re·view : Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1) by Richelle Mead
5 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

St. Vladimir’s Academy isn’t just any boarding school—it’s a hidden place where vampires are educated in the ways of magic and half-human teens train to protect them. Rose Hathaway is a Dhampir, a bodyguard for her best friend Lissa, a Moroi Vampire Princess. They’ve been on the run, but now they’re being dragged back to St. Vladimir’s—the very place where they’re most in danger...

Rose and Lissa become enmeshed in forbidden romance, the Academy’s ruthless social scene, and unspeakable nighttime rituals. But they must be careful lest the Strigoi—the world’s fiercest and most dangerous vampires—make Lissa one of them forever.

- Goodreads

re·view 

I read this book, for the first time, 5 years ago. That was my introduction to Richelle's world. Since I wanted to write the review, I figured I needed to look though the book to remember some of the details. I ended up marathoning the whole series in about two days..

I know a lot of people say this book is not very good, that you have to go though this one and then the books get really good. I actually disagree, I think this one is epic. The thing is though, they just get progressively better.

Now talking specifically about it.
The reader gets dropped in the middle of everything, we get some Rose/Dimitri action right off the bat. And is a little confusing in the beginning, but I love that Mead doesn't do any information dumping, she actually shows the reader how and why her world works. Then, it is our job to put it together.

The dialogs are amazing..

“Dimitri: "She might be wild and disrespectful, but if she has potential—"
Rose: "Wild and disrespecful? Who the hell are you anyway? Oursourced help?"
Kirova: "Guardian Belikov is the Princess Lissa's guardian now, her sanctioned guardian."
Rose: "You got cheap foreign labor to protect Lissa?”

This is just true love.

I love characters like Rose, witty out spoken and sexy. This book introduced me to this kind of heroine, now, I just can't get enough. One of the other favorites are the characters quirks, like Dimka's novels and the fact that nobody is perfect, a lot of them are morally impaired and not very politically correct. Makes them real and relatable.

I also love the human relationships in this, Rose and Lissa's friendship is just so well written. I also really like Rose and Dimitri's thing(romance? friendship? mentorship?), I like how they get to know each other. And the steaminess..

sorry, but I'm not sorry

just going though a massive reading slump.


Cuckoo's calling hangover? 

re·view : The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

The Cuckoo's Calling (Cormoran Strike, #1)  by Robert Galbraith.

5 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

A brilliant debut mystery in a classic vein: Detective Cormoran Strike investigates a supermodel's suicide.
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.

Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.

You may think you know detectives, but you've never met one quite like Strike. You may think you know about the wealthy and famous, but you've never seen them under an investigation like this.

Introducing Cormoran Strike, this is the acclaimed first crime novel by J.K. Rowling, writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.

re·view 

As Stephen J. Cannell points out in "A Deadly Game" "there's only three reasons to commit murder - love, money, or to cover up a crime." 

Even if the author goes around a bit, it always comes back to one of the tree. I have to say that I saw who did it coming, but I really did not expect the why.

The first thing that comes to mind about this book is that the writing is just so beautiful. It is everything I would expect from Jo Rowling.

I also have to say that I love mystery novels, it is probably my favorite genera, but I don't think this is just a mystery. To be honest, the mystery part is good, it is no Agatha Christie though. I also hate to break it to you, but it is not her first, The Chamber of Secrets is my favorite Potter book, and it is also a mystery.

The characters and their relationships is where it shines. In HP, I always loved the world and the magic, but there is plenty of that in the fantasy world. The characters kept me coming back, they grounded the novels in a way that it feels real.

And she hits the jackpot again on this one, Strike and Robin feel like people you might know, I just want to go to London and work for them. Strike is almost a blending of Sherlock and Watson, brilliant and tortured. Robin is just pure wit, the way I would expect Jo to be in real life. 

I love that their relationship is a friendship, yet there is always a door half open for something more. 

Also, it would probably make an excellent TV show. BBC? You there?

The special mention goes to the way she built the plot. She manages to leave clues, always pointing the other way. The way she wovens the little bits throughout the novel, creates such an intricate pattern. In a reread, you find everything right there, under your nose, and yet, you can't see.

re·view : Mistwood by Leah Cypess

Mistwood (Mistwood #1) by Leah Cypess
2.5 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty—because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court . . . until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart . . . and everything she thought she knew.

re·view 

Well, I don't have a lot to say about this one, witch is rare..
The book is fine. I liked the premise and was very exited to read it.

However, I don't like that the reader doesn't know anything about nothing, though. When I read fantasy, I need some sort of information and background to understand the world, on this one, the reader is just tossed in the water and expected to know how to swim.

The writing isn't my cup of tea either, the way she(and everybody) keeps referring to herself as the almighty shifter was just annoying. I understand where the author wanted to go with it, I just didn't like it.

Finally, the characters. I just could not get myself to care about it..

For those reasons, I don't think I will be picking up any more of Cypress's books.

re·view : The Archived by Victoria Schwab

The Archived  (The Archived, #1) by Victoria Schwab
4 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books.

Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive.

Da first brought Mackenzie Bishop here four years ago, when she was twelve years old, frightened but determined to prove herself. Now Da is dead, and Mac has grown into what he once was, a ruthless Keeper, tasked with stopping often—violent Histories from waking up and getting out. Because of her job, she lies to the people she loves, and she knows fear for what it is: a useful tool for staying alive.

Being a Keeper isn’t just dangerous—it’s a constant reminder of those Mac has lost. Da’s death was hard enough, but now her little brother is gone too. Mac starts to wonder about the boundary between living and dying, sleeping and waking. In the Archive, the dead must never be disturbed. And yet, someone is deliberately altering Histories, erasing essential chapters. Unless Mac can piece together what remains, the Archive itself might crumble and fall.

In this haunting, richly imagined novel, Victoria Schwab reveals the thin lines between past and present, love and pain, trust and deceit, unbearable loss and hard-won redemption.

- Goodreads

re·view 

I only hear two things about this novel, is either that the book is amazing or that it is slow paced. I will say it is a little bit of both.

The writing is beautiful and the writing alone is what made me go though the first half of the novel, because the story is just boring. The good thing is that after the first half, the story completely comes together. After that, I was hooked, immersed on the story.

When the pacing picks up, also does the story line and I started to realize just how well plotted it actually is. I love the premise, and how creepy it felt at times.

I'm ok with the love interests, I mean, I could see the villain coming for miles, but is understandable. We can see why Mac does what she does and everything.
It is still not the best love plot line I ever saw. I like that all of it happened as a side plot, so if you dislike books with love interests, this one won't bother you too much.

I really like the character, but I gotta say the best part were the parents. Am I the only one who loves when these characters have actual living, breathing parents who actually have a say in their lives? Just yes.

Now to what I didn't like, the first thing was the back and forth. Sometimes is better to show how things happened, and we learn a lot during does, but I think it could be balanced a better. If Mac just told some of the story and then the other part came from the flashbacks, the rhythm of the book could be a little better.

Second thing was the villain, could see it coming, but i still like how things turned out.

What really surprised me were the revelations about the Library. I new something was wrong, it just felt off, but I never saw that coming.

news : Dimitri's POV by Richelle Mead

She promised and here it is :

The Meeting

A scene from the first book of the Vampire Academy series, as told from Dimitri's point of view

“Dimitri!”

I turned instantly at the sound of my name, shooting a glare at the guardian approaching in the darkness.  What was he thinking?  Everyone out here tonight knew how essential secrecy was.  It didn’t matter that he was young and simply excited about his first big mission.  We had no room for errors, not when this was the only break we’d had in over a year. Realizing his mistake, he grew apologetic, though not nearly enough.

“Sorry.” He dropped his voice to a stage whisper and tapped his ear.  “Headset’s not working.  We checked the house, and they’re already gone.  They must have had warning, maybe a perimeter of spies on the streets.”  As his excitement returned, the young guardian—Laurence—began speaking rapidly.  “I was thinking about it.  They probably have a whole network of people working with them!  It makes sense, right?  How else have they managed to stay ahead of us for so long? There’s no telling how deep this conspiracy goes!  We might be facing an army tonight!”

Read the rest HERE

review : Gameboard of the Gods by Richelle Mead

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1)by Richelle Mead

4.5 Stars.

Featured in Alyssa's blog : AC Reads.

syn·op·sis 




In a futuristic world nearly destroyed by religious extremists, Justin March lives in exile after failing in his job as an investigator of religious groups and supernatural claims. But Justin is given a second chance when Mae Koskinen comes to bring him back to the Republic of United North America (RUNA). Raised in an aristocratic caste, Mae is now a member of the military’s most elite and terrifying tier, a soldier with enhanced reflexes and skills.

When Justin and Mae are assigned to work together to solve a string of ritualistic murders, they soon realize that their discoveries have exposed them to terrible danger. As their investigation races forward, unknown enemies and powers greater than they can imagine are gathering in the shadows, ready to reclaim the world in which humans are merely game pieces on their board.

Gameboard of the Gods, the first installment of Richelle Mead’s Age of Xseries, will have all the elements that have made her YA Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series such megasuccesses: sexy, irresistible characters; romantic and mythological intrigue; and relentless action and suspense.





re·view 

I have a confession: Mead can do no wrong. At least in my opinion. I went in to it knowing nothing but the title and author, and since I have all the trust in the world in the author, it was the absolutely write thing for me to do.

This one has everything I love about her books, the snarky humor, sexyness and amazing characters.

It is very ambitious though, the world building is mind-boggling. She thought of everything from religion to education, technology.. (told yah, mind-boggling) Sometimes is a little too much, it is so detailed that the reader forgets that the plot line is around a murder and not just following characters around to see what they will do next.

The characters are amazing, character faults and all. March is the drunk, womanizer, genius guy that I would probably hate in real life, but because is a book, we get to understand and love him, see what he thinks and understand how his mind works. Mae is shown as this perfect porcelain doll, but soon enough, there are cracks everywhere. The side characters are amazing, I just loved Tessa!

“I can understand bitchiness in any language.” 

Yes, Tessa! YES!

The character development is just so well done, the reader really does get to see where they are coming from and why they make certain decisions, without being to much. I say that because as much as Mead gave the reader a deep understanding of her characters, she never made them predictable. Their interaction was also a thing of beauty! And the dialog is better than ever.

The plot and pacing is where it gets tricky to talk about. I love the way Mead writes, showing rather than telling, but this book just has a lot of information and a lot of character development, so I would say that the reader needs patience. The pacing is not as fast as I would like, but still there are no snails involved.

The plot is definitely back sit on this one, and sometimes it gets forgotten in the middle of all the other things. It is almost like the author just needed an excuse to group this characters together and really build the story from there. This is not to say the story lacks structure, because it really does not. 

As for the romance, I would't say is really a romance yet. There is definitely sexual tension lacing all of it, there was also a lot of steamy moments. They both look like they want to be together, but you know, feelings and reasons. Won't say any more about it.

What I would say if you asked me if you should read this?

If you never read anything from Richelle Mead, try Vampire Academy or Georgina Kinkaid, if you liked that you will probably like this.

Already a Succubus fan? Have a little patience and an open mind, chances are you are going to fall in love with this new set of characters.

Favorite quote:

“The truth is, when you banish the gods from the world, they eventually come back - with a vengeance. Humans can’t stay away from gods, and gods can’t stay away from humans. It’s the natural order of things.”

—	Richelle Mead, Gameboard of the Gods

news : San Diego Comic Con - Veronica Mars footage and Catching Fire new trailer

Veronica MARS! 

WHATCH IT NOW! DO IT!

(sobbing)

Catching Fire new trailer was fine, I don't particularly like having a bunch of trailers before the movies comes out. Half the time it just ruins the movie for me.
But I can't say I didn't like this one.

news : Vampire Academy - Dimitri gets a POV.

So, the The YA Sisterhood blog likes tournaments. They are awesome and if you don't know their blog yet, you should check it out. This is not my point though.

This week the finalle was Dimitri from the Vampire Academy books versus Will from The Infernal Devices series. Last year was the same match and Will won. 

This year, Mead wated to give us some incentive to vote, so she did this:

Richelle Mead twitter

CAN YOU BELIVE IT?

And this happened:

The YA Sisterhood

And then this:

I am freacking out, I like will, but a Dimitri POV AND a first chapter? YES PLEASE!

review : Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

Last to Die (Rizzoli & Isles #10) by Tess Gerritsen

3.5 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

For the second time in his short life, Teddy Clock has survived a massacre. Two years ago, he barely escaped when his entire family was slaughtered. Now, at fourteen, in a hideous echo of the past, Teddy is the lone survivor of his foster family’s mass murder. Orphaned once more, the traumatized teenager has nowhere to turn—until the Boston PD puts detective Jane Rizzoli on the case. Determined to protect this young man, Jane discovers that what seemed like a coincidence is instead just one horrifying part of a relentless killer’s merciless mission.

Jane spirits Teddy to the exclusive Evensong boarding school, a sanctuary where young victims of violent crime learn the secrets and skills of survival in a dangerous world. But even behind locked gates, and surrounded by acres of sheltering Maine wilderness, Jane fears that Evensong’s mysterious benefactors aren’t the only ones watching. When strange blood-splattered dolls are found dangling from a tree, Jane knows that her instincts are dead on. And when she meets Will Yablonski and Claire Ward, students whose tragic pasts bear a shocking resemblance to Teddy’s, it becomes chillingly clear that a circling predator has more than one victim in mind.

Joining forces with her trusted partner, medical examiner Maura Isles, Jane is determined to keep these orphans safe from harm. But an unspeakable secret dooms the children’s fate—unless Jane and Maura can finally put an end to an obsessed killer’s twisted quest.

- Goodreads

re·view 

I love this series, I also love the TV show.

The plot line though the books is just so well executed!

I really liked the creepy tone on this, I half expected a paranormal being to just jump at me (I might be reading too much fantasy), the pacing was good, not only fast, but also constant though out the book.

The characters as as good as always, I liked that we got a little more of Maura's life instead of more Jane.

Maura had her heartbreak, but I really did not expect her maternal side. It was a very nice surprise. I wish there was a little more of Anthony, but you can't have everything. I do think his character is going to grow on the story.

There was one point of the story that made no sense to me though, Rizolli's parents debacle with the ex and the fiancee. For me it seemed pointless, we got some information, but nothing was tied up. If you are going to create conflict, and make that an important point on the plot, at least give the reader some king of resolution by the end of the book.

It also worth mentioning that the thing that bothered me the most was Maura and Janie's relationship. I new they were not in very good terms by the end of the last book, but I think it took way to long for them to make up. And even when they did, it was still that weird friendship with them tiptoeing around each other. A little annoying.

My favorite part was the school, I have a thing for boarding schools and I loved that most of the book was set there.

If you like Rizolli and Isles, definitely go for it. It is not the best book in the series, but it is still very good! :)

I'm back!

Everybody is nice and tanned, also ate lots of guacamole..

So, I guess it would be time to resume posting?

Tomorrow, to celebrate the return of the Rizzoli and Isles show, I'll review the latest book!

 Last to Die (Rizzoli & Isles, #10) by Tess Gerritsen

On Vacation.

Be back next week. :)

How to get cheap books.

So, here is the deal: I hate paying full price for books, but at the same time, I don't do Amazon. I try my best to support my local stores.
I buy all my comic books at my local comic book store, it is called Nuclear Comics, and you should definitely check it out if you are in the Orange County area.
When it comes to regular books though, it starts to get tricky. My local book shops are just barely there and the ones I like are just SO expensive. So, I try to do sales as much as I can and also buy used.

Here is where this post really begins. The bulk of the books I buy are from library book stores.
You see, I have no patience for the library sales, but the actual little stores still have a lot of stuff for little money.
My favorites are the stores at the Newport Beach Library and the Dana Point Library. They are awesome, the ladies that work there are lovely and most of the books are $1.
You can't go wrong with that. It is great for classics and out of print books. They also have really cool editions.

I got the whole pile that you see below for a little less than $7.
That is it, I rest my case. Now, go support your local libraries, even if you are not into borrowing books.

haul : recent purchase.

Which is also my TBR, 

so reviews should be coming soon.

Last to Die by Tess Gerritsen

 Book number 10 in the Rizzoli & Isles series. The series started slow, first couple books are not so fast paced. But now, I can not stop reading them! 
 It is pretty diferent from the TV show, but it is still the same feeling.

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

 Second book in Bardugo's The Grisha series. The first book was amazing! (Review for it here.) The ending was satisfying, but still left room for a series.
 I am SO curious to see how this one is going to continue! The world building is so interesting, I want to see what else Bardugo does with it.

The Prophet by Amanda Stevens

 I am not sure about this, I really like the thriller, mysterious aspect of it. But I really have no idea where the story is going. The fact that Amelia restores cemeteries is just creepy enough to make it work.
 This is the third and final in the Graveyard Queen series and I just hope the writing is as beautiful as in the previous ones.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

 So, post apocalyptic in New Orleans. I love that city, lived there, meet the husband there. Suffice to say I'll pretty much read anything set there. 

 The novel I dream about writing is set there. I could go on..

Gameboard of the Gods (Age of X #1) by Richelle Mead

 All I need to say is: Richelle Mead.
 I just finished Georgina Kincaid series, which I might do a review of the whole thing. I loved every minute of it, FYI.
 So, I will probably love it. Also will review it for sure!

re·view : Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
4.5 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

A gleeful and exhilarating tale of global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, high-tech data visualization, young love, rollicking adventure, and the secret to eternal life—mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore

The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

With irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan has crafted a literary adventure story for the twenty-first century, evoking both the fairy-tale charm of Haruki Murakami and the enthusiastic novel-of-ideas wizardry of Neal Stephenson or a young Umberto Eco, but with a unique and feisty sensibility that’s rare to the world of literary fiction. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave, a modern-day cabinet of wonders ready to give a jolt of energy to every curious reader, no matter the time of day.

re·view 

I didn't exactly know what I was getting in to when I picked up this book.
Some people in real life loved it and told me I had to read it. I promptly ignore the advice and kept going with my TBR pile. Little while later I saw some buzz going on around it, and again, ignore it.
You see, all I knew about this one was that it had a cool cover that glows in the dark (witch is awesome, by the way) and that it was a book about books. You know, as the cover implies.. 
I just didn't know, I kept going back and forth about buying it. But let me tell you, only thing I regret about getting this one is how long it took me to bit the bullet. It was SO good! 


The plot is so much more than just a book about a weird library. I would say is more like a mystery novel with a pinch of conspiracy that is set around books. For awhile all I could think of was how it remind me of something Sorcerer Stone-y or Nicholas Flamel -y. 
I would say the best way of going in to this book is really not knowing much of it before you start reading. Also, a quality I really admire in books, is so smart and witty without being preachy or pretentious!

The writing really puts you in the middle of that world, shelfs, leather and people. I really don't know how to explain, it has a quest, dusty feeling to it. I loved how the plot evolved and how everything fit together in the end. 

“Walking the stacks in a library, dragging your fingers across the spines -- it's hard not to feel the presence of sleeping spirits.” 

Really, isn't that beautiful? 

If there is one thing to say about this though, is go in to this book with an open mind and try to face it as a fantasy novel from the beginning. As the characters described, try to see is as an D&D quest. I would say is the best way to go in that world.
I say that because everything is a little too convenient sometimes, ok most times. Our protagonist seems to have all the resources in the world, and I mean ALL of them.
For some people that might be bad, but in the context of the book, I really didn't have a problem with it.

The only thing about this one I really didn't love were the characters. I mean, sometimes, it seems like their only job is to be there when Clay needs a favor. 
When the author try to give them a little more dimension, like with Clay's best friend Niel, he just came out as the bank, he payed for everything Clay needed and when he actually did something where his credit card wasn't required, he just came out as the ex-chubby kid that now, to be accepted, drinks tons of kale juice, avoids pizza and worked out. Not exactly deep.

I love Mr. Penumbra though, can he please open an library conveniently located at walking distance and hire me?

“He paused, then added, "Some of them are working very hard indeed."
"What are they doing?"
"My boy!" he said, eyebrows raised. As if nothing could be more obvious: "They are reading.” 

I would recommend this one to anyone geeky, book loving, mystery oriented people out there. 

" He nodded at me and gave me a week wave. 

'what do you seek in these shelves?' ”

Cast for Vampire Academy Movie

image from

Cast for Vampire Academy Movie

Books by Richelle Mead

Book by book review of the series coming soon. :)

SO exited! Can't wait for this one!

Letter to Jo Rowling

I was born in a family that loves to read, the first books came when I couldn't even grasp the whole concept of walking. I don't mean the books that people read to me, but when I started to pretend that I was reading. You see, I loved the little Disney books that came with cassette tapes, I used to spend hours alternating between barbie dolls and those.

I like to think that that was the time when I started to make my own stories, with a little help from Ariel and Aladdin, but who is to blame?

After those stories were burn in to my brain and not as interesting, reading turned to something very foreign to me, I don't know exactly what happened, I guess it was just life.

I still loved the idea of books, but I couldn't identify with them anymore, time passed and I just forgot about them.

Thats when Harry arrived in my life, I was eleven and he thought me how to believe in magic. Better yet, he thought me that it was ok to believe in magic.

He was with me when I had my first heart break, witch was so hard, but i can't imagine how it would be do go though without those books on my nightstand.

Then I started adventuring in other shelfs and soon enough I had my own little library at home.

I made friends in the lines of the bookstores, I took my english classes seriously just to make sure I would me able to read the books as soon as they came out.

I read the last book when going away to college. I had law school in front of me and for the first time I was by myself. Except I realized that I wasn't, because once again that world, somehow, made me closer to my own world. Suddenly I had friends again, showing up at two in the morning and emptying my fridge.

By the time I closed the 7th book, I realized how scared I was that that part of my life was over, only it wasn't. I know that you created Harry, but he is part of me and that will never be over.

After some unfortunate events and a lot of wonderful ones, I met the love of my life. He lives in the United Estates and I'm Brazilian. We meet because I moved to the States for work

Everything was going so well, then I got back to Brazil, and we found out that my mom had breast cancer. I still think that those histories were the only thing that kept me sane, helped me to be there for my mom. She too is a huge fan and the books were something we shared. There was surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, we were so scared. Fortunately my mom has been cancer free for two years now.

When the fear passed, I told my, then boyfriend, I would move in with him. We are yang, in love, so I swallowed my fear and packed a bag. 

He asked me what I wanted to make me feel at home, it was also my birthday at the time. I told him I would like a Harry Potter box set.

By the time I got to the airport I had forgotten about the whole gift thing. He picked me up and we went home, you see, after 20 hours between flights and airports, all I wanted was a shower and a nap. We got home and there was an empty bookshelf with just the box set on it. He kept insisting for me to take a look and the books, so I took them out of the shelf and thats when I saw the box with a ring inside. Thats how he asked me if I would be his wife. 

We are married now, living in California and my family is so far away. I always miss them, but sometimes is so hard I can't breathe… that's when that box set is handy, because all I need is coffee and a few hours reading.

Better than that only if I could see them in person, apparition would be very useful now.

Thank you.

re·view : The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey

The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave #1) by Rick Yancey
4.5 Stars.

syn·op·sis 

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

re·view 

The reader is thrown head first in this world. Yancey just starts the reader up in a stream of consciousness. And that is how we meet Cassie.
Cassie already survived four waves, which an alien attack. First wave, the power goes down, second, water goes up and wipes up the coasts, third is a plague and fourth is aliens that looks just like people hunting humans. 
Since we start off at the fourth wave, and is up to you to read the book and figure out what is the fifth, we learn what happened before tough her memories.

characters : Cassie is a normal teenage girl with all the "first world problems"(her hair is too curly, the boy she has a crush on doesn't know she exists..) and because of that I saw people saying that she turned in to a badass with an M16 too fast. My response to that is, what would you do when all the people you know are either dead or being hunted? Is an either/or situation. Either you run or you fight. You learn.
Sure she still has her moments, breaks down, cries and that makes her more realistic.
I love Zombie, I think his struggle is almost palpable, won't say anything else, because you know, spoilers.
Now Evan, I have to say I love the character, I don't necessarily like him as a person. Every time I read stuff about him, the hair on the back of my neck went up. Too fishy for my taste.
My favorite was Bear, always there observing.. kinda like Wilson in Castaway.. love, love, love!

The pacing is good and I love how the author wove the story together, how he presents questions and by the end of the book, they are answered. The plot line is just so well constructed.

Also, the dialog.. snarky, witty, funny.. oooh.. favorite thing in books, and done so well! Se how I can't write complete sentences anymore? Feelings, that is why.

The only thing I didn't like, is the way Yancey whote the girl in love, sure there were good moments and the dialog was awesome. The problem is when we are in Cassie's head, I can only describe is as awkward.. there was flinching and double takes..

Overall, I SO recomend it!!
Go read it, trust me. :)