March Wrap Up!

Hey there!

So in March I had a pretty good reading month, despite being super busy getting back into uni and being involved in loads of extracurricular college things. I managed to fit in time to read six books!

Without further ado, here are the books that I read in March, and my thoughts on them:

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

I finally got to the second Throne of Glass book!! I have a full review here, but I absolutely adored Crown of Midnight! I love Sarah J Maas' writing style, and her characters and world is so well fleshed out and intriguing. I cannot wait to keep going with the series.

Rating: 5/5

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

If you've read some of my recent posts you will know that I am totally obsessed with this book. It is AMAZING. As a lover of history, I adore time travel novels, and I really enjoy Alexandra Bracken's super descriptive writing style.It was interesting how different it is from her Darkest Minds series, but they both have characters who I am totally in love with. Definitely recommend!! For more in depth thoughts, see my full review here.

Rating: 5/5

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGally and holy cow I am so glad; it is incredible! The combination of western themes, a desert setting, and dystopia were so so interesting. The characters and relationships are super intriguing, and I can't wait to find out more about this world! Non-spoiler review here.

Rating: 4.75/5

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas

I was super excited to check out Sarah J Maas' other series, and while I really enjoyed it, I did have some mixed feeling in regards to characters and relationships. As usual, I adore the writing style, and the world building is so complex and interesting. I love the political intrigue in the storyline, and can't wait to see how it's built on later on in the series. For some of my more critical thoughts, I did a full review here. But overall, would definitely recommend this!!

Rating: 3.75/5

Sophie by Jennie Sargam

This was another ARC that I received through NetGalley, and while I appreciated the characters, I found it quite hard to get into and didn't end up completing it. I'm not sure if it's just because it's not really a genre that I'm interested in, but I found the writing style a bit difficult to engage in and wasn't invested in the storyline.

Rating: 2.5/5

Deviations by Anma Natsu

I was sent an ARC copy of Deviations from XPressoReads, and found it extremely interesting. It definitely is something that I have never read anything like before, and there were a lot of themes throughout that I don't know much about and so found it quite eye-opening. I wouldn't recommend this for anyone under around 17 due to the adult themes, but if you are interested in a book which considers sexuality, mental illness, and domestic violence, then this is very well done. Full review here!

Rating: 3.75/5

Let me know in the comments what books you read in March, and if you enjoyed them!

Love always,

Ari

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - review

Hey there!!

So last night I stayed up finishing the second novel in the Throne of Glass series, Crown of Midnight, and holy cow I cannot deal. Words cannot express how much I am loving this series!!

If you haven't read Throne of Glass, what are you doing, please please please go read it, and then read Crown of Midnight, and then come back and read this review! I was super late to the Throne of Glass bandwagon, but I am so glad that I finally picked it up. Anyways, back to the review...

SPOILER REVIEW:

I found the first half of Crown of Midnight a bit on the slow side, however you can see later on that this is totally necessary to lay the groundworks for the action in the second half. I am loving learning more about the Wyrdmarks, and the introduction of the Wyrdkeys is so interesting! I was seriously freaking out when Celaena found that the key was in the clock tower.

Next, let me talk about the incredible development of Celaena's character that goes on in this novel. I was so excited when I found out that Celaena wasn't really assassinating the king's enemies, but giving them time to leave! I thought I'd learnt most of what there was to know about her in Throne of Glass, but then there's that bomb drop that she is Fae. I mean, there were clues, and I thought she was just descended from them or something, but when she transformed into Fae in that other realm I was so surprised!! Not to mention the final plot twist on the very last page when Chaol discovers that she is the lost Queen of Terrasen. What?!?! I just want to start the next novel right now and find out what will happen now that she's away from the king for a while.

Of course, I must also discuss the relationship with Chaol. I've mentioned before on this blog that I am a Dorian and Celaena shipper, and I will stand by that. At first when her and Chaol got together I was like nooooo. But as the story went on, I could see how well they worked together and how beautifully their relationship was woven into the story. However, I still have an inkling that somehow Dorian and Celaena will end up together. I feel like they can understand one another because of how they grew up, always under someone else's control, being told who to be their whole lives.

So overall, I am totally obsessed with Crown of Midnight. Sarah J. Maas seriously knows how to tell an intricate fantasy story. So many new aspects keep arising and interweaving with the tale, it is a joy to read!!

Rating: 5/5

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on Crown of Midnight!!

Love always,

Ari