Recent Reads #1

Hi guys! My name is Ana and welcome to my blog.

After a time away from the blog I am back with two reviews of two books that I recently read.

Before I share my reviews I want to share some links where you can help changing the world: 

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Chain of Gold by Cassandra Clare

"Welcome to Edwardian London, a time of electric lights and long shadows, the celebration of artistic beauty and the wild pursuit of pleasure, with demons waiting in the dark. For years there has been peace in the Shadowhunter world. James and Lucie Herondale have grown up in an idyll with their loving friends and family, listening to stories of good defeating evil and love conquering all. But everything changes when the Blackthorn and Carstairs families come to London… and so does a remorseless and inescapable plague.

James Herondale longs for a great love, and thinks he has found it in the beautiful, mysterious Grace Blackthorn. Cordelia Carstairs is desperate to become a hero, save her family from ruin, and keep her secret love for James hidden. When disaster strikes the Shadowhunters, James, Cordelia and their friends are plunged into a wild adventure which will reveal dark and incredible powers, and the true cruel price of being a hero... and falling in love."

Chain of Gold is about friendship, love, adventure, loyalty, family.

We follow Cordelia Carstairs and her arrival in London to save her family and to become a hero. We also follow Lucie and the Merry Thieves (Matthew, Thomas, Christopher and James).

Cordelia is one of my favorite character in the Shadowhunter Chronicles. She is funny, smart brave, loyal and she fights for what she believes and is not afraid to speak her mind and that is why she is one of my favorites. I also really like Lucie because she is a fighter, adventurous and she doesn't let anyone tell her what she can and can't do and I love her because of that. Their friendship is one of my favorite part of the book. 

Another thing that I love is the Merry Thieves scenes because they are so funny. James is intelligent, an amazing friend, parabatai and brother, he is also a fighter. Christopher and Thomas are brilliant, extraordinary friends, loyal, brave. Matthew is also loyal and very brave, an amazing friend and parabatai, he is courageous and very intriguing.

Besides the main characters my favorite is Anna. She is bold, fascinating, confident, fearless and I love her.

Some of my favorite parts are the ones with Will, Tessa, Jem, Sophie, Cecily, Gideon, Gabriel and my all time favorite Magnus Bane.

One thing I didn't like was a developed of a love triangle that we see in the end of the book and I don't think that it was necessary. 

I can't wait to read the next book and find what will happen with my favorite characters.

Overall I love the story, the characters, the writing and being back to my favorite world.

If you want to read this book and you haven't read any of the Shadowhunter Chronicles I recommend you read first The Infernal Devices trilogy.

"You decide the truth about yourself. No one else. And the choice about what kind of person you will be is yours alone."

- Cassandra Clare

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo

Six of Crows - summary:

"Ketterdam: a bustling hub of international trade where anything can be had for the right price—and no one knows that better than criminal prodigy Kaz Brekker. Kaz is offered a chance at a deadly heist that could make him rich beyond his wildest dreams. But he can’t pull it off alone...

A convict with a thirst for revenge

A sharpshooter who can’t walk away from a wager

A runaway with a privileged past

A spy known as the Wraith

A Heartrender using her magic to survive the slums

A thief with a gift for unlikely escapes

Kaz’s crew is the only thing that might stand between the world and destruction - if they don’t kill each other first."

Crooked Kingdom is about friendship, loyalty, revenge, freedom and what that really means, family and fight for what you believe.

It starts where Six of Crows ended and this book is amazing and at the same time it's crazy (in a good way).

Kaz is intelligent, ambitious, bold, brilliant, sarcastic, intriguing and he remind me of Thomas Shelby from the TV show Peaky Blinders.

Inej and Nina are the most bad ass characters in the Grisha world. They are fighters, loyal, brave, adventurous, intelligent, ambitious, strong, fearless and they don't let others say what they can and can't do.

Matthias is loyal, funny, caring, smart, devoted, strong, protector and the parts with him and Nina are some of my favorite.

Jesper is sarcastic, charming, hilarious, determined, sassy, daring, confident and I loved to read from his point of view.

I really like to read from Wylan's point of view. He is talented, skilled, reliable, dedicated, and his scenes with Jesper are some of my favorite part of the book.

We see the characters fight their demons, making peace with their past and to see their friendship is one of my favorite part in this duology.

Another thing I really like was the way Leigh Bardugo wrote the twists and turns and the way she starts to reveal the bigger picture of what was really going on in the story.

This duology became one of my favorite and those last chapters made me cry and laugh and I don't know if I can forgive Leigh Bardugo for what she wrote in a particular chapter (if you read the book you know what chapter I am talking about).

Overall I love this book, the story, the characters, the writting, the twists and turns and Leigh Bardugo become one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to read King of Scars.

If you still haven't read this duology and if you like books with multiple points of view, great characters, friendship, romance, characters driven this book is for you.

“Fear is a phoenix. You can watch it burn a thousand times and still it will return.”

- Leigh Bardugo

Have you read any of this books?

What books have you recent read?