Blade Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

Me, even though I reread the first book so I'd know what happened: mixed it up with another book until like... 1/4 in....
I had trouble keeping my interest on the book except for when my favorite characters were there, and even then it was meh. I wasn't worried for the characters. I think it was hard to concentrate because while there's an end goal, it didn't feel like there was an actionable end goal
When characters die, and I literally forgot they died or existed...because I know the characters by their roles instead of their names.
578 Pages

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

It's a re-read because I don't remember what happened.
I appreciate the characters more because I actually know what's going on and why they were doing what they were doing.
There's some LOTR vibes with like...trying to make a party of people for a mission.
Also... I still love the squire.
592 Pages

Realm Breaker by Victoria Aveyard

The characters are cool, the conept is cool, but I'm also like....meh...I want to be more invested, and I feel like I got lost plot-wise, or something.. like...the last six or so chapters seemed to come out of nowhere and I was confused
The witchy lady though... And the squire. and just... there's potential. 
592 Pages

2021 Reads -- Nora

Inheritance Cycle, Christopher Paolini, 2782. (4 books) This series got me through my final senior semester. It's an old favorite and I have always loved the relationship between Eragon and Saphira and was one of the first books I read that sparked my love of dragons.

Where the Crawdads Sing, Delia Owens, 370. I wanted to read this ever since it rose to popularity a year or so ago and I can say I was not disappointed. The story switches between the mystery surrounding the murder of a community member and the story of a girl trying to survive on her own out on the bayou. Both stories progress together until they merge for the final few chapters.

The Shadow and Bone Trilogy, Leigh Bardugo, 1215. (3 books) I re-read this series because Netflix was announcing its adaption to television. I fell in love with the world that Bardugo had created in this trilogy and now cannot wait to see how she continues to build it in the next series she is writing in the same universe.

 

To Sleep in a Sea of Stars, Christopher Paolini, 856. I don't often read space epics but this one came highly recommended and it absolutely blew me away with the story, imagery, and characters. Kira discovers an ancient alien relic that becomes bonded to her, just in time for war to erupt in her star system with the relic somehow being the key to either saving everything Kira knows and utterly destroying the universe.

Red Queen Series, Victoria Aveyard, 2048. (4 books) While this series contains many of the usual love triangle-dystopian novel tropes, the twists definitely make it worth a read. It contains a society divided between a red blooded people and silver blooded nobility who have strange powers that they use to suppress the "Reds" until one red girl who has lightning in her hands changes everything.

Read by Nora Wesselmann

Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard

Mom's diary... Crying...And scenes from her life... I love knowing ships that are endgame. Why....Baby Cal....Soft baby hair... Baby..Baby boy
Julian and all the geography...Was there a Missouri reference....
Shade Shade Shade you never change. Heart eyes.
You can't just have them mirror a previous conversation...How dare you attack me in this way.
You can't just hint at post cannon and not give me more information. You can't show me babies and tell me nothing else. You can't tell me there names and nothing else... That is cruel and inhumane. Where where is the fanfiction...is she going to tell me more or just leave me completely in the dark to come up with cute scenes on my own....I did not sign up to be a fanfic writer and I cannot do the characters justice...Is there a letter I can sign to make her write more post-cannon....

496 Pages

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard

I loved having more perspectives to hear from...
Sad puppy.
I really hope this doesn't turn into a Gale situation...
Do y'all know how much anxiety I'm having...I haven't breathed in like....five hours...I am having a stomach ache from anxiety throughout basically the entire second half of the book...
Cal Cal cal... Little anxious baby with a heart of gold. Sinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs. Mother-son relationships... You can't just write things like that and expect me not to cry. I'm not ok...
You call her Nannabelle...Seriously?
I'm a romantic soooo reconciliations...being anxious about the well-being of the other...Flirting with death helps with the bonding, right? Binocular sharing and com sets. Princess Diaries 2 moment where Mia is talking to Grandma through the ear piece...
No Man's Land from Wonder Woman plays in the background.
I'm so proud of my sweetie Kilorn.
The moment in Space Jam where Bill Murray comes running in to play for the Looney Tunes team.
Beauty and the Beast plays in the background

Stomach Ache was worth it.

672 Pages

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard

Emotional roller-coaster... But I shouldn't be surprised. I was anxious....and then I was happy... Y'all I saw joy face to face...and then it left me. I was ecstatic. I foolishly thought.... I forgot that happy endings are at the end of the story and that no one promises happy middles....
I keep seeing references.
Meredith Grey, Grey's Anatomy. Pick Me Choose Me.
The moment in Phantom of the Opera in "Twisted Every Way" where Christine runs away yelling "I can't"
Any of the battle songs from Hamilton....Particularly "Right Hand Man"... Cal is a catch and he knows it...He so sassy; he so smug...I think I have a thing for men who are confident and in leadership roles...


528 Pages

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard

Mood: smirking... well at least I was for most of the book...

Rescues are one of those tropes that never get old for me. I'm fanfiction trash...but this is cannon sooo...

Also flying is my jam...

Person A: Experiences new thing  :O
Person B: Wanted Person A to experience new thing with them and was a reason why they were able to experience it. >:D

Triple Agent Spies... Frat Snap.

I love people showing affection by trying to let the other person sleep at their expense....But still, self-care is important you cute little subtle martyr.

Sibling relationships..Heart eyes

Boy who everyone is afraid of and dislikes has little child ducklings following him around... I love him and he must be protected at all cost...

Y'all.. I was not prepared... I thought my body and mind were ready... and then suddenly they were not ready..... I did not sign up for this. I came here to have a good empowering time, and honestly I'm feeling so attacked rn... I can't. I quit. I'm done. I need the third book and it's checked out to someone else...Send an ER team....

464 pages

The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

So the beginning was slow, and I didn't like her for the first few chapters...But you can't just introduce a cute boy and expect me to be chill about it...Like obviously he's not just a rando... Because where's the drama in that.

I was hysterically laughing at the plot twist...because, of course.

🎵 Loa-thing. Un-adult-er-ate-d Loath-ing. 🎵

Cute boys are great. Fight scenes and protecting each other... *Chef Kiss*

416 pages

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Summary: "Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood -- those with common, Red blood serve the Silver-blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own. To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard -- a growing Red rebellion -- even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal."

I didn't hate this book. I didn't love it. I just generally liked it enough to keep going. Some of the writing is strong, compelling and witty. Some of it drags and it a bit eye-roll worthy. The entire world and plot is a combo of Hunger Games, The Selection series, and Shatter Me. It surprised me at the end (in a good way),  but I'm nervous that the next two books in the series will be typical revolution plot lines that we've seen a million times over. This book is a good read, but I think I'm a little jaded by previous series with similar tones and ideas. 

Favorite Quote: "If there was ever a person begging for an elbow to the face, it is Evangeline Samos." 

388 pages

The Red Queen Series By Victoria Aveyard

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I feel really excited about all the excellent YA fantasy novels that have come out in the past year or two. I also feel like a broken record, because I've been on a mission to read as many of them as possible the past few months. That puts me in a bind, because what can I say about this novel that won't sound like something I've already said about some of the others? I think what it boils down to is that this book deserves all 5 stars, and I'm impatient to get my hands on book 2. Also, I am jealous that today's teens have so many great stories at their fingertips, because all I remember reading by the time I reached high school was classics and adult novels.

 Pages: 388

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 Queen Song by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was fascinating and heart-wrenching. If you want to know more about Cal's mom, read this novella.

I read it after the Red Queen, which seemed appropriate, even though it is numbered 0.1 I think it helped to already have an understanding of the world and characters before I read this novella, so if you're not sure, wait and read it after The Red Queen, which is book 1.

 Pages: 55

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Steel Scars by Victoria Aveyard
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 It took me some time to warm up to this novella, but in the end, I really enjoyed it and was glad I took the time to read it. This one is about Farley, the face of the rebellion. I also recommend waiting to read this novella until after you have read The Red Queen, despite the numbering. Chronologically, the story starts before Book 1, but I believe you'll want to understand the world before you dive into this. 

Pages: 77