A Court of Mist and Fury

Feyre is immortal.

After rescuing her lover Tamlin from a wicked Faerie Queen, she returns to the Spring Court possessing the powers of the High Fae. But Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people - nor the bargain she made with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court.

As Feyre is drawn ever deeper into Rhysand's dark web of politics and passions, war is looming and an evil far greater than any queen threatens to destroy everything Feyre has fought for. She must confront her past, embrace her gifts and decide her fate.

She must surrender her heart to heal a world torn in two. - excerpt from book.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas is the second book in the series. Firstly I have to say after finishing this book I was left with no words and in quite of a shock. This book amazed me and made me love this author even more. Without a doubt, currently the best fantasy book I've read this year followed by the first book behind. The world built in the first book was just a fraction and this time readers get to read about more courts in the land of Prythian which was gorgeous in my opinion. The detail of the other courts were just so so good and I wished I could picture it all completely in my head. I would love to live in that world that is so special and beautiful.

Let's get into the characters which I love love love so much!! We all know what Feyre went through in the first book and therefore in this book she changes and grows. Her character development was so great in this book. She could annoy me at one point, make me pity her, love her and hope for the best for her. All sorts of emotions are drawn out of me while reading about her. As for the main star of the book (IMO) that many many fans are loving is Rhysand. He was a mystery in the first book but in this one he gained many many love from readers. I was so excited to read more and more about him and somehow I knew he was the one that many will love. Although Feyre was the main character I believe he stood out more than her. His character is truly special and he went through so much growth in the book. Besides that, his past was also very rich to read about. There isn't a part in the book when they interact with each other that I did not love at all and I'm always wanting more.

As for the side characters of the book, we were introduced to more members in this book. I love them so much too because they are so involved in shaping both Feyre and Rhysand's personalities and actions. Those characters are unique and wonderful and so supportive for the main. I cannot imagine this book without this bunch of characters as they drive and move the plot forward so well. The relationships between all the characters is the key to making this book so amazing for me. I love that the author put so much thought and effort into characters and their own stories.

There was so much excitement in the plots as twists and turns are like a crazy roller coaster ride. From the start to end, I swear it won't fail to make your heart beat fast for them. The action was very good and I felt that the pace was good, nothing was lacking, no flaws I could complain about. Even though it was a thick book, I didn't feel overwhelmed and could not ask for more. When it came to the final chapters of the book, everything heated up quickly and then with the ending you'll just can't wait for the last one. I'm super impressed with the author's ability to capture my attention and grasp reader's emotions so well. I really do not know how to convince you anymore, so just head over to goodreads and check out other review and I'm pretty sure it's 80% the same opinions. Young adult lovers of fantasy genre, do pick up this series if you have not, or if you were not impressed with the first book, this one will blow your shoes off.

Top 5 Wednesday - Books I'm Intimidated By

When books intimidate me I would just put it aside in my TBR pile, thinking that I'll get to it one day, probably. So these are books that are typically in a subject that I'm not the most interested in but still a little bit curious about it. Another reason would be that the English is too deep so it would be hard for me to understand and thus reading it will take a long time too. Sometimes books that are too thick also intimidates me because my attention span is quite short. Not to forget that books that won any prizes also intimidates me because I'm afraid I would not love it and would not understand why it was awarded.

Without further delay, here is my list not in any particular order:

The Book Thief

I've had this book sitting on my bookshelf for more than a year and I've still not read it. I roughly know what's the book about as there was a movie based on the book. I'm quite afraid to read it because it's quite a thick book and also it's historical fiction. This genre often scares me because I do not know my history well. History was not my favourite subject in school and we did not have much topics on world history in the syllables. Hopefully I'll pick it up soon.

All the Light We Cannot See

This is another book that is in the historical fiction genre. Other than that, it won an award THE PULITZER PRIZE. With the award, it has already scared me because it gives me the impression that it's a deep book. It really intimidates me because I'm afraid I would not feel the same as those who have read it. I feel pressured when it comes to books with so much attention and high ratings.

Top 5 Favourite - Buzz Words

This week's topic is top 5 favourite buzz words. It's words that is printed or used to described a book that will guarantee a buy from you. It's was kinda easy for me to pick those words as knowing myself as a person who always buy books based on this alone. So many times I would buy books from the book store just by browsing and upon spotting those keywords, my mind goes "BUY!!!!!". So here are my choices in no particular order:

1. Heist - I'm such a lover of heist type of stories, even for movies. My favourite is of course Six of Crow currently. What made me love heist so much is because I love the details of how the plan will be, how the people execute it and how there's always something that will go wrong. My love for heist is strongly influenced by Oceans 11 movie and the following ones too.
2. Con - This is one similar word to the one on top but there is a difference when it comes to the story. My favourite con related book would be The White Cat series from Holly Black. This was the series that made me love the author's works so so much. 
3. Revolution - Whenever humans are oppressed in stories and a group of people band together to start a revolution or resistance, I'm pulled in for sure. I love this because I love how the author can be creative on the suffering of the people, how that band of people come together and lastly how will they fight against this oppression. Books that are somewhat in this category would be The Hunger Games, The Mistborn, The White Rose and many more.
4. Anti-heroes - Bad guys who turn out to be heroes or heroes who are actually bad guys. It'll be like taking a candy from a baby for the publishers because I'm sold! I love how that people with powers who are supposedly be good but are bad instead, or people who are bad ended up fighting the good fight. Vicious and Steelheart are two books that I've read who are in this category.
5. Time travelling -  OMG!!! The easiest hook on me is this one. I love love love books on this topic because I'm intrigued as to how the author can deal with butterfly effect, how the story come together to explain time gaps and how when events happened are link to the time traveller. The series that I've in this category is Ruby Red, Sapphire Blue, and Emerald Green. The author did a fantastic job with the series.

Some books that I've mentioned will have links to reviews that I've written, do check it out. Please share in the comments below what buzz word/s is a guaranteed buy for you.

Favourite books of 2015

I have had a great year with books and thus it was hard to choose my favourite.This is because quite many of the books become my favourite this year. Before I present to you my list, I would like to say that these books are not necessarily published in 2015, they are just books that I've read in 2015 although a few was published in 2015. I've decided to choose a top 10 to share with you guys. These books have such great stories to tell and some have pulled at my heartstrings. I highly recommend these books and I'll insert links to my reviews of those books too. The list below are not in any particular order but I have to mention that my most favourite book of the year would be Six of Crows.

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo - The story is set in the Grisha world but these characters are not related to the Grisha trilogy. They are a band of bad people who are trying to work together to prison break an important person. How will they pull off this task when that prison is the hardest place to break out of? They also have many conflicts with each other, can they actually work together without killing each other first? What I love about the book is it's action packed, the characters have very interesting past, and as you read along the story you will find out how they pull off their heist. My full review: click here

A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray - A girl chases a boy across multiple dimensions because he killed her father. I love the world that is built in the story, all those parallel dimensions are so unique and special. The characters were also people with personalities that grabs your attention. It was a fantastic page turner as you want to follow the heroine on her quest for justice. This is the first book in the firebird trilogy. My full review: click here

Ten Thousand Skies Above You by Claudia Gray - The second book in the firebird trilogy. The romance in this book was so so good and of course the parallel dimensions that are new in this book was really well built too. This book also talks about morality issues. A new danger and a new adventure in the second book that totally grasped my attention. My full review: click here

Six of Crows

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price - and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager

A runaway with a priviledged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction- if they don't kill each other first. - excerpt from book

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is her latest in a new series that is set in the world of Grisha.  The timeline is after The Grisha trilogy where this band of characters are not related to the characters of the previous trilogy. I was so stoked to know that there is a new book from the author, I was totally mesmerized by The Grisha trilogy which made me want more. This time the story is about villains instead of the heroes and I was impressed yet again. I cannot stop thinking about the book for days after I finished and I desperately hoped I had the second book immediately. 

To say that the book was not a page turner, I must be insane because once the story starts you will not stop reading, you just want more and more. The plot of the book was fantastic, so many twists and turns, so many surprises!! The hype around the book was not a joke, it is indeed worth the hype. I cannot stress how much I enjoyed this book from the start till the end. The story is separated in parts and the chapters are point of views of the characters which is more than 2 of them. This format of writing is so pleasing for me as I am a person who loves reading many point of views. It is not annoying at all with the swapping because it reveals the personality of the characters not to mention the progress of the story too. I really felt like I was one of the characters while reading the book, it was like I am present in the story. 

Besides the plot being good, the characters are the essence of the story. I loved all the characters especially Kaz and Inej who are the main stars of the story. I loved their past because it strongly influenced their personalities. They are a pair of characters that can compliment each other really well, a very good team. The rest of the crew are just as important as their views of other characters will contribute to more personality revealed. They are all very unique characters with very interesting stories about their past. I secretly have a crush in Kaz and I'm sure he has more to him than this first book has revealed.

I read the book without expectations, without any predictions of the outcome. This book was full of action, excitement and mystery as to the execution of the heist. I totally fell in love with the book, no complains at all. Leigh Bardugo has written a masterpiece, the Grisha trilogy was fantastic, this book was one step above it. I cannot wait for the next book as the ending was left at a cliffhanger. Without a doubt I will recommend this to readers who loves fantasy, who loves a heist, and those who loves the Grisha world. This book is one of my favourite books of 2015 which is also my favourite out of the top 10 picks. I am so reading this book again when the next book is nearing it's publication date. 

Shadow and Bone

Alina Starkov doesn't expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they're sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling's favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. Bust as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her...and only she can save the future. - Excerpt from the book's dust jacket.

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo is a high fantasy book under the young adult catergory. I absolutely love this book and I finished it within 2 days which I don't do often. The story is certainly new for the YA genre. When I was reading this book, I can't help but being reminded of another fantasy series which I love dearly which is The Black Magician's trilogy. I'm not saying it's the same but there are some similarities which I would not mention. I have been reading quite a number of contemporary books and so reading this book reminded me why I love fantasy in the first place.

The plot of the story is very smooth and twists was just fantastic and thrilling. By reading just the prologue, I was hooked instantly and I just kept reading. The characters of the books are also good especially the Darkling which made I kinda love. That character is just so intriguing and I know that there's more to him. Two quotes from him that I love are:

"The problem with wanting is that it makes you weak"- pg 221

"There are no Ravkans, no Fjerdans, no Kerch, no Shu Han. There are no more borders, and there will be no more wars. From now on, there is only the land inside the Fold and outside of it, and there will be peace"-pg 341.

For the main heroine, I just felt she had okay character development but I kinda wanted more from her. Other side characters were written essential to let the plot move forward which I felt it was good. Some russian is used in the book where I don't quite understand and I wished the author would put in a glossary at the back of the book with the meaning and pronunciation of the word. The world and magic that author created is good and unique which makes the book more interesting compared to other fantasy.

Overall the storyline and plots are the parts that captured me the most followed by one of the characters. I highly recommend this book to fantasy readers because this is one of a kind. It's a fantastic page turner which impressed me much and I will definitely treasure this story. This is one of those that I will read again and again. After doing some research I found that this book was taken on for a movie so I'm looking forward to hear news of it. There is also a wikia page for the book which shocked me that there were so many fans for the trilogy which was good. I can't wait for the last one to come out as I plan to order the second book along with the last one.