Swoony Boy of the Month: Rowan Whitehorn from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Swoony Boy of the Month is our feature where we spotlight a favorite and/or swoony boy from the books we have read.

Hello October, I can't believe this year is going by so fast! We are currently swooning over Rowan Whitehorn from the Throne of Glass Series by Sarah J. Maas. This Fae Prince warrior slowly wormed his way into our hearts. He is not one for many words but when he does speak Holy Cannoli I get weak in the knees. 

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“I kept thinking about how you might never know that I missed you with only

an ocean between us. But if it was death separating us … I would find you. I don’t care how many

rules it would break. Even if I had to get all three keys myself and open a gate, I would find you

again. Always.” 

~Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

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“I claim you, Aelin. To whatever end.”

~Sarah J. Maas, Heir of Fire

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“Tell me that even if I lead us all to ruin, we’ll burn in hell together.'

'We’re not going to hell, Aelin,' he said. 'But wherever we go, we’ll go together.” 

~Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

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“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.” 

~Sarah J. Maas, Queen of Shadows

For more Rowan read the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas.

Review: Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows
(Throne of Glass #4)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Source: Personal Copy
Review by: Jenn and Nahomi

Her destiny awaits. But first, vengeance…

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 will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die for her to regain her throne. 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.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

Jenn's rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Nahomi's rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Our Overall Rating: 5 stars out of 5 stars

Jenn:
Queen of Shadows was everything I was expecting in a Sarah J Maas' book. It was filled with a vivid world, some amazing and complex characters, and writing that captures a reader's attention and doesn't let go until the last page. It a book that left me satisfied as well as drained with how the story unraveled. This book was perfection.

By the end of Heir of Fire, Celaena's has embraced her true identity and destiny. She knows she needs to return to Rifthold and face her past. When she returns to Rifthold in Queen of Shadows, Chaol has news to share with her and with it, set a crazy and risky plan in motion. What follows is Celaena/Aelin's usual badassery of taking charge of whatever situation.

Throughout the entirety of this book, I was one big ball of emotions. One page I was shaking my head at whatever Aelin had concocted, the next I was almost in tears and in fear for Dorian, then the following page I was worried about what Manon was getting herself into. The story telling in this series just amaze me with every book. The plot, the characters, their stories, they're so fascinating and mind blowing. Sarah manages to keep me surprised with how the plot plays out but every now and then, I learn something that had already been hinted at in a previous book. How Maas manage to keep all the plot points so intricately woven between each book, I'll never know. However, I love reading something and then seeing it come up later on and see how it comes into play in the bigger story arc.

This series hold some of my favorite characters and what I love about each and every one of them is how much growth and development they have all gone through. We meet Celaena in Throne of Glass and I found her to be selfish and scary but a badass. In Queen of Shadows, Aelin is still all those things but we've seen her grow up, be vulnerable, and learned her history. The same with Dorian, Chaol, Rowan, Manon, and Aedion. We are reintroduced to Lysandra and meet new characters like Nesryn and Elide. Each characters, we learn of their motivations and their secrets (some of them at least). Maas does character development so unbelievably well and in turn makes the reader all the more invested into the story.

Queen of Shadows was well worth stalking my mailman as well as ignoring the outside world while I read all 656 pages of its glory. Sarah J. Maas is queen and I will patiently await book five to be release.

Nahomi:
Let me begin by saying that Queen of Shadows spoke to me on so many different levels. The writing is superb and the plotting is unreal. I was speechless because Sarah J. Maas is a master of intricately weaving even the most minute detail into the storyline. I was completely immersed in this world and totally invested in all of the characters lives. By far this is definitely my favorite book of the series and overall one of my favorite books in general.

Ninety percent of the book is highlighted on my Kindle app because I love all of it! I don't want to get into details, but I will say that Queen of Shadows is incredibly fast paced. During certain parts of the story I was literally holding my breath because it was so suspenseful! Sarah J. Maas isn't afraid to put her characters through hell.  This in turn creates an honest portrayal of pain, angst, perseverance, and hope that is inspiring. I experienced the full range of emotions as I read the book and feel I came out the other side changed. I absolutely adore this book, series and its characters. I can't wait to see what Sarah J. Maas has in store for us next!

Release Day Blitz - Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

Queen of Shadows
(Throne of Glass #4)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children

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 will fight for her cousin, a warrior prepared to die just to see her again. 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.

Celaena’s epic journey has captured the hearts and imaginations of millions across the globe. This fourth volume will hold readers rapt as Celaena’s story builds to a passionate, agonizing crescendo that might just shatter her world.

You can read the first five (5)!! chapters here.

About the author:

Sarah J. Maas is the author of the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally bestselling Throne of Glass series–Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, and Heir of Fire, and the series’ prequel, The Assassin’s Blade–as well as the New York Times and USA Today bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses. She wrote the first incarnation of the Throne of Glass series when she was just sixteen, and it has now sold in twenty-three languages. Queen of Shadows, the fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, will release worldwide on September 1st, 2015.
A New York native, Sarah currently lives in Pennsylvania with her husband and dog. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College in 2008 with a degree in Creative Writing and a minor in Religious Studies.

Author's links: Website / Twitter / Pinterest / Instagram / Facebook / Tumblr / Blog /
World of Sarah J. Maas

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Favorite Friday (#18) - Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Have a favorite book? Series? One that you've just read or are currently reading? Favorite Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Books and Swoons where we spotlight some of our Favorite Reads. Everyone is welcome to join. Just enter your information on the linky or leave us a comment!

This week pick is: Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas.

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?

Here's the thing, I'm not a fantasy girl. I love my contemporaries book with some romance, or dystopian or mysteries. Fantasy? It really hard to get me to read it. However, I first read Throne of Glass two years and I thought to myself, "Ok, this is good. I can see the hype." The second book, Crown of Midnight? Completely sold. THIS book? Heir of Fire? It completely owns me. I was one hot mess reading Heir of Fire and I was completely useless. I did not want to be bothered. I only wanted to talk about the book with other people. Of course, at the time I read the book, my best friends hadn't even read the 1st book. On top of that, I read it before it came out so THERE WAS NO ONE TO TALK TO. At least, no one I knew personally. I was completely CONSUMED with this book and I had no one to discuss it with. Talk about painful.

It one of my favorite books and every day that goes by where I don't anything about the fourth book, a little of soul dies. So in order for me to function in every day life, I need for all of my friends to read this so I can have people to flail/gush over with. GO READ THIS SERIES/BOOK. YOU NEED IT IN YOUR LIFE. TRUST ME.

About the author:

I’m Sarah J. Maas, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Throne of Glass series (Heir of Fire, Book 3, will be out in September 2014). The Assassin’s Blade, a bind-up of all five TOG novellas is out now! Starting in Spring 2015 – my New Adult Fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, will be published by Bloomsbury as well! Hooray! I was born/raised in Manhattan, but traded freezing winters and sweltering summers for No Winter Ever Weather when I followed my then-boyfriend (now husband!) out to California in 2008. After six years in SoCal, I’ve finally returned to the East Coast, and am currently residing in the Philadelphia area. I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Hamilton College with a degree in Creative Writing, and a minor in Religious Studies. I’m represented by Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency.

Author's links: Website / Goodreads / Twitter / Facebook / Tumblr

I hope you can join us in sharing and talking about some of your favorite reads. Book talk always make me happy. 

What are one of your favorite reads?

Review: Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

Heir of Fire
(Throne of Glass #3)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: September 2, 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: BEA 2014 / NetGalley
Review by: Jenn

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?

5 stars out of 5 stars (But in reality, ALLLLLLL THE STARS)

How do I even begin in talking about this book without sounding like a bumbling, rambling fangirl? I can't. I can't properly express and summarize how I felt, what happened, without giving away some plot points and giving this book it's justice that it so plainly deserves. All the details that went in making this storytelling so unique and everything that I learn, it amazing how it all going to tie itself together.

All I'm going to say in regards to the plot is how everything is so intricately interwoven and I'm so amazed at how it has played out. Celaena has also continued to grow and when she finally tells her story, my heart just breaks for her. But my respect for her just continues to grow with every book. Meeting all the characters, felt at times, like too much information was being given to me, but without their stories, we would certainly be missing out on important story lines and would then be confused later on in the series.

Everything that happens to Celaena and to Rowan, Manon, Chaol, Dorian and Aedion, everything that they endured, it is amazing how much hope, will, and perseverance they have. I've said this before, but if the world ever goes to hell, I would want to be on Celaena Sardorthien's team. She gets shit down. Especially if Rowan is on the team as well. I'm all about Team Rowan now.

Sarah J. Maas has created a world I can picture so vividly in my head and I can so easily picture it on the big screen as well. I honestly don't know how she does it, but I am immensely grateful that she created the Throne of Glass world. It has become one of my favorite series and I can't not recommend this series to everyone. It is SO good and I can't WAIT to see what else she does next and I NEED BOOK 4 RIGHT NOW. I NEED IT I SAY. So if you haven't started this series, PLEASE, go out and buy the book. It will not regret it. And if you're anxiously awaiting the release of Heir of Fire? Two more weeks until this baby is out and you can finally get your fix of Celaena and you will LOVE it.

Waiting on Wednesday (#68)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Morning swooners!

This week pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:

Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) by Sarah J. Maas

Expected Release Date: September 2, 2014

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

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?

I don't think I need to explain myself on this one. For every person who've read this series, I know that we're all anxiously anticipating it's release. And for those that haven't? What are you waiting for, start the series! It so good, you'll be kicking yourself for not starting it sooner.

What are you "Waiting on?"

Stacking the Shelves (#24) - BEA Recap & Book Haul

Stacking the Shelves, which is hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews, is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This mean you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course, ebooks.

Hi Lovelies!

It been ages since I've done one of these. Almost a year. I decided to come back with a bang since I went to BEA2014 and it was an absolute blast. I was lucky enough to grab some of my must haves along with some that I had my eye on for a while. I won't link the books because, honestly, that would take me forever, and I'm still trying to catch up on my loss of sleep from last week. If you see some asterisks(*), it means that it a signed copy.

First off are the finished copies that I managed to grab:

Discretion by Allison Leotta

Finding Cinderella by Colleen Hoover

Since You've Been Gone by Morgan Matson*

Lux: Beginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout*

The Ring & The Crown by Melissa De La Cruz*

These are for the months of July and August:

Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally*

Zac & Mia by A.J. Betts

Virgin: A Novel by Radhika Banghani

Let's Get Lost by Adi Alsaid*

The Black House by Peter May

Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto*

Messenger of Fear by Michael Grant

Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl, Ali Benjamin

The Beautiful Ashes by Jeaniene Frost*

There are for the month of September (Holy crap there's a lot!):

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini*

Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Porters

The Jewel Amy Ewing

Falling into Place by Amy Zhang

The Iron Trial by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

The Drop by Dennis Lehane

Sway by Kat Spears

The Vault of Dreamers by Caragh M. O'Brien

Blackbird by Anna Carey*

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Tape by Steven Camden

Burn by James Patterson

Invisible by Dawn Metcalf

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley*

These are for the months of October, November, December and January:

Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle*

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

The Forgotten Girl by David J. Bell

Unmarked by Kami Garcia

Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout*

Talon by Julie Kagawa*

Compulsion by Martina Boone*

Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers

Zodiac by Romina Russell

We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist

This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner

Her by Harriet Lane

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

And my MOST prized possession that I managed to get signed!:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell*

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas*

Sublime by Christina Lauren*

Those are my babies right there. They didn't leave my eyesight all throughout BEA and on the trip home. 

And these are just some of the pictures I managed to get of some of the authors who's line I made:

Amy Plum

Christina Lauren

Sarah J. Maas

Speaking of Sarah J. Maas, I was in line for her 2 hours beforehand and it was INSANE. However, since she was a priority for me, I sucked it up and made the best of it. Thankfully, I had one of my best friends with me, Daisel, who blogs for Owl Always Be Reading, waiting in line with me.

Besties waiting for Sarah =)

Since Daisel knew I was super excited and was going to be a fangirl mess, she took over and took pictures for me. Bless her heart.

Almost to Sarah!

Trying to contain my inner fangirl

My baby!

And then I promptly sat down to read right at the next signing. *happy sigh*

I managed to snag this beauty as well:

And on Book Con *shudders*(such a nightmare) I manage to see Danielle Fisher AKA TOPANGA!

Since I have family in New York, I met up with them after BEA and just drove around the city. It was such a nice break after spending the past 3 days stuck inside a convention center. It actually felt like I was in New York then. Here's me in Brooklyn, enjoying the nice weather and the view:

That's it for me. I hope I can get back into the swing of doing Stacking the Shelves again. Maybe not every week but every few weeks. Can't wait to see what everyone is adding to their shelves!

Waiting on Wednesday (#46)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Morning swooners!

This week pre-publication "can't wait to read" selection is:

The Assassin's Blade (# 0.1 -0.5) by Sarah J. Maas

Expected Release Date: March 4, 2014

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

Synopsis:

Celaena Sardothien is Adarlan's mos feared assassin. As part of the Assassin's Guild, her allegiance is to her master, Arobynn Hamel, yet Celaena listens to no one and trust 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.

I LOVE Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight. So much that it became one of my favorite books and the third book of the series, Heir of Fire, is one my most anticipated books to be release in 2014. I already read the novellas 0.1 -0.4 but I'm so happy that it coming out in a bound copy just so I can add it to my physical shelves. I'm hoping that with this new book in my hands, it will make the waiting for September for Heir of Fire a little more bearable.

What are you "Waiting on?"

Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight 
(Throne of Glass #2) 
By: Sarah J. Maas

Expected Release Date: August 27, 2013

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children

Source: BEA 2013

Reviewer: Jenn

Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads / IndieBound

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 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 the most willing to fight for?

5 stars out of 5 stars

Oh.My.God! This book! This book ruled my life when I was reading it. It just so good and amazing and I can’t wait until everyone read it so we can all gush and squeal about it. Like I’m ready for book 3 and Crown of Midnight has barely even come out.  I feel like I can’t properly talk about this book for fear of spoiling it and because I’m just over the place with it and I just loved it so much I just don’t know how to do it’s justice. So prepared yourself for some ramblings.

For me, Crown of Midnight has to be even better than Throne of Glass. I definitely enjoyed it more and it just blew me away. From start to finish, CoM was a crazy ride. I never knew what to expect and I was surprised at every turn. 

Celaena, again, has to be a character that is just becoming a favorite of mine. Her character growth amazed me. Maas managed to create such a 3 dimensional character in Celaena. She hides so much vulnerability under her hard exterior and even though we’re still learning about her (and boy do we learn something shocking about her) I can’t help but cheer her on. I can’t wait to see what else she does and where her cleverness takes her.

OMG, Chaol. He certainly proved himself to be a good match for Celaena. There were so many times that he had me swooning and I just want to keep him for myself and put him in my pockets. I find him to be the perfect match for Celaena because I think that he really sees her for who she is and doesn’t judge her and thinks that she can stand up for herself. He knows that she can take care of herself but he still wants to help and take care of her.

“Believe me, Celaena, I know you can look after yourself. But I worry because I care. Gods help me, I shouldn’t, but I do. So I will always tell you to be careful, because I will always care what happens.”

More Chaol swoons:

“For you, I’d say that chocolate cake is most definitely a need.”

~B&S~

“There had never been any line between them, only his own stupid fear and pride. Because from the moment he’d pulled her out of that mine in Endovier and she had set those eyes upon him, still fierce despite a year in hell, he’d been walking toward this, walking to her.”

Crown of Midnight was nothing and everything I was expecting. It lived up to my expectations and it I can’t wait until Book 3 comes out. I’m so excited to see what else Sarah J Maas has up her sleeves and what book 3 will bring us. CoM was definitely a sequel that lived up to hype and I can’t for everyone to read. If I could, I would give this book ALL THE STARS. All of them.