25 BOOKS CHALLENGE: MAY UPDATE

Hello everybody, I know it's been a long time... 

and I'm terribly sorry for not writing more about what I've read. But the truth is that I really haven't had a lot of time for reading during the last couple of months. In fact, I didn't finish any book at all during the month of April.
But I did read some books at the end of March and the beginning of May:

Source: Goodreads

At the end of March I read "The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden" by Jessica Sorensen. It's a contemporary romance, a bit like Hopeless by Colleen Hoover (which has been my favorite book this year so far!).
It was a really quick read, I liked the characters and I liked Jessica Sorensen's writing, but the plot was really predictable... I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. A sequel will come out in the summer, which I'm definitely going to read! Check out Jessica Sorensen's website HERE to find out more about her and about her books!

Source: Goodreads

I also read "The Secret Keeper" by Kate Morton in March. If you haven't read any of Kate Morton's books, please do check them out! They're all stories about two or three generations of families, children finding out about their parents' pasts and all that. I love Kate Morton's writing, but the best thing about her books to me is the fact that her books are so unpredictable. It's always the same with Kate's books: You're 50 pages from the ending and you think you know what's going to happen, but trust me: You will be surprised. I loved the Secret Keeper, and I'm giving it a 5 out of 5!
HERE's the link to Kate's Website, check out her other books!

Source: Goodreads

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that I only started reading City of Bones, the first book of the Mortal Instruments Series by Cassandra Clare, last week. I've heard so much about Cassandra's books, but somehow the fact that the main character of the book is 15 kept me from reading it. Damn, how could I be so stupid?
I'm going to do a more detailed review of the whole series when I've read all the books. I'm giving City of Bones a 4,5 out of 5. I really loved the book, and I'm so excited that I found a whole new book series I can get into!
Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that the movie is coming out this summer (August 23) starring Lily Collins and (OMG!) Jamie Campbell Bower. CAN'T. WAIT!!!

25 Books Challenge: 12 out of 25 completed!!!

...(Yup, looking good!!)

Requiem by Lauren Oliver

Disclaimer: This review contains SPOILERS! Requiem is the third book in a trilogy. If you haven't read Delirium, Pandemonium and Requiem yet, please do, the books are amazing. Only read this review if you have finished reading REQUIEM!

 

Source: Goodreads

 

Now, WHAT WAS THAT?

92% of the book read (according to my Kindle), Lauren Oliver talks about tearing down walls, I’m waiting for the story to come to an end, for things to make sense... And then: THIS. Freaking Acknowledgements. Really?

Don’t get me wrong: I really really liked this book. I did! There were scenes I loved. The Waterbury scene (Lena is so totally badass!), the mother-daughter-reunion scene. The scene where Hana and Lena meet again. Lena and Grace. Knowing what it’s like to be cured because of Hana’s POV. And so many more!

I just think there were about 50 pages missing in this book, because we don’t know what happens after the chaos in Portland. Did the rebellion win over Portland? I think so. But what happens to the rest of the country? Did similar things happen in other cities as well or just in Portland?

What happened to Hana after she left her husband to die in his house? Will she join the rebellion? I really want her to!

And most important: Who will Lena choose? I know she loves Alex more than she loves Julian (which I don’t understand, since we don’t really know Alex at all, and neither does Lena. Alex is this aggressive stranger who hates Lena when he sees her again. Why? What happened to him in the Crypts? How did he even get there? He was shot, for god’s sake!).

All in all, the book was amazing, minus the missing 50-100 pages. I read it in a couple of hours because I couldn't put it down. Some things happened that I was so excited about. But the ending was so, so disappointing. I've always liked comparing the Matched series to the Delirium series. At the end of Reached, there is an election. We don't know what the results of the election is but things actually changed in Reached. In Requiem there is just this massive riot, people die, walls are torn down, but we don't know if there is any change!

Now, want to know what I think? There is going to be a Delirium TV show. An ending like this is PERFECT for a TV show, because they can do so much with it. There are so many parts in the book that are missing, there is so much free space for the TV show...

It’s just that I’m not a massive fan of books that get turned into TV shows (except Game of Thrones), because they usually change a whole lot (*cough* Vampire Diaries), and after a season or two, you can’t find what’s happening in books anywhere in the show.

I’m giving Requiem  a 4 out of 5. I’d love to give it a 5 because I loved Lauren Oliver's writing and the characters, but I can’t ignore the ending. I don’t hate open endings, but this ending was just too open for me. Too many questions were not answered... And although I know the Delirium trilogy is a TRILOGY I’m hoping for a sequel. And now I have to call Amazon customer service because I threw my Kindle agains the wall after seing the word "Acknowledgements". I have a Kindle Keyboard and the backside got loose. :(

If you want to find out more about Lauren Oliver, click HERE to view her website

                                                                                               HERE to view her twitter 

25 Books Challenge:  9 Books!!! 

UPDATE: Books I read in February

I read three more books last month, one really disappointing one, and two books I really really liked.

I downloaded Hungry for You by Lyndsay Sands because it was a Kindle Christmas present on German Amazon... I don't recommend it. At all. I didn't have high expectations for this book, but it turned out to be even worse than I expected... It's a really badly written and unrealistic Vampire Erotic novel. But I still finished it, so it has to be mentioned since I'm doing the 25 Book challenge this year.

The other two books are by the amazing Colleen Hoover (author of Hopeless which I reviewed a couple of weeks ago).

Source: Goodreads

They're called Slammed and Point of Retreat, and they're about a girl called Lake (short for Layken) who moves from Texas to Michigan with her mom and her little brother. Lake meets this guy called Will. He's her neighbor, he has a younger brother he takes care of because their parents died... And there is an instant deep connection between Lake and Will. They fall in love with each other on their first date.
But everything changes when the two of them find out they can't be together.

Source: Goodreads

Sorry , I won't tell you why, you have to find out yourselves :D

I loved Slammed and Point of Retreat. I read both books in two days because I couldn't put them down, because they were that good. I especially liked the use of poetry in the book. On their first date, Lake and Will go to a Slam Poetry, and Will performs one of his poems. I've been to many Slam Poetry competitions myself and I loved the poems in the book, they added something special to the story.

Please go ahead and read Colleen Hoover's books, if you haven't already! She's an independent author with so so much talent, and I can't wait for the third book in the Slammed series!

If you want to find out what Colleen's been up to lately: Go check out her blog, it's hilarious: LINK

Oh, I almost forgot: 25 Books Challenge 2013: 8 Books already!!!

Update! Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Hey everyone! It’s been a while since my last blog post. First I had to study for finals, then I actually had the finals, and then I went on a skiing vacation to Austria...

But during that time I read a lot, and I wanted to post a QUICK update!

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi 

Source: Goodreads

This book is set in a dystopian world, different from any other world I’ve read about in YA. Population has been split into two parts: The Dwellers who live under the earth because the outside world has become too dangerous because of a substance called Aether (please don’t ask me how to pronounce this one. I have NO idea :D).
 

But there are also people living on the outside in a constant fight against the Aether.

The protagonist of this book is Arya, she’s a Dweller and I think she’s 16... Anyway, she is forced to leave her home underground and struggles to survive on the outside. On her journey she meets Perry who has lived his whole life on the outside. And even though the two of them hate each other when they meet, they need one another to get what they want, and end up... yes, of course falling in love. There HAS to be some romance in a YA dystopian novel, right? :D

I really liked Under the Never Sky. It was a quick read, I liked the characters, and I can’t wait to read Through the Ever Night, the sequel (which has already been released, I just haven’t had any time to read it. 

I'm giving it a 4,5 out of 5

If you want to find out more about Veronica Rossi, you can check out her blog: Link

25 Books Challenge 2013:   5/25 

Book Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

I really want to talk about this book I've just finished. It's called "Hopeless" and it's by Colleen Hoover.

Basically it's supposed to be a YA romance.
Let me tell you the only thing YA about this book is the fact that the main characters are 17 and 18 years old. Apart from that there's NOTHING really YA about it. It has swearing and a lot sex in it without it being inappropriate.
I LOVED this book. So much. I'm trying to wrap my mind around the fact that it's over.

Plot:

Source: Goodreads

It's about Sky who's 17 years old. She's been home schooled by her adoptive mother until she decides to spend her senior year at a public school. She's having a hard time in school because her best friend, Six, isn't spending senior year with her in Texas, but in Italy. Also, Sky kind of has the reputation of a slut because she's made out with so many guys. But nobody, not even Sky herself knows the reason why she never feels attracted to any of the guys she makes out with.
Until one day she meets Holder (that's his last name BTW) at the grocery store, and Sky develops feelings for him.

 

My Thoughts:

It sounds like a cheesy love story. It's not. The further I read, the more complicated and intense the story got. And the more I read, the more I fell in love with Holder as well. He's too good to be true, but he still has his flaws. He's no Edward Cullen who's more of a parent than a boyfriend to Bella. Holder has a temper and a secret, and he and Sky were just meant to be together.

I seriously encourage you to pick this book up, I'm sure it won't disappoint you.
I'm giving this book a 5 out of 5 because everything was perfect. I loved the characters. I loved the unpredictable plot (although I knew what had happened to Sky when she was a little girl from the beginning).
I don't know if I've ever read a book that has made me laugh out loud and cry on the same page. It was a roller-coaster ride full of emotions. I don't have enough words to express how much this book impressed me.

THANK YOU COLLEEN HOOVER! (And thanks for the sleepless night last night, and for keeping me from studying for my business law final tomorrow. Haha. It was worth it!)

I'm glad I found out Colleen Hoover has two other books out (not "Hopeless" related books), that are supposed to be really good as well. Now I know what I'll be doing when my finals are over in two weeks. Read, read, read....
Check out Colleen Hover's website for more information, news and all that good stuff!


25 books challenge: 4/25 (January 31)

A Wish After Midnight by Zetta Elliott

It's me again! Today I want to talk about a book I finished a couple of weeks ago, but couldn't find the time to write about it because of finals. It's "A Wish After Midnight" by Zetta Elliott, which I discovered because it was only 99 cents on the Kindle Store the day I purchased it. 

Source: Goodreads

Plot:

The book is about 15-year-old Gemma who lives in a tiny apartment in Brooklyn with her mother and her siblings. She's not happy with the situation she's in because she wants to go to college, but her mother doesn't have enough money to send her, her siblings sell drugs and get in trouble, she thinks she's not pretty enough to ever have a boyfriend (ugh!) because she's "too black" ... and so on. Basically she wishes for a better life but nothing really happens... until one night she time travels back to the Civil War era Brooklyn and gets to know how hard life can really be.

My Thoughts: (Spoiler Alert!)

What I thought was missing in this book was an explanation. It might just me be but I didn't get the purpose of the time travel. Why did she travel back to 1864? To realize that 2001 has many more opportunities for her? How did the time travel thing happen? How long was she over there? What did Judah do to travel back in time? Many things were left without explanation. What happened to the family she worked for? The doctor, his wife, their little son, Nannie, the Irish girl, the black woman with her three children? And most important of all: What happened to Judah?

Judah's and Genna's "romance" didn't really feel real to me. It seemed like the author wanted to add that relationship aspect to the book. I didn't even like Judah, maybe because we didn't get to know him at all.

I felt like the book skipped over some exciting parts (like how the two got together) and focused on Genna's ongoing pessimist monologue. What she thinks of her mom, her Dad, her siblings, the white guy she met at the botanic garden…
Genna really could have traveled back in time earlier on in the book, because nothing really happened at all in the first part of the book.

But I don't only have negative things to say about "A Wish After Midnight". I really liked Genna as a character. At first her first person narration really went on my nerves because she repeated everything over and over, but Genna is a clever and likable girl. She's determined, fresh, educated… I have to admit I found myself somewhere in her, my self confidence isn't the best, either :)

All in all the book was a quick read, and I enjoyed reading it, but the ending and some parts in the middle of the book didn't satisfy me. 

I'm giving it a 3,5 out of 5.

Oh - I almost forgot something:

25 Books Challenge: 3/25!!!

Angelfall by Susan Ee

When I picked up "Angelfall" by Susan Ee this morning (at 11am to be precise :D ), I didn't expect to finish it at 9 pm. I downloaded the book because it was on sale for just 99 cents in the Kindle Store. The reviews were mainly positive, so I thought I'd give it a try. But I definitely wasn't expecting THIS.

Source: Amazon

• Paperback: 290 pages
• Publisher: Amazon Children's Publishing; First Edition edition (August 28, 2012)
• Available as: Paperback, Kindle eBook
• Get it on Amazon.com

Plot:

The book is another YA dystopian novel (I know. I can't help it). Penryn is 17, her mother is schizophrenic, and her little sister sits in a wheelchair. Penryn's sister is captured by angels who have brought  apocalypse to the world. Penryn finds an angel (Raffe) who has lost his wings, saves his life, and takes him captive because she hopes to retrieve her sister with his help.  So the two of them embark on a journey to get his wings back and rescue the young girl.

My thoughts:

I just couldn't put this book down. The world Susan Ee created is so dangerous but real, and the characters so relatable that I HAD TO find out what happens next. There really was no point where I thought the book was boring. 

There's one thing I dislike about many dystopian YA books: Very often protagonists try to save the whole society and forget about what's good for themselves and their families. This wasn't the case in Angelfall, and I'm so glad about that. Penryn doesn't try to save the human world from angels, all she does is trying to save her sister. She's no super hero, she's just a normal person, and she acts the way a normal person would act in that situation. But still, Penryn is pretty badass. (And Raffe is probably one of the most awesome guys in YA fiction. Tobias aka Four (from Divergent), watch out! :D )

Angelfall is the first book in a series. I don't know how many books will be in the series, but hopefully the second book will be released soon (since Susan Ee finished the book with quite a cliffhanger)... 

 Rating:

I'm giving this book a 4,5 out of 5 because it was kind of short for my taste. But compared to ASoS by GRRM (a 1100 page book) which I finished yesterday any book seems short, I guess. 


So, keeping score:

25 Books Challenge: 8% completed (January 4, 2013)

  

 

25 Books Challenge!

Long time no see! I hope everyone who reads this has had a Merry Christmas and a good start into the New Year.

I'm trying to read 25 books in 2013. I know a lot of people do the 50 books challenge (or even a hundred), but I don't have that much time... Last year I only read 22, let's hope I'll do better this year.

I've already finished my first book of 2013, A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin, so only 24 to go!!! From now on, every time I finish a book I will post a short message on this blog to keep score.

 25 Books Challenge: 4% completed (January 3, 2013)

How many books do you usually read in a year? Have a great 2013 everybody!

Top 5 Books I Read in 2012

I feel really bad about not blogging... But I haven’t discovered any new books during the last couple of weeks, and I haven’t had much time to read. 

Because 2012 is coming to an end, here’s my Top 5 Books I read in 2012:

1      Divergent by Veronica Roth

Source: Goodreads

I have already written a review on Divergent and I’m just really happy I’ve found this amazing book series this year. Also check out the sequel, Insurgent

2    Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin

Source: Goodreads

I recommend this book series to everyone who loves epic fantasy novels, like Lord oft he Rings. I’m halfway through book 3 and I’m hoping to finish it before the start of the third „Game of Thrones“ season. 

3    The „Matched“ Trilogy by Ally Condie

Source: Goodreads

This is another book series I’ve talked about A LOT during the last few months... Matched was my favorite book in the series, but Crossed and Reached didn’t disappoint me. If you liked „Divergent“ or „Delirium“, I strongly recommend reading this trilogy

4     The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Source: Goodreads

I know many people have read this book years ago, but I only discovered it because the movie (starring Emma Watson!) came out this year. This book has made me laugh, cry, and stay up all night... It’s the perfect growing up, High School book, and I recommend it to anyone. You don’t have to be in High School to enjoy this book.

5     Der Junge der Traume schenkte by Luca di Fulvio

Source: Goodreads

I don’t think an English translation of this book has come out yet, I read it in German. But it was originally written in Italian by Italian Author Luca di Fulvio.

It’s about a single mother moving to New York at the beginning oft he 20th century, and about her son, Christmas. The setting, the story and the characters are amazing and I couldn’t put this book down until the very end.

Which were YOUR favorite books this year? Please tell me in the comments!

I wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

“Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.”
― Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow of the Wind

Today I want to talk about my favorite book (besides Harry Potter), The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Source: Goodreads

First of all, The Shadow of the Wind is the first book in a four-book series. Two more books have come out already (the latest being „The Prisoner of Heaven“), but what I really like about the series is that you don’t have to read them in a particular order. You can understand „The Angel’s Game“ without having read „The Shadow of the Wind“.  

The books all center around one place in Barcelona: The so-called “Cemetery of the Forgotten Books”.

Plot

The protagonist is called Daniel Sempere, and his father brings him to the Cementery of the Forgotten Books when he turns 11 years old. Daniel gets to pick out one book and keep it, the book is called “The Shadow of the Wind” by Julian Carax.

He grows up reading and loving that book, and as he reaches his late teens (I think he’s 18, not sure though!) he wishes to find out more about Carax, the author. But Carax’ books all seem to have disappeared, just like Carax’ himself.

He meets a mysterious stranger who looks exactly like the devil in “the Shadow of the Wind”, he follows Daniel and wants Daniel to give him the book.

At the same time Daniel, who has been doing research on Julian Carax’ life, realizes his life is starting to become more and more like Carax’ life, the deeper he digs and the more he finds out about Carax’ past.

What do I like about the book?

Everything. The amazing characters, the way the book is not predictable at all. The setting: Barcelona in the fifties, and most of all: Zafons writing style. His descriptions are so detailed, the dialogues are funny and intelligent… His writing is just beautiful, I can’t find another word for it. Zafon is a Spanish author and so far I've only read English and German translations of his books. Although even the translations are beautifully written, I hope that one day my Spanish will be good enough that I can read the books in Spanish.

Plot: 4,5/5
Language: 5/5 (I would give 100 points if I could!)
Characters: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

I’m giving it a 5 out of 5, definitely check it out! Really, please do.

And if you’ve already read “The Shadow of the Wind” also check out “The Angel's Game” and “The Prisoner of Heaven”. They’re both different but still amazing.
However, “The Shadow of the Wind” will probably always be my favorite :) I can't wait for the fourth and last book to come out (which won't be anytime soon, since The Prisoner of Heaven was released not too long ago).

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Pages: 487 (Paperback)

Get it on Amazon:  (Available as: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, Audio book)

Book Review: Reached by Ally Condie

I’m back! I know it’s been ages, but I really haven’t had much time during the last couple of weeks. I just wanted to let you guys know I finished Reached by Ally Condie, which is the third book in the Matched trilogy. Check out this link for a review of the first two books in the series on my blog!

I finished reading „Reached“ last night and I haven’t really had time to figure out how much I liked this book. Maybe at the end of this review I can tell you. It’s just that A LOT happens in it!

Source: Goodreads

 

Plot:

The book starts a few months after the end of Crossed. Cassia is working as a sorter in Central, Xander is a medic in Camas Province (I think. I’m not good at remembering all the different provinces and cities), and Ky is training to be a pilot for the Rising.

More and more people get a mysterious sickness, called the “Plague” that only the Rising has a cure for. So when the situation gets out of control because too many people are infected, the Rising takes over the Society and starts healing the sick. But nobody expected a mutation of the Plague that nobody has found a cure for and that ends deadly…

 My Thoughts:

 Where should I start? Which the things I liked, I guess. Please, if you haven’t read the book yet, DON’T continue reading. There will be spoilers!

1.     I’m really satisfied with the ending: Ky and Cassia are meant to be together. But I’m beyond happy for Xander. At the beginning of the book I thought it could be Indie, because in Crossed she always looks at Xander’s microcard. And I’d never have expected it to be Laney, I never suspected she could be alive. So that was a really pleasant surprise.

2.     Character development. Again. The characters went through so much in Crossed, and now, at the end of Matched they have become adults. In my opinion Xander changed the most, working with the Still at the medical centers, falling in love with Lei. Plus, he’s such a good person! He’d do anything for his friends, and he’s so happy for Cassia and Ky.

3.     The ending. At the end everyone who is older than 17 could vote for the Society, the Rising, or for Anna, who stands for something entirely new: A kind of democratic system. I think the vote is described beautifully in the book; it’s something totally unknown to the people in the Society. I loved the moment when they’re in the mountains and Cassia explains how strange and unknown, but beautiful having a choice is.
      
  Because that’s kind of what Reached is all about: How having a choice is a gift. Cassia’s grandfather gave Cassia the choice which poems to follow, or not to follow any of them at all. Cassia’s father decided not to. Cassia did.

4.     I wouldn’t call it fast-paced, because it really wasn’t in my opinion. But it still made me keep reading, because it was INTERESTING. I had to know what the ending was like so it was a really quick read for me. (Which makes me think of “The Casual Vacancy”. I’m still stuck at page 130. It’s just not interesting to me).

Reached was really good, but it could have been a little better. What I didn’t like as much:

1.     I think too much of the book was about the Plague and about finding a cure for it. 

2.     I’m a sucker for romance. Except for a few scenes at the end there was hardly any romance at all in this book… Which is because the character weren’t together until like the middle of the book. But still, I love Ky and Cassia together, and I would have enjoyed a few more conversations between the two of them.

3.     Sudden deaths! SPOILER ALERT! Seriously? Indie? Cassia’s dad? I was okay with Oker, his death made sense and made the story a lot more exciting. But Indie was one of my favorite characters, I feel like there is so much about her that we didn’t find out, and never will. 

4.     Unanswered Questions. Yes, I know that’s normal, it happens every time a book series is over: there are questions. Why could Cassia walk through the blue tablet? Why can she remember some things that happened after she took the red? Does is have to do with her never taking the green? Do the Otherlands really exist? Why has nobody ever come back? Where are Ky’s aunt and uncle?

RATING:                                                                       

Plot: 4/5
Language: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall: 4,5/5

Author: Ally Condie

Publisher: Dutton Juvenile

Publication Date: November 13 2012

Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian

Pages: 384 (Hardcover)

Get it on Amazon:  (Available as: Hardcover, Kindle, Audio book)

Have you read Reached yet? What did you like or dislike about it? Please tell me in the comments!

 

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

I've read many books in 2012 so far, but Divergent by Veronica Roth has been one of my favorites. Don't worry if you haven't read the book yet, this review does not contain any spoilers!

Source: Goodreads

Plot: 

 

Divergent takes place in a futuristic, dystopian Chicago where society is divided into 5 different factions: Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Candor (the honest), Amity (the peaceful) and Erudite (the brave).
The protagonist of Divergent is Beatrice "Tris" Prior who was born and raised in the Abnegation (selfless) faction.
At the age of 16, everyone in the society has to decide whether they want to stay in the faction they grew up in, or change factions. But before choosing, everyone has to take a test, the so-called aptitude test, which tells you which faction fits you best.
Tris takes the test and gets a strange result: Tris is "divergent", which means there is more than one faction that fits Tris' character. But Tris is told to keep her divergence a secret from everyone she knows, because being divergent is dangerous. If you read the book, you'll find out which faction Tris chooses, and why being divergent is considered dangerous.

My Thoughts: 

There is a number of reasons why I liked Divergent:

- I could totally relate to the protagonist. Tris is a girl, Tris is physically weak, but during the novel she becomes this strong and brave person.

- They way the story is told is just terrific, I could NOT stop reading. I don't know about you, but I think reading an almost 500-page book in one sitting doesn't happen very often. I just always wanted to know what's gonna happen next, there were no parts of the book that I felt like could have been left out. When I found out that Veronica Roth, the author of this book is only 24, and that she published the book when she was only 22 (which might not be true, I suck at math), I couldn't believe it. This doesn't seem like a debut novel!

- Divergent is a book that makes me want to write fan fictions. I never write fan fictions, the only times I considered doing it were when I was reading Harry Potter and Twilight. (Please don't kill me because I like Twilight!).
It's a story I want to find out more about because I love some characters with my whole heart, while on the other side there are characters in this book that I absolutely despise. There is just so much more to explore, and I'm more than happy that Divergent is just the first book in a trilogy.

- Yes, just like in almost every YA book there is ROMANCE. I'm not going to tell you who it is going to be (you'll quickly figure it out yourselves), but let me tell you it is GENUINE. The relationship in this book is in no way forced, although it develops fairly quickly. If I had to choose my favorite couple in YA books, it would be the couple in this book. Sorry, Harry Potter (J.K. Rowling can write anything! but romance. Sorry ): )

- I find the world, the dystopian Chicago, especially the factions in the society extremely interesting. I want to find out more about the different factions, I want to know more about how the whole thing started, and I want to know WHAT'S OUTSIDE THE FENCE! And why the locks on the fence are on the outside!


At the end there is just one thing I want to say: Read the book. Just read it, I promise you you'll love it! And if you've already read Divergent: Read Insurgent! (Which is the sequel). (Review of Insurgent coming soon!).


RATING:                                                                       

Plot: 5/5
Language: 4/5
Characters: 5/5
Overall: 5/5

Author: Veronica Roth

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Publication Date: May 3 2011

Genre: Young Adult / Dystopian

Pages: 496 (Hardcover)

Get it on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Divergent-Book-1-Veronica-Roth/dp/0062024027 (Available as: Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle)

Have you read Divergent? Did you like it? Please tell me in the comments :)

Update: Books I'm Currently Reading

Long time no see! I’ve been really busy during the last 2 weeks, trying to get used to college life. But I did buy a few new books and I wanted to update you guys on what I got and what I think about the books that I got.

First of all, I started reading “A Storm of Swords” which is the third book in the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin (I’m sure most of you are familiar with the books since the TV show is such a big hit in the States).

I’m reading it on my Kindle, and it tells me I’m at 27%. I know that Storm of Swords is many people’s favorite book in the whole series, and I like it so far. However, I thought the beginning was a little slow, and I’m glad things are starting to get really interesting now!

Source: Goodreads

On September 27th“The Casual Vacancy” by J.K. Rowling came out, and, being a big Harry Potter fan, I had to get my hands on it immediately.

The first few chapters were interesting, I liked the descriptions of the characters and places. Now, a month later, I’m still stuck at page 130, because I’m not that interested in what’s going to happen. In fact, I feel like nothing has happened after the death of Barry Fairbrother on page 3 AT ALL. I really want to like this book because I adore J.K. Rowling, I really want to like it because I’ve been waiting for the book to come out for months… But I have to force myself to continue reading, and every time I find an interesting book I want to read I stop reading the Casual Vacancy.

Source: Goodreads

Just like yesterday when Carlos Ruiz Zafón’s “new” book, "Der Gefangene des Himmels” (The Prisoner of Heaven) came in the mail. (“new” because the Spanish original came out last year, and I waited for the German translation because it’s better than the English one in my opinion.)

Hey, if you’ve never heard of Carlos Ruiz Zafón or his books “The Shadow of the Wind” and “The Angel’s Game”  --> CHECK. THEM. OUT. !!!

Zafón is a Spanish author and “The Prisoner of Heaven” is the third book in a four-book-series.

I’m going write a review on the first three books once I’ve finished “The Prisoner of Heaven”.

Let me tell you one thing: The Shadow of the Wind (the first book) is my ALL TIME FAVORITE BOOK. You have to read it! :)

Source: Goodreads

Wow, that was a long update! To summarize: I’m reading three books at the moment. Storm of Swords is slowly getting exciting. I want to like The Casual Vacancy but it’s so boring. Instead of finishing the these books, I keep starting to read new books, “The Prisoner of Heaven” in this case (which I hope will be as good as the fist two books in the series!).

Love,

Maren

Why Do I Blog in English?

Why Do I Blog in English?

I’ve mentioned in my very first blog post that I’m from Germany (at least I hope I did). I live in Germany, my mother tongue is German, I mostly think in German, and talk to other people in German. But why do I blog in English?

I think my English is pretty good for a foreigner. I started learning English in 5th grade, I was a good student, and soon I started reading English book that I had previously read in German. After my third year of learning English, I bought the last Harry Potter the day it came out – without having read the German translation. I almost understood everything.

I’m not trying to brag here, it’s just that from that point on the number of German books I read decreased, and I started reading more and more books in English.

Nowadays about 10% of the books that I read is in German.

Why should I read a (often horrible) translation when I can read the original words that the author has written? Why should I pay double for a German kindle ebook (yes, often they’re really that expensive)?

I figured that because I almost only read English books it would make sense for me to blog in English as well. In A Song of Ice and Fire (for fans of the TV show: Game of Thrones) they changed the names of some characters and places (e.g. Jon Snow à Jon Schnee (literal translation), or King’s Landing à Königsmund (literally: king’s mouth (which is so awkward)) . (You can tell I'm a little obsessed with brackets).

If I find a German book that I would really like to review… I don’t know what I’m going to do then. It will depend on who reads my blog (if anyone ever does haha).

There’s another simple reason why I blog in English: I want to improve my writing. Understanding English and speaking English in every day life is different from writing long texts. I’m not in high school anymore where I had to write lots of essays in English class all the time, and now I just don’t want to forget how to do it.

So just keep this in mind: My English is not perfect. But I’m not going to say “Sorry for my English” underneath every post I write, like many other foreigners (especially Germans, and I don’t know why this is) do. I don’t feel sorry for it. To be honest, I’m kind of proud of it, and very glad I’m doing this.

The next step for me would be posting videos on Youtube (which I think is so cool! And I like how the people who do it call themselves “booktubers”). But right now I don’t really have the guts to put myself on Youtube. Speaking English.  :) One step at a time!

"Matched" and "Crossed" by Ally Condie

I read two books last week that I really wanted to review. They're "Matched" and "Crossed" by Ally Condie. (Yes, I've been loving dystopian novels recently. This book series really reminds me of "Delirium" by Lauren Oliver (which I also highly recommend!)).

Don't be afraid of spoilers, these reviews don't give away anything about the books' endings!

Matched by Ally Condie

 

 source: Goodreads

"Matched" is about a 17-year-old girl called Cassia who lives in a world where everything is controlled by "the Society", e.g. you can't choose your job or your relationships, how many children you will have or what you eat. The only choice you get to make is whether you want to be "matched" or stay single for the rest of your life when you turn 17. Cassia chooses to be matched, but the result she gets is very strange and dangerous: She gets two results. On the one hand there's Xander, her neighbor and best friend. On the other hand there's Kyle, who Cassia finds out is an "Aberration" (which means he's not considered a citizen in the Society and can't be matched. But for some reason he gets matched with Cassia).

What I found fascinating was the world Ally Condie created. Her descriptions of the houses, technology and the Society in general are very detailed.
It took me a while to be able to relate to the main character, Cassia: At the beginning of the book she doesn't question the rules of the Society at all, she's very naive, and that kind of annoyed me at first. But after getting the strange matching result she grows more and more suspicious of the whole situation, and her whole character develops a lot.

I read "Matched" in only 2 days. I really got sucked into the story, and couldn't put it down. So when I found out there was a sequel I HAD to read it straight away :).

Crossed by Ally Condie

 

source: Goodreads

I always look up reviews online before reading a book. When I finished "Matched" and looked up reviews for "Crossed" I was kind of disappointed because so many people didn't like it ("Eew, I don't like the setting", "there's not enough Xander", "it's boring" etc. etc.)

Now, after finishing "Crossed" I don't think I'll ever read reviews before reading the book again. Because I really liked Crossed.

It's really hard to compare "Crossed" to "Matched". The setting is totally different, and there are many new characters. But different doesn't always mean worse. I really enjoyed getting to know the Outer Provinces, new characters like Indie, Hunter and Eli, and finding out more about Ky (because, let's face it: we didn't really get to know him in "Matched")...

My favorite part of the book was the character development (imagine what Cassia was like at the beginning of "Matched", and how she's so much more independent now), and of course I loved the fast-paced storyline.

I can't wait for the third and last book to come out (next month? Can't wait :D ). I feel like after Cassia found out about Xander's secret, the story will focus even more on the love triangle. (Which I know is like "soo YA", but done really beautifully in this series in my opinion).

"Crossed" was a really quick read for me (just as quick as "Matched"), and even though I liked Matched a little bit better, Crossed didn't disappoint me in any way.

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 If you have any questions about the book, or if you want me to review a book please leave me a comment! I'd love to hear from you!