Angela's March Wrap-Up

The Glittering Court- Richelle Mead
Killing Sarai- J.A Redmerski
The Assassin's Blade- Sarah J. Maas
Taking Chances- Molly McAdams
Mad Women- Kat Savage
When We Met- a bind up
The Wrath and the Dawn (re-read)-Renee Ahdieh
Allegiant- Veronica Roth (re-read)
Essential Maps for the Lost- Deb Caletti
A House in the Sky- Amanda Lindhout
A Thousand Boy Kisses- Tillie Cole

I would definitely say that my March reading went way better than my February. I doubled the number that I read last month, but most importantly the quality of my reading was better as well. I don't think that my reading in April will be as vast. I have a lot of hefty books I'm taking on in this upcoming months so wish me luck. However, in March books either fell on the great side or the none side.

My top picks for March are: Killing Sarai, The Assassin’s Blade, The Wrath and the Dawn, and The House in the Sky.
Killing Sarai was a book I didn’t think I would favor, but the Savages style book took me by surprise. I don’t know why I liked it so much, it is something I would usually end up bashing. Guess it was a case of right book right time. The Assassin’s Blade a bind-up of novellas for The Throne of Glass series. Sarah J. Maas is no stranger to my favorite list, and these short stories all leading up to the capture of Celaena Sardothien, had me falling more in love with this series (didn’t even know that was possible). The Wrath and the Dawn was a re-read for me this month. I remember loving it the first time, but the second time I ended up crying. Forgot how poetic and beautiful Renee Ahdieh’s writing was. And lastly A House in the Sky... This is without a doubt my top pick of March. This is a book that will forever stick with me. Amanda’s recount of her time being held captive in Somalia broke my heart. This is a novel I would recommend everyone to read, even if it is hard to get through, the message behind it is so powerful.

My fails for March are: The Glittering Court, Taking Chances, and Essential Maps for the Lost. The Glittering Court was so boring! TGC is being compared to The Selection and I can’t seem to figure out why?! I liked The Selection, I hated this. Taking Chances, oh God was this bad! Everything about this book pissed me the F off. By everything I mean everything! And that ending! UGH! Essential Maps for the Lost is a book I wish I could talk more about, but sadly I never finished it. For now it’s on my fails list, but I might in some future date seek to read this again, and give it another go. The cover is still stunning.

See yall in April.
-Angela

Top 5 Most Anticipated Reads of 2016

2016 is full of new book releases, and there are a lot I’m excited about. I’ve narrowed my list down to my top five choices. Links to the goodreads pages or reviews will be provided just click the title.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Release date: May 3^rd

The moment I was finished with ACOTAR I was ready for book two. It’s giving me life right now knowing May is right around the corner! ACOMAF is the second book in this epic high fantasy Beauty and the Beast retelling. Never thought I’d be excited about a retelling, but I really am. With how Sarah left off book one it's really up in the air about what could happen in book two.

Other books in the series: A Court of Thorns and Roses


The Last Star by Rick Yancey

Release date: May 24^th

The time has come, the 3^rd and final book in the amazing alien trilogy is happening. This crazy-suspenseful-multiple pov-series ending is hopefully going to be everything we want. It’s so up in the air about how this will end. I have come up with countless theories about what might happen. Who will survive? The way Yancey writes always pull you in. It this twisting and turning crazy run that has so many holes in it, and then he has it so one crazy thing happens and pulls it all together. Counting down the days until I can get my hands on this.

Other books in the series: The 5th Wave, The Infinite Sea

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Release date: August 2^nd

My all-time favorite author is releasing (probably) just this one book this year. It End with Us is without a doubt the book I’m most excited for. Every time Colleen Hoover post something about it can already feel myself welling up with tears. She’s made comments about how it’s the hardest thing she’s ever written, it’s the only book that has brought her to tears, and that it’s based off of actual events.

CoHo never fails to make me cry, and my only fear is that this might actually kill me. CoHo is going balls to the wall by deciding to go full on love triangle-ish. CoHo is the only author I have given perfect rating on for every book. Hope IEWU will keep too this pattern. Also just look at this cover! Flawless!

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
Release date: September 6^th

I was beyond shocked when I saw this book will be under 400 pages! It also terrifies me because that leads me to think the cliffhanger for this book might be the most soul crushing-amazing-mind blowing thing that will happen… I have an ulcer just thinking about it. This is the 5^th book in the Throne of Glass series. This is one of my favorite on-going series. This series has everything: romance, assassins, fighting, fantasy, and oh so much more. I think this book is on everyone’s most anticipated list.

Other books in the series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire, Queen of Shadows, The Assassin's Blade (novellas)

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo
Release date: September 22^nd

Six of Crows was my favorite book of 2015, so it should come as no surprise that book two is making my list. I don’t think duologies are done enough so that is only furthering my excitement. This book could be a thousand pages and I wouldn’t even care! I need to be reunited with Kaz and Inej. The fantasy version of Ocean’s Eleven, with mysterious men, amazing character backstories, extreme world building, and strong female friendships. If Colleen Hoover wasn’t putting out a book this year this would be my top pick. May and September are going to be very big months.

Other books in the series: Six of Crows

-Angela

The Glittering Court by Richelle Meads

"For a select group of girls, the Glittering Court offers a shot at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. To high-born Adelaide, whose wealthy family is forcing her into a loveless marriage, the Glittering Court represents something else: the chance to chart her own destiny, and adventure in an unspoiled, prosperous new land across the sea." -Goodreads Synopsis

The Glittering Court to this reader, was boring. All Mead does is talk about dances, and outfits, and parading around to find a husband. That statement right there should tell you that this book wasn’t going to be for me. The Glitter Court is about a high society lady who steals the identity of her maid and becomes Adelaide. Adelaide is one of the chosen ones who will be taken to the New World. Adelaide of course is a special snowflake and gets tons of male attention. She is however more interested in Cedric. Though Adelaide has some pretty comical moments while pretending to be who she is not I ultimately found myself wanting more out of her character. I like my women a little more badass and a little less dress obsessed. The Countess is bored with her life and decides after being told she’ll have an arranged marriage that she will take the place of her maid at the Glitter Court… so she can be taught how to be a proper lady and be more appealing to men… so they can bid on who they want to be their next trophy wife…. So I was a little confused as to why she wanted to go??? You wanna leave arranged marriage to go and be set up for another marriage?? 

This book is also being marketed as a “fantasy”; it is not. Also where the story lacks any depth Mead tries to cover it up with more romance. I was expecting a book that has a kickass protagonist set in a high fantasy world…. Because that what the blurb lead me to believe… no what I got was a watery romance set in the 1800s with no world building. Mead introduces us to all these themes like objectifying women and religious persecution but then never deals with them. AND THAT ENDING…. Ha the ending is my biggest negative. The two main characters have gotten themselves into so big trouble and an unknown character that has NEVER been mentions comes to save the day by giving some bizarre loophole that gets them off the hook. Oh please GTFOOH

This clearly isn't as lengthy or as in depth as my usual reviews, but I didn't feel like wasting anymore time on this book than I already had.

1/10 Stars

-Angela

3 Books That Changed My Life

Every book I read in some way changes the way I see things. Every page impacts me, but there are a few select books that have altered my life. There are a few novels that have shook me so hard that it is something I can never recover from. These next three books have changed the way I look at everything. They have made me see love different, made me realize the importance of living in the moment, and have made me question my own beliefs.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You would be the book I would say has changed me the most. This novel didn't just change the way I see books, but the way I see life. Me Before You gave me everything, and all from a genre I don't often reach for- Adult Contemporary. Me Before You follows a woman name Lou who is struggling to find her place in the world and a job that fits with her quirky personality. When a position for a caretaker comes available she jumps right on the chance. However, she winds up having to take care of Will- an arrogant, rude, and blunt man who recently became a quadriplegic.

This book made me question everything I know about love, about making scarifies, and made me rethink what I once thought about the quality of living. Me Before You is probably the most thought provoking novel I've ever read. Not just that, it's probably the most emotionally invested I've ever been with a book. It brought out feelings I never knew I had and is so beautiful. This is the number one book I would/do recommend to anyone and everything. Even non-readers would enjoy this.

"All I can say is that you make me... you make me into someone I couldn't even imagine. You make me happy, even when you're awful. I would rather be with you - even the you that you seem to think is diminished - than with anyone else in the world."

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

I know, I know how "cliché", but I don't care. This book was probably the first book too actually break my heart. It's gorgeous and lyrical filled with one quotable line after another. TFIOS manages to give you so much in such a short amount of time. Hazel Grace is sick and manages to find happiness in a new "friend", Augustus Waters. This novel and their relationship showed me just because you're dying doesn't mean you can't still see the beauty in the world. It shows us how important it is to live in the moment and make sure you don't take a single second of it for granted. John Green made me realize there isn't just one type of love, that there are many, and each one is just as stunning and as important as the others. It doesn't matter if you've seen the movie, you should still pick up the book.

"You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices."

Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma

Goodness, did this book take me by surprise. Never did I think a book about incest, yes incest, could or would break my heart. But God, Forbidden did it. This is another book that made me question my morals. Forbidden follows Maya and Lochan, a brother and sister who are struggling to take care of their siblings due to an absent alcoholic mother. The more responsibility they take on the closer the two become and their bond becomes something more than it should. I never fathomed that by the end of this book I would be cheering for a brother and sister to end up together, but I was. I was a freaking mess by the time I got to the end. It's also very rare that I like books that have such a slow build. Trust me when I say this book has the snowball effect. It starts out slow and steady and as it heads to the end it just keeps getting bigger and bigger till it hits the end and leaves you speechless. Forbidden had me wondering "if it's not hurting anyone is it really so wrong?", and two years later I am still wondering the same exact thing.

"At the end of the day it's about how much you can bear, how much you can endure. Being together, we harm nobody; being apart, we extinguish ourselves."  

-Angela

Allegiant Movie Review

Allegiant the third film in the Divergent Movie Series follows Tris and Four as they decide what to do now that the fraction system they were raised with has been dismantled. With the fractionless taking over Chicago and rebel groups forming, the two decide they need to go beyond the walls to find the help they think their crumbling city needs. So umm... We just saw Allegiant, and we have no idea what we just watched. Allegiant is loosely based on the book. Talking the first 300 ish pages are the first 30 minutes of this movie. Yeah you heard that right. The rest of it, well, your best guess is as good as ours.Allegiant starts off with the wall being blocked by orders from Four's sister, I mean mom, Evelyn. Tris and Four (mainly Tris) decides that they need to know what it beyond the wall if anything. Of course Tris can't leave her conniving brother so Four comes up with a non legit way of breaking him out (can we all just take a moment to say sucks to suck Tris HOPE YOUR DECISION WORKS OUT FOR YOU). After that happens the three start to leave the city... Of course they end up picking up Peter, Tori, and Christina also under unrealistic events, on the way out. At this point we'll be real, the movies not going bad, but then comes the scale the wall to escape the city scene... And good god is it cheesy.

If them scaling the wall in a bizarre manner wasn't enough the director decided what the movie NEEDED was a slow mo explosion scene. Yeah, it's bad y'all. So over the top dramatic. It was like something out of an 80s action movie.. However they manage to get out. Once out they enter the Scorch Trails... Oops we mean the Fringe. A dry waste land where they still somehow manage to know what direction to head. At one point Caleb looks thoughtfully at a puddle and says "This was radioactive sometime in the last 200 years." COOL BRO THANKS FOR THE INFO. While running and trying to find outside survivors, Johnny Weston (we don't know what his name in the movie is) is determined to find them and stop them... This is where the director said we need more slow mo!!! AND PUT IN AN EVEN WORSE CAR JUMPING OVER GAP SLOW MOTION SEGMENT! This had us rolling! Before things can get even slower the outsiders show up conveniently through a force field (Katniss didn't even have to shoot her arrow in... Oh wait...), throw everyone into these weird gummy bear bubbles, and float them back to their headquarters.

Which happens to look like JarJar Bink's under water house but is actually O'Hare airport. Unlike the book it's very fancy and there are a ton of people living there which really weirded because in the book its' a janky place. Once they have arrived they have to take these intense baths where they are covered in orange jello and then receive new tattoos.

Tris gets a legit job with the director David because she is the only true pure. Four does security and search and rescue and Peter and Caleb are stuck doing surveillance on Chicago. This is where cool new weapons come into play. We get introduced to some neat serums, cool laser tag style guns, and Four learns how to fly rumba vacuum cleaners. They all spend some time there before Four starts thinking things aren't what they seem after he goes on a super sketch mission. He finds out they are kidnapping children from their crank parents in the scorch, clearing their memories, and are not out to save them. Four tries to get Tris to leave with him but of course she doesn't. Four is told he can still leave and they will take him back to Chicago. He decides  this is the best plan of action and gets on a plane to leave. Mathew a new character who is introduced (he so ugly hot like Steve Buscemi but younger and hotter and slightly less creepy)  tells him that he needs his help. Four crashes the plane in an awesomely awesome fight scene killing almost everyone on board including all 45 pilots and starts walking home (ultimately ends up captured).

Once Tris is back she knows David has been lying and that Four is gone she decides it is now  time for, her brother, and Christina to leave. Somehow Tris know how to fly one of these future planes... We get she saw how autopilot worked ONCE but she know how to entirely fly the plane. She also figures out how to make the plane invisible. Once back in Chicago the three of them have to figure out how to stop the memory perfume from being spread throughout the city... But first they must break out Four... Insert cool guns, more gummy floating things, and another BA fight scene.  Things go down, shenanigans happen, rumbas are used, and ultimately of course the city is saved by the teenage gang. 

There were some highs in this movie:
There was a lot more Four than was expected. The angst-sty romance between Four and Tris isn't annoying like in the book. Caleb and Tris relationship is better. Weapons were cooler. The story line flowed better. Peter (Miles Teller) continued to be a joy to watch. Fight scenes were bitchin. Four has a steamy shower scene (that alone is worth the pricey movie ticket purchase). It was a lot more action packed than the book. And it was a lot easier to follow than the book (sometimes) was.

But there were some lows:

You could clearly tell when it was shot in front of a green screen (aka the entire movie). Camera was at times very shaky. The digital block things were odd and felt like when you try to watch 3D without the glasses. Tris knowing how to do any and everything was confusing.  The floating gummy things were dumb. The fact that when people where captured they would cover their heads with bags- example: Peter was captured and taken to Erudite headquarters with a bag over his head. Ya boy lived in erudite headquarters with Jeanie it's not like he doesn't know where he is. And the movie felt long. At one point we checked the time and it had only been an hour and felt more like three.

So all in all we understand why the movie is just called Allegiant and the next will be called Ascendant. Allegiant the book is around 530 pages and almost all of it is in this movie. So it's safe to say Ascendant will be its own thing. That being said we are very confused as to what that thing will be. The biggest question of all still remains... How will it end??? Will it go back to the book-the road less traveled or go down a road we already know. Our bet is sadly after seeing this that they are going to change this ending (which we will be devastated about... because lets be real its what makes the book so amazing and bold). We are more excited now than we were before to see the final film.

Four Factor- 10/10
Movie rating- 4/10 maybe 5 stars

-A&L

Wicked Sexy Liar by Christina Lauren

London Hughes is very content to surf daily, work at a bar, hang out with her small group of friends, and take her time figuring out what her plans will be now that she's out of college. Everything’s going the way she wants it... Until Luke shows up one night at her job.

When I started Wicked Sexy Liar I went into it with a really vague idea of whom and what it would be about. Once I got to Luke's POV I remember thinking "Huh... I feel like I've hear about this guy before?"... Well that's because I have! Luke is a guy that was mentioned in book one (Sweet Filthy Thing). So once this clicked in my head I was floored. Why? Because I remember thinking about how much of a dick he sounded!.. However, I was oh so wrong! Luke was freaking adorable! I think that I originally didn't like him because I was suffering from a case of "girl code". I heard all these stories and events about him (all from the ladies) and automatically went with my girls. I was reminded that every story has two sides and I was also reminded to go into everyone open minded. Luke, though a bit of a womanizer, was still a complete sweetheart. He is funny, caring, very involved with his family, and unlike a lot of the men in Christina Lauren write isn't very complicated. He will just tell you what he is thinking when he is thinking about it. He also doesn't get embarrassed easily which I loved. London, our other POV, was someone I thought I would have trouble connecting with. Since she is described as a surfer girl I didn't think we would instantly click... we did though! Which you know is amazing when it happens. London ended up personality wise being like a lot of girls I know. She is a little more guarded then Luke which made their romantic dynamic a lot more interesting. The way these two feed off each other had me rolling. Their banter is perfection. The situations they are put in also felt very real. Out of the entire Wild Season Series and The Beautiful Bastard Series  it is the most believable. I like the way these two met, how they spend their time together,  the reason they hold off on things, and so much more. I got such a kick out of Luke calling London by the wrong name.

The pace of this book and it's storyline is amazing. Some authors might have tried to put as much into a book that these two did and they would have failed, but being Christina Lauren they managed to make a couple do and accomplish so much in such a short amount of time. I feel like we really got to see into both London's and Luke's lives and that the story gave each of them time to shine without having one outshine the other. like I said above, this story is also the most believable. Let's be real. we love Christina Lauren's books because they are so out there, wild, and crazy... Oh and because they are things that would probably never ever happen to anyone. This book broke the usual formula they use and I like that they took a different approach from their norm.

Wicked Sexy Liar is just stunning, comical, emotional, and as brilliant as the rest of their series are. Wicked Sexy Liar is the perfect end to the perfect series... No seriously, perfect. I rated every book in this series a perfect 10/10 (5/5). I think these two really understand what readers want out of their new adult and have no fear in giving it to us and for that I thank  you.

10/10 Stars
-Angela

Angela's Insane TBR Pile

This is the list of my current-out of control-never ending- Tbr list. Not even kidding; this is getting out of hand. I have vowed (well see how this goes) to avoid buying any books until Leah and I go to BEA in May. Hopefully I can stick to that plan. I don't know when this list got so out of hand but it has.  

This list won’t include graphic novels/comics. 

The Fever- Megan Abbott  
Forged- Erin Bowman
A Great and Terrible Beauty- Libba Bray
Undertow- Michael Buckley
Breathe- Abbie Glines
Misbehaving- Abbi Glines
Just for Now- Abbi Glines
Fury- Alexander Smith
The Outlander- Abhijit Haldar
A Little Something Different- Sandy Hall
When the Sea is Rising Red- Cat Hellisen
Switched- Amanda Hocking
Torn- Amanda Hocking
Ascend- Amanda Hocking
Minders- Michele Jaffe
Emeralds- KA Linde
Gold- KA Linde
Off the Record- KA Linde
Rose Society- Marie Lu
Ten- Gretchen McNeil
Frostbite- Richelle Mead
Shadow Kiss- Richelle Mead
Blood Promise- Richelle Mead
Last Sacrifice- Richelle Mead
Blood Line- Richelle Mead
Teeth- Hannah Moskowitz
The Knife of Never Letting Go- Patrick Ness
Whispers of the Fallen- JD Netto
Rebellion- JD Netto
Losing Charley- Casey Peeler
Finding Charley- Casey Peeler
Essential Maps for Us (ARC)- Deb Caletti 
When We Met- Bindup
The Devil and Winnie Flynn (ARC)- Micol Ostow
Little White Lies (ARC)- Katie Dale
The Epidemic (ARC)- Suzanne Young
The Treatment- Suzanne Young
The Fine Art of Pretending- Rachel Harris
The Natural History of Us (ARC)- Rachel Harris
Drowning Instinct- Isla J. Bick
Before- Anna Todd
What’s Left of Me- Kat Zhang
Falling Kingdoms- Morgan Rhodes
The Infinite Moment of Us- Lauren Myracle 
How Not to Fall in Love- Lisa Roberts
Twenty Boy Summer- Sarah Ockler
Starters- Lissa Price
Nameless- Jennifer Jenkins
Virtuosity- Jessica Martinez  
Adaptation- Malinda Lo
The Adoration of Jenna Fox- Mary E. Pearson
After the End- Amy Plum
The Truth About Forever- Sarah Dessen
Forgive Me Lenard Peacock- Matthew Quick-
The Immortal Rules- Julie Kagawa
Reflected in You- Sylvia Day
Cam Girl- Leah Reader
The Edge of Never- J.A Redmerski
Reviving Izabel- J.A Redmerski
Our Demons, Best Friends- Diana Scott  
The Power of Six- Pittacus Lore
Taking Chances- Molly Mcadams
After the Snow- SD Crockett  
Dualed- Elsie Chapman
My Life Next Door- Huntley Fitzpatrick
Gated- Amy Parker
Vicious- VE Schwab
Immortal Beloved- Cate Tiernan

Darkness Falls- Cate Tiernan
Eternally Yours- Cate Tiernan
Breathe- Sarah Crossan
Save Me- Jenny Elliott
The Impossible Knife of Memory- Laurie Hales Anderson
Mind Games- Kiersten White
The Forest of Hands and Teeth- Carrie Ryan
The Boy Next Door- Katie Ark
MudVein- Tarryn Fisher
Corrupt- Penelope Douglas
This is Not a Test- Courtney Summers
This is What Happy Looks Like- Jennifer E. Smith
Shipbreaker- Paolo Bacigalupi
Scorched- Jennifer L. Armentrout
40 This I Want to Tell You- Alice Kuipers
Tigers Curse- Colleen Houck
The Mistake- Elle Kennedy
The Darkest Corners (ARC)- Kara Thomas
Station Eleven- John Mandel
Code Name Verity- Elizabeth Wein
Black Ice- Becca Fitzpatrick
A Thousand Nights- EK Johnson
This is How It Ends- Jen Nadol
Messenger of Fear- Michael Grat
The F It List- Julie Halpern
Evidence of Things Not Seen- Lindsey Lane
How to Fall- Janes Casey
Sea of Shadows- Kelley Armstrong
Sweet- Emmy Laybourne
Reckoning- Kerry Wilkinson
Carry On- Rainbow Rowell
Hungry- HA Swain

Faking Normal- Courtney Stevens
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares- David Levithan
Split Second- Kasie West
Salt and Storm- Kendall Kulper
Somebody Up There Hates You- Hollis Seamon
In Deep- Terra McVoy
The Walls Around Us- Nova Suma
Nerve-Jeanne Ryan
Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls- Lynn Weingarren
Duplicity- NK Traver
Levithan- Scott Westerfeld
The Secrets We Keep- Trisha Leaver
The Young World- Chris Weitz
He Will Be My Ruin- KA Tucker
Days of Blood and Starlight- Laini Taylor
Dreams of Gods & Monsters- Laini Taylor

Goodness, that was a lot longer than I thought it would be. I’m around 116 books… and sadly I think I missed a few. Hoping by the end of the year this number will be around 70. Guess we’ll see. 

Taking Chances by Molly McAdams

"Eighteen-year-old Harper has grown up under the thumb of her career marine father. Ready to live life her own way and to experience things she's only ever heard of from the jarheads in her father's unit, she's on her way to college at San Diego State University." -Goodreads

Alright, *cracks knuckles* let's do this.
Taking Chances was like reading Beautiful Disaster all over again. I was past being annoyed. Every single person and event in this book set me off. This book had me laughing... at it, not with it.

Harper is one of the most throat punching females I've read in the longest. She comes from a very sheltered background. VERY ridiculously sheltered. Girl hasn't even gone to a mall before. Yeah, I don't believe it either. I get that your dad is a strict marine guy, but I can't understand why he would want to keep her from a mall. Makes no sense. Then Harper is the type of girl that EVERY guy wants. Every guy must have her. If you've read any NA you know what I'm talking about. When this occurs in books I get so annoyed. Every guy within a ten mile radius turns into a giant caveman just knowing she is close. All the guys that are falling head over for her are dying too: take care of her, protect her, declare their love for her; all while being un-deserving of her at the same time. Why all these men are doing this is beyond me. Harper is boring as watching paint dry. She has no personality and no depth. On to Chase, the tattooed bad boy from the right side of the tracks. He is of course a man-whore, rebel, tough guy. He slores around campus and the ladies just love him and his arrogant ways. Now Brandon. Good god help me. McAdam's had to top the bad boy so she just takes Chase and decides "hey how can I make him better? Give him an amazing personality? Ha, no that would be ridiculous... I'll just make him a hotter version". So what does she do? She of course makes him a quick tempered underground mma street fighter *cough beautiful disaster cough*. She doesn't stop there though she gives him grey eyes... but grey eyes aren't enough! His eyes change colors!!!!! He literately has all the eyes yall! Like I know this is a real thing that can happen... but it's really not at the same time.

So as you can guess there's a love triangle between the three of them. The first 200 plus pages are Chase and Brandon dick measuring, fist fighting, pounding their chest, and practically peeing on Harper to make their turf. Someone is either punching someone or running off in tears. You're probably thinking at this point that Harper is just going to bounce back and forth between the dudes... You're wrong. She starts dating Brandon but is sleeping with Chase... Cool your jets it's not a spoiler. This is where the story goes from bad to worse. The plot starts spiraling out of control.

This is where I start rambling and dropping spoilers! Look away if you don't wanna know.

So Harper is cheating on Brandon and gets knocked up by Chase. She doesn't tell anyone but his family! WHO DON'T EVEN TELL HIM!!! LIKE WTF MOM AND DAD!? Then she sees Chase tell him she broke up with Brandon days ago-which is a lie- continues to keep the baby a secret- finally breaks up with Brandon- Chase stumbles upon the ultra sound because Harper is living with his family. Not him just his family. He gets all lovey and of freaking course wants to marry her. So they start becoming legit and things start to actually get kind of cute, but that last all of like two seconds. A random girl is introduced at the shop Chase works at (failed to mention as a college student he somehow managed to become a full time tattoo artist). So of course this girl is hell-bent on breaking the two up so you guessed it she drugs him at a party, takes pictures of them together, and sends them to Harper. This of course send Harper into a jealous rage. (Don't worry Brandon is there to be a shoulder to cry on) She has a moment with Brandon decides to put on her big girl panties and face Chase. Even though Chase swears he never did anything and doesn't remember it happening Harper still dumps him and says she needs space. He says he loves her and will give her time... He them leaves the house... you flip the page only to find out in the first paragraph that he died right after leaving the house! WTF. Seriously goes straight from the fight to wham dead. This is what really did it in for me... because at this point in time I'm solely reading so I can be fully pissed... After he dies home-girl goes back to Brandon!!! Like with no time passing at all. Chase's family actually convinces her to do it! STFU right???  Wait for it.... Now after all this Harper gets pregnant again. This time it really is Brandon's... here it comes. THE KIDS END UP CALLING CHASE UNCLE CHASE!!!!!!!! UNCLE CHASE!!!! Uncle. Chase. GTFOOH!!!!

If Brandon and Chase were character in a different book, with different settings, and a different plot then they might have stood a chance. I'll be real; I didn't love them but they were alright. Harper and the plot were my biggest issues. There's no doubt McAdam's can write this story was just not my cup of tea.

1/10 Stars
-Angela

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

"Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom's most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin's Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam." -Goddreads synopsis

This review will be a little different from my others for several reasons. This is a series we are way too deep into for me to go over each character or plot. I won’t me writing a super detailed review for each one, just a small summary, my favorite quote, and the rating.

The Assassin's Blade is a bind up of five novellas for the Throne of Glass Series. I’m just going to say this right way... I wish I would have read this right after Throne of Glass. I wish I wouldn't have waited till I was four books in to pick this up. This book would have changed the way I viewed this series, and I mean that in the best way. These stories changed the way I see Celaena, answered both little and big questions I had, and ultimately decided whose "team" I'm on... but I'll get to that part in a few. These stories cover everything from young Celaena up until the point she ends up at Endovier (a salt mine prison).

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord- 10/10
Celaena is sent with Sam to meet up with a Pirate Lord (obviously) to set up a deal for her boss. This is the first time we really get too see her and Sam actually interact. If you’ve read any of the other books, even just the first, then you know how sassy Celaena is and we get a look into why she is this way. Especially towards Sam. We get to see how she got her start, and how their relationship actually started. I know we’ve heard bits a pieces in the other books, but these start filling in all the cracks. After a twist in the plan is presented the two they have to deceive what path they want to take, and pick whose side they are going to be on.

Favorite Quote: “You want my advice?” he asked her. “No.” “I’d watch my back around Sam. You might be the best, Sardothien, but there’s always someone waiting for you to slip.” Sam, the traitorous bastard, didn’t hide his smirk. The other pirate captains chuckled. Celaena stared hard at Rolfe… “You want my advice?” He waved a hand, beckoning her to go on. “Mind your own business.”

The Assassin and the Healer- 9/10
After returning home from her mission with the Pirate Lord she is sent to the Red Deseret. This is where she will spend her summer as punishment. Before arriving to the Red Desert she is stuck in a small town waiting for her boat to arrive the next day. She finds herself helping a barmaid and teaching her how to defend herself. This was my least favorite story in the book. I also believe it is the shortest one. I didn’t hate it; it just didn’t have the same effect on me the other ones did. I didn’t feel like it gave me as much. I did like that it had a lot of the bitter angry Celaena that I love so much.

Favorite Quote: “Let me give you a bit of advice, from one working girl to another: Life isn’t easy, no matter where you are. You’ll make choices you think are right, and then suffer for them.”

The Assassin and the Desert- 10/10
Celaena finally arrives at the Red Desert to spend the summer training with the Mute Master as punishment. While she is there she has to go through a Kill Bill style training to redeem a letter from the master before she can return back to the Guild. While there we learn how she got to be as good as she is, how she is starting to feel for Sam, and we get to hear about the “first real” friend she’s ever made. This is the story that I feel lays down the foundation for why Celaena became the softer version of herself that we have all grown to love so much. Think this is where she goes from villain to something more. Some might disagree or think it happened at some other point, and some might think it hasn’t happened at all.

Favorite Quote: “Go to Hell” Ansel chuckled “I’ve been to Hell.”  

The Assassin and the Underworld- 10/10
Celaena is back from the desert and ready distract herself from owning up to her feeling. Not just the feelings she has for Sam but towards everything. She decides throwing herself fully into a mission is the best way to do this. The Underworld was the biggest surprise read to me. Out of all five this one was my favorite. Everything finally clicks, things really starts happening, and everything we’ve been waiting for is slammed into us. This story will always have a special place in my heart, and in this series. The best part is we get so much Sam and Celaena time. I thought that the last story was going to be the one that choked me up, but this is the novella that got me. I was sneak reading at work and had to cry on the inside like a winner. So many feels.

Favorite Quote: “and from today onward, I want to never be separated from you. Where you go, I go. Even if that means going to Hell itself, where you are, that’s where I want to be. Forever.”

The Assassin and the Empire- 10/10
If you’ve read even just the first few chapters of Throne of Glass, then you already know what is going to happen in this story… I would like to say that you’ll be ready for it… but I won’t lie. You won’t be. This story has everything in it. The emotions, the fighting, the betrayal, the answers about what really happened to Sam that terrible evening, and how Celaena ultimately got caught. This story will break you. Second favorite in this bind up.

Favorite Quotes: “Deep down, she said, “I’m a coward.” His brows rose. “I’m a coward,” she repeats “And I’m scared. I’m scared all the time. Always.”

“I am Celaena Sardothien… and I will not be afraid.”

This book had me laughing, crying, swearing, praying, and completed me. I thought it would help with the pain of waiting for book five, but all it did was make me crave it even more. I love Celaena, she is my favorite literary female. She falls in this area of being a villain and being a hero. She is everything I want from my leading lady. She is fire and smoke. She is hard and soft. Loving, strong, and weak. She is changing the game when it comes to Ya/Na females...

I thank Sarah J every day for this series. I finally want to end this long review with these two statements: (this isn’t a spoiler it’s just my theory) I in no way shape or form believe Sam is dead. I might be in denial but I just don’t. I think the biggest twist in this series will be that he is still alive. Also for the question I left hanging at the beginning of this; whose team am I on… Thought it was Rowan, but then again something always felt like it was missing. That’s because Sam is what was missing. I am officially and 100% on Team Sam. If he really turns out not to be an option, then I want Celaena to stand on her own. This series is beyond phenomenal.

Overall Star Rating- 10/10 Stars
-Angela