Gryphons flying past skyscrapers? Wizards battling it out in coffeehouses? Women riding motorcycles with large swords strapped to their backs? All normal sights since the Great Collision happened twenty-six years ago.

Well, not normal for everyone. Larissa Miller may have been born after the Great Collision, but as a history teacher who lives in the human-only city, she has never come into contact with any other race or species, nor has she wanted to. Her life is as ordinary as it gets - that is, until one day she walks out of her apartment and is attacked by a mob of Zombies, only to be saved by a Gargoyle.

Gargoyles trust no one outside their Clan, but due to a cryptic prophecy, Terak, Leader of the Gargoyles, has been watching over the human woman for months. While he can find no reason why the woman has been singled out, something about her stirs every protective instinct within him. When the attack confirms that the threats against her exist and are real, he convinces Larissa that though their races have never been allies, the best chance of discovering why she has been brought into his world is by working together.

In the course of their investigation, Terak becomes entranced by his little human. But when he discovers why Necromancers want her and the great reward that awaits him if he betrays her, he must choose between the welfare of his Clan and not only Larissa’s life, but the fate of this New Realm as well.

"A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend."

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Assassin Celaena Sardothien won a brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then one terrible night, the secrets they have all been keeping lead to an unspeakable tragedy. As Celaena's world shatters, she will be forced to give up the very thing most precious to her and decide once and for all where her true loyalties lie... and whom she is ultimately willing to fight for.

Review:

Cloak and Dagger... and Dresses

This series is an all-rounder for me. It has a wonderful, effortless feel to the writing, a romance subplot that I'm clinging to with a desperate hope that will not be denied, a protagonist that can be a ruthless, cold-hearted assassin one minute, and a vulnerable, frivolous female the next - and switch between the two sides of her nature with ease. It has terrific story scope and a lot of detail and foreshadowing that shows tremendous thought and planning. It has action, court politics, humour, love, betrayals... Everything I love all in one nicely-wrapped package, basically. And CROWN OF MIDNIGHT was no exception.

Speaking of Celaena's colder side, there's something that happens here in CROWN OF MIDNIGHT that causes her to... devolve, shall we say, back to that creature we met in the first book, fresh from the mines. Someone so filled with rage and grief that she's all but blinded by it and becomes as much a danger to herself as she is to others. And, let's face it, she's pretty dangerous to others. I worried for her a lot in this book. What's great in Maas's delivery is that through experiencing the three different POVs - Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian's - we get an unfiltered view of Celaena when she's gone over to this dark side and, whoo boy, it's not pretty. I think there's probably even more heartache to come for her too, which I find thrilling from a reader's POV, but terrifying on Celaena's behalf.

Although the imminent threat of death present throughout book one was somewhat lessened here thanks to Celaena's more powerful status within the castle - indeed, she now outranks most people - that's not to say all danger is gone. Far from it. It's just that this time Celaena is the one putting herself in danger through her deceptions. If caught, death would be her best option by far, which is a sad and sorry state of affairs.

One character you get to know a lot more about in CROWN OF MIDNIGHT is Chaol. While he's the quieter, more unassuming of the two men in the series, he's my favourite pick for Celaena. He's just so...good; so honourable and decent. He balances out some of Celaena's rougher edges (assassins have those). I enjoyed the time dedicated to getting to know his character and am greedy for yet more still in books to come.

That's not to say dear Dorian didn't get time to shine also. Although, with him, the romance angle is the least of his current worries. The stuff happening with him came as a surprise, but a welcome one because I confess I had been wondering what his role might be now that "shameless flirt" is off the table. Having said that, he clearly still carries a torch for Celaena. I think it's because she's so real with him, lacking in any pretences, that he feels such a connection to her. She would never fawn over him just because of his title like the rest of the ladies at court. Which, although not what he's used to, is just what he needs, I think. I find it reassuring that he can be humble like that, and isn't a power-hungry fiend like his father. If he survives long enough to rule one day, he may turn out to be one helluva king because of it.

One thing I did find unusual in this instalment was the author's decision to keep certain things about Celaena a secret, not only from other characters but from us readers as well. Not until one character discovers some truths do we have it confirmed for ourselves. This is an unusual method of delivery - you'd normally expect to know such things from the narrative and be "in on the secret". And it was a whopper of a secret, too, and is going to mean BIG changes for Celaena's character in books to come. Of which I sincerely hope there will be many.

A great continuation of one of my new favourite fantasy series - 5 Stars! ★★★★★

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Original Title
Crown of Midnight
ISBN
1619630621 (ISBN13: 9781619630628)
Edition Language
English
Series
Throne of Glass #2

 

The USA Today Bestseller!!

A Dangerous Kind of Love . . .

When Ellie Watt offered herself to her thuggish former lover Javier to save Camden's life, she never imagined the twisted game Javier had planned for her. Trapped by him and his entourage of killers, Ellie is forced to commit a dangerous, heinous crime-or Javier will kill Camden. Now ex-con artist Ellie must find a way to stay ahead of the game . . . before it destroys her and the only man she ever loved.
Camden McQueen can't forget Ellie Watt. Seeking revenge and pursued by the authorities for a crime he didn't commit, the talented tattoo artist does things he never thought himself capable of to save Ellie. As Camden straddles the line between love and retribution, he vows to do everything in his power to get her back. But if Camden unleashes his dark side, will Ellie still love him?

Review:

So, I'm a bit late posting this review because, frankly, I'm at a loss for words. Well, you know, except for these ones. And Janice already did such a stellar job with hers for the blog, that my inferiority complex kicked in and left me quivering in the corner. So, if it's all the same to you, try not to think of this so much as my review, but more like a rambling set of probably pointless observations.

What, just like all your other reviews?

I heard that!

Ahem.

Soooo much happened in Shooting Scars, and a lot of it was stuff I really didn't want to happen if I'm being honest. And yet, it didn't seem to lessen my enjoyment of the book because in some weird, twisted way I feel like I understand every action, every mistake, every wrong choice Ellie made. I also get the frantic desperation that was driving Camden throughout the book. The knowledge that he's crossing lines he never would have crossed before Ellie (B.E), but that he's unable not to cross now because the alternative is giving up on her - something he'll never do, no matter what.

The only person I don't understand in Shooting Scars is Javier and that's because HE'S A RAVING PSYCHO! And a sociopath, and a cold-blooded murderer, and a liar, and a cheater and...and...if I understood how his mind worked, I'd be worried. But what I do understand about him, is why Ellie is so confused. Being around any ex can be weird, but an ex with their history? Their all-consuming, grossly unhealthy intensity? And with Ellie's already rock bottom self-esteem (something she'd been working so hard on in Sins & Needles!) getting another knock, well... I understand is all. Me no like! But me understand.

Me started talking like Cookie Monster.



I really don't understand all the love Javier is getting. At first, I thought people were joking... Like "Yeah, we're on Team Javier, lolz". But apparently, they're deadly serious. Which is apt.

Oh, well, each to their own psycho, I guess. I'll take mine with extra nerd glasses, rock hard abs and tattoos, and less of the stabbity murder death kill.

Thanks.

I'll leave you now with a picture of my babycakes. Mr Camden - Knight in shining G.T.O - McQueen.



Lynsey out.

5 stars ★★★★★

Original Title
Shooting Scars
ASIN
B00DG8ZY7W
Edition Language
English
Series
The Artists Trilogy #2