Places to Buy Bookish Merchandise!

Interested in buying some bookish stuff for family, friends, or yourself? I've found some cute online shops where you can buy anything like t-shirts, pillow cases, bookmarks, or even scented-candles! Down below, I've listed a couple online stores that are pretty well-known in the book community, but if you don't see a store that you know of, please leave the name in the comments so that I can add it to my "Part 2" post later on!

Nook & Burrow
Instagram: @lillytales

A few days ago, I recently purchased two bookmarks from this store since many of my friends, who've also bought a bookmark from this store before, have been raving about how much they love these bookmarks and how cute they are! These bookmarks have simple designs that include book quotes, hashtags, bookish sayings, etc. 

What this store is known for:

• Handmade wooden bookmarks
• Soy Candles
• Wooden Jewelry (broaches)

Here's the link to the online store!

http://www.nookandburrow.com

Bookworm Boutique 

Instagram: @bookwormboutique

I bought my first bookish item from this store (the "Sleep Less Read More" throw pillow)! This shop is what I like to call the "universal" shop for bookish things since this store has everything! They also have multiple designs for each type of item they sell, which makes it easy to find something you'll like! (i.e. they have mugs with lots and lots of designs!)

What this store is known for:

• Mugs
• Throw Pillows
• T-shirts
• Tote Bags
• Art Prints

Here's the link to the online store!
https://society6.com/bookwormboutique

Alice in Wonderbookland
Instagram: @alice.in.wonderbookland

I first discovered this online book shop through Nikki's Instagram (username above), and even though she mostly sells her bookish merchandise in the Philippines, she has separate sites (links below) for people in other countries!

Here are the links to the online stores!

https://society6.com/aliceinwonderbookland

http://www.redbubble.com/people/alicesboutique

Happy Hello!
Instagram: @happyhelloart

This little shop sells cute magnetic books that have been very popular amongst the book community! Some bookmarks can be bought individually or in sets. I, myself, have never bought a bookmark from this store, but I hope to soon since I can match the bookmark characters with their respective books that they're from!

What this store is known for:

• Magnetic Bookmarks
• Book characters
• TV Show characters
• Disney characters

Here's the link to the online store!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/HappyHelloCo

Cozy Daily

Instagram: @cozy.daily

If you're interested in more simplistic, modern designs, this shop is for you! They also have really clever mugs with reference to the Harry Potter series! (i.e. the "Accio Coffee" & "Accio Tea" mugs)

What this store is known for:

• Mugs
• Tote Bags
• Throw Pillows

Here's the link to the online store!

https://society6.com/cozydaily

* * * * *
That's it for this post! Thank you for coming by & reading this somewhat lengthy post! If you guys known of any other online stores that sell bookish merchandise, please let me know in the comments so that I can make a "Part 2" post in the future!

What Am I Currently Reading? Why Am I Doing a Terrible Job at Finishing Books?

There are two types of readers in this world: those that can only read one book at a time and those that read multiple books at the same time. I guess I fall under the second category since I'm currently reading about five different books... But recently, I've been having trouble finishing books, which means I keep adding more books to my ever-growing "current reads" list. This is becoming a problem, but I think I know why it's happening.

Time. First, I'm still in college, which means most of my time is taken up by the classes I take and homework + exams + projects. Second, when I don't have classes during the weekdays, I usually have work, which is a day-time job (and can be a night-time one as well). And after I'm done with work or classes, depending on my schedule for that day, I workout for about an hour to an hour and a half--this is a way for me to keep myself healthy, lower my chances of getting sick, and to relieve any stress.

Preference. In addition to reading multiple books at the same time, I also have the tendency to read certain books that I feel I'm in the "mood" for. For example, last May (2015), my reading mood decided to shift towards fantasy, and because of that, I read four books by Sarah J. Maas--three of them were from the same series and one from Sarah's newest series. That was an interesting month for me. And the summer before (2014), I was very into contemporary novels. Because my mood (or preference) for books can shift, I sometimes put books that I'm currently reading down and pick up a new one with a different genre.

Reading Slumps. Sometimes readers just have those days (or weeks or months) where they feel no desire to read anything at all. This has happened to me a couple of times; the usual cause is due to Netflix, exhaustion, laziness or just a lack of desire to pick up a book. It stinks, but it does happen to the best of us.


Down below are the books that I'm currently reading:

1) Magonia by Maria Davhana Headley (Magonia book #1)

Almost done reading this for a book club I'm in called, "The Reading Rebels." We (12 other girls and I) started a book club a couple months ago on Instagram to have monthly readalongs with our followers, and the "Book of the Month" (BOTM) for our November readalong was this book.

Synopsis: 

Aza Ray is drowning in thin air. 

Since she was a baby, Aza has suffered from a mysterious lung disease that makes it ever harder for her to breathe, to speak—to live. 

So when Aza catches a glimpse of a ship in the sky, her family chalks it up to a cruel side effect of her medication. But Aza doesn't think this is a hallucination. She can hear someone on the ship calling her name.

Only her best friend, Jason, listens. Jason, who’s always been there. Jason, for whom she might have more-than-friendly feelings. But before Aza can consider that thrilling idea, something goes terribly wrong. Aza is lost to our world—and found, by another. Magonia. 

Above the clouds, in a land of trading ships, Aza is not the weak and dying thing she was. In Magonia, she can breathe for the first time. Better, she has immense power—and as she navigates her new life, she discovers that war is coming. Magonia and Earth are on the cusp of a reckoning. And in Aza’s hands lies the fate of the whole of humanity—including the boy who loves her. Where do her loyalties lie?

2) Cress by Marissa Meyer (The Lunar Chronicles book #3)

Okay, so I started this book in the summer of 2014 but only read about 20 pages then just stopped. Not sure why I stopped, but I did. But I decided to pick the book back up since the last book called, "Winter" (book #4), just came out recently and many of my reader friends are currently reading it. 

Synopsis:

In this third book in the Lunar Chronicles, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and her army. 

Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl imprisoned on a satellite since childhood who's only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s just received orders from Levana to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice. 

When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is separated. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a high price. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.

3) A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston 

I received an electronic "Advanced Readers Copy" (ARC) during the summer (2015) from NetGalley, and I was so excited that I got a copy! But before I got the news that I got a copy of this book, I had just finished reading a book called, "The Wrath and the Dawn," and both books were inspired by the same classical tales "Arabian Nights"/"1001 Nights"--never read these classics, so I can't really say which one the books were based off of. So, when I started reading "A Thousand Nights," I knew it was going to be very similar to "The Wrath and the Dawn," which was not a good thing. I think that's why I held off on finishing this book.

Synopsis:

Lo-Melkhiin killed three hundred girls before he came to her village, looking for a wife. When she sees the dust cloud on the horizon, she knows he has arrived. She knows he will want the loveliest girl: her sister. She vows she will not let her be next.

And so she is taken in her sister's place, and she believes death will soon follow. Lo-Melkhiin's court is a dangerous palace filled with pretty things: intricate statues with wretched eyes, exquisite threads to weave the most beautiful garments. She sees everything as if for the last time. But the first sun rises and sets, and she is not dead. Night after night, Lo-Melkhiin comes to her and listens to the stories she tells, and day after day she is awoken by the sunrise. Exploring the palace, she begins to unlock years of fear that have tormented and silenced a kingdom. Lo-Melkhiin was not always a cruel ruler. Something went wrong.

Far away, in their village, her sister is mourning. Through her pain, she calls upon the desert winds, conjuring a subtle unseen magic, and something besides death stirs the air.

Back at the palace, the words she speaks to Lo-Melkhiin every night are given a strange life of their own. Little things, at first: a dress from home, a vision of her sister. With each tale she spins, her power grows. Soon she dreams of bigger, more terrible magic: power enough to save a king, if she can put an end to the rule of a monster.

4) Slumber by Christy Sloat (Slumber book #1)

I received this book for review by the author over the summer, and I read about halfway until I stopped, which might be due to the multiple releases of books that I've been anticipating for, and forgot to pick it back up. Then I forgot to take it with me when I went back to college, so that was also another problem I had.

Synopsis:

Not all princesses get their happily ever after...
They tell me I killed my boyfriend Phillip in cold blood. I stabbed him twenty one times. I’m only seventeen years old, and I am serving life in Spindle Ridge Asylum for the Criminally Insane.
I don’t remember killing him, so it’s really hard to believe I’m capable of murder. In fact I don’t remember anything before I came to Spindle Ridge, not even my boyfriend.
I can only grasp onto my realistic dreams while the madness of the asylum threatens to pull me under. I dream I’m a beautiful princess and there is an evil faerie named Maleficent who is bent on my destruction. The dreams are the closest thing I have to memories of my life, except they aren’t real.
I’m crazy. I’m not a princess. 
They’re the mad illusions of an irrational teenage girl, right?
They’ve assigned me a new doctor, and she says I can trust her, and that she’ll help me see the truth of who I really am. 
When she arrived she brought a new patient, Sawyer, who is everything Spindle Ridge isn’t: exciting, mysterious and beautiful. He promises he’s here to rescue me. Trusting either of them frightens me.
Could it be possible that my dreams are more than just the imaginings of a delusional girl? Could they be truth?

5) A Healing Heart (Riverview book #1) & A Healing Spirit (Riverview book #2) by Melissa A. Hanson

These books were sent to me by the author to review whenever I had any free time, so I'm not overly upset about not finishing these books, but I'd like to finish these soon. I hate not finishing books that were given to me to review, so I hope to finish these books and give them a complete, honest review soon!












Synopsis:
On a bitter cold winter night Bailey Walsh’s family was killed in a traffic accident. Two years later as she lives with her aunt and uncle in Southern California, Bailey is still plagued by the nightmares of that terrible night. Everywhere around her are reminders of what she lost. Even her aunt, in a cruel twist of fate, is not just her mom’s sister, but her identical twin. Babysitting Riley, a spunky two-year old, is a sweet distraction and one constant light in her life. One day as she takes Riley to the park she meets Collin McKenna, a senior at her high school and her life is changed forever as he helps her find herself and realize her life is worth living. As the romance between them grows her broken heart begins to heal. However, still nagging in the back of her conscious is the fear that her newfound happiness could come crashing down and she could lose everything she loves, yet again. Outside forces begin to tear them apart and Bailey must learn to trust in herself and realize that she is worthy of happiness. That sometimes love and healing comes in unexpected forms.

My Most Anticipated Releases of 2016 (Part 1)

Hey everyone! Since 2016 is coming upon us in just a few short months, I've complied a list of books that I'm EXTREMELY excited to get my hands on when they are released! Luckily some of them come out of the same day as one another! 

This is only "Part 1" post since there will be more books coming out in 2016 that I will want to read later on! 


"Truthwitch" by Susan Dennard
Release date: January 5th

On a continent ruled by three empires, some are born with a “witchery”, a magical skill that sets them apart from others.

In the Witchlands, there are almost as many types of magic as there are ways to get in trouble—as two desperate young women know all too well.

Safiya is a Truthwitch, able to discern truth from lie. It’s a powerful magic that many would kill to have on their side, especially amongst the nobility to which Safi was born. So Safi must keep her gift hidden, lest she be used as a pawn in the struggle between empires.

Iseult, a Threadwitch, can see the invisible ties that bind and entangle the lives around her—but she cannot see the bonds that touch her own heart. Her unlikely friendship with Safi has taken her from life as an outcast into one of reckless adventure, where she is a cool, wary balance to Safi’s hotheaded impulsiveness.

Safi and Iseult just want to be free to live their own lives, but war is coming to the Witchlands. With the help of the cunning Prince Merik (a Windwitch and ship’s captain) and the hindrance of a Bloodwitch bent on revenge, the friends must fight emperors, princes, and mercenaries alike, who will stop at nothing to get their hands on a Truthwitch.

Preorder links: 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

"Passenger" by Alexandra Bracken
Release date: January 5th

passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.ii. A journey by water; a voyage.iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Preorder links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble


"Lady Midnight" by Cassandra Clare
Release date: March 8th

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

Preorder links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble


"Map of Fates" (The Conspiracy Theory #2) by Maggie Hall
Release date: March 8th

Two weeks. 



That’s how long it took for Avery West’s ordinary life to change forever: In two weeks, she discovered she was heiress to a powerful secret society known as the Circle, learned her mother was taken hostage by the Circle’s enemies, and fell for a boy she’s not allowed to love, just as she found out another was her unwelcome destiny. 



Now, Avery crosses oceans in private jets to hunt for clues that will uncover the truth about the Circle, setting her mom and herself free before it’s too late. By her side are both the boys: Jack—steady, loyal, and determined to help her even at the expense of his own duty—and Stellan, whose connection to Avery grows stronger by the day despite her best intentions, making her question what she believes at every turn.
 


But at the end of a desperate hunt from the islands of Greece to the red carpet at Cannes comes a discovery that not only changes everything, but could bring the whole world to its knees. And now Avery is forced to face the truth: in the world of the Circle, no one is what they seem.


Preorder links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble


"A Court of Mist and Fury" (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Release date: May 3rd

 Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court--but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms--and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world cleaved in two.

With more than a million copies sold of her beloved Throne of Glass series, Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her seductive and action-packed series to new heights.


Preorder links:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble


"The Rose and the Dagger" (The Wrath and the Dawn #2) by Renee Ahdieh
Release date: May 3rd

I am surrounded on all sides by a desert. A guest, in a prison of sand and sun. My family is here. And I do not know whom I can trust.

In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

Preorder links:
Amazon

Barnes & Noble

"A Torch Against the Night" (An Ember in the Ashes #2) by Sabaa Tahir
Release date: August 30th

A Torch Against the Night takes readers into the heart of the Empire as Laia and Elias fight their way north to liberate Laia’s brother from the horrors of Kauf Prison. Hunted by Empire soldiers, manipulated by the Commandant, and haunted by their pasts, Laia and Elias must outfox their enemies and confront the treacherousness of their own hearts.

In the city of Serra, Helene Aquilla finds herself bound to the will of the Empire’s twisted new leader, Marcus. When her loyalty is questioned, Helene finds herself taking on a mission to prove herself—a mission that might destroy her, instead. 









Preorder links: 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble

"Everything, Everything" (ARC Review)

My rating: ★★★★★

Author: Nicola Yoon

Series: Standalone

Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Page Count: 320 pages (Hardcover)

Release Date: September 1st, 2015

Publisher: Random House Kids\Delacorte Press

Places to order:
Barnes & Noble
Amazon
Books-A-Million
iBooks
IndieBound

About Nicola:

Nicola Yoon grew up in Jamaica (the island) and Brooklyn (part of Long Island). She currently resides in Los Angeles, CA with her husband and daughter, both of whom she loves beyond all reason. Everything, Everything is her first novel.

Website // Instagram // Twitter // Tumblr









Synopsis:
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I’m allergic to the world. I don’t leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.

But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He’s tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.

Maybe we can’t predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It’s almost certainly going to be a disaster.

My review:

I received an ARC (advanced reader’s copy) of Everything, Everything by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. The cover is absolutely gorgeous and extremely creative because of how it reflects the story so well. In terms of content, this book is not recommended for readers 14 and younger since it includes some violence and sexual content. Okay, so lets get started with this review!

Superb, emotional, beautiful. Everything, Everything reels you in with a love story that will warm your heart, break it, and stich it all back together.

For those who don’t know much about this book, it’s about a girl named Maddy, who is a half Asian and half African American teenager with a rare disease that makes her allergic to the world—literally. She cannot leave the house nor come into contact with people. For a teenager, being secluded within a house and having no connections to the outside world, other than the Internet, can be extremely lonely and boring. But when the house next door has new tenants, Maddy looks out the window and sees Olly—tall, dressed in all black and beautiful. These two characters immediately connect and go through a crazy journey together about taking chances and making your own choices.

Throughout the book, there are drawings and illustrations of messages Olly and Maddy send to one another and a few other small details that make this book extraordinary in it’s own special way. Another extraordinary thing about this book is that it’s a diverse book, unlike most young adult books where the main character is typically a girl with pale skin and blonde or brown hair. Yay for diversity!

The character development for Maddy transitioned well as the story progressed since she was starting to be braver with her life (or being a rebel, whatever you want to call it) and making her own choices. With Olly, he had his own secrets and family issues that played an important role in the story. Although as the readers we don’t recognize what it is at first, but soon on, we see that his father is an alcoholic who gets violent.

This story is about a girl finally taking chances to live and experience everything the world has to offer—the good, the bad, and the ugly.

*SPOILER SECTION*

(if you have NOT read this book, don't not continue reading!)

Truthfully, I expected the twist at the end about how she wasn’t actually sick. There were some signs that her mom was being a little strange when it came to her health, and I began to see some foreshadowing that would take place.

Maddy is selfless and daring. She ran out of her house when she saw that Olly was in danger from his dad, even though she could have died from just being outside. THEN she wanted to risk her life to spend a few days with Olly in Hawaii, which gave me all the feels.

After finishing this book, I went through stuff in my head to see if there was anything that stood out in the book that I didn’t quite like or something that I disagreed with…but I couldn’t find anything. I loved every scene, picture, and word in this book—not to mention the stunning cover! I loved how it all ended with her finally making some huge decisions for herself (such as leaving home to go find her first love).

I highly recommend this read for everyone (especially to those who like John Green and Rainbow Rowell’s books) because this is one of those contemporary YA novels that speak so much to you and leave you feeling so overwhelmed with the power of the words that you won’t want to pick up another contemporary book for a while.

*Down below is a YouTube video of Nicola Yoon being interviewed and discussing about her novel among other things about herself!

"Eruption"

My rating: ★★★★☆

Author: Adrienne Quintana

Series: Eruption duology series (Volume #1)

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller, Adult

Page Count: 288 (Paperback)

Release Date: January 13, 2015

Places to order:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books & Things

About Adrienne:

Adrienne Quintana is the second of nine children born to professional oil artist, John Horejs, and his wife and business partner, Elaine. She spent her early years playing on the banks of the Snake River in southern Idaho while her father built a geodesic dome house. When the family wasn’t traveling around the country to art shows, Adrienne spent many happy hours reading in her unfinished, tent-like bedroom.  Love of reading soon blossomed into a desire to write. If the family’s antiquated computer could be resurrected, a collection of short stories involving local characters and their epic battles with fire-breathing dragons would be sure to entertain.

After completing high school via correspondence, Adrienne studied Music Education at Mesa Community College.  She took an 18 month break to serve a church mission in Montreal, Canada, where she gained invaluable life experiences and a few pounds from the local delicacies.  After the completion of her mission and a month abroad in Europe, Adrienne moved to Utah with the intention of continuing her education at Brigham Young University, but these plans were short-lived when she met her husband-to-be while working at an investment company.  Soon after their marriage, the Quintanas packed up and moved to Minnesota, where Adrienne worked while her husband earned a Law degree.

After four children and a move to Arizona, Adrienne completed her Bachelors of Science and Communication at the University of Phoenix.  In the throes of housekeeping, potty-training, and carpooling, Adrienne discovered that she could find time to accomplish her goals—often in the quiet hours after the children were in bed.  Since her graduation in 2012, those quiet moments have been used to fulfill a life-long dream of becoming a writer.

Website // Instagram // Twitter // Tumblr // Pinterest 

Synopsis:

Information terrorism. Complete network blackout. Global panic. Above the chaos, one company rises to restore order, achieving complete political and military takeover: Omnibus.

Stanford graduate and new Omnibus employee Jace Vega faces these sobering images, appearing to show her future, when a cutting-edge Omnibus tablet mysteriously falls into her hands. Reeling from the recent tragic death of her mother, socially reclusive Jace struggles as she carries the weight of this foreknowledge.

When Corey, an acquaintance from Stanford shows up, he becomes central in helping Jace try to stop Omnibus. But because the plan involves getting close to Damien, the charming, smooth son of Omnibus founder, Victor Trent, Jace becomes conflicted with a barrage of new emotions. Both men profess allegiance, but she doesn’t know who she can trust.

As Jace wrestles to understand how to change the future, vivid dreams and waking visions unmask her obscured past and her true identity.  In the ultimate test of self-trust, Jace must harness her unique internal power and use it to stop Omnibus.

My review:

This review is a *NON-SPOILER* review! And a special thanks to Adrienne for sending me a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review and for letting me interview her on my YouTube channel! (See below for the link to the interview!)

"Eruption" is a fantastic, time travel debut novel filled with such suspense and mind-blowing plot twists, it will surely knock you off your feet.

Okay, lets get down to business. First off, this story focuses on the main protagonist, Jace Vega, who is a recent graduate from Stanford University and just landed a job at Omnibus in Minnesota. She works in the PR department of this technological company--which I find really cool since I hope to work in PR (Public Relations in the future!)--and strange things start to happen to her. One day, she comes across a device on a run that is similar to a device being designed and manufactured at Omnibus, but with different modifications and advancements. Little did she know that this device would be the key to saving the future.

Onto the secondary main characters: Damien and Corey. These guys play an important role in solving the mystery in this book with Jace while also being love interests to her. There are plenty of other contributing characters, including Jace's father and Victor Trent (Damien's father). So, lets start with Corey!

Corey graduated from Stanford, just like Jace, and they knew each other (not very well) while they attended college together. But when Jace finds out that they both work for Omnibus, Jace finds this to be too much of a coincidence. He's the first person she shares information with about the strange Omnibus device she found and later, they are working together to figure out this device and the secrets that it holds.

Damien is very different from Corey. For one thing, he happens to be the son of Victor Trent (aka the man who owns Omnibus). And he's also charming and intelligent, because when Jace starts asking around if there's a new device they're working on, Damien figures out that she's hiding something. He (as well as Corey) is faced with the problem of fully gaining Jace's trust, so there's lots of "questioning loyalties" and "keeping secrets" that make this story much more interesting and engaging.

This book has time travel! I haven't read many books with time travel as part of the plot, but the way it was interwoven into this book was incredible! Adrienne's writing style made it easy to see the blend modern day technology (and futuristic technology) with time travel--without making the book feel like there's too much science-fiction. So, to say the least, this book seems like a contemporary novel, but add in some time travel and disasters that befall on the characters later in the book, and presto! It's a novel with an original idea about time travel and includes a crap ton of amazing plot twists!

Besides time travel and futuristic technology, this book also deals with government corruption, which plays a huge roll later in the novel. The first half of the novel deals with Jace figuring out who to trust (Corey or Damien plus a few other characters) and trying to put the clues together that she's been given (won't say what they are because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone!) about future things to come and how she's the one that can stop certain events from happening in the future.

The beginning started off a little slow, but I think Adrienne's intent was to give us, as the readers, a full understanding of the world that she has built and how it's different from our own, while also having us really see Jace's thoughts and the emotional struggle she deals with.

But in the last 50 pages of the book, Adrienne started dropping bombs one after the other--page after page. Then the ending was..... INSANE. I still can't understand (in a good way!) what had happened and why *it* happened! So good!

Overall, I loved this book! It was a little slow in the beginning and had a lot of Jace's thoughts rather than dialogue, but once you past the halfway point, things start to roll and get really interesting. Also, this book may be under the "Adult" category, but I promise that readers who love YA (Young Adult) novels will really enjoy this!

I also interviewed Adrienne on my YouTube channel, so if you want to check it out, I'll leave the link here!

"Queen of Shadows"

My rating: ★★★☆☆ (3.5/5)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Series: Throne of Glass series (Volume #4)

Genre: YA, fantasy, action, adventure

Page Count: 656 pages

Release Date: September 1, 2015

Places to order: 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

IndieBound

Book Depository

Books-A-Million

iBooks

Kobo

**If you HAVE NOT read the previous books of this series, DO NOT CONTINUE READING**

**Come back when you've read the first three books! I promise that you'll like it!**

Synopsis:

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she's at last returned to the empire-for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past...

She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight. 

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen's triumphant return.

Celaena's epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena's story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

My review:

            Prepare yourself…this is going to most likely be the longest review I will ever write. 

            Because this review is going to be extremely long/I have a lot of things I want to talk about, I've titled each paragraph what it's about/the significant events I want to talk about (you'll see). And I'll be jumping around a bit (but I'll come back and edit more stuff in!)

            Warning: this review will contain LOTS of words in caps to express my feelings and thoughts, plus some cursing since this book was frustrating and insane!

            P.S. this is review will contain MAJOR SPOILERS (so if you haven’t read this series yet, DO NOT PROCEED)

            Before I start, I’m going to remind you that Celaena is Aelin, and Aelin is Celaena. So don't get confused if I switch her name back and forth.

            The fire-breathing bitch queen is back. Queen of Shadows is epic, dark, intense, action-packed, heart pounding—basically the definition of a badass book. The plot twists are even more twisted and unexpected, leaving you begging for the next installment.

            

Bye, bye #Chaolaena:

            First off, my Chaolaena feels with obliterated. The second that Nesryn was introduced, I knew immediately that Chaolaena was over. I figured out that Aelin would end up with Rowan, and Chaol would end up with Nesryn. But when he sold the ring he gave to her in "Crown of Midnight"…. holy crap, I had to stop reading to try to process that they were officially done. 

Aelin vs. Chaol:

At the beginning of the novel when Aelin and Chaol finally meet up again, I wasn’t too happy with the attitude they had with each other—and this is not because of my Chaolaena feels. In this book, Aelin and Chaol are constantly at each other’s throats, biting each other’s head off and saying the cruelest things to each other. I totally understand that in “Heir of Fire,” they were both apart from one another and were off doing their own things, but it still didn’t make sense for them to be so… cruel to each other. Chaol was threatening to hurt Aedion if Aelin tried to kill Dorian, but Aelin was threatening to kill Dorian if he tried to hurt Aedion... It just didn’t make any sense. It was just really painful to read and watch them act this way towards each other; they both lost trust in each other and didn’t respect each other anymore, which I found strange since I thought that they had at least patched a few things up before Aelin left to go to Wendlyn. 

Overall, their whole encounter/relationship throughout the first half of this book really annoyed me. I thought I was the only one that was feeling that way, but after talking to other people who have read the book and finished it, they felt the same way (about how they didn’t like Aelin and Chaol’s relationship). I think the problem was that Chaol was waiting to see Celaena, the Assassin again but instead got Aelin, the Queen of Terrasen. Aelin came back and started to criticize Chaol for leaving Dorian and not fighting for him, and she got annoyed when he called her Celaena since she claims she's gone. First of all, she doesn’t know what happened in that room with the King of Adarlan, and she just jumped to yelling at him for doing something that Dorian asked him to do (he asked Chaol leave because the King would have killed him).

Aelin pretending Celaena never existed/that she's gone:

            Okay, I get that Aelin wants to get rid of her past as Celaena Sardothien and pretend that "she" never existed—BUT THAT'S NOT HOW IT WORKS. You can't just leave your past behind; everything that happened to her as Celaena has shaped her into the person she is today. Yes, she went through a lot of shit (becoming an assassin for Arobynn, Sam's death, enslaved in Endovier, becoming King's Champion), but all of those hardships that she went through literally shaped her into the badass queen that she is now. So if she wants to pretend that Celaena never existed, that means she would have to forget about Sam because she never told him who she really was—he only knew and loved her as Celaena. But that's obviously not going to happen. And she learned all of her fighting skills when she was under the instruction of Arobynn, and as much of a psychopath he was, he helped her become stronger. 

Rowan’s Appearance:

Okay, now here’s where I got confused. When Rowan showed up in Rifthold, I had to reread that part. I thought that in “Heir of Fire” he said he couldn’t come to Rifthold and/or Adarlan because he is Fae and would be way too weak to go to a place without any magic. (Can someone refresh me or remind me of how he is able to be in Rifthold?) Anyways, I was shocked that he showed up; I thought that we (as the readers) would see Rowan in a different country or place since in “Heir of Fire,” he said he was going somewhere (I can’t remember where). And because he showed up, that also confirmed my suspicions that Aelin would choose him and not Chaol. 

Saving Aedion:

*will enter thoughts in later*

Arobynn Hamel being a psychopath: 

            When Arobynn slipped that ring on Aelin’s finger, I thought it was all over. If she was controlled by him, everything—and I mean everything—about this book would have turned to a  completely different and darker direction. Can you imagine having to figure out how to save Dorian from his collar AND save Aelin from the ring?? Good lord. It would have been a shit show. But let's thank god that Aelin was smart enough to trick Arobynn into thinking that he could mind-control her. 

Arobynn’s Death (YASSSS):

            I was really surprised when Aelin didn’t kill Arobynn because he ordered Sam to be killed and that was one of the first life-altering moments for Celaena. I thought that since Sam was the first thing that she held so dear and loved so much, she would get the chance to get revenge for him. Arobynn was the one who took her family necklace (forgot the name), manipulated her all those years into becoming a heartless assassin, took Sam away from her and sent her to Endovier. Because she had a lot a beef with him for the past that has affected her future, I thought she would kill him…But I won't pout since Lysandra was the second-best person to kill him. 

SAM *cries*:

            When Aelin went to visit Sam’s grave, I was gone—I was SO gone. That scene destroyed me. It was so sad to see that Aelin loved him so much and thought that he could have been with her, had Arobynn not been an insane man, and she said that he would have been a great king… * dies * Sarah did a great job with that scene and with Aelin’s speech to him. My god, I was crying so hard reading this. And I really hoped that he was somehow still alive—I even had theories that he was Abraoxos (Manon's wyvern aka dragon).

CHAOL’S (almost) DEATH:

            OHMYGOD. I was reading this scene when I was on an airplane and literally started sobbing, and my parents and some passengers were staring at me. Before I read this book, I knew in my head that something REALLY BAD was going to happen to Chaol, but my heart simply said NO. And when I read the part where Chaol sacrificed himself to give Aelin more time to bring Dorian back, I bursted to tears. I will always love Chaol because of his undying loyalty and love for Dorian; they have a true bromance. I remember in "Heir of Fire" when Dorian said, “I love you” to Chaol and I was literally dying because of how tragic the whole situation was. But THANK GOD that Aelin was a genius and put the Eye of Elena in his pocket before she went after Dorian. If that necklace wasn't in his pocket, he would have been dead for sure. 

Manon:

            I definitely like Manon a lot more as a character because when I was reading "Heir of Fire," because I didn’t really understand her character since she was a brand new player. I was also trying to figure out what kind of importance she held for throughout the series (and now I know). But in QoS, we get to see different sides to her and her character growth (aka not just being cruel and following the rules, but thinking about what she’s doing before she acts). She watched over Elide, the girl who fled from Terrasen and has witch blood. Another thing I really liked reading was her relationship with Asterin, who was her second-in-command for many years, throughout this book. Manon was really cruel and cold towards Asterin, who was only trying to make Manon understand that following the rules is not always right. 

Elide:

            Her mother was the one who saved Aelin that night when her parents were killed; she gave her time to runaway. *MIND BLOWN* The connections that Sarah weaves together is absolute insanity—complete insanity. 

*will write more about her soon*

PERRINGTON (HOLY SHIT, DIDN’T SEE THAT COMING):

            THAT TWIST. WOW. When it was revealed that Perrington was Erawan (aka the Dark King), I was truly shocked—that was truly a great plot twist and made a whole lot of sense after thinking about the things he’s done/what he’s been involved in (Ironteeth and Yellowlegs witches). And to finally see that it wasn’t the King of Adarlan that was the big, bad guy, but PERRINGTON. 

Lysandra (GHOST LEOPARD):

            Lysandra is a returning character that we met in “The Assassin’s Blade” (prequel novel) and honestly did not like her. But it this book, she returns and becomes friends with Aelin since they share a mutual hatred for Arobynn. We later find out in the novel (through Rowan) that Lysandra is actually a shape shifter! The way she currently looks is not her true face, and she can't remember what her real face looks like. And at the end, she shape shifted into a GHOST LEOPARD and SAVED ROWAN & AEDION’S ASSES. And I totally foreshadowed that she would eventually shift into a ghost leopard since Aelin was talking about how cool it would be if she did shift into that to scare people, and how Aedion was scared of them (page 406 in U.S. edition).

Kaltain (SHADOWFIRE):

            Total badass. When I first read about Kaltain in "Throne of Glass" (first book), I absolutely despised her since she almost got Celaena killed; but after the first three books of this series, she has changed drastically. I really like Kaltain in this book and when the plot twist was revealed that she broke free from the collar’s control but had been secretly hiding it all along, I was doing the slow clap. She managed to BREAK FREE from being controlled by a Valg Prince AND managed to hide it for so long! Dorian couldn’t even do that! She was an amazing, haunting character in this book. But I was really sad to see her die… but she did it in the most badass way possible…. She burned the whole place down with her SHADOWFIRE, like, WOAH.

PLOT TWISTS Breakdown:

• Aelin not getting manipulated by Arobynn
• Lyssandra being taken by the King
• Perrington being the bad guy
• The King was actually manipulated by a demon the whole time
• Chaol * almost * died
• Dorian kills the King
• Chaol is paralyzed from waist down

Things I REALLY liked about this book:

• Manon and Aelin’s fight scene (YASSS)
• Aelin saving Manon
• Aedion’s rescue scene
• Dorian and Aelin vs. the King
• Manon saving the servant girl
• Manon and Asterin’s talk

Theories I Had: 

• Sam still alive
• Abraoxos being Sam (LOL)
• Chaol dying (well, he almost did)
• Dorian and Manon getting together (YUP)
• Aelin killing Arobynn
• Aelin killing the King
• CHAOLAENA (definite no…)

Theories about the next book:

• Ansel is coming back (she's from "The Assassin's Blade" prequel book)
• Aedion dies (or Rowan…)
• More characters introduced (especially from the Southern Continent)
• See the healer from “The Assassin’s Blade” again
• Terrasen and Adarlan fight together (alliance)
• The Valg witchlings are used as weapons

            Overall, I gave this book 3.5 stars out of 5. This DOES NOT mean that I didn’t like the book or that I didn’t like the previous books in this series! I just didn’t understand the first 1/3 or the first half of the book because of Aelin and Chaol’s and how it continued to be a problem throughout this book. I thought we were past them being tense around each other in “Heir of Fire,” but this book made it like 500x worse.

           Sorry that this review was EXTREMELY long; this book was massive, which means there was lots to talk about. I still have more that I wanted to talk about, but I'll just come back and add some stuff in soon! Thanks for reading!