Samstag, 27. Juni 2015

Review: An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after. Such moments are tests of courage, of strength.”

Content:

Under the Martial Empire, defiance is met with death. Those who do not vow their blood and bodies to the Emperor risk the execution of their loved ones and the destruction of all they hold dear.
It is in this brutal world, inspired by ancient Rome, that Laia lives with her grandparents and older brother. The family ekes out an existence in the Empire’s impoverished backstreets. They do not challenge the Empire. They’ve seen what happens to those who do.
But when Laia’s brother is arrested for treason, Laia is forced to make a decision. In exchange for help from rebels who promise to rescue her brother, she will risk her life to spy for them from within the Empire’s greatest military academy.
There, Laia meets Elias, the school’s finest soldier—and secretly, its most unwilling. Elias wants only to be free of the tyranny he’s being trained to enforce. He and Laia will soon realize that their destinies are intertwined—and that their choices will change the fate of the Empire itself.

Cover:

I have to be honest, I like the English cover, but the German cover is much more beautiful. (I will show you both here) on the German cover you can see Elias’s eyes and his mask, and it looks so great.

My opinion:

Okay guys, lean back, I’ve got a lot to say about this book.
Before I started this book, it already got a lot of hype on BookTube and on several Blogs and to be honest, I was a little intimidated by that. But this book deserves all the hype it gets! It was absolutely fantastic. It actually was meant to be a stand-alone, but after this open ending I am so happy that there is going to be a sequel. I can’t wait for it!

Sabaa Tahir’s writing was absolutely perfect. It just made me want to go on and on, and I almost never put the book down, because I enjoyed the writing-style so much. It was very fluent and easy to read, also despite the new words surrounding the world this book takes place in. I just really enjoyed her writing.

The world-building was, again, just fantastic. This world is based on ancient Rome, which is really cool. I love history, and thus I loved the setting in this book so much. I’m also a huge fan of books which include soldiers or warriors in any way, and this book is literally about that, which was amazing too.

The plot development was on point. It couldn’t have been any better. There was one plot-twist after another, and the action didn’t seem to stop, which was great. If you like action-packed and fast-paced books you will definitely LOVE this one! Without giving too much away, this book even made me cry a few times. It was just great, let me tell you.

So, the book follows two people, and thus it has two points of views. I really enjoyed both of these voices so much. Let’s start with Laia; to be honest, I am usually rather annoyed with the voices of female characters, just because they cry about every single little thing, but it didn’t seem to be that way with Laia. She was strong, clever, and determined to safe her brother, no matter at what cost. She put so many burdens onto her shoulders just to safe her friends and family, and this dedication was stunning. I really loved her. Moving on with Elias; his character was just so fascinating and amazing. All the people around him just seemed to accept and do everything they were told, but he was the only one who thought about it, the only one who questioned the actions of the “government”. He was brave, and he always tried to help everyone else. He was by far my favorite character in the book and I can’t wait to read more about him and Laia in the sequel. Also the other characters were great. Everyone just seemed so authentic and real. Honestly, I still didn’t fully return into reality after finishing this book.

Conclusion:

An absolutely stunning start to a great fantasy-series. I would recommend this book to everyone. Tip: if you want the real arena feel, listen to Fall Out Boy’s “Centuries” during the fight scenes. I swear, this is EPIC.

Rating:

10|5 stars
★-★-★--

Mittwoch, 24. Juni 2015

Top 5 Wednesday: Characters you wish you could drown

This is the first time that I do Top 5 Wednesday and I really hope that I can continue with this “series” here on my Blog! I hope you guys enjoy it!

The T5W goodreads group and the creator’s YouTube channel are both linked below:
YouTube: gingerreadslainey 

So this week’s topic is “5 characters you wish you could drown”, and at first I actually didn’t want to participate, because I thought that I do not hate so many characters. Then however, I looked at my shelf and realized … that I actually hated more characters than 5. So here you have my 5 most disliked characters.


5. Margo Roth Spiegelman (Paper Towns)

I know that a lot of people like her as a character, but I just had some issues with her. I didn’t get anything she did; it just didn’t make sense to me. Everything she did seemed so very unrealistic and strange, and I just couldn’t get close to her, because in some way, while I was reading the book, she just always seemed to be even more far away, although she was right there in the scene. Hard to explain, but I just dislike her character.

4. Ringer (The 5th Wave)

Ringer is kind of a soldier in this series and she joins Ben’s group in the first book. I didn’t enjoy her character at all. She is that type of person who thinks that she can do anything, and she isn’t bad at anything, and I hate such people. She is also the reason why I didn’t read the second book yet, because I’ve heard that she gets a lot of screen-time, and I just can’t stand that.

3. Nate Gray (The Infernal Devices)

Let’s be honest here, we all were at a point when reading this series, where we just wanted Tessa to find her brother, we wanted that he is fine, and we pitied him when he appeared the first time. But these times changed for me, oh and how they changed. I dislike back-stabbing characters in general, but he is the worst out of all of them actually. I can’t tell you what he exactly did, because I don’t want to spoil you, but those who have read the series know what I am talking about.

2. Anderson (Shatter Me)

Telling you his “real” name would kind of be a spoiler for everyone who hasn’t read this series, and because I don’t want that we will just call him Anderson. He is the father of Warner, and my most hated character in the series. If there was a “worst-father-of-the-universe” award, he, alongside with Valentine Morgenstern (who should be in this list too, but I can't cheat twice in a row), would probably get it. I cannot tell you exactly what he did, but he is a heartless cold-blooded man who just freaks me out every time I see him, and what he has done to his son can’t ever be forgiven.

1. Seelie Queen & Maia Roberts (The Mortal Instruments)

I know I am cheating when I actually put two characters onto this spot, but I really can’t decide which of these two women I dislike more. Maia, in my opinion, doesn’t contribute anything important to the story at all. Her chapters are boring and I was so annoyed with her by the last book that I actually just wanted to skip her chapters. Yeah, with Jordan she was bearable, but at the end of the series I was just happy that I didn’t have to read her parts anymore, really. Whilst all the characters I’ve mentioned before just annoy me and I strongly dislike them, the Seelie Queen is the person I would actually drown. There isn’t a bigger b.tch (I am so sorry, but I had to) in the whole entire universe. Nothing else to say here, right?



So those were my Top 5 most disliked characters. I hope you enjoyed this Top 5 Wednesday! See you again later :)

Montag, 22. Juni 2015

Simon’s Most Holy Awesome Pride Month Agenda

As you guys know, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli is by far my favorite book of 2015, if not my favorite book ever. 

I am actually horrible at explaining things, and you are probably wondering what "Simon's most holy awesome pride month agenda" is, so I will link the page with all the most important information here:


Basically, it's a freaking awesome way to support great organisations and spread awareness. It would mean a lot to me if you would check this out! :)

Sonntag, 21. Juni 2015

Review: Zac and Mia by A.J. Betts

“Funny how the brain does things like that. Your whole world is getting sucked up and tossed around and the best thing you can do is fixate on something small and unexpected.”
 

Content:

So says seventeen-year-old Zac Meier during a long, grueling leukemia treatment in Perth, Australia. A loud blast of Lady Gaga alerts him to the presence of Mia, the angry, not-at-all-stoic cancer patient in the room next door. Once released, the two near-strangers can’t forget each other, even as they desperately try to resume normal lives. 

Cover:

I actually don’t like the cover at all. It’s not an eye-catcher, and if I only would have seen the cover I would have never picked it up.

My opinion:

I saw this book in the library and when I read the blurb I really wanted to read it. Although I’m not a huge fan of contemporary books the content sounded interesting and so I borrowed it.
The writing was very fluent and easy to read. I flew through this book and finished it in two days, which is really great for me, because I almost never read book that fast. It was very gripping, and I loved it!
Moving on with the plot and the characters: I kind of felt like this book was a mix between The Fault in our Stars and Paper Towns (both by John Green), but it had a very own and unique intensity to it, in my opinion. Mia, one of the main protagonists from the book, reminded me of Margo Spiegelmann (from Paper Towns) at the beginning, and I hate Margo, so I kind of also didn’t like Mia. Zac however seemed very nice from the beginning on. Mia also goes through a huge character development and it made me like her even more at the end. In my opinion the plot was kind of predictable, but it didn’t really disturb me that much. I enjoyed it nevertheless. Furthermore I found that the characters and the plot were really authentic. This wasn’t just a story, but it was something which actually could have happened in real life.
Although the book had a relatively “okay” ending I was very touched at the end. The characters have been through a lot, and everyone just deserves to be happy and nothing else. One or two tears definitely were running down my cheek when I closed the book, but in a good way I’d say. I was happy and sad at the same time at the end of the book, and this doesn’t happen too often.

Conclusion:

This was a very touching and emotional read. Although it had it’s flaws I really enjoyed it.

Rating:

4.5 | 5 stars

----

Freitag, 12. Juni 2015

The Shadowhunters Tag

As you guys know, I am a huge fan of the Shadowhunter world by Cassandra Clare, so I had to do this tag sooner or later. I didn’t find the creator of this tag, if you know him/her please comment so that I can link him/her!

But before we get started. I created a Facebook page for my Blog, so make sure you follow me there --> Book Obsessed.



1. Who is your favorite character?

Sebastian Morgenstern, all the way. He always has been and will always be not only my favorite character of the Shadowhunter-books, but my favorite character of all time.

2. Who is your OTP?

I actually have to go with Malec here. They are just so cute together.


3. What is your favorite quote from any of the books?

Actually you might think that it’s a Sebastian quote, but I have to disappoint you here. It’s a quote from James, or rather Brother Zachariah:
“As long as there is love and memory, there is no true loss.”

4. Who is the sexiest Shadowhunter in the series’?

Sebastian Morgenstern obviously, duh.

5. If you had any Shadowhunter last name, what would it be?

Morgenstern, all the way. It means morning-star & it’s definitely the most beautiful out of all of them.

6. Who is your favorite actor in the TV-show?

I actually might have to go with Harry Shum Jr. here. He is going to be an amazing Magnus, I can already tell. But I love all of them!

7. Who is your favorite actress in the TV-show?

Tbh, I don’t have a favorite actress yet, but it’s probably Kat Mcnamara.

8. Would you rather listen to Jace playing the piano, Jem playing the violin or play video-games with Simon?

Although I REALLY love video games, I might have to go with James playing the violin. Imagine how great that would be.

9. If you could have one rune tattooed on your body, which one would it be?

I would really love to have a small angelic rune tattooed on my wrist, so I might go with this one.

10. What Downworldler would you most likely be?

To be honest, I would probably be a vampire. I am as pale as snow, I don’t like going out into the sun … yeah probably a vampire. (although it would be really cool to be a warlock)

11. TMI or TID?

I have to go with The Infernal Devices. Some books in the Mortal Instruments series were unnecessary in my opinion, and in TID it all seemed much more fluent and fast-paced.

12. Who is your most hated character from the books?

That has to be Maia. I have no idea what she even does in the books, she doesn’t contribute anything important to the story in my opinion.

13. If you could spend a day with any character who would it be?

Well … I have to think about that for a second ...
NO I DON’T IT’S SEBASTIAN, of course it’s him, who else?
Tessa would be amazing too though, because we could just hang out and chat about books.

14. What is your favorite book out of all the Shadowhunter-books?

I have to go with Clockwork Princess for this question. This book has so many feels, and a bitter-sweet ending, it’s just beautiful.

15. Which book had the worst cliffhanger?

Definitely City of Fallen Angels. Because Sebastian is my favorite character of all time I had so much hope at the end of this book.

16. What is your favorite scene from any of the books?

Probably the Clace cave-scene. It was very romantic and intense, just very beautiful. And I mean, we waited six books for that to happen, so it was about time.

17. James or William?

James. (Will for Tessa but Jem in general)

18. If you could meet Cassie and say one thing to her what would it be?

THANK YOU for everything. Just, thank you.

19. If you could play one character in the TV-show, who would it be?

It would be actually really fun to be Isabelle for a day, right? Sp probably Izzy.




So that was the Shadowhunters Tag.
Time to spread the love: I am tagging Jessy from Stay strong and be Untamed. Have fun! :)

Samstag, 6. Juni 2015

5 Books you should read in the cities where they take place

This post was inspired by this video, so definitely make sure you check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZMXZ33Tp30 

I think the title says it all, sop let's get started :)


1.     The fault in our stars

During this book the two main protagonists Hazel und Augustus travel to Amsterdam and visit a lot of places there, such as the Anne Frank house. But along the canal there are many benches to just sit down, relax, read and experience the wonderful romance of Hazel und Gus.




2.     The Infernal Devices

Although these books take place in London in the time of the reign of Queen Victoria, there are still a lot of places you can visit. For example you can take a walk in Hyde Park or go and take a look if you find London’s Shadowhunter-Institute. But most importantly, and a place you DEFINITELY have to visit, is Blackfriars Bridge (and maybe read some great Jessa scenes while you're there). 






3.     Anna and the French Kiss

The main protagonist Anna travels to Paris in this book, and, of course, she visits all great monuments of this beautiful city. Maybe go and visit the Eiffel tower or the Notre-dame cathedral while you read about the incredibly cute love-story between Anna and Étienne. 





4.     Divergent

Although this novel takes place in the future, Chicago still holds some great sights to see for all divergent fans. Go on a ride on the Ferris wheel for example, where Tris and Four get closer for the first time, or visit all the cool places where the movie was shot. Anyhow, it surely is a great place to read this series. 





5.     Outlander

I have to admit, I did not read this series myself yet, but I definitely plan to do so. Anyhow I think it’s an amazing experience to read about the adventures of Claire in Scotland whilst you are physically there. A lot of places mentioned in the book exists in real life, and is there any better way than to read about adventures while you experience them yourself? 







I really hope you guys enjoyed this different type of Blog-post, and I hope you enjoyed the recommendations. I hope to see you soon on my Blog again! see you then :) 

Montag, 1. Juni 2015

Wrap-Up: May 2015

Book i read in May:





Books:

City of Heavenly Fire - Cassandra Clare {329 pages read in May}
Opal - Jennifer L. Armentrout {459 pages}
Shadow and Bone (do not own a physical copy of it) - Leigh Bardugo {350 pages}
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda - Becky Albertalli {303 pages}
◇ Red Rising - Pierce Brown {50 pages read in May}
◇ Clockwork Angel - Cassandra Clare {154 pages read in May}

Short-stories:

◇ Daemon & Katy #1 - Jennifer L. Armentrout {~30 pages}
◇ Daemon & Katy #2 - Jennifer L. Armentrout {~30 pages}
◇ The Runaway Queen-The Bane Chronicles - Cassandra Clare {53 pages}


All in all: 4 books completed; 2 books started; 3 short-stories completed
Total pages: 1758