Natália

“Caroline, do you value your neck?""Yes, I'm rather fond of it. Why?""Because if you don't shut up, I'm going to wring it.”

I'm not a fan of romance novels, especially period romances, but since I had a pleasant experience with such a story before, I decided to give a chance to one of the most acclaimed author of the genre. I don't know if this was the book to start with Julia Quinn, but I didn't like it much. The book felt rushed, without any real development to the main plot (it leaned too heavily into the ‘will-they-won't-they' aspect of the romance), the male lead was irritating and frustrating and his constant comparison between Caroline and his dead wife started to wear me out. Caroline started as a promising protagonist - fierce, witty, funny and independent - but as she started to fall for Blake, she kind of wilted a bit. It was like he ‘tamed' her, and I honestly liked her the way she was before. It felt like the author was trying to say that a woman is better up doing as her husband tells her, being mild and homey and has no place in an adventure.

I'll give the author another chance, because I was curious for the second book in this duology, since the male lead is a character that is in this book and one of the few I actually liked.

“I've spent twenty-eight years doing what everyone around me expected me to do...being what everyone around me has expected me to be. And it's horrid to be someone else's vision of yourself.”

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would, not being a romance fan. But in here we have a somewhat solid plot, compelling and well developed characters and a steamy, fun romance to go along. I LOVED Calpurnia and her wish to break free from society's stupid rules about what a woman should or shouldn't do, her adventures were SO fun to follow and I really liked that she is a romantic heroin that doesn't follow the beauty standards and still she is amazing. Ralston was also a charming character, and he complimented Calpurnia really well. Juliana was also another favorite character of mine and I can't wait for her novel - she's fierce and spunky and I think she will be a delightful protagonist.

I can't wait to read the next books in this trilogy and other books by this author as well!

"Fiction is truth, even if it is not a fact. If you believe only in facts and forget stories, your brain will live, but your heart will die."

Cassandra Clare, STOP STOMPING ON MY HEART, DAMNIT! This book left me so emotionally damaged that I couldn't read anything for a day or two afterwards. THAT ENDING, THOUGH. Perfectly devastating, but the writing is beautiful. Actually, Clare's writing from Tales of a Shadowhunter Academy to this one has been so detailed, so gorgeous, it's easy to get lost in this world. I like how this book is even darker and more action packed than Lady Midnight and how it go into topics that are so relevant to our days - like prejudice and segregation. Also, we have characters that were sidelined in the previous book that have a protagonism here, with their own plots and importance to the events and I loved it - I can't wait to know more about them, especially after the way things endend here.

Cassandra's writing is also so beautiful here! The final scene, although devastating, is one of the most beautifuly written in the entire book - it has this poetry feel to it, and it helps set the tone of the scene and it's impossible not to feel everything the characters are feeling as well. It broke my heart and left me a sobbing mess afterwards, but still.

I DON'T KNOW HOW I'LL WAIT AN ENTIRE YEAR FOR QoAaD! I NEED IT NOW!

“Forgiveness can get you places, I guess. But sometimes you need to light a fire.”

This is one of those books you regret not reading sooner. It was THAT good. I love me some retellings, and the fact that the author takes all the mythology we know and love from “The Wizard of Oz” and twists it into a darker, mature and sarcastic tale got me instantly. The characters are compelling, the story is engaging and fast paced, full of twists and turns, and you never know what will happen next until it's right there in your face. It's impossible to put the book down, because you keep wanting to know what will happen. Amy is such a good protagonist! I love her journey from this odd, outcast girl from Kansas, who seems though on the outside but is full of insecurities and self-doubt to a confident, determined and brave witch, who knows who she is and what she wants. Yes, there's a lot going on in Oz that she doesn't know, but she's smart and she isn't trusting and naive. I like that she has a good heart, she's kind and compassionate, but also fierce and fiery when facing a challenge.

This book, although it had a lot going on, felt more like an introduction to this world, because there's a lot more going on than meets the eye and there are many characters with mysterious pasts and motivations and lots of things that are left unexplained - I feel like this book only touched the tip of the iceberg where Oz is concerned. I can't wait to pick up the prequels and the next volume and see where it will take me!

“Tell me there is still good in the world. Tell me there is still hope for all of us.”

Such a good, bittersweet conclusion to this trilogy! I think this book really wrapped up everything really well and delivered a fast-paced, emotional ending to these characters.

I liked seeing how the time jump affected these characters and how they dealed with being brought together again in the circunstances they did. The rebuilding of the Republic and the roles Day & June had to play in it were also interesting aspects of the plot. June was amazing in this book and my favorite character of the trilogy, but Day annoyed me a litte. Idk, his attitude in this book got on my nerves sometimes and I thought it was unnecessary of him to be so unreasonable in some parts. But, ultimately, I still like him a lot.

I love love love the relationship between June and Day, how it blossomed and evolved from book 1! And even though it was not the ending I was hoping for, I think it made sense for these characters and I believe the author left it open to imagination.

Not the best distopyan series out there, but I enjoyed every page - compelling, well written characters, a properly developed world and addictive writting, what more can I ask for?

“I am nothing except this: a girl reborn of the deep ocean silence, meant for nothing but vengeance.”

This felt like a teenage version of Revenge, but I loved every second. The author really explored the tool revenge takes on someone, how lonely and angry is this path and how it changes you. It played on how lonely and desperate you have to be to start on this journey and how it can spiral out of control.

I loved how Frances was build though - the doubts she started having, the conflitct about her own identity not only after everything was through but during the years, how she felt knowing that not everything was black and white as she thought, and how divided she was regarding Gray. She was a realistic and relatable character and I liked liked where se ended up. She's such a badass character, though, she always knew what she wanted and planned for it the entire time. She's smart and focused and I like that she doesn't loose much of her moral sense through the entire thing - she doesn't want anyone ‘innocent' to get involved or hurt, she just wants the truth out in the open and for the people responsible to pay for the lives they took.

I liked Grey's character, although very cliché, but at times I think the romance could have been toned down a bit. I know it's an YA book and all, and that the relationship between Libby/Frances & Grey was an important aspect of the story and the characters development, but it didn't need to be there all the time. I also had some issues with Sheperd's character, especially at the beggining - how he judged Libby/Frances because he felt ‘abandoned' by his foster parent (whose actual daughter had just been rescued from a shipwreck and spent 7 days at sea with nothing to eat or drink and went through a very traumatic experience, and who just lost his wife in the process), how he still judged Frances for accepting Cyrus' proposal, a girl who's been recently orphaned, who had absolutely NO ONE left and was scared out of her mind after going through the most horrifying experience in her life, and how he was sore mainly because things didn't immediately go back the way they were after the Persephone and he didn't get with his dream girl. He reminded me a lot of Jack, from Revenge, which was the most annoying character in the show, so maybe that's why I didn't like him much.

The ending was satisfatory, even if it was open, and even though the ‘why they did it' was not that convoluted or big (it was actually kind of flat), it made perfect sense and the feeling of helplessness and frustration Frances felt conveyed everything I felt as a reader as well. Overall, it was a good book and a page turner for me.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

“Everyone is more than one thing,” said Kieran. “We are more than single actions we undertake, whether they be good or evil.”

Cassandra Clare did it again. I swear, with every book this woman's writing gets better and better and I think TDA will be her best series yet - even better than TID, who is my favorite of the Shadowhunters universe. In this new series, she finally explores the parabatai bond, this complex relationship between two Shadowhunters who is part of this universe since book 1 from TMI - how does it work? How do you choose a Parabatai? Why can't they fall in love if they are each other's everything, family, friend and companion?

This is a more mature and darker book than her previous ones, and it deals with a lot of more mature themes. The characters here are more burdened and more complex as well, and there's not an uninteresting or unrealistic character here. They all have something to contribute to the story and it's impossible not to relate to each and every one.

The plot is solid and engaging and it's impossible to put down, because it's fast paced and there's this sentiment of inevitability, tension and danger throught the book. There were a lot of plot twists that left me floored and made me want to know what happens next so badly I read the entire book in two days and aftewards I just knew I wanted more, I needed to know what happened next.

A well deserving 5 stars!

“No one can hurt you as badly as the people you love.”

This book was such a disappointment. For a final book in a trilogy, I was expecting at least a dignifying ending for a story that fell apart considerably after the first book. Everything was predictable and too rushed, and everything was solved way too easily. The interesting aspects of peculiardom that could have been more explored in this book, as well as Jake's gift, were just breezed through and the main mystery of all, The Library of Souls, that was supposed to be the end goal of our villains, was just the scenario were the last battle took place, and even so it was rushed and badly done.

Emma annoyed me to no end during this novel, with her judgy and moralistic ways and the fact that she was only there for moral support, because she did nothing of actual interest in the entire thing. The plot could have been better, if again it wasn't as rushed and if we didn't stop every few scenes for Jacob and Emma to have their gooey-sweet moments. The new characters, who had the potential to be interesting and complex, were just flat. Not even the pictures, the more interesting aspects of these books, could save the story here - of all the three books, these ones were the least interesting and ‘peculiar' of all. They just seemed like these really old photos of normal people and stuff. A poor ending to a so-so series.

“Sometimes the enemy is just one person who will bring down a kingdom.”

I don't know if my expectations were too high, but this book was kinda disappointing. Yes, I loved the premise, I adored the world building - all the myths and legends, the different cultures and kingdoms, they were the highlightof the book for me. But I couldn't connect with any of the characters and the plot was slow going and during most of the book put aside for the romance and slice fo life aspect of Lia's pretense life.

As a main character, Lia was inconsistent - at times she was strong and decided and brave, but most of the times she came across as naïve and spoiled, and some of her actions and decisions had me rolling my eyes a lot. There wasn't much of a character development for her, I think. As for the big who is who mystery, I figured out from the first POV's who was the prince and who was the assassin and honestly there wasn't much depth to neither of them. They were pretty cliché and there wasn't much going on with them, with a possible exception of Kaden, who have this mysterious background that can make him a more interesting and tridimensional character in the next volumes.

Like I said, the plot failed to move till almost 3/4 into the book, and most of the time I couldn't figure out where the author wanted to take the story. The ending was good, though, and it started to answer some of the more pressing questions and it left the characters in a position that had me interested in keep reading the series to know what will happen. Hopefully in the next one we'll get more things going on and the actual plot unfolding quicker.

“We have risked our lives for our country - not the country we live in now, but the country we hope to have.”

I don't quite know how to feel about this book. I liked it, it was fast paced and had a lot of twists, we got to see some good character development and the plot was solid - we got some answers to some questions that were left from Legend. But at the same time, I had a few issues with it. I don't know what it was, but I struggled to read the whole thing. I like Lu's writing here, she has a very poetic prose at some points, but I felt that at times it was too overdone, especially the scenes between June and Day. I had some issues with Day as well, mainly how he was easily fooled by the Resistance and how willing he was to resent June and whoever came from ‘richer' sectors. I don't know, he should know better, I think. I understand all the rage he has, because of everything he went through, but June at least he was supposed to trust and understand. Their fight at the tunnels was just something that irked me a little. And Tess. She annoyed me the most, with her jealousy and even pettiness - she sounded like a bratty, whiny child sometimes, for someone who wanted to be trated and like to act as an adult.

There were some interesting twists to the story and I really like the direction this is taking, so I can't wait to finally finish this trilogy!

“Every form of art is another way of seeing the world. Another perspective, another window. And science –that's the most spectacular window of all. You can see the entire universe from there.”

The cover and the science-fiction feel there the things that pulled me to this book from the beginning and though it is a good enough book, the romance aspect of it threw me off a little. I think it focused too much on it than in the amazing premise of traveling through paralell universes throughe the minds of your various ‘selfs' through this dimensions. The author managed to create this interesting concept using science theories, but again, it was pult aside and not as properly developed to focus on the romance. The plot twist was not that surprising, but I still liked it, and the ending felt satisfatory to me. I don't know how the plot will be developed in the next two books, since this is a trilogy, but I am curious enough to continue on. I liked the characters, even though Marguerite, the protagonist, was kind of impulsive, naive and annoying at times. Still, I could connect with her after a while and understand her feelings. An easy read, more suitable for fans of romance with a sci-fi/fantasy background.

“Can you nominate someone's tongue for sainthood?”

I really like this series a lot. I like how the author manages to combine the light, fun romance aspect with more serious issues - each of the main protagonists have some background that needs to be adressed (and are properly and respectfully so) during the book. Logan is such a lovable character and Grace is such a nerdy pumpkin! I didn't expect to like them so fast, but I did. Not as gripping as the first novel, and Hannah & Garret are still my favorite couple of this series so far, but I enjoyed this a lot. The romance was lighter than in book one, but just as complicated - because of Logan's issues, mostly. It was a quick, delightful read and the romance was fluffy and the sexy scenes were not only hilarious at times but hot as hell. A perfect combination, if I may say so.

Can't wait to dive into the next two books and the final two players!

“I could do this. If whole galaxies could change, so could I.”

I'm not a contemporary YA fan, but Morgan Matson and Kasie West are a few exceptions to this rule. And this book is exactly why I came to love Matson's writing. I love how realistic her characters are, how well she builds relationships and makes us root for these fictional people. Andie's struggles during the book are so well adressed - her new-found relationship with her father is my favorite aspect of this book, how she slowly learns to relax and not follow every plan she makes strictly and to sometimes just go with it, how she values her friendships and the little group they make (and their scenes together are just so much fun!). And Clark. Damn, if this guy isn't adorable. He's also well developed, and although super adorable, he's flawed and insecure as well. I like how he slowly changes Andie and is changed by her as well. They compliment each other perfectly and it was amazing to see their relationship flourish. The ending was nearly perfect for me - there was one aspect I really wanted to be different, but I understand what the author wanted with it, but it was a good ending all the same.

I can't wait to read more of this author's books! A cute, nice, hearwarming holiday read.

"Villains take the risks our heroes can't afford to take and make the choices our heroes are too afraid to make."

I absolutely loved every page, every word of this deliciously wicked anthology. I love villains and how complex their characters can be, if well developed, and each tale in this book did it. It made me realize that these characters are more than just evil (yes, some are just plain wicked and terrifying, but even those were just too addictive to read about) - sometimes, they are a reflection of society's expectations, of upbringing, of fatalities in their lifes...and I found that, through theses stories, I could sympatize and understand a lot of these seemingly evil characters.

Some of my personal favorites were Marissa Meyer's Sea Witch (QUEEN OF RETELLINGS RIGHT HERE, FOLKS), Renée Ahdieh, Cindy Pon and her amazing version of Medusa (broke my heart in tiny pieces, this one), Victoria Schwab's Death (OMG, SO GOOD), Soman Chainani and the arturian legend-based text messages, Nicola Yoon's Sera, Susan Dennard and the amazing genderswap!Sherlock & Moriarty, and Adam Silvera's twisting bittersweet tale. I enjoyed immensely the other ones as well, and I hope more anthologies like this one are coming our way soon!

“I'm the last of the mad ones.”

This book was such a disappointment. I went in with such high hopes and this killed it in the first 100 pages. I kept reading, hoping it would get better, that I would get what I came for, but although the final 10 chapters were more fast paced, everything kinda fell flat.

I love paranormal books, especially paranormal mysteries/thrillers, like The Diviners, or The Daemoniac, so even though I was at first expecting a muder mystery with a Jack The Ripper copycat, the fact that it turned out as a paranormal thing still had me hoping. BUT with a slow paced book, where nearly nothing happens except our very bland, very uninteresting and annoying protagonist complaining about her classes, her classmates, her will-they-won't-they fling with this guy, and how very American she is and how she feels dislocated in jolly ol' England. She doesn't get involved for real in the main mystery until AFTER 100 pages in, and even so, she's completely uninterested in it until she realizes she is a target and that she may be going mad. The world building regarding the paranormal aspect of the book, especially the group that Rory, our MC, is supposed to join, is poorly explained and left in the corner during most of the book.

It's difficult to find something to like about this, but there were a couple of characters that I wanted to know more about and maybe see them properly developed. Unfortunately, I don't see myself going on with this series. I don't even know if there is a plot for the next book, because everything seemed pretty resolved after this one. Too bad, because I really wanted to enjoy this book and this series.

"Pulvis et umbra sumus - we are but dust and shadows."

Cassandra Clare, what are you trying to do with my heart, woman? This book at the same time had me excited and happy and also sad and heartbroken AND OMG THAT ENDING JUST DESTROYED ME. Again, I can't say enough how much I enjoy this short stories anthologies, especially this one, because all the tales were actually connected, not only bringing us some informations about the next Shadowhunter series, but developing well known characters and making them transition from teenagers to adults before our eyes.

When I first started the original TMI trilogy, I didn't like Simon much. He annoyed me to no end and I felt like he was a little extra. BUT, CoFA came around and suddenly Simon was my favorite character, the chapters I liked reading the most...he really came around and his character arc in the last two books was amazing, so I was super excited that this would have him as the main character. And I was not disappointed! I love human!Simon even more than I did vampire!Simon, and how he was discovering himself and his value during this anthology. I absolutely LOVED the characters introduced here, so obviously the ending left me in a ball on the floor crying my eyes out. But it was great and a fantastic way to introduce the new Shadowhunter series!

"So, congratulations. You're married to a rock star."

So, this was not what I was hoping at all. I went in thinking this series would be something like the “Off-Campus” series by Elle Kennedy, but with members of a rock band instead of a hockey team, but I got none of the amazing and relatable characters or the well developed plots that made the other series so good. Although the idea for the book was interesting, the execution was not done well. The characters were not as interesting and well developed, the main plot was concluded after the first 100 pages - and the rest of the book was a mix of David's jealousy, sex scenes and that unnecessary drama at the end to create some semblance of tension between the couple. Evie through the book became a weaker, accepting and insecure version of herself, David was WAY too possessive and jealous, as well as too brooding and ‘cool'. It was just UGH,NO. The couply scenes that were supposedly cute had me rolling my eyes A LOT.

The only thing that will have me continuing with this is the fact that the books can be standalones and I'm curious about the lead singer's story AND the next book is about Mal, the bass player, which was one of the few characters here I actually enjoyed.

"I'm Suze Simon, I said. And you thought being dead was bad? Buddy, your eternal nightmare's only just begun."

Damn, I missed this series. I love Meg Cabot's simple, sarcastic and funny writing and I love Suze's character. I'm so glad we're getting a final book, even though I thought book 6 was a perfect conclusion to this series. This novella was actually a preparation for the final installment, with the returning of our ghost-ass-kicking protagonist and Jesse, her hot not-dead-anymore boyfriend (who is even more amazing here than I remembered). We got to see what became of her as she grew up, as well as the fate of some of the characters we came to care for in the main series. The plot is simple and familiar here, with ghosts giving Suze some grief and her real life problems also blending in with her mediator stuff and making her crazy. And then, there's the event that we've been waiting the whole series: Jesse's proposal and the beginning of their happily ever after. AND the big bomb at the very end, that sets the stage for the seventh and final book with the return of one of the most interesting and annoying antagonists of the main saga. I can't wait to pick up the end book and get into this universe again!

“Trust. It is like placing a blade in someone's hand and setting the very point to your heart.”

I love how Cassandra expands her Shadowhunters universe more and more through this collection of short stories, at the same time developing the most interesting characters in her series AND tying up all her series together with little details and characters in some of those stories as well as setting up her next series, introducing characters and events that will be important some way or another.

Magnus is such a wonderful character - he's charming, funny and witty, but at the same time wise and brave and so so human, even though he is not exactly human. I love love love him. I had so much fun going into this book and I can't decide which story was my favorite. I can't wait for The Dark Artifices and more Shadowhunter goodness. An easy 5 stars.

"It wasn't a weakness to have those thoughts, to feel that need to help another, to save lives. It made one human."

I AM DONE WITH THIS BOOK, FINALLY! Gosh, it took me so long! And I really don't know why, because I liked it. Yes, it was not as good as Passanger, in my opnion, and not as gripping, but it was not a bad book by all means. I don't know why I kept stalling.

First of all, I really liked how Bracken expanded the world she created, adding some mythology and introducing us to the history of the travelers and how it interferes in the present of our characters. Also, we got to finally meet the Thorns in a deeper way and understand it's motives, and honestly I LOVED them, especially Etta's father (maybe my favorite new character). His relationship with Etta in this book was just so beautiful! He loved her so much and was willing to do anything to protect her and make up for lost time. Sophia was a pleasant surprise as well, along with Lin Mei. They made for the best parts of the book. I got to understand Sophia's character a little more, and came to love her and HER LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH NICHOLAS WAS JUST SO GOOD! Another returning character was Julian, who was also amazing. I loved the character development and how we came to actually know him.

Nicholas for me was the star of this book. He's a precious little cupcake that needs to be protected at all costs and he's suffered enough for two lifetimes. But, despite everything, he never loses himself, he never doubts the ones he loves and he persists, with courage and honor and bravery. I love him so so much. He was the character that carried the book for me. I would have liked for him and Etta to find each other sooner in the book, because all the time apart really hurt their dynamic, but I still like the ship. Etta, on the other hand...she fell so flat in this installment! She could never impose herself, and she lets people drag her around without so much as a weak protest. She only became the brave, confident girl I was expecting in the last 100 or so pages. And, idk, she's so judgy sometimes. All I managed to feel for her was irritation.

Like I said, there were many good things about this book, but some not so good ones as well. First of all, the plot was kind of confusing. Yes, I understand the searching for Etta, searching for the astrolab, trying to stop Ironwood, but then there was the whole plot with the shadows and the ending was kind of messy and the explanations were confusing. And it all was solved kind of quickly.

Overall, I enjoyed, and I still don't understand what hold up my reading. Still, it's not as good as book one. I like Bracken's writing and her descriptions and I plan to read her other books soon!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

“There is no safe place. There is no haven. Not for us.”

This little novella brings us the Darkling's past and an explanation for his motivations and his actions during the Grisha trilogy. I love the character, he is the most interesting and complex one in the series and this short story made me love him even more. It gave me better insight of his characters, his conflicts and why he feels this kinship and connection to Alina. They are both lonely because of their immense power, and this sets them apart from the other Grishas, no matter what they do.
I love how Leigh brings this novellas to enrich not only the main story, but this new world she created. I can't wait to get my hands on The Language of Thorns and to finally finish this trilogy!

This is not a novel or anything per say, it's an illustrated guide to all the characters in the Shadowhunter's universe, from all the series that Clare is planning to launch about this world - including already The Dark Artifices and The Last Hours. The book itself it's gorgeous, the illustrations are beautiful and there's a kind of character's profile for all the important characters in the Shadoworld universe - with full name, age, family, a curiosity or fact about them, favorite weapon and a flower that represents them. It's definitely worth having this baby in the shelf, especially because there are so many characters it's sometime easy to mix them up or not be able to quite picture that character while reading.

“Temper us in fire, and we grow stronger. When we suffer, we survive.”

FINALLY A 5 STAR FOR THIS SERIES! I couldn't be happier with this ending. It wrapped the series so well, while tying TID books and the next series TDA together as well! I love the introduction of the new characters that will be the main ones in the next shadowhunter series! Emma and Julian are already my bbs and I can't wait to read about them and see how our favorita characters are holding up.
I cried, I laughed out loud...it was such a roller coaster! And Jace is so likable in this book, I actually LIKED him! FINALLY! There it is, the Herondale charm that Will was supposed to pass along to his descendants. And CLARY FINALLY BECOMING THE HEROINE I WAS EXPECTING HER TO BE SINCE BOOK ONE! She was badass, a true Shadowhunter in this book. The final scenes with Sebastian were so good. AND CLACE WAS CUTE AND ADORABLE IN THIS ONE TOO! They trusted each other, communicated and supported each other, without the whole obsessive thing going on. Actually, the development of all the relationships were so well done.

I don't think I have a single complain for this one, except for this shocking death that left me in tears and in denial. The ending also provided a very interesting plot twist and opened some possibilities for the next books, and I applaud Clare for it. I'm so happy this ended on such a high note, because it was my least favorite Shadowhunter series so far, and it was THE original one. CAN'T WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOKS IN THIS UNIVERSE!

"By the pricking of my thumbsSomething wicked this way comes."

In Agatha Christie I trust to get me out of a reading slump! Tommy & Tuppence are not my favorite Christie's detectives, but I like their adventures and the entire spionage & criminal gangs feel of their stories, and this one was so different from all the others - it had the same feel I got from reading Nemesis, with Miss Marple. You know those books with a kind of atmosphere? That sense that there is something wrong, that chill while reading, that slight tingling in the back of the neck...something wicked this way comes, indeed? That's how I felt while reading this book and that whole setting made the experience a lot better. Like Tuppence, I was dragged into the mystery of the house, the old lady and her chilling words - “Was that your poor child?”. And I have to say, although I have a fair experience with Christie's books and I now can, mostly, get some some of the clues through the story and guess some of the things before the end, I couldn't see the solution for this one AT ALL. It took me by surprise and it left me thinking a lot after the end. So well done, like always.

“No one really wishes to be a queen.”

Ok,OMG,I'm still reeling from this ending. I went into this not expecting much, but I ended up reading the whole book in a day, that's how invested I was. I love the world building, the mythology of this island, and how each part of the island with it's queen and the family helping/protecting her is different and complex and a world on it's own. I have to say, since the premise of the book is that two will die and only one will become Queen, I tried not to get attached to any of the girls, but I found I liked them all and didn't want any of them to any. And my favorite switched back and forth through the book and by the end of it I'm not sure which one it is. There are things to like in each one and during the whole process, you see amazing character development in all of them. I like Mirabella's gentleness, Arsinoe fierceness and loyalty and Katharine's sweetness but cunning mind.

The political game going on behind the scenes between the Arrons and the Temple, as well as the Continent, was part of what made the book so great as well. Since we have not only the POV from the Queens but from the families and friends as well, we got a nice cast of secondary characters as interesting as the sisters themselves. The romance was there, but it was not overwhelming and didn't take from the main plot to become the focus of the story.

For the pace of the book, I saw some commentaries regarding the fact that the real action only happens almost at the end of the book, and that the whole ‘preparation'for the Beltane Festival was too long and made the book a little boring, but I disagree. I think it was extremely necessary not only for the reader to get to know this new world, get accustomed to it, meet the characters and the plot, but to kind of prepare the stage for the events at the festival and the Quickening and what came after. And it was what made me invested in the book in the first place, along with the concept.

AND WHAT WAS THAT FINAL PAGES? THAT ENDING, GUYS. How am I supposed to wait till September to know what happens next? It's the same with The Illuminae Files, TOO LONG TO WAIT FOR ANSWERS. I. Need.Now. I highly recommend the book, though. 4 stars.