Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

Hi there, guys!
Writing a review on this book made me want to read the sequel even more!
Thank god, I own it already! I just have to pick it up ;)

Basics

Title: Throne of Glass
Series: Throne of Glass series, book #1
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Release Date: January 1^st 2012
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
ISBN: 1599906953
Number of Pages: 416
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
What's special? It's about assassins, guys!

Summary

Celaena Sardothien, the world's deadliest assassin, survived 12 mines in the salt mines of Endovier.
Then Prince Dorian offers her a deal: She will have her freedom if she becomes the king's champion and wins against other criminals in a competiotion. After serving the king as a personal assassin, she will be free to go.
Even though she hates the king and his court, she accepts the deal.
While she is at the king's palace, she meets lots of new people. Among them are Captain Chaol Westfall, a foreign princess and a cunning lady.
But suddenly her competitors show up terribly murdered.

Celaena starts to investigate...

My Opinion

Always since I discovered BookTube I wanted to read the Throne of Glass series. I've seen so much wonderful Fanart, I just needed to start it!
And now I did!
To be honest, it wasn't as good as I thought it would be, but still worth all of its 4 stars.

It took me quite a while to embrace the characters. Especially, Celaena (but I love her the most now). They changed their moods/feelings really fast and always seemed so 'fake' to me. I had the same problems with the characters from City of Bones but I really hope that will improve in the next Mortal Instruments books.

They characters in ToG lacked some kind of depth in the first chapters. They appeared too shallow for me. Celaena got more layers and I got really curious about her past. Like, who are her parents? Why were they murdered? I have my suspicions but don't you dare spoilering me!

As soon as I started to enjoy the characters more, I quickly fell in love with Chaol and Celaena. Dorian and Nehemia took some more time. I'm really curious how the experiences from Throne of Glass will affect their personalities in Crown of Midnight.

Apropos Dorian: I think there were a lot of Dorian – 'Fanfiction Sirius'. Always really cocky, flirtatious, but still caring. Do you think so, too?

The king's quite passive in ToG – because he's literally never in his palace. There's a competition about who his champion will be and HE IS NOT EVEN PRESENT. Where's the logic?
But the more important question: Where the hell has he been?

I really like the cover art of all of the books. Like, there's a total badass Celaena on the front and on the back we have Celaena's other side. In most of the books about female assassins (at least, those I've read) the heroine despises feminine stuff. But not in ToG. Celaena loves dresses and these parties and everything. So on the back we have her in a dress – but still with her weapons!

I already own Crown of Midnight and it looks amazing. Just as I said I've seen so much wonderful fanart of new characters – I can't wait to read the book! Who is Rowan and why is he so handsome?
Unfortunately, I'm in a little reading slump at the moment. Thanks The Walking Dead!

But I hope I'll finish Never Fade soon and can start Crown of Midnight right away!
Or maybe...I'll put Never Fade back down and read CoM right away!

I'm also really curious about the world. We only get a 'sneak peak' in Throne of Glass – which is logical because there's 'more important' stuff going on.

The only other thing I have a problem with is when Elena appeared for the first time, it felt like Celaena's accepting happens too fast. But that's just how I feel.

Rating

4 out of 5 stars


See you guys soon!
Stay funky!

Franzi

Fanart Friday 'Jane Eyre' and 'Frostbite'

Hi there, guys! Welcome back to another Fanart Friday!
Today, I'll show you some art of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Frostbite by Richelle Mead.

Let's start with the latter!



This Rose was drawn by lallychan!

The next one was drawn by gabby70 but colored by Synessa!


Rose and Dimitri again by achelseabee


This one's just lovely - thank you may12324!


This drawing of Rose is amazing! It was done by nma-art!


Same artist but now Dimitri/Dimitri and Rose!




Rose Hathaway by Sindbada


An amazing Lissa drawn by AnastasiaShevkun


And a cute Lissa/Christian picture. I love the colors!


Instead of showing you some Fanart I thought I would list all the movies or TV Shows which are based on the book! And believe me - there's a lot. (And tbh that aren't even all)

- Jane Eyre (1910; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1921; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1934; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1943; movie)




- Jane Eyre (1956; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1961; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1963; television adaption)


- Jane Eyre (1970; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1972; TV serial)



- Jane Eyre (1973; miniseries)


- Jane Eyre (1983; TV serial)



- Jane Eyre (1996; movie)


- Jane Eyre (1997; movie)


- Jane Eyre (2006; miniseries)


- Jane Eyre (2011; movie)



I will definitely watch the two newest adaptions soon!
Have you watched any of these? Tell me in the comments!

Stay funky!
Franzi

Want-to-read Wednesday #3

Hi, guys!
After skipping last week's WTR-Wednesday, I'm back today with a on-time post this week!

A book I want to read desperately is

I've loved all of Stephanie Perkins' books so far and THIS ONE'S MISSING!
But I told myself to wait. In August I'll go to Spain with most off my classmates and there will be A LOT of partying. Let me tell you, I enjoy going to parties with friends but not for 8 days straight.
So I need some nice books with nice boys. And Stephanie ALWAYS writes cute boys.

Isla and the Happily Ever After is about - who would have guessed - Isla, who we have already met in Anna and the French Kiss. She is in love with Josh, who we know too!
I honestly don't know more about the story, except for its location: New York City!
I'm a BIG NYC-Fan and my family will go there next summer! I'm so excited!



As far as I know our other beloved main characters will appear again, which makes me even more excited about this book!

The book was published about a year ago, on January 1st 2014 by Dutton.

Have you read it?
Tell me your opinion in the comments!
Franzi

Frostbite by Richelle Mead

Hi there, guys!
I'm back - finally!
As I've already told you in my last post, I was kind of in a reading slump. I started several books and finished only a single one. The reason for my slump was The Walking Dead.
A good friend of mine always raved about this show and I was really intrigued. There was only one problem: I was terribly afraid of zombies. I don't mind the bloodiness of TWD, just...zombies.
If I ever stood in front of a boggart, it would definitely turn into a Zombie.

But the curiosity won, and I started to watch the show. And about four episodes in....I was slightly hooked.
I'm now currently watching 03x11, so I was pretty productive last week!
Do you watch the show, too? If so, who's your favourite character?
Tell me in the comments!
Mine are defenitely Daryl (I live a Daryl Dixon appreciation life), Carol, Michonne and Glenn.
But in the end, they're all really cool characters (well, except for Andrea. I can't stand her at all).


As you probably all have noticed, TWD did not only shorten my motivation in reading but also in writing. Sorry, guys! Anyways, I'm back now, so let's get started!

Basics

Title: Frostbite
Series: Vampire Academy, book #2
Author: Richelle Mead
Release Date: April 1^st 2008
Publisher: Razorbill
ISBN: 1595141758
Number of Pages: 327
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Romance, Young Adult
What's special? We get some new boys to drool over!

Summary

After the discovery of a brutal massacre against one of the royal families carried out by Strigois, St. Vladimir's is on high alert.

The bloodthirsty vampires were able to break through the building's magical barriers, which means the school, too, is not as protected as it seems to be.
Many guardians come to protect St. Vlad's – including Rose's Mom Janine.
During the winter break the whole school (plus the student's families) retire to a posh ski resort in Idaho. But not only the Strigoi are loose. The emotions, too.
Rose loves Dimitri. But they can't be together. And Dimitri may love Tasha. Tasha seems to love him too. Mason loves Rose. But does Rose love Mason? And then Adrian Ivashkov shows up and he may or may not love Rose but he certainly wants her.
In the middle of this tohubohu three students run away to wreak revenge on the Strigoi.

My Opinion

It's been a while since I've read the book but I took a lot of notes, so here we go!
In my opinion Frostbite was even better than Vampire Academy. All of our characters developed vastly. Rose became more grown-up. Her actions became more mature and better thought-out.
She's still hot tempered but her lessons with Dimitri helped her to keep her calm in debates.
And thanks to Rose's thoughts and sassy one-liners, I laughed so hard at some points.

But not only Rose, Christian, Dimitri and Lissa, too, got some new layers, and their characters became more complex. Good job, Richelle!
What also improves: Christian and Rose's friendship. But I'll get into detail later.

At the beginning of the book there's a nice little recap for people who've read the first book a while ago. You can skip it if you're marathoning the series or read it to dwell on old memories. But let me tell you: It's nice to reread all the events and details!

Thank god that I bought the boxset #1-#3! After finishing Frostbite, I could go on with Shadow Kiss right away. I've already finished that one, too, and the review will follow – hopefully – soon!
Meanwhile I also got the boxset with the last three books(Blood Promise, Spirit Bound and Last Sacrifice). I finished book 4 a few days ago and will probably do two double reviews.
Rose definitely became my favourite heroine. She developed so much in the course of the series and had to endure unthinkable horrors. She can kick ass and has a HIGH badass level. But she kept her stubborness and her humour, which makes me love her even more.

She's a caring person and if she makes mistakes, she tries everything to make it right again.
In Frostbite, we already get some sneak peaks at her mental state in book three. My poor baby.

Moving on to Rose and Dimitri's relationship: OH GOD.

Back in book 1 I didn't fully grasp why they love each other or how they fell in love but after reading Frostbite, I can see it. Their dynamic works so well. THEY JUST FIT TOGETHER PERFECTLY.
In Frostbite I started to like Dimitri a lot, but after #3 I LOVE HIM. To quote Rose: He's a god.
But I'll get to that in my next review, and be prepared, guys, be prepared. I'll rave about him a lot.

We also get some more of Christian. And I'll always love him. He's a perfect friend for Rose, even though they don't really see it yet. The cooking scene was amazing. His snarky tone and his don't-fuck-with-me-attitude always manage to make me laugh.

At the end, in the house, I just thought: YOU GO BOY!
And wait till you read book #3, I have so much to rave about! ROSE AND CHRISTIAN, GUYS!

Their friendship was written very well. It develops slowly. It's not like 'oh, you're Lissa's boyfriend? Sure I like you!' They still have their problems and disagreements.

I really started to dislike Lissa in Frostbite and it got worse in the course of book 3 and 4, but I'll talk about that in my double review!

Apart from our main characters, we meet a few new characters or get to know old ones better:

- Rose's mom Janine Hathaway: I didn't like her in the beginning of the book but was quite curious about her, tho. She has such a strong personality, there's really no place for weakness.
We knew Rose was strong but this woman? She's a badass. She is one of the best guardians out there. And because she choose her job over her daughter, Rose hates her mom. But read and see, guys.

- Then we have Mia: I've never thought I would say this, but I started to like her! Yeah, she still makes some bad decisions in Frostbite but she became way nicer to everybody and wait until you read book 3!

- Mason: much more present in this one and hE'S SUCH A CUTIE
  We also get to know his best friend Eddie but he gets more present in #3

-Adrian: I disliked him first too, he seemed so plastic. Always smoking, always drinking and always trying to hit on Rose. But now? I LOVE HIM. Really, Richelle only writes desirable men.

He's on top of my 'precious babies'-list (but after Daryl from The Walking Dead. He cared so much for Sophia and still cares about Carol and Carl and JUDITH. The feeding scene! Holy crap – I thought my ovaries are about to explode. I mean, LOOK AT THIS:

  

What. A. Man.) 

Anyways, what I actually wanted to tell you:

Adrian is a cutie.

If you enjoyed Vampire Academy but aren't sure if you should go on with the series:

Try Frostbite! It's a huge improvement! And you would miss out Adrian – and believe me, you don't want to do that!

 

Rating

5 out of 5 stars
Definitely one of my favourite books!

See you guys soon!

Hey, guys! Sorry that I've been so inactive the last few days but I'm kind of in a reading/writing slump.
I do my best to overcome it (I take notes for the next reviews all the time) but I'm just too lazy to write them.
I hope I manage to upload a new review on Monday, tho, I'll just have motivate myself enough.

Stay funky,
Franzi

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Hi there, guys! I'm back with a new review!
I don't know if I'm going to be very active this week 'cause I got a cold and my head aches terribly.
Have a nice weekend!

Basics

Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Brontë
Release Date: 1847
Publisher: various
ISBN: Penguin edition: 0142437204

Number of Pages: 506
Genre: Classic
What's special? It's said to be an autobiography!

Summary

The story focuses on – who would have guessed – Jane Eyre.
She lost her parents when she was very young and lived with her neglecting aunt and her cousins since then.
As soon as possible Jane's sent off to a poorly equipped boarding school. After six terrible years there, she finds a job as a gouverness at Thronfield Hall. She meets the owner – Mr. Rochester – and falls in love with him. And so does he but he keeps a dark secret which could destroy their love.
 

My Opinion

Dun. Dun. Duuun.

Okay, so I got this book for my 16^th birthday in June after watching one of CrashCourse's videos about it but I never picked it up until December.
Sadly, in the course of those six months my excitement over it decreased A LOT.
I wanted it because John Green made a whole CrashCourse video about it, not because I was interested in the story line.
So shame on you, John Green, for making me believe I wanted this book!

It took me relatively long to get through it. For one, it has 600+ pages, on the other hand it was no page-turner.

It was an okay read, I enjoyed Jane's thoughts and her iron will. She had her priorities straight and was realistic. She knew she wasn't pretty or had no chance to climb the social ladder.
Even though her heart told her otherwise, she followed her own rules. Go, girl!

Moving to our male protagonist: Mr. Rochester.
I coulnd't stand him. He was mostly the reason why I disliked the book in the end.
I still cannot see why Jane loved him or why he loved her. What's his charme?
Sometimes I really wanted to slap him!
Same with St. John.
But regarding his character, I'm happy Jane got Rochester, tho.

So even though I only gave this book two stars, I enjoyed it way more than I liked Wuthering Heights by Charlotte's sister Emily. Jane Eyre had at least some humour.

I can see why people enjoy or love this book – Jane is a really realistic character - but it just didn't do it for me. I have a hard time with classics in general.
I've already read Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre but the only one I really enjoyed – and have read multiple times already – is P&P by Jane Austen.
I also understand why it was so important back when it was written and I admire the three Brontë

for standing up against the man-ruled society!
Here's a drawing of Emily, Charlotte and Anne:

Rating

2 out of 5 stars

Stay tuned (and healthy), guys!
Franzi

Fanart Friday 'City of Bones'!

Wow, today I have only one book of which I can show you Fan Art!
But luckily, it's one with loads of that stuff - so let's dive right into it!

The first gems were drawn by kara-lija!

Jocelyn and Valentine in younger years! Done by kara





Isabelle for a change!


The waves of Clary's hair were done so beautifully!



I love Clary in the next one! Sadly, I have no idea who drew it!

No idea who drew this either!


Here's a little comic strip! It was done by ... is it martsnmallow? I can't read it properly and therefore couldn't find a deviantart-link.




Here's Clary's mom! Again - no idea who drew this!


I also found a few really cute drawings done by Rikakio!












Most covers look loke the US edition but I found some different editions too!
Here we go!

This first edition was published by Walker Books Ltd.
I reminds me a lot of Avatar!


This one's so, so pretty! Published by Margaret K. McElderry Books!


This is the German edition! It's way prettier than the English edition!


Italy!



Bulgaria!


Poland!


And last but not least:
Czechia!



That's it, guys!
I hope I'll have a few more books to show you arts of next Friday!

Stay tuned!
Franzi