Book Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3)

Release date: May 2nd 2017

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books

Pages: 699

Source: No one sent it to me. I just love SJM.

Rating: 5 out 5 beautiful silver stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

*Spoilers*

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit-and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords-and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

Review

Holy moly. I'm dead. And I have been for the past two days and a half. 

I can't believe I'm going to say it, and I might deny it in the future but, I think I love this trilogy more than the ToG series. 

Okay, that's the end of the review.

JK.

Where do I even start? I guess with the non-spoilery part?

This book was such a journey and it was so different from the previous 2 books. We get to see our fave characters mature, we get to see some old faces and some new ones, and most importantly, we finally get a diverse group of characters!

Sarah definitely lived up to the expectation and delivered a fantastic conclusion to Feyre and Rhys's journey. 

Not everything was perfect, but it was quite close. 

Spoilers ahead!

Can we take a minute to talk about how badass Feyre was at the Spring Court? A small trick here, another one there, man, the Lucien one killed me. And then the twins were the cherry on top. 

I think the most nerve-wracking moment for me in the whole book was the chase between Feyre-Lucien and the Autumn Court. That was until, of course, our angel Cassian came in to save the day.

Plot wise, I think this was, as usual, fantastically planned. So much happened and so much was solved. I still can't believe how it all worked out. I honestly thought someone from the gang would have to die. 

Since we brought death up, let's talk about how great the death of lil' King of Hybern was. Elain, gurrl, I didn't know you had it in you.

I thoroughly enjoyed the fact that this was entirely war-driven. It was filled with tactics and plans and yet the sarcastic banter we all love was still there. I hope we get something like this in the ToG books.

I want to highlight two very important points from the novel:

Diverse characters. I love, LOVE, the diversification of characters. We finally have people of different ethnicity and sexuality. The only thing I'm sad about is how long it took for her to include them. It was great to meet all these new characters with different backgrounds and stories. It gave the novel so much depth. It was also fantastic to know a bit about a certain character's dilemma (you know who I'm talking about.)

Character development. I was so surprised to see how far Feyre had changed, how much confidence she had gained. The whole scene with the high-lords was fantastic! If Feyre's change was a surprise, then Tamlin came in like a wrecking ball. I was so glad, that Sarah gave him a little room for redemption. Does it wipe all the shitty stuff he did? Definitely not, but it was a small step. So many people shocked me in this book! Elain, Nesta, Lucien, Mor, Jurien.

Now let's talk about everybody's favorite topics: SHIPS

I was so glad that the Feyre-Rhys relationship remained untouched. I was seriously concerned that the book could get ruined by adding some tension into the relationship. But fortunately, that didn't happen. If only, it grew stronger with each passing second.

You might think I'm crazy, but I'm happy that the Elain-Lucien ship is not really working out. Well, at least I think it's not. Plus, do you think it's a coincidence that we learned about how a bond can be rejected? I think not. My bet is on the Elain-Az ship. And I will sink with it. I don't really like Lucien. I hate that he just ignored everything that happened at the Spring Court. And I can't forgive him for it. No matter what he does.

Nesta and Cassian? Yep. Definitely mates. Can't deny it. 

A mating bond is suppossed to be very rare. Acomaf felt like the Oprah show. You get a mate, you get a mate. So I'm quite content with how everything is going.

I want to address a more serious and controversial topic. When the first 8 chapters were released, there was a big commotion over a phrase in which, allegedly, Sarah J. Maas was implying that asexual people were soulless. You have to be quite dumb if that's what you took out of it. “perhaps any sort of physical passion had long ago been drained away, alongside their souls.” I hate it when people just go ahead and jump to conclusions. After having read the book, I can say that it was nothing like that. She was definitely not implying that you had to be soulless to be asexual. In context, it's really easy to realize that she was referring to how war had left them soulless and maybe all the horrors they'd faced had made it impossible to feel attracted to someone ever again. So please, just wait to get the full picture before opening your mouths.

As I said before, it was a monumental (literally and figuratively) conclusion and I can't wait till the novellas are released. So Sarah, can you hurry up, please? Thanks.

The big question is: is it better than A Court of Mist and Fury? In my opinion, I don't think it is. But it's almost there.

Rating

5 out of 5 stars

Rating System

I have no more words or energy left. I need a year to recover from this roller coaster.

Sorry about the amount of gifs. Actually, no, I'm not sorry. I know you love them.

I'll see you on the next one!

How on Earth are we supposed to live after that? Any suggestions? What were your thoughts on all the controversy surrounding the book? Let me know!

Miscellaneous Monday

Hey guys! How are you today? The weather's horrible today in Argentina. Several areas are flooded, yet again.

I thought I'd do more of an update on what's going on in my life and how the book fair went. Would you like that? If not, well... you can stop reading.

I went on Thursday to the Argentine Book Fair, which is held once a year. It usually has some good deals so it's great for shopping. I needed some books for uni, but I would have gone anyway. 

I had a lot of fun. I had lunch with my friends, then we met with my mom, who is the reason I started going to the book fair when I was little, and off we went. 

I bought Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass for $100 pesos. That would be a bit over US$6. Quite cheap, right? 

After that, we met with my mom again, who had been sitting in a lounge area, and she surprised me with a book. Ever since I was little, she has always insisted I study Chinese. She hasn't succeeded so far. But in yet another attempt, she bought me "The Last Chieftain", which is about a love triangle between a mute girl, a chieftain and an outsider set in, you guessed it, China. A clever thing, my mother. 

I particularly wanted to go on Thursday because at 6pm there was a US College Fair. 65 US Colleges came an talked about their programs, etc. It is, of course, a very interesting opportunity and I try to go to as many fairs as possible on the subject.

You may know that I'm currently on my third year of Public Translation Studies and I was thinking of getting a master's degree abroad on the subject. Unfortunately, I haven't been that successful at finding one. Only a couple of universities offer it. I began thinking if a master's in translation would really help me in any way. How much could I learn from one? So now, I'm starting to look for master's in International Relations/Global Affairs or Journalism. I'm really interested in both of them, and they're much easier to find. 

Money is the main issue for me here. I can't afford tuition, so I'm definitely going to have to get financial aid. From what I've heard, many colleges have assistantships and stipends. So I'm crossing my fingers to find something that works for me.

Do you recommend any college in particular for those areas? I'd love to know. 

Okay, that's all I've got. I like these type of rants. Do you enjoy them?

See you on the next one!

I'd love to hear about your week! And please tell me your thoughts!

Book Review: 2DEE by Robin Wyatt Dunn

Hey guys, sorry I couldn't post yesterday. I'm having some major power outage problems at home. Luckily, no power means time to read for me. 

Onto why we're here:

2DEE by Robin Wyatt Dunn

Release date: June 14th 2017

Publisher: John Ott

Source: LibraryThing

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

The population of Los Angeles has vanished. John Dee has to find out why. With the help of his AI son, he journeys between dimensions, undergoes radical body modifications, topples extrasolar governments, and hunts his lost love, all without a clear idea of who he is. To rescue his city, and himself, he must confront both the cruelty of the universe he finds himself in, and his own interior darkness.

Review

I requested this book in March and only got around to reading it last week. Unfortunately, it was not what I was expecting at all.

I was drawn into it by the idea of reading dystopic/post-apocalyptic book whose main characters are a father and son. What I got instead was a city as a main character, an annoying adult, and a kid who barely appeared.

Honestly, I couldn't get past the first 100 pages. But from what I've gathered of other reviews, the rest of it is still as weird and incoherent. 

My main issue with it is the writing style. It's a mix of stream of consciousness with something else I can't describe. It was too jumpy for my liking. 

It is, apparently, a second book in a duology or trilogy. I don't really know. But you wouldn't be able to tell from the way this one starts. I don't think reading the first one would have made much difference. Maybe I wouldn't have been so lost with certain characters. But that's it.

The plot is all-over the place, and I just felt it was rushed for no reason. 

I gave it 2 stars because, as I've said, the writing style is my main issue and that's totally personal. Otherwise, it would have been a 1 or 1 and a half book. 

Rating

2 out of 5 stars

Rating System

I normally am not so blunt with reviews because I don't like dis-encouraging people from reading it, but I just can't say anything nice about this one.

Do you enjoy reading stream of consciousness? Let me know!

Book Traveling Thursdays

Hi guys! How are you doing? I'm really tired so I'm thankful this is a short post. I'm back with another book travelling Thursday because I had a lot of fun last time. I love looking at covers! Today's theme is: Choose a book with your favorite bookish mom.

And although it's not mother's day here in Argentina yet, I though it was a fun theme. 

This is what it consists of: Pick a book that fits the theme, explain why I chose it and then include pictures of the original cover, the cover from my country, my favorite cover, and my least favorite cover.

Let's do this!

My favorite bookish mom has obviously got to be Molly Weasley. And, who doesn't love her? She has an unending love for her children. And food. Lots of food. Who wouldn't want that?

So let's see the original Harry Potter cover:

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

Now the cover available in Argentina: 

It's ugly, I know. 

My favorite cover is hard to pick because there are a lot of gorgeous ones. My top 2 are:

The first one is a leather bound edition, which I find stunning. And the second one is the 2014 illustrated edition. The artwork in that one is just too beautiful to ignore.

Lastly, the ugliest cover has got to be the Persian one. It's just so creepy.

Okay, that's all for now. See you next time!

Do you think you can find an uglier cover? Which is your fave character from the HP world? Let me know!

Top 5 Wednesday

Hi there! How are you doing? I'm super excited because I'm going to the Argentinian Book Fair tomorrow. It takes place once a year and I can't freaking wait. I have to get a lot of books for uni and that's the best place to get them cheaper. I'll also get some non-related school stuff too, but don't tell my mom. There's also an event where colleges from the US come to talk about studying abroad opportunities which is something I'm all for. Anyway, onto the reason you're here! It's Wednesday, and today the theme is: Favorite SFF Cover Art.

Oookay! I love picking covers. Let's do it:

1) The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers

 

2) Across The Universe by Beth Revis (book 1 & 2)

Only book 1 and 2 because SOMEONE came up with the idea of switching covers right before book 3. 

3) Newsoul Trilogy by Jodi Meadows

4) The Martian by Andy Weir

5) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

There you have it!

See you next time

Which one of my picks is your fave? And what would you pick?

Graphic Novel Review: The Sound Of The World By Heart by Giacomo Bevilacqua

The Sound Of The World By Heart by Giacomo Bevilacqua

Release date: April 11th 2017

Publisher: Magnetic Press

Source: Diamond Book Distributors and Netgalley

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Summary

From Goodreads:

An experiment in social isolation turns into a journey of self-discovery as a photojournalist commits to spending sixty days in New York city without talking to a single person. More than just an exercise in observation and self-control, he's hoping to forget a troubled past and mend a broken heart. But the city has a sneaky way of throwing the best laid plans and noble efforts to waste, revealing secrets that lie right in front of him. All he has to do is open his eyes…

A touching, vividly illustrated journey through contemporary modern New York, exploring what it takes to find yourself — and maybe your soul mate — in the middle of a crowded, bustling modern world.

Review

I received an email this morning with available graphic novels and comics from DBD. Two of them caught my eye. Not from the cover, though, because the tiny pictures were barely visible. I found the premise of this one so intriguing that I had to read it. 

Set in the vivid streets of New York, we follow Sam, a guy who has an obsession with numbers and counts every moment in his life. Little do we know, this is all for a reason. He does everything to the beat of a song. One in particular, which is tied to a dear memory. 

Although confusing at times, this is a story of overcoming a heartbreak and learning to love again. 

The reason I mention it's confusing, is because there were moments in which it was not clear who was speaking. The points of view get mixed up and make it unclear. 

Aside from that, I found the writing style extremely compelling. And I wasn't bothered by the random bits of philosophical conversation or questions. I think they were a nice touch, and gave the story some depth.

You're welcome

Another nice touch was the diversity present in the story. I can't really talk about it because it is a spoiler. But it's something you don't get to read about every day.

The artwork was lovely. The shifts in the color palette were amazing and portrayed exactly what Sam was feeling. 

It was overall, a very nice put together love story with enough mystery to keep you hooked.

It's definitely worth the time.

Rating

4 out of 5 stars

See you next time!

I think love and mystery are a perfect combo, what do you think? Let me know!

Book to Movie Monday: Movies You Probably Didn't Know Were Based On Books Part 2

Hi there! Mondays are so hard for me but, luckily, I had this post prepared from last week. Here comes part 2!

Let's do this!

1) Die Hard/Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp

2) Forrest Gump/Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

3) Mean Girls/Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman

4) Shrek/Shrek by William Steig

5) How To Train Your Dragon/How To Train Your Dragon by Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Translated by Cressida Cowell

6) Blade Runner/Do Androids Dream of Eclectic Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

7) The Rules of Attraction/The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis

8) Jaws/Jaws by Peter Benchley

9) The Exorcist/The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty

10) He's Just Not That Into You/He's Just Not That Into You by Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo

Okay! That's all I've got. 
See you soon!

Were any of these shocking? Have you read any of them? Let me know!