A Court Of Wings And Ruin(A Court Of Thorns & Roses,#3)

 

 

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Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series. 

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. 

As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords – and hunt for allies in unexpected places. 

 

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 Oh, man. What is Maas doing to my emotions? Once again, I am at a loss at words, especially when it comes to this series. I have yet to finish Thorne Of Glass , and after reading A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN , it’s my favorite series of her. I know that I said that my emotions are over the place in the other books in the series, and if you have read the series, you will understand why. I read a few fantasy books about fae and faeries, but I was never blown away, the way I am right now. I have read a few books by SARAH J. MAAS in 2020, and I cannot seem to stop falling in love with her stories. After reading so many books by Maas, I should expect my emotions to be all over the place, and yet again, there was a twist I did not see coming. I concluded that it’s impossible not to love book by SARAH J. MAAS , at least not from my experience so far. There hasn’t been a single book by her that I did not fall in love with. 

A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN was even more emotional than the other books in the series, and only when I didn’t think that it couldn’t get any better. Everything that happened in this book, I couldn’t get out of my mind. Despite the book being long, I kept reading for hours because I could not force myself to put the book down. This magical world that Maas created seems to get even more magical every time that I read the book. I am not sure if I can even explain all my feelings about this book. What I love about this book, that all the characters feel real. The story feels as if it could be real. I love all the details in the book, it those details which are so vivid that has me picturing myself there, every time. I loved the action in this book. Out of all books in the series, it has the best action. 

The War, it’s what we have been waiting for. That was one of the best fighting, action scenes in the entire series and the one I have been looking towards. It has so many feelings, and all the descriptions, it made me picture everything. As I read the scene, I felt as I was there, along with Feyre and her friends, fighting. I think that most of my emotions were during that scene. My heart was pounding the entire time because I wasn’t sure what to expect of what would happen. Those chapters were when I lost track of time; I am not sure for how long I read; I just kept on reading. I was on the edge of my seat from the moment the war started until the end of it. This type of series is what had me realizing why I love fantasy. Even though I have finished this book a while back, I cannot seem to get out of my mind. There is a part of me that wants to pick it up and reread it. I most likely read this series multiple times. A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN has my heart breaking in pieces. I even think that this might be my favorite series. 

Rhys and Feyre. How can you not love them? I don’t remember the last time that I loved the couple together, as much as I love the two of them together. The love that the two of them had, it’s real. I have a feeling that the two of them are meant to be. The scenes between Rhys and Feyre are my favorite. Now Nesta and Cassian, another couple that I can see myself rooting for. I could see how much the two of them cared about one another, even if Nesta won’t admit it. The bond that the two of them seemed to have established, it’s powerful. It does make me wonder that maybe the two of them are mates. I am eager to see what happens with them next. I am excited that the next book, A Court Of Silver Flames , Is from Nesta’s point of view. I want to learn more about her. I am also eager to see if anything else develops between her and Cassian. A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN had everything that I love about fantasy, a book that had you craving for more. 

Magical. Inspiring. Treasured.

Into The Water.

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CONTAINS SPOILERS

A single mother turns up dead at the bottom of the river that runs through town. Earlier in the summer, a vulnerable teenage girl met the same fate. They are not the first women lost to these dark waters, but their deaths disturb the river and its history, dredging up secrets long submerged. 

Left behind is a lonely fifteen-year-old girl. Parentless and friendless, she now finds herself in the care of her mother’s sister, a fearful stranger who has been dragged back to the place she deliberately ran from—a place to which she vowed she’d never return. 

With the same propulsive writing and acute understanding of human instincts that captivated millions of readers around the world in her explosive debut thriller, The Girl on the Train, Paula Hawkins delivers an urgent, twisting, deeply satisfying read that hinges on the deceptiveness of emotion and memory, as well as the devastating ways that the past can reach a long arm into the present. 

Beware a calm surface—you never know what lies beneath. 

 

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 This wasn’t what I expected, at least not from this author. In 2015, I read The Girl On the Train , and I fell in love with the story, the characters. There wasn’t anything that I didn’t love about that book. I heard about INTO THE WATER In 2018 but did not have a chance to read it until recently. I am not sure if it was because my expectations were high for this book. After all, I loved the other one. I did not dislike the book, but it was not what I expected the book to be. INTO THE WATER started slow and it took some time to get into the story, mostly because they were a lot of characters introduced. I felt as if it might be too many points of view, which got a bit confused at times. On the other hand, I did enjoy reading their stories because all of them had a story to tell, and in a way, we're connected. I don’t know if it was because there were so many characters in the book, but I found it hard to connect to anyone in this book. I didn’t feel that connection that I tend to get with the characters. 

INTO THE WATER wasn’t a bad book, I did not dislike the book, and there were few parts that I found myself unable to pull away from the book. For instance, what happened with Katie. I did wonder why all of a sudden, she ended up doing what she did? Was it to protect Mark, or was there another reason we might not be aware of it? I couldn’t help but wonder that maybe Katie loved Mark more than he loved her. To me, Katie, Lena, and Mark were the most interesting part of the story, they were the most interesting characters even if I couldn’t connect to them either, but it was interesting to read about them. I did wonder what would happen with Mark, and of course, Lena. I did feel that INTO THE WATER did not have as much suspense like Girl On The Train did. The story did not seem to have the same type of mystery feel to it, but seemed more about others, about what they were feeling, or dealing with the event. 

I don’t regret reading this book; I did enjoy most of the aspects of this story. I think I just put high expectations on this book. INTO THE WATER is a book that is worth checking out and giving a chance to. It did keep me on the edge of my seat a few times throughout the story.

Woman 99.

 

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A vivid historical thriller about a young woman whose quest to free her sister from an infamous insane asylum risks her sanity, her safety and her life .

 Charlotte Smith's future is planned to the last detail, and so was her sister's - until Phoebe became a disruption. When their parents commit Phoebe to a notorious asylum, Charlotte knows there's more to the story than madness. Shedding her identity to become an anonymous inmate, "Woman Ninety-Nine," Charlotte uncovers dangerous secrets. 

 Insanity isn't the only reason her fellow inmates were put away - and those in power will do anything to keep the truth, or Charlotte, from getting out .

 

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 I have read a book by GREER MACALLISTER before picking this one up, but it has been a few years since I have. In 2015, I picked up The Magician’s Lie and fell in love with the story. Lately, I have been hearing about WOMAN 99 , and that’s when I found out that I have read the author before. I loved that it was a different type of historical fiction, not the kind of historical fiction that I have been reading. I was excited about this story, and it seemed the book that I would enjoy. I read books that took place in an asylum before, but they weren’t anything like WOMAN 99 was. That was one of the things that I loved about it: how unique it was. I couldn’t seem to get enough of Charlotte’s story, which kept me wondering if she would be able to get Phoebe out. What would happen if she did manage to get her out? All the details in the book, everything Charlotte had to go through, to get her sister out, they had me on the edge of my seat.

 

 I couldn’t believe how far Charlotte was willing to go to save Phoebe, what she had done, to have herself committed at the asylum. I did wonder if Phoebe would want to go with her. If she went to her, because of how far Charlotte went, to get her out. I wondered what her parents would think if she did get her out if it would be the reunion that Charlotte was hoping for. It’s clear how much Charlotte loved her sister, what lengths she was willing to go. I did worry that there was a possibility that Charlotte wouldn’t be able to escape the asylum. WOMAN 99 started slow for me, and I wondered if it would reach my expectations. It did pick up, once Charlotte got herself committed, and that’s when I had trouble putting the book down. I loved that the novel focused on the women, and the way they were treated, and what they had deal with during that time. I loved all the descriptions of the asylum and everything that happened there. It was so vivid that I could picture it as I read. 

 

 WOMAN 99 wasn’t what I expected it to be. It was an interesting story to read, and there were many scenes in the book where I found it hard to put down. I wanted to see what would happen if they would escape. Most of all, I was curious about what would happen to them afterward, if they would ever see each other again. There were slow parts in the book, but it’s also a story that will stay with me. I would recommend WOMAN 99 , a book worth checking out.

A Court Of Mist And Fury(A Court Of Thorns&Roses,#2)

 

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 CONTAINS SPOILERS

Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people. 

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two. 

 

 
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  Oh man, how did I not read this series earlier? Once again, I am at loss for words. I loved A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES , but this is the book where I fell in love with the series, finding myself craving for more. SARAH J. MAAS is an author who will fall in love the moment you read her book. I have read most of her books so far, and there wasn’t one that I did not fall in love with. Out of all her books that I have read, this has been my favorite series so far. I don’t think I can even begin to explain all the feelings that went through me as I read A COURT OF MIST AND FURY, and don’t you love her titles? The title itself will have you picking it up. I love the magical world that Sarah created, and it’s the one that I wish I could escape to. 

A COURT OF MIST AND FURY many unexpected twists that even I did not see coming. Tamlin, for instance, I liked him. After the way he acted, how he treated Feyre as if she was his property, instead of the woman that he loved. At first, I thought that it would pass and that he was afraid after what happened. I was hoping that he would go back to the Tamlin that loved. I know that’s what she realized, too, and the reason she wasn’t that sure about marrying him. I had never seen anyone as unhappy as Feyre at the thought of marrying him. I was relieved when Rhysand showed up and took her to the Night Court. Feyre was relieved too, even though she tried not to show it, but he knew. Rhysand knew that she did not want to marry Tamlin. 

I never thought that Rhysand would become one of my favorites. I realized that he wasn’t as evil as everyone thought towards the end of the first book. I also figured out that he cared about Feyre more than he let on. I never imagined how much he cared about her. I was sure that there would be nothing between him and Feyre. I am glad that it did; I was happy that she found someone that she could be herself with and whom she felt safe with. I loved the bond that the two of them had. Mates. I did not see that coming, even though I suspected that they had the special bond that they connected. I loved how their characters were written and how they gave time to grow into the relationship. 

Feyre came a long way since A COURT OF THORNS AND ROSES , a much stronger and more confident. I liked her before, and now, besides Rhysand, she is my favorite. From all the characters in the book, she had the most development. I cannot wait to see what in store for her next. I was glad she chose to leave Tamlin. I am worried about what he might do to try to get her back because she left him. Characters in this series are well developed. Night Court, such a magical world and not what I was expecting at all when Rhysand first mentioned it. I did not think it is that magical and that I would fall in love with everyone there. It’s almost impossible not to fall in love with anyone there. 

This book, this series, is everything that I love about fantasy—one of the best fantasy series out there. A Court Of Thorn and Roses is a series I recommended to most of my friends who love reading. I wanted to read it all day; I wish I had more time to read it. Once I reached the end, I could not stop thinking about the story and picked up A COURT OF WINGS AND RUIN right away. If you love fantasy, a fantasy unlike you read before, check this one out. A Must Read.

The Orphan Collector.

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In the fall of 1918, thirteen-year-old German immigrant Pia Lange longs to be far from Philadelphia’s overcrowded streets and slums, and from the anti-German sentiment that compelled her father to enlist in the U.S. Army, hoping to prove his loyalty. But an even more urgent threat has arrived. Spanish influenza is spreading through the city. Soon, dead and dying are everywhere. With no food at home, Pia must venture out in search of supplies, leaving her infant twin brothers alone . . .



Since her baby died days ago, Bernice Groves has been lost in grief and bitterness. If doctors hadn’t been so busy tending to hordes of immigrants, perhaps they could have saved her son. When Bernice sees Pia leaving her tenement across the way, she is buoyed by a shocking, life-altering decision that leads her on a sinister mission: to transform the city’s orphans and immigrant children into what she feels are “true Americans.”



As Pia navigates the city’s somber neighborhoods, she cannot know that her brothers won’t be home when she returns. And it will be a long and arduous journey to learn what happened—even as Bernice plots to keep the truth hidden at any cost. Only with persistence, and the courage to face her own shame and fear, will Pia put the pieces together and find the strength to risk everything to see justice at last. 

 

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Extraordinary.




This book was beyond what I had imagined. I have read historical fiction about pandemic before, and yet they were nothing like I just read. I finished the book last night and cannot get the story out of my mind. I am so full of emotions right now. As I read THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR and the pandemic of 1918, I couldn’t help but compare it to the coronavirus pandemic. I saw the similarities; however, there were relatively few differences between the two. I could imagine what they were going through, the fear that they felt, which wasn’t something I could imagine before the pandemic. I heard about the influenza pandemic of 1918, but I never suspected how horrific it was until reading Pia’s story. When I came across THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR on Goodreads, I knew that it was going to be a hard book to read. I wasn’t prepared how hard it would be. I was observed in the story from the first page. This book will break your heart into pieces. It’s a story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.



Pia. I loved her from the beginning. I cannot even begin to imagine going through everything she has gone through at thirteen years old. I wanted to reach out to her, to hug her, and to hold her. From the moment that her mother got sick and died, it seemed that everything went wrong for her. No thirteen-year-old should have to go through what she went through. Then when she finally made it home, finding her brothers were gone, not knowing what happened to them. I cannot even begin to imagine what she must be going through at that moment. The emotions that were portrayed in THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR were strong, and I felt as I could feel everything that Pia was feeling. All through the story, I hoped that she would be able to find her brothers. I was glad that she got placed with Hudson’s. I was happy that she found a family who treated her the way she should have been treated, loved her for who she was. I loved the bond that Pia created with the family.



Bernice. Now, that’s a character I could not stand. In the beginning, she seemed okay, just a heartbroken mother who lost her son. Once she took twins, then I knew that there is something that wasn’t right with her. What she died afterward, that was even worse, and that’s when I disliked her even more. Bernice is not a character that anyone could like, and I was not too fond of the fact that she kept getting away with it. As I read the book, I hoped that she would get caught and pay what she had done. How could she possibly think that what she has been doing was okay? I felt nothing but anger towards that woman. I had never imagined that anyone could be that cruel. It seemed that she even thought that what she was doing, that she wasn’t doing anything wrong.


THE ORPHAN COLLECTOR was the second book that I have read by ELLEN MARIE WISEMAN, and I cannot wait to read the rest of her works. A highly recommended book for any historical fiction fans.

Girls Of Paper And Fire (Girls Of Paper And Fire, #1)

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Each year, eight beautiful girls are chosen as Paper Girls to serve the king. It's the highest honor they could hope for...and the most demeaning. This year, there's a ninth. And instead of paper, she's made of fire.

In this richly developed fantasy, Lei is a member of the Paper caste, the lowest and most persecuted class of people in Ikhara. She lives in a remote village with her father, where the decade-old trauma of watching her mother snatched by royal guards for an unknown fate still haunts her. Now, the guards are back and this time it's Lei they're after -- the girl with the golden eyes whose rumored beauty has piqued the king's interest.



Over weeks of training in the opulent but oppressive palace, Lei and eight other girls learns the skills and charm that befit a king's consort. There, she does the unthinkable -- she falls in love. Her forbidden romance becomes enmeshed with an explosive plot that threatens her world's entire way of life. Lei, still the wide-eyed country girl at heart, must decide how far she's willing to go for justice and revenge. 

 

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How did I not read this book sooner? GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE was a beautifully written novel, I could not get enough. I wanted to pick up the second book right after finishing this one; I wanted to see what would happen next. I have been hearing about GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE for a while and put on my to-read list. Now that I have read it, I wished that I picked up sooner than I have. The world of the book was cruel but yet magical at the same time. The emotions of Lei were so well displayed, and I found myself able to feel everything she was feeling. I felt her anger, fear, and love. I loved Lei from the start and how she was the only one who fought the king. She seemed to be the only one not to let the king have her. That takes a lot of courage. However, I knew that she could not fight him every time, and I was afraid of what he might do to her. Lei was fierce and loved how determined she was to get rid of the king. I was rooting for her; I wanted for her to get rid of him so that he couldn’t hurt any others. I cannot even begin to imagine, to have to go through all of this that those girls did. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to take it, to go through something that horrific.

I have read LGBT books before, and there were few that I had enjoyed quite a bit. However, Lei and Wren's relationship in GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE was my favorite so far. I knew that Lei liked her by the way that she was described and the way that she looked at her. I wasn’t sure if Wren felt about her, at least not at first. I loved that their relationship took time to develop. I was glad that the two of them had each other in that horrible place. I did hope that Wren would accept Lei’s help in her plan to get rid of the king. I loved how the two of them were with each other when they were alone, the way that they looked out for one another. I think I realized it before they had that the two of them were in love. I rooted for them to succeed and finally to be free of this place and for a chance to free everyone else. GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE had me going through the motions, and few parts were hard to read. Despite that, I could not put the book down. Every page kept me on the edge of my seat, had me turning the pages late into the night.



GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE is not a story that you will forget. You will be craving for the next book and the next. I had placed the 2nd book on hold in the library and cannot wait to see what happens next. That ending… I did see that coming, it was… I still am having trouble believing what happened. Most of all, I want to see what happens with Lei and Wren next. I know that others will be looking for them. I am also curious what all the other girls are thinking about through it all. If you love fantasy, or wanting to explore a new genre, be sure to check out GIRLS OF PAPER AND FIRE . A story you won’t regret picking up.