Throne of Glass ~ Sarah J. Maas

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ½

I've always loved the idea of book clubs and besides my fourth grade advanced reading group, I've never technically been apart of one. That is, until I was invited to be apart of the GroupReads group on Goodreads. It seemed like the perfect group for me, someone who is a novice at group discussions, to come out of my shell while reading Throne of Glass.

Magic has been outlawed in the land and the king rules with an iron hand, but an assassin is summoned to the castle. However, she isn't there to kill the king, she is there to win her freedom. For a few years she has been forced to work in the salt mine prison after being captured. Usually people die in the mines so she will take her chances in the castle if it means she doesn't die. But winning her freedom might not be as easy as she thought; She is up against twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition to become the king's champion. But she is one of the best known assassins, she is Celaena Sardothien. The Crown Prince will provoke her and The Captain of the Guard will protect her, but they might not be able to protect her from the evil that dwells in the castle made of glass and this this is there to kill. When her competitors star dying one after the other, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world.

This is one of those books (it seems) that people either love or hate. I definitely lean more towards the love side although there were somethings I didn't enjoy too.

Personally, I really enjoyed the characters in this book. Chaol and Dorian were quick favorites to me, so much so that I didn't want anything bad to happen to either one of them. Nehemia was another that I felt attached to and, of course, Fleetfoot! Celaena was (and still is) difficult to like, but that is what made me enjoy her. She wasn't the main character you love, she is the main character that annoys you and all the other characters but she is essential to the story and that's what makes me like her. Also I really enjoyed the plot of this story, the competition aspect was especially interesting to me and I wish we could've seen more of the tests that the competitors participated in. The mystery behind the wyrdmarks was especially intriguing and I loved learning little tid-bits about them throughout the book until it's discovered what they are and what they are being used for. Also despite it being outlawed, magic has a presence in this book and that's something I enjoy in any book I read. Magic is something I've always been interested in and I think Celeana has some magic of her own... but that's just my prediction.

This book did have slow pacing, which is something I don't enjoy at all. It just took so long to get somewhere and I think that's what turns people off of this book so quickly. I found that if you stick around through the slowness it picks up, but I think including more about the tests would've kept me and others more hooked. It didn't help that I was also very confused for the first 50-75 pages of this book. It didn't click for me until then what was actually going on and I don't know if it's just me or if it's the writing but I still didn't like that.

Overall, there were definitely more things that I liked than I didn't and the book got a lot better, in my opinion, as it went on. I'm excited to read the next book with my group, GroupReads, on Goodreads.

Becoming ~ Michelle Obama

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book was the kickstart to me reading again. I also wanted to get into audiobooks and that fact that this one was narrated by the author, the amazing, Michelle Obama made me even more ready to listen to it.

I'm not going to include a full synopsis, but I will say that this book is Michelle's story in full. All the details and stories from her beginning to where she is now.

I was captivated by her words from the very beginning. Everything about this book was beautifully written and it felt more like I was sitting in a coffee shop with her rather than me listening to an audiobook. I liked Michelle even before listening to this. I just had a feeling she was a truth speaking and resilient woman, and my inference was proven to be correct from listening to all that she has encountered throughout her life. There were things that I had no idea had happened to her that made me applaud her strength even more, specifically her problems with fertility and her miscarriage. This part specifically had a significant meaning to me because I was adopted into a family that couldn't naturally conceive a child and I've heard from my mom how hard it was to go through trying over and over again to have a baby.

Another thing that made this book overall special to me was that I got to share the experience of reading it with my biological mom. She was reading it at the same time I was listening to it and one day when we got lunch we talked about it briefly, and discovered we were around the same spot. It was right after Michelle had opened up about the fertility problems and we both, together, appreciated how strong she was.

Honestly, everyone should read or listen to this. I personally recommend listening because I think it makes it more personal. This story was real and it was so interesting to get to know the amazing woman that is Michelle Obama.

The Sun Is Also A Star ~ Nicola Yoon

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is one of those books that has been on my "To-Read" list since my 2016 reading kick that lasted long enough for me to read one book. Since then, I'd like to say that my reading style has changed so I was unsure whether or not I would still be interested in this book. Nevertheless, I was still interested and very much enjoyed this book.

Natasha is a girl who believes strictly in science and facts, not in any "uncertain" things like fate or destiny or dreams for that matter. She is definitely not the type of girl that would meet a cute boy on a crowded New York street one day and fall in love with him. Especially not on the day her and her family are twelve hours away from being deported to Jamaica. Natasha is determined to not fall in love. Daniel has always been the good son, the good student, living up to his parents' high expectations. Deep down he is a poet and a dreamer, but being the good son comes before both of those things. After meeting her though, he discovered clarity. Something about her makes him think that fate has something much more extraordinary in store for both of them together. The idea of being the good son his entire life is thrown out the window and caution is thrown to the wind. He isn't afraid of falling in love and he is determined to show Natasha that fate is real and they are meant to be together. The universe is made of every moment in our lives that has brought us to where we are today. And a million futures lie ahead, which future will come true for Daniel and Natasha?

Writing that mini-synopsis really made it clear to me how cliché this book was and in a sense I enjoyed that aspect but at the same time, I. do. not. like. insta. love. Natasha and Daniel kind of made it work because it seemed like this one day lasted forever (384 pages of forever) but still, I'm not sure if I believe in that kind of fate. There were also parts of this book that were extremely cringey and unenjoyable because they were so cringey. Like getting so caught up in the "extreme passion" that they both wanted to have sex at some karaoke place. Like no. You just met this boy, come on.

On the other hand, there were parts of this book I did really enjoy. Like the other perspectives that were randomly included throughout the book. That is what made this book truly unique in my opinion and is one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. One that really stood out to me was Irene and, long story short, how Natasha saved her life. That one little action that took two seconds saved her life. That is pure and honestly a real part of reality that I think people often forget. I also enjoyed the not cringey romance parts between Natasha and Daniel, like when they were on the roof or learning more about each other (even if it was just a day packed full of unrealistic romance).

Overall I did enjoy this book more than I didn't enjoy it. It wasn't poorly written and the plot wasn't bad, I just dislike the whole insta love cringe and that makes me more critical than I would normally would be. The word my mom and I have for books like this is fluff. Fluff is in no means a bad description for a book and sometimes it is really nice to have a fluff read with all the negative there is in the world. I would recommend this to people who want to read a light contemporary and that are not bothered by insta love.