Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas

This series is one of my favorite series of all time. (CAUTION: This is the FIFTH book of a series, and I have not reviewed the second, third, or fourth book. But I HAVE reviewed the first book, Throne of Glass, so if you want to check that out, here's the link.) ANYWAYS, I was so excited to read this book, and after I finally got it, I pretty much read it in one sitting. (Or two. That book is long, okay? Stop judging me.)
Aelin Galathynius, or Celaena Sardothien (her alias), used to be an assassin. It turns out she's actually the heir to the throne of Terrasen. She's extremely arrogant, but honestly, you can't help loving her fiery personality and how skilled she is. I love a strong female heroine. You can't help rooting for her as she, with her "gang", or "Court", travel different kingdoms for their quest to find the Wyrdkeys. Aelin is actually extremely kind, but she acts confident, is confident, and is going to rule the world. Figuratively. Unless she is? (Sarah J Maas, are you there?)
Aelin's Court is made up of Rowan, Aedion, and Lysandra (primarily). Rowan and Aedion are Fae warrior princes. Rowan is Aelin's mate, while Aedion is Aelin's cousin. Lysandra is a shape-shifter. I really love the side characters (there are SO MANY SHIPS!), and Dorian, Elide, and Manon also join the crew. Aedion, at first, is in that "you're perfect" stage, but as he gets to know Aelin more, they become closer and he stops worshiping her. I really think that Aedion's character development was pretty good, but some of the other character's don't really change that much.
There's also a side story/perspective going on during the beginning of the book with Elide and Lorcan, who band together and travel on their quest. They are mysterious and secretive towards each other, but they slowly become closer friends. I think that everyone starts to form tighter bonds, rather than being a suddenly assembled group.
I give this book four stars. This book is in third person, and switches perspectives almost every chapter, until the end of the book where the peak of the plot comes. I recommend this for people who love fantasy with a skilled and feisty heroine

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak

I think that this book was clever.
The romance was sweet, awkward, and they were misunderstood.
However, there were no consequences and there wasn't much character development.
Billy faced no punishment (other than the utter rejection of his first love, but that's not the point). It's his fault, he gives vitally important code to his friends, yet he doesn't go to jail? It is literally all his fault. Yet Mary pretty much easily forgives him in a snap.
What happened?
Mary is character that stays the same. She is completely static, yet she is one of the main characters. I mean, yes, she's... skinnier at the end of the book, but we are talking about personality. She stays the same. She doesn't really make any other friends besides Billy, and it's not like she took a whole new aspect to life or anything. She just stays the same.
In the beginning she's cheerful. In the end she is cheerful. What is the difference here?
Also- I feel like Bill's affinity for coding is not really represented here, it just describes himself as lazy and always thinking about drawing 8-bit characters. He's technically "not smart", right? Or is he secretly smart, but he doesn't try? This is not clarified in the story.
His friends aren't really alive. Clark is extremely insecure, but this hardly delves into anyone else's problems, just the romance. I feel like there should have been more context, and Clark's insecurities about his misshapen hand should be expressed more clearly. Other than the fact that he shoves his hand in his pocket, he seems pretty much fine.
Also, Bill describes girls as getting a look at Clark's hand, then suddenly shutting up in fright and dismay. This never actually happens in the story.
This definitely needs to go deeper into the stories of his friends and the people around them, it's too focused on coding and romance.
There needs to be more action. A lot of the story is just Bill saying it. Don't tell, show.
However, this book was good for several reasons.
I appreciated the style, it was consistent. Bill seemed like someone practical.
I liked the setting, where they have floppy disks and hard drives.
The romance seemed slow, and not too sudden. They seem to have a "love at first sight" experience, but it's not really developed. Their relationship as friends into a couple seems quick and choppy, but their friendship seems realistic.
This book definitely could be better, but I think that it's sweet in its own way. It definitely holds a lot of promise.
I give this book two stars. It had a lot of flaws, but I do recommend this for people who are into coding, and slow romances. Also, heists, I guess?

I received a free advance reader copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Wicked Will Rise by Danielle Paige

Firstly, this is a sequel. I did not review the first book, Dorothy Must Die (sorry!), so if you don't want spoilers, look away!(Here's a little backstory~.) Amy Gumm is "trash". This modern styled retelling of the story, Wizard of Oz, is about another girl who goes to Kansas, after Dorothy. Back at Kansas, Amy was trash, with a single parent (one abandoned them), and a bunch of kids who make fun of her and call her Salvation Army. She's treated like trash, and everyone hates her. But suddenly, she's swept up by a tornado, and lands in the land of Oz. She finds out that Dorothy is evil, and Amy is supposed to kill her- there's a prophecy- yada, yada, yada. She is MAGICAL. And there is a love interest, Nox. Also, Pete is secretly Ozma. Basically, she pretends to be a servant, gains info, all that good stuff. In the end, she tries to kill Dorothy, but FAILS, thus leaving with a gigantic cliffhanger and all of us wondering what to do with our lives. Okay, moving on.
I feel like Dorothy's character development was great, but there was a lot of caution on the "too much magic is a no-no" rule. Foreshadowing much? Anyways, she has to find the rest of the gang so that they can reunite and figure out a plan to try to kill Dorothy. Again. Let's hope Amy doesn't fail again. (I should really stop throwing shade.) Anyways, it turns out that she was given more steps to her mission to kill Dorothy, which was to take the Scarecrow's brain, the Tin-Man's heart, and Lion's courage, in order to kill Dorothy.
Dorothy herself becomes more courageous during the story, although she's set back on the self esteem a little, after she failed to kill Dorothy in the first book. She also learns how to wield her magic more. I also think that the empathy of other characters really resonates with you. You can really relate, and not all of the characters themselves are perfect. They have stupid and irritating moments, but they also have genius and loving moments. I think that the characters really do represent the feelings of an actual human.
I loved the settings in this story. They all seemed wonderfully magical, and they travel a lot. I loved the wicked setting and the different magical objects that they encountered.
The plot was less interesting than the first, because in this she's more traveling and exploring other's characters, but it's still intriguing nonetheless.
I give this book 4.5 stars, and I definitely recommend this for those who love fantasy retellings, dark world building, and magical fighting.

A Torch Against the Night by Sabaa Tahir

I liked this book. It was fast-paced, quick, and got your heart racing within a few minutes of cracking open the cover. However, this book was definitely disappointing. This sequel definitely didn't match with the first book, An Ember in the Ashes. 
Elias is an ex-Mask, running away from Blackcliff, from the Commandant, from all of the government that he so desperately hated. Paired up with Laia, he was running for his life. Elias is a careful and skilled fighter, while Laia is only a Scholar, one of the lower-class people. Laia is part of the rebellion, while Elias... is rebelling. In my own opinion, I don't like Laia. She seems too annoying to me. During the book, she was overestimated and for some reason, people liked her. I didn't really understand why people apparently gravitated to her, she wasn't charming or funny. She didn't really have any likable personality traits, except for the "determination" Elias loves her for.
In this book, they're traveling across the country to run away from the Emperor, and also to free Laia's brother. Many different people help them along the way, with mysterious and endearing personalities.
There's a love triangle in this book. And I was honestly so disappointed by this. Laia liked both of them? No, she did not. It was obvious that she was gravitating towards Love Interest A, but she still "fell in love" with Love Interest B. Although, this love triangle seemed to end near the end, so at least we (hopefully) don't have to deal with a love triangle in the third book.
This book had a lot of action, at least, and I absolutely loved Helene. She was, by far, my favorite character. She had gusto, she had nerves, and she was skilled. Also, she had MAGIC. She has to deal with a lot of suffering, since she is now Blood Shrike to her enemy.
This book encounters a lot of death, but I think that it's handled very tastefully. The world building was magical, and you could really feel the characters' emotions. Despite my loathing mixed feelings for Laia, I still appreciated the other characters and felt like the plot was very thorough. There was a LOT of foreshadowing.
This book is in first person and switches POVs about every chapter, between Laia, Elias, and Helene. Did I like this book? Yes, I definitely liked this book. I would probably give this book three stars. A good read, if you don't hate Laia. I definitely recommend this for whoever read the first book, and loves escape books and fantastic mythological worlds.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

This novel takes so many elements and just- whoosh- whisks it all together into a batch of goodness.

This book is beautiful, with its exciting and suspenseful plot guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. This book is science fiction, fantasy, and romance all mixed together. This book is in third person, from Cinder's perspective, occasionally switching perspective.
Cinder is a retold fairy tale- Cinderella, but in this case, she's a cyborg set in futuristic times. There are the Lunars, who live on the moon and are ruled by the "evil queen", Levana. There's the plague, which is threatening to destroy all of humanity, Cinder is also a very skilled mechanic, and the beginning throws you into a bustling street with booths. The ball from the Cinderella story is also included in this story, although Cinder doesn't want to go.
Cinder is a likable, sarcastic character that will leave you rooting for her every step of the way. She makes mistakes, and is disliked by most of society. Her family, like in the Cinderella story, hate her. Except for Peony, one of the sweetest characters, who actually appreciates Cinder.
Iko is an android and one of the most lovable characters. She has an evolved personality chip, and wishes to be human. She also has a major crush on Kai, the prince of the Commonwealth. Kai is a prince who feels hopeless and all alone. When he meets Cinder, he finds someone that he can trust and speak to easily.
This setting is set in the Commonwealth in futuristic times, where Kai is loved and Cinder is despised, where Iko isn't appreciated and a dark plague is threatening to kill all Cinder loves.

Did I love, hate, like, or dislike this book? Yes, I liked this book. I would give it four stars. I think that Marissa Meyer showed the fact that Cinder is a cyborg wonderfully, giving a nice and smooth plot, without any awkward writing parts. I recommend this for those who love science fiction, retold fairy tales, and complicated romances.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton

This book is amazing and wonderful and composed of so many beautiful elements.
Alwyn Hamilton takes a romance, a desert, a couple of guns, and mixes it all together! This book is in first person from Amani's  perspective.
Amani is exceptionally skilled at shooting a gun, because she grew up in a place where they have a weapons factory. She longs to get out of Dustwalk, and she tries to. Multiple times. She's great at deceit and trickery, capturing the heart of Jin, a foreigner. Amani is one of my favorite characters ever, because she is clever, sassy, and actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times.
This book is different from many other young adult fantasy books because the main character, Amani, actually makes mistakes (gasps and shudders). The character development is evident, and yet subtle. It's also difference because Amani actually saves her own skin and risks others, knowing fully what she is doing. She's not some self-sacrificing girl, she actually cares about herself and wants to survive. Another thing that sets this apart from other books is that she's not magically skilled. She actually tries, and fails the first couple of times.
The plot isn't the fastest, but it gets faster near the end, with exciting conflicts for Amani to tackle.
The setting is mainly in the desert, and the imagery is wonderful. This book is nerve-wracking. This is the type of book that you eagerly turn the next page, but you want to slow down and savor every last detail.
Do I like, love, or hate this book? Well, I love it! I would give it five stars. This is definitely for people who like a middle-eastern~ Wild West~ sort of feel.

The Rose and The Dagger by Renee Ahdieh

This book is awesome. Well, all books are awesome. 

This book is beautiful with it's stunning romance and intricate magic. This time, it's more action rather than romance, but it's a beautiful, in third person and switching perspectives between Sharzad and other characters. 

Sharzad and Khalid are lovers, and they are separated because of the storm that was caused by Jahandar. Sharzad is testing her magic along while Jahandar is plotting an evil plan. 

This book introduces new characters and lets you get to know Sharzad's sister more. It also introduces a new romance, with it's tantalizing secrets. You really get to know the relationships between the characters and how they feel about all these events. 

Shahrzad is extremely clever and talented, but she has to learn some new tricks. She is loyal, but lies within a web of deception (which sometimes annoyed me). Sadly, she has to lie to keep her secrets and to protect her friends. Tariq is still in love with her (which is persistent and sweet but hopeless), but her love is still for Khalid. 

You really get to know Irsa and Tariq more. Tariq is a very innocent person hopelessly in love, and he would go to war for Sharzad (which he did). Irsa is extremely sweet and she is also smart with helping others. She's surprisingly wise, and yet Shahrzad treats her like a baby until she realizes that Irsa has grown up. Irsa is one of my favorite characters, being so kind and so generous to others. 

This setting is mainly in the desert, where instead of finding yourself in a courtyard drinking wine, you'll find yourself in the sand dunes with a scarf wrapped around your face.

Did I love this book? Did I hate this book? I liked this one. I wouldn't give it five stars, but four and a half. This included less romance than the first book, sadly, but it was still beautifully portrayed. I recommend this for those who have read the first book and love enticing mysteries where secrets don't always lie on the surface.