Days of Blood and Starlight

Title: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2)
Author: Laini Taylor
Release Date: January 1st, 2012
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Hello, hello, hello!
This has been a long time coming. These books are fantastic. Laini Taylor has created an intricate world of desire and danger. I simply love her work. Her creativity and phrasing match each other so well, this book is tied together perfectly.

I would definitely suggest continuing on to this book if you have already read Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It flows nicely from the first book to this one. These books are high fantasy, so you need to take the time to learn the new terms and characters when you begin them, but they are worth it. This is such a fantastic world, I suggest reading them if you are in the mood for adventure.

I suggest these books to readers more experienced in the fantasy world, but also to those wishing to get into it!

To those of you who haven't read it, See you next time! This is where you get off because there are spoilers below the picture!

**Spoilers**

Alright everyone. Down to business. 

One of my favorite parts of this book is the difference yet similarity of the Chimaera and Seraphim. They are both different species, but when we jump from Akiva and Karou's points of views, we see the similarities of both sides. Taylor did a fantastic job making each minor character their own individual with different opinons that she gave them a chance to express. Like when Karou was standing up to the White Wolf, and the characters got to choose which side they supported. 

I also really enjoyed how Karou and Akiva were not together in this book. We saw their independence. These books are not just another romance story, it has meaning and its' own flavor. Yet we see the difference of their opinions on each other. Karou knows she loves Akiva, but also knows she can't be with him because of what he did to Brimstone. However, I am still confused on what actually happened. I hope that gets explained in the next installment. On the other side, we see how Akiva still loves Karou, yet we almost never see them together. It shows that just because there is romance in a book, there may also be bigger things going on. 

I absolutely loved seeing Zuzanna and Mik again. I missed them, and when they showed up I may have started laugh/crying. That moment, when Karou goes to see who is on the hill, and it's Zuzanna yelling her name and they are finally reunited. Oh, so beautiful. I think those two were some comic relief that we definitely needed. Plus, they were so adorable. So adorable. With their fairytale tasks and their sometimes awkwardly adorable moments together when they think they are alone but they're not. Ah, I love them. 

I also absolutely loved how we got Issa back. She is such a strong character not only in the book, but also in Karou's life. I picture her as the mother Karou never had. She is so protective and straight forward, we needed her to get rid of Ten (who I hated). 

I loved seeing things from Hazel and Liraz's point of view. Those two really defined the individuality of characters I was talking about before. It killed me when Hazel died. That's when we saw how human Liraz is. She's not just a killing machine, she has always wanted that love and family, and the one person she had it with got ripped away. And then when Akiva and Liraz brought Hazel to Karou to try to save him and she couldn't, it ripped me apart. The entire book built up Hazel, and then he was ripped away from us, AGAIN. 

Thiago. How I hated that bastard. I don't know if I have hated anyone as much as Thiago and Ten. They just annoyed the hell out of me. When Karou killed him, I was laughing. But then later, when Taylor scared us all by making us think that Karou had brought him back, I actually got angry at Karou. I couldn't believe she had done that. But, then when we find out that Ziri is actually now Thiago, it made me so incredibly happy. I also love Ziri so much now. He has become such a huge character in this series. He is so selfless and brave, I can't wait to see what lies in store for him (hopefully only great things that end in happiness because I don't think I can handle it if he dies). 

I have to admit, romantically, I can't quite tell if Karou will lean towards Akiva or Ziri. This is troubling me. I can't even say what side I'm on because I love all three of them so much. I think right now I'm on team Ziri because I just love him so much, but I can't ignore the bond Karou and Akiva have. However, there was nothing ever outright romantic with Ziri. I just have a feeling. We'll see. 

Laini Taylor did a beautiful job. In the end, everything that happens in this book ties together so well. It is flawless. I will be reading the next one, there was too much that didn't get finished, especially with the apocalypse. This book is just such an adventure. 

Until next time, Keep Reading! 

Eon

Title: Eon: Dragoneye Reborn (Eon #1)
Author: Alison Goodmann
Release Date: December 26th, 2008
My Rating: 4.5/5


Hello all,
Today I have for you a review of Eon by Alison Goodmann. I picked up this book a few months ago on a book binge. After moving to college, I find that I have less and less time to read, so it has taken me awhile to get to this book. Once I got into it I didn't want to put it down (but reluctantly had to. Homework waits for no one!). Anyways, here we go.

I have always loved the Chinese/Asian culture. This book is in a made-up world, but it has that Asian cultural twist.

We follow a 12 year old boy named Eon as he attempts to become a Dragoneye. There are 12 dragons, and each year one of them chooses a new Dragoneye. One of the dragons, the Mirror Dragon, has not been seen in 500 years. Usually a Dragoneye can only see one of the 12 dragons, but Eon is special. He can see 11 of them. But there is one thing that Eon needs to keep a secret if he wants to become a Dragoneye. He is actually Eona, a 16 year old girl pulled from slavery to be trained to become a Dragoneye. The penalty for this; Death. Trouble up-rises in the kingdom and Eon must work with a fantastic group of characters to save the traditions of the Dragoneye.

This book thoroughly entertained me. There was never a dull moment. There was action, adventure, and comedy in a delightful mix. I absolutely loved Eon, even though she sometimes made decisions I wouldn't necessarily agree with. I found myself rooting for Ryko, Eon's guard throughout the entire book.

Usually I love a book with great romance, but this book didn't have any. Normally this would bore me to no end, but this book was so exciting I didn't even care. Yes, there is a lack of outright romance, but it hints at maybe a little something-something in the future ;).

I will definitely be looking forward to the next book. I recommend this book to anyone that loves fantasy and adventure.

I'm not going to be adding a spoiler section to this review, so this is it for today!

Until next time, Keep Reading!

Lola and the Boy Next Door

Title: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
Release Date: September 28th, 2011
My Rating: 5/5

Hey there!

I just finished a wonderful book by Stephanie Perkins. Lola and the Boy Next Door was such a good book. I could not put it down. I finished it in two days and wanted more. It was funny and quirky and just such a great read. It was fast paced and was entertaining the entire time. To my delightful surprise, Anna and Etienne return for cameos in this sequel.

I loved Lola. She was spunky and adorable. She doesn't care what people think of her. I also loved Cricket. Well, I loved his name to begin with, but then I just fell in love with his personality. I obviously hated Max, but who didn't? Lola's parents are hilarious and I wish I knew them in person. They remind me of the couple from Modern Family. Overall, this was a great group of characters and I am very pleased.

This book was 100% contemporary. It was short, sweet, and focused on the love interest. I loved every minute of it. This is exactly the type of book I needed to pull me out of a reading slump, and I am going to recommend it to anyone who needs a cutesy book to brighten their day.

Spoilers below the picture, so for those of you clicking out, see you next time!

**SPOILERS**

Here we go. 

I loved loved loved loved loved Cricket. And when he made the bridge between their rooms?!? I wish I had a cute neighbor guy like that. He was just so smart and loving. It killed me to read the look on Crickets face every time Max was mentioned. There were some parts where I didn't like Lola very much in those situations.

I was so happy when Lola kicked Max to the curb. I loved how Stephanie Perkins gave Lola time to grieve her breakup. A lot of authors just assume that because a character dumped someone for someone else, they will just skip on their merry way and move on. I like how Perkins kept it real and realized that even though Max was a jerk, there was a part of Lola that loved him. 

I surprisingly liked Norah. Well maybe I didn't like Norah, but I liked her appearances in the book. She added some drama and the scenes with her and Lola were some that stick out in my mind. I loved the scene at the end where Lola and Norah are watching TV and they feel like they are finally getting to know each other. 

I also liked Calliope. I know she was kind of stand-offish, but I just couldn't bring myself to dislike her. I was hoping that they would become friends at the end. My favorite scene of the entire book was when Lola was making Calliope a new outfit. It really brought the novel together for me. 

I can't think of much more to say, but overall I loved this book. I can't wait to read more from Perkins in Isla and the Happily Ever After. 

I recommend this book to anyone that loves a great, romantic, and funny book. 

Until next time, Keep Reading! 

The Lightning Thief

Title: The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #1)
Author: Rick Riordan
Release Date: March 21st, 2005
My Rating: 5/5

Alright Everybody!

I'm finally done reading The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, and it was pretty amazing. It took me so long only because I am a new University student, and was getting used to college life. Otherwise, this book was so fast paced, I could barely keep up. I am most definitely now a Percy Jackson fan and cannot wait to finish the series. (By the way, I found a great box set at B&N for only $35).

This book kept me entertained the entire ride. It seemed like Riordan just jumped to the action. If the scene didn't have action in it, we only got a brief description and continued on to the good parts. That's one thing I loved about this book. I can't stand boring transition scenes.

The relationships between Percy, Annabeth, and Grover, developed very quickly. This meant we got to see the humor that true friends bring out in each other. They weren't afraid to throw insults at one another. This trio reminded me of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Percy, the hero, Grover, the comedic relief, and Annabeth the genius.

Riordan created a world full of myth, action, and anticipation. I absolutely loved how much I learned about Greek mythology and what it means to be a hero.

This is one of the only books I've read that I would recommend to readers of all ages. In fact, I'm about to force it onto my own younger siblings. I suggest after you read it, you do the same. I'm not going to insert a spoiler section, so don't worry to those who haven't read it yet. I'd love for you to find a way to contact me to discuss what you thought of the book! I love discussions. Feel free to leave comments!

Read this book.

Until next time, Keep Reading!

OPPOSITION!

Dun Dun Dun-Da!
Finally! It has come! the day you have been waiting for is here! That's right, my review of the fifth and final book of the Lux series, Opposition by Jennifer L. Armentrout. It has been a long time coming, I know. I have been reading this book for a long time (two weeks) because I have been busy moving in to college and getting used to the whole college life thing, but this morning I finished! I'm so excited to share my final thoughts of this beautiful series with you.

If you have not read the Lux series, go read them. If you have read them up to Opposition, stick around.

This book is full of comedy, drama, action, and multiple Harry Potter references. It all mixes together to form this great addition/finale to the series. I don't have enough good things to say about this book, so I'm going to jump to the spoiler section.

For those of you who haven't read it, this is me demanding you read it and get back here to discuss.

**SPOILERS**

Alright everyone. I am so sad to see this series go. I loved it so much and can't believe it is finally over. All of the books are amazing and this book was no exception. If anything, I have just fallen even more in love with Daemon Black. 

In the beginning of the novel, I was very confused by the whole zombie-brain-luxen thing going on. At first I thought Daemon was going to stay all bad, but then we saw from his P.O.V. and knew that he still loved Katy. Daemon and Dawson are not brain-washed by the other luxen because they are connected to humans. Dee, on the other hand, gets sucked in and cant escape on her own. 

I'll admit, I'm getting kind of tired of Dee always being hostile. I wish there was one book where Dee and Katy just get to be best friends. I can't help but love Dee, yet she always pisses me off and starts crying in every book. 

I loved seeing the connection between Dawson and Bethany grow even stronger in this book. During Origin, I honestly thought that Katy would be pregnant too because there was a bunch of foreshadowing, but I'm glad it was only Bethany. I loved seeing baby Ashley in the epilogue, it gives us some insight to Luc and Archer's background and how they grew up. It also made me think that if the Daedalus children grew up in homes, they would be as normal as Ashley. 

I feel like I didn't see enough of Daemon and Katy's relationship in this book. They were either always fighting the Luxen, Katy was hurt and Daemon was comforting her, or they were having sexy-time. I miss the back and forth from the previous books. That is what really kept their relationship interesting to me. 

The action in this book seemed rather anti-climatic. Through out the entire series there was all this buildup, and I was just expecting more. During this novel, there was a lot of action so for the finale I was expecting something huge, but then it turns out that Katy just runs away and lets the Arum handle it. It seems like the biggest climax was when we find Katy's mom, and even then it was a short scene that didn't really have an impact on the book as a whole. I was just a little disappointed by this. 

Don't get me wrong, I loved this book entirely. It was action packed and kept me on my toes. I just think I liked the first book, Obsidian, the best. 

Overall, I would definitely tell you to read these books. They really are fast paced and worth your time. They are hilarious and witty and gut-wrenching. I really don't want to say goodbye to these books and wish I could read them for the first time again. They will always have a spot on my favorites shelf, that's for sure. 

Until next time, Keep Reading!

Opposition release!

Hey there everybody!

As most of you already know, Opposition by the wonderful, fantastical, Ms. Jennifer L. Armentrout, was released a few weeks ago (And if you didn't already know that, get out. Go buy her books. Read them. And get back to me). In honor of this, I have decided to reread the entire series,  all five wonderful books. This is why I have not been posting very much recently. I'm getting through these books so fast, I don't really have time to write a full review on each.

To make things easier, I have written a short overall series review:

Read them. Now. 

There. Now that's done. These books are funny, romantic, and action packed. The paranormal characters are not vampires, werewolves, faeries, or angels. No, no, they are aliens. Miss Armentrout is a creative genius with witty characters, twisting plots, and lots and lots of relationships of the love-hate variety. Go read them. 

Now to make it easier for you, here they are in order: 

1. Obsidian (Lux #1) 

2. Onyx (Lux #2)

3. Opal (Lux #3)

4. Origin (Lux #4)

5. Oppositon (Lux #5)

Until next time, Keep Reading! 

(especially if it's these books) 

Throne of Glass

Title: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: August 7th, 2012
My Rating: 5/5

Well then.
Holy. Mother. You. Must. Read. This. Book. Now. It was amazing. It definitely has a spot on my favorites shelf and I am so excited to read the next 4 to 5 books. The world is amazing. It is the perfect mix of fantasy and history. Sarah J. Maas created an exciting book that I am definitely a supporter of.

The main character, Celaena, is the most feared assassin in the entire country. When she is 17, she is captured and sent to a death camp. Somehow, she survives a year, and the Crown Prince comes to recruit her to fight in a competition to become the kings personal assassin.

This is a fast-paced, adventure-filled book that really deserves a read. I couldn't put it down.

If you haven't read this book, I insist you go find it and read it, then come back and read the rest of my review!

**SPOILERS**

Gosh, I can't even think about what to write, there is so much going to my head. 

I LOVED the love triangle in this book. Dorian, Chaol, Celaena. I'm totally team Chaol, but there's no way I can't love Dorian also. I mean come on, he got her a puppy. A PUPPY. In every love triangle, there is always the playful guy, and the serious guy. Dorian is definitely the playful one and Chaol the serious one. 

Next I want to talk about Arobynn, the king of assassins, if you will. At first I thought he was a cool guy. He took in the orphaned Celaena, and raised her as his own. But as the book goes on, we start seeing more insight to his true character. He trains her to be ruthless, breaking her own hand, paying him back for his training, and running his errands. I really hope we see more of him in the next books. 

In the beginning, I was very confused by the magic aspect. There are Wyrdmarks, which seem like runes in a way, then there is the black ring aspect used by Perrington and the King. This black magic can apparently control the thoughts of others, as seen with Kaltain. 

Some of my favorite scenes were the tests.  Especially the test where they climb the wall. I loved seeing Celaena save Nox. This was the first scene where we see the true talent and strength Celaena has.  

I loved the bond of Celaena and Nehemia. Celaena was able to have a gal-pal, who turns out to be a bad-ass magician that saves her life multiple times. I can't wait to see their relationship grow as the story continues. 

I also can't wait to see Queen Elena. I want more explanations of all her actions in this book, and I think we will get them in the next books. (I also think Elena and Celaena are related. Yay!) 

I have undying love with this book and can't wait to continue it. I suggest it to everyone. 

Until next time, Keep Reading!