Madly, Deeply by Erica Crouch

(4 Stars)

Madly, Deeply

*My copy was kindly provided by Patchwork Press via Netgalley in exchange for a review! (Thank you!)*

Published: June 17th 2014

Synopsis: It was many and many a year ago,

In a kingdom by the sea...

Annaleigh Wells and William Calloway had a love even the angels envied. It was as if the universe spun them toward one another, like the stars crafted their souls to fit perfectly together. With a wedding on the horizon, fate had a change of heart. Whispered warnings from phantoms and morbid nightmares darkened every night—but even visions of the future couldn’t save Annaleigh. Inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s poem Annabel Lee, Crouch’s period romance Madly, Deeply tells the tale of love so great, it cannot be contained in just one life.

Review:

What first attracted me to Madly, Deeply is that it is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poem Annabel Lee, a poem which I have always loved. It struck me as a really amazing idea to write a novel based on a such a vivid, dark poem and I couldn't wait to get stuck in and see how Erica Crouch would weave the themes of the poem into a novel.

Madly, Deeply centres around characters Annaleigh and William, who we meet at the very height of their relationship when they are deeply in love and desperate to get married. Of course, things do not quite work out as they had always planned. I loved all of their interactions as their dialogue always flowed well, and Crouch gave just enough backstory without dumping information on the reader. As we come into the story they are established as a couple, so I was glad that they knew each other so clearly that it was easier for me as a reader to get to know them both individually through each other's eyes. 

Before reading I wasn't entirely sure what the main themes in the novel would be exactly even though I had a good idea about it due to Annabel Lee. I was swept along with the well-paced flow of the story and I loved Crouch's writing, which was imaginative and beautifully descriptive. Reading some parts in the dark seriously gave me goosebumps. I loved the descriptions of the setting, the huge house and the eerie lake, the extravagant gowns and the grounds of the house. A favourite quote of mine was a description of William's sister Mary – "She was always glowing, as if she had stolen the stars from the night sky and swallowed them whole, wanting to shine from within."

My only criticism of the book is not really a criticism but just how I felt reading the second half. The story is extremely sad and heart-wrenching and at times it felt like there was no moments of breathing space from that. As the characters were consumed with grief, so was the novel. As I said, it's not really a criticism because of course sometimes there is no freedom from grief and Crouch did portray  the stages of grief very well, not romanticising loss but instead exploring ways for her characters to get through it – and the guilt that comes with getting through it. I especially loved this paragraph about grief:

"The anguish of grief, it turned out, did not lessen once acknowledged. It wasn't as easy as a scraped knee, where a good cry would distract from the pain until the weeping stopped and the cut was bandaged. Once you touched it, grief only grew. It took on more, swallowed you whole until that's all there was. Grief was an egotistical emotion, unsatisfied until it became the only thing a person knew, the only thing they could see."

I loved Madly, Deeply, especially the beautiful writing style and imagery, as well as the three main characters, Annaleigh, William, and Mary, who I liked individually for their own personalities. I also really enjoyed the supernatural elements and thought it brought an interesting next level for the grief suffered by the characters.

 I would definitely recommend Madly, Deeply for anyone, but especially for fans of darker emotional romances such as Wuthering Heights, and of course fans of Edgar Allan Poe!

Have you read Madly, Deeply? What were your thoughts?

Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo

(5 stars)

Ruin and Rising

Published: June 17th 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads: The capital has fallen. The Darkling rules Ravka from his shadow throne. Now the nation's fate rests with a broken Sun Summoner, a disgraced tracker, and the shattered remnants of a once-great magical army. Alina will have to forge new alliances and put aside old rivalries as she and Mal race to find the last of Morozova's amplifiers. But as she begins to unravel the Darkling's secrets, she reveals a past that will forever alter her understanding of the bond they share and the power she wields. The firebird is the one thing that stands between Ravka and destruction—and claiming it could cost Alina the very future she’s fighting for.

Review: *Mostly Spoiler Free* (I'd read the previous two first though, if you haven't read them already!)

Every now and then, a book or series comes along and truly reminds me why I love to read. Every now and then I find a book or series that just takes my breath away and leaves me sobbing at midnight, holding onto my dog for moral support. Every now and then, a book or series leaves me filled with so many emotions at once that I can hardly handle it.

If it isn't obvious, Ruin & Rising was one of those books for me. To start with I was sceptical. Firstly because it has been a year since I read Siege & Storm, so I think the magic of the series was a little distant from me. Secondly because I saw posts on social media about some people for some reason not enjoying the ending. Of course, I wanted to decide for myself. Once I picked it up I finished it in just under two days, and I adored it.

There are so many series and trilogies where the ending falls flat. For me, The Grisha Trilogy only went from strength to strength. In Ruin & Rising, Alina is so different from the girl she was in Shadow & Bone, and yet the true essence of her remains – her kindness, her loyalty, her morals. She is not defined by the men around her. So many of them try to control her, collar her, try to shove her into the role of a perfect, softly-spoken little Saint, but in Ruin & Rising she shows that she makes her own choices, follows her own heart, and she will not be under anyone else's thumb.

In Ruin & Rising she truly comes into her own, being forced into ruthlessness and still being capable of forgiveness. She is not always likeable, not always strong, often tempted by power and murder, yet always desperate to do the right thing, and therefore one of my all-time favourite heroines in YA. She cannot simply be shoved into any one box. She is every bit the reluctant heroine and yet understanding of the fact that the situation is bigger than her own desires.

Mal has had a rocky time throughout the trilogy, and yet I think people are sometimes too quick to judge him, and too harsh when they do. His plot twist in Ruin & Rising I did not see coming at all, and I absolutely loved it! I feel like he finally grew up and saw the bigger picture in this book. He went from being a jealous, self-pitying boy, to being a man worthy of Alina's affections. He was never perfect but he is so human and real on the page, and I've always loved him for that.

As for the other characters, I loved their stories. Nikolai will always, always be a favourite of mine. We saw a different side to him (in a few ways) in this book, and he somehow always manages to break my heart while making a sarcastic comment. I could read whole books about him. There was a particular scene with Genya which stands out, of her confronting a previous abuser. It was just so powerful and brilliantly done. Other notable characters to mention are basically everyone in Team Sun Summoner; Zoya, David, Tamar, Tolya, Harshaw (& Oncat, of course), and obviously The Darkling. I've enjoyed his journey and in Ruin & Rising we learnt more about his story and background, which gave  a lot of reason (but not justification) to his actions. I won't say much about him due to spoilers, but I was overall content with the ending as it was.

Writing wise, Ruin & Rising was pretty much without fault. I was just in awe of the plot, the characters, the individual character arcs, as well as the actual writing. Every line felt necessary, the dialogue was entertaining, heartbreaking, and inspiring in equal measure. The amount of work which has obviously gone into this trilogy was extremely evident and I'm so in awe of Leigh's talent. 

I thought Ruin & Rising was a beautiful ending to the Grisha Trilogy and the characters each have a place in my heart, especially Alina. I finished the last page and unexpectedly burst into tears of happiness and sadness, almost like I was mourning the end of the series, as well as all of the loss the characters suffered. Also, I should add that THAT is how an epilogue is done – leaving me a blubbering overwhelmed mess of happy and sad tears. It was wonderful.

I'm so glad I discovered this trilogy, and I know I will come back to it countless times in the future. I'm  so sad it's over but like I said, content with how it ended. One hundred percent one of my favourites, I don't even have to say how much I would recommend it!

Two of my favourite quotes: "You are on your knees," I said. "We are not negotiating." & "I am not ruined. I am ruination." 

City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

(4 stars)

City of Heavenly Fire

Published: May 27th 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads: Sebastian Morgenstern is on the move, systematically turning Shadowhunter against Shadowhunter. Bearing the Infernal Cup, he transforms Shadowhunters into creatures out of nightmare, tearing apart families and lovers as the ranks of his Endarkened army swell. The embattled Shadowhunters withdraw to Idris - but not even the famed demon towers of Alicante can keep Sebastian at bay. And with the Nephilim trapped in Idris, who will guard the world against demons? When one of the greatest betrayals the Nephilim have ever known is revealed, Clary, Jace, Isabelle, Simon, and Alec must flee - even if their journey takes them deep into the demon realms, where no Shadowhunter has set foot before, and from which no human being has ever returned...

The finale to The Mortal Instruments series was not only absolutely huge in size, but huge terms of how far the world has grown and developed since City of Bones. The stakes were the highest they've ever been before, and the characters we have grown to know and love are at the end of their tale.

It's hard to know where to start when reviewing this book because so much happened. I did like the plot of City of Heavenly Fire, it felt planned, shocking, and bittersweet. As an antagonist, Sebastian feels almost unbeatable, which really upped the tension throughout the add-on three books to the original three. 

I did enjoy the introduction of Emma Carstairs and her friends, although I did think it was very odd to include basically a whole new cast of characters in the final book in a series. I understand that these characters are going to feature in the next series, The Dark Artifices, but I'm not planning to read that series at this point. For that reason, it was a little bit tedious to have all of their backstory, but some parts were entertaining. I was more concerned about the original characters, and the book might have been half the size without their new characters having whole chapters. 

Stand out characters for me were Simon, Alec & Maia. I love all of the gang and I'll miss them all, including Jace, Clary, and Isabelle, but the first three have a special place in my heart. 

I have to be honest, the reason why I even read The Mortal Instruments anymore is pretty simple. SIMON LEWIS. Since City of Bones he's been my favourite character, I absolutely adore him. He had some wonderful moments in CoHF – drunk Simon being my favourite one. However, this book, I felt, completely failed him as a character. Yes, sacrifices are made in war, but WHY DO BAD THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN TO SIMON? Honestly, that's most of the reason I ended up not enjoying this book as much, and why I'm not sure I want to read TDA.

I don't have much faith in endings when it comes to Cassandra Clare. I didn't particularly enjoy the ending of Clockwork Princess and now, I found myself a little disappointed with the ending of The Mortal Instruments. I genuinely think I would've preferred it to end with City of Glass. That was the last ending of Clare's I felt satisfied with. Having said that, I enjoying the character arcs and, as always, I absolutely love the witty, sarcastic banter between the gang. Some moments were laugh out loud hilarious, and a reason I do love the books. The plot twists were emotional and hard to stomach, the betrayal was shocking but not unbelievable. Also, it was slightly odd that this series does now spoil The Infernal Devices, unless read in order of publication.

As a conclusion to a pretty epic series, City of Heavenly Fire delivers as a complicated, enormous ending. The writing is solid, the loose ends are all (mostly) nicely tied up. I can't imagine the amount of planning and editing that went into a novel of this scale, and for that I am quite in awe of it. With a fandom as huge as The Mortal Instruments, inevitably some of the scenes felt kind of like fan-service, but that's mostly nitpicking. 

A bittersweet end to a huge series, City of Heavenly Fire definitely packs a punch. Despite devastating moments which did ruin some of the enjoyment for me, I'm relieved that it is over and pretty angry, kind of happy, but mostly relieved the characters can't be hurt further! (I hope!)

Have you read City of Heavenly Fire? Did you enjoy the finale?

The Key by T. L. Coulter

(2.5/3 Stars)

The Key

Published: March 27th 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads: When the new King of Arcadia, Audric Sjöberg is forced into hiding, his younger brother Rek, is sent to the mortal realm to find “the key”. “The Key” is the one person that can help Audric take back his kingdom, and restore peace within the wizard realm.  Kailee Reece is a normal teenager, or so she believes. When Kailee’s wishes turn into reality, she becomes the target of unwanted attention. Rek’s search sends him to Astoria Oregon, where he meets Kailee, and they are drawn to one another. Kailee and Rek attempt to fight their feelings, but the temptation is too great.  Kailee and Rek’s happiness is threatened by an ancient prophecy that could tear them apart. Rek must convince Kailee to return to Arcadia in order to save Audric and his kingdom. Once the kingdom is safe, Rek may be forced to say goodbye to Kailee forever.

I'm going to start the review by saying that I received my copy from T. L. Coulter herself in exchange for a review, meaning that The Key is self-published, which I do find so admirable. Marketing is hard, especially in self-publishing. I'm familiar with how tough the publishing world is, so I understand that. Unfortunately, I found that it felt like I was editing The Key as I was reading it, the amount of highlights I made. There were quite a few mistakes with wording and punctuation, and some sentences didn't quite work. Being as obsessed with grammar as I unfortunately am, it was hard for me to overlook the mistakes. Having said that, I do think the idea behind the novel really does have a lot of potential, and although it did get much better as the story progressed, I just didn't feel that it was quite there yet. 

I started this blog to be honest with my reviews so I'm doing my best to do that. It wasn't that I disliked The Key, it just comes down to the fact that it wasn't for me. If everyone liked all the same books then, well, fandoms would all be huge and we wouldn't have so many favourites. Obviously, there are many 5 star reviews by people who really loved The Key, so I'm in the minority and that's fine. Unfortunately it was just a little underdeveloped in general for me, but the parts that were developed were often brilliant. I would definitely read more of T. L. Coulter's work, if it was edited to a bit of a higher level. It was almost there but just needed that little bit more to make the narrative more solid.

My favourite character was Gabe with his sarcastic comments and quick wit, I loved him, but unfortunately I didn't warm to either Kailee or Rek very much, which was problematic considering they're the main characters. Having said that, the ending was an emotional rollercoaster which I'm sure will make fans of the book very excited for the next instalment, The Oracle! Like I said, many people have reviewed and enjoyed The Key, so if you're thinking of reading it I would recommending going to see their reviews. There's romance, action, suspense and betrayal, with two different worlds and plenty of magic.

It wasn't for me this time but I may still read the next book in the trilogy to find out what happens. The Oracle (book 2) is out now, I believe! 

Thank you to T. L. Coulter for providing me with a copy of The Key!

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

(3.5/4 stars)

We Were Liars

Published: May 13th 2014

Synopsis from Goodreads: A beautiful and distinguished family. A private island. A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy. A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive. A revolution. An accident. A secret. Lies upon lies. True love. The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart. Read it. And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.

I finally gave in to the hype that this book has been receiving on social media. I can't say too much without ruining the book, so forgive this review for being a little bit vague! When I finished We Were Liars, I had the same sort of feeling I had when I finished Entangled by Cat Clarke.  Contemplative, a little bit enchanted, but mostly confused. First of all, the blurb is obviously intended to be eye-catching and mysterious and it works for that purpose, but that's what also makes it a little misleading. 

I'm not sure We Were Liars can be described as a romance but more of a family drama and dark teen angst with, of course, secrets. This is my first E. Lockhart book, so I'm not sure if this is her usual writing style, but I did like it. It was very dialogue and character driven, which I found myself drawn to despite my love of flowery, descriptive writing. Having looked back through the highlights I made on my version of the book on Kindle, I really did enjoy the writing style at some points. Our protagonist, Cadence, isn't exactly in her right mind, so the choppy dialogue and jumbled thoughts were true to her character and confusion. As a reader you are swept along with her roller coaster of emotions throughout the novel, constantly questioning the truth.

I loved the characterisations, even if at first the character names were kind of hard to keep up with, it all fell into place as the characters came to life in their own right. Mirren and Johnny, however, were very much on the back burner, with Gat being centre stage. While I liked Gat, I wanted to get to know Mirren and Johnny better, even if I understand why Gat was of course more prominent.

I also really liked how We Were Liars challenged values about money, class, race, and mental health. Most prominent are money and class, with the Sinclairs being a rich family who were all very used to having so much money that they can afford to spend it on useless things. Cadence, being the first born into the wealthy family (and watched over by her patriarchal grandfather) has to come to see that she is very privileged, and I liked Gat's role in helping her to get to that point. As Cadence's mother and her two sisters fight over property and who will inherit what, their father (Cadence's grandfather) holds all of the power over them – something which Cadence begins to challenge.

My only problem that I can think of with We Were Liars is that I did feel a little unsatisfied at the end, but that could be because I had guessed most of the secrets from the start, so the ending wasn't as enjoyable for me. Sometimes the writing was a little too choppy, but other parts made up for it.

If you like books about secrets, complicated characters, some hard-to-swallow parts, and lots of twists and turns with sprinkles of romance, I would definitely recommend We Were Liars! 3.5/4 stars simply because I wasn't totally drawn in. However, I am going to read more of E. Lockhart's work.

"The universe is seeming really huge right now," he said. "I need something to hold onto."

10 Signs Of A Book Hangover

All bookworms know the feeling. 

You've just finished a book after rapidly turning the last few pages, your eyes scanning the words faster than your brain can process them, your heart beating a little faster until all of a sudden...it's over. The book you have waited months, maybe even years for, has just ended and all you're left with is the weight of it in your hands as well as the imaginary weight of it on your chest.

Introducing...The Book Hangover! Also known as the stage after reading a good book in which it is impossible to think of anything else, let alone start another book or series. Side effects include: feelings of despair, denial, sadness, and complete confusion. But how do you know for sure that what you're experiencing is the famous Book Hangover? After thinking on it for a while, I came up with 10 signs to know for sure that a book or series completely owns you, heart and soul. If any of these steps sound familiar, I hate to break the news but you're in deep with your Book Hangover...

1. The Confusion

Wait, that was the last page? THE LAST PAGE EVER? THE LAST PAGE OUT OF THE SERIES WHICH I LOVE SO MUCH? How could it possibly be the end? We need to know everything, we need to know who has children and who marries who and who lives to be 100 and who has a midlife crisis and if they all stay happy every day for the rest of their lives! I need MORE! Surely that wasn't the last page...I have to check again maybe I missed something...maybe there's an epilogue which goes 50 years into the future that I totally skipped over by accident...surely...

2. The Denial

That was not the end. The author is going to bring out another 5 books in the series, I'm sure of it. In fact, that must've been the secret project she was talking about on twitter which she's so excited to share with us all. I've been so blind! Of course there's another 10 book series in an alternate universe with every character I know and love! That wasn't the end! I'm so clever HA you can never end this series, there will be books being released until I'm 70. I can't believe I didn't see this before. You can't fool me.

3. The Sadness

I can't believe that happened to my favourite characters. How can I even move on with my life knowing that they had such terrible things happen to them? How can I ever re-read the series knowing that they suffer so much in the last book? I honestly don't know how to stop crying right now, this is worse than my fish dying this is worse than that time someone insinuated I have awful taste in books, this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me. I can't move on. I can't get over it. I never will, never. I'm going to name my kids after my favourite character in their memory. Maybe by then the tears will have stopped? I don't think so, though. If such bad things can happen to such good characters, what's the point of even reading?

4. The Despair

SERIOUSLY I CAN'T STOP CRYING I'M ABOUT 99% SURE THIS IS NOT A NORMAL REACTION TO A BOOK. IS IT NORMAL TO THINK ABOUT IT AT RANDOM TIMES AND JUST CRY? IS THIS LIKE THE 5 STAGES OF GRIEF? HOW CAN I EXPLAIN TO MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY THE LOSS I'VE SUFFERED? OH GOD THE TEARS WON'T STOP

5. The Memories (Usually meaning more tears)

Remember that time they first smiled at each other? Oh my god, their first kiss was flawless and I just knew right then that they were my favourite fictional couple. All that they went through, they went through together. Remember when they said that thing? Hahaha oh man, I knew I picked the right favourite character. Remember when the antagonist was actually the good guy? I remember when they were all so happy and little and nothing hurt and everything was just sarcasm and the occasional fight. I want to go back. I need to go back.

6. The Anger Directed Towards The Author

I hate this author, I'm literally NEVER reading ANYTHING they write ever again and that's a fact. How could they end it like this? How could they do this to their own characters? Don't they have A SOUL? DON'T THEY KNOW HOW MUCH THIS HURTS? They must hate us all, and their characters too. Oh, now I feel a little bad, they must've worked so hard on it...and the book in general was brilliant...but I just can't forgive some of the things that happened. I just can't. I will never stop being angry about it. I can never forgive them.

7. The Anger Directed Towards Yourself (Usually lasts about 5 seconds)

Why did I buy this stupid book in the first place? What possessed me to put myself through more and more pain? Why do I even read books at all? Why did I...oh forget it

8. A Burst of Happiness Over Happy Moments

Even though I'm upset, oh my god that moment between my favourite characters was just genius. I never could've thought of that. And the PLOT TWIST? AMAZING. And when they were all together, laughing, I thought my heart might burst from happiness. The banter was so wonderful, and the CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED oh I love these characters, I love this series.

9. Thinking Of Alternate Endings

I'm not saying I'm right, but I'm totally right. I thought of a way so that everyone could survive, the characters could stick together, AND it would still be an awesome ending. Why didn't the author think of this? I even thought of a way in which NO ONE has to be sad throughout the book! And if only I could tweak that little bit of the ending, I wouldn't be crying for days on end over it. Seriously, what was the author thinking? This ending is SO MUCH BETTER!

10. The Eventual Acceptance

Okay, I've cried over it, I've put angry rants on my blog, I've re-read parts which made me want to rip the book to shreds, and (five times) I've talked myself out of sending a long, angry, detailed letter to the author. After a few days to think it over, I'm pretty sure the books had to end this way. I mean, it did the rest of the books justice, and without the pain you can't have the happy parts, right? I can sort of see why the author did what they did and I'm getting over the initial shock a little bit. When it comes to it, I've been with this series for a while and it stayed true to everything it stands for. I'm going to miss it so much but my ugly crying face is gone for the time being. Goodbye characters and your world and your running jokes...I'll come back to you whenever I feel nostalgic, thank you for everything.

Does any of this sound familiar? If so, which books have made you feel like this?