I spent around three hours before going to sleep reading Bitterblue only to realize that, 50% into the book and I'm not even quite sure I care about what's actually happening to the characters.  The only thing keeping me reading it would be the strange "puzzles" that Queen Bitterblue herself keeps bringing up over and over again.  And as much as I hate to admit it, I'm curious enough to read the rest of the book just to figure out what the deal is with all the strange people in the Monsean kingdom.

Also, I don't recall Katsa and Po being quite so annoying from Graceling, but no doubt, I'm not very fond of either of them right now.  In fact, there isn't one character in this book I actually care for, really.  They all feel so detached in a strange way.

Nonetheless, I'm going to start a new book so I can take a break from Bitterblue.

As for Darkfall...  I had started reading Bitterblue so that I could take a break from The Healing Wars series.  And unfortunately, it seemed kind of counter-productive for me to go back to Darkfall in order to take a break from the book I had chosen to distract myself from Darkfall in the first place.

Anyway...

A good romantic suspense novel always hits the right spot.  And after finishing up my planning for my next big Reading Challenge project, I simply decided to chose a book from that list.  Also because I bought the entire series from a used book store since the books aren't available at my local library in any format at all.

It's probably about time I got started on making a dent in my TBR Bookshelf... a very small dent, but the beginnings of a dent, nonetheless.

The story feels like it's getting to a point of picking up now, but the first three chapters were kind of boring.  I found my mind wandering as Fire and Archer traveled from one town to another, rehashing old memories and backstory, talking politics, and spouting way extreme feminist values that were probably a carryover from Graceling.

It's been a long time since I read Graceling, but even then I'm not sure I found too much about it memorable.

The world is developed really well and I like the characters as well, but the tone of the story is so monotonous that I find myself rereading paragraphs several times because I had stopped paying attention halfway through a sentence or something.  Then some action happens, or an event is being spoken about, and I have to go back and reread other parts of the same chapter because I realized that my mind must have wandered a lot further back than I remember it wandering.

I'm hoping things will get a little bit better since the concept and the story are quite intriguing to me.  And also, the first two Graceling books were highly praised by a lot of reviewers.  While I found Graceling to be mediocre young adult high fantasy that had potential to be pretty awesome but missed its mark somehow, I'm hoping that Fire will prove different.

After Fire and Thorns, I'm still kind of on a quest to find another great high fantasy to quench my fangirl needs.

I found this book in the Teen section of the library, though I’m not sure how much I agree with that classification. I feel that the young-adult novel has a feel to it. I don’t think Graceling or Fire captured that feeling. I think I would have enjoyed this book whether I were 20 or 40. It just feels like pure fantasy to me.

Cashore is really becoming one of my favorite fantasy authors. I love to read about different worlds, but only when they’re crafted well. The Seven Kingdoms & the Dells are so interesting and well-done. I think Cashore has really made a name for herself in the fantasy genre with these books. I’m eager for the next one to come out and I’m really hoping she’ll be writing for years to come.

Fire is written in third-person, which I enjoy in fantasy novels. I think the story-telling style works well in the genre. I think a big pitfall in some of the books I end up disliking is the fact that they’re written in first-person. It takes skill to do that well. Too often authors blather on about the opinions of the main character when they have no real relevance and don’t help with plot or character development.

Cashore, again, provides full and well-developed characters. It’s impossible not to love them, and it’s so obvious that she loves them. Fire certainly has the biggest development of all the characters, which is appropriate since the book is about her. I was surprised with King Nash’s development. After his first appearance, I expected him to be the jerk the entire book, but he really turns out to be a good character. I was very satisfied with how he changed.

I have to admit that it took me a little while to grasp the plot. It wasn’t nearly as fast-paced atGraceling so I had to grow accustomed to this book’s pacing. I think it could have used a little more of a climax regarding the war. I was expecting a little more out of that element. I think it’s partly because I keep trying to make this book about all the characters, rather than just about Fire. The book is titled after her so I really should have taken into consideration that we’re following her story the way she experiences it. There’s not so much action with Fire as there is emotional development. Depending on the situation, I sometimes find that kind of story anti-climactic. I think with an audiobook this is really determined by the narrator. I’m not convinced this narrator did a good job conveying Fire’s inner struggles. The story is much more character driven, but there’s a really great story there.

I was most surprised and delighted with the beginning of the book. I was pretty confused by the story about the little graceling boy with one red eye. I found him positively creepy. It wasn’t until the end of that story, when we learn who he is, that I was extremely excited about his involvement in this story. I was so glad I had read Graceling already. I think if I had read Fire first, it would have ruinedGraceling for me.

One of the issues Fire faces every single day is people trying to use her gift for their benefit. I have to give her props for not caving in immediately. It really is ridiculous. It’s hard to find real friends when you have abilities like Fire. How can you separate those who like you for who you are from those who like you because your useful. I think this is a relevant question in real life. What do people gain from being in contact with you? Are they only around because you can do something for them? If Fire’s case, it’s hard to say. I personally think a lot of the people she’s around wouldn’t be nearly as interested if she were just a normal human. On the other hand, there are some who have gotten beyond the question of what she is and are much more interested in who she is.

If there is a theme in this book, it’s trust. Fire is constantly dealing with trust: trust in others, others trust in her, trust in herself. Why should we trust others? How far can we really get without trusting another person? Fire has quite an issue with trusting herself. She remembers the terrible things her father did and knows she is capable of the same things. It’s her a very long time to overcome her fears and finally trust herself.

Cashore’s style is perfect for the period and culture she’s writing about. It has the perfect amount of formal writing. She’s a very capable writer with clear, concise prose. Her writing flows so well. she’s just such a joy to read. Not only that, but I find both this book and Graceling to be very original. I’ve never read anything like them before. I didn’t like the way this one developed as much as Graceling, but I was, under no circumstances, disappointed.

This reader's personal opinion, ©2012, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers* 

Riveting storytelling start to finish. Enthralled all the way. Worthy successor to Graceling. This is very much Bitterblue's tale and not dependent on reappearance (as delighted as I was to have them back) of favorite characters like Po and Katsa.

Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)
Sarah J. Maas
Young Adult Fantasy
Published: 2012
4/5

             In a world without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King’s Champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

             The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her and a princess from a faraway land will befriend her. But something evil dwells in the castle – and it’s there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena’s fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival – and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

            Personally I really enjoyed Throne of Glass, its simple plot and easy to like characters made for a fairly quick and enjoyable read. The plot is certainly not complicated and despite what I’ve seen other’s saying, I do not believe you need to read the ‘prequels’ to understand ‘Throne of Glass’ and the progression of this story.
            I really enjoyed Sarah J. Mass’ writing style, throne of glass greatly reminded me of Graceling written by Kristin Cashore and I truly feel if you enjoyed that book you would also enjoy this one.
            Celaena was very likeable despite the obvious flaws with her character that made me reduce my rating to a four star instead of a 5 star. She’s witty, intelligent, friendly, and very likeable. I did however find that her obsession with her appearance, and ridiculously feminine clothing to be unlikely as her position as an assassin would likely not allow her much of those privileges in the past. I find it extremely hard to believe that a woman who is almost unmatched in beauty (According to the author) would be able to go unnoticed for so long and I think it’s virtually impossible that no one would have known who she was.  Beyond those flaws however, I found her to be a strong character and a fairly decent role model for young woman.
             I also really enjoyed the characters of Prince Dorian and Chaol who is the Captain of the Guard. There were obviously a few character issues with them as well but understandably no person is perfect so expecting characters in novels to be perfect is probably like trying to breath under water and unless you’re a fish it’s very unlikely to go well.
            I am looking forward to seeing how all the relationships develop, where things will go between Chaol and Dorian and if the triangle will destroy their friendship. I’m obviously also interested in knowing whom Celaena will end up with in the end as well; perhaps she will not end up with any of them.
            In a land where magic is outlawed I’m very curious to see where that will take us as it’s quite obvious that by outlawing it there will be magic involved within this series. It’ll  be neat to see what kind of magic the author introduces and how the magic will take place within this story line.
            Overall a great introduction into a series I’m fairly certain I will greatly enjoy. Have you read Throne of glass? Let me know what you thought! It’d be great to discuss such an interesting piece of YA literature.
             If you’re not interested in reading Throne of Glass I would also love to hear why, it’s great that everyone has so many different opinions! : )