Reading Diary | March 2016

This will be an update of all the books that I read on March of 2016, with links to reviews already posted on the blog or a small impression on the story.

In March I started reading my required reads for Literature, so there is a bunch of Portuguese/Brazilian historical books that I don't really want to review here and which I don't think are all that interesting to the general public of this blog. They're: Sermões by Priest Antonio Vieira (boring to read but interesting to study), Dom Casmurro by Machado de Assis (really liked this one, is sort of a psychological realism sort of read, it goes deep within the characters personalities and subtleties, it was definitely interesting study and them read this one), The Slum by Aluísio Azevedo (liked this one more than I expected! It uses a lot of social Darwinism, so I was expecting gross descriptions and there was, but it also went deep into our urban society and it's origins, it was a quick read), Various poems by Fernando Pessoa (still prefer Alberto Caeiro to him, it was a re-read).

Then I kind of went into a non-fiction phase that lasted all of two books HA! Well, it's more than I ever read before from this gender, so I call it a win.

We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 
Published on February 3, 2015 by Anchor 

I really enjoyed this little book, it was exactly what I expected from the title and it made me put Adichie other books on my TBR (I actually have Americanah staring at me from my bookshelf right now and complaining it's still unread). I do wish the talk was expanded and the topics presented here where more developed, I feel like a lot of the examples was fine for a lecture but since this in the book format it could have use more argumentation and a bit more from each story.

Definitely recommend if the synopses interests you, it's super short and quick to read.

Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli 
Published on March 1, 2016 by Riverhead Books

This book got my attention because of its cover and it's said to talk about physics in an easy way that even the most inept to it may understand. It's true, it's really interesting read, in each chapter Rovelli takles a different topic trying to translate it through metaphors and explanations that make things more easy to digest and understand.

I think that if you are interest in physics in a high school level this would be interesting, but if you already have a graduate level of education in this area this one will hardly bring something new to the table.





 In March I only read 1 YA book GASPH! I know, the horror, and just to vary, it was a re-read of The Wrath & The Dawn, you can check my original review here, I also read one novella from this series, The Crown & the Arrow which was extremely short and just a scene from Khalid's POV, it was interesting but didn't really added anything new to what we had already discovered on TW&TD so it was a bit pointless too.

Reading Diary | February 2016

This will be an update of all the books that I read on February of 2016, with links to reviews already posted on the blog or a small impression on the story.

The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
Series: The Girl From Everywhere #1
Published on February 16, 2016 by Greenwillow Books
[This book was given to me by the Publisher. This in no way affected my opinion.]

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a fast paced adventure that pleased me from the start to the end. I liked the action and adventure aspects of the story, it made this a page turner but I missed a bit on the connection to the characters, they were a bit underdeveloped to make a long lasting impression on me and honestly, Nix's dad had a character arc that was a bit unbelievable, changing right towards the end, I think that if he wasn't so obsessed with his goal it would be a bit more believable his change of heart.

The romance aspect also bothered me a bit, there is a love triangle that is completely unnecessary, it's pretty clear right from the start with who Nix is going to end up with and they have such a great chemistry and develop from friends to something more in a slow burn and realistic way, I just wish the other counter part didn't existed.

All in all I recommend this one to all lovers of YA, expecially the ones that love a good adventure story. I really hope to re-read this one soon, since the second book is coming out now in February.

Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find Them by Newt Scamander (J.K. Rowling)
Series: Hogwarts Library
Published on June 1, 2001 by Arthur A. Levine Books

I don't have much to say about this one since it's more of an "encyclopedia" about fantastic beasts from the Harry Potter Universe than an actual book that I can review. I had read this way back when, but never owned it, since it was on a sale I finally got a chance to have my own copy! It was fun revisiting the world of Wizardry and such, it was a very quickly read and I definitely recommend to all fans of Harry Potter.

Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
Series: Rebel of the Sands #1
Published on March 8, 2016 by Viking
[This book was given to me by the Publisher. This in no way affected my opinion.]

Oh man, I really wish I was better at writing and posting reviews because I'm 100% sure I would have a lot more to talk about this one, but as of right now, almost a year latter I probably already forgot so many things and ugh.

What I do remember about this is thinking that the start of it reminded me so much of westerns movies/books, which isn't the best thing, since it's supposed to be set on the Arabian Desert and I think that it should have more of Arabic culture to give the feel of the story - also, it can be a shame to use a culture but not actually use it. Later on I think that the atmosphere of the book changed and I didn't thought it was misrepresented.

I really loved the two main characters, Amani and Jin, they were both so fierce and their romance had such a great development, I shipped it hard. I called the twist of who Jin was miles away, so that had a bit of predictability to where this story was going but it was great anyway, it's really a set up for the whole trilogy and I'm excited to the second one, that is coming out next month, hope to have time to re-read this one too!

This Is Where The Worl Ends by Amy Zhang 
Published on March 22, 2016 by Greenwillow Books
[This book was given to me by the Publisher. This in no way affected my opinion.]

I actually wrote some stuff about this one when I read it, so this will be longer.

Trigger warming: rape and suicide 

Official rating: I really, really liked but I also had a lot of problems with it. Also, reading anything about this book counts as a spoiler in my opinion so bellow there will be a shit ton of spoilers.

1. I really liked the writing on this one, as with Falling Into Place it's full of metaphors and it's very lyrical but for me it worked again, it gave me all the feels and turned this reading into a more intense one. Some of my favorites quotes bellow:

 "I'm doing - something. Anything. I’m tired of watching, and waiting, and expecting things to work out. It never works out. It never works unless you demand. So here I am, demanding."

"(...)when our eyes meet, my smile lights up the entire world."

"He says my problem is that I was born with a thousand beginnings and no endings at all."

"They knew each other in their atoms(...)"

"We sat there in silence for a solid minute.
“I don’t get it,” I finally said. “And what happened to all your furniture?”
“I have no idea,” Mr. Markus says. “But happiness is a choice. That’s the key. A choice.”
Is it, though? Is it really? Maybe.
Maybe, for the lucky ones.
I am not one of the lucky ones. I can fill my pockets with stones and mark myself everywhere and set the entire universe on fire, but it’s not going to change anything. I am not one of the lucky ones.
So here is what the unlucky ones choose between: prude or slut. Angel or devil. Maybe choice isn’t the right word—you’re always one or the other.
Damsel or villainess. That’s what it comes down to.
I guess the question that really matters is: which one gets the real happy ending?"

"That’s what high school’s for. You make plans and you don’t follow through. You dream and you can be brave when you’re dreaming, brave enough to imagine that there’s actually a yourself to find, brave enough to finish projects even though you were never born with endings(...)"

2. I didn't liked the way rape and suicide are dealt with in this book. The suicide part is only completely revealed on the ending and it was basically brushed off completely but I think that the bits related to the rape could have been dealt with better. This is a story about everything that can go wrong with a rape victim, she doesn't have a support net, no family or friends that are really there for her, she doesn't get any professional help, either from therapists or law enforcement, is a case where no one believes her even thought she didn't even shouted rape. It's a sad story and one that unfortunately happens but it's also one that I don't think needed to be out there (again), when you're writing for a younger public you have certain responsibilities and showing how to dealt with traumatic situations is one of them.

3. As I said above this story is already out there, this book plot and the plot of Thirteen Reasons Why are basically the same on its bones.

4. I was incredible disappointed with the characters on this one. One of the things that made me love Falling Into Place so much was how Zhang managed to pick unlikable characters and turn them into humans, complex with flaws but also with some redeeming qualities. This time around I didn't connected with anyone, I honestly only started feeling something towards Janie when she was raped, and she was already pretty fucked up, mentally speaking, before that but it just never made any sense to me her reasons and her overall personality probably because of number 5.

5. Janie is the definition of manic pixie dream girl, seriously she seems to have came out of a John Green book. She is full of artistic dreams and metaphors (she actually named a rock Metaphor), she is also super pretty and rich, she hates her parents just because, she is also a mean girl and gets everything she wants. I'm sorry but her character had no sense at all, her actions from before are made without any logical meaning and I couldn't get to sympathize with her.

6. The way toxic friendships are portrait on this one are on point, this is probably my favorite thing on this story. Janie and Micah relationship is intense and all consuming, and they are the best friends in the entire world and also maybe in love with each other, I mean how could they not be when, as Janie says, they are one atom. I loved every scene with them together and it was great to see where this would take them.

7. I hated how therapy is treated on this story, like hated with all my forces. Micah never takes therapy seriously, he never follow through on the recommendations of not drinking since he is 100% of the time drunk, he says what he thinks his therapist wants to hear just to get done with the sessions. I hated it. Is this kind of portrait of therapy that it makes it still be a tabu on our society and people with mental illness to be insecure about searching for professional help.

8. This book has a lot of swear words and underage drinking so if you're not cool with that you should probably stay clear of this one.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen #1
Published on February 10, 2015 by HarperTeen

It's been almost a year and I'm still confused and torn in Red Queen. This book takes a LOT of influence on other famous pop culture stuff like X-Men and The Hunger Games, and smashes it all together into a somewhat Frankenstein of all these references and creating something new.

I guess that what most let me down in this one was the characters, they were pretty one dimensional and I didn't managed to connect with anyone, I can't fall in love with a story if I don't fall in love with its characters. Also, there is a love triangle where both sides were pretty boring up until the ending, which turned things around and I guess now it's not a love triangle anymore and I'm sad, because the other counter part is just plain boring and I don't want him to be end game.

What made me keep turning the pages was the adventure bits and figuring out what the hell was happening in this story, there is quite a few twists that took me by surprise and changed things like a gazillion times and I honestly don't know where anyone stands. This was what made me pick up the next books of the series right away, and it's another one that I hope to re-read before the release of the next in the series (I love re-reads okay, let me be).

Cruel Crown by Victoria Aveyard
Series: Red Queen #0.1 - #0.2
Published on January 5, 2016 by HarperTeen


Queen Song was pretty boring and not at all relevant to the overall story, it didn't presented anything new from Red Queen. I did read it on one sitting so there is that.

Steel Scars was better but I kept wandering and it took me a while to finish it, I think that for those who enjoyed Farley on Red Queen will love it since she is the POV of this story and we find more about her past. It also has more about the revolution, information that aren't present on Red Queen and that I found really interesting.

Reading Diary | January 2016

These will be an update of all the books that I read on January of 2016, with links to reviews already posted on the blog or a small impression on the story.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman
Published on July 1, 2012 by Random House Books for Young Children 

If you can read in Portuguese I suggest you read my full review here. If you don't, which is more possible, then I will try to convey the same feelings, in less words.

I bought Seraphina around 2013 but only got around to reading it this year, mostly because I was intimidated by it - its a fantasy novel and everyone seems to love it, what if I didn't loved it. Well, I didn't loved it but I enjoyed it quite a lot. I was surprised by the plot, which relies much more revile on the mystery. than the fantasy aspects, coming closer to a detective novel and I liked that, it was fun to keep reading and trying to figure out where every piece of the puzzle came together. The fantasy aspects where pretty low key, since the dragons in here are contained in their human forms.

We do have a lot of politics, but it wasn't confusing as I was expecting to be, it was closer to European  feudalism than nowadays politics. And of course the characters completed the story really well, Seraphina was a strong and intelligent main character and I loved being in her head, her relationship with her uncle was amazing and touched my heart so many times <3 One thing that I didn't enjoyed was the romance, it was completely devoid of chemistry for me and the circumstances turn it kind of cheating, like emotional cheating and I don't see it ending well.

Overall it was a good read and I definitely recommend to fans of fantasy and mystery too.

Lady Renegades by Rachel Hawkins
Series: Rebel Belle #3
Published on April 5, 2016 by G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers
[This book was given to me by the Publisher. This in no way affected my opinion.]

Oh boy, we reached the ending of this series and unfortunately I have to say I'm quite disappointed with it, the first book was so funny and bantery but the other two never lived up to it. This one was better than the second one but it just felt so anti-climatic and unnecessary, this series should probably just have been a one book kind of thing, maybe a longer one book.

This time around we have much less of the ship together, so less ship feels, it's understandable with the end of book 2 but also disappointing. The adventure was okay and the road trip gave room to a great female squad, we surpassed the girl hate and got a pretty weird friendship which is always a win. With that we also got less romance drama in general, not only from the ship, which is also an improvement to book 2.

Overall I don't know to who recommend this series, maybe just read the first book and stop there, because that one is pretty good.

First & Then by Emma Mills
Published on October 13, 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)

If you like contemporary fluffy books you need this one in your life. I really liked this one, it has a super cute romance, that I wish got together before the very last page because I wanted more of the swoons and I think that the change from friendship to romance was a bit quickly and in the veins of "I always wanted you but couldn't see before", so it wasn't 100% perfect but it was like 99% perfect.

The set of characters and the relationship between then is amazing, seriously if you like books that bring on the family feelings this one will be your heaven. So yeah, basically if you like good books, that are more on the light side this one should be your next read. And if you think it isn't, then I urge you to give it a shot anyway.

Scan by Sarah Fine, Walter Jury
Series: Scan #1
Published on May 1, 2014 by Putnam Children's

I was trying to recall what Scan's plot was and I couldn't for the life on me remember it, so that is a bad point, this wasn't a very memorable story.

What I do recall is that there was a mystery surrounding our main character and its father, that in some way relates to the sci-fi aspects of the story, this made the book really fast paced and it goes along the lines of an adventure movie. There was a romance, which wasn't really my favorite part since it was pretty devoid of chemistry and the character were really one dimensional, so there wasn't any feelings or connection.

I would recommend this one to readers looking for a fast paced adventure, but that is basically it.

I also read two short stories of The Raven Cycle series, A Minor Raven Boys Holiday Drabble and 300 Fox Way Holiday Piece, both were posted by Stiefvater on tumblr and were very short and sweet, great to keep the saudade of these characters at bay. The two other books that I read I actually wrote reviews too (yes, I'm shocked too): Symptoms of Being Human and Unhooked.

Waiting on Wednesday: The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pick is: 

The Careful Undressing of Love by Corey Ann Haydu

To be published on January 31, 2017 by Dutton Books for Young Readers

A smart, sexy, and surprising story of love and death set in an eccentric Brooklyn neighborhood where history since 2001 has unfolded differently than we remember.

Everyone who really knows Brooklyn knows Devonairre Street girls are different. They’re the ones you shouldn’t fall in love with. The ones with the curse. The ones who can get you killed.

Lorna Ryder is a Devonairre Street girl, and for years, paying lip service to the curse has been the small price of living in a neighborhood full of memories of her father, one of the thousands killed five years earlier in the 2001 Times Square Bombing. Then her best friend’s boyfriend is killed, and suddenly a city paralyzed by dread of another terrorist attack is obsessed with Devonairre Street and the price of falling in love.

Set in an America where recent history has followed a different path, The Careful Undressing of Love is a love story that will leave readers breathless and unsettled.

Why I'm waiting:

• Ever since I read Making Pretty I've been meaning to read more of Haydu's work, her writing is amazing and the story of that book still lingers with me, it's very different from what I usually find on the contemporary YA shelf and I love that, can't wait for more from her!

Are you waiting this book too? Have you read it yet? Let me know!

Waiting on Wednesday: Carve the Mark (Untitled Duology #1) by Veronica Roth

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pick is: 

Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth

Series: Untitled Duology #1

To be published on January 17, 2017 by HarperCollins

On a planet where violence and vengeance rule, in a galaxy where some are favored by fate, everyone develops a currentgift, a unique power meant to shape the future. While most benefit from their currentgifts, Akos and Cyra do not — their gifts make them vulnerable to others’ control. Can they reclaim their gifts, their fates, and their lives, and reset the balance of power in this world?

Cyra is the sister of the brutal tyrant who rules the Shotet people. Cyra’s currentgift gives her pain and power — something her brother exploits, using her to torture his enemies. But Cyra is much more than just a blade in her brother’s hand: she is resilient, quick on her feet, and smarter than he knows.

Akos is from the peace-loving nation of Thuve, and his loyalty to his family is limitless. Though protected by his unusual currentgift, once Akos and his brother are captured by enemy Shotet soldiers, Akos is desperate to get his brother out alive — no matter what the cost. When Akos is thrust into Cyra’s world, the enmity between their countries and families seems insurmountable. They must decide to help each other to survive — or to destroy one another.

Why I'm waiting:

• As most YA readers I read the Divergent series, despite not having enjoying the series as much as I had hoped for I did find Roth's writing very addictive which made me read that series in about 5 days so I'm excited to see what she writes next. 

Are you waiting this book too? Have you read it yet? Let me know!

Waiting on Wednesday: The Cursed Queen (The Impostor Queen #2) by Sarah Fine

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pick is: 

The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine

Series: The Impostor Queen #2

To be published on January 3, 2017 by Margaret K. McElderry Books

Ansa has always been a fighter.

As a child, she fought the invaders who murdered her parents and snatched her as a raid prize. She fought for her place next to Thyra, the daughter of the Krigere Chieftain. She fought for her status as a warrior in her tribe: blood and victory are her way of life. But the day her Krigere cross the great lake and threaten the witch queen of the Kupari, everything changes.

Cursed by the queen with fire and ice, Ansa is forced to fight against an invisible enemy—the dark magic that has embedded itself deep in her bones. The more she seeks to hide it, the more dangerous it becomes. And with the Krigere numbers decimated and the tribe under threat from the traitorous brother of the dead Chieftain, Ansa is torn between her loyalty to the Krigere, her love for Thyra, and her own survival instincts.

With her world in chaos and each side wanting to claim her for their own, only one thing is certain: unless Ansa can control the terrible magic inside her, everything she’s fought for will be destroyed.

Why I'm waiting:

• The Impostor Queen was one of my favorite reads of 2015 and one of the best fantasy novels that I read in my life, completely unique and with a set of characters that managed to win my heart, I can't wait to be back on this world and see what else Fine has in store for us. 

Are you waiting this book too? Have you read it yet? Let me know!

Waiting on Wednesday: Take the Key and Lock Her Up (Embassy Row #3) by Ally Carter

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. This week's pick is: 

Take the Key and Lock Her Up by Ally Carter

Series: Embassy Row #3

To be published on December 27, 2016 by Scholastic Press

Why I'm waiting:

• After that cliffhanger on See How They Run, which was pure evil I've been counting the days until this book gets released
• The books on this series are like crack to me (all of Carter's book actually), once I started I can't put it down, the mystery and the need to know where Grace's story is heading keep me turning the pages like crazy.
• Please, I need more Russian swoon in my life, thank you. 

Are you waiting this book too? Have you read it yet? Let me know!