Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian - Book Review

''Theodosia was six when her country was invaded and her mother, the Fire Queen, was murdered before her eyes. On that day, the Kaiser took Theodosia's family, her land, and her name. Theo was crowned Ash Princess--a title of shame to bear in her new life as a prisoner.

For ten years Theo has been a captive in her own palace. She's endured the relentless abuse and ridicule of the Kaiser and his court. She is powerless, surviving in her new world only by burying the girl she was deep inside.

Then, one night, the Kaiser forces her to do the unthinkable. With blood on her hands and all hope of reclaiming her throne lost, she realizes that surviving is no longer enough. But she does have a weapon: her mind is sharper than any sword. And power isn't always won on the battlefield.

For ten years, the Ash Princess has seen her land pillaged and her people enslaved. That all ends here."

This book wasn't the best, but it wasn't too bad either. It did feel like all the other YAs I've read, but I suppose I should expect books of the same genre to be similar. After all, there's not much that authors can do with a girl main character and a prince. Plotwise, the book was predictable and not very unique, but some interesting parts made it nicer.

It began slowly, taking its time for the plot to thicken. I was very bored for a while and the characters did nothing to make it better. I hated Theodosia from start to end. Prinz Søren really had no personality and I can't say he was much better than her. Balise had been added just for Theo to have a childhood friend in the picture, and for someone with whom she could reminisce about her dear lost homeland Astrea. Looking back, I didn't like any of the characters, so I must have kept going only in the hopes of the story getting better. And I do not like comparing books, but this was starting to feel too much like Red Queen. 

The author had glorified Astrea way too much. If the dresses were nice, they were Astrean, if anyone knew how to make swords, they were Astreans, if there was any single nice thing at all, it belonged to Astrea. Theo's hate of the enemy Kalovaxians had been taken to a great extent, and she was in love with Astrean culture without even knowing much about it. Her dislike of the Kalovaxia battle commander, Theyn, was justified, yet she forgave all the same actions when they were done by the Prinz.

The plot. It was predictable and I could have told you before I started the book that she wasn't going to murder Søren. And that in the end she would run away from the palace and start a rebel group. With the Prinz. I've read too many similar books, to not know anymore. The writing style was good enough, but along with Astrea, Theodosia had been glorified a lot as well. None of her rebel actions got her into any trouble until she wanted to get caught. Everything she did conveniently happened well, and she was able to fool all her enemies with her acting skills and big brains. It wouldn't have hurt if she had failed once or twice. I refuse to believe that a pampered princess who goes on to be a captive is as good scheming as she was. She had hardly been educated enough. 

I also didn't understand why she whined so much. Sure, her kingdom had been taken away and she would no longer be queen, but her life as a captive was as good as it gets. She was allowed to roam the land with her best friend, attend parties and somehow even dance classes, and the only catch was that she would be watched. And even that she managed to make an asset for herself by replacing her Shadows with her fellow rebel friends. And worse was how Blaise and Søren and the others kept encouraging her and eating up the lies she told them. Annoying Prinz Søren with hiz uselezz brainz and uselezz skillz. I tell you, that man could do nothing.

Honestly, after writing all that, I forget what I had liked. But the book did get better towards the end. Once the story picked up, I could focus on that instead of on the characters, making it bearable. Drangonsbane being her mother's twin was unnecessary, but perhaps the author will make good enough use of it later to justify it. I'm going to read the next book someday, so I could not have hated it too much. 2 and a half stars due to the dull beginning and frustrating characters and predictable plot. Wait, what was it that I liked again? Oh, nothing. Maybe just two stars then.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - Book Review (no spoilers)

"I have a curse
I have a gift
I am a monster
I'm more than human
My touch is lethal
My touch is power
I am their weapon
I will fight back

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette's touch is fatal. As long as she doesn't hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don't fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong colour.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war—and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she's exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior."

I had read so many negative reviews of this book that I wanted to try it out and see for myself how bad it was. I thought it couldn't be as horrible as they said, but I was wrong. Of course, I had read some good reviews as well, and the two were at such extremes that the book sounded interesting. I started this book with expectations as low as they get, and still, I was let down. I couldn't believe the author published something like this. 

It was every bit as bad as people say and worse. I had not gone into this book expecting it to be a romance, but that is the only way to describe it. I hated that the author has put crossed out sentences in, instead of writing them in italics when they were her thoughts, or removing them entirely. The book would have been so much nicer without them. Nothing in the story made sense. At all. Not even the slightest bit. One moment two people are talking, the next one of them is asking the other what she's writing? What is that even supposed to mean? 

Here is how the first part of the book goes.

I'm insane.

I'm not insane.

He's looking at me.

I want him to touch me.

I blush. I don't reply.  

The world/my life is a mess.

I freeze. I am a statue. I do not move.

I blush.

Seriously, the number of times she sits still as a statue and her muscles freeze and the world tilts is frustrating. 

It felt as if the main character wasn't really experiencing anything or registering the things around her. Nothing was described properly, and I couldn't get a clear picture of what was happening. The author has used so many senseless phrases and "metaphors" that hardly fit the context. Most were not even physically possible. The whole book is such a mess.

The second half was slightly better, but nothing could make up for the horrible beginning. The story finally picked up, yet nothing much happened, and even after finishing the book I feel like I haven't really read any story. I have no wish to suffer through more of the author's writing style. The plot is only slightly interesting, predictable, and none of the characters are appealing. Juliette was psychotic. Adam was just there, and I couldn't tell you a thing about anybody else. 

I would give the world building half a star out of five. It was so terrible that it wasn't even there. The sky had supposedly changed colour from grey to grey, and there were no flowers and animals?? So what I gathered is their entire world was a dusty desert with metal buildings and a manipulative government headed by a boy. Half a star for the writing style as well. I refuse to believe that anybody liked how this author writes. It was the most irritating book I have ever read.

I would not recommend this series at all. Books with a similar storyline and a lot nicer writing do exist. You can always read Maze Runner, Divergent, the Fates Divide, and even Red Queen if you're desperate. A one star review for this disappointment of a book. 

A Storm of Swords : A Song of Ice and Fire #3 by George R R Martin - Book Review

Book 3 has been divided into two parts - Steel and Snow, and Blood and Gold. The story is continued in the second book from where it stopped in it first, and the parts are sometimes published as one book too. I loved both of them a lot. The beginning of the second part was slightly slow, but the main action took place in part two itself.

In the first book, Daenerys boards a ship to cross the seas to get to Westeros with her dragons. Sansa is wedded to Tyrion, and Arya gets captured by Dondarrion. Meanwhile, Bran is on his way to the Wall with Meera, Jojen and Hodor. Robb wins all battles but he loses some of his allied houses as well as Winterfell. The Lannisters still rule from King's Landing, with their unending supply of wealth, and newfound allies. The Watch loses their battle with the Others, while Jon pretends to be a turn cloak to survive with the Wildlings. 

I loved the plot twists in this book. It had an element of surprise and suspense. The author has usually chosen the most unexpected path in the story. The viewpoints overlapped sometimes, to keep us updated about everything. When a character suddenly discovers something shocking, it surprises us as well, although the previous chapters gave us an illusion of knowing about it. I was surprised when they burnt Winterfell down since Theon seemed to have won it. The author also doesn't tell us anything else about him in the first part, which adds to the suspense. We can only believe that the reinforcements turned on him and burnt him down with the castle.

Reading these books is very satisfying. The author gives the readers what they want, but in a twisted, unpredictable way. It's thrilling to read the action scenes, as the fights have been described very vividly. Since the battles do not always turn out the way we expect them to, we are kept on the edge of our seats wondering who will win. The author has portrayed all the characters and their emotions very clearly. This makes us feel as though we know them well, only for someone to turn out to be a liar, and when they turn on their friends, we feel betrayed too. The constant formation and breaking of alliances make this book very exciting. We never know what might happen next, as friendships are shaky at best even among the same family.

I love how characters are killed off without a second thought, and no prior warning. It makes all the battles seem truly dangerous for the people and not a war where the hero's victory is certain. The Lannisters have been shown as cunning, wicked people who do not hesitate to lie and deceive to get what they want. Yet, Tyrion Lannister is an honourable man and protects those whom he can. There are no true villains or good people, and every king's claim to the Iron Throne is as legitimate as the last. The suspense is also added to when people seemingly dead come back to life, and sometimes even the truly dead are awakened. It makes us think that nothing is impossible.

George Martin has used instances of necromancy, magic and dragons, but they do not seem silly or forced. Everything in the book has been explained well, and somehow his explanations make even the most unnatural of things seem normal. Nothing happens without a reason, and we can only imagine what he plans to do next. 

The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller - Book Review

"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?"

I can't say I liked this book, but I did not hate it either. There were parts of it which were okay, but others were unclear or dull. I cannot form a proper opinion of this book, but it wasn't too bad, and I think I will give it three stars for now; this rant could change my opinion.

Since it is a standalone, the story moved pretty fast. The chapters were very short, as was the book. I finished the whole thing in less that twenty-four hours, so it could not have been too bad. I did not like the characters much, they were hardly developed, but that wasn't as annoying as how their personalities kept changing. The Shadow King went from mysterious, harsh and brooding to open and friendly in a matter of seconds. He was kind to Alessandra most of the times, yet she called him selfish and controlling which made me think him a little rude too. I did not like how the only thing Alessandra had to do to attract his attention was wear a dress that was not green. Many girls attended his ball, hoping to please him, all wearing a gown in his favourite colour - green. How could nobody have seen the other green dress clad girl getting turned down and thought to be unique by wearing another colour? The worst thing that could have happened is that they would have been turned down. But everyone else wearing green was too.

The entire relationship of Alessandra and the Shadow King was unsatisfying. He acted like he loved her right from the start, yet she was blissfully unaware of it. She claims to have liked him when she first set eyes on him, but we know that her original aim was to poison him. Since we all knew they would end up together, sometimes I felt like telling them to just get on with it and stop their bickering. It was mainly annoying because I did not like Alessandra at all, nor the Shadow King much, which made anything apart from the murder-related plot boring.

And oh the plot. How do I begin. I do not want to hate on it too much, but I did not like it. The synopsis made it sound interesting, and I was not ready so get so let-down by this book. I understood nothing about His Majesty's shadows. And is it just me, or did the immortality part not make sense at all? If touched he would become a mortal. Okay I get it. But somehow he would become a mortal only in the presence of that person, and could only be killed by that person. How? So now that he has touched Alessandra, if she goes more than fifty yards away from him, he will become an immortal again? And if not, how did he not become a mortal when the other people touched him?

I have little to say about the world-building. Since it did not exist. 

I had no idea about how their world was supposed to look. The king controlled many regions, yet we hardly see any evidence of his power. Infrastructure was poor, there was a shortage of competent soldiers, the council was unintelligent, and the King himself was hardly capable of ruling. They had various modern facilities like electricity and fancy deserts (and somehow even eclairs?) yet they seemed pretty backward to me. Women did not wear pants, could not expose any bit of their skin, and general society was hardly developed. If they had electricity, didn't anyone build cameras? An alarm system? An electric chair for questioning? Cloth irons? Hair straighteners? There were so many possibilities to improve their safety and living condition and that of the King, yet they relied on his unreliable shadows.

I would have ignored the poor world-building if the characters had been nice, but they let me down too. The book felt bland and half-formed. Nothing was described well, yet it was described a little. I have only a vague idea of everything and many a important things were not described at all. The palace, Alessandra's looks, people's expressions, and the like were not explained properly, which failed to draw me into the world or make me empathize with the characters. 

I feel bad for hating on this book so much because the idea was good and it wasn't that the author was bad at writing. I just didn't feel this book and thought it had a few flaws. It was fun to read though, I'll give her that, and the cover is nice. I'll give it a two-star review.

Game of Thrones and A Clash of Kings : A Song of Ice and Fire books 1 & 2 by Geroge R R Martin - Book Review (no spoilers)

These books were really good. They were gigantic and as exciting, and I loved every bit of them. The second book I liked more than the first, but that seems to be the case with many series, especially long ones like this. And I liked the first book a great deal too.

I had heard a lot about these books from various sources. From what I had gathered, it was about a bunch of people fighting for a throne. The author introduced characters only to kill them off, and violence and gory details of battle ensued. They sounded nice enough. And for the most part, they are like that. Only, I had not expected the characters to be likeable and the world of Westeros to be so vivid. Every person has been thought out and written very well, and I can even imagine myself being there among them, even though their world differs greatly from ours.

In the first book, we are introduced to most of the main characters and told about their lives. It moves a little slower than the others, but it's for our good. I was slightly confused in the beginning since there were so many people and places to keep track of, but it was intriguing. After reading the second book, I found the first a bit dull, but I had enjoyed it then. The book has various people like kings, queens, knights, children, servants, a dwarf, and people holding numerous other posts. The author had written them such that everyone seems as central to the story as the last. He has included the points of view of a vast range of people, and all the events are described from different perspectives.

I had not expected to like most of the people I did. My favourite character was Arya, and I liked Jon Snow too. Tyrion was witty and entertaining, and it was fun to read his chapters. The chapters having Eddard Stark's viewpoint were very happening, as they told us about the internal workings of the court at King's Landing. Daenerys was always across the seas from the rest, and her life was aptly shown different from theirs.

In the second book, the real action began. There were outright wars and conflicts between houses. Even the Night's Watch, or the people who guard the Wall in the north, ventured beyond and discovered new things. The whole story may not be too fast-paced, but the author has given us tons of details about everyone's life, and the individual chapters seem to move fast enough. Since many things are happening in different places at once, the overall plot is slightly slow. I was drawn into the world of even the characters I disliked and was interested to know more about everything the author has created. He has scattered the Starks such that we know a little about what is happening everywhere, and there are other people for the rest. 

I loved these books and am looking forward to reading the next ones!