My Rating: 4 Stars One of the reasons I like to browse in my local library is because you never know which little treasure you might find hidden on the shelves. This book was definitely a hidden treasure. I have to admit that the cover was the reason why I grabbed it; I have a thing for old books! This fantasy novel is refreshing and the old-fashioned tale was very engaging. Aurian tells the story of Aurian, a female mage growing from a young age with magic, trained in the art of the sword by an old friend of her dead father, Forral. When she’s sent to the city of Nexis to train her powers, she has no idea that her life is about to change forever as she stumbles into a power fight between humans, Miathan and the Archmage. So the fight begins to the end of the world: a quest to gather the only weapons strong enough to stop Miathan, the Artefacts of Power. The style of writing is beautiful and it was very easy to get into the story. What surprised me in this novel were all the subplots that come together leaving no loose ends. I’m usually not a fan of this type of structure because I tend to get lost in the thread of the story. I was surprised that I still felt connected to the story despite that, it actually made sense and the fact that there are different perspectives and opinions complete the story to the last detail. It’s also great to see the reactions of the several characters to the events. In the end, it’s not possible not to connect to a few characters. Their humanisation is incredible and their descriptions are so well made, I could actually see them as real people. This isn’t a fairy tale though, main characters meet their end like all the others, and everyone is on equal footing, which kept my nerves on the edge! Aurian is a very strong female character in a novel I could feel the power of the feminine, something I really enjoyed reading about. The responsibility that falls on her lap makes her step up her game and her determination and courage are amazing to read. Overall, a very enjoyable and memorable novel! Highly recommend it to the fans of the fantasy genre that would like to read something refreshing!
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My Rating: 3 Stars When I first got this book, I had no idea it was the third volume of a series since it wasn’t mentioned in the title on NetGalley. Even so, I ended up enjoying the adventure of Zoe Faustus. This third volume of the “Accidental Alchemist” collection tells the story of Zoe Faustus, a young alchemist, her gargoyle friend Dorian and an unexpected, very serious predicament. Gargoyles are magical creatures with the power to turn to stone at will. When Dorian starts turning permanently to stone, Zoe travels to Paris in search of the solution in the form of an ancient alchemist book. When her past catches up with her, Zoe will have her plate full between a race against time and unrevealed secrets that will change her life forever. It’s a fast, entertaining read that I definitely put under the category of cosy-mysteries. I didn't read the previous volumes, wish I am curious to take a look at now, but Gigi Pandian did a great job explaining and mentioning events from the previous books. I got easily engaged in the story and I didn't feel like I was missing something. The plot is engaging and it pulled to the story and to its characters. Zoe is a brave, charismatic character, willing to sacrifice anything to save her friend. Her relationship with Dorian is incredible and I absolutely loved their exchanges and their connection. I wasn’t expecting that ending though, at all. But it definitely left me wanting more and see what happens next, which I think, was the point. My favourite character, however, is Dorian. I keep thinking that he’s a mix between the characters of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Ratatouille from Disney and Pixar: A talking gargoyle and an accomplished French cook. It was impossible for to love him and not to feel for his fate. Humorous, entertaining, adventurous cosy-mystery that I recommend for all the fans of these great genres! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Midnight Ink, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 4 Stars Beyond the Absurd was a delight to read. Being a fan for the Theatre of the Absurd, specially Waiting for godot by Samuel Backett and No Exist by Jean-Paul Sartre, I’m familiar with the style. These 12 short stories, focused on the absurd, take the reader in a journey to the deepest and darkest corners of the human mind and actions, and the paradox of human choices and opinions. These tales are a mix of genres that go from fantasy and sci-fi to dystopia and even humour. Alexander Tomov is a great writer and his writing style is amazing. The language is simple and it completely matches the simplicity of life and the banalities of our daily lives. I must admit that in the beginning I got a bit lost since I didn’t know if the stories were somehow related or not. It’s nothing that can’t be clarified with an introduction to the book. Furthermore, I think that a quotation on the subject or theme in the beginning of each story could help the reader to understand the story better. Some of the stories were really creepy like “The machine” that can create the ghost of someone for your past or the 4-year-old boy that committed suicide because he hated the world since he was 2. My favourite stories were “The Taxicab” and the “Firekeeper”. These two stories are related to the thing but in a different perspective: time. They’re about travelling to the past or the future and an old-man that can burn ghosts from the past. For me, it’s about that human desire to relive distant memories with people that are lost and the inability to aspect that our past, no matter how dark, is what makes us who we are now. The story that really made me laugh is the devil having an orgy in the United Nation’s room since hell is out of room and “Heaven has gone bankrupt” from the lack of pure souls. A story about power and how leaders only take notice to the details that are in their interests. These are the type of stories that made me think and to see the absurdity of life, the contradictions of what we see and choose to see has banalities. For example, the end of world, the death of children, how we would like to change something in our lives but don’t and then wish to change the past. Tomov inserts tiny details that complete the short-stories and make them even more human. It was a great reading that I recommend for the fans of the absurd. I’ll definitely keep an eye open for Mr Tomov’s future works. I want to thank the author Alexander Tomov for his advanced copy of his book in exchange for an honest review! Tommy Turner's Tremendous Travels by Ali Seegar (Author) & Hawkins Patrick (Illustrations)26/12/2016 My Rating: 5 Stars Wonderful novel! A fantastic, heart-warming and fast-paced adventure that was impossible to put down. I absolutely loved every phrase of it! Tommy Turner’s Tremendous Travels by Ali Seegar tell the story of Tommy, a 12-year-old boy and his adventures in a difficult period of his life. When Tommy’s mother announces that they will be moving from his little town to another, Tommy feels that his world is ending. Forced to leave everything behind including his best friend and fellow adventurer Digby, the 12-year-old struggles to adjust to a new life, a new school and the constant favouritism of his sister Sally. But his life changes when he enters ‘Petrovsky’s Toy Store’, where his double-life starts. During the day, he’s a student at the High Brooms, struggling to fit in, make friends and survive encounters with bullies, and at night he’s an adventurer that travels to different planets meeting aliens, fighting mythical monsters and even winning the World Cup. When real life catches up to him, will Tommy be able to become the hero of his story? First of all, I want to congratulate Patrick Hawkins for the brilliant illustrations in this book, they really helped me in imagining Tommy’s world and to fall deeper into the story. Secondly, for Ali Seegar, I want to say that you are a wonderful writer with an amazing talent. The writing is very nice, it flows perfectly and the simple vocabulary makes it very easy to understand and follow. The story-line is incredible, very rich in imagination and creativity. In this novel, there aren’t just adventures but lessons as well, lessons that come with life experiences. I loved to see the evolution of Tommy’s character from the lost boy desperately wanting attention and struggling with a new life to the boy against all odds overcomes his fears and insecurities and starts his own path in life. I fell in love with Tommy, with his courage and his ability to face his fears. It was very easy for me to identify some of the challenges Tommy faced to ones that I had myself when I was younger, and that’s why I think this book isn’t just for children but for adults too. Mr Petrovsky, the toy store owner, represents the past and he’s there for a reason. The lessons that he teaches are the horrors of past wars, their consequences and that we should value what we have in our lives and the people that are important to us. An amazing story with brilliant and memorable characters that will leave a tear in your eye. I highly recommend this book for children of all ages and for adults would like to remember that it’s like to be a child. I can’t wait for Miss Ali Seegar’s next novel! I want to thank Ali Seegar for the advanced copy of her debut novel and for the opportunity to read and review it. My Rating: 4 Stars This was a burst of colour in my readings! An amazing novel with amazing characters and a story-line that kept me clued to its pages! I could taste the circus life and colours with this brilliant show of imagination! Freeks tells the story of the Gideon Davorin’s Travelling Sideshow, a circus where acts are real magic. Each sideshow presents different wonders, from levitation to necromancy and fortune telling and each member of the carnival has their own set of unique talents. All expect Mara, a young girl that travels with her mother in the circus and, even though she loves her carnival family, dreams of a normal life. That dream seems very far away, still, the circus settles in the small town of Caudy, Louisiana and Mara meets Gabe. But something is amiss. Something is set in getting rid of the Freek sideshow and will stop at nothing to have that wish fulfilled. What or who is it? When members of the carnival are attacked and one disappears, Mara must make the choice to stay and fight or run away while discovering that “normal” isn’t really her thing. Where to begin? The mystery plot was very well thought and beautifully written. The mix between mystery and supernatural in the circus setting was perfect. The mystery plot left me glued to the pages. The style of writing was very good, easy to follow and the descriptions were very well made, especially for the characters and the different settings of the story. The unexpected twists are the bit of pepper that the story needed to become even more addictive. The protagonist, Mara is a great character and I loved her way of thinking and seeing things. She’s impulsive but acts with her heart and the way she built the relationships with the rest of the members of the carnival is heart-warming and it definitely creates a sense of union. With Gabe on the other hand, I thought their romance was a bit rushed, I would have liked to see more build-up of their relationship and how their perspective of each other changed when they got to know each other better. Still, they make a cute couple. I’m not a fan of romance, but since in the novel the romance doesn’t take the front stage, I was still able to enjoy it. A very enjoyable read that I recommend to the fans of the carnival world, the supernatural and mystery! Thank you NetGalley, the publisher St. Martin's Griffin, and the author for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book. My Rating: 5 Stars First of all, I have to say I'm a huge fan of Mr Rick Riordan's work and style. I've read quite a few of his books and the feeling never really changes. The Sword of Summer is the first book of the Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard collection and it was absolutely brilliant! Fast-paced adventure filled with twists and a lot of humour... I mean buckets of humour! About the story: Meet Magnus Chase, a troubled boy that lives in the streets after the mysterious death of his mother. Growing up not knowing who is the father was, imagine his surprise when one of the people that he has been avoiding finds him and tells him his dad is Norse god. Magnus life takes a big and fatal turn that will take him on a quest beyond the world of the living and into the world of Viking myths and legends. His mission? To prevent Ragnarok, the end of days. Guided by a prophecy, together with his three friends Magnus most travel the Nine Worlds in search of a weapon that has the power to change the course of destiny. Easy right? Oh, did I forget to mention the giants, fire-giants, trolls, resentful gods? A great start for this series. There is nothing not to like, the characters, the settings, the plot and don't even get me started on the humorous conversations and chapter titles. I really liked Magnus as a character. His spirit, his ability to face his fears, his loyalty, his courage and of course his sarcasm make him an epic hero that I want to read more of. Sam, the main female protagonist is incredible. She is a force of nature, not afraid to speak her mind and to follow her instincts. Despite being set aside for her lineage, Sam doesn't let others opinion bring her down. The rest of the team Blitzen the dwarf and Hearth the elf complete the picture and add the spice to the story. With this group it really shows that you can't be good at everything, you're not perfect and that's okay because you are unique and you have friends that will always have your back. Their friendship is incredible and I could feel the strong bond between them right from the start. Is this like Percy Jackson? No. Percy and Magnus are two very different characters with two very different destinies. The second book is all ready to go on my Reading List and I can't wait to get my hands on those pages! Highly recommend it! Some of my favourite quotes: “I told my new friends that I was allergic to dismemberment. They just laughed and herded me toward the combat arena. This is why I don’t like making new friends.” “The thing about talking swords…it’s hard to tell when they’re kidding. They have no facial expressions. Or faces.” “No, Satan would be a schlub next to this guy. This guy is like Satan’s fashion consultant.” “I don't expend my energy trying to fight the change of seasons. I focus on making sure the days I have, and the season I oversee, are as joyful, rich, and plentiful as possible.” My Rating: 5 Stars I'm suffering from the post-book syndrome. Another brilliant work by the one and only Ms Genevieve Cogman with the brilliant third volume of the Invisible Library saga. Twice as packed with action than the first two volumes put together, a lot more trouble and difficult decisions for Irene. A mind-blowing finale felt me completely breathless, shaking and crying that I have to wait until December 2017 for the next novel! Our hero, Irene, is currently suffering from her early behaviour towards the disregard of Library rules. As punishment, she is sent on minor missions with her friend and assistant Kai while taking residence in the world of Vale, the great detective. But since when does the life of a Library spy runs smoothly? When the doors to the Library start to malfunction and explode all together, Irene must use all her wit and her ability to prioritise to: escape a building on fire, retrieve a book from the Crystal Palace in Saint Petersburg, save the life of a dear friend suffering from Chaos contamination, save the Library from complete destruction in the hands of ex-librarian and traitor Alberich and, in the bottom of that list, if possible, not die in the process. What can possibly go wrong? Just like the previous books, The Burning Page had me gripped to its pages right from the beginning. As I didn't have to wait very long for the action to start and to see Irene and Kai at their best when things go horribly wrong. I really enjoyed seeing that development of Irene's relationships and how they change her. She was used to being alone and in the third novel, she still struggles to balance logic with emotions. Kai has also grown since the first book and after his near-death experience in the Masked City, I definitely saw the change in him towards Irene and Vale. Vale is a difficult character to analyse being the Great Detective with super-power of deduction. I was surprised to see his interaction with Irene and I can wait to see how their relationship will develop in the next books. The villain is revealing himself to be quite frightening and unpredictable. I really enjoyed seeing more of him in the volume, I definitely like the depth of his character. Alberich is a complete mystery and even though his plans seem to be very straightforward I can't shake the feeling that there is a lot more behind that faceless shadow. In some parts of the book, he really made me question if there is some truth in what he says, because, really, why would he lie about it? The plot was amazingly written, it's getting more and more complex and even so, all the loose ends are perfectly tied by the end. The explosive and unexpected finale left me breathless, a bit sad and a whole lot of surprised! Just... Wow. Definitely counting the days for the next book "The Lost Plot" coming out in December 2017! My Rating: 5 Stars How to end a trilogy: just like Ms Pacat does! The brilliant end for a fantastic collection! She really outdid herself in this novel, coming to the completion of a wonderful story leaving no loose ends. This book brought me to that dilemma "I want to finish it but I don't want to finish it" and I can honestly say that Damen and Laurent became one of my favourite M/M couples of all time. Picking up from the grand finale and cliffhanger of Prince's Gambit, Damen and Laurent don't have a moment to recover. Intrigue is taken to another level, constant interference and betrayal as both King and Prince fight their way to win back their thrones. As Vere and Akielos unite against a common enemy, the two royals struggle with attraction and feelings for each other. Will they fall into the plot that could end both their lives and their kingdoms? Shocking twists, heart-stopping revelations and a finale that will leave your heart pounding! I really raced through the pages of this volume, much like I did with the others. The third book is twice action-packed than the other two books combined and the fast-paced story-line didn't allow me to stop reading until the very end. It was very gratifying to see justice done and to see beloved characters have a great ending. Okay okay, I admit that I warmed up to Laurent a bit, but just a bit! I really saw the development of his character along the trilogy and in the end, it made a big difference. One of the things that made the difference is that Damen didn't back down no matter how much and what means Laurent used to push him away. What he needed was really someone that could see behind all the walls he built around himself, all the defences and truly listen to that he has to say. An amazing end, even though I would have liked another chapter with more details on Damen and Laurent maybe a few months later after the alliance was made. But still, it's a trilogy that I will keep recommending over and over again for a very long time. I hope that Ms Pacat will write again soon because a talent like that needs to be in the spotlight more often than not! My Rating: 5 Stars Just... Wow. Ms Pacat did it again and I think I developed an addiction in the process. Two volumes in two days and I must say I regret nothing. Absolutely perfect, still as fast-paced as before with a style of writing that makes it impossible to stop reading. I must say though, that I'm still not a fan of Laurence. Before that, there is a brief description of the second volume of the Captive Prince trilogy. Tension is building between Laurence and his uncle. Forced to travel to the border with Akielos as a punishment for childish actions and as an attempt to have him killed, Laurent must unite forces with Damen in order to avoid a war between their countries. Surrounded from both sides by usurpers and unknown traitors, the two kings must fight for their lives, their freedom and their people while trying to ignore the growing sensual tension between them. Can Damen keep his identity a secret for much longer? In this book, I could see the rising tension between the Regent and Laurence. The Regent's determination to get ride of Laurence that was very well concealed in the first volume is completely revealed and it shows the length of his greed and thirst for power. Laurent is still a very complex character and, like I mentioned in the review of the previous novel, I believe that he has some sort of trauma from his childhood and I don't mean his brother's death. I can't bring myself to like him though, and it's probably related to how he uses people to achieve his means no matter the consequences or cost. On the other hand, Damen is a character that doesn't let his nasty experience in Vere change who he is and who he's meant to be. He proved to have more King material than Laurent could ever hope to have: the knowledge in battle strategy, how to make the troops happy and avoid conflict, how to predict situations and act under pressure. Furthermore and most importantly, he has the heart of a king, his people come first. I absolutely loved the ending. It was simply perfect and very gratifying. No doubt that this trilogy made it to my Top favourite. My Rating: 5 Stars Absolutely brilliant! It was impossible to stop reading, impossible to drawn in the story, even if I developed a pet-hatred for a number of characters. But first things first, I want to congratulate Ms C.S Pacat for the wonderful novel, the setting and the characters. The novel starts with the handsome prince of Akielos, Damen, who is betrayed by his brother Kastor, stripped of his title and sent as a pleasure slave to the enemy nation of Vere. His life becomes even more difficult when he meets the spoiled, manipulative prince Laurent, known for his coldness and difficult temper. If Damen was convinced that the Veretian court was full of liars and people without honour, his vision only darkens when he becomes the target of the Prince's anger and hatred. When Damen finds himself in the middle of a power game for the throne, he must join forces with Laurent if he ever hopes to save his country while keeping his identity a secret. I became completely addicted to this novel and finished it in two days. The plot is brilliant, the descriptions are incredible, the writing style flows very nicely and the pace of the story-line didn't allow me to grow bored for even a second. Only compliments! I think the best word is definitely "Captivating". I developed a hatred for Laurent and I think it's impossible to like him. He acts as a spoiled brat, cruel to those who defy him but at the same time, I have to admit, he acts with care. I have the feeling that he had a traumatic childhood and his coldness and detachment have something to do with that. I really liked Erasmus. He is the representation of purity and innocence even with his background and painful experiences. It was impossible not to grow attached to him. Don't hesitate in buying this novel, not even for a second. It's a fresh M/M story unlike any other that you have read so far that you'll grow addicted to. Definitely worth the 5 stars! |
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