I'm having my first book hangover, send help | A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) by Sarah J. Maas

Published: May 3rd 2016 by Bloomsbury Children's Books

Genre: new adult, fantasy, retelling

Goodreads summary: Feyre is immortal.

After rescuing her lover Tamlin from a wicked Faerie Queen, she returns to the Spring Court possessing the powers of the High Fae. But Feyre cannot forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people - nor the bargain she made with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court.

As Feyre is drawn ever deeper into Rhysand's dark web of politics and passion, war is looming and an evil far greater than any queen threatens to destroy everything Feyre has fought for. She must confront her past, embrace her gifts and decide her fate.

She must surrender her heart to heal a world torn in two.

REVIEW

This is just Sarah J. Maas' best book yet. Now, I just want to reread the four Throne of Glass books. A Court of Mist and Fury is huge and here is the thing: I read it in less than 24 hours. From the moment I opened it, I almost couldn’t do anything else, but read. I stayed up until 2 a.m. -because I needed a steamy scene first- and had to reason with myself, because I needed sleep, but if I had been on holidays, I wouldn’t have slept all night.

A Court of Mist and Fury picked up three months after the ending of the first book and we saw Feyre dealing with PTSD and depression, which was pretty realistic. The book was a little slow in the beginning, I admit it, but it was to show all her character development since Under the Mountain. Because she grew up a lot, her views on the Spring Court and Tamlin were quite different, and actually, I could understand her. She felt like the world was moving too fast around her and that she hadn’t adjusted to it yet. During the whole novel, Feyre also trained because of her new powers and because she needed to make a difference, and I admired her so much.

This second book expanded the world so much. In A Court of Thorns and Roses, Feyre didn’t see much of the world because of the threat and controlling issues of someone *coughs*. Seeing other parts of this world truly showed how Sarah J. Maas excelled at world-building and implied that the issues were so much bigger. The retelling aspect were pretty loose in this one, but I loved the aspect of acceptance, no matter what the other did. When the first book was more romance-driven, the plot took the main stage in this one. I could definitely say that the stakes were so much higher and it showed in all the politics. Some plot twists had me screaming out loud, until finally, I sobbed because of the ending. The third book will totally be intense.

Sarah J. Maas also introduced us to some new and interesting characters. When I wrote my review for the first book, I was saying that Rhysand was the most interesting character, and we finally got his backstory (aka mostly chapter 54 <3), which made everything click into place. Like I said, I found he made questionable decisions in ACOTAR, but it was finally explained… And I think I would have done the same thing that he did. Also, he’s just so sexy, caring and powerful. Just like that, he joined my book boyfriends gang (I need to revise my list btw). We also meet his friends and I loved them so much. They had these family dynamics I love and they were quite sassy and funny. The author took the time to explain each of their backstory, so they felt really fleshed out. Among them, there were some strong and independent women, Maas truly knows how to write this type of characters. I would have liked to see more of Lucien, but we didn’t see Tamlin for 90% of the book so it made sense. But still, I needed Lucien’s sass (also we have a similar name, so there’s that!).

For the romance, my feels are ALL OVER THE PLACE. If you don’t know Sarah J. Maas’ twists on the romance, there will spoilers for that in the next sentences (so skip the next two paragraphs!). But truly, many readers had no doubt on what would happen. At the end of the first book, I was more rooting for Rhysand than Tamlin, but I needed explanations first and they made sense. It also made me respect Rhys even more, because of all he had to endure. Moreover, for her romances, Maas writes characters that already have experiences (thanks God, no innocent maiden here!) and don’t find true love the first time around, and it made sense, because that’s not how it happens in real life. I wouldn’t say there is a love triangle, it’s just that Feyre’s growth made her aware of problematic comportments Tamlin had. She also despised herself at some point, because she was falling for someone else. I truly don’t think Tamlin’s character was destroyed for the romance, I think that Feyre just opened her eyes. Also, I had totally seen the big revelation coming after the first book, but my shipper heart was so happy!

Here, it was a slow-burning romance that made sense, between characters who saw each other as equals. I loved seeing them bickering for so long and there was so much chemistry and sexual tension between them. I was on the edge of my seat because I wanted the steamy scenes to happen so badly and that’s 99% the reason I stayed up until 2 a.m. (I went into bed straight up after) and it was so good. Be warned that it’s more graphic than in the first book though, but I really didn’t mind, considering the characters. Nevertheless, saying “to fuck someone” isn’t sexy Rhys (you still were though, but this phrase is awful).

Overall, A Court of Mist and Fury was much better than the first book. I know that some readers didn’t like that one, mostly because it was so romance-driven, but have no fear, for this one isn’t like that. The plot was way more developed and the characters had a goal. Of course, there was still romance, but this tension will make anyone wanting for it to happen. Maas introduced some amazing characters and I can’t wait to see where their storylines will go. The ending made me cry so much and I just need the third one now, but at the same time, I don’t want to because it will be the end? I don’t know, just read this amazing fantasy novel. 

Other:

• My review for A Court of Thorns and Roses

Have you read A Court of Mist and Fury yet? Do you love this series? Which one of Sarah's books is your favourite?

An emotional ride with relatable characters | November 9

Title: November 9
Author: Colleen Hoover
Published: November 10th 2015

Goodreads summary: Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day of her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist. 

REVIEW

The only new adult novels I’ve read were written by Colleen Hoover, so of course I had to read this one! I think of you haven’t ventured into this genre yet, you could start with this one, because we can relate more easily to the characters – considered the story starts when they’re eighteen and ends when they’re twenty-three – and there isn’t a lot of sex. However, be prepared to be involved emotionally, because dang, this book made me cry a river, or so it seems. Reading it after Winter wasn’t such a good idea, ha-ha.

“Meeting up once a year on the same date sounds like a really good basis for a romance novel. If you fictionalized our story, I’d add it to the top of my TBR.”

The premise of this story was so interesting. Our two characters meet on November 9, a painful date to remember for Fallon, because it shattered her whole life. The way they started to interact with each other was really funny, because Ben pretended to be her boyfriend to help her against her father, to make it simple. After that, they couldn’t leave each other and stayed together the whole day. It was so cute and more about their initial attraction. By the way, it was hilarious when Ben said that if instalove was what Fallon disliked the most about a romance novel, they were screwed up already. This idea to meet each other once a year on the same date with no contact in between was pretty romantic – even though so painful, I think I cried at the end of every November 9.

There was a major plot twist toward the end of the book, I wasn't expected it at all, I'm pleased about that. Apparently, there was a cameo from Ugly Love because we saw Miles and Tate, but I haven' read that book yet, anyways.

I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again, what I enjoy a lot in Colleen’s books is that she always put a form of art in her books, here it was writing, so yay! At the end of the book, we got to read Ben’s manuscript; it was really interesting, especially because everything in it was true and not fiction. The fact that Fallon was so aware of books, with notion like TBR, instalove and everything was quite refreshing, because it made me connect to her and it pleased my little booklover’s heart. One of the funniest things of the book was that there was a scale rating for kisses, and Ben was always looking to be more than a ten.

Of course, it is a Colleen Hoover’s book, so there is drama. Some choices the characters made I didn’t completely agree with, even though I understood them, it was pretty realistic. Like when Ben was in a relationship I was like: WHY ON EARTH CAN YOU BE WITH HER? I UNDERSTAND BUT YOU CAN’T DO THAT! And then, Fallon went out with a guy who was wearing whale pants, I didn’t know that was a thing but apparently it is?

Ben and Fallon were interesting characters, I’m happy we got to read from their two perspectives, because it made me understand the story as a whole, and well, it felt like there weren’t hole in it. I loved Fallon, because she changed so much throughout the novel, she was so unsure of herself and then gain confidence, mainly because of Ben. I could relate so much to that because being confident is always hard, and I’m not the most confident person in the world, she went through so much and OMG I want to cry while writing this. A lot of readers can also connect to Ben, because let’s face it, a lot of us are writers (#NaNoWriMo). The characters dynamics were great and I was just shipping it during the whole book, I know it’s the point, but Colleen did great.

Final thoughts:

I think this is my favourite novel by Colleen Hoover, I felt so connected to the characters – it wasn’t necessarily the case in her other books. I cried, I laughed, what else can you expect from a book?

Have you read this book? What do you think about Colleen's books in general? Do you like new adult?

Review : Maybe Someday by Colleen Hoover

Title: Maybe Someday (Maybe Someday #1)

Author: Colleen Hoover

Publisher: Atria Books

Release date: March 18th 2014

Goodreads summary: At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She’s in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her—and she’s forced to decide what her next move should be.

Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there’s something about Sydney that Ridge can’t ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.

A passionate tale of friendship, betrayal, and romance, Maybe Someday will immerse readers in Sydney’s tumultuous world from the very first page.

REVIEW

I'm listening to this book's soundtrack, and I would advise you to check it out! I loved this book so much, it made me feel so many things, and that's what I was looking for. So far, it's the third book of Colleen Hoover I've read, and I've never been disappointed. This review won't be long, because I would mostly suggest you to read this, without knowing too much about it.

First, I'd like to say that there is always a special touch to Colleen's books: there is always art in it, and it's so interesting, it allows the reader to experience more than the actual book. For Slammed, it was in the title, full of poetry, for Confess, it was the paintings, here, it was music. I don't know if it's the case for every book she has out there, but I'd gladly advise her to go on with these ideas. I liked how the characters met each other through music, and how their relationship was linked with it.

As always, the characters were realistic and some of them had issues we don't see much in YA or NA (even if I'm not a specialist of the latest), for Ridge, one of our main characters, just like Maggie.

Ridge: Better. I can't hear my own farts, so sometimes I'll forget that other people can hear them.

Everything was dealt with really maturely, which I also liked. However, I don't recommend you to read this book if you have big issues with adultery/cheating. Personally, I've been confronted to similar issues in the past, on both sides of the barrier, I thought Colleen treated the subject beautifully and could make doubt everyone on this subject. Because no matter how bad cheating is, we don't have to forget that there is two sides to every story, even three. However, the author didn't go too far on this subject, and I was glad about that. 

However, now that Maggie is in the picture, I realie there can't be a maybe someday between us. There will never be a maybe someday. 

Overall, this book was really addicting and I regretted I had to go to bed last night, because I just wanted to read in one setting all night. The romance is really swoony and I just wanted the characters to be together, because they had so much chemistry. It's my favourite book of her with Confess!

Rating: 5/5