Reading The Riot Act

Wednesday 16 August 2017

We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Nicu has emigrated from Romania and is struggling to find his place in his new home. Meanwhile, Jess's home life is overshadowed by violence. When Nicu and Jess meet, what starts out as friendship grows into romance as the two bond over their painful pasts and hopeful futures. But will they be able to save each other, let alone themselves?
For fans of Una LaMarche’s Like No Other, this illuminating story told in dual points of view through vibrant verse will stay with readers long after they've turned the last page.

Image from Most Ardently Alice

We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan
Published February 9th 2017 by Bloomsbury
Hardback 320 Pages

There are those books, the ones that leave you hungover - and you have no idea what story will ever get you out of it. You pray for a cure...well, pray no more. We Come Apart is the perfect hangover book. First off, it's written in verse, so you fly through this thing. When you are hung up on another book it can feel like the pages won't pass. You are trying so hard to push through but are achieving nothing. That's why this is so perfect, every page has like thirty words and it just soars. It likely also helps that this story...is beautiful.

Nicu is a Romanian teen living in England. It's safe to say he hates it, with his basic knowledge of English and an uncertain future in which his family will buy him a wife - he is not in a good place. Neither is Jess, she's got done for shoplifting, again and her family are not supportive. Jess's step-dad is beating her mother and her brother is gone, run away and she is left defenseless. Inevitably, both mixed up kids end up in a young offenders group. They meet once a week to pick up rubbish and pay their debt to society. Whilst most are roughens and mock Nicu - Jess finds he's the only person she can speak to. He is the only person who knows about her family and she is the only one who knows about him.

At school, Nicu and Jess don't talk. Jess just can't deal, it's like Nicu is a target for trouble and all her friends attack him. Literally, everything he does they take as a sign of aggression. It angers them, his existence. And Jess keeps quiet - until she can't. Things go too far and her "best friend" accuses him of touching her. She leaps to his defense and then they are inseparable. I was waiting for this moment, craving it, when Jess would finally discover that being a good person is better than being popular.

Afterwards, it feels like everything is going to be okay - but of course, hate runs deep and after showing them up at school - Jess's EX friends want revenge. Jess's step-dad is coming fro her, she needs to run and Nicu wants to run too. He refuses to marry the wife bought for him, and he's going back to Romania. He flees, with Jess. Then, it all goes to shit. There's a fight, we get caught in it. And someone is stabbed. Jess and Nicu are going to prison. They run. Nicu is covered in blood, someone else's blood. He won't get away, not with this, not when he isn't British. He tells her to meet him on the train...and like a ding-bat, she believes him.

The police arrive...and Jess watches Nicu disappear into the distance.

They come apart.

It is lovely and tragic and even though I slowly started to think something like this might happen, it still broke my heart.. Nicu and Jess are too cute together, both of them just trying to make their way in a world where the odds are stacked against them. Honestly, they we're not doing that bad. They were lost. Yes. They were angry. Yes. But, they were kind to each other. They managed to be empathetic and kind when the world around them cannot offer the same.

We Come Apart was wonderful, and I would expect nothing from Sarah Crossan, her books are always consistently well-written and enjoyable. I gave this book 4 stars! I wish there was more, but also really enjoyed the fleeting tale of Nicu and Jess.

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Monday 14 August 2017

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Louise Wilkes 11:49:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:

Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)

Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)

Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)

Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.

Reading the Riot Act Blog

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo
Published June 2nd 2016 by Orion's Children's Books
Paperback 491 Pages

Behold! A book I read months ago and then proceeded to forget to review. I know, that might suggest I didn't like this book - well, you are hella wrong. Is this thing a beast? YES! Did it take me almost a month to read? SUPER YES! Will I read the next one? Eventually...

Seriously, this thing was good but it was a slow read - I wouldn't dare try and smash through this bad boy for a read-a-thon.

Six of Crows follow a rag-tag group of brutal criminals, trying to make it large in Ravka. (You know, the Russian-esque country from Bardugo's Grisha series?) There really is nothing like old friends, but unfortunately they are all dead. Set many years after Ruin and Rising, Alina and Mal and the Darkling are history. Sorry Ladies. Instead, we get a whole new crew to obsess over- and personally. I like them better. (Tell no one.)

Being Grisha is now taboo, far more than some of the segregation we'd come to recognise in Ravka. Some of them have been captured, and a drug produced that gives them unholy powerful gifts but then drains the life out of them. The man who invented it, is locked away inside an ice fortress. Guess who is hired to break him out? and/or assassinate him? Why! It's our rag-tag group of brutal criminals! Can they do it? PROBABLY NOT! Will I have fun watching it all go tits up? HELL YEAH!

The cast of this book is phenomenal. Each of them is vivid with rich backgrounds and startlingly diverse personalities. It can be hard to write a group dynamic, but damn has Bardugo got it down. The only issue is, with so many interweaving stories -the thing can drag a little. Every detail is painstakingly recalled, each different from another characters eyes and they feel so important and tense and crucial, that you find yourself spending 10 minutes on one page. Yeah, I'm not exaggerating. The writing is so beautiful and enthralling that is almost impossible to get sucked in because you'd hate to miss a second of the syntax. That, honestly, is my only complaint. It was so well-written, I couldn't ignore the words and just imagine. #firstworldproblems

Kaz is the leader of The Dregs, and in his criminal gang is Inej -his right hand ninja lady. Jesper, the gun slinger, Wylan - a politician's son who's out for a little rebellion and Nina, a Grisha who kind of fucked over her ex-lover. And...of course they are gonna need to bust him out of prison for the job. Enter Matthias, the Grisha hater - and then our group is complete. All of them have these intensely complicated relationships with each other. They are all burdened by their singular baggage and the baggage of the group. Yet, somehow, they all come together and what at first glance seems like a business arrangement, is engraved with golden lines of love and affection and loyalty. The Dregs make this book, it would be entirely different without them and it would be far, far worse.

I'll say it now and forever hold my peace. Inej is my favourite. It's like having a boy band full of hunks and everyone in your friend group gets to choose one. Inej is mine. She is this perfect mix of totally badass. I mean, she's so effing cool! But also has this beautiful vulnerability that she fights with. She worries about the way the world sees her and simultaneously wants to be feared. I love it - I don't know why I just do.

Six of Crows totally lived up to it's hype. I will eventually get around to Crooked Kingdom when I have a spare month burning a whole in my life - but until then, I'm pretty satisfied. There were twist's at every turn, obstacles, complications and mess ups. This, in essence, is a heist book - and we sure as hell heisted! This book get's a solid 5 STARS!

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

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Tuesday 8 August 2017

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr

Louise Wilkes 02:34:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Seventeen-year-old Flora Banks has no short-term memory. Her mind resets itself several times a day, and has since the age of ten, when the tumor that was removed from Flora's brain took with it her ability to make new memories. That is, until she kisses Drake, her best friend's boyfriend, the night before he leaves town. Miraculously, this one memory breaks through Flora's fractured mind, and sticks. Flora is convinced that Drake is responsible for restoring her memory and making her whole again. So when an encouraging email from Drake suggests she meet him on the other side of the world, Flora knows with certainty that this is the first step toward reclaiming her life.

With little more than the words "be brave" inked into her skin, and written reminders of who she is and why her memory is so limited, Flora sets off on an impossible journey to Svalbard, Norway, the land of the midnight sun, determined to find Drake. But from the moment she arrives in the arctic, nothing is quite as it seems, and Flora must "be brave" if she is ever to learn the truth about herself, and to make it safely home.

Reading the Riot Act

The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr
Published January 12th 2017 by Penguin
Paperback 303 Pages

Flora Banks has no life. She has a best friend and a school and parents that love her - but her memory lasts barely a day, hours maybe. Still, she goes on, writing notes to herself on her arms, writing her memories down to tell herself later. Then, at his leaving party - Flora kisses her best friends boyfriend, Drake,...and the next morning, she remembers him. Then the next day, and the next day. The kiss on the beach and the boy. She remembers something, finally but the guy is gone, across the ocean and her friend hates her for kissing him. When her estranged brother becomes sick, Flora is left alone and after several R-rated emails between her and Drake, Flora is on a plane. She feels the memory slipping away and she knows Drake is the only person who can help her.

She heads to the Arctic, with no idea where he is or what he's doing - but she goes anyway. I was really excited once she'd decided to go. This book has a lot of repetition. I mean A LOT! Which is understandable, but still annoying as hell. The majority of it is re-reading the same stuff we read a few pages ago. Flora Banks has Amnesia - but I definitely do not! We get to the Arctic and here I am hoping things are about to happen. No. It's gonna take another 100 or more pages of wandering around in shops and having the same conversations over and over before she even gets an idea of where Drake is. This entire section made me wonder how insensitive I am - maybe that's the point. I didn't care that Flora was struggling, that she was in a new place and could not remember getting there. That she had no idea what was happening to her and still managed to make the slightest progress. Still, I hated her for getting in my way - for taking too long.

When Flora begins to make friends, begins to recall more and more of what is happening, I become very proud of her. It's the point we know there is something more than Amnesia going on because without her medication, she is starting to remember more. She goes on excursions, sees polar bears and I forget about Drake - just like Flora does. I'm in the moment with her but it seems even sweeter, because I know I'm the only one who will remember it.

Just as I give up on Drake - there he is. Flora, like a mad woman sails to his girlfriend's house with no memories. It's bonkers and I'm not annoyed at her anymore. FLORA IS A DAMN BADASS! Of course, we get there. Drake's girlfriend answers the door and he pretends not to be there. He slams the door in her face and the girlfriend brings her inside. It is horrible. He says that the kiss never happened, that all the emails were from Flora to herself, she imagined them all. She is crazy. And maybe she is. Suddenly the whole journey I've taken with Flora is bathed in suspicion, I don't know what to believe her on or if even she knows what's true and false.

Flora's parents bring her home, her father instantly seeming like the most comforting person we've seen in this book. Flora's brother is dying and he came to get her anyway. She doesn't know why none of them have spoke in years, there's still more to figure out but is any of it true? Is she just mad? Well, no. It's turns out the estrangement came when Flora's mother decided to buy illegal medication off the internet. In truth, the arguments between the mother and everyone else is because her Amnesia is getting better. The dad knows it, her brother knew it and now her best friend knows it. Flora is being doped up to keep her docile and it's affecting her memory. Then, her best friend to the rescue. She pops by for a visit, Flora lost in the fog of drugs. She tells Flora she knows she wasn't lying about Drake - because a girl from the party took a photo of them kissing. She does remember, and they are going to see a doctor who can help - besides she's only a week away from being 18. Soon, her mother won't be able to control her. And it ends. Just like that. I am furious.

I have issues with the ending. First off, the whole point of writing about someone dealing with an illness is redundant if that person is magically healed. I get it was about the journey, but if I was suffering from something like Amnesia or a memory disorder - I'd feel ripped off. Everyone in these stories ends up "normal" in the end. What a load of crap, why can't someone with a problem be allowed a story without them having to be magically cured of the problem? Why can't it be about representation? I didn't want Flora to get better, it felt...dishonest. Next, I had a problem with the parental plot twist (that everyone saw coming), I don't care how protective you are - I don't see any mother, especially the one we've watched worrying for Flora and wanting her to be happy- drugging her daughter to be sure she remains memory-less. It's too far-fetched and honestly, if the doctors knew that was happening, where the hell are the police? Why isn't the father doing anything? I didn't get it and I don't believe it.

So yeah, The One Memory of Flora Banks was a mixed bag. Often, that can be a good thing - it keeps it all interesting. Overall, I gave this book a solid 3 stars! A totally respectable rating.

You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Monday 7 August 2017

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Louise Wilkes 03:13:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

Reading the Riot Act

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J Maas

Published May 2nd 2017 by Bloomsbury

Paperback 699 Pages

Despite my best efforts, this series has slowly wormed it's way into my heart. When A Court of Thorns and Roses was released, I was ride or die with Throne of Glass. Then, Celaena died and Feyre was born. Aelin, was second to Feyre - and in the place of my beloved Chaol, was Rhysand. I know, I know, how disloyal of me. But A Court of Mist and Fury was one of the best books I have ever read. So, as you can imagine, I waited for this conclusion with bated breath.

This book, was a wild ride. We start slow, building like a roller-coaster and Feyre - honey, I gotta say - is acting like a bit of an idiot. She's undercover in the Spring Court and every two minutes she's like...'Guys, how good a spy am I?' Not a great one Feyre. She's having mysterious headaches and her powers weakening but she notices none of it, she's too busy patting herself on the back for a job she hasn't even finished yet. There are 100 Rhysand-less pages and when everything finally kicks off, it is worth the wait.

Hyberns men attack, Feyre EFFS up Ianthe (totally justified) and Lucien is along for the ride. Turns out Feyre was being poisoned the whole time and she had no clue. (Nice one, babe.) They flee into Autumn Court, on foot, and low and behold. More shit goes down. BAM. FIGHT. ICE. MOUNTAINS. AHHHH! It's so dramatic. I'm on the edge of my seat. We're only 150 pages in and could this be the end? Of course not! Sexy Illyrians fall from the sky, smashing into ice with bat-wings and chiseled jaws. The Court of Dreams. Whoosh, swept up, back to Velaris and our beloved friends.

I've never been so happy to return to a setting before. Now with Lucien and Feyre's sisters and our darling, darling Rhysand. It's like I was coming home, and I didn't expect to miss Mor and Amren as much as I did. Suddenly the pace is different. It feels fast but so much is happening. Raunchy love scenes, sister drama, training. It's all so detailed but my mind is gone. I'm not reading the words, I'm there, trying to grow Illyrian wings and readying myself for battle.

Though it's good to be back, there's still Hybern to deal with. The gang organise a meeting, getting the leaders together and try to unite Prythian against Captain Crunch. Sorry, The King of Hybern. I loved how political this book was, it was like Game of Thrones, where wars aren't just won on battlefields. There is diplomacy, working together and it is so interesting to watch it all come together or unravel.

Hybern attacks Velaris and the meeting is pulled forwards. Nesta, who's been acting like a straight-up biatch is having a change of heart. I mean, we get what her problem is because Elain is acting nuts. Everything she says is sinister and random. Nesta, in her worry, basically becomes a meaner Amren. (I know, who thought that was possible!) The meeting with the High-Lords is pulled up, it has to be now and they are not happy about having a High-Lady in the midst. Neither are the High-Lords wives - Feyre seems to be giving them ideas. Everything is tense but working out and then boom! The moment we have all being waiting for...in walks Tamlin.

Tamlin is ruthless. For some reason, I love it. He's catty, talking about Feyre's climaxing noise and just bating Rhysand, begging for a punch. Then, Rhysand takes away his ability tio speak. As someone who didn't even like Tamlin in book one, this is extremely satisfying. I preferred this scene of the numerous Rhys/Feyre sexy times. After this, although a lot of stuff happens, the war seems to come at you fast. Before I know it, Elain is a seer, we've been winnowing the humans to safety and the battle is on us.

I was sure there was going to be death. Lots of death, and with Feyre rallying the Bone Carver, The Weaver and whatever the hell was in the bottom of the library, the odds seemed good. Until we saw Hyrberns army. The gang don't stand a chance. Lucien has gone to rally the human queens and as it turns out - Tamlin and Jurian are good guys. But, it's not enough. I know it, and the characters know it. They are saying goodbye and it all feels horrible.

I start to dread the ending, dread knowing the finale is coming for Throne of Glass too, knowing this will only be the beginning of my sorrow. Nesta feels it, having taken something from the Cauldron. She knows when it is about to attack, and it obliterates.

They have to nullify it, Amren says she knows how, the Suriel told her where to look. But Elain is mad and Nesta is down. Cassian at her side. More Goodbyes. They need to get Hybern away from the Cauldron, so Amren and Feyre have a chance of nullifying it. Ships appear and there is Feyre's father. Lucien didn't bring the human queen, their father did. With ships named after the daughters, he fights for. I won't pretend I didn't cry.

Damn. This review is long.

We flip between Nesta and Feyre, the latter with her hand on the Cauldron and Amren apologising for lying. They aren't;t there to stop the Cauldron, they are there to release Amren. Feyre is pulled into the Cauldron, watching Hybern battle Nesta and Cassian. He's killing them, both of them. Feyre screams. She can't do anything to stop it.

Then, Elain, with a knife in Hybern's throat. Nesta is on it, twisting the dagger in his throat, pay back for killing their father. The armies don't know Hybern has fallen. They keep fighting and Amren is released, laying waste to the fighters below. The Cauldron is destroyed, the beast inside Amren released. The very fabric of their world is shattered, and it needs to be fixed.

Made and Unmade. Rhys appears. They all know the world will end if the Cauldron is not remade. Feyre does it, but everyone is depleted. Rhys offers his limited power, insists on it. She takes and takes, healing the cracks and saving them all, until she turns, and has killed Rhys.

I know. I know, I crapped my pants.
I had forgotten about Feyre. About how Rhys had held onto her and the High-Lords had brought her back. Spoiler Alert! It happens again.

Then, the war is over. Time passes quickly and everything is such a shock. Amren is back and no one is dead. There is a happy ending. And it feels...disappointing. The final 50 pages are like lightning. I can barely comprehend where we are until we are there, at the end. And it feels like there should be more.

I gave A Court of Wings and Ruin a solid 4 stars.

Despite the slow beginning and the too fast ending - the journey in between was stunning. It was crazy and wild and one hell of an adventure. Besides, it's the journey that counts, not the destination. You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Wednesday 26 July 2017

The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith

Louise Wilkes 13:34:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh).

In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel shares the unforgettable story of a young woman as she struggles to find strength in the aftermath of an assault.

Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes.

What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be.

Image from Lost in Literature

The Way I Used To Be by Amber Smith
Published: March 22nd 2016 by Margaret K. McElderry Books
Kindle Edition 384 Pages

I would like to start off this review with a disclaimer. As I scurried through reviews on Goodreads I couldn't help but notice readers attack this book for something I disagreed with. No matter what anyone says, these stories are valid. Though rape can be triggering subject matter, it is not up to anyone to decide whether the tale is likely, done properly or realistic. This actually happens, people actually suffer this and attacking a dialogue on a subject like this because you don't believe a character would not tell anyone for a certain length of time or act a certain way, is the same as saying that real victims acted wrongly and were therefore faking. Every account is different...but all are crucial.

That being said, The Way I Used To Be portrays a totally different kind of rape. Often it's the stranger in a dark alley and the victim becomes a recluse, never being touched and becoming delicate. Eden begins the story delicate, quiet and downtrodden and partly that's the reason she never speaks out, that - and the fact her attacker is her brothers best friend. The event, sends her into a spiral. She redefines herself, changing her identity to try and get away from the event. She becomes popular...but it's not enough. She starts an unhealthy cycle of casual sex, each encounter taking her further and further away from the terrible night.

This book does not just inform the reader of the events, of the story. Instead, we are pulled into Eden's psyche, into how brittle and closed off it has become. How the secret sours inside her and how we unravel why she doesn't speak up,why she finds comfort in the arms of sleazy older guys. She wants to be anyone else, anything else. It's all about distraction and denial. This is not only interesting, it's factually relevant.

Rape Trauma Syndrome is the psychological trauma experience by victims of rape that includes disruption of normal physical, emotional, cognitive and interpersonal behaviour. One of these disruptions is hypersexualisaton. This promiscuity is sometimes used as a way to reassert a measure of control over a victims sexual relationships. This is exactly the case with Eden, and it is the whole point of the novel, to present a different narrative. The one we aren't often told. She fancied her attacker, liked him and then he took something intangible from her. So she blames herself, she demands control over her body again but everything just seems to fall flat, and when she finally speaks up, finally tells her brother and the police - the book ends.

It is brave for a book of this nature not to take on the storyline of defeating the attacker. This kind of narrative only puts the emphasis on the attacker. It becomes his story, it's all about him. Whereas this, this book is all about Eden and her journey of recovery. It is hard to read, and stunning and sloppy and dirty and real...as real as a fictional tale can be. I loved this book and I cried several times, messy, sticky tears with a puffy, red nose. 4 STARS!

You may have noticed I enjoyed this book, and I would highly recommend to any fans of Speak, The Hate You Give and any other politically smart YA contemporary. You can find me on Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads and Facebook. Until then...Happy Reading.

Tuesday 20 June 2017

Caraval by Stephanie Garber

Louise Wilkes 05:48:00 0

Warning: Spoilers! (duh.)

Scarlett Dragna has never left the tiny island where she and her sister, Tella, live with their powerful, and cruel, father. Now Scarlett’s father has arranged a marriage for her, and Scarlett thinks her dreams of seeing Caraval—the faraway, once-a-year performance where the audience participates in the show—are over.

But this year, Scarlett’s long-dreamt-of invitation finally arrives. With the help of a mysterious sailor, Tella whisks Scarlett away to the show. Only, as soon as they arrive, Tella is kidnapped by Caraval’s mastermind organizer, Legend. It turns out that this season’s Caraval revolves around Tella, and whoever finds her first is the winner.

Image from The Travelling Bibliophile

Caraval by Stephanie Garber
Published January 31st 2017 by Flatiron Books
Hardback 407 Pages

Traditionally, action adventures are for the guys or to an extent - the woman going it alone! She's a heartless, badass with swaggering wit and stellar hair and I'll be the first to admit I love that girl. Scarlett however, is new. She is both the woman we really are the woman we want to be. She does not possess some chosen one magic or convenient fighting abilities. She is much more like I have been my entire life than any female protagonist. That badass girl is always the one we wish we were, we feed off her energy, but Scarlett is the awkward, doubting teen we still see in our reflection and watching her grow into awesomeness without ninja training or special powers - it's mesmerizing.

Caraval is far different from other YA Fantasy with the importance it puts on sisterhood. Tella is the wild one, and as I've said, Scarlett is the protector. There is drama but there is also so much love I had trouble not thinking of my own sister. The relationship is so realistic with the arguments but the underlying affection, with the protecting each other but also needing to get away and find your own identity without them and the guilt that can cause. Scarlett does not agree with Tella, but by damn does she support her. She relies on her to do so much but protects her at every turn. They are polar opposites but are drawn together and when Tella disappears at Caraval, it is all Scarlett can do to search for her sister and claim the prize of Caraval.

The setting is enchanting, you can feel all the influences blending together in a fine-tuned tapestry - and the best part of it, we barely see any of it...yet. Caraval is a series and so you are pulled into this different and originial world that keeps you guessing. We see the magic of the festival and are awed by it, but it's easy to forget how interesting their homeland is too. They seems to be an overpowering leader and an oppressed people and more going on. It is a testament to Garber's stella writing that we know more is going on, when it is barely touched on. It's a juicy morsol of things to come, 5 stars!

Overall, I adored Caraval. I attended an author event just after reading it at Manchester Deansgate, and Garber's story is the only thing that could make this book better. I would recommend this to any person who enjoys books and especially to anyone who wishes they were Celaena Sardothein- but just don't have it in them.

Happy Reading.