Fall into November 2016 Wrap-Up

Hello book lovers! One more month until it's 2017! So far, how has your year been treating you?
Today I'm going to be talking about my November 2016 Wrap-Up! So happy with all of my reads for this month! Each and every book was amazing, and I think that each story will stick with me for quite sometime.









1) While it Lasts by Abbi Glines 5/5 stars

I've only read up to this book in the Sea Breeze series, and it's been such a ride! Gosh I'm loving this series so much, the POV changes are right on point as well. While comparing all of the three novels I've read in this series so far, I have to say that the third novel is by far my favorite. The main character Cage has a lot of depth behind his character, which is something you don't see a lot in romance novels. I liked this book the most mainly because all of the "fluff" in this novel doesn't exist, I like how Abbi Glines cuts straight to the point and has a sharp edge with her writing.







2) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Fourth book in the series) 4/5 stars

Some of you may not know this but, this is my first time reading the Harry Potter series! I'm honestly not sure why I haven't read this series sooner, but I had to jump on the bandwagon this year so that I can enjoy and talk about this series with all of you!

A lot of people really love this particular book in the series, but since I dragged it on for several months, due to reading other things and being busy with school, I didn't enjoy it as much as the previous ones. Although I can say that I'm willing to set aside time down the road to reread the Goblet of Fire with a fresh mind.

3) The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black 5/5 stars

Man this book was such a ride, I'm almost tempted to reread it for the month of December! I actually listened to the audiobook (for the majority of the time) of "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown", which was fantastic! I loved how Christine Lakin's (narrator) voice adapted to every single character in the novel. She did a perfect job at changing her pitches to make the voices sound more authentic to what the actual characters would most likely sound like if there was a movie made out of "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown". I'm extremely thankful that I chose this book as my first audiobook to listen to, plus the story itself has such a cool concept to it!







4) The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova

This book is the first steampunk themed novel I've read, and it was so mind-blowing! The POV changes were so on point that I honestly loved reading from all of the characters POV's. I'm also extremely intrigued by all of the guilds in "The Alchemists of Loom", and how they work. I'll be completely honest and say that my absolute favorite character is Cvareh, because I love how his character goes with the flow. His uniqueness is what really drew me to liking his character, and the way he thinks to me, feels natural. Plus I cannot forget that the amazing Dragon Queen who wrote this, (Elise Kova) has the best world building skills ever!! After finishing the AoL I feel out of place with reality because I just want more of the Loom Saga!
(Review to come soon)






5) Gemina (Illuminae Files _ 02 ) by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

My bookclub YADiversity read this for the month of the November! And I'm not entirely sure what to think because I thought that Illuminae was my favorite, but I think Gemina may be my favorite. Still somewhat indecisive about that. Anyways, I'm also pretty ashamed with myself because I'm still not done with this book, but I'm about 100 page from finishing the novel, so thankfully I don't have too much more to read. Also there's a live discussion going on for Gemina on YA's group discussion page on Goodreads, which I'll link here. So if any of you have read Gemina and want to fangirl/fanboy with me, then you're welcome to join! I already know that I'm giving this novel a 5/5 stars! The characters are so cunning and funny, and the illustrations inside the book were absolutely stunning. Fun Fact: Marie Lu, author of the Legend Trilogy actually did the illustrations for Gemina!



Anyways I hoped you all liked my November Wrap-Up! I'm noticing that the past two months I've enjoyed most of all of the books I read, which is great! So since this is the last month of the year, I plan to read as many books as possible! My goal is to finish up all of the trilogies and series that I started this year.

There are a couple of other things I wanted to quickly say, and one of them is that some of you were probably wondering why I do not "group" my Wrap-Up's with the rates I've given on each book. For example: grouping my 5 star reads together, grouping my 4.5/5 star reads together, and so on. I mainly do this because I want to stay true to the order of which book I read 1st in each month, I just feel more organized by doing this, and it makes sense since it's in chronological order.

Secondly I'd like to inform you all that my friend @kitkatdallibooks over on Instagram and I created a December book challenge for you all, so if you like to join, it's not too late to. Click the link here. We're also both doing individual giveaways on our Instagram so check that out as well!

And another thing is that my bookclub's book of the month for December is Heartless by Marissa Meyer! So please read a long with YADiversity this month. I love Alice and Wonderland, so I'm intrigued to see how Marissa adds her own twists to her retelling!

Review of Beyond The Shadows by Brent Weeks

Welcome Book Lovers! I hope all is well, and that summer is treating you all dandy!
Do any of you have summer plans or planned summer reads? I have a couple of each this summer, and I'm feeling quite adventurous, now that I've finished the third and final novel in the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks

I want to start off by saying Beyond The Shadows was an outstanding conclusion to a high fantasy trilogy. It was outstanding, and although it wasn't my favorite of all time, I still really loved watching the subplots tie together and finish out.

I started the Night Angel trilogy last summer of 2015, and I think it was one of the greatest reading decisions of my life. Reading books one and two were a fly by, then life got in the way and I spent some time away from the series. As I returned and finished the last book, I found that a great deal had changed in the world of Kylar.

Another thing I want to point out: this trilogy is one of the first adult high fantasy novels I've ever read. It isn't particularly a genre I read and enjoy often, so I don't have any credentials in the area, but it seems that this was an ideal series to go for.


The first two novels in the trilogy really kept you hooked. The Way of Shadows was written in a way that felt like you were thrown into someones life, which was completely enthralling. You get the opportunity to view several perspectives, but mainly Durzo's and Azoth's. Because Durzo and Azoth are so much alike, they create a very concrete foundation for second and third book, although they don't know  quite how similar they are. To see through the eyes of an experienced, older wetboy, as well as a amateur apprentice bring a typical but not necessarily overdone style to the books.


Then in Shadow's Edge we follow the perspective of Azoth, or Kylar. (The name he goes by in his late teens to early twenties). I enjoyed Shadow's Edge as much as I enjoyed The Way Of Shadows, and in it, we see Kylar's character develop in the most intriguing of ways.We also see him go through the twists and turns becoming a man, and having family responsibilities with his girlfriend Elene. However, this aspect actually bothered me the most throughout the second novel. Kylar and Elene are in an intimate relationship, but their differences in beliefs are apparent, and Kylar's character becomes annoyingly whiney as his relationship is falling apart. Now I enjoy burning romance as much as anyone, but Weeks seems to add too much for my taste.

I have to say that's the only thing that completely irked me from the second book. I mean there were a few minor things that also bothered me, but nothing that I would necessarily complain about.
All in all, book two in the Night Angel trilogy was quite enjoyable.



Now book three in the Night Angel Trilogy literally blew my mind away, it wasn't at all what I expected. It wasn't horrible and it wasn't at all what I expected the ending of an epic high fantasy novel to be. From how the first two novels in the series were, I figured that the finale would be somewhat similar. So we start off with Azoth learning to be a wet boy at a young age in book 1. In book two, we see Azoth who is now Kylar, figure out who he really is, and fight with his inner demons. But in book three, he basically conquers the entire world, and does the impossible, which is great right? Except that I've seen that so often, and it feels like Kylar wasn't really meant to be a leader or in a position of power. It seemed that his character was really unbalanced and indecisive. Kylar didn't know right from wrong, and as he took control of so much, knowing that he wouldn't really be an ideal person to do so made reading it became unnerving and tiring. It almost seems like since this was a high fantasy series, Weeks felt called upon to make sure the main character was the great victor, but Kylar still has so far to go when the story ends.


But that's just my personal opinion of "Beyond The Shadows", in the "Night Angel Trilogy".
I thoroughly enjoyed this trilogy, and getting the opportunity to watch the characters within the story grow.


I can say that I am extremely excited to delve into Brent Week's other new series, called "The Lightbringer series". If you've read his "Night Angel Trilogy" or his "Lightbringer series" then please comment below, telling me what you thought of his novels!


Thank you so much for reading my review and overview of the "Night Angel Trilogy", I hoped you liked it and until next time,

Love Jade

Spooktober 2016 Wrap-Up

Hello Book Lovers! Happy Belated Halloween! Did any of you dress up as a bookish character? Even if you didn't celebrate Halloween, did you at least read any Spooky books?
How many books did you read during the month of October?


I read four books for October, two more than last month, so I'm pretty proud go that...





So starting in order, my October list begins with:

1) The Girl on The Train by Paula Hawkins  4/5 Stars


The Girl on The Train was an amazing novel. I don't read adult mysteries/ thrillers often, but I found this read to be extremely intriguing and enjoyable.
Our female protagonist, Rachel is probably my absolute favorite character from this month's set. I loved seeing the depth of her character and her thought process.

To full review, please click here.






2) Because of Low by Abbi Glines 3.5/5 Stars

Because of Low is the second installment in the "Seabreeze series" by Abbi Glines and we follow Marcus's and Low's POV in this novel. First off I'd like to say that I really enjoy how the first novel in the series goes smoothly into the second novel. Since we follow a strictly female POV in the 1st book I really liked how Abbi switched it up and added double points of view. Reading about Marcus and Low's relationship was super enjoyable and cute; however, the story line didn't really stick with me as well as the characters. I can say that I enjoyed the 1st novel Breathe more than the 2nd novel.

(Full review to come soon)








3) Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff  4.5/5 stars



Illuminae was by far the best book I read for the month of October. It has the perfect balance of eerie and spookiness to keep you on your toes. I loved the whole Sci-Fi aspect that surrounded the novel. The main characters were amazing, and there was quite a lot of spookiness going on throughout the novel. For one, being up in space and not having control over your own survival is rather frightening; not being able to come back down to earth or even leave certain areas of the space station is paranoia-inducing. AIDAN is also scary, and so is the deadly pathogen that lurks within the spaceships that our main characters live in. The formatting was absolutely mind blowing!

(Full review to come soon)




4) The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova


So I have not yet given this novel a rating, only because I'm not done with reading AoL. But from what I have read, it is amazing! The steampunk aspects are absolutely stunning and on point. I have full confidence to say that I know this book will be another 5 star review, and since I haven't finished the novel yet. I will be carrying it to my November TBR.

I'm also buddy reading this book with @madforbooksluv and @novelstosong
so if you'd like to follow them and our updates. I'll leave the links on their names.






Anyways I really hope that you enjoyed my Spooktober 2016 Wrap-Up.
I hope you read some lovely books for the month of October!

Until next time booklovers,
Love Jade

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Review

Hello Book Lovers!

Today I'm going to be talking about The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins. As you may know, there is a movie made based on the novel, and as the book became popular to the extreme, I decided it needed a read. Another thing you may know is that I normally do not read thriller/mystery novels, especially adult ones, but I decided that since the movie was coming out I should read the novel before watching the movie.




Synopsis of The Girl on the Train



EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?







Review 4/5 stars 


     Our protagonist Rachel has basically gone so far down into the rabbit hole she can't climb back out: she's a drunk, she's obsessed with her ex, and she blacks on a steady basis. Now you could say she's completely unfixable and down right crazy, but in my eyes Rachel's character had every right to be in that state. As she watched her relationship burn away, she viewed alcohol as her savior from her own emotions, as many do in such a situation.

As she went through the twists and turns of being distraught and confused, we see that she does care for herself and her wellbeing, but lacks the ability to accept her own emotions. It's almost like I don't have to study phycology, because when I read this book I was already enrolled.


I don't want to give away too much, but the one thing about Rachel's character that I didn't care for  was that she stalked, and she stalked a lot. I'll just leave it at that, but I just feel that she should've left that whole situation alone.


Secondly, there's one other aspect I didn't care for in "The Girl On The Train", which was Anna's POV. Anna is the mistress who ruined Rachel's marriage. I honestly wish that Paula Hawkins would've just left Anna's POV out of the whole equation. It really wasn't necessary, and it didn't add any new embellishments to the story. Also, Anna's character is despicable; her character thinks it's perfectly fine to walk over someones relationship. Out of the whole novel, I only read two chapters of Anna's POV because her way of thinking sickened me, but other than that I didn't loose any of the plot.


Even though there were aspects I did not enjoy, overall I felt that this novel was fantastic, I loved seeing Rachel grow into her emotions and become who she really is. The development of the story was gradual and spooky but just enough to keep you wanting more. A lot of people refer this book to being similar to "Gone Girl", I've personally never read it before although I've heard the plot is sightly similar, so if you enjoy thrillers or anything similar to Gone Girl, then I'm sure you'll enjoy reading "The Girl On The Train".

And just remember... it's never who you think it is.





I hope you enjoyed the review! If you've read "The Girl On The Train", what was your opinion on the novel?

Spooktober 2016 TBR

Hello Bookaholics! How've you been? So sorry I've been absent for awhile, I've been extremely busy with school and studying for midterms. Plus some of my relatives from out of state have come to stay with me, so I've been taking them around my local area for sight seeing and whatnot.



But now I'm finally back on here, and it's felt like forever since I've done a monthly TBR or Wrap-Up. But now that it's October, I'm endeavoring to get some things back on track. I'm a huge fan of anything that revolves around Halloween or the month of October, and even though I'm much older now, I still enjoy making my Halloween costumes and dressing up every year.


Also, before I get into my TBR for the month of October, if you want to keep tabs on what I'm reading you can follow me on Goodreads. I post on there quite often especially since I have a Goodreads reading goal this year. My bookclub over on IG has a Goodreads page as well, and we have a monthly read along every month. This month will be a spooky read, so it's not too late to join us for the October read along.






Book 1)
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

I mainly wanted to read this because the movie recently came out, which I've been dying to watch. (And I'm that kind of person that likes to read the books before watching the movie/tv series) Secondly, I wanted to read the novel because it's an adult suspense/mystery novel that has a lot of hype around it, and, to be honest, I've never really read an "adult mystery novel".

I actually already finished this novel as my first Spooktober book of the month! And let me just tell you.. it's down right thrilling and chilling at the same time. So I suggest you pick it up! (Review will be up soon)



(Spoiler... It's not who you think it is)




Book 2) Because of Low by Abbi Glines





Now since I had just finished "The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins, I needed a super romantic read, as TGOTT was rather depressing.
Anyways, ever since I read the first book in the "Seabreeze" series by Abbi Glines, its been a little addicting. I mean come on, they're basically like candy. I just finished reading "Because of Low" and gosh it was fantastic!
My review for Because of Low will be up soon as well.








Book 3) The Alchemists of Loom by Elise Kova



I'm a mega fan of Elise's novels! Her Air Awakens series is beyond mind-blowing, and her world building skills are killer. AoL is her first "adult fantasy" novel, and I'm super excited to dive into it! Reviews for her novel are already starting to pop up around Goodreads. Here's a little quick shoutout to my wonderful book reviewing/blogg friends @madforbooksluv and @novelstosong will be buddy reading "The Alchemists of Loom" with me. I'll be tweeting my status updates on AoL as well as Goodreads.











Book 4) Illuminae by Jay Kristoff and Amie Kaufman



The second book in the Illumane series is coming out in less than a week from now, and I've only heard fantastic things about this series. Sadly I haven't read the first novel yet, and since it's super close to the release date of the second novel, it would be a perfect time to dive into the series. My bookclub @YADiversity is actually reading the sequel for the month of November, so if you'd like to Gemina for the first time, then please join in on the reading fun!







Book 5) A Madness so Discreet by Mindy McGinnis







So I've heard that A Madness so Discreet is a "beautifully-twisted  historical thriller". Now who wouldn't want to read that, especially in the month of October? I am super intrigued his novel, and I cannot wait to dive into the thrilling darkness that it has to offer.


So that was all for my Spooktober 2016 TBR. I had a few more novels on my TBR Pile for this month, but lets be real; balancing school and life, it's hard to read loads of books every month.

What does your Spooktober TBR look like? Have you read any Spooky reads for the month of October 2016? Comment below!

Mystical By Michael Weekly Review

Hello Book Lovers! I hope all is well and that you enjoy my review! I also want to thank Michael profusely for being so patient with me and for sending me a copy of his book in exchange for an honest review.

4/5 Stars

Synopsis of Mystical :


When Eliza Rose found out she was a witch, she thought she’d be casting spells…

However, it turns out Eliza is on her way to becoming a mystical assassin. But first she has to start college with her best friend Dawn Roberts and her feline familiar Jared. If you think college is stressful, try finding your best friend being seduced—nearly to death—by a venomous fairy. Something is horribly wrong, and Eliza must find out what it is.

Knowing who’s who in the Mystical world can be a burden—or save her life…

Murderous mermaids, seductive fairies, and manipulative elves are terrifying enough, but pure witches can become corrupt…and they’re the most dangerous creatures of all. Eliza struggles to discover the source of this chaos, but is repeatedly attacked—and saved by a shadowy figure. On a very personal note, Eliza must learn whether corruption is beginning to claim her mother.

Her strongest ally might be handsome, enigmatic Donovan—but he is hiding a shocking secret…

Donovan wants nothing to do with his old gang—not after the things they’d made him do. But when he meets Eliza, he’s both frustrated by her amateur skills and impressed by her emerging strength, and he feels compelled to help her grow into the assassin she’s meant to be.

Every answer has a price, and there are beings born to corrupt the pure.

Eliza fights to master her skills before it’s too late, while Donovan must determine whether Eliza can be saved…or if she must die to keep her out of the hands of those who would use her powers to reign over all of Mystical






Review of Mystical:

First off... This novel was awesome! I was instantly hooked from the first chapter. I really enjoyed how you get to see the main character Eliza leave her home, go off to college, live with her best friend, and try to figure out everything for herself. I liked that because it gave the story a little bit of a contemporary background, which I think is very enjoyable in a New Adult Fantasy novel.


But Eliza is far from being a normal college freshmen, she is a witch, and she doesn't quite believe  it herself. All she knows is that she has a bat crazy mom who insists that she should accept who she is (which of course she doesn't explain at all), a familiar cat who talks gibberish to her, and a broomstick that never works or turns into a weapon.
But things start to become clearer for Eliza, as evil creatures who feed off of humans and witches start to appear and threaten Eliza's life. And it all starts to go downhill when her mother becomes someone she never thought possible.

Eliza's only hope is to ensure she fully matures into her witch powers before her mother becomes corrupt. But another witch by the name of Donovan appears to seemingly save her.


I don't like to compare stories and novels to each other. But I would like to say that it reminds me of The Mortal Instruments series, with a little spin on it. And what I mean by that is that there are many similar instances where Eliza and her mom will almost reenact a scene from The Mortal Instruments.
For example: Eliza's mom hides several things about her witch life from her, and by doing so she thinks she's protecting her daughter. Same goes for Clary and her mom in The Mortal Instruments series.

Another example is that in Mystical, witches get runes on their body whenever they mature and when they kill a corrupt creature.
Whereas in The Mortal Instruments series the characters draw Runes on themselves for various things. The similar aspect in both of these novels is that they sport their runes like tattoos.

And I'm not saying that Mystical is necessarily that much like The Mortal Instruments, because of course, the two series are in quite different genres, but if you enjoy TMI, you'll most likely love Mystical. Although keep in mind, The Mystical series has more adult aspects to it as well.

I also wanted to mention how much I actually like how lovably awkward Eliza is. Even when she's almost fully matured as a witch, she's still socially awkward, and I feel like that enhances her character. In other fantasy novels where theres a badass main female heroine, they seem to be nearly perfect, whereas Eliza still has those quirky qualities about her character.


There's only one issue I had with the story, and it really isn't that bad of an issue. I just wish that there would've been more scenes between Donovan and Eliza. I feel that both of those characters have so much potential together, and that dialogue really kept me hooked throughout the story.

Michael Weekly has such an amazing way of intertwining the contemporary aspects of a freshmen in college,  Eliza making a new life for herself, and somehow throwing in magical elements within the story to create an action packed, mystical, enthralling story.






To learn more about Michael Weekly, please click here!

Also I wanted to quickly mention that Mystical, the first book in "The Mystical Series"
actually has a new cover now. I think that both covers are extremely fitting for the story, and are just down right beautiful! So, here's the new cover.

Crystal Crowned Review and Interview with Elise Kova (Author of the AA series)

Hello book lovers! And welcome members of Elise's Tower Guard!

I'm super excited about talking with you all about Crystal Crowned! I can't believe that it's the fifth and final novel in the Air Awakens series. I have to say that the Air Awakens series my favorite series of all time, and it's not just because I can easily relate to the characters in the AA series, it's also about the special qualities that the series possesses.



I love the way she creates a character to be more than just a person, a symbol almost. Throughout the Air Awakens series, the characters grew on me in a way that's never happened before. It honestly felt that they were all close friends and family, and that aspect itself is enough for me to be content with any novel. But there's just something special about the way that each character develops through the journey.




Our main character Vhalla Yarl starts off as a librarian for the Solaris Empire in book one, and in book five, she is a fighter for her kingdoms existence, with her soon to be husband by her side. Out of all of the characters, I have to say that I admire Vhalla the most, because I'm so extremely inspired by her determination and strength throughout the novel. (I mean this woman cannot stop going!!!) Even when she experiences some major turmoils throughout the story, she somehow still kept going, defying death. Yet she's also one of the most caring characters in the story as well, caring for others before herself.



The other main character I'd like to talk about is Aldrik, mainly because you can't talk about Vhalla without Aldrik, and visa versa. I may have said in my other review that "Vhalla is my favorite character in the AA series". And with several qualities she still holds that position. But I have to say that Aldrik is the most intriguing, as his mysteriousness is enthralling. You can hear his wisdom in the way he speaks; well thought-out but also genuine. I've always loved genuine and honest characters, and I feel that Aldrik meets up to those qualities. Now Aldrik isn't a complete sweetheart, he's done some things against that honesty. But he is caring, and by knowing that, it's evident  that he does care for his kingdom and his people. We can also see that his thoughtfulness and power over his kingdom is more prominent in Crystal Crowned.




Now the plot of Crystal Crowned was staggering, and mindblowing. I honestly don't know how Elise does it! I just love the way her style fits the story. Elise Kova's world building is phenomenal, dynamic, but simple enough to understand. I've never once gotten confused when reading her novels, because the acts fit together with a certain seamlessness.  Each and every book in her AA series has it's events and characters in order, so as to be epic and entertaining, while retaining a feeling of understanding. Even though there are five novels in the series, all of them flow so nicely together, it feels like they are all one novel.



All of the side characters are brilliant, and extremely well built. Baldair, Daniel, Fritz, Jax, they all have a special place in my heart. To me, they do not feel like "side characters" they are more than that. I really hope that there will be some novellas of certain side characters, hint hint... all of them please?!!



I love all of the influences that Elise has intertwined within her story. With all of the magical elements that sorcerers have, it reminds me a lot of Avatar the last Airbender, but better. I have total enjoyment of the AA series, because it feels at times like there's an anime influence/writing style to it. The Grisha Trilogy also reminds me of the Air Awakens series. But, I honestly cannot compare the AA series, because, I mean, why would I want to? Nothing compares.


I couldn't and still cannot believe that Crystal Crowned is the final book! It's so exciting for the new stories and novels that Elise is writing, but it's also bittersweet knowing that I won't be able to continue this journey. That certainly doesn't mean that I won't revisit! thanks again for reading!


















Interview with Elise Kova

Fritz:

*Favorite memory with Laurel; and Vhalla?

Oh, Larel, she was the best, simply the best. Did you ever have a chance to meet her? Because she, she was something else. Let me tell you... this one time after I joined the Tower I completely froze over my room. I was SO EMBARRASSED! I didn't want to ask anyone for help. But Larel was there, with her beautiful, and a little eerie, ability to know when one of her friends was in trouble. She helped me melt through the ice... Though everything was sopping wet for almost a week after! 

For Vhal... Easily when she made her appointments following the Great Crystal War. I never expected her to have so much faith in me! And she didn't even warn me of her plans! She's lucky that I'm such a good friend... At least, that's what Elecia tells me to say!

Vhalla:

What’s one quality about Aldrik and breaks you and makes you all at once?

He carried the weight of the world on his shoulders with poise, grace, and silent dignity. It's hard to see someone you care about taking on that burden and feeling like they have no one to help carry it. But, it's admirable too. It's something I hope more people have begun to witness in the aftermath.

*You have a favorite lemon dessert you like to eat on occasion, do you like it because of the flavor? Or the certain memory it holds?

I was always fond of lemon cakes. Though, there is no better seasoning than nostalgia I'm beginning to find. I can't get enough of them, lately!

 How does it feel to have the title and responsibility of a Windwalker?

I think my biggest responsibility lies now in education about Windwalkers and their history. As more Windwalkers come forward I want to make sure they're welcomed both by Sorcerer and Commons society.

Aldrik:

* In my perspective I think that you and Vhalla were destined to be, no matter the circumstances. But if Vhalla wasn’t a Windwalker, how do you think that you two would’ve ended up together? 

I do not know if I share your certainty on the matter. I certainly did not make it a habit to fraternize with common folk. However, to indulge your hypothetical on the matter... I had previously met a young woman in the library, so it's not impossible to say that could happen again.

*What’s your favorite memory with Baldair?

There's a summer palace the old kings of Lyndum built down in Oparium. On occasion, we would travel there for hunting and fishing. One such summer, Baldair and I crept off after dark to the docks and disguised ourselves in common clothing to go to the parlors. Though, I distinctly remember having to try to keep my idiot brother from getting into a brawl before the night was over...

I hope that you enjoyed my review of Crystal Crowned, and interview with Major Elise Kova herself!
This series is so amazing and special to me, so I hope that you pick up the first series in the Air Awakens series and go on a beautiful and action packed travel with Vhalla Yarl. You won't be disappointed.

 To learn more about Elise Kova and her Air Awakens series, please click here!

If your finishing up the series, here's the link to buy Crystal Crowned.


If your new to the Air Awakens series, then here's the link to buy Air Awakens.



Note to Elise Kova:

Your series is magnificent and mind-blowing. I'm so happy to have met you and be apart of your Tower Guard. Thank you smooch for giving the wonderful opportunity to read your entire series. The Air Awakens series has honestly helped me a lot when it comes to personal problems. And I just want to thank you for creating such a lovely story with amazing characters. It's evident to see that you poured your heart and soul into creating and writing such a masterpiece. Congrats Elise on the fifth and final book in the Air Awakens series! (Virtual hugs and lemon cakes)