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Book review: Amanda Hocking - Freeks.

Synopsis (Goodreads) In a world of magical visions and pyrokinesis, Mara just wants to have a normal life. But is that possible? Mara has become used to the extraordinary. Roaming from place to place with Gideon Davorin’s Traveling Carnival, she longs for an ordinary life where no one has the ability to levitate or predict the future. She gets her chance when the struggling sideshow sets up camp in the small town of Caudry and she meets a gorgeous local guy named Gabe. But before long, Mara realizes there’s a dark presence lurking in the town that’s threatening the lives of her friends. She has seven days to take control of a power she didn’t know she had in order to save everyone she cares about—and change the future foreve Review. When I was younger I always wanted to be a part of the circus so whenever I find a book about the circus I just need to read it. When I found Freeks I was really excited. I loved the concept of an 80’s circus combined with magic but after finishing the book I felt like it was missing something. The reality of how circus performers where treated made the book more realistic and I would have loved to read more about that or about the magical abilities the performers had. Most of this was overshadowed by the romance between Mara and Gabe. Don’t get me wrong I liked their relationship but it all felt rushed. They fell in love as soon as Mara arrived, and it feels like the book focusses too much on their romance leaving great other opportunities behind. All in all, the book felt a bit rushed. I still enjoyed the book, it was easy to read and written from Mara’s point of view. I just feel like it could have been more.

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Book review: Holly Black - The Cruel Prince 4 out of 5 ⭐

Synopsis

Of course I want to be like them. They’re beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever. And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe. Jude was seven when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King. To win a place at the Court, she must defy him–and face the consequences. As Jude becomes more deeply embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, she discovers her own capacity for trickery and bloodshed. But as betrayal threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.

Review

First off all I have to say I absolutely loved it, continued reading till I fell asleep and as soon as I woke up finished it. I really enjoy the descriptive way of Holly Blacks writing, it is very easy to read and made me unable to stop. The story itself is a modern fairy tale. Not completely original and new but a nice twist. I must honestly admit that I fell in love with the cruel Cardan and enjoyed his character a lot. Jude is a character I am still conflicted about, I love how she at some points says fuck it all gives the nasty comebacks that I so desperately want to give myself when reading these kind of books, but her decisions sometimes annoy me just like her continuing search for power and how she whines about being a mortal and don’t even get me started over Taryn. But even though there are a lot of things I did not like, the book captured my attention and hold me as a prisoner till I finished it. So Holly Black did a lot of things right and I can’t wait to read the second book to see how the story will continue.

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Book review: V.E. Schwab - Darker Shade of Magic series.  5 out of 5 ⭐

A Darker Shade of Magic 5 out of 5 ⭐

Synopsis 

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Review

Obsessed. That is one word to describe me after reading this book. I am obsessed with V.E Schwab, I am obsessed with this book and this series. I love the concept of 4 Londons (black London, grey London, red London and white London or as Delilah call them Dead London, Dull London, Kell London, Creepy London with each their own scent) and the magic that is different in each of them and only the Antari’s can travel between those worlds to deliver letters from one king to another. I fell in love with Kell a “Prince” but also a smuggler (smuggling things from one London to another) and with Delilah who wants to be a pirate but is a cross dressing thief. The two of them meet through a series of unfortunate events and set out on an adventure together.

Schwabs writing is amazing, it sucks you in the book and lets you be a part of it. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of magic. 

A Gathering of Shadows 5 out of 5 ⭐

Synopsis 

It has been four months since a mysterious obsidian stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Prince Rhy was wounded, and since the nefarious Dane twins of White London fell, and four months since the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift--back into Black London. Now, restless after having given up his smuggling habit, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks as she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games--an extravagant international competition of magic meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries--a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port. And while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night will reappear in the morning. But the balance of magic is ever perilous, and for one city to flourish, another London must fall

Review

The second book of the series is my absolute favorite of the three. I usually feel like the second book is a filler between the beginning and the end but this one was different. For starters I have a thing for pirates, I have a thing for Delilah Bard as a pirate, I have a thing for Allucard, I have a thing for this entire book. When I started this book, I knew it was going to be good, I was completely in love with the first one so this had to be good, but I never expected it to be this good. Schwabs writing still captures me, I love how descriptive she writes but it is still easy to read.

A Conjuring of Light 4 out of 5 ⭐

Synopsis 

Witness the fate of beloved heroes - and enemies. THE BALANCE OF POWER HAS FINALLY TIPPED... The precarious equilibrium among four Londons has reached its breaking point. Once brimming with the red vivacity of magic, darkness casts a shadow over the Maresh Empire, leaving a space for another London to rise. WHO WILL CRUMBLE? Kell - once assumed to be the last surviving Antari - begins to waver under the pressure of competing loyalties. And in the wake of tragedy, can Arnes survive? WHO WILL RISE? Lila Bard, once a commonplace - but never common - thief, has survived and flourished through a series of magical trials. But now she must learn to control the magic, before it bleeds her dry. Meanwhile, the disgraced Captain Alucard Emery of the Night Spire collects his crew, attempting a race against time to acquire the impossible. WHO WILL TAKE CONTROL? And an ancient enemy returns to claim a crown while a fallen hero tries to save a world in decay

Review

Okay first of all I loved it, and I am totally book hangover after this book was finished. Though I did not like the third book as much as the first or the second (it moved a lot slower in my opinion, too slow) I still enjoyed it immensely. The whole world going to shits and then there is part 8 chapter 4… totally unexpected in my opinion but still fitted. Once again, I bow down to Schwabs writing skills. A beautiful ending to this amazing serie. I love all of the relationships. Lila is bad-ass, Kell is well Kell, Rhy is a precious cinnamon bun, Allucard is a pirate (My love for pirates is never ending) and Holland… Holland is that character you keep wondering about, is he good or evil and now it has ended I can only say that he is a precious snowflake. I am not ready for this serie to end yet… watch me read it over and over till I can recite all the words.cx

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Book review: Becky Albertalli - Leah on the Off Beat.  2 out of 5 ⭐

Synopsis

Leah Burke—girl-band drummer, master of deadpan, and Simon Spier’s best friend from the award-winning Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda—takes center stage in this novel of first love and senior-year angst. When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat—but real life isn’t always so rhythmic. An anomaly in her friend group, she’s the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she’s bisexual, she hasn’t mustered the courage to tell her friends—not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. So Leah really doesn’t know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It’s hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting—especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended. 

Review

After finishing Simon VS the homo sapiens agenda I wanted to read Leah on the offbeat because I didn’t not want the story to end. I absolutely loved Leah in the first book but I wasn’t that sure about her in the second, at times I really loved her, other times she got a bit on my nerve, I felt like she got mad about the most trivial things and everyone just let her get away with almost anything. I loved the love interests and how love develops in the book but after the first book I kind of expected more. To me the whole book was a bit underwhelming. It is not that I didn’t enjoy it. Leah’s cursing at everything and that she stands up for what she thinks is right and is not just another bystander is great. She doesn’t care about what people think about her size and in a lot of ways I think she can be a great role model. It wasn’t that the book was bad it just was that it wasn’t as good as I had hoped it would be. Leah took things often too far and as I mentioned before I felt like it was a bit underwhelming

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Book review: Becky Albertalli - Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda. 4 out of 5 ⭐

Synopsis (goodreads) 

 Sixteen-year-old and not-so-openly gay Simon Spier prefers to save his drama for the school musical. But when an email falls into the wrong hands, his secret is at risk of being thrust into the spotlight. Now Simon is actually being blackmailed: if he doesn’t play wingman for class clown Martin, his sexual identity will become everyone’s business. Worse, the privacy of Blue, the pen name of the boy he’s been emailing, will be compromised. 

With some messy dynamics emerging in his once tight-knit group of friends, and his email correspondence with Blue growing more flirtatious every day, Simon’s junior year has suddenly gotten all kinds of complicated. Now, change-averse Simon has to find a way to step out of his comfort zone before he’s pushed out—without alienating his friends, compromising himself, or fumbling a shot at happiness with the most confusing, adorable guy he’s never met. 

Review 

The reason I bought this book is because I wanted to read it before I saw the movie. When I first opened the book I was a bit hesitant to even start for the very simple reason is that I didn’t really enjoy the writing style of the author and on top of that I got the impression it would be a typical American high school style problem book (from which we all have seen many many movies, and read many books) and on top off all that… I am not a huge fan of contemporary. I am so glad that all of that didn’t stop me. I finished the book in one go without even getting up to use the bathroom. Throughout the entire book I had a big smile on my face, Becky captured (in my opinion) Simon’s struggles perfectly. The book itself is relatable and the question who is blue kept going through my head the entire time, I did not want to put the book down before I found out who he was and once I knew I couldn’t put it down because the relationship between Blue and Simon was so damn cute.

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Book Review: Kiera Cass - The Selection Series first two books 

The selection - 2 out of 5 ⭐

synopsis For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself—and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Review The reason I wanted to read this book is because a friend of mine recommended it and I kinda liked the cover. The theme of the book seemed like fun, usually you hear about man competing for a princess this time it is the other way around. There is quit a list of things I did not like about the book though

- The names… America Singer?… come on…

- The whole back story of the world (china taking over the united states because of debt ) and the people being categorized as numbers (not really original)

- A lot of things felt forced for example the love triangle.

I did not hate the book though, it is just like when you are sick in bed or have a hangover and you want to watch some tv but you can’t watch anything to serious or exciting so you watch some silly cartoons. That is the kind of feeling I get from this book.

The Elite - 1 out of 5 ⭐

synopsis The Selection began with thirty-five girls. Now with the group narrowed down to the six Elite, the competition to win Prince Maxon's heart is fiercer than ever—and America is still struggling to decide where her heart truly lies. Is it with Maxon, who could make her life a fairy tale? Or with her first love, Aspen?

America is desperate for more time. But the rest of the Elite know exactly what they want—and America's chance to choose is about to slip away. 

Review The first book in my opinion wasn’t good but it wasn’t bad either… The second book takes a step back again. Whining and crying and nagging, not really a step up for women. The first book was okay as hangover book (nothing with too much debt, nothing serious and nothing you really have to use your brain for = a hangover book) This one should be kept in the back of shelf out of reach and out of sight. It makes me kind of sad because I felt that the concept of the book could be actually something nice, something more, oh well.

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The Person behind this Blog !!

Who am I?  I will go by D. I am currently 23 year old girl from the netherlands, a girl with a lot of imagination and a big love for reading and writing. I am currently still studying entering my second year of college.

A lot of people around me are growing tired of listening to my stories, hearing me go on and on about books. Listening to the ideas I have for short stories I would love to write.

What can you expect on this blog: 1. reviews about books 2. Short stories 3. Rants about my life and interests. 4. My travel wishes and ideas.

So strap in, put your reading glasses on, get a nice cup of tea (or coffee) and enjoy me talking (or writing) (mostly about nothing and everything)

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Now that exams are finally over, I’m so happy to devote more time to my long beloved pastime: reading. I’m currently reading Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas and I’m hoping to at least finish it over Christmas break. Also, it’s snowing where I live! :)

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12•1 These beautiful orange roses brighten up my desk on this grey old day. Now to get down to work…. 

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Death and his lovely fawn. 

re-upload cause i fixed something.