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mj_reads's Reviews (415)
Eliza and her monsters is a book that will stay very close to my heart. After reading the synopsis I spent the first 20 pages or so comparing this to Fangirl and was worried that this was going to be targeted for a younger audience and lose some of its charm on me. Thankfully this was not the case, as the story picks up and we learn more about Eliza it becomes clear that there is more to her than just rolling her eyes at everything her parents say and being really into her phone. I also have a hard time saying this, because Fangirl is one of my favorite books, but I think that Eliza and her monsters has a lot more depth in it than Fangirl. BUT I’ll get back to that later.
Eliza (aka Lady Constellation) is the author & artist of a webcomic that is like INSANELY popular. But no one knows that it is her besides a her family and her two best friends, who she only knows over the internet. Being in charge of this is the most important thing in her life, and her family and all the kids at school think she’s a bit off because she spends all of her time drawing and none of her time interacting with people face to face unless she is left with no other options. Then comes Wallace, the new boy in school who just so happens to be one of the most popular users on the fan forums for Eliza (known online as LadyConstellation)’s comic. For some reason, Eliza can’t keep herself away from Wallace. They find solace in each other that they both care deeply about the same thing, they both like to express themselves through art (Wallace loves to write), and plus they find each other cute. So they start hanging out and developing feelings for each other, things slowly start to get more serious for them (very slowly because they’re both really awkward and anxious and it is so adorable to watch them start to break down those walls with each other wow) and eventually Wallace really opens up to Eliza, and Eliza still doesn’t tell him who she is.
I think the most important thing to understand about Eliza, at least on a surface level, is that she really loves her privacy. She likes having time to herself, she likes keeping her online life separate from her (for lack of a better term) real life. She doesn’t discuss he online life or her INCREDIBLE success with her family, and she doesn’t seem to open up much about her family or social life with her online friends. So I think that keeping her online persona a secret from Wallace has a lot more to do with her not knowing how to blur the lines between her two lives than anything else.
Fast forward a few hundred pages of Eliza and Wallace being so cute that I couldn’t stop smiling, and BAM LadyConsteallations/Eliza is exposed !!! I’ll keep the details on how and the general reactions from everyone to myself because I think this is a really important part of the book and I’ve already discussed plot a lot more than I usually do. But basically the remainder of the story is everyone dealing with who Eliza really is, and realizing that she was the creator of something so incredible.
SO what is it about this adorable story that makes it so special? What makes it so deep? (told ya I’d come back to this). This story deals with mental health issues. Eliza and Wallace both have them. They both struggle with them, and eventually they both get the help they need. And this isn’t done in a way that results in either of them giving up on what they love. I hate when stories give us characters who use art or fandom as a coping mechanism or as a way to feel better about themselves, and when they start to get help they give up on the things they loved so much. It tends to paint art and fandom in a negative light like oh only people who are mentally unstable or who lack social skills rely on these sort of things. No thank you. Not the representation I’m looking for here. In this story Eliza gets help for her anxiety. She learns more about herself, she opens up to friends and family, and she still does what she loves. Wallace gets help, and it doesn’t change who he is. This story does such a great job of showing readers that mental illness and personal struggles don’t define you as a person. You can get “better” and still hold onto the things you found happiness in when you were feeling down.
This story isn’t all cute all the time. Eliza has dark thoughts, Wallace acts out, her parents misunderstand her and say the wrong things, but I think that is what makes it beautiful. It shows the good, the bad, the comfortableness that is so easily found when you’re struggling and it ultimately shows how things get better. They get better when you already think they’re good, and they get better even when you don’t think they can. There is a lot of very serious material here in this absolutely adorable book. This book caries so much more meaning than I was anticipating. Also okay kinda unrelated but I lowkey think that the title Eliza and Her Monsters has double meaning and that her monsters are both her characters and also her anxiety. Not sure if this is something that other people have discussed but I can’t stop thinking about it.
Now I’m sure there was a lot more that I wanted to say about this book when I first finished it, but I’ve reread my review and I think I got everything important out. This book is cute, it’s sweet, and it is incredibly important. The writing is fun and fast paced, easy to follow along. The art is cute and adds great details to the story. And the secondary characters (Eliza's online friends, Wallace's friends, both of their families) add a lot of fun to the book.
I don’t know if it will touch everyone the same way it touched me. Not everyone relates to books that deal with topics like this the same way, but I do think that this book is worth giving a try either way.
Eliza (aka Lady Constellation) is the author & artist of a webcomic that is like INSANELY popular. But no one knows that it is her besides a her family and her two best friends, who she only knows over the internet. Being in charge of this is the most important thing in her life, and her family and all the kids at school think she’s a bit off because she spends all of her time drawing and none of her time interacting with people face to face unless she is left with no other options. Then comes Wallace, the new boy in school who just so happens to be one of the most popular users on the fan forums for Eliza (known online as LadyConstellation)’s comic. For some reason, Eliza can’t keep herself away from Wallace. They find solace in each other that they both care deeply about the same thing, they both like to express themselves through art (Wallace loves to write), and plus they find each other cute. So they start hanging out and developing feelings for each other, things slowly start to get more serious for them (very slowly because they’re both really awkward and anxious and it is so adorable to watch them start to break down those walls with each other wow) and eventually Wallace really opens up to Eliza, and Eliza still doesn’t tell him who she is.
I think the most important thing to understand about Eliza, at least on a surface level, is that she really loves her privacy. She likes having time to herself, she likes keeping her online life separate from her (for lack of a better term) real life. She doesn’t discuss he online life or her INCREDIBLE success with her family, and she doesn’t seem to open up much about her family or social life with her online friends. So I think that keeping her online persona a secret from Wallace has a lot more to do with her not knowing how to blur the lines between her two lives than anything else.
Fast forward a few hundred pages of Eliza and Wallace being so cute that I couldn’t stop smiling, and BAM LadyConsteallations/Eliza is exposed !!! I’ll keep the details on how and the general reactions from everyone to myself because I think this is a really important part of the book and I’ve already discussed plot a lot more than I usually do. But basically the remainder of the story is everyone dealing with who Eliza really is, and realizing that she was the creator of something so incredible.
SO what is it about this adorable story that makes it so special? What makes it so deep? (told ya I’d come back to this). This story deals with mental health issues. Eliza and Wallace both have them. They both struggle with them, and eventually they both get the help they need. And this isn’t done in a way that results in either of them giving up on what they love. I hate when stories give us characters who use art or fandom as a coping mechanism or as a way to feel better about themselves, and when they start to get help they give up on the things they loved so much. It tends to paint art and fandom in a negative light like oh only people who are mentally unstable or who lack social skills rely on these sort of things. No thank you. Not the representation I’m looking for here. In this story Eliza gets help for her anxiety. She learns more about herself, she opens up to friends and family, and she still does what she loves. Wallace gets help, and it doesn’t change who he is. This story does such a great job of showing readers that mental illness and personal struggles don’t define you as a person. You can get “better” and still hold onto the things you found happiness in when you were feeling down.
This story isn’t all cute all the time. Eliza has dark thoughts, Wallace acts out, her parents misunderstand her and say the wrong things, but I think that is what makes it beautiful. It shows the good, the bad, the comfortableness that is so easily found when you’re struggling and it ultimately shows how things get better. They get better when you already think they’re good, and they get better even when you don’t think they can. There is a lot of very serious material here in this absolutely adorable book. This book caries so much more meaning than I was anticipating. Also okay kinda unrelated but I lowkey think that the title Eliza and Her Monsters has double meaning and that her monsters are both her characters and also her anxiety. Not sure if this is something that other people have discussed but I can’t stop thinking about it.
Now I’m sure there was a lot more that I wanted to say about this book when I first finished it, but I’ve reread my review and I think I got everything important out. This book is cute, it’s sweet, and it is incredibly important. The writing is fun and fast paced, easy to follow along. The art is cute and adds great details to the story. And the secondary characters (Eliza's online friends, Wallace's friends, both of their families) add a lot of fun to the book.
I don’t know if it will touch everyone the same way it touched me. Not everyone relates to books that deal with topics like this the same way, but I do think that this book is worth giving a try either way.
When Dimple Met Rishi was a good book, it wasn’t great, it wasn’t awful, it was just good.
Up until I hit the 70% mark it was a solid 4 star read for me but then the plot just goes all over the place and a lot happens that it just became more annoying in comparison to the fun tone of the rest of the book. There are a lot of conflicting view points on this story so I’m just going to go ahead and point out the things I liked and the things I disliked and let you all make of it what you will.
The Good:
Dimple and Rishi had this really cute connection. It took them a while to get on the same page but watching them be friends and eventually turn that into more was really heart warming. These two were really honest with each other, even when they weren’t honest with themselves. They helped each other grow and see where one another was coming from and it was honestly just so sweet and pure. I honestly really loved them together by the end of the book.
The talent show was fun to read about. Loved reading about Dimple and Rishi practicing, and Dimple becoming more comfortable with herself!! Loved Ashish coming in a having a role here.
The representation was what really put this book above other contemporaries.
I actually loved the aberzombies, and by that I mean I love that they helped Rishi be proud in his culture, and helped us see how Dimple was growing.
The Bad:
The story line with Celia and Ashish felt super dramatic and random, I honestly didn’t understand the point of it other than to make the characters have a role in the story?
Dimple was really stubborn. Yes she grows on me, but on multiple occasions I was kind of side-eyeing her decisions throughout the story. Not awful but definitely cramped on my enjoyment.
The ending is so dramatic.
The writing was awkward at some parts. Nothing horrendous but…it was distracting at parts.
In conclusion:
Basically this book was just average. The author really nails a lot, but also totally misses on some other things. It’s worth giving it a try if you’re interested in it.
Up until I hit the 70% mark it was a solid 4 star read for me but then the plot just goes all over the place and a lot happens that it just became more annoying in comparison to the fun tone of the rest of the book. There are a lot of conflicting view points on this story so I’m just going to go ahead and point out the things I liked and the things I disliked and let you all make of it what you will.
The Good:
Dimple and Rishi had this really cute connection. It took them a while to get on the same page but watching them be friends and eventually turn that into more was really heart warming. These two were really honest with each other, even when they weren’t honest with themselves. They helped each other grow and see where one another was coming from and it was honestly just so sweet and pure. I honestly really loved them together by the end of the book.
The talent show was fun to read about. Loved reading about Dimple and Rishi practicing, and Dimple becoming more comfortable with herself!! Loved Ashish coming in a having a role here.
Spoiler
AND I LOVED CELIA FINALLY STICKING UP FOR HERSELF.The representation was what really put this book above other contemporaries.
I actually loved the aberzombies, and by that I mean I love that they helped Rishi be proud in his culture, and helped us see how Dimple was growing.
Spoiler
I liked that they had Isabelle (idk if that was her name) be weird about how bad everyone was to Dimple and Rishi. And I liked that she backs off towards the end. I think it was really important to show that people can change, and also that people sometimes go along with things even though they don’t necessarily agree with them. I also liked it even more that her being nice didn’t completely redeem her, it just made her more human.The Bad:
The story line with Celia and Ashish felt super dramatic and random, I honestly didn’t understand the point of it other than to make the characters have a role in the story?
Dimple was really stubborn. Yes she grows on me, but on multiple occasions I was kind of side-eyeing her decisions throughout the story. Not awful but definitely cramped on my enjoyment.
The ending is so dramatic.
Spoiler
While I do find it believable that Dimple freaks out and breaks things off, it really pissed me off. She seems to have a lot of character growth and then it is just gone. I understood why, but it was just annoying.Spoiler
Dimple & Rishi have sex in this story and it really felt OOC for both of them. I felt like it was just put in the story because the author felt like it had to be.The writing was awkward at some parts. Nothing horrendous but…it was distracting at parts.
In conclusion:
Basically this book was just average. The author really nails a lot, but also totally misses on some other things. It’s worth giving it a try if you’re interested in it.
This book is short but the message here is powerful enough to move mountains.
Dear Martin, is a book that shines light on institutionalized racism, and while this is a work a fiction the events in this story are easy to compare and apply to a lot of the race issues that are present today. In addition to a topic that is so easy to see in real life, the characters are all incredibly realistic. In every single character I was able to think to myself “oh I have someone just like that in my life.” I don’t mean to sound repetitive, but this book is really real.
Because the story is short, I don’t think I should go into the plot. Just please read this book. It’s emotional in ways that you don’t expect, even in a story like this. It shows that the world isn’t just simply divided into good and evil, and that sometimes you don’t understand an issue until it is looking you right in the face. The content is handled in an incredibly mature way and it is honestly just one of the most beautiful (although difficult) books I've read in a while. You won't regret giving this one a read.
Dear Martin, is a book that shines light on institutionalized racism, and while this is a work a fiction the events in this story are easy to compare and apply to a lot of the race issues that are present today. In addition to a topic that is so easy to see in real life, the characters are all incredibly realistic. In every single character I was able to think to myself “oh I have someone just like that in my life.” I don’t mean to sound repetitive, but this book is really real.
Because the story is short, I don’t think I should go into the plot. Just please read this book. It’s emotional in ways that you don’t expect, even in a story like this. It shows that the world isn’t just simply divided into good and evil, and that sometimes you don’t understand an issue until it is looking you right in the face. The content is handled in an incredibly mature way and it is honestly just one of the most beautiful (although difficult) books I've read in a while. You won't regret giving this one a read.
Struggling to review this so let me just try and sum up some thoughts rather than going into a lot of detail: ToG is incredibly overhyped. The story is relatively entertaining, the characters are equal parts annoying, clueless, and boring at the same time, and the plot is dry until the last third of this book. The writing is mediocre, lots of show and not enough tell. Tons of not-so-subtle foreshadowing of what is to come in the next books. And yet…even with all of these negatives I didn’t hate it?
This was my second time reading it, I wanted to give it another chance, and I can’t tell if I just genuinely enjoyed it more or if my lowered expectations made this easier to enjoy. *shrugs*
Lots of potential for growth throughout the series, and despite not being completely crazy for this one I am actually pretty interested to see what happens next.
This was my second time reading it, I wanted to give it another chance, and I can’t tell if I just genuinely enjoyed it more or if my lowered expectations made this easier to enjoy. *shrugs*
Lots of potential for growth throughout the series, and despite not being completely crazy for this one I am actually pretty interested to see what happens next.
Spoiler
I like Dorain better than Chaol pls don't shoot me okay bye
Crown of Midnight delivered on almost every single thing that was lacking in ToG. I was completely blown away by how much the series picked up in this novel. It honestly feels like a different story.
Because this series is so popular it is hard to discuss it in a review because it has either already been said, or someone hasn’t yet read it and is skimming the reviews to see if it is worth it. Rather than going into a lot of details I’m just going to drop a quick things I liked, and things I disliked list. I tried my best to tag any actual spoilers.
The Good:
- The writing in general was very much improved. Rather than just telling readers about events they are actually shown, it was easier to follow along and easier to not be so bored.
- Characterization was significantly better. I still strongly disliked Celeana for the first 20% or so of the book, but she definitely grew on me.
- The plot managed to surprise me several times!!! I had been anticipating the big reveal at the end since book 1 but there were still a lot of smaller details that I didn’t see coming.
- Fleetfoot.
- I still love Dorian, I was worried I would end up hating him or something. ALSO Dorain having magic? YES PLS
- Celeana grew on me, I know I already mentioned it but GOD it is just such a good thing because I’m not sure if I would have been able to continue the series if she hadn’t?
- I was able to be REALLY into the ship that was featured in this book without being consumed by it!!!
- Lots of similarities from this book and ACOMAF. I totally get why people talk about that now.
- THAT ENDING.
- And my favorite thing ever to see in books in a series: A really, REALLY, solid set up for the rest of the series.
Summary of good things: Major improvement in writing/plot/characters. Solid foundation for what is coming up next.
The bad:
- Lots of similarities from this book and ACOMAF. I totally get why people talk about that now. (Yeah I also put this point in the good, fight me).
- Celeana’s character development was a bit slow…which made it difficult for me to like her in the beginning of this book. In the end I obviously didn’t mind much but it definitely took away from the enjoyment in the beginning for me. This is probably something that wouldn’t bother me as much if I reread this book, but for now it goes in the bad.
- When magic starts to play a larger role in the book things get a bit rushed/confusing. There was one section in particular when the wydmarks are being discussed that felt more like an info dump, I was lost during that part and I’m just hoping it is better explained as the characters get a better understanding.
-
Summary of bad things: Basically just personal preferences I had in terms of delivery of certain information.
Basically, I finished this book MUCH MORE EXCITED for Heir of Fire than I was for this one. I hope the series and these characters continue to develop at this pace!!!
Because this series is so popular it is hard to discuss it in a review because it has either already been said, or someone hasn’t yet read it and is skimming the reviews to see if it is worth it. Rather than going into a lot of details I’m just going to drop a quick things I liked, and things I disliked list. I tried my best to tag any actual spoilers.
The Good:
- The writing in general was very much improved. Rather than just telling readers about events they are actually shown, it was easier to follow along and easier to not be so bored.
- Characterization was significantly better. I still strongly disliked Celeana for the first 20% or so of the book, but she definitely grew on me.
- The plot managed to surprise me several times!!! I had been anticipating the big reveal at the end since book 1
Spoiler
and I totally was onto Archer for this entire book- Fleetfoot.
- I still love Dorian, I was worried I would end up hating him or something.
- Celeana grew on me, I know I already mentioned it but GOD it is just such a good thing because I’m not sure if I would have been able to continue the series if she hadn’t?
- I was able to be REALLY into the ship that was featured in this book without being consumed by it!!!
Spoiler
I am still not the biggest fan of Chaol, and I still don’t think that their attraction to one another was as obvious as some fans claim. BUT god did I swoon over their moments together!!! They were really cute with one another and I could appreciate it. I also think that ending their fling in this book was a smart move because it is already clear how much Celeana is growing as a character.- Lots of similarities from this book and ACOMAF. I totally get why people talk about that now.
- THAT ENDING.
Spoiler
hell yeah fae!!! I’m here for it!!!- And my favorite thing ever to see in books in a series: A really, REALLY, solid set up for the rest of the series.
Summary of good things: Major improvement in writing/plot/characters. Solid foundation for what is coming up next.
The bad:
- Lots of similarities from this book and ACOMAF. I totally get why people talk about that now. (Yeah I also put this point in the good, fight me).
- Celeana’s character development was a bit slow…which made it difficult for me to like her in the beginning of this book. In the end I obviously didn’t mind much but it definitely took away from the enjoyment in the beginning for me. This is probably something that wouldn’t bother me as much if I reread this book, but for now it goes in the bad.
- When magic starts to play a larger role in the book things get a bit rushed/confusing. There was one section in particular when the wydmarks are being discussed that felt more like an info dump, I was lost during that part and I’m just hoping it is better explained as the characters get a better understanding.
-
Spoiler
FUCKING PRINCESS NEHEMIA BEING USED AS A MARTYR TO GET CELEANA TO GET HER SHIT TOGETHER. N O P E will never forgive SJM or Celeana Saradathion for this ever. She deserved better, there had to be other ways to get this BAD ASS ASSASSAIN to stop ignoring her past. Also why was it that when Nehemia passed away we had that moment of finding out that she was hiding shit for Celeana AGAIN? SHE DESERVED BETTER.Summary of bad things: Basically just personal preferences I had in terms of delivery of certain information.
Basically, I finished this book MUCH MORE EXCITED for Heir of Fire than I was for this one. I hope the series and these characters continue to develop at this pace!!!
This book is basically Gossip Girl but with vampires and an actual plot. AND I AM SO HERE FOR IT.
The writing could definitely be better. Lots of unnecessary descriptions, quite a few info dumps, and the way the story is written makes it hard to connect with the characters at first. But idk I was able to get past the crummy writing and still love them enough to enjoy the book. The plot is fun, it keeps you on your toes. I feel like the story is pretty unique (the first few chapters have some SERIOUS city of bones vibes but that doesn't last long). Once you warm up to the characters they REALLY grow on you, Schuyler is such a precious little baby. Oliver is adorable and I want to protect him with my whole heart. Bliss is so much fun (but I remember some shit from the future books in this series and GIIIIIIRL). And Jack is kinda boring in this one but I know that I spent a large part of my teenage years referring to him as one of my book boyfriends so I was low key swooning over him anyway even though there wasn't much there LMAO.
I'm totally suffering from that thing where it's hard to review a book that you love because the book is also trash and you can't explain why you love it??? Basically if this was better written it would have been a 5 star book for me.
The writing could definitely be better. Lots of unnecessary descriptions, quite a few info dumps, and the way the story is written makes it hard to connect with the characters at first. But idk I was able to get past the crummy writing and still love them enough to enjoy the book. The plot is fun, it keeps you on your toes. I feel like the story is pretty unique (the first few chapters have some SERIOUS city of bones vibes but that doesn't last long). Once you warm up to the characters they REALLY grow on you, Schuyler is such a precious little baby. Oliver is adorable and I want to protect him with my whole heart. Bliss is so much fun (but I remember some shit from the future books in this series and GIIIIIIRL). And Jack is kinda boring in this one but I know that I spent a large part of my teenage years referring to him as one of my book boyfriends so I was low key swooning over him anyway even though there wasn't much there LMAO.
I'm totally suffering from that thing where it's hard to review a book that you love because the book is also trash and you can't explain why you love it??? Basically if this was better written it would have been a 5 star book for me.
Wellllll i definitely felt this one in my very soul.
Put off reading this for a while because i wasn’t sure what to expect so i was pleasantly surprised!!
Put off reading this for a while because i wasn’t sure what to expect so i was pleasantly surprised!!
Masquerade was a lot of fun to read. The writing hasn’t improved much from book one, but the characters and the plot sure did! This book had great pacing, and an even amount of plot development as well as scenes showing past events/explanations for things. Nothing ~super~ significant happens in this one, but there is a lot of learning that suggests there are some pretty exciting things coming up next. There also isn’t an enormous amount of character growth in this book, but I feel like the stage is setting for some major improvements among characters and their relationships with one another.
Overall this book is your pretty typical sequel, lots of filler and interaction among the characters. It sets things up nicely for the rest of the series. I left this loving these characters even more than I did at the end of book one. I remembered less of the plot for this book, but it also reminded me of why I loved this series so much, so yeah *shrugs*
This review may suggest I wasn’t super crazy about this book, but I devoured it and I really did love it!! There were a lot of surprises in this book that I didn’t remember. Lots of character interactions that had me grinning from ear to ear, I honestly couldn’t get enough of it. I think it was an improvement from book one, just not as wild of a ride. I think I'll skip going crazy about the characters in this one because I know that the next book reveals a LOT of "secrets" and that there are some significant relationship developments (including one of my fave ships ever ayyyyy)
Overall this book is your pretty typical sequel, lots of filler and interaction among the characters. It sets things up nicely for the rest of the series. I left this loving these characters even more than I did at the end of book one. I remembered less of the plot for this book, but it also reminded me of why I loved this series so much, so yeah *shrugs*
This review may suggest I wasn’t super crazy about this book, but I devoured it and I really did love it!! There were a lot of surprises in this book that I didn’t remember. Lots of character interactions that had me grinning from ear to ear, I honestly couldn’t get enough of it. I think it was an improvement from book one, just not as wild of a ride. I think I'll skip going crazy about the characters in this one because I know that the next book reveals a LOT of "secrets" and that there are some significant relationship developments (including one of my fave ships ever ayyyyy)
Despite taking a very long time to read this book, I still feel that the four stars are very well deserved. I found that my biggest issue was that although these novellas all flow together well enough to be just one large story, that I had to view them all as separate stories that could be read on their own. I will elaborate more on that at the end of this review, after I break this down by each novella.
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord : 5/5 stars.
I thought this novella was honestly a lot of fun. We finally get to see Celaena in action, and more than that we finally get to see her doing something that she wants to do, rather than acting as a puppet and following orders. This was a fun and fast-paced novella that shows us a more human and likable side to our favorite assassin. I liked finally meeting Sam, and I liked even more that despite the fact that I fell into insta-love with him, Celaena does not appear to do so. I read this novella a few months ago (it really took me a while to get through this compilation ok) so while I don’t remember the full plot, I do remember the key points to this and all I can say without giving too much away is that this one is definitely worth reading. Lots of great characterization, and a simple plot that provides really important clues as to what is important later on in Celaena’s story.
The Assassin and the Healer : 5/5 stars.
I seem to be in the minority here but this one was absolutely my favorite!!! We get full on bad-ass Celaena full of revenge and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Shes fierce, shes unforgiving, and she is literally everything I wanted her to be in Throne of Glass. Most of my complaints about this series as whole is that Maas does a lot of tell and not enough show in terms of giving us this bad ass MC, but this novella is lots of show and tell and I’m ALL ABOUT IT. Plus we still get to see the human, compassionate side of Celaena that we got to see bits of in The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. For me this novella had the perfect amount of balance in showing and telling us about the character, and also in showing us the different sides of her. Plus it was just a super quick read with a really sweet story line to make it even easier to get through!
The Assassin and the Desert : 4/5 stars.
This was the first novella that was just a little too long for my tastes. I was anticipating this story the most, and was relatively disappointed by it. This story is crucial to Celaena’s character development throughout the story, both physically and mentally, considering that her time with the silent assassins in the desert is frequently mentioned in the next novellas as well as the rest of the series. And yet so much of this novella is focused on Celaena pre-development. I think I would have preferred to spend more time in this story while or after the events of it to see how Celaena processes everything, but instead it feels like we watch it from the outside and then are told how Celaena feels about it, and kind of left to fill in the blanks ourselves.
A lot of this novella focuses on Celaena dealing with her personal discomfort in her current situation. And this is literally countered by characters who are surprised that the notorious Celaena Sardothian is so whiney, and honestly I feel a stronger connection to the other characters in this one. ESPECIALLY after finally watching her be a TOTAL BOSS in the first two novellas. It just fell a bit short for me. I understand why she was uncomfortable and I understand that she has a difficult past but I think the focus in this was a little off, at least from what I was hoping for.
The Assassin and the Underworld : 4/5 stars
Okay this was honestly my least favorite. First of all this took me almost an entire month to read. Second of all it was annoying and manipulative and despite eventually allowing Celaena to be a boss, also highlights her vulnerability to mistakes. And don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate a soft side to a bad ass character, but this just all felt so forced/convenient at the same time. I don’t know I guess I just didn’t buy it.
Basically this novella starts off with us seeing the super materialistic and spoiled side of Celaena once again. And it ends with her realizing that she has been lied to and manipulated, which leaves readers wonder when else has she been manipulated and lied to but she doesn’t really think about it like that so it’s kind of weird. The only good thing to come out of this novella is an awareness to readers that despite Celaena’s hard exterior, she trusts people a little too much even when they do her dirty. And also lots of Sam x Celaena feels, like wow.
This one is really important to help us understand Celaena but the delivery wasn’t really my cup of tea.
The Assassin and the Empire : 5/5 stars
This novella made me equal parts sad and angry. I’ll skip the plot here because I didn’t go into much plot while discussing the other novellas. So, Sad because the MC who throughout the novellas we see play the roll of total bad ass, as well as a conflicted and materialistic girl, ends up pretty broken. We see so many sides of Celaena in these stories that it was really difficult to read about her being in such a bad place. Obviously, readers know that this would be where she ends up based on the events in the other books but it was still so heart breaking to actually read the events and the reasoning that resulted in her getting to that place
And ANGRY FOR REASONS I REALLY CANT SAY BECAUSE SPOILERS BUT basically everything about this novella that makes me sad also makes me angry when we see the entire picture laid out like this.
Overview: Each novella on its own has really great qualities. For me I think I would have done better if I spread out reading these a bit more, and was more conscious of the fact that even though this was a compilation that flow together nicely, that these are five separate stories. I found myself frustrated at the beginning of most of these novellas because the beginnings are all so similar in that they introduce the same character and we see the same flaws constantly portrayed despite the fact that in the previous novella she seems to go through things that should result in character growth. But when you view these as five separate stories, it makes more sense that we would revisit things from the past since character growth is a constant improvement type of thing. I definitely feel it is just my own personal preference, and the fact that I read this like a normal book and was therefore annoyed by the repetitive nature.
I also think that if/when I reread this series that I will read this before reading Throne of Glass. I think that once everything is laid out on the table about our MC, these novellas work better BUT I also think that they just make the most sense to read before ToG. I honestly wonder if my enjoyment level for the entire series/even just this book, would have been different if I read this as a different point in the series? I’ll definitely have to address that if I ever reread!
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord : 5/5 stars.
I thought this novella was honestly a lot of fun. We finally get to see Celaena in action, and more than that we finally get to see her doing something that she wants to do, rather than acting as a puppet and following orders
Spoiler
(or pretending to follow orders but I think you get the point)The Assassin and the Healer : 5/5 stars.
I seem to be in the minority here but this one was absolutely my favorite!!! We get full on bad-ass Celaena full of revenge and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. Shes fierce, shes unforgiving, and she is literally everything I wanted her to be in Throne of Glass. Most of my complaints about this series as whole is that Maas does a lot of tell and not enough show in terms of giving us this bad ass MC, but this novella is lots of show and tell and I’m ALL ABOUT IT. Plus we still get to see the human, compassionate side of Celaena that we got to see bits of in The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. For me this novella had the perfect amount of balance in showing and telling us about the character, and also in showing us the different sides of her. Plus it was just a super quick read with a really sweet story line to make it even easier to get through!
The Assassin and the Desert : 4/5 stars.
This was the first novella that was just a little too long for my tastes. I was anticipating this story the most, and was relatively disappointed by it. This story is crucial to Celaena’s character development throughout the story, both physically and mentally, considering that her time with the silent assassins in the desert is frequently mentioned in the next novellas as well as the rest of the series. And yet so much of this novella is focused on Celaena pre-development. I think I would have preferred to spend more time in this story while or after the events of it to see how Celaena processes everything, but instead it feels like we watch it from the outside and then are told how Celaena feels about it, and kind of left to fill in the blanks ourselves.
A lot of this novella focuses on Celaena dealing with her personal discomfort in her current situation. And this is literally countered by characters who are surprised that the notorious Celaena Sardothian is so whiney, and honestly I feel a stronger connection to the other characters in this one. ESPECIALLY after finally watching her be a TOTAL BOSS in the first two novellas. It just fell a bit short for me. I understand why she was uncomfortable and I understand that she has a difficult past but I think the focus in this was a little off, at least from what I was hoping for.
The Assassin and the Underworld : 4/5 stars
Okay this was honestly my least favorite. First of all this took me almost an entire month to read. Second of all it was annoying and manipulative and despite eventually allowing Celaena to be a boss, also highlights her vulnerability to mistakes. And don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate a soft side to a bad ass character, but this just all felt so forced/convenient at the same time. I don’t know I guess I just didn’t buy it.
Basically this novella starts off with us seeing the super materialistic and spoiled side of Celaena once again. And it ends with her realizing that she has been lied to and manipulated, which leaves readers wonder when else has she been manipulated and lied to but she doesn’t really think about it like that so it’s kind of weird. The only good thing to come out of this novella is an awareness to readers that despite Celaena’s hard exterior, she trusts people a little too much even when they do her dirty. And also lots of Sam x Celaena feels, like wow.
This one is really important to help us understand Celaena but the delivery wasn’t really my cup of tea.
The Assassin and the Empire : 5/5 stars
This novella made me equal parts sad and angry. I’ll skip the plot here because I didn’t go into much plot while discussing the other novellas. So, Sad because the MC who throughout the novellas we see play the roll of total bad ass, as well as a conflicted and materialistic girl, ends up pretty broken. We see so many sides of Celaena in these stories that it was really difficult to read about her being in such a bad place. Obviously, readers know that this would be where she ends up based on the events in the other books but it was still so heart breaking to actually read the events and the reasoning that resulted in her getting to that place
And ANGRY FOR REASONS I REALLY CANT SAY BECAUSE SPOILERS BUT basically everything about this novella that makes me sad also makes me angry when we see the entire picture laid out like this.
Overview: Each novella on its own has really great qualities. For me I think I would have done better if I spread out reading these a bit more, and was more conscious of the fact that even though this was a compilation that flow together nicely, that these are five separate stories. I found myself frustrated at the beginning of most of these novellas because the beginnings are all so similar in that they introduce the same character and we see the same flaws constantly portrayed despite the fact that in the previous novella she seems to go through things that should result in character growth. But when you view these as five separate stories, it makes more sense that we would revisit things from the past since character growth is a constant improvement type of thing. I definitely feel it is just my own personal preference, and the fact that I read this like a normal book and was therefore annoyed by the repetitive nature.
I also think that if/when I reread this series that I will read this before reading Throne of Glass. I think that once everything is laid out on the table about our MC, these novellas work better BUT I also think that they just make the most sense to read before ToG. I honestly wonder if my enjoyment level for the entire series/even just this book, would have been different if I read this as a different point in the series? I’ll definitely have to address that if I ever reread!
“All those stories must have ended this same way, with someone tired going home from a field full of death, but no one ever sang that part.”
Uprooted is a book that starts off so strong and although it goes in a direction very different from what I was expecting, it continues to get better and better.
At the start of our story we have some serious Beauty and the Beast vibes (literally a wolf attack and magical roses okay), but as the story progresses it definitely becomes its own. The plot develops and takes turns that I honestly would have never anticipated based on the first few chapters of the book. I don’t want to get into many details because I think that for me, not knowing anything about this book before I read it really helped me to not be disappointed in the story. I think that if you go into this book expecting something specific, like a love story, a fairytale, or even just a magic fueled fantasy read, you will be let down. While Uprooted does have some of the best parts of all of those mentioned categories in its pages, it is a lot more than any one of them. So expecting just one might leave you feeling less than satisfied at the end of the novel. But maybe not because I really felt like it delivers…that’s just my theory on why people have such hit or miss experiences with it. *shrugs*
Okay going with this reviews theme of keeping it vague... let me just say that this book was so magical. The author has a few scenes earlier in the book where one of the characters is reading spells, and the character describes how spells feel. Then throughout this book as spells are used, I genuinely felt the way that the character describes. Every single time a spell was cast I felt like I understood something about the magic in this story, it was so incredible, I’m not sure I’ve ever had an experience like that before while reading. I’m definitely not doing it any justice in my description, but it was amazing. Other experiences while reading this include not being able to think about anything other than this story, literally dreamt about it and could not stop thinking about it while I was at work. I was also completely blown away by the backstories as they were revealed and explained (about the world itself and the Dragon), and just the entire ending of this book really had me feeling some type of way. And not even feeling some type of way because of some romance or some characters, it was literally just my reaction to the magic and the world that had me so emotional! So let me say it just one more time, this book is SO MAGICAL.
Honestly my only issue with this story was that the names and some of the spells were difficult for me to pronounce but as I was drawn deeper and deeper into the story I stopped caring. I loved this book, I’m mad that I let so many negative reviews keep me away for so long, I’m ready to read this again. Magic. Magic. Magic!!! This story was great okay bye.
Uprooted is a book that starts off so strong and although it goes in a direction very different from what I was expecting, it continues to get better and better.
At the start of our story we have some serious Beauty and the Beast vibes (literally a wolf attack and magical roses okay), but as the story progresses it definitely becomes its own. The plot develops and takes turns that I honestly would have never anticipated based on the first few chapters of the book. I don’t want to get into many details because I think that for me, not knowing anything about this book before I read it really helped me to not be disappointed in the story. I think that if you go into this book expecting something specific, like a love story, a fairytale, or even just a magic fueled fantasy read, you will be let down. While Uprooted does have some of the best parts of all of those mentioned categories in its pages, it is a lot more than any one of them. So expecting just one might leave you feeling less than satisfied at the end of the novel. But maybe not because I really felt like it delivers…that’s just my theory on why people have such hit or miss experiences with it. *shrugs*
Okay going with this reviews theme of keeping it vague... let me just say that this book was so magical. The author has a few scenes earlier in the book where one of the characters is reading spells, and the character describes how spells feel. Then throughout this book as spells are used, I genuinely felt the way that the character describes. Every single time a spell was cast I felt like I understood something about the magic in this story, it was so incredible, I’m not sure I’ve ever had an experience like that before while reading. I’m definitely not doing it any justice in my description, but it was amazing. Other experiences while reading this include not being able to think about anything other than this story, literally dreamt about it and could not stop thinking about it while I was at work. I was also completely blown away by the backstories as they were revealed and explained (about the world itself and the Dragon), and just the entire ending of this book really had me feeling some type of way. And not even feeling some type of way because of some romance or some characters, it was literally just my reaction to the magic and the world that had me so emotional! So let me say it just one more time, this book is SO MAGICAL.
Honestly my only issue with this story was that the names and some of the spells were difficult for me to pronounce but as I was drawn deeper and deeper into the story I stopped caring. I loved this book, I’m mad that I let so many negative reviews keep me away for so long, I’m ready to read this again. Magic. Magic. Magic!!! This story was great okay bye.