Freitag, 29. Juni 2018

was Glück für mich bedeutet

Hallo,
dies hier ist mein Beitrag zur vierten Aufgabe der Glück & Wunder Challenge, die da lautet:

Jeder hat eine andere Vorstellung von Glück. Beschreibe, was für dich "Glück" bedeutet.

Für mich gibt es zwei Arten von Glück:
zum einen glückliche Momente, in denen man bestimmte Dinge erlebt, die man schön findet und die nicht lange anhalten. Wenn ich Wissenschaftler oder gut in Naturwissenschaften wäre, würde ich sagen, das wären die Momente, in denen Endorphine ausgeschüttet werden.
In eine Decke eingekuschelt, mit einer Tasse Tee in der Hand in gutes Buch zu lesen, während draußen der Regen gegen die Scheibe klopft. Mit Freunden zusammenzusitzen, zu reden und so philosophisch zu werden, dass einem der Kopf schwirrt. Dem Hund dabei zuzuschauen, wie er übermütig über die Wiese springt und dabei aussieht wie die Definition von purem Glück.
Das sind glückliche Momente für mich. Aber so sehr jeder natürlich nach solchen Momenten lechzt und sie braucht, so trügerisch sind sie auch, denn sie sind nicht von langer Dauer. Zu schnell holt einen die Realität wieder zurück und man gelangt auf den Boden der Tatsachen.
Wo wir dann aber die andere Art von Glück finden.
Die Art von Glück, die für mich mehr zählt.
Realistisch gesehen ist es nicht möglich, ständig glücklich zu sein. Dafür passiert zu viel im Leben, man verliert Menschen, man muss sich mit Situationen auseinandersetzen, die nicht zum Glücklichsein beitragen.
Aber trotzdem glaube ich fest daran, dass man, wenn man einmal dieses innere Glück am Boden aller Tatsachen gefunden hat, es nicht mehr so schnell verlieren kann.
Inneres Glück, das hat nichts mit fassbaren Dingen zu tun, nichts mit materiellen Sachen und nichts mit den Umständen, die das Leben für einen bereithält.
Für mich ist inneres Glück, zufrieden mit sich selbst zu sein und, wie ausgelutscht das auch klingt, im Reinen mit sich zu leben.
Inneres Glück, das ist zu wissen, was man vom Leben will und welchen Platz man in der Welt einnehmen möchte. Sich selbst zu lieben und zu akzeptieren, wie man ist.
Zu wissen, wie man das Leben genießt, ohne ständig Hochmomente zu brauchen, die einen hinterher wieder umso tiefer fallen zu lassen.
Diese Art von Glück braucht Arbeit. Man muss in der Lage sein, sich selbst zu reflektieren und man muss bereit sein, sich zu ändern.
Und obwohl ich noch einen langen Weg vor mir habe, bis ich sagen kann, dass ich diese Art von Glück lebe, bin ich mir sicher, dass es das ist, was ich will und das, was wirkliches Glück für mich bedeutet.
Seelenfrieden.

Dienstag, 26. Juni 2018

REVIEW | "November 9" by Colleen Hoover

source

Title: November 9
Author: Colleen Hoover
Publisher: Simon + Schuster UK
Genre: NA, contemporary romance
ISBN: 978-1471154621
Page Number: 310 pages







Blurb

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

Execution
I've said it before, but I'm gonna say it again: This book is like crack. Once you start reading, you cannot stop. At least I couldn't.
I read this in two sittings and the only reason I didn't devour it in one is because I was tired and I had to sleep. 
At first, I was really intrigued by the idea of two people only meeting once a year and falling in love over time but it wasn't quite like that - actually, it was a bit insta-lovey. Going into the book I first thought they would meet by chance on the same day and not because they arranged to meet so that was different than I expected.
Also normally, I don't like insta love and those two things (the insta love and them arranging to meet) combined really shouldn't have worked - only that they did. I don't even know how, but it all came together so naturally and Colleen Hoover really convinced me that sometimes, insta love really can be a trope worth reading about.
The only thing that really bugged me about the book was the plot twist at the end. I know Colleen Hoover is known for her devastating plot twists but I think with this one, she went a bit too far. It almost destroyed the whole book for me - although she managed to set that right in the end I still didn't like that plot twist at all (although I kind of saw it coming).

Characters
I really, really loved the characters in this book, especially Ben.
He's the perfect book boyfriend: cute and caring and also, he's a writer - I mean, can it get even more perfect?
Fallon, on the other hand, is a bit more difficult. She's straight-forward and honest and pursues her dreams no matter the cost and I really liked that about her. 
I do want to address something though that I heard a lot of other people say in their reviews: her being portayed by her insecurities a lot.
I kind of understand the people saying that Ben and Fallon's relationship is the clichée "girl not wanting to believe she's beautiful until a boy tells her so" but I have to say, I disagree.
Of course, Fallon doesn't believe she's beautiful at first and I know that Ben tells her he finds her beautiful and naturally, that cheers her up. But her establishing self-confidence and self esteem happens outside of her time with Ben and although he might have helped with that, I don't think he's the reason for her finally accepting herself - that is her own doing.

Emotions
Obviously, I was very invested in the story - otherwise I wouldn't have binged it like that.
I'm always on the hunt for cute and emotional love stories but somehow, it's not easy for me to really get emotionally invested in a love story.
However, November 9 could definitely convince me and honestly, it was the best book I read by Colleen Hoover so far.

Overall
Despite the devastating plot twist, I really enjoyed November 9. I can whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweeping love story!

Samstag, 23. Juni 2018

mein Brief an Starr Carter

(Dies ist mein Beitrag zur dritten Wochenaufgabe der Glück&Wunder Challenge zum Thema: Schreibe einen Brief an einen fiktiven Charakter, den du bewunderst, da er/ sie deiner Meinung nach ein wahres Wunder vollbracht hat.)

Liebe Starr,
ich bin ein weißes Mädchen, das in einem privilegierten Umfeld in einem ökonomisch wohlhabenden Land groß geworden ist.
Das Leben hatte es immer gut mit mir und so sehr ich das auch zu schätzen weiß, ist es manchmal schwer, sich in Menschen hineinzuversetzen, die es eben nicht so leicht hatten wie ich.
Ich habe immer mein Bestes gegeben, alle möglichen Menschen in allen möglichen Lebenslagen zu verstehen, aber durch den Einfluss der vorurteilsbelasteten Gesellschaft und der oft falschen Berichterstattung durch die Medien wird meine Wahrnehmung immer wieder - und wenn es unbewusst geschieht -  manipuliert.
Aus dem Grund bin ich dankbar dafür, dass es Bücher gibt und Menschen, die ausgehend von ihrer eigenen Erfahrung Ereignisse Schildern, die sich so ähnlich auch in der 'realen' Welt zutragen. Durch Bücher erfährt man die Welt aus Perspektiven, die einem auf anderem Weg nicht offen stehen.
Natürlich verfolge ich jeden Tag in den Nachrichten Schicksale, die direkt aus einer Horrorgeschichte stammen könnten, aber mittlerweile bin ich durch die schiere Quantität dieser Nachrichten so abgestumpft, dass sie emotional kaum noch etwas in mir bewirken.
Die Welt braucht Menschen wie dich, Starr, die mutig genug sind, ihre Geschichte hinauszuschreien, ihre Perspektive mit der Öffentlichkeit teilen und somit ein Bewusstsein hervorrufen, damit Schicksale wie deines nicht untergehen.
Nicht nur was du getan hast, ist für mich ein Wunder - dass du deine Stimme erhoben hast, mutig warst zu kämpfen und dir nicht den Mund hast verbieten lassen.
Es ist auch ein Wunder, was deine Worte in der Gesellschaft erreicht haben. In mir.
Ein weißes, privilegiertes Mädchen aus Deutschland kann kaum nachvollziehen, wie es sein muss, so unter Rassismus und Vorurteilen aufzuwachsen wie du. Dennoch hast du mir - und so vielen anderen - dabei geholfen, die ganze Problematik besser zu verstehen, sich dessen bewusst zu sein, wirklich bewusst zu sein, was vor sich geht.
Und damit hast du für mich ein wahres Wunder vollbracht.
Danke, Starr.


Mittwoch, 20. Juni 2018

REVIEW | "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

source

Title: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
Author: Ransom Riggs
Publisher: Random House
Genre: YA paranormal, fantasy
ISBN: 978-1594746036
Page Number: 384 pages






Blurb

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

Execution
I had watched the movie first (which I know is a big sin and I am very sorry about that) so all the plot twists didn't really come as a surprise for me.
I know though if I hadn't known what would happen, I would have been very suprised by the plot twists. And very scared of the eerie atmosphere and all.
The book started a tiny bit slow at first but the pace picked up after a hundred pages or so and I got completely sucked into the world.
I love the idea and what the author did with it, the book is the perfect mixture of eerie, whimsical, fantastical and gripping.
I read it rather quickly and I was very invested in the world and the characters.

Characters
We follow Jacob as the protagonist. He's the narrator and through his eyes, you get a great perspective of the world and the other characters.
I especially loved all the peculiar children. Like, how cool are their abilities? I love how they all work together as a team and how nobody gets excluded. They're all lovely and although they have their flaws and are therefore realistic characters, I would kind of like to become part of their group because the group dynamic was absolutely awesome!

Emotions
Though there are characters I felt more strong about in other books, I can't deny I did establish an emotional connection to the characters in Miss Peregrine's. I really want to see them follow their paths in the next books and maybe we'll get a bit more of Emma and Jacob because, well... I'm lw-key shipping it☺

Overall
Altogether, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children was a solid first book in a series that I'm looking forward to continuing in the future. I can recommend it to anyone who likes creepy, eerie and yet gripping books!

Sonntag, 17. Juni 2018

5 Bücher, die mich unendlich glücklich gemacht haben

Hallo!
Für die zweite Woche der Glück & Wunder Challenge ist die Aufgabe, fünf Bücher vorzustellen, die mich unendlich glücklich gemacht haben und ohne noch groß drum rumzulabern, stell ich euch mal meine Glücksbücher vor:

1. Harry Potter von J.K. Rowling
Ich glaube, ich würde mich selbst anlügen, wenn ich Harry Potter nicht auf dieser Liste (als erstes!) nennen würde. Die Bücher begleiten mich seit meiner Kindheit und seitdem habe ich sie unzählige Male gelesen. Jedes Mal, wenn ich sie aufschlage, fühle ich mich, als wäre ich gerade nach Hause gekommen und würde alte Freunde begrüßen und wenn das kein Glück ist, weiß ich auch nicht.



2. Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda von Becky Albertalli
Wie glücklich mich dieses Buch macht, habe ich erst letztens herausgefunden, als ich einen schlechten Tag hatte und aus einer Laune heraus angefangen habe, darin zu lesen (zum zweiten Mal, ursprünglich habe ich es schon letztes Jahr gelesen). Und irgendetwas hat das Buch, dass ich mich direkt besser gefühlt habe. Vielleicht sind es die Charaktere, oder die süßeste Liebesgeschichte aller Zeiten, oder einfach nur die lockig-fluffige Art, mit der Becky Albertalli erzählt, ich weiß es nicht. Aber fest steht, dass es mich glücklich macht, es zu lesen!



3. Strange the Dreamer von Laini Taylor
Ich weiß nicht genau, was es mit Strange the Dreamer auf sich hat, dass es mich so glücklich macht. Vielleicht, weil es in meinen Augen ein rundum perfektes Buch ist und ich es einfach befriedigend finde, so etwas schönes zu lesen? Okay, das klingt schon arg kitschig, aber wahr ist es trotzdem.
Ich liebe, liebe, liebe die Charaktere und freue mich, über sie zu lesen, der Schreibstil ist wunderwunderschön und magisch und insgesamt ist Strange the Dreamer meiner Meinung nach einfach ein Meisterwerk.

quelle

4. The Sun and Her Flowers von Rupi Kaur
Ich bin nicht immer in der Stimmung, Gedichte zu lesen, aber manchmal, wenn ich mich verloren fühle oder ängstlich, stöbere ich gerne in einem von Rupi Kaurs Gedichtbänden herum. Dabei haben mich viele ihrer Gedichte in The Sun and Her Flowers auf einer tiefen Ebene berührt, sodass ich mich auf eine Art verstanden gefühlt habe, die ich sonst selten in Literatur finde.
The Sun and Her Flowers macht mich nicht im klassischen Sinn glücklich, nicht überschäumend oder so, dass ich nicht mehr aufhören könnte darüber zu reden, sondern auf eine ganz eigene und persönliche, emotionale, fundamentale Art.



5. Drachenreiter von Cornelia Funke
Cornelia Funke war eine meiner liebsten, wenn nicht sogar meine liebste Autorin als Kind (und das wird sie auch immer bleiben!). Ihre Bücher haben eine ähnliche Bedeutung wie Harry Potter für mich, sie fühlen sich einfach an wie nach Hause kommen.
Drachenreiter besonders habe ich letztes Jahr irgendwann nach einiger Zeit mal wieder gelesen und das hat mich so unglaublich glücklich gemacht - weil das Buch so wunderschön ist und ich weiß, dass ich es noch meinen Kindern vorlesen möchte und weil es einfach so eine Freude bereitet, in diese Welt hineinzutauchen und mit Ben und Lung auf Abenteuer zu gehen. Das Buch schmeckt nach Kindheit und Glück und durfte deshalb auf keinen Fall auf dieser Liste fehlen!


Ich könnte noch einige Bücher mehr aufzählen, die mich unendlich glücklich gemacht haben, aber dafür nehme ich ja auch noch an der Instagram Challenge teil, bei der ich auf Instagram noch 5 weitere Bücher vorstellen werde.
xxx

Donnerstag, 14. Juni 2018

REVIEW | "Clockwork Princess" by Cassandra Clare


source

  Title: Clockwork Princess
  Author: Cassandra Clare
  Publisher: Walker Books
  Genre: YA urban fantasy
  ISBN: 978-1406321340
  Page Number: 576 pages







Blurb 
(DON'T READ THIS BLURB IF YOU HAVEN'T READ BOOK 1&2 BUT YOU CAN STILL READ THE REVIEW I DIDN'T SPOIL ANYTHING)

A net of shadows begins to tighten around the Shadowhunters of the London Institute. Mortmain plans to use his Infernal Devices, an army of pitiless automatons, to destroy the Shadowhunters. He needs only one last item to complete his plan: he needs Tessa Gray.

Charlotte Branwell, head of the London Institute, is desperate to find Mortmain before he strikes. But when Mortmain abducts Tessa, the boys who lay equal claim to her heart, Jem and Will, will do anything to save her. For though Tessa and Jem are now engaged, Will is as much in love with her as ever.

As those who love Tessa rally to rescue her from Mortmain’s clutches, Tessa realizes that the only person who can save her is herself. But can a single girl, even one who can command the power of angels, face down an entire army?

Danger and betrayal, secrets and enchantment, and the tangled threads of love and loss intertwine as the Shadowhunters are pushed to the very brink of destruction in the breathtaking conclusion to the Infernal Devices trilogy.


Execution
It took me quite some time to get into the book. Nothing really seemed to happen in the first half, just the usual stuff I was already used to from the first two books.
Sure enough, it was enjoyable, but not exactly binge-worthy.
But that changed around halfway through the book.
Man, how quick things changed.
Everyone warned me before going into the book that it was going to destroy me emotionally and throughout the first half I was like: Well, where are the feelings?
I shouldn't have thought this so loud because I got a lot more of those later. I had had my theories on what was going to happen so I wasn't super surprised about some things but then, everything kept changing and we got one plot twist after another.
And then, the ending. What an ending! I mean, really? Was that necessary?
DID YOU HAVE TO DESTROY ME, CASSIE CLARE?
I'm still kinda crying thinking about it.
(And it made me think about Jananee from headinherbooks once said, that all books by Cassandra Clare are exactly like that one thing Ron said in Prisoner of Azkaban when he's reading Harry's tea leaves: You're gonna suffer, but you're gonna be happy about it. The ending was EXACTLY like that!)

Characters
Honestly, I didn't realise how much I'd fallen in love with those characters up until... well, up until one certain point in the book which I won't say what point it was because spoilers.
But Gods, do I love them.
I mean, Jem. JEM. How can you not love Jem? He's so precious and sweet and caring and he's my book boyfriend now. Like, the one and only.
And Will? Wasn't sure what to think about him in the first book(s) but now, I'm so in love. God, tears. I wish we got more of his humour though. In a novella maybe? Or does that already exist? There are so many books centred around the Shadowhunters world, I kinda lost track.
Also, I really hope to see some more of Tessa in some other books because she's the character with the best character development in my opinion and I really started to like her.

Emotions
I don't want to say I didn't care at all about the book in the beginning, but I was relatively unemotional at first. Well, as you can probably guess giving my review, that changed.
I'm an emotional wreck now and I NEED MORE.
I want to suffer more and I want to be happy about it a bit longer.
Like, now please?

Overall
I gave this book a 4.5/5 stars because the beginning was a bit slow but I agree when everyone says Cassandra Clare's books do get better with each and everyone. The whole Infernal Devices trilogy is absolutely worth reading and I also can't wait for Lady Midnight!

Montag, 11. Juni 2018

Was ist ein Wunder für mich?

Hallo!
Kurz vorab: Dies hier ist mein Blogbeitrag zur ersten Woche der Glück & Wunder Challenge, die von IvyAlinaTabea und Alina ausgerichtet wird.
Wenn ihr mehr darüber wissen wollt, schaut gerne hier vorbei.

Was ist ein Wunder für mich?
Der Begriff Wunder ist so weitreichend - im Prinzip kann alles ein Wunder sein, oder?
Ich meine, wenn wir mal darüber nachdenken und auf die existenzielle Ebene zurückgreifen, ist es schon ein Wunder, dass wir überhaupt am Leben sind. Dass gerade unsere Eizelle von einem der vielen tausend Spermien befruchtet wurde, die einmal zu uns werden würden.
Das allein ist schon ein Wunder, ganz zu schweigen von der Tatsache, dass wir gerade jetzt geboren wurden, auf der Erde, direkt hinein in eine (mehr oder weniger, manchmal bin ich darüber noch unsicher) zivilisierte Gesellschaft, mit Standards, von denen viele unserer Vorfahren nicht einmal träumen konnten. Ein Wunder.
Die ganze Welt ist ein Wunder, wenn man es so sieht.
Alles ist ein Wunder.
Aber die Frage "Was ist ein Wunder für dich?" so zu beantworten, wäre ein bisschen zu einfach, zu allgemeinumfassend.
Und ganz ehrlich, ich musste ganz schön nachdenken.
Was macht der faule Schüler, der einen Aufsatz über ein Thema schreiben soll und keine Ahnung hat, wie er das ganze anfängt? Richtig, er googelt.
Ich hab auch gegoogelt, und die Duden-Definition von "Wunder" herausgekramt:
1. außergewöhnliches, den Naturgesetzen oder aller Erfahrung widersprechendes und deshalb der unmittelbaren Einwirkung einer göttlichen Macht oder übernatürlichen Kräften zugeschriebenes Geschehen, Ereignis, das Staunen erregt
2. etwas, das in seiner Art, durch sein Maß an Vollkommenheit das Gewohnte, Übliche so weit übertrifft, dass es große Bewunderung, großes Staunen erregt.
Also wenn wir das mal zusammenfassen, kommen wir auf zwei entscheidende Punkte: Ein Wunder muss etwas sein, das uns erstaunt und es muss etwas sein, das wir uns nicht erklären können.

Je mehr ich über diese ganze Thematik nachdenke, desto mehr kristallisiert sich ein Ereignis aus meinem Leben heraus, das für mich ein kleines Wunder war.
Ehrlich gesagt wäre es wahrscheinlich genau das, was mein zehnjähriges Ich (das zugegebenermaßen noch nicht besonders tiefsinnig war) bei dieser Frage geschrieben hätte, aber hey, man erlebt eben nicht alle Tage ein Wunder und ich weiß es sehr zu schätzen, dass ebendieses Wunder so passiert ist.

Mein Hund ist ein Wunder.
Ihr müsst wissen (und ich denke, alle Hundebesitzer werden das nur zu gut nachvollziehen können), mein Hund ist nicht nur irgendein Hund. Er ist ein vollwertiges Familienmitglied (wenn ich ehrlich bin, ist er mehr als das) und wird am allermeisten von allen Familienmitgliedern geliebt, verwöhnt und verhätschelt. 
Vor vier Jahren (da war er schon nicht mehr so ganz der Jüngste) hatte er Krebs und die Prognose war alles andere als gut. Ihr könnt euch nicht vorstellen, wie schlimm das für mich war. Gott, mir kommen jetzt noch die Tränen, wenn ich daran denke.
Damals habe ich versucht, die ganze Sache zu verdrängen und einfach die letzte Zeit, die wir noch mit ihm hatten, zu genießen. Einen Monat, hat der Tierarzt gesagt, einen Monat hat er noch.
Der Monat verging, dann ein zweiter, ein dritter, ein Jahr, und... ratet mal, wer jetzt gerade putzmunter neben mir liegt und darauf wartet, dass ich ihn mit Liebe überschütte?



Das war mein eigenes, kleines, persönliches Wunder. Für das ich unglaublich dankbar bin.
Und man kann noch so philosophisch werden und versuchen, tiefsinnig und schlau zu sein, aber am Ende sind es eben genau die Dinge, die auf andere vielleicht banal wirken oder über die zehnjährige kleine Mädchen in ihren Aufsätzen schreiben. 
Liebe ist ein Wunder und ich glaube fest daran, dass unsere Liebe unserem Hundchen Kraft gegeben hat und ihn heute noch am Leben erhält. Und hoffentlich noch ganz lange.

Freitag, 8. Juni 2018

REVIEW | "Scythe" by Neal Shusterman

btw, this is the German cover version
Title: Scythe
Author: Neal Shusterman
Publisher: Walker Books
Genre: dystopia
ISBN: 978-1406379242
Page Number: 448

(all information applies to this version, not to the one shown in the photo)




Blurb 
Thou shalt kill.
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life—and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe—a role that neither wants. These teens must master the “art” of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.


Execution
In the beginning, the book was rather slow paced which is why it took me a while to really get into the story.
The narrative style is very interesting: it's told from both of the main protagonists, Citras and Rowans point of view but it doesn't really read like a normal book - it's hard to describe but I think it reminds me a bit of the narrative in a text book (which isn't, by all means, meant negatively) because the writing is very simplistic and matter of factly. At the end of each chapter there is a diary entry from some of the other character's diaries which give you an interesting insight into their perspectives and additionally, allow the reader inspection into the politics and history of the world.
There are a lot of plot twists in the book which I absolutely did not see coming and which kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time.
In the end, everything just fits together and you see how well crafted the story is: every single detail is important and has a deeper meaning to the story. Hence, although it picked up a bit slowly in the beginning, I though the book as a whole was incredibly well executed.

Characters
We follow two main protagonists in the story, Citra and Rowan.
The two of them are quite opposite from one another: while Citra is a character with a hard shell and a soft core, she is impulsive and often talks and acts without thinking about the consequences first, Rowan is introduced as a nice, sensitive guy. Both of them go through an amazing character development though due to things that happen in the book and that change them in very different ways.
All of the characters are very well crafted and I loved seeing them interact with each other. They all felt very realistic and every single one of them had a purpose to fulfill.

Emotions
Although the pace in the beginning was slow and I couldn't read too much at once then, I had an instant connection to the characters which made it easy for me to build an emotional connection to the story.
What I really appreciate about the book though is that it made me think a lot. The overall concept of a post-mortality society is very unique and I found it very interesting to think about the effects it has on humankind. Almost everything that defines us as human changes with taking our mortality away and seeing that play out in the story was both very scary and didactic.

Overall
Altogether, I really enjoyed reading Scythe. At this point, dystopias are a bit overdone, especially in YA literature, but this one was very exceptional and I can really recommend it to anyone who is tired of the average dystopia tropes and wants something that is a bit more unique.

Dienstag, 5. Juni 2018

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


Samstag, 2. Juni 2018

my all time favorite series

Hi everyone!
I'm always on the hunt for new series to read because I LOVE when there are multiple books in the same world, with the same characters... the more the merrier, right?
So I thought I'd introduce my all time favorite book series to you and maybe I'll inspire you to read some of them ♥

Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
Well, I think this series is on almost everyone's favorite list so I don't need to say anything about this, do I? I grew up with it and I reread it countless times and by now, I almost know those books by heart. And I still love them to pieces. They're everything. Need I say more?

here you can see all my HP editions... except the ones
that are hidden behind the front row lol

Inkworld Trilogy by Cornelia Funke
Much like Harry Potter, I grew up with those books. They didn't only strengthen my love for books in general (since, after all, this series pretty much revolves around books) but they also made me realise what I love about literature and what good literature should be like for me. These books are pretty much my childhood and I will definitely read them to my children (once I have some lol).



Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan
I absolutely love how this series explores Greek mythology and how you just learn so much reading the books... in a fun way, of course! I read the books multiple times and since I just recently started reading the Heroes of Olympus series I remembered how much I loved Percy Jackson and his comrades. Although technically, its middle grade (though that applies to any of the series so far, haha) I would still recommend this series to any age group because even though my last reread was several years ago, I still love those characters and the story so much!

don't ask me why the first one is the only paperback...
it's a sore point for my collector's heart

Shades of Magic Trilogy by V.E. Schwab
Those books are rather recent reads for me since I only discovered them last year. The reason why I love them so much is because in a way, they reminded me a lot of Harry Potter. Not because the story is similar (because it isn't whatsoever) but because the characters were exactly as loveable and they absolutely won my heart. V.E. Schwab is all about characters and her stories thrive on them and since for me, characters are the most important part of a story too, I naturally adore her books.



Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo
Similar to the Shades of Magic trilogy, I only read those books very recently but nevertheless, they hold a very special place in my heart. Those books thrive on diversity, the most perfect character cast and on top of that, an enthralling story full of twists and turns. And, most exitingly, Leigh Bardugo just announced there's going to be a third book in this series which... well, that made me have a crazy fangirl moment and I can't even express how happy I am to get more of these characters and their story!



1Q84 Trilogy by Haruki Murakami
These books are utterly different from my other favorites. Honestly, I only read them in this past month but oh well... what can I say other than I absolutely fell in love?
They're weird and quirky and full of peculiar things but they're anything but easy to forget. They contain one of the greatest love stories I've ever read about but essentially, they are about so much more - which I can't possibly express all in one sentence or even a paragraph. Or a whole page. In fact, I think you do have to read them to understand what I'm talking about. But they're absolutely worth reading so of course, that wouldn't be so bad☺



Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson
This is one I read a couple of years ago and I absolutely devoured it then. Those would be the go-to books I'd recommend if anyone asked me for a thriller recommendation because they're everything thrillers need to be (in my opinion): hard to put down (actually, impossible to put down), with a rich and enthralling story and on top of that (and the main reason why I love this series so much) with some of the greatest characters I've ever read about. They are so well developed (actually, sometimes I doubted they were even fictional, I was convinced the story had to be real until I googled it and sadly, it's fiction) and complex and just... well, everything you want characters in a story to be. Highly, highly recommend!



So, those are all of my all time favorite series (at least the ones I've finished already (though, as I said, Six of Crows isn't really finished yet but since those are very late news, I still consider it finished... well, this is getting confusing.)) but I know this list is going to expand over time so I'll definitely do an update in the future (in the far away future though)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorites and I wish you all a nice day!
xxx