Review: All the Bright Places

★★★★★

Finch wants to die. He has all the plans made, but every time he tries it something comes across that makes him want to continue.

Violet is stricken with grief by her sister's death. She doesn't know how to be herself anymore.

They meet on the ledge of the school's bell tower.

And that's how begins a heart wrecking sad story that makes you gasp for breath in the middle of the night.

I didn't expect this to be this amazing. Reading All the Bright Places really was hard in a way. It was like needing oxygen while diving. You need it so badly, so you try to get to the surface but can't get fast enough. And when you get there, you fill your lungs full. Same thing with the reading. You rush forward, not breathing and then you get to a spot where you can breathe. You close the book and prepare yourself for the next dive.

I don't know which part of this book I didn't love. I loved Finch, the freaky guy. I loved Violet, the girl looking for herself. I loved Indianapolis and wandering and the memories and the offerings. And the big blue lake.

This book is a cause for a terrible book hangover, so beware. (Also you may fall in love.)

Review: Heores and Villains: Pawn in the Game

★★★★☆

First I must thank the author Tara R. for giving me the opportunity to read her book Heroes and Villains: Pawn in the Game.

I must say that if you are not confused whilst reading this you must own super-brains or something. With so many plot twists that come out of nowhere and character's decisions that seem so unlikely to the reader this book makes you want to bang your head to the table from time to time. 

''Love is a powerful emotion, they say. It has no boundaries, they say. Love can conquer all. But I had never known love.''

Don't get me wrong, it's not a love story. Nothing lovey dovey about it. It's a cross between violence and betrayal with an added bonus of mistakes, that kill people (as if they weren't dying fast enough already).

In a world where violent kingdoms compete with the number of how many of them has died, nothing can be good. They count their deaths to the higher unknown power and in return they don't get the higher power's wrath upon them. Except now. When the higher power has betrayal in their ranks and everything they've done for to keep them hidden and safe is ready to fall apart. 

In this world a young woman called Aurora is chosen (ooor ''chosen'') to be the saviour of the worlds, but there is betrayal again. The plot unfolds when you see allegiances pledged across enemies to kill person A, just so they can get rid of person B. And so on. Trust me, the alphabet will run out before you're fifty pages in. And it's amazing.

Those of you who have seen Lost will understand that everything is related to everything. And it'll blow your mind off. All the events in the book might've been foretold as their starting forces were kicking in but the author distracted your mind to elsewhere so you didn't notice it. Then later when you realise what happened you feel like running into the nearest wall because you should've seen it coming. Creepily genius, Tara, creepily genius.

 I really look forward to read the next installment to this book!

Review: Off to See the Wizard

★★★☆☆

Thank you to the author Clay Johnson for providing me a copy of Off to See the Wizard!

Good news or bad news first? Let's do mixed and straight to business.

When you have many characters it's hard to keep track of all of them. Especially if they are entirely different species and their goals are a bit different. This worked out well. No two character was exactly same.

Disappointing was that you don't get to know the characters better than an immediate expression and few pet peeves here and there. There's not enough time to form any "relationships" with them (which might work for someone).

Where the book was set? In a universe/world with 16 realms that are not introduced any further than that. Which is disappointing. I love to know about the world surrounding the characters. It helps the imagination to fly higher and it's so much easier to work your way through the book when you have even a bit of a clue where you are.

Unfortunately to me it felt like the book's plot had ran away. It's true that there was a straight line from the beginning to the end, but in most parts it made no sense. With a few less stops during the quest and jumps between the characters might have helped.

I am a huge fan of chapters (or other such breaks). I adore them, they give breathers. They allow you to put the book down and you can effortlessly pick it up again. I don't say that that chapters would've made this better, actually it might be impossible to set this story to chapters. I just thought go warn others.

Reading this book really was a quest. I'm happy I signed up to it!

Review: The Story of Lucius Cane: Book One

I got this straight from the author Vanya Ferreira.

★★★☆☆

 I think I expected something entirely different than this. Something more towards The Twilight - series... Could not be further from them.

The Story of Lucius Cane is a part of Lucius Cane's story. Actually you don't get much out of him, but you get to know half of the basics. 

Then there's the wolf. And the epic battle. And the confusing ending. 

All in all, this was a very entertaining short story. And because it was a short story it was quick to read. 

Lucius Cane is a vampire, who has his own ways. He's targeted by some mysterious (let's call him) guy. The guy has ordered the wolf to kill him. And when they confront each other in the epic battle, the story ends. With a mysterious voice...

Review: The Samhain Island

Okay, so I have been postponing reviewing a few books since my laptop doesn't cooperate with me.

★★★☆☆

As I mentioned in  my review on Goodreads, I got this book straight from Miss Taylor Thomas on New Year's Eve. Talk about a surprise!

The book is about girl named Tremaine Boppel, who has to move to the mysterious Samhain Island, because her father decides to move their video store there. To Tremaine it's the worst thing that can happen, and talking about the worst things that can happen, who or what lives in the tower?

Determined to find out, she starts to unravel the secrets of the mysterious tenant with the help of her new friend and her brothers. 

But everything is not always as they seem and Tremaine ends up doing the opposite she of what she actually meant to do. 

The start was very strong and promising. I wasn't expecting anything specific, when I started this book, so when it got to the point rapidly changing point of view's I was confused. Not that the changings weren't smooth, I think they were a bit too smooth. Sometimes it took a few sentences or paragraphs, to notice the change. 

I liked the fact that this was very different compared to all the other books I've read before. I couldn't predict what would happen next and that's a thing many people who've read many books like. Because no one wants to always read a book that you can thoroughly predict.

Review: Multiversum

★★★☆☆

What if the life we are living is just one possible outcome? What if there are parallel dimensions that exist in the same space-time continuum, but their reality is entirely different from ours?

 At first I couldn't imagine anything cooler than that! Travelling through the possibilities of my own life and saving the world as a side-dish. Sounds awesome right? 

Yes. The idea for the book and how the plot moved forward was pure brilliancy. Following Alex and Jenny's journey through collapsing worlds and facing their pasts with them was great.

With all the praise, as you can see from the star rating, there comes a time when I need to say it: But.

The book was too figurative. (Okay, it was written by an Italian, so it didn't come as an surprise.) There were times when the plot moved nicely forward and then stopped because some flower pots or curtains' print was described. Or then some absurd notions of how something seemed colourful, meaningful and beautiful but at the same time something entirely else. Like when you want to say something, just say it. Don't circle around all the time, and especially if you circle, don't circle so far away. 

The other but is the point of view from which the book was written from. 

Here's what I expected and would've been okay to me:

Two protagonists = two point of views. Maybe is there was something really important to tell from a supporting character's point of view, that could've been added under a separate headline. 

What actually happened:

Two protagonists, both their parents, some friend, crazy old man and viewers from other side of the street, and of course, the invisible third-party teller. Sometimes I didn't even know from whose point of view I was looking at the situation. And most importantly, I got confused about what everyone knew of which subject. Since there were jumping between POV's during one paragraph, it made it sometimes really frustrating to read.

So summarised: It was an awesome book, but how it was displayed on the paper destroyed it. 

That's why in the end:

Review: Losing Hope

★★★★★

Refreshing. I remember well what happened in Hopeless, but in reality I actually didn't. I had forgotten how much this book takes on feelings. How it rips your soul out and makes you cry and curl in to fatal position (may not happen to everyone).

Readin the same story plus more from Holder's point of view was just what I needed. Seeing what he saw and getting a sneak peek nito his thoughts. Knowing what he knew and why he truly decided to act in which way in different situations. Just wow. 

Check my earlier review of Hopless here.

Review: Lies I Told

''They said someday you'll find

All who love are blind.''

★★★★★

Being adopted to the family of thieves is not easy. Sixteen-year-old Grace has been part of many cons to steal money, jewellery and art from wealthy people, but the next gig at Playa Hermosa is going to be the hardest ever.
There are rules to be followed. Don't talk about the job outside the war room and don't draw attention to yourself. And falling for your mark is not a good thing either.

The rules get broken little by little by Grace and her adopted brother Parker the job starts, little by little, falling in to pit. In the end what is the most important thing to hold on when everything surrounding you is a lie?

Wow. Picking this up just because I wanted to buy a book I haven't heard of before. Wasn't disappointed at all. In fact, I already ordered the sequel. 

For once stepping in to the villain's shoes was really fun experience. Getting to see what was going on in Grace's head and what she felt when she had to lie about everything. How everyone in the family had to abandon everything they once might have been to become chameleon. Ready to change who they were altogether when they started a new job or ended the last one. Never having a real family life or a last name that stuck over six months. 

I really liked the characters of Lies I Told. They seemed to vary from side to side. There was the silent one and the nosy and the attention needy. 

Also what went on in Grace's head was disturbingly amazing. Or, in other words, how the pain felt so real. The pain caused by betrayal and betraying. The pain caused by loving someone and having to leave them. Or just the pain to have someone looking after you and getting too emotional because of it. Yep, that can happen too.

Lies I Told is really quick to read. And it might feel a bit slow at the beginning but in the end it's better that it did. If it hadn't been the ending could've felt too fast.

Review: Carry On

★★★★☆

I'm glad that I had the time and motivation to end my journey with Simon now.

I started Carry On in November and thought it was going to take make just a couple of days before I finished it. In reality it took me over two months!

***************************************************

Simon Snow is the worst Chosen One who's ever been chosen. Honestly, I don't even know how he got through his education to his last year. He can't do normal spells and then when something dangerous in going on, he just ''goes off''. In other words, explodes (and sets everything on fire). But there's something charming about Simon and his clumsiness. He doesn't think like an aristocrat or think he actually is the most valuable asset to the World of Mages.

Baz. I don't know what to say about him. He's awfully a handsome and a vampire. His mother was the headmistress before the Mage. He just is the opposite if Simon. When Simon doesn't know what to do, Baz knows. When Simon can't do something, Baz can. They're completing each other all the while they claim to hate and plot to destroy the other.

At the beginning I couldn't dive into the story, so to me it felt like it dragged a lot. Half way through the plot picked up pace and it started moving better. The last hundred pages were pure perfection. Things I thought would be real awkward in real life weren't on the paper and that just amazed me a lot.

But one thing is sure: the words that sum up the book perfectly are Carry On.

Review: The Here and Now

                              ★★☆☆☆

 Wow. I don't know where to start. Should I start with the good or the bad?

I'll start with what I did not like in The Here and Now.

1. No plot.
this book would've been a hundred pages long if there wouldn't be anything to fill the blank places. Yeah, no I know the names of some card games and how awkward the talk of sex that openly would actually be in real life.

2. What characters?
There definitely were characters, but I did not connect with them at all. Which makes me kind of sad, since without great characters the book can't be a great one. I can't even describe how they look like. All I know that the main couple had an insta-love and that's it. No real love nor the actual emotion could be felt.

3. Future or past?
I have to say that for the first hundred or so pages I couldn't say that was Prenna from the future or the past. Not before she said/thought it straightly; ''I'm from the future.'' It might be just because I was careless while reading and missed it earlier.

4. The ending.
Crap. I don't even want to talk about the ending. It was so subdued. No emotions just dumping all the characters and saying the end. Ugh.

What actually liked?

I likes that Ann Brashares had created a futuristic world where  everything was in a puddle of mud. And then the time travelers tried to fix it by changing the past. That made me think that the present day is also important, not just the future we work so hard towards.

What I'm confused of:

The date 17th of May 2014. It was traveled through the story nicely and everything was build around it. Still, I think that there was no real use of it. I could've been left out.

Now I'm starting to think that maybe I should've given this book only one star, but I liked the beginning, so I'm gonna stick to the two stars.

Review: Eleanor & Park

'''Because...' he said quietly, looking at his desk, 'because people want to remember what it's like to be young? And in love?'''

                       ★★★★★

Eleanor & Park gave me shivers from the very first page. The first page defines the mood to the book, and making me almost cry on the first page... Well, the only thing that was on my mind, was why? Why would the story lead up to that situation in the end? Could it still end differently or was it doomed to have a heart-breaking ending?

Eleanor is the new kid. She moved back to her mom and Step dad's place after her step dad had banished her a year earlier. Her step dad, Richie, is a total ass. The whole family is afraid of him and they have no freedom or money to do anything in their lives. Eleanor wears too old, too big and too noticeable clothes.
 Eleanor wants to be herself, not anyone else. Not even to share a resemblance with another person. And when she looks like someone else she gets really antsy and wants to run from the situation. I think that her anxiety and need to be her own person is because she hasn't ever been able to do anything to help herself, and not being able to make decisions of what you do in your life is horrible.
Another thing that at first look you couldn't believe of Eleanor. She is shy. Like, really, really shy. Although her clothes beg her to be noticed, inside she just wants to disappear. Many people who read Eleanor & Park might disagree with me, but to me Eleanor is shy.

Park is the kid whose mom is from Korea. He has a little brother and seemingly perfect, happy family life. Or at least to Eleanor his family is perfect. Park wears only black, reads comics, listens and mixes tapes. He tries to learn how to drive a stick-shift.
Park is not the popular guy, nor is he the hated guy. He's just the guy in between. Wanting to go unnoticed, living his own life. He has succeeded until some girl with red hair and freckles got in the school bus. Park tries to ignore Eleanor, but it's hard. Her looks just beg him to notice.
Park. How to describe Park? He tries to be nice to everyone, but he has a bad temper when somebody insults someone close to him.

Their journey together starts from the school bus, sharing comics and not talking at all. It ends also. The journey in between is full of growing, exploring and pain. They grew from the pain they found while they explored their pasts, presents and futures.

This book was not a happy book. So if you're looking for something light to read, then don't. This book contains so many emotions that sometimes I had to put it down and continue the next day. It's rough to read it, but in the end, you are glad you did.

Thank you again, Rainbow Rowell, for such an amazing book.

December Wrap-Up

2015 is over and it's time to start 2016, but first the books I read during December:

Yeah, three. I must say, I'm ashamed, but what can you do when you've got the world's worst reading slump?

And since it's January and the start of 2016 it's time to set your Goodreads 2016 Reading Challenge goal! I set mine on 100, but if I'm really fast, I'll up it to 120. Only time will show that.

Review: The Kiss of Deception (The Remnant Chronicles #1)

'' The good ones don't run away, Lia.''

★★★★★

 Holy moly, what did I just read?! I was expecting a really good book with a great plot twist, but what I got was something else. Something awesome. Something that is titled greatly.
The Kiss of Deception lives up to its name.

The protagonist, Princess Arabella Celestine Idris Jezelia, the first daughter of the House of Morrighan, is a seventeen-year-old girl from the kingdom of Morrighan. She possesses the gift, which every first daughter possesses, but what is the gift, we know not. The book starts on her wedding day when she is wed to an unknown prince from the land of Dalbreck. Not wanting to be married to a stranger she escapes with her maid Pauline and together they make a journey to Pauline's childhood town. Where they start new lives and work as waitresses in an inn. Little they know what consequences their escape has caused.
After the wedding's been called off, the Prince of Dalbreck packs his saddlebags and tracks Lia down. But he doesn't reveal himself to Lia, and Lia has no idea she has befriended her ex-fiancee.
The same time, from the land of Venda, an assassin has been sent on a mission to kill Lia. To prevent a much-needed alliance between Dalbreck and Morrighan.

When the three collide, Lia unaware of the men and the men knowing Lia's true identity, the race towards the inevitable end starts. Who ends up falling in love with who? And more importantly, is the calling of duty worth of betraying your love?

Personally, I loved this book! I'm so glad to have picked this one up. I've been slumping for a while and before this, I haven't really read anything after September. But this one, oh this one, Wow.

First of all: the base on which Pearson has created the book is just great. All the stories and legends and songs and traditions, they make the book come alive, they make it feel real. I really liked the endings of chapters. Most of them had few verses or short stories that really might not have made sense at the time they are presented them but in the end the realisation strikes, and hard.

The characters were awesome. Not much development happened during the book, Lia might have grown harder and lost the edge of her stubbornness. I can't tell any more of the character's because they are the root of this story and the ingredients to your heart attack.

Seriously. I almost had to call an ambulance when I got to the plot twist. When you read this book, make sure you actually read it and not just thumb through it, because if you're not careful you might miss it. It comes out of nowhere, strikes you hard and leaves you gasping for air and clasping your chest as if your heart would jump out.

So read it! :)

Review: The Raven Boys

            
                                     ★★★☆☆

Couldn't come up with a great catch phrase like they do in the back covers, so straight to the actual review.

Our protagonist Blue is the only child in a family of psychics. With father gone from birth and weird aunts living under the roof her life is far from normal. She also has a curse. When she kisses her true love, he will die. Blue has sworn off boyfriends, and the boys from Aglionby Academy, the Raven Boys, are the absolute no.

Until Blue sees one of the Raven Boy's ghost on a St. Mark's Eve. After that coincidences lead together and the Raven Boys end up solving a mystery of a disappeared Welsh King with the help of Blue.

Starting from the Raven Boys. There is a great group dynamic, it's carefully planned and set and it makes the book a whole lot of better. There are four boys: Gansey, the leader, Ronan, the irresponsible, Noah, the shy creep, and Adam, the poor one. Since coming to Aglionby Academy you need to be filthy rich, Adam has gotten a partial scholarship. Though his brightness and will to study to have his own life made, he has to endure his violent father. So the group has the invincible one, Ronan, and the vulnerable, Adam.

Then there's also the down-shifted Latin teacher and his will to revenge his unfortunates in life.

There were two things that bothered me very much while reading The Raven Boys. The first was the dropping and picking up the subjects too randomly. First you read of one thing and then suddenly the chapter ends and you think it continues in the next one, but no. You need to wait around hundred pages until it's picked up again, if it will be picked.

The second irritating thing was the ending. It didn't feel like an ending to a book. It felt like an ending to a chapter. There was no resolving of ''the puxxle'' or anything. It didn't make me feel that I need to run to the book store to get the next part. For someones this kind of ending might work but I was expecting more.

Bookish person's (Christmas) presents and where to get them

We all have the Christmas present problem. What to buy for a friend, mom, sister, mister, cousin or cat. We don't simply know! But if that person is a book lover or a bookish person here are some recommendations to make your Christmas shopping a bit easier.

1. A book

Really? Yep. A book. If a person happens to like books then you should buy him or her a book. The only problem is that if you buy a book he or she already owns or doesn't like or someone else is going to buy the same book for him or her.

Another way is to reveal that you're buying a book and you need to ask. So if you're not 100% sure of the book and you don't want to reveal your intentions, maybe the book is not the option for you.

2. Bookmarks
If you are a DIY person, this totally is your thing. Bookmarks can be bought nearly anywhere where paper is sold and most people don't even use an ''official'' bookmark, just a slip of paper or something to mark their place.
Making your own bookmark and doing another for your buddy is a great idea for a Christmas present or an extra for your main gift. Just Google 'bookmark' and you get so many awesome ideas for your own personal bookmark. (Or if you're lazy, you can also just print them.)

3. A Candle

Dark and cold nights in the middle of winter beg for light. Book people love candles since they are one of the most dangerous things in the world. One wrong move and poof, all your books have been turned into ashes.
But scented candles are The Thing. With scents like fairy dust, old books or Mr. Darcy's office you can set the perfect mood for reading. And the options are limitless.
Many small companies produce bookish candles and they get so busy during holiday season so if you want to ensure your shipping is going to be delivered before Christmas is over. So, order in November to be sure, to be absolutely sure, order during September of October!

4. Mugs

Tea (or other) + books = Pure perfection.
Mugs can be found anywhere. Bookstores, grocery stores, granny's jam-cellar... Everywhere.
''I didn't choose mug life, mug life chose me.'' -is probably the most commonly heard expression among the mug hoarders. Most bookworm's cabinets are full of mugs, every size and colour, so by adding a mug with a bookish print is going to make the bookworm's Christmas so much better.




5. Other merchandise: clothing, bags, phone and laptop cases etc.

Anything you need in basic, everyday life can be found in some bookish form. Pillows, check, beds, check, rugs, check, clothing, check. Everything, check.
Just buy anything bookish to the book-lover and you have succeeded in the task of Christmas present buying.







Where can we find these things?

Online is probably the best choice.
Many online stores have so much more to offer than a physical store, since they're all in boxes in huge warehouses. And usually they're a bit cheaper. Just remember to order them early enough, so they have time to ship your order and it gets delivered before the Christmas Eve.

Here are few suggestions if you don't know where to start searching from:

https://society6.com/bookwormboutique
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BookishCandles

Then our best friend: Google.


And if you're really late, DIY is your best friend along Google!