The Glittering Court

By Richelle Mead

2.5/5

This book really disappointed me. I expected forbidden romance, danger, temptation, betrayal and I got none of this. There was no excitement to this book; the characters lacked depth, the plot was boring and overall, this book just fell really flat. This is really upsetting to me as I am a big fan of Richelle Mead; her Vampire Academy series was the first YA series I had ever read and I still adore it to this day because of its fast-paced plotline, relatable characters and gorgeous romance. This is what I expected The Glittering Court to be like but sadly, this is not the case.

I like the idea of The Glittering Court, a finishing school for working-class ladies, and I like the Elizabethan era in which the book is set. Although religion appeared to play a huge part in the book, it didn’t actually have any real impact. As a reader, we didn’t even get to learn too much about the characters but I understand that The Glittering Court is set to be a trilogy with each book from a different girls perspective (so book two and three will be from Mira and Tamsin’s perspective) so Richelle couldn’t go into too much detail about the minor characters history and reasoning.

Unfortunately, I don’t see myself going out to buy the remainder of the trilogy when it is released but I am not giving up on Richelle Mead as an author. Although I wouldn’t recommend this book, I highly recommend Vampire Academy and its sequel series.

Angel, Angel Fire, Angel Fever

By LA Weatherly

2.5/5

When I first read this series a couple of years ago, I absolutely loved it. The romance was epic, the plotline was intense and the characters were moving. However, after a recent reread (in which I only managed to get through the first book, Angel, before I gave up) my opinion has completely changed. Maybe it’s because I’m older now but ‘angels’ just seem really immature now.

As I have mentioned before, if I am reading a fantasy novel, I like for a new world to be created in which the fantasy creatures can exist. For example, Prythian in A Court of Thorns and Roses or the Shadow World in The Mortal Instruments series (I know it is set in New York but there is a fantasy world within the mortal world). When fantasy creatures exist just in the real world, I don’t connect to the story as well because it just seems so far-fetched. This is a reason why I no longer like this trilogy.

The writing style and the characters aren’t terrible. Willow irritates me a little but I can cope with her; Alex is totally gorgeous as are most boys in YA novels, but I really couldn’t connect with them. I don’t remember much about the second and third book but I know that Willow kisses someone who isn’t Alex and Alex kisses someone who isn’t Willow and this really doesn’t sit well with me as they spend the last part of the first book telling each other how much they love each other on every other line so why would you cheat?

This review is turning into a bit of a rant so I’m just going to end by saying if you like books about angels, the series is probably for you but if you don’t like books about angels, don’t read it. (Also, these covers are truly awful).

The Scorpio Races

By Maggie Stiefvater

4/5

As many of you may know, Maggie Stiefvater is my favourite author and The Scorpio Races was the one book of hers that I hadn’t read due to it being quite difficult to get a hold of in the UK. After a few failed attempts at trying to get it from Waterstones, I made an Amazon order and I finally had it in my hands.

This book is so incredibly magical and I honestly wonder sometimes where Maggie comes up with her ideas for books because they are so unique. The story is written from the dual narrative of Puck and Sean, who have both entered ‘The Scorpio Races’ for different reasons but find themselves drawn together so of course, there is a little bit of romance. The ‘water horses’ fascinated  me greatly and even by the end of the book I still do not truly know what they are but that is the beauty of this book. I adored most of the characters; Finn, Puck’s little brother, was utterly adorable but it was also heart-breaking at times to read about him; George Holly was an interesting character and I liked seeing how someone so wealthy and so business orientated could find a little peace and pleasure on a small island run by wild horses. I of course loved Puck and Sean and their dynamic, I think they complimented each other really well. The end of the book was semi-predictable but not enough so that you knew what would happen; there was also going to be a disaster just waiting to happen.

The only reason I gave this book a 4/5 is because I didn’t like it as much as The Raven Cycle or my absolute favourite book, Shiver. However, I feel that if I had read this book a few years ago when I was a horse rider myself and a little obsessed, it definitely would have gained a 5/5.