What a marvelous series opener! It features wonderful, complex, and intricately developed characters, with an intriguing plot that unfolds over severaWhat a marvelous series opener! It features wonderful, complex, and intricately developed characters, with an intriguing plot that unfolds over several years, filled with unique elements and political intrigues, power struggles, betrayals, and secrets passed down through time. It's been quite a while since I've been so engrossed in a book. It's truly a shame that this gem isn't more widely recognized. I'm eagerly looking forward to continuing the series by immersing myself in the next volume....more
I dedicate my blood - my everything - to you, boss. I will protect this organization you slave over and work myself to the bone in order to de
I dedicate my blood - my everything - to you, boss. I will protect this organization you slave over and work myself to the bone in order to decimate its enemies. Those who oppose the Port Mafia will learn firsthand how ruthless gravity can be.
I have no words to describe how much I love Chuuya and how grateful I am to Asagiri for introducing us to his past - and how his fate tied to Dazai's - through this little gem that is Dazai, Chuuya, Age Fifteen....more
“We've never said I love you. That's not what we do. He says you keep me sane. I say you keep me focused. We talk around our feelings. We've p
“We've never said I love you. That's not what we do. He says you keep me sane. I say you keep me focused. We talk around our feelings. We've planned a future together, but that's not new. We've always had a future together, ever since we were kids. Wherever he went, I was always going to follow.�
Weak Heart was emotionally devastating, surprisingly humorous and absolutely enchanting. I loved every word of every single page, from the first to the last one. I wish everyone would discover this book, because it is too precious a pearl to remain hidden....more
“He couldn’t stand to look at the truth, even now. All they were—all they had ever been—was a pair of sunflowers who each believed the other was th
“He couldn’t stand to look at the truth, even now. All they were—all they had ever been—was a pair of sunflowers who each believed the other was the sun.�
This is one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read. It shattered my heart in the end, but it was totally worth it, and I still can't get over it. Paul and Julian will forever hold a place in my heart.
I don't know if I've finished this book or if this book has finished me. If you look up "heartbreaking" in the dictionary, you will find "FirestarterI don't know if I've finished this book or if this book has finished me. If you look up "heartbreaking" in the dictionary, you will find "Firestarter by Tara Sim". I'm a freaking sobbing mess at the moment.
"This time I waited for you", Danny whispered. Colton touched his cheek, then the scar on his chin. "I know you did. You'll never have to again."
I loved this trilogy so much. I will never get over it....more
I loved A Dark and Hollow Star so much. From the plot and the hype surrounding it, I got the impression that I would like it, but it genuinely surpassI loved A Dark and Hollow Star so much. From the plot and the hype surrounding it, I got the impression that I would like it, but it genuinely surpassed even my highest expectations.
Let's start from the world created by the author. The story takes place in the present day between Toronto and Nevada, but Ashley was incredibly good at fusing modern human technology with the magical world and traditions of the Fae and faeries, thus creating a very unique and fascinating universe for this brilliant story.
But what caught my attention (and my love) from the start were the characters. I loved all four of the protagonists of this story a lot. Their points of view were all interesting and extraordinarily alternating with each other, and the way their relationship is perfectly intertwined and built in the course of events ... Gee, I'd give anything to have the second book now, only to see them again soon, my precious babies ...more
When I started reading the first volume of The Prince's Assassin I never thought this trilogy would enter my heart so deeply. Yet, here I am, at the eWhen I started reading the first volume of The Prince's Assassin I never thought this trilogy would enter my heart so deeply. Yet, here I am, at the end of this wonderful and devastating journey, drowned in an ocean of feelings, not at all ready to let go of these magnificent characters. Niko and Vasili unexpectedly and unconditionally took possession of my heart, leaving it in pieces. This hadn't happened to me in quite a while. Ariana Nash has all my respect, no doubt about it.
Let's try to go in order with this review.
He moved another step closer. The odors of smoke and metal and war came with him. Scents that reminded Vasili of eight years in hell, until Nikolas had entered his life and changed everything. Stubborn and rough, smelling of hot metal, horse, and wood smoke. It was the wood smoke that did it - reminded Vasili of the cabin in the woods. Of the short life Nikolas had made for him. A life with Nikolas at his side.
Vasili's point of view was all I needed. I would have liked it from the first book, but I fully understand Ariana Nash's choice to reserve his narration only for the last volume of the trilogy. King of the Dark's Vasili is a cold, cruel and calculating man, and the fact that we gradually get to know him from Niko's point of view made him even more interesting. Only in Reign of Darkness do we begin to see a hint of his true self, of his vulnerability, but it's still too early to completely erase all of his barriers and thoroughly understand him. In The Curse of the Dark Prince, however, we finally have an unfiltered Vasili, with his raw thoughts and true emotions, and we love him every page more by reading his innumerable inner conflicts and the true nature of his feelings for Nikolas.
He had not meant to fall in love with Nikolas Yazdan. Use him, yes. But never love him. He'd been so long without love, he hadn't seen it stalking him until it had struck. And now he was defenseless against it.
I appreciated Nikolas much more in this volume. He is finally free of any doubts about his love for Vasili, and has a well-defined goal in mind: to save his prince and ensure him the happiness he deserves.
Vasili Caville might be the bravest damn soul he'd ever met. He'd do any damn thing for him. And he wished he could take him away, like he'd promised. But as Vasili had always said, that was not their ending. "You were always that man."
I swear I'm not crying.
A special praise to Yasir, Adamo and Roksana, brave souls who deserve the world. (Yes, I included Adamo. Yes, Ariana Nash made me love a horse.)
Incredibly, in this last book, I empathized with Amir and felt hugely sorry for him. If things had turned out differently, if the flame hadn't whispered all of its evil words into the head of a lonely and abandoned young prince, I'm sure Amir would have been a good brother, perhaps even a good person. A little vicious, sure, but not cruel, not evil. He certainly deserved better, outside of the Caville curse. Poor boy.
He lifted his head and stared at the grain, imagining Amir standing on the other side. They'd been brothers once, not the enemies they were now. Vasili had pushed him away, but before then, before the elves, before the flame mean anything, before Mother had died, he'd read to Amir the story of the prince in his glass palace. That one had a happy ending. Theirs, he'd long suspected, did not.
So, to conclude, am I heartbroken? Yes. Am I completely in love with this trilogy? Absolutely yes.
Final rating: 5 stars round, and all that remains of my heart....more
"What's the point of living if you only do it how others want you to?"
I'm acting as if I didn't cry my eyes out for the last 90 pages while attempting"What's the point of living if you only do it how others want you to?"
I'm acting as if I didn't cry my eyes out for the last 90 pages while attempting to write this rewiev, but I honestly can't. Because, seriously, I got very emotional, and I'm currently a sobbing mess.
I loved this book way more than I had anticipated. The House in the Cerulean Sea is described as "romance", but it's not simply a love story in the romantical sense of the term. It is, in fact, one of the most heartwarming stories about love in its broadest spectrum. Love for diversity. Love for those who do not receive enough and think they do not deserve it at all. Love for oneself and for who we are, strengths and weaknesses included. Love for a newfound family that you can finally call home.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is a perfect mixture of sentiment and pure emotions and I'm honestly in love with it.
"Funny how that works out, isn't it? That we can find the most unexpected things when we aren't even looking for them."
Final plus: I loved so many quotes from this exquisite novel. So well written. ...more
Do you know when, from the very first pages, you already know that you will end up loving the book you are reading? Well, that's exactly what happenedDo you know when, from the very first pages, you already know that you will end up loving the book you are reading? Well, that's exactly what happened to me with The Binding.
“We’ve been called witches since the beginning of time. Word-cunning, they used to call it—of a piece with invoking demons…We were burned for it too. The Crusade wasn’t new, we’ve always been scapegoats. Well, knowledge is always a kind of magic, I suppose.�
The magical atmosphere, the brilliant plot, the flawless writing style, the wonderful characters ... I haven't really found a reason in this book to stop me from giving it 5 stars. Perhaps the only cracked note is the finish, slightly rushed for my taste, but it's not enough to spoil everything else.
The second part of the book, with the gradual and intense construction of the love relationship between the two main characters, slowly destroyed my heart. I deeply felt myself Emmett's conflicting emotions, the progressive realization of his feelings for Lucian, the difficulty of not being able to be together with your loved one, the painful choice he had to make to save his family. It was all heartbreaking. And Lucian... oh, Lucian. I just wanted to hug him for most of the story.
“My heart was so light I could have flown. The memory of it takes my breath away. I didn’t know happiness was that simple.�
As I said, the ending is slightly rushed in my opinion, so maybe I should give 4.5 stars, but in my heart I feel I need to round up to 5....more
I admit, I may be biased in this review. I deeply loved the first book of the trilogy, to the point of considering it the best book I read in early 20I admit, I may be biased in this review. I deeply loved the first book of the trilogy, to the point of considering it the best book I read in early 2020, and for months I have been looking forward to the second chapter of this wonderful story. You know the void that you feel inside when you finish a great book, and you get antsy with the desire to know what will come next, as if you could not think of anything else in the meantime? Well, that void was filled with the release of As The Shadow Rises, which I devoured in the span of two days. The joy of reuniting myself with my beloved characters was immense, as was witnessing the romantical development between two of them (again, I might be biased, but Anton and Jude are my absolute favorites, I just want to protect them).
All in all, the plot progresses more slowly than the first volume of the trilogy, but it is still original and interesting, and does not suffer from the "second book syndrome" - and this is a very good point in favor of Katy Rose Pool; the main one is obviously to have created such amazing characters in a masterful setting. Furthermore, in this volume we see a greater introspection of the main characters, and some aspects of their past that were not clear in There Will Come A Darkness are explained more thoroughly.
It goes without saying that, being the second volume, As The Shadow Rises has an open ending, waiting for the final volume that will close the circle (hopefully, without too much suffering). Until then, I can only wait in the company of the usual void until Into the Dying Light.
OMG I lovedThere Will Come a Darkness and all its amazing characters so freaking much!! I haven't been this excited for a fantasy debut since Six of OMG I lovedThere Will Come a Darkness and all its amazing characters so freaking much!! I haven't been this excited for a fantasy debut since Six of Crows, which is definetely in the Top 10 of my favorite books, and I have the feeling that The Age of Darkness series will also be on that list. I can't wait to see how the story continues, I'm so curious.
If I could give ten stars to this book, I would, no hesitation.
“Imagine having all your own thoughts and feelings tangled up with all the thou
If I could give ten stars to this book, I would, no hesitation.
“Imagine having all your own thoughts and feelings tangled up with all the thoughts and feelings of a whole other person. It can be hard, sometimes, to sort out which is which.�
It had been a while since a novel had kept me so glued to the pages, with bated breath and the desire to know what would happen next. The structure of the novel, the writing style, the prose, the characters ... it's all wonderful and perfect and intriguing and captured me from the first to the last page. The last chapter and the epilogue were rich in suspense and heartbreaking; they seriously took my heart and tore it apart.
“This is the excellent foppery of the world, that, when we are sick in fortune - often the surfeit of our own behavior - we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and the stars ... as if we were villains on necessity; fools by heavenly compulsion; knaves, thieves, and treachers by spherical predominance; drunkards, liars, and adulterers by an enforc'd obedience of planetary influence; and all that we are evil in, by a divine thrusting-on!�
As the perfect tribute to Shakespeare, If We Were Villains is a tragedy, but unlike the classics that have accompanied us throughout the reading, this leaves a light on at the end of the tunnel.
“I am all too aware of my own desperate need to find a message in the madness, and as it takes shape I am suspicious, afraid to hope. But the implications of the text and its small part in our story are impossible to ignore, too critical for a scholar as meticulous as James to overlook.�
I can't stress enough how much I truly loved this novel. As I said, I would give it a higher rating, but I guess I have to settle for 5 stars....more
“Everyone wants the stars. Everyone wishes to grasp that which exists out of reach. To hold the extraordinary in their hands and keep the rema
“Everyone wants the stars. Everyone wishes to grasp that which exists out of reach. To hold the extraordinary in their hands and keep the remarkable in their pockets.�
It's been months since I finished this book, and I still can't produce a decent review that does it justice. I think The Starless Sea is one of those books that the less you know about it as soon as you start it, the better; it is a little gem that needs no introduction or to be explained with too many words, but should be appreciated page after page, fully immersing yourself in the magic it brings with itself.
“But the world is strange and endings are not truly endings no matter how the stars might wish it so.�
If you are looking for something that will constantly surprise you, that will make you forget the outside world, that will steal your heart... well, The Starless Sea is the book for you. It's one of those books that stays with you, and I think that's what makes it extremely special.
“Books are always better when read than explained.�
5 stars, and a special place on my favorites list....more
Not the most flawless book ever by the narrative perspective (especially towards the end), but I honestly can't help but give it 5 round stars. I loveNot the most flawless book ever by the narrative perspective (especially towards the end), but I honestly can't help but give it 5 round stars. I love the characters, I love the story and I absolutely love the slow-burn romance between the two soulmates Wei Wu Xian and Lan Wang Ji. So heartbreaking yet so heartwarming. I know it's a very long novel, but it's defintely worth a shot! ...more
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