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.

CIRCLE OF SHADOWS || evelyn skye || ★★

Having read the author’s The Crown’s Game duology, I was DYING to read this book. (1) The synopsis looked fantastic, (2) the cover is just BEAUTIFUL, okay? and (3) IT’S A NEW BOOK  BY EVELYN SKYE AND I WANT MORE OF HER BOOKS! Now, I’m sorry to say that I’m truly disappointed.

I actually LOVED the idea of this book. It was sooooo original, hooking and unique. The worldbuilding, the plot itself… Everything. This could’ve ben such an epic read! A warrior partner, an Academy of Magic, the history… THIS COULD HAVE BEEN GREAT!

Nevertheless, I’m sorry to say that there’s nothing more I have to say in terms of what I liked. I feel like this novel was too simple and only explores thing on the Surface, never digging deeper into things. C’mon, I wasn’t expecting some huge philosophical question, yeti t all felt so… PLAIN. There was 0% evolution and/or character development and I couldn’t find any sort of depth in the protagonists, not even in their motivations or dreams. And the VILLAIN. Agh. The villain was that typical guy who wants to conquer the world just because and is merely evil because he thinks he’s good and OMG IT’S SO PLAIN. Let’s just talk about meaningless villains, okay? Because that’s what this was. I also feel that this book could’ve been so much better with a little bit of romance. PLUS, Circle of Shadows is meant to be diverse fantasy, yet the only thing that was diverse is that Evelyn says “everyone here is Asian”. And that’s it. Diversity in literatura isn’t about labels, okay? I was really pissed off by this, because that label was used to sell this book when the content isn’t even deeper tan that. Saying that “everyone is Asian” so that’s just it. Ugh. I guess I could just go on with the complaints. I wanted to love Skye’s new book, yet it just didn’t work for me.

THE BOY OF THE STARS || chris pueyo || ★★★★

I FINALLY READ THIS BOOK! I took my time, I know, but I finally went all in for this novel. I’d started it once in a library but never continued it xD.

I believe I’ve read a great amount of LGBTQ+ books through time, and I’m 100% proud of it. I must say that El Chico de las Estrellas didn’t shine for me among other books and I’m actually giving it 3 stars while using the word 'meh'. Honestly, I don’t think this was an actual wonder. I’ll only rate this higher beace I can only think about what this novel can mean to someone else. This is a non-fiction tale in its most intimate, sensible and special way, narrated in a never-seen-before prose. IT WAS JUST SO BEAUTIFUL! Yeah, peeps, I totally recommend this. It’s only available in Spanish, though :/

365 DAYS OF WONDER || r.j. palacio

I’ve been wanting to read this for such a long time! I’ve never read R.J. Palacio’s books, you know? Yet I still wanted to read this one. 365 Days of Wonder is a book for daily quotes for every day of the year. It’s not a work of fiction, so I have no clue of how to Review it xD. At the end of the day, it’s just a bunch of gorgeous quotes to brighten your day. I guess I’m just writing this to tell you all that I TOTALLY LOVED THIS. So I wanted to share it with others. This is such a beautiful, captivating and inspiring book!

SHADOW OF THE FOX || julie kagawa || ★★★★

ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 ESTRELLAS. I don’t know, I was just generous and couldn’t debate between 4 stars or 3 or 4.5, so I’ll just stick to 3.5.

Shadow of the Sox is a tale inspired in japanese mithology from beginning to end. What’s more, it’s not one of those books that use the Word “diversity” as a label so lightly, but actually MEAN it. Julie Kagawa’s story is simply magnificent, epic and SO DAMN HONEST, knitted together in every detail with a wary eye on the worldbuilding, on the legends and on the japanese fairytalles, among other things... Are you looking for one of those epic fantasy Stories that leave you speechless and make your heart race? Voilá! Here goes a breath-taking novel! Julie Kagawa’s writing flows and doesn’t stop on unnecessary paragraphs and trivial descriptions. She truly does Paint an image in the reader’s mind. Her prose goes by in an agile rhythm full of action at every turn. I COULDN’T GET OFF THESE PAGES FOR A SECOND! The characters are profoundly beautiful and I adored every second of our female protagonist, Yumeko. In Kagawa’s world, what should scare you the most are not the collection of terrifying monsters and demons, but the Women that are fighting to get what they want. Badaaaaaasssssssss. I loved how Yumeko doesn’t know how to fight or how to use weapons to defend herself against the creatures that lure her into the shadows, but in no way is she a damsel in distress. This is something we don’t see that often in books.

However, I’m sorry to say that I don’t feel that I know any of the secondary characters and unfortunately none of them felt human and/or real :( Excep for Yumeko, of couse. The worst part? Our male protagonist, Tatsumi, felt like Reading about a Stone. No feelings, no personality, no motives, reasons or thoughts of his own… I don’t know, it was like reading about a rock, which is reasonable as he is this silent, dark warrior and blah, blah, blah, yet I didn’t care about his chapters. AT ALL. Besides, the book is too… teenage-like xD. I don’t know, it was all way too dramatic and a little silly from time to time, so I found it a little hard to take things seriously. I still recommend it, though.

EVERY HEART A DOORWAY || seanan mcguire || ★★★★★

HOW DIDN’T I READ THIS SOONER? Seriously, I had no idea of the existence of this novel until a couple of days ago and asdfyguhigjotk it’s such a wonder. FIVE STARS TO ONE OF THE MOST MAGICAL BOOKS OF ALL TIMES! And it’s only 170 pages long!

This novel follows the story of an academy of lost children who’ve stepped into different worlds through doors and them come back to the real world. A story of children who want to have another taste of such magic. And who wanna go back “home”. IT’S SO DAMN GOOD! Original, hooking, strange, twisted and unforgettable… Seanan McGuire’s job is breath-taking, caressed by something that seems the closest thing to magic ever. La originality of the plot, the depth of it all, the complexity and diversity of the characters, the worldbuilding... I! HAVE! NO! WORDS! THE WRITING IS JUST GORGEOUS AND asfdygrhijk I DON’T KNOW HOW TO EVEN REVIEW THIS IN THE RIGHT WAY. My eyes devoured every Word, sweet and descriptive. This was definitely one of those books that made me forget where I was! C’mon, it’s SUPER SHORT and WORTH YOUR TIME! And it’s DIVERSE! (Asexual representation in terms of the protagonists and a transexual secondary character, to be exact.) It’s like a dark fairytale about all those children who stepped into the closet and fell down the hole while following the white rabbit.

Mi complaints? 1) The thriller/mystery plotline didn’t steal my heart. 2) It’s more of a character-driven book tan a plot-driven one, so it’s kinda slow.

A CURSE SO DARK AND LONELY || brigid kemmerer || ★★★

One of my most anticipated reads of this year? Yes. Do I feel disappointed? Yup. I’ve been waiting for A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer FOR MONTHS, so I’d been expecting something epic. Unfortunately, what I actually found in this book was nothing of the sort. Far from deserving to be called “epic”, in my opinion :( I still recommend this novel if you’ve enjoyed A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas or An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson, you’ll surely have a great time with this one too. This is a Beauty and the Beast retelling that we can say I recommend, but it honestly didn’t please me from head to toes.

(1) I don’t get why everyone says that Kemmerer’s writing is so fluid, poetic and fluid, because it was the entire opposite for me. I found it to be TOO straight-to-the-point and unconcerned about character arcs and worldbuildings. It didn’t creare an atmosphere for me. I honestly did feel like the characters were floating in a dark void all the time, no descriptions there to help me. The narration was just too simple and the sound of every sentence felt monotonous and boring. I don’t know, at least that’s just my opinión, though. I also feel like I don’t know any of the characters… It was a book with a fantastic idea that failed me in its execution :(

Yet I still recommend it. Or at least I believe we can say that. This story was UTTERLY ORIGINAL and will totally leave you speechless. Its an action-packed novel that will leave you thinking and imagining and wondering even after you’ve finished it. I couldn’t believe how much had happened in merely 100 pages! Plus, our protagonist suffers from brain palsy and THERE’S DISABILITY REPRESENTATION, people! I was shocked by how little I actually knew about this and, c’mon, Harper was one of the reasons why I didn’t DNF this novel. Harper is one of the best protagonists I’ve Ever read and I KNOW NO WORDS ATFDYGUHIJYOKJU. A Curse so Dark and Lonely explores the complexity of human relationships, the depth of aliances, friendships and bonds that go beyond romance. #GOALS.

A SUMMER SONET || belén martínez || ★★★★★

C’mon, I really didn’t know that much about Una Sonata de Verano apart from the fact that I was interested in Reading it xD. I NEVER expected to find what I found in this book, though.

This is just…. This is… IT’S JUST SO FREAKING BEAUTIFUL! I fell in love with the story in the first chapter and I couldn’t get off these pages until a day after. And I know where the magic came from: Martínez’s writing style. Her words are simply gorgeous and slid by as poetry. And can we pleeeeease talk about how cute our protagonist is? He’s just so asfdyegrtihjyoku adorable. It’s hard to find character with meaningful voices that actually SOUND and FEEL different. I was barely 3 pages in that I realized that this guy wasn’t just one voice among millions. He’d a character with a story to tell, you know? A true story to tell. He’s one of those characters that feel real. Suspense? Romance? LGBTQ+ rep? A slice of magical realism? THIS BOOK HAS IT ALL!