Review: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

RATING: 3.5/5 SWORDS

She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one.

Celaena Sardothien has survived deadly contests and shattering heartbreak—but at an unspeakable cost. Now she must travel to a new land to confront her darkest truth...a truth about her heritage that could change her life—and her future—forever. 

Meanwhile, brutal and monstrous forces are gathering on the horizon, intent on enslaving her world. To defeat them, Celaena must find the strength to not only fight her inner demons but to battle the evil that is about to be unleashed. 
The king's assassin takes on an even greater destiny and burns brighter than ever before in this follow-up to the New York Times bestselling Crown of Midnight.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

 Well, I'm a little confused about this book. After Crown of Midnight I was all about this series. I was exctied to read the third book. I WAS READY...and then I was disappointed. It isn't that this book is bad. It's not. It's decently entertaining. It expanded on the universe which is something I felt the series needed. However, I still felt like Celanea was very isolated AGAIN. She's primarily confined to one location throughout the entire book. Her training seems to drag on forever.  AND this book made Chaol such a bore. Without Celaena around he definitely loses his appeal. Don't get me started on Dorian. I honestly don't understand why he would want to keep his magic contained. He obviously needs the power to help defeat his father. If anything I would think he'd want to gain control of it and then learn how to grow in strength. I understand that he's scared people will find out because it's illegal to have magic, but just practice in secret.

 Chaol and Dorian's part of the books honestly don't get interesting until the very end when there is a big OMG moment. That was an OMG moment!! So at least there's that, right? Another aspect of the book that I don't think needed as much attention is the whole Minon Blackbeak and witches clan. I honestly didn't need to know so much about her training her beast. Just get on with it.

I know it sounds like I'm harping on the book. I just feel like a lot of the story didn't help move the plot along. It felt stagnant. However, I DID enjoy quite a few things. I loved meeting the other demi-fey. They were all pretty adorable. I enjoyed learning more about Celaena's tragic childhood. Annnd that's about it. I'm still looking forward to the next book which just came out. I have some other things I want to read before I start it though. 

Review: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

A Storm of Swords  (A Song of Ice and Fire #3) by George R.R. Martin

RATING: 5/5 Swords

Well, if you weren't a fan of this series before this book (which you're insane if you weren't) then this is the book that will make you a believer. This book is just...so sad and tragic. Every single person in this story has something tragic happen to them and you know it's not going to stop any time soon. There are a LOT of deaths in this book. Martin just keeps them coming like a bully's punch on the playground. I'm not even worried about spoiling this series because if you don't know who dies in this book because you don't watch the television show then that ain't my fault. 

First to go is Ygritte...that one stung a little. 

 Then it's Rob's turn to die. That one really hurt. 

 THEN it's Catelyn. NOOO! GOD DAMN IT, GEORGE.

You have to take a breather for a while after so many favorite characters die back to back. It's a lot to take in if you're an emotional reader like I am. I'm getting emotional just writing about it. All I want is for the Starks to be reunited and live happily ever after. But that's OBVIOUSLY not going to happen. 

Enough about everyone dying. There's more to this book than that. The POVs in this book are Arya Stark, Sansa Stark, Jon Snow, Jamie Lannister, Davos Seaworth. Daenerys Targaryan, Catelyn Stark, Bran Stark, and Tyrion Lannister. I honestly don't really care for Davos, Jon, or Sam's POV. I find them pretty boring. I understand that they're important to the story but I couldn't help but groan when I saw their names pop up at the beginning of a chapter. 

Reasons to love Arya: Girl has been through some shit but she's learning to take care of herself. I love her interaction with The Hound. He has a strange appreciation for the Stark girls that I don't quite understand but it's endearing. 

Reasons to love Sansa: She doesn't believe in fairytales or noble songs anymore. I think Sansa is the character who has grown the most in the series so far. She used to be such an annoying, naive little girl. But after everything that has happened to her she's not. She does what she has to do to survive, but she also spits out little pieces of rebellion here and there. I know a lot of people find her boring, but I think she's fascinating. I also think she'll outlive all the other Stark children.

Reasons to love Jamie: Well, he's definitely hard to love. He's arrogant, rude, and he's screwing his sister. But through his POV you really do start to like him. It's actually kind of annoying. And he has this weird sense of loyalty. He saves Brienne of Tarth from a pit with a bear. Don't do things like that Jamie! I'm supposed to hate you.

And I don't think I really need to list the reasons to love Tyrion. He's just amazing and everything that happens to him is heartbreaking in its own right. Ugh, you guys. There's just so much that happens in this book. SO MUCH STUFF. Danerys builds her army and becomes a badass...kicks out Mormont..Theon becomes a complete dick. It's just one thing after the other. How do people review these books? SO much happens that writing a review is impossible. I just can't. 

So yeah, this is probably my worst review ever...but oh well. Just read the damn book, you fool of a Took. 

Review: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas

RATING: 4/5 SWORDS

 

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.
It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."
From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil. 

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart. 

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I'll be honest, for the first half of the book I wasn't super invested.  It focuses on Chaol and Celaena's relationship. I just floated along with the story not worrying too much about where it was going. However, I did enjoy seeing more of the city with Celaena. I complained about the first book being so secluded to the castle. It was nice to get out of the glass castle while she was on her assassination missions. But this was only mildly intriguing. However, once I passed the halfway mark in the book everything changed. It's as if Maas lit a fire under her ass. It was fast paced, interesting, fun, and full of adventure. I love the combination of magic, mythical creatures, mad kings, and hidden riddles. That was my favorite part of the entire book - the sense of adventure. 
After finishing the book, I am confident to  say Crown of Midnight is a great successor to Throne of Glass. Yes, the first half drags a little because it focuses on Chaol and Celaena's romance, but the second half makes up for it with great adventure and an epic ending. Also, Some of the questions I had from the first book were answered. You find out more about Celaena's mysterious past and where her family comes from. Additionally, the second half of the book was also pretty emotional. The first half was so focused on the love between Chaol and Celaena that when

Nehemia

dies that trust is shattered and, even though I don't care much about the romance, it did hurt a little because the author spent so much of the book building their relationship. It tugged at my stone cold heart just a little. I loved the ending of this book so much. It was vivid and I reread it about two/three times (you know which scene I'm talking about if you've read the book). The only real negative I have about this book is that it's fairly predictable. Nothing happened that shocked me. Things happened when I assumed the would. Even so, I still enjoyed this book a lot and I am already on to the third book. Let me know if you've read the book in the comments section! 

Upcoming Releases!

Here are three books in different genres that I'm looking forward to their release this year.

Radiance  by Catherynne M. Velnte  Release Date: 10/20/2015 by TOR Radiance is a decopunk pulp SF alt-history space opera mystery set in a Hollywood—and solar system—very different from our own, from the phenomenal talent behind the New York Times bestselling The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making.

Severin Unck’s father is a famous director of Gothic romances in an alternate 1986 in which talking movies are still a daring innovation due to the patent-hoarding Edison family. Rebelling against her father’s films of passion, intrigue, and spirits from beyond, Severin starts making documentaries, traveling through space and investigating the levitator cults of Neptune and the lawless saloons of Mars. For this is not our solar system, but one drawn from classic science fiction in which all the planets are inhabited and we travel through space on beautiful rockets. Severin is a realist in a fantastic universe.

But her latest film, which investigates the disappearance of a diving colony on a watery Venus populated by island-sized alien creatures, will be her last. Though her crew limps home to earth and her story is preserved by the colony’s last survivor, Severin will never return.

Aesthetically recalling A Trip to the Moon and House of Leaves, and told using techniques from reality TV, classic film, gossip magazines, and meta-fictional narrative, Radiance is a solar system-spanning story of love, exploration, family, loss, quantum physics, and silent film.  \/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\ How trippy does this book sound? This is author is mostly known for her popular Fairyland series which is something I've been meaning to read as well. I mean, this synopsis is absolutely insane, but I'm totally buying this one. 

You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day
Release Date: August 11, 2015 

From online entertainment mogul, actress, and “queen of the geeks” Felicia Day, a funny, quirky, and inspiring memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to Internet-stardom, and embracing her individuality to find success in Hollywood.

The Internet isn’t all cat videos. There’s also Felicia Day—violinist, filmmaker, Internet entrepreneur, compulsive gamer, hoagie specialist, and former lonely homeschooled girl who overcame her isolated childhood to become the ruler of a new world…or at least semi-influential in the world of Internet Geeks and Goodreads book clubs.

After growing up in the south where she was "homeschooled for hippie reasons", Felicia moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming an actress and was immediately typecast as a crazy cat-lady secretary. But Felicia’s misadventures in Hollywood led her to produce her own web series, own her own production company, and become an Internet star.

Felicia’s short-ish life and her rags-to-riches rise to Internet fame launched her career as one of the most influential creators in new media. Now, Felicia’s strange world is filled with thoughts on creativity, video games, and a dash of mild feminist activism—just like her memoir.Hilarious and inspirational, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should embrace what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now—even for a digital misfit. 

\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

Sooo yeah, if you don't know who Felicia Day is then you've been living under a rock. I'm such a big fan. If I see her on any youtube video, comic-con panel, television show (Supernatural yay!) I have to watch it. I think she is so smart, funny, and relateable. If you haven't seen her original series The Guild then check it out on Netflix. She's pretty much my hero. If you're into romance books you should join her bookclub Vaginal Fantasy on Goodreads. Both her and her friends are hilarious in that bookclub.

Seriously, I'm like obsessed with her. *sigh* Fangirl life forever. I preordered h34 book as soon as she announced it so yeah...yay! 

                                                           Carry On by Rainbow Rowell 

Release Date: 10/6/2015

Rainbow Rowell continues to break boundaries with Carry On, an epic fantasy following the triumphs and heartaches of Simon and Baz from her beloved bestseller Fangirl.

Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.
Simon Snow just wants to relax and savor his last year at the Watford School of Magicks, but no one will let him. His girlfriend broke up with him, his best friend is a pest, and his mentor keeps trying to hide him away in the mountains where maybe he’ll be safe. Simon can’t even enjoy the fact that his roommate and longtime nemesis is missing, because he can’t stop worrying about the evil git. Plus there are ghosts. And vampires. And actual evil things trying to shut Simon down. When you’re the most powerful magician the world has ever known, you never get to relax and savor anything.

Carry On is a ghost story, a love story, a mystery and a melodrama. It has just as much kissing and talking as you’d expect from a Rainbow Rowell story — but far, far more monsters.
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
I have heard great things about Rainbow Rowell's books. I haven' read any but I plan on changing that soon. The younger crowd seems to have responded extremely well to her stories. 
What are some new releases you're looking forward to reading?! Let me know in the comments section! 

Feature and Follow Friday

Hosts: Alison Can Read and Parajunkee 

Question of the Week: If you could get an ARC of any book, already published, or not yet, what would it be?

I would absolutely DIE for an ARC copy of Doors of Stone (The Kingkiller Chronicle #3) by Patrick Rothfuss. It is torture waiting for the last book to finally be released. There's not even a release date yet! It's been four years since the last book was released. I couldn't even upload a cover of the book BECAUSE THERE ISN'T ONE!!!!! GRRRRRR!!! 

If you haven't read this series then you should head to your local bookstore and start reading. The books are long, but worth it! I'll have to reread the first two book again when the third comes out. I'm not complaining...only just a little bit. Oh, by the way, if this is your first time visiting my page then go ahead and leave me a comment! I'm most active on Twitter and Goodreads, but feel free to add me on any of my social media sites. As always, thanks for stopping by my fellow book nerds. BLOG HOP!

Review: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) by Sarah J. Maas

RATING: 3.75 Swords

Summary

In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. 
The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Like many book readers, I've seen the cover of this book at Barnes and Noble and online everywhere. It looked interesting to me, but for some reason I avoided it like the plague. I'm glad I gave it a chance though.

As the protagonist of the story, Celanea is strong, funny at times, and definitely sassy. I know this book is a somewhat retelling of the Cinderella story, but she reminded me of Black Widow more than Cinderella. She's the best assassin in all of  Adarlan. She started training as an assassin at a very young age and there's a lot of mystery about her upbringing. She was a slave in the salt mines for a year and then chosen by Prince Dorian to compete in a tournament to be the King's Champion - the very man who conquered her land and lead to the death of her parents. (Yes, he's a big jerk). But if she wins she would have her freedom in four years. But that means being the king's minion and doing whatever he says for four years...0_o

The book starts off strong. I love the back and forth between Dorian and Celaena. However, I must say that I am team Chaol Westfall (Captain of the Guard). Maas does a great job with Celaena's personality. She doesn't seem like someone you would want to mess with. However, she does have a vulnerable side which you get to see later in the book. For some reason, I just can't imagine her as an assassin though. I think it's because there isn't enough detail about her training as an assassin or about her time before she was a slave. I need more detail. You say she's a great assassin - don't just tell me. Show me! I need flashbacks...legends...anything! There isn't much worldbuilding. As a huge fantasy fan, I expect a certain amount of worldbuilding. I know, it's a young adult novel, but I still expect more! There is a good amount of religion (I'm assuming based off of the roman/greek gods) and magic. I want to know more about them! This is probably my main complaint.

I think this series has a lot of potential. I enjoyed reading it and would definitely recommend it for readers who aren't into super detailed and long fantasy books. Plus, there's the love triangle teens are sure to love! Add a little more history to the world and I'll be extremely happy. I enjoyed the first book enough that I have already started on the second. Hopefully it'll be just as good if not better!


Favorite Quote:

"You could be different," Elena said quietly. "You could be great. Greater than me--than any of us."
Celaena opened her mouth, but no words came out.
Elena took a step toward her. "You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if you only dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That's what scares you most."

Review: Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

RATING: 4/5 Mockingjays

Well, it's over you guys. I have finished this bestselling series. So, what do I think? Complete crap? Genius? More like somewhere in between. Mockingjay started off slow. After the heart pounding action of Catching Fire I was ready to see this rebellion take off. It didn't. Katniss spent most of her time sulking and worrying about Peeta.  It's not that there wasn't enough action in the beginning. It just felt like the plot was moving too slowly. Everything felt a litte more dull and I'm sure it's because Katniss's emotions were so bipolar. She was erratic at times, but mostly numb. I understand she's been through a lot, but this much back and forth between emotions was a little draining on me as a reader. It also made the storyline feel a little unfocused as well.

I almost thought this book was going to be a dud. I was starting to lose interest fast. Then they went to the Capitol. That's when I really started to get into it. I thought the last part of the book was great...filled with action and emotion. It saved the book in my opinion. I enjoyed the new setting in the Capitol as well as the new traps. I wasn't sure who was going to make it out alive and appreciated that some of them didn't. One of the main ideas about Mockingjay that I loved is the idea that no matter what side of the way you're on there's always going to be someone thirsty for power. President Coin is an extremist. She does whatever she thinks is necessary to keep herself in power. As the story unfolds, you really see how little she cares for Katniss...and how manipulative people in power can be.  I know some readers disliked the ending, but I thought it was appropriate. It's the best future you could hope for for 

Peeta and Katniss

. On a side note, I realized that never once was gender an issue in this book. Nobody complained about Katniss being a soldier because she was a woman or Prim training to be a doctor. It was refreshing.

I enjoyed this series overall. It's the first teen series that I've actually finished since becoming an adult. I give this book and 4/5 stars as well as the entire series. It's definitely something I wouldn't mind my children reading.

The trailer for Mockingjay Part 2 just came out. Looks MUCH better than the first part. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet!

Review: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

So I have started a new thing. At work and on my way home I listen to an audiobook and at night I read a book. I totally love this. It's allowed me to absorb so much material and I'm surprised how easy it is for me to jump between two worlds. I started this for a few reasons. First, I need to start reading more YA novels. I'm in my last year of my master's and soon I'll be a school librarian. I need to know what the kids are reading. There's no way around it. Most of these books I don't want in my library and I don't want to take the time out of my regular reading schedule to read them so I've decided to try the audiobooks. Luckily, if you buy the kindle ebook the narration is MUCH cheaper than if you buy the actual audiobook. That shit is expensive!!! Secondly, the A Song of Ice and Fire series takes a long time to read and I'm impatient.  Most of the books I read are huge and it's annoying, but it cannot be helped. I'm a sucker for epic fantasy and most of those books are 1000 pages. Anyways, I'm going to give this blog another try. I've missed it. I'm doing things differently this time around. I burned out before because it felt like a job. I already work full time and go to grad school - this is supposed to be fun! So I'm going to make it fun.

Thoughts on Catching Fire: 

Rating: 4/ 5 Mockingjays

This book was actually a lot of fun. I moderately liked the first installment. I read it a few years ago and just never felt the need to go on. But I saw the series on Kindle Unlimited and decided to give it another chance. I'm glad I did! It's hard for a sequel to live up to the first installment and I thought this one surpassed The Hunger Games. 

I enjoyed the games a lot in this book. I thought the clock idea was pretty creative. It was a good combination of physical and psychological challenges (or should I say torture).  I thought the supporting characters like Finnick, Johanna, and Beetee were well developed. I especially liked Betee. I was cheering for him the whole time. Of course, I still found Katniss and Peeta a little annoying. I enjoyed the other characters more than I enjoyed their little attempts at keeping one another alive. 

This story feels deeper almost. You can feel the districts rebellion beginning to boil. The whispers Katniss hears about other districts helps this feeling. I wish we could have seen a little glimpse into the other districts, but it's not their story. I also would have enjoyed a little more interaction with President Snow. He's such a good villain! 

One of the main things I enjoy about this book is that there are casualties. This is a country at war and on the brink of rebellion. Collins doesn't sugar coat that for her younger audience. It's not graphic, but it still hits home knowing that nobody is safe. These characters will probably all be dead soon but that's the price of war . I like that about this series. I also like that even though Katniss loves both Peeta and Gale, she states that she isn't interested in children or really marriage. I think that is completely reasonable for her situation. I know I wouldn't want to bring a child into that awful world. She's not a romantic - sure she's very emotional, but you can't say she's romantic. There's no room for romance in Panem. There's only room for survival. I think that's what sets her apart from all the other female protagonists in other teen books. Go Katniss! Ain't nobody got time for babies during a rebellion. 

Overall, I found this book to be a great addition to the series. The narration was wonderfully done and it's a fairly quick listen. Now I'm on to Mockinjay!

Saturday Haul

Okay, guys! Today is Saturday and that means it's time to show you my weekly haul. I have to say that I did splurge a little this week. I got my nails done, bought some make up, treated myself to some books, and  a little something special! Sometimes you just need to treat yourself! So check out the stuff below and see if anything peaks your interest!

COMICS

Bitch Planet #2
Kelly Sue Deconnick & Valentine De Landro
Image Comic s
Price: $3.50

Bitch Planet is an ongoing series where women on Earth who are deemed non-compliant are sent off to a prison off-world. It has a pulp feel and so far is decent fun. I'm a huge fan of Deconnick and I look forward to whatever she does.

Tomb Raider #12
Rhianna Pratchett, Gail Simone, & Nicolas Daniel Selma
Dark Horse Comics
Price $3.50

It's been a  year for this comic and I'm still reading it. I love Lara Croft as a character so I hope sales are good enough for this book to continue for a few years!

Harley Quinn #14
Amanda Conner and Chad Hardin
DC Comics
Price $2.99
Variant Cover

Bodies #7 of 8
Si Spencer, Dean Ormston, Tula Lotay, Meghan Hetrick, Pauol Winslade, Lee Loughride
Vertigo Comics
Price $3.99

Coppers undercover, coppers under lovers, coppers on drugs and genocide uncovered. The penultimate tick of the tock before the courtroom dock, the future shock, the hangman’s drop and the doomsday clock.

BOOKS

Silent in the Sanctuary (Lady Julia #2)
Deanna Raybourn
Published by Mira
552 Pages

Fresh from a six-month sojourn in Italy, Lady Julia returns home to Sussex to find her father's estate crowded with family and friends— but dark deeds are afoot at the deconsecrated abbey, and a murderer roams the ancient cloisters.

Much to her surprise, the one man she had hoped to forget—the enigmatic and compelling Nicholas Brisbane is among her father's houseguests and he is not alone. Not to be outdone, Julia shows him that two can play at flirtation and promptly introduces him to her devoted, younger, titled Italian count.

But the homecoming celebrations quickly take a ghastly turn when one of the guests is found brutally murdered in the chapel, and a member of Lady Julia's own family confesses to the crime. Certain of her cousin's innocence, Lady Julia resumes her unlikely and deliciously intriguing partnership with Nicholas Brisbane, setting out to unravel a tangle of deceit before the killer can strike again. When a sudden snowstorm blankets the abbey like a shroud, it falls to Lady Julia and Nicholas Brisbane to answer the shriek of murder most foul.

The Golem and the Jinni
Helene Wecker
Published by Harper
496 Pages

Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899.

Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world.

The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice. 

Games

Fortune and Glory by Flying Frog Productions

This game is a lot of fun! You play as pulp adventurers fighting against nazis! I really don't think I need to say more. It is pretty expensive and will cost you around $90.

Statues

Isn't  she gorgeous?! I've had my eye on her for a long time and decided today I'd bring her home.

 

Make Up

My two new OCC Lip Tars arrived in the mail today! 

First up is "Narcissus". I didn't realize how pink this color would be! I like it and after it dries it doesn't look so barbie as you can see in the photo. I normally don't wear pinky lip colors because it doesn't mesh well with my olive skin tone. But this is nice and very moisturizing. A little bit goes a long way. I'm not sure if I'll wear this color that often though.

Next up is "Lydia". BEAUTIFUL color. I absolutely love it. It's moody and perfect for a night out. I'll have to add a liner thought because it did bleed a little though.

PHEW! That was a long haul! Hope you saw some stuff you like. Write a comment if you want!

 

 

Review: Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn Published May 5th 2009 by Shave Areheart Books  Pages 359 Genre: Suspense, Thriller Rating 3/5 Stars
After reading and loving Gone Girl and Sharp Objects, I knew I had to pick up Dark Places. Flynn is great at writing dark characters and making her readers feel uncomfortable. Dark Places is the definition of uncomfortable. The murder plot is complicated and it takes the entire book to reveal the true murderer. As always, I enjoy Flynn's take on rural America. Unfortunately, I felt the pace dragged a lot in this book and I didn't feel as if I was dying to figured out who really murdered Libby's family. I just floated along with the story. I enjoyed the characters in this book. Everyone had a dark side and that is what I truly enjoy about Gillian Flynn's novels. The book revolves between Ben Day, Libby Day, and Patty Day's perspective which is fun, but sometimes it killed me when I was finally getting into the story and then the chapter would end and I'd have to wait two more chapters to continue what I thought was interesting. 
Ultimately, this story has the dark plot, characters, and twists I expect from a Gillian Flynn novel, but it lacks the intensity and intrigue I wanted. The best way to describe my feelings about this book is "meh". I still enjoyed it, but I won't be rereading it any time soon.