Aleksandra's Corner

I actually read this book for the first time in 2011, and I rated it 3.5 of 5, which means that I only liked it a lot. Some parts I loved, but some didn't, though now I'm pretty sure that was only because of my mood at the time. So, now, when I was rereading it, I knew I will change the rating, and I kept thinking "What was I thinking?", because this book is so awesome, actually it's pretty much perfect & now it's one of my favs!

First of all, I love the story. From the way it started, to the way it developed, to its very end. It made me smile, it made me teary-eyed, and kept me in suspense, even though I knew what will happen, it was still quite the adventure & I can't recommend it enough.

And of course, I loved the world, and I loved the characters. Avry is such an amazing heroine. She's smart, persistant, quick-on-her-feet, brave, and so, so good, yet she can be bad-ass, too, so of course I loved her. Even after everything she's been through, she keeps going. She's a survivor, and for her to be still alive in her world - she had to be one.

I loved Kerrick, too. Yeah, he acts bad at the beginning, but I just knew there's a heart of gold under there, and his powers are so amazing, and I actually loved all the bickering between him & Avry, as well as between him & Belen, Flea & the rest. They're such an amazing "family", and all of them had captured a part of my heart, especially Belen & Flea.

And then there's our main villain - Tohon. I actually found him quite scary. Why? Well, even though he's so intelligent & so evil & so powerful, what made him more villainous was the way he could use some of his powers, and that he actually doesn't look evil. Apparently he's quite hot & handsome. All of that combined I found plain scary & unfair, and that actually makes him quite the villain in my eyes.

I won't go into details, but if you still haven't read this book and you love fantasy, than this is the book for you & I highly recommend it. Maria V. Snyder is an amazing author, that creates worlds & stories filled with amazing characters that will suck you in & never let you go, and I know I'll never get enough of reading her books!

I first read Rot & Ruin in 2010 when it was published, and I totally fell in love with it, and I've wanted to read it again since then, and I finally did, and I'm so glad that I did. Even though Rot & Ruin for me was one of those memorable books that left me remembering lots of details about them, even after years of reading them, I loved reading it again because of all those tiny details I didn't picked up on the 1st time, because it was my 1st Jonathan Maberry book, but now I totally did.

In Rot & Ruin, we meet Benny Imura, who just turned 15, and now has to find a job, so through his & his best friend's eyes (Chong), we see how their town survives in this post-apocalyptic world. Benny has an older brother Tom, who is a bounty hunter, but because of his own reasons, Benny doesn't like his brother, so he doesn't want to work for him. But, when he ends up not having a choice, he agrees to be Tom's apprentice.

Everything outside their town they call Rot & Ruin, and there's no law in the great rot & ruin, only danger, zombies, and just about everything out there wants to kill you, and when Tom takes Benny outside for the 1st time, Benny's world changes forever.

I love how the author starts gradually introducing Benny's world, and how he thinks everything works & what he thinks about everything & everyone, so you can say Benny is your typical teen in an untypical world, he thinks he knows best and that he's right, while not realising that he's naive when it comes to some things, so that's what makes him quite a realistic character. Also, I love how much Benny changes & grows up through the book, I really love him as a character.

And then there's his brother Tom Imura. Oh, how I love Tom Imura - without doubt Tom is one of my most fav characters ever, he's just so amazing, and I can sing his praises quite a lot, so I'll stop here.

I also really liked Nix, Lilah, Chong, and even Morgie, they were fun & interesting characters, as for the villains in the story, they were quite villainous, and once again I loved seeing them get what they deserved.

Once again I was wrapped up in this story, and couldn't stop reading it, even though I already knew how it ends since I've read it before. Rot & Ruin is one amazing post-apocalyptic YA book, filled with amazing characters, action, zombies, suspense, adventure, heartbreak, and I know it will always be one of my favs, so I can't recommend it enough!

 

Ok, since this was a re-read for me, I read it last year, but never got around to writing a review, and I still remember what I thought about it then, I guess I'll include my thoughts then & my thoughts now.

So,  when I saw A Witch in Winter last year, I knew I had to have it, because it sounded really interesting, and I do love witchy books, and you gotta love that cover - it's even more gorgeous IRL. Anyway, I pre-ordered it, read it & loved it, but as I said I never got around to reviewing it, although it was one of my fav debuts in 2012.   

What I loved about A Witch in Winter? Well, first, I have to admit the writing. It was lovely, a little bit magical, with some really lovely descriptions in this 1st book of the Winter Trilogy. And you could really feel that you're actually there, and I love it when the writing does that to me. Also, the story was really fun & interesting & sweet. Anna doesn't know she's actually a witch, so when joking around with friends trying to do some magic from a grimoire they found, she's in for quite the surprise when she realises that she's actually cast a love spell & now Seth Waters is obsessively in love with her, so she tries to reverse it, and lots of stuff start to happen around. There are some quite amazing, yet terrifying magic when it comes to the weather ;) Anyway, she actually manages to reverse the love spell, and although Seth's not obsessive anymore, he's still in love with her. It's not actually a love at first sight story, but Seth doesn't give up, so Anna falls in love with him, too. Now, that's not all to the story, but anything more would be full of spoilers, but there are some other witches that try to hurt Anna & her new friends & it was really interesting learning about the witch world. As for the characters, I really liked all of them, both Anna & Seth, as well as all the secondary characters, especially Abe & Emmaline. I remember while reading this last year thinking how much I love Abe as a character, he's just so fun, but also mysterious, and he has some amazing magic, and I was thinking that it's great there's not actually a love triangle. To be honest, near the end of the book Abe did something I didn't expect that I thought I might be wrong, but I didn't really mind it, it was just something on the spur of the moment, and after I re-read this book, I still like him quite a lot as a character. As for Seth & Anna, I thought that their romance is sweet & really honest, and they really do love each other, and I liked them a lot as a couple.

The ending was pretty great, with lots of action, some heartbreak, and it will leave you eager to pick up the next book, although there isn't a cliffhanger.   

Do I recommend A Witch in Winter? Yes! If you love YA fantasy books full with magic, witches and romance, then I recommend this one!

Ok, so this is the 3rd time I read The Light - the first book in the Morpheus Road trilogy - and I have already reviewed it twice, but I have to do it again because I love it so much, and want to spread the love for the trilogy, but I'll try to keep it short ;)

Marshall Seaver is a loner in a way. He's an artist, he keeps sketching his creepy character Gravedigger again & again, and spends most of his time with his best (and only) friend Cooper Foley! Also, he has lost his mother a couple of years ago, and has a crush on Cooper's older sister Sydney. So, after having a really big fight with Cooper, strange things start to happen to Marshall. He's freaked out of course, especially after seeing Gravedigger - a character from his own imagination - who tries to kill him again & again. So, when he tries to contact Cooper, he finds out that he's been missing. So, Marshall, together with Cooper's sister, Sydney, try to find Cooper, while trying to stay alive.    

The Light is a book that will keep you on the edge of your sit from the beginning until the end! This being my 3rd time I've read this book, I didn't found it as creepy as I did the previous 2 times, but it was still a thrilling read that I found exciting & fun & sad & eerie, with such a great mystery, and once again I loved every second of it. I loved Marshall as a character, and I love the way he grows up through the book. I also loved both Cooper & Sydney, they're such great characters, too. Most of this book is from Marshall's PoV, with a little from Sydney, and an epilogue from someone unexpected ;) 

So, if you're a fan of books with lots of thrills & chills and lots of twists & turns, then this is a book for you!!! I can't recommend it enough!

Summary:

This isn't what Cooper Foley expected death to be like... 

Cooper Foley has landed square in the middle of a border war between the worlds of the living and the dead. He's always had a knack for finding trouble, but nothing has prepared him for this. 

At the end of The Light, book one of the Morpheus Road trilogy, Marshall Seaver learned what really happened to his missing best friend, Cooper. Now the mystery continues, only this time through Cooper's eyes. 

What did Marshall's terrifying encounter with Gravedigger have to do with spirits from another existence? Who is Damon? What role did he play in Cooper's dilemma? And most important, what is the mysterious Morpheus Road? All of existence hangs in the balance as Cooper races against time to find answers.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

So, The Black was also a re-read for me, but it was only the 2nd time I've read this book ;) Once again I was totally wrapped up in the events happening in this book. We follow Cooper and what happened to him. He's such a fun character, and got stuck in the middle of events that didn't concern him, well, until Damon decided to involve him :) We learn about the Morpheus Road, and we learn more about Damon & about Marshall's Mom a.k.a the events that started this whole thing. We also meet Maggie - I really liked her - and she & Cooper were really sweet together. Also, there was a mystery involving her, and that one was totally unexpected, so another awesome subplot by D. J. MacHale. I don't want to go into too many details, because I dislike spoilers, but this books was really great sequel, that was full of thrills, suspense, mystery & action, so you'll find yourself unable to stop turning the pages, wanting to know what will happen next? And that epilogue, so sad, yet amazing, and will make you want to pick up the last book - The Blood - right away! If you've enjoyed The Light, you will definitely enjoy this one, too, so I can't recommend it enough.