The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater

This book is all over Tumblr (you can follow me if you want!). It's really everywhere. I've seen so many aesthetics and edits that I had to see what it was all about. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. 

The Raven Cycle is an urban fantasy series that follows a group of friends who are trying to find the sleeping Welsh king Owen Glendower. The Raven Boys are Gansey, Adam, Ronan and Noah. They live in a small town in Virginia and they are trying to follow the ley lines, the lines that connect magical places, in hopes of finding Glendower. Even though it started as Gansey's quest, each one of the boys has their own reason for wanting to find the sleeping king. They are kind of in a rut with their quest, but when they meet Blue, a girl who comes from an all psychics family, things take a turn.

I really loved this book. My love for these characters was instant. They are all so colorful and interesting, and the relationships they have with each other are so complex. The genius of this novel rests on such intricate character relationships.

Maggie Stiefvater's writing is superb. It reflects the theme of the book, it's magical and atmospheric. I really enjoyed her writing style, it was actually refreshing.

The plot is very slow. It develops slowly, and you can see that the resolution of an essentially simple plot won't come until the last book. It seems almost stretched out. But this is a very character driven story. It's not action packed, but the characters and their chemistry make up for it all. I personally didn't care for the plot. It wasn't uninteresting by any means, it's clever and unusual, but honestly I just wanted to read the interaction between these characters. They are so fleshed out, and you really care about them and their destinies. 

I am currently reading The Dream Thieves and it's even better! So I definitely recommend this series if you're looking for amazing characters and writing.

Rating:✯✯✯✯ 

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

I have read Gone Girl a while ago and I just adored that book. I thought it was really clever and shocking, with an amazing story and on top of all that - ingenious writing.

Naturally, I decided to pick another one of her novels, and I ended up choosing - Dark Places.

This is a story about Libby Day, whose family (mother and two sisters) was killed back when she was seven years old. Her own testimony put her brother, Ben, behind bars. After 24 years, Libby is sort of mindlessly wandering through life and just basically living off of the money she got from donations. After she starts running out, she starts meeting with this sort of weird "club", composed of people who are fascinated with murder mysteries. They sort of get her questioning everything that happened throughout that night.

I really, really enjoyed this book. Flynn's writing is so atmospheric and eerie, and you are transported into this story, instantly, from the first page, It's gripping and holds your attention throughout. You just want to keep reading, and you don't want to put the book down until you know what is going on. The story is told both from the present day perspective in which we see how Libby is dealing with everything, but also we see the events of the night of the murders. And that day, back in 1985, we see from the perspective of her older brother Ben and her mother Patty. This is a very clever way to tell this story. Because both (or all three) perspectives lead to the culmination and "the reveal". They all sort of intertwine together and it just works perfectly.

Gillian Flynn has a very strong sense of the human nature. She is able to write such flawed characters. I think that this book doesn't really have any really likeable characters. But Flynn is still able to make you feel interested in these characters and care for their destinies. And even if you don't you still want to know what happens.

The only down side to the book was that for me, personally, the "mystery solution" got kind of, sort of obvious about half way into the book. But that didn't ruin the book for me. I still think it was pretty brilliant.

Definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a thriller mystery and above anything, to anyone who enjoys really good writing.

Rating: ✯✯✯✯ 

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

This was a total impulse buy from me. I have seen this book go around ages before, but I didn't really look into it much, and there were a lot of mixed reviews, so I haven't given it much thought.

But recently, I saw it on Book Depository and there was this edition that was really cheap so I bought it. And a couple of days ago I picked it up.

And it was amazing. Truly great. I had no idea what this book was about. And if you decide to read it, I suggest you do the same and just dive into it head on, without any information about its plot. I feel that this book has a much stronger impact like that. 

However, this will be a spoilery review. So maybe don't read this anymore if you're planning on reading this. (And I strongly advise that you do!)

I found this book to be rather intelligent. I think it was meticulously thought out and executed. The big thing about this book, the major spoiler - this book is about a girl who was a part of a family that decide to bring up a chimpanzee. Now, back in the day when behaviourism was so big, there were a lot of experiments like this. Chimpanzees were brought into human families, and they were raised as human children, mostly for looking into how this would affect their language and communication. One such experiment was the one which was done with a chimpanzee called Nim. (There's a movie about it, that's really good and sincerely kind of ridiculous.)

Fowler starts from this, and builds on it. This is a story told from the perspective of Rosemary Cooke, whose parents were psychologists and who decided to take a chimp into there home and raise it as their own. Fowler doesn't tell us this until about 100 pages into the book. Which was really smart. Rosemary describes to us Fern, her absent sister, who was taken one day from their home under, to us unknown, circumstances. So the whole time you're thinking that Fern is in fact human. And what this manages to do is to make you see what Fern was to Rosemary and to her whole family. She really thought of her as a sister. 

The whole book is really beautifully written. It follows many different chronological story lines, it's all over the place. But the thing is... it works. Perfectly and seamlessly. 

Rosemary isn't necessarily a character you can relate to. I believe the whole experience wasn't good for her. As you might expect. But you feel for her. You really do. I think Fowler manages to make you feel appalled by the situation and at the same time really understanding of it.

I can understand the mixed reviews of this book. The topic is really controversial and not for everybody. But I personally think it was really masterfully done and unbelievably fascinating. I am studying psychology, so my fascination with this book might stem from it. But I personally believe that the psychological undertones of this book go way beyond its experiment and reveal deep truths about family and human nature.

This book is at its core - a story about a family. And a really great one at that.

I really do recommend this one, especially if psychology even remotely interests you. If you do end up reading it, please let me know how you feel about it!

Rating: ✯✯✯✯✯

Okay, I'm back!

So, I haven't posted in a long time, but I'm getting back into the swing of things. I have a lot more time on my hands, and I just really want to start posting reviews and stuff here again!

Top 5 Wednesday: Best Character Arcs/Development

Okay, so another Wednesday is upon us, so it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

As I've mentioned in the previous post, this series was created by Lainey (check out her Goodreads page). There is a group on Goodreads, which anyone can join and begin participating. Also, here is a list of all people who are a part of this series.

Alright, this week's topic is Best Character Arcs/Development, and I had trouble composing this list, I just couldn't think of 5 at the top of my head, but here it goes:

5. Leo from the Heroes of Olympus series by Rick Riordan

I think Leo is an amazing character, funny and sarcastic and such a smart-ass and I love him. But also, I love how his character develops, how he comes to terms with his demons and becomes so confident and determined.

4. Percy from the Heroes of Olympus and Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan

I think these books are generally great when it comes to character arcs, but Percy is the obvious one. He drastically changes from the first book, he becomes such a strong character, but also more realistic and observant and aware of the world he lives in and how it works. Especially after spending time in Tartarus. I guess it's game changing to spend time down there. Go figure.

3. Tris from the Divergent series by Veronica Roth

Tris grows so much as a character. She begins as this girl who is scared, and doesn't know who she is, and becomes this character who is confident, and doesn't even need to define herself, because she is who she is. No need for labels. And by the end of Allegiant, she is determined and brave and capable of making hard choices. 

2.Ari from Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

I think character arcs are more difficult in stand alone novels, since there isn't much space for it. Still, Ari is an amazing character. He starts out being this angry kid, mad at his mom, dad, brother and mostly himself. He doesn't know who he is or what he is doing. But by the end of the book, he kind of overcomes his demons and comes to terms with his true self.

1. Clary from the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare

Clary is one of my favorite female characters. I usually tend to dislike female youngish characters in series, but I really like her. She grows so much, becomes strong and independent and comes to terms with her powers, stops being afraid of them and embraces them. I think her development through the books is massive and really well written.

Top 5 Wednesday: Friend Groups You Want To Be Part Of

Okay, so another Wednesday is upon us, so it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

As I've mentioned in the previous post, this series was created by Lainey (check out her Goodreads page). There is a group on Goodreads, which anyone can join and begin participating. Also, here is a list of all people who are a part of this series.

Alright, this week's topic is Friend Groups You Want to be Part Of, so here it goes:

5. Harry, Ron and Hermione from the Harry Potter Series

This one is really obvious, so I am putting it at the bottom, but honestly, who doesn't want to be a wizard and who doesn't want to hang out with these three? That's right, no one.

4.Charlie, Sam, Patrick etc. from the Perks of Being a Wallflower

Again, some of my favorite characters who I would adore being friends with.

3.Marauders from the Harry Potter series

Roaming the school grounds with these four would be epic. Also, the prequel about them NEEDS to happen.

2.Seven Demigods from the Heroes of Olympus series

Every one of them is awesome, and they are all great friends, but the motivation behind this one is obviously Leo. Because he is amazing.

1. Auden and her friends from Along For the Ride

I love Sarah Dessen's books, and I haven't seen many people talk about this one, but it's one of my absolute favorite books ever. There' s just something about small town dynamics that does it for me, and I fall for the characters and the story every time.

Top 5 Wednesday: Futuristic Books

Okay, so another Wednesday is upon us, so it's time for another Top 5 Wednesday!

As I've mentioned in the previous post, this series was created by Lainey (check out her Goodreads page). There is a group on Goodreads, which anyone can join and begin participating. Also, here is a list of all people who are a part of this series.

So this week's topic is Futuristic books, and let's get right into it, shall we?

5. 1984 by George Orwell

This is actually one of the first futuristic book I've read and I loved it. I felt eerie everytime I read this book and I just think it has really strong writing, which sucks you in and makes you think

4. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

This was one of my favorite books of 2014, so that goes to show that I loved it. After reading The Hunger Games and Divergent I had a lot of trouble finding a futuristic/dystopian book that I loved as much, and I've tried many well-loved books and just disliked them. Until I read this one, and fell in love with it. The story is fast paced, griping, exciting and unpredictable. And the characters were awesome.

3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

Again, a book I read a long time ago and it was flipping amazing. It was funny and witty and insightful. I just loved the characters, the setting, the whole concept was just spot on.

2. Divergent by Veronica Roth

I am kind of chucking all three books together, and cheating a bit, but I want to point out the story, not necessarily a particular book. I loved how Divergent started out to be one thing and kind of progressed through out the series, and just threw away everything that was believed in at the start. I loved the characters, the story, the writing, but what really did it for me was the whole progression of the plot line.

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

First dystopian YA book that I read and my favorite of the bunch. Great concept of a futuristic world, vividly depicted and so well written and imagined. The characters were amazing, the plot was great, and even though I really didn't like Mockingjay, it still was way better than some other dystopian books I read. So yeah, amazing.

Top 5 Wednesday: Favorite Anti-Heroes

So, I saw this series on Youtube and I loved it so much that I really wanted to include it in my blog. As far as I know, anyone can join, so if anyone wants to they are free to join the Goodreads group.

This was created by Lainey I believe over at gingerreadslainey, so you can check her channel out if you wish. Also, here is a complete list of people participating in this series.

I hope that it's okay that I am doing a blog post even though most people seem to be doing a Youtube video.

Let's get on with the list:

5. Draco Malfoy from the Harry Potter series by J.K.Rowling

I just love Draco. He isn't the main character obviously but I still feel like he is someone who struggles with what is the right thing to do, and is someone who portrays who an upbringing can sort of define and destroy you. He just screams anti-hero to me.

4. Dustfinger from the Inkheart series by Cornelia Funke

One of my favorite characters ever. He is just so morally gray, always struggling and he's just trying to do what's best for him and to somehow get by. Really adore him.

3.Meursault from The Stranger by Albert Camus

I love this book to pieces. I think Camus did an amazing job in representing a man faced with the absurd of life, and Mersault is the anti-hero we can all completely relate to.

2. Artemis Fowl from the Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

One of the funniest and most entertaining books ever. Artemis Fowl is a 12 year old evil genius and a criminal mastermind, and honestly what's not to love about that?

1. Amy Elliot Dunne from Gone Girl by Gilian Flynn

One of the greates female anti-heroes that ever was. I just love to hate her.

There you have it, favorite anti-heroes! I really like this kind of post so I am looking forward to future Top 5 posts.

***I have no idea why this didn't go up yesterday, but since I already wrote it, I am posting it a day later

Girl Online by Zoe Sugg

I actually love Zoe's videos and I have been watching them for quite some time. When she announced she was writing a book, I was intrigued by it. All of the other people with book deals on Youtube were writing non fiction books, and Zoe's was to be a novel, fiction that is. So I became quite excited to read it. So I got it as a present, and when I started it I really wanted to like. I truly did. But, unfortunately, that wasn't the case. 

The writing was a bit shaky, and unconsistent at times. It screamed "unexpirienced writing". At least for me. The dialogue was really awkward at times. 

But, all in all, the writing itself wasn't all that bad. 

The problem is the whole thing is so cliché. From the characters to the plot. It is so predictable. Annoyingly so. I just couldn't deal with it at times. The gay best friend who has an impecable sense of fashion? The snarky bitchy girl best friend? The mysterious boy with touseled hair and a guitar? My eyes almost popped out of my head from rolling. 

Of course, the grand problem is the instant love between Penny and Noah. They've known each other for 2 hours and already, Penny declared their pieces were slotting in together. He was her soulmate after just a day together. And she is fifteen. Fifteen! I get how a girl can get excited about a boy, but it was so blown out of proportions. And unrealistic. Some teenage girl will read that and she will think this is how it's supposed to happen. I was so put off by that. It was too much. 

The book had it's bright moments. I thought Noah's sister was cute, and I liked the whole "inciting incident" thing a lot. That would've been an awesome quote if they hadn't known each other for about 4 hours when they said it. 

In the end the book fell short for me. I am very sad to be giving it a 2/5 stars (Goodreads), but it is what it is. 

My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Winter Romances

When I first saw this book I was really intrigued to read it, because the stories were written by some amazing authors. And then I saw this edition of the book. It has pretty pink pages. That is basically why I had to have it. Still I really enjoyed reading it, and it's just so beautiful.

Alright, the ratings are as follows:

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell - 5/5

Amazing, as always. In my eyes, Rainbow Rowell can do no wrong. I loved how this was a short story, but Rainbow found a way to make the romance work through years, and make it believable, as she does in all her books. This is definitely my favorite story out of all. 

The Lady and the Fox by Kelly Link 1/5

I actually manged to finish this one! But it was ridiculous to me, completely. It kept getting worse. The characters had no depth whatsover. They were just there. Really didn't like it one bit.

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Peña 4.5/5

I have never heard of this author before but I really liked this one. I would love a full story with these characters and I will check out more of the author's work.

Polaris Is Where You'll Find Me by Jenny Han 3/5

It was okayish, but it was flat, and I just kept thinking Elf. I was kind of disappointed, because I heard great things about Jenny Han's books, but this was just... okay. And again, Elf.

It's a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown 5/5

Loved this one, it was sooo cute. I loved how the romance wasn't pushed even though it happened in a few hours span. It was believable. Which surprised me. Really great.

Your Temporary Santa by David Levithan 4/5

This one was really good, but it had a sort of melancholic/sad feel to it. And I was kind of bummed after reading for some reason. But nevertheless, I loved the writing.

Krampuslauf by Holly Black 2/5

It was fine at first, but the whole time I was dreading the twist, and when it happened I just hated it. It was so obvious to me, but I kept thinking maybe it won't happen. But unfortuantely it did. And it was bad.

What the Hell Have You Done, Sophie Roth? by Gayle Forman 5/5

This one was so good, I loved it. Haven't read anything by Gayle Forman yet, but this was great.

Beer Buckets and Baby Jesus by Myra McEntire 3.5/5 

Liked it a lot, but I kind of lost interest towards the end a bit, it seemed rushed, and flat. It was still good.

Welcome to Christmas, CA by Kiersten White 5/5

Another author I haven't heard of before, and another story I absolutely loved. It was quirky and fun and still sort of deep. Checking more out definitely.

Star of Bethlehem by Ally Carter 3/5 

It was nice, but the plot was stretched too far for me, especially the ending. It was so unrealistic and it put me off a bit.

The Girl Who Woke the Dreamer by Laini Taylor 1/5

I couldn't finish it. I was so over it by the third page. 

So all in all, it's a 3.5 rating, buuut I feel that because there were only 3 disappointing stories, and I enjoyed the rest, 4 stars seems more adequate.

Best Books of 2014!

I would say that this year has been a rather successful one when it comes to reading. Unfortunately, I opened a Goodreads account mid 2014, so I am not completely sure how many books I have read or which books I have read for that matter. I am just not that organized. Still, I do have a rough sense of the books and it will be more than enough for my Best Books of 2014.

(If I did a full review for the book, there will be a link to it, so you can check it out.)

14. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

A great classic, really enjoyed it, it became one of my favorite books ever.

13.  Landline by Rainbow Rowell
I was hesitant to read it but I ended up loving it. It was so emotional and breathtaking. Adore it.

12. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

I really like reading about mental illness. It's something that intrigues me and I am studying it, so it's always interesting to me. This was really good, loved the characters and the story.

11. Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
A really fun and beautiful roadtrip story, with good music, which is always nice.

10. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Really late to the party, but I loved it, and finally a dystopian book that didn't disappoint.

9. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
This took me by surprise, because I didn't expect to like it as much as I did. But it was just amazing with superb writing.

8. Book Thief by Markus Zusak

Such a unique and special writing style, amazing point of view, amazing setting. Just really, really great.

7. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Again, such a unique writing style. Really beautiful and sort of poetic.

6. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
I have never cried so much. I couldn't sleep. The ending was just so perfect. I am actually still recovering even though I read it more than 6 months ago.

5. Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Yes it had some problems, but in my eyes Rick Riordan can do no wrong and I loved this book, especially Nico's point of view, it was amazing and I am so sad that it's over.

4. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The best title that ever was. Read it in one sitting, it was beautiful and remarkable and important and I adore it forever.

3. City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
I was so excited for this book, and it lived up to my expectations. It was brilliant. Cassandra Clare can do finales justice. I am in love with the Mortal Instruments series, and this was a proper ending to the amazing series.

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
This is such a page turner, a gripping story that just sucks you in. The characters are so diverse and morally gray, and the story is so twisted. It's basically amazing.

And finally...

1. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I couldn't resist putting this to the top. Because honestly, I have never connected more to a character than I connected with Cath. She spoke to me. I loved the love story. I loved the writing. I loved the characters. I love Rainbow Rowell, she is pure genius.