Sarah J. Maas TOG/ACOTAR Bookish Would You Rather

Raise your hand if you still have ACOMAFever!!

**DISCLAIMER: THERE ARE SLIGHT SPOILERS FROM THE FOLLOWING WORKS BY SARAH J. MAAS: THE THRONE OF GLASS SERIES AND THE COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES TRILOGY. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO BE SPOILED AND/OR HAVE NOT READ THE SERIES' MENTIONED ABOVE, PROCEED AT YOUR OWN CAUTION :D**

Ever since I finished A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas I have had the worst book hangover, EVER. Day in and day out, Rhysand was constantly (and still is) on the periphery of my consciousness. I am finding the saying, "unable to function anymore" pretty relatable, as seen from recent events. And as with every Sarah J. Maas book, I find it extremely difficult to NOT love all the characters, their respective universes, and their scents. 

Also in part of today's book release of... 

Happy book birthday Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas! The 2nd to last installment in an epic fantasy series that both Alex and me love. I'm sure lots of Sarah J Maas fans will be locking themselves inside till they finish their copies! 

A few weeks ago, after hastily (and regretfully) finishing ACOMAF, I created a series of Would You Rather questions that related Sarah J. Maas' Throne of Glass and Court of Thorns and Roses Series'. The original post is on my Tumblr, but I thought I'd share it here as well! As much fun as these questions were to make up, I had the most difficult time answering them. So without ado, would you rather... 

Questions 
1. be a part of Rhysand’s Inner Circle or a part of Aelin’s Court?

2. live in Prythian as a human (before ACOTAR) or in Adarlan as a Fae (Before ToG)? 

3. be imprisoned Under the Mountain (forever) or enslaved in Endovier (forever)?

4. fight Ianthe or fight Kaltain?

5. control the Cauldron or control the Wyrdkeys?

6. be engulfed by Citrus & Jasmine or Pine & Snow?

7. celebrate Starfall or celebrate Yulemas?

8. have a baby bat or a baby hawk?

Yingchao's answers:

1. Aelin's Court.......and maybe....just maybe.....I'll get to have tea with King Dorian Havilliard 

2. Prythian as a human

3. Imprisoned Under the Mountain (because there ain't no Rhys in Endovier)

4. Fight Ianthe (Just wanna punch that bitch in the face)

5. Control the Wyrdkeys

6. Citrus and Jasmine......hehehehe

7. Starfall!!!!

8. Baby hawk, even though baby bats are SO adorable

Alex's answers:

1. Rhysand's Inner Circle.... OBVIOUSLY 

2. Adarlan as a Fae.. I'm srry guys I'm all for immortality LOLZ

3. Be imprisoned Under the Mountain because for some reason Endovier sounds like mad work. At least I'll be tortured Under the Mountain and won't have to work as a slave... I think...

4. FIGHT IANTHE. Like Yingchao, I also just want to slap that bitch in the face.

5. Cauldron. I'd make all my friends and family immortal and the rest would have to suffer muahhahahahhahahahah

6. Pine and snow smells better. I don't like citrus-y smells much. 

7. Starfall. I've never seen a shooting star before and would like to! 

8. Baby bats because that means I get to do it with Rhysand ;)

What are your responses?

Cover Reveal: Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas | Thoughts

I think the cover reveals are just as exciting as the actual book release, or even more. Today Sarah J. Maas unveiled the cover for the fifth installment in her most well-known series, Throne of Glass. Unfortunately I couldn't be at BEA to celebrate the release as so many were but I still want to talk a little about how I think the cover looks and my excitement for the upcoming installment. 

**PLEASE REFRAIN FROM READING TO AVOID SPOILERS FOR THIS SERIES**

And the cover is...

Title: Empire of Storms
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Pages: 704 pages
Release Date: September 6th, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children

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 don't.

As the kingdoms of Erilea fracture around her, enemies must become allies if Aelin is to keep those she loves from falling to the dark forces poised to claim her world. With war looming on all horizons, the only chance for salvation lies in a desperate quest that may mark the end of everything Aelin holds dear.

Aelin's journey from assassin to queen has entranced millions across the globe, and this fifth installment will leave fans breathless. Will Aelin succeed in keeping her world from splintering, or will it all come crashing down?

Preorder it now! 

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

 

Honestly though... 704 pages?!?!? I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing because I did have trouble getting into reading Queen of Shadows. By the time the series is over, there will have to be an entire shelf dedicated to this series. I can just imagine when the sixth book comes out. I'll be so screwed because I have to read the entire series over. I'm not the type of reader that remembers everything she reads after taking a long break from the characters and the world-building, especially this high, epic fantasy.

But can we like just talk about this cover for a second... The cover gods have just blessed Mrs. Maas and her wonderful series. I don't know if I'm the only one who notices this but this but the cover is reminiscent of Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. Coincidence?? I THINK NOT! After all, Maas and Dennard are the besties of both worlds.

The only thing I'm concerned about is the major spoiler on the cover. Notice it yet? I'm going to give you a moment to take it in. 

Okay so from what I vaguely remember from the ToG series (since I haven't been in that realm for a while now) is that Celaena doesn't start out with any magic. All we know is that she's as assassin, who is entering a contest to become the King's champion. In the second or third book we know there is this lost queen who is supposedly ruler of this large kingdom and... SHE HAS POWERS. But wait, we're not supposed to know who it is yet. Just the fact that the cover shows Celaena wielding a fireball makes me wonder if people who haven't read the series yet are gonna assume she has powers. And even if they don't assume that on the get-go it'll be pretty clear when they get to book two or three. So yeah,,,, major spoiler there :P 

Other than that I think the cover is stunning, and I'm so glad I decided to start this series early instead of having the burden to read through give chunky books. To the continuation of one of my favorite series *brings glass up to clink with others* LONG LIVE THE THRONE OF GLASS series. 

Also tell me down below because I want to know... Do you think this series is getting too long and just dragging? 

What are your thoughts on this cover?

Soundtrack Saturday | A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Soundtrack Saturday is a weekly book meme created by Erin @ The Hardcover Lover, that takes place on Saturday's. However because I am a rebel and my brain has, for some reason, become barren with ideas over the last couple of days, I decided to do this post today! 

Soundtrack Saturday is a post composed of tracks and songs you think of when reading the book. Put together a soundtrack for the book, as if you could only use music to describe it. This meme graphic was created by the wonderful and talented Blessie, who blogs at Mischievous Reads.

In honor of...

 

My Soundtrack for ACOTAR 

✘ Earned It | The Weeknd

✘ Running with the Wolves | Aurora

✘ Beating Heart | Ellie Goulding

✘ Friction | Imagine Dragons

✘ Close | Nick Jonas, Tove Lo (I can imagine this a duet between Tamlin and Feyre)

✘ Yellow Flicker Beat | Lorde

✘ Castle | Halsey

All these songs have a sinister and dark beat, but don't lose touch of a romantic tone. I tried to pick some modern songs so that you could probably be familiar with one or two, though I did get some of my Indie faves. If you absolutely love A Court of Thorns and Roses and the tone/mood that it invokes, I highly highly suggest checking out the song Running with the Wolves by Aurora.

For people who have started this amazing series, what musics do you think go best with it? I need to construct a playlist before I go back to reread. Let me know in the comments! 

Favorite Quotes of 2015

Have you ever realized the moment when an author writes something so worthy of being written down on a notebook and kept in your thoughts forever? I wish I was one of those people that kept quote journals and noted what they liked. These are just quotes that have stuck with me since last year. I either think they're hilariously sarcastic, deep and methodical, or just something that speaks to me from within. Hope you enjoy and let me know some of your favorite quotes from books or songs!

Why I Worship The Throne of Glass Series

Title: Throne of Glass (#4 Throne of Glass series)

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Pages: 656 pages

Published: September 1st, 2015 

Genre: Fantasy YA 

Source: Pre-order from Barnes & Noble

Rating:

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

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. 

Buy it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

Before I go rambling off on how amazing this series is, let me just say that this is my favorite series of all time. Does that give it some credit? I've been following the Throne of Glass series since the first book and the characters are my best friends. I don't know where I would be without this series as of now since it's changed the way I read books and what type of books I read.

If you didn't know (which you really should, like c'mon), the Throne of Glass series follows Celaena Sardothien, the world's greatest assassin, and it starts off with her being trapped in a jail in a place called Endovier. Supposedly this place is wretched and people are forced to work until they are dead tired so no one really survives for more than a few months. Then the King holds this competition to find a champion and the victor will be able to serve him for four years and gain their freedom. Prince Dorian hears of Celaena and with his Captain of the Guard, Chaol Westfall (LOVE LOVE LOVE), they go to Endovier to retrieve Celaena to represent them in the competition. Romance, betrayal, angst, violence, and smexiness ensues and the story evolves into something else entirely different from this plot by the end of the fourth book...

To keep it short and simple I'm going to tell you why I love this series and if you've read it, you can relate and if you haven't, you will be convinced into reading it! 

WHY I WORSHIP THIS SERIES

• A various buffet of book boyfriends. Are you a picker and a chooser? Not a nose picker, a picker. As in in every book you're picky about which of the men to let in your list of book boyfriends. It can be hard sometimes but this book makes it so easy to accept all the swoon-worthy guys. There's a lot of kissing, some shirt-off action, ballroom dancing (the most classy of all), oh and we can't forget the best part.... But yeah if you're worried about annoying male characters, you've got nothing to worry about here! 
• Celaena Sardothien is the snarkiest, kick-butt heroine, attitude-bringing, headache-inducing kind of character. She's a girl that loves her daggers and swords if you know what I mean. She has that kind of hottness to her where she can wield a dagger and guys like that! She's a character that you won't instantly like but you'll come to love her so much in the fourth book like right now she's my role model. One of the greatest things about Sarah J Maas' books is her character development and her ability to create change in her characters that merge in all the books of the series. 
• The magic is on point. One of the things I'm super nit-picky about in fantasy books is the creativity and imagination the author brings into his/her world. Let me just say that Sarah J. Maas definitely has a mind that wanders off because her worlds and magic are built purely off of her own thoughts and they are things I've never heard of before. She kind of does a twist on the runes from TMI but they're called Wyrdmarks and when drawn on the surface of your skin with something like blood, they can wield amazing power. Just like the runes, each Wyrdmark casts a different spell. I loved the presence of evil magic, shapeshifters, and wyverns (these cool dragon-like creatures that are claimed by the witches). 
• Maas' novel A Court of Thorns made a hit to the shelves as her YA leaning towards NA retelling of beauty and the beast. I especially love this series because although it's in a very loose genre, it's a mature book with sexual tension, a lot of things that you have to use critical thinking to understand, and language that is not very modern but more sophisticated than how we talk these days. There's no more 'Oh my god' and shortened acronyms for longer phrases. It makes you just feel like an adult when you're reading it. 
• Plot twists are insane. Her book is righteously associated with the feels, and I think that's because she has this maze in her head and in every chapter she takes a new turn and it leads somewhere incredibly unknown. Her plots and endings aren't an easy thing to predict. I know some of you like to sit there with your head in your butt thinking about what's going to happen in the end. But for this book, you're going to need to sit down and think real hard because you probably won't get it. I love how dramatic her plot twists and betrayals are that it kind of makes it hard not to fall in love with her all over again even though she devastates the entire story from what you thought was going to happen. 
• Lastly, Sarah J Maas' writing is one of a kind. Any Throne of Glass reader can tell you that if you gave them a blank sheet of a page in one of the Throne of Glass books, they would probably know it was Sarah J Maas without you telling them. Her writing is incredibly filled with imagery, descriptive detail that it's so easy to imagine the settings around you as if you were the narrator. I've never been able to do this so easily with a book but you're able to surround yourself with images and moving characters in your head. She integrates the setting and time period into the way these characters speak giving them more life. 

Courtesty of this wonderful artist. I love looking through Throne of Glass fanart and this is one of my favorites! 

FANGIRL WITH ME GUYS!! 

THIS BOOK... A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses 

Author: Sarah J. Maas 

Pages: 416 pages 

Published: May 5th, 2015 by Bloomsbury Children

Genre: Fantasy Retelling, YA 

Source: AMAZON PREORDER :P 

Rating: 

A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Times bestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore. 

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin- one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled the world. 

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy to hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin- and this world-forever. 

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R.R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down! 

Get it now!

Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble 

It's no surprise to any of you who have read my blog for a while that I have a burning love for Sarah J. Maas. My need for her writing is like rain to a dessert or even candy to Willy Wonka!! The Throne of Glass is undoubtedly one of my favorite series ever and she just has a way with writing fantasy books. I approach her books differently from how I normally read other books. I have a hand full of post-its and tissues because I know the feel waves are coming. 

I had heard that this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and I honestly have to say that I saw the smallest snippets of the theme throughout the book. Okay, to be kind of obvious, there was a "beauty" and a "beast". Faerie lores. Can we just talk about them for a second? Sarah J. Maas set up a wonderful and amazing world of faeries and humans co-existing, to say the least. Some humans have a deep hatred for the faeries and some faeries feel the same way. What I find that Maas does best is world-building and plot organization. She can write a fantasy book with hard-to-pronounce words and keep you from being confused or hindered from enjoying the story, all at the same time. Like this story and plot was so kick-ass. I LOVED IT SO SO SO MUCH, MORE THAN THE THRONE OF GLASS SERIES. I COULD EVEN DO THE PEACOCK SPIDER DANCE FOR THIS AMAZING AND WELL-BUILT PLOT! 

There is a ton of lore and information behind why her society is built this way and she does a perfect way of getting it out there, without the info dumps and the well-known insta love. Like what else do you want me to say that will convince you to read this book? If you're a daring contemporary reader who wants to live on the wild side for a bit, try a Sarah J. Maas book and see how easily you begin to fall in love with the fantasy genre. 

We've got our fast-paced that will get you reading and into the book right away, to ensure a clean and easy finish in just one or two sittings! 

We've not only got an author who's great on world-building but as well as character development and construction. Our main character, Feyre (Fay-ruh), was such an independent individual who didn't need any man in her life to protect her. She made an honest living, hunting animals in the forest for cash to keep the promise that she made her mom to never let her family starve. She grew so much in the book that it wasn't right to say that Feyre was the same person anymore by the end of the book. She has put her life on the line many times throughout the story, for the ones she loved and understands the fine line between want and need. 

Sarah J. Maas knows hot and mysterious guys just as she knows how to read the alphabet. Pure genius! After reading Throne of Glass, I was slobbering and yearning for more Chaol Westfall and now this book's got me worked up on Tamlin, the sexy and an enigma of an High Immortal Fae Lord. The mystery comes from the mask that has been bound to his face because of a curse, but of course, that doesn't keep the ladies from falling in love with his charms and that Greek sculpture of a body. Her characters are superbly described from head to toe, just as if he/she was standing next to you and you could see all the features! 

(pictures from ACOTAR Tumblr Fanpage)

My favorite part of the book! I use pink post-its to distinguish the romantic scenes in the book and by the time I was finished reading, my copy was filled with loads and loads of pink. Just pink everywhere. PINK PINK PINK GODDAMN PINK. The romance was incredible and was just so meaningful. Feyre and Tamlin are definitely OTP, but it's not only about that. Maas truly knows the fullest extent to love where there are no boundaries and one would do the impossible for the other and vise versa. She explores the romance between a mortal and a faerie, which was not encouraged by the setting considering how most humans fear the fae. 

The slow and gradual build up to the relationships in this book had me squeezing my pillow at night and screaming into the alleys of the park. It was so tedious and quite frustrating to deal with the fact that from the start, I knew they would make a good couple, but unfortunately they didn't realize that until the end. I'd heard rumors that this book wasn't YA anymore so it was dipped with some intense sexual scenes here and there indicating the transition into NA. I couldn't be more content with the romance and the close relationship between Feyre and Tamlin. 

Fantasy cannot get better than this! Read A Court of Thorns and Roses for swoony OTP's, superb world-building, characters with substance, and a fast-paced page-lifter. Maas' fandoms are wild and there are a bunch of people in the debate between Dorian and Chaol, so if anybody asks... I'M ROOTING FOR TAMLIN HAHA! I also heard this was supposed to be a series but by the way the first book ended, it looks okay to be a standalone. ALTHOUGH I NEED MORE TAMLIN! 

Have you read ACOTAR? FANGIRL WITH ME, PLEASEE!!!