A Court of Thorns and Roses ( A Court of Thorns and Roses #1) by Sarah J. Maas

A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Thorns and Roses #1
Sarah J. Maas
New Adult, Fantasy
Paperback, 416 pages
5th May 2015 by Bloomsbury's Children

Goodreads Ratings : 4.34/5
My Rating : 5/5

The breathtaking start to a seductive high-fantasy from New York Times bestselling author of Throne of Glass series.

Feyre’s survival rests upon her ability to hunt and kill – the forest where she lives is a cold, bleak place in the long winter months. So when she spots a deer in the forest being pursued by a wolf, she cannot resist fighting it for the flesh. But to do so, she must kill the predator and killing something so precious comes at a price.

Dragged to a magical kingdom for the murder of a faerie, Feyre discovers that her captor, his face obscured by a jewelled mask, is hiding far more than his piercing green eyes would suggest. Feyre’s presence at the court is closely guarded, and as she begins to learn why, her feelings for him turn from hostility to passion and the faerie lands become an even more dangerous place. Feyre must fight to break an ancient curse, or she will lose him forever.

"Be glad of your human heart, Feyre. Pity those who don't feel anything at all.” - Rhysand

WOW. WOW. WOW.

WHAT WAS THAT ?!!?!?1?1?!

ACOTAR is my first book of the highly-praised Sarah J. Maas. I was so afraid to start this to be honest because this fantasy genre isn’t exactly my best forte (Full exception on Harry Potter hehe) What if this book and her writing style isn’t my cup of tea ? What if I would be the minority who wouldn't enjoy this despite all the glory ? But I’m so glad that I took a step and brace myself with whatever possibility that might arise BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS I HAVE READ THIS YEAR NO KIDDING. I would come down to say that Sarah J. Maas is the princess of the fantasy world. Considering the queen will always be JK Rowling. But still, YOU KICKED ASS SARAH !!!

ACOTAR is the first installment of the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy. It’s about a 19 years old girl named Feyre (pronounced as Fay-ruh) who killed a soul while she was hunting for food and was being hold captive by a faerie for her crime, only to let herself be fully involved with love, sacrifices and the magic world. Or Faeries world. Same difference.

I love this book. I love the characters, the relationships, the romance, the love triangle, the villains, the world, the setting. EVERYTHING. Feyre is a lead character who doesn’t have any special abilities. Most of her success are purely out of luck. She’s not Katniss Everdeen nor she is Hermione Granger. Well at least, shes not Bella Swan. Shes your typical girl who is stubborn and wouldn’t listen to orders but shes kind and responsible and knows what she wants. She might be frustrating at times but shes the strong force of this book.

“Because I wouldn't want to die alone, I said,and my voice wobbled as I looked at Tamlin again,forcing myself to meet his stare.Because I'd want someone to hold my hand until the end, and awhile after that.That's something everyone deserves, human or faerie.” - Feyre

One of the things that I really really love about ACOTAR is the romance between Feyre and Tamlin. ITS NOT INSTA LOVE YOU GUYS THANK GOD ! All those books on insta love are making me sick. I love how the romance is built slowly out of trust and not pure lust. It is beautifully developed that I can’t help but to fall in love too.

There is a bit love triangle on the second half of the book and I am really surprised when I found myself liking it. I’m not a fan of love triangles. I have this tendency to hate the other character that disturbs the couple that I shipped. BUT I DON’T HATE RHYSAND. AT ALL. I LOVE HIM EVEN. (to the point of being okay if Feyre-Tamlin didn’t work out and Feyre be with Rhysand instead oops) I found a few people who dislike Rhysand for being a bit rude and stuffs but lol I seem to have no problem of that. Rhysand to me is like Choi Young Do of the Korean drama The Heirs. So far there is no love feelings on Feyre side for Rhysand but I don’t know about the next books. But I would love Sarah J. Maas to death if she built another character later in the trilogy for Rhysand to fall head over heels with. PLEASE DO, SARAH. PLEASE. Please allow Rhysand to have some happiness.

The setting and world building of the Faeries World is beautifully written and descriptive that I can imagine every scene down to every detail. I got too invested and absorbed in this book that I felt like I was there with the characters in every step of their stories. I also found myself having to stop to take a few breath, rubbed my face a few times and just chill BECAUSE THE FEELS WERE OVERWHELMING. I was never left emotionless by this book.

The ending is satisfying with no cliffhanger, but it’s enough to left me wanting the sequel. There are still a few things left unanswered but considering this is the first book of the trilogy, it’s understandable.

There are some obvious weaknesses and flaws that I can point out but I love it nonetheless. This is what I feel about this book so despite whatever bad reviews it may receive by others (which is not that many btw), my feelings are going to stay the same. 

ACOTAR reminds me how much I love reading for the joy it brings me, and for that reason alone, A Court of Thorns and Roses has become one of my best read of 2015.

“I love you,’ he whispered, and kissed my brow. ‘Thorns and all.” - Sarah J. Maas, A Court of Thorns and Roses

The Fill-In Boyfriend by Kasie West

The Fill-In Boyfriend
Kasie West
Young Adult Contemporary
Ebook, 352 pages
5th May 2015 by HarperTeen

Goodreads Ratings : 3.93/5
My Rating : 4.75/5

When Gia Montgomery's boyfriend, Bradley, dumps her in the parking lot of her high school prom, she decides to do the unthinkable…convince the cute guy waiting to pick up his sister to pretend to be her boyfriend for the night. The task is simple: two hours, zero commitment, a few white lies.

The problem is that days after prom, she can't stop thinking about her fill-in boyfriend. But can Gia turn her fake boyfriend into a real one without exposing her lie and possibly destroying her friendships and her newfound relationship?

Smartly observed and wonderfully romantic, Kasie West's talent shines in this tale of one girl's unexpected quest to find love…and possibly herself.

From Goodreads

Wow I actually enjoyed this ! I finished this in one sitting so I totally got sucked in right from the start.

Ive read Katie West's The Distance Between Us before and I dont like it that much. So when I saw her new book on Goodreads and bookstagram, I thought 'nah this would be just the same'. BUT NO ITS NOT.

This book is pretty cute and pretty cliche but the cute part outweighs the cliche part for me. Everyone can pretty much predict how the plot goes with this type of books but its the littlest things and details that actually counts. I can't believe I got all jittery while reading this but I did. (I personally think that the books that caused me the jitters/tingles are the best kind of books)

One thing though. If I could strangle fictional characters, I swear I would ! God, everyone around Gia is frustrating the shit out of me. Cant they give Gia a break ?! From her parents, her brother to her best friends. Especially Jules. Ive already killed her in 643 ways already in my mind. Shes THAT annoying.
A fun, light and enjoyable read, overall. 

“We rarely find a depth by looking inside of ourselves for it. Depth is found in what we can learn from the people and things around us. Everyone, everything, has a story, Gia. When you learn those stories, you learn experiences that fill you up, that expand your understanding. You add layers to your soul.” 

― Kasie West, The Fill-In Boyfriend

My Heart and Other Blackholes by Jasmine Warga

My Heart and Other Black Holes
Jamine Warga
Young Adult
Paperback, 320 pages
10th February 2015 by Harperteen

Goodreads Ratings : 4.08/5
My Rating : 3/5



WARNING : Read the blurb at your own risk. (Dont read if you dont want to get spoiled bcs the blurb is kinda spoiler-ish to me)

A stunning novel about the transformative power of love, perfect for fans of Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There's only one problem: she's not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel's convinced she's found her solution--Roman, a teenage boy who's haunted by a family tragedy, is looking for a partner. Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other's broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together.

From Goodreads

“Sometimes I wonder if my heart is like a black hole--it's so dense that there's no room for light, but that doesn't mean it can't still suck me in.” 

You know how deep inside you whether you realize it or not, you have that black slug that pretty much eats up your happiness even the slightest bit, that makes you think negatively about things even when your supposed to just enjoy the moment and be happy ? And how you tend to push everyone away when your drowning in sadness and depression thinking that you want to be left alone and you dont want others to be infected with your sadness ? And sometimes when bad things happened even if its not entirely your fault, you keep on blaming urself on and on ? And sometimes you wish you could die than having to face any of this but you dont exactly have the courage to do just that ? 

This is basically what this book is all about. Its about depression and suicidal thoughts. Pretty much a common issue nowadays in teenagers. It helps you think to appreciate life more, which i think is the huge main idea of this book. Jasmine Warga delivers this part quite well. 

“Depression is like a heaviness that you can’t ever escape. It crushes down on you, making even the smallest things like tying your shoes or chewing on toast seem like a twenty-mile hike uphill. Depression is a part of you; it’s in your bones and your blood.” - Aysel

I would say this book is quite something, it IS something. Its very emotional but somehow i kinda felt like something important is missing. I'm not exactly sure what is it thats missing (I have some idea but having to say it here would probably mean giving you guys a spoiler so I wont) 

I keep on getting reminded of Jojo Moyes' Me Before You while reading this because it has the exact same idea. Only thing is that this happened to 17years old kids instead of 30ish. I found myself enjoying this book at some points but like I said it has a few things missing that made this book a little less meaningful, but its still okay enough. I would love to read more insights on Aysel's friends and family though. Like what do they think of her personally and stuffs but I dont get that so yeah im a lil bit disappointed about it. 

But this book has insanely lots of good quotes about depression and stuffs so thats a huge total bonus ! I'm having a hard time choosing which quote to put down here lol. 

“Anyone who has actually been that sad can tell you that there's nothing beautiful or literary or mysterious about depression.” 

One of the things that I love about this book is that the author keeps on saying how depression isnt all that beautiful. You know how these days its so hipsterish of people to write poems about depression and being depressed ? This book opens up my mind how the people who are diagnosed with depression would think, and its bad. Its all dark there that sometimes I feel like I was trapped somewhere with no lights and no where to go. 

I'm quite disappointed with the synopsis/blurb at the back of the book actually. It ruins the surprise for me. Like i would probably like the development (?) of the story if I didnt read the blurb earlier (so a warning to you : do not read the blurb. just know that this is a book about depression and suicide. That knowledge is good enough) 

I was imagining quite a different ending actually. I was also waiting for that one point, one event or anything that would break me. That would make me cry like a baby. I felt it at first, but it was there just a little while so thats another reason why im giving this a 3. I think i am one of the minority who is not emotionally affected by the book. I felt like I was being let down by this book when actually I shouldnt because it ends okay, but that's just me being complicated af lol.