The Unfinished Land by Greg Bear 2/5

I would like to thank the author/publisher and NetGalley for providing me with this copy in exchange for my honest review.

The Unfinished Land is a fantasy book full of lore, mythical creatures, journeys and difficult vocabulary. The story takes place during the Elizabethian time hence the language was full of 'thy', 'believeth" and similar words. If you have no trouble with this, that is great. For me, this makes the book hard to read. In the first chapters, there was some Spanish mixed in as well and because I speak no Spanish at all, it almost resulted in DNF. But I pushed through in a hope that this book will deliver exciting adventure. 

Unfortunately, I am disappointed. Half of the book did not make sense to me. It was like a dream you partially understand but can't really get a grip of the story. I feel like things were overcomplicated while there could have been an easy explanation for it. And a lot of things were not explained at all. 

There were too many characters without any real purpose to mine liking. I don't know what the main goal of Reynard was? What did he want? What was his dream? Why did he do things he did? I missed the driving force or motivation behind his decisions and actions. He says he wants to escape the island but then he never even tries to do it instead he gets willingly intertwined in other character plots. And what motivation was behind the other character actions I don't know either. Everything and everyone is mysterious. I guess the reader is supposed to keep guessing but some answers are needed in order to make the reader interested and invested in the characters. 

The tone of the story seemed very static. There was no build-up, there was no tension, there was no boring part. The whole book was written at the same emotional level. To me all characters were the same, there was no distinctive language that would separate them or any special features they would have to make them stand out.

Those are the reasons why I decided to give this book only 2 stars. However, there were things I did love about this book. I loved that chapters were short, it made the read dynamic. The chapters also had names and I just love to have that little 'spoiler'. Words can't describe how much I love a good title to a chapter. I also really enjoyed the name and background of the main character Reynard. I feel like the name fit him really well. I also recognise that the author has an amazing imagination and combines legends and lore with his own ideas and creation which is hard to do and not many authors are able to fit their own "creations" into the real world. 

But these things, unfortunately, didn't make me enjoy the read. I had to push through the chapters. I had to force myself to read it and in the end the book didn't deliver what the synopsis promised.

Synopsis

Reynard, a young apprentice, seeks release from the drudgery of working for his fisherman uncle in the English village of Southwold. His rare days off lead him to strange encounters—not just with press gangs hoping to fill English ships to fight the coming Spanish Armada, but strangers who seem to know him—one of whom casts a white shadow.

The village’s ships are commandeered, and after a fierce battle at sea, Reynard finds himself the sole survivor of his uncle’s devastated hoy. For days he drifts, starving and dying of thirst, until he is rescued by a galleon, also lost—and both are propelled by a strange current to the unknown northern island of Thule. Here Reynard must meet his destiny in a violent clash between humans and gods.

3

3 Books I Will Never Shut Up About

Have you ever read a book and felt like everyone in the world show know this book? Everyone in the whole planet should read this book? Yeah? Me too. Here are three books that I will never stop recommending. The tree books that I will never shut up about and three books so important that everyone should read them. 

1. Why I Am No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Loge

The book explores the links between gender, class and race in Britain and other countries. I have read this book back in 2018 and it changed everything for me. I discovered this amazing author thanks to Emma Watson's book club Our Shared Shelf and I am forever grateful. In her book, Reni Eddo-Lodge talks about racism in the past. She collected so many cases and put them in the bigger picture to the political or cultural and social happenings in the UK in that time. She doesn't force her or any opinion on the reader she simply states the facts and lets you make your own mind. The book is a powerful display of years and years of racism in the UK. But don't get fooled, whatever she describes in her book can be also applied to all countries. 

What I got out of this book: Don't let our past form and impact our future. And if that is what we really want, then things have to change... NOW. We see the protests in the US but that is only a beginning.

2. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

This YA book just dropped in my lap, figuratively. After reading Reni's book, I decided that I need more POC books on my TBR. And THUG was very hyped up in that time. So I bought it right away. This is a classic (not so classic) young adult book. We follow a story of young girl Starr who's best friend is shot by a policeman. Doesn't it sound familiar to you? Despite the fact that this book is fiction, the events that Starr and her family go through are everyday struggles of black families in the US. The story shows the racism in a simple, raw and understandable way. 

What I got out of this book: The world that is described seems to me like fantasy, like a sci-fi. I have to remind myself with every chapter, THIS IS REAL. It is shocking and scary and I can't imagine living the life the way Starr's family did. This book made me realised a lot, and made me want to change the world. 

The full review is here. 

3. Becoming by Michelle Obama

The autobiography of the former First Lady was a scary choice for me. I don't like biographies. But I knew before I picked up the book that Michelle is an extraordinary woman. Women like this come our way only once in a decade or 100 years... or maybe never. She is beautiful, smart, emotional, determined, loving and vocal. She is a true leader and inspiration not just to black people but also to white folks, like me. I loved reading her story. I loved how it was more about family and her own experience than politics. It was personal, it was emotional. The book itself doesn't talk about racism as a problem, but if you are paying enough attention, you will see it described there. 

What I got out of this book: Even if you feel like you are no one, even if you feel like you are from a poor family, poor neighbourhood, that you can't make any change in the world, you are WRONG. You go after your dream and don't stop (even if people tell you otherwise), you work hard until you get there and you will not be in this journey alone, the most important allies are your family members and love. 

My full review is here.

Have you read any of these? What other books by black authors have you read? Do you know any good books that talk about racism? Tell me, I want to expand my TBR. Thank you for reading all the way to the end. 

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The Hunger Games Reread - 5 stars

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is my most anticipated release of 2020. I decided to re-read the Hunger Games trilogy before diving in the new book.

Last time I read this trilogy was in 2011 and hence it is almost like reading the books for the first time. I forgot a lot of things that were different from the movies. Despite the fact that Jennifer Lawrence is amazing Katniss you can't see in her head and read her thought on the screen. I realised (again) how much of The Hunger Games is actually happening in her head. All the ideas, thoughts, internal monologues are much more important than the actual events. 

This was one of the first (if not the first ever) sci-fi/dystopian Young Adult series and I am not even surprised it was so hyped up and loved. The books are amazing!

The writing style of Suzanne Collings is something out of this world. There is so little direct speech it is shocking. The descriptions are short, sharp and not detailed at all. I love how much space is there for my imagination to take over. We know there are 24 kids in the arena, but we get to know only a few. I know that a lot of authors (including me) would introduce all of the Hunger Games competitors. Tell the reader their names and maybe some interesting information. I love that Suzanne Collins doesn't do any of that. 

Thanks to her unique writing style the books are short, dynamic and have such a brisk plot that you don't have time to take a breath without something going down and I love it. 

I admire how the character involve. At the beginning of the first book I believe that Katniss and Gale should be together because they have so much in common, they understand each other better. They are meant for each other. But during the books, events take place and by the end of book three... it does make perfect sense that Katniss picks Peeta. They went thought impossible together and that creates such bond and such love between them you can't compete with that in any way. 

I love to hate President Snow. He is perfectly evil, he loves the power and comfortable spot in the Captial. I can point out several politicians who are like him in the real world. His character, despite the fictional novel, seems very real. We do have people like Snow at power at this moment and just like districts we have to shake the earth to get them off of their comfortable chairs in the Capital. 

To be honest, back in 2011 I was 23 years old and I have had no interest in politics what so ever. That is why I didn't really understand the ending of the trilogy to the full extent. Let me tell you (without spoilers) that after reading the end this month, I had an existential crisis. The realisation that you have maybe 20 pages until the end of the trilogy and such a surprising turn around of events takes place almost killed me.  I had a hangover for a few days and I kept thinking like everything I read was real and truly happened. The politics in Hunger Games is on the background because Katniss doesn't care about it that much and all the scheming is done by other characters, but this time I was able to read between the lines and see things that my 23 years old me simply just couldn't see and it was horrifying. 

I am not ready to let go of this world. It is time to read The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. I know this is a story about President Snow. Am I ready to learn his backstory? Am I ready to understand him better? No. I love hating him in the original trilogy, but no one is simply evil and I am curious to learn the "why" behind his actions. 

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The Camera talk

                         

I have vowed to myself while in secondary school that I will never buy a DLSR camera. I have admitted that I do not have an eye for photos that I will never be a professional photographer and that I will never need such an expensive tool in my life. 

After joining bookstagram I have used my android phone to take photos. I did flat lays and it was enough. I focused on other things. I focused on composition. How to arrange items to work together on the photo. I learned the importance of light. How artificial light turns your photo into a grainy yellow mess and how natural good light makes even horrible camera take an amazing sharp photo. 

Then I decided to buy a camera. I wanted to let go of my phone and I wanted to get better quality photos. So I found a cute little camera that was under 200 euros and I went to buy it. It was a compact Canon PowerShot 430SX. I have rarely used this camera for my Instagram or for any photos in that matter. It didn't do anything else than my camera already did. It provided slightly better quality photos but I paid a price of moving photos from the camera to laptop or to my phone which eventually required more effort so again I slipped into using my phone.

I am on bookstagram for two and a half years and now I am struggling to achieve a photo I have imagined. The blurry background is not happening in my phone so I took my forgotten PowerShot and tried it. I dedicated days to learn how to use it well and it was great fun! I went outside and took pictures of ducks and plants. But what I realised was that long ago when I bought this camera I didn't look at what I do as a photographer and what the camera I am buying is meant for. 

The result was that the PowerShot is great for zooming in, it is great for videos, but I don't need any of those properties. So I went to electro shop and I went to look at cameras. I didn't intend to buy one, but just look and play with them... I picked one in my hand and almost like a miracle, it did exactly what I tried to achieve with my phone and my PowerShot. It was like the camera read my mind. It new what to focus on and blurred the background in one second. 

The decision was made. I started the research that took 3 days, 20 coffees and one sleepless night full of strange camera dreams. In the end, Wookie helped me with a decision because I was so confused and overwhelmed with all reviews, information and videos that I watched. 

I ended up buying a DLSR - Canon EOS 250D with 18-55 mm lens. I have it for almost a week and I am so happy. I take photos of EVERYTHING (mostly Luna) but every time I click the photo I instantly think: "I love this camera". The photos are amazingly sharp and even with bad light, I am able to take beautiful photos. The background is soft and blurry exactly as I want it. The point of focus doesn't need to be in the middle, I have so many options and so many different settings to play with and discover. This camera is great for any photos I am taking now and gives me enough space to improve, experiment and involve my photography skills. 

So what is the lesson I learned here? 

A professional camera is not going to make sure your photos are amazing. But your phone camera will only get you this far. You really need to evaluate what you want from your photography and then get a camera that fits your needs...

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5 Things I wish I knew before I started bookstagram

Hello, my fellow readers, bloggers, and bookstagramers. I have started my bookstagram 2 years ago and I went so far since then. I have been looking at my journey and I realised that there are few things I actually wish I knew before I jumped into this madness head first. I want to share these with you and I hope that if you are planning to start your bookstagram you can learn from my journey. If you, however, are already skilful bookstagramer let me know if you agree with me. I am always happy to join a healthy discussion. 

1. You need to know something about Photography: 

- Joining the bookstagram means joining Instagram, a platform based on visual pleasure where pictures and photos speak more than the actual captions. You do not have to be a professional photographer, but you should learn something about how to take photos. How to use natural light, how to make sure your photos are not blurry. What is composition? What is ISO and what does depth to the photos mean? Where and how did I learn? I had great teachers: Google and YouTube!

2. Over editing is a thing

- And this is one of the stupid mistakes I did at the start. I didn't know how to take pictures so I did them in my room with my lap on, and then I used 4 different apps to edit the hell out of it. It was too much. It took crazy long, the photo lost so much quality when I ran it through four apps... not worth the stress, trust me. Invest your time in point one of this article - photography - rather than editing. Then just tweak some colours and blend the theme together - done.

3. Even if you have 1k followers you are nobody

- I started with 5 followers and I looked up to the accounts who had 1.000 followers. I thought they are amazing, inspirational, what a HUGE following they have and what amazing influencers they are. Then I reached that number and trust me, nothing changed. It was exactly the same as having 5 followers. So here is the piece of advice: NUMBER DOES NOT MATTER! Focus on friendships, on connection with people on Instagram instead. Have fun and enjoy your bookstagram journey.

4. Being a Rep is not as great as it seems.

- Yes, being a rep is amazing. You get to support this small shop, you get some free items, and you get to be where the magic happens (depends on the shop) BUT it can be overwhelming, if you rep for more companies, you get to post more rep photos a week and you will not have time for what YOU want to do with your account because you will have to do what the shops want you to do. Are you reading an amazing book by Leigh Bardugo and you want to share that with you followers, well sorry, today you HAVE to post a picture of this product that has nothing to do with the book at all. Yes, you can have photos and captions that do not align but I personally don't like that. I like to rep for one company at the time. It is enough. 

Another thing here is, being rep will not make you more famous, this will not bring more followers. The shop might share your photos on their feed but the shop is not here to represent you, you are here to represent the shop. Remember that. You are bringing followers to the shop, not another way around. 

With all of this being said, make sure you pick shop you truly believe in and want to support and invest yourself in this representative position. 

5. Open a window so we can see you

- You can only post about books, books and books. That is, of course, fine, but if you want your account to grow people like to know who you are, what you are, where you are (DO NOT share your home address) understand this "where" as a state of mind. Share some private information, not your shoe size, but maybe include what other hobby do you have. You are much more than just a reader and that makes you stand out from this sea of readers. Show your true colours. People will be drawn to you and you will find great Insta friends. 

I would still start my bookstagram knowing all this, but maybe I would approach it differently. But bookstagram is just like creativity, it is a process, it is a journey. You will never get to the finish. 

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BR You Let Me In - Camilla Bruce 5/5

‘Why is it that only because one thing is true, the other thing is not? Why do we always have to decide?’

After reading the blurb I thought this is classic detective story. Police and family searching for missing writer who left clues in her last book. But with first few chapters everything changed...

The only thing I liked about the start was how the "you" point of view slowly changed and past and present, two worlds, collided together. This already gives away how easy Camilla Bruce blends two different things into one.

This is a story of Cassandra Tripp who is an author and recently went missing. I go as far as to say this is her autobiography. Cassandra Tripp is a fictional character of course and You Let Me In is a fictional manuscript of her last book. You read a manuscript addressed to her niece Penelope and nephew Janus. At the start the story seems almost boring until the Pepper-Man arrives. He is a fairy who keeps Cassie company and in return feeds on her blood. If you find this disturbing then maybe this book is not for you. But it caught my attention all right. Suddenly everything changed and I found myself somewhere in between two worlds. The life of Cassandra Tripp is dark, unhappy and very painful. But I was so curious to find out what is real. Do fairies really exist or did Cassie created her own world to deny the horrible events of her life?

The chapters are short and it adds even more dramatic feel to the story where you are never sure what is true and what is fantasy. Language is rich, full of pictures and metaphors and delicious similes. I could imagine everything really well and several parts were not pleasant to imagine... Even sinister.

This is the first novel of Camilla Bruce and it is a chilling adventure into the world where lines between real and not real are not just blurred but they seize to exist. This book was great in every sense. Perfect writing style, great drama, fast pace and interesting descriptions.

I highly recommend this book if you like thriller, horror, mental health topics and dysfunctional family problematics and heavy topics.

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BR V znameni Ametystu 4/5

(ENGLISH BELOW)

Som veľmi rada že máme na Slovensku mladú fantasy autorku. Mám pocit, že tento žáner nie je veľmi na slovenskom trhu zastúpený. Preto mnoho mladých čitateľov pochybuje, že slovenské knihy sú kvalitné a zaujímavé a radšej siahajú po zahraničných autoroch.

Notes:

Hlavná hrdinka: Maggie je skvela YA hlavná postava. Ma 17 rokov a jej vek je v knihe vidieť a cítiť. Nie je to ten typ hrdinky, ktorá ma 14, ale správa sa ako 35 ročná a to je pre mňa veľmi doležíte. Maggie je trocha unáhlená, jej emócie sa často menia ako na húsenkovej dráhe a to je pre tínedžerov charakteristické. Práve to sa mi na nej páči. Počas deja sa ale mení a vývoj postavy ma na čítaní baví najviac. Jej zmena nie je veľmi drastická, ale keďže toto je len prvá časť série, predpokladám že v ďalších častiach bude jej charakterový vývoj pokračovať.

Vedľajšie postavy: Začnime mojím obľúbencom, ktorý je počas väčšej časti knihy záhadným cudzincom. Nevieme jeho meno ani kto to vlastne je, no učaroval mi pri druhom objavení sa v deji. To ako to medzi nim a Maggie iskrilo mi nedovolilo pustiť knihu z ruky. A kapitolu za kapitolou som hltala v nádeji, že snáď sa objaví na nasledujúcej strane.

Ďalšou zaujímavou postavou je Lia, najlepšia kamarátka Maggie. Veľmi zaujímavá postava, no mala som pocit že počas deja knihy sa to čo bolo na nej charakteristické akosi vytratila a začala splývať s Maggie. Bol toto zámer autorky? Neviem.

A na záver by som chcela spomenúť Dennis... toto je postave ktorú milujem nenávidieť. Strašne mi lezie na nervy a najradšej by som bola ak by v knihe ani nebola... pri Dennis som si istá že to zámerné. Je to skvelo vypracovaná postava.

Jazyk: občas nájdem chyby v štylistike a jazyku, niekedy je taške odhadnúť, kto povedal ktorú vetu a občas som našla zamenené on a ona...  takže musím určité časti čítať dvakrát, nejako so to vysvetliť a usporiadať v hlave. Trochu ma to vytrháva z deja, no nie je to nič čo by ma odradilo od čítania, znechutilo dej ci príliš otravovalo.

Svet: Toto je ťažká časť recenzie. Magicky svet Ametystového lesa je skvelo prepracovaný. Možno v niektorých častiach až priveľmi. Zbožňujem keď sú v knihe legendy a história fiktívneho sveta. Dodáva to knihe novu dimenziu, lenže kde je ta správna hranica medzi tým čo je primalo a pôsobí plocho (ako v Krutom Princovi) a čo je priveľa až tak že sa čitateľ úplne stratí? V každom prípade V znamení Ametystu je prvá kniha zo serie takže predpokladám že toto je začiatok. Musím sa ale priznať že som celá stratená v legende o zlatých drakoch a súrodencoch ktorý zničili Obsidiánový Prúd... nerozumiem veľmi dobre farebným aurám a tomu ako fungujú. Na to aby som si ale užila dej to nebolo treba. Toto všetko je bonusový materiál a podstatne je len to že Maggie ma inú auru. Ostatne skúsim pochopiť počas druhého čítania... alebo tretieho.

Pretože áno... tato kniha je naozaj skvelá a stojí za opakované čítanie. Jediné čo ma mrzí je že mi trvalo rok kým som ju začala čítať.... tuto chybu pri druhej časti neurobím....

Milé CooBoo.sk kde máme V znamení rubínu?

  

I am really pleased that there is a young beginning fantasy author in Slovakia. This is not very popular genre in the country. And a lot of readers and young people doubt that Slovakians can write good fantasy. Well they can and this book is a proof.

This book is not translated into English so I am going to explain the plot briefly, if you don’t want any spoilers. Then skip to the next paragraph.

The main character of the book is Maggie, 17 years old girl who sees purple waves in the sky, they follow her everywhere she goes. One day, she is teleported to mysterious forest by an old woman dressed in white. This escape from our world saves her from a dark woman who is obviously trying to hurt her. After Maggie finds herself in the forest all she wants is to go home. Soon enough she finds out it will not be easy, no one in the forest knows anything about Earth and she is apparently in different world. She meets different creatures who help her on her journey. The world of the Amethyst forest is ruled by Amethyst Council. They serve the Amethyst lantern and with its help protect the borders of the kingdom from lycans – mixed race creatures who live outside. Maggie with her red hair looks like a mutant too and so the Amethyst council guards are after her. Sooner or later she finds out that there is much more going on. She is part of a prophecy. Children can see her in the visions, which haven’t happened in centuries. With help of her friends Wen and Lia she will find the old white woman who brought her into the Forest, but they are too late. The Council Guards killed the fortune teller. Maggie lost her only connection to Earth and uncovered an evil conspiracy. The obsidian stream, which was locked down centuries ago is a threat again. The Dark Princess wants to release it to the world and rule with its dark power. To do that she needs Maggie’s help and the ruling royal family out of the way. The final battle takes place in the royal palace. Maggie tries to save the royal children form slaughter but she gets hurt in the progress.

Will Maggie survive? Will the Dark Princess let the Obsidian stream loose? What will happen with the royal family and will the plot take us from Amethyst Forest to the Earth?

Answers to these questions are in the book two... called In the Sing of Ruby which is expected to be published.

Now, would you read this book? Does it sound interesting?

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BR Havenfall Extract - Sara Holland 4/5

I wanted to read books from Sara Holland for very long time and I am very happy I got my hands on extract from her newest book called Havenfall. This book will be published on 3^rd March 2020 so put it on your wish list.

It is hard to review a book from 30 pages. What I read were first two chapters hence I can’t say if the book was predictable or if there are any plot twists.

What I am very impressed with is how captivating the beginning of the story was. The world that Sara is drawing up in the first two chapters is interesting and I do want to know more about it. I really enjoyed the names used in the book. The Inn that guards a portal to other worlds called Havenfall is so fitting. I am not sure yet how I feel about the main character Maddie. She seems torn and misplaced in the real life, how it will change once she gets to the Havenfall is yet to be seen. I loved Taya and I had vivid image of her just after few lines. Her first appearance seems too important not to have any major role in the story and I am very curious to see what awaits her in the rest of the book.

I really loved Sara Holland’s writing style. I wouldn’t say it is easy to read, her writing style is rich and figurative and very unique. The way she mixes descriptions and actions is refreshing. When it comes to writing style I would put her in the same category as Neil Gaiman and that is why Sara Holland is my new favourite writer.

I really enjoyed this extract and I am looking forward to continue the story in March 2020.

Knihy od Sara Holland chcem čítať už dlho a preto som rada, že som dostala do rúk Havenfall. Táto kniha bude vydaná 3. Marca 2020 takže si ju pridajte na zoznam.

Je náročné ohodnotiť knihu na základe 30tich strán čo sú vlastne 2 kapitoly, nemôžem vám teda povedať či sa dá dej predpovedať alebo či sú v ňom nejaké zvraty.

Čo vám viem povedať je že som očarená aký pútavý je začiatok príbehu. Svet ktorý Sara buduje v prvých dvoch kapitolách je zaujímavý a chcem o ňom vedieť viac. Páčili sa mi mená v knihe. Motel ktorý tvorí bezpečný portál medzi svetmi sa volá Havenfall (voľný preklad: padajúce útočisko) a perfektne to sedí. Zatiaľ si nie som istá hlavnou hrdinkou Maddie. Zdá sa, že sa vo svojom živote cíti ako na zlom mieste a že nezapadá to ako sa zmení v Havenfall sa ešte len ukáže. Páčila sa mi Taya a hneď po pár vetách som mala pred očami jej živý obraz. Jej „nástup“ do deja sa zdá priveľmi dôležitý na to aby nemalá významnú úlohu v knihe a preto som veľmi zvedavá na zvyšok knihy.

Štýl písania Sary Holland sa mi veľmi páči. Nepovedala by som že je to ľahké čítanie, jej štýl je bohatý, figuratívny a jedinečný. Spôsob akým mieša opisy a akciu je osviežujúce. Čo sa písania týka Sara podľa mňa patrí do tej istej skupiny ako Neil Gemain a preto je moja najnovšia obľúbená spisovateľka.

Tento výťažok z knihy sa mi veľmi páčil a už sa neviem dočkať na pokračovanie príbehu v Marci 2020.

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BR The Girl of Ink and Stars - Kieran Millwood Hargrave 5/5

The Girl of Ink and Stars is the cutest book ever! Five stars and highly recommended to everyone who likes magic, and fantasy and adventure.

“CUTE” sums up everything about this book; from the book cover to main character thought the language used and ending with the pet chicken. I loved everything about it.

This is a children book which I was not aware of when I was buying it. I have to say I was in love with the story, main character and her dad after the second page and after finishing the first chapter I knew that my heart will be broken if something bad happened to them.

The book is fast paced and drags you right in. The descriptions are short but on point so despite the fact that the main focus is on the action and movement of the plot, you will not struggle with imagining the surroundings. I love how easy and simple the plot was! No complicated plot twists, no scheming, no side plots. Everything was so clear and straight forward. Everything that is mentioned in the book will be re-used or will come back around. Everything is connected. Yes, the foreshadowing is on point. Every sentence has so much meaning for the story.

There wasn’t one page, one sentence that I would feel was boring or not important. I really loved this book that is why the events at the end of the book were so hard to read….

If you decide to read The Girl of Ink and Stars and like me you are worried that your heart might be broken, no… that is not what will happen. Your heart will be thrown into a blender and Kieran will push the button.

Dievča z Atramentu a Hviezd je najroztomilejšia kniha! Dávam jej päť hviezd a odporúčaj prečítať každému kto má rád mágiu, fantasy a dobrodružstvo.

„ROZTOMILE“ perfektne vystihuje všetko čo sa tejto knihy týka, začínajúc knižnou obálkou cez hlavnú hrdinku a končiac s domácim miláčikom ktorým je sliepka. Milujem na tejto knihe všetko.

Toto je detská kniha, čo som nevedela, keď som si ju kupovala. Musím pripustiť že som si príbeh a hlavné postavy zamilovala už po druhej strane. To jediné čo mi prišlo na um bolo „toto je aké milé! Všetko je proste rozkošné!“ Potom ako som dočítala prvú kapitolu som si bola isté že ak sa niečo zlé týmto postavám prihodí, zlomí mi to srdce.

Kniha má rýchly spád, stiahne vás do deja ľahko a rýchlo. Opisy sú krátke ale k veci, takže napriek tomu, že hlavnom záujme je akcia a dej nebudete mať problém predstaviť si okolité priestory a veci. Nesmierne sa mi páči aký jednoduchý je dej knihy! Žiadne komplikované dejové zvraty, žiadne intrigy a žiadne vedľajšie dejové línie. Všetko bolo jasné a priamé. Každá informácia ktoré vám je daná bude znova využitá a vráti sa neskôr v deji. Každučká veta nesie dej vopred a má obrovský význam.

V knihe nebola jediná strana, jediná veta o ktorej by som povedala že bola nudná alebo nepodstatná. Naozaj som si túto knihu zamilovala preto sa udalosti ku koncu knihy čítali naozaj ťažsko....

Ak sa rozhodnete si Dievča z Atramentu a Hviezd prečítať a tak ako ja sa budete obávať, že vám zlomí srdce, nie... nestane sa to. Vaše srdce bude hodené do mixéru a Kieran len stlačí gombík.

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BR: Shadow City - Anna Mocikat 3/5

I received an ARC on NetGalley in exchange for the honest review.

The blurb of this book was kind of leading to a disaster. It was one of those books that I thought I will not finish. But Anna Mocikat turned this into more than enjoyable read.

I loved how little information we were given in the first chapter. I really enjoyed discovering who really the people from the first chapter were as the book progressed. If I was told one of them was a vampire at the beginning I would probably roll my eyes and stop reading. In the end the vampires were partially a reason why I love the book so much. 

My second favorite was Bombshell! Loved her sarcastic and silly nature.

Colton felt too perfect. He feels like the Gary-Stu type of character. He is handsome, smart, and powerful; there is no flaw to his character. It makes him almost as God. This was something that made me annoyed especially at the end with all of his heroic actions. I would like to see some flaws in his actions and features in the future books so he feels more reliable and human. (Unless he is not a human?)

The main evil female protagonist; Eurydice was reminding me too much of Underworld, but this was not necessarily a bad thing. I really enjoyed her point of view and most of all I really like the growth of her character.

The writing style of the author seems very simple. A lot of information repeats itself which is not necessary. The foreshadowing can be also improved. Some info was just explained few lines before it was applicable. While it could have been done at the beginning of the book when we are getting to know the setting of the story.

Despite these few flaws I really enjoyed the story! I really was involved in the happenings and every moment of the day when I was not able to read I kept thinking about the book and the story. What will happen next? I really want to know!

🇸🇰SLOVENČINA🇸🇰

Tuto e-knihu som dostala na NetGalley výmenou za môj názor.

Popis tejto knihy viedol ku katastrofe. Myslela som, že to bude jedna z tých kníh, ktoré nedočítam. Anna Mocikat však pretvorila tuto knihu na viac ako skvelú divokú jazdu.

Páčilo sa mi ako málo informácií sme na začiatku knihy dostali. Ako postupoval de, bavilo ma zisťovať a odhaľovať kto sú vlastne postavy z prvej kapitoly. Ak by mi hneď na začiatku niekto povedal, že jeden z nich je upír asi by som prevrátila oči a knihu nikdy nedočítala. Nakoniec boli upíri jedna z vecí ktorá sa mi na knihe páčila. 

Moja druhá najobľúbenejšia bola Bombshell. Táto sarkastická a vtipná postava mi prirástla k srdcu.

Colton sa mi zdal perfektný, skoro až klasický Gary-Stu. Nádherný, múdry a mocný, jeho postava nemala žiadnu chybu. To ho robilo skoro bohom a práve to ma trochu hnevalo, hlavne ku koncu knihy kde sme si mohli všimnúť jeho úžasné výkony. V budúcej knihe by som chcela vidieť nejaké charakterové chyby aby sa Colton zdal viac človekom. (Pokiaľ teda je človek)

Hlavná záporná predstaviteľka ,Eurydice, mi pripomínala Underworld, ale nebolo to na škodu. Páčil sa mi jej pohľad na veci a to ako sa jej postava pomaly menila.

  

Štýl písania bol veľmi jednoduchý. Veľa informácií sa opakovalo čo podľa mňa nebolo potrebné. Foreshadowing by sa dalo tiež zlepšiť, pretože niektoré veci nám boli vysvetlené dosť neskoro, tesne pred tým ako boli potrebné. Zatiaľ čo sa tá informácia dala poskytnúť hneď na začiatku knihy keď sme sa zoznamovali so svetom.

Napriek týmto malých chybičkám krásy ma kniha veľmi bavila. Vcítila som sa do deja a prežívala som udalosti s postavami. Počas dňa kedy som nemohla čítať som sa prichytila pri myšlienkach na postavy. Som zvedavá čo sa bude diať v pokračovaní...

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Reading Challenge of 2019

My goal in 2018 was to read twelve books; one book per month. I managed to up that number to seventeen! So for this year, my goal was to read seventeen and I have achieved that in October! By the end of the year, I read 20 books! It is incredible to see how my reading speed improves year by year. I also believe this would not be possible without bookstagram. So, thank you all for the motivation and great encouragement in my reading habits.

 Here are the books I have read in 2019:

1.     Kingdom of Ash 3/5 – Sarah J Maas
      This huge book closes the Throne of Glass series and despite that I loved the series; the last book was such a disappointment. It was sloppy, the writing style had plot holes and important passages were skipped while the romantic scenes were too long. It did provide the closure and it tied all the loose ends, thank God for that. You can read my full review here. Beware of Spoilers!

2.      Ziadne Prudke Pohyby 3/5 – Maxim E Matkin
      The book by the Slovakian author was next. After being in Sarah J Maas’ world for more than six months I overdosed on Young Adult hence I picked a satiric, sarcastic and contradictory contemporary book by my most favourite Slovakian author. It wasn’t his best work but it was good. My full review in the Slovakian language is here.

3.     The Cruel Prince 2/5 – Holly Black
      I wanted a stand-alone fantasy but not YA. How wrong was I to pick up this book? Yes, very very wrong. I hated most of this book as well. It was shallow, the world had no background. (More about that in my full review.) I hated the relationship between the main characters. I feel like they are toxic. I was bullied when I was in school and trust me, you do not fall in love with any of the involved people. It was very poorly written so I won’t be reading the next books in the series.

4.     Zvlastne stastie 4/5 – Maxim E Matkin
      I went back to the Slovakian contemporary literature hoping that reading different genres then fantasy and young adult will treat me from my overdose. I enjoyed this one a lot. It follows real events in Slovakia, kind of… some characters can be connected with real people, but I doubt that these real people found themselves in such situations. It is not a real story, but the message in the book is very real. Especially after the murder of the investigative reporter last year.

5.     I heart Paris 1/5 – Lindsey Kolk - DNF
      I started reading this book one summer August day when I was bored. I regret it ever since. I have not finished this book and it is one of the very few books that I gave up on. I tried to stay away from YA or fantasy and this is a romance but this book portraits young women in a terrible way. This book goes against all of my beliefs as a feminist. I don’t think I wrote a review of this book on my blog; I simply struggle to find words.

6.      Becoming 5/5 – Michelle Obama
      After such fiasco, I needed my feministic boost! AND. I. AM. CLAPPING. Michelle Obama is such an inspiration. Strong, independent and intelligent woman we all should take an example from. It had all the themes that closely resonate with me: equality, feminism and racism. I loved how this book combines politics and family life. The writing was superb and despite the heavy topics, this book was never boring. The full review is here. 

7.    The Language of Thornes 4/5 – Leigh Bardugo
      Leigh Bardugo is one of the popular hyped authors who I haven’t read before. This was the very first book from Grishaverse I jumped in. I have to thank my friend Sophia (@Sophias_bookemporium on Instagram) as she convinced me to do the buddy read. I really enjoyed this. I think it was a great idea to pick short stories for a buddy read. We discussed the book and we both had great observations. You can read my full review here.

8.     Time Crawlers 2/5 – Verun Sayal
      I was given this book by the author for an honest opinion. I love sci-fi and that was the reason I took a gamble and decided to read the six short stories. I had no expectations; this could have been the best book or the worst. All I am going to say is: there is a lot of space for improvement when it comes to writing. This is a beginner writer who clearly didn’t do any research about ‘how to write a book’. The ideas and core elements for the short stories were good, but there was no research for the problematics, certain elements were missing completely in the stories. Sci-fi is a very hard genre to write and there has to be a lot of information to make it seem realistic in the short space. 

9.     Sky in the deep 3/5 – Adrienne Young
      Adrianne Young is one of the authors who attended YALC 2019 in London this year and that is the reason  I decided to join some other girls for a buddy read of her first book. I have to say that plot-wise it was nothing ground-breaking but the setting was great and the writing style was also very enjoyable.

10.   Navzdy 3/5 – Maya Sinay
      Another romantic book and another Slovakian author. I won this romance in a hashtag competition. At the start, I was annoyed with the main female lead but there was a little change in her character during the story and after that, I was able to just go with it. I read half of this book in one go. Not because it was so captivating, but because it was such an easy read. Not the best book ever but enjoyable during the sunny hot day in the garden. 
      The full review is here.

11.   Neverwhere 5/5 – Neil Geiman
      This was one of the best books I have read in a long time. Neil is a master writer and his books are incredible. The lines between reality and fantasy are so blurred you don’t know where one starts and other ends. The characters’ personalities are various and rich. The writing style is very unique. With Neil Geiman, you either love his books or hate them. The full review of this book can be found here.

12.  They Both Die at the End 4/5 – Adam Silvera
      This book broke my heart. I really enjoyed the way it was written, from two points of view and how the view was switched between the main characters. I loved the whole concept of the plot because I love sci-fi I really appreciated the futuristic element. The end of the book was the worst and the best at the same time. I hate and love this book.

13.  Harry Potter and the Philosophers stone 5/5 - J.K. Rowling
      This is a re-read after almost 10 years. And I am loving it. The first book made me feel like a child again. I forgot how amazing the world that Rowling built is. I forgot how in-depth the story goes without giving too much away too early. I forgot how incredible the trio is.

14.  Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 4/5 – J.K. Rowling
      I don’t really know why but I enjoyed the chamber less than the first book. It was the first HP book I read when I was little and for years it was my favourite. This re-read might actually change this.

15.  Priepast 3/5 – Jozef Karika
      I decided to squeeze a Slovakian book in between my Harry Potter marathon. This book took me approx. two weeks to read so it was quite fast. I have to say I was a little bit disappointed as it wasn’t as good as I expected. It was repetitive and somewhere in the middle, it slipped into boredom and never claimed up (pun intended). This was the second book by Jozef Karika I have read and the first one really set up high expectations. The full review is here. 

16.  Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 5/5 – J.K. Rowling
      The third book in the series and we are finally getting to some serious stuff (pun intended). By now we are well aware of how the magical world works so Rowling is not scared to go further to the past and bring it back to life to tell us more about Harry and other characters. We learn what actually happened on the night Harry’s parents died. This book was very enjoyable but completely different from an adult point of view. It did feel like a different story as I was not looking at the plot but connecting more and more dots from the background. The Potter world starts to turn into a masterpiece from this very book on….

17.  V Znamení Ametystu  4/5 – Majka Danihelova
      Slovakian fantasy books are still very rare. The book ‘Under the Sign of Amethyst’ is one of the first Slovakian YA fantasy books. There are so many details, the world is perfectly built, including legends and history. I was overwhelmed and confused with a few things as there was a lot to handle for the first book. I loved the main character and the way she grew and changed. This was the first book of the young author and it was a great read! The cliff-hanger and surprise moment at the end was just perfect set up for part two! I can’t wait! The book review is coming soon.

18.  The Girl of Ink and Stars 5/5 - Kiran Millwood Hargrave
      I ventured into the story blind, without knowing anything. I bought the book because it was pretty and I was so pleasantly surprised. This children book was fast-paced with short descriptions in between. I loved how this book didn’t leave the adults out and despite that, the main character is a young girl the adults were present and deal with the happenings of the story. The plot was simple but interesting enough to keep you hooked. Everything in this book was connected and the foreshadowing was perfectly done. I really recommend this book if you are in the reading slump, I bet you can get through it in one day!

19. The Travelling Cat Chronicles 4/5 –  Hiro Arikawa
      I had very high expectations for this book. It is the first book I am reading by Japanese writer  and I heard so much about it. The first part of the book was almost boring. There were a lot of memories; the story was jumping to the past and then present – I don’t like this very much. I didn’t have any emotional connection to the character either and the different cultural background made it hard for me. Some things that are a mare inconvenience in my culture were HUGE deal in the book and I simply just didn’t get it. I was missing the cat’s point of view. This however changed in the second half. Almost whole second part of the book was written from the cat’s point of view. I loved it and despite knowing what will happen I cried. 

20.   Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 5/5 - J.K.Rowling
       This book is dark. Really dark. It was so GOOD! I forgot a lot of things since I read it last         time and that is why I enjoyed this book so much. For the first time in the series there are           several plots enrolling on the backgroud of the main Harry story and we only get to see             few events via Harry's eyes (or ears as he sometimes overhears a conversations, totally by         coincidance) but everything is explained at the end and it is mindblowing!
       Chamber was always my favourite book, but after this re read I love Goblet of Fire the               most... but I still have 3 books to go...

How did you do with your reading goal in 2019? Have you read any of these books? You can leave a comment or talk to me on my Instagram @bookatiepillar.

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Čitateľská výzva 2019

V roku 2018 bolo mojim cieľom prečítať dvanásť kníh, čiže jednu knihu za mesiac. Podarilo sa mi ale celkovo prečítať sedemnásť! Takže tento rok som sa rozhodla dať si za cieľ sedemnásť kníh, to sa mi podarilo už v Októbri. Do konca roka som teda prečítala 20 kníh! Je úžasné sledovať ako sa moja rýchlosť čítania zlepšuje každým rokom. Taktiež si myslím, že by som to nedokázala bez bookstagramu. Ďakujem vám za motiváciu a podporu mojich čitateľských návykov.

Tu sú knihy ktoré som v roku 2019 prečítala:

1.     Kráľovstvo Popola 3/5 – Sarah J Maas
      Táto obrovská kniha je záverom série Trón zo skla a napriek tomu, že sa mi séria veľmi páčila, posledná kniha bola sklamaním. Bola nedbalo napísaná, našla som diery v príbehu a tie najzaujímavejšie a najdôležitejšie časti boli z knihy vynechané zatiaľ čo tam bola bezodná nudná romantika. Musím uznať, že kniha uzavrela všetky otvorené konce, vďaka Bohu. Ak chcete čítať moju celú recenziu (pozor sú tam spoilery) choďte tu.

2.     Žiadne Prudké Pohyby 3/5 – Maxim E Matkin
      Po tom ako som žila vo svete Sarah J Maas viac než 6 mesiacov predávkovala som sa žánrom YA a preto som si vybrala knihu od môjho obľúbeného slovenského autora.
      Táto satirická, sarkastická a protichodná súčasná literatúra bola presne to, čo som potrebovala, napriek tomu že to nebola Maximova najlepšia vec. Celú recenziu v slovenčine nájdete tu. 

3.     Krutý Princ 2/5 – Holly Black
      Chcela som samostatnú dospelácku fantasy a nie mládežnícku sériu. Urobila som zle, keď som začala túto knihu? Áno, veľmi zle.
      Väčšina knihy sa mi nepáčila. Príbeh bol plytký, svet nebol skoro vôbec domyslený... ale o tom viac v mojej recenzii. Tiež som neznášala vzťahy medzi hlavnými postavami boli úplne toxické. Mňa kedysi šikanovali a poviem vám, že sa do takých ľudí nezamilujete a neznie to reálne ani vo fantasy svete. Veľmi slabá kniha, takže v sérii nebudem pokračovať.

4.     Zvláštne šťastie 4/5 – Maxim E Matkin
      Po tom fiasku som sa vrátila späť na súčasnú slovenskú literatúru a dúfala som, že ak budem čítať iné žánre, tak sa vyliečim z toho predávkovania sa fantasy a YA.
      Táto Maximovka sa mi veľmi páčila. Zaznamenáva určité reálne udalosti zo Slovenského diania... tak trochu... niektoré postavy sa dajú spojiť so reálnymi ľuďmi, ale pochybujem že sa ocitli v situáciách, ktoré opisuje kniha. Nebol to skutočný príbeh, ale správa ktorú nám autor odkazuje je veľmi dôležitá. Najmä po vražde investigatívneho reportéra minulý rok. 

5.     Zbožnujem Paríž 1/5 – Lindsey Kelk - nedokončené
      Túto knihu som začala čítať v jeden letný Augustový deň keď som sa nudila. Doteraz to ľutujem. Túto knihu som nedokončila a je to jedna z mála kníh ktoré som vzdala. Skúšala som sa držať mimo YA a fantsy a tak som skúsila romantiku. Ale táto kniha bola niečo hrozné, zobrazuje mladú ženu vo veľmi zlom svetle. Ide proti všetkým mojím feministickým ideálom. Ešte stále som nenašla slová na to aby som na túto knihu napísala recenziu.

6.     Môj príbeh 5/5 – Michelle Obama
      Po ďalšom fiasku som potrebovala nejakú feministickú dávku. A TLIESKAM! Michelle Obama je neskočne inšpiratívna. Silná, samostatná a inteligentná žena z ktorej by sme si mali všetci brať príklad. V knihe boli všetky témy, ktoré vo mne silo rezonujú: rovnosť, feminizmus a rasizmus. Páčilo sa mi ako kniha s ľahkosťou spájala politiku s rodinným životom. Štýl písania bol excelentný a napriek ťažkým témam táto kniha nebola nikdy nudná. Cela recenzia je tu.

7.     Tŕnitá reč 4/5 – Leigh Bardugo
       Leigh Bardugo je jedna z populárnych autorov od ktorých som doteraz nič nečítala. Toto bola moja prvá kniha z Grishaverse do ktorej som skočila, za čo vďačím mojej kamarátke Sophii (@Sophias_bookemporium Instagram). To ona ma presvedčila na spoločné čítanie. Myslím, že bol dobrý nápad vybrať knihu s krátkymi poviedkami, pretože sme to vedeli ľahko organizovať. Diskutovali sme o knihe a veľmi ma to bavilo, obe sme mali skvelé pripomienky a komentáre. Moja celá recenzia na knihu je tu.

8.     Time Crawlers 2/5 – Verun Sayal
      Túto knihu som dostala od autora výmenou za úprimnú recenziu. Milujem sci-fi a to bol jediný dôvod, prečo som sa rozhodla to risknúť a prečítať si 6 krátkych poviedok. Nič som od tejto knihy neočakávala, toto mohla byť tá najlepšia kniha alebo tá najhoršia. 
      Jediné čo vám ku tejto knihe poviem je, že autor má veľa priestoru na zlepšovanie sa. Verun je začínajúci autor, ktorý si zjavene neurobil žiadny výskum „Ako sa píše kniha.“
      Nápady na príbehy sú fajn, no niektoré dôležité elementy chýbali (pozadie postáv napr.). Sci-fi je pritom veľmi náročný žáner a autor musí disponovať množstvom informácii o tom čo píše aby sa príbeh zdal reálny.

9.     Klan 3/5 – Adrinane Young
      Táto autorka bola na, YALC 2019, festivale mládežníckej literatúry v Londýne a preto som sa dohodla s niekoľkými dievčatami z Instagramu na spoločnom čítaní Klanu - jej prvej knihy. Príbeh nebol ničím prelomový no to kde sa odohrával bolo výborné! Štýl písania bol príjemný a dobre sa to čítalo.

10.  Navždy 3/5 – Maya Sinay
      Ďalšia romantika a ďalší slovenský autor. Túto knihu som vyhrala v hashtagovej súťaži. Na začiatku sa mi zdala hlavná hrdinka trochu otravná, ale počas deja sa jej charakter trochu pozmenil a potom sa to už dalo zvládať. Polovicu tejto knihy som zhltla za jeden deň. Nie preto, že by bola tak neskutočne dobrá, ale preto že sa čítala jednoducho a ľahučko. Taká pohodička. Nie je to najlepšia kniha na svete, ale ak je vonku pekne a chcete knihu ku káve tak toto je ono! Cela recenzia je tu.

11.  Nikdekoľvek 5/5 – Neil Geiman
      Jedna z najlepších kníh aké som v poslednej dobe čítala. Neil je majster spisovateľ a jeho knihy sú proste neuveriteľné. Hranice medzi realitou a fantáziou sa prelínajú tak prirodzene, že neviete kde jedno končí a druhé začína. Postavy majú rozdielne charakterové črty a osobnosti. Štýl písania je jedinečný. Neilove knihy buď zbožňujete alebo neznášate. Moja celá recenzia na knihu je tu.

12.   Na konci obaja naozaj umrú 4/5 – Adam Silvera
      Táto kniha mi zlomila srdce. Veľmi sa mi páčilo, ako bola napísaná z dvoch uhlov pohľadu a to ako preskakoval medzi dvoma hlavnými postavam.
      Celý koncept knihy bol skvelý, pretože zbožňujem sci-fi tak viem ozaj doceniť ten malý futuristický element. Koniec knihy bol najhorší a najlepší zároveň. 

13.  Harry Potter a Kameň Mudrcov 5/5 - J.K. Rowling
      Po desiatich rokoch som sa rozhodla znova čítať knihy o Potterovi. Táto prvá časť série ma preniesla späť do detstva. Uplne som zabudla, aký úžasný je svet Rowlingovej. Zabudla som ako do hĺbky je príbeh premyslený bez toho aby prezradil priveľa príliš skoro. A uplne som zabudla, aký neuveriteľný sú Harry, Ron a Hermiona.

14.  Harry Potter a Tajomná Komnata 4/5 – J.K. Rowling
      Neviem prečo, ale Komnatu som si užila menej ako prvú knihu. Toto bola prvá HP kniha ktorú som čítala ako dieťa pred rokmi a od vtedy to bola moja obľúbená kniha. Toto sa ale pravdepodobne počas tohto čítania zmení.

15.  Priepasť 3/5 – Jozef Karika
      Rozhodla som sa pomedzi Harryho vopchať ďalšiu slovenskú knihu. Prečítala som ju približne za dva týždne, čo je na moje pomery rýchlo. Musím sa priznať že som touto knihou trochu sklamaná a nebola až tak dobrá, ako som čakala. Príliš často sa info v knihe opakovalo a niekde v strede dej upadol do akejsi nudy a nikdy sa z nej nevyšplhal (dvojzmysel úmyselný). Priepasť je druhá kniha od Kariku, ktorú som prečítala a po Trhline som mala dosť vysoké očakávania. Cela recenzia je tu.

16.  Harry Potter a väzeň z Azkabanu 5/5 – J.K. Rowling
      Tretia kniha v sérii a konečne sa dostávame ku serióznym témam. Už je viac-menej jasné, ako funguje čarodejnícky svet a Rowlingová sa nebojí zobudiť duchov minulosti, aby nám povedali viac o Harrym a o ostatných postavách. Dozvieme sa viac o tom, čo sa stalo počas noci keď boli Harryho rodičia zavraždený. Táto kniha je skvelá, ale úplne iná keď ju čítam ako dospelá. Mala som pocit, že je to úplne iný príbeh keďže teraz som sa nesústredila na dej ale vedela som si pospájať aj informácie medzi riadkami. Od tejto knihy sa svet Pottera sa pomaly premieňa na umelecké dielo...

17.  V Znamení Ametystu 4/5 – Majka Danihelova 
      Slovenské fantasy knihy sú stále ojedinelé. V Znamení Ametystu je prvá slovenská fantasy ktorú som čítala a som veľmi milo prekvapená. Kniha je plná detailov a svet je výborne prepracovaný vrátane legiend a histórie. Niekedy bolo tých informácií na prvú knihu v sérií priveľa naraz, až to bolo mätúce. Hlavná hrdinka sa mi páčila a jej vývoj počas knihy bol dobre napísaný. Toto bola prvá kniha od mladej autorky a bolo to skvelé čítanie. Záver knihy ma nechal sedieť na okraji stoličky a postaral sa o jedno veľké prekvapenie. Už sa neviem dočkať na pokračovanie knihy.  

18. The Girl of Ink and Stars 5/5  -  Kiran Millwood Hargrave
      Do tohto príbehu som sa zatúlala úplne naslepo. Knihu som si kúpila pretože sa mi páčila obálka a nesmierne milo ma kniha prekvapila. Táto detská literatúra mala rýchli spád a krátke ale perfektné opisy. Veľmi dobré bolo, že táto kniha nevynechala ani dospelákov a napriek tomu že hlavná hrdinka je dieťa dospelí boli vždy na blízku a snažili sa vysporiadať s udalosťami. Dej bol jednoduchý, ale vôbec nie nudný. Všetko v knihe bolo prepojené a každá informácia bola znova použitá.

19.  The Travelling Cat Chronicles (Kroniky Mačky Cestovateľky) 4/5 - Hiro Arikawa
      Od tejto knihy som očakávala veľa. Doteraz som nečítala nič od Japonského autora ale veľa som o tejto knihe počula. Prvá časť knihy bola mierne nudná. V knihe bolo veľa spomienok a preskakovanie z minulosti do prítomnosti – toto v knihách nie veľmi obľubujem. Nevedela som sa stotožniť so žiadnou postavou a odlišná kultúra mi celé čítanie ešte viac sťažovala. Niektoré veci ktoré sú u nás len mierna nepríjemnosť boli v knihe veľkým problémom. Chýbalo mi tam viac častí napísaných z pohľadu mačky. Toto všetko sa zmenilo v druhej časti. Skoro celá druhá časťbola napísaná z mačacej perspektívy. Bolo to úžasné a aj napriek tomu, že som uhádla priskoro ako kniha skončí, plakala som.

20.  Harry Potter a Ohnivá čaša 5/5 – J.K. Rowling
      Táto kniha je temná. Veľmi temná. A veľmi dobrá. Na neskutočne veľa vecí som zabudla od posledného prečítania a práve vďaka tomu som si knihu znova užila. Po prvýkrát v sérii sa na pozadí hlavného príbehu o Harrym odohráva viac príbehov naraz a dozvedáme sa o nich len ojedinele vďaka tomu že Harry si nechtiac vypočuje niekoho rozhovor. Všetko je vysvetlené na konci a je to dych berúce odhalenie! Tajomná komnata bola vždy moja obľúbená HP kniha, ale po tomto znovu prečítaní je to Ohnivá Čaša.... ale.... ešte ma čakajú ďalšie knihy...

Ako sa darilo v roku 2019 čítaní vám? Čítali ste niektoré z týchto kníh? Nechajte mi komentár pod článkom alebo mi napíšte na Instagrame na @bookatiepillar.

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