Just a short post, because January was a busy month for me, and so is the beginning of the February. I didn’t read a lot this month, but my definite favourite I discovered this month was ‘All for the Game’ series by Nora Sakavic. I absolutely fell in love with this series, and I have a feeling you are going to hear much more about it from me.

‘The Foxhole Court’ Nora Sakavic
★★★★★

Oh. My. God. This book (this series) broke my heart like no other book before it (maybe ‘Lost Boy’ by Christina Henry can compete, but only maybe). I have been waiting to read a good gang story since ‘Six of Crows’, and I got one. ‘The Foxhole Court’ is incredible – the characters are so amazing, unpredictable, and so twisted that you have no choice but to love them. I think I’m going to do a full review on this series when I have time because I feel like I could talk about it forever.

‘Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: The Ship of the Dead’ Rick Riordan
★★★

I am so disappointed with this series, and even more with this final book of ‘Magnus Chase’ trilogy. I adore Rick Riordan and his writing, but this one felt a bit too forced when it comes to funniness, and the amount of diversity felt a bit overwhelming. This series just did not click for me, even though I still laughed at the funnier parts. My favourite character was Mangus’ sword, and I think it says a lot about this book.

‘The Wicked King’ Holly Black
★★★★

It did not click for me the way ‘The Cruel Prince’ did. I don’t think I can explain it, but I feel like all the action was packed in the last two chapters. What I loved about this book though, was Cardan, and his character development – he finally became a king – and took the matters into his own hands. Jude was a bit annoying in this one, but I blame it on her family – it must be difficult to rule a country without being able to trust someone. AND THAT ENDING. No spoilers, but holy cow.

‘The King’s Men’ Nora Sakavic
★★★★★

Can I marry this series, please? I swear I will protect all the characters, even though they would probably kill me for even suggesting this. I have so many feelings regarding this series – I adore Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten, Nicky is such a cinnamon roll, and the other Foxes are all incredible. Allison is a freakin’ badass, and Matt is just perfection.

‘The Language of Thorns’ Leigh Bardugo
★★★★

To be honest, I would probably love a book about eating breakfast if it was written by Leigh Bardugo. I loved these short tales, taking place in the Grishaverse universe. I absolutely adore Leigh Bardugo, and the stories were amazing (as I thought they would be).

synopsis

Nie wyobrażałem sobie, że zostanę gwiazdą rocka. Będąc w college’u, planowałem grać w futbol, następnie dostać się do drużyny ligi zawodowej i poślubić ukochaną z liceum, z którą wiódłbym długie i szczęśliwe życie. Informacją o wyjeździe złamałem serce nie tylko jej, ale i sobie. Byłem młody. Podjąłem tę decyzję, mając na względzie swoje a nie nasze dobro. Mimo że oddałem duszę muzyce, nie zapomniałem o zapachu czy uśmiechu tej dziewczyny. Po dekadzie wracam pełen nadziei, że uda mi się to wszystko wyprostować. Wciąż pragnę, aby była moja na zawsze.

o autorce

Heidi McLaughlin jest autorką bestsellerowych serii: „Beaumont”, „The Boys of Summer” i „The Archers”. Jej powieści trafiają na listy bestsellerów „New York Timesa”, „Wall Street Journal” i „USA Today”. Pochodzi z północno-zachodniej części Stanów Zjednoczonych, obecnie mieszka z mężem, dwiema córkami i trzema psami w malowniczym Vermont.

W 2012 roku Heidi swoje zamiłowanie do czytania przekształciła w pełnoprawną karierę pisarską. Spod jej pióra wyszło ponad dwadzieścia powieści, w tym zdobywająca duże uznanie Forever My Girl.

W chwilach wolnych od pisania Heidi można spotkać na trybunach boisk do koszykówki, z których kibicuje córkom. Pierwsza książka pisarki Forever My Girl doczekała się ekranizacji stworzonej przy współpracy z LD Entertainment i Roadside Attractions. Premiera filmu odbyła się 19 stycznia 2018 roku, a w rolę głównych bohaterów wcielili się Alex Roe i Jessica Rothe.

recenzja

Nie jestem wielką fanką romansów, jednak Forever My Girl było zupełnie inne od wszystkich romansów, jakie kiedykolwiek czytałam. Sam pomysł na fabułę książki był dość interesujący. Autor opowiada historię gwiazdy rocka, która wraca gdzie, aby odzyskać ukochaną.

Bohaterowie Forever My Girl byli jednak jednymi z najmniej ekscytujących postaci książkowych,
z którymi miałam do czynienia. Liam to imię głównego bohatera, owej gwiazdy rocka. Rości on sobie prawo do kobiety imieniem Josie, z którą zerwał ponad dekadę wcześniej. W mojej ocenie zerwanie to było kompletnie bez sensu. Nie zrywa się z kobietą jednym zdaniem, gdy wcześniej obiecywało się jej małżeństwo i miłość po śmierć. Josie, jak typowa bohaterka romansów, jest osobą nieco zagubioną. W momencie, kiedy Liam pojawia się po wielu latach w ich rodzinnym mieście, zupełnie zapomnia o Nicku, mężczyźnie, który wspierał ją przez wiele lat po zerwaniu z Liamem.

Ogólnie główne postacie książki są mało barwne i wyraziste, a pobudki, którymi kierują się podejmując życiowe decyzje, moim zdaniem, niezrozumiałe. Książkę ratują postacie drugoplanowe. Mimo, że wątek Masona jest bardzo krótki, wydaje się on jedną z najszczerszych i najciekawszych postaci w tej książce.

Mimo, że nie do końca podobała mi się fabuła, myślę że Forever My Girl to warta przeczytania historia o miłości, która się nie wypala. Heidi McLaughlin pokazuje coś, co jest takie trudne do odnalezienia w dzisiejszych czasach – miłość dwóch osób, która przetrwała próbę czasu i inne problemy.

W porównaniu do filmu książka wypada jednak dosyć słabo. W filmie bardziej podobała mi się postać ojca Liam’a  jako miłego i ciepłego człowieka. W porównaniu do jego charakterystyki  z książki, osoby niemiłej i złośliwej, wypadał bardziej przekonywująco. W filmie zabrakło za to wątku Nick’a i Josie. Myślę, że ten aspekt ubarwiłby film, tak samo jako ubarwił książkę.

Podsumowując, Forever My Girl nie urzekła mnie na tyle, abym była fanką tego gatunku.

2018 is coming to an end! So in the tradition of my monthly wrap-ups (when I say tradition, I mean I did like four times, but shh), I’ve decided to do a yearly wrap-up! But instead of listing every book I have read this year (an outstanding number of 67), I have listed 10 of my favourite books I’ve read this year. But I am a cheater, so some books are trilogies. I’m sorry, but there are too many amazing books to choose just ten, but I’m gonna do my best, pinky swear. Also, I’m not counting rereads in this one, because then ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Six of Crows’ would have absolutely dominated.

The order of listing is random, except for the first one, because ‘To Kill a Kingdom’ is a masterpiece.

1) ‘To Kill a Kingdom’ by Alexandra Christo

Number one just had to go to this absolutely amazing debut by Alexandra Christo. I’m so in love with this book I’m honestly considering marriage. It has everything a book needs to have: sassy characters, an amazing relationship dynamic, a good plot and SIRENS. Sirens are a must-have unless there are dragons. Dragons and sirens are a must-have. Also, ‘To Kill a Kingdom’ has pirates so it’s basically winning at life.

2) ‘The Hate U Give’ by Angie Thomas

This is such an important book! And it is also so good? I cried, I laughed, and (if I’m being honest) I struggled with the language since Angie Thomas used more common language than I’ve been taught at school. But that language change worked incredibly with the plot, and it the end it helped me understand the meaning behind the book better.

3) ‘Grisha Trilogy’ by Leigh Bardugo

I’m physically unable to choose just one book written by the queen so I’m putting an entire trilogy here. Honestly, I’m so mad at myself for not reading this earlier? I love ‘Six of Crows’, and I was so scared this trilogy wasn’t going to meet my expectations. But, luckily, I was so wrong. I ADORE THIS SERIES SO MUCH. Also, Nikolai is a cinnamon roll and he needs to be protected (meaning he is my new favourite character).

4) ‘Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook’ by Christina Henry

Do you know those books that you read and they stay with you for weeks? This is one of them. Honestly, it was so brutal and I don’t think I will ever look at captain Hook the same way. I don’t even know how to describe this book other than breathe-taking and thought-provoking. (By the way, my high school English teacher would be so proud of me for using vocabulary from her tests.)

5) ‘Everless’ by Sara Holland

I admit, this was a total cover buy – I couldn’t resist the sprayed edges. But it worked! I bought it for the cover and it turned out to be freakin’ awesome. I mean, using time as a currency? What a great idea. The main character mightybe a bit annoying, but in the end I had a soft spot for Jules. But my favourite part of the whole book was the plot twist that exposed who the villain is. No spoilers, but I was so shocked.

6) ‘Daughter of the Pirate King’ by Tricia Levenseller

Pirates are the best! Female pirates are even better. Alosa became one of my favourite female characters in the first ten pages, because not only is she a badass but she is also cunning. Also, the plot is incredible – most of the times you have no idea who is onto whom, which makes the ending so much sweeter. Just go read it, and then tell me how much you loved it.

7) ‘The Cruel Prince’ by Holly Black

I know, I know – everyone says it was one of their favourite reads of 2018, but this book is pure magic. I love fae, and I liked Holly Black’s portrayal of them. Also, I love a good anti-hero, and Cardan is definitely one. He is not Kaz Bekker level, but I adore him nonetheless.

8) ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ Tomi Adeyemi

I did not know what to expect from the synopsis, and this book was definitely a slow-burn for me. But when I got into it, I loved all of the character. Zelie is a badass, Amari winds relatable character, Tzain wins best brother award and Inan is one of my favourite villains ever. Also, can we appreciate me remembering all of their names? (I usually suck at names, so this book must have been really good). No spoilers, but the ending will break your heart which makes waiting for a sequel a torture.

9) ‘The Belles’ Dhonielle Clayton

To be honest, this book made it to my ‘Top 10’ list only because of the last three chapters. The amount of plot twists in that book was overwhelming. Also, the message was one that filled my heart with joy – I think we need more books showing girls that beauty is not everything, and that it comes in different shapes. ‘The Belles’ also show how obsessed people are with beauty, and how tremendous results that obsession can have.

10) ‘Catwoman: Soulstealer’ Sarah J. Maas

Let’s get one thing straight: I am, and always will be, a Marvel girl. But DC had a really good idea when they have decided to create a series DC Icons. They took my favourite authors and asked them to write about superheroes, and it ended up being amazing. I have only read ‘Catwoman’ so far, but I love Selina’s character, I love Harley and Posion Ivy, and I even love Batwing. So I need more books asap.

If you listen closely, I bet you could hear my wallet screaming in the distance. There are so many amazing books coming out in 2019, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to discover more during the year. But here are the continuations of series’, and some new books by my favourite authors. Let me know which book you are most excited for in 2019!

‘The Wicked King’ Holly Black
release date: January 8th

Number 1 just had to be ‘The Wicked King’ by Holly Black. To be honest, at first I was a bit disappointed by ‘The Cruel Prince’, but I’m not sure what I expected. But the more I think about that book, the more I love it. What I’m most excited for in this sequel, is the chemistry between Cardan and Jude. I saw a few spoilers on Instagram, and I have a feeling their cooperation is going to be full of emotions. I only hope that Cardan is not going to do anything stupid.

‘The King of Scars’ Leigh Bardugo
release date: January 29th, 2019

How can somebody who has read ‘The Grisha Trilogy’ not be anticipating this book?! How? Honestly, tell me your secret, because I feel like I might actually die from wanting to read it! Nikolai is just so dreamy, and cute, and dangerous. Basically, he is many things and I love him so much. I’m so glad he got his own duology and I’m even more glad that Nina Zenik is going to be in it.

‘Evermore’ Sara Holland
release date: December 31st, 2018

I know, technically it’s out in 2018, but I’m going to get my hands on it in 2019 so it counts, okay? Besides, I wanted to mention it, because I freakin’ adore ‘Everless’. I cannot wait to follow Jules in her escape, and I’m curious about what the main villain is going to do next (see, I’m trying to go spoilers free). What is even more exciting, ‘Everless’ is going to be a duology – which means that ‘Evermore’ is going to be full of action.

‘Children of Virtue and Vengeance’ by Tomi Adeyemi
release date: March 5th, 2019

Okay, I might have been skeptical a little bit about ‘Children of Blood and Bone’ until I have read it. I’m totally in love with Zelie’s strong character and her temper (which gets her in trouble so much) and other characters, and the plot. Basically, it was amazing and reading it felt like magic. I cannot wait to see what Tomi Adeyemi has in store for the second part.

‘Ninth House’ by Leigh Bardugo
release date: June 4th, 2019

Let’s be honest, I would read anything by Leigh Bardugo. Not only is this book written by one of my favourite authors ever, but the synopsis is also amazing – a story about a female character with a criminal past who is a freshman at Yale University where she has to observe Yale’s secret societies. Am I the only one with the feeling that I’m gonna love the main character, Alex Stern, as much as I love Kaz and Nikolai?

‘The Tyrant’s Tomb’ by Rick Riordan
release date: 2019

The fourth part of ‘Trials of Apollo’ is coming our way and honestly, I’m so happy – I have loved Rick Riordan’s books for what seems like a forever now. I was so sad when ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ series ended, but luckily Rick Riordan is apparently a book-producing factory so we got a lot of more books from him. ‘Trials of Apollo’ immediately captured my heart, mainly because Apollo is my favorite Greek god, but also because the idea of a god being human in a modern setting is incredible.

‘A Curse So Dark and Lonely’ Brigid Kemmerer
release date: January 29th, 2019

Honestly, I was going through Goodreads and this title caught my attention. Then I read the review and decided that I need to read this book ASAP. I mean, c’mon, a retelling of ‘Beauty and the Beast’ with a modern setting and a magical world? Count me in, please! Also, I’m just so curious about the details of the curse in this book, because it sounds so different from the original story.

‘Broken Throne’ Victoria Aveyard
release date: May 2019

I’m usually not a big fan of short stories, but I got so excited when Victoria Aveyard announced ‘Broken Throne’ on her Instagram. I cannot wait to read more about Mare, Cal, and Kilorn. I do not know for sure when its action is going to be suited in, but I suspect it will be some kind of continuation of ‘War Storm’. Probably, a collection of stories in a new realm. I certainly hope we will get some Mare and Cal romance – it would be such a disappointment if they didn’t end up together.

‘Into the Crooked Place’ Alexandra Christo
release date: October 2019

After reading (and falling madly in love with) ‘To Kill a Kingdom’, I will read anything written by Alexandra Christo. Even if it was a 300-page conversation between Lira and Elian. I’m serious. But I have read the synopsis of ‘Into the Crooked Place’ and I’m getting a ‘Six of Crows’ kinda vibe which, combined with an author behind it, guarantees my endless love for this book.
‘Into the Crooked Place’ is going to be about four young crooks (get it? ‘Into a Crooked Place’!) who go on a mission to take down their leader after they discover his newest plot. The book also involves magic which I fully support.

‘Two Can Keep s Secret’ Karen M. McManus
release date: January 8th, 2019

I adore ‘One of Us is Lying’ and, while browsing Goodreads, I came upon this new book by Karen McManus and apparently it is going to have a Riverdale vibe. I have a weakness for books which action is set in small-towns – they always have the most outrageous stories, and I live for drama. The title of the book makes me think of TV show ‘Pretty Little Liars’, and whether it’s a PLL or Riverdale vibe, I have a feeling I’m going to love this as I love ‘One of  Us is Lying’.
‘Two Can Keep a Secret’ is about Ellery, who has to move to small Echo Ridge to live with her grandmother. The town has a history of a missing girl and a murder during prom night. Now, somebody promises to make it all happen again. Ellery quickly learns that everybody in Echo Ridge has their secrets, and it’s safer to keep them to yourself.

This month was also a good reading month for me – I have to admit that bookstagram is really motivating me to read more (not to mention all the book recommendations). Both October and November are ‘Harry Potter’ months for me, so I’ve mostly reread the series. I’ve also started rereading ‘Grisha Trilogy’, even though I read it in July. Overall, I liked all the books I’ve read this month so here they are.

‘Shadow and Bone’ Leigh Bardugo
★★★★★

Even though, I have read ‘The Grisha Trilogy’ for the first time this summer, I fell in love with these books. So when it turned out that FierceReads is doing #ShadowandBoneTrilogyReread I just had to join. ‘Shadow and Bone’ was as amazing as it was when I first read it, and I cannot wait for ‘King of Scars’ so I can get more Grisha, Nikolai and more Nina from ‘Six of Crows’.

‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

The continuation of my October ‘Harry Potter’ reread – I did not manage to complete it in one month, but I hope to finish it by the end of the year. I honestly cry every time the Marauders are mentioned, so this one was very teary. BUT I’M NOT ASHAMED OF IT, OKAY? Basically, this part was very emotional, also I’m kind of sad it was the last book where we got Oliver Wood and his Quidditch obsession. In conclusion, ‘Harry Potter’ is my life, Remus Lupin is cinnamon roll that needs to be protected and Sirius Black is perfect.

‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

Let me just tell you, I was not ready for Cedric’s death. I knew it was coming – I mean, I have read this series what feels like a hundred times. But after such a break in reading those books, I cried my eyes out on his death scene. Also, I noticed how much of a cinnamon roll he is. And did I mention getting teary every time Sirius, James or Lily are mentioned? Every. Damn. Time. I’m such a cry baby when it comes to books. Getting away from the subject, I know. Basically, I love ‘Harry Potter’.

‘Harry Potter and the Order of Phoenix’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

This book is simultaneously my favourite and my least favourite. It is incredible because of all the jokes and pranks that Fred and George did. But it is horrible because of what Harry had to go through and, because of Sirius’ death. I understand why she killed him, though I don’t think I could ever forgive her for that. Also, this is the book where one starts to realise that Dumbledore wasn’t so great. Well, now I’m off to read the next part. Hopefully, it won’t make me cry so much.

‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

This the part that conceived me that I dislike Severus Snape. What I love most about this part is the fact that Draco is shown as a victim of a war, and Ginny is presented as a badass (which she is). I also always liked Dumbledore’s lessons with Harry – it helped me understand Voldemort much better. I always feel weird writing about ‘Harry Potter’, because I feel like I could talk about it forever, and this is just supposed to be some kind of conclusion.

‘What Could Possibly Go Wrong…’ Jeremy Clarkson
★★★★

To be quite honest with you, I don’t give a damn about cars. I know basic brands, and I know whether I think a car is beautiful or not. But I adore Jeremy Clarkson’s books – his humour is incredibly witty, and he probably offends everyone in Great Britain. This book focused mainly on cars, but I still found a few columns I loved. Some fragments made me laugh out loud, and I just had to read them aloud to my parents. Now I need to find a book of his in my house that I haven’t read yet…

‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

I managed to finish ‘Harry Potter’ series in two months! (I was supposed to do it in one, but oh well, life happened). It has been so many years, and I still cry every damn time I read this book. Also, I still haven’t forgiven J.K. Rowling for so many deaths, but now as I read it when I’m older, I cannot forgive her for mistreating Slytherins the way she did. Overall, this book is neither my favourite or my least favourite. My favourite parts of this book are the beginning and the ending – especially the fight between Harry and Voldemort. I guess now I’m off to watch the movies…

‘Red Rising’ Pierce Brown
★★★★

Rarely does a book surprise me – usually when I don’t like the beginning, I don’t like the whole book. When I’ve started ‘Red Rising’, I thought it was dull and confusing (I don’t usually like such confusing worlds which are presented in such a confusing way). But after reaching 150 it pulled me in, and I ended up staying up till 3 am to finish this book. My favourite thing about ‘Red Rising’ was the main character, Darrow. He is everything a protagonist should be and now he is my favourite male hero.

‘Sword of Destiny’ Andrzej Sapkowski
★★★★★

Finally, after many years, I proceeded to reading the rest of ‘The Witcher’ series. Can I just say it’s only thanks to my sickness that I’ve read it? So thanks! I like the format of stories, though I’ve never thought I would. Geralt is one of my favourite protagonists, even though he is socially awkward. Jaskier is annoying, but aren’t all bards? And Yennefer is queen, but I cannot wait to finally meet Triss!

‘Blood of Elves’ Andrzej Sapkowski
★★★★★

Let me just tell you that being sick is really helpful in reading books (just sayin’). I love all of the characters – even though Jaskier is still annoying. And Yennefer is a really difficult human being. This is the book where everything starts to be complicated – the plot, the geography and the alliances. I had to be focused all the time in order to be caught up with who is who. But I loved it nonetheless, and I cannot wait to read book four!

synopsis

In a world where women have no rights, two sisters Serina and Nomi have two very different opinions about their society. Serina is ready to fulfil society’s expectation and to become one of the Heir’s Graces, for which she had been training her whole life. Nomi, on the other hand, thinks that the whole idea of Graces is ridiculous and is a firm believer that women should have equal rights. Nomi is to aid her sister if she was to become a Grace. However, Serina is not the one that catches the Heir’s eye – Nomi is. Nomi has no choice, but to become a Grace. But what’s even worse, Serina is sent to prison after taking the fall for Nomi’s dangerous secret.

review

At first, I was so engaged in ‘Grace and Fury’. I have thought it would be another one of my favourite books, full of feminism and strong female characters. Could have I been more wrong? The beginning was amazing, both mysterious and promising. The first plot twist was also incredible – I was not anticipating it at all. But from there everything went downhill. The part of the story dedicated to the king’s sons reminded me of Victoria Aveyard’s ‘Red Queen’, but the execution wasn’t even half as good. That part felt copied from ‘Red Queen’ and from the first moments I was introduced to Asa I knew what would happen. The idea for the story was genius, truly. The world where women have no rights and are treated as objects? That was an instant buy for me. I just wish that execution was much better.

The characters were promising at first. Two sisters, different as fire and water. One obedient, the other one rebellious. The more chapters I have read, the more flat the main heroines were becoming. Nomi lost her rebelliousness which only left her with being rude and reckless. The author was clearly planning to reverse their roles – she wanted Nomi to be more obedient and level-headed, and and Serina to be the rebellious one. In my opinion, she failed. Nomi did not become more reasonable, she has only became more reckless. Serina, however, lost her cleverness and replaced it with plain rebelliousness when she should have been more level-headed. The heir to the throne was supposed to be a mysterious character – one you cannot figure out. Instead, he seemed like a spoiled prince who changes his mind with just a flick of his fingers. I won’t say anything more since I do not want to spoil anything. I will just add that this story had such a potential for amazing and complex characters, but in the end they were just plain.

I think that a book that was supposed to be about feminism and women fighting for their rights, there shouldn’t be so many parts of the plot dedicated to love. I don’t mind that Nomi and Serina had a bit of romance in the book, but I have felt that it was too much. That they did not have time to be their own heroes, but instead they dependent on their significant others. I just think that in a book that is advertised as a feminist book love should not be one of the main themes. I’m not saying that love is not feministic, because that is bulls**t ,but I was expecting more action from Serina and Nomi.

In conclusion, I was so disappointed by this book! I know that OwlCrate has an amazing taste in books, so I was surprised to find out that this one was also a part of their box. I also noticed that a lot of people love this book so, if you are one of them, please tell me your opinion about ‘Grace & Fury’.

October was such a good reading month for me! Honestly! I have managed to read 10 books which, compared to September, is a lot. My favourite read of this month was ‘Everless’ (I don’t include ‘Harry Potter’ in that, because ‘Harry Potter’ is ‘Harry Potter’). Here is my October wrap-up!

‘Catwoman’ Sarah J. Maas
★★★★★

I was so excited to finally get my hands on one of the books from the DC Icons series. The authors that feature in this series are incredible – Marie Lu, Sarah J. Maas and Leigh Bardugo are among my favourite authors in the world. I stumbled upon ‘Catwoman’ in a small bookstore in Malta and I knew I had to have it instantly. I have read in one day, before and after classes, and I have loved it so much. The plot is incredible and all the decisions come to a perfect conclusion in the end. The characters are well-done and intriguing, especially the female ones – Selina, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn. I adore this book and I will definitely order the rest of DC Icons books.

‘Daughter of the Siren Queen’ Tricia Levenseller
★★★★

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed by this one. I love the first part of the duology, ‘The Daughter of the Pirate King’, and was anticipating the second part for weeks until it finally arrived. The plot felt forced and not very well-planned. The characters I have loved so much in the first book – Alosa and Riden – were so flat in the second one. They always seem to create problems where there were none. If ‘Daughter of the Siren Queen’ was a standalone, it would be a much better book. But as a continuation of ‘The Daughter of the Pirate King’ I have felt like it was missing something important.

‘Grace and Fury’ Tracy Banghart
★★

Ugh, I was so disappointed by this book. I’ve seen people fuss over it on bookstagram and I had great expectations of ‘Grace and Fury’. The plot was too simple, besides the plot twist at the beginning. The characters were too plain and I couldn’t help to think that the idea of two princes was taken from Victoria Aveyard’s ‘Red Queen’. The book was supposed to be very feministic, but I had an impression that Nomi and Serina, the main characters, were only depending on men.

‘A Whole New World’ Liz Braswell
★★★★

At first, I was excited for this retelling. After the first few chapters, I was disappointed – everything seemed to be written down from the Disney’s movie. And then, everything changed – the characters were different from the fairy-tale and I liked the storyline with the rebellion of Agrabah. Also, I think that writing the book from Aladdin’s point of view was a great decision. Now, I’m on to read the retelling of Mulan by Liz Braswell and I hope it will be as good as ‘A Whole New World’ was.

‘The Last Wish’ (‘The Witcher’) Andrzej Sapkowski
★★★★★

I love this book – I have read it four before so technically it is a reread of a reread of a reread. Or something like that. It is probably one of the few books written by Polish authors that I like. It is also my sister’s favourite book. The main hero is perfectly written and, even though I don’t usually like this form, this time the form of short stories was fitting. I strongly recommend reading this book, even if you are not Polish – I can guarantee that you will love it.

‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

There is no better month than October for a ‘Harry Potter’ reread. Well, every month is good for that, but there is something about October and fall that just screams ‘Harry Potter’. I am a big Potterhead and it felt amazing to read the first book again – I have to admit I cried every time James and Lily were mentioned. And when Sirius was mentioned. I’m so emotional when it comes to ‘Harry Potter’. Well, now I need to watch the movie, don’t I?

‘Descendants of War and Magic’ Ruby Fitzgerald
★★★★

I’m torn whether this book should get three or four stars – I think I would settle on 3,5 ★. It was a good book and I liked it, yet it was nothing outstanding. It did not make me wanna cry, laugh or scream (maybe a bit scream when some people were mean to Xenos). The magic realm was well-written and organized, which I liked a lot. The characters were fine, but there were too many of them, and the book was too short for me to get attached to them. It is not a book to obsess about, but it is a good one to read in a tram.

‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ J.K. Rowling
★★★★★

It is my least favourite of all ‘Harry Potter’ books. But it still gets five stars, because it is Harry Potter. I do not know what to write here, because if I start discussing the book it would turn from being a ‘wrap-up’ to my monologue about ‘Harry Potter’. I have to admit though that my heart skipped a beat when Ginny was taken into the chamber, even though I knew the ending. ‘Harry Potter’ does make me emotional. Also, that Slytherin hate is breaking my heart.

‘Everless’ Sara Holland
★★★★★

I love this book so much and I cannot wait for continuation! It had me turning pages since the first chapter, and I have read it in two sittings! I was on my toes the whole time – I could never predict what is going to happen next. Jules is an amazing main character and I loved her nerve and wit. ‘Everless’ had me crying, smiling, putting down the book to stare into space blankly – basically it had everything one needs from the book.

‘True Fire’ Gary Meehan
★★★★

At the beginning I was sceptical about ‘True Fire’, but I appreciate a book that can surprise me, especially if it surprises me multiple times. And this one definitely did. Megan is not a heroine I had expected, since she is sixteen and pregnant. The plot twist that occurs at the end (I’m not going to say anything more, not to spoil the book) made me put this book down for a moment and stare at the wall. It missed a kind of swiftness which made it not easy to read, but other than that I recommend it strongly.

synopsis

A long time ago Ancients had given chosen humans the ability to do magic, known as Nine Energies of Magic. After the battle of Venom, the kingdom of Thurnadan returned to the peaceful times. Or so it was thought. Suddenly, people had started dying because of an illness called the Jinx. The Jinx started killing the population of Thurnadan on a massive scale. The group of people is chosen to lead the mission in order to find the cure to the horrible disease. But does the cure even exist? And if it does, will they manage to find it in time to stop the Jinx from killing everyone?

review

First of all, I want to thank Ruby Fitzgerald and Solider Bear Entertainment for the free e-book copy.

I am a bit surprised that I have not heard about Ruby Fitzgerald before I got this book – her world seems to me like the kind of magical realm that should be wildly popular. When I have started reading this book and I have read the prologue, my first thought was literally ‘That’s going to be confusing as hell’. The prologue confused me and, quite frankly, it discouraged me from reading this book. But the story got better as I read on, and the last hundred pages I could not wait to read. My problem with the plot is that fact that I have not read the first book so I had some plot gaps. The topic of this book reminded me of ‘The Plauge’ by Albert Camus – it also involved a deadly disease that indicated the end of the world and the behaviour of the people that were faced with death. The style of writing seemed kind of off to me, but I guess that is the mater of one’s taste.

What I really liked, was the magic element of the book – Shifters, Grounders, Whisperers – it was a well-written and thought-out magical realm. The book felt like a continuation, but I have liked that about it. I have liked the mystery and slowly getting to know what happened to each of the characters. I have to admit that the book was pretty feministic to me. There is a queendom (a kingdom ruled by a queen), and the main protagonists are mainly women.

There were too many characters for my taste. I think the idea was to do it like George Martin in ‘Game of Thrones’, but the amount of characters was not good for only 242 pages. If the book was longer, I would have time to bond with characters, learn their history, traits. In this book. I have found out bits of their personalities, but not enough to feel emotional towards them. Obviously, my favourite character was one of questionable morals – Xenos. The queen, Eleanor, was a terrible women in my opinion, and a moody one. She acted royally, yet she did not care for her subject the way the queen should. Ryder was too absorbed with Aurora and his hatred for Xenos to be likeable to me. Characters had potential for being great, however the book was just too short for that.

In conclusion, the main problem I had with this book that it was too short for this number of characters and storylines. I’m still torn whether this book should get three or four stars, so if I could, I would give it 3,5 stars.

It was a terrible reading month for me, really. I wasn’t home for the most time and I didn’t take any books with me. Then, I was on my holidays where I was too busy sightseeing, resting and bonding with my family. But I still wanted to share the books I have read this month with the world. I managed to find two interesting books when I was staying over at my aunt’s. Also, I bought ten books on my holidays and so far I have read two of them. So here is my September wrap-up and hopefully October will a better reading month for me.

‘The Girl on the Train’ Paula Hawkins
★★★

I am not a big fan of thrillers or criminals, but I was really bored and needed something to read. That was the only interesting book on my aunt’s bookshelf. The beginning was too dull for me and I felt I had been waiting forever for something to finally happen. The whole plot had unsolved in the last forty pages which was irritating and felt a bit forced – like the book was supposed to be longer. The only thing I liked was the turnout – the denouement of the plot was thought out and the clues left throughout the whole book all match up. I liked this book, but it was nothing special. Shame since I heard so much buzz around this book and I expected great things from it.

‘Fablehaven’ Brandon Mull
★★★★

I know, I know – ‘Fablehaven’ is a children book, but theoretically also Rick Riordan’s books are and they are freakin’ awesome. And so was ‘Fablehaven’. It was a perfect read for a rainy day with a perfectly thought-out and planned secret world. Kendra and Seth are exact oppositions of each other and with a traditional sibling bond. Seth was a bit irritating for my taste – his every mistake had terrible consequences for him and his sister, and for Fablehaven.

‘Lost Boy: The True Story of Captain Hook’ Christina Henry
★★★★★

It was my favourite read out of all four books I have read this month. It was incredible and it stayed in my thoughts for days after I have finished it. ‘Peter Pan’ is my favourite fairy tale and even though it’s a untraditional look at the story. It shows Peter Pan as a childish and narcissistic villain and James Hook as one of Peter’s victims. The only drawback of this book is how bloody it is – it was a little bit like a ‘Game of Thrones’ meets ‘Peter Pan’ without the sex parts. I quite liked how brutal it was – that made it more real – but considering that the cover suggests it’s a children’s book it might be an unpleasant surprise for a reader.

‘The Belles’ Dhonielle Clayton 
★★★★★

What an interesting idea for a book and, at the same time, what an important topic. I completely fell in love with the main character, Camellia. She wasn’t perfect, she had her own ambitions and she was driven. With all of her traits she was more appealing to me. Camellia was beautiful, but she was also imperfect, confused and had a lot of different dilemmas that she didn’t always handle right.

It was so difficult to choose whether I liked ‘Lost Boy’ or ‘The Belles’ more. In the end, I chose ‘Lost Boy’, because it stayed with me days after I have finished it. Seriously, I was walking around the beach and I just thinking about this book. I’m definitely going to read more books by Christina Henry – I saw that she has a book about ‘Alice in Wonderland’. Hopefully October would be a better reading month for me and I hope I will find the book I love as much as I have loved ‘Lost Boy.’

Synopsis

Alosa, a daughter of the pirate king and a pirate herself, is send on a mission. She allows herself to be kidnapped by a hostile pirate crew in order to retreat an ancient map. But that task seems to be more difficult than she expected it to be. Especially when the first mate, Riden, seems to be as witty as Alosa. But can anyone stop the daughter of the pirate king?

Intro

This book is amazing. Honestly. I was not expecting it to be so good and I was pleasantly surprised by it. I was expecting a book for children, but it turned out to be a proper young-adult book. It had an amazing plot – at first it sounded a bit cheesy, but it turned out to be well-planned and it was clear that an author had a good idea for a story. The daughter of a pirate king on a mission to steal a map? Sounds so cliché and, to be honest, so simple. But it was anything but simple. The story kept getting more and more complicated and I was getting more and more intrigued.

Characters

Tricia Levenseller created a badass female character, Alosa, who stole my heart within a first chapter. She is one of the wittiest characters I have ever encountered in a book. Even when she doesn’t seem to have a plan, she actually does which is incredible even for a book character. I love an intelligent character who can also fight well and has a smart mouth. To be honest, I’m not sure what are the intentions of any of characters which keeps me on my toes. Riden is such a complicated character which instantly made him one of my favourite ones (I have a thing for troubled guys in books). My least favourite part of this book was the villain, Draxen, who in my opinion was a bit blunt and, let’s be honest, stupid. I couldn’t shake the feeling that he is unable to do anything without his first mate and brother, Riden. As any booklover I love a good villain (especially one with a good history and a witty character), and sadly Draxen wasn’t one. If I had to say I think Riden makes a better villain than his brother does, which makes a story a bit complicated. But I loved it because of its complex plot and constant plot twists. I just wish that the villain could be better built.

Narration

At first, I was wary about the first-person narration – I’m not usually a fan of it. But in this case it turned out to fit just right into the story, especially with Alosa’s sassy character. First-person narration is what helps to keep the reader on their toes – the reader has only the access to Alosa’s scheming which allows them to think that everyone is just following her plan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I really loved this book and I read in one sitting. Ordering a sequel was the first thing I did after finishing ‘Daughter of the Pirate King’ and I cannot wait to read the continuation of Alosa’s history. I think this book is going to be one of my favourite books I’ve read in 2018 and I honestly would love to read more books from Tricia Levenseller.