This was the best one yet. And just gorgeous character development. Celaena/Aelin gets the time and space she needs to mourn, whine, dig deep, figure out her powers, train, learn about her past and her future, come to grips with what she's lost and what she could still gain, and forgive herself for so much of what she blamed herself for that was never her fault. The introduction of Rowan as a friend, a person to lean on and confess to, to be consoled by and to save, but with no romantic strings attached, is one of my favorite character developments of all time. The role a friend can play, in what they can do for you and the healing you can find in doing for them, the love between friends, is different than anything else, and just as important, if not more so in many cases, than a bond of love in a romantic sense. So much of that was explored in this book, between Aelin and Rowan, Chaol and Dorian, and other bonds, like Aedion with Aelin, Manon and Abraxos - I just loved all of it. There does not need to be a complicated love triangle to create strong emotions in books. And in cases where there is love, like Dorian and Sorscha, it can be different than the typical. It's a beautiful ode to the power of connections. And I adored it. I loved seeing Aelin grow and step into who she is (after a totally reasonable amount of time - enough to be believable, not too much that it got old). And the development of stories outside of hers. Chaol's decisions to break his "honor" and fight for what he believes is right. Manon, who is facing a similiar dilemma as Choal - and is finding that her connection with Abraxos is causing her to question the same way he did. I am excited to see where his story goes. And Maeve - dark and terrible and always sitting and waiting (but, we see, out of fear and loss, so that's interesting) - I'm sure her role is not over yet. But I'm so glad to see Rowan free of her. And Dorian. Oh Dorian. I mean, kudos to the author for delivering blow after blow to her characters, in not holding punches - they've all faced and lost so much and keep moving on. But let's talk about how Dorian seems to be the forgotten one in all the mess, who has lost first his father, then Celaena, Chaol, Sorscha, any stability/safety he had with the discovery of his magic, I'm sure is facing lots of guilt for everything his father has done and he hasn't stopped, and now, now he is a slave to his father, taken by the blackness. So much for one person to lose. I mean this is a whole series of tragedy for everyone, and a testament to all the light they've found in the darkness through their relationships to each other, to be able to have any will to keep fighting at all. I just really can't wait to keep reading because though it started questionably, this series and it's characters have just come into their own more than I can even describe. I can see what the hype was about now.

And Maas continues the trend of getting better and better as she goes. The further development of Aelin and Rowan's relationship (which, I maintain, I still LOVE that it started as such as strong bond of friendship and reliance outside of romance and it's just distance that brought out the rest). I also enjoyed Aelin and Aedion and their re-finding each other, plus the complications that came with Rowan having found her, helped her, gotten so close, and taken the blood oath first. The understanding the Aedion shows is really indicative of his devotion to Aelin - her happiness and safety is his highest priority and he fights against his pride to recognize how much of that Rowan provides. Relatedly, the relationship between Aedion and Rowan was wonderfully drawn out. Yet again, the new characters were great - Lysandra is a new favorite of mine - what a fighter, in all sense of the word. And Nysren is great for the role she plays with Chaol (I am glad he and Aelin have moved on - the reality of your "first love" not being what you need as you grow/mature is awesome, and hard to do when you have fans that fell in love with what was and don't want to move on. Plus, their goals and backgrounds and feelings are too different and similar to be good long term - it's why they are so explosive with each other and at each other's throats all the time.) and because I think another character was needed to flesh out the group. Dorian's story remains, for me, the saddest - but it's great to see him freed and rising to the occasion after everything he went through. Plus, I am super excited to see where his connection with Manon goes. Manon is amazing in her own right, and I like how much more we got to learn about Asterin and Sorrel this time as well. And the introduction of Elide, knowing now the story of her mother and the sacrifice she made for Aelin - I can't wait to see what role she plays in the future either, because she has a ton of potential. Arobynn - kind of a let down, honestly. Like, he was big and bad and manipulative, but the fact that Lysandra and Aelin were able to pull off their plan...I'm just meh on him. I'm glad he was brought back so that that story line could be ended - so Aelin could get over the abusive father figure thing and his influence could officially be removed from everything. And finally, Kaltain. What a heartbreaking story of abuse and going out on your own terms. She is likely one of the most unsung heroes in any book I've ever read. I hope we get to see her honored the way she deserves to be. For the bigger story - the revelation of Perrington hosting Erawen already (and the king's claims that all he was doing was trying to protect his family and, all those years ago, trying to get Aelin to end him then) was a major bombshell. What an incredible directional change that was totally unexpected - kudos. Between that and the unknowns of Lorcan/Maeve and what that actual situation is, plus the added complication of Gavriel being Aedion's father...there is promise of so much more to come and I am loving it.

Well hot damn - things just went insane. While it stretches the imagination a bit to think that one young woman has gathered so many favors/life debts and can make so many secret plans that no one else guesses at and figures out everything faster than everyone else...it's YA and it's fantasy and Mass sure as hell knows how to write a wild ride that can make you look past all that and just get lost in the story. PLus, maybe that's why she wrote all those prequels - to explain all that... And while it similarly stretches things that each of these main characters are equally blessed by gods, equally important, and just pairing off together one couple at a time...that's what these stories are for. Legends are not written about the normal people. This type of destiny, of story, it brings together all the special people in a world and, as in any case when equals find each other, connections form. Honestly, I enjoyed every second of this read and am deep enough into this saga that all those things that stretch the imagination, blow after blow after blow, just pull me farther and farther in. And really, the development of Maas as an author has been profound throughout this series. The overdone foreshadowing and "special flower" shit from book one has turned into a masterfully done plot style, based on little hint dropping and a whole lots of secrets that build to some of the most amazing reveals. At the beginning, I really was sympathizing with Darrow and, partway through, with Aedion's criticisms...Aelin seemed to be getting lost in her power and too cocky for her own good. But boy were we all wrong. And it's heartbreaking, the lengths to which she would go, did go, to save her friends and her people and her land. Though that she expected no one to go after her...she had to know that wouldn't happen, not with Rowan at least. But I'm happy to see Lorcan and Gavriel standing with Rowan on that quest (and am super excited to see where Elide and Lorcan end up.) Plus Lorcan will be a great character to watch evolve, as he is able to be his own person and tries to make up for his mistakes. I'm a little nervous about where the wrap-up will go, what with the whole life sacrifice thing. I'm not a huge fan of the main character being sacrificed and even less of a fan of awkward methods of getting around that. Destiny brought them this far, it' snot likely to let go of something that big. But there's always Dorian. Though I'd hate to see him make that sacrifice, especially now with the whole Manon storyline, and I'm not sure if that would be better or worse for the cliche of the story. But til now Maas has made it all happen, so I'll give her the chance. I like Lysandra and Aedion's relationship a lot, the way it has played out, and I'm very interested to see where it goes now that she's playing Aelin. And OMG that whole plan: Lysandra being Aelin, Aelin having married Rowan and knowing she's be taken, and making plans with Lysandra about heirs through Aedion so they look like her. What an insane plan - and seriously, what a massive trick to play on a whole world of people! The creativity behind writing that is amazing. And also slightly terrifying to think that someone has that much power, in general. That worry, that all these characters have enough power to do all of this, is terrifying. And let's end with Maeve - holy balls what an awful, horrifying, manipulative person. Although I'm not 100% sure I understand her motives completely, maybe I'll get a better idea once the next book comes out, I think she's a perfectly written evil. Willing to do whatever she needs to get what she wants - not evil just for evil's sake, not born evil, like Erawen. But the type of evil that is grown and nurtured as a "normal" person twists themselves that much to reach their own ends. So even worse, because they justify it. We'll see what she does when she finds out she doesn't have the keys. And when she comes down from her worked up celebrations of success to realize she freed all her best fighters and they've now teamed up to come after her. Whoops. So I am super ready now to read the end of this story, as Aelin's misfit armies all come together to fill their debts and take on Erawen, while her closest friends act as if she is still with them as they head back to their own lands to keep hope alive (and maybe we see the return of Choal? I didn't miss him, honestly, but I feel like if he doesn't show back up, it'll be weird) and a small group, moves forward to bring Aelin back to finish this out. I wish them all luck and I am not looking forward to the wait for this final book.

Well, that was not my favorite wrap-up. I mean, it was pretty original, for sure. But I have some serious hesitations. First, the flashback stuff - it was like a weird look back onto colonial America, which has never been my favorite part of history. But with some clear a differences - namely the magic part. And it just never meshed (the technology and magic) in a way that worked for me. To be fair, I've never found a tech/magic mesh that's worked for me, but I hold out hope. And really, we all know that stories of utopias never work, because people are inherently flawed. That's why the dystopia genre exists in the way it does. And there are, of course, many real life examples as well. In any case, a strong leader (William Tear) can always make something happen, get something started, but in the end, there's no way to avoid the special quality of leaders, the respect they get, and then the following resentment. And then decisions are made along the way that make things worse in an attempt to be or do better (the path to hell is paved with good intentions) - like ignoring a less favored son. And then we get people like Row. And there will always be followers like Gavin. And then look at what we get. Anyways, if that's all it was, it'd be fine, cause that's how you get dystopia. But I definitely had some other problems - that magic was so weirdly used and described. The sapphires never really made sense, their origin never really explained. So much was unknown. And for Row - what the heck was his plan? Like really, deadened child super soldiers? I just really don't understand the thought process. Or how the crown was more special than a normal crown - I mean I get that Row made it to change the past, and that's what Kelsea used it to do, but how? How did he learn that? And what the heck "curse" did Katie put on him? And how did Kelsea's "forgiveness" break him out? What was the Red Queen's connection with him and where did her power come from? It was all just too vague. And while I appreciated that the author did her best to make things in shades of grey, no black and white (like Row had some good points, before he took it too far, and William Tear was not all the infallible character people saw him as), the internal dialogue of the main characters (Kelsea, Katie) over that just seemed less than genuine. And the judgement from everyone around her was black and white about it. It was just an odd environment, not the best exploration of morality, I thought. And I liked the general idea of the ending, what the author tried to do, but wow it just seemed super anticlimactic and sudden. Relatedly, what the heck was with the end of the Red Queen - she gave up so easy, so fast, turned herself around seemingly overnight, and then some strange change was coming over her and she lost control and we have no idea what happened in her past or what was happening in the present? And we never really learn anything about Arlin and Brenna, which would have been a nice loose end tied up. But anyways, Johansen created an entire fantasy world, wrote it into a saga, and then BOOM - it was all gone, disbanded, the characters scattered and not recognizable to each other. And thrust into a world that, while better hopefully, looks eerily similar to normal life, to the real world (which, just on a personal level, is not why I read fantasy). And it happened in like 5 pages. And we're supposed to expect that Kelsea will just adjust to having no purpose and no friends? Because I sure didn't and it's not even like it was my life. Just...that's rough. It's bold though. I mean, I respect the chance she took and the out of the box thinking. And the fact that she took the main heroine at her word - that she would sacrifice whatever to save her people and make a better world - props for that as well. I've never seen it taken to this extreme before. And I respect that. But overall, this just seemed to have a lot of holes for me, some undeveloped thought/plot lines, and it just didn't find what it was reaching for, in my opinion.

I picked this up because what an amazing and creative and original idea, a tree the grows and feeds on lies! And it's not just you telling it lies, you have to make other people believe those lies. I mean, how cool and creepy is that? I will tell you, it's VERY cool and creepy. And then, as the lie spreads, the tree grows a fruit that, when you eat is, reveals something secret, and at least tangentially related to the lie, to you. The possibilities are endless. But overall, I was disappointed in the story beyond that, which sucks. First, this was essentially a murder mystery "whodunnit" type tale, which I feel like is just an underachieving plot for this type of idea. The main character, Faith, was an awesome spunky girl, all about breaking female stereotypes for the time period she lived in. And I appreciate that in general, what a great model for young and YA readers, but there was something about her, her actions and role, that was too archetypal. I felt that she just wasn't enough her own character in her own right. And the biggest issue, for me, was the religious undertones, etc. Like, for the characters it makes sense - a Reverend who was also a natural scientist, of course when he found what the tree could do he'd want to know about the origins of man (especially with Darwin's publications and all that). But again, I just think that was just too predictable a connection to make, with the nod to the "tree of knowledge," and I mean yea, the tree could give an answer for that, but as a plot line, what's the reveal there? I mean, we (readers) already know that, so the hammer blow won't be as big for us. And then there were just a lot of little pieces that were not fully fleshed out, things like why it grew so big for Faith, but not her father (even though he clearly told bigger lies that more people believed), or when Faith started calling it the Lie Tree (maybe I missed it, but that happened without explanation), or the whole way the tree was so easily burned down in the end (like how did it last so long before that and how was that much light enough to take down something as big as the tree had gotten?). And finally, the line between real and "magic" was just not as well drawn as I'd like...it was weird to read about all the scientists, mainly the ladies (and, seriously regardless of anything else, shout out for so many strong, smart female characters), trying to explain the tree in scientific terms. I get that a lot of people in the world are like that, but it's just not something I want to read and it sat oddly for me, almost grated on me. In any case, a super cool idea that just didn't live up to what it could have been.

Review originally appears on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

This books hits hard. Over and over. It's hooks are so far in that I don't think I'll ever get them out...or if I even should. I cried so many times reading this, for so many reasons, and I don't think I could name them all even if I wanted to. It really was a story about all the ugly and all the wonderful things. Heartrending and hopeful in turns, and at the same time. I literally could not put it down, even through the tears. This is a book of perspectives, of not jumping to conclusions, of respecting each person's experiences as their own and no one else's, of growing through the pain, of fighting for love, of the power of love, of the many forms of love. Wavy, Kellen, Brenda, Amy and Donal are going to be with me a long time. This might be the vaguest review I've ever written, but I feel like to say any more would be to take away the power of the author's own words, of how she is able to grow you into the person you need to be to accept each part of this story as it comes at you, to make such a realistic portrayal of so, so many different perspectives, so that you really feel like you understand them all, even if you don't want to, or think you should, or wish things were different. It's left me mostly speechless, in turmoil, an emotionally spent ball. I love this book all the way. You should go read this, now.

Review originally appears on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

Really the best word I can think of to describe this book is adorable. This is, potentially, one of the cutest overall stories I've read in a long time. When I originally read the blurb about the book, I thought it was going to be a magical realism type story - the girl who cannot touch other people or she'll die. I mean, that's what it sounds like. Not an intense magical realism, like Garcia Marquez (though I love those too), but like one of those books about the lady that bakes cakes that can help your love life...something like that (read: anything by Sarah Addison Allen*). And I love those, like immeasurably love them, so I picked this one up quickly. Despite not actually being magical realism, it had a lot of the same feelings/quality.

An, here's that word again, adorable little love story about self-discovery and coming out of your shell - the not touching people thing was so much more real than I had anticipated. There's even a little note about it at the end. That the "allergy" to the proteins in other people's skin is not something that has ever been documented, but it's based on similar/other extreme allergies. And the same fears/concerns/possibilities of treatments are things that many people really do face on a daily basis. That was what grounded the story a bit more than a normal magical realism piece would be. But regardless, this was still a story that I really enjoyed.

Like I mentioned, a great piece of self-discovery, for many of the characters. Jubilee herself of course, leaves her house for the first time in 9 years and we get to see her experience so many of the joys and sorrows of life - finding a job, making and losing friends, love, loss, fights, forgiveness, helping each other through pain (learning to lean on people and having to be there for them in turn). Just, all the feelings that we usually see as normal, she gets to learn all at once. It's a lot, it's intense, but the pacing for it was perfect - fast enough that we don't get bored, but not so fast that it's unrealistic. Eric and Aja and Ellie and Madison all get their chances to grow and learn as well. Eric about parenthood, how it looks different in so many cases and no one is an expert, about the grieving process, and about love, of course. Aja begins his own grieving process and starts to open up, to make relationships. Ellie, though she is not there much in her own right, learns some about forgiveness. And Madison learns self-forgiveness and to make friends for herself, to appreciate the people that are there for her when she needs them. Through it all, we experience all the different ways that love and families (and the relationships within) can look.

I loved the way each section started with a little piece of an article about Jubilee, it was a great way to get all the background information about her condition without making awkward exposition sections throughout. I also loved (of course) the prominent part played by books - for Jubilee, for Eric/Ellie, and just the quotes and authors and books that, in general, connected all the characters. The one thing I was iffy about was the epilogue. It was part of what gave the book the full happy ending feeling of a magic realism novel on par with, as I mentioned earlier, a SAA* novel. And though I love her, I love her stories, reality was just stronger in Oakley's story and that that type of ending felt a little less appropriate there. I actually think that, though a bit harsher on our poor hearts as readers, the ending of the last chapter (before the epilogue starts) would have been the right, more realistic, ending for the story. Just my personal opinion, which primarily stems from my assumption of the type of book it was, so take that with a grain of salt. But overall, a really satisfying, quirky read with a very lovable cast of characters that tugs just the right amount on the heartstrings.

Review originally appears on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

This book was gorgeous. Absolutely stunning. Beautifully written, paced, planned. The snapshots of life from generation to generation as a family was split and brought back together were so real. And what an amazing exploration of the different paths life can, and did, take for the members of this family based on, at times, nothing more than chance. And through those individual stories, we get to experience the development and history not just of two family lines, but two nations, two peoples.

Starting with half sisters Effia and Esi, who didn't know about the existence of the other, and a black stone they were each given to hold onto by their mother, we watch one branch of the family pass the stone down through generations of turmoil in Africa (and eventually brought to America freely) and another whose stone was stolen as she was shipped to America as a slave and was nothing but a memory to pass down, until that too was lost (taken from) her family. And in the end, we see a rejoining of the family many generations later, the remaining black stone brought home to Africa to visit the very same place where it's twin was buried and forgotten, where the stories split at the very beginning, brought back by the present day generation whose history and family connections are long lost to time.

The author gives us a truthful, painful, heart-wrenchingly touching tour of what it has meant, what it still means, to be black - in Africa, in America, and especially in the in-between of not fully belonging anywhere. The development of black family, traditions, and daily life for both changed dramatically and at the same time, perhaps not at all: p.290 "they'd think they knew something about him, and it would be the same something that had justified putting his great-grandpa H in prison, only it would be different too, less obvious than it once was."

This is a must read for everyone - for the truth it tells, the frustration it illustrates, the individuality it brings to the lives of those lost in the generalizations of today. With it's unforgiving and, at times, harsh truths, this story is told with such feeling, but also impressive objectivity. A judgement-free presentation that almost borders on the detached, and in that way, gives even further gravitas to the truths it illuminates. This book can give us all a chance to recognize, come to terms with, and work together to move forwards together from a history of pain, guilt, and discomfort. Every story of this novel is a representation of something larger, done in such an unassuming way, and I couldn't put it down.

Review originally appears on the book review blog: justonemorepaige.wordpress.com.

Wow, what a debut! I could not put this book down. The story, the characters - they were so alive I felt that I was reading about them in a magazine, or watching an E! True Hollywood Story, not in a work of fiction. The heart of this story is the intertwined hearts (and lives, and loves) of two very talented, very broken women, who use each other to lean on, to make each other whole, to protect themselves, to help build their own self-esteem, to lose each other in. All of it taken to extremes, because that's just who they are. And through it all, there is nothing, and no one, that can separate them from each other - they are each other's whole lives, the only ones that really understand for better or worse.

Whitaker does a frighteningly accurate job recognizing, calling out, things we most want to ignore about ourselves and our memories. Sharon's feeling of inadequacy next to Mel - an imposter syndrome that many of us can so closely relate to. The guilt of holding others back and then the added guilt that those same people are always the ones that have to spend time/effort convincing us that it's otherwise. The complications of sexual relationships, the balance between that kind of love and the love you have for a best friend/business partner/the other side of your coin. Where is your loyalty and how can you share it? The family relations Sharon and Mel both hate, but cannot seem to shake. Mel's mom's death, and the possible role Nashville Combat, and Mel herself, may have played almost breaks her. And it brings into sharp relief that no matter what she says or wants to think, she still loves the woman. When Sharon loses both Teddy and Mel and, even though she ran far and long to try and forget the past and forget her family and forget how she felt when she lived there, her mother was the one person who took the time and put out the effort to bring Sharon out of her sorrow. Both of them learn so much about the way the mind idealizes the things we remember fondly (Mel after death, Teddy) and demonizes that which we remember negatively (the photos, family relations) - it's human nature to search and create those extremes. And even more so, potentially, for them, who use that as a starting place to create their art. Damage and inspiration are such a fine line to walk - and we see that so clearly in Mel and Sharon, their relationships, their decisions, their art.

"How deep the hole goes." (p. 139) The exploration of this line right here is pretty much, for me, the bottom line that this entire book is about. Mel and Sharon trying with everything they have to figure out how deep their hole(s) go(es). And it seems to be the author's suggestion that that's what art is: the artist trying to figure out how deep a hole goes. That's where the inspiration stems from and that's what the goal of the work is - to find that ending. And that exploration, that search, going that deep - we can lose ourselves, both Mel and Sharon almost did. And if we look at real life, I bet if we looked at the author's own story, we would see a similar pattern. And we are forced to think about, as readers, if it's worth it. And if, in the end, that's even something an artist, any person, has a choice in.

In the end, separate from the perfect dialogue, the phenomenal pacing, the creative details, the sharp language, and the absolute truths of the story itself, we are left with the harshly relatable bare bones: the tale of a beautiful, raw relationship between two people trying to come to terms with their pasts and accept their present, separately and together. If you've ever fought with your family, ever had a bad relationship, ever felt you didn't belong, ever had a burning passion and need to create, ever tried to make sense of your past, ever lost someone important to you...basically if you've ever lived, you should read this. But, if you've ever had that one friend that you truly, deeply, completely get, no matter what happens, what changes, or how many layers of stories and experiences are piled onto you, then you must read this.