Sunday, April 27, 2014

Spring bookhaul

So here where I live we celebrate this holiday called Sant Jordi (literary Saint George) on April 23rd where we buy and sell books and roses. It's one of my favorite days of the year because I get to buy and receive any books, and I just love that. So here's a picture of the books I've got this year during this last couple of weeks in order to celebrate this holiday: 


  • Heat Wave, by Richard Castle. I've been watching the TV show Castle lately a lot, and grown kind of obsessed with it, so when I saw this at the bookshop the other day, I just had to get it. For sure. I just hope it doesn't let me down, because I really really love the show. 
  • Shatter Me, by Tahereh Mafi. I finally found it!! I've been looking for this book like crazy! I found out recently that the reason why I couldn't find it is because it hadn't been published here until March (unfair!), but that doesn't explain why I couldn't find it in English either. So a friend bought it for me, and I was so excited to read it that I started it on Friday night, and by the afternoon of the next day it was already over! I'm going to write its review soon, as soon as I'm done with my exams, because I really liked it! Can't wait to read the other two. 
  • Just One Day, by Gayle Forman. I've been looking forward to reading this for a long time now, and I found Just One Year, the second book, the other day but I couldn't find the first one, so I asked my dad for it as my Saint George present, and here it is! 
  • Brahe and Kepler, by M. Pilar Gil. I have no idea what this is, but it doesn't look bad for an Spanish book. I guess I'll have to try and see. That was my mom's present. She wanted to buy the first book in the Mara Dyer series (which is what I wanted the most) but couldn't find it anywhere so... I guess I'll have to look for it somewhere else. 
  • Marvelous Disaster, by Jamie McGuire. I loved the first book, it was great, and I really wanted to know more about Travis, so reading from his point of view may be nice. But I just feel like every time an author wants to do this, they ruin it, so I hope this one's fine...
  • Eleanor & Park, by Rainbow Rowell. While this one was in my list, I wanted Fangirl first but couldn't find it anywhere, so I bought this one, which looks awesome and the kind of story I need to read right now, and I'm pretty sure I'll love it. 
  • El guardián invisible, Dolores Redondo. Literary "The invisible guardian", this book was a recommendation from one of my teachers, that teacher I love and who reads everything I read. I've always liked her recommendations, so why not this one? It's a mystery novel, which I haven't tried yet, but it looks quite good and I really want to start it. 
  • Emma, by Jane Austen. Another classic to my shelves. I've been buying all these books in English lately, from A Tale of Two Cities to To Kill a Mockingbird, and the only one I've read so far is Wuthering Heights (awesome!), so I couldn't help but getting this one too, because I would really want to read it. The only problem is that these books in English aren't as easy for me as the ones that belong to the young adult genre. These are classics, and its English is quite older and way more difficult. But I have to try. 
So these are the new books I've got this week and that I'm really looking forward to reading. The next one I'm going to buy is probably The Fiery Heart, because I'm travelling to London soon and it will be the perfect opportunity to buy books in English, and I just can't believe I still haven't read that one! I'll keep you updated :)


Monday, April 21, 2014

Enclave, by Ann Aguirre (Razorland #1)

Synopsis:
New York City has been decimated by war and plague, and most of civilization has migrated to underground enclaves, where life expectancy is no more than the early 20's. When Deuce turns 15, she takes on her role as a Huntress, and is paired with Fade, a teenage Hunter who lived Topside as a young boy. When she and Fade discover that the neighboring enclave has been decimated by the tunnel monsters - or Freaks - who seem to be growing more organized, the elders refuse to listen to warnings. And when Deuce and Fade are exiled from the enclave, the girl born in darkness must survive in daylight - guided by Fade's long-ago memories - in the ruins of a city whose population has dwindled to a few dangerous gangs.

I have this friend who's insisted on me reading this for a long, long time, and I finally did, a couple of months ago. I really liked it, but it was more or less what I had expected. The story itself wasn't bad, it was quite original, another dystopian novel to add to my list; but the way it was told wasn't that magical.
I love Fade, and I really like Deuce. She's so badass to be only fifteen, even though I imagined her even younger. Since I read the book in Spanish, the names had been changed. Fade was Van, and Deuce became Dos, so it's difficult for me to imagine them differently.
Some things were pretty predictable, while others where a breath of fresh air. I think the story is really good, and the characters can be more developed than they are right now, which is why I'm really looking forward to reading the other two books in the trilogy.
I don't know how to imagine the Freaks, but I imagine the enclave perfectly, kind of a smaller version of the caves in Stephenie Meyer's The Host, but way less organized. I think the love story was quite forced, going from Deuce's thoughts about Fade concerning hunting, the Freaks, admiration and respect to suddenly start blushing because she's been thinking of Fade's lips. And they hadn't even talked that much! So I would like to see more of them talking sincerely in the next books.
It was kind of a worse version of Legend (because that was so good!), but with fresh ideas that caught me and got me hooked, even if it wasn't from the beginning (the trip to Nassau was soooo boring in my opinion, I couldn't get past it). But if you're looking for something to read, Enclave is a great choice! :)