{English} Uprooted - Naomi Novik

Once opon a time...

For fans of: Shadow and Bone - Leigh Bardugo, Nimona - Noelle Stevens
Publication: 2015
ISBN: 1447294146
Pages: 438
Goodreads

Blurb: Agnieszka loves her valley home, her quiet village, the forests and the bright shining river. But the corrupted Wood stands on the border, full of malevolent power, and its shadow lies over her life. Her people rely on the cold, driven wizard known only as the Dragon to keep its powers at bay. But he demands a terrible price for his help: one young woman handed over to serve him for ten years, a fate almost as terrible as falling to the Wood. The next choosing is fast approaching, and Agnieszka is afraid. She knows - everyone knows - that the Dragon will take Kasia: beautiful, graceful, brave Kasia, all the things Agnieszka isn't, and her dearest friend in the world. And there is no way to save her. But Agnieszka fears the wrong things. For when the Dragon comes, it is not Kasia he will choose. Uprooted is a hugely imaginative, engrossing and vivid fantasy novel, inspired by folk and fairy tales by Naomi Novik, the author of the Temeraire series. It is perfect reading for fans of Robin Hobb and Trudi Canavan.

Opinion
Cover: First I couldn't decide which edition I wanted, because they are all so pretty. Except for the original (?) cover (the yellow one) maybe. I liked this best, because of the simplicity and the colours. Btw, the German title is Das dunkle Herz des Waldes (= The Dark Heart of the Forest), which is not a direct translation. That would have sounded weird anyways, not like a fantasy novel, but rather a gardening book. So I'm okay with that translation, because it fits the book really well.

Content: It starts like a fairytale. A peaceful little village, a wizard who lives in a tower and an enchanted forest. If you are now thinking of fairies flying around and talking animals, you're entirely wrong. People don't just go in there. Every now and then someone vanishes into the Wood and is never seen again or comes back corrupted.

I already liked the first sentence: Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. The Dragon is actually the wizard, but he definitely has some dragon-like aspects to him. The first chapter already totally captivated me and I wish I had had the time to read it in one sitting.

SPOILERS BEGIN HERE!
Towards the end it got a bit boring, unfortunately. There is this big battle (I mean, that's inevitable in every High Fantasy novel) and it's drawn out over at least seventy pages or something and then the book isn't even over yet. The text could have been shortened here.

I also wasn't the biggest shipper of the Dragon and Agnieszka. During the first half of the book I was very sure, that she and Kasia would end up together. Instead it had to be the Dragon and I'm fine with it, but I felt zero chemistry.
SPOILERS END HERE!

Writing Style: The book itself has very small and very tight writing, which is why it took me forever to finish one chapter. While Naomi Novik can't have an influence on the first one, I'm sure she had some sort of influence on the length of chapters. I mean, the publisher probably had a word on that too, but she wrote it.

The whole Story has this slavic touch to it, which I really liked. All the character's names, village names and even Baba Yaga is mentioned. I only think it's weird that all the place names sound very original and then there are places like Venezia or Namib. Was that really necessary? Naomi Novik, you did such a good job on the whole worldbuilding and then you got sloppy there?

Anyways, as I already mentioned, the writing has something of a fairytale. The author really knows how to tell an intrigueing story. There are plenty of shocking moments in here and it's very exciting until the very end. I will miss those characters!

My conclusion: A fairytale-like story that is definitely worth your time

My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

A book about the power of words.

For fans of: The Wave - Morton Rhue, The Diary of Anne Frank
Publication: 2005
ISBN: 0552773891
Pages: 554
Goodreads

Blurb: HERE IS A SMALL FACT:
YOU ARE GOING TO DIE.
1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier.

Liesel, a nine-year-old girl, is living with her foster family on Himmel Street. Her parents have been taken away to a concentration camp. Liesel steals books. This is her story and the story of the inhabitants of her street when the bombs begin to fall.

SOME MORE IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
THIS NOVEL IS NARRATED BY DEATH.

It's a small story, about:
a girl
an accordionist
some fanatical Germans
a Jewish fist fighter
and quite a lot of thievery.

ANOTHER THING YOU SHOULD KNOW:
DEATH WILL VISIT THE BOOK THIEF THREE TIMES.

Opinion
Cover: I'm very well aware that there are many different editions of this book available, but this is the one I've got. I like that it's very simple and the drawing matches the story. It's just not very pretty alltogether, but I guess it wasn't supposed to.

Content: I'm not the biggest fan of stories set in Nazi Germany during WWII. I'm actually not the biggest fan of books with war as the main part at all. All that fighting, death and suffering really isn't my cup of tea. But Markus Zusak really surprised me.

Reading about it in Death's perspective was fascinating. It feels all so real and logical. Yes, you actually begin to understand death. It sounds weird, but read it for yourself! You'll come to the same conclusion.

Liesl is so adorable. And even in the hardest times, she still has hope left in her heart and so much love. She sees the world with her naive eyes, which was very interesting. I really liked her as a character and totally understood why she stole those books. If I was in her situation, I would have done it too.
The other characters are very well-written too. They might seem a bit flat and stereotypical at first, but they brake out of it, eventually. They really grew very dear to me, especially Liesl's foster parents.

Writing Style: I'm not sure if Markus Zusak really speaks German or if he had someone help him. In about 95% of the cases, he used the german words or sentences correctly. However, there were some words that weren't correctly inflected, instead they were used like english words.
What annoyed me was that after every german sentence, the english translation came right away. Let's put it that way: You either speak German and have to read everything twice. Or you don't speak German and the words are only there for the aesthetic. Either way annoying and also not very logical. Because why would the caracters sometimes speak German and then only English? This is what it looks like to me.
It would have been okay if the author had only done that every now and then.
Still, the words he uses are so beautiful. His writing style is very poetic and he catches the beauty of words in here.

After having heard so much good about The Book Thief, I had to see it myself. As much as I enjoyed it, I didn't love it as much as others did. Maybe something's wrong with me, but it didn't touch me in the same way, it seems.

My conclusion: Anyways, prepare to cry.

My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} The Girl of Fire and Thorns (Fire and Thorns #1) - Rae Carson

Mediocre Fantasy novel with a Mary Sue as a main character.

For fans of: Snow Like Ashes - Sara Raasch, Grave Mercy - Robin LaFevers
Publication: 2011
ISBN: 006202650X
Pages: 423
Goodreads

Blurb: Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness. Elisa is the chosen one. But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can't see how she ever will. Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he's not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic, are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people's savior. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn't die young. Most of the chosen do.

Opinion
Cover: There is just too much going on here. The colours go well together, but there's all this greenery, the stone and - since it's a YA-novel - it has to have a face on it. Of course.
I've seen the old cover and it has a white-washed, skinny girl on it. Ew! So yeah, this book definitely needs a new cover!

Content: I found the idea with the Godstone a little weird. Different, but weird. I mean, it sits in the main characters navel and she doesn't really know what being the bearer of it really means. No one actually does.
I also don't like this chosen-one-trope, but it surprisingly didn't bother me that much here.

At first, Elisa annoyed me so much. I thought, noooooo not yet another stupid first person-narrator. During the first third of the book I was so close to quitting. Elisa was the dictionary definition of a wallflower: insecure, lacking self-esteem and hating her own body, because she is a little chubby. Believe me, there is a lot of fat-shaming going on. Another reason why I almost dumped it.
But then I remembered how many people liked this book and the rest of the series. So I thought, there had to be at least one good thing about it. Surprisingly, it really got better. Elisa underwent a lot of character developement. She learned to love her body as it is, became less naive and a lot stronger. This is why this book isn't a complete mess.

The characters are unfortunately quite flat though, even Elisa. I sometimes had a hard time imagining them. They were once intruduced and discribed and that was it. Not very memorable.
And I didn't really care about them. The death of that one person I won't name because of spoilers, didn't touch me at all.
I was surprised by Cosmé though. I didn't expect her to become friends with Elisa at all!
Then there's the king, ugh. First he didn't want to tell anyone that they're married and then he also has a mistress. He's like that douchbag boyfriend that I would tell every girl to run from.

Religion played a much larger role in this novel than I'm used to in this genre. Elisa is a very faithful person, she prays a lot, but she also has her doubts. In fact, there is quite a lot of praying going on here and it gets just annoying after a while.

Writing Style: The writing was quite okay, but the plot was messy. There is a lot going on: kidnappings, fights, desert storms, intrigues, dramatic reveals and so on. You get the whole package in just a bit more than 400 pages. You don't have to read the book to know that this is simply too much. A little less drama and the whole story would have been better. In fact, it sometimes felt as if it hasn't been plotted very thoroughly.

The magic system could have been better, more detailed. This way it only seems very lazy. So much is just explained by being God's will or that he knows everything. Well, even the characters in the book don't seem to know much about how the magic works. Except for the villains, who are - how could it be any different - those sort of villains that are only evil because they are evil. Not very original.

My conclusion: I heard the other two books in this trilogy are way better, so I'll give it another shot.

My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Fire Study (Study #3) - Maria V. Snyder

(Zwischenüberschrift)

Review of part 1: Poison Study
Review of part 2: Magic Study

For fans of: Thrones of Glass - Sarah J. Maas, His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers
Publication: 2008
ISBN: 1848452411
Pages: 441
Goodreads

Blurb: The apprenticeship is over—now the real test has begun.

When word that Yelena is a Soulfinder—able to capture and release souls—spreads like wildfire, people grow uneasy. Already Yelena's unusual abilities and past have set her apart. As the Council debates Yelena's fate, she receives a disturbing message: a plot is rising against her homeland, led by a murderous sorcerer she has defeated before....

Honor sets Yelena on a path that will test the limits of her skills, and the hope of reuniting with her beloved spurs her onward. Her journey is fraught with allies, enemies, lovers and would-be assassins, each of questionable loyalty. Yelena will have but one chance to prove herself—and save the land she holds dear.

Opinion
Cover: This one is as simple as the others and I really like all of them. The title matches very well too, since fire is an important aspect here.

Content: I'm slightly disappointed. There wasn't much in here of what made me fall in love with the first book. I liked it better when the story was still set only in Ixia. Don't get me wrong, the story was still enjoyable, but it wasn't the same. The feeling of all of it was quite like the second book. Unfortunately there wasn't much new in here. Poison Study is still a special snowflake, while Fire Study is just like every High Fantasy novel ever.

I instantly liked Yelena in the first book, I wanted to be like her, but it was hard to relate to her here. So many conflicts could have been avoided, if she had just listened to others. Some scenes were really frustrating to read.
I'm still not the biggest fan of Valek and this book didn't change much. He's like the unimportant love interest from Hollywood blockbusters. Just there to support Yelena (but of course not all the time), cause drama and... well, be the love interest. Because somehow there has to be a steamy romance in all Fantasy novels. Just that it's not steamy.

The plot got confusing at some points, as if it wasn't planned through enough. I was missing the golden thread here. While I couldn't stop reading Poison Study and even Magic Study sometimes, I couldn't wait to finish Fire Study.

Writing Style: Everything felt drawn out, it was really slow in the beginning and the end. There were things that I liked, yes, but they were overshadowed by the boring parts. If the author would have increased the pacing, shortened all the lengthy parts and maybe put it into one novel with Magic Study, I'm sure it would have been much better.
There are many more books in this series, but back in 2008 Fire Study was supposed to be the conclusion of this trilogy. It is definitely missing the big BOOM that other third novels usually have.

My conclusion: Even though I'm not completely satisfied with this book, I'll continue reading the series. Just not immediately, maybe.

My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Rebel of the Sands (Rebel of the Sands #1) - Alwyn Hamilton

On Thousand and One Night meet the Wild West

For fans of: Strange the Dreamer - Laini Taylor, Die Sturmkönige - Kai Meyer
Publication: 2016
ISBN: 0571325254
Pages: 358
Goodreads

Blurb: "Tell me that and we'll go. Right now. Save ourselves and leave this place to burn. Tell me that's how you want your story to go and we'll write it straight across the sand."

Dustwalk is an unforgiving, dead-end town. It's not the place to be poor or orphaned or female. And yet Amani Al'Hiza must call it 'home'. Amani wants to escape and see the world she's heard about in campfire stories. Then a foreigner with no name turns up, and with him she has the chance to run. But the desert plains are full of dangerous magic. The Sultan's army is on the rise and Amani is soon caught at the heart of a fearless rebellion...
An epic story of swirling desert sands, love, magic and Revolution.

Opinion
Cover: You can't tell it from the photo, but the parts that are beige here are actually gold. It's both simple and magical, which is why I love it.
I coincidentally came across the german cover and was shocked. They absolutely white-washed Amani. Disgusting!

Content: As I wrote above, it's a mix of One Thousand and One Night and a Western. It's set in an oriental environment, at the edge of the desert, but has trains, guns and sharpshooters. That mix goes together surprisingly well.
The desert is swarming full of monsters and magical beasts, like Buraqi horses that can change into sand storms.

Women don't have much to say in this country, which is why Amani often dresses up as a boy. She lives a poor and simple life and dreams of fleeing from it.
There is a lot she has to figure out for herself, because in the begining she doesn't quite know what to do with her life. Only that she doesn't want to stay in Dustwalk and get to her aunt. But nothing goes as plannend and Amani has to change her route more than once.

Writing Style: I instantly liked Amani. She is a real fighter and doesn't give up. Even though her situation doesn't seem very hopeful to begin with. There's some relly good chemistry between her and Jin.
I like that she's not the selfless heroine, who only thinks about saving and protecting others. Probably because there's hardly anyone left. She fights for her dreams and hopes and never looks back, though she feels guilty sometimes.

The story has a lot of character developement, showing the world it is set in and just the right amount of action. The pacing is very balanced, which is probably why it doesn't get boring. The author's writing style is not too poetic, but that doesn't matter. No word seems like it is redundant.
The quote on the back is great, though my favourite is: Fire doesn't know good from evil any more than a bullet does.

My conclusion: Defintely a must-read!

My rating: 5/5 Buttons

{English} Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2) - Cassandra Clare

Cassandra Clare's Shadowhunter books are still not boring!

For fans of: all The Shadowhunter Chronicles books, fairies
Publication: 2017
ISBN: 1442468408
Pages: 701
Goodreads

Blurb: Would you trade your soul mate for your soul?

A Shadowhunter’s life is bound by duty. Constrained by honor. The word of a Shadowhunter is a solemn pledge, and no vow is more sacred than the vow that binds parabatai, warrior partners—sworn to fight together, die together, but never to fall in love.

Emma Carstairs has learned that the love she shares with her parabatai, Julian Blackthorn, isn’t just forbidden—it could destroy them both. She knows she should run from Julian. But how can she when the Blackthorns are threatened by enemies on all sides?

Their only hope is the Black Volume of the Dead, a spell book of terrible power. Everyone wants it. Only the Blackthorns can find it. Spurred on by a dark bargain with the Seelie Queen, Emma; her best friend, Cristina; and Mark and Julian Blackthorn journey into the Courts of Faerie, where glittering revels hide bloody danger and no promise can be trusted. Meanwhile, rising tension between Shadowhunters and Downworlders has produced the Cohort, an extremist group of Shadowhunters dedicated to registering Downworlders and “unsuitable” Nephilim. They’ll do anything in their power to expose Julian’s secrets and take the Los Angeles Institute for their own.

When Downworlders turn against the Clave, a new threat rises in the form of the Lord of Shadows—the Unseelie King, who sends his greatest warriors to slaughter those with Blackthorn blood and seize the Black Volume. As dangers close in, Julian devises a risky scheme that depends on the cooperation of an unpredictable enemy. But success may come with a price he and Emma cannot even imagine, one that will bring with it a reckoning of blood that could have repercussions for everyone and everything they hold dear.

Opinion
Cover: It matches the one of Lady Midnight perfectly, I can't decide which one I like best. The London skyline gives a hint on where the story will take us, though it's also set in Los Angeles, Faerie and Idris.

Content: There is so much going on here, I don't know where to start, especially without giving away too many spoilers.
I've waited a year for this sequel to an amazing opening and had to wait more than a month longer than the release date was. I wanted to read this so bad and luckily, I wasn't disappointed. When I started to read, it was like no time had passed at all. The story picks up seamlessly where Lady Midnight stopped. While reading I noticed how dear and familiar the Blackthorns, Emma and Christina had grown to me.

Emma and Julian try to stay away from eachother, but the author constantly puts them into situations where they have to share a bed with eachother. I roled my eyes more than once at that. Don't get me wrong, I ship them really hard, but those scenes didn't feel as authentic as others to me.

With Alec and Helen we've got homosexual characters, Magnus and Mark are bisexual and in Lord of Shadows we discover that there's also a transgender character in this story. I'm just not sure what to think of it, since it is used as a plot device.

Something I really disliked is the amount of love triangles. I hate love triangles and then there are at least two of them in just one book. I know, Cassandra Clare loves love triangles (as we saw in The Mortal Instruments and then there's a very special one in The Infernal Devices), but was that really necessary?

A new character, Zara Dearborn, was introduced and I hated her immediately. She and her Cohort are the most aweful thing I could think of right now. They reminded me of all those populistic political paries that are in the media right now. It's easy to blame others for your faults and that's what makes them so dangerous.

The whole story around Malcolm and Annabel was very intrigueing.
And the end. The end really killed me. It was painful, so very painful.

Writing Style: Lord of Shadows is the 14th Shadowhunter novel on my shelf. One might think it would get boring, but it's not. On the contrary, Cassandra Clare manages to improve her storytelling by each new series. The Dark Artifices feature a lot more crime novel aspects then the other books, which goes really well together with all that demon hunting.
We get to know even more parts of the Shadowhunter universe, like the Centurions, the fairy realms and the parabatai bond. There are still plenty of mystieries, so I hope everything will come clear in the last book of this trilogy, The Queen of Air and Darkness.

I love how there are so many Blackthorn siblings, but each of them is different, has their own interests. They might look alike, but that doesn't say anything about their minds.
There were many plotlines in this book, more than in the prequel, I think? Sometimes it was a tad too much, but in the end it always turned out to be necessary that this or that person's POV was shown. Even the younger Blackthorns and Kit had their important role.
It was just when Clary and Jace showed up that I thought: Come on guys, get out of the spotlight already! Well, Magnus and Alec were very present in the second half of this book, but there was a more valid reason to it. You can tell that Magnus Bane is Cassandra Clare's most favourite character and I honestly can't blame her for that.

It was nice to visit the London Institute again. All the little hints to previous residents and then there's Jessamine! I honestly can't wait for The Last Hours. When The Dark Artifices and The Last Hours were announced at the same time, I anticipated The Last Hours much more than The Dark Artifices, to be honest. Mainly because I liked The Infernal Devices more than The Mortal Instruments and London is much more awesome than Los Angeles.
Well, Cassandra Clare has shown me that LA can be the perfect place for a Shadowhunter novel too. She describes it very lively and catches the non-touristic side of it. If she writes of touristic places, she shows them from the point of view of locals, a fact that makes the city more realistic.
A big part of the story is set in the fairy realms. We've already seen glimpses of it, but here we get to know much more detail. The Unseelie Court is fascinating, certainly as much as the Seelie Court. I bet it's not the last time we've been to this place.

My conclusion: Even though I don't like Cassandra Clare as a person, I will buy all of her future Shadowhunter novels.
So... When is The Queen of Air and Darkness coming out?

My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Deep Blue (Waterfire Saga #1) - Jenniffer Donnelly

Under the sea...

For fans of: The Little Mermaid (Disney version, not Andersen fairytale)
Publication: 2014
ISBN: 1444921207
Pages: 336
Goodreads

Blurb: When Serafina, a mermaid of the Mediterranean Sea, awakens on the morning of her betrothal, her biggest worry should be about reuniting with handsome Prince Mahdi, her childhood crush. Instead she finds herself haunted by strange dreams foretelling the return of an ancient evil, and dealing with the deaths of her parents as assassins storm the betrothal ceremony, plunging the city into chaos. Led only by her shadowy dreams and pursued by the invading army, Serafina and her best friend Neela embark on a quest to avenge her parents' death and prevent a war between the mer nations. In the process they discover a plot that threatens their - and our - world's very existence.  

Opinion
Cover: This was an absolute cover buy; I found this remaindered book at a bookshop near my university and had to buy it immediately.

Content: The plot wasn't that special, but the setting definitely is and Jennifer Donnelly seems to have experience in telling a story. It's just that it's not a very good story and very predictable. It felt like every Disney Channel movie or series, probably because it has some connection to Disney.
The pacing was a bit too fast and things came to the main characters too easily.

The main characters are like every Disney princess ever, but not very relatable to me. Especially Serafina and Neela are very girly girls. Their only interests seem to be dresses and jewellry. The other "chosen ones" are very one-sided too. The girl with the red hair has fire powers. Who would have guessed.

In connection to that are plenty of stereotypes and cultural appropriation. The mermen from the waters near India wear turbans. How original. Besides, if they have lived 5000 years seperated from people living on land, why did they adapt to their clothing styles?

That's not the only thing that doesn't makes sense. If the merpeople have their own language, Mermish, why do they throw in so many words from other languages? All that Italian was really annoying (and I love Italian). There's a glossary at the end, but you'd have to go back and forth all the time. Again, they haven't been in contact with the humans in 5000 years and they're not supposed to get in contact with people on land. Then why bother learning their languages?

My conclusion: If you want a fluffy read and don't care for much depth, this is the book for you. Something you can read, but you're not missing out much, if you don't.

My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Norse Mythology - Neil Gaiman

Of pretentious gods and stupid giants.

For fans of: well... norse mythology
Publication: 2017
ISBN: 039360909X
Pages: 297
Goodreads

Blurb: Neil Gaiman has long been inspired by ancient mythology in creating the fantastical realms of his fiction. Now he turns his attention back to the source, presenting a bravura rendition of the great northern tales. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman fashions primeval stories into a novelistic arc that begins with the genesis of the legendary nine worlds; delves into the exploits of the deities, dwarves, and giants; and culminates in Ragnarok, the twilight of the gods and the rebirth of a new time and people. Gaiman stays true to the myths while vividly reincarnating Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, the son of a giant, a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator. From Gaiman’s deft and witty prose emerges the gods with their fiercely competitive natures, their susceptibility to being duped and to dupe others, and their tendency to let passion ignite their actions, making these long-ago myths breathe pungent life again.

Opinion
Cover: It's. So. Beautiful. Ermagherd. Look at Mjöllnir, what a beauty!
I got the Hardcover edition and I don't regret it at all.

Content: This book is basically Neil Gaimans very own retelling of norse myths. There isn't anything new to me in there, since I'm studying Scandinavian Studies. But it was a fun read and I couldn't detect any mistakes. The author has definitely done his research.
I've never been able to decide what story I like best. My faves are the one where Mjöllnir gets stolen and Thor and Loki have to dress up as women, then the one with Idunn's apples and Balder's death. Especially that scene where Thor kicks a dwarf into the fire, just because he's angry that Balder is dead and the dwarf only happened to walk by at the wrong moment. Classic Thor.

Writing Style: He keeps to the order of the stories (from the origin of everything to Ragnarök), but mixes different sources and adds his own interpretations. Not very scientific, but I'd say it's okay since those stories have been told orally over centuries and every teller has added their own style.
I also liked who he described the characters, because he only used facts that we know for certain and still wrote modern dialogues that sound so very like them.

My conclusion: This book is something everyone should have on their shelves.

My rating: 5/5 Buttons

{English} American Gods - Neil Gaiman

Wordy novel with all kinds of mythology.

For fans of: all kinds of mythology (especially norse mythology)
Publication: 2001
ISBN: 0747263744
Pages: 640
Goodreads

Blurb: Days before his release from prison, Shadow’s wife, Laura, dies in a mysterious car crash. Numbly, he makes his way back home. On the plane, he encounters the enigmatic Mr Wednesday, who claims to be a refugee from a distant war, a former god and the king of America.

Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You’ll be surprised by what – and who – it finds there...

Opinion
Cover: There are many different editions of this novel and this is the one I got. It's quite simple, the font too. I already guessed what the tree would mean before I started reading (; I guessed correctly.

Content: It took me a while to read this book, because I just couldn't get into it. The plot was very slow and I couldn't really identify with the characters.
Shadow was just being released from prison and he always seemed mysterious to me. I could never quite decide whether I should like him or not. Everything in this story only happend to him, he hardly ever took action himself. There weren't any goals in his life, probably because his wife died and he really loved her. I was never completely sure if he grasped what all those people he met were. He didn't know much about any kind of mythology, that's certain. But he took everything in, without much surprise.
I knew immediately who Mr Wednesday was. As a student of Scandinavian Studies that wasn't really a surprise. He is just like you would imagine him to be. A trickster who's always seducing young (hardly legally) women.

Writing Style: Speaking of women. There were hardly any female characters and if they did show up, they all wanted sex with Shadow. Or Wednesday. Or both. Over all, there was a lot of sudden sex happening, which often came out of the blue.
The road trip theme could have been something I liked, but it was very monotone, unfortunately. It was always driving from point A to point B and eating somewhere in between. There were many descriptions that are hard to imagine if you've never been to the USA before.
The mix of different mythologies was quite interesting, but just too much sometimes, in my opinion. It always seemed to be the same when Wednesday and Shadow visited the old gods: they were - well - old and forgotten.
Despite all my criticism, Neil Gaiman really knows how to tell a story. Actually, most of his other novels sound very interesting, so I might give him another chance.

My conclusion: I really hope the Netflix series is better.

My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer #1) - Laini Taylor

A book like a dream.

For fans of: Dream A Little Dream - Kerstin Gier, Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor, Die Sturmkönige - Kai Meyer
Publication: 2017
ISBN: 1444788973
Pages: 544
Goodreads

Blurb: The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around - and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he's been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance to lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries - including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo's dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

Opinion
Cover: This is one of my favourite covers ever. And trust me, you'd have to see it in real life. The background looks almost like satin, as if they have put a night sky on paper. Then there's the Gold letterig and this incredible moth which go together so well.

Content: Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of my favourite books ever and so I had high expectations on Laini Taylors new novel. I wasn't disappointed.
The world the story is set in has some sort of orientalic touch, without commiting cultural appropriation (at least in my eyes - tell me if I'm wrong). Thanks to Laini Taylors writing style (more below) I saw it all in front of me. It was almost as if I was actually there, as if I could feel the heat on my skin.
Lazlo Strange is definitely a very unusual hero. He's not Mr. Perfect, like so many guys in this genre, and that's what I always wanted to read about. Usually they are skilled fighters and aren't afraid of anything. But he loves books more than anything and keeps to himelf (reminds me of myself).
There are, of course, many more unique characters, but I don't want to reveal too much about them here. Let me just tell you that they are all very different and that it's not always clear who are the good and the bad ones. Oh, and there are very bad ones.

Writing Style: Laini Taylor paints pictures with her words. That's something you can hardly copy. It's incredibly poetic and I enjoyed every second of it.
There are fictional languages, but fortunately the author doesn't throw too much of them into the text.

Be aware: If you come looking for an action-packed, fast-paced novel, this is not it. You have to read it for the pure beauty of words. Well, it's not like there's no story at all. On the contrary, there are so many unique things in there and you can never guess where the story will lead you. This is what I love about Laini Taylors books so much.

My conclusion: That ending killed me. Give me book two already!
(ugly sobbing while I wait for next year)

My rating: 5/5 Buttons

{English} Magic Study (Study #2) - Maria V. Snyder

An amazing sequel that leaves you with a wish for more.

Review of part 1: Poison Study

For fans of: Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas, His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers
Publication: 2013
ISBN: 1848452403

Pages: 419

Goodreads

Blurb: YOU KNOW YOUR LIFE IS BAD WHEN YOU MISS YOUR DAYS AS A POISON TASTER...

With her greatest enemy dead, and on her way to be reunited with the family she'd been stolen from long ago, Yelena should be pleased. But though she has gained her freedom, she can't help feeling isolated in Sitia. Her Ixian background has changed her in many ways—and her newfound friends and relatives don't think it's for the better....

Despite the turmoil, she's eager to start her magic training—especially as she's been given one year to harness her power or be put to death. But her plans take a radical turn when she becomes involved with a plot to reclaim Ixia's throne for a lost prince—and gets entangled in powerful rivalries with her fellow magicians.

If that wasn't bad enough, it appears her brother would love to see her dead. Luckily, Yelena has some old friends to help her with all her new enemies....

Opinion
Cover: There are many different editions of The Chronicles of Ixia, but the ones I chose are by far my favourites. Even though they are simple, they picture the essence of the content and they match the titles. The others have a girl on them and I'm not a fan of those kind of book covers. They take away some part of your imagination and in my opinion none of them looks like I imagined Yelena.

Content: The story picks off right where Poison Study ended. I was actually expecting a similar theme, but it surprised me, because it was very different and still fit into the whole story.
I like how Yelena meets her family for the first time. It's not easy for either of them and that's what makes it so believable. Her brother turns out to be a very shady character, his feelings are very understandable, though. What I enjoyed the most about Yelena's family is that each of them has a function. They are not just there to be her relatives - her mom is not just a mom, her dad is not just a dad. All of them have a history, a background. It's also interesting how their tribe lives, especially in contrast to how things are in Ixia.

Yelena is a fighter, if she falls down, she always gets up again. And she has to fall down a lot. Things don't come easy to her, as it often is in similar Fantasy novels where a character has to learn how to master their magic abilities. I'm glad that she's not only training in this book. There are so many things going on at the citadel and we get to know more about the hierarchies. Unfortunately there are so many new characters here that it get's a little confusing sometimes.

Writing Style: Maria V. Snyder has an almost elegant way of narrating a story, I'd say. No word seems to be unnecessary and her text is pleasant to read. It let's you get easily and fast through the novel. She always only reveals as much as is needed and tries to avoid info dumps.

My conclusion: Since Yelena has completed her basic training, I'm expecting something really big for the next book. There's still a lot she has to learn and not all characters feel friendly towards her at the end of this novel. Things are definitely going to be heated in Fire Study! (pun intended)

My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) - Sarah J. Maas

A must-read for everyone who likes Sarah J. Maas's writing, but don't expect too much.

For fans of: Snow Like Ashes - Sarah Raasch.
Publication: 2017
ISBN: 1408857901
Pages: 699
Goodreads

 

Blurb: Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin’s maneuverings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit—and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust amongst the dazzling and lethal High Lords—and hunt for allies in unexpected places.

 

 



Opinion
Cover: Of all the covers of this series this is by far my favourite. It was actually artist Charlie Bowater who designed this dress for one of her marvellous fanart pieces. Seriously, check out her art, it's divine!

Content: I quite enjoyed the first book in this series, A Court of Thorns and Roses, but I wasn't the biggest fan of it. The second book, A Court of Mist and Fury, blew me away. I won't say too much about it in this review, but let me just tell you here that it instantly became one of my most favourite books. Ever.
So of course, when I finally had A Court of Wings and Ruin in my hands, I was expecting my-most-favourite-book-ever-part-2. Meh.

It was equally exciting as the second book, but somehow not as surprising. Many things seemed to be a coincidence and sometimes it was just too easy for the main characters. Not that I wanted them to suffer, but I kind of expected that. I actually had the same problem with Empire of Storms, the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series, by the same author.
There were so many elements that were supposed to produce drama, but then they came along like something from a bad soap opera. Sarah, you've done better jobs before.
The worldbuilding feels sloppy at some points, there are still things that we haven't learned yet. The author used many aspects of Celtic and Slavic Mythology and while I think that it's absolutely okay to let yourself inspire by other mythologies or cultures, copying from them is just lazy.
Then there's all that war and battle stuff going on. I know, I know. We're talking about High Fantasy here. Sooner or later there just has to be a war and here the signs have been inevitable. But all the time while reading I wondered if there wouldn't have been a non-brutal way of solving this problem. Some sort of magic that wouldn't have cost so many lives, maybe. Romanticising violence isn't okay and that's what cost this book a button in my rating. The other half one is for sloppy wordbuilding.

The quests that Feyre and her companions had to go through were exciting though. I'd really like to see more of it and fortunately we'll get more stories from Prythian, just not from Feyre's POV.
The feminist approach in this book was awesome! Please, dear writers (especially YA-writers), write more characters like this!

Writig Style: Flawless as always! Maas really has her own special way of telling a story.
I'm personally not the biggest fan of first person narrators, but here it really works. It's probably good that she didn't write from too many POVs, because otherwise it probably would have been twice as long.

My conclusion: Despite my very critical review, I really liked reading this book. Even if you're not certain whether you should read it: Just do it!

My rating: 3,5/5 Buttons 

{English} Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder (Study #1, The Chronicles of Ixia #1)

For fans of: Throne of Glass - Sarah J. Maas, His Fair Assassin - Robin LaFevers
Published: 2005 (Luna Books)
Pages: 409

 

Blurb: Choose: A quick death and hell or slow poison and hell.
About to be executed for murder, Yelena is offered an extraordinary reprieve. She'll eat the best meals, have rooms in the palace and risk assassination by anyone trying to kill the Commander of Ixia.
And so Yelena chooses to become a food taster. But the chief of security, leaving nothing to chance, deliberately feeds her Butterfly's Dust and only by appearing for her daily antidote will she delay an agonizing death from the poison.
As Yelena tries to escape her new dilemma, disasters keep mounting. Rebels plot to seize Ixia and Yelena develops magical powers she can't control. Her life is threatened again and choices must be made. But this time the outcomes aren't so clear.

My opinion: Why have I been waiting so long to read this? It's been sitting on my shelf for at least two years and one of my friends has told me to read it since then. I should have listened to her sooner!
Basically, it's a classic High Fantasy Novel with a strong female lead, exactly what I love and want to read more of. But Poison Study soon shows that it's more than just that and definitely has it's surprises. It totally enthralled me right from the start and I didn't want to stop reading.
The reader is directly thrown into the story, which is a wise move, in my opinion. That way the action starts right away and we don't have to follow some average girl discovering she's not average. Still there are many things that are left unclear and Yelena has a lot to learn about herself. Those informations were well spread across the book in small pieces.

The pacing of the novel was pleasant and Maria V. Snyder has a good style of narration. Nothing too special, but it didn't interrupt the reading flow either. At first I was (as always) uncertain about the first person narrator here, but Yelena isn't the selfish kind of person and she was often just observing rather than expressing her thoughts. I hope that it stays that way and that she doesn't become that annoying first person narrator that I dread so much.

Unfortunately there weren't only things that I liked and I would have loved to give this book five buttons. First of all, there weren't many women besides Yelena, but many male main characters. She hardly talked with the other women in the castles and if so, it was threats or gossip. That's a big no-go for me. But there's Irys, who seems so mysterious and complex, and Maren, but she's hardly present and plays only a minor role. I hope to see more of Irys in the other books.
Under the king there was a partriarchy, I get it, but the Commander gives women a chance to rise up. Still there are no female rulers in Ixia, only male Generals. Women are servants or seamstresses, as far as I can tell from this book, nothing more. Of course it takes a little longer than just 15 years to establish equality, but this is something the author chose to do.
As of now, the worldbuilding is very vague, though what we see of it here is quite interesting. There's definitely space for discovering more in the other books.

Then there's this romance. (SPOILERS AHEAD!) Though I loved the dynamics between Yelena and Valek, it all happened to fast in the end. First there was nothing and suddenly they confessed their love for eachother. A slow developement would have been better, because this way it seems that the author just wanted it to be like other novels in this genre. Up until then it was more unique.
(ANOTHER SPOILER) I knew that Butterfly's Dust was a hoax right from the beginning, but I never would have guessed what Brazell was up to or what those beans were.

All the time while reading I couldn't help myself but always compared it to Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. There are many similarities and I wonder if there's something behind it. In both we have a girl that is being left out of imprisonment after a year to be hired for a delicate assignment. They both have a past and at first we don't know anything about their parents or other family. And so on and so on. Or is it just me?

I loved Ari and Janco and hope they still have an important part in the other books. These two are just adorable. I'm not sure about Valek yet, but there's something shady about him that makes him very interesting.
Poison Study is definitely a great start to a big series and I'll definitely continue it very soon!
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part Three (The Rift #3)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2014 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

Blurb: The spirits are restless! As Avatar Aang and his friends confront an ancient spirit determined to destroy a town on land sacred to Air Nomads, Toph and Aang find themselves on opposing sides in a battle of gigantic proportions. If Toph and Aang don't put aside their differences, there's more at stake than just their friendship!

My opinion: This book perfectly ties together most of the narration strings from the previous graphic novels. It also shows the connection between the past and the future, the human and the spirit world. Neither Aang nor Toph were entirely right and that's good, because there isn't a right or wrong in this case.

It was fun to see Toph's students again and to see how they improved. I'm also happy that Toph and her father get along again and I'm glad that there wasn't some big romance between Toph and Satoru. There's definitely something developing between them though (;
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part Two (The Rift #2)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2014 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

Blurb: The Past Returns! Avatar Aang and his friends seek answers to the mysteries surrounding a refinery on land sacred to the Air Nomads. As Toph discovers a startling truth about her father's involvement with the refinery, Aang travels to the spirit world, discovering a secret as surprising as it is dangerous. Soon, Team Avatar realizes that they may be facing a threat more dire than they could possibly have imagined!

My opinion: There wasn't much going on in this part, but it was enjoyable. The mix of old and new is getting interesting and it closes the gap between Aang's story and "The Legend of Korra" a little more.
Both Aang and Toph have valid reasons for acting like they do, they're quite some opposites, I'd say. First I was rather on Toph's side, but this installment made me realise that neither way is the right one.

The drama with Toph's family is a tad too much for me, but it makes sense and is necessary.
Satoru is a nice character and he fits in well. It's just that he's a little flat (like the others seem to be in this series) and I hope he's not only there to be Toph's love interest.
Yungchen could be an interesting character, at least her backstory is. It's a nice diversion, because so far we know the most about Avatar Roku and maybe Kiyoshi. I'd be curious about her companion and those two lemurs.
  
My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Rift, Part One (The Rift #1)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2014 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

Blurb: Sacred Land Defiled! Avatar Aang asks his friends to help him honor Yangchen's Festival—one of the highest Air Nomad holidays, which hasn't been celebrated in over one hundred years. But cryptic visits from the spirit of Avatar Yangchen herself lead Aang to discover a jointly owned Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom refinery—operating on land sacred to the Airbenders! Is this simply a case of corporate greed or is something more mysterious happening?

My opinion: The drawing style is the same one as in "The Search" and I can live with that, but Iroh doesn't look like himself. Almost didn't recognise him.
Sokka is headless again, Aang is as naive as ever and Katara's only function is to comfort other people. Seriously, did Book Three even happen? At least Toph is back.
The story lines from "The Promise" and "The Search" come together here, but "The Search" doesn't feel as genuine as the others. I like how Yu Dao is developing, especially with a heterogenic government like this.

I don't like how Aang clings to all those traditions. I get that he wants to preserve his culture, especially given that he's the last airbender, but in doing that he comes across close-minded. Luckily there's Toph who shows that things shouldn't just be done because that's the way it is. It's just that the way she shows is it is quite aggressive.
The modern technology of the factory doesn't really go well with the rest of the worldbuilding. Maybe that's on purpose, we'll see.
And then it ended in such a cliffhanger... again! I actually gasped. 
  
My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Search, Part Three (The Search #3)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2013 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

Blurb: The Fate of the Fire Lord! Avatar Aang travels to the spirit world to parlay with an ancient power, bringing Fire Lord Zuko ever closer to discovering the truth about his mother's fate—and his own past. Yet Zuko's sister Azula is becoming increasingly dangerous, threatening to ruin everything that Zuko, Aang, Katara, and Sokka have struggled to achieve on their search!

My opinion: The end was only a mild surprise, nothing very exciting. It had it's twists and turns, but other than that it didn't have much new.
I wondered if it was really necessary that the whole Team Avatar went on the journey with Zuko. Sure, Aang was important, because he communicated with the spirit world and all that. But Katara? She was just there as his girlfriend. Fullstop.
Sokka wasn't much more than a comic relief. Would it have been that bad to split up the team for just one adventure? I mean, Toph wasn't there either!
Then the whole thing with Azula... She wasn't a very convincing crazy person. Drawing her eyes like that didn't help much. There could have been a lot more character developement, given all her talking about being a monster and so on. That storyline wasn't solved up in the end, unfortunately. And I still don't get why it was so important that Zuko took her with him.
Ursa was quite a boring charakter. She's all about being a loving mother and wife. That's it. No surprises.
Either the drawing style got better or I got accustomed to it. Zuko changed his hairstyle every other page though.
All in all it was a mediocre story that I expected more of, but it was comfy read.
  
My rating: 3/5 Buttons

{English} Avatar - The Last Airbender: The Search, Part Two (The Search #2)

For fans of: the Nickelodeon series
Published: 2013 (Dark Horse)
Pages: 76

 

Blurb: As Fire Lord Zuko continues his quest to uncover his mother's fate, a shocking revelation causes him to question everything he knows. It's an opportunity that his sister, the deadly and insane Azula, will not fail to take advantage of as she joins Zuko and his friends, Aang, Katara, and Sokka on their journey into a mysterious forest from which some people never reemerge...  

My opinion: This one was already better than the first installment of "The Search". The pacing wasn't as rushed and the characters were closer to their normal selves.
Azula was still a little one-sided, she's just the crazy one here. Maybe there's a reason for that, I can't tell, but I hope so.

It becomes clear that Ursa is the centre of the story and I can't wait to see what they find out about her in the end. Because right now I don't really have a clue. Something that bothers me is Ursa's background story. It's filled with clichés and tbh I expected a little more from the makers of such an incredible series. Hopefully I'll be surprised. The end (a cliffhanger again) was intriguing, to be fair.

I'm not sure about that pair of siblings that showed up in the forest. Do they have some sort of function or are they just here to underline the importance of siblings/sibling-relationships?

Aang still comes across like he's still a naive little child. I'm not sure how old he is now (not counting the 100 years he spent in the iceberg), but I don't think he's acting like his age. Or his title. In "The Promise" he was a lot wiser and more mature. Where did that all go.
And Toph? Where is she?

To sum things up, here's what I (at least!) expect from the finale of this series: 1. Finding Ursa. 2. Toph to show up. 3. Aang and Katara to stop calling eachother "sweetie".
  
My rating: 4/5 Buttons