Forest Book Reviews

Short, non-spoilery reviews of my Recent Reads, what I'll be reading next and the new young adult releases for each month.

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I know this is a long over due post but honestly, I’m still in the recovery phases from reading this book!

So, first of all I just want to say congrats to Sarah J Maas for completing such an amazing series! I think we can all say that she should be so proud of what she has achieved.

Secondly... WOW! This book blew me away. I was originally worried that there were too many threads to be tied off for this to be a good and rounded off book. Aparently I didn’t need to worry as SJM managed to finish off every character’s story line with such care and love that I couldn’t help but get dragged back into the work of Throne of Glass. Now I know we lost some people along the way, but I’m so glad I was able to read along with this series and share with each chatacter’s highs and lows. Now I’m not going to say anything about what happens in this book because I wouldn’t be able to say anything without spoiling something! So all I will say is if you haven’t read Kingdom of Ash, or if you want to read the Throne of Glass series, DO IT!...and enjoy!

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It’s been ages since I’ve done one of these so I’ll start off with two books I’ve been wanting to read for a while.

First up, The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston. This book is set in the same world as Poston’s previous novel Geekarella (which I loved!) and follows the story of an ordinary fangirl trying to save her favourite character from being killed off (something I believe we can ALL relate to). Next up is Enchantée by Gita Trelease. Set in revolutionary France, this story follows an orphan girl and her entanglement with the court of Louis XVI as she tries to provide for her siblings by utilising what little magic she has. So excited to get reading these two!

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Here’s November top new releases! I can’t believe it’s November already, only one month before our Christmas Special which will have all the books that should be in every YA book lovers stocking! So here’s Novembers most anticipated reads:

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer (#2)

The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson (#1)

Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Mgan (#1)

Beware the Night by Jessika Fleck (#1)

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Some big books coming out this month! As a lover of Sarah J Maas’s books I am both ridiculously excited and mildly terrified for her book Kingdom of Ash this month.

So this months most anticipated books are:

Muse of nightmares (#2) by Laini Taylor

A Sorrow Firece and Falling (#3) by Jessica Cluess

Damsel (#1) by Elana K Arnold

Kingdom of Ash (#6) by Sarah J Maas

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This one is a bit late but I’m going to blame that on denial that Kingdom of Ash is only three days away (welp!)

Here is Sarah J Maas’smoee reccent book, that takes place at the same time as Empire of Storms and gives us all the goss on Chaol! This was one of my favourite TOG books as we got to delve into the Southern Continent that we here so many references to throughout the series.

I’m going to say two different characters as my favourites for this book as I just can’t make up my mind between them; Chaol and Yrene. I just loved seeing their relationship form through their individual struggles and experiences.

Is this excitement or terror I feel at the release of Kingdom of Ash? Who knows?!?!

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I’ve somehow managed to blast through quite a few books recently, so here’s my third Recent Read in the past month.

I just finished ‘Ascension’ by Victor Dixen about half an hour ago and although I personally feel like the ending may have been slightly predictable, I LOVED this book.

‘Ascension’ was unlike anything I’ve ever read before, with warped contempary elements and an odd nod to the sci-fi genre. The mix of characters and personalities was amazing, however this was a drawback at points as I didn’t want to go back to a different character as I was enjoying another’s point of view too much.

If you like reality tv, if you like sci-fi stories, if you like a good romantic story line, then you NEED to read this book.

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By latest Recent Read has been ‘They Both Die At The End’ by Adam Silvera and it has been one of the saddest yet most fulfilling books I have read in a long time.

By the title we know that both of the main characters will still die at the end but I almost felt privileged to have got to read how they lived. I honestly cannot say much more about this book without either spoiling it or crying. All I can really say is that it is excellently written and packed to the last page with drama and life and emotion and love.

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Yikes, this is happening so fast, Empire of Storms already! I am not prepared for Kingdom of Ash!!!

Anyway, in Empire of Storms we see Aelin and her ‘squad’ begin to form a plan to face Erawan and Mauve but no sooner are there plans set than they are thwarted.

My favourite character in this book is none other than Celeana Sardothian, Adarlan’s Assassin, Witch Slayer, Aelin Ashryver Galathynius, Queen of Terrassen, Fire-Breathing-Bitch-Queen. (Wow, Sarah J Maas really gave her a lot of names huh?) Aelin has been such a strong character throughout the series and I wish her all the best for the upcoming book. I also wish everyone else reading Kingdom of Ash luck in making it through the book, this is gonna be a tough one! 😬

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Ahhh, can’t believe we’re already on Quee of Shadows AND in Kingdom of Ash’s release month!!! In this book Celeana, now Aelin, returns to Adarlan to face her deamons, dogging up some deeper and much darker problems in the process.

My favourite character in this book is Lysandra. Coming into this book after reading Assassin’s Blade I must admit I was a bit wary of her. But the character development we see in this book for her is astonishing! Kudos to Sarah for this one!

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Finally finished Zenith by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings! As much as I loved this book it just took me so long to read as the characters just didn’t grab me as much as I hoped they would. I was so looking forward to reading this book as I loved the idea of the plot, but it just felt a little rushed in places. I thought the world Sasha and Lindsay was amazing and I’d really love to learn more about it.

Overall this was a good read but not my favourite Recent Read.

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Yikes! These books are going passed faster than I can post! Anyway, next up is Heir of Fire, after leaving Adarlan, Celeana finds herself tangled up in her past as well as the path of a far Prince.

My favourite character in this book is OBVIOUSLY going to be Rowan. Who wouldn’t love that tottoed, silver haired fae prince!

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Next up on our Throne of Glass journey is Crown of Midnight. Celeana Sardothian, now the king of Adarlan’s champion we start to see Celeana’s past unravel as she tries to defy the king.

My favourite character in this book is Fleetfoot, Celeana’s dog that she was gifted by Dorian. I love this wee dog so much as he give a sense of light heartedness when life for our main characters get difficult.

One week closer to Kingdom of Ash, and I’m still not prepared!

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Next up on our journey through Celeana Sardothian’s story is Throne of Glass! Where she makes her kick-ass first appearance as an assassin vying for the chance to win her freedom.

My favourite character from this book is Nehemia, an unlikely friend that Celeana makes. She is so full of life that I can’t help but love her!

Looking forward to next week and a sneak peak at Crown of Midnight...

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First on this rollercoaster through the journey of Celeana Sardothian is Assassin’s Blade! Here we get all of the little back stories we hear about during the series, including :

The assassin and the pirate lord

The assassin and the healer

The assassin and the desert

The assassin and the underworld

The assassin mass the empire

Although I’ve put this book first, I would recommend reading it between the third and fourth book as gives a good background to the fourth book, Queen of Shadows.

My favourite character in this book was Sam, simply because he is referenced throughout the ToG series and it gives you a deeper insight into the history of our heroine, Celeana Sardothian.

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Here’s September’s most anticipated releases, a bit of a starry/fiery theme going on this month and all first books/one-offs again! Without further ado, here they are:

For a Muse of Fire by Heidi Heilig (#1)

A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna (#1)

Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan (#1)

Pride by Ibi Zoboi (#1)

I’ve been looking forward to Pride for months and I’m so excited that I’ll finally be able to read it!

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In celebration of Sarah J Maas’ final book in the Throne of glass series, Kingdom of Ash, I’ve put together a little colour palette for every book. I’ll also let you know who my favourite character in that book was, as well as a wee summary of the book itself! I’ll post one a week starting on September 4th in the lead up to Kingdom of Ash’s release date (October 23rd). Hope you enjoy it!

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All I can say is that amazon is a dangerous place for book lovers! That’s another two books onto my ‘to-read’ pile. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, about a girl that is kidnapped by the fairies to be tormented by them, and They Both Die In The End by Adam Silvera, about two boys who are told that they are going to die within a day and the adventures they find together. I’ve heard these are both great books so I look forward to reading them (eventually:)).