Week 53 Review: Heartless

From Goodreads:
Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.

In her first stand-alone teen novel, the New York Times-bestselling author dazzles us with a prequel to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.

My Review:
Oh, I was so nervous about reading this book! I love her Lunar Chronicles books, but this was a villain origin story, and of the Queen of Hearts-and I'm not the most familiar with Alice in Wonderland. But yeah, I had a great time reading this book!

This world, I kinda hated it on behalf of Cath. I mean, she dreams of opening her own shop, but because she's female, she's not allowed to. And that just had me tensing with frustration of the unfairness of it all.

Her relationship with Jest was heartbreaking, because it was a forbidden romance, it was expected that she'd marry the King, who she didn't even like. And knowing that she's going to be the villain, I knew that something was going to go wrong. And it just made me so sad that they wouldn't find a lasting happiness together. 

I had a sneaking suspicion that this book would hit one of my buttons, that the characters would make poor decisions, and get them into a bad situation that they had to get out of. And oh, do they do-but they don't get out, and oh, that ending, it hurt!

This was a really great read, and I can't wait to read more by Marissa Meyer! 

Author: Marissa Meyer
Read: December 29th, 2020
Source: Bought
Reason Why: Love her writing! And it's a 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge Book and a SAC 2020 Book!
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Published: November 8th 2016

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 52 Reviews: A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, Wings and Embers, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight

From Goodreads:

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it . . . or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

From Goodreads:
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.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.

Synopsis:
For Cassian, the brash, handsome Illyrian general of Rhysand's armies, dealing with the opposite sex has always been easy-and enjoyable. But when he's dispatched to the human realm to send a message for his High Lord, Cassian finds himself pitted against Feyre's sharp-tongued, steel-willed older sister Nesta. Honestly, Cassian has been aching for another round against the beautiful Nesta since their first tense meeting, though he certainly hasn't admitted that to anyone-even himself.

And Cassian certainly hasn't admitted that he may have finally met someone not so easily seduced by his quick grin and unfaltering arrogance. 

Look at what happened at that second, private meeting-and why the High Lord's general refused to divulge any of the details of it when he later returned to the Night Court.  

From Goodreads:
Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series.

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings 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. 

In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all.

From Goodreads:
The Winter Solstice. In a week. I was still new enough to being High Lady that I had no idea what my formal role was to be. If we'd have a High Priestess do some odious ceremony, as lanthe had done the year before. A year. Gods, nearly a year since Rhys had called in his bargain, desperate to get me away from the poison of the Spring Court to save me from my despair. Had he been only a minute later, the Mother knew what would have happened. Where I'd now be. Snow swirled and eddied in the garden, catching in the brown fibers of the burlap covering the shrubs My mate who had worked so hard and so selflessly, all without hope that I would ever be with him We had both fought for that love, bled for it. Rhys had died for it. 

My first review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury, Wings and Embers, A Court of Wings and Ruin, A Court of Frost and Starlight

My second review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mist and Fury
My Review:
It was really fantastic to reread this series. Book 4 is coming out soon, and I just had to reread what came before it, since it has been at least 2 years since I read Frost and Starlight. So I was due a reread anyways. And it was so great to dive into the world of Prythian again!

I did read these books in order this time, though again I was tempted to start Mist and Fury before finishing Thorns and Roses. Thorns and Roses sets up this series and this world, but is also has Feyre happy with Tamlin, which is not the case the rest of the series. But they're both great stories that I enjoyed!

Reading Wings and Ruin again was just really great! I knew the broad strokes of the story, but the finer details were gone. Like I remembered that Feyre left the Spring Court after a certain point, but I forgot why she went on foot. 

Oh, man, I had forgotten how the final battle went! I knew that our main cast survived, though I forgot how. And that they had some surprise reveal back ups, which ended badly for one or two. But it was just gut wrenching to read that ending, and it was just a fantastic read! 

Frost and Starlight was just a really great book. We got to be in more than just Feyre's head, and to see them all dealing with the aftermath of the war. There are still threats out there, like the mortal queens, and the Illyrian has murmurs of rebellion. But I'm glad that these characters got to celebrate Solstice, and I can't wait to continue their stories! 

These were such great reads, and I can't wait for A Court of Silver Flames! 

Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: A Court of Roses and Thorns #1, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.1
First Read: May 12th, 2015, May 3rd, 2016, April 21st, 2017, May 1st, 2017, May 1st, 2018
Second Read: April 20th, 20th, 2017

Read: December 20th, 20th, 21st, 21st, 22nd, 2020
Source: Own, Online
Reason Why: Rereading! And they're 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Books!
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Published: May 5th 2015, May 3rd 2016, May 3rd 2016, May 2nd 2017, May 1st 2018

A Court of Thorns and Roses:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Court of Mist and Fury:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Wings and Embers:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Court of Wings and Ruin:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

A Court of Frost and Starlight:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 51 Reviews: The Dogs of Athens, When Gods and Vampires Roamed Miami, Antigoddess

From Goodreads:

"The Dogs of Athens" by Kendare Blake is a dark story set before the events of the Goddess Wars series for young adults during the twilight of the gods. Greek goddess Artemis and her immortal companions have returned to modern-day Athens where a chance reunion with Actaeon, the mortal hero who fell prey to Artemis' fatal wrath thousands of years ago, turns violent once again.

From Goodreads:
"When Gods and Vampires Roamed Miami" is the story of when immortal teen goddess Athena is mistaken for a vampire by a desperate youth who refuses to leave her side until she turns him. This tale takes place in the world of the Goddess Wars series for young adults by award-winning author Kendare Blake.

From Goodreads:
Old Gods never die…

Or so Athena thought. But then the feathers started sprouting beneath her skin, invading her lungs like a strange cancer, and Hermes showed up with a fever eating away his flesh. So much for living a quiet eternity in perpetual health.

Desperately seeking the cause of their slow, miserable deaths, Athena and Hermes travel the world, gathering allies and discovering enemies both new and old. Their search leads them to Cassandra—an ordinary girl who was once an extraordinary prophetess, protected and loved by a god. 

These days, Cassandra doesn't involve herself in the business of gods—in fact, she doesn't even know they exist. But she could be the key in a war that is only just beginning. 

Because Hera, the queen of the gods, has aligned herself with other of the ancient Olympians, who are killing off rivals in an attempt to prolong their own lives. But these anti-gods have become corrupted in their desperation to survive, horrific caricatures of their former glory. Athena will need every advantage she can get, because immortals don't just flicker out. 

Every one of them dies in their own way. Some choke on feathers. Others become monsters. All of them rage against their last breath.

The Goddess War is about to begin.

My Review:

I really enjoyed reading these stories. The first two gave us a glimpse of this world and these characters, and then we got the full thing with Antigoddess, and it was just so wonderful! I just wanted to know more about everything! 

So I did try to read these, maybe back in 2017, which was the time this post was dated to before I updated it. But I got through the two short stories, and I think I read a chapter or two of Antigoddess. I don't know why I put it down (why?) but I was so glad to get back and read the stories and the whole book now, they were just such great stories! 

These were the first stories in the series, and I loved learning all the various quirks of this world, and of these characters. I mean, Greek mythology is a pretty common well of stories to pull from, especially in YA. I wanted to see how it played out in this series. 

And that ending, whoa! I'm so excited to see where this series goes from here. This is only the start of the series, we have 2 more full length books, and there's so much potential there, and I just want to see where it's going to go from here! 

Loved reading these, and I can't wait to continue the series! 

Author: Kendare Blake
Series: Goddess War #0.1, 0.5, 1
Read: December 17th, 17th, 17th, 2020
Source: Online, Bought
Reason Why: Really enjoyed her other series, and they're 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge Books and Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Books, and Antigoddess is a RR Book!
Publisher: Tor Teen
Published: September 9th 2015, September 30th 2014, September 10th 2013

The Dogs of Athens:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

When Gods and Vampire Roamed Miami:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Antigoddess:

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 47 Review: The Blood Spell

From Goodreads:
Blue de la Cour has her life planned: hide the magic in her blood and continue trying to turn metal into gold so she can help her city's homeless. But when her father is murdered and a cruel but powerful woman claims custody of Blue and her property, one wrong move could expose her—and doom her once and for all. The only one who can help? The boy she's loathed since childhood: Prince Kellan.

Kellan Renard, crown prince of Balavata, is walking a thin line between political success and devastating violence. Newly returned from boarding school, he must find a bride among the kingdom's head families and announce his betrothal—but escalating tension among the families makes the search nearly impossible. He's surprised to discover that the one person who makes him feel like he can breathe is Blue, the girl who once ruined all his best adventures. 

When mysterious forces lead to disappearances throughout Balavata, Blue and Kellan must work together to find the truth. What they discover will lead them to the darkest reaches of the kingdom, and to the most painful moments of their pasts. When romance is forbidden and evil is rising, can Blue save those she loves, even if it costs her everything?

My Review:
This was a really great read. I've really enjoyed this series, and this appears to be the conclusion, since it was published early 2019, and no book was published in early 2020. So I'm sad to say goodbye, but I really enjoyed these retellings of fairy tales! 

I loved their relationship, especially in the beginning. It was pretty antagonistic, mainly because she's on the outside, doesn't know the guilt he feels over his father's death, and wants better for the kingdom. So I really enjoyed the progression of their relationship!  

Honestly, I sympathized with the one bad guy. After all, with one or two tweaks (like her not killing people in her way) she could've been a good person. After all, she only wanted security for herself and her daughters. And what her husband did was just plain awful. But that didn't mean she had to do what she did to Blue.

That ending, man! I mean, they were wrong with way that they viewed magic, they took their fear too far, which is really easy to do. But I'm glad that it worked out that way, it was a great mix of this world and the fairy tale, and it was a really satisfying ending, and I really enjoyed it! 

This was such a great read, I really enjoyed it, and I can't wait to read more by C.J. Redwine! 

Author: C.J. Redwine
Series: Ravenspire #4
Read: November 15th, 2020
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge, A-Z Reading Challenge Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Published: February 12th 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 44 Review: Sherwood

From Goodreads:
Robin of Locksley is dead.

Maid Marian doesn't know how she'll go on, but the people of Locksley town, persecuted by the Sheriff of Nottingham, need a protector. And the dreadful Guy of Gisborne, the Sheriff's right hand, wishes to step into Robin's shoes as Lord of Locksley and Marian's fiancé.

Who is there to stop them?

Marian never meant to tread in Robin's footsteps—never intended to stand as a beacon of hope to those awaiting his triumphant return. But with a sweep of his green cloak and the flash of her sword, Marian makes the choice to become her own hero: Robin Hood.

My Review:
This was such a great book! I loved but hurt at the idea of this retelling-that Robin did die in the Crusade, and was never Robin Hood. But that Marian takes up that roll. It was fantastic to read, I really enjoyed being in her head! And her relationship with Guy, I loved all the ups and downs it had! 

Marian was a fantastic character to read about, there's the grief for Robin, her fiancé and dear friend. And then she sees the troubles that her and Robin's people are going through, and through a string of events winds up creating a role of Robin Hood, the tale we know and love. So that was great to read!  

We did get this little interludes where we would be in Robin's head, of moments from his and Marian's childhood. We saw him falling in love, and her have a really strong friendship bond. I wasn't sure why we were getting this, if it turned out that Robin was really alive or something. But they were really great to read! 

I really enjoyed how it ended. I loved how there were all this reveals, one after the other to confuse the spectators, and make them wonder what the heck was going on. My modern mind was like, hey, you're not seeing Marian, Guy, and Robin at the same time, they're passing off who is Robin and it was pretty hilarious! I just really enjoyed how it ended! 

This was a really great book, and I can't wait to read more by Meagan Spooner! I still have her first books to read, so that's on the table! 

Author: Meagan Spooner
Read: October 24th, 2020
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded really good, and it's a 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge, Historical Fiction 2020 Book, SAC 2020 Book, WoW Book and a WTC Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: March 19th 2019

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 39 Review: The Glass Queen

From Goodreads:
Once Upon a Time meets Game of Thrones in book two of New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter's magical, romantic dark fantasy series, in which the fairy tales we know and love are prophecies of the future. Welcome to the Forest of Good and Evil, where villains may be heroes and heroes may be villains…it all depends on who you ask.

Ashleigh Anskelisa may be called the Glass Princess due to her weak heart, but Saxon, king of the Avian, knows she is more dangerous than broken glass, in this Cinderella retelling that sweeps readers into the magical land of Enchantia, filled with treacherous enemies, unexpected allies, forbidden love, and dangerous magic! Can destined lovers find their way to each other, or will evil win the day? Everything changes at the stroke of midnight as one determined princess fights for her legacy, her love, and the crown that is her destiny. 

My Review:
I loved reading this book. I just absolutely love this series and Gena Showalter's writing and stories. They're just so easy to get invested in, I cared about these characters, I rooted for them, I got outraged on their behalf, and I just couldn't put this book down!

I just love the idea that the fairy tales that we know and love, are really prophecies and that they haven't happened yet. In this one, the fairy tale is Cinderella, or The Little Cinder Girl as it's called in this book (which might be the original title, before Disney did it.) And I really enjoyed it!

Man, Ashleigh has a tough life. Between having a weak heart, and her father basically not caring about her existence, her mom dying, and then being punished for something that she didn't do at her funeral, a lesser person would've been bitter. Ashleigh has used it to forge herself into a stronger person.

Then there's all the stuff with Saxon, who was the one she didn't do something to. Of course, it's not as simple as all that, and I just loved their interactions, with the whole reincarnation and past lives thing. I raged as some of the unfairness, and there were some really tense moments, but I'm glad that they got their happy ending. It worked out really well, and I enjoyed it so much!

This was another fantastic read, and I can't wait to continue this series in the future!

Author: Gena Showalter
Series: The Forest of Good and Evil #2
Read: September 25th, 2020
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it's a 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Inkyard Press
Expected Publication: September 29th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars

Week 35 Review: Legendborn

From Goodreads:
Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn's YA contemporary fantasy Legendborn offers the dark allure of City of Bones with a modern-day twist on a classic legend and a lot of Southern Black Girl Magic.

After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.

A flying demon feeding on human energies.

A secret society of so called "Legendborn" students that hunt the creatures down.

And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a "Merlin" and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree's memory of everything she saw.

The mage's failure unlocks Bree's own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there's more to her mother's death than what's on the police report, she'll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.

She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society's secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur's knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she'll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

My Review:
Wow, I just utterly loved this book! The characters and their stories, the world and the magic and the myths, it was all just incredible to read, and the writing was so easy to read! I just devoured this book, and it's a pretty chunky book for YA! It was epic and it was wonderful, and it's going to be a top read of 2020! And it's a debut novel, so Tracy Deonn has a wonderful hit right at the start! I'm so excited to see where she goes from here!

I just loved reading about Bree, she's strong and stubborn and angry. And dealing with grief of the death of her mom. Not using the word loss, because she didn't lose her mom, it's not like she can find her again. And that's something that Bree thinks about, how the word loss doesn't apply. I just loved her and her story!

This world of the Legendborn was so interesting, because there's the whole King Arthur legend, and the magic and the details that were so fascinating. And the society and culture that's been built around it. Most of Europe, which includes Wales where King Arthur originates, is predominantly Caucasian. And this book brings in that fact, that Bree is Black, and very much an outsider to that society. I loved to hate that she was breaking boundaries-loved that she was, hated that she had to.

Just so much was going on in this book! From the world, to her grief, the magic, and the mystery of her mom's death, plus a bit of romance. Oh, the romance! I mean, it went one way, but I was picking up on some tension that might lean another in the future, and given the ending, it'd be pretty interesting to read!

Reading that ending, man! It just kept coming, it was totally unexpected but made perfect sense, it was so action packed and it was such a game changer! IT's so hard to talk about without spoiling it! I just utterly loved it, and where it left off has so many plot lines that I can't wait to see continued in the sequel!

Loved this book so much, and I'm so excited for more in this series!

Author: Tracy Deonn
Series: Legendborn #1
Read: August 27th, 2020
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a 2020 Retelling Reading Challenge, DAC Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2020 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Expected Publication: September 15th 2020

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars