REVIEW: STORM SIREN BY MARY WEBER.

Title: Storm Siren
Author: Mary Weber
Series: Storm Siren #1
Edition: Hardbound
Publication: August 19th 2014 by Thomas Nelson
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Pages: 333
Genre: Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:
In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled.

As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist.

Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed.

Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons.

But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for?

Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

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Was just so tempted to DNF at around 100 pages due to lack of events. There was literally nothing going on until about 200 pages in. World building was lacking, too. I appreciate the map but then that's it? What I don't understand as well is that Nym was a slave with Storm's power (sounds so intriguing) but the story didn't elaborate her history as a slave and as an Elemental. She was full of loathing and guilt for things she clearly didn't intend to do and then no backups in the story or anything. It was so focused on developing a very awkward romance between Nym and her trainer, Eogan. The enemy was attacking them already but Nym and Eogan was just non-stop bickering but still throwing hints that they have a thing for each other. I understand that the pressure of suddenly being the hero (by saving their kingdom from a war that I have no clue how started) is hard for her to accept but she could have focused on her training and used the opportunity to control her powers. But nah, she was just furious and jealous all the time. Plus, Eogan is a little manipulative, like whenever Nym is trying to explain herself, he would always flip the table and make Nym believe it's her fault. Like, wtaf.

I don't have anything good to say because for me, the story line is impressive but the execution failed. I had high hopes for this but meh. I don't recommend. Better try reading something else and save time.

"I think some have to fight harder to choose good over evil because the evil's got it out for them. And maybe it's because those're the ones evil knows will become the strongest warriors, recognizing true wickedness when it rears its head."

REVIEW: KINGDOM OF ASH BY SARAH MAAS.

Title: Kingdom of Ash
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #7
Edition: First Edition, Hardbound
Publication: October 23rd 2018 by Bloomsbury YA
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Pages: 992
Genre: High Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:
Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .

Aelin has risked everything to save her people―but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…

With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation―and a better world.

And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen―before she is lost to him forever.

As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

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This is my first review in forever so I am not really sure how to go about this but just express how I felt overall. Without going too much in to it to avoid spoilers.

We've all waited so long for this finale and I did savor each page of this beast - yes, up til the acknowledgements ("to whatever end" was literally the motivation haha). But to be absolutely honest, it felt like it dragged until about halfway through the book. There's a chunk of it that felt unneeded, it would eventually convey how it all ends but I am not complaining. I mean, I finished it. I just wish it clocked at around 500 pages so I could totally say I loved it so damn much and not just I liked it because it saddens me.

Aelin also felt like a stranger to me in KoA. Maybe because of the torture she endured and her "borrowed time" reality. There's so much lacking and at the same time so much growth in her character it made me rediscover what I loved and hated about her.

And then there's Manon. Damn, gurl. Why did SJM leave me hanging like that? There should be a separate book about this character and I am praying that she would be given enough time to feel things and heal. Damn, damn, damn.

KoA though is still the perfect ending to a series that saved me from despair over and over again. I am sad that this is the end for my Celaena (she will always, always be Celaena to me) but also happy they wouldn't suffer anymore.

My reviews:

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord

The Assassin and the Desert

Throne of Glass

Crown of Midnight

Heir of Fire

Queen of Shadows

Empire of Storms

Tower of Dawn

"Let's make this a fight worthy of a song."

HELLO, WORLD.

So.. hi! I'm alive! *waves* hehehehe been meaning to write something up to kinda explain the sudden blogging break but this damn thing called burnout just wouldn't leave me alone so it got delayed. Why am I here now though? This past weekend, something sad came up and everything just suddenly made sense to me. More like a blessing in disguise kinda thing. I won't go through the specifics but life has been a whirlwind of struggles since the last time I posted (May). It's still hard as of writing but more manageable now. That's basically the only *initial* reason for the blogging break. Focusing on my mental health and health in general was the goal. But a few months ago, during I think my first month of unannounced break, I found out that one of the publishers I worked with since 2013 dropped me off their mailing list just because I was on a break not even that long yet and that was the last straw for me. I know I don't have the right to complain or anything but it was so devastating to me. It added another blow to the already aching heart. I deleted my old Twitter (I got it back just earlier today thankful that no one grabbed my old handle), deleted my bookstagram account (which was stuck with the same number of followers for years), sold half of my book collection and didn't renew my domain host subscription anymore. I was so freaking tempted to delete this blog, too but thankfully, blogger friends talked me out of it. I mean, everything was so chaotic in my personal life that handling a full-blown rejection from someone you worked with for the longest time, I couldn't. I could not deal with it. The anger, frustration and pain were just so extreme it felt like something is going to literally explode inside me. So I stepped away from the things that trigger the stress - blogging and reading.

Going back to the things that made sense to me last weekend.. I realized that I was so freaking focused on superficial things I see on social media. In short, social media negatively affected me. I didn't realize that I was becoming someone else, I was becoming greedy and envious. I was turning into someone I know I'd hate. All this just to fit in a society where validation is flying around. I know it shouldn't have that control over me but it did. So I took a break, reassessed, and learned.

Also, Kingdom of Ash kinda saved me, too. I just finished reading it two days ago and it was the first book in 7 months that I finished. It made me feel things. It made me feel normal in a way -- it made me remember how I felt when I was starting to review books. No pressure, just all fun. I reviewed it on Goodreads and it felt so good! And I never felt more freer. This is how it should be, right? You read what you want to read, at your own pacing. Stop when you need a break. I will be forever grateful to all the publishers I worked with but this time, I am just going to focus on me.

Thank you to everyone who emailed and sent DMs before asking how I was. Thank you for sticking with me. Thank you for reading and for being here.

I'll be here once more, taking it one step at a time. No pressure, just all fun.