4 stars review: The Shadow Reader

The Shadow Reader (Shadow Reader #1)

by Sandy Williams

Synopsis:

There can only be one allegiance.
It’s her time to choose.

Some humans can see the fae. McKenzie Lewis can track them, reading the shadows they leave behind. But some shadows lead to danger. Others lead to lies.

A Houston college student trying to finish her degree, McKenzie has been working for the fae king for years, tracking vicious rebels who would claim the Realm. Her job isn’t her only secret. For just as long, she’s been in love with Kyol, the king’s sword-master—and relationships between humans and fae are forbidden.

But any hope for a normal life is shattered when she’s captured by Aren, the fierce and uncompromising rebel leader. He teaches her the forbidden fae language and tells her dark truths about the Court, all to persuade her to turn against the king. Time is running out, and as the fight starts to claim human lives, McKenzie has no choice but to decide once and for all whom to trust and where she ultimately stands in the face of a cataclysmic civil war. 

My Thoughts:

4 stars.

There are books in which you have to work your way through and others that you get caught from page one. This is one of the latter.

What do we find in 'The Shadow Reader'?

• Tons of action --->Checked
• Heart melting love story ---> Checked
• Awesome heroine ---> Checked

The action starts in the first chapter and it's non stop. That being said, I read this in one sitting.

The characters are lovable. McKenzie is funny, witty and extremely resourceful. Also I like the way she faces and fights her feelings. She is brave but real. She gets tired, hurt and jealous. I totally like her. What she lacks in ability she compensates with perseverance and courage.

On the other hand, Aren is amazing, funny and intriguing... sexy is another word I would choose... although he is a permanent contradiction, I love his personality and the feelings he triggers in me but at the same I want to slap him. 

One thing I must admit is that at the scene at the wedding ... dancing... 

OH MY! My heart melted.

Kelia and Naito are cool supporting characters as well. Their story was super cute.

Plot and writing:

• The plot is interesting and the pace is fast. Such a great combo.
• I enjoyed the writing very much
• It's amazing how the author makes us feel what McKenzie is feeling, for example, the scene in Lyechaban. I could totally feel her fear. 

Yes!!! I am definitely reading the second installment!

Review: Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver ( The Wolves of Mercy Falls #1)

by Maggie Stiefvater

Genre: YA paranormal romance

SYNOPSIS:

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human… until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human—or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever. 

 

  My review:

3.5 stars

What a good book! 

I decided to read it because almost everyone in my GR friend's list has read it and loved it. So I said: 'Why not?' I wanted to know if it was thaaaaaat good...

The story line is compelling, simple but captivating. The writing is awesome and smooth. 

Typically, when everything is so simple it puts me off, but not here. Yes. I admit the beginning was slow and it took me longer than usual to get through it but at some point, I don't know exactly how or when, I was sucked in the story. The whole book is good but the second half is outstanding.

The characters are lovable and well developed. I felt this all the time and not only because the story is told from different perspectives. No. You can feel the connection between Grace and Sam. Even when Sam is a wolf.

Honestly that may sound weird and it's a bit creepy if you think about it rationally but it works, and you do perceive what's growing inside them. And the truth is, that it is a beautiful and innocent feeling.  

Another thing I really liked is that the author achieved depth in every character and not only in the main ones: Grace, Sam, Olivia, Beck, Jack, Shelby and my personal favorite, Isabel.

Also, a positive thing to highlight is that the plot is somehow different, the take on werewolves is unique. Who doesn't like a bit of originality?

I know this is one of my first werewolves books (I mean purely about werewolves) but I have to say that it changed my mind about them.

It is by no means perfect but it is a very good book that made me want to continue the series. 

About the author:

And for those who love to know a bit about their favorite authors, here you can watch a hilarious interview that Maggie did for Goodreads.

She is super funny and now that I think of it... chuckle is an awful word indeed! Lol. I'm with you in that one Maggie!

Review: Queen of Shadows

Queen of Shadows ( Shadow World #1)

by Dianne Sylvan

SYNOPSIS:

Meet Miranda Grey—music and magic are in her blood.

Overwhelmed by her uncanny ability to manipulate people's emotions through her music, Miranda Grey comes to the attention of vampire lord David Solomon. Believing he can help bring her magic under control, David discovers that Miranda's powers may affect the vampire world too...

MY THOUGHTS:


3.5 stars

This was a very good book, very entertaining.

The beginning is strong, with a raping scene in one of the first chapters. I didn't particularly enjoy that. I don't think it added anything to the story and honestly, I never like those kind of scenes. This is the only reason why I didn't give it 4 stars.

I liked Miranda's "power". It sounds pretty cool to me, though I could relate to her and the way she felt about it. It may be a little overwhelming to know and feel, what everyone is feeling, ALL THE TIME. That's why she gets away of people, even her best friend.

Although influencing people's mood could have some perks. :D

David is an intriguing character. I'm pretty fond of him. It was weird to see a vampire over 300 years old being that geeky but I think it fits his personality well.

The writing is ok, didn't blew my mind but the pace and plot compensate.

I'm looking forward to reading the second book.

Review: Preservation (Preservation #1)

Preservation (Preservation #1) 

by Rachael Wade

SYNOPSIS:

Fear is sabotage’s sweetest weapon.

Kate has no time for meaningless romantic charades, and definitely no time for hot college professors who are full of themselves and smitten with her. Constantly battling eviction notices, tuition she can’t afford, and a sick, dependent mother, the last thing she needs is to be distracted with someone else’s complicated baggage. 

When she stumbles into Ryan Campbell’s creative writing class, he is only “Mr. Campbell” to her, until Ryan finds himself captivated by her writing and she is forced to face their mutual attraction. His cocky know-it-all syndrome is enough to send her running in the other direction, and his posse of female admirers and playboy reputation are enough to squander any odds in her favor. 

But underneath Ryan’s abrasive facade is something to behold, and she can’t stay away for long. Ryan and Kate must decide who they’re willing to become and fight against their former selves if they want to make things work. That’s if academia, vicious vixens, old skeletons, and their own mastery at self-destruction don’t pummel their efforts first. 

MY THOUGHTS:

4 stars

The first half is worth 5 stars for me, but the second part is 3 stars. Hence: 4 stars. 

How many times do we say: “I don’t want to be in a relationship” or “I don’t have time to get involved with anyone right now” ? but those statements die in our mouth because when the person is right, we suddenly want to be in a relationship and we suddenly think we have time for it (even if actually we don’t have time at all)

Well, for these two, that is what happens. He is a player, he has his reasons, yes, but he still is and she is so self-absorbed with her mom’s sickness, work and studies that she is not planning on falling for anyone. And on top of all, both had been hurt, so they fear commitment. They fear the consequences of letting someone in. And then, they meet. 

I loved the cover of this book and that was what at first piqued my interest. But for some reason, I was drawn to this story from page one. I like the writing, the short chapters and the characters. Well Kate lost judgment somewhere after 50% of the book but besides that, I liked her. 

If anything, Carter is a bit possessive at the beginning but then he grows to be one of my favorite characters with the amazing advices that are always perfect and in sync with Kate’s needs. 

And Ryan? He likes The XX, that’s all I need to know! And with his perfect abs and toned body… swoon! (I believe a long time ago I mentioned that every sexy guy on earth in mind looks like Ryan Guzman or Channing Tatum but this Ryan feels like Ryan Guzman :D) Honestly though, he had a few possessive/crazy attitudes that bothered me but I can live with that. 

Regarding Ryan and Kate’s relationship, I understood their attraction, damn even I was attracted to him after a few pages but I didn’t get the “you are too good for me” thing after seeing each other a few times and spending a few minutes together in total… 

Now let’s move to the second half:

- Here it seemed like the author just decided to throw events randomly. I won’t spoil anything. 

- Also… There was a plot hole? I mean, how did Ryan and Carter got a hold of Kate when the gala event took place. I mean, yes, they knew she was at the hotel but how did they figured out exactly where she was and that she was in danger for that matter? As I said, I don’t want to make a spoiler so I’m not getting into details regarding that. 

- St Lucia is a magical place, even though not necessary for the plot. IMHO.

About the end and epilogue:

- Then end is adequate, nonetheless predictable. 

- The epilogue is cute and it’s a ‘happily ever after’. 

Overall a good and entertaining read but I would have liked the second part to be a bit different

Review: Cascade (River of time #2)

Cascade (River of Time #2)

by Lisa T. Bergren

Genre: YA Time travel, historical fiction

- See review of Waterfall (River of Time #1) - 

SYNOPSIS:

Mom touched my underdress—a gown made six hundred years before—and her eyes widened as she rubbed the raw silk between thumb and forefinger. She turned and touched Lia’s gown. “Where did you get these clothes?”

Gabi knows she’s left her heart in the fourteenth century and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, weeks have passed and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while the Florentines will go to great lengths to see them dead.

But Marcello patiently awaits, and Gabi must decide if she’s willing to leave her family behind for good in order to give her heart to him forever.

MY THOUGHTS:

4 stars/birds

"There is always one unexpected moment in life when a door opens to let the future in"

Lisa T. Bergren has a great ability to pull you in easily. At the second page I was sucked in the story again.

I totally dived in the 14th Century. I loved the descriptions, not only the places  but the habits, I could totally picture myself walking the streets and palazzos of Siena. And at the same time, I felt related to Gabi and Lia.

It's hard for a 21st century's mind to jump into such a different time.

Love the politics and how alliances and treason unfold through the book.

The plague part, well... it's a historical event I've read about before, but this time I connected truthfully with the facts.

I loved how Lia and Gabi reunite their forces again and that ends in plot with a lot more action. Though their suffering and torture was endless.

About the characters:

Gabi is very suspicious all the time... relax a bit sweety! , on the other hand Marcello is so naive. Mhmmm... that bothered me a little.

Signora Regello is great: so sweet and selfless. 

Greco... oh my! he intrigues me, I can see something building up in his mind and maybe his heart, I definitely like him. The brotherhood secret was an interesting turn of events.

I also enjoyed how Lia and Luca's love grew and it was nice to read more about them in this installment.

Lord Paratore is back and worse than ever. If you though he couldn't be more evil... you were wrong.

To sum up: More action, less romance (though, enough), and a surprising twist at the end.

Review: Perfect (Pretty Little Liars #·3)

PERFECT (Pretty Little Liars #3) 

by Sara Shepard

Genre: Young Adult/ Mystery

BLURB:

In Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four perfect-looking girls aren't nearly as perfect as they seem.

Aria can't resist her forbidden ex. Hanna is on the verge of losing her BFF. Emily is freaking out over a simple kiss. And Spencer can't keep her hands off anything that belongs to her sister.

Lucky me. I know these pretty little liars better than they know themselves. But it's hard keeping all of their secrets to myself. They better do as I say . . . or else!

MY THOUGHTS:

aaaaah! collection of thoughts and ramblings!

A is dead... everything is quiet in Rosewood... is it?

I like this series so much but this book wasn't as amazing. It was ok.

The start wasn't as strong as in the previous books. 

What happened to me is that basically that I got dissapointed with all the characters. 

Everyone is so f***ed up in this book, the girls, the parents, the friends! awww! frustrating!

- Emily is dull. So whiny and incapable of solving little things. I know that "coming out of the closet" might not be easy but I am referring to the small things.

Of course having parents with such old fashion minds doesn't help whatsoever.

But she is insecure and can't stand for herself at all. Though it was a bit  better in this installment.

- More of the same with manipulative Maya.

- Spencer is back on track, I like that.

- Hannah... until page 65, the only thing we hear about her is clothes... booooring.

- I used to like Ella but she kicked her daughter out for then ight. What kind of mother does that? Especially under those circumstances.

- Aria messed up big time. She was my favorite so far but...

- Eventhough in the TV show I liked Ezra, I think that in the book he is getting in the way of something that could have been really nice.  A and S are cute. 

There were also good things:

At the end of book 2, the girls were a little closer to each other, here they grow apart again and it's interesting how A makes them doubt their friends.

It's like you know that everything is going to blow up in their faces, you just don't know when...

Even if it wasn't my favorite, it had a truly interesting end that will make me go on with the series.

Review: Shatter Me

SHATTER ME (Shatter Me #1)

by Tahereh Mafi

BLURB:

Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in exactly 264 days.

The last time she did, it was an accident, but The Reestablishment locked her up for murder. No one knows why Juliette’s touch is fatal. As long as she doesn’t hurt anyone else, no one really cares. The world is too busy crumbling to pieces to pay attention to a 17-year-old girl. Diseases are destroying the population, food is hard to find, birds don’t fly anymore, and the clouds are the wrong color.

The Reestablishment said their way was the only way to fix things, so they threw Juliette in a cell. Now so many people are dead that the survivors are whispering war – and The Reestablishment has changed its mind. Maybe Juliette is more than a tortured soul stuffed into a poisonous body. Maybe she’s exactly what they need right now.

Juliette has to make a choice: Be a weapon. Or be a warrior.

PURCHASE:

 

MY THOUGHTS:

4.5 birds

Writing:

The first sentence was perfect. It was all I needed to know this is my kind of book.

"I've been locked up for 264 days"

The writing is delightful. It has parts with some sort of poetic style and metaphors. Awesome.

The chapters were short. Always useful for the "one more chapter" excuse.

I liked how the author mingles what Juliette says with her thoughts and true feelings.

"You can't touch me". I whisper. I'm lying, is what I don't tell him. He can touch me, is what I'll never tell him. Please touch me, is what I want to tell him. 

But things happen when people touch me. Strange things. Bad things. Dead things.

Characters:

Personalities are well defined. 

I liked that Juliette's personality is so moulded by the background with her parents. I enjoyed how much she changed through the story, first being so scared and sad, not being able to trust anyone  and then becoming so confident and kick a**.

James is funny and cute. Benji is awesome, he made me giggle a lot.

Warner intrigues me, eventhough he is mean and cruel, there must be a redeemable quality in him.

Adam... he is nice, sweet and caring. I like him but something is missing.

Plot:

I like the premise very much. It was such an entertaining and unique plot. 

Thrilling. I was intrigued by the fact that Juliette knew Adam. I liked how that turned out.

The love story is sweet and sexy.

Cover: 

You can see it. I'm in love with every detail of it.

To sum up:

Definitely an outstanding first book for a series.

I have Unravel Me (Shatter Me #2) in my shelves already so I'll be reviewing it soon.

Review: Waterfall by Lisa T. Bergren

Waterfall (River of Time #1)
by Lisa T. Bergren

Synopsis:

What do you do when your knight in shining armor lives, literally, in a different world?

Most American teenagers want a vacation in Italy, but the Betarrini sisters have spent every summer of their lives among the romantic hills with their archaelogist parents. Stuck among the rubble of the medieval castles in rural Tuscany, on yet another hot, dusty archaeological site, Gabi and Lia are bored out of their minds...until Gabi places her hand atop a handprint in an ancient tomb and finds herself in fourteenth-century Italy. And worse yet, in the middle of a fierce battle between knights of two opposing forces.

Suddenly Gabi's summer in Italy is much, much more interesting.

 

MY THOUGHTS:

I'm a sucker for well written time travel stories, and this is one of them!


Waterfall has a nice start in today's Tuscany area. Gaby's mom is an archaeologist.
One afternoon, Gaby and Lia start investigating one of her mom's discoveries and well... you can imagine where that took them: to an incredible world a few years back... and when I say a few years I mean like 700 years back!

I liked that the author knows her history and it shows. The setting details are totally accurate. But of course, I'm a little biased because I have the majority of my relatives in Tuscany, so I absolutely adored the location. But who wouldn't?

This would be today. If you remove the road,
it looks the same as 600 years ago!

Gaby and Lia get separated after her little journey and this book is mainly about Gaby's story. I would have liked a bit more of Lia but anyway, I really enjoyed it.

The surroundings and supporting characters are so perfectly created that I could picture how clueless and, at the same time, amazed everyone would be around Gaby because she was so strong, independent, and brave in opposition to most of the women of that time.

“I finally meet a guy who's interesting and who seems to have a half-interest in me and it is TOTALLY the wrong time and place.” 

What I didn't like about the protagonist is that somehow she kept making the wrong choices. Of course, if she did everything right we wouldn't have story at all, but no need to make all the wrong decisions!!!

Marcelo our male lead is a nice guy that feels an undeniable attraction towards Gaby but he is engaged to another woman. So it's interesting to read about the road he took and his actions to get closer to Gaby.

The only reason why I didn't give this book 5 stars, was that everything happened in just a week so it seemed rushed. You can't fall in love with someone in one week and she claimed to know him that much, which is impossible.

Besides the romance, there is an entertaining subplot involving Lia. I loved the carefully devised plan. So that added some points.

The end was predictable but good. No doubts I want to know more about Gaby and Marcelo, and see what happens with Lia, Luca, Fortino and Romana. (that's why Cascade, the sequel's already on my bookcase!)



I hope you enjoyed my review!