Empire of Storms

Aelin, wow. She is certainly a schemer. She doesn’t share. I know it makes for better drama, but all those reveals at the end were crazy. She brought so many people together, from everywhere, through force of will and power, favours owed. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but I was when certain people showed up. She might be young, but Aelin (and Lysandra) had a very unique upbringing, making both of the capablem of the things that they do.

With so many betrayals and lies in Empire of Storms, there was also trust and beginnings. I also hope in the future books, there will be forgiveness. So many of the characters tugged at my heartstrings. Lorcan, Gavriel, Aedion, Lysandra, Manon, Elide, they were all given dimension. They are more than just players in Aelin’s game, they each have their own personalities, hopes, fears, and desires.

I don't feel like I can say much more without giving away all the secrets of this novel. Empire of Storms was fantastic, heart-racing, and amazing. Definitely a book I couldn't put down, keeping me up late reading. It was exactly what I wanted from the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series. Sarah J. Maas continues to expand Erilea, with wonder, magic, and a rainbow of colours. I’m excited for Tower Of Dawn and whatever other books Maas adds to this exciting tale.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness

The ending was beautiful. The words were poetry. Sentences evoking complex imagery. It was an artful ending that I am glad I stuck around for. I loved the funerals and the wedding. I loved the uniqueness and the craziness of Jamat Guest House. I thought it was the perfect place for Anjum. In the end, it was the perfect place for them all. Arundhati Roy created a tapestry of words. I am very glad I won The Ministry of Utmost Happiness from Goodreads.

What grabbed me in the story was Anjum and the Hijra. The discoveries and secrets of Anjum's mother were captivating. I needed to know what happened next in Anjum's life, every moment, every adventure, the sadness and happiness. I really enjoyed reading about the Hijra and how they all lived and loved. Though sometimes a bit crazy, Anjum's life captured my imagination. She suffers so much, yet comes out of it with a home. I still want to know if Anjum gets to live out the rest of her days in peace.

Tilo, the other main character, was also very interesting. She seemed too modern for modern India. She was irreverent about caste, class and etiquette. I liked Tilo. I thought she was unique, which is probably why she was loved by thee different men in the novel. I just felt we spent too much time on her story. I liked Garson Hobart, Naga and Musa. But my favourite part of their love square is towards the end with Tilo and Musa. They are some very interesting situations the three men find themselves in over the years. Tilo has a quality about her though, a grace that I connected with. Still, I felt her part of the story was too long. I wanted to get back to Anjum and Saddam and the baby. I wanted to know what was happening in the graveyard and how the blind Imam was.

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness was not an easy book to love, but I did. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Everything at the end, in the Jamat Guest House was wonderful and the characters went through a lot to get there.

Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max

Lumberjanes: Friendship to the Max was so much fun. It was exactly what I expected and exactly what I needed. I loved Jen. Jen is the best camp leader the girls could have asked for. Jen wanted to have adventure, but her first priority was always the safety of the girls. We learn more about the personality and motivations of someone we only saw as “in the way” for the Roanoke campers.

I like that in this volume we get to see more of the camp. There are more cabins, and they are filled with more girls. Their safety is Rosie’s top priority. We also get introduced to new and unique characters. Diane was interesting. I wasn’t sure where she was going to lead the girls. I also liked that we learned more about the boys camp. Who was the bear lady

The bull coming out of the woods thing was pretty funny

I wish Lumberjanes was longer. There was an issue of another comic at the end. It was good, I just expected more Jo, April, Mal, Molly, Ripley and Jen. And Rosie. Who is Rosie? I want to know so much more. I have the next 2 volumes and I know there are at least 4 more after that. I’m hoping we’ll find out more about Rosie in one of them. Because I think the Lumberjanes camp is no accident. There’s definitely something going on.

Also, Jen’s happiness at the end made me happy. Molly and Mal made me happy too.