Review: The Blood Traitor ~ Lynette Noni

Click on this image to learn more about this book on Goodreads
 
 
Format I Used: Combination EBOOK
Pages: 464
Running Time: 16h:42m
My Rating: 10 million stars
Publication Date: June 14, 2022

FRIENDS.

OH MY HECK.

I AM NOT OKAY.

Actually I'm just fine, but my brain about exploded several times over while reading this book. And you want to know what else?  I read this book in basically one sitting. That hasn't happened in a

L O N G time.

That's how into it I was. Also, it made me shriek in anger and if I'd had a physical book and not my tablet, I would have thrown it against the wall, because it was midnight and I was FURIOUS. I don't even know where to start with this review.

Strap in, because I am ready to ramble and spew 

spoilers left and right so please

READ.

WITH.

CAUTION.

I'm serious. There will be no filter on this review.

This is what I started writing like right after I started reading the book. Because I was trying to be organized and whatnot. But looking back at certain parts of it after finishing the book made me giggle.

So it opens with Kiva back in Zalindov and high out of her mind on pixie dust. It's not pixie dust. Stardust? Ehhh, something like that Angeldust. It's Angeldust. And also feeling like the world's worst person because of all the people she hurt and betrayed (which she should 100 percent feel horrible, because Jaren was nothing but amazing to her (and also my sweet baby Caldon)  but she finds an unexpected kind of ally in Cresta who always wanted to shank her before.

Ah, anyways.

I initially only started the first book in this series because the cover fit a prompt for a reading challenge that I was doing. It was slow, and I felt like I was reading it FOREVER before things finally started happening. But the ending also smacked me in the face and just like that I knew I was going to pick up book two.

Book two was very much the same for me. It was slow for the majority of it, but then towards the end things started speeding up and the ending had me hooked once again.

There was no doubt in my mind that I was going to pick up book three and read it, because that darned cliffhanger ending nearly un-alived me. I thought this one was going to be slow at first as well, but it all moved at a surprisingly nice pace. I was just going along for the ride, so there was a surprise or two that took me completely off guard, and I was ecstatic about that..

KIVA

Kiva had a lot of growing up to do, and she did that wonderfully (after lots and lots of work) She spent a lot of time feeling sorry for herself, and feeling like terrible person for the part she played in all the bad things that happened in the last book. And not only that she was drugged up on Angeldust and in Zalindov and that was all a hot mess. She was in bad shape and would have died or killed herself if not for Cresta. And also, I was a little bit let down by the way things ended with her losing her healing powers. I mean, I guess I get it, but I still think she should have been able to keep them.

CRESTA

Yeah, you read that last sentence in the above paragraph correctly. CRESTA. I was not thinking much about her being in this book at all, and it certainly never crossed my mind that she would be an ally for Kiva. And not only that, but she turns out to be a long lost Princess (Navok's other sister, btw and she played an VERY IMPORTANT part in the end of this book. Since she stopped trying to off Kiva every chance she got, I actually quite enjoyed her interactions. Her candid comments and observations had me rolling on the floor in laughter.

NAVOK

Blech. euuuchhh. That is all. No, wait, I totally guessed the twist that it wasn't going to be Zuleeka marrying him. THAT is all.

GALDRIC

Had no inkling that he was going to be the one to betray everyone. Should I have? Maybe. But like I said, I was not actively trying to figure anything out. In fact the person that I oh so wrongly thought was a secret bad guy was...

EIDRAN

He was just too quiet and I was just instantly suspicious of him. And it was completely unfounded. Sorry Eidran!! You're actually quite literally the best!!

ASHLYN

Now see, I knew that the maid wasn't really a maid, but I wasn't expecting it to be Caldon's sister. Love her. She's almost as amazing as her brother. And her heart's just as big. Proven by the fact that she hung around longer to see what Kiva was all about and, much like her brother, decided that Kiva was a good person who was just a little misguided.

ZULEEKA

I will save you from having to read the wretching noises again, but much like Navok, I do not care for Zuleeka. Which isn't surprising... what I WAS surprised to learn was that their mother was covering up so many horrible things for Zuleeka,

MIRRYN

She was kind of a non issue in this book. Yes she helped wreak so much havoc in the last book. But honestly? She was fooled by Zuleeka, and she actually helped the good guys when it counted. I'm not trying to excuse her poor choices and she's got a LONG way to go in order to make things 100% better.

NAARI

Was just as amazing and kick ass as usual

JAREN

Oh boy. He was kind of sort of pissed at Kiva (and rightly so) but not really for the reason you might think. He was more upset by the fact that Kiva didn't trust him with all the things that were going on in her life. I'm not going to lie the tension between the two was *chefs kiss* I was more excited about their relationship in this book than in the first two combined. Although I was a smidge annoyed with Kiva and her feeling sorry for herself.

TIPP

Is still a precious precious child and must be protected at all costs.

CALDON

Oh. My. Lanta.

Caldon is my favorite character 100%, hands down, no exceptions. I don't even think I have the proper words to describe how much I love him. Dare I say he's surpassed Aaron Warner and Rhysand as my all time favorite book boyfriend? When his character was first introduced in the second book, I was just like, mehhhh, he's a'ight. But the more we got to know him, the more I loved him, and he's just the best. First of all, he knew who Kiva was. Did he also threaten to slit her throat if she betrayed his family? Yes. But he was willing to give her a chance. And when all the shhhhh went down and Caldon found Kiva with Naari and Jaren and Kiva was all freaking out. He told her that she needed to run. Because he was scared and worried... for HER. And then when she was reunited with them all in the third book, he was acting all upset with her, but basically forgave her immediately and hugged her while she cried. He was, like, her biggest champion, and her best friend. SHE CALLED HIM HER BEST FRIEND. I was totally getting Kenji from Shatter Me vibes. And you know what. I about RAGED when the words "Caldon Is Dead" were uttered. It was the middle of the night, and I was furious. I made a loud screeching noise of protest and had I had a physical book in my hand and not my tablet, I would have thrown it against the wall.

I cheated a little at this point and flipped ahead to see if he stayed dead or if the brought him back to life (Yes to the latter) because if he would have stayed dead, it would have been an IMMEDIATE DNF for me. I would not have cared one little bit about how far into the book I was, I would have returned it to Overdrive and tried to erase it from my brain. It was fine. He's fine. So am I. And that cheeky little booger also figured out who Cresta was.

Also, I A D O R E the interactions that Caldon has with Kiva (and pretty much everyone) the majority of the highlights that I have for this book is Caldon.

VOSHELL & SERAFINE

I really wish that there had been more of them in this book. I know that they're not actually romantically involved, but the few minutes I got of them had me wanting more. ESPECIALLY Voshell. Because we're led to believe he's a "weak king" but from what Kiva saw, that seemed to be far from the truth. Not only that, but Serafine was pretty fierce herself.

TORELL

He's one of the bestest big brothers you could ever ask for. And I'm glad that he wasn't in league with Zuleeka.

 

I think that's all I have to say for now.... My brain still feels overloaded with thoughts. I'll try to update if I think of anything else.

Did It Make Me Cry? Yes. Twice actually. Funnily enough though, neither of those times was when I thought my precious baby Caldon died. No, I was too mad to be sad.

1. When they went to see the Mystician, and she gave Kiva the option to either kiss Jaren or take some Angeldust, and she chose the Angeldust, and Cresta was pissed at her, but still helped her and Kiva went on and on about things about Jaren and how she deserved to be hated, and Jaren and Caldon where aghast at finally learning what happened to her after they parted ways. This is also when Jaren started warming up towards her.

2.When Kiva and Jaren had to go on a hiking trip up the magic mountain to get the other stone ring thingy. And they finally had a heart to heart and things got much much better between them because they FINALLY communicated with each other.

Anyways, please go read this series, it's amazing.

 

 

Review: Castles In Their Bones ~ Laura Sebastian

  

 Image from Goodreads. Click on cover to read more about the book.

 

Format I Used: Audiobook
Pages: 528
Running Time: 14h:11m
My Rating: 5 stars worth of stardust
Publication Date: February 1, 2022

 

*Deeeeeep breath in*

It's okay. I'm fine. It's fine. EVERYTHING IS F I N E.

Ahem. With that being said. 

!!SPOILERS AHEAD READ ON WITH CAUTION!!

The Short And Sweet Of It:
It was a little slow going at first, but definitely picks up speed. I loved so many of the characters, but I also hated a bunch too. 10 out of 10 give this a read if you're looking for something with lots of betrayal, twists, and turns. A little bit of romance, friendship, and plenty of magical stardust makes for a book that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat the whole way through. 

The Long Ranting One:
I was unsure of this book for a long while. I started listening to it when the Snowpocaplyse 2022 was under way and I was shoveling my driveway for what would be the first of many times... I don't do too well with multiple POVs especially if they're not from people with drastically different "voices" (yes, each sister has a different personality, but to me, it took a minute to differentiate.) I would have liked it better if there had been a narrator for each sister. So I did struggle with that.

And I struggled with thinking that it was just going to be deception deception deception, even though the kingdoms and princes that they were set to deceive didn't deserve any of what was going to happen. But there was actually a LOT of character growth in this story, and it delighted me. And once things started progressing at a slightly faster pace, it managed to suck me in and keep my attention.

There was SO many twists and turns and surprises that made me gasp for air. I'm trying to think of another book to compare it to, but the title has decided to make itself scarce.

The other thing I loved about this book was that there was no big blow up/misunderstanding between the girls and their princes (note how I didn't say love interest, because welllllllllllll) Daphne never actually TOLD Bairre who she was and what her real objective was, but maybe she didn't need to, because, you know, his mom and everything.

Daphne
I didn't much care for Daphne (maybe because as a middle child myself I expected her to fall into that same middle child category and care for her sisters and not just brush them off and scold them the way that she did... I didn't imagine her saying she was the middle did I? She seems more the oldest to me,) she had her change of heart far too late to be of any help (or maybe not? I don't know. Mommy Dearest seemed to be several steps ahead and around the corner at any given moment. Even when the girls thought they did something unexpected)

Bairre
I wanted to know more about Bairre. There wasn't too much time spent getting to know much about him, and then in the last little bit you find out he's been working with The Resistance? Please tell me more.

Beatriz
I liked getting to know more about Beatriz and watch her story arc progress. For some reason to me, she felt like the middle child to me. She listened to her sister when she was asked for help, and pretty much went on to help her without thinking too hard on it.

Pasquale
I loved his character, and how sweet and understanding he was. But also how resolved he was to do the right thing, even if that landed him in a lot of hot water. He listened to Beatriz when she told him about her sister and what they needed to do to try and stop the impending war. He listened to Beatriz reveal her truth and then DIDN'T blow up in her face about it. I think that Pasquale and Beatriz are honestly true soulmates in the most platonic way ever, and I adore their friendship.

“No matter what happens, Triz, I’ll do whatever I can to protect you.” Beatriz holds his gaze and smiles, a small, tight-lipped smile. “And I’ll protect you,” she tells him. “No matter what.”

She expects him to be angry, to feel betrayed, to hate her for it, but instead he looks at her with tired eyes. “We’re all our parents’ puppets, Beatriz,” he says. “You aren’t angry?” she asks him, blinking. He’s quiet for a moment. “Not at you,” he says finally. “I’d be a hypocrite, wouldn’t I? To berate you for not going against your mother, when I’ve never once gone against my father.”

Sophie
Oh my gosh. SOPHIE. She was my favorite. She was the most softhearted of the three and that was a good thing and a bad thing. I liked seeing her learn more about her strengths and how to trust her gut and learn that maybe Mommy Dearest doesn't have the best intentions.

Leopold
I was completely unsure of him for a long time. I felt rather MEH about him in general. But the more I learned about him. But the more I got to see that he wasn't a cold hearted person--just a very naive and clueless one--and that he actually cared and tried his hardest once he saw the error of his ways.

“I tried so hard to keep my heart closed to you. In the beginning, you even made it easy,” she says. “There were so many lies, Leo. I know that, and I am so sorry for them. But when it came down to it, I chose Temarin. I chose you. I love you. That’s the truth.”

Nico 

Hmmmm, this boy... I am going to withhold my opinion of him at least until the second book comes out.

 

Margeaux

While I appreciate a Girl Boss, I cannot stand how she uses her daughters like they are nothing but disposable tools...And who are not really hers? but wishes come to life? and the revelation that we're given at the very end. Woooo Boy. 

Okay, now that we're at the end, I can scream again, because HOW DARE I BE CAUSED SO MUCH EMOTIONAL DAMAGE BY THE ENDING OF THE BOOK...  But also, I've watched too much Supernatural to believe that a character is actually going to stay dead.

LALALALA I CAN'T HEAR YOU, I'M TOO BUSY MANIFESTING THIS CHARACTER BACK TO LIFE.

 

Did It Make Me Cry?  Surprisingly, no.

Review: The Singles Table ~ Sara Desai

                                   Picture from Goodreads. Click on the cover to read more about this book.

Format I Used: Audiobook
Pages: 336
Running Time: 10h:44m
My Rating:5 Stars
Publication Date: November 16, 2021

  I read this book after a long string of books that I either ended up marking as DNF or ones that I didn't particularly enjoy. So this one was a breath of fresh air and I absolutely enjoyed it. Definitely recommend this book for someone who's looking for an LOL read.

I loved how hilarious and ridiculous Zara is. But at the same time she's an amazing lawyer and knows way more than people give her credit for. My one dislike of her is the fact that she was SO freaking stubborn and set in the mindset of "no serious relationship"

I really enjoyed Jay, and the fact that he didn't automatically assume the worst about Zara when THE BIG BAD THING happened. I thought his gruff personality was somewhat charming. But with that being said, I also thought some of the things he did were a little too out of character.

Also, I already added this to my reading status update.... but if the person I date doesn't help me act a fool and embarrass myself in front of everyone in order to meet my favorite famous person, then no thank you I DON'T WANT IT. That was probably my favorite part about this book.

Did It Make Me Cry? No

 

ARC Review: Taming Demons For Beginners ~ Annette Marie

 

My picture from Insta. If you click on the picture, you'll be able to see all the rest of the pretty pictures there.

 

Format I Used: Digital ARC
Pages: 315
Running Time: 7h:52m
My Rating: 5 zillion stars
Publication Date: September 11, 2019

 

*This was posted as an ARC Review on Goodreads, so I'm sticking with that header*

  Oh my holy guacamole.

This book

This author

I am in

L

O

V

E

Annette Marie is one of my absolute favorite, auto buy authors. I've yet to read a book of hers that I dislike. Also, I need to confess that I have been/am in somewhat of a reading slump. I can't seem to stay focused when reading a book. The last several books I've finished have been audio books. But let me tell you what! I absolutely DEVOURED this book. It was an amazing feeling.

I wished that Robin had been a little more... tough? and stood up for herself more, but I can tell that she's only going to grow and be more awesome as the series progresses. I loved that she loves to bake, and the fact that she stood up to scary old Zylas instead of running away scared (go figure)

And Zylas. Oh boy, ZYLAS.

He reminded me a bit of Inuyasha, which if you know me, is a HUGE plus. I can't wait to see more of his character development, because I know that's going to be AMAZING.

I also enjoyed the crossover scenes with the characters from the Guild Codex series, it made me SO happy.

Although I will admit that I am a little worried about something. But I will refrain from mentioning what exactly until later on in the series, because I don't want to maybe spoil anything.

Thank you thank you T H A N K Y O U to Annette Marie and Dark Owl Fantasy Inc. For allowing me to read an ARC of this title

Did It Make Me Cry: It did!  

Review: Restore Me by Tahereh Mafi

Restore Me
By Tahereh Mafi
My Rating: All The Stars
Publication Date: March 6th, 2018
Date Read: March 2018
Hardback, 448 Pages

Summary From Goodreads

Juliette Ferrars thought she'd won. She took over Sector 45, was named the new Supreme Commander, and now has Warner by her side. But she's still the girl with the ability to kill with a single touch—and now she's got the whole world in the palm of her hand. When tragedy hits, who will she become? Will she be able to control the power she wields and use it for good?

My Review

So.  Okay. You guys. I am NOT okay right now. This book... I loved it so terribly much, but it... it DESTROYED me. I'm just. Oh lord. Okay, let's see if I can make any sense of my words, which are jumbled in my head right now, because I haven't fully processed what I read.

*Deep Breath In*

Here we go

There will probably definitely be spoilers. Who knows what's going to come out of my mouth, because I'm in a very fragile state right now, and very prone to rambling, not to mention the fact that I have feelings and thoughts that I need to get off my chest. So. If you haven't read this one yet, or any of them at all, then you might not probably want to continue reading this review. Also, this will probably be one of the longest posts I've had on here, because of all the rambling I'm about to do

First, a little backstory before the actual review

So let me start off by saying that I bought this book on it's release day. Like, moderately early in the day. But I had to wait a freaking half an hour, because the only bookstore in my town didn't even have them out on the shelf yet. Excuse me? What? As the only bookstore in town I felt like they should have been better prepared, but no. They had to search all over Hell's Half Acre to find it for me.

And then I didn't even get to read it right away. Because I had a midterm to take and then I had to go to work and adult. Boooo (I'm mostly kidding, because I love my job.) So on my dinner break, I made a pretty good size dent in it. I had an hour to eat and made it about 25 percent through the book. Not too bad. I was so fidgety afterwards though, because the part I left on, was the part where Castle is telling Warner the truth about Juliette and who she is. I kid you not. The last freaking line I read before I had to go back and work was this:

Castle shakes his head as he says, "He never told you where she really came from, did he? He never told you the truth about her parents."

Um. What? WHATTT?!  

Though to be honest, I figured we'd learn more about her parents in this one, but I was not prepared for the truth bomb that was dropped on us

Let's just say that it was a good thing that I had actual tasks to accomplish to keep my mind sort of off the book.

And it didn't help that my best friend was at about the same spot, except she didn't have to work so she was plowing straight through it. And she kept texting me. And just a little bit after I got off work, she called me in near hysterics talking about how it had destroyed her, but she loved it, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

Uh-oh. That didn't make me nervous at all *she says sarcastically*

And then a few minutes later she called back, asking if there was information on when book 5 comes out. No, I told her. But, my guess would be next March.

I stayed up until I had the entire thing finished. And I was shook. I had so many emotions going through me, it was crazy. So I did what any best friend would do. I sent her about a million texts so she'd see them when she woke up in the morning, because I had to say something to someone about it.

Okay, I think that's it? On to some sort of actual review

I want to start off by talking about Warner. Because he's my favorite part about everything in this series. I love the fact that we get dual POV in this book. It's nice getting to be inside Warner's head. Warner and Juliette balance each other out quite nicely, if I do say so myself.

I was initially scared, because I thought that my wonderful Smol-bean Cinnamon Roll Warner was going to turn into an emotional wreck. I've seen it happen to characters before. I wanted my cocky self-assured bad a$$ Warner back, and I wanted him back now. 

But then I realized that he actually is still the same old, wonderful Aaron Warner. We just never got to see inside his head before. The last 3 books, we just saw his calm, cool, controlled exterior, which we all know by now, he tried so hard to make himself that way. He's got so many thoughts and emotions going on in his head, but he does an amazing job keeping it all internalized, so all we get to see--when we're not actually seeing things from his perspective--is the mask of calm that he does so well. He's had no choice in that matter. He grew up with a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad father, who did everything to make sure Warner turned into a non-feeling robot.

And just the fact that, even though Warner can be ruthless when the situation calls for it, but at the same time, he takes no joy in hurting others, and he does what he can to keep people safe, (like when he killed that one soldier and everyone thought the worst of him, but we find out later that he was a drunkard who beat his wife and kids) . And the fact that he cares so deeply for Juliette, and for his mother, and that he cared even just a little about his father despite the horrible person that he was, makes me love him even more.

His emotions run so deep and so strong

He would literally do anything for Juliette to make her happy, even throwing himself in harm's way. He tries hard to be friends with Kenji, though he makes it difficult in typical Kenji fashion. He cleared off a whole floor to take in people.

And, and, and! Throughout the whole thing, he never doubts Juliette and her ability to handle things with or without his help. He has %100 percent faith in her. Something he says to her multiple times. Even when everyone, including herself is doubting whether or not she can in fact handle everything that's being thrown at her.

People are idiots, love. Their opinions are worthless

And how, instead of going to her like Castle said he should when Haider showed up, he went to their room, because she hadn't told him or asked him for advice, and he didn't want to hurt her, or undermine/make her think he doubted her ability to handle the situation without him. So many times through the book, did he repeat to her how much faith he had in her and reassure her that she was doing a great job.

Adam and James

We don't really get to see a lot of Adam and James in this book. Just short snippets here and there, and I have mixed feelings about that. I mean, I get it. This is Warner and Juliette's story now, but I wanted some bro-bonding time with the guys. I love how James is still so young and honest, and some of the things that come out of his mouth make me laugh. He made Warner feel better, just by being himself and saying things that big people know better than to say to someone who's obviously hurting. It took Warner by surprise, and did make him feel slightly better if only for a moment.

Adam, I am happy to say, is slowly redeeming himself from his douchebag self that he was in books 2 and 3. He was an idiot, and he actually openly admits that now. He knew what he did was awful, and he told Warner that he's glad Juliette is with Warner, and that Juliette was right about him (Adam) wanting the insecure girl that she used to be. He is slowly starting to accept the fact that Warner is his brother, and he even said that he knows what's important (family) and that's what he wants to start focusing on.

What I am actually not happy about in that whole Adam-Warner-James thing, is the fact that Adam still won't tell James that Warner is their brother. Um. Excuse me? Adam. If you don't put your big boy panties on soon and tell him, I'm going Blue-Skadoo right into the book and tell him myself. He can handle it. He may be young, but he's an old soul, and I think he'd be delighted to learn that he has another big brother. And besides that, I think he'd be good for Warner. Warner needs James just as much as James needs Adam, or vice versa. James and Adam are the only family that Warner has (I mean, so far. Who knows what the heck is going to happen) and James would be good for Warner.

Kenji and Castle

Castle kind of annoyed me ever so slightly. We didn't get to hear too much from him, but what we did get to see... I don't know. He seemed so frazzled and shifty, like he was hiding something. And gosh, he was being so vague about everything. I think the most honest and straight up he was, was when he told Warner about who Juliette really was.

Kenji on the other hand. He hasn't changed at all. And I love him for it. He's still a smart a$$, and cocky, and says and does the worst things at the worst times, and doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut about anything. Like when he buzzed off Warner's hair. (I about died, because... HIS HAIR! Warner's beautiful locks are gone!!) but I forgave him even if Warner hasn't yet. Kenji still manages to bring a bit of comedic relief to situations when things are going bad, and he can take charge even if he has absolutely no idea what he's doing.

Heck, he's even supportive of Warner, and will lend him a listening ear when he needs it. Like when Kenji walked in on Warner having a panic attack, and stayed there with him until he was better, even though Warner kept telling him to leave. Then he stayed longer to listen to what Warner had to say about why he and Juliette were so upset.

And he's got himself a crush. He makes such a fool of himself, which is really nothing new, but it was actually adorable. And when he's talking about it with Juliette:

"She's, like, batshit pretty. The kind of pretty that makes a man think getting murdered in his sleep might not be a bad way to go."
"Yeah," I say, but I say it quietly.
"Right?"
"I guess."
"What do you mean, you guess? I wasn't asking a question. That girl is objectively beautiful."
"Sure"
Kenji stops, takes my shoulders in his hands. "What is your deal, J?"
"I don't know what you're--"
"Oh my God," he says, stunned. "Are you jealous?"
"No," I say, but I practically yell the word at him.
He's laughing now. "That's crazy. Why are you jealous?"
I shrug, mumble something.
"Wait, what's that?" He cups his hand over his ear. "You're worried I'm going to leave you for another woman?"
"Shut up, Kenji. I'm not jealous."
"Aw, J."
"I'm not. I swear. I'm not jealous. I'm just--I'm just..."
I'm having a hard time.
But I never have a chance to say the words. Kenji suddenly picks me up, spins me around and says, "Aw, you're so cute when you're jealous--"
And I kick him in the knee. Hard. --Restore Me, Tahereh Mafi pages 162-163

Seriously. This makes my heart so happy. The relationship between Juliette and Kenji has always made me happy He's a great friend to Juliette, and will listen to her problems, and tell her when she's being a whiny baby, but still manages to be supportive when she needs it. I think everyone should have a best friend like Kenji in their lives. Someone to be real with you and tell you when you're being crazy, but is always supportive, and has your back. #BestFriendGoals

Random Extra Characters

Nazeera and Haider were interesting, and I'm curious to see what role they play in the next two books. I liked Nazeera better, and how she flipped Kenji off when he questioned her about wearing her head wrap. I was like. Yeah! You go girl. Tell him! And how she admitted that she didn't want to come with her brother to spy on Warner and Juliette, but she decided that since her father was making her go no matter what, she had decided that she was going to do her best to watch out for Juliette. I don't really know how I feel about Haider though. Because he wasn't really all that prevalent for the majority of the story. And when he was, he was either being a jerk, or doing/saying something that confused me. He had me perplexed. They're both still hiding things though, and that makes me  suspicious and wary of them.

Nicolas and Valentina

Well. I'm not sure what to think about them. They were introduced at kind of the last second in the story, so we didn't really get to learn much about them . I didn't get the feeling that they had malicious intentions, but then again what do I know.

Stephan
He's cute, and swoon worthy and I don't get the feeling that he's going to be an enemy, but if he tries to hurt any of my babies in the future, then it's on. I won't forgive him. Also, he can't have Juliette, so he better not try anything funny. Juliette and Warner are my OTP, and I will fight for them.

Lena
Lena, Lena, Lena. You better just take a step back and stop being such a b with an itch. Okay? Because let me tell you right now, no matter how big and bad you think you are, you're not going to win. Not against Juliette. And especially not with who she has backing her up.

My hope, is that all of these kids will end up banding together to overthrow their parents and taking control of the different sectors and turning the whole world around and making it better place, blah blah blah.

Juliette

Okay. So. In this book we get to see how young and inexperienced she is. The comparisons that she finally realizes exist between her and Warner, and her and everyone in Warner's world are big. She's starting to lose faith in herself. One of the biggest things that really throws her for a loop, was when she met Haider, and she just felt so... out of her league? All because of what she was wearing vs. what he was wearing.  She still doesn't think she can handle it, and she's getting overwhelmed by everything that's happening. She thought that being in charge would be different, and she's starting to panic. Despite the fact that she has Warner who has her back, and believes in her 200%





Juliette does so much growing up in this book. Like. A lot. And it was all at once too. After everything that was thrown at her, she finally woke up and decided that she was sick of it. It was kind of an impressive transformation. But she's still the same Juliette. She's still insecure, but she does a much better job at keeping it hidden. AND SHE SHAVED HER HEAD! You go Juliette. YAAAS! (Not that she needed to shave her head to be fierce, but it helped her) You got this, love.


But I'll be honest, I'm still having a hard time reconciling the hissy fits/meltdowns she had in this book. I mean, Castle made the comment that Juliette was very volatile and almost killed them when she thought they were hurting Adam, but almost any other time she was able to stop herself, because she was terrified of hurting people. I fully understand that I am way overthinking this. I know all of this is building up to something even more wonderful. I hope so at least. I am putting all of my faith in Tahereh Mafi, because I have yet to be disappointed by her books.

The Part That Destroyed MY FREAKING HEART

So now here's where I'm going to actually freak the heck out a little. And have even more spoilers, so read with caution

I get that Juliette is upset with Warner because he kept secrets from her. I would be upset too. However, the amount of upset that Juliette was, astronomical. Bordering on No, not even bordering on, it was definitely too much.

The whole Juliette has a sister thing definitely threw me for a loop. And the fact she's been locked away for years, and Warner had a part in that, but had no idea who she was, or what she was to Juliette. It killed me. Because it's tearing him up because he knows how much that little revelation hurts Juliette.

And what do you mean that Juliette was upset because Warner's had girlfriend (s) before her... OF COURSE HE HAS. Have you seen him? Who wouldn't want to go out with Warner? I'd go out with Warner. Gosh. Yeah, that had me shaking my head at her. Silly Juliette. 

And now, are you ready for my giant freak out? The one I've been holding in since foreverago?

WHAT WAS WITH THAT ENDING?!?!?!?!!!!? I'm not okay, I'm not okay, I'm not okay. That's not cool. What happened to Kenji? He's not dead is he? No. He can't be. And Castle? And the others? Like... no. I'm in denial here big time, because if I start thinking about it, I start hyperventilating. I'm hoping that everyone (and by everyone I mean Kenji, Alia, Brendan, Ian, and Castle) aren't really dead. And what are they going to do with Warner, huh? They put him in handcuffs. Is he okay? is he in jail? What? I hope, hope, hope, this was part of a plan. Or that they're not really dead, they're just hurt and Sonja and Sara can fix them. Jeeeeze, I really can't handle this. AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT JULIETTE AND WARNER KNEW EACH OTHER WHEN THEY WERE LITTLE, AND SHE'S THE DAUGHTER OF OCEANIA???!

Sorry. I'm still stuck on the fact that MY SMOL PRECIOUS BABIES MIGHT BE DEAD, THANKYOUVERYMUCH

I'm still not okay. I might have screamed.

And almost threw the book.
Then freaked out about it to my little sister.

Then texted my best friend a million times.

Then tossed and turned in bed the rest of the night.

And now here I am impatiently waiting for any sort of news about book 5, that doesn't come out until sometime next year.

I think that what I love most about this series, is the fact that it makes me feel so many different emotions, and there are so many plot twists and revelations that I absolutely never see coming. And the character and world building are out of this world.

Tahereh Mafi, even though you're DESTROYING my heart right now, I absolutely adore your books. They've never done me wrong before.

So here I sit.

Waiting

Waiting

Waiting...