booksandbongs's reviews
155 reviews

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Heir of Fire is the third installment in the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas. Heir of Fire follows Celaena as she arrives in Wendlyn after leaving Rifthold. Things don’t exactly go as planned to say the least, and we learn a lot about her past/heritage. 

I feel like this book is tough to talk about without any spoilers, I will try to keep them as minimal as possible. 
You can tell when an author truly finds their voice and Heir of Fire is where Maas’ writing really starts to shine. The plot exceeds anything I could have imagined and I am quickly realizing just how much of a ride I’m in for. The world building that occurs is nothing short of incredible, the story feels massive and deeply complex while still being perfectly digestible. 
We get to meet Manon and the 13 who are quickly becoming my favorites, and don’t get me started on the wyverns. Rowan’s character was off-putting at first but as we learn more about him and his past, he becomes easy to love. 
The lesser characters we meet in Mistward were really lovely and I was sad to have to say goodbye to them so soon. 
I loved the multiple POVs and the character driven plot, it really made the 500+ pages fly by. The story was great and perfectly sets up the next book, I’m excited to see what comes next! 
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

“Some things you hear with your ears. Others, you hear with your heart.”

Crown of Midnight is the second book in the Throne of Glass series. Caelena is now the assassin for the king and is navigating her new responsibilities as her story continues. 

This book really builds on the groundwork that the first lays down, and you can already see an improvement in Maas’ writing. Lots of twists I wasn’t expecting and it felt very adventurous. I enjoyed the concept of Wyrdmarks and the lore of the fae, and felt like the story continued to set up additional background while keeping the reader engaged. 
I love the growth we start to see with Caelena and felt like we get a lot more depth from her. I am excited to see how she continues to grow as she comes into her full strength and power. 
I found a certain death to be absolutely heart-wrenching (talk about eating my words..) but because it set off the major turn of events I had a hard time setting the book down in the second half.
I did not see the reveal at the end coming although I had some suspicions. I cannot wait to see how it changes things and moves the story forward! 
Overall an excellent follow up to Throne of Glass and I am excited to start Heir of Fire!! 
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“You could do anything, if you only dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.”

Throne of Glass is the first in a seven book fantasy series by Sarah J Maas. Throne of Glass follows assassin Celaena Sardothien as she is offered eventual freedom in exchange for winning a competition. Should she survive and win, she must serve as the King’s Champion for four years. As the weeks progress, other champions are murdered and Celaena finds herself with more to focus on than the competition alone. 
I knew going into this one that it is Maas’ first book, and that is clear in her writing. I could critique the work from a literary standpoint but that doesn’t make this a bad book by any standard. The world building is solidly done and I am really looking forward to seeing what happens next with the characters. I particularly enjoyed Celaena and Nehemiah’s friendship, and hope to see more of Nehemiah. I thought Celaena’s personality was charming: lethal assassin that loves reading and puppies, how perfect is that?! 
I see the groundwork Maas is laying down and and I am really excited to watch the world expand and her writing improve with the rest of the series. 
Babel by R.F. Kuang

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

“That’s just what translation is, I think. That’s all speaking is. Listening to the other and trying to see past your own biases to glimpse what they’re trying to say. Showing yourself to the world, and hoping someone else understands.”

Babel is a historical fantasy novel by R.F. Kuang based on Oxford University in the 1830s/40s through a truly unique combination of historical fiction, magic, dark academia, and nonfiction. 
Babel is told almost entirely through the perspective of Robin Swift, who is forced to attend Babel after being taken from his home country of China as a child. 
The story centers around Robin but he is supported by his Babel cohort: Ramy, Victorie, and Letty, who are all from different backgrounds. The characters felt very real and it was easy to care for and root for them. 
Kuang’s writing is very technical and a little lecture like in terms of etymology and the history of language/translation. I personally enjoyed these elements but can see how others may dislike them. Babel still manages to be incredibly captivating and immersive; I felt like I was at Oxford with the students. 
At its core, Babel explores colonialism and revolution, and its implications. Kuang brings the reader along while Robin slowly comes to the realization of the necessity of resistance, and in some cases violent resistance - to achieve decolonization. 
Overall, Babel is an ambitious, brilliant, and massive novel that is heartbreakingly beautiful and full of emotion. 
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

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emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

"It's tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow. It's the possibility of infinite rebirth, infinite redemption. The idea that if you keep playing, you could win. No loss is permanent, because nothing is permanent, ever.”

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a novel by Gabrielle Zevin that follows protagonists Sam and Sadie as they decide to make a video game together. The story takes place across 30 years and follows them across the country. 
I had very little background information going into this one, and I cannot explain how pleasantly surprised I was. I knew the main focus was about video game development, but the story encompasses so much more than that. At its core, I feel like Tomorrow is about friendship and the unique form of love between true, lifelong friends. Other strong themes the characters navigate in the book include growing up, belonging, loss, failure, disability, and the human need for connection. Zevin captures all of them and more. 
The characters feel real and human; they make bad choices and act poorly in instances but it showcases humanity in such an honest, messy and beautiful way. Sometimes the characters frustrated me and felt almost unlovable, and I loved it —perfectly flawed. Zevin wrote them incredibly well. 
I can see how this might not be every readers cup of tea but I found myself moved by the story and Zevin’s writing on many occasions, especially when we learn the meaning of the title. 
I have gamed as long as I can remember, and it is something incredibly therapeutic and meaningful to me, similar to my love for reading. I absolutely love the way Zevin illustrated gaming as an art form and highlighted the meaning it can hold for someone, and the connections it can help form. Also worth noting the gaming references were really well placed.
The ambiguous ending was well done, although I can’t say I was quite ready to let go of the characters. Overall an incredible book that really resonated with me and made me feel alllll of the emotions.
I will definitely be thinking of this book for many, many tomorrows🥲🥹
One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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emotional hopeful sad fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

One True Loves is a novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid  following protagonist Emma, who loses the love of her life and navigates falling in love again, only for her first love to turn back up alive. She is left to choose the love of her past, or the love of her present. 
This type of romance is not something I would normally pick up and enjoy, but I’m starting to realize I may just like anything TJR writes. Her articulation of grief and losing someone was incredibly well done, I felt like I was feeling Emma’s emotions with her. I will say the choice between her two loves felt obvious to me, but I believe TJR wanted us to go on that emotional work and digging with Emma. 
While the main plot of this story is romance, I was pleasantly surprised with how TJR also managed to capture familial relationships, growing up, and finding yourself. 
I felt the second half of the book was a little rushed, I would’ve enjoyed a bit of a slower pace but I don’t think it necessarily takes away from the story.
Overall a good story and I was pleased with the ending, even if it was slightly unrealistic. An easy, quick read that’s enjoyable. 
Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah

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adventurous challenging emotional medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

“…but for those who lived through it, this was a time when their land was soaked in blood and littered with corpses” 

Afterlives is a historical fiction work by Abdulrazak Gurnah, and takes place over the course of about 80 years. The work covers the early years of colonial German East Africa through shortly after Tanganyika (what is now Tanzania) independence in 1961. 
Gurnah does an excellent job painting the picture of the Schutztruppe and the Askari serving under German command, as well as the aftermath of the wars. 
This story really takes off when we start seeing the characters daily lives and feelings through a mix of descriptions, conversations, and reflections. 
I loved Afiyah’s character, and thought Gurnah did an excellent job with her evolution and growth; I was really rooting for her success and happiness. 
I have seen several critiques of the narrative feeling “distant” and I think Gurnah does this purposefully, in the way that Europeans were distant and removed from the colonization efforts happening in Africa and around the world. 
This was a heavy read, as Gurnah does not shy away from the colonial atrocities. I throughly enjoyed expanding my knowledge on German colonization from the African perspective and felt I learned a lot.
And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer by Fredrik Backman

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emotional reflective sad fast-paced

4.75

And Every Morning The Way Home Gets Longer and Longer is a short story about a grandfather, son, and grandson grappling with the grandfathers dementia; a story of how to say goodbye to someone while they’re physically still on earth. The grandfather shares his memories and works to come to terms with forgetting them. Backman describes the grief and difficulties that come with memories and starting to lose them in a beautiful way. 
I think anyone who has known someone with dementia intimately will not only relate to this story but find a lot of comfort in it. Losing my own grandfathers mind before his body was incredibly difficult and Backman captures those feelings in a very meaningful way. He also captures the unconditional love between a grandparent and a grandchild beautifully. 
This is a short story, but read it slowly. Backman includes a lot of nuance that adds to the emotions felt during the story. Get your tissues ready. 
A beautifully done work, Backman never misses. 
“Once your goodbye is perfect, you have to leave me and not look back. Live your life. It's an awful thing to miss someone who's still here." 

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

Holy s****…..no words on this one I am in absolute shock sjm is cruel for ending on such a cliffhanger 
Night Angels by Weina Dai Randel

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

A well done WWII novel. Sometimes I feel as though they become somewhat similar, but I absolutely loved learning about Feng-Shan Ho. I was unaware of his incredible work and loved that this novel brings his contributions to life. The characters were well fleshed out and had depth, and I thought the ending was really sweet yet unexpected to a degree. I loved the relationship between Lola and Grace as well. 
This was my January Amazon First Reads book and I am so glad I picked it up.