have you read the And I Darken series?? what did you think? do you like Lada or Radu better?!

Do you know what is an absolutely magical delicious delight? LEGENDARY.

Also BEHOLD THIS ARC. Which literally has my name on it, from the fantastic people at Date A Book.

THANK YOU HACHETTE AUSTRALIA FOR THE ARC! Legendary (Caraval #2) by Stephanie Graber came out May 2018.

is there a series where you liked the second book MORE than the first?! and have you read Caraval or Legendary??? thoughts?? (also which edition covers do you like better?! they’re both SO pretty omg)

Everything about To Kill a Kingdom was a salty swashbuckling GLORY and I loved it!

(Also I get to raise my hand with the smallest claim to fame that I used to be a beta-reader for Allie’s older works, back when she was a book blogger too! So I already knew I’d freaking love this and her writing is just a pure joy to read ahhh!)

Thank you Hot Key Books for the review-copy! To Kill A Kingdom by Alexandra Christo was published May 2018!

what’s a fairy tale retelling you’d like to see a super-dark-version of in YA!?? do you like pirate stories? and is this one on your TBR? (because it should be!)

Pacifica is pretty much the best pirate and dystopian book I’ve read!

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

Pacifica is a pirate dystopian tale of trash and beauty and friendship and it will absolutely take over your heart. The characters are precious and the storyline is enthralling. A+ FOR IT ALL. I LOVE IT.

THANK YOU TO TOR TEEN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Pacifica by Kristen Simmons was published 6th of March 2018.

★★★★★

have you ever picked up a book and realised it wasn’t the genre you thought it was?? and do you like pirates? are you reading Pacifica? (yOU SHOULD)

I can’t get over how freaking bloodily fantastic The Cruel Prince is!!

If you haven’t read this one, GET THEE ONTO IT.

THANK YOU TO ALLEN & UNWIN FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black was published January 2018.

\\ click to read reviews //

do you like faerie books?! (any favourites or recommendations for me?!) have you read The Cruel Prince yet?! what’s your favourite Holly Black book?

Since I’m a complete and utterly John Green fan, it’s going to surprise ABSOLUTELY NO ONE that I loved his new book.

Also I usually only review books I’ve been sent from publishers on the blog but NOT TODAY, FIENDS. My own dragon coins fed this review.

Also about the title…no it’s NOT ABOUT TURTLES. But The Fault In Our Stars isn’t about a Roman dude talking about Julius Caesar, okay?!?? I don’t understand why everyone’s complaining! The brand is on point!

So I’m forever a John Green fan.

so have you read Turtles yet!?? which is your favourite John Green book?? and have you read a really really good mental health health book lately?!??

So here is a piece of startling news: Maggie Stiefvater is my absolutely favourite author.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THANK YOU TO SCHOLASTIC FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. All The Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater is published October 2017.

do you have a favourite Stiefvater novel!?? (and if you haven’t read any THEN I HAVE FAILED YOU??? HOW MUCH MORE SHOUTING DO I NEED TO DO HERE) and do you like magical realism? and tell me of an author’s work you love forever and ever???

‘Tis the season of mini reviews!

Also RANDOM but Society6 is having 25% off which is kind of freaking amazing!??! I have tons of designs up including writerly ones so you should 100% pre-reward yourself since NaNoWriMo is in 36 days.

MY NAME IS VICTORIA BY LUCY WORSLEY

THE AMATEURS #2: FOLLOW ME BY SARA SHEPHERD

SMOL LIST OF DISGRUNTLED THINGS:

ROYCE ROLLS BY MARGARET STOHL

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

BREAKING BY DANIELLE ROLLINS

WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME:

THE THINGS WE PROMISE BY J.C. BURKE

WHAT I’M FURIOUS ABOUT

THE DEFINITIONS OF INDEFINABLE THINGS BY WHITNEY TAYLOR

have you read any of these?!?! share thoughts!! i wish to discuss!! and do you like people on the covers of books??? also are you yay or nay to reality tv?

It’s official! I have another favourite series!

* THIS IS WEIRD. THIS DOESN’T SEEM LIKE ME.

NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS IN THIS POST!

Also thank you to Berkley Books for the review copy of Ash and Quill!

1. DID I MENTION MAGICAL LIBRARY YET? BECAUSE MAGICAL LIBRARY.

2. JESS BRIGHTWELL IS LITERALLY THE BEST.

3. JESS’ FAMILY ARE ALSO GREAT BECAUSE THEYR’E SO SO SO BAD.

Actual Example of Jess’ Family FUN:

4. AND LOOK, SINCE I ALREADY BROUGHT UP HOGWARTS, EVERYONE HERE IS BASICALLY SLYTHERIN. OR RAVENCLAW.

MY HOGWARTS HOUSE ANALYSIS FOR THE CHARACTERS:

5. IT’S ALSO SUPER DIVERSE AND THIS IS SO PLEASING.

6. IT’S MOSTLY SET IN EGYPT!!

7. I’VE ALSO READ INK & BONE TWICE SO, LIKE, THAT’S SAYING SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.

8. THERE ARE NO “SEQUEL BLUES” BECAUSE THE WRITING IS TOP QUALITY THE WHOLE TIME.

9. FEELS? WE GOTCHA FEELS. WE’RE GOING TO BREAK YOUR FEELS.

ALSO THERE IS

10. LASTLY, I WILL ADMIT THE BOOKS ARE JUST SO FREAKING GORGEOUS.

have you read this series yet?! (BECAUSE WHY NOT) and do you have a book you love that’s filled with book-appreciation? also, would you work in library like this knowing they respect/love books but also control knowledge?? or would you be a rebel from the start?

All I can say is that Lord Of Shadows was so so so so so so so so so so so so EXCELLENT.

NOTE #1: This is the sequel to Lady Midnight! There will be mild spoilers for the first book in this review. But NO spoilers for Lord of Shadows! (Or they’ll be hidden by tags anyway.)

+ I AM ABSOLUTELY DYING. IT WAS JUST THAT GOOD.

+ As far as sequels goes? Lord of Shadows was perfect.

+ Plot? OBVIOUSLY I LOVED IT.

+ Okay so let’s talk about the characters?!? WHAT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

+ And I will always cheer appreciatively for the Autism rep!!

+ So so much shipping is to be done.

+ DIVERSITY IS A+.

+ Cliffhanger?? Haha…you didn’t want…to be calm…ever again…did you.

+ SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING:

+ Perfect book is perfect.

THANK YOU TO SIMON & SCHUSTER FOR THE REVIEW-COPY. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare was published May, 2017.

\\ click to read reviews //

are you into the Shadowhunter books???! PLEASE FLAIL WITH ME IF YOU ARE. which is your favourite series? character? ship?? is anyone else screaming after finishing Lord of Shadows? did you prefer book 1 or 2 in The Dark Artifices?!?

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**Also BEHOLD THIS ARC. Which literally has my name on it, from the fantastic people at Date A Book.**