Throne Of Glass

A Synopsis:

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 
(Taken from Goodreads.)

Review: (spoilers...sorry!)

Throne of Glass is a high fantasy six book series that has recieved an abundance of hype within the blogosphere and Booktube community. I bought this book a year ago and have put it off due to other series being published. However, over the summer I picked it up and found myself surprised. The book starts off slow and nothing really happens until halfway through the book. The pacing was consistent however and never dragged nor left you clinging on due to its fast action sequences. 

I thought the main character Celeana was interesting to read about as she was complex and refreshing. The reader got to peek inside her mind and discover the thoughts she had which were very reminiscent of those of Adelina from Marie Lu's 'The Young Elites'. I found her character interesting and something not commonly found in typical YA. The other characters in this novel included Chaol, Dorian and Nehemia. I found Chaol and Nehemia full of character and were very easy to relate to. Their relationships with Celeana were awkward, hilarious and emotional all at once and felt real. Dorian on the other hand was annoying and whiney. I understand how people like his character but to me he felt like a pretty typical YA love interest *cough Jennifer L. Armentrout cough*. I did not enjoy his interactions with Celeana and hopefully it discontinues in future books (also it was pretty insta-lovey).

The story was predictable in some aspects however, me being the clueless idiot that I am, didn't pick up on it. I felt that the tests weren't really explained or looked into in depth but were rather glossed over despite the fact that they were the reason Celeana was at the castle. The plot was a cycle of 'Champion death, flirting with Dorian, training, reading, researching Wyrdmaks, Test' rinse and repeat. It was frustrating that Celeana was always saying how dangerous and badass she was when she practically swooned for Dorian. Although I liked her character, some of her interactions were contradictory to her nature.

Sarah J Maas' writing was executed brilliantly in this novel. For a debut, I was surprisingly impressed. She managed to explain the fundamentals of the fantasy world without spilling info-dumps onto the reader. Her descriptions were vivid and colourful. I felt that her writing was definitely the strongest aspect of this novel and is the sole reason I am continuing on with this high fantasy series.

To conclude, Throne of Glass was a refreshing read with somewhat cliché characters and plot arcs. However, it was an enjoyable read nonetheless and proved to be a promising start to an epic fantasy series. Be sure to pick the next one up!
3 and a half books.
(Reviews now Monday and Thursday, happy reading!)

Have a good one, J Woo.

Mockingjay

A Synopsis:


Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans--except Katniss.The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay-no matter what the personal cost.(Taken from Goodreads)

Review: (contains spoilers!)

I thought it would be a great idea, that since the release of the final edition in The Hunger Games saga, I would review its source material. Recently, I reread Mockingjay and enjoyed it much more than I did the first time around. Ironically, watching the movie and then reading the books actually aided in the way I visualised the world (because Francis Lawrence's vision of The Hunger Games world is practically flawless). The character's are so flushed out in both the books and films and it has become, well and truly, one of my favourite book-to-movie adaptions of all time.

To start, I'll talk about the plot. Generally, it was the slowest of the three which I didn't mind. The book was slow but it never dragged. I felt it fitted the general premise of the novel with Katniss' PTSD and her emotional turmoil. It felt gritty and raw and completely uncensored. The plot mostly relied on supporting characters to progress through the story or actions to be done for Katniss as she was mostly in hospital. Crying. HOWEVER, this didn't last long as bombshell after bombshell was dropped (literally) with Peeta's hijacking to Katniss visiting 12. I felt that the plot was chaotic and turbulent towards the end where everyone died and pods blew up and lizards dragged Finnick down. The way Suzanne Collins presented the conclusion was messy, but purposefully so. It shows how war is messy and requires sacrifice and loss. The general conclusion was pleasing, nonetheless, with Katniss and Peeta's children playing in the Meadow. The plot weaved and every scene felt meaningful, a feat in itself.

Peeta's character development in this novel is another level. Suzanne Collins perfectly illustrates his inner turmoil and his almost psychotic drive to kill Katniss. It not only adds another layer of depth to Peeta but also to the Capitol and its motives. The Captiol is by far my favourite Dystopian society with its exaggerated accents, fashion, architecture and characteristics. President Snow's dialogue is my favourite out of all of the characters in this series. It's witty, calculated and poised. He holds an air of superiority and maturity which is something I enjoyed about his character. However the character that stole the cake was Katniss. Through her mind you witness the trauma she faced in the Games and her coming to terms with her emotions was painfully beautiful. She, too, is a very turbulent character in this novel. She is numb then angry, confused then forlorn and her conflicting emotions are constantly fighting for her mind's steering wheel.

In conclusion, Mockingjay is a satisfying conclusion to a series with such high expectations. The characters and plot excelled and shone in their brightest light. 
Sorry for a very short review, I'm tired and it's 11:30pm.

Have a good one, J Woo.

Scarlet

A Synopsis: 

Cinder, the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She’s trying to break out of prison—even though if she succeeds, she’ll be the Commonwealth’s most wanted fugitive. 

Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit’s grandmother is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn’t know about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have information as to her grandmother’s whereabouts, she is loath to trust this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to become her husband, her king, her prisoner. 

(Taken from Goodreads)

Review: (contains spoilers!)

Scarlet starts off right were Cinder left off. We are introduced to Scarlet Benoit and Wolf; two mysterious characters whose plot intertwine with Cinder's. I thought the general progression with the plot was a bit slow at first, obviously with new characters being introduced. However as the pages flipped by, the plot picked up pace quickly and gained momentum until the big climax which I'll go into detail later.
Scarlet was an interesting character whose values are introduced very early on in the story with her grandmother missing. I thought her relationship with Wolf was interesting enough yet predictable. It was obvious as soon as he was introduced that we would be the love interest and that he would be connected to her missing grandmother... but I didn't mind it. Sure it was predictable but it didn't make it any less enjoyable.

Cinder's character development in this novel alone surprised me on many levels. She was no longer reluctant and more assertive in her decisions. Cinder and Thorne had heaps of chemistry and bounced off each other with witty dialogue. Their chapters quickly became my favourite in the entire novel. Thorne was such a breath of fresh air in a novel that takes on such an epic storyline. He's brash and arrogant and, dare-I-say, narcissistic? Nonetheless, I thought he was a great addition to the crew and a great possible love interest *cough cress cough*. AND IKO. OH IKO. She added so much humour to the story and I loved how she would constantly add comedic relief that would make me laugh out loud.

Wolf was an extremely well written character. He was wonderfully flawed and complex which is my favourite type of character. The contrast between his feelings for Scarlet and his raw manufactured 'kill all exterminate everything' nature is something that I don't see a lot of in YA and was pleasantly surprised by. Wolf continues to be one of my favourite fictional characters of all time and is also one of the most elaborate characters I've ever read about.

The climax was, to say the least, epic. From the wolf pack to the badass thaumaturges to Michelle Benoit's freaking death! GAH. When both plotlines collided, its friction sent the plot into a frenzy. When the crew tried to escape the church and reach the Rampion, an action packed climax ensued. Marissa Meyer concocted an unputdownable fight that left me speechless by the end of it. The story just clicked into place like a puzzle and felt whole. Scarlet remains one of my favourite books of 2015 and was an amazing installment in the Lunar Chronicles.

Rating:

4.5 Stars.

~ Have a good one, J Woo.
~Again, sorry for being so sporadic with my posts, hope to get into routine soon!