ruekeyronay's reviews
314 reviews

In the end she only wanted to stop suffering and I will never forgive the Darkling for what he did to her.

Yes, I finally read Harry Potter!

I'm not quite sure how to review a book so popular which has been probably reviewed by everyone so I'll just talk about my thoughts.

I quite enjoyed it, I've seen the movies and I know them all by heart so reading about those scenes in detail and more made me feel so nostalgic. It was also as if I was fixing the plot holes in the movies like, what actually happened in certain scenes, what's going through the characters' heads, etc.

I also noted how we've been cheated, Neville wasn't included in the movies nearly as much as he was in the books (Also, what an adorable baby. He was my favourite.) He's in so many of the vital scenes and it finally makes more sense when he tries to stop the trio from going at night.

Draco and Snape, they annoyed me in the movies but I really disliked them in the book. Draco was a prat (I swear if he insulted Hufflepuff one more time...) but Snape (who I usually kind of like) was just the straight up example of teachers abusing their power. And there is nothing that angers me more than that. Everytime he wrongfully took points from Gryffindor, it made me wanna kick him.

Surprisingly, I was through more than half of the book when we finally got to Hogwarts and everything that happened after that was sort of rushed. Not an issue and it didn't put me off at all but it was something I noted.

I was a bit shocked when I read the scenes involving the Golden trio prior to them becoming friends. Ron, especially. In the movies he's more of the kind to go along with everything, says what the audience is thinking and is generally fun. He's one of the characters I fiercely defend but now I'm wondering if that's because of Rupert Grint's performance because in the book Ron comes off as rude and well, not very likable.

Overall, I really did enjoy the Philosopher's Stone and I'll be starting the next one soon.

Another review I'm not sure how to write because I want to talk about so much yet my mind goes blank as soon as I start writing.

Frist of all, as a Pakistani, it fills me with absolute joy to see such an amazing book by a Pakistani-American woman.

As you can tell by my rating, I loved this book like I knew I would. From the first page I was gasping and giggling, especially at the horrific scenes because I panic easily. The writing was so incredible, it's right up there with my favourite authors like Rainbow Rowell and Leigh Bardugo.

The characters were amazing, you couldn't stay mad at them for longer than a second. My personal favourites were Helene and (this may be weird) Izzi? The latter was just adorable and she deserves so much better, I hope she appears later in the series but I don't think that'll happen. Helene, on the other hand, made me so mad sometimes because of her views about the Scholars and slaves etc but it was hard to not like her. She's strong and an utter badass.

Of course, I loved Laia as well. It was so easy to relate to her feeling cowardly and like she couldn't own up to her mother's legacy but she goes through so much and proves herself and everyone else wrong. Elias, I liked most of the time but sometimes I did not. This boy legit fell in love with every woman he saw.

The mythical elements in this story were incredible to read about, maybe it was because they were from my culture, things I actually heard about in my own life or because Sabaa Tahir wrote about them so beautifully.

I'll admit, the romantic elements made me a bit uncomfortable but that may be because I'm a prude when reading and it was written in a way that went perfectly with the book but had poor me dying from a heart attack.

The trials and the action scenes in general were so fantastic. I absolutely adored reading them and that scene in the Trial Of Strength just killed me over and over until I was nothing but my pain.

This book was a masterpiece, I loved every second of it. I never understood what a book hangover was until the next day where I couldn't read anything else and had a killer headache.

I have a heavy heart as I write this review. I discovered this series long after everyone had already read it and it's spin offs. But I couldn't bring myself to care because I fell in love.

Shadow And Bone drew me in expertly. It left me gasping and my heart beating too fast to be normal. Siege and Storm was more personal, funnier, emotional, the risks higher, it made me fall harder. After those two, which I think I read almost back to back, I decided to take a break. Because I knew if I read Ruin and Rising right away, I would not be okay.

Yes, yes, I know. It's just a book, just a series but I have a special space in my heart for these characters, these stories, the love I felt, the sadness, the anger. While reading this book I laughed, I sputtered in surprise and I cried. I really did cry. Not the kind where you just write about it. I lay in bed at 2 AM and I had tears streaming down my face as I thought about those characters' journey, my journey.

I loved this last part more than the other two. Shadow and Bone was amazing but since it was the first part, I spent a lot of time just trying to get used to and understand the world. Siege and Storm was just as good but at times, I felt as if the plot may have dragged a little. But Ruin and Rising did no such thing, from start to finish it did not fail to summon the appropriate emotions out of me.

The thing that warmed my heart the most was the rag tag group of friends. Every book or series has a certain group working together towards one goal and those people are what you look for in each book. In the first two parts though, I realized there wasn't one. Characters came and they left, the only common factor was Alina. But in Ruin and Rising we finally have a team and what an amazing one it was. I loved their interactions more than anything else and I will treasure them dearly.

So, I know alot of people dislike Mal but though I did somewhat already like him in the first two books, he really stood out in this part. He took charge, he grew in to a person of his own and he proved that Alina really was what he cared about most in the world.

Alina's interactions with the Darkling and Nikolai were fascinating as well. I love how we got more deeper and deeper as the end came close. Every character in this book was worth reading about and I think that's incredible.

I'll admit, I did expect a big battle at the end but I'm not disappointed with how things went either. Also, can I mention how beautifully Leigh Bardugo writes the before and after parts of the book? Just thinking about the After right now makes my throat close up, the little details, so, so incredible.

Normally, the conclusion to a series does tend to make you emotional but I will always hold this trilogy close to my heart and I thank Leigh Bardugo for allowing us to have such a fantastic story.

The thing about Taylor Jenkins Reid it that her characters and her writing is fantastic. As it goes a good plot can't carry a bad character but good characters can carry a bad plot.

I'm not saying that the storylines are bad in her books, they're far from it, actually very entertaining. But if I had to judge the book based on the story alone my rating would be lower.

It's not really the story that gets you but the characters and the way they come to life. It doesn't matter if you connect with them or not, they're fascinating to read about. You'll hate a character one second, think they're making sense the next and then fall in love with them. And then start all over again.

Daisy Jones and The Six follows the rise and fall of said band and the individuals' life before and after they came together and broke up. Some things I wouldn't have ever assumed would happen if the characters hadn't said it outright. Like the romance between certain characters.

Daisy Jones like Evelyn Hugo was a complicated character but one I loved. She was unapologetically her, even more so than Evelyn. The latter knew she had to butter up certain people to get to the top, Daisy Jones walked in and if you didn't like even one part of her, she'd walk right out.

I didn't like Billy, at all. It's true that there is always a person who stands out more than the rest in a group but I think Billy took too much of an advantage of that. He was an asshole to everyone and especially his brother and he honest to God did not care about anyone else's opinions or views. He's the only character I disliked in the book

I didn't respect the decisions a certain character made and her reasoning seemed shallow to me but everyone has their own views on what someone deserves and what they don't and I can agree with that.

I definitely enjoyed Daisy Jones and The Six more than The Seven Husbands and I recommend it to everyone.

"No mourners, no funerals."

Another Leigh Bardugo book living up to the hype and giving me new characters to obsess over? Old news.

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? Six Of Crows takes place in the same world as the Grisha trilogy and follows a group of six outcasts, murderers, thieves, runaways and Grisha setting out on a dangerous, probably impossible heist.

The group is led by the bastard of the barrel, Kaz Brekker, a boy with a traumatizing past no one knows about. Inej, his collector of secrets and right hand woman known as the Wraith. Jesper, a sharpshooter with a gambling issue. Wylan, a runaway who's more dangerous than anyone gives him credit for. Matthias, a Fjerdan with a taste for revenge and a severe identity crisis. And last but not least, the amazing Nina Zenik, a loyal Grisha Heartrender soldier who is doing whatever she can to survive in a place that is very dangerous for her kind.

This ragtag group paired with a job no sane person would take leads to alot of banter, badass action scenes, feelings, Kaz being a butt, some more feelings and even more action.

Leigh Bardugo's world building (if it was even possible) has only gotten better after the Grisha trilogy. I have rarely seen such diversity in books and especially not in ones as popular as this one. Not just diversity in backgrounds but in storylines, in morality, in personalities, everything.

I'll be the first to admit I didn't like Kaz as MUCH as I thought I would mainly due to his treatment of other characters and gaps in his personality that didn't quite add. Rest assured I would still protect our murder baby with my life but I can definitely see his flaws and love him despite it.

The one thing I wish wish wish I see in the next book is Kaz actually allowing the other crows to see at least a little bit of him the way he sometimes does Inej. Or at least trust them and not treat them like pawns.

My favourite character, if you couldn't tell, is of course Nina. She is absolutely amazing and a slap in the face to what every YA author tries to feed us in the name of diverse female characters. Nina, not only an amazing representation of a plus size character, is unlike any female character I've ever read about. She is unashamed, loyal, fierce, strong and proud of everything she is.

The chapters I loved most were Nina and Matthias'. I have not seen a romantic plot so beautifully done especially when it isn't even the main arc for the characters. They complement each other so well that I stay up thinking about them at night.

If you haven't already, please read this book because it is amazing. Though I would definitely recommend reading the Shadow and Bone trilogy first and not just jump straight ahead to SOC.

I really enjoyed The Lightning Thief, it is one of the most humorous and fun books I've read in a while. Usually starting a new series means emptying your brain for a ton of facts and world building dumped on you but it was actually the opposite. The world and characters were really well done.

I love mythology though I don't get much time to get in to it, so I adored that I got to simultaneously read a great book while also reading about the Gods, Olympians, etc.

Percy was a funny yet self aware character and his thoughts made me ugly laugh in the middle of the night and make everyone else think I snorted up some dust. Annabelle and Grover were fun too thought I definitely think they could be developed better.

I also loved the scenes which had the Gods in them, Poseidon, Ares, Hades, etc. They were written really well considering some authors stumble when it comes to writing mythological or powerful characters.

Really fun read!