Trash Tuesday | Characters I’m Trash For

Welcome back, Trash Mob! Today we’re talking about characters we’re obsessed with and I can’t wait to share mine. As always, here’s the link to the Trash Tuesday blog page if you want to know more.

I tried to keep my post on the shorter side because I didn’t want everyone reading 20-page essays. Now, let’s get trashy.

Jace Herondale, The Shadowhunter Chronicles by Cassandra Clare 

Um, have I ever mentioned that I am IN LOVE with Jace from The Mortal Instruments. I have Jace art on my shelves and he is and always will be the bad boy for my heart. He’s witty, sarcastic and goes from angsty teenage boy to angsty adult. Did I mention he’s a part-angel demon hunter? And a blonde hottie with a body?

Hermione Granger, Harry Potter by JK Rowling

Let me count the ways I love Hermione. 1) We are both September Virgos. 2) We are both Gryffindors. 3) We are both ISTJ-As (according to 16Personalities). 4) We are both book nerds who need to get our priorities straight. Seriously, Hermione was one of my original idols. She’s strong, sassy, smart, and doesn’t take sh*t from anyone. I relate SO HARD to Hermione and I just want to be like her. Is that too much to ask?

Simon Randell, The Empirium Trilogy by Claire Legrand

SIMON RANDELL IS MY FAVORITE SLYTHERIN. He’s moody, knows how to use those weapons, and can sass talk you for days. If you haven’t read Furyborn, you should. It’s full of broken, complex characters, intense magic and TIME TRAVEL. This artwork is from the Furyborn preorder that I wish I had gotten.

Talk To Me

 Will you be joining Trash Tuesday? Any prompts you’re hoping to see in the future?

TL; DR | May Speed Reviews

Hey, look – I actually remembered to post my monthly wrap up! 10 points for Gryffindor! I spent a lot of May reading NetGalley Arcs to bump up my review score and then the rest of the month binging my highly anticipated releases. It was definitely a good few weeks of books. (Yet, how I’m still 2 books behind on my 2019 reading goal, I cannot figure out.)

Sorcery of Thorns

By: Margaret Rogerson

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

If you enjoyed Margaret Rogerson’s first novel, An Enchantment of Ravens, you will LOVE Sorcery of Thorns. There are magical books, evil (and not-so-evil) demons, sassy sorcerers, and a strong-willed heroine. The feminist themes, slow burn romances, and unlikely friendships will leave you bewitched and wanting more.

Aurora Rising

By: Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (ALL THE GOLD STARS)

The Verdict

When it comes to modern sci-fi stories, I didn’t think I would find anything that I loved as much as The Illuminae Files, but guess what? Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman knocked my socks off with Aurora Rising, and it’s my favorite read of the year so far. It’s sassy, humorous, fast-paced, full of amazing characters, and just 100% SPACE-TASTIC. If you love any of the following, you’re sure to love Aurora: The Breakfast Club, The Guardians of the Galaxy, Dramas/Soap Operas (BUT IN SPACE). Do yourself a favor and read this book as soon as humanly possible. And then recommend it to everyone you know!

The First Girl Child

By: Amy Harmon

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

If you enjoy epics, Norse mythology, magic, and rich world building, you’ll definitely want to pick up The First Girl Child! Spanning 30ish years, the novel is centered around Dagmar & his nephew Bayr. Bayr’s mother is a woman scorned, and places a curse upon the land of Saylok. There won’t be any baby girls born to the men of Saylok and Bayr will be the land’s savior. There’s an evil king, a precious princess, and strong supporting characters you’ll love.

Finale (Caraval #3)

By: Stephanie Garber

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

Ooookay, so Finale wasn’t the best series ending that I’ve ever read, but it was definitely a solid book. There were twists, turns, high-stakes gambles, love, hate, magic, gods, and even a Legend POV! While I’m still salty about that Legend reveal, I can say that I 110% love Jacks and he needs his own story ASAP. The world of Caraval is mystical, fun and you won’t ever want to leave. If you decide to start the series be sure you have all the book in hand, because you won’t want to stop reading!

Broken Throne (Red Queen #4.5)

By: Victoria Aveyar

Overall Rating: ★★★

The Verdict

In all honesty, I pretty much only read this for the Cal/Mare and Maven stories. The Barnes & Noble special edition has a family tree in the back and information on Cal and Maven, too, which I love. Did I find out that Cal’s favorite song is come on Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners? Yes. Does that make me love him even more and realize he is the f*ckboy of my dreams? 100% YES. Was this entire book worth the read? No, which is why I skipped through and read the bits and pieces I wanted. If you’re looking for some Red Queen in your life after finishing up War Storm, definitely pick this up. It’s fun, light, and you don’t have to read in order!

Furyborn

By: Claire Legrand

Overall Rating: ★★★★★

The Verdict

Excuse me while I go cry in a corner over this book. This feminist fantasy is filled with magic, time travel, multiple POVs, and some of the most intriguing characters I’ve ever met. It starts of with a bang and only gets more intense as it progresses. If you aren’t a fan of switching between character chapters or having multiple storylines happening at once, you may want to put this aside. But, I promise you if you give it a try you will fall in love. The main characters are broken, vulnerable and you won’t be able to stop yourself from rooting for their redemption. The second book in the series, Kingsbane, is out now. So, if you do decide to pick this up, know that you can keep continue the story as soon as you want!

Talk To Me

What did you think of my reads this month? Will you be adding any to your TBR? Have you read any of these already?

Review | Sawkill Girls Is A Classic Monster Story With a Feminist Twist

Sawkill Girls

By: Claire Legrand

Overall Rating: ★★★★

Who are the Sawkill Girls?

Marion: the new girl. Zoey: the pariah. Val: the queen bee.

Their stories come together on the island of Sawkill Rock, where gleaming horses graze in rolling pastures and cold waves crash against black cliffs. Where kids whisper the legend of an insidious monster at parties and around campfires. Where girls have been disappearing for decades, stolen away by a ravenous evil no one has dared to fight… until now.

Theme Song

TL;DR:

Sawkill Girls is a refreshing take on the classic monster story. If you’re into books with darker vibes and don’t mind things that go bump in the night, check this one out! It’s full of diverse characters and hits on some bigger societal issues.

The Good

A Classic Monster Tale

This has all the elements of a great monster story – eerie children’s nursery rhymes, isolated islands, dark forests, and disappearing teens. If you love being scared, especially by things that go bump in the night, you’ll enjoy this.

Beware of the woods and the dark, dank deep. He’ll follow you home, and he won’t let you sleep…

Down With The Patriarchy

Legrand isn’t subtle with the digs at things like mansplaining and the patriarchy. She uses her villains, her heroines, and her writing to bring down the patriarchy just a little bit more. I hope young girls (and boys) who read this look at sexism just a bit differently afterward.

 

Girl Power To The Max

I love that all the heroines in this story walk to their own tunes. They are strong, independent and learn to work through their differences against a common enemy. It’s refreshing to see girls banding together instead of ripping each other down because of insecurities.

The Bad

The World Building

This is more due to my personal preferences as a reader. I need to know all about every person, place, thing, or idea that’s mentioned in story (which is why I tend to read longer series). Soooo, I would have loved a deeper looking into the cult, the monster, and the island. If you don’t mind a quick story with minimal details, then forget I even mentioned this!

The Ugly Truth

I loved Sawkill Girls! I gave it 4-stars because I prefer my fantasy stories to be longer and more in-depth, but I loved everything else about it. Pick this one up when you’re in the need for a feminist rage fest or quick monster tale.

Talk To Me

Have you read this book? If so, what did you think of it?

TL; DR | March Speed Reviews

How is it spring already? How are we already a quarter way through 2019? How have I managed to read 6 books this month and not review any of them yet? Well, I’ll tell you why, because I’ve been neglecting my blog for the greatness that is Elias Veturius (more on that below). I promise to have full reviews for these soon, but since it’s the end of March – here’s some TL; DR action!

Sawkill Girls

By: Claire Legrand

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

This is a creepy, dark, feminist Rage Fest for the masses. The main ladies are diverse, unique and so refreshingly weird. Read for a new take on female friendships. Down with the patriarchy! You will rage so hard against the antagonist(s) and love the ending. I love monster stories, so it gets bonus points just for that.

Lady Smoke

By: Laura Sebastian

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

This is book two in the Ash Princess trilogy and I was not disappointed. It wasn’t as amazing as Ash Princess – I really wish there was more magic – but it definitely lives up to the hype. If you were ever into Avatar the Last Airbender, you’ll enjoy book one. And if you’re into strong, independent queens who don’t need a man by their side to kick ass and take names, you’ll fall in love with Theo in book 2.

The Wicked King

By: Holly Black

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

For all my Cruel Prince fans, please don’t hate me, but this series DOES NOT live up to the hype…like at all. The Wicked King wasn’t everything I expected it to be, but it was way better than The Cruel Prince, so I’m giving it a one-up in my star rating. I’m also going to be petty with my rating and say that Jude gets what she deserves and so much more, and I enjoyed seeing her fumble. I still hate Taryn. Locke is the absolute worst. And Cardan is an evil little d-bag (but he can stay because for some odd reason I’m kind of into it). Even though I didn’t enjoy this as much as the masses, the ending was honestly so great.

A Court of Thorns & Roses (Reread)

By: Sarah J Maas

Overall Rating: ★★★

The Verdict

It’s been a full year since I’ve read ACOTAR so I decided to reread the series in between some of the newer titles I’m getting to. The first time around, I rated this one 3 stars because I couldn’t get behind Tamlin, and Feyre was a whiny brat. Knowing all the twists and turns now (and obviously that SJM is an evil-genius who deserves an award for playing with my emotions) I’m still giving this 3 stars. The set up is worth the outcome in books 2 and 3, so PLEASE READ, but don’t expect book 1 to take your breath away.

An Ember In The Ashes

By: Sabaa Tahir

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

WHY DIDN’T I READ THIS SOONER?! An amazing fantasy world with complex characters and an intense plot. Elias Veturius is the most irresistible f*ckboi ever and I love him to death. Laia is a bit on the annoying side, but she grows on you. I felt like I was reading a Game of Thrones X Throne of Glass Saga and I was not disappointed with the oracular fortune telling, political scheming, and magic. I started book two immediately. Which leads me to…

A Torch Against The Night

By: Sabaa Tahir

Overall Rating: ★★★★

The Verdict

Per yoozsh, book two isn’t as amazing as book one, but it’s great in its own right. The book is narrated by Elias, Laia and now Helene. If I’m being honest, Helene’s chapters were boring AF but for some reason I can’t resist her character arc. 75% of this book also felt like I was watching season 6 of Game of Thrones. Everyone gets separated, they are all traveling/trying to make it the epic battle, and I had to wait most of the book for the crazy sh*t to go down. BUT, the wait was worth it. That ending…wow. Excuse me while I binge Reaper At The Gates.

Talk To Me

What did you think of my reads this month? Will you be adding any to your TBR? Have you read any of these already?