The Mortal Instruments Series VS The Infernal Devices Series

VS

I've been thinking about doing some different styled posts, rather than just writing reviews, so I came up with the idea of kind of comparing these two series, The Mortal Instruments and The Infernal Devices.

These books were written by Cassandra Clare and they are both set in the same universe, the world of the Shadowhunters. 

The Mortal Instruments has six books in total: City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass, City of Fallen Angels, City of Lost Souls and City of Heavenly Fire.  

This is a urban fantasy young adult series and this is basically a series that everyone has read and/or heard about so I don't think that I have to go into the plot. It is based around Shadowhunters, who are basically half human-half angel warriors who protect the world from demons. I love this series. I think the world is really amazing and intriguing and I love the way it was built. Every book adds on to the main premise of it, and you are always discovering new things, but they are nicely interwoven into the already existing story. I adore the characters in this book, everyone of them. I usually don't get along with main characters that are youngish girls, they tend to annoy me at one point or the other, but I really like Clary. She is a strong character. Maybe not so much at first, but she has great character development and really develops more and more with each book, and kind of ends up being really great. I love every single character in this book. I really do. Jace, Izzy, Alec... I feel like her characters are complex in a way and I just enjoy them so much. They change so much through the series and grow with it, which is great. And Magnus Bane is one of the greatest characters ever, obviously. I love the plot here. It has twists, and it's gripping and these books were definite page turners for me. I read them so quickly and I couldn't get enough. Especially City of Glass and City of Heavenly Fire, which were my favorite. This turned into one of my favorite series ever and I can't wait for the next installments. 

With that being said, I picked up the prequel series, which is set in the Victorian era and deal with the lives of the ancestors of the characters from The Mortal Instruments series. 

The Infernal Devices series consists of three books: Clockwork Angel, Clockwork Prince and Clockwork Princess. I was hesitant to pick this up, because I am not a big fan of books taking place in that era, but still everyone was saying how they actually prefer The Infernal Devices so I had to see for myself. Now, when I read the first two books, I was not impressed at all. It wasn't bad by any means, it could never be, but to me it could never have been compared to The Mortal Instruments. The thing is I don't like Tessa very much. I don't hate her, but I am not the biggest fan. But I love all the other characters so so much. I may even dare to say that I prefer them to the MI characters. Maybe. I don't know. But, I do love them. Will and Jem are amazing and have an amazing relationship which is so beautiful that it's painful. I adore them honestly, both in their own way. But for me, the plot in these books was underwhelming for me. I don't think it's very thought through, and I don't know, it seemed stretched somehow, and I just didn't find it exciting. I was not really into it that much. But, after reading Clockwork Princess and bawling my eyes out for three hours and not sleeping throughout the night, I was inclined to say that I loved the books. I think the ending of Clockwork Princess was one of the saddest and most beautifully written endings that I have ever read. Honestly, that was the best part of the whole series. It was heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. I just loved it a lot.

With all that being said, I would give The Mortal Instruments series kind of an edge, because I just didn't enjoy the plot in The Infernal Devices. But I do love the characters in both series and the world and the writing really sits well with me. 

More Than This by Patrick Ness

This is my first encounter with one of Patrick Ness' books and I really enjoyed it, hence I will be picking up The Knife of Never Letting Go next. 

This book is about a boy, who actually drowns and dies. But, he wakes up in a house in which he lived in as a child in England (which is strange, because he lived in America now), kind of battered and bruised, but somehow alive. 

That is basically all you need to know about it, and all I knew going into it. And I think that is the best way to read this book, and just let it unfold on itself, which will be surprising and unexpected. 

I really liked this book. It was more than it seemed to be at first. To me, it felt almost layered. As the book went one, it got deeper and deeper, uncovering more and more of its so-called layers. This seems as though it's one thing, but then kind of changes and reveals something unexpected. Throughout the story, you never know what is real and what is actually going on. You are left guessing and kind of choosing for yourself, because there are different options, so to speak.  I really liked that, I generally enjoy that kind of setting. This book was very thought provoking and when I finished it, I ended up thinking about it for days. It kind of lingered with me. 

With all that being said, it took me ages to finish this book. I can't even remember when I started it. I just took me a lot of time to get into it, and when I finally did I found it a bit slow. For me, this meant that at times, I felt completely detached from it. So that kind of ruined the experience for me and I even thought of putting down. I ended up sticking through it, because I did in fact like it, but it just took a lot of effort to finish it. 

Anyways, this was all in all, a really good book, and I gave it 4/5 stars on Goodreads. Definitely recommend this one if you like slow, thought-provoking books.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

As I've mentioned in a previous post, after reading Eleanor and Park, I wanted to read every single thing Rainbow Rowell had ever written. But then I saw that her other YA novel was called Fangirl, and I just really, really hate that word. (I did a blog post on Fangirl, you can check it out, so I won't ramble on about that whole thing again. But spoiler alert: I LOVED the book.) Anyways, as I've also mentioned, when I heard about Landline, I thought I probably couldn't relate to the characters, given the fact they are in a struggling marriage, and I am... well, nineteen. I am here to point out that I was utterly wrong. 

Landline was brilliant. Truly. I don't know why I ever doubted I would like this book since it was in fact written by Rainbow Rowell. No other writer has that effect on me. But she writes so inexplicably magical, that I am left speechless. I have to put down her books mid-sentence, just because I can't deal with all the feelings. Her characters are so undeniably realistic. They are real people. They are written in a way that no matter what, you can relate because they feel so genuine. I always feel this after reading a Rainbow Rowell book. I am a puddle on the floor, just trying to get over the fact that the book is over and just trying to sort out how is it possible to even feel so much for a book. This doesn't happen to me with books. I am not that person. But somehow, Rainbow Rowell takes all that is magical in this world, and puts it into words. And you just melt. 

I loved this story. I loved every single character in the book. Georgie and Neal's relationship was just brilliant. I loved them as a couple. I loved their kids. I loved how everything was right and wrong at the same time, all the time. I loved the fact that there was this almost SciFi aspect to the story, but it didn't felt misplaced. It was perfectly interwoven into this story, so seamlessly and almost casually.

Obviously, this book got a 5/5 stars on Goodreads (You can add me if you want to, that would be great). And if you are reluctant to read this, as I was at one time, just don't be. It's as every bit as magical as her other books.

***Also the Cath and Levi update thingy?!?! I was over the moon with it. It wasn't a big deal, but somehow it was. Cath and Levi are my favorite characters ever so I really enjoyed that bit. 

Franny and Zooey by J.D.Salinger

The Catcher in the Rye is one of my favorite books of all time. (I did a review for it!) I love it so much. I think that everyone who read it and loved it, felt inclined to read Franny and Zooey too. I didn't have high expectations for it. I didn't expect to like it as much as the Catcher in the Rye. Still, this book left me feeling really weird and unable to decide whether I like it or not. 

I cannot even give a synopsis because there is no plot here. It's a story about finding yourself and coming to terms with how the world is and who it works. And maybe also dealing with the ghosts of your siblings, dead or alive. Yeah, it seems weird. But that's how I see it. 

Zooey is very similar to Holden. That kind of personality echoes through all the male characters in the book, more or less. So, that indicates that this was in fact written by Salinger. But the writing itself, didn't seem like it was him. Or to put it better, the style of the writing had no similarities to the Catcher at all. I don't think I could've guessed that it was Salinger based on the writing alone. I didn't expect that. 

I really liked the book at the beginning. It starts out with Franny and kind of describes the challenges and troubles she's facing. And it seemed to me that I was really going to love this book. But than that whole "plot" line cuts. The whole perspective shifts in time and moves to her family house and her brother, Zooey. And this wasn't done seamlessly. It was very weird and awkward. That's the only way to describe it. 

Also, there were a lot of religious motives in the book. It kept revolving around them and I just didn't particularly enjoy it. It wasn't something I liked and I wanted to read. 

I liked this book at times a lot. Zooey's conversations with his moms and Franny were really nicely written and at those points I really loved the book and the writing and the characters. But then, it would shift again to those religious things and I was a bit put off. It seemed odd in a way.

I ended up giving this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads just because I felt really bizarre after I finished it. I don't think I would necessarily recommend this book, but I think that a lot of people would probably enjoy it. In fact, there are a lot of great reviews for it. Somehow, it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Legend by Marie Lu

I really enjoy dystopian books, and this one was everywhere. So it was only natural for me to pick it up. I can't say I loved it. It was fun, but there were some things that I really disliked, so they affected the way I feel about this book.

Legend is a story about two very different people, with different lives and backgrounds. One of them is a boy called Day, who is an outlaw basically. There is a test that everyone must take at a certain age, and it predetermines what they are gonna do, and whether or not they would be allowed to continue to live their lives as planned. And Day failed that test. So he ran away and started doing things against the Republic, which is the "evil government" in this book. And he became the most wanted criminal.

On the other side, we have June, who is the only person in the Republic who got a maximum on that test. So she got to go to the best college in the Republic and to prepare to be a military agent of the Republic.

But their paths cross when June's brother is killed, and Day is the number one suspect. So she has to go undercover to catch him.

This was a fun book. Just a fairly entertaining read. It was nicely paced and flowed really smoothly. But I had a couple of problems with it which led to me liking the book a lot less. First of all, the story is told from both Day's and June's perspectives. And they alter. But, they seem like the exact same person. Their narrative voices are very similar. They are both perceptive, cocky and determined. At one point one of them even says they are like one person. Which I hated. It was so unnecessary and made their whole relationship really corny and stereotypical to me. That was the second problem. I didn't care for their relationship at all. It had no feelings in it. It was flat and underwhelming. And really predictable. 

Still, this was a fun and intriguing read. I was entertained by the whole dystopian aspect of the book and I am looking forward to see how it develops and what does it all mean. This was very similar to other dystopian books, which was fine, but I am still waiting to like a dystopian book as much as I liked the Hunger games or even Divergent. And this wasn't the one. Sure, it was fun enough, but for me it wasn't anything special and I wasn't blown away with it.
So I gave this book 3/5 stars on Goodreads. If you're into dystopia, you will probably enjoy it, so you can give it a go.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

These kinds of books aren't really something I usually read. I think I only read one more book that's in the historical fiction genre. So I decided to branch out, and I came across this book. It had such high praises and I was really excited to read it. It really does live up to the expectations.

Now, this book tells the story of two characters. One of them is a blind girl, Marie-Laure, who lives in Paris with her father. He is a locksmith in the Museum of Natural History, so Marie-Laure spends her days exploring the different parts of the Museum. 

The second one is a boy called Werner, who is an orphan, and he lives in a small town Zollverein, in Germany. He and his sister are fascinated by radios. Werner gets really good with them actually, and can repair and build them. The story follows these two different people, and their different destinies during the Second World War. And what the writer does, he slowly intertwines and connects these two people, in many different ways. 

I loved this book. It was amazing. It was even more than I expected. The writing is really beautiful. It's one of those books, where you really got to read every sentence and let it sink in. It's all there for a reason and you really have to get into the right mindset to read.

The only problem I had with it sometimes is that it's really, really slow paced. That's not something that I am used to in books, so at times that really put me off. I needed a lot more time to read this than I usually do, so that was something that annoyed me a bit. But not too much.

I really liked that the chapters were short. They are mostly three or four pages long. And for some reason, I really enjoy that. And they alternate between Marie-Laure's and Werner's point of view. So you're always switching between them and you see them at the same point in time. Which is great. Also the story jumps between the different years of the war, so you kind of see where they are at the end, but then you also see how they got there. And that's done exquisitely. It connects so perfectly and the whole premise of it really works.

I loved all the characters in this book. They were really nicely built in a way. Throughout the book, they change and they grow and it was really great. There is a variety of characters and they are all sharp and really interesting.

In conclusion, I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads. I would totally recommend it to anyone. Even if you are not into the genre, just bare with it and by the end you will, hopefully, love it like I did. 

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Well, that was a hell of a ride. From start to finish. I didn't expect this book to be so good. I picked it up because it was getting a lot of buzz. The movie came out and I really wanted to see it, so I wanted to read the book before seeing it. I really actually enjoy these kinds of books, the psychological thrillers/mysteries. I just rarely pick them up for some reason. 

So the plot of this book revolves around a married couple, Nick and Amy Dunne. On the day of their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy disappears. Under suspicious circumstances. That's about as far as I can go with the plot because I don't want to give anything away. The thing I feel I can point out is that we get both of their perspectives, of their marriage and their life together. Which was pretty messed up. Their marriage was awful. And they aren't perfect. I think flawed is also an understatement. But, yeah, they aren't really likable characters, which was actually great. It's a psychological novel so the whole time you're reading, you are in their heads. And it was amazing writing. I was so involved with the story and the characters. I was on the edge the whole time. At some points, I was actually left sitting there, with my mouth wide open, not believing what I was reading. I had to reread some parts just to really let them sink in. I am so excited to read the other books from the author, because I loved the style of the writing. And I love how the story was conceptualized. It was really just great. You're not going to feel good after you finish this book. But you're still going to love it. 

So, I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads and I would recommend it to everyone. As a matter of fact, I already started to.

Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson

This book was really, really good. So glad I ended picking it up and I was so excited when I started reading it. It didn't disappoint!
So the jist of the book: Amy's dad had recently died and she has been having quite a rough time. To top it all off, her mother decides that it's time for them to move across the country. Amy is supposed to drive their car from California to Connecticut. But since her father's accident, Amy doesn't really drive anymore. So her mother arranges for Roger, an old childhood friend of Amy's, to drive her there and she plans out the whole trip to them. But it turns out that that trip is kind of boring, so Amy and Roger decide to take the more "scenic" route and end up taking quite a detour.
I really thought this book was great. It felt authentic and real. Amy's voice and narration were quite consistent throughout the book. Her and Roger's relationship seemed quite genuine. At first they were quite awkward around each other, and they didn't know what to talk about, but as the trip went on. they got used to each other and were kind of able to read each other's body language, even though they didn't necessarily talk too much. It was gradual, and so it felt real and honest.
They were both quite likable characters and I thought the whole character building, like learning about them, was really nicely written.
Now, what sets this book apart, for me at least, is that there are pictures and receipts and doodles all over this book. Amy's mother gets her a sort of travel scrapbook, so we have excerpts from in the book. This added so much to the story. I've always loved roadtrips, even just the idea of them excites me. So seeing pictures from their stops, or receipts from diners really made me get into the story and be there. There were also playlists that they made for the trip, and each one was named differently, according to what they were experiencing at that moment. And the music was actually good and when you listen to it, you kind of get the mood of each one which then correlates to the specific part of the book. And to me that was amazing and it was what ultimately made me love this book.
I also felt like Amy and Roger's relationship wasn't blown out of proportions. It started out awkwardly and slowly they got used to each other and became friends. And even though they liked each other, like romantically, it wasn't made to be this huge epic love story. It felt possible and real, not like they were instant lovers. I really liked the way it ended. They kind of said "Okay, yes, we like each other, we like how things are, but we don't necessarily know where we're headed".  And that was great because that's how it is in life. You meet someone and you like them and you see where it's going in time. And also, we got a receipt from a diner which is dated to after the ending, so we know that they end up together. So I really appreciated not having that huge, epic love story after just five days they spent together.
All in all, this is the perfect feel good book. It's a sparkly, fluffy, warm and fuzzy read. But it's not just that. It made me really want to go on a roadtrip. I gave this book 5/5 stars on Goodreads  and if you're looking for a quick read that's gonna make you feel good, this book is perfect for it.

*There's a playlist I found on 8tracks which has some of the songs from the book, and it's really good so I thought I'd put it in:
http://8tracks.com/padfootandprongs/amy-roger-s-epic-detour-1

Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins

Lola and the Boy Next Door is the second book in the companion series Anna and the French Kiss. Lola is a somewhat quirky 17 year old, who doesn't wear the same outfit twice and loves to dress up in costumes. She has a boyfriend, Max, who is 5 years older than her, and plays in a band. And even though Lola thinks she is very much in love with him, things start to change when the boy she used to like moves back to the house next door.

I think my feelings for Anna and the French Kiss pretty also apply here. This is the same story basically, only reversed. Now, the girl has a boyfriend and she can't gather the courage to breakup with him, even though it's pretty obvious that she like Cricket, her neighbor. So once again, the story is quite generic and predictable, and again, Lola and Cricket dance around each other, have a lot of awkward moments, but somehow Lola doubts her feelings. I feel that the whole premise of the first book is the same. 

Lola can be pretty annoying sometimes. She can be childish and overly-dramatic, but I prefer her to Anna, because Anna really pushes my buttons for some reason. Also, Lola's whole quirkiness was a bit too much at times, it seemed pushed and came off as trying-too-hard.

Then Cricket. Oh boy, Cricket. I loooved Cricket. He really made me like this book so much more than I would if he wasn't in it. He is this cute, tall, geeky, smart and sometimes a little bit awkward boy. So yes, I did like him, even though he didn't really seem quite real, honestly.

Also, I felt the whole thing with Max was so obvious, as in how it will end. I mean, it's constantly stressed that he is this older, tattooed, jealous person, who hates Lola's friends and who always gets mad at her. And it's quite predictable how that relationship will end. 

Again, this book is quite stereotypical, like the first one, but again, it's CUTE. It's as every bit cute and fluffy as Anna, or even more (CRICKET). So once again, I have fallen under the spell of teenage drama and so called true love. But it's okay because I enjoyed it. And it made me feel nice and fuzzy when I read it. This book won't change the world, I know, but that's fine because it's...guess what? Frickin' cute. 

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

I have mixed feelings about this book. I saw it all over Youtube and people seemed to be loooving it. So I had high expectations for it. But as soon as I picked it up, it became pretty obvious that it's going to be another stereotypical YA novel. And somehow I was under the impression that that wasn't the case.

This book is about a girl name Anna whose father sends her from Atlanta to study abroad in Paris, in an American school. So she has to leave her life in Atlanta, her best friend and a potential boyfriend and move to Europe. There she meets a girl name Meredith who (kind of) introduces her to this boy named Étienne St. Clair. He is this gorgeous, smart boy, and Anna instantly likes him even though he has a girlfriend. 

Draaama. As I said, it's a pretty typical teenage book. I had a couple of problems with it. First of all, Anna. I know. The main character. But I hated her. She really bugged me. A lot. She is just plain... ignorant. Yup, that's the word. For example, she is this self-proclaimed film addict and expert, but she is completely stunned that there are cinemas in Paris. Um, hello, it's frickin' Paris?!

Also, she couldn't talk to the chef in the cafeteria because she can't speak French. Boohoo. I mean, it's an American school, chances are he speaks English and isn't completely IGNORANT.

The male lead, Étienne St. Clair, is completely dreamy, yes. I mean he is beautiful, smart, funny, speaks French AND has a British accent. I mean what more can you ask for? But he is so generic. Cute, but nothing that hasn't been seen before.
The whole book they obviously like each other, but they are so awkward around each other and just dance around the subject. Sometimes they said and did things and I was just like...

Another thing that I want to address is the writing style. People keep saying that they love the way she writes, but I didn't get that. It wasn't bad, far from it. I even thought it was pretty good. But there isn't anything special or ground-breaking about it. It was nice, but again, nothing that hasn't been seen before. And I hated the title. It's so... girly and bad. Makes it seem like the whole time this girl is chasing a kiss. Which she isn't really. She doesn't mind it, but that's not her whole preoccupation. Not really.
But all that aside, I gave 4 stars to this book on Goodreads. And why? Because it's just CUTE. Yes. They are stupid teenagers and they can't grasp basic things but it's still cute. And fuzzy. This is such a feel-good book. The one you can read without really thinking about it a lot, or at all for that matter. And who doesn't need that? I know I do. I want to read about a stupid girl who chases love and catches it. Because it's nice. And it makes me feel nice. It's not going to change your life. It's not going to make you think. It's not even an epic love story. But Perkins shows us how they fell in love, it's not like instant, like in most books these days. It's gradual. They actually talk and become friends and all that stuff. And once again, it's CUTE. But Anna is still quite annoying. And Étienne is adorable, even though he is every other YA book boy. But sometimes that's fine. Sometimes it's okay, because sometimes we need it. Anyways, it's a quick, easy, fluffy read, and I give it 4/5 stars and if you're into this kind of stuff you should check it out, because it's one of the better ones in that particular genre. 

***I actually started reading the next book in the companion series, Lola and the Boy Next Door, in which there are appearances by Anna and Étienne and I actually like them much more in this book. Because I don't have Anna's annoying point of view and also, there isn't any drama, they are just this cute couple. So I enjoyed that a lot more. ***

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

I picked up this book solely on the fact that there is a lot of reference to it, in books, movies and etc. 

But nonetheless, I loved it. It was really good. 

It's a story about a boy named Ponyboy (real name, not a nickname) who lives in a world where everyone is, according to him, divided into two groups- Socs (sort for Socials) and Greasers. He belongs to the latter group. Socs are rich, preppy kids, who have it easy in life, and can get a way with anything. Greasers are kids with slick, greased hair, who are kind of thug-ish, and they always have to watch their backs. Pony lives with his two brothers (their parents passed away) and spends his days with a group of his friends believing that Socs are bad, Greasers are good and that's just the way life is. Until one night, he and his friend Johnny get jumped by Socs and Johnny ends up stabbing one of them and actually killing him. From this moment on, Ponyboy starts seeing the world a little differently and learns that not everything is so black-and-white.

I really liked this book, did I say that? I think the story has an honest voice. It flows vividly and kind of... consistently, I would say. Nothing feels to much or to little, it's kind of just right. The characters were amazing, they had dimension and they were complex. And that's not such a common thing, especially in a short book like this one, where there isn't a lot of room for pulling off characterization. But it was indeed pulled off here. I thought the author did an amazing job in transferring the thoughts and feelings of these boys, who have to grow up in such harsh environment and conditions. And this is a coming-of-age story, the realization that not everything is always as it seems and that actually there is so much more to people than we see, or believe. It's a book that makes you think, I feel that that is always nice. 

I liked the whole premise of Greasers and Socs. I think these kind of things are quite often. Kids do tend to divide themselves in these sort of groups and they end up not understanding anyone outside their little bubble. I feel like that aspect is covered nicely here, and the story shows how flawed and wrong it is. 

Anyways, really great book, I would recommend it to anyone and I give it 5/5 stars.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I've been wanting to read this book for so long, but I just couldn't get around to it, but I finally picked it up and I am so glad that I did.

This book is about a fifteen year old boy Craig who is having certain mental difficulties. He lives in New York and he got into this really important, hard, acclaimed business high school, but since the day he started it, he sort of got "bad". He started feeling really depressed and he couldn't deal with school and just general everyday life really. He spends most of his time with his friends chillin' (aka smoking pot), and just doesn't deal with life really. He stops eating, he can't sleep and just gets into this dark place. He eventually starts to think about killing himself, but instead of going through with it, he calls a suicide hotline, which refers him to a hospital. He goes there and checks himself in, and actually spends five days in a adult psychiatric ward. This is the story of him coming to turns with his problems and also about his time in the hospital. 

I really, really, REALLY loved this book. It was pretty amazing. I really liked the main character, Craig. He felt real. And I thought that it was great that he was a person who struggled with depression and other difficulties, but still managed to come off as a no-fuss guy really. And he was a smart and witty guy and just a relatable and likable character. He made a great narrator. 

I really liked the secondary characters. They were genuine, vivid and contributed so much to the story. And I really appreciated that they didn't become just a representation of their illness, there was more depth to them.

I also loved how this was written, it was strong, on point, and really showed what goes on through a person's head when they are struggling with these kinds of problems. 

The only thing that slightly annoyed me was that the first third of the book was quite slow in pace, but after that it picked up and became really amazing, so it's all good. 

This was a great read, really enjoyed it, gave it five stars on Goodreads and I would recommend it to everyone because it was amazing. 

Review: Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

This is a pretty popular book. People seem to talk about it a lot. So, I decided to see if it was any good. Honestly, not so much.

Just to give a sort of a rundown, this book is about Tally Youngblood, who lives in a (future) world in which every person, upon reaching the age of sixteen, has to undergo a cosmetic procedure which makes them "pretty". So "uglies" can't wait to finally turn 16, so they can become beautiful like everybody else and join the New Pretty World where life is an endless party. All is fine and well, until Tally meets a girl named Shay, who, get this, doesn't want to have the surgery and would rather remain herself. Very controversial. Right before their "shared" birthday, Shay tells Tally she is running away to live in a secret community outside of town called the Smoke, and Tally is recruited by special forces to find the community. She is faced with the choice of either being ugly forever or betraying her friend.

I kind of formed a sort of love-hate relationship with this one. More of a like-hate relationship, but still.

On one hand, I think that the whole universe in which the story is set is quite interesting. I find it believable. People are very preoccupied with their looks, especially young ones. We tend to judge each other based solely on how someone looks, and these differences between people had had catastrophic consequences in the past. So this sort of a dystopian future felt real and believable to me. Whenever someone branded themselves or others as an "ugly" and truly believed it, I got this weird, unpleasant feeling. So I feel that that whole aspect was well written and imagined.

But, on the other hand I hated the character in these books. Detested them really.

I didn't feel for them at all. They could've been plummeting to their deaths, and I just thought meh. I couldn't care less. They had no depth to them whatsoever. They were just dull, plain and one-dimensional. I honestly can't point at one characteristic of the heroine and say "there's something that defines her" because there isn't any. At all. Except maybe her shallowness, but that's more due to the society she lives in than anything else. Her character just doesn't offer anything. For me, it was completely unrelatable. And when she met David, her "love", she really started getting on my nerves. One moment they didn't even acknowledge each other, but the next they were in love. I could've gone past it, if I just felt it, but I didn't. I was reading about their shared moments and again I was just like meh. Oh, and David? Even worse than Tally, even more plain and uninteresting. Obviously, the secondary characters are non-existent. They are there, for the sake of the story, but they don't bring anything to it. 

This book was a letdown for me, because I feel like people love it so much, and I just didn't. It was okay, but there were things (as stated above) that really irritated me. I am not even sure I want to keep reading these series. I might get back to it, when I am bored, but the first book didn't really make me want to keep reading. Which is too bad, because there were things I thought were good. 

Review: We Were Liars by E.Lockhart

I didn't expect to be writing a new post so soon, but I started reading We Were Liars and I finished it in one night. I just flew through it. I couldn't stop. It's not a long book, it has about 250 pages, but still. 

Cadence's family are the Sinclairs. They are a beautiful, distinguished, well-known and of course a rich family. They seem to be perfect. Or they are at least trying to be. Cadence Sinclair's grandfather owns a private island where the family spend their summers. So when Candence's dad leaves her and her mother, when she is fifteen, she can't wait to get to the island, where the outside world doesn't quite exist. She spends her days with her two cousins Johnny and Mirren, and Johnny's best friend Gat. They are the Liars, as they call themselves. Cadence loves it, and she even falls in love with Gat. But at the end of the summer, she goes out into the sea and has an accident, after which she has terrible headaches and has to take a lot of medication. She loses touch with her Liars and goes from doctor to doctor, trying to resolve what caused her severe head injury. Two years later, Cadence can't remember anything surrounding the accident and she can't remember most of that summer. She goes back to the island and as she reconnects with her friends, she tries to find out what happened to her.

I just loved this book so much. It was great. I found that a lot of people didn't like the style of the writing, but I honestly thought it was good, with it's short sentences.  It was sort of eerie, and sometimes gave me the chills. I feel like the writer managed to create a sort of cold atmosphere, the feeling of something bad happening, that flows through the whole book. And you want to know why. You want to see what is behind the perfect cover of the Sinclairs. I really liked the story, and I think that the ending will be so unexpected to anyone who reads it, but still I think that you can actually guess it. I know that doesn't make much sense, but I can only put it that way, without revealing and spoiling the ending.

I think that the book was really nicely conceptualized and executed. I think that it's very smart and clever and a really good book when it comes to young adult fiction. This is totally a book worth reading and I would recommend it to absolutely anyone, because it was amazing. 

Review: The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

So I'm pretty sure everyone knows by now that Robert Galbraith is actually the pseudonym of J.K.Rowling.

The Silkworm is the second installment of the Cormoran Strike series, but I don't think that you would have to read the first one (The Cuckoo's Calling) in order to read this book. Sure, you may miss some of the characterization and the development of the relationships between characters, but for the mystery itself, which is the main point of the book, The Silkworm on its own is enough.

This is a story about a private detective who is hired by a writer's wife after he goes missing. When searching for the writer Owen Quine, Strike actually finds his body and discovers that he was murdered in the exact way that the main character in his new book was.

The book itself is called The Bombyx Mori (aka Silkworm) and it's actually quite controversial, because it tells the secrets of a lot of people in Quine's publishing house. A lot of them read the manuscript, so it's up to Strike to find out who of those people is the killer.

I really liked this book. I liked the first one also, but I feel that this one is even better. I think that J.K.Rowling's experience in the publishing world really contributed to the atmosphere in this book, all the petty arguments and games that the publishers and writers have and play. I also quite liked that there were some subtle hints towards the actual end and the revelation of the killer. There were signs of some of the components to the solving to the murder, which I guessed somewhere in the middle. I really liked that because I feel that in some mystery novels you don't actually get any hints, and you're kind of in the dark the whole book until the very end, when everything resolves itself in a deus ex machina kind of way, like it resolved on its own, with the appearance of some new evidence or character.
Also, I feel that the crisp, honest writing that celebrated Rowling is still very much there and I love it. The writing doesn't drag on, but still it isn't very fast and unreadable, it's just right, totally on point.
The story is really intriguing and I just wanted to know more at all times. It was also quite eerie at times, kind of ominous, which I quite enjoyed. The characters are really likable and you can feel for them.
I really loved this book, and even though I picked the first one up just because it was J.K.Rowling, I kept reading just because it was good.  

Review: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

So, here we are again with another cult classic, Fahrenheit 451. I feel like everyone has read this book and I think that a lot of people loved it. I didn't.

This is a dystopian novel which follows Guy Montag, who is a fireman. But in this post-literate future, firemen don't put out fires, they start them. More specifically, they burn books. Books are not allowed as they are thought to be the source of everything bad that has ever happened. But, Guy isn't happy. He finds himself questioning his life with his wife and the whole prospect of burning books. As always, there are people who defy the law, and they hide books and try to sustain the fashion of reading. Guy slowly becomes that guy (ha) and finds himself on the run from the fire departments Mechanical Hound which hunts those who try to preserve books.

There are several reasons why I didn't like this book. Firstly, I don't share Bradbury's concerns. In his futuristic society, people are engulfed in technology (Guy's wife is a huge fan of these soap-opera thingys which are broadcasted on huge screens in their house) and they don't really care about each other and generally have short attention spans. I just don't think that technology does that to people and that it will do that. When it comes to it, I am all for moving forward. I think that the Internet and computers have made possible to connect with people more. I find that a lot of people have made lasting friendships because of it. Also, it enabled to sustain friendships in spite of distance. (This is in my own experience, since my two best friends moved away and we keep in contact thanks to the Internet). Even writing this, and some people (very few, but still) being able to read it, it's because of the Internet and technology. I feel that the whole premise of people losing touch and becoming unsociable is misplaced.

So I think that the focal point here is that technology made people unsociable and led to their short attention spans which then led to them not being able to concentrate on books. But what I found is that people choose to view that burning books is about censorship. This makes it so much more relatable to today's reader. And in that view it is. So in terms of viewing this whole book in that way, I could've surpassed the main source (i.e. technology), and still liked the book.

But we come to the second problem which was the writing. I just didn't like it. I felt that it had so many unnecessary metaphors and I just think that it was sometimes going in to such detail which didn't bring anything to the plot. Furthermore, I feel like there really wasn't a plot there. I felt that the book wasn't going anywhere and wasn't explaining anything. I felt that it kinda went in circles.

I believe, that this book is overrated. And yes, I do believe that there isn't any real plot here, but maybe this is just about the message and not so much about the writing itself. Still, I can't say that I enjoyed it. I am glad that I read, since it's considered such a classic, but I just don't think that this book is good. I know that a lot of people will disagree but for me it was almost unreadable. Almost.

Review: The Mysterious Flame of Queen Loana by Umberto Eco

Firstly, I will point out that I did not finish this book. But I will also point out that I really, really wanted to, but just couldn't. 

So, the one (and only) book I was going to read from Eco was The Name of the Rose. But as it happens, someone recommended this book and said it was really good and "psychological" so I figured I should give it a go. It started out quite good actually. It tells the story of a sixty year old man, who wakes up one day and can't remember anything about his own life. He remembers all automatic processes that his mind knew before, like how to drive a bicycle, but he has no recollection of his family and friends. He also remembers books and poems he read. At the beginning, he often uses quotes from literary works to describe something he can't really remember. 

Anyway, it seemed really interesting at first. But then he goes to the house where he grew up, to see if that surrounding will trigger his memory. And at this book just becomes plain, flat-out boring. It starts going into tiny tinsy detail in describing books, movies, magazines, comic books, even freakin' radio shows. I went through more than a third of the book, in hopes that something will get better, but it didn't and I just couldn't go through it any more, it was just so dull. 

And the worst thing is, it wasn't written badly. It was really nice in that department. But it just wasn't planned and thought out well, in my opinion. And I couldn't finish it, and that is saying something, because I went through some pretty bad books. 

In the end, I didn't finish it, so I might be wrong about this book, but I don't think it gets better. I flipped through it and there were more and more pictures of popular publications from the 30's and 40's which means that it goes in even more details.

I am sure that in between all that, there are slivers of the main characters life, different events of his life and I am sorry I won't get to that. But for me, it just isn't worth it.

Review: The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

With all the hype around this book, I finally picked it up and read it. I actually got the audiobook version, which I really didn't like, and I don't think I'll be listening to another book anytime soon, because it's just weird for me. Anyway, I didn't like this book. I know that a lot of people did, but to me, it's just so overrated. It was so stereotypical. You have this golden boy, Ezra Faulkner, whose athletic future gets destroyed in a car accident. After that, all of a sudden, he starts questioning his life and his friends and sees the error of his ways and realizes how meaningless it all was. He finds that his jock group of friends and his popular girlfriend don't really care for him and how they are leading such profoundly pointless lives. Obviously, in light of this devastating realization, he joins the so called "nerd" group, and sees how they are all awesome people and friends. And of course, add a new, mysterious, quirky, beautiful girl and there you have it, a perfect YA story.

I expected more from this story, really. I found that I only liked the ending, which was realistic enough, but I also found that it was to show how things aren't always perfect in life, which I find a given.
Also, this book seemed to be trying too hard at times. For example, Cassidy quoting Foucault, talking about escaping the Panopticon, and how she had this secret, a tragedy that explained all of that, that damaged side of her. Like she needed a reason to think about such profound things, and like she needed a reason to be moody and just feel down sometimes.
I thought this book was going to be better when it started, and not fall under such stereotypical categories, but in the end, it did, and I just didn't liked it, even though I really wanted to. 

Review: The Staff of Serapis by Rick Riordan

There are two things I want to point out. The first one is that I am a huge fan of Riordan's books, I adore both series about Percy Jackson and I also really liked the Kane chronicles. When I first read the Percy Jackson series, I was blown away with it, because I found it to be different than anything I read before and also really funny and quite interesting. But, with all that, the second thing is that I did not like The Staff of Serapis. I wanted to like it, but I just didn't.

This is a short story in which Annabeth Chase and Sadie Kane meet, so it's a crossover between the Percy Jackson series and the Kane Chronicles. Now, I am not saying this is terrible, but I just didn't do anything to me. I read it quickly, because it was a short story, but I wasn't the least bit intrigued with it. It kind of seemed that the only reason it was written was to please fans who were crazy about a crossover happening, so the whole thing didn't really seem thought through. 

I liked the idea of a crossover, but it all seem a bit strained, like the two girls bonding instantly, and becoming fast friends. It just didn't feel very natural. And the whole story behind it, the god of Alexandria, Serapis, awakening and trying to reclaim his position as the ultimate deity was boring to me.

I wasn't even sure if I should write anything about this, since it's a short story, but I was kind of disappointed in it, and wanted to share that. I found that a lot of people did like it, but to me is just wasn't good and it was really a letdown. 

Review: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

This was once again a book recommended on Goodreads. I did hear great things about it even before that, so I picked it up to see what it was like. It did not disappoint.

I really, really loved it. First of all, this is not an easy, happy book. It's not something that you can breeze through, without really thinking about it and it's not a book that you can relax to. I mean, that goes even without saying because it is about World War II. Still, it's an amazing book. It's about a girl called Leisel Meminger, who is traveling with her mother and brother to a foster home when her brother dies. That's the moment she steals her first book. After that, she arrives at Himmel Street, where she meets her foster parents, Hans and Rosa Hubermann. As Leisel learns how to live with them, and as she starts to learn to read and starts loving books, she is also slowly getting to know people on Himmel Street, amongst whom she finds her future best friend Rudy.

And after a while, her parents start hiding a Jew in their basement, Max, and he and Leisel soon become very good friends.

I should've mentioned this before, this book is narrated by Death. I thought this brought so much to the book, and really elevated it to the next level. Because, one thing that really dominated the WW II (or any war for that matter) was Death. So, who better yo translate the feeling than the Angel of Death himself? I also liked that the book wasn't consistent chronologically. It sort of jumped through time as... well, Death tried to reconstruct the life of Liesel Meminger, the Book Thief. I really enjoyed that.

I really liked the way this book was written. It was honest and the story ran smoothly. Also, the characterization was really nicely done, because there was this wide range of characters that you hated at one moment, but liked and understood at other. 

I really loved this book and would recommend it to anyone. I think that branding this book as YA doesn't make much sense because I don't think this is age specified. I think adults can read it and enjoy it, which goes for some other YA books obviously. So, in conclusion, great read and I really thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I think I discovered this book on Goodreads, it was one of the recommended books for me. The minute I saw the title I wanted to read it. I mean, who wouldn't? It's amazing. I also read a couple of reviews and they were all brilliant and the book seemed to have gotten a lot of awards. And it was described like a "lyrical" novel. So reading it was a no-brainer. 

It totally lived up to my expectations. It was so good. I just loved how this was written. This is a story about a boy named Ari (short of Aristotle) who is this angry kid. Really, really angry. He's mad at the world and also, he's mad at himself. He is constantly trying to find himself, to understand the world and the people around him. He lives with his dad, who fought in the Vietnam war and is dealing with the ghosts of the war which never really left him. And his mom, who is dealing with the ghost of his brother, Bernardo, who was incarcerated. Ari's parents never really talk about him which (like everything) makes Ari angry. Ari is also a loner, who doesn't really have friends, until one day he goes to the pool and meets Dante. 

And right there starts this stunning and beautiful story about a friendship. 

I really liked this book. I ended up reading it in a day because I was really enjoying it. I love books like these, where nothing actually happens and everything happens at the same time. There's not any real plot here, but everything goes kind of slowly, which gives it this realistic feel and makes it relatable. I've never read anything by this author, but I thought this was so nicely
written. I have most of the book highlighted on my Kindle, because it's just so beautiful and sad and true. I really loved it and would recommend it, especially to teenagers, because I feel that it captures that loneliness, the feeling of being out of place and not knowing who you truly are really well.

Updated: The Infernal Devices Series

Oh my god. I was wrong about these books. They really got to me in the end. I have now finished the whole series, having read the last book- Clockwork Princess. I was just a mess in the end. Don't get me wrong, the same things that I previously stated about (the rhythm of the book being off) still apply. The whole resolution of the plot was a total deus ex machina. These books are flawed. But nonetheless, the last book was so amazing. The ending was just heart-breakingly beautiful. There was just so much love and it was beautifully written. Sure, sometimes, there was a bit too much love (everyone found there one true soul mate). Still, even that was satisfying, I don't mind everyone having a happy ending. I generally hate reading about love triangles, they irritate me so much. This one was (to some extent) perfectly resolved. 

At this point, I think the whole series could be worth a read even just for Will and Jem, and the last few chapters of the Clockwork Princess. But those aren't the only good things in the series, there are plenty more. Because of those, I ended up loving these books, and would recommend them.

All time favorites: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

 I thought I'd share another one of my absolute favorites. I read this book quite recently really, maybe just over a year ago. And I loved it since the first page. Some books you need a couple of chapters to really get into, but this one wasn't one of them. It became a favorite from the very first sentence.

I am not going to get into the plot (I never really do), but the main character is Charlie and he is a freshman. He's a shy and introspective person and kind of sits on the outskirts of life. This is a story of his coming-of-age, getting to know people, getting out of his comfort zone and trying to navigate through the new experiences of high school.

Charlie is the most honest, real and believable character ever written. He has this sort of naive innocent aura around him, but at the same time he is so intelligent and perceptive. There isn't really an intense, engaging plot here, but the book is still a page-turner. You get sucked in and you don't want to get out. I think that's the most important quality of good books, making the form more important than the content. This book touches so many different topics and it deals with all of the problems a teenager could ever face, like drugs and death, or gay friends and even sexual assault.

I just loved this book. Charlie's fears and feelings are my own. I am a huge introvert who has dabbled into the problems of social anxiety, so I can totally relate and feel for him. This book is also really funny, at times even laugh-out-loud funny, because Charlie is awkward, but also kind of cute in his awkwardness.

Huge part of this book is music. I think it really adds to the feel of the book. For me personally, music is very important and it defines a lot of points in my life, so I really appreciated how music was incorporated into the book and how important it was for the characters. It was always in the background, adding to the atmosphere. And it was all great music, great artists and songs. 

Also, every sentence in this book is so on point and nothing feels too much, it's all so well written.

This book got a lot of publicity when the movie came out, which was really good I think. Whatever makes people read this book is good enough. I think the movie was really great. I loved the actors, I think they did an amazing job. Obviously, the book is better, because some things had to be cut out of it for the movie, and for me really, there will never be a movie that is better than the book. And the movie seemed to have a more optimistic end to it, where as the book kind of left in on a melancholic note (that's the way I saw it, but some people who read the book and have seen the movie didn't agree with me).

Anyway, I think every teenager, boy or girl, should read this book. Charlie isn't this perfect character that you can look up to, but that's just the thing. No one ever is. And Charlie, even though he faced all kinds of problems, was still trying to make everything right and to make sense out of things. Which is all you can really hope for. I think this book is a MUST read. 

Review: The Maze Runner series by James Dashner

There's a lot of hype around these series and it's recommended to everyone who loves a good YA dystopian novel, which I totally do. So, I decided to give this one a try and I didn't quite like it.

In the first book, The Maze Runner, a boy named Thomas wakes up in this strange place, remembering only his name and nothing else. He is surrounded by a lot of boys who are in the same situation as him. They don't remember anything at all, except their names. They are located in the central part of a maze, which everyone calls the Glade. The maze outside is ever changing and the boys are trying to map it out so they can find a way out. They are organised by the type of job they do and the ones that go out in the maze to find a way out are called the Runners. But, there is a great danger lurking outside of the maze, hence the runners (because they have to run in order to avoid being caught). Also, right after Thomas appears in the lift of the Glade, a girl comes. The first girl ever. And she delivers this scary and weird message to the boys and they start to work together on getting out.

When I read the plot summary, I thought it was fascinating. And it was. But that is the only thing that's good about the book. I don't really like the style of writing in this book. There was zero characterization. I couldn't relate to Thomas at any point in the book. You can read that he is sad, or scared or confused, but you don't feel it. I thought that the secondary characters were a lot more interesting, like Minho, who is a fellow runner, or Newt who is kind of the leader of the group, but they were pushed aside as secondary characters even though they had a lot of potential. The female lead, Teresa, was awful. She is described as this smart and pretty girl, but you don't really see that, which is annoying, so she kind of becomes this stereotypical female character that hasn't got anything special about her. None of the characters are developed. 

The plot was interesting enough, and even when I didn't like the first one (which I found the best out of the three), it ended on such a cliff-hanger that I had to read the next one. 

The second one, The Scorch Trials, was really strange and jumbled and nothing really happened. There were a lot of new, confusing elements which were supposed to begin to explain the plot, but they were kind of bleak and didn't really tell anything new. I liked this one less than the first, but now I was deep into the story and again it ended on a cliff-hanger so I had to pick up the last one too.

The last one, The Death Cure, was just plain disappointing and annoying. I didn't get any satisfactory conclusion or explanation to the whole story. I don't even think there was one. Nothing was quite thoroughly explained. The ending was a total cliche, starting a new, better life and all. I was quite angry with it. I kept reading in order to get some kind of closure on the plot, but I was left empty handed.

All in all, I don't get the hype around it. It was enjoyable enough, but it can it even get close to the other YA dystopian novels that I read. The plot was intriguing, but don't expect the ending to be this huge revelation, because it's not. I wouldn't say that you can definitely skip this book, but I also don't think that you will be missing out on anything. Nevertheless, there is a movie coming out that is based on these books, so I am looking forward to seeing how well executed it is. 

Review: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I often see this book on lists of books you should read before you die or novels you shouldn't miss etc. but I was never personally attracted to it. I knew that Sylvia Plath was a poet, and I was never really into poetry (excluding Bukowski). Still, I decided to give this one a go and see if I like it. And in the end I did.

This book tells the story of Esther Greenwood (Sylvia's semi alter-ego), a young girl who comes to New York after having won a competition and she seems to have this amazing, bright future ahead of her. But, since the beginning of the novel, you can sort of see that not everything is great with Esther. She slowly starts to lose her mind and kind of starts sinking into a kind of depression. She ends up dropping out of school and going home, where her mother isn't sure how to help her. She takes her to a psychiatrist who refers her to this mental institution, where they specialize in shock therapy.
I know this summary doesn't really tell much, but the plot isn't really what you should be curious about. It's the way you can actually read how Esther feels and how she spirals further down to her illness.
I really liked the way Plath writes, at least in this book. It's crisp and so honest. It's a sincere story of a young woman who tries really hard to battle her inner demons and problems. I like that you kind of get a glimpse to a mind of someone who is sick and you can see how that person thinks and what she has to go through on a day to day basis. For me personally, this was so important, given the fact that I am going to be starting psychological studies. This book also made me quite sad. You can see Esther who can't get away from herself, who is starting to live inside her own head, isolated from the world. It also shows how attempts from her surrounding to help her fail and why that happens.
So the whole concept of the book and certain thoughts were amazing. But it did take me a lot to read this book. It wasn't a compelling book that I couldn't stop reading. The writing got messy and jumbled at certain points, and was a bit hard to understand at times, at least for me. Also, I was expecting more from this book somehow so it was a bit of a letdown. But in the end, I really did enjoy it and I appreciated the insight. I would recommend this book because I think it really is one of those books that you have to read to understand, even if you don't necessarily like it.

Review: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

I've read this book when I was a lot younger, maybe 6-7 years ago and at that point I was completely in love with it. Recently, when I visited an annual book fair I came across the new edition of it, as well as the two sequels and I bought it just to see if I would still like it. And I do. Not as much as I was in love with it before, but I still think it's amazing. 

It's a story about a 12 year old girl called Meggie, who lives with her father Mo. They share a mutual love for books. Meggie learned to read when she was five, and since then she has been obsessed with books. But as it turns out, Mo, who is a bookbinder, has a special gift. He can read the characters out of books, make them come to life by reading out loud. When Meggie was three, he read out loud from a book called Inkheart and the villain from it Capricorn, his loyal servant Basta and a fire-breather named Dustfinger escape from the book. But that's not all. Meggie's mom ends up being sucked into the book.

At present time, nine years later, Capricorn sets out to destroy all the copies of Inkheart, so he can never be brought back and wants to use Mo's ability in order to gain more power in the "real" world. Meggie learns about her fathers talent and tries to help him in order to stop Capricorn and maybe even save her mother.

This is a book about books and lovers of books so it's actually right up my alley. 

Funke's style of writing is really smooth and beautiful. I think the idea of the story is quite different and that's what I really enjoyed. Also, there is this huge palette of these exciting, versatile, thrilling characters. My favorite is Dustfinger. He's one of those characters that's neither good or bad, you can fit him into either category. Those are my favorite characters, because they are the most realistic to me. And he's just kind of misunderstood and lost and he just wants to find a way to get back into his own world, where he belongs.

I think this is a great book. Even if it is probably for younger teens, it is still good and well-written. And can make an interesting read for all ages. Especially if you are someone who loves all things book related. 

Review: The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa

At one point, everybody was talking about Llosa. There were numerous editions of his various books constantly coming out. My uncle recommended this one, The Bad Girl, given the fact that he's read a couple of them and he actually said that this one is the only one worth reading. Now, I don't know about all of that, but I thought this one was really good.

Its narrator is Ricardo and the story starts when he was 15 years old and leaving in Lima, the capital of Peru. He meets a girl called Lily who claims that she's from Chile and he is quickly fascinated by her. It turns out that she was lying about her name, her identity and her origin. But even though Ricardo is aware that she lied, it's too late. He is completely in love with "the bad girl". Ten years later, Ricardo is living in his dream city Paris, and he feels that his life is just starting. But he encounters his bad girl again, and in that moment their tumultuous relationship begins. Ricardo is obsessed with her, and even though she doesn't feel the same and actually treats him poorly, he can't stop loving her. 

I don't like giving too much of the plot away, because I feel it disturbs the feel of the book and ruins the experience for someone who is planning on reading the book. It might seem that this is a love story, but that's the thing with Llosa, he doesn't really fit into any genres. This book is heavy with political thematics concerning Ricardo's native country Peru. And the love story isn't really it. It's a story about obsession. This book is haunting. It's kind of sad and heavy, but in its way is quite rewarding. It's a page-turner. The thing I loved the most was the description of Paris which were so real and made me go back in time when I visited this gorgeous city. I really enjoyed it and I would recommend this book.

Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Let's start off with this: John Green writes the same characters over and over again. If you read Looking For Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns you' ll know what I am talking about. The main characters in all three books are quite similar. Miles (Looking For Alaska), Colin (An Abundance of Katherines) and Quentin (Paper Towns) are basically the same boy. They are kind of quirky and geeky, but still smart and thoughtful. On the other hand, Alaska (Looking For Alaska), Lindsey (An Abundance of Katherines) and Margo (Paper Towns) are these unattainable popular girls, who aren't really the people they seem to be. Still, I liked all of the three books. But, still Paper towns is a favorite out of all three. It's a about a boy named Quentin who was, in his early childhood, a friend with Margo. She is the most popular girl in school. Quentin is completely fascinated by her. He feels that they have this remarkable connection. And one day, this theory of his is kind of confirmed when Margo visits him just before she disappears out of the town. 

Now, I am not gonna go further into describing the plot because it would inevitably lead to its trivialization. But the book was amazing. It's funny and intelligent and sad. The characters, their voices and their struggles were authentic and real. At least to me. What I loved the most is that this was a story of idealizing people and expecting more from them than they can give you. It tells how tragic it can be to love an idea of someone and not that someone itself. If you want to read a book from John Green, and don't know which one to choose, I would recommend this one. You won't regret it.

Review: Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

After reading Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and absolutely loving it, I went seeking for other books by this author. Thus came Fangirl. After seeing the title, I was really put off by it. I HATE the word "fangirl". When I read it, in my mind there's an instant pop of an image of a 12 year old squeaking girl who can't control her emotions and who obsesses about "celebrity". Don't get me wrong, I am a person who loves franchises and books and authors and actors, but I don't worship them, I just appreciate and respect their work. So, I was kind of disappointed by the title and didn't really want to read it. 

Well, I was wrong. This book is AMAZING. The story follows a girl named Cath, who is just starting college and she's dealing with the fact that her sister doesn't want to share a dorm room with her because she wants to get the real "college experience". Cath, who is a bit of an introvert and is used to her sister doing everything with her, finds herself kind of intimidated.

The special thing about Cath is that she writes fan fiction about Simon Snow (a series of seven books that have been made into movies and it's sort of obvious that the Simon Snow series is actually the Harry Potter series. The story of Simon Snow isn't really the same story as Harry Potter, but that's beside the point) and she's very famous in the fan fiction world. I am a bit skeptic of fan fiction I find it kind of strange, but I loved it in this book, it fits well into the story and I quite enjoyed the little bits of Cath's fan fiction. 

Cath also has to deal with her roommate Reagan and the boy who always hangs out with her, Levi. She is also taking a writing class and there's a boy there called Nick and she starts to write and hang out with him. On top of that, she's feeling guilty because she left her dad behind and he doesn't do well on his own.

The thing that really drew me in and made me love the book, is that I can completely relate to Cath. She is basically me. Of all the books I ever read and all their characters, Cath is the one I relate to the most. 

Rainbow Rowell's writing is just spot on. It's so easy and fluent. After reading this book I just felt so good, I kind of couldn't stop smiling. It was just purely amazing and I loved every bit of it. I highly recommend reading this book.
Btw, the love story is to die for. Literally. It's so beautiful.