Natália

"It's not like a stab wound you can protect me from. It's a million little paper cuts every day.”

After being excited again after finishing City of Fallen Angels, this book was a disappointment of sorts. Although it does have some amazing character development and even a better exploration of some characters and situations, like Alec and his relationship with Magnus, Izzy and her insecurities and her feelings for Simon, and so on, it was basically a book to set up the big finale in City of Heavenly Fire. I love Cassandra's writing, and all the secondary characters here, and Sebastian is such a good villain - that kind of person you have chills because they are so cruel and monstrous, but at the same time have something there that makes them complex and layered. But OMG Jace and Clary are so annoying. I can't like them as a couple ever since City of Bones. Their romance is kind of obsessive and too out of proportion. And although I like Jace a little better since the last book, I never fully liked his character from book one till now. He's brash, arrogant and just overall irritating. And Clary. I don't think she is brave as much as she doesn't actually thinks about the consequences of what she does, she is impulsive - especially when it concerns Jace - and do stupid things more often than not. It's hard not to roll my eyes while reading some of her scenes in this book especially. I felt like skiming the scenes between her and Jace and all that making out they did (SO MANY MAKING OUT SCENES, SO LITTLE ACTUAL PLOT DEVELOPMENT) to get to Isabelle's, Simon's, Alec's, Jordan's and Maia's parts.

That being said, the ending left me intrigued and excited for the final installment of TMI, and I really like how Clare ties her stories together in this world - we have references to TID and to TDA already in this book. Actual rating: 3.5 stars for Sizzy and Simon & Isabelle being awesome, and Maia & Jordan being cute, and Malec breaking my heart.

“You fought and fought to keep all the cruelty locked up in your head, and for what? None of them ever loved you, because none of them ever knew you.”

Rosamund Hodge is officially one of my favorite authors ever. I just love her writing so much! It's beautiful, dark, imaginative and fresh, even if this is her debut novel. Although very good, this book was not as amazing as Crimson Bound for me, but I enjoyed it just as much and it got me out of one of my worse reading slumps. You can see this is the author's debut novel because there are a few loose ends in the story, like elements that were brought up at the beginning to have no use whatsoever in the story or being offered an explanation for them, but honestly I found I didn't mind at all at the end. Cruel Beauty is a fairytale retelling of the Beauty & the Beast with elements from Rumpeltiltiskin and Blue Beard and some new elements, making the story refreshing and seemingly new, but with nods to the original stories that makes it recognizable. It's also darker and gritty. Our main character, Nyx, is not a typical heroin, although this is the role she is thrusted into. She resents the fact that she was chosen to kill the Gentle Lord instead of her sister, she resents her father for not loving her and for the bargain he made, resents her mother for dying and leaving her to fulfill this task, resents her sister for being loved and having the privilege of being sweet and carefree while she is to be strong and focused and burdened with this task she didn't asked for. Nyx is deeply resentful, dark, jealous and sometimes even cruel, but that's what makes her character so great. And in Ignifex she finds someone who loves her not because he expect something out of her, or wants her to be something she isn't. He loves her for cruel heart and her darker thoughts. Hodge has a knack for writing these complex, grey-area characters in a way that they are human and relatable. I also loved the world building and the mythology surrounding this world, that takes something from Greek Mythology and even some other pagan mythologies. Yes, it has some flaws, because like I said some things are left unexplained, but it didn't take from my enjoyment of the book and it's not essential to the plot.
A 5 stars book without a doubt and I can't wait to pick up Hodge's next novels.

“People who want to be loved always do the most idiotic things.”

Seriously, how can I not love this woman's writing? It's flawless and beautiful and engrossing. I think I could read anything Rosamund Hodge writes. She has this talent for rewriting fairytales in a dark, twisted, but beautiful and compelling way. In Cruel Beauty, she created this world of demonic shadows and bargains, and in Gilded Ashes, she inserted the classic storyline of Cinderella but with a main character who is bitter and cynic, totally unlike the Cinderella we know from the original fairytale and Disney's version. And slowly we see her falling in love and learning to love her sisters (who are not the evil and brainless girls we know from the tale). I actually loved Koré and her love for her younger sister and how far she was willing to go to protect her, even though it made her miserable. I felt for her striving to earn her mother's love and how she came to accept that she could never have it. And Thea is so sweet, even though we don't have much development of her character. Unlike Crimson Bound or even Cruel Beauty, there were not many plot twist or surprises here, and it actually followed the classic fairytale's storyline, so I knew what to expect at all times, but that didn't take anything from my enjoyment of this little story. Ugh, I just loved everything from this novella and this world.

"I don't believe anyone should be allowed to dictate what I read or who my friends are."

This book was not what I was expecting when I got into it, but somehow I like it more for it. There is a chilling, dark atmosphere in this book that is hard to explain, but at the same time made the reading all the more interesting and immersive for it, and I can only commend the author, because this is such a hard thing to do. I felt for Cate a lot, because she was left in this position of being the lady of the house after her mother's death, because her father is always absent, trying to keep her and her sister's secret while keeping them safe and bringing them up as best as possible. It's sad how she never does things for herself, because she has to think of her sisters, and when she thinks she will finally be happy, everything just crumbles. Yes, I think she could have fought more for what she wanted, but I understand her and I think Maura and Tess don't realize the sacrifices she's making for them. Especially Maura, who actually annoyed me A LOT during the entire book and at one point I wished she would just leave already, the ungrateful little fool. Ok, I do understand a bit her rebellion, her confusion and her feelings for her tutor, because being the middle child, she never got much attention and the chance to shine, and it was easy to see what she wanted and play her feelings.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Cat's friendship with the other girls and how they were actually more than they appeared. It made for some fun scenes and some kick-ass girl power. The romance was cute and sweet, but not amazing and was maybe a little bit too fast. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and the ending left me so sad for Cate and her sisters. I am looking forward to get to understand the prophecy a little more in the next book, see Cate develop her powers and get to know the Sisterhood more!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars.

"For everyone who knows there was enough room for Leonardo DiCaprio on that door.And for England. We're really sorry for what we're about to do to your history.”

This was one of the best books I've read this year so far and quickly became one of my favorites. I'm fascinated by European history, especially England's, and this hilarious twist on this period was the breath of fresh air I needed to get out of a reading slump. It's a book about adventure, backstabbing, political schemes, romance and magic, with compelling and likable characters. The romance was cute and it's in that style I like - they both at first dislike each other, but then they start a reluctant companionship and then fall in love. I like how Jane and G became partners and how respectful they are of each other. Edward is a little bit of a tool at first, but he develops a lot during the novel and I like how he ends up appreciating the women in his life and how they are as much his equal as any man. AND GRACIE IS BADASS, I LOVE HER. One of the things that made this book as funny as it was were the authors' comments during the book, which were hilarious. Actually, the entire book had these scenes that made me laugh out loud a lot. I just loved everything about it and I can't wait to read the next book in this series.

“Society is always the same, regardless of the era. There are rules and standards, with seemingly no purpose. It's a hateful, elaborate charade, equal parts flirtation and perceived naïveté. To men we have the minds of children.”

I was super excited to finally start this duology, and though I found the beginning a little hard to get into, I was not disappointed. Passanger is this intense treasure hunt through time, with a set of complex characters and a bit of romance and family issues thrown in the mix. I liked Bracken's writing, at times it is so poetic and beautiful but it's not overly descriptive and the reading flowed really well. Time travel is a difficult theme to write, because if can get confusing, but she did it really well, creating a set of rules that makes everything understandable but still sort of magical. Like I said before, it took me a while to get into the book, mainly because, like Etta, where thrown in this world of travelers out of nowhere, knowing next to nothing, while having this rude, bitchy guide at first to introduce us, and we have no idea where everything is leading up to until after a 100 pages or so, when we finally get an explanation as to where the story is going, plotwise. But once the adventure finally takes off, its so good! I love the dynamic between Nicholas and Etta, their partnership, how their relationship develops slowly, both unsure at first, because of their situation, Nicholas reservations, the deal with Ironwood, but surely growing into more until they finally get together. The scene in Damascus was just beautiful.

Ironwood is a very unlikable and ruthless villain and almost immediatly you dislike him and want to see Etta and Nicholas triumph over him. The Thorns are a mystery, we think we know their motivations, but I want to know more about them, because I feel they were not as well developed in this book as it should - and since the ending of this book hinted we may get to see inside the group in Wayfarer, I'm excited.

And Sophia...I don't know, I think she's more complex a character than simply this arrogant, bitchy, irritating character we saw at first, but I couldn't stand her. She mistreats both Etta and Nicholas for feeling superior to them because she is an Ironwood and a white girl (while being pissed because she is not Cyrus ‘heir' because she is a woman), and will go over anyone in her way to achieve what she thinks it's rightfully hers. I really want for the next book to show more of her character, maybe some development or at least a new side of her, since the ending of this one made it clear the she will be traveling with Nick. Speaking of him, he's a precious cupcake that needs to be protected at all costs and I just want him to be happy.

As for Etta, I liked her character, but at times she got on my nerves. I don't know, I felt that, for a girl so opinionated, modern and brave, she accepted a lot of abuse too passively, too silently, although she is described as having kind of a temper and the first scene of her after going through the first passage is her holding a kind of harpoon to the ‘pirates'. I raged a lot while reading some scenes where Sophia and Cyrus especially dragged her through the mud. That, along with the slow start, took down a star in the rating of this book for me. I hope she grows more fierce in the next book after all she went through.

Overall, I enjoyed this first installment a lot, and can't wait to pick up the next! 4 stars.

“Being productive. Ugh. It's such a human concept. It implies you have limited time (LOL) and have to work hard to make something happen (double LOL).”

This second book was more dynamic and darker in ways than the first book, but it was just as good. I love Apollo as the main character, he's arrogant but also brave and hilarious. I like when characters that aren't perfect and all around good and righteous. Flawed characters, even when they are ‘gods', are more relatable and human. And Apollo, in this book, is definitely becoming more human., without losing his cocky side. I loved his relationship with Meg, he kinds of adopted her as his ‘little sister' and the fact that she defied Nero to help him shows how much she cares for him as well, even though she doesn't like to show it.

Also, LEO IS BACK IN THIS BOOK AND IT'S SO GOOD. We've got to know Calypso a little better as well, and honestly she's kinda bitchy. Idk, she doesn't seem to care for Leo as much as he does for her. I was pretty mad at her a couple of times in this book. Actually, one of the things that bothered me a lot in this book, thus the 4 stars rating, is the fact that everyone here seems to look down on Apollo and just dismiss him somehow. No matter that the guy just risked his very mortal neck to save everyone and did it all by himself and it's doing his best without his godly powers and in the body of a teenager, people seems to be mad at him and treat him poorly for no good reason. He doesn't even get a ‘thank you for saving our asses' and everyone seems more concerned with everybody else, except for him. I don't know if that's on purpose, so he feels like he's not as ‘godly' and revered as before and gets his ego down or something (in this process of humanizing him, I think), but IDK, it pissed me off a little that somehow he is to blame for everything and he's kind of alone in all this, except maybe for Meg. Nobody considers him a friend yet, I think, and that's kind of sad. But that's the only complaint I have about the book.

Another thing I really enjoyed here were some of the myths regarding Apollo that we see here, because it's an important background to the story. Also, more on minor gods and goddesses, as well as some information on the Emperors. I like how Riordan is always exploring the Greek mythology and the less known stories. AND, apparently, Rick is ready to explore other mythologies as well, since we get a character that's a demigod from an African mythology, Yoruba. Apollo not only acknowledge the fact that are other pantheon of gods, he also says they coexist. I'm hoping we can have a future series exploring these more unknown mythologies!

I'm pretty excited for the next book, because we're going to see familiar faces from the other series, and soon I'm hoping this one will entwine with the Magnus Chase series (it's hinted here about some of the events going on in Magnus Chase and Annabeth, in Hammer of Thor, hints about the loss of communication among the demigods). I can't wait to see where Riordan will take this!

“I don't like games, Georgiana.”“Which is why you need to play them, Andy.”

Since I needed a break from all my fantasy & YA books, I decided to grab this quick romance for an easy read. And I was positively surprised, as I ended up loving this! Walk of Shame is a kind of modern, adult retelling of Enchanted (yes, the Disney movie - which is our female protagonist favorite movie, btw, just to make the reference even more clear haha). The plot is simple, but I loved the characters banter, their chemistry and the nicely developed romance, as well as the characters growth. Georgie is fun and sunny and I loved her - it was nice to see her grown but never loose her shine. And I liked Andrew as well, but I couldn't connect as much with him as I did Georgie, maybe because his POV's were from third person and they were so few. There weren't many smexy scnes as I was expecting (since this should be a adult novel), but I found it wasn't needed - the couple of scenes in here were just right for the book. Overall a quick, cute book with a nice romance.

“Did they live happily ever after?HAHAHAHAHA. No.”

This book was hilarious. It brought the readers of Rick Riordan's books a version of some of the myths involving the main 12 Olympian gods...narrated by Percy himself! Obviously, hilarity would ensue. He tells the tales in his own way, which is full of snarky remarks and jokes, the way the readers of the main series (Percy Jackson & Heroes of Olympus) are used to. The book is a nice complement to all of Riordan's series involving the Greek Mythology, because it brings some facts about the gods that are helpful to understand the story as well as introduce some minor gods that make an appearance in the series (like Brirtomantis in Trials of Apollo - I had no idea who she was until reading Artemis' chapter in this). I'm glad Rick is publishing these ‘guides' to mythology (he did it for Magnus Chase & The Asgardians, The Kane Chronicles and their Egyptian Gods and obviously Percy Jackson & The Olympians). I so want to get my hands on The Greek Heroes version!

“My new world is etched in diamonds and sealed in gold, drowning in pretension.”

This book was such a disappointment. I love England's history, especially the Tudor era, and Anne Boleyn is one of my favorite historical figures. So obviously I was super excited for a modern adaptation of Anne Boleyn & Henry Tudor's story. Except that this was a cliché high school romance, where the golden boy, the school president and jockey falls for the rebellious, mysterious new girl none of his friends or family approve of. At first, it was addictive and I plowed through. Dawn Ius created a Henry who wanted more than what his family has set for him (follow into his father e older brother's steps) and an Anne who made justice for the original - sassy, rebellious, confident in her own skin and thoroughly unapologetic. But all that amazing political setting that Henry & Anne Boleyn's marriage caused was lost in all the high school clichés here, and Anne was ‘hated' simply because she rides a motorcycle and she came from poorer origins - meaning, she didn't ‘fit in' with Henry's crowd. And, to make things worse, the author managed at the end to ruin everything she had build for Henry's character from the first page, turning him into the complete opposite of what she set for him. I was confused and angry, and at the end of the book I was wondering why I lost my time with this book. It's not a book I would recommend, because it simply didn't work. If you like simple romances with a dash of drama and a whole lot of clichés, than maybe you should give it a chance and read it as an ordinary romance novel and not an adaptation. But for me, I'm moving on to better stuff.

“It is better to be taught to think critically than to be told on what to believe.”

This was such a slow and unnecessarily long book. Don't get me wrong, the story is good, I like the development of the characters (especially Eragon, although he has much to grow and mature yet) and I want to see how everything will play out, and I especially appreciate Paolini's writing development (comparing to book 1, this novel is WAY better written). But half of this consists on Eragon's training, describing every aspect of Ellesmera and the lives of the elves, and him pinning after Arya and her being pissed with him. I kid you not, that was about 200-300 pages of the entire thing. It dragged the pace down and I almost skimmed right through it. Roran's and Nasuada's chapters managed to make this in-between more interesting, but those were few and sparse. When finally the battle started, things picked up again and the plot twists at the end left me curious again, despite already knowing that it would happen (since this is a re-read for me). I hope book 3 will explain more stuff and allow us to see the preparations for the confrontation with Galbatorix. Also, I hope there won't be another 300 pages worth of ‘training' or things like that and that we'll finally get into the thick of things.

“A storm is coming. A great storm.”

I finally am excited again for this series! After Heir of Fire, I was not enjoying the path the series was taking with the story and the characters, and save for my love for these characters and this world, and the fact that I love Maas' writing, there wasn't much I liked about it. Then Queen of Shadows had me boiling with rage due to Aelin's bitchness and self-importance, self-righteous ass and the whole Rowaelin thing going on that doesn't work for me at all BUT there were some great stuff in that installment that finally got me interested again AND the ending was great. Which immediately led me to Empire of Shadows, by far the best book after the first two (still my favorites). It was action packed, full of amazing-ness, the cast of characters was well developed and there was some great interactions between them, I loved the dynamics and relationships. AND FINALLY THE WHOLE GANG IS TOGETHER AND UNITED AND I AM LIVING. Also, the end goal of the whole thing was revealed, the mythology of Erilea being really well developed. The big reveal sounded a little Harry Potter-ish (been there, done that) and I don't know if it will work here as well as in HP but it can lead to some very interesting possibilities of endings, and I hope Maas' will surprise us.

BUT, despite being very good and addictive, it was not a problem-free book. Again, Aelin was her bitchy, self-righteous, i-am-too-good self and the fact that she feels entitled to sit on the throne on Terrasen because of her heritage alone, with NO TRAINING on court rules or how to run a kingdom (since the last 10 or so years she was trained as a ruthless assassin) and threw a tantrum during the better first 200 pages of the book annoyed me to no end. She doesn't trust her companions enough to share her burdens, her plans (not even Rowan) and tries to do everything herself, diminishing her friends and ‘court'. It makes it feel like they are less friends and companions and more subjects, I think. Rowaelin was even more grating than usual BUT I have to say I'm finally liking Rowan a bit more. He shows in this book why he is considered such a powerful Fey, why he is feared. He is smart and good strategist and I liked his interactions with the Cadre, as well as Dorian. The scene were he tries to win his family to Aelin's side was so interesting, I wish we had this kind of development to his character earlier and a plot for him as a character that is separate from Aelin - he could be such a good character, but he's being wasted as her alpha-Fey male, that is only good for being an overprotective and horny watch dog and goes into a rage when another man so much as look at his girlfriend. I think that Rowan's lack of plot and character development is what makes me more contrary to the whole ship.

Also, the fact that all the men in this series can't spend 50 pages without going full territorial-asshole with the females and all the ‘masculinity' going around. Oh, and one of the things that set me off on a rant by the end of the book - AEDION BEING A MASSIVE IDIOT WITH LYSANDRA. WHAT WAS THAT? His reaction was blown so out of proportion given how he act during the entire book that it was shocking and weird. I wanted to slap him in the face. I do hope he get his tails between his legs to apologize immediately in the final book.

Overall, I am really happy with this book and I'm finally able to look forward to Tower of Dawn and the novel of one of my favorite characters in this series!

“Where do think the money went?" he repeated."Guns?" asked Jesper."Ships?" queried Inej."Bombs?" suggested Wylan."Political bribes?" offered Nina. They all looked at Matthias. "This is where you tell us how awful we are," she whispered.He shrugged. "They all seem like practical choices.”

Leigh Bardugo did it again. OMG, THIS BOOK. I couldn't put it down, I didn't want to put it down...it was just amazing. A perfect, fitting conclusion to this amazing duology. This second installment is more action packed, more full of surprises and unexpected twists than the first one and the rhythm is constantly up there - there's never a dull moment here. I love how mature our characters have become thorough SoC and how each of our Dregs grows here. Also, I absolutely love how they became more than a group of thieves and crooks, but a real family - they know each other so well, they mash together perfectly and act as one in the various heists and plans we see in this volume.

The tie in with the Grisha trilogy was awesome (yay Genya and Sturmhold and Zoyaa! My BABIES!), and I like how the cast of characters in this book was more diverse than in SoC. I liked how everyone ended up (with one exception, obviously...or two,if ‘m being honest), and though the ending was kind of left open to imagination, I like to think that (almost) everyone got their version of a happy ending. I'm sad to part with these characters and this world that Bardugo created since the Grisha trilogy.

An easy 5 stars to wrap up this amazing duology. Bravo, Leigh, bravo.

"Ten years of shadows, but no longer. Light up the darkness, Majesty."

This book was SO much better than Heir of Fire! Things are finally falling into place plotwise and we're finally seeing all the players in the game and what the real endgame is! Also, this installment was so intense! There was never a dull or ‘calm' moment here, because at all times there was danger and things to do and stuff going to hell. It was gutwretching and beautiful and there were so many roller coaster moments! SO MANY PLOT TWISTS AND OMG AELIN STOP TRYING TO GIVE ME A HEART ATTACK EVERY FEW PAGES! Seriously, I could not foresee what was coming in this book, the direction this story is taking and the secrets lying in Adarlan's and Erilea's stories. Everything we thought we knew from books 1 and 2 are now being twisted into new things and we're figuring out everything piece by piece along with Aelin, Dorian and their courts.

I absolutely loved the return of some characters (LYSANDRA, MY QUEEN!) and the introduction of others (hi Nesryn!), as well as the amazing character developments in this book. Our bbs have grown so much from book 1! I also loved how everything is tied up in Sarah's book, even her things that were not formally introduced in the main series - warning: if you haven't read “The Assassin's Blade” up intil this book, it's a good idea to do so before reading “Queen of Shadows”. It's not absolutely necessary, but it will make the understanding of some things that happen here easier to understand.

The other thing I love about this book was the relationships - especially the friendships. Manon and her Thirtheen, Chaol and Dorian, Aelin and Aedion, Aelin and Lysandra...they were so beautifully done and build, I think it's even better than the romantic couples. Speaking of which, a lot of those are building up in these books and I AM SO HERE FOR MANORIAN OK? Chaolena may have gone to s*, and I can't seriously stand behind Rowaelin, BUT MANORIAN IS PURE SASS AND MAGIC,OMG. Also I hint some LysandraxAedion and I like it a lot.

As for the negative points in this, I think Aelin's shitty and bitchy behavior during half of the book is the first thing that annoyed me to no end. She was so self-righteous, unnecessary cruel and unwilling to see through anyone else's POV except for hers that it was hard to like her. I honestly preferred to read Manon's, Chaol's and even Aedion's POV than hers. She eventually got herself together, but still. And Rowan. I came to like him a little more by the end of this, but he's a character I don't particularly care much about, so I'd prefer to read about other characters than him. And Rowaelin. Just no, guys. Sorry, I can't ship it. IT CAME OUT OF FREAKING NOWHERE AND NOW THEY ARE ALMOST DEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER, FOR GODS SAKES. I hope Empire of Shadows will focus on the other couples rather than just this super hyped drama going on between them (who am I kidding, I just want more Manorian).

Chaol remains one of my favorites, if not my favorite character (along with Manon and now Lysandra) because he's just so human. Out of all these mythical, magical and amazing characters, here we have this guy who has no powers other than his fighting and strategic skills (ones he obtained for himself, through hard work), who is trying to what he can for his country and his best friend and King with what he has - his loyalty, his heart. Yes, he makes mistakes, but he tries so hard to atone for them and he carries this unbearable guilt over so much. He realized how horrible the King he served was and the cruel things happening and is trying to fight back, at the cost of his honor (he is deemed a traitor to the kingdom he loves) and everything he ever build and fought for. And still he gets so much shit from Aelin and the ToG fandom, I just don't get it. It made me mad at all those things Aelin flung at him in this book with the sole purpose of hurting him, to make him feel worse about his past, to make him feel guiltier than he already did, to make him punish himself more - like he never loved her at all, or worse, like she never loved him or cared for him at all. I'm kind of glad he found Nesryn, because he deserves to be happy so much, and I can't wait to see what will happen in his novel, what kind of redemption he will get and I hope to gods that he will return to Andarlan the hero he is.

I'm excited to see where this series is going, and how the characters will get together (because that's where everything is leading). A solid 4 stars book, and finally on to Empire of Storms.

“I am tired of being used, hurt, and cast aside. It is my turn to use. My turn to hurt.”

I really really liked this book. It's been a while since I've wanted to start this trilogy, but only after I won Midnight Stars here on a GR giveaway that I bought the other two books and started the whole series. There aren't many books with a antihero character as the protagonists in YA literature and it's so refreshing. Adelina is a complex character, and we don't actually know what path she'll end up taking - if she'll become a villain, letting her dark side win and give in to the power-hunger and vengefulness, or if she'll let the few sparks of remaining light within her shine, like the love for her sister, wanting to protect the people, especially other malfettos. And even though sometimes the things she did or thought scared me a little, it made her character more interesting and I couldn't help but sympathize with her and her story and even want her to succeed.

Also, all the other characters here are in the morally gray area - no one is completely good or bad, so there are really no villains(ok, there is one and he's cruel AF, and sadistic and you want Adelina and the Elites to freacking end him, but even him has his motivations and you get him a little bit). Even the heroes have their own inner motives for ‘helping' and they don't extend their goodness to everybody, just a select few. There are some interesting twists, but not many were the ‘WTF IS HAPPENING HERE' kind - except maybe the final one because I was so not expecting that. I like the whole medieval Italy feel of the novel and how well developed this universe was and I can't wait to explore it more on the next books, especially since we'll have a new group of powerful people and new powers, some of them already hinted in this book. I'm excited to continue this!

"You're looking for a god. Didn't you suspect that there was also a devil?"

This book had a Gemma Doyle trilogy vibe to me, maybe because the magic and paranormal stuff, the villain being someone they knew and ‘trusted' or that had a history with other character. I think that's mainly why I liked it. Although everyone keeps going on about the plot twists in this series, there was only one that actually surprised me and I didn't guess right away, which disappointed me a little. Maybe the other books will be more “WOW, WTF JUST HAPPENED?”? Hopefully yes, because I like being taken by surprise.

Also, the male MC, Gansey, was not much. I couldn't make sense with his motives for searching Glendower and the ley lines and overall he's a pretty forgettable character. I much prefer Blue, who's a delight to read, and Adam (WHO IS MY BABY AND I WANT TO PROTECT AT ALL COSTS, I could relate and sympathize with him so much!), and even Ronan (I'm curious about his ‘mystery' - the whole deal with his brother and his father's death). Even though they are supposed to be the endgame couple, I can't feel much about GanseyxBlue. I don't feel the chemistry and the pull toward them. There's nothing there for me, at least in this book. I didn't feel the giddy feeling I get with couples, whenever they had scenes together or a moment as a pairing. AdamxBlue, on the other hand, made me so happy. They are so cute, and Adam trying to impress her with flowers was just UGH. Ok, so maybe Adam is my favorite character and I love him a lot, BUT BB IS SO PRECIOUS. I don't want to see this couple falling apart and Adam feeling second best and forgettable and loser again. I like the friendship between the boys, it was one of the strongest aspects of the book. Weird as their relationship is, they are always there for each other, always loyal and always willing to do anything to protect each other. The scene with Ronan, Adam and his dad was just so satisfying, because we don't seem Ronan and Adam interacting much or their friendship at all, but this moment made me realize that I want more on this particular relationship. And I just loved how Blue fitted perfectly with these Raven Boys and the she's as much part of their life now as Noah, like she's always been there.

The book ended on a mostly happy note, but I would have wanted it to address the consequence of Adam's actions, the consequences of his father and Ronan's fight and what happened with Neeve and what she did. There were a lot of questions unanswered that I hope we get more in the next books: more about the ley lines (there's something there besides Glendower, a darkness and maybe a demon? I'm so curious!), the other characters background (especially Ronan's), the mystery around Blue's father and more on Calla, Maura, Penelope and Orla, because the women of 300, Fox Street are amazing and funny. Overall, I really liked Stievfater's writing and this eerie feel that her book had. 4 stars.

"The two of us, we're the best kind of disaster."

This was a light, uncomplicated reading and a very straightfoward mystery, but I was hoping for more. Althought it was interesting to use Conan Doyle's stories as inspirations to the murders, each one representing a different Sherlock Holmes mystery, it was very simplistic and the murders took a backseat for Holmes & Watson's dramas. I couldn't get very interested in it because of that. And to be honest, the characters weren't much captivating. Yes, their dynamic was interesting, especially with the whole ‘family legacy' thing going on and the underlying romance tones to the story, but I hated how cliché the main characters were. I mean, despite the genderswap and the modern feel to the story, the personalities of our leads was exactly the same as their famous counterparts in almost every adaptation out there and I think I was hoping for something slightly different, especially after having read “The Daemoniac” last year. Watson even felt kind of washed up and boring to me in this book, idk. I was intrigued with the Moriarty's, though, especially August, and I think he will have a larger role to play in the next book, and his relationship with Charlotte, especially after what she did, is one of the reasons I want to read book 2. Overall,a nice little read, but not what I was expecting. I hope we see a more human part of Charlotte and the romantic tension between the two in the next book.

While I loved the first three books in this series, I was disappointed in this one. I don't like where the plot went here, and I think that everything that made me like the previous books was sorely missing here. Rose used to be one of my favorite characters,but since the ending of book 3, she just transformed into this selfish, self-serving and reckless bitch, and the fact that she spend the entire book pining for Dimitri just annoyed the hell out of me. I mean, she left her best friend unprotected, while she promised to always be there for her, and threw her entire future away on a whim to go on this crazy hunt to kill her ex-boyfriend turned Strigoi. The first part of the book dragged a lot, and only what was happening with Lissa, Christian and Adrian kept me interested. I like the whole high-school drama, and the workings of Moroi society as well as the Spirit related things. I actually liked the addition of the new characters, especially Abe and Sydney, and I want to see what role they will play in the last 2 books. As for Dimitri, he disturbed me and disgusted me all the times he was present here. The whole thing with Rose as his prisoner as just UGH. Not ok for me.

The ending managed to redeem a little of this book for me, so I am again interested about what will happen in the next book. I do hope the whole DimitrixRose drama will be toned down a little, especially after what happened with Adrian after she came back to St. Vladimir (which I LOVED! Adrian is my precious bb and needs to be protected and loved).
I debated on giving this 2.5 or 3 stars, but because of the ending I decided to be generous and give it a 3.

What is the worth of anything we do? The worth is in the act. Your worth halts when you surrender the will to change and experience life

This is actually a re-read, since I've read it when I was about 12,13 years old,but since I made it a mission to finally finish this series this year, I had to pick book 1 one up again because I could barely remember what happened during the first two books. I really like fantasy and am amazed at how much effort the author put into creating this new world, it's mythology and new language. Yes, it drinks from other famous fantasy novels , especially Tolkien (yes, Arya DOES sound exactly like Arwen from LOTR and the Ur'gals reminded me a lot the Orcs. No coincidence about it). That is no detriment to the book, which is interesting and managed to keep me reading even though about 1/3 through I remembered what happened, including stuff from book 2 that are very obvious even during this first installment. Again, I didn't found that to be a problem to be personally. The writing flows really well, even though I found it slow paced at times, especially the beginning. There were too many unimportant things thrown in the middle just to make the book bigger, and that slowed things a bit, and that's one of the things that dropped the rating for me. Also, you can see how inexperienced the writer was at the time - he was only 15 years old,after all - some paragraphs and lines of the main characters felt a little bit childish and odd to me, but I think that as the series progresses, this will stop being an issue. After finishing, I know why I liked these book so much when I was younger and why I wanted to finish the series. I found the characters engaging and intriguing and I want to see how theirs stories play out!

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

“That was what people did when they wanted to stop a girl from doing something—they shamed her.”

This book was just amazing. I was completely engrossed from the beginning and flew through the pages so fast that I was done in 3 days, even though the edition I have is big. Although the mystery within the book was a simple one, and everything was obvious (I guessed most of the twists from the beginning), it didn't hurt the book at all for me, because the highlight of this and the reason I couldn't put it done were the characters. Jo is my type of female lead - headstrong, brave, smart and cunning. She's a girl ahead of her time, fighting for injustices and what she believes is right - but at the same time, she's scared of this new world she ventured into and doesn't know how to conciliate her life as a society girl and her desire to be a writer and help solve her father's murder. She even manages to be extremely naive sometimes, about things outside her ‘bubble' and I found that so funny but it showed just how problematic society was in that time. This book covered some important issues as how society viewed women at that time (and still do in some ways to these days), feminism, carving your own path, injustice and prejudice. Jo is one of the few white privileged characters in YA literature (or literature in general) who actually becomes aware of her own privilege and actually do something about it, even though it's so little - defending a girl from one of the prostitution houses against a harsh and abusive client, trying to expose exploration of female workers, helping Fay, a pickpocket girl of the slums escape the Taylor and her fate. She goes ahead and uses her voice to shed a light on those issues. I loved her chemistry with Eddie, and their romance was so cute and right. They compliment each other well and I actually liked how they ended up. The ending shows that not everything is black and white and pretty perfect for everyone - you have to build your own future and carve your way to happiness (and happily ever after is not something given to you, you have to work for it every day).

I liked Donnelly's writing, it had a nice pace and flow to it, and I loved the atmosphere she created and how she made me feel like I was actually in the 1800's. I can't wait to read her Waterfire saga now, just to see how she builds these new characters and works with this new world. A surprising book and among one of the bests I read this year! I'm so happy to have picked it up! Thank you Andrea, for suggesting this to me a while ago!

“People like to talk about clean slates. But the only truly clean slate is a new one. The rest are gray from whatever's been written on them before.”

I got the ARC for this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, but after a hundred or so pages in the ARC expired so I had to wait till the book was actually out so I could continue on with it. It tells the story of two women, Emma (before) and Jane (after), both of them having lived through a traumatizing experience very recently and now looking after a fresh start. When they decide to move in to austere and strict One Folgate Street, a house with a mysterious and tragic past, and get involved with it's architect, Edward Monkfort, it may be exactly what they need. Except that not everything is as it seems and their lives will be changed forever.

This was an interesting book, because we are pulled along through most of it certain that we know what's going on and believing everything we've been told only to find out 2/3 in that NOTHING is as we thought it was. Since the book is told through 2 different POV's, we're used to rely on our MC's telling us the truth, since we see the events through their eyes and have access to their thoughts and feelings. Except when our MC is being fooled, there's no reason to doubt what's being told from their perspective. But our narrators are unreliable here, one more so than the other, and we realize at the end of the book that we've been played one way or another all along. There were other surprises through the book, even the mystery of who was ‘the girl before' - it's absolutely no one you will think of during the read and the actual answer makes sense once it's out there (you just never thought it up as a possibility until that moment). And while this made the book interesting and different and exciting, it is not to say that it doesn't have it's flaws.

Edward Monkfort was this uncomfortable character (he's super douchy, tbh), and I couldn't like him at all. His role in the entire thing was just to be creepy and sketchy and basically for you to suspect him at all times. Other than that, he's pretty forgetable (and he's supposed to be a main character, ugh). The pace was also something that I struggled with. It was interesting at the beginning, but after a 100 pages or so, the plot failed to move at all and it dragged for me until it finally picked up towards the end and it got me invested again. This is one of the reasons why it took me a while to finally finish it, and the book suffered from this.

Overall, it's a book I would recommend, mainly because I liked getting into these two women's head and the fact that I couldn't see the ending coming. 3 stars.

“Just like the good old days: marching together into the unknown, searching for missing magical weapons and risking painful death. I'd missed my buddies!”

The Hammer of Thor is the second book of the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard series and it picks up a few weeks after the Sword of Summer left off. I think this book is a kind of preparation of what is to come on the next books in the series, because this installment was just a series of minor quests, some background on characters that will definitely play a role in coming books, presenting new characters that will also be important later on as well as presenting the major plot that will set off Ragnarok. Although there was a ‘major' crisis to avert, like in all Riordan's books, this one didn't have that urgent feeling of impending doom we got from Sword of Summer, therefore it was a much slower book. It was still amazing, because I love all of Rick's books, his diverse and hilarious cast of characters is always so real and relatable, and his original way of spinning old myths is always entertaining. Also, in his later series (HoO, ToA and now Magnus Chase), representation is a big part of his characters, and it's done in a respectful and mindful way. Overall, although this novel is not as good as book 1, it's still so so good and fun and entertaining.

“I brought you here to tell you this: sometimes what we are searching for does not exist. We may sacrifice for it, even bleed for it, but it was never meant to be ours.”

Drown is a retelling of The Little Mermaid, but not the happy-musical Disney movie we know. This one is based of the original fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen and it manages to nod to both works without losing it's originality - it's darker and thought-provoking and it's super well done. The musicality of the writing, the way the characters are never referred by their names, only by their titles (the Little Mermaid, the Prince, the Sea King, the Eldest Mermaid, etc), gives the story that ancient fairytale feel, like it's being told by the fire as a cautionary tale for children. The writing is fluid, the story is gripping and it was such a quick read. There were many unexpected twists and I loved the ending, it reminded me a little of The Book Thief. It's not a happy ending, but it was fitting and perfect for this book. Also, I absolutely adored the reimagination of the mermaid lore, how the merfolk came to be and the Sea Witch's role. The idea that love is a disease, spreading like a virus, was interesting and scary at the same time. I'm so happy with this that now I want Esther Dalseno to write a retelling of every fairytale imaginable in this dark, lyrical writing of hers! I love me some fairytales retelling and this is one of the best.

”It has a name because it's important, and all important things have names.”

This was a funny, quick guide to Norse mythology, and it really helped me understand the main books better - since I don't know as much of Norse mythology as I do Greek & Roman, I actually had a bit of a hard time with the first book, I kept checking out information on Google. The tales and informations are twisted in that humorous and refreshing way that's Rick Riordan's trademark. I will probably read all of the guides from all of the series, because I would read anything he writes and that connects with the book series.

"EX UMBRA IN SOLEM - From shade to sunlight."

I liked the concept of the book, maybe not so much the execution. I have a thing for murder mysteries and creepy thrillers and this had some of both. The problem is, I couldn't connect much with the main characters, because I thought that Kenzie at times was too childish and naive, and Levi was just too meh for me, although he was supposed to be the bad boy and romantic interest and all that. Although at the beginning it really creeped me out to a point where I couldn't read this book alone at night, the more things were being uncovered, the more the feeling of imminent danger passed. The whole mystery got me intrigued, but the solution was not believable and seemed kind of a stretch - I just thought it was kind of absurd and was very disappointed. There wasn't much character development, at least for the MC's, and most of the characters felt flat and one-dimensioned. It was enjoayble and got me interested in the whole solution, but nothing surprising or amazing.