Natália

“Macey couldn't decide whether to be intrigued that Hale was walking around with a state-of-the-art covert communications device or be jealous because she'd been caught without one of her own.”

A crossover between Carter's two main series. I haven't read Gallagher Girls yet, so I didn't get some of the references, but I really liked Macey and I can't wait to get to know her better in her book series. I think both crews worked really well together and I would like to see a full-fledged crossover novel, with all the important characters from both series working on a case. I enjoyed it a lot, it was fun and entertaining and I really like heist novels.

“But people don't need to remember how it felt to be happy and safe in the past. They need to have hope that they can get there again in the future.”

This is such a sweet collection of short stories that really brings up the holiday feels. And it was also a chance to discover some new authors to read - or give a chance to some more famous ones. I especially liked Jenny Han's super cute and sad tale, Holly Black's trademark style and fun,sarcastic and magical story and Gayle Foreman's emotional one. Ally Carter's was also a favorite, as well as Myra McEntire's. Laini Taylor and her atmospheric, lyrical writing was chilling and beautiful to read. But I think “Welcome to Christmas, Ca” by Kiersten White, “It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown” by Stephanie Perkins (who knew? I really really loved her writing!) and “Angels In The Snow” by Matt de La Peña might have been my favorites. My least favorite one might have been David Levithan's, but it still gave me that warm, kind feeling inside after finishing it. Overall, I loved loved loved this little collection and I plan to read other short stories like this soon!

"Three sisters fell in love with a star. I told you this was not quite true. One sister fell in love with her own desire and one sister fell in love with a man and one sister fell in love with the sky. "

This is absolutely beautiful. It has,like all Hodge's stories I've read so far, this ancient, dark fairytale like atmosphere. Her writing is as always so gorgeous, and musical! This story is short and sweet and it has a ‘happy ending' of kinds. There's no way not to love it. I found out a whole set of her other shorts and I'm planning on reading them all! I wish she would gather them in a collection and release it in book format to keep this gems in my shelf!

"I am not ruined. I am ruination."

Well, this was certainly better than I thought. I was afraid of this book because I wasn't expecting much from it - after how Siege and Storm ended, and what I heard about the conclusion, I wasn't looking forward to this read because I was expecting some characters to be ruined. The thing about coming in with low expectations is that you always get surprised, almost always positively. Ruin & Rising is fast paced and thrilling, with a lot of things happening and giving our main characters no chance of rest (and, unfortunately, no chance to develop some interesting characters as well, which was one of the things that bothered me in this book), but it managed to keep things surprising and entertaining. The Darkling is more menacing than ever, and more desperate, which lead to some interesting character reveals for him. I like how he and Alina are always two sides of the same coin, how well they both understand each other and how well sometimes they compliment each other. Also, in this book, they kind of reminded me of Kylo Ren & Rey in The Last Jedi, with the whole bond stuff.

I was really afraid that all of Alina's character development from the previous book would be lost after the events at the chapel, but I was happily mistaken. Not only has she grown into her role as a leader, but she also had a more deep understanding of her powers and abilities. She was also more aware of her power as a Sun Summoner and ‘living saint' and how she started to strategize more and use what was given to her for her benefit. I loved to see her ‘darker' side, the call for more power inside of her - it made her more real and layered. She reminded me of Rey from Star Wars in many, many ways in this book, which is a good thing because I love Rey's character. I understand her decisions at the end, although I didn't agree and hoped it would be different, but it felt true to her character.

Nicholai is always a joy, and I'm disappointed he wasn't much present in this book - my poor bb suffered so much during this book! And it broke my heart that he ended up a little bit broken afterward. Also, my Nikolina heart is in pieces. THEIR DYNAMIC IS AMAZING, AND THEY LOVE AND RESPECT EACH OTHER, THEY ARE THE POWER COUPLE RAVKA DESERVES! WHY COULDN'T THEY BE TOGETHER? I'll die defending this ship, sorry.

As for Mal...well, he was better than I expected. He wasn't as annoying and he even started to redeem himself a little. Still, not the best character and I still felt that Alina stopped herself from doing some things because of him. It could have been worse, though, so I'm glad.

The ending was a major problem for me, because it felt kind of anticlimatic and disappointing, especially the battle at the Fold. Yes, there were a few unexpected plot twists, and for a moment I thought that Bardugo would go with this crazy, brave choice, but right after, she chose the predictable, easy ending and it put me down a little. Not the best conclusion to a trilogy, but a good one that wrapped a lot of things and left some space for other stories within the Grishaverse - hence Six of Crows and the new Nikolai-centered series (YES!NEED!).

“Sometimes the loveliest places harbor the worst monsters.”

One of my favorite books in 2017! From the start, it felt like a punch in the gut - one of the things I loved the most about it was how it portrayed how mental ill patients were treated at the time and what we believe madness is. That, along with other socially relevant topics like misoginy and abuse.

Grace was such a good, well developed character! She had me hooked from the start and I loved to see her growth through the novel. The female friendships were so good here and it brought some lightness to an otherwise kind of dark book. But my favorite dynamic has to be the Grace-Dr.Thornhollow one. They make such an amazing detective duo! Also, how they helped each other personally as well! I know the author had her reasons for not wanting Grace romantically involved (I deeply understand why), but I always thought they would become a couple! And I shipped a lot, too ahahaha! There were a lot of pretty cute and romantically charged moments between them and I so wanted it to happen sigh Oh, well.

I liked the mystery aspect included here, it also served to develop more of the main characters relationship and it brought up some important aspects to the novel. The ending was satisfying and it left me feeling just as victorious and avenged as Grace. And though things were perfectly wrapped, I would totally read another book full of Grace & Thornhollow detective adventures! An easy 5 stars and I would recommend it to everyone! A very powerful and compelling read!

“Once upon a time, an angel and a devil fell in love. It did not end well.”

This book is that kind of book you wonder why you've put off reading it for so long. It's that good. Laini Taylor's writing is beautiful and poetic, with vivid descriptions and this lyrical storytelling that compels the reader. The story is original and really well thought out - there's more to every character than it seems, and when you think you know what's going on, she turns everything upside down. It has amazing and unexpected plot twists that leaves you hanging on every word. The characters are compelling and interesting, and very complex. I loved how she managed to entwine the past and the present of the characters without too many flashbacks in a way that it's not tiring. The ending is exploding and left me reeling with too many emotions and wondering what will happen next. I can't wait to get my hands on the next installment of this story!

“Once more, I am watching the most powerful men in the kingdom bring their power to bear on a woman who has done nothing worse than live to the beat of her own heart, see with her own eyes; but this is not their tempo nor their vision and they cannot tolerate any other.”

Phillippa Gregory is such a good writer and I love how she writes from the perspective of women of the period and manages to bring them to life. Jaquetta's story is one of my favorites, behind only her daughter Elizabeth's story in The White Queen, especially because I enjoy the mystic aspect woven in the novel. The only thing that really annoys me a little is how descriptive she is and how the pacing of the story suffers because of it. She tries to tell each and every moment of these people's life and so nothing really happens during at least 50 pages at the time. The book becomes unnecessarily long and it took me longer than it should to finish it. And while I really like England's history and really want to get to The White Princess, I don't plan to read more of her books, at least not for a while.

"I don't belong to anyone. I make my own choices."

Well, it's done! I'm finally finished with this series! It was better than I expected it would be, but still not as good as the first two books. Although it did provide a good ending to this characters, with some interesting plot twists and some action packed parts. The highlight of the entire thing are still Lissa, Christian and Adrian. They were amazing in this last book, especially Lissa. I loved her growing comfortable in her role as a leader, how she is embracing the spirit and commanding her powers and her people. The trials were such a good plot for her and I loved seeing her embarking on this journey. Adrian...oh my poor baby, you deserved SO MUCH MORE. He was the one who changed the most, who took an effort and got NOTHING as a result of it. He ended up hurt and alone. NOT COOL, RICHELLE! I hope the spin off will get him the focus and the happiness he deserves!

Rose was less annoying during this book, but I can't believe the way her character went backwards through the series. She started out as my favorite character - she was smartass, badass, sarcastic, a little bit impulsive but with the heart in the right place and willing to do anything for her best friend and the people she cares about. The romance with Dimitri was well developed and they complimented each other well. Now she's selfish, puts her friends CONSTANTLY on the way of danger for her own interests, her sarcasm is basically annoying and disrespectful and she obnoxiously tries to take matters into her own hands and acts without thinking and people get hurt because of it. After the end of book 3 and especially book 4, I can't really stand her. Her relationship with Dimitri went from interesting and squeal-worthy to unhealthy and obsessive. Dimitri was another character that fell a lot since book 3. I honestly wanted him to die in book 5, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. In this book particularly, he wasn't as irritating, but I eye-rolled a lot during his scenes.

The ending was kind of good, I couldn't see it coming and actually liked how everyone (except Adrian) ended up - I'm curious about Sydney and the Alchemists, so I'm hoping to get some answers with the spin-off and I liked how this final installment left things in a way that it can tie in perfectly with the first book of the other series.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

“These things do not happen in dreams, dear girl,” he said, vanishing up to his neck. “They happen only in nightmares.”

- WARNING - May contain some spoilers of the plot.


And Marissa Meyer did it again! She has the power to write amazing, compelling and heart-wrenching retellings, really capturing the characters and giving an original, fresh twist to these well-known stories. It was a ‘hard' book for me to read, not because it wasn't good (I already said it was amazing, after all), but because I fell in love with the characters and I already knew what would happen and I wish so badly it would turn out different this time - so, I was basically dreading to get to the end of the book. That's the thing about this book - we enter knowing the final destination, but Marissa involves us in a way, making us enter Wonderland for real and care for the characters, especially our protagonists, that we forget, until halfway through, that this was not supposed to last at all and that made the ending THAT much more hurtful and bittersweet.

I love that this is the origin story of a villain - there aren't many, especially in YA literature. And I felt so heartbroken for Catherine, she was denied her dreams, real love and everything else and had to endure a lot. Her spiralling to madness was sad to see, but it was so well done because it felt in the end inevitable. And Jest, my poor lovable, funny, dreamer Jest. That's one of the things that made me the saddest by the end. I really liked how Meyer used the original Alice in Wonderland characters, giving them ‘backstories' as well, and how she blended it with new characters.

Overall, it's an amazing, sad and beautiful book and for fairytales retelling fans a total MUST READ.

"Countries are forged by war; perhaps girls are, too."

This trilogy is SO GOOD. I don't know why it doesn't have more readers and more people talking about it. I enjoyed this second installment much better than the first one - this was way more fast paced and intense than the first, with lots of stuff going on and important information regarding the world mythology that will connect everything in the story and build up for the grand finale in the last book!

Cate really had some amazing development here! She's coming into her role as a leader and learning to forge her own path and making her own decisions and seeing how it affects everyone else. She's more mature and decisive here and by the end she's really a force to be reckoned with. She also goes through a lot, with heartbreak and loss at every corner. Here we get to understand more about the political situation and the whole prophecy thing, as well as get to know the Sisters and this new Order of Witches. I think it's interesting how there's currents inside the Order - a part who wants to be cautious and wait for the right moment to make themselves known and overthrow the Brotherhood, even if by waiting means more girls dying and things getting worse for a while, and the part who wants to get into the fight and start a revolution, damn the consequences.

I enjoyed the new characters, they are more than they seem, just like the characters from the first book and they all fit somehow into the plot. Cate's sisters also play a bigger role here and since the prophecy is about to be fullfilled, it makes sense. Tess is AMAZING, I loved her in this book, how she's developing and growing up - she's so mature for her age! Also, she gets an important role to play and I am happy to see how this plays up. Maura is INSUFFERABLE! I really disliked her in the first novel, but I could understand her motives and her feelings...now, she's just jealous and hateful. She can't stand the fact that she is not powerful and important. The things she does in this book really ruined her character to me.

Speaking of the end..HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, JESSICA? I was left a mess at the end of this book. My poor heart can't take this! Yes, the plot twists were amazing (although some of them I guessed a little before it happened), but utterly devastating as well. The book left of at a place that has me itching to pick up the final book!

I can't wait to see what happens to the three Cahill Sisters and how everything will turn out in the end. This is a highly recommend read for me, go read this gem about powerful, feminist witches battling misogyny and inequality, with powerful and complex female characters.

"Not that she didn't love almost every boy she'd ever met, and not that every boy in the world didn't totally love her. It was impossible not to. "

I think I kind of outgrew these novels. A few years back, when I first started them because of the tv show (which I still love), I breezed through the first four novels I borrowed from a friend and enjoyed it a lot. The Upper East Side and it's inhabitants and their adolescent troubles were exciting. Now, not so much. I find the characters annoying (maybe except Blair and even she irritates me sometimes), their big problems petty and unrealistic and I can't relate or like them anymore. Although it's a short book, it dragged at times and I couldn't wait to finish it. I'm not continuing with the series. I may still go on with It Girl, the spin-off, mainly because I remember it being written differently and having a kind of mystery of sorts and enjoying it more than the GG novels per say, but I'm ready to drop that 10-novels monster at any moment as well.

"Just at the mirk and midnight hour, the fairy folk will ride."

This book was such a surprise, because I really got wrapped in it. Since I didn't like it's predecessor, “Strands of Bronze and Gold” much, I was not particularly excited for this novel, but the dark, Southern gothic feel of this novel really pulled me in. Violet is a much more likable character, and I could fully get her and sympathize with her. I liked her evolution during the novel and how strong and determined she was. The secondary characters were also interesting and most of them very likable. The romance was a welcome touch, it was built naturally and although it dominated the plot for a while, it was necessary and added a lightness to the story.

I also liked that the author added not only a supernatural, fairytale-like antagonist but a human one as well and I actually liked him more than I did the actual ‘villains' of the whole thing, mainly because that particular threat felt much more real and terrifying and in that particular time period, it was something awfully common. Also because I don't like that, although bringing slavery and racism to the table, the author still villanifyed African cultures and religions, while it would have been much more interesting to explore it and shed a more positive light on it.

Overall, I felt like it was a stronger, better novel and more interesting than the first volume of this series. The pace was a little slow and the main plot started being developed halfway through the book, but I liked the build-up and getting to know the characters and the setting.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars

"It is about 4:00 a.m. when they come for me. I am already awake, strung out on the fear that they will come, and the fear that they won't."

I don't know where to start with this book...it had a thrilling, scary mystery-like promise, and even though it had a lot of atmosphere and it indeed left me feeling a little creeped out by the end of it and the mystery aspect of it was really interesting (enough to keep me reading), I don't think it was all that. First of all, I started out slow, because the pacing was slow, Cate was this meh character with a boring, overly dramatic personality (she got a little better towards the end, with some character development but still SUPER dramatic and still not enough) and none of the other secondary or main character were interesting enough. Vaughn creeped me out a little at first and it reminded me of Jace Herondale from TMI at his worst (book 2 and 3). The secondary characters were just so alike and a lot of what was going on was really unrealistic. I was about to drop it altogether when the mystery/thriller aspect of it came up and things started to move faster and I was interested again. I liked the ending, although predictable, and I like the solution and how the entire book got me switching suspects at all times without never making me suspect the real killer. The author left the ending kind of open and up to interpretation about who really did it and if the right person was caught or if there was something else there and it was interesting and made me think a little afterwards.

I think 3-3.5 stars for this one.

“Evil never goes unpunished, Monsieur. But the punishment is sometimes secret.”

When I think I can't be surprised by Agatha's writing anymore, the woman goes and proves me so so wrong! Again, I fell for her compelling and perfectly woven narrative and let it blind me and lead me where it wanted. The big reveal was not only a good and exciting plot twist but also proof of Christie's talent as a storyteller because she doesn't repeat her endings and always thinks of something to surprise her readers and pull them from their comfort zones. When you think you're getting the hang of her mysteries, she changes everything! I love love love love her books!

"If you want an answer, you'll have to risk the question."

Meh. A romance full of cliches, stereotyped characters, and some very mysoginistic lines. That and a very annoying, controlling male character. It started out strong, with an interesting premise, and lots of chemistry between the main couple. But as things progressed, it started to go downhill to a point where the author had to use Spoilerthe jealous ex trope and an unexpected pregnancy as plot devices, which really bothered me. Some of the other plot twists were a little bit obvious and predictable, and it wasn't convincing. For romance lovers, who don't mind this kind of things, it's a nice, entertaining book, but it wasn't for me at all. Not picking up the rest of the series.

“It may help to understand human affairs to be clear that most of the great triumphs and tragedies of history are caused, not by people being fundamentally good or fundamentally bad, but by people being fundamentally people.”

I was afraid of not liking this book because it seemed the same kind of humor that got me off “Hitchhiker's Guide of The Galaxy”, but I liked the premise and the brazilian cover is so beautiful that I ended up getting it. And fortunately, I was not disappointedd! This book is hilarious and the writing is genious. The dark humor and sarcasm are on point and many of the critics the authors brings here are still on point despite this book being a few decades old. I enjoyed Crowley and Aziraphale's weird, funny friendship, the hilarious adventures of the Witch Hunters, the crazy predictions of Agnes Nutter, Adam and his crownd (although, to be honest, they annoyed me a little and were my least favorite part of the book) and the four horsemans (or should I say bikers?) of the Apocalypse. I've heard there will be a tv adaptation of this book with David Tennent as Crowley, so I'm excited and can't wait for get back into this story and this characters!

“That's the kind of person you can get away with killing: someone everybody else wants dead.”

I enjoyed this book so much! A nice, entertaining YA mystery novel but that will bring up more than just a murder plot. Actually, the actual mystery and trying to figure out who did it was kind of in the background after a while. The thing that hooked me in and kept me reading and really shined through in the book were the characters - the ‘Murder Club', with their secrets and what was going on with them and how their lives entwined because of Simon's death. Even Simon, who though not physically there during the novel, was present all the time, was an interesting character. At one point, I was so invested in the characters, not only our main protagonists but the secondary as well, that I didn't want any one to be actually guilty (although some choices were actually really brave if proven true and would be an awesome plot twist). Addy is my favorite of them, the one who had the greater development and ended up a badass and I could connect with her a lot, even though I'm probably more similar to Bryowny in personality.

The ending was surprising for me, but I guess some people could see it coming and it's not that bang of a reveal. Still, I enjoyed it and liked how everything was tied up. Not the very best YA contemporary mystery, but a entertaining, quick read.

“Jealousy, you know, is usually not an affair of causes. It is much more-how shall I say?-fundamental than that. Based on the knowledge that one's love is not returned. And so one goes on waiting, watching, expecting...that the loved one will turn to someone else.”

This book reminds me why I love Miss Marple and why she is my favorite Christie detective! Her mysteries are always subtle, playing on memory and human emotions and general human nature. I also love how she is this clever old lady who solves things based on comparisons between the people on the case and their ‘counterparts' in her village of St. Mary Mead. Another clever Christie mystery and already one of my favorite Miss Marple one.

Review to come....

“The dead could only speak through the mouths of those left behind, and through the signs they left scattered behind them.”

I was afrai I was not going to like this book, since I didn't enjoy “Casual Vacancy”, Rowling's other adult book, that much, but I was thankfully very wrong, because I absolutely adored this book! Although at the beginning the pace was kind of slow and it took me a while to warm up to the characters, Rowling managed to build such a interesting story and a compelling mystery, as well as realistic and engrossing characters, that it was impossible to put the book down at one point. There were a lot of surprising turns and the ending was not what I was expecting at all. I LOVED Strike and Robin's interactions and their developing relationship and I can't wait to see how it will explored in the next books. I'm so, so excited to pick up The Silkworm now, it's said to be darker and more thrilling than this first installment, so I can't wait!

“Humanity, I'm sure I do not have to tell Your Grace, is a strange animal.”

Well,color me disappointed. I was expecting so much from this book, because the premise is so interesting (this steapunk Jekyll & Hyde reimagining) and I've read so few steampunks so far that I was eager to try one out. I don't know if the genre is not for me or if it was this book only but I couldn't wait to be done with this. The plot is interesting, and it moves quickly, there's a nice pace to it, but everything is painfully obvious from the star, the characters (with a couple of exceptions) are flat and cliche and I just couldn't connect. The writing was also an issue, because the characters seemed to change their minds so fast all the time and there was never much consistency in their actions. The main villain was kind of scary, but his motivations were kind of meh and his endgame was kind of silly. Jack Dandy and Jesper Renn were the most interesting and intriguing characters, and the only ones I wanted to know more about, but sadly I'm not invested in the plot, the other characters or what will happen next to care to read the rest of the series.

Actual rating: 2.5 stars.

"Ruby red is the first and is also the last."

This was such an unexpected book. At first I thought it was just kind of okay, but the characters started to grow on me and the story started to build. The take on time traveling here, as well as the idea of this myserious circle of blood that needs to be completed is very interesting and different. I liked that Gwen is actually a very ordinary, normal girl who is average at school, likes to go to movies and gossip with her best friend and is not exceedingly amazing or badass. Yes, she still stands up for herself and what she thinks it's right and is not mild and easily shut up (she's actually a hot head at times and is super funny), but she's not this great warrior or anything. She's taken into this world knowing nothing about it and is learning along the way, and she is afraid, rightfully so. I hate the fact that everyone looks down on her because she was not what they were expecting, she was not prepared at all and she's just ‘ordinary'. Yes, she is kind of the ‘chosen one' and have this gift that no one knows and all, and I'm hoping she will develop during the trilogy, but she doesn't make a fuss about it or try to make herself something she isn't.

I'm intrigued by Paul and Lucy and I can't wait to hear more about them, because it's pretty obvious they are actually trying to help and save everyone. The Count or whatever is shady and a pretty solid villain, although I failed to understand his endgame - maybe because we don't get much answers in this first volume. I'm also curious about the ‘crazy' aunt and her visions, I really like books with this kind of paranormal aspect to it and want to see how it will play out in the next novels.

If I have any complains about this book is the fact that it was a pretty introductory book - it bulds the world, it introduces the main characters and all, but not much happens and there isn't a ‘climax' per say, and it ends almost abruptly. Like I said before, it only sets up the mysteries, but there's not much in the way of actual answers. I finished the book with a lot of questions and very intrigued to follow Gwen in her adventures.

“You are so far away from doing this right, I think you might be close.”

One of the best books of my year! Heartwarming, honest, fun and powerful! I loved these characters and how realist they were, their friendship and how they were just non-judgy with each other. This is a positive novel that brings up sex in a non-judgy and natural way, that talks about changes and how much it affects us and how different people react to it. It's novel about discoveries and first loves and friendships.

“I've given up on you...Love fades. Mine has.”

Well, I liked it more than I did the previous book. It was more engaging, more interesting and Rose managed to redeem herself a little in the end for me. I still disliked how she is completely obsessed with Dimitri to the point where she risks everyone, including her best friend and the person she swore to protect to go after him - and in the end he wants nothing to do with her! And Adrian! He is so pure, he does EVERYTHING for her and he's such a complex, interesting character - the way she treats him during this book is just ridiculous. They would make this amazing, powerful couple, but she just uses him for his abilities, his money and his willingness to do what it takes for her. Adrian deserves better. Lisa and Christian are, with Adrian and Abe, the best characters in the series, and I like how Lisa is growing and becoming more powerful and more badass in this final books. The court politics and the whole workings of the Moroi world are very interesting and I'm enjoying how the author is exploring this. The ending was surprising, and there were a couple of twists here that had me interested in the series again. I'm finally heading towards the final book!

“Someday you will know that the heart is not always as wise as it is strong."

A fast,l light reading. I really like this series and the heist like plots. This one, though, it felt more slow going than usual, and the whole plot centered more on the characters than the actual heist, unlike the previous ones - it felt more emotional and relationship based. That's not a bad thing at all, it allowed a different side of some of the characters to shine through, especially Hale, Kat, Marcus and Uncle Eddie. Lots of secondary characters of the series had more importance here, which was great. The twists and the heist itself were not as surprising and well thought as the previous one, because I pretty much guessed everything right away, but the sense of danger and potential failure was more present here than in the other volumes. Not my favorite of the series, but a good book.