Crown of Midnight By: Sarah J. Maas

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• Title: Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2)
• Author: Sarah J. Maas
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
• Publication Date:  August 27, 2013 
• Pages: 413
• Genre: Fantasy/YA
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2017
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 stars

Celaena Sardothien is the land's most feared assassin- and now she is serving as the King's Champion as well. And although she is a trained killer, Celaena has not taken the life of any of the men the king has sent her to kill. Instead, she plays a dangerous game, playing the part of a loyal assassin while all the while trying to discover the king's secret agenda. After a night filled with the terrible truths of the secrets swirling around her, Celaena must decide what to do in the face of her greatest challenge yet.

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Oh. My. Gosh. I am absolutely reeling at everything that has just happened and even as I write this, I don't think I've completely processed everything yet. This was so good; who says sequels aren't as good as the original? I finished this in record time and all the intense action and information in this book made for a very quick read.

I think my favorite part about this book is seeing how much Celaena grows in such a short amount of time. I also loved how much we get to see just how badass she really is. One thing's for sure- I sure don't want to get on Celaena's bad side! I've loved Celaena from the moment I realized she loved books just as much as I did, and as I've gotten to know her better, I see how much she reminds me of myself- just you know, without the whole assassin thing going. I also really like this book because it depicts Celaena as capable of making her own, rational decisions without some guy clouding her feelings from what she really needed to do. Don't get me wrong- I fell in love with both Chaol and Dorian (and may have teared up a bit at *certain* scenes) but the focus of the series isn't solely on some lovelorn teenager who sacrifices everything for some guy.

The action was so intense and Celaena delivered on all those promises she made in the first book. And in this book, I can't think of anything I didn't particularly like. I know this is a fantasy novel and everything, but I kept wishing that I was half as athletic as she was. I also liked learning a bit more about Celaena's past, even though some of what I learned tore me apart.

And man, this book gave me feelings and made me gasp out loud at some of the background information that I got. I certainly didn't see that twist coming- that's all I'm going to say. And right after writing this, I'm diving right into the third book to see what comes out of all information that was revealed. I simply cannot wait.

Throne of Glass By: Sarah J. Maas

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• Title: Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1)
• Author: Sarah J. Maas
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Children's
• Publication Date:  May 7, 2013
• Pages: 404
• Genre: Fantasy/ YA
• Recommended Age(s): 13 +
• First Read: 2017
• Source: Library
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

In a land filled with the whispered remnants of magic and a king who will do anything to smash those who stand in his way, an assassin dwells. Celaena Sardothien, the land's most notorious assassin, has spent the past year as a slave laborer until she is summoned to the castle. If Celaena becomes the King's Champion at the end of the competition, she will win her freedom. But as a mysterious creature starts killing the other competitors, Celaena must not only win against her adversaries but also against the darker evil lurking just beneath the shining castle facade.

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When someone recommended this book to me, I wasn't sure about it since I usually don't gravitate towards fantasy books. But man, am I glad I gave this baby a chance because it was such a thrill to read!

So, I like Celaena, which, from reading other people's reviews, is not a *common* thing I guess. She's self-assured of herself, albeit more than a tad bit arrogant, incredibly smart, and does not put up with anyone's shenanigans. She also loves pretty clothes and food, but to be honest, who doesn't? It's so refreshing to read about such a complex character who does what she has to so she can survive and isn't totally caught in the throes of ~following her heart~ to the point that she makes dumb decisions. She isn't apologetic for who she is, and she is so strong- both mentally and physically. I love her.

I also liked this book because it has a pretty unique premise, and I liked immersing myself in Celaena's world. The whole love triangle with Chaol and Dorian and Celaena was cute I guess, but I like how Celaena didn't lose her head for the most part between the two guys. She always knew her own freedom was more important, and that some guy wasn't going to hand that to her. She had to work for it herself.

I didn't give this book five stars because, while I loved it by the end, it was a bit of a slow start. In the beginning, I felt that I was missing a huge chunk of information and felt like I was reading a book in the middle of the series instead of the first book. I was also a little annoyed how repetitively Celaena was referred to as "the assassin," which I know- that's what she is, but it was hackneyed to death as a pronoun for her.

I'm so excited to read the second book and see what Celaena does next! I know I'm pretty late to the TOG bandwagon, but I'm not going to get off until the very end.

I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within us and a Grander View of Life By: Ed Yong

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• Title: I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life
• Author: Ed Yong
• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication Date:  August 9, 2016 
• Pages: 368
• Genre: Science/ Non- Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 15 +
• First Read: 2017
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

From the tiny caterpillar to the hulking whale, all organisms are filled with millions upon millions of microorganisms that stay with them from the moment they are born until the day they die. By shifting our perspectives, the microscopic world takes center stage. And through exploring the astonishing connections and relationships between animals and their microbes, we can better understand our place in the grand scheme of life.

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I absolutely loved this book, especially because I had never read anything like it before. It took me on quite a fascinating ride, filled with witty, yet still informative writing. I thought that I would get lost in all the scientific jargon, but I was glad to find out that I understood almost all that was going on. The long, latin names of many of the bacteria were sometimes hard to remember, but that was just a small detail that I could quickly correct by a quick glance back a few pages. I loved how I was forced to look at things through an intensely microscopic outlook and as a result got to see all the relationships and processes that were happening inside of me.

I study microbiology in college, so this book was a total nerd's paradise for me; I got to learn about all the amazing adaptations that nature has devised for all its creatures, especially the section on parasites. I think my favorite part of this book though was the fact that it talked about the possibilities for the future and what scientists were doing to help eliminate diseases like malaria and how to improve someone's help by shifting their microbes in the human microbiome. It's this possibility that made me fall in love with science, so this book has made me incredibly excited for the future.

You don't have to be a scientist to understand this book because it is written in such simple, yet uncondescending language. I laughed out loud more than a couple times at the fun word play that the author uses. I love Ed Yong; he is possibly my favorite science writer and I highly recommend watching his TED Talk on parasites and also his talk on microbes for the Royal Institution. These talks are a great companion to this book and bring Yong's unique voice to life. We all contain a multitude of microbes within us so it wouldn't hurt to learn a little more about ourselves from a whole new perspective!

Midnighters: Blue Noon By: Scott Westerfeld

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• Title: Blue Noon (Midnighters #3)
• Author: Scott Westerfeld
• Publisher: Eos
• Publication Date:  February 28, 2006
• Pages: 378
• Genre: YA/ Sci-Fi
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2014
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

For the Midnighters, the secret hour has always come at, well, midnight. However, the secret hour suddenly comes sweeping in the middle of the school day turning the cacophony of noise into blissful silence. The Midnighters soon discover that the barrier between the blue time and normal time is weakening. The creatures of the night are hungry after centuries of being confined to one hour of the day, and Jess and her friends must find a way to stop midnight from engulfing them all.

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I have so many conflicted feelings towards this book, and I don't know how I'll ever reconcile them all together. It was an exciting book, and I loved how none of the action stalled. There was a lot more running around, considering midnight is no longer confined to its traditional time. I also liked how Rex and everyone else began to question their sources and really begin to think for themselves, rather than blindly following in other people's footsteps. This made them grow as characters and gave a greater three-dimensionality to them.

However, I definitely have feelings on how the series ended. Like, excuse me, Mr. Westerfeld, are you going to leave us hanging like that? I think an epilogue to the epilogue should happen at least so that we know what happens to everyone and all the loose ends are tied up. But at the same time, the ending gets kind of tricky, so I see how writing anything to follow up the series could be a challenge. It's bittersweet, so maybe that's why I'm slightly upset; I'm a sucker for happy endings but I understand that with a series like this, entirely happy endings would not have fit the story.

This final book is worth a read and is one of those books you may or may not throw at the wall a couple times or so. It's another quick read, and one sure to keep you up long past the secret hour has passed!

Midnighters: Touching Darkness By: Scott Westerfeld

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• Title: Touching Darkness (Midnighters #2) 
• Author: Scott Westerfeld
• Publisher: Eos
• Publication Date:  March 1, 2005 
• Pages: 336
• Genre: YA/ Sci-Fi
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2014
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 3.5 / 5.0 stars

Ever since finding out about Bixby Oklahoma's secret hour, Jess and her friends have been quite busy fighting off the creatures of the night. For a long time, the Midnighters have wondered why the generation before them disappeared without a trace. During their search, they encounter horrors worse than anything they could have ever imagined, and a secret more horrifiying than the creatures itself. With time running out, an extra hour may not even be enough to save the Midnighters even as they race to solve the puzzle.

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After powering through the first Midnighters, I was super excited to start this one. Again, I read this one in practically one sitting, late into the wee hours of the morning. While still interesting, it was definitely more slow paced than the first volume and was filled with a lot more teenage ~angst~ compounded with super powers, naturally. I still enjoyed this book, and was thoroughly and appropriately creeped out at the *big* reveal that the whole plot centered on, but I couldn't help but feel that this book fell into the dreaded "middle child" syndrome where the first book outshone it a lot more and everyone's attention was already focused towards the anticipated final installment.

I was also a lot more annoyed at the characters in this book, particularly Melissa's, Rex's, and Dess' relationship. Honestly guys- you two have amazing super powers- would it kill you to communicate a little more? I did like all the information I found out from all their separate adventures, so I guess that's a plus. I do wish the book was longer though; there is so much more information that could have helped to flesh out the world more and honestly, I just couldn't get enough of Blue Time.

This book got its job done and set up the final installment, so I guess I can't complain about that. While it felt ironically rushed at times, yet slow in others, I am still fully immersed in the world of the Midnighters and cannot wait to see what happens next. I'll probably be found reading in some corner, curled up in my blanket, devouring this book series.