Throne of Glass by Sarah J Mass

Throne of Glass

Synopsis:

"Nothing is a coincidence. Everything has a purpose. You were meant to come to this castle, just as you were meant to be an assassin."

When magic has gone from the world, and a vicious king rules from his throne of glass, an assassin comes to the castle. She does not come to kill, but to win her freedom. If she can defeat twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to find the greatest assassin in the land, she will become the King's Champion and be released from prison.

Her name is Celaena Sardothien.

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her.

And a princess from a foreign land will become the one thing Celaena never thought she'd have again: a friend.

But something evil dwells in the castle—and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying, horribly, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival—and a desperate quest to root out the source of the evil before it destroys her world.

Rating: 5 Stars

Review

I'd stalled reading Throne of Glass. Whenever a book is over-hyped I always approach it with some foreboding. But it turned out my fears were unfounded. I had seen a lot of bad reviews hating on Celeana and the book in general. And I have to ask, what the hell? 

Celeana Sardothien is a refreshing female lead. She is cocky, she knows she is dangerous, strong and beautiful, a nice change from the I-don't-know-I'm-awesome-but-everyone-drools-for-me trope. The girl can fight, and she is not clumsy, I'm so done with clumsy MCs. 
Not a fan Chaol, his way of seeing Celeana for most of the book thoroughly annoyed me.
Not really a fan of Dorian either, he lacks nerve.
I LOVE Princess Nehemia! 
I wasn't surprised by most of the plot twists, but they were nicely delivered. 

Action, sass, mystery, I loved it.

Fave quote: “Libraries were full of ideas—perhaps the most dangerous and powerful of all weapons.”

Get it here: https://amzn.to/2EyunJp

Review of Everless by Sara Holland

Everless by Sara Holland

IN THE KINGDOM OF SEMPERA, TIME IS CURRENCY—EXTRACTED FROM BLOOD, BOUND TO IRON, AND CONSUMED TO ADD TIME TO ONE’S OWN LIFESPAN. THE RICH ARISTOCRACY TAX THE POOR TO THE HILT, EXTENDING THEIR OWN LIVES BY CENTURIES.

And no one resents the Gerlings more than Jules Ember. A decade ago, she and her father were servants at Everless, the Gerlings’ palatial estate, until a fateful accident forced them to flee in the dead of night. When Jules discovers that her father is dying, she knows that she must return to Everless to earn more time for him before she loses him forever.

But going back to Everless brings more danger—and temptation—than Jules could have ever imagined. Soon she’s caught in a tangle of violent secrets and finds her heart torn between two people she thought she’d never see again. Her decisions have the power to change her fate—and the fate of time itself.

Rating: 4 stars
Review

So I'd been on a huge reading slump regarding YA fantasy, finding several books either boring or plain awful. Everless got me out of it. 
Jules is headstrong, but not on the maddening sense. She had a good reason to do all the crazy things she did. I like her, she feels real, I would've done exactly what she did on many occasions. 
The love interest didn't interest me at all, I could see through him long before Jules did. I can see why she was so infatuated, she was clinging to the past.
Now the mean and mysterious Lord, hell yeah. I was certain that there was more to him than met the eye and immediately liked him. Maybe I have a thing for grumpy characters who hide who they really are to protects others, and themselves.
I like Sara Holland's writing style, the descriptions are perfect for visualizing but don't drag on. And the mysteries actually had me thinking. That plot twist by the end... I loved it! A nice respite from books where I can see things coming from page 20.
Totally recommend.

Get Everless here: https://amzn.to/2EwQVKI