ARC Review: Crown of Midnight

Title: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Category/Genre: YA, Fantasy
Release: August 27th

See it at Goodreads


An assassin’s loyalties are always in doubt.
But her heart never wavers.

After a year of hard labor in the Salt Mines of Endovier, eighteen-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien has won the king's contest to become the new royal assassin. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown – a secret she hides from even her most intimate confidantes.

Keeping up the deadly charade—while pretending to do the king's bidding—will test her in frightening new ways, especially when she's given a task that could jeopardize everything she's come to care for. And there are far more dangerous forces gathering on the horizon -- forces that threaten to destroy her entire world, and will surely force Celaena to make a choice.

Where do the assassin’s loyalties lie, and who is she most willing to fight for?


When I entered into the second installment of the Throne of Glass series with Crown of Midnight, I found myself surprised by an entirely different tone and feel to the story. Maas had transitioned the world easily between the two installments to show how much had changed with the growing conflicts, and Celaena’s new position as King’s Assassin made for an emotional ride not just for herself, but for characters around her. While it started a bit on the slow side for me, it didn’t take long to pick up and take me for the non-stop page-turning just like the first installment had.

There are twists and I admit they were a bit predictable. Did it affect my enjoyment? No. I’d already pretty much figured them out well into the beginning pages of the book I think, so when it came of no surprise, it didn’t really bother me. The ending "reveal and big surprise" that was supposed to be the shocker, I'd already guessed long before as well, but not an issue either. There'd been some speculation from the first installment even, and when little hints started through the first half of this, I was actually rather glad at the direction it was taking. I am certainly fascinated to see how it will play out for the future installments though and what this means for the characters and their world.

I’m torn between deciding if I liked this installment better than the first or not. Now that it’s been a few days since I finished and I’ve had a few days to mull it over, I just don’t know. While the first is where I met and fell in love with all of the characters and the story, the second is where things do start to come into play. I also finally understood what was so evil about the King. Something I couldn’t quite get in the first installment because it was never really touched upon (and I discussed this last year in review and with a group topic on the blog). But I get it now. Instead of telling, it is really shown how power-hungry and evil the man is, and I felt it. The action I felt lacked in some places in Throne of Glass, were prevalent throughout in Crown of Midnight with detailed scenes--some that made me gasp out loud. The romance I felt lacked in areas in ToG, turned into scenes of passion and well-written beauty here.

Be prepared to have your heart ripped to shreds, too. There’s a shocker in there. I wasn’t prepared. And now every time I think about it, I want to start crying again. My heart hurts. But when these turn of events happened, I certainly saw the emotion come out. The anger and hurt. And I learned more about Celaena. It was some of the most emotional reading moments I’d done in some time, and everything was so easily visualized for me that it was as if I was there with the characters in their world, and it hurt me also. Because let’s face it: We get attached to characters as if they’re real people sometimes, right? At least, I know I do.

With all that said, it’s easy for me to say that I adored this sequel and that makes me happy. I usually have a hard time with sequels and I admit to being a little worried before I picked it up. No worries anymore. I know now for sure that no matter what Maas writes, I’ll be grabbing my hands for it.

Once again, I found myself immersed in the world and characters, caught up in a whirlwind of romance, and at times agonizing heartache. I didn’t want to let go when it came time to turn the last page.

 

Triple Threat Blog Tour: Interview with Yelena Black

Hey everyone! I'm here today hosting part of the Triple Threat Blog Tour for Bloomsbury! In case you missed it earlier last month, I had Megan Miranda at the blog, talking about her newest release Hysteria! This time, I'm happy to have Yelena Black to share about her recent release, Dance of Shadows! :)

 

 

ME: Welcome to The Bookaholic, Ms. Black! Could you tell us a bit about what inspired the idea behind DANCE OF SHADOWS?

YB: I love mysteries and the world of ballet—and there is something inherently mysterious about the world of ballet, which dates back many centuries. I loved the idea of taking that quality of the dance and crafting a story about legend and ritual, but also about a young girl—Vanessa Adler—and how she and her older sister (and her friends!) get tangled in this world. 
 
ME: What sparked your interest in writing? Did you always want to be an author?

YB: I have always loved reading. I actually used to sleep with the Anne of Green Gables series. They were so heartfelt and honest. I also loved Kurt Vonnegut’s books, because they always made me laugh. I loved Judy Blume, because she spoke to me girl-to-girl, and told me things that I could never ask my mother about. And of course, Harry Potter, which still gives me that magical feeling of excitement, even though I’ve read it dozens of times. So I guess my answer is: Yes. I have always wanted to be a writer. I also have a love of dance, and studied ballet when I was younger, which helped to inspire my book, Dance of Shadows.

ME: What is one quirky fact about yourself?
 
YB: I love bicycling and running, and was once a trained bicycle mechanic. I'm also an amateur seamstress and thus loved writing about the clothes in this book.

ME: If you could cast your own characters for a movie, which actors would be your choice?

YB: I would cast Emma Watson as Vanessa, Logan Lerman as Justin, and Dave Franko as Zep. Fingers crossed!


ME: Do you have any other future projects in the works for us to look forward to?

YB: I am currently editing the sequel to Dance of Shadows!


Thank you so much for being at the blog today!


Follow Yelena Black on Twitter

Read my review of Dance of Shadows. Add Dance of Shadows to your Goodreads.



　

Review: Dance of Shadows

Title: Dance of Shadows
Author: Yelena Black
Genre/Category: YA, Paranormal, Fantasy


See it at Goodreads



Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.


I’m saddened that I couldn’t like Dance of Shadows more than I did in the end, but it was a middle-ground book for me with not much of an oomph to push it over that edge of adoration I wanted. The premise was attractive, full of mystery and intrigue and beauty, but left only a simplistic taste in me. It was pleasant in the fact that it started out holding my attention, and kept my attention throughout, but I didn’t feel for the characters--or the romance--so at times I felt detached from the story. What I really liked though was the third person point of view, which seems to be a rarity nowadays I guess. Maybe I’m biased there. I like third person. I admit to being a nitpick with first person. The third person in Dance of Shadows felt right and flowed well, though I would have liked a more in-depth look at Vanessa to learn more about her character.

I felt a bit confused at times with the storyline. Questioning why maybe Vanessa was allowed by her parents to attend a school that her older sister had disappeared from, with the mystery still open. This bothered me, it really did. As a parent myself, I wouldn’t have let my child if their sibling had went missing from the school and their case unsolved. Maybe that was just me?

The ending felt on the rushed side, and the writing felt simplistic. But it didn’t take away from my overall enjoyment of the reading. I did find myself liking the story once I got into it and want to read more books that revolve around dance. I may not have been wowed or blown away, but the general story was an interesting concept and an entertaining, fast read.


 






Stay tuned for the my interview with Yelena Black as part of the Triple Threat Blog Tour!

Blog Tour: Hysteria by Megan Miranda (Review + Author Interview)

Welcome to today's stop for the Triple Threat Blog Tour for Bloomsbury! I have Megan Miranda here with a lovely little interview, but first I'd like to share my review of Hysteria--her sophomore novel recently released this past week(February 5th).

Title: Hysteria
Author: Megan Miranda
Genre: YA Contemp, Mystery

See it at Goodreads


Mallory killed her boyfriend, Brian. She can't remember the details of that night but everyone knows it was self-defense, so she isn't charged. But Mallory still feels Brian's presence in her life. Is it all in her head? Or is it something more? In desperate need of a fresh start, Mallory is sent to Monroe, a fancy prep school where no one knows her . . . or anything about her past.But the feeling follows her, as do her secrets. Then, one of her new classmates turns up dead. As suspicion falls on Mallory, she must find a way to remember the details of both deadly nights so she can prove her innocence-to herself and others.

In another riveting tale of life and death, Megan Miranda's masterful storytelling brings readers along for a ride to the edge of sanity and back again.


I liked the overall tone of Hysteria immediately from the first sentence. It was one of those reads that just pulled me right in and I held on until the very end. Though admittedly, I enjoyed Fracture probably more so than this title, I did find Hysteria thrilling, mysterious, and compulsively readable. I enjoyed the romantic interest, Reid, who seemed to be non-judgmental and open-minded. He showed easily that he didn’t care about the typical school gossip, no matter his popularity, and that what mattered was seeking the actual truth of the situation. The character dynamics and emotional reactions are well-done.

I have this odd love of enjoying the whole boarding school setting thing. And while I wasn’t entirely wowed by it from this title, I did find it interesting enough to keep the story moving along. My only nitpicks might’ve been that I felt sympathy for poor Mallory pretty often--especially when it came to how her parents treated her after the murder--and being sent away within months afterward while still suffering from the trauma (enough of it to where she is on sleeping medication still). I was glad she’d at least found her friendship/relationship with Reid, because I felt her hopelessness at that point, and she really needed that connection as a character. It helped add some oomph to the pages.

I found the mean girls a bit cliché and predictable, but it didn’t pull me away from the story. I still found myself easily breezing through it and finished quickly.

Hysteria was an enjoyable fast-paced read that will steal your breath away with its strange mystery.

 



Now, welcome Ms. Miranda to the blog, everyone! I know I'm delighted to have her here. :) Welcome Ms. Miranda! I only have a few quick questions so I don't take up too much time. I want the next book to get here as fast as possible, of course. Ha!

Me: What began your interest in writing?

MM: I loved to read and write growing up, and I also loved science. Writing was something I always enjoyed, but I let it go after high school, thinking I was supposed to pick one thing to do. So I picked science, because it seemed more practical. I always read, but I'm ashamed to say I went many years without writing. It wasn't until I had changed careers and then quit to stay home with my kids that my husband asked me why I wasn't writing, since it was something I loved to do. I started writing again that night, and haven't stopped since.

Me: What was your inspiration behind Hysteria?

MM: There wasn’t one single event that inspired Hysteria, but a bunch of smaller things that all came together. For one, I had the idea for Mallory already—a girl who had gotten away with killing her boyfriend. So that was one piece of the story already. As I was writing, I got very interested in the definition of the word haunt, and all the things that can haunt, and all the ways they can do it. I started researching memories and psychosomatic conditions, and I read stories about people who had psychological conditions that manifested in physical ways. All of these elements came together as I was coming up with the idea behind Hysteria.

 

Me: If you could cast your own characters into a movie, which actors would you choose?

 

MM: Oh, I am typically so bad at casting questions! Mostly because I am pretty out-of-it when it comes to current entertainment. Or past entertainment. All entertainment, really.

I picture Mallory as maybe a cross between Nina Dobrev and Melissa Benoist. Reid would be maybe Tyler Posey. Colleen I’d picture as a young Scarlett Johannson.

 

Me: Might I just interrupt to say that I adore Nina Dobrev? You certainly have good tastes there. ^-^

 

Me: Your debut, Fracture, was released last year in January. Some inquiring minds want to know if there’s going to be a companion or sequel. So, yes or no?  ;)

MM: Yes! The sequel/companion will be coming out in early 2014. It will be told from Decker's point of view and it takes place about 8 months after the events in Fracture.

Me: Now I will be on the edge of my seat all year. Decker's point of view? Win.

 

Me: Could you tell us one quirky fact about yourself?

MM: Just one? Oh boy. Um… I have a thing about even numbers. Like I need to eat chips in even numbers and stuff. Or maybe that’s just weird. How about the fact that I talk with my hands so much (seriously, I can’t get them to stop), even when I’m on the phone… and sometimes it makes me drop the phone.

Me: Anything else you would like to add?

MM: Just that I really enjoyed writing Hysteria, and I hope you like it! Thanks for having me on your blog J

Me: Thank you so much for being on the blog with us today!

About the Author

Megan is a scientist - turned - teacher - turned - stay-at-home-mom - turned - writer. She is not nearly as indecisive as she sounds. She lives near Charlotte, North Carolina, where she volunteers as an MIT Educational Counselor, does the mom thing by day, and writes by night.

Official Site |  Twitter | Facebook 

 
   

**My thanks to Bloomsbury for asking my blog to take part in the tour. I received an e-galley in exchange for my honest review.**