Children of Virtue and Vengeance
(Legacy of Orïsha #2)
by Tomi Adeyemi 
Hardcover, 404 pages
Published December 3rd 2019 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
​(ISBN13: 9781250170996)
After battling the impossible, Zélie and Amari have finally succeeded in bringing magic back to the land of Orïsha. But the ritual was more powerful than they could’ve imagined, reigniting the powers of not only the maji, but of nobles with magic ancestry, too.

Now, Zélie struggles to unite the maji in an Orïsha where the enemy is just as powerful as they are. But when the monarchy and military unite to keep control of Orïsha, Zélie must fight to secure Amari's right to the throne and protect the new maji from the monarchy's wrath.

With civil war looming on the horizon, Zélie finds herself at a breaking point: she must discover a way to bring the kingdom together or watch as Orïsha tears itself apart.

I was really really excited for this book. It was one of my most anticipated reads. And I have some thoughts. It was a good book. It passed the time, but it for me did not live up to the hype of the last book. You can read my review of book one <HERE> I GUSHED over my love of it. Did I hype myself up to much. Maybe.
I am giving this one three to three and a half stars. I enjoyed it. It did make me feel things, especially a certain scene near the end. Almost made me cry. And as someone who does not cry often for books that is pretty big. I enjoyed the fight scenes and the beauty of the magic that Adeyemi creates.
As for some of the things that didn't work for me. Instead of the episodic feel of book one that lead to a really nice rolling pace. Book two felt like it was an all out sprint the entire time. Now that fast pacing works well for some books. But it didn't really work for me here. It felt like everyone was running around like a chicken with their head cut off. They needed some good ADULT advise and honestly some therapy. I saw a lot of the turns coming this time around, and the ones that I didn't see, felt a bit out of character. 
It was not my favorite of the series so far, but I will continue when book three comes out. I have quite a few questions that I hope will be answered. 
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​Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
(Creekwood #1)
by Becky Albertalli
Hardcover, 303 pages
Published April 7th 2015 by Balzer + Bray
​
Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised.

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met.

I went into Simon vs the Homosapien agenda (From now on I will refer to the title as Sv.HA cause I am ) or as the movie retitled it Love, Simon with an open mind but also with some trepidation. I hated HATED contemporary romance in high school. I thought they were way to sappy, that the characters were to one dimensional and a lot of the time annoying. I was such a romantic in high school (honestly I was just didn't want to read it.) Since reading The Perks of being a Wallflower last summer two summers ago I was more interested in it. 
I knew I wanted to read Sv.HA before seeing the movie but I hadn't gotten around to it. Finally I ordered the audio book and I was hooked. It was sweet, and the problems that Simon faced as a gay student who was grappling with his sexuality and what that meant to him, and general school issues were  relatable.* I don't know what about it made me enjoy it so much after not liking contemporary as a kid, maybe it was time and space, being in my own happy relationship where I can see the same things that happened with my relationship, the friendships. Overall this was a really cute story, and I can't wait to see the movie. Which I still haven't done months after reading the book... 
What did you think of this book?
*I say relatable but some of it was not aka being a (mostly) closeted student. I am straight but I was able to relate to the crush flutters. 

See you soon!

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Children of Blood and Bone
(Legacy of Orïsha #1)
by Tomi Adeyemi 
Hardcover, 544 pages
Published March 6th 2018 by Henry Holt Books for Young Readers
Original Title
Children of Blood and Bone
ISBN
1250170974 

​

They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.

Now we rise.

Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother summoned forth souls.

But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother and her people without hope.

Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.

Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an enemy.

​THIS BOOK... I still think about it and I read it a while ago at this point, back in march. And I would always give it 5 stars without a thought. Tomi's writing is beautiful. There is no other way to describe it. She is a beautiful writer, the images and feelings that you are left with stay with you, for months. Tomi is the best debut author that I have read in years. The level she is at competes with many other long term authors. As a Nigerian- American woman, the story is laced with beautiful references to African and Nigerian culture: from the creation myths, the tribes, to the beautiful descriptions of the clothing, that made even rags on slaves clear in my mind. It is no wonder the rights were purchased to produce a movie before the book even came out! The episodic arcs of the storyline and constant changing refreshing pace make it in my mind a fantastic candidate for visual media.

Now, like a lot of books I read these days, I start with a print book, and then I read the audiobook. And I NEED to give a shout out to Bahni Turpin. She is an amazing narrator, and I think this is one of the stories you should read both the printed word and the audio version. Each is a different experience. 
What both create is a powerhouse story about children and people of color battling against discrimination and an unjust society in a fantasy setting. Sure you could say you could put any person white, black, or brown, and tell the same story BUT the fact that this story is about POC and that it is such a FANTASTIC book, with influential roles is. Powerful. Is Important. Is beautiful. Is needed. And it is part of the reason I love it so much. Because I don't need to have a white protagonist anymore. I can pick up almost any book on a shelf and feel like I am the character. But not everyone gets that. But while I am not a powerful black woman, Zelie still stuck with me, as a loud, arrogant, boisterous woman. She did what she wanted. She was rash. She didn't always listen. She messed up. She did the things a "good girl" wouldn't do. And that is another reason I loved her. She wasn't pretty pretty perfect. She was raw, and strong, and scared but fights the fear. She is a fighter. I wish more people would read about, and be more like Zeile. 
There is so much more I wish I could tell you, but I am afraid of saying more and spoiling you. So go, buy it, borrow it, use your audible credit, get it now. 
Book #2 Children of Venence and Virtue comes out in December and I am so excited
Also ​#vengeanceontheseheauxes

​​See you soon!

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​But do I?
.
.
.
If you are asking yourself that question, then I think you know the answer to that question. But in case. Yes, yes you do. No, come back don't click away. Just hear me out.
I was like you; I wanted to keep my project safe and close to me for as long as I could. I didn't want to have Beta's even though I already knew how much it would benefit my writing. I really didn't want to send my work to an editor. It probably had something to do with the fear of the red pen, and knowing that I am awful. And I mean AWFUL when it comes to grammar. I fully admit that. And anyone that has read early drafts of my work will tell you that I am not lying. But I knew that to make my book the best it could be and to give it a chance in such a competitive market; I had to invest time into it. 
You might be saying, Katelyn, you didn't invest the time into it? You editor did.
You are totally right, but I want to talk about some of the reasons it is so good to hand it over to someone else.
1. You can't touch it.
Why is it okay to not touch it? Most writers know that before editing you should try to take a break from a work. It gives you space to really see things that may not be working and lets the things that work shine through.
With an editor, you literally cannot touch a work when they have it. If you change something when they have it, it is a waste of time for all involved. Let the editor do the work and take that break.
2. Release the pressure
You need that break because let's be real your brain is whizzing like a pressure cooker. You have so many thoughts, ideas and ultimatums you have put on yourself. 'This book has to be perfect not a period can be out of place! Everyone MUST cry!' right? Relax, decompress a bit and really take some self-care time, the book can't be good unless you are.
I AM REALLY BAD AT THAT STEP ASK MY ROOMATES
3. MARKETING
This is a great time to really push your book. (Hint look at my Instagram.) I learned a trick that a consumer is more likely to purchase your product if they see it on average seven times. So this is the time to be your own personal hype man/Woman/human. Pimp your book, hold giveaways, gather reviews. MAKE YOUR BABY KNOWN.
4. Planning
 Use this time to plan your future endevors. How will you continue to market your book? Is there a sequel or other book bouncing around your head that you haven't outlined yet? You have a few weeks to a month USE IT!

So who was my wonderful editor? 
Meet Melanie. 
"As an indie author herself, Melanie (A.K.A. The Word Sleuth) understands the importance of a polished final product that will wow readers with its professionalism. She is a stickler for grammar and spelling, and is one of those people who is constantly spotting erroneous commas and misspellings on menus and shop-fronts when out in public (it’s a curse, I tell you)."
Melanie did a wonderful job with my edits. She communitcated in a timely proffesional manner and was a real supporter of the book. Her rates are increadibly affordable for the work she does. I can't even begin to say how thankful I am for her work on the line by line edit. I highly suggest you turn to her for your editing needs. As an indie herself she understands the needs of the an indie author and makes it very easy to have a great time working with her. 
Your can contact Melanie on her website Thewordsleuth.com or on her twitter @MelanieJKirk
If you reach out to her let her know that I sent you!

Find yourself a great editor kids. Your novel will thank you.

Katelyn Costello

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Hello my Scripturients,
How are you my friends, I am doing really good. Camp Nanowrimo has begun, my book is in pre-orders, beta edits are coming in, I AM OUT OF MY READING SLUMP! It's great! I've read four books in the last two months, but I am writing this on July 4th, and I have already finished two books sooooo its great. So in May and June I read a total of  1,444 pages and had an average rating of  4.5. What have you been reading? What was your favorite book of May or June? I think mine was Shatter Me. 
I feel like I am really sporadic right now, I just got this weird burst of energy so I am going to work on edits! Love you!

Marines (Derelict Saga #1)
by Paul Elard Cooley 
Kindle Edition, 274 pages
Published January 6th 2017 by Severed Press
4 Stars
Fifty years ago, Mira, humanity’s last hope to find new resources, exited the solar system bound for Proxima Centauri b. Seven years into her mission, all transmissions ceased without warning. Mira and her crew were presumed lost. Humanity, unified during her construction, splintered into insurgency and rebellion. 

Now, an outpost orbiting Pluto has detected a distress call from an unpowered object entering Sol space: Mira has returned. When all attempts at communications fail, S&R Black, a Sol Federation Marine Corps search and rescue vessel, is dispatched from Trident Station to intercept, investigate, and tow the beleaguered Mira to Neptune. 

As the marines prepare for the journey, uncertainty and conspiracy fomented by Trident Station’s governing AIs, begin to take their toll. Upon reaching Mira, they discover they’ve been sent on a mission that will almost certainly end in catastrophe. 
The Derelict saga is a suspenseful mashup of hard military sci-fi, space opera, and mystery. 

Some mysteries shouldn’t be solved. ​

​Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
by Tahereh MafiPaperback, First Edition, 338 pages
Published October 2nd 2012 by HarperCollins
5 Stars
Review>
​Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

Tomb (Derelict Saga #2)
by Paul Elard Cooley
​Kindle Edition, 480 pages
Published May 24th 2017 by Severed Press
4 Stars
​Their mission was to recover an ancient derelict from the farthest edge of the Sol system. What they’ve found could spell the end of humanity. 

Trapped on the Mira, Corporal Kalimura must lead her squad of injured marines to safety. But, aboard the derelict, every shadow is a possible threat, and around every corner lurks another hazard. Without life support or gravity, and only their suit lights to see by, they must explore the ancient wreck to find a way to communicate with their ship and escape their hellish prison. 

The remaining crew aboard S&R Black struggle to tow Mira out of the path of an incoming Kuiper Belt Object only to realize that the non-sentient hazard is the least of their worries. 

Derelict: Tomb, book 2 of the Derelict Saga, is an action-packed mashup of suspense, military sci-fi, and space opera horror that will keep you guessing every turn of the page. 

Redwall (Redwall #1)
by Brian JacquesHardcover, 352 pages
Published June 10th 1987 by Philomel Books​
5 Stars
Review>
​As the inhabitants of Redwall Abbey bask in the glorious Summer of the Late Rose, all is quiet and peaceful. But things are not as they seem. Cluny the Scourge, the evil one-eyed rat warlord, is hell-bent on destroying the tranquility as he prepares to fight a bloody battle for the ownership of Redwall. This dazzling story in the Redwall series is packed with all the wit, wisdom, humor, and blood-curdling adventure of the other books in the collection, but has the added bonus of taking the reader right back to the heart and soul of Redwall Abbey and the characters who live there.

Oh before you go, July is my birthday month so am running a birthday sale on my pre-orders! You can order a signed edition of The Frituals for 22% off, putting it at $10.90. So if you haven't ordered yet you definitely should!

​Katelyn Costello

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Shatter Me (Shatter Me #1)
by Tahereh Mafi
Paperback, First Edition, 338 pages
Published October 2nd 2012 by HarperCollins​ ​Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.
The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

​I honestly can say that I don't think that I have read another book quite like Shatter Me by Tahareh Mafi. The books whose sole concept is that the main character cannot be touched isn't new. For instance Rouge from Xman can't touch people or she steals their powers, memories, or physical strength. But I can't say that I have ever read anything like what Mafi created, where if you touched a person's skin, you felt excruciating pain and could die. 
Mafi does a terrific job of building up what are some already high stakes for our character Juliet. Juliet's parents put her in an asylum because they didn't know how to fix her. But now, over a year later, she has become what she has always wanted. But, it is not anything like what she hoped for. Juliet longs to feel like she belongs, like someone wants her, and loves her. And Warner wants her. But not quite Juliet. He wants the powers she possesses. He wants to use them to torture those around him to do his bidding. He wants to control her, and the gruesome possibilities her powers hold. And Juliet is determined to fight, to starve herself, to do whatever she can so that Warner can't control her. But then she discovers a friend, a person who can touch her, who does love her and sees the good in her. 
Adam see's Juliet. 
That is Shatter Me. 
Mafi creates believable scenarios and fleshes out each character and their flaws so well. Warner seem's very nazi like to me; obsessed with running tests on his subject, abuse of power, and obsession to a borderline mania for the sake of a cause. While Juliet is clearly dealing with some sort of PTSD/ anxiety disorder due to the hell, she went through as a child.
Her lyric, dynamic prose was mesmorizing, and inventive I feel like my writing is 100x subpar to hers. 

I don't think I can recommend this book enough. It more than earned its 5-star rating. I mean I read the last 150 pages in one day! This is definitely a 5-star book and one of my faves for the year.

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Command Decisions (The Empire of Bones Saga #3)
by Terry Mixon
TerryMixon.com|Amazon
3 Stars
​Between a rock and a hard place! 

After winning a hard-fought victory, Commander Jared Mertz and Princess Kelsey discover another insidious foe blocking their way home. A remnant of the Old Empire still exists and seems allied with the savage, AI-dominated Pale Ones. 

With the existence of the Terran Empire at stake, another enemy, this one from Jared’s past, threatens everything they’ve worked so hard to achieve. Jared and Kelsey must fight for survival while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

​My thoughts: While this was not my favorite book in the Empire of Bones Saga, Mixon still spun an engaging story full of questions begging to be answered, interesting and complex relationships, and badass fight scenes.

Obsidio (The Illuminae Files #3)
by Amie Kaufman,  Jay Kristoff
Amazon
5 stars
Kady, Ezra, Hanna, and Nik narrowly escaped with their lives from the attacks on Heimdall station and now find themselves crammed with 2,000 refugees on the container ship, Mao. With the jump station destroyed and their resources scarce, the only option is to return to Kerenza—but who knows what they'll find seven months after the invasion? 

Meanwhile, Kady's cousin, Asha, survived the initial BeiTech assault and has joined Kerenza's ragtag underground resistance. When Rhys—an old flame from Asha's past—reappears on Kerenza, the two find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. 

With time running out, a final battle will be waged on land and in space, heroes will fall, and hearts will be broken.

My Reaction:
An amazing closing to one of my favorite series. It left me begging for more, I really hope we see more work from these two authors working together.

Outbreak (The Black #3)
by Paul Elard Cooley
Shadow Publications| Amazon
​4 Stars
When a Centers for Disease Control quarantine fails at Ben Taub Hospital, a Houston SWAT Team is sent in to secure the facility. What they find is destruction and death. Trapped in the hospital, cut off from the world, a mysterious voice on the radio is all they have to guide them. They're no longer on a mission to quarantine the remaining inhabitants. Instead, they have to destroy a multiplying menace that could infect the world before the Federal Government enacts a final solution. 

Outbreak is a standalone, parallel story to both the 2015 Parsec Award Winning Novel The Black and The Black: Arrival. A winning mashup of action and horror, Outbreak is a suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing at what's around the next corner.

My Thoughts: This series continues to be one of the most interesting series that I have read in it's presentation. The episodic like series left me wanting more, and feeling chills at every turn. DRS podcast host Paul E Cooley needs to write the last book soon!

Marines (Derelict Saga #1)
by Paul Elard Cooley 
​4 stars
Shadow Publications| Amazon​
​Fifty years ago, Mira, humanity’s last hope to find new resources, exited the solar system bound for Proxima Centauri b. Seven years into her mission, all transmissions ceased without warning. Mira and her crew were presumed lost. Humanity, unified during her construction, splintered into insurgency and rebellion. 

Now, an outpost orbiting Pluto has detected a distress call from an unpowered object entering Sol space: Mira has returned. When all attempts at communications fail, S&R Black, a Sol Federation Marine Corps search and rescue vessel, is dispatched from Trident Station to intercept, investigate, and tow the beleaguered Mira to Neptune. 

As the marines prepare for the journey, uncertainty and conspiracy fomented by Trident Station’s governing AIs, begin to take their toll. Upon reaching Mira, they discover they’ve been sent on a mission that will almost certainly end in catastrophe. 
The Derelict saga is a suspenseful mashup of hard military sci-fi, space opera, and mystery. 

Some mysteries shouldn’t be solved.

Love,
Katelyn
​Need some editing help? May slots are now open, message me or head to my editing page for more info.

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​All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
3 Stars
Amazon | Barnes and Nobel | Book Depository | 
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the stunningly beautiful instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, Werner Pfennig, an orphan, grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find that brings them news and stories from places they have never seen or imagined. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments and is enlisted to use his talent to track down the resistance. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, Doerr illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another.

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).

My Thoughts:
This book as many people said had a unique point of view telling the story of two children growing up in world war II. We see the story of a blind girl in France and a boy in German who goes to a Nazis school to train boys to be soldiers. Marie Laure, and her father flee Paris after the German occupation to live with her granduncle who is a little crazy (he has PTSD). While Werner the German boy goes to a German school for sceince where is also trained for war. He is brilliant at math and works with the Germans to take out people that have illegal radios by triangulating their location.  Eventually the two timelines collide when Werner is sent to the same town that Marie Laure is staying in.
​This book is complimented time and time again for it's rich descriptions. I do agree that it had some wonderful descriptions. Doerr's descriptions were very vivid and kept your grounded. But I found it difficult to keep engaged. This was my second attempt at reading this book this year, so at times I was bored because I knew what was going to happen. But at others there just wasn't  enough going on. It is ironic that I should feel this way because Doerr chopped up the narrative and inserted it back into the text out of order, so you are always wondering how did the characters get to this point? But for me that wasn't enough to grip me. 
Overall I found the accuracy to be correct for aspects of history. Overall did enjoy reading it but it was not my favorite book by far. This book may have been to literary for me at this time, but I did want to get through it, which is why I picked it up again. Which says something about it. If you are a fan of at times dense literary reading, or historical fiction I think that you would enjoy this book. Many other people have really enjoyed this book. So, maybe you will too.
Katelyn 
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 The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Paperback, 213 pages
Published February 1st 1999 by MTV Books and Pocket Books
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The critically acclaimed debut novel from Stephen Chbosky, Perks follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. First dates, family drama, and new friends. Sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Devastating loss, young love, and life on the fringes. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
My Thoughts:
I have heard about this book for years.  And I have wanted to read it for years. But never really had the motivation. I am not a huge fan of contemporary fiction so just kinda kept putting it off. And I am kinda glad I did. Because now I have a better understanding of some of the things discussed. Somehow I went into this mostly blind. I knew there were three friends, one was gay, and that someone died. I didn’t realize the death would be in the first few pages. I was one the edge of my seat, scared that someone else was going to die at any time. The book is told in a series of letters that Charlie sends to an anonymous person. One, who he didn’t want to feel like he pulled at random. In a way animinity makes it seem like the letters are written to the reader. You feel more included in that way. These letters tell the story of Charlie’s freshman year of high school. We the reader see the things he fears, the things he love, and the things he hates. Charlie is honestly brilliant. He is given book  read by Bill that I didn’t read until college.
Chbosky, doesn’t hold back in this book. While it is only 213 pages long it covers so much ground.  In a book which for the time in the late 90’s would have been kinda ground breaking. He covers, love, sex , relationships, abortion, abuse, homosexuality, homophobia, anxiety/ panic attacks, assault, drugs, medications, hospitalizations, loss, suicide, just- just everything! But even though he managed to cover so many things, none of it felt cheezy. None of it felt fake, it all seemed so real, so genuine. Like a few other books I have read this year it felt real, and raw, and beautiful. I want to watch the movie and trust it will do it justice, I just. I want it to be done well. I wanted to read the book first so I haven’t seen the movie either. (Classic book snob moments) I loved this book. Go read it for yourself please if you haven’t go read it now.
Katelyn Costello
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​A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses)
by Sarah J. Maas
Hardcover, 705 pages
Published May 2nd 2017 by Bloomsbury USA Childrens
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Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit - and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords - and hunt for allies in unexpected places. In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the earth will be painted red as mighty armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy them all. 
My Thoughts:
I will try to make this as non- spoilery as I can though as it is a third book in a series I don’t quite know how that will work. This book was masterful in its own way. That being said it took me a really long time to read it. It took me about a month to get through. This was partially because I was quite busy with work and I didn’t want to read it fast, but also it defiantly felt to me at least like this last book was three separate books. I think this was because each time I put it down for a few days it was right around a new part of the book. This thought could also have occurred to me because there are just SO many details in this book. While the book was a whopping 705 page book that we all had no problems reading, I feel like it could have been split into two longer books in order to give some of the scenes the extra time it deserved. Since some of the scenes felt a bit clipped to me. Not in the sense were it didn’t do it do it justice, but more that it was rushed. I felt very rushed in this book compared to the others. It was partially due to these scenes but also the freaking war that was starting/ about to happen.
This war is another reason I feel like the book should have been split in half. I really enjoy reading books where a war takes place, particularly a fantastical war. And I feel like Maas really captured the high a stakes of war really well. She didn’t just through her readers in as she eased Feyre into war she eased us in, using the supporting characters to well support us as we learned what the fighting style of each of the characters was like and to see them in their own element. (I will get back to the characters in a bit) I wanted to see more scenes like the war counsel. I wanted to learn even more about the different courts and how they are all interconnected. I wanted to see how they think. How they appreciate, or don’t, Feyre being the first High Lady. Maybe in the spin off?

​Let’s talk about the characters a bit. Particularly they differences in the characters we are finally seeing. While I am new to Maas’s writing I have read other reviews etc. that have mentioned the lack of diversity in her previous books. But in this last book we got a taste of it. Helion the High Lord of the Summer Court is described as a dark skinned fae who wears gold and is whom Feyre received her ability to glow from. But not only is Helion a dark skinned character, but he is bi- sexual, who likes to joke about having sex with Az, Cass, and Mor. I don’t know about you but I got a sort of genie (Broadway Genie) vibe from him? It was weird.
​Another character we learned about was Mor! I’m sorry for the ones who haven’t read the book but this spoiler must drop. Oh my lord did this make me excited, but this was another scene I wanted to be extended or to be touched on at a later time. It is relieved that Mor is actually gay, and that is why she has been keeping the males at length. She has sex from time to time with men, like Hellion to just sort of keep them at bay. But in the 500 years she has know Cassian, and Az she has not been able to tell them that she prefers females. I am really, really intrigued to see where this goes.
There is much more I could talk about but that will have to wait until you read it. I want to say I give the book… a 4 ¾ star rating. I wasn’t a huge fan with the ending, it seemed to neat and tidy. Though maybe in the next few books we will see that it wasn’t so neat and clean. The other reason is as I said before, it felt rushed and I wanted to have those genuine moments with the characters.
If you are of an age to deal with sex, and some blood and gore, and have read the other two books in the series my recommendation is go get the damn book right now. 
Katelyn Costello
Twitter @Scripturienting
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