I unfortunately have to admit that even though I started reading this book literally 5' after reading it's synopsis, I didn't like it as much as I hoped I would.

The first half had me hooked, I couldn't stop reading late into the night, because it was an intriguing dystopian story about a girl that grows up in a very conservative church community under the iron fist of a Prophet, while the whole world is ravaged by a mysterious pandemic (rings any bells?

I think I read the first book of the series last year. So it was long overdue for me to finally get my hands on the second installment and even though I gave it exactly the same rating, I enjoyed it a little less than the first book.

Let me explain. This book definitely reinstated my love for the series and that's mainly because the relationships between the Raven Boys and Blue were to die for. I enjoyed the plot of the first book waaaay more, but what the first book was lacking in comparison to this one, was the relationships. It took way too long to establish the friendship and this book blossomed with their interactions, which I loved!

Overall, I liked the book. I liked the fact that we got an inside on Ronan and his dreams, I found him a very interesting character and I loved the time we spent exploring and learning to know him.

There were many tender, many heartwarming and thrilling moments, so I think all in all, this book had a lot of things I generally love in YA novels. My favourite moments were definitely the owns featuring Blue and Gansey, because Gansey is my absolute favourite character and I can't wait until he gets together with Blue!

The weak point of this book, for me personally, was Grey Man. I didn't like him, I didn't particularly care for him and overall I think that he didn't really offer anything to the story. His redeeming arc felt like it took two paragraphs to write, it was too short and I don't like the fact that he's so seamlessly integrated with Blue's family. To be honest, this book had a villan/antagonist, who was Kavinsky, so I don't think that the Grey Man was really needed to move the plot forward.

Closing, I liked this book! I read it with one of my good friends, so I think this totally enhanced my experience and I can't wait to continue with the series!

After this book, I am convinced the Rory Power can write down her grocery list and I will still read it.

This book is a beautiful mix of magical realism with mystery/thriller elements, all in a southern setting. Didn't know that I would love this combination, but let me tell you, my imagination run wild with all the visuals I was able to conjure while reading.

What I think is the most interesting part about this book, is that even though I didn't like or connected with any of the characters, I still loved it. The story drew me in and refused to let me go and I went with it, despite not really feeling attached to any of the characters.

This book reads like a creepy bedtime story, even though the setting is contemporary, the matters discussed totally feel like something out of a fairy tale.

I loved the thrilling aspects, the fire, the body deformation and the whole mystery regarding Margot's mum's past! What was also very prominent and something I also loved was the mother daughter relationships, spanning two generations.

You may have noticed that this review is a bit vague and really you don't need to know any more before reading this book, I went into it blind and it was a trip! I think that Rory Power has a way with words, her prose is as flowery as needed, without tiring the reader and the way the events unfold is slow enough to make you anticipate what's coming, but fast enough so that you don't get bored.

All in all, just read this and then we can discuss it, cause I absolutely adored it!

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

This is a difficult book not only to rate but to also review. I think that overall I enjoyed it, but then again, there were times that I was actively making myself read, so that I could finish it.

Let's take it from the start. This book takes place a little while before Franco comes in power in Spain and takes us from that point all the way to 1990s. Quite a lot of years if you ask me and not only that, these are years when the world was in political turmoil and so we have a lot of ground to cover! We follow 2 families, the Dalmau's and the del Solar's, as their lives interweave through the years.

What I believe hindered my enjoyment is this. On one hand, we go through all these years, from Spain, to Chile to Venezuela and back to Chile, while history is furiously writing itself and I felt like the historical aspect was a bit lacking. There were mentions of course of Franco, Pinochet, political refugees, etc but in a, according to my personal opinion, superficial level. I craved more, I love history and this book mentioned things I already knew, instead of diving just a little bit deeper.

What I mentioned above would have been fine, if we explored the characters more closely. But I felt that didn't happen as well. I couldn't connect with any of them and even though I really respected Roser at some points, generally I quite disliked her.

This book is a little over 300 pages long and in that page count, it is attempted to not only travel through 50 years of Spanish & Chilean history, but also follow a number of characters through their whole lives. I think that these two goals weren't really met, because the book was short. A few 100 more pages maybe would have done the trick, giving the reader more time with the story and allowing the author to elaborate more on the important historic events and her characters' inner world.

One of the faster reads I've read in quite a few years! This book follows an unofficial private investigator, dealing with cases in a city outside of New York. It contains 3 different short stories that are loosely interconnected and delivers a quite thrilling array of mysteries waiting to be solved.

I usually don't tend to read short stories, I'm not sure why though, since I love writing them! This was a very nice introduction to short stories and I will admit I prefer thrillers/mysteries that aren't overly drawn out, so that I can reach the conclusion faster and satisfy my curiosity!

What I found both intriguing and not so much to my liking, was the writing. It's very straightforward, with short sentences, almost devoid of emotion and suspense. On one hand, this makes, as I said, for an extremely fast read. On the other hand, it doesn't create the necessary atmosphere a thriller needs to have to be thoroughly enjoyable.

Overall, I liked this book and since it's my first from this author, I will definitely read more from him, as I'm trying to dive deeper into thrillers/mysteries this year!

A book that introduced me to suburbia and now I want to read every book in that subgenre!

Overall, I have to say that this book surprised me pleasantly, in the sense that even though I didn't like any of the characters and I have to admit I strongly disliked our girl Mia, I loved this book and this story!

A story that frustrated me, made me want to have a heated debate about every sub plot and it's a novel that I mentioned to almost all my friends on bookstagram, before even finishing it!

The writing style was beautiful and direct, not overly dramatic, which I think suited the story amazingly. It's a book that I wish I had the time to finish in one sitting, I loved it from start to finish and I definitely recommend it to everyone!

Now, if you've already read it, just send me a DM, cause I'm dying to discuss it!

It's been 2 weeks (or maybe even more) since I read this book and I still cannot cohesively articulate how much I enjoyed and how much saddened I was by this book.

It's a domestic story about an interracial couple and their three kids. We dive in their past, present and future and it's great that we get a complete and wholesome view of their lives.

Celeste Ng knows how to delve deep into the lives of people. She knows how to tell a story that even though doesn't have something extraordinary in its center, even though it's a domestic story about people you've probably met in your life, still is compelling and evokes so many emotions to the reader.

Seeing the strenuous relationship between Lydia and her mother, between Lydia and Nathan, between all 5 of the family members, was so heartbreaking. We take a good look at their psyches and there's no way you won't feel for Lydia or Nathan.

Fleshed out characters, combined with a slow paced, but intriguing plot make up a book that I've been thinking about long after I've finished it and a book I will definitely recommend to anyone looking for an insightful read!

A book that I read so quickly and I am very pleased to say that I immensely enjoyed it! I think this is the kind of book that not only deserves a re-read, but also some annotations as well, as it provided so much food for thought!

Talking about that, I think that this book explored so many interesting and serious topics and I was very lucky to buddy read it with a lovely friend, because our conversations were so wholesome!

My two favourite characters were definitely Emira and Briar! Emira was such a beautiful girl, I loved her relationship with her friends, how real she was about everything and it was so heart wrenching seeing her try to figure out what to do with her life. Briar on the other hand was the most amazing, genius toddler I've ever read about! Her and Emira were a brilliant pair and I loved all their moments together!

And now it's time to talk about Alix and Kelley. Alix was a person that I didn't really like, but I couldn't exactly understand why. I think that she had good intentions, but overall she wasn't an exactly blameless person in the events that unfolded. Kelley was another person that I didn't like, but in his case, I think I know the reason. I didn't like his relationship with Emira at all, it felt like he was "using" her in a way. Borrowing the words of my friend, a comment she made while we were reading this: "these people seem more concerned with appearing like they aren't racist, instead with actually not being racist". I have to say that I completely agree with that statement, which I think is the driving force behind the reasons why I didn't like these two people.

All in all, I really loved this novel! It was so poignant, so refreshingly clever! I will definitely read anything else this author comes up with!

I have a very interesting relationship with this series. I love moments of each book, but sometimes, as a whole, I find it difficult to determine if I really like it or not.

This book was definitely the best of the 3 I've read so far. There were some amazing moments, moments that I would love to see on the big screen, especially the chapter with the animals in the cave.

Another aspect I really loved, was how in depth the characters were explored. I felt that certain parts of this book were Adam's redemption arc. I loved seeing him change and slowly discover himself through all his adversities. Gansey and Blue were another bright light in this book, even though I was hoping for so much more, since this is the second to last book in the series.

What I didn't like at all, was Maura's behavior. I found it immature, irresponsible and the way she apologized to Blue was lacking and I found it insincere. I think Blue deserves more than that, more than a mother who disappeared just as she was starting her final year of school.

Something else that didn't sit well with me, is the fact that Greenmantle wasn't a villain. He was a caricature. He didn't make me feel afraid, he was so weak and even though he was supposed to be the main antagonist of the book, he was more of a nuisance, than an evil mastermind.

All in all, the whole atmosphere of this book was brilliant. The writing style is lovely, the characters are getting better and better with each page and I'm hoping for a solid conclusion to this series!

Read it for class and it was a very intriguing and wild ride!