Review: Laços de Sangue

Laços de Sangue by Pamela Freeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really pleasant surprise! I had it in my bookshelf for some time now and didn't manage to read more than half of it, then I'd drop it, and I don't remember why. But this time, I finally finished it!

This is the story of several people that live in different domains, but we have our three (sort of three) main characters: Bramble, literally a free spirit; Ash, a boy who's training to be a "security guard"; and Saker, the one we least know about but is some kind of wizard. What do they have in common? They are Travelers, people who are cast aside by the "new" people, the people of Acton. The three of them are guided by their blood and, consequently, by the Gods and other superior powers.

This story was slow but a really good surprise. It's completely different from the other fantasy romances I've read, so so different, and it stood out in a good way because of it. I really loved the fact that the characters interact with the Gods and the ghosts, but don't get me wrong, these ghosts have nothing to do with the ghosts in other stories, not is this a horror story. With this said, the worldbuilding IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, it's so amazing, it's honestly the strong point of this book, but the characters are so strong as well, it's wonderful. The characters seemed completely realistic and you could relate to them in several levels. As much as I like Bramble and relate somewhat to her, Ash still managed to be my favorite. I found that I could relate a lot to his feelings and his emotions, more so than with Bramble. The emotions the characters feel are extremely well written, that it doesn't exactly get boring although it has very little action. What I also really liked were the small chapters, written in first person, of others characters that Bramble and Ash would encounter on their separate journeys, as it gave us some background for that characters even if they didn't appear ever again. Maybe they'll show up in book two.

Still, what I really liked the most was how this mimicked history and real life, with the invader/invaded type of relationship between "races", and how some were considered superior and the others were seen as low by society. This was really well explained and written throughout the book, and gave it even more "essence".

But sometimes, just sometimes, it would get slightly boring reading the story of a different character that barely had anything to do with the story. Also, the back and forth between POV's sometimes made me slightly angry because I want to know what happens next to Bramble, not Ash, and vice-versa. As it has little action, it can get somewhat boring, but it never makes you really drop the book forever. I'm pretty sure I dropped it before for external reasons and not because of the book itself, as I wanted to come back for it for a long long time. I really liked the ending, but I must also warn you (and I don't know if this is a spoiler so I'll mark it as such, but don't worry, I don't say anything about the fate of the characters nor how it ended) that (view spoiler)[ it doesn't have a cliffhanger nor a climax (hide spoiler)], but mainly because this is the first book of a trilogy so it was a very good way to introduce the characters and the world, so it was a perfect way to build up the story.

All in all, this is a really different and amazing fantasy story, that grabs elements that make it seem completely different from anything ever written. It's perfectly written, world and character wise, and I could relate to the characters completely, although the pace was just slightly too slow for me, and it doesn't have much action (but IT DOES have action). But I also believe this was the buildup for the second book, and so that one will have more action. Not that that means that it will be better, because the essence of this book is in the details. May the second book be available in a book store near me, I'll buy it.

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Review: Laços de Sangue

Laços de Sangue by Pamela Freeman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a really pleasant surprise! I had it in my bookshelf for some time now and didn't manage to read more than half of it, then I'd drop it, and I don't remember why. But this time, I finally finished it!

This is the story of several people that live in different domains, but we have our three (sort of three) main characters: Bramble, literally a free spirit; Ash, a boy who's training to be a "security guard"; and Saker, the one we least know about but is some kind of wizard. What do they have in common? They are Travelers, people who are cast aside by the "new" people, the people of Acton. The three of them are guided by their blood and, consequently, by the Gods and other superior powers.

This story was slow but a really good surprise. It's completely different from the other fantasy romances I've read, so so different, and it stood out in a good way because of it. I really loved the fact that the characters interact with the Gods and the ghosts, but don't get me wrong, these ghosts have nothing to do with the ghosts in other stories, not is this a horror story. With this said, the worldbuilding IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING, it's so amazing, it's honestly the strong point of this book, but the characters are so strong as well, it's wonderful. The characters seemed completely realistic and you could relate to them in several levels. As much as I like Bramble and relate somewhat to her, Ash still managed to be my favorite. I found that I could relate a lot to his feelings and his emotions, more so than with Bramble. The emotions the characters feel are extremely well written, that it doesn't exactly get boring although it has very little action. What I also really liked were the small chapters, written in first person, of others characters that Bramble and Ash would encounter on their separate journeys, as it gave us some background for that characters even if they didn't appear ever again. Maybe they'll show up in book two.

But sometimes, just sometimes, it would get slightly boring reading the story of a different character that barely had anything to do with the story. Also, the back and forth between POV's sometimes made me slightly angry because I want to know what happens next to Bramble, not Ash, and vice-versa. As it has little action, it can get somewhat boring, but it never makes you really drop the book forever. I'm pretty sure I dropped it before for external reasons and not because of the book itself, as I wanted to come back for it for a long long time. I really liked the ending, but I must also warn you (and I don't know if this is a spoiler so I'll mark it as such, but don't worry, I don't say anything about the fate of the characters nor how it ended) that (view spoiler)[ it doesn't have a cliffhanger nor a climax (hide spoiler)], but mainly because this is the first book of a trilogy so it was a very good way to introduce the characters and the world, so it was a perfect way to build up the story.

All in all, this is a really different and amazing fantasy story, that grabs elements that make it seem completely different from anything ever written. It's perfectly written, world and character wise, and I could relate to the characters completely, although the pace was just slightly too slow for me, and it doesn't have much action (but IT DOES have action). But I also believe this was the buildup for the second book, and so that one will have more action. Not that that means that it will be better, because the essence of this book is in the details. May the second book be available in a book store near me, I'll buy it.

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Review: Lover Eternal

Lover Eternal by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this so much! It's sooooo sweet, and it entertained me very much!

What can I say that hasn't been said already? There isn't much worldbuilding nor many characters, only enough to know what happens in the Brotherhood worlds. You get to know a little bit of each brother, and I just loved how it went back and forth between Mary, Rhage, John and even sometimes Zsadist and Bella. There's only one thing I didn't like that much, and it was that Mr O's scenes always seemed pretty boring to me, especially when they happened in the middle of an important moment for Rhage and Mary. I mean, I know it's made to keep you on edge but come ooooooooon I just want to skip it and go read what happens to the lovely main characters, but I never skipped it (and I'm proud). This also leads me to a very sweet surprise for me. I got myself more entertained with Bella and Zsadist than with Mary and Rhage by the last part of the book, maybe because we had so much of them on the book. Rhage is the sweetest vampire ever! Hollywood and with all the bad boy vibes but he's just so... innocent? Innocent is not the right word, but he's just so cute so akdhadkahf. Mary is so strong, I love her, and I usually don't like the female main character of vampire romances because of obvious reasons. But Mary is so indepented, just so strong, for all she went through! She's awesome, and Rhage is awesome, and they're so good together.

The strong point of this book is, obviously, the dialogue. You don't have much character development except for the main characters, and there's not much going on besides them and the work of the Omega. All in all, this is a very good read, even with all the erotica it has, it just adds to their relationship even more. I really want to read the third, especially because I think it's about Zsadist and Bella and I can't wait.

If you're wondering why I only gave it four stars, it was mainly because of how I just wanted to skip some parts, and because of how sometimes I got bored of Mary and Rhage. But then right way the next scene was of someone else's POV, so it always made me come back to the book.

I'm so sorry for this review and because of how scattered around it is, but I literally just finished reading this and am so excited, I wasn't expecting to like this one as much as I did.

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Review: Prince's Gambit

Prince's Gambit by C.S. Pacat
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

FIVE FULL STARS FROM ME! Why? Because this is awesome.

Let's start with the obvious. This is a completely character-driven story, and so the characters have to be exceptional, which they are. All characters have a purpose to be in this story, and they keep on propelling our main character's story forward. Laurent is as cold and brilliant as ever, but this time you actually see another side of him, a human side. And Laurent is so human it almost hurts. The cold layer around him is being shattered, by Damen, and we get to see it. Also, we can also see the extents he's willing to go just to make his plans work. Damen, on the other hand, is finally given the spotlight. Before, it was always Laurent who shined, who was the most intelligent, smart and bright one. But here, Damen finally shows us why he was fit be a king himself. He's falling in love, hard, but that doesn't keep him from displaying his brilliant mind. Seeing his emotions and his internal conflict make us ache for him and it gets ourselves conflicted as well. As for the side characters, the Regent keeps on being the Regent, Gouvard keeps on being Gouvard, and Jord keeps on being Jord. But poor Jord... I can honestly say he's the third most important character in this story, at least from a certain point of view. Jord is in the middle of everything, and that's why he's probably the one who suffers the most.

But don't get me wrong, we DO get world building in this one. Just enough to understand what's going on, and it never feels lacking. C.S. Pacat has a way of telling stories where you get completely enthralled and almost forget how little you know of the world. But you don't need to know anything else for this to work out.

Also, I saw some negative reviews of people saying this book was full of sex? I have to disagree. As the world of Captive Prince, you'll obviously read sex, but it's mostly for the first part of the book. All of the sex scenes and mentions of it are still important to the plot, they have a way in the plot that doesn't make them feel unnecessary. They're there for a reason, just like in the first book they were there to show how the Veretian court functioned. This time, it's not to show us how the court works, but to show us the emotions of the characters, and one mention of it even to save Laurent and Damen while making them laugh about it (I laughed too). I must also be honest, I am under the impression that Captive Prince was a lot more sexual than Prince's Gambit.

Once again, C.S. Pacat has completely won me over and I can't wait, I really can't wait to read the third, especially after that ending. EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE, EVERYONE IS GOING TO SUFFER, AND WE WILL SUFFER ALONG WITH THEM, AND I DON'T THINK MY HEART WILL BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT (it won't even be able to handle the wait). This one ended in such a plot twist, with such a revelation that we all knew that was coming, just like Damen, but we don't know what's going to happen, once again just like Damen. Also, for everything I just explained above, for all the politics and movement in the plot, I think I actually like this one more than the first, but they're both so so so good. C.S. Pacat, I adore you for creating this awesome world with awesome characters that shows politics in a way that is nowhere close to be boring, and that makes us feel real emotion, even when we're just reading. I honestly love this series, and will read it a lot more times.

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Review: City of Glass

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

SHADOWHUNTEEEEEEEEEEERS!!!

Yeeess, I know I'm pretty late in reading this but I finally did it! And it was a lovely ride! In spite of feeling it was too fast. I could barely read these days and I still went by it really quickly. That's one of the main reasons why my rating is actually 4 stars and not 5 full stars.

But I'll start with the story. It starts with a turning point, an attack on the Institute, and Simon crosse the portal do Idris together with Jace, Alec, Isabelle, BUT they leave Clary behind, and she really wanted to go. Pissed off, she finds a way to go with Luke, a werewolf! So a vampire and werewolf are in Idris, in Alicante, to be more precise, and a new mysterious character appears, Sebastian! I can't say anything else, otherwise I'd be giving away the whole story.

The characters are, as always, well-written, but I feel Sebastian gives away who he is too easily, it could have been harder to spot him (and I would've enjoyed it much more). Magnus and Alec's development made me delighted, I just wish those two showed up more, I think there wasn't enough Alec in the book. Jocelyn is also a nice surprise, although it just felt rushed to me, much like the whole book. (view spoiler)[Clary's reunion with Jocelyn felt really hollow to me, it lacked emotion, and there wasn't much between them throughout the whole book, even when Jocelyn told her about her past. There could have been much more emotion, and I do get Clary's reaction, but afterwards, I was expecting a tear-jerking moment and it wasn't delivered, at least to me. (hide spoiler)]

Everything went by so fast, and so little characters had a light shined upon. Alec and Magnus, important characters, showed up very little, Jocelyn and Sebastian felt rushed and Valentine sometimes felt out of character for me, but I think that was the point with him.

It's still well-written, Clary's and Jace's relationship develops nicely, Amatis is well introduced, the scenarios are always written in depth and all the plots make sense. What Luke and Clary proposed was really brave, and it really shows a new vision for all Shadowhunters.

But, with such an ending, and because I haven't seen the spoilers yet... how are there three more books?? Guess I just have to read them to find out, don't want spoilers. I just hope the others aren't as rushed as I felt this one was.

(As a side note, I can feel her writing style improving, even if it was rushed, and I think she almost perfected it with her The Infernal Devices trilogy.)

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Review: A Ameaça

A Ameaça by Ken Follett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

[17/11/16]
I finally finished this! I took such a long time because of university, but I enjoyed it every time I grabbed it! Ken Follett is one of the masters of thriller, and this one didn't fall behind on that.

Whiteout deals with a deadly virus that, if spread, could kill millions of people. One of the scientists died with the virus but it was an isolated case. That was supposed to be the worst thing that could happen, right? Wrong.

Toni Gallo is an ex-police that now works as the head of the security of a lab that belongs to Stanley Oxenford. And she now has to deal with the biggest crisis of her life, and if she fails, millions could die. But this isn't just about her. Stanley's family - which is a huge family - has a role in all of this. And what a pleasant surprise that was! (it's not everyday that you find a thriller revolving around an entire family)

Miranda was a really good surprise, she turned out to be one of the bravest of that family. Ned too, I was really bothered with the way he acted but then he turned out to be a good character. I still have a meh opinion about Hugo but the guy didn't deserve what he got. Olga was a pretty good character, if it probably wasn't for her - and the snow, mind that - the virus would have probably been released.

But the most amazing surprise were the kids. Even if Caroline didn't have any role at all and Tom barely had one, Sophie and Craig almost stole the spotlight. They were amazing, and funny in their own way, and incredibly brave and even helped Toni literally save the day.

The bad guys were well developed too (as obviously they'd be, it's Ken Follett, duh). Madoba-2 was actually Toni's main problem, but it derived from Kit, so I wasn't that wrong. Kit is a very complex character, so I enjoyed all of his thoughts.

The only downfall? The ending. It's completely predictable, including the main character's ending. There's not any twist to it. It's predictable and even cliché, and that's why it doesn't get 5 stars.

All in all, this is a great book, with good characters and a good plot. It all makes sense and all the characters play a role (almost all of them, basically the ones I don't remember the names don't have that big of a role). It was very nice to be reading a thriller but still see the way the characters interacted with each other. Some of the chapters were really pleasant in the sense that it seemed like a completely normal story about a big family. And that's probably what I like the most, the way Ken Follett is able to intertwine trivial things into a thriller and make it all seem realistic.

[11/11/16]
I'm still confused with the names of everyone that showed up in the first chapter, but Stanley's family is pretty easy to memorize. Also, I want to see how everyone his family, especially Miranda and Olga, will play their roles in this story. I'm sensing the main problem for Toni won't even be Madoba-2 but yes Kit.

[1/11/16]
I'm currently very confused with all the names. I really don't know who anyone is besides Toni and Kit due to the amount of characters that were introduced just in the first chapter. Still I'm sure by the end of the book I'll know exactly who everyone is.

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Review: Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 1

Tokyo Ghoul, Vol. 1 by Sui Ishida
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Up until now, it's pretty faithful to the anime! I don't remember it well, but I think this entire volume happened in episode 1 and perhaps 2 as well.

It's really interesting to see Kaneki and the parallels between him and the books he read. Also Nishiki seems more evil here than I remember him. Hide is precious, he needs to be protected forever!

I hope that by reading the manga I get a deeper understanding of Kaneki and his reasons, but I'm expecting things to start shifting from the anime only around the second season and the volume that corresponds to it.

So far so good! A great start that isn't boring in any way!

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