what I read recently | 6/5/2018

The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Although I did have some problems with this book (especially in the beginning), I overall really liked it. It's a well crafted fantasy story with a very interesting love triangle and a successful opening to a trilogy which I hope to be continuing soon. Highly recommend to any fantasy lovers!

1Q84 - Book 3 by Haruki Murakami

Going into this book, I knew I would love it. The first two books were beyond amazing and I had high expectations for the finale of the trilogy. I wasn't let down whatsoever.

This is one of the most satisfying conclusions in a series I've ever read and I loved, loved, loved it! Weird and quirky but no doubt, a masterpiece.

5/5 stars

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout

It took me quite some time to get into this one (which is mainly due to the fact that I had forgotten almost everything that happened in the first book so I wasn't exactly prepared). Gladly, the book was very fast-paced and after I had eventually gotten into it, I really enjoyed it. I am aware though that the series has some problematic aspects so although I did enjoy the book, I can neither give it a very high rating nor do I recommend it because of its problematic nature. 

It would go beyond the scope to discuss the issues I had with the book and I don't plan on doing a full review on it in particular, but I am thinking of doing a review for the whole series once I'm done with that.

2.5/5 stars

The House of Hades by Rick Riordan

I think it's now surprise when I say that I absolutely loved The House of Hades. It was as fast-paced, funny and enthralling as Rick Riordans previous books and yet it still managed to introduce new aspects and faces of this world that we haven't gotten to know in the other books (and that's quite cool for it's not only the fourth book in this series but also the ninth book in this world).

I am a bit sad though because it is the second to last book in this series and then it'll all be over :(

On another note, I'm super excited for The Blood of Olympus which I'll be reading very soon!

5/5 stars

Scythe by Neal Shusterman

Although it took me a while to get into this one, in the end I absolutely loved it! Such an interesting read that makes you think about what it means to be human - it approaches important issues that need to be discussed and therefore I loved it. Full review for this coming though so I won't get into more details here.

4.5/5 stars

Opal by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Reading Opal was quite a similar experience as reading Onyx. Yet, I didn't enjoy Opal as much as Onyx because I felt like for the most part of the book, nothing really happened. The plot was dragging a lot and I couldn't really read much at a time because I got bored very quickly.

I don't want to talk about the problematic nature of the book in detail; it was sexist at times and the relationship between Daemon and Katy seems very toxic to me. Also, Daemon as a character... uugh, I just want to strangle him sometimes.

Anyway, I still want to continue with the series, especially because Opal ended on a very mean cliffhanger and I do want to know what happens next.

2.5/5 stars

what i read recently | 5/23/2018

Hello everyone!
I thought it was time for another "what I read recently" so here are some mini-reviews of the books I read lately.

The Son of Neptune by Rick Riordan
I had to order the second book in this series immediately after having finished the first one and I had to pick this one up the day that it came in the mail. Yep, this series is THAT good.
And The Son of Neptune did not disappoint. We got introduced to a bunch of new characters that I instantly fell in love with and it was so much fun following their and Percy's story.
So I guess this series is a must-read for every Rick Riordan fan out there!
5/5 stars.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

What's funny about this book is that in the beginning, I thought I might dnf it because it was really dense and slow paced. Then I read something else inbetween and after I picked it up for the second time, the story really started to get enthralling. And then I completely fell down the rabbit hole. I still can't quite grasp everything yet and I certainly can't explain my feelings but this book was a masterpiece and absolutely mind-blowing. I can't wait to read Book 3! 

5/5 stars. 

The Mark of Athena by Rick Riordan

I don't have to repeat how much I love Rick Riordan, but THIS BOOK, OMG! I loved to see how all the characters got together and how they all went on their quest and THAT ENDING, holy crap! I'm literally biting my nails waiting for the next book and I will devour it the minute it arrives in the mail. How did people do this when they had to wait a year for The House of Hades? Like, how did they survive? I'm barely making it through those few days...

(needless to say: 5/5 stars)

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Initially, I didn't even intend to pick this up. I had tried to read it a year ago and I hadn't finished it then so it had sat unread for the most parts on my shelf for quite some time. Then I saw a video by Ashley from a dash of ash on YouTube of her fancasting the Illuminae files and for some reason, that really made me want to read the book. So I picked it up.

I have got so say, it's not the best book I've ever read - some scenes did feel a bit slow-paced and I had some problems understanding the technological stuff sometimes (I know, stupid me) but overall, I really liked it this time around. 

4/5 stars

Fünf (=Five) by Ursula Poznanski

(since German is my mother tongue and its a German book, I read it in German)

This was the first thriller I read in a while and while I did need some time to get into the story, when I was finally intrigued, I couldn't get away from it anymore.

I read this within a day and it was really good. It was one of those book that, when you put them aside for a while to do something else, you just can't stop thinking about them and then you have to pick them up again.

Fast-paced, enthralling and a good read!

4/5 stars

what i read recently | 5/14/18

Hi!
As you may have noticed: I was gone for a while. I needed some time to figure out some stuff in my life but now I can dedicate time to blogging again which I am beyond exited for!
Also, I have decided to chance some things about my blog. As for now, I have just uploaded reviews on here but I plan to chance that.
As much as I enjoy writing reviews, I want to write so much other stuff as well! I don't know if I've ever mentioned it on my Instagram, but I'm also a writer of fiction (unfortunately unpublished though) and I plan on sharing some writing tips in the future. Also, I want to try out some other formats regarding to books (because after all, this is still supposed to be a book blog), one of which I am introducing in this post: recent reads!
Maybe those will come monthly, but more likely I will upload one post every other few weeks or even more frequently because currently, I'm reading a lot. Like, a lot a lot.
As for my reviews, I don't want to write one for every book I'm reading because for some books, I just don't have that much to say about them so writing a review is really hard and not so much fun for me.
But that's enough with the rambling, let's get on to what I read recently!

Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli

I loved this one so, so much. I also recently reread Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda (and I'm beyond exited to see the movie, I can't wait till it's out in Germany!) and it felt like a warm, fuzzy embrace returning to the Simon universe and getting to follow all of my favourite characters and seeing them as they were trying to follow their paths.
I absolutely adored Leah as the protagonist, she was so honest and relatable and her relationship with... well, I'm not going to spoil the love interest, so let's say: *insert name* was so freaking cute! Gave this book a full 5/5 stars because it deserved no less! 

Words In Deep Blue by Cath Crowley

I think it took me about two sittings to finish this so obviously, I liked it. At the time when I was reading it, I needed a cute, mindless contemporary romance and that is exactly what I got with this book. It’s not the most profound and epic love story but it was just what I needed and I recommend it to anyone looking for a quick and enjoyable romance. 4/5 stars.

The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

I rather picked this up on a whim without any expectations and without even knowing too much about the plot. It had been in a while since I had last read a Rick Riordan book but when I started this I remembered how much I used to love the Percy Jackson series. I loved how the world was expanded in this one with the Romans and everything, the story was fast-paced, enthralling and wanted to make me pick up the next book immediately after finishing this one. Highly recommend it for all Rick Riordan fans! 4.75/5 stars.

The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur

I don’t read much poetry because I find it really hard to get engaged in it but Rupi Kaurs poetry is an exception for me. I also loved her ‚Milk and Honey‘ but The Sun anf Her Flowers was even better. I just connect with her poems on a very profound, personal level and besides, her writing is just beautiful. 5/5 stars

So I really hope you like this new format of mine, I hope I'll do it more often from now on!

Have a nice day (or night, wherever you are) and keep reading!

xxx