Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight | Sarah J. Maas

Publication Date: August 15th 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Owned, Paperback, 418 pages

Synopsis:

Crowned by Evil.

Bound by Duty.

Divided by Love.

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom...

My Review: ★★★★★

"When you do, I want you to remember that it wouldn't have made any difference to me. It's never made any difference to me when it came to you. I'd still pick you. I'll always pick you."

This sequel to Throne of Glass delivered the best of it to me - action packed, swoon-worthy romance, inevitable heartbreaks and grief, substantial characters development, all of it. I could still smell the intensity hovering in the air when I turned to the last page.

We'd seen so much more in Celaena now. Underneath her femininity, she had gone through tough years and losses that caused her to live in severe pain, which she had built a high wall with a facade, and learnt to be the deadliest weapon to protect herself from vulnerability. Every piece of characteristic was delicate, aesthetic and beautifully written, especially the grief and loss she experienced in this book, as if I was feeling it too, slowly swallowed me bit by bit from the inside.

"The rest of the world quieted into nothing. In that moment, after ten long years, Celaena looked at Chaol and realized she was home."

The story strengthened my irrevocable affection for Chaol. I might have squealed a little when the ship started sailing, and I was on the brink of an overwhelming heartbreak when it began to sink. Even though Celaena was oftentimes ruthless and unmerciful, that was entirely not the case when it came to Chaol. He was kind, considerate, protective, loyal - everything a boyfriend material needs. He melted my heart just as he melted Celaena's, and it hurt me more than ever when the plot was twisted to the other way round.  

Dorian was sweeter in this sequel if that was even possible. I could absolutely sense that his character apparently has so much potential in the upcoming books, which had tremendously heightened up my anticipation towards the rest of this series, and leveled up my adoration for him, too.

In a nutshell, this book was one vehement journey that allowed us to take a glimpse of how huge the world building actually is for the entire series. You'll be pleasantly surprised. I solemnly promise.

Perfect for this book:

Two feet standing on a principle

Two hands longing for each other's warmth

Cold smoke seeping out of colder throats

Darkness falling, leaves nowhere to go

Still with feet touching

Still with eyes meeting

Still our hands match

Still with hearts beating

With love,

Review: Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Throne of Glass | Sarah J. Maas
Publication Date: August 2nd 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance
Owned, Paperback, 404 pages

Synopsis:
Meet Celaena Sardothien.
Beautiful. Deadly.
Destined for greatness.

In the dark, filthy salt mines of Endovier, an eighteen-year-old girl is serving a life sentence. She is a trained assassin, the best of her kind, but she made a fatal mistake. She got caught.

Young Captain Westfall offers her a deal: her freedom in return for one huge sacrifice. Celaena must represent the prince in a to-the-death tournament - fighting the most gifted thieves and assassins in the land. Live or die, Celaena will be free. Win or lose, she is about to discover her true destiny. But will her assassin's heart be melted?

My Review: ★★★★★

"We all bear scars... Mine just happened to be more visible than most."

Okay, Throne of Glass is now officially, irrevocably becoming one of my most favorite series, ever.

I was absolutely devoured by the world building and the premise surrounding it, and I'm dying inside, hopelessly waiting to be rescued by my Chaol. It somehow makes me sad, seeing that the entire story and its characters were all merely creations by words plus the imagination of my own.

When I was first introduced to Celaena in this book, being the deadliest assassin, I expected her to be emotionally aloof and the barriers to her heart would be very much harder to breakthrough. Hence I was honestly surprised upon the realization that there was so much femininity in her - she cared about clothes, her appearance, and she pretty much aware of how others had been attracted by her beauty. It didn't really bother me though, in fact I admired her sensitivity on emotions, perhaps it was the softness hidden beneath that makes her stronger.

And CHAOL. Seriously, need I say more? I love Dorian too, but I feel Chaol and Celaena are meant to be together. I JUST FEEL IT.

All in all, if you asked me to describe the book in one word, I think I'm gonna let you down because there is no any single word I could muster to entirely fit in the awesomeness I've experienced while reading this book.

Perfect for this book:

Oh, all of these minutes passing, sick of feeling used

If you wanna break these walls down, you're gonna get bruised

Now my neck is open wide, begging for a fist around it

Already choking on my pride, so there's no use crying about it

With love,

Review: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

It Ends With Us | Colleen Hoover 
Publication Date: August 2nd 2016
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary, Psychological
Owned, Kindle edition, 384 pages

Synopsis:
Sometimes the one who loves you is the one who hurts you the most.

Lily hasn't always had it easy, but that's never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She's come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up - she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily's life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.

Ryle is assertive, stubborn, and maybe even a little arrogant. He's also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily, but Ryle's complete aversion to relationships is disturbing,

As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan - her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.

With this bold and deeply personal novel, Colleen Hoover delivers a heart-wrenching story that breaks exciting new ground for her as a writer. It Ends With Us is an unforgettable tale of love that comes at the ultimate price.

My Review: ★★★★★

"In the future... if by some miracle you ever find yourself in the position to fall in love again... fall in love with me." He presses his lips against my forehead. "You're still my favorite person, Lily. Always will be."

This book wrecked me in the best possible way - I'm still being caught in the whirlwind of emotional turmoil, feeling the sorrowfulness in the hole of my shattered heart slowly seeping through my soul.

I have been suggested to start reading this book blindly, even without having a glimpse at the synopsis, but it was too late at that time because I had seen it several times. It somewhat worried me, I thought it would affect my connection with the story, but boy was I wrong. I totally did not see it coming. The brutally painful, heart-wrenching, ugly, naked truth.

The story was very difficult to be read because it was heavy with raw, emotional punch at the personal level. I could barely breathe for almost every single page, like I was anchored in the water as well. The fluid writing style made me fall in love and also fall apart - as if I was a part of the story, but honestly I doubted I could walk through all of these messes if it was me.

"I feel like everyone fakes who they really are, when deep down we're all equal amounts of screwed up. Some of us are just better at hiding it than others."

I must admit I adored all of the characters in this book, especially Lily, Atlas and Ryle. They were all flawed and broken, which made them beautifully human. It was saddening to uncover their pasts and travel along their constant struggles for survival - to live a better life, to behold on the hatred and compassion at the same time when everything hideous terrifyingly turned the superficial happiness over.

"There is no such thing as bad people. We're all just people who sometimes do bad things."

To simply say this was another aesthetically-written book by Colleen Hoover would be an understatement, because it was so much more. It delivered a strong and sensible message to all of the readers with powerful impact. I smiled through the beginning, and then wept through the rest of the story. The delicate layers of story entwined with characters' complexity totally made me feel it. Still feeling it.

And if you could only read a book under contemporary genre this year, read this.

Perfect for this book: Love in the Dark | Adele

You have given me something that I can't live without

You mustn't underestimate that when you're in doubt

But I don't want to carry on like everything is fine

The longer we ignore it all the more that we will fight

Please don't fall apart

I can't face your breaking heart

I'm trying to be brave

Stop asking me to stay

With love,

Review: Be With Me by J. Lynn

Be with Me | J. Lynn
Publication Date: February 4th 2014
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary
Owned, Kindle edition, 365 pages

Synopsis:
Teresa Hamilton is having a rough year - she's in love wit her big brother's best friend, but he hasn't spoken to her since they shared a truly amazing, mind-blowing, change-your-life kiss. She got out of a terrible relationship. And now an injury is threatening to end her dance career for good. It's time for Plan B - college. And maybe a chance to convince Jase that what they have together is real.

Jase Winstead has a huge secret that he's not telling anyone. Especially not his best friend's incredibly beautiful sister. Even though he and Teresa shared the hottest kiss of his life, he knows that his responsibilities must take priority. He certainly doesn't have time for a relationship. But it doesn't help that all he can think about kissing the one girl who could ruin everything for him.

As they're thrown together more and more, Jase and Tess can't keep denying their feelings for each other. But a familiar danger looms and tragedy strikes. As the campus recovers, the star-crossed couple must decide what they're willing to risk to be together, and what they're willing to lose if they're not.

My Review: ★★★★☆

"That's the thing about death that makes it useful. Death was always a reminder to the living to live - to live in the present and to look forward to the future."

Ever since I read Wait for You (Cam and Avery were my favorite OTP) and it instantly became one of my favorite reads last year, I've been eager to continue the series about the story of Jase and Tess. As expected, this book was another guilty pleasure, it especially helped when you were in a reading slump, because everything just effortlessly clicked the moment you started the first line of the story, and you would have been swept away, traveled along with them.

Just like the first book, this one was angst and emotionally driven, but with so many predictable twists and turns. Yes, you heard me right, predictable. The story line was somewhat cliche, almost all characters involved had their own emotional baggage, and when their secrets slowly unfolded, the entire book was overall dramatic - fulled with eventful scenes and heartbreaking revelations that sometimes you had to halt the reading because you could hardly breathe.

One of the aspects I absolutely adored in this book was the occasional appearances of Cam and Avery, they always uplifted the scenes to be even more lovey dovey, and further strengthened my obsessive belief that Cam was the perfect boyfriend material. Although Jase was less competitive with Cam constantly claiming the spotlight, he had his own charisma - protective, considerate and cupcake-ish sweet, which had frequently sent his chemistry with Tess off the charts. However, his hot and cold persona, the tendency to keep Tessa at arm's length even after kissing her slightly annoyed me, but he gradually compensated throughout the book, and everything was once again irresistibly swoon-worthy.  

Tess, on the other hand, was admirably brave and tough. A series of unfortunate screwed her over, but all of these had only made her stronger - like a life fighter. Her resilience and tenacity might be a little bit unrealistic, yet it did not affect my positive opinion on her any less.

Despite being overloaded with conflicts, the book was undeniably a captivating page turner. Even though the plot was predictable, the never-ending intensity often made my heart skip a beat and I had miserably failed to put the book down. I guess that is the true beauty of J. Lynn's writing, and I'm definitely going to dwell in her other books soon!
  

Perfect for this book:

Well, I'm not sure what this is gonna be

But with my eyes closed all I see

Is the skyline, through the window

The moon above you and the streets below

Hold my breath as you're moving in

Taste your lips and feel your skin

When the time comes, baby don't run, just kiss me slowly

With love, 

Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You | Jojo Moyes
Publication Date: December 31st 2012
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books / Viking
Genre: Romance, Adult, Contemporary, Chick Lit
Owned, Hardcover, 369 pages

Synopsis:
Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither f them knows they're going to change the other for all time.

My Review: ★★★★★

"All I can say is that you make me... you make me into someone I couldn't even imagine. You make me happy, even when you're awful. I would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world."

Some books were meant for leisure reading; some books made you think, this beauty was undeniably one of those. I couldn't help myself but to feel the unspeakable emptiness clutching my heart tightly after closing the book, to ponder about life, family, love and existence. It was the kind of book that would haunt you, even few days, maybe weeks, or months after you've finished it. There was something shattered in me, crumbled into tiny pieces and flown away along with the ending.

I was a little bit worried because the story started out slow in the beginning, but boy, I was utterly wrong. It turned out to be so much more than a romance as the plot were crafted whimsically and their back stories were gradually revealed, which deepened the characters, especially Lou. Everything was built for something bigger, I was in awe when the truth hit me so hard.

Lou was an ordinary girl who barely lived a life. She was contented with everything being normal, until she met Will. Will had a broken soul after the motorcycle accident and resented to live, but he was once a man who worked hard to be above average. Perhaps you would start to predict the cliche from here, but their relationship was actually beyond romance - it was platonic, pure and selfless; and both of them had blossomed to become a better person with the companion of each other.

"You only get one life. It's actually your duty to live it as fully as possible."

I especially adored the moment when Lou's past was unfolded. In fact, it was one of the most beautiful parts I reckoned in this masterpiece, and it changed my view on Lou entirely in a positive way. She became someone who lived off the page, I felt more connected to her than ever.

"Some mistakes... Just have greater consequences than others. But you don't have to let the result of one mistake be the thing that defines you. You, Clark, have the choice not to let that happen."

The final chapter and epilogue of this book had both completely caught me off guard as well. I anticipated the ending, and dreaded it, while I read along, but apparently I had never expected it to be written like this, and now I couldn't think of any better way to wrap it up. It was truthfully one of the best, tearfully heartbreaking closures I had ever encountered.

If you have watched the movie adaptation and enjoyed it, I hope you would read this book too because you would absolutely love it, and if you'd unfortunately couldn't fall in love with the movie as much as you'd expected to, I hope you would at least think about reading the book, maybe you would be pleasantly surprised. This art creation was lyrically sad and full of life, it was one of those that would charm and richen your reading journey because it was more than a chick lit - it was about living - to actually living your life.

"You are scored on my heart, Clark. You were from the first day you walked in, with your ridiculous clothes and your complete inability to ever hide a single thing you felt."

Now I'm more than happy to have this book imprinted a scar and scored on my heart.


Perfect for this book:

We finally fall apart and we break each other's hearts

If we wanna live young, love, we better start today

It's gotta get easier, oh easier somehow

Cause I'm falling, I'm falling

Oh easier and easier somehow

Oh I'm calling, I'm calling

And it isn't over unless it is over

I don't wanna wait for that

It's gotta get easier and easier somehow

But not today

Not today

With love,

Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Hopeless | Colleen Hoover
Publication Date: October 8th 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Genre: Romance, New Adult, Contemporary
Owned, Paperback, 408 pages

Synopsis:
Sky Davis is starting sixth form having always been home-schooled, and wants to keep a low profile. But then she runs into Dean Holder - messy brown hair, smouldering blue eyes, and a temper straight out of Fight Club, someone who Sky is determined to avoid.

There is something about Holder that sparks memories of Sky's troubled past, those which she would rather stay buried. Little does she know that the mysterious Dean Holder is harbouring secrets of his own...

When the truth unravels, Sky must piece her life back together and learn to trust again. Only by facing the revelations together can the two of them begin to heal their emotional scars and find a way to live without boundaries.

My Review: ★★★★★

"Sky, I'm not kissing you tonight but believe me when I tell you, I've never wanted to kiss a girl more. So stop thinking I'm not attracted to you because you have no idea just how much I am. You can hold my hand, you can run your fingers through my hair, you can straddle me while I feed you spaghetti, but you are not getting kissed tonight. And probably not tomorrow, either. I need this. I need to know for sure that you're feeling every single thing that I'm feeling the moment my lips touch yours. Because I want your first kiss to be the best first kiss in the history of first kisses."

Sigh ---- that was the first thing I did when I read till the last page. I've used too much of my time and energy to dwell on this perfection. Believe me, as much as I wished to finish the book, I just couldn't. There was too much emotion pouring out. This book is full of feelings and my heart could hardly take up the limit.

I loved how Holder had constantly teasing Sky with flirtatious texts. I loved how their brilliant conversations had made me laugh. I loved how the story was switched back and forth to unfold those eventful things. I loved Holder, Sky, Breckin, Six, Karen and Jack. Their relationships positively showed the purest beauty of love, be it a romance, friendship or from a mother.

Even until now, looking into those loving quotes, the sparks of romance are still lingering in the air, can you feel them? And I'm not ready for it to leave just yet.

"I live you, Sky," he says against my lips. "I live you so much."

Perfect for this book:

Who says, who says?

Who says truth is beauty after all?

And who says love should break us when we fall?

But if we're strong enough

To let it in

We're strong enough

To let it go

With love,