Tag Archives: Strong Women

The Assassin and the Desert by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

the-assassin-and-the-desert

Title: The Assassin and the Desert
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #0.3
In: The Assassin’s Blade (Sarah J. Maas)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Romance, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: After so many hours of silence, the word was jarringly loud.

Synopsis

The Silent Assassins of the Red Desert aren’t much for conversation, and Celaena Sardothien wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s not there to chatter, she’s there to hone her craft as the world’s most feared killer for hire. When the quiet is shattered by forces who want to destroy the Silent Assassins, Celaena must find a way to stop them, or she’ll be lucky to leave the desert alive.

Thoughts

This, by far, is my favourite of the five prequel stories in The Assassin’s Blade. The idea of a society of assassin’s based out in the middle of the desert is very poetic and the picture that Maas paints of the landscape in which Celaena finds herself is so tranquil and isolatingly beautiful. Her quick friendship with Ansel is another echo of this isolation – a great deal of symbolism for Celaena’s life up until this point. She is isolated and beautiful, unable to open herself to the hearts of others.

The teachings which Celaena undergoes are not in the slightest what are to be expected. They leave fluidity, flexibility and peace as the true trophies of the art. Not brutality and violence. Those within the community are taught with kindness and care, although, it is an incredibly abstract way of teaching – much of the time, it is difficult to understand what the lesson even is until it is finally explained. Maas is able to use this to remind us that we are constantly learning, changing and shifting, but it isn’t always clear what the outcome of these life lessons will be until we have come out the other side.

<- The Assassin and the Healer ReviewThe Assassin and the Underworld Review ->

Image source: Goodreads

The Assassin and the Healer by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

The Assassin's Blade

Title: The Assassin and the Healer
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #0.2
In: The Assassin’s Blade (Sarah J. Maas)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Romance, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Yet there, deep in her gut, was a small but insistent tug.

Synopsis

Meet the Assassin: beautiful, defiant, destined for greatness. Celaena Sardothien has challenged her master. Now she must pay the price. Her journey to the Red Desert will be an arduous one, but it may change the fate of her cursed world forever…

Thoughts

Although The Assassin and the Healer is a short story between Celaena’s adventures (literally), it helps to further her character development and cast shadows across her relationship with Arobynn. Her willingness to do what is right, and even to suffer the punishment for this (as she is now doing after her actions in The Assassin and the Pirate Lord) shine throughout the story. Even amidst the loathing and self-righteousness she feels at her self-imposed exile.

Yrenne Tower also appears, albeit allusively in later stories, and it is the one small act of kindness which Celaena performs in this short story which leads to her future actions. Likewise, this story is a reminder of the lack of power which the women in this society often hold. Their inability to find their own reality and fight for themselves in an often cruel world. The Healer’s ability to finally stand up and fight for herself shows a mass of gumption and inner strength that not only helps her find her own way in life, but is also what inspires Celaena to act on her behalf.

<- The Assassin and the Pirate Lord ReviewThe Assassin and the Desert Review ->

Image source: Super Space Chick

The Assassin and the Pirate Lord by Sarah J. Maas

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

the-assassin-and-the-pirate-lord

Title: The Assassin and the Pirate Lord
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Series: Throne of Glass #0.1
In: The Assassin’s Blade (Sarah J. Maas)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Fantasy, Romance, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novella
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Year: 2012
5th sentence, 74th page: Roalfe croaked as she held it up in her free hand, the garnet flashing in the light.

Synopsis

On a remote island in a tropical sea, Celaena Sardothien, feared assassin, has come for retribution. She’s been sent by the Assassin’s Guild to collect on a debt they are owed by the Lord of the Pirates. But when Celaena learns that the agreed payment is not in money, but in slaves, her mission suddenly changes—and she will risk everything to right the wrong she’s been sent to bring about.

Thoughts

This short story shows two aspects to Celaena as such was before the beginning of Throne of Glass. And, whilst they are so at odds with one another, they are a great insight into the woman she slowly becomes throughout the rest of the Throne of Glass series. The spoilt, petulant child that she is at the beginning of the series is completely offset by the even more self-centred and indulged child that she is in this first prequel.

The first chapter of this novella is exactly how I pictured Celaena in her days as “the world’s greatest assassin”. She is rude, conceited and incredibly difficult to like. In fact, if I hadn’t read the first three Throne of Glass books, I probably would have wondered what this young character had going for her. However, as the story progresses and her care for others is heightened, you can see where he consciousness started to affect the rest of her life. Without that, she wouldn’t have been able to fall for Sam, get caught by Arobynn. In other words, this was the perfect catalyst story for everything that follows.

<- The Assassin’s Blade ReviewThe Assassin and the Healer Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

The Sinner by Tess Gerritsen

Book Review, , ,

Overview

the-sinner

Title: The Sinner
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Series: Rizzoli & Isles #3
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Transworld Publishers
Year: 2003
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Thanks.’

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

A scene of unspeakable carnage

Two nuns are brutally attacked within the walls of their convent. There seems to be no shred of motive. but during the autopsy Forensic Pathologist Maura Isles discovers something entirely unexpected.

And when a second, heavily mutilated body is found and linked to the case, she and Detective Jane Rizzoli find themselves in the midst of a terrifying investigation that seems to implicate everyone.

Because who can really say they’re free from sin?

Thoughts

The first two Rizzoli & Isles books deal almost exclusively with Rizzoli, so it is really refreshing and nice to understand crime from the point of view of an ME. Maura is the complete opposite of Rizzoli, although both women are fighting for respect and their own place in a man’s world. The ‘Queen of the Dead’, like Jane has her own hang-ups, her own past and her own battles to fight within the male dominated society.

There is something that is inherently wrong with the brutal attack of nuns. Regardless of my (or anyone else’s) religious beliefs, attacking a woman who has cloistered herself away from the world for life seems incredibly wrong. The horror of the attacks just furthers the injustice of the world. Especially when those attacked are elderly and unable to defend themselves at all.

Rizzoli is incredibly rigid and unyielding in her actions and beliefs, that much is obvious in the first two books. The Sinner delves further into her rigidity and inability to compromise. It investigates her familial life and past, why her daily struggle to hold her own is so personal and professional at the same time. I loved delving into this aspect of Jane’s life – it is a great reminder that as a parent, your words and actions can have far larger effects than one would realise.

<- The Apprentice Review Body Double Review ->
Image source: Goodreads

Kitsunegari by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,

Overview

men-of-the-otherworld

Title: Kitsunegari
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #9.1
In: Men of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘Let me rephrase that.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Find Jeremy’s story in the Men of the Otherworld anthology.

Thoughts

Jeremy’s Asian supernatural heritage is shown in Infusion, yet, the true meaning of this and why it created the amazing werewolf Alpha wasn’t revealed until this story. The explanation of his heritage, and even why his mother was so desperate to reproduce with a man that even she found despicable finally makes sense. As does his constant drawing of runes and his uncanny ability to know when his Pack and family are in danger. Even the tattoo which Jamie decides to get at the conclusion of No Humans Involved has an unforeseen power.

I thoroughly enjoyed finding out how the relationship between Jeremy and Jamie progressed at the conclusion of No Humans Involved. They seemed such an odd couple, yet, once I finished reading their story, I couldn’t help but hope that they would get the happy ending they both so clearly desired. So, two years on from that conclusion, their happiness and ability to have a thriving relationship alongside their busy lives left such a warm, fuzzy feeling in my stomach. Jeremy’s disinterest in the Kitsune who wished to seduce him, and Jamie’s reluctant insecurity at this just furthered the feeling that all was right in their worlds. The laughing ending and trickery to this short story simply cemented this feeling of rightness to their story.

<- Living with the DeadZen and the Art of Vampirism ->

Image source: Amazon

Living with the Dead by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

living-with-the-dead

Title: Living with the Dead
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #9
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘But it looked as if Irving dreamed of more.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Robyn Peltier has never done anything out of the ordinary. So when her new boss is murdered and she is named prime suspect, she finds herself way out of her depth. As friends and colleagues abandon her, only two people remain loyal – best friend Hope Adams, and Hope’s spooky but charismatic boyfriend Karl.

What Robyn doesn’t realise is that she has accidentally stumbled into a bloody and escalating supernatural turf war. She’s also completely unaware that Hope is actually a half-demon, and her ‘spooky’ boyfriend is a powerful werewolf. Now the only way Hope can keep her friend alive is by introducing her into a world she’s safer knowing nothing about…

Thoughts

I’m honestly still not sure what my thoughts are on this story. But, in the most positive way I have ever experienced – nothing was as I expected, the ending caught me by surprise and the entire story has been rattling around in my head for hours. There is just something about Armstrong’s writing and her Women of the Otherworld series that tends to linger with me after I finish one of her books, but this novel more so than the rest. It just helped to tie in the greater story, which until now, I couldn’t actually envisage, and, more than that, showed a different, stronger side to Hope Adams than the previous stories.

There is always something sinister about cults in writing. I’m not sure if it’s the idea of someone being so completely brain washed; the total control of one’s every thought and action; or the often publicised mass killings and suicides that occur when these communities are infiltrated. And honestly, from this came Armstrong’s creation of a villain from the bosom of such a group who was not only enmeshed in the terrifying ideals of confinement, but also so twisted that every chapter which featured her story made me cringe in disgust. Which, considering how few words were sometimes used to describe her thoughts and actions, is quite a feat.

Although Hope starts out this story unsure and insecure in her own relationship, determined to help her friend, in the course of solving the overarching mystery and murder of this tale she also solves the key to her own unhappiness. The fact that the way in which she decides to fix this problem in her daily outlook on life was not what I would expect, especially after all of the romance present in the past stories, was a fantastic surprise. And a poignant reminder that although sometimes we really want our partner around, even feel that they are necessary, it can be their very absence and the space they are willing to give you that is truly helpful. Sometimes, even when we really want others around to hold us up, we need to take a deep breath, and step away to hold ourselves up.

<- The Ungrateful DeadKitsunegari ->

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Personal Demon by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , ,

Overview

personal-demon

Title: Personal Demon
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #8
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novel
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2008
5th sentence, 74th page: ‘I’d gotten the case, though.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Hope Adams inherited her Bollywood princess looks from her mother. From her demon father she inherited a hunger for chaos – and a talent for finding it. 

When Hope is asked to infiltrate a violent gang of supernaturals in Miami, she can’t resist the excitement. But trouble can be intoxicating, and soon she’s in way too deep. With a killer stalking the city’s mystical hol spots, Hope becomes dangerously entangled, and has no choice but to turn to her werewolf ex-boyfriend for help.

What started as a simple investigation has spiralled into chaos. And Hope finds chaos irresistable…

Thoughts

I loved, loved, loved Hope Adams! She is chaotic (literally) and sweet. I didn’t know what to expect from a story about a half-demon with powers over chaos and a jewellery-thief werewolf… certainly not the story that unfolded. But, honestly, this was a novel that was better than anything I could have imagined. It is not only a story about coming to terms with oneself, but also finding a way to work around someone else’s issues and insecurities.

Hope is placed within, yet still outside of her family, and greater society in general. Her secret abilities mean that she can’t communicate truly openly with her mother, whom she is incredibly close to. Yet, her uniqueness even in the supernatural world, means that she hasn’t been able to truly find her place and her home in this society. It isn’t until she finds someone who truly accepts all aspects of herself that she is able to feel comfortable. Not only the public face which she presents to her family and the world, but also the darker side of herself and her abilities. Karl echoes this with his placement in the Pack, he isn’t completely secure, even though it is something that gives him a true place and home within society.

The relationship between Lucas and his father, and the Cabals’ placement within the supernatural world is further explored and investigated in Personal Demon. His own worries and concerns that have been bought up throughout Dime Store Magic and Industrial Magic, are shoved into the limelight. Seeing the Cabal and Lucas’ relationship with his father from a different point of view and after time has mellowed some of the conflicts, was a great experience, and a reminder that even the most complicated of situations is filled with reasoning and altering motives.

<- StalkedChivalrous ->

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Ascension by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
ascension

Title: Ascension
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.4
In: Men of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Nick wants a fight, and I want to give him one.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Clay’s point of view of Jeremy’s ascension to Alpha.

Thoughts

I’d always wondered how Jeremy became Alpha. It’s obvious that although he is capable of fighting, he often choices not to pursue the past time. It was also difficult to understand how such a reportedly horrifying and devious character, such as Malcolm, ever had a chance of claiming power over a group that I very quickly fell in love with throughout Bitten. Ascension tells that story, alongside more tales of Clay’s teenage years and, even, the creation of his terrifying reputation amongst the Mutts.

Power struggles and negotiations occur in every aspect of our lives, in animal groups and packs (such as wolf packs), the knowledge of this is much stronger. Therefore, it is easy to conceive that a group of people who are half man, half wolf would be almost obsessed with hierarchy, power and dominance. For characters like Clay, who is more wolf than human, this is an easy aspect of his nature to claim and embrace. However, in Jeremy’s case, it is a constant battle to balance the two halves of his nature. Whilst he doesn’t feel the need to constantly prove his dominance like others, he also has the drive to protect those he considers family. Yet, this protection comes at a cost. In naturally occurring wolf societies, the strong protect the weak, and the weak obey the strong, this is obvious within Jeremy’s every action. Protecting and caring for the weak and the family is the most important aspect of his life, and it is this power play that leads to the rollercoaster ride of emotions in Ascension.

<- SavageBewitched ->

Image source: Goodreads

Savage by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
savage

Title: Savage
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.3
In: Men of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Fast
Format: Novella
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: In…” Malcom glanced at his watch.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

Savage is about Jeremy Danvers finding Clay.

Thoughts

I just LOVED finding out the story behind Clayton’s transformation into a werewolf. The dry wit and humour that characterises him throughout Elena’s tales in The Women of the Otherworld series shines beautifully from the pages of this novella. Clay’s voice shows us that our preconceptions of people can be wrong – from the very moment he is intelligent and cunning, combining this childish mind with that of a wolf made him a slightly awkward and successful predator from the age of seven. Even if he was unable to physically show his prowess to others who were far bigger and more terrifying.

The break down of this novella into short chapters helped to give the entire story flow. It also broke up the time through which Clayton’s trust and dedication to Jeremy was built. Where I didn’t understand this level of devotion in the greater Women of the Otherworld novels, Clayton’s childhood (pre- and post-wolf) finally helped me to see why he chose to effectively become his alpha’s shadow. His loyalty and slight quirks are so beautifully explained throughout this story, and where some of his actions towards Elena later can be seen as possessive and indications of an abusive relationship, in the light of Clayton’s upbringing and absorption into the Pack, they can be understood. The depth of his love and regard for those he considers his is seen through his own, unassuming eyes. And honestly, it’s this loyalty (and incredible dry wit and humour) that makes Clay my favourite Women of the Otherworld man.

<- RebirthAscension ->

Image source: Goodreads

Infusion by Kelley Armstrong

Book Review, , , , ,
Overview
infusion

Title: Infusion
Author: Kelley Armstrong
Series: Women of the Otherworld #0.2
In: Men of the Otherworld (Kelley Armstrong)
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Dark fantasy, Paranormal fantasy, Strong women
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Orbit
Year: 2009
5th sentence, 74th page: Malcolm’s fists clenched.

Buy The Book Now at The Book Depository, Free Delivery World Wide

Synopsis

About Jeremy’s mother and Jeremy’s conception.

Thoughts

I never quite understood throughout the Women of the Otherworld stories just why Jeremy’s father was so horrific – what it was that could turn a father so completely against his child. Yes, it sets up the character and storyline beautifully, but the rationale behind such a horrid creature has long fascinated me. And, finally, parts of Jeremy’s heritage and Malcolm’s rage are bought to light in this stunning short story. Although it is guaranteed to leave a sour taste in your mouth.

Although Infusion doesn’t completely explain Jeremy’s mysterious allure and powers, there are so many hints throughout. Likewise, his similarity to his grandfather and the incredible strength of his mother are highlighted in a way that makes it easy to understand the serious and contemplative man who he becomes. I love origin stories in general, and none can harken back to a character’s origin more succinctly than that of their very conception and birth.

<- RebirthSavage ->

Image source: Goodreads