Book Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

**WARNING: This is the second book in a series. Review may contain spoilers from book 1.**

Title: Crown of Midnight
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Published: August 27th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Pages: 420
Genre: YA Fantasy

I finally got around to picking this up and I was definitely not disappointed. Celaena Sardothien continues to be one of my favorite characters in YA Fantasy and this book reiterated that fact 10 fold. Seriously. If you're looking for a kick-butt female protagonist, look no further. Celaena is your girl. Not only is she strong, independent, and powerful, but she's also relatable.

Yes.

Celaena Sardothien. Deadly assassin is relatable.

She is selfish. She is vain. She is very big-headed. She likes cake! She is flawed and it's in those flaws that her character really comes together. Too often you see characters that can do no wrong. You see a lot of selflessness, especially in female protagonists, but you rarely see young women portraying the stubborn, narcissistic,  snarky rolls and I really love that Celaena is not afraid to do that. To be herself.

*rant rant rant*

Moving on.

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie...and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

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You end Throne of Glass realizing that Celaena is more important than she herself even realizes, but you're still not quite sure what that entails. In fact, the only person who really seems to be in the know about anything is Nehemia, whose interesting story line could probably be a series in it's self if we're being completely honest here. 

So Celaena is doing the kings bidding, and being pretty reckless while she's at it, until she's sentenced to kill one of her old childhood friends, and that's where the story really takes off. There are so many twists and turns you practically get whiplash.

Did I even mention the political intrigue? Holy guacamole, there's political intrigue galore. (Which was nice, because that's something I really enjoy.)

There are new characters introduced, my favorite probably being Mort, a sarcastic... well I won't ruin the surprise, but he definitely adds some comic relief, along with offering (and I use that world very loosely) help now and again.

You also can't forget the budding love triangle which nudges the story along in all of the right ways. This is not primarily a love triangle. There is SO MUCH going on in the story, the romance takes a back seat, however it's prominent enough to where if that's something you really look for in stories, you'll still get your fill.

All I really have to say about that is: #TeamChaol.

All in all, Sarah J. Maas is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and this series is one of the best YA Fantasy series I've read in a while. If you enjoy AWESOME female protagonists, unique fantasy settings, well done love triangles, or just YA in general, you should pick up this series. Seriously. It's fantastic.

Overall rating:

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Book Review: Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone
Author: Laini Taylor
Published: September 27, 2011 by Little Brown Books for Young    Readers
Pages: 418
Genre: YA Fantasy


This has been on my TBR list for quite some time, but I never actively sought it out.

This was a mistake.

This story was weird and fantastical and interesting. There were times when I couldn't put this book down and when I did, I found myself wondering back to Prague, wondering what would come next in the lives of the characters.

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

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This is a story that is hard to describe without giving away too much plot. Everything about it is so intricately woven and beautifully put together. It's almost frustrating at times having to wait to find out all the information compiled here, but it's done so in a way that keeps you hungry for the next chapter. Next thing you know it will be 2am and you will be sitting there stunned at the wealth of information laid out in front of you. 

It's different, which was what drew me to this in the first place. I picked up this book, not REALLY knowing what I was getting myself into. The synopsis is put together in such a way where you don't fully understand the gravity of the story until you're already sucked in and I'm glad. 

You get introduced to a new race of people (species?) not normally seen in literature and that is the chimera. Imagine oddly spiced together bits of different animals/sometimes humans to form a whole being. These people are Karou's family. The only insight we get into her childhood to try and piece together who she really is. Also you have Brimstone, who you find out very early on is in charge of the whole... well, you don't really know what. He's important none the less, who for some reason needs Karou to run errands all over the world collecting teeth. What for? You'll have to read to find out. 

We get introduced to her as a student attending an art university in Prague. She has blue hair, a crazy sketchbook, and a knack for alluding the truth by simply telling it. 

Soon, Brimstone is needing her to run a lot more errands than usual and while meeting with a client in Morocco, she locks eyes a being whose beauty is nothing short of angelic. He also tries to kill her.

Soon, their stories become intertwined and through him, the mysterious events of Karou's past start coming to light. It's frustrating and beautiful and like no YA Fantasy I've ever read before. 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone is truly unique, becoming a world all it's own. 

Overall, this book was excellent. It had it's slow moments, but still remained captivating. I did feel a bit separated from the characters at times, and while that was a little off-putting at times, I appreciated it for adding to the overall air of mystery. 

After all is said and done, I give this book 3.7ish stars. I highly recommend if you want something a little different and something intoxicating. I can't wait to see where this series goes. 

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