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Chiara | wordsbychiara

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Chiara | wordsbychiara’s favorite-books shelf

Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

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Chiara | wordsbychiara is Currently Reading

Chiara | wordsbychiara is currently reading

The Vanishing Throne (The Falconer, #2)

by Elizabeth May (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in September 2018

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Chiara | wordsbychiara said: " You may have seen in my review for The Falconer that I predicted there would soon be a 5 star rating for me in this series. Turns out I was right! The Vanishing Throne was an exquisite sequel to an already amazing book.

The lore of this series wa You may have seen in my review for The Falconer that I predicted there would soon be a 5 star rating for me in this series. Turns out I was right! The Vanishing Throne was an exquisite sequel to an already amazing book.

The lore of this series was one of the aspects that I enjoyed the most in the first book, but here it gets explored in even more depth and detail and that was absolutely beautiful. Because of that, even the moments of “down time” that made the first book less pleasant for me were so much more enjoyable to read. I was left with a constant thirst to learn as much as possible and I think it’s safe to say this is one of the most well done world buildings I have ever read.

The characters, of course, also had a special role in my rating. Aileana. And Kiaran. And Aileana and Kiaran together. My heart was absolutely put on a rollercoaster ride! We see Aileana at her lowest at the beginning of this book, dealing with the consequences of the events at the end of The Falconer. We see her PTSD, but we also see her putting herself back together. Once again I found her to be an incredibly inspiring female lead, and one that so many more readers should be talking about!
And then there’s Kiaran. I swear this man has taken my heart by storm and I must make it my life’s journey to have more people talk about him. He deserves to be in the book boyfriend list of us all just as much as a Maas Illyrian Warrior. There is so much to learn about my beloved reading the pages of this book, and not one of those things makes him less fascinating and dreamy. What can I say? The more tormented and dangerous and vulnerable they are, the harder I fall. KIARAN MACKAY, I WILL WORSHIP THEE.
Put him and Aileana together and you have the ship of dreams. My heart rejoices and breaks and lives every time the two breathe the same air. And when they’re LITERALLY breathing the same air…well…*wink*

Another aspect that I really loved was how much more space was given to some of the secondary characters that I had loved from the first book, but without losing the focus from Aileana and her journey and, of course, Kiaran.
I loved getting to see Catherine outside of her comfort zone, showing her true, fierce colors. What I loved about her even more is that through her character we see that a woman does not have to be a warrior to be strong. It was so relatable and so inspiring to read! We also get to learn more about the Seers, not just through Gavin (that was surprisingly not as hateful in this one) but also through multiple new characters that are introduced and that really help add to the incredible world Elizabeth May has created. And, to my joy, we get to see more of Derrick—a lot more! My beloved little one has so much more page time and plays such an important role for the storyline. I’m like a proud mother!
But my favorite secondary character (who is one of the new entries of the story) was certainly Aithinne, Kiaran’s sister that we only saw mentioned in the first book. Aithinne was an incredible addition to the story, not just because thanks to her we get to learn so much more about Kiaran’s past and the mythology of the story, but because she was another amazing example of female resilience, fierceness and power of which this story is full .

Of course, this book ends with one of those cliffhangers that rips out your heart and throws it across the room. It should come with a warning for the frail of hearts because I WAS SCREAMING. As I write this, I am already starting The Fallen Kingdom and I’m so nervous I’m biting off my fingers. Pray for me to the bookish gods.

Recommended for EVERYONE. JUST READ THIS DAMNED SERIES. THANK YOU. YOU’LL THANK ME LATER. ...more "

progress:

(15%)
— 7 hours, 58 min ago

10 hours, 30 min ago · see review

Chiara | wordsbychiara is currently reading

Fourth Wing (The Empyrean, #1)

by Rebecca Yarros (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: booktalk-with-wifey, favorite-books, currently-reading

Reading for the 3rd time

read in June 2023

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Chiara | wordsbychiara said: " Spice rating: 3 peppers

No point going around it: I picked up FOURTH WING because of the hype, and did my best to go into it with as little knowledge and expectations as possible. Did I hope I'd love it? Yes. Did I expect for it to take over my life? Spice rating: 3 peppers

No point going around it: I picked up FOURTH WING because of the hype, and did my best to go into it with as little knowledge and expectations as possible. Did I hope I'd love it? Yes. Did I expect for it to take over my life? Absolutely not. But let me tell you, friends, the hype and love for this book is 100% warranted! If you're a romance and dragon lover, you need this book in your life.

I will admit, the first 30% needed some easing into. There is a lot of world building happening in the first part, and although it was well done...it was a lot of information. However, I was enjoying the direction. Academies (especially dangerous ones) are one of my favorite settings, we had a protagonist with a sharp mind, and a talent for proving all the naysayers who can't look past her disability wrong. Plus, a handsome "enemy" everyone warns her to stay away from, and that I naturally imprinted on within the first three sentences.

Once you cross the 30% line though...there is a shift in the story. It's so evident you can actually feel it. Suddenly, all the world building, all the character interactions, it all comes full circle, and you find yourself falling for the protagonists and the side characters without even realizing it. The dragons are the game changer! I loved the bond with the riders, their defined personalities. I went feral over one of them, that should be enough to make you understand the intensity of my love for these creatures!

Of course, the protagonists themselves (and their romance) are a huge strength of this novel as well, and a big reason for my loss of all sanity. We are talking Feysand levels of shipping here, except I think I loved Violet and Xaden even more! These two are the definition of anti-heroes. They're both flawed both noble in their own way, both willing to get their hands dirty to reach their goals. But what really made them stand out to me was that they were able to acknowledge both their strengths and weaknesses, and to listen to one another. Now, would I say they're an enemies to lovers? The setup is certainly there, but there wasn't enough "I will unalive you" energy for me to really believe it. But booooy was the slow burn slow, and hot, and sizzling! The chemistry between these two is absolutely brilliant, but what I loved most of all was how they complemented one another. Violet makes Xaden softer, but he makes her acknowledge her capabilities (which for someone like Violet is SO IMPORTANT). Together, they're at their strongest. And they were H-O-T. This book had some of the best smut I have ever read!

All this to say, this book made me feel all the things: the confusion, the happiness, the sadness, the betrayal, the EVERYTHING. The final plot twist had me gasping. Waiting until November for Iron Flame will not be easy!

SUPER RECOMMENDED. ...more "

progress:

(44%)
— 1 hour, 36 min ago

Jan 17, 2025 09:08AM · see review

Chiara | wordsbychiara’s Quotes

“Magnus, standing by the door, snapped his fingers impatiently. "Move it along, teenagers. The only person who gets to canoodle in my bedroom is my magnificent self."
"Canoodle?" repeated Clary, never having heard the word before.
"Magnificent?" repeated Jace, who was just being nasty. Magnus growled. The growl sounded like "Get out.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

tags: canoodle, city-of-bones, clary-fray, humor, jace-wayland, magnificent, magnus-bane

2656 likes

“Even the Inquisitor's eyebrows shot up when Magnus strode through the gate. The High Warlock was wearing black leather pants, a belt with a buckle in the shape of a jeweled M, and a cobalt-blue Prussian military jacket open over a white lace shirt. He shimmered with layers of glitter. His gaze rested for a moment on Alec's face with amusement and a hint of something else before moving on to Jace, prone on the ground.
"Is he dead?" he inquired. "He looks dead."
"No," snapped Maryse. "He's not dead."
"Have you checked? I could kick him if you want." Magnus moved toward Jace.
"Stop that!" the Inquisitor snapped, sounding like Clary's third-grade teacher demanding that she stop doodling on her desk with a marker.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

tags: city-of-ashes, imogen-herondale, magnus-bane

1857 likes

“What is honor compared to a woman's love? What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms . . . or the memory of a brother's smile? Wind and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.”
― George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

2550 likes

“You're not gay, are you?"
Simon's greenish color deepened. "If I were, I would dress better.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Bones

tags: embarrasment, fashion, gay, simon-lewis

1567 likes

“Look," Luke went on, "In all the years I've known him, there's always been exactly one place Simon wanted to be, and he's always fought like hell to make sure he got there and stayed there."
"Where's that?"
"Wherever you were.”
― Cassandra Clare, City of Ashes

tags: city-of-ashes, clary-fray, luke-garroway, simon-lewis

1595 likes

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