REVIEW | George by Alex Gino.

George by Alex Gino was read 38 of 2016! I read this book as a part of the Banned Bookathon hosted by Catriona at LittleBook Owl and I gave this read a 5 out of 5 stars!

George is about a 10 year old in 4th grade who's name is George, but all she wants is to be a girl.  We follow George throughout the year as she makes a plan to try out for the school play, Charlotte's Web and instead of trying out for the boy parts, she reads for Charlotte.  We follow her story with her family, her teachers, a bully, and her best friend.

My heart is so warm that there is a children's book about a transgender child out there for kids to identify with and see themselves in a fictional character.  I'm just so happy this book exists.

I admire Alex Gino for writing this book. What an awesome debut to make as an author.

The writing was great. I loved reading from George's perspective and the way she thought about her hair, the way she put her towel around herself. My favorite scene is when she gets to play dress up with her best friend - who is also such a wonderful character!


Please comment down below any book recommendations you might have similar to George, particularly for the children/middle grade ages! Thanks!

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas.

Settle in because this post is gong to be a long one.  My 37th read of 2016 was Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas and I gave it a full 5 out of 5 stars!

This is the 5th book in the Throne of Glass series so there's not much to say without spoilers. I will say that this is by far my favorite series of all time (with the only exception of Harry Potter) so if you haven't picked these books up yet I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. They just continue to get better!

OKAY LETS TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK. SPOILER TIME, YE BE WARNED.

First of all, I'm so obsessed with all the women in this story. I absolutely love that this series never gives you a character that lets their love interest do the work for them.

So we need to talk about how stressed out I was throughout reading this book. Oh my god, I thought my chest might explode from the anxiety for all my favorite people. The awesome fight scene at Skull's Bay was SO INTENSE. I was so worried we were going to lose Lysandra in that scene, I could not handle it. And what the heck is the weird thing that happened with the god taking over Aelin's body?? AND I KNEW something was crazy with Rowan stepping in front of Aelin. Holy shit, I was going to freak out if Aelin was the one who killed Rowan. WHAT.

Oh my god, so intense.

I cried for the first time when I read the scene where the Ironteeth witches come together and decide that Asterin will die because of what Manon did to the the other witch when they were at Dorian's city. SOBBED. And THEN when we finally come back to the Manon story line (seriously why did it take so long) holy shit! Reading Manon decide to attempt to kill her grandmother, the woman that she has been trying to please since we met her in Heir of Fire. Oh my god. 

We need to talk about the sexy scenes in this book.

FIRSTLY I'm so glad this ship between Manon and Dorian came to fruition, I LIVE FOR IT. oh my god i'm obsessed with them and it was so hot. And most importantly I love that Manon threatens Dorian when he assumes he can come back without her consent. YES.

I also want to talk about the almost sexy time we got between Elide and Lorcan. OH MY GOD I did not see that coming! One thing I love about the way Sarah J Maas' writing her love interests is that while sometimes they are fast, she can also write a very slow burn such as these two. I absolutely LOVE IT.

Aelin and Rowan. The biggest question I've seen everywhere is also my question. HOW DID ROWAN NOT BURN HIMSELF. She turned the sand to glass how is he not in pain?!

Alright lastly we have to talk about the ending.

I cried from pride and relief when Abraxos came back with the Thirteen and when Rowan's family all turned from Maeve's fleet and chose to fight against her instead. ALSO why was Maeve that dumb. Okay.

Then, reading Aelin refuse to count the whips the Maeve requires oh my god I just was sobbing almost so hard I couldn't see the words on the page. Because that girl already has so many scars on her back from whips so to watch her know what is coming, and still refuse to count. THE STRENGTH IT TAKES. I can't imagine.

And then the reveal that Lysandra will be Aelin so nobody will lose faith in their queen, AND that Aelin actually did raise an army from nothing for Terrasen I CANT HANDLE IT. She didn't get to see that she did not fail before Maeve took her and it was just so much. I'm so proud of her, and what she did.

I am SO nervous for the next book. Are we going to spend most of the book watching Aelin tortured while Rowan is looking for her? WORSE are we not going to see Aelin for a good portion of the book because Rowan is looking for her? I feel like if she is found and freed too quickly I won't be happy with that either. Oh my god, I'm anxious just thinking about the ending to this series and Sarah J Maas hasn't even written it yet. I'm a hot mess.


What did you think about Empire of Storms?! Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Carry On by Rainbow Rowell.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell was read 36 of 2016! I gave this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Carry On is a spin off book of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. In Fangirl, the main characters Cath and Wren are obsessed with a series called Simon Snow and Cath writes fan fiction online for that series called Carry On.  This book is the fan fiction of the 8th book in the Simon Snow series that Cath would've written.

So, Carry On is about a boy named Simon Snow (who feels a lot like Harry Potter) who is the magical chosen one at the school who must defeat the humdrum.  His roommate, Baz is basically the Malfoy of the story and the whole point from Cath's perspective is that Baz and Simon are in love, even though the author didn't write it that way.

Although I did enjoy the ending of this book and the way the characters grew together, I did have some issues with it.  The first half of the book was a bit boring for me and I found myself drifting off to think of different things when I was listening to the audiobook.  I also couldn't help comparing it regularly to the Harry Potter series which just made me want to read Harry Potter instead of this book.

With all that said though I did love the way the love interest and the antagonist were created, revealed, and delved into.  This story is definitely its own by the end of the story, and Rainbow Rowell's write was amazing as always.  

Let me know your thoughts on this novel! Who was your favorite character? I'm definitely partial to Baz.

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Saga Volume 6

Saga Volume 6 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples was read 35 of 2016! I gave this book a full 5 out of 5 stars, and I do think this is the best volume of this series so far!

If you don't know what Saga is about, it is narrated by the daughter of these two people who are species that are at war with each other and therefore the governments of their people are trying to find them and kill their daughter so the war can continue.  That's about all I got without spoilers, so if you haven't read this volume yet, SEE YA LATER!

So like I said, I think this was my favorite volume of the series so far. I love that we've gotten a few more different character story lines, such as Prince Robot with Marko and the assassin who's having so many struggles, etc.  I absolutely love Marko's mother. She will forever be my favorite.

I also have to say I think this volume might be my favorite because Marko and Alana are separated for most of this volume and my biggest pet peeve of this series is how frequently they fight. It was a breath of fresh air to not have to read their fights every five pages.

I'm also loving seeing Hazel get older and actually have a current role in the story she is also narrating. It was nice to see her make some decisions for herself, like trusting the individual who I gathered was either trans or gender noncomforming.

I can't wait for the next volume! I really am loving the Prince Robot dynamic with Marko and I hope that he stays around.

Thats all I got!

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Uglies by Scott Westerfeld.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld was read 34 of 2016 and I gave it a 5 out of 5 stars! This is a long time favorite of mine, and this was a reread for me. I think I've read it four or five times now.  I read this in order to participate in a liveshow on Aly's channel, TheLittleLibrian. You can check it out here!

Uglies is the first book in the Uglies series, which follows a girl named Tally. Years in the future from our time now, Tally lives in a world where at 16 years old, everyone goes through a surgery to make them as perfectly beautiful as possible.  Just a few months short of turning 16 herself, Tally meets Shay, who likes to explore, adventure, and get into trouble. But a few days before their 16th birthday, Shay finally tells Tally her plan: run away from the city to live our in the with a group of people that never turned Pretty. And so the story begins.

This series is so fun and adventurous and SMART. It delves into the beauty standards of today, what it means to be pretty, and why its so important. I think this book is so important, and could easily be required reading because for me when I read this the first time in high school, it helped me form my own self confidence.

That's really all I can say before I head into spoilers, so for those who haven't read it yet, SEE YOU LATER!


First of all, I need to talk about the fact that this reread was the first time I wanted a spark between Tally and Shay. I don't know if its because I haven't read this book in a while, since I've started reading more diverse books, or something but DAMN I so badly wanted that to be canon.  Alas, disappointment.

I also found that this reread was the first time I read this book and was really annoyed with our main characters, specifically Tally.  I remember connecting so well with her years ago, and maybe its because since I've grown up, gained confidence in myself, and all that jazz her idyllic view of the Pretty operation just bothered me. I'm not saying I suddenly hated this book. I just suddenly wasn't connecting as well with the characters as I did years ago.

I did decide to pick up Shay's Story, the graphic novel about Shay before she meets Tally and before Tally gets to the smoke. I'm definitely planning on continuing that series - expect a review of that graphic novel soon! I just recently finished it.

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Saga Volume 4 & 5 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.

I gave Saga Volumes 4 & 5 by Brian K Vaughan and Fiona Staples both a 4 out of 5 stars.

There are the 4th and 5th volumes of the Saga graphic novels, which follow the story of Marko and Alana and their baby. Each from a planet and moon that are at war with each other, Marko and Alana's baby, Hazel, shouldn't exist - and the government of both the planets want to make sure she doesn't.  Trying to survive in a universe not just at war but specifically out to get them and their child is a dangerous game, and this series is all about that struggle.

I can't get into specifics about these two volumes since they are sequels without spoilers so if you haven't yet read up to Volume 5 of this series this will be where you should go.  I LOVE THIS SERIES THOUGH.

SPOILERS AHEAD.

Lying Cat is the freaking best.

I love that Hazel narrates this series, it is such a breath of fresh air to be given a series with parents who have a sex life and a child who isn't 100% naive about it? Like I get that Hazel is narrating this story in a future time frame - so hopefully she's made it to adulthood! - but I still love that this series doesn't keep all the sex stuff separate from the family stuff.

AS ALWAYS I had an issue with how quickly Alana gets so angry with Marko. Its one of the most frustrating things to read because Marko is so open hearted and lovable, Alana is fucking everything up especially in Volume 4, and she's the one getting mad in every freaking issue.

I also thought it was weird that Alana was working as a public broadcast star of a sexy show? They're on the run why isn't she in hiding? They do bring that up very flippantly but SERIOUSLY THAT WAS STUPID.

Also the giant dragon penis oh my god LOL.

Also Marko's mom is another FREAKING AWESOME person! SO BADASS I love her to death she better not die or I will freak out.

The drugs got weird. I thought it was a pretty fleshed out part of the story though, like I understood why Alana started using, and how conflicted she was, how frustrated Marko was, etc.  It was so sad to read and I'm curious to see if now that they've left that planet will that problem just go away for a new one to take its place or will we watch Alana continue to struggle, as well as Marko now that the crazy green lady gave him some too? CURIOUS.

I also am SO curious to see where the baby tv alien plot is going to go. SO MANY UNANSWERED QUESTIONS.

Okay I'm starting to ramble without any clear direction so I think this might be my time to say that's all and sleep dreams (or not since its the morning? Questionable.)

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner.

Curse of the Sphinx by Raye Wagner was read 31 of 2016 and I gave it 4 out of 5 stars.

This book is about a girl named Hope who lives in a version of our world where people are aware that the Greek gods, demigods, and monsters are still around and take part in our affairs.  Hope is a Sphinx - a part woman/lion/bird hybrid monster that is thought to be extinct but in fact never went away.  The Greek tale of the Sphinx is the story of her grandmother, but its only a partial truth.  Now Hope and her mother live in hiding, since the Gods think they don't exist and they want to keep it that way.  But when Hope's mother is murdered, she has to figure out how to remain hidden while maintaining her life without her mother by her side.

I received this book and the sequel, Demigods and Monsters, from Booktube Tours in exchange for an honest review. And I am so excited to say that it was so very enjoyable! While there were issues that I had with this book I was so engrossed in the story, I felt like I finished it so quickly!

Before going into the things I love I want to talk about the few issues I had with the book.

As many YA novels do, the insta-love KILLED me.  Athan is too perfect to be true both physically and emotionally.  And he is lovingly obsessed with Hope but only to the extent that doesn't feel creepy.  Too perfect.

The family dynamic was something that I didn't love but was also very intriguing. Hope's mom and aunt both irritated me so much because the family is essentially all in danger because of their species yet they don't tell Hope everything she needs to know when big events happen in the story and therefore frequently is pretty reckless.

Okay besides those few issues, I really loved this book. It is fast paced as I said, and there is a lot of action and intrigue.  I cannot wait to start Demigods and Monsters because there are so many unanswered questions I NEED TO KNOW.  

I also did love Hope and the friends that she makes throughout the book. Honestly I probably loved her friends more than her because sometimes she made dumb decisions that had me groaning "NO NO BAD IDEA!!" But that's pretty normal for me with the protagonists I read, especially the younger they are and I do love YA so I stick it out with that issue.

I wanted to talk about some of the things I loved about the family dynamic - in particular, Hope's aunt. I love her.  She is so freaking bad ass!  I want a short story or a whole novel based in her perspective while she's off doing her research that she's doing during this book, getting information about the people who are involved in Hope's mother's murder.  I LOVE HER.

I'm running out of things I can say without spoiling things, but I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes urban fantasy and/or Greek mythology!

Until next time, 

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling.

I reread Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling recently. This was the first time I'd ever listened to the Jim Dale audiobooks and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT!

While GoF is actually my least favorite book of this series, I still enjoy it and I couldn't help but choke up and tear up while listening to this wonderful story.  Of course I gave it a full 5 out of 5 stars.

I'm not going to bother with a spoiler free review here, because it's freaking Harry Potter and its also the 4th book in the series.

This is the book that hits the brink of the dark in the Harry Potter series. I forgot how long we spend not at Hogwarts - we get more back story and more plot that has to do with the adult dark wizards.  

Its also such an interesting experience because the more I reread these books the more I'm attached to what I already know about different situations that get brought up earlier on in the series.  For example, I started crying when Wormtail gets his new hand because I know what that hand does in the future.

I love this series so much. I highly highly recommend listening to the Jim Dale audiobooks. I think that's all I got for right now.

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera.

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera was read 29 of 2016.  I gave this book a full and complete 5 out of 5 stars.

This book is about a boy named Aaron who lives in the Bronx, and while most of the world is the same as our every day life, in this version of reality science has created a procedure that can erase painful memories you want to get rid of.  This coming of age novel is about Aaron figuring out that he is gay, but doesn't want to be.

The way that this story is told is phenomenal. I absolutely loved the way Adam chose to make this almost a little bit of a thriller even though its not? That's hard to explain without spoilers but I truly loved it. 

This book deals with some tough topics. Along with coming to terms with your sexuality and coming out, the story also talks (and has a trigger warning for) about suicide and depression - Aaron's father kills himself before the story begins and Aaron also attempted suicide before we meet him.

The way that Adam wrote about all of these intense topics felt very raw and real because while there is hope, you also can feel that the characters living these experiences may not be able to see or feel that hope.

I freaking loved this book. I can't believe it took me this long to finally pick it up. Go read it. Love it with me. There's too many things I can't say because I don't want to spoil you for it. ITS SO GOOD. That's all I got!

With that I'm going to leave.  IF YOUVE READ IT find me on the interwebs so I can relive this beautiful story by talking about it.

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by Rowling, Tiffany, & Thorne.

I gave Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne a 4 out of 5 stars.  I did do a vlog style review on my channel that you can check out here for my raw and initial thoughts throughout reading this book.

This book begins at the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and focuses on Albus Severus Potter's Hogwarts experience and adventures.  The live play takes five hours to show four years of Albus' life pass.  The main plot centers around Albus and Harry's imperfect and volatile relationship that pushes Albus and his best friend Scorpius Malfoy to try to go back in time to save Cedric Diggory in the Triwizard Tournament.

I will be going into spoilers but before I do I want to give some general thoughts and feelings about this story.  I do want to say that I knew going into it that the formatting of the book was going to annoy me as it is a play not a novel.  I tried very hard to not let that sway my opinions but it did definitely make it more difficult to connect with the characters since you don't get much past the dialogue.

I found the first half of the book rather boring.  Because this book has a time traveling plot, the story was rather repetitive in my opinion; even though each time the characters travel in time things do change, it still is a very cyclical plot.  I also found the issues that create the drama of the story were too small to incite such large issues.

I did love how many cameos we get of so many characters, which I'll go into more detail in a bit once we head into spoilers. That being said, WHERE IS TEDDY LUPIN. I am upset. WHERE IS HAGRID. NEVILLE. I am upset that some of the supposedly most important people  weren't involved in this story at all.

Okay lets get into some real straight up spoilers.

TIME TRAVEL.  It's problematic. Let me first say that I tend not to be a huge fan of time travel plots because they can very easily be repetitive when you go back over and over again such as in this story.
But more importantly I'm confused why we got a time travel book.  As many people have pointed out, JK Rowling has come out and said that she made a lot of mistakes when she wrote POA and that in order to attempt to fix those mistakes within her world, she destroyed all of the time turners in OOTP for that purpose.  This makes me question how much say JK Rowling really had in the plot of this story, because if she truly hated the mistakes she made and did so much to fix them, why would she approve this reopening of the Pandora's Box of time travel.

I also have a huge issue with the fact that due to a humiliating loss in the Triwizard tournament, Cedric Diggory - the very kind Hufflepuff who asks everyone not to wear the Potter Stinks pins, who is mad that he won the game against Gryffindor in the 3rd year to the Dementors, etc - would become a Death Eater due to that.  Not just a grouchy old wizard. A Dark Wizard so angry with the world because of one (huge but nonetheless ONE) loss that he singlehandedly turns the world over on its side.  I just have a hard time believing that Cedric would have become THAT angry. I have no doubt he'd be bitter and sad and grouchy, and maybe lonely because he's so grouchy. But a murderous death eater? I'm not sure I buy it.

While I do love that Bellatrix got to be mentioned in this story because of her supposed "love" child with Voldemort, I'm still a little annoyed by the idea that they made a love child.  Voldemort isn't capable of love or human emotions like that.  Now I could maybe see Voldemort actively deciding to have an heir. But that's not how this part of the plot line was described, which it couldn't have. If it was a planned decision for him to make an heir, the Death Eaters would have known to keep that baby alive at all costs. Which means people would have had to know about it - like Draco.  But this girl was kept secret.  It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

Last thing before I stop complaining: Why would anybody be surprised that the 14 year old middle child was mad he got a baby blanket when his siblings got cool things that they actually wanted or could use. As an adult, I understand why Harry thought it was sentimental and that's cute. But put yourself in that 14 year old's shoes.  I would not have been excited about that. Sorry, but I'm not sorry.

Okay I'm done complaining. Let's talk about the things I loved, because even though the time travel plot makes little sense, it was fun to see some alternate realities.

First and foremost I loved seeing the scariest version of the world, and getting so see that the fight was continuing even with little hope but much determination. Most importantly though, I loved reading that Snape was moved that Harry names his son after him. It was amazing and even though I'm one of those people that doesn't forgive Snape for being awful to Harry, Neville, and Gryffindors in general I did love to see him show some of that true emotion we know exists within him.

The alternate universe where Ron is married to Padma was freaking hilarious and weird and gave me the heebie jeebies. Why is Hermione such an asshole to her students in this version? Ron is still bumbling and I love it.

The ending. It was heart wrenching and palpable with emotion that I could not handle. I loved getting to see Harry watch his parents live through their last moments. It was something I didn't realize I wanted until I was reading it, and it was perfect.


So I had issues with this book. A lot of them. But I also laughed and cried reading this book because at the end of the day, I love Harry Potter and I got to live in a new spot of the story.  So I'm glad I got to be a part of that.

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | To Hear The Ocean Sigh by Bryant A. Loney

To Hear the Ocean Sigh by Bryant A. Loney was read 27 of 2016 and I gave it three out of five stars. I was sent an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about a boy named Jay in his sophomore year who spent his previous high school year rather alone.  When he gets a phone for his 16th birthday, he anxiously awaits his first new text to no avail until a random number accidentally texts him thinking it's someone else's number.  An unlikely friendship via text is created between this girl who texted him not knowing who he is and Jay.  Along with that, Jay also makes some friends at school. 

These two facts begin a coming of age novel about sneaking out from strict parents, going to church, making mistakes, and dating.

This book does have a trigger warning for suicidal thoughts, and I also think that while I won't go into detail because spoilers, I did think this was the best part of the novel.  It was surprising while still hinted at and I think it was well done in the way that often times when you know someone who has committed suicide or is thinking about it, you don't realize or recognize the signs until its far too late.

The tag line of this book is "strict parents create sneaky kids," and that was what made me interested in reading this book.  While the characters are sneaky and do go out to parties and such, I was a little let down with the way the kids who had strict parents acted.  The two characters with the most strict parents were also the two kids who were the least sneaky.  They were also the ones fastest to point out what the group was doing was wrong, etc.  (i.e. They go to a party and then get mad when they find out their friends smoke pot).

There was also a lot of cheating in this book and while I thought the portrayal of how those involved make those choices were realistic, I also was disappointed that the people who were betrayed let everyone get off easy.  Cheating does not sit well with me, and I didn't like reading that everything was fine eventually.

While this wasn't my favorite book, I did enjoy certain parts of it, especially toward the end.  Contemporaries are hard to please me so take that into account as well when deciding if you'll give this book a chance.

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas was read 26 of 2016.  I gave this book a complete 5 out of 5 stars.

This is the second book in the Court of Thorns and Roses series so I can't say too much about this book in particular without spoilers.  But A Court of Thorns and Roses is about a girl named Feyre who lives just on the limit of human lands and accidentally kills a fairy, which causes her to be taken into Fae territory as prisoner.  Its a beauty and the beast retelling, so the Fae lord Tamlin who holds her captive is a very important character as you might imagine.

I absolutely loved this book. While I enjoyed the first book, this one was phenomenal! I loved all of the characters, and the plot stressed me out so much I was so nervous especially during the climatic scenes! ALSO there are lots of sexy times in this book which I definitely was glad to be in private when I happened to be reading those scenes.

GET READY FOR SPOILERS.

Okay so I was Team Rhysand basically from the end of ACOTAR and so I was LIVING for this freaking book.  I was just anxiously awaiting for when he would come back to us in the beginning of this story.

I LOVE THE SQUAD. I love all of them so much, and my heart ached and melted every time any of them were in danger. The loyalty they have toward Rhysand, Feyre, and just each other was so heart warming.  All of their stories were not only fascinating but also painful but in a way that made them so much stronger as individuals and as a team.  I'm basically obsessed with them.

Finding out that Feyre and Rhysand were mates made me way too emotional because I'm obsessed with them. Have you ever been reading and you're thinking oh my god these characters are so important to me they're so real but then you realize they're not real and I do that. I'll say it again - I am not emotionally stable because of this book.

Okay there are two specific scenes I need to gush about before I go.  The first is the scene in Velaris when the battle takes place. SO MANY THINGS.  Firstly, the tension in my body was so strong, I was so nervous, I couldn't handle it! I loved watching Feyre use her powers and just destroy everyone and THE ATTOR. Oh my god, that scene was amazing!!! I also loved that she shut Rhys out in order to finish the job.  Feyre is so strong, I'm obsessed with her.

The last thing I need to talk about is of course the scene at Hybern's court. Phenomenal.  So much anxiety reading that scene I couldn't handle it. I'm excited that Nesta and Elain are both Fae, even though it was so bad but oh my god! ELAIN AND LUCIEN GAH. ALSO I couldn't stop crying once Feyre decided to do the most stupid (and also smartest) thing and played the part to get them out of there! AMAZING. And awful. but amazing!! Tamlin is horrible but I'm so excited to get to see this spy situation even though it probably means we aren't going to get any awesome Rhys&Feyre sex scenes which is upsetting. 

I also freaking loved that Rhys made her High Lady, something never done before in this world I flipped my shit! AND to further my love for the Squad, I loved how they reacted to finding out their high lady was in enemy territory and that feral anger and want to get her back to them even though they couldn't do that GAH why don't I have the next book already????

Okay, I think that's all I can say that is going to be actually comprehensible and not just giddy oh my gods because I'm obsessed with this book...

So until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson.

I gave The Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson 3.5 out of 5 stars.  This was the group book for the Summer 2016 Biannual Bibliothon, and you can check out the liveshow here.

This book is about a girl named Andie whose father is a congressman that gets himself stuck in the middle of a scandal that makes it impossible for Andie to continue with the summer she had planned for herself.  Stuck with nothing to do for the summer, she finds a part time job and decides to go with the flow and hang out with her best friends and a cute boy all summer.

I will be going into some spoilers in this review eventually, but you're safe for now!

The first half of this book was pretty uneventful.  Contemporaries are hit or miss for me, and I tend to enjoy those that are heart wrenching and this was more of a happy summer contemporary.

The second half of the book had a lot of interesting plot points, but all of them were pretty obvious and predictable as I read them. That doesn't mean they weren't enjoyable at all, but it does mean it wasn't my favorite book to read because I certainly love to be surprised.

ALRIGHT SPOILERS AHEAD BE WARNED.

I really didn't like Andie.  Her character felt like two different stereotypes meshed into one and I was so confused about her.  She is good at not getting caught doing bad things because of the political life she's grown up in, but she really doesn't do much all that bad.

I really loved Clark and his stereotypical life of being a crazy author. Although I did get the George RR Martin feels when they first talked about the fantasy novelist who still hasn't finished the last book (ahem, lookin' at you George!). He was the typical very perfect boy for the troubled protagonist and while that was predictable, it was also very enjoyable. Once he showed up is when I started enjoying the story more.

I love that we focused on a big group of friends and their summer adventures. Too often we see a contemporary where the only focus is the couple, and I was so happy to see a big group of girls who all had different personalities and it just reminded me of some of my summers I had in high school and early college.

With that said, I find it unrealistic how easily Palmer and Toby both forgave Andie at the end.  Andie made just as big of a mistake as Bri, and I think I was more mad at her for trying to keep Bri and Wyatt hidden than I was mad at Bri. I am glad that the end of this book didn't wrap up perfectly; it was very realistic that Toby went her separate way because of the experience and all of that. But I honestly think there should have been more fall out.

I loved that we saw a father daughter relationship in a contemporary young adult novel.  However, I did think that it was very convenient the way that it formed.  I loved one of the first fights Andie and her dad have about how suddenly he wants to act like a Dad.  And then basically after that they form this really great relationship.  In my opinion, I think that great relationship would have been possible in years, not weeks and it was very convenient for a lot of the story for it to happen faster.

So I had issues with this book, but I found it enjoyable at the same time.  I'm a hypocrite in walking form.

What did you think about this book? I'm definitely excited to read more from Morgan Matson!

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | The Host by Stephanie Meyer.

I gave The Host by Stephanie Meyer a five out of five stars. I've reread this books many times throughout the years, but this was the first time I ever listened to it on audio.  

The Host is about a girl named Mel who lives on Earth during a time when aliens have taken over the planet.  The aliens require hosts to survive, and have taken over the human race.  Mel is used as a host for an alien, a soul, called Wanderer.  When Mel and Wanderer become friends within one body, it takes them on an adventure to find Mel's family.

I love this story so much. It gets me every time.  The audio is read by a woman whose voice took me some getting used to, but eventually I fell in love with it.  I will always love this story and urge everyone to read it, although I would recommend reading it before trying to listen to it because the voice definitely is not my favorite.

My favorite quote: "I held you in my hands Wanderer, and you were so beautiful." Swoon.

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Punk is Undead by Paulo Baron.

I gave Punk is Undead by Paulo Baron two out of five stars. I was sent an ebook copy of the new English edition in exchange for an honest review.

Punk is Undead is a graphic novel about two men who decide to bring the rock stars from the past 

in order to make a legendary new band (and of course to make that money!).

The art in this graphic novel was amazing! It fit the ambience of the story so well, with its dark and creepy colors.

I unfortunately was not a fan of this story... It was brutal and violent, for what I felt was no reason at all. While the zombies and the music references were interesting and probably fit for a different audience, I felt like the other violent aspects just weren't necessary.

This book isn't for everyone, and I was one who it wasn't for, but it did have some plot points that would be interesting to huge music fans and zombie fans.

I hope anyone who is interested in things like that would check this graphic novel out!

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.

I originally gave Me Before You by Jojo Moyes a full five out of five stars, but have since lowered my rating to around a 3.5 stars.  I will get into why (without spoilers) in this review.

Me Before You follows a 26 year old girl named Louisa (Lou for short) living a regular small town life in a town in England. When suddenly losing her job she ends up taking a caregiver position as a last resort, working for a man who was in an accident and now lives with quadriplegia. The story is all about the relationship that builds between Lou and Will, focusing on how Lou should live wholeheartedly and beyond their small town.

I'm going to go into the things I loved first.

I loved the slow burn of Lou and Will. Their sarcastic banter with each other was some of my favorite  writing I've ever read.

I loved the raw emotions Jojo Moyes brought me to when reading this story.  

I loved the plot points that are negative in Lou's life. I loved watching Lou deal with them, figure them out, get through them, and develop into a person who could handle them.

Alright. So as I already said, originally this was a 5 star book. But since reading it, I've watched a few insightful reviews and now have a better understanding not only that there are problematic plot points in this book but also a better understanding of why they are problematic. Let's get into this.

Firstly I want to say that I by no means want to pretend like I am an expert in these things. I URGE you to head over to a review that I watched at the channel JustHappenToBe. 

Ableism. The very short definition of this word from wikipedia is "the discrimination in favor of able bodied people." This story, which has a main character with quadriplegia is focused on the able bodied person.  Her character develops. Her character moves on from past trauma. And our main character, Will, with quadriplegia is used mostly as a plot device for her story rather than being a character with significant development himself.

The research.  Again, this is not something I pretend to have expertise in. However with the little that I do know about the human body and again having acquired information from the review linked above... The research that was done for this book about quadriplegia, and spinal cord injuries and everything that is involved with that aspect of the plot was done very lazily.  It was like she did do some research into facts about the lives of real people who live with the same problems as Will, but not enough to be accurate if anybody was actually interested in looking things up after having read her book.

So. This book is phenomenal if you are reading it for enjoyment and in complete ignorance of the problems that your entertainment can and do have.  For some, that's all that matters.  But for me, I want to read books that if they deal with sensitive or controversial or mostly ignored topics, I want them to be done in an aware and informational way where I can take something from fiction to bring and use in my real life.  This book did not do that. And it took me looking further into reviews and doing some research to recognize that so again I urge you to specifically check out that source I put in earlier.

That's my review of Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.  How do you feel about your entertainment? Do you care about the accuracy of information in books that deal with things you don't really know about?  Leave a comment and let's discuss.

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | The Land's Whisper by Monica Lee Kennedy.

The Land's Whisper by Monica Lee Kennedy was read 21 of 2016! I was sent this book by the author in exchange for an honest review and I am so glad I accepted this request! I gave it a 4.5 out of 5 stars, and it was such an interesting story! I also filmed a review on Youtube that you can check out here.

The Land's Whisper's very tiny plot summary on the back is, "The land itself is alive. It sees. It thinks. It speaks." Just from that, I was ready.  The story follows Brenol and Darsey, a 14 year old boy and a man who feels like Brenol is more like a son to him than anything else.  Together they end up on an adventure in a new land where the land is personified and they have to save a girl together.

One of my favorite things about this story is that the relationship it focuses on is that between Brenol and Darsey, a father-son pairing and that of Brenol and an individual we meet in the story which is more of a friendship but also that of teacher-student.

There's also a VERY creepy situation that happens in this book that I was not expecting at all and oh my god I got the chills so bad when reading it!

The sequel in this series, The Parting Breath Series, is called Eyes in the Water and it was published May 12, 2016. I cannot wait to pick it up! 

Are you planning to check this book out? BECAUSE YOU SHOULD. Let me know in the comments!

Until next time, 

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Yes Please by Amy Poehler.

Guys I am so behind the times, it's not even funny.  I am posting a review of every book I read in the year of 2016, so here we go!

Yes Please by Amy Poehler was Read 20 of 2016! I listened to this on audio, and I found myself laughing so hard I was crying while driving. Probably not the safest way to get to and from somewhere.

I realized while listening to her book, that I really didn't know a whole lot of Amy Poehler's work. She talked a lot about her time on Saturday Night Live and Parks & Recreation, both of which I've never really watched.  That being said, I didn't feel like I was missing out too much because it was a whole new perspective on these things, and her detail when story telling let me feel like I wasn't missing out on the whole of what she was trying to get across.

I adored this memoir, and everyone should read it basically. I also loved that there were moments where she would laugh during the recording, and it just felt really honest.

What's your favorite memoir? Leave it in the comments and I'll be sure to check it out!

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

GIVEAWAY | Deception Island by Brynn Kelly

Hey nerds, what's up?!

Today my April & May haul and wrap up went up, (link here) and I was so excited to announce my very first Booktube Tours book! I'm so excited to finally get to be a part of this huge collaboration with so many awesome booktubers, and it just so happens that this book caught my fancy! I can't wait to pick it up!!

If you don't know what Booktube Tours is, it's a huge collaborative event on Booktube hosted by Grace from LovingDemBooks and anybody can sign up to participate if they have a channel, and you get to be a part of tours for particular books that you sign up for.  If accepted for the tour, you're sent the book in exchange for some sort of spotlight on the books. ITS PRETTY COOL.

(check out the booktube tours info here)

Okay so this freaking book, I am so excited! Deception Island is a pirate book! Let me just say that I'm obsessed with pirate shows and pirate movies but I still to this day have yet to read a pirate book. What is wrong with me. I saw the plot summary of this and was sold.

The book is about a pirate who steals a rich heiress because... well he's a pirate what other reason is there.  But in so doing, he comes to find that he did not in fact capture the heiress but instead he has her body double. And the adventure ensures. It sounds like its going to be a very exciting adventure novel and I cannot wait to see how it is!

NOW if you want a chance to win a copy of Deception Island, all you have to do is follow the link  HERE and enter the giveaway via rafflecopter. They are giving away TEN HARD COVER copies, so make sure to check it out!

And of course, be sure to check the book out for yourself with the following links:

Goodreads
Amazon
Book Depository
Barnes and Noble
iBooks

Author links:
Website
Goodreads
Facebook
Twitter

I hope you guys will read this book with me! If you do decide to pick it up, tweet me and maybe we can buddy read it!

Until next time,
MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Ask the Passengers by AS King.

Ask the Passengers by AS King was read 19 of 2016, and I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars!

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook for this book as I drove to Yallwest a few weekends ago.  I was really in the mood for a contemporary and needed a break from all the fantasy and nonfiction I've been focusing on! This was an excellent choice!

Ask the Passengers focuses on a girl named Astrid Jones, whose family is from New York but have been living in a small town for a few years now.  Astrid's best friend is the most popular girl in school, with the perfect boyfriend, except that's not true at all.  Only Astrid knows that Christina and Justin are actually in relationships with other people... of the same gender.  Its a story full of secrets and closets, as Astrid is also dating a girl from work, and nobody knows.

I personally connected the most with the antagonist of the story, Astrid's mother, and the mother-daughter relationship between them.  Its not that I have this relationship with my mother, not at all! But I nonetheless found it a very realistic expression of a mom who thinks she is open to to nontraditional situations, but overreacts when she has to deal with them.

I did have an issue with how simply everything wrapped up, which I won't go into detail with.  But it just seemed too easy for everyone that was important in the story.

With that being said, I still would highly recommend this book, especially with its LGBTQ aspects! This is the first book I think I've ever read with a lesbian character and I felt that a lot of the situations our characters dealt with were realistic in the ways they played out.

I hope you guys pick this one up! Let me know if you enjoyed the book or why you didn't!

Until next time, 

MissSassyKassie

OWLCRATE UNBOXING | April 2016

     In April, I was so excited to be offered a chance to review Owlcrate's April box! I did post a video of my initial reactions of the unboxing, and what I thought of each item, and you can see that here.

I wanted to do a blog post so you could see a close up of each item that was in the box!

First off, this was the card that explained what each item in the box was, and what store or company they were each from.  I really loved the card itself though, and got a kick out of the poster on the right side in particular.

The first thing I grabbed out of the box was this beautiful coaster that says "I spent my life folded between the pages of books," inspired by Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.  The coaster was designed by Evie Bookish.

Next is my personal favorite item from this box, and its a little unlined notebook from Manuscript that has 1984 by George Orwell on the cover, one of my favorite dystopian books I've ever read!

Pictured here is a Mocking Jay bracelet from The Geeky Cauldron and a Mocking Jay magnet from Half Blood Prints. I love the pop of light blue on the bracelet.  There were two different styles of magnets for this box, and I still really want to know what the other one looks like! I do love this one though!!

Shailey Ann Designs created a decal (it'll be pure black when its actually stuck somewhere) based on The Maze Runner series.  This isn't my favorite book/series of all time, but I still really think the whole idea of WCKD is really cool!

Before we get to everything actually related to the book that was in the box, there was a little poster with a quote from The Star Touched Queen, and it is BEAUTIFUL! I'm going to put it up on my wall once I've moved into my new place next month.

And finally: the book! Flawed by Cecelia Ahern is a dystopian YA novel about a girl named Celestine who has the perfect life, and lived in the perfect world until she makes a mistake and is branded as Flawed.  I absolutely LOVE the cover of this book.  I love that you can see the photo on the hard cover through the dust jacket, it is gorgeous!  There was also a copied note written by Cecelia Ahern about her excitement for the publishing of her book and it was so sweet to read!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and the video. SORRY for it being so late!!

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Not That Kind Of Girl by Lena Duhnam.

"How permanent virginity feels, and then how inconsequential."

I gave Not That Kind of Girl by Lena Duhnam four out of five stars!  I think the best thing about listening to memoirs is getting to listen to the individual read their story. I got this book from the library in audio format, and I really want to own it and reread it because it was so so good.

I am such a fan of what Lena Duhnam stands for, so I was excited to listen to her book and get more straight from her.  I haven't watched all of her show GIRLS but I've watched episodes here and there, and I just love that it feels real, not like the movie magic sex scenes in any other show ever.  And she talks about this in her book and I was just like YES YES YES.

Lena Duhnam has a very dry sort of awkward humor and its not for everyone, but I was all about it! I loved her stories about getting naked on camera for the first time, her first time, and her first fake time, basically everything regarding naked bodies.

I highly recommend checking out Not That Kind of Girl if you want to hear this type of thing - I hope you check out her show GIRLS too because its great and I need to binge watch it and its also mentioned regularly in the book.

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

REVIEW | Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray.

I gave Lair of Dreams by Libba Bray five out of five stars!  This is the sequel in The Diviners series and before I get into spoilers, I do want to say that this book was not just good on its own, but did well in furthering the plot of this series.  If you haven't yet read The Diviners, it is a paranormal mystery series about people who have special powers - called diviners.  I highly recommend the audiobooks for both the first and this book!  The narrator, January Levoy is glorious!

SPOILERS AHEAD

I loved the development of Henry and Ling's friendship.  It as really refreshing to read about two people who weren't falling in love.  The new aspect of dream walking was also really interesting!  Libba Bray was fantastic at making it clear when we were in a dream or reality.

The addition of the historical Chinese racism/Chinatown/lack of citizenship/etc. was also very cool to read about. I love the mix of historical and paranormal fiction.  Its one of my favorite things about this series.

Learning more about Theta was a sigh of relief - even though her past is relatively still shrouded in history.  I'm so happy we've learned about her fire-making ability! I'm interested to see how Memphis will find out and if his healing ability will play any role in their relationship.

SAM AND EVIE.  I am finally on board this ship!  It took Jericho going on a date with Mabel to realize that Jericho is most definitely not for Evie. He's so boring!  I'm honestly not sure why he's even considered as a love triangle... And as we get more scenes f Sam and Evie together, making jokes, making fun of each other, I couldn't help but smile goofily as I listened.  Those are the types of relationships I love to see because its how Matt and I are with each other.

Wai Mei.  I did not see it coming that she was out main villain for quite a while, BUT I didn't trust her! She was so oblivious and too nice... I was worried!  It wasn't until she got mad at Ling and burned her hand that I was like oh shit its her! She's the scary lady!

Along with this, I was totally taken off guard by Louise being dead until he didn't show up at the train station.  At that moment it definitely went through my mind - What if he's not alive!? Then when Ling realizes it, the next scene when Louie tells Henry, I was crying! I was devastated even though I had this feat the entire time - it was too good to be true.

I'm so glad we're moving forward with the question - why are all of these diviners converging in New York?  We don't have an answer by any means, but we've addressed the question and I'm glad it will be part of the plot as the series goes on.

I absolutely love this series and this book!  Hats off to Libba Bray (and special bow to the goddess narrator January Levoy!  I really think the audiobook makes it that much better!). I cannot wait for the third book to come out - hopefully sooner rather than later!

REVIEW | Neither Man Nor Woman by Serena Nanda.

        I gave Neither Man Nor Woman: The Hijras of India four out of five stars.  This is a nonfiction ethnography written by Anthropologist, Serena Nanda.  An ethnography is an anthropological written account that is an analysis and observation of a culture.  This one was about the hijra of India, a subculture within Indian society that are "neither man nor woman." Instead hijras are either born intersex or made into a hijra by going through an operation that removes the genitals but doesn't create new ones.

        I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the hi-res of India, particularly in the personal narratives Nanda included from the hijras themselves.

        I did have a few issues. At times, I felt like Nanda was a little too open about who she thought was gossiping about each other, or sometimes the things she said rubbed me the wrong way for this type of nonfiction book.  At times, she didn't read like an anthropologist but like a friend of the individuals.  While personal relationships are very important, it almost felt inappropriate to read.

        With this said, I think this book was not only entertaining but also eye opening for a Westerner whose reality of gender and gender rules is only starting to change in the last few years to include non binary gender identities.

A Beautiful Cover & an Intriguing Story | Mist & Whispers by CM Lewis.

      Mist and Whispers is CM Lucas' debut novel about a girl named Anya who is trying to keep a bookshop from closing down in the West English town called Little Wold Green. The popularity of four books of magic and myth makes Anya want to uncover the mystery of their author, known as The Weaver. She soon realizes that there is more to this world, and she has to help save it.

       When I read the synopsis of this book the first thing I thought was, "ooo this sounds like that one book where the fiction comes to life!" Little did I know, I wasn't the only one that made that connection, and others actually remembered the title of the book I was thinking of.   Taran Matharu, author of the summoner series made that same comparison!

     I am so intrigued by the idea of fiction coming to life.  I loved reading The Chronicles of Narnia and although I haven't gotten around to reading Inkheart yet (forever in the booktube black hole of the never-ending TBR list) I love this type of plot line! Can you imagine reading something and then suddenly what you were reading was real? I mean that sounds cool but also possibly terrifying!! I read a whole lot of fantasy, I would prefer for dangerous fae and other monsters to stay on the page!

I was lucky enough to be contacted by OfTomes Publishing to learn more about this book and hopefully you all will want to read it too! I mean look at that cover, its gorgeous!  Make sure to check out the book on Goodreads.  It's also only $3.99 on kindle today (FREE if you have kindle unlimited) in the US!

Until next time,

MissSassyKassie

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FTC: I was not paid by OfTomes Publishing for this post. All opinions are 100% my own.

REVIEW | Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare.

I gave this book a 5 out of 5 stars!

Lady Midnight follows the main characters Julian Blackthorn and Emma Corsairs, five years after we left them in The Mortal Instruments series.

(SIDE NOTE: if you don't want to be spoiled for things you should definitely read TMI and The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare before reading this book.)

These two are inseparable, and have already made their parabatai oaths to each other in the years since the Dark War.  Julian has four younger siblings who live with these two at the LA institute, along with their eccentric uncle who is mostly absent. Due to this, Julian has basically raised his siblings for the last five years.

I absolutely adored all of the Blackthorn children and the development we see of them throughout the story, along with of course all of the different crazy plot twists we get! I don't really have much to say that won't spoil things, so lets get into some of my favorite scenes of this book!

SPOILERS AHEAD.

So firstly let me say that basically every time one of our TMI/TID characters were mentioned I teared up. We find out that Julian talks to Helen regularly and petitions for her release from Wrangel Island annually (to no avail) but he consistently tells her everything is fine even when as we learn THEY ARE NOT.

We meet a new shadow hunter from Mexico, and almost right away I loved Chrsitina. I love her friendship with Emma, and how nonjudgmental but also logical she is.  She holds this point of view for all our other characters that are on this emotional roller coaster and tries to keep a level headed theory on everything, because she's not tied to everyone that they are. I loved all of that.  Her and Emma also cracked me up regularly!

WE FIND OUT THAT ALEC AND MAGNUS ADOPTED A WARLOCK BABY THAT THEY NAMED MAX. I cannot. handle. these. emotions. I cannot!!!!

Then we get to the part where Mark is given back to the Blackthorn family as a show of good faith for the shadowhunters to help the fairies catch the killer on the loose in LA. I was soooo not expecting for Mark to be in this book! I thought one of the main things happening in this series would be trying to save Mark. But then he's just handed back! HOWEVER the following scenes were so emotional for me to read, where Mark doesn't believe that the Blackthorns are truly his family, that they're a fairy trick.  It was so heartbreaking to see the reactions of the smaller kids in particular when Mark reacts like this in front of them.  Once again Christina made me fall in love with her when she calmed Mark down so well in the room. I loveeeeeddd it! I ship Christina and Mark so hard!

Okay so throughout the book we get these moments from both Julian and Emma being jealous but knowing they shouldn't be jealous about each other with other people. It was so beautifully done! It was so frustrating to read because I've felt that exact way before and it was so well executed!

One of my favorite lines from the book:
"'He bumped into a pay phone and said, 'Excuse me miss,' on our way in,' said Julian.
'It's polite to apologize,' said Mark with the same small smile.
'Not to inanimate objects.'"

THEN I FELT SO MUCH AGONY BECAUSE JULIAN GETS SHOT WITH AN ARROW AND I WAS TERRIFIED. And then I got really confused because of the glowing iratze that Emma draws? I thought for sure that was because the parabatai bond was stronger with their growing romantic feelings toward each other (literally the one thing I called in this book lol!) Also this scene felt VERY erotic to me, because Emma is straight up straddling Julian in the back of a car while drawing the iratze and then they were talking about a warm tingling sensation or something? I was questioning if that feeling happened to be in their groins. And then Julian looks at her and says "keep going" and I was like what the hell is she doing that feels so good Julian? oh my god.

I did NOT see Mark and Kieran coming!!! The introduction of this relationship made me question where I wanted Mark to end up; the love between these two seemed strong and necessary. Something they both needed to live.  That made it hard for me to vehemently want Mark to stay with the Blackthorns. On the other hand I of course wanted to Mark to stay with his family. They loved him, and understanding the pain it would do to each of them, particularly the younger ones, was tough!

We get the first scene since the prologue with Kit, and it made me even more intrigued about what was the point of bringing him into the story. Why did he matter. But more importantly at this point of the book I loved the character development we get to see in Ty.  He sneaks into the car and essentially follows Julian and Emma to Johnny Rook's house, and then proceeds to fuck everything up when he threatens Kit. I couldn't help but laugh but I was also proud of him for doing it?? Even though he messed up, he still was acting like a shadow hunter!

THEN MY FAVORITE SCENE HAPPENS. Mark is babysitting the children while Julian and Emma (and Ty) go to Johnny Rooks and the three of them come home to disaster. I laughed so hard I almost died from choking on my spit. I could not handle the description of everything that was happening and how unaware Mark was that he had done anything wrong! I love that he gets mad at Julian saying something along the lines of "all you said I had to do was keep them alive! You joked about it!" I laughed really hard even though Julian was really mad.

Then we get some sexy times. Emma almost drowns at the ley line convergence because theres a portal to the ocean (that was really creepy!) which almost kills Julian because he also coughs up water?? Another point where I was like THIS IS NOT A NORMAL PARABATAI BOND. After Julian saves her they go from kissing from the first time to having sex on the beach!!!! I was surprised this happened in the first book, considering it took Clary and Jace six books to do the deed, but it felt like a natural place in this relationship!! I loved it.

Then the fairies show up again. I thought they were going to kill Mark at first, so this whole scene was a little underwhelming for me. I was like someone just take the 20 lashes! At least he's not dying or being taken back to Faerie forever! But emotionally I was really happy with how it went down with Emma taking the lashes to save both Mark and Julian form going through it.

At some point around this time in the book there is a wonderful moment between Emma and Mark where Emma asks Mark if he is bisexual and he says yes that is the term you would use, but in faerie they don't have  a term for it.  I LOVED IT. Snaps for Cassie Clare forever including bisexuality in her stories!!!!!!

The last thing I want to talk about is the climax. I about died when we find out that Tavvy has been taken. I was having serious Max flashbacks and was just like WHY does Cassie have to put babies in danger all the time?????? We get some great action for everyone, and Kieran ends up helping them "defeat" Malcolm... I put this in quotes because I feel like he's not dead. He's a warlock and she stabbed him once. like can he heal himself?? We didn't see him die!! And we know Annabel has been awakened soooo where is this going??


Some character things and theories:

I think my favorite character is Ty. I love that he's different and so smart and he protects his sister in the last climatic scene. He's the best basically.

Diana.  She's is questionable but I no longer think she's up to something bad like untrustworthy I think she's afraid of the clave.  My theory is that she's in love with a mundane or has had a child with a mundane or something of the sort.  Or maybe its with someone who is fae? Something like that.

Once again, I think there is a definitely possibility that Malcolm Fade is alive. If that's the case I wonder if Magnus will play a part in his eventual death. That would be tough for Magnus.

I am soooooo happy we got our little snippets of the previous characters. I SQUEALED when I read that Simon and Isabelle were getting married!!! And seeing Jace and Clary and all of the descriptions from both Julian and Emma about them were funny to read!


Okay I think this post is long enough, I hope you enjoyed!
Until next time,
MissSassyKassie