Book Review: Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer

I finished reading Midnight Sun a couple of weeks ago. I didn’t post a review because I don’t think it will be useful to potential readers and I didn’t give it a rating on Goodreads because I had no idea how to go about rating it.

Midnight Sun is Twilight (Twilight Saga #1) from Edward’s POV, right? Well, I’ve read Twilight over 20 times. I’ve read the entire Saga over 10 times. I read the leaked chapters of Midnight Sun over 5 times. I devoured everything Stephenie shared about the characters, esp. Edward, and obviously watched the films loads of times for Robert Pattinson.

As such, Midnight Sun was so familiar to me; it felt like I was reading a book I’ve read many times already and I can’t measure how much I enjoyed each chapter/section of the book—it would be unfair to measure it because it’s not the book’s fault that I was obsessed with this series. A lot of the new scenes didn’t feel that new because Edward mentioned a lot of them in the other books, and so they felt familiar, too.

YET from the baseball game onwards, OMG, I was totally hooked!! During the action sequences following the match, I was on the edge of my seat, wondering, gasping, hoping everything would be alright. Like I know how it ended but my heart was still pounding and I felt as though I didn’t know what would happen. So damn gripping!! Like Stephenie Meyer did that. She did that to me. Any old author can’t pull that off for me. I wanted the rest of the Saga in Edward’s POV, afterwards. So, that segment was 5-stars, hands down. 

It’s just really difficult to rate how much I enjoyed the rest of it. The familiar scenes are 4-stars? The really familiar ones are 3-stars? How am I supposed to average it out and give an overall rating for the whole book? Not gonna do it.

I will say this though: How happy am I that this book was published? 5-star level happiness. How happy am I to have read this book? 5-star level happiness. For that, and for everything else your books have done for me, Stephenie, thank you so much.

Book Review: Chain of Iron by Cassandra Clare

This will be a short review. I can’t say much without spoilers and if I were to write down how I felt about Chain of Iron, it would almost be an identical review to the one I posted for Book 1 of The Last Hours Trilogy, Chain of Gold, which you can read here.

The few additional comments I have (that I can dare share), are below:

I loved that we got a few new POVs in this one, yay. And dammit, the special art within is gorgeous!

I wish there were more than a few paragraphs from Matthew’s POV—because I absolutely love this character! But I understand why his POV was limited; still, being a Matthew stan, I couldn’t help hoping for his POV section to be longer. 

I said I wanted to give Chain of Gold 500-stars because I loved it 500 times more than Lord of Shadows, which I rated 5-stars, making it my favourite Shadowhunter book ever (until Chain of Gold). While reading Chain of Iron, I loved it and enjoyed it as much as Book 1, so I was ready to dole out another 500 stars.

But then I read the final chapter.

“No,” I said. “I don’t think I can give Chain of Iron 500 stars.” This chapter. My gosh. I. Absolutely. Freakin’. Loved. It. Enjoyed it so so much. “Yes!” I kept saying while I read. “Yes, yes, yes.” It felt a bit like how the Epilogue of Clockwork Princess elevated that book for me from a 2.5-star rating to a 3-star—but on a much more colossal scale. So, yeah, what I’m saying is I want to give Chain of Iron 600 freakin’ stars.

The only downside is that I have to wait a year till the next—and final—book in the series comes out. Suddenly, reading this book as soon as it came out, and so quickly, isn’t looking like a great decision LOL. A decision I can’t regret, of course.

I said this book would probably kill me and it might just be a slow and painful year-long death for me as I wait for Chain of Thorns. If you’ve received your copy: What are you waiting for? Go read it. Now.

And here’s a bonus review:

Nothing but Shadows (novella by Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan)

I admit, I had no intention of reading Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy. After reading Chain of Gold, however, I was very eager to read Nothing but Shadows. I really wanted to see how my now-beloved Merry Thieves bonded at the Academy. And for more of Matthew. And of course, more James. And whatever Easter eggs the authors may have hidden in it for The Last Hours Trilogy. I think Matthew and James might be my favourite fictional Best Friends? Definitely my favourite parabatai.

No surprises here: I had so much fun reading this! I laughed out loud at some of the interactions between the key characters and I couldn’t wait to follow them into Chain of Iron! Loved it.

Book Review: Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

I flew through this book and finished it in under a week.

Three nights in a row, I read until 4am because I just didn’t want to put it down. Couldn’t put it down. Couldn’t leave the world and the characters that I fell so instantly in love with.

From the first page, I knew this book was going straight for my heart, and when I finished Chapter 1, it had gripped my heart quite tightly.

Chapter 2, and I knew my heart wouldn’t be in one piece when I was done with this book—and it wasn’t.

By the time I got to the end of Chapter 3, I knew I’d re-read it as soon as I finished it. I just knew. And you know what? I did. It’s just that good!

I loved it so much! Loved everything about it—every character, every sentence, every little thing. And the writing was amazing, of course. Cassandra Clare’s writing gets better and better with every book and in this one, it was faultless.

I gave Lord of Shadows 5-stars, my favourite Shadawhunter book ever; I wasn’t expecting to like Chain of Gold more than that because I always enjoy the second book in all her trilogies the most—and also because The Last Hours trilogy is the sequel series to The Infernal Devices trilogy, which is my least favourite trilogy in the Shadowhunter Chronicles. So, I want to give Chain of Gold more than 5-stars. Maybe 500 stars because I enjoyed it that much more than Lord of Shadows?

Here are some thoughts I had while reading and re-reading this book:

“I didn’t know this book included a trope I’ve been craving!”

“These boys and their friendship! I need more books with friendships like these!”

“Will’s not the only one that’s biased towards the Carstairs. All my favourite Shadowhunters are Carstairs!”

“I need Anna to send me some of those dresses!”

Needless to say, I couldn’t wait for the sequel to come out, especially with the way things played out at the end, wondering if Book 2, Chain of Iron, would follow the pattern of being my favourite of the trilogy. “If so,” I thought, “it will be epic and I might just die.”

Read my review of the sequel >>here<<

Epic Fantasy #BookRecommendations with #BookReviews

I have three epic reads to recommend if you like reading high fantasy—or if you’re like me and read an eclectic mix of genres. If you want to give epic fantasy a try for the first time, I personally, think these books are easy to get into. Mini book reviews for my recommendations are provided, too :) I hope you’ll give them a try if they’re not already on your TBR.

Favourite Standalone

The Priory of The Orange Tree

Samantha Shannon (2019)

ADULT FANTASY

This book was as stunning as its cover. Beautiful writing, a gripping story, a big cast of intriguing characters, a HUGE world. A grown up fantasy for the sophisticated reader. I enjoyed it so much. It’s a standalone, but I wouldn’t be surprised—in fact, I’d be very happy—if the author announced a sequel or a companion novel in the future. This epic world has SO MUCH potential. Samantha Shannon’s other series is going on my TBR.

>>Amazon Link<<

Favourite Series

Throne of Glass Series

Sarah J Maas (2012-2018)

YA/NA CROSS-OVER

This seven-book series is one hell of a ride. Ten years in the making and it shows. You can see on the page all the love and care that Sarah J Maas put into her characters and this world. Book 1 foreshadowed a lot of the themes in Book 7—that tells you she knew exactly what she was doing from the start.

Personally, my favourites in this series were Book 4 (Queen of Shadows) and Book 5 (Empire of Storms). I loved every chapter in EoS, every story arc, every character—the supporting cast more so in this book than the lead protagonist (even though she is one of my favourite female fiction characters ever)—every thing.

My favourite thing about SJM is how she really takes the time and makes the effort to develop her supporting cast. They have interesting pasts and grow and change and really influence the story line, driving it forward just as much as the protagonist does. In EoS in particular, I think SJM did a brilliant job with the peripheral characters, all having a role to play and pushing the story forward. I didn't once find myself skimming through sections that were from the supporting cast's POV, which sometimes can happen if the sub-plots and peripheral characters aren't interesting enough.

>>Amazon Link<<

Favourite Book

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thrones and Roses #2)

Sarah J Maas (2016)

NA/ADULT CROSS-OVER

I love this book more than all the books in the ToG series and more than The Priory of the Orange Tree—so I guess I have to recommend the ACOTAR series, too. Why isn’t this series my favourite series, though? The first book and the final one in the series were 3-star reads for me, whereas all the books in the ToG series were 4- and 5-star reads, so that’s why ToG won that race. But the ACOTAR trilogy is worth reading just for the second book in the series—it’s that good.

ACOMAF had everything I wanted it to have and more. The writing, pacing, romance, action, humour, all of it was excellent. I enjoyed it even more when I re-read it. Plus, it won a Goodreads Choice Award, too.

>>Amazon Link<<

There you go. My high fantasy book recommendations. I hope you’ll give them a try if epic fantasy is your jam :)

My Heir to the Throne Trilogy (“Throne of Glass with mermaids-ish”) is available at the below retailers:

Apple Books, B&N Nook, Kobo

#BookReview ~ The Dark Artifices Series by Cassandra Clare

Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) by Cassandra Clare was my favourite read of 2017. So, I'm posting a quick review on this series (I read Book 1 in the series early 2017).

First up, the cover and blurb for Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)

In a kingdom by the sea…

In a secret world where half-angel warriors are sworn to fight demons, parabatai is a sacred word.

A parabatai is your partner in battle. A parabatai is your best friend. Parabatai can be everything to each other—but they can never fall in love.

Emma Carstairs is a warrior, a Shadowhunter, and the best in her generation. She lives for battle. Shoulder to shoulder with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, she patrols the streets of Los Angeles, where vampires party on the Sunset Strip, and faeries—the most powerful of supernatural creatures—teeter on the edge of open war with Shadowhunters.

When the bodies of humans and faeries turn up murdered in the same way Emma’s parents were when she was a child, an uneasy alliance is formed. This is Emma’s chance for revenge—and Julian’s chance to get back his brother Mark, who is being held prisoner by the faerie Courts. All Emma, Mark, and Julian have to do is solve the murders within two weeks…and before the murderer targets them.

Their search takes Emma from sea caves full of sorcery to a dark lottery where death is dispensed. And each clue she unravels uncovers more secrets. What has Julian been hiding from her all these years? Why does Shadowhunter Law forbid parabatai to fall in love? Who really killed her parents—and can she bear to know the truth?


The darkly magical world of Shadowhunters has captured the imaginations of millions of readers across the globe. Join the adventure in Lady Midnight, the long-awaited first volume of a new trilogy from Cassandra Clare.

My Review

This is a follow-up series to the bestselling Mortal Instruments (MI) books and follows a new set of characters which we were introduced to towards the end of the MI series. It's in the same Shadowhunter universe of course and, say what you will about authors writing loads of books based in the same 'world', but I think it's more than fine if you have a good story to tell.

To be honest, I don't see why Ms. Clare has been criticised for setting her novels in the same universe ~ don't crime writers write about the same detective over and over? Don't authors of contemporary fiction set their books in the real world over and over? So why can't Cassandra Clare write as many books as she wants exploring the Shadowhunter world, since it's such a massive and rich world and has so much potential?


Shadowhunter fans went crazy for Lady Midnight so I was really looking forward to this book.

My Rating: 4-stars

I really enjoyed this book and it answered a lot of the questions I had about a certain Shadowhunter law and I was glad we got to explore this concept in detail. The lead characters are likeable and the dynamics of their relationships with the secondary characters are very interesting.

The story unravelled slowly (it's a very big book!) but in a way that kept you glued to the pages. It was really nice that some of our favourite characters from previous books made cameo appearances and exciting to see how their lives have panned out since we finished their story arc.

It's not a quick read by any means, but I didn't find it a struggle to get through like I did with some of the other books based in this Universe. In fact, it was a pleasure getting to know these new sets of characters, and as usual with Ms. Clare's books, there were a lot of heartbreaking moments that drew you closer to them and their lives.

You do have to read all... 9 books that preceded Lady Midnight, or else you'll be a little lost at times and be spoiled for the previous two series if you decide to read them after Lady Midnight. The author suggests (in a BookTube interview) that you should read her books in the order they were published, so start with the first trilogy in the MI series, rather than The Infernal Devices series, even though that's set in an earlier time period (the 1870's).

Check out this book here.

Next up, my review for Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2)

I downloaded this highly anticipated sequel to Lady Midnight on my iPhone (on iBooks) and was really looking forward to getting stuck in. Cassandra Clare fans are loving this series, and I'd heard great things about this book, so I didn't want to wait any longer to read it, especially as the ending to Lady Midnight hinted at so much....

My Rating for Lord of Shadows: 5-stars (my best book of 2017)

So, this was only the third book in 2017 that I rated 5-stars, and boy did this book deserve it. If I could give it 6 out of 5, I would. Or 7, or 8. It had everything, and I loved it.

Lady Midnight was great, but Lord of Shadows was better. I don't know how the length of this book compares to its predecessor ~ I read Lady Midnight in hardback form, and Lord of Shadows in e-book format, but whereas Lady Midnight was a big long book and felt that way, and I found that it started off slowly, Lord of Shadows felt too short, like I should have dragged it out longer. It wasn't rushed or anything, actually the pacing was perfect.

I got more invested with the characters in this book and I liked how they developed and matured. And the added focus on the secondary characters, especially Ty and Kit, I really liked.

I should have guessed I'd like this book more than Book 1, as I've noticed a pattern with me and Cassandra Clare books: I always seem to like the second book in her series more than the rest. City of Ashes was my favourite from the Mortal Instruments series, Clockwork Prince was the one I enjoyed most of the Infernal Devices series, and now Lord of Shadows.

Check out this book here.

Thank you very much for reading this post. My books are available on: 
Apple Books, B&N, Kobo, Smashwords, and Amazon. My new book, Heir to the Throne (the first book in a new epic royalty fantasy trilogy), is out now, as is the sequel. More details here.

#BookReview ~ Home by Harlan Coben

Home by Harlan Coben was my third best read of 2017, so I'm posting a quick review on it for you. Let's start with the cover and blurb:

Ten years after the high-profile kidnapping of two young boys, only one returns home.

A decade ago, kidnappers grabbed two boys from wealthy families and demanded ransom, then went silent. No trace of the boys ever surfaced. For ten years their families have been left with nothing but painful memories and a quiet desperation for the day that has finally, miraculously arrived: Myron Bolitar and his friend Win believe they have located one of the boys, now a teenager.

Where has he been for ten years, and what does he know about the day, more than half a life ago, when he was taken? And most critically: What can he tell Myron and Win about the fate of his missing friend? 

Harlan Coben delivers a thriller about friendship, family, and the meaning of home.

Review

Home is the 11th book in the Myron Bolitar series, my favourite crime series of all time. So, of course I'd been itching to get my hands on it, especially since I read a little preview of it in Fool Me Once, by the same author (though not from the Myron Bolitar series), earlier this year.

If you're interested in my review of Fool Me Once, you can find it in my March Wrap-Up post.

A little background on this bestselling series:

Myron Bolitar is a sports agent that also ends up investigating and solving crimes, from murders and missing persons to entrapment of dangerous gangsters. He has a great sidekick/best friend that helps him out, who is one of my favourite thriller characters ever. His name is Win Lockwood, short for Windsor Horne Lockwood III, but don't be fooled by the title ~ Win is a serious badass.

But things have changed quite a bit now, 11 books into the series, so I was eager to see how everything turned out.

My Rating: 5-stars

This was only my second 5-star rating in 2017. It. Was. That. Good. And I've read some pretty good books that year. The mystery that had to be solved in this book was so cleverly crafted, so well executed, and of course, pulled at the heartstrings, too. That's one of the things that sets apart Harlan Coben's crime thrillers from the rest ~ the emotion, the heart.

And not to mention the wit and comedy, the amazing chemistry between Myron and his friends, particularly Win.

Ah, Win.

Love this character. I don't think I'd find it easy to love Win as a person in real life ~ on paper, he has a lot of issues and faults and makes some decisions that most people would disapprove of and frown upon, including me. But as fictional characters go, he is one of my favourites and one of the best I've ever read. I don't think every lead character or sidekick has to be likeable and be a good role model, as long as they're well developed and make for an entertaining read. Win is definitely that.

I so loved the ending scene in this book, and I wish I could discuss it with you, but I can't. All I will say is that if you haven't started this series yet, do it. What are you waiting for? Get it from here.

Thank you for reading this post. If you're so interested in my books, you can check them out via >>this link<<