Glimpses Of My Books

--Be aware you will be hungry while reading this for all things Italian-- hehe For the book blurb click  Here This book was such an awesome easy cute summer read. I read it while on holidays sitting by a pool and it was just perfection! I loved the Italian feel, the history, the experience that the author gave the reader by submitting the characters to it. I have been to Italy and Florence and I felt back there while reading. It was really well written and well portrayed. The character growth and development was amazing as well. All characters have so much story and background to them. In the end of the book you feel a connection to all main characters and I for one always find that an incredible talent on an authors part. I also thought the author dealt with grief really well. And more than that, the author managed to make the subject not sound or feel heavy on the reader. There is something to be said of an author that can perfectly capture emotions such as grief and...

I am not looking forward to writing this review. Why? Because people are far too sensitive over the topic in which it touches. So... before I begin I ask that you put your 'objective cap' on. And if that is still not enough, here is a little personal disclaimer (before anyone starts accusing me of things that just aren't true): I am mixed race. As in- my mother is as white as milk, my dad as black as night. You do not have to agree with me, but please don't put words on my mouth either. All that being said, here we go... First of all (and the easy part), the book was boring. It was hard to keep my concentration. The plot was slow and the characters were not developed enough. Too much of the book was concentrated on creating or re-leaving a polemical topic rather than creating an interesting story. Although the theme itself also did not work for me, the book could have been about magic and unicorns and it still would not get more than 2 stars from me. I can...

I finished reading this less than 30 minutes ago, and since I will be going on holidays tomorrow I thought it would be best to share my thoughts with all of you tonight while it still fresh.  I am speechless. If you force me to choose between Illuminae and Gemina I will still choose Illuminae, but this was good. Very very good. Minor things here and there (which is why I said "4.9 if I'm being picky") but nothing that detracts from its brilliance.  --This review will likely only make sense if you've read the first book as I am not going through plot details. You might want to read the blurb first if you haven't read Illuminae-- Book blurb  Here (GoodReads)   Things I liked: - Once again we have a fabulous action packed sci-fi book with an epic romance story. I loved Nik and Hannah's story. This is actually the one part of the book that I enjoyed more than Illuminae. Both characters were well developed and so was their love story. In Illumin...

This was such a cute and wonderful read. I am rather surprised that the reviews on GoodReads are not all that. For book blurb click  Here Windfall is a story of friendship, of family, and of love. It is emotional but it is not 'brake your heart' kind of emotional- if that makes any sense. The book doesn't primarily focus on the romance that blooms between characters, but rather on their individual problems, on their pasts and present, and on the connection between them that is tested as the story evolves. There aren't many books out there that focus on good family dynamics and on the beauty of it. It was wonderful reading Alice's and Leo's relationship. From the very beginning you get that they are more than just cousins, but in a way, siblings. One wouldn't want to live without the other. Alice's character was great! There is so much depth to her. It is hard to believe this was a fast read stand alone as you recollect in your mind all you lear...

The book blurb (GoodReads): In a world where females are scarce and are hunted , then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15 year old Aya has learnt how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya's luck runs out and she is caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes a whole new meaning. Well, as you can guess it is another dystopia where women are property. I don't know what annoys me more: books were women are objects or books were women are heroines that need nothing and no one, specially not a man. Both can be done well, but both can be infuriating too. This sadly falls on the later.  It is hard to write a review were you know  the book has the potential for a great plot, that a lot of people will praise it, but to you it just kind of fall short. You know that feeling of indiffere...

This book was fascinating! I was enthralled by it from the very first page. The unique format in which it is written makes it a very fast read, which is something I thoroughly enjoy! It is told through a series of emails, schematics, military files, IMs, medical reports, interviews, etc.  It starts off as a very light read. Funny and effortless- in a fun way. But before you get to the half way point your heart will be beating faster... it was an emotional roller-coaster! It is a very very intense book. I was on the edge of my seat for at least 2/3 of the book, and at one point I swore to two good friends (bookstagram: @pikamikareads and @giota_the_reader) I would burn the book when it was done if a certain issue wasn't resolved. I was THAT involved. It was THAT intense. --no worries peeps, book still intact, issue was somewhat resolved-- 😄 The book blurb: This morning, Kady thought breaking up with Ezra was the hardest thing she'd have to do. This afternoon, her pla...

I honestly don't know how to correctly rate this book. It is not amazing but it had amazing moments. It was not awful but it took me forever to get into it... I am very much in Love with Lazlo and Sarai's story. It was beautiful! -even if it only started 70% into the book- The innocence in which they interact with each other in their dreams is beautifully written. Laini Taylor has this thing about her writing: it is so pretty it is almost poetic! Sadly, she also has the habit of writing with way to much characterization making everything so very slow. Don't get me wrong, the descriptions were beautiful, as they always are with Laini Taylor, but at times there were pages and pages of nothing but world building (if you are an aspiring writer, read it! It will teach you a lot about world building). As another reviewer put it: the book moved at grandfatherly pace. Laini Taylor, as per usual, has no regard for pacing. That being said, my grandma definitely moves faster 😁 h...

What an exciting month!!! So many long awaited reads! I've read a grand total of 16 1/2 books this May. In no particular order here they are: 1- Acowar by Sarah J Maas 4.3/5 (YA fantasy) This was possibly the single most anticipated YA of the year. My reasoning for not giving it the same 5 stars I gave the previous two books was mostly its lack of a fulfilling ending. - full review available on this blog - 2- Defy the Stars by Claudia Grey 4.2/5 (YA sci-fi) I loved this book. Usually space travel and sci-fi is not my thing but this really worked. Abel, the main character in the book, has a special place in heart and he will certainly have one in yours. -full review available on this blog-                    3- Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor I am still half way through this book. Usually it takes me 3-4 days to read a fantasy book, this has been sitting with me for 3 weeks. I kept reading other things in between ...