Week #101 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good morning, fellow readers.

These last weeks have been hard as hell as I’m in the way of failing my French Grammar course so I wasn’t able to finish the third book I was reading until just 30 minutes ago since Monday so I’m sorry if you we’re expecting more than three books reviewed by I guess that’s how things will go until October at least if I want (and I do want)  to recover my grades and pass this mess I made for not studying for the last test I had. Anyways, here they are:

The first book I read was a glorious classic named The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Nick is a southern small town man who’s new in the 1920’s New York City so he’ll have to learn that not everything is beautiful as it looks from the outside of the big apple, that the people he thinks he knows well are worst than he thought, that the never ending parties are full of lies, that the long kisses on strangers’ cars are not everlasting and that love is as fake and ragid as the ones that claim to feel it.

I JUST WISH THERE HAD BEEN SOME MORE FEMININE DETAILS.

I understood the concept, the time, the characters and the deception but I wasn’t given the glamorous front I was promised covering the filth of humanity. If I had to make a remark, it would be centered in the three main women in Nick’s narration: Daisy with her fake naivety, Myrtle with her rotten mind, and Jordan with her incomprehensible coldness. All of them were the same in different circumstances and with distinct plastic covers, like a candy in three seasonal presentations but once you tasted them you could feel the decadence of the lack of guilt; it was similar to Tom’s amoral morality or even Nick’s hidden hypocrisy. The one I can point out as being truly good in his intentions would be Jay, cuz he did what he did out of love, hope and childish dreams unlike the rest of them who wanted the glamour experience, the feeling of being golden. The coldness of the glamour.

The second book I read was the heartfelt YA contemporary romance Cinder & Ella by Kelly Oram.

In a matter of seconds Ellamara’s life changed forever, one minute ago she was texting with her online bff Cinder and the next her mom was dead and she had been left in an almost incurable state. Covered in scars, she’s forced to live with her estranged father and his new wicked family that never let her forget she’s not welcome in their home. She’s al alone in the world and the only one who could help her would be the one she hasn’t talked to in years: her long lost and still secret friend Cinder.

I HADN’T CRIED THIS MUCH IN A LONG TIME.

Lovely as always, Kelly Oram surprised me with a wonderful love story full of vulnerability and harshness but with a powerful message of hope and bravery, all in the shape of a strong young woman dealing with the worst time of her life. All thanks to friendship and the unveiling of a secret that could hurt her more than all her scars and memories. Let’s talk about writing style, which was ever simple and filled with passionate thoughts that got me emotional to the core more than one time. Thanks, Kelly.

The last book I read was a shocking turned out of events for me, and for any 21 year old who hadn’t read it till now. I’m talking about Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J. K. Rowling.

Harry has never been normal, living with his cruel aunt and uncle and having to deal with his bully cousin was never easy for the eleven year old boy. And now something even stranger happens, he discovers there’s a reason to why he does all this amazing things like liberating a snake without even knowing how, he’s a warlock about to learn the legacy and fate his parents left for him before their death in their old childhood school: Hogwarts.

IT’S HARD TO ADMIT IT TOOK ME A WEEK TO FINISH THIS LOVELY STORY.

This small book was released a year after my birth and until this year I hadn’t even given it consideration to read it, my friends loved the series, I indeed enjoyed the film adaptations so I decided to give it a go after I dared my luck reading PJ so I knew this was next in my middle school tbr list. Anyways, I enjoyed it a lot though I’m seriously concerned about how safe Hogwarts truly is for young children learning magic, I mean there’s a little annoying and cruel leprechaun like magic thing throwing things at little grifindors like nobody’s business and they have a dangerous and tempting forest filled with unspeakable creatures that could seriously damage an eleven year old quite easily. But leaving that behind, the new world Harry has entered and become part of seems rather special and welcoming, adventurous and full of great friends. Besides that, it was great to know certain details and scenes the movie had missed in portraying.

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Week #100 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good morning,

I just watched the first two episodes of GG on Netflix and I’m already addicted, now I’ll have to hire it from my friend’s. Damn it. Anyways, during all this time I managed to read 3 particular books I really enjoyed reading cuz they gave me different scenarios and perspectives than the ones I’m used to.

The first book I read was Vampire’s Kiss by Veronica Wolff, the second book in The Watchers series.

Now that Drew won the harvest and made it to her next year, she thinks she’ll soon leave and runway for good from that godforsaken island filled with enemies and incomprehensible trainer she might have feelings for. But when Alcantar shows her the truth of her next test outside the isle, she’ll wish she could go back time and enjoy what she had left.

IT WAS SOMEHOW SLOWER BUT I WAS STILL INTERESTED.

There were times I was just drowned in the banality of some pages where I just didn’t care about that, but there were definitely more scenes that made my wondering mind work in suspicious way besides the introduction of new funny sexy needed characters and elimination of goody two shoes with nice girl hippie morals were exactly what the series needed to gain the approachable flavor a good vampire book requires. In other news, someone seriously should kill Alcantara and Masha; also I love my little fighter Drew.

The next book I read was The Girls by Emma Cline.

Evie is a young misunderstood fourteen year old girl living in California in 1969, with uncaring wealthy parents she’s pretty impressionable and a sight has an impact on her. The sight of lovely and wild Suzanne next to her crazy friends, they live in a commune with their leader/father/husband/best-friend/provider/lover “Russell”. When she meets him, Evie couldn’t even suspect what will eventually happen but one thing is true: she’ll never forget that summer.

SUCH A TALE.

I must admit I’m pretty interested in the whole Manson Atkins ordeal cuz of morbidity and psychological purposes so reading a story inspired by the events and the criminals involved was out of this world. I was always interested in what made the girls fall so intensely for him to do such horrific actions, and he just grabbed simple dog training stuff mixed with simplistic psychiatrist questions to get into their minds and souls, to make them believe there was nothing more than him and the commune. Knowing all this mixed with the inclusion of Evie into the story line, until those last chapters I truly believed she had won in her secret way cuz just as Russell said “she was an actress”, portraying the image of a rebel, of an innocent, of unworthy in a splendid way for everyone but for Suzanne whom she couldn’t get away from, and continued following like the desperate puppy she was, desperate for love, for fulfilling her twisted destiny. Leaving the interpretation behind, this book is so well written that I couldn’t stop reading, I didn’t want to put it down a second; I felt horridly connected with some aspects of the character with the exception of the nonstop hopeless aptitude and the pessimistic views.

 

The final book I read was The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides.

There’s something off with the Lisbon family, everybody knew the father was a peculiar man, the mother was a bossy Catholic fanatic, but their daughters were in every boy’s dream and nightmare as something unreachable and too heavenly for this rotten world. However, they become more of an important subject of conversations and concerns after the first suicide attempt of the youngest, Cecilia. This is the tale the their young neighbors still wonder about, why did they do it?

THE DEATH OF A TIME THAT COULD BE GLORIOUS.

I’ve come to relate the suicides as an effect of time, the childish freedom and simplest beauty of the 70’s youth willingly giving its life and hopes for a brighter future because of an unstoppable hard headed conservative and shallow nature of the 80’s. At least, that’s a way of seeing what went through the author’s mind while the reasons and target of the Lisbon sisters remains tragically unknown, I got to know many factors that could have unleashed this desire as a way out or a reflection of their understanding unhappiness but there are still dots for the sisters we never got to know a bit, like Mary’s desire to be like Lux but never daring to defy all the boundaries her sister did, or Bonnie’s oblivious mind that centred her as the middle child with an apparent absent personality. Cause in reality nobody, not even the men narrating the story, truly knew them to figure out their reasons or just matter to them enough for a smile, to use them more than a little stop before their grand finale.

Week #99 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good night,

I was so close to not finish my last book regarding the last two weeks I was absent but I did it and now I feel like I accomplished something bigger than my addiction for YA books (which I’m slowly getting tired of), I mean here I am writing reviews instead of watching GoT like the rest of the sane world but who cares?. Anyways, here they are, the four books I managed to read despite having a French Grammar test and some rehearsals for my students’ talent show.

First I read was Silver Silence by Nalini Singh, a book from the Psy-Changeling series.

If someone is willing to never break silence is Silver Merchant, the quiet yet analytical assistant of famously lethal psy Kaleb, but after suffering a death threat that could be coming from a family member she knows she’s not safe anymore and so does Valentin the alpha of the Bear pack in Moscow who shows an inexplicable desire for the young cold blooded psy. Will this bear be enought to save Silver from danger and her own self?

I JUST WISH THERE WAS A LITTLE DETAIL ABOUT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IN THIS BOOK.

Nalini Singh never does anything wrong and her books complete my life in a way I never expected them to do, I obviously adored Silver’s story with her badass grandma that remind me a lot of Olenna from #GoT, and her brother is just a little darling whom I like to take care of like a falcon over its nest, besides Valentin the hottest and funniest alpha alive (don’t tell Lucas) was everything my heart could handle. Everything was like a golden honey pot of sweetness around Silver and her cold aptitude, like everyone was trying to set her up to fall for the cubs fluffy bodies and fun games, I mean just imagine Dima in his polar bear shape (😍😍). I specially loved how Silver became a part of the family and strong as an alpha bossing Sergei and Galina around to avoid the pain of her bear. But what I would have love to see would have been the switch between wanting to be under the silence and deciding to go for emotions, coming from Silver’s side and not just some side inner innuendo.

The second book I read was Poison Princess by Kresley Cole, from the Arcana Chronicles.

Evie has never been a normal girl but she has tried all she could to appear the most perfect teenager until her last breakdown where she ended up in a asylum to force her to forget her messed up hallucinations about the end of the world full of famine and danger. When she returns to her old school, everything seems fine: her adorable boyfriend, her crazy friends and her untouchable reputation; until guys from the wrong side of town start attending her high school and her visions come back, this time stronger than ever. But are these just manifestations of a traumatized girl or keys to resolve the dangerous heat coming for all life? Is she destined to save us all?

EVERYTHING IS SO DAMN COMPLICATED. LOVE AND FATE.

When I started reading this, I wasn’t quite convinced because I understood nothing about Tarot and I was annoyed by the whole popular kids storyline, but once I got more info and character development I felt infatuated by everything. From Evie’s scarred growth and messy feelings, to the awful realization she must be who she is without her love boy cuz he made the sign of the cross to avoid her devilish appearance after swearing he would be by her side no matter what. One can truly drown in the thoughts and experiences Evie goes through, no matter one’s maturity level because confusion and resilience is no stranger to anyone, so props to the author’s writing skills right there. Creativity to its fineness.

The following book was What the Spell by Brittany Geragotelis, from the Life’s a Witch trilogy.

Brooklyn has always been invisible, not a memorable face, not a quotable girl and she’s tired of it. She’s sick of not having friends, of her parents not understanding her motives and of having to have lunch with the school counselor to avoid being alone or become a mute in the process. But she has a secret, she comes from a family of witches and her parents have forbid her from using magic until she turned the mature age of sixteen, so when her birthday comes she knows she’ll leave a mark but will it be a good one or she’ll end up forgetting her nature to join the fascist clique called the Elite?

IF I HAD BEEN TWELVE OR THIRTEEN I WOULD HAVE PROBABLY LIKED IT BETTER.

Don’t get me wrong I’m used to these kind of shallow immature teenage characters, and I grew to care for little Brooklyn. It’s just that I felt everything was a little too childish for my taste and surreal like with miss Zia and her inappropriate friendship with a student which is not OK, she should only have a teacher alumni situation going on with boundaries for both of them to avoid awkward future drifts. And the fact that the author will narrate another young witch’s tale in the next one instead of fixing all the crap poor Brook has going on like she should, it is quite a pity. But those are only my thoughts, I know things could soon make sense but not in the way I’m looking for, which is a closure and some justice for the annoying main character I grew to love.

The last book I just finished reading was Isle of Night by Veronica Wolff, from The Watchers series.

Annalise Drew lived a far from perfect life, she has almost no memory of her mother, her dad is an abusive drunk and her stepmother is a backstabbing nightmare but she still has her grades and is graduating before time so she’ll start a new life going to college because of an scholarship, where she truly feels she belongs. But despite all odds, fate said otherwise and she ends up attending to very different classes in a secret unknown island with a bunch of vampires training young girls to battle their enemies, now her struggle is not only to gain a home but to obtain her life.

INTENSE AND INVENTIVE.

I still a bit confused by some unfinished business in this first book but I’m just gonna get over it because of how amazingly graceful it was despite having the overly used vampires the world relied on the late 2000’s, I must admit I was almost put off by the fact there we’re gonna be vamps in here but I was shocked to find out this is a dark story of self discovery and dark fights for survival. And though I wasn’t entirely amused by Drew, (she wasn’t as smart as she was conceived to be) I still grew to respect her strength and her overachieving nature. Now I wanna know how her life goes and if she will still try to scape what has become part of her.

Week #98 of Reading Like A Maniac

HII!

I want to apologize and sort of explain what kept me from updating, I’ll give more than one reason/excuse for it so… Let’s start. During my first absent period I was in speeches and finals week so my mind was full of headaches and stress driven fevers that made my life a living hell (literally, I mean I was sweating like a rabid monkey and it was winter in my country!). Then it came my first free time in months that mixed with Peruvian Independence Day, therefore there was not such thing as “free” time for me since I had to take some Teaching Lessons to work for a Language Centre (I’m still going through that), I also had to visit my annoying grandmother’s house for the holidays and see my obnoxious little cousin and try teaching her some English (she’s not very cooperative), besides all this I’m doing some French Grammar classes again and it takes all my time. So yeah, that pretty much sums it up; changing the topic I was able to read five books during this huge hiatus. And BTW, I’m probably going to update once every two weeks from now.

The first book I read was The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan, the first book in the Heroes of Olympus series.

Three strangers find each other in a bus. One has no memory, the other two seem to know a lot about him. And one satyr couch seems to know the three of them, specially when some air creatures attack the trio and they end up being part of an adventure to fulfill part of a premonition that sees all gods and humanity extinct by an unlikely for if they don’t succeed.

ONE CAN SEE THERE COULD BE ANOTHER AUTHOR IN THE MIX.

Look, I’m not complaining like a crybaby but I felt not so connected to the main character and the individual archs themselves, though I must admit I’m intrigued by this whole Greek Roman demigods plot. I felt Jason was too plain to be the main lead, like he had no personality thanks to his memory loss, while on the other side there were guys like Pipper and Leo that were fun to know about and to read from, their perspective and personal background is rich in so many levels and there I felt like they were truly characters one can trust and relate. But anyways, I was shocked when then most obvious plot twist was thrown at us reader in the end, I was like: how didn’t I consider this?!

The next book was The Son of Neptune by the same author.

Percy will have to deal with the same trashy situation that Hera forced Jason to handle. With no memories more than that one of his lovely girlfriend Annabeth, he’s left to survive the harsh Roman nature of Camp Jupiter and their way of working things out. There he will meet the two other heroes that will help him recover a sacred object and a deadly God from the claws of a new giant living in the end of the world where no divinity has power, therefore no demigod neither.

THANK GOD PERCY IS BACK IN THE GAME.

I missed him so much, his badassery and his ability to make me laugh with his so called ignorance when he’s actually a freaking genius. But in other news, Rick Riordan started to set up the drama for the next books like a possible love triangle between funny useful Nick, kind hearted Hazel and sweet old Frank, and I’m worried about suffering for my favorite baes! Talking about baes, I was so glad to discover that one of the few things Percy could remember was Annabeth’s status as his girlfriend. In other news, I want to fucking kill Octavian and anyone in the middle of the peace between the Greek and Roman demigods.!

The following book was The Mark of Athena.

Annabeth has been keeping a secret, one that could join Romans and Greeks for good but could also kill her in the process. The Mark of Athena is real and is a new bus stop for the Argo II, but is a defiant test that only a child of the goddess of Wisdom alone can achieve.

THIS IS THE LONGEST TIME I’VE TAKEN TO READ A BOOK. ALMOST TEN FUCKING DAYS. I BLAME UNIVERSITY AND ITS PAPERS.

OMFG. I can’t believe that final plot twist, I was like, “oh shit balls!”, I knew that fucking floor was gonna fall, no spider web is that strong to hold some demigods and a huge statue or Argo! But going back to how the whole story began, I don’t like how ignorant and just batshitcrazy Romans are and I don’t know why but I’ve got some Luke vibes in Reyna, I mean a person is only capable of handling loneliness and heartbreak for a while and it’s supposed to get worst in her teen years so I would be interested in seeing her as a future villain like working for Gea the way Luke did for Kronos: I would be intrigued to see that angry and sad side come about her unfortunate luck in life. In other news, Joan Jett’s repertoire is amazing while reading the fights of Jason and Percy vs the Musical Theatre giants, so fucking good. But I’m still upset about Percabeth going down there because of Aracne’s tricks.

The fourth book I read was The House of Hades.

Not only Nico is left traumatized and everybody feels guilty, but Percy every and Annabeth are in the horrific kingdom of Tartarus where every nightmare is a divine fantasy in comparison to having to survive there; in other news our heroes will have to face their strengths and secret weaknesses to keep going through the path of their destiny.

LONGEST EFFING READING RIDE EVER.

This took me days to finish cuz it was too damn long and there were some things that bored me, like inner thoughts coming from Hazel or Frank and now I get that Jason is super lame. But the story line that made me finish this pretty descriptive book was Leo’s and the whole thing with Bob and Damasen, oh and also Nico’s secret feelings (that I had kinda already figured out, the moment everybody started presuming that it had to be anabeth). That kept me going, Leo’s slow burning romance with hopeless Calypso (he made me like her, which a surprising accomplishment), then Damasen and Bob’s wish to see the stars and be good like two huge Teddy bears, and Nico with his angsty emotions. Even Couch Hedge’s new family addition got me into this (I kinda knew that also cuz Shrek 2’s ending scene). Overall, it was a good book with badass monsters and some lame thoughts, so I want to read the last one.

The last book I read was the Blood of Olympus by the same author.

Gaia is going to raise from dust and the underground and there’s no way to stop it, just like the rest of the prophecy that includes a dead hero to end mother Earth’s journey through the land of the living. Anyways, our darling demigods find their way to make it happen their way, with their rules and their weapons but will it be enough?.

I SURPRISED MYSELF WITH THIS ONE.

I became emotional for things I never thought I would get emotional for, like music and cheesy Greek love archs between demigods and immortal entities. I was shocked about many things, like Leo’s whole ordeal and secret plans that included self sacrifice (a thing I hate everywhere I read about it) and the entire “let’s go along with the prophecy” aptitude but I couldn’t cry when he made those things true, I don’t know, perhaps I knew he couldn’t be gone forever or something but I didn’t even felt but and I love Leo and his funny emotional side. Another thing we that There was a lot of closure for many characters like Leo and Reyna, their fears where not eliminated but they learnt to cope with them and not allowing the past or their perception of life thing their future, I love their strange bonding time. Besides all this, I’m glad for the comic relief overall, because I would have died over the drama and stressing situation they were all in with Gaia and her giants. Cool story, can’t wait for the Trials of Apollo.

Week #97 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good night, fellow readers.

This week was OK filled with irresponsible team mates and ridiculous festive days that don’t suit your university schedule. But somehow I managed to read three pretty decent books, that I highly anticipated for a long time.

The first book I read was The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan, which was the fifth and final book in the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series.

Percy is soon to be sixteen and not only he has to deal with his torned and incomprehensible feelings for two lovely girls, but he also has to figure out a way to save the Olympus and the future of the world as we know it by killing the cruelest Titan that ever existed inhabiting his nemesis’ body. Besides, now he knows the prophecy everyone was hiding from him and he knows why, will Percy be willing to risk it all to fulfill his still strange fate?

WOW, RICK RIORDAN SURELY KNOWS HOW TO WRITE AWESOME WAR AFTER AWESOME WAR.

I wasn’t too convinced when I started reading because of the whole Rachel being into Percy so soon, and him not knowing what to do. However, this event was let behind and we focused on the real issue which were the most baddass battle scenes I’ve read about ever, I had never read something like that because there’s always the middle battle and then the big war, except that in here there was war after war after battled after war after big ass war on the Olympus and I was amazed with this, it was so good! Then I also like the plot twists, the first made me cry and the second just cringe but still I was moved by Rick’s intentions and I seriously can’t wait to read the next series.

The next book I read was the new adult stand alone Too Late by the always talented Collen Hoover.

Sloan is trapped in a violent and self destructive relationship with drug dealer Asa, she has a way out but that would mean hurting and damaging the well being of someone she deeply cares about. She has given up on waiting for a hero until she meets charming and mysterious Carter who helps her heal and forget her miserable relationship, but there’s a problem: Carter is working for Asa’s drug dealing business, so is she choosing the best option or just going for the same in a different wrapper? Is he worth risking her life?

(AWKWARDLY TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT TO SAY) ALRIGHT.

So this clearly wasn’t the best ending Colleen could have given to a book, but it was creative and out of pure naked hatred and that made it innovative to my realist eyes, still I found it to be quite disturbing. I guess I have never been in that kind of situation under such stress like to go to my crazy part and let it act through my body like both Luke and Sloan did. Anyways, I was kinda upset Colleen didn’t give us this redemption/self forgiveness/moving on sort of ending but this twisted, weird and raw scene filled with revenge and pleasure. I don’t really know what it was, but it was definitely something else.

The last book I read was definitely the best, I’m talking about A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Mass, the third book in the ACOTAR series.

Tamlin thinks the meek naive girl he met is back. He’s wrong. Lucien believes she’s a double agent working for the Dark Court. He’s right. Because Feyre doesn’t want revenge, she seeks for justice and a way to win the war that’s closer and closer everyday that passes. After what happened to her sisters, she’s coldblooded towards those who harmed them forever. But she’s not the only one who wants justice: Nesta realizes her darkness is bigger than her humanity and Elaine is not longer the happy girl she once was, they have lost parts of themselves and will have to figure out how to go through this without loosing heir sanity in the process.

* SPOILER ALERT *

DEFINITELY FUCKING WORTHY.

I knew this would be insanely perfect before I even started reading it, Sarah J Mass never disappoints when it comes to ACOTAR, she always manages to bring special twisted marvellous wonders to out imagination and not every author can do that. But if there was something I appreciated the most would be (strangely) the three shocking teary scenes where my heart almost came out and my face was filled with black mascara over crying like a freaking Magdalene : 1) when Mor revealed her long kept secret, I mean I started off pretty confused and then I related and after that I cried a fucking river over her pain and I also want to find her a right match, 2) when Nesta accepted her feelings for Cassian and he did too and they were so ready to die holding each other, omfg I cried like a baby insulting SJM if she dared to actually kill them I mean I wanted to seriously bury my head underground so I wouldn’t have to see them die in the hands of the Hibern king, 3) when Rhys died, I literally read all of Feyre’s quotes with such emotion as I was feeling the pain in her mind with tears in my eyes and refusing to see the light, specifically when she begged Tamlin that she would give him anything if he saved him, and again I cursed SJM name in two languages. Overall, this book was a pleasure to read as I expected but so much more and now I want to read more about Nesta’s way of dealing with death and Elaine getting to know Lucien.

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Who watched Shadowhunters this week? I’m obsessed with the new Ruelle song that played during the Clace fairy kiss, so excited for that BTW. 

Books & Coffee, 

Alex. 

Week #96 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good morning,

Sorry for been a day late (I’m not sure if that’s the right conjugation), but I was so tired last night and I had a back ache from which I’m suffering to this very moment. But anyways, I had a little more time to read this week and I managed to read three books, I know it’s not much but it’s something.

First I read The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, the second installment in the “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series.

Grover has disappeared from the face of Earth in his last quest for Pan just like all his predecessors, but somehow he’s still not gone for good because Percy is having some strange visions/dreams of the satyr dressed as a bride chased by a terrible monster. In other news, Thalia’s tree was poisoned and all the wards against enemies are fading around Camp Half-blood letting some deadly creatures in and forcing Annabeth and Percy go look for their only hope: the Golden fleece hiding in the home of an ancient monster that strangely resembles Percy and his new shy friend.

I THOUGHT I WOULD BE BORED, I WAS SO WRONG.

I didn’t read this till my midterm exams week ended, and it was worth the wait. The plot line was on fire and everything set into place, everything happened for a reason explained somewhere in the adventure and we see al characters have a human side besides not all the gods are shitty parents after all: Hermes and Demeter are such peculiar creatures and they should be cherished, I’m talking to you Luke I mean you could’ve ended up with Poseidon or Ares as a father for all I know, so be thankful!. Then there was Percy discovering his soft side with Annabeth (I love that already) and Tyson, God! that little cyclop is the cutest kid ever, he’s so innocent and should be protected from all evil (literally, please let me adopt him). BTW, I already read the synopsis for the next book and I got a feeling Grover is not very good at his job, at all. he’s very funny but should try perhaps not being an explorer trying to find Pan but a little horticulturist for a change: that could work for him.

The second book I read was The Titan’s Curse by the same author,inside the same series.

Now that Thalia is back she’s part of the crew sent to help Grover with his new assignment : two young twelve year olds who are definitely demigods in a dangerous school. Somehow the day is saved with the exception of Annabeth’s disappearance, thanks to hunt goddess Artemis and her loyal band of young female followers but fate turns a tumultuous turn when the goddess also disappears forcing her followers to work hand in hand with the demigods to try to find both girls and destroy the mysterious evil that’s keeping them captive.

THOUGHT I WOULDN’T LOVE IT BUT I DID.

I always venture in these books with a sense of fear and concern but then they always manage to make me love them devotedly. BTW, I’m feeling a bit in love with little Percy which is concerning since I’m way older than him and smarter in many levels: I mean, I figured out the General was Atlas the moment he complaint about his neck pain, I just couldn’t remember his exact name so after a two minute travel over Wikipedia I got it and got to know Zoe’s secret past life as well. so what was really surprising was that revelation in the end about the twins’ father and now I want to know who was that suited man who took them to the Lotto casino in the forties. Who could have been so twisted and cruel?! In other news, I’m pining for Percabeth but I can’t stand her remote belief that Luke can still be fixed after all the shit he put her through.

The third and final book I read was The Battle of the Labyrinth by the same author, inside the same series.

The stakes are higher than ever, and now the crew has discovered that the labyrinth in Theseus story has been below America all this time and Luke wants to use it as a way to attack Camp Half-blood when they least expect it. However, Annabeth thinks something better: that finding Daedalus, the labyrinth’s Creator, could assure them victory if only he agreed on destroying his master piece. But there’s something the crew is not considering : the old inventor should be dead and he’s not so innocent as stories describe him to be.

OK, ANNABETH IS ANNOYING ME LATELY.

Though the arch wasn’t as childish and not so wonderful as the previous ones, I was still pleased with the creativity coming from the labyrinth’s monstrous creatures and also the back stories for many of the new characters introduced, besides I felt our main characters were forced to mature and grow up in a rough and raw way, with the exception of Annabeth (perhaps) cuz I still can’t get her sick infatuation with Luke’s alleged innocence in all this shitty situation with the big ass children eating titan: I get that she was his friend and she spent most of her childhood with him (she also has a crush on him) but she needs to understand that the nice protective kid who walked hand in hand with her and Thalia is long gone, he has been gone for a long time ago and that kid is not coming back. Seriously, gurl. Oh, and also I wasn’t feeling quite comfortable with Annabeth feeling things for both Luke and Percy, I now she’s an hormonal teen but somehow I expected that Athena’s right mind would fix that part of her personality, what a pity.

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Oh my God, anyone saw TO or RPDR last night? Cuz I’m still in shock, I mean the CW better make a time jump and bring my Haylijah back together or else I’ll be mad and they won’t like me mad. And who was expecting Sasha Valour to win the race? I certainly wasn’t, I was expecting good old talented Trinity “The Tuck” Taylor to become America’s Next Drag Superstar. (*sobs*)

Books & Coffee, 

Alex. 

Week #95 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good night,

This midterms’ week was tiring, hurtful and filled with drama. I mean I just realised I passed all my tests and I could be a potential sociopath since I have a strange greed for chaos and I kinda always see others as pawns to get what I want, I’m serious it’s pretty scary: i totally need to get an appointment with my ex psychologist that I haven’t seen in two years, like now. And in other matters, I managed to read just two books which is sad cuz that means I wasn’t able to listen to my Deezer playlists since I had no time for anything but studying and pitying myself. Next week, I promise I’ll read more.

First book I read was named El Libro de Jade (The Book of Jade) by Spanish author Lena Valenti, the first book in the Vanir saga.

Aileen is about to finally open her wings and fly away from her controlled coffin/family life with her estranged distant father and his millionaire company. She’ll graduate and she’ll fly to London to start a new life with her best friends and a raging career as a teacher. However, her journey gets cancelled when her home is shattered, her father is murdered and she is abused by dark violent vampire like creatures that keep insisting she is guilty of killing one of their friends. Nobody seems to believe her and it is too late when the truth is unveiled, and her life is altered forever by a peculiar book found in a bridge which unlocks memories and more troubles.

OK. SO WHERE DO I START? (LAUGHS AWKWARDLY)

As a hopelessly romantic I liked it but there were many aspects that my feminist human heart couldn’t deal with, like Aileen’s first encounter with Caleb. If one only let oneself be guided by first impressions, that would be an issue cuz a regular person would have stopped reading and declare it the new shitty sex book the literary world has to offer filled with patriarchal thoughts. but as I don’t consider myself that, I went through that and actually started to get into the story and then there were the almost non existent stuff like power struggles between the main couple that I just wasn’t taking anymore but then it was interesting again, so here I am totally confused and horned between my feminist morals and my child bubbly heart. In the end, I believe that some of the scenes weren’t needed and were such clichés looking to be innovative and rough in the edges however it didn’t achieve this goal cuz of its reasoning and though it try to give a “Girl Power” message, it didn’t manage to follow that path, which was a disgrace but I guess that when a book goes down that it can never reach civilization again.

The following and final book was The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, the first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series.

Percy’s life has never been easy. He’s twelve, he’s always been labelled as a bad kid, he has dyslexia, he has been expelled from numerous schools and is about to be kicked out of the new private school he’s attending. His life seems ordinary with his stinky stepfather and his dedicated mother, but that’s about to change when he discovers he’s a demigod: the offspring of a human and a Greek god, and yeah they do exist. But that’s not all, now another dark god wants him dead as he understands he must make a stand to survive.

NOW I GET WHY FANS WERE SO UPSET ABOUT THE MOVIE.

The studio practically Disneyed it up and then MTV it up to make it better for teens, and finally they Hollywood it up for “crowd acceptance”; with this I say the book was so much better even with them being kids and stuff. I wasn’t bored as I had presumed I would be, I got driven into the story right up, the characters started to grow on me and the situations weren’t ridiculous by the only exception of the Medusa background which for me was an insult to Greek mythology and I know the kid audience would be pretty fucked up after reading the real story but I still feel ashamed of that part. Leaving that aside, I’d like to mention how glad I was to se gods not feeling shit for their kids cuz I’m not a fan of Poseidon for the Medusa or Demeter or any other walking vagina he couldn’t keep his gross hands from issue; though I feel Zeus and Athena might be good humane parents after all, I mean he surely loved Thalia to grow a three in her dead place and Athena surely loves Anabeth if she writes to her. So I’m strangely happy about that, who would have thought that Zeus had a beating heart for his kids.

 

Week #94 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good night, fellow readers.

My week was pretty interesting since my Statistics madness was fixed and my French fears were dismissed. Now I’ll be entering Midterms exams and I’m eager to study my way out of them, so during the weekend I’ll be reading my Translation Theory notes and practicing the formulas for Statistics (I’ve never hated anything like this pain in the ass). Anyways, going back to my dear old week: I only managed to read three books but they were worthy and too long to take only two days to terminate them.

The first one was The Iron Queen by Kaitlin Bevis, the third book in the Daughter of Zeus series.

The search for Persephone has started. Everyone is desperate and driving themselves nuts with the possibilities of what could Zeus be doing to the young goddess. The only person who seems to still share a connection to both the predatory captor and the kidnapped girl is the one Hades and Demeter will never trust: the ever so horned Aphrodite. She informs them of Zeus insane requests in return for the girl and none of them is willing to give up. Until they get a taste of her constant torture, and hurt; the clock is ticking and someone’s got to make a decision : the goddess or the human race.

PRETTY FUCKED UP, NO DOUBT ON THAT.

OK, so Zeus is still a perverse little shit. like for real. I’ve never wanted to kill a God so bad just to eliminate his sorry rotten ass from the face of the Earth. This was just sick. I mean I know gods like him don’t give a shit about their offspring but he was so fucking attracted to her body and I wanted to puke, so glad he’s gone and he suffered. Changing the topic, I totally knew that the sacrifice would come from Demeter and I still felt moved when it happened, she was the most human of the gods and that’s exactly what they all need: that humanity that Aphrodite gained without even noticing it. (There’s no need for words in this gif)

Second book I read was Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, the number one novel in the White Rabbit chronicles.

Alice lost her family in a strange car accident where she came out alive with unreal visions of what truly happened to her parents. Now she’s moved to a new town with her grandparents and is desperate to move on and forget, all until she meets and shares a peculiar encounter with the dangerous Cole. There’s where everything started to turn the turn to the insanity : Now her dreams are most likely memories, the rabbit cloud she fears could mean that death is near and her little sister could be a friendly ghost. But above all, in her look for answer she’ll find that the dead might not be so dead after all.

ADDICTIVE LITERARY HEROIN.

I remember I saw this book cover and a little preview in a Mexican Booktube channel and I wasn’t quite interested, somehow the story kept in my mind till in 2016 (four years after our meeting) I decided to give it a shot. In the beginning I saw Carroll’s influence with the rabbit shaped cloud and possible insanity, then it vanished and I had no idea where that went, I said to the author in my mind: Gena, you’ve created a tangled mess, and I’m falling in love with it. Therefore, in page 100 I knew I couldn’t have stopped reading even if I had wanted to, I just needed to finish it and unravel its layers like the torrid love story between Alice and Cole, the badass chosen one like plot line surrounding Alice’s abilities, the lost and hatred towards the living as well as the regret and purpose a girl fees after being heartbroken because of her parental assumptions. The book let’s us go through a path of a girl’s process through mourning and sorrow, but also through acceptance and defiance, which is pretty amazing when one sees it portrayed on paper. Overall, I need more and I won’t stop.

Third and last book I read was Through the Zombie Glass by the same author, the second one in the series.

Her relationship is shifting after Alice shares a steamy vision with another hunter. Now her heart is bleeding and madness is taking over her, the pictures in the mirror may mean that an epic fight is about to begin cuz this time Alice is no longer the only resident in her body but a dark spirit is ready to remove her from her mind. Must Alice give in and enjoy her last days? Or battle to the end for her life? All this while the crew starts to realize that their troubles are far from gone when the crazy principal went away.

NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING.

I honestly thought this would be like the typical second or third book in a series where the love triangle is introduced and the female protagonist suffers for her lover’s decisions. However, this wasn’t the case entirely : I even found this innovative cuz Ali never felt a thing more than moral disgust for Gavin and I felt the characters made some personality progress. She showed her dark side and it didn’t mean wearing leather jackets but smashing a bitch’s head against the linoleum like a beast (that might made me emotionally disturbed but wth), she kicked so no regrets’ ass like nobody’s business. And I loved it, besides all my love for this girl I found the plot interesting and logical to the point of insanity if that makes any sense.

Week #93 of Reading Like A Maniac

Hi, y’all

This week has been one of the worst in my university years, I’m stressed, nervous and afraid of everything because of the effing survey I must make for my Statistics class. I’m literally the one who is the most worried about our progress, to not say the only one. So yeah, books have become a way out for my sanity and myself.

First was Of Poseidon by Anna Banks, the first book in the Syrena Legacy series.

Emma’s best friend died before her bare eyes and there was nothing she could have done to save her, right? The new kid, Galen thinks she could’ve done more since he believes she belongs to an ancient race of merfolk named Syrenas. He is one of them and she appears to belong to an special branch of these creatures, she could be the new hope or threat to his kind and their future. But there are more problems coming because she truly believes herself to be a regular human, but what’s normal about talking to fish? He should kill her but there’s something about her bubbly personality that makes him happier and horned between duty and love.

NOW I WANT SOME MORE SYRENAS.

I wasn’t expecting to actually like these mermaid like creatures and their background and all their badass history and feud with humans but I did. I was astonished by the whole mystery surrounding Emma’s true nature and her existence, because it was far from simple and predictable I mean you could think is the obvious answer for an avid reader but it isn’t so it takes time and in the end you’re still shocked you didn’t see it coming but still think is one of those one in a lifetime question marks where the fun is in the process of finding out what is it. Another think I liked was seeing how Galen slowly realised how much he loved her that he was willing to lose his large years under the sea to spend her years with her above it. So romantic, but in a way that doesn’t make me feel like a cliché teen.

Second was Of Triton by the same author.

Emma’s reaction to her been a half Syrena hybrid was priceless but the one to her mother’s reveal was the most shocking. Everything turns to hell when Nallia runs away with her and forges an animity with the Tritons because of her desperation to protect Emma (she kicked the crap out of Rayna) and her belief that her long lost love is dead. It becomes a persecution, while some civilian traitors try to dethrone the monarchy with lies and secret alliances.

I’M BECOMING ADDICTED TO THIS WHILE LISTENING TO SIA.

I feel so fucking guilty and such a shitty person cuz for a while I doubted Rachel’s loyalties and thought she was allied with the doctor to make experiments against the syrenas, and now… I’m an awful distrustful misfit. This is the very first time I feel bad for not relying on someone and it’s not a pleasing feeling, cuz she was so good and nice and resourceful and such a mom for the Tritons. 😢 Anyways, the plotline for this follow up was fantastic, everything wasn’t as shocking as the first one but I was still intrigued by al the political revolution going on and all the badass powers surrounding my baes and how it all turned out. I must say I’m pleased, I’m satisfied with the outcome and I want the next one.

BTW, I like Nallia’s father so much, he could be the father figure Emma lost when her own dad passed away.

The next one is Of Neptune by the same author.

Galen and Emma are still suffering the aftermath of Rachel’s death, the new order in the Syrena society and their own waiting future, so when her Poseidon grandfather offers them to travel to a secret town named Neptune they can’t refuse. However, much more than a town of hybrids awaits for them, because intrigues are a global thing and kidnappings are not far from it. Besides this, misunderstandings are ahead of their seemly perfect relationship.

I’M NOT TRYING TO BE MEAN BUT THE EPILOGUE WAS THE BEST THING HERE.

When I went into the first six chapters I began to think: is this the same couple I left in love a book ago? Because all they did was fighting and just being sick of each other’s presence and needs; and I felt uncomfortable during all his possessive moments and her own getaways of not giving a shit about his whereabouts. It was so unpleasant, but changing the topic I did liked something and that was the lovely epilogue! It was softly romantic and realistic for this trilogy. I was more than OK with that, I could literally read through their raw emotions.

The following book was Persephone by Kaitlin Bevis, the first book of the Daughters of Zeus series.

Persephone prefers to go by the name of Kora at school, she doesn’t need more weirdness in her life. Somehow she always attracts unwanted attention because of her beauty and jealousy from the girls. But the ultimate strange detail about her is revealed when she’s almost kidnapped by a creaper: she’s a Greek goddess, daughter of Demeter and Zeus; and the God of Winter wants her for himself.

IT HAD IT ALL BUT IT WASN’T ENOUGH.

Technically I began reading this as excited as any other Greek mythology groupie would be, however I found it shocking that it wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be: it had great potential but I found myself falling asleep in the process to the point of reading without comprehending a thing until I reached the part she was having some positive inexplicable feelings for Hades. There I woke up, cuz I was intrigued and finally I liked it because of her bravery, cleverness and determination to do as her would commands no matter the risks she could go through. And then the shocking turn of events was just out of nowhere cuz I trusted this person and now I’m scared for her future and chances with Hades, besides her killing powers are simply appealing to my twisted mind.

The final one was Daughter of Earth and Sky by the same author.

Hades still doesn’t want to accept his relationship with Persephone and it hurts her. Thanatos’ forced promise hurts her as well. Melissa’s desire to be free and away from her hurts her too. And her mother’s omissions of the truth gets her breaking point. She’s stressed, she sees no way out of her pain and when she meets Aphrodite she immediately relies on her new sister’s care to rest for a while from all her responsibilities and duties.

SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE FIRST ONE.

I was teary, annoyed, sad, angsty, shocked, disgusted and really scared with the book’s revelation about Zeus identity. I literally wanted to vomit, I mean how could any breathing thing be interested in a revolting abomination like him?! I mean I thought Poseidon was the living shit hole for all his back story but he wasn’t such a nonsense and I’m even tempted to trust him. He seems reliable now that the most trust worthy insignificant ones have become powerful.

Week #92 of Reading Like A Maniac

Good night,

So… This week set off pretty good and it ended up with me having constant headaches because of all the homework I’ve got to do if I want some free time to read later. There’s French, English, Theory of Translation and Statistics! They all make me wanna die in a lake made of my tears and sweat, I’m already exhausted. However, since the week didn’t start getting awful till half of it I managed to read four fabulous books.

The first book I read is the first in the Viking Warriors series by Harper St George, Enslaved by the Viking.

Merewyn used to be a free young woman just wondering near the shore of her island until the Vikings arrived and her sister in law gave her as bait to them so they wouldn’t tear the village down. She’s now under the orders and care of Eirik, a strong hearted  and bravely stubborn warrior who refuses to let this Saxon girl get into his core and change his ways and what his people expect of him but there’s a difference between reason and love. And none of them will be able to fight it.

I WAS DEFINITELY ENTERTAINED.

I thought that this would be a quick boring and cliché little romance historical fiction novel from the 90’s but now, I learned a lot of Viking invasions and its brutal yet organized culture and the OTP! It was glorious, it was expected when it came to secrecy and unexpected in strength of emotions area; I felt as happy and satisfied as a teenager from the early 2000’s while listening to The Black Eyed Peas: I was ecstatic in the love scenes and their little sweet details with each other.

It was certainly lovely.

The next book is the sequel, One Night with the Viking.

Kadlin and Gunnar had been friends for a long time, but both feel like more than just a little childish mate for each other. So after a night of passion and revelations, he leaves and she’s forced to marry to guard her torned shame and the consequences of that night. But when they are reunited, she must think and rethink if she could trust him again since they aren’t both children anymore and have to stand up for their choices.

THOSE DAMN VIKINGS ARE DRIVING ME TO INSANITY.

Communication was definitely needed between these two, Gunnar seriously needed to stop thinking so low of himself cuz she loved him dearly and gave him a son. Anyways, I grew to love these characters and the unfairness of their situations; Kadlin was so brave and constant and passionate that I couldn’t help but to immediately adore her, even though she waited and waited and waited for him to realise that Avalt was his son. And all because of his moronic excuse of a father who renounce to love cuz he thought it was a weakness when it clearly was never that. Anyhow, I felt this story was more mature and had more things that I liked, however I wish it had had an epilogue like the previous one.

The third book I read was Wicked by Jennifer L. Armentrout.

Ivy is part of a race formed on destroying deadly faes and getting rid of them for the human’ survival. But all the rules fade when she is attacked for a human like fae that resists to die of iron knives. And everything gets even more complicated when sarcastic and mysterious Ren who puts all the things she’s thought she knew into question including her reluctance to fall in love.

THAT WAS BETTER THAN I EXPECTED, SO MUCH BETTER.

I admit that despite it been a JLA story, I had my doubts reading the first chapter but once I got to know this badass main character and its hilarious companions (I’m referring to you Tink). I just never was deeply interested in the “killing the fae” business cuz I believe it is terribly misogynistic and such a communist behavior, but in here these magical creatures have no real humanity, and crave human’s energy and life. Besides that, there was the steamy love scenario between Ivy and Ren which was just so mature but still fun and childish in so many ways. And now she just discovered that huge plot twist and I’m desperate to find out how this ends.

The final book was the straqnge stand alone by Alexis Noelle named Breaking Free.

Holly decided that since the moment she was attacked she wouldn’t be involve with any other like that and that brought consequences like she feeling unable to be touch by nobody. But that changes when she meets rock star Drew and his rock solid body that’s capable to tickle her instead of bringing back traumatic memories; and she’ll go through he’ll to stay with him, literally.

IT DEFINITELY FULFILED AN ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSE FOR 2008 TEENAGERS.

This had the worst feminist message ever, despite being her choice to move one from him and her traumas it still didn’t manage to make it OK. Everything about that relationship was toxic, sometimes hot and other times one just couldn’t stare at how Holly was so suddenly into his no strings attached idea or his dominating tendencies; it reached a point of becoming a bit concerning. Also there were the too unrealistic scenes like their insta sexual attraction and how he was the only one who could touch her and she was so eager to remain with his abusive behavior. I other words, it managed to keep me entertained but it gave me no comfort in the moral area.