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obsidio by amie kaufman & jay kristoff

«i was thinking,» he murmurs. «there'a billion different versions of you out there, in a trillion different universes. and i still can't get over how lucky i am that, out of all those versions, you're the one that's mine.»

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book review: five feet apart by rachael lippincott | 2018

summary:

can you love someone you can never touch?

stella grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. at this point, what stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. six feet apart. no exceptions.

the only thing will newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. he couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

will’s exactly what stella needs to stay away from. if he so much as breathes on stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. either one of them could die. the only way to stay alive is to stay apart. but suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. it feels like punishment.

what if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?

my opinion:

to begin with, i have a history of getting to know this book. of course, i heard about its existence only after watching the movie. but my hands came to her almost 5 years later, and how many times i stopped by its shelf in stores… it's hard to count.

so here it is! as for the book itself, i was satisfied, i will immediately note a kind of happy ending, which i lacked in the movie and the emotions that i felt myself.

although i won't gloss over the mediocrity of the plot, in terms of the exhaustion of such a theme, the love between ill people, i saw such a thing and later i will tell you. at the same time, none of the characters did not cause me irritation, i empathized with all of them and honestly, with pleasure, watched the development of the book from both sides of will and stella.

the language is lame in places from time to time, and i'm not sure if this was the author's first work, but practice makes perfect, ya know?

now, let's have a look at the next few points:

• as i mentioned above, the book reminds me of something and that is the fault in our stars by john green, and no, i'm not trying to compare them, but these books have a similar underlying theme of doomed love. that why i think i liked five feet apart more, again due to the fact that the beloved characters are alive by the end.

• the book made me cry and that's fine, i understood very well the situation described in the book because i have experienced somethimg like in my live and those feelings and things still terrefy me.

• i think the author went a little overboard when she made stella such a control freak, yes i understand what it was about, but still. control yourself, but not everyone around you, sweetheart.

• i also want to say a word about the parents in this book, i mean we are shown two models of family and they are not the happiest - a single mom and a divorced couple that broke up because of tragedy. honestly, i am very happy with the attitude of the parents towards their children, even though they were the very templates of their types.

• poe's death shocked me, it was not so easy to bear, as stella herself thought that death just follows her around and takes away her beloved ones. in some ways it was comparable to augustus' death in the fault in our stars.

• as i noted earlier, in some places the writing was a bit tempestuous in terms of descriptions, but i haven't encountered this very often and i'm glad i didn't.

so, i want to say that I really enjoyed this book, i think that all the time i waited to read it was worth it. and it brought me some relief because i cried and was able to let my emotions out

my rating:

4/5

«If i’m going to die, i'd like to actually live first.»

«don’t think about what you’ve lost. think of how much you have to gain. live, stella.»

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clockwork prince by @cassandraclare

«you speak of sacrifice, but it is not my sacrifice i offer. it is yours i ask of you,» he went on. «i can offer you my life, but it is a short life; i can offer you my heart, though i have no idea how many more beats it shall sustain. but i love you enough to hope that you wil not care that i am being selfish in trying to make the rest of my life - whatever length - happy, by spending it with you. i want to be married to you, tessa. i want it more than i have ever wanted anything else in my life.» he looked up at her through the veil of silvery hair that fell over his eyes. «that is,» he said shyly, «if you love me, too.»

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book recommendation list #3

• howl's moving castle by diana wynne jones [fantasy]

• the little prince by antoine de saint-exupéry [french classics]

• mort by terry pratchett [sci-fi&fantasy]

• sturdust by neil gaiman [ya&fantasy]

• five feet apart by rachael lippincott [romance]

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an ember in the ashes by sabaa tahir

all the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.

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howl's moving castle by diana wynne jones

«i think we ought to live happily ever after,» and she thought he meant it. sophie knew that living happily ever after with howl would be a good deal more hair-raising than any storybook made it sound, though she was determined to try. «it should be hair-raising,» added howl.

«and you'll exploit me," sophie said.

«and then you'll cut up all my suits to teach me.»

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book review: the beautiful by renée ahdieh | 2019

summary:

in 1872, new orleans is a city ruled by the dead. but to seventeen-year-old celine rousseau, new orleans provides her a refuge after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in paris. taken in by the sisters of the ursuline convent along with six other girls, celine quickly becomes enamored with the vibrant city from the music to the food to the soirées and—especially—to the danger. she soon becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as la cour des lions, after catching the eye of the group's leader, the enigmatic sébastien saint germain. when the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in the lair of la cour des lions, celine battles her attraction to him and suspicions about sébastien's guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret.

when more bodies are discovered, each crime more gruesome than the last, celine and new orleans become gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose — one celine is sure has set her in his sights . . . and who may even be the young man who has stolen her heart. as the murders continue to go unsolved, celine takes matters into her own hands and soon uncovers something even more shocking: an age-old feud from the darkest creatures of the underworld reveals a truth about celine she always suspected simmered just beneath the surface.

my opinion:

wow, it may have taken me a little while to read it, but geez, that was good. the author's style and language surprised me, all the descriptions, the intrigue... It was something.

i didn't immediately realize where this book was supposed to be about vampires, as that part was revealed almost at the end. and overall I started reading because it was in top rated for vampires. gosh, and that raft twist about the killer － i know that so many authors who write about that time use that trick, kind of making the killer look like jack the ripper. and even though it sounds fullish, I like it a lot, it adds a kind of detective flavor that i sometimes miss in books.

as i noted above, i enjoyed the language and writing style of renée ahdieh, for those who are non-native speakers like me, I think this is a great opportunity to improve vocabulary, honestly.

by the way, i want to note that before this, i did not come across books with a setting in new orleans - i think it's a pity that i read the story about this city so late. as someone who is obsessed with french culture and writing stories about it, i was incredibly happy to get a taste of how french culture permeated this city, which seemed to me to be a direct embodiment of melting pot.

perhaps i should point out the following, because books always have two sides, just like coins:

• as i said, i liked the author's language, it will help those who are learning the language. but at the same time, that was the problem. as a non-native speaker, it was sometimes very difficult to wade through the pages of descriptions. just imagine, four pages, of descriptions of some closet. !not literally!

• the plot, this is going to sound strange, but it was a little primitive. just a little bit. and i don't see anything wrong with that in this case. but literally from the introduction chapter of the killer, i knew it was a jack the ripper protégé. when celine and bastien crossed paths, i understood who is with whom, and i also get who pippa will be with, literally one meeting of the four was enough for me.

• again, i really liked the new orleans setting - how many times have i read about london, paris and new york? it was something new to me that i really enjoyed and i can't wait to read more about the history of this city.

• i was a little disappointed in the choice of character who turned out to be a murderer. i swear i thought detective grimaldi or nico saint germain was the killer: michael is bastien's nemesis, nicodemus － why not. I was saddened by the introduction of an unknown character as the killer, and certainly his puppet didn't seem like a good choice at all.

• you can kill me all you want, but nicodemus saint germain is not a pleasant character. i was waiting for him to show up after the description odette provided, but here he is and the first thing he does is threaten celine, trying to intimidate her. then he refuses to save his own nephew, literally the whole court of the lions was built to protect sébastien and here, he twirls his nose, saying that if he helps, all his efforts will go to waste. oh man, i thought better of you and now, are you kidding me?

finishing, i highly recommend reading this book. seriously, I haven't read such a good vampire book for a long, well except for the coldest girl in coldtown, that's the number one favorite, but we'll talk about it next time maybe. this book has everything i love, from enemies to lovers, vampires, magic, and most importantly humor, it was really entertaining to read this book.

my rating:

4.4/5

«a snake?» pippa squeaked, looking for all the world as if she wanted to melt into the paneled wall at her back. «what kind of person has a pet snake?»

«lucifer,» celine said in a flat voice. «lucifer would have a pet snake.»

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coraline by neil gaiman

fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

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the coldest girl in coldtown by @hollyblack

«and if i never change back? if i’m not human enough anymore?»

he smiled; she could feel it against her skin. «then we’ll go hunt vampires together and you’ll drink their blood.»

«the lady or the tiger,» she said.

«my lady, the tiger.»

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book review: the sorrows of satan by marie corelli | 1895

summary:

the setting is london, 1895, and the devil is on the loose. he is searching for someone morally strong enough to resist temptation, but there seems little chance he will succeed. britain is all but totally corrupt. the aristocracy is financially and spiritually bankrupt; church leaders no longer believe in god; victorian idealism has been banished from literature and life; and sexual morality is being undermined by the pernicious doctrines of the "new woman." everything and everyone is up for sale, and it takes a special kind of moral courage to resist the devil's seductions.

my opinion:

well… it wasn't easy, honestly. i confess that the first 10 chapters i thought i would die of boredom, although the most boring novel i've read so far was dracula, in terms of writing style, i mean. i really struggled to get through the intro where all geoffrey does is talk about how poor he is, don't get me wrong, i think it was important to make it clear what kind of character he is, but i think it could have been done in a more interesting way.

after i got over the opening of the book, i will say right away that it was all clear and obvious to me who was who. that is, from the first only mention of lucio i understood that he is satan, when lady sybil appeared i understood that geoffrey would decide to marry her, but there would be no happy ending for them and that mavis clare is the author's alter ego, and in fact the real love interest of the character. there weren't any interesting plot twists in the book, maybe a couple literally when they were sailing on a ship from england and perhaps the first death of that poor man from the gambling club.

overall, if you close your eyes on the predictability and boring writing style, i liked the book just for its moral and message that those who have everything may not appreciate the little things and be spoiled, like geoffrey, to whom money overshadowed the view of the real world, and that those who lack something in life learn to appreciate what they have, like mavis clare. this is what i appreciated in the book, and there were also some very beautiful moments, for example the discussion of balance in art, the scene where lucio sang while playing the piano and of course his monologue when geoffrey realized that he was satan.

of the whole book perhaps the following can be highlighted, as every book has pros and cons:

• despite the rather boring beginning, the book becomes interesting in the aftermath, even when you're just watching geoffrey try to find love or lucio pulling the strings like a puppeteer.

• although i said the plot is pretty predictable, a couple of moments still pleased me because i wasn't expecting them.

• i was invariably pleased with the morals and message of this book and i think this is a major plus, it was probably the best way to teach everyone a lesson with an example like this.

• in places the book reminded me of something in the style of edgar poe, and this appealed to me because there was some kind of dark vibe.

• the development of the character of geoffrey made me happy, he went from poverty to riches to a kind of stability, i think he is a good example for people today of how in one moment you can gain and lose everything.

perhaps this book is recommended to read for a reason, for the millionth time, i will say its meaning is what people today should remember - appreciate what you have and don't forget, that's why i liked it, so i would advise you to read it.

my rating:

3.9/5

sleep, my beloved, sleep!

be patient! － we shall keep

our secret closely hid

beneath the coffin-lid, －

there is no other place in earth or air,

for such a love as ours, or such despair!

and nether hell nor heaven shall care to win

our loathed souls, rejoicing in their sin!

sleep! － for my hand is sure, －

the cold steel bright and pure

strikes through thy heart and mine

shedding our blood like wine; －

Sin's sweetness is too sweet, and if the shame

of love must be our curse, we hurl the blame

back on the gods who gave us love with breath

and tortured us from passion into death!

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the beautiful by renée ahdieh

«she has teeth,» he said quietly. «but does she also have claws?»

«there is only one way to find out.» she meant it as a threat.

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the sorrows of satan by marie corelli

«if you discover evil suggestions in my music, the evil, i fear, must be in your own nature.»

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book recommendation list #2

• the phantom of the opera by gaston leroux [gothic romance]

• the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde [gothic novel]

• the heroes of olympus by rick riordan [ya&greek mythology]

• the selection series by kiera cass [romance&dystopia]

• lovely vicious series by sara wolf [romance]

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the house of hades by rick riordan

«you’re that lady,» leo said. «the one who was named after caribbean music.»

her eyes glinted murderously. «caribbean music.»

«yeah. reggae?» leo shook his head. «merengue? hold on, i’ll get it.»

he snapped his fingers. «calypso!»

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the hunger games by suzanne collins

and then he gives me a smile that just seems so genuinely sweet with just the right touch of shyness that unexpected warmth rushes through me.

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the picture of dorian gray by oscar wilde

«i don't want to be at the mercy of my emotions. i want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.»

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six of crows by leigh bardugo

«please, my darling inej, treasure of my heart, won’t you do me the honor of acquiring me a new hat?»