EPIC DAY FOR ALL PH FIREHEARTS!

Been a fan of Throne of Glass even before it was released (first post about it here). The synopsis of ToG just captured me and I knew then it would be my kind of book. And I wasn't disappointed. I was introduced to this whole new HF world that I immediately fell in love with. My experience with ToG was unbelievably good that it kind of set this standard when I am reading HFs. What I love most is that aside from Celaena, Sarah J. Maas is such a wonderful person that she isn't only a gorgeous queen but also very approachable on Twitter.

Reviews:

▲ Throne of Glass ▲ The Assassin and the Pirate Lord ▲ Crown of Midnight ▲ The Assassin and the Desert ▲ Heir of Fire ▲ Queen Of Shadows ▲

Thankfully, my lovely Lady friend Louisse of The Soul Sisters turned out to be a huge fan of SJM as well and she hosted a PH blog tour of ACOTAR April of last year. It was such amazing thing because we all had the chance to read ACOTAR in advance and some of the participants had the chance to interview SJM. Then Louisse went to BEA and met SJM in the flesh (!!!!!!!!!!!) and she was thoughtful enough that she sent the blog tour participants this:

SIGNED BOOK PLATE FOR ACOTAR!! Thank you so much, Louisse!
(This bookmark is now pasted on my ACOTAR copy)

Most of my blogger friends know how much I love this ToG and of course, meeting Sarah and getting my books signed are dreams I want so badly to come true. I think that is every SJM fans want to experience - to meet the queen. Then the gods of the publishing world suddenly cracked the entire PH bookish universe when National Bookstore posted this:

THE QUEEN IS COMING TO STORM MANILA. THE QUEEN IS COMING TO MANILA ON MARCH 13. I AM GOING TO FINALLY MEET SARAH J. MAAS. OH. MY. GOD.

I couldn't express my gratitude to National Bookstore and to all those people responsible for this event. SERIOUSLY. OMG. This is unbelievable. OMG!!!!!!

According to National Bookstore, they would post the full mechanics of the signing soon and HONESTLY, I AM SO FREAKING NERVOUS. All her UK books are available at NBS branches here and I don't see any US ones. I both like the US and UK covers and I honestly don't mind it, as long as the height's the same. I also hope there wouldn't be any limit on how many books we can get signed because I'm expecting a lot of fans attending the event so SJM/the publisher/NBS might limit it. Sorry guys, I am just trying to internalize everything HAHA and I don't want to get disappointed (just like what I felt during CoHo's signing) so I am preparing myself for the worst. I mean, I am not expecting SJM to sign gazillion of books in one event because she gets tired, too. But I am hoping - truly - for a no-limit signing. Because I want all my SJM books touched by the queen. HUHUHUHU.

Anyway, the registration starts at 10 in the morning on March 13th in Glorietta, Makati. I don't know why there is no event in Cebu, though. I will definitely be there so I hope to see you, fellow Firehearts!

Let us all look forward to having a blast in this event!

Thank you so much, National Bookstore! This means a lot to me (and us) and don't get tired of making PH bookworms happy and satisfied! I LOVE YOU, NBS!

REVIEW: QUEEN OF SHADOWS BY SARAH J. MAAS.

Title: Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4)
Series: Throne of Glass #4
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Edition: Hardbound
Publication: September 1, 2015 by Bloomsbury
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Pages: 648
Genre: High Fantasy, Romance

Synopsis:

The queen has returned.

Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past…
She has embraced her identity as Aelin Galathynius, Queen of Terrasen. But before she can reclaim her throne, she must fight.

She will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her. She will fight for her friend, a young man trapped in an unspeakable prison. And she will fight for her people, enslaved to a brutal king and awaiting their lost queen’s triumphant return.

The fourth volume in the New York Times bestselling series continues Celaena’s epic journey and builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

Amazon ▴ Barnes and Noble ▴ Book Depository

3 weeks after reading Queen of Shadows, I am still here in this void of heartaches, holding my shattered heart, couldn't seem to continue with my bookish life anymore. Once again, Sarah Mass left me brain dead, emotionally dead, physically dead, dead, dead, dead. There is nothing better I could have hoped for, guys. Sarah Maas delivered another freaking masterpiece and I can't wait to see how she would top this one off next year.

Seriously. Words are floating away from me. I couldn't even begin to tell how much I was surprised by the turn of events in this installment. Maas exactly knows what she's doing. She freaking nailed this one (WELL, AGAIN!) and what can I ever ask for? More kickass scenes? More sexy times? More Rowan? More Aelin? More Manon? I don't know what else to say but I WANT BOOK 5 NOW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEEEE.

Aelin (who will always be Celaena to me) matured so much in this installment. Of course, she's still the greatest assassin ever graced my bookshelf but there are a few things I noticed that bothered me and made me ask questions. I know our Fire-Breathing Bitch-Queen is awesome in so many ways but I guess I missed seeing her a little vulnerable and dependent on others. She has the right to be scared and protective though after Nehemia but come on, man! Ask help sometimes. There's nothing wrong with that. I also noticed how she staged everything perfectly by herself. Like, how could she anticipate every single thing without fail? Can she see the future now? I was just a little bit uncomfortable with those things. She's perfect enough that making her too perfect just seemed so off.

But don't worry, I forgive Celaena for being too perfect because OMG ROWAN WHITEHORNNNNNNNNNNNN IN THE HOUSEEEEE! If you are following my live tweets (I used #KateReadsQoS), you would know that I screamed when Rowan finally showed up! OMG THE TENSION IN THE AIR IS UNBELIEVABLE. I am not - not even a singe bit - pissed off by how this part of the book revolved into something BETTER. I am not saying that the 'other one' is bad news, what I am saying is, the 'other one' just got stuck right there and couldn't decide for himself or even for them and I am still mad with his attitude. Good thing that there's some fantastic development in the Hearts Department that FINALLY, SOMEONE WORTHY CAMEEEEEEEE. #TeamRowanFTW

Lastly, I wanted to really highlight this because I think this is important stuff. Sarah Maas writes not only kickass male characters BUT ALSO FEMALE ONES! WE HAVE CELAENA AND JESUS CHRIST, CAN WE TAKE A MOMENT TO APPRECIATE MANON BLACKBEAK'S EXISTENCE?! Seriously, THAT, THATTTTTT fantastic fight scene was something I've always looked forward to since Heir of Fire and Sarah Maas did not fucking disappoint! I want more from these two equally amazing female characters and of course, I WANT ROWAN FOREVER AND EVER THAT I WANT TO LEGALLY CHANGE MY LAST NAME TO WHITEHORN.

Queen of Shadows is another Throne of Glass installment that left me in awe. Jaw dropping, hair gripping and heart wrenching novel packed with unlimited awesomeness!

"She was fire, and light, and ash, and embers. She was Aelin Fireheart, and she bowed for no one and nothing, save the crown that was hers by blood and survival and triumph."

“He shifted his arm so he could brush her hair back. His fingers lingered along her jaw. “You make me want to live, too, Aelin Galathynius,” he said. “Not exist—but live.” He cupped her cheek, and took a steadying breath—as if he’d thought about every word these past three days, over and over again. “I spent centuries wandering the world, from empires to kingdoms to wastelands, never settling, never stopping—not for one moment. I was always looking toward the horizon, always wondering what waited across the next ocean, over the next mountain. But I think … I think that whole time, all those centuries, I was just looking for you.”

REVIEW: HEIR OF FIRE BY SARAH J. MAAS.

Title: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Edition: Hard Bound
Published: September 2, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 565
Source: Bought from Fullybooked
Category: High Fantasy, Romance
Trailer: Not Applicable.

Synopsis:

Lost and broken, Celaena Sardothien’s only thought is to avenge the savage death of her dearest friend: as the King of Adarlan’s Assassin, she is bound to serve this tyrant, but he will pay for what he did. Any hope Celaena has of destroying the king lies in answers to be found in Wendlyn. Sacrificing his future, Chaol, the Captain of the King’s Guard, has sent Celaena there to protect her, but her darkest demons lay in that same place. If she can overcome them, she will be Adarlan’s biggest threat – and his own toughest enemy.

While Celaena learns of her true destiny, and the eyes of Erilea are on Wendlyn, a brutal and beastly force is preparing to take to the skies. Will Celaena find the strength not only to win her own battles, but to fight a war that could pit her loyalties to her own people against those she has grown to love?

No. There isn't a decent introductory paragraph I could think of to start up this review. There is simply none. No right words. None.

It has been a few days now since I finished reading Heir of Fire and as imminent as it could be, am book hungover. TOTALLY BOOK HUNGOVER. I was originally on a horrible reading/blogging slump but WHO WOULD PASS UP GETTING HEIR OF FIRE? I waited so long for this to be published! I got it a week ago and started reading it, but I read it slowly. I don't think a 565-page book should be read in one sitting. I do not think it is advisable to read Heir of Fire in one sitting, for that matter. It should be read slowly, so that you can savor each word. Because that's what I did. If I read it in my normal reading pace, I would have gotten bored. I would have been annoyed by how slow it was. Knowing how easily I get irritated with slow paced stories, I would have DNF-ed this. BUT THIS IS HEIR OF FIRE and there is a special way of reading it.

Heir of Fire is completely different from the rest of the series. I guess each book stands out on different lights. I love how fluid the consistency of the story through each book has been and yet still made each read a totally different kind of adventure. In Heir of Fire, Celaena's assassin skills didn't float much but her Fae side did -- that one side of Celaena I've been thrilled to know about. Up until the middle part of the book, I was expecting that her full blown power would be shown in the fourth book, but what do you know, Maas surely knows how to make awesome surprises. I absolutely loved how Celaena figured everything out at the end that it made my love for her stronger. THERE IS NO WAY I WOULD HAVE GUESSED WHAT SHE FIGURED OUT. The way she connected simple things in the book that I ignore most of the time is remarkable. I don't know how she does it but hell yeah, she's awesome in a lot of ways and dude, she has the 'right' to be arrogant because why not. She has it all and she has proven herself over and over again. And honestly? I missed her being that way because am slowly seeing her "soft side".

I've read most people were expecting much of Chaol and Celaena. I love them together, don't get me wrong but I kinda liked how Maas focused on the growth of each character independently. They value each other the same way but I liked seeing each one of them think, feel and decide on their own, you know, without physically influencing each other. In this way, I got to know them a little bit deeper, not how they would act as a person when Celaena is around. Yes, I liked that fact very much. Also, the new characters Maas introduced namely ROWAN WHITETHORN and MANON BLACKBEAK blew my mind to scraps. Man, they were so kickass! I think I should make a separate review for these characters alone because I have so much to say! I couldn't ask for anything more, really. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE HEIR OF FIRE. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE IT!

Heir of Fire is absolutely worth waiting for. If it takes another year for Book 4 to be published, I will wait with all my heart. Maas' wrote another phenomenal story with such amazing structure that never misses to surprise me. It is mysterious, brilliant and thrilling. Hands down to you, Maas! Another job well done! And I will follow the Throne of Glass series, to whatever end..

"She was the heir of ash and fire, and she would bow to no one."

"You cannot pick and choose what parts of her to love."

"You didn't need a weapon at all when you were born one."

"She was still on the fall down. There was no getting up, because there was no bottom."

Yeap. She's fully tabbed!

REVIEW: THE ASSASSIN AND THE DESERT BY SARAH J MAAS.

Title: The Assassin and the Desert
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #0.2
Edition: Kindle
Publication: March 30, 2013 by Bloomsbury
Pages: 103
Source: Gifted by Leslie from Bibliophile Kid
Category: YA High-Fantasy, YA Romance

Synopsis:

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.

From The Assassin's Blade:

Contains all five novellas.

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's most feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trusts only her fellow killer-for-hire, Sam. In these action-packed novellas - together in one edition for the first time - Celaena embarks on five daring missions. They take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, where she fights to liberate slaves and seeks to avenge the tyrannous. But she is acting against Arobynn's orders and could suffer an unimaginable punishment for such treachery. Will Celaena ever be truly free? Explore the dark underworld of this kick-ass heroine to find out.

PURCHASE THE BOOK HERE:

Amazon 🔼 Barnes and Noble 🔼 Book Depository

The Assassin and the Desert was another brilliant novel!

When I read any Maas books, there's always an expectation that it will be GREAT. Yes, it may be scary knowing that not all of us can like the same book but so far, Maas haven't failed me. Even though it was just a short novella, I was still awed big time.

After Celaena freed the slaves from the remote island she and Sam went to, she was punished and Sam was beat up. She was sent to the Desert to seek training and approval from the Silent Assasin's Mute Master. She has to be trained soon but she wasn't entertained the way she expected to. She met Ansel, another assassin and surprisingly, they became friends. But unexpected circumstances occurred that pushed her to choose between going home or fight for the assassin's side.

Another Maas masterpiece I truly loved! Ugh why is this author so awesome that whatever she writes make me swoon? This is just a short novella but the action and emotion totally felt real and yes, -AGAIN- I wanted more! Celaena just kept growing as the AWESOMEST Assassin ever and every darn time she kicks butts, she just pushes my love for her deeper! I loved how she trusted her instincts here and even let herself care for people! She opened up herself for humility and loyalty and she still haven't forgotten to use her heart no matter how grave her past was. I love her so much it pinches my intestine! I miss Sam, though.

The Assassin and the Desert did not only show kickass action but mainly taught humility and submission. It's a fast-paced and action-packed e-novella full of heart-bursting emotion that would surely make one adore Celaena and Maas altogether! It is a truly MUST READ novella!

Thank you ever so much Leslie of Bibliophile Kid for the Kindle copy!

"If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it—to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger. But Ansel let her pain become hate, and let it consume her until she became something else entirely—a person I don’t think she ever wished to be."

 "Words could be just as deadly as steel."

REVIEW: CROWN OF MIDNIGHT BY SARAH MAAS.

Title: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Edition: Paperback and eARC
Published: August 27, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Pages: 417
Source: Chyna of Lite-Rate-Ture and NetGalley
Category: High-fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
Trailer: not available

Synopsis:

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?

CROWN OF MIDNIGHT IS SIMPLY THE BOMB!

HOW? HOW CAN I EVEN REVIEW THIS AWESOME SEQUEL WITHOUT SPOILING SO MUCH? HOW?

OMG! I CANT EVEN! MY HEART BEATS WILD!

I KNEW IT WOULD JUST BLOW WHATEVER LEFT OF MY MIND WAY MORE THAN HOW THRONE OF GLASS ALMOST ANNIHILATED MY BRAIN!

IT WAS JUST SO SURREAL!

OMG!

Let me calm down a bit here.

Whew.

WARNING THOUGH, THIS REVIEW MIGHT CONTAIN LITTLE SPOILERS.

Maas did it again! If she perfected Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight was just triple the perfection! Every little bit of action/mystery was definitely concocted with sheer awesomeness that there is no way, like NO WAY to put this book down! Finishing it at 3 in the morning and capslock-tweeting my pouring emotions wouldn't simply express how insane this sequel made me feel! It was way more than what I expected -- IS THERE ANOTHER SUPERLATIVE WORD AFTER BEST? Because that's what I would use.

Celaena continues to be the King's Champion. The King gives her names to assassinate but she has a secret: she fake their deaths. No one knows about this and for sure, death awaits her once the King finds out. She has yet to uncover the King's very dark secrets, her friend Princess Nehemiah's intention for staying, Dorian and Chaol's feelings for her and who is the mysteriously cloaked person roaming in the library at night that gives her the feeling something isn't right.

Crown of Midnight took me to CELAENA's beautiful yet dangerous world once again. How I missed her kickass moves and her quirky antics! Her hilarious sarcasm didn't float much around Crown of Midnight but one thing I can surely share -- SHE MATURED. I fell in love with her again here. Like twice as hard. Her rage, love, friendship, pain, loss and HISTORY were all well-developed and engulfed her character in ways I cannot explain. Her element of badassery was so strong I kept kicking the air while reading the scenes she kicks butts. Oh gosh. She's super duper awesome here. An assassin with a loving heart. Her sacrifices were more than comprehension, I mean her pain was just something I don't think I can bear. Whoever she CHOSE to be was only the selfless part of who she truly were. And I cannot wait to continue this adventure with A.. I mean Celaena in the next books in the series.

CHAOL WESTFALL. My wonderful Chaol. Yes. I am actually switching teams now. Am going to be Team Chaol for a while just because. But what the heck. He wasn't this romantic, expressive, hot captain back in ToG! Not that am complaining! I honestly didn't expect that I would root for him this time and am actually glad because I feel like finally, Celaena found someone who can make her happy! And I mean, Chaol would perfectly blend with Celaena's strong personality without issues. It really takes someone to remember every single detail about the other's existence and without his love for Celaena, I wouldn't have realized how TRULY strong her blood was. I just wish though that sometimes, he'd be more rational with things.

Though there's obviously a blossomed love triangle here, I commend PRINCE DORIAN's willingness to let things be. I might have wished for him to pursue whatever he thinks would make him happy also, but his courage to give way to friendship and true happiness for others melted my heart. He will be a good king without a doubt. And I hope when he's crowned King, he'd be the king Princess Nehemiah dreamed of because SERIOUSLY? OMG WHAT PRINCESS NEHEMIAH DID JUST SHATTERED MY ENTIRE WORLD

And the KEYS? Not only reminded me of the awesome Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows but goodness gracious, its like adventure/fantasy raised to 1000th power! It wasn't only magical but it gives this hair-raising thrill to go on with their quest to unearth these secrets the King kills for. SO SO GOOD AND SO SO EXCITING!

Crown of Midnight is such highly (repeat "highly" 1 million times) recommended book to everyone, whatever age-bracket you're at. This is a all-in-one series: bone-breaking action, mind-blowing quests, heart-breaking romance and magical surprise elements that will surely leave you AWED, I cannot express how much I love love love this novel and even though waiting for book 3 is almost the same as being a slave in the Salt Mines, I would willingly and patiently wait -- WITHOUT A SINGLE DROP OF DOUBT IT'D BE AWESOME AND WORTHWHILE.

Thank you Chyna from Lite-rate-ture for the ARC and Netgalley/Bloomsbury for the eARC!

"But no matter what I did, Elentiya, I want you to know that in the darkness of the past ten years, you were one of the bright lights for me. Do not let that light go out."