Book Review: Glass Sword

Title: Glass Sword

Author: Victoria Aveyard

Publisher: Orion Publishing

Rate: 3,5/5

When I started reading this book, I remembered little or nothing about the first book. I had to read some summaries to remind me of the characters. Many people were expecting this book to be even better than the previous one, but I think it's just different. If the first book was full of intrigue and some family drama, this one is full of action. But I do not think it fulfills a necessary requirement all good books have: the personal development of the main characters.


The book is certainly full of action and betrayals, but I have not seen the characters evolve from an emotional point of view, just a strategic one. Of the main characters, namely Mare, Maven and Cal, none of them have a moment when they question what they are doing in order to change something on a personal level. Mare is a character who is in "survival mode" and therefore has to move on, no matter the consequences. Cal, to my surprise, was silent for most of the book, just showing that he was there because he was seen piloting the plane and guiding the others. And Maven will appear more in the third book of the saga (at least, that's what the title of the third book indicates).


In relation to the other characters, we have here the consequence of this book being narrated only from the point of view of Mare and, due to the moments filled with action, she can barely see the development of those that surround her.


And now let's talk about the component that fills these pages that few can do: scenes and scenes of action that never stop and make sense. Actually, every page turn was a surprise, each more impressive than the other because I did not know what was going to happen next. The motto of the book and our main character is that anyone can betray anyone and this is mirrored in the betrayals that were not betrayals, in the betrayals that were true and in the friendly words that had a spark of mystery and showed hope when, in fact, it was not there.


I believe it is a book that meets the requirements of a good book but does not leave its mark as the other books do.

Book Review: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Title: A Court of Frost and Starlight

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rate: 4/5

I had been waiting for so long for this book that as soon as it got to my hands, I almost cried. This happens twice a year, each time the author publishes a new book. 

However, it was a bit disappointing. Just a tiny bit. 

It really is a novella, just a bit more than 200 pages. Which means that I read it in four days. 

The book has no development whatsoever. It is a novella that makes us revisit Rhys and his Court of Dreams again before we get really into the new storyline Sarah will introduce us next year. 

I believe that it was brightly given, though: an event that will bring them all together and will force them to interact with each other.

The Winter Solstice is the one that allows them to get together, one of the most important events at the Night Court. Winter is my favorite season and I liked how Sarah made it magical once again. 

As it was said before, it does not provide any storyline, it's just an event. However, it shows how most of the characters are still living the nightmares of the war. The character where we see this the most is Feyre, but also Mor, Elain, and Rhys. Feyre's chapters are always interesting because she really provides her thoughts and a deep reflection of her thoughts. This is a characteristic that makes this books so relatable. We all have layers andFeyre shows that she is a multidimensional character. 

They go shopping, they drink, they laugh, the talk. This is also one of the patterns that makes these books so relatable: Sarah takes this mundane and usual times and makes them so interesting. There is no war, there is no evil plot in this book, there is just this. And it is so different from the rest of the books because the entire book is just about this, that is it a breath of fresh air, a good and enjoyable novella, something that is light reading. 

The book also includes a sneak peak from the next book (no title yet) and it is so much juicier. A good strategy because now readers can't stop thinking and drooling over the next book. 

The first book of 2018!

So... I've just finished my first read of this year!

If you follow me on Instagram (@anateresabarreiros), you might know that since November last year I stopped reading as much as I used to. These last three months have not been easy because of my Master's degree, which requires a lot of reading (and I also work).

So, this year, when I picked up a book, it just didn't stick with me. My mind would never focus on the story. I was ready to postpone my GoodReads Reading Challenge, maybe start my reading days in February.

On the other hand, I didn't want to postpone it. So, I started reading a book I had started last year and had only the chance to read the first 100 pages. That book was Cress, by Marissa Meyer.

Day by day, I took baby steps. I had the time to read, but my mind had forgotten what it was like to sit still for an hour with a cup of tea and a good book. It would always try to find something more entertaining to do. Like, play a game on the phone.

Ah, the games. Those are the ones that kill time. You're not doing anything besides staring at a screen, letting the time pass. Sure, it's easier to just carry a phone in one hand than hold a book in two. But that's what I started to think that if I wanted to be successful (accomplish reading those 30 books I pledged), I had to kill those time killers. So... uninstall the game. I believe my phone was also very happy with that because now the battery lasts more than 24 hours (which also made me think how much of my time I was spending on playing games...).

Cress was the wise choice for me to train my mind to read again - and to focus on the story. The book is compelling, I'm already used to the characters and the way they speak. The book has action and many of the chapters are short (about 7 to 10 pages).

I was aware that it was not going to be easy. I didn't realize it was going to be that difficult either. The mind is so powerful. It had to be trained. I started timing my time: 10 minutes reading. Then, 20. Let's go for half an hour, shall we? And then, when that was becoming boring, I started timing my time with the number of pages I could read in a row. Every 25 pages. Every 50 pages.

Some days were easier than the others. There were days when I could fit only 8 pages. There were days when I read 70 pages. I still haven't found a good trick, besides sitting on the couch and... well... open the damn book (sorry!) and read. Look at the words. Look at the words forming the story. Look at the page inside a chapter, inside a story. Looking at the pages going by.

Still, no expectations for the next book (I still haven't decided which one I'll choose). All I want is to find some time to read.

I finished reading this book in nine days. I'll try to finish the next one in eight days. Baby steps. Low expectations.

Books I want to read this year (2018)

Here are some of the books I plan on reading this year.

1 - Zenith, by Sasha Alsberg and Lindsay Cummings

2 - Morning Star, by Pierce Brown

3 - A Conjuring of Light, by Victoria Schwab

4 - Passenger, by Alex Bracken

5 - Glass Sword, by Victoria Aveyard

6 - The Struggle, by Jennifer L. Armentrout

7 and 8 - The House of Hades and The Blood of Olympus, by Rick Riordan

9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 - The Evil We Love, Pale Kings and Queens, Bitter of Tongue, Clockwork Princess and Queen of Air and Darkness, by Cassandra Clare

14 and 15 - Kalona's Fall and Lenobia's Vow, by P.C. and Kristin Cast

16 - The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick

17 - Supergirl: The Last Daughter of Krypton, by Michael Green

18 - Cress, by Marissa Meyer

19 - Wonder Woman: Warbringer, by Leigh Bardugo

20 - A Court of Frost and Starlight, by Sarah J. Maas

Music Review: Another Cliché

Title: Another Cliché

Singer: Jake Warner

Rate: 4,5/5 

I was so happy when I got the opportunity to listen to Jake's EP, called Another Cliché. It completely surprised me because it is possible to actually listen to all the hard work and attention to detail that is behind each song, from the lyrics to the beat and it is a great introduction to Jake as an artist.

The first song is called "Cliché", which matches the name of the album. As a first song, it is a really good introduction to the theme of the album - which is all about clichés - and sets the pace to the rest of the EP. I was curious to listen to the rest of the EP, it definitely gave that feeling that there was something else to be revealed.

Which takes us to "Leaving In The Morning". I believe this is the biggest surprise because it is absolutely different from all the other songs and bring a new rhythm, showing another version of the artist. This is the kind of song that listeners will get addicted to and will listen and dance to it over and over again. Personally, this is my favorite song.

The third song is called "Live For Now". As soon as I listened to it, it immediately reminded me of those TV series' intro songs. I'm pretty sure people still can remember the Friend's or Gilmore Girls' songs. It is that catchy and it is that kind of song that will be with you forever and will make you think of moments of happiness.

And finally, "Wasn't That Easy" is a good conclusion. It shows another side that wasn't in the other songs and it also has a softer tone that really shows this is the end. For now, at least.

To summarize, Jake's Another Cliché is a solid work which will probably get you addicted and you will ask for more of his songs because they are good. Also, it is clear that he has much more potential to show. If these songs are just the beginning, I can't wait for what is next.



Another Cliché will be released on December 1st. You can puchase it here.
Follow Jake's social media: @jakewarnermusic 

Book Review: Tower of Dawn

(MILD SPOILERS)

Title: Tower of Dawn

Author: Sarah J. Maas

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Rate: 3,5/5 

I was very excited to read this new book, but I didn't have many expectations regards TOD, simply because Chaol isn't my favorite character. I've always thought that his journey was not very interesting and despite the fact that he had always been there for Dorian I didn't think that this adventure would be something epic. 

And it wasn't. Firstly, I considered that some parts of this book were extended - especially the scenes between Chaol and Yrene. Then, there were some other parts of the book that were cut - and those were the ones where others characters would have the opportunity to develop themselves.

But let's get back to Chaol (and Yrene). These two were meant to be from the moment they saw each other. I knew that Yrene's repulse for everything that was from Adarlan would end up not being very important or both of their journeys because if she was to be the doctor and he the patient, they had to get along somehow.

Then we have Chaol: his character development is impressive, but not amazing. I knew he would end up redeeming himself and seeing that those things that happened in Crown of Midnight weren't entirely his fault. I thought that when I read the second book of this series, and I still think about it now. 

On the other side of this narrative, we have Nesryn. This amazing character didn't have enough plot time, I believe. By the end of the book, I felt that there were some important chapters missing and I really wish she could've become a part of the narrative just as important. 

Speaking of the end of this book, it really was what I didn't like. I felt that the last 70/50 pages were written in a sort of a rush because there is so much that is cut out and then spoken by the characters also in a rush.

Because of all of these reasons, I could only give 3,5 stars because I know that the author can do so much better and the story deserved some space to develop some characters and give time to let the others breathe. 

TV Series Review: House of Cards (Season 1)

House of Cards (Netflix)

This is probably the series that put Netflix on our series radars (along with Orange is the New Black). Being a political series, I was very interested to watch it and the episodes lived to the hype but did not offer much else. Somehow, I ended up being a bit disappointed at the end of this season, even though I want to keep watching it. I feel that season 1 was just a warm-up and I hope that's true.

We have this very charismatic characters, Frank Underwood, who actually looks at you, something unusual and probably the best selling point of this series. All we need is a look from him (when he's talking to the President or when someone is upsetting him) to feel like we belong to his family.

And speaking of family, in series like Scandal, Frank and Claire would be considered the bag guys, the villains of an episode or two. But here, I didn't have an opinion on them during the first 5 episodes and then I thought that it didn't really matter, because they are the main characters and at the end of the day we will be rooting for them, no matter how bad they might be to other people.

The highlight of this badness is Peter Russo. This congressman is chosen by Frank to run for Governor of his State, but his past eventually takes the best of him. This, of course, because of Frank. Peter is not a bad person, he just didn't have an easy life and made bad decisions. Frank makes him believe that he can overcome this, but he is also the one who takes the final blow.

The consequences are not shown during this season, except for the fact that Zoe Barnes and her other two journalist friends are trying to figure out what really happened. A storyline that was left open for season 2.

On the other side of the partnership, we have Claire, CEO of the CWI. She is faced with so many bumps in the road but her face does not let it show. However, Gillian, when faced with the hypocrisy, decides to take action and now Claire has to face a lawsuit. Another storyline that will surely be developed during season 2.

So, in the end, this first season offered a good introduction to Frank and Claire's story, but it did not have the development the first episode promised. On the other hand, the good cinematography, the great actors, and some captivating storylines made season 2 even more promising.