Days of Blood and Starlight By: Laini Taylor

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• Title: Days of Blood and Starlight (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #2)
• Author: Laini Taylor
• Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication Date:  November 6, 2012
• Pages: 517
• Genre: Fantasy
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2016
• Source: Library  
• Rating: 4.0 /  5.0 stars

Karou finally knows everything she has sought to know. And she hates it. Being an angel lover and betrayer of her people would not sit well for anyone, but for Karou, it's even worse because she dared to dream. Dared to dream with Akiva of a world where peace was possible.

And all that was wrenched away from her. Now, Karou tries to correct her past mistakes while suffering under an almost unbearable burden while Akiva struggles a world away with his own troubles. Whether they will ever see each other again is not the real question, but whether Karou will ever find it in herself to forgive Akiva for what he has done to her. Or if she can forgive herself for what she has done to her own world.

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I was super excited to start this book after the cliffhanger that left me reeling in the last book, in general this book didn't disappoint. I think the best way to describe this book is that a lot of things happened without anything actually happening. It sounds a little bland, but like many middle books in a trilogy, this second book had to be a bridge between what had already happened and what would later happen.

I liked this book because I got to know Karou even better, especially through the internal dialogue that went on. Oftentimes I hate it when characters go too into depth with all their icky *feelings* and such, but in Karou's case, I think it allowed the readers to gauge the shifting perspectives and sense of worth Karou felt throughout the novel. She was never the helpless, lovestruck girl in a romance novel, and I admired Karou's sense of self in this novel even more because she was able to get through everything despite all her additional hardship.

I also loved getting to know a whole new set of characters within the chimera and seraph ranks, especially Liraz, Hazael,  and Ziri. I was immersed in their worlds and it gave me a greater perspective of what each side felt, giving very real feelings to mythical creatures and made me think of our own human conditions and the perspectives that drive our decisions.

As always, I loved Taylor's beautiful writing and I wrote down quite a few quotes for safe-keeping. I love the beautiful descriptions she is able to weave into my imagination and the depth of feeling she is able to convey without saying too much.

I did rate this book lower than the first book because the action was mostly centered on Karou and her internal conflicts, though done in such a way that the plot lines eventually converged. I think it's still a great book, but the lack of mystery with Eretz kind of dimmed the magic, even if by an infinitesimal amount. But that being said, I still cannot wait to read the next installment!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone By: Laini Taylor

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• Title: Daughter of Smoke and Bone 
• Author: Laini Taylor
• Publisher: Little Brown Books
• Publication Date:  September 27, 2011
• Pages: 418
• Genre: YA/Fantasy
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2016
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

Karou. Silky blue hair. Beautiful sketchbooks filled with otherworldly creatures. She lives a double life that leaves many wondering who she truly is. And the person who wants this question answered is Karou herself. 

Part-time art student, part-time errand runner for monsters, Karou is about to become embroiled in a war filled with creatures both monstrous and beautiful. Then there is Akiva. Akiva with the orange eyes, Akiva who holds the key to her deepest secrets, if Karou only dares to find out the truth...

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I was very pleasantly surprised with this book, and I honestly couldn't be happier. I loved Karou's character because she was unconventional without being cliched, mysterious without being ridiculous. She wasn't the helpless, lovestruck, ditz that I thought she was going to be and found her to be extremely believable, considering the fact that she was involved in a war between otherworldly creatures. I also liked her "no complaining" attitude, which tends to turn me off to other female characters who rely on the guy and keep moping around because of "love" or something like that. 

Don't get me wrong. This is first and foremost a love story between Karou and Akiva, but the circumstances that they find themselves in are intriguingly wrought and neither of them are dumb enough to do anything that makes this book  *sickeningly* sappy.

I also think I enjoyed this book so much because most of the book was set in Prague, (among other beautiful places) which was new for me. It added an extra otherworldly touch to the entire novel and I swooned at the beauty of it all. Yes. Swooned.

Many people these days seem to dismiss YA novels because they say that the writing is not on par with some of the "classics" or something like that. And yes, there are some books out there that are not exactly great, but that is true for all book genres. But guys, the writing in this book was beautiful. It was poetic. I fell in love with everything about this book and can't wait to pick up the next book in the series!

My only regret about this book? Putting off the day that I read it because it's honestly that great!

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

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• Title: Lady Midnight (Dark Artifices #1)
• Author: Cassandra Clare
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
• Publication Date:  March 8, 2016
• Pages: 668
• Genre: YA/Fantasy
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2016
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 4.5 / 5.0 stars

It has been five years since the Great War and Emma Carstairs is no longer a child. She is a capable shadowhunter who has been obsessed with finding out who or what really killed her parents all those years ago and is constantly on patrol to fight off the demons that dare to disturb her beloved city of Los Angeles.

However, since the Dark War, tensions with the faeries have been escalating to almost unimaginable heights. When dead faeries are discovered with the same markings that covered Emma's dead parents five years ago, Emma and the Blackthorns embark on an investigation that takes them from the depths of the ocean to the bowels of humanity.

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I cannot even begin to explain how excited I was for this book, and how even more excited I was when it was everything I hoped it was and more. I fell in love with Emma Carstairs and her parabatai Julian, as well as the entire Blackthorn family. It was like being welcomed back into a world that I had left for a while, but when I returned, I found that just enough had changed to keep everything interesting. I really liked the fact that five years have passed so that all the characters have had time to grow up a little bit from when we last left them. It gave an air of maturity to the characters, especially since I had first met Emma and Julian when they were only 12 years old.

My favorite aspect of this book was the fact that it included my all-time favorite poem interwoven into the plot (which I won't tell you, because of possible spoilers!). The plot itself was familiar a sense, yet it still kept you guessing, which made me read this almost 700 page book in two days-yup-I got sucked in again! I also really liked that I felt my familiar rollercoaster of emotions that only happens when I'm reading something really good. There is a greater amount of diversity of characters in this book too-if you can get any more diverse than the world already is, I guess. Shadowhunters are represented in a more human way, I felt like I connected with the characters more because of that.

If I did have any qualms about this book though, I felt as if though the twists and turns barely masked the all-too familiar plot that had already been explored in the other two Shadowhunter series. But I was willing to overlook this fact because I am a sucker for this entire world and anything new I can find out about the characters always gets me excited. If you are one of those people who get bored after a while, I might suggest taking a break from this book, but if you love the shadow world just as much as I do, then by all means, please come back!

For fans of the other books within the Shadowhunters universe, don't worry; all of your favorite characters make a cameo (some more than others) and everything is just perfect and lovely and I can't control my emotions even though it's been a couple days since I have read this book.

The Boy Who Dared By: Susan Campbell Bartoletti

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• Title: The Boy Who Dared
• Author: Susan Campbell Bartoletti
• Publisher: Scholastic
• Publication Date:  February 1, 2008
• Pages: 202
• Genre: Historical Fiction
• Recommended Age(s): 13+
• First Read: 2015
• Source: Library 
• Rating: 4.0 / 5.0 stars

I was so excited when I found out this book existed because 1) I had read many books by Bartoletti before and have always enjoyed them and 2) the story seemed extremely intriguing because it was told from a viewpoint that not many books delve into. 

Helmut Hubner is a young German boy during the outbreak of World War II. At first he goes along with what everyone else is doing, including joining the compulsory Hitler Youth. However, after listening to multiple illegal BBC broadcasts via his illegal radio, Helmut starts to realize that the German government is lying to the citizens. And what Helmut does next could mean the end of his life. 

This book is based on the true story of Helmut Hubner and is told through a series of flashbacks, but I didn't mind the format at all. It was a little confusing at times to switch perspectives but that was more my fault than the author's; I was simply too caught up in the present story to wrench myself away from it. 

I liked this book because it shows a perspective that is not often portrayed in books, fiction or otherwise. The world often forgets the plight of the average German citizen, many of whom did not approve of Hitler's actions either, and this book gives them a voice. The best-and worst-part of this book was certainly reminding yourself that this was based on a true story and Helmut did do all of these things. One of the great marks of a writer is when you have to remind yourself what is real and what is not, and this book certainly did it for me.

Bartoletti includes additional historical information and this in itself is extremely interesting. And if you don't want to read that (which I wouldn't know why) you can still pick this book up for its story because it is quite engaging.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Titan's Curse By: Rick Riordan

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• Title: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #3)
• Author: Rick Riordan
• Publisher: Disney Hyperion
• Publication Date:  April 8, 2008 (2007) 
• Pages: 320
• Genre: Fantasy
• Recommended Age(s): 9+
• First Read: 2008
• Source: Purchase
• Rating: 5.0 / 5.0 stars

Well here we are. Halfway through the series, and I'm as hooked as ever to this world I've become entrenched in.

The titan war is brewing ever closer and it's all Percy and his friends can do to keep the Titans from rising and monsters from killing them. But they do have more help: Thalia, Nico, Zoe, and Bianca all join Percy and Grover to save Annabeth. Can they do it and still stop the Titans from rising?

Hands down this is my favorite book in the series because all of my favorite characters are finally together in one amazing book. I can't bring myself to describe in words just how much this book encapsulates all of my feelings.

But I'm going to try.

Think of your favorite Christmas present or Hanukkah present or birthday present, whatever, then multiply that feeling you had when you first opened it by about ten, and you have an idea of how I felt when I read this book for the first time. And everything I read this book over again, I get that feeling.

The plot of this is simply amazing, and this is the first time that Riordan really pulls on my heart strings by not giving everyone a happy ending But it's understandable; the Titan War is almost upon them, Percy and his friends are maturing, it would be counter-productive if nothing pivotal happened.

So Zoe is hands down my favorite character of all time. She is the sassiest immoral teenager ever and has the perfect job description: a hunter of Artemis. The first time I read this book, I told myself that I wished I was a hunter too, and this wish hasn't yet stopped. Combine this with ominous prophecies, impending world doom, and blue food, and you have the perfect formula for an amazing demigod adventure!