Heir of Fire - Sarah J. Maas

Began reading: 13.11.2015
Completed reading: 24.11.2015
Overall rating: 3.9 stars

Consumed by guilt and rage, Celaena can't bring herself to spill blood for the King of Adarlan. She must fight back...

The Immortal Queen will help her destroy the king - for a price. But as Celaena battles with her darkest memories and her heart breaks for a love that could never last, can she fulfil the bargain and head the almighty court of Terrasen? And who will stand with her?

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas is the third novel in the Throne of Glass series, which combines fantasy and romance to create a fascinating, action-packed young adult book. Overall, I think that this series just gets better and better!

The story was well-written and told in great detail; however, there were a few spelling and grammatical errors. Aside from that, there were some great quotes. Here are some examples:

‘The people you love are just weapons that will be used against you’ (p. 162).

He ripped his cold magic from the air and turned it inward, wrapping it around his heart (p. 195).

Maybe there could be no future, no hope of anything more, but just looking at him standing there, in this moment, she wanted to be selfish and stupid and wild.

It could all go to hell tomorrow, but she had to know what it was like, just for a little while, to belong to someone, to be wanted and cherished (p. 249).

‘You are the keeper of your own fate’ (p. 286).

                   

I absolutely loved the plot, especially the various relationships that develop. For example, I loved that Dorian had begun to move on from Celaena. I enjoyed how he opened up to another person (I won’t reveal who!), but it was sad that he had to keep it a secret. It was tragic, especially since the relationship didn’t last very long, but I still enjoyed reading about it. I should’ve accepted the fact that he and Celaena would never be together before I started this book, but oh well… I hope Dorian finds love and happiness in the final book!

                 

Speaking of Dorian’s relationship with another character, the plot twists towards the end were just so tragic! I like how staggering plot twists are part of Sarah J. Maas’ work. I’m still reeling from the major plot twist in The Assassin’s Blade! These plot twists are always effective, and assist with adding a certain depth to the narrative. I wonder what plot twists will be present in Queen of Shadows!

I felt that the story was a bit slow-paced. I’m not sure why, but it felt as though all the dramatic events and interesting details occurred towards the end of the book. To be honest, you could read the first few chapters then skip to the last few, and you wouldn’t be missing much. Similarly, I felt that it was a bit dull. As much as I loved reading about Celaena’s adventures, the matter of the Wyrdkeys felt as though it was dragged out and dull. Aside from this, I enjoyed the novel immensely.

As always, Celaena remains as my favourite character in the series; however, Manon Blackbeak is slowly starting to replace her. Manon is very similar to Celaena — independent, badass and somewhat considerate. I can’t wait to see if Manon and Celaena will interact and if they will get along!

I enjoy reading about the relationship between Celaena and Rowan; however, this whole ‘tough love’ thing ruins it a bit. There is one part of the book where Rowan and Celaena have an argument, and what he says is really hurtful.

Rowan paused his stalking. ‘You’re worthless.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know.’

He went on, ‘You would probably have been more useful to the world if you’d actually died ten years ago’ (p. 163).

I understand that hurtful things are said during an argument, but this seemed uncalled for. I felt really bad for Celaena, and thoroughly disappointed with Rowan.

                     

My favourite parts of the book include Celaena’s flashbacks, as well as her training with Rowan. I really enjoyed having an insight into Celaena’s childhood, and knowing how close she was to Aedion. The story of why she fled and ended up in Rifthold was so emotional. I also enjoyed reading about Manon, her coven and her wyvern, Abraxos.

The highlight of the book is the comebacks from Aedion and Celaena. For example, Aedion’s conversation with Ren:

Aedion swung his legs back onto the roof and stood. ‘All I want,’ he snarled, ‘is for my people to be free and my queen restored to her throne.’

‘They burned the antler throne, Aedion. There is no throne for her.’

‘Then I’ll build one myself from the bones of our enemies.’ (p. 312).

Also, Celaena’s conversation with Queen Maeve:

‘One thought from me, and your city will burn.’

‘It is stone,’ Maeve snapped.

Celaena smiled. ‘Your people aren’t’ (p. 509).

                                       

Recommendation time! If you like Hanna, The Assassin, The Last Airbender, Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis, The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare, and the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling.

My reviews for The Assassins Blade, Throne of Glass, and Crown of Midnight can be found by clicking on the titles.

I will also be reviewing the final book of the Throne of Glass series: Queen of Shadows. Keep an eye out for that!

Happy reading!

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Crown of Midnight - Sarah J. Maas

Began reading: 14.10.2015
Completed reading: 4.11.2015
Overall rating: 4 stars

Celaena Sardothien, royal assassin, is the King of Adarlan's deadliest weapon. She must win her freedom through his enemies' blood - but she cannot bear to kill for the crown. And every death Celaena fakes, every lie she tells, put those she loves at risk.

Torn between her two protectors - a captain and a prince - and battling a dark force far greater than the king, Celaena must decide what she will fight for: her liberty, her heart or the fate of a kingdom...

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas is a combination of fantasy, romance and adventure in a young adult fiction novel. I just really LOVE this series! This plot continues two months after Celaena was named the king’s Champion.

As expected, the novel was well-written — everything was described in detail, characters were portrayed in a realistic way, and there were some great quotes. For example:

The best lies were always mixed with truth (p. 14).

It was a freedom that she was still working for, because even though she’d tasted it only for a heartbeat, it had been the most exquisite heartbeat she’d ever experienced (p. 83).

It was war upon them all. Let them tremble in fear at what they had awoken (p. 256).

Now… Now, she didn’t particularly care.

It was hard to care, she realised as she started the trek back to the castle. Incredibly hard to care, when you didn’t have anyone left to care about (p. 297).

                         

I also enjoyed the humour, especially between Celaena and Mort. At first, Celaena and Mort obviously disliked each other, but as they interacted more, they started to get along. I think these two make a great team, as Mort has connections to the gods. I hope Mort is in Heir of Fire! Anyway, here are some examples of the humour (keep in mind, I have a horrible sense of humour):

Mort hissed when she appeared at the door of the tomb. ‘Plan on desecrating any other sacred objects tonight?’

Carrying a satchel full of papers and books that she’d grabbed from her rooms, Celaena merely patted his head as she walked by. His bronze teeth clanked against each other as he sought to bite her (p. 279).

Mort: ‘You’d better clean up that mess you brought down here, or I’ll ask the gods to send some wicked beastie after you’ (p. 281).

                                            

Again, Maas knows exactly how to pull at your heartstrings. Yet another beloved character was killed off in this novel, and I love how this death triggered various reactions from other characters. However, I didn’t like how this character was furious when Celaena contacted them through the portal. Like, yes, I know it’s dangerous, but seriously? Celaena had so many unanswered questions.

*WARNING: SPOILER* I can’t believe Celaena ended up with Chaol! They make a great team, and I think they’re great together! It’s just sad that he broke Celaena’s trust. I liked the idea of Celaena’s nail scars on his cheek as a permanent reminder of his betrayal…

I really enjoyed seeing the dark side of Celaena again — full of rage and badassness. That being said, my opinion of her as my favourite character hasn’t changed. Although, Dorian is beginning to sway my opinion. Will he and Celaena ever have a chance together? What would they be like together? I NEED TO KNOW!

                 

*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* My absolute favourite parts of this novel were when Celaena was sent to Davis’ party and ended up killing him, and when she destroyed Archer. Here is my utterly favourite scene:

‘I knew you were a good woman,’ he said.

Celaena halted. Turned.

There was a hint of triumph in his eyes. He thought he’d won. Manipulated her again. One foot after another, she walked back toward him with predatory calmness.

She stopped, close enough to kiss him. He gave her a wary smile. ‘No, I’m not,’ she said. Then she moved, too fast for him to stand a chance.

Archer’s eyes went wide as she slid the dagger home, jamming it up into his heart.

He sagged in her arms. She brought her mouth to his ear, holding him upright with one hand and twisting the dagger with the other as she whispered, ‘But Nehemia was’ (p. 389).

*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed seeing Celaena with Chaol. I especially enjoyed their flirting and banter. Here are some examples:

Chaol: ‘I’d like to debrief you.’

She raised an eyebrow. ‘Aren’t you at least going to take me to dinner first?’ (p. 12).

Celaena: ‘…Leave the talking to me and the charming to me.’

Chaol raised his brows. ‘So I’m just here for decoration?’

‘Be grateful I consider you a worthy accessory’ (p. 56).

Recommendation time! If you like The Assassin, Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Countdown by Michelle Rowen, Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr, The Hunger Games series by Suzanna Collins and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare.

My reviews for TheAssassins Blade and Throne of Glass can be found by clicking on the titles.

I will also be reviewing the rest of the Throne of Glass series: Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Keep an eye out for those!

Happy reading!

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Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas

Began reading: 1.10.2015
Completed reading: 13.10.2015
Overall rating: 4 stars

Celaena Sardothien has spent a year in the salt mines of Endovier, serving a life sentence for being caught in an assassination attempt. Captain Chaol Westfall and Crown Prince Dorian Havilliard have journeyed to Endovier to offer Celaena an opportunity for freedom — to represent Dorian in a competition, where she must endure harsh tests to become the king’s Champion and serve four years as his “right-hand”. After the four years of service, Celaena will be free to begin a new life as a whole new person. But first, she must remain true to herself and refine her abilities in order to survive court life and the cruelty of the king. In doing so, she will make strong friendships with Prince Dorian, Princess Nehemia and Captain Westfall.

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas is a fictional young adult novel that incorporates a mixture of fantasy, romance, adventure and mystery to create a great follow-on from The Assassin’s Blade. I loved this novel, as it provided a new perspective on Celaena post-sentence. By the way, have you heard that there are plans to create a television adaptation of the Throne of Glass series?! I CANNOT WAIT!

                    

The book was incredibly well-written, and was a great follow-on from the previous novel, as I mentioned above. There were so many good quotes that just had to take note of. These include:

Some of the men sniggered, and she clenched her teeth. They’d stop their laughing if they knew her true name, if they knew that this ‘jewel thief’ could skin them alive without a knife (p. 88).

She adjusted the thick leather belt slung low across her hips. It was the kind of belt intended to bear the weight of multiple weapons. Its lightness now only reminded her of what she’d lost — and what she had to gain (pp. 114-115).

We each survive in our own way (p. 122).

While she might be used to the darkness, she wasn’t foolish enough to trust it (p. 173).

Find the evil in the castle… But the only thing truly evil thing in this world is the man ruling it (p. 219).

‘I would sooner cut out my own heart than love a Havilliard…’ (p. 246).

Following the emotional rollercoaster that was The Assassin’s Blade, I was expecting another emotionally-charged plot but there weren’t any real sad moments, which was a good thing — I don’t think my heart could’ve handled more anguish!

                                  

Speaking of emotion, I was expecting Celaena to bring Sam up a lot more than she did. I don’t know if it was a sign of her moving forward but Sam was only brought up a couple of times which surprised me. For someone she felt so strongly about, it was as though Celaena had almost forgotten him.

In comparison to The Assassin’s Blade, there was a lot less action in this novel, which I felt was a bit of a let-down. Apart from the tests, an attack and the final duel, there was next to zero action. The plot mainly focused on Celaena’s relationships with those around her, as well as how she presented herself to the court — in other words, dresses! I thought it contrasted well with The Assassin’s Blade plot, but I still expected more action.

          

*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* I liked how some of the main characters were made to appear suspicious to the attacks in the castle, but turned out to be innocent. It made you doubt the actions of the characters, only to feel guilty when they turned out to be innocent. Similarly, I felt wary about the friendships that Celaena made, especially after Ansel in the previous novel.

Celaena continues to be my favourite and most relatable character in this series. This novel revealed more about Celaena, especially her love for reading and her hatred for fish, and made her feel a lot more relatable as I love reading and hate fish. She can still be a bit arrogant and badass, but she remains to be strong, caring and compassionate.

I liked the fight between Celaena and Verin, another competitor, as it showed how strong she is with a bit of humour.

‘Mock me again,’ she spat at Verin, ‘and I’ll do that with my sword the next time.’ She turned from him, and found Brullo’s face slack. ‘Here’s a lesson for you, Weapons Master,’ she said, stalking past him. ‘Give me real men to fight. Then maybe I’ll bother trying’ (p. 218).

I loved the banter between Celaena and Chaol — they were so cute! Here are some examples of their interactions:

Celaena: ‘Yes, well, hopefully you’ll read something of quality before I see you again.’

He sniffed the air as he walked out of her room. ‘Hopefully you’ll take a bath before I see you again’ (p. 93).

She didn’t pause her exercising as she smiled at him, panting through her clenched teeth. To her surprise, he smiled back (p. 94).

                                       

Speaking of banter, I also thought her banter with Dorian was cute! I won’t include the quotes here but you can find an example on pages 256 to 258.

Finally, the love triangle between these three was just so tense! It made so indecisive between who would best match Celaena. Although she doesn’t really pick anyone, based on all the fan art I have found online, I’m sure she will in the next book. I’m so excited! But yeah, I was so indecisive throughout the novel about who best suited Celaena. This love triangle got me like:

                     

Recommendation time! If you like Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Countdown by Michelle Rowen, Carnival of Souls by Melissa Marr, The Hunger Games series by Suzanna Collins and The Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. 

You can find my review for The Assassin's Blade by clicking here.

I will also be reviewing the rest of the Throne of Glass series: Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Keep an eye out for those!

Happy reading!

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The Assassin's Blade - Sarah J. Maas

Began reading: 16.9.2015
Completed reading: 22.9.2015
Overall rating: 4.1 stars

Celaena Sardothien was brought up in Rifthold, and trained to become Adarlan’s Assassin. Celaena is duty-bound to Arobynn Hamel, who provided her with a home at the Assassin’s Guild and taught her the deadly skills she needed to survive, and I required to carry out tasks from pirate-infested island to lonely deserts. The Assassin’s Blade is a collection of novellas, served as prequels to the Throne of Glass series. (Note: To skip the summaries, scroll until you see the three asterisks).

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord is the first novella. Celaena and her rival, Sam Cortland, are sent on a mission to seal a deal in the slave trade with the pirate lord, Captain Rolfe, Lord of the Pirates. Refusing to seal the deal, Celaena and Sam must find a way to free the two hundred slaves without attracting attention from Rolfe or have word reach Arobynn.

The Assassin and the Healer follows on from The Assassin and the Pirate Lord. After being beaten by Arobynn for disobedience, Celaena is sent to the Deserted Land to train with the Mute Master and his Silent Assassins for a month. While waiting for the ship to take her to the Deserted Land, Celaena meets Yrene Towers — a healer, working as a barmaid, and wishing to seek further education for her abilities. After an attempted attack, Celaena teaches Yrene how to defend herself for when she decides to leave for a better life.

The Assassin and the Desert follows on from The Assassin and the Healer. Being sent to the Deserted Land to train with the Mute Master and the Silent Assassins, Celaena must learn to impress the master if she’s to receive his letter of approval. During her training, Celaena makes friendships with Ansel of Briarcliff, Mikhail and the master’s son, Ilias. Following a betrayal by one of her new friends, Celaena must decide how she will deal with the disappointment while staying true to herself in order to obtain the letter of approval.

The Assassin and the Underworld continues on from The Assassin and the Desert. Returning to Rifthold and her life at the Assassin’s Keep, Celaena finally runs into Sam, only to find that he’s been spending time with Lysandra, a courtesan whom Celaena has despised since she was ten. Celaena and Sam are sent to assassinate Doneval and his business partner for attempting to arrange a way to improve the slave trade. Following a staggering deception from one she trusts the most, Celaena must gather courage to fulfil her wish to move out of the Guild and begin again.

The Assassin and the Empire follows from The Assassin and the Underworld. After paying off her debt to Arobynn, Celaena moves out and brings Sam with her. In order to escape the hold that Arobynn has on her, Celaena must complete one more mission: to assassinate Ioan Jayne and his sadistic guard, Rourke Farran. Aware of the disturbing and deadly consequences of being caught, Celaena and Sam decide to work together to accomplish the mission. Celaena will receive the ultimate betrayal and lose what she holds most dear.

***

The Assassin’s Blade by Sarah J. Maas is a young adult novel with a combination of fantasy, romance and adventure. I wasn’t going to purchase this book, because I didn’t think I would find it in stores, and because I usually learn what is important from the books. BUT I LOVED THIS COLLECTION OF NOVELLAS!

The book was well-written with a heap of great quotes, including:

‘…Life isn’t easy, no matter where you are. You’ll make choices you think are right, and then suffer for them’ (p. 103).

*WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* Even if she didn’t put the sword through Ansel’s neck, she’d still lose her. She’d already lost her.

But maybe the world had already lost Ansel long before today (p. 217).

‘If you can learn to endure pain, you can survive anything. Some people learn to embrace it — to love it. Some endure it through drowning it in sorrow, or by making themselves forget. Others turn it into anger…’ (p. 222).

The game had been played, and she had lost (p. 422).

                             

The characters and storylines were JUST. SO. GOOD! I loved how we were taken on the missions with Celaena, and saw how she developed relationships with other characters. We were also shown Celaena’s flaws, which I loved. There was enough information about each of the characters that people have made insightful wiki pages on them.

                      

There was just SO MUCH EMOTION. In The Assassin and the Empire, Celaena lost what she held dear, and it just broke my heart. I’m pretty sure I cried a river! Maas, WHY?! It was so sad, but I loved how it made me realise how attached I had become to the characters.

                      

My favourite character was Celaena Sardothien. She is such a badass, yet she can be so compassionate. Some examples:

*Celaena, discussing the slaves* ‘We kill corrupt officials and adulterous spouses; we make it quick and clean. These are entire families being ripped apart. Every one of these people used to be somebody’ (p. 41).

Rolfe: ‘Why go to so much trouble for slaves?’

Celaena: ‘Because if we don’t fight for them, who will?’ (p. 74).

I also loved her rivalry with Lysandra because I felt Celaena knew that she was better than her. I especially loved Celaena’s final interaction, which can be found on page 328.

Sam was my second favourite character, and I found his background story interesting: his mother was a famous courtesan. She was murdered by a jealous client, and left Sam orphaned. Because she was Arobynn’s favourite courtesan, he decided to take Sam in and train him as an assassin.

My favourite parts of the novellas were when Celaena spent a month with the Silent Assassins, when she approached Doneval at a party, and whenever she interacted with Sam.

Recommendation time! If you like “Countdown” by Michelle Rowan, or “Carnival of Souls” by Melissa Marr”, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Kill Bill and Kill Bill 2.

I will also be reviewing the rest of the Throne of Glass series: Throne of Glass, Crown of Midnight, Heir of Fire and Queen of Shadows. Keep an eye out for those!

Happy reading!

Buy the book: http://www.bookdepository.com/Assassins-Blade-Sarah-J-Maas/9781408851982

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Carnival of Souls - Melissa Marr

Began reading: 8.9.2015
Completed reading: 13.9.2015
Overall rating: 3.8 stars

The City is a place where daimons adhere to social hierarchies, yet in the Carnival of Souls at the heart of The City, ruling caste mixes with those of lower caste to earn a chance to join the privileged. Kaleb is of the lowest caste, while Aya is in the ruling caste but faces discrimination, as she is female. For both of them, fighting in the Carnival provides freedom and the power to change The City. In the human world, Mallory is unaware of The City, but understands that witches exist and daimons are dangerous — that is, until she meets Kaleb. In order to protect her family, Mallory will have to overlook her scepticism of Kaleb and let herself be swayed to enter The City.

Carnival of Souls, also known as Untamed City, by Melissa Marr is a young adult fiction novel that encompasses themes including the paranormal, fantasy and a hint of romance. As with Michelle Rowen’s Countdown, I got it for $1 and thought it would be a book that could keep me entertained while I completed assignments. Overall, I wouldn’t say that I was disappointed with the novel, but there were flaws that I will explore in this review.

On the positive side, the novel had potential with an interesting plot. The concept of death and pleasure vendors mixing, and being determined by the colour of the mask was really interesting. I enjoyed the fact that the story was told with three points of view, as opposed to one or two. I also liked the thought of a ruling caste female character fighting for her beliefs. The only downside to this is that Marr incorporated the points of view of some of the minor characters, which made the story a bit confusing.

There were also some really good quotes that I had to make note of. These included:

Good daughters didn’t question. They obey (p. 13).

…the unheard-of act of an upper-caste woman entering [the fighting competition] was more shocking than the violence of the matches themselves (p. 24).

Being pushed to the wall made a person do things that they’d not have believed themselves capable of… (p. 25).

Rumours were useful tools in establishing a reputation (p. 96).

In The City, guns were forbidden. Death was to be an act of closeness. That was the law: ‘If you cannot touch the person you are ending, you can’t kill them.’ Guns made death impersonal (pp. 100-101).

The City was rife with corruption, but it had order that the Untamed Lands lacked (p. 210).

Kaleb wished he could take a few moments to see what she read, what she listened to, what secrets were revealed by what she chose. Hers was a life completely different from his, and he wanted to understand her (p. 216).

There were also some great plot twists that kept me interested. *WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* For example, a particular character’s parents were unexpected and characters I thought were dead really weren’t.

Personally, I thought that Mallory’s point of view was a bit boring and anti-climactic. In the beginning of the novel, Mallory was described as a tough girl, who was taught to defend herself when she was threatened. Despite her lessons with weapons, she turned out to be useless, as she didn’t bother to defend herself when she came across danger. I don’t really know why, but I thought that Aya’s story was far more interesting than Mallory’s.

                      

Speaking of disappointments, the ending was quite a letdown. Everything started happening towards the end, and then it abruptly ended. I mean, what was happening in the last twenty or so pages of the novel should’ve happened in the middle of the book. I’ll definitely have to read the sequel when it’s released, but seriously…

                   

My favourite character was Aya, as she can be ruthless, determined, judicious and compassionate. My second favourite characters were Zevi and Belias. As you would’ve guessed by now, I didn’t like Mallory’s character. She was childish, frustrating and submissive.

My favourite parts of the novel were whenever Aya and Belias were interacting with each other. I got a bit emotional when their fight ended, but I loved it. I also really loved their back story. THEY WERE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER!

                  

Recommendation time! If you like Countdown by Michelle Rowen or The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Elysium or Drogo and Daenery’s story in Game of Thrones.

I suggest reading Marr’s Carnival of Lies, which is a novella that explains how it all began. Note: Untamed City is a combination of both Carnival of Lies and Carnival of Souls.

Happy reading!

Buy the book: http://www.bookdepository.com/Untamed-City-Melissa-Marr/9780062354945

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Countdown - Michelle Rowen

Began reading: 3.9.2015
Completed reading: 7.9.2015
Overall rating: 4 stars

Kira Jordan was just a common street thief, dreaming of a better life in the Colony — a place of safety and opportunities. That is until she was abducted and forced to compete in Countdown with the dangerous Rogan Ellis. With the promise of access to the Colony, Kira and Rogan must successfully complete six levels of Countdown, each more challenging than the last. Kira must learn to trust Rogan in order to survive the game, while searching for an escape. Kira’s reliance on her instincts and Psi abilities will determine whether she can survive the dangerous competition that is Countdown.

Countdown by Michelle Rowen is a young adult novel that combines science fiction, dystopia, romance, fantasy and thriller to create an adventure-packed story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I didn’t have very high expectations for this book. I got it for $3 and thought it would be a book that could keep me entertained while I completed assignments. BOY WAS I WRONG!

                                                       

The book was a fun, action-packed, quick read. It was full of adventure and plot twists that kept me turning the page. I never wanted to put it down!

                       

The plot was really interesting, as I haven’t read The Hunger Games series. I have read that there are many books that are similar to this one, but I haven’t come across any. Still, I found it very intriguing. The novel was well-written, and had only a couple of grammatical errors. Here are some of my favourite quotes:

Some secrets can kill faster than any level in this game (p. 156).

You don’t simply get used to what you fear. It gets worse and worse and harder to deal with every single time. Even if you tell yourself it’s irrational to be afraid (p. 159).

Words failed me. How could you thank someone who’d forever changed your life for the better? (p. 227).

…the moment we reached our destination I might never see him again.

This was the way it was supposed to be.

Even though I knew that, it still hurt like hell (p. 230).

‘Being human means that you have to feel pain and doubt and fear and grief. But that doesn’t always make it a bad thing’ (p. 309).

The characters and their environments were described in detail, which made it easier to imagine. I didn’t like how almost every male character in the novel was perverted and sexual in nature. It made it a bit seedy, which grossed me out.

                       

I really wished that there was a sequel to Countdown. *WARNING: SPOILER* I would have loved to know how Kira went with her education at the Iris Institution, and what Rogan decided to study at university. I have questions like: what happened to the Subscribers? Were Rogan and his father successful with rebuilding their medical research empire? Did Rogan and Kira develop a relationship? A sequel would answer so many of my questions!

My favourite character was Kira Jordan. I really sympathised for her story about her family and the reason behind her fear of the dark. I wished there was more about them. Kira was such a badass, but she could be a bit childish at times. I was left confused after her confrontation with Oliver in the mall. Anyway, she was loyal and feisty, which I loved. An example:

I did like the idea of finding whoever was in charge […] and giving their groin a nice, sharp introduction to my knee (p. 57).

I also really liked Rogan because he was loyal, compassionate and cheeky. For example:

Kira: ‘Screw you.’

Rogan: He shrugged and then grimaced as if the wound on his shoulder caused him massive pain. ‘We could do that, too, if you like, but I’ll need to be unchained first. Then again, we can bring the chains with us if you’re into that sort of thing’ (p. 20).

My favourite parts of the novel included anything to do with the game. It was filled with action and tension, which I enjoyed. *WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILER* I especially liked the tension that came from level 6 of the game. Being forced to kill each other just created so much apprehension, which kept me turning the page.

I also loved when Kira and Rogan flirted.

Rogan: ‘When they [implants] were in our heads, we couldn’t go more than ninety feet apart or we’d die.’

Kira: ‘That’s right.’

Rogan: ‘Well, now that they’re out, I still feel like I shouldn’t be more than ninety feet away from you or I might die. Isn’t that strange?’ (pp. 323-324).

                      

Recommendation time! If you like The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, Naughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman, and Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, you will love this book. Also, I recommend this book to anyone who likes Elysium.  

Happy reading!

Buy the book: http://www.bookdepository.com/Countdown-Michelle-Rowen/9781743562864

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