Review: Winter

Title:  Winter
Series:  The Lunar Chronicles #4
Author:  Marissa Meyer (Website | Twitter)
Age Group:  Young Adult
Publisher:  Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date:  November 10, 2015

Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mar her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend—the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters?

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I'm still experiencing all the feels for this book and it's been about a week since I finished it.  YOU GUYS.  If you have not already read these books, stop whatever you're doing and go pick them up.  Seriously, you will not regret it in the slightest.  The characters, the action, the world, the writing style, and the wonderful conclusion has made this series a new favorite of mine.  Easily top ten.  You won't regret giving these books a chance.  

I was slightly skeptical about reading Winter, mostly because I didn't know how well I would like reading from the point of view of a Lunar but I shouldn't have worried, Winter was amazing.  As a character, I loved reading from her point of view.  She was such a sweet and genuine person and I loved her bravery in standing up for her people and to Levana.  Of course, I still really enjoyed reading from the other character's points of view, as well.  I think my favorite point of view to read from was Cress's.  She really won me over in the last book and I just can't get enough of her and Thorne, especially with the tension that was between them in this book.  

The action was amazing.  Marissa Meyer sure knows how to build up tension because holy cow, I was just on the edge of my seat waiting for the final fight scene and it did not disappoint in the slightest.  Seeing all of the pieces fall into place and slowly begin to come together was so worth it.  And the ending... I'm so, so satisfied with the way everything turned out.  

I want more of these characters.  I want more story.  That's my only complaint.  I need more.  Marissa Meyer has created a series that I will be happily talking about and rereading for year.  I'm so excited to see what she'll come up with next.

“Her whole body was wound up tight. She was ready to storm the palace herself - an army of one.”

 Five Teapots

Review: Apollyon

Title:  Apollyon
Series:  Covenant #4
Author:  Jennifer L. Armentrout
Published:  April 4th, 2013 by Spencer Hill Press
Source:  Bought

Fate isn’t something to mess with… and now, neither is Alex.

Alex has always feared two things: losing herself in the Awakening and being placed on the Elixir. But love has always been stronger than Fate, and Aiden St. Delphi is willing to make war on the gods—and Alex herself—to bring her back.

The gods have killed thousands and could destroy entire cities in their quest to stop Seth from taking Alex’s power and becoming the all-powerful God Killer. But breaking Alex’s connection to Seth isn’t the only problem. There are a few pesky little loopholes in the whole “an Apollyon can’t be killed” theory, and the only person who might know how to stop the destruction has been dead for centuries.

Finding their way past the barriers that guard the Underworld, searching for one soul among countless millions, and then somehow returning will be hard enough. Alex might be able to keep Seth from becoming the God Killer… or she might become the God Killer herself.

My Review:  This book was weird for me and I don't know why.  Normally, I can't stop reading the things that Jennifer L. Armentrout writes but for some reason I had the hardest time getting through this one.  I was reading it for weeks before I could finish.  It's not like it wasn't interesting - trust me, far from it.  There was a lot of action and adventure, just like in the books before it and I loved seeing more of Aiden and Alex's relationship, especially with all of the conflict that happened in the beginning.  Perhaps it was just because I had been reading these books back to back without a break but either way, I wish I had enjoyed this book as much as I knew I should have.  

We see a whole knew side of Alex in this book.  She was faced with a seemingly impossible challenge at the end of Deity and it carries into this book.  The things she is forced to do because of who she is and what she has become are hard to watch but I enjoyed seeing the way she evolved more as a character.  In previous books, Alex was naive and impulsive and I enjoyed seeing a stronger and more thoughtful side of her.  She matured quite a bit but still maintained her fun, sarcastic self.  

And then, of course, there was Mr. St. Delphi.  *fans self* Holy hot daimon babies everywhere, how is it possible that every single time I read one of these books, I fall even harder for Aiden?  His sweet, kind side is impossible to resist, just as much as the hot, sarcastic side is.  Where can I find me one of him?  Because seriously, I was swooning all over the place whenever he was on the page.  The way he treated and respected Alex made my heart race.  I loved how they strengthened and complimented each other.  He was there for her no matter how hard things got and the dedication he showed to her was heart-meltingly wonderful.  

The plot was okay.  There was a lot of action and interesting twists that I did not see coming but I also felt like it moved slower than it did in the past books but that could possibly be because I spent such a long time reading it.  I liked seeing Alex use her new found powers in all of the situations she and the rest of the gang were put into.  Her added strength and confidence was so awesome!  I loved seeing the way she was unafraid to take charge in order to protect the ones she loved!

Like I said, I don't know why it took me so long to get through this one.  It had everything I love about JLA's writing in it but I just had such a hard time with it.  I'm going to take some time to get away from this world and story before going into the final book in the series which, after that ending, is sure to be amazing! 

Four Cards