The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

Book: The Assassin's Blade (Throne of Glass #0.5)
Author: Sarah J. Maas
# of Pages: 362 (ebook)
Challenge: 2014 Ebook Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Celaena Sardothien is her kingdom’s most feared assassin. Though she works for the powerful and ruthless Assassin’s Guild, Celaena yields to no one and trusts only her fellow killer for hire, Sam.

When Celaena's scheming master, Arobynn Hamel, dispatches her on missions that take her from remote islands to hostile deserts, she finds herself acting independently of his wishes—and questioning her own allegiance. Along the way, she makes friends and enemies alike, and discovers that she feels far more for Sam than just friendship. But by defying Arobynn’s orders, Celaena risks unimaginable punishment, and with Sam by her side, he is in danger, too. They will have to risk it all if they hope to escape Arobynn’s clutches—and if they fail, they’ll lose not just a chance at freedom, but their lives . . .

A prequel to Throne of Glass, this collection of five novellas offers readers a deeper look into the history of this cunning assassin and her enthralling—and deadly—world.

Included in this volume:
The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
The Assassin and the Healer
The Assassin and the Desert
The Assassin and the Underworld
The Assassin and the Empire

My Thoughts:

This has to be the best prequel I've ever read!

The Assassin's Blade introduces us to Celaena, her life as an assassin, and the world in which she lives.

Filled with action, suspense, betrayal, a little romance, and great writing, I had a hard time putting this down. It was awesome and I loved every moment of it.

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

Book: Isla and the Happily Ever After (Anna and the French Kiss #3)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
# of Pages: 339 (hardcover)
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?

Hopeless romantic Isla has had a crush on introspective cartoonist Josh since their first year at the School of America in Paris. And after a chance encounter in Manhattan over the summer, romance might be closer than Isla imagined. But as they begin their senior year back in France, Isla and Josh are forced to confront the challenges every young couple must face, including family drama, uncertainty about their college futures, and the very real possibility of being apart.

Featuring cameos from fan-favorites Anna, Étienne, Lola, and Cricket, this sweet and sexy story of true love—set against the stunning backdrops of New York City, Paris, and Barcelona—is a swoonworthy conclusion to Stephanie Perkins’s beloved series.

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. It is my favorite in the series.

I liked getting to know Isla. And I just loved seeing Josh again. I was so happy when I found out he was going to be a main character in this book. His and Isla's relationship was adorable. They did have their ups and downs, but overall they were perfect for each other. There are brief yet enjoyable appearances by Anna, St. Clair, Lola, Cricket, and Meredith.

Isla and the Happily Ever After made me smile, cry, laugh, curse, and desperately want to visit Barcelona. A great ending to this series.

C'etait incroyable!

Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book: Ignite Me (Shatter Me #3)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
# of Pages: 408 (hardcover)
Challenge: 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge, 2014 Series Enders Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
The heart-stopping conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series, which Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, called “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love.”

With Omega Point destroyed, Juliette doesn’t know if the rebels, her friends, or even Adam are alive. But that won’t keep her from trying to take down The Reestablishment once and for all. Now she must rely on Warner, the handsome commander of Sector 45. The one person she never thought she could trust. The same person who saved her life. He promises to help Juliette master her powers and save their dying world . . . but that’s not all he wants with her.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent by Veronica Roth, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, and Legend by Marie Lu. Tahereh Mafi has created a captivating and original story that combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, and was praised by Publishers Weekly as “a gripping read from an author who’s not afraid to take risks.” Now this final book brings the series to a shocking and satisfying end.

My Thoughts:

I absolutely loved this book! It was a fantastic ending to to such an incredible series.

I liked watching Juliette grow stronger and more confident with each book. Kenji was the ultimate best friend to Juliette, and I enjoyed reading the scenes they shared together. I never suspected it at the beginning of the series, but they make an excellent team. I really hope Tahereh Mafi writes a novella from his perspective one day. As for Warner, wow, I loved him even more in this book than Unravel Me.

Suspenseful, steamy, and action-packed, this book was one of the best I've read all year. And though the series is over, I will definitely be reading it again! And I am really looking forward to reading what Tahereh Mafi comes out with next.

July Wrap Up & August TBR Pile

July Reads:

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Unite Me by Taherheh Mafi

August TBR Pile:
Ignite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Isla and the Happily Ever After by Stephanie Perkins

The Lucy Variations by Sara Zarr
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Angelfall by Susan Ee
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

What will you be reading this month?

Unite Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book: Unite Me (Shatter Me #1.5, 2.5)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
# of Pages: 197 (Paperback)
Challenge: 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Perfect for fans of Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Metrilogy, this book collects her two companion novellas, Fracture Me andDestroy Me, in print for the first time ever. It also features an exclusive look into Juliette’s journal and a preview of Ignite Me, the hotly anticipated final novel of the series.

Destroy Me tells the events between Shatter Me and Unravel Me from Warner’s point of view. Even though Juliette shot him in order to escape, Warner can’t stop thinking about her—and he’ll do anything to get her back. But when the Supreme Commander of The Reestablishment arrives, he has much different plans for Juliette. Plans Warner cannot allow.

Fracture Me is told from Adam’s perspective and bridges the gap betweenUnravel Me and Ignite Me. As the Omega Point rebels prepare to fight the Sector 45 soldiers, Adam's more focused on the safety of Juliette, Kenji, and his brother. The Reestablishment will do anything to crush the resistance . . . including killing everyone Adam cares about.

The Shatter Me series is perfect for fans who crave action-packed young adult novels with tantalizing romance like Divergent and The Hunger Games. This captivating story, which combines the best of dystopian and paranormal, was praised as “a thrilling, high-stakes saga of self-discovery and forbidden love” by Ransom Riggs, bestselling author of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.

My Thoughts:

Destroy Me:

I loved this novella! I enjoyed getting to see things from Warner's perspective. And I liked getting to see through his tough exterior and getting a glimpse of his vulnerable side. 

Fracture Me:

While it was interesting getting to see things from Adam's perspective, I did not like the way he underestimated Juliette. However, it was nice to see how strong his relationship is with his brother.

Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi

Book: Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2)
Author: Tahereh Mafi
# of Pages: 333 (ebook)
Challenge: 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge, 2014 Ebook Challenge, 2014 Dystopia Reading Challenge
Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
tick
tick
tick
tick
tick
it's almost
time for war.

Juliette has escaped to Omega Point. It is a place for people like her—people with gifts—and it is also the headquarters of the rebel resistance.

She's finally free from The Reestablishment, free from their plan to use her as a weapon, and free to love Adam. But Juliette will never be free from her lethal touch.

Or from Warner, who wants Juliette more than she ever thought possible.

In this exhilarating sequel to Shatter Me, Juliette has to make life-changing decisions between what she wants and what she thinks is right. Decisions that might involve choosing between her heart—and Adam's life.(les

My Thoughts:

This book was incredible!

It did take me a few chapters to get into the book, but after that I could not put it down. Once again Tahereh Mafi's writing was amazing and addictive.

Juliette is training to harness her powers. And while her character does grow stronger, there were a few times when she said or did things that got on my nerves.

While I did like Adam in Shatter Me, I could not stand him in this book. He annoyed me so much! As for Warner, I absolutely loved him. And Kenji. He's such an awesome character. He's funny and smart and a great friend to Juliette. 

Unravel Me was full of action and suspense and I really enjoyed it.

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Book: Lola and the Boy Next Door (Anna and the French Kiss #2)
Author: Stephanie Perkins
# of Pages: 338 (Paperback)
Challenge: 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge
Rating: 4 stars

Goodreads Summary:
Budding designer Lola Nolan doesn’t believe in fashion...she believes in costume. The more expressive the outfit--more sparkly, more fun, more wild--the better. But even though Lola’s style is outrageous, she’s a devoted daughter and friend with some big plans for the future. And everything is pretty perfect (right down to her hot rocker boyfriend) until the dreaded Bell twins, Calliope and Cricket, return to the neighborhood.

When Cricket--a gifted inventor--steps out from his twin sister’s shadow and back into Lola’s life, she must finally reconcile a lifetime of feelings for the boy next door

My Thoughts:

First off, I have to say that I liked this much more than Anna and the French Kiss.

Lola was such a fun character with her love of costume design and not being afraid to express her individuality. Lindsey is a great friend to Lola. She was always there when Lola needed her most. I loved Lola's dads. They were very supportive of her costume designing, but they were also strict, especially when it came to boys.

Lola's boyfriend, Max, was a total jerk. I just didn't get what Lola saw in him. He treated Lindsey like crap and I was mad at Lola for not defending her. Cricket, on the other hand, is very sweet and kind. It was easy to see why Lola liked him so much.

Anna and St. Clair appear many times in this book and I liked seeing them together from Lola's perspective.

I really enjoyed this book. It was cute, funny, and unputdownable.