My Favourite Books of 2018 (So far)

Guess who's back in the house,
heels click clacking about?

That's right everyone, I'm finally back from a super long time away from the blog. It's been over a year since my last blog post and so, so much has changed in my life. So today's post I thought I'd make it something that is very easy and fun for me. I've read quite a lot of books so far, especially compared to last year and think this is a great time to showcase some of my favourite books of 2018, so far!

CRASH INTO YOU BY KATIE MCGARRY

Crash into You is the third book in the 'Pushing the Limits' series and I honestly thought no book could out do my love for Pushing the Limits, until Crash into You. Isaiah's back story broke my heart and I loved how much he truly cared and loved Rachel, despite knowing that he may not be her best option for a boyfriend. This book was filled with intense dramatic scenes and the grittiness of the illegal car scenes had me giddy with excitement and while I didn't think Rachel had the guts to continue and help Isaiah she truly outdid herself and showed the boys exactly how it's done. Honestly my favourite couple Katie has ever written.


LORD OF SHADOWS BY CASSANDRA CLARE

I finally got round to reading Lord of Shadows and let me tell you right now that Cassandra Clare did not disappoint with this sequel. Lady Midnight started off slow so I was worried that Lord of Shadows may continue on with that slow pace but it certainly wasn't. So much stuff happened in this sequel and I loved the constant action after action. Seeing the characters work through their teenage life while also finding a murderer and battling demons is ever so fun.


LEAH ON THE OFFBEAT BY BECKY ALBERTALLI

I honestly was never a fan of Leah in Simon VS the Homosapiens Agenda, mainly because I hardly got to know her character. We knew very little, however, in her own book she shines. Leah is a self confessed big girl with a lot of sarcastic wit and a love for both men and women. I really enjoyed getting to see everything from her perspective and I loved this so much more than Simon VS. Becky's writing has gotten so much stronger and the relationships between her characters are so special.


LETTERS TO THE LOST BY BRIGID KEMMERER

Can I just say that I think this book will always remain as the biggest surprise of my life. I went into the book without knowing anything about it. I was suffering badly with my depression and my mind was nagging at me to pick up the book and I'm glad I did. Letters to the Lost is a raw, luscious, heart wrenching novel that makes you emotionally invested. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one will understand the pain Juliet was feeling.


MORE THAN WE CAN TELL BY BRIGID KEMMERER

More Than We Can Tell packs a punch. Literally. It tells the story of Emma who's trying to survive in the game world that's predominantly male and Rev who's trying to overcome his horrible past. At first both characters aren't sure how to act around each other, mainly because despite going to the same school they've never actually met before. But it's pretty sure to say that their love grew from strength to strength. I absolutely loved this book!

Review: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Title: Lady Midnight (The Dark Artifices #1)
Author: Cassandra Clare
Genre: YA Paranormal / Fantasy
Publisher: Simon and Schuster UK
Published: March 8th 2016
Page Number: 698
Rating: 4.5/5

Summary:

It’s been five years since the events of City of Heavenly Fire that brought the Shadowhunters to the brink of oblivion. Emma Carstairs is no longer a child in mourning, but a young woman bent on discovering what killed her parents and avenging her losses.

Together with her parabatai Julian Blackthorn, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches across Los Angeles, from the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica. If only her heart didn’t lead her in treacherous directions…

Making things even more complicated, Julian’s brother Mark—who was captured by the faeries five years ago—has been returned as a bargaining chip. The faeries are desperate to find out who is murdering their kind—and they need the Shadowhunters’ help to do it. But time works differently in faerie, so Mark has barely aged and doesn’t recognize his family. Can he ever truly return to them? Will the faeries really allow it?

 

REVIEW

 

It's been a long time since I've had anything to do with the Shadowhunter world and I'm being honest when I said I was scared to delve into Lady Midnight. I had heard the great reviews and I know Cassandra Clare is one of my all time favourite authors, which is what made me nervous. What if I didn't like the book?

 

Well, luckily enough I actually loved Lady Midnight. In fact I think this one is Cassandra most richest story yet. It jumps straight into the story 5 years after the events of City of Heavenly Fire and follows Emma Carstairs who's out for revenge on the people who murdered her parents, now she has even more problems when humans and faeries are turning up dead, burned, drowned and covered in unusual markings.

 

Now it did take a while for the story to really take off. Until page 140 not much was going on. We were getting to know the new characters, their personalities and lives and the issues that surround the LA Institue, which is fun and all but once the story got going then it went to a whole new level. Emma's character only grew in maturity and getting to see her relationship and feelings for Simon blossom in a realistic way was so refreshing. I also loved Mark and Kieran together. My only question with those two is on Kieran's sexuality, which has nothing to do with the book but my curious mind is wanting the answer. I also really appreciated the family orientation in this book, Julien being a father to his younger brother and sisters made me appreciate what I have in life.

When we find out who's behind the murders I'm being honest when I say I was left disappointed, only because I really liked that character. They were loving and fun but it also made total sense since that character also left you feeling uneasy as to why they acted a certain way.

With Cassandra's beautiful writing and a deep, rich world I'm one hundred percent sure that all Shadowhunter fans will love this book just as much as her previous series. My only not to future readers would be to make sure you read 'Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy' as it really helps and slowly introduces some characters who will turn up into the Lady Midnight book.

 

 

Buy the book (Wordery) | Buy the book (Book depository)

Review: Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy by Cassandra Clare

Title: Tales From the Shadowhunter Academy
Author: Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson & Robin Wasserman
Genre: YA Fantasy / Novellas
Publisher: Walker Books
Published: November 15th 2016
Page Number: 512
Rating: 4/5

Summary:

Simon Lewis has been a human and a vampire, and now he is becoming a Shadowhunter. The events of City of Heavenly Fire left him stripped of his memories, and Simon isn’t sure who he is anymore. So when the Shadowhunter Academy reopens, Simon throws himself into this new world of demon-hunting, determined to find himself again. Whomever this new Simon might be.

But the Academy is a Shadowhunter institution, which means it has some problems. Like the fact that non-Shadowhunter students have to live in the basement. At least Simon’s trained in weaponry—even if it’s only from hours of playing D&D.

 

REVIEW

Reviewing a book published as a bunch of novellas is quite a difficult thing as they're all their own separate story that combine together to create one big piece of art. However, I've decided to review and rate each novella. My overall thoughts on the book is that I really, really enjoyed the expansion from Simon's POV. It made me realise how much I really like him as a character and how much I miss the world of Shadowhunters.

Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy: 5 Stars

I really loved the introduction to this bunch of novellas and being able to read from Simon's POV was interesting, especially since his parts were usually the worst ones in the TMI series. Also George Lovelace is my Man.

The Lost Herondale: 4 stars

Another great continuation in the novella series but I didn't find it as interesting - or funny - as Welcome to Shadowhunter Academy.

The Whitechapel Fiend: 3 stars

The parts in Tessa's POV was so nostalgic, I loved seeing some of the gang from The Infernal Devices, however, Simon's parts left me, dare I say, bored.

Nothing but Shadows: 4 stars

Once again, Simon's parts were the lesser of good. He's only lovable for a certain amount of time before he gets bored but I enjoyed seeing him learn the lesson in this novella. Also I just loved Matthew and James.

The Evil We Love: 3 stars

Definitely one of my least favourite out of the novellas, I really didn't care for Robert Lightwood or how the whole Circle started up. And to be honest, I think it was used just to be a filler novella, which defeats the points of novellas.

Pale Kings and Prices: 4 stars

Helen Blackthorn really brought this series back to life for me. She's just a kickass, over protective half shadowhunter, half fey woman. I honestly could read an entire series about her.

Bitter of Tongue: 2 stars

I just didn't care for this novella. I'm not going to lie and say I wasn't in the best mood when I read it because I was having a down day but that hasn't changed my perspective on the novella.

The Fiery Trial: 1 star

No comment.

Born to Endless Night: 4 stars

I loved seeing Malec have their own point in this series of Novellas, however, I don't think this should have been more Malec than it was Simon. This is Simon's series, is it not?!

Angels Twice Descending: 4 stars

Short and sweet, a lot about on what family is and what you'll do for the ones you love. But losing one of my favourite characters has hurt my heart.

 

Buy the book (Wordery) | Buy the book (Book Depository)

 

 

 

A REVIEW COPY WAS PROVIDED BY THE PUBLISHER

Why I've Still Not Read Lady Midnight

So many people have been messaging me on Goodreads wondering why I've not read Lady Midnight. And normally I'd have an answer for that question but I have so many answers that it's difficult to always explain to people. As a reader, I am not someone who can pick up a book just because it's a new release that I have been anticipating. I mean, I have been waiting for Lady Midnight to come out since the ending of The Mortal Instruments, which is a seriously long time. But I'm the type of reader that chooses what they read pending on their mood and the sort of genre they feel like reading.

For example: if I'm stressed out and in the Contemporary mood then I would generally tend to pick a short book to read. Short but sweet and something that'll help with escapism. If it's a sunny day and I want something to reciprocate my mood then I would generally pick something New Adult, possibly something with travel.

And I'm not just a mood reader. Sometimes I like to wait until the second book release date, which I something I'm doing with Lady Midnight. I don't want to be waiting so long for each book to be released, especially forcing myself to read Lady Midnight when I'm just not feeling anything of that genre at this specific place in time. The book is over 700 pages long, so I'll need the time to actually read it and I don't have that time right now.

If you've checked Goodreads like I have then you'd know that it had really good ratings and loads of people are saying it's Cassie's best work yet, which hypes it up too much for me. Hype can ruin my perspective on things because I immediately assume that it's the best piece of literature ever. Which I'm sure it is, because Cassie is one of the best writer's out there. I will eventually read Lady Midnight. But at my own time and at my own pace.



Have you read Lady Midnight?
Let me know your thoughts below!

Shadowhunters TV Show Casting | Discussion

If any of you guys are like me, then you'd know that I am not the only one who is highly anticipating the Shadowhunters TV Show based off the incredible book series by Cassandra Clare. The Mortal Instruments introduced us to some iconic characters as well as a lot of kick ass action.

We've had a movie. That flopped completely and honestly? I didn't particularly like it. The casting was a little off and the actors didn't bring our iconic characters to life. So when it was announced we were getting another chance, but this time as a TV Series, I was hesitant. Not because I didn't think it'd work, but because I wanted it to be done correctly. And since we've been slowly, but surely getting the casts I thought I would talk about them all and give you my opinions.


Clary Fray played by Katherine McNamara

I'm honestly so happy with this casting. Katherine McNamara was on the Disney Channel Original movie Girl vs Monster, and let me tell you, not only is she a great actor but she had a killer voice. I can definitely see her portraying Clary fray in a way that will not only do the series justice, but will make us fans happy.

Some people have expressed how worried they are because her hair is still a little on the blonde side and not red enough, but this is her natural hair colour and it's beautiful. Especially for Clary.




Jace Wayland played by Dominic Sherwood

Most of you will know Dominic from the Vampire Academy Movie, where he played the gorgeous character of Christian Ozera. And while the VA movie completely sucked, Dominic Sherwood's acting did not. He honestly was the better part of the movie, and I am sure he will portray Jace in a way that we'll love.

Fans of The Mortal Instruments have expressed their worry that he'll be a dark-haired Jace Wayland, but if you've seen him in Taylor Swifts 'Style' music video, then you would know that his hair is more of a dark-ish blonde, and still works for Jace.



Simon Lewis played by Alberto Rosende

Robert Sheehan was actually the casting of the movie that I loved. He was perfect. Or so I thought. When Alberto Rosende was announced I was so happy. I've never seen his acting, but his looks are literally spot on with Simon Lewis, and that is without glasses on. I definitely think he is one of my favourite castings and what some people may not know is that Alberto is a Cancer Survivor. His casting and newly found fan-base will be a
great way to spread the word about checking yourself over.

So far all comments on the Shadowhunters Facebook page have been extremely positive, they love this casting just as much as I do. I cannot wait to see him on the show.


Isabelle Lightwood played by Emeraude Toubia

I didn't like the movie Isabelle, so I was open to anything, but I was more than happy with the casting of Emeraude. She's beautiful and definitely had that innocent yet fierce look about her. I've not seen anything she's starred in since they're Spanish (don't quote me on that), but I trust the casting team enough to know that she wouldn't have been cast if she couldn't act.

Once again, the fans on Facebook love this casting just like me and I'm excited to see how she'll portray Isabelle. Welcome to the team, Emeraude!




Alec Lightwood played by Matthew Daddario

Kevin Zegers was way too old to portray Alec, and his acting totally didn't live up to par, so I wasn't sure if I'd like the TV Show casting. Alec isn't exactly a favourite character of mine, despite his sexuality. However, the casting team did a great job and I really like this casting. Matthew has had a few small roles in some movies such as Delivery Man and When the Game Stands Tall. He also happens to be the brother of Alexandra Daddario who portrayed Annabeth in the Percy Jackson Movies.

Most fans have commented on the fact that his eyes aren't blue. But there are a thing called Eye Contacts.



Luke Garroway played by Isaiah Mustafa

I have to be honest with everyone. When I first saw this casting I wasn't too fussed, not because of his skin colour, but because I've only seen one of the TV movies he was in and I his acting didn't stand out. However, the casting has been growing and growing on me, and I'm definitely looking forward to how he portrays Luke. Luke is described as a cool, calm and collected character with a rage buried underneath the barriers and I have hope that he'll do it decently.

I also want to take the time to actually say something to the Shadowhunter Fandom. I am actually disgusted with some of them because they were racist towards the casting. It's belittling and extremely unmoral, Cassandra Clare and the casting team were happy with their decision and his audition, so take that on board before you comment abusive things because he's not how you pictured Luke.


Valentine Morgenstern played by Alan Van Sprang

Everyone has screamed nothing but positive things about Alan
and his acting. He played an evil, vicious King on the TV Series Reign - which I have not seen - but I am excited to now watch the show. His look is spot on, and I honestly hope that they won't make him wear a white wig, even though Valentine is described as having white hair. He has the look and I'm sure his acting is great!



Magnus Bane played by Harry Shum Jr

Okay, this is easily my favourite casting of the series so far. I was still flailing around an hour after he was announced, and I'm pretty sure he is the perfect actor to play Magnus. Harry is a great actor - and dancer - so I know he'll have no trouble bringing Magnus to life. And what is so great about this casting is that Cassandra Clare fan-casted him 3 years ago, so did the Glee cast.

Everyone have been praising this casting, especially since it was such a surprise, one that not even I saw coming! Ps, I want a Magnus vs Alec dance battle.



Jocelyn Fray/Fairchild played by Maxim Roy

I really like this casting. A lot. I always pictured Jocelyn as very intense looking but with a very gentle undertone, and I think Maxim has that look nailed down. Because I live in the UK, I don't really know any of these newer castings, but I've heard great things about Maxim's acting. She's starred in 19 - 2 as a detective and an unknown show to me, called Defying Gravity.

On a side note, Maxim has now got a red tint to her hair.






Hodge Starkweather played by Jon Cor


I know what you're thinking, "When did Hodge get HOT?!" Well, I have your answer.

In the City of Bones movie, Hodge looks to be in his mid to late forties going onto his early fifties. But, actually, he's 36 years old, younger than Jocelyn. Judging on looks, I think Jon Cor is great, but I've not seen him act yet. He starred in American Pie Presents: The Naked mile in 2006 as Trent, which I watched but don't remember enough to say I remember him specifically. He's also portrayed Jake in British TV series, Beaver Falls.





What do you guys think of the castings?
Let me know in the comments.

My All Time Favourite Books

I'm quite a very fussy reader. Not every book I read I will like, especially if it's been over-hyped. But before I started booktubing (Don't do it anymore) and blogging, I found it so much easier to read a book without judging it on the hype because I never checked reviews for it. Out of the seven books/series (series counts as one) only one of them was actually read before I started blogging and booktubing, the rest I heard of because of my favourite booktubers. None of these have any rankings because, like I said, they're all my favourite books.

Don't forget that tomorrow is Top 5 Wednesday and the topic is Favourite Book Titles.





The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare.

I absolutely love this series and unlike everyone else, I actually prefer this series to The Infernal Devices. This is a fast-paced, action-packed series with some of the best characters ever created. Clary and Jace are amazing, so are Maia and Jordan. Also this features a Gay relationship. And that conclusion to the series? ABSOLUTELY FREAKING EPIC! Every book was rated a 5/5 STARS!





Slated by Teri Terry.

I  have raved so much about this Trilogy. The first two books are fantastic, the third one was a let down, but aren't most? This is such a unique and futuristic world that appears to be a very realistic vision for our future. What I love most is that this is probably the most intense Dystopian I've ever read. The only negative is the new boy/love interests that comes in every book.





Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry.

This is a darker contemporary, but for me it is so realistic and very relatable. I suffer with severe depression and have self-harmed, so I understood exactly how Echo felt. Worthless and undeserving of love. But what I loved most was the fact that two broken souls came together and fixed each other. If you're not into Teen romance stories then I guess this wouldn't be for you, but if you do then go for it. Their story continues in the sequel being published in December.




A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness.

This is the book I was telling you about that I read before I started blogging. At that time I hardly ever read and this book just appealed to me, it became one of my favourite series. The series is a mix of Fantasy, Romance, History and Action. It has been compared to
Twilight, but it's definitely not like Twilight. These Vampires are dangerous and it has Witches in it. The characters are great and the historical context behind it all in amazing! I also met Deborah and she's super lovely.



Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell.

I've also met Rainbow Rowell. In fact I met both Deb
orah and Rainbow in the same month, a few days after each other. Eleanor and Park is set in the 1980's and follows their story of falling in love for the first time. Eleanor is such a relatable and unique character; she's overweight, has unruly red, curly hair and stitches weird things on her clothes. Park is Asian. The way the story is written and how they connect through Comics and Mixed Tapes was beautiful. I will say in warning that the ending will cause you to cry.




The White Rabbit Chronicles by Gena Showalter.

This will be featured in my T5W for my Halloween Recommendations post, and so they should. This is one of my all time favourite trilogies because it focuses on the family as well as everything else that's going on. These books have some of the best characters and the whole fresh twist on the zombies was such a surprise. I would like a TV Show or Movie on these books, but I'm not sure if we'll ever get one.




Last but not least.....


Slammed by Colleen Hoover.

This is a recent read of mine and I could not get over how amazing this book was. Colleen Hoover has to be one of the best writers out there, she reminds me of a female Nicholas Sparks. Slammed focuses on the importance of life and how we kind of take it for granted. This is one of the only books (apart from Eleanor and Park, Where She Went and Allegiant) that made me cry. So much love.

My ratings are so unusual. I have an All Time Favourites Shelf and a Favourites Self. A book can be rated 5 stars and only make my Favourites Shelf. My All Time Favourites are ones that I can heavily relate too and I never want them to end.

 

So....What are your favourites?

Top 5 Wednesday: Favourite Female Characters

Top 5 Wednesday was set up by Lainey over at GingerReadsLainey. Every week you have a new topic and you pick your top 5 choices for each topic. This is done in Vlogs, but I think it will be great for Bloggers to do as well. Today's topic is Top 5 Favourite Female Characters, which is a topic I'm having a struggle with because I love a lot of female characters, like most of anyone does. But I've tried my best to name my top five.

So without further ado......



FIFTH PLACE: Clary Fray from The Mortal Instruments.

The reason why I like Clary so much is because she shows both sides of being weak and strong. She's not perfect and kick-ass in the first book, like some female characters are that it makes it realistic. Plus Clary is a character that everyone can relate too, she's a normal teenage girl who's got a somewhat hard life and struggling to make a choice between boys. (I also like Maia from this series, but she was only in the last few of them, not from the beginning.)





FOURTH PLACE: Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter Series.

Luna is one of those characters that would be my best friend if I was in those novels. She's weird, which I like, but she's mysterious and kind, and has a gentle soul. Plus she can be a different person with a wand. My only dislike to her is her father because he is all kinds of creepy, but she, herself is a pretty cool chick. I still hate that she ended up with Neville, I thought her and Ron would've made a cute couple.






THIRD PLACE: Kat from the Burn for Burn Trilogy.

In the first book I wasn't so fussed on Kat. I liked her, but not enough for her to be my favourite character. In the second book, Fire with Fire she's so much better. She's a loyal friend, who deserved a lot more chapters. Plus I liked the fact she was a tomboy who kind of flirted with everyone. But please the lord, can she get with Alex. They're super adorable together and her whining is kind of getting on my nerves. In a good way.





SECOND PLACE: Christina from the Divergent Trilogy.

Everyone knows that I never really connected with Tris and Four in the whole trilogy, but I did with Christina. She's another person I'd be friends with and not because she tells the truth, but because she's got attitude and sass, something Tris doesn't possess. She also shows herself to be a worthy friend and I like that. I still have a question for Veronica Roth though. What happened to Tris' personality?





FIRST PLACE: Eleanor from Eleanor and Park.

I connect with Eleanor in so many ways. She's a character that I want to see more of in Young Adult fiction because it's real life. Not every girl happens to be stick thin and perfect, some stick out in society and it should be celebrated. For me, Eleanor is the character you can relate to in some way, but she's also very lovable. You connect with her and her life and then.....BAM! She stabs you in the heart and kind of ruins the whole story (in a good way). I would like to know what Eleanor would look like as an Adult.

 

So who are some of your favourite female characters? Let me know in the comments, so we can discuss them!

Book Review: City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare

Book Name: City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments #6)
Author: Cassandra Clare
UK Release Date: 2014
UK Publishers: Walker Books
Summary:

Erchomai, Sebastian had said. I am coming.

Darkness returns to the Shadowhunter world. As their society falls apart around them, Clary, Jace, Simon and their friends must band together to fight the greatest evil the Nephilim have ever faced: Clary's own brother. Nothing in this world can defeat him - must they journey to another world to find the chance?

 

Praise for Cassandra Clare:

'The Mortal Instruments series is a story world I love to live in. Beautiful.' Stephenie Meyer, Author of Twilight.
'Hold on tight for a smart, sexy thrill ride.' Libba Bray , author of The Diviners

'Cassie's writing makes my toes curl with envy. She is the rare writer who can write fast-paced dramatic fantasy with gorgeous language and memorable characters that you grow to love.' Holly Black, author of The Spiderwick Chronicles

Review:

This book was once of my most anticipated books of 2014 after The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness, and this book did not disappoint. The prologue starts off with a new character called Emma Carstairs who I recognised from Cassandra's new series that will be published next year: The Dark Artifices, which I cannot wait for, I need it now! In her POV we find out that it's the start of The Dark War with Sebastien. Which I happened to love because we were met with instant action, nothing boring that would've slowed down the book.

My main worry with the book was that it is over 700 pages long and I weren't sure Cassandra was going to pull it off, especially since I disliked the epilogue to Clockwork Princess, the last book in her prequel series: The Infernal Devices. However, I really believe she gave the series justice and it was an amazing wrap up to the series. The sad part about it is that we have to wait over a year for anything from Cassandra Clare, although we do have her new middle grade series with Holly Black coming out in September or October of this year: The Iron Trials. Yay!

Through my journey of reading through the book there was a lot of heartache. Mainly because one of my favourite characters died. He was such a great character, but I had an instinct he would be killed off because he wasn't really a main character, yet he played an important part in the series. But Cassandra can do no wrong for me, and she knocked the ball out of the park with this characters ending. It was vicious, action-packed and emotional. I've seen no author who can do that apart from her. She's a phenomenon

Anyway back to the book. So much happens and we get to see every character go through a journey of their own and it really helped seeing them all mature in a way that was only slowly developing through out the first five books. They finally worked as a team and included Simon, and it was a pretty great feeling to see that. But my favourite journey was Emma Carstairs. She lost her parents, which is known in the prologue, and she's seen as a weak child. But to me Emma reminds me of a mix of both Clary and Jace. They're both powerful, but also very logical, much like Emma. And I can only think that Cassandra got the idea to have Emma and Julien be like Clary and Simon because it works. Julien and Simon are kind of the same person personality wise, also by the hair. I love that hair!

I could go on and on and on about the City of Heavenly Fire, but I don't want this post to be too long. But I will say that if you haven't started this series then you must. It is incredible, I fly through these books and they're so enjoyable. Cassandra's writing is prim and proper, her characters are very well developed, she knows them so well and her world building is immaculate.

I gave this 5/5 STARS! It is without a doubt the best book in the series for me, and for a lot of people as well, which I'm sure they'll agree with me on. It kept you on your toes and the epilogue couldn't have been any better because it was perfect!