First things first, how on Earth is this book so long?? I was genuinely baffled because it could have been 350 pages shorter and it would still make sense! All the filler chapters really made me want to throw the book across the room, because literally nothing happened! Every single character had such elaborate inner monologues and I was sitting in my bedroom floor, maniacally turning the pages, wishing it would end!

Now on to things I liked! Firstly, I never thought I would have liked Evangeline! She was maybe the only POV I enjoyed, because her character had so much growth and it was refreshing to see her evolve so much! Some of the battle scenes were also very cool, I could really feel the action and become energized which is something I love, especially in a fantasy novel!

And now, we've reached the things I hated! First and foremost, the whole Cal and Mare romance was not as good as it could have been, I couldn't feel the angst, or sympathize with them.

Something else I didn't like, was the writing and the planning of the plot, as I've already mentioned. We were like 160 pages from the end, and there was an impending war, Maven had escaped, Cal became king, Mare left him with no resources, the supposed democracy wasn't even remotely established and the book was just about to end! The ending was executed so hastily it was a bit sad to see the conclusion of a series I loved, amount to this. If the author had spent less time on irrelevant characters' inner monologue and more in progressing the plot, this book could have been so much better!

All in all, I didn't like "War Storm"! I felt very disappointed, because as I said, this is a series a I loved and this book really let me down and unfortunately tainted my perception of the series as a whole.

I don't know why this took me aaaaages to finish. I think I was reading this book for 2.5 months and it wasn't even that long!

I think that maybe the problem could be that I watched the mini series before reading the book and I loved the episodes so much, so went I started reading something felt missing. I've never have this happen to me before, so I pushed through, because I could appreciate the way Prachett crafted this story!

I would say this book is more character driven than plot driven and that doesn't generally bother me, but sometimes I wished things would move a liiiittle bit faster! I really loved Moist, I think he's one of the most well written characters of the book, his personality was so interesting to read about and I loved all his shenanigans and plots! Also, the romance with Adora was on point, even though we didn't see as much of it as I had hoped!

The writing style was interesting, it felt like a mix of a classic and modern style to me and even though I liked it, I think that's one of the reasons it took me so long to finish the book.

All in all, I think I'm going to read the next 2 novels about Moist and Adora, because I really loved them as characters and I'd love to know how their story will continue!

It's finally time to talk about this book, after nearly 2 weeks passed since I finished it...
I really don't know how to feel about it, certainly though, I'm afraid I didn't enjoy it as much as anyone else did.

Let's start with the fact that it's historical fiction and I knew it would be right up my alley, since this genre is one of my favorites. The writing style was also so good, you could definitely tell that Doerr is a skillful storyteller that knows how to narrate a story and how to create interesting characters full of depth.

The books tells the story of two different people, Marie-Laure and Werner are our two main characters, but tbh I think that this story's main protagonist is the radio. Anyway, the chapters were interchanging between Werner and Marie-Laure's story, which I think had both pros and cons.
The chapters were quite small and even though I don't like short chapters, in this case I was grateful for them, because unfortunately I didn't like Marie-Laure's part of the story as much as I hoped.

I loved Werner. Loved him so much because he was so vulnerable and his story had so much to it! So much! It could be explored so much more, I've never read a book partly concentrating on the efforts to turn young boys into Nazi soldiers and I was loving every minute of it! I'd love to explore more of his character as he spend his days at the school, there was so much more to him than just being a soldier who even DIED AN UNDIGNIFIED DEATH. When I read that part I was bawling, because Werner was the only character of the book that got a bad ending. Everyone else, even the Giant got some sort of closure, but no, Werner had to die and it felt like the author was killing him to make him atone for his sins at the school. His death felt like a katharsis to me, but I don't think it was needed. He was changing, and he wasn't evil at heart, he just needed a chance to prove himself...
Anyway, I could rant for days for Werner, he was my favorite and his death felt like a physical punch to the gut...

As for Marie-Laure, I loved her relationship with her father. It was so clear how much he loved her and it was heartwarming to see how diligently he was preparing her for the outside world, since she is blind. I starting liking her story more whenever they moved with her Uncle and I also loved said Uncle, because he truly made an effort to help himself and Marie-Laure as well!

All in all, this is an awesome historical fiction novel. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves this genre, but I would also recommend it to people that are looking for a book to start, because it has captivating characters and the short chapters will definitely help someone who's not familiar with the genre!

This was probably one of the top three books I wanted to read in 2019 and it was a big disappointment. The premise was awesome, the blurb made it seem like an epic adventure full of supernatural elements and romance, but the end product was far from what the blurb promised the reader.

The novel reads more like a highschool drama than a supernatural story. Even Twilight (and if you know me, then you know I don't like this book) had more supernatural elements that this book. The were pages when I was reading full on supernatural stuff (and loving it) and then whole chunks of the book revolving around Jihoon and Miyoung's relationship. Then, a blast of supernatural again, then back to the relationship and so on. If you took out the fact that Miyoung is also a nine-tailed fox, the book was a standard YA teenage romance. The element that made it special wasn't as prominent and as well executed as I would have liked.

The characters were nice, I guess, I didn't really care for them in a sense that I don't think I got to know them well to sympathize with them. Miyoung and Jihoon's relationship was interesting enough until the middle of the novel, where actually the whole novel itself started dragging for me. Also, this book contains the most ridiculous revelation where a father discovers his child is right in front of him

I love this so much

Gifted - Εκδόσεις Πατάκη [http://www.patakis.gr/]

Ομολογουμένως, το βιβλίο αυτό ανυπομονούσα να το πιάσω στα χέρια μου, καθώς μόνο καλά λόγια είχα ακούσει, τόσο για την ιστορία, όσο και για τη συγγραφέα. Χαίρομαι πολύ που ανταποκρίθηκε στις προσδοκίες μου και είναι ένα βιβλίο το οποίο σίγουρα θα ξαναδιαβάσω στο μέλλον!

Ας ξεκινήσουμε από τον τρόπο γραφής, ο οποίος είναι τόσο άμεσος και τόσο ωμός που ενώ στην αρχή δεν μπορούσα να αποφασίσω αν μου αρέσει ή όχι, ταίριαζε τόσο πολύ στην ιστορία και δημιουργούσε μια πολύ ιδιαίτερη μοντέρνα ατμόσφαιρα. Είναι ένα βιβλίο το οποίο χάρη στο συγγραφικό ταλέντο της Σ. Ρούνεϊ μπορεί πολύ εύκολα να διαβαστεί απνευστί, καθώς παρόλο που δεν υπάρχει έντονη δράση, η ιστορία κυλάει αβίαστα και με ωραίο ρυθμό.

Όσον αφορά τους χαρακτήρες, παρακολουθούμε τις σχέσεις που εκτυλίσσονται μεταξύ δύο φοιτητριών (και πρώην ζευγαριού) της Φράνσις και της Μπόμπι και ενός παντρεμένου ζευγαριού, του Νικ και της Μελίσσα. Την ιστορία την διηγείται η Φράνσις και νιώθω πως το βιβλίο είναι μια ματιά στο ημερολόγιο της, ο τρόπος που είναι γραμμένη η πρόζα και οι διάλογοι αυτή την αίσθηση μου δημιουργούν. Και οι 4 είναι χαρακτήρες που δεν μπορώ να πω πως συμπάθησα ιδιαίτερα, σίγουρα υπήρχαν κάποιες εκφάνσεις στις προσωπικότητες τους με τις οποίες μπορούσα να ταυτιστώ, αλλά σε γενικές γραμμές ήταν όλοι πολύ ιδιόρρυθμοι άνθρωποι με τον δικό τους τρόπο.

Αυτό που μου άρεσε περισσότερο απ' οτιδήποτε στο βιβλίο είναι πως συνεχώς μου δημιουργούσε συναισθήματα. Ενθουσιαζόμουν, θύμωνα, λυπόμουν, χαιρόμουν κτλ, ένα συνονθύλευμα συναισθημάτων καθώς προχωρούσε η ιστορία. Πιστεύω ότι με επηρέασε τόσο πολύ επειδή είναι μια πολύ ακριβής παρουσίαση της καθημερινότητας, είναι πολύ σύγχρονο και μοντέρνο και ο καθένας μπορεί να βρει στις πτυχές του βιβλίου εκφάνσεις τις καθημερινότητάς του ή των προβλημάτων που τον απασχολούν.

Είναι σχεδόν οδυνηρό να βλέπεις τις σχέσεις να εκτυλίσσονται μεταξύ της βασικής τετράδας, το δυναμικό της παρέας τους αλλάζει τόσο εύκολα, τόσο γρήγορα, τόσο ανεπανόρθωτα και, όπως είναι επόμενο, τις αλλαγές αυτές βιώνει και ο ψυχισμός των ηρώων, ειδικότερα της Φράνσις, η οποία ήταν και ο άνθρωπος που μου δημιούργησε τα περισσότερα αρνητικά συναισθήματα, ειδικά στο τέλος! Νομίζω για αυτήν μέσα μου μονομαχούν η λύπη και ο θυμός, χωρίς να υπάρχει ξεκάθαρος νικητής γιατί η πορεία της ήταν αρκετά τραγική.

Συνοψίζοντας, το βιβλίο αυτό όχι μόνο θα το ξαναδιαβάσω, αλλά θα φροντίσω να κρατήσω και σημειώσεις, καθώς η παρουσίαση και η ανάλυση των διαπροσωπικών σχέσεων που κάνει, είτε ερωτικών, είτε φιλικών, είναι εξαιρετική!

**Περισσότερα για τις Εκδόσεις Πατάκη, θα βρείτε στο link παραπάνω.

I'll start by saying that if I knew this book classified as a horror novel, I probably would never have read it! I cannot read horror novels or watch horror movies, it's just not my genre, but I'm so so glad I went into this book knowing nothing about it, because if I knew the genre beforehand, I would have missed it!

I'll talk about the genre a little bit more, because honestly, it didn't seem like a horror novel. It felt more like a gory thriller, which I immensely enjoyed! I also wasn't expecting the romance in it, but I was here for it!

The three main girls, Hetty, Reese and Byatt were fierce, independent and, the most important for me, had very distinct personalities! Hetty definitely acted like the glue between them, without her I doubt Byatt and Reese would even be friends. They aren't necessarily good people, but the world they are living in isn't kind as well, so they had to do cruel things and harden themselves to survive. Also, the devotion Hetty showed in rescuing Byatt was such an inspiring thing to read!

The whole atmosphere of the boarding school and the entire island slowly dying because of the Tox, was so eerie and I was turning page after page, eager to find out what would happen next! It was so thrilling reading about how the Tox affected the girls and even the flora and fauna of the Raxter island, what happened to the girls after each flare and I especially loved all the chapters that took place in the hospital when they did the experiments.

The last few chapters had me at the edge of my seat, I wasn't expecting the book to take that turn but I loved every second of it! All in all, I think it's clear that I loved it and I totally recommend it it anyone who's in for a thrilling adventure!

Gifted - Εκδόσεις Πατάκη [http://www.patakis.gr/]

Να ξεκινήσουμε λέγοντας πως αγαπώ τα ιστορικά μυθιστορήματα. Διαβάζοντας λοιπόν την περίληψη του συγκεκριμένου, ήξερα πως θα είναι ένα βιβλίο που οχι μόνο θα μου αρέσει, αλλά θα είναι και πολύ καλή αναγνωστική εμπειρία, καθώς αναφέρεται σε ένα κομμάτι της ιστορίας το οποίο με συναρπάζει, και αυτό δεν είναι άλλο από τις τελευταίες μέρες της δυναστείας των Ρομανόφ.

Ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον στοιχείο της αφήγησης είναι πως γίνεται σε δύο χρόνους, στο παρόν και στο παρελθόν και σιγά σιγά, με μικρά στοιχεία και αναφορές, αυτές οι δύο φαινομενικά διαφορετικές ιστορίες, γίνονται μία και ο αναγνώστης έχει μια σφαιρική εικόνα των γεγονότων, διαβάζοντας κιόλας διαφορετικές απόψεις, καθώς η αφήγηση είναι τριτοπρόσωπη (η αγαπημένη μου!)

Κάτι που μου έλειψε ομολογώ είναι η ατμόσφαιρα. Ως ιστορικό μυθιστόρημα περίμενα να νιώσω την ατμόσφαιρα εκείνης της εποχής, του πολέμου, των κακουχιών, να νιώσω το ανατριχιαστικό συναίσθημα του εγκλεισμού της οικογένειας Ρομανόφ στην οικία Ιπάτιεφ, ή την θλίψη του Ντμίτρι, που τον κατέκλυζε στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος της ζωής του.

Προς το τέλος, το βιβλίο αυτό έχει μια μεγάλη ανατροπή, το λεγόμενο plot twist, το οποίο με έπιασε εντελώς απροετοίμαστη, καθώς σε βιβλία που βασίζονται σε ιστορικά γεγονότα δεν συνηθίζεται κάτι τέτοιο. Εννοείται πως δεν θα πω σε τι αναφέρομαι, γιατί spoiler alert! Παρόλο που δεν το περίμενα, ήταν πολύ γενναία απόφαση της συγγραφέως να το τολμήσει, δεν το τολμούν πολλοί και πιστεύω πως ήταν πολύ ενδιαφέρον στη συγκεκριμένη ιστορία!

Συνοψίζοντας, "Η Μυστική Σύζυγος" μου χάρισε ένα ταξίδι στην Ρωσία και όχι μόνο, καθώς οι ήρωες μας ταξίδεψαν και σε άλλες χώρες σε πολύ σημαντικές χρονικές περιόδους για την ανθρωπότητα. Ένα πολύ ενδιαφέρον βιβλίο, με προσεγμένη γραφή που θα κυλήσει αβίαστα για κάθε αναγνώστη.

Περισσότερα για τις Εκδόσεις Πατάκη θα βρείτε στο link πάνω.

Partner - Penguin Random House International

First things first, someone needs to make this into a movie, or better yet, a mini series AND I need to land a role in it, because I loved it so much!

This book had everything I love: spies, romance, politics, Russian history and literature. I was sold just from reading the synopsis and I was crossing my fingers I would love it as much as I hoped!

Full of vibrant, interesting and easily distinguishable characters, I was sitting on the edge of my seat, turning the pages furiously to find out what would happen next! The events that took place in the West were just as thrilling as the events that took place in the East, and frankly, I didn't know which part of the story I wanted to read more of!

The writing is elegant, fast paced when needed and more languid when also needed. It didn't make me feel bored and nothing was handed out on a plate for me, the author made me think, not only what would happen next, but also contemplate politics, freedom of speech, homosexual relationships in the 50s-60s, etc. It provided so much food for thought, I wished all of my bookworm friends read it, so we could have hour-long discussions about it!

The characters, as I already mentioned, are unique with distinct voices and all come from interesting backgrounds. There are main and supporting characters of course, but the author had given such care to both categories, that every character matters and is an active part of moving the story forward.

All in all, "The secrets we kept" is a book that totally captivated me and had me thinking about it long after I finished it! I will be soon returning to the story and the characters, but this time, I'll annotate the hell out of this book and will definitely enjoy my second time visiting the story.

SO FUCKING DISAPPOINTED

Okay so let's start with what I liked and then let's talk about what I absolutely loathed.

After the first five chapters, I was convinced I would simply love this book. The story was progressing so well, Zoya and Nikolai are my new most favorite ship ever and Nina's POV was also interesting, even though it felt less exciting to read than Zoya's and Nikolai's POV.

When the story picked up with Yuri, I was equally furious (about the fact that there could be people worshipping the Darkling after everything he did) and excited, because the plot thickens and I knew something very awesome was coming our way, judging from my previous experience with Bardugo's books!

The second part of the book was the most exciting for me, loved Zoya's arc, I loved her as a character so so much and I wasn't expecting that! The ritual starts and I'm like reading at a breakneck pace, trying to finish the book as fast as I can.......and that's when I realized I wasn't going to like what was about to happen.

To be honest, Elizaveta's motives were understandable, but please, pleeeeeease how am I to believe she preserved Darkling's body??? How am I to believe she acted so fast when the Darkling was dying during the battle in the Fold??

Let's say I do believe that. Let's go with the flow for a minute. Also, side note: I hated Yuri with a passion, especially after those events. The ritual starts, Nikolai starts beating the demon and I'm cheering for him, Elizaveta attacks and Zoya does the whole thing where she becomes the dragon, which by the way was a badass move and my girl was fierce!

Then, we have Zoya about to burn the Darkling and we are led to believe she did kill him and Elizaveta and now Nikolai, Yuri and Zoya are about to return to Ravka.

Two things bothered me so so so much and I'll justify my 1 star rating in a bit.
Firstly, the fact that the demon inside Nikolai wasn't gone forever after everything he endured in the Thorn wood. Like, I don't know how you want us to go with this plotline, I just don't believe that the monster wasn't slayed. I am sorry but I truly am not convinced at this point.
Secondly, we are told that a shadow, A FUCKING SHADOW ESCAPED THE DARKLING WHILE ZOYA WAS BURNING HIM TO DEATH AND ENTERED YURI AND NOW YURI IS THE DARKLING!!!!!!

And that's when I lost it, that's when I rated the book with 1 star, because those last 3 pages of the book where more unnecessary than a chicken's wings!!! Everything was going smoothly and I was going to let the fact that the demon is still in Nikolai pass, and then the last three pages of the book happened and I wanted to scream.

You may think I'm overreacting but you know what? I felt cheated. The ending felt cheap, so so cheap. It's like she doesn't trust us to like and love the already existing characters and brings back the Darkling to do what exactly???

Let me tell you, without the Darkling, we still had an exciting story to tell in the next book. You want proof??
We have Nikolai with a demon inside him, a General Commander who's a dragon, an imminent war with Fjerda, Nina who's doing her own spy work, a supposedly engaged Nikolai with a princess, Nikolai and Zoya's unresolved feelings and the list can go on and on! Because this book gave so much without the Darkling, this book is so much without the Darkling, this book has wholesome and interesting characters without the Darkling!

And no, I don't hate the Darkling, actually in the Grisha Trilogy I thought he was one of the most intriguing characters and I loved every bit of information we got about his backstory. But his story, like Alina's, ended and I would be equally alienated if Mal and Alina made an unexpected appearance.

Any way, this book doesn't belong to me, I do not get to dictate how the story will go and of course, have no power over the author. This is Leigh Bardugo's work and I respect that, even though the previous ramblings might say the opposite. I just feel so sad and it's not the kind of sad you feel when a favorite characters dies, it's the kind of sad you feel when you've been waiting for something for so so long and it ends up not meeting your expectations.