Daughter of Smoke and Bone | Book Review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the author

Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky. 

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low. 

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war. 

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out.

When one of the strangers--beautiful, haunted Akiva--fixes his fire-colored eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

My Review

Daughter of Smoke and Bone was lovely and mysterious. The writing was accessible, and the world is classic Laini Taylor: full of imagination, mystery, and so, so splendid. I am glad that I went into this not knowing a thing about the plot because it allowed me to discover it as I read. The beginning was a bit confusing, but be patient because it all gets explained in time. 

...and THAT ENDING! I am so glad I don't have to wait for the next book!

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Crown of Midnight | Book Review!

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Author

“A line that should never be crossed is about to be breached.

It puts this entire castle in jeopardy—and the life of your friend.”

From the throne of glass rules a king with a fist of iron and a soul as black as pitch. Bold, daring, and lethal, assassin Celaena Sardothien won the brutal contest to become his Champion. Yet Celaena is far from loyal to the crown. She hides her secret vigilantly; she knows that the man she serves is bent on evil.

Keeping up the deadly charade becomes increasingly difficult when Celaena realizes she is not the only one seeking justice. As she tries to untangle the mysteries buried deep within the glass castle, her closest relationships suffer. It seems no one is above questioning her allegiances—not the Crown Prince Dorian; not Chaol, the Captain of the Guard; not even her best friend, Nehemia, a foreign princess with a rebel heart.

Then, an unspeakable tragedy shatters Celaena’s world. She must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie . . . and whom she will fight for.

My Review

Page Count: 418

Genre: YA Fantasy

Series: Throne of Glass, Book 2

CW: violence, sensual scenes, mild profanity

HOLY CRAP THIS WAS SO GOOD! I enjoyed this more than the first book, Throne of Glass. The beginning of the book started off a bit slow for my taste, but it picked up quickly. There is a lot more action and character development in this novel. The plot really progressed as Celaena's story unfolds.

I wasn't a huge fan of Dorian in Throne of Glass, but he grew a lot in Crown of Midnight. I love the friendship that has developed between him and Celaena, and I look forward to seeing how it grows in the following books. 

I LOVED Chaol in this installment! He was genuine and really grew as a character. I loved seeing his internal thoughts and what drives him. 

Celaena grew as well, but not as much as I would have liked. However, she is dealing with a lot of heavy stuff in this book, so I understand why it is taking her longer. She has suffered through some horrible events in her life, and they are beginning to be revealed in Crown of Midnight. Celaena did get on my nerves at times because she is stubborn and strong-willed, wanting to protect the people she loves. I understand her motivations, but it was frustrating to watch. 

The death in this book broke my heart, and the ending was a HUGE info bomb. I had to get my hands on Heir of Fire immediately after finishing Crown of Midnight. I plan on filming a more in depth review of this video for my BookTube channel.

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Heretics Anonymous

Heretics Anonymous by Katie Henry - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Description from the Publisher

Put an atheist in a strict Catholic school? Expect comedy, chaos, and an Inquisition. The Breakfast Club meets Saved! in debut author Katie Henry’s hilarious novel about a band of misfits who set out to challenge their school, one nun at a time. Perfect for fans of Becky Albertalli and Robyn Schneider.

When Michael walks through the doors of Catholic school, things can’t get much worse. His dad has just made the family move again, and Michael needs a friend. When a girl challenges their teacher in class, Michael thinks he might have found one, and a fellow atheist at that. Only this girl, Lucy, isn’t just Catholic . . . she wants to be a priest.

Lucy introduces Michael to other St. Clare’s outcasts, and he officially joins Heretics Anonymous, where he can be an atheist, Lucy can be an outspoken feminist, Avi can be Jewish and gay, Max can wear whatever he wants, and Eden can practice paganism.

Michael encourages the Heretics to go from secret society to rebels intent on exposing the school’s hypocrisies one stunt at a time. But when Michael takes one mission too far—putting the other Heretics at risk—he must decide whether to fight for his own freedom or rely on faith, whatever that means, in God, his friends, or himself.

My Review
I loved this book! It follows Michael, who is about to begin attending Catholic school, and he is an atheist. Along the way, Michael befriends Lucy, who is Catholic, and Lucy introduces him to her other friends who do not fit in with the school's Catholic mold. Together they form a secret society, which they name Heretics Anonymous, with the goal of making the hypocrisies of the school public. 

Michael turned out to be one of my favorite characters. His humor is irreverent, but hilarious, and even though he becomes more open minded about religion, he does not stray from who he is and what he believes for other people. 

The humor in this book is constant and refreshing! I love that the message of Heretics Anonymous is not to convert readers to Catholicism, but to show that it is ok to believe in what you want and to be who you are. Love and tolerance themes are present throughout the novel. This book also brings up some good discussion points about how we should accept others and when you know that you are crossing a line. This book discusses religion and its impact on others without encroaching on other characters' or readers' freedom of religion and the right to their own opinions. 

I really appreciated that this isn't a "conversion" story. It is really refreshing, and I would love to see more books like this that teach tolerance and that you can come together despite your differences. 

I HIGHLY recommend this book!

Quotes: 

“Straight white boy destroys everything, world stops to listen?...That’s the history of the Western world.” 

“I wonder what the Catholic Church does to people who get turned on at chastity assemblies. They probably castrate them.” 

“Good intentions don't excuse destroying somebody's culture. Good intentions don't excuse anything. We can't judge dead men by our standards, fine, but we choose who we canonize, and we can do better. Shouldn't we want to do better?” 

"I didn't lose my faith or anything. I never had it in the first place. I never believed in any kind of God, just like I never believed in werewolves, or ghosts, or that mixing Pop Rocks and soda would make your stomach explode."

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of people in order to be noticed by them. (Matthew 6:1)


Lucy doesn't have a note for that, but I think it means you should do what's right because it's right, not because you want people to see and praise you for it.” 

“Nuns are great, but they aren't priests. Nuns can't celebrate Mass. They can't hear confessions or consecrate the Eucharist. They can't become bishops or cardinals or popes, they can't become the people who make the big decisions. How do you change a church that doesn't listen to you?” 

“A heretic is someone who has belief, but not the right kind. At least according to the Catholic Church. A heretic might believe in God, but some of the other things she believes don't match up with the party line.” 

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