Book review : The school for good and evil by Soman Chainani

The first kidnappings happened two hundred years before. Some years it was two boys taken, some years two girls, sometimes one of each. But if at first the choices seemed random, soon the pattern became clear. One was always beautiful and good, the child every parent wanted as their own. The other was homely and odd, an outcast from birth. An opposing pair, plucked from youth and spirited away.

This year, best friends Sophie and Agatha are about to discover where all the lost children go: the fabled School for Good & Evil, where ordinary boys and girls are trained to be fairy tale heroes and villains. As the most beautiful girl in Gavaldon, Sophie has dreamed of being kidnapped into an enchanted world her whole life. With her pink dresses, glass slippers, and devotion to good deeds, she knows she’ll earn top marks at the School for Good and graduate a storybook princess. Meanwhile Agatha, with her shapeless black frocks, wicked pet cat, and dislike of nearly everyone, seems a natural fit for the School for Evil.

But when the two girls are swept into the Endless Woods, they find their fortunes reversed—Sophie’s dumped in the School for Evil to take Uglification, Death Curses, and Henchmen Training, while Agatha finds herself in the School For Good, thrust amongst handsome princes and fair maidens for classes in Princess Etiquette and Animal Communication.. But what if the mistake is actually the first clue to discovering who Sophie and Agatha really are…?

The School for Good & Evil is an epic journey into a dazzling new world, where the only way out of a fairy tale is to live through one. 

*****

"Who needs a prince in fairy tales?"

First of all I want to emphasized that this book is a middle grade book (for 8 to 12 years old readers), but after reading chapters by chapters I just wonder if is it really suitable for younger kids? This book was dark but in a fun way. The story was very unique and new. It was like a combination of fairy tales and Harry Potter series. This book was about two best friends; a beautiful girl named Sophie and a gloomy and dark girl named Agatha sorted into two magical schools, one for good and one for evil. Sophie always believed that she will get into the good school, becoming a princess and found happily ever after with a prince while Agatha will enter the Evil school and becoming a witch or villain. However, their fate reversed and Sophie got into the school for evil while Agatha got into the school for good.

This book was written from the POV of both of the main characters and it was kinda confusing when the author keeps switching the narration POV. This book was quite thick almost 500 pages. It was a fun roller coaster read and it almost feels like I was reading Harry Potter again. The world in the book was plainly divided by good and evil and the stereotype perceptions that the good has to be charming and good looking while the evil has to be dark, ugly and a witch. But Agatha and Sophie changed the perceptions that everything may not be as clear as black and white and may come in between.

Anyways, I like this book and will read the sequel. I give this book 4.5 stars. 

Book review : Throne of glass by Sarah J. Maas

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 four 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.

*****

This book was about an assassin named Celaena Sardothien who was caught and had to serve hard labour in the salt mines for her crime, entered into a competition to become the King's Champion. She entered into a contract with the crown prince, Prince Dorian that if she wins the competition, she will have to serve the King for four years before she be granted her freedom. During the competition, one by one contestants were killed by mysterious creature and she has to figure out the killer before she becomes the next victim. She was also involved in a brief romance with Prince Dorian.

I was attracted by the book cover and the synopsis sounds very interesting. I end up buying this book from a local bookstore and I am glad that I only bought the first book instead of the whole series. To be frank, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. This book received quiet a high rating in Goodreads and I think some readers found this book very enjoyable. The cover was very pretty and alluring but I don't think I like this book that much.

I didn't like Celaena at all. She was a bitchy and arrogant character and for an assassin, she wasn't that scary or dark or enigmatic at all. I didn't mind her being arrogant but I think an assassin should possess dark, cold or twisted character but I just think Celaena was being plain boring. Her skills were mentioned in the book and the author kept bragging and repeating of how great and awesome she was, but all I can read was only her whining and thoughts that she was superior and far greater than others, it makes her so so so annoying. She complained a lot about her dress, her appearance and how bored and lonely she was and she was no different than some mean cheerleaders in contemporary books.  

The book did not elaborate much on the characters' descriptions and side stories. There weren't any major character development throughout the book. I think the writer focused solely on the events that happened on Celaena. I have no problem with the plot or the story but if it wasn't because of Celaena, I might find this book quite likable. The language was okay and easily understood. The book was not very lengthy 400++ pages, I finished this book in two days despite of how much I dislike Celaena. The only thing I did like in this book was a character named Chaol Westfall. He was very calm and I can picture him in many anime/manga characters. 

I give this book 3 stars.

Book Review : Huntress by Malinda Lo

Nature is out of balance in the human world. The sun hasn't shone in years, and crops are failing. Worse yet, strange and hostile creatures have begun to appear. The people's survival hangs in the balance.

To solve the crisis, the oracle stones are cast, and Kaede and Taisin, two seventeen-year-old girls, are picked to go on a dangerous and unheard-of journey to Tanlili, the city of the Fairy Queen. Taisin is a sage, thrumming with magic, and Kaede is of the earth, without a speck of the otherworldly. And yet the two girls' destinies are drawn together during the mission. As members of their party succumb to unearthly attacks and fairy tricks, the two come to rely on each other and even begin to fall in love. But the Kingdom needs only one huntress to save it, and what it takes could tear Kaede and Taisin apart forever.

The exciting adventure prequel to Malinda Lo's highly acclaimed novel Ash is overflowing with lush Chinese influences and details inspired by the I Ching, and is filled with action and romance.

*****

I've been wanting to read this book ever since the first time I heard about it. I love LGBT theme and to find it in a young adult fantasy book was super amazing because it is very rare. Maybe my knowledge is limited but please recommend to me if you come across or happen to know any LGBT young adult fantasy / sci-fi books, ya.

This book was about an interesting relationship between two girls on a dangerous journey to escort the prince to meet the Fairy Queen. The land was divided by two kingdom : the land of human and the land of fairies and supernatural creatures. The story began when the king in the human land received an invitation from the Fairy Queen so he sent his son, three guards and two 17 years old girls from the Academy named Kaede and Taisin as his representatives. Both of them were classmates but barely spoken to each other. Taisin was a gifted student and good with magic and sorcery and she wished to be a mage after graduating. However, Kaede was only good with daggers and weapons and had no interest in sorcery at all. The relationship between Taisin and Kaede deepened as they have to rely on each other to complete their mission. 

I love the chemistry between Kaede and Taisin. They were shy and awkward at first (as they barely spoke to each other in class) but once they realized how much they attracted to each other, their relationship deepened.  They talked and giggled like best friends and they find hope to survive the mission in each other. They needed and relied on each other so much. I can only think of good things about their relationship because I ship them a lot. I cried at the end of this book because I think their relationship was very honest  and innocent BUT I hate their ending.

This book was not thick 300++ pages. The plot was okay and fast paced. This book was enjoyable to read especially the romance between Kaede and Taisin. However, I dislike the ending and I wish I could rewrite them based on my own liking. Haha.. I think the writer did not elaborate much on the characters in this book but I like how she wrote about feelings and how Kaede and Taisin fall in love. The description was very deep and poetic and I felt like Kaede and Taisin were very real.

I love the story but I hate the ending. So I give this book 4 stars.

Book review : The invisible library by Genevieve Cogman

The first installment of an adventure featuring stolen books, secret agents and forbidden societies - think Doctor Who with librarian spies!

Irene must be at the top of her game or she'll be off the case - permanently...

Irene is a professional spy for the mysterious Library, which harvests fiction from different realities. And along with her enigmatic assistant Kai, she's posted to an alternative London. Their mission - to retrieve a dangerous book. But when they arrive, it's already been stolen. London's underground factions seem prepared to fight to the very death to find her book.

Adding to the jeopardy, this world is chaos-infested - the laws of nature bent to allow supernatural creatures and unpredictable magic. Irene's new assistant is also hiding secrets of his own.

Soon, she's up to her eyebrows in a heady mix of danger, clues and secret societies. Yet failure is not an option - the nature of reality itself is at stake.

*****

When I read the synopsis, I was very excited to get my hands on this book. Who wouldn't like the idea of a spy working for a mysterious library and travelling to different universes to obtain special books? I was very tempted to read this book, so I bought together the second installment; The Masked City. 

This book was about a spy named Irene and her assistant, Kai embarked on a mission to an alternative chaos-infected London to retrieve a book. However, the book was already stolen and they have to play detective and risked their life to find the stolen book.

Frankly, I did not like this book. The idea was very interesting and fresh, however I did not like how the author wrote this book. The plot was confusing and I felt like the dialogues were inconsistent, dragging and not interesting. I got bored in the middle of the book but I tried my best to finish it anyway. I like the general idea of the story, but I think the writer failed to write well or presenting this story as good as I thought it would be. Irene's character was okay though, she was a street smart woman with interesting pasts.

I give this book 3 stars.

Book Review : Ash by Malinda Lo

In the wake of her father's death, Ash is left at the mercy of her cruel stepmother. Consumed with grief, her only joy comes by the light of the dying hearth fire, rereading the fairy tales her mother once told her. In her dreams, someday the fairies will steal her away, as they are said to do. When she meets the dark and dangerous fairy Sidhean, she believes that her wish may be granted.

The day that Ash meets Kaisa, the King's Huntress, her heart begins to change. Instead of chasing fairies, Ash learns to hunt with Kaisa. Though their friendship is as delicate as a new bloom, it reawakens Ash's capacity for love-and her desire to live. But Sidhean has already claimed Ash for his own, and she must make a choice between fairy tale dreams and true love.

Entrancing, empowering, and romantic, Ash is about the connection between life and love, and solitude and death, where transformation can come from even the deepest grief.

*****

Ash was a lesbian version of Cinderella retelling, which I like so so much. The book was not thick, I think 200 ++ pages. The language was simple but poetic. This book was about an orphan girl named Ash who lived with her cruel stepmother and two stepsisters. She loved fairy tales and always dreamed about a male fairy named Sidhean whom she believed will take her away some day. But when she met the King's Huntress named Kaisa, she enjoyed her companionship  and started to fall in love with her, but she was torn between her feelings to Kaisa and her promise to Sidhean.

I think the author did a great job in describing Ash. I love her character ; she was a girl full with curiosity, emotions, feelings and she was not a weakling. She was a rebellious girl and always sneaks out from her stepmother to meet the fairy or Kaisa. Ash did not rely on others to make a decision, she fought for what she believed and what she loved. I love Kaisa as well as I always love stories about huntress and women who fight. I ship them. Ha ha

This book was not an ordinary Cinderella tale where a handsome prince came to save the poor girl. It was about making decisions, fight for what you believe and what you want and of course about love. This was the first book written by Malinda Lo and I am looking forward to read her other books.

I give this book 4.5 stars.

Book Review : Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

This is a world divided by blood – red or silver.

The Reds are commoners, ruled by a Silver elite in possession of god-like superpowers. And to Mare Barrow, a seventeen-year-old Red girl from the poverty-stricken Stilts, it seems like nothing will ever change.

That is, until she finds herself working in the Silver Palace. Here, surrounded by the people she hates the most, Mare discovers that, despite her red blood, she possesses a deadly power of her own. One that threatens to destroy the balance of power.

Fearful of Mare’s potential, the Silvers hide her in plain view, declaring her a long-lost Silver princess, now engaged to a Silver prince. Despite knowing that one misstep would mean her death, Mare works silently to help the Red Guard, a militant resistance group, and bring down the Silver regime.

But this is a world of betrayal and lies, and Mare has entered a dangerous dance – Reds against Silvers, prince against prince, and Mare against her own heart .

*****

This book was super fantastic. I love the cover, sophisticated and it doesn't look like a young adult book at all. Red Queen was about the world of monarchy, politics, soldiers, oppression, super-powers, discrimination and rebellions. I really love the plot and the language was easily understood. The story was fast paced and did not bored me at all. 

This book was about Mare Barrow, a young commoner girl, a Red blood, founds out that she possessed a superpower that should only belonged to Silver bloods. The Silver monarchs declared her as a lost silver blood - born raised by Red bloods community and betrothed her to the Second Prince of the country. She silently helped a militant resistance group to bring down the empire from inside. I will not give you any spoilers but watch out for the great betrayal at the end of this book.

I like Mare Barrow. She was not a weakling and she always knew what to do. There was a slight romance in this book, between Mare and the princes. Yes you heard me, THE PRINCES with the S. She was tough and she does not rely on the princes to save her all the time but Mare was not really my favourite character in Red Queen.

This book was good and mind blowing for me and I give this book 4.5 stars. 

Book Review : Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can't pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can't walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums. 

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz's crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don't kill each other first.

*****

I love this book so much and it was super amazing. The book was quite thick 400++ pages but it was worth it. The language was good and understandable for non English speakers. If you love Ocean Eleven, than you would love Six of Crows. The writer of this book was the same writer who wrote the famous Grisha trilogy which I haven't read yet, but I will later. The story took place in the Grisha universe so at first it was kinda hard for me to understand the unfamiliar 'Grisha jargon' in the story, but once you started to read and understand the plot I guess it was ok. Some readers might recommend you to read the Grisha trilogy before reading the Six of Crows, but it was fine with me.

The story was about six unique individuals with different personality, different skills and different backgrounds went for a deadly mission to break out a prisoner from the Ice Court. Readers will understand  all of the characters and their backgrounds as the point of view in this book shifted from one character to another. I love how the writer wrote about each characters' POV and their interactions. Kaz Brekker especially, the leader and mastermind of the team reminded me a lot of Ciel Phantomhive from a Japanese manga, Kuroshitsuji. I have no favourite character because I LOVE them all. 

The book started quite slow in the beginning maybe because I was having trouble to understand some of the words and the characters in the book. Those who have read the Grisha trilogy might not experience the same as me. I really love the energy, the action,  the plot, and the romances in the story. The romances were subtle and not cheesy. So I really like it as I am not a big fan of romance novel.

I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE and I will definitely read the Grisha trilogy later. I can't wait to read the continuation of this book. Thank you Leigh Bardugo for writing such an amazing book.

I give this book  5 stars (out of 5).

check out this fan art

Book Review : An Ember in the Ashes by Zabaa Tahir

Laia is a slave. 

Elias is a soldier. 

Neither is free.

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.

It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.

But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.

There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

*****

This was the first book that I read in 2016. I bought this book early January and finished it almost a week later. This book was really good and easy to read. I was absolutely hooked by the plot and the characters and I can say that it was very well written. The chapters were short and the language was super easy to be understood for the non-native English speakers. It was written based on the POV of the two main characters; Laia and Elias. 

Laia was an ordinary orphan girl, living with her grandparents and her older brother. Her life changed when a group of soldiers raided her home, killing her grandparents and captured her brother. She was forced to seek assistance from the rebels of the Empire and was asked to be a slave in the military academy and spy for the rebels in exchange for the rebels' assistance to free her brother. Apparently her late parents were part of the rebels as well and were killed by the commandant. She met Elias, a soldier who wants nothing but his freedom. 

Frankly, I did not fancy Laia's characters very much. She was super ordinary except for her beauty that attracted most of the male characters in the book. I always get excited about books focusing on female main protagonist, but Laia's character was just- meh. But her character evolved at every turn of the page as she gets stronger and some readers might find her very likable. On the other hand, I loved reading about Elias and his POV and its not just because he wore a cool mask that makes him a hunk. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoy young adult fantasy dystopian books. Be ready to read about tortures and wars and killings and blood and light romance although the story was not really that 'dark'. This book has a mystery of its own especially about the commandant and the Augurs and you would like its version on middle eastern supernatural creatures like jinns and ifrits.

I give this book 4 stars.