Review: Afterworlds

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Afterworlds was such a great read! I can’t believe how much I enjoyed it. I had no idea what the book would be about until I finally began reading it and, let me tell you, I adored it. It may have been a bit slow at times but it never got boring, it was real. The way it alternates between Darcy and the book she is writing is just brilliant. I love the fact that you get to read the novel and follow the author in her process of actually publishing a novel. This made the book such a unique experience that would’ve definitely been completely different otherwise. I loved the characters and how Darcy and Lizzie are both (accidentally) from the same Jane Austen novel, or at least their names were. I adored how at times I wanted nothing more than to continue reading the novel but there were times when I wanted to know what happened to Darcy as well. I never got hooked by just one of the story arcs, but equally by both. There is one amazing bit where the characters discuss what is more important in a novel: plot, characters, conflict or setting; which was so amazing to read. This book felt so relatable as only Fangirl ever has been. True, you can feel related to several characters but there is a small amount of them that you could actually BE. Darcy was one of them, for me. I feel like she expresses the stress and uncertainty about writing a novel, and how it would feel like to get published one day. That is what won me over about this book, its realness. The characters, on the other side, I adored. At times I got annoyed at Darcy, Imogen and Lizzie but they were small bumps in the road, nothing that would make me hate any of them. I absolutely ADORE how Darcy’s friends are named Carla and Sagan. The amount of jokes you can make with their names is unbelievable. Well played, Westerfeld, well played. I also think that the characters grew so much during the novel. Adulthood is one of the main themes in Darcy’s storyline and I just love how she constantly says it cannot be real, that she is a kid playing at being an adult. I think that is something that most of us feel and that constantly shapes our lives. After all, becoming an adult is scary. Something else I truly enjoyed was that behind-the-curtains look we got at the writing and publishing process. It made me realize, New York may be in my future too, and like Darcy I will need to learn to survive it and, at the end, love it.
4.5/5

View all my reviews

Review: Winter

Winter by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Winter was definitely the best book in the series. It took me a while to read but not because of lack of interest. I was quite intrigued since page 1. I especially liked Kai, Thorne and Jacin, as well as Cinder and Levana's showdown. It took a long time to finally accomplish what Cinder wanted. To rally the people to her cause and go fight. This was expected, though. You can't overthrow a tyrant in a week. Also, I think that Winter's character was very special. It's not every day you get a main character, a narrator even, that is mentally unstable and reading from her point of view was a new experience. I had a good time comparing the Blackburn cousins and seeing how they can be good raised either on Luna or on Earth. Who knows how Cinder would've been if she'd lived her life on Luna with her horrible mother as her example. I must say that I was pleasantly surprised with Thorne and Cress' character development and I really loved their storyline. For once, I have no complaints against a happy, fairytale-like, ending. There isn't much else to say, it is the last book in a series so spoilers are difficult to avoid. I would like to say that it is worth it to stay with the story till the end and even if it isn't one of my favorite series it definitely was an enjoyable experience and a good read.

View all my reviews

Review: Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It took me way too long to read this. The thing is that it took me a while to really get into the story. This book contains Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde as well as The Bottle Imp. The first of those stories was really intriguing. I don't think many books give me the chills but this one did. It certainly would've helped if I hadn't known the plot-twist at the end. I also enjoyed that it was mostly straight to the point instead of droning on and on about things that are irrelevant to the plot. I felt very sympathetic towards Dr Jekyll and couldn't help but be guarded against Mr Hyde. I also really liked how at the very beginning of the story there are a few passages that tell us what the story will come to. Excellent foreshadowing that is actually not so obvious unless you already knew the plot. I also liked the fact that even if I already knew the plot-twist, the rest of the story had been a mystery to me so I took great pleasure in finding out what happened next. Obviously it happened at about 30 pages in. It doesn't sound like much except the story is 70 pages long approximately. Next came The Bottle Imp which I also really liked. The story is simple but the characters are amazing. They have such human emotions that are sometimes lacking in stories. For a 30 pages-long story the characters are really complex and you can really feel for them. All in all, I loved it and it has become one of my favourite classics.

View all my reviews

Review: Cress

Cress by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book was my favorite so far. So much better than the last two books, Cress was action-packed and it finally focused on the main problem. I liked that it focuses on the war and not on Princess Selene as much. I adored Cress and Thorne. They were great characters with a really good plotline. I particularly enjoyed the pacing of the book because it wasn't slow at all and because it finally built up to the great finale of the series. This particular installment made me care much more for the characters and I found that following them wasn't as tiring as the previous books. There's not much I can say without spoilers except that Thorne's development was great and that the plot was finally reaching its full potential.

View all my reviews

Review: Scarlet

Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book a lot. As much as I wasn't such a fan of the writing I can say that the way Meyer handled the retelling of these fairytales was very intriguing. The book itself was very predictable although that didn't bother me all that much. I liked Scarlet a lot, she kicks ass. Throne was pretty cool too. I had a bit of a problem with Wolf's personality but because even if I'm used to brooding characters, and I usually love them, his was a bit erratic. I could tell what he wanted to do but he still annoyed me on occasion. Learning more about Princess Selene was very interesting and I like where the story is headed. I am looking forward to meeting the rest of the characters.

View all my reviews

Review: A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was one wild ride. As much as I enjoyed it I can't help but be slightly annoyed at the length of it. A Storm of Swords took me too long to read and even though it is the best book of the series yet I was displeased at how some parts just weren't necessary to the story. Although that is how I feel I admit GRRM's writing is great and not overly descriptive, my main issue remains with the length. Saying that, what the hell was this bloodbath. It encompassed so much more than I had thought and it was so gruesome at times. It was brutal and it truly teaches you that no one, absolutely no one is safe. I can't say I learned much from this book in terms of life lessons. Actually, this book demonstrates real life more than anything I've ever read in fantasy. The politics and the power play are simply stunningly written and I am astonished at how this"game of thrones" goes. You play or you die. About the characters I adored Robb and Oberyn. They might be my favourites so far. I must admit I had no idea that weddings weren't more spaced out. It came as a shock. I really enjoyed reading this although there came times when I wanted to gorge my eyes out because of the length. 4.5/5 stars

View all my reviews

Review: All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This goddamn book had me sobbing at the end. I can't believe how fast I began to love its characters. It is a rare occasion when a book makes you fall in love with a character so early in the story but All the Bright Places did that for me. I read it in a day and I couldn't stop because of how much I wanted these characters to have a happy ending. Finch was lovely. His personality changed so much but his essence stayed the same. I love that about him. His wanders were brilliant and I couldn't help but love him for how he displayed his emotions. I myself have a growing collection of post-its full of quotes that stuck to me. The writing was cool and I love how full of poetry it was. I could somehow relate to the characters because words are really important to me and either read or written they are a big part of my life. This story, although painful, is real and deals with mental illnesses. The stigmas and labels that surround these illnesses are a big part of the book and something I most certainly do not like. The only thing that I can say regarding the plot is that I may have seen it coming but it most assuredly felt like a blow. I'm astounded with the book and I certainly never thought I would like it as much as I did.

View all my reviews