How the heck is it 2016 already? I was just getting used to writing 2015 on my papers (though I still, on occasion write 2012, which is weird.) Anyway, since I have time now and probably won't later, I decided I was going to make a list of a few books I want to read in 2016. Now, I know that I may not stick to this list, but putting it online will make me more motivated to do so. Also, I know for sure that I will be reading books that are not on this list because there are always new books I find out about and want to read. Besides, this isn't nearly 100 books and since, for the third year in a row, I want to read 100+ books (I've gotten it done in the past two years and probably before that, too) I definitely am going to have to read other books. These are just a few books I know from the beginning of the year that I'm interested in reading. 
I'll start this list off with one of my most anticipated books of 2016 (I should make a post on that, too). Okay, so I'm not sure if this even counts because I don't even know the title, but I'm really looking forward to reading Throne of Glass Book 5. I'm a little nervous that it won't come out in 2016 because I know basically nothing about it, but I'm really hoping it will because I'm not sure if I can wait two years for the next book in this heartstoppingly amazing series. Ooh, I just found the synopsis on Goodreads! That just made me even more excited for this book. 
Anyway, since other than that, I have no information on it, here's another book I've been waiting for for a rather long time and am very excited to read. Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare. As many of you may know, Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favorite authors and all her books in the Shadowhunter Chronicles are spectacular. Reading The Mortal Instruments is what really got me into reading. Before I loved reading but I didn't obsessively love reading (some people might say me pre TMI was better, haha.) This book was supposed to come out in 2015, but, unfortunately, it didn't. So the suspense is really built up for it, I actually already preordered the book. FYI all the first editions of this book are signed by the wonderful Cassie Clare, so if you want one, you better order it fast. 
For those of you who are unaware, Lady Midnight is book one of the Dark Artifices Series, which is the sequel series to The Mortal Instruments (one of my all time favorite series) as well as taking place in the same world as The Infernal Devices (Which is another one of my favorites). The Shadow World is so excellently built and Cassandra's books in it are only getting better and better. If you haven't jumped onto the Shadowhunter train, I highly suggest you do so. Start with either Clockwork Angel (Infernal Devices Book 1) or City of Bones (Mortal Instruments Book 1). Both are wonderful. Anyway, Lady Midnight takes place five (I think) years after City of Heavenly Fire (Mortal Instruments Book 6) and follows the people of the LA Institute. Mainly, I'm told, Emma Carsairs (who we met in City of Lost Souls (Mortal Instruments Book 5) and City of Heavenly Fire). Recognize the last name Carstairs? Yeah, well, she's James Carstair's very distant relative. Other than Emma Carstairs, this book will also follow characters such as Mark Blackthorn, Julian Blackthorn, Octavia (Tavvy) Blackthorn, Livia Blackthorn, Ty Blackthorn, (Okay, yeah, a lot of the Blackthorn Clan), Christina Rosales and more. 
The book is about the aftermath of the Mortal War (I think that's what that war was called). In this book, the Fae are not in the best situation because basically all the Shadowhunters hate them for siding against them in the war. The Fae need help and come to the Blackthorns, and I suck at synopsis's so here's the actual one. 
Synopsis:
Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

This book is 720 pages. That's almost (5 pages away) as much as City of Heavenly Fire. Doesn't that make you wonder how long the rest of the series is going to be? Ha, and it might take me more than a couple hours to read. A day, at most. (Actually, it really depends on the amount of school work I have.) I'm just really excited to read this continuation of Cassandra's Shadow World as well as read more of Clare's excellent writing. 

This book literally comes out tomorrow, so I should probably get to reading (and first ordering) it soon. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken. As some of you may know, The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken is one of my favorite series, so I'm excited to see what brilliance she's come up with now. I love Alexandra's writing style and her story plots and characters are festinating and impossible not to fall in love with. 
From what I know, Passenger is basically a time traveling scavenger hunt with higher stakes. I don't read a lot of time traveler books (the only ones I can think of right now are the Ruby Red Trilogy) so I'm pretty interested to see how well I like this genre. (Is time traveling a genre or just a category? I think it's just a category?) 
Here's the synopsis: 
passage, n.
i. A brief section of music composed of a series of notes and flourishes.
ii. A journey by water; a voyage.
iii. The transition from one place to another, across space and time.

In one devastating night, violin prodigy Etta Spencer loses everything she knows and loves. Thrust into an unfamiliar world by a stranger with a dangerous agenda, Etta is certain of only one thing: she has traveled not just miles but years from home. And she’s inherited a legacy she knows nothing about from a family whose existence she’s never heard of. Until now.

Nicholas Carter is content with his life at sea, free from the Ironwoods—a powerful family in the colonies—and the servitude he’s known at their hands. But with the arrival of an unusual passenger on his ship comes the insistent pull of the past that he can’t escape and the family that won’t let him go so easily. Now the Ironwoods are searching for a stolen object of untold value, one they believe only Etta, Nicholas’ passenger, can find. In order to protect her, he must ensure she brings it back to them— whether she wants to or not.

Together, Etta and Nicholas embark on a perilous journey across centuries and continents, piecing together clues left behind by the traveler who will do anything to keep the object out of the Ironwoods’ grasp. But as they get closer to the truth of their search, and the deadly game the Ironwoods are play­ing, treacherous forces threaten to sep­arate Etta not only from Nicholas but from her path home . . . forever

Sound good? I highly recommend it and I haven't even read it yet! I just have a lot of trust in Alexandra Bracken and her spectacular writing. 

Another Sarah J. Maas Book I'm looking forward to reading this year is A Court of Mist and Fury this is the second book in the A Court of Thorns and Roses series that debuted last year. Personally, I do enjoy the Throne of Glass books more, but A Court of Thorns and Roses is off to a good start and I'm looking forward to seeing where this book series is going, especially since whatever Sarah J. Maas writes seems to turn into gold. Usually the first book in a fantasy series can be quite slow because of all the introducing of the world. A Court of Thorns and Roses started off slow but kicked up quite quickly. Sarah writes such complex and intriguing characters, it'll be fun to find out more about them in books to come. 
A Court of Thorns and Roses was very very very loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast and then 2/3 of a ways through it completely changed course, so I'm excited to see what happens on book II. 
The protagonist of this series is named Feyre (Faye-rah) (yeah, there are a lot of jokes about how Sarah J. Maas create her characters' names by pounding her fist into the key board.) She was just a regular human before she killed a wolf in the woods and was forced to come and live with the faerie Tamlin. Yes, this is a fae series. No. It's not those childish little faeries with wings. The faeries in these books are tall, strong, regal beings (with no wings) with super speed, hearing, reflexes as well as prolonged lives and special powers. While at Tamlin's spring Court she starts to develop feelings for him as well as meeting Tamlin's friend Lucien and the Lord of the Night Court, Rhysand. (p.s. there's a lot more action and stuff happening than this lame synopsis check out my review of A Court of Thorns and Roses, if you're interested)All these characters are simply fascinating and as I've said before, I'm quite excited to see where Sarah takes this series. 
(no synopsis provided because SPOILERS) (no cover has been released yet) 
This book is due to be released on May 3, 2016.
Another book on my TBR list that I'm looking forward to reading is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. This was not released this year, but the last book in the series is going to be, so I better catch up on the first two before it comes out (actually, I might not have the time.) The plot sounds simply fascinating to me, and I got interested in it after watching Christine from Polandbannas books hilarious skit to promote the book. 

Anyway, here's the synopsis: 

"I live for the dream that my children will be born free," she says. "That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them."

"I live for you," I say sadly.

Eo kisses my cheek. "Then you must live for more."

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations.

Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.

Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Sounds interesting, huh? I'm really looking forward to reading this one this year. 

Winner's Kiss by Marie Rutjoksi is the third book in the Winner's Curse series, which I was surprisingly impressed by when I read the first two books in 2015. They're full of romance, intrigue and betrayal. In other words, just my kind of book. Since The Winner's Crime (Book 2) ended at such a pivotal point, I'm really curious to see how the series finishes. The characters are very interesting in these books as well as clever. If you're interested, feel free to check out my review of The Winner's Curse. I really flew through the first two books and I have no doubt that the third book will be just as good. 
​Released March 29, 2016.

The Trials of Apollo by Rick Riordan debuts this year, the first book will be called The Hidden Oracle. I've been a fan of Rick Riordan ever since I was a wee third grader who became fascinated in mythology after reading the Percy Jackson and Olympians Series as well as the Kane Chronicles. I was a little disappointed in his new book- Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard, but I intend to read the second book to that when it comes out this year, also. (Second book is called The Hammer of Thor and ANNABETH'S GONNA BE IN IT!!!) 
Anyway The Trials of Apollo follows the god, Apollo, after he's been turned into a sixteen year old boy by Zeus. He now has to navigate the world without guaranteed immortality until Zeus decides to turn him back into a god. The world I've always loved the most from Rick Riordan is his Greek/Roman mythology world so I'm excited to be returning to it. PERCY'S GONNA BE IN IT! I'm so excited for this book. Also, I think we'll be seeing more of Artemis (Apollo's twin, goddess of the hunt) and I really loved her character in these books so this is gonna be fun. 
Release date for:
Hammer of Thor: October 4, 2016
Trials of Apollo: May 3, 2016

P.S. I did post a review of Magnus Chase Book 1, if you're interested in checking it out. 

A torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir comes out this year. I'm not sure how I feel about this book, because in all honesty I didn't enjoy the first book as much as I expected I would (it was really hyped up). Nevertheless, I still intend to give this series a second chance. Maybe not a third if I don't like the sequel. (Book one is An Ember in the Ashes, I have a review on it, if you want to check it out.) The setting of this story is in a Roman like empire, which is interesting. It's the characters I really don't like- the two main protagonists? Elias and Lia? Lia's really too much of a damsel in distress and Elias I just found annoying. Really, it's surprising to me that I'm even willing to try and read book 2, but I am. 
release date: August 30, 2015
No cover released yet. 

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard is one book I'll be picking up for sure sometime this year. It's the sequel to Red Queen, which debuted this year. If you remember my review (feel free to check it out) I enjoyed the first book, but wasn't overly impressed. It was very hyped up and kinda let me down a bit. There was bit of an instalove feel to it, which I didn't really like and I was able to predict every 'shocking' plot twist to occur. But I did love the main theme, don't trust anyone. And that's why I'm interested enough to pick up book 2, which is due to be released on February 9, 2015. 

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins is the final book in the Rebel Belle series. I kind of see these books as a bit of a joke and have never really loved the series, but I did enjoy the humor enough to be willing to put the last book on my TBR list. The last book I felt eh about but whatever. Basically the idea of these books is popular girl, Harper Price is at the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes a Paladin, a powerful warrior who's supposed to protect the oracle, who turns out to be her arch nemesis, David. Chaos ensues, blah, blah blah. It's a light read that's full of humor, so if that sounds interesting to you, I have a review up on both books. 
Release date: April 5, 2015

Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid and First and Then by Emma Mills are two contemporary romance reads I'm looking forward to reading this year. They're both already released, but I never got around to reading them last year. I don't know much about them, but from what I do know, they sound impossibly cute. 

Never Always Sometimes: 

Never date your best friend.

Always be original.

Sometimes rules are meant to be broken.

Best friends Dave and Julia were determined to never be cliché high school kids—the ones who sit at the same lunch table every day, dissecting the drama from homeroom and plotting their campaigns for prom king and queen. They even wrote their own Never List of everything they vowed they’d never, ever do in high school. 

Some of the rules have been easy to follow, like #5, never dye your hair a color of the rainbow, or #7, never hook up with a teacher. But Dave has a secret: he’s broken rule #8, never pine silently after someone for the entirety of high school. It’s either that or break rule #10, never date your best friend. Dave has loved Julia for as long as he can remember. 

Julia is beautiful, wild and impetuous. So when she suggests they do every Never on the list, Dave is happy to play along. He even dyes his hair an unfortunate shade of green. It starts as a joke, but then a funny thing happens: Dave and Julia discover that by skipping the clichés, they’ve actually been missing out on high school. And maybe even on love.

first and Then: 

Devon Tennyson wouldn't change a thing. She's happy watching Friday night games from the bleachers, silently crushing on best friend Cas, and blissfully ignoring the future after high school. But the universe has other plans. It delivers Devon's cousin Foster, an unrepentant social outlier with a surprising talent for football, and the obnoxiously superior and maddeningly attractive star running back, Ezra, right where she doesn't want them first into her P.E. class and then into every other aspect of her life.

Pride and Prejudice meets Friday Night Lights in this contemporary novel about falling in love with the unexpected boy, with a new brother, and with yourself.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer is a book that I physically own and still haven't gotten around to reading. This series is insanely popular at the moment and I really need to start it. Hopefully putting that thought up here will motivate me to actually read it. These are fairytale retold with a sci-fi twist, I believe. Sorry these are starting to get rushed, I didn't realize this post would take so long and I have other stuff I need to get done! 
​
Here's the synopsis: 
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl.

Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.

Defending Taylor by Miranda Kenneally is a book I'm really looking forward to reading. This is the seventh book in the Hundred Oaks series, a series of companion contemporary novels. Miranda Kenneally really knows how to write a romance and she's one of my favorite contemporary authors. Her books include Catching Jordan, Stealing Parker, Racing Savannah and Jesse's Girl. All beautifully written, hilarious and lovely stories. I reviewed each and every one, if you're interested, which I think you should be, because these books are simply magnificent.

Synopsis: 
Taylor’s always felt pressure to be perfect. That’s what happens when you are a senator’s daughter. So when she’s kicked out of private school for covering for her boyfriend’s not-so-legal behavior, she is devastated.

Things go from bad to worse as she joins what used to be her rival soccer team at Hundred Oaks High. The only person who seems to understand all that she’s going through is her older brother’s best friend, Ezra. But Ezra has secrets of his own. Will Taylor repeat past mistakes, or can she score a fresh start?

Expected: July 1, 2016
(no cover released) 

Empire of Dust by Eleanor Herman is a book I'm especially looking forward to. This is the sequel to that book I recently review (and absolutely loved) called Legacy of Kings. This series follows Alexander the Great in his teen years (it's fantasy so it's not exactly historical fact, though, interesting fact, Eleanor Herman is a historian.) I really loved this book, it's plot, idea, and especially its characters. I grew very attached, very quickly as well as getting intriguing from page one. I highly recommend this book to any of you fantasy lovers. 

release date: June 28, 2016, no cover released. 

The Fifth book in the Falling Kingdoms Series by Morgan Rhodes is one I eagerly anticipate. As my last review shows, I absolutely fell in love with this series after reading the Frozen Tides, the fourth book (I've reviewed all four books, if you want to check them out). The characters and plot of this series are fascinating (well, I don't like one character, but whatever.) Anyway, there is no title or cover or even release date for this book aside from 2016, so I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens with that. 

The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson is the last book in the Remnant Chronciles, which I've been reading pretty much since the first book was released. I will be sad to see this series go. The ending of the second book, Heart of Betrayal, left me with some questions, mainly about Kaden, my favorite character. I seriously cannot wait for this book. Since Books 1 and 2 were excellent and intriguing reads, I expect no less from the last book.  Full of deception, romance, betrayal and action, this is one of my favorite series and I cannot stress how excited I am for this last book. (Please, someone read this series so I can talk about it with you!!) 
Release date: August 2, 2016

Since I'm running out of time, I'll just list my last two books now, Power by Jennifer Armentrout, and The Last Star by Rick Yancy.  Power in the second book in the Titan Series, a spin off of Jennifer Armentrout's magnificent Covenant books, following my personal favorite character, Seth. I hear Alex is going to show up in this book. I do believe this is going to be a lot of fun. (I did review The Return (Book 1) I think...) 
Released: February 23, 2015
The Last Star is the last (haha) book in the 5th Wave series. You may recognize the name from the movie that's coming out, yeah, that's based on these books and I'm very excited to see it. It's coming out this month!! And I'm very very excited to read the Last Star. I can't wait to see more of Cassie and Evan... and Ben, I guess.  I'm sure this will be an explosive finale and I can hardly wait to read it. 
Released: May 24, 2016

Thanks for reading, feel free to email me for a personal book recommendation (anjimeibooks@gmail.com) :)
​-Anj

Can you believe 2015 is almost over? Wow, it's been quite the short year filled with many unexpected events. Anyway, I kinda of forgot to count slash keep track of every single book I read this year (That would be a difficult job) but I did manage to keep track of most of them on my Goodreads Reading Challenge, so I've compiled a list of my favorite {new} books I've read this year. I highly recommend each and every one of these books because they're great novels. Some of them aren't exactly in any order because I couldn't pick which one I liked best!

By far, though, my favorite book I read this year would have to have been Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas {Review Here}. The review in a nutshell, I freaking loved this book. The Throne of Glass Series (Queen of Shadows is book four) just keeps getting better and better. I don't see how the next book could possibly get an more fantastical than this, but I'm sure Sarah will be able to pull it off. I gave Queen of Shadows 10/10 stars, a rare rating from me, but THIS BOOK DESERVED IT. Full of nonstop action, mystery, suspense and a little bit of romance, this is the perfect book for me. I seriously cannot wait to see what Sarah has in store for the next (and last) two books of this series. (Which, by the way, is one of my all time favorite books and I highly recommend that you read it because it's sooooo amazing.) 
The first book is not that good, I'll admit, but it just keeps getting better and better so even if you didn't really enjoy book 1, push on to book two, because it only gets more intriguing from there on out. Here's the synopsis for book one: 
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for four years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Haha, back when the protagonist's biggest problem was a competition... Let me tell you, it definitely gets more intense and you never know what to expect with Sarah's books. 

Alright, all the books after this aren't in any order because I couldn't decide what I liked better. 

This next book I obtained and finished yesterday. And it met and exceeded my expectations which were pretty darn high. {Review should be up soon} I actually just started reading the Falling Kingdoms series this year. After reading the first book {Review here} I was not totally impressed- rating it 6.5/10 stars. It was okay, but I felt as though i was dragging my feet through most of the book. I only liked two of the main characters and really, I just didn't enjoy that book too much. Luckily, I decided I'd give the series another chance and order the second and third books. The second book I found much more interesting and started to feel a lot more invested in this spectacular series- rating it 7/10 stars but I still only liked two of the main characters. And then I read the third book- Gathering Darkness and it sucked me right into the world. (8/10 stars). While reading Gathering Darkness, I was surprised to find myself beginning to like one of the characters I'd previously despised. Hey, you know it's a well written story if you go from hating to tentatively starting to like a character. And then I read Frozen Tides yesterday. It was amazing. This series is full of action, betrayal, deceit, suspense and romance and this last book really brought out the most interesting sides of all the characters. And that one character I was tentatively starting to like?  I love his character now. This series is amazing and quickly working its way up to one of my favorites. The characters (well, most of them) are ones you'll grow quickly attached to and the plot is intriguing- you won't be able to tear your eyes away from the book. I highly recommend reading this series. Yeah, sure, the first book isn't so good, but it only goes up from there. 

Synopsis for Book 1: 
In the three kingdoms of Mytica, magic has long been forgotten. And while hard-won peace has reigned for centuries, a deadly unrest now simmers below the surface.

As the rulers of each kingdom grapple for power, the lives of their subjects are brutally transformed... and four key players, royals and rebels alike, find their fates forever intertwined. Cleo, Jonas, Lucia, and Magnus are caught in a dizzying world of treacherous betrayals, shocking murders, secret alliances, and even unforeseen love.

The only outcome that's certain is that kingdoms will fall. Who will emerge triumphant when all they know has collapsed?

It's the eve of war.... Choose your side.

Princess: Raised in pampered luxury, Cleo must now embark on a rough and treacherous journey into enemy territory in search of magic long thought extinct.

Rebel: Jonas, enraged at injustice, lashes out against the forces of oppression that have kept his country cruelly impoverished. To his shock, he finds himself the leader of a people's revolution centuries in the making.

Sorceress: Lucia, adopted at birth into the royal family, discovers the truth about her past—and the supernatural legacy she is destined to wield.

Heir: Bred for aggression and trained to conquer, firstborn son Magnus begins to realise that the heart can be more lethal than the sword....

I'm giving Frozen Tides 8/10 stars. I absolutely loved it and hope y'all try this series out because it is fantastic. 

Here's a romance for all y'all romance lovers out there. It's one of those cliches that I seriously love. The tom boy girl falling in love and not being quite sure how to handle her feelings. My absolute favorite thing about this book is that there's a very unexpected plot twist that happens in the story. The thing with romance books is you think you know who the protagonist is going to end up with (which I love but-) this book makes a complete 360 spin about halfway through. I loved that about it. I rated it 8.8/10 stars. {Review Here} 
Here's the synopsis: 
ONE OF THE BOYS

What girl doesn't want to be surrounded by gorgeous jocks day in and day out? Jordan Woods isn't just surrounded by hot guys, though-she leads them as the captain and quarterback of her high school football team. They all see her as one of the guys and that's just fine. As long as she gets her athletic scholarship to a powerhouse university.

But everything she's ever worked for is threatened when Ty Green moves to her school. Not only is he an amazing QB, but he's also amazingly hot. And for the first time, Jordan's feeling vulnerable. Can she keep her head in the game while her heart's on the line?

Here, I can tell you this. This series is one of my favorite romance book series ever. Seriously, each book in this series has a heart warming romance. I really think you all should read this excellent book. 

Here's another one of Sarah J. Maas's books that were released this year. This is the start of a new book series she's writing, all of the books in it are going to be loosely based on a fairytale. A Court of Thorns and Roses is loosely based off of Beauty and the Beast. Key word loosely. The idea for 2/3 sounds slightly like Beauty and the Beast but the last bit of this book is very very very different. And also Sarah twists the story so much that it turns a lot darker than you would ever expect. I really loved this book. Sure, the beginning was a little slow, but I got really invested quite quickly. I gave this book 8/10 stars {Review Here} because it was suspenseful, witty, entertaining, full of action and there were quite a few plot twists. Sarah has an excellent style of writing and I fully plan to read the rest of this series as well as the Throne of Glass books. 
Synopsis: 
A thrilling, seductive new series from New York Timesbestselling author Sarah J. Maas, blending Beauty and the Beast with faerie lore.

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Perfect for fans of Kristin Cashore and George R. R. Martin, this first book in a sexy and action-packed new series is impossible to put down!

Better Off Friends was a book I put off reading for so long. But when I read it, I seriously regretted that. This book is seriously good. It follows a pair of friends, Macallan and Levi, through their lives as seventh graders and ends when they're seniors in high school. It's witty and adorable, answering the question Can girls and boys be just friends? This whole novel was so quirky and very lovable. I've reread it several times since the first time and I still haven't lost any of my adoration for this excellent story. In fact, I think my adulation has grown even more. This is such a cute story, please, please, read it. I guarantee you won't regret it. 
I gave this novel... I'm realizing now that I was enjoying this story so much that when I reviewed it, I forgot to rate it, ahah. Well, here's my review. 
Synopsis: 
For Macallan and Levi, it was friends at first sight. Everyone says guys and girls can’t be just friends, but these two are. They hang out after school, share tons of inside jokes, their families are super close, and Levi even starts dating one of Macallan’s friends. They are platonic and happy that way.

Eventually they realize they’re best friends — which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t keep getting in each other’s way. Guys won’t ask Macallan out because they think she’s with Levi, and Levi spends too much time joking around with Macallan, and maybe not enough time with his date. They can’t help but wonder . . . are they more than friends or are they better off without making it even more complicated?

From romantic comedy superstar Elizabeth Eulberg comes a fresh, fun examination of a question for the ages: Can guys and girls ever really be just friends? Or are they always one fight away from not speaking again — and one kiss away from true love?

P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han. I absolutely loved this book just as much as I loved the first- To All The Boys I've Loved Before. Filled with realistic cute and quirky scenes, there's nothing not to love about this adorable duology. {Reviews for both} This is really one of my favorite romance book series (along with Catching Jordan books and Anna and the French Kiss) and I just strongly reccomend this book to anyone who wants an adorable love story, of course, you gotta start out with book one first, but believe me when I say, book two is no disappointment. 

Synopsis for To All the Boys I've Loved Before 

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them…all at once?

Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.

And there you go, these books were my favorites among all of the fantastic stories I've read this year. I hope y'all had as good a year of reading as I did, and if you didn't, well in 2016 why not try some of these excellent books? *wink* *wink* 
Here's the links to buy them if you're interested. 
Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas
Frozen Tides by Morgan Rhodes
Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally 
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
Better off Friends by Elizabeth Eulberg 
P.S. I Still Love You by Jenny Han

Thanks for reading and I hope you take some of these recommendations to heart. 
-Anj

I've been waiting pretty much a year for this book. And it was worth that wait. After saying that though, HOW CAN I WAIT ANOTHER YEAR FOR THE NEXT BOOK? Sarah J. Maas is definitely one of my favorite authors. I love her books and her writing. There's just something that flows so elegantly with the way she writes. I love it. Seriously, Sarah could write a 1,000 page novel about Celaena going grocery shopping and I'd be hooked. Queen of Shadows is the fourth novel in the Throne of Glass books by Sarah J. Maas. No rhyme intended. This is a spectacular series, one of my all time favorites. I highly recommend it to anyone. The books just keep getting better and better. Out of the four books, Queen of Shadows is definitely my favorite. So, if you don't like Throne of Glass, try Crown of Midnight (book 2) before completely giving up on the series. (I really hope you don't give up because I really love these books) to see my review of the first book, click- oh wait, on second thought, after reading that review and realizing it was terrible I'm not gonna link it. Just read that book! It's awesome. And the plot just keeps getting twistier and twistier! I love it! Anyway, this part of the review will contain no spoilers for Queen of Shadows, but no promises for any of the earlier books. So, pretty much what I'm saying is, if you have yet to read this series, go on! Pick up the first book, you'll rush through this book series faster than you'd ever imagine- it's that good. 
Here's the synopsis for Throne of Glass (Book 1) 
After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men-thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king's council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she'll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom. Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she's bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her... but it's the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead... quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined. 


It's 10x better than it sounds. And Queen of Shadows is 10000x better then the first book. The characters in this book were, as expected on point. If not better than on point (can you get better than on point?) Celaena- or should I say Aelin has turned from a cocking assassin to a cunning and confident queen. I really enjoyed reading about her character and her story. Her point of view was definitely my favorite in this book. It still impresses me how cunning and strategic Aelin is. She's such a wonderful and great protagonist. Strong. Smart. Powerful. Everything you'd want in a protagonist. I just love Aelin. No matter what she does, I'll always love her. I'll always cheer her on, no matter what she's doing. Seriously, while I was reading this I started squealing and cheering whenever Aelin a. fought and won b. 's plans worked c. was awesome. So pretty much I was cheering the entire time. My sister thought I was either insane or dying. Honestly, I can't really say whether or not I'm insane. 
If you do remember my Throne of Glass review, as bad as it was, you'd remember I was team chaol. But after I read the Assassin's Blade, I was totally team Sam. Even though he's dead. I really appreciated how much Sam was in this book. He had a lot more time in this one than the previous two. Honestly, in this book, Chaol was rather annoying. The thing is, I saw where he was coming from butI love Aelin so much I always have to be on her side- I found myself annoyed at Chaol quite a lot during this book. My feelings for Chaol are complicated to say the least. I don't dislike him but I don't like him too much right now, either. 
Dorian, his point of views in this book were interesting. He was stuggling to remember and to take control. 
Rowan, I have complicated feelings for that guy. I like him better as a friend for Aelin, not really a romance. But that's more of what he was this book. I don't really mind their romance but I'm still solidly team Sam. Forever. 
Aedion. I. Love. This. Guy. And I still love him. Aedion and Sam. Those boys are my life in this book series. Aedion is a total babe. He's a spectacular fighter and loyal to a point. What more could you ask for? Oh yeah, he's also drop dead gorgeous and half fae. True love. I'd take an Aedion any day. 
Aedion and Aelin? Best family I've ever read about, probably. Though, I was disappointed at the smaller part Aedion took after Rowan showed up. (Gee thanks Rowan) Anyway, not team Chaol, anymore, now I'm team Galathynius! <3 And team Sam. Always team Sam. 
Manon, I do remember last book I was disinterested in her. This book I found her more interesting and even began to like her more. It's just she's such a pushover and I really didn't appreciate it. 
Anyway, this a fanastical book and I really feel that you should read it because it's probably one of my favorite books out of my favorite book series. 

10/10 stars. This book is brilliant and I love it so so so so much. Seriously, I was in love with it by page one. 

SPOILERS BELOW FOR QUEEN OF SHADOWS
Guys, I'd totally forgotten by Kaltain but I got really excited when she showed up in this book. I love seeing old faces. When will Nox show up again? I never thought that Kaltain would have any special powers like her shadow fire but I found that really interesting. The book leads you to believe that she died... but I'm not sure because you never actually get proof that she's dead. And in books, if there's not proof, you can never be sure. The thing is, she gave the key to Elide and was like only give this to Celaena Sardothien and I'm like... oh this might be complicated because now, Celaena is technically dead. Will that confuse Elide when she meets Aelin? 
The relationship between Aedion and Aelin is beautiful and I love it. They're pretty much like brother and sister and it's really cute seeing them be with each other. I did wait a really long time to see it and it was worth it. I really loved how Aelin was worried Aedion would hate her because of what she'd done but she was willing to save him no matter what. And then Aedion thought Aelin would hate him for what he did and he was willing to sacrifice himself for her. *SCREAMS* THE FEELS. Their devotion to each other and their family / country is so beautiful. I did like the comparison that they were two sides of a coin. Also they're described as almost twins and yeah they are alike in looks as well as personality. They've both gone through hardships they're ashamed of, are strong fighters and can be ruthless if needed. When Chaol said he was almost afraid to see them together because of the team they'd make, I was just thinking, they'll make an unstoppable team. I LOVE IT. "Never. I could never be ashamed of you." 
I loved how much Sam was mentioned in this book. I said that before but he has a lot more significance in this book than he did in the last ones. She wears his shirt to bed (I got so many feels for that) and she goes to his grave (Aw) and she avenges his death, (Major AW there)
Aedion's rescue was amazing. Very well planned out and very intensely exciting. "That was a spectacular rescue. Let's never do it again." Aedion is BAE. 
Remember that quote- "You could rattle the stars. You could do anything, if you only dared. And deep down, you know it too and that's what scares you most." I LOVED the follow up line to that in this book, "Let's go rattle the stars." That was great and well planned out. 
I can't wait so see the next book with pretty much unlimited magic! <3

I think I'm in love with this book series. It's so amazing, fascinating and exhilarating. The plot is riveting and the protagonist is perfect. Celeana is everything you could want in a female protagonist- funny, sarcastic, strong etc. Seriously, if you haven't read this series yet, go read it and if you read Throne of Glass and gave up there TRY CROWN OF MIDNIGHT. And... if you somehow didn't like Crown of Midnight, well, I don't think we can be friends... Haha jk but we'll get along great if you love this series too. I read these two book literally in one day. That's how good they are, these books entrap you in their world and you'll never want to leave. I would give The Assassin's Blade a 9.8/10, I loved that book with all my heart, my soul and my mind. The Assassin's Blade is a bind up of five prequel novellas, and it's amazingly perfect. Two words. Sam Cortland. That's all you need to know to want to read that book. My favorite of the novellas would have to have been The Assassin and the Underworld, but we'll get to that later. I'm giving Heir of Fire a 9/10 stars, it was riveting and exciting in everywhere that counts but there were certain aspects of it that I'll admit, annoyed me. Now that I've got that out of the way, let's discuss the books, shall we?

SPOILERS BELOW FOR THE ASSASSIN'S BLADE


Sam Cortland. Sam. Sam. Cortland. Love. Sam. Sam Cortland. I. Love. Sam. Cortland. Sam. Sam Cortland. 
Going into this book, I knew Sam would die. So I tried not to get too attached. I obviously failed. His wit, charm and personality is just impossible to resist. I love Sam so much and it made me so sad when he died. But I have a theory what if Sam actually isn't dead and Arobynn (Assobynn) (How do you spell his name??) or Sam actually faked his death? If Sam did it it would be to protect Celeana from something, and if Assobynn did it it would be to hurt Celeana and probably torture Sam. Sam can't be dead. Right? Right? I don't quite believe this theory, I'll admit, but a girl can dream. Seriously, if Sam actually isn't dead and he comes back in one of the next books, I'll switch to Team Sam and drop Chaol like a hot potato but since he probably won't, I'll stick with Chaol for now. I literally almost cried at Sam's death, my brain was screaming for Celeana to go with him or something because I knew his death was coming up soon. My favorite stories.. hmm. The Assassin and the Underworld, The Assassin and the Pirate Lord, The Assassin and The Desert, The Assassin and the Empire and The Assassin and the Healer. 
I would give the Empire a higher ranking but Sam 'died' so... He's not dead. No stop saying that. He's not dead. He can't be. 
I loved the Underworld, though. Sam and Celeana's relationship in that book was so cute, when Celeana was drowning and he was screaming for help <3 Sam is my favorite boy of this book series so far and he's going to be hard to beat, boys. I've really wanted to know more about Sam ever since reading Throne of Glass but now I can't decide whether I'm happy to have gotten to know him or if I wish I hadn't. Sarah, that novella about the empire was really heartbreaking. Sam isn't dead.... No.  Me? In denial? Why would you think that? 
I really enjoyed the Pirate Lord, you really got to see Celeana before Endovier and it gave you good insight on her relationship with Sam. Sam. Sam. Sam. I love Sam. The Pirate Lord was a lot of fun, and at the end when she's screaming for Sam and he pops up... tehe, I loved that part. The Desert was a pretty fun read too, though when I read Ansel my thoughts immediately jumped to Ansel Elgort. Yeah, definitely not an Ansel of the Elgort category. Were any of you expecting Ansel to do that in the end of that novella? I wasn't, but I'm glad Celeana didn't kill Ansel, that would have left a lasting scar on her. It was so cutely sad how you could tell Celeana really had cared for Ansel, first she couldn't kill her and second, she shot her arrow towards her horse instead of Ansel and gave her 21 minutes instead of 20. 
The healer, I didn't really see the point in that novella and if Yrene doesn't show back up in the next books of this series I'm going to say that novella was pretty pointless. That story didn't have very much action in it and zero romance, so I obviously didn't enjoy it as much as some of the other novellas. 

Me? crying? No, I'm just allergic to SAM CORTLAND'S FREAKING DEATH!

SPOILERS BELOW FOR HEIR OF FIRE
Where do I begin? Why not start off with talking about Manon? I didn't really like her part, to be honest. I think her part should have been a novella or something because she's a completely new character and her plot has yet to intertwine with our main characters. When they mentioned the Wastelands, my thoughts immediately jumped to Ansel, then they briefly mentioned her. The High King was overthrown by someone who called themselves the High Queen, that's obviously Ansel, I hope she pops back into Celeana's story line, even after she kinda betrayed her. 
I liked Abraxos, he was funny, but Manon just annoyed the heck out of me. I quite honestly couldn't wait for her parts to be over when I was reading this book. 
My favorite of the three 'parts' of this book would have to be what was going on at the castle. Hearing about Chaol and Aedion... Let's talk about Aedion, shall we? I didn't know what to think of him at first. He was introduced as a douche, a tool and a whore that was betraying his own people using the royal sword. But then you go to that part where Aedion captures Chaol and he yells "Aelin is alive!" and then we see Aedion's POV and by the Angel I felt like crying for Aedion then. Adarlan's Whore. He never minded that title, until now. That's not the exact wording but whatever. It's still heartbreaking. Aedion is defiantly my second favorite male character, I love how loyal he is to Aelin and how much he loved her. I can't even describe how much I wanted to see Aelin/Celeana and Aedion's reunion in this book. I swear if they never see each other again I probably will cry. It was horrible how much Aedion hated himself, I felt so bad for him! All he wanted was to see Aelin take back her throne, his loyalty, gods, that was astonishing. If they don't save Aedion in the next book..... That line "He didn't mind dying. But he would've liked to see Aelin again." Or something like that, I just... can't even... Then when someone said like there is no throne he said "Then I'll build her a new one out of her enemy's bones." His loyalty is defiantly his most defining characteristic and I apologize for how many times I've said loyal in the last paragraph, but that's just the first word that comes to my head when thinking of Aedion. I love him. Sarah, seriously, you already took Sam from me, don't take away Aedion too! 
Want to talk Dorian? Let's talk Dorian. Dorian was annoying me in this book, I won't lie. I get that he was hurt by Chaol not telling him about Aelin but it was for his own safety. Then he got together with Sorscha. No. I wanted that ship to sink deep down in the bottom of the sea. Sure, I may not ship Dorian with Celeana, (Though I'm thinking it's possible he might end up with her) but that Sorscha thing. NO. That was my first thought when it said she was in love with him. NO. I did not like that romance at all, and I'll admit that I was happy that she died. Dorian redeemed himself though, when he saved Chaol's life, because in the end, I think that those two will still be friends. I love how touched Dorian was by Chaol calling him his king and that he was exposing himself to save his friend's life. But then he got that mf-ing collar on him. Someone better get that thing the hell off him in the next book or I'll flip my shit. But  I'll flip more if Aedion dies. 
Haha there was someone named Murtagh (Uh Eragon fans? Anyone?) Murtagh was my favorite character in Eragon so... I do like my broken boys, lol. 
Now to the part you'r all probably waiting for me to talk about, Celeana. Everyone is fawning over Rowan. I'm not crazy about him, but I like his character. What I do not like is shipping him with Celeana. It's Sam or Chaol or MAYBE Aedion. Not Rowan. They have a strong friendship, which, Katytastic compared to parabatai, which I can see, but I could also see them toeing the friendship line a little. No. When Celeana was asking about how she could hurt Chaol if he was truly her mate, it was when I realized that she probably won't choose him, especially after Chaol realized him self that Celeana would  always choose him, but Aelin couldn't. Ugh, my ship in sinking. Sam, come back to me. 
I didn't particularly like how the main characters were so spread out in this book, even Dorian and Chaol were kind of spread apart in this book, and they were in the same castle. I definitely enjoyed it a lot more when they were together, though, when they were apart they each got a lot of character growth, which I enjoyed. 
So I'm finally caught up on the series and I'll be reading the next book along with you guys! and I seriously cannot wait for it. See you guys next time. xoxo. 

I loved this book! It was so much better than Throne of Glass! If you didn't like Throne of Glass, seriously, try the next book, it's so much better than the first book! 9/10 stars, yeah, that's how much I loved this book. It was exciting, with plot twists around pretty much every corner, the romance was spot on and Ah! I loved everything! The characters were fun and lovable and the action scenes were riveting. I seriously recommend this series to you. So.... That means you should go read it... now, if you haven't. But I think I'm like the last person to have not read it so thats probably not a problem. I seriously cannot wait to read The Assassins blade, which is a novella bind up and then The Heir of Fire! Those are going to be my next book reviews, I can promise. If you actually haven't read this series, go read my Throne of Glass review :) I don't wanna spoil you! 
SPOILERS FOR CROWN OF MIDNIGHT BELOW
The ChaolxCeleana in this book melted my heart. I loved it. In fact, most of my notes were just about the moments between the two of them. The action scenes were great, though. Unfortunately I knew that Nehemia would die, I read the summery for Heir of Fire, you see. Okay, never read the synopsis for the next books if you don't want to be spoiled. 
What did you guys think of Archer? He kind of reminded me of Finnick Odair from The Hunger Games at first. You know, since he slept around because he had to and all. But then he quickly moved far, far, far away from Finnick. He was an arse. Like how he had Nehemia assassinated? Uh, no, you can't do that. Even though they kind of hinted that maybe Nehemia pushed him to do it, still NO! I kind of liked Archer at first, but yeah, obviously didn't like him by the end. 
"I'll go with you." ahsva shkjnc
"Go," he snarled at Dorion before launching himself at the creature. 
That line, though. It was so powerfully awesome. I loved it. I still haven't changed my mind fromm the last book- still solidly Team Chaol but I do like Dorion, he's just not as good as Chaol who kind of reminds me of Tobias but I like him even better! (No offense Divergent fans! I love Divergent too but Allegiant just... well....) 
Celeana being Fae, did any of you guys see that coming? Huge plot twist there. And then you find out she's the lost queen and my brain just exploded. CANNOT wait to read Heir of Fire, but since I'm trying to pace myself, I'm going to read The Assassins Blade first. I do want to hear more about Sam, he sounds like a great guy, even though he's dead, if Celeana loved him that much he has to have been a pretty amazing guy. 
Back to Archer, that guy was insane, how could he think that murdering Celeana's best friend and working with her lost loves murderer/torturer would get her to want to be on his 'team'? Seriously demented. 
I'll apologize again for the short reviews lately and thank you guys for sticking with me- it's not just because I have like no free time these days, it's that I haven't been taking many notes! But I feel like a short review is better than no review so... See you guys next time. 
xoxo 

Yay, I actually got around to reading this book. I was avoiding it for two reasons, 1. my friend told me she didn't like it 2. I heard the characters were really flat. Not true, the characters are well rounded and very intriguing. Throne of Glass is an 8/10 stars, it was a very impressive book and I just had to put it on my favorites shelf (I had to rearrange two other shelves to get it there!) I seriously cannot wait to buy the other three books out, though one of them is a novella bind up. The names are a little weird but you can get past them, I did. 
This story is told mainly from the view of the country's most feared assassin, Celaena Sardothien. She's been captured and in slavery for the last year of her life so when she's offered an out, she takes it. Her 'out' is to compete in a competition to find the king's champion. She must compete against other criminals and win, otherwise she will be sent back to slavery. One problem, the others are being brutally killed off. Why? And who is the culprit? Celeana must find out before she's next. 

Synopsis: 
In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien. 

The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. But something evil dwells in the castle of glass--and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival, and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

Go read this book then we can compare ;) 

SPOILERS FOR THRONE OF GLASS BELOW


I have very few notes on this book but here are my thoughts, 
First off, how does she not like fish? What is this? 
As much as I like Dorian, I think I want Chaol to end up with Celeana, the moments they had together just touched me so much. When he gave her that ring I literally spasmed out so much I hurt my calf muscle by stretching it wrong! Yes, reading is a dangerous sport, lol. 
I had three suspects for who was killing people off the king, the princess, or the duke and Cain. I was 75% right. Since this book takes place over a long extensive time period, things seemed close to me, but I often forgot it was weeks and months. So I guess it makes sense that Celeana forgot about Cain cleaning up those runes, but I remembered. Also the thing about Pelor's poison comment was forgotten by me, as soon as I heard poison test my mind immediately jerked to him. 
Finally! A female protagonist who gets her period!
I loved how Dorian decided to read that romance book just because Chaol wouldn't. 
I really liked Nox is he ever going to show back up again? I hope so, he was too good of a character to just toss away. 
When Chaol offered his sword to Celeana adelriorijogi I would've squeaked so loudly if not for me being sick and having the worst sore throat and cough ever. 
"Shut your mouth" sounded ridiculous, why didn't Celeana just say Shut up? 
Sorry, I didn't take many notes, but I'll be back soon with a hopefully longer review on Daughter of Smoke and Bone