fernfuentes's reviews
366 reviews

House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional funny tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

The whole way through this book I loved it but thought it was just slightly less amazing than Book 1, but then I read that last chapter and I wish I could give it 10 stars 😭

House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

NOW 👏🏻WE’RE👏🏻TALKING👏🏻

It took 13 SJM books but it seems she finally got down the formula. This book was PHENOMENAL!! Her best one yet. I swallowed this book whole! The characters were fantastic, I loved the plot, and honestly did not see the twists coming. I feel like all the things I hated from ACOTAR and ToG are gone, and she just wrote a near perfect book. I honestly didn’t expect to love this so much. I bash SJM for not sticking to her choices and always back tracking but she really stuck to her guns here. There are ACTUAL consequences to actions in this one. Didn’t see that coming at all. My faith in her is fully restored, and I can’t believe ACOTAR is more popular than CC. Immediately diving into the next one 🫡

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really liked this story. The journey from Throne of Glass all the way to the end of Kingdom of Ash was indeed an epic tale, and often I forget that they’re even in the same series. The character growth was fantastic, and SJM has a special skill for making sure EVERYONE’S story is wrapped up. I really don’t think she forgot anyone. Throughout the series I was really frustrated with Sarah constantly giving us a character death, only to take it back a few minutes later and saving their life deus ex machina style. Then we got to KoA where death happens and I realized she’s just not good at writing death scenes. Gavriel was so important and his death was so side of stage and paid him no real respect. And don’t get me started on Asterin and the 13. Something about the way she described it just felt a bit dry? But what I think I hated more than that, was Sarah’s obsession with writing phrases and repeating them in 3s. She needs to find a new way to convey emotion because “she climbed, and climbed, and climbed, makes me feel like I’m reading a Dr. Seuss book. She’s a great story teller, but not a great writer, if that makes sense. It’s enough to keep me reading, and when new books come out I’ll read those, too, but I don’t see myself going back and re-reading her books again, sadly.

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I did the tandem read, so I’m just going to review Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn as one. Pretty much everyone I spoke to agrees that tandem is the only way to do it with these books, and I can see why. The back and forth was a hassle, especially given that I read hardcovers, but it was worth it in the end. Although I mostly see it as a single entity, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Tower of Dawn. I absolutely love the relationship between Chaol and Yrene, and I think Chaol is just such a redeemable character. But I will say Manon’s transformation since she was first introduced has also been awesome to see.

Empire had such a tragic ending, and all I can say is finally!!! No spoilers, but It was nice to see SJM write something tragic, and not backpedal on it 5 minutes later.

But then again, she did exactly that for the ending of Tower, but I find it more acceptable because there’s still a lot to lose with that choice.

Overall, it’s crazy to think how this story has evolved since the first book. It truly is an epic story with so many parts. I can’t wait to see how it wraps up in the gargantuan Kingdom of Ash!

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I did the tandem read, so I’m just going to review Empire of Storms and Tower of Dawn as one. Pretty much everyone I spoke to agrees that tandem is the only way to do it with these books, and I can see why. The back and forth was a hassle, especially given that I read hardcovers, but it was worth it in the end. Although I mostly see it as a single entity, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be Tower of Dawn. I absolutely love the relationship between Chaol and Yrene, and I think Chaol is just such a redeemable character. But I will say Manon’s transformation since she was first introduced has also been awesome to see.

Empire had such a tragic ending, and all I can say is finally!!! No spoilers, but It was nice to see SJM write something tragic, and not backpedal on it 5 minutes later.

But then again, she did exactly that for the ending of Tower, but I find it more acceptable because there’s still a lot to lose with that choice.

Overall, it’s crazy to think how this story has evolved since the first book. It truly is an epic story with so many parts. I can’t wait to see how it wraps up in the gargantuan Kingdom of Ash!

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

That’s what I’m talking about!!!! Oh man, Queen of Shadows was sooooooo good! This story is really becoming a crazy nail biter. I really truly loved how Maas handled the shift in dynamic between Aelin, Chaol, and Dorian. Such a dark contrast to how young adult triangles are usually handled. And I have finally found a love for Manon’s storyline in this book. I didn’t care much for her story in Heir of Fire, but now I’m all in. My biggest pet peeve with Maas right now is just her little writing quirks, like when she uses triple repetition to make a point. It doesn’t really heighten the moment; it just annoys me. She’ll say something like “Aelin climbed down, down, down into the pit” or something and I feel like it could sounded much more haunting and eloquent with a different set of word. But again, I loved this, and I believe this is my favorite entry yet in ToG!

Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink, Jeffrey Cranor

adventurous emotional funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Welcome to Night Vale is my favorite podcasts of all time. Every once in a while I decide to start it over from the beginning, and every time I get to episode 76 - An Epilogue - I stop and read the novel, since that’s where it takes place. This is now my 4th time through the book; twice in print, twice on audio, and yep, it’s just as amazing as it was the first time. Even though the creators swear left and right that you don’t need to follow chronologically and that time is weird anyway, there’s definitely a canon to the series. I got to the point where this novel takes place so I decided to pick it back up and read it again. This story really is wonderfully strange. It follows a 19 year-old pawn shop owner who’s been 19 for as long as she can remember, a teenage boy who is going through changes, literal transformations in physical manifestation, and a man in a tan jacket with a deerskin suitcase whom nobody can remember the second they look away from him. Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor have a wonderfully strange mind. Definitely worth checking out!

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow this was good! I’m a sucker for a good short story and these hit all the right spots. I really enjoyed getting the full back story on Celaena’s life before the mines. Personally, I’m happy with where in the series I chose to read these stories. It was a nice break from the main story, but it also added a different, sadder element already knowing the basics of how it ended. This was a good one, and I’m excited to get back into the main series!

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Maybe it’s SJM burnout, but I just was not feeling this book. Everything felt so forced; the relationships, the situations characters were put in, it all felt like watching a kid smash Barbie dolls together. As always, the last few chapters had fantastic plot twists, so I enjoyed that. I really did not care for the Manon storyline, although it sort of grew on me towards the end? Overall, just wasn’t doing anything for me. Unfortunate, but it happens.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

adventurous dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Now we’re talking!! The plot moves forward, twists and turns all over the place, and most importantly, there were actual consequences!!! That made me sooooo happy. I genuinely enjoyed this one even more than the first book. I think the complicated relationships between the main characters is handled really well, and I just loved Mort so much. I’m so glad I waited until all the books were out to start reading them because I would be so upset if I couldn’t jump right into the next one!