A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

THIS BOOK. THIS FREAKING BOOK! It has taken at least twenty years off my life in the last 100 pages alone! It lures you in with Feyre being a total bamf in the beginning and then crushes your very soul and cause much ugly crying! So basically this book was amazing.

Like I said above, the book starts out with Feyre back at the Spring Court, and she's there to fuck stuff up and drink tea, and she just finished her tea... So Feyre is spying on the Spring Court who has allied with Pythian's sworn enemy Hybern. The king is like really super evil™, and has sent some emissaries to the Spring Court to figure out the best way to invade the human lands so the fae can enslave them once again. Feyre must pretend to be the swooning damsel in distress she was before Under The Mountain, all the while tying to find away to save the human world from their own Queens' folly of allying with Hybern.

This book was so good, my second favorite in the series. I loved the first book, but the slow burn romance in the second one was the best thing ever so it's the best in the series. This book also redeems Tamlin a bit, he's still a jerk, but Feyre is able to forgive him in the end, after she completely crushes him in the beginning. It also shows just why Rhys and Feyre are soulmates. I recently re-read the whole series because of this book's release, and I looked at my old review of the first book. I said how I would be upset if Feyre ended up with Rhys because it took true love to break the curse on Tamlin, because it was Feyre's love of Tamlin and his people that helped her to face the horrors and trials Under The Mountain, and while that is true, it doesn't mean that that love was forever. Feyre and Tamlin could not reconcile who they each had become after the events of the first book, their needs had changed after that and it left scars. While I do think their feelings we genuine in the first book, I also recognize that with Rhys everything he does is to make sure Feyre has a choice and plays and active role in her own life. Which is so important after she had that taken from her first by Amaranth, and then by Tamlin.

This book was so very good, and I'm sad it's over because I want more. I am excited since Sarah J. Maas is writing more for this series, thought not about the same characters apparently. Which makes me sad, but I realize that Rhys and Feyre's story is over, but still I love them so much I want to know so much more about their lives. Maybe the next books will focus on Feyre's sisters? One can only hope.

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

So I recently re-read this book because of the release of the third in the series. This one is still my favorite of the series. While the first book was good and introduced us to the world of Pythian, this book made everything more real. The stakes are higher with the threat of Hybern and Feyre having been made into a fae in the last book. What makes this book so good is that we get to know Rhysand so much better than we did in the first book.

This book starts out a few months after Under The Mountain and Feyre, understandably, has been having nightmares and trouble dealing with what she had to do to save Tamlin, who has also changed and not for the better. Tamlin has become more controlling and protective of Feyre and she feels smothered by it. But because she "loves" Tamlin she feels she must accept her new role no matter how much it chafes. She hasn't heard from or seen Rhysand since their last encounter after the events of Under The Mountain, but she still worries about the deal she struck with him to save her life. Everything comes to a head at the wedding of Tamlin and Feyre. Where in the first book such an event might have been looked upon more favorably by the reader, this time you feel desperate for Feyre to escape it as she starts to panic and realizes she cannot marry him. She begs for someone, anyone, to save her and Rhys appears to do so still in the villainous disguise we became accustomed to in the last book. Rhys takes Feyre to the Night Court and Feyre starts to realize how poisonous Tamlin's love for her is, all the while finding herself and the strength within herself to carry on thanks to her new friendships with Rhys and his companions.

I won't give away anymore because this book is such a fun read! I absolutly love Rhys and this book does a good job of explaining how complex his character is and his motivations that we only got a glimpse of in the first book. I adore the allusions to different fairy tales and myths, especially the Persephone and Hades one going on in the book. I adore this series and I' eager to see what Sarah J. Maas does in the books after A Court of Wings and Ruin since she said she was going to focus on other characters besides the ones in the first three novels.

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Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

I got this book in my monthly OwlCrate box and I fell absolutely in love with this story!

Daughter of the Pirate King tells the story of Alosa who has been sent on a secret mission to infiltrate an enemy pirate ship to retrieve part of a map to the ultimate treasure stash. But things go awry when she meets the very handsome and perceptive first mate Riden, whom she shares a mutual attraction with.

But Alosa has more to contend with than just secrets and spies during her mission, she has to deal with her very nature because Alosa is more than just the daughter of the pirate king, she's the daughter of a siren as well and with that comes powers that sometimes Alosa cannot fully control, but she has to use them regardless as time is running out to find the map.

I absolutely loved the banter between Alosa and Riden, and the fact that he doesn't like her in her siren seductress form. I read this whole book in a day and I cannot wait until the sequel comes out and I can find out more about these characters and this world.

Firebrand by Kristen Britain

I am incredibly sad that this book has ended. It was such a good read. From start to finish Firebrand has been a truly wonderful addition to the Green Rider Series.

The book starts out with Karigan back from her jaunt in the future struggling to reconcile her life after the events in Mirror Sight. King Zachary is worried about Karigan and his pregnant queen, especially after an elemental being a la Snow Miser from A Year Without A Santa Claus. The Snow Miser (called Slee but I prefer Snow Miser) attacks the castle freezing people and tries to kidnap Estora because it is obsessed with her beauty and it desires her offspring. Eventually it kidnaps Zachary and impersonates him after they send Karigan, Estral, and Enver the half Eletian to find the Moose Centaurs (P'ehdrose). [half (hide spoiler)]

This book was a wild ride start to finish. I was torn though when Zachary and Karigan has some romantic moments, while I ship them with all my fangirl heart, I also feel for Estora who has developed feelings for her husband and father of her children.Though I'm 100% convinced that one of those babies is actually Karigan and Cade's from the future for reasons not yet revealed. I have so many new theories about how this series is going to continue, and I am really despondent over the fact it will be a long while until book seven. Now I have to wait until Caitlin and Kiera read their copies so I can fangirl with them.

Disney's 101 Dalmatians

Geekerella: A Fangirl Fairy Tale by Ashley Poston

This book was everything I hoped it would be. It was a very tongue in cheek look at nerdlife and fandom, while staying true to the Cinderella retelling plot without making it feel forced. Starfield, the made up show in the story, is well introduced and so well explained I wish it was a real show, or a book (hint hint wink wink). I could easily see the author pulling a Rainbow Rowell and bringing the made-up fandom to life in another book.

Main character Danielle, Elle for short, is our Cinderella. She is a hardcore Starfield fan thanks to her father who basically invented the yearly con, ExcelsiCon, for Starfield. Unfortunately he father died leaving her with her wicked stepmother Catherine and the twins, her "ugly" step-sisters, Chloe who is shallow and selfish and the archetype of a mean girl; and Calliope or Cal, who is quite and just goes along with everything. Elle works on a vegan food truck called the Magic Pumpkin in Charleston, South Carolina with her co-worker Sage, who becomes Elle's best friend/fairy godmother.

Now for the prince. Actor Darien Freeman, and closet nerd has been cast as Federation Prince Carmindor in the Starfield reboot movie. Darien is your typical actor in a reboot in the sense the fandom is heckling him, thinking he won't do it justice. Darien fears that himself as a huge fan of the original Starfield. He tries to contact the founder of Excelsicon to cancel his appearance there and accidentally reaches Elle. They begin texting and form a friendship over the span of months that Darien is filming the Starfield movie and Elle is learning to be herself, and that she hasn't lost everything we she lost her Dad.

I really enjoyed this book, it brought joy to my nerd loving heart. I loved all the references to other fandoms, and quotes. It was everything a fangirl could want. I like the fairy tale aspect of it, I mean how often have fans dreamed of meeting the actor (or actress) behind their favorite character and imagined falling in love? By tumblr's calculations, hella many times. This book brought all the warm fuzzy feelings I had when I read Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl, and my love of fairy tales together. I actually pre-ordered this book so I can shelve it next to Fangirl and coyly look at them and relive our adventures together.

I would highly recommend this book!

Marco Polo (2014)

Everything I love gets cancelled. Firefly, Dollhouse, Terminator Sarah Conner Chronicles, Star-Crossed, and now Netflix's incredible and visually stunning show Marco Polo.

Marco Polo tells the tale of the titular character's journey to the Mongolian Empire and subsequent service to Kublai Khan. In the beginning Marco is a young man living in Venice after the death of his mother several years prior. His father Niccolỏ Polo returns to Venice to find his wife dead and a son he never knew about. Marco wants to travel with his father but Niccolỏ and Marco's uncle, Maffeo, refuse, causing Marco to stow aboard their ship and join them anyway. Through a montage we see the rigors of traveling across the world to the Mongolian Empire.

When Marco and his family makes it to the court of Kublai Khan, Marco is mystified by the grandeur of the Mongolian Empire. Niccolỏ and Maffeo are desperate to travel and trade along the legendary silk road, and Niccolỏ, despite displeasing the Khan for not bringing priests to Kublai, offers his son's service to the Khan in order to acquire the necessary requirements to travel the Silk Road. Marco must now navigate the dangers of Kublai's court as a Latin foreigner, unused to the customs of the Mongolian people. Marco will make friends and enemies as world's collide.

Marco Polo was an amazing show. I am a huge lover of historical shows like Vikings and now The Medici, but Marco Polo was in a different class than those aforementioned shows. Marco Polo is the explorer every kid learns about in school, he's who inspired Christopher Columbus to set sail in 1492. How many summers have countless children spent in the pool shouting "Marco" and waiting with baited breath for the return call of "Polo"? This show takes the legend and strips it down to show us the man. Marco is a scared child in the beginning, but he finds the Khan to be the father figure he has always craved and he works hard to please the Khan and make a place for himself in this strange world. This show takes you past the bloodthirsty reputation of Kublai Khan that proceeds him and shows us the cunning politician, and caring leader underneath his ruthless veneer. Other lesser know historical characters are also brought to life, The Blue Princess, Kokachin, Prince Jingham, Khutulan, and Jia Sidao to name a few.

I am extremely disappointed with Netflix's decision to cancel Marco Polo, but I am too bitter familiar with this process to believe that another network would ever pick up this show. Thankfully CW has announced that Legend's of Tomorrow is being picked up for another season so I have something to cling to whilst I cry bitter tears of resentment because the ending of Marco Polo season two left me with more questions than answers.