REVIEW: Little Monsters by Kara Thomas // YA – Mystery – Thriller – July 2017 Release

Series: –

Published: 25 July 2017

Genre: YA, Mystery, Thriller

Pages: 336

Language read: English

Format read: eArc, ebook

Rating: weak 3 stars 

Little Monsters Synopsis: For fans of Pretty Little Liars, Little Monsters is a new psychological thriller, from the author of The Darkest Corners, about appearances versus reality and the power of manipulation amongst teenage girls.

Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.

Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.

Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.

But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.

Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone. –Goodreads

I wanted to read this book because I have been in the mood for thrillers this summer. The synopsis sounded intriguing, and anything that says for fans of Pretty Little Liars and psychological thriller really peaks my interests.

I struggled with this book in the beginning. It took me awhile to get into, since I found it a bit slow. I had mixed feelings towards the beginning. I was so eager to jump right into the mystery, but the book took its time with building up the story, the world and the characters. At this point I didn’t even care that much for the characters. I later on appreciated that the book took its time with the character development, because it is very important for the rest of the story. I also had some problems with telling the characters apart in the beginning. I especially got confused when the book jumped into the diary. I thought it was the main character’s for a while. I’m not sure if this was intentional, or if I am really dumb and it went over my head? All of this got better as the book went on though.

This was just some minor problems and not necessary a big reason for disliking the book. Now I’m going to talk about why my feelings for the book really soured. 7% and 13% into the story I found some things I thought was problematic and harmful, especially for younger readers. Now I’m going to talk a bit about what I found.

I hated how the book tried to make fun of people with allergy or intolerance to gluten. It is, and can be, very dangerous for some people to eat gluten. Even just a little bit can be fatal. Eating gluten free food for health reasons are already stigmatized, and a lot of people thinks that it is just some bogus thing that people are making up. The comment in this book enhances that problem. The comment can especially be hurtful for younger readers that are eating a gluten free diet. People who eat gluten free should be taken serious and be believed, especially by sales personnel and cafe waiters.

The other thing I found to be problematic in this could also be harmful to young readers. I wasn’t sure if I overreacted to this so I asked my boyfriend what he thought, and he agrees with me.

In writing that a person can be the town gossip because they struggle with an eating disorder, can be very dangerous for a young person that struggles with the same to hear. It can strike fear of getting sent away if someone finds out into readers with similar problems. The paragraph also insinuates that it is wrong to get professional help, or if the parents are making the child get help. A good parent will help their child with eating disorders, or other problems, this is not something that should be talked down on. The whole page just made me feel sick. Please let me know what you think?

The version of the book I read was an eArc and not the final copy. If anything has changed in the final release, and the things I’m mentioning are gone or changed, please let me know.

The sad thing about this is that these two paragraphs wasn’t necessary for the book at all. I would have liked that the author didn’t include them, because the book would be so much better without.

Two thirds into the story the book flipped 180° and went from meh to I CAN’T PUT IT DOWN. The mystery got real intense and addictive. It wasn’t just the story that grew on me, but I also started liking the characters a bit more.

The book’s strongest feature was the last part. It got real intense and addictive. Plot twists after plot twists shocked me because I didn’t see any of it coming. All in all the mystery was very interesting. I actually ended up liking the book at the end.

Would I recommend this book? Hmm, I’m not sure. I liked the mystery, It was addictive and intense. But the book took its time before it became interesting. Plus it’s the whole problem with the things I found in the beginning that I didn’t like. I don’t want younger readers, or other readers that can be hurt from it, to read anything like that. I was planning to give this book 2 stars, but the ending was so good that I gave it a weak 3 stars.

I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Children’s & Kara Thomas for giving me a copy of this book.

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❤ -Rakel

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Review: One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus |YA – Mystery – New Release June 1st 2017|

Series: –

Published: June 1st 2017

Genre: YA, Mystery

Pages: 368

Language read: English

Format read: eArc, ebook

Rating: 4.5 stars 

One of Us Is Lying Synopsis:One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone is a suspect, and everyone has something to hide.

Pay close attention and you might solve this.
On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.
Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule.
Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess.
Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing.
Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher.
And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app.

Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose?

Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them. –Goodreads

I wanted to read this book from the first time I found out about it from another book blog. The whole premise and the synopsis sounded really interesting and exciting. Who doesn’t find The Breakfast Club mixed with a murder mystery interesting? I certainly did. I immediately went and asked for the book on Netgalley, and when I got approved I was really happy.

This book is the Breakfast Club meets Pretty Little Liars (not the part of PLL where they drag out everything and you lose interest before you find out who big A is). It follows the 4 teenagers that was in detention, when Simon, a fellow peer drops to the floor dying from a deadly allergy shock. The death of Simon is suspicious and the four witness becomes the key suspects in the investigation. Who killed Simon? And why?

There is so many things I loved about this book, and it is one of my favorite reads so far this year. This book started of with an explosion of questions that I had to get the answer to asap, why and who? And what are they hiding? This book sucked me in from the first page. The writing was engaging and easy to follow, and the mystery was really interesting. I also really liked the story and the characters, they were amazing. Overall I loved this book and I highly recommend it if you are looking for an addictive read.

There is something I just have to mention that is not negative, but I just have to comment on. As I said above, I really loved The Breakfast Club premise, so I went into the book thinking it was going to be more of a retelling of the movie where one of the characters die at the end of the story. So to my surprise the victim dies at the start of the book, within a couple of pages. The death was just the beginning of the book. So don’t go into the book and think that it is going to be a close retelling. You can see that the author has taken inspiration from the movie, especially when it comes to the characters.

In this book you follow four main characters, two girls and two boys;

Bronwyn the Brain

Addy the beauty

Nate the criminal

Cooper the athlete

(Here you clearly see the inspiration from the Breakfast Club).

I just loved all of the four main characters. They all had their own personal secrets and struggles, and everybody had a great character growth through the book. The story is written in first person, and I think that worked really well. We got to know the characters and the story through their eyes.

As the title of the book says; One Of us Is Lying. They all have their own secrets and reasons to lie, and anyone of them can be the murderer. I couldn’t picture anyone of them to be the murderer, and the thought that one of them had killed Simon broke my heart. I’m not going to say who did it, because spoilers, so I’m not going to say if my heart broke or not. You have to find that out yourself!

My favorite characters was Bronwyn and Nate. Bronwyn is the brain with straight A’s and Nate is the low life criminal. Their relationship was very interesting, and I love their interaction with each other (cute! Hint hint romance). P.S. I have never heard the name Bronwyn before, I always read it as Brownyn, haha.

I also found the character Simon very interesting. I really want to read the story from his perspective, I want to be inside his brain. Karen M. Mcmanus, can you write a short story from Simon’s perspective? Please. Maybe not the whole story from his perspective but perhaps the days leading up to his death? Or some of the other incidents that we got to hear about in the book? That would be AWESOME!

I can’t write this review without talking about the mystery, who murdered Simon? The mystery unravels at the end, and we get to know who the killer is, just like most thriller books. I always try to figure out who the killer is before the book gives it away, and I make up many different theories. Probably not the only one who does that, it is half of the fun of reading murder mysteries. I had one theory of who the killer was, and in the end I was partly right, so it didn’t come as a shock to me.

This was a well written, incredibly engaging and interesting YA mystery novel. I loved so many things about this book. It sucked me in and I couldn’t put it down, I just had to know who killed Simon. I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House UK & Karen M. McManus for giving me a copy of this book.

❤ -Rakel

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Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies – The Gentleman Bastards #2 by Scott Lynch | Fantasy |

Series: Book 2 in the Gentleman Bastards

Published: June 20th 2007

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 558

Language read: English

Format read: Audiobook

Rating: 4 stars 

Red Seas Under Red Skies Synopsis: After a brutal battle with the underworld that nearly destroyed him, Locke and his trusted sidekick, Jean, fled the island city of their birth and landed on the exotic shores of Tal Verrar to nurse their wounds. But even at this westernmost edge of civilization, they can’t rest for long — and are soon back to what they do best: stealing from the undeserving rich and pocketing the proceeds for themselves.

This time, however, they have targeted the grandest prize of all: the Sinspire, the most exclusive and heavily guarded gambling house in the world. Its nine floors attract the wealthiest clientele — and to rise to the top, one must impress with good credit, amusing behavior… and excruciatingly impeccable play. For there is one cardinal rule, enforced by Requin, the house’s cold-blooded master: it is death to cheat at any game at the Sinspire.

Brazenly undeterred, Locke and Jean have orchestrated an elaborate plan to lie, trick, and swindle their way up the nine floors… straight to Requin’s teeming vault. Under the cloak of false identities, they meticulously make their climb — until they are closer to the spoils than ever.

But someone in Tal Verrar has uncovered the duo’s secret. Someone from their past who has every intention of making the impudent criminals pay for their sins. Now it will take every ounce of cunning to save their mercenary souls. And even that may not be enough… –Goodreads

As you might know by now The Lies of Locke Lamora, book 1 in The Gentleman Bastards, is my favorite book of all time. MY REVIEW HERE! I’m always talking about it, and constantly recommend it to people.

Because I loved book 1 so much, I had really high hopes for this one. I was eager to continue reading about these characters that I love so much, and yet again get captivated by the beautiful writing and the incredible world Scott Lynch has made.

Even though this book had a lot of the things I loved about book 1, it didn’t grab me in the same way. To be 100% honest, I’m a little disappointed by this read.

It still had some great parts and the characters and the writing was still really great. It was the story that fell a bit flat for me. Don’t get me wrong, the story wasn’t horrible, it just wasn’t at the same level as the previous book.

The beginning of the story was interesting, it started off great with a premise of pirates and the open sea. I was eager to continue another epic journey with Locke and Jean in a new place and with new characters. The middle of the story didn’t grab me, it was kind of slow and not engaging. At the end of the book it grew on me, and I found the story not to be that bad. The ending really had the feeling of book 1, all the crazy things that happened and Locke and Jean’s brilliant brains when it comes to schemes and plans.

So over to the biggest let down for me. In the previous book we got a lot of flashbacks to the Bastard’s childhood. That storyline was my favorite part, and a big part of why book 1 was so great. In this book we didn’t get to know anything from their past. I just really missed it in this book. I don’t see why the author didn’t include it, especially since it was in the third book.

I also have to mention how funny these books are. The humor and snarky comments are on point. The characters are just so witty and says a lot of funny things.

BOOK TALK

Now I want to talk about some details:

Something that I missed in book 1 was more female characters. In this book there is 2 new kickass women, Zamira and Ezri. They both are members of the pirate ship The Orchid. Zamira is the captain of the ship and a mother, and her two small kids are living on board with her. I have never seen or read about a pirate captain with kids before. I just LOVE it. 

I also LOVE Locke and Jean’s relationship/friendship. I love their bond and that they care so much for each other. It is also funny how much they bicker and fight too. One minute they are really mad, fighting and yelling, the other they are willing to die for each other.

The romance in this book was also really cute. I love that it didn’t take over the plot, but it added a little spice to the story.

One thing I found hilarious and cute, was the part about the cats, haha.

And at last, why Scott Lynch, why are you breaking my heart all the time? How can you do this to me and all the other people who read your books? Lol ok, I know they are just fictional characters, but I get invested in them and their lives.

CONCLUSION

Even though I liked this book, I was a bit disappointed with it. I still really love Locke and Jean, and Scott Lynch’s beautiful writing. The thing I missed the most about this book was the flashbacks to their childhood, because that was one of my favorite parts of book 1. The story was all in all good, but it wasn’t as engaging as the first book. When it comes to the characters I really loved Zamira and Ezri, and of course the main characters, they will forever be my favorites.

I’m definitely going to re-read this book series, because I love them and I want to re-live the story again. I also want to get all the details that I might have missed the first time.

-Rakel

-Have You Read This Book?

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Mini Review: Final Girls by Riley Sager

Series: –

Published: Expected publication: July 11th 2017

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Pages: 352

Language read: English

Format read: Earc

Rating: 3.5 stars 

 

Final Girls Synopsis: Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet….longer synopsis on Goodreads

–Goodreads

I enjoyed this book for the most parts. I found the first 100 pages a bit slow, but not boring. The story took its time to build up to the latter half of the book. I also had no idea what direction the story would go. Is it a thriller or is the story just about what happened to the three girls, Quincy, Sam and Lisa, and their life after they became the Final Girls? I was very curious about what would happen later in the story, so I kept on reading.

Halfway through the book I started really liking it. It was very intense and nerve wracking, and the book totally sucked me in. I couldn’t put it down, and I was eager to know what would happen at the end.

Even though the start was a bit slow, the book wasn’t bad and I really liked the ending. All in all I liked this book, and I gave it 3.5 stars.

I also want to mention that the whole premise with the Final Girls was very interesting. I have never heard someone use The Final Girls before, I’m not sure if this is something the author has made up or is something that is used in the real world.

I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks to Netgalley, Penguin Random House UK, Ebury Publishing & Riley Sager for giving me a copy of this book.

❤ -Rakel

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Mini Review: We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Genre: Essay, Nonfiction, Feminism

Pages: 49

Language read: English

Format read: Ebook

Rating: 5 stars 

Review: Gemina – The Illuminae Files #2 by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff |Young Adult, Science Fiction|

Series: Book 2 in The Illuminae Files

Piblished: October 18th 2016 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult

Pages: 608

Language read: English

Format read: Book

Rating: 2 stars

The Twelve Days of Dash & Lily – Dash & Lily #2 by Rachel Cohn & David Levithan |Young Adult-Contemporary|

Series: Book 2 in Dash & Lily

Piblished: October 18th 2016 by Knopf Books for Young Readers

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Pages: 215

Language read: English

Format read: Ebook

Rating: 2.5 stars 

The Twelve Days of Dash and Lily synopsis: Dash and Lily have had a tough year since they first fell in love among the shelves of their favorite bookstore. Lily’s beloved grandfather suffered a heart attack, and his difficult road to recovery has taken a major toll on her typically sunny disposition.

With only twelve days left until Christmas—Lily’s favorite time of the year—Dash, Lily’s brother Langston, and their closest friends must take Manhattan by storm to help Lily recapture the unique holiday magic of a glittering, snow-covered New York City in December. –Goodreads

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My Thoughts

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I red the first book, Dash and Lily’s book of dares Christmas 2015. I really enjoyed it, I thought it was fun and cute, and I loved the diary hunt that is in the beginning of book one. It also had this magical Christmas atmosphere that is perfect to read to get into the holiday spirit.

Because I loved book one so much, book two was a disappointment. Even though I still like the characters, the story didn’t have the same fun as book one. It still had some hilarious parts though, like the gingerbread making and the accident on the ice.

“It was Chaos on Glitter Ice. A massacre of librarians.”

The book has some more serious and less happy themes. That is ok and all, but I miss the fun of book one. Especially the fun and excitement of the beginning with the diary hunt when Dash and Lily found each other.

One thing in this book that really irritated me, is how the authors wrote the character Boomer. I understand that he isn’t supposed to be the sharpest tool in the shed. But come on! Don’t do the same joke over and over that he doesn’t understand references. Was it supposed to be funny? To me it was just too much, irritating and cringy.

Example from one of the pages with Boomer:

““If you want,”Boomer offered, “I can talk to that girl Amber in my chem class and see if she can put out an alert.”“I don’t think it works that way,”Sofia said. “But it’s a nice thought.”“It’s my pleasure,”Boomer said. Then he looked at me and his face fell. “Not that I’m taking any pleasure in this. I’m not, I swear.”“I’m sure she’ll be back soon,”I assured him. “I think she just needed some space.”“So maybe she’s at the planetarium!””

❤ -Rakel

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Mini Review: The Golden Compass – His Dark Materials #1 by Philip Pullman |Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens|

Series: Book 1 in His Dark Materials

Published: April 16th 1996 by Alfred A. Knopf (first published 1995)

Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult, Childrens

Pages: 399

Language read: English

Format read: Library book

Rating: 3 stars 

The Golden Compass synopsis: Here lives an orphaned ward named Lyra Belacqua, whose carefree life among the scholars at Oxford’s Jordan College is shattered by the arrival of two powerful visitors. First, her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, appears with evidence of mystery and danger in the far North, including photographs of a mysterious celestial phenomenon called Dust and the dim outline of a city suspended in the Aurora Borealis that he suspects is part of an alternate universe. He leaves Lyra in the care of Mrs. Coulter, an enigmatic scholar and explorer who offers to give Lyra the attention her uncle has long refused her. In this multilayered narrative, however, nothing is as it seems. Lyra sets out for the top of the world in search of her kidnapped playmate, Roger, bearing a rare truth-telling instrument, the alethiometer. All around her children are disappearing—victims of so-called “Gobblers”—and being used as subjects in terrible experiments that separate humans from their daemons, creatures that reflect each person’s inner being. And somehow, both Lord Asriel and Mrs. Coulter are involved. –Goodreads

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My Thoughts

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I wanted to read this book because it is kind of a well known fantasy book, that also has been made into a movie. This book has also won different awards, so I had high hopes for it. If you want to read this book, I recommend you to read it in the winter, because a lot of the story is set on the north pole.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. Even though I really loved the world and the fantasy elements, and I found the story to be intriguing and exciting. I also found the book to be very boring, and I don’t really know why. I think it was the writing, I found myself to be spacing out of the story all the time. 

Honorable mention to the dæmons, they are my favorite part of the book. I love how all the humans have their own dæmon. Dæmon is like a magical animal that is linked to the person’s soul. I wish I had my own dæmon, why! Can someone please get me one? I wonder what animal my dæmon would form.

❤ -Rakel

Deadlight Jack – The Faceless One #2 by Mark Onspaugh

Series: Book 2 in the The Faceless One

Expected publication: January 3rd 2017 by Hydra

Genre: Horror, Supernatural, Thriller, Suspense

Pages: 264

Language read: English

Format read: Earc

Rating: 3.5 stars 

Deadlight Jack synopsis: Worse things than gators lurk in the Louisiana swamp. . . . The author of The Faceless One fuses the twisted imagination of Fritz Leiber with the razor-sharp plotting of Joe Hill in this rollicking horror thriller.

Appearances can be deceiving. Take Jimmy Kalmaku. Anyone passing him on the streets of Lake Nisqually, Washington, would merely see an elderly man. But Jimmy is actually a powerful Tlingit shaman, with a link to the god Raven and a résumé that includes saving the world.

Or take his friend and roommate, George Watters. Another ordinary retiree, right? Wrong. Like Jimmy, George is more than he seems to be. He too has a link to the supernatural. He too has saved the world.

Then there’s Professor Foxfire—also known as Deadlight Jack. Dressed in the garb of a stage magician, he seems a figure of magic and fun. But he isn’t fun at all. He isn’t even human. And his magic is of the darkest and bloodiest kind.

When George’s grandson vanishes on a family vacation to the Louisiana bayou, George and Jimmy fly across the country to aid in the search. Once they arrive, family feuds and buried secrets bring George face-to-face with the ghosts of a forgotten past; Jimmy finds his powers wilting under the humid Southern sun; and deep in the swamp, Deadlight Jack prepares his long-awaited revenge.

-Penguinrandomhouse.com

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My Thoughts

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When I asked for this book on Netgalley I didn’t know it was a second book in a duology. But after reading a few reviews on Goodreads that said this book can be read as a standalone, I choose to read it because the synopsis sounded very interesting. They were right, you can read this book without reading book 1.

This Book Can Be Read As A Standalone!

In this book we read about the two best friends George and Jimmy. They are two men in their 70, living together and fighting supernatural cases. How awesome isn’t that? In this book George’s grandson goes missing, and the two old men goes on an adventure to find the missing boy.

For me the characters are the strength of this book, even though I also really like the story. The story is scary and interesting with lots of supernatural elements and characters. It also has a great atmosphere, especially at the ending. Spoiler Strike-through: How good was the part in the run down house at the ending, the atmosphere and setting was amazing.

I was so much fun reading about protagonists that is elderly, because I usually read books with younger characters.

I love the character George and Jimmy. George is African American and Jimmy is Native American. I love their chemistry and the interactions between them. It is so funny how much they argue and bicker, even though you know they have a great friendship and care for each other.

This book had some great character development, especially George. I wanted more character development on Jimmy, but I have the feeling that he had his parts in book one. I’m very curious about his past though especially because he is native American, so maybe I’ll read book one some time.

I really enjoyed the talk/story George had with Jimmy about his life. In this talk and throughout the book, racism was a theme that came up.

There is also two women who are married to each other and have children together, which I really liked. This book had some great diverse characters.

I rate this book 3.5 stars

I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

❤ -Rakel

Review: Tatiana And Alexander by Paullina Simons – The Bronze Horseman #2 |Historical Fiction-Romance-World War 2-Russia|

Series: Book 2 in the The Bronze Horseman series

Published: Published 2008 by HarperCollins

Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, World War 2, Russia

Pages: 559

Language read: English

Format read: Paperback

Rating: 4.5 stars 

The Bronze Horseman Synopsis: During the summer of 1941 the Metanov family are living a hard life in Leningrad. As the German armies advance their future looks bleak. For Tatiana, love arrives in the guise of Alexander, who harbours a deadly and extraordinary secret. –Goodreads

Warning: This review spoils book 1, so if you haven’t read it, don’t read on.

The first book is about 16 year old Tatiana and her life living in Leningrad with her family, the first brutal years of world war 2. The first day of war she meets the handsome Alexander, and throughout the book they slowly fall in love with each other.

Book 2 starts where book 1 ends, Tatiana alone in another country, pregnant and devastated by the loss of the only person she has left in the world, the love of her life Alexander.

I found Tatiana And Alexander, the second book in the series to be even better than the first, and I loved the first book when I read it 2 years ago. It is hard to remember everything I thought about the first book when I was reading it, because it is not fresh in my mind. I also read it before I had my blog, so I don’t have a review on it. I remember really liking the story of the first book, and that it made me cry. There was only a portion in the middle of the book that I didn’t like. When they were staying at the cabin in the woods/lake, there was a lot of sex and I found it to be boring and repetitive. I didn’t have the same problem with book 2. I gave book 1, The Bronze Horseman 4 stars.

I really love this book. It is beautifully written, and the story that is full of hope, love, longing and loss is one of the most beautiful and heartbreaking stories I have ever read. The mix of the story and the writing made a rollercoaster ride of feelings and emotions. Not many other books has played with my emotions as much as this, I got anxious, happy, hopeful, nervous and sad for the characters and it was breaking my heart several times.

I got highly invested in Tatiana and Alexander’s relationship and life. I could really feel the love, sorrow and longing they had for each other. We get to see a love story that blossoms in the devastating hardships of war.

We got to read a lot about Tatiana and her life in book one, and in this book it was Alexander’s turn. I’m not sure about this, but it felt like the majority of the book was from Alexander’s point of view. I really liked that we got to know him better. He has a very interesting past, with his parents being political immigrants from the US and all.

Even though I love the characters Tatiana and Alexander, I don’t always love the action and choices they do. SPOILER STRIKETHROUGH: Sometimes I get annoyed, especially with Tatiana. My biggest problem was at the end of the book when Tatiana left her good life in USA to find Alexander. She left her kid knowing it was a good chance he would lose his mother too. I felt it was very naive of her to do.

All the death, suffering and destruction that comes with war is devastating to read about. It is horrible, I can’t believe all the evil things that happened in world war 2, and I can’t believe it still happens on earth today. All the people that froze and starved to death, and all the soldiers who was fighting for their country. All of them has a story, a family and a life, that is something we should never forget. I know this is a book review and not a political post, but this was my thoughts and feeling while I was reading the book.

This book is long and printed with a small font, but it kept me interested throughout the whole book. It was very intense from the beginning to the end. My emotions was up and down and I actually cried several times. I really loved this book! I gave this book 4.5 stars.

❤ -Rakel