The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue: V.E. Schwab

 France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets.

Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world.

But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore, and he remembers her name.

(Goodreads)

Apparently, this book was supposed to be an absolutely amazing book. And my god, was it mediocre. The book is about Addie LaRue, who prayed to the wrong gods and was cursed to be forgotten. Which honestly is already pretty sad; she's been cursed to be forgotten in every way possible. Nothing she does can leave a mark on the world and its history. Except she finds a way around this rule by inspiring artists, and they create something inspired by her. They don't know she inspired them, but she lives on as the unknown woman. 

Interesting plot, boring execution. So she meets this young man, can't even remember his name it was inconsequential, and he remembers her. For the first time in centuries, and they fall in love. He, too, made a deal with the same god as Addie, and he wants to be desirable. Desirable and wanted by all, but he gave up his life and has one year to live. So begins the second part of the book. This part is all about Addie telling this dude about her life over the years leading up to this super-secret thing that she has been dancing around. I thought it would be more important, but it wasn't; she had an "affair" of sorts with the god who absolutely craves her. Nothing fancy, and yet it was played out like this horrible thing. 

The book didn't have any movement; it had nothing really happen. It was like a memoir that was meant to be thought-provoking but fell short. It came out very bland and flat. I liked parts of it, like how we should romanticize our lives more, that every day is a gift that we should treasure. The memories we make are so important, and how we can affect others' lives in the smallest ways. I loved that sentiment, but I really didn't like how it played out in the book. 

The book ended with Addie essentially giving up her freedom so that her Dude could live his life, no more curse. And even he slowly started to forget what Addie looked like. But he had enough time to write a book about her life. Sweet but meh ending.

Until next time readers <3 Kat

A Court of Silver Flames: Sarah J. Maas

Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.

The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.

Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.

Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.

(Goodreads)

Okay, first and foremost, I still don't like Nesta. I understand her, I understand why she is the way she is... But I still don't like her and I don't think I ever will. I feel like the people who didn't connect with Feyre connect more with Nesta, and that isn't me. I may lash out at others when I'm depressed but nowhere near the capacity of pain like Nesta. She's just so goddamn mean.

Now, Nesta's story isn't anything new. Just like Maas's other stories, A Court of Silver Flames is a story of found family and healing. And it's cute, if not a bit overdone. I liked that this book focused so much on the importance of accepting help from others, and channeling that into something productive. In this case, it was physical strength, and wanting to bring back the valkyries. The female empowerment, despite what has happened to each individual was so motivating. And as a victim myself, it was beautiful. The companionship of the girls was so heartwarming and cute! The way the house of winds became of sentient being as well was just so interesting, and how the house doted on Nesta was endearing.

Now let's get to my man Cassian. I WOULD DIE FOR CASSIAN. I hate that so many fans have assigned Cassian into being the classic jock, a typical meathead who's pretty. But Cassian is so much more than the box the fandom has placed him in, and this book did just a good job showcasing that. Cassian is loving and caring, he's smart and kind and witty and sexy. And god I am absolutely in love with him. Unfortunately, the book did not have enough Cassian for me, which is a damn shame. This man deserves to have so much more, and I will die on this soapbox.

Alright to the hard stuff. Even though the book is pretty good, there are still a lot of problems with it. The main one being how she wrote Rhysand and Feyre. Yes, they're involved in the book, and it's very very minimal. They only show up for three main scenes. Anyway, the problem for me with Maas's writing is the fact that she kind of erased everything that made those characters lovable for the sake of the book. Feyre is so fucking passive it's annoying, and Rhys is the worst he's ever been. I know he can be antagonistic, but it's like Sarah purposefully diminished them so that she could create conflict. And I believe it's because she made them too perfect. It's unreal, obviously, it's a book and that's why they get away with it, but now that she plans to create more books it's become a problem. The other issue and these go hand in hand, is that she made Feyre and Rhys too goddamn powerful. All the issues in this book could have been solved by Feyre and Rhys if she weren't pregnant. Legit the conflict felt so vain the main baddie was the one princess who turned into a crone. She was mad at Nesta for "stealing" all the magic of the cauldron and turning her ugly... like? What? That's it! That was essentially the entire conflict in the book and trying to find these ancient weapons that were cauldron made. It was all pretty anti-climatic. 

Don't even get me started on the sex. I get it, I am fully aware that Maas wrote an adult book. But goddamn this book was just pure erotica and it was fucking annoying. Where is the plot? The dialogue? Apparently, it's left the building with this book. After Nesta and Cassian come to an "agreement" they have sex EVERY GODDAMN CHAPTER. AND THEY ARE LONG ASS SCENES. I couldn't even skip them because she would put character development in the FUCKING SEX SCENES. THE AUDACITY. I was not prepared for the amount of unnecessary smut in this book. And I'm okay with an occasional sex scene, but when it gets to the point that it's overwhelming? It becomes too much and takes away from the story itself. It was truly disappointing.

And now the ending, the girls are badasses and have been forcibly thrown into the selection thing god I can't remember the actual name anyways they're the winners, it's all cool. And then Feyre goes into labor AND FUCKING DIES. THAT'S RIGHT. SHE FUCKING DIES. Everything we went through in the past three books for her to get offed by her winged baby, all because she and Rhys are kinky shits. Nesta finally bucks up and becomes a good sister and confesses her love to Feyre and tells her how sorry she is she didn't do anything to help her and manages to save Feyre with her cauldron magic and changes her womb into a wing friendly one. She also changed her own anatomy to a wing friendly womb too because of my mans Cassian And thus begins the cutest part of the book, the wedding proposal. Nesta Finally acknowledges the mating bond between herself and Cassian and she asks him to marry with an ultimatum, she wants a big wedding I'm crying. Cassian the little shit he is, asks her cheekily what if he doesn't want a big wedding, and Nesta pulls out a slice of bread and offers it to him. So it's either the slice of bread or the wedding. Cassian honestly wanted a big wedding too and it's legit the cutest thing ever. The wedding is spectacular, Rhys is back to his old self, and Nesta is so happy with Cassian. And I was genuinely happy for this ending, it's one that they both deserve. They deserve to be the happiest they could possibly be after all the things they've gone through.

Overall, the book was good. And I did like it, not my absolute favorite. But still a good book, I just want to know how she plans to continue the stand alone books with how everything has been left off. Because even the book addressed the issue of Feyre and Rhys's overpowered-ness.

Anyways,

Until next time readers <3

Daughter of the Pirate King: Tricia Levenseller

 There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I’ve gotten what I came for.

Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map—the key to a legendary treasure trove—seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her enemies, giving her the perfect opportunity to search their ship.

More than a match for the ruthless pirate crew, Alosa has only one thing standing between her and the map: her captor, the unexpectedly clever and unfairly attractive first mate, Riden. But not to worry, for Alosa has a few tricks up her sleeve, and no lone pirate can stop the Daughter of the Pirate King.
(Goodreads)

So I know this book is meant to be interesting. And dear Crystle said it was okay so I decided to read it. It was okay... The whole book is set on a pirate ship, so it feels a bit claustrophobic. It was stagnant and nothing major happened. Alosa hinted at a secret she had the whole book and it was getting boring to keep getting teased by the information. Once we finally found out her secret was that she was part siren the story finally started moving forward at a faster pace. 

The fact that the father lied about her mother being dead was so sad and devastating for Alosa, but the ending was just meh

Everything about this book was just meh. 

Well until next time readers <3

A Deadly Education (The Scholomace): Naomi Novik

 Lesson One of the Scholomance: Learning has never been this deadly.

A Deadly Education is set at Scholomance, a school for the magically gifted where failure means certain death (for real) — until one girl, El, begins to unlock its many secrets.

There are no teachers, no holidays, and no friendships, save strategic ones. Survival is more important than any letter grade, for the school won’t allow its students to leave until they graduate… or die! The rules are deceptively simple: Don’t walk the halls alone. And beware of the monsters who lurk everywhere.

El is uniquely prepared for the school’s dangers. She may be without allies, but she possesses a dark power strong enough to level mountains and wipe out millions. It would be easy enough for El to defeat the monsters that prowl the school. The problem? Her powerful dark magic might also kill all the other students.

(Goodreads)

Okay, where to begin... honestly, I kinda didn't like it. I forced myself to read it because I needed a book to read for my reading challenge and this just so happen to be the first book to pop up on Libby. It was interesting enough.... but it sort of fell flat at times. I felt like this book was setting you up for something amazing. Something absolutely incredible.... and it didn't. It felt like the climax never reached its peak until the last sentence of the book. It took 321 pages for me to really feel anything other than neutrality. I mean, come on! That last sentence was incredible! This was the peak I was waiting for, the spark I'd been looking for. Don't get me wrong, the book definitely had its moments that kept me enraptured and entertained... It just wasn't enough. Not just that it's incredibly dark, the amount of death they talk about is just sad.

Let us take El, for example. El is technically supposed to be this super evil witch capable of so much destruction that her great-grandmother wanted her dead, not in those words exactly... but nonetheless what she meant, And yet she didn't do anything except whine about how she could be this absolutely incredibly evil witch but isn't. It was nice that she didn't become an evil witch that easily, but the entire book is still spent talking about how she was destined for great evil and nothing. I felt like it was an absolute let down. Maybe Novik is setting it up for the second or third book. I checked, there should be three. Anyway, the romance was cute, if you could call it that.... Which honestly made it cuter. It was a clique and simple but nonetheless cute.

Honestly, I don't have much else to say about the book; it was just that okay. It wasn't amazing or incredible. It was just okay; the only really redeeming quality it had was the last sentence. That one sentence is what has made me want to invest time in the second book. It was just that intriguing. I mean, we just spent the whole last book falling in love with Orian, see this boy fumble around El, see El figure out she was kind of dating him. AND then her mom says to stay away from him?!? Why?!?

Anyway, until next time reader <3

Love Kat

Heartless: Melissa Meyer

 

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland—the infamous Queen of Hearts—she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love.

Long before she was the terror of Wonderland, she was just a girl who wanted to fall in love. Catherine may be one of the most desired girls in Wonderland, and a favorite of the unmarried King of Hearts, but her interests lie elsewhere. A talented baker, all she wants is to open a shop with her best friend. But according to her mother, such a goal is unthinkable for the young woman who could be the next queen.

Then Cath meets Jest, the handsome and mysterious court joker. For the first time, she feels the pull of true attraction. At the risk of offending the king and infuriating her parents, she and Jest enter into an intense, secret courtship. Cath is determined to define her own destiny and fall in love on her terms. But in a land thriving with magic, madness, and monsters, fate has other plans.
(Goodreads)

From the moment I began this book, I knew it would be sad. Right from the get-go, you get a sense of foreboding. Something isn't okay, something isn't right, and you don't know what it is. except... You do; you know exactly how this story is going to end. We all know that the Queen of Hearts doesn't have a happy ending. And this story thrives on that energy. It thrives on the dread you feel that Something bad will happen, and you don't know when it'll happen. The book also carried this amazing energy of childlike wonder; it felt like being in Wonderland. It had this bittersweet melancholy, as though to some extent, you've also felt this at some point as well. 

Can you believe I felt all of this from one book? One book. That had me feeling so many different things that when the end came, it was a relief, and yet I still cried because it was so sad, and my heart hurt for Cath side note that was kind of an ugly nickname like come on Cath? 
Anyway, I highly recommend this book for the sole purpose that you will feel so much while reading this book. I at least hope you do.

Until next time readers <3
Love Kat

Post script from Maddie~

I also knew it was going to be sad but I did end up kindly chucking it across the room and declaring I would never read it again because of the heartbreaking ending. Destroyed me. Granted whenever anyone reads I say it’s a great book that I absolutely hate. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Scythe: Neil Shusterman

 Two teens are forced to murder—maybe each other—in the first in a chilling new series from Neal Shusterman, author of the New York Times bestselling Unwind dystology.

In a world where disease has been eliminated, the only way to die is to be randomly killed (“gleaned”) by professional reapers (“scythes”). Citra and Rowan are teenagers who have been selected to be scythe’s apprentices, and—despite wanting nothing to do with the vocation—they must learn the art of killing and come to understand the necessity of what they do.

Only one of them will be chosen as a scythe’s apprentice. And when it becomes clear that the winning apprentice’s first task will be to glean the loser, Citra and Rowan are pitted against one another in a fight for their lives.

(Goodreads)

Let's just say that this book was so much better than I thought it would be. I should have known the book was going to be good because Shusterman wrote it. I feel like he's an absolute king at dystopian books.

Let us begin by saying in this world, we have conquered death, life is perfect, and everyone lives forever. No one gets sick unless they want to, and everything is great... except what do you do with population control when no one dies? Thus the job of a Scythe, these are the reapers of society humbly, kindly, and gently killing people. Yes, that's right, their job is to kill people, officially kill people. But they must be chosen; not everyone can be a Scythe. Citra and Rowan are chosen to be scythes, and in doing so, they are part of such a big and life changing, world-altering few years.

The sense of dread this book held, it felt like reading a nightmare waiting to happen. Like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop in a perfect scenario. Everything about this book made me think, what if this were real? What if we actually achieved this? What if? This book challenges you to think of things from a different perspective, to think outside of the box to be put in a situation that might not have a happy ending. 

Everyone should read this book. It honestly incredible and kind of life-changing in the way it makes you think of the possibilities of life. It's such an extreme, and it's weirdly a fast-paced slow book now that's an oxymoron.

Until next time readers <3

Love Kat

The Shadow Between Us: Tricia Levenseller

 

Alessandra is tired of being overlooked, but she has a plan to gain power:

1) Woo the Shadow King.
2) Marry him.
3) Kill him and take his kingdom for herself.

No one knows the extent of the freshly crowned Shadow King’s power. Some say he can command the shadows that swirl around him to do his bidding. Others say they speak to him, whispering the thoughts of his enemies. Regardless, Alessandra knows what she deserves, and she’s going to do everything within her power to get it.

But Alessandra’s not the only one trying to kill the king. As attempts on his life are made, she finds herself trying to keep him alive long enough for him to make her his queen—all while struggling not to lose her heart. After all, who better for a Shadow King than a cunning, villainous queen?

(Goodreads)

 

I LOVED THIS BOOK SO FUCKING MUCH! 

That is all.

JK *cue cry-laughing emoji* 

So to begin, this is an enemy to lover's story....  but one-sided. One-sided, you say? How can it be one-sided? Our main character, Alessandra, is here to marry the king and then kill him, so therefore he is her enemy. But the king is unaware of this plot, so he doesn't see her as an enemy. It's cute and plays a fun role in the plot.

Another fun trope that I absolutely adore is the marriage, or relationship, of convenience. Which this book is all about. 

So let us get started. 

The plot, my god, the plot was glorious. This book was everything Serpent and Dove wanted to be and more. It did it in one book without being annoying. Cough Anyways! SO the plot is about love, romance, murder, and a mystery to solve. The King's parents are dead, and no one knows who killed them, and it was too clean. Alessandra wants to be queen, and she finds herself to be the perfect candidate to fill that role. Alessandra also killed her first and most beloved lover, so she thinks she will excel in this endeavor. The way Levenseller wrote this is ensnaring; it absolutely enraptured me. 

The characters were incredible. I loved the depth to them; they had dimension. Even Alessandra, who seems like she'd be this vain she is and terribly shallow person. A Murderer, and a girl in charge of her sexuality. She was more than all of this; when she tells her story of why she killed her first love, it really just gave her more depth. I just really loved the characters. 

And the humor? THE HUMOR!?! There's this one part that legit had me laughing so hard I almost cried. It's when they find out she killed someone, and the King should be worried. Instead, he calls her his beloved seductive murderess or something like that, and I am living. LIVING.

The romance was tender and sweet, and then it was mature and an excellent read. It was a slow burn through and through—my favorite romance.

I'm telling you this book is seriously so good.

Please read it; it's a super-fast read and an excellent book.

Until next time readers <3

Love Kat