Reviews and Comments

This book ruined my sleep schedule.

I picked this up shortly after receiving the email that it was available for me to read and couldn't help but read it whenever I had free time. I was able to cut myself off at midnight the first night, but the second night I was up until 2AM because I just HAD to see how the story wrapped up.

Part of me is disappointed that I didn't read it while next to a body of water with a cold drink nearby, because A Perfect Vintage makes for the perfect summer read. The setting is magical, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if a number of readers book trips to France after finishing this. It's a story packed with romance, betrayal, a dizzying amount of family drama, and so much more. I was surprised at the number of characters in the book, but the author did a great job of integrating them and making them important to the story in their own way. The writing was easy to follow, with the perfect amount of detail used throughout.

A Perfect Vintage was a pleasant surprise and one of my favorite books of 2023. I had a lot of fun reading this and highly recommend it.

Special thanks to Orsay Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Having loved the original duology, I started this book excited to continue the series, but quickly found myself missing the familiarity of Hessa and the characters in her orbit. There was nothing wrong with Thray or any of the characters introduced with her, but I started Barrow of Winter coming off of the high of the previous two books in the The Four Pillars series, and there was definitely an adjustment period. Once I remembered that change is good, I quickly found myself immersed in Thray's journey for answers. I loved the many callbacks to the first two books, and how those characters and events were woven into Barrow of Winter.

Thray is a woman being pulled in different directions by the two sides of her that make her who she is. There's the Eangen side that she's lived among all of her life, and then the Winterborn, who show up unannounced with promises that they can prove to Thray whether or not she's immortal like them. Surprises abound as she travels north to the Winterborn's home of Duamel, where there is a never-ending winter darkness.

Like her aunt Hessa in the previous novels, Thray undergoes a ton of growth in a relatively short period of time, going from a powerful Eangen warrior to something much more. I'm very interested to see how powerful Thray is in the next book, as she finishes this one already quite formidable. The story is a rollercoaster of action and intrigue, and Long does a great job with pacing and making Barrow of Winter an interesting read from start to finish.

I really enjoyed this book and hate that I have to wait a year for the release of the fourth book. Pillar of Ash is my most anticipated book of 2024 at this point, and I would highly recommend fantasy fans read Barrow of Winter and the previous novels before its release.

Having read the first three novels in the Throne of Glass series, it was fun to take a detour to read these five novellas, which give the reader a glimpse into the months leading up to the first novel. The novellas feature swashbuckling pirates, horseback rides through the desert, romance, and lots and lots of blood. The first three novellas are like being on a rollercoaster and sitting through the slow climb up the massive incline before the ride's first drop. Celaena's legend grows, her relationship with Sam takes root, and she leaves the desert with a newfound sense of optimism. The latter three novellas, however, see Celaena teeter over that edge, and eventually plummet to never before seen depths.

The writing itself was great, and exactly what you'd expect if you've read a Sarah J. Maas book previously. She does a great job of setting a scene and describing things in great detail, but not so much that you wish the focus would shift elsewhere. I find myself being able to envision the scene whenever I read something from Maas, which helps with immersion and seems to raise the stakes of what's happening in the story.

This is essential reading for anyone reading the Throne of Glass novels, as they provide valuable detail into Celaena Sardothien's past, and provide additional context into who she is and why she is the way she is. For anyone curious about the series or even Sarah J. Maas' writing in general, The Assassin's Blade is a great way to get dip your toes in and see what you think.

After finishing part one of the book, I commented on the Storydarlings' podcast discussion that I thought Heir of Fire was a transitional book that was light on action but contained lots of character development and introduced new characters. To that point, our old friends Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian were doing their own thing, progressing as characters, while new characters such as Aedion, Manon, and Rowan were introduced and woven into the story. The first half of the book wasn't boring or unreadable by any means, but for me, was a bit of letdown after the almost constant action of Crown of Midnight.

As expected, the book picked up in the second half, and the last third of the book was especially action packed and full of events that not only had an impact on Heir of Fire but would clearly influence the remainder of the series. By book's end, each of the major characters did something impactful that surprised or impressed me. Yes, even Chaol!

I still think Heir of Fire is a book meant to set up the remainder of the series, but Maas accomplished that while crafting a book that was still fun and interesting to read, especially in the second half. After finishing Throne of Glass and Crown of Midnight I found myself clamoring for more and wanting to jump right into the next book, but Heir of Fire's ending beats them both, in my opinion. I can't wait to see how the series progresses.

The second book in the Throne of Glass series built upon the first and smashed my expectations by a wide margin. While not a literary masterpiece by any stretch, I thought Sarah J. Maas' writing was greatly improved in Crown of Midnight, making for a more engaging read than Throne of Glass. In addition to the general improvement in the writing and storytelling, there's more of everything in this one - intrigue, humor, fight scenes, and yes, romance.

The trio of friends, and sometimes love triangle of Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian all grow by leaps and bounds in this one, while not losing that spark that made them fun, compelling, and sometimes maddening characters to begin with. Celaena remained a badass with skills and a personality to be reckoned with, but I really enjoyed Chaol and Dorian's development in this one. Chaol started the series as a pawn for the royalty with unwavering loyalty but spends most of the second book struggling between his loyalty and oath to the royal family and his loyalty to Celaena and his own personal desires. Dorian, on the other hand, is still the same handsome and lovable prince, but comes into his own as a man, stepping into his power and more openly disagreeing with his father. I found myself screaming internally at Celaena's recklessness, Chaol's often misplaced loyalty, and Dorian's lack of secrecy despite his station in life and what's at stake.

Crown of Midnight was a wonderful story that kept me engaged throughout to the point where I started the book and finished it in about 30 hours. There seemed to be much less "downtime" in this one compared to Throne of Glass, and with the chapters being on the shorter side, it was very easy to keep tapping away on the Kindle app on my phone.

I loved this book. Chances are if you're reading this one, you're reading through the whole series anyway, but if you read the first and were unsure if you wanted to continue, please keep going and give Crown of Mightnight a read.

I had heard almost zero criticism of this book prior to reading it, so I went into it with high hopes, and expected to enjoy it. Not only did I enjoy it, but it's one of the best books I've ever read, and it's the type of book I could see myself doing annual rereads of. It was that good, and it had its hooks in me from the start.

Despite the three main characters being about a decade older than me, I found myself easily identifying with them, and feeling like they could have been friends of mine. The camaraderie the three of them shared was a delight to behold, as they navigated their 20s and 30s and dealt with the normal issues 20 and 30somethings deal with, in addition to their own demons. Sam and Sadie's relationship is especially turbulent at times, and they sometimes made me want to scream, but their friendship and love for each other always won out in the end. Marx was the glue that kept it all together, and for me was the star of the story, the hero that Sam, Sadie, and others in their orbit needed.

I could go on and on, but it's best if you just read it for yourself. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is many things. It's smart, funny, empowering, nostalgic, and even tragic. To me, the word that describes it best is masterpiece.

I’ll start by saying that as a male, I’m probably not the intended audience for this book. I will also admit that I was initially turned off and maybe even a little offended by how reading this book made me feel. I knew going in that this book would be outside of my wheelhouse, but I still felt attacked by how unapologetically feminist the book was. Luckily for me, I was able to get over myself and embrace Nightbitch for what it was. It’s a hilarious, bizarre, sad, and frustrating book. From start to finish, Nightbitch is uncompromising in telling the truth, even the dark and dirty truth of a struggling stay at home mom.

My one gripe with the took is that it ran a bit too long. It was incredibly well written, but sometimes it felt like there was just a little too much of everything. I think I would have given it 5 stars had it been in the 200-220 page range, rather than 256 pages.

Even though I don’t think this book was meant for my eyes, I’m happy I gave it a chance and got over my initial reaction to the content. It may not have been meant for me, but it’s something I needed to read.

The second book in the Throne of Glass series built upon the first and smashed my expectations by a wide margin. While not a literary masterpiece by any stretch, I thought Sarah J. Maas' writing was greatly improved in Crown of Midnight, making for a more engaging read than Throne of Glass. In addition to the general improvement in the writing and storytelling, there's more of everything in this one - intrigue, humor, fight scenes, and yes, romance.

The trio of friends, and sometimes love triangle of Celaena, Chaol, and Dorian all grow by leaps and bounds in this one, while not losing that spark that made them fun, compelling, and sometimes maddening characters to begin with. Celaena remained a badass with skills and a personality to be reckoned with, but I really enjoyed Chaol and Dorian's development in this one. Chaol started the series as a pawn for the royalty with unwavering loyalty but spends most of the second book struggling between his loyalty and oath to the royal family and his loyalty to Celaena and his own personal desires. Dorian, on the other hand, is still the same handsome and lovable prince, but comes into his own as a man, stepping into his power and more openly disagreeing with his father. I found myself screaming internally at Celaena's recklessness, Chaol's often misplaced loyalty, and Dorian's lack of secrecy despite his station in life and what's at stake.

Crown of Midnight was a wonderful story that kept me engaged throughout to the point where I started the book and finished it in about 30 hours. There seemed to be much less "downtime" in this one compared to Throne of Glass, and with the chapters being on the shorter side, it was very easy to keep tapping away on the Kindle app on my phone.

I loved this book. Chances are if you're reading this one, you're reading through the whole series anyway, but if you read the first and were unsure if you wanted to continue, please keep going and give Crown of Mightnight a read.