Chibivi in Booksland

   A tree that feeds with lies and a mysterious death, just what a book needs to intrigue me. 'The Lie Tree' has a great plot, but not such a great beginning. What I didn’t enjoy about this book is the fact that the first few chapters are really slow-paced, so I was afraid that it won’t work for me and I will abandon the book, but brace yourself readers, be ready for a slow beginning and don’t give up because it gets interesting and in the second half of it the pace starts to accelerate, the lies and betrayal take root and a lot of plot twists and tense situations grow out of the pages and will be impossible to put the book down.

   What helped me to go through the first chapters was the setting, as a Victorian period lover I was thrilled, especially because Hardinge did a great job creating a perfect atmosphere so everything is so vivid and dark and mysterious. Furthermore, it is indisputable that the author did a great deal of research before writing this beautiful work. We are shown the oddities of the Victorian England, like mourning portraits and ratting pits and the thinking of the Victorian people.

   A great emphasize is put on the female role in the society of that time, the absurd discrimination and expectations. 'The Lie Tree' can be seen as a 'feminist triumph' because we have a strong heroine with big dreams. That’s what I like about Faith, that she is brave and strong, even though she’s only fourteen. She is not a damsel in distress, but manage to overcome hardship and fight the bad guys on her own. She is not perfect and has many flaws, but she dream big and wants to show that she can be sharp and have a clever mind, even though she is a girl in that patriarchal society and that not only men have the psychical traits to become great people.

   As for the rest of the characters…well, I didn’t get attached to them as I did with the characters of other books, I guess this book put the accent on the main character and her struggles, so the focus is mainly on Faith and the others are just there in the background. It would have been better if there were more interactions between the characters.

    Overall, it was an enjoyable read and I will surely read Hardinge’s other books.

Another volume, another heroine.

     Getting back in this world and meeting my favorite characters again made me really happy. Only after I started reading Cress, I realized how much I’ve missed them!

     The plot is well-paced, so when you see that the book has over 500 pages don’t freak out because it’s a fast-read, you will surely be sucked into the fictional world and the events will keep you on the edge of your seat until the end and will make you want it to have had even more pages.

      The story is told in multiple POVs, just like the previous two books, but Marissa's writing is so easy and straight forward that you won't get confused, even though there are a lot of events and plot twists that take place throughout the book.

     With every new book there are new characters added, each of them vibrant and full of personality and you will surely love them like I do. Cress is one of the characters that I have much sympathy for: she is so innocent, curious and full of life that you can’t not love her. She is such a sweetheart and a genius tech, Rapunzel-like but she is also really clumsy. Furthermore, she and Thorne make a cute pair.

      And for the world building, in each book we find more and more about Cinder’s world, about its history, its laws and so on, so Meyer is not just great at creating amazing characters but also great at constructing well-built fictional universes. What disappointed me in this volume was Wolf’s attitude, he acted the whole book as a jerk, I understand that what happened with Scarlet made him worried but ACTING LIKE A BASTARD WON’T HELP HER, YOU STUPID…! anyway, besides Wolf being useless I think there wasn’t anything else that bothered me…well, actually, maybe just the fact that Scarlet was almost absent from this installment, so I hope that she would appear more in the next volume.

      And, last but not least, I have to tell a few words about Iko too, because she is totally my favorite character!! I mean, I think Iko is surely the favorite character of all the ones that read this series. She has such a great personality, I love her humor and she seems more human than a human being even though she is a robot. Through the end Meyer gives us a glimpse of Winter, who seems a little weird but her personality intrigued me, so I can’t wait to read more about her in the next and last installment of the Lunar Chronicles series: Winter.

      If you haven't read this series yet, what are you waiting for?

     I’m going to start reading Winter, meanwhile I left you my favorite quote from the book:

“Captain?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it was destiny that brought us together?" He squinted and, after a thoughtful moment, shook his head. "No. I'm pretty sure it was Cinder.”

Autor: Cristina Frîncu

Titlu: Vrum-vrum

Editura: Adenium

Colectia: Punct Debut Ro

Nr. pagini: 149

Vrum-vrum! si-am pornit la drum, alaturi de Clara B.,“Cea mai buna (cu sageata)”, pe Hondita ei din hartie, sa ii gasim lui Poeteski Muza cacacioasa, pentru a-l ajuta sa isi scrie cartea. Nu va fi o calatorie obisnuita. Pe drum vom de peste tot felul de personaje care mai de care mai ciudate si mai sarite de pe fix: Bitchy Witchy si piticii ei, Triunghiularul, Discordianul, ah! si sa nu-l uitam pe Johnny Depp – da, da, apare si el pe-acolo.

Vrei sa vii si tu cu noi? Pentru asta nu trebuie decat sa citesti cartea Cristinei Frincu.

Nu e o carte simplă, previzibilă si nu are prea multa logica, dar are in schimb umor, umor si…am mentionat umor? Este cea mai non-sens, total lipsita de logica si cea mai incurcata carte pe care am citit-o pana acum, deci o reprezentare foarte buna a literaturii absurdului, dar pot spune ca mi-a placut la nebunie.

Cel mai mult am adorat stilul autoarei, care stie sa jongleze cu cuvintele, nu gluma. Daca vorbeste la fel cum scrie, atunci este una dintre persoanele pe care as sta sa le ascult toata ziua. Cartea contine o doza mare de sarcasm si ironie. si este perfecta pentru cei care vor sa citeasca “altceva”, o carte iesita din comun, din banalitate, neconvențională.

Se citeste foarte rapid si usor, daca inainte sa incepi a o lectura iti golesti mintea si lasi deoparte logica. Nu incerca sa intelegi ce se petrece, just enjoy the ride!

Ei, ce mai astepti?! Nu mai sta si beli ochii pe-aici, du-te si citeste cartea! “Hepede hepejoh” - cum ar spune Eris Discordia, pisica raraita a Clarei.

“Sange si Flori de Portocal” este romanul de debut al scriitoarei Tessa Nadir. Cartea urmareste povestea Robertei King, procuror general in Rhode Island, fiindu-ne prezentate, pe de-o parte, incercarile acesteia de a rezolva un caz, acela al criminalului in serie “Ucigasul cu Masca", iar pe de alta parte, povestea de dragoste dintre ea si, mult ravnitul lord de Yorkshire, Trescott Masters.

Personajele nu sunt iesite din comun, ci din contra sunt chiar tipice, astfel nu pot spune ca am avut un personaj preferat sau care m-a atras in mod special, insa exista o serie de personaje simpatice, de care te poti atasa usor, precum Joshua sau nebunatica Jane si, nu in ultimul rand, Yuu Miyamoto, celebrul designer de moda japonez care ii o figura si m-a amuzat constant, chiar daca la inceput a fost cam intepat. Roberta, eroina noastra, este un model de curaj, hotarare, o fire bataioasa cu un spirit al dreptatii extrem de dezvoltat, care reprezinta atat un atuu pentru ea, cat si un blestem, punand-o constant in situatii periculoase. Si cum in orice roman de dragoste trebuie sa existe si un barbat aratos, burlac de preferinta, ravnit de toate si invidiat de toti, cartea Tessei Nadir il are pe Trescott, care datorita statutului sau si in special a firii sale extrem de dominatoare, ma duce cu gandul la Christian Grey. Roberta si Trescott avand ambii personalitati puternice si firi incapatanate relatia lor este ca un joc de-a soarecele si pisica, tot timpul tensionata si presarata cu intrigi si secrete.

Desi am vrut sa imi placa la nebunie romanul si sa nu ii gasesc defecte, din pacate mi s-a parut ca are cateva minusuri, precum:

-se vrea a fi un roman politist de mister, desi misterul si suspansul cam lipsesc din puncutul meu de vedere;

-este previzibil, deci nu veti gasi prea multe rasturanari de situatie;

-intamplarile sunt…ei bine, nu as vrea sa folosesc chiar cuvantul "cliseice", deci as spune mai bine nu foarte originale.

Desigur are si plusuri:

+povestea se desfasoara intr-un ritm alert, deci nu ai cum sa te plictisesti;

+desi are un numar intimidant de 520 de pagini, nu aveti de ce sa va faceti griji, deoarece se citesc foarte repede si usor;

+limbajul este accesibil si plin de umor;

+multe personaje simpatice.

In concluzie, desi nu am fost prea impresionata si nu as putea spune ca a fost o carte exceptionala care mi-a schimbat viata, mi-a placut sa citesc“Sange si Flori de Portocal”, care este o carte buna pentru un roman de debut si o recomand in special iubitoarelor de povesti de dragoste, moda si putina crima si celor care vor sa faca o pauza de la carti greoaie cu limbaj dificil si cauta o lectura usoara si relaxanta. O carte perfecta pentru citit pe plaja, in metro sau in parc.

Winte  "Zaqui is coming." I think this statement perfectly describes the main idea, the "root" of all the events that build the storyline of this novel, the event towards all the events and characters converge to. The atmosphere in this novel from the first until the last page is tense; you can feel the fear of the characters and the imminent approach of the danger, death...of the Zanqui, which means the End of the planets, life and the Universe. With only three days remained until all disappears, until life seize to exist the characters are making great preparations and gather their forces for the ultimate battle between the Good and the Evil, a battle which has been awaited since time immemorial. The Good forces, Sangyma and other powerful magicians, united their powers to defeat, when the time comes, the evil army, led by the most evil mischievous malevolent powerful omnipotent villain of all the almighty Crilo...Chrio...Crilodach. (As you can see I have a problem with getting Its name right, well actually I had a hard time figuring out how to read and remember the majority of the names from this novel, because most of the names of the characters and places are really tangled, but hey that's not really a minus for the book itself but it's just a little detail that bothered me… so just keep in mind not to ask me which is the name of the character I like or hate, because I will most likely pronounced it wrong or won't remember...

What are my feelings after reading Ruzniel? One word: confused. I neither love nor hate it. There are some parts I liked and others that, sadly, I didn’t enjoy so much. So here are the minuses and pluses of this novel, from my point of view:

What I didn’t like:

1.Too much information:

The beginning was really confusing, there is a HUGE amount of information pouring like a waterfall over the reader and drowning him. Pages and pages full of details about the universe's history, its future, many different planets, civilizations, philosophies, specific characters, like Sangyma and magic and its laws, so I had the impression that I was reading a history textbook, but don't get me wrong, I didn't say that what I found out wasn't interesting, there were some good ideas and the author created a very complex and magical world, but the way it was presented, all at once was too much for me to accumulate the amount of information was overwhelming and there was just too much there at the one time. Generally, I liked the plot and it kept me entertained, but at times I think scenes dragged out for far too long and I just found myself quickly losing interest and zoning out, sometimes I couldn't focus on the story… so it lost me several times. And sadly, there were times I got bored and just wanted to finish the book already…

2.The characters’ construction:

I usually like a story more when it has characters with whom I can empathize, to grow fond of, to identify with. I expected to “meet” complex characters but instead I came across flat characters which seemed to have just one personality trait: good or evil, nothing in between. All the characters were either perfectly good or perfectly bad, all were extremely powerful and wise, all were so perfect, so unrealistic, so because of that it was impossible to become attached to them, and I mean: ”come on!” nobody is perfectly good or perfectly evil, I hated it.

What I liked:

1.The cover is really nice, I admit that it is what attracted me at first to find out more about this book and there are also some beautiful illustrations of the characters, scattered through the book, which aid in visual understanding.

2.The world building:

It’s visible that the author put a lot of work in creating the world, there are lots of detailed descriptions of the characters, places, phenomena, and everything is so vivid.

3.Unique writing style:

I think the authors writing style is really unique, it seems different, in a good way. I don’t know why but sometimes I had the impression that I was listening to an old wiseman telling a long forgotten tale. The narrator makes this book to have a mysterious aura.

The book has a sequel, so the ending of this volume is a cliffhanger. I’m still curious which will be the outcome of the great battle between Good and Evil and how will be depicted the End of the Universe and what characters will survive until the end, so if I have the chance I would totally like to read the second book.

Overall, it is a good book, but it depends on who reads it, if one enjoys it or not. It has a great plot, philosophical ideas scattered here and there, a lot of magic, a great number of unique characters, a complex and fantastic world building. So if you have the patience to get through the first 50 pages, which are full with tones of information which can make you a little bored and if you are interested in magic and fantasy books, then I think that you can give it a chance.

“The Lunar Chronicles” series continues with another fairy tale retelling, this time *drum rolls* “Little Red Riding Hood”.

The story of the second installment of this wonderful series begins in Rieux, France where we are introduced to a new heroine, Scarlet Benoit. She is looking for her grandmother who was kidnap and she is helped by no one other than…no not by the Hunter but by the “Big Bad” Wolf.
The chapters bounce between Scarlet and Cinder’s POV, so for the ones who are afraid that the book would be just about Scarlet fear no more, Cinder’s story still continues: in this volume she manages to escape from the prison, but she become the most wanted fugitive all around the world. She tries to find a way to stop Levana’s evil plans while striving to pick up all the pieces of her past. I liked her character development a lot in this sequel; she is more badass and kickass, especially with her new body parts! Even though the different paths Scarlet and Cinder were on were separated at the beginning, they converged to become the same one as the story progressed.

I was relieved to see that the great characters from the first volume I've already grown very attached to are still present in this book, like Iko who is one of my favorites characters or the gorgeous princeemperor Kai, who is a good guy who is trying his best to keep the planet safe even if that means to make some difficult choices like accepting to marry Queen Levana and pushing away the feelings he still has for Cinder - I was a little sad that even though he did have his few spotlight moments, there wasn't that many of them so I hope there will be more of Kai in “Cress”- or even, the mischievous Queen Levana, whom I hate even more…that bi… One thing I really missed in this volume is the interactions between Cinder and Kai. T.T

Besides the usual characters that we know so well, Meyer introduces some amazing new characters like Scarlet, whom I like so much- now it’s even harder for me to choose whom I like most between she and Cinder because both of them are strong heroines. Scarlet is determined, never gives up even when the search for her missing grandmother was declared pointless, she refused to just sit and accept it and she is ready to do anything for her grandma, she’s loyal, courageous, hardworking and a little bit stubborn, so overall another complex heroine who I can’t wait to read more about.
And because behind every great heroine there is a great male character there is Wolf, the very definition of the strong, protective and silent type. I can’t say that I love him and he is sure not my favorite male character from this book (Kai still occupies the first place in my top) and that’s a little weird because I usually like his type: mysterious, serious, protective, badass looking, hmm maybe I will grow to like him more in the next volumes, who knows… I also can say that I’m not so fond of Scarlet and Wolf relationship, it’s a little “meh” for me, so they still can’t beat Cinder and Kai couple, which is surely my favorite pair until now.
Now I will present you my favorite character from this volume *drum rolls again* Captain Sexy ops, I mean Captain Thorne. Ashjgag. *fangirling* His humour is the best and he is so hawt!! Damn. x.x He reminded me of Flynn Rider from Tangled. ^_-

Overall, “Scarlet” is a great book, an amazing sequel for an amazing series and I think that it’s even better than the first volume. “Scarlet” is an action-packed book, full of complex and wonderful characters and great fights, so if you haven’t read it yet then you shouldn’t wait anymore just go, go and read it!!

PS: “The Queen’s Army” by Marissa Meyer (bonus story). The edition I have also includes a bonus story, called “The Queen’s Army”, which is not too long (it has around 20 pages) and it’s very useful to read it if you are interested to find out more about Wolf, whose real name is Ze'ev Kesley, and his background: his childhood, his brother and how did he became what he is.

“This is not the fairy tale you remember. But it’s one you won’t forget.”

    This statement is so true. I surely won’t forget this amazing retelling of Cinderella.
    I’ve heard so, so, so many great things about this wonderful series, “The Lunar Chronicles”, and I was extremely curious to find out if it really worth all the praises. And guess what? I was so upset that I haven’t started to read it sooner because it was fantastic! 'Cinder' climbed up, right away, in the top of my favorite books of all time.

    Even though it is said to be a Cinderella retelling, don’t expect them to be really similar because this surely isn’t the ordinary tale of Hans Christian Andersen’s Cinderella. There aren’t too many correspondences between those two, there are just a few similarities, like: the fact that Cinder (Cinderella) is the protagonist, who lives with her step-mother and two step-sisters; the ball night, at which she was forbidden to attend by her stepmother, but she managed to join in and danced with the prince and the scene when she ran down the stairs and lost her shoes…well her leg in Cinder’s case :) ..but I’d better stop from giving you any more spoilers…Anyway, that’s where the similarities stop because our Cinder is a cyborg, who lives in a futuristic New Beijing and works as a mechanic and has a good friend, which is a robot and it’s named Iko…so yeah, it doesn’t sound like the fairy tale I remember.

    What makes this book memorable is - besides the setting, which I love (a dystopian, future Beijing) and the lovable characters- Marissa Meyer’s writing style, which is great –really beautiful descriptions and funny dialogues. There were moments when I’ve laugh and some when I’ve cried, others when I’ve sit on the edge of my seat wondering what’s going to happen, but I have to admit that there were also times when the plot was so predictable, but that didn’t spoiled the fun so I enjoyed every page, every moment “spent” together with those memorable characters.

    Like I said before, the setting was great, the story taking place in the future, in Beijing, where people are searching desperately for a cure against the deadly and mysterious plague which took over the world. The androids, cyborgs, alien race, which is living on the moon (the Lunars), hover cars and more awesome SF stuff aren’t missing from Meyer’s world either, a complex and very a well-built world, which is simply amazing.

As for the characters, I love Cinder. She is such a great protagonist. I like the fact that she is a mechanic –is not something I would have expected her to be-, she is confident, strong, smart and beautiful at the same time, and the best of all, she is a cyborg…I mean, how cool is that, right?..Well, I guess not for her, because of that she is rejected by society, but I appreciate how she manage to not to care what others think about her. Additionally, she has a mysterious past, which intrigues me and makes me want to find more about her.
    What about the prince? Yes, yes, a fairy tale retelling should also have a handsome and nice prince. What I can say about Prince Kai is that he is adorable, I like him. Even though he is a prince and she is just a simple mechanic, he is really nice with Cinder, and I think that they would make a great couple in the end. But don’t expect too much romance between them, at least not in this volume, because I think that romance doesn’t really play a key role in this story…yet.
    And…a Cinderella retelling wouldn’t be complete without the presence of a villain, Queen Levana, who possesses powers that allow her to control minds…hmm, she kind of reminds me of the queen from Snow White in the way she wants to be the most beautiful woman as well.

    Overall, ‘Cinder’ by Marissa Meyer is a must-read. I recommend it to anyone. It’s an enjoyable read and a perfect beginning for a new great series. I can’t wait to read the rest of “The Lunar Chronicles” series, so I’m going to start ‘Scarlet’, the second book of the series, right away. Why are you still here? Go and read it, too!!

Ati ramas in pana de idei si nu stiti ce carte sa cititi? Cautati o lectura usoara si rapida si care sa contina elemente de paranormal, romance si actiune? Daca da, atunci opriti-va din cautari si oferiti-i o sansa acestui roman care garantez ca va va depasi asteptarile.

Ultimul Viking este primul volum din seria “Nemuritor” si, in acelasi timp, romanul de debut al autoarei O. G. Arion.

Trebuie sa recunosc ca in ultimul timp am preferat sa ma afund in lectura cartiilor scrise de autori straini si am neglijat literatura romanesca, careia nu i-am dat prea multa atentie pana acum si regret acest lucru, pentru ca daca nu as fi primit aceasta carte si daca nu as fi citit-o as fi ramas cu gresita impresie ca literatura romaneasca contemporana nu se poate compara cu cea straina, fapt ce este total gresit. Pot spune ca ma bucur foarte mult ca romanul Oanei Arion a fost primul roman scris de un autor roman contemporan pe care l-am citit, deoarece mi-a deschis apetitul pentru mai mult. Seria Nemuritor este o surpriza placuta pentru mine, m-am bucurat de fiecare pagina a cartii si seria tocmai a devenit una din preferatele mele si ma bucur ca si literatura noastra contemporana are astfel de opere care ar putea rivaliza cu cartiile scrise de autorii straini.

Nu va voi plictisi cu rezumatul cartii (tot ce trebuie sa stiti despre plotul romanului se afla in descrierea acestuia) voi spune doar ca povestea abunda in fiinte si intamplari supranaturale. Chiar are de toate, de la vampiri, la zei vikingi si alte creaturi cu nume prea complicate sa mi le amintesc acum, dar pe care le puteti cunoaste mai bine citind cartea. :)

Nu m-au interesat pana acum prea mult vikingii, insa am aflat destul de multe informatii interesante din acest roman despre cultura nordica, fapt ce mi-a trezit putin interesul, in special pentru folclorul nordicilor.

Cat despre personajele cartii trebuie sa stiti ca sunt complexe, extrem de bine realizate si care mai de care mai interesante si misterioase si nu aveti cum sa nu simpatizati cu ele inca de la primele pagini. Putine carti, pe care le-am citit, au reusit sa ma faca sa ma atasez atat de mult de personaje si sa continui sa ma gandesc la ele, chiar si dupa ce le-am terminat de citit.

Victoria Gray este o protagonista puternica, pe care o admir foarte mult desi au fost unele situatii in care era prea nehotarata si ezitarea si nesiguranta ei m-au enervat putin, dar in mare este chiar o protagonista reusita si astept cu nerabdare sa ii urmaresc evolutia. 

Detectivul Liam, la inceput mi sa parut foarte antipatic si nu l-am putut suferi oricat de bine se presupune ca arata, dar apoi a devenit chiar dragut si mi-as fi dorit ca el si Victoria sa formeze un cuplu.

Arrio, vampirul, pe de alta parte, super atragator si perfect, mi-a placut inca de la prima sa aparitie pentru ca nu ai cum sa nu iti placa, dar el si Victoria nu imi par potriviti unul pentru celalalt,

Scriitura autorei este impecabila si descrierile realizate de aceasta mi-au placut foarte mult, ritmul povestii este perfect, deci nu ajungi sa te plictisesti si odata ce ai citit primul cuvant, frazele, paragrafele si capitolele curg intr-un ritm alert si nu te poti oprii din citit numai cand ai dat de capatul romanului.

In concluzie, “Ultimul Viking” reprezinta o lectura usoara si rapida, cu o poveste captivanta, plina de mister si actiune, ...ah! si dragoste, sa nu uitam.

Trebuie sa o mai spun inca o data ca am fost placut surprinsa de creatia de fata, seria Nemuritor castigandu-si un loc in topul serilor mele favorite si astfel de abia astept sa pun mana pe continuare.

Hey you! Yes, you! Are you looking for a new great series to start reading? What do you think about a book about love and time travel? If this combo sounds intriguing for you, then Crossing in Time should be your next read. Crossing In Time is the first book in the Between Two Evils series and D.L. Orton's debut novel.

I’m not going to bore you with the plot; the book blurb tells you all you need to know, but mainly, this is about a love story which transcends time and space and the book is centered on the relationship between Isabel and Diego, which has the power to save the world from the apocalypse.

The book is narrated in first person from three points-of-view: Diego’s, Isabel’s and Matt’s.

First, I must admit to not being a regular reader of romance and erotica novels. Typically, I avoid them, yet I enjoyed this book. Ok, I admit that the time travel played a big part in me enjoying the book so much, because I’m a fan of time travelling stories, but the love story between Isabel and Diego was really sweet, even if it feels a bit rushed at first. That’s true that some scenes (there is a healthy dose of sex scenes, especially through the last chapters of the novel) make me to feel a little embarrassed … (there are some parts with detailed descriptions) but, again, that was because I’m not a regular erotic books reader. I’m sure those scenes are nothing new for regular readers of romance and I have to admit that even though it did make me a little uncomfortable, because of the novelty, I kind of …*cough* liked *cough* those scenes *blush*.

I love the time travel aspect of the book, which was presented in a unique, believable manner and kept me engaged throughout. The only problem is that the actual mechanics of the time-travel are not fully explained, so I was left with a few unanswered questions… I hope they will be explained in more details in the next volumes. Additionally, there are some sudden temporal jumps so that way the timelines are not always clear enough.

It’s a well-paced novel, so you won’t get bored and you won’t be able to put it down until you find out what happen next. The book has plenty of humour and smart dialogues with a vast collection of puns and well-thought-out and original plot. Ah, and something that I really liked was that it’s full of epic references to pop culture (Jamie and Cersei, Princess Leia,Tardis and so on).

As for the ending, some readers will be put off because it ends on a cliffhanger, *Warning!* a HUGE CLIFFHANGER! This is the first in a series of five books, I guess..so yeah, now I desperately NEED the next volume because I’m dying to know what is going to happen next and what exactly does the relationship between Diego and Isabel has to do with saving the world!!! x.x

Crossing In Time can't be classified as belonging to one single genre, it has everything: time-travel, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic world, action, adventure, comedy and romance.

Overall, I’m sure that I’ve finally found another great new series to read and enjoy! So don’t just stay there! Go right now and start reading it. It’s totally worth your time!!

PS: My thanks to the author D.L. Orton, because she offered to send me a copy and in that way giving me the chance of reading and enjoying this wonderful book! :D

Hey you! …?...Yes, you! The one reading this. Are you looking for a book full of mysteries and plot twists? If the answer is yes, then "Blackfin Sky" is perfect for you.

What I liked about this book is that it kept me guessing until the end. After a long search, I’ve finally found another book, with an extremely well thought and very unpredictable plot! I couldn't put this book down! Warning: I’ve made the mistake to start reading this while I’ve been through an extremely busy period at school, so I had to stop reading it for two days and believe me that meant a great suffering for me. I’ve wanted so bad to find out what was going to happen next and if Sky would get all the answers in the end (what is she, what happened to her and so on) that I couldn't wait to restart my read. So before starting "Blackfin Sky" make sure that you have the possibility to read it without interruptions because it is a real page turner. There are lot of questions since the first pages of the novel and just when you think you’ve got it all figured out, the author adds another twist to keep you turning the page because in Blackfin, nothing is as it seems.

A little description:

Skylar (I have to mention that I find her name to be quite awesome) falls from the pier and drowns on her sixteenth birthday, everything seems normal until now but the weird part comes when she shows up after 3 months like nothing happened. She’s trying to find out what happened with her in the night she was supposed to have died and where she was this whole time. As she works to unravel the mystery surrounding her death, she discovers some pretty strange happenings around the town of Blackfin, a town filled with secrets just waiting to be unearthed.

Characters

I wasn’t too attached to the characters at the beginning. I’ve needed some time to get accustomed with them because there where so many mysteries and questions surrounding them, especially Skylar, but through the end, after I’ve started to find out more about their stories and understand them better, I grow to like them more and more .

Skylar was ok. That’s all I can say, I don’t hate her but she don’t fall into my favorite heroines category.
As for the main couple, Sean seems to be a good guy and he and Skylar really match with each other. I like that the romance between them is natural and never forced.

One thing that had bothered me was the fact the Cam and Bo didn’t really make any contribution to the plot, so their existence seemed unnecessary. I was expecting more from them because they were supposed to be Skylar’s friends, even though they didn’t react like her friends, especially when she returned from the death.

The ending was a good one but I think there is always room for a sequel because Blackfin and Sky's family seem like they have many more mysteries inside of them.

Unpredictable, FULL of mysteries, original plot, a little bit spooky (maybe), fast-paced, some paranormal stuff, that’s what "Blackfin Sky" has to offer to you. So what are you waiting for? Go find a nice nook, make sure no one interrupts you and start reading it! ^.^

     I'm not a fan of love stories, so, at first, I have been a little reluctant to start reading it. I've won it and it has been lying on my bookshelf for a couple of months, so because of that and because the title was intriguing I decided to give it a try. I can say that I didn't regret my decision because it was an enjoyable read, after all. The Sky is Everywhere is not just a story about love or romance but a story about grieving and about the pain of losing someone dear.

     What I enjoyed the most about this novel was Jandy Nelson’s writing style which is special; the book is a real page turner and you can’t get bored while reading it because the pace is perfect, neither to fast but nor too slow, with a lot of useless details. I loved Lennie's poetry inserted at random points in the book.

Plot: The plot was rather predictable so don’t expect any plot twist from this one.

Love triangle? Yes, there is a love triangle but I didn’t mind it even though it was a little weird because one of the boys (Toby) was Lennie’s death sister’s boyfriend.

     The only thing I was disappointed of was the fact that I didn’t cry (ok, I know it sounds weird but everyone was saying how this book wrecked them so I was expecting it to be sad, I was expecting something like "The Fault in Our Stars"), but I had dry eyes throughout it all. I have waited until the last page for the moment when something that can make me cry will happen, but that moment didn’t come… nope, not a single tear was shed that day. Maybe this novel is more heartbreaking for someone who knows the pain of losing a sister or a dear relative and can sympathize with Lennie, the protagonist.

Characters:

     I saw that many readers do not like Lennie, but for me she is a pretty good protagonist. Ok, she is making a lot of stupid mistakes throughout the book but it is something normal for someone who lost her sister, the pain was clouding her judgment. The only thing I did not like about her was the fact that she was living in Bailey’s shadow and she was too hard on herself.
     Toby, Lennie’s death sister’s boyfriend, is the character that I liked the least.

     On the other side, I really liked Joe Fontaine, Lennie’s boyfriend, even though he is cliché, but he's really sweet and full of positive vibes.
     As for the other characters, Grams and Big were an interesting duo, Sarah, Lennie’s best friend was the kind of friend I would like to have and Rachel, well, she’s another cliché character, the usual popular girl who tries to steal the protagonist’s boyfriend. I would have liked to find out more about Bailey and about Lennie’s mother (I’m curious to know if Lennie will ever find and meet her).

     As for the ending, I was pleased with it.

     In conclusion, if you are looking for a light read or you want to take a break from all that supernatural/dystopian reads than The Sky is Everywhere is a great choice.

PS: Now, I really want to try “I’ll give you the sun”.

First of all, I want to thank the author from whom I received an e-book copy of this novel in exchange of an honest review.
Secondly, let me tell you what this book is about. Well, the story begins with a nameless poor old man, who was making a living by playing the guitar. He was accompanied only by his loyal dog, Sheroo, which was a brave and extremely intelligent animal, which in some moments it seems to me that it was acting and thinking like a human being. I really liked Sheroo. As for the old man, we don’t really get to know him or about his past until the second half of the book, where we finally find out his name and story. Their life is going to change after the courageous old man saves a woman and attracts the anger of Carlos, a dangerous man. After a series of events the story throw us from New York all the way to Mali, Africa, right in the middle of an illegal goldmine, where our hero was kept as a slave. There he will go through a lot trying to get out of there alive and return to New York to obtain his revenge.
There are so many things happening in this book that you have no chance to get bored, it is surely an action packed novel.
Additionally, I really like the author’s style of writing, the narration and description makes you to visualize the events as they are happening right in front of your eyes. Reading “Johnny Fracture” was like watching a movie. A movie with gangsters, Italian mafia, African slavery and illegal mining, and, even, a little bit of arena fighting and boxing; and of course, there are some romantic and sad moments that couldn’t have missed from this book. The story has, even, some plot twists,..ok maybe not that kind of plot twists which make you to exclaim: “What the..? I didn’t see it coming.” They are more that kind of plot twists, which are based on the fact that you will be surprised by some people’s betrayal, and I can tell you that the characters from this book have a lot of secrets and you can’t tell who is going to betray who, next. No one is who it seems to be.
I must say that I, especially, enjoyed the second half of the book. There are some pretty cool characters there and I loved the “Johnny, Sammy and Frankie Trio”.
In conclusion, I didn’t expected to read this book so quickly. It isn’t a masterpiece but it’s a good novel. I would like it to be longer, maybe. I think the author could have insisted more on some scenes, and extend some moments, and that way there could have been two volumes instead of one. Overall, “Johnny Fracture” was enjoyable to read and I will recommend it to anyone and, especially, to the readers who have an interest in mafia, fights, guns and 70s.
PS: Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to read this book and to discover a new great author.

The universe is full of questions and so is this book. I was intrigued since its first pages. Throughout the entire book, I was like "One more chapter...". I had to find out who or what Maddy Page, the protagonist, is and who or what are MJ, Justin, the Dream Girl and the Dark Prince, and why is Maddy so important for them. One big problem of this book is that we do not find out the answers to all of these questions, there are still "unsolved mysteries and secrets", because this is just the first book of the series, so now I desperately need the next book called "Ignited". Trying to figure out what is what and who is who is part of what makes this book so interesting. I love the choice of song references. I can say: "Laurie your music taste is awesome" (Evanescence and Marilyn Manson? oh yeah! :) ) I like the fact that the novel is a dual POV. If you are looking for a good paranormal romance series, which you cannot put down, then Unclaimed is perfect for you. READ IT! ENJOY IT! :)

First of all, I really liked the main character, Mare. At the beginning, I though there will be some kind of a love triangle, or a square :) , but it wasn’t to be. I like the fact that Mare is an heroine who wasn’t blinded by love, also her powers are pretty badass, so she couldn’t be put in the “useless heroines’” category. You can’t get bored while reading this book because it has action, it has interesting characters, some with awesome superpowers and, of course, an amazing plot twist. I mean that plot twist was totally mind blow, I didn’t see it coming. I like the books that manage to surprise me, I mean, generally, most of the books I have read were so predictable, but this is the kind of book that will make you exclaim: Whaaat! “Anyone can betray anyone”. Yes, there was this character which I didn’t like at the beginning because he wasn’t really a character who can attract my attention, was kinda boring, but after a while I began to think about him that: “Is ok…I start to like him, is not so bad after all, is also pretty useful…”, but than toward the end of book, I was like: "I knew, I knew that he’s a bastard…how could I have been fooled like that.” The book left me with a cliffhanger, so now I need soooo bad to read the next book, but sadly this will be possible just the next year…In conclusion, now I need to find another great book to read because after I finished the last page of this one, I was in the “what I am going to do with my life now” mood.
To sum up, if you want to read a great YA, dystopic, fantasy book you must read the Red Queen. 4.5/5

PS: Sorry for my bad English, it’s not my native language so yeah… Also this is my first “review”, if I can call it so. Maybe the next one will be better.