Natália

"It was because they were two parts of a whole. He did not belong to her. And she did not belong to him. It was never about belonging to someone. It was about belonging together."

Damn you, Renee Ahdieh. My heart is on the floor after this book. I had to give myself some time after finishing it to be able to write something somewhat coherent or else this entire review would be a mess of emotions and feels.

This is the final book in “The Wrath and the Dawn” duology and it picks up right where the first one left of - Shazi was taken to Omar's camp and it's left to deal with Tariq and her father, as well as her uncle and the sentiment of mistrust and betrayal around the camp - not to mention her own doubts and the feeling that she failed her best friend by falling in love with the man who killed her. Khalid is picking up the pieces of the storm and trying to rebuild the city, and is left to deal with the fact that Shazi is gone.

At the beginning, we see Shazi feeling kind of impotent, full of doubts and not her usual fiery self and that's a bit frustrating, but I think that was important for her character. She's out of her element, she's hurting and she's worried with too many things at the moment, so she needed to sort through her feelings first to then start doing something. But once she reverts back to the character we know and love, shit gets real. I love her training and figuring out how to work with her magic - it was nice to see that aspect of Sharzad, and it also provided us with hilarious scenes. Her interactions with Artan are gold and I like their friendship a lot. The scene with Shiva was beautiful and it had me tearing up a bit. And it was a nice Harry Potter reference as well (“Of course it's happening inside your head, but why on earth should that mean that it's not real?”) hahaha

And Khalid, my poor bb. We get his POV during this book, since he's away from Sharzad and we need to see what's happening back in Rey, so we can see how much he's suffering and struggling. Why people won't just leave him alone? Everyone is blaming him and fighting him like everything it's his fault, and he already blames himself too much - it makes him much more self-deprecating and it hurts my heart. But oh, when he sees Shazi again! And their scenes together, especially with magic carpet and the first scene. UGH. Like I said on other reviews, Renee's writing is so beautiful and fluid, it brings the characters alive and makes you feel for them and WITH them. And like I also said before, KhalidxShazi's scenes are special, they are always charged with this emotion that always makes me shiver and have goosebumps. In this book, though, his character development is astouding. At the end, we see him fighting for his happiness as much as for Shazi, we see him letting other see his passionate and kind side and it was so beautiful! As for Tariq...I liked him better by the end, but during most of the novel he was pushy and a jealous idiot, so I always wanted to slap him or have Shazi do it.

The secondary characters, especially the ones introduced in this book, shined and gave the novel a nice flavor, something else to crave for aside the two MCs and the main plotline. None of them was there by accident, they all had a role to play in the book for things to work the way they did and I found myself wanting more on some of them. I especially loved Ilsa, Sharzad's sister, and the role she had on this book, as well as her character development. It was interesting to see the contrast between the sisters and their relationship. The girl power feel at the end was another thing that had me in this book - it was the women who saved the day, in the end, they made the whole plot move and were the direct cause and solution to everything that happened and this was one of the greatest things about this series.

The rest of the book is a roller coaster, I laughed, I cried (yep, a few times), I squealed and I cursed. There were some things I saw coming a mile away and others that slapped me in the face and had my jaw on the floor. It was amazing, from page 1 to the last. It was one of the best books I've read this year, easy. That being said, I had some issues with some things in it. Like the curse. Am I the only one who thought it was broken way too easily? I mean, I know there were other things that they needed to worry about, but the main plot since book 1 has been the curse put upon Khalid that made him kill all those girls to protect the kingdom. And after they figured out the way to break it, they did with no consequences? No setbacks? I was expecting tears, a supernatural force out to get everyone, dark magic as well as a bigger role for Shazi's father in all of this. Speaking of dark magic, why introduce Artan's aunt and hint at her need for the book and it's ‘dark' past involving their family and then just leave it at that? We simply don't hear from her anymore and this plotline is never closed properly. I also wanted to see more magic. Yes, we see Shazi learning to control her powers, but we don't see them at work, not truly. I really wished we saw more of that. There's Omar too. I've been dying last book for some OmarxShazi interactions because it would have been very interesting and I think they would like each other a lot, but aside from the first dinner scene, they were not even in the same room once. That disappointed me greatly. But, despite these minor things, I gave the book the full rating, because it didn't diminished my great joy and pleasure in reading this novel. It may not be as perfect as the first one, but it's incredibly good and I'm a fan for life. Also, I'll be reading anything Renee Ahdieh writes from now on.

I'm sad this series is over, because I was captured by Khorasan's world from the first page of the first book and all it's characters, and I'm gonna miss it greatly.

“Cut the strings, Shazi. Fly.”

I went into this book with very high expectations - not only it was a Bluebeard retelling, and that dark, suspenseful atmosphere would make a very interesting book, but because I've seen very high praises for this novel here on GR. So I'm also very disappointed.

The first few chapters were interesting, we get to know the main characters and some other secondary ones of importance to the plot, we get to know the setting and kind of get introduced to the plot. And while we're getting to know Mounsier De Cressac and being momentarily charmed by him as much as Sophia, we also immediately get that he is not what it seems and that he has a final goal involving his goddaughter. Maybe it's because we can see thorough his words to get a glimpse of his temper, and the fact that he right away gives up his prejudice, his air of superiority and his desire to cage Sophia from the world. Naive Sophia obviously doesn't realize all that, enchanted as she is with her new guardian. But after this initial excitement, the books just stalls. Things failed to happen to move the plot along, it strayed too much from the plot a lot of times and the pace of the book it's sluggish during 2/3 of it. We get to see basically our MC's routine in Wyndriven Abbey and her relationship with it's inhabitants, speckled with some discoveries that helps to set the stage for the later events.

I don't know how I feel about Sophia. At first, I thought she would become one of my favorites - smart, driven, caring, ‘not here for your injustice crap', but she ended up too afraid to stand up for herself and the people she cared about when it came to it. Yes, she learned how to manipulate and aplacate her godfather, but I don't think I could stand a half of what she did in that place. I think I screamed at the book a few times for her to just pack her stuff and go, but she.freacking.stayed. Even when she realized who exactly Bernard was.

As for his character, the author really did a good job at making the reader despise him. I understand some of his actions as product of his time period and his upbringing, as a heir from a French rich family, living in place where slavery was still legal and it was the common sense that white people were superior, especially a white rich man. And yes, at the time the novel is set, women were bound to their protectors/fathers/husbands and were subjected to their will, but the obvious sexual advances he made on a 16 year old girl who was his charge and the daughter of a friend (AND HIS GODDAUGHTER) was just too much for me. I actually had to put the book down several times because I had to breath a little. It made me beyond uncomfortable.

Once the stage was set, though, the plot moved quickly (almost at the end of the book, but still), everything started to happen faster - with some filler chapters along the way, but less than before, and at the end everything was neatly thighten up. The supernatural elements of the story were a nice addition at times, but at others I felt is was a bit unnecessary.

I gave this 3.5 stars. I wanted to like it more, but I just couldn't. The slow pace, the filler chapters and the lack of plot for almost 2/3 of the book were off-putting and I put the book down a lot to read other things because I just wasn't into it and it made me really uncomfortable at times.

"The captain of the Royal Guard wants to impress a lowly handmaiden?"

“The Moth & the Flame” is one of the novellas in The Wrath and the Dawn series by Renee Ahdieh. This one is a little longer than the others (but still too short for my liking, because I adore Renee's writing and everything regarding this world) and it show us how Despina and Jalal first met, how their relationship developed and even gives us a little background on Despine, while still maintaining her motives a secret. That girl is hiding something big, which we'll only get to see in “The Rose and the Dagger”.

Renee is a very gifted writer, her words always seems to come out of the page and envolve the reader in such a way that we are lost in this world she creates. Her characters are alive and they feel very real. The writing is fluid and she always manages to makes us feel a myriad of emotions while reading her stories. I enjoyed reading about Despina and Jalal, because I really liked them both as characters in the first novel and was curious for their backstory. I though their story was cute and complex and interesting. It was nice to see them going to annoyance, to flirting to attraction and then to love, with all the teasing and jabs in between. The scene where Despine sits and holds Jalal when he's in despair is so powerful! The title of the novel fits them so well - both of them are like moths drawn to the flame, toward each other! I'm crossing my finger for a happy ending for them, despite knowing that they'll have a bumpy road ahead of them - with the pregnancy, Jalal's fame of being a womanizer and everything that happened at the end of book 1.

After Netgalley provided me with a copy of the second novel of this series, I just had to start it. In this first novel, we meet Elizabeth Grey, an orphan who grew up in this medieval kingdom where magic is outlawed after a plague started by the king's former adviser, trained by the most powerful man in the kingdom as part of his elite guard - the Witch Hunters. One day, though, she is accused of being a witch herself and sentenced to death by the same man who took her in and trained her. She is saved by the man she considers her worst enemy, the same sorcerer who allegedly started the plague and got magic to be banished, the powerful Nicholas Perevil, and his supporters, because he thinks she is the girl from the prophecy destined to save his life. Except - Nicholas doesn't know she's a Witch Hunter. Now, she'll have to work with the very people she hunts to stay alive. Through the novel, Elizabeth realizes that not everything she thought she knew was the truth and that maybe her worst enemies are not the people she thought they were.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I actually flied through it, and before I knew it, I was finished. The world building was very well done, although not overly complex or super elaborated. It was simple to understand the rules of this world and to get into it fast. The writing had a nice flow and managed to get me engaged - thanks mostly to how amusing our main character is. I loved Elizabeth. She's sarcastic, badass, clever and one of the things that made me like her even more- she was willing to listen and to open her mind to new information. Once she realized that what she thought she knew wasn't exactly what was happening, that the sorcerers were telling her the truth, she gave them a chance and started to really pay attention, despite being trained all of her life to hunt and kill them. She had the mind to see through the blind obedience of her training and hear the other side, weight with what she knew already and what she actually saw and decide for herself. She didn't just switched sides at the get go - she actually remained mistrustful at first and even after some events, she still acted cautiously and her trust was earned through the book. She was a very real and believable character.

As for the main romance, I though it was well developed and well built. Not insta-love, but it wasn't a slow burn either. I think I would have liked to see more of the consequences of John finding out about Elizabeth being a Witch Hunter - I though he was too accepting and too cool with it, after everything his family went through. I expected at least some explosion, a fight between them, him giving her the cold shoulder for a while before they made up or something. It was almost too easy. And John, while cute, sweet and caring, also lacked a but of fire for me. I liked him, but there were more interesting male characters in the book. Maybe after reading his novella I can understand him a bit better, or see what he does in the next book.

This book was overall very fast paced, with almost never a slow moment. It also got points by showing Elizabeth's struggle with her situation and everything that was going on, and still managing to maintain the book's flow. There were some plot twists along the way that got me by surprised, others I saw coming, but it mostly intrigued me and even the ending got me excited to pick up the next book. There were some things left to explain that I hope will be broached in book 2. I also want more background on some of the characters, or generally more on some characters. I would also like to see some more magic, spells and prophecies. For a book about witches, wizards and magic, the magic part was kind of lacking sometimes.

A 4 stars book for me!

"Do not fear what the setting sun may bring. Where there is a setting sun, there is also a rising one."

WHY ARE THESE DAMN NOVELLAS TOO SHORT? They are SO GOOD. But these one has only 9 pages, 9.FREACKING.PAGES. WHY?

The Crown & the Arrow is the wedding scene we see from The Wrath & the Dawn from Khalid's POV. I'm really hoping that we get more of Khalid's POV in the final book, because his POV's are so interesting! It gives so much more insight into his character - how much he hates himself for what he's done and is doing, how he thinks he's not worth of love and respect, that he is a monster. His love for Shaerzad and how impressed and stunned by her he was from the beginning. UGH, I just want to hug him and never let go, bb has suffered so much and carries so much on his shoulders!

Also, Renee's writing shines again. It's amazing how much care she puts into this two characters. Her writing is naturally beautiful, but when she writes a KhalidxShazi scene, I can feel the electricity between them. It's different than with the other characters, it's a special feel reserved for their scenes only. And from Khalid's POV it made more of an impact, maybe because we get to see his thoughts right before the wedding and his first time seeing Shaerzad. UGH.PERFECT.

5 stars- I couldn't rate it any other way.

>ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.<

What first started as a mystery novel, soon turned into a very good paranormal mystery, maybe not so rich with symbolisms and clever clues scattered through the book, but I liked how the author wove the story of The Ripper through this novel, even though we'll only get to see it more in the next book, along with actual facts. I was actually itching for a good Paranormal mystery for a while and this gave me a very nice “The Diviners” feel and it left me at times a little chilled and creeped out. The early 1900's New York kind of dark setting also helped a lot to give that creepy feeling to this novel after the supernatural elements came into play.

While I guessed the real culprit early on, I never could guess how it was done and the final scenes held some surprises, as well as a nice bridge to the next novel. There were some loose ends that didn't get an explanation in this book, but since it's the first in a series, I hope the next one will bring answers.

The best thing in the book though were the characters. They were all interesting and very likable, you find yourself caring for them after the first few chapters. Their personalities are very different but they all flesh out nicely, it really feels as if they could come out of the page at any second. And since it's a POV, it felt like Harry was actually talking to me at times. Speaking of Harry, I absolutely loved her. She's fierce, she's brave, she has a very no-nonsense attitude, she's clever and witty, she's snarky and she doesn't let the fact that she is a woman, a very young one at that, in a man's world and that she have to fight her way through society to get things done. She actually recognize that society is extremely sexist and sometimes she uses it in her favor and as part of her strategy to gather information or go after a lead. She's so strong and even though she questions herself sometimes and admits she makes mistakes, that only makes her more relatable and more human.

I also liked the idea that Sherlock Holmes was actually based on a female detective, in this book at least. I hope to see more allusions to the famous detective stories in the next novels, or more of Arthur Conan Doyle. I hope he plays a larger role in this series! I'm also really excited to see how this ‘partnership' with James Moriarty Moran will play out in the next books and the toll it will take on the Pell sisters.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and I'll definitely continue with the series! 4 stars.

What is the best way to punish a god, especially one as narcissistic and pretentious as Apollo? Well, you turn him into a mortal boy named Lester Papadopolous, bind him to an impulse 12-year old girl and set him on a quest to reclaim the Oracle of Delphi to regain his immortality and his godly status, of course!

Rick Riordan keeps surprising me. When I think he can't possibly write more about the Percy Jackson universe, he comes with this awesome book. I love just how diverse Riordan's characters are and how he can tie up all his stories, from the first Percy Jackson series to even his latest one, Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard. I also enjoyed that, while we were used to seeing sons and daughters of major gods, like Zeus, Athena, Hades, Poseidon, Ares, Heaphestus, Aphrodite and even Artemis huntresses being the main characters in the other series, in this one, Demeter, Nike, Hebe and Apollo's children were in the spotlight. I hope that trend will be in all the 5 books of the series. Hopefully, I'll get my wish of seeing a redemption arc of the children of Hermes and they'll get a major role in this quest. The Stoll brothers had somewhat of a important role in Heroes of Olympus, but still. The character development in the book was also amazing, Apollo actually goes through a lot and by the end of the book he is a much more likable character (not that he wasn't from the beginning, you can't help but love him from the get go, but he is much more focused and rational and less pretentious).

This book was super funny and I caught myself laughing out loud at times, especially at the haikus that served as chapter titles. The ending had me excited for book 2, especially with the especial appearances and the quest that will follow in the next book. An easy 5 stars.

Across a Star-Swept Sea is the second novel in the For Darkness Shows The Stars series, and it's also a retelling. I've never read the book it was based on, so I can't comment much on how truthful it is to the original material, but I can say that I absolutely LOVED this book, even more than the first one.

The author managed to stay in the same universe she created in the previous novel, only with a very different feel to it and a set of very compelling characters. They are all captivating and interesting, even the secondary ones, and again, all of them are there for a reason, not only to further the MC's plotline. I got more engaged in the story, that was more action-packed and fast paced than the previous novel and thus more of a page-turner. I also got more invested in the romance, because Justen is a much more likable guy than Kai was and his motivations were clear in the book. I didn't hurt that we were able to follow his POV in the book as well as Persis. AND, even though it's super cliché, I have a thing for the ‘pretending to date and the falling in love for real' troupe, and in this book, due to Persis' secret, it was even more fun.

Persis was my favorite character in the novel. I liked her even more than I did Elliot in book 1. I mean, the girl is 16 and she is using everything she's got to help not only her country and her best friend, but also people she never met before and fighting injustice for everyone, regs and aristos alike. She's clever, brave, fearless,loyal and badass.

The only thing that I didn't actually liked in the book was the fact that, although the major villain was Citizen Aldred, we barely got a glimpse of him. He was not the terrifying presence I thought, like President Snow in The Hunger Games, or Queen Levana in The Lunar Chronicles. He was just looming, and not doing much. Vania as a villain was more real. Also, I thought the ending was too abrupt. Yes, Percy's days as the Poppy were over, but the revolution was not. Things didn't reach a proper ending, we didn't see if the revolution was over, if things were better in Galatea or if things were at peace in New Albion and Isla would finally rule. It left a lot of loose ends, but I don't think I would downgrade the book because of it. I would have liked an epilogue or even a short story or novella set in a few months from the ending to see what has become of the characters. Still, amazing book and amazing series. I'm so happy to have finally finished it! It was such a good surprise to enter this world and I think I may revisit Persis, Elliot and Post-Reduction Earth in the future.

5 stars.

This is the second novella in the ‘The Darkness Shows The Stars' series. We get to see the events that led Persis Blake to become the famous spy, the Wild Poppy. While I love Persis as a character and enjoyed reading this novella, I think it would be better to read about what happened after ‘Across A Star-Swept Sea' and tie the loose ends left at the end of that book.
During the novel we get to understand why Persis decided to become the Poppy and while we don't get to read the actual events and her first mission, we do get a little glimpse of it. I don't think it was necessary to give more to that story. Even Justen's POV of the event is present in the main novel, so there was no need to write it in a novella.

Still, we get more Percy, so that's always good.

Actual rating: 4.5 stars.

This book was a very pleasant surprise to me. I came into it expecting a cute romance and while I still got that, it was so much more! It was a really well thought world, with interesting and well-constructed characters, an engaging plot and, yes, a nice romance to top it off. It was written as a retelling of Persuasion, by Jane Austen. Despite being set in a post-apocalyptic world, the feel is that of a country state of Jane Austen's England. There are nods to the original work, and even though it follows the plot of the book, the new elements the author brought in, the personality of the characters in itself and the story as a whole is fresh and engaging. One of the things I liked the most was the fact that all of the characters in the novel had a purpose, not simply to further the MCs storyline, but with a plot and background of their own. Obviously, it doesn't that much characters, but those presente are there for the entire book.

I absolutely loved Elliot. I mean, what this girl had to go through, and the entire time she always did what was right and what she could to protect the people she loved, while sacrificing her happiness and her chance at freedom for the greater good. And she had to suffer a lot, with a snobby and self-absorbed sister and a controlling father. I think that, even though I know that Kai was upset with her (for a very idiotic reason), but the fact that he conscientiously tried to hurt Elliot and stomp on her, dismissing her as another elitist Luddite, during most of the book upset me a lot. Their fights tore at my heart, because all I wanted was for Elliot to be happy. The ending and the letter got me smiling like a fool. I also loved the little introductions in the form of Elliot and Kai's letter for each other when they were kids for each past event that required kind of a flashback or a explanation, it helped to understand the situations with more ease.

The dilemmas and moral debates in the book, as well as the criticism of technology and human genetics, enhancements and all that was super interesting and was well written into the book. It made me think about a lot of what was discussed.

The only reason it's not a 5 star book was because I thought that the reason that Kai and Elliot were fighting was kind of stupid and unreasonable on Kai's part, especially because of what he defends the entire book. Still, this series was a nice surprise, a quick and enjoyable read.

I'm a fan of historical fiction, and I like Phillipa Gregory's writing, and while I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel and the story of Elizabeth Woodville, this second installmente failed to capture me as much as the last one did. It took me more than a 300- or so pages book should've and I had to put it down several times, and pick up other books just to get a break from Margaret Stanley's story - I think I've finished 4 or 5 books while reading The Red Queen.

I think this has to do with Margaret herself, though, and the way her character was written. She doesn't warrant any sympathy, although I did pitied her for a while for what she went through in her childhood, for the cruel and loveless family she had, but if I had to read her saying one more time that she had saint's knees from childhood, that she has God's year, that she was blessed and would be My Lady, the King's mother, and would sign her name Margaret R, I would flung the book out the window, because honestly.

Her sense of self-importance, her righteousness and thinking herself above others is irritating and she herself sounded a lot of times like a spoiled child. The hatred she harbored for Elizabeth Woodville had nothing to do with the fact that God wanted Margaret to triumph, that the White Queen was a witch and all to do with her jealousy and pettiness. Lady Stanley was not a holy woman, she was a jealous, pretentious bitch. I'm still sore about the fact that she ended up winning anyway and ending up exactly where she always wanted. Anyway, I'll looking forward to The Lady of The Rivers, which I think will be much more engaging, because Jaquetta Rivers is a very interesting character.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

This novella takes place after Kai ran away from the North state, leaving Elliot and the life he always knew behind. It tells a little of what happened with him in the 4 years he's been away and how he came to meet the Innovations and become a part of the Cloud Fleet. It was nice to follow Kai's POV for a while, I was always wondering what he was thinking during For Darkness Shows the Stars and what he was feeling, and I got at least a brief glimpse here. I still think he was a bit unreasonable with Elliot, but I can understand his desire to go away and be free. He went through a lot after the escape the North State.

The only thing I felt was a little bit unresolved for me was his two friends, Cleopatra and his little brother, Napoleon, the ones he was teaching how to read and write. Are they supposed to be Andromeda and her brother in the past? That's how they met and the siblings ended up in the Cloud Fleet? Because I thought the story of these two siblings in this novella resembled the siblings in the main novel, especially when Kai mentions that Cleopatra told him about her original state and how bad it was there and we know for a fact that Andromeda and her brother escaped their state very young because of all the violence and abuse they suffered. I like to think that it was indeed them in this novel and that's why Andromeda is so protective of Kai - because he was the one to actually save them, by helping them and after through the Innovations, getting them on Cloud Fleet.

Nice novella to add to this world Diana Peterfruend created!

While the first book got me hooked right away, although not being exactly what I expected when I first started it, I have to say this second novel was kind of a let down. It just wasn't as good as book 1, the beginning was a little slow and it wasn't as engaging. Yes, when the action picked up and more about the peculiar world was slowly being revealed, it got immensely better, but still not as fascinating. The big reveal at the end was VERY shocking though, and I was like “wtf is happening right now” and that got me looking forward for the final book.
Enoch is cruel and a true idiot, so I'm glad he probably won't be in the last book as much. Unfortunately, a lot of very interesting characters won't be either, so that is a bummer.

I found the beginning a little slow, it took me a while to understand the world building (I only fully grasped what was really going on by almost half of it. But, when the pace picked up, I just couldn't put the book down. There were many twists and turns and I was surprised by most of them, it was very clever and well thought. Some of them broke my heart and the last one had me almost dropping my Kindle.

I felt really sorry for Nym, though, she's always losing people and she has suffered a lot. I get why she's always angry and afraid of letting people in, but when she did let Eogan, Colin and his sister, their friendship and relationships lightened her up and her character development finally started. Her relationship with her powers and what she did with them was very well written, I loved how she learned to embrace them by the end of the book and see that she could do good things with it after all the loss and destruction - that all she really needed was to learn control. The fear and hate to hope and finally acceptance was constructed really well and it was nice to see.

The poor Siren can never catch a break, though! When things are too nice and good, you know something terrible is about to happen, because when I was excited about some things in the book, BAM, people were dying, things were exploding and twists I never saw coming pulled the rug out from under me. And THAT ENDING. WHAT.WAS.THAT. I'm still not okay. I really need the next installment to see what Nym will do, how she will face what's coming and how she will deal with the final events of this first novel.

A 3.5 star only because the plot was somewhat lacking at the beginning and it took me a while to get into the book and the world, as well as for the pace at the first 1/3. A nice fantasy book series with good writing and engaging characters!

I actually finished this book in 2 days. That's how good and exciting this book is. I've never read anything from Victoria Shwab before, even though I own A Darker Shade of Magic and I think I have Vicious as well, but if any of them are this good, I'll pick it up immediately.

I loved the writing, it flowed really well and it managed to create a picture of what was happening. The description of August playing was beautiful. Everything about this book was well thought, from the division into Verses, like a song, to the black tallies marking the chapters, to a great world building, the introduction of the characters and the plot in the beginning only to pick up the pace right after, softening at the eulogy and ending with a bang in the last couple pages, like a true melody. There were not many twists, at least not really unpredictable ones, but I think it was not really necessary. Even though as a reader I guessed what was going on and who was behind everything, the book was interesting in its own, so it didn't bothered me. The only thing I actually never saw coming was the final pages of the Eulogy, that I think was a very good setup for what's to come in the second novel.

I enjoyed so much the idea of monsters out in the dark to get you, and how the novel showed that, despite the fact that there are actual monsters roaming the streets, some humans can be more monstrous than them. And the fact that Victoria Shwab created a kind of monster to balance things out - despite being created from the most horrible crimes, they still feed only on people so bad they actually created more monsters, and their powers rely on a beautiful thing like music. They are the lightness in the dark, and when I finished the book, my mind went straight to a Teen Wolf quote: “Not all monsters do monstrous things.”

Kate and August were soo good as MCs! They complemented each other well and were interesting on their own. I like how the author made them the opposite of what we would expect: August, although being the monster, seems more fragile and quiet and human, while Kate is more fiery, more brash and unafraid. They make a good pair, and even though there was no clear romance in the book, there was a companionship and a deep friendship between them, and I would have no problem with them being involved.

I think the only thing I wanted a little bit more was to get to explore Ilsa's character and her powers. She always seems to know more than everyone what's going on in Verity, and I think (and hope) this will be important in the second book. I also wanted to know more about the other territories. We get a brief glimpse of them in this book, but because of the events at the end of book 1, I also hope we'll be getting more into them in the next installment. I can't wait to get my hands on it and know what will happen with August, Kate and Verity!

I absolutely loved this book. I have a thing for history, especially great kings and queens, and this retelling of Catherine The Great was just what I needed after Omega. It was at times a bit cliché, but the book gripped me from start to finish. I loved Sophie's strong personality, her quick wit and her ability to rise above even when things were going to hell. She kept her head, had clever solutions for her dilemmas and was a true queen from the start. I felt super sorry for her for what she had to go through in this book and what she most certainly will have to go through in the next installments, but man this girl is strong! No wonder she was one of the great Empresses of the Russian Empire!

The fact that, at the end of every chapter, there would be a link to a bonus content video, with bits of info about the real Catherine, and how the author though to interwoven the facts with her fiction in this book, was just genious! It made the reading experience even better, even though it slowed my reading a bit, because I wanted to move on and see what happened in the next chapter, especially if the previous one ended in a cliffhanger, but I also wanted to watch the bonus content from that chapter, because the information there would add to the experience as well.

The art for the book was also so gorgeous! From cover to the graphic details at the beginning of every chapter. It was a pleasure to plow through the pages of this bb! Amazing read and I can't wait to get my hands on the next book of the trilogy!

Thank you NetGalley, for providing me a copy of this book!

I came into Omega super excited, because I LOVE ME some Greek mythology and the idea of a story focusing on the Oracle of Delphi and it's tale, set in the modern world where the gods are warring against each other for dominance and the Triumvirate, their representatives on Earth, are tangled into political plots against each other was something that immediately grabbed my attention. Unfortunately, this book fell completely short. While other books succeed in blending the traditional myths with their plot and their own world, Omega only took the idea of gods and threw the rest away. There were so many possibilities here! So many things to enrich this book! I think I could have survived this disappointment, though, because still the plot seemed interesting in the first two chapters....and then it all went to hell thanks to bad writing, cut out sentences, a completely one-dimensional MC and main love interest, as well as a very plain and uninteresting romance, so many convoluted political plots it was hard to follow and next to none character development, too many characters and almost none of them developed to keep the reader interested in them - or only enough information dump to leave you wondering if it's worth to continue just know if this or that character has a hidden agenda, a past that could explain their actions or if they are just assholes. The world building is also very, very lazy. I had a hard time following what was happening at first, especially because Lissa was stuck in a forest for almost all her life and knew as much about the outside as the reader did, so that complicated the understanding of how this universe worked even more.

Now, let's talk about Alessandra. This girl is bipolar, SERIOUSLY. I mean, one minute she's jealous of the nymphys and complaining about the boys they steal from her, the next she's thinking herself superior over them. One second she's angry with Herakles, THE VERY NEXT LINE SHE FORGIVES HIM. She says she don't trust anyone, BUT SHE LITERALLY TRUSTS EVERY FREAKING PERSON THAT SAYS TWO WORDS TO HER. Because, according to her, they all seem too convincing and have a way with words. WHAT.THE.HELL. Also, the girl learns that she is the Oracle from the prophecies, she's so powerful that all the gods, the Triumvirate and the underground resistance is looking for her to use her for their own gain and is told from the people that kept her safe her entire life that she needs to run and hide. What does she do? SHE WALKS THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR OF THE GOVERNMENT BUILDING. SHE SIMPLY WALKS IN! It felt like if Frodo decided to knock into Mordor's gates and offer the One Ring to Sauron! facepalm

The only reason this book is not a 1 star book is because some of the secondary characters have nice secret backstories and the book also ended with some things hanging, and I'm curious to find what how they'll sort themselves out. Also, Theodocia and Phoibe. They are good, I like them! Probably will read Omega Beginnings just to know Phoibe's and Docia's backstories, as well as Niko and Lantos. I'm kinda curious about some stuff that were mentioned in Omega but weren't fully answered and it seems to lead to these novellas. AND, since I have this terrible OCD of leaving things unfinished, I'll read the rest of the series. I hate that I can't just leave it be! UGH.

THIS BOOK. I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO EXPLAIN HOW MUCH I LOVED IT AND HOW MUCH EVERY GIRL IN THIS PLANET SHOULD READ THIS AMAZING PIECE OF WRITING. Seriously. My feels are all over the place. I've been wanting to read this book ever since I got on GR, pratically, but it was only available in Australia. THANKFULLY, a good friend of mine went there for vacation with her parents and she gave me the book as a gift when she got back (I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, LAVI!). My friends are awesome, I know. And, obviously, I started it right away.

It got me hooked from the very first word. Shirley Marr's writing is fluid and she manages to make you tense and on the edge of your sit the entire book, while she slowly uncovers the mystery of what happened to get 3 teenage girls to a police station and one of them confessing to murder. That's how the book starts. We get to meet our MC, Eliza Boans, a rich, priviledged mean girl from East Rivermoore, the exclusive neighborhood for the aussie elite. But if you think Eliza is the typical mean girl from YA contemporary books or if you think this is your typical YA book, THINK AGAIN. Eliza doesn't hide from anyone the fact that she is spoiled, mean and bitch, and while we get to understand why she's that way through the book, she doesn't try to make herself the victim at any moment. She doesn't try to earn your pity, or anyone else's for the matter, and she's not sorry for who she is and what she did. Her sarcasm, intelligence, dark humor and no-nonsense attitude and the fact that she doesn't sugarcoat things or is fake with anyone won me over completely. She is by far one of my favorite MCs in YA literature, especially contemporary YA.

I LOVED her relationship with her best friends, Lexi and Marianne, and the sorority and tight friendship between them, even though they have their differences, especially Mari and Eliza. Their relationship, as well as Eliza's relationship with Neil (MY POOR HEART), was one of my favorite things about this book.

Also, the way Marr interwoven the myth of The Furies with the story and serious themes like victim's blame, sexism, male priviledge and others was so so good! To have a YA book, told through the POV of a teenage girl, that talks about those issues in a real and believable way, without sugarcoating anything but also in a way that's understandable it's so important. I was, during certain scenes, absolutely furious (pun intended) about what was happening and most importantly, that it was something totally worth of happening in real life. Hell, it's something that happens FREQUENTLY. And by the end of the book, you'll want to help the three Furys yourself.

The ending of the book left me in pieces but at the same time wanting more. I wanted to follow Eliza, Lexi and Marianne a little bit longer, see how they were after everything. I felt I needed an epilogue, but I can see why the author chose not to give us one and it didn't take anything away from the true beauty that is this book. If you have a chance, GO READ THIS NOW. Seriously. Go.

This book reminded me of Dare Me, by Megan Abbot, even though they are entirely different. I think it's because I felt the same way I did while reading Dare Me, that tension, that uneasiness, the dread of what was coming, but the need to know what happens next and not wanting to put the book down. I kinda like these kinds of books, I think.

5 furious stars. Eliza and her friends will be on my mind for a long while.

I just finished this book and I'm kind of undecided about it. I liked it, but it was confusing at times, Bernadette was a super crazed and complicated character to relate or sympathize with and, besides Bee, pretty much every other character on this novel was just detestable. I absolutely hated Elgin and everything he did, and I think he ended up pretty good after everything, with was one of the things that took a good star out of my rating, because SERIOUSLY. Also, Soo-Lin. Just no. Audrey redeemed herself in the end, and I even ended up kind of liking her and laughing with her, but for most of the novel I just wanted to throw my Kindle out the window every time the character uttered a word. In the end, though, everything turned out a little silly, but funny too, so I ended up enjoying the reading and I decided to give it a 3 stars.

I was a little afraid to pick up this book because, although I loved the movie, I've seen a lot of comments where people DNF the novel because it was boring and they couldn't finish it. As I progressed through the book, I found myself sucked right in, the writing flows just beautifully, I got surprisingly attached to the characters and also how certain themes were explored, and even how the narrator would pull us back and forth through time and places to give the reader a full understanding of the context of the time and certain characters. The only thing I though that took a star off the rating for me was how unnecessary I felt some of those chapters - there was too much information that slowed the pace of the novel and I think it could be taken out without any prejudice to the story. But still, at the end I found myself thinking a lot about the story, the time period and other things and this book will stick with me for a while. I'll probably rewatch the movie because the book made me want to see the story unfold again - that's how much I liked this.

Actual rating: 3.5 stars

When I picked up this book, I was so excited! My first Neil Gaiman! I absolutely love the movie version, it's a cute and funny fairytale, the kind of movie that everytime it's on TV you have to stop and watch because it always makes you smile. But, although the plot is pretty much the same, the book is a totally different entity from the movie, First of all, obviously there's lots of things that are in the book and didn't make it to the movie (including some scenes I really wanted to see in the screen) and vice-versa - additions to the movie version that didn't exist in the book (and where really awesome additions, btw). Secondly, the book is still a fairytale, but way darker, more explicit and more violent, so forget the cute and funny part. Still, it was a nice, short read. Neil Gaiman's writing is just beautiful and the reading just flows nicely. The ending was completely rushed and it lacked the action that the movie managed to create by ending things the same but slightly different. The book ending was very unsatisfying. Also, I didn't like Tristan's mother as much, she was a little too much conceited and a little bit arrogant. Still, I'll definitely be reading more from Mr. Gaiman.

I didn't expect to like this book as much as I did. Yeah, I was expecting a fun, cute, light read after the rollercoaster that was “Heir of Fire”, and although I'm not a fan of coming of age stories, because they Always seem too Lifetime movies for me, this one was so so good! Why? Because it felt real. Not some cute, perfect, movie-like story, but something that could have happened with anyone. All the characters were relatable, and likable (except for Sam, but he's not that much in the story, so it's fine) and I could see 15/16 year-old me in a lot of their actions. I love how Emily's character developed through the book, the relationships forged and how it was done by conquering her fears one at a time. Sloane and Emily's friendship was present during the entire book, even though Sloane wasn't in, like, 95% of it, except for flashbacks. You can see that Sloane knows Emily very very well and loves her a lot and as a departing gift wanted her best friend to be better, have a life not having to depend on others as a crutch to do things and to live as fully as possible, shining on her own – all the itens on the list are carefully connected to some incident when Emily didn't do something because she was scared, that we can see through the flashbacks.

I also loved Emily and Frank's relationship, how it grew from friendship to something else, slow and right and super cute! And I LOVED that cheating was actually na issue here, and the characters were called on it, and nobody was ok with it happening because “they were in love”, like in most YA books, when the male or female lead has a girlfriend/boyfriend that doesn't give them enough attention, or aren't working anymore, or they are terrible people and then the MC falls for someone else and they end up together despite the boyfriend/girlfriend and everybody seems to be cool with it because they are in love, and they are meant for each other and stuff, as if there is a valid excuse for cheating. In this book, though, both Emily and Frank feels bad, their friends call Emily on it, and Frank actually break up with his GF BEFORE starting something with Emily.

This is my first Morgan Matson book, but I don't think it will be the last, if her other books are anything like this one!

This is more a 4.5 stars than a 4 stars, but since GR doesn't allow half stars, I had to downgrade this book, which pains me, because it's the only SJM book to ever receive a rating that wasn't 5 stars. The only reason though it's the fact that I wasn't as gripped at the beginning of this novel as I was by CoM, ToG and the ACOTAR series books. I don't know exactly why, but the first part of this book was slow and I found myself putting it down several times. I couldn't connect with Rowan in the beginning and was too put off by Cealena's grief and her spiral towards despair and self-hatred, as well as Dorian and Chaol's estrangement. I do think it was well done and well handled, but idk, after where Crown of Midnight left us, I wasn't expecting everything to so slow at the beginning of Heir of Fire. Still, when things picked up, it was glorious like all novels from SJM series. I always love the slowly built secrets and pieces of lore about Erilea, the plot as a whole and how every POV, from every part of the continent, fits together. And the new characters are always good additions, bringing freshness and being woven into the story very well.

Despite liking Rowan a lot better now, I still don't ship Rowanlin/Rowanlena. I can't see them as a couple, despite all the parallels between them and Feysand (the whole ‘a court to change the world' reminded me A LOT of the court of dreams from ACOMAF) and I can see they are heading towards a mating bond and all that, but I still think that Rowanlena are better as best friends, and fighting buddies and the whole queen/guard feel than a ship. It's the same thing I get from Aelin/Aedion, a devoted relationship from friends/family/protector-protegeé kind of vibe. My Chaolena feels was punched in the gut several times during HoF and it fizzled out completely. I understand that they needed each other for a while, and it was beautiful in the first two books, but they are not in the same place now and their needs have changed. Both of them moved on, and are sorting their priorities - Aelin to be the Queen her people deserve, Chaol to help his kingdom and his King and best friend. I hope that, when they meet again in QoS, they'll be okay with each other.

MY POOR BB DORIAN, WHY DO YOU HAVE TO SUFFER SO MUCH? Stop hurting my bb boy, he's been through so much already! Also, I love his and Chaol's relationshio, even though they spent half the book trying to repair it. But in the end, they love each other so much! They are truly soul brothers and it warms my heart. BUT THAT ENDING THOUGH. I just knew that, after the major battle the books still had 100 or so pages left, things would go badly somehow, but I never guessed how much.

And Manon...I love her. IDK, she's cold, and seemingly evil, but she protects Abraxos and her Thirteen with everything she has and they are always backing her up as well. And Abraxos...nothing can convince me that he doesn't look like Tothlees from How To Train Your Dragon. NOTHING. It's my headcanon, and I'll fight everyone on this. I need Manon to meet with Aelin, though.

I'm kind of dreading QoS a little bit, so I think I'll give myself some time out and read some light, fluffy books in between. Hopefully, Empire of Shadows will be out till then!

Ok, wow. THIS BOOK HAD ME REELING, I NEVER SAW THAT ENDING COMING. I'm still processing. At the beginning, I was not exactly feeling the book. It seemed like one of those coming of age books (not my favorite kind, by far), with a little mystery thrown in the middle. Cady's narrative started out slow and kind of uninteresting, but when she gets back to the island summer 17, things started to get so interesting and the book hooked me again that I couldn't stop ‘till I finished the whole thing. And Oh.My.God. I liked how the author disclosed the details of summer 15 little by little, using little tips and phrases and how he used the fairytales to relate not only with the present situation but with what happened in the past as well. I understand all the hype surrounding this book a couple years ago. It's not the best book ever, because I had my problems with it in the beginning, but still very very good!

This is the second book in the Kane Chronicles trilogy and I'm loving this series more and more with each book. By all means, The Throne of Fire was better than The Red Pyramid, not only because we know the characters better and we already feel a connection to them, and because we know a little more about the mythology by now, but because the plot gets more intense and darker than in the first book.

I still manage to be amazed at Rick Riordan's ability to mash mythology into the modern world with cleverness and humor. The whole trip through the Houses of Night in the Duat was just delightful to read! And St. Petersburg, though more tense, was also pretty good. I missed Bast a little in this novel, but she's still one of my favorite characters. I've come to like Anubis, Set (WE NEED MORE SET'S SASS IN THIS TRILOGY, PLEASE) and Walt as well. I think the new characters were a great addition and were well used in the plot. Vlad the Inhaler was pretty scary as a villain and it made me more afraid that things were going to go wrong for the Kanes than in book 1. AND RA AS AN OLD SILLY AND DEMENTED GUY, PEOPLE. He was running around, taking naps and saying silly stuff while the universe was going to hell, I WAS CRYING.

My favorite characters is BY FAR Sadie. MAN, this girls is sassy! And super clever! But at the same time so caring and loyal, it's impossible not to connect with her. Also, her character development is astounding from The Red Pyramid to this. Yes, she can still be a little selfish and reckless sometimes, but she knows what she's doing almost everytime, is the first one to get what's going on and find a way to take them out of the situation and her magic powers are growing super strong. I personally think she is the stronger sibling, she could easily whip Carter's ass. As for Carter... I mean, I like him, but he was annoying in this book. His obsession with Zia blinded him for most of the novel and he not only considered giving everything up (and leave not only his friends but THE WHOLE WORLD to fend for themselves and plunge into Chaos) to save her, but he often doubted Sadie and left her alone. HIS OWN SISTER FOR A GIRL HE NEVER EVEN MET (yep, because i'm not counting the clay lookalike). And he only stopped having doubts about his quest and what was right after Zia told him to do it. Just UGH.

Still, can't wait to read the final book AND to dig in to the Kanes x Percy Jackson crossovers! Percy & Annabeth and Sadie in the same room, YAY!