Why I love Ash, from The Iron Fey series

    Julie Kagawa, author of The Iron Fey series, is giving away 3 copies of The Iron Legends on her blog.     

    This text is my entry to this giveway. You can find more information about it here. 

Why I love Ash, from The Iron Fey series

Why I love Ash, a.k.a. His Royal Icyness? Why wouldn’t I love a loyal, determined, sweet, caring, badass, skilled, breath-takingly gorgeous Prince? Is this question that hard to answer? Well… yes.

My love for Ash came a long way. It all started in The Iron King, when he first danced with Meghan. I admit, I wasn’t all that impressed by his charms, but something in him almost dared me to challenge him. He was an interrogation point. And I couldn’t entirely trust him. 

As Ash proved again and again to be – though not trust-worthy – valuable, and just plain badass, I realized that there was much, much more than meets the eye when it comes to him. Buried inside layers of indifference, there was a tortured soul, and an honorable boy, in there. This was so obvious, and as the story went on, I fell more and more in love with him. Every quick remark, every intense look... it all made me fall even more for him.

To put it finally into words… but why did I fall for him?

Well, Ash is just so incredibly honorable, good, and human (despite the fact that he has no soul) that it’s impossible not to look at him and think “I want him next to me. I want this guy to exist so that I can hug him, and make him smile and ease his suffering. I want to put all his concerns on my shoulders and make him laugh. Just because I want to, and because he’s so good that he deserves it.”

And it’s kind of hilarious, really, since Ash threatened to take off a guy’s testicles and put them in a jar, and instead of me reacting like any person would:

 

It was more like this:

and this:

But most of all, I love Ash because of his strength. How he’s able to pick up his sword and attack a battalion of lethal monsters to protect the girl he loves. How he’s so hell bent on being with the one person that means the most to him. How he goes to the end of the world and back to be with Meghan. How he suffered Ariella’s death, how he got torn apart, but had the sense – and the heart – to put himself back together for Meghan’s sake. But what really amazes me is how I can look at Ash and see a pure and fragile heart, despite everything that he went through. How he feels as real as the person that’s sitting right next to me.

 

I love how Ash helped me when I found out the boy I was in love with for more than 4 months was in love with my best friend. I love the way I was able to open The Iron Knight, and dive into Ash’s mind, in his protective nature, in his determined instance and I was surprised to see that it helped. Ash – indirectly – helped me heal my broken heart. When I looked at him and saw how he went through all of this… I thought “I want to be as strong as him.” And I was. Kind of. It’s not like I can kick some ass.

 

But I can still do this:

And that's good enough for me. It's hard to put all these feelings into words, but to be quite simple, I love Ash because he's not perfect, but with his force of will alone, he gets what he wants, and does whatever is necessary - no matter what. 

 -----------------------------------

So, that's my entry for the giveaway. It was so hard to write this text, and it's really huge, so I apologize for that. I tried my best, but I'm not sure if that'll be enough xD Gotta pray to every single god out there! \o

 Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!

Showcase Sunday #4

Showcase Sunday is a weekly meme hosted by Books, Biscuits, and Tea, inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and The Story Siren. Its aim is to highlight our newest books or book related swag and to see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, bought in bookshops and downloaded onto eReaders each week.

 I only got a couple of books this week, since my TBR pile is huge. Like, huuuuuuge. 

Struck, by Jennifer Bosworth

Something Strange and Deadly, by Susan Dennard

The Assassin's Curse, by Cassandra Rose Clarke

Thank you to Netgalley and Angry Robot for sending me an E-ARC of this for review. I can't wait to dig into this book, it sounds fantastic! 

I've seen mixed reviews of Struck on Goodreads, so I'm not sure I'll like it, but I'll give it a shot. The concept of a girl addicted to lightning sounds interesting. 

Anyway, what did you guys get this week?

Shadow and Bone, by Leigh Bardugo

Release date: June 5th 2012
Published by: Henry Holt and Co.
Genre: Fantasy (YA)
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Alina Starkov doesn’t expect much from life. Orphaned by the Border Wars, the one thing she could rely on was her best friend and fellow refugee, Mal. And lately not even that seems certain. Drafted into the army of their war-torn homeland, they’re sent on a dangerous mission into the Fold, a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters who feast on human flesh.

When their convoy is attacked, all seems lost until Alina reveals a dormant power that not even she knew existed. Ripped from everything she knows, she is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling. He believes she is the answer the people have been waiting for: the one person with the power to destroy the Fold.

Swept up in a world of luxury and illusion, envied as the Darkling’s favorite, Alina struggles to fit into her new life without Mal by her side. But as the threat to the kingdom mounts, Alina uncovers a secret that sets her on a collision course with the most powerful forces in the kingdom. Now only her past can save her . . . and only she can save the future.

 

There's something incredibly refreshing in reading a well written fantasy book. Maybe it's the fact that the author has created a whole new world in which you can loose yourself in, or maybe the characters are so different from what I'm used to, yet I'm able to relate to them completely. Well, both happened while I was reading Shadow and Bone. I wasn't sure whether I would like this novel - usually, I'm afraid to read books that have a lot of hype - but Leigh Bardugo enchanted me with her fantastic writing, realistic world, and human characters.

Don't get me wrong - it's not like this novel doesn't have any flaws. It's just that the good things about it has captivated me so thoroughly I forgot about the bad aspects of the story as I was reading. It was like a balance - the negative was cancelled by the positive. Take it the romance, for example. I hated that Alina seemed so obviously in love with Mal since the first chapter. It felt like insta-love, and that's something pretty much unforgivable these days. However, as the plot progressed, and we got to see how deeper the connection between these two characters ran, I understood every little aspect of their love for each other, especially on Alina's part. It was fantastic.

I fell in love with them, with the way they were so passionate and human about what happened around them. How, even though they made mistakes, they tried to be better and do the right thing. It's pretty ridiculous, I know, but this tiny thing made me happy. I'm tired of stupid heroines that make stupid decisions and it's up for the heroes to save them. Instead, here we have a young man and woman determined to make the best out of the situation they're currently in, regardless of the specifics. I feel like I could on and on about how realistic and heart-warming they were, but that would spoil the best part.

And the best part, I feel compulsed to say, it's the world itself. In the beginning, I was lost - I mean, what is the Fold? How did it come to be? As Alina got lost in world of the Grisha, however, her surroundings felt like home to me, and I began to understand exactly what Bardugo created here. Language, mythology, geography, magic, politics - that's the best part of a fantasy novel, and Shadow and Bone has it all. Bardugo's writing style was adorable, full of descriptions that weren't tiring.

Shadow and Bone is a lovely fantasy novel, and I can say for sure that I'm looking forward to reading its sequel - though I have no idea what Alina's next adventure is gonna be like. Leigh Bardugo has captived me in every way, and I'm eternally grateful for that. And if you're asking yourself: Does this book really lives up to its hype?, well...

More about the book:

• Map of the world of Shadow and Bone
• Recipes from Ravka
• A pronunciation guide for Ravkan
• Booktrailer

Feature and Follow Friday #1

Feature and Follow Friday is a meme, hosted by Parajunkee's View and Alison Can Read, that gives bloggers the opportunity to meet other bloggers, and gain followers :D
I've been wanting to participate for a while, but only got the courage to do so now.


Q: Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

Well, this is an interesting question. My favorite book was, hands down, The Obedience Drug, by Pedro Bandeira. I just love the whole mystery that Pedro created, and though it's quite juvenile, it still manages to entertain me.

In an environment filled with mystery and suspense,five students - the Heads - face a macabreinternational plot: the sinister Doctor I.Q. intends to subjugate humanity to his evil designs by administeringa dangerous drug to the youth! And this drug is already being experimented on students from the best schools in São Paulo. Michael, the leader and idealizer of the most read about group of adolescents in Brazil, must take the lead in this electrifying fight! This is a job for the Heads: the inverse of the old, the opposite of the nerds!






What about you, what was your favorite book that you had to read when you were in school? Leave me a comment, or a link to your own Feature and Follow Friday post :D

The Golden Lily, by Richelle Mead

- Bloodlines #2
Release date: June 12th 2012
Published by: Razorbill
Genre: Young Adult
Find it on: Goodreads, Amazon

Tough, brainy alchemist Sydney Sage and doe-eyed Moroi princess Jill Dragomir are in hiding at a human boarding school in the sunny, glamorous world of Palm Springs, California. The students--children of the wealthy and powerful--carry on with their lives in blissful ignorance, while Sydney, Jill, Eddie, and Adrian must do everything in their power to keep their secret safe. But with forbidden romances, unexpected spirit bonds, and the threat of Strigoi moving ever closer, hiding the truth is harder than anyone thought.

This book is also known as "the book in which all my expectations are met, and destroyed at the same time". So much has changed in this series, and so much is still the same. I don't even know where to begin. Maybe I should do so by saying that The Golden Lily surprised me immeasurably. It's like Richelle Mead heard my screams over everything that went wrong in Bloodlines, and decided to fix all of them in The Golden Lily. Seriously, every single thing that I disliked in Bloodlines was non-existent in this novel.

Take Sydney, for example. She was boring in Bloodlines - boring as hell. I didn't like hated her as a main character, with her brainy observations and arrogance over her own knowledge, and how, because of her, I was always away from the action, because Syd wasn't a fighter, and how everything fell into a dull, lifeless rhythm when I was seeing things from her POV, and... well, you got what I mean. She was a poor excuse of a main character, especially since my only experience with the world Mead created was Rose Hathaway, whose point of view, let's admit it, is far better - and more exciting - then Sydney's. So you can only imagine how surprised, and pleased, I was when Mead took a different route with Sydney's character, and showed us a different side of her in The Golden Lily.

The Syd I knew was changed over what happened in the ending of Bloodlines, and I loved that. She was intelligent without being arrogant, and fierce without having to fight. Her weapons were her words and her own experience as an Alchemist. I was still able to catch a few glimpses of ol' Sydney everytime she freaked out over something as simple as sugar count, or corrected someone automatically, or started to explain things that were totally out of context, simply because someone expressed curiosity. I loved that more than I thought I would, and more important, I was able to relate to Sydney and what she was thinking most of the time.

As with the plot... well, like I said before, Mead took a different route to everything in this novel, so the plot should be no different. The mystery wasn't as obvious as it was on Bloodlines - though it was still pretty easy to identify the villain. A novel like this, in which intelligence and quick thinking are some of the things that are highlighted the most, because of Sydney herself, the plot shouldn't be this predictable. It was better than Bloodlines, but it still wasn't as good as it should be. However, the secondary characters more than make up for the lack of a great mystery. Eddie, Angeline, and Sonya are fantastic characters, and I was more than glad to see their potentials explored. The relationship between them is promising as well, something that we can see through Sydney's eyes, but don't actively participate in.

And I won't even get started on Dimitri. I wasn't just glad to see my favorite character in the Vampire Academy series - not to mention my biggest crush - back in action. I was overjoyed. When he appeared for the first time in The Golden Lily, I swear I sat up straight and had to control my nerves not to start acting like a fan-girl. Him acting like a secondary character was disappointing and surprisingly nice at the same time. I just wanted to see more of him, to know more of him. I love Dimitri, but I also missed Rose in this novel. It'd be wonderful to see a Rose/Dimitri scene from Syd's POV - or that's what I tell myself. I wouldn't be surprised if my subconscious missed Rose and Dimitri as well, and only wanted a scene with them.

I know this review is insanely long, but before I'm done with it, I have to express my crazy love for Adrian. I never loved him in the VA series, but now? I'm all for you, Adrian. His relationship with Sydney is incredibly heart-warming - and frustrating, since their interactions are limited to a fair amount of talking and cute moments on Adrian's part. This is a typical Richelle Mead romance, full of chemistry and affection and protectiveness. I love it, and I can't get enough of Syd and Adrian. I'm really looking forward to reading The Indigo Spell - you know, scratch that. I'm dying to read The Indigo Spell. Richelle Mead just proved why she's one of the best authors I've ever known, and the Bloodlines series definitely has my attention now. It's still not as good as Vampire Academy, nor does it have the same deep relationships that VA had, but Bloodlines has its own potential, a potential that I can't wait to see explored thoroughly.

Waiting on Wednesday #13

Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm anticipating:

Legacy of the Clockwork Key, by Kristin Bailey
Publication date: March 2013 by Simon Pulse
Add it on Goodreads

  

When a fire consumes Meg's home, killing her parents and destroying both her fortune and her future, all she has left is the tarnished pocket watch she rescued from the ashes. But this is no ordinary timepiece. The clock turns out to be a mechanical key-a key only Meg can use- that unlocks a series of deadly secrets and intricate clues that Meg has no choice but to follow. She has uncovered evidence of an elite secret society and a dangerous invention that some will stop at nothing to protect, and that Meg alone can destroy. Together with the handsome stable hand she barely knows but hopes she can trust, Meg will be swept into a hidden world of deception, betrayal, and revenge. The clockwork key has unlocked her destiny.

I recently saw this on Dazzling Reads, and now I'm really looking forward to it. This novel sounds awesome and I love the cover - but the wait is so looooong... 8 months till it comes out. It'll be hard, but I can only hope it'll be worth it.

What about you, what are you antecipating this week? Leave me a link, or just tell me in the comments :D

Quick review: Throne of Glass novellas, by Sarah J. Maas

 I don't know if this is common knowledge, but I'm not really into novellas. They don't have enough character development, something that I treasure in a full-lenght book, and everything just happens too fast - there's no climax scene, since there isn't a context for one, and I get angry at the rushed dialogues. However, the Throne of Glass novellas surprised me. I read them in order, one after the other, with no time in between, and it felt like I read a normal novel, since Celaena went through a lot of adventures that changed her, and those around her, without any of the elements that I mentioned above.

Celaena herself was a surprise to me. She wasn't the fierce, strong girl I encountered in the first chapter of Throne of Glass - she was a ridiculous, selfish girl, who used her reputation to do whatever she wanted, and to mistreat whoever she wanted. I tolerated her in the first novella, but by the time I was almost halfway through the last novel, I couldn't stand Celaena. I wanted to her to die, period. She was incredibly shallow with those who loved her - especially with those who loved her - and she worried about such petty things, like whether her soap was expensive or not, that I began to wonder how the hell she managed to survive for so long. However, by the ending of the last novella... well. Things went downhill, and Celaena's life shattered - everything she knew was thrown to the wind, and she was broken, horribly broken. It was on that moment of pain that I could finally create a connection between both sides of Celaena - the one before this big twist happened in her life, and the one after that, the Celaena that I'll know when I start reading Throne of Glass.

Her character development was great, and very unique for a novella. Like I said, these four novellas together almost form a full novel, since everything, from world development to a romance, happens. The writing doesn't feel rushed, and neither do the dialogues, fortunately. I feel ready to read Throne of Glass. It's like I've explored Celaena's life so thoroughly, have seen so many different sides of her personality, that I know who I'm dealing with, now.

I'd definitely recommend these four novellas to anyone who hasn't read Throne of Glass yet. And if you have read it... well, it's still worth a shot, but I'm afraid you won't have the same reaction in the ending that a person who hasn't touched Throne of Glass had. Sarah J. Maas knows how to write smoothly, in a way that the story flows before your eyes without you noticing.She explored everything that Celaena's adventures has to offer - friendship, betrayal, partnership, love, bravery, pain, and heartbreak. I look forward to reading Throne of Glass. Now that I've got a taste of what the book is gonna be like... I'm ready for more!