Natália

“Every step. Every curve into darkness. Every moment of despair and rage and pain. It had led him to precisely where he needed to be. Where he wanted to be.”

Chaol has been one of my favorite characters in this series, I love how complex and utterly human he is, so obviously I was excited for a book with him as the main character. His journey towards recovery, both physical and mental, was just so beautiful and I loved the development he had in this novel. It was amazing seeing Yrene and some other characters we met way back in the beginning and that now have an important role in the plot, tying everything up. Yrene is also an amazing character - she's fierce, unafraid, compassionated and loving and the dynamics between her and the healers, as well as the connection with Silba and her own development and healing alongside Chaol was delightful to read. I also found myself enjoying Nesryn's adventures and her own character grownth. I didn't care much for her in previous installments, but she really grew on me in this book.

The world building is amazing, and Sarah really bothered to expand this universe and show us a different side of this world, with it's own culture and mythology. I have to say I didn't warm much to the Khangan's children, especially Hasar and the older one, but I liked the sense of their love for their siblings and how in the end it will make a difference in the future of the land. Sartaq and the ruthkin were amazing, though. The ending was emotional, although a little cliché (the solution to a problem was similar to the final book in The Rebel of The Sands trilogy). And though there's some vital information that will define the final act of this story in Kingdom of Ash, the best aspect and frankly what made it a great book was the character developments and their relationships. I'm so pumped to the final book now, and I can't believe it's almost over.

“So the question becomes, Daughter of the Dragon, what will you sacrifice? What will you let be taken away so that you, too, can have power?”

After all the hype, I finally decided to dive into this book, expecting to love it immediatly and to devour it. I don't know if I came in expecting too much, but I was kinda disappointed in this novel. It's not bad, far from it, but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I loved the historical context and how it explored Vlad Dracul's story/mythology and the era of the Bizantin Empire in different way and the way White developed her characters, but I had some major problems with the pace of this book. It started out strong, with lots of twists and turns and we get to know our main characters and how their dynamics evolve overtime, but somewhere after the first third, it felt like the book was lacking a direction and the characters didn't have a goal. It dragged sometimes and it took me a while to finally get on with it. Towards the end, the pace increased again, with more action, intrigues and twists that ended the novel on a high note and left me curious to persue the sequel, just to see where our characters will go from there and how they'll deal with the consequences of this first novel.

Kiersten White's strenght is definitely the characters - each one is complex, layered and realistic and she has amazing development arcs for each of them. We're discovering new aspects of their personalities all the time and it's what kept me reading. Lada is by far my favorite character - she's strong and intelligent (although nobody gives her the due value for it because of the society she lives in), sometimes cruel and harsh, but she is sometimes insecure and protective of those she loves. She struggles being a woman on this man's world and to find her place. Her arc is powerful and her development through the novel is amazing. Mahmed is a ambiguous character for me - I sometimes loved him for how driven he is, how he cares about his people and strives to be a good ruler and soldier, and how interesting his dynamics is with Lada and Radu (it's a kind of co-dependence that it's lifting and damaging at the same time), but sometimes I just wanted to slap him for how he uses women (and people in general) and how he manipulates others to his own end.
I didn't care much for Radu. He started out as annoying, selfish, dramatic and overall this whiny character. Later on, he learned to use his qualities to his gains and play the political games to help Mahmed's agenda, and he started to become more interesting. Still, he seemed to ressent everyone their happiness, especially when he realized he couldn't have the thing he wanted the most. I couldn't connect with him at all, but his character had an interesting development and I liked how his and Lada's personalities compliment each other.

Like I said, I plan to continue on with the series to see where our main trio will end up and how they'll deal with what happened at the end of this first novel, and I hope the writing will pick up the pace later on so it'll end on a high note and not just a ‘eh, it was ok but not great', like I felt after reading this one.

"It's in dreams more than anywhere else that you get to know people best - along with their weaknesses and their secrets."

Not this fantastic, innovative book, but I had so much fun reading it. I'm into this dream walk vibe recently after Lair of Dreams and I really liked the paranormal aspect of this book, although I think the dream part and how a few ‘chosen' can lucid dream should have been better explained - maybe it will be developed in the next books of the trilogy? Let's hope so! Kerstin's writing is simplistic but enjoyable and entertaining and the reading is fast. She mashed up some teen clichés (like a Gossip Girl-like mystery and the private school with snobby girls) and gave it some original twists and it worked.

At first, I thought that Liv, our main character, was little too dramatic and annoying, but she was a typical 15-year old teen and she was actually pretty realistic. With each page, though, she won me over with the humorous and light narrative voice and her smart, skeptic personality. I loved the dynamics between her and Grayson and the whole extended family thing, as well as her and Lottie and her little sister Mia. Hers & Henry's relationship was also cute, if not a little too cliché. The ending had this interesting twist at the end and it leaves a nice hook for the next installment.

They are fairly quick reads, so, though not my favorite trilogy ever, I'll definitely continue on with the trilogy in between other more complex stories.

“ For dreams, too, are ghosts, desires chased in sleep, gone by morning.”

Libba Bray is such a fantastic author! I love the dark, spooky vibe that both this series and the Gemma Doyle trilogy have and how she manages to immerse the reader in the book as well as insert the story in the historical setting perfectly. I also love how she uses it to do some social critique and insert important topics such as xenophoby, misogyny, and racism into the story. The characters are diverse and complex and each of them is important in a way to the end goal. I like that now all the Diviners have finally come together and I can't wait to see more of their dynamics and interactions with each other in the next book.

Henry and Ling were the stars of this novel, definitely. I loved their interactions and friendships and their backstories - although we've met Henry since book one, we didn't know much about him since The Diviners focused more on Evie. We get to know more about Theta and her secrets, but not as much as I would've like and the same goes for Mabel, who is evolving on her own and not only content on being on the background, and Jericho. The later one is the most misterious character of the bunch and with each book I grow more and more curious about him - also, I feel like he's underused in this novel, I would've like to have more scenes with him, becoming his own man and not pining for Evie so much. Evie, although being a good character in the first book, is extremely annoying here - she hurts her friends and leads Sam on at the same time she purposefully hurts Jericho. She's shallow and more of an annoyance than helpful. The only thing that got me during her storyline was the mystery about her brother.

In this installment, we're finally gearing up to confront the big villain, the ‘man in the stovepipe hat', who only made a brief appearance and has not revealed his full endgame yet, but the glimpses we had of him were scary. The ending here was fast-paced and I was surprised with the plot twists, although I guessed the main one right after the protagonists. Still, it left me wanting more the second I closed the book, so I can't wait to pick up the sequel.

"Someday, when I am nothing but dust and wind, what tale will they tell about me?"

What a way to end a trilogy! Lu perfectly wrapped up everything here, leading the reader through one last epic adventure with Adelina and the Elites, with the fate of the whole world on the line. It was the smallest book of the three, but everything that was in it was meant to be there and it managed to tie up all the loose ends in the best way and still end with a bang. It was an emotional rollercoaster through and through and totally worth the ride. She wasn't afraid to make the hard choices and it made the reader feel the danger and urgency that was the tone of this book. The ending was beautiful and a perfect way to end Adelina's story. The title made complete sense in the end and it was a nice touch. I absolutely loved this entire trilogy and it became one of my favorites. I would recommend this to every fantasy lover out there - it's a must-read for sure!

“It seemed any young woman at odds with her place in life—be she a genteel lady or a serving girl—might find a happier home within the pages of a book.”

This, along with A Week to be Wicked, is my favorite book out of this series. Pauline is an amazing character - she's strong, she knows her value and she doesn't bow down to anyone who is dismissive of her or the ones she loves just becaushe they're from ‘a higher class'. She's smart and driven and bold. Her character development is actually not that big, since she has been through a lot already (her backstory is the saddest but it shows how brave she is and how hard she fights for what she wants), but she is definitely the driving force of this book. I loved her relationship with Griff right away and the slowly developing of her relationship with Griff's mother warmed my heart, especially the scene with the crouché. Colin is still my favorite male character, but Griff was a joy to read as well - he really loves his mother and Pauline and his reasons behind some actions was completely understandable once the ‘secret' was out. He was the biggest character development in the book (or in the series, after his scenes in A Week To Be Wicked - going from that to what we see in this one is a total 360°).
I loved the ending, it did the characters justice and was immensely satisfying. There's only two more (one novella and one full novel) before this series is over, and I'm already missing all these amazing ladies and their rogues.

“Honor from death,” I snap, “is a myth. Invented by the war torn to make sense of the horrific. If we die, it will be so that others may live. Truly honorable death, the only honorable death, is one that enables life.”

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. At first, I went in expecting another YA fantasy book with a ‘chosen one' protagonist and all the classic tropes. But that's not at all what we find here - the author manages to take the chosen one trope and twists it in a fresh, original way. Our heroine isn't the typical YA MC, she doesn't have any of the ‘qualities' required to be a hero and she often questions the idea that she is all that and in that the author also manages to discuss topics like faith, stereotypes and what it takes to be a hero and a leader.

Elisa Lucero is, first of all, a plus-sized character who suffers from anxiety and an eating disorder, who don't know a thing about fighting and is naive to the ways of the world and especially of all the political games. She is thrust into a new kingdom that is not her own, surrounded mainly by people she doesn't know and has to navigate a court where there are dangers and double-crossings at every turn, with a husband who is a stranger...all that while also bearing the ‘sign' from God that she is chosen to save everyone. But Elisa is the type of character who relies on her mind and who thrives on strategy and planning and during the book, she develops these skills and also her leadership. I love how much she grows and develops during the novel, and how strong she is to endure all that she has and remain kind and compassionated and driven. The world building is amazing and I love how it is based on a latino-inspired culture, getting away from the US/European based fantasy.

The entire book is fast-paced - a lot happens at all times, and when you think you'll finally take a break from all the twists and turns, another thing comes along and sweep you away. Rae Carson doesn't shy away from killing characters for the sake of the plot, so there were a lot of heart-wrenching moments, but also amazing plot twists that I did not see coming. In the end, I felt like I've read 2 books instead of one. Still, there is a lot more she can explore in this world and I can't wait to see where she will take Elisa.

I highly recommend this book for YA fantasy lovers or fans of a strong and smart MC as well as amazing world-building and surprising twists.

“A vast unfocused rage rose in her, against men who considered displays of emotion a delicious open door; men who ogled your breasts under the pretense of scanning the wine shelves; men for whom your mere physical presence constituted a lubricious invitation.”

This had to be my favorite novel from this series - not only the stakes are higher than ever, but the relationship between our protagonists have reached new levels and their dynamics are better than ever. The atmosphere is darker and more gruesome, partially thanks to the fact that we have access to the killer's POV and it's equal parts fascinating and horrifying. Strike is taking new steps into his development as a character, and we get to see more of his past and understand some of his personality and relationships a little better because of it. I liked to get to know how his friendship with Shanker started and how close they really are. It was one of my favorite things in the novel, as well as the character - who is proven loyal, and has a crooked sense of moral, but is nonetheless empathic and fun. Robin had its ups and downs in this - although I love her character and admire her strength, her objectiveness and her intelligence, she was sometimes irrational and led by conflicting emotions during the novel. Yes, I understand what she was going through, but even she admitted that she was being irrational, and still went through with it. Her harshness and impulsiveness were very unlike her and it bothered me. Not only that, but she made some very questionable decisions, especially regarding Matthew - after everything that happened between them. I guessed the real killer right before it was revealed, but the mystery kept me on the edge of my seat and second-guessing everything I thought till the very end and that's something I love in mystery/detective novels. I can't wait to see were J.K is leading Cormoran and Robin in the next case!

One of my favorite arcs is the S season, especially because I LOVE the Outer Senshi, the dynamics between Usagi and Haruka (and the fact that it's confirmed that Haruka is gender fluid), ChibiUsa and Hotaru's friendship (and maybe more, because it's hinted by Hotaru that she has feelings for ChibiUsa AND I SHIP IT SO HARD) and the whole Sailor Saturn arc (I love how powerful she is and she's the Senshi that represents my star sign, yay!). It's an exceptionally dark arc in the series, and it's even darker in the mangá. Takeuchi doesn't shy away from certain things and it ups the stakes for our heroines. Also, Mamoru is much more present here and it's more useful than in the anime. It almost makes me like him as much as Seiya & Haruka.

The conclusion of the Death Buster's arc and the beginning of my queen Neherenia's Super S arc! I love the Dead Moon Circus, the Amazoness Quartet and the Dark Moon plot. I'm not a fan of ChibiUsa's protagonism and the whole Elios/Pegasus debacle, but oh well. It's visually my favorite arc, though, so I'm enjoying it.

“My father used to say that opression isn't a finite state. It's a weight that is carried until it becomes too heavy, and then it is thrown off. Not without struggle, not without pain, but he believed the weight would always, always be fought and overcome.”

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. Yes, it starts the same as any dystopian novel out there, with an opressing government and it's not entirely original, since it takes bits and pieces from other book series (mainly The Red Queen and The Selection), so most of the plot twists were predictable and it wasn't this surprising book full of twists and turns. But the author managed to create a compelling story, with some original elements that made it enjoyable and interesting, as well as good characters and an explosive ending.

There were some things, though, that I thought could've been better -there are characters, like the Heir, that we don't get to know much. He starts to appear and interact with the characters more often at almost 50% in, and we don't get to see much of his personality, background and motivations to care for him, despite him being a central piece of the story. That made it harder to care about his fate in book 2 and the consequences of the ending. Nomi was another character that was not done as well as I would've liked. She started out as this strong, fierce and rebellious character, but ended up being irritating and naive. Her impulsiviness was what started out the whole plot and it continued to cause her trouble - and she didn't get much development during this book to justify what happened at the beginning. I'm hoping things will get better for her and we'll see a different Nomi in the sequel.

As for Serina, she was my absolute favorite character. She already started out as strong-willed and able to overcome difficulties in her own way, despite being the ‘weaker', more ‘fragile' sister, but she developed to become this fierce, strong woman. Her POVs were my favorite, especially because her parts were the ones were the author showed more world building and originality.

There is romance in the book (which I like, if done well), but for the most part it didn't interfered or overcomed the main plot. One of them worked better than the other, in my opinion, because the characters respected each other and it was a feeling that was built during the book. The other one was thrown in in the last third of the novel and it was kinda confusing, especially because there was sort of a love triangle happening.

Overall, it was a nice, compelling and quick read - I found myself not wanting to put the book down several times. I'm excited for the sequel and can't wait to see where the author is taking this story and the characters!

“But true rulers are not born. We are made.”

This book left me shocked and anxious to pick up the final installment. Adelina's story evolves in such an unexpected, dark way and Lu manages to make the reader feel for her despite all the awful things she does. I love a good origin story and I like this idea that villains are not born, they are made and Marie Lu manages to write a compelling character that slowly descends into madness and darkness and become this cruel villain, but you can't help but feel that she could have somehow be saved and that there were things that went terribly wrong for her and pushed her towards this path. I also enjoyed that no one was this pure-hearted, morally good character - all of them, Rafaelle, Enzon, Teren, even Violetta, were morally grey and sometimes did things that should be frown upon, no matter if they were for protection or for the greater good of things. All the characters felt real because of that and had their own complexities and individual plots. I loved the new characters, especially Magiano and Maeve, and they contributed greatly not only to move the plot along but to the relationships in the story. I can't wait to see more from them and how everything will conclude after the explosive events of this second book (THAT FINAL SEQUENCE OF EVENTS,OMG!)

"I realize neither of us is the good twin. Not anymore. We never were. Tila is simply my other half. Not my better half. Not my worse half."

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
I really liked the premise of this book and enjoyed the story overall. The mystery is intriguing and I found myself wanting to know more, but I thought some things were resolved too quickly and the plot twists, although interesting, were a bit predictable (I guessed some almost right before it happened). I did like how the author mashed the past and present and how to every few Taema's present chapters, we would have Tila's recounting of the past and how it would correlate with what Taema was living and dropping little clues about the Hearth and how they got to where they were. It was also a good way to develop the twins personalities and how different their POVs were on the same subject.
There's also a lot of diversity (we have a bisexual main character, yay!) and I enjoyed how in this society, the color of skin and sexuality is not important at all - you can be what you want to be, as long as you're a good citizen. The world building was also interesting and I can't wait to know a little more in book 2 since it seems the author will explore more on the Zeal drug and other aspects of this society.
It was a good, enjoyable book, although sometimes slow going, but nothing extraordinary.

“I was always able to lose myself in reading. Books were a necessary escape I always gladly jumped into headfirst.”

This was this fast, entertaining book that I enjoy reading between heavier reads. The plot and character backgrounds are interesting and I enjoyed the mythology behind the Luxen, but it wasn't something extraordinary or even totally original. It was filled with YA clichés, and a lot of times I felt like I was reading Twilight again, because it was VERY VERY similar in lots of aspects (including some really identical scenes).

Daemon is the kind of bad boy you love-hate, but mostly he thinks he knows what's best for Katy and tries to interfere with her life, despite his claims that he doesn't even like her. They have obviously a very good chemistry and some cute scenes, but again, it's nothing I've never seen before and not something I particularly like. Katy started out as sarcastic, smart-mouthed and outgoing, but as the story progressed, she turned into the typical paranormal YA trope. I was expecting more from her. At least she's not bland as Bella or have the lowest self-esteem in the universe. Dee is by far my favorite character, she's so outgoing, sweet and caring! I really want her to have more focus and be happy by the end of this series.

I don't know if I'll be continuing with this series. Yes, it's not as bad as I thought and certainly better than the Covenant series, but it's not what all the fans make it to be and I'm not a fan of this kind of YA clichés. On the other hand, it's a super fast, entertaining read and I'm mildly curious to know what happens in the sequels. I might leave it for when I'm in need of something lighter and carefree - either way, it's not going to be right now.

“Perhaps it was time for fathers to teach their sons how to behave around young women. They were not born superior, no matter how society falsely conditioned them. We were all equals here.”

Actual rating: 3.5 stars
This is the kind of fun, enjoyable book that usually gets me out of reading slumps. I enjoyed the first book a lot, especially the mystery aspect of it, so I was hoping for the same thing out of this second installment as well. But here, although the author managed to explore the gothic feel of Vlad Dracul's legend and the setting of the novel, it felt like the mystery and suspense were put aside for character development and romance. The whole thing was a little too fantastical and even kind of childish at times, and even the solution, although it was surprising and a plot twist, was a little too much and had this too-quick resolution that left me feeling unsatisfied. The motivations weren't that strong and even the clues were a little bit scattered. I didn't felt that dark atmosphere of danger and things lurking in the shadows as I did in book one and in no way I felt like Audrey Rose was in any serious danger at all, so I couldn't bring myself to worry too much about her. Not even the more gory scenes troubled me as much (except maybe one at the end of the book, but that's because I have major arachnophobia and that scene had me almost crying with panic)

BUT the main characters were the actual stars of the whole story and I absolutely love them - Audrey Rose grew a lot as a character in this novel. She had to overcome the consequences of the end of book one and what it meant to her, as well as the judgment and lack of respect of her colleagues and teachers for the fact that she is a woman studying legal medicine in that period. I loved how the author finally brought some much needed badass females to the series and good female friendships. I was also very happy with getting some background for Thomas and his family, although some of it felt a little bit forced and too much, and how his relationship with Audrey Rose is healthy and adorable - he truly respects her, her mind and her wishes and thinks of her as an equal. They really compliment each other very well and I love their scenes.

I'm excited for book 3 and see where it will bring our charming detectives, but I hope the author can balance the character development, the romance, and a good mystery because that was one of the best things about Stalking Jack The Ripper.

"You can't plot murder like a novel. There are always loose ends in real life."

I thought this one was more intriguing and involving than the first novel and more compelling. Even with some slower parts in the middle, and some clues not being as easy and straightforward to follow than in book one, I found myself really wanting to reach the end to find out who did it and why. This was also a darker novel with a more atmospheric feel, especially because the case has this gory, ritualistic aspect (and some vivid descriptions, so if you're bothered by that, beware) that the Lula Landry case didn't. I also loved how unexpected the final solution was and how talented J.K Rowling is at tying loose ends and making every single thing within the mystery to have an explanation and a proper place.

Strike grew on me as character and I like how his past and his personality is slowly developed through the series - there's a lot about him we as a reader don't know and the fact that tiny aspects of the character are revealed in the perfect moment to match what is happening in the plot is brilliant. I LOVE Robin's character, although I thought she kinda faded into the background in this one. Yes, we're shown more about her abilities and her resourcefulness and how much she enjoys the work with Cormoran (as well as how well they compliment each other and how their relationship is growing, as opposed to hers and Matt's - who is a tool and doesn't deserve her), but she played only a small part in the case and her POV's were limited to the more personal aspect of the book. I expected her to be more active in the investigation, but this was a more Strike-centered book. I'm really excited to read book 3, because I've heard amazing things about it and how it's the best and more thrilling of the released ones so far, and I hope Robin will have a more central role!

"Ohmigod. She was killed while tweeting. It was Twittercide!”

This book was even better and more amusing than the first installment! I absolutely love Hart's driven and sarcastic personality and I loved how her friendship with Sam played an even larger role in this book. There were great scenes here, that actually made me laugh out loud and even though it wasn't that great a mystery, I wasn't able to deduce who the killer was before the end. And Hart & Chase's relationship is so great! I thought that Chase was a little hot n' cold in this one, kind of leading Hart on though it's clear he cares a lot for her, but the ending made up for that. I'm just sad the author seems to have given up on this series since it's been almost 5 years since the release of this book and there's no sign of the final one, though it has a title and a synopsis. Bummer, because I wanted a proper ending for our characters and a chance to see a little romance between the main leads, especially after what happened at the final scene in this book. Oh well, it was good while it lasted.

“Love is scary: it changes; it can go away. That's the part of the risk. I don't want to be scared anymore.”

I admit that I wasn't expecting much from this book...BUT then I saw the movie on Netflix and was instantly in love and obviously had to check out the original. And although it was as cute and heart-warming and lovable, because Jenny Han has this compelling, real and fluid writing, I have to say I enjoyed the adaptation a little bit more - only because of how certain characters and situations were portrayed in the movie in a way that made me like them, as opposed to what happened in the book.

I identify a lot with Lara Jean. I was a very shy, timid and romantic girl in school and had tons of boys I liked, who were popular and gorgeous and I was never any one of those things, so obviously I never had a chance with any of them. And I was always a little bit afraid of true relationships. So, reading Lara Jean's story, it felt easy to immerse in the story and feel a connection with the characters. I loved the family relationships here, especially between Lara and her father and her little sister Kitty (BY FAR THE BEST CHARACTER). Peter Kavinsky is also my new book/movie/everything crush, because OMG, he's adorable and charming and genuinely caring. He and Lara Jean have actual chemistry and their scenes together are always so full of adorable banter and so much cuteness. You can see they care for each other, even before they realize it themselves. I also enjoyed some of the scenes that didn't make into the movie - the John Ambrose McClare was hilarious and I can't wait to get to know his character in the next installmentes, and maybe a second TATBILB movie.

Still, I missed a good friendship in the book, because neither Chris nor Lucas are that great as friends (Chris doesn't even appears that much here, as opposed to the movie, were you can see how she supports Lara Jean and they have good scenes together). I think I might have enjoyed the bedroom scene in the ski trip in the movie way more than how it happened in the book. Josh was also a major disappointment - while in the movie he was a little bit clueless, hurt because Margot dumped him and confused about his feelings for Lara Jean, in the end he not only supported her, but was a real friend and wanted her to find some happiness. That doesn't happen in the book, where he was a major ass, not to mention hurtful and pushing. But the worst of them was Margot - I coulnd't stand her character in the book! She's an annoying, little miss perfect who dismisses her younger sister and how she acted towards Lara Jean in the end was just something I would never do to my little sister, no matter how uppset I was with her. It was just unnecessarily hurtful and she knew it, but did it anyways. I do hope thatm after they set things straight in the end, they'll have a more healthy and companiable relationship in the next books.

The open ending was not something I was expecting, since I saw the movie first and it ends in this adorably cute and cliché moment. Actually, when I realized I had finished the book, I was really mad, because I thought I missed something. It was a kinda meh ending, but since it is a trilogy, I suppose we can have the happily ever after before the actual ending of the series. Despite all that I really enjoyed the read, and can't wait to get back to Lara Jean's story soon!

“I'll go," he said."And that's safer because?""I'm a guy.""Right, and having a pair of dingle balls makes you invincible how?”

This was such a fun, entertaining and overall amazing read. I wasn't expecting to have such a good time while reading this. Heartley is this sarcastic, temperamental and driven character, and she is extremely amusing at the same time, so I found myself laughing at her antics and the things happening to her a lot. She's also very smart and caring, which only made her more likable. Her relationship with her best friend is cute and they have good scenes together. I also liked her relationship with her mom, despite how different they are and how eccentric and over-protective her mom is - I always like when YA novels show good family relationships instead of showing absent/overpowering parents, and it's important to reinforce the importance of family bonds. The mystery in itself wasn't all that (I actually figured the big reveal before it happened, although the way it leads to it was very well done), but it was realistic enough and the explanations were a little bit simple but believable. I also liked that the ‘detective' aspect of the thing isn't as easy for a teenage girl as YA mystery novels lead us to believe. And the romance...yes, there wasn't almost any in the book, but the way is paved and the romantic tension is built. I loved Chase and the chemistry he and Hartley have, and how their relationship develops. It's not forced at all and it's not insta-love, which is always a plus for me. And the fact that Hart doesn't condone with cheating and doesn't sells herself short and puts a line in her relationship despite still having feelings for her ex-boyfriend is something that pleased me very much - YA novels, unfortunately, have this tendency of condoning with cheating and abuse. I'm really excited to see where the series will go, although I've learned that the third and final book has been on hold for almost 5 years, so the chances of this ever being completed are slim. I'm hoping the author hasn't given up yet, because I'm invested now and I want to see Hart, Sam and Chase's stories till the end.

"The Darkest Minds tend to hide behind the most unlikely faces."

This has been a long time coming and since the movie has come out, I felt like it was time to give this series a chance. It's been a while since I've read dystopies, but I found I still enjoy them. The world building here, although not very complicated, is well done and I liked the ‘power system'. Ruby is such a compelling and relatable character, although she was a bit idealistic and naive sometimes and much of the things that exploded in her face wouldn't have happened if she paid a little more attention or wasn't so ready to believe. I loved the other kids, especially Chubs and Zu, and the romance was ok, it was cute and well developed, although I felt it was kind of instalove. Liam is an amazing character, though, and he's so deeply good and caring and protective of the people he loves it's impossible not to like a root for him. Clancy was an interesting character, I really want to know more and get to understand him a little better. I'm really curious about where the story is going next, especially after the way it ended. The pace is super fast and there's always something important happening, be it an action-packed scene or some important bit of information is revealed. There weren't many plot twists in this novel, and the ones that happened weren't that much of a surprise, but it changed things and it took the plot to a new level. As an introductory novel to a series, it fulfilled its purpose - it wasn't the best book ever, but kept me interested and invested in the world and fates of the characters. I'm excited to watch the movie now and see how faithful it is to the original material and then dive into the next novels!

“Humans were so circular; they lived the same slow cycles of joy and misery over and over, never learning. Every lesson in the universe had to be taught billions of times, and it never stuck. Maybe it was good that the world forgot every lesson, every good and bad memory, every triumph and failure, all of it dying with each generation. Perhaps this cultural amnesia spared them all. Perhaps if they remembered everything, hope would die instead.”

Although I really enjoyed the second installment in this series, it wasn't until this book that I was truly gripped. Not only the stakes are higher here, but finally, the main plot is unraveling and is starting to come to its conclusion. We have some amazing character development, and I was finally able to connect with Gansey, something I was having a lot of trouble in the previous novels. Blue is growing on me again, although she is sometimes whiny and naive, and a little bit childish and impulsive. Her romance with Gansey, although far from being my favorite thing about this series, is not overwhelming like in book 2 and I think is settling into an acceptable thing. I have to admit, there were some bittersweet moments between the two that I found myself enjoying here.

Adam and Ronan are still my favorite characters and honestly the most well-developed ones here. Ronan is more confident in his powers and his role in the search for Glendower and his relationship with the other boys and Blue is exponentially better. I would love for Blue and Ronan to interact more, their scenes are amazing. Adam is my favorite and I'm happy he solved some of his issues in this novel and his friendship with Gansey and Ronan is stronger than ever. His dynamic with Persephone is also another thing I absolutely enjoyed and therefore the ending of this novel broke my heart - especially since the Fox Way women are one of the best things in this novel. I don't know how their dynamic will be affected, but it will be interestic to see how they'll overcome it. Noah, my cute ghost, went through a twist here - he's suffering the effects of the interference in the ley line and he's darker for it, which gave us some creepy scenes. I'm sad because that means we're close to saying goodbye to him, but also loved how much darker this book is. I also loved the new characters and what they brought to the story - although I expected more from Greenmantle as a villain. If not for the final plot twist regarding this plot, I would have thought the whole thing was kinda pointless.

The ending is amazing and so fast-paced that I had to read it all in one sitting and afterwards it took me a while to fully digest everything. And now I can't wait to get my hands on the final installment and finally, finally meet Glendower and end the saga of Blue and her Raven Boys.

“You're not going to ruin my first kiss. I won't let you. You're going to kiss me again, right now. And make it better.”

By far my favorite in the Castles Ever After series, this book was a lot of fun! We have a strong-willed, smart and funny female protagonist with a compelling storyline and a grumphy but secretly good-hearted male lead with a good backstory (although very cliché) and they have na off-the-charts chemistry as well as very entertaining interactions. The secondary characters are also enjoyable and actually made the entire novel more enjoyable and were necessary to the plot. I loved how Tessa created a whole fantastical world within this story and that plot twist at the end was surprisingly unexpected since all the books I've read so far were not exactly full of shocking turns. This one was on point, though, and I'm really happy about that! I also loved the ending and how everyone was happy and able to fufill their dreams in the best way. Tessa Dare really nailed this one, I felt like reading a romantic comedy movie, everything really played out in my head!

I'm happy I didn't start the seris with this one right off, or my expectations would be so up there that when I reacher “When A Scot Ties The Knot” I would be sorely disappointed. Hoping the ‘final' (because it's actually the second) book lives up to this one!

" Some days, she decided, freedom meant the wind in your hair and the sun on your face and lips swollen with forbidden kisses. And other days, freedom meant killing an eel."

This was by far the most clichéd Spindler Cove story, but it was cute and fairy-tale like and I really enjoyed how Diana was portrayed. Yes, she is nice and good and accomodating, but she has wishes and dreams and the fact that this novela portrayed a stronger and rebellious side of her was very interesting. Also, I LOVED how she stood up to her mom and the missing stuff sideplot. It wasn't as good as other novels, but is a light, fun read.

“Whatever soul I had, Katie, I think I placed it in your keeping twenty years ago. And now, it's as if...every time we kiss, you give a little piece of it back.”

Not my favorite in the series so far, but it was an entertaining read. I like how the author addressed Kate and Thorne's issues, how the plot revolved around family and how amusing and overall fun it was (there were some hilarious scenes through this one, more so than most of Tessa Dare's other books I've read so far). Also, hooray for a queer character! And an amazing one at that! I like how supportive and open-minded the Gramercies were and the whole scandal involving Kate and them - it made for an interesting, although not very mysterious, side-plot. Kate is a kind, innocent and lovable character, and though she is smart, sometimes I wanted to shake her. Thorne was also a problem - I couldn't like him and understand his reasons for hiding things and lying to Kate, so he frustrated me a lot. It was the sappiest and more clichéd romance so far and it didn't quite work for me. I'm always happy for the cameos from past couples (COLIN AND MINERVA, MY BABIES). I also, for the first time, felt the need to read the novella and first novel in the series, because some events that were mentioned never happened in the two books I've read so far, so I might need to properly catch up on the series.

“The face you give the world tells the world how to treat you.”

This was a very hard book to read, despite being so short. The whole atmosphere and the characters were kinda creepy and it left me feeling queasy. Also, I really disliked almost all the characters. BUT I was really satisfied with the ending and Gillian Flynn knows how to write a good mystery - she creates this unique atmosphere that pulls you in quickly and you can't help but put yourself inside the protagonists' head, and she creates complex and twisted female villains. I also like the psychological aspect of the book, how mentally screwed the characters are and how she deals with this during the novel.

It also had this unexpected plot twist that left me very excited, because I thought for most of the book that it would end one way, and when it seemed that everything I imagined had happened, I was really disappointed. But it turned out that the author pulled the rug from under me at the very end! I really like when this kind of stuff happens in mystery/thriller novels! I'm also enjoying the HBO adaptation a lot, it's very faithful to the original but translated very well to the screen and Amy Adams is amazing in it!