January Wrap Up

I feel like I always do book hauls and To Be Read posts but never really wrap up the month. That said I thought it'd be a great idea to feature a wrap up of this month! January has been the first month of the year which also means that the Goodreads Book Challenge has been set in motion! In 2017 I'd like to read...

45 books! I know for myself that's not really ambitious, I'll get to that as each year. I usually set the bar low so I don't feel like I won't make it but during the year I do make the number bigger! My first year I did this challenge, also the year I became a bookjunky, I managed to read 69 of my goal of 40. In 2016 I managed to read 60 out of the 50 I wanted to read. 

Also now the new year has been set in, I think it's a good time to explain why I post my review so late in comparison with when I finish the book! My aim on my blog is to post very frequently. In the beginning of my blog I couldn't post frequently and consistent because I read but also had tons of work for school. Near September 2016, so almost a year of my blog, I finally got the routine in it and was able to build up to my aim.

When I finish a book, I write a review immediately and then I plan it in. At this moment I still have 18 posts that are planned. Each time I write a review I plan it after the last book I've planned. I'm already in May with the posts ready and set so when I'm done reading it's planned further in May. That's why my reviews are at times a few months away from when I actually read the book. I do one review a week so it's frequently, always on Wednesday at 12h00. In the future I might begin with two reviews a week but for now this system works and it makes sure I chase the goal of frequently posting a review on my blog. I just thought it might be a good thing to explain in 2017 because some reviews are still months away and I read the book now, I want you guys to know there's a whole system and reason behind it!

That said, January is also the month that I have exams. I'm in my first year of college and that means exams in the first month of the new year. I was really curious to how many books I was going to read this month and can I just say I was pretty surprised with the outcome? 

     Children of Eden
My first book I read this month was one to get me out of my reading slump! Yes, I was in a reading slump and that for over 2 weeks! I got into it during the break in December and got out eventually in the new year. Hallelujah! The book that helped me to overcome my slump was Children of Eden by Joey Graceffa and Laura L. Sullivan. This is what the book is about:

The world is dead. Humankind has destroyed it, even after all the warnings by Aaron Al-Baz. Luckily for the remaining population, Aaron also made a world after: Eden. A world where people are divided by circles and the elite is in the center of it all. A world where second children are not allowed. Rowan is one of those second children and has been hiding inside for 16 years. Sick of her captivity she decides that she should be allowed to going out. Desperately leaving her house, she also leaves with consequences for those actions. And finding a friend leads to a great tragedy with loss and new threats...

I don't know how to feel about the book. I didn't like it, I did like it, but then didn't again. I'm having a very mixed feeling about it because I couldn't connect with the character and I am left with so many unresolved questions and I can't deal with that. 

Of course there are good things too, the subject is amazing and it shines a light on how humankind treats nature or how it damaged it and what they have to do now. It's also a dystopian about lying to and being lied to, not finding trustworthy people. I'm all for that! There's also action and one amazing scene that I adore, but it wasn't enough to make me have a good feeling about the book.

It's also so fast paced, you can't think or feel because the next event is already there. New information they find out isn't always used and is left unresolved. It might just be me but I'm really left undecided about this book! That doesn't mean I don't recommend it, I bet a lot of people loved and will love the book, I'm just not sure I did. I mean... the cover is beautiful! But the story... as I said: undecided! 

REVIEW ON CHILDREN OF EDEN: COMING THE 29TH OF MARCH 2017

     Better Off Friends
A book I will not talk too much about is Better Off Friends by Elizabeht Eulberg. Why? Because it's for my Perfect Valentine's Read! I did already read it in January so the post would be up on the 14th of February, so stay tuned because what I can already say is that I really loved this read!

Macallan and Levi get best friends by a coincidence and ever since that coincidence, they're inseparable. They share jokes, they get together after school almost all the time, they help each other out when needed, they laugh all the time, they're just best friends. Yet not everyone seems to understand that, can't a boy and a girl be friends?
Macallan and Levi keep being asked if they're together while their relationship is pure platonic. And they're happy that way. That is until they realize that they're getting in each other's wat: boys won't ask Macallan out because of Leavi and Girls decide Levi is nothing when he hangs out with Macallan all the time. Both then ask themselves if maybe, just maybe they were supposed to be more than just platonic best friends or if that would endanger their friendship.

This book was really adorable, and yes a cliche but I'm okay with that from time to time! Also the fact that they're best friends and maybe might or might not become something more was really cute to see because of their relationship. This friendship will be facing a lot of ups and downs which was very appreciated by me because it shows how realistic this is and makes it also very relatable. Just the whole girl and guy are best friends is very relatable to many of us out there that suffer from comments like 'aren't you guys a couple?'. But more about this book later this month! 

Also can I just point out that I just read 1 of the 2 books I wanted to read in the new year? Check out my blog post about 3 books I want to read in 2017 to find out what the other two books are!

REVIEW ON BETTER OFF FRIENDS: COMING THE 14TH OF FEBRUARY 2017

     The LUX-series
Hello, New Year Book Resolutions. I'm not a big fan on re-reading books, mainly because I keep finding new books I want to read. Yet before 2017 started I was really thinking and watching my bookshelves in the process: why didn't I re-read books? And that's when I decided that books should get a re-reading. I'm holding on to my resolution because in the month of January, I have re-read the entire Lux-series by Jennifer L. Armentrout. From Obsidian to Opposition!

I even read the 0.5 book, Shadows, it's a prequel novella. I have the Special Collector's Books because when I first found the series, they only sold the collector's books. In Opposition, the bonus for the readers was the prequel novella. I never read it, probably because I was too torn up on the ending on the series. Yet this time around I did read it, along with the rest of the series. Since this is a series, I'll give the synopsis of the first book: Obsidian.

Katy moves with her mother to a small town after what happened to her dad. Desperate to make her mother happy she goes next door to make contact with the neighbors. What she didn't expect was a boy, half-naked, and immediately hating her without knowing who the hell she was. His sister is at least very nice to her but that doesn't stop the guy to get under her skin and make comments. Yet the more Katy spends time with Dee and Daemon, the more weird things she starts to notice. What on earth is going on? Who are they, really?

And since this is a series, I also won't go into detail about everything too much so I don't spoil anything. But this series guys, it's mind blowing! If you have read Jennifer L. Armentrout's books before, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't, I really recommend you do.

The whole Lux-series is very thrilling and very suspenseful and the first book in this series is also very mysterious. There'll be feels being spread all over the place such as shock, surprise, love, hatred, annoyance,... this entire book series is going to make you feel all emotions that possibly exist and that's amazing. Next to action, betrayal, lies and trust issues there's also space for romance but also loss and sadness. Really, there's nothing this series won't give you and I'm absolutely thrilled to have re-read this series and to feel every vibe of it again. This is one of those series I recommend to everyone! 

As for the prequel novella, Shadows. As told above I read it for the first time and I did really enjoy it. It was very fast paced but I was really happy to connect with the characters that'll have influences on the entire book series. It also shows a huge contrast with the Lux-series in content, in feels and in how the characters act but I still really enjoyed the book. This is a prequel, however I'm happy that I read it after the whole series because otherwise it'd tell us things that in the first book would be something the reader had yet to reveal. I rather live in suspense in the first book, Obsidian, than already know what's going on. But if you rather read it first, that's also an option!

More on each and every book in this series is in the month of April. The reviews have already been written and I didn't really know that I'd use the whole month of April for this series but be prepared! April is Luxen month on my blog, every review in that month is about this book series.

REVIEW ON SHADOWS: COMING THE 1ST OF APRIL 2017
REVIEW ON OBSIDIAN: COMING THE 5TH OF APRIL 2017
REVIEW ON ONYX: COMING THE 12TH OF APRIL 2017
REVIEW ON OPAL: COMING THE 19TH OF APRIL 2017
REVIEW ON ORIGIN: COMING THE 26TH OF APRIL 2017
REVIEW ON OPPOSITION: COMING THE 30TH OF APRIL 2017

     The Distance from Me to You
A book that's been on my TBR pile for a little while now was The Distance from Me to You by Marina Gessner. To be really honest, I never expected this book to be this good. It made me want to go hike and be one with nature, go on an adventure and walk 2000 miles. This book will inspire a lot of people I believe!

McKenna is sick of following the rules, after high school she's determined to do what her father has done when he was this young: do a hike. And not just any hike but a 2000 miles hikes from Maine to Georgia, together with her friend Courtney. Yet when Courtney cancels on the plans, McKenna is determined to go through with the plan and hike all miles and get that certificate at the end of it. With a friend or alone, she'll make it. Lying to her parents, McKenna leaves her town. Starting the trail she's surprised with who she finds walking alongside her...

These characters were also mind blowing and so well written! This book has a very strong female in the leading role that's full of determination and ready to show everyone who doubted her that she could and will walk from Maine to Georgia! McKenna is such an inspiration for all of us out there that want to do something but feel like they can't because people tell you you can't. Although she lied, McKenna is going for her goal and will walk those miles, together or by herself. The amount of strength she shows is something to really admire.

As for Sam, the other character in this book, he has had such a hard life that he'll also be an inspiration for people like him. He sets himself free and goes walking towards his new and better life. Although I really rooted for Sam, I often wondered why he became all hot and cold. I wish we got an answer on that because sometimes his mood switches so much without any indication.

As for the plot, waw. Just waw! The simplicity of walking and living through this adventure is just amazing. I'm amazed! So many might think there can't be anything great in this book because it's just walking. But the author takes so much time to make the surroundings and the noises visible for the reader that it really takes them onto this journey with the characters. Just amazingly written! And for the plot, not everything goes smooth... this is not your normal YA contemporary, there's so much more to this and I hope you want to discover it. It's a big recommendation!

REVIEW ON THE DISTANCE FROM YOU TO ME COMING IN MAY

     The Covenant series: Apollyon and Sentinel
Yes, the Lux-series wasn't the only book series I have read by one of my most loved authors! It's been a while since I read Deity in the Covenant series and for Christmas, I got the last part in the series! I have been putting reading the last two books off for a bit because well... they're the last two books in this series and I don't want it to really end? This month though I decided it was time to continue so I read Apollyon and Sentinel by Jennifer L. Armentrout... I ADORED IT! Although I'm only going to talk about Apollyon here, the review on Sentinel is on its way!

Alexandria's one fear was to lose herself. Now she is awakened, she feels herself slip away. The gods are out on vengeance and they're starting with earth. The whole planet is being wiped with one catastrophe after the other to find Seth and his master, Lucien. And they are trying to reach Alex. Nobody is ready to let Alex slip away and become the source of Seth's rage onto the gods, and nobody is ready for Lucien taking the ultimate power. Nine of Deity island standing, they'll go to great lengths to save the ones they love and confront fate. Yet not all gods seem to be on the same side when it comes to power and they want Alex to stand by them...

This book, honestly it was amazing. I have to say every book in this Covenant series gave me a hard time getting into the first few pages but Apollyon didn't. This book is the best book yet in this series, I devoured it from page one as it came with such huge surprises! 

I'm really happy to tell that the romance part we've been seeing on and off over the few books will get a bigger spotlight onto them. I really loved to see how everyone was going with Alex being awakened and how they would really deal with it.

However the biggest surprise yet was Alex and her awakening! Not only did I expect something totally different, this character makes a very big change and becomes so mature! We know Alex as one of those act before you think characters but I was so shocked to see how much more different she acted to this drama as it all hit her. 

Also the plot, as always, was just filled with action and finding out certain things but I was most pleased with the fact that we got to see more of the gods. During the previous books we haven't really seen many gods or not for a long time, this book is a lot more about them! Now they know that a new power will strike them they're a little bit uneasy and start taking decisions. At first you'd think all gods want the same but the further you read the more you understand that something is luring with the gods and it's not good. Readers will be really pulled into this story and will be eager to find out what is going on and what needs to be done to stop this all. I can already tell it's the most shocking and revealing book in the whole series, I was amazed by it, I adored it and I absolutely can't wait to read Sentinel. 

Little update, I just finished Sentinel (we're two days later after I wrote what I wrote right above this paragraph!) and I was in tears because really... why? *standing ovation while crying* I'm ready to go die and work for Hades or something because this book is on the verge of me crying a new river in this world. I really loved it so much but I'm going to have a heartbreak for a week. Also, as this was the last book in the series I'm going to post the reviews on both Apollyon and Sentinel earlier than I normally plan. Instead of May, I'll post the reviews in February! Yey! I just thought it was a good thing to do, especially because it's been one year since I read Deity and I don't think I should wait another few months to share my crying-emotions with you guys about these books!

REVIEW ON HALF-BLOOD: HERE!
REVIEW ON PURE: HERE!
REVIEW ON DEITY: HERE!
REVIEW ON APOLLYON: COMING THE 12TH OF FEBRUARY!
REVIEW ON SENTINEL: COMING THE 15TH OF FEBRUART

     The Yesterdays of Tomorrow
A while back I had received a first in a duology to read for review. I really loved the story and the author had given me the second book in the duology to also read for review. In comparison to the first book I did have a hard time getting into the book and it's been laying around unfinished since November. This month I really wanted to give it another try and around page 80, I really got into the story and good thing because the rest of The Yesterdays of Tomorrow by Jessica Hernandez was actually fantastic!

A year later and the curse is still roaming over the lands. Kaia and the rest are doing everything they can to restore the lands and lift the curse. However, not all darkness has been gone and many secret plans are still around. It's getting harder and harder to know who to trust and who is lying to who. When the curse will be lifted, if it ever will be lifted, would everything be back to normal? Or is there new darkness coming their way? War is coming... Kaia and her friends will be going through tough times and desperate times ask for desperate measures.


This book really showed a very strong main character that really grew a lot since the first book. She's ready to fend for herself and save everyone, including her loved ones, from the curse. All characters have this amazing bond that really amazed me from beginning to end, especially because they're so loyal to each other.

Loyalty will be a main thing in this book as is lies, betrayal and trust issues. Compared to the first book in the series, I was really surprised with how this plot was turning out as I never had expected these words to be linked with it! The author also made space for a bit of romance that was subtle and very tender and I was really keen to see that as well. This book contained a lot of surprising aspects in different situations and I was really pleased to continue with the book.

The only remark I had was regarding the recapitulation of the first book in the second one. The author didn't make a lot of space to retell what was happening and I felt myself struggling with getting into the story since I didn't knew all details anymore. However, the rest of the book was absolutely surprising and fantastic! 

REVIEW ON CAPERING ON GLASS BRIDGES: HERE!
REVIEW ON THE YESTERDAYS OF TOMORROW: HERE!

     Bound
Lastly, I finished a book that I think is very underrated! I bought the book on a Book Fair, last summer, and haven't gotten around to reading this one until yesterday! I picked up Bound by Sarah Bryant and was actually really shocked that I didn't start reading this one first. Goodreads also showed me how underrated this book is as it only has 69 ratings. 

Sophie has been seeing strange things since she was a little kid. And those things have been scaring her and haunting her forever. Determined to never see the creatures again, she runs to the ends of the world. Or literally the pub "End of the World" where she starts working. Soon she finds out that coming here was a mistake as more creatures are haunting her and new creatures find their way to her. Above that, two strange boys she feels oddly connected to start acting extremely weird. There is more to the ends of the world than she had first thought...

This book was a mystery. A total mystery! Our main character Sophie doesn't know what's happening and she also doesn't know what she's seeing. Together with the reader we'll be on our way to find out what it is. I had an extremely good time with finding possibilities to the creatures she sees and ruling some out every step in this book. 

And then there were the two guys she felt oddly connected with that add more mystery and thrill to this book and make you very suspicious to what they exactly know and how they're involved. All of that will be fueled by the dreams Sophie starts having about a girl that only talks in cryptic messages. 

I think it's very easy to see that this book is a world of mystery and when the truth comes out I was actually very surprised to what a diverse world the author has created next to what these people/creatures actually are. The author really kept us thinking and thinking while the answer was actually really forthcoming if you had understood the clues from the beginning. A really good book! I devoured it so much because it really has that mystery that grabs at you. I really hope that this book becomes more popular because it really is a great story! 

One thing that I didn't think was well communicated on Goodreads by the author was that this book has a sequel, or well second in a series, Riven. The book did tell us at the ending that there is a next part in this but I wouldn't have known that as I never turn the page after the last one! But just know there is a second book in this series and believe me, you'll want to know that after that ending... ! 

REVIEW ON BOUND COMING SOON ONTO MY BLOG!

I'm really surprised to how many books I have read in this month but also really pleased! It really means I'm out of my reading slump and that's a good thing because I love books and couldn't believe it took me until the beginning of January to get back into it. This also made sure that I have read 13 books and therefore am already at 29% of my reading challenge and 10 books ahead of schedule! What have you guys read this month and what are you planning on reading in February? 

Mockingjay

I can't believe it. I can't believe that it has come to an end! A little while ago I put my film comparison of Catching Fire online. It took me one more book before I was allowed to finish this fantastic series. You know what else I can't believe? That I waited this long with going into this series! Which means a thank you is in order. Fien, thank you! Without you, I probably would never have come around to read this series, and it would be a shame! I gladly present you my feelings towards the book: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. 

My feelings on this book are still very raw and when I just closed the book I was shocked, confused but so happy. This end was really worth my time! I do warn that there might be spoilers in this, I'll talk about developments that have happened in this book and also tell how I felt with this series. If you haven't read Mockingjay, I strongly recommend not to read on and to go read my reviews on the previous books: The Hunger Games and Catching Fire. 


Katniss Everdeen closed Catching Fire with blowing up the arena and being saved my her mentor and the Head Gamemaker. Facing hard times with the Capitol, it's decided that Katniss will have to become the symbol of the rebellion: The Mockingjay. All that while there's no sign of Peeta and other tributes that weren't saved from the arena, Katniss is facing the problems and nightmares all by herself. It's not until there's an unexpected turn that Katniss realizes who the real enemy is...


First of all I'd like to tell that this book really showed me the most emotional side of Katniss. She's facing the capitol without Peeta which also means there's nobody to comfort her when the nightmares come. I really think this was a great asset to the book, over the three book we saw Katniss develop from a young volunteer to a strong woman that carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. And that not only as a tribute but also as a symbol: the Mockingjay. She never asked to become this symbol but she became it and that all because of the little things she did that were against the capitol. 

What I find most interesting is that most of the time Katniss didn't understand what she was doing or that she was provoking the Capital. Some may say it made her look foolish or naive but if all, I think it made her look innocent and this projects all the lives that have entered the Hunger Games. Each person was an innocent person. An innocent child who didn't know what would happen and didn't know how to provoke the Capital. And that innocence grew out to be a strong woman that has faced a million things.

I can't say that I always related easily to her since she's in a war and I'm obviously not, but I did find myself in her feelings at times. When she volunteered, I understood why, I could relate. There are definitely moments you can relate with her but there were also moments you can't understand her logic because it went against your own. That was something that I really liked because it gave you such a different angle on what she was thinking. She worked on her impulses and instincts and that made it all the more dangerous but also more thrilling while reading. 

Of all movies I was also the biggest fan of Mockingjay part I (I haven't seen part two, I had promised myself not to watch it until I read the book). And therefore it was also really amazing to read how it all looked and to see the differences. What a book has more in comparison are the thoughts of the character. It's the thing I missed in the movies but were, of course, strongly present in the book. I really enjoyed to read into the thoughts of Katniss while she observed District 13. How she saw it and how she felt in it. 

The first part really kept my attention because of District 13, because of the new things Beetee and Gale invented and because Katniss could relate a lot with Finnick. The emotional state they were in while Annie and Peeta were captured really pulled at me. Yet there was one thing I did miss and that was Effie. I know the movie mentions her but now there was no word of Effie. The uncertainty of knowing where she was and whether or not she was alive was really eating at me. In each previous review I told you I was a great fan of Effie and each time I said I wished we would see a little more of her but this time she was gone. We didn't know where she was or if she was alright. 

And yes, I'm going to say it again: I wish I saw more of Effie because she's always been so eccentric which I loved about her. She was always optimistic even though she felt the effects of the Capitol. And sure, you can say that she was as much as a puppet of the Capitol as the prep team but for me it felt differently. Above that it made me feel how Katniss must have felt while Peeta was gone: uncertain and incomplete. 

Speaking of the prep team, the moment they were found in the cells because they stole bread I knew there was something more dark to District 13. Something I hadn't seen coming while I read the previous books but in that instant I was completely sure that something wasn't right. Was it only the fact that the prep team was harmed? No, it was also Coin. Somehow I didn't feel like trusting her. She didn't say a lot, she didn't come around a lot and most of all she wasn't that open towards others. 

Many characters gave me the impression that I understood them, their way of thinking. I could see through them, but Coin... She was just different in a way I couldn't put my finger on it. Yet ever since that one moment, I knew she wasn't as innocent as I expected her to be. And after everything it became more and more clear she had her own hidden agenda. Now I wonder, if it's a shout out to our real world? Some of the previous leaders had their own hidden agenda's. It's just a thought that came in my mind while I read the book...

Meanwhile I really started feeling it for Haymitch. The moment he goes to Katniss in the hospital and tells her he'll glue the earpiece to her head or find a different way, it becomes more and more clear he really cares about Katniss in a way I wasn't prepared for. Also, we finally find out what happened to him, what the capitol did to his family and loved ones. It might sound weird but it felt like bonding with him. And if I can be honest... I secretly hoped he would get together with Effie... Whoops! 

Another character that really grew onto me was Finnick. Somehow between Catching Fire and him losing Annie, I really lived up to his character. The moment he dies, I didn't believe it. I couldn't believe it! I reread the page two times because I thought I misinterpret the passage but no. Finnick died just when I was so fond of him. I keep wondering why now, he was just married with Annie, he had just gotten her back and now she loses him. Above that the book never really gave me a satisfying answer on what Annie did and how she reacted. I wish I knew how she reacted. One time we see her again and she reacts so calm, all the while I remember her being confused very easily and a little crazy. I wonder if she went more crazy after she realized she lost him or if because of his death, she ever felt the need to kill President Snow herself. It might just be me thinking it and asking myself, this book is just this fantastic that it made me overthink a lot of the passages and then I form these sort of questions!

Of course there are also characters that bitterly disappointing me! Which, I'm sorry to say, was Gale. In the beginning of the book, he was my hero. I was still in the middle of choosing Peeta or Gale, but Gale started to irritate me more and more when I read on in the book. I didn't know if it was because he was always so negative towards Peeta or if it was because of his jealousy, I just didn't like it. Then we enter part two and he stuck with Katniss until the end, kept moving and kept helping. I felt good about him again, but already made my mind up to who I wanted with Katniss. 

But he was also the one who wanted to murder so many people in District 2. I partly got why he wanted it, they are close with the capitol and somewhat their puppets but I never saw Gale as someone who'd play as dirty as the capitol. The end of the book then tells me that Gale is in district 2, working there and he didn't return for Katniss. This stung a little. Gale was such a good friend to her, and he started irritating me but I thought their bond would be stronger. He's having such a good position now, which made me feel like he was now a puppet in the world after President Snow. So his character disappointed me during the last book, I just wish he stayed good friends with Katniss!

The good thing about is it that Gale was out of the way and Peeta could be all over Katniss but things didn't seem to go as fluent as we thought now, did it? Peeta has been tortured by the Capitol, as well as in the movie as the book I was really moved about it and very curious to if we'd ever get him back and in what state he'd be. The rescue mission comes along and I was so happy that Katniss and Peeta would be reunited but I guess it's safe to say Peeta was just not up for it. 

In that moment I really lived up to Katniss and her emotional state. She turned away from him because he wasn't himself anymore. I got that a lot, Peeta said things that really hurt to hear out of his mouth. Therefore the moment she decides she wouldn't go through with it and leave him alone because all he does is say hateful things, I wasn't really glad. I saw my ship shatter with each word Peeta said! The team then tries to get his memories back to the reality of it, this was something I was keen on but wished to see some more of. 


Speaking of helping him out with if his memories are real or not real, we're already in the Capitol by then and it's right at that moment the thrill comes alive even more. Johanna hasn't been able to come which is a sad thing because for some reason also Johanna began to grow on me. She's all alone but still very strong, in the beginning I thought she was stupid and harsh but eventually she's not the girl you see her for. Johanna has a thick skin but there's a big heart beating underneath it. 

It's only in part two that I realize that the end is really nearing. It's also in part two that I realize how big the damage will be after the war. The Capitol has prepared herself for attacks and has such a fine technique of harmful aspects that I was really surprised. I even got scared a little when the mutts came around, calling her name. That was terrifying but it's also where we lost most of the people I wanted to have around after the war. 

Which eventually brings me to the fact that Prim... also isn't around anymore. That was a big shock though I knew that it wasn't the Capitol that threw things out of the air. Somehow my gut told me that there was more to that than Katniss knew at the time. All of this eventually was confirmed by the one and only President Snow. More about him in a few, I just want to talk a bit more about the post-war time where Katniss was so in shock that she didn't talk and eventually met Snow. The time she didn't speak, I at least had wanted a little more empathy with Katniss but a lot of the characters, hello Gale, just weren't around that much or not at all. She's been the Mockingjay but nobody turns around for her? Luckily, there was Haymitch who eventually realized this wasn't anything to laugh about anymore. 

But it was also a time to find out that Effie was still alive, yet damaged. I can't tell you how happy I was that she was at least still alive! Just captured but also hurt by the Capitol. With Effie came also the biggest plot twist of the post-war part because Katniss does it again, she turns again towards the Capitol...

President Snow, captured in his rose garden which felt a little easy for him but as long as he died in the end I was happy, told her it wasn't him that killed Prim. He gave so many aspects that confirmed what my gut was telling me all the time: Coin is a threat. But Coin saw Katniss as a threat, my mind hasn't made up if she was all bad or if it was just because she didn't like Katniss. Then came the vote for a next Hunger Games which was so unexpected, especially because they fought for a country without them! Followed by Katniss turning towards the Capitol, towards the new power. I was glad, I was relieved and I was a little excited because after all, Coin wasn't my favorite and now she's dead.

The story doesn't end there of course, people think Katniss is just crazy and they lock her up which showed us readers how weak she was feeling and how much she was grieving. She wanted to escape and die, rather than live and have a trial. It's right in that moment we see that Katniss isn't the Mockingjay, she's the volunteer again. She's the child again that doesn't know what's going to happen but wants to survive and then decides to give in and let go of life. That was such a heavy part but it was followed by a much better part where she went back to live in her District and Gale never coming again but Peeta being there for the nightmares. 

If all I can say that this book was the most thrilling of all and it broke me the most. Many of my favorite characters died but it was also the book that made me realize how much I loved certain characters. Some people aren't happy with the ending because it's sad but it's as my friend Fien says: it's realistic. It shows the effects of the war, of being a leader in the war and seeing everything from the first row. The people with a ship got what they wanted, it was a very sweet ending but the reality and the grief did come through and that's something I really enjoyed. The last sentence that's being said in the book also made me realize that this isn't the end of them. It's just the beginning...

All together I think we can say that this book was amazing, the character developed more than I expected after already starring in two books, the thrill was there, the emotions all over the place and as a reader you're really pulled into the story and became a soldier of your own. You hated, you loved, you cried (admit it), you felt the end and started with a new begin. The series has it all! I'm really happy that I decided to read the books because I'm someone who tries to keep books that are highly spoken of on a little distance. But standing ovation for Suzanne Collins, she made me feel everything and nothing with this series. 



"If we burn, you burn with us."

Isla and the Happily Ever After

Some weeks ago I posted my reviews on the first two books in a series by Stephanie Perkins. Those books were Anna and The French Kiss (Review) and Lola and the Boy Next Door (Review) but there's a third and last part and it's the book I read first in the series: Isla and The Happily Ever After. As I said in the review of Lola's story, yes you can read them as a standalone but both Lola and Isla contain spoilers that refer to or the story of Anna or Lola or Isla so I recommend reading them in the publishing order. That aside, let's just talk about this book because out of all three Isla and Anna share a spot on 'my fav in a series'

Remember the school Anna went on? School of America in Paris? We're back there but this time with Isla who has a crush on the young artist Josh. She had her eyes on him since day one but they never really talked for hours. Maybe a quick hello but even that was sometimes hard for the shy but hopeless romantic Isla. But things change over the summer when Isla sees Josh in a coffee shop in Manhattan and they have there first long interaction. They grow closer with every page you turn but what they didn't know about their relationship was that it is forced to face uncertainty about their futures, and the very real possibility of being apart. Next to that they get into fights over their past and that doesn't make anything easy for them. But every relationship has their ups and downs and many ups might follow outweighing the downs. It's a story set against the stunning backdrops of New York, Paris and even Barcelona. Don't forget it's the conclusion to Stephanie Perkins's beloved series.

I can't really place my finger on what exactly it was that I enjoyed the most in this book... But the romance was definitely there. Actually all the feels where there! Because as I said every relationship has it ups and it downs and I, as a reader, felt all those feelings when everything was up and when everything was down. 

I could identify with Isla because she is shy and a hopeless romantic but also with the actions she does. As for Josh I just loved him. I guess it was because he's an artist and we get to see more about what he does because it's something special he's doing, believe me! And we also get to see the environment of an artist in the book. Whereas, if I have to compare Josh to Cricket, we can see all the things that make Josh Josh. In Lola's review I said that I wished we saw more of Cricket's inventions and the author made sure we now saw more of Josh's art, which is a bonus point . It's not only his art that we get to 'see' but also museums, this because he's really interested in the whole art thing. I can't spill too much, I don't want to ruin the fun so I can't say how or why we see museums but it's pretty much worth the read!  

What I loved most were all the different places we saw. Well only three and through the story of Anna we also saw a lot of Paris so nothing's really 'new' there but we also saw Manhattan. I've been dreaming to go to Manhattan for a really long time so it's cool to see some of it, even though it's through the eyes of someone else. It does give the same effect as in the story of Anna, where you just want to go visit that city because it's explained so well in the book that you can visualize it. It really wants to make you go there and I had that feeling even more when the story went to Barcelona. Just the way they go there, how they do it all and what they do, it's absolutely adorable! Again, I can't spill anything but let's keep it at: I enjoyed this book so so much! Another reason that I loved this book is that it's more realistic than the others, I guess. The feelings in the book seemed more real to me, probably because I could relate a lot during the book. Might also be because it gave a realistic picture of what a relationship is.

So conclusion: if you haven't read the book, go read it! But beware as I said in the beginning of this review this book will contain spoilers about the other previous books. So if you plan on reading them all, please read them in order. I'm begging you, I just want you to have the full experience without being spoiled.

"Love ignites in the City That Never Sleeps, but can it last?"