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Review: A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review9 Comments

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Feyre, Rhys, and their close-knit circle of friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly-changed world beyond. But Winter Solstice is finally near, and with it, a hard-earned reprieve. 
Yet even the festive atmosphere can’t keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, she finds that those dearest to her have more wounds than she anticipated–scars that will have far-reaching impact on the future of their Court.

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought. Because I’ve heard it’s a lot like fanfic, and I thought it might disappoint me because of it. In a way, I ended up loving it even more. Because this book is like Maas’ own love letter for the world she created. It’s like a fanfic for herself, and I’m sorry but how damn cool is that?

“Stars flickered around us, sweet darkness sweeping in.”

I relished this book, because I absolutely adore the world Maas made, and she made sure to show it off with this book. I felt like she took the time to really show us how Velaris looked to her, and I loved that. The winter scenes felt truly magical and so vibrant, I couldn’t stop reading about the beautiful swirling snowstorms.

I also love how this book didn’t rush. The whole thing was about the solstice and their beautiful family. Having the slightly different POV helped me understand their inner dynamics and I’m sure its something I’m going to take into the rest of the series. Also, the solstice really gave me a Christmassy festive feel which was so heartwarming!

“As if we were the only souls in a galaxy.”

The only slight issue I had was the weird sex scene at the end, in which Feyre shows Rhys their future son, and he…um..enjoyed it a little too much for my liking. If you sit back and think about that scene, it really creeped me the hell out.

But for the whole book to only have that one little setback for me, I still have to say I’m going to give it 5 stars!

★★★★★
5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review6 Comments

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Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

Can I please just take a second to mention soapgate? Because even though there is so much wrong with it (*cough* fanfic for profit *cough*), it has amused me highly and could not be more appropriate to this review.

I’m so glad that I’m leaving this book with tears in my eyes and love in my heart. Because I was daunted. Tiny letters and 700 pages and bad pacing? I doubted whether I would get through it at all, let alone as quickly. But Sarah J Maas has done it again, she took my heart and ripped it to shreds, but still made me fall in love.

“I would have waited five hundred more years for you.”

As mentioned above, let’s start with the bad pacing. My only downside of this book would have to be the slow pacing at the start. I spent so long having to push through the dreadfully slow parts before hitting the turn-paging last bits of the book. But I have to say, it was worth it to get to the good, turn-paging parts.

Also, the characters! I found it great having Feyre’s sisters in the family and I loved all of their different personalities. So many deeply personal scenes (shoutout to Mor and that scene between Feyre and her in the camp which I loved!), had me rooting for each and every character.

“A thousand years. And if this was all the time we were allowed to have… the wait was worth it.”

There is no other way to describe it, but everything in these books feels so alive. The characters, the land, the politics, the love…everything is vivid and real and crammed with emotion. The only thing I have to say is that I don’t know if I quite need another 3 books. I’m happy about the novella, but I’m also happy where this book left off. Although I loved them so much that I’m sure I’ll continue reading when the time comes, so who am I to complain?

Also, I cried.

★★★★★
5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review6 Comments

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Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.
Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

It’s taken me a long while to finally get around to carrying on with this series, but I finally am! My friend Amy has been reading them over the past few weeks, and she inspired me to pick this series back up. I read A Court of Thorns and Roses a few years ago and I was one of the very few people in this world who didn’t jump on this series. Yes, I liked it, but I didn’t love it like so many others.

But I had a pleasant surprise with this one! Maybe it’s because I’m enjoying fantasy a lot more recently, but I’m in love.

“To the stars who listen”

The world in this series is unlike any other, and I’m really enjoying the politics between the courts. I think I found it hard to follow in the first book, but it’s all making sense now I’m more used to reading fantasy! I’m also really enjoying the romance, because the rollercoaster of emotions in ACOMAF had me crying, laughing, cringing and punching the air. It teared my heart apart and sewed it back together so many times! I really enjoyed the slow build of sexual tension between Feyre and Rhys, and I even found the sex scenes not too bad. The only thing I will say is that they are very unrealistic in parts (*ahem* that lodge *ahem*), but I did find them well written other than that.

“and the dreams that are answered.”

The only downside I have to say is this book is longgg. And not only that, it can be a real slow-burner at times. For most of the book, I was kind of counting the pages, but somehow a few short bursts really made up for it. There is no doubt about Maas’ writing being absolutely beautiful and very poetic, and I found so many quotes and passages that I utterly adored.

So I’m very happy to say that Sarah J. Maas, you have stolen my heart back, and I’m looking forward to what’s to come!

★★★★★
5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: See How They Lie by Sue Wallman

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review1 Comment

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All’s not well at the Hummingbird Creek wellness resort. No one can see in. No one can get out… 
New from the talented author who brought you Lying About Last Summer: a psycho-chiller to wake up your darkest phobias. If you got to live in a luxury hotel with world-class cuisine, a state-of-the-art sports centre and the latest spa treatments, would you say ‘yes please’? 
Well, that’s kind of what Hummingbird Creek is like. No wonder Mae feels lucky to be there. It’s meant as a rich-kid’s sanatorium, but she isn’t sick. Her dad is the top psychiatrist there. But one day Mae breaks a rule. NOT a good idea. This place is all about rules – and breaking them can hurt you…

I’m pretty sure this book was a cover buy, and it’s been sat on my shelf for at least a year. I thought I’d finally pick it up, and I ended up getting through it in just under a day! Firstly, I would like to point out I nearly DNF’d this book, but not because I didn’t like it. I just felt like it wasn’t for me. But I have to say, I am glad I continued and pushed through. Even though this wasn’t the best book in the world, it was enjoyable to a degree.

“Don’t go, I want to say. Don’t leave me.”

I have to say I’m very torn in my opinion of this book, and I think that’s because it’s slightly too young for me. It’s definitely more of an early teen book, and I think I would’ve enjoyed it a lot more if I’d have picked it up years ago. For one, the whole concept is one we don’t see often, and I did find it imaginative. I’m not going to say it was out-of-this-world, but I found it interesting enough to carry on reading.

I actually liked the characters, and Mae’s friends. I felt the cast of characters varied and most were well-built. Everyone was described just enough to make it interesting and we still knew who everyone was.

“But instead I stay silent.”

I definitely think one of the problems here is the pace. I wouldn’t necessarily say it was slow, but maybe patchy is the right word? I saw a review on Goodreads that read “Sort of felt like the middle section was all ‘The vitamins…could something be wrong with the vitamins? I think there’s something going on with the vitamins. Could…could it be? Something to do with the vitamins?’” and I couldn’t agree more. In more ways than one, this book is just a little all-over the place and I definitely think it includes a few plot-holes. I won’t go into any more detail due to spoilers, but I will include it as a downfall.

So this book was enjoyable and a page-turner, but not incredible or exciting as such. I’m glad I read it, but I’d say if you’re looking for a cult book, go for Seed by Lisa Heathfield instead.

★★★
3 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

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The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, messy, affectionate. And every day from her rooftop perch, Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs up next to her and changes everything.
As the two fall fiercely for each other, stumbling through the awkwardness and awesomeness of first love, Jase’s family embraces Samantha – even as she keeps him a secret from her own. Then something unthinkable happens, and the bottom drops out of Samantha’s world. She’s suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

Yes. Yes. Yes. This book is such a good debut and such a pleasant surprise! I’ve been a tiny bit peeved recently because I’ve been powering through books on my shelf and I haven’t really been enjoying them as much as I’d like…until this.

Where do I even start? I’m used to contemporaries, and I have a soft spot for them. But this is a contemporary with one hell of a twist. I was enjoying this book, and about halfway through was left wondering what was happening, a little bored perhaps. It was lovely, fluffy…but that was it. I needed more.

Hell, did Fitzpatrick give me more.

““You have to kiss me,” I find myself saying.”

Some people may say the twist was a little too intense for such a fluffy romance, but I am not one of those people. This book really needed the twist to pull it apart from the rest. But it wasn’t just the twist that I loved. For one, this book includes family and friends and such a large cast of characters, but I loved them all and I thought they were all so well built. Everyone played an important role in the story and Fitzpatrick is so good at creating well-rounded characters. I really liked Samantha, and I actually love that she was a rich girl. She challenged the whole rich girl stereotype and proved there is more depth to the spoilt princess we expect.

This book took me through so many emotions. Boredom, slightly, yes. But also love, confusion, tears, happiness, laughter and so much more. I spent some of this book trying not to cry, and other parts bursting out into giggles. It displayed the rollercoaster of Samantha’s life perfectly.

“”Yeah.” He leans closer. “I do.””

So honestly, the best part of this book was definitely the characters, whom I adored. I loved the big Garrett family and the natural way they were represented. I loved George, who came across with traits of aspergers to me, and made him even more lovable. I loved the dynamic between Sam and her mum, because even though it was heart-wrenching, I think it was written beautifully.

My only criticism? The pace. As I briefly mentioned above, I thought halfway through this book that that was it. And later on, I felt the ending was a little rushed. I just think if the twist had happened a little sooner, with the first half of the book being more compressed and the second half having a little more longevity, it would have been absolutely perfect.

★★★★★
4.5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Cure for the Common Universe by Christian McKay Heidicker

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review2 Comments

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Sixteen-year-old Jaxon is being committed to video game rehab…ten minutes after he met a girl. A living, breathing girl named Serena, who not only laughed at his jokes but actually kinda sorta seemed excited when she agreed to go out with him.
Jaxon’s first date. Ever.
In rehab, he can’t blast his way through galaxies to reach her. He can’t slash through armies to kiss her sweet lips. Instead, he has just four days to earn one million points by learning real-life skills. And he’ll do whatever it takes—lie, cheat, steal, even learn how to cross-stitch—in order to make it to his date.
If all else fails, Jaxon will have to bare his soul to the other teens in treatment, confront his mother’s absence, and maybe admit that it’s more than video games that stand in the way of a real connection.
Prepare to be cured.

Eh, this book. I guess I liked it, but why is there so much wrong? (someone remind me of the last time I actually liked a book).

I’ve heard this isn’t exactly an unpopular opinion, but I really didn’t like Jaxon, our MC. At first he just seemed like a nerd, but in the end he was rude, insanely self-centred and basically a jerk. I know we don’t always need to necessarily like a MC, but in this story it would have been really good to actually want to root for Jaxon. He had a lot he wanted to achieve and I really wanted to cheer him on, but in reality he treated everyone so badly who was trying to help him, that all I could do was dislike him.

“Just because something goes wrong in your life”

I didn’t dislike reading this book, in fact it was really entertaining in parts. Video game rehab is something original in YA that I haven’t read before and a lot of it was fast-paced and fun. It was incredibly fast-paced and I got through it incredibly quickly. It was definitely a page-turner. The unfortunate thing about the plot, however, was that Jaxon didn’t really get anywhere. Video game rehab is meant to help people with being addicted to games, which I understand in the modern world is something that could be really serious, and I’m glad this book discussed it. But instead of using his time in rehab to actually learn, he seemed to be pretty much back in square one towards the end of the book.

“doesn’t mean you get to become the wrong in everyone else’s.”

For some reason, the end of the book just seemed to go in a complete different direction. Instead of healing, Jaxon improved a bit socially and that seemed to be…it? I just wish the plot had been planned out better. But while reading the book, I enjoyed it and found in entertaining. It might not have been the best, but I did enjoy it somewhat.

★★★
3 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review7 Comments

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Call Me by Your Name is the story of a sudden and powerful romance that blossoms between an adolescent boy and a summer guest at his parents’ cliff-side mansion on the Italian Riviera. Unprepared for the consequences of their attraction, at first each feigns indifference. But during the restless summer weeks that follow, unrelenting buried currents of obsession and fear, fascination and desire, intensify their passion as they test the charged ground between them. What grows from the depths of their spirits is a romance of scarcely six weeks’ duration and an experience that marks them for a lifetime. For what the two discover on the Riviera and during a sultry evening in Rome is the one thing both already fear they may never truly find again: total intimacy.

Warning: spoilers ahead! No necessarily large plot spoilers, but discussions of major scenes.

I’m going to have to clear something up -this is mainly going to be a rant. So before I go all negative, I’m going to have to tell you that there is no doubt, this book is beautiful. The narrative is absolutely breathtaking, and reads like a classic. This isn’t always a good thing, but it is emotional, raw and naked. Too naked, in fact, and so pretensions it really p**sed me off, but in the end that is frankly the least of my problems.

Other positives! I loved the Italian setting, it was utterly beautiful. I also liked the characters and I need to mention the discussion between Elio and his dad at the end of the book. It was definitely the most heartwarming part of the entire novel for me and I loved it.

“If I could have him like this in my dreams every night of my life,”

Okay, with that over let’s get to why I’m rating this book 2 stars. For many reasons, this book made me extremely uncomfortable. The worst possible feeling a book can make me, when I turn to reading for relaxation and comfort. I know everyone talks about this, but I have to mention the infamous peach scene. For those who haven’t read the book, Elio has a very intimate relationship with a peach. At this point, I let this wash over me and dismissed it. So what? People have their kinks. And then this happened.

“What a crazy thing this was. I let myself hang back, holding the fruit in both hands, grateful that I hadn’t gotten the sheet dirty with either juice or come. The bruised and damaged peach, like a rape victim, lay on its side on my desk, shamed, loyal, aching, and confused, struggling not to spill what I’d left inside.”

No no no no. And more no. Something that all authors in the entire world should know – never ever refer to a sexual act as rape if you want us to like and relate to a character. What the actual f***.

The book continued to disgust me, with two other scenes I will mention. One, where Elio actually searched for pubic hairs in a bathing suit because he wanted to find them. Another, when he declared to his lover not to flush, because he wanted to not only see his poop but poop on top of it. His lover then kissed him on the lips and rubbed his stomach while he pooped.

I’m sorry but what. This is not romantic. It doesn’t prove how close these two people are, and it is not needed. All of this is creepy, weird and actually made me feel slightly sick.

“I’d stake my entire life on dreams and be done with the rest.”

So overall, I am going to watch the movie with the hope of this book being portrayed better on the big screen. I won’t deny that the writing is beautiful, but this book is too flawed and littered with issues for me to enjoy it.

★★
2 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: It Only Happens in the Movies by Holly Bourne

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review4 Comments

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Audrey is over romance. Since her parents’ relationship imploded her mother’s been catatonic, so she takes a cinema job to get out of the house. But there she meets wannabe film-maker Harry. Nobody expects Audrey and Harry to fall in love as hard and fast as they do. But that doesn’t mean things are easy. Because real love isn’t like the movies…
The greatest love story ever told doesn’t feature kissing in the snow or racing to airports. It features pain and confusion and hope and wonder and a ban on cheesy clichés. Oh, and zombies… YA star Holly Bourne tackles real love in this hugely funny and poignant novel.

Firstly, hi on a Saturday! I know I usually post Stacking the Shelves on a Saturday but as I haven’t bought books this week (yay for self control), I thought I would post this. I’m really sorry if this is one-too-many reviews for a week but honestly, if I don’t post this right now I’m going to just have a backlog of reviews as I’m reading quicker than I can post! Which is awesome!

So onto this book, and I had mixed feelings about even buying this in the first place. I remember reading Am I Normal Yet? and finding the voice of the MC a little too young for me, and I was scared about this happening again. But I would say It Only Happens in the Movies had a slightly older feel.

“Love isn’t just a feeling. Love is a choice too.”

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I can see why it has so much praise. It’s just very real in many aspects – romance, friendship, sex, growing up, parent troubles, moving from home..everything.

But I can’t help it, I have these niggles, and I wish I didn’t but I just did. For one, I didn’t like Audrey all the time. She was just so damn angsty and constantly angry, and I know it was because of her circumstances but she’d just like blow up for no reason? It also annoyed me when she didn’t seek help for either her or her mum, even though she knew how much she was going through, she just isolated herself instead. Another really important point I’d like to make is something I read in another review – if the same thing that happened to Harry happened to Audrey at the end of the book, it would be a completely different story.

“And you may not be able to help your feelings, but you are responsible for the choices you make about what to do with them.”

But even though I did have some little annoyances, I actually mostly enjoyed reading this book. It was a little cliche for me, but Audrey was a really strong feminist character who I looked up to and loved her strength. I felt how relatable this book was, and even told my friend about it who had been through a very similar experience to Audrey. I felt like this alone tells everyone how important this book is.

★★★★
3.5 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: Save the Date by Morgan Matson

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review3 Comments

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Charlie Grant’s older sister is getting married this weekend at their family home, and Charlie can’t wait—for the first time in years, all four of her older siblings will be under one roof. Charlie is desperate for one last perfect weekend, before the house is sold and everything changes. The house will be filled with jokes and games and laughs again. Making decisions about things like what college to attend and reuniting with longstanding crush Jesse Foster—all that can wait. She wants to focus on making the weekend perfect.
The only problem? The weekend is shaping up to be an absolute disaster.
There’s the unexpected dog with a penchant for howling, house alarm that won’t stop going off, and a papergirl with a grudge.There are the relatives who aren’t speaking, the (awful) girl her favorite brother brought home unannounced, and a missing tuxedo.Not to mention the neighbor who seems to be bent on sabotage and a storm that is bent on drenching everything. The justice of the peace is missing. The band will only play covers. The guests are all crazy. And the wedding planner’s nephew is unexpectedly, distractingly…cute.
Over the course of three ridiculously chaotic days, Charlie will learn more than she ever expected about the family she thought she knew by heart. And she’ll realize that sometimes, trying to keep everything like it was in the past means missing out on the future.

This book was pretty good – Matson is living up to expectations! I’ve always been a Matson fan since I started reading YA, with Amy and Roger being my favourite, so I couldn’t help but pick this one up.

I loved so many things about this book! It was so family orientated, which was lovely. I really feel like families take a backseat in YA and they’re rarely featured as much as family is in Save the Date. It made for a fresh feel, although I did want a little more romance in some parts. I flew through this book and finished it within a few days, mainly because so much happened!

“It seemed like the second you tried to tell someone why you loved someone else, it took the luster off it”

It’s crazy how this book took place over 3 days, and yet it span over 400. It was just so fun and hectic! So many silly things happened, that I actually ended up laughing at the pure craziness of it all. With the amount of things going wrong, the book ended up being really entertaining and just made me want to read on and on.

I had mixed feelings about Charlie, but I actually really liked her in the end. Some of her decisions and feelings really annoyed me – her focus on her family can be a little over-the-top at times and can cause her to just be mean to others. But these are just mistakes that teenagers make. All of the tiny things I didn’t like about her, she actually rectified before the end of the book. I loved watching her grow and learn from her mistakes, and make new decisions about her life.

“like pinning a butterfly down in a case—it never quite captured it.”

The only downside to this book was maybe the predictability of it. Maybe it’s just the extensive amount of contemporaries (and Matson’s) books I’ve read, but I kind of guessed at most of the plot, including the ending. Although this didn’t take much away from the enjoyment I had reading it, it made me rate the book…

★★★★
4 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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Review: The Crown (#5) by Kiera Cass

On By Beth JonesIn Book Review10 Comments

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When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.
Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined.

So yay, this book is better? This series improved? I mean, looking back on my review of The Heir, not much could have been worse, but I’m very happy to say some of the better parts of The Selection series shone through once again in this book.

I’m very glad to say Eadlyn does improve, thank goodness. She loses at least some of her selfishness even though there were still many times when I rolled my eyes at her somewhat bratty statements that still pop up.

“He smiled. “You are always just Eadlyn. And you are always the queen.”

I guess I could say there was an element of surprise in this book, at least in some more ways than in The One. But saying this, I did know exactly how the book would end. Having spent 4 books getting used to how Cass writes, I kind of guessed what would happen even though the romance just wasn’t really developed. And that’s the disappointing thing, I shouldn’t have known what was going to happen. But it was so damn obvious anyway.

“You are everything to everyone. And infinitely more to me.””

But I have to say it, when Cass goes for the romance, she does it well. There was a few passages that touched my stupid romantic heart so much that I actually shed a few tears. And I couldn’t help but going back to how I felt with the first 3 books in some aspects…because this book is entertaining, easy to read and somewhat enjoyable. I wouldn’t say I liked it like the first 3, but it’s definitely better than The Heir!

★★★
3 stars

-Beth

May your shelves forever overflow with books! ☽

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