AN AMBICIOUS LIST OF REASONS TO READ “VICIOUS” BY V.E. SCHWAB

I’m finally bringing y’all my vicious Review on this vicious book. C’mon, i’ve been wanting to do this for quite a long time. So here I am! I wrote this post three times, so I hope you like it xD. I wanted to bring you something different, so here goes my ambicious list of reasons to read this novel:

it’s wicked, twisted, vicious… and there are villains everywhere

The way I see it, Schwab isn't just the absolute queen of fantasy, but also the goddess of villains (and antiheroes, for that matter). I remember that I wrote the following words on my copy of this book: "Villains? Pfff, they don't truly exist," because that's what I think about this book. In my opinin, Vicious is probably the best supervillain novels you'll ever find. Period. It's dark, straight-to-the-point and AMBITIOUS. Now, if you're looking for an 100% Slytherin book, here it goes. I always recommend this one when people look for something of the sort. C'mon, if you share my love for dark and breath-taking tales that have several layers to peel off as you read along, then this is the book your hear wants xD.

it's a story about humanity

At its core, this is a tale that lies upon a story that we will all connect with. A story about humanity. A tale about what we label as 'good' and 'evil', about our diverse social paradigms, about those labels we unconsciously (and unconsciously) place on people... About human beings that make mistakes and allow themselves to be ambitious. Vicious feels like a play of two, calculating, young men who end up being superheroes with insatiable dreams, playing protagonists in their own stories and being the villains in the eyes of others. Schwab has created a story about the roles we asume in our lives and what we represent to the people around us.

Or at least that's what I see in this book, and I love to share it with you all. Vicious is my best example of the black-and-white in the world, of opposites and the most basic things we glance at and about the shades of grey that lay beneath those first impressions.

FEBRUARY WRAP UP

In a way, we can say that February was a short month for me. It’s already a short 28-days-long month as it is, but in my case it only had 12 days for my reader/blogger/bookstagrammer life. I’m gonna take a little break until mid-March, kind of a hiatus, if you wanna say it that way. I still wanted to share with you the small amount of Books I read during those few days of February. I read 8 BOOKS, 2949 pages and 6 out of those Books were diverse in at least one way.

KING OF SCARS || leigh bardugo || ★★★★

Yeah, you have to read the Grisha trilogy and probably the Six of Crows duology before reading King of Scars. If you’ve heard of this novel, you’ve probably heard it with the words “Nikolai Lanttsov’s duology". Therefore, that was what I was expecting when I dove into this book; a novel about my lovely Nikolai after the events of previous books. What I actually found here, however, was totally different. PERSONALLY, I don’t think this is a book following Nikolai’s story. C’mon, some of y’all will feel quite disappointed because of this, and I truly get that. I also wanted to read about Nikolai, but I’d also be lying if I told you that I still LOVED EVERY SECOND of this alternative.

I believe that King of Scars spoke to me about how the story of a King that tries to correct the mistakes of the world isn’t and will never be the story of just one man. Dreams and ambitions so big that can change the world, all of those Stories make the King of Scars. Not just Nikolai as a single man- This will never be the story of just one man, but also the tale of a young girl able to survive the fall. A girl who believes in her King and that knows what she’s fighting for, even a girl who could get to be a queen. This is the story of a broken world, a team that Works towards a dream and thousands of voices shouting the same thing. And all that is the story I’ve just read, not just Nikolai. Now, at least that’s what I saw in this book.

I truly appreciated the lack of romance, because it really wasn’t necessary. Have I already told you that the Grishaverse is the best worldbuilding ever? If you haven’t read Bardugo’s novel yet, I really don’t know what you’re doing with your lives. THESE BOOKS ARE THE CLOSEST THING TO MAGIC YOU’LL EVER FIND! The author’s writing? Perfect.

What are my complaints, though? The rhythm is quite slow-paced and I was actually expecting a loooooootttt more action. There was rarely something goin gon as I read through and there were such few things that made my heart race. I’m also disappointed by the ending as it was quite a silly and predictable move from Bardugo. It was just something she did to please the fandom, so we all saw it coming. Sorry, guys, but I’m not a fan of that ending. There are also some narrators that had no business being narrators, or at least I didn’t enjoy some chapters in the very least. Nikolai? Perfect. Zoya? A FREAKING GODDESS. Nina? I really don’t get why she’s even in this book apart from the reason of pleasing the fandom.

|| JANUARY WRAP UP || I READ 13 BOOKS AND STARTED 2019 WITH GREAT BOOKS

It's time for my first Wrap Up of 2019, peeps! Y'all know these are my favourite posts to read, write, comment on and devour, so I'm super excited to share with you all the amazing books I read during the first month of this great year. I can't believe how many great books I read! I'm certainly shocked. Overall, I read 13 BOOKS, 5331 pages and 9 of those books were dievrse in some way (because, yeah, this year is gonna be all about the statistics). LET'S BEGIN!

THE HATING GAME || sally thorne || ★★★

I can't believe my first read of the year was a contemporary book! And a romantic one! I had certainly heard great things about this book and many of you recommended it because I had loved The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, so I had no doubt to pick this one up. What I found in this book, however, disappointed me quite a bit. Let's say it just wasn't what I was expecting.
I don't think the way this story is narrated is any good as there are maaaannnyyy unnecessary paragraphs and too little dialogue. Besides, even though the characters felt quite realistic, the plot itself was ridiculous. This book follows two editors (yeeyyy, bookworm rep), Lucy and Josh, who hate each other to death for no apparent reason. A part of that could be understandable, but the entire book is about how they are coldblooded archenemies, rivals, total opposites and follows how they basically hate each other. FLOR NO REASON! I found this all so 1) childish, 2) absurd and, 3) incoherent. The Hating Game is a book with a silly plot that feels too unnatural and unrealistic to the reader, which makes it really hard to see yourself reflected in the story. I crave to see myself in books, but this plot made it impossible for me to see any of that.
But I still enjoyed it. What can I say? Despite of it all, I had a great time reading this book; laughing, smiling and letting the pages slid by on their own. This was definitely an adictive, entertaining and amazing read that hooked me from beginning to end. And I truly liked it. I can't tell you I didn't love The Hating Game. The characters, the tension, the romance... I truly did love it all. I fond this book utterly entertaining and had a greaaaaat time with it. It was definitely a fun way to start off 2019.

A VERY LARGE EXPANSE OF SEA || tahereh mafi || ★★★★★

HELL YEAH! I think those two words capture everything I want to say about A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO READ AND WHAT I WANT TO PUT OUT THERE IN THIS COMMUNITY. This is what I want to see in YA and asdfyguhjy THIS FREAKING BOOOOOOOOOKKKKK. Definitely from the best things I've ever read in my entire life, that's for sure.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea follows the story of Shirin, a Muslim teen living in the US during the year 2002, quite close to the events of 9/11. This is a love story, if you want to put it that way, but I don't think it actually is. Not deep down, at least. I think there is so much more in this book than a love story. If you know Tahereh Mafi's poetic, fluent and GORGEOUS writing, then perhaps I should warn you that her writing style isn't like that in this book. On the other hand, it's  100% straight-forward, honest and simple, which perfectly adjusts to the book itself. The characterization of Shirin as a protagonist is magnificent; same goes for all characters here. It was 11pm when I finished this book. My family was asleep and I was crying on my bed as I stared at the ceiling. Among my thoughts, I began to admire the author's stunning work, the sadness of this reality, how I want to read about more stories like this one in YA and all the feels, of course. But above all, I wondered how Tahereh Mafi had written such a  masterpiece. A Very Large Expanse of Sea is one of the best novels I've read in my life and it's EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO FIND IN THIS COMMUNITY.
As a book that forms part of the #ownvoices movement, there will be people who will see themselves represented in this story and others who won't. And that's OKAY. This is inspired in Mafi's story, and you can like it or not. We have sooooooo many stories told from the same privileged side, the same old same old. How many characters of the sort have we read about? They ALL get to be complicated, strong, sporty, artists, superstars or whatever they wanna be. They all get to be superheroes, so it's time to reflect that reality in literature.

"WHAT IF IT'S US" BY BECKY ALBERTALLI & ADAM SILVERA (SPOILER-FREE!)

TITLE: What If It's Us

AUTHORS: Becky Albertalli and Adam Silvera

STANDALONE!
Arthur is only in New York for the summer, but if Broadway has taught him anything, it’s that the universe can deliver a showstopping romance when you least expect it.
Ben thinks the universe needs to mind its business. If the universe had his back, he wouldn’t be on his way to the post office carrying a box of his ex-boyfriend’s things.
But when Arthur and Ben meet-cute at the post office, what exactly does the universe have in store for them? Maybe nothing. After all, they get separated. Maybe everything. After all, they get reunited. But what if they can’t quite nail a first date . . . or a second first date . . . or a third? What if Arthur tries too hard to make it work . . . and Ben doesn’t try hard enough? What if life really isn’t like a Broadway play? But what if it is?

Even though I'm not a huge fan of contemporary (as you already know from repeated statements, lol), I was still dying to read what these two great authors had in store for us. How couldn't I get excited about seeing Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli work together in a freaking book? WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? I was still nervous about reading this -- perhaps that's why I put it off for a while. If you're nervous too, don't be! This book is worth the hype soooooo badly!

➸ "GAY, happy and occasionally sad"

Last year I was fortunate enough to listen to Adam Silvera at a panel, and he described each of his books in four words: "gay, sad and occasionally happy". AND THAT'S 100% TRUE !!! Adam writes amazing books, but I've found none of them life-changing enough for me. Now, with Becky Albertalli's influence, we can say that What If It's Us is more likely to be "GAY, happy and occasionally sad". AND I LOVED THAT !!! This is my favourite book by Adam Silvera (not by Becky because that one will always be Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, duhhhh). This is definitely one of those books you cannot help but fall in love with, believe me! I think these two authors have created a magnificent story that kept me at the edge of my seat as I devoured each word.

2018 YEARLY RECAP !!!

IT'S THE END OF 2018 !!! Can you believe that? I definitely can't! It's finally that time for us to talk about our bookish years and there's truly nothing that excites me so much as this !!! Trying to summarize my year in something slightly coherent for you to read? Challenge accepted. And we're all flooded by thoughts like "How on Earth did I manage to read so much? How did I read so little? How many books did I read? WOW! How do I pick my favourites? FAVOURITES? Aaagggghhh! Books. Books. Books. Ugh, I'm hungry". I brought you my post talking about THE BOOKS I READ IN 2018, but this one is gonna be different. This is my yearly recap! HOPE YOU LIKE IT.

COMPARING TO PREVIOUS YEARS...

That's right, I read 175 books this year.
Nope, I can't believe it either, so let's just make no comment on that huge amount xD. This was a surprise for me as well, trust me. AND IT'S A HUUUUUGE INCREASE COMAPRED TO PREVIOUS YEARS!
I wasn't planning to read this much, I swear! I'm amazed as well. AND proud. But what can I say? 175 BOOKS, damn it !!!!

MY FAVOURITE BOOKS OF 2018

You know how haaaard it is for me to pick my favourite books of the year, because I clearly wanna go for them all and talk about every single book I've read. That's why I wrote my previous post (which you definitely should go and read because it's full of stunning books), and managed to make this list as short as possible. So here is my 14-books-long list of favourite books I read this year, without a specific order. GO AND LOVE THEM TOO !!!

The Cruel Prince || The Poppy War || The Poet X || The Great Alone  || Scythe || Ace of Shades || Bright We Burn || Nevernight || The Wicker King || The Color Project || The Inexplicable Logic of my Life || The Kiss Quotient || Eliza and her Monsters || The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE BOOKS I READ IN 2018

And it's that time of the year, dear readers! Just as if I were the Academy and we were at the Oscars, the point of this post is to carry out some sort of "bookish awards", in a way, for those amazing books I read this year out of a total of 171. Last year I made a booktag, but 2018 was sooo different that I'll do a different post as well. By no means is this an yearly recap, though, as that one will be coming out soon enough. This is... sort of better xD. There are plenty of books I want to talk about but I clearly cannot talk about ALL of them because yearly recaps are all about choosing your favourite books of the year. And so many books are left out there! Therefore, this post is all about making a shoutout to all the amazing books I read this year, which ones I recommend and the best of the best fo 2018. Hope you enjoy it !!!

I read some pretty awesome fantasy books in 2018 !!! Now, it was truly hard to pick my favourites because, duhhh, I LOVE ALL MY PRECIOUS BOOKS, but I still managed to narrow the list down to 6 books, which were definitely the best fantasy novels I read this year. In no particular order, I want to shoutout The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (5/5★) for being so perfect, stabby, awesome and mindblowing, The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang (5/5★) for being so dark and meaningful and for giving me everything I didn't know I wanted to read, Nevernight by Jay Kristoff (5/5★) because THAT MAN IS A FREAKING GENIUS AND THAT BOOK IS STUNNING, A Reaper at the Gates by Sabaa Tahir (5/5★) for making me fall in love once more with that series, Legendary by Stephanie Garber (4/5★) for giving me a taste of true magic and Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody (5/5★) for being so perfect. AND THERE ARE SO MANY MORE I WANT TO MENTION !!! No, Juli, control yourself. Make this as short as possible. Do I recommend these books? TOTALLY !!! I hope you listen to me because they are all fantastic !!!

You all know contemporary novels ain't my think, but I do still try my best and read several. I usually get bored with thrillers, realism or romance books, yet I always try to read some contemporary books, only those that actually call my attention. AND THIS YEAR I DISCOVERED SO MANY WONDERS !!! I hope you're proud xD. A huge shoutout to Eliza and her Monsters by Francesca Zappia (5/5★) for being so nerdy, cute, realistic and making me see myself in a character really badly, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (5/5★) for being JUST PERFECT, The Wicker King by K. Ancrum (5/5★) for making me cry and being one of the best books I've ever read, The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Sáenz (5/5★) for breaking my heart and being so damn beautiful, Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (4/5★) for being so damn REALISTIC and getting to my heart and What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli (4/5★) and Adam Silvera for being SO STUNNING and adorable and afsgdhfiejgrth. All of these books are necessary, important, meaningful, gorgeous and I think everyone should read them.