Natália

“You mean he's not afraid of me because I'm a woman? He ought to see Tomb Raider sometime. For all he knows, I could have a nuclear bomb under my dress and a hand grenade in each cup of my bra. I call it antifeminist!”

This was such a disappointment. It was a weak, rushed conclusion to this otherwise entertaining and fun series. Gwen annoyed me a lot here, more than in the previous books - she seems to have involved instead of developing. Her naivety feels forced here, because by this stage of things she can't be this innocent and naive anymore and she came across as just stupid and childish. Her romance with Gideon, instead of cute like in the previous novels, was even more cliché and unrealistic. The plot twists were obvious again, because from book 2 it was plain what would happen at the end (except for some good surprises at the end) and after it was over it left me like “that's it?”. It was very anticlimatic and it didn't wrap all the storylines neatly. For the size of this book compared to the others, I hoped things would be much more well developed and the final book would bring much needed explanations, character developments and the big finish I was hoping. Oh well, at least it's done. Maybe the movies will be more fun.

“I am a lump.A big, mushy, happy lump.”

Sarah Andersen's comics are so relatable! I absolutely loved and related to the anxiety and introvert illustrated essays at the end of the book. I could see myself in a lot of the situations she illustrates and laughed a lot again. I can't wait to get my hands on the next collection!

“We all live in a kind of continuous dream,” I told him. “When we wake, it is because something, some event, some pinprick even, disturbs the edges of what we've taken as reality.”

I don't know how I feel about this book. I like the concept, but I don't think I liked how it was done. I love mysteries and thrillers and suspense mainly because at the end we have the big explanation, answering the questions we had during the novel. I need to know things in the end, that's why I love Agatha Christie's book and detective novels in general. And the main thing that bugged me here is that we're left at the end with even more questions than when we begin and almost no answers at all. All the weirdness is just for the sake of being weird, and that's that. So I was really angry when I finished this. Also, I couldn't like the main character at all. She's hateful and definitely have some neuropsychological issue. I enjoyed the movie adaptation more than the actual book, and I don't know if I'll continue with the trilogy.

"Unfortunately it's an incontrovertible fact that sound common sense flies out of the window as soon as love comes in through the door."

This trilogy is such a light, fast and uncomplicated reading! I like how fun and entertaining it is and how the whole time-traveling things is handled here. I think I prefer the first book so far, but this one explained a lot of things and it has the addition of some interesting characters (like the demon-gargoyle Ximerious, who is HILARIOUS). The things are kinda predictable (except a little reveal at the very end), but I don't think this is supposed to be this big fantasy novel with lot of surprises anyway, so I wasn't bothered by this. I also love how Gwen is such a realistic 16 year old girl! She is thrust into the whole thing and she struggles a lot, instead of being immediately good at everything - she is not unnaturaly smart, she's an avarage student who likes magazines and movies and fangirls about actors with her best friends and likes to gossip and dreams of romance but still has a kind heart and is so so brave! Yes, she's a little naive and the whole romance with Gideon is a little over the top, but she's a 16 year-old girl and she acts like it. I don't think you're that mature about romance and first love at this age, so of course she's a little ingenuous about this beautiful boy who is suddenly in her life. I'm really curious about how everything is going to end and what is the big secret about Paul & Lucy, why they stole the chronograph and what is Count Saint-Germain's endgame and I hope everything ties up nicely in the final book!

“Once there was a boy from the sea who fell in love with a girl from the desert. [...]But he wondered if a boy from the sea and a girl from the desert could ever survive together. He feared that she might burn him alive or that he might drown her. Until finally he stopped fighting it and set himself on fire for her.”

I have no words for how AMAZING this book was. I'm still reeling from everything, after I pratically devoured the entire thing. The absolute perfect conclusion to this beautiful, exciting, amazing story!

The book starts practically right after the end of “Trator to the Throne” and we see Amani having to assume a role she never asked for or thought she would play - and we see how her insecurities that she is doing what is right play into her decisions, the struggle she has with controlling her powers after the events of the previous book, but we also see her learning to lead and being stronger than ever. I love how much she's grown from the girl we first see in Dustwalk (and that is something she herself realizes along the way and it's a motivation for a lot of things she does during this final installment). She became one of my favorite YA female characters ever. I also loved how we revisited some things we haven't seen since the first book and how that contrasted with who Amani is now and how her view of some things has changed. I also really like the relationships in this book, especially Amani and Shazad and their friendship!

Jin, my foreign prince! I just love his relationship with Amani, how he supports her and how they trust each other and how companionable and healthy their relationship is. I missed their ‘couply' moments in the previous book and was so happy to get some quiet, intimate and beautiful moments between them here.

This is final showdown, the war for Miraji, so of course it's action packed and fast paced - there fewer quiet or happy moments here, but those that exist are inserted just in the right moment, when you need a little relieve after a particular tense moment. Also, be prepared for a lot of losses, and early on in the book (again, it's a war after all). I understand most of them, but the loss of these characters broke my heart, especially the last one, which made me sob SO hard my mom came to ask me if I was ok. There were a lot of heart wrenching moments and some plot twists that left me at the edge of the seat. Mind you, I thought of most of them early on, or at least suspected, but still, when it happened, it was a blow or a nice surprise.

There were new, interesting characters and old ones returning with new plotlines that I enjoyed a lot. The only small thing I have to complain about this book is the scene where Amani goes after Shazad in the pit and we have a hint at the Destroyer of Worlds - I thought (or at least hoped) that we would get to know more about her and for her to show up and interact with the characters. But, although we have her ‘presence' and influence during the scene, there wasn't much more about her, and that was kind of a disappointment.

Other aspect I really love not only about this book but about this trilogy is how the author manages to weave tales and legends with the story, creating parallels between the Mirajin mythology and what is happening with our heroes or even a scene involving our protagonists in a different way, to create a more dramatic atmosphere. It also provided with a nice way to wrap everything up in an emotional way.

I finished this book with a bittersweet feeling - I was happy because the ending was amazing, but I was already missing this characters and this world. It was worth the wait and the entire trilogy is a rich, imaginative and beautiful story about a desert girl who meets her destiny and tries to help change her country for the better, fighting with tooth and claw (and sand) for what she believes in. I'm happy to have finished this, and I'll carry Amani with me for a long time!

“Strength and weakness are tangled things,” the Aven Essen had said. “They look so much alike, we often confuse them, the way we confuse magic and power.”

I already loved A Darker Shade of Magic, and while that first book was more fast paced and had more things going on during the book, this one is more consistent in its pace and it builds the tension and the events until everything explodes in the final scenes...AND WHAT WAS THAT CLIFFHANGER, SCHWAB? MY HEART CAN'T TAKE THIS KIND OF THING!

Although this was more of a development book, with some world expansion and character building, it didn't lack emotion and surprises. I loved the idea of the tournament and the battles were exciting and really well written - I felt like I could really see in my mind what was happening! As for the characters, it was interesting seeing them 4 months after the events of the first book and how it affected them as well as how the changes they went through influenced what happened in this installment. I liked Lila a lot more in this one, and there were scenes when she was badass and amazing, and I absolutely loved her relationship with Alucard (my absolute favorite new character, btw), but sometimes she's so selfish, cruel and reckless that I want to slap her. I don't really understand some of her actions and her need to run away when things start going for her. Kell is my precious, innocent baby and I suffered for him, as well as for Rhy. They both seemed lost and in pain and I just wanted them to be happy. ALUCARD IS KING OF EVERYTHING, BYE.

The White London plot was interesting and creepy (the characters there, and honestly the whole city is creepy, even after the whole ‘restauration') and even though it was constantly at the back of my mind that something bad was bound to happen as a result, it was still shocking to read the actual consequences of the new King' schemes. Now I just NEED to know what happens next and can't wait to see what Schwab came up in the conclusion and how the characters will interact and what more of this world will be explored.

“Every locked door has a key. Every problem has a solution.”

I'm still reeling from this book. I mean, WHAT WAS THAT ENDING, MARIE LU? Why would you shatter my heart like this? I NEED THE NEXT BOOK RIGHT NOW!

For me, this is Lu's best book so far. She takes this virtual reality concept and expands it in a very imaginative and realistic way, creating a fascinating and immersive world. I would love to live in a world where Warcross and the Neurolink is real! I also like the nods she gives to her first trilogy and how she based the Warcross world into something we saw in Champion (remember Antartida? Yeah, Lu said that this book is set in the same world as the trilogy, except 80 years earlier and that the events that happened here are the predecessors of Antartida and their way of life, as well as the ‘war' that transformed the US. Also, there's a character who is named Daniel Wing - does that sound familiar?).

I especially love the themes that she works into the book - how technology can shape our lives, the importance of free will and how technology and knowledge in the wrong hands can do a lot of damage. Her narrative is fluid and intense and this is by far her most action packed book - from the first page, we dive into this quick-paced story full of heart-racing moments. I especially enjoyed the Warcross battles scenes! They were so detailed and immersive that I could see in my mind the events unfolding! Also, it reminded me a lot like a mix between Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. with a Catch the Flag twist. While I was read I wanted to be a part of it, to be playing too!

Emika is such an amazing character! I loved her from the get go! She's funny, quick witted and smart, but even though she can be ruthless sometimes, she is loyal and brave. She's strong willed and an overall badass! And Hideo...I love him, but I'm afraid for him. He's a very complex and layered character, and while I understand his pain, his motivations and his will to do good, I can't help but be afraid for him. I don't think this is going to end well, especially after the reveals in the final three chapters. I ship him with Emi so much, I LOVED theirs scenes together and how they seemed to understand each other so well and how he exposed himself to her. MY HEART IS IN PIECES, I'M SO CONFLICTED.

I also loved the secondary characters and their place in the story! I can't wait to see more from the Phoenix Riders, Tremaine and Zero, especially after that ending! I liked how the team embraced Emika and trusted her in the end. I'm curious about DJ Ren's role in all this and what his motivations are - he's a very mysterious character so far and we don't get to know much about him in this first installment, so I'm hoping that in the final book he'll have a larger role (not that he didn't have it in this one, but one that allows us to get into his character and have him interact more with Emi).

This is the kind of book that, once you've started, you can't put it down till you finished, especially the final chapters. So many amazing plot twists! I wasn't expecting most of them AT ALL! I was so shocked it took me a while after I finished the book to process everything and I can't help but create a million theories in my mind about what happens next. I'm so happy to have finished it and it's already one of my favorite reads of the year. A well-deserved 5 star book and I highly recommend it to everyone who likes some cyberpunk, sci-fi YA adventure and who enjoys fast paced stories full of unexpected twists as well as amazing characters and an immersive world.

“When we allow ourselves to explore, we discover destinations that were never on our map.”

I don't know how I feel about this book. I love Amie Kaufman's & Megan Spooner's Starbound series to DEATH and I CAN'T FREACKING WAIT for Obsidio, Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff's Illuminae Files trilogy final book this month, so I was pretty excited and with high expectations for this book - because, honestly, another trilogy from these two amazing writers AND it's a Indiana Jones meets Lara Croft IN SPACE! What's not to be excited about?

And sure, the book is fun and entertaining. I liked the whole concept (even though at times I would be a little confused) and it was a quick read - I found myself enjoying the mystery & puzzle solving aspect of the story. But I though the ‘challenges' were too easy, the whole thing didn't make much sense and, idk, although I loved the main characters, I wasn't as invested in them. The plot twists weren't as surprising as in the previous trilogies and some I could see coming a mile away. The ending, though, had a “The Arrival” kind of feel that left interested in knowing what will happen next.

But what I think really threw me off was the romance aspect. In the Starbound trilogy, the romance between the main characters were nicely done, it felt natural and well timed. Here, it felt insta-lovey and forced, and it dominated too much of the book, eclipsing some other, more important aspects. I think the authors kind of inverted the order of the things with Mia and Jules - if they started out distrusting and kind of hating each other (like it happened later on) and then, due to everything they went through together, they started developing feelings, I think I would have digged it and it would be more believable. But right off the bat, both of them felt too lovey dovey towards the other, and it messed up the dynamic and the tone of the novel.
Still, on it's own, both characters are realistic and relatable and I loved them both (just not together, at least not in this first installment).

Well, let's see where this is headed in the second and final book! Crossing my fingers that Amie and Megan will manage to surprise me and make me fall for this series as much as I did the Starbound & Illuminae trilogies!

“You can spend your life waiting and watching for perfect moments, but sometimes you have to make one happen.”

I loved Perkins' first short stories anthology, “My True Love Gave To Me” so I was excited to read this one, especially because where I live is summer so it's a perfect match for the season. Yet, I found this one slower and less exciting than the previous one - the tales didn't grip me as much and many of them didn't leave me with that tingly, warm feeling in the end. I still liked pratically all of them - with a few favorites. I LOVED Perkins continuation of the story she wrote for the first anthology - I was thrilled to revisit Marigold and North in another setting. Leigh Bardugo's writing is exceptional as always, Cassandra Clare's creepy circus tale was also so fun and exciting, Veronica Roth was surprisingly deep and emotional and Libba Bray is a horror/humor/romance fantastic combination. Jon Skovron was fun in a Jane Austen kind of way and I enjoyed it a lot. Souvenirs by Tim Fenderle was surprising and kind of bittersweet, but I loved it. Jennifer E. Smith was also adorable and heartwarming. Lev Grossman's...idk, I liked but I didn't love it. It was an interesting concept and a sweet, kind of sad story, but it wasn't the best one here. Nina LaCour's was okay, and it dealt with some really real issues, but it was also just nice. My least favorite one's were Brandy Colbert's (because the protagonist irritated me and came across as selfish and rude for most of the story), and Sick Pleasure by Francesca Lia Block. Still, an enjoyable, mostly quick and cute read.

The Infinity (Sailor Moon S) arc is one of my favorite in the manga series! I LOVE the Outer Senshis and the whole talisman and light that will bring destruction arc. Also, it's the introduction of my senshi, Sailor Saturn! This installment is the very beginning, with the girls still finding out about the enemy, the early settling of the Death Busters and the attack of three of the Witches-5. It's also the introduction of Haruka and Michiru and the beginning of Hotaru and ChibiUsa's friendship (my favorite aspect of this arc and one of my favorite friendships in the series overall). ChibiUsa is not as annoying in this arc (I even liked her during this part) and there is the added bonus of her interactions with the Outer and Hotaru.

Also, this arc reminded me why I don't like Mamory & Usagi's relationship - Usagi manages to be absolutely insecure and jealous when it comes to Mamoru and she's always anxious when it comes to their relationship, always seeking his approval. It's no wonder she becomes kind of swayed by Haruka.

Still, I really love this story, the care Naoko Takeuchi had while building this and how captivating her characters are. The drawing of the mangá is also so beautiful, I'm always in love with the artwork.

“You're trying to block out every bit of noise. But people are made of noise, Mac. The world is full of noise. And finding quiet isn't about pushing everything out. It's just about pulling yourself in.”

Victoria Schwab's writing is so compelling and fluid! It's impossible not to start one of her books and not be immediately hooked in and want to finish it. I had a bit of a hard time connecting to Mac, even though I sympathized with her and what she was going through, but I felt like she wasn't being fair to her parents and treated them so poorly. And I thought she made a lot of harsh judgments and impulsive mistakes during the book, but I also thought that she really grew during the story and I liked where she ended up. Wesley was my favorite, he's such a sweetheart, funny and caring. I can't wait to see more of him in the next installment.

I liked the idea of the Archive and this whole world, and it is a beautiful concept, but I kept thinking of the Mediator series by Meg Cabot during the entire book - the whole ‘hunting Histories' thing, who are echos, or ghosts of people, reminded me a lot of Suze, except Mac doesn't have even a half of her attitude and sarcasm, so I was kind of ‘disappointed' because of that and ended up not enjoying the book as much as I know I could have (that's why I ended up giving it 4 stars).

Also, this didn't have as many unexpected plot twists like Schwab's other books - I could see the final reveal coming by a long way. I even guessed who was the ‘traitor' in the Archive. Still, it was fast paced and it had me hooked and not wanting to put it down. I'm hoping the next novel will be even better and I can't wait to see what Victoria Schwab will do for the next one, since this one was kind of conclusive.

Sarah Andersen brilliantly illustrates here what it is to be a modern adult in this collection of comic strips, especially if you're a young woman. All the strips are absolutely relatable and funny because of it. I could see myself in almost all the situations described here - THE BRA ONE, THAT IS ME ALRIGHT, HELP. I'm addicted in this little strips and already want to buy the next volume!

“Natural affection is one thing,” said Miss Ramsbottom, “and I hope I've got as much of it as anyone. But I won't stand for wickedness. Wickedness has to be destroyed.”

Miss Marple is definitely my favorite Christie detective. I love how her case-solving is simple and based on observation and comparisons. I also like how she hides her sharp mind and cunningness behind her nice, harmless, cute old lady face and how that allows her to have access to information the police or other people can't reach. I liked Inspector Neele, he was also smart and cunning and didn't dismissed Miss Marple right away, recognize her intelligence.

My favorite mysteries are definitely the ones when there's an old rhyme or poem or nursery rhyme basing the entire plot - I think is amazing how Christie manages to tie everything together in a way that makes sense with the original thing and give it a creeper meaning. The big reveal here left me upset for two things: one because I liked the character that was revealed as murderer and second because the whole thing was sad. The end scene broke my heart. Although I think it wasn't as surprising as most Christie's novels - except for the first reveal. That really got me.

It's a Christie, so obviously is a 5 star book.

“Anyone, anything, can betray anyone. Even your own heart.”

It took me a while to read this book - after Red Queen, I was so excited for the release of the sequel that my expectations towards this book were sky high. But after it was released, I've heard some comments saying that it didn't live up to the hype, that it was disappointing and so on, so it kinda blew me off reading it. BUT, because the last book is coming out in May, I found the will to continue with the series. It wasn't as bad as I was expecting after all the stuff being said, but it wasn't as fantastic as I was first expecting it to be. It was that typical middle book in a series - it suffered some pace problems and some of the characters changed for the worst. The pacing is fast most of the time, with some ‘slow' moments to give our characters some development, and the ending was explosive, if not unexpected.

I enjoyed the new characters, especially Cameron and Shade, and I loved knowing more about the inner workings of the Scarlet Guard and the powers of the Newbloods. There was also some world expanding here that I found interesting as well and it gave this world some depth - it also opened up some possibilities for the next books. We also get to know Farley and Cal more and I found I liked them better here than in Red Queen, especially Cal. I liked seeing them interacting with the other characters and forming some relationships of their own.

And Maven. I loved how, despite not being physically there, he was present during the entire book, as this shadow over our characters. In a way, he was always with Cal and Mare, kind of haunting them and was just as important here as he was in the previous book.

As for Mare, she was one of the low points of the book for me. I understand what she went through and how she had to change to survive, but I don't like what she is becoming in this book - she is selfish, she wants to persue her own agenda and thinks whatever she does is justifiable, even if it hurts or harm someone else (as long as it isn't someone she cares about, because then she will go even further to help them at the cost of everything else). She also keeps everyone away, no matter who it is, and then complains she is always alone. The way she treats her family is also a little bit cruel, at some point she even forgets about them. Idk, I had a hard time connecting with her in this installment. Some of the characters gives her a well deserved wake up call and STILL she only realizes this AFTER shit happens. It irritated me a lot. I'm hoping that, after the way this one ended, she will get a little bit better in the next novel.

The ending was devastating, but some things were totally expected and I could see coming somehow - still, others were amazing plot twists and had me on the edge of the seat a lot. Nothing like the major reveal at the end of Red Queen, but still. I'm curious and excited to continue with the series, even if this wasn't the book I was hoping it would be. Let's see if the next one will live up to my expectations.

“But then, this was what the desert did to us. It made us dreamers with weapons.”

This book definitely doesn't suffer from the ‘middle book syndrom' it seems to happen to second books in trilogies. If anything, this was even better than the first one, which was already amazing. The entire book is fast paced, but well developed and the plot only gets more interesting, there are a lot of surprising twists and turns, unthinkable betrayals and surprising alliances. We get some returning characters with surprising story arcs and new, interesting characters who really adds to the story instead of just being there.

Amani is a storm of a girl - she's smart, ferocious, badass,kind and passionate (although she is ruled by her heart a lot and that gets her into a lot of trouble). She's grown a lot since the idealistic girl who left Dustwalk. I like how she embraced her power but doesn't give up on the abilities she had before, and how she fits into the revolution perfectly - she's a natural leader as well. I love her relationship with Jin (I love Jin a lot, too bad he's not that present in this book and I'm hoping he gets an interesting storyline in the final one), they compliment each other well, have amazing chemistry and their romance is natural and fluid. And the romantic aspect of the novel is softly developed in the background and doesn't dominate the book. Shazad is my favorite character, maybe, and she's even more amazing in this book. I love her friendship and sisterhood with Amani and how she's always watching her back. I'm curious to see more of her dynamic with Sam (which was an amazing new character with an interesting background and set of abilities), especially because of what happened in the first book. The Sultan was also a very interesting and compelling character - he's a manipulative bastard, but he truly believes he is doing what is best for Miraji.

The ending was truly devastating and the author doesn't have a problem with killing beloved characters or doing hurtful stuff - the tension builds until it explodes and we're left with this heartwrentching and almost hopeless situation that will only have it's resolution in the final installment. So, obviously, I can't wait for the next book! A full 5 stars rating to this engaging and well thought fantasy!

“I apologize for shooting you in the leg.” said Lila. “I was myself entirely.”

V.E Schwab's writing is just so good! I love her world building and the magical elements she uses here and she writes complex, compelling characters! I like how she explores the idea of a typical hero and an anti-hero together and how well she develops them. Her descriptions are also so good and it made me really picture the places, especially the other Londons (I loved the eerie, colorless White London and it's creepy inhabitants), and it made it easier to get into the story. Kell and Rhy are my favorite characters so far - Kell is my smol son who tries to do right but sometimes muck things up. Rhy is our sarcastic, debaucher prince and I loved him, but thought he was not very present in this first book. I want to know more about him and I'm hoping he gets a more important role in the second one. Lila was harder to like, at first. She's a difficult character, because she's so guarded and hard and violent - until you really get to know her and see she's just a lonely, scared girl who had to survive a lot on her own. Also, she's SO badass! She develops a lot through the book and I can't wait to see what she will do in the next!

I pratically devoured the book, it was fast paced and exciting and I liked how things ended up somewhat well rounded, but with a lot of hooks for the story to move forward in the next installments. I do think there were some pacing issues here, though - sometimes there were a lot of stuff going on, lots of action and twists and suddenly the pace would drop and in this scenes there would be some info dump or explanations or some other slow scene to develop the characters a bit....a right after, everything would go to hell again and the pace would pick up super fast. Everything went to super fast to slow than super fast again too quickly for me to follow sometimes. And I thought that some of the bigger events at the end could have been stretched out to happen by mid-second book, perhaps? Because there was so many big stuff going on that at times I forgot it was a trilogy and not a standalone. Other than that, I loved it and am already reading the following book because I want to know what happens so bad!

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

"The world harbors impressive hatred for women who make the mistakes I did. Beauty, used for anything but the holiest of acts is a sin."

This book was a mix of emotions. While I ABSOLUTELY LOVED the female MC, who was the strongest girl, who learned from her mistakes without losing her kindness, her dreams and still came into her own, who was smart and badass and managed to wear the titles society gave her as a mocking with pride and with her head held high, the romance didn't win me over. It was on-and-off too many times, without a very convincet reason as to why they should stay apart. The first two times, maybe I could brush off, but then it just started to become irritating. I think Lily deserved better from the start. The secondary characters, like QUEEN Sesily Talbot (who btw deserves her own book, SARAH), and Earl of Stanhope (who was sweet and kind and also deserves his own book), shined, and I loved the cameos from characters not only from the previous book, but from the authors other series and how it merged perfectly with this one. I also love the social critics that are actual plots of the novel - and society's hypocrisy, gender inequality and mysoginy at that period of time and how women who defied it were treated, are recurrent themes during these series and I LOVE IT.

BUT, on the opposite side of that, we had Warnick. I was hoping to find the fun, flirty, competitive, roguish and sarcastic character we met in the previous book, but instead I found this annoying, self-pitiful character who claimed to know what the woman he supposedly loved wanted better than herself, even though she made perfectly clear from the very beginning what she wanted and her wishes. And he disrespected every single one of them, manhandling her a lot of times and hurting her at every turn. His background story and his main ‘trauma' and reason to ‘not deserve' Lily were honestly ridiculous and not convincing at all. Also, the feel of this book was different from the previous one as well - it wasn't the light, fun and sexy novel I was expecting, but a rather emotional, dramatic one with touches of lightness and humour provided by the amazing secondary characters.

Overall quite disappointing, despite the highlights I mentioned earlier. I'm also a little afraid of the final novel in this series, because it will be about two characters I'm not certain. Especially one who I hated from the first pages of The Rogue Not Taken and is supposed to have a redemption arc in this final one and IDK how I feel about it, if it's deserving. I'll wait and see, I guess.

"Because the truth was that women in Britain in 1833 did not have options. They had the path upon which they tread. Upon which they were forced to tread. Upon which they were made to feel grateful they were forced to tread.”

Sarah MacLean surprised me in Nine Rules To Ignore When Landing a Lord and now again with this book - I had to eat my tongue and I can never again say I dislike period romances again. But, unlike previous books of the genre I've read, this one is empowering and though it falls into some clichés and the plots are fairly predictable, they are highly entertaining, the author makes it clear that the society of the time was problematic and mysoginist and the female protagonist is often strong willed and doesn't bow to these kind of things, defying the rules of her time. They are independent, smart and opnionated and I love it. Sophie was all of those, and more. It was impossible not to like or root for her! The romance was adorable and hot and I LOVED King! He was such a compelling character as well, with his roguish ways and sarcastic personality. Their dynamics were interesting and fun, and the hot scenes were so good! I can't wait to pick the next books in this series and the Numbers of Love trilogy!

"The world makes things for each place. Fish for the sea, Rocs for the mountain skies, and girls with sun in their skin and perfect aim for a desert that doesn't let weakness live."

This is definitely one of those books I regret not reading sooner. It was so, so good! The writing was fluid, the whole book was fast paced and exciting, with lots of twists. I love the world building and mythology created here - at every page a little bit more of this universe is unraveled to the reader, making you want to continue on to find out more and more. The characters were compelling and interesting, with really good development through the story. Amani and Jin are amazing as main characters, they compliment each other well and I love how fiery, driven and smart Amani is. I couldn't help but like her from page one.

Although the ending was satisfactory in a lot of ways here, it left everything wide open for a thrilling sequel, more action packed and more charged and, I think, darker and more dangerous. The author doesn't have qualms about killing likable characters, so I don't think she will spare our hearts in the next two volumes. I'm excited, because the last book in the trilogy comes out this year, and I'm hoping to read everything in one go! So, onto Traitor to the Throne!

"There is nothing so terrible as a story untold.”

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

This is the year of finally finishing this book series that are glaring at me from the shelves. And so I'm picking the Red Queen series again! I really enjoyed some background on these important characters - it not only gave me some information that I believe will be relevant to the series, but it gave me insight into some of the characters I already met in the first book and made their actions more believable and interesting. I especially loved Coriane's novel. I loved her character and felt so sorry for this intelligent, kind and lonely girl. I like how she started to question the Silver superiority, and how she really, really loved Tiberias and how he loved her back. And this highlighted how much Elara is coy and devious. I hate this woman so so much more now! Farley was a surprise. I didn't expect to like her novella as much, but I felt engrossed in her story - how she met Shade, the inner workings of the Scarlet Guard (which was super important to understand a bit more of the main series in itself) and how she met Mare. It also gave the character a bit of humanity - she is not just the fearless ‘leader' of Norta's Scarlet Guard, she's also a girl with a lot of secrets, who wants to change things and is clever and kind.

I had a little bit of a hard time getting into the second novel, Steel Scars, and that's mainly why I took half a star from the grade, but I still loved it.

“This goes to show you that sometimes the unseen is not to be feared and that those meant to love us most are not always the ones who do.”

UGH,THIS BOOK IS PERFECT! First of all, it's GORGEOUS. Every page so detailed and and colorful. I can't even with the jacket and the actual hardcover. Second of all, THE ILLUSTRATIONS! They are a perfect fit for each story and they are all beautiful and kind of scary at the same time. I love how Bardugo wrote this book of dark fairytales set in the Grishaverse - she takes a little bit of known stories like Hansel & Gretel, The Nutcracker, The Little Mermaid and twist them so they are fresh and original and totally unexpected. The ‘moral' of the story is not always what you first thought and it's so good! My favorite has to be “The Witch of Duva.” I've read it before, in ebook format, as well as most of the Ravkan tales, but I re-read it again and it still gave me the same chills and surprised me all over again and left me deeply satisfied. “When The Sea Sang Fire”was another instant favorite and a close second after The Witch of Duva. But I really loved all the stories, really. They all had this ‘old folklore' like feel to them, and it seems like tales that could be read or told by the fire in the dark nights of winter.

A perfect addition to the Grishaverse and a nice one to keep on the shelf.

“She was like a heroine in a novel that she herself was writing - the character kept protesting that she was too strong for love and yet the narrator went on describing her desire.”

FINALLY! IT'S DONE! This series has been sitting on my shelf for years, but I'm finally getting through it. I really liked the first two books and was involved in the characters, the scandals and secrets. It's an easy book to read, the writing fluid and the plot uncomplicated, but this was my least favorite book so far. The comings and goings of Henry and Diana (my favorite couple in the previous books), Carolina being bitchy, Penelope made me BEYOND angry and I really really want her to fail epically in the final novel. Greyson was meh, Teddy was noble and cute but kind of boring. Elizabeth was the only one I felt kind of sorry for. She deserved a lot better than she got in this book, but eventually all the constant crying in the corners made me a little bit wary with her too. I do wanna see what will happen to her in the next book and I'm hoping she gets a nice, happy ending, though. Diana, which was my favorite character, was the worse disappointment. I don't know, I think the final events of the previous installment put out some of her fire and turned her into this silly, kind of childish girl, because some of her actions during this one were really naive and child-like. Yes, I know she's 16 and all, but that was not how her character was build previously and it felt inconsistent. I did like where she ended up by the end, and I felt sorry for her and frustrated for Henry, and I hope things improve by the final novel.

Hopefully this series will end up on a high note, despite this one.

“I am me because I choose to be me. I am what I want. Some people say you have to find yourself. Not I. I believe we create ourselves to be what we want.”

This was such an entertaining read! It was fast paced, full of adventure and a badass, unapologetic, smart and funny protagonist. The plot is simple, and the story is kind of predictable at parts, but it's engrossing and I found myself not wanting to put the book down - I finished it in one night! There were a few plot twists at the end I couldn't see coming and I was pleasantly surprised, so now I'm excited for the next one. Not the best fantasy book out there, but it has this cool concept and involving characters, and it's funny as hell. A page turner!

“They say you can't go home again. Well, I'm proof that's not true. Home isn't just where you're born-it's where you belong."

I really enjoyed “Dorothy Must Die”, it was one of my favorites of the year. So, obviously, I had to pick up the novellas! And I was not disappointed. These first three stories helps the readers to understand a bit what happened before the first volume of the series and get why certain key characters ended up where they were. It gave a lot of context to some events in “Dorothy Must Die” and made me even more interested to finish the series and find out what really happened in Oz when Dorothy came back the second time and who's behind it all. I loved especially Dorothy & Jellia's stories, but I felt the Wizard's kind of off. The beginning was good, but by the end of that novella, I was a little bit disappointed. I can't wait to pick up the next volume of these short stories before I go on to the second novel.

“The things that make you special will give you all kinds of advantages in life, but they will also hold you back and expose your weaknesses.”

Two little shorts set three years before the events of “Legend” - two scenes, one for June and one for Day, depicting events that were hinted at during the main trilogy. A nice addition to the series and it was nice revisiting these characters, especially June, which is my favorite. Their lives were both so different, but just as lonely. Also, I liked how the events in both tales complemented each other somehow.