Reader Rayna

Month: September 2015

  • Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Finished Series I Have YET to Finish

    Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely peeps at The Broke & the Bookish. Today’s topic is about completed series that I have yet to finish. And let me tell you, I am ashamed I haven’t finished these yet.

    1. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling – I’m still working on my first read through of this series, and I know it’s shocking to have not read this series at this point, but I am enjoying it so far and I hope to finish it in the upcoming year or so.
    2. Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy by Laini Taylor – I want to finish this trilogy sooooo bad, and I’ve been reading the second one for a week or so now, but other books have been getting in my way. I will read it! Soon!
    3. The Mortal Instruments series and Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare – I AM SO ASHAMED I HAVEN’T FINISHED THESE YET. Sad face. I’m working on it, though, and I hope to finish all of them either by the end of this year or sometime early next year.
    4. The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson – I am loving the first book of this trilogy so far and I really hope to finish it by the end of the year, but these books are kind of chunky and there’s a lot to process so I hope to finish them by early next year.
    5. The Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo – Now that I have all three in paperback I can marathon them, which is what I’ve been planning to do. SO! Expect reviews… EVENTUALLY! This is a pretty popular/well known and loved trilogy so I really want to see what it’s all about.
    6. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins – I started the first book around the time the first movie came out and haven’t finished it. BUT I plan on marathoning this trilogy before the last movie so they WILL be read this year. I can do it! *fist pump*
    7. Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead – I debated for a while on just giving this series away, but many people told me to just give it another try, that it does get better, so I’m going to try reading it again probably next year. I loved it when I started it years and YEARS ago, but after time it just didn’t impress me. So we’ll see what happens upon rereading it.
    8. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis – I’ve read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe when I was ten years old… that was fourteen years ago, so I need a refresher for this epic series. I started it a while ago and never got through it because, frankly, they’re hefty books and I have them in a bind up so it makes it harder… Anyway, they will be read eventually!
    9. The Lord of the Rings trilogy + The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien – Yes, I know, it’s a travesty, really. But I started it and got about four chapters in and nothing really happened… Or barely began to happen, so I’ll have to keep going along. I know it’ll get better it’s just those first few chapters were kind of eh.
    10. The Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis – I bought these books for husband and was intrigued in them, myself, but I never actually picked them up to read them. I must remedy this! Sci-fi, romance, cool things? Yes please!

    So there you have it, some series and trilogies that are complete that I haven’t finished yet. But I will eventually! I swear it!

    What are some series you’ve started that you haven’t finished yet? Do you plan on finishing them? Let me know!

  • Queen of Shadows Book Review

    queenofshadows

    Title: Queen of Shadows
    Author: Sarah J. Maas
    Series: Book #4 in the Throne of Glass series
    Publisher: Bloomsbury
    Publication Date: September 1, 2015
    Genre: Young Adult – Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
    Pages: 656
    Format: Purchased Hardcover

    As this is the fourth book in this series, there will most likely be spoilers.

    Also, this is a really long review.

    From Goodreads: Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…

    She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

    Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

    This book tore my heart out, ripped it to shreds, mended it back together, and let it soar.

    I cannot express the amount of feelings I had throughout this book, but I can tell you some of what I felt: anger, annoyance, passion, love, betrayal, triumph, fear, curiosity, and more.

    I felt that this book is definitely the best in the series thus far, and there’s still two more books to go… I don’t know how my heart is going to handle it.

    Let’s start with the character development and world building, both of which exceeded my expectations.

    The character development was nothing short of promising and amazing. Not only did Aelin (Celaena) go through some major changes, but several of the other characters such as Manon, Lysandra, Rowan, Chaol, all went through some sort of change at one point or another. Each developed at their own time and speed, and from the first book to now, the characters have grown into their own skin, have grown as individuals, and have just become so magnificently part of this story that I couldn’t imagine it without them.

    The world building in this book continues to grow as we got introduced to Morath, the mountain in which the King of Adarlan is building an army to conquer the world – but not just any army: an army of demons. And he does it with the help of the Witch clans. But not only do we get a lot of time spent at Morath, we also get more development into Rifthold and how it’s changed since Aelin went to Wendlyn and came back, and how things have kind of gone down hill. The end of this book promises more of Terrasen, and I can’t wait to see what it’ll be like there.

    The plot continued to follow what the main points of the series talk about, but there was so much more. So much I just don’t even know where I could begin to explain what happened.

    Okay, let me talk about some individual characters:

    Aelin Ashryver Galathynius is the most badass woman in this story. Mind you, she’s not the only one, but she still kind of takes the cake. She started with just wanting to wipe out the King, but other factors kept piling in as she learned Dorian was under control by a Wyrdstone collar that allowed a Valg demon prince inside of him; that the rebel forces Chaol is leading is struggling just to rescue people; that her cousin, Aedion, is imprisoned in the castle. Her plans changed, but not entirely. In this book Aelin grows so much as a character as she battles not only with the obvious enemy of the Valg soldiers, but also the game she and Arrobyn have been playing for a long time now, as well as her own assumptions and opinions she once thought to be true. But in this book she grows and breaks those barriers, shattering Arrobyn at his own game, befriending someone she never thought she would, and learning what it means to be strong and believe in oneself, and in others.

    Rowan! My dear, sweet Rowan came back and I was so, so happy. He wasn’t the stickler of a commander anymore, but rather Aelin’s friend and protector, their blood oath connecting them in ways I knew that MY SHIP WOULD SAIL. Ahem. He is the badass male to Aelin’s female and I loved him so much in this book. He was a fierce protector, loyal companion, and we got glimpses of the story from him and I love his trains of thought and how he wrestles with how he should keep his distance from Aelin, even though he doesn’t want to. He made me laugh more than once at some of the things he thought or said and I was happy to have read some bits from him. I’m interested in seeing how he is in Aelin’s court and what role he’ll play.

    Aedion Ashryver is just so… brotherly! I love him to bits and I want him to be my friend. He may be a big pain in the butt to Aelin sometimes, but he’s still so fiercely loyal and protective that I just love his interactions with Aelin and how they can fight like siblings and make up like siblings and it’s just, well, a much needed relationship, I think. He can provide that sort of comfort for Aelin that only a family member can provide, but he also knows when to take that step back and to just let things be and let his queen take care of herself.

    Dorian was trapped by a Valg prince for the majority of the book, and I just… I felt so bad for him! He went through so much at the end of Heir of Fire and now he was being trapped and abused by this demon and… ugh! I was so sad. And then there were some glimpses of him a few times and I had hope! I really want to see his part played out in the next book.

    Chaol was a royal pain in the ass. Oh my God, he pissed me off so much during the first half of this book. I don’t know what his deal was but wow, I wanted to punch him so much whenever he interacted with Aelin. Both of them acted like spoiled brats whenever they talked to each other, even when one tried to be the bigger person. I understood he was under a lot of pressure being on the run and trying to free people who were being captured for wielding magic before the ban and whatnot, but wow. I was also interested in finding out more about his past before Aelin and oh my, I’m definitely intrigued to see where that goes. But during the latter half, he kind of went back to being the Chaol I liked, but not quite. I was shocked about his condition at the end, though, for sure.

    Manon was still cruel in this book, but the others around her, especially her Thirteen (specifically Asterin) and a servant girl, Elide, really started to crack the shell around her heart and she actually started to feel some other emotions other than hatred and bloodlust. I really think that she had some of the best development because not only was it the slowest, but there was a promise for greater things to come and I can’t wait to see where she’s at in the upcoming books.

    Speaking of Manon… when she and Aelin meet? YES. Super awesome battle scene.

    There were other characters that I was surprised of, that were introduced, or that were fleshed out more such as Kaltain, one of the ladies of the court that were dragged to Morath; Lysandra, the courtesan that’s been at odds with Aelin forever; Elide, the quick-witted servant girl for Manon; and even the King of Adarlan had a surprising bit in there. I was thoroughly surprised.

    Now this isn’t to say that this book didn’t have its flaws (more spoilers):

    • I felt Rowan could have been more useful other than just having such strong feelings for Aelin. I wish I could have seen more fight scenes with him, less restraint, and more of that warrior Fae prince I’ve come to know and love. (Not that I didn’t love the feelings, but more would’ve been awesome.)
    • I wish Arrobyn’s death would have been grander. He deserved it and I’m glad who did it, but I wished for more talking and whatnot.
    • I felt like it was almost too easy to just let the King of Adarlan be possessed the way he was. Like, I really wished he was that cruel. Who knows what actually happened?

    I am excited to see what happens in the next upcoming volumes because now we’ll be facing new enemies, new lands, new ways of life, and I’m really, really excited to see what happens.

    In this book my heart was ripped out and sewn back together; there was amazing friendships, romance, adventure, death, destruction, discoveries, and so, so much more.

    If you couldn’t guess, I rate this book 5/5 stars and highly recommend it.

  • The Pressures of Reading

    I am a reader. I always have been and always will be. The amount I read and the types of books I read will fluctuate from time to time, but I have always loved story and characters and worlds. I love to be able to jump from place to place and revisit a million times over because that’s what a reader does.

    But when it comes to reading and blogging about reading, the pressure seems to intensify.

    Now I’m not saying that I don’t enjoy what I do by any means – I love my book blog to pieces and the book community as a whole – but sometimes I feel overwhelmed or pressured because I’m not producing more reviews lately.

    I know what you’re thinking: “Just do you! There’s no pressure! Life happens!” And yes, that’s true, but the thing is is that I feel like I need to get reviews out to you guys because, well, I want to.

    There’s so many great books out there and there’s so many wonderful authors – and there’s bad ones, too. I want to share my opinions with everyone. That’s kind of why I joined this community in the first place.

    And it’s not that I feel like if I don’t get in a certain amount of reviews in a month that you’ll all leave me or abandon me or whatever, but I feel I owe it to you awesome people to share with you my thoughts on books.

    If you saw my August wrap-up you’ll know that I started a crap ton of books. Did I finish them? No, not quite. Am I working on it? Yeah, in time. Some books take precedence over others just purely based on my excitement level for said books. I just feel like I’m letting myself down by not getting more reviews out.

    I know everyone runs their blogs in different ways and on a different schedule. Some do reviews multiple times a week (and I applaud you for that) while some do reviews once or twice a month (and again, I applaud you).

    I think part of the problem was that I was doing so well the first half of the year, reading books left and right and producing content for you all, whereas this summer has been draining me and my enjoyment of reading.

    It can be tough to feel like you’re under pressure from reading and all of that, to just give your audience something that they can hold onto. I’ve been feeling that lately and it kind of sucks.

    Maybe I need to take a step back and just relax a little bit. But reading is just one of those things that I love and don’t want to stop. Yes, I do take breaks here and there, but I just want to keep going! There’s so many great stories to find out there, and even if I feel pressured or down, I want to be able to find those stories and share my thoughts with you all about them.

    So here’s my question for you all, especially you book reviewers: do you ever feel the pressure to read and produce content at a high pace, or do you just go about it in your own way and not let the pressure get to you? And if you have any suggestions on scheduling, reading methods, or anything of that nature, please let me know.

  • Top Ten Tuesday: Characters You Just Didn’t Click With

    Welcome to another Top Ten Tuesday as hosted by the lovely peeps at Broke & Bookish. Today’s topic is all about the characters you just didn’t click with. You know you have those characters that you just couldn’t stand one way or another, despite really trying to like them. Or maybe you do like them but you just can’t feel anything for them. Well, here’s my list:

    1. Isabelle Lightwood from The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare. Now, I’m still reading the series so maybe she’ll grow on me more, but I just haven’t clicked with her. I love her in some ways and am just kind of meh about her in others. She just seems kind of flat and kind of a drama queen, but maybe she’ll be more likable as the series goes on.
    2. Mare Barrow from “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard. I’ll admit that there was a lot of influence from other readers that caused me to struggle with reading this book, but I just had a really hard time caring about Mare and her situations, believing the romance, and how her powers worked. I don’t know, she just didn’t seem real to me.
    3. Aspen from The Selection series by Kiera Cass. He just kind of pissed me off the whole time. Like, boy, get out of there! You’re ruining this nice romance America is having with Maxon! Gosh!
    4. Catelyn Stark from A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin. I don’t know about you, but for some reason I just find her chapters kind of bland and boring, and her to be too… I don’t know, stoic? She’s a good character, but she seems to rigid for this kind of story.
    5. Rafe from The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson. He’s growing on me a bit more, but I still have problems just connecting with him. Yeah, I get it he’s undercover and all that, but I just… I’m so team Kaden that I just have a hard time looking at Rafe as anything but an annoyance. Forgive me.
    6. Linh Cinder from “Cinder” by Marissa Meyer. I know a lot of people love this first book, but I just struggled connecting with the main character and Kai so much. Maybe I was in a slump at the time, I’m not sure, but I just couldn’t really feel anything for some of the situations they went through. Other situations I was totally fine with, but some were just kind of meh to me.
    7. Meira from “Snow Like Ashes” by Sara Raasch. I enjoyed the book, but I had trouble clicking with the main character. Sometimes the situation or the world got me distracted from what was happening to the actual characters, and in Meira’s case I just found it difficult to follow some of the things she went through. Though I loved her at the end and how kickass she was, it was the beginning and parts of the middle I struggled with.
    8. Prince Magnus Damora from the Falling Kingdom series by Morgan Rhodes. Okay, yes, a lot of people like him, but he just frustrates me! I can see so much awesome potential in him if he’d just let himself feel some emotion every once in a while and actually just… I don’t know, be more human and less like his father!
    9. Sabriel from “Sabriel” by Garth Nix. I had to DNF this book because I was just bored with it. Over 100 pages in and I was having so much trouble connecting with the character of Sabriel and caring about her situation.
    10. Greg Gaines from “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews. It just… it was confusing and I found him to be kind of a jerk. He was so detached from the world, even with his sort-of friendship with Earl and Rachel. It was just a meh read and I didn’t really feel anything for any of the characters, really.

    So there you have it, ten characters I had a hard time clicking with. I’m sure the list can go on, but there’s some of them.

    Who are some of the characters you can’t click with and why? Let me know!