books – Page 17 – Lyndsey Hall

Fight like a YA girl tag

I was tagged by the fabulous Eva @ Brilliantly Bookish to do the Fight Like a YA Girl tag, which was created by Krysti @ Wine and YA. If you don’t already follow both of these awesome ladies, go check out their blogs now!

THE RULES

Thank the person who tagged you.
Mention the creator Krysti at YA and Wine
Match at least one YA girl with each of the themes below.
Tag as many people as you like!

Warrior girls

Katniss from The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

If Katniss Everdeen isn’t a warrior, I don’t know who is. Volunteering to replace her younger sister in the Hunger Games, fighting twenty two other teens to the death to be crowned co-victor alongside Peeta. Her survival skills, as well as her abilities with a bow and arrow, are second to none. She’s compassionate and kind, as well as brave and clever, and that to me is the hallmark of a real warrior.

Girls who fight with their mind

Hermione from Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

There is one girl in particular who comes to mind when I think of girls who fight with their mind, and that is of course Hermione Granger. If it hadn’t been for her, Harry and Ron would have been killed in book one. Her book smarts and willingness to do the research always saved the day (especially in book two!). Rather than being a love interest, or a damsel in distress type character, Hermione brought so much to the trio and the story wouldn’t have been the same without her.

Girls who fight with their heart

Clary from The Mortal Instruments by Cassie Clare

I can’t think of a YA heroine with more heart than Clary Fray. She’s got so much love to give, whether it’s her mother, her father-figure Luke, her best friend Simon, her new Shadowhunter friends (who are more like family), or Jace. While the series contains a lot of conflict and fighting, it almost always comes down to love and kindness winning the day. Clary’s answer is always to be more understanding, more generous and less judgemental when it comes to resolving conflict.

Girls who are trained fighters

Mia from Nevernight by Jay Kristoff

It was actually quite difficult to think of any female characters who are trained fighters, it usually seems to be that the boys are trained fighters and the girls are naturally-talented, special snowflakes, if they can fight at all. Mia Corvere from Nevernight was the only girl that I could think of from my recent reading, and boy is she a good example. The training she undergoes in the Red Church couldn’t be more intense and dangerous, she literally loses limbs and almost dies several times, but she manages to get through it and comes out as an incredibly skilled fighter.

Strong girls of colour

Inej from Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Inej is one of the strongest women in all of literature, let alone WoC, after everything she has been through and the hope and love she’s still capable of. Growing up as an acrobat before her family were slaughtered and she was thrown into a brothel and forced into prostitution, and then being rescued by Kaz and employed as his spy for the Dregs. How she manages to keep her dream alive of owning a boat and sailing anywhere she wants with her own crew is beyond me. She’s a warrior queen.

Girls who fight to survive

Tris from Divergent by Veronica Roth

Being divergent, Tris is in danger if she’s ever found out, so she seems to be fighting for survival from the very beginning. Gradually, it becomes more about doing what’s right and overthrowing the corrupt rulers, exposing the truth etc. but mainly it’s about her own survival.

Girls who are weapons masters

Lada from And I Darken by Kiersten White

Lada is probably the most accomplished female soldier I’ve read about, she’s certainly the strongest willed and bravest of YA heroines I’ve come across. She practically forces the soldiers to train her and eventually takes charge of the army, successfully earning the men’s respect and loyalty. And this series is set in the 15th century, making it all the more impressive. I know it’s a Vlad the Impaler reimagining, but I’m really hoping the sequel will broach the whole Dracula aspect of Vlad’s legend!

Girls with kick-butt magical powers

Aelin from Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas

I couldn’t do a list about feisty and strong YA heroines without including Aelin Ashryver-Galathynius, now could I? Her fire powers are so epic that there is no bottom to her well of power and she is at risk of getting lost if she delves too deep. Just look at what happened towards the end of Empire of Storms! She’s a goddess, wink wink.

Strong girls in contemporary novels

Starr from The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

I’m cheating a bit here because I haven’t actually read this yet, but I’m doing a buddy read starting next week and it’s sitting on my shelf staring at me. From the reviews and tweets I’ve read, Starr sounds like a phenomenal heroine, and I’m really looking forward to getting to know her next month!

Seriously fierce girls

Nesta from A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

Of course I had to include this incredible, kickass woman in this list. I really didn’t like Nesta in book one, she started to soften slightly in book two, but in book three she became a truly strong and selfless woman and one of my favourite characters in the ACOTAR series. I wish she’d had more chance to build relationships (you know the one I mean!) but her character arc was perfect, she really grew and changed over the course of the three books, and that will have to do (for now…).

Most anticipated book with a strong leading lady

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff & Now I Rise by Kiersten White

Cheating again! I can’t decide which of these books I’m looking forward to more. Now I Rise was released last week, and Godsgrave comes out in September, but who knows when I’ll actually get round to reading them both! #TBRproblems

And there you have it! OK, I tag Breeny @ Breeny’s Books and Lia @ Lost in a Story. If anyone else fancies giving this tag a try have at it, and don’t forget to tag me so I can read your posts!

I’m taking part in Camp Nano this month, so I won’t be posting quite as much as usual, but normal scheduling will resume in August (which is my birthday month!).

Lyndsey

I am a member of the Book Depository affiliate program, so if you click through and buy any of the books mentioned in this blog I might make a little commission, but I am not paid to review books and all reviews are my own opinions!

Review: A Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas

Review A Court of Thorns and Roses Maas Lyndsey's BooK Blog

Hello there! I read A Court of Wings and Ruin last month and I can’t believe it’s over, so I thought I’d do a round up review of the whole A Court of Thorns and Roses series for those of you who haven’t read it yet. I’ll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but there will be spoilers for book one if you read on to books two and three!

A Court of Thorns and Roses – book #1

Feyre lives with her father and sisters in a ramshackle cabin near the woods, made cosy by her painted murals on the walls and furniture. Times are hard, and her father is unable to work since his leg injury. Her sisters, Elain and Nesta, are too stubborn, spoilt and helpless to do anything to provide for the family, so the responsibility falls to Feyre.

One day, she’s hunting a deer in the forest when she spots an enormous wolf also stalking the animal. She realises immediately that it isn’t a normal wolf, it’s one of the fae from the other side of the wall, the magical beings that enslaved humans for centuries until a war resulted in the wall being constructed to separate the two realms. She shoots the wolf, not wanting to let it deprive her family of a good meal.

Later that night, a hideous beast bursts into their cabin and demands that she come with him to Prythian, on the other side of the wall, in exchange for the life she took. Feyre goes with him, terrified he will kill her family if she doesn’t. There, she discovers that the stories told about the fae amongst humans aren’t all true, and she finds herself torn between her family and their home in the human realm, and the wondrous, magical new world she has discovered.

I enjoyed book one, I’d probably give it a solid 3.5, maybe 4 stars. It begins as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, before taking a serious curve around halfway through. It was at the halfway point that I really started to enjoy it, the action ramps up and some really fascinating characters start to come into their own. ACOTAR is slow going at first, but I recommend you persevere, because it’s about to get SO GOOD…

A Court of Mist and Fury – book #2

After the events of book one, Feyre is back at the Spring Court with Tamlin, a tattoo representing her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the Night Court, covering her arm from fingertip to elbow. She’s struggling with PTSD and depression after everything she went through Under the Mountain, and planning her wedding to Tamlin is the last thing on her mind.

She can never return to the human realm and her old life, too much has changed, including her. When Rhysand finally calls in their bargain and forces her to spend one week a month at the Night Court with him, she’s pretty angry, but any excuse to get away from the Spring Court and all the wedding talk is welcome.

Meeting Rhysand’s friends and family, seeing a side of him she never could have imagined after the events Under the Mountain, Feyre begins to wonder if he is really the monster everyone says he is, or if there could be more to him than meets the eye…

OK, there is no denying it, or being coy, ACOMAF is the best book I have ever read in my entire life. This is a solid 5 stars, and if I had more I’d give them to it. The book hangover I was left with when I finished it was the worst I have experienced since Harry Potter ended ten years ago. What did I love so much about it? Only everything! The new characters are all amazing – flawed and layered, with fully realised back stories and motivations of their own. The relationship that develops between Feyre and Rhysand is the stuff of #relationshipgoals, the setting of Velaris is dreamy and beautifully described, the events of the book are heartbreaking, surprising, wonderful and terrible.

Just read it. If you found ACOTAR a bit of a slog, or you didn’t even both finishing, do, and then pick this one up. You won’t regret it.

A Court of Wings and Ruin – book #3

Feyre is once again at the Spring Court with Tamlin, wishing she was in Velaris with her husband and sisters, especially after what happened in Hybern at the end of ACOMAF. But, she’s got a plan to get back to her family, she just needs to hide her true feelings and abilities until the time is right to make her move.

The King of Hybern is mobilising his troops and plotting to tear down the wall between the two realms, enslaving those humans that are not killed in the ensuing battle. A meeting of the High Lords is called, uniting the leaders of all seven courts for the first time in centuries. Old rivalries are renewed and old wounds are reopened, but the only way to stop the King of Hybern is to put their issues aside and work together.

With battle imminent and the outcome of the war uncertain, relationships start and end, bonds are formed and broken, and loyalties are tested to breaking point.

ACOWAR had a lot of living up to do if it was going to surpass ACOMAF, and it didn’t quite reach those realms of perfection, but I felt it was a really enjoyable and satisfying ending to the series. I gave it 4 stars, I enjoyed it more than ACOTAR, but a lot less than ACOMAF. There are a few things I would change if I could, but overall it was the right way to end the story, and it definitely did justice to the the characters and the world Maas has created. I’m really looking forward to finding out more about this spin-off series Sarah has planned (if not already written). I’ve no idea who will feature, if any of the characters we have come to love will, or whether it is a prequel or a sequel, or a companion series, but I’ll be at the front of the queue the day it releases in bookstores.

Have you read the ACOTAR series? Did you enjoy ACOWAR? How did you feel about the way the story concluded? Let me know your thoughts and feelings (because let’s be honest, this series is all about the feelings) in the comments.

Lyndsey

Illumicrate Unboxing May 2017

Hi guys! I thought you all might be missing my face since my last video in March, so here is my May Illumicrate unboxing! I had to cut it loads because I kept fumbling my words, I left some in (explusive, anyone?) for your entertainment, so please enjoy my ramblings and the contents of this quarter’s bookish subscription box.

If you like, you can pop over to YouTube and subscribe to my channel, it’d be lovely to have you!

Here is a list of links to the products mentioned in this video:

Illumicrate – http://www.illumicrate.com/

Truth or Dare by Non Pratt – http://buff.ly/2svbcdl

The Waking Land by Callie Bates – http://buff.ly/2tTtNO4

Feyre mug by Merwild (Coralie Jubenot) – http://buff.ly/2tTS4Ua

Mermaid Lagoon candle by Flickerink – http://buff.ly/2tTGqsM

Map bookmark by Penguin Co

Enchanted door hanger and print by TJ Lubrano – http://buff.ly/2tTGjxj

Swish & Flick keyring by Nutmeg & Arlo – http://buff.ly/2t0MYbZ

Poster from Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith – http://buff.ly/2tTQn9r

Pin from The Gender Games by Juno Dawson – http://buff.ly/2sVUZPb

Prints from The Taste of Blue Light by Lydia Ruffles – http://buff.ly/2sW2Ex4

I bought Illumicrate with my own money and didn’t receive anything in exchange for this review! All my own opinions.