Natália
“After all, you don't have to be a sword-wielding Gryffindor to be a hero; sometimes, all it takes is having your heart in the right place.”
Although all the new info contained in this book was already released in Pottermore a few years back, it's so nice to be back at Hogwarts and get to know more about some favorite or interesting characters and get a sense of what Rowling was thinking while creating this world. This volume is all about bravery in different ways, as well as knowledge and kindness - so we have a little on McGonagall, Lupin, Sibila Traweleny and the Care of Magical Creatures professor before Hagrid. Lupin's story, as always, broke my heart into a thousand pieces. I wanted him to have a happy ending so so much because he did deserve it. I liked the take on Werewolves and how their mythology was adapted into the Potterverse. I really enjoy these little bits of info and how they take the universe J.K created to a whole new level and can't wait to read all the installments. I need to revisit Pottermore more often.
Meh, uma trama que tinha tudo pra ser interessante, mas personagens pouco cativantes e entregam mais drama do que a comédia dark que eu estava esperando.
As much as I enjoyed and had fun while getting back into the Princess Diaries world, the teenage-y feel of this doesn't work as well anymore, at least for me. Mia is often worried about the silliest things and the fact that her boyfriend doesn't like celebrating Valentine's day becomes a life-and-death situation and a sure sign that he doesn't love her and is going to break up with her sigh. Oh, the drama. And Lily....I wonder why Mia is friends with her at all. She's a lousy friend, is jealous of everything if she's not the center, is often cruel and spiteful with whoever she thinks is ‘beneath' her somehow (which is pratically everyone) and her activism is selective. I remember not liking her a lot while I read the main series, but after this short stories I'm finding that I loath her character a lot and Mia would've been better off without her a lot of the times - she has way better friends in Tina Hankin Baba, Boris and etc. Grandmère and her shenanigans are always funny and I love HER drama. I don't know if trying to get back into this series to read the Royal Wedding book was a good idea, because I'm afraid they don't quite work for me anymore, but some of it is funny and sweet, so, depending on how it will go, I'll read the final installment or not.
Eu gosto muito do tema que a autora quis trabalhar, o trabalho de pesquisa dela é incrível e eu adoro quando autores fazem isso de pegar coisas históricas e misturar com algum elemento fantasioso e isso a Kuang fez de forma muito boa. Mas esse livro se arrasta desnecessariamente. No início, é legal ver as aulas, conhecer um pouco da parte linguistica, mas isso se estende DEMAIS e de forma muito complexa e acaba que em vários momentos fica chato, parecendo que eu tava lendo um livro texto. Eu já não sou fã de gramática desde a escola, então era um pesadelo quando chegava nessas partes. A história em si demorou a engatar, e sinceramente tive muita dificuldade de me conectar aos personagens. O Ramy eu acho um porre, o Robin tem a personalidade de uma porta, a Letty eu entendo um pouco mas parece que a Kuang fazia ela extra-chata em alguns momentos justamente para você repelir a personagem. A única que eu me importei um pouco foi a Victoire, mas é uma personagem pouquissimo explorada. Eu também fiquei com a impressão de que a amizade do grupo foi um pouco forçada pelo fato de serem 4 “outcasts”, e estarem na mesma turma, e que talvez eles não seriam amigos em nenhuma outra situação, então tinha horas que era dificil comprar a dinâmica deles. Mesmo com audiobook, eu ficava evitando de pegar o livro e ia para outras leituras, até que por fim desisti. Não foi pra mim, infelizmente.
“I hadn't been a nerd, mind you. I'd just been the type of guy who spent a lot of time by himself, focused entirely on a single consuming interest.”
DNF at 45%.
I just couldn't go on with this book. As much interested as I was in finding out what happens in this world, with the Epics, and Regalia (which is a very interesting and mysterious character) and the ties she has with the Professor, I just couldn't stand David, all his attempts at being ‘cool', the very annoying slang and, most of all, his OBSESSION with Megan - despite the girl clearly not being as interested as he is. Their ‘romance' is unconvincing and has no chemistry whatsoever and the fact that the entire time that David is supposed to pay attention and do things concerning the main plot, he's off thinking of ways to woo her. It irritated the hell out of me and I just couldn't pick up the book again. I don't know what happened with Brandon Sanderson here, but this is not his best work at all. I don't think he's cut out to write YA books, or he doesn't bother to create compelling, complex characters as much as he does in his adult fantasies. So, I'm not continuing on with the series.
I realize this early YA fatasies are not for me. The whole “you're not like other girls”, the clumsy and bland female heroine who is unpopular and has a feud with the popular girl (who is described as a shallow, jealous bitch type), often over a guy....not my thing anymore. I would ate this up if I was still a teenager, but I'm definitely not the target audience anymore. I do find the plot interesting and would love to know more about the curse and see the fairytale trials, but at 40% the plot barely moved except to cause drama between the protagonist and the love interest. It started as a very kirky, seemingly fun read, but it could't focus on what was making it enjoyable.
I absolutely loved to know more about Ceridwen. She was the most interesting character in the second book of the trilogy and I was curious about somethings about her story, Summer and her relationship with her brother and we got all that here. It explores her relationship with Simon as well as how they were before, her relationship with Jesse, her aspirations and love for her kingdom and how she met Lekan and their friendship. A nice, and I think inportant, addition to the original trilogy.
“Life doesn't work that way. You live with your choices and learn. You don't cheat the system.”
I have no idea how to rate or review this book. It scared me, confused me and awed me in equal measures. Although some of the times the more scifi stuff seemed a bit over the top, especially the plot twist at the end, it was nice to have all that theory backing up the sciency part of the book, you can see the author put a lot of effort into his research, though sometimes the explanation got confusing and I had to read the same paragraph a few times to make sure I grasped the concept and the idea to move on, otherwise I would get pretty lost in the plot, since it all depended on the theories (Schrodinger's Cat, the multiverse, etc). I got an ‘Odissey' vibe at times, with Jason struggling and going through all those obstacles to get back to his land (in this case, his original universe) and his family and this was one of the things that got me interested in the book.
This was at times a though provoking book, making me reflect on life and choices and what ifs - would I trade my life now for one where I made all the right choices? And what are those ‘right choices'? Who can tell if the ones I already did and lead me to this life now weren't the right ones all along? Like I said, this book got my head in knots, and it will stay with me for a while.
The Dead Moon Circus arc advances and their final endgame is clear. I liked to see the chapters of how each Senshi overcame their inability to transform and what their dreams are. I like how this whole arc is about dreams and seeing those dreams give them the strength they need to come into their new power and help Sailor Moon. My favorite is obviously Minako's, not only because she is my favorite character, but because as the Inner Senshi leader, she has her own protector in the form of Artemis, her story had to have a bigger importance and I loved how it explored her relationship with Artemis and how much they care for each other. The Outer Senshi's chapter was another favorite, I love their little ‘family' setup and how they really came together to raise Hotaru. Now everything is set up to the finale of this arc!
Eu acho que esse tipo de livro - romance paranormal YA - já não é mais pra mim. Até meus 20 anos, eu já teria devorado esse livro, mas agora, por mais que ache a escrita gostosinha, eu já meio que consigo ver pra onde a história vai e várias coisas clichezonas do gênero começam a me irritar. Cole é o principal motivo do DNF, que personagem INSUPORTÁVEL, que não sabe ouvir um simples NÃO. Meu querido, ninguém é obrigado a cair aos seus pés sempre que tu quer não, larga de ser chato!
Esse suposto triângulo amoroso que a autora tenta construir aqui já está fadado ao fracasso desde o início por que simplesmente um dos lados é intragável, impossível de torcer.
Enfim, apesar dos elementos interessantes e de uma protagonista que é até inteligente e bem construída, o livro cai na mesmice dos livros dessa época que já não me apetecem mais.
Ok, so almost halfway in and there's no semblance of a plot. It's basically Liv living her life, with insecurities about her new boyfriend, and teenage troubles. The dreamworld, the most interesting part of the story, was so far used only as a meet-up spot. Maybe if I've read this a few years ago, I would be all over it, but it's not my cup of tea anymore.
“I guess what I'm trying to say is that you can't live somebody else's life for them. They have to make their own choices, and sometimes all we can do is learn to live with them.”
DNF at 25%.
I was really hoping to enjoy this book and continue with the series because I LOVE sirens, mermaids and co. mythology and I like the concept the author wanted to use here. And though I would like to read more about how she developed it, I just couldn't stand the two main characters. Especially Harper and her over-protectiveness and mother-like behavior towards her sister. Also, the plot is absolutely predictable and the romance is so sugary-sweet (although very natural and seemingly well-developed) that it made me roll my eyes a lot. I did enjoy Hocking's writing, it's easy and fluid and addictive, so I'm giving her other series (2 of which I have all the books on my Kindle) a chance.
Generic, boring and the main couple lacks any sort of chemistry. Also, the FMC is just pigheaded and incapable of seeing things beyond her bad girl attitude.
“No way was she going to fade into her hoodie and let people think she was a serial killer just because her father was. Not anymore. That was Beth Anne Reimer. And she was Bex Andrews now.”
DNF AT 50%
Well, this was not what I was expecting. The book seemed promising, but I managed to get halfway through and things were only starting to happen (the main plot, I mean). The rest of the book is Bex being scared, hallucinating and vomiting all over the place, being skittish and overall weird while half-dreading-half-hoping that her murderous father is coming back for her.
She claims, right at the very first pages, that she is ready for a fresh start, that she wants a normal lie, but instead of acting like it and really interacting with her friends and new family (who are awesome, btw, I really loved her new parents and how caring and accepting they are)...she spends her time lost in the past. It's annoying and throught the novel, it fails to show any development for the MC.
The writing is engaging though, since it held me for 50%, but it failed to make me care for the characters (except the parents) and to be really scared for Bex. The tension the author managed to create in the first quarter loses it's appeal after the 28480174th panic attack and hallucination. I might give Hannah Jayne another chance in the future. Just not this book.
“You don't realize how much you miss something till it comes back to you, and then you wonder how you went so long without it.”
DNF at 20%
I really liked the premise of the book, and girl-pirates, assassins, and curses are my thing, but the writing felt really primary and there were a lot of devices to ‘further' the plot that felt too convenient and out of nowhere. It also lacked a bit of development of the world and things happened too fast without much explanation. I just couldn't muster the energy to keep reading after a while.
“That's the funny thing about trying to escape. You never really can. Maybe temporarily, but not completely.”
DNF at 50%.
I really enjoyed the first book, much more than I thought I would after Half-Blood. But Armentrout's writing is fluid and compelling and when you realize, you've read almost the entire thing already. And though Obsidian was full of clichés and a lot of similarities with Twilight, I still had a good time reading it and the mythology surrounding the Luxen made want to pick up the sequel and see where the author would take things.
And what she chose to do with the story IS interesting and a great main plot...but it was pushed to the side to give way too much space for teen angsty & drama e romance. That's my main issue with the book and why I couldn't finish and will not be continuing with the series. I stopped at halfway through and only then things were starting to move regarding the main plot. The rest was a filler for DaemonxKat's incessant will-they-won't-they drama. Daemon is just as arrogant as in book one but now has become a jealous asshole who is pushy and overprotective and tries to tell Katy what she should or shouldn't do and who she is ‘allowed' to hang out with. Katy is annoying and overly dramatic and can't seem to make up her mind. Dee, one of my favorite characters from the last book, had three scenes at best and all of them focused on her shagging her boyfriend. I was so irritated with the characters that I didn't want to pick up the book to finish it anymore after a while. So I wont, simple as that. I have other books I'm enjoying and am currently reading that I can focus on finishing. And there's more on TBR waiting for their turn. I won't waist my time on something I'm not having a good time with anymore. I am still willing to give Armentrout's Wake trilogy and standalone books a chance, because, like I said, I did enjoy her writing overall, but it's not going to be anytime soon.
Eu realmente acho que esses livros fantasia YA circa 2010-2012 (com raríssimas exceções) já não são mais para mim. Os personagens, PRINCIPALMENTE a protagonista são extremamente rasos, mudam de ideia a cada 2 parágrafos e são no geral simplesmente irritantes. Da segunda vez que a protagonista começou a fazer a mesma malcriação com um personagem que claramente só quer ajudar, eu desisti. Não deu.
Sinceramente, cansei do vai e volta desse livro, da burra da Guinevere (que era tão esperta e sensata nos livros passados) tomar decisões impulsivas e obviamente que iam dar errado pra no segundo seguinte perceber a burrada ou desistir e voltar à estaca zero ou ao local que ela fugiu há 02 capítulos atrás. 54% e o livro rodou rodou rodou e continua no mesmo lugar, a única coisa que prestou foi a revelação FINALMENTE de quem é a Guinevere de ve dade, que seria mais interessante se essa revelação não tivesse levado a mais burradas da protagonista.
Odiei que pra forçar o romance LancelotxGuinevere (que eu nem reclamo, por que realmente tem um potencial ai desde o livro passado) e MordredxGuinevere (eca, não, Mordred é um personagem pobre e mal construído cuja única personalidade é ter o ar torturado e triste, ser o moreno misterioso e ter inveja do Arthur), a autora deu um 360 pra personalidade do Arthur e começou a fazer dele um cuzão. Os únicos pontos fortes são as mulheres - Dindraine, Lilly, BRANGIEN RAINHA, Isolde, Lancelot e FINA A MAIORAL, foram o que tornaram essa primeira metade tolerável, pena que, fora a Lancelot e a Fina, elas tem pouquissimas aparições. É triste, por que eu amei o primeiro livro, gostei com ressalvas mas curiosissima pra saber mais do segundo e esse terceiro simplesmente foi de mal a pior. Não desceu a ladeira não, desgovernou ladeira a baixo.
“Looks can be deceiving.”
DNF at 20%
I am super disappointed in this book. This is the second Meg Cabot novel I DNF this year because I simply can't take the immature main character. Em is this very cliché smart, unpopular girl, who thinks she is better than the other girls, especially her sister and famous model Nikki Howard because she ‘is smart and cares for education and plays videogames and do nerdy stuff and is not into makeup or celebrities'. She slams other girls because of it and instantly assumes that they are airheads or shallow. Although the pace of the book is very quick and Cabot's writing is always fluid and funny, every time I picked it up I was irked by something. And I know that the whole ‘being Nikki' thing (which was very weird and unrealistic) is going to start Em's character development, but I don't think I can wait till this happens. Maybe if I read this when I was a teen I would have let it slide and would've liked this, but now I'm not into it at all.
"The Aphrodite girl wrinkled her nose. 'Excuse me, but ew! There are seeds all over the outside! So unattractive. And red? That colour is so overdone, fruit-wise.''Yes, but it's tasty,' the Demeter counselor said. 'I call it a strawberry.''Why?' the Athena girl wanted to know.'Because blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, and cranberry were taken.' "
This was hilarious as always, and I really liked all the little tidbits about Camp Half-Blood. It doesn't add any relevant information to the main series, but it's such a fun and carefree read! I also liked how some other demigods, secondary characters, got a voice here and were able to ‘tell' some tales and we got to know more of their personalities here. It was nice and a short, fun read.
Eh, eu já não tenho mais tanto interesse nessa saga - a Mare e esse enrola enrola dela com o Cal me cansa horrores, as coisas não progridem, o POV da Iris é horrível....por incrível que pareça, o POV da Evangeline é a melhor coisa, mas tem certas atitudes dela que me irrita. Tenho 2 meses tentando ler esse livro e a cada vez minha vontade de pegar pra ler é -091691. Então vamos parando por aqui.
It started out as really fun, and I love me some grumpy x sunshine trope, but things got intense and lovey dovey too quickly (barely 24h since they met, they are obsessed with each other and thinking about STAYING FOREVER?), not to mention that Hunter is a bit obsessive, ultra-possessive and slightly creepy at times. And, after the 60% mark, there weren't any issues to be solved within the plot (there wasn't much of a plot to begin with, but oh well) and it was just a sex-scenes fest non-stop. Not for me at all.
Eh, as coisas demoram muito de acontecer no livro, e sinceramente não me conectei muito a nenhum dos personagens. Fiquei um pouco curiosa com o vislumbre do futuro e possível mistério, mas sinceramente, quando volta ao passado, o livro me perde.