​Finished reading: 26 May 2025
Rating: 3.75/5

We’re onto book 3 in The Empyrean series. Onyx Storm continues to build in terms of corruption, betrayal, sacrifice, and, of course, the power of love in the face of it all.

But, the real question is: is love powerful enough to overcome the darkness that came to be at the end of Iron Flame? 

As this is book 3 of the series, there will be spoilers. You’ve been warned!

Previously reviewed: 22 November 2018
Rating: 5/5

We’re back to another throwback book review, this time looking at the inspiring story by Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist.

You ever have those moments where you hear a reference to something, and then for the next few days it seems like everyone’s talking about it. Your social media is feeding you ads about this specific thing, and you just feel like its following you around?

That’s what happened with me back in 2018 when it came to The Alchemist. I had never heard the book before until I heard it in a Macklemore lyric. Then, I kept on hearing people talk about this amazing little story that was inspiring them. Before I knew it, I had someone at the place I worked at in 2018 recommending me to read it.

Why do I want to return to it now? Strangely enough, there’s been some things happening in my life that have had me thinking about this book. So, I thought it only right to come back to it and reflect on how I feel about it now after all these years, and why it’s been on my mind.

Finished reading: 9 May 2024
Rating out of five: 4.75/5

The seventh and final book in the Throne of Glass series, Kingdom of Ash is the culmination of everything we’ve learned, experienced, and felt throughout the whole journey. This is it. The end. And it’s really fucking good.

Not 5/5 good, but we’ll get into why a little later (although I’m sure you may hazard a guess from my previous reviews so far).

As this is the finale, I cannot emphasise enough the spoiler warning on this one. If you don’t want to be spoiled, then look away. Otherwise, let’s get right into this bloody good crescendo of a finale.

Finished reading: 24 April 2024
Rating out of five: 4.5/5

The sixth book in the Throne of Glass series, Tower of Dawn follows Chaol and Nesryn as they travel to the southern continent with two missions: to find a remedy for Chaol’s paralysis, and to get the southern continent on their side for the final battle.

While a 4.5/5 (like Empire of Storms), this book took me a little while to get into—so much so it took me well over a month to read it. While this is the case, I definitely wasn’t disappointed and really enjoyed where the story took me.

Ultimately, having a book as long as this one completely separate to Aelin’s storyline took a while for me to get used to. However, by the end of it, I was happy we got it.

As per the usual: there are spoilers here. You’ve been warned!

Finished reading: 16 March 2024
Rating out of five: 4.5/5

​The fifth book in the Throne of Glass series, Empire of Storms follows Aelin and her squad in trying to bring allies (and enemies) together to fight against the might of not one, but two, big baddies—Erawan and Maeve.

This book is chock-a-block full of plot twists, and this constant humming and foreshadowing that something big is coming. And, following the incredible crescendo in Queen of Shadows, this instalment keeps the pace and intensity up. And, I’ll be honest, it’s actually quite overwhelming.

You know the drill by now: There’s spoilers, so don’t read this if you’re still catching up, or you plan or reading the Throne of Glass series later on. Otherwise, if you’re here for the ride, let’s get into it.

Finished reading: 23 February 2024
Rating out of five: 4.75/5

The fourth book in the Throne of Glass series, Queen of Shadows absolutely blew my socks off—what a book! There’s a lot to get through, but trust me, this book is 100% worth it.

Celaena (now going by her actual name, Aelin) is back in Adarlan after her incredible journey over in Wendlyn, and she’s ready to fight for those she’s lost, those she loves, and her people. And, she’s going to fight for that damn crown that is rightfully hers.
​
I’ll keep warning y’all—there be spoilers in this one, including choices and plot twists from the books that have come before this one. For those who are reading along, have already read it, or don’t have any want to read these and don’t mind being spoiled, let’s get into it!

Previously reviewed: 27 July 2017
Rating: 2.5/5

Now here’s a book that’s got some history and influence attached to it. The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is one of those texts that’s referenced when talking about leadership, and there are some significant people in history (and in the current age…) that have referenced this book as something they have read and refer to multiple times.

But, let me get this straight, this may not necessarily be a good thing.

I read The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli as part of a university subject back in 2017, and then published a review on the previous version of TaleInferno about it. And, because I’ve been listening to the Midnights album by Taylor Swift recently, I thought this would be a good book to start my Throwback Book Reviews.
​
A quick disclaimer: I’m not a historian. Also, I note that this is a translated text—you’ll see that the version of this book I have is a Penguin Books variety published in 2011 and translated by George Bull. Every translation is different. Some translators rewrite the text to be about a Ruler, not a Prince. Some quotations will also be different, which can lead to different connotations. However, the main points generally stay the same.