Waiting On Wednesday A Darkness Strange & Lovely by @stdennard & Crown Of Midnight by @SJMaas

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Jill @ Breaking The Spine

This Wednesday I'm waiting on two young adult reads. Both are book #2's in a series and both of these authors happen to be beastie's, and I loved both of these authors books. 

My first pick is A Darkness Strange and Lovely. It is book #2 in the Something Strange and Deadly series. I read the first book in the series and really enjoyed the world-building and strong characters, especially Eleanor. See my review for SS&D  HERE

A Darkness Strange and Lovely
by Susan Dennard
Expected publication: July 23rd 2013 by HarperTeen 
Goodreads

Following an all-out battle with the walking Dead, the Spirit Hunters have fled Philadelphia, leaving Eleanor alone to cope with the devastating aftermath. But there’s more trouble ahead—the evil necromancer Marcus has returned, and his diabolical advances have Eleanor escaping to Paris to seek the help of Joseph, Jie, and the infuriatingly handsome Daniel once again. When she arrives, however, she finds a whole new darkness lurking in this City of Light. As harrowing events unfold, Eleanor is forced to make a deadly decision that will mean life or death for everyone.

My second pick is Crown Of Midnight. One of my top picks for favorite YA books last year was Throne Of Glass. I love the whole series of novella's as well as TOG, so I'm highly anticipating this next installment to see our strong heroine, Celanea keep up with her rouse and fight as she always does, with strength and character! See my review for TOG HERE


Crown Of Midnight 
by Sarah J. Maas
Expected publication: August 27th 2013 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
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?

Book Tour: Review+Interview+Giveaway: Throne Of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)

by: Sarah J. Maas

Published: August 7th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's

ISBN:

1599906953 (ISBN13: 9781599906959)

E-ARC-Received from publisher

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin. Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilarating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best. Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.



Sarah J. Maas lives in Southern California, and over the years, she has developed an unhealthy appreciation for Disney movies and bad pop music. She adores fairy tales and ballet, drinks too much coffee, and watches absolutely rubbish TV shows. When she's not busy writing YA fantasy novels, she can be found exploring the California coastline.







1) Tell my readers how you came up with the idea for Throne Of Glass?

Well, it was wayyy back in 2002. I was sixteen years old, and at home one night, listening to the soundtrack to Disney’s Cinderella. Upon hearing the music that accompanies the moment when Cinderella flees the ball, I thought that it was pretty dark and intense—and way-better suited for a story where Cinderella had done something REALLY bad. Like…steal from the prince. Or—even better, what if Cinderella was an assassin sent to the ball to kill the prince? Thus Celaena Sardothien (the heroine of Throne of Glass) was born.
 

2) What's one thing my readers would be surprised to learn about you?

 Hmmm. I was in a Goosebumps book when I was younger. Yep. R. L. Stein’s kids went to my elementary/middle school, and for the annual fundraising auction, he donated a prize to have your kids’ names in his next Goosebumps novel. Well, I was a R. L. Stein fanatic, so my parents were awesome and bid on it—and won. So, Sarah Maas will forever be the heroine of The Curse of Camp Cold Lake (my little brother, Aaron, also got to have his name in the book).
 

3) What are you working on right now?

Book Two of the Throne of Glass series! I’m just starting revisions based on my editor’s feedback! And, as always, I’m just fiddling with a bunch of other, secret, non-TOG projects. ;)

4) What have you found to be the most difficult in the writing process ie: the writing, or the promoting?

Finding a balance between writing, promotion, and having a healthy social life. I think I’m still figuring out how to juggle it all, honestly.

5) What books have you read lately, any recommendations?

Recent releases?
Melina Marchetta’s Lumatere Chronicles (starting with Finnikin of the Rock).
Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard.
Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo.
Legend by Marie Lu.
Cinder by Marissa Meyer.
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson.

Um, I could go on and on and on, because there are so many fabulous YA books out there right now.

6) I read that you grew up in New York, what a great experience. What would you say is your favorite NYC attraction(s)?

If I had to pick just one…Well, for me, it’d be the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center. It’s where the American Ballet Theatre performs, and it’s probably my favorite place in the whole world. Growing up (and until I moved to California), my family had season tickets to ABT, and I just have the most lovely memories associated with the Opera House.

Though I also have a major soft spot for The American Museum of Natural History (I spent countless hours roaming the halls when I was a kid)



 

 and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (such a mysterious, magical place).

7) Dream Sequence: Your book has been opted for a film, what actors would you like to see played as your characters?

Celaena: Jennifer Lawrence
(she was my perfect Celaena BEFORE she was cast in The Hunger Games!)

Dorian: Drew Roy

    

                          Chaol: Sam Worthington

 

   Princess Nehemia: Kat Graham

                                                                   

                                                                 

8) Think about your favorite film, now you’re inside that movie, what character would you be, and why?

 Oh, I think I’d want to be Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle. It’s not my favorite-favorite film (definitely in my top 10 though), but it’s SUCH a magical film and magical world, and I have a major crush on Howl. :) 

9) If you could travel anywhere, real or fantasy world, where would you go and why?

 Gahhhh. Tough question.
 Let’s just keep it to this world, so this answer isn’t a million pages long. There are so many places on earth that I’d love to go to—so many things to see and people to meet that I honestly can’t pick one.
But…My grandma is a holocaust survivor—and as a child, she was smuggled around Europe, hidden in people’s houses and in schools and churches. I’d love to someday follow the path she took, and try to find the descendants of the people who risked everything to get her to safety. It’d be the trip of a lifetime—and an honor.

10) Finish this sentence: I can't live without __________?
COFFEE. (Not even joking.)




OK, here are some fun questions:

This or That

Summer or Winter? Autumn! Ha, sorry. Autumn is my favorite season—I’ve never been that into summer or winter (though now that I live in California, we don’t even have seasons.)

Coffee or Tea? COFFEE.

Cake or Pie? Cake!!!

Harry Potter or Twilight? Harry Potter, please! :)

Little Mermaid or Snow White? Little Mermaid, all the way!

TV or Movies? Oof. Um. UM. Movies. No. TV. Agh. Both. BOTH! (This is the most impossible question ever!)

Thanks for visiting Sarah, I enjoyed your reading your answers!!

Captivating and thrilling! You will fall for Miss Maas writing style, with fantastic world building, you will become lost within the pages of Throne Of Glass

Celaena, a heroine that I adore and wouldn't mind befriending, has spent countless days as a prisoner in the salt mines of Endovier, as a prisoner/slave, whom manages to survive day by day in  this ghastly place, where prisoners usually die within 3-6 month time span.
When all seems to be lost and all hope gone, for our heroine, hope comes in the form of  a group of men, and a proposition that may be too hard to refuse. This proposition, involves a death match of sorts, and freedom granted from the King himself . So, of course Calaena is eager to start but she must train vigorously and must sparr with the worst of them, she also must stay in the Kings castle, heavily watched over by numerous guards. Celaena is none to happy over being in the ice castle and is defiant verbally with those whom are trying to help. Slowly, Celaena builds relationships with the Captain of the guard, Chaol,  Prince Dorrian, and Princess Nehemia.

With the tournament under way with twenty participants, whom will, one at a time be eliminated after each round.  A participant's death has surfaced within the castle walls, then the mystery begins of the  who? what? where? is killing  more of them off. More mysteries come into light and I found them highly enjoyable as Miss Maas weaves an intricate story, that will have you enjoying every minute of it.

With a killer on the loose, Celaena is in full detective mode. She comes through with answers and manages to raise suspicion within her friends or foe. She is a strong, likable protaginist, who I just enjoy reading about.
Keenly away of her surroundings and highly mature for her age, we do see glimpse of Celaena's softer side and we actually see Celaena enjoying herself at times, as well as being her naturally carefree self. 

A blossoming relationship seems to be really budding in this book, and I highly enjoy the bantor of the Prince and Celaena, but that may be as far as we get as the relationship between these two is forbidden, but I'm not sure anything or anyone can pull these two apart.

I really enjoyed reading all 4 novella's as well as this book and I am a fan of Sarah's, now as well, I am highly awaiting book #2 in the series to see Celaena's adventure continue.....

Thank you Bloomsbury for inviting me on the tour and for the review arc of Throne Of Glass.

5/5 Stars



Since I loved this book I decided to share my love with a giveaway!

 Check out the rules below, Good Luck!

• Enter to win 1 copy of Throne Of Glass
• Must fill rafflecopter form
• Must be 13 yrs. older
• Winner will have 48hrs. to respond to winning e-mail
• Open to all (INT)
• open 8/22-9/14

a Rafflecopter giveaway





                                                                                                                                                                                    

Review: The Assasin and the Empire by Sarah J Maas

The Assassin and the Empire (Throne of Glass 0.4)

by: Sarah J. Maas

ASIN:

B008HRMAPG

Kindle Edition: 96 pages

Published: July 20th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Children's

Personal Purchase: Amazon .99 

Celaena Sardothien is the assassin with everything: a place to call her own, the love of handsome Sam, and, best of all, freedom. Yet, she won’t be truly free until she is far away from her old master, Arobynn Hamel; Celaena must take one last daring assignment that will liberate her forever. But having it all, means you have a lot to lose . . .

This fourth fantastic e-novella gives readers an inside look at the characters who appear in the full-length novel Throne of Glass. Don’t miss out

Novella #4 and I'm utterly speechless... That's right, me not saying anything?

... >"<....

UGH!!

I loved this book, and hated this book all at the same time. Now, you know when an author has you feeling emotions like that, then they've got to be awesome, right??

Celaena is baaaack, and she is living life a way from Arobynn and his utterly uncharming ways, yes, I'll come out and say it I HATE HIM!! I knew from the last book, The Assassin and the Underworld, (see, my review HERE)just how ruthless he can be, but this time I feel he takes the cake!

So, yea, Celaena is living in her flat alongside her love, Sam *swoons* *swoons some more*. They are basically strapped for cash, after Celaena has to pay her way, as well as Sam's way out of Arobynn's keep, and pay him for his money loss, from Skull's Bay, from the first  book, The Assassin and the Pirate Lord(HERE).

Sam and Celaena must find work, as an assassin, there really isn't many contracts out there that haven't already been swooped up by Arobynn. So, Sam being the typical male, feels he must go out on the streets and hustle for an assassin job, and he finds one, which is great, but we soon find out the target to be assassined is ruthless and a mob boss of sorts in their city. A highly dangerous job that Celaena has second thoughts about, but Sam manages to sway her and tells her she shouldn't be involved, of course Celaena is no pushover(even for her love) and tells him they are in this together.

Now, I'm not going to spoil the rest of the story for you, just let me tell you Sarah J Mass had me emotionally charged, I was crying, and screaming, Nooooooo!!!! This can't be? I wanted to wip out my daggers and jump into the book, and save the day, but whoa, that was not meant to be... :( 

So, yes I'm a 100% a fan of Sarah's now! I loved all four novella's and have been vigorously reading the Throne Of Glass, which has me feeling a little bit better after the circumstances of this one.

Don't forget to stop by tomorrow for my exciting interview with Sarah, and my oh, so exciting review during the Bloomsbury Book Tour, plus I may just throw in a awesome giveaway! ;)

 

Review: The Assassin and the Underworld by Sarah J Maas

The Assassin and the Underworld (Throne of Glass 0.3)

by Sarah J. Maas

Kindle Edition, 92 pages

ASIN

B007N6JEQ0

Published May 1st 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Personal Purchase: Amazon .99

When the King of the Assassins gives Celaena Sardothien a special assignment that will help fight slavery in the kingdom, she jumps at the chance to strike a blow against an evil practice. The misson is a dark and deadly affair which takes Celaena from the rooftops of the city to the bottom of the sewer—and she doesn’t like what she finds there.

This being the third installment of the Throne of Glass novellas, I find the plot thickens and my love for this series grows within each book.

Celaena is back from a three month stay in the desert, from the novella, The Assassin and the Desert, see my full review HERE. She's none too pleased over her stay in the desert but she is curious about life back in Rifthold, at the Assassin's Keep. Facing Arobynn, the King of Assassin's and her leader, she must come to terms with what he has done to her, but she plots a way of leaving and separating herself from Arobynn.
Getting back into life in the Keep feels strange at first, and seeing Sam again for the first time after three months brings out mixed feelings within her, feelings of jealousy, hate, and maybe a hint of love for him. 

Celaena is quickly thrusted back into the world of her being an Assassin and is yet again sent on another mission, but this time the mission is close to home and as the wheels are set in motion we get a sense that maybe there is something more hidden behind Arobynn's actions, and what his intentions toward Celaena, might be.
This mission takes Celaena and Sam into the depths of the city's underground sewer system, as to find a way into the home of a slave trader, as her mission is to eliminate him. Being in the sewer pipes may prove to be a deadly situation, as all may be loss in Celaena's world.

In this novella, I got a sense of there being an underlining, almost political aspect to Arobynn's actions. We already know he is ruthless, with his assassins, and I can almost get the sense of him being a villain, of sorts,  having an agenda that reaches alot farther than Rifthold.

Sam and Celaena's relationship with each other is clearly become something more and I really enjoy these two being together.
All in all we see a different side to Celaena, not just as an assassin, but a girl who enjoys the different art and cultures of the theater. We also see aside of Celaena that loves her rich lifestyle. Will she be able to truly give up all of her spoiled ways and leave Arobynn, is yet to be seen.

5/5 Stars

                                                                                                                                                                                                        

Review: The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin and the Desert

Series: (Throne of Glass 0.2)

by Sarah J. Maas

Published: March 30th 2012 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Kindle Edition, 86 pages

Personal purchase: Amazon kindle .99

The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive.

Celaena is back about a month after Skull's Bay. Skull's Bay is the setting to the first book The Assassin and the Pirate Lord see my full review HERE.

Celaena is sent to the desert as a form of punishment for her behavior in Skull's Bay. She is sent here to learn discipline and obedience, for her actions. Nestled between two sand dunes in the middle of the parched desert, lays the fortress were the Mute Master rules. Celaena must earn respect and must gain the mute masters approval in the form of a letter, to be able to go back home, without the letter she is forbidden to ever return. The Mute Master reminds me of Mr. Miyagi of The Karate Kid, he chooses not to speak, but his aura is felt within the fortress. He is respected and disciplined. 

Now, gaining the mute master's trust is not an easy fete, as there are plenty whom have lived in the fortress and have never been trained by him. Celaena wants to be rid of this whole place and she tries to find out why, he doesn't train her, frustrated she decides to make friends with a girl about her age, Ansel. They become roommates and fast friends, as Celaena, never really had a girl as a friend, she enjoys Ansel's company.
 After, a short time Ansel and Celaena are sent off to a mission of sorts, and wind up in trouble, but thru no fault of Celaena's. She does protect Ansel, and earns respect from the mute master, and training sessions with him.
Now, I'm not going to spoil the rest of this novella for you. I will say its a good edition to The Throne Of Glass series and showcases more of Celaena's backstory, and her growth as she learns about friendships and how things are not always what they seem. While I enjoyed this novella, I did miss the interaction between Celaena and Sam.
I will be continuing on with the next novella
The Assassin and the Underworld
4/5 Stars

Review: The Assasin and The Pirate Lord by Sarah J Maas

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

By Sarah J. Maas

Kindle Edition, 63 pages

Published: January 13th 2012 by Bloomsbury Children’s

ASIN : B006ZVW3T4

Series: A Throne of Glass novella #0.1

Personal Purchase Amazon Kindle .99

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes—and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about.

Review:

High Fantasy adventure, action-packed with a strong female heroine!

I loved this short prequel to the Throne Of Glass. Although it was a short read, it was packed with action and had a great story behind it. We get a great intro to the characters and the past life of Celaena.

Celaena, a young but strong, level-headed, no holds barred female heroine is everything I love in a character and more. She's a character who isn't afraid of taking chances in facing ruthless enemies.

Our story begins set in a council room where a meeting of the Assasin's Guild is taking place. Celaena, one of the most powerful assasins, only second to the king, Ardalan, has just found out a member of their group has been killed and she's not happy, to say the least! As tensions flare, we see first hand what Celaena is capable of, and how easily she can lose her temper. She takes no bull from anyone, especially, not from Sam. Sam, a year older than Celaena, is third in line of the Assasin's and you get a sense of aniomosity from these two.

A couple of months later, our heroine, Celaena, is sent out on a mission, with Sam. Not pleased about it, they venture off to Skull's Island to meet with the Pirate Lord, Rolfe. Celaena hides her idenity from the Lord, inpart because she is young, and a female. She does come across as brave and bold with her interactions with the Lord.

Not knowing at first, why she is sent to Skull's Bay, Celaena quickly finds out and is not pleased by the events.

Choosing to do what's right, and what she believes in may prove deadly to her and Sam, whom decides to pair up with her, and go against what they were sent to do. Neverless, Celaena, goes against the rule of the King of Assasins, and proves that no one scares her, and she does what she wants, even if it means dire circumstances.

She may just be the strongest heroine in Young Adult Books!

I'm looking forward to reading more of Celaena's adventures, and will continue onto The Assasin and the Desert, next.