The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

The Assassin’s Blade

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s

Year: 2014

Genre: Fantasy

Age: YA 13+

***This review & book contain spoilers from the original series Throne of Glass...read at your own risk!***

This is a book compilation of five Throne of Glass novellas previously only available on ebook. It contains The Assassin & the Pirate Lord, The Assassin & the Healer, The Assassin & the Desert, The Assassin & the Underworld, & The Assassin & the Empire.

In the first story The Assassin & the Pirate Lord we are introduced to Sam, the fellow assassin that Celaena loved & lost. They have been sent to a remote island called Skulls Bay that is infamous for a giant chain stretched across its bay called Ship Breaker that keeps out unwanted guests. Arobynn Hamel the leader of the ruthless Assassin’s Guild in Rifthold has sent Sam & Celaena to meet with the Lord of Pirates Captain Rolfe. They are to complete a deal between the two men to buy 100 slaves & bring them back to Rifthold. But Celaena has other plans & Sam is willing to help her no matter what…

In the second story The Assassin & the Healer Celaena has been punished after ruining the deal with Captain Rolfe. She is sent to The Red Desert to be trained by the Master of The Silent Assassin’s. But before she makes the journey she stays in the port town of Melisande at a fine establishment called the White Pig Inn. There she meets a barmaid whose ancestry runs deep with healer blood. The two strike up an unlikely friendship & Celaena teaches the young healer girl a thing or two about handing the unruly men in the bar.

In the third tale The Assassin & the Desert Celaena makes it to The Silent Assassin’s where she isn’t immediately welcomed by the master. But she does become friends with a girl named Ansel from the flatlands of Briarcliff. Ansel is there to learn skills from the Mute Master & get revenge from her family’s death. But it isn’t long before Celaena finds out what Ansel is really up to. Ansel has a deal with Lord Berick to attack the Silent Assassin’s in exchange for an army of men for her revenge. But Celanea has other plans.

In the fourth tale The Assassin & the Underworld we travel back to Rifthold & get to see Sam Courtland again. In exchange for her services to the Mute Master Celaena was given three giant trunks of gold. She uses the newly found wealth to buy freedom from Arobynn for Sam & herself. Sam & Celaena move out of the Assassin’s Keep & into an apartment above a warehouse in the slums.

In the final story The Assassin & the Empire we learn how Celaena ended up in the salt mines of Endovier as a slave which is where we first meet her in Throne of Glass. After separating themselves from Arobynn, Sam & Celeana have one more job to do before they leave the Guild & Rifthold behind the forever & move to the Southern continent. But thanks to a trick Arobynn has up his sleeve, driven by his jealously of Sam, neither of them will make it to a new life.

Likes: I think the compilation of books into one makes it easy for fans of the series to enjoy the previously only ebook stories.

The stories really enhance the background of Celaena & Sam’s story. You find out where she starts, how she ends up a slave, & how she & Sam fall in love.

We finally find out why Celaena has a burning hatred for the King of the Assassin’s.

Dislikes: This isn’t a bad aspect of the story beacause it’s good to finally know the truth, but it’s sad…Sam’s death & Arobynn’s involvement. 

Rating: 

December 2016 TBR

Since I already know what I want to read & I'm half way/almost done with 2 books already I think this final month in 2016 will be a little more successful! So here is what I plan to ready during the month of December...

The Assassin's Blade

by

Sarah J. Maas

This book is a compilation of 5 short stories previously not available in print featuring characters from the Throne of Glass world. We get to learn about Celaena's early days in the Assassin's Guild & how she freed herself from Arobynn & met Sam. 

Empire of Storms

by

Sarah J. Maas

This is book #5 in the series (not counting the novella book). There is supposed to be one more that comes out in September of 2017 & that will be the conclusion. 

Heartless 

by

Marissa Meyer

Marissa Meyer is the NY Times Bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles Series that has 4 main books & 2 novella books. This new standalone book is a retelling of the Alice in Wonderland featuring the character The Queen of Hearts. 

A Thousand Nights

by

E.K. Johnston

Spindle 

by

E.K. Johnston

The Secret of the Sphinx 

by

Samuel Bavli

Roseblood

by

A.G. Howard

November 2016 Wrap Up

I had a pretty ambitious TBR for this month & I wasn't sure I was gonna accomplish much with Thanksgiving & the winter weather & guess what? I didn't LOL But that's ok! Here's what I did read/start reading

The City of Bones

by

Cassandra Clare

It took me longer than expected to finish this book & I think that's what set me off course. You can see my full review here. I also watched the movie & I plan on doing a comparison/review this week!

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The next two books I started recently & plan to finish quickly but not this month since it's the last day of November!

The Assassin's Blade

by

Sarah J. Maas

I have "read" all of this series by listening to the audiobooks. It allows me to read another book but listen to this great series! Check out my review of Heir of Fire here. I don't have any other reviews because I hadn't started my blog until after I had read the first 2 books & for some reason skipped Queen of Shadows although I did read that one this summer. I'll definitely do a review on the next 2 books (including this one).

Heartless

by

Marissa Meyer

She is one of my top 10 authors & I have read almost her entire Lunar Chronicles series. Once again I read them all before I started this blog but I plan on doing a re-read next year so stay tuned for that & the review of this one after I finish it. 

The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

The City of Bones

Author: Cassandra Clare

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books (Simon & Schuster Children’s)

Year: 2007

Genre: Fantasy

Age: YA 13+

This is my second time attempting to read this book. I tried several years ago when the movie was coming out and just couldn’t get past how annoying Clary is. But I was able to get through it this time & truthfully I’m not sure if I’m going to continue with the series. It was ok but it wasn’t earth shattering so we’ll see.

In this first book of a now complete series we meet Clarissa (Clary) Fray & her mother Jocelyn. They live in New York upstairs from a gypsy woman. Clary has had a pretty normal life so far. Her father was killed in a car accident when she was young so she has no memories of him. She has no other family that she knows of aside from her mother who is a brilliant artist. Simon is Clary’s best friend who is really geeky & also very in love with her. One night while the pair are out on the town trying to get into a club called Pandemonium Clary spots a trio of strange teenagers. The only problem is no one but she can see them. Getting mixed up with the group out of concern & curiosity she finds out that they are Shadowhunters who are there to kill a demon. Jace Wayland & Alec & Isabelle Lightwood all reside in a place they call The Institute. They live there with the Lightwoods who are currently away, a man named Hodge, & a very smart cat named Church.

It isn’t long before Clary realizes she’s in a little over her head. Her mother has been kidnapped by a group of Downworlders lead by an evil man that was thought to be dead named Valentine. He is after something called The Mortal Cup & will do anything to find it. Jace & the rest of the Shadowhunters plus a very scared Simon all band together to help Clary find her mother & stop Valentine. Along the way the group battles werewolves, almost gets eaten by vampires, falls through portals, fights demons, & encounters The High Warlock of Brooklyn. But after their journey will it be enough to save Clary’s mother & stop Valentine from using The Mortal Cup to destroy man kind?

Likes: This book was very fast paced & you get a broad understanding of the world & characters

They made this book into a movie several years ago & I enjoyed it although it was slightly different from the book

The world that is portrayed in this book is also connected to ours which makes it more believable

Dislikes: The world however is slightly confusing, there is a lot of back story that I’m sure we don’t get to hear all of just in this first book

Very long book, almost 500 pages!

Rating:

November 2016 TBR

So I know it's already November 8th & I'm a little behind on posting something like this but here is what I'm hoping to read this month (It's pretty ambitious so we'll see)!

The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

I had previously tried to read this book when the movie came out several years ago but Clary just annoyed me to no end, much like Bella in Twilight. So far I'm about 100 pages in & it's pretty good. If I can get through it I hope to read the whole series in the coming winter months.

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs

This is book two in the Miss Peregrine trilogy & I really enjoyed the first one so I'm hoping this one doesn't suffer from second book syndrome. 

Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs

This is book three in the Miss Peregrine trilogy so theoretically if I make it through book #2 I will read this one next.

The Secret of the Sphinx by Samuel Bavli

This is a book that sounded interesting & had an eye catching cover. I got it as a digital ARC from Netgalley & plan to do a review.

Roseblood by A.G. Howard

This is another digital ARC that I received from Netgalley & I am so excited about. I had this book pre-ordered on my NOOK but now I have it! I also have the first book in this author's other series about Alice in Wonderland but have yet to read it. I have heard great things so far & I'm really excited to get to this one.

A Thousand Nights by E.K. Johnston

This is a book that I heard about & saw when it first came out & it looks interesting. It's a retelling of the classic story. I'm reading it because I received a digital ARC from Netgalley of the soon to come sequel. 

Spindle by E.K. Johnston

I received this book as a digital ARC from Netgalley & I'm hoping to get to it after I read the first one pictured about. Once again it's a fairy tale retelling of a classic story.

Faithful by Alice Hoffman

Faithful

Author: Alice Hoffman

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Year: 2016

Genre: Adult Fiction

Age: 18+

I received this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Hoffman is one of my favorite authors. The first book I ever read by her was Practical Magic. I saw the movie as a kid, it was one of my Mom’s favorites. Then growing up in high school I realized the book and the movie were connected. They both give you a sense of hope and love. All of her books make you feel this way and this book was no exception. Hoffman writes in a very descriptive and real way that makes you feel like you are part of the story. All of her books (that I’ve read so far) also follow the same basic pattern. It always starts with a problem, either the sisters parents die, or there is a terrible accident, something tragic and awful is plaguing the main character. Then they go through a difficult and long struggle. This will be years of ups and downs, good and bad. But there is always a happy ending usually involving a guy, love, & fate. So here is a little bit about this newest story…

It all started that night of the accident. Shelby Richmond and her best friend Helene Boyd were out having fun when the car hits a patch of ice. Now every February little luminaries line that stretch of Route 110 in her honor. Helene will never wake up & she will never laugh of smile again because she is in a coma. Shelby was driving and now she suffers from survivor’s guilt.

After a three month stint in a mental hospital then two years of hiding in her parent’s basement Shelby is finally taking a step in the right direction. She’s moving to New York City with her drug dealer, future pharmacist boyfriend Ben Mink. He’s helped her since she returned from the hospital and he could be the one, maybe.

Shelby spends the next almost decade living in a tiny studio apartment with three dogs that she rescues from the streets. Ben is in and out of the picture along with a few other guys but none of them really know how Shelby feels. The only person that really understands is her angel. He was there the night of the crash, and he continues to send her postcards with inspirational messages on them.

Shelby is finally going down the right path after years of ups and downs including a few jobs, going back to school, two deaths, & some questionable moral acts. But before she can change her future she must forgive the past. 

Likes: I LOVE Alice Hoffman as an author! She has a writing style that is unique and beautiful. I am never disappointed by her books.

The storyline in all of Hoffman’s books is basically the same but she does throw in a few twists along the way. 

Shelby’s struggle is very real & believable. There are some genuine moments of shock & sadness along the way & it makes for a great story overall. At the end you are left with a feeling of love & hope!

Dislikes: The only part of this book I disliked was the rape. It happens early and ends quickly but it haunts Shelby the rest of the story. 

Rating:

 

Winky Lux Flower Balm Review

I was finally able to get my hands on some of the coveted Winky Lux Flower Balm lipstick!

(Here's a picture from their website)

I ordered my product the first week of October & the estimated arrival was October 27th. It was so popular from being on Facebook, Woman's Day Magazine, & many other places that it was on back order!

But behold! I got mine on October 27th as promised when I ordered so I am very impressed. Right now the 3rd batch of the balm is expected to go out on November 29th, this seems like a long time from now but trust me it;s worth the wait. 

So here's a little bit more info about the product from Winky Lux's website:

We've added a new magic pill to our collection! This balm stain applies on clear then reacts with your skin's pH levels, uniquely creating the perfect shade of pink lips just for you. Each Flower Balm contains a real fairy-picked chrysanthemum in the color of your choice. Not to mention, it's coconut scented, giving it an aroma so enticing you'll want to wear it every day.

Everything advertised about this product is true! It goes on clear & after a few seconds turns into a beautiful, natural shade of pink. It's a "your lips but better" color. It also has a coconut scent that is not to strong & overwhelming that goes away after application. I'm not sure about fairies picking the flowers but I would believe it! (LOL)

I ordered a pink flower for me & a green one for my mom & I'm a little jealous of her's...

The yellow one is back for this 3rd launch and I might try to get my hands on that one in the future to see what it looks like in real life. 

I'm not really a stickler for ingredients or things like that but if you are here is a list of the ingredients in the product from the website:

INGREDIENTS: Hydrogenated Polyisobutene, C12-15 Alkyl Benzoate, Diisostearyl Malate, Octyldodecanol, Dibutyl Iauroylflutamide, Dibutyl Ethylhexanoyl, Thylhexanoyl Glutamide, Isononyl Isononanoate, CI 45410, Chrysanthemum.

Now here are some pictures of the product once I received & opened it:

(Here is a outside of the box...not sure why it's sideways because I took it facing straight on)

(Look at those pretty worms!)

(Box)

(I really liked that the boxes were labeled on the outside so if this was a gift for someone you would also know which one was yours)

(It's upside down & I'm not sure why...but as you can see the tube itself is about 1/2 an inch smaller than a normal tube of lipstick)

(But...the product is the same size!)

(Here's a top view)

(TADA! It's so pretty!)

(Here's the green one I ordered for mom)

(And this is what it looks like on in natural sunlight)

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Overall I really like the product so far. It goes on very smooth, the scent is awesome but doesn't linger & gag you like some products, the color is something wearable for every day casual or fancy, & the price wasn't awful. You have to think of it as a fun, unique product & not necessarily compare it to a normal lip product where you are paying for the color or the name. You are mainly buying this for the way it looks & you are going to LOVE it! On another note it is much like a balm stick or petroleum based lip balm it wears for 3 to 4 hours then drys down. So you will need to reapply it or use a regular balm on top to keep the color that lingers a little. 

I hope you've enjoyed this review! Let me know if you try it & like it too :) 

 Order here!