Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Book Review: "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas

Title: A Court of Silver Flames
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: "A Court of Thorns and Roses" #4
Genre: Adult Fantasy
Page Length: 757 pages
Publication Date: February 16, 2021
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Series Reviews: Book 1 / Book 2 / Book 3 / Book 3.5

*This review will be spoiler-free for this specific book but might contain spoilers for previous books in the series*

I'll be honest you guys, when it was first announced that this book was going to be following Nesta's perspective I was...not excited. I wanted more of Feysand and didn't really like Nesta at the time. However, between growing up a little bit and gaining way more life experiences as well as rereading the series multiples times, I ended up getting really excited for Nesta and Cassian's book. By the time the book finally arrived, I was incredibly hyped up. 

Overall, I would say this book did everything I wanted it to. What I wanted was angst and pettiness and arguing and scenes that would make my heart hurt. I wanted this book to be angry and explore the healing process from incredible trauma. And it did that, in more ways than I imagined. I wanted Nesta to be angry and lash out. I wanted to see her inner struggles. I wanted to see how her relationships with those around her evolved. And we got all that. 

Much of this need for angst came after A Court of Frost and Starlight released where we got to see a bit of Nesta's fate after the end of book three. Her relationships with pretty much everyone are fractured and she has a lot of trauma, both from before the war and during it. Yet where Feyre and Rhys and pretty much everyone else got help and space to heal, that wasn't really offered to Nesta. So to see her journey healing but also challenging those around her was very enjoyable to me. 

We met some new side characters in this book that I absolutely loved. I'm not going to name names but I sincerely hope that they get ample page time in future books because I want to know more about each of them and their adventures and backstories and thoughts. The addition of these characters was so great for other reasons than just plot bolstering. Without getting into spoilers, I'll just say that these characters made me feel warm and fuzzy about a certain situation. 

I will say that for all I loved, if I looked at this book objectively it likely wouldn't be rated as highly. There is a plot involved that deals with a thread leftover from the original books and, while a lot of the book did follow along that plot, I mostly felt like it fell to the side. Plus, the ending for that specific issue just seemed too easy compared to the rest of the series. 

Additionally, there were parts of this book I was indifferent about or parts that annoyed me. Cassian, even though I love him, did have some moments where I wanted to shake him for thinking that way. While everything turned out the way it did despite those thoughts, I still would like to shake him. However, I guess one could also argue that no person is perfect and characters aren't perfect either. There was also a pretty big thing regarding two other characters in the series that I just...didn't care about. I love the characters but this particular thing they were dealing with wasn't something I like to read about in books. 

I would say overall this book was amazing for me. I cared the most about Nesta and her journey, so the things I was indifferent about didn't bother me as much because Nesta still had her core journey and healing going on. I'm so excited to see where the next books go and I do have pretty high expectations for it after this one. 

Did you like A Court of Silver Flames? Let me know in the comments below! 



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Sunday, March 28, 2021

Book Spotlight: "Where the Road Leads Us" by Robin Reul

Blog banner with the cover of the book "Where the Road Leads Us" on the right side and the phrases Lauren's Bookshelf presents Book Spotlight: Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul on the left. All of this is set against a light teal background.

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today I am so incredibly excited to be doing a book spotlight for Where the Road Leads Us by Robin Reul, an upcoming YA contemporary focused around a road trip! This book releases April 6 from Sourcebooks Fire so there's still time to preorder a copy. Until then, here's everything to know about Where the Road Leads Us...


The word Synopsis written in a cursive font.
Sometimes the best path is the unexpected one.

Jack is on the verge of leaving for college, but before he does, he wants to track down his estranged brother, Alex and find some closure in the wake of their father's death. Meanwhile, Hallie has just found out some upsetting news about a friend in Oregon, and she has a small window to go see him before it's too late.

Jack and Hallie are practically strangers. They shared a class together years ago and haven't seen each other since, though they have more in common than they'd ever imagine. And when fate puts them into the same rideshare to the bus terminal, it kicks off an unconventional and hysterical adventure that may lead them to their own true selves…and maybe to each other.

Genre: YA Contemporary
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Release Date: April 6, 2021


The phrase Purchase the Book written in a cursive font.

AMAZON     |     BARNES & NOBLE     |     BOOKSHOP     |     INDIEBOUND



Robin Reul has been writing since she was in early elementary school, when she used to make her own book club flyers for her classmates and then pen them original stories. At thirteen, she had her first meeting with a major publisher, and the dream of someday being a published author firmly took hold.

As the daughter of a film producer, she spent her childhood on location, growing up on movie sets, and developing a fine appreciation for strong black coffee. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in Broadcasting and Film, and worked for many years in the film and television industry, both as an actress and in motion picture development. One of her favorite jobs was working as an Outreach Assistant for the Disney/PBS show “Bill Nye The Science Guy.” Ultimately, Robin decided to return her focus to writing young adult novels full-time. She likes to write the same sort of stories that helped get her through her teenage years: funny, honest stories filled with quirky, memorable characters that at the end of the read, make you feel like you’ve just had a visit with a good friend.

When she’s not writing, Robin can be found singlehandedly driving up the profit margin of her local Starbucks and indulging her love of baked goods, particularly those in the key of pumpkin.  She lives in Los Angeles suburbia. Her first novel, MY KIND OF CRAZY, debuted in April 2016 followed by WHERE THE ROAD LEADS US in April 2021.

Author Photo & Biography from www.robinreul.com

GOODREADS     |     FACEBOOK     |     INSTAGRAM
TWITTER     |     WEBSITE



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Friday, March 12, 2021

February 2020 Book Haul


Whereas my reading month for February was mediocre, my book haul for February is quite exciting! I picked up eight physical books this past month and I'm excited about most of them (two were textbooks for a class and, thus, won't be talked about here because they're boring). Let's go ahead and dive right in!



The first book I got this month was the Owlcrate exclusive edition of All the Tides of Fate by Adalyn Grace. This is the sequel to All the Stars and Teeth which I read last year and adored. This edition is not only signed, but it has a gorgeous purple cover that I couldn't resist! The regular pink one is pretty, but purple is my favorite color and I have a weakness for it. I haven't yet had the time to start this new release but I hope that, with the end of my undergrad career approaching, I'll have time to devote to this one come May! I've noticed I like nautical fantasies a lot in the summer and so I'm excited to have quite the lineup for this year. 

The next book I got was an ARC of Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert. This is the third and final book in the Brown Sisters companion trilogy of romances and I'm so excited! I won a copy of this in a giveaway and I've been meaning to binge these books for a while. Now that I have all three (in varying formats), I can have a nice romance binge soon. I've heard nothing but great things about all of these books and I can't wait to curl up with a romcom. Spring season always makes me crave them for some reason. 

Up next, I picked up a copy of the new hardcover of A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas. These books went through a cover change and, as the newer releases match the new covers, I wanted to have a matching set. I will say that, although I was hesitant when these were first announced, the new covers are stunning in person and have grown on me quite a bit. I can't wait to have bookshelves again to where I can display all of the different editions.

The next book I picked up was Stormbreak by Natalie C. Parker. I loved Seafire, the first book in this trilogy, and am so excited that it's now complete. I wasn't able to read Steel Tide when it first came out and then decided to hold off on reading when I finally had the time because Stormbreak was scheduled to come out just a few months later. Then, presumably because of COVID, the release got pushed back to February 2021 and I just kept waiting. Now that it's finally out, I can't wait to binge this trilogy and finally see how it ends!

The last two books I picked up (outside of my textbooks) were two different editions of A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas. The first is just the regular hardcover edition that I've been annotating and tabbing and the second is the Barnes & Noble Exclusive edition that I will be painting the edges on. I did read this book at the beginning of March and absolutely loved it. I'm quite excited to have a bunch of different editions coming my way and I can't wait, again, to have shelves to display them on in the future! Stay tuned for a review on this one later in March!



Well, those are all of the physical books that I picked up in February. I anticipate my March haul being significantly smaller, but who knows? What books did you get in February? Let me know in the comments below!



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



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Thursday, March 4, 2021

February 2021 Wrap-Up


Well everyone, February was just not my month. There were quite a few things that made it rough including starting my final semester of undergrad and everything seeming to break on me. I only read two books this month which was quite disappointing. However, given how much work I have for my classes and internship, that probably should have been expected. Hopefully March will be a better month for me. 


1. 
Title: Hot British Boyfriend
Author: Kristy Boyce
Rating: 3.5 // 5 stars

2. 
Title: A Court of Thorns and Roses
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
-reread-





Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

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