The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black

The Queen of Nothing
The Folk of the Air #3
by Holly Black
308 pages









Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict’s bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

One Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin, 427 pgs.

"Yeine Darr is an outcast from the barbarian north. But when her mother dies under mysterious circumstances, she is summoned to the majestic city of Sky. There, to her shock, Yeine is named an heiress to the king. But the throne of the Hundred Thousand Kingdoms is not easily won, and Yeine is thrust into a vicious power struggle."

I've had this book on my TBR list for years. I tried to listen to it on audiobook a few years ago, but about an hour in I decided it was a book better suited (for me, personally) to reading in print. It's on so many fantasy must-read lists, so I was really looking forward to getting into it. I wanted to love it. I went in with high expectations, and maybe that's ultimately why I find myself disappointed with it. The story is interesting, and the main characters keep your interest. But there are storylines that made me...uncomfortable. I liked this book fine, and don't regret reading it, but I'm not clamoring to pick up the next book in the series.

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas

Crown of Midnight
(The second book in the Throne of Glass series)
By Sarah J. Maas
418 pages









Celaena Sardothien is the king's Champion--yet she is far from loyal to the crown, for the man she serves is bent on evil. Working against her master in secret is no easy task. As Celaena tries to untangle the mysteries buried within the glass castle, she can trust no one, not even her supposed allies Crown Prince Dorian, Captain of the Guard Chaol, or foreign Princess Nehemia.

Then an unspeakable tragedy shatters Celaena's world. She must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie....and whom she will fight for.

She is the greatest assassin her world has ever known. But does she have the heart of a killer?