rebeccasreadingrambles's Reviews (3.06k)

I loved seeing how Celeana / Aelin met some of the characters in her past that became crucial characters in her present. Each of these stories plays a crucial role in her adventures and mission to save her country and probably the whole world. I've always been curious about how Aelin gathered all her knowledge, but also contacts and these stories provide that much appreciated extra background.

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
- I loved this one so much. These events are hinted at (and led to the events) in Empire of Storms and I loved seeing the whole story. I had forgotten that Celeana used to wear a mask as Adarlan's Assassin and no one knew her face. And we got to see where her and Sam's relationship starts to change! I can't wait to see more of them. (And her sass is HIGH in this book and I am so here for it).

The Assassin and the Healer
- It's amazing to me that Adarlan's Assassin has so much compassion and yet has no problem murdering people right and left. That she would risk herself to save one bar maid who was a strange and help her fulfill her dreams just makes me love Aelin so much more. I'm glad I read this story AFTER Tower of Dawn so it didn't ruin the surprise reveal.

The Assassin and the Desert
I enjoyed this one and recognize that it is a huge turning point in Celeana's life and attitude. After what happened with the pirates and Arobyn, Aelin is having a lot of internal turmoil with what she should and shouldn't do. She has always been two sides of a coin and she needs to decide if she can continue to fight for someone who is clearly evil and doesn't care for her as a person. I loved meeting Ansel of Briarcliff (I'm all about female assassins). This one actually had me gasping! SJM surely knows how to shock and hit you hard with betrayal!

The Assassin and the Underworld
-Yes! I love finally getting to see Celeana in her element - when she returned home and back to her assassin life. She is embroiled in a plot for a simple assassination, but finds near death and lots of deception. Her relationship with Sam grows, even though I’m not quite sure where it all came from - earlier in this book she hated him, then didn’t see him, now she loves him?

The Assassin and the Empire
Wow this one was a doozy. I didn't know how emotional I would be about Sam because I still really don't think we got to know him all that well - I wasn't feeling the connection with him that I did with so many other characters. But when all the deception and desperation was conveyed, I felt Celeana's feelings along with her. That is the magic of this series - the emotions jump off the page and grab hold of you. I love this glimpse into a switch that turned and the rage and revenge that is awoken in her after all that happens in this story and this book.

To me, this was 4 stars because it made me so happy and I already can't wait to read it again, but I can't rate it as high as the HP series. Just being back in Harry/Hermione/Ron's world made me smile and I can tell that JK Rowling's mind was involved here even though she didn't technically write the script. (You can tell this is NOT her writing) Still so many twists and turns and things I would never have expected. This story was deep and emotional and no holds barred. I don't want to spoil any of it so I won't say anything specific about the plot. Yes there were a few discrepancies, but overall SO ENJOYABLE.

Harry Potter is not just an extremely famous wizard, he is also a friend, a husband, a parent, a PERSON. And so are those around him. This is what this story is all about. Yes there is magic, but the theme seemed to be more about love and family and how relationships are hard and need to be constantly examined and worked out. No this doesn't sound like the normal theme for a "childrens book about magic", but these were important in the first 7 and are important still.

The play script style was really interesting and I enjoyed this new element. I highly recommend reading it out loud or at least reading it slowly enough to imagine it all unfolding in your mind on a stage. It makes things very different at least to me. I took this as another glimpse into Harry's life and to me it didn't take anything away from the original 7 stories. Yes characters have changed (some older, some acting differently than we would expect). But this can happen with time and I trust JK to know what these characters would be like.

If you love Harry Potter, I think it's worthwhile to read this with an open mind.

I loved this book because Flavia can do no wrong (IMO). She is quirky and smart and feisty and knows just how to work everyone she meets. She knows the rules of a spy game she's never played and does it splendidly. I did really miss Buckshaw and the wonderful characters from Bishops Lacy (especially Dogger), but this change of scene was very interesting to the series. The characters were mysterious and I never really had a handle of what was going on...but Flavia did. I was stunned by the result and all the different explanations that came out. I wish Flavia could have used more of her chemistry to solve this crime. It was such a fast read because I love the character and the writing. I can't wait for more.

This book took me a little to get into. I was a little confused by some of the terms and titles of people and got some of the characters mixed up. However, once I got into this book I didn't want to put it down. The story was pretty captivating, but not too complex. It was really the writing/story telling that made it so enjoyable. It was just a joy to read. Easy and very interesting. The mystery wasn't the most surprising...

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I guessed that the "witch craft" was just a misunderstanding and the orphans were marking themselves to keep them safe from the other children.

But I was pretty surprised by the ending and I loved reading about how the hangman and doctor went about investigating as they were the only ones interested in the truth. I will definitely continue with this series.

Well this book was all over the place. I enjoyed it, but it was a bit too long. It could have probably been split into 2 books, but oh well. I was devastated reading about Claire and Jamie's separation. Their connection and adventures are what got me hooked into this series.

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I am so glad she was able to go back to him! Of course, much had happened to Jamie in 20 years and it was interesting to follow his demanding travels to see how he ended up a print shop owner and smuggler. It was quite the windy road. However, it drove me NUTS that he kept so many important secrets from Claire...as usual. He brought her home to Lallybroch but didn't tell her he was MARRIED and also he didn't tell her he had a son. Come on, if anyone can keep a dangerous secret it's Claire. I love Jamie, but he needs to be able to share important information with Claire if he loves her so much. This book took them into very foreign lands, which was interesting, but I really did miss Scotland. The tropical islands of this time are very different from the present. And now they are in AMERICA. I really wish they were back to Scotland, but I have hope that they will one day. Also, what about Brienna. I have a feeling she will be doing some time traveling of her own one of these days.

Not as powerful of a cliffhanger, but I am still so interested to see what else can possibly happen to Claire and Jamie.

Definitely read this wonderful book! The Book Thief was so good and so sad. Though it took me a little while to get used to Death being the narrator and the different style in which it was written, I actually think it was very unique and well done. "Death" was able to describe humans in a way that a normal person wouldn't. The characters is this book were so strong and well written. It was quite the emotional roller-coaster and frequently made me wanna shout at the book. I really loved this book and would recommend it to everyone.

I wasn't all that surprised by the "surprised" ending and truth about Theo.

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I had a feeling Sadie was going to be related or at least connected to this family some way. Maybe by the child she had and gave up, or her own family. Or maybe Peter was going to be secretly related to Alice because they have such a special bond. I knew that Theo hadn't died and there was a real mystery to unravel there.

But knowing the truth didn't keep me from wanted to tear up, especially

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with the scene where Eleanor visited Theo/Bertie in his shop for the first time. Also, when Bertie met up with Alice and Deborah.

Also the truth about Maggie Baily didn't surprise me, but

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I was happy that there was at least a solution, even if it wasn't an especially happy one.

I was satisfied with the ending and found that I was very attached to the characters. I keep repeating it, but this author has an amazing story telling talent. She brings you fully into the emotions going on.

Wow, Kate Morton has a serious talent for story telling. She weaved this story together so that it was impossible to stop reading. So many twists and turns as Laurel tries to piece together her mother's past. I liked that we got narration from Dorothy, Vivian, and Jimmy in addition to Laurel's current perspective. I felt sorry

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for Dorothy, but then she started to really get on my nerves. I understand that she had a problem with distinguishing between reality and her fantasies but it turned her into someone who thought she was better than anyone else. Poor Jimmy really got screwed by both Vivian and Dorothy and I can only hope that he found a happy ending once he started a family.

The way the author makes you thin a certain way and then snatched the rug from under you was shocking. The ending had me surprised and want to go back and re-think the entire book.

Kate Morton is one of my favorite authors because of her narrative powers.

Oh my goodness. I cannot remember reading such a wonderful book. So emotional and beautiful and amazing. He did not let me down. What an amazing story tell, one of the very best. I smiled and teared up thought the book; I could not put it down. This novel will capture you completely. I love that the story was so different that his previous 2, but the emotions and writing is the same. Wonderful! I cannot stop gushing and will recommend this to EVERYONE!

Wow. I was really blown away by this book. I had read Between Shades of Gray by this author and really enjoyed that book. But this one seemed even more powerful. I started it and suddenly found myself halfway through without realizing it. The characters are so raw and I felt their every hurt and fear. The writing was just superb. The author did a great job of painting the desperate landscape without too many words. The sections with short thoughts into each character's head were especially well done. I became attached to the characters, even though I knew that they had barely a chance to survive. Near the end I found myself actually whimpering out loud, in public. Alfred's POV was especially chilling as we got deeper and deeper into his troubled mind. I have read a lot of HF books, but have never read a book quite like this. So emotion and so amazing.