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Without Merit is a young adult standalone from the great Colleen Hoover. I have read a couple of Colleen’s previous books and I enjoyed them both, but I haven’t read all of her books. (though they are on my TBR) Without Merit felt like a very different kind of read to me. It felt unexpected. It features a family that felt realistic in some ways and so hauntingly broken in other ways. There really isn’t a great way to describe Merit’s family. It is dysfunctional and atypical, that’s for sure. Without Merit is the kind of book that you can’t stop reading, because you have to know what direction the story is going to veer off to next. For starters, merit’s family lives in a church. View Spoiler » But her family living in a church is only the tip of the iceberg with them. Honestly, I really enjoyed the zany ride that Without Merit took me on. I can honestly say, I have not read a single book like this one out there.

Without Merit is told entirely from Merit’s point of view, which I found to be the perfect narration method to tell this story. I really enjoyed getting to know Merit. Right from the moment she told her trophy stealing story. I thought it was hilarious. That is what I think I love most about Colleen Hoover’s stories….she does not shy away from talking about really difficult subject matter. And without Merit deals with a lot of tough themes, but there are always zany moments to balance out the difficult. Without Merit had so many funny characters and conversations and really interesting personalities that this story never felt overly dark or depressing to me. It felt like life. Life is sometimes tough, and sometimes dark but there are also moments of levity. Colleen Hoover is the queen of balancing tough subject matter with big personalities and moments of levity. It is why I have enjoyed all of the books I have read from her. And why I want to read more.

Without Merit is a story that should be read. I know it made me stop and think at multiple points while I was reading it. Yes, I enjoyed the romance and yes Merit is a completely unique and utterly fascinating character, but the book felt totally fresh to me, as a whole, which is what I loved most about it. If you are looking for a flat out great read, pick up Without Merit. I can’t wait to see what you think of the story.

Note: This is a mini review because I didn’t want to ruin anything from this story. I might post full thoughts later.*

The Wicker King is a young adult psychological thriller by author K. Ancrum. I was pretty much addicted to this story from the moment I read the summary. It starts out by saying, “The Wicker King is a psychological young adult thriller that follows two friends struggling as one spirals into madness.” Does this not sound beyond amazing?? I knew I wanted to dive into this book in the fall because I love a good thriller in the cooler months. I have to say The Wicker King did not disappoint. This book comes to life. The voices of the characters turned into real people for me. And the book itself was so dark and different than what I have been reading this year. I loved it.

The Wicker King is an experience. That is the best way I can describe it. Not only is the book awesomely diverse (Jack is bisexual), with awesome complex characters with rich, multifaceted personalities (including hallucinatory disorder) this book is so interesting. I couldn’t put it down. PLus, the book itself is designed awesomely. The pages get more and more chaotic ad darker and darker phsyically as the main character spirals deeper and deeper. Fans of psychological thrillers do not want to miss The Wicker King. This book was such a worthwhile read for me.

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**I know I am super late to the party here, but holy cow! I now know why Throne of Glass got so much hype. And trust me, it lived up to all of the hype and then some. Throne of Glass is a young adult fantasy by Sarah J. Maas and I already know it is going to be one of my favorite YA fantasies EVER. I may be the last person to jump on the Throne of Glass bandwagon, but I am fully on board now. I loved this book, pretty much instantly. In fact, I was downright mean to anyone that interrupted me while reading. And my attention span was complete rubbish when I had to walk away from the book and function in the real world. It has been ages since I was unable to focus in school or at work because I was way too busy thinking about a book. But Throne of Glass completely grabbed me and did not let go. Even now, I am itching to go home and start book 2. (and thinking about putting an order in for book 5 so I don't have to wait for it to be shipped out.)

I loved Celaena Sardothien so much. I think she is a kick ass main character and I can't wait to see how she changes and matures in the series. I am trying my hardest to not read any spoilers because I know there are tons out there, but I really don't want to find anything out prematurely. I was equally riveted by the mystery, the world building, the contest as I was with the romances. I liked both Chaol and Dorian, but I am totally in love with Chaol. I can see a lot of people liking Dorian because he is a great guy and I can already tell he is nothing like his father. Plus, hello bookworm! But the scenes with Chaol just made my heart race, even when they were not yet friends. I am rooting for him so hard at this point. He just makes Celaena push herself. I feel like he will have a big impact on her future growth within the series.

I love the complexity of the world Sarah J. Maas has created. I feel like there is so much more to Celaena than we have seen so far. I am beyond intrigued to find out more about the Wyrdmarks and what, if anything, they have to do with her and the castle. It was why I loved her friend, Princess Nehemia so much. I can't wait to see what role she will play in the next book. Overall, Throne of Glass blew me away. I find it hard to believe that another fantasy series will top this one, this year. I must read the second book. (In fact, I think I feel a cold coming on...maybe I should go home early today. No, just kidding. Kind of...) If you are looking for a YA fantasy series that has it all- a kick ass main character, a great romance, awesome world building and more suspense and intrige than you can imagine, Throne of Glass is a series you should be reading. Most of you know this already, but if you are like me and you haven't gotten around to this series yet. Stop, put whatever you are doing down and read Throne of Glass. Right now. And while you are at it, cancel your plans for tonight. You won't be able to pull yourself away from this book.

P.S. this review was totally weird to write, because in all likelihood, the people that read it will be much further along in the series. I might be totally off based with this stuff from book 1. I'm very interested to see what you guys think. Without being spoilery I am totally curious to see if I am totally wrong about somethings.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

Hey guys! It's me, the girl that took forever to start the Throne of Glass Series. I wrote my super late to the party review of the first book, Throne of Glass HERE so you can check that out of if you are late to the party like I am. But I totally loved the first book, and I decided that the next book I would read would be The Assassin's Blade, which is a bind up of all the prequel novellas. I should start off by saying I am kind of Leary of a book of novellas, but it was recommended to me to read them either first or near the start of the series, and boy am I glad that I did. I completely agree. I think The Assassin's Blade would be best enjoyed if you read it either before or right after the first book.

I loved The Assassin's Blade. It helped me get to know Celaena so much better! Plus, we got to see and fall in love with and mourn Sam. The Assassin's Blade is a collection of various adventures that Celaena went on while she was employed as part of the Assassin's guild. I really really loved going on all the adventures with Celaena. In fact, I think this is my favorite book of the series so far. (I have read books 1, 2, and 3 at this point). We get to see Celaena trick some pirates, travel to another empire and make a friend and we get to see Celaena and Sam fall in love. I didn't think I was going to enjoy Sam, because I am all about Chaol. 
Yes, yes I know that is going to be pointless, but I DO NOT CARE. I love him. I am also really interested to see if my thoughts change on this. At this time, I still love him.
But Sam completely won me over. Yes, it surprised even me! I loved how each of the novellas tied together seamlessly. They are each a different mission that she goes on, but they fit in a bigger timeline of her life with Ardalan and Sam. 

The Assassin's Blade ramped up my excitement for the series even more. These novellas enhance the story of who Calaena is so much more than the first book does. If you are on the fence about reading them, read them! You will not be sorry that you did. And if you are new to the series read them either right before or right after book one. It is the perfect time for them. Honestly, I loved the first book, but after reading The Assassin's Blade, I knew that this was going to be one of my favorite series. I felt like I bonded with Calaena big time after reading her stories. And that is really no easy feat with this character, she can be super closed off and guarded. The Assassin's Blade is probably my favorite novella collection I have ever read. 

If you have read these novellas, which one was your favorite? I would love to discuss them with you! What other novella collections do you love? Please let me know!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**The Midnight Sea is the first in the young adult fantasy series, called The Fourth Element, by Kat Ross. The Midnight Sea is what I would describe as high fantasy, and I loved it. It kind of reminded me of the Storm Siren trilogy by Mary Weber. Kat Ross creates a rich fantasy world, full of new and scary creatures, lots of magical powers, and an intricately woven plot that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. (and then maybe even longer because there is a cliff hanger on this one.)

The Midnight Sea is the story of Nazafareen, and her "good" daeva, or demon, Darius. In this world they use the good demons, or demons who have been trained in the way of the light to defeat the bad demons- the Druj. Humans with powers, or the capability of having powers (I was a little unclear as to this part) are linked with a daeva, which creates a bond between them and their powers. It makes them stronger, allowing them to kill the Druj. But in the case of Nazafareen and Darius it also caused them to get closer and closer with one another. I loved this aspect of The Midnight Sea. It made for a really great, slow burn romance.

My only gripe about the story is that I wish it came with a glossary of terms and a map at the start of the story. Kat Ross has created a very intricate world with a lot of moving parts and new names, and I would have loved to have some context before I started reading. She does give a note to the readers at the end of the story that explain where in history we can place this story, and I loved that extra, but I think it would have worked better at the start of a story...with a map. Maybe it is just me, but I believe that every fantasy story should come with a map of the world. It helps me visualize as I am reading.

The Midnight Sea was a story that surprised me at the start, in the middle and again at the end. There were lots of plot twists woven into the story, some that I totally did not see coming at all! Fans of fantasy books will love this one. Do not miss The Midnight Sea. I can't wait for the next book in the Fourth Element series.

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**

*Note: This is the second book in a series that needs to be read in order. If you are new to the series, you can check out my review of book one, Ever the Hunted HERE*

Ever the Brave is the second book in the young adult fantasy series, Clash of Kingdoms by Erin Summerill. I loved the first book in the series, ever the hunted, and I have to say I really enjoyed Ever the Brave as well! I found the story to be an excellent follow up novel to the first book. It was just as strong of a story. ever The Brave picks up shortly thereafter the events of the first book, so you do need to read this series in order.  There are lots of interesting aspects to touch on in Ever the Hunted- there is magic, romance, political intrigue and action and suspense. Plenty for any fan of fantasy.

One of the things I loved about Ever The Hunted was the interesting magic abilities found in some people. I remember wanting to explore those abilities more. To find out more about what kind of channeler Britta was and what she could do. And I am so happy to report that my wish was granted in Ever The Brave. If you remember what happened with the king and Britta as the end of the first book, you know that will certainly prove interesting. The king is much more of a main character in Ever the Brave, along with Britta and the wonderful Cohen.

Ever the Brave is told in multiple perspective between Britta and Cohen and I loved that we started out right from Cohen's point of view. Getting inside of his head and seeing his feelings for Britta as he is sent off on missions for the king helped me grow even closer to him. We also get to see the King's point of view in this book and darn it if I don't really like him as well. He certainly complicated things, but in a good way. I enjoyed seeing his point of view splashed throughout the story. And I am so happy to say that there is going to be a third book in this world. I don't want to spoil too much but I am really, really happy with how everything turned out! I love all of the characters! 

At the end of the last book, I was still a little undecided on some of the characters, and I do have my favorites  but I felt like I understood everyone so much better and I was overall really pleased with each and every one of them. Ever the Brave was a very satisfying read. We got to learn more about the magic and channeler's, we got lots of swoony moments and romance, tons of adventure and action and a really satisfying wrap up. Plus, another book! I love that because I am not ready to leave this world. I love it so much! Please write many more books Erin Summerill!!

Bottom line: If you are a fan of young adult fantasy books, Ever the Brave is one you should check out. It has a great quest style adventure, with lots of magic, romance, intrigue and a really cool world. I really enjoyed this one and I am looking forward to book three already!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

**You can see this full review and more at Book Briefs: https://bookbriefs.net**
*Note: This is the second book in a series that needs to be read in order. If you are new to the series, you can check out my review of book one, Ever the Hunted HERE*

Ever the Brave is the second book in the young adult fantasy series, Clash of Kingdoms by Erin Summerill. I loved the first book in the series, ever the hunted, and I have to say I really enjoyed Ever the Brave as well! I found the story to be an excellent follow up novel to the first book. It was just as strong of a story. ever The Brave picks up shortly thereafter the events of the first book, so you do need to read this series in order.  There are lots of interesting aspects to touch on in Ever the Hunted- there is magic, romance, political intrigue and action and suspense. Plenty for any fan of fantasy.

One of the things I loved about Ever The Hunted was the interesting magic abilities found in some people. I remember wanting to explore those abilities more. To find out more about what kind of channeler Britta was and what she could do. And I am so happy to report that my wish was granted in Ever The Brave. If you remember what happened with the king and Britta as the end of the first book, you know that will certainly prove interesting. The king is much more of a main character in Ever the Brave, along with Britta and the wonderful Cohen.

Ever the Brave is told in multiple perspective between Britta and Cohen and I loved that we started out right from Cohen's point of view. Getting inside of his head and seeing his feelings for Britta as he is sent off on missions for the king helped me grow even closer to him. We also get to see the King's point of view in this book and darn it if I don't really like him as well. He certainly complicated things, but in a good way. I enjoyed seeing his point of view splashed throughout the story. And I am so happy to say that there is going to be a third book in this world. I don't want to spoil too much but I am really, really happy with how everything turned out! I love all of the characters! 

At the end of the last book, I was still a little undecided on some of the characters, and I do have my favorites  but I felt like I understood everyone so much better and I was overall really pleased with each and every one of them. Ever the Brave was a very satisfying read. We got to learn more about the magic and channeler's, we got lots of swoony moments and romance, tons of adventure and action and a really satisfying wrap up. Plus, another book! I love that because I am not ready to leave this world. I love it so much! Please write many more books Erin Summerill!!

Bottom line: If you are a fan of young adult fantasy books, Ever the Brave is one you should check out. It has a great quest style adventure, with lots of magic, romance, intrigue and a really cool world. I really enjoyed this one and I am looking forward to book three already!

This review was originally posted on Book Briefs

review to come