Empire's End

Empire's End by Chuck Wendig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I have to say I was expecting a lot more from this book. For what it was it was ok. The book was very slow in places, infact I think I fell asleep reading it a couple of points. Then the last 130 pages (the book is divided into 5 parts, it really came alive from half way through part 4 for me) was all out action and I did not want to put the book down from then. However this was less then a third of the book, it was a little too late. Another thing that disappointed me was the lack of star power in this book. I can understand the choice (but I don't like it) about keeping Luke Skywalker quite till the Last Jedi comes out, but this is at least 30 years before The Force Awakens, and many years before he started his quest TFA said he started this quest after Ben's turn to Kylo Ren. Leia, Han and Wedge are made after thought, well we did our bits time to move on. Leia ok she is heavily pregnant, and Wedge is in the dog house for his actions of the last book, but Han and Luke missing the last battle with Empire? I do not think that is really going to happen. Having said that it did give other characters a chance to shine and there some huge heroic sacrifices in the final battle. Though these could have still been done with the Rebel heroes there. Like all ways not everyone gets out alive.

The Rebel Alliance is not more it have become the New Republic government, and has inherited all the bureaucracy, and dirty political maneuvering that goes along with it. After the Order 66 style attack from the Empire, Mon Mothma's position has been weakened politically mean while she is recovering physically from the attack. Norra Wexley and her team are angry and intend to capture Grand Admiral Rae Sloane who they blame as the personification of the Empire and the architect of the diabolical attack. Careful what you wish for as chasing Sloane they find the real threat from the true leader of the Empire Gallius Rax. Now for me the Rax was the biggest letdown of the book. Through out the book we are told what a dangerous man he is, but to me he comes across as a pale immation of Admiral Thrawn, I do not see what the Emperor saw in him or how he usurped Sloane's authority. Even though they were many good points of this book and there were the seeds to what would become the First Order, the early pace of the book, and lack of new development in the Star Wars Universe I could not help but be a little disappointed in this book.

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Tower of Dawn

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I bow down to Sarah J Maas’ story telling. I have not liked Chaol since the second half of the Crown of Midnight. Also with the last book finishing with Aelin in such a precarious position I personally did not want to wait an extra year to find out what happened to her.

However SJM knows best, every issue I had with Chaol was address in this book. Also if this book would have come out after the next the final book this story would have had the prequel curse where I would have known everything that was going to happen.

I admit I was thinking about Aelin through this book, so I was glad to see her make appearances (only as mentions throughout). This is a great story tying up threads from former books and novellas. I think the “nothing is coincidence” is featured and shown perfectly in this book.

This is a great story about redemption, character development/growth, using left over bits from the other stories to make a great story, and characters finding their own place. Once again it the it is a great credit to SJM’s storytelling skills that she wrote such a great book essentially just the side characters, and made them shine. Especially Nesryn who definitely deserved better then just being Chaol’s backup (in more ways then one). There is also great description about the mental aspect of physical injury recovery, and how much of the process is mental. Anger, frustration, and guilt can be as detrimental to a person’s recovery as the cause of the physical injury itself.

As much as I hate to admit it these characters would not have had a chance to shine like this if Aelin was in this book. If possible this book has increased my anticipation for the next book even more. I can’t wait for the final book of this great series. I am expecting all out WAR, and one hell of a retribution beat downs to all the Vargs.

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Empire of Storms

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Just an amazing book. My expectations were sky high for this book. The Throne of Glass has been one faverite series in a long time. Every book seemed to get better and better. With these kinds of high hope I was just though this book would let me down somewhere. The only let down is the book is finished and I can't wait for the next one. It not only lived up to my expectations but sapassed them. One thing I will put a note on is there is a lot more explicit passages both in language and scenes. An example unlike the other book where SJM would write "a string of curses sprang from her lips", in this one it is the flat out curses. I have no problem with this but be warned for younger readers.

So much of this book talks about how powerful Aelin is and can become, but it also a reminder of how brilliant she is. There are revelations galor. There are twist and turns and return. This story kept me gripped from beginning to end. Just when I though I had everything figured out it changed again. Also every character/member of "the court" had a chance to shine.

This book just has it all, great characters, great character development, great writing that made me want to just devour chapter after chapter to the point I did not want to put it down during the finale. All this and bucket loads of action. Great continuity in the series, tying together many of the plots lines that were left in not the the other books but the novellas as well. What can I say when a book that is almost 700 pages leaves me wishing for another 700 pages it must be good.

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Queen of Shadows

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. The books in this series just seem to get bigger and better. This book is 600 + pages but every page is good and well done. My only complaint is that I would have like more details about the fights more blow for blow account not that "they were already carrion, when she drew her blades". True this would probably take the page count well into the 1000s but I would not mind if it was a well written as the rest of the book. I have always been a fan of Sarah J Maas' "chunking" writing style, where she make some chapters longer as events dictate in some cases half a page for a side event constitutes a chapter.

The last book Celaena's true name and heritage was revealed in this book to reflect this she is referred to as Aelin rather than Celaena, the book also introduced a new character and Manon of the Iron Teeth witches. She and her coven are continued to be developed in this book. For this development and even by the end of the book we are not sure which way she will turn. Many of the characters of the novellas or the collected counterpart Assassin's Blade paperback. The fallout from there is death with in the first half of this book. The body count is higher in this book but there are not as many fights described. What this book does display is Celaena/Aelin's tactical and planning precision yes she can be a hellcat and a hot head, but as wild as she get she is a disciplined and dangerous fighter always thinking a couple of moves ahead. There is a great cat and mouse game between Aelin and her former master.

Aelin returns to Adarlan she finds it an even more brutal place than before. Along with her own vengeance, she must deal with the fallout from the months she has been missing, one disadvantage is all the training she did to hone her powers in the last book, is lost as magic does not work in Adarlan. However her physical training is still useful, and has made her even more formidable. She has embraced her heritage of the Queen (I have to say I love the title of the "Fire breathing bitch Queen"), now she must assemble her court. This is big book with big time ramifications and revelations. All in all great.

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Heir of Fire

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Brilliant. Sarah J Maas is becoming my favourite author. Her writing style is engaging, engrossing, intelligent, and easy to follow. Her imagination and storytelling are amazing. This story is a lot slower than the Crown of Midnight; it concentrates more on the character development.

At the end of the last book we learned not only who Celaena Sardothien really is but also what she really is. Her relationship with Chaol is in tatters. Having "suggested" to the king to send her on a mission for her own protection, and cutting Prince Dorian out of the loop, Chaol is in no man’s land. Distancing himself from Dorian, for Dorian own protection, he starts to do his job notices some irregularities with a certain high ranking general. This forces Chaol to make some decisions of his own, how long can a good honourable man serve a tyrant like the King of Aldarlan and his many atrocities.

Dorian is more alone then he has ever been, but he does manage to find solace. Finding company is not really difficult for a handsome prince, but who can he trust. This is triply difficult as he has to not only keep his own actives which his father will not approve of secret, his friends secrets, and most of all his magic.

We are also introduced the Iron Teeth Witch Clans and especially Manon Blackbeak. Meanwhile Celaena detours from her mission and pursues her own agenda. Meeting forgotten and powerful relatives. Before she is allowed to get the answers she wants she must claim her heritage (her powers). She must learn to control them and master them all the while putting he shattered life and her past. I really like the way she has to train and relearn everything. Just because you are in a stronger body does not mean you can control it especially in a fight situation.

Great story, very character driven and impossible to put down. I kept thinking I will just read one more chapter, and flicked a few pages and thought ok I will stop at the next section break, or that's a short chapter might as well finish it. Suddenly half quarter of the book was gone. Despite being 550+ pages the book just flies by. It sets up the next book excellently including a confrontation I have been begging for since the first e-novel.

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Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is how you write a fantasy novel. Great characters, development, evolution and revelations. Magic used intelligently, and my personal favourite action. I could not put the book down. I like the way that they characters have their responsibilities and jobs but that is not all that defines them. Celaena has no problem hacking up body parts but she is still a girl who loves to shop. I think even though she is an assassin she sees herself as more of an avenger. She will avenge her friends no matter the cost.

The story Celaena Sardothien won the right to become the King's Champion (personal Assassin) since then she has been charged with dispatching a number of his enemies. In many cases she brings back trophies in the form of severed heads, and family insignias (rings) still attached to the hands. However having no love for the King she has been she has been helping his enemies get away and faking their deaths. The problem is she is too good at it and even her closest friends and biggest supporters believe she has completely turned over to the dark side. Then she is given a target who intersected with her former life in Assassins Keep (Archer) a courtesan (prostitute). This simple assignment sends a ripple effect affecting Celaena and everyone she cares about. They also fills in some history; there is a more detailed account of what Celaena did the day she "snapped" in Endovier. There are also hints that Celaena knows exactly who betrayed her. In the next book I am begging for a showdown with the King of Assassins, but so far Celaena has already made enough enemies to keep her busy for a good long time, which is great news for a long series. The only thing I did find annoying in this book is the right characters suddenly appearing exactly the right moment, but will all the fate and prophecies in the book, this could be easily explained.

I am a fan of Sarah's writing style having chapters of different length, and almost chunking the chapters so information is easy to take in and broken up for me. This might be a fairy tale setting but that is where the similarities stop, this is more the grim story tales type of book, with grizzly deaths, torcher, and harsh language (even though the characters do not swear in print, they usually "unleash a string of curse"). I love the Throne of Glass universe. There are references made to not only the first novel but the eBook prequels as well.

This book is a lot more action packed to the first novel, there HUGE revelations about Celaena and Dorian, (who have a Luke and Leia type relationship), as well as the forces that are using them. A great book. Start it and you will not be able to put it down. You do not need to have read the previous stories to enjoy this one but they do help and after reading this one you will want to go back and read the others.

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Come as You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life

Come as You Are: the surprising new science that will transform your sex life by Emily Nagoski
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ok when I saw the tile of this book it thought probably what everyone else though about this book. (Ok the introduction and chapter 8 and appendix one might be, but the rest is science over myth), If it did not come so highly recommended from a respected friend of mine from uni. I probably would not every given it the first look. Read is as some "light reading" doing her PhD in Psychology. So of course she decided to experiment on her friend to get a male perspective on the book. So let me get this out of the way first. No!! This is not a collection of sex stories. There are actual case studies. They are not written to be provocative but to understand the feeling or the accelerators and the breaks.

Thought Emily does quote a number of scientific theories and is by her own admission a "nerd" (no judgement I have been a proud geek for years), you do not have to be to understand the book, it is written in an easy to read way. I found there is a lot of truth to this book, and even though it is written primarily for women in mind I think both me men and women can lean a lot from it and will see traits of both in the case studies.

I also think there are some very important messages in this book the main one being the first like and echoed through out the book "you are OK. You are normal. You are not broken". Usually when ever we do not fit the mold or something does not live up out our expectations one of those three thought does through our heads. the other messages that she tries to show us are the messages we are bombarded with through out our lives the "that is wrong", "you should look like this", or "that is not normal". I quite like the idea of celebrating differences then persecuting people for them.

This is a great book with a lot of insightful theories, and science against myth and breaking down some pretty big wall. theories of sex ans psychology have been linked since Sigmund Freud, as some theories have moved on others we still have so much to learn about in others. A great book that should be read by everyone, and commented on what you agree with or disagree with.

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