‘Between life and death there is a library,’ she said. ‘And within that library, the shelves go on for ever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?’-Matt Haig- The Midnight Library is a fantasy novel, written by Matt Haig and published on 29 September 2020 by the editorial Penguin Publishing Group. This novel was an instant bestseller and a BBC Two Between the Covers Book Club pick and was winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction 2020. The Midnight Library is a book about life and its ending, focusing on the choices people make, how these affect them and how they regret so many things throughout their lives, always wishing they could undo the mistakes they made, which in real life is impossible, but in the Midnight Library this is a totally different story. It is fundamental that in life you have a passion, something you live for, something that makes you wake up every single morning, something that makes you feel enthusiasm, something that gives you happiness and something that fuels your heart.
Nora Seed, a 35 year old woman from Bedford, England, decided to kill herself. Twenty-seven hours before she decided to die, she sat on her sofa scrolling through other people’s happy lives, waiting for something to happen. Nine and a half hours before she decided to die, she lost her job. Nine hours before she decided to die, she received a text from a loved one telling he wanted to talk with her, something she did not do, not because she didn’t feel things for him, but because she did. Eight hours before she decided to die, Nora entered a newsagent, where she saw a magazine with a black hole and she realised that was what she was. Seven hours before she decided to die, she had no one to talk to, so she texted her friend Izzy, even when things had dried up between them, and she didn’t get an answer from her. Four hours before she decided to die, Nora passed her elderly neighbor and she comprehended that no one needed her and that everyone would be better without her in their lives. Two hours before she decided to die, Nora was regretting almost everything she did in life; she opened a bottle of wine and left her brother a message telling him how much she loved him and that nothing was his fault, he couldn’t do anything. It was twenty two minutes past eleven and the only thing Nora knew was that she didn’t want to reach tomorrow. She took a piece of paper and wrote her last letter, her suicide note, where she explains that she blew all the chances she had in life, that if she felt it was possible to stay she would had, but this wasn’t the case, and so she couldn’t because she made everyone’s life miserable. She took an overdose and faded away. At 00:00:00, she woke up at a place that looked magical and she found her school librarian from her younger days in Bedford, Mrs Elm. This old woman explained to Nora that between life and death there was a library, full of books that provide the possibility to try another life they could have lived. In this way, Mrs Elm became Nora's imagined guide through the Midnight Library and the wonderful and unexpected things that happen throughout this story.
Nora Seed was a woman who had everything to make her life great, but she didn’t because of her outstanding depression and anxiety, the reason why she decided she didn’t want to live anymore. Joe Seed is Nora's brother, an extremely talented musician who struggled with addiction. Mrs Elm is the librarian from Nora’s school, 19 years before Nora decided to die they had a conversation about the future and all the possible lives ahead of her. Dan is Nora’s ex-fiance, which she loved and regrets not marrying.
From my point of view this book has a strong and meaningful lesson, and it is that the average human being spends their life regretting every wrong move they made. This drains their energy, and is not worth it because instead of worrying about things that you clearly can’t undo, you should be focusing on learning about your errors and put all you have on being better everyday, understanding that everyone makes mistakes and the most important is to keep going and never look back, only forward.
I recommend this novel to everyone that is struggling with mental health issues, because it can help you to appreciate things and it can also teach you many valuable lessons, such as finding your purpose in life so you can actually enjoy it. As well, this is an inclusive publication, taking in consideration that Nora’s brother, Joe, is homosexual. I enjoyed all the fantasy this book has, reading this is like travelling to the Midnight Library, feeling all the powerful emotions that take place there, and lastly but not least, connecting with every character’s story. The main lesson that this awesome book gave me is that it is ok to get lost, as long as you find your way back; and also there is people that are all the colors in one at full brightness, but some situations in their lives can turn them off, that’s why you should always be there to support your loved ones.
it was the worst book ever. pointless.
*spoiler alert* Beowulf is ugly and mean and rude and abusive and does not understand the concept of consent it made me cry for days what's the point of a book if it has the stupidest ending ever created.
The fantasy novel Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo follows a young soldier named Alina who has been realized to have hidden powers, powers that no other magic user contains. Alina's powers are destined to save her country, but with great power comes greater responsibility--responsibility Alina may not want.
I rated this novel three out of five stars because the general plot was pretty creative, and the writing was also not bad. However, maybe since this is only the first book out of the three-part trilogy, I found myself not super invested in the characters or the conflicts that unfold in the story. The romantic subplot in the story was also not very interesting and everything in this novel seemed pretty predictable and lukewarm. Overall, it was an okay book. It wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible. I was a little disappointed though since this series had received lots of attention and was even made into a Netflix series, but maybe the next two books in the trilogy will capture my attention more.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Gideon the Ninth is about the rebellious Ninth House acolyte, a prodigious fighter, who is forced to become the protector of her most hated enemy Harrowhark, the necromancer of the Ninth House. The two of them travel to the First House, to compete against the necromancers and cavaliers of the other houses for the treasured position of Lyctor. They must battle bone monsters, hidden murderers, the laboratories of the dilapidated castle, fellow competitors, and their burning desire to murder each other to, maybe, make it out alive.
I hadn't read sci-fi/fantasy for a long time before I read this book, and this was a brilliant example of everything I'd been missing. The characters are hilarious and likable, the stakes are high, the magic system is somewhat complicated yet explained brilliantly without long periods of exposition, and the undercurrent of science fiction is always present and contrasted beautifully with the fantasy. The idea of a a hyper-advanced society with spaceships and planets is bound to the aesthetic of necromantic power and fighting primarily done with swords, creating a world that has all the fun elements of imaginative science melded with magic. Beyond this, the story is also really tight. There's not really a moment that the book sits you down and explains everything. It just grabs you and goes and it's up to you to catch up, which is a nice change of pace. But, as I've mentioned, the shining gem of the story is likely the characters. The cast is large, but memorable in its own right. If you can't remember the names, just a few sentences of them speaking will clue you in to their distinct personality. And the gem of the story is probably Gideon herself, who's always hilarious and fun and somewhat tragic, and has a great comradery of hatred with Harrowhawk. The character development, the plot, the world, the magic system, and the mystery of this book make it easily one of my favourite books of this year.
Darrow is a sixteen-year-old Red Helldiver from Lykos, Mars. At the bottom of the social class, Darrow believes that his toil under the surface of Mars is to benefit all of humanity-- to make Mars' surface inhabitable for others like him. But after his wife is hanged for treason, Darrow learns that all of this was a lie--that on the surface, there are large cities and all ranges of Colors. Motivated by his wife's dream, Darrow is transformed into a Gold and sent to destroy the Color system that keeps Reds enslaved.
I really enjoyed this novel because it is set in a dystopian future where the other planets have been colonized. The sci-fi aspect of it is very cool, and it makes me excited to think about making Mars and other planets inhabitable. Darrow's transformation is sad because he's fueled by revenge, but reading him become more forgiving and see the good in Golds while also recognizing the bad in Reds makes his story more emotional. He defeats the odds on both sides, and he rises above his vengeance and realizes that his goal is not to destroy the Golds and make Reds powerful but to reform the Society. Its theme is parallel to society today, shedding light on marginalized communities fighting for equality.
All her life, Lara has been trained to be the perfect wife to a man she's never met, the King of Ithicana. She's also been trained to maim, kill, and torture anything and anyone, and now she's been sent to tear down her enemy and bring his kingdom to its knees. But when she meets Aren, his loyalty to his people and passion for the truth puts a rent in her mission. And when she learns that her father is the reason for her kingdom's poverty, she realizes that Aren was never her enemy, her father is.
I liked this book because it uses one of my favorite tropes, enemies to lovers. Although Aren is meant to be the antagonist, you learn that Lara's father is the reason why both kingdoms are suffering, and seeing Lara realize she's been lied to and change alliances was the most satisfying part of the book. There's a healthy balance of passion and action in the novel, and the end left me itching to read the sequel.
Neverwhere is the story of a regular man who is thrown into a completely nonsensical world beneath the London streets. Richard Mayhew is just a normal person, with an accounting job and a troll collection. When he does a good deed for Door, a street kid who's more than she seems, he is plunged into a grimy, grim, and glorious world full of Hunters and rat-speakers and angels, where's the two of them fight to escape the clutches of an unfathomable enemy and his unbeatable henchmen.
I was originally recommended this book, and had enjoyed previous books by Neil Gaiman, so I gave it a shot. All in all, I loved it. London Below is painted in vivid, horrible detail. It was definitely interesting in having a magical, fantastical world that didn't feel like somewhere one would want to live, but did feel like it was somewhere adventure happened. The final antagonist was amazing, as were the smaller one's as the story passed! They were just so full of personality, like almost all of the characters in the book. The story was crooked and strange and often sad, but beautiful and hopeful all the same. And the ending was perfect! I'd definitely recommend to any fantasy or adventure fans, although the language and content and gore makes this book not for the too faint of heart.
Revolution. The end of the dragonlord's reign. The sole survivor, Lee, having been spared by the revolutions leader, is a natural at dragon riding. After being left at an orphanage, forgotten by the people, he forms an unlikely bond with a peasant girl named Annie. She also is a natural at riding and the two having been training together since their dragons chose them. But the tournament for First Rider is coming up and them having to duel is throwing a wedge in their friendship. Not only that, but when Lee receives a message from survivors of the old regime, he must make a choice. Throw away all his hard work and rejoin his family or stick by his friends and fight for his new way of life. This exhilarating tale will leave you breathless and windswept, grasping for more. Would recommend for anyone that enjoys dragons, awesome fights and an underlying feeling of romance. Fireborne will forever be burned into my mind as a fork of fantasy and powerful story telling.
The Lightning Thief follows a twelve-year-old boy named Percy Jackson through his quest in retrieving Zeus' lightning bolt back. Percy is a normal kid who's always had trouble in school and behaving, only to find out he's a half blood. With this discovery, he's sent to Camp Half-Blood, home of the half-children of Greek Gods and mortals. We journey along with Percy when he's sentenced to a quest to find Zeus' precious weapon- his lightning bolt rod, and experience adventure, exciting battles, and new friendships.
I consider the Percy Jackson series to be a staple in every teenager's reading list. This series is similar to the Harry Potter series, and I enjoy the mythical adventures throughout both. I recommend the Percy Jackson series to anyone who wants a light but entertaining read.
The Alchemist is a novel about Santiago a shepherd boy, who goes on a journey to find treasure. I've heard lots of hype around this story, but I have to admit that this story did not live up to its name.
Sure, the writing was pretty good, but I could not find myself getting into the story at all. I wasn't connected to any of the characters, and I couldn't care less about what happened to them.
Maybe this novel wasn't exactly meant to have a detailed and structure plotline, since it was more of a metaphorical piece, but the journey the main character took throughout the novel was written in such a way that made it completely uninteresting. The writing was more philosophical and seemed more like a long lecture rather than an actual story. Maybe I missed something, but as much as I wanted to like this book, I couldn't. Toward the end, I found myself only skimming the pages to skip to the end and get the story over with.
Maybe the experience with this book is different for everyone, but I'll have to say that it was definitely not for me.
Reviewer Grade: 11
Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory about a farm of talking animals that push out their farmer after the abuse that they endure and proceed to create their own form of government. The animals form their government without the realization of the need to work for survival and have to adapt to the situation which causes discrepancies and arguments. I thought that this book was really good due to the surprising climax, ruthless betrayal, and the historical relation that it contains, but it does have some dragging parts. The plot is unpredictable and very interesting throughout. I had to read this book for school and thought it would be boring, but after reading it I gained knowledge of history through symbolism and recommend this book for history enthusiasts such as myself. Reviewer Grade: 9
The Little Prince is a story about a pilot who crash lands in the middle of a desert, attempting to repair his broken plane. Whilst he tries to do so, he meets a strange young boy who he calls the "little prince," and ignites an odd friendship with the boy.
I've found that my experience in reading this classic tale has been different each time. My first time reading, I vaguely remember thinking how childish and confusing the story was. However, through my most recent and second time reading, I've finally understood the popularity surrounding the book. Although this story is meant to be a children's story, I think that people of all ages can read and appreciate this book, as it contains some deep and meaningful themes and quotes.
This story speaks incredible volumes on the journey of growing up and is assisted in delivering this message through beautifully crafted sentences. Reading this book was an unforgettable experience, and I cannot express how stunning this book is. The illustrations in this story add some childlike charm, and the whole time I was reading, I was so content with the sweet writing style that I didn't want it to end. During the last few pages, I felt a bittersweet emotion as the story began to close, and I think the ending was perfect and added the right amount of sadness and hope.
Overall, this book is one of my all-time favorites, and I cannot recommend it enough. You will not regret reading this story, and I hope some of the lines written in this story stick with you as they have for me
Addie LaRue, a girl who lived in Paris, made a deal. She gets to live as long as she wants, however, nobody has the ability to remember her. Until 300 years later, when a boy remembers her name.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a book that will leave you in tears!! I really liked reading this book, all though it was not my all time favorite. The book had incredible character development (which is really important to me) and increasing plot to keep readers engaged. The only reason why I didn't give this book five stars is because about 8 of the chapters felt like they just repeating itself. Overall, it was a great book and I would read it again.
Amani is a sixteen-year-old gunslinger and sharpshooter from Dustwalk. Orphaned, she lives with her abusive aunt, uncle, and cousins, but wants to run away from the desert and flee to Izman, the capital city. When she meets Jin, a mysterious foreigner, she takes her chance to leave her dead city and runs away with him. They encounter many dangers along the journey as they defend themselves against mythical creatures such as the "Nightmares" and "Skinwalkers". Along the way, Amani discovers that she can control the sand, and other secrets about herself, Jin, and the Rebel Prince.
My favorite character in this novel was obviously Amani. She is around my age, adventurous, and just wants a better life for herself. Living in Dustwalk, many of her opportunities are limited because she is female, and she represents an important theme about female autonomy and feminism. There's a bit of everything: adventure, fantasy, romance, and lots of events that kept me hooked. I liked how there were a lot of unexpected events and that the ending has some ambiguity to it. This book is the first of a trilogy, and I'm just as excited to read the other books!
"Isle of Blood and Stone" is an engaging story of Elias the mapmaker who lived on the island kingdom of St. John Del Mar. When he was very young, his father was lost in a plot of kidnap the princes of the kingdom, one that was never fully solved. Elias, eighteen years later, has returned home to solve this conspiracy and avenge his father. With the help Mercedes and the king, Ulises, he begins to unravel the mystery that his father, who may still be alive, has left for him. "Isle of Blood and Stone" encompasses the qualities that good books do: suspense, tension, and a little bit of love. I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a good book and a good plot twist.
Legends by Marie Lu is a novel set in a dystopian and apocalyptic future of Los Angeles. The author does an amazing job illustrating new apocalyptic Los Angeles, especially the divide between the rich and the poor. The rich have lavish meals, houses, and water. While the poor are lucky to just survive. The two main characters June and Day are born with this divide between them. June born to the rich is trained for success in the system while Day born into the poor and is the most wanted criminal. They would have never met but now June is tasked with hunting down Day. The book switches between their viewpoints helping the reader understand the difference in the class system. Not only that but the author does a great job of switching in the right times to reinforce the plot rather than an awkward switch. All in all I couldn’t set the enthralling novel down and would recommend it with 5 out of 5 stars.
Intensity is the last installment of the Chronicles of Nick series. In this book, Nick's destiny is tested in ways he never thought could be possible. For one, he learns that he has a son in the future and that he's come to the past to ruin Nick's life and destroy him and the world. Then, he learns that his greatest enemies have somehow enslaved his future self and turned his friends against him. And worst of all, he learns that his mother's death is the catalyst for him losing his mind. At this point, Nick wants to give up. How can he fight against a son he has no knowledge of, enemies he can't see, or the fact that the most important person in his life is going to be gone sooner rather than later?
This book was different structurally than the rest of the books because it includes pictures of the characters and jumps between different points of view. At first, it's confusing to figure out how much time has passed from the events of the last book to what's happening in this book, but after a moment, the plot gets clearer and more interesting. This wasn't my favorite book in the series because there wasn't as much action and the end was very confusing and I felt, didn't fit with the theme. A lot of new characters were introduced, some of which were largely irrelevant and I felt were just added to try to make the plot more complex, but just made it more confusing.
Alex was always different. Like the puzzle piece that never fit in. Meanwhile her twin brother was her polar opposite. But the twins always shared a love of fairy tales. When their grandmother stops by their house one day and give them the infamous book called the Land of Stories they grew up with, the twins were excited. Soon the excitement turned to confusion when the book started glowing. To their surprise they landed in the Land of Stories.
This book is a great book for people who love twists on fairy tales, misinterpreted characters, and a good long series. This book was a great easy read to just sit down and enjoy. Highly recommend!
The city of Ember is story of Lina Mayfleet, who wants to be a messenger in Ember, however she gets a job called the "pipe worker". Pipe workers have to work all they long in the deep sticky underground. However Doon, wants to be a electrician helper or pipe worker because he likes to work with machines, so he wants to see generator that makes electricity. However he gets job called "messenger", who runs all around the city and send messages to other citizens. Doon trade his job with Lina, and they both got job they want. Every thing is running out of the ember, lightbulb, food, energy, etc. Doon and Lina try to find the secret of the Ember, they try to find the way out of the Ember and for there future.
I give this book, the city of Ember 5-star rating. I loved this story because its adventurous and it hooks me in second page, also it makes reader to think about what's going to happen in future, and also makes readers want to read more and make reader interesting and imagine what is going on.
My favorite aspect of this book was when Doon and Lina was picking their jobs to work in the Ember. It was quite interesting to me because they actually don't get to choose there own job. Lina pick pipe worker, and Doon pick messenger. However they both don't like there jobs. Luckily, because they don't like there job, they trade there job and they'd like there new job now. The all familiar question of reader of Ember: Why Doon want to be a pipe worker? What is going to happen next? Why Ember are having blackouts? Where are Ember?
I also tell you that Ember heavily depends on electricity, and its running out of it. There only food is canned food. The city is dying, everyone knows it. When Lina finds a secret box that her great grand father have left with letter in it, and it was secret of the Ember. However, unfortunately, it was chew by her sister, poppy. Doon and Lina try to find what is the secret mean.
I also really liked the setting of the ember, the dark moon, only shining on the top of the Ember, no lights, dark, deep darkness. I can't spoil where it is but, there are blackout. There are only Ember, the light of the world, there are noting beside Ember. At unknown region, there are only infinity of darkness.
Overall, this is an easy read that adventurous, fun and it keep my eyes on the book whole time i read the city of Ember.
Curtsies and Conspiracies follows Sophronia Temminnick, a girl who just finished her first semester at deadly finishing school. The new semester brings fresh battles, hardships, and fun! When there's a fancy ball in London that all the girls want to go to, Sophronia is skeptical. What could be there that's worth it? The plot of this book is filled with twists and turns, and you should definitely check it out!