14+ – Page 2 – Damsel in Delight

Rating: 14+ (i read it about twelve i think which was a little bit young so I would recommend waiting until you are comfortable with threat and violence and can enjoy the vivid fantasy world the most!)

This is fantasy. Pure fantasy. The main character is an assassin and she has so many layers you constantly discover more about her throughout the series. The world is GLORIOUS. Theres no other word for it. complicated and twisted with cities and underworlds and underbellies of pirates and assassins and the worse of the worse. And Caeleana is one of the most notorious. I love the political undertones and it has several of my favourite parts that make up the book.

Strong female lead. (that loves books! she is a fellow book lover!) Complicated plot. Layers and layers and layers! Prince Dorian has more to him than meets the eye, even through i am not a fan of the potential romantic relationship between them, he is a key character. Chaol is a little two dimensional, but it works perfectly for his part in this book and his development throughout the series. Plot is perfect, slightly slow in places because it needs to be to introduce the large and varied cast, but well thought out and well done. Sarah J. Maas doesn’t shy away from building a realistic world, and adds darker details that make it a 15 even more than the violence and gore and torture that goes on. the are mentions of off the page sexual assault and murder to a unnamed secondary character so if that would be triggering to you then maybe give it a few more years before you read it.

Characters – 5/5 stars – Caeleana is the perfect morally grey character, and she is delightfully flawed.

World – 4.5/5 stars – the world develops even further in the next books, but in this first one we get a glorious look at the lives of the court through the eyes of an scornful assassin.

Romance – 4/5 stars – Sweet Romance – Caeleana does have a few romantic moments, but they are not overly done and quite subtle as well as important to the plot.

Plot 4.5/5 stars – Because it is a series, Maas is setting up for the whole series plot so while this one is satisfying, there are some clear ties to lead to the next book.

Things to be aware of: It is quite violent 4/5 because the main character is an assassin in a series of trials. Mentions of empire building. SA (of the page) murder (some on some off the page)

14+

Amazing series that I love and is on my reread list! Red Queen is a dystopian fantasy with a sprinkling of romance. A 14+ as a warning because the are parts that are quite dark. The Red Queen is Mare Barrow, a red girl from the Stilts that is going to be force conscripted into the army if she doesn’t get a job and quick. She gets a job as a servant in the palace and during the Queentrial, falls onto the lightning shield. She survives the electricity which should have killed her on impact as she is a Red. The Silver Elite, who are supposed to be the only people with powers, pretend she is a long lost generals daughter to cover up what they think is an anomaly. She is engaged to the youngest prince, Maven and is introduced to a court of betrayal, politics and an country on the brink of revolution. Mare is a strong character with clear aims. Survival for herself and the protection of her family and Kilorn, her friend and a boy that she might have married, had this not all happened. the secondary characters are well developed, and all have their agendas and aims, as is only right in a political fantasy like that. The world of Norta is vivid and well thought out and i would love to see more series set in this universe. The romance is well done, a little wince worthy in places because of the love triangle aspect, but Mare holds true to her usual characteristics around her love interests, which is nice to read.

Characters – 5 stars – just gorgeous, they all live rentfree in my head.

World – 5 stars – perfect dystopian/fantasy world, I LOVE it.

Romance – 4.5 stars – Sweet Romance – it is worth mentioning there is a slight love triangle between Mare, Cal and Maven which is done incredibly well but it still is morally messy in the first book as Mare is engaged to Maven.

Plot – Can I give it a 1000? The plot is out of this world, it is complex, intriguing and we see every part of society through the eyes of Mare, a girl from the slums.

Things to be aware of: it is very violent as it is set during a civil war and a wider war as well as a revolution. There is extreme racial separation and discrimination between the Reds and the Silvers, which is one of the reasons it is a 14+.

Tag: 14+

Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard