Ruthless magic| Non-spoiler review

Title: Ruthless magic

Author: Megan Crewe

Published: May 30, 2018

Rating: Rating: ♛♛♛.5

Goodreads

In the contest to keep their magic, the only options may be die… or kill.

Each year, the North American Confederation of Mages assesses every sixteen-year-old novice. Some will be chosen. The rest must undergo a procedure to destroy their magical ability unless they prove themselves in the mysterious and brutal Mages’ Exam.

Disadvantaged by her parents’ low standing, Rocío Lopez has dedicated herself to expanding her considerable talent to earn a place in the Confederation. Their rejection leaves her reeling—and determined to fight to keep her magic.

Long ashamed of his mediocre abilities, Finn Lockwood knows the Confederation accepted him only because of his prominent family. Declaring for the Exam instead means a chance to confirm his true worth.

Thrown into the testing with little preparation, Rocío and Finn find themselves becoming unlikely allies—and possibly more. But the Exam holds secrets more horrifying than either could have imagined. What are the examiners really testing them for? And as the trials become increasingly vicious, how much are they willing to sacrifice to win?

The first in a new series by USA Today bestselling author Megan Crewe, Ruthless Magic combines the magic of Harry Potter with the ferocity of The Hunger Games alongside a poignant romance. Fans of Cassandra Clare and Holly Black, look no further for your next urban fantasy fix!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I will be honest about the fact that it took me some time to get into the story, but after a few more pages, I was totally in for it. The story alternates between two perspective; Finn Lockwood and Rocío Lopez. The contrast shown between the two characters was very interesting since we could see two different perspective of the same world. In fact, Finn wants to prove himself without having his family name hanging on his head while Rocío has to prove to everyone that her family name does not mean that she cannot be powerful.

The determination of the characters inspired me so much. They were willing to do anything to prove themselves and I find that so admiring. The pace of the book was quite slow at first which is why I was confused in the beginning, but once the tests started, I was hooked. At some moments in the book, it was even keeping me at the edge of my scene, wanting to know more about what would happen. The horrible things they have to do and endure kept me reading to know more about those characters.

The writing was easy to understand and well-written. The author made a great job at describing the world and I could imagine it clearly in my head. Also, the magic system was so creative and exciting. The competition aspect of the book was what sold the book for me. I just adore whenever characters have a clear goal and would do anything to attain it.

I would like to add that I was quite confused at times about whose of point of view I was reading since it does not specify. For the next book, I would like that it is more obvious or that it is mentioned from which characters are we reading.

The book was filled with action packed adventure for people who want to start reading YA fantasy. Although, having read many books with the same setting and genre, it did not stand out for me. I was not entirely blown away by it, but it is definitely a good book to start with if you want to start with YA fantasy.

History is all you left me| A story worth crying for

Title: “History is all you left me

Author: Adam Silvera

Edition house: Soho Teen

Published: January 17th 2017

“When Griffin’s first love and ex-boyfriend, Theo, dies in a drowning accident, his universe implodes. Even though Theo had moved to California for college and started seeing Jackson, Griffin never doubted Theo would come back to him when the time was right. But now, the future he’s been imagining for himself has gone far off course. 

To make things worse, the only person who truly understands his heartache is Jackson. But no matter how much they open up to each other, Griffin’s downward spiral continues. He’s losing himself in his obsessive compulsions and destructive choices, and the secrets he’s been keeping are tearing him apart. 

If Griffin is ever to rebuild his future, he must first confront his history, every last heartbreaking piece in the puzzle of his life.”

After reading “More Happy Than Not” by Adam Silvera, I knew I had to pick up his other books as soon as possible and after picking this one up, I do not regret a single thing.

Adam has a way of introducing those characters that you can’t help but care about within just a few pages. I could not believe how fast I got attached to Griffin (the main character) and Theo (which is kind of surprising since he is dead at the beginning of the story).

The flashbacks between the present where Griffin is dealing with his grief and the past where we learn more about their love story is utterly heartbreaking. I found myself sobbing even in the happy moments and feeling that kind of emotion confirms the brilliance of this book. You know the kind of books that blow you away and when you finish, you just sit there staring at the ceiling? Well, this is exactly how I felt after finishing “History is all you left me”.

The only “problem” that I had was that in the middle of the book, things seemed to be dragged out and the pace was too slow in my opinion. The beginning as great, but after that, it seemed to be more about personal growth than memories or adventures the characters go through.

Overall, it is an excellent book and I highly recommend it to people who love that roller coaster of feelings while reading a book.

What did you think about this book if you read it?

Nevernight Review| By the Gods, Bless this book

Title: Nevernight

Series: Nevernight series

Author: Jay Kristoff

Published: August 9th 2016

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Rating: ♛♛♛♛♛

“Never flinch. Never fear. And never ever forget”

In a land where three suns almost never set, a fledgling killer joins a school of assassins, seeking vengeance against the powers who destroyed her family.

Daughter of an executed traitor, Mia Corvere is barely able to escape her father’s failed rebellion with her life. Alone and friendless, she hides in a city built from the bones of a dead god, hunted by the Senate and her father’s former comrades. But her gift for speaking with the shadows leads her to the door of a retired killer, and a future she never imagined.

Now, Mia is apprenticed to the deadliest flock of assassins in the entire Republic—the Red Church. If she bests her fellow students in contests of steel, poison and the subtle arts, she’ll be inducted among the Blades of the Lady of Blessed Murder, and one step closer to the vengeance she desires. But a killer is loose within the Church’s halls, the bloody secrets of Mia’s past return to haunt her, and a plot to bring down the entire congregation is unfolding in the shadows she so loves.

Will she even survive to initiation, let alone have her revenge?

This book contains mature content; you have been warned.

For me, that book was pretty much everything I dreamed of in a book. Mia is willing to go to an assassin school where she will learn the greatest techniques to avenge her family.

It was fascinating to see a perspective that was surrounded by revenge. I thought that the characters were very well-built and the way they interacted with each other was utterly wonderful. For once, the characters were not perfect; they did not have perfect look with perfect hair and all that nonsense. I found myself being able to relate a lot to Mia throughout this book. I feel like young adult book tend to always have characters with perfect body and face which is not representative of the reality at all; and you might add that we read books to escape that reality, but I found it refreshing for once that the characters were not with the flawless faces.

Another thing I deeply loved about this book is the way the characters are being taught at school. I do not know about you, but I love books where the characters go to school to either learn magic, the art of death, etc. And this book did not disappoint on this aspect; I found myself wanting to know more and more about this amazing world and how the politics of this society differs from ours (I mean..they do praise the god of death).

One thing I found myself having trouble with was the writing at first; I am not sure if it got better afterwards or if I simply got used to it back then, but at the beginning, the writing and the world building was not that easy at all. The book is written in a very poetic way that might make your head swoon and make you want to stop reading, but for the love of god, do not stop reading because you’ll really be missing out.

Lastly, if anything stopped me in the beginning to read/buy this book was the price since you might have noticed is not cheap, but to be honest, I do not regret at all since this story is moving and simply breath-taking.

Did you hear about this book before? What type of genre interests you the most?

I had to include a part where I rant about everything I absolutely loved about this book.

First of all, can we talk about the school (although I really wouldn’t call it a school). Just the steps to get there got me sweating. So they get inside this mountain (which awfully reminded me of ACOTAR to be honest) and there is this ceremony where we first learn about Cassius (which for half of the book, I called Cassian before realizing that this is not ACOMAF…yeah sorry not sorry) and I immediately knew there was something with him. But he died at the end and we were left with some unanswered questions…sigh. I actually thought that he was an interesting character and I see no use of killing him since he could have helped Mia a lot; and someone picked up on the fact that he called her sister? If I’m not mistaken, it was also mentioned a second time in the book.

Second, the classes they had to take were so intense. Like can you imagine going to a school where your teachers are trying to kill you!? And seeing your friends die if they are not smart and good enough. Loved the school but I probably would have died while climbing the mountain so yeah.. not really for me.

I am not going to mention Tric because my heart is actually not ready to explain what happened yet. Hopefully, some sort of magic will bring him back in the second book…hopefully (I am not in denial phase…nope).

The last thing I want to talk about is the betrayal of Ashlinn. I was actually devastated when we found out that she was planning on taking Cassius and that she was the one who killed Charlotte. I was hoping that the friendship between Ashlinn and Mia was true and that they would fight for each other since it is rare to see that in fantasy books. And I think that she could have been pardoned by Mia (after some time of course), but she totally ruined it by killing Tric. My poor Tric…

Here are some quotes from the book :

“The books we love, they love us back. And just as we mark our places in the pages, those pages leave their marks on us. I can see it in you, sure as I see it in me. You’re a daughter of the words. A girl with a story to tell.” 

“You’ve got the look of a girl who’s no stranger to the page. I can tell. You’ve got words in your soul.” 

“The brighter the light, the deeper the shadow.” 

“You’ll be a rumor. A whisper. The thought that wakes the bastards of this world sweating in the nevernight. The last thing you will ever be, girl, is someone’s hero.”

“Iron or glass? they’d ask.
She was neither.
She was steel.”

That is it for my review of Nevernight and I hope you liked it.

What was your favorite moment of the book?

Do not forget to put a spoiler alert in the comments before writing spoilers.

Champion Review/Discussion| An must-read ending

Title: Champion

Series: Legend

Author: Marie Lu

Published: 5th November

Publisher: Putnam Juvenile

Rating: 5/5 stars

It has been a while since I posted and I apologize. I didn’t really have time to do anything really. In the last week, I only managed to read one book (Champion) and guess what? I’m behind my goodreads goal but that’s okay. I’ll try to catch up after, especially on Christmas break. So yes, I finished the Legend trilogy!!! I’ll be reviewing it and discussing it after. Do not read this review if you have not read the previous books.

He is a Legend.

She is a Prodigy.

Who will be Champion?

June and Day have sacrificed so much for the people of the Republic—and each other—and now their country is on the brink of a new existence. June is back in the good graces of the Republic, working within the government’s elite circles as Princeps-Elect, while Day has been assigned a high-level military position.

But neither could have predicted the circumstances that will reunite them: just when a peace treaty is imminent, a plague outbreak causes panic in the Colonies, and war threatens the Republic’s border cities. This new strain of plague is deadlier than ever, and June is the only one who knows the key to her country’s defense. But saving the lives of thousands will mean asking the one she loves to give up everything.

With heart-pounding action and suspense, Marie Lu’s bestselling trilogy draws to a stunning conclusion.

Rating: ♕♕♕♕♕

Honestly, I think that I liked Prodigy more than Champion. Just because in this one, there was a lot of June and Day moments (not as much as in Prodigy). And as you all know, I’m a romantic junkie and they are one of my favorite OTPs. But overall, I really loved it.

Like always, Marie Lu’s writing was stunning and she always manages to make me see the whole scene inside my head. I forget that there are words and just dive into the story. Only a few writers can do that but Marie Lu is definitely one of them. Her writing is so easy to get into and so familiar. She also knows how to keep a reader hooked until the very last page. Her story is astonishing in every way; the characters (one would think that they are actually real), her plot (it was so action-packed that I had to pause at certain times, in a good way) and this series has been more than I ever expected it to be.

To be honest, I wasn’t the biggest fan of June in the first book but as the story went, I fell in love with her and Day. I don’t think I’ll ever forget them because they are a part of me now that I’ll never be able to recover from.

If you haven’t read Champion yet, I really recommend it to you because it’s an amazing finale.

What do you think about this book? Please leave a spoiler alert for the people who haven’t read the book yet.

So this spoiler section is more of my feelings about the ending and I won’t go into too much details about the other aspects of the book because it’s been quite a while that I read it and I forgot to take notes while reading it.

So, the ending…

First of all, I am really happy that Day and June didn’t die. Thank the gods for that. But, the ending still hurt. I can’t believe that Day forgot June. It wasn’t the most unpredictable thing that could have happened, but I honestly didn’t see it coming. I think that I was so concentrated on the fact that Day might die that I didn’t see the possibility that this would happen. Anyways, it’s not the most uncommon thing to happen in Ya books but this particular one hurt the most because it was the end of the book. Everything was going great and they just succeeded to not go to war and you think “awn this is going to be a happy ending”, but then Day loses his memory….

What do you think about the ending?

Sea of Monsters|A series worth its hype!

Book: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #2)

Author: Rick Riordan

Year published: 2006

Genre: Young adult, fantasy, adventure, Greek mythology

Rating: 5/5 stars

————————————————————————–

Ever since I finished the first book in the Percy Jackson series “The lightning thief”, I have wanted to read the sequel which is “Sea of Monsters”. I can tell you that it did not disappoint at all. So today, I’m going to be reviewing and discussing about this amazing book.

**This review contains spoilers but I will put a spoiler alert before so you won’t get spoil, but if yo haven’t read the first book, I suggest not reading this review**

Here is my review on the first book: The lightning thief| Review and Discussion

And here are some quotes that made me laugh so hard: Sea of Monsters quotes that made me crack up

The heroic son of Poseidon makes an action-packed comeback in the second must-read installment of Rick Riordan’s amazing young readers series.

Starring Percy Jackson, a “half blood” whose mother is human and whose father is the God of the Sea, Riordan’s series combines cliffhanger adventure and Greek mythology lessons that results in true page-turners that get better with each installment. In this episode, The Sea of Monsters, Percy sets out to retrieve the Golden Fleece before his summer camp is destroyed, surpassing the first book’s drama and setting the stage for more thrills to come.

There is no words to express how much I fell in love with this series. Rick Riordan knows exactly how to entertain his readers with actions that make you at the edge of your seat and with unique and amazing characters. These characters are such an inspiration to everyone out there! Percy, who is the bravest and who would do anything for the one he loves (even though there is a high probability that he could die). Annabeth, a super talented girl who is way too smart for her age. Grover, who is always here for his friends no matter what. I just love this trio so much.

As usual, the humor keeps surprising me. I think that these books are one of the most funny books I have ever read. I just love the sarcastic replies of Percy. It adds so much to his character and makes me even more eager to read these books.

I never found this book boring or not entertaining. I wasn’t expecting something so good after the lightning thief and was totally blown away at how much I loved it. I really don’t know why it took me that long to read this series. Seriously, I’m totally in love and already starting the next book (which I’ll probably finish tomorrow). No shame there!

Fortunately, I didn’t watch the movie before reading the book which I thank the gods for!!!! (Did you get my joke? Hahaha okay, I’m stopping now). I can totally get why some fans are outraged about it. If you read the books, you can absolutely agree that the movies suck. Now I’m not happy to say it because those wonderful books deserve wonderful movies but I’m glad that they stopped after the second movie.

Such an entertaining read that everyone should absolutely read!!!!

So now the spoiler section!! First of all, let’s talk about how funny it is that Grover was going to marry a cyclops. I mean, it was totally ridiculous, but genius. I would just kill to see him in his wedding dress!! Like I said before, I loved the humor in this book! So much more entertaining!!

To be honest, at first I was kind of suspicious about Tyson. I personally thought that he was playing dumb and at any time become a monster (before we knew that he is Percy’s brother). Fortunately, that doesn’t happen and I was startle when we learned the truth about his identity. Also, I understood why Percy was embarrassed at first. I mean, even before he got pick on and with a cyclops for a half brother, he got even more bullied. So embarrassment is a normal thing to feel, but I’m really glad that he got over it and now would do anything for his brother.

Also, can I talk about how much Clarisse was dumb!!!! Not only is she mean to Percy, but she just keeps putting them in danger during the quest. When she got captured by the cyclops, she tells him that Grover is a satyr….I mean….that’s just pure stupidity. And when she kept yelling at the cyclops and ruined the “escaping-without-making-a-sound-so-the-cyclops-won’t-hear-them” plan.

My favorite scene (which was very hard to pick by the way) was when Percy gave Clarisse the fleece and the money to go back at the camp. This part just made me tear up because this scene shows exactly how good of a person Percy is. It was also really funny when Annabeth was like “Are you insane?”. I just loved it!!!

What was YOUR favorite scene?

• At the beginning, how Annabeth just saves the day: I was super pumped during the dodge ball attack and I loved the fact that Annabeth came to save the day.
• The revelation about Tyson: It was funny how different Tyson’s and Percy’s claiming were so different. When it was revealed that Tyson was a son of Poseidon, it really gave me chills.
• Percy’s meeting with Hermes: In the first book, I wasn’t a great fan of gods. They seemed so distant and cold. Hermes is actually one of the first gods that I liked. And the snakes were just so freaking cool.
• Percy turning into a guinea pig: It made me laugh so hard!! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love Percy but it was just so random and funny that I just loved this scene. Then, Annabeth realizes that Percy was turn into a guinea pig and fights Circe. Just epic! And how they stole the pirates’ ship.
• Annabeth’s “dream” with the sirens
• The whole battle between the heroes and the cyclops
• Tyson coming back to save the day: Now, let me tell you! I knew that he wasn’t dead!!!! Knew it, knew it, knew it!!!
• Thalia coming back: I thought something had gone wrong with Annabeth, but thank god she’s alright. But HOLY CRAP!!! Thalia is back! That just opens up a lot of new possibilities!!! Like, is she sixteen yet? Will she betray the heroes and go to Luke? Because I could sense like they have a history.

Have you read this book and if yes, what did you think about it?

Six of Crows| One of the best heist ever written

Several posts ago, I promised you guys that I’d do a review on Six of Crows. First of all, I want to say that the cover is gorgeous. And we all judge a book by its cover (whenever we want it or not).

Rating: ♛♛♛♛.5

Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone…
A convict with a thirst for revenge.

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager.

A runaway with a privileged past.

A spy known as the Wraith.

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums.

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes.

Kaz’s crew are the only ones who might stand between the world and destruction—if they don’t kill each other first.

So first of all, I was kind of scared getting into this book because there was a lot of hype surrounding it and I really didn’t want it to be disappointment. AND IT DIDN’T!!! God, now I know what all this hype has been about.
I have to admit that it took me time before really getting into it which is the only reason why I gave it 4.5 stars and not 5 stars, but after a 100 pages or so, I was so hooked that I wanted more!

This is actually the first book of Leigh Bardugo that I ever read and I have to say that I’m really impressed.I never read a book about a heist before so that was very interesting to see and I want to see more of that in other books.

Every six characters going on this heist are so different from each other, but at the same time, it’s what brought them together. They all have a particular skill that it needed to succeed, but they work so well together. I’m going to be explaining more in details in the spoiler-y section, so that I won’t spoil any of you who haven’t read the book yet.

Another thing that I loved, it was super action-packed since the beginning to the end. So much happened and it was just incredible. Overall, I really recommend it to any of you because it’s so entertaining and it keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way. Such a worthy read!

Kaz is an extraordinary character who keeps surprising me so much. He is dark, mysterious, evil, immoral and cunning, but I love him. And with his backstory, my heart is just craving and breaking for him. He has been through so much, with his brother and all, and I kind of understand him more now. I understand how he became like he is now and so excited to see what’s going to happen in the next book for this special character.

Inej is one of the best female character that I ever read about. Loved her since the beginning. At first, I thought she had a power or something but turns out that she’s just really quiet. She’s such an inspiration; I mean, she just doesn’t give up (yes, I’m talking about the scene when she was climbing the incinerator with her melting shoes!!!). Prayer to god: Please let her be okay in the next book.

Jesper is my bae. He just knows how to make me laugh even in the worst moments.

“Well, we managed to get ourselves locked into the most secure prison in the world. We’re either geniuses or the dumbest sons of bitches to ever breathe air”

Also, Jesper and Wylan are my OTP!!!! Love them!!!!!!!!!

“Wylan drew himself up. “I may not have had your … education, but I’m sure I know plenty of words that you don’t.”

“Also the proper way to fold a napkin and dance a minuet. Oh, and you can play the flute. Marketable skills, merchling. Marketable skills.”

“No one dances the minuet any more,” grumbled Wylan.”

Nina is also one of my favorite female characters of all time!!! She is so sassy and I loved her from the beginning! She fights for what’s right and for her people. She’s such an inspiration. I also love her relationship with Matthias. I loved how they knew each other since way before and they were still struggling with their feelings about each other.

“Matthias locked the cell door and hurried down the passage toward Nina, toward something more.”

• The little visit in Hellgate
• Matthias killing those wolves: My heart really broke for him!!!
• Matthias trying to kill Nina: Honestly, I was really confused because I didn’t know that they had a love/hate relationship. So I just thought that he was crazy…
• Kaz coming to save Inej when she was injured: God, I’m a romance addict!!!! But I love them so much together.
• Kaz practically removing the eye of the other guy and throwing it off board
• All of their backstory
• Nina and Matthias teaming up to kill the scientific: To be honest, I didn’t really know what to think because I wanted what’s right to be done but I didn’t want them to turn against Kaz and the team.
• How they managed to get into the most secure prison in the world
• Finding out that Jesper is a fabrikator
• Kaz going after Pekka Rollins
• Inej not giving up in the incinerator even though her shoes were melting
• Matthias rescuing Nina when Brum tricked her
• Jesper killing his own kind: IT so broke my heart
• Kaz thinking about Inej and trying not to drown: Why don’t they just kiss already?
• Inej, Wylan and Jesper coming to save the others with a tank
• Nina took the Parem to be able to save the others
• Kaz not telling Inej what he felt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point yelling “KISS ALREADY!!!!!”
• Wylan has the appearance of Kuwei: I loved how Jesper was like “Wait was it you who was sitting next to me every time?” and Wylan goes “yep” ❤ ❤
• INEJ IS CAPTURED BY PEKKA!!!!!!!

My babies better be okay in the next book!!

Book Tour: Review and Guest post of Allerleirauh

 

Allerleirauh by Chantal Gadoury

Genre:  YA Fantasy / Fairy Tale / Romance

Date of Publication:  December 21^st 2015

Number of pages:  232

Rating: 4 stars

 

Today, I’m going to be reviewing this book and there will be a guest post and more about the author after. This review is spoiler free so be happy to read it whenever.

Once Upon a Time…
In the Kingdom of Tränen, a King makes a promise to his dying wife to only remarry someone who has her golden hair. With time, the King finds his eyes are turned by his maturing daughter. Realizing her father’s intentions, Princess Aurelia tries to trick her Father by requesting impossible gifts: dresses created by the sun, moon and stars and a coat made of a thousand furs. When Aurelia discovers his success, she knows she must run away from her privileged life and escapes the kingdom disguised by the cloak and under a new name, “Allerleirauh.”

Aurelia enters the safe haven of the Kingdom of Saarland der Licht, where she is taken under the care of the handsome and gentle Prince Klaus. Hoping to not be discovered by her father’s courtiers, Aurelia tries to remain hidden under her new false identity. Unexpected love is found between Aurelia and Prince Klaus and is challenged with an approaching arranged marriage between the Kingdom of Saarland der Licht and a neighboring ruler. With the possibility of discovery hanging in the air, Aurelia must face the difficulties of her past with her father in her journey of self-discovery before the Prince and his entire Kingdom learns the truth of her real identity, and she looses him forever.