Six of Crows - Leigh BARDUGO

Six of Crows

Six of Crows

Leigh Bardugo

465 pages

Hardcover

Plot

Criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker has been offered wealth beyond his wildest dreams. But to claim it, he'll have to pull off a seemingly impossible heist:
Break into the notorious Ice Court
(a military stronghold that has never been breached)
Retrieve a hostage
(who could unleash magical havoc on the world)
Survive long enough to collect his reward
(and spend it)
Kaz needs a crew desperate enough to take on this suicide mission and dangerous enough to get the job done - and he knows exactly who: six of the deadliest outcasts the city has to offer. Together, they just might be unstoppable - if they don't kill each other first.


~~

This book is amazing!

We have a subtle mix of adventure, mischief and magic, just the perfect amount to make it catchy, 

impossible to drop.

The way it's written is pretty interesting; a different point of view on each chapter, and yet we're having this harmony that makes the book complex, but still easy to follow and really and quite refreshing.

I loved the characters, how they are full of secrets and yet so open, every time you think you got them, they show you a new side of their personality, a new piece of the puzzle.

Especially Kaz, maybe the most complex character. I spent the whole book trying to figure out if I like him or hate him, I still do.

And then we have the end.The way this book ends is genius, Leigh managed to keep us in suspense, getting us totally hooked and craving for the next one! 

To resume, another brilliant book, quite different from the usual.

I'm definitely looking forward to read the sequel!

Duplicity - Nikki JEFFORD

Duplicity

Spellbound

Nikki Jefford

28o pages

Kindle

Plot
If Graylee Perez thought sharing a body with her twin sister was bad, dealing with a duplicate of herself is two times worse. Gray the second doesn't seem to get that Lee's boyfriend, Raj, is off limits. Then there's the problem of Adrian. He expects one of the Graylees to be his.Nearly a year later, the council is on to them for past misdeeds; Lee, along with the rest of the coven, has lost control of her powers; and Gray is being stalked by what looks like the Grim Reaper. If the two Grays work together, they may stand a chance of setting things right and making it out alive.

~~

A second book as good as the first one!
Again we're in a twisted story but this time it's different.
This time we are not in presence of one but two Graylees. We have Graylee one who's now living as Lee and we have Graylee two, who came back in Charlene's body, thanks to Adrian's magic.
And if it wasn't enough, they're gonna have to face the " Grim Reaper" who' claiming his payment for Gray's return and Adrian reclaiming one of the Grays as his.

I have to admit, though I loved this book, it's been a little hard to follow. In the first book, even if they were sharing one body, it was easy to follow as Charlene and Graylee are two distinct persons but this time we are stuck with the same person in two different bodies and honestly i feel for Gray, and for Raj a bit too :)

The plot itself is really captivating, in my opinion there's no real bad guy.
Though they have to fight it, the Grim Reaper is not really bad, he's just here to restore the balance, not good nor evil, bit of a shame we don't see that that much in the book.
And when it comes to Adrian I struggle, impossible to not love him and hate him at the same time,
I really enjoyed the duality.

More action, more drama, more mystery... this second book is definitely a to read.

2015 in Numbers

I found out a few weeks ago that each year goodreads was doing a review about our reading habits from the year just passed.

Unfortunately we only can share a link to the results so I decided to do my own review :)

And you, What your reading year looks like?

Entangled - Nikki JEFFORD

Entangled

Spellbound

Nikki JEFFORD

281 pages

Kindle

Plot

Two months after dying, seventeen-year-old witch Graylee Perez wakes up in her twin sister Charlene’s body. Until Gray finds a way back inside her own body, she’s stuck being Charlene every twenty-hour hours. Her sister has left precise instructions on how Gray should dress and behave. Looking like a prep isn’t half as bad as hanging out with Charlene’s snotty friends and gropey boyfriend.

The “normals” of McKinley High might be quick to write her behavior off as post-traumatic stress, but warlock Raj McKenna is the only person who suspects Gray has returned from the dead.

Now Gray has to solve the mystery of her death while working out a way to disentangle herself from Charlene’s body before she disappears for good.

~~

I came across this book on Instagram and  I instantly fell in love with the cover, so I looked it up.
As you can see in the plot, we're following Graylee Perez adventures, or rather the mess that is his life right now.
The story is quite funny, a mix between Charmed and Mean Girls, the perfect book if you want an easy reading.

I really liked Graylee, while she's clearly the victim, she doesn't complain in self-pity or anything, she fights back and fiercely, and I love the dynamic between her and the other characters.
Talking other characters, It's really nice to finally see people who are not black or white, the bad guys are not all bad and the good guys are not what they seem to be, it's quite refreshing.

As to the book dynamic, it's brilliant. We spend half of the book in Gray's head, then Charlene's one, and all of that in one only body.
While quite disturbing at the beginning, I got used to it quite easily and actually really enjoyed it :)

That said, the book is not perfect.
I don't know if it was done on purpose or just a mistake from the author, but the sudden change of reactions and feelings from the characters can be a little bit destabilizing, you really feel like you're in a teenager's head.

In short, not The book of the year but still a nice time to spend.

Oh and if you're interested, you can find it for free on Amazon.

Owls are out of the box: Owlcrate Get inspired box - December 2015

I've been looking at bookboxes for months now and with Christmas I finally got my heart set on Owlcrate.

The principle is simple, every month you get a box. 

In each box you have a book ( young adult) as well as some goodies (between 3 and 5)

Each box has a theme. 

Now let's go right in the heart of the subject.

The theme of December was "Get Inspired", and I have to say, it was definitely inspiring!

Let's start with the goodies:

First I got a reading journal by Potter Style, and I was more than pleased as I was planning to buy one, and the exact same one!

The journal himself is quite nice, red and small enough to follow you everywhere, but maybe a bit too small for us bloggers, don't expect to write a complete review in it.

I also received a To Do list notepad from BoyGirlParty and a magnet from Sandra Vargas.

The To Do List will definitely be useful, it's not like if I always have a billion things to do and I always forget about them, plus the notepad is just totally cute!

As to the magnet, if I'm not wrong it's an illustration of The Little Prince by Saint Exupery.

I went to her Etsy Shop and I'm quite a fan of her work, you should take a look too :)

Last goodie and maybe my favorite in this box, the Reading at the Cafe candle from Frostbeard Studio.

I've been drooling over those candles for months so you can't imagine how happy I was when I found this!

Reading at the Cafe is a mix of coffee flavor and chocolate, it's like being sitting in a sofa with a book, a coffee and a pain au chocolat next to you... the perfect picture!

And the best for the end... the book !!!!

The young and beautiful daughter of a wealthy family, Ginevra longs to share her poetry and participate in the artistic ferment of Renaissance Florence but is trapped in an arranged marriage in a society dictated by men. The arrival of the charismatic Venetian ambassador, Bernardo Bembo, introduces Ginevra to a dazzling circle of patrons, artists, and philosophers. Bembo chooses Ginevra as his Platonic muse and commissions a portrait of her by a young Leonardo da Vinci. Posing for the brilliant painter inspires an intimate connection between them, one Ginevra only begins to understand. In a rich and vivid world of exquisite art with a dangerous underbelly of deadly political feuds, Ginevra faces many challenges to discover her voice and artistic companionship—and to find love.

This book looks really interesting, plus I need to open my readings on other styles so it's the perfect opportunity. And little bonus, it comes with little magnets!

In sum, despite the bit expensive part ( £34, it's not so much though) it's a really good deal.
It's definitely the best way to make discoveries and let's not forget the goodies !!!