#catlynnreviews

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: The Name of This Book is Secret Series: The Secret Series (Book 1) Author: Pseudonymous Bosch Pages: 400 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “Generally speaking, books don't cause much harm. Except when you read them, that is. Then they cause all kinds of problems.” Recommendation: If you like children’s books, mysteries, author as a character, secrets, magic

Synopsis: 

Warning: this description has not been authorized by Pseudonymous Bosch. As much as he'd love to sing the praises of his book (he is very vain), he wouldn't want you to hear about his brave 11-year old heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest. Or about how a mysterious box of vials, the Symphony of Smells, sends them on the trail of a magician who has vanished under strange (and stinky) circumstances. And he certainly wouldn't want you to know about the hair-raising adventures that follow and the nefarious villains they face. You see, not only is the name of this book secret, the story inside is, too. For it concerns a secret. A Big Secret.

My Opinion: 

This series is aimed at a much younger audience, but even at the age of 17 I love these books as much as I did when I was 9.

These characters are some of the most relatable I’ve found, even though they’re written to be middle schoolers.

I love books that reinforce the magic of the real world, even if they’re a bit fantastical in themselves. I could read this series 1000 times over and still find new things to marvel at and be entertained.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: We Contain Multitudes Series: Standalone Author: Sarah Henstra Pages: 336 Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5) Favorite Quote: “The US Postal Service is abuzz with the missives of sad, solitary, estranged teenagers.” Recommendation: If you like epistolary novels, gay romance, enemies to lovers, high school setting Synopsis: 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets I'll Give You the Sun in an exhilarating and emotional novel about the growing relationship between two teenage boys, told through the letters they write to one another.

Jonathan Hopkirk and Adam "Kurl" Kurlansky are partnered in English class, writing letters to one another in a weekly pen pal assignment. With each letter, the two begin to develop a friendship that eventually grows into love. But with homophobia, bullying, and devastating family secrets, Jonathan and Kurl struggle to overcome their conflicts and hold onto their relationship...and each other.

This rare and special novel celebrates love and life with engaging characters and stunning language, making it perfect for fans of Jandy Nelson, Nina LaCour, and David Levithan.

My Opinion:

The armpit scene was completely disturbing. It didn’t need to exist and read like it was only for the author’s indulgence.

I absolutely adore epistolary novels, but this one wasn’t the best written I’ve ever seen. The way they repeated scenes they were both present for didn’t seem realistic.

I loved the realness of transitioning from the state of unknowingly suppressing who you are to accepting it

Gay representation is usually good, but this one didn’t read properly, likely because of being written by a straight women.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: This Isn’t What it Looks Like Series: The Secret Series (Book 4) Author: Pseudonymous Bosch Pages: 421 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “Truth is only stranger than fiction if you’re a stranger to the truth.” Recommendation: If you like children’s books, mysteries, author as a character, secrets, magic, medieval times, time traveling

Synopsis: 

The Secret Series continues in this dangerous and daring fourth adventure. Cass finds herself alone and disoriented, a stranger in a dream-like, medieval world. Where is she? Who is she? With the help of a long-lost relative, she begins to uncover clues and secrets--piecing together her family's history as she fights her way back to the present world. Meanwhile, back home, Cass is at the hospital in a deep coma. Max-Ernest knows she ate Time Travel Chocolate--and he's determined to find a cure. Can our expert hypochondriac diagnose Cass's condition before it's too late? And will he have what it takes to save the survivalist?

My Opinion:

This series is aimed at a much younger audience, but even at the age of 17 I love these books as much as I did when I was 9.

These characters are some of the most relatable I’ve found, even though they’re written to be middle schoolers.

I love books that reinforce the magic of the real world, even if they’re a bit fantastical in themselves. I could read this series 1000 times over and still find new things to marvel at and be entertained.

This book unfortunately is the most forgettable of the series. I read the fifth book first both times I’ve read this series, only realizing it 75% of the way through the last book.

The pace is much slower than the rest of the books, which is understandable considering the subject matter. It’s still a bit annoying to me though.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Bad Magic Series: The Bad Books (Book 1) Author: Pseudonymous Bosch Pages: 368 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: n/a Recommendation: If you like spinoffs, found family, secret societies, shakespeare, summer camp

Synopsis: 

The magical, bestselling series from Pseudonymous Bosch, the author of the Secret Series! Magic is BAD. As in fake. Cheesy. Unreal. At least, that's what Clay, who has seen one magic show too many, thinks. When words from his journal appear mysteriously on his school wall as graffiti, he never imagines that magic might be to blame. And when the same graffiti lands him at Earth Ranch, a camp for "troubled" kids on a remote volcanic island, magic is the last thing he expects to find there. But at Earth Ranch, there is one strange surprise after another, until Clay no longer knows what to expect. Is he really talking to a llama? Did he really see a ghost? What is the scary secret hidden in the abandoned library? The only thing he knows for sure is that behind the clouds of vog (volcanic smog), nothing is as it seems. Can he solve the riddle of Earth Ranch before trouble erupts? Elusive author Pseudonymous Bosch introduces an extraordinary new series that will have you believing in the unbelievable.

My Opinion:

I love the disconnect between “bad words” and magic words. Profanity is only considered that because people decided it so, so what stops people deciding the other way.

This book felt more pandery than the other series. I think its aimed at an even younger audience, or the characters weren’t fully fleshed out. Either way I don’t like it as much as The Secret Series. Then again, with children’s books you have to accept a certain amount of lessons that it tries to teach you.

I do love how it connects to the previous series. I didn’t realize it was Max-Ernest’s brother until it was explicitly spelled out, and I love that about it. That part at least had some subtlety I appreciated.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: You Have To Stop This�� Series: The Secret Series (Book 5) Author: Pseudonymous Bosch Pages: 361  Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “ALTHOUGH CHEATING IS FROWNED UPON, IT IS ACCEPTABLE TO AWARD YOURSELF BONUS POINTS FOR PARTICULARLY GOOD ANSWERS.” Recommendation: If you like children’s books, mysteries, author as a character, secrets, magic, egyptian mythology, time traveling, mummies, museums

Synopsis:

The finale to the New York Times bestselling Secret Series! I always feared this day would come. A secret is meant to stay secret, after all. And now we've come to this: the fifth and final (I swear!) book in my saga of secrets.

My Opinion:

This series is aimed at a much younger audience, but even at the age of 17 I love these books as much as I did when I was 9.

These characters are some of the most relatable I’ve found, even though they’re written to be middle schoolers.

I love books that reinforce the magic of the real world, even if they’re a bit fantastical in themselves. I could read this series 1000 times over and still find new things to marvel at and be entertained.

I accidentally read this one before the 4th book and only realized when a battle was mentioned that I hadn’t remembered.

*Spoilers below the cut*

The secret was lackluster but honestly I wasn’t expecting the secret to immortality to be written in a book for 9 year olds. 

Even with the so so secret I love this series, and highly recommend it.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late Series: The Secret Series (Book 2) Author: Pseudonymous Bosch Pages: 385 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “Oh, talking is not so bad as that," said the Jester. "True, most people say only silly things when they speak. But it's easier to ignore them if you're saying silly things yourself.” Recommendation: If you like children’s books, mysteries, author as a character, secrets, magic

Synopsis: 

Beware! Dangerous secrets lie between the pages of this book. OK, I warned you. But if you think I'll give anything away, or tell you that this is the sequel to my first literary endeavor, The Name of This Book is Secret, you're wrong. I'm not going to remind you of how we last left our heroes, Cass and Max-Ernest, as they awaited intiation into the mysterious Terces Society, or the ongoing fight against the evil Dr. L and Ms. Mauvais. I certainly won't be telling you about how the kids stumble upon the Museum of Magic, where they finally meet the amazing Pietro! Oh, blast! I've done it again. Well, at least I didn't tell you about the missing Sound Prism, the nefarious Lord Pharaoh, or the mysterious creature born in a bottle over 500 years ago, the key to the biggest secret of all. I really can't help myself, now can I? Let's face it - if you're reading this, it's too late.

My Opinion:

*All errors in the synopsis are the fault of whoever put it up on Amazon.*

This series is aimed at a much younger audience, but even at the age of 17 I love these books as much as I did when I was 9.

These characters are some of the most relatable I’ve found, even though they’re written to be middle schoolers.

I love books that reinforce the magic of the real world, even if they’re a bit fantastical in themselves. I could read this series 1000 times over and still find new things to marvel at and be entertained.

*Spoilers below the cut*

Cabbage face is one of my favorite characters in the entirety of the series, if not my favorite.

I actually made myself a sock monster using the pattern in the back of the book.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: This Book is Not Good For You Series: The Secret Series (Book 3) Author: Pseudonymous Bosch Pages: 416 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “You know, people always warn children about taking candy from strange adults. But they never warn us adults about taking candy from strange children. All those sweet-looking kids who sell boxes of candy bars on the street to help pay for schooling - how do we know what's in those bars? And don't even get me stated on that nefarious institution designed to lure unsuspecting customers into buying mysterious frosted goodies: the bake sale. Adults, be warned: if a child wanted to poison you it would be a piece of cake! Literally a piece of cake.” Recommendation: If you like children’s books, mysteries, author as a character, secrets, magic, chocolate

Synopsis:

Between the pages of this book lies the secret to the best-tasting chocolate in all the world. I promise, your taste buds will tingle. Your palette will sing! Oh no, have I accidentally tempted you to read this book? I will warn you, however, the most delicious things are never good for you...and this story is particularly scrumptious! In this tooth-rotting adventure, Cass's mom has been kidnapped by the evil dessert chef and chocolatier, Señor Hugo! The ransom...the legendary tuning fork. Can Cass and Max-Ernest find the magical instrument before it's too late? Will they discover the evil secret ingredient to Señor Hugo's chocolate success? If you're tempted, take a taste, but just remember...this book is not good for you.

My Opinion:

This series is aimed at a much younger audience, but even at the age of 17 I love these books as much as I did when I was 9.

These characters are some of the most relatable I’ve found, even though they’re written to be middle schoolers.

I love books that reinforce the magic of the real world, even if they’re a bit fantastical in themselves. I could read this series 1000 times over and still find new things to marvel at and be entertained.

*Spoilers below the cut*

The twist in this book was so well written that it was one of the only one I didn’t remember.

This was a bit too on the nose, especially given the problems within the chocolate industry.

I desperately want to know what I would see if I ate a bar of the special chocolate but I’m unfortunately pretty sure it would be slavery.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: The Colorado Kid Series: Standalone Author: Stephen King Pages: 186 Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Favorite Quote: “Feature stories are happy stories because they’re over.” Recommendation: If you like coming up with your own endings, mysteries, small towns, improbable odds

Synopsis: 

On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There's no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it's more than a year before the man is identified. And that's just the beginning of the mystery. Because the more they learn about the man and the baffling circumstances of his death, the less they understand. Was it an impossible crime? Or something stranger still...? No one but Stephen King could tell this story about the darkness at the heart of the unknown and our compulsion to investigate the unexplained. With echoes of Dashiell Hammett's THE MALTESE FALCON and the work of Graham Greene, one of the world's great storytellers presents a moving and surprising tale whose subject is nothing less than the nature of mystery itself.

My Opinion:

*Spoilers under the cut*

I wasn’t a big fan of not knowing the ending, because I like reading mysteries for the finale when you learn whodunnit.

It was remarkably well characterized though, I felt attached to everyone even with how short it was.

I still want to know the ending and I’m still thinking about it, so it was definitely well written.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe Series: Stand-alone Author: Benjamin Alire Sáenz Pages: 369 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “I could be something and nothing at the same time. I could be necessary and also invisible. Everyone would need me and no one would be able to see me.” Recommendation: If you like POC representation (Mexican in this case), LGBTQ+ representation, love stories, slow burn romance, mild high school antics, self-discovery, friendship Synopsis

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

My Opinion

This is a really good book. There, now that I got that out of the way I can tell you exactly why.

This book perfectly encapsulates the experience of discovering that you’re gay (or at least my experience. I don’t have everyone else’s sorry). Not so much the exact events, but the thought process, the doubt. This was pretty much my exact mental state.

The characters are phenomenal. Their backstories are so well thought out, their personalities are so unique and vibrant. Their thoughts, their wants, their needs: all of these come across as so real.

If I’m being honest, this book feels as though it should be placed on a special shelf of honor. I got it from the library though, so I have to buy a copy and the shelf to make it happen. Don’t think I won’t though.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Disney at Dawn Series: Kingdom Keepers (Book 2) Author: Ridley Pearson Pages: 388 Rating: ★★★☆☆ (3/5) Favorite Quote: “Maybe we all dream pieces of the future but just don’t happen to know it.”  Recommendation: If you like Disney, children’s fiction, mystery, detectives, fantasy, science fiction, supernatural forces, adventure Synopsis:

It's supposed to be a happy day at the Magic Kingdom—the return of the teenaged holographic hosts. But things go very wrong when a sudden lightning storm disrupts the celebration, and Amanda's mysterious sister, Jez, disappears. The only clue is the sighting of a wild monkey in the Magic Kingdom during the storm. The mystery deepens as Finn is contacted by Wayne, an old man he hasn't heard from in months. Wayne tells Finn that there's trouble at the Animal Kingdom: the evil Overtakers have gained control of one of the computer servers that will be used to operate Daylight Holographic Imaging there. That means that if any of the holographic hosts fall asleep, they will go into comas—permanently.

My Opinion:

This book series was recommended to me by the wonderful @eeveeisnotonfire so I’m going to be tagging her in each of these reviews.

I still love the covers of these books. I love inside jokes, if you can call them that, on covers (the ones where you have to read the book and then check the cover out again to get). This book series does that really well and I’m enjoying it.

If you are a diehard Disney fan, you will most likely read these books. Pearson does an amazing job of incorporating details from the park into the plot of the novel. His descriptions are flawless, and I haven’t caught a single error.

These books are definitely written for children. It’s indisputable. I unfortunately no longer fit in this series’ target audience, but I wish I had found them when I did. They are the sort of book that a child doesn’t blink twice at, but an older reader has a few questions.

These books are written objectively badly. The writing lacks characterization or description of any kind. The action happens but is barely elaborated upon. It’s set up, but it isn’t explained in any significant way. The characters are all blatant stereotypes as well, with limited to no personality. Most children’s books that I can think of are written the same way, so I feel that this would be a fine book for a child.

The plot of this book was less organized to me. That didn’t prove to be too much of an issue, though, because this book was also more interesting than the first one for me. However, because of the increased length and number of activities that occur in this book, the writing inadequacies became more evident.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: When Did You See Her Last? Series: All The Wrong Questions (Book 2) Author: Lemony Snicket Pages: 288 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: "I'm not a stranger," I said, and pointed to his book. "I'm someone who reads the same authors you do." Recommendation: If you like mysteries, ASOUE, author as a character, friendship, love interests, betrayal, secrets, wordplay, definitions, quirky MC’s Synopsis:

Before the Baudelaires became orphans, before he encountered A Series of Unfortunate Events, even before the invention of Netflix, Lemony Snicket was a boy discovering the mysteries of the world.

I should have asked the question "How could someone who was missing be in two places at once?" Instead, I asked the wrong question -- four wrong questions, more or less. This is the account of the second.

In the fading town of Stain'd-by-the-Sea, young apprentice Lemony Snicket has a new case to solve when he and his chaperone are hired to find a missing girl. Is the girl a runaway? Or was she kidnapped? Was she seen last at the grocery store? Or could she have stopped at the diner? Is it really any of your business? These are All The Wrong Questions.

My Opinion:

Lemony Snicket is one of my favorite authors, and after I watched the Netflix series (after reading ASOUE, I’m not a heathen), I went looking for more content. I found this series and flipped out. Coincidentally, now reading this series, I hear it in the narrator’s voice from the show.

This series provides a lot of answers to questions I had about the series. I love seeing where everything comes from, and all of the child volunteers.

There’s a mystery aspect to each book, which makes me happy. It follows the same format as cozy mysteries do, which is one of my favorite types of books.

While I like each of the books in the series individually, I don’t think I can write a different review for each one. The books are very formulaic so I might end up copy and pasting. We’ll see. All of my individual comments for the series will probably have to be hidden behind a read more. I get the feeling they’ll all be spoilers.

The setting is really cool. It has an air of mystery to it, which here means that the setting was slightly odd, and not that the air was mysterious.

*Spoilers Below the Cut*

I’m still not a fan of Lemony’s child love interest. I’m just a huge shipper of Beatrice x Lemony, even if that happens when they are way older. Every time I read about Lemony’s crush I frown a little bit.

Yes female scientists!

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Throne of Glass Series: Throne of Glass (Book 1) Author: Sarah J. Maas Pages: 433 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “You could rattle the stars," she whispered. "You could do anything, if only you dared. And deep down, you know it, too. That’s what scares you most.” Recommendation: If you like strong female characters, love stories, badass people of any gender, fantasy/royal settings

Synopsis:

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 exhilarating. 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.

My Opinion:

I absolutely love Celaena. This is actually the beginning of a reread for the final book of the series, and oh lord it’s just as good as I remember.

Amazing female friendships. I’m a sucker for female friendships that aren’t all about vanity.

Plenty of ship material to go around (although I wasn’t swayed by any of the popular ones)

Assassins. Need I say more? Such a badass concept executed so well.

Well-written female characters! Nehemia and Celaena are amazing.

An entertaining read, with no boring sections to struggle through.

Thank you so much to @booksforthoughts for inspiring this format! You guys should see a lot more reviews from now on.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Watership Down Series: Stand-Alone Author: Richard Adams Pages: 458 Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Favorite Quote: “Animals don't behave like men,' he said. 'If they have to fight, they fight; and if they have to kill they kill. But they don't sit down and set their wits to work to devise ways of spoiling other creatures' lives and hurting them. They have dignity and animality.”  Recommendation: If you like rabbits, wildlife, non-human MCs, folklore, languages, quests, adventure Synopsis:

A phenomenal worldwide bestseller for over thirty years, Richard Adams's Watership Down is a timeless classic and one of the most beloved novels of all time. Set in England's Downs, a once idyllic rural landscape, this stirring tale of adventure, courage and survival follows a band of very special creatures on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home. Led by a stouthearted pair of friends, they journey forth from their native Sandleford Warren through the harrowing trials posed by predators and adversaries, to a mysterious promised land and a more perfect society.

My Opinion:

I have never been more ashamed of the human race. These poor rabbits go through all of this trouble because of humans. If humans had not interfered with their home, they would have spent their lives in relative peace.

This book was a slow-paced read for me. I generally prefer books to be extremely high energy and fast-paced, but this one was a nice change. It was about the lives of rabbits, who are usually considered to be fast creatures, so the slower pace was an interesting contrast.

I liked the characters and how much folklore the rabbits had. It contributed nicely to the background of the story and made me more empathetic towards them, which is difficult for non-human characters.

I don’t think this book is one of my favorites, but I do feel glad to have read it, even if only to say that I have.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Disney After Dark Series: Kingdom Keepers (Book 1) Author: Ridley Pearson Pages: 325 Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5) Favorite Quote: “There's a fine line between imagination and reality. An inventor dreams something up, and pretty soon, it's there on the table before him. A science-fiction writer envisions another world, and then some space probe finds it. If you believe in something strongly enough, I think you can make it happen.” Recommendation: If you like Disney, science fiction, fantasy, children's books, supernatural mystery, adventure Synopsis:

In this fantastical thriller, five young teens tapped as models for theme park "guides" find themselves pitted against Disney villains and witches that threaten both the future of Walt Disney World and the stability of the world outside its walls. Using a cutting-edge technology called DHI--which stands for both Disney Host Interactive and Daylight Hologram Imaging--Finn Whitman, an Orlando teen, and four other kids are transformed into hologram projections that guide guests through the park. The new technology turns out, however, to have unexpected effects that are both thrilling and scary.

My Opinion:

I was recommended this book by my friend, @eeveeisnotonfire (I actually read their copy, which was so beaten up that I wanted to buy them a new one). It’s their favorite book series, so I decided that I had to tag them in these reviews.

Before I get into the actual content of the book, I just have to give a few compliments to the cover. The covers on all the books in these series are stunning! Even if my friend hadn’t recommended them to me, as soon as I had gotten a glimpse of the cover I definitely would have had to check them out. They’re just designed so well.

I liked the premise of the novels. I’m a bit of a Disney fan, so anything based in the parks gets extra points in my books. The author was sure to include some great tidbits about rides and activities at the park, which helped me picture the scenes a lot better. I also want to see DHIs in real life. It seems like cool technology, and it made the book seem more like a science fiction novel.

This book seems like it was written for a younger audience. The vocabulary and writing style was very simplistic. There is little to no characterization, so it makes it very hard to relate to any of the characters, or even picture them. They don’t have clear motivations, and all of them are very clearly just blank slates, inserted to keep the story moving.

The action also wasn’t described particularly well. I thought I had accidentally skipped a paragraph during one scene, but it was just that the author neglected to elaborate on how the children executed their maneuvers.

Overall, this was a good book. I think I was just a little too old for it. If I had read it when I was younger I’m sure I would have enjoyed it a lot more. However, when reading critically as I tend to do, this book doesn’t stand up.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Hide and Seek Series: The Lying Game (Book 4) Author: Sara Shepard Pages: 309 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: n/a Recommendation: If you like murder mysteries, high school drama, ghosts with unfinished business, sibling relationships, stalkers, blackmail, not knowing who to trust, PLL Synopsis:

Hide and Seek, from Sara Shepard’s YA Lying Game series, delivers dark family secrets, devious pranks, and nail-biting suspense. Like Sara Shepard’s Pretty Little Liars series, The Lying Game is now also an ABC Family original TV show. Separated at birth, twin sisters Emma Paxton and Sutton Mercer never had a chance to meet. And now they never will. Someone murdered Sutton and forced Emma into taking her place.

Sutton can only watch from beyond the grave as Emma tries to figure out who killed her—and why. But as Emma digs deeper, the girls discover that the truth may be far more terrible than they’d ever imagined—and the killer may be a lot closer to home….

My Opinion:

I came up with a pretty good guess for who killed Sutton in the first book, and as the books go on I’m getting more and more certain. That’s kind of disheartening, because if I already know who killed her, what’s the point of finishing the series?

Everyone is still suspicious (even if one is more suspicious then all the rest). Each book seems to be dedicated to suspecting one person or one group of people and then ruling them out by the end. It makes sense, but because there are still so many books left in the series, you know that whenever a character is introduced as the prime suspect, it isn’t them.

These books are light murder mysteries. I finish each one in about 45 minutes, so it really isn’t heavy reading. I would recommend this series to all fans of PLL, especially because Sutton’s killer is stalking Emma and leaving her notes, just like A.

These books still have so much stigma around mental illness. It isn’t just one character now, it’s two. It’s getting so bad that I think whoever the killer is going to be will have some sort of mental illness as well. Mental illness isn’t always the worst thing ever, but that’s what these books are making it out to be.

I’ve been told these books are childish, but they're for teens. I am a teen, so they aren’t childish to me. Thank you so much for telling me I’m reviewing the wrong sort of books though. I really appreciate it.

[catlynn-reviews]

Book: Kingdom of Ash Series: Throne of Glass (Book 7) Author: Sarah J. Maas Pages: 987 Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5) Favorite Quote: “Death had been her curse and her gift and her friend for these long, long years. She was happy to greet it again under the golden morning sun.”  Recommendation: If you like badass female characters, achingly real pain, love stories, war, court dynamics, magic, Fae, good vs. evil Synopsis:

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas's #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius's journey from slave to king's assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . . Aelin has risked everything to save her people-but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day… With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they've gathered to battle Erawan's hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation-and a better world. And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen-before she is lost to him forever. As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

My Opinion:

I have been waiting for this book a looooong time. I was so excited when my hold came in. This series was amazing before, and this book was no different.

All of the female characters that Maas writes are badass. It’s like a rule. There are no weak, simpering females waiting for a male to sweep them off of their feet. They are assassins, witches, injured but thriving: inspirations.

I was pleasantly surprised when reading this book. I had a sticky note nearby with my “Do-Not-Kill List” as I always do when reading the end to long series’. None of them died, which is nice! I don’t know if I could have finished it if my favorite characters died.

A perfect end to this series. All the loose ends were tied, and it was a pretty happy ending.