I Made it to the Surface

Wow, it has been a while since I last posted and checked in with bloggy land. It's like I've been living under a rock or something. Oh wait. I kinda have. It's called grad school. Haha! Meme Boromir is right. I cannot truly recall a moment of relaxation that I've had since August. I didn't even get Thanksgiving off, not really. I had papers to write. And research to do.

But amidst all of that writing and reading and writing and reading, I did have a very nice first semester. I grew tired of doing critical analyses of books that were written when my great-great-great's were alive and decided to switch my concentration from literature to creative writing!

I anticipate less stress and more fun, both things I prefer.

I feel like there was a book related reason as to why I am writing this post...oh wait! I remember. Recently (as in, the day I turned in my last paper, lol) I sat down and started reading for fun! The first book up was the acclaimed second installment in Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series, Crown of Midnight. And guys, it was as awesome as I could have ever hoped for! If you have not read Throne of Glass, then I definitely recommend it. Actually, I think I wrote a review a while back of it. *goes to check archives to provide link* Yep! Totally did! Here's the link. To quote myself, the series is "FREAKINGSPECTACULAWESOMESAUCENESS." 

Anyway, Crown of Midnight met and exceeded my expectations. There were twists that I should have seen coming but didn't, and oh so much more. I just love the way Maas writes her characters. They are vibrant and dynamic in a way that makes all the difference in drawing readers into a story of magic and fantasy. And because I'm such a fan, I preordered it and received a signed print of the cover. *shiny*

But that's not all. I've started The Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks and I'm already on book two, Shadow's Edge. A coworker suggested the series to me and I have to say, it's pretty great. I love fantasy novels about assassins and magic and kingdoms being overthrown, so if you do too, then this series is definitely for you. So now that I've caught the blogiverse back up on me, it's time for this girl to read book two.


Until next time...

Review: THRONE OF GLASS

Obviously, folks, I can't stick to schedules. I told myself I was going to blog dutifully and alas I have not. Oh well. I do have a terrific book to discuss with you all today though!

Title: Throne of Glass
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 404 (406 including Acknowledgements)
Time It Took to Read: ~4 hours
One Word to Describe Book:

FREAKINGSPECTACULAWESOMESAUCENESS

In case any of you are wondering, yes that is a word. It comes right after Forgetaboutit in the dictionary. I love this book so much that I even made a GIF of me fondling turning the cover.

The summary of the book goes a little like this:

In a world without magic (How sad), an assassin (!!!) is summoned to the castle. (It's made of glass! Freaky!) She comes not to kill the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass (Yay! Title!) but to win her freedom (Oooo, motive!). If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors (Fighting! I love fighting!) in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion (Kind of catch-22, so...tension!). Her name is Celaena Sardothien.
The Crown Prince will provoke her (Le grrr). The Captain of the Guard will protect her (Again, le grrr). And a princess from a faraway land will befriend her (Yay for friendship!). But something evil dwells in the castle (Oh no!)--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival (Multilayered excitement!)--and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world (Magic never dies!). 

Celaena kind of reminds me of Tamora Pierce's heroines mixed with the kickass leading ladies of Lilith Saintcrow's novels, both adult and YA. She has enough vulnerability to remind readers that she is a girl, but she never once doubts her abilities. I can't wait until Crown of Midnight is published (this fall! Eeek!) because I know there are facets to her that have yet to be shown, especially where her origins are concerned. I could go on for a couple more blog posts about how much I enjoyed reading Throne of Glass but I won't. I want y'all to read it for yourselves.

To tide me and anyone else who is a fan of Celaena over until Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas has four e-novellas available about the life Celaena led prior to being a prisoner in the Endovier salt mines. More information on those can be found on her website or by clicking this link. I know I'll read them very soon.

Until next time...