Guys. Guys. GUYS!!!!! Look! Look at this! Isn’t it beautiful? It’s the one, the only, the FINAL installment of the Fitz and the Fool trilogy. Which is in turn, the final installment (as far as I know) in the Realm of the Elderlings series.
If nothing I just said made any sense to you, I recommend going to your nearest source of books and looking up Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. It’s the first book in the series and, as such, is wonderful and amazing and just trust me, you need it in your life. Go do that now. It’s the kind of series that will emotionally destroy you in the best possible way.
Click HERE to read my review of Fool’s Assassin
Click HERE to read my review of Fool’s Quest
Synopsis:
The final book in the Fitz and the Fool trilogy.
Prince FitzChivalry Farseer’s daughter Bee was violently abducted from Withywoods by Servants of the Four in their search for the Unexpected Son, foretold to wield great power. With Fitz in pursuit, the Servants fled through a Skill-pillar, leaving no trace. It seems certain that they and their young hostage have perished in the Skill-river.
Clerres, where White Prophets were trained by the Servants to set the world on a better path, has been corrupted by greed. Fitz is determined to reach the city and take vengeance on the Four, not only for the loss of Bee but also for their torture of the Fool. Accompanied by FitzVigilant, son of the assassin Chade, Chade’s protégé Spark and the stableboy Perseverance, Bee's only friend, their journey will take them from the Elderling city of Kelsingra, down the perilous Rain Wild River, and on to the Pirate Isles.
Their mission for revenge will become a voyage of discovery, as well as of reunions, transformations and heartrending shocks. Startling answers to old mysteries are revealed. What became of the liveships Paragon and Vivacia and their crews? What is the origin of the Others and their eerie beach? How are liveships and dragons connected?
But Fitz and his followers are not the only ones with a deadly grudge against the Four. An ancient wrong will bring them unlikely and dangerous allies in their quest. And if the corrupt society of Clerres is to be brought down, Fitz and the Fool will have to make a series of profound and fateful sacrifices.
ASSASSIN’S FATE is a magnificent tour de force and with it Robin Hobb demonstrates yet again that she is the reigning queen of epic fantasy. (Synopsis from Goodreads)
Review:
It was everything. Literally, this book takes all of the trilogies and quartets that comprise the Realm of the Elderlings series, and bring them all together. So if you haven’t read them or thought they might not be important to the Farseer story? I’d advise you take some time and do that now. This is both a weakness and a strength in my opinion, and let me tell you why:
On the one hand, it was really awesome to see all of the other characters from The Liveship Traders and the Rain Wilds. It was really interesting to see the way in which the stories all converge and to know how everyone ends up. On the other hand: I really just want to read about Fitz.
I don’t think there has ever been any doubt that Fitz is my favorite character. I’m thrilled that his story is the primary one for the Realm of the Elderlings, because his is the most interesting. He’s the character that I’m bonded to and whose story consistently makes me cry. The other series are good, and you should definitely read them, but for me it’s always been a story of Fitz and his life, with the other stories on the side, kind of supplementary. For example, the first time I read them I went straight from the Farseer Trilogy to the Tawney Man trilogy, completely skipping over The Liveship Traders. I did go back and read them afterwards, and knowing what I know now about Amber, I would probably have read them in order. But, I digress.
I think I will enjoy it more on my second reading, not only because I’m able to better relate to the story and characters with a physical copy, but because I know the full story now. I know how all of Fitz’s interactions with the Fool and Bee and everyone else go, and so I won’t mind so much when they go off about the other characters. But the first time? It was actually a little stressful. I was here for Fitz and this book kept giving me page after page with other characters. I can appreciate the closure in retrospect, but at the time? I wasn’t here for that.
That isn’t to say that there isn’t plenty of Fitz. Don’t worry. There’s Fitz, and the Fool and Fitz and the Fool and Bee and even some Nighteyes and Ketricken and basically everyone. Like I said, everything converges. And the characters make progress, and regress, and it an be infuriating at times (here’s looking at you Fitz) but ultimately they’re the characters that you love. They’re damaged and broken but they’re together and, for me at least, that’s the important part.
I don’t know how much more I can say while keeping this spoiler free, but I will say that everything is tied up in the most Robin Hobbsian ending I can imagine. Imagine holding up three fingers, each finger representing something that you, as the reader, wants from the story. Your fingers may be similar or different to mine but regardless, you’re probably only going to get one of them. And you will be so thrilled over the one that you get, and crying over the two that you don’t, and everything will be wonderful and heartbreaking and so, so appropriate, and that’s what this book is like. That’s the adventure, and that’s the end to it all. And honestly, what more could you expect from this wonderful, emotional, series?
As a final note, however, I will say that this ending took less time for me to come to terms with than the original. As some of you may know, the series was supposed to have ended with the Tawney Man Trilogy. When I first read these books, she hadn’t decided to write the Fitz and the Fool trilogy yet, and so the end of Fool’s Fate was the ending that I had, for everything. And I was happy, and yet simultaneously dissatisfied and it took me a few weeks (I’m ridiculous, but also ridiculously attached to these characters) to come to terms with the ending. And even then I would have moments of dissatisfaction, where I would play out what if scenarios in my head for things that might happen after the final page.
I don’t do that now. This final conclusion is the closure that was needed. It’s the end of an era and the end of my favorite book series.
The End.
Re-readability: 5/5
Rated: 5/5
Recommended for:
1. Everybody. Seriously, everyone with eyes. Go read this series. Read the entire Realm of the Elderlings series. It’s the best and most amazing, wonderful, heartbreaking series I’ve ever read. it will emotionally destroy you in all the best ways. Go read it now.
Neil Josten is the newest addition to the Palmetto State University Exy team. He's short, he's fast, he's got a ton of potential—and he's the runaway son of the murderous crime lord known as The Butcher.
Signing a contract with the PSU Foxes is the last thing a guy like Neil should do. The team is high profile and he doesn't need sports crews broadcasting pictures of his face around the nation. His lies will hold up only so long under this kind of scrutiny and the truth will get him killed.
But Neil's not the only one with secrets on the team. One of Neil's new teammates is a friend from his old life, and Neil can't walk away from him a second time. Neil has survived the last eight years by running. Maybe he's finally found someone and something worth fighting for.
Review:
Okay, so first things first: I fucking love this series. It’s a ridiculous premise, and if you’re easily offended or triggered you might want to avoid it. But if you’re not? I definitely recommend it. I first read it like, a year ago or something and I honestly don’t know why its taken me so long to rave about it on here.
The second thing I will point out, is that clearly I only have the image and summary for the first book given above. That’s because I 1. couldn’t find a good picture of all 3 books, and 2. Don’t really feel like they’re three separate books anyway. They technically are, and they’re sold that way, but ultimately I find that each book flows into the next so that it’s less of three distinct books and more of one story broken into three parts. Does that make any sense? I swear it did in my head.
I saw these books recommended on Tumblr, and chances are that if you’re reading this review you probably have too. But maybe you’ve never picked it up. Maybe you’ve been hesitant, wary of independent authors or bad Tumblr recommendations. Maybe you just thought it sounded stupid, to which I tell you- yeah, it sounds that way. Believe me, this entire series sounds like the kind of unrealistic, overly-dramatic bullshit that I hate, but it’s SO. GOOD.
I think it’s in the characters. There’s a full cast of wonderful, well developed characters that you’re going to fall in love with (Except for Seth. I can’t really make myself give half of a damn about Seth, but idk man some people like him. You might too???). The plot line is a little out there, but the writing just makes it work? It’s like some kind of literary magic. I don’t care much about sports or gangs or illegal activities and yet I find myself deeply in love with a book series centered around all of these things.
But like I said before, there are the characters. As much as the story is focused around the illegal gang drama and the sports and such, the story is also very much focused on the characters, Neil in particular, and their relationships with each other. Each character is fleshed out, well-rounded, and unique, complete with both positive and negative traits and everything in between.
As a fan of romance stories, I especially like the unique aspects of this book in which the romance is very subtle and slow burn and, unless you’ve seen all the fan art and stuff, might not expect it, until suddenly BAM. Tis’ upon you. Once it is, it deals very heavily ( and refreshingly, tbh) in issues of consent, stressing it’s absolute importance. On the representation front, this book comes complete with several examples of homosexuality and one demisexual character, which isn’t something I’ve seen much of in literature. If you’re waiting for him to explicitly state that he is, that’s not going to happen, but it’s clear in his behavior and the author has confirmed it on her blog.
(As a fun- fun?- fact, my spell check is losing its mind over the word “demisexual”. It wants me to change it to “bisexual.” Like...sorry spellcheck, can’t do that.)
I guess what I’m trying to say is that these books are ridiculous and beautiful, and while I’m not telling you who the main love interest is, I will tell you that it’s a pretty great (if somewhat unconventional) love story. Also there’s a huge Tumblr cult-following and it’s pretty damn active, so that’s fun.
Definitely check this series out. Laos, as an added bonus, it’s REALLY cheap on Amazon. Definitely worth the money.
Conor's made it to Los Angeles to compete on the reality show, Singing Sensation, and is suddenly plunged into a whole new world. There's a houseful of people, all with the same dream of making it big in the music world and willing to do whatever it takes to win. Conor has to deal with the pressures of live performances, catty competitors, sour judges, a nearly naked roommate... and the attentions of a sexy, older rock star - all with cameras watching his every move. Conor's always been big on secrets. And the biggest secret of all - his relationship with Derek, the bad boy back home - may be the hardest one to keep.
Review:
Hey guyes, lookie here. You see this? Yup. It’s the sequel to Hanna Dare’s Sing Out trilogy, California Schemin’. It’s here! It’s a pun! And look at the nice new cover! Admittedly, when this book first came out it had the same terrible cover as the first one, but it’s taken me so long to get around to this review that she’s completely revamped all of the covers into pretty new images. And they’re awesome. So much better. So much so that I almost don’t feel bad about taking forever to review them! (almost)
Because it dd take me so long, however, I’ve since read the 3rd one too. But this review is just going to focus on this book, and hopefully I won’t get anything mixed up. It can be a little difficult to remember what exactly happened in which book after reading them all, but I promise to do my best.
Like most second installments in trilogies, this book does suffer a bit from second book syndrome. It doesn’t have an initial interest of a first book of the climactic punch of the final book. That isn’t to say that it isn’t good, because that’s not true at all. It’s just that this book covers the necessary emotional development in-between stuff, and also our boys aren’t together.
At this point, Conor has left to be on the competition and Derek is dealing with some issues of his own back home. That isn’t to say that Derek’s not in this book because yes, phones are a thing. They’re a great thing! It’s just that the boys are using this book to develop individually, and learning about themselves without relation to the other. It’s important and I’m super psyched that it happened, it’s just that it means that the book is primarily Conor on the show, and interracting with the other cast members, and personally I care about the show the least. I’m totally on board for the Conor and Derek love stoy and this is the book where it hits a rough patch. I don’t have any complaints and I wouldn’t change a thing, it’s just that it makes this book the least interesting.
The least interesting book in a great series is still plenty intresting though! I don’t want you to think for a second that I’m down on this book or this series, trust me, I’m not. In fact, I’m whole-heartedly recommending this series to any and everyone becaus it’s one of my favorites. You may notice that this is not a NetGalley review. Nope. Only the first book was available on NetGalley. I shelled out my own money for this and it was worth every cent.
I love this book and I love this series. Hanna Dare is a great independent author and I strongly recommend you all pick up this series. It’s not expensive and you’re supporting an indpendent artist. You should give it a go! Take my word for it, you won’t be sorry.
NEVER LET ME GO meets THE GIVER in this haunting debut about a cult on an isolated island, where nothing is as it seems.
Years ago, just before the country was incinerated to wasteland, ten men and their families colonized an island off the coast. They built a radical society of ancestor worship, controlled breeding, and the strict rationing of knowledge and history. Only the Wanderers--chosen male descendants of the original ten--are allowed to cross to the wastelands, where they scavenge for detritus among the still-smoldering fires.
The daughters of these men are wives-in-training. At the first sign of puberty, they face their Summer of Fruition, a ritualistic season that drags them from adolescence to matrimony. They have children, who have children, and when they are no longer useful, they take their final draught and die. But in the summer, the younger children reign supreme. With the adults indoors and the pubescent in Fruition, the children live wildly--they fight over food and shelter, free of their fathers' hands and their mothers' despair. And it is at the end of one summer that little Caitlin Jacob sees something so horrifying, so contradictory to the laws of the island, that she must share it with the others.
Born leader Janey Solomon steps up to seek the truth. At seventeen years old, Janey is so unwilling to become a woman, she is slowly starving herself to death. Trying urgently now to unravel the mysteries of the island and what lies beyond, before her own demise, she attempts to lead an uprising of the girls that may be their undoing.
GATHER THE DAUGHTERS is a smoldering debut; dark and energetic, compulsively readable, Melamed's novel announces her as an unforgettable new voice in fiction.
Review:
Okay guys, you see the synopsis up there? Yeah, me too. I went in expecting something that was kind of like, The Giver levels of fucked up. Kind of like The Giver for adults where, yeah it’s fucked up, but also kind of interesting? I’m going to be completely honest with you though, this book is so much more fucked up than even I was expecting. I don’t want to spoil anything, and I’m absolutely against spoilers but I’m going to give some trigger warnings. And they do contain spoilers but you know what, I feel like they’re necessary. This book disturbed me, and I’m not even especially sensitive to any of these triggers. So if you don’t want to know anything going in, go ahead and skip the trigger warnings, but for everyone else? Here you go:
So, if you’re still here after the clusterfuck that is those trigger warnings, lets get to the review shall we?
I went in because I thought it sounded interesting in kind of a dark way. In like, a dystopian kind of Victorian marrying girls off young kind of way. I was in no way expecting it to be as bad as it ended up being. Nevertheless, if we can somehow...overlook...those things (I have a hard time doing that, as you may have noticed) the premise and the writing aren’t bad.
The book follows four main characters, all of which are young women on this island, each one at a different stage in their lives. One is kind of the control group, believing her life to be perfectly normal, aside from the fact that she knows a bit ore than others, since her father lets her read her books and educates her more than society dictates a woman should be educated. One is about to become a woman, and while it scares her she wants to be away from her abusive, alcoholic father. One has just recently become a woman, and is pregnant with her first child. The last one is the oldest of all of them, at 17, starving herself so that she never gets her period and never has to marry.
And they’re interesting characters. You feel for them. You come to care about them. And as the secrets of what this island considers normal are revealed, you get angry for them. And angry at everyone else. Your perceptions of who are good characters and who are bad become skewed the more information you get and in a way I suppose it’s an interesting psychological study.
Essentially, I think that’s what this is supposed to be. According to her Goodreads profile, the author Jennie Melamed is, “A psychiatric nurse practitioner who specializes in working with traumatized children. During her doctoral work at the University of Washington, she investigated anthropological, biological, and cultural aspects of child abuse.” Clearly she is an intelligent woman who has devoted a lot of her life to learning about the psychological effects of abuse on it’s victims, especially children, and I’m reasonably certain that this book is meant to be an exploration of that, rather than some sick pedophillic fantasy.
Still, that doesn’t make up for the ridiculously unsatisfying ending. I hated it, mostly because I was so mad at the adults in this novel and I don’t feel that justice was ever served. I wanted murder and castration, retribution, and that wasn’t something that I ever feel that we got.
I’m not giving this book a star rating because I don’t trust myself to do so fairly. I don’t trust that I am capable of judging the quality of this book, due to my absolute disgust with the content. I’m not easy to disturb, but this book definitely succeeded in a way that haunted me for several days after and left me wishing that I’d never read it. Anyway, just take my review and view the triggers if you’d like and make your own call. I don’t think I can.
Do you remember when I said I was keeping my eye out for Cass Lennox? Well I did, and I was rewarded with this.
Synopsis:
While on holiday in Toronto, Evie Whitmore planned to sightsee and meet other asexuals, not audition for a dance competition. Now she’s representing Toronto’s newest queer dance studio, despite never having danced before. Not only does she have to spend hours learning her routine, she has to do it with one of the grumpiest men she’s ever met. Tyler turns out to be more than a dedicated dancer, though—he might be the kind of man who can sweep her off her feet, literally and figuratively.
Tyler Davis has spent the last year recovering from an emotionally abusive relationship. So he doesn’t need to be pushed into a rushed routine for a dumb competition. Ticking major representation boxes for being trans and biracial isn’t why he went into dance. But Evie turns out to be a dream student. In fact, she helps him remember just how good partnering can be, in all senses of the word. Teaching her the routine, however, raises ghosts for him, ones he’s not sure he can handle.
Plans change, and people change with them. Learning a few steps is one thing; learning to trust again is another entirely.
Review:
A few months ago I stumbled across my first Cass Lennox book, Blank Spaces, which I approached with caution but immediately loved (Read my review HERE !) So when I saw that there was a new Cass Lennox book out, you can bet I grabbed it right up.
Unusual for this genre, this book is simultaneously a heterosexual romance AND LGBT, as the main characters are an asexual woman and a transman. Much like Blanks Spaces, this book could have gone horribly wrong and gotten preachy, but (also like Blank Spaces) it didn’t! Instead it proceeded to be a funny, touching love story that was absolutely the most adorable thing I’ve ever read.
If you’re looking for a wonderful little love story by a talented author, you should definitely pick up this second installment in Cass Lennox’s Toronto Connection’s series.
Hey guys! I feel like every personal post on here is just me apologizing for being so absent, but I just thought I would give you all an update! The bad news is that I’m probably not going to be any more active on here for a couple weeks. The good news, is that this is because I’m officially less than a month away from graduating college! Shortly after graduation I will be celebrating with a FREAKING CRUISE TO THE BAHAMAS which I’m super psyched about! And the best news, is that I used some of my graduation money to go on a little bookish shopping spree. I bought seven you guys. Seven books. At once. I can’t even remember the last time I did that and let me assure you, it was glorious!
I’m forcing myself to wait, and read them on the cruise (Poolside, with a margarita. On a child-free serenity deck. I repeat: Glorious ) but I may or may not have some time afterwards to review.
(I’m not even being coy you guys, I really may or may not. It really all depends on this one big-girl job that I applied for. It’s all very up in the air.)
Either way, between the seven (SEVEN!) books that I purchased, and the ones bought by @alexisrambles (That I’m totally going to mooch off of her, let’s be real) I should have lots of new material to review! I’m excited!
Oh, and let’s not forget that A Court of Wings and Ruin is coming out on the second, and if you think I’m not reading that in one sitting that day you’re crazy. So you know what, unless I get swept away by finals or something, you can probably expect that review around the 3rd or 4th. Spoiler free of course.
This is going to be a great summer y’all. So many changes. So terrifying. So exciting. I can’t wait!!!!!
Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash, whose family mansion in Newport dwarfs the Vanderbilts’, suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England. Nothing is quite as it seems, however: Ivo is withdrawn and secretive, and the English social scene is full of traps and betrayals. Money, Cora soon learns, cannot buy everything, as she must decide what is truly worth the price in her life and her marriage.
Review:
I don’t know that I have too much to say about this book. The writing was good, and the story itself was interesting- a coming of age historical novel in which a spoiled little rich girl must mature into a wife and mother, and learn how to manage in an unfamiliar and often unfriendly new society. I generally like all of those themes in a book, and i especially like them when they’re together. In fact, I liked a lot of this book.
I only ever liked it though. I never loved it. It was never the kind of gripping novel that stayed with me while the book was closed and I had no problem saying goodbye to it at the end. During the read however, it was engrossing.
The writing was beautiful. I loved the descriptions and the imagery and even the general plot. There was adventure and mystery and intrigue. Honestly, I can’t tell you my biggest issue, because it was with the ending and I won’t spoil that for you. You might not find it to be an issue, in which case you might absolutely love this book. It’s just that there was something I wanted so much from this book, a decision that I wanted Cora to make so, so badly...and she didn’t. She chose the opposite and I could never quite come to terms with that.
If you’re looking for a lengthy historical romance novel that spans two countries and several years, than sure, check this one out. Is it my all time favorite? No. But Daisy Goodwin is a talented author and, aside from my issues with the ending, I did enjoy the book. I won’t buy it, but I don’t regret reading it. If historical fiction is your thing, than I suggest you at least give it a try.
Finn has never trusted fairies, so it's no surprise to him when his twin brother turns up dead, probably by magical means. What he doesn't expect is an invitation to the funeral—in the fairy realm—and a chance to find out who killed him.
Investigating Luke's death is probably the stupidest thing Finn has ever done, and soon he's up to his neck in fairy trouble. In the midst of it all is Robin, the fairy who's supposed to be watching out for him—but who just might have had something to do with Luke's death.
Review:
I feel like I open almost every review with this, but I went into this book with some trepidation. For one thing it’s a murder mystery, which runs the risk of easily getting very over-dramatic. It’s also a fairy book, which risks the use of very cliched and overused tropes. And lastly, it’s published by Less Than Three Press, which means that there is a 50% chance that the overall quality won’t meet my satisfaction. I find that among LGBT publishing companies, I am disappointed in the quality of Less Than Three Press books most often, which is a shame because they’re actually kind of difficult to get a hold of. At least on NetGalley.
Let me reassure you however, this book was not a disappointment in any way whatsoever. It was actually a rather delightful surprise. I was immediately taken in by the wonderful, accessible writing and the lovable characters. Finn is the perfect blend of nice, but also realistically jaded and skeptical towards the fairy world. His best friend Julie is sassy and amazing and everything you could want in the BFF side character. My favorite character, however, was Robin.
I wasn’t sure what to think of Robin, going into this. I kind of expected him to be the traditional moody, dark love interest, possibly a murder but just oh so sexy. It was the best discovery in the world to find out that his character actually subverts all of those expectations. Oh he’s still witty, and sarcastic, but he’s also soft and adorable in the most unexpected ways. I could go on, but I don’t want to spoil the discovery for anyone. It’s more fun to peel back the layers yourself.
Full of good guys to love and bad guys to hate, I definitely recommend this book to anyone out there looking for a good fantasy read with a sweet LGBT romance. Dspite my initial misgivings, I ended up loving this book so much that I impulse bought the author, Daria Defore’s, other book The Trouble, on Amazon Kindle for something like $6. And if you know me, you know that I’m usually not willing to pay that much for an e-book, so please let my fiscial irresponsibility serve as an example of how great this book is.
(P.S: The Trouble was pretty great too.)
Re-readability: 5/5
Rated: 4/5
Recommended For:
1. Anyone who wants a well-written LGBT romance. More specifically, a well-writen fantasy romance which, let’s just face it, is hard enough to find in general.
2. Fairies that are portrayed more “realistically,” being more like humans that humans really want to believe.
3. Some great characters. Seriously, I know I’ve said this already but they’re so, so lovable. And funny. And cute. Read this guys, seriously. Come read the gay fairy book. It’s the best gay fairy book I’ve ever read!
