REVIEW: Feast For Crows

A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4) by George R.R. Martin
Published: October 2006 by Bantam

Genres: Epic/High Fantasy, Science-Fiction, Adult

Pages: 976 pages

Format: Paperback
Rating: 9/10 
Description: After centuries of bitter strife, the seven powers dividing the land have beaten one another into an uneasy truce. But it's not long before the survivors, outlaws, renegades, and carrion eaters of the Seven Kingdoms gather. Now, as the human crows assemble over a banquet of ashes, daring new plots and dangerous new alliances are formed while surprising faces—some familiar, others only just appearing—emerge from an ominous twilight of past struggles and chaos to take up the challenges of the terrible times ahead. Nobles and commoners, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and sages, are coming together to stake their fortunes...and their lives. For at a feast for crows, many are the guests—but only a few are the survivors.

Game of Throne's spoilers are almost a given now with our social media. I hate spoilers, so I avoid searching up anything to do with Game of Thrones online. Even browsing Maisie Williams (the lady who plays Arya) on Twitter can result in some major spoilers. Speaking of spoilers, there will be quite a few in the text that follows. Beware! Spoilers are coming!

(Disclaimer: This is a rant/review, without too much structure. It's more of my thoughts all bundled up in the form of a review.)

So, I went straight from Storm of Swords to Feast For Crows and can you imagine my surprise? There were some changes; In font, in layout, in typeface, ugh, oh, change. So basically, George R.R. Martin decided that instead of splitting the story in half, and leaving the story unfinished, he would finish the story of half the characters. It was quite the change. I dealt with it, though. And it was worth it! The book was magnificent. In Feast for Crows we focused more on Kings Landing. We focused on Cersei, Jaime, Brienne, Samwell, Sansa, the ladies of Dorne, and, although there was a frustrating lack of her, Arya. Now, Feast here, is known as the worst book in the series. I don't think it's the greatest, no, but I really loved it.

As always, the plot was complex and intricate, the characters were scheming and many-layered, and the setting was rich and immersive. I picked up traces of pro-Feminism as well which is really awesome in an epic fantasy. I'm making a seperate blog post on that, which I will link as soon as it's up.
I personally loved reading from the POV of Arya and Sansa. I know a lot of people will disagree, but Sansa is one of my favorites. I probably relate to her the most, while many people hate her. In Feast, both sisters undergo lots of changes, one of them being that both sisters change their names! Sansa to Alaynne, Petyr Baelish's natural daughter, and Arya to Cat, a street urchin running around Braavos.
 Littlefinger was icky as always, and the amount of times he kisses his "natural daughter" in the mouth is pretty gross. Icky. But, I'll give the man props. He deals with the sickly and whiny Robin and get's Sansa a pretty sweet gig.
I LOVED BEING IN BRAAVOS FINALLY. I want to explore the Free Cities more. I loved Arya's chapters the best. Her remincising about Winterfell, and her fallen household is one of my favorite passages from all the books.

"Winterfell... I smell snow & smoke & pine needles. I smell the stables. I smell Hodor laughing, & Jon & Robb battling in the yard, & Sansa singing about some stupid lady fair. I smell the crypts where the stone kings sit, I smell hot bread baking, I smell the godswood. I smell my wolf, I smell her fur, almost as if she were still beside me." 

And especially Arya's bit about Needle:

Needle was Robb and Bran and Rickon, her mother and her father, even Sansa. Needle was Winterfell's grey walls, and the laughter of its people. Needle was the summer snows, Old Nan's stories, the heart tree with its red leaves and scary face, the warm earthy smell of the glass gardens, the sound of the north wind rattling the shutters of her room. Needle was Jon Snow's smile. He used to mess my hair and call me "little sister," she remembered, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes

Jon Snow is my favorite character, and the big brother/little sister thing they had going on was one of my favorite parts. Although that happy family part of the story was short, it was sweet. I obviously wished Jon was in Feast more, but we got Sam giving us some updates, and Sam is an absolute sweetheart, so I guess it's okay. 

I hated and loved reading from Cersei. She is literally crazy. She believes she's so smart, and cunning, and I guess she is, but she truly is crazy. Although I hate her character, I was a little sad to see her fall (not death, but I mean, they caught her at her scheming game, so she's pretty much over). Hearing more about her chilling prophecy, childhood, and early marriage life was really great. I felt like I understood this sad little Queen Regent's life better. Her character is so fascinating to study. From her gruesome nightmares, to her outlandish schemes.

I loved Brienne and her travels with Pod and the rest of them. She's one awesome lady. I definietly felt for her. From the "contest", to her failing Catelyn and Renly, to her own ways of coping with her uncomely stature, I felt for this lady. Her story makes me so sad. The fact that people treat her so terribly. But it also makes me feel empowered. She's so strong and awesome and I love her. 

Jaimie's chapter's were a little more dull, but Jaimie's voice is one of my favorite ones. I mean, he's the Kingslayer, he's supposed to be all tough and strong. But reduced to being a cripple, he's lost a ton of respect. I love Jaimie because he doesn't want to be King! He doesn't want power, or money! He just wants to be able to kill stuff with his sword, and to love the woman he loves (which is Brienne. Not Cersei. BRIENNE!). 

Overall, this was a giant rant/review, but I love this series so much. It keeps me up at night, wondering what's happening in Westeroes. The sheer quality of the storytelling that comes from Martin is amazing.

5 Summer Must-Reads



Ahh, summer. The time for sipping iced tea by the pool, roasting marshmallows by some magnificent bonfire, and readings! The following are some summer book recommendations! The theme is light, juicy, and overall summery books!
 
"To All The Boys I've Loved Before" by Jenny Han
 Jenny Han is great at writing light, romance reads. All her books are easy to breeze through! To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is the story of Lara Jean, who has never openly admitted her crushes, but instead wrote each boy a letter about how she felt, sealed it, and hid it in a box under her bed. But one day Lara Jean discovers that somehow her secret box of letters has been mailed, causing all her crushes from her past to confront her about the letters: her first kiss, the boy from summer camp, even her sister's ex-boyfriend, Josh. As she learns to deal with her past loves face to face, Lara Jean discovers that something good may come out of these letters after all.


(I'll be doing a review of this soon. I. Loved. It. So. Much.)
This represents any light, romance reads!



 



"The Summer I Wasn't Me" by Jessica Verdi 
She never meant for her mom to find out. And now she's afraid that what's left of her family is going to fall apart for good. Lexi knows she can fix everything. She can change. She can learn to like boys. New Horizons summer camp has promised to transform her life, and there's nothing she wants more than to start over. But sometimes love has its own path...
This represents any books with the central theme surrounding summer! 



 
   
"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss 
I chose this because I personally didn't pick this book up until summer started because it's just massive! School, work, friends, family, plans always get in the way of reading my big, fantasy epics. Summer is the perfect time to lose yourself in a different world. You have time to immersive yourself! Go read that big fantasy! 
Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard
This represents any long epic fantasy series or just any massive book or book series sitting on your bookshelf that you've neglected reading because of it's size! It's time.


 



"Summer on the Short Bus" by Bethany Crandell 
Spoiled, Versace-clad Cricket Montgomery has seventeen years of pampering under her belt. So when her father decides to ship her off to a summer camp for disabled teens to help her learn some accountability, Cricket resigns herself to three weeks of handicapped hell. Her sentence takes a bearable turn as she discovers the humor and likeability of the campers and grows close to fellow counselors. Now, if she can just convince a certain Zac Efron look-alike with amazing blue eyes that she finally realizes there's life after Gucci, this summer could turn out to be the best she's ever had. Summer on the Short Bus is a very non-P.C., contemporary YA with a lot of attitude, tons of laughs, and a little life lesson along the way.
This represents any light, contemporary reads!  







"Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte
Orphaned into the household of her Aunt Reed at Gateshead, subject to the cruel regime at Lowood charity school, Jane Eyre nonetheless emerges unbroken in spirit and integrity. She takes up the post of governess at Thornfield, falls in love with Mr. Rochester, and discovers the impediment to their lawful marriage in a story that transcends melodrama to portray a woman's passionate search for a wider and richer life than Victorian society traditionally allowed.
With a heroine full of yearning, the dangerous secrets she encounters, and the choices she finally makes, Charlotte Bronte's innovative and enduring romantic novel continues to engage and provoke readers.
This represents all those classics that you've promised yourself to read, but neglected to because classics take more time and effort to read. You've got time, now add some effort! You can do it!



 


I hope you enjoyed some of my reccomendations! It's up to you, of course, what books you want to read. Have an awesome, book-filled summer!

REVIEW: The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1)  by Patrick Rothfuss

Published: March 27th 2007 by DAW
Genres: Epic/High Fantasy, Science Fiction, Magic, Adventure

Pages: 722 pages

Format: Paperback
Rating: 10/10
Description: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

What more can I say about this novel that hasn't been said already? Simply put, this novel is a masterpiece. It truly is a work of art. 

Basically, The Name of the Wind is an absolutely beautiful narrative about a legend named Kvothe. As a gross simplification, it's a retelling of his life from boyhood. 

The Characters? I don't know how all the characters in The Name of the Wind managed to be so fully-fleshed out. Every. Single. Character. Even the minor characters such as merchants, or quick acquaintances felt so real. Each character was so interesting and stood out. 
Kvothe was a wonderful protagonist. It was a privilege discover his mysterious and heartbreaking past. He is a legend, and he was shaped and molded into the stuff of fairy-tales and we got to see a sneak peak as to how. He is extremely intelligent and talented in so many areas. I had faith in Kvothe! I felt like I knew him. He is a great protagonist. 

The Setting? Beautiful. The Name of the Wind is not only for those who are fans of fantasy... It is for anyone who wishes for a brilliant escape into another world. From the colorful and magical travels with the troupe, to the dark and dangerous streets of Tarbean, to the prestigious and ethereal airs of the University and Archives... This world was magnificent, to say the least. 

The Plot? Dazzling. I can honestly say that I lost myself in this book. I loose all sense of time as the only things I could think about when I wasn't reading The Name of the Wind was what Kvothe was doing. I laughed, I cheered, and I gasped out loud, and I might have cried. I didn't have to do any work at all... Rothfuss carried me through with his beautifully crafted story. 
I especially love the system of magic that Rothfuss uses. It takes intelligence, concentration, and a whole lot of talent for one to successfully use magic. I love how science such as chemistry and mathematics are weaved seamlessly into magic.  

Overall?The Name of the Wind lives up to it's hype. It is an authentic and exciting journey of a young boy. It carried me through emotions that I didn't know I could feel while reading a book. It is an absolute masterpiece, and I could honestly recommend it to almost anyone, regardless of their preference in genres. Excuse me as I pick up the second novel in the Kingkiller Chronicles...

 

The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling simply because of the magical academic setting. A majority of The Name of the Wind is set in the ever famous University. Here, students will continue their education studying alchemy, chemistry, healing, sympathy... magic, essentially. The fully fleshed out cast of professors in The Name of the Wind reminds me of Harry Potter as well. You have the loony teachers, the strict teachers, the kind teachers, the blatantly abusive teachers... It's great. 
However, it does differ from Harry Potter, so don't pick up The Name of the Wind expecting it to be super similar. 

 The A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin purely because of the similarities in genre. If you enjoyed the epic fantasy that is A Song of Ice and Fire series you will most definietly enjoy The Name of the Wind. I do not see other similarities past that, though. ASoIaF follows a huge cast of characters while The Name of the Wind focuses on the life of only one man. However, both are wonderful epic fantasy reads.

REVIEW: The Rithmatist

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson with illustrations by Ben McSweeny
Published: May 14th 2013 by Tor Teen
Genres: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Steampunk, Young Adult, Mystery

Pages: 374

Format: Hardcover
Rating: 8.5/10
Description: More than anything, Joel wants to be a Rithmatist. Chosen by the Master in a mysterious inception ceremony, Rithmatists have the power to infuse life into two-dimensional figures known as Chalklings. Rithmatists are humanity’s only defense against the Wild Chalklings — merciless creatures that leave mangled corpses in their wake. Having nearly overrun the territory of Nebrask, the Wild Chalklings now threaten all of the American Isles. As the son of a lowly chalkmaker at Armedius Academy, Joel can only watch as Rithmatist students study the magical art that he would do anything to practice. Then students start disappearing — kidnapped from their rooms at night, leaving trails of blood. Assigned to help the professor who is investigating the crimes, Joel and his friend Melody find themselves on the trail of an unexpected discovery — one that will change Rithmatics — and their world — forever.

Brandon Sanderson has done it again and he created a beautiful book. One word to describe it: creative. It is masterful and cool (heads up: I say "cool" alot in this review). This whole book was just fun. The Rithmatist a combination of the coolest elements including magic, art, mystery, it has steampunk elements, and it is just really cool. Basically, the story is set in an alternate world where North America is separated into islands called the United Isles. Like, how interesting is that? 

Also, due to the lovely and intriguing design of the cover, people constantly asked me about this book. I took it to school one day, and a bunch of my friends picked it up to study it. I, of course, made them look at the United Isles map, and then proceeded to give them a brief description of the book. Seriously, click the picture and study it more closely. It's just so cool. 

Inside the book, there are a ton of illustrations and drawings. Some illustrated various defense tactics, and they were very clever. Others were drawings of chalklings. 

 

Some of the illustrations were kind of blurry which did kind of bother me, to be honest. But they were beautiful and added so much life to the book, so what can you do? 

The Characters? Joel was a good character. He is highly intelligent and bright. However, he's one of those smart-but-don't-try kind of kids, which annoyed me a lot. I hate people like that... Who take their talents for granted. Other than that, though, Joel was a great protagonist. His ambition and obsession with Rithmatists and the magical art of Rithmatics was admirable. Melody was awesome. Her vocabulary and speech was so relateable. That fact that she had repeated phrases made her really believable because a lot of teenagers talk like that. Every time she said something like "It's tragic" and "The unicorn is a very noble and majestic animal" I laughed out loud. All her banters are so funny. She reminded me of Hermione with her stubborn and... well... kind of annoying character. We all love her, though. This book reminds me of Harry Potter so much. There's a character named Finch, for goodness sake! All the characters were fully-fleshed out and even the minor ones were interesting.

The Setting? The alternate universe in which this book was set is so interesting. I loved hearing about how their society works. The form of travels were awesome (steam-powered horses and the sky train). And coins with the gears inside were so cool. The names of the cities were so fun, for example "Nebrask", "Albert", and "New France." I wish this book was an epic, so I could immerse myself in this cool world more. It was very interesting.

The Plot? I loved the story progression. It was quite simple and easy to follow. The storyline is just SO creative. Brandon Sanderson made me scared of chalk drawings. How is that possible? The magic system was very unique. It was complicated, and very immersive. The diagrams really helped the whole story come to life. The illustrations made everything feel real. I liked the inception ceremony, and the fragile state of the war waging on with the wild chalkings. The mystery was riveting. 

Usually in young adult books, I can guess the ending. This book? Nope. It wasn't predictable. Sanderson just took me on this really fun ride. The two battles at the end were just perfect. The last battle had me smiling the whole time.

Overall? This is one of the most creative books I have ever read. It is just so full of fun. At the same time, it is very clever, with a rather complicated system of magic and defense. I LOVED the military jargon, and the in-depth descriptions of the defense systems. The characters were loveable, the world was beautiful, and the plot was engaging the whole time... Sanderson is quite obviously a word wizard. 

 

Harry Potter (both the books by J.K. Rowling and the movies) because of the awesome magical elements. Also, the setting? It's a boarding school... where kids learn magic... Harry Potter, anyone? The characters as well! Muggles and Wizards, are like the Rithmatists and the regular humans. Professor Finch? FINCH? Nalizar was like Snape, with Joel having this uncanny obsession with him. Melody reminded me of Hermionie with her stubborn, headstrong, and kind-of annoying nature.

Enders Game by Orson Scott Card (the book, not the movie). I just used the movie poster because Asa Butterfield is adorable. It reminds me of The Rithmatist because of the huge military component of the book. Ender's Game is filled with all these complicated military strategies, and so is The Rithmatist. Ender's highly analytic and strategic mind is quite complicated, and very interesting to read about. The military defense in The Rithmatist is equally as complicated and interesting to read about. The setting is also simmilair. Ender attends a battle school, Joel attends a magic school. Also, the two fairly young protagnists remind me of eachother. Both Joel and Ender are sort of ostracized, and they don't really fit in with their peers, but both are so intelligent. Oh! Petition for Asa Butterfield to play Joel if The Rithmatist ever turns into a movie!

REVIEW: Sea of Shadows

Sea of Shadows by Kelley Armstrong
Published: April 8th 2014 by HarperCollins
Genres: Fantasy, Paranormal, Young Adult, Horror, Romance
Pages: 416
Format: Hardcover
Rating: 7/10
Quick Run-Down: In the Forest of the Dead, where the empire’s worst criminals are exiled, twin sisters Moria and Ashyn are charged with a dangerous task. For they are the Keeper and the Seeker, and each year they must quiet the enraged souls of the damned. Only this year, the souls will not be quieted. Ambushed and separated by an ancient evil, the sisters’ journey to find each other sends them far from the only home they’ve ever known. Accompanied by a stubborn imperial guard and a dashing condemned thief, the girls cross a once-empty wasteland, now filled with reawakened monsters of legend, as they travel to warn the emperor. But a terrible secret awaits them at court—one that will alter the balance of their world forever

This is a great young adult fantasy novel! It basically centers around twin sisters Moria and Ashyn. They are the Keeper and the Seeker (which reminds me way too much of Quidditch positions). They are in charge of quieting these angry souls/spirits.

The Characters? I loved the two sisters a lot... They had a really nice family dynamic. I preferred Ashyn over Moria, simply because I could relate to her more quiet, bookish nature over Moria's fiery and passionate nature. The two are very realistic sixteen year old's, despite the novel being a fantasy. I LOVED Ronan, he is so cute and funny. His lines made me laugh out loud. Gavril definitely annoyed me a little with his over-confident and cocky character, but he was intriguing and I wanted to know more about him. I liked the companion animals and their accompanying characteristics, too. 

The Plot? The plot was fairly slow, however I was kept entertained simply because of the world and the creatures which inhabited it. I mean, the parts with the legendary creatures were awesome. I was kept intrigued and breathless with the fight scenes with the shadow stalkers, thunder hawks, and death worms. I mean, those creature names alone intrigued me! The actual plot was pretty thin, and the "plot twist" at the end wasn't very shocking at all. The slow storyline progression didn't bother me at all, though, as I wanted to slowly venture through this world with Ashyn and Moria. I liked how they were discovering what the world looked like outside the Waste's the same time we discovered it.
It wasn't a super fast-paced read, but I kept thoroughly hooked the whole time.

What I didn't like was the lack of communication with the spirits. We didn't really get to see what Ashyn and Moria are supposed to do. We just know that they are highly respected.
Not a lot of people liked this book, which surprises me. I quite enjoyed it.

Supernatural, because of it's... well... Supernatural elements and creatures. Also, the dynamic between Ashyn and Moria reminded me of Sam and Dean. Sam and Ashyn are the quieter, more level-headed, bookish siblings, and Dean and Moria are the rash, fiery, warrior siblings. The relationships between Ashyn/Moria reminded me of the relationship between Dean/Sam.