Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have a curse
I have a gift

I am a monster
I'm more than human

My touch is lethal
My touch is power

I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior



Shatter Me. Shatter Me. Shatter Me. Shatter Me.

So good.

Reasons for loving this book:
- The Writing - poetic, beautiful and straight out the mind of our main protagonist (strikeouts and whatnot).
- Fast paced and captivating (need I say more?)
-Adam and those goddamn eyes. And lips.
- Warner and his I'm-a-douchebag-psycho-stalker attitude, which I think is either a facade or the end product of a messed up upbringing. Whatever it is I don't think it's his fault that he is that way. TIME SHALL TELL.
- KENJI. Why is he so bloody hilarious? His sarcasm and remarks are just so refreshing, I love them.
- James. Cute innocent James. I love his relationship with Adam.
- Tension. Tension. Tension. Between Warner and Juliette. Adam and Juliette. Adam and Warner.
- Finally, the ending! I did not expect the story to go in that direction. I'm captivated and engaged. Bring on Unravel Me!

One thing I didn't really enjoy were the intimate scenes between Juliette and Adam. They made me feel a little uncomfortable and the development of their relationship seemed rush (even though they knew each other a few years back).

Cannot wait to find out how the series continues!

View all my reviews

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

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.





OMGOMGOMGOGMOGMGKG
I have just finished it and I CANNOT THINK CLEARLY RIGHT NOW.

-A few hours after (once I've had time to learn how to function normally again) -

What can I say about this book? How do I even think about it without feeling the feels?



I loved Throne of Glass. I was captivated by the world, the concept, the kick ass female protagonist. It was a great read, though I expected it to be a lot more fast paced.

Crown of Midnight gave me that. And so much more.

First, let's talk plot (view spoiler)[!SPOILER ALERT! (hide spoiler)]
During the first half of the book, Celaena learns a lot about the king, the rebellion and other affairs going on outside of the castle walls.
Then, we reach the halfway point and


It takes off like a rocket
When Chaol was captured I couldn't breathe. There was that feeling lurking inside me that he was going to die. But then Celaena came with her bad-assery and saved him.


AND THEN NEHEMIA DIES.

To top off that, Celaena tries to kill Chaol.
You know, just a little trouble in paradise. Thank the lord for Dorian's magic, WHICH I DID NOT EXPECT HIM TO HAVE AT ALL.

Can we please talk about what happened behind the secret door in Celaena's room. The whole thing with the portal and Nehemia and that creature! Then Chaol comes with Dorian. And then there is that possibility of a major death, again. Then Fleetfootwent into the portal and Chaol runs after him. So does Celaena. I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL GOING TO FRICKING DIE
Wyrd save me.

I also loved the wyrdkeys aspect of this book, and Celaena's journey to figure out the riddle, find the poem and the first key. It added so much to the story!

THE CHARACTERS
CHAOL. GODDAMN CHAOL WESTFALL. MARRY ME.

His character devolopment in this book. Holy mackerels.
He opened so many doors into his past, his feelings, his personality.

Celaena was even more bad ass and amazing in this book. The way she killed and fought for herself and those she loved. However, even though she is pretty amazing, she does have flaws and vulnerabilities. It was great to see them a lot more in this book. I think it reminded people that Celaena is as fragile as the rest of them. That she is also in danger.

Dorian! Sweet Dorian. It killed me to see him trying so hard to let go of Celaena and to try and not be jealous of what she had with Chaol. He helped her when she needed him the most, despite the hurt he's been though. I may be shipping Chaolaena but it doesn't mean I don't love Dorian, too!:(

TALKING ABOUT CHAOLAENA. OH MY DEAR LORD.
THE BDAY DINNER. THE KISS. THE BED STUFF.









DAT ENDING. Crap.
I wasn't expecting it. Celaena Fae. Chaol sending her to Wendlyn. Their goodbyes.Chaol telling her he loves her. Celaena telling him it will always be him. Chaol figuring out who she really is: the Queen of Terrasen.













To summarise: this book is amazing and it will blow your eyebrows off. Heir of Fire, come to me
View all my reviews

Bout of Books Sign Up!

The Bout of Books 9.0 is finally here!!
I absolutely enjoyed the previous Bout of Books Readathon and I am so excited for this one.

Sign up here: http://boutofbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/bout-of-books-90-sign-up.html

Challenges/Giveaways

Monday 1/6
Book Buying Spree -- Bookish Comforts
Mad Libs -- Cheap Thrills

Tuesday 1/7
Reading Tactics List -- Sarah Says Read
Audiobook Cast -- Geeky Bloggers Book Blog

Wednesday 1/8
Introduce Someone to Your Favorite Genre -- Doing Dewey

Thursday 1/9
Double Date Book Challenge -- Writing My Own Fairy Tale
Poem Challenge -- Pen in Her Hand

Friday 1/10
Create a Story -- Never Too Fond of Books
Book Spine Poetry -- The Book Spines

Saturday 1/11
Book Staging -- Midnight Book Girl

Sunday 1/12
Bookish Wedding -- Harley Bear Book Blog

Book Reviews: Between Shades of Gray and The Maze Runner

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare / Book Review

Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices #3) by Cassandra Clare

☞ SPOILERS ☜ 

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Historical Fiction, ParanormalSource: Own - hardcover

Summary: "Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.

Tessa Gray should be happy – aren't all brides happy? Yet as she prepares for her wedding, a net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shaodwhunters of the London Institute. 

A new demon appears, one linked by blood and secrecy to Mortmain, the man who plans to use his army of pitiless automatons, the Infernal Devices, to destroy the Shadowhunters. Mortmain needs only one last item to complete his plan. He needs Tessa. And Jem and Will, the boys who lay equal claim to Tessa's heart, will do anything to save her. "

✰ REVIEW ✰

“We live and breathe words. .... It was books that made me feel that perhaps I was not completely alone. They could be honest with me, and I with them."

-Cassandra Clare, Clockwork Princess

When I started out on booktube, Cassandra Clare's books were always recommended to me so I bought The Mortal Instruments series, which I loved so much. Then I found out about The Infernal Devices and though I was very excited to read this prequel series, I initially thought that it cannot be better than TMI. 

Boy was I wrong.

▪PLOT, SETTING AND TMI CONNECTIONS▪


Whilst TMI books were very fast paced and action packed, TID is a much slower series, with action scenes scattered sparingly throughout the three books. However, I did not find this a disadvantage as it leaves more space for character-reader connections, character relationships, and background information.

I love, love, love the setting of this book! I, myself, live in England and to read about it from an earlier time period is so interesting and fun. Hearing names of places  that I've personally visited - such as Tenby in Wales - is really exciting. Also, the way the Shadow world is executed in this series was a lot clearer than the way it was done in TMI. Having said this, there is very little explanation about Idris and other aspects of the Shadowhunter history. 

There are many plot twists and surprises in this book including Jem becoming part of the Brotherhood and Tessa changing into angel Ithuriel (which if you have forgotten, is the angel that Valentine locked up in TMI) and these had such huge impacts on me and kept me reading all through to the early hours. 

Having mentioned angel Ithuriel, I have to credit Cassie for her connection of the two series: TMI and TID. From little to connections such as the white, star shaped mark Tessa's clockwork angel left on Will (later on appearing on Jace in TMI as he is a descendant of Will and Tessa) to big connections such as the portal being made by Henry and Magnus (which was annoyingly altered in the movie).  
There is no way magic was not involved whilst writing this series.


FAVORITE PARTS:

• Battle with Mortmain
• Magnus walking into Will and Tessa 

• Consul dying.
• Jessamine's fairwells
• The creation of the Portal
• "Oh him," he said. "This is Cecily's friend, Mr. Gabriel Lightworm."

▪CHARACTERS AND RELATIONSHIPS▪


My heart ached for the characters and I understood why they decided to do what they did - even the villains. Except Mortmain, of course.
Charlotte and Henry are so perfect for each other and I love the fact that men are not always the stronger ones in a relationship. In CP2, you could really tell that Charlotte and Henry loved each other and I just love their relationship.
Cecily reminded me a lot of Isabelle - the way she fought and how proud she was to be a shadowhunter. I loved her kick ass decisions and I was so happy that her and Gabriel's relationship worked out. 
Sophie and Bridget were very loyal and also bad ass characters and when Sophie ascended it brought tears to my eyes because that was what she had always wanted but felt that she could not ask for more than she was already getting. Charlotte and Sophie were very close and they felt almost like sisters; another great minor relationship Cassie decided to incorporate. 
Magnus. Magnus fricking Bane. Was he awesome or was he awesome. Loved how sophisticated he was and also how close he was to the shadowhunters. As glamorous as ever, Mr Bane;)
Jessamine! Her death was such a tear jerker. I missed her character throughout the rest of the book and kept imagining what she would have thought of Cecily and the Lightwood brothers.
Mortmain, Mrs Black and the automatons were so creepy. That's all there is to say.

So now let's move on to our amazing trio. These three characters are just amazing and I cannot imagine the book being written with any other character in their place.
Tessa. Will. Jem.
Will. Jem. Tessa.
Jem. Tessa Will.

Unlike the Twilight Saga or THG, I could not side with any of the love interests. The love triangle in this books is so unique. Those of you who hate love triangles will definitely not hate this one!
I loved Will as much as I loved Jem and vice versa. I wanted the best for both of them and I thought it was impossible and only one could be with Tessa. 
Jem was a darling. He was sweet and caring and reminded me a lot of Peeta (minus silver hair). I now have a slight obsession with learning Mandarin now! 
Will was snarky and cheeky but also very loving an vulnerable inside! After reading this series, Will has suddenly become the most sexy name on the planet. 
Their relationship with Tessa were both unique and they both had different connections to her.
Will through books. Jem through music.

"Wo ai ni." - Jem, Clockwork Princess

"Marry me and stay with me and never leave me, for I cannot bear another day of my life to go by that does not have you in it." - Will, Clockwork Princess

My favorite relationship in this book is actually the Jem-Will parabatai relationship. I cried a LOT during their scenes together!


"If there is a life after this one, let me meet you in it, James Carstairs." - Will, Clockwork Princess


"The world is a wheel. When we rise or fall, we do it together."
"Wherever we are, we are as one" - Jem, Clockwork Princess  

▪THE END▪

THE EPILOGUE. WHO EXPECTED THAT?

My heart after:

The epilogue was beautiful.
The epilogue was heartbreaking.
The epilogue was phenomenal.

The series could not have ended in any other way. Will had lived and died with Tessa by his side. A cure for Jem had been found, therefore enabling him to be freed from the Brotherhood, allowing him to finally be with Tessa after over a century of meeting up annually on Blackfriar's Bridge (which actually still exists now). 

The ending just blew me away and made me cry, laugh, smile and die all at the same time.
THE FEELS. THE FEELS.

"Come with me. Stay with me. Be with me. See everything with me. I have traveled the world and seen so much, but there is so much more, and no one I would go rather see it with than you. I would go everywhere and anywhere with you, Jem Carstairs." - Tessa Clockwork Princess 

Overall, Clockwork Princess was truly amazing and I enjoyed everything about it. It was sad, humorous, quirky, amazing and you are left speechless afterwards.
The characters and the story will remain forever in my heart and I wish I could somehow bring them to life so I can meet each one of them!



"Zhe shi jie shang, wo shi zui ai ne de." - Jem, Clockwork Princess 

In all the world, you are what I love the most.

RATING:✰✰✰✰✰

Bout of Books | Bookish Mad Libs Challenge!

It is the 5th day of the Bout of Books 8.0 Readathon. The end is near! I have enjoyed all the challenges and events this week. They have just been so fun and here is another one that I attempt to do.

To see the rules, prize and how to enter, click here: http://shaunesay.blogspot.co.uk/

  

A. Place name or type (from a book title) can be a proper name or noun like Italy or mountains B. Fave Villain (from a book - list title/series) C. Adjective (from a book title) (hot, cold, dark, etc.) D. Number (from a book title) E. Noun (from a book title) F. Fave Hero/Heroine you wouldn't mind spending a LOT of time with (from a book - list title/series) G. Dessert (from a book title) A: Shadow Forest by Matt Haig B: President Snow - The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins C: The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman D: 10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love by Linda Green E: The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness F: Becky Bloomwood - Confessions of a Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella G: Candyfloss (heehee is this a dessert?) by Jacqueline Wilson

Help! I'm being held captive in the forest, by President Snow
It is very subtle here!
He is demanding 10 knifes to set me free!
I have just discovered that Becky Bloomwood was captured too!
On second thought, please send Candyfloss, and don't worry if you don't hear from us for awhile!

Much Love,

Micah xx

Bout of Books TBR Pile Mini Challenge!

Click the link: http://musingsofabookshopgirl.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/bout-of-books-tbr-pile-mini-challenge.html

{ The Questions }

1.  Which 5 books are at the top of your TBR pile at this moment?

2.  If I gave you a wad of cash and sent you into a bookshop right now, which 5 books would you buy to add to the stack?

{ My Answers }

1. 

I read Clockwork Angel earlier this year and absolutely LOVED it. I am so excited to read this book but it's still coming in the post. As soon as it gets here, I am going to be reading it!

Clockwork Prince

by Cassandra Clare

I bought this book a week ago and it sounds like such an amazing book! I've heard a lot of good things about Michael Grant's writing and I'm excited to start reading his work.

Eve & Adam
by Michael Grant and Katherine Applegate

This book has been high on my TBR list for ages and I just never seem to get around to it. I've been recommended this book numerous of times and I think it's about time I start it!

The Knife of Never Letting Go 
by Patrick Ness







I bought this book because a friend recommended it to me. I never knew how popular it was on the booktube community until I included it in a haul video. I'm very excited to read it because everyone seems to like it and I want to know what it's like!

Slated
by Teri Terry

I saw this book on Pippit Bop's YouTube channel and when I saw it on the discount section of an online bookstore, I had to get it!
It sounds like an awesome book and I really can't wait to read it!

Before I Go To Sleep 
by S.J. Watson






2.  

These are the 5 books that I would definitely add to the stack! They all have amazing covers and would contribute well to my bookshelf and they would definitely be at the top of my TBR list!:D

Bout of Books 8.0 Readathon | UPDATES

This template was from http://sarahsaysread.com/ 

UPDATES

Monday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 162 pages
Total number of books I’ve read: None
Books I read from: Insomnia by J.R. Johansson, City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare & It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers by Louise Rennison
#todayinsixwords: Stayed up late reading and eating. 

Tuesday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 113
Total number of books I’ve read: None
Books I read from: City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare & It's OK, I'm wearing really big knickers by Louise Rennison
#todayinsixwords: Lots of distractions but must read.

Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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Saturday
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Sunday
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#todayinsixwords:

Read-a-thon | Bout of Books 8.0 - TBR

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, August 19th and runs through Sunday, August 25th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure, and the only reading competition is between you and your usual number of books read in a week. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 8.0 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

The time has come for the Bout of Books Read-a-thon! This is actually the first Bout of Books that I am going to be participating in and I am super excited!

Here is my TBR list: