THRONE OF GLASS by Sarah J. Maas (Review)

STATUS: First (of six) in the Throne of Glass series

AUTHOR: Sarah J. Maas

GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy, Cinderella Retelling, Action-Adventure (maybe)

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury

LOVE TRIANGLE: Yes – albeit a vague, murky one (*see below for more details)

PAGES: 404

PLOT PREMISE: Celaena Sardothien, also known as Adarlan’s Assassin, has been unexpectedly and mysteriously freed from the labor camp of Endovier by Prince Dorian. He whisks her away back to the castle, telling her she can win her freedom if she serves as his Champion in a 4-month long series of tests to find “The King’s Champion.” Her companions are all relatively unsavory characters – ranging from soldiers to thieves to murderers – but when they start turning up dead, something larger and more sinister seems to be at work. Oh, and there’s also magic at work – which is odd, since the King had magic exiled from the kingdom in a very brutal and bloody way.

Over the summer, I taught a Fantasy Creative Writing Workshop for middle-school students. On the first day, we always discuss what their favorite works of fantasy are, and we make a list on the board of their favorite books and their favorite characters. This summer, “Celaena Sardothien” and the Throne of Glass series were a huge hit and they encouraged me to read the series. So, after spending a tremendous amount of time on the wait-list at the public library for the first book, I did.

And, much as I felt after reading A Court of Thorns and Roses (also by Maas), I was left feeling very disappointed. I could see why my middle-schoolers loved the book, but I just…couldn’t.

Part of this might be due to a “false advertising” situation. Here’s how the middle-schoolers described the book/series to me: “Imagine Cinderella, right? But instead of waiting around, being ordered by her awful family to clean and stuff, she’s a kick-ass assassin. And instead of going to the ball to find a husband, she has to sneak in to assassinate the prince!” Maybe this happens in later books (there are 4/6 published, and I only read the one). But it didn’t happen in the first one.

I went in expecting something along the lines of Cinder or Kristin Cashore’s Graceling series with a strong female protagonist and an intricately developed fantasy world.

Nope.

Ultimately, this is a “Cinderella” retelling and not an assassin story. (I’ll admit I don’t really know what an “assassin story” is, other than that there would be some assassinating going on, but I do know that this isn’t it.) It does take a while to realize that it’s a Cinderella variant (or maybe I was just being dense/in denial), but I think that’s ultimately what soured on me on the story: it’s not that it was bad, it’s just not what I was expecting and wanting.  

First and foremost—despite being referred to as “the assassin” and “Adarlan’s Assassin” repeatedly, there is very little in this book that indicates that Celaenda is anything but a spoiled, whiny, and vain girl. It was very hard for me to view her as not only a sympathetic character, but also as one who deserved the reputation that Maas worked so hard to ascribe to her. There are several prequel novellas which, based on their titles, seem to cover Celaena’s pre-prison years, but the reader isn’t offered any glimpse into Celaena’s past in this first book, so it’s quite difficult to view her as the hardened assassin she’s supposed to be. Which…if that information is revealed in novellas, so be it, but to not have any of that information in the first book seems a bit ineffective to me. It’s an egregious instance of “telling, not showing.” I don't see  Celaena as an assassin, I’m just told she is one.

This is also not helped by Celaena’s obsessive preoccupation with her appearance and fashion. For example:

“She’d forgotten there was anyone else in the room. She looked at her rags and stained skin, and she couldn’t suppress the twinge of shame. What a miserable stat  for a girl of former beauty!
At a passing glance, one might think her eyes blue or gray, perhaps even green, depending on the color of her clothing. Up close, though, these warring hues were offset by the brilliant ring of gold around her pupils. But it was her golden hair that caught the attention of most, hair that still maintained a glimmer of its glory. In short, Celaena Sardothien was blessed with a handful of attractive features that compensated for the majority of average ones; and by early adolescence, she’d discovered that with the help of cosmetics, these average features could easily match the extraordinary assets.” (8-9)

“She was cheerful—jubilant, really—and her mood improved when the servants coiled her hair onto the back of her head and dressed in a surprisingly fine riding habit that concealed her miserably thin form. She loved clothes, loved the feeling of silk, of velvet, of satin, of suede and chiffon—and was fascinated by the grace of seams, the intricate perfection of an embossed surface. And when she won this ridiculous competition, when she was free…she could buy all the clothes she wanted.”

“It had been a week since the duel. Philippa was already busy with the task of cleaning out Celaena’s closet to accommodate more clothing. All the clothing Celaena planned to buy when she was free to venture into Rifthold and do some shopping for herself, once she had her outrageous salary as King’s Champion.”

This is not to say that being a deadly assassin and having an interest in fashion are mutually exclusive: but, without any attention paid to Celaena’s more “active” skills, this focus on finery and fashion seems frivolous, and does little to endear her to me. Buying dresses is what’s she dreaming about when she gets her freedom?

MAYBE this would have been okay if there had been some focus on Celaena as the kick-ass-assassin—but there is very little of that. For one thing, all the tests and trials that the various champions must perform are tests of skills, not fights to the death. This means they’re largely “races to the finish” in which competitor is eliminated due to his below-average performance. Yes, some competitors do die during the tasks, but this is handled very summarily. And, on top of this, if Celaena’s true identity as “Adarlan’s Assassin” were known, she would become the focus of sabotage, and everyone would try to knock her out early (based solely on her reputation). So, Prince Dorian’s (brilliant and not-at-all-flimsy) solution is to introduce Celaena as a jewel thief under a false identity and have her perform okay throughout the competition and then WOW them all at the end. So, not only do magic and drugs intervene at the end to deny us that “Wow” moment, but we have a “barely competent” assassin for most of the novel.

Which is okay, because most of the tests are described in one or two lines and are glossed over in light of more “interesting” plot events (i.e., fashion and the Ball and romance). For example:

“It had been over three weeks since her last encounter with Elena, and she hadn’t seen or heard her at all, despite the three Tests she’d had, the most exciting of which being an obstacle course, which she passed with only a few minor scratches and bruises. Unfortunately, Pelor hadn’t done so well, and had been sent home at long last. But he’d been lucky: three other competitors had died. […] She shoved thoughts of the murders aside as they strode past a fountain and she caught Dorian giving her an admiring glance from the corner of his eye. Of course she hadn’t been thinking of Dorian when she chose such a fine lavender gown to wear tonight, or when she made sure her hair was so carefully arranged or that her white gloves were spotless.” (264-265) 

“Amidst her worrying, another Test passed without incident or embarrassment—though she couldn’t say the same for the soldier who’d been sent home—and she kept up her intense training with Choal and the other Champions. There were five of them left now.”

There are 16 or so trials (one a week for four months) and around 30 champions – why have that many, if you’re just going to gloss over them so quickly? You could easily decrease the number of tests as well as the number of competitors if you didn’t want to describe so many. After all, I would think that in a book about surviving tests and trials to win your freedom and become the King’s Champion, THAT would be the focus – but compare the one or two lines above to the paragraph spent describing Celaena’s dress for the ball:

“It was not pure white, but rather a grayish offset, and its wide skirts and bodice were encrusted with thousands of miniscule crystals that reminded Celaena of the surface of the sea. Swirls of silk thread on the bodice made rose-like designs that could have passed for a work by any master painter. A border of ermine lined the neck and provided slender sleeves that only covered her shoulders. Tiny diamond droplets fell from her ears, and her hair was curled and swept up onto her head, strands of pearls woven in. Her gray silk mask had been secured tightly against her face. It wasn’t fashioned after anything, but the delicate crystal and pearl whorls had been crafted by a skilled hand.” (285) 

All of this just makes me feel like this wasn’t meant to be a book about a strong assassin – indeed, there’s even some mention of how Celaena was forced into playing that role to survive, and it’s not a profession she chose willingly (but without more backstory, I can’t say – I can only wonder why it’s even necessary) – but rather a fluffy romance with more emphasis on a Cinderella plot than a well-constructed fantasy world.

First—yes, Maas is playing with the Cinderella story, and she even adds a love triangle, because all good YA stories must  have a love triangle. (No, they really don’t; it just seems that way.) Celaena garners the attention of both Prince Dorian and Captain Choal Westfall (I have no idea how to say his first name), but seems only mildly interested in either of them. To be fair, that’s appropriate: she’s supposed to be fighting for her freedom here. But, on the flip side, there is entirely too much textual space devoted to making googly eyes at the men, and dressing to impress and delight them, and lots of midnight rendezvous. (No, really. Dorian even teaches Celaena how to play pool, and stands seductively behind her and shows her how to hold the cue.) You would think that a girl who’s been imprisoned in a labor camp for a year would be devoted to training, honing her skills, and getting her strength back, not reading in the library, playing with puppies, and flirting.

[Disclaimer: I have nothing against reading in the library, playing with puppies, or flirting. But these are not how I would expect an assassin to be occupying her free time.]

Second—Maas clearly has the intentions of a larger story, which we get hints of throughout this first book. There’s Celaena’s backstory itself, only minimally revealed. There’s the evil King who’s worked to stamp magic out of his kingdoms and conquer the entire land. There’s the exotic and mysterious Princess Nehemia, a rebel sympathizer. There’s the allegedly-dead-but-maybe-not-quite ghostly Elena (who might have made a far more interesting protagonist) who visits Celaena and speaks to the mythology underpinning the work. There’s the also-evil Duke Perrington with his mysterious black ring and ability to (magically) control the physical and mental state of his victims.  There’s A LOT going on – and lot of interesting stuff going on. But way too much for one book – especially when there’s the love triangle and the trials and the ball. I understand setting up future books and the whole foreshadowing thing, but there was just so much going on that some things (e.g. magic, evil forces, fantasy world history ) just seemed haphazard and some other things just felt rushed through (e.g. the trials).

Having read two of Maas’ books this summer and not been enamored with either of them, I have to say that I’m perfectly content to leave the Throne of Glass series behind. While I know the story isn’t finished, and I might return to it at some point,  there are just too many other books on my TBR list that are calling out for my attention.

THE SHADOW THRONE by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Review)

(If I was rating based on the last 1/3, I'd rate 4/5. But...the first 2/3 bring the overall rating down.)

STATUS: Third and final book in The Ascendance Trilogy

AUTHOR: Jennifer A. Nielsen

GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure

PUBLISHER: Scholastic

LOVE TRIANGLE: Yes—although more like a square. Jaron’s heart belongs to Imogen, but duty requires him to marry Princess Amarinda (who has an “unlikely” suitor).

PAGES: 317

I’ve struggled with this trilogy…on the one hand, there are some things about this series that really bother me. But, on the other hand, I’ve read all three, which means there’s nothing super serious that bothers me and I'm clearly invested in the story and knowing how it turns out.

Fun Fact: these books are classified as YA in my local library, and not in the “Juvenile” or Middle-Grade section. But, when I flipped to the publishing page to check to publisher, they are technically categorized as “juvenile” – at least according to Scholastic. (Goodreads is no help either, as The Shadow Throne appears in both YA and MG lists.) So the ambiguity of the genre may help explain why I'm both a fan and not-a-fan of these books, which I’ll get to below.

Basic Plot: The war that we’ve been building up to in the previous two novels is finally here: King Jaron of Carthya faces a devastating war against his enemies led by King Vargan of Avenia. We finally find out whether Jaron chooses Imogen (his heart) or Amarinda (his duty); whether Roden will step up and become the military leader Jaron believes him to be; what becomes of Tobias and Fink; and, ultimately, the kingdom of Carthya’s fate. Really, Shadow Throne is absolutely a “series finale” and is in no way a stand-alone novel: most of the plot is the battle/military strategy, so it won’t make much sense if you haven’t read the first two books in the series.

AN EMBER IN THE ASHES by Sabaa Tahir (Review)

(I did round up. After the first read, I'd give it 4.5 stars, but I was feeling generous.)

STATUS: Initially planned as a stand-alone, but recently plans for a sequel have been announced.

AUTHOR: Sabaa Tahir

GENRE: Young Adult / Fantasy / Ancient History (?) / Dystopia / School Story

PUBLISHER: Penguin

LOVE TRIANGLE: Yes -- or, more accurately, two love triangles which kind of form a love square. 

PAGES: 464

From Public Radio International:

"An Ember in the Ashes could launch Sabaa Tahir into JK Rowling territory…It has the addictive quality of The Hunger Games combined with the fantasy of Harry Potter and the brutality of Game of Thrones."

From MTV.com

“A setting inspired by ancient Rome; a fierce battle for freedom in the face of tyranny; and a villain who makes Cersei Lannister and Dolores Umbridge look like a pair of pathetic amateurs...An Ember in the Ashes is at the top of our must-read list for 2015."

There was a lot of hype around this book – a lot. I kept seeing advertisements for it on social media sites and I knew several people who had read it before I had a chance to pick up a copy at Barnes & Noble. Which is proof enough that I was trusting the hype, because I only buy a physical copy of a book if I’m fairly sure I’m going to like it. But, as with most uber-hyped things, I also get a little skeptical: can a book really be that good, I ask myself?

The answer, in Sabaa Tahir’s case, would seem to be “yes.” I think my rating is more like 4.5/5 – but I had a lot going on and was sometimes forced to put it down, so maybe that’s a bit unfair, so I’m rounding up.

Plot Premise: The novel is clearly set in a fantasy world – whether it’s “ancient” is a little less clear, but not important to the overall plot, just if you’re interested in that from a world-building perspective. Regardless, Tahir’s world is one where jinn, efrits, and wights exist – or did, long ago. The basic premise of the novel is that the race of [human] Scholars rose to power, and since power corrupts (and absolute power corrupts absolutely, as the saying goes) were not to be satisfied until they had unlocked the secrets of the jinn. The plan backfired, and the Scholar Empire fell, with the Martial Empire rising in its place. Now, the Scholars are enslaved, and…well, I don’t really know much of what goes on outside, in the larger world of the novel, since Tahir keeps a tight focus. There’s a split narration: we hear the story from two perpsectives: Laia, a Scholar slave and Elias a student at the martial academy (Blackcliff). There is an Emperor, but I’m not exactly sure what he’s in charge of, aside from the obvious “the empire.”

The novel as a whole seems a lot more character driven than focused on plot – as evidenced from the lack of details outside the narrative arena.

Laia, for instance, is a strong, resilient, determined female character (YAY), motivated by her fear for and her desire to save her brother, Darrin, who has been captured and imprisoned for[possible] treasonous actions. Laia has a rich family backstory, involving The Resistance (because there’s always a corrupt government and a rebellious faction in YA novels these days) – and she eventually starts spying for them, working in the house of The Commandant, the head of Blackcliff and also Elias’s mother. I love the element of complexity that her “fear” brings to her character: it’s very realistic, in a way that some “pure badass” heroines sometimes aren’t . (No one can have that much courage and bravery!)

Elias is an interesting male character, and I like that he doesn’t adhere to strictly defined gender roles. Yes, he’s the best fighter in the school, but he also has a “softer” side – he also has a rich backstory, and he’s haunted and disturbed by the martial regime of which he is a part. He seems to have a strong moral compass and can’t seem to understand why other people don’t see the pervasive horror in his world.

Much of the novel centers on Laia and Elias’s parallel character arcs and journeys as they each work to find their own freedom – and, admittedly, each other. While I liked and appreciated how their paths overlapped just enough to be believable (there weren’t really any overwhelming coincidences or forced contrivances), I could have done with a little less romance and mooning around. I know it's a YA novel, but not every YA novel has to have a love triangle. Or square, considering we have four major players in our romance game. If I was going to give this book a 4.5, it’d be because I felt like it ran a bit long – that there was a bit too much of midnight meetings, clandestine escapades, and romance angst. However, I will freely admit that during those chapters I was reading only a few pages a night, so it may have seemed longer than it actually was – like how in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it feels like Harry, Ron, and Hermione are spending forever traipsing around the woods, bickering, and looking for Horcruxes. But when you go back and re-read it, it’s actually not that much space.

But. Here’s the thing that I liked the most about this book. It’s been compared to Harry Potter, The Hunger Games and Games of Thrones, which is a bold claim to make – and I don’t usually like those comparisons since they’re (1) limiting (they usually only make comparisons to BIG series, and sometimes the comparisons are forced) and (2) unfair (it’s nice to say something is like Harry Potter because Harry Potter was awesome, but I don’t want to read another Harry Potter).  And I don’t even really see the Harry Potter comparison here – the two are wildly different.

SILVER IN THE BLOOD by Jessica Day George (Review)

(And I rounded up. I would have given it 1.5 stars.)

STATUS: Stand-alone? I think? Major plot points resolved at the end, but could extend into a series.

AUTHOR: Jessica Day George

GENRE: Young Adult Historical Fiction / Romance / Supernatural (in that order)

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury USA

LOVE TRIANGLE: Not really. George sets up a sort of love-square at the outset (Dacia has three suitors) but it's clear that only of them is sticking around.

PAGES: 368

Truth Talk: I requested the e-ARC from Netgalley based on (1) the cover and (2) the first line of the description which said that this book was great for fans of Libba Bray and Cassandra Clare. I don’t think I even read the description because the fantasy-inspired cover and “if you like” authors were enough to sell me. [Sidebar: I think that if I had read the description, I’d be even more disappointed.]

Disclaimer: I’ve never read any of Jessica Day George’s other works, I didn’t go in with a prior knowledge of her writing style or typical subject matter.

But…this book was just not for me. For the first 1/3 of the novel, I was convinced that the e-ARC had been mis-categorized and that it was actually a middle-grade novel. But let’s break it down.

Basic Plot Line: American-Romanian heiresses Dacia and Louisa live a sheltered, frivolous and, all things considered, shallow life among Manhanttan’s upper crust. They spend their days (indeed, this is the entirety of the first 1/3 of the novel) obsessing over fashionable dresses (usually from Paris), their own appearance, cute and wealthy boys, and the latest gossip in their social circle. But, after they turn 17, they are whisked away to Romania, the land of their ancestors, to meet their mysterious relations and learn about their family. Secrets are disclosed, shenanigans ensue.

Basic Premise: The Florescu family are Shapeshifters – each family member belongs to a “branch” which reflects their shifting ability: The Claw (shift into wolves), The Wing (shift into bats) or The Smoke (shift into, well, smoke, but are also the strongest). Because of this magical ability, they serve the Dracula family – yes, as in that Dracula family. All of this is disclosed in the plot synopsis, so, no spoilers. And this, to me, is a really cool premise: in Stoker’s original novel [more on that in a moment] Dracula has a weird power over the wolves, and I like that George is kind of playing with this idea, providing an explanation as to why he has that power. The bats and the smoke are also purposeful, I think, since Stoker’s vampire can transform into both. Also, George’s novel is written in a semi-epistolary fashion as, I would hope, an homage to Stoker.
There’s also the fact that Dacia and Louisa could be versions of Lucy (the “looser,” more flirtatious female) and Mina (the pure, moral center of the group).

So, lots of potential here.

Potential, though, is the key word. In the end, while I appreciated the premise, it was a bit of a struggle for me to finish this one.

PAPER TOWNS by John Green (Review)

STATUS: Stand-alone novel (Huzzah!)

AUTHOR: John Green

GENRE: Young Adult Realistic Fiction/Coming-of-Age Story

PUBLISHER: Speak (imprint of Penguin) in 2008

LOVE TRIANGLE: Nope! (Refreshing!)

PAGES: 305

"He has all kinds of problems -- just like anyone. I know it's impossible for you to see peers this way, but when you're older, you start to see them -- the bad kids and the good kids and all kids -- as people. They're just people who deserve to be cared for. Varying degrees of sick, varying degrees of neurotic, varying degrees of self-actualization." --Q's Mom

[Note: I think it's very telling of where I am in life that the quote I pulled came from Q's mom, and not from Q or from Margo.]

I remember the first time I heard about John Green and his cult following. I was at a conference, and a group of us were out to dinner at a TGI Friday’s, of all places. I don’t remember how we got on the topic – maybe someone was presenting on John Green, I’m not sure – but the conversation got really enthusiastic really quick. At that point, I head heard of John Green, but I had never read any of his work.

That weekend, I went home and downloaded An Abundance of Katherines onto my Kindle. I didn’t love it.

Fast forward a few years to 2014, when The Fault in Our Stars was hitting theaters. I decided to read the book before seeing the film, and I loved it—bawled my eyes out.

So with Paper Towns coming out this summer, I decided to do the same thing and read the book ahead of the theatrical release. And, again, I didn’t love it. 

THE GIRL AT MIDNIGHT by Melissa Grey (Review)

STATUS: Book #1, The Girl at Midnight

AUTHOR: Melissa Grey

GENRE: Young Adult Fantasy/Supernatural Romance

PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press in April 2015

LOVE TRIANGLE: Yes...? Maybe a love square? Maybe even a love pentagon or hexagon, depending on how strict your definition is.

PAGES: 368

From Booklist: 

"This first novel will please fans of Cassandra Clare and Game of Throneswatchers with its remarkable world building; richly developed characters...[and] a breathtaking climax that...cannot come soon enough!"

From Amazon:

"For fans of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke & Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war."

Sometimes I wonder if my book-expectations are too high. Especially when a book gets a lot of praise and double-especially when it gets touted as this amazing fantasy story for fans of Cassandra Clare and Laini Taylor. (I wasn’t a huge fan of Taylor’s first book, and don’t remember it much, but I adore Cassandra Clare’s work, so that’s a savvy marketing strategy.) 

THE RUNAWAY KING by Jennifer A. Nielsen (Review)

(2.5/5, but I'm feeling generous and rounding up.)

STATUS: Second book in The Ascendance Trilogy

AUTHOR: Jennifer A. Nielsen

GENRE: Young Adult, Fantasy, Adventure

PUBLISHER: Scholastic

LOVE TRIANGLE: Yes--sort of. Jason's clearly in love with Imogen, but feels honor-bound to marry Amarinda. 

PAGES: 350

Basic Plot: The continuing adventures of Prince Jaron of Carthya. After an "old friend" delivers a threatening message to Jaron in the form of a fake assassination attempt, Jaron believes the only way to save his kingdom is to "flee his throne." Facing dual threats from the King of Avenia and a band of pirates (in league with Avenia), Jaron must infiltrate the pirates and find a way to defeat them. Along the way, Jaron crosses paths with a band of thieves, allowing him to re-adopt his alias, Sage; with the help of their oddly moral leader (Erick) and a plucky young thief-in-training (Fink), Jaron makes his way to Tarblade Bay where his courage and nerve are tested.

*sigh*

I feel like this book not only suffers from "middle-book-in-a-trilogy" syndrome, but also exists because Jennifer Nielsen really wanted to write about pirates. (But even then, if you like pirates, you may not like this book. More on that in a moment.)

One of the aspects of the first book that worked really well was Sage-as-Unreliable-Narrator. Throughout The False Prince you pretty much knew Sage wasn't being completely honest with you -- there were little snarky asides, vague accounts of where he had gone, and little breadcrumbs to the reader (e.g. Sage insisting that he could read -- if the material was worth reading about). But the problem with unreliable narrators, combined with first person POV, is that, once "the gig is up," you can't use that device anymore. That is, once Sage reveals himself to be Jaron, the curtain is up, and up for good. Once Jaron starts telling the story, the mystery is gone and if Jaron doesn't reveal everything, he reveals much more than Sage did. He's also quite annoying...he's not nearly as flippant (an aspect of Sage's persona) and witty, and we see more of his internal struggle, which means more frustration, more uncertainty, more doubt. Sage's mask is much more compelling than Jaron's truth.

And yet...for some reason, I couldn't not read this book. Every time I picked it up, I'd read about 50-60 pages, and still want to know what happened next -- even if I was frustrated with it the whole time. Hence the three stars. For all its faults, The Runaway King tells a good story and keeps the action moving, so I appreciate that.

I do have to say: I like Imogen. She's one of the few female characters in this series, and she doesn't have an easy time of it. In a way, I kinda feel like she's the Hermione to Jaron's (inferior) Harry/Ron hybrid. For much of this book, Jaron is moping around, angry at everyone for really vague, undefined reasons. I feel like Imogen rolls her eyes at Jaron's antics a lot and, to be honest, if Imogen wasn't around, Jaron would be pretty screwed. Whereas in the first book it seemed like they both were always one-step-ahead of everyone else, here, it's just Imogen. She plants the flowers and hides the knives before Jaron has even made it to the pirate camp. She knows him, and what he'll do, and does her best to protect him. And while that can be a bit of a depressing role -- girl who does nothing but enable her love to succeed -- Imogen's a feisty pistol. She does what she wants, takes risks, and knows her own mind. Plus, when Jaron goes all Edward Cullen on her and says clearly fake hurtful things to her, she accepts it; but then, unlike Bella, she FIGURES IT OUT. Fairly quickly, she realizes that he's just being an ass to "protect her," and she doesn't lie around moping. (Also unlike Bella, she doesn't go throwing herself into dangerous situations because, you know, these pirates are pretty chillax.)

But there was still way too much that frustrated me about this book: