Category: YA High Fantasy

(YA Review) The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

Kelsey BoganLeave a comment

Screen Shot 2015-11-17 at 10.25.12 AMThe Storyspinner
Author: Becky Wallace
Published: March 3, 2015
Genre: Fantasy, YA, Romance
Rating: 3.75
Why’d I read it?:
According to the synopsis, this book has all of the elements I like; fantasy, action, multiple perspectives, with a dash of romance.
Wallace, Becky. The Storyspinner. Margaret K. McElderry. 2015. Print.

Synopsis: (from goodreads)

Drama and danger abound in this fantasy realm where dukes play a game for the throne, magical warriors race to find the missing heir, and romance blossoms where it is least expected.

In a world where dukes plot their way to the throne, a Performer’s life can get tricky. And in Johanna Von Arlo’s case, it can be fatal. Expelled from her troupe after her father’s death, Johanna is forced to work for the handsome Lord Rafael DeSilva. Too bad they don’t get along. But while Johanna’s father’s death was deemed an accident, the Keepers aren’t so sure.

The Keepers, a race of people with magical abilities, are on a quest to find the princess—the same princess who is supposed to be dead and whose throne the dukes are fighting over. But they aren’t the only ones looking for her. And in the wake of their search, murdered girls keep turning up—girls who look exactly like the princess, and exactly like Johanna.

With dukes, Keepers, and a killer all after the princess, Johanna finds herself caught up in political machinations for the throne, threats on her life, and an unexpected romance that could change everything

My Thoughts:

I chose this book because it sounded like it would have all of the elements I enjoy in a book; fantasy, action, multiple perspectives, romance, etc. And it did. For some reason I just never quite clicked with the story the way I usually do, but I have to be fair and say that at the time I was reading this I had a lot of family and personal troubles occurring as well, and I’m afraid it significantly affected my state of mind while reading the book. It’s highly possible that at another time I would have clicked with this story more, because as I said, it truly has all the elements I enjoy in a book.

Nevertheless the premise of the story is quite original, and I LOVE the beginning(ish) scene. The way the two main characters meet is hysterical, and is quite unlike the usual way. It really demonstrates major aspects of both of their personalities, as well. Its a great “meet cute.” The cast of characters gets pretty extensive, and basically the story follows two different groups of people. Throughout the story its unclear right away how the two groups’ stories will intersect, but eventually that becomes more clear. So overall I’d say that if you enjoy fantasy stories such as this, you may want to give The Storyspinner a try.

 

Extras:

 

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
You might also enjoy:

(YA Review) An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

Kelsey Bogan3 Comments

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Tahir, Sabaa. An Ember in the Ashes: A Novel. , 2015. Print. ISBN-13: 9781595148032.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Hardcover $12.07. Kindle #10.99

Author: Sabaa Tahir
Published: April 28, 2015
Genre: YA High Fantasy
Themes: survival, politics, love, friendship, slavery, civil rights, freedom, overcoming expectations
Rating: 4 (or, very flipping good!)
Why’d I read it?: This books has received wonderful press and reviews and came highly recommended.

Synopsis: (from amazon)

Laia is a slave. Elias is a soldier. Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

http://www.worldcat.org/title/ember-in-the-ashes-a-novel/oclc/881094189&referer=brief_results

My Thoughts:

A wonderfully creative and fully realized fantasy world, with a range of characters who each have their own personal struggle to overcome within the broader overall problems of the society they live in. An Ember in the Ashes gets a lot of points for creative and unique world-building. The world these characters live in is complex and dark, and has issues that feel very “human” and real, which really causes the reader to be pulled in. I enjoyed that even though the author was obviously influenced from other familiar stories, the world she creates is unique and I didn’t feel that I had ever read another book quite like it. I very much enjoyed, also, that the book is told from alternating perspectives of a male and a female main character. Both of these characters had not only vastly different backgrounds, but their current stations in life vary greatly, as do their futures appear too. In other words, these characters are not on the same journey together, rather they are each on their own separate journeys, and just happen to have their paths cross a couple of times. We are used to getting two characters thrown together on the same journey in other books, and its easy to see why such characters would bond and relate. But Tahir takes a different approach and really keeps these two character’s personal journeys separate from each other, which makes their ability to meet and bond, and feel sympathy for each other even more touching because of how difficult it is for two such different people to relate. I really loved how different this author’s approach was to the character and relationship developments in this book. The characters are very well developed and do show growth and maturity throughout the book which feels believable. They are flawed and imperfect, as well which makes them infinitely more interesting to read about. This book started slow for me but by the middle I was hooked and the end has me eagerly waiting to see what happens next!

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the series is A Torch Against the Night, TBR April, 2016.

You might also like:

Extras:

  • The AEITA website includes character bios and other extras about the book and the world!
  • Here is the NYTimes Review of AEITA

About the Author:
Find Sabaa Tahir online on:

(YA Review) Stolen Songbird by Danielle Jensen

Kelsey Bogan13 Comments

Screen Shot 2015-09-28 at 5.52.17 PMStolen Songbird
Author:  Danielle Jensen
Published: April 1, 2014
Genre: YA High Fantasy w. Romance
Themes: love, duty, sacrifice, deception, political intrigue, magical curse
Rating: 5 stars (or, I totally love it!)
Why’d I read it?: it?:
I saw this on amazon and I loved the whole concept of it so I had to read it.

Jensen, Danielle L. Stolen Songbird. , 2014. Print. ISBN-13: 9781908844965.
Formats available: paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $9.18. Kindle #6.29.

Synopsis: (from amazon)
For five centuries, a witch’s curse has bound the trolls to their city beneath the ruins of Forsaken Mountain. Time enough for their dark and nefarious magic to fade from human memory and into myth. But a prophesy has been spoken of a union with the power to set the trolls free, and when Cécile de Troyes is kidnapped and taken beneath the mountain, she learns there is far more to the myth of the trolls than she could have imagined.

Cécile has only one thing on her mind after she is brought to Trollus: escape. Only the trolls are clever, fast, and inhumanly strong. She will have to bide her time, wait for the perfect opportunity.

But something unexpected happens while she’s waiting – she begins to fall for the enigmatic troll prince to whom she has been bonded and married. She begins to make friends. And she begins to see that she may be the only hope for the half-bloods – part troll, part human creatures who are slaves to the full-blooded trolls. There is a rebellion brewing. And her prince, Tristan, the future king, is its secret leader.

As Cécile becomes involved in the intricate political games of Trollus, she becomes more than a farmer’s daughter. She becomes a princess, the hope of a people, and a witch with magic powerful enough to change Trollus forever.

My Thoughts:
I adored this book, and quickly read the sequel Hidden Huntress as well. This book has it all, a unique and well-developed cast of characters, romantic tension, political intrique, and high-stakes fantasy elements. And a centuries old witches curse as well! Gotta love it. And oh I so did.

The first thing that attracted me was that the main mythological figures are Trolls! It’s a great change of pace from the more typical vampire/werewolf/fae creatures we’ve been seeing a lot of. Don’t get me wrong, I adore all of those as well, but when I saw the chance to read about a new type of creature I was intrigued. Plus amazon.com and goodreads.com are full of fantastic reviews for the book, so I gave it a try. So. Glad. I. did.

You teens (and myself) are so flipping lucky to live in the time you do, because you have so many excellent fantasy books at your disposal! I didn’t have these kind of excellent options as a YA. In fact, this weekend I re-read a couple books from a series that was one of my favorites when I was a YA (Daughters of the Moon by Lynne Ewing) and was so disappointed! I cannot believe how much lower quality some of the books were when I was a YA compared to what’s out there now! Lucky Lucky!

First thing I loved about this book? Duel perspectives. If you’ve read my blog at all by now you know I love me some dual perspectives in my books. I like reading from the perspective of multiple characters. I just don’t feel we get the same kind of character development when we only read from one characters perspective. In this one we get to read from both Cecile and Prince Tristan, which I adore. It also means we get to “see” both of them struggling with their growing admiration and attraction to each other. Which I love!

Second thing I loved about the book? Its full of political machinations and intrigue in the Troll Kingdom. One of the main reasons I read fantasy is for the political maneuverings, I love getting to see how these fantasy courts work as everyone lies and backstabs each other for more power. You never quite know who is telling the truth, and the suspense just drives me (happily) mad! Stolen Songbird has that.

Additionaly the pacing was excellent, the characters are diverse and very well developed, the world-building is sound and well done. Everything combined to create a really gripping and wonderful story that had me scrabbling to read the next book in the series. I adored Cecile and Tristan as well as their friends and even enemies!

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the series is A Hidden Huntress

You might also like:

About the Author:

You can find Danielle Jensen online on:

(Review-Ya) Dark Triumph by Robin Lafevers

Kelsey BoganLeave a comment

Dark Triumph by Robin Lafevers

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LaFevers, Robin. Dark Triumph. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2013. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0544227200.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $9.25. Kindle $7.49.

Synopsis: (from amazon.com)

Sybella’s duty as Death’s assassin in 15th-century France forces her return home to the personal hell that she had finally escaped. Love and romance, history and magic, vengeance and salvation converge in this thrilling sequel to Grave Mercy.
Sybella arrives at the convent’s doorstep half mad with grief and despair. Those that serve Death are only too happy to offer her refuge—but at a price. The convent views Sybella, naturally skilled in the arts of both death and seduction, as one of their most dangerous weapons. But those assassin’s skills are little comfort when the convent returns her to a life that nearly drove her mad. And while Sybella is a weapon of justice wrought by the god of Death himself, He must give her a reason to live. When she discovers an unexpected ally imprisoned in the dungeons, will a daughter of Death find something other than vengeance to live for?

My Thoughts:
This sequel to Grave Mercy picks up where it’s predecessor left off, this time chronicling the adventures of Sybil, the wild and erratic member of the Assassin’s trio. This book is quite a bit darker than Grave Mercy and deals with heavier themes of violence. There is also quite a bit less time spent on the romance, although there is a bit of romance for Sybil as well. I enjoyed this book, as part of the series, but were it only a standalone it would not fare well. A lot of the background knowledge is assumed, and if you have not read Grave Mercy you may be confused or miss out on some aspects of this story. It is a strong enough sequel to keep the momentum going, and its satisfying to have some of the mystery surrounding Sybil and her family explained. We also get to see the villain much more fully developed in this book, and it gets easier and easier to hate him the more you learn. Poor Sybil faces more challenges and abuse than either of her friends, and as a reader I couldn’t wait to get to the end to see if she would come out victorious. Fans of Grave Mercy will be glad to see snippets of what Ismae is up to, in this sequel, though the story focuses mainly on Sybil.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next two books in the His Fair Assassin series are Grave Mercy and Mortal Heart

You might also like:

The Kiss of Deception (Remnant Series) by Mary Pearson
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Extras:

About the Author: 

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.

(Review-YA) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Kelsey Bogan6 Comments

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

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Maas, Sarah J. A Court of Thorns and Roses. , 2015. Print. ISBN-13: 978-1619634442.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $7.12. Kindle $8.57.

Synopsis:
Feyre is the sole caretaker for her family, and while trying to hunt to save her starving family, she kills a wolf. She was sure he wasn’t Fae (not that she’d mind killing a Fae), but she was wrong. Now a Fae Lord has come to claim vengeance for his slain friend. The Fae Lord offers her a deal, however, a form of mercy. He will abstain from killing Feyre if she agrees to return to his castle in a neighboring magical land, never to return to her family or home again. Soon Feyre learns more about her world and her host, and finds that nothing is as it appears. And she might have the chance for a real family, and true love. But ancient enemies and evil magic are affecting this magical realm, and threatening all those within it. Feyre will need to find a way to stop it, or else lose everything.

My Thoughts:
This is mother excellent contribution by Sarah J. Maas, author of the beloved and popular Throne of Glass series (see my review here). This is a beautiful, heart-pounding fairy-tale retelling, with enough twists to keep it original and unpredictable. The characters are well drawn, and the world is fully developed. Even though I knew which fairy tale it was based on, I still didn’t see quite a bit of the story coming! It is definitely a darker re-telling, but an instant favorite for me. I enjoyed the author’s ideas for the Fae mythologies, and how their powers and world are described. I also really liked how the mortal world and the Fae world are neighbors, so we get a sense of whatever happens in the Fae realm spilling over to affect Feyre’s world, too. It has a sweet love story, but the conclusion is a bit open-ended so that we are not sure what direction, exactly, the next book in the series will take. This is the first in what is sure to be another wildly popular series from Sarah J. Maas. I cannot wait for the next installment, which is as yet untitled.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it? 

Check out my Top Ten Fairytale re-telling recommendations

See my recommendation for Throne of Glass

This is the first in a projected series, so there will be more to come!

Extras:

  • Locate ACOTR at your local library through worldcat.com
  • Find recommendations from others who enjoyed ACOTR on goodreads.com
  • The first chapter is available to read free at teenvogue.com

About the Author:
Sarah J. Maas is the bestselling author of The Throne of Glass Series.

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.

(Review-Ya) Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers

Kelsey Bogan6 Comments

Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers

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LaFevers, Robin. Grave Mercy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2012. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0544022492.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $9.26. Kindle $7.49.

Synopsis: 
Ismae escapes a brutal arranged marriage and is shepherded to the convent of St. Mortain, the saint (or god) of Death. Here she learns that she is a “daughter of Mortain” and has gifts that make her fated to be an assassin, to deliver Death’s will on earth. After training at the convent, Ismae is finally given her first real assignment, something she has been eager for, for some time. Ismae is sent to court with the instructions to get close to, and kill, a man who the convent believes is a traitor to the Duchess. But, once away from the convent, Ismae doesn’t see treachery from this man, only loyalty and honor, and a driving desire to keep the Duchess safe, himself. Ismae finds herself in jeopardy of giving this man her heart, and betraying everything she’s worked for or believed in by disobeying the convent, and Death himself.

My Thoughts:
I was recommended to this book, and I later found it for free on Kindle Unlimited, so I figured I’d give it a try. I am so glad I did, because I adored it, and quickly read the next two books in the trilogy as well. This is one part historical fiction, one part fantasy, with a couple drops of romance. Set in a fictional representation of historical Brittany (France), the setting of these books is a bit different than the more traditional English or Paris courts, making a nice change. One of the things I liked best was that the author calls the main characters Assassins, and doesn’t shy away from actually having them assassinate people. A lot of the time we have these supposedly killer female main characters, but then during the course of the books they never kill anyone, unless its in self-defense. Well these books are different because these young women really do assonate people, and they are even eager to do so. It’s not that the main character is blood thirsty, but she believes that this is her calling, bestowed upon her by Saint Mortain, the god of Death, himself. The other thing I enjoyed is the world building of both life at the convent, and life at the court of the very young Duchess of Brittany. Both are given attention, making the side characters in both places quite well developed and fully realized. Threads of the stories of Ismae’s two friends are also interwoven subtly into this book, making sure that the reader looks forward to the books to follow. Another aspect I enjoyed is that although this is the first book in a trilogy, it is also a stand alone book. Ismae’s story is basically completely wrapped up in this book, and her friend Sybil’s story starts in the second book. I enjoy when the books of a series take place in the same world, but with a new character. This way they act as a series, but also its own self-contained standalone story.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next two books in the His Fair Assassin series are Dark Triumph and Mortal Heart

You might also like:

The Kiss of Deception (Remnant Series) by Mary Pearson
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Extras:

About the Author: 

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Kelsey Bogan3 Comments

The Young Elites by Marie Lu

Lu, Marie. The Young Elites. , 2014. Print. ISBN-13: 978-0399167836. Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook. Paperback $5.44. Kindle $9.99.

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Synopsis:

This is not another hero’s story. This is the origin story of a villain.

Adelina has had a difficult life. 10 years ago a deadly plague swept her world. It left most dead, but affected some children differently. Giving them powers. Adelina’s family was hit, her mother died and she lost an eye but gained… other things. Her father has abused and used her, her sister doesn’t help. Now her powers are surging and she’s claimed by a secret sect of others who say they are like her. But no one else is like her. There’s a darkness in Adelina, and every day she’s pushed closer to unleashing it. One betrayal too many and she’ll snap.

This isn’t the story about a hero, it’s the story about the making of a villain.

Booktalk: 

Themes include: Vengeance, trust, identity, power, betrayal.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the series is The Rose Society, coming out October 13, 2015.

Extras:

About the Author: Marie Lu is the author of The Legend Series and The Young Elites series.

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Book Talk: Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.

(Arc Review-YA) A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

Kelsey Bogan4 Comments

A Whole New World by Liz Braswell

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Braswell, Liz. A Whole New World. 2015. Print. ISBN-13: 978-1484707296.
Formats available: hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $9.99. Kindle $9.59.

Releases September 1, 2015

Synopsis:

A Disney’s Aladdin Twisted Tale.

What would happen if one key element to your favorite Disney story went wrong, irreparably changing the tale? A Whole New World starts out basically just as Disney’s Aladdin film does, up until the point where Aladdin hands Jafar the lamp. In the film, Abu takes the lamp back off Jafar. But in this story, Jafar gets the lamp, and uses it to take over Agrabah, while Aladdin gets stuck in the cave of wonders. So what would happen if Jafar actually got the lamp and became Sultan? Jasmine and Aladdin, along with his gang of Street Rats, must band together to build a resistance to Jafar’s insane tyranny.

My Thoughts:

This story had great promise. A re-telling of Aladdin where Jafar initially wins, and Jasmine becomes a Freedom Fighter to take back her Crown? Such a great idea. This re-telling, however, never seems to go quite far enough and lacks some commitment. It’s marketed as a dark re-telling, and there certainly are darker aspects (some characters die who you might not expect to, and in interesting ways), but other than that, and Jafar’s creepy insanity, the story just lacks depth. This story is ultimately plot driven, with the focus on the action of the moment, rather than the thoughts and feelings of the characters. Additionally, we mostly only get the story from Aladdin’s point of view. Because of this the characters feel somewhat under-developed, and we don’t get a true sense of who they are. The story careens along, giving plenty of attention to what the characters are doing, but we don’t often get to see what they are really thinking or feeling. One big disappointment for me was the almost complete lack of romance in between Aladdin and Jasmine. The beginning of the story shows great promise, when they first meet we see them nervous and silly with each other, very believable for two teenagers who find themselves attracted to the other, but after that almost no attention is given to the budding romance. Since the romance in the film version is so beautiful and important to the story, I was a bit surprised by this. It felt like the author was told to keep the story appropriate for younger readers, while also trying to capitalize on the huge market for dystopian and fairy-tale re-tellings in YA fiction right now. So we get some fighting and death, but not a lot of emotions or romance. Die-hard Disney fans, and lovers of re-tellings, however, may enjoy this sometimes funny, sometimes creepy, Aladdin re-telling. It showed great promise, but missed something on the follow through, for me.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
This is the first entry into Disney’s projected Twisted Tales series, so there should be more to come.

For recommendations from others who like this book, check goodreads.com

Extras:
For other reviews of this title check:

The Fictional Reader
Women Write about Comics

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.

(Review-YA) The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Kelsey Bogan10 Comments

The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski

Rutkoski, Marie. The Winner’s Curse: A Novel. , 2014. Print.ISBN-13: 9780374384678. Formats available: paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $5.12. Kindle $7.09

Info 684 Genre: Genre Pick #6 – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Kestral has a gift for military strategic brilliance that has her father trying to recruit her to his army, but Kestral is more interested in playing music. She enjoys her comfortable life as daughter to the second most powerful man in a tyrannical empire. Then one day she sees a slave boy being sold, and impulsively buys him. Kestral is drawn to Arin, and they form an odd kind of friendship, while the empire teeters on the brink of rebellion. Then Kestral finds out Arin has his own deep secrets, her world falls apart, and she finds her role reversed. Kestral will need to put all her strategic brilliance to the test to ensure her own survival.

Booktalk: 

Themes include: slavery, rebellion, privilege, war, friendship, love, family ties, and identity.

My Thoughts: I absolutely adored The Winner’s Curse. I loved that the main character’s military brilliance came from intelligence and strategy, rather than physical fighting prowess. Many of our heroines these days are kick-butt fighters (and I love that), but it was refreshing to see one whose best skills are her intellect. She’s also very loyal, which is one of the things that drives the plot so well. It’s easy to empathize with her as she struggles to cope with torn loyalties and has to choose between doing what is expected of her, and what she thinks is right. This is one of the stories where we, like Kestral, see that there is no black and white, no outright good guys and bad guys. The story has a couple of great, unexpected turns, and I was frequently surprised by decisions Kestral makes. I could not wait to see what happened next so I read the sequel immediately and cannot wait for book 3!

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the The Winner’s Trilogy is The Winner’s Crime

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Extras:

About the Author: Marie Rutkoski is the author of several children’s and young adult books, including The Winner’s Trilogy

What are other teens saying about their reading & social media habits?

“I read YA fantasy, as well as contemporary romance, with a little bit or paranormal or sci-fi thrown in every once and a while. As a blogger, my only “social media” is my actual blog (though I’m considering expanding that soon), and even in “real life” I only have a Facebook–social media isn’t really my thing….I get most of my recommendations from other bloggers, or from just standing in a book store and seeing which books grab me. I never use the library. (I like owning my books! They’re my babies!)” – Jocelyn, 10th grade

Citation & Credits
Book cover images: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Book Talk: Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.
Fierce Reads. “The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski.” Online Video clip. YouTube.com. 18 Dec 2013. Web. 26 July 2015.

(Review-YA) Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Kelsey Bogan15 Comments

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Maas, Sarah J. Throne of Glass. New York: Bloomsbury, 2012. Print. ISBN-13: 9781599906959 . Formats available: Hardcover, paperback, ebook, audiobook. Paperback $6.70. Kindle $6.15

Info 684 Genre: Genre Pick #5 – Sci-Fi/Fantasy

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Synopsis:

Celeana is an accomplished assassin by the time she’s 17. That’s also when she is arrested and sentenced by the King to life as a slave in the salt mines for her crimes. A year in those mines is enough to carve Celeana out of rage and hatred for the whole royal family. But then the Prince and his Captain of the guard approach her with a proposition. If she competes as the Prince’s nominee for the title of Kings Champion, and serves that position for 4 years, she will be pardoned and freed. Freedom is in Celeana’s grasp, and all she needs to do is sell her soul to the family that has shattered her world twice already.

Booktalk:

Themes include: freedom, death, killing, friendship, love, redemption, slavery, tyrannical monarchies, and magic.

My Thoughts: Loved it. Loved it Loved it Loved it. Go read it. Enough said!

Ok now that I got that out of my system…. As you might have guessed, I loved Throne of Glass, it is by far one of the best High Fantasy books I’ve read. The world is unique and really interesting, the characters are very well developed, and the main character is quite different. Celeana is not your typical heroine. She’s more concerned with survival than with honor, revenge, friendship, or love. At first. She really was a successful assassin, so we get to see her deal with the violence she’s endured and imparted on others and how that affects her. She’s also very funny, and completely vain. She likes frilly, pretty things just as much as she loves a well crafted weapon. I immediately read the following two books in the series and am eagerly awaiting the fourth one, which comes out in September 2015.

Liked it? Loved it? Gotta have more of it?
The next book in the The Throne of Glass Series is Crown of Midnight

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Extras:

About the Author: Sarah J. Maas is the bestselling author of The Throne of Glass Series.

What are other teens saying about their reading & social media habits?

“[I read] more fantasy than Sci-fi. I haven’t really found the book that’s pulled me into the genre. I also read contemporary, retellings, historical fiction, etc. I basically read anything as long as I’m interested but Sci-fi is probably the genre I read the least. I have a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Skype, and Goodreads. However, the only one I even sort of check on a daily basis is going to be Instagram or Goodreads. I don’t really have a favorite because I don’t really like social media that much.  I used to ask librarians for recommendations but I’ve since found that I prefer finding books I’m interested in myself.” – Kelly, 10th grade

Citation & Credits
Book cover image: Courtesy of Amazon.com
Book Talk: Kelsey Bogan. 2015. All rights reserved.
Bloomsbury Publishing. “Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – book trailer.” Online Video clip. YouTube.com. 26 July 2012. Web. 26 July 2015.