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Throne of Glass
Throne of Glass
Sarah J. Maas | 2012 | Children, Fiction & Poetry
10
8.7 (91 Ratings)
Book Rating
42 of 235
Book
Throne of Glass (book 1)
By Sarah J Maas
Reread
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men - thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.


This is my first reread of this series and I loved this more the second time round. There were things I’d forgotten and I absolutely love Celaena I forgot how innocent she could be under all that toughness. I also remembered I used to like choal 🙈
  
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Merissa (12358 KP) rated Shatter Me in Books

Dec 17, 2018 (Updated Apr 11, 2023)  
Shatter Me
Shatter Me
Alex Grayson | 2014 | Fiction & Poetry
10
10.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
I received this book from the author in return for a fair and honest review.

There is a trigger warning at the start of this book and with good reason. The images that Alex Grayson conjures within your mind are horrific and heartbreaking. They will make your heart pound faster as the adrenaline pumps through your veins, your breath hitching as you read faster and faster, praying that the main female is going to be okay, even though you 'see' most of it through flashbacks so that you know she is... sort of.

This is also a story about trust, hope and friendship and the love that can follow if someone is prepared to be patient and help someone who is suffering from trauma instead of riding roughshod over them. There is darkness, there is beauty. There is horror and humour.

Shatter Me will make you sob, not just cry. There will be big, fat, ugly tears rolling down your face but you won't want to stop reading. I read this in one sitting as there was no way I was going to bed halfway through.

This is an exceedingly well-written and well-paced story that will blow your socks off. When I found out that this was a debut novel, I was astounded! I honestly can't wait for the next but at the same time am dreading it (if that makes any sense).

If you can read 'dark' subjects then I highly recommend this. However, please heed the trigger warning!

December 18, 2018
  
G1
Generation 18 (Spook Squad, #2)
8
9.0 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
50 of 230
Book
Generation 18 (Spook Squad book 2)
By Keri Arthur
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

COUNTDOWN TO CRISIS
 
A serial killer strikes every twelve hours. A vampire takes lives at random. At first glance, these tragic incidents seem unrelated. But Special Investigations Unit agents Sam Ryan and Gabriel Stern trace them both back to a military base known as Hopeworth. Is the murder spree part of a cover-up? And are the vampire killings less by chance and more methodical?
 
The investigation takes an eerie, personal turn when Sam discovers a connection between herself and the victims—and a clue to her own mysterious origins. With the violence escalating and the danger drawing closer to home, the stakes are raised and the mission changes from seeking justice to ensuring Sam and Gabriel’s own survival. And the one person who seems to hold all the answers—about Hopeworth, about Sam’s past—is a mystery man she isn’t sure she can trust. They share a psychic link through her dreams, and he once saved her life, but he may just be the greatest enemy humankind has ever known.

Another brilliant book from one of my favourite authors. I really like this series although I’m getting so frustrated with Gabriel he needs to deal with his issues! I love the Sam Ryan I really feel for her and the way she’s treated. Hopefully she won’t be so lonely for too much longer. The thing with Keri Arthur is you just become so immersed into her worlds no Mary what series you’re reading.
  
The Muse
The Muse
Jessie Burton | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
4
7.2 (5 Ratings)
Book Rating
18 of 230
Book
The Muse
By Jessie Burton
⭐️⭐️

Seductive, exhilarating and suspenseful, The Muse is an unforgettable novel about aspiration and identity, love and obsession, authenticity and deception – a masterpiece from Jessie Burton, the million-copy bestselling author of The Miniaturist.

A picture hides a thousand words . . .

On a hot July day in 1967, Odelle Bastien climbs the stone steps of the Skelton gallery in London, knowing that her life is about to change forever. Having struggled to find her place in the city since she arrived from Trinidad five years ago, she has been offered a job as a typist under the tutelage of the glamorous and enigmatic Marjorie Quick. But though Quick takes Odelle into her confidence, and unlocks a potential she didn't know she had, she remains a mystery – no more so than when a lost masterpiece with a secret history is delivered to the gallery.

The truth about the painting lies in 1936 and a large house in rural Spain, where Olive Schloss, the daughter of a renowned art dealer, is harbouring ambitions of her own. Into this fragile paradise come artist and revolutionary Isaac Robles and his half-sister Teresa, who immediately insinuate themselves into the Schloss family, with explosive and devastating consequences . . .


Oh it started so well and I was enjoying it but I just got so bored. I really wanted to enjoy this book but I couldn’t find anything to keep me hooked in! The characters were wushu washy and the story lost it appeal. Such a shame!
  
My Professor Sweetheart (Sweetheart Escapes)
My Professor Sweetheart (Sweetheart Escapes)
R.S. McKenzie | 2023 | Contemporary, LGBTQ+, Romance
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
MY PROFESSOR SWEETHEART is part of the multi-author Sweetheart Escapes series and can be read as a standalone.

Jamie and Andres are the main couple in this one, although there are other characters I now want stories for, including Hank and Avery! Guess I'll be searching the author's backlist for those and keeping my fingers crossed.

Anyway, back to this one. Jamie is the student, so close to graduating, and Andres is the professor. They both sign up for the auction but the attraction is already off the charts when they finally meet at the resort. The Daddy/boy aspect of this was so good. Jamie wanted to learn all he could, and Andres was happy to help. It was done in a steamy sweet way and made it a great read.

Part of what I enjoyed so much is we see them on their weekend but also in 'real life' doing what they have to, to hide what they are to each other. And breaking each other's hearts before they figure out what to do. It really gave the story some depth for me, instead of it being insta-love. Well, it still was, but then we had the rest of the story to help build it up.

A brilliant story that I have no hesitation in HIGHLY recommending.

** same worded review will appear elsewhere **

* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book; the comments here are my honest opinion. *

Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Sep 18, 2023