Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - TV/Book Comparison

Bitten by Kelley Armstrong - TV/Book Comparison

Bitten is the first book in a fantasy series written by Kelley Armstrong. It focuses on Elena Gilbert, the world's only female werewolf and her struggle to come to terms with this and find her place in a supernatural world. And I loved it.

I discovered Bitten through the TV show. I was searching for a new series to binge watch and saw the premise for the show. I watched two episodes and was completely hooked. I have to admit, I think I definitely prefer the TV show over the books but the books are equally enjoyable and I'm going to talk about both below. NOTE: this book series and TV show are definitely adult, not YA. There are sexy times (which isn't really my thing) and some 'mature' content in both mediums that is not suitable for younger readers.

Book Series

Bitten is the first book in the Women of the Otherworld series by Kelley Armstrong. The series (which is thirteen books long so good if you want an epic reading marathon!) follows numerous characters including witches, ghosts and half-demons, not just Elena and her family. For the purpose of this review I have only read Bitten (and will focus on this first book) and Stolen - the first two books that follow Elena, purely because I'm not too bothered about the other characters the series follows.

I did enjoy Bitten. Since I read the book after watching the TV show I couldn't help but compare and, actually, the TV show was a pretty faithful adaptation to the book. There were some elements that were obviously changed but, for the most part, I could see why they were changed in the transition from page to screen. The one thing I did enjoy in the book that wasn't in the TV show was the final 'fight'. I really enjoyed reading it and liked that Elena started accepting herself to take part in it.

Although I did enjoy the book, I thought book Elena was a bit whinier than TV Elena (although not by much) and this did grate a little bit. Because the book is 300+ pages, we have a lot of time to fill with Elena constantly going back and forth between the two guys in her life and it does get a little repetitive.

TV Series

The TV Series introduced me to this series and, if I was going to recommend a medium, I would definitely recommend the TV series. The cast are wonderful and the action scenes are also pretty good. The first couple of episodes are a little weaker than the rest and it takes a little getting used to, but I can't fault the actors and their portrayal of the characters. Laura Vandervoort who plays Elena turns a whiny character in the books, into a kick ass woman who doesn't need a man to help her. The whole cast gels so well together and their relationship comes across on screen which is really nice to see. 

There are only three seasons of the TV series and, of the three, Season 2 is definitely my favourite. It had me hooked from beginning to end and I loved every second of it. Season 3, for me, was a little slower and I wasn't hooked like I was the first two seasons but, it was still a good conclusion to the series, even if it was lacking in the action and edge-of-your-seat moments that Season 2 had. 

Overall, I would definitely encourage people to try the TV series of Bitten. It's fast paced, has an amazing cast and, overall, a really good plot line. Although the books are okay, this is one of the rare occasions where the adaptation, in my view, is a thousand times better than the books! Let me know if you've watched the show or read the books (or are planning to do either of these things) and what you think of them!

Inspirational (Fictional) Women

To celebrate International Women's Day, I've chosen a few quotes from some strong female protagonists from YA books. I know for me, I love reading about strong female characters, especially in YA, because they give me something to aspire to. I want to be like them in my life. Their lives are so much more complicated than mine so, if they can keep going, then know I can too. Which female protagonists do you admire in YA?

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A Letter to Aelin Ashryver Galathynius

Aelin,

I have read many books, hundreds of them, and with each one I leave a part of myself within the pages. When I first found you, you were called Celaena, and you were in a terrible place - somewhere worse than anything I could ever imagine and I know that I would not be strong enough to survive, let alone thrive in the way that you did. Was it hard? To keep going day after day; to be shackled in the mines with no light to find your way? I imagine it must have been. Especially knowing that, in another world, you could have created your own light to banish the darkness, even if the very thought terrified you.

I guess I want to ask you how you do it. How did you keep going, when everything around you was telling you to give up. How did you keep your confidence that everything would turn out okay? When Rowan confronted you, about reclaiming your throne - how did you overcome the idea that you weren't good enough, weren't worthy to sit on the throne?

I have started down the road to the career of my dreams, and yet every day, at some point, there's a little voice in the back of my mind telling me I'm not good enough. That this isn't going to work. I have no doubt that all of the stress and worry that I'm going through will be worth it in the end, but I wanted to take a moment to thank you.

Thank you for coming into my life right when I needed you the most. Thank you for being the strong, confident, kick-ass woman that you are. Thank you for teaching me that no matter what life throws at you, you need to keep going, because you never know what amazing things lie ahead. Thank you for showing me that loving people with all your heart can lead to the worst pain imaginable, but can also mean spending your life with the most wonderful characters. Thank you for doing all of the above as a woman, with all the highs and lows that brings. For fighting on when your body betrayed you and for loving shopping with a passion that is not healthy. Thank you for loving books and proving to me that you can be the most kick-ass person in the whole city, and still get weepy over a romance book.

Thank you Aelin Ashryver Galathynius. For giving me the female role model that I have been waiting for.

Lots of love,

A friend xx

Crow Mountain by Lucy Inglis

Crow Mountain by Lucy Inglis

Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: While on holiday in Montana, Hope meets ranch-boy Cal Crow. Caught in an accident, the two of them take shelter in a mountain cabin where Hope makes a strange discovery, More than a hundred years earlier, another English girl met a similar fate. Her rescuer: a rugged horse-trader called Nate. In this wild place, both girls learn what it means to survive and to fall in love, neither knowing that their destinies are intimately entwined.

Review: I really wanted to like this book. I read Lucy's debut novel City of Halves in 2015 and I absolutely loved it, so I had high expectations for this book. And, I was a little disappointed with it. City of Halves had me gripped from the very beginning - it is very similar to The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare with the supernatural beings hiding in London, but there are differences (my review of City of Halves is ) - there was so much action in City of Halves that I was hooked from start to finish. This book, while it did have action in it's own way, didn't really deliver for me.

Now, I often find that books like this; where two stories from two different time periods link together in the present day, are usually disappointing. The author has two different main characters, two different worlds, a whole extra cast of characters to develop and one story always seems to be less developed than the other, and this book was no different. Unusually, I thought the modern day story of Hope and Cal was more underdeveloped than Emily and Nate's, which is the opposite to what I normally find.

I found Hope and Cal's story quite boring and a little tame. All the characters in the modern day world seemed really underdeveloped and I didn't buy in to any of the relationships. I was really disappointed with Hope though. As our modern day protagonist, I wanted her to be strong and independent, like Emily became in her story and this just didn't seem to happen. I spent the whole book waiting for her to become the protagonist I wanted her to be and she didn't. When Hope and Cal were in the cabin, Cal did pretty much everything. I was kind of waiting for Hope to offer to collect firewood or do something other than read Emily's journal and it annoyed me that she didn't, and that it was left to Cal.
  Cal as well, although more capable than Hope, had an almost stereotypical sob story of a history. I wanted Lucy to change things up with him and add a twist to the tale, something I wouldn't have expected but, his story was quite predictable to me and, again, he seemed underdeveloped.

While I didn't enjoy Hope and Cal's story, I loved Emily and Nate's story. I would have loved a whole book dedicated purely to them and their relationship. It was so interesting to see in to this world of a newly formed Montana, with the Indians and the forming of lifelong enemies. I loved that Nate pushed Emily to become strong and capable, who could ride a horse like a man, who could hunt like a man. One of my favourite little moments was the transition of Emily not being able to bake bread to her learning to do it. Of seeing how sheltered her life was and how Nate helped her to survive. I adored every aspect of their story and, while I hated how it ended, I really liked how Lucy had given Emily the strength to go on and carry on and make a name for herself and, in the end, her and Nate really were forever - Emily made sure of that.

In all, I did enjoy this book and, despite everything this wasn't the worst book of this type that I've ever read - it was definitely saved by Emily and Nate's story and I would have preferred it if the book was simply based on their story, and cut Hope and Cal and the whole modern day aspect out of it entirely. Out of her two books, City of Halves was definitely the better of the two in my opinion and is a book that I love to reread, whereas Crow Mountain is a book I don't think I'd pick up again, despite my love of Emily and Nate.

Most Anticipated Books of 2017

I cannot believe 2017 is here already! I hope you all had a very happy new year and have had a good start to 2017. It doesn't seem like two minutes since I was writing about my most anticipated books of 2016, but it is that time of year again and these are the books I am most looking forward to in 2017. (On another note, I feel like every year my most anticipated book list gets shorter rather than longer, but anyway...)

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit - and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre but for her world as well.

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords - and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

I think this is my MOST anticipated book for this year. I absolutely adored A Court of Mist and Fury last year and it quickly became my favourite book not just of the year but of all time. I am so excited about this book you don't understand. According to Goodreads, this book is due out on May 2nd.

Lord of Shadows by Cassandra Clare

Emma Carstairs has finally avenged her parents. She thought she’d be at peace. But she is anything but calm. Torn between her desire for her parabatai Julian and her desire to protect him from the brutal consequences of parabatai relationships, she has begun dating his brother, Mark. But Mark has spent the past five years trapped in Faerie; can he ever truly be a Shadowhunter again?

And the faerie courts are not silent. The Unseelie King is tired of the Cold Peace, and will no longer concede to the Shadowhunters’ demands. Caught between the demands of faerie and the laws of the Clave, Emma, Julian, and Mark must find a way to come together to defend everything they hold dear—before it’s too late.

This is the second book in the Dark Artifices series and I'm really looking forward to it. I wasn't expecting to love Lady Midnight as much as I did so I'm really looking forward to seeing where this second book will go. I'm a little disappointed at this cover to be honest - Lady Midnight had such a gorgeous cover that this one seems like a polar opposite. Julian is so tiny! I love this world though and I can't wait to go back there. According to Goodreads, this book is due out on May 23rd.

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken

All Etta Spencer wanted was to make her violin debut when she was thrust into a treacherous world where the struggle for power could alter history. After losing the one thing that would have allowed her to protect the Timeline, and the one person worth fighting for, Etta awakens alone in an unknown place and time, exposed to the threat of the two groups who would rather see her dead than succeed. When help arrives, it comes from the last person Etta ever expected—Julian Ironwood, the Grand Master’s heir who has long been presumed dead, and whose dangerous alliance with a man from Etta’s past could put them both at risk.

Meanwhile, Nicholas and Sophia are racing through time in order to locate Etta and the missing astrolabe with Ironwood travelers hot on their trail. They cross paths with a mercenary-for-hire, a cheeky girl named Li Min who quickly develops a flirtation with Sophia. But as the three of them attempt to evade their pursuers, Nicholas soon realizes that one of his companions may have ulterior motives.

As Etta and Nicholas fight to make their way back to one another, from Imperial Russia to the Vatican catacombs, time is rapidly shifting and changing into something unrecognizable… and might just run out on both of them.

Passenger was a tough book for me because although I sped through it, I didn't fall in love with it the way I was expecting to. It was a book that got such a lot of hype that I was a little disappointed with it. However, I am looking forward to seeing how this duology ends and this book sounds so interesting that I'm hoping the spark I was missing in Passenger appears in Wayfarer. According to Amazon UK, this book is out on January 12th.

I'm going to finish the way I started with another Sarah J Maas book. The last book in the Throne of Glass series is something I am so looking forward to - I don't think I'm going to be able to wait until September - it's so far away! As of right now, we don't have a title or a cover so all I can say is that according to Goodreads, our hearts will be ripped out on September 5th.

So those are my most anticipated books for 2017. What have I missed? Are there any book releases I should know about? What books are you most looking forward to getting your hands on in 2017?

All synopsis' and images from Goodreads. All publication dates are from either Goodreads or Amazon UK and may change. No Copyright Intended.

2016 Reading Re-Cap

So 2016 is almost over and I wanted to look back at all the books I've read this year. So many amazing books came out this year and I've fallen in love with so many characters that I can't wait to go back to in 2017. I have reviews on my blog for all of the books below so if any of them catch your eye you can go and check them out (although some of them contain major spoilers for the books themselves). Thank you for reading and supporting my blog. I hope you all have a very Happy New Year that's full of great books!

From Bottom to Top:

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer

Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige

The Jewel by Amy Ewing

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

Unspoken series by Sarah Rees Brennan

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J Maas

The Night Circus by Erin Morgernstern

Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick

The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan & Maureen Johnson

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Uglies and Pretties by Scott Westerfield

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J Maas

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

Blogmas

Today I want to share with you my Christmas Playlist. The past few days I have been busy making my Christmas Cards and some of my Christmas presents and these are the songs that I have been cranking out while I do it. A small collection of old classics and modern day hits, I am loving this playlist. I can't help but think of Kat and Daemon from the Lux series when I listen to this playlist - I like to think these are the songs they would listen to while trimming the tree. Maybe that's just me though...

1. Melanie Thornton - Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)
2. Michael Buble - It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas
3. Leona Lewis - One More Sleep
4. Ariana Grande - Tell Me Santa
5. Wham! - Last Christmas
6. Mariah Carey - All I Want For Christmas
7. The Pogues - Fairy Tale in New York
8. Katy Perry - Everyday is a Holiday
9. Paul McCartney - Wonderful Christmas Time
10. Kylie Minogue - Only You (feat James Corden)
11. Michael Buble - Let It Snow

Blogmas

Since this is a book blog, today I am resurrecting an old book tag that made the circuit on booktube a few years ago; The Winter Wonderland Book Tag. The original tag was started by JackEatsBooks here.

1. What book is so happy and sweet it warms your heart?
I have a collection of Winnie the Pooh stories that was a gift on my christening day that I love. I don't think there are any books that are totally happy and sweet - there's angst in every story surely?

2. What is your favourite book with a white cover?

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas. That book destroyed me in every way possible and was my favourite book in the Throne of Glass series.

3. You're sitting in a nice comfy chair, wearing a onesie, with a lovely warm hot chocolate but what MONSTER read are you reading?

I don't think I own a truly monstrous book, although Sarah J Maas' books this year have been huge, so I think I'd probably have to go Empire of Storms again, just because they had to print the book on Bible pages so they would fit on bookshelves.

4. It started snowing so you decided to have a snowball fight! What fictional character would you love to have the snowball fight with?

I'm going to say Daemon from the Lux series, just because I would love to wipe the smug look off his face. There would have to be a rule that he couldn't use his super speed though so that I would have a chance of winning!

5. Sadly, your fire is beginning to go out. So what book would you tear the last few chapters out to throw into the fire?

Allegiant by Veronica Roth. Not because of the ending per say but the whole book in general was just a let down after the first two books. The dual POV didn't work and both Tobias and Tris annoyed me so much in that book.

6.  What book is so close to your heart that you would gift to someone this Christmas who hasn't read before but wants to get into reading?

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas. I think the plot and the world and the characters are just so amazing in this series and, although it takes a while to get going, the last couple of hundred pages grip you and ACOMAF has you hooked from start to finish. So I would gift this series.

Blogmas

Welcome to Day 3 of Blogmas, where the festive feeling is definitely starting to set in. Last night I went to a magical lantern festival at my local botanical gardens and oh was it magical. It was maybe an hour long walk through the gardens and everywhere you looked were some incredible sights. Whoever created these, hats off to them because it was stunning. It was the perfect event for families, and there were a lot of fairly young children whose excitement levels were off the scale! They loved discovering the lanterns and seeing which characters they could spot so I would definitely check your local botanical gardens or even garden centres to see if they are offering anything like this in December, it's well worth a look.

Have you been anywhere or are you planning to go anywhere special this December? Let me know!

Blogmas

With winter well and truly here I thought it would be a good time to talk about my winter essentials that aren't books. I think winter is the only season where I have a list of 'essentials' that I have with me pretty much everyday. It seems to be the time of the year where you just have to be prepared for anything and everything the weather will throw at you. Which is usually rain, wind and occasionally some snow!

First thing on my list is scarves. I really like wearing scarves throughout the year and I have some thinner scarves to wear in the spring and summer but in winter you can't beat a thick, snuggly scarf and this year I am obsessed with this one. I got this in Primark at the end of the summer this year and it is so warm it's unreal! At the time I bought this, they did the same scarf in red but I thought this one was a little more unusual with the cream and grey. I have been wearing this pretty much non-stop the past couple of weeks and I feel like I'm definitely going to get my wear out of it this winter.

I think the other staple in everyone's winter wardrobe is a jumper. You can't beat a good jumper when it's cold, especially if it's fluffy! I've had this jumper for a few years now (again I got it from Primark) and I really love it. It is slightly festive with the snowflakes on it, but you can definitely wear it throughout winter without anyone thinking you've completely lost your mind. On another note, I've never really been big on the Christmas jumper thing. You know the really OTT Christmas jumpers? I know some people are obsessed with them but I've never really been a fan. Anyway, I do save this for really cold days because the fluff does come off a little bit (though I think this is a problem with all fluffy jumpers) and covers me in little bits but it is amazing when the temperature outside is falling.

Despite being a big fan of scarves, I don't normally wear gloves. I have a few pairs of fingerless gloves that I do wear sometimes but actually, I tend to use these more, especially because my coat is quite thick and has quite big pockets so I normally just keep my hands in my pockets. These are hand warmers and I have about ten stashed away. These were really big a few years ago and it seemed like everywhere sold them. They are the most ingenious little devices. There is a small metal disk inside that you 'snap' and it activates the gel surrounding it, heating it up. All of mine are reusable so when you've used it once, simply put the gel pack in to a saucepan of boiling water and heat it up again according to the instructions that come with them and they're good to go. I love putting a couple of these in my coat pocket, especially if I know I'm going to be outside a lot and they're not very expensive at all.

Winter is also the time of year to really break out the moisturiser. My favourite is the Simple Kind to Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser. I use this all year round but especially during winter when the cold sucks all the moisture out of my skin. I really like this light moisturiser because I have quite oily skin and this just sinks right in, is really hydrating but doesn't leave my skin feeling oily at all.

Winter is also the time for parties, and these next two essentials are definitely more geared towards the party season. First up is fragrance. I'm not a huge perfume wearer, I definitely don't have a huge collection (all my money goes on books!) but I really do love the ones that I have. I've picked two fragrances out of my limited collection, one for the day and one for the night. For the day I love wearing Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck perfume. I adore this scent. It's quite a light, sweet fragrance that is perfect for the day because it's so light. For the evening I like to wear Kylie Minogue's Dazzling Darling fragrance. This is still a fairly light perfume (I don't like my perfume's to overwhelm me) but is a bit more 'grown up' than the Taylor one.

Finally we have nail varnishes. I am a nail varnish fiend. I love painting my nails and the box in my room that is full to bursting with nail varnishes can definitely attest to that! Because it is the party season, I love wearing glittery nail varnish and, to me, you can't get much more festive than wearing red. Below are the four nail varnishes that match at least one of these criteria. All of the red polishes are amazing over a plain red polish to add some festive sparkle. The OPI and China Glaze polishes give a bit more of a subtle shimmer and the Rimmel London polish is a lot more obvious. The Essie polish you can just wear as it is. Two coats of it on your nails and you're good to go!

L-R: OPI 'Underneath the Mistletoe', Essie 'Ignite the Night'
Rimmel London 'Ruby Crush', China Glaze 'Ruby Pumps'

 I hope you guys enjoyed this post. Let me know what your winter essentials are and I'll see you tomorrow!

Blogmas

Welcome to the first of December and the first day of Blogmas! I can't believe that it is December already! Seriously, where has 2016 gone?? This week, winter has definitely arrived in the UK. It has been so cold here this week. November has been and gone and the weather has seriously gone with it. I love watching the seasons change (which sounds really weird but bare with me). I'm a creative person at heart and I love watching the colours around me change as the year goes on. Autumn this year was spectacularly beautiful. Seriously, I don't think I've seen an Autumn as gorgeous.

While I love the autumnal colours, there is something strangely magical about waking up and seeing the frost covering the ground, glittering in the street lights. Tie it in with all the Christmas lights that are popping up everywhere and winter takes on this magical quality that you don't find in any other season. And whenever you step outside, you get to pretend you're a dragon because you can see your breath every time you breath (we all do it and if you don't then you're lying).

I am definitely a Christmas lover. There is a certain sequence that must be completed for it to be Christmas for me.

1. Bonfire night must have happened. I love Christmas, but anytime before November 5th is too early even for me.
2. I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here has to start on TV. This programme is one that I look forward to every year.
3. The German Market needs to have started up, in all of it's chaotic, madness. Seriously, this is one of the most stressful places ever, but it's not Christmas without it.
4. The Coca Cola Christmas advert has to have played on TV. This is the deal breaker. Once this advert has played, then it's Christmas and I don't care what anyone says.

I'm really excited about the next 25 days of blogmas. I hope you guys enjoy it! Are there any specific things that have to happen before you feel like it's Christmas? Are you a Christmas lover or a Scrooge?

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas - MAJOR SPOILERS

Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas - MAJOR SPOILERS

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: The long path to the throne has only just begun for Aelin Galathynius. Loyalties have been broken and bought, friends have been lost and gained, and those who possess magic find themselves at odds with those who don't.With her heart sworn to the warrior-prince by her side, and her fealty pledged to the people she is determined to save, Aelin will delve into the depths of her power to protect those she loves. But as monsters emerge from the horrors of the past, and dark forces become poised to claim her world, the only chance for salvation will lie in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Review: This book. This book you guys. It's amazing. As the title suggests this is going to be a spoilery discussion and there's really not a lot that I can say about this series without spoiling everything but I can tell you that this is the fifth novel in the Throne of Glass series and if you have not picked this series up yet then you need to. Seriously. Put this series on your wish list to Santa because, ladies and gentlemen, it will come as no surprise to anyone that Sarah J Maas has done it again. She has destroyed my heart in every single way possible. And I love it. So, on that note, if you do not want to be spoiled for this book, or any other book in this series then please leave now, read the books and then come back and discuss. Because I promise you, you will have so many feeling after reading this book...

WARNING. THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD...

It goes without saying that I loved this book. The more I think about this book, the more I realise just how much I love it. Up until this point, Heir of Fire was my favourite book in this series because the emotional journey that Aelin went on was so incredible to read and we got to see her grow and develop as a character so much more than in Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight, but now I think Empire of Storms might have just over taken Heir of Fire as my favourite. I think the main reason for this is because I loved all the characters in this book.

If you've read my discussions of the other books in this series, you will know that for the past two books I have really struggled with Manon as a character. I just could not empathise with her, she really annoyed me and I really didn't enjoy reading her point of view sections. The same with Elide in Queen of Shadows, I just didn't really enjoy her as a character. One of the first chapters in Empire of Storms is from Elide's point of view and I immediately loved her. It was so strange. I think this happened because she was on her own. She wasn't surrounded by people who were more powerful than her, who gathered round her and stopped her from being the bad ass person that she is. As soon as we started seeing her in the woods alone, I knew I was going to enjoy reading about her because we now have an opportunity to see Elide really fight for herself, without anyone else there to help her.
  Lorcan as well is a character that I did enjoy in Queen of Shadows but I wasn't sure what we were going to do with him in Empire of Storms. When I started reading about Lorcan and Elide I wasn't sure I was going to like them as a couple. It turns out I really, really enjoyed them together. I loved that Elide put Lorcan in his place time after time and being around him seemed to bring out the best in Elide. By the time we met up with Manon again I felt like Elide could now stand next to Manon and the Thirteen as an equal rather than a bystander.

The same with Manon. Like I said, I have never been able to relate to Manon in the way that I've seen other people do. In this book though, I really enjoyed reading her chapters. The scene where she saved Dorian was the moment where I realised I could really like Manon. And then Asterin was sentenced to death and Manon fought her grandmother and almost died and I was sold on her character. I'm going to be honest, I'm not completely sold on the Dorian/Manon relationship. I don't hate it but I'm not completely on board with this train just yet. By the end of the next book, I'll probably ship it but for right now...I'm not sold.

Lysandra and Aedion is a relationship I do ship. I ship it so much it hurts. I saw this coming at the end of Queen of Shadows when the two of them caught Rowan and Aelin kissing at the end. I loved them together. When Lysandra was exhausted after the battle in Skulls Bay and Aedion sat with her and told her that he was going to marry her, I loved that so much. That whole scene was so amazing. Lysandra as a sea dragon was incredible and also terrifying to watch as she fought against those sea wyverns was so tense because no one could really do anything to help her until the very end. Speaking of this scene, the moment where Aelin was taken over by Deanna was so strange. Seeing Aelin delving so far in to her power that even Rowan was scared for her was incredible to read about, and then Deanna appeared and took over her body and almost killed the entirety of Skulls Bay. This whole scene was so tense; I was on the edge of my seat the whole time I was reading it.

Lets talk about our girl Aelin. I felt like Heir of Fire was Aelin accepting her role as being heir to the throne but Queen of Shadows was Aelin saying goodbye (in most part) to Celaena, and getting revenge for all of the things that were done to her during her time as Celaena. This is the first book for me that we've really seen Aelin as a Queen and I adored it. I knew from the beginning that getting her throne back wouldn't be easy but even so, Darrow was so self-righteous and arrogant and I hated him for keeping Aelin from her home. Sending Rowan to help Dorian was the best thing for everyone because Dorian finally had someone to begin to help him with his magic. I loved that they got to Skulls Bay first and went to try and get Rolfe on their side before Aelin got there because of her history with him. Which brings me on to a point to note; if you haven't read the Assassin's Blade before this book, you really need to read it because most of the characters from those stories return in Empire of Storms.

When Aelin returned to Skulls Bay and they all walked in to Rolfe's office to find her there is possibly one of my favourite scenes in the whole book. Not least because we briefly get Celaena back. I love that everyone who knows Aelin can tell when she is being Celaena and just acts along with it, no questions asked. When she's flirting with Rowan and he tells her he has someone already and they smirk at each other...argh I love them so much. When Aelin is messing with the jewels and Rolfe immediately tells her to put the ones she's hidden in her sleeve back, and then she takes one from her mouth. Dorian is just watching like, how on earth did she get that in there? And then, to top it all off, Lysandra walks in as Aelin and freaks Rolfe out completely. Like I said, this was possibly one of my favourite scenes in the whole book.

Another amazing scene was the scene where Aedion and Gavriel meet for the first time and Aedion lays in to him. I thought this was a really well written scene because Gavriel did need to hear what happened while he was with Maeve and what Aedion's mother did to protect him. I would have liked them to reconcile a little bit in this book. They did protect each other, but I kind of wanted them to talk to each other and for Aedion to maybe concede a little bit that Gavriel didn't know he existed. I'm hoping we get that in the next book.

I loved that the whole little adventure to retrieve the mirror, Dorian works out that Manon and Aelin are the two people who can use it and manages to convince them to step in to this mirror and leave them all on the eve of a battle. I'm not surprised Aedion punched him. Who does that? Dorian, I love you, but that was kind of a stupid move. And then we find out exactly what Elena did a thousand years before and what she bargained away. She bargained away Aelin's life because of her mistake. She got to live her life with Gavin, but is going to take Aelin away not just from Rowan, but Aedion, Lysandra, Chaol, Dorian...all these people who have become her family. I've never been sure of Elena's motives and hearing this just turned me off her completely. She did redeem herself slightly when she saved Aelin from drowning the night Marion was killed but still...the fact that Aelin had worked this out and it had shocked her so much she threw up was so horrible to read.

I honestly didn't think it could get any worse. Aelin has been told that she is going to die, that she was born to be sacrificed, and Nehemia had known all about it even before she set foot in Rifthold and then she is faced with Maeve. And to top it all off, Aelin has very little magic left. How can this get any worse? Apparently, Maeve has been planning this all along. She knew that Aelin and Rowan would be two of the most powerful people ever so she staged a mate bond between Rowan and Lyria and then killed Lyria so that Rowan would be so broken that he would swear the blood oath to Maeve. And then we discover that Lorcan set this up in a twisted way of trying to protect Elide which just backfired completely. Seeing Maeve force Aelin to give herself up was heart-breaking, seeing Fenrhys and Gavriel try and help her broke me a little bit more and then Maeve brought out the whip.

I don't cry easily at books. This scene broke me. The one thing that could break Aelin, the one thing that haunts her nightmares more than anything, is being whipped at Endovier. And that psycho queen brings out the whip and tells Aelin to count the whips she receives or they'll start over until she does. And Aelin doesn't do it. Despite everything, despite her body shaking with fear and the pain that she's in, Aelin doesn't count. And in between the tears I was so proud of her. And then she was place in the chains and the iron mask and put in an iron coffin and...I still don't know what to do with all these feelings that I am feeling right now. To top it all off, we then find out that Rowan and Aelin got married in secret so Terrasen would have a King (I got slight ACOMAF vibes from this I'm not going to lie) and Rowan and Aedion essentially represent my feelings in this moment. Especially when we find out that Aelin had called in all of the debts owed to her. Ansel and the rest of the silent assassins and Galan her cousin from Wendlyn come to provide Terrasen with an army and Aedion is left sobbing because he yelled at her that she hadn't done anything to get an army and it turns out she had all along and just let him yell. Lysandra's act from earlier in Skulls Bay is coming back, she is going to act as Aelin to make sure everyone keeps fighting for Terrasen and there was a conversation about Lysandra having children with Aedion in the future as Aelin to keep the bloodline going and to keep the ruse. Aelin did all of this knowing she would likely not see it happen herself. And it broke my heart in to a thousand tiny pieces.

I think that's everything I wanted to discuss - at least that I can think of for now. I hope it made a little bit of sense, I'm sorry if it didn't! I can't wait for the final book in this series, I need to know how it all ends. Sarah J Maas is an incredible author and I love all of her books. This series is wonderful and I can't recommend her books enough. If you haven't read Throne of Glass or the Court of Thorns and Roses series, and you enjoy high fantasy novels, then I really recommend picking these series up! Let me know your thoughts and feelings on this final book and all the other books in this series!

Bookish Christmas Gifts 2016!

Because Christmas is fast approaching, here is my 2016 Christmas Gift Guide for you. All images are owned by the companies and are linked back to their original source. They do not belong to me. The owners of the images have kindly let me use them in this post.

Bookishly

This company sell so many amazing products. One of my favourites are their phone cases. You can get them either with a book inspired quote or a generic one so this is a great option for people who love books and those who don't. All designs are £17.00, are absolutely gorgeous and come for a variety of phones. Choose from: iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, iPhone 6, iPhone 6S, iPhone 6S Plus, Galaxy S5, Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge and Samsung Galaxy S7.

'Bookishly Celestial Phone Case' & 'I Read Past My Bedtime' Pink Watercolour
Blot Phone Case, £17.00
Images courtesy of Bookishly: http://www.bookishly.co.uk/collections/phone-cases

 Of course you're going to need gift wrap to wrap all of your presents and Bookishly stock an amazing range of gift wrap. My favourite is the watercolour effect gift wrap. It's not 'Christmassy' but it's so unusual and so pretty that it will definitely make your gifts stand out. You can get a pack of three sheets each with a different design for £6.25 or you can get one large sheet and pick your chosen colour for £3.25.

Pack of 3 Wrapping Paper Sheets -
Watercolour Effects, £6.25
Image courtesy of Bookishly: http://www.bookishly.co.uk/collections/gift-wrap

Behind the Pages

I am more than slightly obsessed with this website right now. They're an Australian company so, if you want to purchase any of their products and you live outside of Australia, you will have to order them by Monday 21st November 2016 to get them in time for Christmas. I'm going to start off with lip balms. These clever people have designed lip balms that smell like your favourite book boyfriends and girlfriends. I'm definitely eyeing up Rhysand's lip balm, just because. Their Christmas Exclusive are Harry Potter lip balms in Harry, Ron and Hermione but they also have ACOTAR and Throne of Glass characters, the Raven Cycle, the Wrath and the Dawn characters - so many wonderful books to chose from! They're made from all natural ingredients and are perfect for sensitive skin and are $4.50 AUD. A warning with these lip balms though, don't consciously lick the lip balm off of your lips as they're not for consumption BUT they do give you the sensation of kissing your book boyfriend. I can't think of a better Christmas present...

Christmas Exclusive Hermione (Harry Potter series)
Lip Balm - $4.50 AUD
Image courtesy of Behind the Pages: https://www.behindthepagesstore.com/lip-balm

Rhysand (A Court of Thorns and Roses)
Lip Balm - $4.50 AUD
Image courtesy of Behind the Pages: https://www.behindthepagesstore.com/lip-balm 

If you really want to go all out, then you can match your lip balm with your soap. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this company also sell Goats Milk Soaps in the same scents as your favourite characters. Their Ship of the month is Romione, so you get one soap, half with Ron's scent and the other with Hermione and again they have so many characters that you can choose from that you're bound to find one you like the sound off. The soaps are $9.00 AUD and is again made from all natural ingredients and is perfect for sensitive skin.

Celaena (Throne of Glass Series) -
Body Soap - $9.00 AUD
Image courtesy of Behind the Pages: https://www.behindthepagesstore.com/new-products/celaena-body-soap-throne-of-glass-series

Ship of the Month, Romione (Harry Potter Series) -
Body Soap - $9.00 AUD
Image courtesy of  Behind the Pages: https://www.behindthepagesstore.com/new-products/ship-of-the-month-romione-harry-potter-series-body-soap

Creations By MeX

Any of you remember the recent craze of book folding? Where you fold the pages of books in a certain way so you can make an image out of them? Well, this wonderful lady has done all of the hard work for you. Her Etsy shop: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/creationsbymex stocks a range of folded book art and handmade cards for a variety of occasions. What I loved about the book art craze was the uniqueness of each book at the end of it. You can make an image of pretty much anything so no matter what your recipient is interested in, you're sure to find something related to that interest. These are definitely something I would order soon if you like the look of them, just to make sure you get them in time because they are made to order.

Name Book Art Personalised, Custom Made, Any Name
£28.60 + shipping
Image courtesy of Creations by MeX: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/246384078/name-book-art-personalized-christmas

Personalised Dog Lover Gift, Paw Print and Your Pets Name
£29.80 + shipping
Image courtesy of Creations by MeX: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/472139224/personalised-dog-lover-gift-paw-print?ref=shop_home_active_66

So there you have it, that is my (relatively short) Christmas Gifts for 2016. I hope you've enjoyed this post and that it has inspired you to go check some of these amazing companies out! Thank you to the companies who let me feature their wonderful products, I really appreciate it.

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas - MAJOR SPOILERS

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas - MAJOR SPOILERS

Rating: 5 stars

Synopsis: Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. Now she returns to the empire - to confront the shadows of her past ...Bloodthirsty for revenge on the two men responsible for destroying her life, and desperate to find out if the prince and his captain are safe, Celaena returns to Rifthold, the seat of so much evil. She has accepted her identity of Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, there are dark truths to learn and debts to be paid. Aelin must stay hidden beneath her assassin's hood and draw on her mortal strength as Celaena to prevent the King of Adarlan from tearing her world apart. Only then can she fight for her people.

Review: Wow. So much happened in this book you guys. So much amazing, bad-ass, insane stuff! Which means that this review is going to be ridiculously long and I am not even sorry because I need to discuss this book in detail. There isn't much else I can say that won't spoil what happens because this is book 4 in the Throne of Glass series so if you haven't read these books and don't want to be spoiled then go away and read the books and then come back and discuss.

WARNING. THERE BE SPOILERS AHEAD...

Okay, so lets start at the beginning. So, lets start with Dorian. My poor baby! All of the short Dorian scenes that we get scattered through the book are heart-wrenching to read, because you can see Dorian fading away and the Valg prince taking over. I knew going in to this book that Dorian would be saved, but we'd have to wait until the end of the book for Aelin to save him. Knowing that didn't make the wait any easier but at least I knew he'd be okay.

Chaol is still a douche. When he sent her to Wendlyn and realised who she was, he knew she would end up in Doranelle which means he could also have predicted she would have been able to practise magic or at least be around magic users. His whole speech about her 'antics' made me so mad because we all know that Aelin wasn't playing around. It took her half of Heir of Fire to even start to use her magic because she was scared of it. And she was dying. What else did he want her to do in that situation? (Yes I know Chaol wasn't there so he doesn't know this but, my point still stands). Despite everything that has happened between them, Chaol should know that Aelin would never deliberately harm him or Dorian. They're her friends and, in a way they're her family. In all fairness, he does grow throughout the book and comes to accept Aelin for who she is but those opening chapters with the two of them were horrible to read because I just wanted to slap some sense in to him.

I'm interested in Nesryn. She is such a strong person who ends up being a really good ally with Aelin. I liked that Aelin and Nesryn hit it off early on and even when Nesryn tried to stop Aelin from killing Dorian in her great escape from the castle, she was doing it on Chaol's orders. At that point, she didn't know who to back and Dorian seemed like the good choice and I think Aelin realised this and decided to show Nesryn that she is the safer choice to put her faith in right now than Dorian. I think I'm also on board with the Chaol and Nesryn relationship because Nesryn will not take any of Chaol's ridiculousness. She will call him out when he's being a douche and she does it frequently in this book, so I think it could work really well.

I want to talk about Aedion. I adore him. Watching him try and sacrifice himself to save Aelin was so sweet. He hasn't seen her in ten years and he has been loyal through that whole time. The rescue itself was amazing to read. The dancers throwing the powder on the floor that ignited at the end of the dance and Aelin sneaking through the guards and the crowds and stealing Aedion from under the Kings nose was such a great scene. They work so well together as well. Both feel guilty about their actions in the ten years since they last saw each other, especially Aelin, but neither judges the other. Aedion goes out of his way to tell Aelin that he understands why she stayed with Arobynn and became an assassin. It kept her safe and it made her strong enough to come back and rule her territory. As soon as Sarah brought up the blood oath though, I knew we were going to see them argue about it. It was something that never occurred to me before now but of course Aedion is going to feel put out that Rowan took the blood oath that was meant for him. He'd pinned his hopes on to taking it when they were reunited. What I loved though was that Sarah didn't drag the argument out. They fought and said things they didn't mean but the next morning they apologised and made up. I thought this was so refreshing. In YA this doesn't happen. People fight and then don't speak for the next 200 pages. Having these two characters who are so close realise that actually there is a way around this problem and it doesn't have to be a big deal as long as it is acknowledged that it hurt that the choice was taken away was so refreshing to read.

Before I talk about Rowan and Arobynn, I want to talk about Elide and the witches. I had tentatively come round to Manon and her Thirteen at the end of Heir of Fire but I just could not get in to their scenes in this book. I really didn't enjoy reading about what was happening in Morath and again I think it was because of Manon, I can't get in to her headspace. I wasn't invested in the witches or in Elide and didn't particularly care what happened to them throughout the book. The one scene I did enjoy was Manon and Aelin meeting in the clearing. I spent the whole of Heir of Fire and the majority of this book waiting for the two of them to meet because I knew it would be epic. And it was. These two strong willed, powerful women pitted against each other was amazing to read about because you honestly didn't know who would win the fight. I loved that Aelin went back for Manon. A moment before she was willing to let them die, but Aelin realised how much Asterin cares for her leader. I liked that it led to a debt where Manon told Aelin that Dorian was still there, despite the Valg Prince taking over.

The Dorian and Manon thing was a little strange to me. I liked it better than Dorian and Sorsha but it really was strange to me that Manon went to Rifthold to see if Dorian was still him. I think this relationship will definitely play a part in Empire of Storms though I don't know if it will be anything more than a friendship between the two.

Rowan and Aelin kill me. The constant flirting and the silent communication thing they have going on is so entertaining to read. I love that Aedion is in awe of Rowan and despite his feelings about the blood oath, he still respects Rowan and wants to learn from him. He never thinks to contest the relationship either like most people would in YA books. He's simply happy for his cousin and I loved seeing the two guys come together as brothers to protect Aelin. The scene where Aelin comes to bed wearing that short nightgown was hilarious. Sarah has built up this image of Rowan as a calm and lethal warrior where nothing fazes him and yet the first sight of Aelin in this nightgown sets him off and he can't cope was pure comedy to me.

The scene in the theatre where Aelin and Rowan sit in the rafters and then Aelin plays her favourite piece of music from the symphony was beautiful. I love that we're told the chairs are still in the same position as the night when the orchestra protested the killings in Endovier and Calaculla, I thought that tiny detail was a really nice inclusion because it reminds us of what happened and of that short scene in Heir of Fire which is so easily overlooked because of everything else that happens without Sarah giving her characters a long speech about how awful it is that the theatre is still the same. It's a subtle detail but I loved it. I liked that Rowan was interested not just in watching Aelin play the pianoforte but he was interested in the piece she played. He wanted to learn how she played it which again is another small detail but one that I think really added to their relationship. Chaol enjoyed the music she played him, Rowan wanted to share it with her.

The whole game with Arobynn was so well written. This book made me so glad that I pushed through the Assassin's Blade because so many of the characters from that book were mentioned here. I loved this whole section where we were in Arobynn's house after delivering the Valg prisoner because we finally got to see the end to the game, where all the cards are shown. I thought Aelin pretending to be Arobynn was a stroke of genius. Something as trivial as dying her hair red which I overlooked every time it was mentioned suddenly had a deeper meaning. Seeing how Aelin manipulated her old master at every turn by destroying the Vaults and then endearing him to the new owners all played in to her plan and Arobynn never suspected until right at the end. I loved getting to see her take her revenge in such a subtle and clever way.

The silent conversation between Rowan and Aelin might be my favourite part in the whole book. Watching them flirt right in front of Arobynn about how their 17 year old selves would react to meeting each other was so well written and so entertaining. Hearing Rowan say that 17 year old Rowan would be scandalised by Aelin and Aelin replying that he'd be even more scandalised to know she wasn't wearing underwear was brilliant. Rowan hitting his knee off the table in response was hilarious. I loved it.

Arobynn putting that Valg ring on Aelin's finger didn't surprise me in the slightest. I knew he'd do it when he cut it off the prisoner. What did surprise me was that Aelin had planned for that to happen and that the ring was a fake. Despite knowing it would happen, I don't think I've ever turned a page so fast in my life. I definitely agree with Aedion, it would be nice to be let in on some of Aelin's plans.

I'm glad that Lysandra got to kill Arobynn. I'm glad Lysandra and Aelin became friends actually, but I think she deserved the chance to do it herself after everything Arobynn did to her. Aelin came out of being Arobynn's assassin well - she has Rowan and Aedion and Dorian and the knowledge that she is strong enough to protect them now. Lysandra watched as the two men she loved were killed and she was left alone with the man she hates. I'm glad she got to avenge Wesley. I had wondered why Aelin kept going to the bank and it all became clear when Arobynn's will was read. It was a clever way of getting the money she needed for her armies and for Terrasen.

Rowan and Aelin's fight broke my heart. Rowan's reaction was instinctive but because Aelin doesn't know how he truly feels it really hurt her when he backed away. Watching her do the same to him after that; ducking away when he went to touch her and barely talking to him killed me to read. I liked that there was never a point where she didn't accept his help though, she simply kept her distance because that's what she thought he wanted. Sarah's portrayl of relationships in her books is wonderful to read about because they're so realistic.

The final fight with Chaol and Aelin in the palace and Rowan and Aedion taking the hellfire in to the sewers was so tense to read. Finding out that Lorcan betrayed them was horrible because for a long time there wasn't really a way out for the guys. When they managed to blow up the clock tower and free magic, it freed Lysandra. I love that she chose to become a ghost leopard I thought it was such a fitting form for her to take and I love that she saved the guys butts. Seeing Chaol's men hanging from the battlements was awful. They risked so much and we heard that many of them were young. I liked that Chaol took on the King despite knowing he wouldn't succeed in his task, I thought it was kind of fitting that, if he had to take on anyone, he stood a small chance (we assumed) of killing the King. Watching Aelin fight to get Dorian back was the tensest part of the whole book and I was so pleased when he managed to do it. I also liked that Dorian killed his father but Aelin took credit for it so that the people of Rifthold wouldn't start rioting against him. The display of power from both of them at the end was amazing and I'm not surprised they both slept for three days straight. As for what the King said at the end, I was shocked. I never even considered both Perrington and the King having Valg princes inside of them and I wouldn't have considered that the Valg King was inside Perrington. It makes me incredibly nervous for Empire of Storms because the King was awful, Perrington is going to be ten thousand times worse.

Okay, I think that is everything I wanted to discuss about Queen of Shadows. Let me know your thoughts on this book and the series so far and what your favourite parts are.