I decided to read The Assassin's Blade before any of the Throne of Glass novels. And I am so glad I did. I am sure the events that occurred in these stories are a huge part of shaping Celaena into the person she will become in future books. There are still plenty of unanswered questions,

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like what was the secret she never got the chance to tell Sam about before they came to be with Arobynn?

but it just makes me want to dive into the rest of the series to find out more.

I really loved this book. Maas is an expert storyteller who made me feel every possible emotion... fear, love, joy, anticipation, frustration, anger, disappointment, annoyance. I'm both happy and not that the book is over, but I'm definitely excited to dive into the rest of the series and can't wait to see where Celaena will go from here.

Keep reading for more specific (and very spoilery) discussion thoughts about each of the individual stories. These are not refined and are just thoughts I recorded as I was reading the book... Also, remember, this is my first experience with the Throne of Glass series at all - I haven't read any of the other books yet, but here are my thoughts as a completely new to the world reader...

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord:

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I loved this story! I liked how Celaena stood up for the slaves and did what she believed in, even knowing she would likely be punished. I find it interesting that she doesn't really seem to have a problem with taking lives for contract, but she doesn't like the idea of breaking up families for slaves. She does sort of ponder it for a hot minute, but maybe she just sees the irony herself and can't explain it either.

I loved watching the relationship with Sam change. I would have liked to see how it continued on the journey back, but I'm sure that would have made for a pretty boring story. ;)

The Assassin and the Healer:

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This one was pretty short, but it tied the first and third stories together nicely, and Yrene is mentioned later, so it was nice to have the context.

Celaena was still processing how she was treated after the events in the Pirate Lord. She was itching for fights and just in a general foul mood. But she saw something of her lost innocence in the young healer Yrene, and I love that she took the time to teach her to defend herself. She saw enough potential for Yrene to better the world that she even gave her the money she needed to get out of her terrible job. I think she sort of felt that she couldn't be better, like Yrene, and she wanted someone to do what she wished she could.

This story was full of compassion, as much as Celaena can be as an Assassin.

The Assassin and the Desert:

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So at first, I think Celaena is just sort of wondering why she has to do this. She's being punished by not being able to take any new contracts? Sent to the far away keep for training under a different master. But why? Isn't she already training under the best?

But as time goes on, I think she starts to question her allegiances a little bit more. Perhaps she shouldn't be treated the way she was for freeing the slaves? Maybe she should break out and go off on her own, rather than continuing to live under Arobynn's rules, because it seems like not all masters are that way. But it's basically all she's ever known, so it's not as easy as it seems. Although by the end of the story, she does seem quite dedicated to the plan...

But anyway, I think the fact that she was hurt by someone she trusts probably plays into her character in the main series - granted I'm going off of things I've heard without trying to be spoiled vs actually having "met" Celaena in the full series. It was also nice to see her sort of realize she may have some feelings for Sam after all...

And I really wonder if she will ever find the spider for the guy she got the spidersilk from... that seems like a fun adventure!

The Assassin and the Underworld:

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Ok, so this story just made me mad at Celaena, pretty much the whole time. She wouldn't tell Arobynn she was paying her debt and moving out for the longest time. She was a total jerk to Sam - just admit she has feelings for him! He's all but pouring his heart out to her and she stand there like she can't possibly be bothered to admit she's actually a person with feelings? Sigh...

And the fact that she immediately trusted Arobynn the second she got home, jumping blindly back in to believe the first thing he says without question? I mean, honestly, who didn't see that coming? He had such a change of heart after beating her senseless, his favorite protege? And I felt so bad for Sam. I am glad she finally confessed and admitted her feelings, but I feel like she should have been smarter to know what was going on, or at least suspect something was going on, with the contract. Especially after she saw what was on the maps, and the missing trade agreement and whatnot, combined with what the bodyguard said. I can't believe she gave the papers to Arobynn before even talking to him about it!

Then again, she is only 16, right? So I'm sure there's some immaturity and emotional attachment that would make it all look very different from the outside.

The Assassin and the Empire

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So wow... ok, I don't know how to express my feelings about this. Obviously, I'm sad that Sam died. I love Sam... and I feel like he would have been really great for Celaena. I feel sympathy for Celaena, because she obviously loved him so much, she is just a bundle of anger and revenge.

Then there's frustration. She is smarter than jumping into a window, rushing into her revenge and not thinking things through. She's Adarlan's Assassin. She's the best. But again, she's distraught and she's still very young, so it's frustrating but not completely out of character I suppose.

I would like to think that had she not been so upset over Sam, she would have realized that ONCE AGAIN, Arobynn has orchestrated this entire situation to suit his desires. He is clearly not willing to let Celaena go, but she must have some Stockholm syndrome, because she can NOT see him for what he is. So there's the anger... at Arobynn for being manipulative and arrogant... and at Celaena for being blind to his manipulation yet again!

Aurora Pavan is a Stormling Princess without magic. When she's forced to marry the Prince of Lock and discovers he may not be what he seems, she is determined to take the only path she can to save her kingdom... and her heart.

I absolutely loved riding along on Aurora's journey with the Storm Hunters. She started as a strong yet still timid princess with only Stormling knowledge of storms. But she learns so much more about the world, the storms and Hunters, and especially herself. She has made so much progress to become the leader she is meant to be, yet still has so much ahead.

I want to know more about each of the Hunters! I love their dynamic as the family they've chosen, not the family they were born with. Duke seems like the grandfatherly figure that sees more than he lets on, and never lets them get away with being less than they are meant to be. I would really love to see a whole book focusing on each of the other characters.

And what more can I say about Locke. He has his own issues from his past, which makes him hesitant to open up and get close to anyone. But his progression seemed natural as well. I really enjoyed the banter between him and Roar, and could often feel the tension between them.

I'm really looking forward to reading the sequel!

I love Cyborgs, Androids, Robots... Sci-Fi - basically everything that is LifeL1k3. After reading the Illuminae Files series, which was co-written by Kristoff, I knew I wanted to read more of his work. I borrowed Lifel1ke from the library and have become a forever fan.

Eve's life has been turned upside down... what she has believed is now being questioned. But she has to persevere to save the family she has now, regardless of what she learns. This story has twists and turns and surprises that left me craving the second book - one pro to starting a series late is that the sequel comes out sooner! I loved the world Kristoff has built but feel like we have so much left to learn - though I'm pretty sure our characters do, too! ;)

Even though I finished the book from the library, I purchased the Kindle edition to add to my personal digital library as well. I can see this being a series I will want to re-read and pass on to my kids when they're a bit older.

I listened to this on audio, and it was an incredible performance by a whole cast. While I did miss the fun page layouts from the first two in the series, life just worked out better to listen to this one instead of waiting for the chance to to sit down and read a physical copy. But I was not disappointed!

After escaping the Alexander and the attack on the Heimdall, Kady, Ezra, Hannah, Nik, and Ella must return to where it all began if they hope to return to the Core. Tension between the Hypatia crew and the Heimdall survivors is growing. But everyone is just trying to do the right thing for the people they love, even though that sometimes means hurting someone else. Back on Kerenza, we meet a new cast of characters (no spoilers here!). The Resistance members are fighting for their lives while the BeiTech soldiers are blindly following orders. Of course, AIDAN has a part to play as well. I love the gray-area that is AIDAN - neither good nor bad, as any machine is. It just does the logical thing.

Once again, Amie and Jay did a phenomenal job telling a very unique and interesting story. The writing style was fun, cohesive, and felt very much like reading files compiled by an intelligence group. I couldn't wait to listen every day during my commute and then some! I’m sad to see the end of the series, but it was a great adventure!

Remy recently inherited her title as Captain of the Steel Coyote and is struggling to find a new job and make ends meet. Max is a confident pretty boy trying to score a pilot job on a cruise ship. When the two are unexpectedly hired for a high paying job, they have to decide if it's worth fighting for things to stay the same or if they will change themselves and their world.

This was an enjoyable sci-fi romance, which is a fun read if you're into space operas with a bit of action. It was a rather quick read, but I enjoyed how it was a sci-fi rather than a run of the mill contemporary romance.

There was the usual enemies to lovers trope, but I don't hate that. I did catch myself thinking several times that there was a lot of repetition in some aspects or scenes... we get it, Remy has nice assets. It also seems as though there may have been some influence from the Firefly TV series, but it was generic enough that I can't even say for sure whether that it was intentional or if I drew my own conclusions being a huge fan of the show.

There is profanity and a few detailed sex scenes, so this is not the book for you if you're looking for a clean romance. There are mentions of slavery and abuse, but it is not described in much detail, so I wouldn't say this is a darkly themed novel, but it's worth mentioning if you are especially sensitive to these topics.

Overall, I enjoyed this story and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun space-themed action romance.

I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

In the land of Varenia, girls are brought up to believe that beauty is literally everything. If you are not the most beautiful girl, eventually chosen to marry the Ilarean prince, you are essentially nothing. When Nor earned a small scar on her cheek in an accident when she was young, she believed she would be lucky to find any husband. But when her sister, Zadie, was badly injured and scarred, Nor became the chosen princess. But is being a princess everything she dreamed?

When I read about Varenia, I pictured the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean, with huts on stilts, thatched roof and all. In clear contrast, the mountain of New Castle was gloomy and claustrophobic. Rutherford did a wonderful job with world building and describing the locations, and really made me feel as though I was experiencing the shock of leaving home and the castle right alongside Nor.

I felt that the premise was well done, original and thought out. I really enjoyed the times spent with Talin, and of course the way Ceren behaved made me shudder more often than not.

Where the story falls short for me is the ending. It felt very rushed compared to the rest of the story. I would have liked to see it play out more on the pages, rather than the quick wrap up we received. I do hope that there will be another book in the future, as I'd love to get more closure on the events that were laid out in those final pages. I feel there is a lot more to experience in Nor and Zadie's story, and would definitely continue reading if it becomes a series. Overall, I still enjoyed the book enough to bump up the 3.5 star rating I'd like to give to 4 stars, with the hopes that there is more to come.

Let me start by saying that I have essentially zero knowledge about Les Mis, so the retelling aspect of this was completely insignificant to me. That aside, I still have mixed feelings about this book.

On the one hand, it was a fantastic novel about the divide between the upper class elites, the lower working class, and the middle ruling class. The authors did a fantastic job making me feel the tension and expectations placed upon each class and I did enjoy the world they've created on Laterre.

The most interesting character by far was Chatine, or Tio as she disguised herself as a young boy in public. I really enjoyed her interactions with Marcellus and the bit of confusion he seemed to display as their friendship progressed, knowing that something was off but not able to put it into words. Much like Chatine, I didn't care for Alouette - something just seemed off about her for me. It could have been the narrator or the character herself, but I'm not sure if that was the intent or it was just due to the lack of any real character development.

The book checks out at just under 600 pages, and for a YA Sci-Fi, I feel that it was entirely too long and drawn out. Things could have moved much more quickly and been about 100 pages shorter while easily doing the story justice, and there would have been no doubt in my mind that I really liked the book. As it stands, I will still give the book a 4 star rating, although it's probably closer to a true 3.5 star. If I remember to look for it, I will probably borrow the sequel from the library to see how the story continues, but it's not on my must-buy list.

I received this book in my first OwlCrate box, so I really didn't know anything going into it. However, I was quickly immersed in the story and really enjoyed the different perspectives of the four queens, as well as Keralie and Verin.

The world that was described in the book was a little reminiscent of the dystopian Chicago in Divergent, but it still felt unique and fresh. There are four quadrants, each with its own Queen. Each heir is raised in her own quadrant, by guardians instead of her mother, in order to learn the ways of their people. But once they come to power, they are brought back to the court. It is here that the queens begin to die. Enter Keralie and Verin, who are from two different quadrants, and end up joining together to begin an investigation into the queens' murders, each with their own purpose.

The author used time jumps in a very interesting way to tell the story of each queen's death. I won't spoil anything, but I did not feel that the time jumps were difficult to follow and I love how this became integral to the story. Overall, Four Dead Queens was a fantastic murder mystery with a twist and I'll definitely be looking for more by this author!

Angie is a chatty American woman who is always upbeat and a little bit quirky. Jace is her reserved but gorgeous Australian landlord and neighbor. When Angie finds out her Visa application to stay in the country has been denied, she is determined to find a way to stay in town and avoid the embarrassment and traumatic memories that await her back in the States. When she realizes that marrying a native is probably her only chance to stay, she begins the search for love, hopeful that she will find it with Jace. But after battling emotions leftover from his own past and his doubts about his future, can he open himself up to love again?

I really enjoyed this book! It was my first romance with a main character on the Autism Spectrum, and it was very interesting to see things from Jace's perspective and how he struggled with even minor decisions. I love that more authors, including Stefanie, are writing about real issues and opening the eyes of the world through fiction.

I'm a character driven reader and generally love books with a lot of character development. I thought Jace and Angie were very well developed and followed a natural arc, both individually and together. I also love romance with a happily ever after and plenty of witty banter with a relationship progression that we can experience with them, rather than always insta-love (though that also has it's place, sure). There was plenty of relationship progression in this book as well, so here again, I loved it!

But, The Aussie Next Door is more than just a love story... it's about overcoming perception and trauma and becoming the person others already see in you. Both Jace and Angie overcame their own personal traumas to be there for each other, even when they weren't really sure what that meant.

Of course, it's also got the sweet but steamy romance aspect.

I was provided an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts an opinions are completely my own.